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Ricoh Updates CX 1 Firmware (1.19)

2009-05-01T19:40:27Z

The Ricoh CX1 has received a couple of interesting updates in the past couple of weeks. First was the Firmware 1.16 update that fixed the problem with the M-Cont. Plus, a MP file may be recorded with missing a partial frame(s). It also fixed the problem with the Focus-Bracketing, a which was a feature with known functionality problems.

Now we have Firmware 1.19, which fixes a problem that might be aggravating some of you. When the battery is low, camera may power down without retracting the lens. This of course could lead to some serious problems if not remedied.

Another cool update, not to the camera itself is Ricoh has created an information based CX 1 site. It’s rather extensive, and you can find a slew of information about the camera. For instance, were you aware that the CX 1 only supports a 32 GB memory SD card?

TwitPic Gives You Photo Options For Twitter

2009-03-03T20:46:20Z

Twitter is now, and for quite sometime been the internet phenomenon. Everyone is on Twitter. It’s blogging, without having to take time to actually blog. You can keep others up to date with everything going on in your life easier than ever before.

The idea of Twitter has spilled over in many ways to various sites. It has now become a micro-blogging world on the world wide web. Photography, and image sharing is beginning to adopt this same philosophy. You need not look any farther than a site called, TwitPic.

The essence of Twitter is found here. The pictures, for the most part aren’t of anything that significant. They’re mainly quick snapshots into the daily life of its users. Of course there are diamonds in the ruff, you just have to be committed to do some searching. If you have loved ones, the site is a wonderful way to check in and get a glimpse of what is going on in their life.

The coolest feature I’ve found with TwitPic, is the front page. They utilize Google Maps, and they post random user pictures while showing you where that user is from. Just be prepared for some random, and sometimes gruesome photos.

The community isn’t quite at Flickr level quite yet. As I’ve been looking through, the quality of content isn’t quite what I’ve seen with some of the people I follow on Flickr. This could undoubtedly be due to the fact I haven’t delved deep enough into TwitPic yet. Has anyone else checked it out yet, and if so are you an avid TwitPic user?

Best of Both Worlds

2008-11-27T04:40:09Z

On today’s Internet, video is king and still photography has taken a backseat. More people are getting their news from the Internet as opposed to subscribing to the print newspaper. Many newspapers are in trouble because of this trend. They’ve been forced to cut jobs and to do more with less thus requiring their photographers to now double-duty and become videographers as well as photographers.

Now not only do photographers have to carry multiple lenses, bodies, flash, spare batteries, and compact flash cards for their still cameras, they have to tote a video camera as well. While shooting for a local high school football team a few weeks ago, I spoke with a photographer from our local newspaper about this. He said that it was a huge burden in that he had to learn how to use the video camera to produce a quality video that would be used on the paper’s site. He then had to learn how to edit the video and get it uploaded to the paper’s web site in a timely matter. Oh yeah, he still had to get stills from the game as well. He also gave me a little inside information saying that there was light at the end of the tunnel, as major players in the world of digital SLR cameras were about to make his job easier.

The marriage of still photography and video is now no longer a dream but a reality. In late August, Nikon introduced the D90, the first DSLR to offer video recording capabilities up to 720p HD resolution and 12.3 megapixel image quality. Not to be outdone, in September, Canon announced the EOS 5D Mark II, which can produce video in 1080p HD resolution and 21.1 megapixel image quality. This breakthrough in technology allows photographers to use the current lenses that they have to be used to shoot video, with no real learning curve. Not only that, the prices of these cameras is relatively cheap compared to video cameras that produce similar quality of video. The Nikon D90 will have an expected street price of US$999.95 and the Canon 5D MarkII will have an expected street price of US$2699.

This will not only benefit the professionals out there but general consumers as well. Gone will be the days of having to juggle a video camera and a still camera to capture birthdays, holidays, vacations, graduations or any special occasion making life simpler for everyone.

Official Canon 5D MarkII link
5D MarkII Video Samples

Official Nikon D90 link
D90 Video Samples

Take Better Pictures With Better Glass

2008-06-03T18:29:15Z

I was shooting a Babe Ruth League baseball game a few of weeks ago and a parent friend of mine came up to me with her brand new DSLR camera. She had been using an entry level DSLR for a couple of years and she thought it was time to invest in a newer more up-to-date body. I asked her how she liked her new camera and she told me that most of her photos weren’t much better than what she was getting with her old camera and that she was a little disappointed.

