Full review at: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/NikonD80/ : A seven minute video tour around the Nikon D80 DSLR by Gordon Laing, Editor of www.cameralabs.com. For our full review, please click the link at the start of this text.

Duration : 0:6:42

Technorati Tags: 10, Cameralabs, d80, dslr, Megapixel, nikon, review

Even though the Nikon D80 has three auto-focus options, Single-Area gives you the most control, as outlined in this WebTip from the Magic Lantern DVD Guide for the Nikon D80

Duration : 0:3:30

Technorati Tags: Area, Auto-Focus, d80, dslr, Guide, Lantern, Magic, nikon

Want to know if all these goods are permitted to carry with any hassle?

Also, can I buy the remaining accessories of my computer in dubai and assemble my parts into it? Hope the slots and screws are same there too.

Do the airlines allow to take snaps from the flight window of the landscape below without restrictions? What is the maximum weight limit per person the flight allows? How much extra per kg they charge?

Under the Montreal convention, you are actually not allowed to check items like laptops into the hold. Unfortunately, most people don’t realise this until the laptop goes missing and their claim is denied. So carry-on is the way to go, however call the airline and verify it with them.

I would strongly advise you to check if your airline is governed by the Montreal convention or the Warsaw convention and if you would be covered.

Also there is changing legislation regarding lithium batteries that you may want to check out.

Voltage in Dubai is 220 volts, the plug is a UK plug, so you need an adaptor.

The long life of your digital camera can be determined by how well you maintain it. As it is a delicate instrument, you have to pay special attention to maintain it. It is important to maintain it occasionally. Your digital camera can last longer provided you have to maintain it properly. Most people may not care for it and this may cause damage to your device. This article offers you certain guidelines to maintain your camera properly.

How to care of the lens?

The lenses are the prominent element of a digital camera. Keep it safe and clean. If your lenses are dirty, you will never get good quality, sharp images. Don’t think of cleaning it daily. Clean it perfectly only when need arises. If you clean them daily some scratches form on the lens or some coatings of the lens may be lost. Do not touch the surface of the lens with your finger. Cover your lens when you are not using it. Always wipe the lens with lint-free cotton or tissue.

Preserve it when you go for outing

If you go for an outing, always keep your camera dry. Preserve it from high temperatures. Don’t leave your digital camera within your car itself. If the temperature increases above 100 degrees, the elements may get heated soon. Always wrap your camera with a light colour towel when you keep it inside your car and this is to prevent the penetration of high temperatures.

Proper storage

When you do not use your camera for a long time, you have to keep it away from moisture. Magnets are the first enemy of your camera’s memory cards. They may not affect the components of the camera, but it will completely erase the contents of your memory cards. Therefore keep away your digital camera from magnets.

Remove the Battery

Suppose you have planned to store camera somewhere for longer without using it, remove the batteries. Otherwise some sort of chemical may come out of it. Wipe the battery compartment by a cloth and keep it free from dust.

Take care of the delicate elements

Your digital camera consist of certain delicate elements like lens, battery, memory cards etc. so keep it away from bouncing and be careful that you do not drop it.

The lens and memory cards are the two main factors that have to be taken much care to give the costly digital camera a long life. Less care on the maintenance of the lens will affect the image sensor, forming blotchy patches on the image. This can be avoided with the regular maintenance of the camera dust from the accumulation of the dust particles. Clone stamp is a tool that is used to remove the dust particles in the digital camera. The regular formatting of the memory card can prevent it some data corruption.

Earlier SLR cameras were used for photography which does not require much care, except the lens. Only handling the device has to be taken care. After the introduction of the digital camera, the handling has become much easier. But still the lens, memory card and the sensor are some of the factors that have to be taken care of in a digital camera.

