The Gadgets Page

It is called the Playstation 3 Eye. It is no longer called EyeToy. “I am not a toy!” it screams. Actually, it still looks a little bit like a toy. Like a hacked webcam with a speaker. Personally, I don’t care how it looks as long as it WORKS. The EyeToy did NOT work. You can see a full review here:

• Gadgets Page » Sony Eye Toy Vs. Nintendo Wii

The PS3 Eye, however, is supposed to work better in low light situations. That’s good to hear, but the proof is in the pudding. I’m not going to be the first to spend money on it. Sony has burned me before, so I don’t really trust them.

Here is the official press release from Sony:

• PlayStation.com – News – Press Releases – PLAYSTATION®Eye Brings Next-Generation Communication to PLAYSTATION®3

Here are a couple of reviews from people who aren’t quite as bitter as I am:

• Gadgets: PlayStation 3 Eyetoy No Longer Toy – Gizmodo

• Forevergeek – Sony reveals the Playstation 3 Eye

Josh Leo is a popular video-blogger who is quite prolific. He produces Wandering West Michigan and Josh Leo’s Vlog. How did he review his new camera, the Canon HV20? By creating a video with split screen showing the same footage taken with his new camera and his old. You can see it here: Josh Leo’s Vlog » New Camera

The true talent of this video was obvious in the editing. Josh did such a good job editing this video to make sure everything was synced perfectly that it’s obvious to see that he could create wonderful videos no matter what camera he uses. It all goes to show that your camera does not matter.

In our pockets, our purses and even in our cell phones, we have cameras that are better than some of the early photographers had at their disposal. We carry them around with us everywhere and are able to capture moments that are fleeting and beautiful. The new HD cameras are great and can capture even more detail than the previous versions, but they can’t replace true talent.

Instead of obsessing over the limitations of my camera. I need to just keep filming and keep learning. I can’t buy that.

I cannot believe that I haven’t linked to this essay on the Gadgets Page. I have spent the last few years living by this motto and I thought I had shared it with everyone here, but a thorough search of our website proves that I have been remiss in my duty.

• Your Camera Does Not Matter by Ken Rockwell

If you have been thinking about getting a new camera, you need to read this essay right now. If you have bought a camera that you’re not happy with, you need to read this essay. If you are perfectly happy taking pictures with your camera phone and its dime-sized lens, you especially need to read this essay.

Here are my favorite quotes:

The camera’s only job is to get out of the way of making photographs.
Ken Rockwell, Your Camera Does Not Matter, 2005

No matter how advanced your camera you still need to be responsible for getting it to the right place at the right time and pointing it in the right direction to get the photo you want.
Ken Rockwell, Your Camera Does Not Matter, 2005

Ken took this award-winning photo with a broken camera:

• Mono Lake under Pinatubian Light by Ken Rockwell

This is what he had to say about it:

I bought a used camera that wouldn’t focus properly. It went back to the dealer a couple of times for repair, each time coming back the same way. As an artist I knew how to compensate for this error, which was a pain because I always had to apply a manual offset to the focus setting. In any case, I made one of my very favorite images of all time while testing it. [Mono Lake under Pinatubian Light] has won me all sorts of awards and even hung in a Los Angeles gallery where an original Ansel Adams came down and this image was hung. When my image came down Ansel went right up again. Remember, this was made with a camera that was returned to the dealer which they agreed was unrepairable.

The important part of that image is that I stayed around after my friends all blew off for dinner, while I suspected we were going to have an extraordinary sky event (the magenta sky, just like the photo shows.)

Ken also points us to archangel_raphael’s Flickr site, where he takes amazing photos such as this with a PDA camera:

If Ken can use a broken camera to take a photograph that hung in a museum in a spot usually held for Ansel Adams, then you can take award winning photos with your camera. If archangel_raphael can take beautiful photos with a 0.3 megapixel resolution camera, then your 5 megapixels should be enough. If you have been coveting a new camera, remember, your camera does not matter.

