As promised, a update. This photo of me is taken with the Sigma SD14. If you have been reading my blog you will understand that this camera is very unique in how it captures colour. I have been going to photograph people with it but have not had a chance. So here is a photo of me with a hair cut ready for the Christmas season. The camera I am holding is also one of my favorites, and is proving to be a good seller with its resent price reduction, the Pentax K10D. Bill

First snow in Grand Forks. You may think the first camera I would pick up this morning would be the new Nikon D300, but no, a quick photo on a tripod with a relativity simply Sigma Sd14 is more for me. I haven't the time to read the book and set up the Nikon. I would rather leave that to the person that buys one. For me a quick photo and a hair cut. Bill

Nikon D300 update, it is here. I will update you again this week when I have time for a hair cut. For more info on this camera Ken Rockwell received his last week and has been posting info on his site found here.

The Nikon D300 is here, well almost here, I received an invoice today for the first one which means it will come today or tomorrow. As of right now it is unsold, you could be one of the first in Canada to own one. It is also priced about the same as the U.S. only in Canadian dollars with a Canadian warranty. There is no review posted of this camera that I know of as it is still too new, but dpreview have posted a preview found here.

This is too much fun. Here are two more photos from the Sigma sd14 that I have posted earlier in colour. I do get to play a little on Sunday. Look for the highlight detail on the flag pole. Bill

Black and white with the Sigma Sd14. In the Sigma software this took me all of 1 minute to make the black and white I wanted. I can hardly wait to print some on our new Fuji Pearl gloss paper. It has been a busy week and no time for photos, but this morning the river look so peacefully with a little ice. These are off the deck ISO 50 too cold for a tripod.

Using the SD14. What a pleasurable experience it is. Even when walking to the mailbox with my grandpa and my dog, the camera delivers true (or better) to life colors and amazing detail and sharpness. This is because of no need for an antialiasing (blurring) filter, that provides a very real sharpness rather than a simulated, noisy one. Later in the day I took the SD14 into a dark room to create some very basic physiograms. The first one was taken over a 33 second exposure at f/8, with the IR filter off, as the LED was infrared, like your television remote. The camera had no problems with the image and I couldn't even see the light as I was taking it. The second is of a medical grade deep violet LED that is so intense it can be harmful to your skin. This part of the visible spectrum is the hardest to capture, the Sigma does it beautifully and sharply. Max.

Yesterday Panasonic lowered the price of the FZ18 in Canada. If you have been reading my blog you will know this is one of my favourite cameras. This camera has been hard for me to sell lately, not because there is not the demand, but because of the difference in cost between Canada and the U.S. Grand Forks is a border town, I can look out the window of our store and see the United States of America, customers here are more aware of differences. There are two reasons that it is hard to sell the Fz18 , my customer not wanting to pay too much and myself not feeling good about it costing more here than there. Of course what I have to offer a customer is very different, and for some more value, than from a larger store experience but there is a point where too many dollars is also important. Canadian warranty is usually better and most customers understand what it can mean to spend the money they earn, in this town, not out of town or out of the country. This brings me to one of my personal rants about how our media and Government have misled the consumer into believing that prices should drop in Canada as our dollar is stronger. As I see it, it is not as much about our dollar being strong as it is the U.S. dollar being very weak. Eighteen months ago was the last time I was in England and Europe and guess what, the exchange was almost the same then as it is today. But in the last eighteen months the U.S. dollar has lost 30 per cent of its value against not only the Canadian dollar but also most of the other world currencies. I think I know what is going to happen next, that Panasonic FZ18 camera that now costs Canadians less in Canada, also just went up in cost on the other side of the border. As well as checking industry news every morning I check prices. I think with the weak U.S. dollar we will see prices rise in the U.S.The photo above was taken with the FZ18 during a dinner cruise of the Toronto harbour where I was able to speak with this industry's suppliers about cross border prices and there was the thought that someday, for Canadians,a camera bought at home might not just be better for Canada, but it might cost less too. Bill Wilby

Using the Sigma Sd14 camera has changed something for me. I have started looking more for colours in my photos. The photo above was taken this morning while looking at the blue reflected in the water. When viewing the photo I began to think that the depth of colour I see may have something to do with the colour black, captured with this camera. The third dimension displayed in a two dimensional flat printed photo often is because of the texture defined by its shadow. An example would be the contrast of the dark shadows that can separate the trees from the forest. Also I was just reading the forum titled "Sigma SLR talk" on http://www.dpreview.com/ and someone wrote that this camera has a personality. If using this camera can affect how I feel and think about my photography I would agree. Bill

