From ModernistCuisine

There’s something fascinating about watching jello falling on a table in extreme slow motion and then rebounding back up. It’s almost as if it were alive, twisting as it follows its path.

source gizmodo

Here is this week’s (Apr 23-29, 2011) digital camera review roundup:

• Camera Labs recommends the entry-level Canon Powershot A800 [QuickPrice Check] as a “a budget point and shoot compact that offers a range of consumer friendly features.“
• Imaging Resource recommends the Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS [QuickPrice Check] finding that “casual shooters will even love the excellent performance at high ISOs, especially if they venture into Handheld NightScene mode.“
• PhotographyBLOG highly recommends the Nikon D5100 [QuickPrice Check] as “offering a compelling mix of great image and movie quality, precise and quick auto-focusing, accurate metering and a fantastic LCD screen, all in a format that most users will find intutive and enjoyable to use. This is precisely what a DSLR that’s competitively priced for the mass-market should deliver.“
• DPReview recommends the Nikon D5100 [QuickPrice Check] finding it is “without doubt one of the most compelling products in its class, and [...] produces excellent images with a minimum of fuss.“
• Overall, DCRP (dcresource) likes the entry-level DSLR Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D [QuickPrice Check] and concludes “it remains a top choice for those looking for a capable yet budget-friendly camera.“
• PhotographyBLOG recommends the Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS / IXUS 115 HS [QuickPrice Check] as delivering “excellent value for someone who wants a little more versatility when it comes to picture taking than their current smart phone may allow.“
• Trusted Reviews recommends the Nikon COOLPIX S9100 [QuickPrice Check] “for those users who don’t require a whole host of features but who nevertheless see the value in a broader than average focal range.“
• ePHOTOzine highly recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 [QuickPrice Check] as “one of the best mirrorless cameras available with excellent usability. On top of this, image quality is very good, and the camera has the best HD video quality of any current camera.“
• TechRadar finds that the Leica X1 [Specs] “is a pocketable but serious camera that can deliver sharp, noise free images with a superb amount of detail.“
• Imaging Resource recommends the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS [QuickPrice Check] finding that it “captures good quality images with better detail than most digital cameras of this resolution deliver.“
• PhotographyBLOG recommends the Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR [QuickPrice Check] as “still a good camera … but ultimately the photos that it produces just aren’t as good as the model that it has replaced.“
• PhotographyBLOG recommends the Canon Powershot A800 [QuickPrice Check] and finds that it “still deliver[s] good image quality with better battery life for a much more wallet-friendly price.“
• DigitalCameraInfo finds that the Sony Alpha SLT-A33 [QuickPrice Check] “did not blow us away in any specific area, but the camera did a passable job in all of our tests… We found the A33 to be a handy shooter with a good set of controls, an intuitive menu system, and some fun features to boot.“
• DigitalCameraReview finds that with the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS [QuickPrice Check], “the image quality of the SX230 is very good, and by far one of its best selling points.“
• For more camera reviews, to get a second opinion, and just to read the best reviews on the Web, visit our Reviews Matrix.

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Sony SLT-A33

“The Sony Alpha SLT-A33 did not blow us away in any specific area, but the camera did a passable job in all of our tests… We found the A33 to be a handy shooter with a good set of controls, an intuitive menu system, and some fun features to boot.”

We’ve added a new Sony Alpha SLT-A33 [QuickPrice Check] Review to our Reviews Matrix.

DigitalCameraInfo has just published their review of the Sony SLT-A33, a Digital Interchangeable Lens (DIL) camera with a 14.2MP APS HD CMOS sensor, main sensor Live View with Phase detection, electronic viewfinder (1.15M-dot), articulated 3.0-in. tilt/swivel LCD (921k-dot), Continuous Shooting at 10fps, Continuous Shooting 7 fps, 15-point auto focus, 3D Sweep Panorama, and Quick AF Full HD Movie. The fixed translucent (semi-transparent) mirror allows full-time Live View and full-time Phase-detection AF even when recording HD movies.

Read the Sony SLT-A33 review at: DigitalCameraInfo.

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Canon PowerShot A800

“The [Canon] A800 … still deliver[s] good image quality with better battery life for a much more wallet-friendly price.”

We’ve added a new Canon Powershot A800 [QuickPrice Check] Review to our Reviews Matrix.

