Sony Alpha 100

Sony Alpha 100 reviewed in The Technofile by MC Rebbe the Rapping Rabbi

 

Sony have been making compact digital cameras for some time…in fact, their ‘Mavica’ was the first camera to digitally record images. But until recently, they had never produced a digital SLR. So in 2005, when they decided it was time to enter this highly specialised market, rather than develop a new camera from scratch, they bought into it, by acquiring one of the world’s most successful SLR companies, Konica Minolta. At the time, the photographic world was up in arms, predicting all sorts of doom and destruction. But as it turns out, the doom mongers were wrong, as the Alpha 100 bears testament to the best that both companies have to offer. Continue reading “Sony Alpha 100”

© 2007 – 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

Story of Photography, Michael Langford, Focal Press

Michael Langford Story of Photography reviewed in the Technofile by MC Rebbe The Rapping Rabbi

Photography has been with us for longer than you might think. In 1800, or thereabouts, Thomas Wedgwood (of pottery fame) created the first photograms, by coating bits of leather with silver nitrate, putting leaves on top of them and exposing them to the sun. Unfortunately though, he lacked a way to permanently ‘fix’ his creations, which, as a result, could only be viewed in weak candlelight. Continue reading “Story of Photography, Michael Langford, Focal Press”

© 2007 – 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

Adobe Releases Photoshop CS3 Beta

This year, Christmas is coming early, courtesy of Adobe, who have decided to release a public beta version of Photoshop 3. According to the company, this is to “enable customers to more easily transition to the latest hardware platforms, particularly Apple’s new Intel-based systems.”

You can download the beta, which is available as a Universal Binary for Macs or as a Windows XP/Vista compatible version, from http://labs.adobe.com, but in order to be able to do so, you’ll need a serial number from either Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe Creative Suite® 2, Adobe Creative Suite Production Studio, Adobe Design Bundle, Adobe Web Bundle or Adobe Video Bundle. If you don’t have a serial, you can still download the software, but it will expire after two days. Whether or not you have a serial, you’ll need to register online with Adobe or have an existing Adobe.com membership account to access the download.

Adobe claim that Photoshop CS3 is “packed with new features,”  including a pre-release version of a major upgrade to Adobe Bridge and the brand new ‘Adobe Device Central’, which, Adobe  say, can be used to “design, preview and test compelling mobile content, created specifically for smaller screens.” 
Though Adobe say there will still be some surprises in store when the final version is released, you’ll have to wait ‘till a yet unnamed date in Spring 2007 to find out what they are.

More info: http://labs.adobe.com

© 2006 – 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

Adobe Video Bundle & Creative Suite Production Studio Standard

MC Rebbe The Rapping Rabbi reviews Adobe Video Bundle in The TechnofileAdobe recently updated its video suite, with full new versions of…pretty much everything and having spent the past couple of months putting it through its paces, I’m lovin’ it, lovin’, lovin’ it, lovin’ it like this… Continue reading “Adobe Video Bundle & Creative Suite Production Studio Standard”

© 2006 – 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro

Sigma 70-300mm f4.-5.6 APO DG Macro reviewed in The Technofile by MC Rebbe The Rapping RabbiI remember watching a photography show on TV a while ago, in which it was suggested that a plastic flowerpot, painted black, would make a good lens shade for cheapskates those on a budget. I’m guessing that Sigma were watching too, as the shade that comes with this 70-300mm lens bears an uncanny resemblance to the afore suggested plant holder. It also lengthens what is already an impressively long lens, to such an extent that whilst I was testing it, girls were stopping me in the street to say “that’s a big one!”…At least, I assume it was the lens they were talking about…

For the uninitiated, a focal length of 50mm is considered ‘standard’ for 35mm (or full frame digital) cameras, as it most closely approximates normal human vision. Anything much above 50mm is referred to as telephoto and has the effect of  magnifying distant objects, which is desirable for many reasons…candid photography, wildlife photography, portrait photography…and of course, my favourite, stalking… Continue reading “Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro”

© 2006 – 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.