Digital Photography Tutorials » Other Camera Accessories

GPS Photo Finder – An easy way to Geotagg your Photos without a Computer

lau — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:38:59 +0000

I find the idea of a GPS Photo Finder quite interesting so here’s what I found out while digging around:
CAâ€”ATP, a leading manufacturer of DRAM and flash memory solutions, recently introduced the ATP GPS Photo Finder, which is a portable photo accessory that allows for convenient geotagging of digital photos taken by any digital camera.
From now on, to all those friends and family members that ask me where I toked that killer shot, a precise answer will be given by this cute device. The ATP GPS Picture Tracker uses SIRF Star III GPS chipset for high accuracy and positioning, has 128mb of Flash memory, and will run for about 8 hours on a decent pair of AAA batteries. It only works with JPEG files.
What is really convenient about this GPS photo finder, is the fact that unlike other new solutions on the market, is universally compatible with any digital camera using jpeg image files, allowing users to geotag pictures from multiple camera brands and models, and can also be used on the go without the need for a computer. It is designed for use with Google Earth & Google Maps. Pictures can currently be viewed also using software such as Picasa which supports geotagging. The advantage in this case is that this software has a free version.
Aside from Picasa and Google Earth, you can use Geotagged images in enabled Satellite Navigation devices, and I’d imagine it would be incredibly useful for surveyors, architects, geocachers, or anyone else who needed to know exactly where they took their images at a later date.
How it works?
Plug in your cameraâ€™s memory card into the Photo Finderâ€™s built-in card reader or USB port, and it automatically finds and tags your images without any additional software or hardware.
How and where to purchase?
The ATP GPS Photo Finder is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2008, price to be announced.
However, some review models were send around so here’s a nice and informative review.

Jobo PDJ105 and PDJ100 Digital Photo Frames

lau — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 22:46:22 +0000

The JOBO Photo Displays are available for $239 (PDJ105) and $209 (PDJ100) respectively.
The two JOBO Photo Frames PDJ105 and PDJ100 have an 10.4 inch brilliant TFT-Color-LCD displays designed to beautifully showcase digital images, big internal memories for easy access to images and many user-friendly functions: they support picture browsing, thumbnail mode and slideshow or collage with various transition effects. They also offer user-friendly functions such as Copy, Delete and Rotate photos as well as Picture Effects like â€œblack-and-whiteâ€. These frames can also display a calendar and the time and feature an integrated alarm clock as well as remote controls for convenient operation.

These frames are designed to keep memories alive by showcasing digital pictures in an automatic slideshow presentation or collages of four pictures at one time giving precious digital memories new life. Additionally, these frames enable users to highlight their special photographic moments and easily share them with family and friends. The new JOBO digital picture frames feature a handsome Acrylic frame design and modern black trim to fit in with any dÃ©cor in the home or office.

To view images on the display, users just insert their cameraâ€™s media card into the frame to transfer the images to the frameâ€™s internal memory or they can download digital image files from their PC or USB device such as JOBOâ€™s line of image storage units onto the JOBO PDJ105 frame via the included USB OTG cable. Both models feature USB 2.0 high speed capability and support all popular memory cards such as CF, SD, MMC, MS and xD. Easy to use buttons on the back of the frames support intuitive operation of all important functions. The 512 MB internal memory of the new JOBO PDJ105 can store up to 5,000 pictures in optimum screen resolution, and the JOBO PDJ100 offers a 128 MB internal memory capable of storing about 1,000 images.

JOBO PDJ105 Specifications
- 10.4â€ / 26.42 cm diagonal
- Resolution: 640 x 480 Pixel
- Contrast ratio: 300:1
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
- Internal memory: 512 MB, up to 5,000 images in optimum screen resolution
- Supported formats: JPG, BMP
- Card-slots for CF, SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD
- USB OTG: compatible with USB devices, e.g. JOBO digital storage devices
- Functions: slideshows, collages, Zoom function, rotating function, calendar, time
- Accessories: Remote control, USB cable
- Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese
- Stand: integrated black plastic
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 11.8 x 9.5 x 2.4 inches (without stand)

JOBO PDJ100 Specifications
- 10.4â€ / 26.42 cm diagonal
- Resolution: 640 x 480 Pixel
- Contrast ratio: 300:1
- Aspect ratio: 4:3
- Internal memory: 128 MB, up to 1,000 images in optimum screen resolution
- Supported formats: JPG, BMP
- Interfaces: card-slots for CF, SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD; USB OTG
- Functions: slideshows, collages, Zoom function, rotating function, calendar, time
- Accessories: Remote control, USB cable
- Languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese
- Stand: integrated black plastic
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 11.8 x 9.5 x 2.4 inches (without stand)

