Posts by gwdlv

Mobilegeddon Is Your Las Vegas Website At Risk

On April 21, 2015 Google released a new mobile-friendly ranking algorithm, that is designed to give a boost in search rankings to websites that are mobile-friendly. If your Las Vegas website is not mobile friendly you could be at risk of losing valuable search engine rankings.

With so many people trying to find your business here in Las Vegas on their mobile device, it makes sense that Google would reward those that have gone the extra step to make their website more mobile friendly.

What Is Mobile Friendly Web Design?

We use what is called responsive web design techniques to build your website so that the layout changes depending on what screen size you are viewing the website on. You can see from the image above how the look of our website changes between the different devices, and we can do this for your website as well. Typically is calls for a complete redesign because there is no way to “magically” make a website responsive if it was not built that way from the start.

So if your are in Las Vegas and are looking for responsive web design, then contact us today for a free quote. It only takes a few minutes and could help your website keep its current search engine rankings as well as give your website boost on mobile search.

Great Audio is the Other Half of Great Video

Most people think because they are shooting with an HD camera that automatically they are going to create epic video. It definitely helps but without great audio your video will suck.


Great audio is one of the most overlooked aspects of shooting video, but it is also one of the most important, why do you think there is a job for a "Sound Guy"?

If you were to show 2 groups of people the exact same video, one shot using the built in camera mic and the other using quality microphones like a lapel or lavalier mic, you would find that people will start to pick up on the bad areas of the film and not know their criticisms are caused by the poor audio.

When shooting video you have some options for capturing audio. One of the easiest is to get a wireless lavalier mic that clips to the shirt of your talent.

Lavaliers:

  • Pic up quality sound
  • Allow your talent to have the freedom to move around

Lavaliers also have some cons when using them:

  • Can pick of noise if they rub on your talent’s clothing
  • Are omni-directional so they pick up sound from all directions

This last point can be a challenge because this type of mic will pick up more room noise, and can muddle the talent’s voice being picked up.

Now the other option you have is a shotgun microphone. This in my opinion is your best option. A shot gun mic looks just like the name suggests, a long tube like microphone that is perfect for picking up whatever sound it is pointed at.

That last statement is the key to shotgun mics. They are designed to only pick up sound that they are pointed at and reduce side or room noise.

This directionality also has its downfall, if you are not pointed directly at your talent, you could loose some of what is said. Also it is very important to use a wind muff or "dead cat", because shotgun mics are also very sensitive to wind noise especially if you are shooting outdoors.

Now that you have a basic overview of capturing great audio, let’s take a look at these 3 videos created by Sennheiser. You will see award-winning film maker Geert Verdickt talking about the different types of microphones in the first video. In the second he talks about wireless microphones and in the third he talks about handheld mics and their directivity.

Not only are these videos really informative, but they are also very entertaining…enjoy!

Canon EOS 6D – Canon’s Lowest Priced Full-Frame HD Video DSLR

Canon does it once again. With the recent release of Nikon’s D600, a Prosumer full-frame DSLR for around $2300 for the body, Canon releases their own version of an entry-level full-frame DSLR camera, and it packs all the tools a DSLR filmmaker will need.


Starting with a 20.3-megapixel 35mm sensor, Digic 5+ image processor and an 11-point autofocus system and 4.5 fps max continuous shooting speed.

Most interesting to me is the HD video capabilities of the new 6D which are identical to the shooting modes found in the new 5D Mark III.

  • Full HD 1920 x 1080 (30 fps/25fps/24fps)
  • HD 1280 x 720 (60 fps/50fps) great for slo-mo shots

The new 6D also does great in low light situations thanks to its full-frame sensor and its range of ISO 100-25600 (expansion possible to ISO 50, ISO 51200 and 102400) in 1/3-stop or whole-stop increments). You’ll see some examples of this in the test video below.

The LCD screen of the 6D is a 3″ screen with an aspect ratio of 3:2, but it does not articulate like that on the T3i and T4i which does help when shooting video at low angles.

