Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Royal Family Joins Flickr

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The Queen attends the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1982

The Royal Family has opened a Flickr account.  It appears that Queen Elizabeth II and Yahoo have been working behind the scenes for some time putting this account together.

They’ve got a number of sets, which, at launch today, include over 600 total photos, ranging from the Victorian era to a couple of days ago.  Prince Harry also has his own collection that you can follow.  William too.

While many of the images are low-resolution and comments have been disabled, the British Monarchy account will allow Flickr users to use the “Share” tab by emailing or embedding photos on other sites (as I’ve done above with an image of the Queen from 1982).

The Queen already has a YouTube channel and Twitter account, so she had to be feeling a bit behind the times without a photo sharing account.

[Flickr via Yahoo News]

 

PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo Registration Now Open

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Registration is now open for the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo, which takes place October 28-30, 2010 at the Javits Center in NYC.  The PhotoPlus trade show is an annual event that typically features all the latest gear from camera manufactures on display at Expo booths, as well as dozens of seminars from leading photographers.  Additionally, registration to the Expo Hall is free if you pre-register online; however, there are enhanced passes available.

Check out the full announcement in the press release below, and head over to photoplusexpo.com/register to get signed up. [Read more…]

PMA 2011 Gets Pushed to 3rd Quarter, Back to Vegas

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There’s no doubt that PMA 2010 was a bit of a disappointment, particularly with the Anaheim venue, Canon’s absence, and some overshadowing by CES.  Something had to give.  And, well, it did.

According to PMA, industry buying cycles and technology developments have driven the show to a September date instead of residing in the post-holiday and post-CES season. As a result, PMA 2011 will take place from September 8-10, 2011.  And, better still, it’s back at the Las Vegas Convention Center. I’ll be there with bells on.

It will be interesting to see the impact on other photo trade shows around the same time of year, such as PDN Photo Plus on the East Coast.  No word though on what happens in 2012, which would put a September PMA dangerously close to Photokina.

The full press announcement is below. [Read more…]

Photokina 2010 Report

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Photokina 2010

Updated: Check out all of the recently announced cameras and other gear at the bottom of this page.

Photokina 2010 is set to take place from Tuesday, September 21 to Sunday, September 26, 2010 in Cologne, Germany.  Photokina occurs every two years, and in 2008, 1523 companies exhibited at the show and more than 169,000 people attended the show.

Photokina is a trade show in which many new cameras, lenses and accessories are frequently introduced.  Cameras introduced at or around Photokina 2008 include, the Canon PowerShot G10, Canon Rebel XS, Canon 50D, Canon 5D Mark II, Nikon D90, Nikon D700, Panasonic G1, Pentax K2000, Sony A900 and Sigma DP2. All the major camera manufacturers are typically in attendance and are rather high profile at Photokina events.  Expect no less this year.

Photokina 2010 Trends to Watch

Camera features and formats haven’t seen a state of flux like we are currently seeing for quite some time.  As a result, I don’t think that it would be unreasonable to expect big things from big players in the months and weeks leading up to Photokina 2010.

Mirrorless Camera Systems

Sony has already busted out of the gate with a serious mirrorless camera system this year, leaving the two big camera makers, Canon and Nikon, to play catch up.  The industry is seemingly waiting for these traditional camera manufacturers to bless this new format by entering into the field with a product of their own.  The killer (as in entry-level DSLR killer) mirrorless camera hasn’t hit the market yet.  Could Canon or Nikon deliver one this year at Photokina?

HDSLRs

No one really knew what kind of potential that the Canon 5D Mark II had when it was introduced nearly two years ago.  Now, with an abundance of short films, commercials and broadcast TV episodes under its belt, this market segment is a serious piece of the pie.

Canon is the clear front-runner; however, Nikon is sure to add 1080p video capture at some point.  The next DSLRs in the Nikon line-up would be a perfect time to seize a piece of this still-yet-to-be-defined market segment.  We know Sony is working on some AVCHD-capable DSLRs, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see these guys at Photokina 2010.

