Camera West Blog

Light Paint a Valentine

2012-02-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Check out this quick tutorial from photo.tutsplus.com to create a unique Valentine's Day photo while learning a few photography techniques.

http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/shooting-articles/quick-tip-show-your-valentine-love-with-light-painting/

Good News from Nikon

2012-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

An interesting article from bernama.com, a Malaysian National News Agency about the production capacity of the Nikon plant in Sendai, Japan.

"With the current 1,600 workers, the factory is producing one unit of camera per minute on a daytime shift with each unit of the D800 variant produced every four hours and the D4 variant every five hours."

Nikon is targeting to produce 30,000 D800 and 5,000 D4 cameras per month at it's Sendai, Japan factory, the same one that was destroyed in last year's 9.0 earthquake. They spent $100 million to repair the facility.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsbusiness.php?id=644921

Make Things Happen For You

2012-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

'Leaning Photographer of Pisa' by Jay Maisel

Just saw this great quote from photographer Jay Maisel that I had to share :

"If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you're not out there, you'll only hear about it."

http://www.jaymaisel.com/

World Press Photo of the Year 2011

2012-02-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Samuel Aranda from Spain has won the World Press Photo of the Year 2011 for the above image of a woman holding a wounded relative in her arms. The photo was taken inside a mosque used as a field hospital by demonstrators against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen on 15 October 2011.

Jurors said the photo captured multiple facets of the "Arab Spring" uprisings across the Middle East last year. It was taken at a field hospital inside a mosque in Sanaa on October 15.

The winning photo was selected from 101,254 images submitted by 5,247 photographers from 124 countries.

http://www.worldpressphoto.org/

How Sports Illustrated Covered the Super Bowl

2012-02-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

Check out this SI video on how the premiere sports magazine covered the recent Superbowl. From planning shooting positions to deciding what picture makes the cover.

And here is my take on covering the Super Bowl, published on this blog the evening before the big game.

First Look at the Canon EOS C300

2012-02-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Roddy Blelloch shows Dan Leto some of the C300 functions.

Our friend Roddy Blelloch stopped by Camera West in Walnut Creek to show us his new camera - the Canon EOS C300 super 35mm video camera. This camera was just announced a few months ago and Roddy is one of the lucky few to have one in his hands.

He'll be putting it to good use as he's been hired by the SF Symphony and the America's Cup to do some filming with it.

Roddy is a freelance photographer, cinematographer, and director of photography, based in the San Francisco bay area. Check out his website here.

Roddy tries out a 400mm 2.8 on his C300 in front of a Horseman 4X5

Olympus Brings Back the OM Series Camera

2012-02-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Evoking the classic design of the original OM Series introduced 40 years ago, and transforming it for the modern age, the Olympus OM-D Series is a new and entirely unique Micro Four Thirds camera system. It combines features found in the Olympus E-System DSLR line with those of the compact Olympus PEN Series to meet the requirements of discerning photographers who demand more performance and portability from their interchangeable-lens cameras.

15.93 million image pixel sensor
built-in 1.44 million dot electronic viewfinder
articulating lcd
improved image stabilization system
ability to shoot at 9fps
full HD movie recording

The camera will be available in black or black/silver versions and will carry an expected street price of $999.99 for the body only, $1099.99 for a kit including a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, or $1299.99 for a kit including a weather-sealed ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1583

Kodak Ceases Camera Production, Keeps Film Alive

2012-02-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Kodak announced today that it will cease producing digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames “to focus its Consumer Business on desktop inkjet, online and retail-based printing—areas that offer the most significant opportunities for profitable growth. Kodak will continue to offer camera accessories and batteries, which are universally compatible with other brands,” a statement on their website said.

The statement also said that it was “likely” that some of the cameras, video cameras and digital frames it announced at CES would not be launched.

Eastman Kodak Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 19, 2012. In its filing, the company reported that it has $6.8 billion in debt and $5.1 billion in assets.

Kodak has struggled for years as the photography business has moved to digital photography.

A Trio of New Canon Lenses

2012-02-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

Canon U.S.A. today announced two new wide angle lenses and a updated version of its popular 24-70mm zoom lens. The new EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II, EF 24mm f/2.8 and EF 28mm f/2.8 lenses use a rear focusing system, high-speed CPU, and a ring-type Ultra Sonic Motor (USM) with optimized AF algorithms for faster auto focusing. The 28mm and 24mm primes offer IS however the 24-70mm does not.

Long Awaited Nikon D800 and D800E Now Official

2012-02-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Nikon has announced the long-awaited D800 36MP full-frame DSLR, now the highest-resolution camera in Nikon's lineup. As well as the 'stock' D800, Nikon has also revealed a more expensive model, the D800E that will be free from the effects of an anti-aliasing filter. Aimed at studio and landscape professionals the D800E could possibly begin to rival medium format digital equipment in terms of resolution.

Specs :

Magnesium alloy body
36.15 megapixels
full frame CMOS
Expeed 3 processor
ISO Range - 100-6400
Fixed 3.2 " LCD
5 frames per second drive
Records to both CF and SDHC cards
Video frame rates :1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps)
Weather sealed
Timelapse Mode
Optional GPS

The Nikon D800 will be available in late March for the suggested retail price of $2999.95. The D800E version will be available in mid April 2012 for a suggested retail price of $3,299.95.

Shooting the Super Bowl

2012-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Photo by Michael Maloney/SF Chronicle

On this eve of the Super Bowl, I thought I'd describe what it's like to cover one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

I've had the good fortune of photographing 5 Super Bowls during my career at the San Francisco Chronicle. The SF 49ers had a great run in the late 80's and early 90's and in fact won each of their Super Bowls thanks to such great athletes as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and many others. They even won back to back championships in 1989 and 1990.

Of all the sports I've covered, football by far was my very favorite sport to cover. I loved the challenge and excitement each game offered. As a photographer on the sidelines, I was very much like a defensive lineman, corner back or safety, trying to predict what the play was going to be and where it was going to take place so that I could position myself in the right place with the right lens to capture the play. It helped to really know the game, the team and the individual players. I loved shooting football, especially a game of this magnitude.

When you watch the game tomorrow and see all the photographers on the sidelines, you are seeing the very best sports shooters in the country. All seasoned veterans who have earned the right to be covering the big game. Sports Illustrated, All Sport, NFL Magazine, Associated Press, Getty Images, USA Today, NY Times, Washington Post and other news organizations send their best sports shooters. On a personal level for me, it was fun to compete against all of them. To measure my work against theirs.

Game day starts early for the shooters and editors. Most arrive 6-8 hours prior to kick off. Not only are they covering the game, but all the hoopla before and after, in town, outside the stadium and inside. Most publications send a shooter or two to the Super Bowl host city for all the activities during the week leading up to game day. At the Chronicle, for the game day coverage, we usually sent 4 shooters plus an editor. Unlike most games, each shooter is assigned a position by the NFL and would have to shoot the entire game from that one position. Because of this, we made sure we had the lenses to be able to cover our section of the field. Usually a 400mm f2.8, along with a 300mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8, and a wide angle. My favorite position was in the end zone, 1/3 the way in from the sidelines. We needed fast lenses because by the 2nd half, we were shooting at night, relying on the stadium lights.

The NFL restricts the number of publications that can cover the game to minimize the number of shooters on the sidelines. The larger newspapers representing the two teams, the host city's major newspapers and the publications and wire services mentioned above are the only photogs you will find on the field and even then, it can be crowded. Each shooter has a numbered or color coded vest to wear keeping them in their assigned shooting positions. Some are allowed to roam. Assistants are sometimes allowed however they have to stay a few yards behind the shooters. Publications also have runners who periodically come by to pick up memory cards from the shooters - usually after a big play, a touchdown and end of quarter.

Speed is all important in this digital information age. Some of the wire services now have a direct link from shooter to editor so that just minutes after a big play, that image is on the web and available to publications throughout the world. Back in the film days, it took at least half an hour or so to get the image out. (Each NFL stadium had a full darkroom for use by the wire services) At the Chronicle, we had an onsite editor who would watch the game on closed circuit tv and would look at all of our images as they came in by a runner, pick the best ones, caption them and send them to the paper and to the online galleries. That allowed us shooters to concentrate on our shooting. At the end of the game however we were all in the media tent helping to edit our shots on our laptop computers and get them transmitted to make our deadlines. You had to be good not only as a shooter, but as an editor so that you could quickly get your photos captioned and sent. I thrived in this hectic environment and was proud to have an efficient workflow to get out as many images as I could in as little time as possible.

I've had people ask me after shooting a game if I enjoy watching it, but what they don't realize is that I'm not really watching the game as a fan would. Rather, I'm looking for story telling images and trying to capture them. It's an entirely different way of seeing the game. I enjoy the process, but it's not the same as watching the game as a spectator.

Tomorrow, I'll do just that. I'll be a fan and enjoy the game with my favorite beverage wishing the 49ers were playing and wishing I was shooting my 6th Super Bowl.

Photo above was during the closing minutes of Super Bowl XXIX - on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. 49ers quarterback Steve Young threw a record 6 touchdown passes en route to a Super Bowl MVP award. His main target…Jerry Rice.

SF at Night Photo Contest Winners

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Photo by John Krzesinski

Congratulations to John Krzesinski whose image above titled 'Upon a Sea of Gold' won 1st place and a $25. gift certificate from Camera West.

It was a fine job of seeing not only the obvious - in this case the Golden Gate Bridge which we were all photographing - but the details. We love how John was able to see this bird below the bridge and make a strong graphic image with the bird and the stumps silhouetted in the golden glow of the iconic bridge.

Dan, Hal, Robert, Tina and Michael of the Camera West Walnut Creek staff judged a great collection of photos from the night photography workshop we held in San Francisco a few weeks ago. We asked the participants to submit their 5 favorite photos from the evening for this contest. To see all the photos submitted, go to the Camera West Flickr site. Meanwhile, check out the honorable mentions below.

