Thursday, November 14, 2013

Nikon's New D5300 Digital SLR comes with Built-in Wi-Fi and GPS

<Nikon D5300 Couponsp>Nikon has just released the new D5300 Digital SLR camera that comes with built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, a first for the company in single-lens reflex camera design. Previously, you could purchase the Nikon WU-1 wireless mobile adapter to connect your Nikon camera without a cable. But this is the first time Wi-Fi has been built into the camera itself, making sharing and exporting images that much easier. Upon transfer, users can select between two different file sizes (depending on the destination storage capacity) and copy to other devices via wireless network. Images can also be shared with family, friends, or website destination via the Wireless Mobile Utility app (a free download). GPS is also integrated into the D5300, allowing you to automatically map and geotag location data such as longitude, latitude, and altitude within images. The GPS function, according to Nikon, works seamlessly with ViewNX 2 and Nikon Image Space.

As far as image quality, the entry-level DX-format digital camera boasts an effective pixel count of 24.2-million pixels. The camera houses a Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), improving upon image resolution and rendering from NIKKOR lenses. The CMOS sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 12800, but can also be expanded up to ISO 25600 equivalent (Hi 1) for shooting at higher shutter speeds in low light with little noise. The D5300 features Nikon's new high-performance EXPEED 4 image-processing engine for better results in noise reduction (NR), auto white balance, color reproduction characteristics, tone processing, and image quality at high sensitivities.

Images on the Nikon D5300 can be shot in three sizes that include 6000 x 4000 (Large), 4496 x 3000 (Medium), and 2992 x 2000 (Small). Supported image formats include NEF (RAW) in 12 or 14 bit compressed, JPEG, and NEF+JPEG - giving you both file formats to work with. And, the D5300 includes a 39-point high-density autofocus system with 9 cross-type sensors to maximize clarity within the areas you want in focus.

For video, the D5300 records full-HD movies at up to 1920 x 1080 at 60p for a maximum length of 10-minutes in high quality movie mode (or 20-minutes in normal movie quality). And, a Special Effects feature is included with nine options that can be applied to photos and movies to alter the look of your video or still images. Effects include Night vision, Color sketch, Toy Camera effect, Miniature effect, Selective color, Silhouette, High key, Low key, and HDR painting. For stills, Color sketch, Miniature effect, and Selective color can be applied in post-production by using the camera's retouch menu.

The D5300 weighs in at just 530 grams (without lens), and measures 125mm (W), 98mm (H), and 76mm (D). A side-hinged vari-angle 3.2-inch monitor opens from 0 to 180° at the side, and can be rotated up to 90° clockwise or 180° counter-clockwise. (See rotations in pic below.)

The Nikon D5300 is modestly priced at $799 (body only) and available black, red, and a new Nikon gray finish.


Source: Gadgetreview

Monday, November 4, 2013

Nikon D5300 hands-on review

Nikon Nikon D5300 Cyber Monday Deal at a glance:

  • 24.2-million-pixel, APS-C-sized CMOS sensor
  • 1.037-million-dot, 3.2in, 170° LCD screen
  • Expeed 4 image processor
  • 39-point AF system with nine cross-type sensors
  • ISO 100-25,600
  • Price £730 body only

Nikon D5300 - Introduction

While the serious enthusiast is unlikely to be swayed into buying a Nikon DSLR over a Canon model purely because the Nikon camera is newer, the reality is that at the non-premium end of the market this is how some people make their buying decisions. 'Newer' must mean 'better'.

This demand for the 'new' explains why we see such short product cycles in the camera market, and why manufacturers feel the need to introduce even small advances in technology or feature sets in cameras with completely new names - rather than a 'Mark II' type of naming format.

Those familiar with Nikon's range of DSLRs may not see the sense in the company's introduction of the new D5300, especially as Nikon will maintain the D5200 alongside this model in the range - new and old together. By doing so, though, Nikon expands the number of cameras it has on offer and the number of price points it can cover, while also being able to have a model that can carry a 'New' sticker, and which introduces new features to the price band in which it will sit.

That's not to say that the Nikon D5300 isn't different to the D5200, though, as a new processor, new body design and the integration of wireless communications do genuinely bring additional benefits to the photographer.

Nikon D5300 - Design and handling

Nikon is very pleased that it has achieved a new way of constructing camera bodies, which it describes as a 'monocoque'. Instead of there being a chassis, onto which the components and the body shell are attached, the D5300 is designed to have everything screwed to the insides of the body form itself: exoskeleton, rather then the usual endoskeleton.