One of the most unique features of the 6D has to be the built-in Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities to allow you to instantly share photos and videos and geo-tag your images. Canon will soon release a remote app for iOS and Android to allow you to remotely control your 6D without being tethered by a cable shutter-release.

For all you HDSLR video shooters out there, check out this test video shot with the new 6D, and be sure to watch until the end where you get behind the scenes footage, where they reveal the lenses and settings used for the shots they took.

Canon plans to start selling the EOS 6D in December for $2,099 (body only) and a kit price of $2,899 with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens…I know what will be on my Christmas list.

Test Video of Canon EOS 6D

Get Your Logo

Whenever you have artwork created by someone or some Graphic Design company, be sure to ask for the original artwork once you approve it. So many times I try to do print work for our clients and when I ask for their logo I get a 20k jpeg on a white background. Learn why you should always get your artwork from your Designer.


I recently did a promo poster for a client and needed their logo to overlay on the poster. I had grabbed their logo from the website just to do the proof so they understood that their logo was going to look pixilated.

Now this client owns a large car dealership that does a ton of advertising, both in print and on TV. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t have a vector file of their logo.

Having the original artwork of your logo is one of the most important things to have on file. Having original artwork allows you to use it on other pieces of marketing material, and allows you to keep your brand looking its best.

When you send another designer a small jpeg version of your logo and are looking to do a vinyl banner for a trade show there is no way to blow up your logo and have it print well.

Yes you can buy software like Perfect Resize by onOne Software, but it is still not the same as having a vector file of your logo. Having that I could blow up your logo the size of a billboard without any degradation of your logo.

So if you have any graphic design work done, please ask for your original artwork when the Designer is done. It doesn’t matter if you do not have Photoshop or Illustrator to open .psd files or .ai files, get the artwork, the next Designer you work with will love you for it.

Price Drop Canon EOS 5D Mark II Full-Frame DSLR body only $1979

With the release of the Canon EOS 5d Mk III the MkII has dropped in price. Still an amazing full-frame camera that shoots amazing HD video, and now with an even lower price. So if you are looking to step up to a full-frame camera like the 5d Mk II then take advantage of this new low price.

EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera


Here are some of the 5d Mk II’s features:

  • 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion, wide range ISO setting 100-6400
  • Body only; lenses sold separately
  • DIGIC 4 Image Processor; high-performance 3.9 fps continuous shooting; Live View Function for stills
  • Full HD video capture at 1920×1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip ; HDMI output
  • Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System specifically designed to work with a full-frame sensor

What’s in the Box

  • EOS 5D Mark II Body
  • Eyecup Eb
  • Wide Neck Strap EW-EOS5DMKII
  • Stereo Video Cable STV-250N
  • USB Interface Cable IFC-200U
  • Battery Charger LC-E6
  • Battery Pack LP-E6
  • EOS Digital Solution Disk
  • Software Instruction Manual

EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera

15 Responsive Design Joomla Templates

A responsive Joomla template is a template designed to adapt to the whatever screen size of device being used to view it. If someone is using a iPhone the Joomla template will change to make it easier to view on the smaller screen of the phone.

Maybe you are viewing the site on an Android tablet, these responsive Joomla templates will respond to the smaller screen of a tablet, by moving the right column down or changing the navigation to make it easier to use on a touch-screen, whatever you view these on they will adapt to make it easier for you to view.


If you would like to learn more about responsive design we wrote a great post detailing what it is with an example along with some resources to help you learn more.

The templates I have chosen to feature here are not the only ones you can find online, they just really impressed me so I thought I would share.

1. Fontaine – Clean Responsive Joomla Template

Fontaine - Clean Responsive Joomla Template

Fontaine is a professional Joomla 2.5 Template with a clean layout and elegant look. Its subtle touch makes it best suited for a corporate or business site. Fontaine comes packed with dozens widgets and an intuitive admin option panel.

Fontaine is built on Warp framework, which gives the theme an immeasurable weight of flexibility and agility, fast loading – using built in compression of files, data URIs and gzip minification and that’s not all; We’ve topped it up with a splash of 8 beautiful colors ranging from bright to laid back colors and a bonus Kunena 2.0 Forum theme.

