Photography Review Blog

Kodak EasyShare S730 Digital Picture Frame

aquadog — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:53:16 +0000

Kodak announced their new built-in rechargeable battery digital picture frame, the EasyShare S730, which lets users “unplug and share”. The battery powered digital picture frame allows for new ways to enjoy and share digital images.

The EasyShare S730 also features the capacity to store up to 8000 pictures with 1 GB internal memory, Quick Touch Border with touch-sensitive controls, Dynamic collage mode, Picture Finder feature, Plug-and-play operation by just inserting a memory card or USB flash drive, and a 7 inch digital photo display.

The Kodak EasyShare S730 Digital Picture Frame is available now in Europe for €149 and will be available in the United States and Canada for $139.00 US beginning September, 2009.

Kodak EasyShare S730 Digital Picture Frame Press Release

AgfaPhoto DC-600uw Digital Camera

aquadog — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:17:16 +0000

Today, AgfaPhoto has announced the DC-600uw underwater and outdoor digital camera. The AgfaPhoto DC-600uw features a 2.4 inch display, 6 megapixel resolution, 5x digital zoom, face tracking, up to ISO 1600 sensitivity, the ability to take videos with sound in YouTube format, and water-resistant at depths of up to 10 meters.

The AgfaPhoto DC-600uw’s construction protects it from dust, dirt and accidental drops.

The AgfaPhoto DC-600uw will be available in July 2009.

AgfaPhoto DC-600uw Digital Camera Press Release

SanDisk 32GB Extreme SDHC Card

aquadog — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:54:08 +0000

SanDisk has released the 32GB Extreme SDHC card, the world’s fastest 32 gigabyte SDHC card on the market.

The 32GB Extreme SDHC card features Class 10 performance, up to 30 megabytes per second (MB/s) read and write speeds, large storage up to 2500 RAW images, and operation at extended temperatures ranging from minus 13 F (minus 25 C) to 185 F (85 C). These features help digital photographers utilize the advanced features of today’s DSLR cameras.

The SanDisk 32GB Extreme SDHC card will be available in August 2009.

SanDisk 32GB Extreme SDHC Card Press Release

Western Digital My Book World Edition II 4 TB NAS Drive

Photo-John — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:49:02 +0000

Western Digital has introduced a new high-capacity external drive for Mac and Windows computer users. The My Book World Edition II is a dual-drive network attached storage (NAS) system offering as much as 4 terabytes of storage. The Western Digital My Book World Edition II uses a RAID 1 configuration to safely store data on two separate drives. If one drive fails, photos, videos and other data will be protected on the mirror drive.

Photographers need lots of digital storage - even a casual photographer can quickly accumulate hundreds of gigabytes of photos these days. Losing photos because of a drive failure is unacceptable. Network attached storage (NAS) devices like the WD My Book World Edition II used to be mysterious boxes managed by IT professionals for companies that had to store tons of critical data. Guess what? Photographers have huge amounts of critical data to store. And NAS devices have come a long way in the past couple of years. The WD My Book World Edition II is about the same size as a standard high-capacity USB drive and installation and there’s no need for a computer programming degree to set up your drive. And since it’s a NAS device, not only does it store and back up your photos (or videos, iTunes library, etc.), it also makes them available through a network - or even remotely with the included MioNet remote access software and an Ethernet connection.

The new WD My Book World Edition II is available now in 2 and 4 GB versions for $399.99 and $699.99, respectively.

Official WD My Book World Edition II Press Release
Official WD My Book World Edition II Web Page

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Pentax Optio W80 Waterproof Digital Camera

Photo-John — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:24:06 +0000

Pentax introduced the first waterproof digital camera in 2005 - the 5-megapixel Pentax Optio WP. Five Optio W cameras later, Pentax announces their latest and greatest – the Pentax Optio W80. The Optio W80 increases resolution to 12 megapixels and adds shock resistance, cold resistance, a 5x wide-angle zoom lens and waterproofing has been increased to handle depths up to 16 feet (5 meters).

This is the year of the waterproof digital camera - everybody’s doing it. We’ve gone from two manufacturers and a couple of waterproof digital cameras per year to five new waterproof cameras and three new players (Canon, Fujifilm and Panasonic) at PMA this spring. It’s not enough for these cameras to just be waterproof now, either. To really kick some booty, a camera needs to be shockproof as well as waterproof.

