Selasa, 30 November 2010

Aerial Photography Tips


Image : http://www.flickr.com


Aerial photography is a valuable commercial skill that can greatly increase the income of many working photographers. The field of aerial photography can cover many different types of work, including real estate photography, government projects to document construction or environmental issues, paparazzi coverage, court case evidence, in addition to general artistic images taken from aloft.

Getting started in aerial photography. To get started in aerial photography, it is not as difficult as it may initially seem. In most cases, having access to an aircraft of some sort is required. However, there are literally thousands of pilots that are willing to charter a flight for you to accomplish your work. Check with your regional or local airport about chartering a flight for photography. Let them know what and where you are interested in photographing, and they should be able point you in the right direction. Based on my experience, be prepared to pay $100-$300 per hour chartering a fixed wing aircraft, depending on your area and the type of aircraft available. For helicopter rentals, look to pay about 30% more.

Best time of day to take aerial photographs. As with most types of outdoor photography, early morning and late afternoon time frames will yield the most pleasing photographs. It is at this time that the sun's rays produce warmer colors and longer shadows which produce more brilliant colors and beautiful shadows. The longer shadows associated with this time frame add depth to your photographs, by better defining the contours of land or structures.

However, selecting a time of day is also dependent on the type of photography you are trying to capture. During the middle of the day, the lighting is flat which may be better suited to your specific needs, i.e., documenting a construction project, or commercial real estate. Understanding the goals of your photographic mission will greatly impact when you elect to charter a flight.

Best equipment for aerial photography. Selecting the appropriate equipment for aerial photography is a major consideration. Before making any photographic equipment decisions, you must first define how the photos will be used. In most cases, aerial photos will be used for larger prints. Even if you are only shooting images for newspaper or tabloid reproduction, you will want to capture the images in as large a file size or negative size as possible. If you are shooting film, I would suggest no format under 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″. If you want to shoot film and don't have a larger format camera, borrow or lease one before you schedule the flight. For digital photographers, I would recommend using the largest file size available with your model camera. By not capturing the images in the highest resolution possible, you have greatly diminished the ability for additional uses of these photographs.

Determining the optimal focal length to use, will be influenced with the type of aircraft you select, the subject matter you are documenting, and how close you are able to get to your subject. From personal experience, I most often use the equivalent of a 35mm-50mm lens for the 35mm camera format. You will want to be cautious using a telephoto lens due to the vibration of the aircraft.

Best exposure for aerial photography. In general, I recommend using a shutter speed of 1/500 -1/1000. This shutter speed range is sufficient to stop most action from a moving aircraft and to minimize aircraft vibration. While photographing from 1000 feet or higher, the subject will not be moving as quickly as you think. Choosing the maximum shutter speed, such as 1/2000 or higher, basically robs you of depth of field since you need to open up the lens more to compensate for the higher speed. On the subject of aperture setting, you will want to be in the f/5.6-f/11 range for most subjects. For those familiar with hyperfocal distances, since the closest subject in your photograph will be greater than 1000 feet, depth of field is not a main concern. Keep in mind the middle of your aperture range for a particular lens produces the sharpest images.

Conclusion. Aerial photography produces a view of the world that very few can experience. Whether you are taking aerial photographs as a career or just as a hobbie, the joys of aerial photography are countless!

Micromax A60 Review

Micromax A60 is first Micromax Android Phone. A60 is the new addition its feature rich phones list of Micromax. Micromax A60 phone comes with Android 2.1 Eclair  OS and 150MB internal memory This A60 featured with WIFI, 3G, 3.2 Megapixel auto focus camera, voice assisted GPS, Full touch screen and many more.
Micromax A60

PC suite for A60: To download PC suite for Micromax A60 the detailed instruction with download link provided in my earlier post Micromax PC suite Download.For Connecting Micromax A60 to PC as modem the guide is given in Micromax A60 as a modem.


Features of Micromax A60:

  • Android 2.1 Eclair OS
  • Full touch screen
  • 3.2 Megapixel Auto focus camera
  • Android market
  • Voice assisted GPS navigation
  •  Accelerator Sensor
  • HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
  • HSUPA 5.6 Mbps
  • WIFI
Pros and Cons of Micromax A60:
Pros of A60:
  • Inexpensive android touch screen phone.
  • Good auto focus 3 MP rear camera.
  • Various connectivity options like WiFI, 3G.
  • Voice assisted GPS.
Cons of A60:
  • There is no upgrade option for A60.
  • No front camera for video calling.
  • Resistive touch screen.
    Micromax A60 Specification:
    Form Factor:Full Touch
    Band:GSM 900&1800MHz - WCDMA 900/2100MHz
    Weight:105gms
    Dimensions:106.8mm * 59.2mm * 14.0mm
    Display:62K TFT, (320*240 pixels) 7.1cms Touch Screen
    Version:2.1 Eclair
    HSUPA:5.76Mbps
    HSDPA:7.2 Mbps
    Camera:3.2MP, Auto-Focus Camera
    Audio Player:Yes
    GPS:Yes
    WiFi:Yes
    Video Streaming:Yes
    Video Player:Yes
    Video Recorder:Yes
    GPRS/WAP/MMS:Yes
    Processor:600 MHz
    Bluetooth:2.1
    SWYPE:Yes
    Internal Memory:150MB
    Expandable Memory:Up-to 32GB
    Battery Type:1280 mAh Li-ion Battery
    Talk Time:Up to 4 hours*
    Standby Time:Up to 10 days*

    Micromax A60 price: Price of Micromax A60 in India is 5600Rs.

    Senin, 29 November 2010

    Turn Your Negatives and Slides into Digital Images


    Image : http://www.flickr.com


    In the last few years, digital technology took photography by storm. Most every lab today processes digital photographs from CDs, DVDs, flash cards, etc. Only a few years back most of us only had one choice of getting prints of our photographs: Negatives, and Slides. Things changed quite a bit today. Most non-professional photographers today shoot digitally, because of many advantages digital photography offers. However, most of us still have a legacy left from the days of film. I am referring to the many thousands of strips or developed negative and slide film. It is time to get them available digitally.

    Whenever I talk to people about this subject, the first thing I hear is the question: Why? Well, there are several reasons. I am going to break down this part of the article by individual reasons.

    Advancing Technology

    Because technology is getting better we should take advantage of it, whenever we can. Photography is a good example of improving technology. Some of the higher-end digital cameras today are producing photographs better in detail, contrast, and sharpness than does film. The whole world is moving in the direction of digital because of several advantages, which it has established over film. Remember those times when you were looking for just one frame of that special photograph which you wanted to duplicate for your relatives and friends, and how difficult it was for you sort through all your not so well organized strips of developed film? We all do. This must have been the most frustrating thing to do. No more, if you are shooting digitally. Now, we can organize our digital images by date, name, description, category, and a myriad other criteria. We no longer have to spend hours looking over dozens of strips of film trying to figure out which one we actually need. If we could only do the same with our film.

    Long-term Storage

    Lucky for us, film is amazing in terms of storage. Images captured on film will last a lifetime, or longer. However, optical technology is giving way to digital, and who knows, twenty years down the road getting our film printed may be much more difficult, and perhaps more expensive than it is today. Technology changes with people, and with the demand which we as consumers generate. We are certainly adopting digital photography very quickly, and as such film is becoming more restricted to semi-professional and professional photographers. This trend will no doubt affect the many labs, both professional and consumer-driven, such as the thousands of convenience and 1-hour labs at supermakets, and specialized photography stores. A great example of this is relative difficulty of getting medium format film, or slides developed. Only about 20 or so years ago this format was as common as 35mm is today.

    What to Do With All That Film

    Ok, it is clear that we are entering the digital age, and it is time to make the move with our old film. What now? This article is meant for a typical consumer, and as such it assumes that a typical consumer will not have access to a quality, high-end film scanner at home. Not everybody has a scanner at home. Some have digital cameras, and no computer at all. Most typical consumer scanners today do not produce a quality enough scan of 35mm film to be worth it. Most consumers will find that it is most economical, and easiest to obtain services of a dedicated lab, which will gladly scan all your film for you, and will store it on a CD, DVD, or other media. Today, more and more such services are becoming available to address the obviously increasing need. I would recommend staying away from mail order service, which will be much more difficult to deal with, in the case you are not satisfied with the quality of results. Look for services which scan in bulk, and offer discounts on large amounts of film to be scanned. Inquire ahead of time about the final size of the digital image. Make sure that each scan is large enough to produce a quality 13x19 print. This is another reason for using a local versus mail order services. Take your time, and ask all the important questions. If the answers you are receiving are uncertain, and the tech is not willing to take his time with you, consider a different service. Most urban areas today have several options for you to consider. Always shop around. You may find that a cheaper service offers more options, like index prints of scanned film, than does a more expensive service. Consider sorting your film, and ask to have it scanned in the sorted order, which will allow for more logical organization on digital media. Once you have your film digitized, you will be able to transfer and share images with others, as well as get them printed simply by using one of the more popular online services, such as SnapFish, Kodak Gallery, Mpix, etc. Make a copy of the media which you receive from the scanning service, and store it away safely.

