You've probably seen the traditional wedding photography more often than you would like to admit. It's usually a few poses of people standing up together in a group. The typical bride and groom poses are so common you could probably list them off the top of your head at this very moment.
What to Look for in Wedding Photography
The group picture is fine as it shows everyone all together displaying the beautiful array of style and color of the wedding party. To me the best wedding photography is taken by a photographer who relates well with people in conversation. This type of photographer has a way of capturing the essence of the people. By that I mean even though the people may pose, this photographer brings a relaxed energy that allows the poses to look and feel natural.
Great wedding photography captures the loving smile on the mother's face as she looks at her son in his last moments of single life. There is an intuitive sense of noticing subtle moments and capturing those moments for life.
Black and White Photography Adds a Unique Quality
Digital photography in black and white is often more valued than color. There is a notable depth to black and white photography that leaves some imagination to the viewer. It's also a great opportunity to be taken back in time momentarily to the days when life was more simple and imagination ruled the day. Great black and white photography requires a set of unique skills to make it outstanding just as color does.
Variety is the spice of life so the best wedding photography will include both black and white photography and color; digital photography and film.
Janie Jenkins is the "Easy To Do" instruction expert. Discover how easy it is to do what seemed like your most complicated ambition. Wedding Photography
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janie_Jenkins
Wedding Photography
How to Pose People For Your Pictures
If you want to be a great 'people' photographer, you might think you need to know a lot of different poses, or know how to talk to your subjects like a fashion photographer. But really it's more about being yourself. Photographing people can be the most rewarding and yet the most difficult subject to photograph. The photographers in magazines make it seem so easy. Is it really that difficult? I used to think so, I used to be pretty intimidated by it. I struggled with; do I see their whole body, or just their face, what do I do with the hands, what do they wear? Yikes, just a few things to think about, all of this when you're also struggling to think about exposure and lighting.
I guess where I had my break-through was when I realized that they were just as intimidated as I was. I learned that there's nothing scarier than having your photograph taken. As soon as I learned this, I started paying more attention to my photo subject than to my nervousness, giving me more time to figure out how to pose them and how much of them I wanted to see in the picture.
If you want to take successful photographs of people you need to pay attention to the person and you have to have the confidence to photograph them. You need to believe in yourself as a photographer and you need to respect the person you are shooting. And forget about how nervous you are and start making them feel comfortable.
Specific things you say to a photo subject or how you pose them can also help make the picture better. If you want to take great photographs of people you need to make your subject at ease and pose them comfortably. For more insightful tips about understanding posing techniques, visit this Informative Site!
You don't need to take boring uninteresting portraits and you don't need to be nervous, you just need a few useful tips. Find out right now what you need to do to take cool interesting portraits of people.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Gladstone
Nikon D700
Nikon D700 came with a 14-24mm f/2.8 wide angle lens, an understandable choice for this full-frame digital SLR camera from Nikon. Nikon D700 is such an interesting digital SLR so that it becomes a most anticipated DSLR nowadays.
The Nikon D700 is Nikon's second full-frame (FX) camera and has the same 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor as the dore expensive Nikon D3. The Nikon D700 is a really big step, however, smaller than his big brother, and if you are a professional photographer or seriously into photography, you would be astonished by many features that will make your photographs impress you so.
In addition to the 12.1 megapixel CMOS, this camera is also has a wide LCD Screen, the Wide Viewing angle TFT-LCD 3 inch super density monitor. It would easily helps you aiming the objects. When the light is too bright or too dark, Nikon D700 provide a SLR type viewfinder with range up to 95%.
Nikon D700 also offers a built-in flash on the upper side of the lens. Image results can be saved in RAW format, JPEG or a TIFF with some compression choice on the RAW format. There are 8 selections of white balance options in order to give a more proper shooting results. Still not satisfied ? Nikon alse embed a Picture Control and In-Camera Image Editing, which make your image is ready for printing without editing process first.
The EN-EL3e lithium-ion battery can manage up to 1,000 exposure in a single charge. Nikon D700 is sold with the price around $ 2,700 - $ 3,000.
Depth of Field
What is the depth of field? It is a simply sharpness distance before and after the subject on which we focus. (Either the space between nearest and farthest point).
By increasing the depth of field, subjects will net a great distance. The picture below has a maximum depth of field.
A large depth of field can be useful to review many shots away from each other. In contrast, shallow depth of field can ensure a blur background or foreground of the subject to photograph. Example with this picture below.
In portrait studio, the distribution is close to a third forward and two-thirds back. On a landscape when the sharpness extends to infinity, the rear area is much larger than the area before. In macro-photography, depth of field is divided half in front and rear. An automated camera should be able to provide a setting optimized.
How to reduce or increase the depth of field ?
By closing the diaphragm of the camera, depth of field will increase. On the contrary, in full aperture, depth of field will be very short..
To remember in practice:
Camera in hand, you look at the numbers that correspond to your diaphragma.
