1. Camera Make and Model.
2. Camera Mount.
3. Film Stock.
4. Lens information. (Model of lens, Make, Focal length, zoom)
5. Camera Height.
6. Camera Distance to Subject.
7. Camera Angle or Tilt.
8. Camera settings. (iris, filters, zoom and etc.)
8. After shoot. (photo reference, prop measurements and shoot distortion grid)

Top brand tripods for sale - camera, video, professiona tripods.

How many times have you purchased a mediocre tripod and regretted deeply that you would never purchase a cheap tripod again?

I don't know about you, but I've purchased cheap tripods so many times just to find out they are not designed to last long.  Buying a $200 tripod just wasn't an option for me back then because my camera was $250....

(by Florida Pumies)

The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

[Scott Kelby]

Editorial Reviews

This is the ultimate question for thousands of people of whom are switching to digital and for those that are upgrading from their compact or bridge camera's. Seeing i myself never owned a film SLR, i can not speak for the film buffs. Although those that do use SLR's, most will stick to the same brand, as they most likely have a range of lens they already invested in. Which brings us to the first topic.

Lenses

You may have a camera, or brand for you new DSLR in mind, just because it has all the bells and whistles you want. But before you make your decision, first have a look at what lenses are available, and at what price.

Lens choice is not on peoples minds when choosing to upgrade from compact or bridge camera's. The main reason being the lens was fixed, so there is no choice. So why start now? Because you are about to make a huge investment in your camera, and once you have made a choice on brand, you pretty much stay with that brand, because of the huge investment you will eventually make in lenses. Nonsense, i hear you scream. Yes, nonsense if you have the cash. But who has that sort of cash. Most of us do not.

Today though, unlike in the past, if you had a Canon camera, you were limited (pretty much) to Canon lenses. Today you can choose from Tamron, Sigma & Tokina. Other brands are available, but lets stick to the affordable models. These three companies make models to suit all DSLR cameras, but you must check your choice of lens against your make and model of camera. Nearly all lenses by these lens manufacturers are compatible with Nikon and Canon, but even then, check the lens is compatible with your specific Canon/Nikon make of camera.

Although there are the budget models, each DSLR manufacturer have their own lens range. These lenses are typically of a better quality, but not always.

OK. What lenses will i need?

Lens choice is not only about the wallet, but about the style of photography. For the landscape photographer, a good wide angle (10-50mm range) lens is a must. Do you love taking pictures of animals, a telephoto zoom (100-600mm range) is for you. Love being up close, a macro lens would be preferable. Just need it for around town or on holidays, a good standard zoom (18-200mm range) is very handy.

You may not consider a fixed lens at first, but i have no doubt in the future you will purchase one. Why? Because they are ultimately better quality. You pay much more for good zoom lenses, for convenience, than you do for a top quality fixed lens (generally). So have a quick look at the range and prices of the fixed lenses also.

When you think you have made your choice

Lastly, have a look at the second hand market in your country. I know here in the UK, and in the US, there is a large second hand lens market. Not only is there an abundance of stores selling second hand goods, but sites like Ebay are flooded with them. So check them out also.

So what did i do. I chose the Nikon D80 as my first DSLR. It is compatible with many old lenses (give or take), and Nikon at the time was the only manufacturer of a 18-200mm lens. I do most of my photography on the move, and when travelling, so this was the perfect first lens for me. Now you can also get these types of lenses from Tamron (18-200mm & 18-250mm) and Sigma (18-200mm). I also have other Nikon Lenses. The 14-24mm f4 (for landscape and architectural), 35-70mm f2.8 (for a sharp wander around town lens) and the 24mm f2.8 & 50mm f1.8 (for portraits and parties).

Any questions, please ask. Anything to add or corrections, please let me know.

This is the ultimate question for thousands of people of whom are switching to digital and for those that are upgrading from their compact or bridge camera's. Seeing i myself never owned a film SLR, i can not speak for the film buffs. Although those that do use SLR's, most will stick to the same brand, as they most likely have a range of lens they already invested in. Which brings us to the first topic.

Lenses

You may have a camera, or brand for you new DSLR in mind, just because it has all the bells and whistles you want. But before you make your decision, first have a look at what lenses are available, and at what price.

Lens choice is not on peoples minds when choosing to upgrade from compact or bridge camera's. The main reason being the lens was fixed, so there is no choice. So why start now? Because you are about to make a huge investment in your camera, and once you have made a choice on brand, you pretty much stay with that brand, because of the huge investment you will eventually make in lenses. Nonsense, i hear you scream. Yes, nonsense if you have the cash. But who has that sort of cash. Most of us do not.

