CoolPhotoIdeas

Information about Photography: Ideas, gifts, prints and novelties!

1-Bit Camera: Take Your iPhone Pics Back in Time

Cameras are constantly getting bigger and better, take the iPhone camera for example, it's got 8-megapixel sensor and is capable of taking some spectacular images… normally.

However, if you want to give your iPhone snaps a somewhat more retro-digital feel you could always download the 1-Bit Camera app and enjoy a 1-bit dynamic range and 150 kilopixels.

Sure your images -- which can still be shared on social networks -- look like they have come from a 1980s, but that might just make them stand out from the Instagram hoards.

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Think Tank keep SD cards safe with Pixel Pocket Rocket

We've lost more SD cards than we care to think about, sure they sometimes turn up in the bottom of our camera bag, but we're constantly misplacing them.

And those people at Think Tank must have the same problem -- because they have just released the SD Pixel Pocket Rocket, a compact carrier for 9 SD memory cards.

The wallet-like holds your memory cards in clear pockets and the SD storage can also be tethered to your bag for a added security.

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Canon brings 4K video to DSLRs with EOS-1D C

Not long ago your bought a DSLR to take photos, then along came video fucntions, Full HD video and now 4K video after Canon revealed the EOS-1D C, the first DSLR capable of recording video at 4K resolution.

While still capable of shooting 18MP stills the camera is clearly all about the video and in addition to shooting 4K video suitable for the cinema industry -- that's a Full HD-dwarfing 4096 x 2160 -- it also boasts 1080p at 50/60fps.

Because the 1D C is based on the EOS-1D X it's no slouch when it comes to stills either and there is 12fps continuous stills shooting, a 61 point AF system and an ISO range of 100-25600.

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Facebook buys Instagram for a billion dollars

We've told you before about how much we like Instagram here at CoolPhotoIdeas, but it turns out Facebook likes it even more -- they've just bought it for $1bn.

The deal for the photo-sharing application was recently announced on Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg who said the companies would compliment each other.

He added that rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook they would work to build on Instagram's strengths and features.

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Canon EOS 60Da -- The DSLR for Brian Cox and other space fans

If Brian Cox is in the market for a new camera, something tells us he will probably be looking at the Canon EOS 60Da -- a DSLR designed specifically for astrophotography.

Canon have used a modified low-pass filter which sits in front of the camera’s 18-megapixel CMOS sensor and makes it more sensitive to infrared light.

Based on the popular EOS 60D camera (as the name would suggest) the camera benefits from enhanced sensitivity to H-a long-wavelength light.

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Could you take a portrait of a President in 90 seconds?

You probably look at portraits of world leaders and think they have taken ages to create -- but as this video shows, they can be a somewhat rushed affair.

Earlier this year, Straits Times photographer Desmond Lim was tasked with the job of getting a portrait of Myanmar President Thein Sein. The problem… he'd have only 90 seconds to get the job done.

Preparing for the daunting task he set up a backdrop and three lights, an hour before a planned interview began.

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The camera which lets you 'frame' shots with your fingers

Would-be photographers the world over have held their finger to their faces to frame a shot before taking a picture -- but now their digits could actually become a camera.

Boffins from the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences in Japan have shown off a camera with attaches to a finger and transform a humble hand into a camera.

Users (after assuming the rectangular fingers pose) then frame the shot they want to take, moving their hands away from their face to zoom in.

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100-year-old camera hacked to take digital photos

Photography fan Jason Bognacki wanted to use his nearly 100-year-old camera, but he also wanted digital images… so he hacked the aging Piccolette Contessa-Nettel together with a considerably newer cam.

After hacked the old camera so that it produced an image on the sensor of his Canon 5D mark 2 Bognacki snapped some lovely photos of his dog and shots of local streets.

And the results are pretty impressive, sure they have an old-timey feel to them, but what do you expect from an camera which was last cutting-edge in 1919!

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Photographer's i magazine launched for iPad

There's no shortage of photography magazines out there, but one which recently caught out eye is Photographer's i -- an multimedia iPad magazine which promises to feature the biggest photographers writing about their best work.

A spokesperson said: "Photographer’s i Magazine is designed from the ground up to make the most of the multimedia capabilities of the iPad and other tablets.

"It offers innovative content in the form of text, photos, video, and audio.

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Nikon D4 and D800 prices increased in UK: Will your camera be going up £500?

If you've got a pre-order in for a D4 or a D800, your biggest worry has until now been how long will it be before you get your mitts on your lovely new camera.

But now a potential spanner has been thrown into the works -- in the form of a blunder prompted price hike.

It's being reported that due to a 'systems error' at Nikon the D4 and D800 have been accidentally underpriced by £500 and £200 respectively.