    ASUS Eee PC 1015PED-PU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook Review

    ASUS Eee PC 1015PED-PU17-BK netbook comes with Intel Atom 475 processor clocked at 1.83 GHz for efficient performance for everyday tasks. This netbook features 1GB DDR3 memory, Intel GMA3150 graphic card and 250 GB SATA hard drive.

    The Asus Eee PC 1015PED-PU17-BK features an LED-backlitdisplay for ultra-bright visual clarity without compromising energy-efficiency.Its 1024 x 600 resolution helps you to surf your favorite Web pages withouthaving to resize your browser or scroll left and right. Matte-finish cover ofthis net book gives you smooth, smudge-proof protection to withstand youron-the-go lifestyle.

    The Asus Eee PC 1015PED-PU provides hard drive capacity of 250GBand an additional 500GB of ASUS WebStorage,2 a free and secure database tostore your treasured data. ASUS WebStorage allows you to easily share andsafeguard your movies, music, and files.

    The Asus Eee PC 1015PED-PU comes pre-installed with theMicrosoft Windows 7 operating system; you can easily create a home network andshare all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest,fastest, and most popular version of Windows yet. Better ways to find andmanage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speedthrough everyday tasks.

    Tags: ASUS Netbooks, Atom 1.8GHz Netbook, Windows 7 Netbook, DDR3 supported Netbook, Latest netbook, ASUS latest netbook.

    Minggu, 28 November 2010

    Ghost Hunting Gear

    Some people believe that they will need tons of expensive ghost hunting equipment to go ghost hunting. That is not true. Yes, having expensive high tech ghost hunting gear may increase your chances of capturing some historic ghostly evidence, but ghost hunting can be done with few pieces of equipment.

    Starting out, not every newbie ghost hunter, or for that matter experienced ghost hunter may be able to afford the high tech equipment. I'm sure you want to do the investigation to best of your abilities, but you can with out the expensive ghost hunting pack.

    There a few inexpensive pieces of ghost hunting gear you can acquire with out breaking the bank, and really there are only two pieces of equipment that are need to complete a creditable ghost hunt. That is a voice recorder and a camera.

    The camera doesn't have to be a digital version, but can be a 35mm, but I would suggest if you are using a 35mm film to use 400 speed or higher. The advantage of a digital is the amount of pictures, with the addition of a SD card, can be stored on your camera. And if you have the available screen on your camera to review pictures, this will give you ability to review some of your pictures right on the spot of the investigation. Granted it may be hard to find anomalies on such a small screen, but you may be able to identify mysterious objects, to which you will be able to debunk right on the spot.

    The voice recorder is a very important tool in ghost hunting. The recorder will give you the ability to capture audio, and if your luck, the ability to catch a EVP. These types of audio anomalies commonly known as electronic voice phenomenon are some of the most substantial ghost and spirit evidence there is. Although some will contend that they are nothing more than other people in the groups talking, paranormal investigators and those you do the EVP work will contend that audio sessions are done during a highly professional manner, and all team members are accounted for during audio work. Most of these groups will have one individual do the talking with a shut up period for the rest of the group.

    These two types of equipment are essential and the basics of your ghost hunting gear. You may add a simple and inexpensive tool that can be used for detecting potential ghosts, they are commonly called Dowsing rods. You may be able to pick up a decent pair of these for about 5 bucks or as high as sixty dollars. These are great if you cannot afford to purchase a EMF detector, or a digital thermometer.

    Starting out will only demand you to have these types of equipment, but if you just want to look for ghost for you own personal experience, than hey , all you will need is a flashlight.

    Once you have decided that ghost hunting is for you. Then start a group and have everyone pitch in a start adding equipment to your ghost hunting gear.




    David Price Jr is founder of the Ghostly True Paranormal Research Society that is located Cass City, Michigan. David has always had a interest in the Paranormal ever since he was a child. David is also the founder and can be found at: http://www.ghosthuntingequipmentforsale.com

    Sabtu, 27 November 2010

    Waterproof Digicam Comparison - Canon D10 Vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1

    Canon and Panasonic has announced their first shock and water-proof compact camera early this year. If you are still confused which camera is best for you, here you will find some useful information and comparison between the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 and Canon PowerShot D10.

    Both the cameras are waterproof, but if you want a camera that can work around 10 meters underwater, then Powershot D10 would be your best shot. The submarine shaped D10 with its porthole-like screws and bulbous shell expresses that this digital camera is purely made for underwater. But on ground, you won't like its bulky form. D10 has easy-to-press buttons and a large LCD screen where icons are big and nice, you still can see it quite clear even underwater. Additionally, it contains bigger screw-mouths on every corner for mounting the camera in various underwater grips.

    While other waterproof digicam, Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 can be used up to 3 meters only underwater with a completely different approach. The sleek rectangular slab outline has made it hard to distinguish from usual non-tough cams. Compare to Canon D10, the buttons are smaller and shooting modes can be selected by a thumb dial rather than a dedicated button. Even So, you will lose usability underwater with TS1, it will perform better on land and you must consider that.

    Another big difference is that the Panasonic TS1 shoots in the AVCHD format at 720p, where D10 only does VGA videos of 640×480. But the video recording mode of TS1 is not the most polished one, there is a two to three seconds of delay from hitting the dedicated video button to starting and stopping the video and its quite unclear when exactly everything does start. If you are ok with that delay, you will surely love the outstanding HD video mode. Lumix DMC-TS1 is currently seeing a big bug when importing the taken video into iMovie. The featured AVCHD format of TS1 is quite annoying and you might require installing particular codec to import video into your preferred video editing software and then convert it into friendly formats.

    Both toughcams are featuring 12-megapixel shooting and have the same CCD sensor size. But the ISO of TS1 goes up to 6400 when it is only 1600 for D10. A difference that really matters is the wider-angle lense of TS1, which is an effective focal length zoom of 28mm-128mm f/3.3-f/5.9, where D10 is only 35mm-105mm f/2.8-f/4.9. Color reproduction through the Leica lens of TS1 is far better than that of D10. Moreover, the TS1 lean to autofocus underwater with greater ease in comparison with D10.

    Just In Case you are not a professional scuba photo shooter, the benefits of toughcams can also be figured when you are making your kid's bath time photos without worrying about getting your camera wet or shooting with unclean hands while you are in the middle of a barbecue, or anything like that. Whatever happens, you will always can wipe your digital camera clean from water. So the conclusion is, if you care about form factor, you should go with Panasonic Lumix TS1, Powershot D10 will be tough to fit it into a pants pocket without some serious bulging. But if you usually go deeper than 3 meters underwater, you should go with Canon D10.




    Kelly is a freelance writer for multiple niches on the internet. Her website http://www.mitub.com is about product reviews. To find more information about both waterproof digital cameras, you can find it here: Canon D10 vs Lumix DMC-TS1

    Jumat, 26 November 2010

    Best Full Frame DSLR Camera - Finding the Right One

    Choosing the best full frame DSLR camera can seem like a daunting task. But once you've decided to go with the full frame (35mm) sensor, it should be a fairly painless process. There are currently six offerings--two from Canon, three from Nikon and one from Sony (their first ever full frame DSLR).

    These are all great cameras!  They're built to professional standards of quality and performance, so you only need to determine which design and feature set will best suit your needs.

    A full frame DSLR will be an excellent choice for anyone transitioning from a film SLR to digital. This is especially true if you have a collection of legacy lenses to use. The reason for this is that a full frame sensor will allow the lens to frame your shots exactly as with 35mm film. Just make sure that you get a brand with compatible lens mounting.

    The current full frame DSLR models fall into two basic categories:


    Full professional models (with professional prices)

    Semi-professional models (much more affordable)

    The full pro cameras have all the extra weatherproofing and rugged build to take out into the bush for weeks at a time. They're also large and heavy as a rule - over 40 ounces. Part of that weight is due to extra battery packs.

    The semi-pro cameras are much lighter in weight, but still rich in features and performance. They also have excellent weatherproofing and are plenty rugged. They're just not built to fall out of the jeep...and into the water-filled pothole.

    Another consideration when selecting the best full frame DSLR is what kind of light you will shoot in. If you want to catch the action in low light situations, look at the cameras that perform well at high ISO settings. Also, the cameras with fewer megapixels will generally capture more efficiently, increasing the quality of low light performance.

    Kamis, 25 November 2010

    Pricing your photographs (tip)

    This article deals with pricing images that you’ve already captured. The trick which I reveal to you can be successfully tweaked to give you reasonable price ranges for services also.

    You've taken many photographs and you've honed your skills to the point that you think you could sell some.

    Now the question is: what price exactly? Overprice your photo, and you will never hear from a buyer again; sell it cheap, and you are losing money.

    How to find the right price?