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2. Naong – Responsive Joomla Templates

Naong - Responsive Joomla Templates

Naong is simple, modern and impresive joomla template. it’s a responsive templates and optimized for tablet and any others mobile screen. This template will also give you a great portfolio option to work with and it’s very powerful for businesses, artists, website designers, books and more. Naong comes with powerful T3 Joomlart Framework, best and selected extentions.

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3. Sauna – Responsive Jooma Template

Sauna - Responsive Jooma Template

Sauna is a health and beauty Joomla 2.5 Template with a dark layout and subtle look. Its matte touch makes it best suited for a health and beauty site. Sauna comes packed with dozens widgets and an intuitive admin option panel.

Sauna is built on Warp framework, which gives the theme an immeasurable weight of flexibility and agility, fast loading – using built in compression of files, data URIs and gzip minification

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4. Uneedo – Responsive Joomla Template

Uneedo - Responsive Joomla Template

Uneedo is a revolutionary Joomla 2.5 Template with a clean layout and elegant look. Its look and feel makes it best suited for a community, social site, or any other site. Uneedo comes packed with dozens of niceties and an intuitive admin option panel.

Uneedo is built on Warp framework, which gives the theme an immeasurable weight of flexibility and agility, fast loading – using built in compression of files, data URIs and gzip minification.

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5. Rhubarber – Responsive Joomla Template

Rhubarber - Responsive Joomla Template

The Rhubarber template is a clean cut, responsive Joomla 2.5+ template. Easy to setup, has lots of template settings and it works just as good on a smartphone as it does on your desktop computer this article.

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6. Swoop – Responsive Joomla Template

Swoop - Responsive Joomla Template

The Swoop Template is a clean, easy to setup, responsive theme that works just as good on the smartphone as on the desktop. It was built for Joomla 2.5+ and comes with one light and one dark version.

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7. Glenon – Responsive Joomla Template

Glenon - Responsive Joomla Template

Glenon is simple, modern and impresive joomla template. it’s a responsive templates and optimized for tablet and any others mobile screen. This template will also give you a great portfolio option to work with and it’s very powerful for businesses, artists, website designers, books and more. Glenon comes with powerful T3 Joomlart Framework, best and selected extentions.

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8. L-Ardi Responsive Joomla Template

L-Ardi Responsive Joomla Template

L-Ardi is a fully responsive Joomla template using valid HTML5 and uses the Zoo Component to handle the content of the site.

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9. L-Eylul Responsive Joomla Theme

L-Eylul Responsive Joomla Theme

L-Eylul is more than a Joomla theme. It’s built on HTML5 and Foundation framework. It has remarkable flexible grid and mobility. It was designed to help you make your website display on all devices.

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10. Beauty Salon Responsive Joomla Template

Beauty Salon Responsive Joomla Template

Natural Beauty Template is a high quality, simple and clean template which build by Warp Framework also use lot’s of CSS3 effect, you can use one template to different website, Because it’s have 5 preset with Unlimited Color combination that’s why it’s possible unlimited style also have lot’s of admin customization features so your website must be unique design. you can use this template for any kind of spa salon, message and therapy website, beauty salon website and more as you like…

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11. Vision Saju – Responsive Joomla Template

Vision Saju - Responsive Joomla Template

Vision Saju is a clean, responsive Joomla! template, that allows you to build a professional looking website in minutes. The template comes with 7 custom color styles. The design is very unique and clean. The design will give your visitors a new experience.

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12. i-Bizz Responsive Joomla Template

i-Bizz Responsive Joomla Template

iBizz is a professional Joomla 2.5 responsive template with a stylish look & clean layout. Its subtle touch makes it best suited for a corporate or business site but you can use this template for different websites. iBizz is a creative and premium quality template and build with Powerful Helix Framework which gives the theme an immeasurable weight of flexibility and agility, fast loading – using built in compression of files and data URIs. This template comes with REAL QuickStart Installation Package for Joomla 2.5, various extensions and PSD Sources for various graphics used on the demo site. iBizz also presents a Nice Pricing Table, you can decorate your products here with their prices. This template is RTL language supported. We have made a beautiful K2 powered Image gallery. It has 6 preset colors with gradient + background combination. This template contains 81+ module positions so you can easily customize this. We have also setup a rich documentation where you can find documentation, tutorials and find code snippets on how to customize the template.