Over the years she had purchased several photos from me and she thought because she bought this new camera that her photos would look more like mine. I noticed that the camera was sporting a kit lens (a lower cost lens sometimes sold with new cameras). I asked her about the lens and she said she bought it because it was cheaper and allowed her to also purchase another zoom lens with longer reach. The money she spent on these two inferior lenses would have been better applied to the cost of one good lens.

To greatly increase the quality of photos, invest in good glass and not camera bodies.

Cameras are like cars, every year they come out with new models with more bells and whistles that supersede the previous model, therefore causing depreciation in value fairly rapidly. Good glass will not only produce higher quality, more professional images, they will hold their value much longer than camera bodies and should last for years.

One caveat, good glass is expensive, in some cases very expensive. To some the price of a professional grade lens is quite a sticker shock, but if the highest quality photos are the goal, there is no other way to go. These lenses use better high-quality glass and electronics and will produce better contrast, more sharpness, better clarity and truer color in photos. There is a reason that so many photographers rely on these lenses daily to put food on their table.

Not convinced that glass is the way to go? Try it for yourself. Many camera stores rent professional grade lenses for a reasonable fee. There also online stores that rent good glass. There is always the used market to explore but sometimes many of these lenses aren’t a great deal cheaper than new.

I made the decision years ago that to get the best possible images I had to invest in quality lenses. That is one decision I’ve never regretted and haven’t looked back since.

Canon EOS 1D Mark III: One Year Later

2008-02-29T20:19:34Z

In February 2007 Canon introduced the EOS 1D Mark III the successor to the EOS 1D Mark II N, it was to be Canon’s new flagship camera. With its phenomenal 10 frames per second, new and improved auto focus, 10.2 megapixel images and the ability to shoot at high ISO’s with little noise, this was the camera of dreams.

Shortly after the camera found its way into photographer’s hands, the photo blogs and messages board began to light up with news of a possible major flaw with the camera’s auto focus system. Under certain conditions the camera would not focus on, or track a moving object. This was a major ordeal as many photographers and photojournalists rely on this camera to put food on the table.

It was early August 2007, with high school football season rapidly approaching. The number of shutter actuations of my three-year-old EOS 20D was pretty high, and I wasn’t sure if it would make it through another season. I needed a new camera.

I went to the local camera shop fully aware of the problems mentioned on the Internet about the Mark III. I talked to the owner of the shop, and he too was aware of the buzz on the net. He told me that the local newspaper had bought five of these cameras and none of the photographers had had any such issues. I knew a couple of the guys that shot for the paper and asked them if they’d had any problems with the new camera and they told me quite the contrary, they loved it and had not experienced any problems whatsoever.

I was still skeptical but still needed a new camera as well, one that would stand up to the rigors of shooting baseball and soccer in ninety degree plus heat, football in thirty degree frost, or a basketball game in dimly lit dungeon of a gym. Not only was it an issue of buying a possibly flawed camera, because I am an amateur and not a paid professional it was a financial risk as well. I took the risk and put my name on the waiting list.

I got the call that my camera had come in and I could come pick it up. I was apprehensive yet excited at the same time. I brought the camera to work and charged it up so that it would be ready to shoot once I got home. When I got home I slapped on a lens and began shooting away, trying out all the new bells and whistles this camera had to offer. I couldn’t believe a shutter could open and close that fast, it was painfully obvious that I’d have to purchase bigger memory cards.

The next day was the first soccer game of the year and the first real test for the focusing system under the same conditions that supposedly caused the tracking problem. I went home after the game hoping that I could put my fears to rest. I uploaded about four hundred images and I was simply amazed. The images were breathtaking right out of the camera. I didn’t have to do anything in Photoshop to make them look good. They were sharp, displayed brilliant colors and had nice contrast. I had very few frames out of focus, and the ones that were had more to do with the photographer than the camera.

During football season I got pictures that I couldn’t possibly have gotten with the 20D. I could shoot at 3200 ISO, stop the action and with very little noise in the final image. The autofocus was incredible; it felt like sometimes it knew what to focus on before I did and still very few out of focus frames.

