Disposable Cameras for Weddings
July 5, 2010
Disposable wedding cameras (also called single-use cameras) will never replace a professional photographer, of course. But they could save money on the overall photo budget, provide memorable fun for you and your guests, and occasionally turn up a priceless casual shot.
Disposable low-price wedding cameras are a popular wedding favor at many wedding receptions. These cameras are placed on each wedding guest table, usually accompanied by a printed card encouraging guests to use these cameras throughout the reception to capture unforgettable moments that may be missed by the professional photographer. They also are a wonderful and fun activity for the guests.
While the professional photographer is busy orchestrating beautiful pictures of the wedding party and family, many things are taking place throughout the reception that are well worth capturing on film. Wedding guests may use these cameras just like any other camera, simply point and shoot.
There are a huge variety of choices. Disposable wedding cameras are available in many styles to accommodate just about any wedding theme. Most cameras include Kodak, Fuji or AGFA film with 15 to 27 exposures per camera; 24 exposures is most common. Often you can save even more money by buying cameras in large quantities.
A Guide to Disposable Digital Cameras
June 29, 2010
Disposable Cameras (also called single-use cameras) first came on the market as film cameras. You would take the entire camera back where you bought it and they would crack it open, take out the film and process it, resulting in photos that were virtually indistinguishable from photos taken with a more conventional camera. Now, following the trends in conventional cameras, there is a choice between using film or digital disposable cameras.
Some people think digital cameras are too hard to use; the disposable digital cameras offer a solution. Disposable digital cameras still have all of the great features that attract people to digital cameras such viewing your pictures before printing and photo manipulation. With a disposable digital camera, you get a flash, a timer, and a viewing monitor (depending on the model you buy). This means that you can see whether you want to take the picture over or not, as you also have the ability to delete an unwanted photo, and retake it if you have the opportunity. Additionally, a free picture CD is usually included with your prints in a disposable digital camera package.
Digital Wedding Photography: Myth Vs. Reality
June 23, 2010
1. Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most people that say that have never seen a photo produced by a professional grade digital camera. The quality of modern digital cameras is equal of greater than film cameras.
2. Myth: Digital photos don’t last they will fade in a couple of years. Reality: Only the photo capture part is digital. The printing is done using traditional photo paper on the same paper and chemistry used to print film photos. So, both will last the same.
3. Myth: Digital colors are muddy. Reality: Only if they are produced with cheap, low quality cameras and/or the photographer doesn’t know how to adjust them and process them for printing
4. Myth: Digital photos are dangerous; the photographer can lose your photos.
Reality: Nowadays most photos are stored using Flash Cards that is one of the most reliable forms of digital storage. After the wedding the photos are downloaded to the computer and additional backups are created on CD or DVD allowing several copies of the same event to reside on different locations. In the case that photos are accidentally deleted they can be recovered using software. With film there is only one copy. It is not uncommon for the photo labs to lose the film, damage it in the printing machine, process it in the wrong chemistry, scratch it, etc. Film also can be damaged in camera, be fogged, damaged by X-rays at the airport, suffer color changes due to heat or age etc.
Digital Camera Reviews and Ratings De-Mystify the Choices
June 18, 2010
Shopping for a new digital camera can be quite frustrating with the hundreds of choices available. Digital camera reviews clarify this confusion by comparing camera features and options, then rating how each camera compares with similar models.
An effective comparison of best digital cameras requires two things: 1) the camera’s specs and features, and 2) performance ratings. Spec sheets and ratings are plentiful, but to efficiently compare digital cameras it’s important to set some guidelines.
Decide on how the camera will be used, the quality and size of final prints, and necessary features. Write these down and rank camera reviews and ratings against these standards. Whether looking for a professional or snapshot camera, scan the reviews and narrow your choices down to a few cameras before making final comparisons.
OK, Lets Cut to the Chase…
Re-visit the reviews for this short list and evaluate the digital camera ratings in more depth for the following criteria:
Design, Construction and Controls
Minor design differences can become significant in daily camera use. Carefully compare how each camera’s review is rated for design elements. Size and weight, body configuration, plus location of buttons, knobs and other controls can make a camera a joy to use or a real pain in the neck.
Canadas Digital Cameras, Digital Camcorders and Cheap Memory Cards Canada
June 13, 2010
Digital SLR Camera or Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera is an ideal camera for professionals and amateur photographers. They usually having interchangeable lenses and are known for capturing superior quality images. They come with many advanced features like megapixels, zoom, memory cards, batteries, comfort and more. One of the great appeals of digital is the ability to shoot in “raw” format.
We carry the following digital camera and camcorders brands. Check out: ? Fujifilm Digital SLR Camera ? Konica Minolta Digital SLR Camera ? Olympus Digital SLR Camera ? Pentax Digital SLR Camera ? Samsung Digital SLR Camera ? Casio Digital SLR Camera
Buy FinePixS3Pro, Finepix S3 Pro (HS-V2 software included), Pentax: *istDS Kit w/ DA18-55 lens and more?
Digital SLR Camera Features Before you buy a digital camera, you should equip yourself with its complete feature, brand and price information. Find out the best brands and compare the features. Here we have for you some useful information that will help you enhance your knowledge about digital SLR cameras.
Camcorder Techniques: How To Make Home Movies Your Family And Friends Will Be Excited To Watch
June 7, 2010
Pre-Production:
It’s all got to start somewhere, so before you even charge your batteries, rewind those tapes or pack the car, take a seat and have a good think about what you are planning to shoot with your camcorder. ‘Planning is the key’ to a good production even if you’re just shooting a small home movie.
