What happens when your car doesn’t have E-ZPass, but you’re forced to use the “E-ZPass Only” lane at the tollbooth? A reader asks the Haggler to help resolve the resulting mess.

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The Pain Hits Home in Madrid

2012-05-19 19:49:57 UTC

Caught in a downward spiral of debt and economic decline, Spain’s banking crisis has been deepening and its unemployment rate has been rising. For all too many, it has been a season of despair.

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The Week’s Business News in Pictures

2012-05-19 01:36:12 UTC

Austerity protests in Europe, the fallout from an embarrassing trading failure at JPMorgan Chase and Facebook’s long-anticipated initial public offering were among the week’s top business stories.

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30 minute limit on video capture could end if WTO group gets its way

2012-05-18 22:45:32 UTC

The restriction that limits video recording in digitial cameras to 30 minutes could be abolished if the World Trade Organization's Information Technology Agreement (ITA) is expanded. Several countries, including the USA, have begun informal talks to extend the scope of the ITA to include products that are currently subject to tariffs and duty. At present, digital cameras' video cuts off after 30 minutes to avoid them being classified as video cameras (which attract 5.4% duty). If the video cameras are added to the ITA, this distinction would no longer matter. (via Nikkei)

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Samsung announces US pricing for Wi-Fi-capable NX20, NX210 and NX1000

2012-05-17 17:00:00 UTC

Samsung has announced the US prices for its latest 'Smart' Wi-Fi enabled NX mirrorless cameras, the NX20, NX210 and NX1000. It has also said the NX1000 will be available from June at a price of around $699 with the 20-50mm retractable zoom. The range-topping 20MP NX20 with its electronic viewfinder will retail for around $1099, with the i-Fn version of the 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit zoom. The NX210, meanwhile, will cost around $899 with the same lens.

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Just Posted: Sony NEX-F3 hands-on preview

2012-05-17 04:00:00 UTC

Just Posted: our hands-on preview of the Sony NEX-F3. The F3 is Sony's latest entry-level model, replacing the NEX-C3. It's built around the company's second-generation 16MP CMOS sensor, as featured in the NEX-5N and gains a built-in flash. It's also the first NEX to feature a screen that flips all the way into a vertical position, to make it easier to shoot self-portraits. We've been using an F3 for a couple of days - read our hands-on preview to find out what we thought and to see the images we shot.

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Just Posted: Sony SLT-A37 16MP entry-level fixed-mirror DSLR preview

2012-05-17 04:00:00 UTC

Just Posted: Our Sony SLT-A37 hands-on preview. The A37 is Sony's latest entry-level SLT camera - offering DSLR capability in a full-time live view camera. The A37 retains the small body of the original SLT cameras and helps create an easy-to-understand four-model lineup. It gains 1080p24 HD video shooting and features such as lens correction and focus peaking from the more recent SLT models, offering a strong feature set. And, with a recommeded price of $599 with 18-55mm zoom, it's $150 cheaper than the A33 was. Read our hands-on preview to discover more.

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Sony launches SLT-A37 16MP fixed-mirror DSLR and 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 SAM lens

2012-05-17 04:00:00 UTC

Sony has launched the SLT-A37 entry-level 16MP SLT camera and the enthusiast-grade 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 SAM standard zoom. The A37 is a refreshed replacement for the A35, bringing the entry-level model into line with the rest of the SLT lineup. Meanwhile the 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 SAM lens offers Alpha mount users a more flexible upgrade option over the entry-level 18-55mm without having to stretch to the 16-50mm F2.8. The A37 will be available from June at a cost of $600 with 18-55mm kit zoom. The 18-135mm lens will follow in July for $500 or as a $200 premium over the basic zoom kit cost with any of the company's SLT cameras.

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Sony announces NEX-F3 16MP mirrorless and E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS LE lens

2012-05-17 04:00:00 UTC

Sony has announced the NEX-F3 entry-level 16MP mirrorless camera and lightweight 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS stabilized superzoom lens with for the E-mount. The NEX-F3 gains a built-in flash, along with the updated 16MP sensor from its NEX-5N big brother. Its big party trick is undoubtedly its LCD, whose image automatically mirrors when it's flipped up for taking self-portraits. Meanwhile, the E18-200mm F3.5-5.6 LE OSS is a more compact, lighter 11x superzoom lens for the NEX system. Starting in June, the NEX-F3 will have an MSRP of around $600, while the SEL18200LE will sell for around $850 from July.