In the month of October Canon issued an official “Fix” for the Mark III that affected certain serial numbers. Lo and behold mine was one of the possibly affected serial numbers. In December I sent the camera to Canon free of charge and got it back four days later. The sub mirror assembly was replaced and the camera was to now be within Canon specs and I got a one-year warrantee from the date that it was repaired.

The first basketball game with the sub mirror fix yielded the same outstanding pictures that I had gotten before the fix. I noticed a very little difference in the focusing capability. Again, I was able to nail photos that with the 20D were just impossible.

Maybe I was just lucky to get a good copy or maybe I’m just a little more forgiving but for me the Canon EOS 1D Mark III lives up to the hype that it received before it was released. I’m not saying that there aren’t Mark IIIs out there that do not function as they should, there are, and that is an utter shame. The cameras that do work simply produce amazing images in all sorts of environments and situations. With the black eye this camera has received I’ll probably take a hit on the resale value but I absolutely love this camera.

Video Panoramas From Your Camera

2007-12-19T19:17:32Z

I posted a bit ago about making panorama pictures from your photo. But the always impressive Photojojo.com has stepped it up a notch. This morning, they posted a tutorial on How to Make Video Panoramas from Your Digital Camera’s Video Clips. They call them Videoramas.

Head to their post for a sample and instructions.

Printable Hoods For Your SLR Lens

2007-03-26T01:47:33Z

Whenever I purchase a lens, I always check to be sure that it comes with a hood. Hoods reduce flare in the images that you take. There are different sizes of hoods for different lenses and sometimes they can be quite expensive.

Well not anymore.

I was just sent a link to a site that offers pintable lens hoods that you can trace onto posterboard and stick on your camera. They have all kinds of shapes and sizes. Now that is neat.

Link: Paper Lens Hoods

The Photoblogs I Follow

2007-02-27T20:31:56Z

One of the ways I get inspired is by looking at photos from others. In order to keep a good stream of nice photos, I subscribe to a few photoblogs using NetNewsWire Lite. For the most part, these photoblogs update with a photo a day and it’s just a nice way to see what others are doing with their talent.

In case you are interested, here are the photoblogs I subscribe too.

Chromasia.com - the most enjoyable one by far. His portraits are great. Take some time to look at his archives and you’ll be very impressed.
Mexican Pictures - There is so much color and personality in these photos.
Ten Years Of My Life - This photos are just of everyday life, but they are colorful and sharp.
TopLeftPixel.com - Mostly black and white city life.

I also have my own photoblog but it’s not updated nearly as often. I will usually post up a few pictures after trips.

I’d be interested to hear of any photoblogs that you enjoy. And don’t be afraid to share your own as well.

Extend Your Arm With Quikpod

2007-01-30T13:55:27Z

I just read about this product that may be interesting to travelers.

The Quikpod is basically a monopod with a twist. Literally.

The Quikpod basically acts as an extension of your arm. It holds the camera at an angle so when you hold it out, it lines directly up with you and your friends. This avoids the need to hand your $2000 DSLR camera to a stranger and ask them to take your picture. And it provides better results than holding the camera out with your arm.

Just an interesting product that can also be useful. It goes for $24.95.

Find Your Friends On Flickr

2007-01-27T15:23:09Z

I’m a big fan of Flickr.com. I like to share my photos that way and i love it when my family and friends share that way as well. This why I was happy to see flickr friends.

The steps are simple. First, you export your contacts as a .cvs file (Outlook) or a .vcf file (Apple Address Book). Then, you upload that file (or any file with a list of email addresses) to flickr friends. The site will scan that file and then use the flickr api to see if any of your contacts have flickr accounts. If they do have an account, it will give you a link to their photos and profile.

This is all a fast process and it does it all on the same page using Ajax and Javascript.

The one problem I found is that your list of addresses can be no larger than 1MB. To get around this, I split my address book into four groups and then exported a card for each group. Then, I just did them one at a time.

Just as I expected, very few of my contacts used flickr. I think it’s natural for people to want to see photo’s from other people but forget to share their own. However, I did find a few contacts on there and was glad to see their photos.

You can give this all a try here. (yes, it’s free)