« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
December 21, 2007
[ GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR 2008 ]
[Melbourne Zoo: Olympus E-3 with Zuiko 150mm f2 lens]
DPEXPERT WENT OFF TO THE ZOO last week to try out a new single lens reflex with a film-equivalent 300mm lens. The tigers – the parents and the three handsome adolescents – are extraordinarily photogenic. We came away with a memory card full of cats, apes and one emu having a bad hair day.
However, we were amazed by how many fellow gawkers were taking pictures with their telephones. Given that these devices have wide angle, fixed focal length, fixed aperture lenses they are not the ideal tool for the job.
We also wondered what the photographers intended to do with their snaps. But then we saw one woman taking a picture of her offspring sitting on the elephant statue and saying: “I’ll send this one to dad, right away.”
2008 could be the year when the ubiquitous telephone camera displaces the discrete unit. Last year Nokia was already boasting that it was the biggest camera maker in the world. The company said that it had sold about 140 million camera phones in 2006.
So what are people doing with their camera phones? Do they make prints from the image files? Glynn Lavender, retail operations manager at Camera House, says that almost no one prints from phones. Even though the latest have Bluetooth transmitters and the shop kiosks are fitted with receivers they hardly ever have customers making prints. Telephone photos are not becoming part of the national informal private archive.
2008 should see advances in telephone camera technology. We hope that this means better optics and not simply more pixels. 2 megapixels is more than enough for the tiny sensors built into phones – any more and the picture will be degraded, not improved.
2007 saw such activity in the SLR part of the business with new products from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic that we don’t expect anything startlingly new for 2008. However we do expect prices to drop. Pentax and Nikon have set new entry level benchmarks with their excellent K100D Super and the Nikon D40.
In compact cameras we are pessimistic. 2007 saw an outbreak of pixel madness that has resulted in some serious image degradation in the most expensive compacts. Now we have the paradox of the cheaper cameras being better buys than the most expensive. We have had to foreswear our own golden rule that you get what you pay for in digital cameras. Sometimes you don’t! What we would really like to see in the coming year is some maker with the courage to produce a compact with a decent sized sensor. Olympus and Panasonic are the obvious starters with their Four Thirds sensors that are smaller than those used by Canon, Nikon et al in their SLRs. A 10 megapixel Four Thirds sensor in a top quality compact would be a winner.
Finally, a correction to our review of the Kodak Easyshare 5300 multi function unit. It came to us with packets of Studio Gloss paper, which is really dimpled semi-gloss. We asked for true gloss and were sent more Studio Gloss. We made a reasonable assumption, but in fact there is a fine Kodak paper called Kodak Ultra High Gloss. Now you know what to ask for! Gloss doesn’t always mean gloss.
*
Posted by terry at 05:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 20, 2007
[ THE BEST OF THE YEAR ]
THE SINCEREST FORM OF PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT is purchase, is it not? And that being the case the best place to start a survey of the year’s top products will be with those that are so good that Imaging parted with hard earned money to possess them.
This year we bought two digital SLRs. OK – we know – two is excessive, but we couldn’t resist. It took some explaining to Mrs Imaging, as you might well imagine.
Early in the year we replaced our Nikon D70 with the D80 – a worthwhile upgrade, we felt, for the extra pixels (4 million) and a few added features. 
Then later in the year we were seduced by the new Canon 40D with the 17–85 image stabilised lens. We know, it has the same pixel count as the Nikon, but it has this huge LCD screen and it feels luxurious and it will take pictures by the light of a firefly’s bum. And it has a very big, very bright viewfinder. And so on.
[Canon 40D Sample images here...]It’s been a great year for new DSLRs. Canon and Nikon brought out new professional models. Sony and Panasonic came along late in the year with the A700 and the L10. And then Olympus amazed us with the stunning E3, now the best of the Four Thirds cameras. This photo is from the E3...
