Digital Cameras Buying Guide		Digital Cameras the latest DSLRs | Compacts
	Camera Memory huge storage with SD | CF cards		Film Buying Guide because film is not dead
	Unusual Cameras all the peculiar gear		Photo Exhibitions photographic shows in London

Please note that these pages are as subjective as the colour of burnt ginger curry and as our name What Camera implies it’s more about asking questions than giving answers. Still there are some nifty hints and useful bits and bobs around, so enjoy What Camera responsibly!

Canon 550D’s main strengths are its impressive picture quality, strong body with an excellent new LCD screen, fast autofocus and reliable light metering. In practice it performs on par, if not better, than the Nikon D5000 and Pentax K-x, which are excellent cameras in their own right. To add a competitive edge to the package, however, Canon have made the 550D a capable video camera too with an external mic sockets and numerous controls for quality and frame rate settings. The 550D is great effort by Canon and an excellent introduction for enthusiasts to the world of DSLR photography.

Olympus has announced the latest digital camera model to join its durable Tough range - it’s the new Olympus Mju Tough 3000. It is waterproof to 3m, shockproof enough to drop from 1.5m and works happily down to temperatures of -10°C. Behind the tough exterior lie sophisticated electronics, including a 12MP CCD sensor, image stabilisation, HD movie mode and even a 1GB internal memory. The camera can also be charged through USB which is very handy. It features a 3.6x (28-102mm equiv.) zoom lens that is perfectly versatile for the outdoors.

Olympus μ TOUGH 3000 is out now and comes in four bright colours - Hot Pink, Emerald (above), Turquoise Blue, and Oxide Red. Click on the link below to check them out.

Pentax has announced yet another brilliantly-spec’d entry-level DSLR. It features a 12MP CMOS sensor with ISO 100-12,800, 11-point autofocus, anti-shake, Live View and HD video shooting mode. All this is available at a price much lower than competitors such Nikon D5000 and Canon EOS 500D.

On top of the impressive interior, Pentax K-x also comes in small light body that is available in a range of colours. You can choose between Red, Blue, White and Black.

The long awaited update to the excellent but aging Nikon D40 is the new Nikon D3000 and it’s finally hitting the shops. It looks very much like the D5000 however it has more in common with the D60 when it comes to features. That said, there are several areas of vast improvement, one being the impressive autofocus on the D3000. It uses an 11-area TTL sensor that behaves quite well under low light and with moving objects. There’s even a 3D Tracking option. The standard 18-55 kit lens doesn’t show off the autofocus system’s capabilities to their full extent, but the potential is there for when you try higher spec lenses.

The Nikon D3000 features 10-megapixel DX-format sensor, ISO 100-3200 sensitivity and a large 3″ LCD screen. All this is packed in a neat 485g camera body that handles well, quite alike the rest of the Nikon range.

On the downside, Nikon are still not including Live View in their entry-level modells, unlike competitors like Canon’s EOS 1000D. It also lacks some specialist features like exposure bracketing, lens control dials and depth-of-field preview, however these are not that important for most photographers.

In conclusion, Nikon does not surprise us but builds on previous models to make D3000 a very good reliable bit of kit that can satisfy the needs of enthusiasts.

Taylor Wessing Portrait Awards 2009

Through editorial, advertising and fine art images, the mix of international entrants have explored a range of themes, styles and approaches to the contemporary photographic portrait, from formal commissioned portraits to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family. Featuring many images previously unexhibited, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 represents a unique opportunity to see some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers working today.

Canon’s new semi-professional DSLR, the EOS 7D, has arrived on British shores and is available in shops. Far from being a mere replacement of the older Canon 5D, the new camera has a host of new features aimed to impress the serious enthusiast. Canon 7D’s spec sheet is truly impressive:

18MP APS-C CMOS sensor
8fps shooting
ISO range up to 12800
100% Viewfinder
19 cross-type AF points
Full HD movie
Magnesium alloy body with environmental protection

The Canon compares very favourably with the competition too. The main differences between the 7D and Nikon D300s are the better resolution of the Canon (18MP vs 12MP), wider ISO sensitivity on both ends of the range and higher quality Movie recording. The Nikon on the other hand offers better autofocus with more AF Areas and more memory options including SD and CF cards. Apart from that the 7D and D300s are very similar in terms of size, weight and functionality and the choice between them can be entirely based on personal preferences.

Just five months after introducing the E-P1, Olympus has announced an upgrade of the Digital PEN in the face of E-P2. New features include an accessory port for an electronic viewfinder or microphone, additional Art Filters and Autofocus tracking. The body also now comes in pearlescent black finish. These minor differences between the Olympus E-P1 and E-P2 seem more like a tweak rather than major upgrade to an already excellent digital camera.

Olympus E-P2 will be available to buy from early next year with kits including electronic viewfinder and a 17mm pancake or 14-42mm zoom lens.

