Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
The ColorRight custom white balance tool has been updated to a 4th version, which features a semi-transparent plastic center piece, instead of glass in the former version. Likewise, the outer ring is now a hard plastic shell instead of metal. (Update: The ring is metal, but it feels better than the old version.) [Read more…]
The Ricoh GXR modular camera system is a unique system that pairs lenses and imaging sensors into sealed components, which are interchangeable on the GXR camera body.
The GXR system initially offers a camera body, which is essentially an LCD, controls and a memory card slot. The two initial lens units cover 24-70mm and 50mm, featuring a 10-megapixel CCD 1/1.7-inch sensor and a 12.3-megapixel CMOS 23.6mm x 15.7mm (APS-C size) sensor, respectively.
The GXR body carries an initial retail price of $549.
The GXR A12 50mm lens unit carries an initial retail price of $830.
The GXR S10 24-72mm lens unit carries an initial retail price of $440.
The system should be on store shelves in December 2009.
The purpose of this guide is to help you pick the right digital camera or photography accessory for yourself or that special photographer on your Christmas shopping list. [Read more…]
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…]
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…]
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 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.
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…]
DxO Labs has announced DxO Optics Pro 6, which is geared toward taming high ISO RAW conversion and extends optical fault correction. Additionally, the software adds support for Olympus DSLRs, the Sony A230, A330 and A380, as well as the Nikon D300s.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]
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.