Photo by Gary Wincott

Photo by Stevan Cavalier

Photo by John Krzesinski

Photo by Ming Maa

Photo by John Krzesinski

Ansel Adams 'City of Angels' Photos

2012-02-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

Around 1939, Ansel Adams was commissioned by Fortune magazine to photograph a series of images for an article covering the aviation history of the Los Angeles area. For the project, Adams took over 200 photographs showing everyday life, businesses, street scenes, and a variety of other subjects, but when the article, "City of Angels," appeared in the March 1941 issue, only a few of the images were included.

Approximately 20 years later, Adams rediscovered all of the photographs among papers at his home in Carmel, and sent a letter of inquiry to the Los Angeles Public Library, asking if the institution would be interested in receiving the collection as a donation. In his letter, Adams expressed that, "the weather was bad over a rather long period and none of the pictures were very good" and "if they have no value whatsoever, please dispose of them in the incenerator [sic]." He went on to write that "I would imagine that they represent about $100.00 minimum value." In response, the Los Angeles Public Library gladly accepted the gift of 135 contact prints and 217 negatives, and the staff concluded that a fair value for the collection would be $150.00.

Photo librarian Christina Rice has posted more than 200 of the images on the LAPL website. An LA gallery is creating new silver-gelatin prints from the original negatives, which will be on sale to benefit the library.

Below are some of Adams' images of life at the Olympic Trailer Court in Santa Monica.

Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Another Sneak Peek

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

This short video shows how CS6 (if that's what Adobe will be calling it) handles the ever increasing large files today's digital cameras produce. They've come up with background saving of large files and a major speed increase using the liquify tool.

Elephant Seal Workshop a Success

2012-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Our friend Jason Bradley reports that his elephant seal photography workshop near San Simeon last month was a success with great weather, beautiful sunsets and good company. Check out some of the photos below and go to this link for many more. Jason will be leading another workshop in January of 2013 so if you want to join in on the fun, contact him.

Spinning Wool & Raining Fire

2012-01-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

Indianapolis, Indiana photographer Steven Shubert has an interesting series of photographs on his blog that involve spinning wool. No, not what you most likely are thinking. He literally takes wool - steel wool that's been ignited by a battery - and spins it on a steel cable at night in front of or on top of interesting Indianapolis landmarks as his assistant takes a timed exposure.

Check out more of his images on his blog :

http://schubertphotoblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/spinning-wool-2.html

Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta

2012-01-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Have you tried out the new Lightroom 4 Beta? It's free and will run until the end of March. I've been playing around with it for a few weeks now and I'm impressed with some of the features they've added, especially the color temperature adjustment brush. This change alone has convinced me to buy the new version as soon as it is released. (anytime after March most likely)

Adobe has provided some answers to questions Lightroom 4 Beta users have on this site :

http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom/2012/01/your-burning-lightroom-4-beta-questions-answered.html

Life on the Edge

2012-01-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

Photo by Dennis Maitland

Detroit photographer Dennis Maitland has come up with an interesting self project he calls 'Life on the Edge'. A series of self portraits... actually self portraits of his feet, hanging over the edges of Detroit's taller buildings. A project best left for those not afraid of heights!

Check out his images here : http://dennismaitland.com/life_on_the_edge/#/0

Canon Files Patent for Raw Video Recording

2012-01-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

Canon today filed a US Patent Application for raw video recording. Exciting news for video shooters who have been waiting for raw video image capture like the Red Epic produces. Now it's just a matter of when we see it and in what cameras...maybe in the Canon 5D Mark V?

Clueless in Seattle

2012-01-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Click ad for larger image

A Seattle bride-to-be looking for a wedding photographer earlier this month wrote the above Craig's List post complaining about outrageous fees from local wedding shooters. Seems she felt $3,000. was too much.

"So you're going to take someones WHOLE MONTH paycheck for one flippen day of photos? Just because you CAN!!??????", she wrote. "All your doing is hanging out at a wedding taking tons of photos and editing them.. and thats worth 3 GRAND!!! You're making so much money its crazy."

Read below a blog post by Erie, PA wedding photographer Nikki Wagner who responds to Clueless in Seattle and puts it all into perspective.

http://blog.nikkimaydayphotography.com/2012/01/26/why-wedding-photographers-prices-are-wack-erie-pa-wedding-photographer-response/

Sneak Peek at the New Camera Raw

2012-01-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Take a look at what the developers at Adobe are working on with the latest Camera Raw and a brief look at the new Photoshop interface.

No more fill and recover tools, instead they are replaced by highlights and shadows. Just a name change? Most likely not judging by the same move Adobe made in the new Lightroom 4 public beta. Have had some time using these new tools and they are a significant improvement over fill and recover. The coolest feature however is the expanded adjustment brush menu. You can now paint in temperature changes within your image!

Nikon D800 Coming Soon?

2012-01-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

Nikon's D700 is now officially listed as discontinued on the Nikon website. (Website is in Japanese)

However...why has the D300s been added to the same discontinued list? Is there something in the works to replace it???

A View of Our Planet from 512 Miles

2012-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Check out this amazing image captured on January 4, 2012 that NASA released today. It is the highest resolution image ever taken of earth and assembled from multiple frames by a research satellite orbiting earth from 512 miles out in space.

Looks like we live on a blue marble!

Click the link below for a full rez 64-megapixel image :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/6760135001/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Hell and Back Again with a Canon 5D Mark II

2012-01-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty

Photojournalist Danfung Dennis' film on the war in Afganistan, 'Hell and Back Again' has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature for this year's Academy Awards. Last year he was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Quite an accomplishment for a independent film maker, let alone one who used a DSLR for his film.

“I was frustrated with photojournalism, and I was frustrated with society back in the U.S. being indifferent to the war,” said Dennis, who had covered Afghanistan as a still photographer in 2006. “I moved into video and new media to try to shake people up — to show the war’s brutal reality in an honest way.”

Take a look at the trailer for his film here : http://hellandbackagain.com/

And here's a profile on Danfung Dennis and the equipment he used to shoot the documentary :
http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2009/10/14/photojournalist-danfung-dennis-how-i-cover-the-afghanistan-war-with-the-5dmkii/

You can order a Blu-ray or dvd of the film on Amazon.

2012-01-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

Have a Nikon and want to know how to get the most from it? Join the Nikonians Academy this week as they teach some of their most popular workshops.

Thursday, 1/26 : Master the Nikon D300/D300s In Depth
Friday, 1/27 : The Passionate Photographer 
Saturday, 1/28 : Master the Nikon D7000 D90 and D80 
Sunday, 1/29 : Master the Nikon D700/D3/D3x/D3s In Depth

Venue :  The DoubleTree Hotel in Burlingame, CA

http://www.nikoniansacademy.com/all/viewWorkshop.html?course_id=890

Sports Photography Workshops

2012-01-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

(Click on the image for a larger view)

Michael Maloney from the Camera West Walnut Creek staff will be leading a series of sports related workshops this year. Give him a call or email him if you are interested.

Kodak Files for Bankruptcy

2012-01-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

After months of speculation, Eastman Kodak Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. In its filing, the company reported that it has $6.8 billion in debt and $5.1 billion in assets. Kodak has struggled for years as photography moved from film to digital photography.

If its filing is approved by a bankruptcy judge, the company would continue operating while it re-negotiates its debt with its creditors.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-19/kodak-photography-pioneer-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-1-.html

Camera West SF at Night Workshop

2012-01-18T17:03:00.000-08:00

Good food, new friends, perfect weather and the beautiful lights of the city summed up the fun evening of photography we had last night. I tagged along as Camera West's Hal Kam and Leica's Tom Brichta led a small group of us to some top shooting locations in and around the city.

First stop was Treasure Island, and for those of us lucky enough to arrive early, we were treated to a beautiful sunset, allowing some color to the sky. Five minutes later, it was gone. With photography, timing is all important.

Next stop was Union Square where we had more light and a variety of subjects to shoot. Above, workshop participant John Krzesinski found a heart to shoot.

Workshop participant James Forslind (left) checks out Hal's Leica X1 images.

Dianne Tanaka gets a little light from Bo Mathisen to adjust the settings on her Leica S2.

Dennis Sasaki photographs the world famous cable cars on Powell Street in Union Square

Leica's Tom Brichta shoots the most photographed bridge in the world.

To see some of the images our group took, go to our Flickr page :
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1921340@N22/

Stay tuned to this blog and our monthly Camera West newsletter for our next workshop.

Hasselblad Moonrise

2012-01-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

Click photo for larger view

Conditions last Sunday lined up perfect for a moonrise image so I decided to try out the Hasselblad H4D-40 Ferrari Limited Edition we have here at Camera West.

The H4D-40 Ferrari is very unique. A collaboration between the two world renown companies with passions for quality, design and of course performance. Only 499 of these limited edition cameras were produced. The unique color (Ferrari calls it "Rosso Fuoco") is an attention getter and I was busy most of my shooting day answering questions from curious on-lookers.

A medium format camera is a bit foreign to my 35mm single lens reflex upbringing but that said, the H4D was quite easy and intuitive to operate. It even shoots in a point and shoot mode should you care to photograph that way. Needless to say, I love the 40 megapixel image it produces and the fact that it pretty much operates like a 35mm DSLR, making me feel quite comfortable with it. The H4D also has an autofocus feature they call True Focus with Absolute Position Lock, which uses motion sensors to detect by how much you've rotated the camera to recompose your image. It's pretty cool innovative technology and works well. It has another great feature that really came in handy for my moonrise photo of the Oakland - SF Bay Bridge. Since I was shooting at a slow shutter speed and did not have a cable release, I set the camera to a 5 second timer mode so that in the process of pushing the shutter button, I did not move the tripod mounted camera. Here's the cool part : the H4D will lock the mirror up first, then count down 5 seconds before exposing the sensor. No more worries about the camera's huge mirror flopping up and down vibrating the camera. Nice touch Hasselblad!