[For a larger version click on the picture]
When the dust settled there was one camera that we thought stood out in the crowded market above $2000 and that is the Nikon D300. This is the camera we would buy if we could afford it at $2900 for the body. This camera combines all the desirable features of the D200 with a new 12 megapixel CMOS sensor (the same as the Sony A700 we assume) and a million pixel 7.5cm LCD screen, plus live view and auto dust removal. [Full test and sample images yet to come]
The good news is that at the other end of the scale prices on entry level DSLRs are dropping like stones. Pentax and Nikon have got their prices down to under $800. And a little over $1000 will buy the excellent Pentax K10D or the Olympus E-510.
Our second big purchase of the year was a Dell 60cm (they call it 24 inch) LCD monitor. This brilliant screen is more than true high definition – it has pixel dimensions of 1920 x 1200. (We bought a Compro USB TV tuner for $80 and turned the PC into a high definition television.)
The Dell has overcome our prejudices against LCD monitors and we find it excellent for photo editing. And you should see our high definition slideshows (made with the brilliant Memories on TV Pro ). Our only grumble is that we paid $1200 for it and thought we were getting good value. Last week Dell was advertising it for $600.
In software it was Adobe’s year. As well as confirming their dominance of the image editing business with Photoshop CS3, Adobe also launched their stand alone digital darkroom, called paradoxically, Lightroom. Then last month a new and improved version of Photoshop Elements hit the shops.
The software disappointment of the year has been Windows Vista. It was put on sale before third parties, such as manufacturers of other peripherals, had time to fit their drivers to the new operating system. On our dual core PC with 4GB of RAM and a fast 320GB hard drive Vista is as slow as a wet week. Our advice to XP users – wait!
The year in compact cameras has been dismal. Manufacturers have gone pixel mad, loading their tiny 
sensors down with 10 or 12 megapixels, leading to serious deterioration in image quality. The best compacts now are the lower priced Sony DSC W and Canon A and Ixus units with fewer than 8 megapixels and with optical viewfinders. If you’re in the market for a compact don’t be fooled by either the price or the pixels – no matter what the salesman says, stay under 8 megapixels.
The biggest pleasant surprise of the year was the Kodak
Easyshare Z712 IS camera. This is a pseudo SLR with a 7 megapixel sensor and a 36–432mm image stabilised lens. We were stunned by the responsiveness of this camera. And once the saturation and sharpness have been turned down to their lowest setting the picture quality was good. For $500 this is a lot of camera in the best Kodak tradition.
In printers we belatedly got around to assessing the Hewlett Packard Photosmart Pro B9180 (A3+ and pigment ink). This goes to the top of our preferred printers, even though we are being seriously ripped off in this country. Through the year we grew exasperated seeing Australian retail prices at double those in the US. We accept the case for some disparity – but not twice the price. You could fly to America, buy two, and the saving will pay your air fare.
Finally, Dear Santa: We have been very good Chez Imaging this year. Please bring us a Tokina ATX124 12–24mm lens for the Nikon. We really like it. $800 is more than you usually spend on lollies and hankies, but just this once…[To see some sample pictures taken with the Tokina lens click here]
*
Posted by terry at 02:22 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 12, 2007
[ REVIEW–KAISERBAAS 37cm Digital Photo Frame ]
Price: $450
OK, with careful image preparation
The low-down: This digital photo frame displays images on a 37cm (diagonal measurement) LCD screen. Resolution is 1024 by 768 pixels – not high definition but equal to a decent laptop screen. Image input can be direct from camera or from memory cards – CF, SD, Memory Stick or xD – or via a USB input. There is 16MB of internal RAM. The unit can play photographs as a slideshow with selectable transitions and durations. It can also play MP3 music files and video in the DivX/MPEG4 formats. There is a remote control from which most functions can be managed. The frame is supplied with both a black and a white surround, held in place with magnets.
