Sony Limited-Edition A350

Sony Releases Limited-Edition A350 in Japan

With its yellow-gold body and webbing camera strap, Sony's limited-edition A350 is available in Japan and will cost you the equivalent of $850.

The camera, which came second in Wilson's entry-level DSLR Battlemodo last month, looks pretty spanky in champagne, don't you think?

Check it out in the extensive and gorgeous gallery at gizmodo.com.

Photo of the day:

Seasons

Winter in Germany

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:
twisted art
twisted canvas prints
twisted framed prints
twisted prints
twisted posters
twisted greeting cards
twisted photos

woody art
woody photos
woody canvas prints
woody framed prints
woody prints
woody greeting cards
woody posters

weathered art
weathered canvas prints
weathered framed prints
weathered prints
weathered posters
weathered greeting cards
weathered photos

basin art
harsh art
wilderness metal prints
nature scene metal prints
life metal prints

Identity theft is a huge problem

Student's photo captures ID theft danger

A shadowy figure sits at his computer, just waiting for the right moment to steal someone's credit card information.
It's only a photo illustration, but the reality captured in Foran High School junior Molly Weathered's "A Waiting Thief" — the first-place photo in the state Department of Consumer Protection's 2008 Law Day photo contest — is all too real.
Weathered, 16, said she got the idea from her photography teacher, William Domeracki, to superimpose a black-and-white print negative of her boyfriend at his computer over a digital color photo of a credit card.
She wanted to demonstrate identity theft, which often takes place by computer. "I thought Molly hit it right on the head," said department Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. Identity theft "is a growing issue every single year," he said, "despite the fact that there are lots of things that are being done about it."
Both Weathered and second place-winner Leah Pryor, a junior at Amity High School in Woodbridge, submitted identity theft-related photographs, according to the department.
"Anything that we can do to educate and support consumers in protecting their personal information has to be a priority," Farrell said. "Identity theft affects about 2,000 people in Connecticut every year, and the cost for repairing one's good name can be significant in terms of time and trouble, not to mention the out-of-pocket expense."
Farrell said stolen identity, depending on the circumstances, can take up to 36 hours to put right.
Weathered was recognized May 3 at the Westfield Connecticut Post mall, in conjunction with a department-sponsored free paper-shredding event. An aspiring photographer, Weathered said she was "shocked" and excited to learn she'd won.
"Anything to, like, get me started on the right foot with photography," she said.
Farrell said 2008 marked the department's second annual Law Day contest — last year it was an essay — and contestants were to convey the importance of consumer issues and what the department does to protect consumers.
Law Day was founded 50 years ago as a time to recognize the benefits of the nation's legal system and celebrate the heritage of liberty, justice and equality under law, according to the American Bar Association.

Full story by NOELLE FRAMPTON at ConnPost

Photograph of the day:

Famous Architecture

Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh, UK

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:
woody art
woody photos
woody canvas prints
woody framed prints
woody prints
woody greeting cards
woody posters

twisted art
twisted canvas prints
twisted framed prints
twisted prints
twisted posters
twisted greeting cards
twisted photos

twisted photo posters
twisted photo prints
twisted photo framed prints
twisted photo canvas prints
twisted photo greeting cards

unique metal prints
conifer metal prints
evergreens metal prints
alpine metal prints
survivor acrylic prints
survivor metal prints
nature scenes metal prints

Precise colors from input to output without new hardware

Precise Color Printing is now possible with SilverFast's Printer Calibration Workflow

LaserSoft Imaging today announced the addition of Printer Calibration with ICC-Profiling to its SilverFast Ai Studio product line. The new Printer Calibration ensures a fully calibrated workflow from input to output.Since the advent of digital imaging, the creation of accurate color profiles for printing has stymied photographers and digital imaging professionals. The normal approach is with specially created, expensive and complicated tools, used to measure printed patches. However, the engineers at LaserSoft Imaging have created a powerful, yet simple to use workflow that creates accurate and precise ICC-color printer profiles, utilizing any existing scanner.

