Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 Review, Richard Butler

Review based on a production Alpha DSLR-A350 with firmware version 1.0

Sony's first two DSLRs, the A100 and A700 showed clear signs of their Konica Minolta lineage - sharing a lot of DNA with the Maxxum (Dynax) 5D and 7D respectively. Its latest, the A350, still shows signs of that ancestry but also hints at the influences of a company with rather different intentions.

The recently introduced A200, A300 and A350 represent an aggressive assault on the entry level market. All three models are extremely close in terms of price and features (The A300 is a A200 with Live view or an A350 with a less pixel-dense sensor, depending on how you look at it). And, with the A300, Sony has introduced the first single-retailer "exclusive" DSLR: a product only sold through a single outlet, allowing that retailer to maintain a stronger level of influence over selling price.

These baby Alphas, the 200, 300 and 350, are more similar than any group of cameras in any other manufacturer's lineup, complicating the market but also offering a greater degree of choice than ever. Some existing Sony and Konica Minolta owners have been upset by the perceived reduction in features from the A100 but the new Alphas should perhaps be considered the first real Sony products, reflecting a different interpretation of how people choose entry level cameras, rather than the A100's continuation of the assumptions that underpinned the KM 5D.

Sony may be confident in its application of marketing theory, but do those theories result in cameras that will satisfy photographers as well as sales projections?

Other new / upgraded features of note:

• Live view with dedicated sensor
• Larger, articulated LCD
• 14.2 MP sensor
• New software bundle with all-new raw converter
• Creative Styles (expansion of color modes function on A100)
• ISO 3200
• Optional high ISO noise reduction
• RGB histograms
• Digital Teleconverter function

Source http://www.dpreview.com

New Dell Latitude Notebooks: No More Business as Usual

Today we’re officially unveiling our new line of Latitude laptops to the world. Based on the amount of internal buzz and the volume of work it took to get us here, this is about the biggest product rollout I can remember—besides maybe the launch of the Latitude brand back in 1994 when Dell re-entered the notebook business. Enough with the history… let’s talk new products.

We're introducing seven new Latitude notebooks today—they are the ones we build for business customers. For the entire lineup, our product teams have been focused on designing laptops that can meet a variety of business user needs. If you consider yourself a demanding user who rarely works in an office, take a look at my post over at DigitalNomads.com to better understand what mobility features set these notebooks apart from the competition.

For notebooks, thin and light is a barrier of entry. Battery life is critically important. So is connectivity. And these days, design matters more than ever. As we store more of our work on laptops, reliability and data security are also key. Our teams focused on making improvements in all these areas across the product line. Beyond that, we're also introducing new technology options like backlit keyboards, external SATA drive connections, DisplayPort capability; USB PowerShare allows users to charge mobile devices via the Latitude's USB ports even when the system is powered down.

Here are some examples about what to expect from these new Latitude notebooks:

• Excellent battery life: some system configurations can get up to 19 hours. But it's not just the largest batteries that benefit—we've made improvements on battery life whether you use a 6-cell, 9-cell battery or a battery slice. In this video, Jim Leftwich, the engineering lead behind these new notebooks, offers insight into how we did just that.
• All models offer lots of connectivity options: Wi-Fi (802.11n), several mobile broadband options, WWAN, Ultra-wideband and Bluetooth 2.1. Most are WiMAX ready, and can be ordered with an optional GPS.
• All kinds of security options: smart card and fingerprint readers, hardware-based disk encryption, contactless smart card technology. Another hardware-based security feature is Dell's ControlVault solution that centralizes user identity key management and storage.
• Centralized control via software—Dell's ControlPoint software allows users to manage battery power, network and connectivity configurations and system security settings all in one place. I'll blog in more detail about it soon.
• In the coming weeks, we will offer color options on the E4200, E4300, E6400 and E6500 in addition to Mica-Brushed Metal Black: Regatta Blue and Regal Red. The E4200 adds Quartz Pink as an option, and the Latitude E5400 and E5500 are available in Matte Black.
• Slick design that doesn't sacrifice functionality: our team focused on balancing a aesthetics with durability and functionality. Besides the looks, these laptops feature full-frame magnesium alloy construction and all-metal hinges. Take a look at this video where Steve Belt from our engineering team talks about how we tested things like the keyboards and the metal hinges on these laptops.

