May
15
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May
14
Summertime university-style photography seminars taking place in New Jersey, Georgia, Nevada and Oregon, offer fundamental education for emerging professional photographers; registration now open
Hollywood, CA (May 14, 2012) – Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) announces that registration for WPPI U is now open. Four, two-day workshops, will take place in Fairfield, NJ, June 25 – 26; Atlanta, GA, July 24 – 25; Las Vegas, NV, August 13 – 14; and Portland, OR, September 5 -6, 2012.
WPPI U is a comprehensive university-style, two day seminar providing essential education and training on multiple aspects of photography to help today’s up-and-coming photographers not only strengthen their shooting skills, but also learn how to be successful in their business and marketing practices.
“What began nearly three years ago as a one location educational seminar has grown into the ultimate learning experience that hits the road this summer to bring WPPI-quality education to four key cities in the United States,” said George Varanakis, Show Director of WPPI U and Publisher of Rangefinder. “Ideal for emerging photographers who envision a successful career in photography, WPPI U allows attendees to sharpen their technical skills, teaches them how to run a profitable business and break out on their own using marketing tips they learn from the renowned industry leaders who speak and teach at WPPI U.”
Featuring several guest instructors, WPPI U class topics will include:
Professional photographers scheduled to speak at WPPI U include*:
May
09
Nikon has confirmed to PDN that it is investigating a problem that can cause the D800 and D4 to lock-up while shooting. The company says that the issue – identified while PDN was reviewing the camera – can be avoided by disabling Highlights and RGB Histogram on the display. At present the lock-ups require the battery to be removed to restart the camera but PDN thinks it likely that Nikon will be able to come up with a permanent fix.
The issue isn’t one we’ve encountered while working towards our reviews of both cameras, but we’ll stay in touch with Nikon and report on any updates.
May
09
The Olympus TG-1 is the company’s latest rugged camera, the successor to last year’s TG-810. And though the rugged aspects of these cameras may have hit an innovative plateau, there’s always room for improvement when it comes to image quality. That’s why Olympus packed a lens with an F2.0 aperture into this durable 12-megapixel beast.
Considering most rugged cams have aperture value that only goes as low as F3.5, the TG-1 will presumably offer sharper images and better low light performance than the competition. Olympus also went and also added a conversion ring mechanism for filters, for fisheye and telephoto shots.
And as expected, this cam has the standard array of rugged features: waterproof to 40 feet, shockproof to 6.6 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and crushproof to 220 pounds. Plus it comes replete with 4X optical zoom, GPS, Full HD video recording, a 60 frames per second recording mode, a 10 frames per second burst mode, all powered by the same image processor found in cameras such as Olympus’ OM-D. The Olympus TG-1 is expected to arrive in mid-July for around $400. [Olympus]
Apr
27
Samsung’s line of excellent NX-series mirrorless cameras is getting packed with the Wi-Fi features the company’s been offering in point-and-shoots for years. Sharing your photos between devices and on Facebook made easy—but is it a feature that these cameras need?
Last year’s Samsung NX200 was pretty darn excellent, save for a few quibbles we had with its automatic settings. And for the upcoming NX210 refresh, Samsung’s largely leaving it alone, with the exception of the new Wi-Fi features: it’s got the same DSLR-sized 20.3-megapixel sensor and shoots identical 1080p HD video. The cheaper NX10 and NX100 cameras will be replaced by the NX20 and NX1000. In addition to the Wi-Fi upgrades, these cameras will also get the same 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor.
The built-in Wi-Fi features function much the same way as they do on Samsung’s point-and-shoots. The camera will allow you to connect directly to online services like Facebook, YouTube, and Microsoft SkyDrive to upload photos and video. Using the MobileLink application for Android and iOS you can view your photos on a tablet or phone, and transfer them to these devices too. The Remote Viewfinder app—as its name implies—allows you to control your camera remotely. And if you’re a Windows user, you can use Wi-Fi to back up your photos.
Over the last few years Samsung’s been leading the pack with its Wi-Fi point-and-shoots, but does anybody really want this feature in a professional-grade compact camera? When using the camera’s Wi-Fi features you’re almost always sacrificing image quality because the camera won’t transfer the huge files this camera would otherwise record to its memory card. What’s the point of spending big bucks on a high-resolution camera with a big sensor and interchangeable lenses, if all you’re going to do is scale the image down for a Facebook upload?
