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By Digital Photography School, on February 8th, 2011%
 Digital Cameras present photographers with an ever increasing array of Automatic and Semi Automatic shooting modes. Most of these center around different ways of exposing your shots – however many cameras also give options for different focusing modes (auto, continuous focusing for moving subjects and manual). It’s no wonder then that many photographers never make use of their camera and lens’ ability to focus manually. In fact this week I spoke with one DSLR owner recently who hadn’t even noticed the manual/auto focus switch on the side of his lens. Image by dsevilla When is Manual Focus Better than Auto Focus? Let me start by saying there is no right or wrong time to use either manual or auto focusing – both can produce great results in almost all circumstances – however there are a few times when you might find it easier to switch to manual focusing: 1. Macro Work When doing macro photography I almost exclusively switch to manual focusing. The narrow depth of field in these shots mean that you need to be incredibly precise with focusing and being just a smidgeon out or having your camera choose to focus on the wrong part of your subject can completely ruin a shot. To use it you’ll also probably want to use a tripod to eliminate any movement of the camera which can make focusing either in manual or auto mode frustrating. Manual focusing puts the control completely in your hands when shooting in this very precise setting. Image by maruchan313 2. Low Light Shooting in dimly lit environments can be difficult for some cameras and lenses when it comes to focusing. You’ll know when your camera is struggling in Auto mode when every time you go to take a shot the lens will whirl from one end of it’s focusing options to the other and back again before deciding on where to focus. This can really lengthen your shooting process and make taking quick candid shots quite frustrating. Switch to manual mode and you can quickly find your focusing point and get the shot you’re after. Image by Jim Skea 3. Portraits When shooting portraits focus needs to be precise. The majority of your shots of people will need to have their eyes in perfect focus (although in the example to the left it’s the lips) and so switching to manual focus will give you complete control to enable this to save you from having to line up the focusing points on your camera on the eyes, press halfway down and then frame your shot. Manual focusing in portrait work helps to ensure the viewer of the image is drawn to the part of the face that you want them to notice. Image by Djof 4. Shooting Through Glass/Wire Fences If you’ve ever shot through anything like a window or a mess/wire fence you’ll know how cameras will often get confused on where to focus your shot. Whether it’s shooting out of a plane window, taking a shot of an image at a museum or photographing animals through fences at the zoo – you might find your camera is confused. Manual focusing will avoid this completely and allow you to get things just right – focusing upon the subject behind that glass or fence. If you do this in conjunction with a large aperture (which decreases depth of field) and get in close to the fence or glass you might well eliminate it completely from being noticeable in your shot. Image by Gregory Lee 5. Action Photography Shooting fast moving subjects (like racing cars, planes, bikes, running animals etc) can be a frustrating experience when shooting with auto focus. Even the continuous focusing modes can get left behind or confusing if you’re not panning with your subject smoothly. One way to overcome this is to switch to manual focusing and pre focus on a point that the subject will move through – and shooting at that point. You need to get your timing just right – but you’ll find that it’ll often give better results than relying upon auto focus modes (particularly if you shoot in continuous shooting/burst mode). Image by fensterbme Homework Shooting in manual focus mode is a skill that you need to learn and practice. While you will have more time to get it right when shooting still objects – it can become more difficult when shooting moving subjects – so practice. This week set aside an hour or two with your camera to shoot only in manual focus mode. Practice on a variety of subjects including some moving ones. While your practice session might not produce great results the skill that you learn will be useful to have. Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips . Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips , Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras . 5 Situations When Manual Focus is Better than Auto Focus . . . → Read More: 5 Situations When Manual Focus is Better than Auto Focus
