CameraRec

Lightroom 4 Beta – Mapping Module Overview

toby — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:27:16 +0000

Brief Overview of the new map module in Lightroom 4

Digital Camera Buying Guide

toby — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:16:57 +0000

Let’s keep this short and sweet – If I had $____ to spend on a camera what would I buy. . . (see below for lens ideas)

	If I had $200 to spend I would buy the Canon HS300 This little P&S is little! but offers excellent quality, 1080p with stereo audio and the neat feature of slow mo video. I would spend the extra $50 on an 8GB SD Card (it comes w/ a 4GB and HDMI cable) an Ultra Compact Camera Case and a Joby Flexible Tripod. NOTE: This Camera at $149 is already blackfriday discounted – Amazon’s price matches the expected door buster price being offered by BestBuy.
	If I had $400 I would buy the Canon PowerShot S100 & that would require me to scrounge a bit for an extra $30 but it wold be worth it. The new DIGIC 5 Image Processor means fast performance and excellent low light images. Additional features similar to the HS300 above but with a very cool control ring for manual control over a range of settings and GPS for automatic location tagging of your photos.
	If I had $600 I would buy the Panasonic LUMIX G3 Four-Thirds Camera with 14-42mm Lens And just like that we are now in the territory of cameras with removeable lenses – DSLR like – this is not a true DSLR because it doesn’t have a mirror that directs the image that comes through the lens to an optical viewfinder. What it does have and offers is an electronic viewfinder and a flip out LCD screen with touch to focus (and lots of other touch to do something options) Fast and silent autofocus, 360 motion panorama and loads of video options. Downside- battery life isn’t great and additional lenses aren’t cheap. There are other really close competitors for my heart at this price range.
	If I had $800 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens You get a whole lot of DSLR for this price- a gorgeous flipity out LCD screen, 1080P recording – in fact the T3i shares same image/video quality with the much more expensive 7D and even offers a few features like video zoom that you don’t get in the 7D. And for those that dream of going big as a photographer wireless flash control is a cherry on the T3i pie.
	If I had $1000 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens (yep same as above) and add an external flash like Speedlite 320EX Flash – This is going to do loads for your indoor & outdoor photos and has a video light AND has a remote for triggering the shutter on the camera.
	If I had $1200 I would buy the Fujifilm X100 – this is a DSLR sensor in a small range finder like body with a fixed lens. Sure you are giving up the versatility of a DSLR with removable lenses and no zoom but what you get is a fantastically peppy camera, superb quality and it is all packaged in a stylish body.

Test

toby — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:36:20 +0000

Quick Test

New Superzoom Leica Announced – Don’t buy!

toby — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:50:08 +0000

Leica announced a new 24x zoom today- The V Lux 3 – Available in January, sporting a 12.1MP CMOS sensor. The camera has a 4.5 – 108mm F2.8-5.2 image stabilized lens, equivalent to 25-600mm in 35mm film terms. The camera can do 1080p60 video capture with stereo audio and 12fps. Sound good? You could save yourself a whole bunch of waiting and save a few hundred dollars by buying the Panasonic FZ150. Seriously it is the same camera minus the Leica red dot. The FZ150, released this past August is quickly becoming one of my favorite superzooms. All the features of the above – which includes RAW shooting, serious FPS and loads of optical zoom make this an excellent choice for photographers wanting DSLR like performance in a smaller more affordable package. You still aren’t going to get the virtual zero shutter lag of using a DSLR but for just a tad over $400 this is a good deal.

Magical Waterfall Photos

toby — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:38:19 +0000

Okay – Magical might be a bit of an overreaching statement but I have a quick video below that outlines the steps to creating those flowing water photos. All you need is a camera with some control over shutter speed and a tripod. Watch the short video to see how it is all done.

Quick Tips:

Any flowing water will work – if the area isn’t particularly pretty, focus in close on a few rocks and capture the flow around them
Depending on the rate of water flow you might find that a shutter speed between 0.5 seconds and 8 seconds gives you the results you want
To get those longer exposures the light levels need to be low, if you find yourself with too much light try zooming in a bit

In this video I used the Canon SX230 – A wonderful little P&S but any P&S that gives you some control over the shutter speed will work. The Dolica TripodI recommend. Might be a bit overkill for a little P&S so something like the Joby Tripodwould be a bit more appropriate.

