Dan Carr

Founder of Shutter Muse, full time photographer and creative educator. Dan lives in the Canadian Yukon, but his wanderlust often sends him in search of images all around the world to meet the needs of clients and readers alike.

Nikon’s New APS-C Compact Camera Features 28mm f2.8 Lens

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Nikon have jumped into the large sensor compact camera market tonight with the launch of the CoolPix A. Leaving the stupid name aside, this actually looks like a nice little camera. The DX format sensor is mated with an 18.5mm f2.8 lens which offers a 28mm equivalent in 35mm terms. An optional optical viewfinder gives you a decent framing option and a 16MP sensor will no doubt deliver decent images given Nikons recent success with DX cameras. They also announced some other Coolpix camera which frankly I couldn’t care less about so I’ll skip that one 🙂 The Coolpix A …

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Nikon Announces New 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

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Nikon has today announced an updated version of the 10-yr old 80-400.  All mod-cons as expected including 4-stop VR.  $2700 is a pretty hefty price tag but recent lenses such as Canon’s 70-300 L IS have proven that pro quality lenses can come in the form of wide ranging zoom using modern technologies. This will be an intriguing package for Nikon shooters , especially given modern ISO capabilities that render lenses with smaller maximum apertures a lot more useful…. Press Release MELVILLE, N.Y. (March 4, 2013) – Today, Nikon Inc. introduced the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, a versatile …

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Phase One Updates Their IQ Backs & Adds WiFi

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I’m not a medium format shooter but I do stay abreast of things in that area and I liked what I saw from Phase One when they launched the IQ series about 18 months ago. Today they have announced an upgrade to the new IQ260 and IQ280. These new backs add built in Wi-Fi capabilities for reviewing your images instantly on an iPad using the Capture Pilot software. It also allows wireless control of the cameras. These things are as serious as it gets when it comes to photographic equipment these days! Built in USB3 for super fast downloading of …

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Upcoming Vancouver Photo Seminar With Me , David DuChemin, Corwin Hiebert & Barry Brady

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On March 23rd I will be speaking at a new event in Vancouver , put on by the Institute of Digital Photography. If you’ve ever wanted to hear the whole story about how I got into the photography business and how my business is run then this will be a great event! Also speaking at the event will be David DuChemin, hs business manager Corwin Hiebert and Barry Brady from the institute. Tickets are available HERE from Eventbrite for only $55 for the entire day. There will be plenty of time for questions at the event so if there is …

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Behind the Shot: The Tip of a Snowflake

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This image was shot using the very special Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens which can magnify objects up to 5X size relative to the cameras sensor. It was mounted to a Canon 5D Mark III which in turn was mounted onto a Really Right Stuff B150-B Macro rail , the whole setup was atop a Really Right Stuff BH-40 on my trusty carbon fibre Really Right Stuff TVC-24L tripod legs. Now, I also own the Canon 100mm IS macro but that only goes to 1x magnification which would have shown the whole crystal. I wanted to get in even closer, …

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RODE Lanuches Lav Mic for iOS Devices

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I’m a pretty big fan of RODE mics, I have a lav and a shotgun myself and they have been very nice to work with. I like a company that innovates and we’ve already seen things like the upcoming Videomic HD and just last month the brand new iXY mic for the iPhone 4/4s. This week the innovation continues with the introduction of the dedicated lavalier microphone for iOS devices. The RODE SmartLav will retail for just $60 and operate with their own iOS app for recording purposes. Such a simple idea, a wonderful backup device for larger productions or …

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Nikon’s New 800mm Monster Gets Official

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This week at the Japanese CP+ show Nikon made their new 800mm lens official and set a whopping $17,899 price tag ! The 800mm has been a lens missing from the Nikon arsenal but one that has been popular with Canon shooters, predominantly wildlife professionals. The lens will be available , presumably in limited quantities due to the price, in April and you can pre-order it from B&H or Amazon right now. Note that the press release below also covers the dull sounding 18-35mm replacement…… Press Release MELVILLE, N.Y. (January 28, 2013) – Today, Nikon Inc. introduced the AF-S NIKKOR …

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Just 2 Days Left In Canon’s Winter Rebate Program!!

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Get ’em while they’re hot! Just a couple of days remain in Canon’s winter rebate program. If you’ve been thinking about that new camera or new lens then NOW is the time to grab it and take the savings.

Solving The Camera Strap Conundrum With The Carry Speed DS-2

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Like most people who usually have a camera with them on any given day, I have never been satisfied with the strap that comes packaged with the camera. For the last few years I’ve been using some much more comfortable straps provided to me as part of the Canon’s CPS membership which are simply Canon branded versions of the Optech Utility Strap with a different, more robust attachment system. The neoprene strap works well for easing the discomfort of a heavy camera on your shoulders but the traditional attachment points on the left and right sides of the camera still …

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Canon’s 90EX Flash As Portable Macro Flash

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Here’s an interesting little setup which Many people haven’t considered. I’ve been shooting a lot with the little EOS-M , Canon’s mirrorless camera and it came packaged with the little Canon 90EX flash. It’s powered by just two AAA batteries and that means that it is decidedly pocket sized ! Whilst it’s marketed as a flash for the EOS-M , it works just fine with any Canon camera that has a hot shoe. If you use a 5D , a camera with no built-in flash, then it can also be a handy accessory for general shooting and at $150 it …

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Fuji Launches The X100s

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Two years ago Fuji created a storm in the camera market with the launch of the X100. The retro styling, large APS-C sensor and f2 prime lens was a breath of fresh air and for six months or more after the launch date they were nigh on impossible to get hold of such was their popularity! I owned one myself for about a year and you can read my review HERE if you need a refresher. Today Fuji have unveiled the cameras successor and it looks as though they have kept all the good bits of the previous camera and …

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Adobe NOT Offering Creative Suite 2 (CS2) for free

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UPDATE: SO it turns out the whole photblogospehere is wrong about this ! Adobe was merely switching CS2 users to a new version or server or something like that. If you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on Photoshop but just couldn’t afford it then today is your lucky day ! Adobe is offering the entirety of the CS2 Creative Suite for FREE ! All you have to do is sign in to Adobe and you can get it all ! Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign etc etc Universal serial numbers are provided as well: Creative Suite: 1130-0412-8377-1896-9751-5759 Photoshop CS2?s serial numbers …

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