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13. Kent Powerful Responsive Template For Joomla!

Kent Powerful Responsive Template For Joomla!

Kent, a powerful responsive template for Joomla! 2.5 introducing DNP Slider – the best responsive slider for Joomla! and DNP Portfolio the best responsive portfolio/media filter for Joomla!

The template was built from scratch, it is really a massive project. It comes with REAL Quickstart Installation Package for Joomla! 2.5, various extensions and PSD Sources for various graphics used on the demo site.

Forged with great attention to details, Kent is the real choice for your next big thing. Why? Well.. only considering the load speed, code simplicity, design details, consistent typography and all the features makes it a one of a kind piece of hard work.

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14. Bensroben – Responsive Joomla Template

Bensroben - Responsive Joomla Template

Bensroben is a smart, clean, responsive & super flexible Joomla templates. It is suited for users who want to showcase their work on a neat blog or portfolio site. The animation effects will give your visitors a new experience with joomla templates. Bensroben comes with powerful T3 Joomlart Framework, best and selected extentions.

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15. Style – Responsive Multipurpose MijoShop Template

CircleZ - Responsive Joomla Template

SJ Style – Powerful eCommerce template with MijoShop component, available in many colors, and is built on the YT Framework V@ and is flexible with Bootstrap3. The template is a fully responsive design as well as easy to configure with a wide range of easy tasking features: colors scheme, menus, typography, Google Font… Specially, this is compatible with Auto Updater component of Joomla! to update framework any time to latest version from our repository.

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Learn How To Shoot a RAW Timelapse Video for Free

Preston Kanak, creator of 3minuteshorts (he also is the assistant editor of Philip Bloom) is launching a new series of tutorials at no charge on how to shoot timelapse video. These video tutorials will help the seasoned professional and the hobbyist videographer.


The series will be made up of seven parts, and you will see from this introductory video that Preston encourages you to leave comments on other things you would like to learn related to this subject.

Here is what Preston has so far (as said by Preston):

  • 1: Introduction
    This video will introduce the series as well as showcase the types of shots that will be present in the time-lapse series.

  • 2: Kit Breakdown / Software & Hardware Solutions – Introduction
    In this video, I will give a quick preview of what equipment I use when shooting time-lapses.

  • 3. A Closer Look at my ‘Tool Kit’
    In this section, I will look closer at my ‘go to’ equipment and also break down a few different kit configurations depending on shot requirements as well as shooting conditions.

  • 4. PRE-PRODUCTION — (Story, Scouting & Scheduling)
    Pre-production is by far the most important part of the process for not only time-lapse photography but filmmaking as a whole. By being prepared from the beginning and by having a well laid out plan, production & post-production will ALWAYS go way smoother. There are a few specific areas that I will be investigating as part of the pre-production phase.
    – Searching for Locations.
    – Prepping Gear.
    – Shot Lists.

  • 5. PRODUCTION
    This section will be the most extensive and will encompass a wide array of possible time-lapse setups. For a list of the current tutorials to be covered in the series, please see below:
    – Camera Settings/Modes: Understanding the Basic Functions of a DSLR
    – Static Time-lapses
    – Motion Controlled Time-lapses
    – Day to Night Time-lapses
    – Astro Time-lapses
    – HDR Time-lapses
    – Walking Time-lapses
    – Bulb Ramping

  • 6. POST PRODUCTION
    For this section, I will be covering a few different methods for processing the time-lapses as well as cover some of the ways in which to remove flicker from your time-lapses. I will also be focusing on a few composting techniques.

  • Some of the programs/codecs I will be covering include:
    – LR Timelapse, Lightroom, After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, FCP 7, Quicktime 7, GB Deflicker, CHV Time Collection, ProRes vs CineForm, Photomatrix, GBS Timelapse & more.

