Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Bruce Dorn, over at the iDC Photo and Video blog, has announced the new iDC Run & Gun kit for the Canon Rebel T2i. The iDC Run & Gun kits, as the name implies, are designed for lightweight and mobile video capture with HDSLRs such as the Rebel T2i, 7D and 5D Mark II.
The Rebel T2i Run & Gun kit includes a follow focus and loupe, as well as the underlying mount for tying the kit together. The full kit will set you back $488 in the iDC Photo Store. Here’s the link.
“The Last 3 Minutes” (above) is a new short from Shane Hurlbut and Bandito Brothers. Canon sponsored the short to show off the new 24p firmware upgrade on the 5D Mark II. I think it is quite a compelling film – not just due to the technical prowess of the 5D Mark II, but the artistic vision of Hurlbut and his team resonates in a way that many short films miss. Be sure to read the full run down on the production of “The Last 3 Minutes” on the hurlblog.
If you aren’t familiar with him, Shane Hurlbut has served as Director of Photography on several major films, including Terminator Salvation, We Are Marshall and Into the Blue, among others.
The hurlblog is one of my favorite blogs to read. If you’re interested in getting serious with video on your DSLR, you owe it to yourself to read every word Shane Hurlbut publishes over there.
The Canon Rebel T2i (aka 550D outside the US) is the follow-up entry-level DSLR to the great Rebel T1i. Even though the T2i follows just one year after the release of the T1i, it is not the typical, incremental upgrade you might expect. The Rebel T2i packs a whole lot of firepower for both still and video shooters. To see whether the performance matches up to the spec sheet, read on. [Read more…]
Canon has introduced a new instant rebate program for the 50D DSLR, along with a couple of lenses when purchased with the camera. If you aren’t into the video scene and are just looking for a capable DSLR for still images, this wouldn’t be a bad time to pick one of these up.
The rebates are listed below.
Canon 50D (body only) – $100 rebate – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Canon 50D w/ 28-135mm IS lens – $100 rebate – B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Canon 50D w/ 70-300mm IS lens – $250 rebate – (links to 70-300mm lens) B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Canon 50D w/ 28-135mm IS and 70-300mm IS lenses – $250 rebate – Adorama
Wildlife photographer, Andy Biggs, has launched a new camera bag line called Gura Gear. Biggs designed the first bag in the line, the Kiboko, to his specifications based on his needs in the field. The Kiboko weighs 4 pounds and is made from high-tech Dimension Polyant VX-21,which is a waterproof material used on sailboats. The Kiboko is fully customizable with extra dividers and a removable rain cover. It accommodates up to 500mm and 600mm lenses (both at the same time).
More on the new Gura Gear line in the press release below. [Read more…]
Mastering HD Video with Your DSLR is a new book dedicated to learning how to capture and edit footage captured with the new video-capable DSLRs. Mastering HD Video with Your DSLR is authored by Helmet Kraus and Uwe Steinmueller. The book retails for $34.95, but is available from Amazon.com for $23.58 at the time of this post.
More details in Rocky Nook’s press release below. [Read more…]
The following post is by Ontario-based photographer, Steve Richardson, who explains how to find the “sweet spot” of your lenses. Learn more about Steve at the end of this post.
First let me say a special thanks for Eric Reagan for the opportunity to share with the Photography Bay community!
The focus (no pun intended!) of this article is how to find the “sweet spot” of a lens. The sweet spot refers to the aperture setting of a given lens that yields the best overall sharpness from the center to the edges. Most good quality lenses will give you good sharpness at the center regardless of what aperture you use, but for the best edge-to-edge sharpness we need to dig a little deeper. [Read more…]
The Manfrotto 190XDB tripod is a 3-section aluminum tripod that runs about $105. The Manfrotto 190XDB tripod legs are essentially a more basic version of the 190XB and 190XBPRO tripod legs. The biggest difference is the use of twist-lock legs instead of the flip-lock legs found on the more expensive versions. [Read more…]
Photoshop CS5 is easily the biggest elephant in the room at Photoshop World 2010. Photoshop CS5 has an official launch date of April 12, 2010. Several of the NAPP and Adobe crew members have been working with Photoshop CS5 and dropped several hints about new features throughout the first day, along with a wink and a nudge.
During the opening keynote this morning, we were treated to a real time demo of a couple of new features, including the amazing new Content Aware Fill and auto lens correction features. Hit the video above to see it in action. [Read more…]
Earlier this week, Gigapan announced the upcoming availability of the new EPIC Pro robotic panoramic mount for DSLRs with an expected release date of next month. I just got word from Gigapan that the EPIC is already available and in stock.
You can head on over to the Gigapan store if you’ve got one of these on your shopping list.