Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

Don’t Buy Anything Less Than a Class 10 SD Card

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No More Slow Memory Cards

I’ve seen a lot of deals lately on Class 4 and Class 6 SD cards mixed in with deals on Class 10 SD cards.  The price difference between these classes of SD cards is now nominal and, as a result, there’s really  no reason you should buy a Class 4 SD card anymore.

The prevalence of this problem came to light recently when a friend brought his Canon 60D to me, stating that it wouldn’t record video for more than a couple of seconds.  My gut told me to check the SD card first thing.  And, sure enough, he had an old SanDisk Ultra Class 4 SDHC card in it.  I swapped it out with one of my SanDisk Class 10 SDHC cards and it worked like a charm.

He ordered a new Class 10 SDHC card that day.  His 60D has captured video just fine ever since.

If you don’t already know, the Class-ratings on SD cards relate to a minimum write speed. When recording HD video, you need a minimum-sustained write speed in order to dump the data off the camera and onto the card.  In many cameras today, Class 4 (4MB/s) and Class 6 (6MB/s) cards just can’t handle the data transfers.

Class 10 cards are currently the fastest rated for minimum write speeds available and will handle video capture for most, if not all, current HD video DSLRs and camcorders today.

If you want to know more about SD card speed ratings and classifications, check out my article on Demystifying SD Cards.

If you want an easy recommendation, go with SanDisk Extreme Class 10 SD cards.

Photoshop Tip: Justifying Text

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Justify Text Not Selectable

If you have ever added text to an image using the type tool in Photoshop and later decided that you wanted create a different paragraph justification style (as opposed to the available right-, center- or left-align options), you may have been frustrated to discover that the justification options in the paragraph palette were grayed out.

There are a couple of ways to make sure you have the ability to justify text in your chosen format when working with the type tool in Photoshop.  I can confirm that the following directions work in Photoshop CS5 and CS6. [Read more…]

Sony NEX-F3 In-Stock

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Sony NEX-F3

The Sony NEX-F3 is in stock at B&H.  The NEX-F3 looks to be everything that the NEX-C3 is – and more.

As a result, I’m pegging the NEX-F3 as the g0-t0 consumer camera for those who want better quality than they get out of a point and shoot camera.  I own the NEX-C3 and it has been a fantastic camera – particularly when combined with the great little Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens that stays on it.

The NEX-F3 is available in silver and black.

Unified Color Updates 32 Float v2 HDR Plug-in for Photoshop CS6

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32Float v2

Unified Color Technologies has released an update for its Photoshop plug-in HDR software, 32 Float v2, which adds compatibility with Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Users on 32 Float will need to install the latest update from Unified Color’s website or through the in-program update process. In addition, Unified Color will also be running a summer promotion offering 10% off all their software through June 29.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Canon 60D Firmware Update 1.1.1

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Canon 60D

Canon has issued a firmware update for the 60D.  The new firmware version 1.1.1 includes the following updates:

  1. Fixes a phenomenon where the camera’s serial number that is displayed in the shooting information of the image does not display the correct serial number. *1)
  2. Corrects errors in the Greek, Italian, and Portuguese menu screens.

You can download the update from Canon’s website.

Canon 7D Mark II as Low-End Full Frame Camera? 70D Coming as APS-C Flagship?

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Canon 7D

After the leaky Nikon D600 made its recent waves, rumors of the next generation of the Canon 7D emerged as its potential as a full-frame shooter on the lower end of Canon’s arsenal.

Additional rumors suggest that a Canon 70D would serve as a replacement for both the existing 60D and 7D APS-C models – thus making the 70D the top tier APS-C camera from Canon.

No other specs seem to have emerged in the rumor mill thus far.  Both cameras are rumored for an announcement around Photokina 2012 in September.

[via Canon Watch]

Canon 5D Mark III Firmware Update 1.1.3

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Canon 5D Mark III

Canon has issued a firmware update for the 5D Mark III.  Version 1.1.3 adds the following:

1. Supports the single focal length EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens that is to be released at the end of June, 2012.
2. Fixes a phenomenon in which an image may become underexposed when using the Auto Lighting Optimizer for continuous Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) shooting.
3. Fixes a phenomenon in which the backlight of the LCD monitor may not turn off depending on the camera settings and timing.
4. Fixes a phenomenon in which the camera’s power may not turn on when a super-telephoto lens*1) is mounted to the camera with an extender*2).
*1) EF 300mm F2.8L IS II USM / EF 400mm F2.8L IS II USM
*2) Extender EF 1.4X III / Extender EF 2X III
5. Corrects mistakes in the Dutch, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, and Swedish menu screens.

You can download the update from Canon’s website.