Archive for March 27th, 2006
Canon launches new EOS 30D camera
By Joyce Au-Yong
The Edge Daily
Canon Marketing Malaysia has unveiled its latest digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera, the EOS 30D, a successor to its previous EOS 20D multi-range D-SLR camera.
Designed based on the older EOS 20D model, the new EOS 30D has several new features and enhancements that make it stand out from other competitors
“Through incorporating feedback from our EOS users with our strong heritage in imaging, we have developed a next generation digital SLR that will live up to the EOS reputation for superior performance at its price point,†said Canon’s senior director and general manager, Richard Yeow.
He was speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur on March 16 after the unveiling of EOS 30D.
Among some of the features that the EOS 30D offers include a larger LCD screen, measuring 2.5 inches, 1.9 times larger than the EOS 20D. It also has the ability to store as many as 9,999 pictures.
Equipped with a DIGIC II image processor (to enhance and speed up the image processing speed) and a CMOS image sensor (to produce pictures with less noise), the EOS 30D provides users with sharper and clearer pictures.
Another unique characteristic includes the interchangeable lens system. Previous EF and EF-S lenses as well as EOS accessories will fit into this new model, thus giving past users a stronger incentive to continue using Canon’s products.
“As more photographers begin to take their photography seriously, we believe that this affordable camera will be highly sought after serve as a launching pad into our EOS system, renowned as the world’s most comprehensive interchangeable lens system and huge range of flash units and accessories,†said Yeow.
The EOS 30D is retailed at RM5,499 for just the camera alone. With the additional EF18-55 lens, it retails at RM5,899.
March 27th, 2006
One camera. Many lenses.
PC Authority, Online Â
Dan Rutter’s column in Atomic 62, Enough with the megapixels, already!, talked a lot about, oddly enough, megapixel counts on consumer-level digital cameras. While he did make a great point about megapixels no longer being much of a benchmark for camera performance – ie. more doesn’t necessarily mean better – he only touched on the other critical part of any camera, digital or analog – the lens.
A camera is only as good as the lens it’s attached to and, if you buy yourself a Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera you’ll more than likely be able to remove and replace the camera’s lens
Why is this important? Why is your 3-megapixel Sony Cybershot not going to compete with a Nikon D70 or Canon 300D? True, the two latter cameras have superior image sensors and processors, but they can also support a variety of lenses. The fixed lens on the cheaper camera is exactly that — cheap. Not only that, it’s designed to cope with all sorts of situations, from landscape to portrait to macro. This presents a number of design challenges, some of which cannot be overcome.
Like the human eye, a lens is designed to focus light onto a sensor (for us, that would be the retina). And, just like your eye, a lens has to focus. If you have a bad lens then it’s not going to focus that light properly onto the sensor and you’ll end up with a fuzzy image, or one with bad colours. Lenses can cause a range of problems, from chromatic aberration (glowing purple edges on sharp colour or contrast transitions), vignetting (a darkening around the edges of the images), distortion (usually only found to a serious degree on large-range focal length lens like 18-125mm) and blurring. Obviously, a consumer-level camera with a fixed lens will be custom made for that camera, but it will be built to the same price ceiling as that camera and it will severely limit any creative impulses you may have.
Material quality also plays a role. If the lens glass isn’t the greatest, it may diffuse the light before it hits the sensor. A bad lens can even enhance chromatic aberration and no matter how much you play with the lighting you’ll still have problems. This is why people rave about lens from companies like Carl Zeiss, because they are damn nice.
Unfortunately, Carl Zeiss doesn’t make lenses for Canon or Nikon cameras — but you can buy special attachments to get Zeiss lenses for other cameras onto these more affordable models.
To give you an example of the power of interchangeable lenses, here’s a shot I recently took with a fixed focal length 90mm Tamron macro lens. You can’t do these kinds of shots with a kit lens, and there’s no way you can do it with any fixed lens consumer-level camera.
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If you’re going to buy a camera, you might as well get one you can upgrade.