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Flickr 'liquid' design finally brings window-sized images

2012-05-16 22:42:24 UTC

Flickr has revised its image viewing pages for the first time in several years - finally letting images expand on larger monitors. The long-awaited feature, which Flickr is calling 'liquid' design, uses the largest image it can to fit your browser window, without ever upscaling. This combines with the latest version of 'lightbox' which shows your images as large as it can on the whole screen. Sadly the best results only come for images uploaded since March 1st 2012, for which 1600 and 2048 pixel versions will have been generated.

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The Atlantic magazine looks at the Russian space programme today

2012-05-16 00:41:04 UTC

The Atlantic's 'In Focus' photo blog has collected a fascinating series of images from the Russian space program. Looking at both Zvyozdny gorodok, the training center just outside Moscow better known as 'Star City,' as well as the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the pictures give an insight into post-Shuttle space flight. Astronauts and scientists from different countries train together, as do entrepreneurs preparing for their paid trips into space. The collection uses a variety of photographic styles and beautifully conveys the faded futurism of space travel. (from The Atlantic)

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Nikon D800 wins Camera Grand Prix 2012 award and public 'best camera' vote

2012-05-15 19:30:42 UTC

Nikon's D800 has been awarded the prestigious Camera Grand Prix 2012 title and also won the public vote for best camera. The awards, organized by the Japanese 'Camera Journal Press Club' also recognized the Canon EF8-15mm F4L USM as lens of the year. Meanwhile, the editors awards were given to Sony's NEX-7 and the Olympus m.Zuiko 45mm F1.8.

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Degrees of Debt: Colleges Begin to Confront Higher Costs and Students’ Debt

2012-05-15 17:54:11 UTC By ANDREW MARTIN

With the balance of student debt topping $1 trillion, college presidents are recognizing that they must handle the costs of education through methods other than tuition increases.

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Fujifilm creates wide-angle adapter and firmware v1.3 for X100

2012-05-15 16:59:20 UTC

Fujifilm has announced the WCL-X100 wide-angle adapter lens for its X100 large sensor, fixed-lens compact. The 0.8x adapter extends the camera's 35mm equivalent field of view out to 28mm equivalent. It is designed to match the X100 in terms of both appearance and quality, sharing the camera's Fujifilm's Super EBC coating and made-in-Japan construction. The WCl-X100 will be available from June at a price of around $350. To enable use of the converter, the company has also issued firmware v1.30 which adds a function for its use as well as fixing two minor operational bugs.

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Just Posted: Canon PowerShot SX150 IS review

2012-05-15 00:11:11 UTC

Just posted: Canon PowerShot SX150 IS review. The PowerShot SX150 IS is a mid-priced compact superzoom - it's not as slim or stylish as the Panasonic TZ (ZS) models that have helped define the class, but it still boasts a 28-336mm equivalent zoom range and a comprehensive set of features, both in terms of special effects and manual controls. It also differentiates itself through the use of AA batteries and a CCD sensor - both helping to keep costs down. So has Canon cut too many corners in pursuit of cut-price capability?

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Adobe will fix security bug in CS5.x, having originally said CS6 was the fix

2012-05-14 16:56:51 UTC

Adobe has confirmed that it will fix the security problems with Photoshop and other CS5.x packages, having originally suggested that a paid upgrade to CS6 was the only solution. The security concerns, raised by the company on May 8th, were rated as 'critical,' meaning it could 'allow malicious native-code to execute, potentially without a user being aware.' Despite this, the original solution raised in the company security bulletin was to upgrade to CS6, leaving CS5.x users vulnerable. The bulletin has now been updated.

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Just Posted: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V review

2012-05-11 20:33:24 UTC

Just posted: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V in-depth review. The second review expanded from Jeff Keller's work at the Digital Camera Resource Page looks at Sony's latest full-size superzoom camera. The Sony HX200V combines the company's latest 18MP back-lit CMOS sensor with a 30x zoom lens giving a 27-810mm equivalent range. There's image stabilization, as you'd expect for such a long zoom range and, as indicated by the 'V' in the model name, it also has built-in GPS. So does this add up to a perfect vacation camera or an unwieldy confection? Read the full review to find out.

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Leica announces APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH normal prime

2012-05-10 21:47:04 UTC

Leica has announced the APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. The company is making grand claims for its latest standard-focal-length prime, which uses specially developed glass to create an apochromatic design to minimize chromatic aberrations. The lens was designed to match the specifications of the existing 50mm f/2 lens - a 1979 design that is the oldest in the company's current lineup. The APO version of the lens will be available from late July 2012 at a cost of around $7,195.

