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Digital Outback Photo have a new article from contributor Rick Decker that looks at using a product called the Sensor Brush to clean the sensor inside a digital SLR camera.
“My sensor on my SD9 had been getting dirtier and dirtier. I admit I am not the most careful when it comes to changing lenses. I had some success with methanol-based products early on but as the camera got more and more dust, I just couldn’t get it clean and often felt like I was just moving dust around. With my SD9, I had pretty much given up and just spent time with Photoshop using the clone tool and healing brush; this process was getting longer and longer and naturally more painful! My SD10 was starting to get more dust in addition. Desperate to find a solution, I tried the Sensor Brush from Visible Dust…”
Website: Digital Outback Photo - Cleaning your Sensor with the Sensor Brush
Digital Outback Photo have a new article from contributor Rick Decker that looks at using a product called the Sensor Brush to clean the sensor inside a digital SLR camera. “My sensor on my SD9 had been getting dirtier and dirtier. I admit I am not the most careful when…
Ever wondered why the image displayed on your monitor bears little resemblance to the scene that you photographed? Or why the colours in the the print that you’ve just made are not true to life? The single biggest cause of poorly adjusted photographs, whether on screen or in print, is an uncalibrated monitor. ColorPlus, a new product from Pantone and ColorVision, is the most affordable hardware calibration device on the market, retailing for under $100/?100. It works with CRT, LCD and notebook displays, although it is currently only compatible with the Windows platform. Is ColorPlus the answer to your colour nightmares? Find out in my review.
Website: ColorPlus Review
Ever wondered why the image displayed on your monitor bears little resemblance to the scene that you photographed? Or why the colours in the the print that you’ve just made are not true to life? The single biggest cause of poorly adjusted photographs, whether on screen or in print, is…
The winners of the June 2004 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for June was “The Urban Landscape” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery.
Once again, this month’s entries were excellent, making the judging particularly tough for the panel. Here are the winners:
1st Place
“Nob Hill Dawn” by imageneer
View this entry
Judges Comments:
“Amazing light, absolutely pin-sharp and excellent composition. The traffic trail completes the urban picture. “
“Captures the city waking up for a new day perfectly.”
Prize: Photobird.com one-year subscription with 100 megabytes of storage space
Kindly donated by Photobird.com.
http://www.photobird.com
2nd Place
“Rivers of Light” by mattyj
View this entry
Judges Comments:
“An almost impressionistic view of the urban landscape.”
“Excellent composition and good exposure, representing joining streets as rivers in the urban landscape.”
Prize: 1 copy of Ulead PhotoImpact XL
Kindly donated by Ulead Systems.
http://www.ulead.co.uk
3rd Place
“Roller man” by dodo
View this entry
Judges Comments:
“Lots to look at in this detail shot of the urban environment.”
Prize: 1 copy of Picasa
Kindly donated by Picasa Inc.
http://www.picasa.net
PLUS
All 3 winners get 15 free digital prints, kindly donated by MyPIXmania.
http://www.mypixmania.com
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part!
The July 2004 Competition is now open for entries. This is a monthly photography competition with a specific theme and prizes for the top 3 photos. The winning entries will be decided by a panel of judges. You just have to submit one photograph to the Competition Gallery that best interprets July’s theme, which is simply “Patterns”.
The winners of the June 2004 PhotographyBLOG Competition have now been decided. The theme for June was “The Urban Landscape” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Once again, this month’s entries were excellent, making the judging particularly tough for the panel. Here are the winners…
The Hungarian website Index Digicam have just reviewed a waterproof housing for the tiny 4 megapixel Pentax Optio S4i, which has a 3X optical zoom, 1.8 inch LCD monitor and features the first PENTAX digital cradle-style lithium ion recharge base unit.
Website: Index Digicam - Pentax Optio S4i Waterproof Housing Review
The Hungarian website Index Digicam have just reviewed a waterproof housing for the tiny 4 megapixel Pentax Optio S4i, which has a 3X optical zoom, 1.8 inch LCD monitor and features the first PENTAX digital cradle-style lithium ion recharge base unit. Website: Index Digicam - Pentax Optio S4i Waterproof Housing…
Digital Outback Photo have just started a diary-based review of the 5 megapixel Leica Digilux 2.