Gadgets Page,

If I were going on a trip to Europe, what is the best way to ‘store’ lots (thousands) of digital photos…I have a new HP 425 digital 5.0 mp camera…is this compatible with a SanDisk Standard SDHCâ„¢ Card 4GB…and would I then need another portable storage device (flash or reader) into which to temporarily ‘empty’ those photos (without any access to a PC)…so I can re-use the ‘empty’ memory card again?

Andy

Andy,

Firstly, according to Amazon.com, your HP camera can only use the SD cards that are 1GB or smaller, so don’t spend money on the SDHC cards because your camera won’t recognize them.

Secondly, when you take pictures with your 1GB card, you can put that card into a card reader on a computer, transfer the photos to the computer and remove them from your SD card. After you do this, you CAN use it again. That’s the beauty of digital photography. I hated taking pictures when I knew it would cost me money to have the film developed. Now, I can reuse the film over and over again and only have the photos that turned out developed.

Next, If you are away from a computer and you need to empty out your SD card, there are some devices that will store your photos. This Wolverine ESP 120 GB Portable Multimedia Storage Player looks like the least expensive storage device with the largest amount of storage. You could empty your card 120 times into this device by just putting the SD card into it and transferring the photos. For those of you who DO have SDHC-compatible cameras, I was unable to find any portable media storage players that support SDHC, so these wouldn’t work for you. They cost between $299 and $399.

Funny thing is, Dell is selling refurbished laptops for that same price, so maybe a cheap computer like this pre-owned Dell Latitude would be better for those with SDHC-compatible cameras than a portable media storage device. Then you can just use the card reader that comes with your SDHC card AND check your email while you’re gone.

Finally, Europe is on a different power standard than the States, so you won’t be able to plug in your favorite devices unless you have a converter. This converter from Kensington looks like it would be compact and easy to use. Unless you have a plug adapter, you won’t be able to charge your batteries, run your hair dryer or do anything else with electricity, so this might actually be MORE important than any storage devices because if your camera battery is dead, you can’t take any pictures.

For more information on how to make your digital photos last forever, see this entry:

• Gadgets Page » 10 Ways to Make Your Digital Photos Last Forever

Have fun in Europe!

Laura Moncur

It’s a strange sense of satisfaction when I come to the same decision as a photography blog. I have been waiting for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 for almost a year now. I currently own the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. It has been an excellent camera with only a couple of items wanting: I wanted SDHC support and I wanted better video quality. I have watched Panasonic’s progress for a long time, just waiting for this camera to become available. Imagine my delight when PhotographyBLOG gave it a 4.5 out of 5 star rating:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Review – PhotographyBLOG

They have lots of juicy pictures and lots of technical photography talk explaining why this camera deserves such a good rating. Honestly, I am so indebted to Panasonic’s Optical Image Stabilizer (anti-shake) that I wouldn’t even consider buying another camera. It makes my videos smooth as glass when I’m walking, which is more than half the battle to filming good walking videos. The fact that I’ll have 10X Zoom, a larger Leica lens and the approval of the PhotographyBLOG is just icing on the cake.

Via: Panasonic’s DMC-TZ3 wide-angle 10x zoomer reviewed – Engadget

This is an old entry from back in November, but it’s still very useful. More and more, I see people using their cameraphones in situations where my mom would have used the 110 camera when I was a child. Just the other day, I saw a mother at a restaurant snap photos of her children at the table. The cameraphone is creating photo albums of the lives of many families. Here’s how to make those memories better using that dime-sized lens:

• Geek to Live: Take better cameraphone photos – Lifehacker

Here is the quick and dirty list of their ways to make your cameraphone photos better:

• Get close and personal.
• Keep it steady.
• It’s all about the light.
• Use night mode.
• Turn off the fake shutter sound.
• Keep your lens clean.

