Canon unveils revolutionary large sensor PowerShot G1 X compact

Canon has unveiled its most advanced PowerShot compact camera ever – the revolutionary 14.3 Megapixel PowerShot G1 X – that incorporates a large Canon CMOS sensor, a DIGIC 5 processor and an exceptional 4x zoom lens to offer DSLR levels of control and image quality in a compact metal body.

Designed for professional and serious photographers the PowerShot G1 X is the new flagship model in Canon’s legendary G-series line-up that, due to its superb specification and image quality, stands in a category of its own and redefines the performance achievable from a compact camera.

A top quality camera in its own right, or the perfect ‘second camera’ complement to a professional DSLR, the PowerShot G1 X combines EOS sensor technology with DIGIC 5 processing power, a new, precision Canon lens and extensive manual control to create the finest compact camera Canon has ever produced.

Designed to be a highly portable camera the PowerShot G1 X’s precision Canon 28-112mm 4x zoom lens retracts into a robust metal body, providing an unimposing camera that delivers high quality images and can be used discreetly in any shooting situation..……..MORE

Hands On with the New 16.2MP Full-Frame Nikon D4 Professional DSLR

Things just got interesting again. Yes, as has been rumored and leaked for several weeks (months?) now, Nikon just officially unveiled its new flagship professional digital SLR: the Nikon D4, which uses a 16.2-megapixel FX-format (aka full-frame) CMOS sensor that can shoot at up to 11 frames per second and capture full 1080p HD video.

“The D4, which is the successor to the 12.1MP D3s announced back in 2009, will start shipping in late February 2012 for $5999.95. So start counting your pennies now!

The announcement of the new Nikon D4 comes several months after Canon also announced a new flagship professional DSLR, the 18MP Full-Frame EOS-1D X. Though the 12-frames-per-second shooting, 1080p-capable Canon 1D X was announced back in October, it won’t start shipping until March 2012 and will sell for quite a bit more than the Nikon D4: $6,800.

The Nikon D4 will makes its debut at the CES show in Las Vegas next week.” By Dan Havlik..………..MORE

Nikon D4 Specs

• 16.2MP Full-Frame (FX-format) sensor, sized at 36 x 23.9mm

• 91,000-pixel sensor dedicated for 3D Color Matrix metering to assist with autofocus and scene recognition

• EXPEED 3 image processor

• Back-illuminated buttons

• 51-point AF System which is same as in previous model but with new cross-type sensors

• ISO range from 50 to 204,800

• 10 frames per second still shooting for up to 200 JPEGs; 11 fps shooting but focus and exposure are locked at the first frame

• Full 1080p HD video at 30p; 720p shooting at 60p for slow motion

• 0.012 second start time; shutter lag rate at 0.0042 second (same as previous model)

• Two memory card slots: one for CompactFlash cards, the other for new XQD memory cards

• 3.2-inch 921,000-dot LCD screen on back

Laos, 2012

Over the holidays I took a trip to Laos, in 17 days covered most of the country from the chilly mountainous north to the warm sultry south down near Cambodia, here are just a few pictures from that trip

Photography Courses 2012

Happy New Year

I hope you had a wonderful holiday period and if you were hoping for new camera equipment it came your way. You may now want to get the most out of your photography and a course is what you need. Our new term has already started but we have courses scheduled through the next three months and I am sure there will be something of interest to you

If you have a camera but only ever feel comfortable using it on the fully automatic setting then you are wasting your potential and could be doing so much better, understanding how to use your camera is the cornerstone of improving your photography, we have courses for those with digital SLR cameras and for those of you with compact cameras.

Most of our courses are evening classes starting at 6.30pm.  Full details of our courses can be found on our website here

Here are some dates

Understanding Your Digital SLR: £80 start dates:  11.1.12;   30.1.12;   7.3.12;   3.3.12 (this is the Saturday morning course for those who cannot make evenings)

Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – £80 starts: 27.2.12

We also have a 1 Day Version of the DSLR course, there are three dates left this term with places

One Day Understanding Your DSLR –  £90 19.2.12; 25.3.12; 29.4.12

If you have completed one of these course with us or have learned by your own efforts you will understand how valuable the skills you have are and now may want to go further and improve your photography in a more subject driven way. Most people start this by taking our very popular Composition Course, it is subtitled Seeing Pictures because we aim to help you understand about photography in a general way and how you can apply that vision and skill to your own images.

Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures – £80 starts 2.2.12

The other courses we run are aimed at those with specific subject area interests and these courses really help photographers to learn how to take much better pictures in their chosen subject areas

Portrait Photography: – £80 starts: 1.3.12

Black and White Digital Photography – £80 starts 6.3.12

The Intermediate Photography course we run is a wonderful way to realise that having photography as a hobby is not just about your pictures but also about how what you do with a camera is influenced by the great masters of photography and how you can learn from them. This course is a definite must for anyone who has a good understanding of their camera but wants photography to mean something to them, to make pictures that have impact and beauty. In some ways this is one of our most successful courses because the advancement we see in students images is significant.

Intermediate Photography – starts: 24.1.12 six sessions £97

Photoshop is skill that many photographers want to master because they want to have control over how their pictures will look, they want the final image to be more than just what the camera creates. We teach this by instruction and practical engagement with the software, every class has periods where the students watch how to do something and then have time to practice in class. We recommend the Photoshop Elements program rather than the full version as much because it is only about £60 at the moment on Amazon rather than £550 for the full version.

Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements – £97 starts 22.2.12 6 sessions

If you would like to book a place please send an email and we will make a reservation for you and send further information.

Details of all our courses are here

The Photographers of Vientienne, Laos

Black and White Photography

We have a Black and White Digital Photography course starting in March and we are very aware of the great demand and pleasure photographers have for black and white images, this article by Tara Hornor on January 13, 2012 on Tripwire states the obvious and has some excellent images to back up the comments

“Black and white photography has the unique ability to create a stunning image but leaves room for imagination at the same time. The lack of color in a photo can add a mysterious tone to a wall piece or can give a printed brochure a sophisticated look. Black and white landscape photography is no exception and this collection looks at some famous and unique examples. In keeping with the idea of leaving room for the imagination, we found some B&W photos from yesteryear when technique trumped technology. Check out these contrasting styles and methods, starting with the master, Ansel Adams. If you like this style of photography you should check out this black and white wallpaper collection”  If you want to see more go here

Ansel Adams

Bill Lockharts

Brad Fernihough

Dakota Visions Photography LLC

Jeff Lynch

John Brady