Purchasing a Digital/DSLR Camera is not a simple task. With a large number of manufacturers battling it out against each other, it gets more difficult. Not to mention, the technology jargon involved in advertising often puts the non-geeky consumer with no option but to get a camera which the sales person thrusts in his/her face.

In this guide, I will tell you a few important things, which are essential for you to know before you go out & get a Compact Digital/DSLR Camera. After reading this buyer’s/buying guide, you will be able to get just the right camera within your budget, without succumbing to the salesperson choice.

You can also download this whole buying guide in PDF Format from HERE for Offline Reference!

A Buyer’s/Buying Guide to Compact Digital Camera

Type: This is the most important decision you need to make before you even touch a camera in the store. Digital camera comes in a variety of types. Choose whether you need a Point & Shoot or a full-fledged Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. DSLR camera demands a premium & so do its accessories. Consider purchasing a DSLR Camera, only if you plan to engross into serious photography or else you can settle for a budget point & shoot or a moderate prosumer digital camera. The type of camera you select will depend on your budget & it will also determine the flexibility you get.

Megapixel: Quite often, most of the people as well as the salesperson gives a lot of weight to this 9 letter word! You often hear the statement, The more the megapixel the better is the camera, but this is not true at all!

More megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean the camera is better. The term Megapixel just gives an indication about the number of pixels the cameras sensor can record. Generally, you need more megapixels if you plan to enlarge your images to put in your living room or to print them out on a fairly large sheet of paper. If you need to use the images for web, then even a 3.2 MP camera phone is more than enough! A 5 megapixel camera is good enough to print on an A4 size paper & prints up to 5 by 7 in size. If your requirements exceed these, then you should get a camera having 8MP or more.

Choose wisely, since there are these cheap companies, who advertise their cameras having 8MP sensor, but in reality they are a 5MP!. Here the extra pixels are added using software manipulations. If you ever happen to see the term Interpolated or Interpolatio, then stay away from such cameras.

Zoom: Zoom is measured by manufacturers in two types – Digital & Optical. Every digital camera has both, but the thing to watch here is the amount of Optical Zoom. Optical Zoom of the camera changes the focal length of the camera by moving the lens & thereby zooming better into the subject. Since this is done by the lens, it does not produce pixelation caused by digital zoom. Digital zoom on the other hand uses software algorithms to crop & zoom the image, giving you a feel of getting closer. This leads to deterioration in the image quality, which easily comes into viewers notice. So, my advise here is to get a camera having a good optical zoom (preferably more than 5x) & avoid purchasing camera by its Digital Zoom. Also, I recommend you not to use Digital Zoom while shooting with your digital camera. There will be an option to disable it in your camera menu.

Wide-Angle Lens Coverage: After zoom, you should have to look at the wide angle lens coverage. Now-a-days most compact cameras pretty much offer at least 28mm wide angle coverage & this will be good for most of the people. There are even some cameras in the market offering 24mm focal length at the wide angle. The lesser the focal length, the more area you’ll be able to accommodate in your frame from a short distance. This helps when you’re shooting indoors in a limited space or when you capture large group portraits or like to do landscape photography. You can check this specification on the camera box or on the lens rim itself.

Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration Reduction (VR): Photography is all about producing sharp and well exposed images. Lugging around a tripod is inconvenient & sometimes even unpractical. To remedy this situation, manufacturers have come up with a technology which shifts the lens upon sensing movement caused by unsteady hands or caused by slower shutter speeds. This helps you in getting sharp images without tripod. This technology is known as Image Stabilization or Vibration reduction. As with Zoom, this also comes in two flavors – Digital & Optical. As you have guessed it, Digital Image Stabilization is practically useless, since it achieves the stabilization by software manipulations, whereas Optical Image Stabilization does it via shifting the lens to the opposite direction of the shake. This gives a perfect stabilization while keeping the image quality intact. Thus, always choose a camera having Optical Image stabilization.

