Samsung Digimax S800 comes in an ergonomic body design (black and silver) for steady shooting. The Samsung Digimax S800 is the point-and-shoot camera that has tons of controls for its price range, but confusing menus and poor image quality (slightly soft, excessive noise and too warm colors with auto white balance indoor shooting) outweigh these advantages.
Also, it kinda shocked me that it has no aperture- or shutter-priority mode and the exposure adjustments in 1/2-stop instead of 1/3-stop increments. Red-eye is also a problem.

Functions:
• Sooting Modes: Auto, Program, Manual, Movie, Night, Portrait, Child
• Scene Modes: Night Scene, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach, Sunset, Snow
• Movie Mode: MPEG-4 VGA 30fps with no time limit, voice and built-in movie editing (pause and resume video recording as desired and merge those multiple movie into a single file, capture a still image during video playback) and Movies Stabilizer function
• Metering: Multi, Spot
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H, Fluorescent_L, Tungsten, Custom
• Flash Modes: Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off – up to 3m, 6 sec
• Effects: Normal, B&W, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, Negative, RGB, Soft, Normal, Vivid, Date&Time stamping, Trimming, Resizing, Rotate

Technical Data:
• 2.4 inch LCD
• 8.1 megapixels
• 3X Optical Zoom
• Lens: 7.4 ~ 22.2mm (35mm film equivalent : 35 ~ 105mm)
• Focal Length: F2.8 ~ F7.1(Wide), F5.1~F13.1(Tele)
• Shutter Speed: Auto : 1 ~ 1/1,500 sec., Manual : 8 ~ 1/1,500 sec.
• Exposure Compensation: ±2EV (0.5EV steps)
• Self-Timer: 10 sec., 2 sec., Double(10 sec., 2 sec.)
• ISO Range: 50,100, 200, 400
• Memory Storage: MMC/SD card + 20MB internal
• 2x AA Alkaline + Rechargeable battery SCC-S5 KIT(Dedicated Cradle Charging System) or
SNB-2512 KIT(2xAA Ni-MH Battery & Charger)

Tags: Samsung Digimax S800, point-and-shoot camera, pocket camera, digital camera, compact digital camera, camera, samsung digimax, samsung, 8MP, 3x optical zoom

Photoworkshop proposes 3 books (available in pdf format) which I find very good and with a simple language so that everyone can easy understand photography without having headaches.

Most of all I like “Simplified Tips & Trics” by Gregory Georges which covers in 10 Chapters each with 10 Subchapters. You’ll find out about selecting good photo opportunities, adjusting the camera settings, picking good light for the photos, prevent red-eye, reveal details with flash, shooting close-ups, portraits, and the advantage of the “Golden Hour”, controlling the exposure time and exposure compensation including combining two photos to get a full dynamic range, using the histogram to get the exposure you want, controlling focus and depth of field, composition tricks and creative tips, and, then, it goes deeper into image editing with Adobe Photoshop Elements.

The other book is called “50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques” by Kevin I. Moss also has 10 Chapters: Getting the Most from your Digital Camera, Taking Better Photographs, Using Advanced Features, Increasing the Quality of your Photos, Taking Pictures of People and Pets, Photographing Nature, “Scape” (Landscape, Waterscape, etc) Photography, Creative and Alternative Photography, Displaying and Taking Care of your Digital Images, and, finally, Becoming a better Photographer.

The 3rd book, called “Understanding the Aperture” and written by Bruce Waren, is a lot more technical as you can already notice from the title. “When you open or close a lens aperture, you double or halve the area through which light can travel As a result, exposure itselt is doubled or halved compared to the previously selected f-stop.”

Tags: e-books, photography e-book, photography book, photo resources, photoworkshop, photo book, photo e-book

This DSLR camera (not recommended for beginners) works on the base of Foveon X3 Sensor and will finally be available since 6th March 2007 (originally announced at Photokina in August 2006). Foveon X3 sensor (20.7mm x 13.8mm) was seen by many as the future of digital photography because (unlike almost every camera on the market which uses a color filter array), the X3 sensors measure color information for all three colors at every pixel location.

