Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion

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O’Reilly has just announced the release of their Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion.  It’s $24.99 and, as the title implies, covers the functionality of the Canon Rebel XSi.  O’Reilly is touting the “lessons” the book offers as an advantage to the typical user manual of do this, do that instructions on how a camera works.  It’s available for pre-order at Amazon.com for $16.49.

Press Release

Sebastopol, CA—Have you ever bought a new camera, only to be so overwhelmed by all the buttons, gizmos, and gadgets, that you don’t touch it for months? You wind up using your old point-and-shoot camera simply because you don’t know enough about your new camera to be comfortable with it. If you’ve ever been caught in this situation, don’t worry–with O’Reilly Media’s new Companion series, you’ll be wowing people with your new photos in no time.

The newest book in this new series, The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion ($24.99) is not a typical camera guide. Rather than just showing you what all the buttons do, this unique book teaches you how to use various Digital Rebel features to make great photographs. Through easy-to-follow lessons, this book gives you a complete class on digital photography, tailored specifically for people who use this camera. [Read more…]

 

Nikon D700 Review at PhotographyBLOG

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PhotographyBLOG has posted a review of the Nikon D700.

Is it worth the asking price? Well that depends on your own would-be use and needs. For the amateur there are more affordable alternatives, but for the professional needing full frame capability it can be considered a steal.

For the latest Nikon D700 news and reviews, be sure to visit Photography Bay’s Nikon D700 Reviews and Resources.

Sony A900 Announcement on Sept. 9 [NOT Sept. 3]

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A tipster, who wishes to keep his identity confidential, passed along that he recently received word from Sony that the Sony A900 will be announced worldwide on September 9th. That’s next Tuesday folks.

While it may seem like we’re all over the place on announcement dates, I feel pretty good about this info, as opposed to yesterday’s rumor of a 9/3 announcement.  He emailed me directly with the info, which he says comes directly from Sony.  Additionally, he’s provided solid info in the past.  I will honor his request to remain confidential, but I thought you should know why I feel good about his info.

Expect to see lots more A900 coverage as we approach Photokina 2008.

For more on the Sony A900 flagship DSLR, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Sony A900 page.

Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC

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In the near to far category, Tamron has upped the ante with a 15x zoom for Canon and Nikon DSLR with the new 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC lens.  This superzoom from Tamron also features vibration compensation, which will surely be needed when taking into account the tele end of the zoom, which is equivalent to 419mm on a 35mm camera.  Tamron has not provided us with a price or availability date yet.

Press Release

September 1, 2008, Saitama City, Japan – Tamron Co., Ltd., under the leadership of Mr. Morio Ono, President, has unveiled a unique ultra high power zoom lens-the Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO (Model B003), the first digital SLR lens in the world that delivers a remarkable zoom ratio of 15X (28-419mm equivalent) and is equipped with a highly effective Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanism. Designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C sized image sensors, the new lens delivers outstanding image quality over its entire zoom range and its exclusive VC anti-shake system facilitates sharp handheld photography even at the longest telephoto settings. [Read more…]

Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO – With Built-in Motor for Nikon

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As with the Tamron 10-24mm the 90mm f/2.8 Macro has been updated to include a built-in motor for the Nikon mount in order to accommodate the Nikon D40, D40x and D60, which do not have an AF motor in the body of the camera.

Press Release

Tamron Co., Ltd (Mr. Morio Ono, President) has successfully renewed the existing SP AF90mm F/2.8 for Nikon and is now pleased to announce the availability of the lens with a built-in AF motor for Nikon. (The lens is already available in mounts for Canon, Pentax and Sony.) [Read more…]

Tamron SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) – Now With Built-In Motor for Nikon Mount

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Tamron has updated its 10-24mm wide angle lens to include a built-in focusing motor to accommodate the Nikon D40, D40x and D60 cameras, which do not have a focusing motor in the body of the camera.

Press Release

September 1, 2008, Saitama city, Japan- Tamron Co., Ltd (Mr. Morio Ono, President) announced the SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) featuring an unprecedented 2.4X zoom ratio in its class of ultra wide-angle zoom lenses. The innovative, high-performance ultra wide-angle zoom lens (model B001) is designed exclusively for Canon and Nikon digital SLRs with APS-C sized image sensors. Pentax and Sony mount models will be announced at a later date. [Read more…]

Tamron SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD [IF] MACRO for Pentax and Sony

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Tamron has added Pentax and Sony to the stable of compatible DSLRs for its 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.  The lens will be available later this month in Japan initially.  The lens carries a street price of about $700 for the existing Canon and Nikon mounts.

Press Release

As previously announced, Tamron Co., Ltd (Mr. Morio Ono, President) has developed SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD [IF] MACRO (Model A001), a lightweight and fast F/2.8 tele-zoom lens designed for full-size SLR cameras. Tamron is pleased to announce the availability of the zoom lens in mounts for Pentax and Sony SLR cameras. [Read more…]

Power Retouche Pro Review at PhotographyBLOG

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PhotographyBLOG has posted a review of Power Retouche Pro plugin suite for Photoshop.

Power Retouche Pro is a comprehensive suite of plugins for professional photo retouching in Photoshop and other imaging applications. Power Retouche Pro supports both 8bit and 16bit images, and is compatible with all versions of Photoshop, plus Paint Shop Pro, Corel Draw, Illustrator, Fireworks amongst others. Plugins can be purchased individually, or the full pro package is available for just $175 / €113 / £ 88. Jon Canfield tries out all 25 individual plugins in our latest review.

Sony A900 on September 3rd?

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This is the first time we’ve heard of September 3rd as an official announcement date for the A900; however, a DPR forum poster says he’s got third hand or so info on the A900 being available in China on September 3rd.

according to retailers of Sony DSLRs in Suzhou China (which is the city next to Shanghai), the Sony Gallery shop in Shanghai should be stocking the A900 from the 3rd.

[via DPR]

I’ll note though that the most reliable-sounding info we’ve heard for the A900 unveiling was September 9-10.

Either way, it won’t be long and we’ll stay on top of the latest developments. Expect to see lots more A900 coverage as we approach Photokina 2008.

For more on the Sony A900 flagship DSLR, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Sony A900 page.