    In business terms, you would have to look into demand and supply forces and deduce the market clearing price. But we don’t want to over complicate things here; you certainly don’t need a business degree to sell a photo or two… What we need to do is what businesses have been doing for ages: to look how competition is pricing its products. I’m sure you knew this, but here comes the tricky part; this type of information isn’t freely available…

    The Solution is simple!
    Next best thing to a photographer’s price list is a stock agency website! (And when I say stock agency, I don’t mean micro stock agency, which is basically a rip-off, a type of slavery for photographers).
    I’ve been successfully using: alamy.com
    Procedure is easy. Use alamy.com to search for similar photographs, and look up prices based on the usage specified by the person who has inquired about images. Check multiple photos, so you can have a good average.

    To make it work as intended, you will need to get following information from your customer: Image use, Details of use, Image size, Print run, Placement etc.

    Let’s see it in action:



    Brilliant isn’t it? To achieve same pricing simplicity you would have to buy $700 software – really!

    35mm Slides & Negative Conversion Devices

    35mm slides & negative conversion devices are available today in abundance. Efficiency, ease of use and price are important in 35mm slides & negative conversion devices. If you keep these things in mind you will make a good choice that you will be happy with.

    I like the HP Scanjet G4050 Photo Scanner because it meets all of my requirements. I do a lot of slide conversions and the G4050 is more than up to the task.

    The G4050 is the industry leader in color accuracy using the world's first 6-color, 96-bit scanning. HP claims that the colors captured are 40% more accurate than colors captured by other scanners. I can attest that the colors are really vibrant! One of my favorite features are the high capacity adapters for both 35mm slides and negatives. These adapters enable you to scan up to 16 35mm slides or 30 negatives at once. This is a huge advantage over other scanners that do single slides or five slides at a time and should be a major consideration in purchasing 35mm slides & negative conversion devices.

    image

    The program allows you to remove dust and scratches with a push of a button on the scanner without having to pull the slide into another program in your computer. This is really helpful and speeds up the entire process. The software included in the device enables you to restore faded colors which is a must with older or damaged 35mm slides or negatives.

    35mm slides and negative conversion devices usually offer enhancement capabilities, but a couple of my favorites that come with the HP G4050 are the red-eye removal feature and the ability to enhance the details in dark slides. You would be surprised at how often you will use these features if you convert a lot of slides.

    This scanner let's you quickly scan multiple slides or negatives and then save them as separate files, which you can then organize and email easily with the software that comes with the G4050.

    For quality and ease of use it is pretty hard to beat this scanner. The final piece of the puzzle is the price. All of the above can be yours for just under $200! It doesn't get any better than that.

    It is important when looking for 35mm slides and negative conversion devices that you pick the one that meets your needs. If you are not going to do many slides, then you might be happy with a scanner that does five slides at a time. If that is what fits your needs, you will save money (approx. $50) by getting a scanner that handles fewer slides. If you have a closet full of slides or negatives, I would highly recommend the HP G4050 when you are considering 35mm slides & negative conversion devices.

    Rabu, 24 November 2010

    What's the Best DSLR Camera to Buy?

    Don't Purchase a DSLR Camera Before Reading This

    Like everyone else out there, I caught the "bug" and just had to upgrade from my 35mm SLR to the newer point-and-shoot cameras out there. I had a couple models of the Minolta and Pentax and a used Nikon which were great. Of course, my kids and wife hated using them because of their complexity. Before I made this leap, I wish there had been places, other than the photography magazines which were somewhat biased, to find out all the pro's and con's about each model and manufacturer. Why wasn't there a place where I could get a thumbnail summary?

    Of course, I took the plunge and since then had several of these style cameras, some OK, some not so OK, and some great (which I still use now). Then about 3 or 4 years ago along came the affordable DSLR cameras. I wasn't about to fork over $2,000 for a camera yet so again I had to go hunting through review after review until I found what I was looking for. Some of the DSLR camera reviews out there on the internet are very good, if you're looking to read through many pages of technical details. I find that these reviews are great for the serious and professional photographer. If I was going to spend the "big bucks" I would certainly look at all of the technical details, etc., and then go to a camera shop where I could get my hands on one of these babies and try it out for a day or two. Now I don't know about you, but the big-box stores are NOT going to loan me a camera for a day or two, regardless of how much the camera cost. If I'm a pro, I'm going to go to my local supplier where I buy all my other gear and he's going to lend it to me to try out. But, alas, I'm not a pro and I would bet if you're reading this you're not either.

    What we all need out there is a site that provides an unbiased thumbnail review of these "hot" new DSLR cameras out there to give us the pro's and con's of each model and allow us to make a conscious decision on our own. A place to read customer reviews and a place that gives us all of the basic information we need to make up our own mind.

    Senin, 22 November 2010

    Choosing a Consumer Digital SLR Camera

    So you're in the market for a new camera and don't know where to start? Let's start with the basics of DSLRs and modern photography. If you're upgrading from a point and shoot or moving away from film you will approach the buying decision from different viewpoints. I will cover them separately.

    Coming from a digital point and shoot you will probably first notice the much larger size and weight. There are some models available on a standard called 4/3s (four thirds) that are very compact but still give you all the features of a SLR system, but even these are larger than most point and shoots. Don't think of this as a disadvantage, it's the larger optics and image sensor that give you a better picture.

    If you are converting from film to a DSLR you will probably first notice the smaller size and weight. Most consumer DSLRs are based on a "crop" or DX sensor, it's about 60% of the size of 35mm film. This will be most noticeable with your lens; the focal length in proportion to the sense makes them appear longer then what you may be expecting. For example a 200mm will look more like a 300mm on the crop sensor digital, 200mm x 1.6 (60% sensor size) = 320mm. Keep this in mind when looking for lens, most digital users carry a 35mm in place of the trusted 55mm (35 x 1.6 = 56mm)

    In common to both new buyers are megapixels, the sales people will be all over this one. Camera manufactures are constantly looking for ways to differentiate themselves and for a long time it has been megapixels. Don't get caught in that trap, 6.1mp cameras were producing professional images for years before 8, 10, and 12mp cameras.

    Given the same size sensor any increase in the number pixels will result in more pixels fighting over the same amount of light. Think about that for a minute. Many new cameras have a lowest ISO setting of 200. Without going into all the details of ISO (i.e. ASA or film speed) this means that more digital noise introduced into you images.

    One of the major advantages to a DSLR camera is the interchangeable lenses. These are specific to the manufacture and it's why we often say you are buying a "system" and not just a camera. If you stay in the hobby long enough you will end up with lenses, flashes, meters, and all sorts of accessories for your system. These will outlast you new camera body by a long shot, I have some Pentax K mount lens that are over 20 years old. Don't let that scare you off, you don't have to stick to one system forever - I don't really shoot Pentax much anymore, but remember to look at all the other parts and accessories when you shopping around.

    This article isn't going to go into the details of all the brands and their entry level cameras. I will cover some of the major distinguishing differences. If you are coming from a point and shoot camera and want to continue to use the view screen to compose your shots, commonly called live view, you will notice a big difference in the brands. Currently in the beginning of 2010 each manufacture has taken a different approach to this, and if this is your main selection criteria you will notice right away. I really encourage you to use the viewfinder and consider live view an nice extra feature as it will really open up your options for choosing a camera.

    The major brands in the US as of this writing are Canon, Nikon, Sony (Minolta), Olympus, and Pentax. Canon and Nikon are the leaders with Sony coming on strong. Each manufacture tries to distinguish itself in different ways:

    Canon - Pushing HD video recording and still image quality, the default setting produce bright and colorful images. This can be adjusted if it doesn't fit your tastes but is closest to the output of point and shoot models.

    Nikon - Sports and action focused. Their default images are a bit more neutral, but again can be configured to you preferences.

    Sony - Strong focus on Live View at generally lower prices. They are making a push for a better market share but go to a store and hold one; many people find the ergonomics difficult.

    Olympus - The only major manufacturer focused on the 4/3 format, making for some very portable DSLRs. Their lens selection is as great as Canon or Nikon but what they do offer is very good and in the most common focal lengths.

    Pentax - Focused on digital crop sensor cameras and a previous leader, they were a little late to digital and have been playing catch up for the past few years. Oddly enough they also offer a medium format professional system, but not a full frame 35mm digital. They also have some of the best prime lenses and by far the largest selection of lenses from the past 40+ years.

    Any of these can produce great images; it's all a matter of deciding what features are important to you. If you're unsure or still new to photography you may find you needs are different then what you expected. The major manufactures offer room for growth, so don't worry too much about it. Try not to over spend until you are sure it's the system for you.

    Minggu, 21 November 2010

    Dell XCD 28 Review-specification and Price

    Dell  expanded its market to Cellphone industry.  For the first time Dell introduced its product in India. Dell XCD 28 is a latest smart phone released by Dell recently. This phone comes with outstanding features in affordable price tag.  This Dell XCD28 smartphone is a touch screen  phone android 2.1 based operating  system. This main main features are 3G, WIFI, Satnav and many more. Dell XCD 28 price in India is 8666Rs.
    The other Dell smartphone named  Dell XCD35 review is given in my other post. The comparison between Dell XCD 28 and Dell XCD 35 are given in the below image. This image published in rediff.com . I have taken it from rediff.


