viernes, noviembre 27, 2009

How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling – Remote Location Edition

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vía Digital Photography School de Peter Carey el 24/11/09

Photo Copyright blmurch

Copyright blmurch

In my previous article How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling – City Edition I outlined the basics of what it takes to keep your batteries juiced up while traveling through the civilized world.  The part of the world with powerlines into every home, hotel and hostel.  But what about when you decide to travel off the paved roads into the shrubs, forest and mountains?

Remote locations present a different set of challenges.  For one, convenience.  No more finding a socket and making sure you have the right adapter. Where's the power going to come from to keep your camera functioning?  To answer this question, let's take a look at some possible remote location situations as they each have unique resolutions.  Mind you, I can't cover ALL possible situations, but this guide should help you get started towards battery charging bliss.

Hiking/Trekking/Biking

Take most of what you learned in the City Edition and throw it out the window.  When hiking, trekking, climbing, biking, kayaking or any other of the types of human powered locomotion there are two general schools of thought: 1) Bring a bunch of batteries or 2) Bring a charger.

First, the bag of batteries.  Depending on your trip length and shooting style, bringing along extra batteries makes total sense.  It's easy to manage and the complications of charging are nil.  There is some weight involved, but not much if just one extra battery is coming along.  If this is your type of trip, then it's not rocket science, just keep doing what you're doing.  This setup works well if you know your camera doesn't have a large power draw and can last the length of your trip on just a few batteries.  I've been on a three week trek through the Himalayas and one of the other trekkers only used one battery the entire trip, with another using only two.  The downside is purchasing extra batteries you may not need again for a long while.

Some of us fall into the second group; bring a charger.  On the same Himalaya trek I used probably 10-12 batteries.  I have a large lens with 'expensive' (power-wise) image stabilization and I often review images at the end of the day, clearing the blurred and mistaken shots.  Plus the colder conditions rob juice.  To cover my power use I purchased a folding 20W solar panel many years ago.  These chargers are not cheap, but I'm planning on using mine for years to come and it weighs in at just a pound.  When I consider the amount of batteries I don't need to bring (it also charges AA types for my portable photo storage, CR123 for water purifier, AAA for headlamps, etc…) I have justified the cost when the weight is brought into focus.  Solar chargers come in folding or roll versions, as well as some smaller ones handy for iPods and the like.  Expect to pay anywhere between $250USD-$800USD for folding and roll, or about $50USD for smaller units.

If you go with a solar charger you'll likely need to purchase another charger that runs off of DC current instead of the AC current in homes.  These are the type which use the round 'cigarette lighter' type connection.  One advantage you main gain when purchasing a DC compatible charger is multi-battery charging in a single device.  And simplifying packing by only needing one charger for your various cameras, if you have more than one, is a positive aspect of a multi-battery charger.  These charger can be had for between $10USD and $35USD.

In A Car/4×4

When out on the open road and beyond, keeping your batteries charged is a little easier.  Unless your vehicle comes with an outlet appropriate for your region, you'll need to adapt your charging equipment to the car.  And as before, there are two ways to do this: 1) Purchase a DC version of your charger or 2) Purchase an inverter and use your standard charger.

As covered above, purchasing a DC version of your charger may have the advantage of being able to charge other camera batteries.  This is especially handy if you are traveling with friends and want to share equipment.  But it can be limiting in that there is usually only one or two power outlets in a vehicle to use for charging.  There are splitters available on the market allowing multiple DC unit charging at once.

The alternative is to purchase an inverter.  An inverter simply takes the DC power input from a vehicle and outputs standard wall socket AC power.  At this point you would plug in your standard charger and away you go.  Don't forget to bring along a powerstrip to charge more than one device at a time.  The downsides are minimal with an inverter but they do make noise while powered on and can draw down a car battery after a couple days of not being run, depending on the model.  Some of the nicer units come with multiple outlets and are fan cooled.  Figure to spend about $50USD for a nicer unit, but you can get by with a $15USD cheapo for a while.

When it comes to battery needs in remote areas, it really matters on how long you'll be gone, your typical battery usage and what mode of transport you are using.  Sometimes just packing an extra battery will do the trick and sometimes you might need to buy a new charger.  I hope this post has given you a start in the right direction and you'll be able to keep your batteries fully charged.  Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section and I'll do my best to respond.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling – Remote Location Edition


 
 

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Top 10 Popular DSLRS

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vía Digital Photography School de Darren Rowse el 26/11/09

Popular-DSLRs.jpgThe question I'm being asked on a daily basis at the moment is – 'what camera should I buy?' Obviously cameras are on many people's wishlists this Christmas!

I'm planning to update our Popular Digital Cameras and Gear page here on DPS in the coming week to help answer the question but thought I'd do a quick post looking specifically at what's hot at the moment when it comes to DSLRs (as this is what many of those asking questions are focusing upon).

Note: it's a particularly good time to buy a digital camera. Most online stores have Black Friday sales on at the moment. Here's Amazon's Camera sale (they're updating it every day) and B&H also seem to have a lot of specials on at the moment.

What's Hot in DSLRs?

Note: The following DSLRs are the most popular with our readers in their purchases over the last month. We're listing them in the order of popularity in terms of sales and in the configuration (ie with or without lenses bundled) that they're selling in best.

1. Canon EOS Rebel T1i

51THKreO3bL._SL500_AA280_.jpgThis camera has topped our best selling list for the last few months.

It's a 15.1 megapixel DSLR which comes with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilised Lens.

It has a 3.0 inch LCD, full HD video capture, live view framing of images, face detection autofocusing and a good range of features.

The T1i is currently priced at $718.56 at Amazon with the lens or $631.89 body only and is a great choice if you're looking for an entry level DSLR.

2. Nikon D90 DX

51whvQ9lrsL._SL500_AA280_.jpgThe Nikon D90 DX is a 12.3 megapixel DSLR which comes bundled with an 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 ED AF-S VR lens.

While not Nikon's newest camera it has many fans in our forums and it is no wonder when you see its feature set including 3.0 inch LCD (high res), Live View framing, Face Detection, Video recording Image sensor cleaning, 4.5 frames per second shooting and a lot more.

The Nikon D90 with it's 18-105mm lens comes in at $1031.89 or you can grab it Body Only for $794.95. It's probably one of the best cameras in the 'enthusiast' range of cameras and in most reviews I've read of it gets a very high rating.

3. Canon EOS 50D

41dYxFbKSyL._SL500_AA280_.jpgThe 50D is another mid range/enthusiast camera that is often put forward in our forums by users as one to consider and it is reflected in the sales figures among our readers. Featuring a 15.1 megapixel image sensor, 3.0 inch LCD, Live View Framing, DIGIC 4 processor and 6.3 frames per second shooting – this camera still packs a punch despite having been on the market for over a year (although no video which is becoming standard on DSLRs).

You can pick up the 50D as a body only unit for $940.89, with a 28-135mm lens for$1,131.89 or an 18-200mm lens for $1499.

4. Canon Digital Rebel XSi

51gZwAX6YvL._SL500_AA280_.jpgAnother popular entry level DSLR from Canon contineus to be the 12.2 megapixel XSi (also known as the 450D in some parts of the world).

Features on this DSLR include a 3.0 inch LCD, DIGIC III processor, dust cleaning, 3.5 frames per second shooting, Live View Framing and a range of other standard DSLR features.

Again – this gets great reviews but is perhaps starting to date a little (although is selling well according to our figures.

The Canon XSi retails on Amazon for $521.89 as a body only purchase (and a little more for a silver one). You can also pick it up with an 18-55mm lens for $556.80.

5. Nikon D5000

41cIkiUKeOL._SL500_AA280_.jpgNikon's turn – with their 12.3 Megapixel DSLR.

It's another entry level offering but this one a little more up to date than others, having been released this year – plus it has a few extra features and probably puts it in the upper end of the entry level spectrum.

Feature wise it has a 2.7 inch tilt and swivel LCD, 720p HD Movie capture, Live View, Face Detection, 11 AF points and 4 frames per second shooting.