By Steve Digicam, on February 8th, 2011%
 Details on both the T3i and the T3 dSLR cameras were released by Canon today. . . . → Read More: Canon Announces Two New Rebels, Four New Powershots
By Digital Photography School, on February 7th, 2011%
A Guest Post by Valerie Jardin . I am a photographer. I love the outdoors and I live in the state of Minnesota. Even if you love snow and extreme temperatures, I can assure you that, by the end of January, you will be starved for some color in nature and less bulky clothing. Living in a ‘black and white’ landscape for several months every year makes you appreciate little things. As a photographer and nature lover you develop an eye for details. Here are a few tips to help you survive a long, cold and snowy winter while photographing nature. First and foremost, be ready for extreme temperatures and wind chills before heading out into the woods. Hand and feet warmers and layers of clothing are common sense. Thin gloves under your heavy mittens so that you don’t get frostbites when you need to make camera adjustments are a good idea. Having a large plastic bag handy to seal your camera or your entire gear bag in before going back to room temperature will prevent heavy condensation on your precious equipment. In the middle of winter, there will be a time when you find yourself in a creative rut, when you are going to get tired of photographing ‘Winter Wonderland’ however pretty it may look. You are starting to dream about grass, dirt, spring flowers and the return of the migratory birds. I usually reach that state of mind around mid January. So what do I do? I get out there with my camera and my snowshoes and I shoot. What do I look for when out on a nature walk in January? I pay attention to details, patterns, the slightest bit of color, animal tracks, wildlife. Why not experiment with some black and white photography or use a creative effect lens such as the Lensbaby Composer? Here are a few examples of images I shot on some of the most dreary and cold days this winter, most of them within walking distance from my house: The color of the blue spruce really stands out in the snow. Look for interesting shapes, here the shadow and drift look like a giant spoon Patterns in the snow Snow covered fox tracks Use a shallow depth of field to isolate a detail Deer always look so beautiful in the snow. They are almost impossible to spot in the woods any other time of the year. Experiment with black and white Need a little creative boost? A special effect lens such as the Lensbaby Composer can be a really fun tool to look at nature differently I hope you enjoyed this article. If you are located in a cold state or country, spring is coming… Happy winter shooting! Connect with Valerie on Facebook or Twitter or visit her website . Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips . Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips , Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras . How to Stay Motivated to Photograph Nature after Months in the Snow and Cold . . . → Read More: How to Stay Motivated to Photograph Nature after Months in the Snow and Cold
By Digital Photography School, on February 6th, 2011%
 If you’re on a quest to improve your photography one of the best things to do is to take stock of where you’ve been and where you want to go. A couple of years ago on DPS I discussed How to Top Your Best 2008 Photos and the methods discussed there are as relevant today as they were then. A year end review is an incredibly powerful exercise as it shows you where you’ve made improvements, need work and the act of choosing favorites hones your photo editing skills. As is a tradition on my blog I ask my readers to review their years photos and share their Best Photos of 2010 as an exercise to take stock and improve. This year there was a record turn out of 162 participants who spanned a spectrum of skill levels from hobbyists to professionals and covered a wide variety of genres including landscape, macro, nature, photojournalism, portraiture, event, wildlife, fine art photography and more. I highly recommend visiting each entry as I have. Even after 4 years of running this blog project I’m blown away by the talent of those that take part. It is truly inspirational to see so much creativity and beauty. If your curious to see photos I particularly enjoyed look out for the entries with *** next to them. If you have not yet taken stock of your 2010 photographs it’s not too late and if you have a best of 2010 photo set on your blog or Flickr be sure to add it in the comments. ——- Best Photos of 2010 via JMG-Galleries and Borrowlenses.com Lens Rentals Best Photos of 2010 by Jim M. Goldstein – JMG-Galleries Best Photos of 2010 by Matthias Wassermann – Mawpix.com Exploring Light -Top Photos 2010 – Chris Moore My Top Ten Photos for 2010 – Tom Varden My