Articulating LCD Screen: An articulating LCD screen is the one which flips out & rotates in order to make it convenient for the user. Often fixed LCD screens at the back of your digital camera does guess work, when you take shots from above your head or from angle close to the ground. The articulating LCD screen helps you to take such photographs without cranking up your neck or for that matter your steady posture. Its a big plus but can only be found on comparatively higher end compact cameras. The articulating LCD screen is also useful while shooting videos, the reason why most digital camcorders have one. If you plan to take photos & videos from different angles(& which you should do to make your photos unique) then this feature is a must.

Power Source: Different cameras use different types of power sources. It is always advisable to get a camera which uses a popular type of power source like AA batteries. Being popular you can find it anywhere if you need one at the earliest. Also they come cheap when compared to the non-popular ones. Stay away from camera’s having proprietary battery packs since they are hard to get & cost a bomb. I recommend you to always keep a spare of batteries with you so you need not miss that special moment. It will even save you time going hills & mountains. A digital camera providing an external power input through AC adapter is always a plus.

Storage: Most cameras have very less or no amount of internal memory to store your digital images and videos. So it becomes indispensable to get a memory card to store your images/videos. Memory cards comes in myriad types, but you will be stuck using only one which your camera supports. Get a camera which supports the most popular type of memory card so you can save money. Again proprietary memory cards cost a bomb & it’s best to stay away from camera which uses them. Also have a look at the memory card capacity your camera supports. You don’t want to buy a camera which holds just a few hundreds of images. Most of the newer digital camera support up-to 32GB memory cards, which are huge enough to store thousands of digital images. I recommend you to get the biggest memory card your budget can accommodate.

Weight: The camera you purchase should have just the right amount of weight, so that it doesn’t feel too skinny nor too rock solid. Camera weight is essential to consider if you are the one who takes camera with you always, so as not to miss any photograph opportunity. If the camera is heavy no sooner your hands will start aching & you will be not enjoying the photography session.

So you need to get a camera that is neither too heavy nor too light. Thus, while purchasing a digital camera use the camera for a while so you can get an idea of its weight. The weight criteria is subjective, so it’s best to check the camera on your own than to go by suggestions of your friends or colleagues.

Flash Hotshoe: Almost all digital camera have a small integrated flash which fires when it senses low light conditions. The flash is almost useless since it cannot illuminate objects beyond its specific length. To remedy this get a digital camera which comes with an hotshoe to mount external flash unit. But you will need to spend more money for this feature, since most of the entry or prosumer digital cameras don’t provide the hotshoe.

Record Videos: I bet that you will occasionally feel the need to record those special moments, that cannot be described in pictures. For this having a good recording ability in your digital camera is a must. Look for a digital camera which offers you to record high definition videos (720p or 1080p @ 24/30 fps) & also have a look at the format in which it saves.

Saving video in RAW format will take oodles of space on your memory card & so it is advisable to look for a camera which uses some good compression format like MP4 or MOV to save videos. Now-a-days most cameras comes with HD video recording at 720p or 1080p, so unless you get a very entry level camera (640*480 @ 30 fps), you’ll get decent video recording capabilities.

Miscellaneous Tips:

• Purchase a set or two of rechargeable batteries & charger. You can save a lot of money by this instead of using disposable ones.
• Invest in a good camera pouch to protect your camera from dust & also to keep it safe during journey.
• Instead of getting a single memory card of high capacity, purchase two memory cards of smaller capacity. If one card gets lost or goes corrupt, you can at least continue shooting with the other. Get at least Class 6 memory card, if your camera has the ability to record HD videos. If it doesn’t, you can go for standard ones which are cheaper.
• Get a Lens hood to protect your camera lens from dust and sun glare. A polarizing filter is another must have if your camera supports filters.
• Make the above purchases at the time you get your digital camera, so you may get good discount on the total invoice amount.

A Buyer’s Guide/Buying to DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) Camera

So you had enough of point and shoot (P&S) camera and now are ready to step into the DSLR territory. You feel your current P&S is somehow limiting your potential as a photographer & you wish to unleash your creativity by purchasing a DSLR camera.You’re right on getting a DSLR camera, but purchasing a new DSLR is not so easy as to hit the store, throw cash & come home with the camera. It requires a lot of planning & research on your part, to get the DSLR camera which is just right for you.

