Monday, March 31, 2008

A Closer Look At Pentax Cameras

photographyFourth in a series that gently explains digital photography and makes helpful recommendations.

In the article Which Digital SLR? I explained the three main benefits of the Pentax camera bodies over others in their price range: weather-sealing, body-based image stabilisation and lens compatibility. In this instalment I'll give you an idea of what you can expect to pay to get started in digital SLRs, and compare the available models. I'm not going to go into excruciating detail here; it's easy enough to Google for reviews and spec sheets if you really want to get technical. The prices I quote will be the best I can find this week... by the time you read this they will likely be lower.
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Nine Inch Nails, Jane Siberry, And The New Economic Model Of Music Sales

Jane SiberryNine Inch Nails are reaping the benefits of the new economic model of music sales: give away as much music as possible and charge fans an arm and a leg for exclusivity. Ghosts is a two CD set of 36 tracks that can be ordered online for $10. Also available is a $75 deluxe edition and an "Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition Package". All 2500 copies of this last artefact sold out at $300, which netted the artist a quick three-quarters of a million dollars (if my math is any good).
Thursday, March 27, 2008

Which Digital SLR?

photographyThird in a series that gently explains digital photography and makes helpful recommendations.

In the last article in this series I explained why you should use a digital SLR if you are serious about photography. I am sure my convincing argument spurred you to check out what's available. And no doubt the first names you encountered were Canon and Nikon. Between them these two manufacturers have a huge share of the world market. Snapping at their heels are Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Fuji and others. Read any other article of this sort on the net and nine times out of ten it'll recommend Canon or Nikon, simply because they are so pervasive. But life is not a popularity contest.

Less well known is a company that will nonetheless ring a bell for anyone who enjoyed photography back in film days. They were once the world's leading firm, and are still number three in their homeland of Japan. I speak, of course, of Pentax. Pentax offer the best value in digital SLRs for amateurs and semi-professionals, and here I'm going to tell you why you should consider them.
Thursday, March 27, 2008

Why Use An SLR?

photographySecond in a series that gently explains digital photography and makes helpful recommendations.

In the last article I established at length that there is no good reason, other than making large prints, to get a digital camera with more than 6 megapixels. In fact I recommended this same figure for both point'n'shoot compact cameras and their larger more "pro" cousins, digital SLRs. So why consider an SLR at all? That's what I'll elaborate on in this article.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008

To Say Nothing Of Megapixels

photographyThe first article in a series that gently explains digital photography and makes helpful recommendations.

It's about time I started writing about photography. I'll begin with a fundamental assertion: a camera is a tool for capturing light. Remember that and you can fend off those aggressive high-street sales clerks whose only interest is making the largest commission off whatever they need to push today. Photography equals light. End of story.

Well, ok, there is a bit more to it than that. But only a bit.
Thursday, March 06, 2008

Save Lives NOW!

Do you think the world goes on without you?

Do you think your voice does not matter?

You are wrong! You can make a difference!

"Israel and Gaza are on the brink of war. A ground assault has left many dead, and the rain of rockets only spreads. Israel is now considering a full-scale invasion of Gaza, which has never worked before. The only answer is a ceasefire deal, already suggested by Hamas and supported by 64% of Israelis and some senior cabinet ministers. With international help, this could make civilians on both sides safer."