Archive for October, 2006
Pick a budget, ask questions when buying a digital camera
By Gregg Ellman
Belleville News-Democrat, IL
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
It seems that everyone wants a digital camera, but for first-time buyers or those choosing to upgrade, the choice can be a challenge.
Without a dollar figure in mind, buyers can buy a camera with features they will never use.
A high-end camera is great, but is it needed right now? Do you need the best zoom lens along with the highest amount of megapixels? What about memory and batteries?
Just like with any other big purchase, have a game plan before shopping so you don’t end up spending too much to get more than you need.
Start off with a budget: How much can be spent on this camera? Keep in mind, in addition to the new digital camera, there will be additional costs for accessories: camera case, flash, tripod, extra batteries and digital media are just a few options.
Find a camera that fits your budget, feels good in your hands and has basic features.
Learning to work with digital imaging software will build a comfort level and can dictate what features are needed, whether purchasing a digital camera for the first time or upgrading.
To help offset the cost, trade in old film cameras you haven’t used in years. You’ll get more money for them now than if you sell them in a garage sale a few years down the road.
In the case of upgrading to a better digital camera, consider a new camera that uses the same type of memory as the older one. This will help keep the cost down. If you own several sets of rechargeable batteries, consider a new camera that uses the same type of battery, too.
The biggest difference between cameras - and often the most confusing question - is how many megapixels are needed? A megapixel is a standard measurement of image quality. It’s often a topic of discussion in comparing cameras. In many cases, bigger is not better.
Most amateur photographers won’t see a difference in their images with a 6 megapixel camera vs. an 8 megapixel camera.
But there will be a big price difference.
In addition to the cost, higher megapixel cameras also require more memory. Higher megapixel images take up more space on the memory cards, allowing fewer images per card.
The result: more cards and more cost.
If cost is not an issue, go for the new SanDisk 16GB cards selling for $1,049.99 each, and you will be set for life.
Otherwise, keep megapixels in mind. They have a direct relationship to the cost of the camera, the cost of digital memory and to how much memory will be taken up on your computer.
Ignore the digital zoom feature when buying a digital camera.
Digital zoom gets your subject in closer but at a loss in quality. Often, the digital zoom feature magnifies imperfections in the image. Make sure that the camera’s feature is set to warn the user if it’s going into a digital zoom mode.
What is more important is the optical zoom feature.
Optical zoom uses the optics of the lens to bring your subject closer to you, thus resulting in much better quality.
Image editing software is recommended to enlarge an image in a better way then the digital zoom features in the camera.
Once it’s done in the camera, it’s done and can’t be changed. With image editing software, you can see the results and choose to go back to the original digital image.
Digital cameras with better optical zoom will allow for a greater variety of pictures, but this feature adds to the cost.
The lower-end digital cameras will advertise their digital zoom features as an advantage. In this case, the higher cost for a better optical zoom feature is well worth the money.
There are many other digital camera features to consider: built-in flash, size of rear display, shooting modes and ISO settings. So do your research before making your purchase, and get what fits your needs.
October 31st, 2006
Child ‘paparazzi’ snap DRC at election time
Mail & Guardian Online, South Africa
Bwinja Bwinja points his digital camera at a ripped election poster of presidential hopeful Jean-Pierre Bemba and snaps away. The 12-year-old boy’s camera has given him a special role in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s historic election.
At night he sleeps with his 10 brothers and sisters in a freight container and an old bus burned and caked in lava from a 2002 eruption of the nearby Niyarongo volcano in this eastern Congolese city.
But by day, Bwinja Bwinja takes pictures to document the run-up to the voting day intended to set his vast, volatile country — impoverished and scarred by five years of war — on the road to stability.
“The idea was to see the elections through the eyes of a person who is not old enough to vote and who has no ideology,” says Sekombi Katondolo of the non-government group Yole! Africa, organising the photography project.
In June the group, in a project supported by the Belgian production company Balthazar, gave digital cameras to three boys aged 12 to 15, chosen from among DRC’s poorest families.
Since then, the boys have been taking pictures of the country as it prepared for its first full multiparty elections in 46 years. The results will be exhibited in Brussels in May next year.