The "1-2-3 Click" SilverFast Printer Calibration uses the existing scanner calibration and any suitable color printer. No other measuring devices are necessary. No more uncertainty about managing colors, and no extra expense for additional hardware and software solutions. A "Zero Error" workflow ensures complete color control from input to output, with the following steps:

First, the scanner is automatically calibrated with SilverFast's patented IT8 Calibration. Second, using SilverFast, a full-gamut color test chart is printed on the printer. Third, the printed test chart is scanned and SilverFast automatically generates an ICC-profile.

The resulting ICC-profile creates a precise ICC managed workflow for accurate color printing with the lowest tolerances, utilizing the full gamut of the printer for the widest reproduction of tones.

This new SilverFast workflow will benefit all serious photographers, from professional to fine art, as well as advanced amateurs and semi-professional users. A major strength of this new approach is that it supports an especially wide range of media, paper types, and inks. One of the limitations of traditional color profiling tools is their sensitivity to many alternative media, which more and more creative users are employing in their work. A so called "closed-loop" color calibration workflow is considered the optimum by experts in color management.

According to Karl-Heinz Zahorsky, President and CEO of LaserSoft Imaging AG, "The new SilverFast Printer Calibration with ICC-Profiler will help our customers to create high quality prints, without requiring to purchase new hardware. We know that demanding users not only need superb quality from their scans and prints, they also need a reliable and easy to manage workflow. We feel that our new printer calibration technology will make that possible.

"LaserSoft Imaging's Printer Calibration with ICC-Profiling is available as an optional SilverFast Ai Studio feature at 99 euros net, both for Mac and Windows platforms. Customers can buy or upgrade via LaserSoft Imaging resellers and LSI's Web shop.

About LaserSoft ImagingLaserSoft Imaging (LSI) was founded in spring 1986 by physicist Karl-Heinz Zahorsky, president and CEO of LSI. Today SilverFast is regarded as the standard software for scanners and digital cameras serving both beginners and professional alike. Only SilverFast is bundled by so many manufacturers world-wide, such as Canon, Epson, HP, Leica, Microtek, Mediax, Pentacon (Praktica), Plustek, Quatographic, Reflecta, SAMSUNG, UMAX and others.

For further informatio, visit www.silverfast.com.

Picture of the day:

Wildlife

Seagull waiting for a Ride

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:

unique photo posters
unique photo prints
unique photo framed prints
unique photo canvas prints
unique photo greeting cards

strong art
strong canvas prints
strong framed prints
strong prints
strong posters
strong greeting cards
strong photos

strong photo posters
strong photo prints
strong photo framed prints
strong photo canvas prints
strong photo greeting cards

gnarled acrylic prints
gnarled metal prints
ancient metal prints
intense metal prints
phenomenon acrylic prints
phenomenon metal prints
isolated acrylic prints
isolated metal prints
lone acrylic prints

New Aperture Web themes

Jumsoft has released five new themes designed to be used with Apple's Aperture photography software.
The themes can be used specifically for the Web Gallery and Web Journal layouts that
Aperture features.
Each theme costs US$19.99.

The five themes include Frames Gray, Grid Black, iPhone, Rounded Black and Mental Image. Each theme incorporates artist-designed color schemes and designs to complement galleries of photographs you plan to publish online using Aperture.
System requirements call for a Mac running Aperture 2 or later.

For more Macintosh computing news, visit Macworld.

Credits: PC World

Photo of the day:

Recreation and Sports

Steer Wrestling at the local Rodeo

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:

dune art
dune canvas prints
dune framed prints
dune prints
dune posters
dune greeting cards
dune photos

southwestern art
southwestern canvas prints
southwestern framed prints
southwestern prints
southwestern posters
southwestern greeting cards
southwestern photos

arid art
arid canvas prints
arid framed prints
arid prints
arid posters
arid greeting cards
arid photos

lone metal prints
lonely metal prints
solitary acrylic prints
solitary metal prints
special metal prints

