New Nikon D300s - New Features + HD Movies

The new D300s looks identical to its sibling the D300 but that is about where the comparison ends.
Yes it inherits the groundbreaking imaging technologies from the D300 such as the scene recognition system and class leading autofocus performance, but with HD movies, dual storage and faster frame rates the D300s offers another level in professional quality image capture.
The D300s comprehensively extends DSLR HD movie capture by adding external stereo sound input, autofocus capability and premieres in-camera movie editing. External stereo microphone support adds more realistic sound to shooting movie clips and a new dedicated LV button makes switching between stills and movies easier than ever. In-camera movie clips can be edited by simply selecting the start and stop points during playback. Also the new Type C HDMI interface enables editing to be carried out on an HD display if desired.

Dual Slot Storage media –For the first time in this class the D300s offers the choice of dual storage media standards; CF (compact flash) and SD (secure digital) with options to manage how the camera records data to them.
Faster Shooting – The D300s captures images up to a blistering 7 frames per second without requiring any additional battery pack.
Intuitive Ergonomics - There have been a number of improvements to the ergonomics of the D300 such as the adoption of the multi-selector that is used on the D3 and D700 which features a centre button to trigger movie start and stop. It also features a quiet release mode for discrete photography by allowing the user to manage the mirror return manually.
The Nikon D300s is a brilliant package for the photographer who wants to combine HD movie making with professional quality still image capture in the one compact unit.
Speak to the experts at Team Digital for a hands on preview of this very clever image capture system from Nikon.

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Extend Your Boundaries with Hartblei Lenses by Carl Zeiss

German/Ukranian specialist lens maker Hartblei announced in October 2009 that its range of superrotator tilt-shift lenses have now been approved to carry the esteemed Carl Zeiss name. The Hartblei (Carl Zeiss optics) range includes a 40mm F4, an 80mm F2.8 and a 120mm F4 Macro and all are available in a variety of mounts including Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax

“So why would a Western Australian photographer think of investing in a Hartblei lens”, I hear you say. Well there are a number of reasons. All are based on medium format and larger, all rotate 360 degrees and all have tilt and shift movement. Despite sensational sharpness at open aperture the 2.8/80mm for example can still create gorgeous blurs and softening but on the other hand with closed aperture the lens becomes a razor sharp tool for daily studio work. With the 2.8/80, users of 35mm full format cameras will achieve 183% of the originally available pixel size with a shift of 2x10mm horizontally makes this the perfect lens for fashion and portrait photographers. The 120mm/ F4 with its 12 blade aperture is a specialist close-up lens with high image quality even at full aperture and is excellent for commercial and ad photography, analogue and digital, outdoor photography, industry and documentation. The 40mm/F4 was originally constructed for the 6x6 format providing huge quality reserves for the 35mm format. With this lens you can almost substitute a view camera.

Hartblei lenses are not for everyone. They are for photographers who are knowledgeable with view cameras or have (or had) medium format backs but want to scale down to 35mm format. Following are some “Ball Park” prices on the range:

Hartblei 80mm f2.8 $4200 + GST Hartblei 120mm f4 $6700 + GST Hartblei 40mm f4 IF $9600 + GST

 

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WAPPA of a Week

The Western Australian Professional Photographer of the year awards (WAPPA’s) are just around the corner and this year’s event looks like being bigger and better than ever with over $11,000 in prizes up for grabs. This year’s event will culminate with a presentation dinner on Friday 4th September 2009 at the Woodside Plaza Building commencing 6.30pm. Following is a quick run down on WAPPA Week.

Monday 31st August 2009 – Judges review all portfolios and select winners.                           

Tuesday 1st September 2009 – Public judging by a panel of local and visiting experts at Hotel Northbridge commencing 9.00am.                                                                                       

Thursday 3rd September 2009 –Visiting judges present seminars at Hotel Northbridge commencing 9.00am.                                                                                                                                     

Friday 4th August 2009 – Presentation dinner at Woodside Plaza commencing 6.30pm.     

 Monday 7th September 2009 – Exhibition of all entries commences in the foyer of the Woodside Plaza building.                                                                                                                              

Team Digital are proud to have been a long term major sponsor of the WAPPA’s and wish all the competitors the best of luck for that “First Week in September”.

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$100 CASH BACK BONUS

Negotiate a deal on any EOS 500D, 50D or 5D Mark 11 body or kit between August 1st and August 31st 2009 and receive a Team Digital gift voucher to the value of $100.

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2009 CANSON INFINITY MASTERPIECE AWARD

Canson has a proud and enviable history of creating some of the world’s finest art papers from their mills in Europe. Decades of experience, a tradition of innovation and a dedication to leading technologies have now combined to produce their new infinity range of digital fine art media for fine art and photo reproduction. Fine art and photographic images can now be printed on traditional art papers specially coated with no optical brighteners to produce high quality inkjet reproduction.

To celebrate this new release the national importers and their partners have launched the 2009 Canson Infinity Masterpiece Awards, a competition open to higher education students throughout Australia. Entrants can be full or part time students who must be studying subjects related to photography or digital imaging during 2009.

The cost to enter is $10 per image with a maximum of four images per student and not surprisingly, all entries must be printed on an Inkjet coated infinity product. Entries will be judged on Composition, Originality, Impact and Technical Quality.

With total prizes valued at over $6000 this is a great opportunity for students to practice their skills and maybe profit at the same time.

