Art Wolfe, the author of this Photography Book about the art of nature, is America’s most renowned nature photographer. The other author of the book is Martha Hill.
The inside of the book (192 pages) is filled with full color photos, each of them accompanied by explanations about how they were made and tips about how to compose a nature scene.
When more than one photo is illustrating the same subject, the authors compare the scenes, telling the reader why one is better than the other one, advantages and disadvantages of a certain angle of view for that particular subject.
There are not many technical informations, but “The Art of Photographing Nature” does cover some natural lighting and exposure issues.
The short explicit text in the book teaches the reader lessons from the examples – a pleasing and effective method of understanding artistic concepts of nature photography.
More than that, the text covers both perspectives of photographer and photo buyer – recommended for those considering selling their nature photography.

Tags: nature photography book, nature photography, the art of photographing nature, photography book, art wolfe

The World’s First 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle Zoom Lens with a Constant f/2.8 Aperture and a Highly Versatile 24-70mm f/2.8 Zoom has just been launched by Nikon in August 2007.

“The AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED represents one of Nikon’s best optical designs with performance that rivals that of prime lenses. And we anticipate the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED will become very popular among professional photographers due to its remarkable versatility and optical performance. Both lenses maintain an astounding level of sharpness from the center of a picture to its edges and corners throughout their zoom range,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc.

Also, the new 3 telephoto lenses:
AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR,
AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR, and
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR
all offer unprecedented image quality, responsiveness and versatility along with new features such as Nikon’s VR II Vibration Reduction technology and Nikon’s exclusive Nano Crystal Coat. When using Nikon’s VR function, you can view a stabilized image through the viewfinder, meaning that you are able to compose the pictures naturally and with greater accuracy.

The new optical design for all three lenses features three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements that minimize chromatic aberration, producing consistently high-quality images. Nikon’s exclusive Nano Crystal Coat – an extra-low refractive index coating – virtually eliminates internal lens element reflections across a wide range of wavelengths, and is particularly effective in reducing ghosting and flare. A meniscus protective glass element also minimizes the ghosting that occurs when light reflected from a digital camera’s image sensor is in turn reflected off an ordinary flat protective glass element.

Tags: nikon nano crystal coat, ultra wide angle zoom lens, telephoto lens, vibration reduction, nikkor lens, nikkor lenses, latest nikkor lenses

Not new, but eternal… really eternal. As a journalist photographer, it’s something to look at and get inspiration. Pay attention on how are the pictures related to the spoken text.

Year 2005 Highlights – The top video clips of the week are here

Tags: photojournalism, press images, best press pictures, best press images

In August 2007 Nikon Reveals 12.3 MP D300 with CMOS Sensor.

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual
• Exposure Modes: Bulb, Manual, Automatic, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, I-TTL program flash
• Movie Mode: no video capture
• Effects: Six preset looks; Sharpening: Auto, 6 levels;Tone: Auto, 3 levels, Custom; Color: 3 modes; Saturation: Auto, 3 levels; Hue: -9° to +9°
• Flash(pop-up) Modes: Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
• AF Area Modes: Single Area AF; Continuous Servo AF; Group Dynamic AF; Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF; 51-point (15 cross-type, 36 horizontal sensors)
Multi-CAM 3500 DX
• White Balance: Custom, Presets (Tungsten light, Fluorescent, Flash, Cloudy, Shade), Automatic
• Metering: Spot, Center-weighted, 3D color matrix II

Technical Data:
• 3.0 inch LCD
• 95% Optical Viewfinder
• 12.3 megapixels
• ISO Range: 100-1600, Up to ISO 3200 with boost
• Exposure Compensation: ±5 EV range, in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
• Exposure Bracketing: 9 steps in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
• Continuos Shooting: 6 fps; 8 fps (with optional battery pack MB-D10)
• Shutter Speed: 30 sec – 1/8000 sec
• X-sync Speed: 1/250 sec
• Self Timer: 2 – 20 sec
• File Format: JPEG, NEF (RAW), RAW + JPEG
• CompactFlash (CF) Card (Type I and II, UDMA compliant), Microdrive Memory Storage
• Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e; Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10; Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a, EN-EL4 or EN-EL3e or eight R6/AA-size alkaline (LR6), Ni-MH (HR6), lithium (FR6) batteries; nickel-manganese ZR6 batteries

Tags: nikon digital camera, digital slr camera, digital camera, nikon dslr, nikon d300, 10MP, manual controls, Depth-of-field preview, Histogram display, d-lighting

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: Auto Picture, Program, Night Scene, Movie, Voice recording
• Scene Modes: Landscape, Flower, Natural Skin Tone, Portrait, half-Length Portrait, Kids, Digital SLR, Sport, Surf & Snow, Pet, Text, food, Frame Composite, Green Simplified
• Movie Mode: AVI (DivX with MPEG-4) with WAV audio (monaural), 640 x 480; 320 x 240
• Flash Modes: On, off, auto, redeye;
• Focus Mode: spot, tracking, pan, face recognition
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent; Manual
• Metering: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
• Drive Modes: One Shot, Continuous, Self timer, Remote control