March 27th, 2006
Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 wins ‘Camera of the Year’ award at the second Digital Studio Industry Leadership Awards 2006
AME Info
Panasonic, the leading global manufacturer of consumer electronics, has announced that its newly launched AG-HVX200, the world’s first hand-held high definition solid-state memory camcorder has won the ‘Camera of the Year Award’ at the second Digital Studio Industry Leadership Awards 2006 that was held recently on the sidelines of Cabsat 2006.
The HVX200 uniquely combines multiple high definition and standard definition formats, multiple recording modes and variable frame rates, and the vast benefits of P2 solid state memory recording in a rugged, compact design.
Commenting on the achievement, Ono Asahiko, General Manager, System Solutions, Panasonic Marketing Middle East, said, ‘Ever since the launch of the HVX200, we were confident that it would be an attention-grabber, as it is loaded with a host of features, powerful capabilities and exceptional image quality. Winning this important award is indeed satisfying and the credit goes to the entire team that has been involved in making this product.’
‘The fact that this year witnessed a significant increase in participation from across the Middle East region, makes winning this award all the more special to Panasonic. We are certain that the HVX200 will be a fast-selling product in this market, with a growing number of consumers looking for high quality, multi-format cameras,’ he added.
With the ability to capture images in 21 video formats, the ultra-versatile HVX200 records in high definition in 1080i and 720p in production-proven 100 Mbps DVCPRO HD quality. The DVCPRO HD format offers users cost-effective, intra-frame compression, where each frame stands on its own for editing, and its full 4:2:2 color sampling allows the image to hold up under color correction.
The camcorder has two P2 card slots and offers a variety of record modes including hot-swap recording to ensure continuous recording. With the P2, all moving parts are eliminated from the recording path, which ensures that the HVX200 is extremely reliable and resistant to environmental conditions including the shock and humidity that threaten camcorders based on mechanical recording transports. Moreover, for operator convenience, the camcorder is highly customizable with features including six user scene files, three user setup buttons, and Camera Setup Memory.
March 27th, 2006
Digital camera developments
A phone that takes 3.2 MP photos is due soon
By Eric Gwinn/Chicago Tribune
Tucson, Arizona
A friend of mine who is a professional film photographer recently shot a kids’ party. After she took the first photo, the kids crowded around her to look for their faces on the back of the camera.
“Sorry, kids,” she had to say. “It’s not that kind of camera.”
Our expectations of what cameras are sure has changed. As spring nears, here’s what’s blooming in the field of digital cameras:
Some JVC Camcorders get own DVD burner
JVC has come out with a DVD burner for three of the company’s Everio camcorders. The DVD burner, called the Share Station, connects by USB cable to the new Everio GZMG27, GZ-MG37 and GZ-MG77 cameras, and turns home video into DVDs without using a computer.
The Share Station works with DVD-R/-RW disks, and you can use it as a DVD burner for your computer running Windows XP or Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 4).
The Share Station, $200, is available at JVC.com online.
Ready for your eBay closeup?
Casio’s new EX-Z60 Exilim Zoom camera has an eBay Easy Shot mode that takes photos at a size optimized for displaying on eBay.
The EX-Z60 will be available April 17 for $250 at Casio.com online.
Head-to-head contest winners
The Digital Imaging Marketing Association picked three top point-and-shoot cameras in its 10th annual Digital Shoot-out. The competition, held amid the recent Photo Marketing Association’s convention in Orlando, pitted 17 cameras from seven manufacturers against one another. A photographer used the cameras to shoot a model in a studio, and four journalist-judges looked for color accuracy and quality of the print. The winners:
The 4.0-megapixel HP Photosmart M22 (at HP.com) took the $100-$199 category.
The waterproof Pentax Optio W10 (at PentaxImaging.com) won the $200-$299 category.
The 6.2-megapixel HP Photosmart R717 (at HP.com) topped the $300-$399 category.
Sony Ericsson announces 3.2-megapixel phone
Sony Ericsson is coming out this summer with a new line of camera phones, called Cyber-shots, that will include a 3.2-megapixel model. That’s a lot of pixels in the land of 2.1-megapixel camera phones.
