Monday, December 07, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Nikon D3000
http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2009/10/22/Nikon-D3000-Digital-SLR/p1
Image thanks to Ken Rockwell - no doubt he'll be chasing for payment to support his family once he spots his review here as well!
Back to the camera, I've not been able to do a full review as I have only had about 1/2-an-hour hands on at work, it is a "demo" camera so I'm unable to take it home since a certain incident with a D3X last summer.
But my first impression is: "Great, what a lovely uncluttered back with not too many buttons," and "Simple controls + dial on top."
Like the D40, 40X, D5000, D60 it will not focus with non-AFS lenses, but then some of my best ever pictures were taken using old manual lenses.
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| View from the Weisshorn looking east. Camera a folding Zeiss Ikonta. |
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Calumet & Photographic Societies Convention 2010
Societies’ Convention 2010
Posted: 18 Nov 2009
Societies’ Convention sold out - The Societies’ Convention bucks the recession with its trade show sell-out.
The Societies’ Convention, to be held in January 2010, now has 250 imaging companies signed up and will be the biggest Convention The Societies' has ever held. There are also 150 speakers booked for Convention. The trade-show element is free as long as you pre-register before 8th January 2010.Press Release:
Two hundred and fifty imaging companies have signed up to fill the trade area of Europe’s biggest ever photographic convention in January.
The Societies’ week-long Convention starts at London’s Novotel, Hammersmith on January 12th 2010 – and it’s already set to break all records.
Said The Societies’ CEO Phil Jones: “This will be the biggest Convention we have ever staged. And now the three day trade show element (Jan 15-17) is completely sold out. We may be in a recession but the entire industry is looking to the future - and for many it starts at this show.”
Jon Cohen, Fuji Business Group Manager said: “This is a great jump-start for The New Year. The Societies’ Convention provides us with a central point interface where I can put Fuji staff in front of customers to talk about their businesses and how our products can help them. Being able to meet customers in this way is a real winning combination. We will be using the show to preview new products like the ASK-2500 high speed dye sublimation printer.”
Calumet Photographic spokesperson Natasha Hatwell added: “We’ll have a dedicated team of imaging experts providing customers with expert advice and help and we will be showcasing products from our key suppliers .We always have a sharp focus on this event.”
Chris Kay, Marketing Manager at Loxley Colour said: “The Convention is a key show for Loxley Colour and we will be showcasing very latest products and services like our new Dynamo Press online marketing solution for photographers. We’ll also have a brand new range of albums and other lifestyle products unique to Loxley Colour.”
One hundred and fifty speakers have been booked for the Convention, including international imaging heavyweights Jerry Ghionis, Kevin Kubota, Charlie Waite, Mark Cleghorn, Damian McGillicuddy and Trevor and Faye Yerbury.
The Societies will run over 350 Masterclasses; over 12 hours of exclusive Business School workshops and over forty hours of free seminars and demonstrations.
The Trade Show element of the Convention is free as long as visitors pre-register online before January 8th 2010. For more details and ticket options for The Societies’ 2010 Convention visit theSWPP website.
Article originally printed on: www.ephotozine.com
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Guardian - 100 Years of Great Press Photographers
Today's Guardian includes a supplement 100 years of great press photographs the 1970s. Images such as Eamonn McCabe's Table Tennis player from 1978 are printed.
This picture is also used by Harold Evans in "Pictures on a Page" in (the former Sunday Times Editor's) his own musings on the much maligned decisive moment. Stanley Forman was using a motor driven 35mm camera but remembered thinking I don't want to see them hit the ground and turned away before the moment of impact. The mother died but the child's fall was broken by her mum's body and she survived.
Other photographers such as Alex Webb (Magnum) and Mick Rock have pictures included in this neat little retrospective.
Among the photographers I'd forgotten was Stanley Forman's image of a mother and child falling five floors from a Boston apartment block when the fire escape collapsed. The image won him a Pulitzer Prize and helped tighten up Boston's fire regulations. I have reproduced the image from the Guardian below:
This picture is also used by Harold Evans in "Pictures on a Page" in (the former Sunday Times Editor's) his own musings on the much maligned decisive moment. Stanley Forman was using a motor driven 35mm camera but remembered thinking I don't want to see them hit the ground and turned away before the moment of impact. The mother died but the child's fall was broken by her mum's body and she survived. I was first shown "Pictures on a Page" by Stuart Blair, a photographer on the weekly Kidderminister Shuttle where I was doing a brief work experience 15 years ago. It should still be the bible for all aspiring photojournalists.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Medium Format Digital Price Drop
Mamiya medium format photography is back in the digital market with a 22 Mega Pixel camera.For the astonishing price of just under £6,100 the new camera will use virtually any Mamiya 645 lens AF, and MF in stop down mode.