It may sound like overkill if you head out the door to film your children at a sporting event or a family birthday party, but if you are planning to display the video to family and friends or even review it yourself for extended lengths of time, you will want AND need it to be as compelling as possible.
Now if you’re filming a longer feature or being paid for a project, pre-production planning is essential. Both in streamlining the production phase of the project and displaying a professional image for your business. This is done by using basic filming techniques.
This may consist of sketching up a storyboard (to download a sample go to www.kmsvideo.com/Resources.htm), detailed notes or an interview/information session with the client.
“But I just want to shoot a home movie, not a production of Ben Hur!” I hear you say. OK then, let’s bring it back to basics shall we?
Becoming A Digital Artist On A Budget
June 3, 2010
So, you want to become a digital artist but paying several hundred dollars for Photoshop seems too much. Don’t worry, there are dozens of very inexpensive tools you can use available on the Internet.
Icon Constructor
Icon Constructor converts BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, PSD, TGA and TIFF formats into Windows icons. You can find many images on the Internet and convert them to icons for use on your Windows desktop, in applications and much more. The program supports Windows XP icons in 32-bit color depth with an alpha channel; now you can create semi-transparent XP icons easily. With just a few clicks, any image you find on the Internet or create in a paint program can be turned into an icon. Plus, proprietary FriendlyLINK technology allows creating icons using pictures of your friends and family.
Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/iconconstructor.htm
Pics Print
Pics Print has a built-in photo editor that lets you crop, resize, rotate, and color-correct images. Users who enjoy adding artistic effects to their photos can blur, emboss, and sharpen the images, add borders, and produce an unlimited variety of creative touches. There is even a red-eye remover that takes out the red circles that the camera’s flash often adds to portraits.
Using a Camcorder to Record Family Events Quickly and Easily
May 29, 2010
Let’s start there (but not spend too much time on it because you are probably already checked out on their use):
On/Off - On some brands you actually have to find two or three switches to accomplish this. You may be required to choose between camera and VCR or VTR, you may have to open shutters over the lens or remove a lens cap, and you may have choices about snapshots, locked, standby, or video. You’re probably ready when you see a picture through the viewfinder with no unexpected icon flashing in the middle.
Zoom - Changes the lens setting from wide angle to telephoto. You see what’s happening in the viewfinder.
Red “Take” button - Rolls the tape. Usually “REC” shows in the viewfinder when recording and “STDBY” shows when the tape is stopped.
Beyond that everything else is automated on most consumer camcorders. You only have to master all those other buttons if you want to take control of things like focus, exposure, shutter speed, color balance, stabilization, depth of field, freeze motion, volume, and tons of other special effects and titling. On most camcorders the default manufacturer settings are the place to start — they’ve done a very good job taming all these options. You should only need to make changes for particular scenes when you see things going wrong. So let’s not trail through all the buttons and menu options out there right now. Instead let’s focus on you and all the problems you can create.
Video Camcorder Formats and Media
May 23, 2010
There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats out there:
VHS - The old standard, too big, not digital, easily played anywhere without conversion.
VHS-C - A small cassette that fits in an adapter to play in a regular VCR. Most people who have these older units record at the slow EP or SLP speed which gives them borderline crummy results. Not my favorite, as you may guess, but these camcorders are cheap, cheap, cheap. In the right hands, I’ve seen dazzling results.
S-VHS and S-VHS-C - Called “super” VHS, this format puts more details on a VHS-like tape than regular VHS camcorders do, but unless you have a VCR that plays it back, the picture looks all torn and raggedy. A good non-digital format for pros but on its way out.
8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 - A popular family of camcorder tapes primarily engineered by Sony, the small cassette looks sort of like VHS-C but there is no adapter to play it in a VHS VCR. It started with 8mm, got improved by Hi8 (which used to be expensive), and went digital with Digital8. Hi8 camcorders are now on sale very cheaply– they are a good choice for the budget-minded. The D8 (Digital8) format ain’t bad — it costs less lower than some of the other digital formats, it’s a little larger (therefore more robust?), and D8 equipment is compatible with computer editing systems through it’s Firewire plugs just like pro gear.
To Camcorder Enthusiasts: What Does Reality TV Really Mean? - Great News for the Camcorder User!
May 17, 2010
Reality TV is experiencing an upsurge in popularity and its presence has conditioned the public’s acceptance of a number of things:
- That lead actors being trained and polished ‘performers’ is no longer a necessity.
- Camcorder movement. As the use of ‘dollies’, ‘jibs’ and even ’steadycams’ to obtain smooth motion/tracking shots are often at odds with site and time constraints.
- Reduction in production values of video, lighting and audio.
Whilst a ‘reduction in production values’ may not inspire confidence, it bodes as a positive to the small time camcorder operator in reduced production costs. And the savvy camcorder operator can make up any shortfall with a little imagination and a lot of ingenuity.
“Anyone can be a video producer”, says Mark Sturge, of KMS Productions “technology has delivered the tools and there is an emerging group of people who know that (don’t tell anyone this) video and even television production is easy, if you have the right plan.
“Desktop video is a huge opportunity.” Mark goes on to explain “Everyday people are looking for special memories to be preserved on video tape or DVD. That family occasion/party/wedding or their children’s sports events filmed with a camcorder. And now getting their favourite sport or hobby on TV is possible. Yes? possible. And you can be the video producer that does it for them!”