Compact Cameras with Large Sensors

Enthusiasts have been dying for these cameras to break out to the mainstream manufacturers.  It’s not a segment that’s necessarily hot, but has been rumored to be “coming” from a number of manufacturers for years now.  Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, or maybe enthusiasts will soon get their serious compact cameras with DSLR-sized sensors (instead of the handful of niche products currently on the market).  Of course, the rise of mirrorless camera systems could be the death knell to these pipe dreams as well.

New Cameras and Gear Added Soon

With Summer upon us, I will be adding new camera and gear announcements to this page on a rolling basis as we approach Photokina 2010.  Expect any serious cameras or gear announced from now on to play a roll in manufacturers’ exhibits at this year’s Photokina.  Feel free to bookmark this page for future updates, or check the front page of Photography Bay for regular updates as we approach September.

Photokina Map

DSLR / Interchangeable Lens Cameras

Compact / Point & Shoot Cameras

Medium Format

Video Cameras

Camera Accessories

Concepts, Prototypes and Industry News

Stay tuned for the latest updates in the days leading up to Photokina 2010.

Pictage Offers New Subscription Plans

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Pictage

Pictage, which serves pro photographers in marketing and selling photo products, has introduced a three-tier subscription service.  The three plans, Starter, Premium and Pro, will run you $19, $49 and $99, respectively, per month.

Details on the features and services available under these plans can be found in the press release below. [Read more…]

Digital Foci Pearl White Photo Book

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Digital Foci Pearl White Photo Book

At WPPI, Digital Foci has launched a pearl white version of its digital Photo Book, which features an 8-inch display at 800 x 600 resolution and 4GB of internal memory.  The new digital Photo Book is geared toward wedding photographers as a proof album.  It is priced at $189 and should be available in June 2010 at B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon.

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

Zenfolio Enhances Photo Presentations With Addition of Music Soundtracks

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Zenfolio

At WPPI today, Zenfolio announced the addition of new offerings that provide users with a unique way to add music to their site, and select and share favorite photos. With the addition of the new features, Zenfolio users can now enhance their photo presentations by adding soundtracks to be played along with their images. To provide users with choices in song selection, Zenfolio has partnered with Triple Scoop Music, which is the first music licensing service built specifically for professional photographers and videographers.

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

Animoto Quickstart Plays Nice With Other Sites and Services

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Animoto, the unique, automatic video creation service, has announced a new service at WPPI today, called “Quickstart,” which will allow other photo and video sites or services to integrate seamlessly with Animoto.  White House Custom Colour, ProSelect and SmugMug are some of the key partners to sign on to use the new Quickstart service, and allow their users to initiate Animoto projects from their existing photo and video assets on those sites.

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

X-Rite Launches Color Management Tips Website

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XritePhoto

X-Rite, maker of a number of color management products, has launched a new website geared toward providing color management tips, tricks and technologies for both amateur and professional photographers.  You can find the new website at XritePhoto.com.

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

High Speed Video Developed for Frame Rates of 250,000 FPS

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Scientists at Oxford University have developed a method for capturing extremely high frame rates by expanding on existing consumer-grade photography and video camera technologies. The new capture method works by using a single sensor to capture images simultaneously. According to Dr. Gil Bub,

“This is done by allowing the camera’s pixels to act as if they were part of tens, or even hundreds, of individual cameras taking pictures in rapid succession during a single normal exposure. The trick is that the pattern of pixel exposures keeps the high resolution content of the overall image, which can then be used as-is, to form a regular high-res picture, or be decoded into a high-speed movie.”

The most interesting aspect to this new development is the relatively low cost.  While the scientists developed the technology with medical and scientific applications in mind at macroscopic and microscopic levels, the underlying hardware is primarily what we use in consumer-grade cameras.  As a result, patent licensing of this tech could see future consumer applications but, obviously, at lower than the extreme frame rates required for use by the scientific community.

[Nature Methods via Sideways and UPI]