The moonrise photo you see above was actually two images shot with the HC Macro 120mm f4 and stitched together in Photoshop CS5 using Photomerge. I used ISO 100, choosing an aperture of f16 for maximum depth of field and a shutter speed of .8 second.

It's difficult to really convey the clarity this camera and system of lenses produces on the small photos you see here, but stop by Camera West in Walnut Creek and we'll show you this moonrise image on our 27 inch iMac. You'll be impressed. You can also check out the beautiful H4D…you'll be doubly impressed!

Below is a cropped image from the photo above just to show you the detail the H4D produces. The shipping cranes you see in the background are at the Port of Oakland, 3.5 miles away from my shooting position at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco!

Whenever the moonrise time is similar to the sunset time, you have perfect shooting conditions because, since the moon is lit by the sun, it's exposure is similar to daylight. What this means is that your landscape exposure will be close to your moon's exposure giving you detail in both. You may notice some moon photos where there is no detail in the moon. It's just a white dot. That's because you've over-exposed the moon's exposure, trying to pick up some detail in your dark landscape. Vice/versa, you can have detail in your moon, however your landscape is black. So, anytime the moonrise/sunset or moonset/sunrise times are similar, you'll find perfect conditions to make some memorable images.

Here is an example of shooting a moonrise well after sunset when there's a large difference between the exposure of the moon and the exposure of the landscape. This photo was taken a half hour or so after the image at the top of this post. I chose to expose for the landscape which makes the moon way over exposed. I placed my position so that the moon was behind the bridge tower to minimize the overexposed moon. This photo, taken with my Canon 5D Mark II (2 second exposure at f2.8, ISO 100) has an entirely different feel to it and that's the beauty of ever changing light and photography!

Finally, another plug for my favorite photography app, The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE). Using a program like TPE will help you find those rare days where the moon, sun and earth line up for your perfect shot. With it, you can determine exactly where the sun or moon will be from your shooting position on any day at any time. This free desktop app (donations to the developer Stephen Trainor are encouraged) is an absolute must for any landscape photographer.

Now go out there and plan your next shoot. Hint...February 7 is looking pretty sweet!

Portable Darkroom for Sale

2012-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Need a portable military grade darkroom? Today’s your lucky day! There’s a used US Army one for sale on eBay with the starting price of $4,500. The 4,500 pound shelter contains 3 rooms with 614 cubic feet of space, and comes with all the darkroom equipment you need, including an escape door! Also comes with a temperature water control system and heating and air conditioning.

More photos here : http://imgur.com/a/Ag0gz

New! Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G Announced

2012-01-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

The AF-S 85mm f/1.8G, features a nine-element optical design, seven-blade aperture diaphragm, and Silent Wave autofocus with a focus mode switch (M/A and M) on the lens barrel. The new lens has a close focus distance of 31.5in, and like the AF 85mm f/1.8D it replaces, does not incorporate Nikon's Vibration Reduction technology.

Available in March for $499.95

CF, SD and Now XQD

2012-01-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

Sony has become the first company to offer a range memory cards in the XQD format. XQD was recently announced by the Compact Flash Association, allowing write speeds of 125MB/sec and faster. When used in the new Nikon D4, (currently the only camera supporting the format), the cards can record up to around 100 frames in RAW format in continuous shooting mode without any buffer issues.

The new Sony products are planned to be available in February and are estimated to sell at the following retail prices:

QD-H16 card, 16 GB, $129.99

QD-H32 card, 32 GB, $229.99

Card Reader, MRW-E80, $44.99

ExpressCard Adapter, QDA-EX1, $44.99

For information, visit www.sony.net/Products/memorycard/en_us/xqd/index.html

50% Savings Offer from Hasselblad

2012-01-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.hasselbladusa.com/promotions/h4d-40-lens-campaign.aspx

Nikon D4 Announced

2012-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

It's now official. The long anticipated Nikon D4 has been announced and will be available in late February, 2012 at a suggested retail price of $5,999.

Some of the key specs :

16.2 effective megapixel, full-frame sensor (16.6MP total)
10 fps shooting with AF and AE, 11fps with focus and exposure locked, 24fps 2.5MP grabs
91,000 pixel sensor for metering, white balance, flash exposure, face detection and active d-lighting
ISO Range 100-12,800 (extendable from 50 – 204,800)
MultiCAM 3500FX Autofocus sensor works in lower light and with smaller apertures
Two sub-selector joystick/buttons for shooting orientation
1080p30 HD video at up to 24Mbps with uncompressed video output
New EN-EL18 battery (21.6Wh capacity, CIPA-rated at 2600 shots)
Twin card slots (Compact Flash and the new XQD)

Nikon Press Release :

http://www.nikon.com/news/2012/0106_flagship_01.htm

Photo District News hands on review :
http://pdnpulse.com/2012/01/cespma-2012-hands-on-with-the-new-16-2mp-full-frame-nikon-d4-professional-dslr.html

Elephant Seal Photography Workshop

2012-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

Only 1 spot left for this workshop by Jason Bradley!

news@camerawest.com

925-935-1424

One Very Fast Lens

2012-01-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

We get a lot of interesting used equipment here at Camera West, so when a AF-S Nikkor 200mm f2.0 G lens came in, I just knew I had to try it out.

Last night I had the opportunity to shoot with this unique lens. I photographed a night soccer game, under the dim lights of De La Salle High School in Concord. De La Salle was hosting San Ramon High.

The challenge for most night time sporting events is the lighting…or lack of it. Either indoors or out, you are generally pushing the ISO to 1600 or beyond. When I was shooting the SF 49ers at Candlestick or the SF Giants at AT&T Park, I was shooting at ISO 1600 with a shutter speed of 1/1,000 at f2.8 for the night games. Pretty much the same for indoor events. I think I was shooting the Golden State Warriors at the same ISO and shutter/aperture combo.

The lights at De La Salle however gave me exposure of 1/500 at f2.0 at ISO 2000 - not nearly as much as at pro sporting venues where network television has a minimum lighting requirement. For this shoot, I was glad I had a f2.0 lens!

At $3995, this is not the lens for everybody but if you like to shoot when the lighting is low, this lens can be a image saver. Shooting sports usually requires a fast shutter speed so having the additional f-stop of 2.0 gives you the ability to use a faster shutter speed and/or lower ISO. And, just because you have plenty of light doesn't mean you need to put this lens away. The f2.0 aperture produces it's own unique creamy bokeh. Also, if I owned this lens, I'd invest in a 1.4 or 1.7 converter for even more versatility.

All in all, I'm pleased with my images from the evening. It's been over 3 years since I've shot any kind of night sporting events so I was a bit rusty. My timing especially was off and with fast moving sports, timing is all important.

Although my timing let me down, this lens did not.

The photos below were taken with a Nikon D3 at ISO 2,000 and a shutter speed of 1/500 at f2.0.

Stop by Camera West in Walnut Creek to check out this lens or go to the Camera West website to check out our entire inventory of fine used equipment.

Want Canon Lenses? There's an App for That

2012-01-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

CanonSGLens is a free Canon Singapore App for the iPhone or iPad that features detailed lens specifications of all Canon EF and EF-S lenses sold in Singapore. The application also contains a unique interactive simulator that allows you to compare the field of view of two camera-lens combinations.

Features :

* Detailed lens specifications of all Canon EF and EF-S lenses sold in Singapore.
* Compare lens specifications side by side, with differences indicated.
* Compare high resolution MTF charts.
* Compare high resolution lens construction diagrams.
* Field of View simulator featuring multiple photos taken of the same scene in Singapore using different camera-lens combinations.
* Depth of Field simulator.
* Depth of Field calculator.
* In-depth topic with interactive simulators explaining how aperture and shutter speed affect exposure, depth of field, and motion blur in the various exposure modes.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/canonsglens/id490527073?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Leica V-Lux 3 Review

2012-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

Last day of 2011 and I went out shooting armed with just one camera with an assortment of focal lengths. No, I didn't haul out my DSLR and heavy bag of lenses. I was on my motorcycle so for this outing it made more sense to keep it light and simple. A perfect opportunity to try out the latest offering from Leica, the V-Lux 3 which we now have in stock at Camera West.

Back in 2006, Leica introduced the V-Lux 1. It was what we refer to as a bridge camera. Smaller than a DSLR, but larger than a typical point and shoot. It's main feature, a 12X zoom. The perfect camera for photographers who wanted the ability to shoot with a long telephoto, but didn't want to haul around a DSLR and a heavy bag of lenses. In one small camera, you had the ability to zoom from 35mm to 420mm. The camera was a hit and in 2010, Leica introduced the V-Lux 2, adding a longer zoom range, a larger LCD, a CMOS sensor and more megapixels (from 10 to 14.1 MP). Just last month, Leica released the latest in the V-Lux series, the V-Lux 3.

Based on my experience today, it's going to be a very popular camera.

What impresses me most about the V-Lux 3 are two things - the incredible super zoom and the very fast frame rate. A wide zoom range from 25mm to 600mm (35mm equivalent) is packed into a small, light body. Even when zoomed to 600mm, the lens only protrudes another 2 inches. Combine that with a 12 frames per second, full rez frame rate and this camera will satisfy most shooters who are like me and spoiled by DSLRs.