3rd Generation Nikon P&S Projector

toby — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:43:55 +0000

Product looks to be getting better but the commercial is creeping me out!! CoolPix S1200PJ

SX230 Initial Thoughts

toby — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:29:57 +0000

I couldn’t resist the call of Black Friday and snagged an SX230 for cheap! A few test photos. . . More to come. . . My Initial thoughts Pros

Very impressed with higher ISO images – See the Pie image above
Feature set is impressive and manual control is well done
14x zoom in this sized body is nice
Big thumbs up for the Dedicated movie record button and the 1080 resolution with stereo sound is Good!
GPS tagging makes this map nerd happy – inside GPS took long time to lock on but once it did it stayed locked on and tagged my photos with the location of my kitchen (don’t steal my pie)
Plenty of fun modes and scenes though several feel gimicky (fisheye I am looking at you)

Cons

Response time is OK – nothing to get excited about
Battery life. . doesn’t seem great (However I am using the GPS feature AND an Eye-Fi card). The time it takes that small battery to charge seems a bit longer than it needs to be.
Hard to keep your finger off the Flash popup
The lens covering feels flimsy – Need to get a case, wouldn’t just toss it in a bag
I want built-in intervalometer(timelapse) shooting – Will need to use http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK to get it

Bullet for bullet it looks like the Con list is almost as long as the Pro list – don’t let this fool you, I am very impressed with this little camera and quite happy with my purchase. Properly exposed high ISO images are excellent, the full range of controls and features, especially the ease at which you can control manual settings is sweet as pie. I also picked up the 4GB Eye-Fi Card and the ability to send photos directly to my computer AND select photos on the camera for upload to facebook is fun! SX230 on Amazon | 4GB Eye-Fi Card | Case | Standard 8GB SD Card Check back for hands-on video review soon.

DSLR-like camera that won’t break the bank

toby — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:39:13 +0000

Received the following from Rachelle- I am looking for a camera. Not quite the price of a DSLR but the same type of look. I want a viewfinder as well as a LCD screen and manual focus as well as auto, and I like the forced flash too. Not too fussy huh? I bought the Fujifilm Finepix S2950 the other day but am not 100% happy with it. It has most of what I want/need but like I said, not 100% happy…..but I don’t want to spend a fortune, you know?? If there is something you can recommend that is not too heavy on price, but that can fill my wants, that would be great! Thank you for your time! So my charge is to find something DSLR-like with viewfinder, LCD, pop-up flash – further discussion revealed that the Rachelle is not happy with the sometimes grainyness of the Fuji and a disappointing Macro mode. The Fuji is a budget minded DSLR look alike with a serious 18x zoom. A budget camera with that zoom and something has to give, in this case it is image quality and in low light with higher ISOs you are going to get grainy photos, you are also more likely to get grainy(noisy) photos at the far end of the zoom when the aperture gets smaller and the camera compensates by increasing the ISO. SO lets look at some options #1 – Canon G12 10 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 Inch Vari-Angle LCD - Recent price drop = $379 Not cheap, you lose a bit of zoom(a good bit actually) but it is going to give you fantastic results for a P&S, especially at the higher ISOs and it has an optical viewfinder plus the flippity-swively LCD screen. Loads of manual controls and physical dials make controlling this camera a breeze. Bonus feature – shoots RAW file format for greatest detail,also includes hotshoe for attaching an external flash. Macro mode is excellent #2 – Canon SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch Vari-Angle Wide LCD. - Hard to find, sitting around $399 You get a load of zoom, pop up flash controlled via button, HS sensor that will give you very good low light image quality – similar to G12. Has LCD and viewfinder – viewfinder is electronic. Macro mode is OK. #3 – Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 24xOptical Zoom -$280 Zoom, popup flash(but no button to make it popup) but it does have an array of manual modes including manual focus. This viewfinder is also electronic. In general an impressive array of features at this price point but again sacrifices are made the cheaper we go and these photos are going to be noisier at the higher ISOs. Macro mode is very good. Consider these listed in order of my preference. If you are not Rachelle send me an email or find me on Facebook to get your own personalized camera recommendation. Find this post helpful? Use the links above to shop amazon or pass along a little tip using the PayPal button. Thanks!