Buying your first DSLR can be a daunting task. You ask your friends for advise, each one of them lends you their biased advises. In utter confusion you post your query on an online forums only to get a response to try cameras at a store yourself & buy which you feel comfortable with. If not this then, the usual response will be, Search the forums as this has been answered several times! or once again get ready to hear biased replies from fan-boys. You decide on a particular model & finally hit a store to make a purchase. Here the salesperson again throws a googly which rattles your pre-decided choice & you end up buying a camera which you regret of buying later on. To avoid getting a wrong DSLR camera, the following guide should come handy:

Budget: Budget is the foremost factor when it comes to buying a DSLR camera. Over the years with advent of technology, the prices of DSLR cameras have fallen considerably. With many manufacturers aiming for various market segments, you can get a DSLR camera for as low as Rs. 20,000/- (430 USD approx).

For getting a point and shoot camera, one just needs to spend entire amount on camera, but DSLR is a different ball game. DSLR can take different lenses, flash units, GPS units & many more accessories which make them a complex system to deal with. Being having the ability to interchange lens, you need to properly dissect your budget to accommodate various lenses. Choice of lenses will depend entirely on type of photography you wish to do. The default lens (Kit Lens) is good to start with but its limited in reach & performance. Better performing lenses are expensive, sometimes even more than the camera body itself. So, you’ll need to decide whether you can spend entire budget amount on camera along with kit lens & get better lenses later on OR purchase better lens at the time of camera purchase itself.

Another option is to get camera along-with two or three kit lens bundled in. This option generally comprises of the default kit lens together with a medium telephoto lens bundled in. This option will provide you with benefits of economy. You can go for such option if you plan to get the same lens in future which is bundled as secondary lens in the package.

Beginners are overtly excited to purchase a plethora of cheap lenses without doing much research. It is better to stay with the default kit lens for sometime & then later buy a lens when you began to realize exactly, What you’ll be using your DSLR camera for?

Brand Power: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax and the list goes on. A lot of manufacturers today have entered into DSLR market catering to various market segments. This has lead to cut throat competition with every manufacturer trying to innovate or steal features to conquer the market. Sure, this has benefited consumers to avail lower pricing, but it has also made a tough choice as for which brand to go? Furthermore people get pushed from their peers towards a specific brand. It’s a simple logic that nobody loves to hear negative things about the brand product they own. One should try to learn to take their opinion but with a pinch of salt. You ask, why with a pinch of salt? The reason is that, while most folks won’t tell you negative things about a brand they own, but some honest ones will do list them. Combining the good list & the bad list will have the brand report card in front of you to decide your purchase.

As per my opinion, each & every brand has its positives & negatives. Some offer better value for money, but will sacrifice on performance, while others offer bucket load of features at an attractive price tag. No brand will offer you a complete package. It again boils down to which features you need, for what type of work you’ll need the camera for & last but not the least your budget.

In Indian market, currently Canon and Nikon are seriously battling it out to win the consumers vote. Though Nikon has been in camera market for a long time, Canon, inspite of being late entrant. has shook Nikon world like a storm. Now both manufacturers play cat & mouse games with each other. If Nikon launches a product, then Canon follows with a better or equally good one and same is applicable vice versa. If you live in India, I strongly recommend getting DSLR camera from either Canon or Nikon. The reason being wide availability of lenses, accessories & customer support. Also, third party lenses & accessories are available easily for both Canon & Nikon.

Most often when you decide on a camera in your budget, the opposite (Canon or Nikon) brand will have a similar priced counterpart. Here the decision will get tougher, but you need not worry as both products will perform almost similar. Though, it is recommended to stay calm & properly judge them on some parameters, which I’ll discuss later on.

What you need the Camera for?: You have withdrawn money from your bank & are all set to hit your nearest camera dealer to get your first DSLR camera. Stop! First, have you ever thought of the above question? If NO, its the perfect time to think about it. DSLR cameras are versatile & one can do pretty much anything with them but still there is NO One camera fits all photographers, in the market yet!