Pencil Writer
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/can-your-digital-camera-last-longer-572011.html

I didnt switch I still have my Canon 40D and I was going to sell it but I think I will hang on to it for a bit.
LOL KND thanks, but I havent completely switched, I picked up the Nikon from a friend it was a good deal. I am still comfortable with my Canon.

image stabilization = vibration reduction. lenses that have the VR on them.
actually, there’s a new 18-55mm that has VR. it’s sold as a kit lens with a camera, or individually. i think you should have asked first what kit lens was with the d80 you bought. there are different "combos" with kit lenses paired with cameras.. some come with the 18-135mm or 18-70 as the kit lens. then of course they vary in prices. BUT you can just buy the body alone and buy a separate lens. but you have bought yours already. well i have the version with not VR and it’s really good! read kenrockwell.com search there 18-55. but if u really want a VR one, you can sell yours and buy another.

American Football – a game of high stakes and even higher emotions, whether it’s the joy of watching an immaculate catch, the anguish of losing a game by a “wide-right” field-goal, or the worry of seeing your quarterback blindsided by an angry lineman with something to prove.

What makes football a high-paced, anything-can-happen event also makes it very difficult for digital photographers. You must deal with 22 players on the field (not to mention referees and coaches trying to get their points across), plus the midday sun outside or inconsistent lighting inside domes. Unless you have a press pass, you also must deal with nose-bleed seats in large stadiums and shouting and screaming fans ready to jump up at a moment’s notice to block your shot. Whew!

To help you score a touchdown with your digital photos I’ve listed 9 digital photography tips. The first five are mentioned in this article with tips 6-9 listed in Part II.

1) Don’t Get Your Hopes Up

This sounds like a lousy tip to start things off, but hear me out. If you’re sitting in nose-bleed seats and don’t own a digital camera with a large optical telephoto zoom (digital zoom doesn’t matter), football players will likely appear as just large dots in your photos. And if you’re sitting behind a tall person that loves to stand up and cheer after every play, good luck taking great photos from your seat without getting a shot of the person’s head in the way.

In either of these two scenarios, look around the stadium for aisles or walkways where you can hang around without impeding others’ views (and getting security nervous). You need a clear line of sight; an errant head or foam “we’re number one” hand appears in too many photos.

2) Buy a Camera with Plenty of Adjustment Features

I’m not saying you must run out and purchase a $1,000+ digital SLR (though it may help!), but make sure the digital camera you buy has plenty of adjustment options. At a minimum you should be able to adjust the shutter speed, ISO settings (more on both later), and metering or exposure levels to adjust to difficult lighting scenarios.

One other point – look for digital cameras with image stabilization features or lenses. Though this won’t offset any blurriness caused by football players moving at high speed, it may reduce blurriness caused by shaking when holding a camera.

3) Ensure Your Camera can be Taken to the Game

Don’t get sacked before you even get a chance to sit down. Stadiums have different rules about what you can bring to the game. At high-school or intramural games you may be able to bring any camera you desire. For college and professional games you may be limited to cheap compacts, “non-professional” digital cameras, or cameras with a small maximum telephoto zoom.

4) Bring the Right Accessories

Bringing a digital camera is just the tip of the iceberg, like the extra point that comes after a touchdown. At a minimum you need:

* A lens hood – Focus light to your camera, essential on sunny days (even if it’s cold).

* Extra memory – Great shots won’t end at halftime; don’t let your memory fill up by then.

* Extra batteries – What if a game goes to overtime?

* Waterproof camera bag – In case soda or alcoholic beverages are spilled.

* Cleaning supplies such as dry napkins and a lens-cleaning kit – See above.

If you’re attending a football game that lets you take photos on the sidelines, bring along a tripod AND if you own one, a spare digital camera. The digital camera mounted on the tripod can be focused near the center of the field to take photos without camera shake, and you can use your spare camera for quick photos if the action is outside the other camera’s range of vision. Just be prepared to move quickly if the action gets too close!

5) Don’t Forget Tailgate Parties

Tailgate parties are as much of a part of the football experience as the game itself. Bring extra memory and batteries to take photos of your friends and other fans around the stadium. Snap a photo of the person wearing a rainbow wig, the fans painted in their teams’ colors, and of impressive grilling setups.

Part II of this article will discuss more camera settings necessary to take quick photos during plays, as well as more advice on what you can do to prepare before the game.