Japanese manufacturer Ricoh has launched its latest model, the digital Ricoh GXR. Described as a radical rethink of camera design, the body itself consists only of controls, LCD and flash, while the lens, image sensor and processing engine come in separate interchangeable units. The Ricoh GXR thus benefits from a very compact design and is claimed to be the smallest digital camera with removable lens.

Currently there are two lens/sensor options available from Ricoh:

Ricoh GXR A12 - A 12 megapixel CMOS sensor coupled with a 50mm f/2.5 macro lens for high quality low noise photography. The lens features a chunky manual focus ring for precision focusing.

Ricoh GXR S10 - A high-speed option with a 10 megapixel high-sensitivity CCD sensor and a 24-72mm f/2.5-4.4. The smaller sensor allows for the zoom lens to be extremely compact.

Both options come not only with their own sensors and lens combinations, but also include shutters and image processing units. These account for most of what matters in a digital camera and thus each option greatly influences the output produced. Swap the interchangeable unit and you have a totally new camera.

Ricoh GXR’s launch date is some time in 2010. Body price is expected to be around £400, with A12 and S10 costing £600 and £300 respectively.

To go over the specs in brief, the GF1 comes with a 12 megapixel sensor and a 3in screen. It is a capable camera, featuring 3fps continuous shooting, 720p HD video and full manual modes. The body is quite light and compact (119×71x36mm.) In fact, it’s the design where the Panasonic GF1 shines - it is a simple compact retro-styled body housing high quality electronics. It is not cheap - at over £500 - but it makes a perfect second camera for professionals or the one to slip into your pocket when on holiday.

Comparing the Panasonic GF1 to main rival Olympus E-P1 can seem like a hard task initially as they look quite similar and are of about the same size and weight. The main differences between the GF1 and E-P1 are mainly the higher screen resolution on the Panasonic, together with it’s faster autofocusing, and a built-in flash which the Olympus lacks. The main strength of the E-P1 is the built-in image stabilisation which means that any lens that you put on it will be stabilised, while you need to buy special lenses for the Panasonic if you’re after anti-shake. Overall, the ch oice between the GF1 and the E-1P is really down to styling and which one appeals more to you.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is available from Warehouse Express.

Twiggy’s 60th birthday is celebrated by the National Portrait Gallery with the launch of a new exhibition and the publication of a photographic biography of her life. One of the best-known models of all time and arguably the first supermodel, Twiggy has worked with the world’s leading photographers and a some of the most iconic images will be on show at the Gallery.

Twiggy says, ‘Over my career I’ve had the privilege of working with many great photographers. I’m very excited to see so many of these portraits coming together at the National Portrait Gallery and in my new book. It’s really interesting to see how fashion photography and portraiture have evolved throughout my career. I hope that this display and book will give people the opportunity to see these pictures that have captured definitive moments in my career. ‘

Twiggy: A Life in Photographs is now on at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The famous Olympus Pen trade name is brought back to life with this smart-looking camera that combines the ease of use and portability of a digital compact with the interchangeable lens facility found on a digital SLR. Olympus seem to have cracked it - it’s a camera we’d all want in our shirt pockets. It has formidable resolution, good ISO performance and tons of controls, all housed in a high-quality retro camera body. Add to that a range of superb Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses and you have a winner.

The downside? Well, the Olympus Pen is not cheap, although we all know that in the world of photography quality always comes at a price. So no surprises there. Apart from that, the camera strikes me as a little slow compared to the ultra-responsive kit you can buy for the money, and this makes for a different, slower kind of shooting experience. The screen is also not very high resolution, so you’re best browsing through the photos on your computer. Lastly, and I am really nit picking here, sometimes you do get highlight clipping when shooting in high contrast conditions with the sun in the frame.

All in all, however, the Olympus Pen is a real gem, as are the new lenses. It makes for a great shooting experience that those who can afford it won’t regret. I wouldn’t sell my DSLR kit for it, but the Pen is definitely on my “when I find some spare cash” list. Available to buy at Warehouse Express.

The Gorilla Pod is the ultimate easy-to-carry travel tripod complete with super flexible legs that will clamp it securely to almost any surface. Yes, we know it won’t replace your sturdy “proper” tripod, but then this one stands a better chance of actually making it out of the car boot. As far as compact tripods go then, this one is the one to have.

It’s so good, we were even generous enough to give one Gorilla Pod away to a lucky reader. The competition is now closed, but don’t dispair, you can easily buy yourself one online.

Samsung’s latest compact camera is more gimmicky than ever making it very fun to use. And it may just improve your photography too.

The most obvious feature of the ST550 digital compact is the dual LCD system - one on the back as usual and one on the front near the lens. The frontal LCD display can do a lot of nifty tasks. If you’re shooting a portrait, for example, it can do a countdown to let your subject prepare for the photo. It also displays a smiley face to save you shouting ‘cheese’ all the time. Or, if you’re shooting a self portrait, the frontal LCD can help you compose yourself perfectly in front of the lens.