The D5000 is getting great reviews and takes great images for something of this price point.

Speaking of price – the D5000 bundled with an 18-55mm lens (the most popular bundle we've seen sold) retails at Amazon for $651.89 or body only for $599.99.

6. Nikon D3000

517+bpHK4HL._SL500_AA280_.jpgThe little brother to the D5000, this 10.2 megapixel camera has been a popular buy with those right at the entry level of DSLR purchases. In fact at present the D3000 is the top selling DSLR on Amazon.

Features include a 3.0 inch LCD, Image sensor cleaning, 11 AF points and 3 frames per second shooting. Missing in comparison are a number of features including Live View, no automatic chromatic aberation correction, slower burst shooting, no tilt and swivel LCD. It also does not have a video mode.

The price of the D3000 will be attractive to many – with an 18-55mm lens it is $469.99 and body only it's just $419.95.

7. Canon EOS 7D

512nfG0dDIL._SL500_AA280_.jpgOne of the newest cameras on this list is Canon's 18 megapixel 7D – a camera that has had ALOT of press this year.

This is a camera for the serious enthusiast (in fact I know a couple of pros who have this as their 2nd camera) and it is feature rich (a true big brother to the 50D mentioned above). Features include – Dual DIGIC 4 processors, 100% viewfinder, 19 point AF system, 8 frames per second shooting, built in flash (that can control external flashes), 1080p HD video, 3.0 inch LCD and environmental sealing.

In some ways this is actually a better camera than the Canon EOS 5D Mark II – and if you don't need a full frame sensor this could be one to consider.

Getting very high ratings – the Canon EOS 7D is priced at $1699.95 as a body only package or with a 28-135mm lens is $1899.99 (although if I were spending that much on a body I'd want to grab an L series lens to put on it).

Nikon D300S

51kaZWunFwL._SL500_AA280_.jpgIn a similar space to the Canon EOS 7D we find the D300S. While lower megapixels (it has a 12 MP sensor) it's got a great feature list. The D300 (its predecessor) was widely regarded as the top of its class by many and the 300S is a worthy update.

Features include – 720p 24 frames per second HD video (with some in camera movie editing), 7 frames per second shooting, 3.0 inch LCD, image sensor cleaning, 51 AF points, Live View and a lot more.

A camera for those who are serious about their photography the Nikon D300S is priced at $1575.95 as body only or for an 18-200mm lens bundled with it you'll be paying $2,427.70.

Pentax K-7

41vRKwFTgBL._SL500_AA280_.jpgYay! Finally a non Canon or Nikon in the list. We promise we're not biased, we're just reporting what people are buying from our readership!

The Pentax K-7 DSLR is a 14.6 megapixel DSLR. It has a 3.0 inch LCD, Live View framing, Moving Mode (1280×720p 30fps moview), 5.2 frames per second shooting and weather/dust/cold resistant body.

The K-7 has a retail price on Amazon of $1,114.95 when bundled with a 18-55mm lens.

10. Olympus Evolt E520

51bv-2WUGkL._SL500_AA280_.jpgRounding out our top 10 list is a DSLR from Olympus which will appeal to the entry level DSLR buyer.

This camera was released this year and features a four-thirds 10 megapixel sensor, in body image stabilization, face detection, shadow adjustment, Live View and more.

While it's features are not as advanced as some of the other cameras above for its price it's going to be very attractive to many – Body Only it is $399.92 and bundled with a 14-42mm lens it is $449.95.

Have Your Say

There you have it – the top 10 most popular DSLRs among our readers when it comes to purchases over the last couple of months.

Of course as with all of these types of posts there will be debate over whether the cameras should be ordered in that order or whether others should have made the list – but in the end this is just a list based upon our community's spending patterns.

Is your camera in the list? If so – which one is it? If not – what have you bought?