Andrew Malek
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/touchdown-shouting-tips-to-shoot-digital-photos-of-american-football-part-1-706220.html

I keep hearing of accessories such as strobes, umbrellas, reflectors, 18-135mm, 50mm, and etc which I have no idea what they are and what they are made to do; it’s really overwhelming. What accessories do I need to create the type of shots I’m looking for? Thanks!
Do you really have to lower yourself just to express your frustration with elementary sarcasm? I’m tired of arrogant photographers who over-exaggerate their trade who use their technical knowledge to debase curious minds. I am studying in the science field (yes, I’m going to school because I want to work in science as a CAREER not photography, which is one of my HOBBIES), so I do not have the free time to go to photography school JUST to take a couple of high quality portraits…
I can understand frustration over people saying ‘I want professional photos, how do I get them?’, you’d ask ‘What type of professional photos (landscapes..portraits), and what are examples of what you want to produce? I gave ample explanation of my goal in mind; you could have just told me what is needed for portraits and what will get certain effects. Now don’t go calling yourself an idiot for going to photography school because self- deprecation is ugly, but not as ugly as being rude and condescending.
Marathon? I’m not trying to be a professional photographer with studio lighting and backdrops for high fashion models. I just want to create high quality portraits! You can say ‘A true photographer is in the skill, not the equipment, yadda yadda yadda, but that’s a bunch of fluff and just feeds your egos. A lot of photographers just play by ear and snap a few shots where they think someone or something is pretty and compliment the shots that turned out well by expressing joy over forces beyond their control most of the time such as the pose or expression of the model or how the sky looked that day. You can’t capture detail and so sharply or create a certain lightingwithout the equipment!
I sincerely appreciate your answer Kevin K.

Secondly, I was not undermining the trade of photography besides noting some stereotypes of snarky untalented photographers. Of course I know there are photographers with genius visions and really know to manipulate angles and lighting to evoke certain emotions from people. I am also aware of the extensive details evolved in mastering photography. HOWEVER, I asked a specific questions that just needed a specific answer with some guidance, such as how Kevin K. answered. If I said I wanted to sing pleasantly to the ear, would you direct me to a Music 101 class where I would study the history of music and different periods such as classicism and romanticism as well as studying structures and forms of lieders and symphonies? I’m not trying to be the digital Picasso; I just asked if I needed any extra equipment to take aesthetically pleasing portraits for crying out loud! My area of study is just as extensive as yours for more information.
And the reason why I stereotyped some undeserving photographers is because that’s how you responded towards me. Instead of giving me a specific answer to my question, you acted exactly how those unqualified condescending photographers act. And top advice? According to 75% of these answers, the "advice" I was given was basically mean spirited humor and abrasive useless answers. If that’s top advice then I don’t want it! I’m glad you don’t care about receiving 10 points on Yahoo!Answers as I hope you have more important goals in your life than that, such as getting beautiful results from your photography!

OK you’ve been flamed over your question, I understand why but it is possible to learn this stuff. You will have to put some time & effort into learning to use a DLSR manually and learning about off camera lighting, but its not an esoteric art that takes a lifetime to learn so lighten up folks!

Kevin K has given some practical advice but that website (CGIpix) does have a lot of poorly explained misinformation.

A D80 is a good starting point, the D90 suggested by Kevin K would be a substantial upgrade but its bell & whistles are not necessary.

Given the camera body, what you then want are good lenses and good light. Good lenses usually means good primes (50mm f1.8 or 85mm f1.8 are good choices). You can however use some general zooms too – your first link was shot with the Nikkor 18-200mm lens & I use this for some studio work.

Most of those links you posted are to shots done in natural light, but seeing as you asked about additional lighting terms I’ll add the following.

Lighting can be studio style flashes (monoblocs) which are for the most part mains electricity (although some systems allow battery packs for outdoor/location shoots but these can be expensive). or a hotshoe flash (speedlight) based system. Both are often referred to as ’strobes’. David Hobby in his Strobist blog concentrates principally on speedlight systems – well worth a read as a starting point;
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/02/welcome-to-strobist.html

Go to Lighting 101 & a short way down the page there is a handy little vid on the basics.

