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Your Vote Counts

This year we are in a very heated race, with many worthy candidates. If you are looking for change it is here now. You have a chance for a better system, more efficient use of available resources and still place less demand on your pocketbook.

The two major candidates are both offering change, breaking with the past and the old ways is inevitable. Even though the goals of the the major parties are similar, there are differences and you have to decide which direction you want to go. Nobody can anticipate everyone needs, there may be sacrifices required to get an overall system that best suits you best and incorporates your plans for the future.

It is important to remember that there are more than two parties in this race, that you still have many choices to consider. With the economy being a major factor as well, it is incumbent upon you to make the right choices for your needs. In the next few weeks and months remaining there will be many deals to stimulate the economy and to bail you out of your usual last minute crazy holiday race.

We all know who the two main candidates are for your SLR dollars. Canon and Nikon are perennially favorites and are once again neck and neck. Between them they have brought out (or are soon bringing out) no less that 7 new platforms in the past three or four months. Recent Nikon Digital SLR offerings include the D90 with video worthy of a High Definition Camcorder, the high mega-pixel high end Nikon Digital Camera for more performance the D300, and the two new full size sensors models in the Executive branch, the D3 and the D700.
Canon digital SLR cameras you ask? They too have been bolstering their ranks. The Canon Digital Rebel camera lined has two recent additions the Rebel XS, and the higer mega-pixel Rebel XSi, but the most anticipated Canon Digital SLR camera news is the Canon 5D Mark II!  We are takin advanced orders for the new Canon. Like the new Nikon D90 the Mark II will also have High definition Camcorder quality video recording capabilities, a massive 21.1 mega-pixel image sensor and the new digic 4 processor.

Inspirational Poster ala Chuck

The true independent in this race is Sony. Sony manufactures every component of their DSLR cameras and lenses, so they control their own means of production. The new Sony Digital SLR that is getting rave reviews has the largest resolution full frame sensor to date in a “35mm” style camera body at 24.6 mega-pixels. The Alpha 900 is here now and is remarkable, add a comfortable grip and it is the equal of most any camera on the market, and at a price that is sure to put pressure on the other contenders.

Remember that Pentax and Olympus are also in the DSLR business, and there are many worthy offers and offerings to consider before you veto them from your agenda. This season we have killer Olympus Digital Camera deals. You be can walk out with a 10 mega-pixel E-410 with a 14-42 lens for under $400.00. The same Olympus digital camera with an additional 40-150 zoom, case with 3 year extended warranty, spare battery and 2 gb compact flash card, can be yours for 549.94. Talk about your stimulus package! Can we beat the competition for deals this season! Yes We Can!



Niftiness Built In Continued

Last time I started talking about some of the innovations to be found in modern cameras that go beyond the megapixel race and the arguments about noise, and I’d like to share a few more of these innovative ideas I think we sometimes forget to give weight to.

4. Sony’s Rotating Control Panel. I’ll likely always consider this a Sony innovation, even though I know other cameras seem to use it too (the Nikon D60, for example.) This feature is a logical expansion of a feature most cameras have anyway, namely a rotation sensor. Many cameras, in playback, will automatically rotate the image so it’s always the right way, even if you hold the camera in portrait mode. Sonys just do this for the control panel as well. I gotta says, I wish Olympus digital cameras had this, it’s just a pain reading all my settings sideways every time I shoot in portrait.

5. Sony’s Battery Status. This one is definitely an award-winner for tiny little details, but it’s one I’m envious of. At the right are two low battery indicators, can you figure out which one is more useful? It’s a toughie, I know. It’s just such a great idea all around. Tell the user how much battery is left, inspired! I wonder if it’s a Sony patent thing, because the only problem I have with this is that it isn’t in every Canon digital SLR camera, Nikon digital SLR camera, Olympus, Pentax, or in general any digital camera that I pick up.

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Niftiness Built In

This is the age of feature-lust. Every forum I look on seems to be people bemoaning the absence (or in weird cases the inclusion) of various features which are apparently the Single Most Critical Feature in the World (at least until the next camera comes out with something new). And, if you ask me, the whole sensor noise debate and high ISO has started getting in the way of a lot of casual shooters getting out and getting shots they never would have gotten as little as ten years ago anyway. But, while composing over recording a picture is a post to itself (and one I’m likely to write sometime soon), what I’m trying to get to is instead a mini-summary of all the amazing little joys the digital age has given us which tend to get overlooked in the megapixel/sensor-size race.