“The elections are an opportunity. We have a job to do,” said 15-year-old Tonton, another of the boys given a camera by Yole! Africa, who have since earned the nickname “the paparazzi”.
After July’s first-round presidential vote, the decisive run-off between current President Joseph Kabila and his rival Bemba takes place on Sunday at the end of an often tense electoral process that has been marred by violence.
One of Bwija Bwija’s photographs shows pedestrians filing past beneath an electoral billboard of Kabila, who took over as president of his country in 2001 after the assassination of his father.
The experiment with the cameras, which also aims to help boys like Bwija Bwija integrate into society, has its critics.
“People say, what good is it to give them cameras if they have nothing to eat and if they are poorly clothed?” said Sekombi. “That touched us. [So] we bought them clothes and soap so they could wash, and we fed them.”
As Bwinja Bwinja photographs Bemba’s poster, other boys, one with bananas balanced on his head, stop to stare in surprise, then stand behind him to peer at the images displayed on his digital device.
“Later, I would like to take photos or make films to improve my life,” says Bwija Bwija, who wears a belt tightened double around his skinny waist. “The first thing I will do when I have money is buy a camera.” - AFP
October 30th, 2006
Cuban boy denied prize by Nikon
Shinichiro Nakajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
The Daily Yomiuri, Japan
Nikon Corp. has invoked a backlash in Cuba by refusing to send a 12-year-old Cuban boy the digital camera he won as a prize in an international painting contest, citing economic sanctions imposed on Cuba by the United States.
Nikon, as a cohost of the contest, presented digital cameras to all the other children who won prizes at the U.N. Environment Program’s International Children’s Painting Competition ceremony held in Algeria in June.
But the Tokyo-based company skipped Raysel Sosa from Cuba, because the camera contained U.S.-made parts that are prohibited from being exported to Cuba by the U.S. government, and gave him a painting set instead.
The incident attracted attention in the Cuban media, including a paper published by the youth cadre of the Cuban Communist Party, saying that Nikon has humiliated the boy.
Cuban President Fidel Castro gave Sosa a digital camera as a gift last Wednesday, after the media reported the news. The boy rejoiced when he was handed the surprise gift by Deputy Health Minister Roberto Gonzalez, on behalf of the ailing president.
A Nikon spokesman said, “We disappointed the boy due to a lack of considerations on our side, even though it was a consequence of obeying the export regulations.”
The spokesman added that Nikon is considering giving Sosa a camera that does not conflict with the U.S. export ban.
(Oct. 30, 2006)
October 30th, 2006
Moms Mean Money To Digital Camera Makers
PC Magazine
The saying, “Moms mean business” holds particularly true in the digital photo industry. Experts at the Digital Imaging conference on Wednesday agreed that mothers are taking back the lead when it comes to photography.
Tara Bunch, vice president of digital imaging for Hewlett-Packard, calls the mommy the new CMO: chief memory officer.
I am personally excited to hear that the mom is back. I am a mom and it’s good to be back,” Bunch said. “I call the mom the CMO because you have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and the mom is the one sending pictures of the kids and the family and this role in the family is a critical one.”
Panelists at the conference viewed this change as a positive thing. Early adopters of digital photography were men. Moms are the late adopters, meaning the industry is well matured, they said.
“Printed retail picked up when cameras went mainstream because it came back to the mom,” said Dan Gilbert, vice president of marketing for Hewlett-Packard’s digital photography and entertainment imaging and printing group, “We have been surprised by the link between the consumer and the online retail. In my mind that is a positive step in the industry.”
Digital Cameras Survey
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Controlling Your Digital Camera from Afar
Great Cameras for Back to School
But how do you capitalize on Mom and her photo sharing ways?
“We’ve completed the transition from film to digital and now we’re in this lull where we’re waiting for the next thing to happen,” said Josh Weisberg of Microsoft. “Consumers are taking a lot of pictures but they’re not spending any more money.”
When film was the photography standard, there was an easy profit channel. Consumers bought film and paid to have it developed. Now digital photography costs next to nothing, flash memory cards are easily rewriteable, and most pictures live on a hard drive or an online sharing site where little or no money is exchanged.
Meanwhile, the digital camera is omnipresent. It’s no longer a family device, panelists said. It is now a personal device – particularly as more mobile phones fuse with better quality cameras.
