photography

As the de facto point-and-shoot camera reviewer for CNET, I spend a lot of time living in the world of automatic snapshots and easy post-shoot editing. While I can tell you several ways a separate point-and-shoot is better than a smartphone camera (and not just in picture quality), I'd be a lying liar if I said I never use my smartphone's camera when I'm shooting.

I'm regularly hunting for new apps that will allow me to do more and work efficiently. For a long time, though, it seemed like there was a complete lack of decent camera apps for Android. I remember trying to pull together a list of apps I liked about this time last year and I could barely come up with five. That's not the case anymore.

These are the dozen camera apps that I use most frequently, which I guess makes them my favorites. I have others that I use for various things (which I've mentioned in with my other picks below), but I keep coming back to these.… Read more

Nikon will add an 800mm f5.6 supertelephoto to its product line, closing a competitive gap with its longtime rival Canon.

Nikon didn't announce when the lens will ship or how much it will cost, but you can bet it'll be expensive. Canon's Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM costs more than $13,000.

But for some photographers, notably those who shoot wildlife and especially bird images, supertelephoto lenses are worth the price. And now that videographers are buying SLRs, some new purse strings may be loosening.

Nikon plans to show the lens off … Read more

It may not beat Photoshop, but Aviary is still one of the most comprehensive photo editors available for Android. What's more, it's incredibly simple to use.

From the get-go, Aviary makes it simple to edit your photos, as it opens up directly to a carousel of all the saved images on your device. From here, you can swipe through your photos straight away or go to your photo gallery and make your selection that way. Otherwise, the app also gives you the option to take a new photo to import into the editor.

Once you make your selection, … Read more

Lexar, one of the top-shelf makers of flash memory cards, said today it will support the new XQD format with new models that will go on sale in the third quarter.

For the mainstream flash card market, SD dominates when it comes to price and usage in cameras, video cameras, and devices including tablets and PCs. But though bulkier, CompactFlash, maintains a foothold in the higher-end market such as professional SLR cameras.

As CompactFlash aged, though, Sony, Nikon, and Lexar rival SanDisk came up with XQD as a faster, smaller successor to CompactFlash. One big selling point is fast transfer speed -- 2.5Gbps initially with 5Gbps planned with an upgrade to its underlying data-transfer technology, called PCI. The first big XQD use was Nikon's top-end D4 SLR, and Sony offers XQD cards, but so far there hasn't been much evidence of enthusiasm beyond that.

SanDisk hasn't announced XQD support, and Lexar had been noncommittal. No more.

"We are committed to offering innovative and industry-leading photography solutions, which is why we're working with Nikon to offer and co-market XQD memory cards. We view the XQD standard as one of the most logical ways to increase interface speed beyond that of existing CompactFlash technology," said Wes Brewer, Lexar's vice president of products and technology, in a statement. … Read more

I never knew that Tim Berners-Lee was a cross-dresser.

I don't mean to bring it up to expose him. I bring it up merely to celebrate the fact.

For in 8 days' time, the first photo ever uploaded to the Web will be 20 years old. And why would a picture of a wonderful all-girl singing group be the first ever out there on the WWW?

Well, partly, a report suggests, because of Berners-Lee's cross-dressing.

I lean heavily for this information on the wonderful tale told by Motherboard. (I've also emailed Berners-Lee, but haven't heard back.)… Read more

The folks at Photojojo have come up with a rather interesting way to reminisce when viewing photos. The technique, called "scent-o-graphy," essentially adds aroma to print images.

Imagine the possibilities -- being able to preserve your memories of a visit to a lavender field in Japan, for example -- by infusing your photo paper with the sweet fragrance of lavender. One way suggested by Photojojo is to seal your print in a Ziploc bag full of cotton balls laced with your choice of essential oils for two to three weeks. The scents permeate, and voila, you get a … Read more

Ever wanted to make a few dollars with the photos you've taken on your iPhone? Well, with Foap, you just might be able to do that.

The new iPhone app allows users to upload and sell photos they own the rights to.

Each photo you upload goes through an approval process and then is put into one of two categories: commercial or editorial.

Commercial photos can be used by companies in marketing or sales materials. The editorial section is for those who aren't out to make money using your photo (think bloggers and news editors). You're able … Read more

With more and more cameras able to capture full-HD videos in 1080p these days, the role of a camera doesn't just stop at stills. To get professional-grade footage free from camera shake, however, you'll need specialized videography tools, which can be a hassle to transport due to their size and weight.

Los Angeles-based designer Grant Parrinello has come up with a concept design that combines multiple videography accessories into one. It acts as a steadicam to help stabilize your dSLR when you're chasing after your subject and can double as camera crane for shooting at high and low vantage points. … Read more

If you're like many others (including me), you habitually turn to Facebook when you want to share photos online. Arguably, that's perfectly fine -- after all, your photos are not only stored in a place you access often, but are quickly shared with friends and family who use the social network (so, basically, everyone).

The downside? Facebook doesn't offer much beyond tagging, likes, and comments. What if you want to order prints? Or search for photos by date, name, or tag? Most importantly: what happens when you get sick of Facebook and cancel your account?

The benefits … Read more