Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk 2010, Successful and Fun

Saturday, July 24^th was the third annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk.  While there were three walks taking place in Phoenix, and one in Tucson, it was the walk in Flagstaff that caught my attention.  Who wants to walk around Phoenix taking pictures in July, it’s 108 friggin’ degrees?  Not that I need a reason to go up North to the mountains and pine trees, but walking around downtown Flagstaff in 70 degree weather taking pictures with other photographers makes for a great one.

The people and the equipment were diverse as expected.  It was great talking with everyone about style, technique and gear.  Chris, the organizer seemed to be a gear-head like me and while he looked longingly at my Canon EOS 7D, I coveted his Canon EF 70-200mm F4 IS USM zoom lens.  The other payback is viewing everyone’s results.  While many of us took similar paths and photos of similar subjects, everyone saw things a little differently.  In some cases folks captured images of subjects I didn’t even notice.  There were definitely a few photos that generated an “I wish I had seen that” or “I wish I’d have taken that photo”.

The photos I took from this walk also gave me more opportunities to experiment with HDR.  I enjoy the look of HDR and believe in some cases it is a legitimate method of expression.  Not all images, and subjects, benefit from HDR but as they say “art is in the eye of the beholder”.  I have discovered that the HDR Toning Adjustment within Adobe Photoshop CS5 offers impressive creative control over single image HDR which can produce subtle results or ‘over the top’ effects.  However, I usually choose Photomatix Pro from HDRSoft when I want to exaggerate HDR.   I’m happy with many of the final results.

CTZ Photo Samples Gallery from Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk 2010 in Flagstaff, Arizona

Flickr Gallery from the Photowalk

New Novoflex Nikon F Adapter For Canon EOS

Novoflex has announced the EOS/NIK-NT lens adapter for using Nikon F mount lenses without aperture rings on Canon EOS bodies. According to the company's US distributer, it is available at retail price of $292.99.  Below is the official company press release.

Novoflex, Germany's premier manufacturer of quality digital and analog accessories, announces
the availability of a new lens adapter to mount all Nikon lenses, including the G series, to any Canon EOS
mount camera body.

The new adapter is made to very precise and high standards to ensure exact infinity focus on the
Canon camera. With the EOS/NIK-NT adapter automatic exposure metering via stop-down metering is
possible as is aperture priority auto exposure. The new adapter features a lever on the side of the adapter to let users control the aperture on G series lenses. For users of non-G series Nikon lenses Novoflex also offers their original Nikon to Canon adapter, the EOS/NIK.

The adapter's high precision manufacturing assures precise infinity focus and ensures that the
lenses deliver their full quality to the digital chip.

Novoflex also offers a full range of lens to body adapters for most 35mm and DSLR cameras as
well as for Leica M cameras. Also available are adapters to use most 35mm SLR and DSLR lenses as
well as Leica M lenses on MFT camera bodies! Novoflex also offers a range of adapters for the new
Samsung NX cameras and will soon introduce new adapters for other camera systems.

These adapters allow the switching of lenses from one camera system to another as well as the
use of lenses from Hasselblad, Pentax and Mamiya lenses on 35mm SLR and DSLR cameras as well as
MFT and Samsung NX camera bodies!

The adapters are available now from HP Marketing Corp. dealers in the USA.

Samsung Announces New Wi-Fi ST80 Compact Camera

Samsung has announced the ST80 Wi-Fi enabled digital camera that allows users to connect to wireless networks for uploading or emailing images and videos. It is similar to Samsung’s previous CL80 and CL65 Wi-Fi cameras.  It does have a smaller 3.0" touch-screen LCD and un-stabilized 3x zoom lens with no real wide-angle capability (35-114mm equiv.) rather than the existing models' 7x and 5x stabilized zooms.  It features 720p HD video recording and will be available in September 2010 at a suggested retail price of $249.99 in charcoal black, white, fuchsia pink and mint blue.  Below is the official company press release.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today unveiled the ST80, a 14.2 mega-pixel point-and-shoot camera that joins Samsung’s growing line of Wi-Fi enabled digital cameras. With wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and Samsung’s AllShare™ (DNLA) connectivity, the ST80 makes it easy to share images on the move and keep friends and family updated from anywhere at any time.

“We want to let people share their favourite pictures quickly while they’re on the move, and the ST80 does just that,” said Steve Mitchell, General Manager, Samsung Digital Imaging. “Connectivity is everywhere, and at Samsung we are committed to bringing these wireless capabilities to the digital imaging world by developing innovative cameras that satisfy the distinct needs of our consumers. The innovative and stylish design of the ST80 is also a testament to the strong vision of Samsung’s design engineers. It’s the perfect digital imaging solution for today’s well-connected consumer.”

Beauty and Brains
- The unique style of the ST80 immediately makes it stand out from the crowd. Consumers will be drawn to the ST80’s slim and rounded design, which houses a 3x optical zoom as well as a large, 3.0-inch wide touch‑screen on the back of the camera. The ST80 will be available in four stylish colours including charcoal black, white, fuchsia pink and mint blue.

