Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Detain Person for Taking Photos in Public Place

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In the above video, Shawn Nee was stopped and detained for 25 minutes by Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Deputies for taking photos in the subway. The video is cut down under 10 minutes for YouTube time limits, but the full encounter is available here.

Shawn Nee is a photographers’ rights advocate and, while his encounter may have been set up to “bait” the stop since the video was up and running in a covert fashion, the officer clearly overstepped his bounds.  During the encounter, the officer concedes that he doesn’t know whether or not Nee has committed a crime but rather, has stopped him to see if a crime is being committed. [Read more…]

 

Sony A850, A900 & Canon 5D Mark II ISO Comparisons

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Sony A850, Sony A900, Canon 5D Mark II

The Sony A850 is the newest full frame DSLR from Sony.  It’s based largely on the Sony A900; however, its a couple of notches below on feature sets.  Since the A850 uses the same 24.6-megapixel sensor as found in the A900, we shouldn’t expect any real difference in image quality between the two.

Although, comparing these two cameras to the Canon 5D Mark II, which is the current prosumer state of the art for low-light performance, is another story.  You’ll also see some Canon 7D samples at higher ISOs for the sake of comparing a crop-sensor camera to these full framers.  To see how the Sony A850 and A900 stack up, read on. [Read more…]

Blogging Basics for Photographers: Deciding Whether to Start a Blog for Your Photography

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Blogging Basics For Photographers

So many photographers are on the cutting edge of online communication through blogging, social networking and photo sharing sites.  Photographers use these online resources to communicate with other photographers as well as to market themselves to potential clients.

This the first article in a series that addresses part of this networking and communication boom – Blogging Basics for Photographers.

Other articles in this Blogging Basics for Photographers series:

1. Deciding Whether to Start a Blog for Your Photography
2. Blogging Software and Services
3. Web Hosting and Blog Set Up

The goal of this series will be to help those of you who want to start a blog find the right tools and instructions to make it happen.

The first thing I want to do is get everyone on the same page with the basics of what we’re talking about, whether you want to start a blog or not, and then we’ll talk about blogging software and services next.  [Read more…]

Sony A230, A330 and A380 Firmware Version 1.10

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Sony has released a firmware update for the Sony A230, A330 and A380 DSLRs.  The firmware version 1.10 addresses the following:

When the [Metering mode] is set to the [Center weighted] or [Spot] metering modes, the exposure will be locked when the focus is confirmed. (When shooting in AF mode).

To learn more about the update or to download it, visit Sony’s download site for Windows PC or for Mac.

If I Had $1000 to Spend on My First DSLR Camera…

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I’ve only got $1000 to spend on a camera, lens and accessories, what should I buy and why?

This is a question that frequently pops up on popular photography forums like those found on Photo.net.  I have a soft spot in my heart for Photo.net and its members.  It’s where I renewed my interest in photography, specifically “digital photography.”  And, I’ve asked so many questions about what to buy and read countless questions of others asking the same thing.  (I’ve really asked some dumb questions.  But the crew at Photo.net were very friendly and responsive to my questions.)

Now, it may not always be the $1000 figure, it might be $800 or $1500.  Or, someone might be trying to decide between a couple of lenses and flashes.  I’ve also received plenty of questions like this from readers of Photography Bay in the form of comments, emails and our own fledgling forum.  But, for now, we’ll stick with this budget and look for a good first DSLR kit.

With the holiday shopping season ramping up, many of you may be in just this boat, with a budget in this neighborhood, give or take a few bucks.  So, here’s the advice I would give myself if I were looking to by my first DSLR today. [Read more…]

Olympus E-P2 Reviews and Resources

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The Olympus E-P2 is a quick follow-up to the E-P1, which was introduced just 5 short months ago.  The E-P2 actually appears to be a mild upgrade to the E-P1 since it sports the same internals, including the same 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor.  What the E-P2 adds is a port for accessories like an external mic or high-res electronic viewfinder, along with AF tracking capability, i-Enhance color boosting and some new Art filters.

The E-P2 should be available in December 2009 at an initial retail price of $1099.

[Read more…]

Canon 7D Firmware Version 1.1.0

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Canon 7D

Canon has released a firmware update for the EOS 7D.  The new version 1.1.0 is supposed to address the strange ghosting issue that was uncovered last week.

Canon’s official word about the firmware:

1. Corrects a phenomenon that in images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible.

To learn more about it or to download the update, see Canon’s website.

How Do You Share Your Photos Online?

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If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re a photographer (be it a budding amateur or an old pro) and you have photos on the Internet somewhere.  But where?

I have photos in more than one place to share them with different groups of people; however, the images don’t overlap completely.  For instance, I might take a handful of images from a given shoot or outing and share them with friends on Facebook; however, I might put a couple of hundred from the same shoot on SmugMug.  And then, I might put four or five on Flickr.

They way I’ve shared images online has changed over the years with the way I use the web.  What about you?

How do you share your images?  Do you share them in more than one place?  I’ve created a multiple choice poll below that covers some of the popular sharing sites and general categories of how we share images.

Take a few seconds to make your picks.  Additionally, feel free to eloborate on how you share your images in the comments below and why you choose those methods over alternatives. We’ll take a look at the results and your comments in a follow-up soon.

Getting the Photos No One Else Has

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Belle is beautiful

You’re a photographer, you hate seeing the same or similar photos over and over again even more than others do. That said, you also need to keep in mind that your photos need to stand out. Making them do that isn’t hard to do as long as you remove personal boundaries and think outside of the box.  To start, the elements of photojournalism (the unusual, the newsworthy, the emotional and the intimate) may really help aid you in the your street photography. Here are some tips to help you do so.

[Read more…]