Samsung SPF-83V 8â€ Digital Photo Frame

lau — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:33:34 +0000

Samsung is known to have spread it’s “tale” into the entire electronic market: telecommunication, digital media and more. The latest product under the Samsung brand is the Samsung SPF-83V 8â€ Digital Photo Frame.
This one has 8 inch and is very customizable. The process of image sliding inside the frame is based on the fact that users can organize and upload individual photos or albums from their PC to Windows Live Spaces and from here, via wireless connection, to the digital frame.
What I like about this frame is that it open standards such as RSS. And, what I don’t like about it, is the fact that Samsung licensed Microsoft technology for this wireless digital photo frame so I’ll be kind of pursued to use Windows Live Spaces.

â€œOur latest digital photo frames, based on cutting-edge technology from the Microsoft Research labs, are easy to use and are one of the few offerings in the marketplace that offer a â€˜networkâ€™ approach to digital photo sharing.â€ said Christopher Franey, vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics America.

I could not yet any informations on availability and price (nor more specifications except the 8 inch and Microsoft licensing).

PhotoVu PV1765w Widescreen Wireless Digital Picture Frame

lau — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:11:10 +0000

In these days, the digital frame gadget becomes more and more interesting from two points of view:
- first, the customers demand more: they just love it
- second, the manufacturers create more and more powerful devices as the competition grows
So what is the reason why someone would purchase this?
Digital photo frame consumers and digital signage business users can display thousands of digital photos or other digital signage advertising content stored on any Windows or Apple computer, or from select RSS enabled photo sharing websites such as Picasa Web Albums or Flickr. All digital picture frames require no additional image manipulation or software installation and will display photo collections organized with the leading photo management software programs. Some of them even play music for a more enjoyable viewing environment.

As a result, PhotoVu PV1765w is a new 17â€ widescreen wireless digital picture frame equipped with a 1280 x 800 LCD display – 17 inch widescreen, in a 16:10 wide format.

â€œThis is clearly a premium digital picture frame at a very affordable price, making a PhotoVu the perfect gift for the 2007 holiday seasonâ€ said Mark Van Buskirk, Partner, PhotoVu. â€œAnd our new PV1765w still includes all of the industry leading features and customization options that PhotoVu is well known for.â€

More information about PhotoVu digital picture frames can be found at: http://www.photovu.com/digital-frames

Olympus E-410 and E-510 digital SLR kits

lau — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:59:05 +0000

Olympus E410 Underwater Pro Kit
Â· Olympus E-410 body
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 (28-84mm)
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro (100mm)
Â· FL-36 external flash (GN 36)
Â· Underwater cases, ports and bracket: PT-E03 Kit, PFL-E01, PPO-E03, PTBK-E01 and UCLS Longarm Set

Recommended price: Â£2599

Olympus E510 Medical & Macro Pro Kit
Â· Olympus E-510 body
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro (100mm)
Â· SRF-11 Ring Flash Set with FR-1 Flash Adapter Ring
Â· SBC-1 E-System Bag Compact

Recommended price: Â£1329

Olympus E510 Architecture Pro Kit
Â· Olympus E-510 body
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm 1:4.0 (14-28mm)
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 (28-108mm)
Â· FL-50 external flash (GN 50)
Â· SBC-1 E-System Bag Compact

Recommended price: Â£2329

Olympus E510 Travelling Pro Kit
Â· Olympus E-510 body
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL 11-22mm 1:2.8-3.5 (22-44mm)
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 18-180mm 1:3.5-6.3 (36-360mm)
Â· FL-36 external flash (GN 36)
Â· SBC-1 E-System Bag Compact

Recommended price: Â£1529

Olympus E510 Reportage Pro Kit
Â· Olympus E-510 body
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 (28-108mm)
Â· FL-50 external flash (GN 50)
Â· SBC-1 E-System Bag Compact

Recommended price: Â£1199

Olympus E510 Nature Pro Kit
Â· Olympus E-510 body
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm 1:4.0 (14-28mm)
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 (28-108mm)
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50-200mm 1:2.8-3.5 (100-400mm)
Â· ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro (100mm)
Â· EC-14 Teleconverter (1.4x)
Â· E-System Bag

