The Sigma DP2s has a nifty little accessory, the EF-140 external flash. So, how good and useful is it? Well, here’s a short test in this very quick posting. Before we go further, here’s a quick recap of the flash.

EF-140: This is a Sigma flash that can attach to the hot shoe. Most compact cameras do not get a flash designed for it, but the Sigma EF-140 is different.

Like many of you professional photographers, a great compact camera is something we all yearn for. This flash was seemingly designed for us.

Here’s a photo of Jorge, one of my readers, shot without flash.

Here is the photo of Jorge with the EF-140 attached. This is a much better photo than the previous one. If one were to use the on-camera flash, the results would have been much more blown out and somewhat horrid.

Lots more in the field review to come!

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our links first and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

One thing that I have I’ve learned in photography is to always carry a zoom lens. If you shoot photos for fun or you get paid for creating compelling photographs, you will find need for a zoom lens. There are spots you just can’t reach and things you cannot get close to. A zoom lens will afford you that opportunity. Though my Nikon 35mm F1.8 remains my favorite lens and is almost always on my D90, the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro is by my side often now.

Specifications

Lens Construction

The company line reads as such: Sigma’s 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro is a compact telephoto zoom lens. With a range that is useful for candid portraiture, capturing children playing in the backyard, amateur sports or even wildlife at the zoo this lens is usually the lens that photographers reach for first. It’s great on vacation for capturing scenic details or even groups of flowers in a garden. The Sigma 70-300mm offers a 4:1 zoom ratio in a compact lens that is easily carried in your camera bag or left on the camera as you travel; and the images are magnificent.

My first zoom DSLR lens was actually a Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 G ( R.I.P.) It fell victim to a three year old and had to get replaced by the folks at Sigma. The replacement lens was Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG macro. It is designed for use with full frame digital SLR cameras, but also has the ability to be used with smaller APS-C size sensors with a equivalent effectual increase in focal length to about a 100 to 450mm and a minimum focusing distance of 59 inches allowing macro photography with a maximum magnification of 1:2. The lens comes packaged with a lens hood. It is a compact size and weighs about 19.4 oz and about 4.8 inches in length and has a Filter Size of 58mm.

This lens is intended for the non pros, the hobbyist or those learning. It’s not a lens you would use on a professional shoot due the speed.  It is built well though. The two toggle switches on the main barrel of the lens are well positioned and in-line with each other, so you really don’t have to look at them to use them. Everything is labeled well. With the lens hood on reversed there is an extra layer of protection added to the lens—especially if it’s held in a lens pouch when not in use.

Physically, for the normal person, it’s not the lightest of lenses. The Sigma 70-300 DG Macro has an unbalanced, front heavy weight to it. The reason for this is because of the optics on the inside. This lens has 14 elements in 10 groups including a special low dispersion glass element in the front lens group, and one in the rear lens group..

I do like the texture on the lens body compared to the Sigma 70-300 G. I feel like it will not slip out your hands. I would not take this lens into a high action area though, if you have the lens extended—it would just be in the way, especially if you had the lens hood on. It’s meant to be kept at a distance. Further, I would not take this into a really crowed area. This lens needs room, particularly if set to Macro and locked out between 200mm and 300mm

Autofocus

The motor is built into the lens and can autofocus with all Nikon DSLR cameras including the D40, D40x, etc, discarding of traditional Nikon screw focusing.  The best part of this lens to me is the Macro images. The focus in that mode is slow and noisy, but with patience it allows for great shots. The worst part of this lens is its slow and laggy performance hand held in low ambient light, especially when it comes to focusing. Over all though, for the price of the lens the autofocus is adequate.

Sharpness

In nice and bright ambient light, the lens is sharp all the way through the zoom range. If you are subject to low ambient light the sharpness decreases particularly when hand held. If you have a lot of time to compose you shot and steady your lens, such as if you were using a tripod, you can get some fantastic shots.

In Use

My initial impression of the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens was weird. I was accustomed to using my old Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 G, so on first use of lens, I was thrown aback by the change in performance of the lens. The autofocus is slower, and the images created were soft. I did use it early in the morning just before sunrise, so it was not the best light for this lens. My first test of the macro function on this lens was nice though. Macro was something I always wanted to play with so I was happy with that.