But this is not all. There are no buttons on the Samsung ST550’s back at all as the large LCD display there is actually a touch screen. You can navigate through all settings using the interactive display menus. The camera also has an Acceleration Sensor that lets you playback your shots without even touching the screen - a tilt or twist of the camera body is enough to go through your pictures.

Beneath it all, the Samsung ST550 is a tiny 12MP compact camera with a generous 27-124mm (equiv) Schneider lens, ISO sensitivity of up to 3200 and HD movie capability. Samsung is releasing two versions of this camera with the main difference between the Samsung ST550 and ST500 is that the latter employs a smaller LCD display and is slightly lighter.

Both cameras are available to buy at Warehouse Express.

The rumours turned out to be true as Nikon have just announced the Coolpix S1000pj - the first ever compact digital camera with a built-in projector. Brilliant! Now you can share your photos easily with friends by projecting 40 inch wide images on the wall in just a click. The camera is also not bad either, featuring a 12MP sensor, 5x zoom lens with VR and ISO range of 80-6400.

The camera costs just under £350 and is available to buy from Warehouse Express.

Ricoh unveils the GR Digital III

Having been in love with Ricoh’s GR-range since the Film Age, I was excited to hear the company announcing its latest premium compact additiion to the range. The GR III’s top feature is its super fast f1.9 28mm equivalent prime lens. Successor to the GR Digital II, it uses a new 10MP sensor with larger pixel pitch. Sensitivity, speed and continuous shoting are also improved. The GR III continues the Ricoh tradition of high resolution screens, becoming one of the first compact to offer a 920,000 dots VGA panel. All in all, this should be one great little camera to keep in your pocket.

André Kertész is known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic composition and by his efforts in establishing and developing the photo essay. In the early years of his lengthy career, his then-unorthodox camera angles, and his unwillingness to compromise his personal photographic style, prevented his work from gaining wider recognition. He is recognized today as one of the seminal figures of photojournalism.

Over the course of his career, Kertész captured readers of all ages in various locations – on rooftops and balconies, in parks, on crowded streets, at train stations, in libraries – creating a poetic study of the act of reading. The photographs range from abstract formal compositions to playful, often humorous observations, a signature style of Kertész’s work.

On Reading remained a constant fascination. At this moment when digital technologies might render the printed page obsolete, On Reading is a timely, humorous and nostalgic reminder of the importance of the book and the culture of reading.

Exhibition At London’s Photographers Gallery

Canon PowerShot D10 - Durable & Rugged

Waterproof and shockproof, this cute 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot will take a lot more punishment than your ordinary digital camera. It will also withstand temperatures down to -10C and quite a bit of dust and dirt thrown at it. Inside its rugged protective shell, the PowerShot D10 features clever technology that will help you get a better shot - including image stabilisation, and motion, scene and face detection. The Canon’s built-in lens offers 3x Zoom which is adequate, although main rival Pentax Optio W80 has the edge when it comes to optics with its 4x zoom, allowing for both wider landscapes and close-up action shots.

Buy now from Warehouse Express.

Norwiegan photographer Jonas Bendiksen explores regions of the former Soviet Union in this exhibition accompanying his new book of the same name. On display at the Sir John Soane-designed PM Gallery & House in Ealing, the images focus on former communist areas often overlooked by photo-journalism, such as Transdniester and Abkhazia. Bendiksen’s lens also captures spacecraft crash zones between Russia and Kazakhstan, the Jewish Autonomous Region of Far Eastern Russia and an unrecognised country on the Black Sea.

See directions to the gallery.

New exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Richter’s use of his own private photographs heralded, from the late 1970s, a body of portraits connected with his inner circle of family and close friends. Such intimate subjects and personal themes seem, at first, to stand in stark contrast to the impersonal nature of his early work but Richter’s recent portraits continue to explore the preoccupations that have been present from the outset, being both open to the viewer’s gaze, yet impenetrable. Though personal, there is a sense that these portraits remain, as Richter has observed, a ’semblance’.

Ridiculed, coveted, derided, loved; a study and celebration of red hair comes to the Idea Generation exhibition gallery in London.

Idea Generation Gallery is pleased to present selected works from the book Root Ginger: A Study of Red Hair by the photographer Jenny Wicks. An exhibition, book and film project, Root Ginger is a tribute to a trait that is most common in Scotland and Ireland but is scattered around the world.

Gallery Opening times are: Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm, Saturday & Sunday 12 - 5pm.

Idea Generation Gallery, 11 Chance St, London. E2 7JB.

Advanced booking is essential. Visit the Museum’s website to book online.

Beginner Level

“What is this DSLR thing about then?”

DSLRs are a great way to be in control of your photography and to get involved more seriously. They offer interchangeable lenses (really a must if you mean business) and allow for full manual control over your shooting. To start with, I’d really recommed three brands here - Nikon, Canon and Olympus.

