The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is here
September 15, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Equipment
Canon has released another amazing lens that I cannot wait to get my hands on – the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM!
Check out their press release below:
“The high quality, medium telephoto macro lens, has been developed for photographers who demand the highest level of optical quality. The new Hybrid IS system features up to 4-stop correction, compensating for the effects of camera shake, during normal shooting. Low friction ceramic balls support the moving elements, which allows for the amazingly smooth movement – needed when compensating for camera shake during macro shooting. Hybrid IS corrects shift movement – problematic when shooting up close -as well as angular movement providing photographers with the benefit of up to 2 stops at 1.0x magnification.
The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM features ultra low dispersion (UD) lenses that correct colour aberration for high resolution, high contrast images while the addition of Super Spectra coatings effectively reduce ghosting and flare for superior quality images. A nine blade circular aperture makes subjects stand out amid beautiful background blur and a silent, high-speed ring type USM Autofocus motor quickly achieves focus. The lens also includes a three position focus limiter to tailor the focus system range to the desired subject.
As part of the L-series the lens features dust and water resistant seals. Sitting ahead of the EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro, within the range, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM supports a full range of accessories including: Tripod Mount D, Macro Lite adaptor 67, Lens Hood ET-73 and EF12 II and EF25 II extension tubes. The tripod mount attaches to the lens without the need for an adaptor enabling quick portrait or landscape switching without having to reframe the camera. Speedlites MR-14EX and MT-24EX can be attached using the MacroLite adaptor”
Finding Inspiration – Look at other people’s photographs
September 14, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Photography Basics
Whenever I feel I have plateaued or out of ideas for photos, I always turn to Flickr or DeviantArt to help me get inspired about photography again and give me some new ideas to try out.
Looking at photos that others have taken will give you ideas on what the photography medium can achieve. To get the most out of this exercise, try to look at work of different kinds of photographers and from different fields. You never know what could set off that brilliant idea.
When do you find a photograph that inspires you, you should bookmark them. There are various ways to do that – you could mark them on flickr, use Posterous.com or use Delicious.com. Personally, I find Posterous works best for me as it lets me save the image on the Posterous page as well as I can comment on what I actually found interesting about the picture. You can check out my page here – Digital Photography Guide.
How do you get inspired for new photo ideas?
Photo Credit: Adriano Agulló
How to clean the sensor for your DSLR
September 6, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Photography Basics
I have been looking for some information on how I could clean the sensor for my DSLR and I came across this really good article on various ways that you could clean the sensor. Dirt can mess up the sensors and not cleaning it the right way could have a permanent damage to the sensors which means expensive repairs bills!
The following article explains various ways such as using the sensor swab, brush or a blower. You can read the article here.
Photo by: FreeParking
What is Infrared Photography
September 3, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Photography Basics
Infrared (IR) Photography is the process of shooting pictures in the infrared spectrum rather than the regular visible light we can see. This spectrum of light is said to be in between the light we can see and the microwaves used by radars and microwave ovens. Many people confuse Infrared Photography with Thermal imaging. Thermal imaging systems are capable of detecting different wave lengths of IR energy.
IR photography involves blocking out almost all the light that is visible to the human eye and only letting in infrared light. Most DSLRs have a hot mirror filter placed in front of the sensor to block infrared light in order to prevent IR from ruining normal photographs.
Here are a couple of great articles on how to check if your DSLR can take Infrared photos and what accessories you need to take some IR photos – Instructables and Fotolia.
Photo by Matt and Kim Rudge
What is Boudoir Photography
September 2, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Photography Basics
Boudoir is a lady’s private room and Boudoir photography is a style of photography that involves women in sexual or sensual poses. Boudoir photography should not be confused with erotic photography as it focuses more on the aesthetic qualities of the woman. Boudoir Photography plays on the idea of teasing the subject rather than what is shown.
People choose Boudoir photography for many reasons such as wedding gifts, anniversary gifts, modeling portfolio or just for other personal reasons.
Photo by Marboston
Pentax K2000 Digital SLR Camera Review
January 30, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Equipment
K2000 is the 10.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera released by Pentax. The Pentax K2000 is targeted towards entry level DSLR users and was released in November of 2008. Following are some of the technical specifications of the Pentax K2000:
Model: K2000 w/ AF200FG Flash & 18-55mm Lens
Optical Sensor Resolution: 10.2 MP
Optical_sensor_technology: CCD
Optical zoom: 3 x
Optical_sensor_size: 23.5 x 15.7 mm
Included Flash Type: Built-in flash
Display Size: 2.7 inches
Light_sensitivity: SO 100-3200, ISO auto (100-3200)
Shooting Modes: Auto Picture, Portrait, Night Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Action, Picture Portrait, Night Scene Portrait, Standard Flash Off
Exposure Control Type: Bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, ISO priority, shutter+aperture priority
Viewfinder Type: Optical – Eye-level mirror pentaprism
Width: 4.8 inches
Depth: 2.7 inches
Height: 3.6 inches
Weight: 18.5 Ounces
Following are some the reviews from other websites:
“The Pentax K-m (more logically called the Pentax K2000 in some parts of the world) is Pentax’s brand new entry-level DSLR camera, slotting into the range underneath the K-m model. Designed to be small, lightweight and simple to use, the uncluttered layout and aggressive price make the Pentax Km particularly well-suited to compact camera owners looking to make the step-up to a DSLR.
