Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
The Canon Monopod 100 is a basic 4-section monopod that comes with a ball head – all for about $33. That’s not really a bad deal at all considering that it actually performs pretty well.
Keep in mind though that this is an entry-level product and isn’t designed for pro-level shooters who pack around 500mm f/4 lenses. The Canon Monopod 100 just takes care of the basics. [Read more…]
UPDATE 10/20/09: The Canon 1D Mark IV has been announced. Additional info on Photography Bay’s Canon 1D Mark IV Reviews and Resources.
After the recent announcement of the Nikon D3s, it appears that Canon may be ready to introduce a new flagship of its own. Rumors are flying from a variety of sources that Canon will unveil the 1D Mark IV on October 20.
Specification rumors have centered mostly around an APS-H (1.3x crop) sensor in the 16-megapixel range and still image frame capture rates at 10-12fps. Rumors have consistently suggested 1080p video capture with the same capture rates as the Canon 7D.
One poster on the Fred Miranda forums says that Canon Spain has unofficially informed pro shooters that the 1D Mark IV will be released on October 20. Another forum member reports seeing the a retailer’s inventory system that shows the 1D Mark IV and 1Ds Mark IV priced at $4995 and $6995, respectively. Consistent with this rumor, Canon Rumors has received a number of “tips” on the announcement, including a copy of the press invitation above regarding Canon’s celebration of 50 years of its SLRs.
Stay tuned. This looks like it could be the real deal.
Canon has released a firmware update for the EOS 7D. The new version 1.0.9 incorporates the following fixes:
1. Improves AF accuracy during Live View shooting.
2. Corrects a phenomenon where in rare instances, movie images shot by the camera may exhibit abnormal colors.
3. Corrects a phenomenon that at certain timings, the shutter cannot be released when the camera’s built-in flash or an external Speedlite is used for shooting.
To learn more about it or to download the update, see Canon’s website.
I recently reviewed the remarkable Rotation 360 camera backpack from Think Tank Photo. It’s time to unload Photography Bay’s review sample to one of you guys.
Sure, it’s slightly used with a 9 mile hike under its belt and a few photowalks around town in order to put it through the paces for our review, but I assure you that it’s got plenty more miles left in it. And, I promise it doesn’t smell bad ;-)
You want it?
Show us your best “hiking” themed images by following the directions below and we’ll cover shipping anywhere in the US. [Read more…]
I have recently began a process of reviewing the Photomatix HDR software. Having never previously used any dedicated HDR software, I was very eager to see the results that Photomatix produced.
After using it a little, I very impressed at how automatically it creates an HDR image out of multiple exposures (although there is still an art to getting the most out of it). You can even export images directly from Lightroom 2 to Photomatix and then automatically re-import them into your Lightroom library. Pretty cool stuff.
Armed with a Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40mm f/4L lens and some inspiration from Michael James’ HDR Real Estate Photography, I set out to find an appropriate indoor setting to give Photomatix a little test drive.
In the set-up below, I shot 3 images at -2EV, 0EV and +2EV from a tripod. The scene was lit by the two lamps you see and a ceiling fixture only. I then combined them in Photomatix via the LR plugin to create an HDR image. I was pleased with the initial results. I thought I had a rather realistic-looking HDR image.
Then, I started thinking… How much can I get out of a single Canon 5D Mark II Raw file by processing in LR alone?
So, I took one of the exposures (I’m not saying which one) and pushed it as far as I could in LR to try to get as close as I could to the Photomatix HDR image.
The results? I was pretty impressed.
One of the following images was processed in LR 2.5 from a single exposure. One was processed from 3 images using Photomatix.
This wasn’t meant to be a scientific test and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m still learning my way around Photomatix. Additionally, some of you LR wizards out there can probably push the software even further. Just some nice weekend fun time with a camera that I wanted to share with all of you.
Can you tell you tell which is which? Insert your answer in the poll at the bottom and/or leave comment with your thoughts.
(I stripped all of the metadata in case you are thinking about taking a peek and I flipped a coin to decide which one to insert first)
Got something to say about these images? How do you process HDR images? What’s your take on HDR imagery as a genre?
Add your further thoughts in the comments below.
UPDATE: You can find the poll results here, along with some commentary on the exposures. Don’t cheat though. Vote first, then check out the results to see if you got it right.
You have to go through me!
The following post comes from Massimo Strazzeri, who was Photography Bay’s winner for the Sony Twilight Football Contest. Sony flew Massimo to Argentina for what turned out to be an amazing sight-seeing adventure, soccer match and some hands-on time with Sony’s new A550.
I am very happy that Photography Bay could be a part of this great adventure for Massimo. Additionally, I am very grateful that Massimo has taken the time and effort to share his story and images with the rest of us.
Enjoy Massimo’s story and photography below. You can find out how to connect with him at the end of this post. -Eric [Read more…]
Mastering the Nikon D90 is a new book from publisher Rocky Nook by author Darrell Young. It carries a retail price of $34.95; however, it can be found at Amazon.com for $23.07.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]
The Manfrotto 190XB is a 3-section aluminum tripod that carries a reasonable price tag around $130. The Manfrotto 486RC2 tripod head is a ball head with a quick release plate that runs about $75. The 190XB and 486RC2 is an everyman’s kind of combo. It’s not as light as the Gitzo Traveler 6x carbon fiber tripod; however, it gets the job done almost as smoothly. [Read more…]
Switronix has released a new line of DSLR stabilizers and power solutions for the video-capable DSLRs like the Canon 5D Mark II, 7D and Nikon D300s. With prices starting at $279 for the stabilizers, this line looks to be one of the more affordable DSLR stabilizers.
More details in the press release below.
Stock photography agency Dreamstime has added canvas and poster formats to its repertoire of products, thus increasing purchasing options for customers and additional revenue sources for contributing photographers. Prices for poster and canvas prints range between $13 and $80 for a 20″ x 60″ size.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]