For my outing, I got up early to catch the last sunrise of 2011 and it was a beautiful one. Well worth the 6 am start. For this image, I wanted to zoom in enough to get rid of some power transmission towers off to the right and see just the hilltops and unique clouds. This was shot at 210 mm and an aperture preferred meter setting. (I shot aperture preferred and auto white balance for all the photos for this review, just to see how the camera reacted to the various conditions. - it did well with no issues)

Next I went up into the Altamont Pass area near Livermore, known for it's large collection of windmills. Found this blackbird perched on an old windmill and waited for it to take off. Here, I had the V-Lux 3 zoomed in to only 400 mm as I wanted to make sure I caught the bird and the windmill in the frame. This is where the fast frame rate really helps. It was set to 12 frames per second, so I'd have plenty of frames to choose from when the bird finally took flight. Nice to have those choices. Also, since my subject was stationary, I was able to lock focus so there was no delay when the bird took off. The auto focus on this camera is improved from earlier models, but it is important to remember that this is not a sports shooter's camera. The focus will not keep up when you are in a fast frame rate.

Up at the top of Patterson Pass, looking east towards the San Joaquin Valley, the early morning clouds were still impressive, now showing just a hint of pink. No wind however which was disappointing as it would have been cool to have just a bit of movement in the windmill blades. It was nice to have such a varied zoom to play around with my composition. 25 to 600 mm - so many choices however I narrowed it down to 140 mm for this view.

Next up, a ride up Mt Diablo where I shot this view as the early morning light was painting the ridge tops along the foothills of the 3,864 foot mountain. 220 mm

Mt Diablo is covered with blue oaks. I find them fascinating with their shapes and colors and love shooting them, especially in backlight. 260 mm

Moss and new growth on an oak. 600 mm at f 5.2 (wide open) produced a nice bokeh.

Just to show you the incredible zoom range of the Leica V-Lux 3, here are the two extremes - 25 mm and 600 mm. Shot on the summit of Mt Diablo looking east towards the transmission towers on North Peak and the delta beyond.

This camera is the perfect camera for light traveling, Will it replace my DSLRs? Of course not. It still has a smaller sensor and a slight delay in focus and subject tracking. But, the Leica V-Lux 3 is a camera you can take with you at all times and feel confident in almost any shooting situation you find yourself in.

A Few Specs

Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 4.5 - 108 mm f/2.8 - 5.2 ASPH lens.
A newly developed 12.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor (down from the V-Lux 2 14.1 mp).
Full-HD video in AVCHD format with 1920 × 1080 pixels and 60 full frames per second.
An integrated stereo microphone with an electronic wind noise filter.
Burst rate of 12 frames per second at full resolution, or 60 frames per second at a resolution of 3.5 MP.
3" articulating LCD display with 460,000 pixel resolution.

The Good and the Bad

The design of the V-Lux 3 is nicely thought out with the most often needed functions readily available without having to jump into the menu. If you do need to enter the menu, it is very intuitive to navigate. My only difficulty with the button layout is that I would often inadvertently hit the ISO button by mistake with the base of my thumb. Wish there was a way to lock the buttons to prevent this.
The video mode has one very impressive feature. It records 1080P video at 60 frames per second. Most cameras, even video cameras only output 60 fps at the smaller 720p. At this rate however, It records in AVCHD format - great for viewing, not so great for editing although possible with the included Premiere Elements software. (Just a note for those of you who don't know why 60 fps is important. If you enjoy slow motion footage, shooting at a higher frame rate makes for smoother slow motion.)
When shooting at one of the high frame rates, focus, exposure and white balance are locked to the first exposure.
At 25 mm, you get a fast f2.8 maximum aperture. At 600 mm it is f5.2 - still fast for a 600.
ISO range from 100 to 3200. Images shot at 800 to my eye looked good.
In macro mode, at the 25 mm setting, you can get as close as 3/8" from the lens.
The camera comes with a nice bayonet style lens hood, protecting the front element from unwanted glare or finger prints.
The lcd is articulating, allowing you to compose your image easier at times.
You can compose with the lcd or switch to the electronic viewfinder.
A free copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements is packaged with the camera.

Lost or Stolen Camera Woes?

2012-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Have you lost a camera or had one stolen? You just may be able to recover it with the help of 2 web based services.

Stolencamerafinder.com and cameratrace.com will search the web for images with the serial number of the cameras that shot them, helping to re-unite owners with their lost and stolen cameras. Both work by looking for the serial numbers embedded in images uploaded to services such as Flickr and 500px. CameraT race, which costs $10 per camera, now includes a monitoring service that updates you if new images are posted. Stolen Camera Finder, meanwhile, requires only that you drag-and-drop a file from your camera for it to read the EXIF and start searching for public photos with their metadata intact.

http://www.stolencamerafinder.com/

http://www.cameratrace.com/learn-more

Nikon FT1 Mount Adapter

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Nikon has just announced the FT1 mount adapter which allows NIKKOR F mount lenses to be used with Nikon 1 cameras equipped with a Nikon 1 mount. The angle of view of an F mount lens mounted on the FT1 is equivalent to that of a 35mm format lens with a focal length about 2.7 x longer.

This new adapter can be used with more than 60 Nikkor lenses, and supports autoexposure, autofocus and vibration reduction in the AF-S line of lenses.

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/acil/accessories/mount_adapter_ft1/

The New Leica V-Lux 3

2011-12-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

We now have in stock the new Leica V-Lux 3, a 12.1-megapixel camera with a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 4.5 - 108 mm f/2.8 - 5.2 ASPH.lens (25–600 mm in 35 mm format). One of the fastest consecutive shooting cameras in its class, the V-Lux 3 incorporates a high-speed burst-shooting capability: bursts of 12 frames per second at full resolution, or 60 frames per second at a resolution of 3.5 MP.

The Leica V-Lux 3 also features a very impressive range of video functions, capturing full-HD video in AVCHD format with 1920 × 1080 pixels and 60 full frames per second with an integrated stereo microphone with an electronic wind noise filter to help record a crystal-clear soundtrack.

Stop by Camera West and see this exceptional camera.

The Fine Art of Manual Focus

2011-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Zeiss manual focus 50mm f1.4 Planar T* ZE has a long focus throw, helpful when shooting video.

Those of you who were shooters before auto focus or those of you who currently shoot with any of the Leica M series cameras or other older film cameras know what it is like to manually focus. It's difficult and if you are like me and got spoiled by today's auto focusing digital cameras, it's frustrating to manually focus quickly on moving subjects, especially at wide open apertures.

I used to be good with my hand/eye coordination before autofocus technology came along. When shooting sports with long lenses at wide open apertures, you had to be good - or frustrated and out of focus all of the time. All that has changed however because we've been spoiled by the lightning fast, extremely accurate auto focus capability of today's cameras. Who needs to manual focus when autofocus is so much better? Well, if you like to shoot video like I do with a DSLR, you'll need to learn the lost art of manual focus.

Although it's true that some DSLRs will allow you to auto focus while in video mode, it's never very good and is easily fooled. Pros never use auto focus because you can't risk the chance that your auto focus will get fooled especially for those scenes where you get only one take. You need to focus manually, which takes a lot of practice. And to make it even worse, you can't look through the viewfinder but rather, need to focus off the lcd in live view mode which presents a number of additional challenges.

How do you work with these challenges? I've already mentioned practice. On top of that, it helps to have some focusing aides. A magnifying loupe to place over your lcd helps, as does a follow focus, an external monitor or an electronic viewfinder. I use all of these and they all help you get sharp. Also using non-auto focusing lenses will make obtaining focus easier. Why? Longer focus throws. Today's auto focusing lenses have a very short focus throw. Makes sense that the shorter the throw, the quicker the lens can lock focus. That short focus throw however makes manual focusing difficult. A short 1/4 inch turn of the lens barrel can shift focus 30 feet with some lenses. Try manually focusing a fast moving subject with such a short focus throw - you'll see it's next to impossible.

With my background in photojournalism and sports photography, I have a great assortment of auto focus zoom lenses. They are the perfect tools for fast moving scenes however for video, not so great. I'm now looking to manual focus primes for video work. Zeiss and Leica R primes have crisp optics and long focus throws. Zeiss lenses will also communicate distance and aperture values with the camera which can be helpful. Some budget minded DSLR video shooters are using old Nikon manual focus glass again for the long focus throws. Even Canon shooters are using the Nikon glass with a converter although I don't really recommend this since the focus pull is opposite of Canon.

Here is a comparison of the focus throws of various 50mm f1.4 lenses.

3 Feet to Infinity Focus Throw Distance :

Zeiss 50mm f1.4 Planar T* ZE : 2.25 "

Nikon 50mm f1.4 AI : 2.0"

Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM : 5/8 "

Now go out with your gear and practice, practice, practice!

A Hike with the Leica X1

2011-12-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

It's been said that the best camera is the one that is in your hands when you want to capture a fleeting image. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a wonderful moment and had no camera with me to capture it. Very frustrating…but that's where the compact camera shines. It's small enough to put in your coat pocket or small bag, always ready when you need it.

I had the opportunity recently to take the Leica X1 out for one of my hikes along my favorite beach. I have to admit up front that I'm not a huge fan of compact cameras mostly because of their small sensors and lack of quick auto focusing. I'm spoiled shooting DSLRs with their lightning fast auto focus and 8-10 photos per second frame rates, not to mention their large sensors. But, do I carry one everywhere I go? No way.

The Leica X1 is small enough to carry at all times and with it's APS-C size sensor, produces beautiful images. The auto focus is also much improved over many past point and shoots I've used. Not DSLR fast, but getting better.

The beauty of the X1 is it's large sensor in such a small package. Combine that with Leica's legendary optics and you have a great compact camera.

The X1 comes with a true Leica lens. An Elmarit 24mm f2.8 ASPH lens. I'm not a fan of fixed focal length cameras, however if I were to choose just one focal length, it would be a 35mm field of view and that's what the X1 gives you.

The camera is a joy to just look at. It is beautifully designed with all metal construction, clean lines and a leather trim. It fits well in my hand and most of the functions I want are exactly where I would expect them. And those that are accessed through the menu system are easy to find. The menu system of the X1 is by far the easiest I've ever navigated. It's flow is very intuitive making getting to various functions quick and easy.