Mamiya is also seeking to steal territory from Hasselblad as it has developed an adapter to use Hasseelblad V series lenses, also in stop down mode.
Raw file compatibility is with Capture One software and the camera uses CF cards.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Autumn accelerates in Melrose
Across the foot suspension bridge above the River Tweed is this leafy lane leading to Gattonside.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Eildon Hills from Bank of River Tweed
Taken with my 3mp phone ans sent direct by email, uncropped apart from in my mind conceiving the image.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Leica M
The Leica rumour mill is running at full speed with the imminent launch of the M9 full-frame rangefinder camera.
This has led to some of my work colleagues discussing the joy of holding such a beautiful optical instrument as the Leica camera in all its forms. For many photographers it is a dream to own a Leica, however, during four years with an M5 alongside my Nikon F100, I rarely picked up the German gem preferring the rugged reliability and ease of use of the Nikon SLR.
Loading a film in the Leica is a pain, while it may have been a good system at the camera's birth, 50 years later it was anything but simple compared to dropping a roll in the Nikon and pressing the button for autowind.
Yes the rangefinder focusing system is dead accurate but so is an SLR combined with its own electronic rangefinder for manual focus. The lenses are wonderful but so are most Japanese optics whose build is based on German optical secrets exchanged during the Second World War.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Kodachrome
Recently I discovered colour transparencies of my mum and dad's wedding, in North Wales, shot in February 1962 on Kodachrome. This led to some detective work to discover the picture's origin.
Most amazingly during my parent's lifetime we were never shown these pictures, there are only about 20 in a slide tray. Immediately I discovered them questions popped up in my mind as to who had taken the pictures. They did not appear to be the work of the wedding photographer as his were all in black and white, which is typical for the period.
A chance conversation with an aunt revealed that she had owned a Leica, bought on my father's recommendation, he had a Semi-Prince, which I think took 645 images on 120 film. During his wartime service in the far east in the RAF he always hankered after a Rolleiflex but probably the camera was too expensive for a sergeant.
Another conversation with my father's cousin, John, disclosed that he also owned a pre-war Leica IIIB and Zeiss Ikonta, he shot b/w on the Zeiss and slides on the Leica, but was not at the wedding, he thought an uncle might have taken the shots.
I became interested in photography at the age of 9, after being introduced to darkroom craft by a teacher at school.
Strangely my father never told me of his own fascination with photography from wartime until the late 1950s. An album has also turned up of trips that he made to Europe and northern Scotland. The pictures are perfectly presented in photo corners and have captions on the back, the album must have taken some time to complete.
The slides were perfectly exposed and the colours are still as good today as on the day they were shot. This is a strong argument for using this now discontinued material for colour work.
I plan to have the pictures scanned and will upload one in the future...........
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Beltane 2009
The Peebles Cornet braves the usual rain during the Beltane Rideout 2009.The rideout marks the bounds of the parish and is always on the Wednesday evening during Beltane Week in June.
Nikon D5000 180mm/2.8 at 1/1000th f2.8
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Fujicolor Pro 800Z - Discontinued
Fujifilm Professional is to discontinue one of its slower moving lines of film, from September 2009 production of Fujicolor Pro 800Z will cease. The company has a limited supply of the film in stock, enough to satisfy demand until approximatively November 2009.Fujifilm's Product Manager for Professional Film, Russ Gunn, explained the decision, "We have decided to remove all formats of Pro 800Z from our range due to low sales volume. Fujifilm Professional website.
Related News
Related News
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Peebles Cycling Club
Scottish Borders Cycling star Gary Robson, who seems to be effortlessly climbing the Dreva hill road on Wednesday, offers advice to one of the youngsters competing in Peebles Cycling Club's time trial.To se all the photos go to:
Jessops
Workers face the axe tomorrow (July 3rd) as loss making camera retailer Jessops closes the shutters on some of its most experienced workers.
In one branch three workers with more than 43 years experience in the photo-trade between them will be made redundant with most other staff put on short-time.
Other staff face having their hours cut from 36 to 24 or even 12 and say they will have to look for alternative work.
Perhaps soon more Jessops stores will look like this one (right).
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Floors Castle Eventing
Taken on a Nikon D300 with a humble 50mm/1.4, 1/640th f8, just use your legs to zoom. The "pro-photographers" at this event is Grassicks, their photographer chooses one fence which looked ok but with no background to give any clue where the event was being held.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Isaac Bike
Warming up before the Peebles Open 10 mile Time Trial on Wednesday 20th May 2009.Pic taken with Nikon D3x, Iso 400, 1/15th f16 handheld, 100mm lens
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Free Software Beats Nikon at its Own Game
Free Software Beats Nikon at its Own Game
Sofortbild is a piece of free software which emulates Nikon Capture Pro
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Hasselblad H3DII 31
Geraldine photographed above the River Tweed in Peebles with the Hasselblad H3DII 31. Using the standard 80mm lens and fill-in flash from the camera's own unit. After loading the 3FR (Hasselblad Raw files) into Phocus they were exported as tifs into Photoshop each file comes up as 90mb, not many of those to a CD.
