Photo&Cameras

Classes digital photography from HP : Think about how successful and professional you would feel if you framed digital photos that were a little more stylized than most. Or the digital photos in your scrapbook had that dramatic touch, that little extra that makes others stare in amazement. Taking classes digital photography at a local community college or online can help out the beginner photographer, as well as review the basics of the most advanced photographers. With classes digital photography, you can learn how to get better results from proper use of your digital camera, find out how to work with perspective, angles and light, and also how to share your digital photos with friends and family.
Classes digital photography
For your New Year’s Resolution this year, learn to take better photos. Create compelling visual stories with the pictures you take, and make your family say “wow!” Classes digital photography are available online, or at your local community college.

HP digital photography – Classes
HP Digital Photography offers free online classes digital photography. These classes are easy to sign up for, and you can take them online on your own schedule. Some classes available include:
• Professional Digital Photography Made Simple
• Beginner’s Guide to Saving, Printer and Sharing your Digital Photos
• Telling a Story with Photos
• Creative Holiday Gifts from Photos

HP
HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007.

Souce: www.letsgodigital.org

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Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera review : Now that Kodak stopped manufacturing digital SLR cameras, the entire series of digital cameras consists of EasyShare digital camera models. EasyShare does exactly what the name tells you: easy sharing of pictures. Core of the system is the docking station. You place the camera in the station and pushing the button once sends your photos to email, hard drive or printer. It works as simple as it sounds. Kodak also maintains and enhances the user-friendliness in the EasyShare digital cameras. This is entirely conform the American company’s policy: “You push the button, we do the rest”. Within the EasyShare series, Kodak distinguishes some series, depending on the target group. The top model of the pocket series is the Kodak EasyShare V550. It is a beautifully designed camera aiming at people who love to carry their camera around with them, so the model shouldn’t be too bulky and heavy. The concept seems to be strong as iron.

Kodak V550 – Large LCD monitor
The Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera is almost similar to the somewhat cheaper V530 camera. The main difference is the monitor on the back of the camera. The Kodak EasyShare V550 features a monitor of an enormous 2.5-inch size and an internal memory double the size of the one on the V530. Such a large monitor is often found on compact cameras nowadays and I can only cheer about that. Five Megapixels and a 3x optical zoom (36-105mm equivalent of a 35mm camera), make the EasyShare V550 a versatile digital camera that can be used for many occasions. The EasyShare docking station is standard delivered with the V-550, making it a piece of cake to share the captured pictures with family or friends or archiving the photos. Simple scene programme modes offer simple operation of the Kodak V550. According to Kodak, photographing should just be fun, without having to deal with too much technical stuff.

Kodak EasyShare V550 – Designed for women
The Kodak V550’s trendy appearance is thrown into the competition with lifestyle cameras from brands like Sony, Nikon and Canon, among other ones. It definitely isn’t an easy task to stay in the race. But if you have a close look at the EasyShare V550 you will soon get attracted to its beautiful appearance. Kodak is aiming their V550 principally at women. Their policy is that the camera should be like the perfect classy black dress, suitable for every occasion. Together with the EasyShare system Kodak holds a strong trump in their hands to be able to win customers over. The Kodak Easy-Share V550 is delivered completely with docking station and bag. Our experiences with the camera and the EasyShare system can be read in the Kodak EasyShare V550 review.

Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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Olympus have released a new program which imports and displays RAW files in Windows Vista. The RAW codec works with the following Olympus cameras:

E-1, E-3*, E-300, E-330, E-400, E-410, E-500 , E-510 , E-10, E-20, C-70 ZOOM, C-5050ZOOM, C-5060 Wide Zoom, C-7070 Wide Zoom, C-8080 Wide Zoom, SP-310, SP-320, SP-350, SP-500UZ, SP-510UZ, SP-550UZ, SP-560UZ
*A part of the parameter does not apply to RAW developing of images.

Olympus RAW codec for Windows Vista

Via: feeds.feedburner.com

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If you want to be a serious digital photographer then Real World Camera Raw: with Adobe Photoshop CS3 is one of the books that you will need to study, learn, and live by. Camera Raw, the Photoshop plug-in, gives you precise control over image qualities like white balance, tones, color space, contrast, and saturation.

Real World Camera Raw: with Adobe Photoshop CS3 is the latest version of the book that was begun by Photoshop expert Bruce Frasier and is now carried on by his friend and business partner Jeff Schewe. It is contained in 365 pages divided into nine chapters.