As well as the new image sensor, the Sigma SD14 has a completely new body which is quite a bit smaller and lighter (also modern) than that used in previous models. Sigma SD14 comes with built-in pop-up flash and an optical viewfinder with 98% coverage. Maximum resolution is 2640 x 1760 pixels, with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The dust protector of the SIGMA SD14 prevents dust from entering and adhering to the image sensor and mirror lock-up mechanism prevents camera shake. The durable focal plane shutter mechanism has life cycle of over 100,000 exposures.

Now let’s answer THE big question: is 4.69 effective MP too little for such a modern dSLR? Well, No! The new X3 sensor packs 14.1 million pixels, into a 3-dimensional array of 2652 x 1768 x 3 pixels. There is no doubt, a Foveon pixel should (and actually, in terms of just Foveon, they are) be a far better pixel, contributing to far superior color accuracy and also, therefore, effective resolution, by increasing the accuracy and precision of borders, shade shifts, colors, detail in brightness extremes, contrast range, etc.

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Full Manual
• White Balance Settings: Auto, Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom
• Metering Modes: 8 segment evaluative, Center, Center weighted average
Technical Data:
• 2.5 inch LCD
• 4.69 effective megapixel
• ISO Range: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
• Shutter Speed: 30 -1/4000 sec, Bulb (up to 30 sec)
• Shooting speed: 3 fps
• Self-Timer: 2 or 10 seconds
• Exposure compensation: +/- 3.0EV in 0.3EV steps
• File Formats: JPEG, RAW (.X3F)
• Memory Storage: CF1/CF2/Microdrive
• LiIon rechargeable Battery
• Accessories: 40 Sigma lenses such as ultra-wide, ultra-telephoto, macro, and fisheye + EF-500 DG SUPER, EF-500 DG ST, and EM-140 DG flashes + power grip (PG-21), cable release (CR-21), remote controller (RS-31) and the AC adaptor (SAC-21)

Tags: dSLR, digital camera, camera, Sigma SD14, sigma digital camera, Foveon X3 sensor, Foveon X3, foveon senzor, foveon

Starting From tomorow (25 February) and until 28 February, don’t miss the big event “Focus on Imaging” holded in Birmingham. I wish i could go…

FOCUS ON IMAGING is Europe’s biggest annual imaging show, covering all your needs from image capture through to output and beyond.

Whether you are a professional image maker or processor, a buyer of image making equipment or materials, a manufacturer or distributor of products or a keen hobbyist, a visit to FOCUS ON IMAGING is a must.

Over 200 exhibitors and product launches galore – including all the very latest digital cameras and processing equipment – will feature at FOCUS 2007.

Tags: FOCUS ON IMAGING, Europe biggest annual imaging show

Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX is usualy used with Nikon and Canon dSLR’s. Between 18 and 24mm the full 35mm size frame is fully illuminated, though the image quality outside the limits of the APS-C frame may be questionable. This lens is not designed for full frame 35mm use. There is no manual/autofocus switch. Instead you push the focus ring forward to switch to AF mode and pull it back to select manual focus. Autofocus is quiet and fast, though not quite so quiet and fast as the Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 which has a ring USM motor.
More about comparison between Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX and Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5.
In terms of optical quality the Canon may be a little sharper in the corners wide open at the wide end and the Tokina may be a little sharper in the corners wide open at the long end, but overall the optical quality of the two lenses is pretty similar.

Specifications:
• Zoom Range: 12-24 mm
• Aperture: F/22-F/4
• Minimum Focus Distance: 11.8 inch (30cm)
• Macro Ratio: 1:8
• Filter Size : 77mm
• Dimensions : 3.3 in. (84mm) X 3.5 in. (89.5mm)

Tags: Tokina 12-24mm, Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5

The FZ50 Panasonic is versatile, easy to use, and produces incredibly sharp photographs but is built like a tank and picking up and aiming with it is a lot like looking down the barrel of a gun. It is powered with Mega Optical Image stabilizer and Noise Reduction. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 comes in two flavours: all black body, or a very attractive silver and black body.
The DMC-FZ50 is equipped with a new Function Button which serves as a shortcut to quickly set frequently-used settings such as recording image size, light metering, AF area, White balance, and ISO sensitivity.
The 2-inch LCD flips out to 180 degrees, making it easier to view even when shooting from high or low angles.
It powers on and is ready for first shot in 1.4 seconds and shot to shot requires 1.25 sec. ISO 1,600 and 3,200 are practically unusable because of the big amount of noise.
Other facilities of this camera are: Autofocus Macro (close-up) setting allows focusing up to five centimeters, Three Continuous Shooting modes, plus Auto Exposure Bracketing mode.