Like: The screen is larger than any we have tried before and is a more realistic size for domestic display. The horizontal viewing angle is reasonably wide – vertical viewing angle is more restricted. The unit is attractive, mounted in a clear base frame.
Dislike: The instruction book says that “You can only adjust contrast and brightness of the screen.” Well, we found the brightness control on the remote but we cannot find a contrast control anywhere. Unfortunately the default brightness and contrast are set much too high for any properly exposed image coming from a camera. The only way to get the display to show an image with correct gamma and colour is to prepare the picture in Photoshop. It took a trial and error process to get it right.
Verdict: This frame is worth a look. It seems that these things are getting bigger without an inordinate increase in price. In the past we have wondered who would buy them and one reader put us straight on that – they are bought as gifts for Grandma and given to her with pictures of the grandchildren pre-loaded. And for that purpose this digital photo frame is absolutely ideal. Every six months the photos can be more easily updated than the postcard prints on the fridge. So think of the Kaiser Baas digital photo frame as an electronic fridge door.
*
Posted by terry at 11:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
[ Faster, Sharper and Better… ]
DIGITAL CAMERAS HAVE PUSHED OUT THE BOUNDARIES of the possible in photography in all directions. One of the most interesting differences between digital and film is the possibility of photographing in low, artificial light without using a flash.
Many cameras can have the sensor sensitivity (equivalent to film speed) cranked up to ISO1600 – and some even boast ISO3200. On small compact cameras these speeds are virtually unusable because of picture noise (grain), but with SLRs the high speeds can be used and in many circumstances flash can be dispensed with.
What are the considerations involved?
First, even the best sensors set to ISO1600 will show image noise. Most cameras have noise reduction functions built in that be turned on in the menu. The problem with noise reduction is that in removing the noise speckles it also removes some fine detail from the picture. In the worst cases the NR makes skin, unnaturally smooth and plasticky.
Getting correct exposure reduces the appearance of noise in the best lit areas of the photograph. Noise is always more of a problem in the shadows than in the highlights. Using the exposure compensation judiciously or bracketing shots increases the likelihood of getting a clean picture.
Second, white balance – correct colour – is an important issue with photos taken under low level artificial light. Auto white balance rarely gets the colour right and it is often worth trying the incandescent or manual settings.
Third, even at ISO1600 and with a fast lens it is still likely that the shutter speed will be slow. This is where image stabilisation or vibration reduction is a boon. Image stabilisation works either in the lens, by shifting an element to counteract photographer’s shake, or in the body of the camera by moving the sensor itself. The most effective stabilisation systems make it possible to hand-hold a camera down to speeds of 1/15 second and still get sharp shots.
We conducted a spectacularly un-scientific comparison of four DSLRs – a Nikon D80 with no IS; a Canon 40D and a Panasonic L10 with in-lens IS and an Olympus E-3 with in-body IS. Each was fitted with its kit lens. We were looking at image sharpness, colour and noise. We set up an object under a single incandescent lamp and set all cameras to ISO1600 and set the exposure manually to be the same on all. We hand-held each camera at 1/15 second at f8 with the zoom at 70mm focal length (film equivalent) and framed all shots the same.
What we discovered, for the little that it’s worth, is that the Panasonic is the sharpest but also the noisiest – the penalty of the smaller sensor. The Olympus, with similar sensor but different image processor, is sharp and exhibits well controlled noise. The Canon is astonishingly free of noise and just about as sharp. The Nikon has the most accurate colour and is almost as noise-free as the Canon but it falls short on sharpness, suggesting that image stabilisation matters. With a Nikkor VR lens the Nikon and the Canon would be equal.
In real life all of these cameras have excellent high ISO performance, but in low light the camera to have is the Canon 40D with an IS lens.
*
Posted by terry at 10:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 06, 2007
[DECK THE HALLS WITH PHOTO GADGETS]
BUYING PRESENTS FOR THE KEEN DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER is easy because there are some relatively inexpensive doodads of which you can never have too many. One being memory cards.