Frankly, Pentax was starting to lag a little behind with their waterproof camera features - until now. The new Optio W80 is droppable, dunkable, and freezable. It can capture 720p HD video and the 5x optical zoom lens (28-140mm equivalent) offers more zoom range than any other waterproof digital camera. Spec-wise, the W80 is waterproof to 16 feet (5 meters), shockproof from 3.3 feet (1 meter) and it will operate in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius). The 28mm wide end of the zoom is even a real wide-angle – not something you get with every underwater digital camera. The W80 also has Face Detection, Auto Picture mode, Auto Macro, AF Assist, and D-Range to protect highlight and shadow detail. To help keep photos sharp, Pentax has the Pixel Track SR mode. This is a different image stabilization strategy than the traditional optical or sensor-shift solutions. It’s also different than digital image stabilization modes that increase camera sensitivity for faster shutter speeds that can freeze action. Instead, Pixel Track SR uses a dedicated processor to analyze images at the pixel level and correct for camera shake. The W80 also has High-Sensitivity SR and Movie SR modes. I haven’t seen the Pixel Track SR system in action so I can’t say how well it works. But I’m very curious and look forward to testing it.

Performance is number one and we need to see how the new Pentax W80 holds up in the water as well as what the image quality is like. Image quality is the main area where underwater digital cameras really have room to improve. I have yet to use one that impressed me with its image quality. For some reason, the camera makers always compromise on image quality with waterproof cameras. It’s been a while since we’ve tested one of the Pentax Optio cameras and I’m curious about the image quality from the W80’s 12-megapixel sensor. Maybe the new Pentax W80 will be the first point-and-shoot digital camera to finally offer a rugged, waterproof build with great image quality. I hope we get one soon so we can find out if this is the one.

Pentax Optio W80 Press Release

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Pentax Optio W80 Fact Sheet >>
Pentax Optio W80 Photos >>

Adobe Updates Camera RAW and Lightroom Software

Photo-John — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:53:14 +0000

Adobe has updated their Camera RAW 5.4 and Lightroom 2.4 digital photography software. Support for new cameras, including the Nikon D5000, Canon Rebel T1i / 500D / EOS Kiss X3 Digital, Olympus E-620, Pentax K7, the Panasonic Lumix GH1 and 18 Hasselblad digital cameras has been added.

Besides updating the list of supported cameras, the Lightroom update also corrects some problems with the previous version. The Camera RAW 5.4 update replaces Camera RAW from Adobe Photoshop CS4 and is available as a free download for registered Photoshop CS4 users. The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4 update is available as a free update to registered Lightroom 2 owners. I’m looking forward to managing and converting my Olympus E-620 and Nikon D5000 RAW files with my Lightroom - I’m gonna go download my upgrade now!

For a complete list of cameras supported by Adobe Camera RAW 5.4 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4, visit the Adobe Camera RAW page.

To download the Adobe Camera RAW 5.4 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4 updates, visit the Adobe software updates page.

Kingston 128GB DataTraveler 200 USB Flash Drive

aquadog — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:53:09 +0000

Kingston Technology has announced the world’s first 128GB USB Flash drive, the DataTraveler 200 (DT200). The 128GB DT200’s large storage capacity is great for storing complete libraries of music, photos and videos. The DataTraveler 200 also features password protection, a five-year warranty and 24/7 tech support.

The Kingston DataTraveler 200 is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities for $120.00, $213.00, and $546.00, respectively.

Kingston 128GB DataTraveler 200 USB Flash Drive Press Release

Kodak Retires Kodachrome Slide Film

Photo-John — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:14:46 +0000

Kodak is discontinuing production of their iconic Kodachrome slide film. Kodachrome is, without a doubt, one of the best known and most used film-types in history. With an absolutely recognizable look, it defined color photography in the sixties and seventies and I’d be willing to bet it was used for more National Geographic photos than any other color film. However, digital cameras, new film technology and the technical difficulty of processing Kodachrome have made it less and less popular.

