Study: Panasonic digital cameras most reliable, Casio the least (Christopher Null)

SquareTrade is a company that sells extended, add-on warranties for your digital gadgetry. But when consumers make claims on those warranties, SquareTrade keeps track of the data and releases insightful information about how reliable our electronic devices are.

Today the company has crunched the numbers on digital cameras, with some truly surprising results. Here are some of the report's highlights:

• Panasonic is the most reliable camera brand. For both inexpensive cameras under $300 and more expensive models up to $500, Panasonic cameras failed at a substantially lower rate than other brands: 5.3 percent for the cheapies and just 1.9 percent for more expensive models, over the first two years of ownership. That's well ahead of all competitors and, in the case of Panasonic's higher-end cameras, better than the failure rate for ultra-pricey DSLR cameras.

• Other solid brands: Fujifilm, Olympus, Sony, and Canon (sub-$300 cameras); Nikon and Sony (more expensive models).

• Worst performing brands: Polaroid and Casio (sub-$300 cameras); Canon ($300 to $500 models).

• Both Nikon and Canon had about equal reliability in the DSLR space, about a 4 percent failure rate over two years.

• Overall, consumers should expect to have a 6.6 percent failure rate for cameras over the first two years and about a 9.8 percent failure rate over three years. Add in damage from drops and other accidents and the failure rates hit 10.7 percent in the first two years and 15.6 percent in three. About 40 percent of camera failures are due to accidents.

• The more you pay, the more reliable your camera will be. The two-year failure rate for sub-$150 cameras is 7.4 percent. For $500-plus cameras it's just 4 percent.

You can read the full release on the study here [PDF link].

— Christopher Null is a technology writer for Yahoo! News. 

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Three big-carrier, Android-packing Samsung Galaxy phones down, one to go (Ben Patterson)

We've already got the Captivate for AT&T, the Epic 4G for Sprint, and the Vibrant for T-Mobile — all three of which come armed with eye-popping 4-inch displays, slim profiles, speedy 1GHz processors, and five-megapixel cameras — and now Samsung’s set to finish its lap of the four big U.S. carriers with the Fascinate, due in the coming weeks for Verizon Wireless.

Sure, we’ve had plenty of other impressive, high-profile smartphones arrive on specific carriers over the last few months, including the jumbo-sized HTC Evo 4G for Sprint, the Motorola Droid X for Verizon, and of course, the iPhone 4 on AT&T.

But with its slim, sleek line of Galaxy S phones, Samsung’s doing something a little different — namely, it’s got a Galaxy phone for all four of the big carriers, rather than doling out exclusives to one carrier or another. (Samsung will also have a Galaxy phone for regional carrier U.S. Cellular.)

Names and cosmetic differences aside, the four Galaxies are fundamentally the same phone — well, excluding perhaps the Epic 4G, which adds a slide-out QWERTY keypad, a front-facing camera for video chat, and support for Sprint’s 4G WiMax network to the mix. And what I’ve seen so far of the Galaxy phones, I’ve liked — a lot. (That said, I haven’t had the chance to get hands-on with the Fascinate yet.)

Yes, the Evo 4G and the Droid X take the day in terms of sheer screen size — 4.3 inches, to be exact — but I actually prefer the slightly smaller 4-inch (not to mention gorgeous-looking) Super AMOLED displays on the Galaxy phones, as well as the slimmer, lighter (about four ounces or so) form factors. I've also been impressed by the peppy performance of the Captivate, Epic, and Vibrant, which are all powered by Samsung’s speedy 1GHz Cortex A8 “Hummingbird" processor.

Not everything is perfect in Galaxy-land, however. For one thing, Galaxy handset users are still awaiting an update to Android 2.2, the latest version of the Android OS — which, among other things, adds support for Flash. An update for 2.2 is coming, Samsung swears, but exact timing is still up in the air. (Owners of the Evo 4G, the Nexus One, and both Motorola Droids are, incidentally, already doing the Android 2.2 thing.)

Another nagging problem: iffy GPS performance on the Captivate and the Vibrant, which both reportedly have trouble locking onto GPS signals, if they can get a lock at all. Samsung has admitted to the bug and promises a fix will arrive in September, but still, buyer beware.

Anyway, back to the Fascinate, which was announced back in July but has yet to debut on Verizon — in fact, we still don’t have an exact release date, although recent word has it that it’ll come in for a landing sometime in September.

