Category Archives: Digital Cameras

How To: Take Great Photos With Your Point and Shoot

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By Howard Creech, DigitalCameraReview Staff 12-06-2013  (http://www.digitalcamerareview.com)

When we see professional photographers on the news and in the movies it often appears that only the dSLR cameras and super-fast lenses they carry are capable of making great images.  Most amateur shooters want to take good pictures too, but they don’t want to spend a lot of money on esoteric photographic gear or learn anything about f-stops. Consequently, many amateur/casual photographers believe that only complex and expensive gear can produce truly beautiful photographs. Socket wrenches and screwdrivers don’t fix cars–good mechanics do! Cast iron skillets and French saut–pans don’t create delicious meals–good cooks do! The camera (like a cast iron skillet or a socket wrench) is simply a tool. And learning how to use that tool is how you can create amazing images.

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Click! Google rebuilds Android camera base for better photos

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Rebuilt software plumbing in Android should give new power to camera apps — once Google makes the interface available to other programmers besides its own.

by Stephen Shankland. November 25th, 2013 (http://news.cnet.com)

Want a better camera on your Android device? Google does, too.

For that reason, the company has overhauled the mobile OS’s plumbing. Google has built deep into Android support for two higher-end photography features — raw image formats and burst mode — and could expose those features so that programmers could tap into them, the company said.

Evidence of raw and burst-mode photos in the Android source code surfaced earlier in November, but Google has now commented on the technology. Specifically, spokeswoman Gina Scigliano said the support is now present in Android’s hardware abstraction layer (HAL), the part of the operating system that handles communications with a mobile device’s actual hardware.

“Android’s latest camera HAL (hardware abstraction layer) and framework supports raw and burst-mode photography,” Scigliano said. “We will expose a developer API [application programming interface] in a future release to expose more of the HAL functionality.”

Full article at source>

Nikon Announces the Revolutionary Retro Style DSLR Df Camera with Special Edition AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.8G Lens—Now Available for Pre-Order at B&H Photo Video

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The Nikon Df is designed exclusively for taking still photos, enabling high reliability, advanced functions and elegant camera control in Nikons thinnest, lightest FX-format DSLR. Dedicated mechanical dials for shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation, exposure mode and release mode all help to focus on what matters—achieving creative vision.

 

NYC, NY (PRWEB) November 05, 2013

The new Nikon Df is a thrilling FX-format DSLR with a unique mechanical operation system and classic styling, along with Nikon’s flagship digital camera technology. A perfect blend of classic and modern, the Nikon Df offers a more personal shooting style that will inspire a new relationship with the camera—which one may have known and lost over the years—and reawaken the joy for taking photos.

The Nikon Df DSLR features an FX-format 16.2MP CMOS sensor and the EXPEED 3 image processor. The Df has an expanded sensitivity of ISO 50-204800, 5.5 fps continuous shooting, and a 39-point AF system with nine cross-type points. Dedicated exposure control dials along the magnesium-alloy body enable intuitive handling, the pentaprism viewfinder and 3.2″ 921k-dot LCD avail a choice of means for monitoring, and a metering coupling lever permits the use of both AI (Aperture Index) and non-AI lenses. This means that in addition to supporting current AF-S, AF-D, and AF NIKKOR lenses, past manual focus, non-AI lenses can also be used without any modification.

The Nikon Df is designed exclusively for taking still photos, enabling high reliability, advanced functions and elegant camera control in Nikons thinnest, lightest FX-format DSLR. Dedicated mechanical dials for shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation, exposure mode and release mode all help to focus on what matters—achieving creative vision.

Full press release, photos and video at source>

$10 Smartphone to digital microscope conversion!

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by Yoshinok (http://www.instructables.com)

The world is an interesting place, but it’s fascinating up close.  Through the lens of a microscope you can find details that you would otherwise never notice.  But now you can.

This instructable will show you how to build a stand for about $10 that will transform your smartphone into a powerful digital microscope. This DIY conversion stand is more than capable of functioning in an actual laboratory setting. With magnification levels as high as 175x, plant cells and their nuclei are easily observed!  In addition to allowing the observation of cells, this setup also produces stunning macro photography.

The photos in this instructable were taken with an iPhone 4S.

Watch the video below for a quick overview of the project!

Full article at the source>

Best Compact Point-and-Shoot Cameras 2013

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By Tom’s Guide Staff,Daniel Grotta 

If you’re like many people, the convenient, always-available camera embedded in your iPhone, Galaxy S4 or favorite brand of smartphone is the only device you ever need to snap and share photos with friends and family. So why would you consider buying a stand-alone compact camera when your smartphone does it all?

Because, photographically speaking, smartphones don’t do it all. For instance, most phones don’t come equipped with optical-zoom lenses, so they’re useless if you’re shooting hungry lions or just your kids playing soccer or baseball. Also, good point-and-shoots will also easily beat most smartphones in low light, whether you’re shooting with or without a flash. These four point-and-shoot cameras take your photography a notch above smartphone cameras while still being easily pocketable.

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How to turn your smartphone into a spy camera or baby monitor

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By Joshua Sherman  —   

If you’re getting that paranoid itch to keep an eye on someone (or someplace), but only have a limited budget, fear not. We’re in the second decade of the 21st century. You don’t need to buy a bunch of expensive equipment to spy anymore. These days, all you need is an old smartphone. With a few bucks, an old Android device or iPhone, a charger, and some tape or a tripod for mounting, you can monitor whatever you want. Here’s how to do it.

Note: Before beginning, you must be using a wireless network that is secure and password protected. Setting this up on an unprotected network will allow anyone on that network to see through your cameras! This guide also comes with no warranty and is not intended to be a secure security system that guarantees safety – if you want something like that, get a professional security solution.

Full article at source>