Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

"Long long ago, Black-and-White ruled the Earth. Frosty white highlights frolicked with rich black shadows in the Meadows of Grayscale, and it was good. Then came Digital, whose dingy whites and muddy grays nearly drove Black-and-White to extinction. But now, like wild-eyed scientists cloning a mammoth, we've found the best ways to convert digital color photos into the REAL honest-to-goodness-that-looks-like-Ansel-Adams-took-it Black-and-White. NOT the pale washwater grays and off-white whites you get with "Convert to grayscale". And we're going to show you how."

Some of the most beautiful and compelling photographs are black-and-white. While some digital cameras offer a black-and-white mode, there are a variety of ways to convert any color picture to black-and-white which allow you to have control over the final product. Over at Photojojo they've posted a great tutorial on using the channel mixer to customize a black-and-white conversion.

"The latest dSLRs shoot excellent HD video, as long as you don't mind the shakiness. Redrock, who released some of the first pro solutions to this problem, have just announced a product that's downright buyable."

One of the challenges of all handheld video cameras is the camera shake. Personally, I've used a homemade "fig rig" to reduce shakiness for a some of my own videos, but it definitely looks, well, homemade. This equipment line, which starts at $195, is a much more professional option.

"If you've held the XSi or XTi, you've held the T1i. It checks in a wee bit smaller and lighter than the D5000 (in case you weren't aware, we'll be doing that with some frequency throughout), though it doesn't feel "cheaper." In fact, we'd argue that the T1i feels a bit more "professional" (as in, sturdy, solid and less like a toy) than the D5000. More rubberized grips were in place, the whole body felt exceptionally rigid and one-handed operation is totally feasible thanks to the left-aligned rear LCD monitor."

Both the EOS Rebel T1i and D5000 slide in under the $1000 barrier and provide wonderful pictures, however, each camera has the edge in different areas. Engadget provides their impressions on each, showing where each DSLR shines and where they need work. With the prices getting lower, some of you may be looking into delving into the DSLR market. Beware that the low price of these cameras only represent the body. Getting lenses, filters and accessories will cost you more, and soon you'll find yourself with enough equipment to run your own photography studio and wonder what happened.

"Over the recent months we've been presenting various showcases of photography - while many readers hated the showcases, most readers found them inspirational and perfect for a lousy workday's morning. However, what we should have done in the inspirational posts is not just provide you with some inspiration for your work, but also present useful photographic techniques which can help you to achieve optimal pictures for your designs. And as requested by many of you, now it's time to correct our mistake."

Over at SmashingMagazine.com (where I go every month to pick out a desktop wallpaper calendar) they've posted a fantastic set of links showcasing digital photography techniques. The links include examples of some pretty incredible photography, including high-speed, infra-red, tilt-shift, motion blur, smoke art, HDR and several others. The examples are amazing, but for each category a handful of how-to links are also provided. Great stuff!

"While the HX1 may not feature RAW file recording, there are many manual settings such as three noise reduction settings, many white balance settings, a full range of manual modes, and many others for the photographer who wants ultimate control. Does this combine to make a compelling package that should command your money?"

CMOS based cameras are becoming increasingly common but it seems as if the technical limitations that have kept them restricted to the more expensive cameras are still plaguing them. The Sony DSC-HX1 definitely has a lot going for it, and offers wonderful tweaks and controls for someone bitten by the bug. Still, I'm not wholly convinced that now is the right time to jump on the CMOS bandwagon. The quality of images, while greatly improved and mostly comparable when compared to their CCD based cousins doesn't justify the cost. Maybe another year will see CMOS cameras bloom in all their glory.

"I bought my first digital camera in the late 90s, it was a 1-megapixel Kodak that weighed about 14 pounds. I took terrible pictures onto my spacious 16MB compact flash card, which I copied onto my Toshiba Tecra (running Windows 98). The ~500K files had fun names like DCP0001.JPG, and I created folders named "Family" and "Vacations" and even created subfolders like "1997″ and "1998″. Every now and then I'd email a picture or two to a friend or family member, who would look at it in email, and promptly delete it. Printing a picture was generally a nuisance, and my best guess ratio of pictures taken to pictures printed was around 500:1."

A couple of weeks ago I was on the phone with my mother, trying to help her find some photos on her laptop. They had been there the previous day, but Photoshop Elements could no longer find them. In trying to solve her problem I found myself asking about her "workflow" and realized the absurdity of the situation. My mother is not a professional photographer. She's a retired schoolteacher who shouldn't have to worry about her "workflow." She just wants to take pictures, keep them safe, share them, and be able to find them when she needs them.

This blog posting over on LIVEdigitally raises some interesting points about the state of consumer digital photography. Much more than just discussing photo sharing, it hits at larger issues. Like the fact that even with the massive leaps in digital camera and image quality since the late 1990's were still dealing with meaningless file names. Or the lack of decent standards for tagging photos. Not to mention the fact that there really isn't a good way to digitally share photos. There may be pieces of solutions here and there, but where's the simplicity?

