Tranformer Film

Ok, growning up watching Transformers this just appeals to me!. This is a Korean camera diguised as a over sized roll of 35mm film.

There is a advantage to it! you will always know what film to use! lol the disadvantage is that it is currently only sold in korea and their arent any plans to release it else where, ( atleast that i can find). The cost for this little gem is approx. $20 US.

Adobe Lightfield Camera/lens

A light field camera effectively takes alot of photos of the same scene all at once using different aperture settings. The result is a single photo which contains many versions of the same scene shot at different aperture settings.

Using software and brainiac mathematical algorhythms which converts the information gathered into a single shot with corresponding depth map and blur maps, the photographer can effectively shoot a scene with aperture settings from the minimum aperture (eg; f/2.8) up to the maximum (eg; f/22) all captured in the same shot and then in post editing can select which point in the image they wish to be in focus and at what aperture they wish the depth of field and corresponding blur to represent. So you could have maximum depth of field as if the scene was shot at f/22 or you can select a subject and apply the blur and minimal depth of field as if shot at f/2.8 all after having taken the shot.

Nifty.

The folks at Adobe have been investigating this technology and have created a prototype 100 megapixel camera and lightfield lens which combined with software allows you to do the above. The downside of this technology is that because so many versions of the same image are captured on the same frame in order to gather the required information, the final image from the 100 megapixel camera becomes a mere 5 megapixels!

Andy

Wacom Korea to launch new tablet "intuos4"

Wacom korea has released a new tablet, with new features and better performance for photographers. Inspired by those who use it, Intuos4's new pen performance,is capable of capturing the slightest nuance of pen pressure against the tablet surface, as well as offering 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity.

It also offers a more accurate and intelligent design , providing better look, comfort and importantly control.It also has specific workflow and productivity tools. Including the customizable shortcut and modifier keys with accompanying OLED displays, which allow users to see, via the displays, what the keys are currently set to.

The Intuos4 is available in four sizes, small, medium, large and extra large,which are all wide format, the Intuos4's new asymmetrical design puts all of the customizable ExpressKeys and Touch Ring on one side of the tablet, "making them all available to the user's non-dominant hand" according to aving.net's review on the product.

The application-specific ExpressKeys are instrumental in helping improve workflow and boost productivity by placing commonly used commands right at the fingertips.

SpyderCUBE White Balance Solution

The Datacolor company who brought us the affordable(?) monitor calibration device Spyder3Elite and Spyder3Pro (and I presume Spyder1 and 2!) have developed a new product for obtaining correct white balance - the SpyderCUBE.

SpyderCUBE is unique amongst white balance tools in that it not only has a grey reference for setting white balance but also has pure white and black faces as well as a 'black trap' which is a hole in the device into which light cannot go and thus gives the photographer a 'pure black' reference.

To use the device, you place it in the scene you are photographing and take a reference shot (preferably as a RAW capture). Later, in Camera RAW, you can synchronise all shots taken under the same lighting to this reference shot and click the grey face of the cube to set the white balance, then; using the exposure and brightness sliders, you can set the optimal white point by observing the white face on the device. The optimal black point can then be set using the 'black' slider in Camera RAW to ensure you can visibly distinguish between the 'black face' of the cube and the 'black trap' hole within the black face of the cube.

Instructions on exactly how to set the white and black points are vague on the website - even after watching the instructional video - but I can see how having a pure white and pure black reference can help you to set the correct density for your lighting setup.

Andy

USB cell batteries

OK, this maybe out of the realm of professional photography but i can see a use for it and it is pretty cool.


Moixa has created a type of battery (aa) with a USB charger built in, so you can charge on the go, useful for the back up compact in the handbag... or man bag... :)

Features
Portability - Easy Energy on the Go: No need for a separate charger or cables when travelling. Built in intelligent USB charger.
Recharged Anywhere: Charge anywhere from any accessible powered USB.
Swap and Play: Easily charge cells in your game station and just swap over to continue play.
Top-Up: Charging for just a few minutes provides extra hours of instant use for most input devices.

Emily

Firmware up to date?

Having problems with your digital camera? Just not working the way you want it to or has a bug that is annoying or just want better performance? Before you spit the dummy or decide on buying a new camera you may just need to upgrade your firmware to improve your camera.
So what the hell is firmware? It is a little program in the camera that controls aspects of your cameras like noise reduction, ISO, LCD brightness, battery life, focusing and menus to name a few. Camera manufacturers update firmware to fix minor bugs that were not realised until after a model release or they may just upgrade other things as above, but best of all it is free.
Firmware updates can be located on manufacturers sites in the support or downloads pages. Here are Nikon and Canon Firmware updates.
Now that you have checked and found a new firmware update for you camera your next question is how do I put it on my camera. This is my answer... updating firmware is a different process for each camera. Check the manufacturers site where the update was downloaded and follow the instructions. I'm not going to tell you how to do it because if it is not right and it stuffs the camera I am not taking responsibility for it.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I take no responsibility if you incorrectly replace the firmware and disable your own camera while trying to update the firmware. Do this at your own risk, read the manufacturer’s instructions VERY CAREFULLY.
When the new firmware is installed successfully check the menu as there may be new areas to explore from the update. Reset the settings as these will most likely be changed in the update process.
Enjoy the new high performance of your camera.

Adobe Lightroom vs Photoshop CS4 Part II

Photoshop CS4
Having used CS2 and CS3 I thought that CS4 would be just a rebadging of CS3 with a little candy to make me feel good about the upgrade but, whoa CS4 is pretty damn impressive.
I have only just got my version but I like it. The appearance is smoother, sleeker and has some nice features.
Now I know that this a comparison between Lightroom and CS4 but it is totally unfare to compare Lightroom to the complete Photoshop package so lets just look at the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Bridge components to keep things fair.
Bridge is excellent for browsing files and creating workflows which I found particularly hard to do with Lightroom and because I would like Lightroom to have a bridge equivelant, lets not dwell on this part of the review. ACR is where it is at. New tools comparitive to Lightroom obviously made by the same company, designed by the same design crew or at least shared, it is hard to tell them apart. I particularly like the healing tool they have added. It is intuitive and does a great job of blending into the surrounding area. The adjustments tool also has the auto mask which is great. The program layout is not as appealing as Lightroom but it isn't Lightroom it is Photoshop. Just as a side issue, while we are on photoshop (which is a whole new article in itself) there are some great modification to the tools. I like that they added the exposure adjustment tool to the package in the masks.
So if I had the cash which one would I buy. I suppose it depends on a few factors. Either one is great for working in a RAW environment. The tools are very similar and it would be difficult to say one is better than the other. I prefer the look and feel of Lightroom, I like the features to view and compare images, the flagging sytem and the automatic changing of file to DNG.
Photoshop CS4 still has Bridge which is great for file management, ACR has the same tools as Lightroom so it is almost a dead heat. Lightroom still needs photoshop to do editing that isn't in RAW. Lightroom is cheaper about $170 student edition, compared to CS4 which is about $299, BUT you have to buy photoshop something (Elements 7 $199) to complete your photoediting package.
So I personally chose Photoshop CS4 for the complete package, but I have heard a wisper that very soon the Lightroom package will be Lightroom and Photoshop combined. This will then be the premier package to have. Lets just wait and see...