Chapter 1, "Digital Camera Raw," focuses on Raw capture, its fundamental nature, advantages, and limitations. You will begin by learning what Raw Capture is, why you should use it, and just what is a digital negative? Chapter 2, "How Camera Raw Works," examines what "lies under the hood" of the Camera Raw plug-in. To use Camera Raw effectively, you must first understand what it offers and where its limitations are, as well as how you can overcome the limitations.

Chapter 3, "Raw System Overview," provides the 30,000 foot view of the whole digital raw system. Here the individual components are discussed in much more detail; not as much as in future chapters, but for now, this provides an overview of the workflow in general. The components are Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, Adobe Photoshop CS3, and Digital Negatives.

Chapter 4, "Camera Raw Controls," examines the Camera Raw controls in detail. Here you will start by learning how to handle Camera Raw images one at a time and you will delve in-depth into what each control does and how best to work with them. They include the basic panel, the Tone Curve Panel, the Detail Panel, the HSL/Grayscale Panel, the Split Tone Panel, the Lens Correction Panel, the Calibrate Panel, and the Presets Panel. You will also examine the Camera Raw Flyout menu, the main Raw buttons, the Camera Raw toolbar, as well as other Camera Raw tools.

Chapter 5, "Hands-on Camera Raw," shows that knowing what each control does is only half the battle, the other half is knowing how the tools interact, and when and in which order to use them. Here you will learn about Camera Raw by getting in and working with it.

Chapter 6, "Adobe Bridge," explores briefly the history of file browser and its progression into Adobe Bridge and how Bridge under CS3 has become rather complex. Here Bridge is talked about in relation to the features that apply to digital photography and the Raw workflow. Topics include working with Bridge, Metadata, Keywords, and other tools such as Batch Rename, Cache, Collections, and Slideshow.

Chapter 7, "It's All About the Workflow," describes, that now, even though you understand many of the tools, you now need to learn how to perform the actual work of Raw processing. This can be described into five basic strategies; Image Ingestion, Image Verification, Preproduction, Production, and Post Production. This will put the Raw workflow into the big picture.

Chapter 8, "Mastering Metadata," examines the "data about data"; that is the information contained within the raw file. This EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) standard is the information that is provided by the camera manufacturers when you take a picture. Also examined is XMP which is Adobe's initiative to promote a standard for Metadata. It, like DNG, is an open standard to try to make digital become manufacture independent.

Chapter 9, "Exploiting Automation," shows that although, up till now, everything has been done on a one off basis, to be truly effective, you need to be able to automate as many of these processes as possible. Here you will learn how to "work smarter, not harder" by using automation.

Bottom line, if you are serious about digital imaging, you will work with Raw files from your Camera; usually DSLR, but many higher end point and shoot cameras are offering Raw capture abilities as well. If you want to learn how to work effectively with Raw files then you will need to study Real World Camera Raw: with Adobe Photoshop CS3. It is the standard on the topic.

Unfortunately to the world at large and certainly to the digital world Bruce Frasier lost his battle with lung cancer on December 16, 2006. Fortunately for us, his friend and business partner Jeff Schewe has taken up the reigns, and updated his classic book and made sure that his legacy lives on.

If you are not familiar with Jeff Schewe's work you can find him as a regular on many of the videos from the Luminous-Landscape, from his website, and as the Editor in Chief for PhotoshopNews. As an award winning advertising photographer and pioneer in the digital imaging field, I can think of no one more qualified or more respected to take up the banner for Bruce Frasier and keep his legacy alive.

If you are serious about digital imaging and working with Raw files, if you find that you want to be in control of your images, or if you want to squeeze every last pixel of quality from your image capture, then Real World Camera Raw: with Adobe Photoshop CS3 is an absolutely, positively, must-own.

From: feeds.blogcritics.org

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“In early December by the English Channel at Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire and the day is bright and blue but with a fierce cold wind. After an early morning stroll I find this parade of beach huts locked up for the winter season, standing sentinel like facing the sea adjacent to an old sanitorium which has been converted to most desirable waterside apartments. The view from these seaside rooms must be spectacular with the Isle of Wight and its Needles only a few miles away across the water”. Taken by Michael

Source: planetearthdailyphoto.blogspot.com

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Phase One’s Capture One RAW conversion software has reached version 4, and arrives sporting a new underlying architecture and interface – so a major upgrade by all accounts. The new interface places the point of focus on the the image – or indeed images as one may now open up to 12 simultaneously at full resolution. Multiple versions of a RAW file may also be created with ‘virtually no disk and performance overhead’. The shortcut system has been upgraded too, making accessing frequently-used functions a breeze. Capture One 4 is available now as a free upgrade for existing users or $129 / €99 for first-time purchasers, more after the click.

