How to take Great Photos of Your Pet

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don’t wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce him into performing for the camera. It won’t happen. Try to take photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a camera flash is just too bright for them, that’s why they point away from you when they know that you’re taking photos.

3. Don’t try to get them looking into the camera. If there is someone around who can play with your pet just get a shot of them playing with someone else. You can have the photo with the person and the pet or get close to crop the person out of the shot.

4. If your pet always runs away from you every time you pull the camera out try leaving the camera sit out where it can be seen. Take photos of other things in the home and try turning the flash off.

5. Be prepared to grab your camera and take photos when your pet is ready, read “doing something cute.” I’ve been able to get some of the best photos of my cat when he’s just doing something on his own.

Remember don’t put pressure on your animal to perform for the camera. Think more on the lines of catch them in their natural habitat. Our pets want to make us happy and you can easily confuse them by pressuring them to look good for the camera. Also be prepared to take a whole lot of bad photos for that one really good one.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

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List Price: ?13.99
Amazon Price: ?9.09
Used Price: ?5.48
Customer Review: A mediocre and misleading guide
At around ?9 it is not bad value for money; I just expected more. The book is of little, if any, use to an experienced photographer and I think it will confuse beginners. [I had better explain who I am - a middle aged, amateur photographer, who started with 35mm SLRs, progressed to digital cameras and have now got my first Digital SLR, the 400D]. In places, the book is confusing and incorrect and even annoying to read; which I can illustrate with three examples near the beginning. (Example 1) In the Quick Tour (pp1-10) there are four good illustrations, except that two are of small details that a beginner will not know where they are on the camera. It is not until pp14-16 of Chapter 1 that the whole camera is illustrated; but even here the back view, which has all the important buttons, is only half a page wide and too small to show what is written beside the buttons. (Example 2) The Quick Tour (p5) states that “Program AE … is a fully automatic, but shiftable mode. Shiftable means that you can CHANGE THE EXPOSURE [my capitals] by changing (or shifting) either the shutter speed or apperture …”. This is rubbish! You cannot change the exposure this way - turning the main dial changes both the shutter speed and the apperture together (not either/or) so that the exposure remains fixed. The Glossary (p246) does give the correct definition of exposure. (Example 3) The first paragraph about white-balance bracketing (p26) states that “White-balance bracketing captures three images, each with +/-3 one-stop differences in colour …”; the explanation in the Camera’s Instruction Manual is much easier to understand. All in all, a disappointing book that I would not recommend to anyone who was not already familiar with the main concepts of digital cameras; in which case they would not really need this book.
Customer Review: Good Introduction to Photography and the 350d
Being a novice to photography l wanted to get the most out of my new Canon 350d. The Michael Guncheon book seems to be out of stock so l opted for this one. The book provides an introduction to the camera, basic photography principles (ISO, Aperture & Shutter speed), lens information and how to shoot common photo scenarios, such as, night time, childern, portrait etc etc etc.. The book is easy to read and colourful. I would reccomend it as a introduction.
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Just posted! This one’s long overdue, but we’ve finally finished our in-depth review of the Olympus EVOLT E-510 digital SLR, a camera we’ve been using for a few months now. An upgrade to the E-500 and ‘big brother’ to the E-410, the E-510 offers a compelling mix of features in a compact body, including CCD-shift stabilization, 10MP LiveMOS sensor and a wide range of customization options. So does the E-510 offer as much in use as it does on paper? Find out after the link… Continue …

Removing a Textured Pattern from a Scanned Photo - 5 Minute Digital Fix

One of the most common problems when dealing with scanned photographs as part of a digital restoration activity is that after scanning, the digital image appears to have a textured pattern to it.

This is often caused by the fact that the photograph in question has been printed on textured photographic paper.

This article will show you how to remove the un-desirable pattern effect without significantly loosing any of the important image detail.

The problematic photo may well be an old black and white, sepia, or even a more modern colour photograph.

(I remember Kodak introducing their “Silk finish” prints many years ago printed on a silky sheen textured paper!).

The example image on our web-site is an old black and white wedding photograph that has been printed on a textured paper.

If you look closely at the white cornice behind the bride and groom you can clearly see that the textured pattern of the photographic paper has been faithfully re-produced during the scanning of the photo.

Before we commence any major restoration work we would like to remove as much of the un-desirable textured pattern as is possible.

Step 1

Open the image up in Adobe Photoshop and the first step is to create a duplicate (copy) layer of the original image by selecting Layer-> Duplicate Layer .. and give the new layer an appropriate name.

Zoom in close enough to get an appreciation of how severe the textured pattern is, but keep some picture detail visible (especially people’s faces) so that you can easily judge how well the texture removal is proceeding without loosing too much important picture detail.

Step 2

With the duplicate layer active apply a Gaussian Blur by selecting Filter->Blur->Gaussian Blur …

A pop-up option box will allow you to set the amount of Gaussian blur to apply to the image.

I generally start with a Radius = 1.5 and work up from there, constantly looking at the image to see the affect as I increase the blur radius.

Anything over a Radius = 5.0 will usually be far too harsh, so in the example on the web-site the required outcome is to “minimise” the texture pattern effect without compromising the important detail in the photo.

For our web-site example image I found I was able to set Radius = 3.5 without any significant loss of detail.