Recommended price: Â£3459

Olympus Evolt E510 10MP Digital SLR Camera with CCD Shift Image Stabilization and 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 Zuiko Lenses
Olympus Evolt E410 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 Zuiko Lenses

Lastolite All-in-One Umbrella kit

lau — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:58:47 +0000

I’ve been asked where from can someone purchase a good lighting kit. There are many places and not even I can know them all. I suggest that you first star by looking in some local shop: it will spare you the cost of delivery.
However, here’s what I’ve recently found out:

JP Distribution announced the arrival a new All in One Umbrella Kit from award winning manufacturer Lastolite. This Kit can be used as a silver or white bounce, a silver and white bounce or shoot through, and it is available in two sizes featuring either an 80cm (34â€) or 100cm (40â€). This is accompanied with a 4 section stand, hotshoe flash tilthead and a padded shoulder bag for quick and simple transportation. The kit is compact, it features removable covers on the All in One Umbrella and internal pocket in shoulder bag for hotshoe tilthead.
You can buy Lastolite All in One Umbrella for Â£95.99 and Â£105.99 respectively:
All in One Umbrella Kit 80cm (34â€) LAS Code: 2475 SRP Â£95.99 Inc vat
color temperature:5600/5450k
shoot through -0.6f
silver white bounce -0.2f
white bounce -0.1f
silver bounce -0.2f
All in One Umbrella Kit 100cm (40â€) LAS Code: 2476 SRP Â£105.99 Inc vat
color temperature:5600/5450k
shoot through -0.6f
silver white bounce -0.2f
white bounce -0.1f
silver bounce -0.2f

If you are interested: marketing Tel: 01782 753304 and email: info@johnsons-photopia.co.uk.

Transcend 250GB StoreJet 2.5 External Hard Drive

lau — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 17:56:32 +0000

When you go on a longer photo trip and want to shoot RAW, you will need a large amount of storage. More than that, instead of creating a shelf full of DVDs with pictures, it’s more practical to have an external hard drive.
The newest and most interesting external hard drive on the market is the stylishly designed Transcend 250GB StoreJet (2.5 inch SATA external hard drive). It is supported by all operating systems and it is available in a colorful assortment of eye-catching, polished aluminum cases including: Titanium (120GB), Blue (160GB) and Silver (250GB).
This piece of accessories is capable of transfer rates up to 1.5Gb/s in the case of point to point connections. Otherwise, the StoreJet 2.5 makes use of its Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, which provides data transfer rates up to 480Mbits per second while maintaining full compatibility with older computers that only support USB 1.1. I.

Features

Built-in 250GB 2.5â€ SATA HDD
Fully Hi-Speed USB 2.0 compliant with data transfer rates up to 480Mbit per second and backwards compatible with USB 1.1
OneTouch Auto-Backup function
LED indicates Power ON and data transfer activity
Includes Transcendâ€™s â€œStoreJet eliteâ€ software pack:
- Backup data from a computer to StoreJet or any other storage media with advanced scheduling options
- Restore: Restore whole hard drives, folders or individual files with intelligent file-overwrite protection
- Compression: Protect files with powerful encryption
- HDD lock: Lock your hard drive to prevent unauthorized access
- OneTouch Backup: Configure the StoreJetâ€™s OneTouch Backup button
- Power Management: Switch StoreJet to power-saving mode when idle
Plug-and-Play USB interface
Lightweight aluminum case for easy carrying
Two-year warranty
Recommended Retail Price: â‚¬ 199 (250GB)

3 Ways to Protect your Lens from Dust and Scratches

lau — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:52:49 +0000

As simple as it might look, protecting your lens from dust is a sensible thing.
Why should you protect your lens if your sensor is already protected? Well, because dust can attach to the outside of the lens too. Removing dust from the lens glass, however, is not that simple as it looks compared to sensor cleaning, since I do not recommend using a handkerchief. The lens is threated to reduce potential optical problems while shooting and by using something unaware for cleaning might remove this thin layer. On the other hand, you are in danger of scratching the lens while cleaning and/or while caring the camera around with your lens unprotected. In conclusion, the safest thing to use is a micro filament cleaning cloth that is both scratch and lint free.

