Sony α77 DSLR Camera & Lens

This new camera from Sony looks very interesting. Here's how Sony describes it:

"Step up to an incredible shooting experience with this α77 DSLR camera and included 16-50mm zoom lens. Featuring Sony's top-of-the-line Translucent Mirror Technology, you can focus and shoot simultaneously for fast, precise performance and continuous shooting of up to 12 frames per second, complete with continuous auto focus. Capture amazingly-detailed images that make for gorgeous enlargements thanks to an impressive 24.3-megapixel sensor. The world's first DSLR to offer a choice of super-smooth 60p, standard 60i or richly cinematic 24p movie modes all at Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, you can capture incredible, high quality AVCHD or MP4 videos of all your memorable moments (records in 29-minute segments). A Tru-Finder™ OLED electronic viewfinder offers remarkable resolution and high contrast for outstanding depth, plus allows you to view setting adjustments in real time for the best possible picture."

Here are a few of the features that really interest me:

24.3 MP; best-in-class resolution - You get incredible detail and gorgeous enlargements thanks to a 24.3 megapixel sensor. It’s the highest resolution among APS-C DSLRs, as of August 2011.

HD Movies4 at 60p, 60i, or 24p - Capture spectacular HD Movies4. This is the world’s first DSLR to offer a choice of super-smooth 60p, standard 60i or cinematic 24p, all at Full HD 1920x1080 resolution. AVCHD™ codec delivers stunning picture quality. MP4 codec offers smaller files for easier upload to the web.

HD movies with full manual control - Now you don’t need to surrender control when you shoot HD movies. Enjoy the full expressive potential of Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority or Manual (P/A/S/M) control in HD movie mode.

6-image layering - Leverages the fast BIONZ processor to capture six images in a fraction of a second, and then combine the data. The result is one incredible single image that gets a cleaner result in Multi-Frame NR mode or sharper nighttime pictures in Hand-held Twilight mode.

Auto HDR built into camera - Captures more scene dynamic range than a single exposure can handle—and more range than photo film. Combines the best highlight detail from one shot, the best mid-tones from a second and the best shadow detail from a third for one incredible shot. (Recommended for still subjects.)

Handheld Twilight mode - Get gorgeous shots at night without a tripod. Combines six frames into a single image for smooth, low-noise evening shots. (Recommended for still subjects.)

ISO 16000 sensitivity - Incredibly clear low-light pictures without sacrificing detail, made possible by the low-noise Exmor APS HD CMOS image sensor and refined BIONZ® image processor.

Sweep Panorama Mode - Capture expansive landscapes automatically. Press the shutter, sweep vertically or horizontally. The camera does the rest, continuously shooting images and stitching them together.

For more information, go here.

Kessler Timefest 2011

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Related Links:

• Kessler TimeFest 2011: Behind The Scenes
• TimeScapes Website
• Tom Guilmette Blog
• Kessler Website

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Light It Magazine (Designed for the iPad)

Download the free premiere issue at http://kel.by/LightItApp Get more info on Light It at: http://kelbytraining.com/lightit

Great Photographers: Manny Librodo

Go here to check out the amazing photographs of Manny Librodo.

The Candid Frame Interviews Scott Kelby

Scott Kelby is a photographer, writer and educator. He is the founder of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and the Kelby Media Group. He has authored over 50 books on photography and photo editing and created the event which is Photoshop World. His books, video, podcasts and workshops have helped nurture the work and career of thousands of photographers from all over the world. He has a abiding passion for sports photography as well as playing a mean guitar. You can discover more about Scott and his own photography work by visiting his blog and you can find out about the many things his organization has to offer by visiting the NAPP website. 

Listen to the Candid Frame's interview with Scott Kelby.

Sunfellow Fine Art

The newest member of my growing family of websites has been born: Sunfellow Fine Art. As I mention on my bio page, nature has been calling me and I’ve been spending more and more time attempting to capture “fine art images that quiet the mind, open the heart, and stir the soul”. This new website is dedicated to sharing those images with others who long for deeper connections. Come take a look. The image above — “Milky Way Over Cathedral Rock” — is the most popular image on the site so far, but more are on the way.

How did I shoot this image? Here's what I have posted on my new website about it:

Milky Way Over Cathedral Rock
Background Information

By David Sunfellow

This was one of the first night sky images I ever shot. It is a photo of Cathedral Rock, Sedona’s most famous rock formation, shot from the Back O’ Beyond side. Oak Creek is located on the other side of the rocks. The glow on the left-hand side of the image is coming from the Village of Oak Creek. If you look carefully, you’ll notice that Cathedral Rock is lit up slightly on the right-hand side. This glow was produced by a flashing light from Sedona’s small airport, located on nearby Airport Mesa. The airport light flashed across Cathedral Rock every few minutes.

Since this was one of my first night sky shoots, I did some research before hitting the trails — and then made some interesting discoveries once I was out on the rocks.

Most photographers use fast lens (2.8 or lower), with cameras set at high ISO settings (1600, 2000, 2500, 3200). The higher the ISO, however, the more noise you get in your image. 

Next, you have to figure out how long to leave your shutter open. Most modern cameras provide you with two options: set a timer on your camera to automatically open and close your shutter, or use a manual control to open and close your shutter yourself (which is what I used). The longer the camera’s shutter is open, the brighter and more detailed your image will be. But since the stars in the night sky are moving, if you leave your shutter open too long, the stars will begin to streak across the sky. And, yes, some portions of the sky are actually moving faster than others. 

Once you factor all these issues in, how in the world can you hope to shoot a brilliant, crystal clear image of the night sky?

The short answer is most of us can’t. That’s because most of today’s cameras — even high-end cameras — can’t pull in enough light, fast enough, to get crystal clear images of the sky. In order to get beautifully clear images, you need to mount your camera on a motor-driven telescope that has been carefully calibrated to follow the stars across the sky while your camera’s shutter is open long enough to pull in as much light and detail as it can — without pulling in too much (which will wash everything out).

And, of course, you also need a dark sky — something that is becoming increasingly rare as cities, and city lights, spread across the planet.

Assuming you don’t have a motor-driven telescope that is small enough to lug into exotic, dark sky locations, the best you can currently hope for is something like this:

Get a camera that can shoot RAW images at a high ISO. Attach a fast lens to it (preferably a prime lens, rather than a zoom). Mount your camera on a sturdy tripod. And, finally, limit your shutter speed to no more than 30 seconds.

That’s what I did.

In post production, I used Adobe Lightroom to adjust the colors, contrast, noise, luminosity, and other settings. Then I merged two versions of the same image in Adobe Photoshop and ran a few special filters on it to help the light and colors pop.

Capture, by Peak Design

Capture, by Peak Design from Peter Dering on Vimeo.

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Backpack Position from Peter Dering on Vimeo.

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Peak Design Website