“Very first observations:
Very silent operation and this is just great
Feels good in our hands
We also like the manual mode
We won’t fall in love with any EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) right now. But this is one of the better ones.
LCD is large and easy to view
We like the live histogram that you can select with the Digilux 2”
Digital Outback Photo have just started a diary-based review of the 5 megapixel Leica Digilux 2. “Very first observations: Very silent operation and this is just great Feels good in our hands We also like the manual mode We won’t fall in love with any EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) right now…
ExpoDisc Inc. Press Release 08/07/04
The ExpoDisc Digital White Balance Filter Provides An Easy, Inexpensive Way To Set White Balance for Photographers and Videographers
MORGAN HILL, CA, July 8, 2004 - ExpoDisc Inc., the pioneer in diffusion filters that allow photographers to fine-tune color balance and get accurate exposures without meters, gray cards or white cards, today announced the ExpoDisc Digital White Balance Filter. The new ExpoDisc filter is designed for professional photographers and videographers, and serious amateurs alike.
The ExpoDisc Digital WB Filter is, in effect, a gray card in a lens cap, without all the hassles and inconsistencies of a gray card. It lets you read and set white balance before shooting, thus eliminating the need for post-capture color adjustments. The ExpoDisc filter works with film, digital cameras and digital video, and is available in six standard sizes from 58mm to 82 mm. Prices range from $79.95 to $159.95.
ExpoDisc Inc. Press Release 08/07/04 The ExpoDisc Digital White Balance Filter Provides An Easy, Inexpensive Way To Set White Balance for Photographers and Videographers MORGAN HILL, CA, July 8, 2004 - ExpoDisc Inc., the pioneer in diffusion filters that allow photographers to fine-tune color balance and get accurate exposures without…
My Dad’s a keen gardener, growing both flowers and vegetables that put the tasteless supermarket varieties to shame (probably because of all the horse-dung that he’s spread on the ground over the years!). His garden also turns out to be a good place to take photographs - these shots were all taken in a quick 30 minute session, accompanied by shouts of “What on earth are you doing now?” from my onlooking family.
My Dad’s a keen gardener, growing both flowers and vegetables that put the tasteless supermarket varieties to shame (probably because of all the horse-dung that he’s spread on the ground over the years!). His garden also turns out to be a good place to take photographs - these shots were…
Just to prove that PhotographyBLOG isn’t entirely a website about digital cameras, here’s a link to a camera made from a paint can. Yes, you read that correctly, a paint can. Brought to you by Lomography.com, the Paint Can is a pinhole camera, the simplest of photographic devices. Available now for £43.27 / $65 / 65.00 EUR.
“An unbelievably simple tool to literally “paint” your photographic masterpiece. Hand-crafted out of a US-quart paint can, this pinhole camera creates dazzling images on massive large format sheet film with its natural roundness imparting a maniacal barrel distortion. Uses large format film for mind-blowing enlargements. Set includes Can Cam, nylon film changing bag, and 25 pcs of Forte black and white sheet film.
Just to prove that PhotographyBLOG isn’t entirely a website about digital cameras, here’s a link to a camera made from a paint can. Yes, you read that correctly, a paint can. Brought to you by Lomography.com, the Paint Can is a pinhole camera, the simplest of photographic devices. Available now…
Shuttertalk have just reviewed Pixort, a software program dedicated to helping you sort and select your best images.
“On a recent wedding shoot, I took over a thousand photos - I bracketed a lot, and took many double and triple shots of the same scene just in case one didn’t turn out, or someone important was frowning in the photo. When I got back, I had a tedious task ahead of me - it was quite a pain comparing two photos with a normal image viewer. I had to flick back and forth between them, which was especially hard if they were not taken consecutively.