Today though, unlike in the past, if you had a Canon camera, you were limited (pretty much) to Canon lenses. Today you can choose from Tamron, Sigma & Tokina. Other brands are available, but lets stick to the affordable models. These three companies make models to suit all DSLR cameras, but you must check your choice of lens against your make and model of camera. Nearly all lenses by these lens manufacturers are compatible with Nikon and Canon, but even then, check the lens is compatible with your specific Canon/Nikon make of camera.

Although there are the budget models, each DSLR manufacturer have their own lens range. These lenses are typically of a better quality, but not always.

OK. What lenses will i need?

Lens choice is not only about the wallet, but about the style of photography. For the landscape photographer, a good wide angle (10-50mm range) lens is a must. Do you love taking pictures of animals, a telephoto zoom (100-600mm range) is for you. Love being up close, a macro lens would be preferable. Just need it for around town or on holidays, a good standard zoom (18-200mm range) is very handy.

You may not consider a fixed lens at first, but i have no doubt in the future you will purchase one. Why? Because they are ultimately better quality. You pay much more for good zoom lenses, for convenience, than you do for a top quality fixed lens (generally). So have a quick look at the range and prices of the fixed lenses also.

When you think you have made your choice

Lastly, have a look at the second hand market in your country. I know here in the UK, and in the US, there is a large second hand lens market. Not only is there an abundance of stores selling second hand goods, but sites like Ebay are flooded with them. So check them out also.

So what did i do. I chose the Nikon D80 as my first DSLR. It is compatible with many old lenses (give or take), and Nikon at the time was the only manufacturer of a 18-200mm lens. I do most of my photography on the move, and when travelling, so this was the perfect first lens for me. Now you can also get these types of lenses from Tamron (18-200mm & 18-250mm) and Sigma (18-200mm). I also have other Nikon Lenses. The 14-24mm f4 (for landscape and architectural), 35-70mm f2.8 (for a sharp wander around town lens) and the 24mm f2.8 & 50mm f1.8 (for portraits and parties).

Any questions, please ask. Anything to add or corrections, please let me know.

顏色自然, 現場重現

Forget the Samsung that I introduce you to a couple of days ago and look at this one! Damnit's a killer!

First I use Panasonic so i know it's good (I think... ok) and secondly look at the design! It's a killer! Technically? It's a killer! 10,1Mega and wide screen... whatever just run to buy it in September at the closest Sharaf or Carrefour!

By the way thanks to Journal du Geek hein!

Ok so time for the first tech talk..The camera above is inevi just bought if amazon.com it's ok doesn't take great pIcs and the flash tends to wash out the area if your anywhere near it.. It's too snsitive to light in a bright area u just see white even with the sensitivity turned down low.. But for 20$ it serves it's purpose it's zoom is all I needed since my iPhone can works almost as well.. What i did was tape over the bulb like 90% so it's not as bright seemed to do the trick...

Lastly I just got back from a weekend in pa with the ladies family berry relaxing and I'm starting to really like playing tennis hope to play today :) ok that's all keep I posted haha get it a blog joke haha

There’s a biography of the photographer beside each picture is deserving of its status.

A great book , but what’s interesting to note is that there’s no digital in there , and of the 93 images shown only nine of them are in colour . Now what does that say about photography ?

and dedication with almost every modem SLR via the SCA module system .

mages on the same roll of 35mm film . It’s beautiful to handle ,exquisitely built and the 90mm lens offers

Each montly winner bags a Hasselblad XPan outfit worth a cool £1600. The outfit comprises camera and 90mm f/4 lens , spirit level,tripod quick coupling plate , shade and strap .

The XPan is a remarkable rangefinder camera that allows yau to take panoramic as well as standard-size i

exceptional image quality .

The XPan has a wide range of features including autoexposure bracketing , an integral motordrive and TTL centre-weighted average metering .

It is truly a camera that once you pick up , you won’t want to put down . Ten lucky PP readers will find that out for themselves .

I wish we had an option to turn on "eye-tracking" where our avatar's eyes would track with our cameras. There's nothing so electric in a portrait than eye contact, and getting it to click just right is an enormous pain. Perhaps others know tricks I do not, but using the equipment and techniques I do now, lining up my eyes is completely hit-and-miss! Even if I alt+click myself (a handy trick to try) or move my mouse (another method, but even less reliable), my peepers don't often want to behave.

