Panasonic Lumix FZ50

The LUMIX DMC-FZ50 with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) features a powerful 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 35 mm to 420 mm on a 35 mm film camera) f/2.8 LEICA DC lens. It also boasts a 10.1-megapixel high resolution CCD for its image sensor and Venus Engine III for the image processing LSI, making it possible to record an image at a maximum ISO 1600 high sensitivity setting at full resolution. Furthermore, by dramatically reducing noise levels, the DMC-FZ50 is able to capture 10.1-megapixel full resolution images even in high sensitivity recordings.

TheImagingResource have reviewed the FZ50 and gave it a Dave’s pick rating. That’s good enough for me. But wait...It does almost everything right, but not quite-

"Despite some nagging issues, it’s hard not to like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50. Any camera that pairs a high quality Leica-branded 12x optical zoom lens with Panasonic’s excellent MEGA O.I.S. is a great value and offers a myriad of uses. But with digital SLRs sinking so dramatically in price, is there still a viable argument for buying an all-in-one ultrazoom camera? With the Lumix FZ50, I would argue "yes." In addition to its great lens and optical image stabilizer, the camera offers an impressive 10 megapixels, solid sharpness, bright, punchy, colorful images, and a range of helpful top-flight features. Best of all, this camera is fun to use and makes taking sharp, zoomed-in images a snap for photographers of most skill levels. While some previous Panasonic models suffered from excessive luminance noise even at low ISOs, the Lumix FZ50 with its Venus Engine III LSI image processor seems to have solved those problems.

On the downside, the Panasonic FZ50 really struggles when shooting at higher ISO levels, producing images that are marred by excessive chroma noise. While this would seem to be a serious problem for people who like to shoot in low light without a flash, the Lumix FZ50 offsets these issues with its MEGA O.I.S. and the camera’s very fast (f/2.8- f/3.7) lens. Also a tradeoff is the camera’s design. While its bulky, tough-looking exterior will appeal to macho shooters, others might just find the camera imposing and be turned off by the fact that it’s bigger and heavier than most entry-level digital SLRs. Other issues are less forgivable including the early shutter penalty problem that jams up the camera if you press the shutter button too quickly after taking a picture. Very annoying."

Panasonic DMC-FZ50 10.1 MP Digital Camera

Featuring

10.1-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints 12x image-stabilized optical zoom; 2.0-inch free-angle LCD display Intelligent ISO Control (I.I.C.) reduces image blur from subject movement and low light Records full-size movies in wide-aspect VGA (848 x 480) at 30 frames per second Stores images on SD memory cards (32MB card included); powered by li-ion battery pack (battery and charger included)

FREE Online Photography Course

I just saw this item on Digg so thought I might feature it here. Jodies Coston's Free Online Photography Course

This course is free and open to the public. Lessons include the following:

Lesson 1:
Composition And Impact - It's A Beautiful Photograph, But Do You Know WHY It's Beautiful?

Lesson 2:
Aperture And Shutter Speed - How They Work Together.

Lesson 3:
The lens - choosing camera optics.

Lesson 4:
ISO, Grain, Transparency vs. Negative, Specialty Films

Lesson 5:
Fun Effects - Camera Filters, Soft Focus, Zooming And Panning

Lesson 6:
Landscape, Nature and Travel Photography

Lesson 7:
Portraits And Studio Lighting

Lesson 8:
Studio Lighting - Still Life and Product Photography

Lesson 9:
Tying It All Together

Lesson 10:
Special Requests

Jodie Coston is a freelance photographer who lives in northwestern Montana. She has exhibited her work in gallery exhibitions around the world and has won numerous international awards for her images.

Tips for Photographing Moving People

Two great articles can be found at Darren Rowse's digital Photography School website relating to photographing moving subjects-

The technical aspects of shooting motion are easy: a fast shutter speed (or the action or sports setting) will freeze motion, a slow one will introduce motion blur. Where you go from there makes the difference between a shot that merely documents and one that uses action to paint a scene or set a mood.

Up for some experimentation? We recommend you start with panning (as in golf, swing through the ball… er, click) and then try some nontraditional composition ideas. Our pals at DPS have a great post on each.