Image: The top of the camera houses only a few control points, keeping the layout simple and unintimidating for newcomers. A stereo microphone lives in front of the hotshoe

The D5300's body shell is also made of a new material, although Nikon won't say what that new material is - just that it is new. The upshot is that the body is less heavy than it might have been, and is 25g lighter, including the battery, than the camera it doesn't replace, the D5200.

I'm not entirely sure that when I used the camera I could appreciate the exact weight loss that has occurred, but I was able to enjoy the fact that this is truly a lightweight DSLR, of the type that we might not mind carrying all day, over the shoulder, in a bag or in a large pocket. The body is very small too, although it is balanced with a reassuringly large grip for the right hand. It seems ironic that a small and light camera should need a large grip, but I found it allowed me to be aware I was carrying the camera, and should a larger lens be attached it will help to support the forward pull of such a weight distribution.

Image: The body styling will be familiar to those used to the Nikon 5000 series, as will the standard menu. The 3.2in flip-out screen has impressive visibility

The buttons are arranged much as one might expect, with all the principal controls falling easily to the finger or thumb. The rear 3.2in LCD is very nicely bright and clear, with its 1.037-million-dot resolution. Nikon has set the viewing panel into the glass screen, so there are no gaps or internal reflections, which produces good contrast and a clear view from a quoted angled of up to 170°. I am impressed.

In live view, the screen works well when the camera is held low or high, and I found the AF quick enough and seemingly accurate. The response of the shutter in live view also seems good.

Image: Nikon has retained its choice of layouts for the rear-screen display, with text-based and graphically expressed options to suit personal preferences

Nikon D5300 - Still to test

The principal changes in this model are of the sort that will only be proved in testing, but at this stage their potential is worth pointing out. Using the higher-capacity Expeed 4 processor, Nikon claims it has been able to reduce noise in its images through the use of more complicated calculations. A related benefit is that now noise levels are lower the company is comfortable offering a higher ISO setting - the Nikon D5300 allows ratings of up to ISO 25,600. More complex calculations also provide the potential for better white balance assessment in automatic modes via a more comprehensive assessment of the scene, and a better rendition of colour overall.

Lower noise should also lead to better resolution of detail from the 24.2-million-pixel sensor, as should Nikon's decision to do without the micro-blurring effects of a low-pass (anti-aliasing) filter. Leaving the low-pass filter off the sensor has become very fashionable, and I suspect it will be a great draw for many photographers. Moiré in images created by a sensor with 24 million pixels, even an APS-C-sized sensor, is still something that is quite likely to occur, but there is also plenty of software to correct it after the event.

The other thing to note is that this model sees the introduction of a new battery cell, which Nikon says increases capacity from 500 shots to 600 compared to the cell used in the D5200. It annoys me when companies change their battery forms, but on this occasion the new cell and that used in the D5200 are interchangeable.

Obviously, I couldn't test the battery life of the camera, but we should take the increase as good news. I will also have to wait to test the Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities of this new model, but neither can be held as negative points just for their inclusion. The Wi-Fi integration means users will be able to control the camera from an Android or iOS device, and will be able to wirelessly transfer images for viewing, editing and sending while on the go.

Image: The new battery, which is backwards compatible with the D5200, offers a longer life. There is no low-pass filter on the sensor, for extra resolution

Nikon D5300 - Conclusion

It would be easy to dismiss the Nikon D5300 for being too similar to the D5200, but that really isn't the point. There is not much wrong with the D5200, and the changes that this new model brings can only make it better. Perhaps Nikon could have called it the D5200 ll, but I'm not sure it matters one bit.

The Nikon D5300 will cost around £730 body only and be available from 14 November.


Source: Amateurphotographer

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Nikon uses HP Autonomy to power education site

<Nikon D5300 Discountp>The Nikon Learn & Explore website is using HP Autonomy web content management software to deliver customised content to photographers.

According to Nikon, the site provides tips and tricks, instruction and inspiration mapped to users' skill level and experience.

Developed by content consultancy Kanban Solutions, the website enables Nikon to engage more closely with its customers.

The site uses HP TeamSite and HP LiveSite to deliver dynamic, targeted and interactive content to visitors.

"We needed to deliver a dynamic, more personalised and inspiring experience for Nikon consumers seeking photography-specific educational and instructional content," said David Dentry, senior general manager, customer experience, at Nikon.

"HP Autonomy and Kanban Solutions not only provided this experience, but they delivered a system that significantly improved the behind-the-scenes workflow, and also delivered a channel that actually drives commerce through content," he said.

TeamSite is a web design took for creating web page content and managing individual workflows. Nikon media assets are stored in HP Media Bin and are integrated with the TeamSite workflow. Integration between media streaming site BrightCove and TeamSite allows content authors to upload instructional videos directly, according to Nikon.

HP acquired Autonomy in 2011 for £7.1bn as part of a failed attempt to offload its PC business. Earlier this year, the UK's Financial Reporting Council (FRC) began an examination of the accounts of Autonomy, after HP complained the acquisition price had been inflated.

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Source: Computerweekly

Monday, October 28, 2013

Kodak wins in patent dispute with Ricoh, and Nikon goes after Polaroid

<Nikon D5300 Offersp>by Tim Barribeau

The world of legal battles between camera companies is a murky one. Between technology patents, similar looking and sounding cameras, and all sorts of licensing, it can be difficult to keep track of who owns what, and who owes what to whom. But recently, a number of companies have become involved in courtroom battles for an array of technologies.

According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Ricoh has agreed to pay Kodak $76 million in a patent battle. Kodak alleged that when Ricoh purchased Pentax in 2011, they owed back royalties since Pentax had never licensed the imaging technology from Kodak. Ricoh said there was no evidence of Pentax having violated Kodak copyright. However, it seems that now Ricoh has agreed to pay out $75.8 million over the issue. A Kodak spokesperson talked to Amateur Photographer, and said "'Kodak is gratified that both the judge and jury have validated our contract claim. These decisions certainly also demonstrate the value of the technology that Kodak created.'

While that lawsuit is ending, another is just getting under way. Remember the unexpected (and slightly bizarre) Polaroid mirrorless camera, the iM1836 manufactured by Sakar? Nikon is filing a lawsuit "for design patent and trade dress infringement". The company alleges that the Sakar/Polaroid camera for looking too similar to Nikon products. And looking at the comparison below (via Engadget), you have to admit it's a dead ringer for the Nikon J1. According to the press release, "Nikon seeks injunctive relief against Sakar in the lawsuit to prevent them from manufacturing and selling their Polaroid brand digital still camera, "Polaroid iM1836"." The iM1836 has popped up on Amazon recently, where it's being widely disparaged, despite not yet having shipped.


Source: Imaging-resource

Monday, October 21, 2013

Travelocity Names Top 13 Halloween Destinations From Around The World

<chicago costume jobsp>/PRNewswire/ -- As candy lines store shelves and jack-o'-lanterns make their front porch debut, people of all ages know it's time for a few frights. To help Halloween devotees celebrate, Travelocity's travel experts have identified 13 destinations for a ghastly getaway either at home or abroad.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130501/MM05302)

U.S.

INTERNATIONAL
  • Vancouver, BC: Death, murder and mayhem. Vancouver has seen plenty of each, and rumor has it that at this time of year is when those spirits are the most active. From the hitchhiking ghost of UBC to the haunted and historic Mountain View Cemetery there is no shortage of scares in this city. Where to stay: At the very heart of this scenic city's core is the landmark Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, noted for gorgeous architecture it's also said that the elevators sometimes make unscheduled stops on the 14th floor, and upon the doors opening, a lady dressed in red floats down the hallway.
  • Ottawa, ON: Locals and newcomers alike are fascinated by the glimpses into the darker history and haunting of the nation's capital. From the haunting of the Bytown Museum, Grant House and Chateau Laurier there is a healthy supply of spooky sites. You can even take a ghost walk with the haunted walk of Ottawa tour guides who are now operating in their 18th season as they will be sure to highlight the haunted history of this famous city you never expected. Where to stay: The Fairmont Chateau Laurier celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. With plenty of famous visitors, artwork and beautiful architecture this hotel is a must see, so why not stay the night! But be careful - numerous guests have reported seeing the ghost of Charles Melville Hays.
  • About Travelocity

    Travelocity wants to inspire you to Go & Smell the Roses! Travelocity helps make your traveling experience memorable with innovative apps, competitive prices and 24/7 customer service. Travelocity believes that travel makes us better and is dedicated to being the traveler's kindred spirit - a travel companion and a travel instigator, roaming the world beside travelers everywhere. Travelocity provides discounts on Hotels, Flights, Vacation Packages, Cruises and Rental Cars.