I notice too that a lot of packages out there focus on the image manipulation (Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc.) management and archival of photos (Adobe Photoshop Album, JASC Paint Shop Album), but not many actually focus on the image sorting, selection and rating process. Stepping in to fill the gap, JottoSoft has produced Pixort, which at the time of writing this article, is at Version 1.1.”
Website: Shuttertalk - Pixort Review
Website: Pixort
Shuttertalk have just reviewed Pixort, a software program dedicated to helping you sort and select your best images. “On a recent wedding shoot, I took over a thousand photos - I bracketed a lot, and took many double and triple shots of the same scene just in case one didn’t…
The Japanese website PC Watch have posted another batch of sample images taken with the Epson RD-1 rangefinder digital camera and a variety of different lenses. Text is in Japanese, but full-sized originals are available for all the images.
Website: PC-Watch - Epson RD-1 Sample Images
The Japanese website PC Watch have posted another batch of sample images taken with the Epson RD-1 rangefinder digital camera and a variety of different lenses. Text is in Japanese, but full-sized originals are available for all the images. Website: PC-Watch - Epson RD-1 Sample Images
Canon Europe have just announced a new range of “designer” printers, dubbed the PIXMA range. Well, they have announced them according to the latest issue of the UK-based Amateur Photographer magazine (10 July 2004) - I’ve been unable to find any other source for them so far. Even the DPReview forums haven’t mentioned them!
In brief, there are 4 new PIXMA printers. The PIXMA iP4000 and iP3000 both have a resolution of 4800x1200dpi and are designed to print up to A4 borderless. Droplet size is 2 picolitres (pl). Both printers feature FINE print heads and are said to print a 6x4 inch print in just 36 seconds. The PIXMA iP4000 has a 5-tank system that includes a dye-based black ink.
There are also 2 entry-level models. The PIXMA iP2000 and iP1500 both have a resolution of 4800x1200dpi and 2 picolitres (pl) droplet size. Both are PictBridge compatible.
Finally, the PIXMA MP750 and MP780 are new multifunctional printers, which can scan, copy and print. The MP780 can also send faxes.
Price and availability are still to be confirmed.
Canon Europe have just announced a new range of “designer” printers, dubbed the PIXMA range. Well, they have announced them according to the latest issue of the UK-based Amateur Photographer magazine (10 July 2004) - I’ve been unable to find any other source for them so far. Even the DPReview…
PC Magazine have reviewed the full version of Jasc’s Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5, which allows you to get your photos from camera to computer and then enhance, organize, and share them with Photo Album’s fast and easy-to-use tools. In other words it’s a direct competitor to Adobe Photoshop Album.
“Although previous versions of Jasc’s Paint Shop Photo Album had a lot to like, we were awfully frustrated with its interface, which was built on a hierarchical folder system. Competing products?namely Adobe Photoshop Album and Picasa?have proven there are better ways. Now Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 has followed their lead, providing a much improved interface.”
Thanks to Sanj for the link.
Website: PC Magazine - Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5 Review
About Graphics Software also have a review, commenting “Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 allows you to import, organize, enhance, and share your digital photos. The printing and sharing features are exceptional, but there are better solutions for editing and organizing your photo collection.”
Website: About Graphics Software - Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5 Review
Website: Jasc Software
PC Magazine have reviewed the full version of Jasc’s Paint Shop Pro Photo Album 5, which allows you to get your photos from camera to computer and then enhance, organize, and share them with Photo Album’s fast and easy-to-use tools. In other words it’s a direct competitor to Adobe Photoshop…
Lensbabies Press Release 07/07/04
July 7, 2004 Portland, OR. Lensbabies, LLC, expanded its lineup of lenses to include Original Lensbabies with camera mounts that will fit virtually all SLR bodies. Lensbabies added Pentax K, Olympus OM, Minolta Maxxum, Canon FD, Universal Screw, Minolta Manual, and Contax/Yashika mount Lensbabies to its existing product line of Canon EF and Nikon F mount Lensbabies.