Mastering Panning
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/mastering-panning-to-photograph-moving-subjects/

Nontraditional Motion Shot Composition
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/leaving-space-behind-moving-subjects-composition/

How to Photograph Christmas Lights

Eiffel Tower
Originally uploaded by Rick Blythe.

Here's a good tutorial on how to get the best results in your photos of Christmas Lights.  It's all about the balance, light balance that is-

When we talk about balancing light around here, it usually means balancing ambient with flash. But getting a good photo of holiday lights involves a different kind of light balancing: Continuous ambient with fading ambient.

You don't need a high-end camera for great results. You can use a very inexpensive digital camera and do just fine. You don't even need flash. It all comes down to what time of the day you shoot. And a couple of other little tricks.

The problem with 98% of the photos of Christmas lights is that most people wait until way too late to start shooting. After it gets completely dark, you can either have the lights or the surroundings properly exposed. But not both.

Conversely, if you were to shoot the lights in the middle of the day, they would not show up at all. The trick is find the sweet spot (actually there is a whole range of sweet spots) where the ambient light and the Christmas lights balance.

Understanding this will ensure that your photos are way better than those of your neighbors. After all, isn't that what Christmas lights are really about?

How to Do It:

1. Arrive early. The best time to shoot is before it gets totally dark. More specifically, get there before what looks like mix light to your eyes, too. Arriving around sunset will give you time to plan your shot before the good light happens. You may have to ask your subject to turn the lights on early - most people don't flip them on until the good light is already gone.

2. Compose your photo in such a way as to include as much sky as possible in the background. Shooting from a low position can help. Even better: If you have your choice of shooting direction, shoot into the afterglow of the evening sky.

3. Once you get your picture framed, set your camera's white balance for "tungsten," as if you were shooting indoors without flash. All of those little lights are tungsten balanced. As a bonus, the tungsten setting will turn your afterglow sky royal blue once your light balances out. The sky will look great - even if it is a cloudy evening. And your lights will gleam crystal white -- or whatever color they are supposed to be.

4. A light (or reflective) foreground, like snow, or a puddle (or the roof of a car) can give nice foreground interest. See what you can find.

5. Use a tripod or a beanbag to steady your camera. You'll be shooting in the range of a quarter second to a full second at twilight. If shooting with a phone or PDA, use both hands to brace the phone against something solid.

6. Now, wait for the light to happen.

Shoot a test shot every minute or so. At first, you'll be exposing for the sky and the lights will appear unimpressive. Check the back of your camera after each shot to watch the Christmas lights appear to "come up" as the ambient light level goes down. Your eye is constantly adjusting to compensate for the dropping light levels, but the changes will be happening nonetheless. Your camera will record them differently from the way that you eye sees them (you can see a much greater contrast range) so shoot and chimp.

Somewhere in between sunset and full dark, the Christmas lights and the ambient light will start to mix beautifully. You'll have about a 10-minute window which will give you a nice series of subtly different lighting variations. Remembering to keep your camera as still as possible, shooting lots of frames through the mix light. Ones and zeros are free, so don't be stingy. You do not have much time. You can delete the duds (or blurred photos) later.

Incidentally, this time of day is when the architectural photographers make the big bucks. And they are smart enough to tell everyone in their subject building to leave the lights on that night, too.

Your light will fade very quickly. You will know it is gone when your photos start looking like the "bad light" photos you used to take.

Now, put your camera away. You still have a few minutes to enjoy the scene with your eyes. The human eye has the remarkable ability to compress a large dynamic range into a scene your brain can process. Just relax, soak it in and think about all of the shopping you have left to do.

Hope enjoyed this tutorial on how to get the best results in your photos of Christmas Lights.

Nikon DSLRs and Canon Compacts Sell Over Black Friday Weekend

by Karen M. Cheung
November 28, 2006 – Notoriously known as the busiest shopping days of the year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, brick-and-mortar and online retailers alike cut prices and eliminated shipping charges sending consumers to the malls and to their computers in droves.  Among some of the best sellers this weekend were Nikon DSLRs and Canon point-and-shoots, according to retailers. 

With over 140 million shoppers hitting the stores on the Black Friday weekend and another 61 million customers shopping online on Monday, according to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent on average $360.15 this past weekend. 

