FEATURE
MacIntel: Update or Wait?
Should you upgrade your old workhorse
or junk it for a shiny new one?
The surprise WWDC (Worldwide Developers Comference) announcement
sent shock waves through not just the Apple community
but throughout the greater technology world: Beginning
in 2006, all Macs will ship with Intel processors, replacing
the IBM- and Motorola-made Power PC microprocessor line.
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STATUS:
Where digital cameras stand the end of 2006
With so many megapixels for so cheap, what separates digital cameras these days?
We get to play with hundreds of digital cameras every year. We review them all for you, so you can make more informed buying decisions. That is especially important these days where seemingly every digicam has 5 to 8 megapixel and costs very little. So what separates them? Read our overview to learn what to look out for when you buy.
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state of digital cameras end of 2006/start of 2007
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REVIEW:
Nikon Coolpix P3
A Nikon Coolpix with built-in wireless LAN!
 The Nikon Coolpix P3, a compact 8.1 megapixel digital camera that packs considerable power and some notable features such as an active vibration reduction mode and 802.11b/g wireless communication. That is the same wireless LAN notebook computers have and it can make transferring and printing pictures a lot easier. How does it work? And how good is the vibration reduction mode?
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Nikon Coolpix P3 review
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REVIEW:
Casio Exilim Z850
Casio messes with success: now more megapixel at a lower price!
 The Casio EX-Z750 won our last ultra-slim roundup of no fewer than 13 contestants with an almost perfect score. Last summer Casio replaced it with the Exilim Z850, which is part of their "Zoom" line of cameras. It looks almost identical, has 8.1 instead of 7.2 megapixel, longer battery life, and costs less. We've road-tested the Z850 for several months. Is it the same homerun the Z750 was?
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Casio Exilim EX-Z850 review
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REVIEW:
Fujifilm FinePix A600
Are 6-megapixel and a nice LCD and a low price enough to win you over?
 Fuji added the 6-megapixel A600 and the 7-megapixel A700 to its lineup of inexpensive entry level cameras. We spent time with the A600 and found much to like. It takes above-average pictures, has a nice 2.4-inch LCD and is ultra-simple to use. It has a few shortcomings as well, though. See if it'd make sense for you!
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Fuji FinePix A600 review
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REVIEW:
Casio Exilim S770
Casio's sexy card camera now with a 2.8-inch wide screen
 If you want the slimmest, sexiest digital camera around, take a look at Casio's "Card" series. We loved the stunning S500 and S600, but the Exilim S770 has a much larger, much higher resolution screen and a 7.2MB imager. Despite the big 2.8-inch wide screen, the S770 is just a little larger than its lesser siblings. What does it offer? A lot. Is it for you?
Read
Casio S770 review
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REVIEWS:
Fujifilm FinePix F650 and FinePix F20
5X optical zoom and giant LCD, or ISO 2000 plus high tech?
  We're reviewing two 6-megapixel cameras from Fuji, both in roughly the same price range. The FinePix F650 has a 5X zoom, an awesome 3-inch LCD and terrific ergonomics. The F20 is smaller and lighter, has "only" a 2.5-inch display and a 3X zoom, but steps up to bat with very high ISO 2000 sensitivity and lots of Fuji's highest technology. Read what each camera offers, then decide.
Read
FinePix F20 review and
FinePix F650 review
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REVIEW:
Fujifilm FinePix S9100
9 megapixel and 10.7X optical zoom
 The Fuji S9100 is one of those cameras people constantly mistake for a single lens reflex model. It's as big as a SLR and looks like a SLR, but it's not a SLR. It's what could be called a fixed-lens SLR-style camera. What does the big Fuji offer and why should you pick it over a digital SLR, or not?
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ROUNDUP:
three inexpensive Olympus point & shooters
What do Olympus' 6-megapixel "Easy & Fun" compacts offer and which is the best?
Our flurry of Olympus digital camera reviews continues.
This time we did a roundup of three of the company's "Easy & Fun" FE Series models. All cost below US$200, all have 6 megapixel, a 3X optical zoom, and a nice 2.5-inch LCD. So what makes them different and which one should you pick? We found some surprising answers and a clear winner!
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REVIEW:
Olympus Stylus 750
7.1 megapixel, big zoom, and dual image stabilization.
 Olympus offers the almost identical Stylus 740 and 750, both handy little 7.1 megapixel point & shooters that you can get an optional deepwater case for. So what's the difference between the
two and what do you pay fifty extra bucks for? That'd be the 750's dual image stabilization that really works!