Nikon’s budget offering for the beginner is the D40 - an excellent low-cost 6-megapixel digital SLR that is compact yet quite capable. Still, if you’d like something newer with a few more megapixels then the Nikon D40X, or its recent replacement the D60, come into play. These two are great introductions to the world of Digital SLR Photography and will provide you with lots of features to play with. There isn’t much to choose between the D40X and the D60 as they’re both based on the same body and have the same 10-megapixel sensor - main improvements in the D60 are the introduction of a dust reduction system, an eye sensor to control display, and an AF-S silent motor kit lens.

Canon’s model range starts with the EOS 1000D, which is cheap as chips yet packed with features. It has everything you’d need of a Digital SLR including 10 megapixel sensor, 7-point AutoFocus system and even LiveView. One step up in the Canon range is the EOS 450D which has upgrades such as a couple of extra megapixels, larger screen, spot metering and better continuous shooting mode, all fitted in roughtly the same size body. Both of these are really excellent cameras that carry the Canon quality stamp and give you access to an excellent range of lenses.

Lastly I have to mention Olympus’ excellent E-420. This new E-System model boasts extreme user-friendliness in an amazingly light and compact take-anywhere form. It is really a great little camera that you need to pick up and play with to appreciate.

How to choose the perfect Digital SLR for you? Well there is no such thing as a perfect anything, but the models above do get pretty close. The choice between the top brands is really personal and down to what lenses you’re going to use as much as the look and feel of the camera.

Outstanding 12.1 megapixel camera with super-zoom. Nikon P90’s 24x zoom lens with 26 mm wide-angle capability lets you capture impressive wide-angle and super-telephoto shots, and you can focus from infinity to as close as 1 cm in Macro mode.  The large 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor on the Nikon Coolpix P90 can be tilted through 180 degrees to allow for easy viewing from the hip or from above. Advanced exposure modes offer greater control over your photography and you can enhance the vibrancy of images taken under difficult conditions with the powerful Quick Retouch function. The Nikon P90 – unbeatable compositional freedom.

Mark Pekelharing, Product Manager Consumer Products at Nikon Europe: “This camera demonstrates Nikon’s devotion to camera enthusiasts. The amazingly powerful 24x zoom, 3.0-inch LCD screen with vari-angle tilt function, vibration reduction, and high sensitivity make the Nikon Coolpix P90 a no-compromise bridge between a compact camera and a D-SLR.”

Nikon P90 with 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor

The generous 3-inch vari-angle LCD monitor with anti-reflection coating can be tilted up by as much as 90 degrees, or down by as much as 45 degrees.

Nikon Coolpix P90 Key Features

• Nikkor wideangle 24x zoom lens with super-telephoto capability. (35mm equivalent: 26 - 624mm.)
• 12 megapixel resolution.
• Smart portrait system:  advanced automatic features for perfect portraits. Smile Mode takes the shot when your chosen subject smiles. Blink Warning alerts you when someone had their eyes closed.
• Advanced Face Priority AutoFocus with in-camera Red-eye Fix lets you quickly detect and focus accurately on up to 12 faces in the frame, and corrects red eye.
• 4x anti-blur automatically counters blurred images in four different ways. Sensor-shift Vibration Reduction reduces the effect of camera shake. High ISO (up to 6400) light sensitivity reduces the risk of blurred images with fast-moving subjects or in low-light. Motion detection compensates for camera and subject movement. Best Shot Selector automatically selects the sharpest of up to 10 sequential shots.
• Exposure Modes for greater creative control. Programmed Auto (P), Shutter-priority Auto (S), Aperture-priority Auto (A) and Manual (M).
• High-speed continuous shooting with pre-shooting cache: shoot up to 45 continuous shots at 15 fps. Nikon Coolpix P90 gives you the option to press the shutter halfway and record the moments that take place before you press the shutter fully, so that you never have to worry about being a second too late again.

UPDATE: 2009 EXHIBITION NOW ON

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2008 showcases the work of the most talented emerging young photographers, photography students and gifted amateurs alongside that of established professionals.

This year’s competition attracted over 2,500 photographers who together submitted more than 6,700 images. The resulting exhibition of sixty works, includes the four prize-winners and the winner of the Godfrey Argent Award, which this year goes to the photographer who submitted the best portrait in black and white.

Through editorial, advertising and fine art images, the mix of international entrants have explored a range of themes, styles and approaches to the contemporary photographic portrait, from formal commissioned portraits to more spontaneous and intimate moments capturing friends and family.

Featuring many images previously unpublished, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2008 represents a unique opportunity to see some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers working today.

Now on at the National Portrait Gallery.

See the winning images of this year’s competition in the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition online or at the Natural History Museum in London. The competition, run by the museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, attracted more than 32,000 entries from 82 countries.