Digital SLRs showed strong sales this holiday shopping weekend, said Ritz Camera Centers Inc. chairman David Ritz to Photo Marketing Association.  According to the company website, DSLRs made up three of the top ten best sellers at Ritz, including the Nikon D200, Nikon D40, and Sony A100.  The Nikon Coolpix S9 point-and-shoot was also popular.  “The biggest things are the new 10-megapixel models, at affordable price points,” said Ritz.

more...

Digital Cameras Gift Guide 2006

If you are looking for the gift that lasts a lifetime in memories, Photoxels has a digital camera gift guide up, just in time for Christmas.  They have divided their list into three categories.

Point and Shoot (P&S)

As their name implies, these digital cameras are Point-and-Shoot simple to use. They have AUTO mode for general shooting, plus many Scene Modes to tackle special shooting situations.

Serious

When you are ready to go past point-and-shoot and want to learn more about how to use your digital camera to take great pictures, you need a digital camera that provides exposure flexibility and allows you to experiment.

Digital SLRs

For the best image quality and fast response times, nothing beats a digital SLR. Choose carefully and you can find one that will suit your specialized photographic needs -- especially with the addition of interchangeable lenses, filters, external flash units and other accessories you may never see offered for a non-DSLR camera.

You'll find the guide here.

ACDSee 9 photo Editing Software

ACD Systems is taking aim at the consumer market with a suite of offerings perfect for the hobbyist or novice photographer. They are currently highlighting two software programs directed at the everyday photographer, including ACDSee 9 Photo Manager, the company's updated digital photo management system for enthusiasts. ACDSee 9 photo editing software offers new, simplified resources for taking control of growing photo collections. The company also is introducing ACDSee Photo Editor, a new photo-editing tool that provides intuitive editing capabilities.

ACDSee photo editor software
"We've taken some of the best features that we've created for the professional photographer and have made them more accessible for anyone who needs better solutions to manage, organize and enhance their photo collections," said James Latham, vice president of marketing for ACDSee Systems. "With the popularity of digital photography, people are really starting to discover the creative possibilities and want more features and functionality than ever, but not that long learning curve." ACDSee Photo Editor has unique advantages for photographers of any skill level to not only correct and enhance, but also to get creative with their photos. Simple step-by-step instructions for basic to more advanced photo editing projects. Repair blemishes, spots and scratches quickly and easily. One-click auto adjustments include color balance and levels, sharpen and contrast.

ACDSee photo editor - Photo layouts
Single image repair and refinement along with multi-image composition capabilities typically found in more technical photo editing software systems. Helpful on-screen instructions and creative hints walk the user through the tasks and projects that they want to accomplish. Includes tools for scrapbooking and collage creation, along with the ability to make personalized cards, frames, stationary and even customized wine labels. Photo layouts with multiple photos, text, lines, shapes and special effects are also possible. ACDSee Photo Editor is the only software system that offers a vignette feature - perfect for creating portrait-style shots.

ACDSee 9 photo editing software - Photo viewing
ACDSee 9 minimizes the time it takes to load and view photo collections. Even large photo files can be displayed instantaneously. This makes opening digital photo files faster and easier than ever. Photo collections can now be showcased right on your desktop. Photos no longer have to stay buried away in the recesses of hard drives. This feature automatically plays a file of selected photo collections in a sleek slide show format. This option automatically organizes photos based on the dates they were taken. Protects personal photos in a password-secured area so that only the user can view them. Takes the work out of photo organization by automatically storing photos by convenient categories including personal photo favorites (based on a one-to- five rating system), file properties, etc.

ACDSee editing software - Photo collections
For ACDSee, the expansion from the professional to the mainstream photography market makes sense as the digital photography industry nears maturation. Research shows that nearly 80 percent of U.S. camera owners have gone digital, and more than 40 percent are now on their second or third digital camera. According to Latham, that means today's typical photographer has become much more savvy and needs greater capabilities when it comes to organizing, managing and editing personal photo collections.

Acdsee 9 Photo Manager Mini Box

About ACD Systems
Headquartered in British Columbia since 1993, ACD Systems International Inc. is one of the world's leading developers and marketers of digital imaging software, including the renowned ACDSee image management tool and Canvas, an advanced cross-platform technical illustration and graphics program. ACD has delivered value to a global marketplace through Internet distribution and partnerships with manufacturers and developers. ACD has millions of consumer and business users, and over 33,000 corporate customers and many Fortune 500 companies.