Source http://direct2dell.com

The benefits of Digital Photography

Recently Print Digital was asked to explain the benefits of using a digital camera over a more traditional based film camera, we are sure those who use digital cameras already can think of many good reasons why a digital camera is more often than not a better choice for a camera. We decided it would be a great idea to put our reasons down into article for the site, if there are any more first time buyers out there and still need a little more information then we hope this will help you to join the digital world.

• Price of digital cameras have dropped significantly over the last few years. It is now easy to spend £100 and come away with a great digital camera with a host of advanced features for altering the camera settings to get a good picture.
  


• Once a picture has been taken with a film based camera you will not see it again untill the film has been developed. With a digital camera you can view the image on the camera and then decide to delete or keep the image before viewing it on a computer screen or printing it out.
  


• Once the camera has been purchased there is little else to pay for, if you decide to print out the pictures yourself then there will be more to pay for ink, photographic paper and even a good quality printer.
  


• It is easy to transfer the photos onto a personal computer through a USB connection, the only way that this can be done with a film based camera is to scan the pictures, which adds more cost and time to the whole photography experience.
  


• Storage of images is easier to manage, as once they are on the PC then they can be archived. For extra safe storage they can be stored on a CD or DVD and then put away for safe keeping.
  


• It is easy to crop and rotate images once on the PC with cheap or free image editing software, there are many advanced techniques that can be done with software such as Photoshop but this comes with a more hefty price tag. Altering the colour, contrast, hue levels, saturation can be done more freely with a digital camera, making a completely different image made up of several others can eaily be done once you come to grips with the software.

These are only a few reasons why Print Digital like to use digital cameras over film cameras. A digital camera comes into its own with the different amount of features that they come with and how versatile they are. We never mentioned how verstaile the storage is on the camera itself for example.

Source http://www.print-digital.info

Caring for your Digital Camera

Camera cleaning is an essential part of digital photography, there are sensors and highly sensitive optics at play when you take a picture, so a few simple cleaning tips is all you need to keep it clean. If you feel that there is actual dust inside of the camera, it is best o take to a special shop where they can clean this area for you.

• Keep the lense clean with a soft cloth, never touch the lense as this can leave finger prints and may cause images to look blurry. If it requires a good clean then use lens cleaning fluid and use a photographic blower brush like the one in the picture above.
  


• Dont put the camera in any situations where smoke, steam, magnetic fields, sand or chemicals can get in contact with it.
  


• Dont store it in dirty or dusty places. Avoid any humid places. It is best to buy a camera pouch to store it.
  


• Dont leave the camera in direct sun light or anywhere where it can get hot.
  


• Avoid scratching any part of the camera, if the lense gets scratched then it could ruin all future images.
  


• Always keep dust cap on lenses if they are not being used.
  


• Never use Paper towels, paper napkins as this can scratch the camera. Facial tissue should not be used to clean the lens of a camera as the fluid and chemicals on the tissue can cause problems with smearing.

Source http://www.print-digital.info

The perfect digital image

You maybe standing in front of one of natures true outstanding places or in a special place at the right time... on a cruise ship while taking in a holiday in the Arctic watching Polar bears on the ice, you pick up your camera and take two or three images, or maybe your childs first birthday you take a few pictures of the special day. Once you get them to your PC and load them up on to the monitor only to find they are blurry or some child had his head just at the bottom of the image, the moment will probably never come again and you have missed the chance.

When facing these types of situations take as many pictures as you can, many photographers take hundreds of photos a week and only a handful will come in a good way. Filling the memory card with as many as you can of those special occasions is the only way that you will avoid dissapointment.

Practise makes perfect! Well not always but if you hardly ever take a picture with your camera except for those special occasions then dont expect to be able to pick it up and take breath taking pictures. Walk around the house and take photos of all your children, the pets, fresh flowers in the garden. Play around with the zoom as well, become familiar with the layout of the dials and the settings, so when that special moment does arise you are not caught messing around with the zoom and getting the dial into the right position, it should be natural.

If you are going to a special place to take photos then a little research on the location is essential. Where does the sun rise and set, is it a open space with lots of green fields or will you be in the middle of a concrete jungle. Is it a typical sunny spot or is known for its grey and cloudy days. These points may seem trivial at the moment, but if you turn up to a location to find you are in the middle of a field with rain and a strong wind with it getting dark very quickly you will be upset that you didnt research the area first.

Source http://www.print-digital.info

Digital camera lenses

here are three main types of lenses and zooms, there are fixed focal length lense, optical zoom lense and digital zoom lense.

