Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Samsung Launches 4 New Point and Shoot Cameras

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Samsung has launched 4 new point and shoot cameras – two at 12.2 megapixels and two at 10 megapixels.  Samsung makes some pretty cameras that will probably capture sales on their stylishness alone.

Unfortunately though, other than the unnecessary addition of megapixels and the standard bells and whistles, such as Face Detection, Blink Detection, Smile Shot, and Beauty Shot (“a unique functionality which will automatically brighten and even out skin tones as well as remove blemishes”), there is nothing that sets these new point and shoots apart from the rest of the 10 and 12 megapixel cameras we have seen over the past month or so.  Each of these new cameras should be available in March 2009.

The models and key specs are as follows: [Read more…]

 

PocketWizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1

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PocketWizard has dropped a bomb in the lighting world with their new FlexTT5 and MiniTT1. The big deal about these off-camera flash triggers is the ability to operate in TTL mode on Canon and Nikon cameras at an extended range using radio waves.

Pricing will be roughly $199 for the MiniTT1 and $219 for the FlexTT5 and will be available in March for Canon models and in the Second Quarter of 2009 for Nikon models. You order them at Amazon via the following links:

Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 Transceiver For Canon TTL Flashes and Digital SLR Cameras

PocketWizard MiniTT1 Radio Transmitter for Canon TTL Flashes and Digital SLR Cameras

Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 Transceiver For Nikon TTL Flashes and Digital SLR Cameras

PocketWizard MiniTT1 Radio Transmitter for Nikon TTL Flashes and Digital SLR Cameras

The above video from PocketWizard does a great job of explaining the features that the FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 offer over the older Plus II and MultiMax models. Additionally, I will refer you to the Strobist himself, who has spent some hands-on time with these new models and seems to be quite impressed with their capabilities. Rob Galbraith also has a thorough write up of his hands-on experience with the new PocketWizards, though you won’t find the same witty commentary as the Strobist post. Chase Jarvis adds to the mix of commentary as well. Finally, you’ll find more details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Fundamentals of Photography – Book Review

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Fundamentals of Photography was written by Tom Ang, who is an author of many other photography books prior to this one.  The subtitle of Fundamentals of Photography is “the essential handbook for both digital and film cameras,” which I think better describes this book.

When I first heard about the book from Random House, I figured it was another “intro to photography” type of a book.  It’s not.  In fact, if you are a beginner, I recommend that you don’t pick up a copy of this book.  If you are an experienced amateur, then this book will fit nicely into your library.

Fundamentals of Photography is really more of a handbook as the subtitle calls it.  The book is divided up into a handful of chapters that cover various aspects of photography.  Inside each of these chapters, Mr. Ang breaks down these aspects to minute subtopics and provides an overview of the key points of each subtopic.  While not comprehensive for any given topic, Fundamentals offers you a solid grasp of many key concepts in photography.

Do you want to know what the different types of elements are that go into a lens?  Turn to page 144 and you’ll get to see the differences between convex-concave, meniscus, biconcave, plano-concave, biconvex and plano-convex.  And with Mr. Ang’s introduction and explanation of how these lens types form images from light, you’ll have a basic understanding of what this all means.

Are you curious about the different effects of layer blend modes in Photoshop?  Turn to page 270 and you’ll get an introduction to the modes followed by several pages of examples that apply to the blend modes on the same image, along with a short explanation of what’s going on with each mode.

Fundamentals of Photography is not one of those books that you sit down and read cover to cover.  It is a handbook, or reference book, to pull out when you have questions about a specific topic – be it color space, lighting set ups or darkroom equipment.  It is a fair reference for both film and digital photography.  Its also rather inexpensive at around $15 on Amazon.com.

Reader Question: Which Superzoom Camera?

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Here’s a new reader question that I received from Patel via email.

Can you provide me the details as I am totally confused with the digital camera that i have to purchase. My target is 400$(US). I am more interested in optical zoom digital camera. I am totally confused between Panasonic DMC-FZ28, latest Nikon P90 (that is going to be launched on April 9th) , Panasonic DMC-ZS3. I want digital camera with the best photo and video quality.

You guys have rocked with the past several reader questions.  I’m sure you guys also have some great advice for Patel, who is clearly interested in superzoom cameras that offer solid image and video quality.

Which one is the best?

What cameras has Patel failed to list that he should consider?

Why is the camera that you recommend better than others?

Fire away in the comments below.

Olympus E-30 Review at DC Resource

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DC Resource has posted a review of the Olympus E-30.

Images are fairly sharp by D-SLR standards, with lots of detail captured. In terms of noise, the E-30 performs quite well, though if you look hard enough you’ll spot some noise in shadow areas of a photo (even at lower ISO settings).

For more news and reviews, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Olympus E-30 Reviews and Resources.

Samsung NV24 HD Review at Let’s Go Digital

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Let’s Go Digital has posted a review of the Samsung NV24 HD.

The serious photographer will appreciate the focal range and will perhaps be attracted to the 24mm wide-angle. As for sharpness, the lens center offers superb sharpness, whereas the edges suffer from blur which needs improvement.

For more info and reviews, see Photography Bay’s Samsung NV24 HD Reviews and Resources.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 Review at Trusted Reviews

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Trusted Reviews has posted a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7.

Overall image quality is also excellent. Exposure and colour reproduction are spot on, and auto white balance is reliably accurate. The lens is superb, with excellent sharpness even in the corners of the frame, and there is virtually no distortion at any focal length.

Voigtlander 20mm f/3.5 Nikon Mount Lens Rumor

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Rumors are swirling that Voigtlander will soon release a 20mm f/3.5 lens for the Nikon mount.  Rumored specs are as follows:

  • Expected Release Date: February 28, 2009
  • Focal length: 20mm
  • Angle: 94 degrees
  • Relative aperture: 1:3.5
  • Minimum aperture 6 of 9 pieces: F22
  • Minimum focusing distance: 0.2m
  • Number of diaphragm blades: 9 pieces
  • Weight: 205g
  • Maximum total length × diameter: 63 × 28.8mm
  • Filter size: 52mm
  • Mounting: Ai-s

[DPR forum via mapcamera.com] I’m questioning the release date, and as a result, the source, a bit.  February 28 is a Saturday.