    Specifications of Dell XCD 28:
    • Brand: Dell
    • 8-inch TFT LCD full touch upto 262K colors.
    • 3.15MP camera with 5x digital zoom
    • Android 2.1 OS
    • 600MHz processor
    • 256MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM
    • 3G HSDPA Speeds upto 7.2Mbps.
    • EDGE and GSM support
    • Bluetooth
    • WiFi
    • Music player
    • GPS: Comes with google maps.
    • Access to corporate exchange emails.
    • Document Reader-Word, PDF, Excel, Power point)
    • Storage 200MB internal user memory and expandable upto 16GB using the Micro SD card.
    • Dell XCD 28 package include free 2GB MicroSD Card
    Tags: Smart Phones, Touch Screen phone from Dell, Android Phones, Dell Mobiles, Dell Smart phones, Dell XCD Review, Dell XCD28 Review.

    All About 35 Millimeter Film Scanners

    Those who have an interest in photography, or those whose job involves editing pictures may already be familiar with 35 mm film scanners. Film scanners in general are devices which are used for scanning photographic film directly into a computer without the need for any other type of device.

    The good thing about using this type of a device is that it makes printing, scanning and editing photographs a lot easier. This is due to the fact that the images can be transferred directly from the film to the computer.

    The Benefits of 35mm Film Scanners

    When you purchase a 35mm film scanner, for example, there are a lot of benefits that you will get to enjoy when it comes to the quality of the image. First, photographers would have direct control over different aspects of the photograph like aspect ratio and the way that the image is cropped.

    There are also specialized software or hardware that you can use to remove the 'dirt' on the photograph, the scratches and the film grain which will later on affect the quality of the print.

    There are a good number of photographers these days which still prefer the output of photos which are taken using film, as compared to the mass-produced quality of digital cameras. If you want to restore the 'soul' of the photos which are taken on film and still have the convenience of printing and editing them with the use of a computer, then 35mm film scanners are definitely for you.

    How to Compare 35mm Film Scanners

    So how can you compare the best 35mm film scanners which are available in the market today? Just as it is when purchasing any type of product, you can rely on online 35mm film scanner reviews.

    These reviews will give you an idea about the factors that you need to take into consideration when purchasing 35mm film scanners. These factors include the price, quality, features, the bit depth, the resolution, the interface and the editing capabilities of the scanner.

    By taking these factors into consideration, you can get the best 35mm film scanner in the market - without compromising the quality of the print of those precious photographs that you will scan.




    Michael Sanderson is an accomplished writer about film scanners. If you need information about 35mm film scanners, roll film scanners, the best film scanners or if you want in on the latest about the comparison of film scanners available in the market today, FilmScanners.com is the site to help you out! Visit http://www.filmscanners.com now and see what else our site has to offer!

    Intel Core i7-980X-Processor Review

    The new Intel Core I7 980X  processor comes with 6 cores. That is complete 6 execution processor in a single processor box.  This gives 12 computing threads which helps operating systems and other application softwares to deliver additional performance.  In overall an user can do multitasking  and multi threaded performance across    many types of applications and workloads.

    The main Features of Intel Core i7 are.

    • Intel Hyper threading Technology: This technology delivers two threads per core which increases system performance substantially.
    • Intel Turbo Boost Technology:  This is technology which increase processor frequency when needed.
    • Intel Smart Cache: This large last-level cache enables dynamic and efficient allocation of shared cache to all six cores to match the needs of various applications for ultra-efficient data storage and manipulation.
    • Intel QuickPath Interconnect: Intel's latest system interconnect design increases bandwidth and lowers latency, while achieving data transfer speeds as high as 25.6 GB/s.
    • Integrated Memory Controller: An integrated memory controller with three channels of DDR3 1066 MHz offers memory performance up to 25.6 GB/s. Combined with the processor's efficient prefetching algorithms, this memory controller's lower latency and higher memory bandwidth delivers amazing performance for data-intensive applications.
    • Intel HD Boost: Includes the full SSE4 instruction set, significantly improving a broad range of multimedia and compute-intensive applications. The 128-bit SSE instructions are issued at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle, allowing a new level of processing efficiency with SSE4-optimized applications.
    • AES-NI Encryption/Decryption AccelerationProvides 12 new processor instructions that help to improve performance for AES encryption and decryption algorithms.
    Specifications of Intel Core i7-980x Processor:
    • Processor cores: 6
    • Simultaneous threads: 12
    • Smart cache: 12MB
    • Base frequency: 3.33Ghz
    • Memory Controller: Integrated
    • DDR3 memory channels: 3
    • Intel Chipset: X58-Express
    • Clock Multiplier: Unlocked(X25)
    • Die Process: 32nm
    • Socket: LGA 1366
    • Die Size: 248mm2
    • Thermal Design power: 130 Watts TDP


    Tags: Intel core processor, Intel core i7, Intel Core i7-980X-Processor Review,Intel Core i7-980X-Processor


    Sabtu, 20 November 2010

    Overcoming Canon's Digital SLR Crop Factor For Wide Angle Photography

    The digital SLR crop factor, or lens multiplication factor, has the effect of cropping the edges of an image and enlarging the central area. The end result is similar to using a longer lens, or a tele converter.

    The cropping effect occurs because the sensor on most digital SLR cameras is smaller than a 35mm slide or negative. A "frame" of 35mm film is 36 x 24mm in size, while the digital sensor on Canon Digital Rebels (300D to 500D) and the EOS **D range (20D to 50D, and 7D) is only 22.5 x 15mm in size. A smaller sensor to receive the image means that some of the image will be cropped.

    Think of it this way: you're watching a slideshow on a screen that's just big enough to accommodate the full-size image, then someone substitutes the screen with one that's smaller. Now some of the projected image (the top, bottom, and sides) "overflows" the smaller screen, so what you now see is a cropped version of the image.

    You get a similar result when using a digital SLR camera with a sensor that's smaller than a piece of 35mm film -- the image cast by the lens "overflows" the sensor. Any spare space around your subject is cropped away, so the subject now fills more of the frame -- but if there's no spare space, part of the subject itself gets cropped.

    This cropping or magnification effect is an advantage when using a telephoto lens, as the result is similar to using a longer lens or 1.6x converter.

    However, for anyone shooting wide angle, the opposite is true. Now that awesome wide angle so prized for creating dramatic landscapes or shooting tight interiors is rendered semi useless. A genuine wide angle lens like a Canon EF 24mm gets "lengthened" by 1.6x, giving it an equivalent focal length of 38.4mm on your Rebel XSi or 50D.

    Fortunately, Canon and other manufacturers of digital SLR's realized they had to produce lenses to overcome the crop factor for photographers using wide angle lenses.

    The result is a range of lenses created specifically for digital SLR cameras with sensors smaller than 35mm film (often referred to as APS-C format sensors). While the crop factor still applies when using these lenses, the lenses themselves are "shorter", both physically and in focal length, than the equivalent lens for a 35mm camera.

    Thus the kit lens for Canon Rebels is the EF-S 18-55mm. This would be classified as "ultra wide" (at the wide end) for a 35mm camera, but equates to a more mundane 28.8-88mm -- or standard zoom -- when used with a Rebel XSi or 50D.

    While Canon's Rebels and EOS **D digital SLRs are categorized as entry-level or "prosumer" cameras, they are also used by professionals, particularly wedding photographers, who previously were not being adequately catered for by the wide angle lenses available, particularly in terms of image quality and focal length.

    To overcome this, Canon introduced two lenses that are standouts within its range of EF-S lenses for use on Rebel and EOS **D cameras:

    * Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

    * Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

    The EF-S 17-55mm is notable for its constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range which, together with image stabilization, makes it especially effective for shooting in low light without flash. It is highly rated by wedding photographers, and also as a portrait and walkaround lens.

    Users like the lens for its sharp images at all focal lengths, fast autofocus, versatility and excellence in low light. Their main dislikes are the price (it's the most expensive EF-S lens), inadequate weather sealing, plus the size and weight.

    It nevertheless receives a rating of 91% from users and is highly recommended as a superior quality lens for APS-C format cameras.

    The EF-S 10-22mm is remarkable as it's the only true ultra wide angle for Canon Rebels and EOS **D bodies. Fit this lens on your Canon 40D and it's equivalent to a 16-35mm on a 35mm or full-frame body, offering photographers creative opportunities not otherwise possible with APS-C format cameras.

    Users like the lens for its sharpness, excellent colors, fast autofocus and minimal distortion. They dislike the price, plastic construction, and lack of a provided lens hood.

    But image quality is favorably compared to that of a Canon L-series lens, and users give it a rating of 90%, recommending it as essential for anyone wanting genuine wide angle capability on a Rebel or EOS **D body.

    Users of Canon Rebels or EOS **D SLRs can no longer blame their kit lenses for less than stellar image quaility -- alternatives are available (albeit at a price.)




    Scotch Macaskill is a former photojournalist turned aspirant wildlife photographer who now works from home developing his wildlife photography website. Although not a brand fanatic, he uses Canon Digital Rebel cameras and for wide angle photography recommends the Canon EF-S 17-55mm and Canon EF-S 10-22mm.