  • NOTE: I will be spending a substantial amount of time discussing how to remove flicker using various programs as it is a highly requested topic.
  • 7. Distribution: An Expanding Market Opportunity
    The demand for online content is increasing. Grants for web series are becoming available. Discounts that used to exist for online content, such as discounted actor rates, are quickly disappearing as many are seeing the added value in online content. Crowd funding is also becoming a viable option for funding. With this shift, it is key to create an online presence — and get your work seen.

So if you are ready to dive into Timelapse Video then head on over to The RAW Timelapse Tutorial: Paying it Forward group on Vimeo.

How I Got Started in Photography and Videography

Getting into shooting stills and video kind of came out of necessity. In 2007 I started an online magazine as a way to help pay for my hobby. I bought a cheap Canon Rebel XT DSLR and used it to cover the races my audience would interested in. This was actually the stepping stone I used to also get into videography.

When I started I had an idea about composition. I knew what looked good in my viewfinder, but I had no idea what aperture, f-stop or ISO was. I set the camera to sports mode and crossed my fingers I got the shot.

Not having any formal training I began reading blogs and learning as much as I could. Understanding how your DSLR camera works is the key to great photos.

As my knowledge grew I began to see the limitations of my camera and my lenses. I began to understand why professional photographers paid the money for a 5d mk ii and fast glass (that’s photog talk for lens).


Upgraded to Canon T1i DSLR

So I upgraded my camera to a Canon T1i. Still not a pro camera bit much better than the one I had. I also bought a 70mm-300mm lens which later proved to be a great investment.

At this time I also saw a lot of videos related to my magazine’s subject on YouTube, and that’s how I got into shooting video too.

I bought a really cheap video camera (I think an Apetek) because again I had no knowledge of what it takes to make great video.

Being a solo shooter I had to come up with a way to shoot stills and video at the same time. I got the idea that if there was a way to mount the video camera over my DSLR then I could get my still shots and keep panning to get my video. I bent some aluminum into a shape like a photographer might mount a flash to and there I had my mount for my video camera (this was also before I knew about DSLR cages).

This set up worked ok. I was getting good content for YouTube and the last race of the season my T1i got the dreaded "error 20" message on the LCD display. If you don’t know, this error happens and the shutter locks up on Canon cameras. You have to shut it off and turn it back on, then hope the shutter unlocks.

To give you some insight into how this happened you first need to know what kind of racing I shoot. My magazine is dedicated to Off-road racing. If you haven’t experienced this before you would be amazed at the amount of dust you have to contend with. What do you expect, standing in the desert shooting trucks and buggies flying through the dirt.

So one of the problems of cheaper DSLR cameras is they aren’t as sealed as a Pro DSLR. So no matter how much I cleaned the dust off the camera, too much got inside the camera and that was it.

Canon T3i and Canon Vixia HF S20

So time to upgrade again. This time I bought a T3i. I also upgraded my video camera to a Canon HF S20. Now the HF S20 was much heavier so my old set up did not work. So now I place my video camera on a tripod and then shoot my still shots.

Shooting video from the same spot makes for very boring video, so now I will shoot some stills then turn to my video camera and concentrate on that, panning and jumping to new locations.

My next evolution now has been DSLR video. It has its pluses and its minuses. Now I will set up my HF S20 on the tripod pointed in one direction, then place a GoPro somewhere on the ground close to the course then pan with my DSLR so now I get 3 different shots of the same action. Really makes for better video when you have multiple angles.

New DSLR Rig and 400mm Pancake Lens

I just bought Canon’s new 40mm pancake lens and a DSLR cage and rail system complete with a matte box and follow focus. We are now also shooting how-to videos, and the DSLR rig will help a lot.

I also plan on getting Canon’s new T4i as a second camera. Shooting Off-road racing it would help to be able to change the focus while shooting. I can’t exactly ask the racers to back up and do it again. As of now I shoot wide landscape shots with my HF S20 since I can zoom out while I record.