"The Casio Exilim EX-FH20, like most all megazooms, is basically a puffed-up point-and-shoot camera. However, it's what Casio puffed it up with that sets it apart: the ability to shoot at 40 frames per second and 1,000fps video capture. In fact, these are really the only reasons to choose the FH20 over another megazoom. The camera can be a bit trying to operate, and its photo quality, even at its full 9-megapixel resolution, is just OK, leaning toward mediocre when you factor in the FH20's price tag. Unless you need the speed and the long lens more than you need great-looking photos, you'll probably want to pass on the FH20."

Some pretty cool features, but Casio's decision to implement these features in a camera with fairly poor photo quality is a mystery. Even though I'd really like to with one of these super high fps camera, I agree with the avoid advice for this camera

"This is a preview of the Nikon D5000 digital SLR, created to give you a quick overview of the camera. Look for photo samples in the next week or so, and a final review in the next month or so. The Nikon D5000 is a new digital SLR that fits between the company's D60 and D90 models. The best way to describe the D5000 is like so: it takes the D90's guts and throws them into a D60-like body, adding a flip-down, swiveling LCD display. You get to keep most of the D90's top features: its sensor, AF and metering systems, live view, and HD movie recording capabilities."

Canon may ignore Jeff Keller when it comes to giving him hands-on time with new cameras, but thankfully Nikon doesn't - and thus we have a nice preview article of the new Nikon D5000. Keller has created a comparison chart that makes it easy to see how the D5000 fits in compared to the D60 and the D90. If you're interested in an entry-level DSLR that's got a few more features than the D60, but isn't as expensive as the D90, the D5000 is worth a serious look.

"The Fuji FinePix F200EXR ($399) is a compact camera with a one-of-a-kind sensor. The SuperCCD EXR sensor found in the F200EXR allows the user to select what's most important in the photo they're taking: high resolution, high sensitivity and low noise, or wide dynamic range. Previous SuperCCD sensors have been better that the competition in terms of noise, and Fuji is looking to widen their lead in that area, while also improving dynamic range (which is never a strong point on compact cameras). I'll tell you more about the SuperCCD EXR later in the review. The sensor isn't the only thing that's changed since the FinePix F100fd from last year. The F200EXR also features a larger LCD, manual controls, new film simulation modes, improved flash metering, and support for HD video output. Some things that haven't changed include its 5X, 28 - 140 mm lens, image stabilization, elaborate face detection system, and VGA movie mode."

"Mixed bag" seems to describe this camera quite effectively. The dynamic range feature works fairly well in some photos, and less so in others, and at ISO 800 the images it takes are noticeably better than competing cameras from Sony and Canon. On the negative side, it lacks HD video capture like many other cameras on the market today, and even with the VGA-resolution videos you can't zoom while recording video. Lacklustre battery life and soft images round out the not-so-good category. It's a competitive market out there in the point and shoot category, and it seems like there are better cameras out there than the F200EXR.

"David: I enjoyed your rant about the flash on digital cameras. You mentioned the clueless people who take flash pictures at an event from 200 yards away, totally pointlessly - but I've always wondered why these modern, smart cameras can't turn off the flash automatically when they're more than 10 feet from the target?"

Image Credit: spmcfarland on Flickr

The above comment was sent to David Pogue, who replied that there's no reason why these cameras can't implement that exact feature - which got me to thinking about other ways point and shoot cameras can be made smarter. One of my personal pet peeves - in addition to pointless flashes popping off by clueless camera holders - is how noisy most point and shoot cameras are. Many cameras make noise when they turn on - typically a beep of some sort but some make "zooming" sound effects - followed by a beep every time the user presses a button navigating a menu. There's a beep it makes when taking a picture, and often a beep when the user moves from image to image in playback mode. I can't help but feel irritated when I'm at a special event - wedding, a ceremony of some sort, etc. - and the moment is littered with the near-constant BEEP BEEP BEEP of digital cameras. Read more...

"We've posted samples images from the Nikon D5000 DSLR. We borrowed a production specification version of Nikon's latest digital camera and made the best of the London weather. Most of the shots have been taken using the Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR and at default settings. However, we've tried to use a range of the camera's ISO settings, two of its scene modes (including the new Silhouette mode) and even tried turning Active D-Lighting off for some of the low-light samples. We've added these samples to the end of our hands-on preview."

Curious about the new Nikon D5000 and what its photo quality is like? Then check out the sample images. I spend a few minutes pixel-peeping at the images and the quality looks quite good - though all of the sample images I looked at were taken at ISO 200 or ISO 400, where most DSLR sensors do a bang-up job.