These can be: f: 1.2, f: 1.4, f: 2, f: 2.8, f: 4, f: 4.5, f: 5.6, f: 6.3, f: 7.1, f: 8, f: 9, f: 10, f: 11, f: 13, f: 14, f: 16, f: 18, f: 22 ... Over these figures are, the greater depth of field will be extended ... and conversely the more these figures will be smaller, the depth of field will be short.
Depth of field on a digital.
In sloppy automation of the digital camera, you can adjust the depth of field. A good device to adjust the priorities to diaphragma mode ( Aperture mode ) : A. The control on the opening / closing of the diaphragm to adjust the depth of field.
Smaller numbers (large aperture) offer a small depth of field, vice versa.
Mamiya DL28 Digital Medium Format
The Mamiya DL28 Digital Camera System offers professional features and benefits found in much more expensive cameras. For example, even though the DL28’s resolution is an impressive 28 Megapixels, its large sensor allows a pixel size of 7.2 microns, producing images with unmatched richness and color accuracy, low noise, and striking highlight and shadow detail. Its 3.5-inch (diagonal) screen is the largest in the industry and offers a bright, high-contrast touch screen that is ideal for outdoor or indoor work. The DL28 marries the professionally proven Mamiya camera system to the innovative 28 megapixel Aptus-II 6 Digital Back from Leaf - a system capable of unrivaled performance, image quality and value. The 645AFD III body has a new coreless motor for faster, more accurate autofocusing and an enhanced interface system that provides total communication between the camera, lens and digital back. The 645AFD III and Leaf Aptus-II 6 Digital Back work as an integral unit so you’ll never miss the action. With 16-bit capture, 12 stop dynamic range and an ISO range of 50-800, the Mamiya DL28 is a full featured professional digital solution that allows photographers to focus on creating the image and not worrying about the technology. The 28 MP back provides raw files of 53Mb, and 16 bit TIFF files in excess of 159 Mb – ensuring that you’ll have the information needed for virtually any size reproduction. Compact flash media storage makes it easy to shoot untethered on location or in the studio. You can also use the included firewire cable and Leaf Capture 11.2 software to shoot directly to your computer. And the latest Leaf Capture software allows other people - in the field or in the studio - to view your creativity on their iPhones as you continue shooting! 
In medium format digital photography, price and performance are usually at opposite ends of the digital spectrum. Normally you have to pay more – a lot more – for better quality, performance and features, certainly for the latest technology. The new Mamiya DL28 Digital Camera System totally changes that way of thinking.
Hasselblad H3D
The Hasselblad H3D is the world’s first 48mm. full-frame, large-sensor, medium-format DSLR camera. The H3D has been developed around a brand new digital camera engine producing increased lens performance and a new level of image sharpness. By focusing solely on digital camera architecture, Hasselblad is able to offer photographers the full benefits of professional medium-format digital cameras as well as the ease of use of the best 35mm DSLRs
Today’s digital photography demands higher resolution, less noise, and improved compositional choice, all of which the CF backs provide. The sensors are 22 or 39 megapixels in size and they are both more than twice the physical size of today’s 35mm sensors. This means more and larger pixels, which ensures the highest possible image quality and moiré free color rendering without gradation break-ups - in even the most subtley lit surfaces.
Four modes of operation and storage
Optimum portability and image storage are critical for the professional photographer. On the digital front, the H3D offers a free choice of the portable CF card storage, the flexible Firewire driven Hasselblad Imagebank, or tethered operation with extended, special capture controls. On the film front, an optional 120/220 magazine is offered for those occasions where film is preferred. With these four operating and storage options, the photographer is able to select the best mode to suit the nature of the work at hand, whether in the studio or on location.
H System lenses
The specifications of the specially designed HC/HCD lenses exceed the demands made by digital capture. The central lens shutters of the lenses add flexibility by allowing flash to be employed at shutter speeds up to 1/800s. Thanks to the large format, the depth of field range is considerably shallower making it much easier to create a perfect interplay between sharpness and blur. The H3D design has also made possible the launch of a completely new 28mm lens, designed and optimized solely for digital image capture. Image quality is lifted to a level, yet unseen in digital photography, including digital correction for color aberration and distortion (DAC).
A choice of bright viewfinders
One of the important traditional advantages of medium format is the extra large and bright viewfinder image. The H3D comes with a new HVD90X viewfinder designed for full performance over the large 36x48mm sensor. It is interchangeable with the HV90X and the new waist-level viewfinder, the HVM.
Unique Hasselblad Natural Color Solution
Normally troublesome subjects such as various skin tones, metals, fabrics, flowers, etc. are easily captured by using the new, powerful color profile – the Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS). It works invisibly in the background in conjunction with the FlexColor imaging software, producing outstanding and reliable out-of-the-box results. In order to support our new unique color system, we have developed a custom Hasselblad raw file format called 3F RAW (3FR). The file format includes lossless image compression, which reduces the required storage space by 33%.