PhotographyBLOG has posted their review of the Canon PowerShot A800, a 10MP resolution (1/2.3-in. CCD) entry-level compact digital camera with a 3.3x optical zoom (37-122mm equiv.), 2.5-in. LCD (115k-dot), Smart AUTO, Program AE, Scene modes, and Movie 640×480 @ 30fps.

You can read the Canon A800 Review at: PhotographyBLOG.

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Fujifilm HS20 EXR

“The Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR is still a good camera … but ultimately the photos that it produces just aren’t as good as the model that it has replaced.”

We’ve added a Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR [QuickPrice Check] Review to our Reviews Matrix.

PhotographyBLOG has posted their review of the Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR, a 16MP resolution (1/2-in. BSI EXR CMOS) ultra zoom digital camera with 30x ultra wide-angle optical zoom (24-720mm equiv.), manual zoom lens, Sensor-shift image stabilization, 3.0-in. tilting LCD display screen (460k-dot), 8fps high speed continuous shooting (16MP, max. 8 frames), High Speed Movie (320fps), Best Frame Capture Mode, Motion Panorama 360, Auto, Multi Frame Composition (Background Blur), Pro Low-light Mode, Film Simulation Mod, Film Simulation Bracketing, AE Bracketing, Dynamic Range Bracketing, Scene Modes, PASM, RAW file format, hot shoe, and Full HD 1080p movie 1920×1080 pixels at 30fps with stereo sound. An optional Remote Release (RR-80) is also available.

You can read the Fujifilm HS20 EXR Review at: PhotographyBLOG.

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Kate and William Balcony Kiss

Did you follow the Kate and William Royal Wedding? I woke up just early enough today to catch a glimpse of the balcony kiss.

Here are some video captures from The Official Channel of the British Monarchy.

Thrilled at the crowd outside

Waves at crowd

Queen and Prince Philip

Prince Charles and Camilla

All smiles

Looks back

View photos of the balcony kiss and the Royal Wedding at:theAtlantic.

Watch a two-minute timelapse video.

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From stevecarty

The Contact Photography Festival starts today, April 29, 2011. The whole month of May, Scotiabank is sponsoring this festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, expecting over 1000 local, national and international artists to exhibit their photographs at more than 200 venues. Contact started 15 years ago as a non-profit organization that celebrated and fostered the art and profession of photography. It has now grown to become the largest photography event in the world, and a premiere cultural event in Canada.

Read more about the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival at: sweetloveable.

From getolympus

Here’s a Behind the Scenes of the Runner Up in the Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Film Contest, Der Bürgermeister (“The Mayor”). Team T&A (emerging producer/director Andrew Putschoegl and veteran actor and stand-up comic Tom Lenk) are the brains behind this “mockumentary” about the mayor of Zwiebelberg filmed entirely with the Olympus PEN camera using its various Art Filters for special effects (“mood” creation).

Fall and Winter Extended Teaser from Matt Manderson on Vimeo.

‘Fall & Winter’ is a documentary that explores the origins of our global crisis in order to better understand the catastrophic transition we have now entered. This film presents the ideas and experience of a wide range of people dedicated to confronting this crisis head on. The result is an analysis of our failing institutions and culture so we may be equipped to handle drastic collapse and foster a vital, fundamental rebirth in the way we live on this planet.

We received a letter from Matt Anderson, Director of Fall and Winter in answer to our earlier comments on the original trailer:

Hi, I’m the director of the documentary Fall and Winter. I very much appreciate your comments, and hope that you aren’t too discouraged from watching our film. I do feel it is not on a single-track of ‘gloom and doom’. My process of making the film went from seeing no exit – no way out – to witnessing firsthand a myriad of solutions and adaptive methods which people have been developing in response to this crisis.

I feel that the metaphor of seasons does not represent anything terminal. We all understand that there is an ebb and flow with nature (of which we are a part). The realization of our individual responsibility for fixing this crisis comes with hardship and hard work.

I would encourage you to watch our new extended trailer which I feel gives a much fuller representation of what you can expect in the finished film.

http://fallwintermovie.com/media/ext-teaser.html

Thanks for taking the time to write about our film!

Best,

Matt Anderson

For more information, visit: http://fallwintermovie.com/

To show your support for the making of the movie, visit:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manderson/fall-and-winter-a-documentary-film