Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G Launches, Priced at $220

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We have been waiting for this news since Nikon posted its new AF-S 50mm lens on its website and then removed it last week.  Finally, the lens has been officially unveiled (permanently this time) and it’s got a decent price point of $220.  All I can say is that it’s about time!

The Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 lens should be available beginning on June 16, 2011.  You can watch for availability on Amazon (update: pre-order up on Amazon), B&H Photo and Adorama.

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

 

Giveaway: Strobist Photo Trade Secrets

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Want a free copy of Strobist Photo Trade Secrets?  (Read the review of these cool books.)

Two copies are up for grabs to the comments of the day.  Anything goes (just keep it clean) and I draw the winners on Wednesday at 6PM EDT.

Just leave a single comment below (no duplicate entries) and put your real email address in the email box (NOT in the comment text). I’ll notify the winners and update this post when I hear back from them.

Sony A55 Review

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The Sony A55 is the next big step for Sony, which busted onto the scene with the A300 and A350 DSLRs almost 3 years go with their fast live view autofocus.  The A55’s live view autofocus is a step above pretty much everything else on the market, including Sony’s prior models.  And that, is the biggest and best feature on the A55.

The A55 has a 16.2MP CMOS sensor for high-res stills and also captures full 1920 x 1080 HD video.  As an entry-level DSLR, the A55 delivers solid results in both categories. [Read more…]

The Chapel, HDR Video Shot with 5D Mark II

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Patrick Kizny shot this HDR sequence inside an 18th century chapel in Poland. Whether you like HDR or not, you have to appreciate the amount of work that went into this production – particularly, how smooth the slider shots were for the timelapse sequences.

He used a number of different cameras, but primarily relied on the 5D Mark II for the timelapse shots due to its high resolution.  If you are interested in more about how he made it, check out the behind the scenes video below.

A detailed description of the post-production timelapse HDR workflow can be found on the Looky Creative blog.

Canon Plug-in-E1 for Final Cut Pro Ver. 1.2 Now Available

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Canon 1D Mark IV

Version 1.2 of the Canon E1 plug-in for Final Cut Pro is available for download now.  The new version allows you to import files without the need to maintain the CF card folder structure.  It’s designed to work with the Canon 5D Mark II, 7D, 1D Mark IV and 60D.  I’ve heard unconfirmed reports that the new version will work with the Canon Rebel series DSLRs but nothing for certain yet.  For more details, see the original post here.

You can download it on product pages for Canon DSLRs.  Here’s a direct link to the 5D Mark II Drivers & Software page.  Just select Mac OS X as your OS and then choose the download link for the plug-in.

Free Upgrade From Adobe CS5 to CS5.5 for Recent Purchasers

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When Adobe announced CS5.5 a couple weeks ago, a couple of commenters on Photography Bay and/or its Facebook fan page expressed some frustration because they had just purchased a CS5 product.  It looks like those of you who purchased CS5 products on or after March 10, 2011 will be eligible for a free upgrade to CS5.5. [Read more…]