If you are sStuck for Mother's Day Gift Ideas then a photo shoot gift vouchers could be the perfect gift. Vouchers are available online for any of our photo session packages whether a family portrait or treating your mum to a makeover photo shoot.
You can buy gift vouchers online for any of our photo shoots in Kent by clicking on the link below.
Mothers Day Photo Shoot Gift Vouchers
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Canon 7D/Canon 60D/Canon 600D/Canon 550D Comparison
Canon now have 4 very similar specification cameras in their range with the same 18Mp sensor.
So what is the difference between the Canon 7D/Canon 60D/Canon 600D/Canon 550D and how do they compare?
Canon 7D is the top semi-professional camera that Canon offer. Above this is the Canon 5D Mark2 which Canon now rate as one of their professional series of cameras used by many wedding and portrait photographers.
The Canon 7D has a much more rugged body than the 60D/550D/600D which are all constructed of a high grade plastic. In reality unless you throw your camera around and take very little care of it any of these cameras will be suitable. I have the Canon 550D for nearly 12 months and have had no problems with the construction of the camera.
The Canon 60D and Canon 600D feature rotating LCD screens allowing live view to be used in more extreme situations where it isn't easily possible to view the LCD in the standard position at the rear of the camera. If this is not something you need then again any of the camera are suitable.
The video functions on the Canon 7D/60D/600D have been enhanced compared to the Canon 550D giving additional frame rates. The 600D also features a new video crop mode that allows full 1080p HD video to be shot at up to 10x magnification.
The Canon 7D and 600D also feature control of the Canon Speedlite range of flashguns from within the camera. This saves using a Canon ST-E2 remote flash trigger and could reduce the cost of your gear by around £200 if this is no longer required.
I am very happy with the Canon 550D that I have and it compares very favourably to the Canon 5D and Canon 5DII that I have. With the additional features that the Canon 600D has I believe that it is a fantastic camera for the money and is probably the best value of any currrent Canon camera. Unless you need any of the specific features such as frame rate or autofocus that are only available on the Canon 7D/60D then personally I would opt for the Canon 600D. While the Canon 550D is an excellent camera the 600D for a small amount more money is well worth the upgrade.
So the big question - would I upgrade my Canon 550D for a 600D? The answer is no. At the moment the features of the 600D are not essential and the 550D is purely a backup camera for me so the main features are those I use on the Canon 5D/5DII.
So what is the difference between the Canon 7D/Canon 60D/Canon 600D/Canon 550D and how do they compare?
Canon 7D is the top semi-professional camera that Canon offer. Above this is the Canon 5D Mark2 which Canon now rate as one of their professional series of cameras used by many wedding and portrait photographers.
The Canon 7D has a much more rugged body than the 60D/550D/600D which are all constructed of a high grade plastic. In reality unless you throw your camera around and take very little care of it any of these cameras will be suitable. I have the Canon 550D for nearly 12 months and have had no problems with the construction of the camera.
The Canon 60D and Canon 600D feature rotating LCD screens allowing live view to be used in more extreme situations where it isn't easily possible to view the LCD in the standard position at the rear of the camera. If this is not something you need then again any of the camera are suitable.
The video functions on the Canon 7D/60D/600D have been enhanced compared to the Canon 550D giving additional frame rates. The 600D also features a new video crop mode that allows full 1080p HD video to be shot at up to 10x magnification.
The Canon 7D and 600D also feature control of the Canon Speedlite range of flashguns from within the camera. This saves using a Canon ST-E2 remote flash trigger and could reduce the cost of your gear by around £200 if this is no longer required.
I am very happy with the Canon 550D that I have and it compares very favourably to the Canon 5D and Canon 5DII that I have. With the additional features that the Canon 600D has I believe that it is a fantastic camera for the money and is probably the best value of any currrent Canon camera. Unless you need any of the specific features such as frame rate or autofocus that are only available on the Canon 7D/60D then personally I would opt for the Canon 600D. While the Canon 550D is an excellent camera the 600D for a small amount more money is well worth the upgrade.
So the big question - would I upgrade my Canon 550D for a 600D? The answer is no. At the moment the features of the 600D are not essential and the 550D is purely a backup camera for me so the main features are those I use on the Canon 5D/5DII.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Budget 2011 - No more tax free imports of memory cards? VAT free from Channel Islands
One item not mentioned on the news but was in George Osbourne's speech that I heard on the radio earlier was the clampdown on tax avoidance and removing the ability of companies to use Jersey for sending tax free goods into the UK.