DNG workflow
3FR files can be converted into Adobe’s raw image format DNG (‘Digital NeGative’), bringing this new technology standard to the professional photographer for the first time. In order to optimize the colors of the DNG file format, conversion from the 3FR must take place through FlexColor. The DNG file format enables raw, compressed image files to be opened directly in Adobe Photoshop. Hasselblad image files carry a full set of metadata, including capture conditions, keywords and copyright, facilitating workflow with image asset management solutions.
IAA – helping you classify and select images
Building on the success of its Audio Exposure Feedback technology, Hasselblad has created Instant Approval Architecture (IAA), an enhanced set of feedback tools, designed to liberate the photographer from the selection process and to concentrate on the shoot. Audible and visible signals as well as recorded information in the file and in the file name all promote a quick and easy classification in the field or in the lab. Sorting becomes automatic, accessible and very fast, facilitating reviewing the best images for immediate client presentation.
FlexColor workflow for the specialist commercial photographer
FlexColor enables you to create an image processing workflow that gives you the highest degree of control for your studio photography. In tethered operation, tools such as overlay masking help bring productivity to advanced set composition. The latest version of the FlexColor software enables you to manipulate color temperature and compare image details across multiple images for precise image selection. FlexColor uses the 3FR files and runs on both Macintosh and Windows computers. The software is licensed to allow you to provide free copies for all your co-workers and production partners.
Naturally, as with all Hasselblad products, a new H3D affords access to the full range of Hasselblad service and support, ensuring that your investment will last for a long time to come. And the latest firmware updates are always just a download away.
Canon PowerShot A590IS
The Canon Powershot 590 IS has over 300 recommendations, from everyday people who took the time to post about how happy they were with this camera. It’s small size hides the power and control that it offers the user.
The PowerShot A590 IS will astound you with its power-packed performance and impressive value. It’s got 8 megapixels, a 4x optical zoom, an Optical Image Stabilizer, and a large 2.5-inch LCD. A range of shooting modes — from manual to automatic, including Canon’s new Easy Mode — make picture-taking carefree.
DIGIC III Image Processor
The camera controls exposure settings and flash to keep every face looking bright and natural. Red-eye Correction can be handled in-camera, in two ways. The entirely new Red-eye Correction during shooting uses the Face Detection Technology to recognize and remove red-eye from flash images as they’re taken, before the file is written to the memory card. It’s also possible to correct red-eye during image playback, using simple settings in the A590 IS’s menu.
With DIGIC III, your images boast superior quality, the camera operates at top efficiency and battery life is enhanced. What’s more, DIGIC III enables Canon’s Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the camera automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point.
iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.
8 megapixels with 4x optical zoom and optical image stabilizer With the PowerShot A590 IS, dramatic, personal pictures have never been easier to shoot and share. The 8.0-megapixel design lets you create impressive high resolution images of family and friends you’ll be proud display. The genuine Canon 4x zoom lens moves you in for powerful close-ups — like a bird in flight or a child’s winning goal — at the touch of a button. Plus, Canon’s highly sophisticated Optical Image Stabilizer keeps every shot absolutely steady even when you’re not.
2.5-inch LCD screen
The camera’s 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you’re shooting, reviewing or showing off your images. This high-resolution screen offers a crisp, clear and bright picture. It also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light.
New Easy Mode simplifies operation
Even if you’ve never picked up a camera before, with Canon’s new Easy Mode you can take inspiring, dramatic pictures that will impress everyone. Once you choose Easy Mode, the PowerShot A590 IS handles all the details automatically. It automatically sets every camera control including the flash to reduce blur and improve image quality. So you get pictures that are bright, clear and natural just by pushing a button. Best of all, you can relax and concentrate on what really counts — your subject.
Selectable shooting modes
With 19 Shooting Modes including 7 Special Scene Modes, you’re ready for whatever shot comes your way.
Face Detection Technology
Canon’s powerful Face Detection Technology delivers even better results with the new A590 IS. The Face Detection Technology continues to recognize faces in a scene, and concentrate exposure (daylight or flash) and focus upon them. But the A590 IS adds more: Face Detection WB means the camera concentrates upon faces when calculating white balance for the best possible skin tones.
Face Select and Track lets the A590 IS user highlight one face among several in a scene, and the camera concentrates on that person, even as they move around the scene. Face Detection Technology is a powerful contributing factor in Canon’s new Motion Detection Technology.
Red-eye Correction
Red-eye Correction provides three options for removing red-eye from subjects in flash pictures.
- The new Red-eye Correction during shooting actually identifies and corrects red-eye in human subjects as pictures are taken.
- The A590 IS can be set to automatically detect and correct red-eye during image playback.
- The user can manually locate any red eyes in a scene during image playback on the LCD screen, and command the camera to remove them.
High ISO The PowerShot A590 IS features ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater shooting flexibility.
Motion Detection Technology automatically reduces blur
Life doesn’t stand still for picture-taking. That’s why Canon included its advanced Motion Detection Technology in the PowerShot A590 IS. This sophisticated feature works in the background to instantly evaluate how fast your subject is moving.
