Category: Web

Sigma DP1 samples on DPReview

Sigma DP1

Digital Photography Review has some samples from a beta of Sigma’s upcoming and LONG-awaited large-sensor compact DP1.

From what I can tell having a very quick look at these is that the detail as you’d expect with a Foveon sensor, and the dynamic range looks pretty too. Colour aberrations look pretty controlled in that lens too, as is lens flare, including when the sun is right in the shot.

Also to be expected, but nice to see pretty much confirmed is the very low noise on the ISO 800 sample. What little noise there is looks like “nice noise” too – nothing to make you recoil. That’s the main conflict of compact cameras for me: the times when I really need something smaller to shoot with is also *exactly* when I need good high ISO and/or low-light performance, like in a bar or club.

Yet another item for the Gearlust list! *<sigh>*

Dual Photography


Some bright folk, mainly from Stanford University (one from Cornell), have demonstrated a technique to produce photographic images without the use of a camera. The technique exploits Helmholtz reciprocity to allow an image to be recreated from the point of view of the projector that’s lighting the scene, even though there’s no camera at that location. Additionally, it allows the scene to be relit arbitrarily (now that sounds like something I could use!) Quite deep (man) but very interesting. There’s a movie file too, which I haven’t finished downloading yet and a large PDF of the complete paper.

[Update: make sure you see the movie – it’s worth it. BitTorrent download link]

HP lands Snapfish

Following on from Yahoo!’s buyout of Flickr’s creator Ludicorp, Snapfish, the online photo sharing, storage and printing site has agreed to be acquired by HP. Snapfish is definitely a foward-thinking company because if you’re already a member, you will “receive the same high level of quality and service you’ve come to expect since Snapfish’s UK launch in November 2005 [sic]”. In addition, you can “look forward to a whole host of exciting new features and services, designed to improve, enhance and simplify your digital photography experience – whether you print with Snapfish or through your home printer”. Love that last bit ;)

Yahoo acquires Flickr

As some of the rumours have been saying, Yahoo have gone ahead and bought Ludicorp and its unstoppable Flickr.

It seems from Caterina’s own account on the Flickr Blog that the main change will be the cashflow. Yahoo Photos (haven’t tried to use that for a while…) will get some Flickr features. Here’s hoping that Flickr doesn’t get many or any Yahoo “features”. As she says “Flickr would also suffer from a sudden deluge of LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg! so we’re going to grow it carefully.” Hope so…

SimCam: Film and Digital Camera Simulator

Photohead, which for some reason I’ve never noticed, have got The SimCam, in which you can play with the your exposure on a virtual camera. The (side) effects you can see include camera shake, depth of field, grain. Pity they didn’t include a page with all three of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. That’s a bit like digital camera manufacturers, isn’t it? Oh well…

Canon Technology Library

If you want to get right down to the nitty gritty (as a great man once said) regarding digital camera technology, you *really* need to check out Canon’s Technology Library. This microsite (although I hesitate to use the term “micro”) has a whole stack of information on everything Canon from DIGIC, to CMOS versus CCD, to EOS evolution (including comparisons between film and digital), you name it. Most of this information, while being obviously Canon-specific, is of general relevance to digital photography.