Photo.net Newsletter: September 2, 2009

Hi %%First Name%%,

Whoa boy! Who knew that having a teething toddler in the house plus a wife with a ‘bun in the oven’ could be so tiring? I’ve spent more time reading ‘Goodnight Moon’ and hunting down ‘Preggie Pops’ than I have taking photos this month. But that’s life—sometimes you win, sometimes you get stuck cleaning the catbox for a whole year.

On the plus side of things, Photo.net has been moving right along in the upgrades department. Along with the more visible changes such as image tagging, the events calendar, and so on. We’re also working behind the scenes on improvements to the ratings system, the critique forum interface, and the “interesting people” functionality.

Also, we’ve got three pretty cool product announcements to report on this month. Canon just announced its most recent DSLR, the 7D. Sometimes new products are game changers and sometimes they are just small updates, this looks like it might be a game changer. The second announcement is Panasonic’s third micro four-thirds camera, the GF1. They’ve gotten rid of the G1/GH1 mini-SLR style and created a micro four-thirds body that is meant to go head to head with Olympus’s EP-1. To top it off, they also announced two new prime lenses, a 20/1.7 and a 45/2.8. And Sony just unveiled their next full-frame DSLR, the A850, bringing the price bracket down to under $2000 for a full frame camera.

On top of that, Bogen is running another contest with over $2100 in prizes. What do you have to do to enter? Just use the link in your “my workspace” area to sign up for the Bogen mailing list. Is this for real? Absolutely. But you could always ask the winners from the last Bogen contest.

Finally, if you are an experienced photo.net member who wants to get promoted in the newsletter (and has a few basic computer/image-editing skills) please read my “The Photo.net ‘Help’ section needs your…..help.” below. Just a few minutes of your time could mean hundreds of thousands of people see your images in the newsletter.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please send them to us directly at contact@photo.net. Enjoy the newsletter!

Sincerely,

Josh Root

Photo.net Director of Community

The Photo.net ‘Help’ section needs your…..help.

This is a call to all experienced photo.net users.

I think we’ve made a lot of improvements on photo.net in the years that I have been running the place and I’m pretty proud of that. However, one aspect that is still really lacking is the “help” area. I just haven’t been able to carve out the time to create the tutorials that people might need to use all the features of the site.

So I’m asking for help. You know who you are, the users who are always nice enough to answer the “How do I delete an image from my ‘favorites’ list?” or “How do I email another user?” questions over and over again. I need your help. Read more here:

Can you help build Photo.net’s “help” tutorials? It’s easy!

New Articles, New Gear

Pentax Telephoto Lens Comparison: DA* 200 vs. DA* 300

Pentax has two very good telephoto lenses in their arsenal: the DA* 200 f/2.8 and the DA* 300 f/4. Justin Serpico takes an in-depth look at both of these lenses and puts them through their paces. He offers sample images, comparison tests, and his opinion on the two telephoto primes from Pentax.

Read the Pentax Telephoto Lens Comparison: DA* 200 vs. DA* 300.

Preview of the Canon EOS 7D

Canon just announced their new EOS 7D small frame sensor DSLR camera this week. Features include a new 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, full HD shooting capability, new 19-zone AF system, and an ISO range expandable to 12,800.

The sensor is a new design with greater efficiency, which may compensate for the smaller pixels in terms of noise performance. At 18MP, the EOS 7D is the current “pixel champion” for the crop sensor format. The EOS 7D also has a new metering system, the Focus Color Luminance metering system (iFCL), which measures focus, color and luminance across 63 zones, keeping exposure levels stable even as the light source changes. -Bob Atkins

Read the Canon EOS 7D Preview.

Preview of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

Fall is the time for exciting camera news. Panasonic breaks the anticipation by releasing official information on their latest camera to the micro four thirds line, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. It’s currently the smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital camera. The GF1 can also record 720p (1280×720 pixel) HD video.It looks like a smart little camera and will definitely give the Olympus E-P1 some competition.

Read the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Preview.

Preview of the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds 20/1.7 and 45/2.8 Macro Lenses

Panasonic complements their growing line of micro four thirds digital cameras with two new micro four thirds lenses—the Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 ASPH, and the first ever Leica micro four thirds lens, the Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 ASPH MEGA O.I.S.

Read the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds 20/1.7 and 45/2.8 Macro Lenses Preview.