If you’re a studio photographer then you’ll be using the camera under studio lighting setup & hence it is pointless to go for a camera which offers better low light performance. Instead, it’s recommended to buy an intermediate camera & spend the rest of budget on studio lights & other gears/accessories. Similarly an action photographer should consider the fact that, the camera he purchases is able to shoot at a fast burst rate. Knowing your needs beforehand will help a lot in making the right decision in purchasing DSLR camera. Once you have decided read on, to find the meaning of various technical/photographical terms used by camera manufacturers. You’ll need to understand them well so that you can make a right purchase!

Things you should look out for in an DSLR Camera!

Sensor Size: Being a first time buyer, most probably you will be buying a camera having a cropped sensor. A cropped sensor is one having an area lesser than 24mm x 36mm of standard 35mm film format. A full frame camera has sensor which measures 24mm x36mm (same as 35mm film format). Full frame DSLR camera’s are expensive & you will need to spend atleast Rs. 1,30,000/- (2850 USD Approx.) to get one!

Full frame has various advantages over the cropped one in terms of better noise control, better contrast range, shallower depth of field etc. I assume you’ll be buying a cropped sensor DSLR, which is further divided into APS-C & APS-H type, based on their physical measurements. The latter APS-H (28.7mm x 19.1mm) type is the expensive & found only in a few cameras, so let’s concentrate on APS-C sensor, which are found in most of the DSLR costing up to Rs. 1,00,000/- (2000 USD Approx)

Nikon APS-C sensor has slight more area than on that of Canon APS-C sensor.Nikon sensor has an effective area of 23.6 mm X 15.8 mm, while canon has 22.2 mmx 14.8 mm. The larger sensor area on Nikon gives them a slight edge when packing pixels onto the sensor, but the edge is too less, so that one can ignore it safely.

As the sensor is smaller than the 35mm film format, the lenses you use with the camera are altered in their focal length & viewing angle. A term known as Crop Factor defines how would your lens act on the cropped sensor of your camera? Generally, the focal length specification on lens refers to its focal length on a full frame camera & not on cropped ones. So, to find out the focal length of your lens on cropped sensor, the crop factor of your camera should be known. Nikon has a crop factor of 1.5x, whereas Canon has a crop factor of 1.6x. Multiplying the crop factor by the focal length will give you the corresponding focal length on your cropped sensor camera. E.g.: A 50mm lens on full frame DSLR (35mm format) will act as 75mm on Nikon’s cropped sensor DSLR cameras, here 50 x 1.5 = 75mm.

Similarly,the same 50mm lens will act as 50 x 1.6 = 80mm on Canon cropped sensor cameras. The crop factor is an important factor which you should know while buying your camera, as it will be helpful when getting lenses for your camera later on. If you’re going to buy DSLR camera for commercial purpose, then you should try to go for a full frame sensor. Since, lens for crop sensor (Canon) won’t fit on your future full frame sensor camera, so invest wisely. Though, DX format Nikon lenses can be used in Nikon full frame cameras.

Megapixel: Quite often, most of the people as well as the salesperson give a lot of weight to this 9 letter word! You often hear the statement, The more the megapixel the better is the camera, This is not true at all!

The more the megapixel doesn’t necessarily mean the camera is better. The term Megapixel just gives an indication about the number of pixels the cameras sensor can record. Generally, you need more megapixels if you plan to enlarge your images to put in your living room or to print them out on a fairly large sheet of paper.

Gone are the days of DSLR having 6 MP, now even the entry level DSLR camera offer you at least 10MP, so you need not worry about enlargements. To be on the safer side, get a camera having atleast 12MP. If you plan to get camera more than 12MP, then make sure you invest in a better lens sooner or later, in order to take full advantage of increased pixels.

ISO:  ISO the digital counterpart to speed ratings of film determines the amount of light you need to make the exposures. In digital cameras, ISO makes the camera sensor more sensitive to light. The signals received by the sensor are amplified, so you can shoot hand-held in low lighting conditions.

