Olympus Raises the Bar on Zooms... Again

This entry was written on Feb 08, 2010 by our Digital Photography Guru Malcolm Smith

Olympus pretty much owned the digital superzoom category for a few years. Everyone else was busy playing catch-up.

But everyone caught up. And Olympus has found sales slipping of late. But they've gone and done it again. They've raised the bar even higher.

Meet the new SP-800 UZ. This superzoom sports a 30x (You read that right!) optical zoom lens. In 35mm terms, it's equivalent to 28mm - 840mm.

What's truly amazing, though, is the speed of the lens. It comes in at f/2.8 at the wide end (28mm) and a respectible f/5.6 at 840mm. That's faster than the competition on the wide side, and as fast as the competition at a zoom length far beyond their reach.

Toss in 1080i HD video, 27 scene modes, built-in noise reduction and dual image stabilizatoin... and I'd say Olympus is back in the game.

Or ahead of it.

Are More Pixels Really Better?

It's the digital camera industry's dirty secret: All pixels are not created equal. They don't tell you, because they want you to suffer from pixel envy. That's how they get you to buy the newest digital camera models.

But is a 10-megapixel camera really better than an 8-megapixel model? Or even a lowly 5-megapixel model? Not necessarily. Here's a case in point:

The 12-megapixel Nikon D300 retails for a little under $1,500. Nikon's D700 is also a 12-megapixel camera... but it sells for about $3,000. Since both are DSLR's, if you don't need the extra features on the D700, you'll get the same quality pictures for $1,500 less, right?

Wrong. Though both cameras offer roughly the same nominal resolution, at 23.6 x 15.8 mm, the D300's sensor is less than half the size of the D700's. That means each pixel in the D700 sensor is able to absorb more light... and thus can provide greater detail and richer color.

But don't knock the D300... it's sensor is still about twice the size of the average point-and-shoot camera's sensor.

Greater nominal resolutions can also create a disadvantage. Smaller pixels tend to increase "noise" - off-color or grainy spots in your photos. That's why your old 6-megapixel camera may have produced better looking photos than your new 10-megapixel model.

So when you're looking for a digital camera, look at two numbers: resolution ("megapixels") and sensor size. Because resolution alone is just half the story.

Olympus Releases the PEN for the Rest of Us

This entry was written on Feb 05, 2010 by our Digital Photography Guru Malcolm Smith

Fifty years after the release of its groundbreaking "PEN" 35mm camera, Olympus brought us the digital camera version. The new PEN is a micro four-thirds digital that's compact in size, but carries the capabilities of a digital SLR.

Unfortunately for those on a budget, it's pricier than many digital SLR's... and therefore out of our reach.

Not to worry. Olympus has just debuted the PEN E-PL1. It's a gorgeous - if somewhat slimmed down - PEN for under $600. And that price includes a 14 - 42mm zoom.

Though 12.3 MP doesn't sound like terrific resolution, the sensor on theis camera is about eight times larger than a typical point-and-shoot's. So the pixels are huge. And that means far less noise. Your pictures will pop.

The E-PL1 also has the first built-in flash on a PEN model, as well as a feature Olympus calls "Live Guide." Live Guide lets you adjust for the effects you want with the press of a button, instead of having to memorize and make technical adjustments.

This micro four-thirds model is a bit bigger than a compact point-and-shoot, but it has all the auto features you'd get on one. And it's a smaller than a digital SLR, but offers most of the manual features you'd get with one.

Plus, it has 720 HD video, RAW image capability, image stabilizatoin, built-in art filters and more.

The E-PL1 is a digital camera somewhere in-between. More compact than an SLR, more powerful than a point-and-shoot. And, at this price point, I'd say it's a winner.

Don't Re-Shoot, Retouch

Did you ever suspect a digital photo you shot in color would look better in black and white? Most photographers do from time to time.

Well, there's no need to go back out and shoot your subject again. With most digital photo editing software, you can get that black-and-white look easily.

In Adobe's popular Photoshop Elements (version 6), for example, you just open the photo file and select "Enhance" from the main menu. Then select "Convert to Black and White..." from the drop-down list. Elements displays the original (color) photo next to a black-and-white version, along with several adjustment options to fine-tune your photo.

Just make the changes you want (the on-screen image changes as you adjust the settings) and then click on "OK." Elements then displays your digital photo in black and white. The entire process takes just seconds.

Even better, Elements' "Undo," "Step Back" and "Revert" features let you change your mind at any step in the process - so long as you haven't saved over the original file.