Top Ten Photos of 2010 | Craig’s Musings – Craig Vitter Top 10 Photos for 2010 | Dobson Central – Ken Dobson Best Photos of 2010 – Carol Bauer My Best photos from 2010 – Janis Janums My Best Photos of 2010 – David Taylor | SixtyOneNorth.com 2010 – Year In Review – Jon McCormack Photography – Jon McCormack S Zacharias: Best of 2010 – Stephen Zacharias 2010 Photos – David Hernandez Iceman Photography – Top 10 in 2010 Best of 2010 – Dave Wilson Skolai Images – Bears of 2010 – Carl Donohue My Best Photos From 2010 – Art Kuntz 2010 in Review – Jay Goodrich My Favourite Images of 2010 – Sven Seebeck *** Lunchisoptional: Favorites of Year: 2010 Edition — Ken Trout My ten favorite photos of 2010 – Stefan Bäurle Top 10 of 2010 – Behind The Clicks – Mohammad Noman Top Ten Photos Of 2010 – Jed Link 2010 in Review – kRiZ cPEc Photo Blog Chuqui.com- Best Photos 2010 – Chuq Von Rospach My Favorite Photos of 2010 – Ed Rosack 2010 Favorites – Pat Ulrich | Pat Ulrich Photography *** Favorites of 2010 – Kevin Moore Top 10 of 2010 from BlazingB Photography – Bill Pennington *** My Favorite Photos of 2010 – Mike Criss *** My faves from 2010 – Matt Smith My favourite shots of 2010 – Catalin Marin | Momentary Awe *** 2010 a Year in Review, My Top 10 Memorable/Favorite shots – Mike Criswell Craig Ferguson Images – A Year In Photos – Craig Ferguson Top 50 Images from 2010 and Goal Setting – Mike Cavaroc Jim’s Photography – Jim Wheeler Sharpimage.net – The best of 2010 – David Sharp StephenWeaver Photography/Earth Systems Imaging -Stephen G. Weaver Best of 2010 – Changing Perspectives – Jenni Brehm katzekotz.de – best of 2010 – Thomas Kneppeck 2010 Favorite Images – Alpenglow Images – Greg Russell Best Images of 2010 – Peter Cox Photography – Peter Cox Best of 2010| Simon Says – Simon Ponder My Favorites Shots of 2010 – Fine Art Prints – Jeff Colburn Mountain and Climbing Photography – Alexandre Buisse Siam In Contrast 2010 – Adrian Young Olivier Du Tré | 2010 in review (black and white) | 2010 in review (colour) – Olivier Du Tré John Dunne Photography | My Top 10 Favourite Images of 2010 – John Dunne Best of 2010 Flickr Set – Tony Rath Top 10 from 2010 – Behind-the-lens-lukey – Luke Weymark Evan Gearing Photography’s Top 10 of 2010 – Evan Gearing 2010 Photos in Review: Water – Rebecca R Jackrel *** Justin Korn [dot] com – Best of 2010 – Justin Korn My Best Photos of 2010: Learning and Growing> – D. Travis North Uncommon Depth – Roberta Murray Organic Light Photography Best of 2010 – Youssef Ismail / Organic Light Photography The Best of 2010 – blackandwhite.ie – Neil McShane My Best of 2010 – Larry Rosenstein Will Wohler Photography: 2010 A Year in Review – Will Wohler digitizedchaos – best of 2010 – rian castillo My Top 10 from 2010 – Chaz Curry Photography *** My best underwater photos 2010 – Suzy Walker *** Favorite Photographs From 2010 – Fine Art Landscape Photography of Seung Kye Lee *** Best photos from 2010 – Amanda Herbert Wrapping Up 2010: My Favorite Photographs – Ivan Makarov Photography Graf Nature Photography | Reflections on 2010 photographs – MARK GRAF VACANT SHOP IN DOWNTOWN SANTA BARBARA – G. Kaltenbrun Pat O’Brien Photography – A Look Back at 2010 – Pat O’Brien G Dan Mitchell – 2010 Favorites – G Dan Mitchell *** Favorite Photo of 2010 – Naturalvision-photo.com –Derek Griggs Crest, Cliff & Canyon – Jackson Frishman 2010 In Review – Photoimagery.net – Peter McCabe *** Favorite Photos from 2010 – In the Field Photo Blog – Richard Wong *** Year in Review Best Photos of 2010 – Matt Graham Photo Blog – Matt Graham Elizabeth Brown Photography PhotoBlog: Ten Favorite Photos of 2010 – Elizabeth Brown My Top Photos of 2010 – Jonesblog – Bryan William Jones latoga photograph: My Favorite Photos of 2010 – Greg A. Lato Best of 2010 Images – Rob Tilley Living Wilderness: 12 Best from 2010 – Kevin Ebi *** Highlights of 2010 – TO KNOW MORE WEB JOURNAL – KENT MEARIG *** My Best Photos of 2010 – Michael Russell | Michael Russell Photography Best Photographs of 2010 – Chuck Goolsbee Favourite Photos from 2010 – Tim Smalley My Best 10 Photos 2010 – A Reconnection to Nature – Mark Fenwick Best of 2010 – Quotidian Photography – Jessica Sweeney My Top Images of 2010 – ANDREW KEE A Photo A Day… Done! – WelliverPhotography – Beth Welliver Batsto Village – Louis Dallara Photo Blog – Louis Dallara Best 10 of 2010 – John Wall’s Natural California *** 10 from 2010 on the Ann-alog – Ann Torrence *** Favorite Photos from 2010 – My Photo Blog – Ron Niebrugge *** My favorite photos 2010 on Flickr – Markus Heinisch *** My best photos of 2010 – Mike Hellers Dave Reichert’s Best Of 2010 – Dave Reichert Photographs: 2010 Revisited – Joseph Szymanski Best Pics 2010 on Flickr – Michael Rubin My 10 Best Shots of 2010 – ROBIN BLACK PHOTOGRAPHY – ROBIN BLACK Top 10 from 2010 – Anne McKinnell Vanilla Days – Best of 2010 – Pete Carr Top Photos of 2010 – Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images *** Top Images from 2010 – Russ Bishop | Nature Photo Blog Favourite photos from 2010 – Bryn Tassell *** 10 Best Photos of 2010 by Scott Thompson – Scott Thompson My Top 10 photos of 2010 – Alexander S. Kunz *** My 10 Best for 2010 – Dan Baumbach *** Unified Photography – Best Photos of 2010 – Ken Snyder 5 From 2010 – Contemporary Wildlife Photography – David Lloyd Top 10 Photos of 2010 – Steven Bourelle Digital Arts 2010 Top Ten Photos – Andrew S Gibson 2010 Reflections – Dru Stefan Stone – Dru-Color My World Best of 2010 – Dave Hammaker Top 20 of 2010 – Jenna Stirling LandLopers.com Top Travel Photos of 2010 – Matt Long Best of 2010 – Stephen Davey Landscape Photography Blogger My Favorite Photos of 2010 – David Leland Hyde *** Views Infinitum – Best of 2010 – Scott Thomas One Per Trip – Favorite Travel Photos From 2010 – The Carey Adventures – PETER WEST CAREY Best of 2010 – I Love It, SF – Kara Murphy My top 10 pictures from 2010 – Duffy Knox Burrard-Lucas Photography – Will & Matt Burrard-Lucas *** Hank Christensen Photography Top 10 2010 – Hank Christensen My Best Photos from 2010 – 365-1/4 Sra Top Ten Images of 2010 – Michael Frye *** Jono Hey’s Best of 2010 on Flickr – JONO HEY My Favorite Photographs from 2010 – Stories From Home –David Patterson *** My 2010 Best Images of California and Arizona – Steve Sieren *** My Top 10 Landscapes of 2010 – Andre Leopold Best of 2010 set on Flickr – Erik Turner This was 2010 on Flickr – Jeffrey Van Daele Top 10 of 2010 – Brian Mangano Best Photos of 2010 – KBTImages – Kevin Thornhill Best Photos of 2010 – The Sun Shines & The Igloo Melts Top 10 of 2010 – Chad Griggs Best Photos of 2010 – WASEEF AKHTAR My Favorite Images from 2010 – Outdoor Exposure Photography by Sean Bagshaw – Sean Bagshaw *** My Best Shots of 2010 – Annika Ruohonen Photography – Annika Ruohonen Top sights from 2010 – Mariana Travieso Bassi Year 2010 in Korwel Photography – Iza Korwel WISCONSIN SUMMER – Jarrod Erbe Best Photos of 2010 – Jim Stamates Top 10 of 2010 – Younes Bounhar Light on the Landscape Photoblog/My Favorite Images of 2010 – WILLIAM NEILL *** My Best Photos of 2010 – Itsa a greyt day for a photo – Terri Jacobson Listening to Nature Photography Blog by Rhoda Maurer – RHODA MAURER *** My favorites of 2010 – David Richter Best of 2010 – View from the Little Red Tent – Edie Howe tmophoto best of 2010 – Thomas O’Brien Best Photos Of 2010 – Dawnstar Australis – Daniel McNamara Top 10 of 2010 – Cranial Aperture – Jeffrey Yen 10 Best Favorites of 2010 – Sudheendra Kadri *** Flickr – Best of 2010 – Chris Arts Flickr: Best of 2010 – Heidi Donat Best Photo of 2010 – Anton Huo Best of 2010 – Travel & Landscape – Eugene Cheng Preetalina Photography: 2010 Favorites – Preeti Desai Hidden Light Photography 2010 Favorites – Alan Williams 5Mae 2010 Favourites Flickr Set – Sarah-Mae Best Photos of 2010 – John Fujimagari *** Best of 2010 – Paavani Bishnoi Best Photos of 2010 – Phil Colla *** 100 Favorites from 2010 – Patrick J. Endres *** Top Ten Of 2010 – Steve Cole Photography Some of My Favorite Images From 2010 – Clark Crenshaw Photography*** Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips . Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips , Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras . 162 “Best Photos of 2010″ Blog Posts . . . → Read More: 162 “Best Photos of 2010″ Blog Posts
By Digital Photography School, on February 4th, 2011%
This week your photography challenge is to take and share an image that shows us something about where you live. This theme came out of a number of people suggesting on our facebook page that we do something about our country of origin. I thought we could broaden it slightly to give people scope to do something about anything to do with where they live. You might choose to do something to show us something about your country – but you might also choose to show us something about your house or something else that symbolises where you call home/live. There’s lots of scope here for different types of photography – so be creative and get to work! Once you’ve taken your ‘Where I Live’ photos – choose your best 1-2, upload them to your favourite photo sharing site either share a link to them even better – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so . If you tag your photos on Flickr, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSWHEREILIVE to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun. Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in last weeks Beauty challenge – there were some great shots submitted. Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips . Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips , Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras . Where I Live: Weekly Photography Challenge . . . → Read More: Where I Live: Weekly Photography Challenge
