What are the best AA batteries for photography?

This is another guest post from Dan on the best AA batteries for photography. You can read also his previous Fuji X100 and Olympus ZX1 reviews. You can follow Dan on twitter @ZDP189.

What Are the Best AA Batteries for Photography?

I seem burn through batteries at an alarming rate.  I have lots of devices that take AA batteries and none more so than my Speedlites.  The Canon 580 EX II is a beast of an external flash and it drinks energy like a dehydrated camel knee deep in Lucozade.  For some reason Canon still haven’t moved onto Lithium battery packs and so I have to keep dropping in AA batteries.  There is a bewildering array of batteries available.  Here’s my story; it’s a typical consumer tale of woe, but there’s hope.

Alkaline

I started out buying AA (LR6) batteries at the grocery store.  Today, these cost about ten dollars for a bumper pack of 20 batteries.  That would last my family anything between a couple of days and a couple of weeks, but usually the battery drawer would be empty when I needed to grab a handful to shoot with.  I started stashing batteries.  I think we all did.  We’d have our own little hoards, so when the new batteries came in with the shopping they’d all be gone in a flash.

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Posted in PR reviews| Tagged | 38 Comments

Nauticam NA-GH2 underwater housing for Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 camera

Today Nauticam announced a new underwater housing NA-GH2 for the Panasonic GH2 camera with a depth rating of 100m. The retail price is $2100 and shipping will start on June 10, 2011.

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Posted in Nauticam, Panasonic| 3 Comments

Pentax Q interchangeable lens camera will be announced in August

PENTAX Q

I received some information from Europe about the second interchangeable lens camera called Pentax Q, expected to be announced in August 2011. Those are the specs:

  • 12MP backlit sensor
  • HD movie recording (720p)
  • RAW capabilities
  • Available in tow color: black and white
  • Vary small and compact in size
  • Price around 700 EUR
  • Several lenses will be announced including a fisheye lens

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Posted in Pentax| Tagged , , | 29 Comments

This ultra HD camera prototype has a 33MP sensor

This hi-def camera prototype developed by NHK and Sharp has “a single image sensor with an on-chip color filter array (4 chips each capable of imaging 8 million pixels). The 2.5-inch sensor is also compatible to conventional SLR camera lenses.

Via Crunchgear

Posted in Other| 16 Comments

Top 10 posts for May 2011

Here are the top 10 most visited PhotoRumors posts for May 2011:

  1. Fujifilm Finepix X100 giveaway.
  2. Pentax NC-1 mirrorless camera kit will be priced around $600.
  3. Samyang 35mm 1:1.4 AS UMC lens now available for sale (Nikon and Canon mount).
  4. Sigma SD1 price and availability *updated*.
  5. Sony a77 camera already listed in the latest repair guide.
  6. Startup company Lytro promises to redefine photography with computational imaging.
  7. Where is the 46 MP Sigma SD1 DSLR camera?
  8. Fuji FinePix X100 camera accessories.
  9. Was the Sigma SD1 price a typo?
  10. The latest lens patents from Sony, Sigma, Panasonic, Pentax and Canon.
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Sigma now shipping the 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS APO HSM lens in the US

Sigma is now shipping the 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS APO HSM lens in the US with Nikon and Canon mounts. The street price is $3,199.00.

Press release:

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Posted in Sigma| 22 Comments

Pentax to announce a new GPS unit for DSLR cameras (O-GPS1)

Pentax is expected to announce a new GPS unit called O-GPS1 for Pentax DSLR cameras. Here are the main features:

  • Geotag your images for location information on popular photo sharing websites.
  • Chart the progress of a hike, bike, or boating trip with interval position tracking.
  • A separate, but efficient power source will not drain your camera’s battery.
  • Supports terrestrial-based WAAS for highly accurate positioning.
  • Electronic Compass function assists while hiking or camping.

Detailed specs:

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Posted in Pentax| 5 Comments

Phottix announced Strato II Multi 5-in-1 wireless trigger


Phottix announced the Strato II Multi 5-in-1 Wireless Trigger – the newest addition to its line up of wireless flash triggers and shutter releases.

The Strato II Multi offers four groups (A, B, C and D) and extended range to the already impressive functions of the original Phottix Strato. Four groups combined with four wireless channels allow photographers an incredible amount of control on location or in the studio. Sixteen or more hot shoe flashes or studio strobes – ready to be used at the push of a button.

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Posted in Phottix| 19 Comments

Interview with Senior Vice President of the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss

In this interview with Dr. Winfried Scherle, Senior Vice President of the Camera Lens Division at Carl Zeiss, you can get some interesting insights about the company and their lenses. Did you know for example that Zeiss is a non-profit foundation that reinvests all profits back in R&D?

Hurlblog Interview Zeiss Scherle 052411 H264 720p from Shane Hurlbut, ASC on Vimeo via Hurlbutvisuals

Posted in Zeiss| 4 Comments

Fujifilm Japan confirms a second X100 firmware update

Dpreview reported that Fujifilm Japan has confirmed the release of a second X100 firmware update to address some of the issues reported by users. No specific release date was given. The first firmware updated 1.01 was released in April, 2010.

Posted in Fuji| Tagged | 4 Comments