Olympus posts E-330 firmware update

Owners of the Olympus EVOLT E-330 will be interested in a firmware upgrade for their cameras. Changes include:

- Improved image quality of 10x enlargement in Live-View B mode (macro live view)
- Live-View B mode (macro live view) can be used in underwater macro mode and underwater wide mode. (Only when the mode dial is customized.)
- Changes made to Korean Language

Download the firmware here.

Kodak Announces EASYSHARE-ONE 6MP

Kodak has announced today the EASYSHARE-ONE 6MP, the next generation of the 4MP EASYSHARE-ONE, available this summer. No specs yet, but it will probably feature the same 3x zoom as the original ES-ONE, as well as Kodak's new WISPr (recommended Wireless ISP) service to access an increased range of hotspots.

Camera Bits releases beta of Photo Mechanic 4.4.3

Camera Bits today has released a public beta version of Photo Mechanic 4.4.3, their next release of the Pro photo browsing software for Mac and Windows.

Included now is the ability to upload directly to a PhotoShelter account in Photo Mechanic, improved CD/DVD burning (Windows) and numerous other fixes and enhancements.

The Mac version also marks the return of RAW conversion to the program after a several-year absence, this time utilizing the RAW support built into the Mac OS.

Photo Mechanic 4.4.3b0424 is available for download from the Camera Bits web site.

Kodak Unveils Archival Storage Solution

With the average silver CD-R lasting only 5-15 years, Kodak released a storage solution that will last much longer. Kodak manufactured 24 karat gold CD and DVD discs that will last 300 years. Kodak affiliate KMP Media is distributing the products in spindles for commercial use and jewel cases for consumers.

The Kodak DVDs last 80-100 years, while the CDs last the full 300 years. The archival quality of the discs is credited to the gold reflective outer layer that won’t tarnish or oxidize. The triple protected discs are designed to last through hot days in the sun and other adverse conditions. The storage component of the discs is constructed from phtalocyanine dye and sandwiched in layers of gold and other tough protective material.

Noise Ninja v2.1.1 Released | Software

PictureCode LLC announced the latest version of its Noise Ninja Standalone software yesterday. The 2.1.1 release candidates offer native support for Linux and Mac Intel formats and enhance all platforms. The Noise Ninja program throws a drop-kick to noise in images, reducing noise by up to two stops.

According to yesterday’s press release, “the release candidates will be promoted to official release status as soon as we receive feedback from users indicating that they are functioning as intended.”

PictureCode LLC hinted at an upcoming major update to be released sometime later in 2006. The update will “deliver additional innovative tools,” stated the release.

Understanding Shutter-lag in Digital Cameras

By Ziv Haparnas

When using a digital camera to take action photos you will notice that there is a delay between the time you press the shutter button to the time the camera actually takes the photo. In most cases this delay is small enough and not noticeable but when taking action photos, when trying to capture an event that just happened or when trying to capture a moving object this delay can result in a photo that just missed the action. In this article you will better understand what causes the shutter delay and how you can overcome it.

A shutter delay is defined as the time gap between pressing the shutter button to the camera actually capturing the photo. There is no shutter delay in film cameras as in these cameras the shutter button is virtually connected to the shutter itself and holding down the button results in the camera taking a photo immediately. In digital cameras the shutter button is connected to a built-in micro computer and holding down the shutter button initiates a series of events that result in capturing a photo.

When you press the shutter button the camera goes through a series of setup events in order to get all its electronics ready. Only when these events are finished can the camera capture the photo. The time it takes for the camera to complete these events can vary but is usually around one second or so. When taking subsequent photos there is an addition delay as a result of the camera compressing the photo and writing it to the slow flash memory.

Although a circa one second delay does not seem long it can make the difference between capturing an action photo to missing it. Some cameras will also initiate a focus process when the shutter button is held down and will only take the photo when the focus is completed. This can add even more delay.

Although it is impossible to remove the shutter delay in your camera there are few practices that can help avoiding its results. For example many cameras include a burst mode. In burst mode the camera shoots a fast series of photos for as long as the shutter button is held down or until the camera’s memory is full. In this mode the camera writes the photos to a temporary memory which is very fast but small. When the shutter button is released or the memory is full the camera starts the slow process of writing the photos to the flash memory.

Using the burst mode you can shoot fast photos of an action event and then choose the one that best captured the events. The speed and the amount of photos that the burst mode supports vary between cameras. Some high end cameras can take as much as ten photos over the course of one second.

Another delay that is a result of the digital camera technology is the Initial Delay. Most cameras will enter into a standby mode if not used for a certain amount of time. This time can vary but it’s usually in the few minutes range. When the camera goes into standby mode it turns off most of its electronics in order to save power. Usually pressing the shutter button will restart the camera but such a restart process is long and can take a few seconds. The result is a longer delay when taking a photo after the camera was idle for some time. In order to avoid this you would have to make sure that your camera is turned on and does not go into standby mode when taking action photos. Some cameras allow you to disable the automatic standby feature through a menu option. If your camera does not allow that you can keep it on by pressing the shutter button half way down every now and then. The downside of leaving the camera on all the time is wasting battery power. In order to maximize battery life in such scenarios you can disable the camera’s LCD screen which consumes a lot of energy and use the view finder instead.

Another way to minimize the shutter delay is to avoid the automatic focus process which usually starts when the shutter button is held down. One way to do that is to hold the shutter button half way down. In most cameras the result will be a one time focus process and then a focus lock. The camera will stay in focus and when the shutter is fully pressed it will take a photo without re-focusing. Another option is to put the camera in manual focus.

It takes practice to get to know your camera and to get a feeling of the delays it introduces. Although there is no way to completely get rid of the delays you can master overcoming them by practicing taking action photos. New high end professional cameras have a very short delay and as the electronics improve cameras will eliminate the shutter delay altogether.

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