Of all of these, the clean lens has been the biggest issue for me. Since my phone is bobbing around in my purse with its lens unprotected, mine is usually covered with lint. If you are going to snap a photo, take a moment to wipe off the lens first.

Via: Meriblog: Meri Williams’ Weblog » links for 2006-11-21

Jon and Heather used to shoot all their pictures with a Nikon, but they have recently purchased their new camera from Canon. He explains the switch here:

• Blurbomat | Camera FAQ

He wanted to buy a Canon 5D last year, why did he wait?

When we were in Austin last spring, I shot with a Canon 24-70 2.8L USM and its buttery goodness forced me to make a mental note. A couple of hours later, I was able to take a few shots with a 5D and the game was nearly over at that point. So a Canon would be our second camera. And then we replaced our sewer. And got sued. I took on more freelance work. And then Santa Claus came.

It’s nice to hear reviews of products from real people instead of insane photography nuts. Of course, it’s hard to justify the sanity of anyone willing to drop $25K on a camera.

If you have ever tried to take a picture in the rain, you know how difficult it is. You have maybe five to ten seconds before you have raindrops on the lens. That can make for an interesting effect, but not everyone is a fan of “interesting effects.” This gadgets locks into your tripod connector attaching a small umbrella to your camera.

• Popabrella: Protect Your Camera

The umbrella is fully articulated, so you can position it to protect your camera no matter which way the wind is blowing. It is also good for avoiding lens flares from sunlight. It’s such a simple item that can dramatically alter your photographs. If you regularly take pictures outside, an investment of less than thirty bucks is worth it.

You can find them at Amazon.com here:

• Popabrella Sun/Rain Blocker for Camcorders and Digital Cameras (small)

• Probrella Sun/Rain/Snow Blocker for Camcorders/Digital Cameras (large)

On another note, this product was demonstrated by an energetic woman who truly believed in it. She was able to display all the different positions for the umbrella and eagerly removed the popabrella to show how easy it was to attach. Sometimes that makes all the difference in the world.

This is interesting. Scoopt is trying to help you sell your photos to the press using Flickr.

• Sell your photos or pictures and video to the press and media with citizen journalist site Scoopt

You see yourself at the scene of a fire or maybe a famous celebrity walks by you. You snap a photo, upload it to Flickr and tag it with the word “scoopt,” meaning you’re willing to sell it to the press. Cool, huh? Yeah, but they take 50% of the money. Not only that, you can’t publish it anywhere else for three months. This is from their FAQ file:

“When you send Scoopt a photo, you automatically grant us an exclusive worldwide licence to market that photo for a period of three months. During this three-month period, you agree not to publish the photo anywhere else. When the three months are up, the licence becomes non-exclusive. We will still try to sell your photo but now you can also publish it yourself on a photoblog or a picture sharing site — or anywhere else at all.”

If I was reluctant to trust Flickr for so many years, I’m even more reluctant to give exclusive worldwide rights to a brand new company. This might be your ticket to fame, but I think I’ll stick to anonymity.

Via: webitpr | Scoopt invites the Flickr community to ’snap, tag, sell’

Jon Armstrong regularly produces photos with an ethereal quality. In this tutorial, he shows you how to turn this:

Into this:

You can see the tutorial right here:

• Blurbomat | How to Turn an Ordinary Photo Into an Extraordinary Photo

To use his technique, you will need to have Adobe Photoshop, which isn’t an inexpensive program to own. This is NOT a beginner tutorial. If you don’t already own Photoshop, this tutorial will sound like a big mess of “layers this” and “settings that.” Learning how to use Adobe Photoshop is probably the best thing you could ever do for your photos. Even small tweaks can change things from “blah” to “wow!”

If you already own Photoshop and are familiar with it, Jon’s technique can create some extraordinary effects. Give it a try. So much of what he is describing is just playing with the picture until it looks right. It’s what changes photography from documentation to art.

Good luck, have fun and remember to “Save As…” before you even start so you don’t lose your original!