“Cell phones with cameras will start to replace $249-$299 phones within two years,” said Ned Bunnell, vice president of marketing for Pentax Imaging. “If you don’t believe me, look at our kids. But we haven’t yet seen the right camera cell phone. Its coming, folks. When we’re here a year from now, I’ll show it to you.”
The problem is that most images that come from mobile phone cameras live and die on the camera. There are sites that allow users to share and tag camera phone photos but they are a dime a dozen and certainly don’t have the appeal of, say, Flickr.
“One of the challenges we have is transferring those images and sharing those images,” said Richard Campbell, director of digital imaging products for Panasonic. “How do we do that from device to device? In the very near future, we’ll get to the point where transferring your images will be critical for the consumer but it has to be an easy process.”
One company, Visan, demonstrated a new version of RocketLife, their photo project software that allows users to take their digital snapshots and make albums and posters and all of the fun things that consumers want. Spokespeople at the Visan booth were tightlipped about the launch date and the technology. Julie Anderson, vice president of business development for Visan, could only say that the new version will launch “soon.”
The word of the day at Digital Imaging was “personal.” “Digital imaging is personal,” or “the experience needs to be personal,” or “the devices need to be personal.” But the ecosystem has not completely built itself out yet. With so many photo sharing sites with such different features and subscription models, everyone seems to be waiting to see what will stick with consumers.
“So what is the next big thing?” Mark Kalow, managing director of the Soquel Group, a venture capitalist firm in Santa Cruz, asked over lunch.
Maybe we should ask our moms.
October 20th, 2006
DIGITAL CAMERAS
Canon focuses on No 1 spot
The Nation
Firm to spend Bt100m in attempt to overtake leader Sony
Canon Marketing (Thailand) expects to lead the Kingdom’s digital camera market next year after setting aside a marketing budget of Bt100 million to promote seven recently launched products.
At present, Japan-based Canon is ranked second in digital camera sales in Thailand with a market share of 15-16 per cent and sales of 800,000 units recorded so far this year. Sony is the leader with a 20-per-cent market share.
The company’s director and general manager, Warin Tantipongpanich, said Canon had succeeded in boosting its market share from 10 per cent last year to 15-16 per cent this year.
“We launched products with new technology that meet our customers’ demands and used aggressive marketing campaigns to promote our products, resulting in more people deciding to buy them,” he said.
The company has launched seven digital cameras since the start of September. Three of the cameras belong to Canon’s IXUS range and four to its Power Shot range.
The company has also launched two camcorders and two computer printers in the same period.
“We expect our sales from imaging products, including digital cameras, camcorders and printers, to reach Bt600 million in the last three months of this year thanks to the Bt100-million marketing bud-get we will spend on promoting them during that time,” Warin said.
The company also plans to establish “Canon Shops” by working with retailers to redesign their stores according to a company plan.
The shops will focus on Canon products and will offer services such as teaching customers how to use any products they purchase. The company has set aside a renovation budget of Bt5 million per store and plans to open 10 Canon Shops next year, and 50 by the year 2010.
At present, 75 per cent of Canon Marketing (Thailand) sales come from imaging products with the rest being made up from products such as copiers and scanners.
The company announced sales worth Bt3.3 billion last year, a figure it expects to increase by 30 per cent to Bt4.3 billion this year.
Somluck Srimalee
The Nation
October 18th, 2006
Real cameras have come to mobile super smartphones
iTWire, Australia
While Nokia are releasing the fantastic looking 5 megapixel N95 super smart cameraphone in Q1 2007, Samsung have just released their first 10 megapixel cameraphone exclusively for the South Korean market. Is it a phone with a camera, or a camera with a phone?
Named the SCH-B600, it really does look like a fusion of credit card shaped digital camera, with 3x optical zoom (and camera style protruding lens) and a mobile phone. Previewed at the March 2006 CeBIT show in Hanover, Germany, the phone has finally landed in South Korean stores, with no firm date for release in the rest of the world.
The camera part features 10 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom and a 5x digital zoom and is able to record QVGA (320×240) video at either 15 or 30 frames per second with a 16m colour 2.2-inch LCD screen. On the smartphone side of things, the phone has an mp3 player, a business card reader app to transcribe details of business cards photographed into the contacts list, and TV output for photos and videos. Whether this TV output also relates to web browsing on a TV (or other phone usage as is capable with selected Nokia phones) is unclear at this stage. Additional features include the ability to receive Satellite TV through a built in receiver.
