photography

Apple releases digital raw compatibility update 3.13

For photographers who use the raw sensor data format for image manipulation, Apple has issued an update that supports new camera models from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony.

The raw format is a device-specific collection of raw sensor data (hence the name) that, like the film of a contemporary camera, can be manipulated in similar ways that a developer could use to produce unique adjustments to the image that cannot be done with the final positive bitmap image. Since the sensors and other features in each camera are different, each device will have its own raw format and needs … Read more

Hasselblad lops $9,000 off pro camera price

Hasselblad has lowered the price of its high-end medium-format cameras from the upper stratosphere to the lower stratosphere.

The 60-megapixel HD4-60's list price is now $30,995, down $9,000, the company said Friday. And the HDR-200MS, a "multishot" model can combine four 50-megapixel shots into one higher-quality image to compensate for image sensor shortcomings, was cut $8,000 to $35,995.

Lower down the line, but geared and priced for professional photographers, the HD4-31 with a 35-90mm lens is down $3,595 to $15,995.

Hasselblad specializes in medium-format cameras, which in an earlier era meant … Read more

When and how to photograph the annular solar eclipse

On Sunday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. PT, millions of Americans will witness an annular solar eclipse. In this unique event, the moon will cover only 94 percent of the sun, creating a spectacle worth capturing.

Unlike the common solar eclipse, the annular solar eclipse results in a ring of fire you may only catch twice or thrice in your lifetime. The last annular eclipse appeared in 1994, and NASA projects the next to occur in 2023.

Weather permitting, the full extent of the eclipse (including the ring of fire) will be visible in Asia, the Pacific region, … Read more

Flickr upgrades core experience with bigger photos

It's been nibbling around the edges, but Flickr plans to improve a central part of the photo-sharing site today by showing photos larger -- potentially a lot larger.

Using what it calls a "liquid layout" that adapts to the size of the browser window, the Yahoo site will show high-resolution images as large as possible on its main photo pages. The traditional accompanying information will show alongside -- maps, thumbnails of other photos in the photostream, camera information, and the like.

Here's a before-and-after comparison for a person using a larger monitor.

Flickr launched with photos … Read more

Build a ring light for less than $20

A resourceful videographer, Parker Maimbourg, has managed to build a continuous ring light for just $20.

The setup consists of a cheap, circular LED lamp ($10), an AA battery holder ($1.99), and an unused hotshoe salvaged from an old flash unit. A continuous ring light is typically used to provide even illumination for portraits and closeups and usually costs at least a few hundred dollars.

Basically, Maimbourg rewired all the LEDs on the lamp to a separate battery holder, which will be mounted on the camera's hotshoe. Next, he cut a hole through the center of the circular lamp enclosure to fit his lens, spray-painted the whole setup black for that professional feel, and voila! … Read more

Stunning high-resolution photo shows Earth's many hues

Most people are familiar with NASA's quintessential photograph of Earth -- semi-transparent white clouds sweeping over beige and green swaths of land surrounded by dark blue water.

While that picture's mesmerizing, a photo has emerged showing the planet in even more color and detail, and according to some, it could be among the highest-resolution single pictures ever taken of Earth. It was shot by Russian scientists aboard their weather satellite, the Elektro-L (to download the photo and see a zoomable image, click here). … Read more

Google's Project Glass: Action photos from your eyewear

Google's Project Glass glasses might not be the most stylish pair of lenses you've ever worn, but a new image released by the search company shows how far they might go in changing the state of photography.

Google fellow and vice president Sebastian Thrun yesterday posted an image he took while wearing his Project Glass eyewear. In it, he's spinning his son, Jasper, around with both hands while the glasses he's wearing snap the photo.

Soon after it was posted, the image went viral on the Google+ social network, and it was reposted by company co-founder Sergey Brin, … Read more

Adobe ships CS6 software; Creative Cloud imminent

Adobe Systems today began selling Creative Suite 6, its mammoth but expensive collection of software for designers, artists, photographers, videographers, publishers, and others in the "content creation" business.

The software is available in the $2,599 Master Collection, the smaller $1,899 Design and Web Premium or Production Premium collections, or the yet-smaller $1,299 Design Standard collection. About three quarters of Adobe's unit shipments today are in these collections, but individual packages are available, too, such as Photoshop CS6 for $699 in its standard version or Illustrator CS6 for $599.

With CS6, Adobe tried to mix … Read more

Does it still make sense to buy a digital photo frame?

In Molly Wood's recent roundup of gadget gifts for Mother's Day, she mentions a few items you shouldn't get for Mom. Among them: a digital photo frame. Her take: "They're over. They're complicated. They're annoying. No one ever updates the pictures on them."

Say it ain't so, Molly!

I've always liked the idea of the digital photo frame, if not the execution. Most models are indeed a pain to use, requiring you to copy photos over from your PC or a memory card.

Then I got my hands on a … Read more