This photo is virtually unretouched straight from camera and not sharpened.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Amateur Photographer
This week's frontcover, excellent tips on using flash outdoors for fill-in which I have done for two decades.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Nikon D5000
Nikon's latest DSLR
Nikon's latest 12.3 Megapixel DSLR features a vari-angle rear lcd plus scene modes one of which is beach/snow.
As anyone who has taken one of my courses knows I'm keen to help students understand the problems which bright backgrounds cause for metering and automatic modes so here is a simple solution built into the camera.
Pre-order your D5000 (£798.99) complete with 18-55MM lens, bag and 4GB memory card at Calumet
Photobymarkdavey.com
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
White Wedding
I was photographing a wedding at Traquair House, Innerleithen, Scottish Borders, last week on April 2nd and took my clients to Cupid's Garden only to find that the sign above has vanished! So might this picture of Jason and Aria Kilpatrick now be unique?Thursday, March 26, 2009
Movie Making
Monday, February 16, 2009
Olympus E30
Much as I love the neatness and compactness of Olympus'DSLRs I wish the firm's designers would move away from
4/3rds sensors.
At last in their latest incarnation the E30 they have moved
to 12.3MP but that may well be the limit for this tiny sensor.
Come on guys lets have a full-frame or something to
challenge Canon and Nikon.
You did it more than three decades ago with the OM series
so why not in the digital age..............
Below is Olympus' puff about the newcomer:
"Art Filters, Multi Exposure, Wireless flash, Multi-aspect
Comfortable Live View thanks to high speed contrast AF
Free angle 2.7"/6.9cm HyperCrystal II LCDImage Quality
Newly developed 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor
TruePic III+ processor for ideal color reproduction and low noise
Built-in I.S. with max. 5 steps efficiencySpeed
High-speed 11-point fully-biaxial AF performance
Max. 5fps
1/8000 high speed shutter and 1/250 flash synchronization."
Nikkor Lens
Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner: This woman ran past us as we returned from a walk, as she moved through the avenue of trees and lamposts I spotted a great shot.It was a "grab" shot with ISO1600, a 180mm lens handheld at 1/30th f2.8 at 5.33pm.
It is not particularly sharp a typical pressman's smudge! but I like the sense of movement and out of focus humps in the tarmac of the road in the foreground.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Nikon 35mm f1.8
Nikon Launched a new lens today for DX-sensor cameras such as the D300, D90 & D60 it is a 35mm f1.8 making it equivalent to an old 50mm standard lens. At the same time the Japanese firm which has its UK HQ at Kingston on Thames snapped up five awards at the Amateur Photographer awards ceremony.
With the D700 taking the coveted ‘Product of the Year’ title. The competition was tough but the D700 fought off other models with higher pixel counts to pick up a total of three awards including ‘Product of the Year’, ‘High-End Digital SLR of the Year’ and ‘Forum Product of the Year’, as voted for by members of Amateur Photographer magazine’s online forums. In AP’s words, the D700 “takes the best bits of the D3 including the sensor and the AF, white balance and metering systems and incorporates them in a smaller, lighter, less expensive body aimed at enthusiast photographers” (Amateur Photographer, 14th February 2009)
Nikon’s D90 also won the ‘Enthusiast-Level Digital SLR of the Year’ award and AP’s technical team praised the inclusion of an HD video recording function and the adoption of core systems found in Nikon’s professional DSLRs. Finally, the 60mm F2.8G ED AF-S MICRO NIKKOR won the ‘Fixed Focal Length of the Year’,
Nikon’s D90 also won the ‘Enthusiast-Level Digital SLR of the Year’ award and AP’s technical team praised the inclusion of an HD video recording function and the adoption of core systems found in Nikon’s professional DSLRs. Finally, the 60mm F2.8G ED AF-S MICRO NIKKOR won the ‘Fixed Focal Length of the Year’,
Monday, February 09, 2009
Stone Carving
Chiesel champ: A young girl tries her hand at stone carving during a fair at Traquair House near Innerleithen, Scottish Borders. It is an annual two day arts and crafts event in early August.This picture was taken on film with a Nikon F100 + 180mm f2.8 lens, I must have used a shutter speed of about 1/30th second as the hammer is nicely blurred.
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