Speedlights are lightweight & portable – ideal for indoors & for location shooting being battery operated.

Bare flash (whether it be from a monobloc or speedlight) can be good but it creates hard shadows (the bigger the light source the softer the shadows) so to make a small light source large you add modifiers such as umbrellas & softboxes. These make the light larger & more diffuse & give soft edge shadows. Umbrellas generally allow more light ’spill’ everywhere, softboxes have less spill.
If you want hard light, then you use bare flash or make the size even smaller by using a snoot (a sort of tube) which concentrates the light into a smaller area.

The important thing is how you trigger the flash (off camera) when you press the shutter button on the camera. There’s several ways but radio triggers are popular because they are reliable have good range & you don’t have wires trailing everywhere. I use RF602 triggers – you have a transmitter that goes on the hotshoe of the camera and a receiver for each of the flashes.

There are things to remember when shooting flash – the camera has a maximum sync speed (that synchronises the opening of the shutter with the flash firing) usually around 1/200 or 1/250 sec. If you try to shoot with a shutter speed faster, then the shutter curtain starts to close & you see a black band appear across the image, or its all black. The slower the shutter speed the more ‘ambient’ light is allowed into the image. It is the aperture that principally controls the flash exposure and the shutter speed that controls the ambient light exposure.

If you have the cash – Zack Arias’s One Light DVD is well worth it (Google it for a link).

I would link to my Flickr stream but the front page has some adult content (18+). If you have a Flickr account, let me know your link & I’ll add you.

 

Reviewed By Warehouse Express’ technical expert Ben Weeks.

Another morning, another train to London for another Canon camera launch. This is becoming something of a habit. Still, at least this one is late enough in the day that I can avoid the early morning commuter crush. A country boy I may be, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy feeling like livestock on the way to market. Indeed, this morning’s voyage has been rather pleasant.

It started off, as many do, with a taxi to the train station. We’ve all been there; sat in the front passenger seat next to a complete stranger. You don’t want to appear rude and spend the entire journey in resolute silence, but you know nothing about this person next to you, so how do you commence conversation? Inevitably, the same old chestnuts flow; â??Are you just starting or just finishing your shift?â?, or â??Busy at the moment?â?, or that all-time favourite failsafe of the British travelling public â??Isn’t this weather terrible?â?

This morning, however, the conversation was free-flowing from the moment the driver asked where I was going. After I explained the reason for my trip to London, a lengthy discussion ensued regarding the status of the camera market at present. My chauffeur was obviously well informed. He enquired as to whether the increasing popularity and quality of camera-phones was having an effect on camera sales, so we talked about compact cameras versus camera-phones, SLRs versus compact cameras, stills photography versus video, DVD versus hard-drive recording and even Betamax versus VHS. The conclusion we came to was that the most successful players in any of the electronics markets today were the ones who had been able to adapt; those manufacturers who, rather than burying their heads in the sand and hoping that the latest developments in the hi-tech world will pass them by and leave their little corner untouched, embrace the new technologies on offer and incorporate them into their portfolio of products. It is this thought that I currently have in my head as the Suffolk countryside passes by outside the train window.

There’s no denying it; Canon are a success story. Along with other brands, they not only excelled in the traditional film based photography of past, but have adapted to, and in many cases led, the change over to a now almost entirely digital industry. However, it’s also fair to say that it’s been a while since Canon launched an SLR camera that has forced photographers to sit up and take notice of what they are doing. This launch could therefore be very important for them. I, like many people, have my suspicions as to what this new model might be, and if it is what we think it is, then it’s a model that has been anticipated for some time by existing Canon SLR users and those looking to invest in an EOS system alike. So, will it be what we think it is and, perhaps more importantly, will it demonstrate Canon’s ability to evolve with the ever-changing world of digital photography?

If their HQ at Woodhatch is anything to go by, Canon are evolving just fine, thank you very much. The building, which seems to be made almost entirely out of glass and timber, is itself awash with technological advances. Solar panels on the roof can produce enough electricity to light 50 homes and the computer controlled window shutters open and close to maintain the internal temperature. The lighting adjusts itself depending on the ambient light levels and turns off automatically if there’s no one in the area. In short, Canon’s UK home is a technological masterpiece. What better environment to launch their latest hi-tech offering?