By Photography Blog, on February 4th, 2011%
 Another busy 6 months has passed in the digital photography world, and right on cue, the Ricoh CX5 appears as the replacement for the already out-of-date CX4 compact camera. New features include a faster hybrid auto-focus system Super Resolution technology, three scene modes, and Eye-Fi card support. The CX5 retains the 10.7x lens, 720p HD movies, 3 inch screen, and 10 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor of its predecessor. Read the World’s first Ricoh CX5 review to find out if it can keep up with the travel-zoom competition. Read the review . . . → Read More: Ricoh CX5 Review
By Digital Photography School, on February 4th, 2011%
Photography is a part of the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the globe. The widespread availability and ease of owning a camera is a product of the digital age – and aren’t we all so fortunate for it. Whether you have a simple point and shoot to capture family moments and day to day ramblings or a multi-thousand dollar medium format with a digital back for large production advertising, photography touches all of us. It begs the question, why do we photograph? For some it’s as necessary as breathing. It’s as much a part of who we are as the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the friends we associate with and the values we hold dear. It’s who we are. To others it’s an enjoyable hobby or past-time – a great way to spend some free time or a way to capture little family moments. Whatever your personal level of involvement in photography is, taking photos is something we all love to do. Perhaps there is a deeper psychological explanation. Our time on this earth only lasts for so long, and a camera allows us to preserve memories far past when they might have slipped our mind. It helps us pass those memories into the hands of future generations. Our photos are little legacies of the life we have led – our travels, experiences, food, family, friends, work relationships and more. Each photo is a window into a moment, and the collections of images we take over the years are a window into who we were and what we valued. Ultimately it comes down to a simple truth – seeing that moment captured makes us genuinely happy. Photography should make you happy. Never let someone impede on your personal happiness. You love HDRs and someone else doesn’t – who cares? You are enamored with landscapes but your friends think they’re droll – don’t let it bother you. You’re a fashion nut but no one gets your style – just keep being you. Enjoy your photography for what it is – your own. Know that not everyone will appreciate it, but if it personally fulfills you, that’s all that truly matters. Be true to yourself and you’ll never regret a day of your life. Share with us, why it is you photograph. Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips . Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips , Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras . Why We Photograph . . . → Read More: Why We Photograph
By Photography Blog, on February 4th, 2011%
JPM (Jumper Photo Magazine) is a new iPad digital magazine for professional photographers. Read more and comment . . . → Read More: Jumper Photo Magazine for iPad
By Digital Photography School, on February 3rd, 2011%
 A Guest post by by Annie Tao Whether you’re a newbie or you’ve been a pro for years, there may be a point when you need a little help tapping into your creative mojo ! Hey, even us right-brainers need to refresh our creativity from time to time! Here are a few ideas to help boost your creativity: Your camera is your friend So take him (or her) everywhere with you!I know you’ve heard this before, but here’s the thing:it is easy to remember to bring your camera to scenic places or special events.Try taking it to places that aren’t obviously photogenic.This will train your eye to look out for beautiful things – light, patterns, mood, expressions, compositions – no matter where you are. Finding the best way to photograph different kinds of scenes, light and people is a great experience. A 365 Project (one photo a day) or weekly photo project may be a great way to do this. Here are some tips , if you want to get started. There are also many dedicated websites, such as . . . → Read More: How To Tap Into Your Creative Mojo
By Image Acquire, on February 3rd, 2011%
The thing that you see to the right is not a part for the Lego Digital Camera that sells at Wal-Mart that we reported on several times. This particular thing was made by a DIY guy (or girl, I’m not sure) which is a viewfinder for a Sony NEX-5. … . . . → Read More: How to make a Lego viewfinder for a Sony NEX-5 camera
By Digital Photography School, on February 2nd, 2011%
