Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

Olympus FE-5020, FE-4000 and FE-46

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Olympus has updated its FE series with 3 new cameras the Olympus FE-5020, FE-4000 and FE-46.  The cameras offer 12-megapixels and a number of other features.  The FE-5020 has a 5x zoom lens with an equivalent focal length of 24-120mm.  Olympus has also included its Pop Art filters for in-camera effects on the FE-5020.

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

Nikon D5000 Review

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The Nikon D5000 sits at the low-end of Nikon’s DSLR lineup.  It is the second Nikon DSLR to offer video recording capabilities (the Nikon D90 was the first).  It’s also Nikon’s first DSLR with an articulating LCD – a feature that has received both praise and criticism.

The compact D5000 steps up to a 12.3-megapixel sensor.  The Nikon D60, which previously ruled the low-end roost, offers a 10.2 megapixel sensor.  The 12.3-megapixel sensor is the same piece of equipment as is found in popular Nikon D300 and D90.  It’s a proven sensor, so it only makes sense for Nikon to drop it in this generation of entry-level DSLRs as well.

The Nikon D5000 is a bargain of a camera at its introductory price of $850 with a 18-55mm VR (vibration reduction) lens.  The D90 is $100 more for just the body only.

I spent a lot of time over the past month or so shooting the Nikon D5000 side-by-side with the Canon Rebel T1i.  These cameras are obviously situated as direct competitors with each other.  As a result, I make several references to how the Nikon D5000 compares in relation to the Rebel T1i.  Suffice it to say that both cameras are excellent offerings from Nikon and Canon.  Each camera truly lives up to the expectations and is probably the best entry-level DSLR from either company to date.

[Read more…]

10 Internet Marketing Tips for Photographers

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The following post comes from Allon Bloch, the CEO of Wix.com, which is a web publishing platform with free and premium offerings.  While some of Allon’s are a pitch for Wix.com’s service, I think that they can still apply to many services and platforms beyond Wix.  Learn more about Allon and Wix, as well as some additional thoughts on these tips from me at the end of this post.

We live in a digital age, so photographers need to locate and interact with customers wherever they live within the digital space.

Industry marketing terms like “search engine optimization,” “web design” and “social media” tend to be overwhelming, but a new wave of technology and services is specifically designed to help users cut through the web tape and achieve measurable results.

Here is a quick checklist to get you started. [Read more…]

7 Photos That Show Motion By Stopping It

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Take the plunge by The artist (formerly) known as Gene

Shot with a Canon EOS 30D at 1/250th of second.

Last week, I touched on using motion blur to give a sense of speed and movement in a photo.  This week, we’re going to look at some examples where no motion blur (or very little) is present; however, these images still manage to effectively convey a sense of motion.

In each image, there is some element that helps convey motion.  In some images, it may be the primary subject that should be moving.  In others, it may be an element surrounding the subject – such as water.  By freezing what should be moving, these images give your mind a moment that you know and can sense requires motion. [Read more…]

Canon APS-Sized Point & Shoot Foreshadowed by Chuck Westfall

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In Chuck Westfall’s July 2009 Tech Tips, he answers a Canon user’s question about the amount of megapixels and overall image quality concerns in cameras today.  One specific point the user makes is that the number of megapixels in point and shoot cameras results in poor noise control at higher ISOs.  So why can Canon just use fewer megapixels to clean up the noise?

Chuck Westfall responds to the concern basically saying that the 5D Mark II does just fine with noise and the increased megapixels is a great addition.  As for the notion that maybe Canon should make a point and shoot camera with fewer megapixels, Chuck semi-dismisses this suggestion and foreshadows the future of image quality concerns:

In the realm of compact digital cameras, there is no question that the high end of the market is looking for better image quality than current cameras provide, especially at high ISOs. But I’ll bet that the eventual solution to that request is going to be larger image sensors with high resolution rather than small sensors with reduced resolution. Time will tell!

Not that such a development is unexpected; however, I suppose the question is just how close in time is such a Canon point and shoot camera from realization?

Olympus E-P1 Review at Digicam Review

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Digicam Review has posted a review of the Olympus E-P1.

Image quality is excellent – with excellent colour, and good levels of saturation and contrast with excellent detail. Noise levels were very low and provided useable ISO1600 (and possibly higher) – with less colour noise than even the Canon 450D, and provided much better detail from the Olympus kit lens, than the Canon’s kit lens.

For more on the E-P1, see Photography Bay’s Olympus E-P1 Reviews and Resources.

7 Tips for Using Video to Supplement Your Concert Photography

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Aerosmith Guitar Hero

Not long ago, Angela Datre wrote about concert photography and how to capture the essence of it all. These days, with the usage of the web and the distribution of photos so easily many bands also want videos of their concerts/shows to be shot. As photojournalists are taught, you should be able to use the skills that you’ve honed as a photographer to pull this off very well in addition to using and learning some new tricks of the trade. Here are a couple of tried and true things to remember when shooting performances that have been learned from making mistakes and to continue getting business from the clients. [Read more…]

Nikon D300s Pics, Again

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Is this the camera that is set to replace the Nikon D300 soon?   Since we’re inching ever closer to the Nikon D300s official announcement, we should all be expecting more and more leaks.  The latest leaks, courtesy of Nikon Rumors, come in the form of some up close and unobstructed images of the possible new camera.

This above image is definitely not the same Nikon D300s camera in the image that was leaked previously.  Compare the mic holes in the two:

So, one of the two “leaked” images is fake for sure.  More photos of the current “leak” follow. [Read more…]