SnapShot Archives - 10/09/1999
SNAPSHOT - PHOTO NEWS FROM BETTERPHOTO.COM
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Welcome to SnapShot, the weekly newsletter on the art
of photography from http://www.betterphoto.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Saturday, October 9, 1999
* Quick Synopsis
* Photographic Happenings on the Web
* This Week's Photo Tip
* Camera & Photography Q&A
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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photo/IMAGING:
In this fourth edition of his textbook on digital imaging, David Curl
packs volumes of instruction and inspirational thoughts into a
comprehensive 250+ page introduction to the new art.
Buy it from Amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0881960098/graphiqueA/
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QUICK SYNOPSIS
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* Photoshop 5.5 is out and the gurus are ready to teach us how to use it.
* Shoot to win the blue ribbon in a couple more photo contests!
* Agfa has published some great little guides on scanning & digital imaging.
* A little software and a good scanner can help you clean up old photos.
* The auction sites are making it easier for us to sell our own gear.
* Watch out for the gray market dealers.
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PHOTOGRAPHIC HAPPENINGS ON THE WEB
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WebReview tells all about Photoshop 5.5 in this feature - the first
of a great series of articles on how the latest release from Adobe
is especially good for Web image work:
http://webreview.com/pub/1999/09/17/feature/index.html
A UN environmental contest is offering big prizes of up to $20,000.
Preferred subject matter seems geared toward photojournalism
but awards are also given for exceptional artistic work:
http://www.unep-photo.com/english/gaiyo/gaiyo.htm
Learn all about scanning and digital imaging with Agfa:
http://www.agfahome.com/publications/
The Digital Color Prepress booklet is especially helpful for anyone
just getting into scanning for print production of images:
http://www.agfahome.com/publications/dcp1text.html
Cameraworld has a cool 3D product demo. Check out how a
particular camera looks from all angles or how photos look
with and without polarizers:
http://www.cameraworld.com/3ddemo.asp?affky=591732
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THIS WEEK'S TIP
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A landscape or horizontal photograph connotes a serene, relaxed
feeling while a portrait or vertically oriented photo comes across as
more active or dynamic. Shoot one of each for a while to get a feel
for the subtle intonations your picture's orientation creates.
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CAMERA AND PHOTOGRAPHY Q&A
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------CONTINUING Q&A--------
Q. You mentioned selling gear to a camera broker in the last issue.
Why would anyone with enough internet acumen to read your
bulletin want to sell a used camera to a broker these days, when
Ebay is available?
There is no way that a broker could offer a seller even a fraction
of the amount that a properly advertised camera from the attic is
likely to fetch on Ebay.
A. Good point. Times are changing and photo resellers are facing
a real challenge. Amazon and Ebay offer an excellent way for many
to cut the middle man. If you know what you have to sell or what you
are seeking to buy, these online auction blocks might be a better
spot for you:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/graphiqueA/
http://www.ebay.com/
Although places like Cameraworld also offer auctioned items, this
may be less of a 'find' for the general shopper because they are using it
to sell their own remnant, returned or promotional goods; customers
are not selling to other customers like at Ebay or Amazon. You can still
find some great deals there, though; right now, I am bidding on some
digital imaging equipment:
http://cameraworld.com/auction?affky=591732
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------NEW Q&A-------
Q. If I would like to get someone out of a picture I have or change
a background of a picture, what would be the best software to use?
What would be the best scanner to get the best quality I can get
from scanning prints? I have a lot of prints to work from. I know you
get better pictures with negatives, but I would like to work with past
pictures for now. I would also like to use the scanner in the office.
A. There seem to be so many software choices out there. The best,
by far, is Adobe Photoshop. However, this software costs a lot and
takes a while to learn. If, after that warning, you still want to climb this
highest mountain, buy a copy and get a good book to teach you all
the amazing things you can do with this product.
And read Adobe's Classroom in a Book (for ver. 5.0) to familiarize
yourself with the features of the program:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568304668/graphiqueA/
If that sounds out of your budget, get going with Jasc Paint Shop
Pro or Adobe Photoshop's little sister, PhotoDeluxe.
Scanners:
The following are three great scanners that you use for both flat art
and film scanning:
1. The best (and most expensive of the three) is the awesome
Imocon Flex scanner (about $15000):
http://www.imacon.dk/
2. Second choice would be the Agfa T2500. Although it is only
$4000 or so, it does a great job. It has 2500 x 2500 resolution
and a dynamic range of 3.3-3.5; that means awesome scans:
http://www.agfahome.com/products/prepress/scanners/duoscant2500.html
3. Third choice is the Umax Powerlook 3000 for about $6000:
http://www.cameras.com/umax/pl3000.pdf
If all three of these cost too much, look at Agfa's DuoScan T1200
for just over $600; this is probably the flatbed I would purchase for
myself:
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/productDetail.asp?productID=406
If you are thinking more around the $100-300 range, check out the Epson
Perfection 636 Color Scanner for under $300 (which comes with good
imaging software):
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JFM4/graphiqueA/
Or Agfa's SnapScan 1212P Color Scanner for under $100. Not as good
or upgradable (no transparency option) but decent for the price:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JBHU/graphiqueA/
*****
Q. I recently bought the Nikon F70 camera with the 28-80 3.5-5.6 lens.
What is the difference between that and the N70?
A. The F70 is the European version of the N70. Many stateside
dealers will try to sell these to unsuspecting consumers; if they deal
in the less expensive units intended for sale abroad, the seller makes
a much higher profit. This selling of 'gray market' material is illegal;
the manufacturer feels cheated, the would-be photographer in a
less prosperous economy is cheated, and U.S. buyer misses out
on the U.S. Warranty.
*****
Ask a question of your own or answer a few from your fellow photographers:
http://www.betterphoto.com/qnaTOC.asp
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Until next week, enjoy shooting!
Thank you,
Jim Miotke
BetterPhoto.com
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