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Leica creates M9-P Hermès 18MP rangefinder special editions

2012-05-10 20:36:05 UTC

Leica has combined with luxury fashion house Hermès to create the M9-P Edition Hermès. The camera is coated in ocre-colored calfskin leather and features a matching shoulder strap. The camera also features a redesigned, smoother top-plate and control points, designed by the automotive designer, Walter de’Silva, previously responsible for the M9 Titanium. Only 300 of the cameras will be made. A yet more exclusive series of 100 'Edition Hermès – Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas' kits will also be sold, in honor of the former president of Hermès. These kits will include a 28mm f/2, 50mm f/0.95 and 90mm f/2 lens, and a exclusive Hermès camera bag. The limited editions will cost $25,000 and $50,000 respectively.

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Just Posted: Leica M-Monochrom hands-on preview with image samples

2012-05-10 19:04:19 UTC

We've prepared a hands-on preview of the Leica M-Monochrom 18MP black-and-white rangefinder. The M-Monochrom has no color filter array in front of the sensor, meaning it captures more of the available light but cannot perceive color. It also means there is no need for demosaicing (the process of combining color information from adjacent pixels), so higher levels of detail are retained. Our preview includes real-world samples we shot with the M-Monochrom, to show just what that means in-use.

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Leica announces M-Monochrom black-and-white 18MP rangefinder

2012-05-10 19:00:00 UTC

Leica has announced the M-Monochrom, a black-and-white version of its M9 full-frame rangefinder. In most other respects, the M-Monochrom shares its hardware with the M9. It can add three toning colors to its monchrome output or its uncompressed DNG files can be edited using the included copy of Photoshop Lightroom. A full version of the mono processing software Silver Efex 2 is also included. It will cost around $7,950.00.

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Leica unveils X2 16MP premium large-sensor compact

2012-05-10 19:00:00 UTC

Leica has announced the X2, a 16MP APS-C compact camera with a fixed 36mm equivalent F2.8 lens. The camera is an updated version of its X1, with the biggest changes being the use of a 16.2MP CMOS sensor and the addition of an accessory socket for adding an optional 1.44M dot 'Viso-Flex' electronic viewfinder. An add-on handgrip is also available. Leica says it has improved the autofocus system (one of our biggest criticisms of the X1), but has retained the rather low-resolution 230,000 dot rear LCD. The X2 has a list price of $1,995.00. (Updated with first impressions of AF performance)

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Leica offers V-Lux40 20X 14MP compact superzoom

2012-05-10 19:00:00 UTC

Leica has released the V-Lux40, a 14MP, 20X compact superzoom camera. It is the second V-Lux model to feature GPS and appears to very closely resemble the Panasonic DMX-TZ30/ZS20. This gives it a 24-480mm equivalent zoom range and 14.1MP output (from a 15.3MP CMOS sensor). It also means it's capable of capturing 1080 video. The camera also features the highest-res screen in the Leica range - a 460k dot 3.0" LCD. Unlike the similar Panasonic, the Leica V-Lux 40 includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Premier Elements 10.

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Adobe launches release candidate of Adobe Camera Raw v7.1

2012-05-10 17:16:38 UTC

Adobe has announced a release candidate version of Adobe Camera Raw 7.1 and DNG Converter 7.1. The latest near-release version of the Raw processing plugin only works with Photoshop CS6 and brings support for the same 21 cameras that were added to Camera Raw 6.7 in the most recent update. This includes the Nikon D800m Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Olympus OM-D E-M5 and the most recent releases from Samsung.

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Fujfilm announces XP170 waterproof compact with wireless image transfer

2012-05-08 23:12:20 UTC

Fujifilm has announced the FinePix XP170, an updated rugged, waterproof compact camera, featuring Wi-Fi to allow wireless image transfer to Android or iOS smartphones and tablets. The XP170 features a 14MP CMOS sensor that can shoot at up to 10fps, mounted behind a 5x, 28-140mm equivalent zoom lens. It is shockproof from 2m (6.5ft), and waterproof to 10m (33ft). The stand-out feature is its wireless image transfer function that allows images to be sent to smartphones and tablets, making it easy to upload to the internet.

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Just Posted: In-depth Nikon D800 review

2012-05-08 21:09:53 UTC

We've just posted our Nikon D800 review. At 36MP, the D800 is the highest resolution camera you can buy without making the step up to medium format, it's also one of the first DSLRs to offer uncompressed video output. Despite these drastic increases in capability over the D700, Nikon's latest full-frame offering will be immediately familiar to any one who's shot with one of the company's high-end cameras. So what's the D800 like to shoot with and does all that resolution render its competition redundant?

