Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for February 2009

Pre-PMA 2009

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So, I made it to Vegas unscathed thus far. While I’m going to take in a bit of sight seeing and snap some shots of the sights, I’ll have some pre-PMA 2009 news over the next couple of days as well.

Look for news to pick up on Monday though.  I’ll be dropping lots of news on products and exhibitors Monday and Tuesday evening.

If you’re in Vegas for PMA, or otherwise, and want to meet up to talk photography, an impromptu photowalk or just to say hey, drop me a line through the contact form.  As of right now, tonight and Sunday are pretty open.

Stay tuned!

 

Olympus E-3 Heading to Space

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As part of the new Olympus Space Project, the Olympus E-3 will heading to into space aboard in the next Space Shuttle Discovery mission.

Rumor has it that NASA may actually replace the Hubble Telescope given the 2x crop factor of the E-3 when paired with the pricey, although still under NASA’s budget, Olympus ED 300mm f/2.8.

More serious details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Canon 500D / Rebel XSi Replacement Coming in June

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Canon Rumors received an email yesterday stating that the Canon EOS 500D / Rebel XSi replacement would be announced June 23, 2009 instead of at PMA.  Additionally, the tipster claims that an EF-S 30mm f/2 lens will be released alongside it.  (Source)

Kudos to Canon if they are going to put out an EF-S 30mm lens (48mm equivalent on full frame) – a nice “normal” lens for Rebel/xxD shooters.

Adobe Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 Update

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Adobe has released an update for Photoshop CS4, which includes the following fixes:

  • A number of issues that could cause slow performance have been addressed.
  • Pen barrel rotation with Wacom tablets now works correctly.
  • Photoshop now correctly recognizes 3D textures edited by a plug-in.
  • The quality of the results of Auto-Blend Layers (Stack Images) has been improved.
  • A problem that could result in a crash when pasting formatted text has been fixed.
  • A crash that could result from a corrupt font no longer occurs.

Updates are here:

Photoshop CS4 Update for Mac

Photoshop CS4 Update for Windows

Sony a200/a300 Replacement

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A tipster sent in possible info today on a replacement for the Sony A200/A300 DSLRs.

Today I spoke with a friend in a technical service of Sony in […redacted…] and he told me that is possible Sony announce the new a200/a300 substitute Alpha in April.

Just one camera for 2 actual model.

It will use the same a700 sensor and will have LV with phase detection AF. The LCD will be tilting, HD and touch screen. The design will be equal to a200 with a bigger OVF than a200 and
pentmirror. It also will have video HD 720p and 30fps with AF.

Is very probably that Sony incorporate a new feature called “Touch Quick Edition”.

The redacted portion discloses a specific location that I have removed to prevent the identification of the tipster and the friend from Sony.

It would make sense for Sony to consolidate some of the Alpha models, though I would think the A300 and A350 were more ripe for consolidation.  If true, maybe it just means that the low-end Alpha DSLR will now feature Live View – something that the A200 missed out on.

What are your thoughts?

Corel Painter 11

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Corel released Painter 11 today, which builds upon the prior versions and promises to deliver more advanced features.  According to Corel, the new pressure-sensitive brushes allow hand and brush to fluidly work as one, producing brushstrokes that are unrivaled in texture and precision.  Color management has also been improved to cater to the needs of photographers.  It is available for download from corel.com at $399 for the full version and $199 for the upgrade.  Boxed versions are also available.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]