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ILLUSTRATIONS WINS AGAIN

Well-known Photographic Production House Illustrations in Wellington Street have again demonstrated that Perth businesses can match it with the best in Australia by winning silver at the recent National Print Awards in Melbourne. Illustrations were awarded under the category “Digital Printing: Inkjet” for their prestigious 2008 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender. The tender catalogue was totally produced in-house using a bank of Epson Wide Format printers to print on Canson Arches White Soft inkjet paper. As suppliers of the materials to Illustrations Team Digital also received a silver award for their contribution which will be displayed in our showroom with pride. Well done to Noel, Simon, Rob and the rest of the team at Illustrations.

 

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Sony Pricing Madness

That time honoured phrase “Have we got a deal for you” generally provokes a somewhat cynical response when we hear it, usually with some justification. It invariably coincides with someone (normally a salesperson) attempting to separate you from your hard earned cash in exchange for an object of dubious value. This is definitely not the case with this latest offer from Team Digital. We have two current model Sony HD Video demonstration cameras, which we are offering, at thousands of dollars below replacement price. We purchased these cameras a few months ago at a special dealers demo price and just before Sony’s substantial price rise so two lucky videographers who are quick off the mark are going to save some serious money on these units.

	Current RRP	Special
Sony HVR-V1P	$5980	$4390
Sony PMW-EX3	$12990	$8900

Ring our Video specialist Peter Clarke today on (08) 93283377 for an overview of the features and capabilities of these current model cameras.

 

Apple Macbook Pro Goes Compact

Until now those seeking the ultimate in compact portability were denied the grunt and features of a MacBook Pro with its minimum screen size of 15 inch. Now professionals can have their cake and eat it with the release of Apple’s new Aluminium unibody MacBook Pro line which includes a 13” model in four variants.

Apart from its compactness the new 13 inch features the new and unique built-in battery for up to 40 percent longer battery life. In addition all of the new models include an LED-backlit display with greater intensity, the innovative glass Multi-Touch Trackpad, an illuminated keyboard, an SD card or ExpressCard slot, a firewire 800 port and state of the art NVIDIA graphics, the list goes on. It looks like Apple have done it again.

 

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Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Also announced recently was MAC OSX Snow Leopard, a more powerful and refined version of the Mac OSX Leopard operating system. Apple lists hundreds of refinements, some new core technologies and new accessibility features with this software, which is expected to ship as an upgrade for OSX Leopard users in September 2009. We are yet to receive a preview copy of the software so unfortunately we can’t add our own impressions to Apple’s promotional literature. A visit to Apple’s website at www.apple.com.au will help to flesh out more of the detail.

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Epson's Innovative Disk Producer

The PP-100 Discproducer is the latest brainchild from Epson and frankly it has us excited.  Bringing disc publishing in-house has the potential to solve a number of problems as well as bring significant benefits to the user. Copyright, confidentiality and intellectual property protection, immediate turn around to meet last minute demand, cost savings compared to outsourcing and best in class full colour on-disc printing for marketing and sales use, these are just some of the reasons why we think Discproducer will be welcomed by a variety of organizations.

This rugged and compact desktop unit is ideal for businesses that need high quality, accurate and fast custom made CDs and DVDs on demand. It can create from one to 100 copies of a disc in a single batch with individual content and six-colour on-disc labels. Epson’s comprehensive Total Disc Maker software quickly compiles data, creates custom labels and sets up the production run all in one easy operation. The package includes a program that displays the status of all jobs and devices and a six-colour inkjet printer that delivers industry-leading disc print quality. Best of all its an Epson so it works.

Interested? then give us a call or better still drop into our showroom in about a weeks time and see Discproducer in action.

 

Current Training Schedule

Make sure you are getting the most out of your time and software. Hone your skills at Team Digital's Training Centre. Click on a course to register.

Adobe Creative Suite

InDesign Novice - Intermediate (2 Day)
17-18th September
15-16th October

InDesign Advanced Tips & Tricks (1 Day)
28th August
30th October

Photoshop Novice - Intermediate (2 Day)
31st August - 1st September
21-22nd September
26-27th October

Photoshop Advanced (1 Day)
9th September

Photoshop for the Web (1 Day)
17th August

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Photoshop for Photographers

Master Classes:

Chiaroscuro (half Day)
14th September

Photo Effects (half Day)
26th August

ProSeries:

RAW to Proof (1 Day)
12th August

 

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DROBO Information Night (6pm - 7:30pm)
12th August

The next of our Digital Village Information Evenings will focus on the important topic of image storage and retrieval and in particular the Drobo range of storage solutions.

Drobo provides a range of scalable, safe and cleverly engineered storage systems and the evening will cover setting up of the software and hardware from scratch. We will also show you how to calculate storage levels and discuss the different standards in hard drives. As usual the evening will conclude with some hospitality and the chance to mix with fellow imaging enthusiasts.
Date: 12th August 2009
Time: 6.00 – 8.00pm
Venue: Team Digital, 268 Lord St East Perth (Parking out front and through the back gate to the north of the building)

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If you would like to become a member of the Digital Village please email Jenny at jenny@teamdigital.com.au , she will be delighted to send you a brochure which includes the application form.

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Bargains

 

S/H CANON 600mm

We have for sale one only Mint condition Canon 600mm F4L lens for $8800 GST inc. This lens is just 18 months old and represents a saving of around $3700 on new price.