Geekanoids February 2010 Competition Result. Last month I ran a competition to give away a Uniea U-Sleaf pouch that is suitable for a netbook or indeed the Apple iPad. Well here is the winner announcement.
Thanks go to Uniea for the prize, you can find them at http://www.uniea.com/
Park Cameras is delighted to announce the creation of a series of new School of Photography Workshops which looks to harness the combined potential of local, Sussex-based photographic authorities. Therefore, in partnership with local photographer Ian Pack and the renowned Great Dixter House and Gardens, near Rye in East Sussex, Park Cameras has created a bespoke course – Great Dixter Garden Photography - that captures the unique landscapes and surroundings of the Great Dixter Gardens.
Under the tutelage of expert landscape photographer Ian Pack, attending delegates will have unrivalled access to the Gardens during a day-long ‘Master Class’ specifically designed so as to ensure that you are exposed to a wide spectrum of landscape shooting scenarios as well as receiving invaluable hints and tips from Ian based on decades of experience shooting garden and landscape features.
In conjunction with Ian Pack and Great Dixter House and Gardens, Park Cameras has created a series of dates for landscape and garden enthusiasts to benefit from and priced at only £165 with the added opportunity of receiving £125 of Park Cameras Gift Vouchers at Park Cameras we feel that we have greatly added to the existing range of courses that we currently provide through our School of Photography training platform. You can check out the course dates and make your booking here.
Park Cameras is delighted to announce that on Friday 26th February we have received some of the first UK stock of the much anticipated Samsung NX10, Samsung’s first Micro Four Thirds camera.
Never compromise when it comes to capturing life’s most precious moments. The Samsung NX10 offers an incredible 14.6 Megapixels and APS-C size CMOS sensor which delivers high-quality images and rich, natural colour. It’s the perfect size to carry with you everywhere, but still packs powerful features like high definition recording and an AF function for fast action shots.
At Park Cameras you will be able to purchase the Samsung NX10 from only £489.99, with the opportunity to purchase across the three kits released by Samsung. To avoid disappointment click here to make your purchase now and receive a free Fuji 8GB SDHC 60X Class 6 worth £34.99.
Aperture 3.0.1 is an update for Aperture 3 which is a paid upgrade to Aperture with over 200 new features. Launch 'Software Update' to apply these fixes, you can also check out the Apple article here.
This update improves overall stability and addresses a number of issues in Aperture 3, including:
At just before 10pm GMT the countdown to the 10 billionth song download from the iTunes Store completed. Apple have blown the music industry apart with the success of their service and celebrated by giving the purchaser of that record breaking track a $10,000 iTunes Voucher... wow, now how would I spend that? Congratulations to Apple and of course to the lucky winner.
It seems that with every iteration of Digital Camera nowadays, manufacturers try to push the megapixel and feature boundary every single time. As an amateur photographer I always wait with baited breath in the hope that all the new features are not at the expense of image quality. Having owned and tested many cameras over the years, I stopped searching for the highest megapixel count and looked more for decent noise control and speed.
I am not brand loyal in any shape or form, but more often that not Canon seem to deliver the quality that I desire. When they announced their EOS 500D it was very interesting, as was their 50D and the very recent 7D offering. With the EOS 7D they upped the megapixel count yet again and also delivered 1080P high definition video capture. Hot on the heals of this semi-pro camera is the EOS 550D which has just hit the shores of the UK with some early adopters receiving their units this week.
On offer is a new 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, very similar to that in the higher priced 7D. Alongside this you get Canon's DIGIG 4 image processor (a single one, the 7D has two). The ability to extend the ISO range up to 12,800 is also welcome, as is the 3.7fps shooting speed. This model also sports a new 3-inch LCD screen with a massive 1,040K dot resolution. As a video producer for my main interest, the full HD movie capture with selectable frame rate is also of great interest. I will be bringing you a series of reviews covering the features and performance of the Canon EOS 550D over the coming weeks, so please do keep an eye on the website.
In the meantime, I managed to catch up for a chat with Gui de Basly from Park Cameras, check out the Q&A below...
Q. Hi Gui, have you had any hands-on time with the new EOS 550D from Canon yet?
A. Yes, I got to use it this week when we received the first batch.
Q. What features stood out for you?
A. You immediately notice how good the LCD is, very bright and clear which makes using live view to compose shots and shoot video very pleasing. It also makes checking focus very accurate too.
