Blog

Getting Those Low Light Shots

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:39:00 -0500

I frequently get questions about finding a good low light digital camera for amateurs or people who are typically casual users. Low light photography is is a tricky task. Much of the success in getting good shots in situations where light is limited, depends upon the quality of the sensor. Certainly some point and shoot cameras are better than others in low light, but most consumer level cameras can't compete with professional level SLR's. However, there are things you can do to improve those shots.

The idea is to increase the amount of light you're letting in through the lens. Therefore, you can slow down your shutter speed, allowing more time for light to enter, and increase the aperture, or the opening, to allow in more light. This is of course, assuming that your digital camera gives you manual control. If not, you'll have to settle for a "night mode" setting. Some point and shoot cameras also allow you to select a higher ISO setting. The ISO refers to sensor sensitivity.

Of course a slow shutter speed can easily result in blurring too. A high ISO also increases "noise" or artifacts in the shot. Simply put, this means it's possible to go too far with any of these adjustments. A lot of experimentation may be needed. Of course when appropriate, using a tripod during any low light shooting can help reduce problems with blurring tremendously.

For more of the details, the following tutorial should help.

Cell Phones with Better Entertainment

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:13:00 -0500

As we all know, cell phones can serve a variety of purposes. For those who love music there have been some new phones introduced in the last several months that do an exceptional job of providing and playing the music you love. Certainly, the iPhone 3GS would be on the list of the best music phones, but we should also probably add Sony Ericsson's Aino and the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.

The Aino gives user's stereo FM radio, an airplane mode for listening while you fly, an equalizer, clear bass, playlists, shuffle and repeat modes, track ID, shake control, and much more. You also get Bluetooth stereo headsets, although there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. The Aino is an all round media phone which allows you to sync with your computer to pull content wirelessly. It also gives users access to their PS3 and, in conjunction with PlayTV, you can watch and record live TV.

The Nokia 5800 on the other hand, possesses a 3.5mm audio/video jack, FM stereo radio, graphic equalizer, bass booster, stereo widening, and compatibility with MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, and WMA digital files.

If a good camera phone is more your idea of great entertainment, then another phone released in recent months that might create a bit of excitement is the Sony Ericsson C905a. It provides an 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus and a Xenon flash. It has a lens cover, self portrait mirror, 16x digital zoom, and a self timer. It offers some technologies to assure you get the best shot too; things like face detection, spot metering, red eye reduction, as well as multiple scene modes which allow the camera to make exposure adjustments. With the built-in GPS, you can also geotag photos and video that you capture.

New Pocket Camcorders

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:58:00 -0500

Some of the newer pocket camcorders introduced at the Consumer Electronics show earlier this year are arriving on the market during the next few weeks.

These devices are generally coveted for their lower prices, portability, and easy of use, but increasingly they offer some impressive recording abilities. The Samsung HMX U20 boasts not only the ability to record 1920x1080 HD video but 8 megapixel still images as well. In addition, it adds 3x optical zoom for steadier shots.

The Sanyo VPC CS1 will also be capable of 1920x1080 video capture but will also allow users take 8 megapixel stills, connect via Eye-Fi SD cards, and zoom both audio and video with it's 10x optical zoom and sound zoom features.

The Sony Bloggie adds a pistol grip type of pocket camcorder to their lineup. Of course it also offers 1920x1080 video recording but users can switch to 720 60p mode to capture smooth video during fast action scenes. It's capable of capturing 5 megapixel still images and offers a built-in USB connector.

Recovering Deleted Photos for Free

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:51:00 -0500

I was away yesterday, taking hundreds of photos for a work project. When I got home I proceeded to download them. I was in a hurry and using brand new photo software. In the process, I managed to delete them before downloading. I won't go into the details and it was only my own carelessness that created this catastrophe.

I'm confessing this only to help others. I searched online for photo recovery freeware only to find, after trying multiple options, that none of them were free. That is, until I came across Recuva. My personal testimony is that it was indeed free, was simple to use, worked extremely fast, and recovered 100% of my photos. That's it, and that's all that I wanted.

If you manage to delete your photos from your memory card accidentally, I recommend you set aside your memory card so that you don't write over the existing photos that are still there in reality, and then restore them, trying freeware first.

Optio W90: A Waterproof Digital Camera

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:58:00 -0500

Waterproof cameras that can also tolerate a bit of a drop and the cold temperatures of winter are becoming increasingly popular. Having any electronics device that can take a bit of abuse is certainly a good thing, but with a camera it also allows you to get much more creative.

Optio is introducing a new one in the coming weeks. The W90 is waterproof to depths of 20 feet and can tolerate a drop of 4 feet or more. You can use it in temperatures well below freezing without any problem too. However, it has some unique features that will add to your picture taking fun. First, in addition to the typical smile, blink, and face recognition technologies that help you capture your human subjects at their best, Optio has added pet recognition too. Now even your furry friends will look their best.

