What's New And Notable In
Photography And Computers
New SLR With Big Features
Capture high-resolution, full-frame images with the
Canon EOS 5D. The
new SLR boasts a 12.8-megapixel, full-frame sensor so
you can use all of your wide-angle lenses at their expected
angle of view. The camera’s 2.5-inch LCD screen
lets you view and edit your images easily, and a nine-point
autofocus system helps you take sharp images quickly.
A Picture Style function controls color, contrast and
sharpness in camera, and the Canon DIGIC II image processor
limits noise while allowing you to shoot 3 fps for up
to 17 RAW images in one burst. Without a lens attached,
the body’s weight and dimensions are 1.7 pounds
and 6x4.4x3 inches, making it lightweight and easy to
carry. List Price: $3,299. Contact:
Canon, (800) OK-CANON, www.usa.canon.com.
Projection Calibration
Calibrate your digital projector and projection screen
much like your computer LCD screen with ColorVision’s
Spyder2PRO Studio 2.0. When placed a short distance
from the projection screen, the hardware reads its red,
green and blue values, which the included wizard-driven
software analyzes to create an ICC profile. The software
ensures your presentations will have consistent and
true color. List Price: $299. Contact:
ColorVision, (800) 554-8688, www.colorvision.com.
Convenient And Sturdy
Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, THE
pod replaces your cumbersome tripod and can go
anywhere. This handy, compact tool is a water-resistant
nylon beanbag fashioned with a tripod screw, making
it extra versatile. Boasting sturdiness and adaptability,
THE pod can support the weight of an average man and
has an industry standard 1�4-inch screw that fits most
makes and models of cameras. Depending on your needs,
THE pod comes in three different sizes. List Price:
$17 to $21 (depending on size). Contact:
Bogen Imaging, (201) 818-9500, www.bogenimaging.us.
Quality
Fine-Art Digital Papers
Create beautiful two-sided color or black-and-white prints
with smooth gradients, depth and detail using Crane
& Company’s Museo II papers. Coated on
both sides, these fine-art matte papers are 100% acid-free
and buffered with pure calcium carbonate to resist yellowing
and color shifts over time. The papers don’t have
any added florescent whiteners, which further extends
the life of the print. The sheets come in 25 packs and
sizes, ranging from 8.5x11 to 17x22 inches. List Price:
$40 to $160 (depending on size). Contact:
Crane & Company, (877) 30-MUSEO, www.crane.com/museo.
What A Wash!
Fix the color in your photos with ColorWasher.
This easy-to-use plug-in allows you to correct, enhance
and restore the color in your images as well as fix
contrast, exposure and saturation with automatic, semi-automatic
and manual tools. Further corrections can be made via
sliders in the interface window. ColorWasher also includes
adjustments for correcting image noise and overexposed
areas. List Price: $50. Contact:
ColorWasher (The Plugin Site), www.thepluginsite.com.
Wide And Light
The Tokina AT-X 124 AF PRO
DX 12-24mm ƒ/4 lens is designed specifically
for digital SLRs with an APS-C-sized sensor (the lens
won’t work on a full 35mm-sized image sensor).
Having a 35mm equivalency of an 18-36mm lens, this wide-angle
lens allows you to capture the expanse of your scene
and incorporates two aspherical elements to limit aberrations.
A polycarbonate outer lens barrel makes it lightweight,
and a nonrotating front element keeps filters positioned
properly when focusing. List Price: $899. Contact:
Tokina (THK Photo Products), (800) 421-1141,
www.thkphoto.com.
Hard Copy
The Real and
the True: The Digital Photography of Pedro Meyer
with essays by Louis Kaplan, Pedro Meyer, Alejandro Castellanos
and Douglas Cruickshank. (New Riders, 2005; ISBN: 0-321-26913-6).
Documentary photographer Pedro Meyer presents his digital
images and begs the question “What is real and what is
true?”
The Parent’s
Guide to Photographing Children and Families by Kathleen
Hawkins (Amherst Media, 2005; ISBN: 1-58428-161-8). Understand
the basics of digital cameras and how to take great portraits,
candids and group photos.
Studio Lighting
Solutions: Expert Professional Techniques for Artistic and
Commercial Success by Jack Neubart (Amphoto Books,
2005; ISBN: 0-8174-5907-3). Learn professional lighting techniques
as well as tips to enhance your creativity.
