Proud Photography Blog

The Hewlett-Packard A432 Portable Color Photo Printer makes it possible for you to create your own portable photo studio.
Just dock your camera on the Photosmart Portable Photo Printer and you are ready to print beautiful, photos (and wallets, if you like).
Simply view, because it automatically removes red eye.
It also brightens and sharpens photos, and improves color with HP Photo Fix, no PC needed.
Plus, the camera battery recharges itself in the camera.
You can print a 4″ x 6″ inch borderless snapshot in as little time as 60 seconds from a PictBridge-enabled camera.
The A432 is easily transportable thanks to the easy-grab handle and fold-up paper trays.
With the Photosmart you can print anywhere and anytime using the rechargeable battery (sold separately), which supplies up to 75 prints per charge.

Ward off water on photos when using HP Vivera inks and HP Advanced Photo Papers (when printed using HP Advanced Photo Paper and HP 110 Tri-color Inkjet Print Cartridge with Vivera Inks, not available in 4 x 12″ panorama size.)
This printer allows you to preserve your memories with lab-quality photos that resist fading for generations.
Another nice feature is the video function which lets the user exhibit a slide show and photos and video clips on a TV set via the included remote.
Photographers can print directly from select camera phones, notebook PCs and more with the wireless adapter (sold separately - Bluetooth wireless adapter supports camera phones with Bluetooth wireless technology).
The A432 Portable Color Photo Printer is compatible with: HP Photosmart M425, M525, M527, M627, R725, R727, R827, R927, and R967 cameras.
It is priced at $100.

Specifications include:

Support/Connectivity USB-connect to PC or Mac,Microsoft Windows® 98SE, Me, 2000, XP Home, Professional, x64
Editions,Mac OS X v 10.3.9 and greater,Front USB connect to PictBridge-enabled cameras or HP Bluetooth,Wireless Print Adapter(4),HP offers a comprehensive support package for the HP Photosmart A430 Portable Photo Studio Series that includes one year limited hardware warranty backed by HP Customer Care, service and support; one-year technical phone support.

Adobe Systems Incorporated has released the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 software.
This program is powerful and simple for photographers to find, view and easily combine creativity and personality into their pictures.

Photoshop Elements was created to make photos look their best.
It enables you get rapid yet remarkable results.
The built in Photomerge technology solves the problem of capturing the perfect photography by combining the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single cohesive group shot.

It comes with “Quick Selection Tool” that makes select-and-adjust a one click task .
Perfect for beginners and experts,it features includes three edit modes,along with Guided Edit mode if you need help.
Photoshop Elements 6 streamlines editing with pure, uncluttered screens that draw focus to where it belongs.
You will also find new tabs that provide simple access to the many capabilities of the program such as:
Tight integration with Adobe Premiere Elements and a shared Organizer, with a common database accessible from either applications.
An additional enhancement is an improved conversion option that translates color images into beautiful, nuanced black-and-whites.

The Elements 6 gives you more creative sharing possibilities,which means you get online galleries based on Adobe Flash which provide an interactive experience.
Expect many settings and themes, galleries that are easily accessible via the internet and animated slideshows.
Not only can you e-mail and print your creations but other options such as photo books, scrapbook pages, cards and CD/DVD labels are also available.
Adobe’s digital imaging Photoshop Elements 6 can be estimated at around US $120. You can get it in a store near you or order now for only $75.78 from ProudPhotography Store!

The software is a one-stop-shop for snappers to go faster and farther with their pictures.
The Adobe system helps photographers flex their editing muscle, without breaking a sweat.

Kodak bridges the gap between ultra-compact digicams and long-zoom digicams with the Easyshare V610, the world’s smallest 10X zoom digicam (4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches).
It contains twin-lens and follows Kodak’s wide-angle lensed V570, which comes with ultra-wide angle dual-zoom optics.
Expect two lenses in a single, and an ultra thin body. Both lenses provide a 38-380mm, 10x optical zoom range.

The auto exposure (AE) V610 features twin Schneider-Kreuznach 5X Variogon optical zooms (38mm-114mm equivalent and 130mm-380mm equivalent), dual 6 megapixel CCD image sensors (one for each lens), and a large 2.8 inch LCD screen.

The V610 includes Bluetooth (2.0 EDR) meaning connectivity for transmitting images wirelessly to Bluetooth compatible computers, PDAs, camera phones, and  printers.