The example image is starting to “soften”, but the textured pattern has clearly diminished.

Step 3

Zooming out to have a look at the complete photo reveals that the un-desirable textured pattern has all but vanished with only minor softening of the important image detail.

Each photo you work on will have to be judged on its own merits when determining the amount of blur to apply.

But all is not lost on retaining that important image detail!!

Step 4

Remember … the Gaussian blur has been applied to the duplicate layer we created at the start of the exercise.

The original image, complete with texture, is sitting under the duplicate layer.

By using Photoshop’s Layer Blending Modes and Layer Opacity we can produce an image made up of a combination of both layers with some of the detail from the lower original layer showing through.

Again, each photo will be judged on its own merits and the setting I finalised on for our example image on the web-site may not be the same as you will find most suitable for your own images.

Try experimenting with the different blending modes and layer opacity settings.

I finally settled on a blending mode of “Luminosity” and Opacity of 85% for the Gaussian Blur layer.

Step 5

To finalise the image I then “flattened” the two layers into a single image layer by selecting Layer->Flatten Image.

Step 6

I then checked the tonal range of our combined layered image using the Levels command by selecting Image->Adjustment->Levels … and fine tuned the black, white and grey points.

Step 7

And last but not least, we can still bring a little bit more “sharpness” out of the image by finally applying a small amount of Unsharp Mask by selecting Filter->Sharpen->Unsharp Mask …

Experimenting with the various settings, I was able to settle upon Amount = 185%; Radius = 2.5 pixels; and Threshold = 50 levels.

And there you have it … the removal of an un-desirable textured pattern without significantly sacrificing important image detail.

If you find the steps being taken are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.

? Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved

You can see this method complete with example images at Removing a textured pattern from a scanned photo

Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.

Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business. He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
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Silicon Power 1 gb High Speed 80X Compact Flash card in retail packaging- life warranty
Description: A High Performance 80X Speed CF card ideal for pure, uninterrupted performance during photo shoots. Meets the single burst and sequential shooting needs of Intermediate/Professional photographers. Captures the perfect series of photos or a digital video shoot. Has the same quality features as our standard CF cards, but delivers a faster data transfer rate for breakneck speed.

Technika SHZ735 Digital Camera
Battery Type Lithium Ion - Rechargable Box Contents Digital Camera, Li-Ion Battery and Charger AV and USB cable, Software CD and Manual, Quick Start Guide, Strap and camera pouch Brand Technika Built in Memory 32MB Camera Type Compact Card Type SD Compatible With Sdhc Cards No Digital Zoom 5X Exposure Modes Automatic, Manual Features of Product Detail: Please add key benefits in priority order. Max 40 characters per benefit Compact and easy to use 7MP 3.0″ LCD screen Flash Modes Auto, Flash off, Flash on Focal Length Wide 5.8mm, Tele 17.4mm Image Stabiliser No ISO Range Auto 100, 200, 400 LCD Size in Inches 3.0 Megapixels 7MP Optical Zoom 3X Self Timer Yes Video Record Yes - no sound
Used Price: ?89.99

Sony DSCT70S Slim Digital Camera (8.1MP, 3xoptical zoom) 3.0″LCD
CYBER-SHOT DSC-T70S 8.1MP 3XOPT 28MB 3 LCD SILVER IN
Amazon Price: ?173.00

Lowepro Apex 100AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Arctic Blue

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Customer Review: Excellent!!
After looking at various models of DV camcorders I came accross this one by accident, I had played with a more expensive Panasonic model but it did not have DV in. The features this model has for the money is in my mind second to none, Stills camera, web-cam etc, etc. The only slight let down with it is the battery. The standard one only gives about 40 minutes of playtime, other then that it is excellent.
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Amazon Price: ?199.99
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Sony DCR-DVD109 Handycam DVD Camcorder with 2.5” LCD screen
Easy to use DVD Handycam with Carl Zeiss lens compact design powerful 40x optical zoom a 2.5 touch panel LCD screen and 5.1 channel surround sound creator Number of Pixels Gross (K):800 Built in Microphone:3ch LCD: Size (inch):2.5 Picbridge:Yes Focusing Distance: 1.9 - 76mm USB Streaming:No 16:9 Wide (Full):No Optical Zoom:40 Digital Zoom:2000 Focus: Full Range Auto:Yes SteadyShot:Super Electronic Flash (Automatic Pop Up):No Memory Stick PRO Compatibility:Yes Supplied Accessories:AC adaptor Multi AV cable Rechargable battery pack USB cable USB driver Picture motion browser Battery Life (Mins):100 mins Warranty:1 years warranty

