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DPReview have posted their 3rd review so far this week, looking at the Canon Powershot S400 (called the Canon Digital IXUS 400 in Europe), a 4-megapixel camera that retails for ?500. Phil Askey seemed to like it, awarding it his “Highly Recommended” rating and saying:
“The PowerShot S400 is a stylish ultra-compact, it follows in the tradition of previous ultra-compact PowerShots in being functional, of very good build quality and producing excellent images. The new ‘Cerabrite’ material used for the S400’s case is a bit of a revelation, it looks far brighter and cleaner than the older stainless steel, doesn’t show finger prints and is harder to scratch. It will I’m sure look great on the shelves and in the shop windows.”
DPReview have posted their 3rd review so far this week, looking at the Canon Powershot S400 (called the Canon Digital IXUS 400 in Europe), a 4-megapixel camera that retails for ?500. Phil Askey seemed to like it, awarding it his “Highly Recommended” rating and saying: “The PowerShot S400 is a…
Here are a couple of websites that offer informative lessons in digital photography techniques, such as sharpening and creating custom borders. Definitely worth bookmarking and browsing during a coffee-break or two (found via digicamera.net and Photexels).
Website: Petteri’s Photo Lessons
“By popular request, here is the web version of Petteri’s Photography Classes. These lessons were first published on the Minolta Forum at Digital Photography Review. For the web work, I’ve edited the texts, cleaned up some of the graphics, and set up this framework into which to plug them. Enjoy!”
Website: Russell Brown - Tips and Techniques
“Welcome to the official, and experimental, Russell Brown Tips and Techniques page. This is your one stop shopping location for the latest in hot new tips right off the silicon wafers. In the effort to stay on the cutting edge of technology were offering QuickTime movies of some of my favorite tips. In some cases we will also offer a PDF document to accompany the movie. Beware, the movies are large and will take time to download when using a slow connection. These movies have been optimized to download as fast as possible and still look good in most cases.”
Here are a couple of websites that offer informative lessons in digital photography techniques, such as sharpening and creating custom borders. Definitely worth bookmarking and browsing during a coffee-break or two (found via digicamera.net and Photexels). Website: Petteri’s Photo Lessons“By popular request, here is the web version of Petteri’s Photography…
I think Steve’s Digicams is the first website to review one of Fuji’s new fourth-generation Super CCD HR (High Resolution) cameras, the FinePix F410 Zoom.
“As always the bottom line is image quality and price. The FinePix F410 delivers well saturated color images that are very true to the original colors. There’s a little confusion with the maximum image size because of the SuperCCD imager. The F410 uses a 3- megapixel imager but can deliver a 6-megapixel image in its highest resolution setting. These 6-megapixel size images are optimized for making larger prints. The problem with the images is that Fuji has used too high of a compression level.”
I think Steve’s Digicams is the first website to review one of Fuji’s new fourth-generation Super CCD HR (High Resolution) cameras, the FinePix F410 Zoom. “As always the bottom line is image quality and price. The FinePix F410 delivers well saturated color images that are very true to the original…
Phil Aksey over at DPReview has taken his usual in-depth look at two 5-megapixel compact digital cameras - the Olympus C-50 Zoom and the Pentax Optio 550.
“The Optio 550 sports a wide range of manual controls, flexible settings and a powerful Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery which puts it up at the prosumer end of the market, a street price of around US$600 means it’s a very attractive proposition for anyone considering a five megapixel prosumer compact digital camera.”
Website: DPReview - Olympus C-50 Zoom Review
Website: DPReview - Pentax Optio 550 Review
Phil Aksey over at DPReview has taken his usual in-depth look at two 5-megapixel compact digital cameras - the Olympus C-50 Zoom and the Pentax Optio 550. “The Optio 550 sports a wide range of manual controls, flexible settings and a powerful Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery which puts it up at…
Digital Outback Photo have been busy of late posting some very interesting articles. You can vote for the winner of the first RAW Conversion Contest, have a go at Contest #2 and catch up with Uwe’s experience with the Kodak 14n DSLR. There’s also an impressive monochrome entry to the RAW Conversion Contest #1, with details of how the overall effect was achieved.
