June 4, 2011

The most viewed photo that never was

Looking back to the start of May all the talk was about the death of Osama bin Laden. It was an event many thought was long overdue. Accompanying it was a call to see the photos of the dead body. Those photos were even hailed as the soon to be "most viewed photos of all time". Of course that didn't happen and I think the world is better for it.

This all took place just after Easter this year. What struck me was that after 2000 years things haven't changed much. Back then the question was from Thomas, one of Jesus's 12 apostles. He had missed Jesus's visit to the other eleven apostles. His question was "Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe".

Things don't seem to have changed much in 2000 years. My guess is that within moments of bin Laden's death a digital image had moved half way around the world to the White House, CIA and Pentagon. Within hours the President of the United States would break into broadcasts around the world and confirm that one of the most sought after terrorists had finally been run to ground.

Almost immediately, faked photos of bin Laden's body started to show up around the internet. Soon there after those photos were quickly discredited, but not before at least one or two lawmakers had been duped into believing them.

For the next few days the need to release the real photos was hotly debated. Fortunately, in the end good sense prevailed and for the moment at least those images haven't been officially released. That's not to say there won't be a "Wikileaks" moment down the line, but for now we don't have to worry that those images will become public domain and appear on the front of greetings cards for "having a bad day" and things like that.

Looking back, it doesn't look like anyone was hurt by not seeing those images.  More importantly, we're not dealing with the harm that could have been done if they'd been released.

March 14, 2011

Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami

The earthquake and resulting tsunami have devastated large areas in north eastern Japan. Many of the leaders in the photography industry as well as consumer products have been heavily impacted as well as their employees and the communities they are located in.

Today, I have received news from Epson that indicates that several of their facilities have been affected. They range from simply having lost power to one, the Epson Toyocm Corporation Fukushima Plant which lies inside the evacuation zone of the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear Power station.

Likewise, Panasonic has also reported their facilities that haven been affected, including the AVC Networks Company Fukushima Factory that manufactures digital cameras.

The Consumer Electronics Association has also reported that Sony has shuttered six facilities that make Blu-rays, lithium-ion batteries and discs. They report that other companies such as Canon add Nikon are still assessing damages.

Many of us have used products from Japan and the companies listed above to enrich are lives. For anybody who has travelled to Japan, the kindness of the Japanese people has made a lasting impression.

Besides thinking of the Japanese people in our prayers, we can help them by supporting them through a donation.  InterAction, A United Voice for Global Change, has set up a web page listing many of the agencies, such as the American Red Cross, that are accepting donations to help the citizens of Japan to deal with the effects of the earthquake and tsunami.

While the economy in the United States is still troubled, we should all consider helping out those affected in one of the worst natural disasters that any of us have ever seen.

December 8, 2010

This is a great time to buy a new camera

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are history for this year don't believe that the deals on great cameras are over. If you take the time to look you're sure to find something you like in your price range.

First, here's a little primer on how the photography industry works. Over the years most new cameras are announced in the first part of the year usually about the time of the Consumer Electronics Show in January or the Photo Marketing Trade Show in February or March.

The actual products then start showing up in stores or online in early spring or summer just in time for the summer travel season. When they hit the market their prices are usually the highest and if you want to have the latest and greatest you'll pay the price. Truth is the new cameras are may only be minor improvements over what was offered the year before.

If you can get over the notion that it's worth waiting for the latest and the greatest, you'll score a great deal on a very good camera by buying now or at least through the first few months of next year if supplies are still available.

So why not get it now and use it to capture your holiday activities.

Examples of great 2010 cameras at discounted prices

Take the Sony DSC-W370 for instance. It was introduced in January 2010 with the price of $230. It's a 14 megapixel camera with a 7x optical zoom and lots of great features including "sweep panorama". Today you can find the camera on Amazon for under $162. If you belong to Costco you can get it as a kit with a case and 2GB card for just $159. That's a great buy.

You can figure that all the "point and shoot" cameras introduced in the first quarter of 2010 can now be bought at great savings. I actually bought the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7in May just after it came out for $336. Today, if you can go along with a blue ZS7 Amazon will sell it to you for just $249 which is a deep discount on a great camera.

If you want a camera to take to the beach in Hawaii or the Caribbean in January consider picking up the Fujifilm FinePix XP10 waterproof model. First introduced in February at $199 you can buy the camera from Amazon for $139.95 or as a kit from Costco for $139.99 and you even get a 4GB card and case.

Nikon has been running a circular as an addition to many newspapers with deals on their cameras. One that stands out is the Nikon Coolpix S8100. In the ad I received with my newspaper the camera was priced at $249.95 at a local store. Through Amazon it's $234.95, but if you can find a Costco they have it as a kit with a 4GB card and a case for $229.99.

An example of deals on Kodak cameras that are widely available is the Kodak EasyShare M550, a 12 megapixel, 7X optical zoom with a 2.7" LCD viewfinder. Costco has it as a kit with a 4GB card and case for $109.99 while Amazon is selling the camera alone for just $84.95.

Deals on Canon's cameras are out there too. A great starter camera is their Canon PowerShot SD1300IS. Originally priced at $199 you can buy just the camera at Amazon for $129 or as a kit from Costco that includes a 2GB card and case for $139.99.

If you're a Samsung fan, you might want to look at the Samsung HZ30W which started out at $249 but can now be had at Costco for with a 2GB card and case for just $199.99.

One of the neatest rugged cameras that showed up this year was the Pentax Optio W90. A very cool design with 12megapixels of power, a 5x zoom in a waterproof case that includes LED lights. It was originally priced at $399.95, but can now be found for $204 through Beach Camera.

Casio is right in there moving their crop of 2010 cameras. The Casio EX-S200 which sold for around $179 is also available from Costco as a kit for $119 including a 4GB card and case.

No matter what your price range is odds are you'll find a camera to meet your needs. For the most part you'll find supplies are limited as the manufacturers turn to the producing the next crop of new cameras. Best thing to do is if you see something you like, but it. You might not get the final low price, but my guess is you'll get a great deal on a good camera. 

Just a note. I've used Amazon and Costco as examples of prices I've seen at the time of this writing, but I have no doubt that other national outlets like Wal-mart, Target, Sam's Club and other regional stores will have similar deals on some of the best cameras out there.

May 11, 2010

Sony compact finally arrives

February 22, 2010

HP re-enters the digital camera market

February 21, 2010

Sony ultra compact AVCHD concept DSLR

Sony caught the attention of the press at PMA 2010 with their announcement of a new concept camera still unnamed at this time which was introduced by Masashi Ishizuka, Deputy President, Sony Digital Imaging.

The new camera unlike the Micro 4/3s ultra compacts is based on an APS sized CMOS sensor, the EXMOR sensor, that is larger than the common sensors in most digital cameras as well as competing ultra compacts.

Planned for introduction before the end of the year(Photokina in September?) the body will be available with three lens that are in developement.

Little else is known beyond the look as presented in the concept models.

Sony's stated goal is a high qualtiy experience for the general public who is intimidated by the present batch of digital single lens reflex cameras on the market.