Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Nikon AF-S 50-150mm f/2.8 G

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In the above image found on dc.watch.impress.co.jp, the EXIF info in the left panel indicates that the lens used was a Nikon AF-S 50-150mm f/2.8 G lens. That’s all well and good, except there’s no lens with that focal length in Nikon’s current line up.

While I can’t make out all the text, I’m pretty confident on the assessment that this is a Nikon lens, given “G” moniker follow the f/-stop. Although Sigma has a 50-150mm lens, it has a DC moniker, which indicates that it is for cropped-sensor DSLRs only.

The inclusion of a 50-150mm lens in Nikon’s line signals their commitment to the DX sensor format and the alternative to the popular 70-200mm full frame focal length.

Perhaps we’ll see this lens at Nikon’s Photokina 2008 showing. For now, this will remain a rumor.

UPDATE:  Apparently, the Sigma lens appears as a “G” lens Nikon’s software EXIF data.  Why? I don’t know.  But I suppose that a Sigma lens was used for this Nikon ad.  [via]

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 Review at Camera Labs

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Camera Labs has posted a full review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500.  The FX500 is a 10.1 megapixel point & shoot camera with a 5x wide angle lens.  It also features Panasonic’s O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization).

If you’re after a quality compact, the FX500 will fit the bill, although it’s not got what it takes to turn the heads of real enthusiasts from models like the Canon G9.

Nikon Coolpix S600 Review at Neocamera

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Neocamera has published a review of the Nikon Coolpix S600.  The S600 is a 10 megapixel point and shoot digital camera.  It features a 4x optical zoom, Nikon’s VR image stabilization and a sensitivity range up to ISO 3200.

The Coolpix S600 turns out to be a camera with slightly above average image quality but slow performance in critical areas like shot-to-shot speeds and focusing. The user-interface and menu system are easy to navigate but strangely organized and require more button-presses than usual.

Olympus E-420 Review at Let’s Go Digital

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Let’s Go Digital has posted a full review of the new and tiny (for DSLRs) Olympus E-420.

The extremely compact FourThirds DSLR had some help from its predecessors, however, the improvements carried out in particular to the image sensor, leave behind a positive feeling. FourThirds has proven itself in practice and it is a true joy to shoot with the Olympus E-420.

For the latest news and reviews, check out Photography Bay’s Olympus E-420 Reviews and Resources page.

SmugMug to Enable Powerful Syncing

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My favorite photo sharing service just got better.  I have been a staple SmugMug user for over 2 years now and have been most happy with their service.  On the few occasions that I needed to get in touch with someone, they have been back to me within hours of my initial email and, usually have any problems resolved without further inquiry on my part.  What’s more, I don’t recall my photos ever being off-line.  Enough of my ranting, check out the release below regarding SmugMug’s integration with MS Sync Framework.  (By the way, if you want to take SmugMug for a spin, you can use the following code for $5 off at sign up: 7jCtURK05RxCQ – as a disclosure, I get a credit against my account renewal too.)

PRESS RELEASE:

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 3, 2008–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Online photo sharing site SmugMug announced tools today to make safe backup of photos simple. Now adding or modifying photos in one location, such as a desktop, can automatically add or modify them in many diverse locations and applications, such as SmugMug’s online photo albums, laptops and handhelds.

SmugMug’s integration with the Microsoft Sync Framework empowers SmugMug’s thriving developer community to provide dynamic photo sharing across devices, such as electronic photo frames, and many applications, such as desktop photo editing & online photo sharing. When a customer adds such things as captions and keywords to photos, they can automatically be added wherever customers choose to synchronize.

“Everyone loves to flaunt their photos and wants to keep them safe,” said SmugMug President Chris MacAskill. “Now they can add once and flaunt everywhere. And watch as they’re safely backed up online and copied to all their devices.”

