Nikon D300 is shipping worldwide. People are taking excellent pictures with this new camera. Surprisingly there haven’t been any major defects on this camera so far. Following image is by dpreview forum user digislr.
Technorati Tags: nikon, photos, dslr, photography, nikon d300, best photo
Popularity: 71% [?]
This report contains results of a quantitative analysis of the Canon 40D and Nikon D300 DSLR’s, from the standpoint of sensor capabilities. Images were taken with the Canon 100-400L IS lens on the 40D and the Nikon 80-400VR lens on the D300. Several measurements were undertaken: Sensor read noise, dynamic range, quantum efficiency, and relative sensitivities. Nikon D300’s quantum efficiency is a 35% improvement over Nikon D200’s. I’m expecting both the measured resolution and noise of the Nikon D300 to slightly exceed that of the 40D when the test data are in. One thing stands out from this excellent report is that, Nikon D3 is really good.
Technorati Tags: dslr, photos, nikon, canon, D300, 40D, read noise, dynamic range, quantum efficiency, relative sensitivities
Popularity: 63% [?]
Nikon is coming up with new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G VR lens. This lens is for Nikon APS-sized entry level DSLR, like Nikon D40X. This will cost a $199 when it ships in December. more
Technorati Tags: Digital photography, Nikon, lens, VR, OIS, cheap lens
Popularity: 57% [?]
Nikon D300 user manual is available for download from Nikon USA site. Unfortunately you cannot print this user manual because it is locked. Some highlights from this as follows
Uncompressed NEF 12/14bit: 17/16
Compressed lossless NEF 12/14bit: 18/21
Compressed NEF 12/14bit 21/27
Reference: Dpreview Nikon D300 forum
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Visual Studio 2008 will be available for download from msdn subscriber download on November 19th, 2007. Visual Studio 2008 and the .Net Framework 3.5 enable developers at all levels to rapidly create connected applications for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, mobile devices and the Web. Microsoft’s Visual Studio Team System is also expected to ship by the end of November. more
Technorati Tags: microsoft, visual studio 2008, orcas, .net framework 3.5
Popularity: 40% [?]
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Many retailers open very early (typically 5 A.M.) and offer doorbuster deals to draw people to their stores. Black Friday is frequently but erroneously referred to in the media as the busiest retail shopping day of the year. While it has been one of the busiest days in terms of customer traffic, in terms of actual sales volume Black Friday is usually the fifth to tenth busiest day. The busiest retail shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) is usually the Saturday before Christmas. This BestBuy door buster deal is for new Sony VAIO Laptop (instant saving of $350) with 1 GB memory, DVD RW and 120 GB hard drive,minimum 15 per store.
Technorati Tags: cheap laptop, best buy, BestBuy, black friday, BlackFriday, laptop, sony vaio, doorbuster
Popularity: 82% [?]
iPod Touch has been announced recently. Apple is doing really good job marketing this product. After creating a smashing success with Feist and the iPod Nano ads, buzz on the new iPod Touch commercial is busting out all over. The spot features a quick-cut tour of the gadget’s features backed by a rhythmic beat and an enchanting female voice. The tune starts with the words “music is my boyfriend” and searchers got busy looking up that phrase. However, those words aren’t the song’s title. This song is by Brazilian indie band Cansei de Ser Sexy (also known as CSS). Search for this band went up 300%. Apple’s marketing department took the commercial’s brilliant concept from a British college student. Searches on “ipod touch commercial song,” “ipod touch,” and “ipod touch review” have all jumped over 50% this week. more
Technorati Tags: ipod touch, ipod touch review, css, music is my boyfriend, Cansei de Ser Sexy, ipod nano, apple marketing
Popularity: 45% [?]
This is studio light comparison of Nikon D300 and Sony A700 DSLR camera. This indepth test was conducted by David Kilpatrick. The choice of scenery for these test shots are very good with lots of details and color. Nikon D300 noise level in this test without any NR under tungsten light is impressive and the level of details is fantastic with JPEG. The color in the sample look very good all the way up to ISO 6400, with ISO 6400 showing some saturation. The new Expeed images processor is excellent. If you turn the NR off, you will get more details in the Nikon D300 JPEGs compared to the Sony A700 from ISO 1600 and above. we’ve come to the point where DX camera noise is leveling out and things like AF will matter much more. I don’t think you will see any difference between A700 and D300 in ISO 100-400 resolution. They are both using the same sensor. At ISO 1600 it looks like Sony A700 used more aggressive noise reduction than Nikon D300. You can see more chroma noise in the D300 (than the A700) but also more detail. Nikon is adjusting for tungsten WB by cutting the red channel levels, instead of by boosting blue channel levels. This would explain the increased actual exposure, and the superior noise performance. We can do more test like this when we get the camera and compare raw files.
Reference: Dpreview, David Kilpatrick
Technorati Tags: dslr, photos, sony a700, nikon d300, exposure, noise
Popularity: 66% [?]
The phone rang yesterday to tell us our first stops on our Pixel Packin’ Pleasure tour has a few hundred folks already signed up. Darn cool, can’t wait to share what I’ve learned over the years and what’s new in the last month.
Many people have emailed to alert me to Errol Morris's latest article in the Times. In this one he's concerned himself with how our—well, how Susan Sontag's— interpretations of pictures might be built around incorrect assumptions.
What are we going to do without noise?
With the Nikon D3 having impressive pictures noise-wise at ISO 1600, 3200 and even 6400, it looks like the people who are totally allergic to noise will have an actual DSLR that can deliver them class leading noise performance.
Lighting 102: 3.3 - Balancing Flash/Ambient Indoors
When last we met, we talked about moving from the idea of balancing a nice, even, back-curtain of sunset light to dealing with a highly directional light source (and learning to use it rather than just fill it.) This week, we are taking it indoors to apply the same principles to light that is less directional, less intense and more diffuse.
Just a quick Sunday nite update from the road, yes, the aspens in Colorado are turning. The shot above was taken just after George Jardine and I crossed over Independance Pass coming out of Aspen (the town, not the tree).
Wednesday Inspiration - LeRoy DeJolie
I’m just a few weeks away from my Arizona workshop with the GAPW. We’re going to Page, Arizona to shoot the Antelope Slot Canyons and surrounding areas.
iPhone early adopters get your $100 credit FAST
Today Apple released the details on getting your $100 Apple Store Credit if you bought AND activated an iPhone before August 22nd.
The class gathered about 9:00 A.M. in the morning and we hit the trail about 10 A.M. heading out to St. Mary's Basilica in Covington, KY. It's one of the most beautiful churches not only in Covington but in the entire Cincy area.
Diffraction is an optical effect which can limit the total resolution of your photography no matter how many megapixels your camera may have. Ordinarily light travels in straight lines through uniform air, however it begins to disperse or "diffract" when squeezed through a small hole. This effect is normally negligible, but increases for very small apertures. Since photographers pursuing better sharpness use smaller apertures to achieve a greater depth of field, at some aperture the softening effects of diffraction offset any gain in sharpness due to better depth of field.
Convert Color Digital Images into Black and White
With the proliferation of digital photography, people have now started to look at ways to recreate what film has done for them, including recreating a black and white photo. There are numerous ways to make a digital black and white, some include: 1. In camera filter - By changing a setting in the camera menu to take a black and white photo. Essentially this is a built-in color de-saturation method that removes the color information after the camera takes the picture. I won’t be covering this method in this article. Pros: Easy, simple and does not require any knowledge or post processing to create a black and white photo. Cons: Limits the contrast and dynamic range of the photos. In my personal experience, leaves the photo looking washed out or flat.