What is a (D)SLR? The Single Lens Reflex is so named because it has a mirror (and a single lens). But to really understand how the SLR got its name it’s important to go back to the days before it existed.

Before the [35mm] SLR became popular, there was the Rangefinder cameras (that used an optical viewfinder and a rangefinder mechanism to determine when the lens was in focus) and the Twin Lens Reflex camera (that had two lenses, one to view the image on a screen by way of a mirror, and a second one to record the picture).

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The Online Photographer has chosen a different tack in awarding its top award for the best cameras of 2009. It asked 2009 contributors to mention their favorite camera of 2009.

Not surprisingly, the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic GF1, the Digital Interchangeable Lens (DIL) cameras [aka "mirrorless" DSLRs], were two favorites for their compactness and light weight as compared to a DSLR.

Other winners: Panasonic GH1, Pentax K-x, Leica M9 and Sony A850. Oh, and the Fujifilm GF670 / Voigtlaender Bessa III 120-roll film camera [FOMC]?

Facebook allows you to deactivate your account. But that deactivated account will remain forever on Facebook’s servers and will be reactivated if you sign in again.

Unless you permanently delete it.

So, how do you permanently delete your Facebook account?

There used to be a link to delete an account in Settings or when you deactivated your account (it appeared there after Canada said they would not allow Facebook to operate on its soil unless a user could permanently delete all its info) but you won’t find it now.

It’s still there, but hidden from view.

Here’s how to permanently delete your Facebook account:

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photo credit: nixter

If you’ve ever tried to take pictures when there’s a wind chill factor of minus 20 or more outside, you know this article is for you. Night cold weather photography is the worse because it’s dark, you barely see what you are doing, your fingers are numb trying to change camera settings with the utmost difficulty, and you are shivering your buns off. You are also probably not dressed as well as you thought you were to face the extreme cold temperatures (you thought you’d just be outside for a couple of minutes, eh?) and your camera is also showing signs of cold weather fatigue. So, how do you prepare for cold weather photography? Sip on that hot chocolate and read on.

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Can giving have a dark side? Do some people give out of selfishness? Does it matter?

A study at the University of British Columbia reveals that most of us rarely think about how it feels to receive charity, assuming those in need will be grateful. Many are, but how we give can leave the recipient with a deep sense of shame. It can be especially hard on children and teenagers, who easily feel stigmatized and can be left with feelings of anger at their social situation. How we give matters.

[ Read the article at: Toronto Star ]

Pierre-Henry Muller of Boreally and Photographie HDR has published a time lapse video using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L lens and the Carl Zeiss Jena DDR MC Flektogon 20mm f/2.8 lens. In all he took 8891 photos in sRAW2 at 1 second interval and play them back, some at 10 and other at 30 fps.

View more details at Vimeo.

[ via Focus Numérique ]

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Police officers in the UK Police Constabularies apparently do not understand English, and continue to use Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and and Section 76A of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 to prevent public photography, despite Home Office instructions to the contrary.

The British Journal of Photography is conducting a ‘Not A Crime’ campaign to raise awareness about the increasing restrictions imposed on professional photographers in the UK and overseas. For more information, visit www.not-a-crime.com.

[ Read the article at: BJP ]

More than $900 million has now been spent in a single day of online shopping. According to the latest comScore information Green Tuesday (December 15) ecommerce sales reached $913 million, which brings the total holiday spending, so far, to nearly $25 billion, a 4% increase over 2008 numbers.

[ Read the article at: BizReport]