02.19.09
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 6:49 am by Administrator
Yes, I know it has been quite a while since we last updated our blogs. But for a small amount of time we really had nothing to report! Until now!
We have been diligently working on the Vh1 Save the Music Foundation event. Last February 11th, we hosted our first sponsor party. Not quite as successful as we had hoped. But what we took from that was a great lesson, and can build from there. There will be a couple more sponsor parties, the charity event will be on June 19th, 2009. After the event, we will host a thank you party for all who participated.
On a different note, I am pleased to announce that my company has expanded into a big family! Let me quickly introduce them to you! First on the team is Tab DeForest, she is the resident graphic artist. Elaine Szupello, she is my event promoter and the resident make-up artist. And finally, Tui Wise, she is public relations. All of these girls play an essential part of my company, and I am very proud to have them on my team!
Starting tomorrow we will be posting daily blogs with photo of the day and song of the day! I want to start giving the public a personal insight of the employees of Worth A Thousand Words. Keep checking in on our blog from time to time and see what’s new!
Starting tom
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11.18.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 7:57 am by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents!
I am sorry it has been so long, but there have been a few issues with Computers and a Very busy weekend, which sadly left a few cancellations and miss communications which sadly made for a somewhat un-productive weekend… V and I did make it to Disneyland for Bats day though, and the pictures from that can be found on my Myspace. I am very glad I had my P&S, though I am continually learning that I really wish I had something a bit… Higher End that I can carry around with me at events like that that im not getting paid to shoot, but want a higher quality, and more control over my images. That leads me to my subject today, I had a customer come into the shop and outright purchase what I am finding to be a GREAT camera! The new Canon Powershot G10 is becoming more and more popular as people are spending money, I honestly think the economy being slow helped this camera a little, it gave people the time to see the reviews of it and make a more educated choice for it. Its predecessor, the G9 was also a great camera! But it had a few Achilles heals, including VERY bad ISO noise performance. Those things have been immensely improved in the G10. First and foremost, they re-designed the body. From holding it, I honestly cant tell if I like it better or worse than the G9, but it certainly feels different… in re-designing the body they also had to re-format the buttons and dials a bit. This is certainly not a “first” camera, I definitely only recommend this camera to people who have some sense of photographic functions, someone who doesn’t have that knowledge will be seriously outmatched by this camera. Now, inside this camera has all the advantages of an SLR with the size advantage of a P&S. It has only one true weakness to an SLR, and that is the lack of changeable lenses, meaning the lens you get is all you get. Some people will consider the lens on it to be an improvement though over the G9, its shorter (5x compared to 6x) but starts at a much wider point (28mm equivalent compared to 36mm), and with the 14.6MP sensor, you can crop into the image if the lens simply wont reach where you want it to. Inside they also re-formulated the Processor, and so far the results from the 14mp sensor are consistently rivaling that of the older 10mp 40D. I was skeptical at first, but the results I have seen have really impressed me. This is a camera I would HIGHLY recommend for a professional photographer who is looking for a smaller lighter weight camera to carry around when they aren’t working and still wanting the SLR quality of image!
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11.06.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 9:25 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents!
So, ‘twas a very slow day today, my boss left at 6pm, and I worked till 9pm with only two customers coming into the shop in 3 hours… one picking up a roll of APS film that we developed and one picking up a camera strap… oh joy.
Anyway, the lack of business made me really think on the importance of people having camera’s! On Monday I got out of the shower to hear a huge squawking in my backyard! I look outside and see at least 10-15 crows circling my backyard. I take a closer look to see what they are squawking at and look under the tree, through the lower branches (my backyard is a hill), I see a Hawk sitting on the ground with a Huge Crow pinned under it! I turn around and yell at Vanessa to get me a camera and hurriedly get dressed grabbed the camera and ran for the backyard. Well, circumstances (and two dogs) conspired for me to not manage to get any shots of the spectacle, but it definitely made me glad I had camera’s on hand and ready to go!
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11.04.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 4:41 am by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents!
So I do apologize for my extended leave of absence, but I have had a very busy couple of days and simply haven’t had the chance to sit down and write to you, as my deviant art account can attest to (322 un-viewed deviations >_<). heh, I need to catch up badly I guess, but I start here, with you!
