School is out for some and will be for almost everyone soon. Now comes the time of vacations, summer jobs, camping or leisure. Now is the time of the year for Nikon Digital Camera sales in Indianapolis! I am a big fan of the new Nilon S230 point and shoot digital camera. With five colors: Jet Black, Cool Blue, Plum, Warm Silver and Gloss Red you could have a Nikon Digital camera for any mood. But I’m not here to talk about color, I’m here to tell you about what this digital camera can do better than any of others that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot of digital cameras out Indianapolis!). Heck, even Nikon has had a couple of other touch panel models themselves, but this camera is what I like to call a hybrid. No it won’t get you better milage on your way to Key West, it might get you better pictures quicker. I call it a hybrid because it still has some physical buttons on it as well as virtual touch panel controls. The two buttons on the back of the camera are “camera/video/scene” on top, and “playback” on the bottom. There is also a physical toggle zoom control under the shutter button on top. Having just these three controls makes this the fastest, easiest touch panel The physical zoom button instead of a virtual one speeds the procees of framing your shots immensely. Pressing the ‘camera’ button brings up a set of options: Auto Mode, Scene Mode, Smile Mode and Movie. Tapping one of these icons on the panel then brings up that settings mode or scene options in the case of the scene mode. Other options are right on the screen if you want them by touching DISP (display) to show or hide them. Pressing the play button ionce brings up your shots, pressing twice shows options to edit, copy or modify them or options to view by dates or just show your saved favorites. Fun, fast, easy sure sounds like summer to me. Want to hear the even better news? This week Roberts Distributors sin Indianapolis and Carmel are running Nikon’s Dads and Grads sale, and these honeys are $30.00 off their regular price. The fastes easiest Nikon Digital Touch Panel Camera is now (for a limited time) under $200. Add one of our Kingston or Sandisk flash memory SD or SDHC memory cards and you are ready to touch your way to albums full of awesome summer images!
posts by Chuck
About Chuck
Hi,I'm Chuck. A camera guy. Well more accurately a camera nut. I went to Art School a few decades ago, where I concentrated mostly on the visual communication arena, illustration, painting and sculpture but my primary interest was and still is photography. Ive been here at Roberts since 1988. I've touched a camera or two. I taught myself photo-shop, then helped others with it. I've taught camera classes, and have seen the digital revolution change the way everyone sees and thinks about imaging, and I can't wait to see and learn the next generation.
“The Wonder of it All” or “Un-Color My World”
I sat down last week and uploaded images, then it got really busy. Really. The next time I got to work on this most impressive post it was almost 5:00 on Wednesday and I had only a minute to get back to it. Really busy, was there a race and 440,ooo extra people in town or what?!?
Anyway, the week before last I went to Florida on vacation and I took both of my Olympus cameras with me. The point and shoot SW1030 was on my hip the entire time I was not sleeping, the E520 and several lenses were brought out several times, but a DSLR is just not as easy to have on you all the time. Both cameras have their unique qualities. The SW1030 (and it’s newer brother the Tough 8000) is a little photo-tank and submarine and can go underwater as far as 33 feet and is still small enough to have on you all of the time. Then there is the interchangable lens DSLR series fron Olympus.
My E-520 is a DSLR and takes interchangable lenses and external flashes. One of the features I used the most on vacation is its ability to shoot in B&W. I know, lots of cameras can shoot in B&W, but I don’t know of too many that have Red, Orange, Yellow and Green filter modes built into the software. Here is where Derek would give you a lesson on the old fashion B&W filters and how they affected film images. Suffice it to say that using color filters on B&W film causes the tones closest to the filters color to get lighter, and tones opposite of those colors (on the color wheel we all remember from grade school art class) To get darker). Example, Orange filters will make blue sky darker, green filters will make red items darker (and green ones lighter). There having said that here is a photo I shot using Orange Red and Yellow filters in the Fanning Springs National Park on the Suwannee River in Florida.
Left to Right: Orange filter, Red filter and Yellow filter.
The differences are subtle but notice how the sky and leaves are much lighter in the yellow, and the darker sky and leaves in the Orange filter.
Now if you have one of those other brand DSLR’s that don’t have built in color filters (for B&W shooting) you can still purchase a screw on filter at you favorite all-purpose camera store like, say Roberts from your favorite sales person like…
Like Sean Connery said in Highlander, “Here endeth the lesson.” Go be happy and make beautiful images. That’s an order.
May in Indianapolis
You never know what you might see here in Indianapolis in the month of May. Today I was just walking back from lunch and saw a motorcade of motorcycles stopping traffic right in front of the downtown Roberts Distributors store at 255 S. Meridian. My first thought was a funeral. But a funeral through downtown? Not too likely unless it was a dignitary of local celebrity, and I would have heard about that.