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REVIEW:
Olympus Stylus 740 with deepwater case
Thinnest 5X optical zoom camera in its class.
 The Stylus 740 is a terrific little camera in its own right. 5X optical zoom, very high res 2.5-inch LCD, light and handy. We primarily tested it 70 feet underwater, with an alligator swimming above us.
Yikes. All you have to do is get the optional PT-034 Underwater Case and you, too, can (try to) shoot like Jacques Cousteau did.
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REVIEW:
Olympus Stylus 720 SW with deepwater case
A sleek 7 megapixel camera you can drop and take underwater.
Underwater photography is a very special experience. You're taking pictures of things that most people never get to see at all in person and certainly
not through a camera lens. Taking a camera down under to shoot sea creatures, other divers, reefs, landscapes, wrecks, caverns -- it all ranks right up there among the very special things in life.
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ROUNDUP
11 Sub-$300 Cameras
Get a Lot For Very Little: We tested 11 inexpensive digital cameras.
The prices of digital cameras have come way down over the past couple of years. As a result, you can get more for your money than ever before.
We're testing and comparing 11 cameras under US$300 in a comprehensive roundup and discover some amazing bargains, some duds, and a unanimous winner.
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FEATURE
This iPod Does Video
Phenomenally successful music
player effortlessly morphs into a personal media player.
Next stop: Hollywood.
This is going to be hard. It's going to be hard to maintain
the standard editorial distance I am supposed to have
when I review a product. The new video-capable iPod is
astonishingly good. It just doesn't seem possible for
an object so slim and beautiful to do so much, so well.
It's just not right that it has so quickly become a part
of my life. This is going to be hard.
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ROUNDUP
Thin Zoom Digital Camera Roundup
The latest ultra-thin digital
cameras are marvels of technology.
"You can never be too rich or too thin," they say. Only
a fortunate (very) few ever get the chance to personally
form an opinion on whether one can indeed not ever be
too rich, but the thin thing is with us wherever we go.
Even with cameras. Unshackled from the limitation of having
to accommodate a comparatively huge 35-mm film cartridge,
the digital camera industry has apparently gone on a quest
to see just how thin a digital camera they can make.
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FEATURE
Answers To Your Top 15 Questions: DSLR Buying Guide
Ready to step up from point-&
shoots? Here's what you need to know.
Thinking of buying a Digital SLR with that spare thousand
bucks you have hanging around? Here are the top 15 questions
I get asked from readers who want to choose wisely. Only
cameras that have interchangeable lenses and through-the-lens
(non-electronic) viewing are covered here. Read on and
pick a camera that's best for your needs.
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TUTORIAL
How To Create A Still Life
Stay home, save gas, get creative.
When the weather outside turns frightful, stay inside
and shoot a still life. What's a still life? It's simply
a creative arrangement of objects which you design. You've
probably seen classical still life paintings such as flower
arrangements or bowls of fruit with fish or fowl in the
scene. While these are more traditional still life subjects,
yours should be limited only by your imagination.
At
newsstands 01/24/2006
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PICTORIAL
Jon's World
Looking for photographic inspiration?
Let Jon Cox take you on a world tour
Looking for photographic inspiration? Take a long look
at the work of Jon Cox, our friend and a longtime contributor
to DCM. This issue, we present his pictures without the
usual 1000 words. ~DM
At
newsstands 01/24/2006
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ROUNDUP
LCD Flat Panels: 19" - 21"
The war is over and flat panels
won. Here are six contenders for your desk
As a photographer, whether you are a hobbyist or a professional,
the time has come to literally look at your computer monitor
in a new way.
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TUTORIAL
Create a Lulu of a Photo Calendar for 2006
Building the perfect photo calendar,
just in time for the new year
Calendars are great for showing off your pictures but
grinding them out slowly on an inkjet printer and laboriously
assembling each one by hand isn,t my idea of fun. It's
not cheap, either.
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TUTORIAL
Snapshots to Superb Shots
How to take the ordinary and
turn it into something extraordinary
It,s easy to fall into snapshot mode, especially when
you,re traveling. However, with a little effort you can
turn your snapshots into superb shots. Photographing people
on the go isn't as difficult as you may think.
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ROUNDUP
Long Zoom Digital Cameras
We tested eight mid-priced models
with 5x and greater zoom range
8 state-of-the-art big zoom digital cameras. All have 5X
optical zoom or better. Some up to 12X. Some are large,
some are small. All are quite affordable. We tell you
which is best overall, best for big zoom work, and best
to just take along with you.