Now, there are many things I can talk about right now. but I’m going to limit myself to just one topic (hey, I need something to write about tomorrow don’t I!). now, this is a subject that has come up a time or two in my experience, both working here at the shop (yes I’m at work right now) and in my professional experience. here is the scenario, your out shooting, nothing high end, or professional, and not using terribly high end equipment, but you drop your camera and your lens shatters! first of all, too bad you didn’t have a UV Filter over the lens, its not 100% guaranteed, but often times the Filter will take the brunt of the damage and possibly save you the trouble of what you now face in having to buy a new lens. well, often times the lens you broke is the kit lens to the camera, for Nikon and Canon the standard 18-55mm. first off, very few stores will carry that lens in stock, some might be willing to break a kit for you to get that lens, but you might pay a small premium for the lens due to the inconvenience it may cause the shop in having to replace to lens in the kit they broke up for you. now, most people will expect that lens to be a real cheap basic lens, often anticipating between 50 and 100$, sorry to burst your bubble, but even that kit lens sold separately will run you closer to 200 to 225$. now seeing that price tag on the lens you just broke, your heart sinks (now you wish you had spent the extra $15 on a UV Filter). Now you look around to see what other options might be there, but if your looking at price alone, you will only really find one lens cheaper than that, the 50mm F/1.8, which runs between 100 and 150$. price on that lens might be tempting, but you realize that that lens give you no zoom power, so it can be limiting for those of you who just want to walk around and have fun with your camera, also if you’re a Nikon shooter, depending on what camera you are using, you might also lose your AutoFocus. now you get even more discouraged so you ask for suggestions, and the guy behind the counter will be very happy to show you some. but prices could range from 300 to 500$ much more than the 50 to 100$ you where originally expecting. now, many of these lenses that the clerk is offering you will offer incredibly zoom ranges, some from 18mm to 270mm, and some lenses the clerk will say offer higher quality than your original 18-55mm Lens. this is where you need to make your decision. this decision from a question stand point is fairly simple, but when personal interests come into play it becomes MUCH more complex. the question becomes, where do you want to take your photography? if you simply want the cheapest lens you can get, your best bet would be to just have them break the kit, be forewarned if you take this rout, you might end up buying a second lens later wanting more range for farther distance shots. if you aren’t looking to move forwards into making some money in photography, and don’t mind spending a little extra money right now for a very convenient lens, then go with the SuperZoom lens, most people who just do walk around shooting, but aren’t looking to really move into the profession so aren’t worried about having the highest quality are VERY happy with these lenses and barring another drop incident, will never have to buy another lens again. but if your thinking you might want to start possibly making money off photography, then quality is of great importance, you want to give your customer (someone who is paying you for the quality a professional photograph implies) the best quality image possible so that they can spread the word to others about your photo’s and others will see you for the quality you offer.
So, the decision to make is simple, where do you want to take your photography…
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10.30.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 7:58 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents!
Not a whole lot to report today. A few minor things, both the Nikon D300 and the Canon EOS 50D got Firmware upgrades the other day. You can download those and load them on your camera via USB Cable or CF card with a Reader. For those of you hoping, I’m sorry, neither firmware upgrade implemented Video onto their respective camera’s. You will just have to wait for the next generation. Also, still no official statements for any of the following, Nikon AF-s 50mm F/1.4, Canon EOS 5D Mk II, or the highly anticipated Panasonic G1 Micro 4/3rds Camera. The first two I would expect before the end of the year, the Panasonic G1, honestly, I don’t expect that anytime before PMA’s in March.
As usual, if there is something you would like my opinion on or would like me to do some research into, just let me know either here as a Comment or Via e-mail! I look forward to hearing from you soon!
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10.29.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 3:43 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents!
Pretty uneventfull day… very few customers and nothing terribly intresting. I did have one customer who came in looking at the Olympus P&S camera’s. Personally I’m not a big fan of Olympus, though they definatly have their Nich. Customers come in with kids quite often and ask what camera’s are child proof. Well, the Olympus definatly has that area down. Olympus P&S cameras have several models which are Water Proof and Shock Resistant. The Olympus SW series are increadibly durable camera’s, the SW850 is an 8mp, 3x Optical Zoom that can go underwater to 3ft and take an impact from 5ft. So no longer do you need to worry about your kids throwing your camera in the toilet, it will survive, or Heaven Forbid, your 5 year old throws it through the TV! Or what if you’re a partier? You take your camera and with a bunch of friends get drunk out at a bar, you can afford to lose track of your camera at some point and not worry about it getting physically destroyed! Beer splashes, drops onto the floor from butterfingres, this camera will take it with very little problem. There are other models as well that go even deeper under water, the 1030 can go down under water to 33ft, pefect for that trip to Hawaii with intentions of scuba diving around the reef!
