PTLens
Another lens correction program.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
color control - PANTONE� huey
color control - PANTONE� huey
Color calibration tool. Gets good reviews at a reasonable price
Color calibration tool. Gets good reviews at a reasonable price
Digital Darkroom Forum: Photoshop Raw Plugin vs. Nikon Editor?
Digital Darkroom Forum: Photoshop Raw Plugin vs. Nikon Editor?
A discussion on Camera raw conversion software
A discussion on Camera raw conversion software
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Got the New Nikon D50
Well, Abes of Maine came through with flying colors. We got the new camera yesterday and I have been taking the time to get familiar with it. I highly recommend Abes if you are looking for a new camera at very reasonable prices. We got all the parts and a free 512mb memory card to boot.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
PMA 2006 Report - PhotographyBLOG
PMA 2006 Report - PhotographyBLOG
Official Press Releases by company.
Official Press Releases by company.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
If you remember an earlier post - New Nikon on the way
I read all the reviews, I read where the New York camera shops will bait and switch. Get you to buy then tell you that it will take two weeks or more for the camera to ship. Or they high pressure you to buy accessories and better yet, extended warranties. I was careful but I didn't entirely believe the stories. I thought that the whinners were inexperienced at online purchases or just easy to con. NOPE - all the stories were true. Here is how it went.
First I shopped all the sites. I used all my search tricks to find the very lowest prices on the Minolta 5D that I wanted. (Yes, this all started with a Minolta). After all Konika-Minolta had gone out of the camera business and the prices should be dropping. Well, they did for a while. I finally found the camera, body only, at for just $399. WOW, that was a great price, but surely it would come down more? No, it went up $50 so then I started shopping again. I found it at for $399 a couple of days later so I decided that I should quit messing around and place the order. I placed the order with "Best Price Cameras" and didn't get a response. Nothing until the next day when I got an email from "Steve" saying that the order is not complete until I talk to him via telephone. Email orders are not complete until he comfirms it. I called the next day and it took over 3 hours to get him on the phone. First he tried to sell me a battery (was supposed to be part of the package) then a memory card ( 3 to 4 times the price of other sites) then he hit me with the extended warranty. After I convenced him that I didn't need any of these things he said that the price had gone up since I placed the order (over a $100 uncrease). I had looked at their site before I called and I was ready for the change. I told him to cancel the Minolta and make the order for the Nikon D50 with the 18-55 lens that I saw for $485. I got 3 day shipping putting the total at $527.50. More than I wanted to spend but I was caught a little off guard and I wanted a camera in the worst way. Steve then said that the "that" camera wasn't in stock and it would take two week to get it. Crap! Send it any how. I was mad, and worried that in two weeks something else was going to happen. Sure enough it did. I emailed Steve last night to find out where the camera was. Some one else called back this afternoon and said that the "Minolta" was ready to ship. What Minolta, I had ordered a Nikon. "Oh, the Nikon is still back ordered but the Minolta (at the higher price) was ready to ship." Great, I canceled the order!
Back to the beginning. I started shopping again. Found another "good deal" by using at Prestige Camera, by this time I was willing to pay a little more to keep from getting jerked around again. The price at Prestige through Digitalsaver.com was $585 which included ground shipping for $25. Long story short, by the time I finished the checkout the price was $612. Now I'm pissed. Cancelled order.
Back to shopping. Finally found Abes of Maine (really New York too). Place the entire order on line (so far) the price of $622.89 includes 2 day air shipping, full US warranty, a free 512mb memory card and all the manufacturer supplied accessories listed. Believe it or not that IS a big deal. The memory card, the battery and charger would have cost me at least $100 more with the other guys. So I lucked into actually getting a better deal. (I hope) I let you know.