As with the other Galaxy phones, we’re talking Android 2.1, a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 1GHz Cortext A8 processor, and a five-megapixel camera with HD video recording. The 4.1-ounce Fascinate also boasts 2GB of internal storage, a microSD slot for memory expansion, and the ability to act as a mobile hotspot for up to five nearby Wi-Fi-enabled devices, although the hotspot feature will surely entail an extra monthly data charge.

How much? Still no official word on that from Samsung or Verizon, but keep in mind that the Captivate and the Vibrant both sell for $199 with a new, two-year contract; I’d expect the same for the Fascinate. (The 4G-ready, QWERTY-equipped Epic 4G on Sprint goes for $249 with a two-year service agreement.)

I'll report back with hands-on impressions once I get my mitts on a review unit. In the meantime, check out Verizon’s promo video for the Fascinate, below:

— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

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Women in Photography

The female form has been represented in works of art for centuries. Trends in fashion have been traced through many ages of these representations, and some of the first popular methods of capturing women on film were fashion photography, "glamour" photography and wedding photography. Today these are still some of the most common ways that images of women are captured in photographs. The composition of these types of photography are recognizable to many, photographers or not, and the methods to achieve these images remain somewhat the same.

The first fashion photography began around 1913, and from that point on the female form, dressed in the mode of the day, became a common sight in commercial art and in the media. Fashion photography to this day focuses on women in exotic locations, dressed in the most popular fashions and accessories. There are no set styles or methods to fashion photography, and there have been several artists who built their reputations and careers around this particularly creative variety of photography. There is however a requirement for knowledgeable use of color and lighting and excellent composition.

Glamour photographs were first seen in the World War II era "pin up" girls and in the gorgeous photographs of Hollywood stars. Today many individuals arrange to have a photograph, or a series of photographs, taken of them in this classic and elegant style.

Currently the trend calls for black and white imagery, with soft lighting and filters applied to give the photographs a tone and feel similar to those of the original era of glamour photography. The images today are taken for professional as well as personal reasons, and a good glamour photograph will always present a woman in an elegant and dignified light. There should never be a crudely sexual tone or image in a glamour photograph, as this style of photography calls for suggestion and allure, not blatant or graphic depictions of the female form. There is a large commercial popularity around variations of classic glamour imagery employing new styles with names like "rockabilly" and "pin up" appearing in art and fashion, as well as in personal and professional photography.

Finally, wedding photography is the ultimate in capturing women at their most romantic and fancifully dressed moments. Wedding photography is a critical component to most formal wedding ceremonies and receptions. Wedding photographers can be well-equipped individuals or whole crews of lighting, sound and film professionals.

The key to capturing good images of a woman on her wedding day is for a photographer to create a trusting relationship with the subject and to review the list of images the bride would like to see. A good wedding photographer will be unobtrusive throughout the entire day, but bold enough to capture all of the critical moments in a flattering and romantic light.

Women in art and photography can be wonderful, romantic images as well as the unique and artful expressions of a professional or amateur photographer.

Amy Renfrey is the author of two major successful ebooks "Digital Photography Success" and "Advanced Digital Photography". She is a photographer and also teaches digital photography. Her educational ebooks takes the most complex photography terms and turns them into easy to understand language so that anyone, at any level of photography, can easily move to a semi-professional level of skill in just a very short time. She's photographed many things from famous musicians (Drummers for Prince and Anastasia) to weddings and portraits of babies. Amy also teaches photography online to her students which can be found at http://www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

Tips on Camera Safety While Photographing Storms

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For some photographers, there is no greater thrill than dashing out into a howling storm to get photos of torrential rain, lightning and howling winds. They make for some truly imaginative and surreal photos and are well worth the risks involved, if you know how to prevent the worst from happening. There are a number of ways that you can protect your camera from being damaged while you’re out chasing lightning or filming short clips of potential twisters.

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Zoo Photography: Beginning Your Animal Portfolio

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If you’re a wildlife enthusiast, and want to learn how to take great photos of animals, there’s no better training ground than a zoo. Most of the animals you’ll photograph on Safari’s, or adventure trips can be found right there, waiting to become the subject of your photographs. While it’s not a natural environment, zoos do the best they can to make animals feel comfortable, and they often thrive in these closed quarter settings. This is the perfect place to take your digital camera and begin your wildlife portfolio.

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