Photo meditation (the process of taking photos to relax) with the D90 and Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro combination in decent light was a huge improvement on my first use of the lens. In daylight, this lens works very well. Again, the autofocus is not the fastest, but it was workable. If I took my time, and adjusted my Nikon D90 properly, I was able to achieve decent speed on my shots. Because of this, it is a good and affordable walkaround lens.

On as bright day this lens is not bad at all. I took it on a local group Photo walk and got a great performance with the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro. Being able to switch to macro at times to get close to subjects gave me more versatility in my shots. Going from 70-300mm (effective 100-400mm) gave me a great range of shots without having to get too close to subjects. It made for an interesting collection of images.

Day 1 Conclusions

This is a very versatile lens, particularly for the budget minded and the macro is fun to use, especially with toys—that’s the geek in me talking. It’s not the best lens for a professional but if you are starting out in photography, or have low budget this lens is a decent option. The lens needs a little finesse and practice in its use. Once you work out how you are going to use it, its performance does improve.

For me, I would use this lens for long distance scenery, wild life and macro shots. I’ve tried using the The Sigma 70-300 DG Macro for portraits, and it could work,  but I would not use it for that.  For portraits I would prefer the a 50mm prime or an 85mm prime.  The Lens is great on a photo walk though, for candid well lit street shots , especially at distance.

Would I recommend this lens? So far, yes—but I also recommend trying Nikon DX/FX lenses or Canon EF/EF-S lenses etc.

More to come as the lens is tested in various situations.

Gallery

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our links first and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

Samsung just announced two new pocket recording devices: offering a pair of portable, pocketable packages for popping photos or videos. The ST80 is a smooth, curvy compact digital camera with built-in Wi-Fi, while the E10 is a smooth, curvy compact camcorder modeled after the current generation of Flip Mino.

The 14-megapixel ST80 features a 3X optical zoom, a 3-inch touchscreen, and a 720p h.264 movie mode, making it a fairly standard “fashion” compact. Its most distinguishing feature is its networking abilities. Not only does the ST80 feature built-in Wi-Fi for transferring photos to computers, it also incorporates DLNA compatibility with Samsung’s “Allshare” function. With DLNA, the camera can stream photos and videos from its memory to any networked DLNA-equipped device, like an HDTV or digital photo frame. The camera can also wirelessly upload photos and videos to Picasa, Photobucket, Facebook, Youtube, and other online media sharing services. The ST80 ships in September with a retail price of $250.

The HMX-E10 camcorder offers 1080/30p video recording in a small, Flip-sized package. It distinguishes itself from other pocket camcorders with a 270-degree swivel lens. While the lens is fixed-zoom like other pocket camcorders, it can turn in different directions for capturing video at various angles. Like the recently-announced Panasonic TA1, the HMX-E10 can capture 8-megapixel still images in addition to h.264 video footage. In addition to the standard built-in USB connection, the E10 also supports HDMI connectivity for displaying videos directly on HDTVs. The camcorder will be available in August for $200.

Large sensor compact cameras like the Panasonic GF-1, Olympus EPL-1, and the Canon G11 (full review here) tend to take all the spotlight. But what about the other cameras? Enter the Sigma DP2s—a wonderful little large sensor compact camera that is highly customizable and that utilizes the Foveon sensor to capture photos with positively breathtaking color that surpasses film. But is it any good? I was recently sent a review copy for field review.

Reminder- Please support The Phoblographer by clicking the product links in the story and if you’d like to purchase anything, please do so by clicking our links first.

Tech Specs

The Sigma DP2S has a 14MP Foveon X3 direct image sensor and a 24.2mm lens with an aperture of F2.8. For those of you that aren’t slaves to the photo world, the Foveon X3 sensor is essentially a 1.7x crop CMOS APS-C sized sensor with diodes for capturing Red, Blue, and Green. It all works really quite remarkably. For those of you that need it, this a chart of the different sensor sizes.

Other than that, the camera is really very simple and has a dial that controls the shooting modes: Setup, M, S, A, P, movie, and audio recording. Because of this, a logical conclusion can be drawn supporting the fact that this camera was designed for the professional that really just wants a nice compact camera with a great lens that can deliver great images.

Like Leica (as with the X1), much seems to be emphasized on the image quality.

New to the camera (according to the release I was sent) is:

- New AF algorithm for high speed autofocus.

- Power save mode lower battery consumption

- Rear design for faster, easier handling and managing of camera controls and functions.

- Upgrade of the RAW image processing software (which I don’t use).

Oh, and it has a 2.5 inch LCD on the back that is actually more usable that one might think.

Accessories

There are a number of items that can be used with the Sigma DP2s:

VF-21: A viewfinder. The VF-21 is really just a piece of glass that helps with composition. It attaches to the hot shoe.

HA-21: The lens hood. If you put the HA-21on, you can get rid of the lens cap that comes with the camera to protect the lens when retracted. The lens will retract into the lens hood. It offers some extra sexiness and bulkiness to the camera.

EF-140: A flash that can attach to the hot shoe. As of writing this posting, I haven’t tested the Sigma EF-140yet but I’m actually very excited to see how it performs and hope that I am not let down. Like many of you professional photographers, a great compact camera is something we all yearn for.

Autofocus

Previous models in this line, such as the DP2 were reviewed to have terrible autofocus problems. Does the same apply to the DP2s?

So far in my short testings and at the time of writing this posting: no. The focus is a bit slow—slower than Olympus’s Micro Four Thirds options. However, it is bearable and it always hits the intended target. It can be a bit tougher in low-light, but it is still very much usable.

The DP2s has nice autofocus points that can all be selected using the zone selection button on the back of the camera. This can help greatly with composition.

If you don’t want to autofocus, you can switch the camera into manual focus mode and use the focusing dial at the top to finely tune where you focus. It’s a valuable option and the dial can be very useful at times.

Ergonomics

The DP2s feels like an old, blocky rangefinder. It is actually a very intuitive camera to use. I refrain from saying simple but in reality it really is quite simple if you just take the time to figure it out. The camera took me around 3 minutes to figure out completely. The menus and functions are all clearly labeled and there only takes a bit of memorization to know which of the two different menus you are accessing.

The camera feels very good in my hands. With the strap wrapped around my wrist, this is actually a very comfortable camera to hold and even harkens back to my review of the Leica M9. Granted, this is a much smaller camera with a lot less metal. Compared to the GF-1, E-PL1, and the G11, it feels very similar to all these cameras with the exception that the GF-1 and G11 have dials. The Sigma’s solution to manual settings are two buttons placed on the top right that actually still work very well and much more comfortably than the EPL-1′s.

Image Quality

It’s too early to really judge this but the quality and colors seem very good even at higher ISOs. However, there is a catch to this—and it’s in the metering.

Metering

Though I am currently writing this about eight hours after I got the camera in from FedEx, I can say from walking around my neighborhood a bit that the camera tends to underexpose a bit. This was evident shooting in Aperture priority. Due to this, I so far am recommending shooting in manual and overexposing about a quarter to half stop.

More to come as the field review has only begun!

If you’ve got the Sigma DP2s, let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our links first and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

Panasonic has just announced the HDC-SDT750 camcorder, the world’s first consumer 3D capable video device that shoots in 1080p HD. On top of this, the company has also announced the development of a 3D lens for the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds series of cameras. Releases, packed full of information, are after the jump.

HDC-SDT750

PANASONIC UNVEILS THE WORLD’S FIRST 3D CONSUMER CAMCORDER, COMPLETE WITH A 3D CONVERSION LENS*¹

New Panasonic HDC-SDT750 Shoots 3D Video Ready to Play Back on 3D-Capable Televisions, Perfect for Creating a 3D Entertainment Ecosystem at Home

SECAUCUS, NJ (July 27, 2010) – Panasonic today announced the launch of the Panasonic HDC-SDT750, the world’s first consumer 3D camcorder, which includes a 3D conversion lens*¹ that enables the camcorder to shoot powerful and true-to-life 3D video content.  The Panasonic SDT750 is a user-friendly consumer 3D camcorder that makes experiencing 3D at home easy and affordable*². In addition to shooting 3D, the SDT750 can record full 1080p High Definition (HD) in AVCHD, when the 3D conversion lens is unattached, and includes powerful features such as a 3MOS system, a Leica Dicomar lens and a 12x optical zoom.

“As a result of research conducted through Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory, Panasonic developed a professional 3D system camera and successfully brought high-quality Full HD 3D images to the home for viewing on Panasonic VIERA Full HD 3D televisions. But now, Panasonic has taken it one step further and developed the world’s first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750 – creating a 3D ecosystem available for consumers in the home,” said Chris Rice, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company.  “Incorporating Panasonic’s professional broadcast technology and bringing it to an easy-to-use consumer model, the SDT750 makes high-quality 3D video content a reality in the home.”