The price of memory has fallen so low in recent times that there is no excuse for your beloved to continue to make do with a miserable 32mb card that will hold only a few snaps. 2GB SD cards cost around $35 and 2GB CF cards are just a little dearer at about $50. (These are typical prices from advertisements in this paper.)
While on the subject of memory cards, if the loved one is
still downloading image files direct from the camera to PC then it is time for a memory card reader. There are two types – the universal that will read all types, and the dedicated that will read only one type. Card readers plug into a USB port and appear on the computer as an additional drive. The Sandisk Extreme USB 2.0 Reader has two slots to support CF , SD, and Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo. It plugs and plays with no external AC power. (RRP$49)
If the loved one has been really good this year Santa might consider a couple of useful software packages.
Last month Adobe released the latest version of Photoshop Elements, version 6, for Windows – not yet for the Mac. Elements just keeps getting better and now copes with just about every photo editing requirement. There is a vast price difference between Photoshop CS3 and Elements 6 which makes the smaller version a real bargain. (RRP $155)
This year we have got a big kick out of making slide shows for playback from a DVD player onto TV. Memories on TV is our slideshow creator of choice and can be downloaded from www.codejam.com for US $80. This is the Pro version that will make high definition slideshows to run on the super dooper plasma TV that Santa is putting under the tree.
A magazine subscription is the sort of gift that keeps on giving and any serious photographer would get a lot of information and inspiration from Photo Review A
ustralia. This quarterly magazine costs $35 for one year and who knows, you may be the lucky subscriber who wins the camera offered as an inducement. (www.photoreview.com.au)
Speaking of inspirations, the most inspiring photographic book to come our way this year is Alfred Gregory’s “Photographs from Everest to Africa” (Penguin). At $100 it is not cheap, but it is magnificent. Gregory was the official photographer on the Hilary ascent of Everest in 1953 and took the photographs that provided the world with its mental image of the triumphant climb. He went on to travel the world, taking photographs for Kodak, using their cameras and film. He now lives in Melbourne and Penguin Australia 
have done him proud with this volume of his collected work.
If you’re shopping for gifts for an owner of a digital single lens reflex camera then there are many useful gadgets to choose from. A polarising filter to fit the camera’s kit lens will gladden the digital snapper’s heart. Specialist camera shops carry circular (that must be specified) polarisers in various diameters for different lenses and, believe it or not, the price is directly related to the size. A 67mm Hoya Standard CP filter for a Nikon lens, for instance, will cost about $54 depending on where you buy it. We have found www.photobuff.com.au in Melbourne a good place for buying on line for rapid delivery by post.
One of the most useful gadgets in our bag is our cable release. We have the wired release for a Nikon and that costs about $50. We wouldn’t be without it. The natty little wireless unit for the same camera costs $29.
Our other indispensable gadget is the Giottos Rocket – a weirdly shaped and bizarrely named air blower that is the 
ideal thing for getting rid of pesky dust specks on the DSLR sensor. These days a lot of cameras have automatic dust removal from the sensor, either at start up or shut down, but there are still some cameras around that are plagued by dust getting into the space between the lens and sensor. The best way to get rid of the picture-spoiling dust bunnies is with a blower and the Rocket is the best. It has a big bulb, so you get a good blast of air. It comes in three sizes and we reckon the bigger the better. We bought our Large Rocket on-line from www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au for $20.
Finally, one of the discoveries that a serious digi-snapper makes very quickly is that there is never enough hard drive space to store the image files. The solution to the problem of too many pictures and not enough storage space is an external hard drive and the good news is that they keep dropping in price until now you can add an 80GB external drive for about $110. Look in the advertisements in this paper for the brands, capacities and prices. Most of them plug into USB 2 ports and some connect through Firewire.
Have a snappy Christmas.
*
Posted by terry at 01:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack