September 10th, 2009 by karim
Young Street Vendor Holding Six Eggs, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
For more photographs of sanctuaries, temples, locations, monuments, landscapes, rituals, festivals and people of India, click here.
September 10th, 2009 by karim
Leica M9 rangefinder, world's first full-frame digital rangefinder camera.
At 9.15am today (US Eastern Time), Leica officially announced its highly anticipated 18 megapixel full-frame M9 rangefinder and the 12 megapixels X1 compact camera, via webcast.
With its custom Kodak-designed 18 megapixels CCD sensor, the Leica M9 is the world’s first full-frame (24×36mm) 35mm rangefinder camera. Typically found in much larger and heavier SLR cameras, full-frame sensor are typically associated with higher resolution, lower noise at high ISO and increased overall image quality when compared with what smaller sensors can deliver. The larger the sensor, the higher the cost. The M9 uses no anti-aliasing filter in front of its imaging sensor, for increased image sharpness. Also, as is the case in the M8 and M8.2, a specially gradually orientated set of micro lenses located at the periphery of the sensor ensure that image vignetting remains under control. The M9’s 160 to 2500 ISO range is sure to be a step up from the M8’s, due to a larger sensor and dual signal processing units. The M9 will cost 6,995 US dollars (body only), and will be available for purchase worldwide in a few days. More info about the Leica M9 here.
Among the many journalists present during the New York City webcast was long-time Leica devotee and award-winning singer Seal. In his surprise stage appearance, Seal revealed that he had been testing the Leica M9 for several months and stated that it is “the camera that we’ve wanted, finally a full-frame “. While the webcast focused on the ground-breaking and highly anticipated M9, the german camera maker also showcased its previously announced foray into the medium-format world: the Leica S2, the first camera of an entirely new “S-system”. The SLR-shaped camera sports a sensor 56% larger than a full frame 35mm one. With a list price of 22,995 US dollars (body only), the Leica S2’s target audience is squarely professional. More infor about the Leica S2 here.
Leica S2 showcased during the September 9, 2009 webcast.
Award-winning singer Seal shares his experience with the Leica M9 camera during the september 9 2009 webcast.
Also introduced today is the first camera of a new line, the Leica X1. This pocket-size camera sports a 12 megapixels APS-C size sensor and a fixed focal length 24mm f/2.8 lens (35mm focal equivalent)., with no optical viewfinder. This new camera will be competing against the Sigma DP1, Dp2 and other Micro 4/3 cameras from Panasonic and Olympus. The X1 price has yet to be announced and availability will be end of 2009. More info on the Leica X1 here.
Leica X1, 12 megapixels, APS-C sensor, 24mm f/2.8 fixed focal length.
September 6th, 2009 by karim
A man pulls his fishing net out of the water. Majuli Island, Assam, India.
For more photographs of sanctuaries, temples, locations, monuments, landscapes, rituals, festivals and people of India, click here.
August 31st, 2009 by karim
Arctic landscape illuminated by the weak winter sun, Lapland, Sweden.
For more photographs of Sweden in winter or to purchase a print of this image of Lapland
click here.
August 30th, 2009 by karim
The favelas of Cantagalo are in sharp contrast with the expanse of luxury hotels located on the nearby Copacabana beach in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
August 28th, 2009 by karim
With today’’s announcement of the US $2000 full-frame Sony Alpha 850 digital SLR, the pressure is on the other photography players, Canon and Nikon, to offer competitively priced full-frame cameras.
For only a few hundred dollars less than Sony’s flagship A900, the Alpha 850 is a 24+ million pixel full-frame digital SLR offers practically all the features of its bigger brother: full-frame 24×36 mm sensor, in-body image stabilization, 98% viewfinder coverage (100% on the A900), 3fps (5 fps on the A900). But not all pixels are created equal. Tests show that Sony’s A900 is no match Canon or Nikon’s dSLR at high ISO. Given that the new Sony Alpha 850 uses the same sensor as the A900, one can speculate that image quality will likely be similar.
As of today, the other full-frame digital SLR cameras are: Canon’s EOS 1Ds Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II; Nikon’s D700, D3 and D3X. While Sony’s lens lineup isn’t yet a tit-for-tat match of Canon’s or Nikon’s, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see a number of new advanced amateur and pro-grade Alpha lenses released at a relatively rapid pace in the next 12 months.
The new Sony Alpha 850 ships in September 2009.
Read Sony’s A850 press release here
August 28th, 2009 by karim
Villagers wearing woven pandanus clothing demonstrate tribal customs, Efate island, Vanuatu
August 26th, 2009 by karim
On August 23 and 24, I was invited by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) to present my photographic and digital visual effects work, at the ‘INFOCUS 2009′ conference in Wellington. I presented an overview of digital visual effects and illustrated their use with several video clips from films I worked on. A particular emphasis was put on how still photography is used to create “movie magic”, with a short demo of Nuke, the superb digital compositing software from UK company, The Foundry.
Some of the other speakers at Infocus 2009 were australian photographers Rob Imhoff and Yervant Zanazanian. Wellington photographer Nick Servian showcased many of his travel images, spanning three decades. It was great to catch up with fellow photographers from other parts of the country: Richard Linton, Aaron K, Chris Parker, Malcolm Sommerville…
During the Infocus 2009 conference, participants had the opportunity to try some photography-related products, in particular the Canon iPF wide format and Pixma printers. Also on show were Canon’s newly released top-of-the-line compact cameras: the highly anticipated Canon PowerShot G11 and the first camera in an entirely new line, the PowerShot S90, featuring a very fast f/2 lens and a control ring for aperture change, which can also be programmed to control other features on the camera.
With the G11’s 10 megapixels (compared to the G10’s 14+ mpix), it seems Canon focused on image quality. Typically, image sensors in compact cameras are no bigger than the size of your smallest nail. Compared to the larger ones found in digital SLRs, small sensors produce much more image noise at high sensitivities. By reducing the number of megapixels on the G11 to 10, high ISO images taken with this camera will display much less of the offending noise associated with compact cameras.
August 20th, 2009 by karim
The Cambodian Palace of Kings, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 'Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk', the Cambodian Palace of Kings, is a complex comprised of three buildings built in the mid 1800s: Silver Pagoda, Khemarin Palace and the Throne Hall.
August 19th, 2009 by karim
Also known as 'Ponte Governador Nobre de Carvalho', the 2.56 Km long Macau-Taipa bridge was built under portuguese rule, from 1970 to 1974. The bridge links the Macau peninsula to the island of Taipa.