Does this mean that 7dayshop and the like will no longer be able to send memory cards, batteries and small items of photography equipment without paying VAT? Will Play.com and Tesco no longer be able to ship CDs from the Channel Islands with no VAT?
Does this mean that 7dayshop and the like will no longer be able to send memory cards, batteries and small items of photography equipment without paying VAT? Will Play.com and Tesco no longer be able to ship CDs from the Channel Islands with no VAT?
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
M2 Motorway Lorry Fire - YouTube Hits pass 50,000
The video I shot of the car transporter lorry fire back in May 2009 that was the first real test of the Canon 5D mark 2 video capability has now had over 50,000 hits on YouTube.
I used the photos and video today for teaching material at a local school which went down really well and showed the huge advantage of having a camera that can shoot stills and video.
You can see the clip on you tube here
Car transporter Lorry Fire on M2 Motorway
I used the photos and video today for teaching material at a local school which went down really well and showed the huge advantage of having a camera that can shoot stills and video.
You can see the clip on you tube here
Car transporter Lorry Fire on M2 Motorway
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Crumpler Zoomiverse Field Reviews - Huge Photo Backpack but with Poor Design
A while ago I purchased a Crumplier Zoomiverse to replace my ageing camera bag. For various reasons I never made the switch and having finally come to do so I've found that the interior of the Crumpler Zoomiverse is totally configurable with many different layouts possible.
However the bag does unfortunately suffer from some poor design flaws that limit its usefulness.
Although the bag is huge externally the actual usable space is not as great as you would expect. Almost like a TARDIS in reverse! There is an inner bag that stores the camera gear which helps protect it but as a result cuts down the volume available for storage. It is quite a squeeze to get 2 bodies with lenses attached into the bag along with a flash gun. The net pocket at the top of the Crumpler Zoomiverse can store small items but again it reduces the space available within the bag.
There is a front pocket which gives a lot of flexible space but unfortunately the bag needs to be laid on its front to access the camera in main compartment so needs to be zipped up again to reach the front pocket - itself a slow process due to the 2 layer zip on the main compartment.However the bag does unfortunately suffer from some poor design flaws that limit its usefulness.
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| Crumpler Zoomiverse inside space |
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| Crumpler Zoomiverse review |
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| Crumpler Zoomiverse backpack review - good but could be better |
The dividers can be positioned as required. Unfortunately that does mean that starting from scratch is tricky as you need to find a layout to begin with using the available velcro dividers! There are more dividers than can be used inside the bag which is confusing to begin with!
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| Inside the Crumpler Zoomiverse layout |
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| Crumpler Zoomiverse review - large photo backpack |
The photo below shows the Tamrac Adventure 9 side by side with the Crumpler Zoomiverse. Although they are similar heights the space inside the Tamrac is much more usable than in the Zoomiverse. The primary problem with the Tamrac is that the top pocket is not padded so needs to be used carefully to avoid damaging kit.
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| Crumpler Zoomiverse compared to Tamrac Adventure 9 |
Sunday, 13 March 2011
How do I edit MOV Video files from the Canon 600D/550D/Canon 7D/60D using Windows Movie Maker
A common question about the MOV video files that are produced from the Canon 600D/550D/Canon 7D/60D cameras is how to edit them. For people who only have software such as Windows Movie Maker on their PC it is not simply just a case of adding the files and editing them. MOV files cannot be processed in Windows Movie Maker without some changes.
The best way that I have found is to use some software called Cineform Neoscene. This will convert the MOV files which are highly compressed into a more usable AVI format that Windows Movie Maker can edit. You can get a free trial of the Neoscene software from the Cineform website and to purchase is around £70. This may seem a lot of money but remember that with this software you can then edit the video on your PC using Windows Movie Maker without having to purchase any further software. Buying something like Adobe Premiere would add around £100 and still not easily be possible without the conversion to AVI.
The best way that I have found is to use some software called Cineform Neoscene. This will convert the MOV files which are highly compressed into a more usable AVI format that Windows Movie Maker can edit. You can get a free trial of the Neoscene software from the Cineform website and to purchase is around £70. This may seem a lot of money but remember that with this software you can then edit the video on your PC using Windows Movie Maker without having to purchase any further software. Buying something like Adobe Premiere would add around £100 and still not easily be possible without the conversion to AVI.
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