Equipment Reviews
CES Photo Tech Notes
In an attempt to connect everything electronic, this year’s CES/PMA show in Las Vegas was awash in “smart” TVs, tablets, and various and sundry devices that can link to your device—be it phone, tablet, or camera—and allow you to access “image content” anywhere, anytime.
Film & Film Cameras
Here’s another in our series of reports from photokina 2012. As you will have noticed we do not attempt to create a laundry list of new products and companies from the show, but prefer to report on what struck our eye and thought might be of special interest to Shutterbug readers.
SIGMA DP3 Merrill
The Sigma DP3 Merrill is the latest Sigma camera with the new Foveonsensor.
With this sensor, the camera can capture complete RGB information for every single pixel and doesn’t need to interpolate colors like all other digital cameras with Bayer pattern sensors.
Accessories, Albums & Presentation Products
While photokina could be considered a distant memory, we have a number of reports yet to run that deal with products that were new to market and caught our reporter’s eye, and that in many cases are just becoming available now. Here’s a report on useful items filed by Roger Hicks that covers interesting accessories and other products he found at the show.
Techniques
Web Profiles
Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, reports that a study of online retailing in 2006 found...
Personal Project
Actor Richard Gere is best known for his roles in over 40 films, but few may be aware he is also an avid photographer and collector.
Pro's Choice
Mark Katzman has been shooting professionally for over 25 years. Originally, he studied filmmaking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Picture This!
Our Picture This! assignment this month was Patterns, a subject near and dear to every photographer’s heart and eye.
News
“From Fleeting to Forever” E-Book
Most of us spend endless hours snapping pictures and recording video in an effort to preserve and recall the best moments in life. While smartphones and digital cameras have made it easier than ever to capture every fleeting moment, they’ve also created some unique challenges.
Pelican ProGear
Pelican Products, Inc. has introduced the Pelican ProGear™ S130 Sport Elite Laptop/Camera Divider Pack, the newest addition to its consumer products line, Pelican ProGear.
Hensel International Photo Contest
The prize is a special Hensel Expert D anniversary lighting kit including all accessories. This has a value of $5000.
Shutterbug Reader Wins TIPA Prize
TIPA would like to thank all the readers who took part in the TIPA Readers’ Survey for 2013 that was published in the members’ magazines.
Latest Additions

News
Press Release Apr 18, 2013 1 comments
When you clean your DSLR sensor using the LensPen SensorKlear system, you can see what you are cleaning while you clean. It makes sensor cleaning simple, fast, easy – and more effective.
Edited by Georg... Apr 18, 2013 Published: Mar 01, 2013 0 comments
The Sony A37 is an SLT system with a fixed and translucent mirror. Because of this setup it is able to produce a Live View image even while recording still images or shooting video. At the same time, the camera is able to use its Phase Detection AF system because the mirror reflects the image onto the AF sensor. This allows the use of the AF system even in continuous shooting mode. The camera offers a high-speed burst mode of up to 7 frames per second, which is a very high result for an entry-level system.
Business Trends
Maria Piscopo Apr 16, 2013 Published: Mar 01, 2013 0 comments
The world of portrait photography is defined by its differences—all potential clients, whether they are individuals, families, or professionals, are different people with different imaging needs. There is a difference in style and approach in making commercial, professional, and social (family) portraits. Commercial clients have something to sell or someone to influence; consumer clients have something or someone to remember. And, at any point in time, a photographer’s style may be so strong or special that it transcends these categories and enters the “fine art” field.
Edited by Georg... Apr 16, 2013 0 comments
Fujifilm’s X100s follows the X100 and offers enhanced imaging features and functions. The most important difference is the new sensor--the X-Trans CMOS sensor uses aspecial RGB mosaic pattern and offers higher resolution compared to the sensor in the X100. The new sensor has special mirco lenses that result in a very sharp and brilliant image, which is then enhanced further with the camera’s new EXR II image processor.
News
Press Release Apr 16, 2013 0 comments
The new-generation Nissin Power Pack PS 8 is said to provide more power and faster charging time at an affordable price. As an added advantage, these new features come in a more compact, lightweight housing made of high-strength plastic instead of metal.
Features
Staff Apr 12, 2013 Published: Mar 01, 2013 1 comments
Color in photography has had a checkered history. Although photographs in color had been desired since the medium’s invention in the nineteenth century, commercially viable color photographic processes were not available until the early twentieth century. By that time, monochromatic photography had become a common part of everyday life, so much so that black-and-white images seemed “real” despite their chromatic deficiencies. As color photographic technologies developed, discussions about the realism of black and white versus color emerged.
News
Press Release Apr 12, 2013 1 comments
Starting this April, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts will show new and seldom seen works by one of Japan’s visionary landscape photographers. Since the early 1980s, Toshio Shibata has turned his lens on the roads, dams and bridges of Japan to create visually striking images highlighting the delicate balance between nature and the artificial. On view from April 20 - October 6, 2013, Toshio Shibata, Constructed Landscapes features 28 large scale photographs, including the first of the artist’s color photographs ever to be exhibited at an American museum.
Edited by Georg... Apr 12, 2013 Published: Mar 01, 2013 0 comments
The Sigma DP2 Merrill is dedicated to Dick Merrill (1949-2008), a photographer and engineer who developed/invented the Foveon sensor technology. The camera is based on former DP compact Sigma cameras, but uses the newest generation of the Foveon X3 sensor. This sensor records all three RGB values for every single pixel and has an image resolution of 4704x3136, or 14.75MP. Because of the multiplication of three RGB layers, the camera gains a “resolution” of 44.25MP. Officially, Sigma specifies the resolution of the sensor even higher: the spec sheet uses the gross resolution with 4800x3200 pixels (x three layers) and therefore indicates that the camera has a resolution of 46MP.
Talking Pictures
Staff Apr 11, 2013 Published: Mar 01, 2013 0 comments
Growing up in Florida, I began playing golf at an early age. However, for many years the most important club in my golf bag was the ball retriever. Florida golf courses are notorious for their water hazards and I believe I found many of them.
News
Press Release Apr 11, 2013 4 comments
Wacom has announced the Cintiq®13HD, a new addition to its lineup of Cintiq interactive pen displays aimed at creative professionals working in areas such as design, art and image editing. Wacom’s newest pen display combines a 13-inch HD screen, an adjustable stand and an improved Pro Pen for a digital workflow that feels just like drawing or painting with traditional media. Offering a natural experience, the Cintiq 13HD is easily integrated into any environment, making it an ideal tool to support creativity and enhance productivity.