Lens Cap

This is what comes with your camera when you buy it. Keep your lens cap on when you store your camera in your bag or when you carry it around your neck. Sure, most camera bags now have soft anti-scratch linings but that doesn’t mean that dust or sand can’t get in there and get stuck between your lens glass and the lining (this is a worst case scenario). In case you loose you lens cap, you can buy another one in a photo store. It’s cheap and it can be even better than the original one: it might have a string to keep it attached to the camera body so you won’t loose it or forget it.
55mm lens cap 58mm lens cap 67mm lens cap 77mm lens cap

Lens Hood

Lens hoods are bigger and will take up some more space, but, you need them to eliminate lens flare from your photos when you shoot outdoors in daylight. You’ll probably notice though that most pros keep their lens hood on even if they’re shooting indoors. This is because the lens hood can act as a barrier between your glass and everything else around you. Even if people bump into your lens while you’re walking around, you’re assured that your glass is safe. What can be better than a plastic piece with double function (protection, lens flare reduction)?

55-200 mm lens hood 18-55 mm lens hood 28-300 mm lens hood

UV Filter

Another alternative that started to be more and more used among the photographers is the one of UV filer. You can use a UV Filter as another type of protection for your lens that you can just leave on. UV filters are used to filter out ultraviolet light, but this is something that the Earth atmosphere already does pretty good. Therefore, it’s main purpose is for protection because it’s the cheapest type of filter available in the market and it can shield your glass from physical contact. This is specially useful if you’re shooting on the beach where all the sand and salt can “bring pain” to your lens
Tiffen 52mm UV filter Tiffen 58mm UV filter Tiffen 67mm UV filter Tiffen 72mm UV filter

What should I choose?

The size and shape of lens hoods depends on the focal length of the lenses and also depends on what brand of camera you use. You need to find the right one for you. As for the lens caps and UV filters, it’s only the size that varies with the focal length; brand doesn’t matter. I hope this informations are useful. For any kind of doubts, feel free to ask questions.

Tags: lens hood, uv filter, lens cap, lens protection

Round Photo Prints with Photo Circle Cutter

lau — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:57:45 +0000

I do want to have some round prints so I realy like the idea of getting a Photo Circle Cutter. I could even use it for cd covers (and that is the main purpose I have in mind right now).

With three sizes to choose from, encircle your friends, your pets, or whatever you like, then use the included foto clips to hang your photo circles as curtains, room dividers, or just a fun wall display.

FEATURES:
- Cuts 3 different size circles â€“ 2.5in, 3.4in, and 3.7in.
- Includes spare blades (They’re also easy to find in a craft store if you happen to run out.)
- Easy and safe to use (But children should be supervised)
- Includes 30 free photo clips â€“ to start clipping your photos together into awesome constructions. I would do a big poster with pictures from a special location and then present it to my friends, even makeing a gift out of this.

PRICE:
1 for $14
2 for $26
3 for $38
Buy here (Photojojo)

Tags: photo prints, round photos, photo circle cutter

DSLR Remote Pro v1.5 for Canon EOS Cameras

lau — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:24:05 +0000

Breeze Systems introduced on the market, in October 2007, a DSLR Remote Pro v1.5 for controlling Canon EOS cameras on Microsoft Windows platforms. It is compatible with Canonâ€™s EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS-1D Mark III, EOS-1D Mark II, EOS 5D, EOS 40D, EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS 10D, EOS 400D/Digital Rebel XTi, EOS 350D/Digital Rebel XT, EOS-1D, EOS-1Ds and EOS 300D/Digital Rebel.
Features:
* See large high quality previews of shots an a PC within seconds
* Gain unrivalled control of settings for Canon cameras during tethered operation
* Control single or multiple cameras from a PC or laptop*
* Automatically download images from single or multiple cameras to a PC*
* Shoot images and store them directly on the PCâ€™s hard disk
* Automatically add IPTC data to images as they are downloaded
* Enable customers to view pictures while continuing to shoot
* Automatically bracket up to 15 shots by varying the shutter speed or aperture
* Increase control for time lapse photography

Canon EOS 1D Mark III and 40D users can use DSLR Remote Pro v1.5 to view full frame live images on a PC screen, autofocus at a distance from the camera using the remote live image, and focus manually from a PC with the mouse wheel or using the cursor keys. Fine control over focus is obtained using the large live view image and the ability to zoom to pixel level and view the magnified detail live on the PC screen. Lining up panorama shots and stop frame animation is made easier using DSLR Remote Pro v1.5â€™s unique onion skinning ability combined with the remote live view.

DSLR Remote Pro is available exclusively from Breeze Systemsâ€™ website http://www.breezesys.com for US $95. The price includes one yearâ€™s free upgrades and has a 15 days trial.

Tags: dslr camera, remote camera, canon, canon eos, canon eos accessories, canon digital rebel, digital rebel, canon remote, digital rebel remote, eos remote