"The 12.3-megapixel D5000, featuring Nikon's exclusive EXPEED advanced digital image processing system technologies, leverages Nikon's expertise and the innovative technologies found in its pro-level digital SLRs that enable you to capture stunning images and HD movie clips with remarkable ease. The D5000 boasts a versatile 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD monitor that can be viewed in its normal position flush against the camera, or swung out, rotated and/or tilted for a multitude of imaginative shooting angles."

Whoa - where this this come from? I have a cold today, and can't really think straight, but here's the basic rundown on this camera:it's a DX sensor, so it's got the 1.5 crop factor. 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor (23.6mm x 15.8mm), ISO 200 to 3200, 11-point autofocus, HD video capture at 1280 x 720 and 24fps. They've also added a one-button Live View function, which has a slick functin called Subject Tracking Auto-Focus, which tracks a selected subject, even if it leaves the frame momentarily and comes back in. Nice! Face priority auto-focus has also been added, which is a nice feature if you're snapping photos really quickly and don't have time to hand-pick the best focus point. The big feature though, something never done on any previous Nikon DSLR, is the vari-angle LCD screen - a 2.7 inch LCD screen can swings down by 90 degrees and can rotate 180 degrees.

The full press release from Nikon Canada (note the pricing is in CAD), along with a couple of photos, is after the break. Read more...

"The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 (also known as the DMC-ZS3 in the USA) is a brand new ultra-compact super-zoom camera, offering several major improvements on its predecessor, the popular TZ5 model. There's now a 12x, 25-300mm optical zoom lens, both wider and longer than the TZ5's, the megapixel count has increased from 9 to 10, the Venus IV Engine processing engine promises enhanced responsiveness, and the 720p HD video mode is recorded in the new AVCHD Lite format which almost doubles the recording time."

I have the previous generation of this camera, the DMC-TZ5, and it's a nice little unit - well, not so little actually. That's one of my main gripes - it's much harder to fit into my pocket than my other point and shoot camera, a Canon Powerhsot SD870. But with the 10x optical zoom and 720p video, I can forgive the Panasonic camera for being a little bulky. The successor to my DMC-TZ5 is this new DMC-TZ7. Zoom is boosted to 12x, it's 3mm wider, there's that new AVCHD Lite for video, and it has stereo microphones - even a wind-cut function to block wind noise. Nice!

With a son on the way, suddenly I have a lot more to think about when it comes to capturing all the precious moments I know are going to happen. I'm pondering whether or not the TZ7 (which is actually the ZS3 in North America - I know, so confusing) is a worthy upgrade over what I have now. Does it offer enough improvements to warrant replacing what I have now? The ZS3 comes in red, which is simply awesome (I love red gadgets!), but I'm wondering if I'd get more milage out of getting one of their new rugged cameras (the DMC-TS1D) instead. Thoughts? Opinions? I guess I'd better read this review first...

"Olympus has announced the E-450, an upgraded version of the E-420 compact DSLR. The new E-450 is essentially identical to the E-420 apart from the addition of 3 Art Filters, a new processor and an improved LCD display. Priced at £450 for the standard lens kit, it will start shipping from May 2009.It's perhaps a testament to how well specified the E-420 is that Olympus has clearly struggled for ways to improve it. For fear of treading on the toes of the recently announced E-620 (which itself stands uncomfortably close to the more expensive E-30), Olympus has engineered a model with the fewest changes over the existing version we've ever seen."

I don't follow Olympus cameras very closely, but it's certainly a bit of a head scratcher that they'd release a camera so close in features to the previous version. I think Olympus is falling prey to the mentality that every camera maker has when it comes to point and shoot cameras: release new versions as quickly as you can, even if they only offer incremental improvements, because maybe it might win you market share.

"In September of 2008 Canon announced dual successors to the S5 IS. The cheaper of the two models is the Powershot SX10 IS, which features a 10 MP CCD sensor behind a 20X image stabilized lens, with the more expensive camera - the SX1 IS - adding RAW mode, a CMOS sensor, faster continuous shooting speed, and HD 1080p video recording."

If you're looking to take a step above camera phones and point-and-click cameras, it is a good bet you have investigated larger, heftier cameras that won't fit in your pocket. Of course, these cameras don't just offer a larger body, but a wealth of additional features and controls both in hardware and software to let you take stunning pictures. The Canon SX1 IS is positioned to be one of these, especially with the use of a CMOS sensor, but DPReview remains unimpressed, actually favouring its cheaper sibling's results. I haven't taken the leap to a better class camera than what is on my phone, but when the time comes, I want it to provide a noticable difference. Looking at the test pictures taken with the camera it looks like I'd be passing by the SX1 IS.

