Millennium Park loosens its photo rules

Looks like a win for photographers! Pro photographers who wanted to shoot in Millennium Park in Chicago had to have a city permit. That was only changed last month, so maybe I’m lucky that my 20D didn’t attract the attention of local security!
I would have loved to get a few shots of the Bean, but it’s being renovated and polished now, and was under a canopy. (via)

Digital SLR cameras: Canon Digital Rebel and Nikon D70s

Good run-down of the Canon Digital Rebel and Nikon D70s in this article by Philip Greenspun.

Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras are the standard tool for serious photographers. With the recent introduction of cameras such as the Nikon D80 and the Canon Digital Rebel XTi the market for digital SLR cameras has expanded tremendously. A point-and-shoot compact digital camera can offer reasonably good image quality but a digital SLR, which usually looks a lot like an old standard 35mm film camera and may use the same lenses, offers the following advantages:

* accurate, large, and bright optical viewfinder
* fast operation and large controls
* excellent image quality in low “available” light situations when it is necessary to use higher ISO speeds
* interchangeable lenses

The Anxiety of Getting Things Done

What’s on your TODO list? Don’t get swamped under by all those little jobs you have to do today. Here’s some good tips and advice for those who wake up in a sweat every morning..

  1. Getting you to focus on the next task.
  2. Thinking about tasks in terms of where you do them, not what they’re about.
  3. Let your anxiety set your priorities.
  4. Calendars and deadlines.
  5. The Tickler.

Compact Disc Effect

Mike Johnston asks are we getting used to paying a premium for new tech?
I think it’s always been that way. Technology is expensive when new but rapidly goes down in price. Digital camera tech is advancing at such a rate that anything older than a few months old then it can be very obsolete.
As Mike says, with regards to the new Canon XT and NIkon D50, the price is getting closer to a more realistic level. Digital cameras have reached a level where they are challenging and surpassing film in terms of quality and that tech is getting cheaper. It’s no longer necessary to buy the most expensive model.
The same is happening with PC sales too. Who needs to be a 4GHz CPU when a much cheaper 2GHz machine will run your web browser just as well?