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: Program AE, Aperature Priority, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
• Scene mode with 16 presets + Custom
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight / Sunny (Preset), Cloudy (Preset), Shade (Preset), Halogen (Preset), Flash (Preset)
• Flash (buit-in pop-up) Options: Flash Off, Auto Flash, Red-eye Reduction Flash, Slow Sync, and Forced On
• Movie Mode: 30 fps, no time limit, quick time and motion jpeg
• Focus: Autofocus and Manual Focus
• Metering: Intelligent Multiple, Center-weighted, or Spot
• Effects: cool, warm, B&W, or sepia color, image contrast, sharpening, saturation, and noise reduction

Technical Data:
• 2.0 inch LCD
• 10.1 megapixels
• 12x optical zoom + 4x digital
• 35-420mm (35mm equivalent) lens
• 7.4-88.8mm focal length
• Focus range: 1.97-11.81 in. to Infinity (wide) / 78.74 in. to Infinity (tele)
• ISO range: 100/ 200/ 400/ 800/ 1600/ 3200
• Aperture Range: f11/f11 – f2.8/f3.7
• Shutter Speed: 60 – 1/2000 sec
• Self-Timer: 2, 10 sec
• Exposure Compensation: +/-2.0EV in 1/3EV steps
• File Format: JPEG, TIFF, RAW (DPOF)
• Memory Storage: MMC / SD Card
• Digital Viewfinder
• Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery (360 pictures)

Tags: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50, ultra zoom digital camera, digital camera, camera, panasonic lumix, panasonic, ultra-zoom panasonic, image stabilisation, noise reduction, full manual digital camera

Now that you know what RAW is, let’s see some adjustments over a .nef file.
Picasa is a free software from Google which I found useful and helpful in many photographic situations, but when it comes to RAW editing, it’s very basic. If you take a look at the first image down here, you’ll see that raw editing is split into 3 categories: Basic Fixes, Tuning and Effects. Basic Fixes solves most of the editing necessities but is not flexible as Adobe Photoshop contrast, brightness, and curves: practically you only got Auto Contrast and Auto Color. Croping is useful and nicely done and Straighten is a function I really admire Google for the idea: it saves a lot of time compared to manually straighten that usually requires a lot of steps.

Basic:


Tuning goes deeper into the lighting adjustments, conferring the possibility to darken the shadows, lighten the highlights and adding overall atmospheric light to the RAW picture. While I consider this still pretty basic fixing, choosing the neutral color and color temperature is a little bit more than that. Picasa did a fine job with the colors, and, if you still think about improvements, in the Effects menu you got Saturation, Warmify, and Glow for further color adjustments. Sharpen, Film Grain and Blur are also present but, again, in a much more inflexible and basic form than Adobe Photoshop.

Advanced:


Between B&W and Filtered B&W I prefer filtered. Sepia and Duotone (here called Tint) are also present in the menu. By the way, I like very much the preview thumbs of the menu that helps deciding what effect to chose. Graduated Tint was a pleasure surprise from Google. For this kind of picture, like the one in my example: where a good part of it is the sky, this effect really works amazing – it gives a darker tint to the sky but no dark tint over the buildings.

Results:

Tags: raw, picasa, raw adjustments, picasa raw editing, raw editing

Like other EF-S lenses, the 10-22mm ultra-wide lens from Canon is compatible with EF-S mount digital SLRs, consisted of the EOS 300D / Rebel, EOS 350D / Rebel XT, EOS 400D / Rebel XTi, EOS 20D and EOS 30D models. The EF-S 10-22mm is not compatible with full-frame of film SLRs, nor the older EOS 10D.
Like other wide angle lens it does suffer from distortion, but stopped down it’s pretty decent. As an example of how it works, imagine that at the widest angle you can shoot whole buildings without even having to go across the street.