The Original Lensbaby, is a flexible camera lens that creates a ‘sweet spot’ area of focus which photographers move around the image by bending the flexible lens tubing. The lens focuses like a mini-bellows on the front of an SLR. The shooter focuses a Lensbaby by compressing the lens with their fingertips. Lensbaby photographs have the roughed-up look created by Holga or Diana cameras, but using a Lensbaby on your SLR is convenient, versatile, and enables you to place the subject and the sweet spot of focus anywhere in the image.
All versions of The Original Lensbaby are available for sale now at www.lensbabies.com for $96.
Lensbabies Press Release 07/07/04 July 7, 2004 Portland, OR. Lensbabies, LLC, expanded its lineup of lenses to include Original Lensbabies with camera mounts that will fit virtually all SLR bodies. Lensbabies added Pentax K, Olympus OM, Minolta Maxxum, Canon FD, Universal Screw, Minolta Manual, and Contax/Yashika mount Lensbabies to its…
The Slovenian website e-FotoGrafija have tested the Olympus CAMEDIA C-5060 Wide Zoom camera in conjunction with the 0.7x wide-angle convertor, at a Formula One race of all places!
Website: e-FotoGrafija - Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom and Wide-Angle Convertor Review
The Slovenian website e-FotoGrafija have tested the Olympus CAMEDIA C-5060 Wide Zoom camera in conjunction with the 0.7x wide-angle convertor, at a Formula One race of all places! Website: e-FotoGrafija - Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom and Wide-Angle Convertor Review
Yesterday one of the news stories here on PhotographyBLOG was featured on Slashdot, the immensely popular technology news/discussion site. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the sudden influx of visitors killed my server, knocking it offline for about 6 hours from 3pm onwards.
We’ve now made some server changes that will hopefully cope better with large traffic increases in the future. Fingers-crossed, touch wood etc.
So apologies to everyone if you visited PhotographyBLOG yesterday, only to find that it had temporarily disappeared…
Yesterday one of the news stories here on PhotographyBLOG was featured on Slashdot, the immensely popular technology news/discussion site. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the sudden influx of visitors killed my server, knocking it offline for about 6 hours from 3pm onwards. We’ve now made some…
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. Press Release 07/07/04
FUJIFILM’S NEW STUDIOMASTER PRO 3.0 BOOSTS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS’ PRODUCTIVITY BY INCREASING WORKFLOW EFFICIENCIES
Enhanced image preview, editing and ordering features enable photographers to generate additional revenue opportunities while cutting costs and saving time
VALHALLA, NY, July 7, 2004 - As professional photographers manage millions of pictures this busy summer season, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc., announces a new version of its Studiomaster PRO image presentation, editing and ordering software designed to increase workflow efficiencies for photographers and labs. With over 70 years of imaging know-how and close ties to the professional market, Fujifilm understands photographers’ needs to save time and money, while maintaining creative control - and Studiomaster PRO 3.0 does just that.
With Studiomaster PRO 3.0, wedding and portrait photographers can more easily preview and edit images, quickly create and present professional albums to clients and efficiently send print orders to their lab. Based on feedback from previous versions, Fujifilm enhanced many features and added new functionality to Studiomaster PRO so photographers can spend more time behind the lens, instead of in front of the computer.
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. Press Release 07/07/04 FUJIFILM’S NEW STUDIOMASTER PRO 3.0 BOOSTS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS’ PRODUCTIVITY BY INCREASING WORKFLOW EFFICIENCIES Enhanced image preview, editing and ordering features enable photographers to generate additional revenue opportunities while cutting costs and saving time VALHALLA, NY, July 7, 2004 - As professional photographers…
Epson USA Press Release 06/07/04
NEW EPSON STYLUS? C66 AND C86 INK JET PRINTERS OFFER VIVID,
LONG-LASTING OUTPUT WITH FAST PRINT SPEEDS
Epson?s Latest All-Purpose Printers Include New Photo Kit to Provide Easy and Convenient Photo Printing From Start to Finish
LONG BEACH, Calif., July 6, 2004 ? Epson America Inc. is adding two new all-purpose printers to its award-winning product line that deliver fast print speeds and incredible print quality at affordable prices. Replacing the award-winning EPSON Stylus C64 and C84, the EPSON Stylus C66 and C86 produce text, documents and beautiful frame-ready borderless photographs, and are available for estimated street prices of $69 and $99, respectively.