Technical Data:
• 2.5 inch LCD
• 8.0 megapixels
• 7x optical zoom + 5.1x digital zoom
• Focal Length: 6.3 – 44.1 mm (38 – 266 35 mm equiv)
• Aperture: F3.5 – F5.4
• ISO Range: 64 to 3200
• Flash Range: 11 ft. to 23 ft.
• Focus Range:
Standard AF: 1.31 ft – infinity
Macro: 0.26 ft – 1.64 ft
Manual focus: 0.33 ft – infinity.
• Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3
• Shutter Speed: 1/1440 – 4 sec
• Self Timer: 2, 10 Seconds
• File Format: JPEG, Exif 2.2
• SD, SDHC Card + 22MB internal memory
• D-LI72 rechargeable Li-Ion battery

Tags: pentax optio z10, pentax optio digital camera, compact digital camera, 8mp, shake reduction, face detection, 7x optical zoom

Tags: camera exposure, exposure in photography, photo exposure, underexposed, overexposed

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: Auto Picture, Program, Night Scene, Movie, Voice recording
• Scene Modes: Landscape, Flower, Natural Skin Tone, Portrait, half-Length Portrait, Kids, Digital SLR, Sport, Surf & Snow, Pet, Text, food, Frame Composite, Green Simplified
• Movie Mode: AVI (DivX with MPEG-4) with WAV audio (monaural), 640 x 480; 320 x 240
• Flash Modes: On, off, auto, redeye, soft flash;
• Focus Mode: spot, tracking, pan, face recognition
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent; Manual
• Metering: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
• Drive Modes: One Shot, Continuous, Self timer, Remote control

Technical Data:
• 2.5 inch LCD
• 10.0 megapixels
• 3x optical zoom + 5.4x digital zoom
• Focal Length: 7.9 – 23.7 mm (38 – 114 35 mm equiv)
• Aperture: F2.8 – F5.4
• ISO Range: 60 to 3200
• Flash Range: 11 ft. to 23 ft.
• Focus Range:
Normal Wide: 1.15 ft. – infinity;
Macro: 0.39 – 1.31 ft.;
Super Macro: 0.20 – 0.49 ft.
• Exposure Compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3
• Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec. – 4 sec.
• Self Timer: 2, 10 Seconds
• File Format: JPEG, Exif 2.2
• SD, SDHC Card + 22MB internal memory
• D-LI68 lithium ion battery

Tags: pentax optio s10, pentax optio digital camera, compact digital camera, 10mp, shake reduction, face detection, 3x optical zoom

Nikon Digital Learning Center on Flickr is a new interactive educational site, revolutionary for a camera possessor because of the Flickr imaging gallery system. It is aspected to grow fast to 50,000 users willing to learn and share.

As an extension of Nikon School, this online resource provides Flickr members with tutorials, practical photography tips and advice from Nikon photo professionals to assist them in taking the photos they’ve always dreamed of capturing.

Rosanne Pennella, Cliff Mautner, Nikon School instructors Reed Hoffman and Bill Durrence post images and interact with the community, so you can ask them questions about how they made those amazing photos. Learn exactly what you want from the techniques showed by Nikon experts.

Visit http://www.flickr.com/Nikon for more information.

Tags: flickr, nikon digital school, nikon flickr group, nikon flickr learning center

Functions:
• Shooting Modes: Program AE (shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Auto Depth-of-field AE (non-shiftable), Full auto (non-shiftable), Programmed image control modes, Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE
• Playback: Single image, 4-image index, 9-image index, Jump, Magnified zoom (approx. 1.5x to 10x), Histogram, AF point display, Auto rotate, Rotate; Live View: View image before shooting on LCD monitor; live histogram and live simulation of exposure level possible with C.Fn IV-7-1
• Viewfinder Information: AF (AF points, focus confirmation light), Exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed, AE lock, exposure level, spot metering circle, exposure warning), Flash (flash ready, flash exposure compensation, high-speed sync, FE lock, red-eye reduction light), Image (monochrome shooting, maximum burst, white balance correction, CF card information)
• Flash Modes: Auto, Auto w/ Red-eye Reduction, Auto w/ Slow Synchro, Flash On, Flash On w/ Red-eye Reduction, Flash On w/ Slow Synchro, Flash Off
• Focus Modes: Autofocus (One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF), Manual Focus (MF)
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom WB setting, user-set Color Temperature (2,500~10,000K)
White balance bracketing: Three consecutive images written to CF card for each firing of shutter; Up to +/- 3 levels in 1-step increments
White balance shift: blue/amber bias and/or magenta/green bias +/- up to 9 levels; manually set by user
• Metering: 35-zone TTL full aperture metering; Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points), Partial metering (approx. 9% of viewfinder), Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of viewfinder), Center-weighted average metering
• Image Settings: Print quantity, style (image, paper size, paper type, printing effects, layout), trimming, tilt correction (compatibility varies, depending upon printer in use)