Website: RAW Conversion Contest #1 - Monochrome Entry
Website: Outback Photo
Digital Outback Photo have been busy of late posting some very interesting articles. You can vote for the winner of the first RAW Conversion Contest, have a go at Contest #2 and catch up with Uwe’s experience with the Kodak 14n DSLR. There’s also an impressive monochrome entry to the…
DCResource has reviewed the Contax Tvs Digital “boutique camera”. Available in silver or black, at $895 the 5-megapixel camera is aimed at the more expensive end of the market.
“The Contax TVS Digital is a nice camera that would be a whole lot nicer if it was about $300 less in price. With a price of $899, you’re paying a big premium for the Contax name on the front of the camera, which is evident when you see how many features this camera shares with the $599 Finecam S5. The fact that Contax charges $100 more for a black-colored body doesn’t help matters.”
Website: DCResource - Contax Tvs Review
DCResource has reviewed the Contax Tvs Digital “boutique camera”. Available in silver or black, at $895 the 5-megapixel camera is aimed at the more expensive end of the market. “The Contax TVS Digital is a nice camera that would be a whole lot nicer if it was about $300 less…
Inspired by a Salgado photograph of Mumbai train station that I saw a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try and replicate the blurred crowd effect that he achieved, albeit a little closer to home. Liverpool Street Station has an upper balcony with good views of the main concourse below, so I thought this would be an ideal venue for shots with a static station clock and timetable and blurry people rushing by. I planned to use digital and film - the images on film would be used for the “Photography of Movement” module in the City and Guilds course that I’m doing.
So, picture the scene - I’ve found the ideal spot, set up the tripod, mounted the camera, checked the settings, taken the first picture - then “Excuse me Sir, what are you doing?”. I felt like saying “What do you think I’m doing?”, but instead decided to be polite to the British Rail employee. Good move, as John the team leader quizzed me about why I was daring to take photographs in a train station. I explained that I was a photography student, whilst waving a Jessops Student Discount card in his face. Another good move, as it turns out that all commercial photography is completely banned, unless you pay for some kind of licence. Even so, I had to sign a form saying that I wouldn’t use the images for commercial gain, and I was allowed 30 minutes maximum in the station.
I went back, set up again, took what will hopefully be some effective images for my course, before being interrupted by another BR employee. “What are you doing?”, “I’ve spoken to John and signed the form”, “How long will you be?”, “15 minutes tops”, “Make it 10 sir”. Power-mad.
And I originally thought that it would be fine to take pictures in what is one of the most public places I can think of. Silly me.
Inspired by a Salgado photograph of Mumbai train station that I saw a couple of weeks ago, I decided to try and replicate the blurred crowd effect that he achieved, albeit a little closer to home. Liverpool Street Station has an upper balcony with good views of the main concourse…
Imaging Resource have reviewed the Olympus Stylus 400, a stylish 4 megapixel digital compact camera.
“Besides its user-friendly interface, compact design and good picture quality, its excellent (and unusual) water sealing makes the Stylus 400 a very appealing choice for a “take anywhere” camera. Battery life is excellent as well. Overall, the Stylus 400 shoots as good as it looks (slightly better than the Stylus 300, in fact), and is rugged enough to stand up to knocks and the occasional rain storm: A combination deserving serious consideration by anyone in the market for a compact, stylish digicam, and one of the better compact digicams out there.”
Imaging Resource have reviewed the Olympus Stylus 400, a stylish 4 megapixel digital compact camera. “Besides its user-friendly interface, compact design and good picture quality, its excellent (and unusual) water sealing makes the Stylus 400 a very appealing choice for a “take anywhere” camera. Battery life is excellent as well…
Here are a few more early examples of what the Canon 10D and myself can do, this time coupled with the Canon 20-35mm USM lens (which equates to 32mm-56mm on the 10D). These shots were taken after visiting the Salgado exhibition at the Barbican in London on April 17th.
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Barbican Tower | Barbican Church | City Reflection |
Here are a few more early examples of what the Canon 10D and myself can do, this time coupled with the Canon 20-35mm USM lens (which equates to 32mm-56mm on the 10D). These shots were taken after visiting the Salgado exhibition at the Barbican in London on April 17th. Barbican…
As well as the many informative equipment and software reviews that Luminous Landscapes publishes, there are often interesting articles about the process of photography, such as this new one called “On Reflection - An Essay on Seeing Photographically”. Now, I don’t personally like the photograph that Michael Reichmann has chosen to illustrate his point, but nonetheless the article gives a good insight into what makes a particular photograph successful.