First I shopped all the sites. I used all my search tricks to find the very lowest prices on the Minolta 5D that I wanted. (Yes, this all started with a Minolta). After all Konika-Minolta had gone out of the camera business and the prices should be dropping. Well, they did for a while. I finally found the camera, body only, at for just $399. WOW, that was a great price, but surely it would come down more? No, it went up $50 so then I started shopping again. I found it at for $399 a couple of days later so I decided that I should quit messing around and place the order. I placed the order with "Best Price Cameras" and didn't get a response. Nothing until the next day when I got an email from "Steve" saying that the order is not complete until I talk to him via telephone. Email orders are not complete until he comfirms it. I called the next day and it took over 3 hours to get him on the phone. First he tried to sell me a battery (was supposed to be part of the package) then a memory card ( 3 to 4 times the price of other sites) then he hit me with the extended warranty. After I convenced him that I didn't need any of these things he said that the price had gone up since I placed the order (over a $100 uncrease). I had looked at their site before I called and I was ready for the change. I told him to cancel the Minolta and make the order for the Nikon D50 with the 18-55 lens that I saw for $485. I got 3 day shipping putting the total at $527.50. More than I wanted to spend but I was caught a little off guard and I wanted a camera in the worst way. Steve then said that the "that" camera wasn't in stock and it would take two week to get it. Crap! Send it any how. I was mad, and worried that in two weeks something else was going to happen. Sure enough it did. I emailed Steve last night to find out where the camera was. Some one else called back this afternoon and said that the "Minolta" was ready to ship. What Minolta, I had ordered a Nikon. "Oh, the Nikon is still back ordered but the Minolta (at the higher price) was ready to ship." Great, I canceled the order!
Back to the beginning. I started shopping again. Found another "good deal" by using at Prestige Camera, by this time I was willing to pay a little more to keep from getting jerked around again. The price at Prestige through Digitalsaver.com was $585 which included ground shipping for $25. Long story short, by the time I finished the checkout the price was $612. Now I'm pissed. Cancelled order.
Back to shopping. Finally found Abes of Maine (really New York too). Place the entire order on line (so far) the price of $622.89 includes 2 day air shipping, full US warranty, a free 512mb memory card and all the manufacturer supplied accessories listed. Believe it or not that IS a big deal. The memory card, the battery and charger would have cost me at least $100 more with the other guys. So I lucked into actually getting a better deal. (I hope) I let you know.
Digital Cameras at ABES of Maine: Digital Camera, Camera, Cameras, Digital Camera Reviews
Digital Cameras at ABES of Maine: Digital Camera, Camera, Cameras, Digital Camera Reviews
Well this purchase of a new camera has been HELL. Stay tuned for a summary.
Well this purchase of a new camera has been HELL. Stay tuned for a summary.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Digital Camera Cleaning Techniques and Products
Digital Camera Cleaning Techniques and Products
Instructions on how to clean your digital camera and sensor.
Instructions on how to clean your digital camera and sensor.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Planet82 SMPD Image Sensor to Spell the End of Flash? - PhotographyBLOG
Planet82 SMPD Image Sensor to Spell the End of Flash? - PhotographyBLOG
Planet82 Demonstrates World’s First Image Sensor That Takes Digital Pictures in the Dark, Without a Flash - First Nanotechnology-Based Image Sensor Debuts in the United States at CES
LAS VEGAS, NV—(MARKET WIRE)—01/05/2006—Planet82 Inc., a global leader of nanotechnology, announced today the first U.S. demonstration of its innovative and highly sensitive image sensor, Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD), which uses nanotechnology to enable cameras to take high resolution photos or video in the dark—without a flash.
The world’s first chip of its kind, Planet82’s SMPD image sensor is 2,000 times more sensitive to light than other image sensors. Until now, taking a picture in the dark without a flash or taking a picture of a candle-lit birthday cake without any other light in the room would yield a dark photograph. Planet82 makes it possible to take clear images even when the light level is less than 1 lux (or up to 0.1 lux). One lux is equivalent to the brightness from one candle one meter away in a dark room. Human eyes can barely distinguish images at less than 1 lux.
“Planet82’s SMPD image sensor will change how professional and amateur photographers and videographers capture images and video,” said Dr. Hoon Kim, Ph.D., and chief technology officer for Planet82 and director of the Nano Scale Quantum Devices Research Center at the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI). “We’re thrilled to bring our technology to the United States, and show how effective it truly is at taking pictures and video without any light.”
Current image sensors generally need hundreds of thousands of photons to perceive light. Planet82’s SMPD image sensor is designed to perceive light using only a handful of photons. To make this possible, Planet82 applied the principles of quantum mechanics to produce thousands of electrons out of one photon. It also minimized the aperture ratio and increased the number of pixels per unit density on the chip—boasting low unit production cost and power consumption.
Planet82’s SMPD image sensor can be mass-produced using standard CMOS process without additional investment for facilities. It is half the size of the current CCD image sensor used in digital cameras and closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs), and CMOS image sensors used in camera phones. Additionally, digital cameras and camera phones have low sensitivity to dim light, therefore making it difficult to take a picture in the dark without a flash. As the market for these devices continues to grow exponentially, so too will the market for image sensors. iSuppli estimates that the global image sensor market will reach $9.4 billion by 2008.
