The Hidden Cost of Digital SLR Cameras

Your old digital camera is on its last leg.You've carried it everywhere and it has served you well, but it's time for an upgrade. You've heard a lot about digital SLR cameras and decide to give them a look.You're confronted with a variety of camera models and a huge range in price: you can pay anywhere from $500 to $5,000 for a new digital SLR.You decide to stick to the cameras that cost less than $1,000 and you carefully budget out the amount you are willing to spend.But here's the gotcha: the cost of your new digital SLR can exceed the price of camera and lens alone.Welcome to the hidden costs of digital SLR cameras.Memory CardsMany compact digital cameras come packaged with a memory card to get you started - digital SLRs don't.At the same time that you order your camera, you'll also have to order a memory card to store your photos.The size and cost of the card that you need is directly proportional to the number of megapixels your camera has: the more megapixels, the more storage.A 512 MegaByte card is the bare minimum for most digital SLRs, while 1 GigaByte will give you plenty of space, even for an extended vacation.HIDDEN COST: $30 to $50BatteriesDigital SLR cameras eat batteries like you wouldn't believe.Every photo you take engages the camera's internal processor, writes the photo to the memory card and displays an image on the LCD.While modern rechargeable batteries last through hundreds of shots, they also take hours to charge.If you are having a party and your battery dies, everyone will be long gone by the time your camera is ready to take more photos.A spare battery ensures that your digital SLR camera always has power, even if the primary battery runs out.HIDDEN COST: $50Hard DrivesA memory card is only temporary storage solution for your digital photos.In order to be preserved, you need to copy photos from the camera to your computer's hard drive.Again, the amount of space you need is directly proportional to the number of megapixels in your camera.Take stock of just how much available space you have on your hard drive before you complete your digital SLR purchase.If you've only got a few MegaBytes of unused space, you'll have to consider buying an external hard drive along with your camera.HIDDEN COST: $150 to $300Computer UpgradesThis is the stealthiest of the hidden costs associated with your new digital SLR camera.While your digital SLR is shiny and new, your 5-year-old computer may not be up to the task of displaying all of the photos you take with it.Beyond hard drive space, your computer also needs enough Random Access Memory (RAM) and computing power to handle the large file sizes created by modern digital SLRs.While you can copy photos from camera to computer, you may find that viewing and editing them is painfully slow.Some minor computer upgrades may help you get by, but sometimes the only solution is a brand new computer that is able handle your digital photos.HIDDEN COST: $100 to $1,000

Shoot Like a Pro - Filters For Your Digital Camera

The white balance feature employed by digital cameras negates most color added by external filters attached to your lens. However, there are several types of filters that still work and should be included in your camera bag.

1) UV filter
2) Polarizing Filter
3) Graduated Neutral Density filter
4) Neutral Density filter

UV Filters
It is true that most lenses have excellent UV coatings so putting a UV filter on your lens is a bit redundant. Yet, these 'clear' lenses can still provide protection from things that scratch like, dirt, sea water, branches etc. It is much cheaper to replace a $20 filter than it is to repair or replace the front element of your lens. Some may argue that you shouldn't put a cheap filter on an expensive lens, but the quality of the filters these days is good, and the protection a filter provides far outweighs any loss of quality.

Polarizing Filters
Circular polarizing filters are designed to cut highlights and specular highlights. They also turn your sky blue and can make white puffy clouds really stand out. By turning the outside of the filter, you can adjust how much polarization you want. To maintain a natural looking image, you should only use the lower (least) half. If you use too much, your the sky will be too blue and the contrast too high, leaving you with a distorted looking image. Play around with the filter to see which setting work best for you. These filters work very well on water as they remove most of the specular highlights and enable you to see into the water instead of just the surface. These filters work best on sunny days and are most effective used at a ninety degree angle to the sun. Regardless of what the salesman in the camera shop says, unless you have reflections, polarizing filters are not effective on cloudy days. Keep in mind, that using a polarizer will reduce the amount of light through your lens by.75 - 2 stops depending on how much you use. In order to avoid any potential metering errors, make sure to get a circular (NOT linear) polarizer for your digital DSLR. You cannot replicate the effects of a circular polarizer in Photoshop. It is possible to simulate some of the effects, but for cutting highlights, use a polarizer. Many pro's consider this filter to be an essential part of their kit and never leave home without one.

Graduated Neutral Density filters
Graduated neutral density filters are clear on one half and slightly darker on the other. By aligning the darker half with a light sky, you can balance the contrast in an image enabling you to meter more effectively. These are usually rectangular and require a filter holding system that screws onto the front of your lens. These filters come in different densities or 'stops' (darkness) and are usually graduated, meaning there is a smooth transition from one end to the other. This ensures the filter is not visible in your shot. These work particularly well for landscape images with a dark foreground and light sky.

Neutral Density filters
These are similar to a graduated filter, but these are consistently dark from one end to the other. They do not add or affect the color, but intentionally darken your image. If you are shooting a river scenic on a bright day, there may be too much light for you to slow down the image enough to blur the water. Using a neutral density filter will darken your image enough for you to use a shutter speed slow enough to blur the rushing water. These filters usually come in 2 or 3 stop varieties.