Specifications:
• f/3.5-4.5 USM
• Aperture range: 3.5 1/f – 27 1/f
• Equivalent to a 16-35mm zoom
• USM motor for quick and quiet focusing
• Angle of view: 107.5 to 63.5 degrees
• Minimum focus distance: 0.79 ft
• Filter size supported: 77 mm
• Price Range: $619.99 – $829.99

Tags: canon, canon lens, canon ultra-wide lens, Canon EF-S 10-22mm, canon accesories, canon EOS lens, canon EOS accesories, 10-22mm lens

If understanding RAW is still difficult after what I said before, take a look at the following images from photo.net.




The 3 most known RAW formats are CRW, CR2, NEF, and DNG. A few words on them:

The Canon RAW (CRW, CR2) File Format
Canon uses two different RAW formats, and some camera models produce CR2 instead of CRW files and other models can use bouth. The Canon CRW file format is type of RAW file format and It has a structure that is fundamentally similar to TIFF. CRW files are written in Camera Image File Format (CIFF).
For extremely detailed informations about the structure of a CRW see this article.

The Nikon RAW (NEF) File Format
Nikon RAW Format is known as Nikon Electronic Format (.NEF). Nikon offer their pro SLRs with PictureProject software that includes limited control over the RAW file conversion process, and then offer the more feature-rich Nikon Capture conversion software for an added cost. Nikon’s policy was to encrypt the white balance data in order to sell their software, so with other available programs the management of .nef files is limited. While Nikon Capture does indeed offer excellent capabilities for people to manipulate images saved in NEF formats, many photographers prefer Adobe Photoshop and from now on Adobe Lightroom.

The Adobe RAW (DNG) File Format
Adobe’s Digital NeGative format, indicated as .dng, is an open standard file format available to all, without secrecy, seeking to become the next overall universal format. A quote from OpenRaw: DNG is not an open standard in that it does not document all the essential information contained in current RAW format files like NEF and CR2. In many ways, DNG can be viewed as simply yet another RAW format with undocumented information – except that DNG has the added risk that information can be lost during conversion to/from DNG and other RAW formats.

Tags: raw, raw format, raw files, raw image, raw conversion, digital raw, raw formats, raw file, iphoto, picasa, microsoft digital image, openraw, dng, nef, cr2, crw

Their design of these 2 digital cameras is user friendly and well-built, the pictures are great, and they’re easy to shoot. Comparing to A530 and A540, A630 and A640 equips with Vari-angle 2.5 inch LCD screen that flips outward and rotates which allows users to take photos for themselves or some close up subjects much easier. At the highest size and finest mode you can see your subjects finest details and also obtain high quality A4 and A3 prints. The optical viewfinder helps to save battery life by turning off the LCD display. Red-eye continues to be a problem in the Canon A series and noise at high ISO. No sign of image stabilisation and dust reduction to these models.

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: auto, program auto, shutter priority, aperture priority, continuous shooting, macro, full manual
• Scene Modes: Portrait, Landscape, and Night Scene + Special Scene (Sports, Foliage, Show, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, Kids and Pets, Night Snapshot) + Panorama
• Effects: My Colors Mode and Color Swap Mode
• White balance: Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Manual
• Metering: Spot, Center-Weighted, and Evaluative
• Movie Mode: 640×480 (VGA) movies at 3 fps up to 36 minutes long (still limited…)

Technical Data:
• 2.5 inch LCD
• 10 megapixels A640, 8 megapixels A630
• 4x optical zoom + 4x digital
• 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) lens
• Aperture: f/2.8 to f/4.1
• Power-on: 1.4 sec
• Shutter Lag: 0.060 sec
• Shutter Speed: 1/2.500 – 15 sec
• ISO range: 80-800
• 9 point AiAF autofocus system
• Self-timer: 2, 10 sec, custom timer
• SD Card memory storage
• 4x AA batteries
• Optional Accessories: Waterproof Case, Conversion Lens Adaptor LA-DC58F, Tele-Conversion lens (1.75x) TC-DC58N, Wide Converter (0.7x) WC-DC58N, AC Adaptor Kit ACK-600 (contains CA-PS500), High Power Flash HF-DC1

Tags: canon powershot A630, canon powershot A640, powershot A630, powershot A640, camera, 4x zoom, compact digital camera, canon, rotating LCD, high resolution, my colors mode