How to Use
Adobe Photoshop CS2 by Daniel Giordan (Sams Publishing,
2005; ISBN: 0-672-32751-1). This full-color guide shows you
detailed instructions for understanding and getting the most
out of the new tools and techniques of Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Compact Cameras With Big
Features
With the ability to manually control your exposure or
select from 30 preset shooting modes, the Olympus
SP-310 and SP-350 digital cameras offer versatility
and convenience. The cameras have 7- and 8-megapixel
sensors, respectively, and both have a large 2.5-inch
LCD screen for easy viewing and editing of images. At
3.9 x2.6 x1.4 inches, the cameras are compact and easy
to carry, and when used with an Olympus xD-Picture Card,
they have panorama capabilities. A 3x optical zoom lens
is featured in both, and optional accessory lenses and
flashes expand the cameras’ capabilities. List
Price: TBD. Contact:
Olympus, (888) 553-4448, www.olympusamerica.com.
Project Big, Go Small
Make an impact with a digital photo presentation using
the Epson PowerLite 755c
projector. At 7.6x10.9x2.7 inches and only 3.9
pounds, the unit is compact, lightweight and portable
enough to fit in a briefcase. The 755c has a quick seven-second
startup time, and PCMCIA and USB slots let you display
your work without using a laptop. With 2,000 ANSI lumens
of brightness, XGA resolution (1,024 x 768) and a 1.2x
optical zoom lens, the unit displays big, bright images,
even from a short throw distance. The projector has
a new instant-off feature that uses a lower-watt lamp
so you can power off with no additional cooling time.
Estimated Street Price: $1,699. Contact:
Epson, (800) GO-EPSON, www.epson.com.
Watch And Listen
Watch DVDs, listen to music or view and share your digital
photos with the Media Street
eMOTION Multimedia Picture Frame. At 8.6x6x2
inches and only 2.2 pounds, it’s great for travel,
and a seven-inch high-resolution video screen displays
a bright and colorful picture. The unit has recessed
pegs on the back so you can prop it up, much like a
picture frame. In addition to reading DVDs, the unit
supports SD, Memory Stick and MMC cards, and has a USB
2.0 port. List Price: $349. Contact:
Media Street, (888) 633-4295, www.mediastreet.com.
A Stitch In-Camera Saves
Time
No longer do you have to create panoramas on your
computer solely via software. Now you can stitch up
to five images together and save the panorama directly
in the HP Photosmart R818
compact digital camera. The camera’s technology
allows you to superimpose details from the previous
photo to help you align and take the next shot. Other
features include a 5-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom,
15 different shooting modes and manual controls to give
you control over exposure. List Price: $399. Contact:
Hewlett-Packard, (800) 752-0900, www.hp.com.
Thin Is In
With dimensions of only 3.4x2.1x0.7 inches, the 6-megapixel
Pentax Optio S6 camera
has an ultra-slim body, but still manages to pack in
big features. A 3x sliding lens system, with a 35mm
equivalency of 38-114mm, keeps the design compact, while
glass molded aspherical lens elements minimize ghosting
and flare. A large 2.5-inch LCD screen has a Beau-Reflective
monitor that makes it easy to see your images, even
in bright sun. List Price: $350. Contact:
Pentax, (800) 877-0155, www.pentaximaging.com.
You’re Not Dreaming
Create dreamlike images with selective focus in different
areas of your scene with the Dreamagon
lens. The lens works with a newly developed segment-aperture
diaphragm that allows you to vary the degree of softness
over a four-stop range—ƒ/4 (very soft) to
ƒ/11 (sharp). Each stop allows for a different
degree of softness and changes the characteristics of
sharpness from the center to the edges of the photograph.
Available in a variety of SLR lens mounts. List Price:
$395. Contact: Dreamagon,
(904) 389-6160,
www.dreamagon-usa.com.
Convenient Color Reference
Card
The RawWorkflow.com WhiBal
White Balance Reference Card makes adjusting
the color in your images a snap. By quickly taking a
picture of the WhiBal in your scene, you can use that
image as a reference to balance the color of all the
images shot in the same lighting conditions. The WhiBal
includes two shades of gray cards and a white and black
card (connected by a rivet) so you easily can control
the dynamic range within your RAW conversion software.
The cards are waterproof and scratchproof so they maintain
their true neutral color under rugged conditions. A
pocket size (2x3.5 inches) is available with a neck
strap for easy carrying and quick access. List Price:
$40 to $50 (depending on size). Contact:
RawWorkflow.com, (321) 752-9700, www.rawworkflow.com.
Versatile Filter System
The Cokin Z-Pro filter holder
is designed to fit both film and digital equipment.
The holder’s modular design can be dismantled easily
to accept filters with a 1.6mm thickness (which most
photographers use). Additionally, the adapter ring allows
the holder to fit a variety of lenses. A Pro Grad Filter
Kit comes with three different Graduated Blue filters
and a Pro Grad ND Kit includes three different Neutral
Grads; both kits include a storage wallet. List Price:
$45 (Filter Holder); $159 (Pro Grad Filter Kit); $199
(Pro Grad ND Kit). Contact:
Cokin (OmegaSatter), (410) 374-3250, www.cokin.com.