The X1 has an optional optical viewfinder and handgrip. I highly recommend both. Shooting outdoors and composing an image on an lcd is difficult no matter what camera is in your hands. Using the optical viewfinder is the way to go to precisely frame your shot and Leica was clever enough to have an LED light up close to your eye to let you know when the camera has locked focus. The optional hand grip just makes the camera feel more secure in your hands.

The X1 has been out for 2 years now and hopefully we'll be seeing some added features and improvements soon in the next version. What I'd like to see is a 2-3 X zoom without sacrificing the compact size, a closer macro capability and quicker auto focus. Give me those three improvements and this camera will be my go to compact camera.

So, here are a few X1 photos from my hike on Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore.

It was good practice for me to leave behind all my gear for this hike along the beach. Keeping it simple using one fine camera with one very fine lens.

The 35mm field of view is how I see the world. If I were stuck with just one lens, 35mm would be my choice.

I was pleased to see that the Elmarit 24mm f2.8 ASPH lens could handle the subtle detail in the sand drift.

Although I wish the X1 had better macro capability, all I had to do is crop into this image and with the large sensor, I was able to get closer without sacrificing much in quality.

Leica X1 Key Features

Compact lightweight body with analogue features

Fixed 24mm f2.8 lens (angle of view equivalent to 35mm lens on a full frame)

12.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor

Full range of manual controls along with program, shutter and aperture priority exposure modes

DNG raw format recording

The Leica X1 is available in silver (shown above) and in all black. Stop by at Camera West and check out this classic camera.

A Leica Lens Compendium

2011-12-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

You can now download the 2005 version of the Leica Lens Compendium by Erwin Puts for free. This 223 page pdf document does not contain any images but it's available here as a free download with the permission of the author. Erwin Puts released a new version of this book recently, available for purchase at Camera West.

San Francisco at Night Workshop

2011-12-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Join us for an evening of fun, shooting in and around the beautiful city of San Francisco.

Learn to capture the stunning scenes of San Francisco at night. We will be covering multiple locations to capture the sunset, the city lights, and of course the iconic Golden Gate Bridge after dark. The city takes on it's own magical light and the colors will be fascinating.

This Camera West Walnut Creek workshop will cover all aspects of night photography and low light conditions. Hal Kam and Tom Brichta will tailor the teaching to each individual, assisting with camera settings, etc, to ensure your best possible night photography workshop experience.

This night photo session is best suited for those with a DSLR or other camera that is capable of manipulating the shutter speed and aperture settings, to sustain the long exposures required for night photography. You will also need to have a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

3pm - 9pm

Contact Hal at Camera West in Walnut Creek for more info or to sign up

925-935-1424

New Leica S-2 Firmware

2011-12-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

The latest Leica S2 firmware update FW 1.0.2.0 supports the Leica Elmarit-S 30 mm f/2.8 ASPH. wide-angle lens (above). This fifth firmware update has been specially developed for the use of the camera with the new Leica Elmarit-S 30 mm f/2.8 ASPH. wide-angle lens and ensures optimum functionality of this lens on the Leica S2 body. Registered S customers can now download the files containing the firmware and an installation guide from the owners' area at: https://owners.leica-camera.com.

Nikon VR Fieldscope

2011-12-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

Nikon has announced the world’s first fieldscope featuring Nikon’s VR (Vibration Reduction) system. The new EDG VR 85 Fieldscope is based on the technologies developed for NIKKOR VR lenses, reducing image vibration and blur.

Match up the EDG VR 85 with the optional Nikon FSA-L2 attachment and you can quickly and easily connect it to your Nikon D-SLR camera for photos and video. The FSA-L2 adapter provides a 3.5x zoom capable of delivering a focal length range from 500mm to 1,750mm (FX Format) or 750mm to 2,625mm (DX Format).

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/Products/Fieldscopes/8273/EDG-VR-Fieldscope-85MM.html

New Firmware for Leica D-Lux 5

2011-12-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

Leica has announced a new firmware update for the D-Lux 5. The firmware update v2.0 improves the autofocus speed, increases automatic white-balance precision in adverse lighting conditions and lengthens the longest shutter speed from 60 to 250 seconds. New features also include high ISO noise reduction for ISO 1600 and ISO 3200 and the implementation of an 'active mode' for image stabilization.

http://en.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/compact_cameras/d-lux_5/index.html

New Micro Four Thirds Olympus Lens

2011-12-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Olympus introduces their first micro four thirds lens with an electronic zoom in a weather sealed body. The M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ (35mm equivalent : 24-110mm) delivers a smooth, quiet zoom and will focus as close as 8 to 20 inches. Estimated street price of the lens will be $499.99 and should be available mid-January, 2012.

More details from Olympus :
http://olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1582

Lightroom and Camera RAW Updates

2011-12-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Adobe has released updates Lightroom 3.6 and Camera Raw 6.6, available for immediate download. The latest versions provide RAW support for 9 additional cameras, including the Canon Powershot S100, Fujifilm X10, Nikon 1 V1 and J1, among others.

Camera Raw 6.6
Windows : http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5312
Mac : http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5311

Lightroom 3.6
Windows : http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5308
Mac : http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5307

P is for Professional

2011-12-11T09:28:00.001-08:00

This is too good to save for April Fool's Day…

Meet Missy, a stay at home mom with a camera who offers her tips for becoming a professional photographer in her series of YouTube videos.

"I am a stay at home 'Mom With A Camera: MWAC' who made the decision overnight to become a Professional Photographer. After 3 years, I've decided it's time to give back and show that it's a lot easier to be a Professional Photographer than most people think."

http://www.youtube.com/user/MWACattack

Shooting the Lunar Eclipse

2011-12-10T21:18:00.001-08:00

6:35 am 70mm 1250 ISO .8 sec @f2.8

Those of us fortunate to live on the west coast of the United States were treated to a rare sight this morning - a total lunar eclipse.

Not wanting to miss out on this, I set my alarm for 3 am! I needed to be near the Golden Gate Bridge at 4:30 am at the latest as the eclipse was to begin it's show at 4:45 am.

I didn't want just an image of the eclipse, but rather something interesting in the foreground, an iconic image nearly everyone recognizes, so I chose the landmark bridge.

It also helped to have a great app called The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) to plan my shoot. TPE is a free desktop app, which allows you to plot exactly where the sun or moon will be on any given day from any location in the world.

I arrived at a nearly deserted Crissy Field just north of the Palace of Fine Arts/Exploratorium at 4:30 am. I had 15 minutes to set up 2 cameras on tripods and make a few test exposures. I knew exactly where I needed to set up thanks to TPE. A steady, bitter cold wind was blowing off the bay waters making it miserable on two accounts - making me shake and also my cameras. Long lenses even when locked down on tripods can move in the wind, ruining a long exposure.

Soon, I was not alone as more photographers arrived and I stopped counting after 100. Nearly all of them I'm sure used TPE to keep me company.

For the next hour and a half, we watched and shot the lunar show above the Golden Gate Bridge, the lcd camera backs blinking in the pre-dawn darkness. The moon got redder as the earth's shadow covered it, and by 6:05 am, we witnessed the reddish glow of a total lunar eclipse.

Well worth the 3 am alarm clock.

Missed this one? You'll get another chance April, 2014. Maybe we'll have a Camera West Photo Outing for that one!

6:15 am 130mm 320 ISO .8sec@f2.8

5:32 am 400mm 320 ISO 1/125 sec@f4

6:10 am 400mm 320 ISO 1/125@f2.8

A few facts on eclipses

From NASA : "A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's rays and casting a shadow on the moon. As the moon moves deeper and deeper into Earth's shadow, the moon changes color before your very eyes, turning from gray to an orange or deep shade of red. The moon takes on this new color because sunlight is still able to pass through Earth's atmosphere and cast a glow on the moon. Our atmosphere filters out most of the blue colored light, leaving the red and orange hues that we see during a lunar eclipse."

The Photographer's Ephemeris
As I mentioned above, this is a must have app for anyone who wants to predict exactly where the sun or moon will be from any location in the world, at any time past, present or future. It works within Google maps and after a small learning curve, is easy to use. The desktop app is free, the iPhone, and iPad app is $8.99 and for the Android, $4.99. I find however that the phone apps can be difficult to navigate but that's not the fault of TPE, but rather just the difficulty of using the small screen of a phone.

My Camera West Blog post of TPE (July, 2010) gives you an overview : http://camerawestblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/photographers-ephemeris.html

Download the Photographer's Ephemeris here : http://photoephemeris.com/

TPE shows me exactly where the moon will intercept the GG Bridge at 6:05 am

Tips for shooting the moon or night shooting in general

Focusing, exposure and keeping your camera steady are the three biggest challenges. Let's take a look at each.

Focusing
Depending on your camera this may be easy - if - your camera is on single-point auto focus. If it still cannot lock focus, just use live view mode and the magnify button if you have it and manually focus. At 10X magnification, manual focusing is a snap.

Exposure
This is the tricky challenge. Unless you have a really long lens, light meters are useless for getting good exposures because even with a one-degree spot you can’t meter off just the moon — you’ll be reading both the moon and surrounding black sky which will fool the meter. Also keep in mind that you don’t want exposures that are too long, as the moon is moving and will blur. You can get away with 10-15 second exposures with a wide-angle lens, but with a telephoto you'll need to keep exposure times to two seconds or less. Pushing the ISO up will help with your exposure times when you need it and of course fast aperture lenses will also help. Best tip on exposure? Bracket, bracket, bracket - the only way to nail exposure.