    About Travelocity Global

    Travelocity Global is one of the world's largest travel companies, serving the needs of travelers from all walks of life. Based in Southlake (Dallas/Fort Worth), Texas, with offices and customer care centers around the world, Travelocity Global owns and operates: Travelocity® in North America, Travelocity Business® for corporate travel; igougo.com, a leading online travel community; and lastminute.com, a leader in European online travel. Travelocity Global is owned by Sabre Holdings, a global technology company whose innovative technology is used by more than a billion people around the world to plan, book and get to their destination at a time and price that's right for them.

    Contact: Edelman Mattie Walker 214.443.7589 Mattie.walker@edelman.com

    SOURCE Travelocity

    * Read more articles by Travelocity



    Source: Sacbee

    Wednesday, October 16, 2013

    Benedict Cumberbatch, just as lovely as you think he is / PBS

    Date : 13 October 2013 Pazar - 18:48, Category : ENTERTAINMENT

    Benedict Cumberbatch, just as lovely as you think he is / PBS

    Benedict Cumberbatch, just as lovely as you think he is / PBS

    Benedict Cumberbatch's career:?Once only know to Americans as PBS's "Sherlock," Benedict Cumberbatch is having a breakout years with "The Fifth Estate" and "12 Years as a Slave."

    TORONTO - Benedict Cumberbatch sweeps into an empty hotel ballroom, cutting a natty figure in a black-and-white glen plaid jacket, checked shirt and striped canvas sneakers. "I see you have your festival bag," he says confidingly, taking note of the crumpled Toronto International Film Festival tote at an interlocutor's feet. It's a substitute for the one that broke at customs, overstuffed with a laptop and sundry travel necessities.

    "That's exactly what happens to me," he offers enthusiastically. "Because I'm packing all the time. I'm always killing really perfectly good bits of luggage by shoving loads of stuff in them, and then the seams break, handles drop off, you know."

    Sure, we know. But, let it be stipulated, no one can really know what it's like to be Cumberbatch, who has had a year that has been, well, especially packed. The 37-year-old Brit, who has been a cult heartthrob among the PBS-BBC-plummy-literary-adaptation set, played the Necromancer in last year's "Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." But he truly burst into mass popular consciousness this past summer, when he thoroughly dominated the role of Khan in "Star Trek Into Darkness." On Oct. 18, he will star as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in "The Fifth Estate" and has supporting roles in two high-profile films arriving soon: "12 Years a Slave," directed by Steve McQueen, and "August: Osage County," adapted from Tracy Letts's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

    "A packed year, exactly," Cumberbatch says with a reflective sigh. "It's been amazing. It's been amazing. But two years really, because 'Trek' we filmed the beginning of last year, and before that - God, it winds back quite a ways. I mean, literally, just sort of the height of what I could ever imagine myself being asked to do as an actor has been going on pretty much now for about four or five years."

    Cumberbatch speaks at a breathless clip, his words spilling out in a joyous, oncoming rush that suggests he really is thrilled to be here, however tempting it would be to read his gee-whiz protestations as the practiced act of a canny ingenue. He is, quite simply - and this is for all those self-proclaimed Cumberb**ches out there who have designated him an unlikely pin-up idol - just as chiseled, engaging, well-mannered and disarmingly modest as they imagine in their wintry, wind-tossed fantasies.

    He comes by it honestly. Cumberbatch is the son of two actors - Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham - who grew up in London and is as at home in the posh precincts of Burke's Peerage (an ancestor was a consul under Queen Victoria) as in the klieg-lighted world of Show People. (So how did Cumberbatch end up with his last name? It was his father's surname; Carlton a middle name turned stage name. So Benedict has simply reclaimed the family name.) But his career has followed contours that even his parents couldn't prepare him for. He's done high-profile work in such highly regarded films as "Atonement," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "War Horse," as well as on television, in "Hawking," "Sherlock" and "Parade's End." He's a celebrated figure of the London stage: In 2010 he earned kudos for his performance in a revival of Terence Rattigan's "After the Dance," and the following year he won an Olivier Award, along with fellow Sherlock Jonny Lee Miller, for his work in an experimental version of "frankenstein makeup game," adapted by Danny Boyle. It was "After the Dance," he says, that marked the turning point when the phone started ringing. It hasn't stopped.

    "I knew when I started out that I wanted something very different from what Mom and Dad had anyway, but I didn't know quite what - I didn't know how it would manifest - but even they look at it and go, 'Whoa,' " Cumberbatch says. "It's beyond everyone's sort of expectation. But also the workload and everything, it's different to their game."