Though this increased sensitivity also brings noise into photographs which makes a photograph lose its quality. Generally, most DSLR cameras don’t produce major noise in images till ISO 400-800. ISO is often exaggerated by manufacturers in bid to advertise the low lighting capabilities of the camera. If you see a claim of a DSLR camera offering ISO 100-12800 (common by today’s standard), then most probably you will not get acceptable pictures at ISO 12800. It’s just a marketing gimmick.

In practical, the cropped sensor of DSLR is not made to climb such higher ISO and getting noise in photographs is natural due to limited sensor area. So, don’t let the high ISO range of a DSLR camera influence much of your opinion about a particular camera model. It is better to look for a camera which offers decent performance till ISO 800, preferably till ISO 1600.

Burst Mode: Burst mode also known as continuous mode allows you to shoot several shot in burst. It is mentioned in frames per second (fps). If a camera has burst mode of 3.5 fps continuous shooting, then it takes 3.5 shots in a second or you can say 7 shots in two seconds.

Most of the entry level DSLR cameras offers a burst rate of 3 fps, which is good. But if you’re an action photographer or would love more control over the exact moment, then you will need a DSLR which can shoot at a higher fps. The enthusiast level DSLR offers a burst shooting of 6 fps, which will allow one to capture the moment with great precision.

One thing you should keep in mind is that the camera has a limited buffer (Temporary memory besides primary memory) which will slow down the burst mode after it is filled up. The camera then will slow down the burst mode or some may stop before the images in buffer memory are written to the card. Also if you plan to shoot on RAW + JPEG in continuous burst, then the buffer will fill very quickly. So, read the manufacturer specification closely, as to how many shots the camera will take before it slows down.

Burst mode is also affected by the memory card you use in your DSLR camera. Generic brand memory cards have slow write speeds, which will make the burst speed slow on your camera. For good results, you’ll need to get a sufficiently faster memory card which can cope up with the huge amount of data processed by the camera in matter of seconds!

Video Recording: Been able to record videos has been the latest trend in the DSLR market. Though hardcore photographers would not care much about taking videos with a DSLR but amateurs will sure find the video recording useful.

Being interchangeable camera, a DSLR will give you freedom to film videos & give the desired look. The 720p & 1080p video recording modes found in today’s DSLR will please users who demand HD quality playback. One even has to learn the art of video recording on a DSLR camera, which is not so simple like any point and shoot cameras.Finally, the videos which are saved without much compression, will end up eating your memory card space, even for a short length clip.

So you’ll need to spend on getting a huge & fast memory card. If you’re ready to do the above & are interested in recording short video clips, then you should look for a DSLR offering the same. Settle for at least 720p video capable camera which records at 1280 x 720 at 24/30 fps, if you wish to view on normal sized monitors or TV sets. You’ll need 1080p (1920 x 1080), only if you own a huge HD monitor & a more bigger HD TV set at your home.

Rugged Body: DSLR Cameras are a delicate piece of machinery. They are manufactured with heavy precision & it means one should take good care of the camera to protect it from malfunction.

Most of the DSLR camera which fall under Rs. 50,000/- (1100 USD Approx.) price range, have body which is made-up of engineering plastic. Though the body is tough, but for those who are on move & are careless type of users should consider investing in a strong body. This means getting a tougher magnesium alloyed body, which will not come under Rs.50,000 (1100 USD Approx), but will save you from wasting money on second DSLR camera, in case the one you purchase conks off due to your own mistake.

Further just like any electronic equipment, using DSLR cameras in monsoon is a risky affair. Care should be taken as water can easily enter into the camera body through crevices & may cause heavy damage to the internal electronic circuits. Cameras which offer weather sealing (to a certain extent) start at around Rs.1,00,000 mark (2000 USD Approx).

Moreover, some people don’t like the plastic feel of the entry/intermediate level DSLR cameras. So, if you’re one of such users, then you have no option but to upscale your budget & go for a better body mostly found in models targeted for enthusiast photographers.

Weight: The camera you purchase should have just the right amount of weight, so that it doesn’t feel too skinny nor too rock solid. Camera weight is essential to consider, if you are the one who takes camera with you always, so as not to miss any photograph opportunity. If the camera is heavy, sooner your neck will start aching & you will definitely not enjoy the photograph session.