Then it automatically selects and sets the optimal exposure and ISO settings to keep everything looking sharp and clear. So whether you’re shooting a bride walking down the aisle, a ballet recital or even a child’s soccer game, you can relax and shoot with confidence knowing you’ve got the picture you intended.
Accepts Wide-Angle and Telephoto Converter Lenses
To expand your creativity, the PowerShot A590 IS is compatible with shooting accessories such as wide and tele converter lenses, High-Power Flash designed for all of the PowerShot models.
The Complete Print Solution
The A590IS features a Print/Share button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select Pixma photo printers and Selphy compact photo printers.
The PowerShot A590 IS’s Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the A590 IS to a Canon Pixma photo printer or Selphy compact photo printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).
Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon Selphy compact photo printer.
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Travel Photography Tips and Preparation
This article deals with: obtaining the necessary equipment, carrying the equipment and always being in the right place at the right time. If you are hoping to get a professional collection of pictures from a vacation or group tour in a far away place you should definitely consider some of these issues.
Personal Equipment Preparation
Through many photography trips, you should gradually developed a strategy for traveling lightly and conveniently with a sufficient amount of camera equipment. On long trips, typically take along two cameras; one digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera and one small digital point-and-shoot camera. For the SLR camera you should take two lenses; one midrange telephoto lens (ex. 70-200 mm) and one fixed wide angle lens (ex. 24 mm). With these two types of lenses you will be ready for effective people pictures and beautiful landscape and scenery photos.
In addition to the cameras, always have some sort of tripod readily available whether it is the simple mini type or the full size larger type (for traveling you should make sure the tripod is made out of a light-weight material). For memory storage, take a larger memory card for the SLR and typically a smaller capacity card for the point-and-shoot camera. You can also considering to purchase multimedia viewer / storage so as soon as the memory cards are full you can just unload them onto the storage.
Carrying the Equipment
For long trips that are full of photo opportunities you should only carry one shoulder bag for your photography equipment to keep the SLR camera in the bag with the extra lens that you are not currently using. Carry the smaller point-and-shoot camera in the pocket of my cargo pants or shorts. The newer small digital point-and-shoot style cameras have developed so much that sometimes feel that the photos obtained from that camera are better then the SLR camera’s photos. If you keep a small camera in your pocket then you will always be ready for spontaneous photo opportunities (mainly people pictures). And that way you won’t always have to have a huge camera hanging around your neck which in many places will make you an instant target for professional pick pocketers.
It is so important to know how important a tripod is on vacation trips. You can thoroughly convinced that the best pictures you have taken have either been at sunset or at night with long shutter speeds made possible by the use of a tripod. It has also come in very handy for architectural photos inside many cathedrals and buildings that have huge areas that are not very well lit.
Techniques for Professional Travel Photos
Of course for effective photos you should read some articles on composition, exposure, shutter speed, and aperture. But there are also many other issues that you could have realized are very important for travel photos. For pictures of landmarks or landscapes you should make sure that you have some kind of foreground and background so your viewers will have a good perspective of what it would be like to visit the site themselves. You should also make sure that you take plenty of photos from one scene with different combinations of exposure settings and angles. You will usually only find about 1 photo out of 10 that you really like even though all ten photos are taken of the exact same place. And remember that you will probably want to make sure that you get at least one good photo of each spot since it is likely that you won’t return any time soon.
For people pictures it is important to get photos of the people that may be accompanying you on your trip as well as some photos of people native to the area that you are visiting. When people are looking at photos following a trip they like to see both photos of them visiting certain spots as well as close ups of them enjoying themselves or focused mainly on their facial features. On the some occasions, sometimes you found that the people enjoyed the most were of them enjoying a funny moment or of someone doing something silly that makes them look like an ignorant tourist. But they also enjoyed seeing photos of some of the interesting kinds of people that they met in the foreign environments.
There is a seemingly endless supply of things you can learn about travel photography, but I would say that the most effective technique is just to take a lot of photos and a wide variety of photos.
Light
 The quality of light can transform an otherwise ordinary vista into a warm and moody scene. | Understanding Light Light - the primary source of energy for the universe - is the central image of many religions and the photographer's chief resource. The word "photography" derives from the Greek and means, literally, “light writing.” From the relentless power of full sun over water to the beam from a single candle, it is light photographers play with, light in its many moods and manifestations that we capture on film. |
However primitive or sophisticated your photography equipment, from a home-made pinhole camera to the most modern, totally-digital wonder, you, as photographer are striving to control, manipulate and exploit light. Photography depends on light. Therefore, an understanding of light, what it is, how it behaves and how you can learn to use it, is essential to creating superlative photos. Because the character and quality of a photograph can be altered by the character and quality of light, even the most-seasoned photographers puzzle over how a scene should be lit, what lighting angles to use for good results, and what exposure settings will bring out the best detail and tonal shading. When you are armed with the basic facts about light, you will find that such elementary questions become more easily-answered. |  Light and shadow combine to provide mood and interest |
 A brilliant shaft of moonlight reflects off a solitary ferry boat in the distance | |
Taking photograph within your car
Sometimes, we encountered nice places and scenes that we wanted to photograph but could not get out of the car because the road and traffic did not allowed me to stop the car. Also, sometimes, pictures taken from a car can be more creative, more interesting than a normal snapshot of the landscape.
