Buying a camera: everything you need to know

By: By David Pierce and Vlad Savov (www.theverge.com)

Cameras are everywhere. There’s one in your laptop, two in your phone, and probably a pair in your tablet that you’ve never used. There’s maybe one in your doorbell, even, or strapped to your head while you bomb the slopes. We’re taking more pictures in more ways and sharing them in more places than ever. Yet most of us use our cameras with the bare minimum of knowledge, just pointing and shooting and hoping for an Instagrammable moment. And even if you’re buying a camera because you’re ready to move beyond your iPhone and take pictures you’ll want to save forever, it’s hard to know what to do.

Camera companies don’t exactly make life easy, either. Spec sheets are laden with alien terms like ISO and f-numbers, and once you manage to get a grasp on what they mean, you’re still confronted with a spectacular variety of options. So we’ve put together this guide to help you navigate the quagmire of excess information, acronyms, and jargon. It’ll enlighten you about which specs are important when, and what cameras are suitable for whom. Sound good? Then read on!

Full article at the source>

Digital Compact Camera Nikon COOLPIX P600/P530/P340

Multi-functional models, one offering 42x optical zoom and one offering 60x optical zoom, the highest zoom ratio in COOLPIX history
A model equipped with a large 1/1.7-inch backside illumination CMOS sensor and a fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of three new COOLPIX P-series models, the P600, P530, and P340. The COOLPIX P series is a line of multi-functional, high-performance compact digital cameras that enable full-scale photography.

Nikon P600

Nikon P600

Nikon P530

Nikon P530

The P600 and P530 are compact models equipped with high zoom-ratio lenses that support capture of a wide variety of scenes with a single camera. Despite being equipped with a 60x (up to 120x*1 with Dynamic Fine Zoom) optical zoom NIKKOR lens offering the highest zoom ratio in COOLPIX history with coverage of a broad range of angles of view, from the wide-angle 24mm to super-telephoto 1440mm (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format), the P600 is very compact. The NIKKOR lens built into the P600 is also the first COOLPIX lens for which a super ED lens element has been adopted for superior image quality. The P530 is equipped with a 42x (up to 84x*1 with Dynamic Fine Zoom) optical zoom NIKKOR lens that covers a broad range of angles of view from wide-angle 24mm to super-telephoto 1000mm (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format), and a high-resolution, 3-inch, approximately 921k-dot TFT LCD monitor with wide viewing angle. New scene modes, Moon and Bird-watching, have been added to both of these models, allowing users to easily enjoy super-telephoto photography. In addition, these cameras are equipped with a high-performance lens-shift vibration reduction (VR) function that offers camera shake compensation equivalent to a shutter speed 3.5-stops*2 faster and an Active option for effective reduction of blur caused by camera shake with recording of still images and movies. Offering faster AF and a shorter shooting time lag, these cameras ensure capture of the desired moment with quick and nimble focusing. On its own, each of these compact cameras is packed with advanced functions that support photography of a wide variety of scenes, from super-telephoto to wide-angle and macro photography.

Nikon P340

Nikon P340

The P340 features a simple, refined design, and its combination of a fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 and large, 1/1.7-inch backside illumination CMOS sensor achieves superior rendering characteristics. It is equipped with a 5x (up to 10x*1 with Dynamic Fine Zoom) optical zoom NIKKOR lens that covers the wide-angle 24mm to telephoto 120mm range of angles of view (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format) that also enables macro photography as close as 2 cm to the lens. It offers superior operation with adoption of a control ring around the lens barrel, to which a variety of functions can be assigned, and which can be used to fine-tune effects applied in scene modes and Special Effects mode.

In addition, the P600 and P340 offer built-in Wi-Fi® that can be used to easily transfer photos to a smart device for sharing with others*3. This allows users to enjoy connecting with others through their photos after they are taken.

  • *1At the maximum image size.
  • *2Measured at approximately 350mm (equivalent in 35mm [135] format) in accordance with CIPA standards.
  • *3The Wireless Mobile Utility app must first be installed on the smart device (the app can be downloaded free of charge from the smart device’s app store), and Wi-Fi® connection settings must be applied before image transfer is possible.

Full article at source>

2013 Best Cameras. Find the Top Cameras Released in 2013

By  (http://cameras.about.com/)

2013 was another very good year for digital cameras, with plenty of innovations. As they have for several years, prices continue to drop, giving photographers more value for their dollars. Advanced fixed-lens cameras have been especially plentiful from manufacturers, offering a clear set of advantages over point-and-shoot models and cell phone cameras. Interchangeable lens camera, both DIL and DSLR models, also have been popular in 2013.

Having had a chance to fully test and review several cameras during the year, and having had a chance to informally test and consider dozens more models, here are some of the best cameras I’ve seen during 2013.

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

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>

Best Compact Point-and-Shoot Cameras 2013

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.

Full article at source>

Unleash your camera’s inner Hulk with a free hack to the firmware

By Les Shu  —   

Last year, two Canadian teenagers, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, successfully sent a Lego mini figure up into space using a weather balloon as the vehicle. To document the event from liftoff to crash-land, they rigged a basic Canon point-and-shoot camera to continuously snap photos. While it sounds like a complicated science project, it’s actually something many have successfully accomplished (Ho and Muhammad just made theirs unique by sending the little Lego guy with it and, oh, they’re teens). And hacking the camera might actually be the easy part, thanks to an open-source firmware update.

While cameras are often already loaded with features, software-based hacks can add new shooting capabilities not mentioned in the instruction manual. If the inner MacGyver in you is up for some tinkering – and you happen to own a Canon camera, in particular – here are some hacks that will unlock your camera’s hidden potential and add extra value. (Set aside a weekend to study up on the guides before you attemp

Full article at source>