Does anyone else have a rant like this to share? A solution to share?

Yes

But honestly.  $500 is an entire week's paycheck (more after the government takes its share).  It's twelve fill-ups at the gas station.  It's 3 pairs of pretty new shoes.  It's ten pairs of Cheap Mondays.  It's 62.5% of one month's rent (not including utilities!)  It's four nights out on the town.  It's fifteen thai dinners.  It's six months of bud.  It's who knows how much rings and necklaces.  It's so many things I want and need and love.

Sads.

I guess I'll go to Best Buy during my lunch and test drive some...

With Alotta Love,

zee zee cakes

Kits beach, originally uploaded by Michael Sun.

another picture from my tour of kits beach.

One of the first considerations is usually how much equipment needs to be obtained. All successful teleconferencing requires good equipment. After all, the video output you receive and send is the whole reason for having a videoconference. In general, videoconferencing requires a desktop system, a camera, audio capabilities and controls to allow users to place calls, adjust volume, and run the camera functions. Desktop systems display controls and tools on the monitor window. Dedicated videoconferencing systems work to streamline the video conferencing process by incorporating all necessary equipment into one piece of hardware. This one system includes the network, audio, and visual components needed for a videoconference.

Small, portable systems are available for single users, or large, non-portable systems are available for companies with more diverse needs. Be aware that the prices of dedicated systems vary widely, depending upon their capabilities. Entire rooms can be dedicated to videoconferencing.

Videoconferencing can cost as little as the price of a budget-conscious web cam ($100) per seat to more than $15,000 per conference room. Currently there are three distinct categories defined by primarily by client usage. Desktop videoconferencing clients are assigned to a single user. They cost between $600 and $3,000 for a hardware-based system and up to $150 for a software-only client. For personal videoconferencing, a headset is often the preferred choice because it can eliminate any echo or reverb effect. Plan on spending an average of $50 for a good headset. Connectivity is over IP.

Either an appliance that costs between $3,000 and $12,000 or a PC-based system that costs between $6,000 and $14,000 is used for small-group videoconferencing. Systems are relatively easy to configure and use. They run over ISDN or IP. Large group/boardroom require the highest-quality video. They also come with the highest price tag, with systems starting at $10,000. For room videoconferencing (such as a seminar or an on-line class), a high quality multi-directional microphone is often used, or several smaller directional microphones are placed throughout the room. The price tag for a good omni directional system will run around $8,000. Several higher quality cameras also need to be placed around the room, at an average cost of $200 per camera.

Any equipment should be capable of being used day in and day out and able to place and receive calls with 100% reliability. When things go wrong, its a good practice to have built-in remote diagnostics in place. Feature enhancements and system upgrades should be available by download. Todays videoconferencing equipment is easy to install and easier to operate. The average person can become comfortable with videoconferencing with only ten minutes of training. Multiple companies exist, however, for those who want to become more proficient. Every videoconferencing system bought should be standards-compliant. Systems running on IDSN must be H-320 compliant. The international standard for videoconferencing with IP is H-323. Any videoconferencing system should be IP ready and have a guaranteed upgrade path.

For peak performance, Calls should be routed over the most optimal paths, whether IP or ISDN, to ensure the highest degree of videoconferencing success. Platform independence should support all endpoint videoconferencing hardware. State of the art equipment should be used whenever possible. In recent years, several companies have emerged that are valuable resources to help schools and businesses with videoconferencing. These services provide guaranteed teleconferencing reliability and highly secure, global network operations centers. Most have around-the-clock customer service.

In addition, these companies act as a leasing agent for your conference room needs. This is a completely outsourced solution that provides the full management of your videoconferencing application including network, bridges, endpoints, scheduling, and full technical support. Help is an email or phone call away.

A great all around and quite versatile lens due to it covering almost all the lengths one might encounter in a day to day scenario as well as some more professional shooting, its price point, quality & versatility is what makes this such a highly regarded and popular Nikkor Lens. Because of its reputation and the large demographic it can please, one of the more popular negative notes attached to Nikkon 18-200 MM VR lens is that its hard to find, not really so much of a negative as a testament to it being widely accepted as one of the best lenses from Nikon Nikkor.