Jump to

• Press release
• Pricing and availability
• Additional images

Press release:

Phase One Delivers Capture One 4 Next-Generation RAW Workflow Software

Transforming RAW Data to Uncompromising Image Quality

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Dec. 19, 2007 — Phase One today announced the availability of Capture One 4, the next generation of the world’s first RAW workflow software. Built on a new architecture, the successor to Phase One’s entry-level Capture One LE offers photographers – pros and enthusiasts alike – a RAW workflow solution for superior image quality.

A newly designed user interface offers high fidelity color and detail reproduction, plus new timesaving workflow features. Capture One 4 supports medium-format digital backs and a wide range of DSLR cameras.

“Our recent survey of professional photographers shows that pros have fully adopted digital and RAW format, with 89 percent of total images now being captured digitally and over 50 percent of them in RAW format,” said Ed Lee, Director at InfoTrends.

“Capture One excels at RAW workflow,” said Jan H. Christiansen, marketing director for Phase One. “Today, it is no less an art to develop digital images than to process film in the darkroom. Ours is not an ‘end-to-end’ solution, but devoted to helping photographers achieve the highest quality from the images they have captured.”

About Capture One 4

Capture One 4 marries sophistication with a simple, intuitive ease. It invokes more consistent use of shortcuts, tools and naming. It is compatible with many other popular applications; for example, users can have a seamless workflow with Capture One to process RAW files and Adobe Photoshop to post process images.

• New user interface offers maximum space for the images. Images, not sliders and controls, are the focus. A darker background permits easier image viewing and enhancements. As with previous generations of Capture One, a guided workflow is available to assist the photographer in the image enhancement process;
• View and work with up to 12 images simultaneously at full resolution;
• Multiple Variants of a single RAW image can be made with virtually no disk and performance overhead;
• Manage and transfer license codes, so Capture One 4 can be used on one computer one day and on another computer the next.
• Recover details in highlights and shadows with high dynamic range control;
• Import and export images in DNG format, for more options to share and archive;
• Powerful new shortcut architecture allows faster image import, adjustment and processing;

Pricing and availability

Existing Capture One customers can upgrade to Capture One 4 at no extra cost. Designed for Windows XP (SP2)/Vista and Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5, Capture One 4 is available now via download at http://www.phaseone.com/4 for 129 USD and 99 EUR through Phase One’s e-Shop.

By: www.dpreview.com

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 digital camera review : I have said it before: Panasonic are setting the world on fire. Even more so; Panasonic’s digital camera assortment is impressive and mature and Panasonic does not yield to the established lot, the renowned photo manufacturer. When we take a look at the assortment there is a choice for everyone, from simple entry level to a stylish design, from compact to advanced Megazoom and even a digital SLR camera recently, that was warmly welcomed worldwide. For this review I chose Panasonic’s new Megazoom model; the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ18. This model got introduced in the summer of 2007 and was the result of a few generations of Megazoom cameras. Continue to read our full Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 review!
Panasonic FZ18 – 8.1 Megapixels & 12x Optical zoom
The Panasonic Lumix FZ18 is an 8.1 Megapixel camera equipped with an impressive optical zoom of no less than 18x. Not so long ago this range (28-504mm equivalent of a 35mm camera) would be unthinkable for existing in a compact SLR-like housing. Olympus already showed us that it was possible after which Panasonic followed with the FZ18. The camera is clearly based on the Lumix FZ8 concept, a Megazoom model with 12x optical zoom, but is not considered to be its replacement.

Panasonic DMC-FZ18 – Hand-fit & Mega O.I.S image stabilizer
Taking the camera in my hands, I can feel the ideal hand-fit straight away. The Panasonic Lumix FZ18 has a perfect handgrip and lies just right in my hand. The feeling Panasonic are able to create adds to a great extend to the ease of operating the camera. The FZ18 is a compact camera when we look at how the camera has been equipped but it carries many features from a digital SLR camera. The compact size is not at all a disadvantage regarding the operation of the camera. And in addition Panasonic applied their Mega O.I.S., an optical image stabilizer to support the 18x optical zoom. Mega O.I.S. contributes greatly to cameras with a large focus range.

Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ18 review
The Panasonic FZ18 has been available for quite a while now, so it is high time to put this model to the test. I have had the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 in the office and was able to test it in practice and in the lab. My experiences can be read in the following Panasonic DMC-FZ18 review!

Souce: www.letsgodigital.org

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Canon has released firmware v1.0.6 for the 1Ds Mark III. This update improves communication between the camera and certain CF cards as well as preventing color casts and vertical lines from appearing on images. The update is available now via Canon, link after the jump.

By: www.dpreview.com

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