Enterprising hacker and photographer, Steve Chapman, has worked out a way to use his Nintendo DS as a wired remote control for his Canon DSLR. Sure, there are remotes that you can buy for most DSLRs, but bulb mode, in most cases, is limited to 30 seconds. With Steve’s DS remote, shots can be exposed for several minutes at a time. Way cool! I love long exposures.

Jason Tozer has taken some stunning photographs of bubbles using a Sony α (alpha) DSLR-A350 DSLR-A350. Creative Review has an article detailing Tozer’s methods for capturing the bubbles.

Buy the Sony α (alpha) DSLR-A350 14.2MP DSLR:
Sony:
DSLR-A350 Body-only
DSLR-A350 + 18-70mm Zoom Lens DSLR-A350K
DSLR-A350 + Two Zoom Lenses DSLR-A350X

Amazon:
DSLR-A350 Body-only
DSLR-A350 + 18-70mm Zoom Lens DSLR-A350K
DSLR-A350 + Two Zoom Lenses DSLR-A350X

Amazon.uk:
DSLR-A350 Body-only
DSLR-A350 + 18-70mm Zoom Lens DSLR-A350K

MacMall:
DSLR-A350 + 18-70mm Zoom Lens DSLR-A350K
DSLR-A350 + Two Zoom Lenses DSLR-A350X

I came across this post over at Twitch, which brought to my attention another film based on a Cormac McCarthy novel, The Road. This alone has me interested after seeing No Country For Old Men which was also based on a McCarthy novel. The Road is directed by John Hillcoat, whereas No Country was directed by the Coen Brothers. Anyway, upon reading a bit about The Road, I see that it stars Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, and Robert Duvall, all fine actors.

Then I started reading up on Viggo a bit and found out that he is much more than an actor. He is a poet, a photographer, a painter, and a jazz musician. Check out the examples below for examples of Viggo Mortensen’s other talents.

• Coincidence of Memory (UK)
• Please Tomorrow
• Time Waits for Everyone (UK)
• SignLanguage (UK)
• The Horse Is Good (UK)
• 3 Fools 4 April (UK)
• Recent Forgeries (UK)
• Miyelo (UK)
• Linger (UK)
• The Other Parade

EDGE Tech is currently running a special for Mother’s Day. You can get a 7-inch digital photo frame with MP3 capability for $59.95 after rebate, AND get your choice of a free 1GB SD card or a 1GB USB Flash drive. Click the link below for the offer, and be sure to enter the following coupon code at checkout: FREEGIFT

7″ Digital Picture Frame with MP3 Player

*Price is subject to change without notice

I’ve been wanting to try to make a digital pinhole camera for a while. Finally I took the time to try it. I took our Canon Digital Rebel XT and a body cap. Then I used a pin vise (similar to this or this) to drill a tiny hole in the center of the body cap.

Here are the resulting photos.

Click for larger view.

I notice a lot of dust on the pictures that I don’t notice when I use a standard lens. I’m not quite sure why it shows up with the pinhole but not with the lens. I will have to try to blow that dust out.

The photos are satisfactory, but I think they can be better. I believe my pinhole needs to be smaller and in a thinner material. Soon, I will try drilling a larger hole in the body cap and affixing a thin piece of aluminum over the hole with a smaller pinhole. This should give the photos a bit more sharpness.

In the market for a digital camera? Check out these deals.

I just thought I would try to put an old panorama I made into a Google Maps interface.
Click here to open in a new window.

Download the Google Maps Image Cutter
Get a Google Maps API key if you want to publish using the Maps API.

Today, Apple released Aperture 2.1 with a new plug-in archetecture which will allow greater functionality to be added to Aperture. With this new architecture, third-party developers will be able to create filters and effects that were not previously available for Aperture. Some plug-ins that are currently available are:

• Nik Software’s Viveza plug-in, powered by U Point technology, which provides a powerful, precise and easy way for photographers to selectively control and adjust color and light in their digital images;
• PictureCode’s Noise Ninja plug-in that delivers advanced high ISO noise analysis and reduction;
• Digital Film Tools’ Power Stroke plug-in that features a simple, stroke-based interface to quickly mask and intuitively perform targeted adjustments;
• The Tiffen Company’s Dfx plug-in that provides an expansive suite of creative filters and effects;
• dvGarage’s dpMatte plug-in, which is a high performance chroma key tool for creating seamless composites, and the HDRtoner plug-in that enables the selection of multiple photos to create a single high dynamic range (HDR) image; and
• Image Trends’ plug-ins that include Fisheye-Hemi to quickly and effortlessly correct fisheye lens distortion, ShineOff which automatically removes shine from faces and PearlyWhites that automatically whitens and brightens teeth.

Aperture 2.1 is available immediately as a free software update to current Aperture 2.0 users or the full version can be purchased here: Aperture 2

In the market for a new digital camera? Check out the pages of best-selling Digital SLRs and Digital Point & Shoot Cameras. There are some great deals on these pages.

Digital SLRs

Digital Point & Shoot Cameras

Today, Apple released Aperture 2 with new features which include:

• Image adjustment controls such as Highlight Recovery, Definition, Vibrancy, and Vignette
• Retouch tool with soft-edged brush to remove unwanted elements from photos.
• Next-generation RAW image processing for highest-quality images
• Quick Preview mode for rapid-fire photo browsing
• Simplified user interface that maximizes screen space and provides direct access to your iPhoto library from within Aperture
• Integration with .Mac Web Gallery to instantly publish your photos, allowing visitors to view and download images.

Aperture 2 is available immediately for $199 or upgrade from Aperture 1 for $99.

Eye-Fi updated their Eye-Fi Manager to allow for iPhoto integration, and increased stability for both Mac and PC users. A firmware update is also available, which improves the card’s performance when it is in less-than-optimal broadcasting conditions, and enhanced compatibility with Kodak’s Easy Share cameras. Existing users are able to upgrade for no additional charge.

You can pick up a Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB SD Card at Amazon.