Running coaxial PC cable between PC sync ports is a common way of synchronizing flash with the shutter curtain of a camera. However more and more cameras and flashes come without PC sync port. The PC sync port now appears to be a legacy thing left for only the high end cameras. D200 and D300 have it but D40, D60, D80, and D90 do not.
The PC sync port can be very useful for some special cases. For example, this Nikon shooter wanted to use an iTTL flash on camera while still being able to fire his radio slaves.
This can certainly be done. I have talked about it in my earlier post titled Mixing Flash Modes. What he need is a hot shoe adapter that has all the required electrical connections to pass through the signals while adding a PC sync port. If you don’t need to maintain iTTL functionality, this device should work. Otherwise you need something just a few wires more sophisticated. The following is what I found for a little over $12 from eBay. Read More…
Posted in
Accessories on January 9th, 2010.
No Comments.
Here is a list of new photography related gadgets from CES 2010 since yesterday.
Posted in
News,
Photography gadgets on January 7th, 2010.
No Comments.
We are now seeing a flood of new electronics being announced at CES 2010 and I have decided to pull the list of photography related gadgets announced at CES or just happened around the same time from Engadget. So here we go…
- Pandigital Photo Mail LED frame lets you email snaps over AT&T’s wireless network – You can email your photos to the frame using AT&T’s wireless network. The frame gets own email address. First 300 photos are free but additional emails will cost an undisclosed amount. Cool idea! Just don’t let spammers get their hands on the email address. 4:3 aspect ratio, 800×600 resolution, and 1GB built-in memory.
- Rollei rolls out Flexline 100 inTouch digital camera – How does 30 frames per second sound to you?
- Canon’s EOS-1D Mark IV gets unboxed, high ISO modes tested – How does it compare against the new Nikon 3Ds? Find our yourself.
- Kodak deals Slice touchscreen camera, Pulse digiframe and Playsport camcorder – Kodak’s first tough screen P&S, a Wi-Fi connected digital frame, and the latest pocket camcorder.
- Canon debuts A3100 IS, A3000 IS, A495 and A490 low-end shooters – Low end P&S cameras.
- Samsung flirts coyly with 7-inch AMOLED Digital Photo Frame – 1 million to 1 contrast ratio, 4GB built-in memory, Bluetooth.
- Omnivision illuminates the dark side with new 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor – Back side illumination is the future of CMOS sensors. The light illuminates the sensor pixel from the backside of the Si substrate, avoiding the front side interconnect layers, which means higher sensitivity and larger effective sensing area.
Source: Engadget
Posted in
News,
Photography gadgets on January 6th, 2010.
No Comments.
Eye-Fi announced the next generation Wi-Fi enabled SD memory card at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV. The new class-6 card has 8GB memory and is capable of 802.11n Wi-Fi connection. One interesting new feature is the so-called Endless Memory Mode, which automatically deletes photos and videos as they’re uploaded. Basically it means you have virtually unlimited storage if you have a wireless connection. It also comes with a new Eye-Fi Center software for viewing and sharing management. The new card is bundked with unlimited geotagging.
The great features of the “Pro” line of Eye-Fi cards are: 1) RAW format support, 2) Ad-hoc networking support so you can wirelessly transfer photos and videos to your laptop computer directly without a Wi-Fi access point. You can even setup auto slideshow using Adobe Lightroom2.
Further reading
Availability
If you are looking for a geotagging solution for Nikon DSLR cameras, there are the Nikon GP-1 and many other third party options (low cost options). Most of the units I have talked about are direct tagging units, which are capable of directly writing (via camera) the GPS location information (latitude, longitude, altitude, and UTC time) in the photos. Another types of geotagging devices are also available that are basically GPS loggers that log the movements of the camera at a fixed time interval. The location information needs to be synced to the photos later using geotagging software on desktop computers. It adds some extra work and it is not as accurate because the unit may not be logging a location when a photo is taken. But it can log locations (waypoints) when the user is not taking photos. So it does something more than just geotagging.
If you are not happy about the limitations of existing geotagging GPS devices, a new start-up company in China called Shenzhen Easytag Technology Co. has developed a device called Easytagger that can do both direct photo tagging and track logging for about the same price as the Nikon GP-1. Read More…
A UK-based firm is launching a camera that you can hang from your neck and promises to capture every moment of your life.
The camera, called ViconRevue, can be configured to take photos every 30s. However it is not just a timer controlled point & shoot camera, it has multiple senses. It has a built-in accelerometer and light sensors to detect when a person enters a new environment and takes a photo automatically. An infrared sensor detects the body heat of a person in front of the wearer and the camera snaps an image of the person automatically. If you have seen an automatic toilet or urinal, you know how it works. Read More…
Posted in
Photography gadgets on October 20th, 2009.
No Comments.
Nikon has not disappointed us when it comes to releasing new high end DSLR cameras. The new D3S is not an exception. The D3S redefines what is possible with a six-figure ISO sensitivity for stills and video capture while enhancing overall performance.
The D3S features a Nikon designed 12.1 megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor with 8.45 micron pixels. For image sensors, the pixel size does matter. Larger pixel offers better signal-to-noise ratio and larger dynamic range. The D3S has a standard ISO range of 200 – 12800, expendable downward to 100 and upward to an eye-popping 100400. The high ISO enables the D3S to capture images in darkness that is beyond the capability of human vision.
The 1280×720 24fps HD movie capture seems to be inferior to Canon’s 1080P offering but it is sufficient for the targeted professional users. The D-Movie mode supports full aperture control, exposure control, and contrast detection auto focus. The motion JPEG codec makes it easy to extract JPEG frames.
The in-camera post processing capability is a great feature. It is not about the silly art filters you can find on point-and-shoot cameras. D3S allows RAW editing. You can change JPEG compression, Size, White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Picture Control, Noise Reduction, Colour space and Vignette Control settings. Instead of downloading the images first then editing on the computer, the in-camera post processing capability allows the basic editing in the field before the images are transferred.
The D3S is speedy. It powers up in 12 ms with shutter lag 41 ms and mirror black-out 74 ms. It can shoot 9 fps in FX mode and 11 fps in DX crop mode. The buffer is expended to allow 48 frames in consecutive shooting.
The D3S offers great flexibility. D3S offers several different crop modes (up to 1.2x) for different lenses or for convenience so no useless pixels are recorded. Picture Control allows pre-defined picture styles. Coupled with Nikon’s RAW editing software such as Capture NX, the users can quickly get the desired output image without extensive post processing. Live View and Quiet Shutter modes make it easier or possible to shoot in certain situations. Dual card slots allows users many options in saving their images and videos. Users can record two full CF cards of data sequentially, record the same data onto two cards for backup, record RAW and JPEG simultaneously onto separate cards, transfer data from one card to another, and use one slot for stills and one slot for D-Movie recording. Read More…
Posted in
Digital SLR Cameras on October 14th, 2009.
No Comments.
The standard way of carrying your camera is using the shoulder (neck) strap that comes with almost every camera. It has a lot to be desired. When I am out with my family, the camera would want to swing or roll wildly whenever I bend down to do something. Even during normal walking the camera bounces around and wants to slip off my shoulder. It requires one hand constantly on the camera to make sure it is secure and leaves another hand to do very limited things. For outdoor photographers, the shoulder strap just won’t work well for biking or hiking. I am sure many people have similar complaints. Recently, I have noticed a few products that can nicely solve the problems, for a price. Read More…
Posted in
Accessories on September 20th, 2009.
2 Comments.
