Camera & Accessories Search

Monday, July 27, 2009

Digital Camera Accessories: Select Them Like A Pro

By Sylvia Howard

Capturing a moment is best done with a digital camera in this time and age, but besides the apparatus you also need to know if you need any accessories, and how to choose them. You may be a digital photography fan or just an occasional user, but in both cases you will be able to tell the story of a moment that cannot be brought back.

Digital photography allows you to touch many lives through images of beauty and art which will be able to take and to keep in electronic format. People who are very good at it have started out with this as a hobby but some even managed to turn it into a profession!

Digital camera accessories are also not limited to high-end SLR cameras, as there is a wide set of extras that will help you improve your technique and that will allow you to take better pictures even if you own a humble compact digital camera.

Although the variety of camera accessories is great, some are more exotic and meant mainly for pros. But certain accessories are of great use to everyone. Here are the most common ones:

The first probable investment for your digital camera will probably be the camera bag, which is where you place all the equipment that you need when you are location shooting but also when you are traveling, and it would also serve as your basic case where all your photography equipment is stored and protected. It is also one of the most inexpensive accessories that you may ever buy and add to this is that they enable you carry and protect the expensive equipment that you carry around.

Camera bags are available in several specifications, from the simple hold-all to the specialized compartmented SLR backpack. You can of course carry your camera in any kind of bag, but a padded, purpose-made item is a wise buy.

Of all the digital camera accessories, perhaps the camera tripod of the most useful - it reduces camera shake and therefore the likelihood of a blurred picture, especially in low light conditions, and allows you to take pics from unusual angles. Tripods may seem bulky at first, but bear in mind that a great majority of tripods are either foldable or retractable and should be able to fit in most of the medium size to larger camera bags.

Don't forget to check if your camera screws onto the tripod when acquiring a new one, or you will have to buy another!

The next most useful kind of digital camera accessories are probably those who prolong your picture-taking. Both extra batteries and storage cards fall into these categories. Batteries allow you to take pictures for longer without recharging the camera and are fundamental in faraway locales, while extra storage cards are great for sports photography, when you will need to take a whole lot of pictures.

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Digital Camera Buying Tips

By Scott Morgan

Camera shopping and don't know which one to get? You are not alone as many people often wonder what the best brand of camera is. Best Buy, Walmart, and Target have an electronics isle with hundreds of cameras to choose from, but don't let price determine your decision as there are many other factors to a good digital camera.

Before the digital camera boom, there were only a few camera brands that were successful. Now there are thousands of imported brands that tout cheap prices and great features. The question we have for these new companies is if they have truly passed the test of time.

Although there has been a big digital camera boom, there is still something to be said of the brands that have been around for a while. Even though there are tons of brands, many of them are made with cheap materials to lower the cost. This in turn will lower the quality of lenses and other camera materials.

What makes these brands better than the competition? Canon and Nikon use high quality materials and even just holding one of these brands compared to another cheaper brand is like light and day. Canon and Nikon cameras are often heavier and don't have the "cheap" feel of the other brands. They also are masters at capturing color and shadows as they produce the best camera lenses in the world.

Resolution and color capture should be the biggest things that determine if a camera is high quality or not. Nikon and Canon are masters of this as you can see with picture comparisons of other camera brands.

Although the prices are higher, you will be way more satisfied with a digital SLR camera made by Nikon or Canon. These cameras will last a lot longer without breaking, and will produce the high quality pictures that will last a life time.

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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Lomo Fisheye Camera - Goodbye Digital, Hello Film! Try This Fun Camera For Cool Effects

By Clayton Printemps

One of my favorite cameras is the Lomo Fisheye camera. I've been a huge fan of Lomography for years and this is one of those cameras that really made an impression on me. It's the type of camera that a lot people don't understand, that's for sure. It's made out of plastic and looks like it could break at any moment. Plus, it smells curiously like vanilla when you open it. What type of camera does that?

You Can Get Super Close

If you've never used a Fisheye lens before, you're missing out! It's one of the few camera lenses other than a Macro lens that lets you get super close to whatever you're going to take a picture of. Take advantage of this! If you're out taking pictures of your friends, get in close like you're about to give them a big fat wet kiss. You can't be shy when using this camera if you want the best shots. Plus, The Lomo Fisheye allows you to get close enough to make conversation with whomever you want!

The Camera That WIll Change The Way You Think

Plain old digital cameras take all the fun out of photography. Most people don't go crazy with them to see all the amazing possibilities that photography opens up to them. With the Lomo Fisheye camera, you can make your first step into seeing like the rock star photographers that you love so much. Everything you see in the world will be completely different when put through this lens. Because of the unique way it captures images, you can twist, spin, and do whatever you want with the camera to see what you can produce. Never stop experimenting

Mind Blowing Effects With The Simple Cross Process

Have you ever heard of cross processing? It's one of those awesome techniques photographers use when they want more punch to their photos. Well, you can do the same with a Lomo Fisheye camera too. All you need to do is buy some slide film, take a bunch of photos, and then get the film developed in regular C-41 chemicals. When the pictures come out, you'll be surprised what happens!