This book won’t help you set the right exposure for a shot, nor will it help you compose, add filtration or do a later digital clean up when all has gone wrong. Authors Greenberg and Reznicki deal with the legal side of picture-making in its 126 pages: copyright, model releases, asserting your rights, pricing your work, chasing defaulting clients etc. The manual is published in the USA, so the info within its pages applies to the situation in that country; many of the topics may have different legal shades and interpretations in your own country, however the over-riding message within its pages are the same the world over: be careful, know your rights, know the boundaries, know the ropes. If they were not of such importance, the examples given in the book carry much caution. Like this one: A bank asks its employees to stay back after closing so that some shots can be taken for promotional purposes; there is no obligation to stay back and no releases are signed. Some workers remain and end up in the shots made by a photographer, assistant, makeup etc. The staff members pose and the shoot takes several hours. Ads and promos come out. Some employees, having never signed releases, claim violations of NY law. They win! And on copyright in times past. Well before copyright law came into being some ‘artists’ used drastic methods to state their rights: Shah Jihan who commissioned the Taj Mahal used one extreme method to deter anyone from making a reproduction of his amazing creation: as the workmen finished their tasks, the Shah ordered one of their hands to be cut off. Have you seen a second Taj Mahal? Drastic but it worked. Author : E Greenberg & J Reznicki. Publisher : Lark Books. Distributor : Capricorn Link. Length : 126 pages. ISBN : 978 1 906672 420 5. Price : Get a price on the Photographer’s Survival Manual on Amazon (currently 28% off). Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips . Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips , Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras . Photographer’s Survival Manual . . . → Read More: Photographer’s Survival Manual
By Image Acquire, on January 29th, 2011%
In about one hundred years from now, no one will remember an age of negatives and slides. Everything will be digital, and hopefully all of our old school photos will be converted. One device that will help bring this digital age about is the iConvert. Like the … . . . → Read More: iConvert changes negatives and slides into digital photographs
By 43rumors, on January 28th, 2011%
 Panasonic UK just released a press release saying the GF2 will be in Stock (in UK) starting from today. There are a few very interesting info: 1) 1 of 4 system camera sold in December (in UK) is a mirrorless camera (Panasonic calls it CSC=Compact System Camera). 2) Mirrorless share grow 194% vs. the previous year! 3) 1 of 10 of all changeable lens cameras sold were from the Panasonic! Those are good news for Panasonic. I hope this will convince the head office to increase the camera production to satisfy our demand for a shorter time supply! The GF2 is already in Stock at Amazon UK , via third party resellers at Amazon DE and at asian+european eBay resellers (Click here to see current auctions) . According to BHphoto (Click here) the GF2 will arrive in February. Also Amazon US and Adorama are accepting preorders. Click the button to read the press release: Panasonic changes the Digital Photo market forever Following a year of great success in 2010, Panasonic is ready to kick start 2011 with a bang as tomorrow marks the launch of the next great Lumix G camera, Lumix GF2, in a store near you. Already awarded 5 magazine awards since announced in November, the GF2 is the smallest and lightest system camera from Panasonic, boosting DSLR like photo performance and Full HD movies with stereo sound. At the end of last year we saw that the total changeable lens (DSLR + CSC) market was up 22.8% in December 2010 vs. December 2009. Panasonic believe that this growth has come from a dramatic increase in consumer demand for creative and high quality photos. 1 in 4 changeable lens cameras sold in December came from the new breed of Compact System Cameras (CSC), as product and lens ranges in this developing format grew. CSC actually grew an impressive 194% vs. the previous year (1). This significant shift can be put down to the smaller size and easier to use attributes of a CSC compared to a DSLR camera – Anyone who enjoys photography can now take professional looking photos without hassle. The good news for Panasonic is that in December 2010 over 1 in 10 of all changeable lens cameras sold were from the Panasonic Lumix G system camera range, making it the best selling CSC range in Christmas 2010 (2). Panasonic is very proud to hold 11.3% market share with the DMC-G2 as its best selling model. To prove that anyone can take creative shots look out for the new GF2 which launches on 28th January and is a must have camera of 2011. . . . → Read More: Panasonic UK success report