Technical Data:
• 3.0 inch LCD
• Optical Viewfinder 95% horizontally and vertically; 0.95x magnification; with depth-of-field preview
• 10.10 megapixels
• ISO Range: 100-1600 (in 1/3-stop or whole stop increments), ISO speed can be expanded to ISO 3200
• Flash Range: Auto pop-up, retractable, built-in flash in the pentaprism, 3 sec. recycling timem
• Exposure Compensation: +/-3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-half increments
• Flash Exposure Compensation: +/-2 stops in 1/3- and 1/2-stop increments
• Continuos Shooting: 1.7 fps, unlimited
• Shutter Speed: 1/8000 to 30 sec. (1/3-stop increments), X-sync at 1/250 sec.
• Self Timer: 10 sec. delay, 2 sec. delay
• File Format: DCF 2.0 (Exif 2.21): JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG simultaneous recording possible
• CF Card Type I and II and external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E3A)
• One dedicated Battery Pack BP-511A
AC power can be supplied via the optional AC Adapter Kit ACK-E2

Tags: canon slr digital camera, canon eos, canon eos 40d, canon 40d, eos 40d, face detection, manual mode, red eye reduction

Functions:
• Exposure Modes: Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, Manual, Bulb
Auto Focus: 45-point TTLwith a CMOS sensor and AF working range: -1.0 to 18 EV (at 23°C, ISO 100)
• Effects: Sharpness: 0 to 7, Contrast: -4 to +4, Saturation: -4 to +4, Color tone: -4 to +4, B&W filter: N, Ye, Or, R, G, B&W tone: N, S, B, P, G
Each JPEG size (L, M1, M2, S) can be set to a quality level of 1 to 10 (1 high compression, low quality – 10 low compression, high quality)
• Picture Modes: Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User def. 1, User def. 2, User def. 3
• Flash Modes(no built-in unit): Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
• AF Area Modes: Single Area AF; Continuous Servo AF; Group Dynamic AF; Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF; 51-point (15 cross-type, 36 horizontal sensors)
Multi-CAM 3500 DX
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom (up to 5 can be stored), Kelvin (2500 – 10000 K in 100 K steps), Personal WB (up to 5 can be preset in software)
• Metering: Evaluative (63 zone linked to active AF point), Center-weighted average, Partial (8.5% of picture area), Spot metering (2.4% of picture area); Multi-spot (up to 8 readings), 63 zone metering linked to 19 AF points with Metering range: 0 – 20 EV
• Viewfinder Info: AF points, Focus confirmation light, Metering mode, ISO sensitivity, Shutter speed, Aperture, Manual exposure, AE Lock, Exposure compensation amount, AEB level, Spot metering circle, Flash ready, Red-eye reduction lamp on, High-speed sync, FE Lock, Flash compensation amount, Warnings, Maximum burst for continuous shooting, Buffer space

Technical Data:
• 3.0 inch LCD
• Optical Viewfinder with 100% frame coverage and Magnification: 0.76x
• CMOS senzor
• 21.1 megapixels
• Aperture: F1.0 – F91 in 0.3, 0.5 or 1.0 EV increments (Actually aperture range depends on lens used)
• ISO Range: 100 – 1600, 0.3 or 1.0 EV increments; ISO 50 (Enhanced L), ISO 3200 (Enhanced H)
• Exposure Compensation: +/- 3.0 EV in 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments
• Exposure Bracketing: 2, 3, 5 or 7 shots, +/- 3.0 EV in 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments
• White Balance Bracketing: +/-3 levels 3 images; Blue (-9) To Amber (+9); Magenta (-9) to Green (+9)
• Continuos Shooting: High-speed continuous: 5 fps (adjustable 5 – 2 fps); Low-speed continuous: 3 fps (adjustable 4 – 1 fps); Large/Fine JPEG: 56 frames, RAW: 12 frames, RAW+JPEG: 10 frames
• Shutter Speed: 30 – 1/8000 sec in 0.3, 0.5 or 1.0 EV increments
• Flash X-Sync: 1/250 sec
• Flash compensation: +/-3.0 EV in 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments
• Self Timer: 2 – 20 sec (3 sec with mirror lock-up)
• File Format: RAW (.CR2; 14-bit), JPEG (EXIF 2.21) – Fine / Normal, RAW + JPEG (separate files)
• CF and SD cards
• Lithium-Ion LP-E4 rechargeable battery and adapter

Tags: canon slr digital camera, canon eos, canon eos-1ds, canon eos-1ds mark III, eos-1ds mark III, face detection, manual mode, red eye reduction, dust reduction, noise reduction