Q. Where do you see this fitting within the Canon range?
A. The camera sits near the entry point of the Canon range in terms of price, and it's bigger brothers have an advantage in speed and a couple of features but in terms of image quality it is very impressive, it's a match for much more expensive cameras such as the 7D.
Q. If a customer was buying a 550D from you, what accessory do you think would be the most useful as their second purchase?
A. If they have a good range of lenses already then a high-speed, high capacity memory card would be the best options. The video is so addictive that you'll be taking up a lot of memory card space. Also a bag that you feel comfortable with is important, if you don't like carrying the camera then you'll not take it out with you and miss great shots as a consequence.
Q. Do you think a lot of people will buy the 550D instead of a dedicated video camera?
A. People may decide they don't need to buy an additional video camera if they have the Canon 550D but there are still benefits of a camcorder compared to DSLR video. The unique look from the DSLR video is actually attracting a lot of film and television producers.
Q. Would this make a good second body for a professional photographer?
A. It probably isn't going to be used as a back up to the pro cameras because it doesn't use the same batteries and handles differently which are not ideal for part of a professional kit. However, as the image quality is very good and the camera so light and portable I can imagine many professional photographer using this as their 'off-duty' camera, just for shooting the family or when out and about.
Q. Do you think the future of DSLR's will see every new model feature video capture?
A. Absolutely, there is no real reason not to incorporate video recording so I imagine all future models will have this feature and I expect the implementation to improve over the next few years.
Geekanoids: Thanks Gui for taking the time to give your views on the 550D, that gives a really useful insight for our readers.
The Canon EOS 550D is currently available from Park Cameras in the UK.
Inspired by the overwhelmingly positive reception of the Gorillatorch hands-free flashlight, which features powerful magnetic feet in addition to flexible, wrappable legs, Joby is thrilled to introduce the Gorillapod Magnetic flexible tripod. The world’s most versatile tripod is now even more adaptable! With the addition of powerful magnets in the feet, the Gorillapod Magnetic can now be anchored to any magnetic surface, in addition to being secured with its fully-articulating legs. Stick it to a pole, wrap it around a tree-branch, or perch it on a jagged rock - the positioning possibilities are truly endless.
The Gorillapod Magnetic supports compact digital cameras and mini video cameras weighing up to 11.5oz, weighs just 2.5 ounces, is 6-inches tall, and will be available globally in April.
The α family of over 30 interchangeable lenses and teleconverters is set to grow with the addition of exciting new models. Shown in advanced pre-production form at PMA is the Distagon T* 24mm f/2 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss wide angle lens. Scheduled for launch in 2010, this bright, wide angle prime is an ideal choice for reportage, naturally lit interiors and other quality-critical handheld shooting applications.
Displayed as a mock-up on the Sony booth, the newest lens to carry the G Lens name is a bright, high-power Super Telephoto 500mm f/4 G with class-leading optical performance.
In more PMA 2010 news, Sony also confirms that the current α range will continue to grow with the introduction of further new mainstream DSLR models using the newly-developed Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor and integrating HD video function with AVCHD format.
Ultra-compact camera with interchangeable lenses and APS-C sensor
In 2010 Sony will introduce a new ultra-compact camera with interchangeable lenses that teams “any time, anywhere” convenience with DSLR picture quality. Exhibited in early concept mock-up form at PMA, the camera features a newly-developed Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. It will also support HD video recording using the efficient AVCHD format. Shown in mock-up form alongside the compact, easy-to-use new camera is a selection of compatible interchangeable lenses.
The PMA (Photo Marketing Association) show kicks off today and runs through to the 23rd February 2010. It takes place in the Anaheim Convention Center in California and plays host to a slew of announcements in the digital photography arena.
There have already been many pre-show announcements including Pentax with the X90. Add to this the Samsung HMX-U20, Kingston with their new class 10 16GB micro SDHC memory card and of course the Canon EOS 550D (shame Canon are not attending the PMA). This all adds up to some seriously exciting new goodies for photographers to drool over. Keep an eye on the Geekanoids website over the next few days for further PMA updates.
This is a really cool video, teasing us about the forthcoming Samsung NX10... now that's mean :-)