Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Video Stabilization Options

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I just wanted to pass along a little update for those of you into video cameras and accessories.  Over at Tech Tilt, I’ve recently review the Barber Tech SteddiePod, which is a pretty darn sweet, all-in-one video camera stabilization device.  It does a lot of things from steadicam-type shots, to doggie cam, to boom shots.  It’s also got a nice little fluid head built-in.  You can find the whole review, which includes some sample footage, here:  SteddiePod Review.

After using the SteddiePod for a while, I started thinking about ways to DIY a similar device on a shoestring budget.  So, I took $30 to Lowe’s and Wal-Mart, and came away with what I call a DIY GlidePod.  While it’s not as pretty as the SteddiePod, it can do many of the same types of shots.  Of course, the SteddiePod is a smoother, more refined device, but the DIY GlidePod can get the job done for the backyard cinematographers out there.  So, if you’ve got $30 and an hour to kill, you can see how to make your own DIY GlidePod here.

I’ve had some great suggestions on ways to make the GlidePod better, along with alternatives that do a better job with some of the shot types from the GlidePod.  If you’ve got other ideas, feel free to drop a comment here or over on the GlidePod post.

If you’re interested in video gear and accessories, you’ll be able to find camcorder reviews and such over at Tech Tilt in the future.  However, I’ll also provide occasional updates on noteworthy gear here at Photography Bay.

 

Functional RED EPIC in the Wild

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The EPIC was announced by RED in November 2008, with an estimated availability date of Summer/Fall 2009.  Now that we’re pushing Summer 2010, some pre-production models are finally starting to surface.  The Bui Brothers got some hands-on time with a pre-production RED EPIC at Cine Gear 2010.  Check out the short video below to see a peek at how the EPIC handles. [Read more…]

Gorillapod Focus and Ballhead X Review: Bring Out the Big Guns

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A little while back, I put a Canon 5D Mark II and a 70-200mm lens on a tiny little Gorillapod Magnetic – and it held the combo upside down using only magnets for grip.  That was a little extreme for that little tripod though.

While Joby didn’t necessarily approve of that use (nor when I stuck my camera to a car), they must have felt sorry for me and my 5D Mark II because they sent me a heavy-duty Gorillapod Focus and Ballhead X to play with . . . and abuse a bit. [Read more…]

Kingston Releases 64GB SDXC Card, Costs More Than Camera

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Kingston has just launched a 64GB Class 10 SDXC card that touts a 60MB/s read speed and a 35MB/s write speed.  The new card carries a rather steep retail price tag of $499.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll stick with using two 32GB cards until the price comes down a bit.

You can read up on all the specs of the new SDXC card in the press release below. [Read more…]

Pretec Releases P240 USB 3.0 Card Reader, 64GB SDXC Card and More

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The Pretec P240 USB 3.0 card reader, which is compatible with SDXC, CF and other memory card formats, is looking to be available around August 2010. USB 3.0 (or SuperSpeed USB) is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices, but offers 10x improvement in speed with a 5Gbps signaling rate when tied to USB 3.0 connections on both ends.

Pretec’s new 64GB SDXC card is a Class 16 card is also set to start trickling out soon.  These products and more from Pretec will be featured at Computex Taipei, which starts today.

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

Top Digital Cameras

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7

Since we looked at the most wished for cameras last week, I thought we could see what the actual best sellers are this time around.  Again, this is based on info available at Amazon’s digital camera page.

Best Selling Digital Cameras

  1. Panasonic ZS7
  2. Canon PowerShot SD780 IS (black)
  3. Polaroid t1031
  4. Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS
  5. Canon Rebel T1i
  6. Canon PowerShot S90 IS
  7. Nikon D90
  8. HP PB360
  9. Canon PowerShot G11
  10. Canon PowerShot SD780 IS (red)

This is just a snapshot in time, as Amazon updates its bestseller list on an hourly basis.  It does provide an idea of what’s important to people though.

Looking at the customer reviews, it’s easy to see why many of these are at the top, as all of the cameras have received overwhelmingly positive reviews.  It’s also interesting to see $60 cameras and $800 cameras moving in nearly equal quantities.  It’s a pretty diverse group.

Firmware Friday: Nikon S230; Pentax H90, I-10, W90, X90; Sigma DP2, DP2s

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Camera Firmware Update

I’m instituting a new practice today with regard to camera firmware.  From now on, I’ll be consolidating firmware notices to a single post each Friday.  If something really hot (like the 5D Mark II firmware 24p update) is announced, I’ll pass that along as it happens.  Everything else will fly on Friday from now on.

Fridays are typically slow news days and so this seems like a good fit.  We’ll try this for a while and see how it works.

Nikon Coolpix S230 firmware version 1.1. “An issue that, in some rare cases, prevented accurate recording of pictures taken in Night landscape or Dusk/dawn scene mode has been resolved.” [Nikon website]

Pentax Optio H90 firmware version 1.01 – Adds additional Eye-Fi SD card support and functionality. [Pentax website]

Pentax Optio I-10 firmware version 1.01 – Adds additional Eye-Fi SD card support and functionality. [Pentax website]

Pentax Optio W90 firmware version 1.01 – Adds additional Eye-Fi SD card support and functionality. [Pentax website]

Pentax X90 firmware version 1.01 – Adds additional Eye-Fi SD card support and functionality. [Pentax website]

Sigma DP2 firmware version 1.05 “Improved image quality at ISO400.” [Sigma website]

Sigma DP2s firmware version 1.01 “Improved image quality at ISO400.” [Sigma website]