To shoot 3D video with the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 camcorder, the user needs to attach the 3D conversion lens that comes included, to record dynamic images. The specially-designed 3D conversion lens records right-eye and left-eye images simultaneously through its two lenses, thus resulting in video that can be viewed in 3D. The right and left images (each with 960 x 1080 pixels) that enter through the lenses are recorded using the side-by-side method.

The Panasonic SDT750 features a Time Lapse Recording feature, which plays a scene such as a sunset or a blooming flower at an accelerated speed, similar to a fast-forward.  By setting the recording interval to 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes, the user can view an otherwise long recording in a reduced time period. For example, when a scene is recorded at the 1-second interval setting, a 10-minute sunset scene can be played back in approximately 10 seconds, making the slow change in the subject appear as if it were taking place in a very short time. This interval recording feature is also available when the 3D conversion lens is attached to the SDT750.

Panasonic offers a 5.1-channel audio recording sound system that uses five microphones, so when voices are recorded from the front, right, left and back are played on a 5.1-channel home cinema system, users are surrounded by clear, detailed sound that makes them feel as if they are right in the middle of the action. The Focus Microphone function, which has been made possible by five highly-directional microphones, picks up the sounds from sources in the area in front of the camcorder, regardless of whether the lens is focusing on a near or distant object. It also allows footage recorded in 3D to be enjoyed with lifelike and dynamic sounds.

The high-sensitivity 3MOS System has 7.59 million effective motion image pixels (2.53 megapixels x 3), so this advanced image sensor separates the light received through the lens into the three primary colors – red, green and blue – and processes each color independently. As a result, the Panasonic SDT750 produces beautiful images with rich color quality, detail and gradation.  Adding to the quality, the SDT750 also features a large-diameter (46mm) F1.5*³ Leica Dicomar lens and Crystal Engine PRO, a high-speed processing unit – both components which contribute to the effectiveness of the camcorder’s light gathering, increased sensitivity, and reduced noise when shooting, even in dim lighting.

Users can play back 3D videos recorded on the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 on 3D-capable televisions, such as Panasonic VIERA® Full HD 3D televisions, including the TC-P50VT25, TC-P54VT25, TC-P58VT25, TC-P65VT25 and the TC-P50VT20 models. Playback using a VIERA TV is done by connecting the 3D camcorder to the television using an HDMI cable. In addition, it is also possible to play 3D images recorded on SD Memory Cards by using an AVCHD compatible player,*⁴ such as a Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc player – the DMP-BDT350 or DMP-BDT300 models are currently available.  When watching 3D content recorded by the SDT750 on any of the Panasonic Full HD 3D VIERA televisions, users can view the true-to-life content and the VIERA television will automatically engage the side-by-side method for smooth viewing of 3D content – no change of settings necessary.

The SDT750 comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T PC editing software, which allows users to easily edit recorded 3D images, and save them onto PCs or Blu-ray/DVD discs. HD Writer AE 2.6T features a “Smart Wizard” that starts as soon as the SDT750 is connected to the USB port of the computer, which gives simple on-screen guidance. HD Writer AE 2.6T also enables easy uploading and sharing online without the need for any cumbersome processes, so that even an inexperienced user can post video clips on the web. When uploading 3D images from a PC onto the web, they must first be converted into 2D images.

Even without the 3D conversion lens attached, the Panasonic SDT750 is an innovative and high-performance Full HD camcorder that is equipped with a wide range of sophisticated functions, including the 3MOS System, which features improved noise reduction (NR) technologies, and a wide-variety of manual adjustments controlled by a manual ring for easy, creative shooting. The manual ring provides convenient, fingertip control of the focus, zoom, exposure (iris), shutter speed and white balance settings. Using the ring is extremely intuitive, comfortable, and user-friendly. Only the white balance setting is available when the 3D conversion lens is attached. The SDT750 can shoot 1,080/60p recording (Full-HD 1,920 x 1,080, 60 progressive recording) and produces rich expressive images, with no detail loss and flickering.

Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto (iA) function makes the SDT750 extremely easy to use. When the 3D lens is not attached and iA is engaged, the SDT750 automatically selects the most suitable shooting mode with the press of a button. While shooting HD video, the Panasonic SDT750’s iA function offers the following six functions: Face Recognition, the new HYBRID O.I.S., AF/AE Tracking, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection and Intelligent Contrast Control. HYBRID O.I.S., a new feature, provides extremely accurate hand-shake correction with its four-axis blur detection, resulting in steady images while zooming or shooting on the move.

Other features of the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 include:

• Auto Power LCD automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen according to the shooting environment for comfortable use in a variety of different lighting situations.
• Large 3.0” touch-screen LCD allows icons to be easily operated by touching them with a fingertip. On the LCD, recorded 3D images are displayed only as the 2D images that were recorded with the left lens.
• Eco Mode automatically turns off the power when the camcorder is not operated for five minutes, reducing wasteful energy use and saving battery power.
• Pre-Rec allows for the camcorder to continuously record three seconds of content into internal memory. Then, when the record button is pressed, the three seconds immediately prior will have been recorded.

The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 will be available in October 2010 with a suggested retail price of $1,399.95. For more information on Panasonic camcorders, please visit: www.panasonic.com/dvc.

*1 As a consumer camcorder with 3D conversion lens for the AVCHD standard (as of July 27, 2010).

*2 A TV that is capable of side-by-side method 3D playback, 3D Eyewear, and HDMI cable connection are required to play the recorded 3D images.

*3 F3.2 when the 3D conversion lens is attached.

*4 If the player/recorder is incompatible with 3D, the 3D mode must be set on the TV manually

*Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

3D Micro Four Thirds Lens

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD’S FIRST* INTERCHANGEABLE 3D LENS FOR LUMIX G MICRO SYSTEM**

SECAUCUS, NJ (July 27, 2010) – Continuing its record of 3D technology leadership, Panasonic today announced the development of the world’s first* digital interchangeable twin-lens, making it possible to shoot 3D with an interchangeable lens system camera. As a new member of Panasonic’s powerful lineup of interchangeable lenses as part of the LUMIX G Micro System**, the twin-lens will allow high-quality shooting in 3D. Panasonic plans to release this new lens for sale before the end of the year.

“This year will be remembered as the ‘First Year of 3D Era’ and Panasonic has already taken the lead by launching 3D-capable VIERA™ televisions and Blu-ray™ 3D Disc Players,” said Darin Pepple, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “With Panasonic’s development of a twin-lens capable of 3D shooting, the company is providing consumers with a way to capture their own 3D content, which they can then enjoy watching in the comforts of their own home.  Panasonic is dedicated to evolving the 3D ecosystem, letting consumers create and display lifelike 3D images in their homes.”

Currently, 3D shooting with an interchangeable lens system camera is possible only by using panorama systems or by combining two lenses and two CCDs.  However, these systems are not ideal and have difficulty capturing moving objects.  Panasonic’s new 3D lens for the LUMIX G Micro System features two optical systems installed within the diameter of the lens mount, creating stereo images from the left and right lenses that are then processed with a 3D image processing system. Thanks to Panasonic’s advanced technologies in optical technology, image processing systems, and lens barrel design, the 3D lens will be compact in size.

This new compact 3D-capable interchangeable lens will be easy to handle and allow instant 3D shooting, without distortion or time lag between left and right images – even when shooting moving objects.

*For a digital interchangeable lens of July 28, 2010.

** Compatible models to be announced at a later date.

Panasonic has just announced the release of two interesting new camcorders. The TA1 is a pocket camcorder that doubles as a web-cam and the SDX1 is their lightest full HD camcorder that also doubles as a web-cam. Hit the jump for more specs and the important pieces from the press releases.

Editor’s Note: Apparently more Panasonic information is coming this evening. Stay Tuned!

Tech Specs

SDX1 (From the Press Release)

- Weighing in at just under 0.41 lbs.

- In addition to being a camcorder that can capture HD video content, the SDX1 also serves as a Web camera and microphone, allowing for users to connect with online video chat programs, such as Skype.

- Panasonic HDC-SDX1 also features a newly-developed HYBRID Optical Image Stabilization system (O.I.S.), an image stabilization system that provides optical and electrical hand-shake correction. This system specifically helps when zooming, making it possible to record beautiful videos. In addition to the HYBRID O.I.S. system, the SDX1 provides even more powerful hand-shake correction with O.I.S. Lock. By pressing the O.I.S. Lock button on the LCD monitor, the blur detection sensitivity is maximized and other camera movements are detected and corrected.