Keeping Steady
Use the heaviest tripod you can get your hands on and/or use weight attached to the center column. Also a heavy bean bag over your lens can help stabilize it. If shooting with long lenses that have tripod collars, use them as that will balance your rig better. To deal with the wind issue I had this morning, I took my oversize lens hoods off as they were catching the wind and also placed by body between the wind and my camera to help block the wind. Also, use a remote shutter release or if you don't have one, use the self timer mode on the camera, This will eliminate any movement as you depress the shutter. And finally, lock the mirror up as a flopping mirror will cause the camera to move during long exposures. If your camera has a live view mode, use it as that keeps the mirror locked.

Last shooting tip - actually two - Shoot a lot and have fun!

New Firmware for Leica M9, M9-P

2011-12-06T10:08:00.001-08:00

Leica has announced another firmware update for its M9 and M9-P rangefinders.

Firmware v1.176 addresses what the company says is a rare fault that can occur when formatting some SanDisk memory cards. It says it has tested 'all types' of SanDisk cards and that the latest firmware guarantees their proper function.
http://en.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/rangefinder_cameras/m9_m9-p/index.html

Total Lunar Eclipse this Saturday

2011-12-05T17:03:00.001-08:00

Photo by Michael Frye

This Saturday, December 10th, set your alarm clock early and get your camera and tripod out for a rare treat. There will be a total lunar eclipse viewable in the western United States and Canada. The show begins at 4:45am when the red shadow of earth first falls across the moon. By 6:05, the moon will be fully engulfed in beautiful red light. You won't want to miss this as it will not be until 2014 before we have another.

And for great tips on shooting a lunar eclipse, read photographer Michael Frye's excellent post here :

http://www.michaelfrye.com/landscape-photography-blog/2011/12/05/lunar-eclipse-this-saturday/

Also check out the rest of his website and blog. Michael is a talented landscape and nature photographer who freely shares his tips to help you become a better shooter.

For more info on the eclipse, check out NASA's website : http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/02dec_lunareclipse/

How to Lose $2400. in 24 Seconds

2011-12-01T18:43:00.001-08:00

"Regrettably" filmed by Kurtis Hough

Filmmaker Kurtis Hough was shooting with his Canon 5D Mark II at Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. His camera was set up on a tripod and recording video when disaster struck. Watch the video below.

http://vimeo.com/32936783

500px & Lightroom

2011-12-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

Users of the online photography community 500px, can now publish their photos directly from Lightroom thanks to a free plugin released today. Until now, it’s been a bit of a hassle for users of Adobe Lightroom to get their photos from Lightroom into 500px. But with this new plugin, it's become so much easier.

The plugin allows you to:
• Publish photos to a public profile or a personal portfolio
• Create and manage portfolio collections
• Edit titles, descriptions, and other metadata and sync it with a 500px profile or portfolio
• Read and write comments for your photos from Lightroom
• See your individual photo statistics, such as views, favorites, votes and rating

The new plugin supports Lightroom 2 (in export mode only) and Lightroom 3 (publishing and export modes) and is now available as a free download here :

http://500px.com/lightroom

Days of his Life in Polaroids

2011-11-30T15:41:00.001-08:00

What started as a personal project, quickly became an obsession for New York photographer Jamie Livingston (above), who managed to take a Polaroid picture every day for 18 years.

His first photo was of his then girlfriend Mindy Goldstein and a friend on March 31, 1979.
His last, 6,000 shots later, on October 25, 1997 - his birthday was of Livingston on his deathbed, dying from cancer.

March 31, 1979

October 25, 1997

http://www.photooftheday.hughcrawford.com/

Social Media & A Muddy Camera

2011-11-28T17:29:00.001-08:00

Markus Thompson was scuba diving recently in the waters of Deep Bay just outside of Vancouver when he discovered a Canon EOS Rebel XS half buried in the mud. Thompson retrieved the camera and the enclosed SD card. After a thorough cleaning and drying, Thompson found that he could recover the images, which revealed the camera had been sitting in the water for over a year.

And here's the beauty of social media.

Thompson posted to Google+, the story of the found camera with a few identifying details he was able to dig up from the photos. Within a day, he was able to track down and contact the owner, a firefighter in British Columbia. Just one day and camera and owner were reunited. Of course the camera is now just a paper weight - but one with a great story behind it.

What Were They Thinking?

2011-11-28T12:36:00.001-08:00

Life magazine has published over 2,000 issues over the last 75 years. The cover photos are usually carefully picked by a number of editors however, every once in awhile, they make a mistake.

Check out their self-admitted 20 worst covers including surprisingly a cover image by Ansel Adams and another by Richard Avedon.

http://www.life.com/gallery/66721/lifes-20-worst-covers#index/19

Life's 75 best covers :

http://www.life.com/gallery/66711/the-75-best-life-covers-of-all-time?iid=yaml#index/0

New Firmware Update for the Canon 5D Mark II

2011-11-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

Firmware v2.1.1 for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II corrects a bug where only a single image was captured in continuous shooting mode or AE bracketing continuous mode. Corrections have also been made to Dutch language menus.

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_5d_mark_ii#DriversAndSoftware

New Look for Photoshop

2011-11-16T06:50:00.001-08:00

The new CS6 interface looks very similar to Apple's Aperture interface

While still in early beta stages, Adobe appears to be working on a new interface for the next version of Photoshop. In addition to the new appearance, Photoshop CS6 will feature new 3D tools, healing brush and red-eye reduction enhancements, and a perspective cropping tool. AppleInsider has more details and screenshots. http://tinyurl.com/7ezks27

New Firmware for Nikon D7000, D5100

2011-11-13T09:54:00.001-08:00

New "B" firmware for the Nikon D7000, v1.03, as well as firmware v1.01 for the D5100, corrects several bugs, most notably problems recognizing certain memory cards.

D7000 http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17542/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzIwOTQzMzcxL3NpZC8tRVAzKk1Jaw%3D%3D

D5100

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/17547/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzIwOTQzMzcxL3NpZC8tRVAzKk1Jaw%3D%3D

Important Adobe News

2011-11-13T09:39:00.001-08:00

Adobe has just announced substantial changes in upgrade pricing and policies for their very popular Creative Suite software.

For several years, the company has offered a “three-versions-back” upgrade policy – meaning anyone who owned a prior CS product up to three major versions back would be eligible for discounted upgrade pricing when moving up to the latest release.

Adobe now says that will be ending.

Starting in 2012 when CS6 comes out, Adobe will be changing to a “one-version-back” policy – meaning to receive a price break when upgrading to CS6, you need to already be on either CS5 or CS5.5.

So, what does this mean for anybody still running CS2, CS3, or CS4? Basically, if you want to upgrade later or have been waiting for CS6, it will cost you full price.

If you want to stay current and do not have CS5 or 5.5, Adobe is offering a 20% discount through December 31, 2011, which will qualify you for upgrade pricing when CS6 is released.

http://www.adobe.com/special/offers.html?PID=2159997

A Four Million Dollar Snapshot

2011-11-12T19:52:00.001-08:00

This image of the Rhine River became the world’s priciest picture on Tuesday when it was auctioned at Christie’s for a price of $4,338,500.

“Rhein II” was created in 1999 by German artist Andreas Gursky. The 140 x 81-inch print greatly exceeded Christie’s expectations of between $2.5 and $3.5 million and broke the previous record set by Cindy Sherman’s “Untitled #9,” which sold for $3.89 million in May.

Lightroom Leads the Way

2011-11-10T14:48:00.001-08:00

In a recent Digital Photography School.com poll, the readers were asked what post production software that they use most. The results, with over 22,000 responses are shown in the graph below.

New Firmware Update For Leica M-9 Owners

2011-11-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

Leica has just released a new firmware update, Version 1.174 which is now available for M9 and M9-P cameras. It fixes compatibility issues some M-9 owners had related to select types of new memory cards.

However until further notice, the following SD-Cards are still not recommended:

San Disk Extreme Pro SDHC I UHS-1 (all card sizes)
San Disk Extreme HD Video SDHC I (all card sizes)

You can download the firmware here :
http://us.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/rangefinder_cameras/m9_m9-p/index.html

New - Canon EOS C300

2011-11-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Canon has just announced their first truly professional cinema class camera - a super 35mm sized 4K sensor in a small, 3.6 lb body. The EOS C300 is available with either EOS or PL mounts and records to CF cards with an ISO range of 320 to 20,000.

With real timecode, XLR audio, built-in neutral density filters and other pro features, Canon has successfully bridged the gap between their still camera based HDSLR world and true professional video cameras.

Both the EOS C300 and EOS C300 PL are expected to be available at dealers in early 2012, at an estimated selling price of less than $20,000 - actual start of sales and pricing is TBA.

More info from Canon here :

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2011/c300_for_cinematographers.shtml

Film maker Vincent Laforet has had the camera for a few months to review and shot this film using the new EOS C300. Check it out in full 1080p HD here :

http://vimeo.com/30215350

Camera of the Year : Nikon D5100

2011-11-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

Every year, Digital Camera Info.Com publishes scientific reviews of the latest cameras and at the end of the year picks their favorite. This year, they chose the Nikon D5100 as their 2011 Camera of the Year.

This is what they had to say about the camera :

While we enjoyed the additions of autofocus during video recording and Nikon's creative digital filters, the D5100 blew us away by getting the simple things right. Phenomenal color accuracy, expanded dynamic range, and above-average performance in nearly every category proved enough for this sub-$1000 DSLR to be our camera of the year for 2011.

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/News/DigitalCameraInfo-2011-Select-Awards.htm

All About the Image Sensor

2011-10-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

A fascinating lecture on digital image sensors. Well worth watching if you have any interest at all in the physics and engineering that makes your camera work.

Image sensor engineer and primary inventor of the CMOS sensor, Eric Fossum, covers a wide range of subjects in his lecture titled, 'Photons to Bits and Beyond: The Science & Technology of Digital Image Sensors'

New Leica and Zeiss Glass

2011-10-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Leica has announced the Elmarit-S 30mm f/2.8 ASPH wide-angle lens for its S-system medium format DSLR. The lens, which offers a 24mm equivalent field of view, can focus down to 0.5m.