In addition, this camera offers a microscope mode that allows you to shoot subjects as close as a centimeter from your lens. Clearly, this would have to be a really small subject, but if you're into selling thumb tacks on e-bay or studying microbes, this one may be fore you.

Netflix Movies On The Go

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:18:00 -0500

For Netflix subscribers, the Watch Now feature has been tremendously popular. It allows them to stream movies to watch them instantly versus waiting on a disk to arrive in the mail in a day or two. Of course, in the past year and a half, more and more devices are allowing them to also stream Netflix movies to their TV as well.

For those who want to watch their Netflix movies away from home, the number of options just grew. Sony has announced that their personal internet viewer, the Dash, will include Netflix movie streaming as well as access to Demand Media content.. I talked about the Dash recently, it offers a variety of internet content from viewing photos to gaining access to social networking sites, listening to internet radio, viewing photos, and more. Adding Netflix to the mix certainly makes the device much more interesting.

Commercial Free FM Radio

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:03:00 -0500

For those who hate commercials and banter cluttering their music, MP3 players, satellite radio, and internet radio are available. Of course, if you don't want monthly fees or to mess with an internet connection and downloading, you were kind of stuck until recently.

Whether you prefer simplicity, you're tech shy, or you just love local radio, there is a new commercial free radio option that might work. In fact, it sounds like it might be perfect for many seniors as well as for those with low vision or blindness as well. It's a device called the Abee commercial free radio. It is a desktop FM radio that records FM stations while stripping out commericals and banter with it's software giving you uninterrupted listening. It comes with a small music player that makes your music portable as well. There are no monthly fees, no internet connection needed, and it's simple to use. In fact the buttons to save, delete, pause, skip, fast forward and rewind are raised and have unique shapes that make the device simple to operate even if vision is limited.

A More Portable Photo Printer

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:33:00 -0500

There are number of mini photo printers on the market. They are small and lightweight enough to easily put into a bag or brief case. However, many of them aren't really portable enough to slip in a pocket or anything. Well, that is except for the Polaroid PoGo or the Dell Wasabi. While the PoGo and the Wasabil are the picture of convenience, weighing mere ounces, they restrict you to printing 2x3" photos. That's ok for fun but these aren't really the size pictures most of use will use outside of our wallets or the front of our refrigerator.

Well, that's starting to change. Pandigital introduced their portable photo printer earlier this year. Like the PoGo and Wasabi, it makes use of ZINK technology. The paper is smudge, tear, and water resistant as it's always been. The paper is a bit more expensive than most photo printing paper, but on the other hand you don't have to deal with ink cartridges at all which makes the device lighter and the long term costs lower. The real news however, is that this printer will create bordeless 4x6 prints rather than the 21x3 prints characteristic of earlier ZINK products. It is larger than the Pogo, but it presents a portable printer minus the added complexity of ink cartridges that will give you full sized prints.

Doing a Little Low Light Video Recording?

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:39:00 -0500

Panasonic recently announced two new camcorders that they say will have exceptional low light recording capabilities. They will both record 1080p video at 60 frames per second, capture 14 megapixel still images, and offer convenient featues such as optical image stabilization and intelligent auto shooting to make capturing great looking video easy even for beginners.

The HDC-HS700 model will be a 240GB hard drive camcorder and the HDC-TM700 will be a flash based camcorder. They both have a 3" LCD screen, electronic viewfidner, 5.1 channel surround sound micrpohones with zoom and wind noise cancel function, and a 12x optical zoom, 35mm/f1.5 wide angle Leica lens. They also provide for additional storage with a card slot that will accommodate SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

These cameras are for more serious users with full manual controls being available and high sensitivity low noise sensors making them good low light camcorders. They aren't on the market yet, but should be in the coming months.

A Rugged Pocket Camcorder

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:19:00 -0500

Some of the most popular video devices have been pocket camcorders in the past couple of years. These smaller cameras are very user friendly, make sharing a breeze, are extremely portable, and affordable as well. Many of them now offer HD video quality making them popular not only with teens but with adults as well.

Kodak recently introduced a new player in the field; their PlaySport HD. It is capable of 1080p video at 30fps and 720p video at 60fps. It will also snap 5 megapixel stills. It's reported to have improved low light capabilities, electronic image stabilization, and a 2 inch LCD with an anti-glare shield feature to help you see what you're filming even in bright outdoor light. However, what is more unique about this tiny camcorder is that it's ruggedized for the outdoor enviornment. It's a waterproof camcorder that will film at depths of 10 feet or less and can tolerate a fall as well.

The PlaySport should be available by April 2010 and expected to be priced around $150.