The picture above is by Yongkang Zhu: ‘To photograph the swans in their environment meant I had to endure the same conditions - snowstorms and high winds that roll the snow across the flat land in great waves. The storm was so bitter I wished I could have escaped along with the swans.’ Every winter, huge flocks of whooper swans migrate from the far north of Europe and Asia to warmer lowlands. The Rongcheng Swan Lake nature reserve in eastern China is a major overwintering sanctuary for whooper swans. But even here, when the fresh water freezes, the birds are forced to feed in the fields, digging through the snow for grass. Yongkangused Canon EOS 20D + Sigma 300-800mm f5.6 lens at 300mm; 1/1250 sec at f6.3; ISO 200; tripod.

The underwater world is full of wonderful serene scenes making us wonder at nature and why species bothered evolving out of the sea. Seeing its beauty is one thing, but capturing it on camera can be tough. Well, not really. The pictures above, for example, are not fancy commercial photos, but rather amateur shots using budget Sealife gear. There are two routs really to shooting underwater - getting yourself a waterproof digital camera or waterproof casing for your current model. Pros and the unevitable cons of both are underlined below.

Waterproof Cameras

These are specifically built cameras for underwater photography. There are no fiddly casings to mess with, the camera is ready for the dive, but on the flip side it is not that great on land. The Sealife Reefmaster pictured below is a great little waterproof digital camera with a depth rating of 40m and is perfect for all those expeditions to the beach or sea.

Waterproof Camera Casings

Alternatively, if you have a digital camera that you prefer and love, you can buy a waterproof casing for it to take it diving with  you. This housing provides rubbery waterproofness typically down to 40 metres and easy to use big bright buttons. On the downside, you can always forget to pack your casing when going away, plus they’re not suited to more serious depths, but apart from that they should help you have all the fun a dedicated waterproof camera would.

Loss of Picture Quality Underwater And The Use Of Flash

A big problem that underwater photographers face, apart from unfriendly marine life and wild hairdos, is the extreme loss of colour and contrast at depth. This is due to colours such as red and orange being easily absorbed by water, which is why the sea appears so blue and green.

One way to solve this is to cut the distance to your subject, ideally to under one metre, as this will minimise the colour loss. You can even use wide angle lenses to get really close. Another way is to use flash, either your built-in one or a dedicated off-camera unit, which will fill-in the scene with a full spectrum of colour.

This project celebrates the energy and excitement of the Soho area in London after-dark. Bringing together two archives, the iconic British magazine Picture Post and the film maker Ken Russell’s series at the legendary Cat’s Whiskers coffee bar.

Soho frequently featured in Picture Post. With its theatre, cabaret, cafés and clubs it was an exciting centre for entertainment, art and youth culture. Stories such as The Making of a Glamour Girl by Tim Gidal and Kurt Hutton, Excitement in the Making by Thurston Hopkins and Blue Heaven in the Basement by Slim Hewitt caught the pace and excitement of Soho night-life.

The photographs of Ken Russell (UK, b.1927) captured the birth of the ‘hand jive’ at the Cat’s Whiskers coffee bar in 1956. This venue attracted such big crowds that there was no room to move and so hand gestures replaced conventional dancing. The atmospheric scenes these photographs portray give us a glimpse of night-time Soho as it once was.

Now on at the Photographers’ Gallery.

Choosing A Digital Camera For Her

A digital camera is an essential inhabitant of a lady’s pruse and as such deserves equal consideration to its numerous roomies, the mobile phone charm, the moisturiser, and the hundred others. One advice when choosing a camera for a woman (and here I presume you’re a guy) is to step back and think about what she’d really appreciate. Yup, looks would score high. She wouldn’t care if it has the latest DIGIC4 Image Processor if the camera looks like it belongs to the secret lab of a Soviet villain. It needs colour, sparkle, sophistication.

But by no means should the digital camera lack features. To the contrary, missing a vital hen do group shot because of a fiddly camera needs to be avoided at all costs. With all these needs and musts picking a camera for our better halves may seem like a daunting task, but fear not, as we’ve picked four of the best bits of modern technology and design. Take your pick from these glamorous digital cameras for women, we’ve made sure you can’t go wrong.

Panasonic Lumix LS80 - Under £100
DMC-LS80 offers women an ultimate ease and convenience to let them enjoy shooting beautiful photographs. Available in silver, black and pink.

Canon IXUS 80 IS - Under £150

Pure aluminium bodywork enhances the smooth curves of the Digital IXUS 80 IS. Available in four distinctive colours, the camera packs an Image Stabiliser lens and other leading technologies into its slim form, for fun photography with a large dash of elegance.

Olympus MJU 1060 - Under £200
The μ 1060 combines miniaturised optics, state-of-theart design and cutting edge technology in a slim metal camera body. With a stunning 7x optical zoom there are practically no limits to the distance from your subject, and the Dual Image Stabilisation prevents blurry photographs.