They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
Kodachrome - by Paul Simon

I worked at photo labs through the nineties and handled and printed plenty of Kodachrome film. This was at a time when excellent new transparency films like Fujifilm’s Velvia and Provia, and Kodak’s own Ektachrome E100 emulsions were growing in popularity. The new slide films had more color saturation, a better tonal range, and unlike Kodachrome, which had to be sent to a special processing center, the new E-6 slide films could be dropped off at your local pro lab for processing. I was actually not a big fan of Kodachrome. It was very difficult to make a good print from it and the color palette wasn’t as pleasing to my eye as the newer slide films. That said, Kodachrome has a distinctive - even historical - look that no other color film has. The only other film-type I can think of that is as important historically is Kodak’s Tri-X black-and-white film. Both of those films were revolutionary for photographers and each defined photography in its own way. Although it hasn’t been the film of choice for a few of decades now, when I think of National Geographic, I picture the color and tones of Kodachrome.

Kodak has created an online Kodachrome tribute gallery featuring famous photos made with Kodachrome slide film. I encourage readers to browse the gallery - I guarantee everyone will recognize some of the photos there. The final rolls of Kodachrome will be donated to the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester New York. And National Geographic photographer, Steve McCurry, will shoot one of those final rolls of Kodachrome.

Official Kodachrome Retirement Press Release
Kodachrome Tribute Page

Featured User Review: Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO DX 12-24mm f/4 Zoom Lens

aquadog — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:38:55 +0000

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Featured Review: Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO DX 12-24mm f/4 Zoom Lens

by sfpeter ( Intermediate)

Price Paid: $400.00 from Online
Review Date: June 20, 2009
Used product for: More than 1 year

Overall Rating: 5 of 5
Value Rating: 4 of 5

Summary:
The 12-24mm Tokina is an ultrawide angle lens intended for DX sensor format cameras. It gets the job done, although it’s not perfect. (Mine’s is for a Nikon.)

The build quality is good, and reliability wise I’ve had no problems in 3 years of service.

Ultra-wides are a unique class of lenses that tend to be neglected in all the rush to see who’s got the biggest zoom. A lot of people also don’t know how to best use them, as too commonly someone gets one and the first picture they take is outside in the open, which looks no different than any other lens.

These are best for when you can’t get far enough away from a subject with a normal lens, most recently I used it at a car show where I simply couldn’t get more than 3-4 feet away from the cars without being stuck in the passing crowd.

These are also used for bringing your viewers right into the picture, such as standing in the doorway of a room and capturing all of it in one shot.

Strengths:
at F4 (constant) it’s reasonably fast.

Allows pictures to be taken that simply could not be done otherwise.

Nice color rendition, contrast doesn’t seem noticeably different from my other DX lenses.

Autofocus is acceptably fast, but see below.

Zoom scale is evenly and widely spaced, this is good compared to some lenses where the scale is crunched up on one end and spread out on the other, and makes controlling your framing easier.

Manual focus is easy to engage and use.

Sturdy metal construction.

Light falloff in the corners does not appear to be an issue.

Weaknesses:
As with all ultrawides using the sun hood is required, and it is a very big lens.

Distortion is also an issue, which is common to ultrawides.

The autofocus is a screw drive, so cameras lacking an internal focus motor (D40) are out of luck.

No aperture ring for manual work.

Past about 14mm the lens distorts severely in the corners, how badly this effects your shot depends on the subject, crowds of people at 12mm will have the ones in the corner look like a funhouse.

This is a DX lens, using it on a full frame camera (FX, such as the D700) will result in vignetting past about 18mm, and at 12mm it’s like looking down a tube.

Similar Products Used:
Upwards of 40 Nikon, Tokina, Tamron, and Russian lenses.

Customer Service:
Haven’t used.

Nik Software Lightroom 2 Update

Photo-John — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:37:38 +0000

Nik Software’s Complete Collection is now compatible with both Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture photo management and workflow software packages. The Nik Complete Collection includes all five of their award-winning photography software titles: Sharpener Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza and Dfine Pro. There is a downloadable update available on the Nik Web site. The update adds compatibility for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0. If you have a registered copy of the Nik Complete Collection or any of the individual titles you can download and install the update for free.

To download the Nik Software Complete Collection update or learn more, please visit the Nik Software Web site:

Nik Software Update Page