Planet82 expects SMPD image sensor will firstly be available in CCTVs, camera phones and vehicle rear-view sensors in Q1/Q2 2006. The SMPD technology also makes it ideally suited for applications in healthcare, the military, environmental industries and more, as well as electrical appliances such as digital cameras or camcorders.
About Planet82
Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Planet82 is a global leader of nanotechnology. In 2003, Planet82 acquired the patent and intellectual property rights to mass produce nano photodiode and nano biotechnology services from the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI). Today, Planet82 leads the development of the world’s first Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector image sensor (SMPD) image sensor, enabling cameras to take high resolution photos or video in the dark—without a flash. Planet82 is listed on KOSDAQ.
Planet82 Demonstrates World’s First Image Sensor That Takes Digital Pictures in the Dark, Without a Flash - First Nanotechnology-Based Image Sensor Debuts in the United States at CES
LAS VEGAS, NV—(MARKET WIRE)—01/05/2006—Planet82 Inc., a global leader of nanotechnology, announced today the first U.S. demonstration of its innovative and highly sensitive image sensor, Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD), which uses nanotechnology to enable cameras to take high resolution photos or video in the dark—without a flash.
The world’s first chip of its kind, Planet82’s SMPD image sensor is 2,000 times more sensitive to light than other image sensors. Until now, taking a picture in the dark without a flash or taking a picture of a candle-lit birthday cake without any other light in the room would yield a dark photograph. Planet82 makes it possible to take clear images even when the light level is less than 1 lux (or up to 0.1 lux). One lux is equivalent to the brightness from one candle one meter away in a dark room. Human eyes can barely distinguish images at less than 1 lux.
“Planet82’s SMPD image sensor will change how professional and amateur photographers and videographers capture images and video,” said Dr. Hoon Kim, Ph.D., and chief technology officer for Planet82 and director of the Nano Scale Quantum Devices Research Center at the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI). “We’re thrilled to bring our technology to the United States, and show how effective it truly is at taking pictures and video without any light.”
Current image sensors generally need hundreds of thousands of photons to perceive light. Planet82’s SMPD image sensor is designed to perceive light using only a handful of photons. To make this possible, Planet82 applied the principles of quantum mechanics to produce thousands of electrons out of one photon. It also minimized the aperture ratio and increased the number of pixels per unit density on the chip—boasting low unit production cost and power consumption.
Planet82’s SMPD image sensor can be mass-produced using standard CMOS process without additional investment for facilities. It is half the size of the current CCD image sensor used in digital cameras and closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs), and CMOS image sensors used in camera phones. Additionally, digital cameras and camera phones have low sensitivity to dim light, therefore making it difficult to take a picture in the dark without a flash. As the market for these devices continues to grow exponentially, so too will the market for image sensors. iSuppli estimates that the global image sensor market will reach $9.4 billion by 2008.
Planet82 expects SMPD image sensor will firstly be available in CCTVs, camera phones and vehicle rear-view sensors in Q1/Q2 2006. The SMPD technology also makes it ideally suited for applications in healthcare, the military, environmental industries and more, as well as electrical appliances such as digital cameras or camcorders.
About Planet82
Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Planet82 is a global leader of nanotechnology. In 2003, Planet82 acquired the patent and intellectual property rights to mass produce nano photodiode and nano biotechnology services from the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI). Today, Planet82 leads the development of the world’s first Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector image sensor (SMPD) image sensor, enabling cameras to take high resolution photos or video in the dark—without a flash. Planet82 is listed on KOSDAQ.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
New Nikon on the way!
This is the Camera we have ordered. Supposed to be here in a little over a week. I shopped the web and ended up buying at BestPrice Cameras. I originally wanted the Minolta 5D but before I could order it the price had risen $100. The Nikon's price is still going down. I saw the body only for $319 this morning. Oh well. All of these New Jersey based mail order companies are alike, if not the same company. They take the batteries and charger out of the factory package and then try to sell them back to you at 2 or 3 times the price you could buy it on the web at another site. You'll get a decent price but you'll get bare bones and will have to shop around for the other parts. The biggest thing they try to sell is extended warranties. Huge dollars.
Lens acronyms for Nikon
This is a great article about Nikon Lens acronyms and which cameras the lens are compatible to.
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