Preview of the Sony A850

Sony announced a new full-frame sensor DSLR, the Alpha A850. The A850 appears to be a slightly downgraded version of the Alpha A900 at a significantly lower price ($2000 vs $2700). It will be the lowest cost full frame DSLR currently available. The minor differences between the A850 and Sony’s first full-frame camera, the A900 are: 98% viewfinder coverage (A900: 100%) and the maximum continuous capture speed is 3 fps (A900: 5 fps).

Read the Sony A850 Preview.

Featured Member Photographer: Marina Cano

Marina Cano is a Spanish wildlife photographer whose images have captivated many photo.net viewers. Her images are dramatic and touching all at once. But what is even more amazing is when you realize that her images come mainly from wildlife preserves/zoos in Europe, rather than the plains and savannas of Africa. This is an important lesson for many aspiring wildlife photographers to learn. You don’t have to fly across the world to make strong nature images (though many of us would like to). When the end result is what is important, and the end result is as strong as Marina’s images are, the method doesn’t matter at all.

“First of all, you must love animals, because you will spend a lot of time near them. Understand their behavior, and be patient. Then when you are shooting you must wait for the best light, wait for get the best opportunity, wait and wait. Keep your eyes wide open and creativity open as well.” -Marina Cano

Read More »

Samples from Marina’s portfolio:

View Marina’s entire portfolio »

Special Deals from Adorama

Photoflex Starlite Dual Spectrum Kit with 1 Starlite QL Head, 1000 watt Tungsten and 150 watt Fluorescent Bulbs, Light Stand and Case—offers flexibility for shooting indoors or outdoors with great result no matter the ambient light temperature.

• Shoot for daylight with the CoolStar CFL lamp
• Shoot for tungsten with the Bi-Pin Adapter and Lamp
• The new Starlite Tilt Swivel Mount allows quick, easy adjustments to direction of light source
• Brimstone Fabric – high-heat resistant, will withstand up to 400°F without burning
• QRC (Quick Release Corners) – creates stronger corners on the SilverDome and allows for easy set up and break down
• Heat Vents – Velcro open to help keep box cooler
• Inner baffle eliminates hot spots
• Face diffuser for soft, even light output.
• Inner baffle and face diffuser are removable for high-contrast lighting
• Soft box works with continuous or strobes lights.
• Sewn-in loops allows soft box to be suspended from ceiling
• LiteStand 2214 – extends to 8 feet, 2 inches; thick, oversized aluminum tubing provides superior strength under heavy loads; bolted joints make parts replacement quick and simple
• Newly designed Single Kit Case with rigid sides and wheels

Buy now from Adorama: Photoflex Starlite Dual Spectrum Kit with 1 Starlite QL Head, 1000 watt Tungsten and 150 watt Fluorescent Bulbs, Light Stand and Case [sale price $499.99, regular price: $525.99].

Other deals from Adorama:

• Ricoh CX1 Digital Point and Shoot, 9MP [sale price: $319.95, regular price: $369.00]
• Domke F8 Small Camera Bag [price: 60.95]

Find great deals on thousands of other products at the Photo.net Adorama Store.

What’s Happening In Our Forums

• Canon EOS (119 Responses) EOS 7D - Have Canon excelled themselves?
• Digital Darkroom (25 Responses) Best Retouching Software in your experience
• Street & Documentary (152 Responses) Sheesh ... Street Photography is HARD!
• Nikon (43 Responses) Nikon, Please Make a 85mm 1.4 Portrait Lens with VR!

Go to Photo.net Forums »

Outdoor Flash

Get that flash outdoors!

Flashes aren’t just for dark rooms and photography studios. Using flash outside can really punch-up what might be an otherwise boring photo. They can make colors pop and can fill in shadows caused by strong sunlight. Head out with your flash and see what you can come up with.

Not sure how to use a flash outside? Why not stop by the Photo.net Lighting Forum and ask the experts there for some advice?

See all of the Monthly Projects (and submission instructions) on the Monthly Project Index page. Also, be sure to take a look at last month’s Cell Phone Photos project page and see all the wonderful images that were uploaded. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Editors’ Picks

We have a new Editors’ Picks for your enjoyment: Creative Light Photography.

Samples:

Also, take a look at some of the most popular Editors’ Picks from previous months:

• Street Photography
• Insect Photography
• Night Photography