Need more?
Well,the V610 has Kodak’s Perfect Touch technology, therefore users to correct images post-exposure (and view the corrected result side-by-side with the original on the camera’s LCD screen).
And let us not neglect the useful panorama mode that allows you to easily stitch together up to three sequential images via an LCD template.
Other feature includes an exposure compensation control,available in 22-scene modes, which provide a panoramic setting, night scene, portrait, macro, plus plenty of others.
The camera is nice to use,its performance is very good and it is remarkably compact .

Its 0.3s click-to-capture time makes it fast,along with a noise control that is fairly remarkable .
The added Bluetooth comes in handy these days ,in order for you to share your work or passion.
The Easyshare V610 is ideal for new photographers,and occasional snappers.This little piece of wonder cost around $ 400.

Specifications:
Resolution: 6.0 megapixels (2832 x 2128),LCD Screen: 2.8 inch high-resolution display,Lenses: dual SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON (f4.8-f5.6/38-114mm and f3.9-f4.4/130-380mm equivalent) all-glass folded,light path (non-protruding) 5X zooms,
Flash: Built-in multi mode, Exposure: Auto,Metering: TTL Auto (Multi-pattern), Center weighted averaging, and spot
White Balance: TTL auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, and open shade, Sensitivity: TTL Auto (ISO 64-ISO 400) & user selectable settings for 64, 100, 200, 400, & 800 ISO,Image Storage Media: SD cards plus 32MB internal storage,Image File Format(s): JPEG,Connecitivity: USB 2.0, Power: 1 KODAK KLIC 7001 Li-Ion Battery.

Last August ,in Japan, Nikon gave a sneak peek of its newest generation of professional digital SLR cameras.
The company revealed the Nikon D3 Digital SLR Camera which will be released end of 2007.
The new Nikon D3 camera is one of the wisest moves by Nikon to recuperate the market it lost to Canon (Canon has 9 of the top 10 best selling cameras.)
Nikon has focused on redeveloping their flagship cameras to improve image quality and performance.

Nikon D3 comes with a full-frame sensor with a 12.1-megapixel resolution.
For complete accuracy, the sensor is less than a millimeter short of full-size, but for obvious purposes operates with no lens magnification.

The major changes include high sensitivity support by default, up to ISO 6400 with 25600 available as a boost option.
Other improvements are 14-bit A/D conversion, a new standard image processor, a new shutter, new auto focus sensor, focus tracking by color, nine frames per second continuous, dual compact flash support, DX lens support and a 3.0″ 922,000 pixel LCD monitor.

Specifications:
12.1 megapixel full-frame sensor (8.45µm pixel pitch),ISO 200 - 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25,600) ,also supports DX lenses, viewfinder automatically masks (5.1 megapixels with DX lens),5:4 ratio crop mode (10 megapixels, up to 9 fps, viewfinder masked),14-bit A/D conversion, 12 channel readout,Super fast operation (power-up 12 ms, shutter lag 41 ms, black-out 74 ms),New Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 300,000 exposure durability,New Multi-CAM3500FX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage) and more.

The D3 is functional, with a very pleasing layout ,designed for photographers to take pictures with ease, accuracy, and comfort.
The camera’s viewfinder provides almost 100 percent coverage so pictures can be framed to a maximum.
The ultra-high definition 920,000 dot VGA LCD screen on the rear of the camera displays images with great color and clarity.
The D3, which is rated to 150,000 shutter-cycles, will cost about $1799 and can be pre-ordered .

Surprisingly enough the top 3 best selling digital cameras are all from Canon. The ranking of the best sellers is based on unit sales. Here are the top 3 for September 2007 (list of best selling digital cameras is updated regularly).