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10.28.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 7:10 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents!
Well, today was my first day off work since I started this blog (actually my first day off work in 13 days). Now, what that ultimately means is that I haven’t talked anybody’s ear off about camera equipment. Well, that is almost accurate… I did speak briefly to Vanessa, and we discussed the fact that her 4GB memory card simply isn’t enough for a major event like a wedding or something to that effect. So, we discussed getting more memory cards for her, and I also mentioned some other options. Several companies make a portable hard drive that have built in memory card readers. Many photographers use these for two major purposes, 1: many of them can separate into a separate folder each time you upload your memory card, so if you are shooting different subjects and need to keep them easily organized and separated, you can set the machine to do that automatically, 2: it offers you much more hard drive space to store your images over a longer period of time. These products come in a range of prices and brands. My personal experience lies with the Epson P-5000 which has 80GB of space and a 4″ display LCD screen for viewing the images. Now, this particular model has been discontinued, but its updated models increase Hard Drive space and simplify operation, and run around $500. There are other options from other brands that are much less expensive but many don’t offer an LCD screen or as much storage space.
As per usual, feel free to send me any questions or comments and I’ll make sure I answer as soon as possible! If you want me to write about something specific, just let me know!
Until Tomorrow,
Douglas
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10.27.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 1:48 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents.
Today we had a somewhat busy day at the shop. Many print orders and several instances where I had to remind younger women that drinking alcohol at night time parties is an instant recipe for terrible red-eye on their photographs. The fact that it is dark, and your eyes dilate naturally to see plus the addition of alcohol which causes your eyes to dilate even more allows the flash from a cheap P&S camera to penetrate the Iris of the eye and reflect the red colour of the Retina. So to make your pictures as best possible, beware of that direct flash to the eyes at night, especially when out drinking!
Also managed to have a few sales today! I finally managed to sell the shops last Nikon S550, a very popular camera, but a somewhat older model now being replaced by the slightly better featured and slightly more stylish S560 which we should have on shelves by the end of this week! Along those lines we are still waiting on the other models of the “new” Nikon P&S cameras, I still have yet to see an S60 personally and I am rather upset by this fact (I was looking forward to playing with it and seeing the touch screen focusing in action).
When I have a customer come into the shop and ask a question, I do my best to give a true answer. Yes, I am a salesman when I’m at the shop, but I don’t sell by deception and misinformation like some. Heh, quite frankly I have been accused many times of giving too much information. But I am of the mind that when I sell a product, I want to sell the product that is the best product for the customer, it doesn’t make sense to sell the customer a product that ultimately they will be unhappy with. I had a customer come in today almost ready to purchase a Canon 50D. He had done a lot of online research, but a lot of what he had read didn’t make sense to him, and he had never held or felt the camera in his hands. I could probably have easily sold it to him today, but experience in sales and as a professional told me that the weight of the camera and the button controls on the camera would not be to his liking. He mentioned that he had also done extensive research into the Nikon D90. Both camera’s are very similar as far as feature set (the D90 having some minor “Entry Level” features that the 50D doesn’t have). This was a slightly older Gentleman, which immediately told me that the weight of the 50D with its Magnesium Alloy Chassis would be too much for him on a daily basis and decided the D90 would be a better option for him. I explained to him the Key differences and pulled out the D90 to let him hold it and get a feel for the button placement and feel for it in his hand. He mentioned he had read that the Canon’s images tended to look somewhat sharper and that it had something to do with the sensor. I briefly explained to him the difference between Nikon and Canon’s AA filters and ultimately convinced him that the Nikon was the camera for him. He wasn’t prepared to purchase today, but he told me that from our conversation that I had earned his trust and that when he was ready he would be back to see me. Now, my methodology isn’t the best at the daily sales level, I full well understand that. And this type of situation happens to me on occasion, I have people tell me that they are convinced but aren’t prepared to purchase today, but they will be back… well I would say only 2-3 in 10 actually come back, but I guess I have too much respect for the camera’s and the Manufacturer’s to sell a person a camera and allow it to be used twice and then put in the closet to collect dust for the next 10 years (sadly I have seen it happen).
