The new Canon PowerShot S90 showed up at my door last week. The S-Series cameras have been missing from the Canon PowerShot lineup for a few years. Essentially, the S-Series offers G-Series image quality and performance in a pocket-sized package. Like previous S-Series PowerShot digital cameras, the Canon S90 has the same 10-megapixel sensor as its big brother, the G11. For people who want G11 image quality on the trail, in their pocket, in the briefcase or in their purse, it’s the camera to have.
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Today, Western Digital announced the WD TV Live HD media player. It allows users to play high definition videos, music and photos stored on USB, network drives, digital cameras, camcorders, portable media players and popular Web sites, on their HD television in the home. The new TV Live HD media player offers a more responsive interface to help users enjoy a world of digital content in their living room, without a computer. The WD TV Live media player features powerful media processing, which enables playback in Full-HD 1080p resolution. Read the rest of this entry »

Corel has announced the new Corel Digital Studio 2010 software. It allows users to integrate photos and videos to make simple, fast and fun projects. With Corel Digital Studio 2010 you can make one-click fixes to your photos and videos, create a photo book, make slideshows or home movies complete with your own soundtrack, and burn high-definition DVDs. Read the rest of this entry »

I visited the Lowepro booth at PMA this year and got some demos of new camera cases, including the cool new Flipside 400 AW backpack. I’m seeing more and more innovation in camera backpack design - especially when it comes to quick camera access. The Flipside 400 AW is full-featured pro-sized camera backpack with a neat new twist that should make all outdoor photographers excited.
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This year’s PMA tradeshow was my first chance to see the Sony Alpha A900 in person. They previewed it behind glass at last year’s show and finally introduced it at Photokina, in the fall. The Sony A900 is a 24-megapixel, full-frame, professional digital SLR, and the first and only digital SLR with an image-stabilized full-frame sensor. The A900 shows how serious Sony is about being a major player in the DSLR business. It has all the features and performance a professional digital SLR should have. And it’s built like a tank, as a pro digital SLR body should be. I think pro DSLR bodies should be able to double as a weapon. If someone tries to steal your camera you can knock them out with it.
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Canon announced two new tilt/shift lenses just before the annual PMA tradeshow. The TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II and the TS-E 17mm f/4L Tilt-Shift lenses were both on display at Canon’s PMA booth, although they wouldn’t let us mount either one on smartwombat’s Canon EOS 1Ds because they’re still in prototype form. They did let us play with them on their cameras, though. I got one of the reps to give me a little demo, which I shot a video of. It shows all the different movements and we talk a little about what tilt/shift lenses are for.
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I first became aware of camera bag maker Shootsac, via photographers on Twitter. I got to see the bags for this first time at the annual PMA tradeshow, last week. They’re very simple, attractive and a really good idea for wedding and event photographers who need to keep critical lenses and a flash on their body while they’re working. Carrying around a pro-sized big camera bag or backpack isn’t practical or effective when you’re working an event. You can’t get things in or out fast enough, and a packed pro case is no good for your shoulder or back. If you try to work out of your big bag, you end up having to run back and forth and risk missing shots because you don’t have the right lens when you need it. The Shootsac keeps your most important gear readily available so you can grab it when you need it.
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I think the most impressive thing I saw at PMA this year was Hoya’s new HD filter demo. “HD” in this case stands for “hardened,” not high definition. The glass is made to withstand the impact of steel balls dropped from a height of 50 inches. So the filter is impressive in and of itself. But the demo surprised the hell out of me and I had to make a video. I’ll leave it at that and let the video say the rest.
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I shot this video of the Olympus E-620 box opening on February 11th, two weeks before the camera was officially announced. Getting pre-release camera gear is fun! I love opening up a box, not really knowing what’s inside and getting to be one of the first people to see something. And it’s even better when I get to share it with you!
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