A high-end 12.3 megapixel camera with a vast range of features including some unique amenities for creative photographers
Olympus E-30
Featuring the highest resolution available in the Olympus E-series, the E-30 is more compact, lightweight and affordable than the 10.1 megapixel E-3. This newer model includes most of the same features as the professional camera, but benefits from several upgrades. These include some new technology, higher 12.3 MP resolution, a brighter/larger LCD (2.7 vs. 2.5-inches), more auto-focus options in Live View mode and some unique new features. While the E-3 is more rugged and well-sealed — and employs a slightly larger viewfinder — the E-30 will certainly meet the needs of serious photo enthusiasts. (more…)
It was about six years back; I was very, very frustrated.
I’d set my sight on capturing a particular scene in fog, a lovely grove of second-growth redwoods, ferns, and a meandering stream in Butano State Park. The location is about a 90-minute drive, followed by a fifteen-minute hike to reach. And this was the third time I’d make the trek, and this time, as the previous two times, the fog had lifted before I arrived. For the third time, I wasn’t going to get the shot I wanted. I almost headed home in defeat, but I knew better, and I resolved to keep looking and shooting, and that has been one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made.
Shaking off the frustration that day, I started kicking around the stream, with it’s perfect leading line heading into the redwoods. I was struck by the uniform size and dark color of the pebbles in and around the stream, and spent a good bit of time looking for some macro opportunities before noticing a larger yellow rock in the stream, with a rust-colored leaf held against the yellow rock by the flow of water. While not tremendously exciting to me, I started working out compositions in which I could place the rock and the leaf near a corner of a shot of stream bed. Handheld was out of the question, I was shooting 50-speed Velvia, and I wanted to shoot straight down, so I started the chilly work of setting up my tripod in the stream to allow me to shoot nearly straight down.
Finally set up, I got a better look through the viewfinder and saw something that almost got me to give up. The rock kicked up the flow of the stream just enough that the water downstream was sparkling with reflections of the sun. I figured those reflections would ruin my perfect little “zen garden” composition, so I experimented for ten or fifteen minutes trying to get rid of them, with a polarizer, by adjusting the position of the camera, and so on. Again, I was frustrated; again, I pushed on.
Peter Burian reports on the best of the new gear at the Photo Marketing Association’s extravaganza in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada
The largest annual photographic trade show in the world, PMA 2009 was held in Las Vegas, Nevada in March. While touring the show floor and meeting with exhibitors, it quickly became clear that many were aggressively developing their line of cameras. As usual, a vast range of compact models were announced, many with HD video modes and more “intelligent” automation than in the past. I found fewer digital SLR models than expected, but two companies showed interchangeable lens cameras without a reflex mirror and these are just as versatile. In this report, I’ll briefly cover the most significant cameras (including two DSLRs announced shortly after the PMA event) and lenses as well as the most significant new printers.
Held in Las Vegas earlier this spring, the Photo Marketing Association's annual trade show attracted numerous retailers who wanted to check out the latest equipment.
Let’s start by saying that color is a science. It’s a big science. It’s so big that there are entire institutes full of people so smart it makes my head hurt, all studying color. So I think it’s safe to say we’ll not be comprehensive here. We will cover the basics of color balance and differential color temperatures, as they pertain to shooting. Color management on the back end, calibrations, color profiles are for another time.
Today’s cameras are pretty smart. They know when you’re shooting outside, or in. When you want to shoot a portrait or a close up. They can tell that you need to use a flash, and in some cases, will even find a smile and shoot it for you. But even with all of the advances in digital camera technology, the smartest camera is still not as smart as you are. The human brain is incredibly adept and nimble, and with a bit of training you’ll begin to see things differently when looking through a viewfinder.
One of the accessories I needed to get before leading my Theyyams of Kerala photo expedition earlier this year was the ::amazon(“B000Z8CUX2”,”Marantz PMD620)::. It is a small hand-held audio recorder, which I needed badly at the time because my aging M-Audio MicroTrack I was beginning to act erratically.
The PMD620 is attractively designed, with a grey metal front covering a black casing. In terms of size, it’s about the size of an older generation iPod, or about 4 inches by 2 inches and 3/4 inch in thickness. It sports two built-in mics into the top two sides of its body, and two 1/8-inch jacks are available for an external mic and headphones. A neat little trick is to use the Line-Out jack for your headphones instead of the one on top. This is more convenient, and avoids the headphones coming near the mics whilst recording. (more…)
From Erick: Today, we’re introducing a new feature at Photocrati, Q&A with Peter Burian. Peter has joined Photocrati as a contributor and will be writing detailed field reviews for digital SLR cameras as well as other gear-related articles. Once a week, he’ll also be choosing one question from our readers to answer. So if you have a gear question that’s been bothering or eluding you, send it to [email protected].
Question
What is your view of firmware updates for digital cameras? I often see that some manufacturer has posted yet another firmware update. Why do the companies release cameras before they are ready and then fix problems with new firmware? J.C.
Answer
As you indicate J.C., new firmware — the operating system for an electronic camera — is often issued. An update is simply a new binary file that will change the processing parameters or add certain functions. Modifications of this type could be made to a high-tech 35mm auto-focus SLR camera as well, but the installation process required a trained technician. While some firmware is designed to fix a technical problem, others actually enhance a camera with even better speed, accuracy, versatility or image quality. (It’s easy to find firmware updates with a Google search; use the keywords Support Firmware and the name of the manufacturer and the camera model.)
In any event, I decided to pose your question to one of the camera companies, and here’s their reply. (more…)
I’m a fervent believer, a virtual “evangelist” if you will, in combining multimedia along with still photography. I can only speak to travel and documentary photography, but multimedia obviously lends itself to all visual disciplines such as wedding, landscape and other photography styles and directions.
I teach emerging photographers and photojournalists classes that shows them how to make quick work of slide show production, using their own images and audio generated in the field, to produce a cogent photo story under the simulation of publishing deadlines. Most of the class time is spent photographing in the field, while indoors time is devoted to weaving the material into photo stories, and the storytelling; the core of all multimedia productions. I will be teaching such a class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in the Himalayan foothills of India in July 2009. (more…)
In my post a few days back, I walked through my own process of setting some specifications for a new desktop machine to run Lightroom, but having gotten my intentions in order it was time to actually go out and buy something, somewhere. But what did I buy, and why? (more…)
In our last installment of the award winning series “A few simple tricks” I talked about composition. This time I’m going to talk about “angle of attack,” which sounds like something a fighter pilot would say but can be roughly translated to mean “where do I stand.” (more…)