Photographers Gift Guide 2011

toby — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:10:33 +0000

My Annual Gift Guide First and foremost I would be happy to chat with you about gift ideas – Lenses, Bags and Even cameras are a possibility if I know a little more about you or who you are buying from so use Chat or leave me a message on facebook or G+ and I will be happy to provide some guidance.


		Studiohut Hot Shoe Three Axis Double Bubble Level You can always fix your Horizon in post but it is certainly nice to get it right straight out of camera and if taking a series for panoramas its critical to keep your horizon straight.-Reader suggestion – Thanks Gene B.
		Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large – Black Perfect for cleaning lenses, sensors(gently) and anything else that gathers dust.
		SanDisk Memory Card Carrying Pouch I have crammed four cards in cases in here. though it is tight, those little memory cards are precious and if for a few bucks you add a layer of protection that lets you keep your cards from flying out of loose pockets you should do it. Buy two and color code for used/formatted cards.
		Sandisk Flash Memory Card Case / Holder (SDAC-13) for SD, CF, MS, MMC, XD, MicroSD When you want to offer a bit more protection of your precious media. tip: put used cards in face down, fresh cards face up.
		Tiffen Filter Wallet for up to 6 FiltersSame idea as the card wallet, keep all your filters in one place and nicely organized. Then again if you follow my advice you might only have one filter
		Hot Heads Glomitts! Its a glove..and a mitten! If you can get past the silly name these are great for shooting in colder weather.
		Domke F-34L 19-Inch Protective Wrap Personal protective wrap for your camera or other gear. The largest will just fit around a DSLR- use them for backpacking or turning a normal messenger bag into a camera bag
		The Travel Coffee Mug/lens Cup/thermos in a Shape of Canon EOS Ef 24-105mm F4 Lens with Stainless Steel IneriorStraight up Silly! Reviews are not stellar and sharpness is very low
		Fotodiox Thermo Lens Cup with Stainless Steel Insulated Tumbler, Coffee and Refreshment Mug, 1:1 Nikon Lens imitation Thermo Cup (Modeling 24-70mm F2.8G Lens), 16ozHas better reviews than the canon version – just so folks don’t think I am a canon fanboy.
		I love blurb, prices are reasonable and the products excellent. What photographer doesn’t love seeing their work in print. Recently Blurb began offering notebooks, take just a few photos and make your own custom notebook. Blurb will offer Free Shipping valid 12/1 through 12/9 with promo code AFFILIATEFREESHIP and 15% off all Blurb Books valid 12/1 through 12/31 with promo code AFFILIATE15OFF.
		Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any CameraSpeaking of books, it was an earlier edition of this excellent book that helped it all click for me (pun intended In plain language this book helps you understand how your camera sees the world and really understanding that is a huge step toward taking better photographs.
		The HDR Book: Unlocking the Pros’ Hottest Post-Processing TechniquesMaybe you or the photographer in your life has the basics down and is looking to explore the World of HDR, this text will guide the HDR curious to the next level.
		Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera (Black)This camera has been my go to pick for the last year, it is still excellent and now that it is selling for less than $200 it is an amazing value. So tiny with HD video, stereo recording, snappy responsiveness and fun slow mo movie mode.
		Eye-Fi Explore X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Photo & Memory Uploads EYE-FI-8EXStick this in your camera and you suddenly have a network connected camera that can stream photos to another computer, the internet or a smart phone almost as fast as you can take them. I reviewed this version a few months ago but there are also cheaper models that offer all the functionality with 1/2 the storage for about 1/2 the price
		Dolica AX620B100 62-Inch Proline Tripod and Ball HeadThere are cheap tripods that I wouldn’t trust with a Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera and then there is this Dolica – I have loved the value and utility of this tripod for years
		Sony DPF-D1010 10.2-Inch WVGA LCD (16:10) Digital Photo Frame (Black)You got a snazzy digital camera show off those photos in a snazzy 2011 way, and although I am not usually a fan of Sony P&S cameras they did do an excellent job with this photo frame. resolution is good, USB or memory card slots to load your images and lots of options with the display.
		Gift CardsThey may not be the most exciting present to give but are always appreciated.
		Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3Fantastic software that makes it easy to get your photos in and then out to the gallery of your choice, or make a slide show or publish a collage or the list goes on.
		PhotoFrame 4.6 Professional EditionThere are times where a subtle texture or rough edge can really add to your images and for those times PhotoFrame is the program! -Reader suggested- Thanks Alan R.
		http://www.smugmug.com/,http://www.zenfolio.com/ How about a gift of some place beautiful to store, share and organize your photos. I use both Smugmug and Zenfolio and have nothing but great things to say – helpful support, multitude of customization options and privacy controls. Get your photos off Flickr and get them someplace where the people care
		SanDisk Flash Memory Vault 16 GBA neat idea for backing up your most precious photos- certainly much longer lasting than a DVD- which usually fails within 10 years.
		Related to the above but of a more immediate nature- the fast 16GB class 10 Transcend cards are now just $19 a piece – that is loads of storage for little $
		Energizer Ultimate Lithium Headlight (Batteries Included) If the photographer in your life heads out before sunrise, after sunset or during the night for star trails- having a headlamp for hands free illumination can be so. . . handy (sorry This headlamp has a red light mode that can save your night vision, perfect for setting up compositions in the dark. If you want to go smaller/lighter/cheaper take a look at thEnergizer Trail Finder 7 LED Head Light (Batteries Included)