This photo is taken with the Sigma Sd14 camera, it is for Leif, who would like to see a photo taken in less than Ideal conditions. I will call it Falling leaves. It was in the shade with a long exposure on a tripod. Bill

Euro Prints, our new print size which is very popular in Europe, 41/2x6, seems to be a huge hit for anyone with a camera that shoots in the 4:3 aspect ratio. This includes most compact, rangefinder, and some digital SLR models. Traditional 4x6 prints use the 2:3 aspect ratio, cutting off the top and bottom of the image. This also means that the subject's heads will often get trimmed as well. Our Euro Prints preserve the aspect ratio of the client's camera, resulting in the image being printed as it was intended by the photographer. This is perfect for scrapbookers or people without the need for standard albums, as your pictures feel more like a 5x7 and less like a 4x6. Move your mouse over the image above to see what I mean. Max.

Golla Bags, most of you may never heard of this Finnish company that produces some of the most fun bags we have ever seen. We have some in stock with more coming soon. They have a great web site here is the link.

News Flash, Bob the beaver was sighted this morning just after dawn swimming down stream. In other news people are now using our new web site Foto Depot to upload photos to share with friends by creating albums. These same people sometimes order photos to print, and put them in one of our many new albums to chose from. There are still others who find our new selection of photo frames very exciting and enlarge their photos to display. I might even pick one for a new photo of Bob, if I see him again in better light. The photo above was taken last Sunday when the light was very nice, with my Sigma SD14. Bill

Another Sigma Sd14 photo from Sunday. This one shows how close the 17 to 70 F2.8 Sigma lens will focus. This was shot at ISO 200 1/320 of a second and F4. It is not perfect, but was also not very hard to do with this camera and lens. Bill

If you have been reading my blog you will know that I am getting to know the Sigma SD14. Sunday was a wonderful day here as the light was warm and the sky mostly clear. To my surprise I found things about using the SD14 that I was not expecting. I went to take an early morning photo at the ISO 50 setting and realized a tripod would help. As you may also know, with my love for stabilized cameras and lenses, it has been awhile since I have set up a tripod. I have forgotten how it feels to adjust a good tripod, and take a little more time to compose a photo. The camera didn't focus quite the way I wanted so I switched to manual focus and with my free hand, thanks to the tripod, I began to experiment with focus. What's next, manual exposure? My point is not only can the Sigma SD14 capture a photograph like no other camera, it also provided me with a feeling and experience that I haven't had with a camera for a long time. From the sound of the shutter to the large viewfinder this camera just feels good and that for me makes a difference in the photos I capture with it. This photo shows the contrast of the warm November light on the trees and rocks and the deep blue refection of the sky in the river. I have printed this photo 16x24 and the depth it has I think is the result of the Foveon sensor. The feeling I have when I look at the photo has to do more with the experience of using the camera. Oh and the tripod too. Bill

I have updated the software in the Sigma SD14 and downloaded the editing software. I am going to lose sleep with all the photo ideas this now gives me. After seeing the editing software and understanding with Max's help, what possibilities it offers, this adds much more value to the camera package and will make it even more fun to sell. This new photo was taken this morning with the camera set to ISO 50 which is now possible with the software upgrade. When selling this camera I plan on doing the firmware upgrade and including a test print to test for a clean sensor. My demo camera did have spot on the sensor which required my cleaning. Bill

As promised more photos from the Sigma SD14. I really enjoy using this camera, the shutter is very quiet, and the controls are well laid out. It even has a built in hand warmer. This is a inside joke for Sigma users. It snowed a little just after I took these photos. Bill

Sigma Sd14. My demo for testing has just arrived and if all goes according to plan you will hear much more and see many photos from this camera. This camera is not well known of in main stream photography and that may well be part of the appeal for me. What makes it different from the others is the foveon sensor that captures the photo. Other digital camera sensors do not capture each red, green and blue colour at each pixel.The Sigma Sd14 does. They have a great site, here is the link. Contact Photo Arts is the only stocking Canadian dealer at this time and we plan to sell in store and on line across Canada. Watch for our new link and photo gallery on the home page. Please click on the photo to view larger image. Bill Wilby

Something about this time of the year, there is a time about now 5:45 pm when the light just "pops" in front of your eyes. The day has been cloudy and rainy and then for 15 min. you can forget the rain as the light pops before your eyes. Lucky for me there is usually a camera near by like my Panasonic FZ18. Bill

Check out Foto Depot, I find it really exciting. Now we have a new way to share, store and order photos with Foto Deopt, Contact Photo Arts and Foto Source.