“Online photo sites are becoming more popular every day. With the multitude of devices that people use to access and modify them, synchronization is a must,” said Mark Jewett, Director SQL Server at Microsoft Corp. “SmugMug has shown one of the many innovative ways that the Microsoft Sync Framework can be used to make people’s life easier.”

For more about SmugMug, point your browser at www.smugmug.com.

About SmugMug

Since 2002, snap-shooters, passionate amateurs, and pro photographers have added more than 300 million photos and videos to SmugMug. Founded by son and father team Don and Chris MacAskill, SmugMug is the largest profitable independent photo sharing site. Its emphasis on beautiful displays and safe backup keep its sales almost doubling each year.

Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

PENTAX DA 17-70mm f/4 AL [IF] SDM LENS ANNOUNCED

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GOLDEN, CO. (June 3, 2008)…PENTAX Imaging Company has introduced the smc PENTAX DA 17-70mm f/4 AL [IF] SDM lens designed for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras. This standard lens with extra zoom offers outstanding, well-balanced handling, and covers the most frequently used focal lengths between wide-angle and telephoto making it ideal for a variety of shots including scenery, snapshot and portraiture. [Read more…]

Nikon Capture NX 2

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Press Release:

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR IMAGES: NIKON INTRODUCES UPGRADED CAPTURE NX 2 PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE

Powerful New Tools Make Photo Editing Quick and Easy

MELVILLE, N.Y. (June 3, 2008) – Nikon Inc., today introduced the latest generation of its robust image processing and editing software, Capture NX 2, which provides photography enthusiasts with a suite of powerful tools and a simple, visual operation to streamline photo editing. Capture NX 2 utilizes revolutionary U Point® technology to give photographers access to powerful Control Points that enhance color, exposure, and other image quality settings quickly and easily. New technologies abound in Capture NX 2, including the innovative new Selection Control Point that places a commanding suite of image editing tools at the user’s fingertips to simplify and accelerate the image editing experience. [Read more…]

Nikon Coolpix P80 Review at Steve’s Digicams

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Steve’s Digicams has posted a review of the Nikon Coolpix P80.  The new P80 boasts a 10.1 megapixel image sensor, Nikon’s EXPEED processing and vibration reduction on a whopping 18x optical zoom lens.  The P80’s 18x Zoom-NIKKOR lens covers focal lengths from 27-486mm (35mm format equivalent).

While loaded with appealing features like the 18x Nikkor zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, high resolution EVF, Vibration Reduction, High ISO capabilities and great image quality, the slower shooting performance, uncomfortable EVF eye piece, amount of noise in high sensitivity photos and slower Face detection system really disappointed us.

PicApp and Free Photos

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Vegas or Bust
Image details: Vegas or Bust served by picapp.com

The new PicApp online service makes it possible for bloggers to use high quality photos from Getty Images and Corbis, among others, for free. The only thing is that the images don’t look quite as nice because they are embedded flash images.

Additionally, I’ve been poking around trying to find how and if photographers are compensated for the use of these images. No luck. It appears that PicApp is getting revenue from advertisements that are embedded with the photo, of which I’m sure Getty and Corbis take a cut. Again, I’ve not seen how much of that cut gets passed on to the photographer. I can’t imagine that the pennies from these ads are will compare to the per image price that the photographer would normally get for the use of his or her photos. For the forseeable future, the example image above will be the only PicApp image that appears on this site, even if b5media is putting it on all their sites.

So, photographers, what do you think about PicApp?  Are there any Getty or Corbis shooters out there who can shed light on the compensation for photographers as a result of this deal?

Nikon Coolpix S600 Review at Cnet

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Cnet has posted a review of the Nikon CoolPix S600.  The S600 is a 10 megapixel point and shoot digital camera.  It features a 4x optical zoom, Nikon’s VR image stabilization and a sensitivity range up to ISO 3200.  Cnet gave it a 6.6 out of 10.

A good, though not outstanding, compact camera, the Nikon Coolpix S600 is hindered by some shortcomings in its performance and operation.