The lens will be available beginning December 2011. Prior to this announcement, Leica's widest S lens was the 35mm f2.5 ASPH.

More info : http://us.leica-camera.com/home/

And from Carl Zeiss comes the just announced Distagon T* 25mm f2.0 wide-angle lens in ZE (Canon) and ZF.2 (Nikon) versions. The manual focus lens includes a CPU to provide aperture information to the camera, allowing the use of automatic exposure modes and the recording of EXIF data.

More info : http://lenses.zeiss.com/photo/en_DE/home.html

ISO 51,200 on a Canon 1DX

2011-10-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Former New York Times Photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Vincent Laforet had his hands on the new Canon 1Dx and tweeted this photo showing an lcd image on the back of the 1Dx shot at ISO 51,200 and enlarged to 100%.

Pretty impressive!

Laforet by the way is now a DP and shot the famous "Reverie" video short after convincing Canon to let him borrow a preproduction Canon 5D Mark II to try out the video mode on it. Check out the video here : http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/galleries/galleries/sample_videos/reverie.shtml

Also check out Laforet's excellent blog : http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/

Leica Akademie North America - Expanded Workshops

2011-10-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

Leica Akademie North America continues Leica's long tradition of photographic education through experiential workshops offered in cities across North America.  The Akademie's goal is to increase the fun and enjoyment of photography, expand photography knowledge and bring the total Leica experience to a new generation of photographers.  Whether you are an experienced Leica photographer or a novice, there is no better way to learn Leica, than the Leica Akademie. The Akademie offers a wide range of programs throughout the year. Listed below are those Workshops close to Camera West in Rancho Mirage or Walnut Creek.

Leica Travel Photography with Lonely Planet

January 21, 2012

Los Angeles, CA

Leica M9 Owners

January 20, 2012

Los Angeles, CA

May 10, 2012

San Francisco, CA

Leica M9 Shooting Experience

February 17, 2012

San Francisco, CA

Leica Compact Camera Photography

March 9, 2012

San Francisco, CA

March 25, 2012

Los Angeles, CA

Leica Street Photography

August 24-24, 2012

San Francisco, CA

Leica Digital Black & White Photography

March 24, 2012

Los Angeles, CA

July 14, 2012

San Francisco, CA

Leica Weekends

February 24-26, 2012

Las Vegas, NV

March 30 - April 01, 2012

Palm Springs, CA

July 20-22, 2012

Los Angeles, CA

Leica Destination

April 23-26, 2012

Big Sur & Monterey, CA

Leica Available Light Photography

June 22, 2012

San Francisco, CA

Contact the Leica Akademie for more information
http://us.leica-camera.com/service/leica_academy/
Email: akademie@leicacamerausa.com 
Phone: 201-995-0051

One Heavy Leica

2011-10-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Artist Liao Yibai with his 771 lb Leica

A 771 pound stainless steel Leica camera, created by the Chinese artist Liao Yibai is now on display at the Foto Henny Hoogeveen Leica store in Lisse, the Netherlands. There are only three copies of this “Fake Leica”: Leica Camera AG has the second one and a distributor has the third copy.

Read more on LeicaRumors.com: http://leicarumors.com/2011/10/20/the-story-of-the-350kg-stainless-steel-fake-leica.aspx/#ixzz1bj0EvYFO

Have a Ball with your Camera!

2011-10-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Jonas Pfeil, a student at the Technical University of Berlin, has invented a device that takes a complete spherical, panoramic photograph - something not possible before due to the camera tripod or mount. Even if you had enough cameras and the right software, you would still have the problem of a tripod or camera mount blocking one angle. His solution? A rubber ball camera which you just toss in the air as it snaps 36 photos simultaneously.

From his website :

Our camera uses 36 fixed-focus 2 megapixel mobile phone camera modules. The camera modules are mounted in a robust, 3D-printed, ball-shaped enclosure that is padded with foam and handles just like a ball. Our camera contains an accelerometer which we use to measure launch acceleration. Integration lets us predict rise time to the highest point, where we trigger the exposure. After catching the ball camera, pictures are downloaded in seconds using USB and automatically shown in our spherical panoramic viewer. This lets users interactively explore a full representation of the captured environment.

We used the camera to capture full spherical panoramas at scenic spots, in a crowded city square and in the middle of a group of people taking turns in throwing the camera. Above all we found that it is a very enjoyable, playful way to take pictures.

http://jonaspfeil.de/ballcamera

Lytro : Shoot First, Focus Later

2011-10-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of buzz about this revolutionary camera during it's development the last few years. Well, now it's here for you to purchase. Lytro, a Silicon Valley company has just released their unique camera which takes what the company calls "living photos".

Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, the Lytro camera captures the entire light field, which is all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space.

Since you'll capture the color, intensity, and direction of all the light, you can focus after the fact. Focus and re-focus, anywhere in the picture at anytime, after the fact.

And focusing after the fact, means no auto-focus motor which means no shutter delay.

Price for the 1.61 in x 1.61 in x 4.41 in, 7.55 oz camera goes from $399. to $499. depending on hard drive capacity.

More info here : https://www.lytro.com

Canon EOS 1D X

2011-10-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Canon has just announced the launch of the EOS-1D X, an 18 MP camera built around a full-frame sensor capable of shooting at up to 14 frames per second (12fps with AF). The 1D X won't be available until March 2012, and will be priced at an estimated body only retail of $6,800.

More details here : http://www.dpreview.com/news/1110/11101810canoneos1dx.asp

For Sale : A Leica Gun

2011-10-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

This rare Leica Telephoto Assembly Rifle, also known as “the Leica Gun” or, in Germany, as the “Leica Gewehr,” will be auctioned off at the Tamarkin Rare Camera Auction on October 30th. This camera was originally made for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and was a favorite among wildlife and sports photographers. Very few of these were made and even fewer have survived the last seventy years.

The starting bid is listed at $65,000, but given the rarity of this piece, and the collectability of Leica gear, it’s probably going to sell for well beyond that.

From Dust to Dust : 2011 Burning Man Time Lapse

2011-10-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool time lapse by Matthew Goodman of this years Burning Man shot over a period of 5 weeks. Every second of video is equal to 3 hours of real time.

Goodman explains how he made the time-lapse here : http://craneium.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109&Itemid=116

Why You Cannot Work for Free

2011-10-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure this has happened at least once to most of you who share your photos online. Someone sees your work and contacts you praising you for your great photos. They want to use them for a commercial purpose, but here's the catch...they have no budget. They will however give you credit and supply a link to your website. Sound familiar?

Check out the following excerpt from an informative article on why photographers should not work for free.

Getting “Credit” Doesn’t Mean Much

Part and parcel with requests for free images premised on budgetary constraints is often the promise of providing “credit” and “exposure”, in the form or a watermark, link, or perhaps even a specific mention, as a form of compensation in lieu of commercial remuneration.

There are two major problems with this.

First, getting credit isn’t compensation. We did, after all, create the images concerned, so credit is automatic. It is not something that we hope a third party will be kind enough to grant us.

Second, credit doesn’t pay bills. As we hopefully made clear above, we work hard to make the money required to reinvest in our photographic equipment and to cover related business expenses. On top of that, we need to make enough to pay for basic necessities like food, housing, transportation, etc.

In short, receiving credit for an image we created is a given, not compensation, and credit is not a substitute for payment.

For the entire article : http://jimgoldstein.visibli.com/share/ow6jR0

New Leica M9 Firmware Update to Fix SD Card Compatibility

2011-10-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Leica it seems has isolated the problem with the M9 and various SD cards. A new firmware for the Leica M9 will be released for testing in a few weeks.

The following is from Leica :

STATUS 11.10.2011 (Update of the report from 8.8.2011)
Thanks to the close collaboration with SD card manufacturers, Leica has now managed to rectify the fault by making adjustments to the firmware. To ensure compatibility with as many cards as possible and to ensure that all the related processes remain fault-free and are not compromised, comprehensive testing must be carried out in the development phase. In the coming weeks we will test a beta version of the firmware in practice in cooperation with affected and selected customers.

As soon as the firmware solution is proven in practice, we will name a date for the release of the update.

For background on the compatibility issues, go to our earlier blog post : http://camerawestblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/leica-m9-sd-card-compatibility.html

Highway 395 Workshop Pics

2011-10-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hal and Tom led another great Camera West workshop, this one along scenic Highway 395 in the eastern Sierras. They picked a great time to go as you will see in the photos below, including one unexpected surprise...an early season snowfall! Hope you enjoy these photos from Hal and Tom.

Entrance to Bodie State Park

Tom Brichta at Bodie

Hal Kam at Alabama Hills

Archway to Mt Whitney

Bristlecone at 12,000 ft elevation

Bruce Wahlberg packing 3 Leicas

Dennis Sasaki uses a graduated ND filter

Fall color against granite

Photo op at Alabama Hills

Rob Thomas and his Leica M9

Early morning light on tufa formations at Mono Lake

An Hour with Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Apple posted this simple, striking image of Steve Jobs on their homepage and I was curious to know who made the portrait. Turns out to be Albert Watson who was hired a few years ago by Fortune Magazine to photograph Jobs along with a number of other business leaders. Watson used a 4x5 view camera and was lucky enough to be given nearly an hour with Jobs - something that is unheard of these days. You're lucky to get 5 minutes with most movers and shakers in business, entertainment and political circles.

Here is what Watson had to say about his session with Jobs.

“I had wanted to do the shot in a minimalistic way because I knew that was going to suit him very well. Jobs said, ‘What do you want me to do?’ I said I would like 95 percent, almost 100 percent of eye contact with the camera, and I said, ‘Think about the next project you have on the table,’ and I asked him also to think about instances where people have challenged him.

