Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens Reviews

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The Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens is an affordable L-series ultra-wide-angle zoom lens that’s ideal for both film and digital SLRs. Superior optics are assured by the use of three Aspherical lens elements, in addition to a Super UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) glass element. Optical coatings are optimized for use with digital cameras. This lens focuses as close as 11 inches (0.28m), and offers both Canon’s full-time manual focus and a powerful ring-type USM for fast and silent AF. It has a constant f/4 maximum aperture, and offers the choice of screw-in 77mm filters or a holder in the rear of the lens for up to three gel filters. Finally, it offers weather-resistant construction similar to other high-end L-series lenses. (Canon) [Read more…]

 

Rick Sammon On-Location Lighting Kit

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Pre-PMA Press Release

Professional Photographer Rick Sammon has teamed up with Westcott to create a new kit for outdoor photographers – the Rick Sammon On-Location Lighting Kit and Tote®.  Ideal for creative outdoor photographers, this kit makes it easy for anyone to turn snapshots into great shots.

The kit originated when Rick Sammon, author of twenty-seven photography books, realized he needed an all-in-one, easy-access tote to include his essential accessories for travel photography.  The F. J. Westcott Company, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is a leading manufacturer of lighting and light control equipment for image-makers.  Westcott welcomed Rick’s breakthrough idea since the company has a long history of using input from industry experts and customers to design & produce products of the highest quality.

Included in the Rick Sammon On-Location Lighting Kit and Tote® is one 30” diffuser, one 30” Sunlight/Silver Illuminator® reflector, one Micro ApolloTM and a carry tote.  The diffusion panel is a 1-stop diffuser, used to soften harsh sunlight.  To bounce sunlight onto a subject’s face for dramatic lighting, fill in shadows or add catch light to the eyes, the Sunlight/Silver reflector can be used.  Westcott’s Micro ApolloTM attaches to any accessory flash with Velcro® for diffusing the light, resulting in softer portraits.  The lightweight carry tote is 12” in diameter and includes three interior pockets to separate lighting accessories.

“With my camera and zoom lens on one shoulder, and my tote, packed with the reflectors/diffusers, Micro Apollo Light Modifier, my flash and extra batteries, on the other, I am good to go – and I go a lot of places in search of interesting subjects,” says Rick Sammon.  MAP $119.90

Upgrading WordPress Software

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Photography Bay is in the middle of upgrading has been upgraded to the lastest version of WordPress.  I think I caught all the goblins with couple of close calls.  If you see something funky going on with Photography Bay, sit tight let me know with a comment on this post.

More Canon 450D / Rebel XTs Rumors

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In a post at the Photography on the Net forums, Spencer Boerup tells us his info (joke) on the followup to the Rebel XTi/400D:

It will be the Rebel XTs. Same sensor, 3″ screen, live-view, dust remover (already had in XTi), increased noise and DR performance (gaining of 2 stops more or so claims Canon), support for UDMA cards, Digic3, Canon wireless master built in, improved AF performance and 4 new cross sensors around the center AF point. Lastly from what I hear it should be priced at $599. Not too shabby.

Nothing more than that for now. I’ll try to keep up with the rumors over the next week or so, but it shouldn’t be long before we have some real info. The hub for all of the Canon 450D / Rebel XTs rumors is this page.

UPDATE 1/19/07:  While some folks do occasionally gather and leak real info, others like to kid around in the forums about the specs of new cameras.  Some specs are clearly jokes; however, others, like Spencer’s post aren’t so obviously bogus (especially considering Sony’s A200 price point).  Apparently, Spencer was just kidding (see his comment below).  You got me and several others on this one Spencer.  Congrats.

[tags]canon, rebel, xts, 450d[/tags]

Eye-Fi Now Supports iPhoto, Leopard and Safari

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In case you haven’t heard of Eye-Fi, check out this post for a primer.

Macworld, SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 14, 2008 — Eye-Fi (www.eye.fi), makers of the world’s first wireless memory card for digital cameras, today announced new capabilities for Mac users, including wireless photo uploads directly into iPhoto and support for Safari and Leopard. This week, Eye-Fi will be demonstrating the Eye-Fi Card at booth number 1338 at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco.

The Eye-Fi Card allows users to wirelessly and automatically send photos directly from their digital camera to their Mac or favorite online photo sharing site using their home Wi-Fi network. The new downloadable Mac upgrade will enable iPhoto to automatically import photos uploaded wirelessly to the Mac, eliminating a manual process and saving iPhoto users time. In addition to iPhoto, Eye-Fi users can upload to any one of 19 leading online photo sharing, printing, social networking or blogging sites.

The Mac upgrade will also allow Mac users to use the Safari 3 browser to access the Web-based Eye-Fi Manager for managing card settings and upload preferences. And, it offers full Eye-Fi software and service compatibility with the new Leopard Mac OS X (10.5). The downloadable upgrade is free to current Eye-Fi Card users and will be included in new Eye-Fi Cards.

“With iPhoto, Apple has made saving and managing photos a cornerstone of the Mac experience, so adding new Mac capabilities is an important step for Eye-Fi,” said Ben Bajarin, analyst for Creative Strategies. “This new automatic import feature for iPhoto will save users time and hassle and deliver the seamless experience that Apple customers demand.”

“We know that Mac users especially cherish the kind of simplicity and effortlessness we strive for. We think this is one of the reasons the Eye-Fi Card has been so popular with Mac users,” said Jef Holove, CEO of Eye-Fi. “The Mac community is dear to us and the Mac upgrade will give Mac and iPhoto users the very best experience when saving and sharing their memories.”

The 2GB Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card for digital cameras recently won the Yahoo! Tech “Last Gadget Standing” competition at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Eye-Fi Card retails for $99.99 USD. For a complete list of Eye-Fi’s activities at Macworld and for more information, please visit www.eye.fi.

[tags]eye-fi, sd, mac, apple, support, iphoto[/tags]

Pentax K20D Sample Images?

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There are some purported sample images taken with a beta version of the Pentax K20D floating around on DPReview forums right now. You shouldn’t put too much credit on this one; however, I promised to keep you posted on the K20D rumors. You can follow all of the K20D news and rumors on this page.

[tags]pentax, k20d, sample, pics, images, photos[/tags]

BenQ DSC X800 – World’s Slimmest 8MP Camera

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN, January 7, 2008 – BenQ today announces the launch of the world’s slimmest 8 mega pixel camera at 9.8mm. Equipped with a bright 3” LCD display, Prism Type 3x optical zoom lens, Face-Tracking and Super Shake-Free mode, the BenQ X800 allows consumers to capture precious memories with high quality pictures. The portable media player function also allows consumers to watch video and listen to MP3s, and is an ideal travel partner wherever you go.

The super slim BenQ X800 features a bright 3” LTPS LCD and a prism-type lens which is housed entirely in the camera body, making the thinnest design possible. When zooming in on an image, all of the lens’ movement takes place inside the camera. In particular, the BenQ DSC X800 can capture close objects with its 1cm micro shooting function. It also features a steel breast plate that is matted and cozy to hold and a glossy black/red steel cover in hair-line finishing for an added touch of elegance. [Read more…]