Digital Camera Fiend - A Camera Review

It’s hard to catch your breath in this no-holds-barred account of Deborah Copaken Kogan’s life as a female photojournalist. Kogan traveled to the most dangerous corners of the world during her 20s and 30s with a camera around her neck, encountering a host of unique characters, political situations, and romances along the way.

Flakmagazine.com says, “At 22, more self-confident than knowledgeable, Kogan traveled to Afghanistan with a handsome, but mentally unstable, French photographer named Pascal to cover the Soviet Army’s pullout at the end of the war in that country. Pascal abandoned her there, leaving Kogan to her own resources to arrange passage into the interior, to the Hindu Kush Mountains. Attaching herself to a gang of Afghan guerillas, she lived in caves for a month, watched men blown up by landmines and witnessed children dying of preventable illnesses.”
And that’s just the first chapter.

As an author, Kogan is forthcoming and frank about her life and loves–a refreshing approach, and rare for a memoir written on recent events. Kogan leaves it to readers to draw their own conclusions and judgements on her life, and she doesn’t seem to care what those may be.

This book was recommended to me by a very talented, veteran photojournalist. A must on the reading list of any aspring photojournalist–though not necessarily their parents.

Originally uploaded by Sir Fish at flickr.com

Taken with a Canon Digital Rebel 350D XT

Macro, or close-up photography, can be a great way to put a new spin on a familiar subject. We can almost smell the waxy scent of crayons in this shot–it takes us back to our thrid grade classroom.
Take into consideration the limited depth of field on macro shots–you will notice that segments outside the focal plane are noticibly blurry. (Example: In the excellent photo above there is slight distortion on the gray crayon). Therefore, it’s crucial to focus only on a miniscule portion of your subject.
Usually a special-purpose camera lens will have to be used when taking macro shots. Many photographers will use a telephoto macro lenses to help with lighting issues.

Canon unveiled this successor to its popular 300D Digital in February 2005 just in time for the year’s large photography trade show PMA.

The 8 megapixel EOS 350D has a smaller body, refined design, DIGIC II image processor, and a new CMOS sensor. Its functions and features put it in direct competition with the Olympus E-300 and the Nikon D70.

Reviewers say the EOS 350D has excellent resolution, good color, low noise levels, excellent autofocus system, fast start-up and good continuous shooting speed.

Criticisms include a dim LCD monitor, disappointing kit lens (get the body only and buy a lens you like), and merely an average automatic white balance.

The 350D is priced at $569 for the body only.

The 8.2-megapixel Canon EOS 20D is a digital SLR camera released in 2004.

The 20D was so good that when Canon decided to upgrade it (the Canon EOS 30D) last year they made very few changes and kept the sensor and image processor the same on the new model!

The EOS 20D originally retailed for $1,499 (body only) but you can get one for a lot cheaper here.

Consumers saw it as an immediate improvement on the Canon EOS 10D. The EOS 20D offered a faster shutter (1/8000, compared to 1/4000), slightly better autofocus, higher megapixel count, and an instantaneous “wake up” from standby mode.

The Canon EOS 20D was popular with serious hobbyists and travelers who need a dependable, durable camera. A review from dcresource states that the camera’s magnesium alloy frame is well-built and rugged, while also allowing for a comfortable hand grip.

In fact, the reviewer found it hard to fault this camera, calling it the best digital SLR camera under $2,000.

Originally uploaded by Po Lo at flickr.com

Taken with a Canon EOS D20 digital camera.

Part of the beauty of being a photographer is finding yourself in highly unusual situations and being able to record the experience to share with others. You have to do more than spot and frame your subject….if you can smell, touch, feel, or even taste your subject, you will convey that knowledge to your viewers.

The photographer who snapped this brilliant shot of a popular Afghani sport called Buzkashi nearly got trampled he was so close to the action. But his efforts paid off and he lived to share his bizarre experience.

For those who are wondering, Buzkashi (Buz=goat, kashi=taking out) is similar to polo except riders pick up and hurl a headless goat or calf carcass over goal posts. Traditional inhabitants of Central Asia spent a great deal of time on horseback, so the game developed to showcase their riding skills.

Here’s an oldie but goodie. Released in 2000, the 2.1-megapixel Olympus C2100UZ originally retailed at $999. It was remarkable in that it gave users a 10x zoom lens when most other digital cameras of that day were struck at 3x. In order to prevent blurs and shakes, Olympus devised a built-in opticial image stabilization system.

The camera is quite bulky by today’s standards, weighing just over a pound. It just goes to show how far the technology (and affordability) of digital cameras has come in seven years.

Originally uploaded by PhotobyMark at flickr.com

Quite often the best photographs are those of chance, like this shot of a Dogface Puffer fish. Taken with an Olympus C2100UZ digital camera, the photographer had his camera gear within arm’s reach when he saw the rare occurance of the fish puffing.

By the time he snapped the photo the fish was already starting to deflate, but he was able to capture this beautiful frontal shot. Obviously this fish lives up to its name.

The Canon Powershot A80, released in 2003, was an upgrade from one of the Canon’s most popular models ever–the Powershot A70. The major improvements in the A80 are a higher megapixel count (4.0) and the swiveling LCD screen–perfect for concert shots where you must hold the camera above your head to get a picture.

This digital camera received high marks from reviewers for its relative low cost, ease of use and photo quality. It also offers full manual controls and the ability to switch camera lenses.

Some have critized the Powershot A80 for being a bit too bulky–it definitely won’t fit in your pocket. However, it’s a great introductory digital camera for the budding photographer with enough options to keep an advanced novice interested.

Canon has continued to evolve its Powershot series and no longer manufacturs the Powershot A80.

Originally uploaded by wwwigz at flickr.com.

We love this playful photo, taken with a Canon Powershot A80 digital camera. The photographer took a series of six photos from his vantage point and later used Adobe Photoshop to cut out sillouettes and meld them together in one picture.The darkened sky and distant sun suggest a winter scene. Perhaps the leaping character is making a symbolic journey across time–from one solstice to the next.

In any case, it’s a fun shot that can be constructed with any camera and Adobe Photoshop software.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good digital camera is priceless.

We’re excited about this site–compiled by photographers from varying fields and skills levels including hobbyists, photojournalists, and fashion shooters. Each day we will select a Photo of the Day, comment on it, and discuss the camera equipment used to capture it (when known).

We’ll also write about digital camera and photography issues, resources, and more. Use digitalcamerafiend.com as a guide or a good read. And please…drop us a line if you have something to say!