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Release: 5 Megapixels Photo Samples Shot with New iPhone4

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Jun 9, 2010 in News, Releases

For all of you iPhone lovers, (or future lovers after you see this)  here are some samples of photographs shot by the new iPhone 4. Here are some re-sized photos, but if you want to take a look at full version check out the official page.

My first impression was “Wow!”, taking into account that  this is a camera-phone. What do you guys think of the quality of the camera and how it compares to existing phones?

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New Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 L IS II to be Released

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Jul 30, 2009 in Camera Gear, Releases

There are certain pretty true reports around that Canon UK is letting the release of a new 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II slide to the public. It seams that this will be available somewhere in September. Maybe this will have the new Hybrid Image Stabilizer, that Canon is bragging about.

Canon UK is having a show on October 27th and 28th to show all the new stuff.

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Canon announces new improved Hybrid Image Stabilizer

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Jul 23, 2009 in Camera Gear, News

Recently I read a press release in which Canon announced an improved and newly-developed image stabilization technology called Hybrid Image Stabilizer. Canon company claims the technology is the world’s first to compensate for both angle and shift movement during the exposure, resulting improved stability in macro photography in particular.

And here’s the press release:

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 22, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced today the development of Hybrid Image Stabilizer (IS), the world’s first* optical image stabilization technology that compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. The technology will be featured in interchangeable single lens reflex (SLR) camera lens planned for commercial release before the end of 2009.

Several different preventative methods and corrective procedures have been introduced to compensate for errors caused by camera shake, which occurs when a camera moves while its shutter is open and its image sensor is exposed to light.

Canon began researching methods to compensate for camera shake in the 1980s, and in 1995 launched the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the world’s first interchangeable SLR camera lens to feature a mechanism that compensates for optical camera shake. Since then, the company has continued to produce a variety of interchangeable lenses with image stabilization capabilities, and boasts a total of 21 such lenses in its current product lineup.

Canon’s newly developed Hybrid IS technology optimally compensates for angle and shift camera shake. Sudden changes in camera angle can significantly affect images taken during standard shooting, whereas shift-based shaking, which occurs when a camera moves parallel to the imaging scene, is more pronounced in macro photography and other close-range shooting.

The new Hybrid IS technology incorporates an angular velocity sensor that detects the extent of angle-based shaking and is found in all previous Canon optical image stabilizer mechanisms, as well as a new acceleration sensor that determines the amount of shift-based camera shake. Hybrid IS also employs a newly developed algorithm that synthesizes information from the two sensors to make optimal adjustments, thereby dramatically enhancing the effects of image stabilization during shooting, including macro shooting, which had proven difficult for conventional image stabilization technologies.

Canon is actively engaged in ongoing research and development of interchangeable SLR camera lenses incorporating Hybrid IS technology, and is aiming for the early commercialization and inclusion of the lenses in a wide range of products.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number seven in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2008 list, and is on the 2008 BusinessWeek list of “Top 100 Brands.” At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – - “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – - Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/RSS.

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Improved “Avanquest Send Photos 2″ Software

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Jun 18, 2009 in News

Avanquest Send Photos

Just a few days back I have found that the people from Avanquest improvised their web application: SendPhotos 2. What’s this? Well is a free photo sharing solution

So what’s so special about this application? Well the most important of all, it has certified support for more than 160 telephones, including iPhone and Blackberry, followed by other features as :

  • complete revision of the Web client interface
  • the acceptance of the iPhone
  • the creation of a plug-in for iPhoto
  • management of the leading social networks including Facebook, MySpace and Picasa.

The Avanquest SendPhotos photo-sharing web site, now available in the free public Beta 2 version, lets users to shares their photos with friends and family trough the web browser either from PC or Mac, with increased security, due to fact that the photos are completely private, hidden from search engines. Also they offer 1 GB of free space, meaning you can put as close as 1000 images close to a size of 1 mb per photograph, in which you can also store safely your precious photographs.

Bottom line: although this is excellent for people to store photos from their phone, I am not very impressed  for it to be an amazing photo-storing or even sharing solution. But I have to admit that I really like the design and functionality of the web site.