Even after 5 years I am still learning. Like anything, photography and videography constantly change with technology and someone might have a better way to create a shot you want for your photos or videos.

Pick Up a Camera and Shoot Something

So you see my entry into photography and videography came out of necessity and soon became one of my greatest passions in life.

If you haven’t experienced the joy of getting that perfect shot, you have no idea what your missing. Pick up a camera and shoot something.

Canon EOS M – Canon Finally Releases a Mirrorless Camera

…and it looks better for Videographers than Photographers

Everyone had been wondering why Canon had not released a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses until now. Sony saw great success, Nikon released the 1 J1, but it looks like Canon took its time for a good reason, the Canon EOS M looks to be the best mirrorless camera on the market.


Product Highlights

  • 18.0 MP CMOS (APS-C) Sensor
  • DIGIC 5 Image Processor
  • Full HD 1080p Movie with Focus Tracking
  • 3.0" Touch Screen LCD with 1040K-dots
  • Touch AF and Multi-touch Operation
  • Hybrid CMOS Auto-focus for Photo & Video
  • Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
  • ISO 100-12800, Expandable to 25600 (H)
  • Canon’s First Mirrorless Camera
  • Includes Canon EF-M 22mm F/2 STM Lens

What makes the Canon EOS M such a great camera is Canon took a T4i DSLR and shrunk it down into a compact magnesium and stainless steel body. It has the same Live View autofocus that made the T4i so popular with videographers.

You also get the same capacitive touch screen and the same 18-megapixel APS-C image sensor and Digic 5 image processor, so you have the ability to capture great images and video in tough shooting conditions. It comes with a EF-M 22mm F/2 STM Lens, and all this will only cost you about $800.

So far the only downfall I see in the Canon EOS M is by making the body smaller you have to sacrifice some of the functionality of a DSLR. It does however make for a very light camera at only 14oz. this thing feels like a feather if you are used to a DSLR.

To start Canon is shipping the EOS M with a new EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens, and a longer zooming EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. You will notice there is no built-in flash, but not to worry you can get the new Speedlite 90EX, of if you already have a flash for your DSLR you can use it with the hotshoe mount, although it might seem weird that your flash is larger than your camera.

Shooting HD Video

As mentioned earlier taking the best new technology from the T4i, the EOS M employs the same second-gen touchscreen by Canon, and the only downfall with packing it into this tiny camera is it does not flip out like it does on the T4i, which seems to be a minor drawback for videographers that often shoot in low angles.

The EOS M also brings with it the new continuous autofocus found in the T4i. The sensor based autofocus uses phase and contrast detection to focus while you move from subject to subject while shooting HD video. To help achieve this the EOS M uses Canon’s new STM (stepping motor) technology which uses special AF motors to adjust silently so you don’t mess up the audio while shooting video.

Even more good news for videographers is the camera shoots 1920 x 1080p (HD for those that don’t know) video at 24, 25, and 30 frames per second. This camera might be a great option for run and gun shooters, it’s compact with almost ever function of a DSLR. It even has a built in stereo mic with an optional input for an external mic. The only downfall here is there is no headphone jack to monitor audio while you shoot.

Taking Still Photos

So far it sounds like a great camera for shooting video but how does it do shooting stills? We have shown that most of the features of the T4i for shooting video are stuffed into this tiny camera but a mirrorless camera has its drawbacks when it comes to stills.

First you will see there is no optical viewfinder, this is just not possible with a mirrorless camera. Having no mirror also means it will have to rely on its sensor based autofocus instead of the 9-point optical autofocus sensor found on the T4i, so you might find that focusing might be slower. As long as you are not shooting fast action shots it should be fine.

The EOS M stills benefits from a pro-grade DSLR image sensor, so it has the ability of shooting great still shots, and with the 22mm kit lens being able to open up to f/2.0, the aperture is wide enough to be able to capture great pics even in very low light. It should also allow you to create a very shallow depth of field for great portrait shots.

Another key feature to low light photography is the EOS M can shoot up to a standard ISO of 12800. I’d be curious to see how much noise is introduced when shooting that high. Need to shoot a lot of pics all at once? The EOS M gives you the ability to shoot 4.3 frames per second which isn’t going to hold a candle to that of the 5D Mk III, but it is respectable for a camera of this size.