This 10 megapixel model follows on from an 8 megapixel model launched in November 2005, and a 5 megapixel model launched in October 2004, and the only thing Samsung has to do now is to launch it worldwide! We’d love to see it available in local stores.
By contrast, Sony Ericsson and Nokia are only now offering 3.2 megapixel models, with the Sony Ericsson K800i offering a real flash to differentiate itself from the LED flashes used by most competitors, along with ‘Best-Shot’ technology to capture a series of images milliseconds apart so you can choose one, some or all of the resulting images, along with image stabilisation and other excellent features. Sony’s photoblogging feature is also fantastic, although we wish it worked with more than just Blogger, as it does for now. Unfortunately video is recorded at something like a sub 320×240 resolution, which is a shame considering the photo capabilities are so good. No doubt we’ll see improvements in the subsequent version. So, what about Nokia?
October 17th, 2006
Kodak EasyShare V705 review at Photoxels
LetsGoDigital, Netherlands
Kodak EasyShare V705 review at Photoxels : DIWA member Yin Wong from Photoxels has reviewed the Kodak V750 digital camera. The Kodak EasyShare V750 is the world’s smallest ultra-wide-angle optical zoom digital camera. With the Kodak EasyShare V705, consumers can get closer and see the details with 5X optical zoom range, and automatically adjust its setting when choosing from 22 scenes and three color modes. Picture takers can even capture the most expansive shots in just seconds with panorama stitch mode, capturing up to 180 degrees with only 3 shots. The video features include the ability to record VGA video (640 x 480) at 30 fps with sound. The Kodak V570 includes Kodak Retina dual lens technology.
Kodak V705 camera - Optical zoom
According to Yin Wong: “The Kodak V705 provides 3x optical zoom. In the above pictures, we show the coverage for 39mm and then 117mm (35mm equivalent). It takes about 3 sec. to zoom from wide-angle to telephoto. The zooming progression is very smooth; however I counted only 5 steps between wide-angle to tele, and so stopping precisely at the zoom position you want is not easy. We find the overall image quality of the Kodak V705 to be good to very good with low noise at ISO 50, but we would have preferred images to retain more details.”
Kodak EasyShare V750 - Noise reduction
Yin Wong continues: “The Kodak V705 allows the use of a long shutter speed of up to 8 sec. in Manual mode, therefore allowing some limited night photography. It seems to use ISO 50 most (if not all) of the time, probably to keep noise levels in check. Generally, with CCD image sensors, noise usually becomes more prominent at slow shutter speeds. The Kodak V705 has noise reduction (NR) algorithm that automatically kicks in at shutter speeds slower than 0.5 sec. and you’ll notice a longer processing time (approx. twice the exposure time) before the next picture can be taken.” You want to learn more about the Kodak EasyShare camera? Continue to read the Kodak EasyShare V750 review at Photoxels.
About Photoxels
Photoxels was founded in 2002 by MyKhanh Wong (Owner, Editor) and Yin Wong (Contributing Editor), the editors behind Photoxels. In 2001, we went on the Web to learn about digital cameras like everyone else. But it seems that the more we read about digital cameras, the more reviews we scrutinized, and the more we searched… the more confused we became. If we were somewhat confused about which digital cameras to buy before visiting the digital camera review sites, we became even more confused after reading most of the (very) technical reviews. Slowly, one article and one review at a time, we pieced together what were really important to know about digital cameras and clarified many of the digital photography-related terminology. We decided to share what we learned on the Internet, and Photoxels was born.
October 16th, 2006
Samsung SCH-B600 with 10-Megapixel Camera
Wireless Design & Development Asia, Singapore
Samsung has released 10 megapixel mobile phone, SCH-B600. Samsung’s 10 megapixel camera phone (SCH-B600) is 6mm thinner and 10g lighter than the 7 megapixel camera phone (SCH-V770) and sets itself apart from its previous megapixel camera phones by combining mobile TV capability in Satellite standard.
