PHOTO COMPETITIONS

2011 National Geographic Photo Contest

  Competition organised by National Geographic Magazine, judgment will be made by National Geographic Photographers Tim Laman,Amy Toensing and Peter Essick .
Entry Fee is USD 15



Categories:People,Places,Nature
Prizes: A Grand Prize of USD10,000 and a trip to NG headquarters in Washington DC, USA

for more details log on to http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/

Deadline: 30 November 2011


Michael the Maven's 2011 Photo Contest

       Open to all photographers irrespective of amateur or professional


        Main Categories:-

        Portraits -
        Landscape-
        Sports-
        Animals-
       Abstract / Textures-      
       Macro-


Prizes per Category:

1st Place - $1000 CASH!! (Or Bhphoto.com Gift Card in restricted areas)
2nd Place - $300 Coupon to Michael's Online Store -
3rd Place - Photography Business Crash Course DVD Set
(a $250 Value)
4th Place- $150 Coupon For Michael's - Canon Training Download Video Store
5th Place- Think Tank Digital Holster (Thank you to Think Tank for Sponsoring!) - ($60 Value)
6th Place- TBD - $50 Value
7th Place- Custom Michael The Maven 16GB Bamboo Thumb Drive
8th Place- Angelina Hills Matted Print (Her Work is outstanding, I have it hanging in my own home.)
9th Place- Ocean Waves Relaxation DVD by Heath Snow
10th Place- TBD $15 Value
Honorable Mentions (2) - No Prize

All Winners will receive a PDF Certificate of their Achievement
website : http://www.michaelthemaven.com
 Deadline :16 December 2011



Street Photography Contest


   Silicon Beach Training's Street Photography contest is open to all photographers over the age of 18. Eric Kim will be judged the competition


         Categories: Environment,Miscellaneous,Mono,Places and Street

Street Photography Competition PRIZE

The lucky winner will get their hands on Perfect Photo Suite 6 courtesy of onOne Software.
onOne Software, a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, have announced Perfect Photo Suite 6 along with new products Perfect Effects, Perfect Portrait, Perfect Mask, and an update to Perfect Layers. All products in the Perfect Photo Suite 6 now work as standalone applications in addition to working directly from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Adobe Photoshop. If you wish to brush up on your Photoshop skills we offer a range of Adobe Photoshop Courses as well as Lightroom Training.
This additional functionality means that the Suite can be used directly within Lightroom and Aperture without the need for a separate host application as was previously required. Perfect Photo Suite 6 will continue to include full support for Photoshop CS5 and CS4 with many of the products now functioning as Smart Filters.

Nikon Enters in to Mirrorless Segment

Nikon finally arrives to the mirrorless segment era with announcement of Nikon V1 and Nikon J1. Both Camera uses a CX sensor with a size of 13.2 X 8.8mm (1 inch), the sensor is even smaller than Micro four third , this attempt is made to make the camera a smallest one, while the reviewers criticizing this effort .

With a new Sensor

      

           These 10.1 MP cameras are faster than Nikon's other popular DSLRs as the company claims. The dual core EXPEED 3 processor enables data transfer speed even faster than D3s , so the camera has the ability to shoot still images at 10fps, and 60fps with the auto focus locked. The camera able to shoot full HD Movies with full time AF and can also shoot 1080i video at 60fps and use frame rates up to 1200fps for super slow motion effects.

Basic Features

• Model Number: V1
• Camera Format: Compact System Camera
• Resolution: 10.10 Megapixels
• Kit Lens: 3.00x zoom 10-30mm (27-81mm eq.)
• Viewfinder: EVF / LCD LCD
• Size: 3.0 inch ISO: 100-6400
• Shutter: 30-1/16000
• Max Aperture: 3.5
• Dimensions: 4.4 x 3.0 x 1.7 in. (113 x 76 x 44 mm)
• Weight: 13.5 oz (383 g) includes batteries
• Price: $900
• Availability: 10/2011

