Transparent Agenda » camera

Another day another camera

admin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:15:18 +0000

Seems like every other week someone comes out with a new waterproof camera. This week Pentax unveils the WS80. I don’t think their last introduction the W80 is even shipping yet. Available in black with orange accents or white with purple accents, the PENTAX Optio WS80 will ship in September 2009 for $249.95 USD.

I am still holding out for my perfect point and shoot. I would need to have all the following features.

• Waterproof down to 30 feet. 60 would be excellent.

• At least 8 Megapixel with nice low light quality.

• HD Video 720p should be just fine

• Time Lapse similar to the Canon G9

• Slow Motion similar to the Casio EX_FC100

• Panorama Assistant

• Pocketable

This would make the perfect take everywhere camera. Rain or shine.

Nikon Coolpix S1000PJ

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:05:05 +0000

Nikon today introduced an interesting point and shoot camera. Forget all the other specs, this thing has a built in projector! Sure it is probably gimmicky but we have to start somewhere. Check out the full details at Nikon USA or DPreview.

New Nikon Gear

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:56:03 +0000

If you happen to be a Nikon owner or potential Nikon owner you may want to check out the new gear they announced this week. DPreview is probably your best bet for now. The most interesting is the Nikon D300s. It should catch the eye of both the photo and video crowd with autofocus 720P video as well as external mic jack. Also be sure to check out the Nikon Mini-site For the full frame crowd check out the new AF-S NIKKOR 70-200MM F/2.8G ED VR II. All the goodness of the original with a better low light slow shutter shooting and edge to edge clarity on full frame cameras.

Other items of interest include a revised AF-S DX 18-200mm VR II lens and an entry level D3000 DSLR.

WaterProof Digital cameras

admin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:47:41 +0000

Need a waterproof digital camera for your next trip to tropical paradise? Maybe you are just clumsy or tend to get caught out in the rain. Check out the Digital Photography Review waterproof camera test. They just updated their test to include all the latest cameras. Their review confirms my suspicions.
I think I will wait for the next rev of the Panasonic DMC-TS1S. I hope it includes time lapse and slow motion.

More waterproof digital cameras

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:29:32 +0000

When looking for a take everywhere camera I really want to take it everywhere. Who wants to leave your expensive digital camera under a towel poolside while on vacation? Not me! Why miss out on fun underwater shots or stop shooting when the weather turns bad. It has taken quite a long time for camera manufacturers to see the value in making their cameras waterproof. Way back in the film days I had a Minolta WeatherMatic that shot 110 film. It was great for snorkeling.

Pentax came out with the Optio a few years ago and have continued to update it over the years in a half-hearted manner. I still think the first model was the best. I haven’t played with the new Optio W60 yet but it doesn’t have enough compelling specs to make it a must have just yet. If they would just bumped up the frame rate of the video capture and beefed up the waterproof specs I might be sold.

Now on to the newly introduced cameras.

First up is the Canon PowerShot D10
Not sure about the looks, particularly the protruding strap or carabiner attachments but I like the under water specs, up to 10 meters. Much better than all other point and shoots from major manufactures. The Pentax W60 does 4 meters but most do only 3. I wish the D10 would capture HD video, but sadly that is also missing. I understand that manufactures don’t want to cannibalize other product lines but I wish they would realize that most people don’t want to carry a video camera and a regular camera.

Read all about it and see more pictures at dpreview or CanonUSA

Last up for today is the FinePix Z33WP brought to you by Fujifilm.
Billed as the worlds smallest waterproof camera the FinePix Z33WP looks very nice. It is the first camera I have seen that has buttons that actually look like they are waterproof. Fujifilm has always made great cameras but they didn’t quite hit the mark on this one. Double the waterproof specs and they have a viable camera. Sure most people will never go diving with it but it would be nice to know if I dropped into the deep end of the pool at the club it wouldn’t be ruined. I am also not thrilled with the color selection either. I like the black but that is not a great color when you drop it in the lake and need to find it again. I guess green it is for me. Still not on my must buy list. Maybe Nikon will jump into the pool next.

Cleaning your camera gear

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:56:23 +0000

Moose Peterson has a nice series of videos on cleaning your camera equipment. The videos cover every aspect of your camera including some that you shouldn’t mess with unless you are a pro.

If you have questions about cleaning your camera or lenses check these videos out, you are sure to pick up a good tip or two. In the videos he uses lensclens. (Possibly the worst web site I have seen in a long time) Does anyone know a source other than direct to get the stuff?

This is part 4.

Here are the direct links to the other videos.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

New waterproof camera

admin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:48:08 +0000

I have been looking for a replacement for my old Pentax Optio. I loved mine but haven’t heard great things about some of the later models. I love the pix and particularly the video quality of my Panasonic LX3. If this has the same video quality of the LX3 in a waterproof form factor will have to pickup one for use as my take everywhere, no really everywhere camera. The LX3 is great but can be a bit bulky and I wouldn’t want to take it to the beach. I took it skiing last week and got some great video but I was a little nervous I would break it. It made it home just fine but I wouldn’t want to take it to many more times and expect it to work. I like the idea of using a camera like this as a video camera.

Coming in April Panasonic will be releasing the Lumix DMC-TS1D. It features a LEICA lens with 4.6x optical zoom (28mm-129mm). The camera body is waterproof to 3 meters. It can shoot in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit and it has passed drop tests at a height of about 4.92 ft.

The camera shoots in AVCHD format – lets you shoot HD motion images for a longer time
The TS1 records HD motion images at a smooth 60 frames per second with 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. It uses the AVCHD (MPEG-4/H.264) format, which stores less data than other formats and thus lets you shoot more minutes of HD motion images before running out of memory.
Here are some pix. Head over to Imaging Insider or Panasonic for more details.

Here is the LX3 video from my ski trip for reference. Click here then hit the watch in HD to see a better version.

You can also click on the HQ on the right side of the video

LX-3 Firmware updated

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:43:15 +0000

Panasonic today updated the firmware for the LX-3 camera. The new firmware fixes include the following.

The instructions make updating seem harder than they are. Download the firmware. Unzip it. Toss the file called LX3__120.bin on to an SD card and pop in the camera. When you start the camera it will ask you if you want to update to the new firmware. Say yes, wait 2 minutes and you are done. There that didn’t hurt much did it? Don’t have the camera? Get it here.

Best Enthusiast Camera 2008

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:44:43 +0000

LX3 takes the prize in the category or Best Enthusiast camera for 2008 See DPreview for the details.

Still time to pick one up for Christmas.

“Panasonic DMC-LX3 $410

If you want to get the same thing with a little more cache but the same performance get the Leica

“Leica DLUX 4 10.1-megapixel Digital Still Camera” (Leica) $849 Ouch! That’s a lot of dough for a red dot.

RED revolutionizes the high end photo market?

admin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:13:34 +0000

A picture is worth a thousand words. Well here is the picture. It looks vaguely familiar. I love the concept. Everything is configurable. Why buy a whole new camera when all you need is a new sensor? Read all about it on the RED web site and for an explanation of what it all means head over to Luminous Landscape.

Canon G9 for sale

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:45:40 +0000

I just received my LX3 so now my gently used Canon G9 is for sale. If you are interested post a comment and I will get back with you. Comes with an extra battery and a Gordy’s strap. I will even toss in a 2GB memory card. The G9 was replaced by the G10 and some folks are saying they prefer the G9 over the newer model. I noticed prices at Amazon are going up now that the camera is discontinued.

The G9 is a heck of a camera and built like a tank. I just wanted something with a wider angle lens that worked better is lower light. The LX3 seems to fit the bill so far.

Here is a review that should answer any questions you may have about the camera.

UPDATE My G9 has been sold

Canon G10

admin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:40:44 +0000

Canon today also updated the photopro favorite G9 to the G10. Looks like some nice improvements as well as at least one questionable upgrade.

The PowerShot G10 is the first G-series camera to offer wide-angle imaging via a 5x (28mm-140) zoom with optical Image Stabilizer. (G9 is 35-210) The addition of a 14.7 Megapixel sensor and Canon’s new DIGIC 4 image processor ensures exacting image quality. More megapixels? Why? I think the Panasonic approach makes more sense than squeezing more pixels into a tiny sensor trying to hit some line on a spec sheet. With the G9 you can go to 1600 ISO but anything above 400 is worthless.

For immediate, fingertip access to key settings, the PowerShot G10 includes a new dedicated Exposure Compensation dial and dual ISO/shooting mode dial.

Features at a glance:

* 14.7 Megapixel CCD sensor

* 5x wide-angle (28mm) optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer

* RAW image recording plus support for Canon Digital Photo Professional

* DIGIC 4 for clear, sharp images, high-speed AF (including Servo AF) and fast response times

* Targets all the main causes of blur with High ISO Auto, optical

Image Stabilizer, Motion Detection Technology and Auto ISO shift

* Great people shots with improved Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB plus

Face Select & Track and FaceSelf-Timer

* 3.0” PureColor LCD II (461k dots resolution) with wide viewing angle and optical viewfinder

* i-Contrast boosts brightness and retains detail in dark areas

* Dedicated Exposure Compensation and ISO dials

* 26 shooting modes with manual control and custom settings

* Accessories include tele-converter, Speedlite flashes and waterproof case

* Smooth, 30fps VGA movies

Read more at DPreview
Other thoughts The G10 is bigger and heavier than the G9 which is already a brick. It now shoots video in the H2.64 instead of the crappy AVI format of the G9

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Review

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:49:08 +0000

The reviews are starting to come in for the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. So far they are as I expected. Looks like a nice take everywhere camera if you want to go wide and into dark places. Pocket-lint has a nice review with a few pixs that look great for a compact camera. If you are not sold on the camera for pictures take a look at some of the amazing videos at vimeo. One look at the campfire sold me.

New Pentax Optio W60

admin — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:54:27 +0000

Its about time. Looks like I will have to wait until July to replace my aging Optio WP. Hopefully it will be worth the wait. The new Optio W60 features 10 megapixels and a 5X zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle capability. The enhanced design of the Optio W60 allows the camera to operate up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing. 5X optical lens covers focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format)

Other important features and modes of the PENTAX Optio W60 include a High-Quality Movie mode with HD resolution up to 1280 x 720 pixels (comparable to a 720p HDTV) as well as Auto Picture mode, fast Face Recognition, Smile Capture, Blink Detection, an Underwater Movie mode, High Sensitivity Digital SR mode that automatically adjusts the sensitivity up to ISO 6400, and an LCD monitor with a 170 degree wide-angle view and Anti-Reflection coating to reduce glare.

Available in July 2008 for US $329.95 in a choice of two colors: Ocean Blue and Silver. More information is available here: www.h20camera.com.