The B600 offers the same level of picture-taking sophistication that a 10 megapixel digital camera offers. The camera function includes 3x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. It also has auto focus and a flash unit that performs optimally for 10 megapixel photographs.
The B600 comes fitted with a LED autofocus feature which assists users to capture clear, crisp photos even in dark settings. Located next to the lens, the LED autofocus determines the distance and utilizes the appropriate focus setting for optimal photo shooting.
The B600 also supports white balance, manual focus, continuous picture-taking, and interval picture-taking functions. It also supports Bluetooth which enables users to send pictures wirelessly to other mobile phones, printers or to Bluetooth headsets. The price of Samsung B600 is about $900.
October 13th, 2006
Ricoh Caplio R5 7.2Mp compact digital camera
The Register
Review Unlike some of the digital camera brands gracing shop shelves, Ricoh can claim a long and surprisingly prestigious photographic heritage, including development of the world’s first mass-produced twin-lens reflex, the RicohFlex III, which launched back in 1950 with a class-leading price and a good quality lens spoilt by soft corners…
Despite some well built and dependable cameras with genuinely decent optics, Ricoh’s low prices and, later, its willingness to replace traditional dials and switches with push-button electronics kept it from gaining the respect it perhaps deserved.
October 12th, 2006
Digital Focus: Photographing Wildlife, Part 1
Animals rarely pose for the camera–good photos require a strategy.
Dave Johnson
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 12:00 AM PDT
Safaris are somewhat passé. These days, folks are more likely to shoot an animal with a camera than a gun. Sometimes, though, that’s easer said than done; animals rarely pose for the camera. This week, let’s talk about how to best capture photos of wildlife, whether in a zoo or while trekking through Yellowstone on your next vacation.
Zoom, Zoom
Traditional wildlife photographers–you know, like the ones that shoot for magazines like “National Geographic”–have a lens as long as the party sub sandwich that your office ordered for the last holiday party. There’s a good reason for that: It’s insanely difficult to get close to most kinds of wild animals, and even if you could get really close, you probably wouldn’t want to. So the alternative is to stay far away, but pull in the action with a powerful zoom.
Consider this photo, for example. Looks great, right? But take a look at the original–I had to crop the image extensively to fill the frame with the little critter.
This is where digital SLRs like the Nikon D50 or the Canon Digital Rebel have a real advantage. Because you can swap lenses, you can invest in a 200mm, 300mm, or even a 500mm lens and snap it into place when you head to the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
If you don’t have an SLR, then you’re stuck with whatever zoom level is available on your point-and-shoot. That can be okay; just remember to turn off your camera’s digital zoom mode, because it isn’t particularly useful. Digital zoom magnifies the pixels in the middle of the frame to simulate more zoom. In other words, it does the same thing you could accomplish with an image editor just by cropping the picture.
Shutter Speed Is Key
The longer your focal length, the more susceptible your photos will be to camera shake and blurry images. In addition, wild animals move quickly and unpredictably, further necessitating a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. That makes wildlife photography the perfect storm for blurry photos–if the long lens doesn’t blur your shot, that lion darting around at the last moment almost certainly will.
As a result, my advice for wildlife photos is simple: shoot at the absolute fastest shutter speed you can muster, all the time. Take no chances. I tend to set my camera to aperture priority mode and set the aperture to the highest setting available, which forces the camera to use the fastest shutter speed.
Here’s an attempt I made at catching a raccoon in action before I had a chance to set the shutter speed high enough; and here’s another shot, just a few minutes later, when I was better prepared.
For tips, read my August column, “Making the Most of Aperture Mode.”
Crank up the ISO
ISO, which measures the camera’s sensitivity to light, is an essential ally when shooting wildlife to eke out a little more shutter speed, and thereby freeze the action. Most people tend to increase ISO only at night, but I’ve found it essential to increase the ISO even in the middle of the day when stalking wild animals. Last year, for example, I was photographing wolves on an overcast winter afternoon. At 3 p.m., I had to push my camera all the way to ISO 3200 just to get exposures around 1/60 second. Yes, higher ISOs will introduce more digital noise into your photos. But it can be worth it, this shot attests.
For more on using this setting, read my January column, “Use ISO to Take Low-Light Photos.”
Tune in next week for some more tips on shooting wildlife.
October 11th, 2006
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