Anyhow, a thanks to youtube and Gordan Laing from Camera Labs, a brief but accurate depiction for those interested in the AF 18-200 VR

My canon rebel xsi and my sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 macro very very delicious lens has gotten me rolling back into my photography and art. I've been sitting on the fence for the last 7 months about what camera to buy, but finally made up my mind this weekend and bit the bullet. My hang up was on the flash, because nobody makes a really nice portable, light flash for canon cameras (like the Nikon SB 400 equivalent). I decided to go for the good camera and hope that someone eventually makes a good flash one of these days.

Since my last post we've been to California, Vancouver Island, camping, and had many many wonderful family visitors.

Also, the kitchen is finally finished. Here is the kitchen tile, the last missing piece.

We went for a hike today in Lynn Valley and despite the suspension bridge being closed and our usual hiking path put on a detour, we had a fabulous time discovering all of the ripe salmon berries along the trail.

And a very happy Diego.

These days we're all waiting around anxiously for Juliet's baby, who is due this week. Today our friend, Mamadou, who is a Chinese doctor, came over to give her some acupuncture to try to get things rolling. We'll see what happens....!

Kind of looks like I'm ready to pop in this picture too, but I still have three months to go!

These were from a beautiful sunset walk along the Vancouver seawall the other night.

I got my MCAT scores back on June 30, and I've started the long, strange medical school application process.  When I found out how much just the application fees would amount to, I shed a few tears and then resolutely squared my shoulders and put my digital SLR up for sale.  I found a buyer almost immediately, and he was incredibly enthusiastic until he backed out of the sale.  I grumbled about it for two weeks, and then I tossed and turned in my sleep the other night, my consciousness emerging into the dawn with the decision that not only will I not sell it, but I will learn to use it again.  I bought it two years ago and was reasonably prolific for a while.  Then I moved home, started school, got the idea that Connecticut wasn't worth photographing.

I moved home on May 31, 2007, and proceeded to mourn the loss of New York for the next 12 months.  My brain was engaged by the present, the grueling hours of hard science; but my imagination lived somewhere in a nebulous, placeless future, while my heart stayed in my old city, in an apartment on East Third street in Manhattan, in the vivid memories of hot and hazy Greenpoint streets.  I escaped there whenever my class schedule or bank account could afford it.  I allowed myself to breathe in New York, in a way I never did here at home.  No pictures hang on my walls; my books are still in the giant plastic containers they traveled from New York in last year.  I keep my bath towels in my bedroom and not hanging in the bathoom, like I'm a college freshman who knows not to get too comfortable.  I know the train schedules almost by heart, I can make a round trip by car avoiding all the toll roads.  I could be ready to move out in about 2 hours, and don't get me wrong, babe, I'm think I'm doing just fine; just when it's summer in the city and you're so long gone from the city...

May 31, 2008 was the day I took my MCAT, representing the culmination of my long, hard push through the pre-medical requirements.  That day was also the anniversary of my move back to Connecticut, and a peculiar, unique milestone in its own right: it was the first day since 2000 when I would not be moving after one year had passed.  Since I left home the first time to go to college, I've moved every year like clockwork.  Four different residences in college (two dorms, two apartments); a move every year in New York City; but now, here, this place that I've staunchly, stubbornly refused to settle into, has quietly, unassumingly settled into me, claimed a title in my whole life that no other place has, ever.  I know that I won't stay here forever, not even close.  But for the first time, I think, it's okay that I'm here for now.

On my hands and knees this evening I thought, "This would be fun to photograph."  So I scrambled out of the thick tangle of thorns and berries, retrieved the camera, and humbly began to acknowledge this moment, right now.

Though I had been shooting photography for about a year with the Nikon N65.  It wasn't till I got my first digital camera, the Sony DSC F707, did I really begin to understand the relationships between iso speeds, shutter speed, and aperture.

I initially shot color negative film only because it was really easy to get developed at a local color lab, however, by the time I got the results back, I had always forgotton what my settings were on the camera.  In hindsight, as recommended by experienced users, its always best to keep a pen and pad with you when you're out shooting so that one can understand the ins and outs of the cameras functionality.

Once I did start shooting digital, the first thing I did was leave work a little early and headed out across Highway 84 towards Highway 1.  The image below is one of the first images I took with my Sony camera.  It was taken around November of 2001 at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a place where I have come back numerous times to film over the years.

I went out this afternoon to take a couple of product shots for the Pik-Ware Publishing web site, but I was so distracted with all of the other neat stuff flying, buzzing and in the case of the snake that swam up to me, slithering, that I ended up taking pictured of everything but the banjo and ukulele I was carrying around.

Oh well, there is always tomorrow.