Remotely Control Your DSLR With Your SmartPhone/Tablet for $8.52

For $8.52 you can tether control your DSLR using your Android phone/tablet and shoot remotely.

Photo courtesy of www.dpreview.com

DSLR Controller by Chainfire, is the first and only app that allows you to fully control your Canon EOS DSLR from your Android device with only a USB cable. No computer or laptop required, no root required, only a compatible mobile device, a compatible camera, and the right USB cable.

This has been found to work with EOS T2i, T3i, 50D, 60D, 7D, 5DmkII and 1Dmk4.

More about it here - https://market.android.com/details?id=eu.chainfire.dslrcontroller

Is Your LCD Monitor Showing The Correct Colors?

I chanced upon this monitor testing site that is worthy of sharing.

If you care about your images, you need to care about the condition of your monitor (s). Monitor quality factors like: Contrast, display settings, clock and phase, sharpness, gamma, black level, white saturation, gradient, inversion, response time, viewing angle, contrast ration, and subpixel layout. It sounds a whole lot of scary! The good news is, monitor calibration is fairly easy.

Here are LCD monitor test pages that will help you judge and correct the image quality seen on your monitor.  Follow the step by step instructions provided by Lagom and you'll be closer to getting the most out of your LCD monitor.

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

Photoshop for Digital Photography

Photoshop Skills acquired:
. Basic Setup, Workflow, and Fun with Filters
. Rotating and Cropping
. Black and White photos
. Layers and Levels
. Retouching with Cloning and the Healing Brush
. Curves, Color Balance, and Hue/Saturation
. Resolution, Image Sizing and Sharpening
. Using Text and other graphics to Create a Promo Piece or Greeting Card

What you will need:
. Digital Camera
. Computer or Laptop with Adobe Photoshop or Elements

Course Times:
An 4 week course. Once a week. 1.5 hour sessions.
Group size minimum 3, maximum 5.
Private one-to-one instruction also available.

Location and dates to be determined based on group preference.

Course Price:
Group - $150.00
Private - $250.00

Please contact me at 808.3878899 for more information.
www.mafotografix.com

Neutral Density Filters (ND)

Neutral density filters are very useful for photographers that like manual control in bright light. 

The filter filters the amount of light coming into the camera, making long exposures, depth of field, and other effects easier to do, like those dreamy shore scenic photos which appear to be shot at dusk or sunrise but were actually shot in the middle of the day!

There's a the ultimate guide to Neutral Density filters - http://www.redbubble.com/people/peterh111/journal/4421304-the-ultimate-easy-guide-to-neutral-density-filters

However, do note that, like everything else, not all filters are made equal. Here's an example: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentbat/2372603825/

Hyper Prime Lenses

These are 'super' wide lenses that are made for ultra low light photography ... their f-stop hover around the f1.0 range, Besides being quite rare (many are out of production) and a challenge on the wallet for many, you'd wonder how challenging it is to focus manually at such a shallow DOF.

There are two great reviews on one such lens, which is a new production, called the Noktor 50mm f0.95 (!) - http://www.slrmagic.com/ (p/s: take their product survey and select the camera mount you want them to make.)

Lens Reviews:

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2010/03/03/the-noktor-50-f0-95-lens-review-diary/

http://philipbloom.net/2010/03/10/review-of-noktor-f0-95-hyperprime-50mm-lens-for-micro-four-thirds/

Currently this lens works on these cameras without the need for any adaptor:
Panasonic: Lumix DMC-G1, DMC-G2, DMC-G3, DMC-G10, DMC-GH1, DMC-GH2, DMC-GF1, DMC-GF2, AF-100, AF-101, AF-102, and AF-103
Olympus: PEN E-P1, PEN E-P2, PEN E-PL1, and PEN E-PL2
Sony: NEX-3, NEX-5, NEX-VG10, and NEX-FS100

The Useful Canon Lens Specifications and Accessories Table

When you are shopping for a lens, don't only read the reviews, and check prices, also make sure to read the Canon Lens Specifications and Accessories Table. There's valuable information like the number of shutter blades for smooth bokeh and the minimum focusing distance. This distance is important. If you notice, many of the fast primes do not focus close. Close should be like 0.8ft or 0.25m, especially for wider lenses.

Sample:

Here's the link to download the complete pdf table. When new lenses come out, hopefully Canon will keep this table updated -

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/lens/EFLensChart.pdf

Alien Looking Duo Flash Mount for Macro Photography

The world of camera accessories is only limited by your imagination. Take this alien looking duo clash mount from Fotopro.

Here's the specs from Fotopro:
Fotopro Arca Compat Macro Duo Dual Flash Mount 2 Shoes
Metal plate is 140mm (5.5") long.
Includes: 2 x 1 /4"-20 cap screws, 1 hex safety screw and allen wrench.
Permanent articulated arms will hold up to 1.5lbs (.7kg) each
and can be adjusted to any position.
Arms are 12" (30cm) in length (including the ball head)
Each shoe is mounted on a metal ball head with lock

Fotopro is a China company that creates a host of very competitively priced products. Namely camera support systems

www.fotopro.cn - tip: use google translate to read the pages.