Both printers feature Epson?s exclusive and award-winning DURABrite inks, delivering fade-resistant, water-resistant and smudge-resistant results to preserve cherished photos and important documents. The EPSON Stylus C66 and C86 offer up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi with variable sized droplets to ensure incredible quality and detail, as well as a convenient and cost-effective individual ink cartridge system with true black printing on glossy media for more realistic and sharper images.
Epson USA Press Release 06/07/04 NEW EPSON STYLUS? C66 AND C86 INK JET PRINTERS OFFER VIVID, LONG-LASTING OUTPUT WITH FAST PRINT SPEEDS Epson?s Latest All-Purpose Printers Include New Photo Kit to Provide Easy and Convenient Photo Printing From Start to Finish LONG BEACH, Calif., July 6, 2004 ? Epson America…
creativepro.com have taken a peek inside a digital camera, explaining what goes on and what effect the sensor has on image quality.
“Good film photographers often have a very thorough understanding of the nature and properties of particular film chemistries—often going so far as to make their own paper and emulsions. Though digital photographers can’t sit around forging their own image sensors, they can still benefit from understanding some of the rudiments of the image sensor technology found in most digital cameras.
Many imaging problems can be avoided by understanding their cause, and often times imaging troubles are caused by fundamental issues within your camera. In this installment of “Framed and Exposed,” we’re going to take a high-level look at what happens inside your digital camera.”
Website: creativepro.com - Framed and Exposed: Making Sense of Camera Sensors
creativepro.com have taken a peek inside a digital camera, explaining what goes on and what effect the sensor has on image quality. “Good film photographers often have a very thorough understanding of the nature and properties of particular film chemistries—often going so far as to make their own paper and…
What is perhaps more interesting than the 4 new Konica Minolta cameras announced today is the rapid product cycle that seems to have been established, by both Konica Minolta and other manufacturers. 1 year ago the DiMAGE Z1 was released, 6 months later saw the launch of the DiMAGE Z2, and now, another 6 months down the line, the DiMAGE Z3 has been announced. Plus the X50 and G530 are both updates of models that were announced within the last year (X20, announced July 17th 2003, and the G500, announced August 7th 2003).
I’m interested to know if you think this is a good thing, giving you more choice as a consumer and ultimately driving down the cost of the older models, or whether you hate the fact that your new camera will be out-of-date in less than 6 months time…
What is perhaps more interesting than the 4 new Konica Minolta cameras announced today is the rapid product cycle that seems to have been established, by both Konica Minolta and other manufacturers. 1 year ago the DiMAGE Z1 was released, 6 months later saw the launch of the DiMAGE Z2…
The official press releases haven’t been, well, officially released yet, but the web pages are live for 4 new digital cameras from Konica Minolta. Now, I hate to say that I told you so, but the Z3 that PhotographyBLOG exclusively revealed last week is amongst the new announcements. In no particular order, they are:
DiMAGE Z3
- 12x Optical Zoom
- Anti-Shake Mechanism
- 4 megapixels
DiMAGE Z10
- 8x Optical Zoom
- 3.2 megapixels
DiMAGE G530 (pictured)
- 3x Optical Zoom
- 5 megapixels
DiMAGE X50
- 2.8x Optical Zoom
- 5 megapixels
- Slim Design
The Konica Minolta website has fancy-pants Flash-based presentations for its entire camera lineup:
Website: Konica Minolta
and also a Specifications page for each camera:
Website: DiMAGE Z3
Website: DiMAGE Z10
Website: DiMAGE G530
Website: DiMAGE X50
Also, the Japanese website PCHome already has a preview of the new models:
The official press releases haven’t been, well, officially released yet, but the web pages are live for 4 new digital cameras from Konica Minolta. Now, I hate to say that I told you so, but the Z3 that PhotographyBLOG exclusively revealed last week is amongst the new announcements. In no…