Nikon Coolpix S60 - Under £300
This is one digital camera women are going to love to touch! The Coolpix S60 is the perfect marriage between technology and style. Nikon has introduced a host of features to make this camera easy to use and packed it with superb innovations derived from professional D-SLR line for optimal imaging.

The 3.1 megapixel camera has been cleverly built into the mask and the cross hairs on the lenses will show you exactly where you need to look to get the perfect snap. As well as being able to take great pics, it can also shoot video. Yup you can film your deep blue explorations that are stored in the 16MB of onboard memory - which you can easily expand with a Micro SD Card if you fancy re-enacting some sub-aquatic adventure.

Now available on the market for under £100.

The photographs in this exhibition have two things in common: they were all taken in London over the past century or so, and they all come from the vast archives of Getty Images. But that’s where the similarities end.

This isn’t a showcase of tourist hotspots or a roll-call of famous Londoners or even a chronological survey of photography in the capital. Some well-known names crop up, both in front of and behind the camera: the Beatles, the Kray brothers, Thurston Hopkins, Terry Fincher and Terry O’Neill. And some famous events: the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, the poll tax riots in 1990. Some iconic structures and places appear too: the Daily Express building, Trellick Tower, Eros, Petticoat Lane Market.

But the great and the good, and the landmarks of history and architecture are matched by anonymous Londoners doing everyday things. Routemasters and riots, funfairs and football crowds, buskers and bombs, pop stars and policemen, traffic and towers, squatters and stilt walkers: all take a bow. And quite a few animals get a look in too: sheep, hounds, deer, monkeys and even an elephant.

Some pictures depict a recognisably modern city; some seem to come from another lifetime. Some people are posing for the photographer, but many are oblivious to the camera’s eye. The sources of the images are equally varied too – Fleet Street newspapers, commercial photography agencies, private collections, photojournalism magazines (notably the ground-breaking Picture Post) – and are a tribute to the richness and diversity of Getty Images’ holdings.

The result is a portrait of London, but an idiosyncratic and inevitably incomplete one, where celebration and protest, the individual and the crowd, the momentous and the mundane all have their place. We hope this exhibition is entertaining and surprising, and reveals how much the capital has changed, and how much it hasn’t. Most of all, we hope that it captures something of the endless variety and interest of life in London.

Now on at Getty Images Gallery.

Camera memory cards have grown incredibly large incredibly fast, allowing you to store thousands of images on one tiny piece of plastic. They’re one of the few technologies that have gone embarrassingly cheap for the amount of work they actually do, which is great. Now picking a memory card is down to how many Christmases or holidays you want stored on the thing and all for a few bob. There are two main types of camera memory cards - SD and CF - with SD being the smaller type usually found in compact cameras, while CF cards are chunkier and used in high end DSLRs. Have a look below to see the best deals on camera memory around.

SD Memory Cards

SD cards, mainly used in point-and-shoot cameras, can have huge capacity while being nice and small, although be careful not to buy Micro or Mini SD which is too small to fit in most photographic gear. There are quite a few manufacturers, but you can stick to SanDisk which is a very popular card maker producing some of the most reliable storage out there. There are various types of SanDisk SD cards, for example Ultra II and Extreme III, which refer to the speed of writing to the card. However, unless you’re going mad pressing the shutter button, any card would do a brilliant job, so buy in mind with whatever you wish to spend.

	Capacity	Photos	From
	2GB	400	under £10
	4GB	750	under £15
	8GB	1500	under £30
	16GB+	3000+	over £50

CF Memory Cards

Most modern digital SLRs use CompactFlash memory due to its superior reliability and ruggedness. They offer large capacity, anything from a 1GB up to an insanse 64GB (and even larger ones coming out), at very reasonable prices - for example, you can bag a fast 2GB SanDisk for under £20.
Again, SanDisk are a great manufacturer who pioneered the Compact Flash card and are still leaders in the field, however other brands like Lexar, Kingston and Fuji do a great job too. Click on the retailer below to see their latest offers on CF memory:

Card Readers

The digital equivalent of a Swiss army knife (well, almost), modern camera memory card readers are extremely versatile and can read almost any type of memory media that you plug in. Most can support up to a dozen different memory card types with the more expensive allowing faster (USB 2.0 or Firewire) connection to your computer.

Fuji’s latest colour negative films, PRO160S and PRO160C, recieved much praise from professional photographers and really they aren’t too bad at all. They replace the already excellent NPS/NPC series but with improved emulsion that is especially easier to scan.

The “S” type is a very smooth film with gentle tones and accurate rendition of greys and skin tones, making Fuji PRO160S ideal for portraiture. If you like more puncy negatives, the PRO160C offers more vivid colours and higher contrast making it a more versatile film for a range of applications, from portraits to architecture. Both films are rated at ISO160 and as such offer fine granularity and high resolution which is to be expected of a modern film.