So you need to get a camera that is neither too heavy nor too light. So, while purchasing a digital camera, use the camera for a while at the shop, so you can get an idea of its weight. The weight criteria is subjective, so it’s best to check the camera on your own, than to go by suggestions of your friends or colleagues. Also make sure all the buttons are quickly accessible, as you don’t want to miss that award winning shot. If you plan to invest in an additional battery grip, then do keep in mind it will add to the weight of camera.

That’s all! Now you’re ready to purchase your first DSLR camera & set out on a photography voyage.

Now go out, get your dream Digital/DSLR Camera & start snapping away. Do remember, it’s not how good the camera is, but how creative & competent the person behind the camera is for good photographs!

The above Article originally appeared on ShutterTux by Gaurav Prabhu (Twitter) – His photographs have been featured in Better Photography Magazine and Annual Photography Exhibition at NCPA, Mumbai by National Institute of Photography! Make sure you check out Gaurav Prabhu Photography on Flickr and Gaurav Prabhu Photography Page on Facebook for some awesome shots!

If you need more information on Digital Compact Cameras, DSLR Cameras, DSLR lenses or any other photography related equipment/accessory, then feel free to contact Gaurav Prabhu at http://scr.im/shuttertux

This Post: Comprehensive Buyer’s Guide to Compact Digital & DSLR Camera was originally made on MrinTech

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Now you can Pre-order Nokia N8 from the official site of Nokia India!

Some notable features of Nokia N8 are as follows:

• 12 MP (Mega Pixel) Camera with Carl Zeiss Optics (See images taken with Nokia N8 at the bottom of this post)
• Expandable Memory upto 48 GB
• High Definition (HD) Video Recording Capability
• Scratch Resistant AMOLED Capacitive Touch Screen
• Unlimited OVI Music
• And Many More…

Following are the Specification of Nokia N8 as taken from GSMArena:

You can also check out detailed Nokia N8 Specification on the Official Site of Nokia India

Price for Nokia N8

The Price for Nokia N8 is 26,259 INR (Around $590) as per the Nokia N8 Pre-Order Site. You can also check out nearest Nokia Priority Dealer to get more information on the price.

The Price for Nokia N8 may reduce once it’s in the market. Once launched you can also check out Nokia N8 Price and Deals on eBay India

Pictures/Images/Photos taken with Nokia N8 12 MP Carl Zeiss Camera

One of the most notable feature of this device is it’s 12 MP (Mega Pixel) Carl Zeiss Optics Camera. Following are some images that were taken with Nokia N8, when it was in development stage (Click on Image to view HQ Image):

You can also browse the full HQ gallery here

Really an awesome and feature rich phone from Nokia!

[Image Credit]

This Post: Pre-Order Nokia N8 [India] – Price, Features & Specifications! was originally made on MrinTech

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In this post we will see Flickr Pro Account Features as compared to Flickr Free Account. If you are also interested in an Online Photo Sharing/Storage Solution, than a Flickr Pro Account is the best choice for you!

Difference between Flickr Free Account and Flickr Pro Account

Following are the main differences between a Free and Pro Account of Flickr:

With Flickr Pro Account you can:

• Upload Unlimited Number of Photos – Flickr Pro Account enables you to upload Thousands of Photos during your whole subscription period. Here the maximum size for each photo must not exceed 20 MB
• Unlimited Video Upload – With a Flickr Pro Account you can upload Thousands of Videos (including HD Videos) to your account. Here the maximum size of video must not exceed 500 MB and total duration of videos must not be greater than 90 Seconds
• Unlimited Storage Space and Bandwidth – There’s practically No limitation on Storage and Bandwidth for your Pro Account
• Access to Original Resolution Images – With a Pro Account you/your friends will have access to Original Resolution of Images.
• No Advertisements – With a Flickr Pro Account, there’s No Advertising for your Account at all. Fully AD Free Browsing and Sharing with others.
• Archiving of High Resolution Images – Flickr Pro Account enables Archiving of all your High Resolution Images!
• Post Images and Videos in up to 60 Group Pools – Flickr Pro Account users can post their Photos and Videos in up to 60 Flickr Groups! A very useful feature if you are a Photographer and want to share your Work with people participating in very active Flickr Groups!
• Complete Account and Referrer Statistics – Flickr Pro Account Users get complete Account and Referrer Statistics for their Photos and Videos. You will get complete information from where your Photo/Video visitors are coming from and which of your Photo/Video is the most popular among them!