Despite its budget leanings, the 10 megapixel K-m still offers some significant features, including a 2.7 inch LCD monitor, built-in Shake Reduction system to help avoid blurry photos, Dust Removal system to prevent dust from appearing, 3.5 frames per second continuous shooting, and an Auto Picture mode which promises to do most of the hard work for you.”
Click here to read their complete review.
“The Pentax K2000 is a new 10.2 megapixel DSLR. The K2000 is geared toward entry-level shooters. The new 18-55mm and 55-200mm kit lenses both feature plastic lens mounts. The K2000 became available in November 2008 with an smc Pentax DA-L 18-55mm lens and an AF200FG flash included in the kit for a retail price of $699.95, although many retailers offer it at a significant discount. A second kit option including the smc Pentax DA-L 50-200mm lens will be available in early 2009.”
Click here to read their complete review.
Source: The Photography Bay
Whats your experience with this camera?
What is Autobracketing or Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB)?
January 2, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Digital Photography Basics
Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) or Autobracketing is feature on most DSLRs where the camera will take 3 or more successive shots using slightly different settings. This is done mainly for 2 reasons. First, you would use Autobracketing if you want to shoot using different settings and the choose the best of the lot or Second, you would use Autobracketing for HDR photopgraphy. Click here to learn more about HDR Photography.
The most common type of autobracketing used is exposure autobracketing or Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB). Using AEB, the camera is set to capture the same image several times with slightly different exposures, both over-exposed and under-exposed (lighter and darker) compared to your current exposure setting on the camera. Depending on make and model of your camera, the difference between each of the autobracketed shots could be anywhere up to two stops in each direction, in half-stop or one-third stop increments.
Each DSLR has a different way of selecting AEB, Nikon’s D70 has an accessible button on the back marked BKT while other DSLRs like Canon have an AEB setting in their menus.
Another common form of autobracketing is white balance autobracketing. This technique applies only to DSLRs, not to film cameras. This setting causes the DSLR to capture the same image several times and slightly changing the white balance settings, with both higher and lower color temperatures compared to the current setting on the camera.
Photo Credit: Breeze Systems
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens Review – I want.
December 30, 2008 by Admin
Filed under Digital Equipment
This is probably going to be my next purchase in the photography department! These lens has been voted as one of the best upgrades from the kit lens and the reviews are very favorable.
“With the introduction of the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens, Canon has replaced one of its most popular lenses and its first image stabilized lens – the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS. The 75-300mm IS lens was popular because of its useful focal length range, small size, light weight, midrange price and Image Stabilization. The Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens improves this overall package (sacrificing only price somewhat).”
Read the complete review at Digital Picture here.
The Canon EF 70-300/4-5.6 IS USM is the replacement for the EF75-300/4-5.6 IS USM, but the difference is much more than just 5mm at the short end of the range. According to Canon, the new lens uses a low dispersion optical element for better image quality, digitally optimized coatings to lower flare, an improved IS system giving an extra stop of “handholdability” and a panning mode, faster autofocus and a zoom lock at 70mm to prevent “creep”. This comes at a price however, which for the Canon EF 70-300/4-5.6 IS USM is around $570, about $125 more then the old EF75-300/4-5.6IS USM sold for new.”
Read Bob Atkins’ complete Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM Lens review here.
.Olympus E-30 Review!
December 15, 2008 by Admin
Filed under Digital Equipment
The Olympus E-30 is close to launch. Check out the reviews from these folks on the E-30 before you head out to buy it!
DPReview - Olympus has today announced the E-30 digital SLR. The mid-range DSLR features a 12MP Live MOS sensor and 2.7″ tilt and swivel LCD. It also incorporates Live View with Contrast AF, Image Stabilization, 5fps continuous shooting and shutter speeds of up to 1/8000th sec. The E-30 also introduces a set of six ‘Art Filters’, a Multiple Exposure mode and offers a choice of 9 aspect ratios. Click here to read the full review.
PhotographyReview – The Olympus E-30 is a 12.3-megapixel digital SLR positioned between the Olympus E-520 and the top-of-the-line Olympus E-3, both of which are 10-megapixel cameras. The E-30 actually shares a lot of features and technology with the E-3. The most important of the shared features, in my opinion, are the tilt/swivel LCD and the 11-point auto focus system. Click here to read the full review.
PCWorld – The E-30 is equipped with an internal Digital Level Sensor that detects the camera’s pitch and roll and indicates it in the optical viewfinder, on the control panel and during Live View operation. Olympus says that his Digital Leveler is a tremendous benefit for architectural photographers who must ensure that images they take of buildings are as centered and true as the walls of the buildings themselves. Click here to read the full review.
Nikon 24.5MP D3X – Review
December 7, 2008 by Admin
Filed under Digital Equipment
Nikon has announced the launch of the new D3X . Check out the review of this 24.5MP monster on the following sites:
DPReview – “Nikon has announced the D3X, its latest high-resultion professional DSLR. Sporting an imaging sensor with double the number of photosites of the popular D3, the 24.5 megapixel D3x includes similar features such as a 3.0″, 920,000 dot LCD monitor with Live View, 51-point autofocus, EXPEED image processing and HDMI output.” Click here to read the complete review.
Electronista - “Nikon has inadvertently filled out details of the D3X ahead of its official launch, courtesy of an early look at the company’s own Nikon Pro magazine. True to expectations, the pro DSLR is mostly a resolution upgrade over the stock D3 and jumps from 12 megapixels to 24.5. It also gains a new 16-bit EXPEED image processor that should improve color performance over the 14-bit standard version.” Click here to read their complete review.