Archive for June, 2007
Is there such a thing as the Canon 40D?
June 26th, 2007 | 
Author: It seems there’s more to this Canon 40D rumor than I first thought. Not only does such a camera appear to be in the works, it sounds like such a beast will be coming out this year. On a lark I did a search for Canon 40D and dozens of sites came up claiming to have information about this unknown commodity. (Even the Canon website seems to have a placeholder for this model).
Some reports say the camera may debut in September, which would definately make for a good Christmas shopping season. Currently the specs looks pretty close to that of the XTI.
Unconfirmed specs include for the 40D:
* 10.1 MP CMOS sensor
* 5fps, 30 JPEG image burst
* Integrated Cleaning System
* 2.5in LCD with 230K pixels and 160º viewing angle
* Picture Style image processing
* Spot metering & 9-point AF
* DIGIC II processor with 0.2 sec start up
* Digital Photo Professional software
* Magnesium alloy body
* Compatible with all EF/EF-S lenses and EX Speedlite flashes
* Including powerpack and accessories
So far we have the Rebel XTI representing the low end and the EOS 1D Mark III for the high end. It certainly seems the next logical step is to update the middle of the pack, 5D and 30D. Of course, the Rebel XTI and the 30D were almost identical in specs. Basically the 30D was more “rugged” with a tighter body and seals and a longer lasting shutter.
Will the 40D show a significant improvement over the current 30D and vast superiority over the current Rebel XTI? Not that I am ready to upgrade yet, but if the specs remain the same, the 30D should be with us for awhile and those just joining the SLR market will probably go with the XTI.
Considering the “over the top” specs of the Mark III, I would hope to see more of that camera make it into the 40D. Or will we see the replacement to the 5D sporting Mark III components?
This somewhat reminds me of the incremental changes we saw in the computer field from Intel and the Pentium based chips. We got slight jumps every few months with each new iteration offering just enough to make us want to upgrade.
With the vast array of exceptional cameras on the market right now, it’s certainly a buyers paradise!
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Save 60% on Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI
I know I have a previous entry about this, but I decided last night to ahead and upgrade my copy. The offer looks like it was to expire on the 15th, but has been extended. Also with this offer you get Corel Creative Edition 2 for free with purchase – this wasn’t offered before. This is a whole slew of masks, textures, tubes and all sorts of other creative goodies for Paint Shop. It’s a 222MB download of extras to toy around with.
The Creative Edition is worth $20 on it’s own and Paint Shop is normally $99, so this really is a great deal. Like I said, I decided to go ahead and upgrade since it was such as great offer.
Paint Shop is a powerful program with layers, masks, curves, levels, histogram adjustment, and plenty of other tools for working with photos. It also has excellent text features, picture tubes, frames, and is great for working on web graphics. Version 10 is outstanding, but the low price to upgrade was just too enticing not to take advantage of it.
The cost of the upgrade is $39.99.
Use this link to take advantage of this offer:
Keywords: savings, discount, coupon code, reduced price
Seems I need more of a history lesson about these parts
My attempts at using urban legends to spark my imagination of new locales have fizzled out. A few ideas have come to mind, but nothing leapt from the page. The legend of Blackbeard has me a little intrigued so I might look into that some more.
Mercer House, made famous through Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil also seems like a fine place to visit. Of course, Savannah has plenty of plantations, old cemeteries, and splendid architecture on it’s own to make it worth the trip. By that same token, Charleston SC is a fine locale to visit with plantations, homesteads, lighthouses as well as the Battery, slave market and a host of other “attractions” to see. By the “ghost stories” I was hoping to come across something with a twist, something that was a little more unique than the standard visitor attractions.
I do have a familiarity with the history of the South, such as the battles, the “ship graveyards”, some of the colorful characters who did business in the area. Perhaps I need to direct my attention to the history of the plantations and the battle sites. Many of the plantations were seized during war time and turned into hospitals or in same cases became the headquarters for a general.
I guess the best way of putting my interest is, besides the obvious architectural significant, and opulence of a place, I’m looking for that little bit of something that makes you go, “Oh really?!” when you hear about it. For example, an interesting red stain brought about from jealous, dueling, suitors, a hole in the wall from some lead bullet fire during the melee of military troops invading, a grand breakfast table where the poisoned tea is served so a kept woman kind love anew, or a cemetery whose occupants are both flamboyant and wicked.
When I write it down it sounds a little macabre. And, it really does sound like Charleston!
Tombstone is a fine example of what I have in my mind. Besides the obvious gunfight, there are the scandals, the secret relationships, the bawdy entertainment, the hopes of finding riches in the mines, the rumors and speculation, the card games that lasted for days and the grave markers in Boot Hill which read of hangings galore. Each little part has its own unusual story to tell of people who visited, the fights that broke, the reason for all those bullet holes, the scandalous men and women.
From the parts I know, this really is sounding like Charleston. I guess I need to dig more into the history of the city itself and unearth its legends. Ghost stories may be out on the fringe too far, I might need to just look at the regular history to find what I’m looking for.
If anyone has a particular tidbit which might be interesting or not so widely known, or a good starting point, please let me know. I’d be very grateful to hear some unusual stories!