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Top 10 Popular DSLRS


 
 

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The Big Pictr: cómo crear bonitas galerías estilo «Big Picture» en segundos

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vía Fotografía Microsiervos de no-reply@microsiervos.com (Alvy) el 26/11/09

Bigpicrt

The Big Picture del Boston Globe creó escuela: con sus fotos a tamaño gigante a las que se añade una breve descripción ha tenido un éxito arrollador en los últimos tiempos por su impacto visual y la calidad de sus fotografías, que principalmente provienen de fotógrafos de Reuters. Su particular estilo ha sido imitado por muchos otros periódicos, blogs y sitios de reportajes fotográficos.

Ahora cualquier puede crear su «Big Piture» particular con el mínimo esfuerzo gracias a The Big Pictr de Trevor Hartsell. Tan solo hay que indicarle el nombre de una cuenta de Flickr y elegir algunas opciones: cuántas fotos por página, si se desea filtrarlas por palabras o etiquetas, o qué tipo de fotos publicar (las más recientes, las más populares, etcétera). El sistema crea una página sobre la que se insertan las fotos originales si tienen el tamaño adecuado (al menos 980 píxeles de ancho). Las fotos deben estar marcadas como visibles para todos lo usuarios o de lo contrario no funcionará.

El resultado es muy llamativo, apropiado para fotos horizontales y panorámicas sobre todo (las verticales no quedan demasiado bien). La galería resultante se puede compartir con mediante el enlace de la página (URL) con los amigos, dado que contiene toda la información para mostrar la fotogalería actualizada en todo momento. Una opción interesante por ejemplo es marcar todas las fotos que se quieran incluir un con tag elegido para la ocasión (por ejemplo bigpicture, o algo así) de modo que la combinación del nombre de la cuenta + el tag bigpicture realice todo el trabajo. Ahí va mi «Big Picture» a modo de ejemplo.

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viernes, noviembre 20, 2009

Los diez momentos más importantes de la historia reciente de Internet

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vía Microsiervos de no-reply@microsiervos.com (Wicho) el 19/11/09

Como cualquier otra lista esta es matizable, pero para los organizadores de los Webby Awards, estos son los diez momentos más relevantes de la historia de Internet en esta década:

  • Craiglist comienza a expandirse fuera de San Francisco (2000), empezando a comerse parte del lucrativo negocio de los anuncios clasificados de los periódicos. Hoy hay listas para más de 500 ciudades en 50 países.
  • Se lanza Gogle AdWords (2000), una plataforma publicitaria en la que cualquiera puede anunciarse independientemente de su tamaño y que permite a los anunciantes afinar mucho en cuanto a quien se le muestran sus anuncios.
  • Abre la Wikipedia (2001), que a estas alturas contiene más de 14 millones de artículos en 271 lenguajes distintos, demostrando el poderío que puede tener un proyecto colaborativo en el que la gente crea.
  • El cierre de Napster (2001), el sitio que marcó la popularización del intercambio de archivos y que puso patas arriba la forma en la que obtenemos música y vídeo.
  • La salida a bolsa de Google (2004), una de las más exitosas de la historia y que puso a la empresa firmemente en el camino de convertirse en una de las más poderosas y dominantes de la década, sino en la que más.
  • La revolución del vídeo en línea (2006) con la llegada de más ancho de banda, cámaras cada vez más baratas, y la compra de YouTube por parte de Google.
  • La apertura de Facebook al público en general y la popularización de Twitter (2006), dos sitios que han hecho de los medios sociales algo tremendamente popular.
  • La salida a la venta del iPhone (2007), demostrando que la gente está más que dispuesta a utilizar un teléfono inteligente fácil de usar e inspirando el desarrollo de otras plataformas similares y de aplicaciones para casi cualquier cosa que uno pueda imaginar. Algunos estudios estiman que 1.000 millones de nuevos usuarios de Internet llegaran a esta por primera vez a través de algún dispositivo móvil.
  • La campaña presidencial de los Estados Unidos (2008), que demostró el poder de Internet para poner patas arriba la forma en la que se reúnen fondos o se moviliza a los votantes.
  • Las protestas por las elecciones en Irán (2009) y la movilización que hizo la oposición para protestar por sus resultados a través de Twitter.

(Y dejaremos para otra discusión el hecho de que el año 2000 en realidad no forma parte de esta década).