Website: Luminous Landscape - On Reflection
As well as the many informative equipment and software reviews that Luminous Landscapes publishes, there are often interesting articles about the process of photography, such as this new one called “On Reflection - An Essay on Seeing Photographically”. Now, I don’t personally like the photograph that Michael Reichmann has chosen…
CNET have reviewed one of the new digital cameras that Canon announced at PMA 2003, the PowerShot A70.
“The PowerShot A70 is much more than just a 3.2-megapixel version of its predecessor, the A40. Although it has the same 3X zoom, 35mm-to-105mm (35mm-camera equivalent) lens, the A70 sports a slimmed-down design, additional manual controls, three video-capture resolutions, improved performance, and other useful extras. Its full set of features might overwhelm newbies, but photographers on a budget who like to fiddle with exposure settings will be happy campers.”
Website: CNET - Canon Powershot A70 Review
CNET have reviewed one of the new digital cameras that Canon announced at PMA 2003, the PowerShot A70. “The PowerShot A70 is much more than just a 3.2-megapixel version of its predecessor, the A40. Although it has the same 3X zoom, 35mm-to-105mm (35mm-camera equivalent) lens, the A70 sports a slimmed-down…
Luminous Landscape have posted a field report on the Fuji S2 Pro, a DSLR that competes with the Nikon D100 and the Canon 10D.
“There’s a lot to like about the Fuji S2 Pro. Image quality is at the top of the list. It takes a back seat to no other DSLR in its price range. I also liked the fact that the camera takes AA batteries, and appears to get a lot of life from them. The ability to do multiple exposures is unique to the S2 and much appreciated. The relatively light weight of the camera is also a plus. Firewire connectivity in a camera in this price range is also not seen anywhere else. Fuji is to be commended for this.”
Luminous Landscape have posted a field report on the Fuji S2 Pro, a DSLR that competes with the Nikon D100 and the Canon 10D. “There’s a lot to like about the Fuji S2 Pro. Image quality is at the top of the list. It takes a back seat to no…
Uwe Steinmueller over at Digital Outback Photo has started his diary-like review of the Kodak DCS Pro 14n.
“This is probably the most difficult review we have done so far as never before (except the Contax digital) a digital SLR got so negative reviews as the Kodak 14n. These reviews by Michael Reichmann, Rob Galbraith and Steve Sanders were all from people we respect a lot. First we did not want to review this camera as it could end up in yet an other bashing. On the other side our readers want to hear our opinion and we want to use all digital SLRs on the market.”
Uwe Steinmueller over at Digital Outback Photo has started his diary-like review of the Kodak DCS Pro 14n. “This is probably the most difficult review we have done so far as never before (except the Contax digital) a digital SLR got so negative reviews as the Kodak 14n. These reviews…
Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is offering customers the chance to get up to ?60 cashback when they purchase selected EOS SLR cameras together with selected CanoScan scanners from 1st April 2003 to 30th June 2003. Customers will be able to take advantage of this special offer by completing a voucher inside the box of all eligible Canon products. Canon will then credit their bank account with a cashback payment of up to ?60.
The offer applies to the following combinations of Canon EOS SLR cameras and CanoScan scanners:
- Canon EOS 300V with any Canon lens kit + CanoScan 5000F = ?30 cashback
- Canon EOS 300V with any Canon lens kit + CanoScan LiDE 20 = ?30 cashback
- Canon EOS 30 EF28-90mm f/4.0-5.6 USM lens kit + CanoScan 5000F = ?60 cashback
- Canon EOS 30 EF28-90mm f/4.0-5.6 USM lens kit + CanoScan LiDE 20 = ?60 cashback
Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is offering customers the chance to get up to ?60 cashback when they purchase selected EOS SLR cameras together with selected CanoScan scanners from 1st April 2003 to 30th June 2003. Customers will be able to take advantage of this special offer by…
Lil, a regular PhotographyBLOG visitor :-), has launched an impressively designed and regularly updated Tokyo-based photography blog. I’ve added it to my Links page…
Website: Esthet.org
Lil, a regular PhotographyBLOG visitor :-), has launched an impressively designed and regularly updated Tokyo-based photography blog. I’ve added it to my Links page… Website: Esthet.org
Bob Atkins continues his Canon 10D series of articles over at Photo.net with a look at whether you need to use quality lenses with DSLR’s.
