Polaroid PDC 5080 Review
The Polaroid PDC 5080 Digital Camera has been reviewed by PCMag.com and the review isn’t very flattering. Despite the low price PCMag states that it isn’t even worth the low price. The Pros are the it is light weight so you could probably throw it far. The Cons are “Dreadful performance. Lousy quality” [ read ]
- 5.1 megapixel resolution
- 4x Digital zoom
- 1.5″ LCD display
- 16MB internal memory, SD Memory-card compatible
- Video Clip, PictBridge Technology
Photograph Food - Win £10,000
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/seedsofchange
The categories are “Food and People”, “Food for thought” and “Food, glorious food”.
Mustek MDC530z Review
PopularPhotography has posted a review of the Mustek MDC530Z Digital Camera.
From the Article:
“The Mustek MDC530Z may appeal to the budget shopper who wants 5 megapixels. However, the company must improve the image quality (noise and color accuracy), ISO range, processing speed, and quality of build if it wants to make serious inroads with tech-savvy buyers.” [ Read ]
ExpoCap needs a protective case!
dfmead: I just bought the Expocap and have barely used it. Its immediate shortcoming: No case. Every filter I have ever bought came in a protective case; this device comes out of the package bare. I believe the ExpoDisc is the same. For ~$80 and ~$140 respectively, you shouldn’t have to scrounge for something to store it in your camera bag without its getting scratched up. I hope a professional reviewer publicizes this deficiency so the company fixes it. It owes me one.
What to look for in a Tripod
Ian, a moderator of ClubSnap forums, has provided some great tips on how to choose the best Tripod for your self. This is a very valuble post for anyone interested in buying a new tripod.
The nine points Ian mentions are:
Click here to view Ians post. It goes into much more detail that the quote given above.
1) Stability (critical)
2) Anti-vibration qualities (critical)
3) Load carrying capacity (critical)
4) height range (lowest to highest)
5) Leg lock and operational issues
6) Construction quality / durability
7) Spare parts availablity
Weight
9) Cost
[ Thanks to weblogs inc for finding this post. ]
Apple Aperture Review
CNET has reviewed Apple’s Aperture. The editor gives it a 7.7 out of a total of 10 which is very good for a CNET review.
Aperture lives up to many of its promises and proves especially useful as a digital slide sorter–albeit an extremely pricey one–but there’s room for improvement, especially when it comes to image adjustments as well as handling of raw files and metadata. For instance, we’d like to see curve editing in addition to levels.
Aperture mainly lost points due to its steep hardware requirements. The good outweighs the bad though (if you have a fairly new Mac). The organizing and sorting tools are great. The interface is attractive and the work flow is efficient. If you have the cash and the hardware that supports Aperture then by all means buy it to manage your photography 
National Geographic - Your Shot contest
Take a shot at land a job at National Geographic.
Take your best shot and send it to National Geographic for a chance to get your photos published.
Selections will appear in both the print and online magazines. The theme is “My Family.”
New Digital Photography Book for Advanced Beginners and Amateur Photographers
PRESS RELEASE: New Digital Photography Book for Advanced Beginners and Amateur Photographers
All Things Photography release a new book aimed at amateur photographers with particular emphasis on Digital Photography and the popular Digital SLR.
London, UK (PRWEB) March 12, 2006 - Whilst many “how to” and “learn this” photography books fill their pages with technical jargon, complicated diagrams and images taken from a stock library, this book is quite different.
100% of the example images in the book are taken by the author, a qualified professional photographer with 20+ year’s experience, meaning that when he says how the shot was taken, you can rest assured that he is right.
“When you purchase a new DSLR these days, you are given a very comprehensive manual that not many people read, a bundle of software, a few cables and then you are just left to get on with it. It can be very frustrating when you realise that even on “Fully Automatic” mode, you still need the basic skills in order to capture beautiful images.”
This book takes you by the hand and explains in great detail exactly how to get the best shots at the point of exposure, actually while you are at the scene. It is the same as having a personal tutor by your side without the added expense.
“With the advance of digital camera technology and photo-editing software, it is understandable that many new photographers become overwhelmed with the technical side of photography and forget to study the basic principles and rules of picture taking. If you can capture an image exactly how you want it at the point of exposure, you save yourself so much time later on and you still have a great “original file” with which you can manipulate to your hearts content”!
The book covers all the important aspects of digital photography including;
Metering, exposure, exposure lock, bracketing, composition, shutter speeds and apertures, ISO, white balance, RAW/JPEG, focussing, lenses, subjects and lighting.
It is written in an easy to understand dialogue as though you were attending a personal tutorial or seminar, here are some recent testimonials:
“Love it…The exposure compensation page was highly informative for me and the examples are brilliant…”
“…Well, I wasn’t going to admit what I am about to tell you but I feel I really should because this is precisely how your writing turns a light on for me, I had a Light Bulb moment, as it were…”
“The kind of things you share (like your own personal thoughts and ways of thinking) are the kind of things that are always left out of other photo books but are essential to doing the job right. Thank you for being so generous. “
The book is backed up by a 300+ page website and even explains how to get started on the road to becoming a full time professional photographer.