    Jumat, 19 November 2010

    Basic Difference Between an SLR Cameras Over Film Cameras

    One of the basic differences between SLR digital cameras over Film Cameras is that SLR digital Cameras give you the big advantage of viewing the pictures that you have taken right after you took them which you can't do with film cameras. Also for SLR digital cameras, you worry only about batteries. While the Film cameras, of course, additional films. For Film Cameras, you would have to bring your films to a shop to have them developed then you can view it.

    This will mean additional cost and take more of your time and effort. Of course it is an obvious fact that Film Cameras require films that are quite a hassle to bring around. It also means extra money to purchase a film let alone having it developed when you are done. Also the unavailability of films in places when you are traveling. And reloading new films on a Film Camera once you run out takes time and sometimes make you miss those "precious moments". When taking pictures with Film Cameras sometimes results with exposed parts of the pictures which, no matter how nice the scenery is, are always been dismay contrary to the SLR Digital Cameras which has photo quality, flexibility and most importantly speed?

    Also you get to edit your photos after viewing them and choosing the best ones due to the faster frame rate of DSLR's which enables you to take multiple pictures before, during, and after a given moment choosing the best one you like and discarding the rest. And it does not cost a single film it just takes up space in the memory card or chip or CCD but you can ease that up by deleting the ones you do not like. Very convenient for aspiring photographers or for people who want the best moment even though they are not that highly skilled in photography. In a film camera burst features is not desirable unless you are making a living out of it. It is a waste of film and sometimes if not equipped with an image stabilizer will give you a series of blurred images. Most film cameras does not have a digital viewer or LCD, unlike the Digital SLR, which means you have to look through the peephole and make sure you got the image in view before taking the shot. You sometimes end up straining your facial muscles after long periods of looking through the peephole.

    Not to mention the continuous twisting of the lens to get the focus you desire. Yet the SLR digital camera focuses twice faster than film cameras. Assuming you have to really do everything manually on a Film Camera. The SLR digital camera has a very convenient digital screen or LCD on the camera which gives you the full advantage of the words. Lastly, is the fact that SLR Digital Cameras has the technology to give you clearer, crisper, with much better detail and color reproduction since it has larger built-in sensors and have higher resolution compared to that of a Film Camera.

    Nikon 24-120mm f/4G ED VR AF-S Lens

    There's a new review of the Nikon 24-120mm f/4G ED VR AF-S lens up at SLRGear.com The AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens features Nikon’s Vibration Reduction (VR) II Image Stabilization system, Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology, Nikon’s Super Integrated Coating (SIC) for color consistency and reduced flaring, M/A Focus Mode Switch, Internal Focus, two ED elements, three aspherical lens elements and Nano Crystal Coat reduce ghosting and flare.

    Here's what they had to say about this lens:

    "Nikon's produced a nice kit lens for full-frame bodies, though it's not without its caveats. The lens fared quite well in our tests, for the most part - the big problem is the wide open performance at 70 and 85mm, where it's quite soft indeed when used at Æ’/4. If you don't need to shoot at Æ’/4 - and by and large, with VR and the high-ISO performance of modern Nikons, you might not need to - then it's not really an issue."


    Click for larger image and other views

    This high performance lens is perfect for photographing landscapes, portraits, interiors and weddings by offering a constant maximum aperture of f/4 to maintain exposure settings throughout the entire zoom range.

    Kamis, 18 November 2010

    35mm Film Scanner - How to Choose the Best One For You

    When it comes to searching for a 35mm film scanner, there is a wide variety of models and options to choose from.  There are very inexpensive models that run only $100-$150 all the way up to high end machines that cost over $1000.  There are many other options to choose from as well in terms of the features, resolution, bit depth, editing capabilities, interfacing and more.  Here are some tips to help you find the best film scanner for you.

    Of course one of the most important considerations is your budget.  If money is tight but you really want to preserve all of those old 35mm slides and negatives that you and your family have been accumulating for years, then you may need to go with a low cost model.  Many people are quite pleased with a  35mm film scanner in this category.  The most important thing to keep in mind is these machines will not produce as high a quality of image as a high performance scanner will.

    When you are comparing other features and options on various 35mm film scanners, you will want to compare things like the resolution, bit depth, and the editing software that goes along with the different scanners you are considering.  These features can all affect the quality of the digital image that you end up with.  A higher resolution, for example, will give you a clear picture and and the bit depth will affect the coloring of your images.  You will also want to consider the software and user interface that comes with the 35mm film scanner.  Although other software such as Photoshop can be used later to clean up images, if the scanner comes with good editing software with a user friendly interface, this will save you a lot of time and headaches and you are more likely to end up with digital images that you are happy with.

    Rabu, 17 November 2010

    Digital Photography SLR

    The day you get a digital SLR camera your life changes. So many buttons and and settings and dials! How are you ever going to learn what they all do?

    Three years ago, I invested in my first DSLR camera. I had a passion for digital photography for a long time, and I thought I knew what I was doing! Shortly after unboxing my new toy, I learned that I had a long way to go before I would be able to shoot jaw-dropping pictures.

    For the three months that followed, I researched everything - the settings, the lenses, shooting photos at night, accessories and gadgets. The problem was that for every good site out there, there are seven bad ones trying to sell you something! In fact, I probably should have just taken a class at the local college! It would have been a whole lot easier...

    What I found is that in order to take great digital photos, you have to understand the inner workings of the camera and how it uses light to capture images. After all, what does shutter speed do? It allows you to control how long the shutter is open before taking the picture. Hence, shutter speed!

    A Digital SLR (DSLR) is a digital camera that uses a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera. The image you see in the viewfinder is an approximate representation of the picture you'll snap if and when you pull the trigger. DSLRs are preferred by professional still photographers because they allow an accurate preview of framing, more so than the cheaper, lower quality consumer-grade digital cameras. They also allow for the photographer to change lenses which is great for a huge variety of shots from a single camera!

    Now that you know how a DSLR camera works, do the settings make a little more sense to you?

    The beauty of digital photography SLR cameras is how interchangeable the parts are. Between bags, lenses, tripods, remotes and lighting, there are thousands of different ways you can customize your setup (and customize your photographs)!

    Selasa, 16 November 2010

    What Kind of Camera Should My Wedding Photographer Use?

    If you are in the process of looking for a wedding photographer, chances are you will soon here the terms: medium format, 35mm, and digital. Those are the three primary types of camera systems currently used by wedding photographers. We, the wedding photographers, have argued amongst ourselves for years as to which camera system is best. The goal of this article is to share information about these types of camera systems and the possible impact they may have on your wedding photographer decision.

    Medium Format

    For many years medium format has been the absolute best option. A medium format camera uses film that is 3 times the size of a 35mm negative-- resulting in higher resolution images and beautiful enlargements, however, the cameras and processing costs are very expensive.

    Primary advantages: high resolution negatives. Previously, the fact that a person owned a Medium Format camera was almost, in and of itself, a sign that they were a true "wedding photographer" (due to the expense of the system).

    Disadvantages: expensive to operate (film costs are so high that some wedding photography books encourage medium format photographers to limit the photos they take); film can be lost or damaged during processing; slower to focus and operate.

    35mm

    For many years 35mm has had a bad reputation for providing poor quality enlargements -- especially when compared to medium format. However, over the past 10 years the quality of 35mm film has improved tremendously. It is now a common format used by many professional photographers, especially those who use the photojournalistic style and shoot close to a thousand or more images on a wedding day.

    Primary advantages to 35mm: fast (easy to quickly focus and shoot during), much improved quality of enlargements (many people would have a hard time telling the difference between a 35mm and medium format 8x10 enlargement).

    Disadvantages: processing film is becoming more and more expensive, and film can be damaged or loss during processing.. Many photographers that shoot film are now having the negatives scanned so that the files become a digital file.

    Digital

    Professional digital wedding photography has been a viable option since about the year 2000 (although some would argue that date). The quality of digital cameras has now reached a point where many photographers feel the quality rivals, or even beats, medium format negatives. In fact, many digital wedding photographers used to shoot medium format.

    Primary digital advantages: instant review of images on the back of the camera; no film and processing costs (although the savings is offset by the additional computer time required to process the digital images); more control over the images (i.e., a slight rotation or cropping of an image is quick and easy with digital but requires a custom print from 35mm or medium format).

    Disadvantages: technology changes rapidly over time and cameras soon are outdated (although this doesn't necessarily effect you, as the consumer). Memory cards are easier to lose than rolls of film (if your wedding photographer uses a digital camera, ask them how they make sure the photos arrive safely back at the studio).

    In summary:

    No matter what you have been told - all three formats can be a viable method for wedding photography. Some might be more expensive than others, but they all can produce good results. Many photographers use several of the camera systems. Some might use medium format for the formals but 35mm for the reception and ceremony coverage. Others will primarily shoot digital, but might bring film cameras as backup equipment.

    My advice to prospective brides: before signing a contract with a photographer, ask to see sample enlargements that were taken with the same equipment that would be used at your wedding. If you like the quality and color of the images, it doesn't really matter whether 35mm, digital, or a medium format camera was used to record the image!




