After much grief, we’ve learnt that along with a good Camera and Lens, a decent Tripod is a must. We now use a Bogen Manfrotto 725B tripod with integrated ballhead ($112.90).
More than adequate for point and shoot cameras, the Bogen Manfrotto 725B can also take the weight of DSLRs like the Nikon D80 and the 18-135mm kit lens.
Las Vegas Blvd a.k.a. the Strip is where all the action is in Las Vegas. Most of the big casinos like Bellagio, Venetian, Mirage, Caesars and Bally’s are located on the strip.
This was our first serious shot at night photography. We used a Canon S80 8MP point & shoot digital camera.
Shutter Priority Mode
Shutter Speed - 5 sec
Aperture - 8.0
Focal Length - 5.8mm
ISO - 50
White Balance - Auto
Tripod - Manfrotto 725B
In the distance you can see Lincoln Memorial (white building) while in the foreground are the many tombstones of fallen American soldiers.
Sony is attacking its rivals Canon, Nikon and Panasonic in the digital SLR market with a new offering - the DSLR-A700 - targeted at photo enthusiasts and serious photo hobbyists.
Sony A700 DSLR
Like the older A100 model, the new A700 also features image stabilization in the camera body itself and compatibility with most Minolta Maxxum mount lenses besides the Sony lenses.
For the A700, Sony has developed a new BIONZ processing engine that’s optimized to process picture information at high speeds and reduce picture noise in the RAW data stage before final image compression and encoding.
Highlights of the Sony A700 include:
* 12.2 Megapixels CMOS Sensor
* Maximum shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second
* 14 Creative styles
* HDMI output for connection to HDTV sets
* Separate slots for Memory Stick Duo and CompactFlash media cards
Sony also introduced two new lenses - DT 16-105mm F.3.5-5.6 and the DT 18-250mm f3.5-6.3. The two lenses cost $580 and $550 respectively.
Priced at $1,400 (body only), the A700 and the two lenses are
Whoa, the battle in the digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) market sure is heating up.
Less than a fortnight after Canon and Nikon unveiled new DSLR cameras, Panasonic on Thursday rolled out a new 10 megapixel digital SLR camera - DMC-L10.
The second DSLR camera in Panasonic’s portfolio, the DMC-L10 offers a 10.1 megapixel Live MOS Sensor, a Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50mm f3.8-5.6 lens, 2.5-inch LCD display that can rotate 270 degrees, optical image stabilization and a Supersonic Wave Filter system to prevent dust collecting on the sensor.
The DMC-L10 includes a Face Detection technology to focus, set auto exposure and detect up to 15 human faces simultaneously.
Panasonic executives are positioning the DMC-L10 as a bridge for consumers transitioning from a compact digital camera.
Priced at Continue Reading…
Just days after Canon debuted two new DSLRs, Nikon is hitting back with two new digital Single Lens Reflex cameras - the high-end D3 and the lightweight D300 for serious amateurs.
Highlights of the Nikon D3 include a 12.1 megapixel FX format (36.0×23.9mm) full frame image sensor with 12-channel read out, 9 fps frame rate, expandable ISO settings from 200-6400, 51-Point autofocus system, 3-inch VGA LCD screen with Live View and the EXPEED image processing system.
A new Picture Control system (replaces the existing Color Mode settings) in the D3 lets users manipulate images in camera to reduce post processing time.
The D3 offers dual CompactFlash card slots for Continue Reading…
Feeling the heat from Nikon, Canon has launched two new digital SLR cameras - EOS40D and the EOS-1Ds Mark III.
The EOS40D is aimed at the amateur and semi-professional.
Highlights of the EOS40D include:
* 10.1 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
* 6.5fps, 75 JPEG image burst
* High precision wide area AF
* 3.0″ LCD with Live View mode
* DIGIC III processor
* EOS Integrated Cleaning System
* Picture Style
* Magnesium alloy body
* Compatibility with all EF/EF-S lenses and EX Speedlites
The EOS40D is expected to cost $1,300 (body only).
Canon also rolled out the Continue Reading…