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TUTORIAL
Brilliant Frame
Try a backlit picture frame and
watch people light up
I have a short, dark, hallway with no overhead lighting
nor any room for a table with a lamp on it. It's been
bugging me for years, especially since there's some wall
space at the end of it that would be a perfect place to
hang a photo.
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FEATURE
American Memory: FSA Photo Archive 1935-1945
Your high-resolution heritage
is now freely available for download.
America 1935. It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times. Best, if you were lucky enough to have snagged
a job as a photographer with the Farm Security Administration
(FSA) documenting government programs designed to lift
the country out of the Great Depression.
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SHOOTOUT
Canon 1DS Mark II vs. Nikon D2X
The two top DSLRs content for
the title World‚s Greatest Digital Camera.
Perhaps Canon‚s motto when designing the 1Ds Mark II digital
camera was Think Big ˜ as in big camera, big sensor, big
files, and of course, a big price to match.
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TUTORIAL
Controlling White Balance with RAW files
Capture everything your camera sees, then perfect it
in your computer.
Are you confused about which white balance setting to
use for sunsets or for indoor fluorescent and incandescent
lighting?
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ROUNDUP
7-Megapixel Compacts
We took eleven top high-res compacts
and put Œem to the test.
11 state-of-the-art digital cameras. All have 7 megapixel
or better. Some are large, some are small. All have zoom
lenses and bags full of tricks. All are quite affordable.
We tell you which is best for beginners, experts, or to
just take great snapshots.
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TUTORIAL
PhotoGlow Illuminated Photo Frame
How to create unbelievably gorgeous
prints that glow from within.
I have a short, dark, hallway with no overhead lighting
nor any room for a table with a lamp on it. It‚s been
bugging me for years, especially since there‚s some wall
space at the end of it that would be a perfect place to
hang a photo.
Read
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FEATURE:
Think Like A Pro
To capture great pictures, take
your cues from the best.
Professional photographers usually take better photos
than you do because, a) they shoot more and, b) they have
developed methods to assure that knock-out pictures are
delivered to their clients. You, too, have clients (family
and friends) and although they may not be as demanding
(because they‚re not paying) you still have an obligation
(and hopefully a desire) not to bore them with trivial
snapshots.
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FEATURE:
RAW Power!
How to find the digital diamond
in the rough.
A diamond cutter studies a lump of stone. He decides where
to make each cut to capture the beauty of the crystal
rock. His level of craft, along with the quality and clarity
of the stone, determines how striking the diamond appears.
Like diamonds in the rough, RAW image files allow digital
photographers to prove their expertise in the digital
darkroom. How the photographer interprets the data decides
the allure of the image.
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FEATURE:
Using Pigment Inks in Dye-Based Printers
Open up a whole new world of
possibilities in your old printer.
Remember that old Epson printer that‚s stored somewhere?
The one gathering dust in the attic or basement because
you couldn‚t bear to part with it after you bought that
new super-duper model?
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FEATURE:
All About Lens
The long, the short, the strong,
and the offbeat.
Don‚t take that zoom lens that came with your camera for
granted; it‚s really three lenses in one, each with distinct
characteristics that can make a big difference in how
your pictures look and what kind of message they convey.
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HOW
TO: Digital Nature Closeup!
Jon Cox shows you how to get
up close and personal.
Are you using your digital camera to its full potential?
If you‚re not zooming in on the macro world you‚re missing
out. There are countless photo opportunities at the very
end of your lens just waiting to be captured. Whether
you‚re using a point-and-shoot digital camera or top of
the line Digital SLR chances are you have the necessary
equipment to capture close-ups. You may even have some
old macro camera equipment buried in a closet that you
can bring back to life.
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FEATURE:
New Life for Old Lenses
Adapting vintage optics to 21st
century digital cameras.
Coming in at a similar price point as the Epson is Nikon‚s
Coolwalker, evidentially named by someone watching the
next Star Wars trailer while trying to figure out how
to tie its name into the Cool Pix product line.
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FEATURE:
Going, Going, Gone!
How to create prints that will
last.
The inkjet printer, once scorned as a cheap substitute
for the mighty laser now prints art instead of two-bit
letters and four-color pie charts. There‚s even a new
acronym, DFA, that categorizes inkjets capable of outputting
Digital Fine Arts prints that should last a lifetime.
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HOW
TO: Painting With
Light
Cast a new light on your subject.