1. TIP: By shooting from inside the car, frame your picture with the car elements: mirror, or, the lateral window. However, don’t focus on these element: they represent just the frame, not the point of interest. The point of interest is the environment outside the car.
2. TIP: The picture from inside the car is interesting when motion blur is present. Not hard to do that: there are two key factors that you should know when hunting for the right moment to get the most spectacular blur:
FIRST: near objects get more of the motion blur
SECOND: the greater the speed, the stronger the motion blur
3. TIP: Considering the speed of the car, and the fact that inside the car there is less light than outside, you should set your camera on shutter speed priority - fast shutter speed. The kind of motion blur you want is not the one caused by your camera shake (which is an up-down movement), but the one caused by the moving car (which is horizontal).
4. TIP: Some animals tend to approach the car. Prepare something to eat and ask someone inside the car to hand it over the window, then catch with your camera the moment when the animal sticks the head into the car. Funny, isn’t it?
5. TIP: If the car is stopped but there is no need to get off in order to shoot something you like, then maybe you should not think about framing the picture with car elements: just open the window and take a normal shot. Without the motion-blur or middle of the road situations, it does not make much sens to fill the picture with unnecessary elements. However, the next pictures are some exceptions.
6. TIP: Watch out for the reflection and dust! The reflection of your body or other elements in the care window, and the dust on the window, can be avoided if you just open the window. Depending on the Sun’s position, you may not get any reflections thou the glass. Here’s an example of the situation when you can not open the front window of the car, so the is some dust…
Also, there are some situations when the reflection in the car’s lateral mirror can be interesting.
Simple Composition Rules
There are some rules that make your pictures better, depending on the photography type.
Rule of Thirds
This rule applies for everything: landscape, macro and portraits, but exception would be the classic portrait. This means that instead of placing the subject (main focus of interest) in the centre of the frame put it on an intersection of the thirds. For me it is much simple to consider this “mind drawing” where my subject is placed either in point 1 or 2 or 3 or 4:
Cropping
Sometimes cropping a subject to make the viewer focus on some specific detail is an extremely good idea. But other times, when it’s not about details, it’s good to have the entire subject inside the picture and don’t take a shoot as if the subject is just about to leave, but rather just about to come if it is not standing. If you are in hurry or not so sure about what you want and you also got a high megapixel camera, you can afford thinking about cropping after shooting in the post-editing process. Otherwise, get closer and if getting closer will scare away your subject (hehe) then use your zoom.
Straight Horizons
Even if the Earth is not plane, we are walking on a plane land. Therefore, if the pictures are meant to reflect reality, just keep the horizontal and vertical the way you see it with the eyes. The most common example of the placement of the horizon line is in landscape photography. Sometimes, however, the pictures are not meant to depict reality and just by questioning your imagination you’ll be able to find situations (frequent in architecture photography) when shapes look more interesting deformed.
Using Diagonals
For an unknown reason, this is my favourite “rule”. No matter of what or who your subject is, imagine a diagonal (I’ve been once told that down left -> up right is better than up left -> down right because it appears like going up instead of going down but I wouldn’t care too much about that). This is very easy if you have a road or a river or some other natural “line”, and harder if don’t have anything alike.
Viewpoint
Most people keep the camera at the level of their eye but this is just the classic way of shooting. The perspective can change quite drastically, especially with wider angled lenses. Sometimes the subject requires you to get down. I’m a short person so I ask people to take pictures of me that way because it makes me look taller. Pointing up->down is a quite more seen situation than pointing down->up. Some cameras come with rotating LCD-s and I find this quite useful: you don’t need to stretch yourself and the camera to get a down->up photo, you only rotate the LCD until it meets your eyes.
Background
Even if your eye caught something that makes you say “this is worth shooting”, after a while, you or other people looking at the picture may spend minutes until realising where in that photo is the thing… This is happening when shooting against a busy background with many elements and colors (ex: people on the street). Macro and product photography mostly deal with background problems: it should be something as simple as possible not to disturb the attention from the main (and only!) subject.
Simplicity
I say the main and only subject because: another “rule” in photography spokes that one subject is better than two and also better than none. You must definitely have a subject, which means you are not shooting without thinking of something, and, if you really like to catch more objects that are not related to each other, just take separate shots.
Contrast
The subject pops out when its colors and/or tones are in contrast to the background and/or other elements of the picture. This adds to the simplicity and background “rules”.
Presslite VerteX Flash Diffuser
The Presslite VerteX™ is more than just a flash diffuser as it provides a way to not only diffuse but also control the direction of the light. Two rotating panels sit above the flash head, one side mirrored, the other side white, both move independently and each can be rotated 360°. These two panels, combined with the swivel / tilt action of your flash head, allow you virtually limitless control over the light from your flash and can act to simulate the effect of multiple light sources from just one flash unit.