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iPhoto hits the iPad -- makes photo editing multi-touch

Not content with giving iPad-totting photo fans the joy which is a Retina display, Apple have also rolled out a tablet version of their photo editing software iPhoto.

Bringing multi-touch to your photo library iPhoto lets users browse, edit, and share images from a iPad 2 (or later) and iPhone 4 (or later).

A spokesperson for Apple said: "iPhoto, Apple’s popular photography app, has been completely reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone.

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Intuos 5 Professional Pen Tablet rolled out at Focus

If you're a fan of using a pen and tablet to work on your photos rather than a mouse or laptop touchpad, you've almost certainly heard of Wacom and their Intuos range.

Well this week Wacom rolled out the Intuos 5 at Focus -- adding the ability to alternate between the use of multi-finger touch to position and navigate your artwork, and the pressure sensitive pen to precisely retouch, and edit.

Available in three sizes (priced at £200, £330 and £430, respectively) the rubberised devices retain the impressive 2048 levels of pen pressure and add the multitouch gestures of OS X and Windows.

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Photoshop Touch finally released for iPad

Last year ago we were blown away by the idea of a "fully functional" version of Photoshop on the iPad -- sure we'd already got Photoshop Express on our tablet, but we wanted more.

Well after 11 months of repeatably asking Adobe "Are we nearly there yet?" they have rolled out Photoshop Touch at MWC 2012 in Barcelona -- and it's a corker!

Sure it's not quite the same Photoshop you know from your PC or Mac, but it's not far off and is certainly a set up from all those photo apps which consist of a few naff filters.

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Great photography idea for capturing animal shots

A photographer has used his ingenuity and his humble iPhone to shoot some pretty impressive shots and video footage and of animals at a zoo.

On a recent trip to the zoo Mark Rober noticed how desperate people were to get a photo of the gorillas -- and that the gorillas weren't impressed with humans banging on their enclosure.

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Shoot your DSLR like a rifle… get better photos in the process

When we say we're going to shoot someone we normally mean a nice portrait rather than with a bullet - but that doesn't mean we can't learn a thing or two from the military.

A US Army officer has produced a guide to shooting your DSLR like a rifle and gain impressive low-light images in the process.

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Scalado Remove deletes unwanted people from your photos

There isn't a photographer out there who hasn't found themselves pressing the shutter button just as an unwanted character steps into frame and ruins a good photo.

And while until now we've been left seething behind a smile and and saying it doesn't matter, it appears there could soon be another way...

Swedish imaging firm Scalado have just revealed their 'remove' technology which can be used to delete unwanted objects and people who entered the frame.

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Phones4u put smartphone cameras through their paces

Smartphone cameras are getting better and better, sure they're not going to replace your DSLR any time soon, but some are surprisingly able -- the problem is knowing which ones.

Luckily the guys from Phones4u have recently put a range of camera-totting phones through their paces, including the Sony Xperia S, iPhone 4S, Galaxy S2 and Nokia Lumia 800.

In a video which has been uploaded to YouTube the cameras are put to test in a series of challenges the first of which was to see how long the phones took to take a photo.

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Nikon D800 video samples look impressive

Anyone looking at the tech sheets knows the Nikon D800 can shoot Full HD (1080p) movies in 30p, 25p and 24p, with 60p, 50p and 25p options at 720p and that movie clips can be up to 29:59 minutes long… but what does that actually mean?

Well if these samples -- released to show of the video quality of the camera -- and anything to go by, quite a lot. So much in fact the Canon 5D MK II might have something to worry about.

The above video, Joy Ride, from photographer Sandro features a motorcycle scene and shows off what the camera can do in a series of lighting conditions.

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Nikon announce the D800 a 36.15MP FX monster

Just a couple of weeks ago Nikon announced their flagship camera, the D4, a 16MP shooter which should cater to the needs of news and sports photographers.

But not everyone needs all that speed and some would rather have a bigger bang… which is why Nikon are rolling out the D800 a 36.15MP FX monster.

Nikon say the D800 -- aimed at studio photographers and landscape fans -- offers imaging potential to rival medium format cameras, but with all of the agility of the D-SLR format.

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Pentax K-01 and the world's smallest fixed focal lens

It seems that almost every week a new mirrorless camera is being launched at the moment -- and this week it's the turn of the Pentax K-01.

Designed by Marc Newson the 16MP CMOS sensor camera comes with all the features you'd expect, including full HD video, shake reduction and HDR mode.

While the K-01 is also compatible with all Pentax K-mount lenses, it is also delivered with the world's smallest fixed focal lens -- the new XS 40mm f/2.8.

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