Samsung didn’t give us information on how much the camera’s would cost, but the NX200 costs $900, just to give you a point of reference. Get your routers ready: The new NX-series shooters will all be available in May. [Samsung]
Apr
27
Nikon’s entry-level DSLRs are known for being well-built and easy to use. The same looks to be true for the D3200, just with a super-sized 24.2 megapixel sensor.
Like the D800 and its monster 36MP sensor, the D3200 is an escalation in the sort-of dormant megapixel war. The DX-format (sorry, full-frame hopefuls) CMOS sensor should allow for sharper stills than pricier options like the 16MP D7000 in ideal conditions. The added resolution makes increased noise in low light shots more of a concern, but compared to the D3100, the ISO range has been doubled from 3200 to 6400, which will hopefully offset any issues.
Beyond the sensor, the D3200 shares some specs with the D3100, but got a few bumps where it matters. The expanded ISO, for one, and a new Expeed 3 processor—the same one in the D800. It shoots at 4 frames-per-second continuous in full resolution, up from 3 frames-per-second on the D3100, and the LCD screen got a big resolution bump—a more-current 921k-dot, compared to the old 230k-dot screen. Still not touchscreen, though. Autofocus is still 11-point, and it’ll also have the D3100′s guide mode, which explains camera features to new users. On the video side, it shoots 1080p at 24 and 30fps, an HDMI-output, and a new 3.5mm microphone input jack.
There’s also an optional $60 wireless mobile adapter, the WU-1a, that will connect the D3200 to mobile phones or tablets. The adapter will you access the camera’s live view and control the shutter from the screen of your Android or iOS device.
The suggested retail for the D3200 and a basic 18-55mm VR kit lens is $700. No word on the body-only price just yet. It’s up for pre-order today, and will ship some time in late April. [gizmodo]
Apr
26
Smartphone cameras have gotten so good—and sharing photos from them has gotten so easy—that in most situations, a simple point-and-shoot camera seems like an unnecessary inconvenience.
But point-and-shoot manufacturers, eager to keep their products relevant, have begun equipping the cameras with built-in Wi-Fi transmitters. These combine a legitimate camera’s lens and sensor with a phone-like ability to quickly share photos without a cumbersome cord. Even with the new feature, a solid camera can come in under $300. Wi-Fi point-and-shoots to the rescue! Right?
For this test, we chose the Canon Elph 320 HS ($280) and the Samsung WB150f ($230). We wanted to know how these cameras stacked up against each other, and also how the features measured up in common tasks—like posting a photo to Facebook—when compared against most folks’ default tool for the job, the iPhone 4.
Apr
04
If the Canon 5D Mark III’s generous 3.2-inch LCD display still isn’t large enough for your needs, the Swivi lets you strap on an even larger 5.6-inch swiveling display for live previews or reviewing shots and footage.
Using a bracket that attaches to your camera’s tripod mount, the Swivi hangs off the side of your camera and connects via its HMDI-out connection. So if your camera doesn’t have HDMI, you can just move along now.
Its limited resolution of just 480,000 pixels pales in comparison to the 1,040,000 pixels on the Mark III’s display. But the extra real estate will make it easier for multiple people to see and hear the display at the same time, since it features its own set of speakers as well.
The $330 Swivi is powered by a Canon LP-E6 battery, but it includes an adapter for 6xAAs if you’re shooting with Nikon or other gear. If it’s tempting, just keep in mind it’s going to add bulk and weight to an already hefty piece of gear. So strapping it on when you’re just snapping tourist shots while traveling is probably a little overkill. [Swivi via Gear Culture]
Mar
26
If you missed WPPI 2012 we have highlights from the show brought by Digital Photography Cafe.
Digital Photography Cafe is now working on a weekly video how and released the first “beta” this week. Click here to check it out: http://digitalphotographycafe.com/digital-photography-cafe-044-the-talent-agency-scam-lightroom-4-and-the-new-ipad/
Mar
21
Today’s contestants: the lovely and talented Sony 16mm f/2.8 and Olympus 17mm f/2.8 pancake lenses.
Since everyone seemed to enjoy looking inside an NEX mirrorless camera, I decided to take more pictures while doing today’s disassembly.
Optically I expected both lenses to be fairly simple: the Sony has 5 single elements, the Olympus 6 elements in 4 groups, and both have the diaphragm about in the center of the lens elements. They seem very similar as we start opening up the backs: both have 3 screws holding in a light baffle / protection cap, and 4 screws holding on the lens mount, just like most other lenses.
The Olympus (left) and Sony lenses with backs removed.