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20GB HDD Camcorder
Used Price: ?195.00
Customer Review: Oh deary me.
When I first saw this camera on Amazon I honestly thought I’d found the dream camera. The price was good for the features that were offered. However, I soon realised that the JHV GZ-M21E was far from a dream-like… As you’ll have read in other reviews, Amazon messed up and like many other customers I was sent a European version. The plug didn’t fit with any of the voltage converters I tried, but luckily I had access to a shaver socket and used that to charge. We did call them, but - long story short; Amazon’s customer service is pathetic. This is Amazon’s fault so I won’t base the product rating on my bad experience, but unfortunately for JVC, this small piece of awful machinery hardly does itself justice as it is. The video quality isn’t great, but I only used it for YouTube videos so I didn’t complain. The focus was awful - when holding the camera perfectly still it would spontaneously blur, ruining many movies. I’m not sure what gave JVC the fantastic idea of making the camera record into some obscene unique JHV-created format which is only compatible with their FOUL and PESTILENT software, but I can only assume copius amounts of crack. The worst thing about this camera? The battery life. It was awful. I got about 2-3 hours of battery life at a time, even if I just left it on without recording. Conveniently, there was a catalogue of JVC products in the box which included ludicrously priced battery upgrades. And hence, I plan to shout at Amazon until I get a refund, and then buy myself a Sony HD Handycam, the likes of which I’ve heard endless streams of positivity about.
Customer Review: great point and shoot.but grainy photos
i just use it generally on auto mode and just film away and it copes well with most lighting conditions. As a camera it produces pretty poor photos though but then i dont think many camcorders do. The battery life isnt too good but you can easily buy a bigger battery to solve that. Overall i would recommend it as a no fuss camcorder with no tapes or discs to remember.
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Amazon Price: ?280.45
Customer Review: Surprised at Picture, no stills really a bonus.
I bought this as a present for my sister and brother in law. As they live abroad I naturally gave it a good test. The idea was for a basic easy to use camcorder. The lack of still features was just one less hassle, they already have a decent digital camera. Well, it turned out to be a doddle to use, but what really surprised me was the picture. On our Panasonic flat screen CRT TV the picture was superb. The ability to play the recorded DVD back straight away, either using a DVD player or through the camera itself is really useful. Once the basics are known there are plenty of features to play around with, but they do not get in the way. The screen and viewfinder worked well, and in sunlight the eyepiece view finder is really useful, it is also easier to hold steady. The only snag was editing as my software, not being the latest, would not take the .VOB files. Anyhow I managed to convert them and edit and found that the image loss from this changing was not anywhere as near as bad as I expected. I subsequently found that current versions of editing software cope with the DVDs directly, so not a problem. Only other faff is the need to prepare RW disks. No big deal and they can be reused. R discs are straight in and certainly worth using for those events you do not not want to accidentally wipe away. Anyhow, as it was a Christmas present it was naturally used at Christmas and the new year, indoor without a lot of light. Again from all the reports I expected this to be terrible. In fact it was the opposite! All in all I was surprised at how well this camera performed. Certainly better than my 12 year old Canon Hi8 which cost over twice this price then!! Most reviews suggest getting the DC100 because of the extra features. I say get the DC95 because it DOES NOT have a load of basically redundant features. I suspect the lack of these ‘extras’ might be helping, but certainly does not hinder the performance of this camera. As for getting the small DVDs. Marks and Spencers own brand. With the groceries in Waitrose.
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Widescreen Megapixel camcorder with powerful optical zoom and DV-in for editing. 35x optical zoom camcorder ready for true widescreen video. While DV input is provided for video editing, user friendly controls include Canon’s Quick start and a joystick interface.
Amazon Price: ?198.80
Customer Review: cannot download video without a firewire connection
Is it just me then that didn’t realise this!? I’ve had a sony dv camcorder for a number of years but when it went wrong, I decided to change to this highly recommended camcorder.I read all the reviews and it sounded great BUT when I tried to download my first tape using the included usb cable-nothing. Tried my sony firewire cable connected my sony laptop-bingo. But my laptop has too small a screen to edit movies. Got in touch with Canon support to be told the usb cable is for downloading stills and movies from the memory card only. I have no firewire connection on my pc, so I will now have to go and buy a pci card. I know that the firewire will give me faster transfer speeds but I just think more emphasis should be given to the fact that this is a camcorder that will not work out of the box for downloading a movie without-1.buying a firewire and 2.-making sure your pc has a firewire connection. Anyway, still rated it 4* because what I have seen so far, the results are very good. Oh and sorry Amazon-that camcorder I sent you back the other day-I don’t think it has a problem!! But very good customer support in getting me another one delivered so quickly.
Customer Review: KNOCKS THE HELL OUT OF A SONY I HAD
Frikkin A is all i can say ,just superb in every way. Initially bought a Sony like because of the name i guess and a previous fantastic camcorder they made but wait, the latest ones are useless compared to this machine very very recommended don`t get the Sony DCR-HC45 ?200 camcorder what ever you do, it sucks and had to send it back well not up to the job or just plain faulty i don`t know . By the way can`t beat Amazon for Customer Services very professional THANKS!
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Removing Spot Scratches in Your Treasured Photos - 5 Minute Digital Fix

Probably one of the most common problems you will be faced with in doing any type of digital photo restoration work will be to do with spot scratches on your old photos.

When we first look at those old black and white or early colour photos they often have small scratch marks and spots on them from being stored incorrectly.

These small spot scratches are easily perceived by your eye when you are looking at the photo, detracting from the overall subject matter.

Here is a very easy quick fix using Adobe Photoshop’s History Brush tool.

Our example “before” image on our web-site has numerous small spot scratches on the old sepia toned photograph.

The basic removal method described here can quickly and effortlessly bring those scratched photos back to (almost) their former glory using the History Brush Tool found in Photoshop.