"Our selection was made based on a variety of criteria, including popularity (best-sellers), price/feature balance and worldwide availability...For the purpose of these group tests we've abandoned most of our studio based tests, partly because the small differences between the various models won't impact on the typical user, partly because otherwise it would be next holiday season before we finished them otherwise. Instead we've concentrated more on the real world use of the cameras and on how they compare when used as they're intended to be - for standard sized prints (6x4 or 5x7 inches) or viewing full screen. Our photographic tests include studio comparisons and real world shots in good light, at night and in a typical social situation using flash."

DPreview.com has divided the compact digital cameras into 5 groups and then reviewed the best models of each group and given their recommendation on the best of each. The 5 groups are:

• Super Zoom Cameras
• Enthusiast Compact Cameras
• Premium Compact Cameras
• Ultra Compact Cameras
• Budget Compact Cameras

DPreview does a great job because they show you real world examples of photos taken from each camera, side by side. That way you can see what they like, but still make up your own mind. Check them out!

"There's a full explanation of the differences between the 500D/T1i and it predecessor on the coming pages but, in general terms, it's a gentle re-working of the 450D. So you get the 15MP sensor much like the one that appears in the 50D, helping this to become the first entry-level DSLR to feature video (and 1080p HD video at that). You also get the lovely 920,000 dot VGA monitor that has been slowly working its way down most manufacturer's DSLR line-ups. There are a handful of other specification tweaks that come from the use of the latest Digic 4 processor but essentially this is most of a 50D stuffed into the familiar 450D body."

In typical dpreview.com fashion, this preview walks through all the major components in the new Rebel T1i, essentially giving you an online version of the manual before you get your hands on the camera. If such a thing tickles your geek fancy, go check it out...

"Canon announces the new 15.1MP EOS 500D which offers photographers an outstanding combination of features. Following the launch of the first Canon EOS camera to shoot movies - the EOS 5D Mark II in September 2008 - Canon now brings Full High Definition (HD) video capability to consumers in a compact and lightweight DSLR. The new EOS 500D features a 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor - ideal for large detailed prints or enormous cropping possibilities. For shooting in near-dark conditions, the EOS 500D offers a high ISO sensitivity up to 3200 which is expandable to 12800, giving photographers the power to shoot in the dimmest light conditions. Outstanding noise reduction is made possible by Canon's DIGIC 4 processor."

The press release has the full details, but here are the specs you're probably curious about: the DIGIC 4 CMOS sensor snaps up to 3.4 frames per second at 15.1 megapixels, it has a three inch display with 920,000 dot resolution, the ISO goes up to 12,800, and it does 720p video at 30fps and 1080p video at 20fps, both in Quicktime MOV format (h.264). The MSRP is $899 USD. That's a lot of camera, and some great video functins, for the price. What I'm a bit curious about those is that 20fps 1080p video capture - on Canon's product page for it, it has the "Full HD 1080" gold logo - but I always assumed that in order to quality for that your product had to hit 30fps. 20fps is kind of weak Kung-fu if you ask me...but, heck, 720p video looks excellent so this camera will deliver some nice results.

It almost seems a shame to pick on a brand that's on its last legs, but when I stopped by the Polaroid booth at CES 2009 in January, I couldn't help but feel baffled by the Polaroid PoGo they were showing. For those of you that haven't seen this rather curious piece of hardware, it's their answer to Polaroid instant cameras slowly but surely going away (Polaroid announced they're not making the film for them any longer). The PoGo is a digital camera with a built-in printer. If your first thought is "Whoa, sounds big!" you're right on the money. Read more...

"The Canon PowerShot SX200 IS ($349) is a compact ultra zoom camera with a 12X wide-angle zoom lens, image stabilization, full manual controls, HD video recording, and a 3-inch LCD display. That sounds an awful lot like Panasonic's ultra-popular Lumix DMC-TZ5 -- easily the best camera in this class in 2008 -- though that camera is soon to be replaced with the even more impressive DMC-ZS3 (also known as the TZ7). Regardless, the SX200 is a pretty nice step-up from the SX110 that came before it. Some other features of note include a "Smart Auto" (scene detection) mode, face and blink detection, automatic redeye removal, and an HDMI port. Is the PowerShot SX200 a good choice for a go-anywhere ultra zoom camera? Find out now in our review!"

Wow, I wasn't expecting a review of this camera quite so soon! Jeff Keller got his hands on this new point and shoot camera from Canon and puts it through its paces. Boasting 12x optical zoom, 12.1 megapixels, and 720p video recording using h.264. This a very thorough review and revealed a show-stopping weakness in this camera: the optical zoom doesn't work when you're shooting a video! I'm amazined that Canon couldn't make that work (or chose not to) because my Panasonic LUMIX can accomplish that. It's also a bit bizarre that the flash pops up when you turn on the camera, regardless of whether or not it needs to fire it, and won't go back down until you turn off the power. Still, it might be a good choice for some people - but be sure to consider the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS3 as an option.