“If you look at that shot, you can see the intensity. It was my intention that by looking at him, that you knew this guy was smart,” Watson says, adding, “I heard later that it was his favorite photograph of all time.”

For more on Watson's shoot and other photographers experiences with Steve Jobs, check out this Photo District News article : http://pdnpulse.com/2011/10/steve-jobs-visionary-inventor-and-very-challenging-photo-subject.html

Vivian Maier, Street Photographer

2011-10-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

A few months back, we blogged an amazing portfolio of never published images by the late street photographer Vivian Maier. The man who found the images and acquired all the rights to them has just produced a book on Maier, now available to buy.

http://www.powerhousebooks.com/site/?p=7095

Check out our earlier post : http://camerawestblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/life-in-shadow.html

Bodie in the Snow

2011-10-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Hal sent us this iPhone photo from the entrance to Bodie State Park on the eastern side of the Sierras. Seems our Camera West Highway 395 Workshop participants got a little bit of snow over night. Don't know if they were able to actually get into the ghost town due to the inclement weather, but if they did, I'm sure we'll be seeing some incredible images from them!

Only as Good as Your Equipment?

2011-09-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

The above Nikon Facebook post has created quite a stir in the last few days. Check out all the comments here : http://www.facebook.com/nikon/posts/10150316773294620

New Flickr Android App

2011-09-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

Flickr has unveiled its first official Android app, two years after releasing an iPhone app.

The new Android app is described as a “shoot-and-share” app that lets users shoot with the in-app camera, enhance the photos with various filters and then simultaneously upload the photos to Flickr and share them instantly with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, via email, blogs and more, all straight from the app.

By hitting the market now, Flickr for Android could take some air out of Instagram’s upcoming Android debut.

More info here :

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photosession

Lightroom 3.5 and Camera Raw 6.5 Now Available

2011-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Adobe has just released a free update for users of Lightroom, along with a Camera Raw update.

Lightroom 3.5 includes bug fixes, new camera support and new lens profiles.

Generally it's a good idea to upgrade however if you shoot tethered to a Mac platform running OS 10.7 with a Canon 5D, Rebel XT or 20D, you can no longer shoot tethered with this update.

More info here : http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2011/09/lightroom-3-5-and-camera-raw-6-5-now-available.html

Something New from Canon?

2011-09-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

A big announcement from Canon is scheduled for November 3. An "historic global announcement" is what Canon is calling it. Will it be the long anticipated and in the eyes of many, long overdue 5D Mark III? Who knows, but given the location of the press conference (Hollywood), it will most likely be the much rumored EF and PL mount camcorder with a Super 35mm sensor.

UPDATE : Canon is now asking technology journalists to save the date of October 26 for a big announcement in New York City regarding EOS cameras and PIXMA printers. Interesting times ahead!

Almost New!

2011-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

We currently have a plethora of used Nikon and Canon gear. There are some real bargains to be found and all of our used equipment is carefully inspected by our trained staff and comes with a 90 day functionality warranty.

Come by Camera West in Walnut Creek or Rancho Mirage and see what we have to offer.

Dear Photograph

2011-09-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

Check out this wonderful website which allows you to share with others a picture from your past, set in the same spot in the present.

http://dearphotograph.com/

Thanks Robert for the link!

Leica S2 Demo Day

2011-09-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

This afternoon was the Leica S2 Demonstration Day here at Camera West in Walnut Creek and our good friend and Leica specialist Tom Brichta introduced us to Leica's new S2 product specialist Ben Ross.

Ben & Tom brought a few S2s for our customers to hold and shoot and see first hand the amazing images this 37.5 megapixel camera produces. We tethered one of the cameras to our 27 inch iMac so everyone could see the results as they were shooting. Everyone enjoyed cropping into each image and seeing amazing clarity, unmatched by any other digital camera out there.

For those of you who could not join us today, no worries. We usually have an S2 here at Camera West and would love to put one in your hands.

It's not often - if ever - that you get to see four S2s sitting on a counter so we had to take a photo!

Art & landscape photographer Dianne Tanaka takes a photo as Leica S2 product specialist Ben Ross looks on.

We tethered one of the S2s to our 27 inch iMac to show customers the fine detail that comes with each S2 image.

Photojournalist & good friend of Camera West Steven Foon photographs Hal and Anna Marie Maagdeberg with his Leica M9.

Looking at some S2 images on the iMac.

Ben Ross goes over some of the features of the S2 with customer Bo Mathisen (left).

Leica specialist Tom Brichta shares a light moment with customers Dianne Tanaka and Anna Marie Maagdeberg.

New System from Nikon

2011-09-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Nikon unveiled a new compact system camera tonight called the Nikon 1. The system, which consists of two compact camera bodies, which both use new 10-megapixel sensors in a new Nikon-designed CX-format (13.2x 8.8mm) — is aimed at consumers and prosumers and includes four lenses: a 10mm f/2.8, 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6, and 30-110mm f/3.8-f/5., and 10-100mm f/4.5-5.5 “power zoom” lens. The J1 will retail at $649 and the V1 at $899. Available next month.

Get the details here : http://www.nikonusa.com/index.page

I See Spiders!

2011-09-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

A customer came in yesterday with his Canon 5D Mark II looking a bit troubled. He says to me, "I'll bet you've never seen this before", as he gets a flashlight out and shines it into the viewfinder of his camera. I figured a cracked eyepiece..wrong.

A spider. A dead spider trapped inside the viewfinder. Can you imagine seeing that each time you compose a photo?

We're guessing that it was in the camera when it was assembled. Can't think of any other way it could have found it's way in there.

Lens Crashes into a House

2011-09-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Petaluma (CA) police are trying to track down the owner of a camera lens that apparently fell from the sky earlier this month, damaging a local family’s home.

Debbie Payne, 55, said she found the Canon 24-105mm zoom lens outside of her home on Friday, Sept. 2, after hearing a loud crash that shook the two-story house, left a hole in her roof and sliced through two window screens.

She said the noise was loud enough to startle her next-door neighbor, who quickly spotted a piece of the camera lens next to a truck parked in his driveway.

Officers are now tracking the lens’ serial number and working with the Petaluma Airport and the Federal Aviation Administration to determine whether the part may have fallen from a plane.

Payne said she didn’t see any aircraft near her home at the time of the incident. “It would have killed someone, had there been someone underneath the lens,” she said.

Photo-Chopping Nature

2011-09-16T14:21:00.000-07:00

An award-winning Swedish nature photographer has admitted doctoring some photos, authorities say. A photo of a rare lynx by Terje Helleso came into question when Gunnar Gloerson, a conservationist for the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, examined the photo. His suspicions were raised when the winter coat on the lynx did not match the July greenery. Gloerson also questioned claims by Helleso that the photographer has seen 150 lynx in nine months, when Gloersen had only seen 15 in 52 years of wildlife study.

On Saturday, Helleso admitted to the photo manipulations.The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, which named Helleso its nature photographer of the year in 2010, said it would review whether Helleso would be allowed to retain his title.

By the way — when Helleso received his award in May of this year, he stated, "We nature photographers should never forget the responsibility we have with our images, from both a documentary and artistic perspective."

Helleso stole this image...

...and placed it in this award winning image

Leica S2 Demonstration Day

2011-09-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this opportunity to get a hands on demonstration with Leica's amazing 37.5 megapixel S2 camera. Leica will have their new S2 specialist here at Camera West in Walnut Creek to answer all of your questions. It will be a great opportunity to shoot with the S2 and see just how beautiful the images are straight out of the camera.

No need to RSVP. Just show up between 1 and 5pm on Wednesday September 21.

Nikon Creative Lighting Workshop

2011-09-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

A great time was had by all the participants of the Nikon Creative Lighting Workshop Saturday evening.

Paul Van Allen, a Nikon USA National Training Specialist brought his tips, tricks and props to Camera West in Walnut Creek. 40 participants got a hands on opportunity using Nikon's versatile wireless flash capabilities to shoot in very creative ways, water drops, strawberries, gum balls, flowers and even a cheese grater.

A workshop participant back lights a flower with a Westcott Softbox

Paul Van Allen goes over the flash control available in camera

Paul shows his two light setup for shooting strawberries in a fish tank

Camera West's Robert Specter drops strawberries for the participants to shoot

Everyone went home with a better understanding of wireless flash photography and some great images

Capturing 9/11

2011-09-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

When a disaster strikes, you run away from the danger. Not so for firefighters, law enforcement, medical first responders and … journalists.

On this 10 year anniversary of 9/11, Reuters videographers Mohammed Awad and Soren Larson share their thoughts and experiences filming the horrific events in New York City on September 11, 2001.

http://in.reuters.com/video/2011/09/10/capturing-9-11-stories-from-reuters-vide?videoId=221411057&videoChannel=101

The 2011 Leica Hall of Fame Award

2011-09-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Steve McCurry, a member of Magnum Photos and frequent contributor to National Geographic is the recipient of the 2011 Leica Hall of Fame award.

Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, chairman of the supervisory board of Leica Camera AG, explains why Steve McCurry was chosen as the first awardee of the Leica Hall Fame Award : "More than almost anyone else, Steve McCurry has recorded the terrible consequences of war and persecution and has thus had decisive influence on our perception of world affairs for decades. For his work, he deserves our thanks and recognition."

Most will remember this image by McCurry that graced the cover of National Geographic.

Check out more of his work in this video produced by Leica.

http://www.vimeo.com/28448318

New Camera West Walnut Creek Workshop

2011-08-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

This workshop will fill up fast so please sign up early! Give us a call (925-935-1424) or email us at Camera West in Walnut Creek for more info and to reserve your seat!

You can see Paul Van Allen's work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pva1964/sets/72157623223062902/