This basic technique works extremely well for those types of images that have spot scratches in areas of the photo that do not contain a lot of detail.

As you can see in our example image on the web-site, the spots tend to be primarily on the background of the photo, making it ideal for this correction method.

Step - 1

Having opened up the image in Photoshop we will first apply the Dust and Scratches filter by selecting Filter->Noise->Dust & Scratches …

Set the Threshold to between 1 and 4 (I generally start with 1) and then increase the Radius until you see the spot scratches disappear.

Our example image on the web-site finally made the largest spot scratch on the left hand side of the photo disappear at a Threshold of 3 and Radius of 10.

All well and good but our image is now totally blurred!! Not really what we wanted to see is it?

This is where the History Brush tool comes into play.

Step - 2

Open up the History Palette by selecting Window->History if you cannot see the window already open.

We are going to create a “Snapshot” of the current state of the image in question by clicking on what looks like a little image of a camera at the bottom of the History Palette window (see the red arrow on the web-site image).

After clicking you will notice that the History Palette now shows an extra image icon called “Snapshot 1″.

This is a snapshot of the image that includes the effect of apply the Dust & Scratches Filter in Step 1.

Now click on the little square box to the left of Snapshot 1.

You will see a little “brush” icon appear which is now telling us that the “Snapshot 1″ image will be used as our “source” when we paint with the History Brush.

Remember … this snapshot image actually has none of the spot scratches on it because we made them disappear by applying the Dust & Scratches filter in Step 1.

Step - 3

Make the original (un-touched) history snapshot active by clicking on it (in the case of our example image this is “Restore-Before-Image.jpg”).

Select the History Brush from the main toolbar (this has the same icon as the little “brush” icon that appeared in the History Palette window).

We are now ready to “paint away” those spot scratches!!

Step - 4

I’m going to zoom in on the largest scratch on the left hand side of the photo to show you how we use the History Brush.

We selected the History Brush in Step 3.

Select an appropriate brush size and soft edges.

We now need to decide how to apply the brush to the scratches in question.

You will notice that the scratches in our example image are “lighter” than the surrounding image.

Step - 5

We need to paint “darker” pixels and as such we set the History Brush Mode: to “Darken” (Top Menu Bar option when you have the History Brush as the active tool).

This has the effect of “telling the History Brush” to only replace pixels on the original image with pixels from our snapshot if the snapshot pixel is darker.

Start to paint over the scratches and see what happens.

The scratches start to miraculously disappear as you paint over them.

They are being replaced with the underlying snapshot image pixels you created in Step 1.

The benefit of using this techniques is that you have complete control over which parts of the original image you “paint over” so as not to blur important details of the image had you just applied a Dust & Scratches filter to the whole image.

Now what if your scratches are darker than the surrounding image, I hear you ask?

Easy!! … just use a History Brush Mode: of “Lighten” instead of “Darken”.

You can experiment with all of the History Brush options - Mode, Opacity and Flow until you get the desired result.

The resulting “After” image has had all of the spot scratches removed easily without compromising on the photographic detail of the image.

And there you have it!!Less than five minutes of digital image manipulation to remove those unwanted spot scratches.

If you find the steps taking are a little hard to understand in this text based article, you can click on the link at the end of this article to see the same method explained on our website with the aid of example graphical images.

? Gary Wilkinson 2005 - All Rights Reserved

You can see this removal method complete with example images at Basic removal of Spot Scratches in Photos

Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are retained as-is.

Gary Wilkinson is a photographer, photographic restorer and the owner of a photographic retail business.

He is also the publisher of the http://www.restoring-photos-made-easy.com website, where other methods of correcting common photographic restoration problems are discussed.
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Never miss a shot again! Fast, and built to last, SanDisk Standard CompactFlash Memory Cards will keep you clicking when the actions hot. Choose from 256MB, all the way up to a whopping 4GB of storage, and youll have plenty of room to store your world, safely and securely.
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Optimize Your Photos for the Web

It doesn’t matter if your emailing photos of your grandson or putting images of your latest product on your online store. Too many people don’t consider optimizing their photos for the web. We’ve all been on too many web pages where it seemed that the photos would never load, and sometimes they didn’t. So here are some steps to make sure that your photos show up on your site.

1. Always have a back up original format copy of your image. Never alter the original. Believe me you will regret it.

2. Crop to size. Make sure that you crop out any extra information that isn’t needed. Remember the larger the photo the longer it takes to load or send.

3. Resize to reduce pixels. There should be an option to resize according to pixels. You’re going to want the largest size to be no more than 250 pixels or you can reduce the dpi to no more than 96.

4.Reduce the color palette. Many images have millions of colors so the first thing that you need to do is reduce the colors to 256. You will lose some depth with this.

5. Save the file in a standard format. JPEG is the most common for photos and you can compress the image with a JPEG for further reduction in file size. It’s not unusual to see GIF or PNG as well.