A few other notes about filters:

1) Most of these filters can be replicated in retouching programs like Photoshop, though the techniques can be advanced and time consuming. For simple warming or cooling filters, simply add a "Photo Filter" layer and choose the color temperature you want. To replicate the graduated neutral density filter you must shoot the image twice. Expose once for the foreground or darker part of the image, and then for the second shot, expose correctly for the light part of the image. Then combine the two images in Photoshop. This works best for still images, since it is very difficult to blend images that do not match up exactly. Keep in mind that extensive adjustments in Photoshop can degrade the quality of your image.

2) When purchasing any round filter for your lenses, the size of the front element should be marked on or near the front of the lens. The size is usually given in mm.

3) The adage "You get what you pay for." holds true when buying filers. The moderate and more expensive filters will be of much higher quality. When buying filters, look for coated or super-coated filters. For round filters, Tiffin and Hoya make good filters at reasonable prices. B+W and Heliopan are excellent, but a bit more expensive. For square or rectangle filters (NDG or ND Filters) Singh-Ray, Hi-Tech, Lee all make very high quality filters. These filters also require a holder so make sure that the filters you buy fit your holder i.e.. square filter in a holder designed for a rectangle. Conkin makes popular holders.

Though many filters can be replicated in Photoshop, several should still be in your bag. Have them ready, learn to use them and you can bring your images to the next level.

François l'embrouille - Péagiste l'Ile de Ré (HD)

François l'embrouille - Péagiste l'Ile de Ré HD Camera cachée François l'embrouille Camera invisible François l'embrouille Extrait des Best ouf de François l'embrouille François l'embrouille ... François Damiens, né à Uccle en 1973, est un comique et acteur belge. Connu en Belgique francophone pour ses caméras cachées réalisées pour l'émission Si c'était vous aux côtés de Jean-Michel Zecca et Mike (sans avoir travaillé ensemble sur les mêmes caméra cachés), diffusée sur RTL-TVI, il se lance en 2006 dans une carrière cinématographique, avec notamment des rôles dans OSS 117 : Le Caire, nid d'espions et Dikkenek, film qui a fait connaître François Damiens en France et en Suisse. Ses différents rôles François "L'Embrouille" a fait plus de 150 caméras cachées, chacune sous différentes fonctions professionnelles. Entre autres : Vendeur de chaussures, chef scout, juge (pour les chats), juge (pour le tunning de voiture), glacier, pharmacien, taxi (là où il a piégé la plupart des vedettes), serrurier, etc. Pour se faire encore plus discret, François a abandonné les professions pour se faire passer pour un touriste. Entre autres : Joueur de golf, élève dans une école secondaire, vélo-cycliste, un voyageur blessé ayant crevé un pneu, skieur, etc. Certaines caméras cachées emploient un ou plusieurs complices (jouant plus ou moins un rôle de figurant) pour piéger une personne afin de ne laisser le moins de doutes possible aux victimes. Par exemple : Élève dans une école secondaire (où ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdun2-DfX3o&hl=en

Late Of The Pier 'Best In The Class' (Official)

'Best In The Class' is out now on Phantasy Sound. itunes - bit.ly beatport - bit.ly juno - bit.ly 12 inch Rough Trade - bit.ly Pure Groove - bit.ly Phonica - bit.ly Credits: Make Up Roxie Powell Stylist Eva Foster Assistant Stylist Madeleine Ostlie Choreographer Sophie Adams Lighting Sy Turnball Camera Greg Taylor Producer Sam Dollop Edit Mike Prior Assistant Director Fionn McSherry Directors Sam Potter and Steve Glashier www.phantasysound.co.uk



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Z_fCHC4g4&hl=en

Google Goggles

Google Goggles is a visual search app for Android phones. Instead of using words, take a picture of an object with your camera phone: we attempt to recognize the object, and return relevant search results. Goggles also provides information about businesses near you by displaying their names directly in the camera preview.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhgfz0zPmH4&hl=en

Life as a civilian security contractor in Iraq. pt 2

The camera follows a security contractor around on a job in Baghdad, Iraq.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNUFXA9wtqw&hl=en

Dulary & Misty's First Swim

On July 5, 2008, best friends Misty and Dulary finally went swimming in Dulary's Pond! For nearly a year they had been walking past this cool body of water (was it a mirage?), but on this hot summer day, Dulary suddenly stopped, looked down at the water, and then ran into the pond, splashing side to side with her trunk. Hearing the commotion, Misty looked down from the top of the hill and immediately joined her sister playing in the water. This was also the first time Misty had gone swimming since arriving at the Sanctuary several years earlier. Caregivers grabbed the video camera and captured this rare glimpse of Dulary and Misty's very first swim together at The Elephant Sanctuary. After this, they returned to the pond to swim nearly every day. For more information about Dulary and Misty, please visit www.elephants.com.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVz7LjF_me0&hl=en

The Best TV Bloopers All Time

An 8 min. compilication of the best tv blooperclips - picked out of 14 other videoes.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM4wDEERWvE&hl=en