The VerteX™ was shipped from Presslite in a plain looking cardboard box, about the size of two-decks of cards placed side-by-side. Inside the box were two plastic panels with a pivoting magnetic base, four flexible paper cards (two mirrored and two plain white) that are each individually wrapped in tissue paper, a plastic panel arm that holds one or both of the panels, and a large hybrid elastic band that the panel arms attach to and stretches to fit snugly around the top of your flash unit. This heavy duty elastic band features rubber-like bumpers that ride over the contours of your flash head to help insure that your flash head will not be marred.
Overall, setting up the VerteX™ was pretty straight forward. The trickiest part was trying to attach the panel arms to the rubberized band. On each of the longest sides of the band are two centered holes designed to accept the connectors of the panel arm. Press each panel arm into the band until the tiny pinching prongs of the arm go all the way through the hole in the band. They don't really make much of a 'clicking' sound, but once they're through the band, they won't pop off. For me, this process was easiest to perform prior to placing the band around the flash head. Once I snapped both panel arms into place I then stretched the band out using my fingers (per the instructions) - first stretching the length and then the width. This helps to loosen the band, making it easier to stretch over the flash head.
Once completed, I placed the band along one end of the head and stretched it over the other end. When finished, this band has a nice snug fit and will not loosen during operation. In fact, the band was designed to stay on the flash and does not interfere with normal flash operation. The panel arm can swing completely out of the way when not needed. On the Canon 550EX flash that I used for this test I found that with the band and arm attached, the 550EX was a bit too snug to fit back into its own protective case. This was not an issue for me since I normally put the flash into a compartment of my backpack without the sleeve on it, but you may feel differently.
While the VerteX includes two panels, the use of just one panel will suit many lighting situations. Here are some lighting scenarios that can be accomplished with just one panel. Keep in mind that the possibilities are virtually endless and that these configurations are here just to provide some examples of what makes the VerteX unique. Remember that each panel has a white diffusion card on one side and a reflective mirrored card on the other. Typically you would want to use the white card to diffuse and soften light while using the mirrored side to reflect and redirect a stronger light. As you can see in example (3) these rules can be broken to create unique effects.
Olympus E-420
First of all, this is a compact and lightweight DSLR, even in combination with 25mm f/2.8 lens, comfortable and the most important thing, it is a good value for money. If you want a truly pocketable camera without losing DSLR image quality the E-420 should be right at the top of your shortlist. This is true, that Olympus claims this camera is the smallest and lightest DSLR on the market.
Amazingly, the spec sheet looks more like something we'd expect from a mid-range SLR. Apart from live view you get bracketing, customizable mirror lock-up, wireless flash control, a dust reduction system, control over high ISO noise reduction and a highly customizable user interface - an awful lot of camera for your money. But, even more so when considering its price point. You won't find live view and the E-420's level of customization on other manufacturers' entry level offerings (at least not if they're in the same price bracket).
The camera's TruePic III processor does a good job and the E-420's performance is snappy and responsive in most situations. The shutter lag is short and focus is quick, only the start-up time could be a little faster (the SSWF system cleans the sensor first each time you switch the camera on) and - as mentioned above - contrast detect AF is pretty slow.
Unfortunately the first thing that springs to mind here is image quality. The E-420 appears to use a stronger anti-alias filter than its predecessor, and while this results in admirably 'clean' images, it also robs the resultant images of fine detail. Other cameras in this class will no doubt produce output with more per pixel detail. And since this softness is created by the E-420's hardware and not by in-camera software, reverting to raw-shooting won't improve the issue. Of course this comment has to be taken in context; you need to be regularly printing at large sizes or zooming in to a pixel level to see the difference once you've added a bit of sharpening.
High ISO performance is far from class-leading, but for most users producing normal prints it won't be an issue. Dynamic range, however, is worth mentioning. The E-420's DR is not quite up to par with the competition which can offer up to a whole stop more highlight range. So you'll find a washed out sky or unattractively blown highlights in your images a little more often when shooting with the Olympus. Admittedly when talking about the E-420's image quality issues we are - to a certain degree - nitpicking. The camera's output is not bad at all (in fact contrast and colors in the default settings are very appealing), but it's not quite up at the same level as some of the competitors.
Overall, the Olympus E-420 is an ideal walkaround camera with a great feature set and unrivalled customizability. The image quality issues described above very slightly tarnish the positive overall picture but if compact dimensions and pocketability are high up on your list of buying criteria the E-420 should still be one of your favorites.