Remember that with a 56k connection a 150k file will take 20 seconds to load. If you’re creating a web page every photo that you add will add to the time it takes to download all of the images. If you keep the images small in size the smaller resolution will not be as obvious.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

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Nikon Coolpix S6 (Black)
The stylish wave-surface design of the COOLPIX S6 means it is as easy in the hand as it is on the eye. With a generous 6.0 megapixel resolution and precision 3x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens, you can capture moments in superb colour and detail, then let Pictmotion play them back as a slide show in combination with music and special effects. The large 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD monitor has an impressive 170-degree viewing angle, which makes it easier to share your pictures and slideshows. Built in Wi-Fi means you are free to snap away and transfer pictures straight to your computer or compatible printer without the bother of cables. With these cameras youre ready to capture the moment and relive your special moments with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Nikon Digital Camera USB ‘2.0′ Cable for Coolpix 8700, 5700, 5400, 5000, 4500, 4300, 995, 990, 885, 880
Brand new digital camera cable for use with Nikon cameras.

Canon Digital IXUS i zoom Sahara Digital Camera [5MP, 2.4 x Optical Zoom]
Customer Review: no printable date
I bought this camera last June, as we were about to have a new baby. I was very disappointed when I soon discovered that the date and time appears on the photos when reviewing, is not printable, which is a major setback for otherwise a good camera.
Customer Review: Brilliant Little Camera
This camera is so simple to use, all the features easy to access, takes wonderful pictures, what else can i say, i just love it.

Panasonic - NV-GS60 - Mini DV Camcorder
Customer Review: Panasonic NV-GS60EB Great budget camcorder
When buying this Camcorder I looked at the JVC GR-D728EK and the Sony DCR-HC27E.

I discarded the JVC as it had very poor white balance, meaning the colures it produced were not faithful to the image being shot, the tape noise was picked up by the microphone in such a way that it was very distracting when watching the recorded video, and in-doors/low light the images lost their colure definition and became very grainy with the auto focus not working particularly effectively.

When I handled the Sony and the Panasonic in store they both appeared NOT to suffer from the above foibles of the JVC. I purchased the Panasonic so I cannot comment further than on the Sony but can comment as follows on the Panasonic.

The lens on the Panasonic is a 30 X Optical zoom (which is very good for camcorder standards) with an electronic image stabilising function which does contribute to reducing camera shake but will not, understandably, eradicate it. There is a however a fitting on the base of the camera to allow you to mount it on a tripod should you wish to.

The main differentiator with the focal length on this camera in relation to the JVC & Sony above is that it has a very wide angle lens meaning that more will fit in to the shot, ideal for filming indoors where it may be hard to move far enough away from the subject matter to fit it all in or when filming scenery where you want to fit in a wider vista.

In low light the images are still very good, the auto focus is still effective and the white balance is faithful. The camera comes equipped with a low light function (activated manually) to take filming down to 2 LUX (as much light generated by 2 candles at 1 meter) giving the ability to film in near darkness.

Whilst there is a photo feature for taking stills, this simply records seven seconds of still footage on to the tape as opposed recording to a jpeg image on to a SD card, or such like, as would be done on a stills camera.

The camera has a full auto setting and also manual over rides to cover focus, exposure compensation, and pre-programmed scene (sport, snow, beach, portrait etc), white balance, backlight compensation, plus others.

I found the camera a little larger than the Sony & JVC (still very small), which for me made it more comfortable to handle, with not too many buttons and all in the right place. The Panasonic felt well made with a colour viewfinder (with dioptre) and a 2.5-inch LCD flip out screen (will swivel through 180 degrees for filming yourself etc) both are of perfectly good quality and deliver clear images.

A sturdy/stubby joystick on the rear of the camera handles navigation for the menu & play functions. I actually found this very effective in use.

You can out put the audiovisual signal by way of a DV Out (No In), Mini USB and composite jack plug (Video, Audio left & right) but there is no S-Video. There are also no DV or USB leads supplied with the camera only Jack Plug. There is also no editing software supplied for your PC.

To see a thorough over view of the product you van down load the user manual from the Panasonic web site, www.panasonic.co.uk.

I have thoroughly enjoyed using this camera. It has excellent image quality and low light handling for a budget camcorder. It starts up quickly and is simple to operate as well as reproducing images faithfully. For the money I would be happy to give this product 5 stars.

Customer Review: Panasonic NV-GS60EB
Excellent little camcorder. Picture quality is superb directly to the television via the AV cable, it is easy to use and is small and light. Great value for money.

Just a shame it doesn’t come with any editing software or cable to connect to the computer.

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zennox dv566 5.1 mega pixel dvc.
zennox dv566 5.1 mega pixel dvc a great product that fits in the palm of your hand. At the press of a button you can start filming your surroundings, but with a 5.1 mega pixel sensor it also makes for some great photos too. The lithium-ion battery means you can recharge it time and time again saving money by not purchasing new batteries. The large screen also means you can easily view what you record, preview what you have recorded, and with the easy navigated menu system delete what you dislike. 1. The market averages out at 5mp for top-end models. A high mega pixel level results in very high resolution of captured movie and pictures. 2. 8x is the highest dvc’s tend to go with digital zoom, so you know you are able to capture your surroundings that would normally be too small to see.. 3. A large screen makes it easy for you to see what you are filming, but great for playing back videos and photos you have stored on your memory card (sold separate). 4. The internal memory of 32mb is again the highest standard for dvc. This enables you to record onto an internal memory. However using an sd Card you can expand this to an enormous 1gb or 2gb. 5. A lithium-ion battery is also known as a rechargeable battery. Charge whenever you wish to save replacing batteries all the time. Charger included with kit.