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Olympus launches Tough TG-1 iHS higher-spec rugged, waterproof camera

2012-05-08 05:00:00 UTC

Olympus has announced the Tough TG-1 iHS, a high-end rugged, waterproof compact camera. The main selling point of the camera is its 25-100mm equivalant F2.0-4.9 zoom lens. The TG-1 is tougher than previous Tough models, being waterproof to 12m (40ft) and shockproof from a height of 2m (6.6ft) and will have optional waterproof fisheye and telephoto converter lenses available. The TG-1 iHS is built around a 1/2.3"-type 12MP back-lit CMOS sensor and a TruePic VI processor to make the most of its output.

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Fujifilm X-Pro1 studio samples published, including Adobe Camera Raw conversions

2012-05-07 23:47:40 UTC

We've just been given access to a beta version of Adobe Camera Raw that supports the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and have used it to process our standard test scene. The good news is that it produces similar resolution to the camera's JPEG output and that it appears to recognize the selected dynamic range extension setting. The X-Pro1 is not a camera with obvious peers, so we've presented it alongside a mixture of DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. These are just our suggested comparisons - you are able (and encouraged) to choose your own. (Samples updated)

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Article: Getting the most out of the Olympus OM-D E-M5

2012-05-07 21:38:14 UTC

We've prepared a user guide to the Olympus OM-D E-M5, uncovering some of the more interesting features that might not be immediately apparent to new users. As part of reviewing the camera, and detailing its menus, we found a couple of settings combinations and obscure options that we think are worth knowing about. So, if you've recently received an E-M5, or are thinking about parting with your hard-earned cash for one, we hope you'll find this article useful.

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Novoflex creates adapters for Fujifilm X-Pro1

2012-05-07 17:41:57 UTC

Novoflex has announced a range of mount adapters for the Fujifilm X-Pro1's X mount. The adapters allow the use of a wide range of non-XF lenses with the 16MP mirrorless camera. The range supports a broad cross-section of current and legacy lenses, including Canon FD, Nikon, Contax, Olympus OM and Minolta MD and AF mounts. There is also an adapter to allow use of Leica M-mount lenses, if you can't wait for the one Fujifilm said it is developing. The adapters will be available from the end of May 2012 at prices range from around €89 to €169, depending on the complexity of the adapter (there are also adapters for medium-format lenses that can cost as much as €350). (via Photoscala)

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Article: Shooting with the Leica M9-P

2012-05-06 08:00:00 UTC

The name Leica carries considerable cachet for many photographers, regardless of whether they've ever had a chance to shoot with one of the company's rangefinders or used one of its lenses. The fabulous cost and continued adherence to a near-obsolete, manual-focus, rangefinder design can be off-putting, making it easy to wonder whether the brand's proponents have bought into marketing or mystique. So just what is it like to shoot with an M9-P? We put the camera in the hands of four photographers with different backgrounds and shooting styles to see what the 'red dot' meant to them.

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LockCircle brings LockPort secure HDMI ports to Nikon D800

2012-05-04 23:14:04 UTC

Accessory maker LockCircle has announced it will offer its 'LockPort' durable HDMI socket bracket for the Nikon D800. The LockPort800 combines a mounting plate that secures to the base of the camera with a miniHDMI-to-standard HDMI adapter that bolts onto it. This provides an easy-access full-size HDMI connector while also protecting your camera's miniHDMI socket from damage. The mounting plate is designed so that the camera can still be used with other mounts, tripod plates and accessories, in tandem with the LockPort. The LockPort800 will be available from June 2012 at a cost of $199/€99.

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Nikon tells PDN it is looking for a fix for D800 and D4 lock-up bug

2012-05-04 17:35:50 UTC

Nikon has confirmed to PDN that it is investigating a problem that can cause the D800 and D4 to lock-up while shooting. The company says that the issue - identified while PDN was reviewing the camera - can be avoided by disabling Highlights and RGB Histogram on the display. At present the lock-ups require the battery to be removed to restart the camera but PDN thinks it likely that Nikon will be able to come up with a permanent fix.

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Think Tank announces Airport line of carry-on compliant camera bags

2012-05-04 02:18:22 UTC

Bag maker Think Tank has announced an update to its Airport series of camera bags. Designed to meet the restrictions imposed by airlines on carry-on luggage, the series includes a model designed for international flight as well as smaller versions for space-limited short-haul flying. The three bags are all designed with room for an iPad and increasingly large laptops, and give clear indications of the camera bodies and lenses they will accommodate. All three come with a seam-sealed rain covers.

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BUSINESS: House Advantage: The Sure Thing

2011-02-17 19:46:19 UTC

An animated explanation of how banks use securities lending to make a profit, while their customers cover the losses.

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