Fuji PRO160S and PRO160C Key Features

• Smooth, natural reproduction of skin tones.
• Pro 160S offers a gentler tonal curve, while Pro 160C features high contrast and saturated color.
• Unsurpassed gray balance; gray tones are reproduced with neutrality and accuracy.
• Significantly finer grain structure. The two new films boast even finer grain than their predecessors, with an RMS granularity of 3 (vs. 4 for the current NPS 160 and NPC 160). The result is notably smoother, richer-looking prints, especially at larger sizes.
• Single-channel printing. All four films in the new Fuji Pro line, despite their differences in speed and contrast, can now be printed in a single print channel. This simplifies the adjustment of print density and color balance, making it easier and more efficient for labs to provide photographers with quality prints.
• Optimized for digital scanning and printing. These films bring the information-carrying capacity of color negative film into an easy and efficient digital workflow. By combining excellent tonal qualities in a wide exposure range (-1 to +3 EV) and exceptionally fine grain, the scanning characteristics of Pro 160S and Pro 160C in digital printing systems, such as Fujifilm’s Frontier digital lab system, dramatically improve. As a result, superior scanning consistency makes post-scanning color correction and retouching easier than ever before.
• Generous exposure latitude. The Fujicolor Pro films’ characteristics of wide exposure latitude (-1 to +3 EV) produce excellent gray balance, skin tone rendition, and overall color balance, delivering competitive results with normal basic exposures.
• 4th Color Layer Technology to simulate human color perception. All of the Fuji Pro films incorporate Fujifilm’s proprietary 4th Color Layer Technology. The addition of a fourth cyan-sensitive layer to the typical RGB sensitive layers helps simulate accurate color as the human eye perceives it. Fujicolor Pro films reproduce delicate skin colors, neutral colors and deliver exceptionally consistent color balance regardless of light source - daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, flash, or mixed lighting.

Four New Films

• Fuji Pro 160S
• Fuji Pro 160C
• Fuji Pro 400H
• Fuji Pro 800Z

Film Structure

The Royal Geographical Society’s Afghanistan collection includes hundreds of rare images dating back to the mid 1800s. A selection of the Society’s photographs, drawings and lithographs – accompanied by extracts from historic travel journals and maps – feature in this engaging and informative exhibition.

From scenes of Kabul’s market places in 1842 to panoramic views of Kandahar taken after the second Anglo-Afghan war of 1878-80, these materials provide a revealing insight into the communities, customs and histories of this mountainous country.

Now on at London’s  Royal Geographical Society.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990–2005 includes over 150 photographs by the celebrated photographer, encompassing well-known work made on editorial assignment as well as personal photographs of her family and close friends. “I don’t have two lives,” Leibovitz says. “This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it.”

The exhibition features many of Leibovitz’s best-known portraits of public figures, including actors such as Jamie Foxx, Nicole Kidman, and Brad Pitt; athletes preparing for the 1996 Olympic Games; George W. Bush with members of his Cabinet at the White House; and her famous 1991 image of then-pregnant actress Demi Moore, one of the most recognisable photographs of its time. The show also highlights images of artists and architects such as Richard Avedon, Brice Marden, Philip Johnson, and Cindy Sherman. Leibovitz’s assignment work includes reportage from the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s and the election of Hillary Clinton to the U.S. Senate.

At the heart of the exhibition, Leibovitz’s personal photography documents scenes from her life, including the birth and childhood of her three daughters, and vacations, reunions, and rites of passage with her parents and extended family.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990–2005 threads together the two sides of Leibovitz’s work both chronologically and creatively, projecting a narrative of the artist’s private life against the backdrop of her public image as one of the world’s best-known portrait photographers.

Now on at the National Portrait Gallery.

Treat him to real retro chic. Minox’s ethos comes to the forefront within this camera: clever electronics combined with a touch of extravagance. The top technology and optical systems provide quality images, while the iconic retro look is real head turner. This is a truly great buy for anybody who’s into nostalgia, design, photography or just… anybody really.

This Sony camera is a real gem, featuring an 8 megapixel sensor and an excellent range of features. The top quality Carl Ziess Lens delivers razor sharp photos whilst the 4x zoom allows you to zoom into any interesting bits. Available in a stylish Black aluminium case, the W130 comes complete with Face Detection, Smile Shutter and even built-in image stabalisation.

Samsung’s new model NV30 features the clever Smart Touch user interface (basically it is realy cool to fiddle with!) and incorporates the new DRIM something-or-other Engine image processor for making really nice photos. And it does! Combined with a shiny 3x optical zoom Schneider lens, the new Samsung NV produces sharp and vivid images shot after shot without the annoying wait between them.

This sleek Fuji digital camera is designed for men seeking an affordable compact camera that still does the job perfectly. This is a compact easy to use model offering 8-megapixel image resolution and 5x optical zoom.