Hope for Better Photos in Low Light

This entry was written on Feb 03, 2010 by our Digital Photography Guru Malcolm Smith

The demand for longer lenses - even on compact digital cameras - creates a problem. You can't put huge lenses on little tiny cameras. So manufacturers have often settled for slow lenses, since zoom range is so important to their customers.

Of course, this creates complaints on the other side. Folks get relatively poor results in low light from most of these "overstretched" digital cameras.

Until now, perhaps.

Featuring a 10.7 X zoom lens (28 - 300 in 35mm terms), Ricoh's new CX3 is a different animal. While the lens is still a relatively slow f/3.5 - 5.6, the sensor is something different.

Ricoh calls it a "back-illuminated" CMOS sensor. The wiring is on the back of Ricoh's sensor, instead of the front. Reversing the normal layout increases the amount of light striking the sensor's surface.

And if Ricoh's examples are any indication, this compact digital delivers the goods. They've also thrown in a noise reduction feature that smooths out the roughness at high ISO ratings.

The result is a compact digital that offers unusually good low-light performance - in spite of a relatively slow lens.

I've only seen Ricoh's examples thus far. And they're obvously going to show only their best results. But those results look promising.

The Portable Hard Drive Grows Up

There are a lot of options out there for portable photo viewers. Cell phones, PDA's, iPods... They all have their advantages. But for my money, there's only one way to go if you're a serious photographer: a portable hard drive storage device.

Though most of these devices are a little too large to comfortably fit in a pocket, they easily ride in a medium-sized camera bag or a backpack. And they provide enough storage space to download an entire vacation's worth of high-resolution photos - and then some.

While there are a handful of brands to choose from, when you consider features vs. price, I believe Digital Foci's Picture Porter comes out on top. The Picture Porter includes built-in slots for 10 flash memory card formats. It's compatible with five photo file types - including RAW files - four video file types and four sound file types - including MP3 and AAC.

For travelers, the Picture Porter can also serve as an entertainment system. You can download your favorite music and listen via the built-in speaker or with headphones. Plus, you can record video ( your favorite movies, perhaps) to the Picture Porter and play it back on the bright 3.6" color screen. There's even a built-in FM radio and direct audio-recording feature.

If you take a lot of digital pictures, or use RAW or TIFF formats, you'll go through memory cards quickly. A portable hard drive device such as he Picture Porter could be just what you need to store and organize your pictures on the go.

"Where's the Digital Camera?"

This entry was written on Jan 28, 2010 by our Digital Photography Guru Malcolm Smith

That's the queestion everyone seems to be asking with the introduction of Apple's new iPad tablet device.

The iPad, which looks remarkably like a steroidal iPhone comes with pretty much every bell and whistle you can imagine... except a built-in webcam.

True; a digital webcam would be a nice touch. But considering all the iPad can do, the complaint sounds a bit like sour grapes.

Perhaps Apple is saving the webcam for a future update.

Pro Lighting Secret for Outdoors

Outdoor light can be very uneven. And if you don't want your subject squinting into the sun, chances are good you'll wind up with a lot of shadow on their face. Here's a little secret pros use to solve this problem.

It's called a reflector.

Reflectors are exactly what they sound like: surfaces that reflect light. And basic two-sided folding models start at about $10.00.

If there's too much shadow on your subject, simply angle the reflector to bounce light onto them. You can use a stand or a friend to hold the reflector, and then shoot away. Your subject comes out well-lit, and you look like a genius.

Reflectors come in several sizes and configurations. A good choice for a portable reflector is a two-sided 12" model. They typically fold to about 1/3 their oringal size, so you only need a 4" spot in your pack or camera bag. Good choices are silver/white or silver/gold. Gold will warm the reflected light, which can be especially pleasing when shooting portraits.

Reflectors are effective for any fairly close work where shadow is a problem and flash might make your shot too bright or unnatural. And at just $10.00, it's one of the cheapest accessories you'll ever love.

Is Kodak Bouncing Back?

This entry was written on Jan 28, 2010 by our Digital Photography Guru Malcolm Smith

In the 4th quarter of 2008, Eastman Kodak lost $918 million.

What a difference a year makes! Twelve months later, the photography giant posted a $443 million profit. That's a turn-around of $1.36 billion.

Kodak is aggressively leveraging its intellectual property rights - the company holds a slew of digital patents - and reaping the rewards of tough restructuring decisions.

This is good news for point-and-shot fans, as some of Kodak's recent digital camera models have been getting rave reviews.