    Christopher Maxwell is a Kansas Wedding Photographer that accepts limited weddings (primarily conservative Christian weddings with modest attire). He is a primarily photojournalistic photographer and has traveled to a number of weddings.

    Senin, 15 November 2010

    FujiFilm FinePix Z800EXR Review

    Hot off the press today is Steve's Digicams review of the FujiFilm FinePix Z800EXR.

    Steve tells us-

    "Bottom Line - We were not real impressed with the Finepix Z800EXR. While the specifications looked very promising, there were just too many negative aspects of this camera, which makes it hard for use to recommend it. These included below average image and video quality when compared to other cameras of this price, poor battery life, above average noise at all ISO settings, a weak flash, etc. While the Z800EXR sports an affordable price tag of just $229 US, we feel you should take a look at various other sub $250 cameras before making your final purchase. Many of the offerings from Canon, Sony, Panasonic, and even Casio out perform the Z800EXR in many areas."

    FujiFilm FinePix Z800EXR
    Click to enlarge

    FujiFilm FinePix Z800EXR key features:

    • 12-megapixel EXR Super CCD sensor for large prints
    • Fujinon 5x optical zoom lens with 36-180mm equivalent focal range
    • Super Intelligent flash
    • Hybrid High Speed AF uses both Phase Detection and Contrast AF methods for superior AF in bright or dark conditions
    • Intelligent IS uses sensor-shift and high ISO to capture blur-free photos
    • 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD with 460k pixels
    • Intuitive touchscreen user interface with Dual Direction GUI and Dual Image Display options
    • Touch Shot mode
    • Motion Panorama mode sweeps up to 360°
    • 720p HD video capture
    • Face recognition for up to 8 faces in the frame
    • Pet detection technology for capturing pics of your four-legged friends (detects cats and dogs only)
    • EXR Auto exposure mode
    • Easy Web Upload mode for sharing photos and videos with your FaceBook and YouTube friends
    • HDMI output
    • SD/SDHC card slot
    • Powered by a Li-ion battery pack

    Pictures of Fireworks - 9 Tips on How to Get Great Fireworks Photos


    Image : http://www.flickr.com


    Celebrate!

    Now that digital photography has arrived and thrived, you can have a blast taking photos and actually getting great pictures while you're at it. Now that we can see our photos on our digital camera LCD screen, we can make adjustments as we shoot.

    I used to try to shoot fireworks when I was first learning photography. It was difficult because of the challenge of getting the right exposure. Without being able to see what the photos were going to look like until a week later when we went to our local printing lab to pick up the prints.

    It is true, that by hit or miss, I managed to get a few shots that were okay for each 36 exposure roll of 35mm film I paid for. Of course, I also paid for all of the prints that were no good too.

    Now that technological advances in photography have give us the better tools, here is the updated information to go along with your digital camera to get fireworks photos that are worth printing.

    Nine tips for Great Fireworks Photos:

    Know How to Use Your Camera Settings This is the boring tip, but extremely important. After you read the other tips you'll see why you have to know how to set your camera BEFORE you go on your photography shoot.

    Bring a Small Flashlight You may need to see your camera dials or settings in a very dark environment. Make sure your light is small and won't disturb any other spectators. Perhaps your cell phone will provide enough light in the dark.

    Pack the Tripod Your exposures will be several seconds long. You'll get blurry photos if your camera moves at all during the exposure.

    Do you have a Shutter Cord? Even if the camera is on a tripod, pushing the shutter button on the camera can cause movement while the shutter is open and cause some unsharpness to your pictures.

    Use Manual Focus If you can, turn off your autofocus. Cameras "struggle" to focus on anything if it's dark. Focus on far distance or "infinity."

    Use Manual Exposure Bright, thin, colorful streaks of light against a dark sky can really fool the camera's light meter. Try a few shots as soon as the show begins. Quickly use the playback feature to judge your photos and adjust your exposure. You want the sky to appear dark and the colors to be saturated and not over-expose. Try starting with an aperture in the middle of the range of f-stops. Start your exposure just before the "explosion" and keep it open until the colors start to fade.

    Turn off the Flash It won't help with exposure and it won't help the focus. It will only annoy your fellow spectators.

    Shot lots of variety Try zooming in and out. Shoot some vertical and some horizontal. If possible, move to a different vantage point and you will get a different perspective.

    Bring Memory and Power It would be a shame if you ran out of camera memory or your batteries died in the middle of your shoot

    Have a Blast Remember to say your "ooooohs" and "aaaaaaahs" and enjoy the show while you are taking your photos. You're there to have a good time. Follow these tips and you'll know you have great photos too.

    Minggu, 14 November 2010

    Cheap 3-ring Extension Tubes

    A friend was asking me if I had tried those $8 Chinese 3-ring extension tubes for Canon that are all over eBay? I've used the Nikon equivalent. They have some downsides-- I now have the more expensive, nicer, Nikon tubes (pn-11 and pk-13), which I love. They do seem expensive for what they are though.
    This is, of course, depending on the fact that you're looking at the same sort of tubes as I was.
    1. They're generally not coupled to the camera at all, that is, when you stop down the lens (which you have to do via the aperture ring), the viewfinder image darkens, since there is no coupling to the stop down lever on the tubes. This also means that you have to use manual exposure and lose metering, though I find that for high-magnification sort of work that a meter is more of a suggestion than anything else.
    2. They don't have the same nice baffling/flacking on the inside of the tubes that the official Nikon ones have. The ebay tubes are basically just black painted metal on the inside, and hence in many cases (especially when working with flash) cause incredibly annoying flaring. This is the #1 reason that I didn't keep them (technically I kept them, but they're in a box somewhere and never get used). A lot of times, moving the flash a little bit fixes things, but I had flaring issues with every lens I tried on them, and never had these issues again when switching to the Nikon tubes.
    3. They're really cheaply built. They just screw together with some pretty thin threads that I never really trusted to hold anything bigger than a short macro (like the Nikon 55/3.5, I don't know the Canon equivalents). I didn't like having my 105 on there, and it's not even the larger /2.8 one-- its the old /4 manual focus one. They also aren't machined to the same quality as a camera-brand lens, so in my case the mount to the camera felt a little looser than normal and the mount to the lens felt a little tighter than normal (to the point where it was hard to get the lens off in a few cases).
    My advice: They're cheap as hell. If you aren't seriously interested in macro photography and just want to play around with them, there's no real loss in buying them. They're an easy way to see if you'd like the nicer ones, which have quite a few advantages (e.g. the big Nikon tube, the PN-11, has an awesome tripod mount on it). I had some fun with them, but was never really satisfied with the annoying moving-slightly-to-get-rid-of-flare or the build quality, so I caved and got the nicer ones.

    In my opinion, you are better to stay away from the ultra cheap extension tubes on eBay. Amazon has some decently priced Macro Extension Tube Sets here that I would trust much more.

    Powershot S51s - Why Choose the Canon Powershot S51s?


    Image : http://www.flickr.com


    If you're in the market for a solid camera that performs well and is a versatile shooter fully equipped to take excellent photo's the Canon Powershot s51s will suit all your preferences and most importantly will fit your budget. Why choose the Canon Powershot s51s digital camera over hundred's of others?

    Anyone who is in the market for a good digital camera must take a look at Canon who continues to lead the way in digital camera technology. Canon's cameras are offering not only great looks but naturally take suburb pictures. Its compact size and light weight make them the perfect stick in your pocket go anywhere camera.

    This great digital camera offers the user easy operation and this model has 8 mega pixels...12X Optical zoom and a giant 2.5 inch viewing screen. And as with most of the camera's being offered use 4AA batteries which means you can get rechargeable or regular without spending tons on custom battery packs.

    You don't have to break the bank to own a good digital camera, you can own one for as little as $250 bucks right up to $1500 bucks. And depending wear you buy the Powershot s51s it will cost around $350 to $400 and it's worth every penny. Canon is a top leader in creative manufacturing of digital cameras today. And I think there success is in the way they cater to all photographers and offer a wide range of accessories on the market.

    The era of 35mm traditional camera is being taken over my new modern digital technology. Now we can view the picture immediately after it's taken and choose to keep it or delete it and take another. We can even see our pictures on our TV's, make short video clips complete with sound. Wow! You got to love it!

    Sabtu, 13 November 2010

    Digital Camera Help - Checklist For Buying a Digital Camera

    Over the last few years I have purchased quite a large number of digital cameras, and I came up with a list of questions one should ask before buying one.

    1. Focal length

    If you are familiar with older cameras, you should always ask for the 35mm equivalent of the focal length of the zoom lenses. With most models, this is printed on the camera itself, but you should ask, just to be on the safe side.

    2. Return policy

    Depending on your country, there could be a minimum mandatory period in which you can return the purchased item. Some stores might charge you a restocking fee.

    3. Highest resolution

    What's the maximum number of megapixels this camera can shoot at? Is that resolution enough for me if I want to print the photos in a larger format, say, A3?

    4. Distinguishable features

    How is this camera better than others? Does it come, for example, with in-camera red eye removal? Does it come with direct-to-printer support?