Canon MD140 Digital Video Camcorder (35 x Optical Zoom) 2.7″ Colour LCD
Amazon Price: ?199.99

Panasonic NV-GS230EB-S Mini DV Digital Camcorder Mini Dv (2.3MP Stills, 3 x CCD, 10 x Optical) 2.5″ LCD
Customer Review: Caveat Emptor
Whether this product is great or rubbish I have no idea. It was purchased from Pixmania (a non-UK company) via the Amazon marketplace. It arrived poorly packaged but on time. It showed clear signs of having been used - opened box, crumpled packaging, loose items etc. All of the instructions were in French and German but then again they would be - the item was an NV-GS230EF not the NV-GS230EB as advertised - never intended for the UK market. Pixmania insist that their own website makes it clear that the instructions are not in English (indeed if you look hard enough at their massive site you will find this somewhere). I remember buying it through Amazon though, where there is no such mention of non-english documentation. Certainly, there was no mention of second hand goods on either website. Pixmania insist (on their national rate phoneline) that they do not sell second-hand goods but offer no rational explanation as to why the product had clearly been used despite the transit box being sealed. Do I keep it and find out whether it works once I’ve found a download site for the instructions? Do I pay to have it sent back to Pixmania and hope for a refund? Perhaps Pixmania will collect it at their expense and make more effort to let buyers know they are buying goods never intended for the UK market.(!). I’m sure this product is great but I’m going to have to wait to find out. The service has definitely NOT being worth the small savings - buy from the UK or USA !!

DIGITAL/CAMCORDER BATTERY CHARGER
PSADBC9027A PSADBC9027A DIGITAL/CAMCORDER BATTERY CHARGER PMWEB_28 PSA_2 CAMBRIDGE CORVUS HARDON TERIM

Lowepro Apex 140AW Shoulder Bag For Digital Cameras/Camcorders - Black

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Amazon Price: ?41.13
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60GB Hard Disc Drive. 1.7 megapixel CCD. Carl Zeiss? Vario Tessar lens.
Amazon Price: ?354.20
Used Price: ?289.99
Customer Review: DCR-SR72
Ordered the camera on Sunday arrived at my home on Tuesday. Easy to order and good service from Amazon. Have taken some videos and photos and plyed them back on TV. They are good quality and setup is very easy. I’m having difficulties with viewing the videos on the computer, the photos are visible but the video clips dont seem to be playing on Microsoft media player. It probably something I’m doing wrong but if anyone can help, id appreciatr it.
Customer Review: Seems a decent camcorder
Easy to use, compact, excellent image quality. My only problem is that i can’t figure out how to get it to work on windows movie maker. I would recommend and amazon was cheapest when i bought it a few weeks ago.
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Getting Your Photos Ready for Sharing

One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is so they can share their photos with others. Even if you are just going to print your photos for yourself, you will want them to look their best. Here are some tips on getting your images ready for sharing or printing.

1. ORGANIZE YOUR PHOTOS

Delete the ones you don’t like or those that are near duplicates of others. No sense in clogging up your hard drive or CDs with junk. Use a good photo management software program like ACDSEE 7, Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 or Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 to view, organize and name your images. These programs also let you batch rename so you can give more descriptive file names to a group of photos at the same time. You can add key words and tags to make finding your photos easier. Be detailed in your photo descriptions, not just “John and Laurie.” You’ll probably have hundreds of photos of your kids and it will be harder to find the one you’re looking for. Better to say “John and Laurie waterskiing on Lake Powell, May 2004.”

2. BACK UP YOUR ORIGINALS

Mistakes can happen. It is a good idea to back up all your images to a CD before you start editing or changing them. That way you always have the original to go back to if you accidentally save over an image or made changes to a photo that you later decide you don’t like. CDs hold lots of photos, making it cheap insurance.

3. ROTATE IMAGES

Trying to look at a sideways photo is annoying. Use your photo management or editing software to rotate photos as needed. And if you have any images that are a little crooked, you can fix that using your editing software. Most photo editors have an automatic “straighten” function, or you can manually rotate the image a few degrees to straighten the horizon line.

4. REMOVE RED-EYE

Even with your digital camera’s auto red-eye reduction function, your subject’s eyes may still have red-eye. Use your photo editing software to remove it. Zoom in on the eyes and it will be easier for you to correct the red-eye. I’ve tried a number of red-eye correction tools and find that the one that comes with ACDSEE 7’s photo editor is among the best. It zeros in just on the red eye and doesn’t darken the surrounding eye area like some other software does.

5. CROP YOUR PHOTOS

Crop out unnecessary or distracting backgrounds and focus in on your subject. Most photo editing programs will keep the aspect ratio, so when you draw a box around the area you want to focus on it will crop it as 4×6 or whatever you have specified. That way you won’t end up with an odd size photo. Kodak EasyShare Gallery also has a very good cropping tool for maintaining the proper print size. It comes with its free photo editor.

6. ADJUST LIGHTING AND CONTRAST

Some of your photos may have come out washed out or too dark. You can automatically adjust the color, brightness and contrast of your photos. The better programs like Photoshop Album 2.0, Jasc and ACDSEE also have tools for making manual adjustments for fine-tuning. Be careful not to overdo it, though, or your picture could come out grainy.