Consumers will also enjoy the smart features found within the camera. The ST80 comes equipped with Samsung’s new ‘Smart Crop’ feature, a unique editing tool which takes place directly on the camera. With ‘Smart Crop,’ users can crop images taken at any angle or slant, such as banners or signs, and then straighten them as if they were originally taken straight on. The ST80 also makes it easy to capture great images with Samsung’s Smart Auto (Still & Movie) scene recognition technology. Smart Auto (Still & Movie) automatically recognises the user’s current shooting environment and selects the appropriate settings to achieve the best results possible.

In addition to the impressive 14.2 mega-pixel resolution for digital still images, the ST80 offers HD video recording. At 30 frames-per-second, the ST80 allows consumers to record high-quality, 720p HD video utilising the H.264 format, which provides up to three times more recording capacity than the MJPEG video format. 

Wirelessly Connected - The ST80’s wireless connectivity makes it easy for users to upload or share digital images or videos with others directly from the camera without the need to be connected to a computer. By leveraging an available Wi-Fi internet connection, consumers have the option to email their digital images and video to individual email addresses or to those stored in the camera’s address book. 

In addition to email, consumers can also effortlessly upload images and videos directly to social networking sites such as Facebook®, Picasa™, YouTube®, Photo Bucket or even Samsung’s own website (www.samsungimaging.com). The ST80 range also comes equipped with an account with mobile hotspot provider Boingo, delivering broadband speeds in the palm of your hands at more than 120,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the world.

The ST80’s wireless connectivity is further enhanced by Samsung’s AllShare™ technology. Thanks to AllShare, users can effortlessly sync the ST80 to popular DLNA-compliant (Digital Living Network Alliance) electronics found throughout the home, such as HDTVs and digital photo frames, and wirelessly connect and share content between each device.

Canon EOS 7D Firmware Update 1.2.2

Canon has released a firmware update for the EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera.

Enhancement

Firmware Version 1.2.2 incorporates the following fixes.

1.              Fixes a phenomenon in which the set aperture moves unexpectedly when shooting movies in manual exposure mode using some lenses (such as macro lenses).

2.              Fixes the AF point-selection behavior of the C.Fn III-7 (Manual AF pt. selec. pattern) custom function when set to [1].

3.              Fixes the AF point display for the viewfinder electronic level when shooting in the vertical position.

4.              Corrects misspellings in the Spanish and Thai menus for applicable products.

Affected product

EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera

Firmware

The new firmware (Version 1.2.2) is now available for download from the Canon Website.

The Version 1.2.2 firmware is for cameras with firmware up to Version 1.2.1. If the camera's firmware is already Version 1.2.2, it is not necessary to update the firmware. Note that cameras with the Version 1.2.2 firmware (and also Versions 1.2.0, 1.2.1) cannot be downgraded to a previous firmware version (such as Version 1.1.0).

SpiderPro Camera Holster System

I came across the SpiderPro Camera Holster System website and it seems to be an interesting product.  Be Quick-Draw McGraw with this little baby.  It is a great idea and looks very sturdy and secure, if not a little pricey.  $109.99 for the single camera system.  The system includes the SpiderPro holder, SpiderPro Plate and Holster Belt.  Check out the videos on the website below.  It appears to be an innovative solution for wedding and on-location shooters.

http://www.spiderholster.com/

New Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens

Popular Photography and Imaging has recently posted a review of the new Sigma 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens.  This thing is a beast with the broadest zoom range of any Sigma full-frame lens.  On an APS-C sensor expect around 75-750mm equivalent.  One big improvement to this new version is optical image stabilization.    One of the disappointing things about the Popphoto review is they don’t actually test above 300mm due to what they claim as equipment limitations.  Popphoto, time to upgrade your equipment. 

At 300mm they state the SQF sharpness numbers drop to Good so expect at least that or worse at 500mm.    The lens supports mounts for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma and Sony.  Retail is around $1,600.

View the entire review at popphoto.com

New Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Leans

Official Sigma Press Release:

Sigma Corporation, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world's most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, is pleased to announce the release of its new 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens. 

This large-aperture, standard-zoom lens, which was first introduced in February at Photo Marketing Association International, is designed for small chip, APS-C digital cameras and incorporates Sigma’s Optical Stabilization (OS) functionality and new, FLD glass. The 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM  is an ultra compact lens with an overall length of just 3.6 inches.

The 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM covers a focal length from a 17mm wide angle, has a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches throughout the entire zoom range and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:5. The lens is currently available in Canon mounts at all authorized Sigma dealers for the MSRP of $980, and it will be available in Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts in the coming weeks.

The OS function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately four stops slower than would otherwise be possible. Only Sigma has made it possible for Pentax and Sony shooters to utilize an anti-shake system in either the lens or the camera body. The compensation for camera shake is visible in the view finder for all mounts, which makes accurate focusing fast and easy.

