B&H is also offering $100-$200 instant on the purchase of Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera. See the 7D link for offer details.

The Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Excellent lens but you will need to get pretty close to your subject

The Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro More reach, you won’t need to get as close but a little more limited in use and more expensive

Iphoto, Aperture, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Picasa and other programs allow you to easily add keywords to your images and once those go online the popular photo sites all allow search and sort by keywords. It is well worth the time invested. You may not consider the amount of photos you have now to be overwhelming but the numbers will only continue to grow, you will only continue to get more forgetful and the technology that will allow searching and sorting based on keywords is only going to get better – No reason not too in my mind.

Leave a comment with your thoughts on tagging. Look for a short How-to video on using Lightroom to efficiently tag large groups of images.

Key Features:

• 18.7 MP -3″ Widescreen LCD with 1M dots, current “nice” LCD screens have 920K dots. Additional the screen is now the same aspect ratio as the images you shoot, no more letterboxing- just screen filling goodness of your photos.
• 1080p video at full 30fps(lower resolution selections at fast FPS) AND external stereo mic port – Up to now all the entry level models have relied on cheap mono mike for recording, sometime you even get the sound of the camera focusing in the audio track.  An external mic port allows for some seriously great audio quality.  At the recent CES in las vegas many of the bloggers/reporters were using Canon’s 7D w/ external mics attached  for recording interviews.  The T2i is now offering the same quality at 1/2 the price.
• Exposure Compensation +/- 5.0 (Excellent for HDR photography)- For years Canon has limited in camera exposure compensation to 2 stops +/-.  Moving to 5 allows for much greater latitude and control especially when shooting with HDR in mind.
• Auto ISO with selectable max
• Eye-fi specific menu settings, letting you setup and work with Eye-fi cards

On the Canon side this camera is now sitting between the T1i and the 7D, much closer to the 7D then the T1i

On the Nikon side this blows the D5000 out of the water and when comparing most features it also sits up the D90 which has been my “best camera for the money” pick for the last 6+ months.  D90 is still a better build, bright viewfinder and most folks find the ergonomics and balance to be better but if you care about video the T2i is an exceptional camera and value.  Even if you don’t care about video the features of the T1i look extremely exciting.

Full Press release

Pre-order T2i/550D at Amazon
Now in Stock at B&H Photo

Will you be upgrading?  From what? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Full written review is coming soon along with a gallery of sample images.

Enjoy and remember to friend me on Facebook

60D Specs

• Articulating screen
• Metal body, similar To 50D
• Upgraded 15.1mp APS-C Sensor
• 720p/1080p Video at 30fps
• Electronic Level
• New battery & battery grip
• Price about $1190

550D/600D Specs

• Articulating screen
• Body smaller than 500D
• Upgraded 15.1mp APS-C Sensor
• 720p Video at 30fps
• Price about $799

What do you all think of Articulating screens?  Love em, hate em?   Are these cameras worth waiting for?  Rumored release date in late spring/early summer

DSLR Advantages:

• Fast- from cold start to picture taking DSLRs are king and time is measured in milliseconds.  And fast from shot to shot, many DSLRS can take several high quality images in less than a second.
• Battery life is exceptional in most DSLRs with numbers between 500-1000 depending on flash use. A good P&S approaches 300ish
• A control scheme that lets you change common settings without wading through menus. I am comfortable enough to change most of my commons settings by touch alone because the buttons are smartly placed and work well.
• Interchangeable lenses allows your camera to specialize in any type of photography- going from exceptional wide angle to incredible macro if you have the lenses.
• High ISO performance, this means that in low light you can take clear crisp pictures without a ton of grain(noise).
• External Flash – The ability to add an external flash to your setup can do more for your pictures than any other accessory including lenses.
• Complete manual control including hour long shutter length if desired.

DSLR disadvantages:

• Bulky/heavy, DSLRs are large, often heavy and will not fit in a pocket or even a small purse
• They are hard to hide, related to the above, and scream “look at my camera, steal my camera”
• Lenses can be as, or even more, expensive than the original camera
• You can get dust on the sensor, or in the lenses, this has been better addressed in recent bodies though

I have a DSLR recommendation guide and a P&S recommendation list

Super Budget
Panasonic Lumix LZ8K 8MP 5x Zoom Lots of features, easy to operate and image quality is excellent.

Budget
Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10MP 3x Zoom Canon Powershot reliability and quality is a small stylish camera

Mid Level
Panasonic Lumix ZS3 10MP 12x ZoomHuge Zoom, HD video recording and excellent image quality in a form factor that slips into a pocket.

High end
Canon PowerShot S90IS 10MP 3.8x Zoom Extremely high quality images with very little noise, even at higher ISOs, almost DSLR like quality. Genius control scheme lets you have as much or as little control over manual shooting.

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.

Speedy – Not only does the control scheme allow for quick setting changes the camera is very responsive. turns on and is ready to go quickly and shot to shot time is very good for a point and shoot.

Quality – I have only take 50 shots or so but the clear majority of those are excellent and especially at the higher ISO the lack of noise in some shots in stunning for a P&S camera.

Downsides – Battery life seems on the short side.  I haven’t run any scientific tests and I am certainly spoiled by DSLRs that easily get 500-1000 shots on a good battery but even for a P&S it seems short.  No HD video – this actually doesn’t bother me, but it is curious that Canon limited the video to SD quality.

Bottom Line – there is an awful lot to love about this camera, slips in a pocket, control scheme is genius and it takes excellent photos.  Buy a spare battery and you will be good to go.

Full review with sample photos and video coming soon.

S90 on Amazon

Previous Tips:

CameraTip: Always reformat your memory card in camera- less problems with corrupted files.  Just make sure ur photos are safely on comp 1st!

Camera Tip: Try shooting at dawn and dusk(Golden Hour)- the softer quality of light will greatly enhance your photos. http://www.golden-hour.com/

Tip: Sweet spot of the lens is usually around f/8.0 – try to shoot at or near that to get the sharpest photos

Tip: Photographing Kids?  get down on their level for a more child-like persepective

TIP: related to yesterday’s tip- don’t take all your pictures at eye level = boring.  get high, get low, anywhere but tween  5 ‘ to 6′

TIP: Low-light?  Brace your elbows against chest and press the shutter in one smooth motion and/or fire a burst of three images

TIP: In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image

TIP: Have a DSLR or highend P&S that lets u shoot RAW?  USE it -the added detail & post processing latitude you get is worth the larger size

Upcoming Tips -

Exposure – To the right or the left?

Filters/lens hoods

Backups

Tripods

Sunset

Flowing Water

Better Photographer browse Flickr. . .

Flickr – upload 5 pics at a time because. . .

Fill Flash – use it during the day. . .

Sharp Focus – be BOLD. . .

Watch those backgrounds . . .

Watch those foregrounds . .

Have a tip to share or would like to hear more about a certain topic? leave it in the comments.