Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2012

Mac Pro Gets Subtle Upgrade; Real Upgrades Coming in 2013

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Mac Pro

After Apple’s online store showed some mild upgrades for the Mac Pro yesterday, there was quite the outburst of fury amongst pro users online.  Basically, Apple just changed some processor specs and hit the refresh button on the Mac Pro listing on its website.

All hope is not quite yet lost for the flagship pro box though….

NYT’s David Pogue said that he spoke with an Apple exec and was assured that the Mac Pro and iMac would be getting redesigns for 2013.

That’s quite a ways off for pro users who have been hanging onto their towers for a couple of years now.  Watching Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and 6Gb/s SATA  channels pass them by is a tough pill to swallow.

[Update: The 2013 Mac Pro upgrade has been confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook.]

 

Apple Announces New MacBook Pros; USB 3.0, Retina Display & SSD Drives in Tow

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Next Gen MacBook Pro

Apple has updated its MacBook Pro lineup with new 13-inch and 15-inch models that essentially refresh the pre-existing models while dropping the 17-inch model from the product line.  Additionally, Apple introduced a brand-new 15-inch MacBook Pro model that loses the disc drive, as well as the ethernet port and FireWire 800 port, in favor of a slimmer and lighter overall design. [Read more…]

Photography Rules of Composition with Scott Kelby

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpHMuK7Htic&w=640&h=360]

In this video from the Google+ Photographers’ Conference, Scott Kelby shakes up some of the traditional instruction of teaching photographic composition.  It’s a rather long video; however, Scott Kelby is a great teacher and this session is worth a listen.  I hit play and planned on catching a few minutes of it, but Scott sucked me in and I stuck around for the duration.

[via Fstoppers]

iPhone 5 Camera Rumored to Include Faster Lens and 8MP Sensor

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Industry analysts love to analyze all that Apple does since it seems to get so many things right from a consumer perspective.  One thing that Apple definitely got right in the iPhone 4S was the camera, which is arguably the best integration of a camera in a phone to date.

As more and more info is rumored and analyzed throughout the iPhone 5’s supply chain, it will be most interesting to see how the iPhone 5’s camera stacks up against the iPhone 4S.  A recent quote from an analyst pegs the iPhone 5 to include an 8MP Sony image sensor (same as the iPhone 4S) and bumping the lens speed to an f/2.2 aperture (versus f/2.4 in the iPhone 4S). [Read more…]

Canon 7D Firmware Update Will Provide Better Max RAW Burst, Manual Audio Levels and Lots More

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Canon 7D

The Canon 7D will be getting a new firmware upgrade soon according to news posted on the CPN website and nabbed by Canon Rumors before it was removed.

There are lots of improvements on the still image capture side, including bumping the max RAW burst to 26 images (up from 15 consecutive images).  That’s a pretty big bump in write speed, so I’m curious to know what Canon’s doing with the 7D since it received an upgrade for UDMA Mode 7 CF card support last year.

One biggie for all the HDSLR shooters out there is the addition of manual audio level controls.  It seems a little late in the 7D’s game to add this and all the other goodies to the camera, given that it is almost 3 years old (it was announced on September 1, 2009).  So maybe Canon is pushing for a final surge in 7D sales before the camera is replaced, or maybe Canon is looking to extend the life of the camera well beyond the typical 3-year mark for pro-level cameras?

Other additions include: [Read more…]

Canon Rebel T4i Officially Unveiled Along with New Lenses

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Canon Rebel T4i

The much-rumored Canon Rebel T4i has been officially announced.

The new entry-level DSLR sports an 18MP image sensor and captures full HD video with continuous autofocus, which is a first for Canon DSLRs.  Also new is a 3-inch touchscreen LCD – another Canon DSLR first.  The sensitivity range covers ISO 100-12800 with an expansion option up to ISO 25600.

The Rebel T4i gets an upgraded AF system, now offering 9 cross-type AF points, and will capture full-res images at 5 frames per second.

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens

The Rebel T4i was introduced alongside two new video-optimized lenses – the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake and the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM.

The Canon Rebel T4i retails for $849.99 for the body only; $949.99 with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens kit and a “Movie Kit” bundle for $1199.00 with the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.  The Rebel T4i should be available by the end of the month.  Check availability at B&H Photo.

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens retails for $199.99, while the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM retails for $549.99.

More details and images below. [Read more…]

Mac Pro Refresh Due Next Week w/ Thunderbolt & USB 3.0

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Mac Pro

Mac users have been waiting nearly two years for a refresh of the Mac Pro.  Many have speculated over the last several months that Apple had quietly decided to axe the Mac Pro line altogether.

Recent leaks of product numbers and specifications all but confirm that Apple will, in fact, unveil a refreshed Mac Pro lineup next week at WWDC.

The new Mac Pros are rumored to feature 8-core Xeon E5 CPUs, Thunderbolt & USB 3.0.  According to Apple Insider, the new Mac Pros are also rumored to “feature 1600MHz memory with 8 channels, SATA III/SAS 6-gigabyte-per-second drive connectivity, and PCI-Express 3 native support for video cards.”

I’ll have more info next week when/if the new Mac Pros are officially unveiled.

Olympus LS-100 Firmware Update to Fix Delay Problem

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Olympus LS100

Back in March, I published a comparison of the Olympus LS-100, Zoom H4n and Tascam DR-100 Mk II portable XLR audio recorders.  In the review, I noted that the LS-100 had the best overall audio quality when using the XLR inputs combined with an external shotgun mic like the Rode NTG-3.

One of the complaints about the LS-100 noted in the comment section was that there is a 0.2-second delay when monitoring the recording via the headphone jack.  This is a flaw that I missed since I’m not tracking anything with it and just used the monitor to get levels before rolling video; however, it’s a very critical flaw for some uses.

Olympus Audio posted in the comment thread that a fix for this delay problem is in the works and should be available via a firmware update in July. [Read more…]

Canon Rebel T4i Full Specs & Touchscreen Details

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Rebel T4i

The full specifications for the Canon Rebel T4i appear to have leaked out to Canon Rumors ahead of tonight’s official unveiling.  As the Rebel T3i successor, the new T4i is shaping up to be closer to the level of a 60D clone with a touchscreen, and shaking off a couple of the entry-level features that have been tied to the Rebel series for a few generations.

Canon Rebel T4i Key Specifications

  • 18 MP APS-C
  • SDHC slot, USH-1 complaint
  • Current xxD’s AF system (9 cross-type points, found in 40D, 50D, 60D)
  • T3i metering system (63 zones like 7D and 5DIII)
  • ~5 fps
  • Standard Rebel viewfinder
  • ISO 100-12,800 expandable to 25,600
  • Articulated touchscreen LCD
  • Hybrid AF during video shooting

Additional feature screenshots reveal some of what we’ll be able to do with the new Rebel T4i’s LCD screen. [Read more…]