By Digital Photography School, on January 25th, 2011%
 I’ll admit that today was the day I picked up the manual for my camera. I have done it once before but today I got very curious just what the Picture Styles feature on a lot of Canon DSLRs actually does. For the most part I shoot in RAW and it has no impact there. It is only set to make changes to JPEG images produced by the camera. But what real affect do the various settings like Standard, Portrait and, more so, the custom adjustments I can make, have on the final image if I want quick, out of the camera punch or neutral rendition? One note: A wide range of possibilities opens up to adjust Picture Styles on RAW images in programs like Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software or BreezeBrowser, and that is a whole other ball of wax for another post. Let’s take a look at the settings themselves first. This information is from a Canon 7D but is relevant to most of the DLSR line with the Picture Styles settings. From the left, those symbols represent the setting for Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation and Color Tone (Hue). All in this image have a setting of zero next to them. I’ll be using those settings in that order for the remainder on this post: Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation and Color Tone. Now then, there are six preset modes: Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome (followed by Custom1, 2 and 3 in the image below). I will begin by showing representations of each of these settings and then dive into customization of just Standard mode. Otherwise this post would be filled with more than 50 screen shots and become confusing. All photos are shot at ISO 400, 130mm (28-300mm L lens), 1/5 and f/8.0. The images were given a small 1/3 of a stop bump in exposure. Click on an image for a larger version. Standard Sharpness: 3 Contrast: 0 Saturation: 0 Color Tone: 0 Portrait Sharpness: 2 Contrast: 0 Saturation: 0 Color Tone: 0 Landscape Sharpness: 4 Contrast: 0 Saturation: 0 Color Tone: 0 Neutral Sharpness: 0 Contrast: 0 Saturation: 0 Color Tone: 0 Faithful Sharpness: 0 Contrast: 0 Saturation: 0 Color Tone: 0 Monochrome Sharpness: 3 Contrast: 0 Filtering Effect: none Toning Effect: none Each of the modes has a specific intent. Standard is set to give a lively view and a likely rendition that will appeal to most viewers. Portrait softens the sharpness while highlighting skin tones. Landscape will increase sharpness and increase saturation slightly, especially in greens and blues. Neutral attempts to make as little change as possible to make post processing easier. Faithful takes this a step further and attempts to render colors as if under a 5200K light source. Monochrome opens up the possiblity of using Filtering Effects (Yellow, Orange, Red, Green) and Toning Effects (Sepia, Blue, Purple, Green) In this tutorial, I will use the Standard mode from which to start making adjustments. These adjustments are reached by hitting the Menu button and then finding and selecting the Picture Style item. The default settings for Standard are then shown with an option to make adjustments using the selection wheel or pointer. Notice the Sharpness adjustment goes from zero to seven while the others have a midpoint and move from -4 to +4. Standard mode dictates Sharpness to +3. Let’s first take a look at what happens when this is jacked up to +7. Notice in the histogram the peaks are far more pronounced. Next, the Sharpness is returned to the Standard setting of +3 and Contrast is taken to +4, followed by Contrast at -4. Again, check the histograms for minor changes. Returning Contrast to 0, it’s time to give Saturation a whirl. First +4 then -4. Here again, there is a wide range of effect which can be applied depending on your liking. Lastly, Saturation is returned to 0 and Color Tone is given a swing from +4 to -4. From here, each of the Modes has their own set of adjustments you can make with over 4,000 different possible combination (except for Monochrome, which is slightly less)! If you want to get a hands on feel for making adjustments to the sliders but just happen to be at work reading this and you camera is no where to be found, Canon has a web page devoted to allowing free play of the settings. If you regularly shoot in JPEG mode, play around with the settings and find a look that works for you. Most Canon cameras have the option to save these custom settings as one of three presets, perfect for a quick switch when the situation arises. Post from: Digital Photography School . . . → Read More: Using Canon’s Picture Styles
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