I've got a bonus tip for you. When you've finished shooting a roll through your Lomo Fisheye camera, you want to rewind it and then take the film and fun it through another camera. Try the LC-A or one of my all time favorites, the Olympus XA (one of the best cameras you'll ever find!) and see what happens. You'll get double exposures that look like an abstract masterpiece - all from your favorite things!

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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Start Your Own Photography Business

By Dan Feildman

Do you love taking pictures? Are you considering making some money out of it? Starting a business out of photography is relatively easy, as long as you have the right equipment.

If you already own the proper equipment starting your own business will require little money. A photography business is even something you can do from your own home.

You can probably find a small space in your house or a room dedicated for your business. That will serve as your "office" space.

With the advent of digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, you don't even need a dark room to develop the pictures you have taken. All you need is a personal computer with above average specifications and photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop.

There may be additional photography equipment needed if you want to make your hobby your business. You will obviously want your photos to stand out in order to attract clients. A few items you may want to purchase include additional lenses and a variety of filters in order to produce sharp, clear photos as well as some special effects.

Starting with a few of them will do, then just gradually increase them as your business progresses. You don't even have to make this a full time business right away, especially if you don't have a client base yet. Doing this part time would be sufficient enough while in the start up stage.

Even if you only do this on your free time, make sure you are still dedicated and serious. You won't be able to get enough clients to sustain yourself if you don't take this business seriously.

One of the first items you will want to take care of are the legal issues. You will want to decide upon a name and perhaps a logo, for marketing purposes as well as to be able to operate legally. Once you have registered your business with your local tax office you will be able to issue receipts and, of course, file taxes.

Also, it would be good to write a business plan. Having one will help you identify your goal for your business and keep focused with this goal. This way, you will know if the business that you start up is worth all your time and effort.

You will want to sketch out your plans for marketing and ideas for how you can increase business. You can change this business plan in the future, what you write now is not necessarily put in stone. If you are looking for outside funding for your business the business plan is essential.

When planning your business plan be sure to include your business objectives. The objectives are important because they help you stay focused on the goals you have for your business. You also want to include how you plan to market your business, what advertising you intend to do. You will want to include pricing information so be prepared to have all the information planned out. Again, the business plan is something that can be changed over time.

When looking for clients begin with friends and relatives. You may want to offer some services at reduced cost in the beginning, when you are trying to get the word out. Hopefully the quality of your work will speak for itself and word of mouth will bring in more customers.

Soon your schedule will be so busy that you will be able to do this full time. Having a solid business plan, and sticking to it, is the key to success. Word of mouth and a good marketing plan will keep you going for many years. Advertise locally and you will see your business grow by leaps and bounds.

Finding new clients will not be difficult. For most people photographs are treasured memories. You can also tap into the corporate market as they rely heavily on photos to market their products.

Starting a photography business may be easy to do but it should be taken seriously. For anyone who wants to make serious money, dedication is important. You should also be responsible for all your actions. After all, wouldn't it be nice to earn decent income with something you love doing?

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Spy Pen Unmasked

By Jonathon Little

Most people have seen some version of the spy pen in action, most probably in the latest spy film as one of the many gadgets wielded by the top spy. They look like ordinary every day pens but secretly contain a tiny camera designed to record all the events unfolding around them.

Eager to examine the quality of cover this little gadget has we decided to launch a small field experiment and see just how many can guess its real cause. Our results were most shocking and so we thought we would share them with you. This is what we found,

Our first step in the experiment was to gather around 30 people and have them take it in turns to examine and write with the device. This placed the spy pen out of its comfort zone already but having people examine it closely and in detail. What we found most fascinating was that people immediately began testing its function as a pen and looking for nothing out of the ordinary. Not a single person passed it back aware of any recording taking place.

The camera was recording during this first step and we recorded each of them examining the pen in great deal. Roughly a third even looked directly at the camera and although we believe they saw it, presumed it was just a feature on the pen.

We then became aware that the reason people didn't notice it is because, well simply put, this is what the spy pen is designed to do. It's meant to hide in plain site. So we took our test to the next level. Unscrewing the spy pen we brought into plain site the USB plug attachment contained on the lower part of the camera section of the pen.

To our amazement out of roughly 40 people we handed the spy pen to only 2 people believed it to be anything more than a every day pen that contained a run of the mill memory stick you see in everyday life. People generally thought this was a brilliant idea and asked where to get one.

The two that were suspicious of its real intentions stated they heard of similar devices before, the fact that we were getting people to look at it alerted them it was something more than we were letting on. They both stated that if they had seen it lying about they wouldn't have questions its normal usage.

This test is a brilliant example of what a good disguise spy pens have. People are very eager to accept the most rational and simplistic answer to a question or object. Even when its cover was 50% blown people accepted another more rational reason. With cover like this the spy pen has many years of covert surveillance left.

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