“This lens is a must-have for any photo opportunity,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, general manager of Sigma Corporation of America.  “The fast aperture allows for shooting in low, existing light or at maximum range with a flash. This is an ideal, all-purpose lens for everyday shooting.”

Sigma’s FLD glass, which is used in the new lens, has an extremely high light transmission and anomalous dispersion, making it the top level of low dispersion glass available. With a performance equal to fluorite glass, this optical glass has a low refractive index and low dispersion compared to current optical glass. These characteristics offer excellent correction for residual chromatic aberration (secondary spectrum), which cannot be corrected by ordinary optical glass and ensures high-definition and high-contrast images.

In addition, the 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM also offers one hybrid aspherical lens and two glass mold elements for excellent correction of distortion and astigmatism. It has Super Multi-Layer Coating to reduce flare and ghosting with superior peripheral brightness and Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) to provide quiet and high-speed auto focus. The lens’ rounded, seven-blade diaphragm creates an attractive blur to out-of-focus areas and its inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens particularly suitable for use with the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarizing filters.

TOKINA AT-X 16-28MM F/2.8 PRO FX Lens For Canon

Tokina announces the AT-X 16-28mm f2.8 PRO FX lens for Canon mount.  Due sometime in September (Nikon in August) the lens incorporates a newly developed AF system featuring a quieter Silent Drive-Module (SDM) autofocus motor that is supposed to provide improved focusing.  The lens is weather-sealed and comes with a fixed lens hood but does not incorporate a filter thread.

Official company press release:

THK Photo Products, Inc., announces the Tokina AT-X 16-28 AF PRO, 16-28mm f/2.8 AF lens for digital cameras with full frame (FX) sensors.
This new Tokina lens is the first in a new generation of full frame (FX) lenses designed for professional digital SLR cameras like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the Nikon D700 and D3x. The 16-28 zoom range gives the professional photographer a super-wide angle of view to get close to subject for dramatic effect or to take in entire scenes.

NEW Silent DC Motor with GMR sensor
 - The 16-28 f/2.8 uses a newly developed silent DC motor that allows the lens to focus faster and more quietly then previous generations. The DC motor coupled with a new GMR magnetic AF sensor work together to increase AF Speed.

Ashperical and Super-low Dispersion glass elements
 - A new, 56mm in diameter, large sizes aspherical glass element is incorporated into the front lens group, while there are 2 more aspherical elements in the rear group. 3 SD super-low dispersion glass elements are also incorporated through-out the optical design to reduce chromatic aberration, give maximum resolution, more even brightness and distortion correction.

One-Touch Focus Clutch
 - Tokina’s exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism allows the photographer to switch between AF and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the camera to focus manually. There is no need to change the AF/MF switch on Nikon camera bodies and there is no second AF/MF switch on the lens for Canon, everything is accomplished by the focus ring.

New SIGMA APO 70-200mm F2.8 Lens For Canon

Sigma is said to release this new monster around July 23rd.  Here is the official press release for the new lens from Sigma:

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new Sigma APO 70-200 F2.8 EX DG OS HSM.

This large aperture telephoto zoom lens incorporates Sigma's original Optical Stabilizer function. The lens covers focal lengths from 70mm to 200mm and has a large maximum aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. Two FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction of color aberration. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range and an optimum optical power layout provides superior optical quality in all shooting ranges from close-up to infinity. The OS (Optical Stabilizer) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. For Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax mount, the built-in OS function of this lens can be used even if the camera body is equipped with an image sensor shift anti-shake system. As compensation for camera shake is visible in the view finder, the photographer can easily check for accurate focus and ensure there is no subject movement. Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghost. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), ensuring a quiet and high speed AF as well as full-time manual focus capability. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 140cm(55.1") throughout the entire zoom range and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:8. The rounded 9 blade diaphragm creates an attractive blur to the out of focus images. This lens is equipped with a Petal-type hood. For digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor, a dedicated hood adapter, which expands the length of the lens hood, is supplied.

New Firmware 1.0.8 Update For Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and Rebel T2i

Fellow Canon users be aware that Canon has released new firmware updates for the EOS-1D Mark IV and EOS Rebel T2i DSLR cameras.  The firmare version 1.0.8 fixes a bug in the movie mode and also corrects misspellings in the French and Spanish language menus.  To download the updates from Canon’s website click the links below.

Download 1.0.8 firmware for Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Download 1.0.8 firmware for Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Dead Flowers Make Good Photos

A couple of weeks ago I brought home some flowers for my wife's birthday.  Now that the original beauty has left them, photography gives them new life.  An impressive note is that these were taken hand-held at ISO 6400 with the Canon EOS 7D.  While in a couple there is slight noise visible, I am really impressed with the quality of the images considering the ISO setting.

Dead Flowers Gallery