Dptips :. Digital Photography Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

Just posted! Our mammoth in-depth review of the Sony Alpha DSLR-A100, Sony’s first digital SLR and first of their newly created Alpha line. The A100 represents the coupling of Konica Minolta SLR and photographic know-how with Sony’s electronics and engineering experience. The A100 is fitted out with a ten megapixel CCD sensor mounted on a CCD-shift ‘Super SteadyShot’ platform which provides in-camera Anti-Shake capability, it also has other unique features such as in-hardware Dynamic Range Optimization and Eye-Start AF. So dive into one of our longest reviews to date and see how the A100 shaped up.

The 33rd International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques will begin in Boston today and last until August 3, 2006. Photographing Long Scenes with Multi-Viewpoint Panoramas, one of the conference papers, describes a system for producing panoramas of long scenes, such as the facades of buildings along a city street, from a relatively sparse set of images captured with a handheld digital camera that is moved along the scene. Another paper, Photo Tourism, Exploring Photo Collections in 3D discusses a system for browsing large collections of photographs in 3D…

On July 28, 2001 our website was launched and thus we’re celebrating our DCViews Lustrum today. We thank you all for your support and for letting us be the guide on your quest through the Internet and your journey into the wonderful world of digital photography. In line with the original meaning of the word Lustrum, the ritual cleansing of the state by the Roman censors, we have taken this opportunity to revamp our website, improve our camera section, bring our tutorials up-to-date and actualize and validate our link sections…

Ricoh announces that it will release a second function-enhancing firmware update for its GR DIGITAL camera (first update released in March 2006). The following features can be added by installing this firmware: 1) Optional functions can be set for the Exposure Compensation and White Balance selections that were applied as fixed items on the ADJ. dial. 2) If settings are changed with the ADJ. dial, the setting can be selected by the zoom button. Update: Ricoh GR firmware 2.10 now available…

Many Internet sites on photography and artwork employ a light text on a dark background to optimize the display of images. Or is it all just a matter of taste of the web-designer? As the larger part of the information on these sites is in text format, one could argue that, for some, a light background would increase the readability of the site. Little known, but here at our DCViews website you can make your own choice and select the page cover that is most readable and/or appealing to you…

Casio announcea the EXILIM EX-Z700, the latest addition to its stylish series of EXILIM digital cameras. The EX-Z700’s LCD is both big and bright: the 2.7″ screen with 1200cd/m2 brightness is easy to see, even on a sunny day. At 7.2 Mp, the Z700 ensures crystal-clear image output for both printing and screen, delivering extraordinary detail. The long-life battery packs enough power for around 460 still images on a single charge, and the camera comes with Anti Shake to reduce blur due to shaky hands or moving subjects…

Casio has announced today the new 7.2 megapixel Exilim Zoom EX-Z700. With a 3x zoom, Casio’s Anti-Shake DSP and new BEST SHOT modes including an auto framing mode and a layout shot mode. The EX-Z700 also features a large 2.7-inch LCD with 1200cd/m2 brightness which is claimed to be visible on bright sunny days.

Minox announces the DMP 3 media player, yet another professional multi-talent in the Minox multi-media product range. High-tech in a compact size, with an extremely attractive housing – the Minox DMP 3 is another result of the successful cooperation between Minox and Volkswagen-Design. Its real assets are the MPEG 4 video player and the AV-recorder; but a digital photo album,MP3 player, voice recorder and USB memory are additional features. The DMP 3 comes complete with a Li-ion battery, AC-adaptor and earphones…

Pentax announces the Optio S7 compact digital camera, the latest model in the Optio S series and follow-on to the Optio S6. In addition to an upgrade to 7.0 megapixels, the S7 features a Blur Reduction High ISO mode to help reduce the effects of camera shake and subject blurring for sharper images even in dim lighting conditions such as night scenes and indoor sporting events. Also featured is a Face Recognition function that simplifies portrait-taking. The Optio S7 ships in Sep. 2006 on a limited basis for under $300…

On August 31st, 2006 the Leica offer to “switch to digital with the world’s only digital analog system and save $1000″ will expire. The Leica Digital-Module-R is the only imaging system on the planet that allows you to switch seamlessly from digital to film. And it is also the only system that lets you make full use of the unrivaled range of Leica lenses–optics that deliver superb image quality both technically and aesthetically. Please note that the offer may vary between the various countries. You should consult your country dealer for more information relating to this offer…