- The camera includes:

• Face Recognition finds the registered faces of subjects and automatically optimizes the focus and exposure, while continuously tracking them as they move around within the LCD frame.

• HYBRID O.I.S. provides more accurate hand-shake correction with its four-axis blur detection, helping to steady images even when zooming or shooting a moving subject.

• AF/AE Tracking tracks a moving subject to make sure it’s recorded in optimal image quality. The normal Auto mode adjusts the focus and exposure for a subject at the center of the screen. With AF/AE Tracking, the user “locks on” to a subject by simply
touching the LCD screen.

• Intelligent Scene Selector detects the situation and switches the scene mode accordingly.

• Face Detection captures faces beautifully even in dim or backlit scenes.

• Intelligent Contrast Control prevents blown highlights and blocked shadows to retain natural, highly-nuanced images with proper contrast.

• Touch Screen Operation with a 2.7-inch wide LCD monitor.

The Panasonic HDC-SDX1 will be available in black in September 2010 with a suggested retail price of $499.95. For more information on Panasonic camcorders, please visit www.panasonic.com/dvc.

TA1

- Integrated USB plug for quicker connection to your PC

- The TA1 also supports the Apple iFrame video format (960 x 540/30p), which is optimal for Mac® users to import quickly and maintain small file sizes. When using iMovie, the iFrame video data in the video camera is the same format as the one that is
used to edit.

- 2.09 inch (w) x 0.70 inch (d) x 4.09 inch (h), and weighing just 0.25lbs

- Can capture 8MP images

- Records in MP4 format

-Other features:

• E.I.S. (Electrical Image Stabilization) to minimize hand-shake issues.

• Digital zoom up to 4x, helping to expand the user’s shooting range.

• Color effects enabling creative shooting, including Sepia, Monochrome, and Soft Skin. Sepia mode adds warmth to the captured images; Soft Skin produces realistic skin tones; and Monochrome mode transforms the appearance to create a cool ambience.

• USB-capable charging by connected the TA1′s USB cord to a PC, eliminating the need to carry a separate cord or charger.

The Panasonic HM-TA1 will be available in three different color options, purple, dark grey and red in August 2010 with a suggested retail price of $169.95.

Camera Plus Pro for the Apple iPhone has been updated. Now priced at $0.99 the new fully iPhone 4 compatible app can now control the LED flash on/off/auto options and switch between Front and Rear camera. The new update also has realtime preview for photo editing, real time video exposure and white balance control and other great features that make the Camera Plus Pro app stand out from the rest of the camera apps out there. Full release is after the jump. Be sure to also check out our iPhone coverage and review here.

The Best All-In-One Camera App Updated: Camera Plus Pro Now With LED Flash and Front-Camera Functionality for iPhone 4, Price Drop to Only $0.99

New York, New York — July 26th, 2010 — Hailed by the New York Times as “the best of the bunch” among camera/photography iPhone apps, the immensely popular Camera Plus Pro now has compatibility for the iPhone 4′s newest features. Alongside a limited-time sale to $0.99, Global Delight has announced its latest update to version 2.5 includes an elegant new Wi-fi sharing feature, Bing image search, and full integration with the iPhone 4′s LED flash and front facing camera. Camera Plus Pro is also the first iPhone 4 compatible app that has both photo and video functionality. Already popular for bringing video recording to 2G and 3G iPhones, Global Delight has proven that they are as forward looking as they are backward compatible.

Capturing and enhancing high quality images on the iPhone 4 is easy with Camera Plus Pro. Users can view real-time previews for photo edits like brightness and contrast, easily switch between the front and rear camera, and even adjust images pulled from the web with the integrated Bing image search. Macworld has said that Camera Plus Pro is an “all-in-one app [that] delivers an impressive set of features”, and this latest update delivers even more for the iPhone 4.

Sharing and managing images or videos is also full featured and intuitive with Camera Plus Pro. Users can add searchable titles, geo-tags, and captions to their media, and email or upload it to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Multiple photos can be emailed or uploaded to Picasa, Facebook, or Flickr, and the update now gives users the ability to use a web browser to view and download photos broadcast wirelessly over any wifi network. To date, the free and paid versions of Camera Plus Pro have been downloaded over 10 million times!