Until tomorrow, and as always, I am happy to field any questions you may have! Just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail!
Always,
Douglas
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10.26.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 8:25 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents.!
Im very sorry for having missed yesterday, but sadly there was no access to the computer to write it! But at the same time, there has been almost no new information. There are some interesting video interviews floating around from Photo+Expo in New York this last week, many of which talk about some interesting new products and software, including some that will instant FTP from the camera.
Now, one of the more common questions I get asked is about wide angles and Fisheye lenses. Many people come in with Canon Rebel’s wanting Fisheye lenses, many Skater photographers just using the cheap camera’s. Well, I have bad news for you folks using the APS-C Canon Camera’s, Canon doesn’t make a Fisheye lens formatted for that sensor size. Nikon has their 10.5mm Fisheye which is designed for their DX format camera’s, but it also has an issue in that it doesn’t have an AF-s motor drive, so it wont autofocus with the “Mini” Nikon’s (D40, D40x, and D60). Now there are options, and an increasing number of options at that. Sigma has recently announced both a standard fisheye and a True Circular fisheye lens for digital sensors, as well as updates to their FF (Full frame) Fisheye’s. Now Sigma tends to be a fairly popular lens, but in my personal experience, they are not the best built lenses and are a PAIN in the Butt to get repaired if something does go wrong with it. Now, for Canon users, you can always use the classic FF 15mm Fisheye lens, but I find that the cropped sensor tend to do just that, crop out all the fisheye affect. So there are options out there for that Fisheye lens you have always wanted, but do the research and possibly rent a lens once or twice and shoot around with it to get a feel for it before finally committing to it!.
Good luck and as per usual, if you have any questions, I’m more then happy to field them and answer them as best I can!
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10.24.08
Posted in Reviews and Opinions at 5:59 pm by Administrator
Hello Ladies and Gents.
Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you all! The bad news… not a whole lot of new information… announcements are incredibly slow right now but I’m hoping for some before the end of the year. The good news, what little information there is right now seems to be some nice rebates from the two “Major” brands, both Nikon and Canon. Canon’s rebates seem to be primarily Lenses and their two major flashes, nothing major just $50 here and $150 there… when your talking about getting $80 off a $1500 lens, a person tends to go “big whoop”, but as any photographer knows, this equipment is exspensive and every dollar helps!
http://www.usa.canon.com/app/pdf/Promotions/ir_lensflash_oct08.pdf
Nikon’s also has some price drops, but they don’t have the specific information online, it should hits stores within the next few weeks!
Ok, now I had some customers come in today with questions about the Sony SLR camera’s. Now I personally have never had much affinity for them. I think they are bulky, image quality is so-so at best, and the Lenses and Accessories are nearly impossible to find in a store. Now, the Sony’s do have some major advantages! Many of you may know the name Minolta or Konika-Minolta, they were a major player in the camera market about 7-8 years ago, during the “Digital shift”. Well, they produced their Auto-Focus system called the Maxxum and it was a success film and early digital camera. Now, right before the “Digital Shift” Minolta invested a lot of money into a film system called APS (Advance Photo System) which was a smaller Negative than 35mm and allowed options for Panoramic and different size formats all on the same Neg. Well, APS all but died with Digital hitting shelves within 2 years of its release and APS couldn’t withstand the ease and Convenience of Digital. Well, when APS died, so did Minolta due to their major investment in APS. So Minolta goes under and Sony buys up their Camera division and puts Minolta tech into the Sony Alpha camera’s. So now people who had invested in Minolta Maxxum camera’s can use their Lenses on the Sony Alpha camera’s. That was one major advantage Sony had because even a Cheap lens runs you about $150-$200 so even one or two lenses and your saving yourself some major money. Sony has two other major advantages, #1: they produce their own Sensor tech. so it becomes much cheaper to produce the camera’s, allowing them to sell their camera’s without a sensor mark up like Nikon who purchases the majority of their SLR sensors from Sony. Sony also as a Tech company has a Feature rich concept for their products. So they formulated a different way of doing their LiveView which is a little more functional than the other major companies. Sony however does not have the best mind for Imaging Quality, and again, Lenses and Accessories are very difficult to come by unless you already have some from the Minolta Maxxum days.
That is all for today. Until tomorrow!
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