Some of the other great features in Sony Alpha DSLR A330 include stamina battery power which lets you shoot up to 510 shots on a fully charged Lithium ION battery. Sony also included the Advanced BIONZ Image Processor which uses hardware-based, large-scale integrated circuitry to enhance images with rich tonal reproduction, reduced noise, improves white balance and exposure control for clear, sharp photos even at high-sensitivity settings. There’s also an ‘eye-start’ mode which kick-starts the AF system when you raise the camera to your eye. For on-the-nose exposure readings the A330 features a 40-segment honeycomb-pattern SPC TTL metering system and Sony’s D-Range Optimizer for balanced shadow and highlight details. Sony has really packed a lot of great features into Sony Alpha DSLR A330, features that you would normally find in Pro cameras but still made really simple for everyone to use.

Items Included:

18-55MM lens
BC-VH1 Battery Charger
NP-FH50 Rechargeable Battery
Shoulder Strap
Body Cap
Video Cable
Software CD-ROM

You will be really impressed with the image quality of the A330 and with the features that Sony included.

I’m at my computer working — but you have no excuse!

A professional photographer suggested to me the below online stores in the Philippines selling cameras at affordable prices:

1. http://kimstore.multiply.com/ 
2. http://www.ebuystore.com.ph/

For comparison purposes, a Canon 550 D costs P 54,000 in the mall, P 39,500 in Kim Store and P 39,00 in ebuy.

Visit the sites to check other products and the corresponding prices.

A local camera shop owner decided to dedicate is shop to the SONY Alpha Camera.  Studio Zaloon took the initiative to change its camera shop into SONY Alpha Pro Shop..

The official opening took place sometime last  January 2010 and every now and then Studio Zaloon’s owner, Mr Chin organizes outings with the SONY Alpha community of photographers.    The objective of the photography outings initiated by Studio Zaloon is to gather in one place many locally known SONY Alpha professional photographers and also to share their knowledge among SONY Alpha amateur photographer community.   Mr. Chin reckoned that the Alpha community is a good idea for newbies to learn from the working pros.

SONY Alpha Pro Shop, is named for its almost-complete range of SONY Alpha accessories  including camera body, a wide range of SONY lenses, and many others accessories.    I’m told that they even offer third party products for the SONY Alpha as well.

The SONY Alpha Pro Shop is located at the Pudu Plaza and has two main entrances.   One in the  Pudu Plaza and second entrance is through Studio Zaloon and is just right opposite of the Chinese primary school Pik Chi.

The B&H I go to is nice, it’s better then nice, but it’s not THAT nice. It’s nice in that the selection is all there, the prices are competitive (although not the best, Adorama usually beats them by a few tolken dollars) and Lens and Repro usually does them a lot better in the used dept., and the returns are blissfully hassle free. I’ve returned one body and one lens so far, no questions asked (hot pixel and focusing issues). I’ve always gotten what I’ve wanted with no hassle, and usually there is some friendly chit chat.

What I haven’t gotten is this sort of white glove service that Joel apparently gets. Nobody’s ever talked me down a lens or body, nobody’s ever offered to help find my way through the utterly confusing world of studio strobes. And the one time I was looking to get a negative holder to ghetto rig up a film digitizer (think using my D70 to take pictures of negatives and avoid the expense of scancafe), I was pretty much totally blown off (I ended up getting it from Adorama).  Usually it works best if I do my research ahead of time, just walk in, and get what I want. Not so good on the browsing or trying stuff out.

But then, that’s just me. I’m not a pro, and I usually go during the weekend or late hours when it’s crowded. Maybe during the daytime it’s a totally different experience.  For me, it wasn’t much better then Circuit City (actually, it is a bit worse, I could always stick in a memory card and take a few sample shots with all the Nikons at Circuit City; haven’t done that yet at B&H).

Ah, Managers
Camera Store | Pennsylvania, PA, USA

Customer: “Does this camera come in different colors? I really want blue.”

Me: “Yes, but I’m sorry… I don’t have any blue ones. I only have black, red, and bronze.”

Customer: “Blue takes better pictures.”

Me: “I’m sorry?”

Customer: “Yes, my brother takes pictures and says the blue ones are best.”

Me: “Well, to be honest, the color only affects how it looks. It has nothing to do with the performance.”

Customer: “Are you calling my brother a liar?!”

Me: “No, I’m just saying he’s misinformed–”

Customer: “I SAID he’s a photographer and he knows what he’s talking about. He’s been published.”

Me: “I’m sure he has, but I’ve done hundreds of weddings myself and I’ve been selling for years.”

Customer: “Stop it! I want to see the manager.”

(I get my manager and explain the situation.)

Manager: “So, I understand you want a blue camera because it’s supposed to be faster?”

Customer: “Yes, I thought you guys would know that!”

Manager: “You know, I think your brother was mistaken.”

Customer: “But–”

Manager: “Let me explain. You see, sports cars come in all colors, right? You ever notice that they always seem to sell the red ones most? Porsches, Lamborghinis and Corvettes?”

Customer: “Well, yeah…”

Manager: “So, I think it’s an obvious choice.”

Customer: “I’ll take the red one!”

Me: “…”

The thing about this guy that I feel elevates it from a charming logo to a genuine piece of storefront art is his skin. Yellow face, pink ears and hands. Curious. Post impressionist. I like it.

This little shutterbug used to reside on the storefront of Sunset Camera in Echo Park. I don’t think he’s there anymore, however, and that’s a shame. The image really works for a camera store – it was so nice looking that I had to take a photo of it, and it also made me smile when I saw it. What do people always tell you to do when they are taking your picture? They tell you to smile. You did your job well, Sunset Cameraman. Rest in peace.

Gene’s Camera Store on Lincoln Way West is seen as a shining example of the commercial corridor improvements. From a press release:

Owned and operated by Mr. Jack St. Pierre since 1981, Gene’s Camera Store has recently undergone façade improvements with the help of a grant from the City’s Commercial Corridor Façade Improvement Matching Grant Program. Mr. St. Pierre made visual improvements to the west wall of his business and constructed a new parking lot in the vacant space next to the store. The parking lot, complete with lighting and landscaping, allows customers to park safely next to the store and enter through the new west door. The improvements were made possible by a City grant of $20,000, which Mr. St. Pierre matched with a private investment of $42,605.

The Lincoln Way West Steering Committee and its subcommittees (Land Use, Marketing and Safety) were formed in 1999 as part of Mayor Stephen J. Luecke’s Commercial Corridor Initiative; a Neighbors subcommittee was formed in 2003.

“In the last year, on Lincoln Way West alone, eight businesses were able to enhance the facades of their stores,” said Mayor Luecke. “Through the cooperation of local business leaders and the City of South Bend, over $140,000 was invested in this commercial corridor on which we stand. Helping these small businesses to revitalize the arteries of South Bend is imperative to the future success of our city.”