Choosing a digital camera for him can be a daunting task with so many models out there all claiming to be the best at everything while still fitting in the tiniest of shirt pockets. The camera needs to look manly, have a long lasting battery (why are chargers the first thing to forget when going away?!) and have large man-sized buttons to be easy to use even under the influence. Oh, and they need to take excellent photos. Well, we’ve done the hard work for you and have picked 4 great digital cameras with a macho look and feel. Take your pick, all of these are great cameras for men that splurt out impressive photos, you really can’t go wrong!

Fuji FinePix J10 - Under £100

This sleek Fuji digital camera is designed for men seeking an affordable compact camera that still does the job perfectly. This is a compact easy to use model offering 8-megapixel image resolution and 5x optical zoom.

Samsung NV30 - Under £100

Samsung’s new model NV30 features the clever Smart Touch user interface (basically it is realy cool to fiddle with!) and incorporates the new DRIM something-or-other Engine image processor for making really nice photos. And it does! Combined with a shiny 3x optical zoom Schneider lens, the new Samsung NV produces sharp and vivid images shot after shot without the annoying wait between them.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W130 - Under £200

This Sony camera is a real gem, featuring an 8 megapixel sensor and an excellent range of features. The top quality Carl Ziess Lens delivers razor sharp photos whilst the 4x zoom allows you to zoom into any interesting bits. Available in a stylish Black aluminium case, the W130 comes complete with Face Detection, Smile Shutter and even built-in image stabalisation.

Minox Digital Classic - Under £200

Treat him to real retro chic. Minox’s ethos comes to the forefront within this camera: clever electronics combined with a touch of extravagance. The top technology and optical systems provide quality images, while the iconic retro look is real head turner. This is a truly great buy for anybody who’s into nostalgia, design, photography or just… anybody really.

The Photoframe Keyring is a quirky little gadget that lets your carry and display your snaps anywhere you go. Simply upload photos via USB and hook the tiny photoframe onto your keyring - now you can show off your holiday snaps to anyone that happens to ask. We’ve managed to get our hands on one and are looking for a good home for it.  See how you can win it below.

What You Have To Do
Complete the form below. You’ll need to tell us something for our Camera Obscure: Facts About Photography section - send over a weird photography fact that we didn’t know. Next month then a random fact will be chosen that will be the winner.
Your information won’t be shared with anyone ever (for full T&Cs go right down to the bottom of this page)

Terms & Conditions
Closing Date For this competition is 30 November 2009.
The Draw will take place 1 December 2009.
You can only enter this competition once. We do remove multiple submissions.
Competition is completely free to enter.
No cash alternative is available for the prize offered.
This competition is open to residents of the UK only.
The winner will be notified of their win via the email address submitted on the entry. If a response to this notification is not received within 14 days, IWOOT reserves the right to randomly select another winner. In light of this, please ensure you submit an email address that you use regularly!
No responsibility will be accepted for entries that are not received.

Welcome to Camera Obscure. No, not obscura - obscure. This is the place where we collect all the weird and wonderful photography facts that you’ve sent us, fun little things that make you go “hmmm”, “really?” or “yeah, right!” and entertain our photographic brain. Have a peek, all facts are in the comments section below.

Click Here To Scroll Down To Our Obscure Facts

Admitedly, we haven’t got loads of photography facts and obscurities yet, so please feel free to share any of your gems with us. We’re so keen to hear from you that we’re even given away a free Photoframe Keyring for the best fact, just fill in the form.

The Gorilla Pod is the ultimate easy-to-carry travel tripod complete with super flexible legs that will clamp it securely to almost any surface. Yes, we know it won’t replace your sturdy 25kg “proper” tripod, but then this one stands a better chance of actually making it out of the car boot. As far as compact tripods go then, this one is the one to have. As it happens we have one (the bigger SLR-version) Gorilla Pod to give away to a lucky winner!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

What You Have To Do
Complete the form below. You’ll need to tell us something for our Camera Obscure section though - a fact about photography that we didn’t know below. Next month then a random fact will be chosen that will be the winner.
Your information won’t be shared with anyone ever (for full T&Cs go right down to the bottom of this page)

Terms & Conditions
Closing Date For this competition is 30 August 2009.
The Draw will take place 1 September 2009.
You can only enter this competition once. We do remove multiple submissions.
Competition is completely free to enter.
No cash alternative is available for the prize offered.
This competition is open to residents of the UK only.
The winner will be notified of their win via the email address submitted on the entry. If a response to this notification is not received within 14 days, IWOOT reserves the right to randomly select another winner. In light of this, please ensure you submit an email address that you use regularly!
No responsibility will be accepted for entries that are not received.

Spend over £100 on any Canon products for your chance to enter a draw to win a photographic safari holiday to Australia. Plus 120 runners up will win one of 10 x Canon 1000D SLRs, 5 x IXUS 80s, 5 x PIXMA MP620 WiFi all-in-one printers AND 100 x Australia Gift Packs. Click here for an entry form and full terms and conditions. Last date for competition entries is 15th of February 2009.