After the prerequisite coffee and nibbles, it’s time to meet the newcomer. It is of course Canon’s replacement for the now somewhat long-in-the-tooth EOS 5D. Despite the rumours, it is not the EOS 7D, but rather the more straightforwardly named Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

With a staggering 21.1 mega pixels, the resolution of the 5D Mk II is a whopping 65% more than its predecessor. 21.1 million pixels. That’s nearly 1 pixel for every person in Australia. Other marked improvements include a 3.0â? display screen, 3.9 frames per second shooting, improved self-cleaning system, Live View and increased ISO range (ISO100-6400; expandable to ISO 50-25,600). In addition, the new Canon EOS 5D Mk II contains Canon’s latest DiG!C 4 processor; the original 5D uses the DiG!C 2.

It’s hardly surprising that there are so many advances; the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been a long time coming! Bear in mind that at the time of its launch, the original 5D was the next model up from the EOS 20D. Since then we’ve had the 30D, then the 40D, and most recently the 50D, which the Canon EOS 5D Mk II now sits above.

However, without a doubt one of Canon’s bravest moves with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is the inclusion of a full HD 1920×1080p 30 frame per second video capture. If this performs as well in real life as it does on paper (we weren’t allowed to try it at the launch), then it’s an incredible addition to a remarkable machine. The movie mode is activated by pressing the â??setâ? button in the centre of the rear control wheel. Press it once to record and again to stop; dead simple. But to avoid the movie mode being activated accidentally, it is necessary to turn it on in the menu and it can only be used with Live View.

When playing with, sorry, testing Canon’s new toy, it becomes apparent that the Canon 5D Mark II is probably the most appropriate title for this new EOS. So similar is it to the original model that using it will be second nature to any 5D owner. Sure, there have been some minor tweaks in the layout of the function buttons, mainly to accommodate some new ones, and the Canon Mark II has had the same weatherproofing upgrade the 50D was given, but it still looks and feels like the original 5D. So much so in fact, that the people at Canon were keen to point out to me that the new version is exactly the same size and weight as the old model. I would have anticipated that 8,300,000 extra pixels would have added something, but no, not a sausage.

Following hot on the heels of the Canon EOS 50D as it does, it comes as no great shock to find that the Canon 5D Mark II shares many of that camera’s advances. The weatherproofing and Live View have already been mentioned, but the Canon EOS 5D Mark II also has the quick start menu found on the 50D which enables the user to change shooting settings with ease. Bearing in mind the pro/semi-pro market that this camera is aimed at, this facility is possibly even more useful on the Canon 5D Mark II than on the 50D.

It’s something I rated the EOS 50D highly for, so it’s only fair that I mention it as a slight negative for the Canon 5D Mark II, but unlike it’s lower spec stable-mate, the new EOS does not share its predecessor’s range of accessories. Whereas the 50D shares batteries and battery grip with the 40D, owners of the original 5D will find themselves having to replace existing batteries and grips as the EOS 5D Mk II takes the new LP-E6 battery and BG-E6 grip.

I would very much have liked to have taken some images with Canon’s new baby to include on this article, but unfortunately this was a definite impossibility. No sooner had I taken the Compact Flash card from my pocket than I was practically jumped on by several burly looking Canon people and their Pro guy Mike gave me a look usually only seen on Victorian headmistresses and pre-menstrual traffic wardens. I put the card back into my pocket and backed slowly away.

However, Canon had enlisted the services of professional photographer and writer, Damien Lovegrove. Weddings are one of Damien’s specialities and via a studio shoot with an obliging model in a wedding dress, Damien was able to showcase the performance EOS 5D MkII. One of the things that he was clearly taken by was the low image noise levels, something he was able to demonstrate superbly by shooting his model at ISO 6,400 in a dimly lit corridor. The level of detail and lack of noise in the shadow areas was superb, but until I’m allowed to shoot some images myself to show you, you’ll have to take my word for it.