7. PREPARE TO SHARE

There are a number of ways to share your images. Several programs, like Roxio Photo Suite 7, ACDSEE7, Photoshop Album and Paint Shop Photo Album allow you to create digital photo albums or slide shows, complete with music, transitions and captions. You can burn them to CD or resize and optimize for emailing directly from the program.

Online photo services such as PhotoWorks, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Kodak EasyShare Gallery also let you share your photos on line, for free. You simply upload your images to their server into your own photo albums and add captions if you wish. Then email your friends with a link to your albums. With most of the online services your photos stay on their servers as long as you have an account with them, for free. Signing up for an account is free, you only pay for photos you choose to purchase.

For hardcore photo sharers, there are also dedicated photo sharing applications such as PiXPO v1.5.0, which lets you share photos right off your hard drive. This is a peer to peer software application that allows you to connect directly with your friends and family to share and view pictures online with no uploads. Unlike traditional photo sharing services, you have unlimited storage and you don’t have to upload your photos to a distant server or wait for friends to log onto some photo sharing site. The application is easy to install and use and it’s inexpensive, around $30. PC Magazine rated it an Editor’s Choice in their January 3, 2005 issue.

Valerie Goettsch publishes the digital photography website http://www.digitalphotos101.com featuring reviews of photo editing and album software and digital photo printing services.
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Cyber-shot T20S - Ultra stylish and slim camera finished in silver aluminium, with 8.1 effective megapixels, HD output, double anti-blurand face detection technologies, ZEISS 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch Clear Photo LCD plus screen.
Used Price: ?139.99
Customer Review: TOTALY DISAPPOINTED
I HAD PREVIOUSLY KONICA-MINOLTA DIMAGE-50 BUT LOST IT FEW MONTHS AGO, THAT CAMERA WAS 3 YEARS OLD AND ONLY 5MP BUT HAS MUCH BETTER QUALITY AND SPESCIFICATION THAN THIS CAMERA.I BOUGHT SONY T20 RECENTLY. I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE SUCH A POOR QUALITY FROM SONY. I WILL DEFINITLY NOT RECOMMENDED IT TO ANY ONE AND I HOPE THAT THE NEW ARRIVAL FROM SONY THE T200 WHICH I HOPE TO BUY SOON WILL BE BETTER QUALITY THAN THIS ONE.
Customer Review: Brilliant!
Ok, so im sure someone reading this is in the same position i was in a couple days ago, trying to figure out what digital camera to buy and are completly confused and lost but how many there actually are out there?! Well, be confused no more!! The Cybershot DSC-T20 is quite simply amazing. It has everything, its compact and super cute. I didnt know much about digital cameras (probably why i was finding it so hard to decide). I went for this one because i trust Sony and had read some good reviews…i was NOT disapointed! It has everything i wanted, me needs were simple…im not gonna be doing any artistic photography with it, just me, my family and friends, playing, holidaying and havig fun on nights out - i needed something small, so when i go out i can pop it away - the size of this camera is unreal! So yes…all in all - its great for anyone who is thinking of having a camera for all those pricless moments!
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The Ultima will rapid charge all Canon digital camera Li-ion Batteries form the mains or in the car. Hahnel Industries new innovative and fast Digital Camera Battery Charger. The PowerStation Ultima combines the proven concepts of the successful DCM and MCL Chargers. The PowerStation ULTIMA will be available for all major Brands and offers the most flexible charging solution for Digital Cameras. The interchangable Contact-Plate concept offers a charger solution which will charge all existing Lithium Ion Batteries of a particular Manufacturer. The ULTIMA charges Lithium Ion Batteries with 3,6V/3,7V and 7,2V/7,4V. The charger applies variable charge currencies for optimal charging. The PowerStation Ultima is a fast 1 to 2 hour Charger depending on the Battery capacity. This charger will rapid charge the following Canon original or Hahnel equivalents:- Canon NB-1L or Hahnel HL-1L/HL-1LHP Canon NB-2L/NB-2LH or Hahnel HL-2L/HL-2LHP Canon NB-3L or Hahnel HL-3L Canon NB-4L/NB-4LH or Hahnel HL-4L/HL-4LHP Canon BP-511 or Hahnel HL-511 Box contents:- Charger with US plug Slid on mains adapters for UK In car charging lead Several interchangeable charging plates, one for each type of camera battery from that manufacture.
Amazon Price: ?24.97
Customer Review: Comes with UK or Euro plug (not both)
Does what it says - the Canon version has 3 interchangeable plates depending on battery type. I have 2 Canon cameras with different batteries. Taking the charger with 2 plates on holidays will save some room, but not a huge amount as the charger is quite chunky. The description says “Foldable US-Mains plug and slide-on 2 Pin Euro or UK plug”. I assumed this meant that you could slide on either a Euro plug, or a UK plug - however it means that only one is provided (UK plug). So I still need an adapter to take this to Europe, which defeats part of the point of buying it.
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Travel and Scenic Photography 101

When you’re driving through the mountains somewhere, and you notice a car parked half off the road and some guy leaning to the left to avoid a branch with his Rebel 2000 camera in the act of focusing, you’ve met me. I do this because, to me, a trip isn’t fulfilling unless I’ve preserved that beauty for posterity. I’d like to share some of the techniques that make scenic photography such a wonderful artform - simple, yet elegant.