    5. Maximum storage space

    For any models with less than 1GB of memory you should buy at least one 4GB or larger memory card. With the constant decrease in the price of the storage media, you have no excuse to miss taking a great shot due to lack of disk space.

    6. What accessories are included with the camera?

    Do I get a data cable, to transfer the pictures to my computer? What about spare batteries or extra memory cards?

    7. Software

    Is it Windows Vista compatible? Even if you are using XP at this moment, you might consider upgrading to Vista in the future, and you wouldn't want to find that your camera is not supported. Also, you should ask whether it is automatically recognized by the operating system without installing any additional drivers: you never know when you need to download the photos to a friend's or colleague's computer, and you will want to be able to do it without using a drivers CD.

    8. Warranty and extended warranty

    How long is the warranty period? Does it cover both labor and spare parts cost? Can it be renewed or transferred to a third party? If so, at what costs?

    9. Service and support

    If I get stuck using it, can I call someone for help? Should the camera break down, is there a local repair shop where I can take it, or do I have to mail it to some other location?

    Jumat, 12 November 2010

    Canon EOS 5D Mark II

    The successor Canon delivers: the EOS 5D Mark II is in many ways a must-have upgrade, especially for the wedding photography crowd for whom the 5D is a workhorse. And with many of the imaging components of the 1Ds Mark III (including a later version of the image-processing engine, Digic 4) for a price tag $5,000 lower, it's certainly an attractive alternative.The camera comes in two official

    Kamis, 11 November 2010

    Shopping For a New Lens - Image Stabilization

    Image Stabilization (IS) is one of the features a lens might or might not have. When available (and turned on) on your lens, it will keep image blur due to camera shake to a minimum, and it will enable you to shoot with slower shutter speeds while maintaining sharp focus.

    It's important to keep in mind that image stabilization will not solve blurry image problems if the motion is caused by your subject moving rather than you handholding the camera, or by extreme camera movement at and during exposure.

    Image stabilization can often permit the use of shutter speeds 2-4 stops slower (exposures 4-16 times longer) than otherwise possible, and sometimes even more.

    To calculate the slowest shutter speed that is possible for a handheld camera with no noticeable blurring of the image, it needs to be 1/lens focal length you're shooting with.

    This means that if you're shooting with a 50mm lens, your minimum shutter speed should be no longer than 1/50, for example 1/50, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250...etc to avoid image blur.

    Likewise, if you're shooting with a 70-200mm zoom lens at let's say 125mm focal length, your minimum shutter speed should be no longer 1/125, for example 1/125, 1/250, 1/500... etc. But if your lens offers image stabilization, you would be able to take the slowest shutter speed possible down an extra 2-4 stops or even more. This means you would be able to shoot at 1/15 or 1/8 or even slower, with no significant image blurring. This is of course assuming you have a 35mm format camera.

    If you're not using a 35mm format, you need to note that the crop factor will affect the slowest shutter speed possible at a given focal length.

    The crop factor, also known as the focal length multiplier (FLM), is the ratio of the dimensions of a camera's image plane compared to a reference format. Most often, this term is applied to digital cameras, relative to 35mm film format as a reference. In the case of digital cameras, the image plane would be a digital sensor.

    Taking that into account, let's assume you're shooting with a 1.6x crop factor image plane at 50mm focal length. Your actual focal length would then be 50 X 1.6 = 80mm rather than 50mm. So the slowest possible shutter speed that will not result in image blurring while handholding your camera would be 1/80s or faster.

    Image stabilization names differ from one manufacturer to another, but they all serve the same purpose and do the same job:

    Canon

    IS (image stabilization)

    Nikon

    VR (vibration reduction)

    Sony Cyber-Shot

    Optical SteadyShot

    Sony

    SSS (Super Steady Shot)

    Panasonic / Leica

    MegaOIS

    Sigma

    OS (Optical Stabilization)

    Tamron

    VC (Vibration Compensation)

    Pentax

    SR (Shake Reduction)

    It's important to keep in mind though that image stabilization is not an alternative for a tripod, and that its preferable to keep it off when it's not needed (when you're already shooting at high enough shutter speeds or when it's setup on a tripod). Doing so will also lengthen your battery life since IS draws more battery power.

    Most manufacturers actually do suggest that the IS feature of a lens be turned off when the lens is mounted on a tripod as it can cause unexpected results, and is generally unnecessary.

    Many modern image stabilization lenses are able to detect when and when not your camera is being mounted on a tripod, due to significantly low vibration readings. A great example of those are canon's newest IS lenses.

    When extremely low vibration is detected, those lenses are programmed to automatically disable image stabilization on their own.

    Image stabilized lenses also have disadvantages. One main problem would be the high price tag that goes along with them. Image stabilized lenses can also yield poor bokeh results due to light shifting from its true optical path while passing through the lens, something you might be concerned about.

    Top 10 Misconceptions about Photography and the Law

    A Conversation with Attorney Carolyn E. Wright
    By Martha Blanchfield
    Carolyn E. Wright
    Carolyn Wright is an avid photographer, attorney and author of www.photoattorney.com, a rich resource Web site that covers a wide range of issues and topics of interest to photographers. In her 18 years’ work as an attorney she has worked on hundreds of cases—most of which have been resolved without formal litigation. The most common matter she handles is the unauthorized use of her clients’ photographs.
    “Photographers have many misconceptions about copyright laws and intellectual property rights based on conversations they have had with colleagues and/or inaccurate information obtained from the Internet. My Top 10 List came about as a way to combat the spread of this misinformation,” Wright shares, whose areas of practice deal with intellectual property, including copyright and trademark law, rights of privacy and publicity, and contracts and licensing.
    “Unfortunately, the services of an attorney are sometimes required to enforce ownership rights, but a photographer should do all that is possible in advance of engaging legal counsel,” she notes. “One of the most important things is to register the copyright to all of his or her images that have been distributed to others (especially those on the Internet) with the U.S. Copyright Office. A second task for photographers seeking to make money with their photography is to really learn how to run and proactively manage a business.”
    Top 10 Misconceptions

    1. You don’t need permission to photograph a work of art that is in a public area.
    This rule is based on copyright law. United States Copyright Law grants exclusive rights to the copyright owner of a creative work, including the rights to: reproduce the copyrighted work; prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work; distribute copies of the copyrighted work to the public; and/or display the image. (See 17 USC §106.)
    When those rights are infringed the copyright owner is entitled to recover damages suffered as a result of the infringement. (See 17 USC §504). So even when a creative work is in a public area you may photograph it only if the work is in the public domain or your photograph makes a fair use of the work.