(Baquía vía rt de Eventoblog a Juantxo Zabalo).

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lunes, noviembre 16, 2009

Watching the H1N1 flu pandemic

 
 

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vía The Big Picture el 16/11/09

Health officials around the world are stepping up vaccination efforts and are closely tracking the progress of the H1N1/09 virus (often referred to as "swine flu" in the media). World Health Organization officials recently noted that the virus has spread to virtually every country in the world, reaching as far as remote tribes in Venezuela and aboriginal populations in Australia. Although the number of deaths attributed to H1N1 this year (over 7,000 to date) remains low compared to a normal seasonal flu outbreak of several hundred thousand deaths in a year, health officials remain concerned because of the instability of H1N1/09 combined with its tendency to affect younger healthier people. Collected here are photos of people around the world preparing for and dealing with the current H1N1 pandemic. (37 photos total)

A medic prepares to give students of a university an injection of the H1N1 flu vaccine in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok on November 9, 2009. Russia launched a vaccination campaign against the H1N1 flu disease on Monday, local media reported. (REUTERS/Yuri Maltsev)


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miércoles, noviembre 11, 2009

Combining Map Flickr and Flickr allows for easy Online Mapping

 
 

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via Digital Photography School by Guest Contributor on 11/9/09

In this post Lisa Newton from Travelin' Local and MLAPA looks at a great new service that merges Flickr with virtual mapping.

map-flickr.pngThere's a great new site I recently found, that makes the process of merging Flickr images with virtual mapping, much quicker and easier; and takes the entire process to the next level. Although I'm a big fan of Flickr, for a long time one of its major drawbacks was that I couldn't embed Flickr maps.

That was then, this is now; you're able to easily create embeddable maps by combining Flickr and Map Flickr, a "powerful tool to create an interactive map with geolocated images on it using the Google Maps and Flickr API."

First things first, to use Map Flickr, you have to be a Flickr member first. Indeed, DPS recently had a wonderful new beginner's guide to Flickr, so I hope you've already joined. BTW, a pro membership of Flickr isn't required for Map Flickr, but for $25.00 per year, it's a reasonable price if you're a professional, or are involved with, downloading and storing a large amount of bandwidth for your photos.

map-flickr-2.pngAfter you download your photos into Flickr, you need to create a set, which is basically a grouping of your photos by whatever criteria or category you determine works best for you. For me, I prefer to group my photos by the location where I took them– like I did with my Fine Arts Building story and shoot.

After you create your set, use the mapping feature on Flickr, and add them to your Flickr map.

Now comes the fun part.

Go to Map Flickr and register, which is free.

As soon as you hit the "Find my Sets" button on the registration page, Map Flickr will automatically connect to your Flickr account, and a list of all of your Flickr photo sets will be available for you to view, and work with. From that point, all you have to do is to is just click Create Map," and watch the magic begin. From this point forward, you're able to customize your maps as well as being able to incorporate other features into your efforts, such as its sizing, the photo's height, width, and so forth.

After you're done with customizing you, hit the "Finish and Share" button to publish your masterpieces. That's it, from that point, all you have to do is link to the map– or better yet– embed it into your website like I did.

With the foregoing in mind, I hope that you're able to have as much fun using Map Flickr and all of its features, as I do, for anything and everything that may be beneficial for your photographic and mapping needs.

Because I'm both a photojournalist, and currently involved in the Mapping Los Angeles Public Art (MLAPA) project, it's great to be able to just add a quick picture to my Flickr map, and then have it easily appear on my sites, with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Combining Map Flickr and Flickr allows for easy Online Mapping


 
 

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Accesorios fotográficos artesanales

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via Fotografía Microsiervos by no-reply@microsiervos.com (Nacho) on 11/11/09


Trípode con una cuerda

Top ten DIY photography tips – diez accesorios fotográficos que es posible construir de forma artesanal y que pueden ser sumamente útiles. Muchos ya han salido por aquí: parasol de papel, difusor casero, estabilizador "a lo MacGyver", caja de luz casera... Aquí hay alguno más explicado e ilustrado.

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