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Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

Manfrotto & Datacolor Offering Free Monitor Calibration Webinar This Week

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Manfrotto Distribution and Datacolor will be putting on a free webinar on monitor calibration.  It’s coming up on Wednesday, June 16 from 2-3PM EDT.

The course will be hosted by Datacolor’s education manager, Josh Fischer, as well as Manfrotto Distribution product manager, Will Holowka. Together, Will and Josh will cover the importance of calibrating one’s monitor as well as the how-to’s using Datacolor’s Spyder3 solutions.

Attendees will have a chance to win some Datacolor Spyder products as well.  You can register here.

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

Canon In-Camera HDR Maps Single Exposure to Individual Pixels

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Talk about changing the way HDR is done . . . .

A recently published Canon patent application (see USPTO Appl. No. 12/630,594) reveals a method for altering exposure values at the pixel level, which would allow Canon to produce a camera that captures a much wider dynamic range with a single image.

The lengthy patent application spells out a process whereby the camera captures a preliminary image with normal exposure values and then evaluates the exposure level across the entire image.  After creating an exposure map of the scene, the camera alters the exposure amount at the pixel level for the primary HDR image capture. [Read more…]

Sony A290 & A390 Announced

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Sony has announced two new additions to its Alpha series of DSLRs.  The A290 is the base model for the Alpha lineup, featuring a 14.2 megapixel CCD sensor.  The A390 offers the same image sensor, but adds Sony’s popular (and effective) quick AF live view function in combination with a 2.7″ tilting LCD.  Both cameras otherwise share the same body and controls, which (fortunately) includes a redesigned grip over the predecessor A330 and its siblings.

The A290 and A390 should be available in July 2010 at an initial retail price of $500 and $600, respectively.

More details in the press release below. [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…]