Eye-Fi Explore

Eye-Fi is about to release a very cool new product. Eye-Fi, which makes a little digital camera SD memory card that automatically transfers photos from your camera to your PC (and to the Web if you want) via Wi-Fi has announced a card that will also geo-code your pictures.
That means that you won't have to remember or type in where a photo was taken.
The new card, which will be called Eye-Fi Explore, will look for Wi-Fi networks near where you're taking the picture and, if it finds one, it will make a note of the location and add that to the data that is associated with each picture. It will get the geographic information from Skyhook Wireless (formerly known as Quarterscope), a company that has mapped the location of thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots around the country. Even if the hotspot is encrypted, Skyhook can determine where it is physically located and transfer that location information to the new Eye-Fi card and directly to your photograph.
The new card will also allow you to upload pictures from hotspots even while you're away from home, which will be very handy for travelers who want to share their photos from the road.

Click over to EYE-FI UNVEILS AUTOMATIC GEOTAGGING AND HOTSPOT CONNECTIVITY WITH EYE-FI EXPLORE to read all about it.

Eye-Fi Explore is expected to be available in early June for $129.00.

And also check out MAGID ON TECH: Digital photos easier to share with Web sites
at Burlingame Daily News

Photo of the day:

Amazing Travel Destinations

Chimney Rock, Canyonlands, Utah

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:

grazing art
grazing canvas prints
grazing framed prints
grazing prints
grazing posters
grazing greeting cards
grazing photos

pasture art
pasture canvas prints
pasture framed prints
pasture prints
pasture posters
pasture greeting cards
pasture photos

meadows art
meadows canvas prints
meadows framed prints
meadows prints
meadows posters
meadows greeting cards
meadows photos

pines metal prints
trunk acrylic prints
trunk metal prints
bark acrylic prints
bark metal prints

Essentials 2 Imaging Software for iPhoto

onOne Software Announces Availability of Essentials 2 Imaging Software for iPhoto

iPhoto version features four easy-to-use tools for color correction, creative image blurring, frame and border effects and resizing for high quality large prints

Portland, OR - May 12, 2008 - onOne Software, Inc., announces today the availability of Essentials 2 software for iPhoto users. Essentials 2 for iPhoto is a collection of four easy-to-use software tools to help correct color, creatively blur a photo for dramatic visual impact, add creative borders and resize digital images for high quality large prints. The software tools included within Essentials 2 for iPhoto are based on technology used in the professional level onOne Software Photoshop® plug-ins PhotoTune 2.2, FocalPoint 1.0, PhotoFrame 3.1 and Genuine Fractals 5.
The Essentials 2 for iPhoto software suite provides users of the popular iPhoto image editing and organizing software with four important plug-in solutions to solve common digital imaging problems. With Essentials for iPhoto, users can easily correct the color of their photos using technology from PhotoTune, simulate the effect of selective focus or tilt-shift lenses, helping photographers selectively blur and/or vignette an image to focus the viewers attention using technology from FocalPoint 1.0, add unique borders and edges around their photos using technology from PhotoFrame and increase the size and resolution of their photos to get larger print sizes by using technology from Genuine Fractals, the industry standard for resizing digital photos.
"Make it Better! Blur It! Frame It! and Enlarge It! These are the four important tools incorporated in onOne Software's new Essentials 2 for iPhoto," said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. "These tools are designed to allow amateur and advanced amateur photographers to quickly and easily correct color, creatively add blur effects to images, add realistic frame and borders and enlarge digital images to transform even ordinary snapshots into extraordinary images without having to spend hours in front of a computer."
Make It Better
With the Make It Better tool, users simply compare color, contrast and brightness adjustments side-by-side and pick the best looking images to adjust an image. This module combines the power of several image adjustment steps that would be found in more expensive image editing applications into a single interface. This allows users to make complex image adjustments without the need to understand complex image controls.
Blur It
The Blur It tool provides photographers with a way to create realistic depth of field control, plane of focus control and selective focus to any digital image after it is photographed allowing for more control and precision. The focus bug control in Blur It has a tangible, hardware feel much like using a lens. Photographer can quickly define the "sweet spot" either in a round shape or a plane and then control how much and what kind of blur they would like to add to the image.
Frame It
The Frame It tool makes it easy to add realistic film and darkroom edge and border effects to images. Users can also add artistic edges like torn paper, brush strokes or even realistic frames and mats. Frame It allows users to stack multiple edges and frames to create unique designs. This tool features more than 500 edges and frames to choose from. The creative possibilities are limitless with the Frame It tool.
Enlarge It
The Enlarge It tool increases the size of an image without the loss of sharpness and detail that would normally be expected. It can resize images up to 400% and still maintain sharp edges and minute details. It's equivalent to taking a 4x6 print and making it as big as a poster size. It is a must have for any photo enthusiast who makes big prints or needs to crop a section out of an image to get just the right composition.