Hyper-Program: Easy Quality1. Pentax’s Hyper-Program. Pentax is not exactly the first company to come to most people’s minds when talking cameras, but they certainly have some neat features the rest of the world is missing out on. Like Hyper-Program. It starts out like any other program mode, you select everything except aperture and shutter, the camera picks those. But, that’s where similarities end. Normal cameras have program shift, the Pentax can instead drop you out of P and into either aperture or shutter priority (so you get to decide how to shift the program line.) Push a button and you’re back in program, easy-peasy. And, it gets better: You can pick your program line. It can be normal old vanilla program, or you can pick a mode weighted towards hi-speed, high depth of field, or MTF (maximizing lens sharpness).

Super-Control Panel, My Old Friend2. Olympus’ Super Control Panel. Yes yes, we all know by now I’m biased on this one, but in my defense this feature is why I bought an Olympus digital camera for my first DSLR, and not the Alpha 100, D40, or Rebel XSi. Most cameras will show you your settings on the back LCD. Fewer of them will let you just hit the “OK” button and edit them right there on the spot. (DCResource has a wonderful animation of how this works, go here and scroll about halfway down the page). Coming from the rather-dated Canon AE-1 Program I used in college, the variety of advances present in even entry-level DSLRs was a bit dizzying, and being able to see the setting and change it right there seemed more intuitive than diving through menus for it.

3. Nikon’s In-Camera Processing. Many new Nikon digital cameras, including the new Nikon Coolpix cameras and the D60 and D90, have a wealth of software-driven in-camera editing features. These range from the pedestrian enabling or disabling of their D-Lighting curves to such wild-and-crazy gimmicks as star filters (those of you familiar with the Cokin filter system will remember these). The big write-off for these is that you can do all of this stuff on your computer. Sure, true, but sometimes I don’t want to wait that long, or need to show someone how the picture can be tweaked right there in the field. It’s still definitely something we, collectively as digital shooters, should appreciate more.(I’ll point you towards DPReview this time, look here under “Playback retouching” to see these processing options)

Alright, I know I can write some rather long posts, so I’ll stop there for now. I’ve got another of my (in)famous bokeh posts coming up next, then we’ll talk about more digital goodies and why we should appreciate them more.



They Run in the Rain

As a general rule, electronic devices do not like moisture. This weekend in Indianapolis (and Speedway) Indiana there is going to be a plethora of electronic devices; mini DV camcorders, high definition camcorders, Nikon Coolpix cameras, Canon Powershot cameras, Sony Cybershot’s, Panasonic Lumix’s as well as Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax digital  SLR’s from every corner of the planet, and with only a few exceptions (see Derek’s recent blog, spill) those devices are not going to be very happy getting wet.

Jeff Goshert AquaTech GeekYesterday I sold at least 5 different AquaTech raincover configutrations from the SS-200 all the way up to the SS-600 for the giant lenses that will be panning and riding on Gitzo, Bogen and Trekpod tripod and monopod supports in the damp and wet as well as a Kata rain cover for Sony HRV-V1U HD video camera. Today we expect to sell a few more rain resisting or shielding devices too.

Tomorrow, Sunday in Speedway, at the world famous Indnianapolis Motor Speedway; there will be noise, speed, excitement, and fans from across the globe; and there will be rain. The forecasts are not friendly.  If you have never seen a motorcycle race in the rain it is an amazing spectle, the flashy colors of the bikes and the rooster-tails off the wheels. The good news is this the racers in the MotoGP run in all but the very worst weather conditions. Like a flashy spectral watercolor painting they do run in the rain!

P.S. For the low tech crowd we sale umbrellas and disposable film cameras too.



A Good Back-up Plan

I see it all the time. Fledgling photographers landing a “paying” job for the use of their photographic eye and camera gear coming back to the store frustrated after having a technical or equipment problem on their “big break” shoot. The first time you shoot for someone else the anxiety levels are higher, and mistakes or errors are more likely.
It feels great to have someone place their confidence in you and your craft. It is a big ego boost, and can get you started in a secondary (or even primary) revenue stream. Still the most important thing is if you accept a job you should be prepared to do the job. The best advice is to have back-up gear ready for a possible failure. Similar if not identical equipment is recommended. If you are shooting with a Nikon DSLR Camera have another Nikon DSLR as a back-up, the same goes for Olympus, Pentax, Sony  or Canon, if you have a Canon DSLR camera have a back-up Canon DSLR camera. A Canon Digital Rebel can be an excellent back-up for a 30D, 40D or even higher end Canon DSLR. Rember that many of the newer DSLR cameras now use SD memory cards while older or higher end units could still be using CF cards.

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