The phone will capture video, play MP3 music files and 3-D video games, and work with UMTS and EDGE phone networks.
The K790 Cyber-shot camera phone will be available at SonyEricsson.com online. Prices will be announced.
March 27th, 2006
Get Most Out Of Digital Camera
March 26, 2006/ Hartford Courant
By JAIN LEMOS, Special to The Los Angeles Times
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Getting the most out of your new digital camera requires knowing about more than megapixels and compression. It also requires knowing your strengths and weaknesses.
Nature lovers often do well photographing rose petals or sunsets. Graphically oriented people recognize natural patterns or unique signs. Are you ultra-organized or carefree on a trip? Should you set aside extra time to take and organize your shots?
Acknowledging such things about yourself can help you prepare your camera equipment in ways that will help you get the most from your efforts. Know your camera’s strengths and weaknesses – as well as your own – before taking off for vacation. Here are some of the keys:
Practice, practice. Affordable compact digital cameras with professional features are finally here. For just a few hundred dollars, palm-sized models now come with higher resolution, longer battery life and larger capacity. They also have more menus to scroll through and option lists that can intimidate even tech-savvy users. Become familiar with your camera’s capabilities immediately, taking test shots over several days.
Start with the lens. Does it zoom, and to what magnitude? Practice zooming, then try duplicating the same shot by walking forward instead of zooming. Zooming causes more camera shake, so steady your shot by holding your elbows closer to your body. Also, turn the camera to the side or point it slightly upward for alternative angles.
Next, get in sync with the cycling time between shots (called “shutter lag”). Don’t get frustrated when you want to press the shutter button and the camera’s processor needs to recycle. Experiment with exposure times by shooting a moving subject on fast and slow speeds.
Built-in flash units on most compacts extend light only a few feet in front of the photographer, and red-eye or overexposure is often the result. Experiment with your flash indoors in low light and outside in shade.
Be sure to read the manual and visit the manufacturer’s website. Now is a good time for a more thorough review of the instructions. If the camera has preset modes such as macro, landscape and portrait settings, look at the instruction booklet examples and try to duplicate the shots.
This is also the time to understand the model’s various image compression settings to calculate how many images you can store on each memory card.
Finally, make a habit of running through a short mental checklist every time you pick up your camera:
Check batteries.
Check room on memory card, or that you have an extra one.
Delete unwanted images.
Adjust settings for conditions.
Switch to shooting mode.
Make Photos A Focus
Make photography an activity. Part of relaxing with vacation photography is not feeling pressured to constantly record everything you see. Set aside an hour a day specifically for picture-taking, preferably during the magic hours around sunrise and sunset.
If traveling with companions, try going out alone some days. You’ll be creating a separate vacation within a vacation that only you experience, and your photos will become more personal and less static.
In the morning, gather your equipment and contemplate your day. Perhaps you previously visited a place you would like to capture better or differently. Ask a local to help you get onto the roof of a high building or out to the nearest fishing hole – someplace you wouldn’t normally visit. Browse through local publications or your travel guide to see what images are being published of nearby attractions.
Digital photography also means you’ll need time for housekeeping. Deleting excess frames and making caption notes are good tasks to do before bed. If you have a laptop or other separate storage unit, download images off your camera for editing later.
Framing, subject matter, composition and a relaxed state of mind are more important than perfect shooting conditions.
Think about creating an assignment. It can be overwhelming to know what to shoot, even if prepared with a list of places and local contacts to help you. Having a theme in mind helps you link the pictures together.
Start with a clear idea even if something else appears once you’ve set out. The pictures will have a common thread and convey continuity.
Some destinations are image gold mines; many, however, present little else than a dismal sky, an old man and a not-too-attractive dog. It’s easy to get discouraged by trying too hard to make something out of nothing. Wherever you are, you must be visually scanning your surroundings to see if this is where you can take your best photos.
Just as writers are advised to write about what they know, good photographers should take pictures of familiar subjects. For example, if you work one-on-one with people, chances are you will take natural-looking portraits. If you are more mechanically inclined, look for pictures of people at work or play using their environment as a significant background element.
March 27th, 2006