JPEG XR, an image format created by Microsoft that promises a number of advantages over JPEG, has cleared a key standardization hurdle.
The Joint Photographic Experts Group, which standardized the original and still ubiquitous JPEG format, sent JPEG XR to the “final phases of standardization” after a vote at a …
Originally posted at Underexposed
Panasonic's DMC-G1
(Credit: Panasonic)
DxO Labs on Tuesday released new sensor test results for three cameras–Panasonic’s $670 G1 and Olympus’ $540 E-520 and $450 E-410–that show both the advantages and disadvantages of the Four Thirds standards the companies use.
The Four Thirds system governs image sensor sizes and the mounting mechanism for interchangeable lenses on the companies’ SLR cameras, and the companies announced a new variation called Micro Four Thirds for smaller cameras that have SLRs’ interchangeable lenses but not SLRs’ “reflex” mirror, which directs light through an optical viewfinder before a shot is taken.
Four Thirds SLRs have a smaller sensor than lower-end SLRs from market leaders Nikon and Canon, which poses image quality challenges because there’s less surface area to gather light. However, the sensor size is the same for Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds, which means that cameras using the latter have a much larger sensor than typical compact cameras have.
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Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about Tests show ups and downs of Four Thirds cameras
Nikon D3X
(Credit: Nikon USA)
Adobe Systems on Friday issued near-final release candidate versions of Lightroom 2.3 and the Camera Raw 5.3 Photoshop plug-in, software that can support Nikon’s new top-end, $8,000, 24.5-megapixel D3X camera and Olympus’ mid-range, $1,299, 12.3-megapixel E-30.
According to the release notes, the new Lightroom version also fixes a few bugs: a memory leak that could crash the software while people were making local editing adjustments to photos, a processing error handling smaller sRAW photos from the Canon 5D Mark II, a slideshow glitch, and problems uploading and burning files to discs.
Lightroom is designed for editing, labeling, and cataloging photos–in particular, the flexible but non-standard raw files from higher-end cameras. Adobe Camera Raw is used to handle raw files in the more general-purpose Photoshop software, letting people convert them into JPEG, TIF, or other more portable formats.
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Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about Adobe tests support for Nikon’s top-end D3X
The top two SLR makers have released relatively minor firmware revisions for three cameras, Nikon’s higher-end full-frame D3 and D700 and Canon’s prosumer-grade EOS 40D.
The fixes generally address rare and unusual problems. One notable fix for the D3 and D700 is for a problem which, as Nikon describes it, “in extremely rare cases, resulted in noticeable black dots in images captured with Long exp. NR (long exposure noise reduction) in the shooting menu set to On.” Canon fixed a black-dot issue of its own with the EOS 5D Mark II earlier this month, but Nikon’s issue sounds rarer.
Forthwith, the release notes:
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Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about New firmware for Canon 40D and Nikon D3, D700
The top four SLRs in DxO Labs' current rankings.
(Credit: DxO Labs)
It’s not a surprise that the Nikon D3X, the company’s brand-new $8,000, 24.9-megapixel SLR, tops DxO Labs’ sensor performance test. What is a surprise is the margin by which it leads its rivals from Canon and Sony.
When the French firm unveiled its DxOMark Sensor benchmark test last year, Nikon’s D3 was the top scorer at 80.6, a composite number that represents various performance features. Very close on its heels were Nikon’s D700 at 80.5, Canon’s EOS-1Ds Mark III 80.3, and later Canon’s 5D Mark II at 79 and Sony’s Alpha A900 at 78.9.
All those cameras were close, but the D3X stands apart with a score of 88. The result shows how much ground Nikon has made up on Canon, which has dominated high-end digital SLR technology.
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Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about Nikon’s new SLR leads the pack for sensor quality
Updated 8:38 p.m. PST with preliminary test results.
Canon on Wednesday released new firmware for its EOS 5D Mark II camera that the company said “improves and mitigates” the “black dot” problem that marred some images from the high-profile, high-end SLR.
Version 1.0.7 of the 5D Mark II firmware software is downloadable from Canon’s Web site. (I encountered some dead ends on the site, but eventually found the 9MB download on the U.S. site at this address.)
I’ve just run some tests. My preliminary opinion is that there’s grounds for optimism that the firmware indeed seems to have taken care of the problem. See the shots below taken at ISO 800 and 3,200, magnified to three times regular size.
This scene of San Francisco by night, taken with a 5D Mark II using the new version 1.0.7 firmware, shows no evidence of the black dot problem.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)
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Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about Canon issues fix for 5D Mark II ‘black dot’ glitch
With its launch of iPhoto 09, Apple has begun showing some reasons why it’s worth enduring the hassle of geotagging your photos.
It’s generally not easy right now to label your photos with information about where you took the pictures–the process usually is done with special software …
Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about Apple iPhoto 09 helps show merits of geotagging
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The 55-200mm lens brought me close to this owl in Patagonian Chile, who obligingly didn't spook when I stopped and changed lenses. (Click to enlarge.)
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)
Here’s a frustrating combination: traveling and serious photography. At precisely the time you want to photography interesting …
Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about Need an SLR for traveling? Props to Olympus E-3
Looks like the Midwest isn’t the only thing that’s freezing up this holiday season: many people are reporting their 30GB Zunes are spontaneously going on the fritz as well.
The symptom is reported widely on discussion boards about Microsoft’s music player, including Zune.net, ZuneUser.com, and …
Originally posted at News – Microsoft
The iPhone has risen to prominence on Flickr, rivaling most SLRs in popularity. These statistics from Yahoo cover the last 12 months.
(Credit: Yahoo)
digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_claims_high_ranking_spot_on_Flickr’;
The iPhone is the mobile device of choice these days for doing most things that need a network. So it …
Originally posted at Underexposed
Continue reading about iPhone claims high-ranking spot on Flickr