With a fixed focal length lense the lense does not move at all (i.e no zooming), with these types of cameras the only way you can get close up picture is to move in closer, or if you are wanting to get a wide angle shot you will have to move back from the shot - but be careful to remember how the over all picture will look.

When a camera talks about its true zoom it is talking about its optical zoom lense, this is when the focal length actually extends and retracts. The image is magnified by the lense itself, using the optical zoom will always give the best picture over the digital zoom lense.

The third is digital zoom, this is when the camera does all the work instead of the lense. It enhances the central portion of the image in such a way that it actually degrades the over all picture. Unlike an optical zoom the actual length of the lens does not change at all.

This article does not cover dslr type lenses like wide angle lenses or telephoto lenses.

Source http://www.print-digital.info

Digital camera batteries

Batteries are vital for all photography and makiing sure that you have a spare set is essential if you intend to take alot of pictures. Print digital also recommend that when deciding upon a digital camera keep in mind what sort of batteries it takes. Does it take rechargeable batteries, are the batteries built and do you have to plug it into the mains, or does the camera only take standard batteries, if so then it can become exspensive if you are a keen photographer and use the camera alot.

There are three types of rechargeable batteries: NiCD, NiMH and Lithium-Ion. Nickel Metal Hydride are the most popular rechargeable batteries at present. They hold more charge than their counter parts NiCD and don't suffer from memory effect. The one small down fall of these batteries is that they will loose a small amount of charge even if they are not being used, so be sure to check the batteries before using them.

When you purchase a new digital camera make sure to ask what type of battery it takes, is it standard only or are they rechargeable. If they are rechargeable then ask if they are built in - if so can they be removed?

One sure fire way to drain the batteries quicker is to use the LCD view screen at the back of the camera, while it is a great way to make sure you get the picture you are after, remember it is also the quickest way to drain those digital batteries.

Source http://www.print-digital.info

Raw file format

A RAW file is referred to as being a true digital negative. The ability to shoot RAW is found on advanced and professional digital cameras. With a RAW image file, nothing is done by the camera such as sharpening or white balance. This means that the photogrpaher has full control over the image when being edited in Photoshop for example.

RAW is not used widely and can only be opened by certain image editors. Because there is no work done by the digital camera, these files are often very large in size and there for take longer to open on most computers. Having said that a RAW image will have a smaller file size than TIFF images. They would have a .raw extension if this format was used.

Source http://www.print-digital.info

Different types of digital cameras

Compact digital cameras
Most compact cameras are small and lightweight which can fit into a pocket or ladies purse. They have plenty of features despite their small size. Their price range can vary according to the different features that the camera offers.

Cameras in this category include:Concord Eyeq Duo

Point and shoot cameras
Easy to use cameras with enough controls that get the job done which won't overwhelm you. Best type to buy if you don't like fussing with lots of buttons and menues.

Cameras in this category include: Fuji Finepix F10

Advanced digital camera
Cameras offering fully automatic as well as manual and semi-automatic controls and other advanced features. Some take accessories and add-ons such as wide-angle and telephoto lenses, filters, remote controls and external flashes.

Cameras in this category include: Canon Powershot G6

Digital SLR cameras
Digital single lense reflex cameras offer a full range of advanced features that can be manipulated by the user. They all have the ability to inter change with many different lenses, be it telephoto lenses or wide angle lenses. Some of the more advanced cameras can be bought with out a lense to help reduce the price. The features that are on the cameras, expect to pay for them.

Cameras in this category include: Olympus E-1

Source http://www.print-digital.info/

Pet photography

An error that happens frequently when taking a photo of your pet is to concentrate on its face or depict it by itself, with no context around it. When taking the photo detach yourself from the animal and the situation and assess the visual interest of the picture - this way it is more likely to appeal to people who do not know the pet and it will have a wider audience.

Taking photos of the owners with their pets is tough as it may not appeal to everyone. Looking at different shooting angles and lighting will help to widen the audience.

Lets not forget though, pets are difficult to get into position, they seem to do what they want when they want!

• Try to take the photos at the animals quietest time of the day. It could be just after feeding time when it is at its laziest. Dawn is also a good time when the animals are at their coldest.
  


• Let the animal be handled by its favourite person. It should be calmer and less likely to behave erratic.
  


• Make the animal comfortable with the flash and the noise of the camera, even the smell. This will help to put the animal at ease.
  


• Always move slowly and smoothly, sudden movements could excite the pet.
  


• Try for unexpected distances, lighting and angles. There are the traditional bog standard poses that you will have but try for something memorable.

Source http://www.print-digital.info