Perhaps the most telling statement about this camera is this; when the demonstration was over I approached Damien and put a few questions to him. Amongst other things relating to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II’s suitability for his area of photography (the answer was â??veryâ?), I asked Damien if the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II would be a good back-up camera for pro photographers using Canon’s 1D and 1Ds range of cameras.

â??No.â? he replied, â??It’s better than that.â?

High praise indeed.

 

PXR5
http://www.articlesbase.com/photography-articles/canons-eos-5d-mark-ii-digital-slr-567442.html

http://www.ritzcamera.com/
http://www.adorama.com/
amazon, or calumet

One of my hobbies is photography. Now I\’m no professional but I enjoy taking good professional quality photos. I had to weigh up whether to go for a compact digital camera or a Digital SLR. I was fortunate back in the eighties to own a 35mm SLR camera. The picture quality was fantastic. Much better than that of a compact camera. The ability to alter settings and change lenses to pull subjects closer or move them away was far superior to that of the compact 35mm camera.Fast forward to today and not a lot has changed. The Digital compact cameras quality has gained a great deal on the Digital SLR but is still behind, in my opinion.

 Both benefit in the fact you can see the result instantly after the shot has been taken but the DLSR is far superior in the ability to change that shot, on the spot and in so many ways. One thing with the compacts is the lack of depth of field. You take the picture and the whole picture will try it\’s best to be in focus. With DSLR you can have the subject in focus and blur the background which creates very simple but effective results.I use a DSLR – Canon EOS 400D. I have had this for 18 months so has now been surpassed in the Canon range. It doesn\’t have \’Live View\’ which means you have to compose the shot through the view finder. However the newer Canons have this now. It came with a 18mm-55mm standard Canon lens but also in the package was a Tamron 200mm Zoom Lens. I bought a Lowepro Slingshot A100W bag and SanDisk 4GB Compact Flash Card, separately.

Out of the box you can stick it on auto and never leave that setting if you want to. However this defeats the object of having so much power and scope over your shots by using the auto setting. Remember it\’s digital so you can experiment over and over again with different settings until you get it bang on. If you were to leave it on auto forever you might as well buy a compact camera.The clarity of the shot has to be seen to be believed. At 10.1MP you have a serious camera that gives you nigh on professional results. Many Professionals that have the top end of the Canon EOS range at £5,000 plus would tell you different. Remember they have to justify the £5000 plus price tag so they will find the tiniest detail different but to you and me the pictures look near enough the same.

 I went to Turkey in the summer and the pictures I took with my camera I could never have achieved with a compact camera. The scenery was a photographers dream and I managed to fill the 4GB card with top quality pictures. The ability to capture in RAW is also a bonus fo the semi-serious photographer. With RAW there is no compression like with JPEG and it\’s as it says the RAW picture.You have the option to change the white balance when your back on the computer. Yes you can bodge it up when it\’s a JPEG but is no where near as effective as RAW. Give it go yourself.

 The darkroom side of it is up to you. I use Adobe Photoshop. It cost approx £500 but is what the pros use. There are loads of magazines out there with tips on how to use Photoshop but I recommend getting a decent book on it. It is a huge piece of software but you can make dreamy portraits and Andy Warhole popart with a little practice and tuition. There is also Photoshop Elements for under £100 but I understand that this is a scaled down version of the Professional version and would be good for the begginer to intermediate.

 Your friends and family might scoff at you with your bigger camera and bag and some might say \’what do you want all that for when you can get a camera that fits in your pocket\’. Believe me when they see your laptop slideshow through an HDTV they will be green with envy and clambering to copy your photos or even buy them.

 All in all my Canon EOS 400D might be old at 18months old but will be staying with me for some years to come. I can live with shooting through the viewfinder. Maybe your so used to the new cameras that you need to hold the camera out in front of you. The choice is yours.

http://astore.amazon.co.uk/httpwwwmaveri-21

Daniel Claydon
http://www.articlesbase.com/digital-photography-articles/digital-slr-or-compact-camera-you-decide-770002.html