1.  Canon PowerShot A630 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

Canon’s A630 is the follow up to the well known A610. At 8 megapixels, it is ideal for point-and-shoot photographers. It is reasonably priced yet technologically advanced , very easy to use and manage. The 8MP sensor is very appealing, and so are the nice 4x optical zoom and rotating 2.5-inch LCD. Specifications: 8 megapixels, 4x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom, auto focus, auto and manual exposure, JPEG file format, ISO 80-800, 2.5-inch LCD display, movie mode with sound, Secure Digital card storage, 4 AA batteries

2.  Canon PowerShot SD1000 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)

Canon was very much inspired by the ELPH in order to create the Powershot SD1000. The SD1000  is one of the smallest and slimmest digitals out there. The body is extremely slim,( tinier than a deck of cards), so it is perfect for globe trotters and fashion lovers. 7.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and DIGIC III with Face Detection and Noise Reduction which means you are getting the very best from Canon. Rapid operation,better image quality, and long battery life make this camera perfect for almost any photographer. Specifications: 7.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom, auto focus, JPEG file format, movie mode with sound, ISO 80-1600, 2.5-inch LCD, Secure Digital memory, Lithium-ion battery

3.Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

The SD850 Canon is ultra compact therefore users love them. It is thin, elegant and has tons of wonderful features. Inspired by the SD700 IS, the 850 contains vital image stabilization that makes shooting clear shots simple. With 8 megapixel sensor ,it allows you to print photo-quality images in sizes up to 16″ x 22″. Moving your pictures from the camera to your computer has been made easy by the help of one little button . Specifications: 8 megapixels, DIGIC III Image Processor, 4x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom, movie mode with sound, autofocus, auto and manual exposure, shift-type image stabilization, ISO 80-1600, 2.5-inch LCD displa, Secure Digital memory storage, Lithium-ion battery

Steven Sasson, the man who revolutionized photography by inventing the world’s first digital still camera,has been voted into the Consumer Electronics (CE) Hall of Fame.
Sasson, is an electrical engineer, who created the digital camera in 1975.
The Consumer Electronics’ Hall of Fame will honor Sasson along with 10 other industry leaders at an annual awards dinner.
The event, will simultaneously take place with the CEA’s Industry Forum on October 14-17, 2007 in San Diego, California.

Sasson said:
“The thing to remember about the digital revolution in photography is that it changed how we take pictures. The most important aspect of photography, why we take pictures, remains the same. Our memories are our most important possessions, and the job of this or any other technology is to enable us to make these vital parts of our lives easier and even more valuable.”

Thirty three years ago while employed at the Eastman Kodak Company he was asked to experiment with a charge-coupled device also known as CCD (it is an image sensor, consisting of an integrated circuit with a group of linked capacitors sensitive to light).
The challenge led to the creation of an image-capture device, and eventually to the birth of the first digital camera.
Sasson along with few technicians spent a year on the project .
And in December 1975, the first pictures were taken, which were called ‘film-less photography’.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55 digital camera is a formidable upgraded version of the DSC-W50.  If you are on a budget,the W55 sells for less than $200.

It exists in a variety of colors including Caribbean blue, pale pink, elegant black and sleek silver.
This digital camera delivers quick performance and average photographs.
Although it was updated,it’s the same 7 mega pixel,and 3.00x zoom (38-114mm eff).

So what is behind the pretty faceplate ?

It has a 5.1-ounce body, at less than an inch thick, it simply slides in your pocket.
And good news the built-in memory went from 32MB to 56MB.
Other assets include 3x optical zoom lens with Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar branding,and 2.5″ LCD display.

Sony has decided to sit the optical viewfinder just above 2.5-inch screen, a useful feature that contributes to the camera’s function over form concept.
This camera comes with ,Auto and Programmed ,Auto exposure modes ,along with seven scene modes (Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow, High Sensitivity, Soft Snap).
The W55 follows the trend by having its memory built right in it , instead of a memory card.

Just like most Sony models, the W55 uses Memory Stick Duo cards,a 1GB card would be a good idea.
The DSC-W55 is powered by a NP-BG1 lithium-ion battery generally priced at $35. The noise is impressively minimized throughout the DSC-W55’s sensitivity range.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55 doesn’t have any special features, but the build in qualities are very good .
Easy to operate ,it also takes solid pictures,these are the reasons why it’s a good buy.

We have just received awesome review at ephotozine.com! Here is what Rebecca Bradley had to say after she took the ProudPhotography course:

“The fact that you are able to learn at your own pace with this course makes it more convenient than many other courses and the information contained in each section is comprehensive and easy to follow, starting right at the basics and progressing through to the more advanced stages.

The tests at the end of each section give a good indication of whether you have completed each stage successfully and images and diagrams throughout the lessons help to demonstrate some of the more complicated concepts of photography.”

Read entire review at ephotozine