Body material
Plastic
Sensor
• 4/3 type Live MOS sensor
• Fixed low pass filter (anti-alias filter)
Image processor
TruePic III
Lenses
• 4/3 standard lens mount
• Range of ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses available
Auto focus
• 3-point TTL phase difference detection
• Contrast detection system (selectable in Live View)
• Detection range: 0 to 19 EV (ISO 100)
Sensitivity
• Auto (ISO 100 - 1600)
Metering modes
• Digital ESP
• Center-Weighted Average
• Spot
• Highlight based spot
• Shadow based spot
Shutter speed
• 60 - 1/4000 sec
• Bulb: up to 8 min. with limiter
Drive modes
• Single
• Continuous
External flash
Hot shoe
Viewfinder
• Eye-level optical single-lens
• Field of view 95%
• Magnification 0.92x with a 50mm lens and -1 dioptre
• Eye point 14 mm at -1 dioptre
• Dioptre adjustment -3 to +1 dioptre
• Focusing screen: Fixed type (Neo Lumi-Micron Mat Screen)
LCD monitor
• 2.7" TFT LCD monitor (wide viewing angle)
• 230,000 pixels
• Live View available
Storage
• Compact Flash (Type I and II)
• xD Picture card
Connectivity
• USB 2.0 (Hi Speed)
• Video Out (NTSC / PAL)
Power
BLS-1 Li-ion battery (rechargeable)
Dimensions
129.5 x 91 x 53 mm (5.1 x 3.6 x 2.1 in)
Weight (inc batt)
445 g (15.7 oz)
Lumix G1 Panasonic
Okay, so this is about what Panasonic Camera lovers are waiting for. But, before we are going through, lets have a glance look at Lumix G1 specification :
Body material
Plastic
Sensor
• 4/3 type MOS ('Live MOS sensor')
• 13.06 million total pixels
• 12.11 million effective pixels
Lenses
• Micro Four Thirds mount lenses
• Four Thirds mount lenses via adapter (DMW-MA1PP)
Focus modes
• Auto/Manual Focus
• Face Detection
• AF Tracking
• 23-Area-Focusing/1 Area Focusing
Image stabilization
Optical Image Stabilization
Digital zoom
• Up to 4x
Sensitivity
• Auto
• Intelligent ISO
• ISO 100 - 3200
Metering modes
• Multiple-Weighted
• Center-Weighted
• Spot
Shutter speed
• 60 -1/4000 sec
• Bulb (up to 8 mins)
• Flash X-sync 1/160 sec
Drive modes
• Single
• Continuous H (3 fps)
• Continuous L (2 fps)
Continuous buffer
• 7 RAW images
• Unlimited JPEG images with a fast card
Self-timer
• 2 sec
• 10 sec
• 10 sec, 3 images
Flash
• Manual pop-up
• TTL auto / manual
• Hot shoe
Viewfinder
• Electronic Viewfinder
• Color LCD Viewfinder
• Field of view 100%
• Eye point 14 mm at -1 dioptre
• Magnification 1.4x (equivalent to 0.7x on a 35mm camera / 50mm lens)
• Dioptre adjustment -4 to +4 dioptre
• 1,440,000 dots
LCD monitor
• 3.0" TFT LCD monitor
• Multi-angle swing and tilt (180°swing, 180° swivel)
• Low temperature Polycrystalline TFT LCD
• 460,000 dots - 60 fps
• Approx 100% frame coverage
• Auto Power LCD (optional) adjusts brightness in bright light
Connectivity
• USB 2.0 (High Speed)
• Video Out (NTSC / PAL)
• Wired remote control DMW-RSL1 (optional)
• HDMI
Storage
SD / SDHC / MMC
Power
• 1250 mAh 7.2v Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
• Supplied charger / AC adapter
Dimensions
124 mm x 84 mm x 45 mm
Weight (inc supplied lens, card and battery)
Approx 630 g
The radical change this camera bring is the eliminating of mirror and pentaprism/pentamirror , replaced by a live view-only system using either the newly-developed high resolution electronic viewfinder or the large articulated rear screen (which, interestingly, has a 3:2 aspect ratio - not the 4:3 ratio of the sensor), and one reason why Panasonic made that breakthrough is to produce smaller cameras that act more like compact DSCs whilst offering the quality and versatility of a DLSR - and in doing so to convert some of the millions of compact camera buyers who - according to research - are put off digital SLRs by the bulk, complexity and lack of user-friendliness. And our initial tests would suggest that they have solved at least one of the technological problems mentioned earlier (the contrast-detect autofocus is easily as fast as any other entry-level DSLR). The viewfinder on the sample we've been playing with is also very impressive, and we're told that the final version will be even better (even at this early stage it compares very favorably with a standard Four Thirds optical finder).
In fact, we can just call it a 'mini SLR', but things we also have to consider is in the mid to late 1990's Canon, Nikon and Minolta all launched compact SLR systems based around the new APS film format, and all failed to make any impact at all.
The Micro Four Thirds standard - and the Panasonic G1 - represents the first complete break with legacy SLR technology going back well over half a century, and as such represents an important moment in digital photography's short history. It would be fair to describe it as the first truly 'all digital' interchangeable lens camera, and I think it would also be fair to say it finally delivers on the promise made for the Four Thirds system when it was first introduced back in 2002.