Luckily I always have my trusty Olympus digital 1030SW point and shoot on my hip. This time I got it out, and on in time to capture a shot of what was really stopping traffic in the Circle City.
An Indy car on Meridian Stret
Behind that came a bunch of new silver “Official Pace Cars” one of which was driven by one of my racing heroes Rick Mears, but I didn’t get that shot. Nothing was wrong with the camera, however there was a nut loose behind the view screen.
What do you want your camera to do?
What do you want your camera to do?
I’ve asked this question thousands of times. The answers back are interesting as are the answerers. Some people know exactly what the want when they come into a camera shop, some act as if mystical forces drew them in and they are unwitting participants in the experience.
My least favorite answer to that question is the one most often replied. “Take pictures.”
Usually the answerer is not being intentionally obtuse, they just want guidance, and information and don’t know the options or how to express their needs.. The next few questions the salesperson asks are supposed to narrow down the buyers desires, and intentions. “What do you like to take pictures of?” or “Do you have kids or pets?” “Do they play sports?” “Do you already have (or, did you have) a camera?” Is this your first camera?” Your first digital camera?
I’m reminded of an old joke.
A man walks into a Doctor’s office and says, “Somethings wrong with me Doc. I hurt all over.”The Doctor asks a few questions to narrow down the information, but the patient doesn’t know what may have happened to him. Eventually the patient demonstrates by touching his forehead and immediately grimaces in pain, then he touches his knee to the same results, then his chest again the terrible pain. “The Doctor says that’s enough I know how to treat you.” “Whats wrong with me Doc?” says the patient. The Doctor answers, “You have a broken finger.”
The process of narrowing down a persons needs versus their preconceptions can be an enlightening experience for both seller and buyer. Because we listen and have experience here at Roberts they almost always leave with the camera that best suits their needs. If you are new to the process remember the we offer a free class with nearly every camera we sell.
Remember, if it hurts to push your shutter button you may have a broken finger.
Quick Print
Yesterday, about 35 minutes before the closing bell rang on the sales floor, one of my co-workers (Micheal Wilson if you need to put a name to the mention) brought Mr. Jim Alkire, a friend of his to me for a little information and help on printers. His desire was a lab quality printer that would print up to 11×14. The Canon 9000 and 9500 immediately came to mind. The problem was we didn’t have any on hand and there is scuttlebutt that Mark II versions are soon to be shipping from Canon. Jim asked if there was a good Canon printer at the 8 1/2 by 11 size that might fill the bill. He also asked if he could print from his Canon Digital SLR camera or memory card, could his wife also print from her Olympus Digital point and shoot camera? I led him to the Canon printers and started to recommend
the Pixma MP980 mutli-purpose printer that has built in card reader, document, print, slide and film scanning capabilities. He said that did much more that he needed his printer to do. Right next to that stack of printers was another stack of new Canon Pixma iP3600 printers. I said this a a very good inexpensive photo printer and has Pict Bridge input to direct print right from the both cameras.
“Do you have one on display?” He asked as time was winding down on the retail day. “No, but I can open this up and set it up if you would like a demonstration, ” I offered. Please was the response.
Mighty Micro Monster
I was playing with it just the other day. I was impressed by how far it it goes with just a few turns. Lightweight, compact and might in reach the new Lumix 45-200 F4.0-5.6 Micro 4/3rds zoom lens from Panasonic is a beauty. With its 90-400, 35mm standard equivalent focal length it really gets out there. When coupled with the Lumix G1 Panasonic Digital camera system the speed of focus is amazing, and since stabilization is built into the Panasonic digital SLR camera system, there is no extra charge for clear clean shake reduced images. This lens is a must have foe your Panasonic DMC-G1 and DMC-GH1 camera platforms, where else are you going to get a 400mm equivalent lens with stabilization and F5.6 gathering?
Remember that the micro 4/3rds system works with the recently announced Olympus micro 4/3rds camera and offers an adapter for the regular 4/3rds cameras so you can use this lens on the entire Olympus Digital Camera platform too. Also remember that Roberts has the best prices on digital camera SD cards in Indianapolis, so stock up on Sandisk or Kingston SDHC cards while you are here.
Zoomity Zoom
The Poweshot SX200IS cameras front and back
You used to be able to guess how long it would go by looking at it’s resting size. That was then. These days even the smaller ones reach out farther than you might think. For example lets look at the new Canon Powershot SX200IS camera. Shorter than an iPhone and about three times as thick, (I used to use “the pack of cigarettes” reference as a comparison gauge for things like this, but…) it is a small package. That is until you turn it on, turn it on and zoom the lens and it just goes and goes. Zooming 12x from its 28mm wide starting point all the way out to 336 mm equivalent maximum it has power in a small package! There’s also 12.1 megapixels, optical stabilizer, 3inch LCD screen even HD movie capture, it has all the stuff you would expect in this generation of Canon Powershot cameras, but the zoom in that package. Not what you expected, Wow.