“We feel that the best camera is the one you have with you, and now the iPhone 4 camera rivals some consumer point-and-shoots” says Guruprasad Kamath, Marketing Manager of Global Delight. “We’re excited to be adding such powerful features for such powerful hardware and we’re celebrating with our 10 Days of Summer giveaway. Steve Jobs referred to the iPhone 4 as being like a “beautiful old Leica Camera”, so we decided that we should have a $1,000 Leica Camera as the grand prize!”

Get the most from your iPhone camera with Camera Plus Pro!

What’s New with version 2.5:

- Fully iPhone 4 compatible with LED flash on/off/auto options and ability to switch between Front/Rear camera

- Real-Time Preview for Photo editing (adjusting photo properties such as Brightness, Saturation, Hue, Contrast, Sharpness, Temperature, Tint)

- Video exposure and white balance control in real-time

- Bing image search

- Live Share feature broadcasts images over wifi for easy viewing and sharing of the iPhone media library from any web browser

- Improved video recording capabilities with real-time zoom and video filters

- Use real-time zoom while using front or rear camera on an iPhone 4

For a limited time, Camera Plus Pro for iPhone is available for a sale price of $0.99 from the App Store on the iPhone or at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id345752934?mt=8.

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our link and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

One of The Phoblographer’s longtime readers recently reached out to us asking for help/advice for her son—who is a college student. His problem in a nut-shell: he needs a great video-capable DSLR camera.

July 2nd

Hi Chris,
I hope you are having a great week. I just read your post on shooting
fireworks. Great info and images.

I spoke to my Son today, he just finished shooting a teaser trailer (Horror Genre)
One of the things he was talking about is how he doesn’t have full control of
the settings for his video camera and he wanted to know if I knew about the
video on dslr’s. I told him that they are being used more and more for by film
makers, they shot the season finale of House with a dslr.

I did read that you get full control of the settings when you use a dslr’s video
mode. So, I told him I knew just the person to ask, so here is my question.

I remember that you had reviewed the video on the higher end dslr’s on your
site. Have you been able to review the video on the mid range dslr’s
(Canon 40D, 50D, Nikon D90 etc.) and if so which did you think had the best
quality?

I will also send him the code that you sent me so that if he buys the camera
from B&H you will get the commission on it. I haven’t forgotten about that.

I really appreciate your time. Have a Great and Safe 4th of July.
And don’t forget to post some of your fireworks shots if you take
some.

Thank you,
TheresaZ.

Thanks for the email Theresa, I really appreciate it. Here was my response:

Hi Theresa,

Your son has a couple of options. The new Canon Rebel T2i is probably his best, but he won’t be able to control sound on camera. He’ll have to do it through an external device and he’ll need memory cards.

Also, if he wants full manual control, then he’s going to need to get a 5D Mk II. The 40D and 50D do not shoot video. The D90′s isn’t so great, no is the D300s’. The D3s is the only Nikon with wonderful video output.

As for memory cards, he should probably get two of these:

Canon 50mm F1.8- The 1.8 is the cheapest and gives great results when stopped down. T

85mm F1.8- The greatest bang for your buck portrait lens ever made. On your XTi it will be approximately 135mm, so it will cover telephoto needs.

35mm F2- These two wide angle lenses are very nice and provide some of the best views at this focal length for video. Once again, great for establishing shots.

I also recommend checking out our list of great Videography items for your DSLR.

And as for memory cards, a SanDisk 16GB like this one is what I’ve seen lots of shooters using.

Hope this helps.

Have a great weekend Theresa. I’m going to turn this into a posting.

-Chris

What else would you recommend to her son?

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our link and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.

If you’re an Android phone owner, chances are that you use the phone’s camera at times—and possibly with a really cool app. If you do, you may want to check out the Retro Camera app. A free download, Retro Camera is the closest thing to Hipstamatic for the iPhone. It offers some really cool filters and one of the most unique interfaces I’ve seen on a camera app.

When you start Retro Camera, the app loads up to display a bunch of “cameras” available for selection. These cameras offer different interface skins and also deliver photos with different effects.

After loading a new camera, one sees the customized interface along with the, “viewfinder” which is nothing more than what the camera sees placed into a little window. In this interface, the user has the choice of making their photo color, black and white, pressing the shutter button down, reading more info about how the camera works and delivers its images, viewing the gallery of photos shot or choosing another camera. Oh yeah—and there’s an ad on the bottom of the page.