Having the same sensor as the T4i still gives you all the manual controls while shooting stills, so the pros don’t have to look at the EOS M as just a fancy consumer camera cymbalta generic.

EF / EF-S Lens Adaptor

You might have been saying to yourself, "New lens type means I have to buy more lenses", well you are in luck for about $150 you can get the EF-M Lens Adapter Kit for Canon EF / EF-S Lenses. Along with giving you the ability to mount all your current DSLR lenses it also has a tripod mount built in when you put a giant EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens on it. Yes it might look funny having such a big lens on a tiny camera but it doesn’t look any funnier than the people that adapt these lenses on their iPhones.

Conclusion

For most pros this will still feel like a consumer camera, but for some trying to step away from the consumer camera I think it is a great choice. It offers unmatched video shooting capability with a fair amount of features for shooting stills. So if you are already used to the functions of a DSLR it might not be for you, I would maybe consider this as a second camera because for the $800 price it packs a huge punch. Canon is set to release this camera in October and I have seen you can already pro-order it from places like B&H Photo and Amazon.

What is Responsive Web Design

So many people these days view the Web using multiple devices like smart phones and tablets, laptops and desktops, and it is important for your website to be able to be viewed on these various devices each with their own screen resolution. This is the key to responsive web design, making your website accessible no matter what the viewport.

Discover why responsive web design is so important to your website.


Wikipedia defines "responsive web design" as:

Responsive Web Design (RWD) essentially indicates that a web site is crafted to use Cascading Style Sheets 3 media queries, an extension of the @media rule, with fluid proportion-based grids (which use percentages and EMs instead of pixels), to adapt the layout to the viewing environment, and probably also use flexible images. As a result, users across a broad range of devices and browsers will have access to a single source of content, laid out so as to be easy to read and navigate with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling.

Let’s break this down, viewing a website on an iPhone with a 3.5 inch screen isn’t easy if the website is designed to be view on a large desktop monitor, so responsive design alters the layout to make it easier for viewing websites on smaller screens, no matter what its size.

Here is a screen shot of a responsive web design as viewed on a desktop with a 27" monitor. You can see there is a large slideshow and below that we have the main content area and a right column. Further down you can see the footer is made up of 3 columns.

Full Screen

Now if we shrink the browser window you can see how the slideshow also shrank in size and the right column next to the content has actually fell below the content, and the 3 columns in the footer are now one column. Did you also notice the navigation bar has changed to a simple drop down box?

445px wide screen

Using CSS3 media queries is the key to responsive design. It allows your website to tell the browser that if the viewport (screen size) is this dimension or lower, use this style sheet. So essentially you are building multiple versions of your website to fit various viewports.

I know what you are going to say, "You mean I have to build a hundred different versions of my website", and the answer is no, you are building maybe 3 versions at the most and really it is just creating new style sheets if you build your site using a fluid grid-based layout.

Does This Work in All Browsers?

Another important thing to know about responsive web design is that not every browser supports it. Wait let me rephrase that, Internet Explorer before version 9 doesn’t support it, and even IE9 only supports a few aspects of it.

Responsive web design is created using HTML5 and CSS3 and some of the tags in HTML5 have not been adopted by IE9 and older versions, but not to worry, on a normal desktop monitor your site will still function as it should.

Responsive Web Design Resources

This is a simple introduction into responsive web design. To understand every aspect of it would require a novel, and there are plenty of great resources online for learning more about coding with HTML5 and CSS3 for responsive design.

.net Magazine has a great post on responsive design and the tools you need:
50 fantastic tools for responsive web design

I also downloaded the Kindle version of Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3. This is an amazing book with a real-world example you can build with the author.

Responsive web design is still in its infancy stage, and there are some instances where a dedicated mobile site might be better for you. Responsive design allows your site to accessible no matter what you are viewing it on, for me this seems to make more sense. People can read all your content instead of a scaled down version, but again this is just my opinion.