Friday, March 22, 2013

La bella Genova, La Superba

Genoa is truly a wonderful city. Located on the Western side of Italy on a magnificent gulf that faces the South on the Ligurian Sea, it was one of the major maritime republics of Italy. Once it was the busiest port in Italy and on of the most important in Europe. The waterfront has been sort of gentrified and a  porto turistico has been created with all sort of public spaces. It houses one of the most important aquariums in the world. A truly superb site and a must visit. When I visited I fell in love with a wonderful huge sea turtle.



These photos were all shot with the Canon G-9 as a testament to what a good point and shoot is capable of doing. These are out of the camera JPEGS. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon in May.

Small news from Canon

This from their press release:

Canon U.S.A. Announces World's Smallest And Lightest DSLR Camera

New EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera Fuses Advanced Image Quality and Features into an Ultra-Portable Body 
MELVILLE, N.Y., March 21, 2013 - Continuing the quest to deliver superb product innovations, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the world's smallest and lightest DSLR* camera: the EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera. It features a newly developed 18.0-megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor and high-performance DIGIC 5 Image Processor for exceptional image quality and speed. With its combination of lightweight size, ease of use and outstanding image quality, the EOS Rebel SL1 is perfect for users looking for the ideal camera to bring sightseeing on vacation or to capture the everyday.
"The EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera represents a new era in DSLR versatility: ultra-portable, full-featured DSLR cameras," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "The EOS Rebel SL1 combines the high speed, high image quality and expanded shooting range of a DSLR camera, with the easy and fun usability of a point-and-shoot camera."
Advanced Image Quality in a Compact Body
As the world's smallest and lightest DSLR, the new camera body is 4.6" (w) x 3.57" (h) x 2.74" (d), and weighs only 14.36 oz.** In comparison, the EOS Rebel SL1 is approximately 25 percent smaller and 28 percent lighter than the EOS Rebel T4i digital camera.
EOS Rebel SL1 is approximately 25 percent smaller and 28 percent lighter than the EOS Rebel T4i digital camera
The EOS Rebel SL1 features an 18 megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor that performs exceptionally well in both bright and dimly lit shooting environments with an ISO range of 100-12800 (expandable to H: 25600) for photos and ISO-6400 (expandable to H: 12800) for video. Canon's DIGIC 5 Image Processor technology allows for exceptional image quality and shooting speed up to four frames per second (fps).
The camera includes a new nine-point center cross-type autofocus (AF) system to help achieve fast, sharp focus. The new AF system also includes a new Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor, which provides a wider focus area when shooting photos or video in Live View mode, and a continuous AF speed that's increased from previous EOS models.
To help capture video with ease, the EOS Rebel SL1 features Canon's Movie Servo AF, which provides continuous AF tracking of moving subjects. When shooting video with one of Canon's new STM lenses, such as the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM (available in the standard lens kit), Movie Servo AF takes advantage of the lens' stepping motor for smooth and quiet continuous AF. The camera is capable of Full HD shooting in a number of recording sizes and frame rates, and enables easy manual control of exposure, focus and Live View features. The combination of Canon's new Hybrid CMOS AF system II and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is ideal for shooting video helping to ensure only the sounds of the scene are recorded.
Allowing for clear and easy viewing even in bright environments, the Touch Screen three inch Clear View LCD monitor II provides a rich and expansive display as well as providing intuitive touch panel operation. Two finger touch gestures (multi-touch) can be easily used for zooming or changing images, accessing menu and quick control settings, and activating focus point and shutter release while shooting.
Creativity at your Fingertips
The EOS Rebel SL1 encourages users to explore their creative side with a wide array of features for convenience and simple shooting. The EOS Rebel SL1 is equipped with Scene Intelligent Auto Mode, an advanced function that detects faces, colors, brightness, movement, contrast, distance and other factors and automatically adjusts and selects the exposure method needed. The results are photos with a wide dynamic range, ideal for users without advanced photography knowledge or experience.
Users can also access advanced imaging features like the new Effect Shot mode, which automatically creates two different shots, one with a selected creative filter and one without. In addition, Creative Filters and Background Blur Simulation can now be displayed in real time during Live View shooting. Editing photos is also a snap with the Rebel SL1's in-camera editing and cropping functionality. This feature allows users to view and crop the image using the camera's LCD touch screen and save the edited version as a separate file.
For those who would like to take beautiful photos with ease, the EOS Rebel SL1 offers a variety of scene modes to explore. New special scene modes include Kids, Food and Candlelight, giving users advanced presets to help ensure the best possible photos even under difficult shooting conditions.
Pricing and Availability
The new EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera is scheduled to be available in April for an estimated retail price of $649.99 for the body alone or $799.99 bundled with the new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens.
For more information about the EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera, and a full list of product specifications, visit www.usa.canon.com/eos.

Buon appetito


Thursday, March 21, 2013

This time last year



This has been a nasty and long winter that doesn't want to let go. These shots from the Brooklyn Botanic garden were taken about a year ago. What a difference. The camera was the Olympus E PL-2.

Ah, to be in Venice

April. 2011/ Olympus E PL-2

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

I love this picture / Canon FT

This is an early photo shot at the incipience of my career. Actually it was a photo that sort of encouraged me to continue shooting. This courtyard in the Fraginesi area of Castellammare was shot in August of 1969 with the Canon FT, the Canon 50 mm F 1.4 FL and Kodachrome II. I still remember vividly the time and place as if it were merely yesterday.

Rejoice, spring is finally here


Sunday, March 17, 2013

When one photo is sufficient

I consider this scan from a Kodachrome slide shot in 1975 with the Nikon FT n and the Nikkor 105 F 2.5, as one of my better shots. It merits to stand alone in this post.

Fenesta ca lucive e mo non luce......

A famous Neapolitan song about a window that shone once  when there was life inside the home but now, alas, is no longer shines. The Music is attributed to Vincenzo Bellini, the great Sicilian composer of  Norma, without a doubt the greatest Italian opera ever written.
This is a window in Naples that brought to mind such a window.

I love this city



Some archival shots  from way back in the spring of 2001 with the Olympus E-10.

Fall splendor