    2. A news publication may use your photograph without your permission because it is fair use.
    The answer is not so easy. Wright notes that some individuals claim that use of a photograph for educational or newsworthy purposes is okay under “fair use.” The doctrine of fair use means that copying will not infringe a copyright when it is “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research.”
    Four factors are considered to determine whether the use of a photograph qualifies for fair use:
    • The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit or educational purposes.
    • The nature of the copyrighted work.
    • The amount and substantiality of the copyrighted material that is used.
    • The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
    3. You need a model release to use a photograph of a person on a book cover.
    In general, the use of a person’s image on a book cover was considered to be an editorial use that would not need a model release. Recently, however, a New York court determined that a model release was needed for a cover of a fiction book. While this ruling has created an anomaly, it’s always safest to obtain a signed model release.
    4. If you make money from a print, it is a commercial use.
    Just selling a print or licensing a photo does not make the transaction a commercial use of a photograph. Instead, a commercial use of a photograph generally occurs when the photo is used for advertising, endorsement or trade.
    5. You need a property release to use a photograph of a house for a commercial use.
    No court or state has established a law—either by statute or through court rulings—creating a right to protect or prevent property from being photographed from a public area, or from that photograph being used editorially or commercially. Thus, no legal reason exists for a “property release,” except perhaps when photographing other copyrighted works or trademarks. Note that some stock agencies require a property release for fear of being sued.
    6. You have no copyright protection for your photos until you register them.
    Copyright exists in your photographs at the moment you click the shutter. While you do not have to register your photos with the U.S. Copyright Office for them to be protected by copyright, there are many reasons to register them. When a photo is not registered with the U.S. Copyright Office prior to an infringement (or within three months of the first publication of the photo), a copyright owner may recover only “actual damages” for the infringement (pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 504 (b)), instead of statutory damages. Courts usually calculate actual damages based on your normal license fees and/or standard licensing fees, plus profits derived from the infringement, if not too speculative.
    Note also that to file a lawsuit in the U.S. for copyright infringement, the photo must be registered.
    The U.S. Copyright Office now allows for registration of certain copyrighted works online using the eCO system. Currently, you may use eCO to register any number of unpublished images, a single published image and multiple images that were all first published in the same “unit of publication.” Registrations of a group of separately published photographs at this time must be submitted on Form VA only, with optional use of continuation sheet Form GR/PPh/CON. The Copyright Office expects that these group registrations will be allowed using the eCO system soon.
    7. Statues and other works of art on federal or state property are in the public domain.
    Works in the “public domain” are creative works that are not protected by copyright. Works are in public domain either because: (1) the author failed to satisfy statutory formalities to perfect the copyright; (2) it is a work of the U.S. Government; or (3) the term of copyright for the work has expired.
    Item (1) refers to work published prior to March 1, 1989. The copyright notice had to be affixed to the work or it immediately lost protection (the copyright protection for some foreign works has been restored even if they were published without notice before that time). Works published without the copyright notice between 1/1/78 and 3/1/89, the effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act, retained copyright only if efforts to correct the accidental omission of notice was made within five years—such as by placing notice on unsold copies. The law has changed so that works published after that time do not need the copyright notice for protection, but it’s a good idea to use it anyway.
    Item (2) provides that works of government employees, such as maps, charts and surveys are in the public domain from the date of creation.
    Item (3) allows a certain time of copyright protection for the benefit of the creator. The time for that protection has changed several times over the years, so it’s difficult to explain when works fall into the public domain. The chart found at www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm is helpful to determine dates.
    Sometimes, however, copyrighted works are created by non-government personnel for the government, such as when the government commissions a piece of art. The artist later transfers the copyright to the government. The “government works exception” then allows the federal government to hold the copyrights for those works transferred to it by assignment.
    Some have argued that the government is using this exception unfairly and as a workaround for copyright law. So far, it has been used to prevent the copying or creation of derivative works from items such as a film series on early Supreme Court cases to the Sacagawea coin.
    The Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation, Inc. (VWMF) has used the exception as a basis to sue those who have sold photographs of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. The Memorial is a bronze sculpture created by Glenna Goodacre of Santa Fe, NM. It resides on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and depicts three women and a wounded soldier. Goodacre reportedly transferred the copyright for the sculpture to the VWMF, which has sued various entities that allegedly sold photographs of the sculpture.
    8. Photographs of works in the public domain also are in the public domain.
    Unless the photos are exact copies (often referred to as “slavish copies”) of the creative works that are in the public domain, they are entitled to protection under copyright law (see response to #1).
    9. If a stock agency requires a model or property release, then it must be legally required.
    In general, you may photograph people when they are in public. The use of those photographs, however, can be restricted due to certain privacy rights. Privacy rights are recognized in most states, but are different for each state. Since it’s tricky to know what you can do, the safest approach to follow is the most restrictive one.
    One right of privacy—also known as the right of publicity—is the commercial appropriation of someone’s name or likeness. This happens when the name or likeness of someone is used without consent to gain commercial benefit, such as when a photograph of a person is used in an advertisement without the person’s permission. You don’t need a model release to use a photograph of a person for editorial purposes. Since it’s sometimes difficult to tell whether a use of a photograph is commercial or editorial use, it’s best to get a model release. Further, since stock agencies want to avoid lawsuits, they may require a model or property release in an abundance of caution, even when they are not needed.
    10. If you take a photograph while working, the copyright to the photograph always belongs to the employer.
    Section 101 of the copyright law includes one of the definitions of a “work made for hire” as: (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment. Thus, while you may take a photo while on the job, if photography is not within your job description, then you, not your employer, own the copyright to the image. When the copyright belongs to your employer, it is as if you never took it and you may not use it for any purposes unless authorized by the employer or the law (such as a fair use).

    For more reading, here is a selection of books on the topic of  Photography and the Law

    Rabu, 10 November 2010

    35 MM Format Cameras

    35 mm format cameras use roll film with an image dimension of 24X36 mm, which is the smallest format currently used in the professional market. The small format means that the camera body is smaller and lighter in weight than medium format or view cameras, and that is why it is the most portable of all three.

    Using equipment of this size means that you can carry around a comprehensive set in a small, light case. There is a huge range of lenses and accessories available, and the whole system will incorporate the very latest developments in the industry.

    The majority of cameras in the 35 mm market are single lens reflex (SLR) cameras, although the format also encompasses compactcameras and rangefinders.

    35 mm cameras probably represent the best value for money because prices are highly competitive. They sell to a huge market of photographers (both professional and amateurs), and the 35 mm format is the one that has moved furthest away from traditional mechanical operation towards more and more electronic control, on-board processing and in some cases complete automation.

    In more recent years a type of hybrid cameras, the Semi-professional, more recently known as the "Prosumer" (Professional Consumer) camera has appeared. These SLRs tend to have more of the features of the professional ranges, but are cheaper and targeted at the serious amateur. Often, the lower price results in a lower build quality and lens performance, and tend to be more programmable offering more automatic features. These models are updated quite rapidly, and bristle with every imaginable feature. This is sometimes more to upstage competitor brands than to improve your photography.

    One of the useful features 35 mm cameras tend to include as standard is through-the-lens (TTL) exposure metering. This, of course, means that the whole imaging process is faster than it would be if separate exposure metering was required. TTL means that metering can be performed while looking through the viewfinder and in many cases, the camera controls are designed to be easily adjusted accordingly. Modern SLRs often include a number of TTL metering modes, such as center-weighting and spot metering, and with knowledge and experience every shot you take can be correctly exposed. This is a factor that really defines how the cameras are used; they are portable, all-in-one units, allowing the user to capture fleeting shots without spending a long time setting up their gear. Although they may indeed be used in a studio setting, they are also designed for all other types of photography and they far exceed the other formats in their versatility.

    Many 35 mm ranges also include dedicated flash units and at the more expensive end, these may include TTL flash metering. Later models of independent flash units may also be adapted to use the TTL metering systems of 35 mm cameras. This is a huge plus when using on-camera flash and is particularly useful in photojournalism.

    Because of the small image format, lenses for 35 mm camera systems are the shortest, with a standard lens of focal length 50 mm, telephoto lenses longer than this, wide-angle lenses beginning at around 24 mm and extra wide-angle lenses at 20 mm and below.

    Depth of field is affected by a number of factors, such as focusing distance, aperture (f-stop), and lens focal length. Shorter lens focal lengths produce a larger depth of field, especially useful when subjects are close. Another important characteristic of shorter focal length lenses is wider achievable maximum apertures (f/1.0-f/1.4 at the more expensive end of the 35 mm market), therefore the lenses are also faster. The result of this is that they are the most versatile in low light conditions. The smaller camera size means that they are already the most portable, but with faster lenses, they are also the easiest to hand-hold in existing light, meaning that fewer accessories such as tripods and additional lighting may be necessary. Large apertures also allow the selection of faster shutter speeds to freeze motion, particularly important in areas such as people and sports photography.

    As previously mentioned, modern 35 mm cameras tend to rely heavily on electronics to control everything from exposure metering, film winding, ISO setting, exposure compensation and bracketing to sophisticated program automated modes. A downside of this is the possibility of camera failure either as a result of failure of the power supply, or because of a fault in on-board circuitry, which can be expensive to overcome. Excessive control buttons or, alternatively, total automation can also stand in the way of serious work. The many mode options and viewfinder signals get in the way, even lead you into errors - perhaps through mis-selection or distraction by data displays at the key moment of some prize shot. Any camera for advanced amateur or professional work must also offer complete manual control. You need to have the assurance that you can take over and choose your settings to get the result required, including special effects.

    A fully automated camera is well worth considering however, for fast, candid photography (including situations where you must shoot over your head in a crowd). Auto-focusing can be useful, particularly if panning and focusing on a moving subject, but it is important to remember how power-consuming continuous focusing is. There can also be a tendency for the focus to slip between different subjects and it can sometimes be easier to change focus manually. The more sophisticated models have a range of auto-focus zones within the frame, which are useful if the subject is off-center. Some of the highest quality (and of course most expensive) lenses have ultrasonic image stabilizers to combat camera shake which can result in a huge improvement in image quality and sharpness, but as this is also a form of continuous auto-focusing, they will consume more power shortening battery life.

    It is important to remember that these cameras are only artificially intelligent. For example, they go for the greatest depth of field in bright light conditions, and they can easily be focusing on, or exposing for, the wrong part of the scene. So make sure that there are convenient reading lock facilities for auto-focus and for TTL metering. Other features you may well rate as essential for any SLR camera include a stop-down button to preview your actual depth of field with all preset aperture lenses.

    Because film structure is the same regardless of frame size or format, noise is another concern. Film grain is the result of either specks of silver (black and white) or clouds of color being formed in the emulsion layers during processing. When enlarged for printing, beyond a certain level, film grain becomes more and more visible. The random structure of film grain can be used for creative effect, but it can also degrade the image appearance in terms of sharpness and noise. The size of developed grain is also a limiting factor in the resolution of the film, or its ability to record fine detail.

    Relative to a 35 mm frame size, film grain will be much larger than it is in the larger formats. 35 mm film therefore has the lowest effective resolution of the three (35 mm format , medium format, and view cameras) which means that if enlarged to the same size, the images will be less sharp, noise will be more evident and generally they appear to be of lower quality. Scratches and blemishes will also be much larger when the film is printed, and often more difficult to remove. The lower image quality may be problematic if the images are enlarged much beyond 8 x 10 inches (203 x 220 mm), however other factors can compensate for this, such as variations in the processing chemicals, and also in the distance at which the prints are to be viewed.