Nothing on this list that interests you? Review the 2009 Holiday Gift Guide and 2010 Holiday Gift Guide AND Updated daily is my The Big Camera Holiday Recommendation Guide

Canon HS 100, 300, 310, 500, 510 – What the heck is the difference?

toby — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:37:05 +0000

These two cameras look very similar and have very similar specs, so which should you buy? Both offer 12MP and are almost exactly the same in every respect except -

Canon Elph 100 HS	Canon Elph 300 HS	Canon Elph 310 HS

Screen Size 3″, 4x zoom(28-112mm), Mono audio recording	Screen Size 2.7″, 5x zoom(24-120mm), Stereo audio recording	Screen Size 3″, 8x zoom(28-224mm), Stereo
Buy from Amazon $129	Buy from Amazon $149	Buy from Amazon $199

Yep – those three specs, screen size, focal length range and audio recording during video are the only noticeable differences. Which one is best for you? There is actually one more subtle difference, the 3″ screen on the 310 is higher resolution at 416K, twice that of the 100 and 300. Maybe not as a big a difference as 2x the resolution sounds but certainly worth mentioning. My Pick is the HS300, in the way that most ultra compacts get used, having the slightly wider lens start at 24mm is more important than a bit more zoom. Image quality wise all three cameras are going to give you virtually identical results. Note that thee 100 HS looks a tad smaller, it’s not- these images are not to scale. The 310 series does come in a variety of colors, the 100 and 300 stick to black, silver and red. A great soft case these is the Case Logic TBC-302 I also recommend a spare battery and of course an SD Card 8GB is fine

Canon Elph 500 HS Canon Elph 510 HS

Screen Size 3.2″ Touch Screen, 4.4x zoom (24-105mm), Stereo Audio Screen Size 3.2″ Touch Screen , 12x zoom(28-336mm), Stereo audio recording

Buy from Amazon $199 Buy from Amazon $299

The big difference between the 500 series and the 300 series is the larger touch screen. The back of these cameras is domniated by the screen and the touch functionality replacing several physical buttons. The difference between the 500 and the 510 is the Zoom, with the 510 offering a fairly serious 12x zoom in what is still considered a compact and almost ultracompact body. Image quaity between all five of these cameras is going to be virtually identical- they use the same sensor and processor.

Canon Elph 300 HS Back Canon Elph 500 HS Back

No Touch screen Touch Screen

As Always find me on twitter or Facebook if you have any questions.

Canon Elph 500 HS	Canon Elph 510 HS

Screen Size 3.2″ Touch Screen, 4.4x zoom (24-105mm), Stereo Audio	Screen Size 3.2″ Touch Screen , 12x zoom(28-336mm), Stereo audio recording
Buy from Amazon $199	Buy from Amazon $299