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I was trying to find the commercial where the professional nature photographer is outdone by the point and shoot tourist, but I couldn’t find it.

I think it’s great that we’ve had such advances in technology, but honestly I think we’re on a downward spiral when someone’s recording news worthy content on an ipod nano (and getting in my shot)…

I was made to shoot a show from the back balcony not that long ago, and this was the opening scene. A whole audience of front row photographers who probably had their content on youtube/flickr before I had anything out.

If you’ve never been to B&H, looking to buy a lens, and come home with some pictures that look like this, then you’re not an official camera nerd.

I ended up buying the 85mm 1.8, but was close to spending all my pocket money on the 135mm 2.0. I’m saving up to upgrade to the 70-200mm 2.8.

It either takes a lot of guts, or a lot of stupidity for Fujifilm to actually release the new GF670 in America. Either way, it’s a pretty sexy looking camera. I used to own an old voigtlander 6×9 camera that looked very similar (in an old and beaten up sort of way), and I would often get stopped and asked about it.

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Buy a “Cotton Carrier” here

I got the Fujifilm Instax 200 camera for christmas from my Dad. He’d also bought one for my mum, who uses 600 Polaroids at the beginning of every school semester to get headshots of her elementary students for the classroom wall. She should probably be sponsored by Polaroid (or now Fujifilm) as she has single handedly kept the art alive in the mind of over 500 children who would otherwise have never seen an image instantly pop out of a camera and develop in their hands.

The image quality is pretty good and it handles colors and focus nicely. It’s definitely a change to be shooting a polaroid that’s such a wide format which I think will look amazing for landscapes or group shots. The almost square format of the original Polaroid 600 film could be considered a large part of its appeal and certainly has affected the styling of the typical ‘polaroid’ image. The film costs about what Polaroid 600 used to (see after break for Polaroid costs now); about $1 an image.

The panel on the side has a few basic functions like 2 focus settings and 3 exposure choices, not dissimilar to a Holga. (Dimension of camera – 178.5(W) x 94.5(H) x 117.5(D) mm)

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I just got this bag for Christmas so am still learning all the features. It took me months of research, asking friends/photographers and poking around to decide on this bag. The Thinktank Streetwalker Harddrive retails for $179 and is NOT sold at B&H, mine was from Adorama. I only point out that it isn’t sold at B&H because I often use them as the first point of research for equipment. I’d been into the store several times ready to buy a bag but never found one that worked properly. The two main features that sold me on it were the laptop sleeve being against your back (therefore keeping the heaviest – 5lbs – weight closest to you) and the indentation of the main camera spot that allows a pro-body (or in my case a camera with battery grip) sit comfortably in the bag without making the whole pack too deep. I’m still working out how best to fill it, and am finding I’ve some spare room that I may use to carry my voigtlander or a point and shoot. I’m sure that if it was full it would quickly be a pain to carry every day for the smaller events. The space will definitely be needed for longer shoots to carry all my gear.

It will fit onto most airlines overheard carrying, but remember to make it look light as there is a weight limit for carry-on and this bag will certainly exceed that when filled.

The dividers are thinner than most bags which saves on space and weight. They appear to provide plenty of protection.

The small front pocket would carry a paperback and some of the usual pen/cards. I like the ID slot on top that I’m using as a place for some spare/emergency business cards.

MORE info…..

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Do people really have $10,000 for a lens to go on their $7,000 M9? Or I guess a better question would be if people really need that extra stop and a bit of light for $6,500 more than any other 50mm lens.

DPReview writes – “At the new 0.95 full aperture, depth of field is so shallow as to allow the most aesthetic portraits”

Leica writes – “The extremely shallow depth of field at open aperture produces portraits and detailed studies of unequalled aesthetic effect”

I have to agree with Leica and disagree with DPReview. A wide open F0.95 aperture doesn’t make portraits more or less aesthetic, but will provide an effect that cannot be matched.

I might start believing if he dropped off some of these on December 24th. Every year I try and ‘cancel’ Christmas, which may seem like a Scrooge move but really it’s because of all the stress that comes with the holiday. I’m not religious and don’t celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah but every year feel the need to celebrate the birth of Jesus by going out and buying junk for people when I don’t even know what that they want. Wouldn’t it be better if we put as much effort into the ‘family’ as we do into christmas. If there were children around, like my nephews, I would be much more excited about December 25th. I also like Christmas cards and the impetus to reach out to old friends so I happily partake in that ritual. Bahhh-humbug.

I have seen many people take terrible images with beautiful cameras, and vice versa. It helps a great deal to never be struggling with the equipment you use. Often a better quality camera will improve your ability to capture greater detail in lower light but some people love the grainy plastic lens look. These two cameras could not look more similar yet have a greater divide in customer base.

Leica X1 – $1999.99 – 36mm F2.8 – 12.9 megapixels

Yashica EZ-F521 – $89.00 – 43mm  - 5 megapixels

I’m seeing more and more Canon 5D Mark ii’s being used at press events for video purposes. This guy took the biscuit with all the added stuff that made it look less like a convenient video recording SLR. I still really want one!

If the Canon Rumor website is at all correct (which it is rumored to be) then this new Canon 7D would be awesome and affordable at $1699!!! That would fit my needs pretty well. I’d prefer a 1.3 crop as oppose to a 1.6 crop on the 16-35 I own.

-18mp
- dual digic 4
- 8 fps
- 19 af points
- ISO 100-6400 (L & H1 & H2)
- 63 metering zones
- 100% viewfinder
- Horizon Help Viewfinder
- 3″ VGA LCD
- FullHD Video

As you must know by now, I could talk about cameras for hours, and I’m sure I’ve bored many people being nerdy at parties. Canon are announcing new cameras today and the most interesting is the new Canon G11. Normally people who stop me in the street and talk to me about the massive camera I’m carrying will ask “How many megapixels is that?” and I have to say 8, as I normally carry my old 20D. They normally look confused as I have a pro lens, battery grip and flash bracket attached which makes it look better than it is. Realistically though, any images I submit to agencies are never as big as “8 megapixels.” Understanding the megapixel race is all about understanding the general publics view of what is good. More megapixels = Better camera = Better quality = Better Images. None of this is true. The new Canon G11 understands this and is the first time an update on a camera actually drops megapixels from 15 to 10. Hopefully this means better low light capabilities and better image quality which is Canon’s claim. They’re plugging the camera as a photojournalists carryall camera. I’ve been wanting a camera I can carry with me all the time and have been looking at the 4/3 cameras. The G11 would be at the top of the list, but the unwanted swivel screen and lack of HD video is something to consider (not to mention that I don’t have $499.99)

BUT does it shoot as portrait when held naturally??? At 12.3 megapixels it’s gonna be priced at $799.99 (with 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens) or $899.99 (with 17mm f2.8 lens and optical viewfinder)