Olympus has released a revision for the Olympus Studio and Viewer software for Windows and the Mac. This latest update version 1.51 improves the stability of the [Update Firmware] function. Furthermore, the RAW development of the Olympus SP-320 file is now supported. If you are using both OLYMPUS Studio and Viewer, it is necessary to update both to version 1.51…

Sigma UK announces the new 8mm F3.5 EX DG circular fisheye lens optimized for digital cameras, which will be available this summer. The lens has a maximum aperture of F3.5 and minimum focusing distance 13.5cm (5.5“) with a maximum magnification of 1:4.6, and an angle of view of 180 degrees creates a circular image with 35mm and full frame digital SLR cameras. The new Fisheye lens comes with the corresponding AF mounts for Sigma, Nikon, Canon and Pentax. The availability of each mount will be announced at a later time…

Nikon is today showing you a glimpse of what’s probably the follow-on to its D70 digital SLR series. The Nikon Imaging Global and USA websites have put up a teaser suggesting an announcement within 20 days and give you the following hints: More power… More control… More versatile… More excitement… New 10.2 megapixel D-SLR addition to lineup… Integrating quality and affordability to meet demands of passionate photo enthusiasts… The Nikon Europe websites however, are stealing the show and are throwing in some thunder and lightning…

SanDisk Corporation today introduced the new SanDisk Extreme IV line of CompactFlash digital film cards for professional photographers. The line is targeted at photographers who require the highest possible performance and the largest capacities for their medium format and high-end digital SLR cameras. The Extreme IV cards are available in capacities of up to 8 GB and deliver minimum read and write speeds of 40 MB per second. At the same time SanDisk introduces a 4-gigabyte SD card bundled with the MicroMate USB 2.0 reader…

Lexar Media, Inc announces that it has increased the performance of its popular Professional 8GB CompactFlash memory card to 133X. This performance improves the digital imaging workflow for both professional and advanced amateur photographers working with and managing large files. Lexar’s new card is capable of a minimum sustained data write speed of 20MB per second and is currently available in the CompactFlash Type I flash memory card format, the most popular format for today’s digital SLR cameras…

Panasonic introduces the new Lumix DMC-LX2, successor to the DMC-LX1. The DMC-LX2 inherits the f/2.8 28mm wide angle LEICA DC lens, 4x optical zoom and MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer) system in addition to an enhanced CCD capable of 10.2-megapixels and larger 2.8″ 16:9 wide LCD. Not only that, the LX2 is further distinguished from other cameras by its full manual controllability with a joystick allowing users to to set focus and exposure manually, and serves as a quick shortcut to frequently used variables…

Panasonic introduces the new Lumix DMC-FZ50 with Optical Image Stabilizer to fight against the major cause of blurred images, as a successor to the DMC-FZ30. The DMC-FZ50 features a powerful 12x optical zoom f/2.8 LEICA DC lens, and boasts a 10.1-megapixel high resolution CCD for its image sensor and Venus Engine III for the image processing LSI, making it possible to record a image at max. ISO 1600 high sensitivity setting at full resolution. The FZ50 will have an MSRP of $649.95 and ships in September…

On the heels of the NV-Series announcement, Samsung today releases the Standard Digital Camera Series ‘S’ aiming at the global market. The new 7 Mp S700 and 10 Mp S1000 are entry level digital cameras that have been developed for use by the whole family. The cameras provide a Special Effect Key which enables various effects with a single button such as color control, photo partitioning, photo frame, etc. The S700 and S1000 will be released at the end of this month…

Panasonic introduces the new 7.2 Mp DMC-FX50 and FX07 digital cameras, and also the 6 Mp DMC-FX3, the world’s first to feature Intelligent ISO Control to correct image blurriness caused by movement of subject matter. The FX50 allows dual image playback, enabling you to see and compare any two images at a time. It also allows selection of up to nine frames from a captured image file to be displayed as thumbnails and saved as still images. The FX50 goes for $399.95, the FX07 for $349.95 and the FX3 for $279.95…

Sony Europe announces two new DVDirect DVD recorders to solve the problem for camcorder and digital camera users of what to do with their ever-growing number of videos and photographs. Both recorders support Dolby Digital 5.1 and incorporate Hi-Speed USB 2.0, DV digital video (FireWire), and analog S-video and composite video inputs. The VRD-MC3 recorder also features Memory Stick (Duo), Compact Flash, SD and xD card slots and a 2.5-inch color LCD for easy previewing when used in stand-alone. The VRD-VC30 features a 2-inch mono LCD display…