Archive for August, 2008

RSS feeds attract a very specific readership (if you don’t understand what I’m speaking about, you’re probably not part of this group): They like to fast read information, they want to avoid being disturbed by clutter from the original web site, they are ready to use different tools (more technical tools: Feed readers) to support their reading.

If you are one of the RSS feed readers of Roumazeilles.net, I’d like to have your comments about the possible addition of some ads in our RSS feeds. As usual, I’d try to limit it to a very reasonable level. Additionally, I’d probably still provide an ads-free solution to connect to the RSS feed for those really annoyed at it. But I think it should be fair to give you a chance to comment before I make any decision about it.

This is nearly confirmed, the successor to the very nice Nikon D3 will be named Nikon D4 (and not D3x as was imagined before). The (negative) information comes directly from Chasseurs d’Image and seems very reliable.

I guess it means that Nikon feels this will be a major step forward and not only an upgrade to the existing Nikon D3. Clearly, Nikon is the leading brand in terms of technology leaps this year.

I have to apologize for a rather lengthy stop of the database services at our server. Unfortunately, this left Roumazeilles.net as a dead web site during a few hours.

This is corrected now, but we still have to find exactly what happened (in order to avoid this to hit us again)…

All the details about a simple optical illusion and what we can learn from it about the inner workings of the human brain.

The new full Frame SLR camera from Nikon is just out and there is already a little hack appearing to give it additional features. The Nikon D700 has the capacity to shoot continuously at 8fps if you use the additonal grip. Nikon Watch found a way to allow this very high frame rate without the booster grip.

It may even be working on some other models from Nikon.

Two articles written exactly for photographers willing to improve their flash expertise. I found them on the Internet and wanted to share them with you, photo friends.

• Natural looking flash. Right! It may be very difficult to get a nice looking lighting without burning everything with lights that cry “flash”.
• White Seamless Tutorial. A 5-part article of an exceptionnal quality/expertise but perfectly understandable by anybody willing to get a good studio lighting with a limited budget to have white backgrounds as well as black ones, grey ones, colored ones, with perfect mastering of the result. Really brillant!

For sure, we can find information of the highest quality on the Internet.

Tomorrow, Sony will present to a tighly selected audience a few new photo products among which everybody expects to find the flagship camera taht was announced already more than a year ago. This camera will be the first Sony camera using a Full Frame sensor with 24 millions of pixels.

Most people think that the camera will be christened Sony Alpha 900 (the 9 figure has been used by Minolta for its pro lines). But, well, uhm, the rumor is running free. In Chasseur d’Image, we read that there could be a declination of the camera. Is Sony going to play to the same tune as for the Alpha 300 and Alpha 350?

Why not? It’s only a matter of launching simultaneously a Sony Alpha 900 and an Alpha 950. Both would share the same nice robust body seen previously here and there. But the digital sensor would be different. Imagine:

• Sony Alpha 900 with a 14MP Full Frame sensor
• Sony Alpha 950 with a 24MP Full Frame sensor

or even:

• Sony Alpha 800 with a 14MP APS-C sensor
• Sony Alpha 900 with a 24MP Full Frame sensor

Check here later.

Where are the shadows? Where is the sun? This simple optical illusion could let you think that MC Escher did not survived to 2008.

Source: Dump Trumpet.

Unknown author.

Here comes a small freeware utility program that does only one thing, but does it right. Trayconizer is used to put any Windows program into the icon tray (not only the ones allowing it explicitly).

For example, you can put the NotePad program in the tray icon with a single shortcut containing something like:

C:\Path\To\Trayconizer.exe C:\Windows\Notepad.exe

Up to now, I rather refrained myself when time was coming to publish some news about the future Nikon D90 camera supposed to replace the current Nikon D80 in the lower range of Nikon cameras (along with the Nikon D40/D40x). But it becomes clear that available news start to converge (probably mostly because of Thom Hogan). It becomes more and more difficult to doubt some leaks and the features will probably be something like the following (And be attentive: There are a few surprises in the list):

• 12 megapixels with vibration-cleaning of the sensor (rather normal)
• 4.5 frames/s (quite good for an entry-level SLR, no?)
• LiveView vidéo capture (this is really the big surprise; First, I hesitated but it seems technically  sound and repeated a lot)
• HDMI connection (Sony did it first and it’s good on this market)
• GPS connection (we are going to be able to easily geo-tag our photos, but I have no clue how and with which external GPS receiver - a GPS smartphone?)
• The standard lens kit will be based upon the 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR zoom (equivalent to 28-150mm in 35mm/FF)

Of course, such features should be confirmed by Nikon, but nothing can be epxected from them until the upcoming official launch (everybody is expecting it either at the September Photokina or just before it - in a few weeks only).

Last but not least, there is a surprisingly good macro shot of the Nikon D90 camera which is currently floating around the web. I admit it feels real.

Nikon D90 (new)