For more information, visit:
Nick has a career and passion for photography spanning two and a half decades. He was recently voted “International Commercial Photographer of the Year 2005? by the S.W.P.P and B.P.P.A (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers and British Professional Photographers Association).
Minox DC 5011 News Release
Minox DC 5011 News Release: The new Minox DC 5011 digital camera is a first class all-round performer with highly sensible features set in an elegant body and all at an attractive price. These include the superb 2.5 inch TFT colour screen, one of the largest available today, that makes mode selection easy and image viewing very convenient for more than one person at a time. The anti-reflection coating of the screen makes for comfortable viewing even in sunlight. The CCD image sensor built into an attractive but sturdy camera body delivers a resolution of up to 5 million pixels - the accepted average pixel rating for to-days compact digitals - will deliver high resolution images with plenty of ability for detailed enlargements as required.
The quality of the end picture result is ensured by the MINOCTAR lens with its multi-coating and fast, precise autofocus. Featuring a 3x optical zoom that offers the photographer full creative freedom that combines nicely with the MINOCTAR lens. In conjunction with the 5-megapixel sensor the lens will deliver dynamic images with natural color rendition, under most circumstances. A fast image sequence for continuous shooting and minimal shutter release delay allow spontaneous snapshots. The fastest available shutter speed is 1/1000 of a second.
The automatic white balance of the DC 5011 guarantees perfect exposures under variable light conditions. Four different flash functions and the possibility to adjust the ISO sensitivity in three stages also allow perfect adjustment of the shot to the ambient conditions. An added feature is that the new MINOX DC 5011 can record video clips.
Besides the integrated slot for SD memory cards, with a capacity of up to 512 megabyte, the MINOX DC 5011 also offers an additional integral data storage of 16 MB. By using a high usage memory card the user can be assured of being able to capture a very large number of high quality photos, while at the same time the camera remains ready to shoot several spontaneous snapshots, even when the selected SD card is removed or full. Using commercially available AA ‘life time’ rechargeable batteries as a power source ensures the camera is always working to its optimum performance. During the data transfer to the PC the power supply can also be provided through an optional power supply unit. For fast and easy transmission of digital images to the computer the MINOX DC 5011 has a digital USB port and it also features a video interface for viewing the pictures on TV. Using the provided software the pictures can be viewed conveniently on the PC and can also be touched up if required.
Nice, compact dimensions of 91 x 61,9 x 27 mm make the MINOX DC 5011 attractive to all users and easy to carry. This new digital camera from MINOX is a positive alternative for photographers looking for an economical digital camera which with natural color rendition and high resolution will satisfy the most discerning tastes in compact cameras.
Included with the new MINOX DC 5011 are two AA batteries, a wrist strap, USB and video cable, CD-ROM with software and drivers as well as an Operator?s Manual.
Technical Information MINOX DC 5011
Image Sensor:
5.0 megapixels CCD Sensor
Resolution:
2.560 x 1.920 pixels / 2.048 x 1.536 pixels / 1.280 x 960 pixels / 640 x 480 pixels
Colour:
8-bit RGB
Lens:
Autofocus MINOCTAR lens
Aperture:
f/2,8 ? f/4,8 mm / f = 5,4 - 16,2 mm (corresponds to 32-96 mm with 35 mm format)
Shutter speed:
1/1000 sec
Zoom:
3x optical, 4x digital
White Balance:
Auto, Manual (daylight, cloudy, sunset, fluorescent, incandescent light)
Display:
2,5? TFT-colour display
Flash:
integrated
Flash program:
auto, fill-in, red-eye-reduction, night, off
ISO sensitivity:
auto, ISO 50/100/200m
Self timer:
10 sec., 2 sec./ 10+2 sec.
Memory:
16 MB internal memory, SD card up to 512 MB
Language support:
German, Englisch, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified)
Software:
Photo Explorer 8.0, Photo Express 5.0
System requirements:
Windows 98/98SE/2000/ME/XP; Mac OS 9.0 or later
Connectors:
USB, power supply unit, video (NTSC or PAL)
Power supply:
2x batteries type AA Alkaline, power supply adapter
Dimensions:
91 x 61,9 x 27 mm
Weight:
140 g
Accessories included:
2x AA batteries, wrist cord, USB-cable, video cable, CD-ROM, Manual
Reinacker Compares 3 Photo-Sharing Sites.
Greg Reinacker of NewsGator has written up reviews for Flickr, Zoto and Smugmug.
He compares each of these to his personal basic requirements:
- Lots of storage space and bandwidth (I wanted to upload high-quality original images, from 2-4MB each)
- Galleries, where I could group my own photos together (by trip, subject, etc)
- Ability to password-protect certain galleries
- Ability to customize interface if I want to
- Relatively professional appearance (in case I happen to shoot a Pulitzer prize winner
- Reasonable cost
He says that Flickr did not look professional enough because of its non unique URLs
He found Zoto too slow and lack of customer support.
He found Smugmug to be just right.
Check out his Smugmug site by clicking here.