First off, equipment. As much as the cheapo disposable camera beckons, get real. These cameras have fisheye lenses which I call “spam” lenses. They cram everything in, with equal blurriness and boringness. Good photos are sharp, unless you use blur for artistic effect. Sharp comes from an adjustable lens. It can be a fixed lens or a zoom, but it must focus specially for each picture. Fixed lenses are limiting for scenic pictures, where to frame the shot you may need to move long distances. Imagine using a fixed lens on the Washington Monument, when you’re half a block away! Zooms get my vote, even though they often don’t have as wide an aperture, which limits their capabilities in low light situations.

Practically speaking, an SLR is the absolute best. They are lightweight, and can be used with top quality lenses. Film SLRs tend to be less expensive, but have the limitations of film, meaning you have to get it developed and so forth. Digital SLRs are VERY expensive, so for the budget conscious either go with a film SLR or a high quality basic digital camera. With digital, resolution is also a critical factor, so look at the specs before you buy.

OK, we’ve got the camera, emotions are running high, and that’s great, but not too great! Sometimes I find a spot that is so wonderful, I start shooting like a madman, only to be disappointed by the pictures. What happened? Emotions. When you experience a place, there are sounds, aromas and breezes as well as the visuals of the spot. Needless to say, you can’t photograph all of these elements, only the visual. When overwhelmed by the spectacle of a scenic hotspot, we are often overwhelmed by all of these elements.

So what to do? Look through your camera. The viewfinder does not lie (usually). Try to see what you are looking at as the finished picture. Most people perfunctorily take pictures, hoping that somehow the shot will come out great. If you wonder how the pictures came out when you are on the way to the drug store to get them, you’re doing something wrong. At the moment you click the pic, you should know exactly what you will get. (Of course with digital, that’s not a trick!).

Now, I was a tad dishonest in saying that you can’t capture all of the elements of a scene. You can hint at them. For starters, motion. Yes, even in a still picture, there is motion. Something happened before, during and after your picture. In a mountain vista scene, you may find something that hints at motion, whether it be a branch of a tree that has been swaying in the breeze, or a river flowing through the valley below. These add a sense of motion.

Then there’s the “rule of thirds.” When you place the main object of the picture smack-dab in the middle, it is static and boring. Place it one third of the way from either side, and you IMPLY motion. Put the horizon in a landscape photo a third of the way up or down, not across the middle.

Remember, when a person looks at a picture, their eyes move. You want to frame your photo to help that movement. If you can find some lines in the scene, such as a skyline, cloud formation, path through the forest, etcetera, use it interestingly, and with the rule of thirds to draw your viewer’s eyes into the picture.

Avoid “summit syndrome.” You get to the top of Mount Washington and shoot the majestic vista. Great. The pictures come out … boring! How? No PERSPECTIVE. Big vistas will be flat unless you have an object in the foreground, such as a rock or a tree, to give them perspective. Then the eye really grasps how big this scene is. People enjoying the view is a real winner, because the viewer may identify with their emotions, giving the image real impact.

Cheese! Yes, you do have to take the family photos. It’s obligatory. But when you do, make sure that they show the LOCATION of the photo. Otherwise, you might as well do it on your driveway. Frame the scene in context, with landmarks as part of the picture. Find a way to tell as story in the picture, such as little Sara climbing up the rocks by the waterfall.

Finally, any element in the picture that hints at more senses than just the visual will make it remarkable. Actor headshots for example, tell a story about the subject. You can almost hear them saying their next lines. If you photograph a garden, the viewer may experience the aroma of the flowers. A tourist street with an accordion player on the corner may have your amazed friends whistling “Dixie.”

In summation, picture taking on travel is recording the experience in a satisfying way. Use motion, perspective, sensory, storytelling and so forth, to bring your photos to life. Oh, and needless to say, make your job easy and go to great places! See you at the overlook!

Seth Lutnick is a photographer, composer, and performer. He has taken thousands of scenic photos, recorded two albums of original music, and appeared on stage, TV and film. Visit his website - www.getitdone.biz - for more detailed plans on photography, music, health and education, and extensive product links for the resources to fulfill your goals.

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List Price: ?14.95
Amazon Price: ?7.47
Used Price: ?5.52
Customer Review: Waste of money
Since the synopsis claimed to go “far beyond” the manual that came with the camera, I was expecting a really in-depth technical overview of this wonderful device. Maybe a bit of Canon-inside information, some technical diagrams of the inner workings of the camera. However, I found nothing that wasn’t in the original owner’s manual and the book was of no value to me at all. It’s more like a complete rewrite of the original manual, in the author’s own words, with an original image here and there.
Customer Review: More Advanced Instruction Manual
This will take you through every feature on the camera in detail, but not much else. I have read the instruction manual from cover to cover and have fiddled with pretty much every setting on the camera, this book definately expands on it and tries to give a few hints here and there on when to use settings and how. What it wont do is teach you photography or technique!!! The Book is well laid out and comes with a handy ‘Quick reference card’ of all the cameras features for your wallet which i’m sure will come in handy from time to time.
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