Specifications
           

Sensor	• 13.2 mm x 8.8 mm CMOS sensor • 10.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3872 x 2592 • 2896 x 1944 • 1936 x 1296 • 3840 x 2160
Aspect ratio	3:2, 16:9
Movie clips	• 1920 x 1080 @ 60i/30 fps • 1280 x 720 @ 30/15 fps • 640 x 480 @ 30/15 fps • 320 x 240 @ 30/15 fps Slow-motion movies • 640 x 240/400 fps (plays at 30p/29.97 fps) • 640 x 240/400 fps (plays at 30p/29.97 fps) • 320 x 120/1,200 fps (plays at 30p/29.97 fps) • 320 x 120/1,200 fps (plays at 30p/29.97 fps) Motion Snapshot Motion Snapshot • 1,920 x 1,080/60p (59.94 fps) (plays at 24p/23.976 fps) • 1,920 x 1,080/60p (59.94 fps) (plays at 24p/23.976 fps) Sensor output is about 60 fps
File format	• NEF (RAW) • JPEG Movie: • MOV • H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding compression • AAC audio
Lens mount	• Nikon 1 mount • Approx. 2.7x lens focal length (Nikon CX-format)
Focus	• Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF); AF-assist illuminator
AF are	• Single-point (135 points) • Auto-area (41 points) • Subject tracking
Lens Servo	• Autofocus (AF): Single AF (AF-S); continuous AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); fulltime AF (AF-F) • Manual focus (MF)
Focus distance	• Standard mode 0.6m (wide) / 1.0m (tele) • Macro mode 0.2m - (wide) / 0.9m (tele) • Super Macro mode Closest focusing distance: 1cm
ISO sensitivity	• Auto • High Auto • Manual ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, Hi 1 (6400 equiv.)
Exposure compensation	• +/- 3 EV • 1/3 EV steps
metering	TTL metering using image sensor • Matrix • Center-weighted • Spot
Shuttter speed	Mechanical Shutter • 1/4000 sec. –30 sec. • Bulb Electronic Shutter • 1/16000 sec. –30 sec. • Bulb
Modes	• Programmed auto with flexible program • Shutter-priority auto • Aperture-priority auto • Manual • Scene auto selector
Shooting Modes	• Still image (3 : 2) • Smart Photo Selector (3 : 2) • Movie (HD 16 : 9, slow motion 8 : 3) • Motion Snapshot (16 : 9)
White balance	• Auto • Incandescent • Fluorescent • Direct sunlight • Flash • Cloudy • Shade • Preset manual
Picture Control system	• Standard • Neutral • Vivid • Monochrome • Portrait • Landscape
EVF	• 0.47-in., approx. 1440k-dot color TFT LCD viewfinder • 100% coverage
LCD monitor	• 3.0" / 7.5 cm LCD • 921,000 dots
Continous shooting	• Electronic (Hi): Approx. 10, 30, or 60 fps • Other modes: Up to 5 fps (single AF or manual focus, S Shutter-priority auto or M Manual exposure mode, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values)
Connectivity	• DC input • Combined A/V & USB output • USB 2.0 compatible • HDMI • Multi accesory port
Storage	• SD/SDHC/SDXC
Power	Li-ion Rechargeable Battery (EN-EL15)
Weight (no batt)	294g
Dimensions	4.42"W x 3"H x 1.7"D (113mm x 76mm x 44mm)

courtesy:http://www.dpreview.com/, http://www.nikonusa.com/

Must Have Accessories in DSLR Photography

1.Camera Bag

When you invest handsome amount to purchase a DSLR Camera, never hesitate to spend some amount to have a good DSL bag, because the life and performance of your gear greatly depends upon how it is handling and how it is keeping, how safe your gear while travelling, while on trekking .Choose a bag, which suitable for any climate and condition and easy to operate.

2. Extra Battery and Memory Card

You need an additional battery, because a single battery couldn't stands for continuous shooting, especially when you are shooting in cold temperatures. An additional Memory card ensures you never want to compromise with your shots, let you to shoot as many as angles

3.LCD Protector 

LCD protector protect your LCD from scratches and dust particles and ensure your LCD as clear as new

4.Padded Neck Strap

The neck strap that come with DSLR is not a very comfortable one, especially when your camera mount with big lenses, he padded Neck Strap make it easy to handle the camera even with biggest lenses

5.Tripod

A Tripod is essential for night and low light photography,ensure your tripod is a strong one enough to carry the weight of your DSLR

6.Lens Cleaning Kit

A cleaning kit provides enough materials to clean your lens from dirts and dust particles and keep the sharpness and contrast of your lens

7.Giottos Rocket Blower

It blows away the dust from your sensor and lens

8.UV Protection and Polarising Filters

UV Protection filter protect your lens from direct sun light and other external threats like crash and scratch, this is a must to increase the life of your lens.

Polarising Filters is a must in landscape photography, just because it adds some special effects and avoid distractions

The Fastest DSLR from Canon

                Canon claims its latest full frame Camera as the fastest DSLR in the world. The Canon EOS 1D X has a speed to shoot 12 fps with autofocus and 14 fps in JPEG,when continuous AF is switched off. This is amalgamation of both EOS 1Ds mark 111 and EOS 1D mark iv the the forerunners of 1D X, interestingly it is also the tenth generation of Canon's 1D series. The 1D X has a 18 MP full frame sensor.

The 1D X gives a better quality at high ISOs, 1D X has maximum ISO of 51,200 which can be expanded to 2,04,800.

The auto focus system has 61 AF points out of which 41 AF points are cross-type sensors. Camera has DIGI 4 processor in addition to DIGIC 5+ processors that is completely dedicated to metering.

The 4k video recording.

The Camera will be able to record 4K video at a frame rate of 24P, with Motion-JPEG compression, using the central APS-H region of the sensor. 

 

What's in the Box

EOS-1D X Digital SLR Body Eyecup Eg (not shown) Battery Pack LP-E4N Battery Charger LC-E4N Wide Neck Strap L7 Cable Protector Stereo AV Cable AVC-DC400ST USB Interface Cable IFC-200U EOS Digital Solution Disc Software Instruction Manual