When you have some free time try shooting „Out of Focus‰
something completely different from your comfort zone.
This is the time to try new camera and lighting techniques.
You may surprise yourself with what you come up with.
Think of it as a creative exercise. You may look back
at your preferred subject matter in an entirely new light.
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FEATURE:
Great Accessory Roundup
Essential tools that make a difference.
Here are my latest picks of useful books, the latest software,
and hardware worthy of your serious consideration. Most
of the prices listed here are manufacturer's suggested
retail prices; if you hunt around, you can frequently
get a much better deal.
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HOW
TO: Shooting for eBay
How to photograph items to sell
fast.
I've sold a wildly eclectric number of things over the
years: rare books and comics and records, die cast models,
computers, vintage toys, coins, posters, clothing, buttons
and badges, postcards, furniture, and hundreds of others.
I've taken thousands of pictures of my items.
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HOW
TO: Going Wireless
It flies through the air with
the greatest of ease.
If you want to share a cable or DSL connection between
two or more computers at different locations inside your
home, wireless can make it virtually effortless. And then,
of course, there‚s the convenience of taking your laptop
anywhere within wireless range without losing Internet
access. Since the web is such an integral part of our
lives these days, there‚s a great need (some might describe
it as a compulsion) to stay connected wherever we are.
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FEATURE:
Filter Primer
How to use filters creatively
to improve your digital photography.
Many beginning photographers buy their camera and lens
and never consider buying a lens hood, also called lens
shade. Sometimes these come with lenses, but often they
don‚t. If you didn‚t get a lens hood with your lens it
is the very first accessory you should add.
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HOW
TO: Let it Snow!
Capture all that winter weather
has to offer.
Just because you‚ve packed away all your summer clothes
doesn‚t mean your camera should be packet away too. Winter
scenes are wonderful photo opportunities if you are willing
to brave the cold. In addition to the cold there are also
some other challenges to shooting in snowy situations.
You need to take special care of your batteries, lenses,
camera and even your tripod..
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FEATURE:
Digital Eyes On Alaska
28 digital photographers shoot
11,000 pics on a cruise.
Armed with a variety of digital cameras, 28 photographers
gathered in Vancouver, BC, during the early summer of
2003, primed to shoot images that would capture the essence
of Alaska as they cruised northward through the majestic
Inside Passage.
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HOW
TO: Two Weeks, Two
Peaks
Tips and tricks for those once
in a lifetime shots.
Only very few of us are lucky (or adventurous) enough
to see some of the truly great places on this planet of
ours. Digital Camera Magazine‚s Adventure Photographer
Jon Cox is such a person. Accompany him on a hike of Mt.
Meru in Africa and learn his secrets for taking breathtaking
images.
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DO
IT YOURSELF: Digital
Lighting
Portrait lighting techniques
for digital photography.
Most people who buy a digital camera are disappointed
when they try to take photos of family and friends with
their new camera. Just because they have bought a digital
camera the rules of lighting haven‚t changed and lessons
learned by many in the past with film cameras still largely
apply. The main problem in both cases is that the cameras
have built-in flash units which are too close to the lens,
and this is even worse with the ultra-small cameras now
on the market.
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PROFILE:
Joe Farace Photography
Automotive photographer extraordinaire.
Known for more than just photography, Joe Farace started
his fascination with the art of image capture when his
first photograph was published in a Baltimore/Washington
based motorsports publication called The Stopwatcher.
It was working for here that taught Farace about deadlines.
„Races were often run on Sunday and copy and photos had
to be delivered by hand to the editorial office ˜ long
before the days of fax and email,‰ said Farace.
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DO
IT YOURSELF: Bracketing
Fool proof techniques for achieving
the perfect exposure.
Many digital cameras have an auto-bracketing feature that
allows three images (sometimes more) to be shot in rapid
succession, each at a different exposure. The first picture
is taken at the exposure the camera‚s light meter determines
to be correct, followed by one under-exposed and another
over-exposed. You can usually preset the amount of exposure
difference between shots and sometimes even choose a different
order, for example, „under-correct-over‰ or „over-correct-under.‰
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FEATURE:
America 24/7
Behind the scenes at the massive,
all-digital photo book project.
If by now you haven't seen or at least heard of America
24/7, you've probably been off the planet for awhile.
This massive, 304-page, over-sized book chronicles a week
in the lives of Americans; every shot was made with a
digital camera. In essence, American 24/7 has written
the epitaph for film.
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