Where the G1 - and Micro Four Thirds - has the edge is that there has never been a wider gap between the image quality offered by compact cameras and SLRs. By offering a camera that works and handles like a compact (Panasonic FZ users will feel right at home) but produces output a lot more like an SLR, Micro Four Thirds has carved out a potentially lucrative niche for itself in a market crying out for innovation. It may seem like a relatively low-key product to herald a minor revolution in the digital SLR market, but have no doubt, the G1 is one of the most exciting products we've had under this roof for quite some years.
Nikon D3X - The latest high-resolution DSLR
The D3X supports a broad ISO range from ISO 100-1600, extendable down to ISO 50 and up to 6400 equivalent with up to 5 fps continuous shooting at full resolution, or 7 fps in the 10MP DX-crop mode. The acclaimed Multi-CAM3500FX 51-point autofocus system enables extremely accurate single-point accuracy with outstanding dynamic tracking for fast moving subjects in low light.
Nikon has recently announced its latest high-end professional DSLR : Nikon D3X. It is fantastically sets a new standard for Professional DSLR. The D3X boasts a specially-developed FX-format CMOS image sensor with 12-channel readout, gapless micro lens array and on-chip noise reduction. It delivers class-leading levels of continuous shooting speed and noise management at higher sensitivities without sacrificing detail.
You can view Nikon D3X pictures example here
Nikon D3X specifications :
Sensor
• 35.9 x 24 mm CMOS sensor
• FX format
• RGB Color Filter Array
• Built-in fixed low-pass filter
• 25.72 million total pixels
• 24.5 million effective pixels
• 3:2 aspect ratio
Image processor
Nikon EXPEED
File formats
• NEF (12-bit or 14-bit, compressed or lossless compressed RAW)
• NEF + JPEG
• TIFF
• JPEG (EXIF 2.21)
Lens mount
• Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts
• No field of view crop (full-frame)
• When using DX lenses / DX mode 1.5x FOV crop
Usable lenses
• Type G or D AF NIKKOR: All functions supported
• DX AF NIKKOR: All functions supported except FX-format (36x24)/5:4 (30x24) image size
• AF NIKKOR other than type G or D: All functions supported except 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• AI-P NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• Non-CPU AI NIKKOR: Can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic rangefinder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data
* IX NIKKOR lenses cannot be used
* Excluding lenses for F3AF
Auto Focus
• 51 focus points (15 cross-type sensors)
• Multi-CAM 3500FX
• AF working range: -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, normal temperature)
• Contrast Detect in Live View (Tripod) mode
AF Area Mode
• Single point AF
• Dynamic Area AF [9 points, 21 points, 51 points, 51 points (3D-tracking)]
• Automatic-area AF
Metering
TTL full-aperture exposure metering using 1005-pixel RGB sensor
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering (non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data; metering performed)
• Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8, 15, or 20 mm dia. circle in center of frame or weighting based on average of entire frame (default 12 mm)
• Spot: Meters approx. 4 mm dia. circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used)
Sensitivity • Default: ISO 100 - 1600 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps
• Boost: 50 - 6400 in 1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps, HI2 = ISO 6400
Shutter
• Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter
• 30 to 1/8000 sec (1/3, 1/2 or 1.0 EV steps)
• Flash X-Sync: 1/250 sec
• Bulb
White balance
• Auto (1005-pixel CCD, image sensor)
• Presets (seven) with fine tuning
• Manual presets (four)
• Color temperature in Kelvin (2500 - 10000 K, 31 steps)
• White balance bracketing (2 to 9 frames, 10,20,30 MIRED steps)
Picture Control
• Standard
• Neutral
• Vivid
• Monochrome
Image parameters
• Sharpening: Auto, 7 levels
• Contrast: Auto, 5 levels, Custom tone curve
• Brightness: 3 levels
• Saturation: Auto, 5 levels
• Hue: 5 levels
Viewfinder
• Optical-type fixed eye-level pentaprism
• Built-in diopter adjustment (-3 to +1m-1)
• Eyepoint: 18 mm (at -1.0m-1)
• Focusing screen: Type B BriteView Clear Matte VI screen
• Frame coverage 100%
• Viewfinder magnification approx 0.7x with 50 mm f/1.4 lens
LCD monitor
• 3.0 " TFT LCD
• 922,000 pixels (VGA; 640 x 480 x 3 colors)
• 170° viewing angle
• Brightness adjustment
Shooting modes
• Single frame
• Continuous Low [CL]: 1 - 5 fps
• Continuous High [CH]: 5 fps (5-7 fps with DX format)
• Liveview [LV]
• Self-Timer (programmable)
• Mirror-up mode
Storage
• Dual Compact Flash Type I or II
• UDMA, Microdrive and FAT32 supported
• 36 characters of text can be input and stored in EXIF header
Power
• Lithium-Ion EN-EL4a/EL4
• Included dual battery charger MH-22
• Optional AC adapter EH-6
Dimensions
160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.2 x 3.4 in)
Weight
(no batt) 1220 g (2.11 lb)
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