While Flickr Free Account:

• Have only 100 MB Storage per month. And the maximum size of photo must not exceed 10 MB
• Have only 2 Video upload per month Limit. Here the maximum size for video is 150 MB and maximum video duration is 90 Seconds with NO High Definition Video Capability.
• Only shows First 200 Images in your Photostream. Rest of the Images are Hidden permanently (though links will remain active for them) unless and until you upgrade to a Pro Account.
• Have Advertisements
• Have only Smaller (Resized) Images available. No Access to Original Resolution Images!
• A photo/video can be posted only to 10 Flickr Groups.

Following are some of Flickr Pro Account Features I personally like:

Flickr Stats

The stats page is just awesome. This Page gives you complete information regarding What’s popular in your Photostream Today, Yesterday and throughout all Time?

The stats page also shows from where your visitors are coming? E.g. From Google Image Search, Yahoo! Image Search, Direct Landing etc. It also shows what Keywords people are searching on Search Engines before they lands on your Photo/Video.

Also Individual Stats Links are present for each Photo/Video. Just Click Photo Stats or Video Stats present in the Bottom Right of each Photo/Video (See Screenshot above)

Additional Layout for your Photostream

Flickr Pro Account users gets 2 Additional Layouts (Small + Collections and Medium + Collection) for their Photostream, which they can select from the Account Settings Page.

Enhanced Privacy

A Flickr Pro Account has got enhanced Privacy and Permissions Options. You have full control over What people see in your Photostream? What information your want to show and hide? like Hiding EXIF Data, Hiding certain Photos and Videos from Search Engines etc.

SEO Optimized

Your whole Photostream, Photos and Videos are highly SEO Optimized (Read How and Why?). Even you can use Flickr as a Photoblog!

Pro Batch for Every Pro Account User

Flickr distinguishes it’s Free Account Users and Pro Account Users with a Pro Batch (See Screenshot above). This Pro Batch will gets displayed:

• At the Top of your Photostream (Example here)
• Whenever you comment on any Photo/Video throughout Flickr (Example here)

Ability to Replace Photos

Flickr Pro Account Users can Replace any Photo with a Single Click! All you need is to click Replace this Photo present at the Bottom Right of each Photo Page!

Do check out following Screenshots (Click to Enlarge):

There are Tons of More Useful Features in a Flickr Pro Account. You can read more about Flickr Accounts in the Flickr FAQ Section and Don’t forget to Explore What’s Hot on Flickr!

Also If you want to Gift Flickr Pro Account to someone , Start from the Flickr Gift Section! If you already have Flickr Pro Account Gift Code, than you can activate your Pro Account using THIS PAGE

Indeed a Highly Recommended Online Photo Storage/Sharing Service!

Also See: Create Photo Collage Online, Gmail as your Photo Sharing Album and Convert Photo to Sketch

This Post: Flickr Pro Account: Features and Review was originally made on MrinTech

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Is above Image an Oil Painting or a Real Photograph?

At first look, you will say this is an Oil Painting, but actually this is a Real Photograph of a Women!

This Photograph was taken by Mr. Peter Kun Frary, who is a Professor at University of Hawaii

Mr. Peter Kun Frary was walking by Ala Moana Mac Cosmetic Store, where he saw a Women in Full Body Paint! The above Photograph has been taken by Canon EOS 50D DSLR Camera

Really an Awesome Photography.

Image Credit: Makeup Girl and Makeup Girl 2 by Peter Kun Frary

Also See: Wikipedia’s Featured Articles in a Printed Book!

This Post: Real Life Photograph which Looks like Oil Painting! was originally made on MrinTech

No related posts.