“I often see comments that run along the lines of “Since digital cameras don’t have the resolution of film, you don’t get any benefit from premium lenses since the digital sensor limits image quality”. I also see statements to the effect that digital sensors need the very best lenses to give good results. True? Well from a theoretical viewpoint I can make a convincing argument based on convolution of MTF curves that better lenses should give better images even on small sensor, limited pixel count DSLRs. But what do real tests show?”
Website: “DSLRs, Lenses and Film”
Bob Atkins continues his Canon 10D series of articles over at Photo.net with a look at whether you need to use quality lenses with DSLR’s. “I often see comments that run along the lines of “Since digital cameras don’t have the resolution of film, you don’t get any benefit from…
There’s certainly a lot of news today…Luminous Landscape has reviewed NeatImage, another of those indispensable programs that should be part of every digital photographer’s toolbox, at least according to Michael Reichmann:
“The Bottom Line: If you have a digital camera that is noisy, or you need to use a digital camera at high ISO settings, then Neatimage needs to become part of your software arsenal. End of story.”
There’s certainly a lot of news today…Luminous Landscape has reviewed NeatImage, another of those indispensable programs that should be part of every digital photographer’s toolbox, at least according to Michael Reichmann: “The Bottom Line: If you have a digital camera that is noisy, or you need to use a digital…
Imaging Resource has posted a First Look at the Sony DSC-V1:
“I’ll begin here with my conclusion: This could well be the digicam that finally earns Sony the respect of the “enthusiast” crowd. The new DSC-V1 and new Memory Stick PRO format have removed the external-flash and media-capacity limitations as objections. On a purely camera level, the V1 shows great promise, with an impressive combo of 4x zoom with 5 megapixel sensor, and a range of genuinely useful Sony-only features like Night Framing and Hologram Autofocus.”
Website: Sony DSC-V1 First Look
Imaging Resource has posted a First Look at the Sony DSC-V1: “I’ll begin here with my conclusion: This could well be the digicam that finally earns Sony the respect of the “enthusiast” crowd. The new DSC-V1 and new Memory Stick PRO format have removed the external-flash and media-capacity limitations as…
Ian at DP-Now has reviewed the new version of the Vosonic X’s Drive. I’ll leave it to Ian to explain what an X’s Drive actually is:
“An X?s Drive is a portable repository into which you can dump photos from your camera?s memory cards for later retrieval via a USB cable connection to a host computer. Why would you want one? Rather than buy lots of memory cards you can empty your cards into the X?s Drive as you go. The X?s Drive family is based around a battery-powered portable hard drive unit. The hard drive itself is the same specification as that used by most notebook computers: a 9.5mm high 2.5 inch drive. In fact, you can buy an X?s Drive unit without a hard drive and fit your own, if you wish.”
I’ve just bought the original version of the X’s Drive with a 20Gb hard-drive, which has enough space for about 3000 Canon EOS 10D RAW files. So far I’ve encountered no problems and can recommend it as an affordable way to store large numbers of digital camera files.
Ian at DP-Now has reviewed the new version of the Vosonic X’s Drive. I’ll leave it to Ian to explain what an X’s Drive actually is: “An X?s Drive is a portable repository into which you can dump photos from your camera?s memory cards for later retrieval via a USB…
In theory, a contest which involves converting a Canon EOS 10D RAW file doesn’t sound particularly interesting, but in practice it does show the different effects that can be achieved using RAW conversion software and Photoshop. Take a look at the entires so far from the likes of Thomas Knoll (the creator of Photoshop!); which one do you prefer?
In theory, a contest which involves converting a Canon EOS 10D RAW file doesn’t sound particularly interesting, but in practice it does show the different effects that can be achieved using RAW conversion software and Photoshop. Take a look at the entires so far from the likes of Thomas Knoll…