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Spider Camera Holster: Inventive Way to Hold your DSLR with NO Back Pain

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Jun 5, 2009 in News

Spider Holster Camera  (Photo Skills)So what exactly Spider Camera Holster do? Well, it’s a belt clip with a “spider pin” adapter that can be screwed into your camera (where you screw your camera to your tripod). In my honest opinion, this is genius, because moves the weight of the camera from your neck to you neck. Many times i find myself wandering for hours with my camera hanging on my neck, be it a wedding or just walking through the city taking random shots. This is getting tiring and at the end of the day I often find myself with a pain in my neck, or my back. So as soon as it’s released I will definitely buy it and try it to see if it gives the security I need for my camera, because the system looks kind of unsafe for the camera. But, i can also put the neck strap on my shoulder so in case the holster fails at least I have a second thing to count on to hold my camera from crushing to the ground.

Also feel free to watch the presentation video:

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You can now follow me on Twitter.

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Jun 4, 2009 in Personal

Follow me on Twitter! (Photo Skills)For like 3 days I have joined Twitter with the rest of the bloggers, after understanding and seeing how important is micro-bloging platform for the internet comunity.

So now that I have a Twitter account you can easily follow me at http://twitter.com/ConstantinC or you can easily click on the Twitter icon at the top of the blog near the RSS feed.

What you are going to gain to follow me on Twitter?  Well, I usually surf the net a lot, and I find a lot of cool things worth to share, and Twitter allows me to post and share a lot easier than writing an article on the blog. I also daily read more then 60-70 blogs  from witch more than half it’s about photography, so I can provide you with more information than this blog allows me.

Thank you.

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New lens: Canon EF 20-400mm f/2.8 IO USM IS

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Apr 4, 2009 in Camera Gear, News

Canon 20-400mm f/2.8 IO IS USM ( Photo Skills .com )Hi, guys. I haven’t wrote anything for more than a month, and I apologize for that. I had some personal things to take care of. Now hopefully I will continue writing new posts.

I would like to let you know that Canon has just announced a line of some amazing new lenses with optics that intensify the light as it passes through. This technology has been in development for many years, and because of a new revolutionary manufacturing process, the production of this high quality optics it possible at affordable prices.

Canon can’t release details of exactly how they make the lenses (for obvious reasons) but, they have said that the process of manufacturing has to take place in complete darkness until the new Starlight Spectra Coating, which is the key to the intensifying of light, has time to develop its light gathering ability.

So Canon has started the line of new lenses with this 20-400mm f/2.8 IO (Intensifying Optics) IS USM, and from what I understand they will release more lenses with this special ability.

As a side note, I have read somewhere, forgot where, a rumor that Canon stops producing the famous 70-200mm f/2.8. Now i can understand why, maybe because they are going to release a new version of 70-200mm with IO.

So the estimated price is somewhere around 4100$ (3100€) and the release date it’s sometime in autumn 2009. Also here’s a list of key features:

  • Aspherical optics used on all elements except for front SSC coated element
  • Pro quality optics on a par with L series lens quality
  • Robust design with build quality equivalent to L series lenses
  • Image intensifying optics used in front element of lens
  • Lens feature full time mechanical manual focusing
  • Fully flocked throughout to prevent internal reflections
  • One touch design for speed of zooming
  • Optical image stabiliser with 6 stop correction for handshake
  • Lens supplied with removable tripod mount

Also if you want to read more about this www.experience-seminars.co.uk wrote an article in PDF format about this, and here’s the PDF file.

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Release: New 50mm f/1.4 II USM Canon Lens By 25th of March

Posted by Constantin Chirila on Mar 12, 2009 in Releases

50 mm f/1.4 USM ( Photo Skills .com )There will be a couple of announcements to be made by 25th of March by Canon. It seams that a new improved lens will be one of them. I don’t what exactly will be improved, but I am guessing a new Ultra Sonic Motor to facilitate a better and faster focusing, and I am guessing that it will be sharper than the previous model.

Also there is a new rumor that on the same day the new Canon TSi/500D will see the daylight. Although the first rumor said that this is going to be released at the PMA ( check this ), but it wasn’t released then. Anyway, we will wait an see.

Ohh and here is a list of specs for those of you who didn’t read the first post about this Canon TSi/500D:

  • 15.1 Megapixels
  • ISO: 100-3200
  • Image procesor: DIGIC IV
  • LCD: 3″ VGA LCD
  • Crop: 1.6x
  • FPS: 3 raw/3jpg
  • AF: 9 Point AF
  • AF: Face Detection
  • LiveView
  • Movie Mode (No AF)

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