Just like it says, 12x Zoom. Cool huh?
New Nikon
Everybody talkin’ at me, but I don’t hear a word they’re saying.At least not until I can actually handle the new D5000 Nikon Digital SLR camera offering myself. The previews do look good for this soon to be in stores replacement of the much lauded D80. Many of the features that are in the D90 are going to be available for shooters on a tighter budget soon.
The D5000 keeps the D80′s 11 point AF and gains a little more continuous shooting speed at 4fps. Another improvement is on the back of the camera, Nikon’s first swivel screen on a DSLR, couple that with Live View and that makes this camera a serious contenderand gives it an advantage ofer it’s direct Canon competition (even the Rebel T1 which is also coming soon).
Nikon also switched to a CMOS sensor instead of the CCD and upped the pixel horsepower at the same time. The D5000 Nikon Digital SLR shares the same 12.3 megapixel sensor as the D90 but gets the latest firmware version on the Expeed processor which features improved Auto Active D-Lighting and face-priority AF) and enhanced Live View AF. Other neat Nikon Digital SLR accessories that work on the D90 also move down to the D5000 like the GP-1 hot shoe which tags GPS location information directly into the EXIF file data. Nikon’s industry leading wireless flash system also works on the newbie.
The new D5000 is expected to ship at the end of April.
Body only for $729.95 . Body/lens kit with the 18-55mm
VR lens for $849.95.
I’m going to let the D5000 do the talkin’ just as soon as I can get
my hands on one, then we’ll talk some more, cowboy.
Coming Soon
So recently (yesterday) there was some concerns shooting around the camera world about the new Nikon D5000. More accurately the concern was with Nikon Digital Camera Batteries, Indianapolis and the rest of the country needed a clarification. If you have been keeping up with the news about the new D5000 Nikon you may have noticed that there is a new battery, the EN-EL9a. The question/concern was forward and backward compatibility. The Nikon Digital SLR cameras that used the original EN-EL9 batteries include the D40, the D40X and the D60. Along comes the announcement of the new vid on the block (yes the D5000 is going to be a more competent Nikon video camera too) and there in the fine print is the EN-EL9a battery. Will the new battery work in the older models, will the old batteries work in the new model.
The new D5000 with nifty swivel screen and so much more.
It’s the whole “You got peanut butter in my chocolate! No you got chocolate in my peanut butter! But what’s the answer? Will it work!
Luckily our Nikon representative was on site and we were able to persuade him to find out, because inquiring minds want to know. A call was made, a tech guru’s ego pampered and in a few minutes the definitive answer delivered. Either battery will work in any of the cameras mentioned in this expose. The EN-EL9a is a higher storage capacity brother to the original EN-EL9 Nikon Digital Batteries. Whew! That’s a load off.
Next week we are going to call him about global warming, or the ever present Coke vs. Pepsi debate.
Caught In The Act!
You can’t hide what you’ve been doing. It’s not a secret, everybody knows. You can try to fix it in photo-shop, you can deny it, or you can try to just live with it. But your friends know. Your family knows too. You’ve been taking dirty pictures with your digital SLR! Well stop it. Nobody wants to see your dirty pictures, and you know it. Clean up your act. It only takes a few tools to get those pesky spots off your sensor. Here at Roberts we have at least nine different brands of sensor spot removal products to help get rid of your dirty little problem. We have illuminated sensor scopes from Visible Dust and Delkin Devices to spotlight those nasty image irritations. We’ve got Arctic Butterfly brushes, swabs paddles and solutions from Visual Dust, Photographic Solutions Inc, Dust-Aid, and Green Clean. We’ve also got vacuums and air blowers from Delkin Devices and Green Clean and Visible Dust. We’ve got speck grabbers from Lens Pen and kinetronics. Trust me you don’t have to live with your dirty problem. We’ve got you covered. A reasonable self help kit would include swabs, solutions and an squeeze air pump at around $75 dollars. The sensor scopes to light your little inner-camera world go for around $90 to $100. Arctic Butterfly brushes are also around the $100 mark.
Tools of the Sensor Cleaning Trade
If you won’t do something about it I will. If you are afraid to do it yourself bring the camera to Roberts and I will clean your sensor for you. It’s that simple if you won’t help yourself we can, so don’t sit there with your dirty pictures trying to explain yourself to your friends. Get help or help yourself. A basic sensor cleaning at Roberts Imaging is only $35.00, if your stuff is really nasty, if I have to go in with solvents and “smear away” and spend a lot of time then it goes to $75.00.
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