This interface is by no means complicated and there are very few buttons as nearly everything from the app uses the touchscreen. However, users can customize the app to allow it to assign one of the phone’s buttons to take the photos as well instead of pressing the shutter button on the screen. Other options are your resolution selection and if the camera will make a sound or not when taking a picture.

In my experience, using the hardware button allows for better autofocusing.

When you take a picture, each photo needs to develop/process. During this time you won’t be able to take another photo until it has developed. In fact, you can’t do anything else while the image is processing—so like film, make sure that you get it right the first time around. Processing will depend on what device you are running. Phones with more RAM will do this much faster than mine can.

Once the photo is processed, you can go to the gallery by pressing the button on the bottom left of the screen and viewing your “print” hung up on a clothesline for you to view in the darkroom. From there, you can view the prints, share them, delete them, etc.

But all of you reading this mostly care about the image quality, don’t you? Well, that depends on which device you have but here are some results from my G1.

This is the result from the Xolaroid 2000 camera. As you can see, it delivers photos that resemble a Polaroid camera.

This is the result from the Pinhole camera. There is viseable vignetting on this image as a result.

This is a result from the Little Orange Box camera. I can’t exactly tell what this is supposed to mimic. Perhaps a photo from the early 1900′s?

This is a result from the Barbl camera. As you can see, it most immediately mimics the result of a 35mm film scan. In truth, the camera is the closest thing you can get to a “normal” look as the camera itself represents a rangefinder.

Retro Camera is a free app available for download from the Android Market and can run on all versions of Android.

Recently the the Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible was sent to me to try out. As a photographer that loves and often uses the standard Lightsphere, personal experience has rated it as a very good and useful product. However, I couldn’t have predict how versatile it would be as a diffuser. I stopped by the F-Stopper‘s meetup in NYC two weeks ago and gave this a quick test.

Reminder- Please support The Phoblographer by clicking the product links in the story and if you’d like to purchase anything, please do so by clicking our links first.

Equipment Used

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens with the Opteka ET-65III Lens Hood

Gary Fong LightSphere Collapsible Diffuser

In Use

First off, the PR reps for Gary Fong saw my posting on the Domke F2 and noticed that I needed to breakdown my Lightsphere in order to make it fit into the bag. They suggested the collapsible. I agreed, and a review product was sent.

Such is standard in the business.

The Lightsphere Collapsible comes with three different parts: the Sphere, the Dome and the attachment ring.

Photographers David Michael Burns and Peter Hurley were also intrigued by it. So intrigued that they wanted to see the effect it had on their photos when mounted on the 43o EX II and off the flash in combination with the 5D Mk II.

Here we go then:

This is the traditional way that photographers are supposed to use the Lightsphere: with the inverted Dome and with the head tilted to the side. If you’re shooting verticals, then you’d tilt the head of the flash so that it resembles an “L” shape.

The following two photos are the results you get with the Lightsphere on in this manner.

As you can tell in this photo of David, it gives off a very barebulb effect/look. Since I’m using a clear Lightsphere, it has more of a blueish tonality to it. The white Lightspheres give off a warmer look to them.

It also concentrates the light quite a bit. Now compare this to the bare 430 EX II being aimed towards the ceiling as seen in the two photos below.

Sure the focus was a bit off on this one, but anyone can clearly see the difference in looks between the photos.

These images look a lot warmer and compliment skin tones more. Once again, these were shot without the Lightsphere. In a case like this, I actually think I would’ve preferred my Standard Lightsphere because it is white.

Now take a look at this configuration that I’ve seen used before. It has the inverted Dome on it but facing outwards and the Lightsphere is collapsed. Below is a result of what a photo looks like when the Lightsphere is used like this.

As you can see, he looks almost like a deer in headlights. If the subject was a bit further away, this might have looked better. Closing my aperture or lowering the ISO a bit could have also possibly worked. For what it’s worth though, any user will want to dial down the power of their flash when using the Lightsphere in this configuration. The 85mm F1.8 was all I had on me.

This is another configuration of the Lightsphere Collapsible. I’ve got to test this one out still.

Expect a full review coming with a portrait session I’ve got in the near future.

Please Support the Phoblographer

We love to bring you guys the latest and greatest news and gear related stuff. However, we can’t keep doing that unless we have your continued support. If you would like to purchase any of the items mentioned, please do so by clicking our links first and then purchasing the items as we then get a small portion of the sale to help run the website.