Now in this Post, I am writing a detailed review about Rollip Pro and also giving away 10 Rollip Pro Account worth $60 to MrinTech’s Readers and Subscribers!

First of all Let’s See What’s New in Rollip Pro?:

• A Total of 40 Filters for creating amazing Polaroid Photos Online, having different effects.
• Rollip Pro can now process your Image in Original High Quality Size without any Borders. This means you will get the Same Size and Quality in your Output Image, when you compare it to the Input Image!
• Very Fast Processing

Filters:

Following are the Filters included in Rollip Pro (4 Filters per Group). Click on following links to see the Effect:

• Classics – Give your Polaroid Photos a Classic Look with this Filter
• Vintage – Create Vintage Polaroid Photos with this Filter
• Added Character
• Black & White (B/W) and Sephia – Create Black & White Polaroid Photo with this Filter or Add Sephia Effect to them
• Styled Lenses
• Glows – Create awesome Glowing Polaroid Photos with this Filter
• Black & White (B/W) Added Character
• Extreme Stylized
• Bold Tones – Create Polaroid Photos having Bold Tone in them
• Drawing Styles – Create Polaroid Photo with a Drawing like look with this Filter

With the above filters included in Rollip Pro, you can create truly amazing Polaroid Photos Online!

Image created with Rollip Pro:

Following is the High Quality Image in Original Size created with Rollip Pro. The filter I used in this Photo is Bold Tones. Click on the Image to enlarge it:

How to Use Rollip Pro?

Using Rollip Pro is very easy. Follow these very simple steps for using Rollip Pro:

1. Go to Rollip Pro Start Page and Select the Polaroid Effect which you want to apply to your Photo

2. As soon as you have selected the Effect, Rollip Pro will now ask you to Upload the Photo. Click Upload Button and Select the Photo from your Computer Hard Drive:

3. Once your Photo is uploaded and processed by Rollip’s Server, you can now see a preview of your Polaroid Photo:

4. If you are satisfied with the Preview, you can continue by clicking Click here to process in High Quality

5. Now for Processing your Polaroid Photo is original High Quality Size, you have to create a Rollip Pro Account. Also you will have to buy Credits:

These credit are available at a very reasonable Cost. While writing this Post, 15 Credits are available for $2.99. Also with these 15 Credits, you can process 15 High Quality Images without any Borders and Original Size!

6. If Credits are available in your account, than you can easily Continue with the Processing of your Uploaded Image with the selected Polaroid Effect.

As soon as your HQ Image is processed you will get the Download Link for the Image, both in your Web Browser and in your Email!

The Giveaway

Update: The Contest in CLOSED. Winners will be intimated with necessary instructions shortly. Thanks to all for Participating!

There are 7 More accounts left in this Giveaway. Feel Free to follow the following link in order to get your Rollip Pro Account:

Click Here to Grab 7 More Accounts of Rollip Pro (First Come, First Get Basis)

Now coming to the Giveaway:

MrinTech.com is giving away 10 Rollip Pro Accounts to it’s Reader’s and Subscribers! Not only this, Every Rollip Pro Account in this Giveaway Consists of 30 Credits worth $5.98! With these 30 Credits, you can Create 30 HQ Polaroid Photos Online!

In order to enter this Contest, all you need is to fill out THIS Google Docs Form

Kindly Enter your Name, Location and Email Address in the above Google Docs Form, in completely secured (HTTPS) environment.

Also it will be very much appreciated if you ReTweet Following Lines from your Twitter Account (This is completely optional):

RT @mrintech: Rollip Pro Account Review & Giveaway: http://bit.ly/8yRLzO #rollip #polaroid #photo

This Contest will end Midnight, 13 December 2009 (Indian Standard Timings)

Enjoy Participiting in this Giveaway and Create Awesome Polaroid Photos with Rollip Pro. Also don’t forget to show your High Quality Polaroid Images to your loved ones, as they will be very much surprised after seeing Polaroid Photo in this digital era!

Image Credit: Swami Stream

This Post: Giving Away 10 Rollip Pro Account worth $60 was originally made on MrinTech

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