Availability & Pricing
onOne Software's Essentials 2 for iPhoto is available direct from onOne Software (http://www.ononesoftware.com/) and from authorized retailers including select Apple Stores. The MSRP for Essentials 2 for iPhoto is $59.95.

About onOne Software
onOne Software develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers in the digital photography and graphic design industries. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and QuarkXPress®.

More at
Cameratown.com Digital Imaging News

Image of the day:

Architectural Details

Inside St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:

car art
car canvas prints
car framed prints
car prints
car posters
car greeting cards
car photos

autos art
autos canvas prints
autos framed prints
autos prints
autos posters
autos greeting cards
autos photos

classic cars art
classic cars canvas prints
classic cars framed prints
classic cars prints
classic cars posters
classic cars greeting cards
classic cars photos

pines acrylic prints
environment metal prints
branches metal prints
branch metal prints
pine metal prints

Zeiss ZA Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 SSM (Sony SAL-2470Z) Review / Test

The Zeiss ZA Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 SSM is a hint of the things to come. It is a full format standard zoom lens that is more or less openly targeting Sony's upcoming professional-grade 24mp FF DSLR but it does naturally work perfectly on the existing lineup of APS-C DSLRs where its field-of-view is equivalent to about 36-105mm in classic terms.

Regarding its weight of nearly 1kg the Zeiss ZA 24-70mm f/2.8 feels like a massive block of glass. However, this is not overly unusual - the Canon and Nikon counterparts are in the same weight- and size-league. Upon closer inspection you may be a bit surprised that the lens is not an all-metal construction. The inner tube as well as the lens hood are made of metal indeed but Sony used plastics for parts of the outer body. Plastics may sound bad but it is a high-quality variant ... although it does still not feel really right regarding the positioning of the lens. Unfortunately the lens does not feature any seals which is also a bit of a faux-pas. The zoom ring operates a bit stiff - surely a side-effect of the heavy weight of the glass. The handling of the focus ring is smoother. Typical for most Sony lenses both control rings have an inevitable tendency to collect dust in no time "thanks" to the fluted rubber design.

Looking at the product shots at photozone.de you may notice that the lens extends when zooming from 24mm towards the long end of the range. The Zeiss uses an internal focusing design so the front element does not rotate during focusing (nor zooming) operations.

One of the interesting features of the lens is the SSM - the SuperSonic AF Motor which is similar to Canon's USM or Nikon's SWM. The SSM is not really a new thing for Sony/Minolta users - Minolta released the first SSM lenses several years ago - but so far Sony was quite shy to take advantage of it for whatever reason. The SSM of the Zeiss is ultra-fast, near silent and very accurate. More of this please! Sony/Zeiss did also incorporate a focus-lock button plus a dedicated AF/MF switch.

Take a look at the Specifications, and read on here

http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/47-sony-alpha-aps-c/380-zeiss_za_2470_28?start=1

and see samples here

http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/47-sony-alpha-aps-c/380-zeiss_za_2470_28?start=2

Image of the day:

Wildlife

Mountain Goat carrying a Baby on her back

Photography lovers who liked this also liked:

classic art
classic canvas prints
classic framed prints
classic prints
classic posters
classic greeting cards
classic photos

auto art
auto canvas prints
auto framed prints
auto prints
auto posters
auto greeting cards
auto photos

classic car art
classic car canvas prints
classic car framed prints
classic car prints
classic car posters
classic car greeting cards
classic car photos

evergreen metal prints
environment acrylic prints
one tree metal prints
symbol of life metal prints
sacramento metal prints