    It's enough to turn a boy's head. But Cumberbatch, along with such contemporaries as Michael Fassbender, is forging the kind of career that actors covet these days, combining recurring roles in huge franchises like "Star Trek" and "The Hobbit" with artier indie fare. His role model, he says, is James McAvoy (his one-time co-star in "Starter for 10"), who along with Fassbender appears in the "X-Men" movies.

    "I know James really well. I've sort of been working with him for a while, and I just love what he did," Cumberbatch explains. "He let the game come to him. It's about the quality of his work, and I wanted the same thing. I didn't want to go and try and force myself on people. I wanted people to go, 'Oh, that guy could be quite interesting,' and that's sort of what's happening."

    "Quite interesting" is an understatement when it comes to Cumberbatch's work, which has found him slipping into personae and physical types with the ease of a practiced shape-shifter. Nowhere are his skills in finer form than "The Fifth Estate," in which he seamlessly masters Assange's signature Australian accent, lisp and fey, look-at-me-don't-look-at-me demeanor (admittedly with the help of a blond wig). Early in the process of making "The Fifth Estate," Cumberbatch e-mailed Assange hoping that they could meet. He got no response until the day before shooting began, when Assange sent the actor an email begging him not to do the film.

    "I was just doing the last fittings for the wig and makeup and stuff, and this very erudite, charming and lucid and intelligent e-mail [arrived], imploring my better nature to step away from the project that he thought would be abhorrent and damaging to his cause," Cumberbatch recalls. "It was a very powerful thing to suddenly land in your inbox."

    Cumberbatch wrote Assange back. "And my response was equally as considered and I hope as charming. I completely respected his point of view, but I really tried to illustrate for him two things: one is that this film is not a documentary, it's not a piece of evidence admissible in a court of law, not a factual entity that shifts perceptions or point of view of being the truth, it is a truth.

    "Secondly - well, actually, there are three points. Secondly, it is just a film. It's not going to be able to shift perception. It's a film of its own genre [that's] not going to be 'The Hobbit' or 'Star Trek.' It's not going to have a massively popular tidal-wave effect. I really want people to see it, but his fear of it being some mass propaganda tool that's going to damage him was really overstretching the point. And thirdly and most importantly, it was never going to be antithetical to his point of view or him or vilify him. No one was interested in portraying something that was going to tell the audience what to think."

    One result of the exchange was that Cumberbatch become something of Assange's advocate on the set, demanding that his point of view be aired when others had had their say. ("The Fifth Estate" is based on the accounts of two disaffected former Assange colleagues, Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Guardian investigative journalist David Leigh.) "It was great, because it was sort of like having Julian there," says "The Fifth Estate" director Bill Condon. "This was a movie where there was more conversation about the context of scenes than almost any I've done, which was really stimulating. Because it forced you to look for the 10th, 11th, 12th time at the validity of what you were dramatizing."

    Cumberbatch admits now that he was "really kind of winded" by Assange's last-minute plea. Condon recalls his frustration at not being able to stop the correspondence, which was clearly rattling his leading man. "I realized what an unfair position it put him in, in a way he didn't even understand. Can you imagine? It's almost like being schizophrenic. Because you're walking around thinking like a person who's also saying, 'Don't be me.' I've talked to him about it and he said, 'I wanted to take that on because it's part of understanding his predicament.' I think he's right, but I still feel like I saw the torment that it put him through."

    Now, a few days after "The Fifth Estate" made its world premiere as the opening night film in Toronto, Cumberbatch shows no sign of torment. Far from it. One minute he's fondly recalling how he danced with Fassbender (a.k.a. "Fassy") at the "12 Years a Slave" party the night before; the next, he's sharing warm memories of living in Los Angeles while filming "Star Trek," hanging with best friend Adam Ackland (grandson of actor Joss), lifelong mate Tertius Bune and "Starter for 10" and "Trek" co-star Alice Eve. He'll be flying back to London soon to begin rehearsals with Keira Knightley for "The Imitation Game," about encryption specialist Alan Turing; he's also agreed to star in the action adventure "The Lost City of Z," produced by his "12 Years" producer Brad Pitt.

    "I love it. I'm really enjoying it," he says of the red-carpet-let's-take-a-meeting-flavor-of-the-moment whirl. He loves L.A.; he loves Pitt and his production company, Plan B; he loves New York and wants to work there one day; and he really loves London, especially his neighborhood near Hampstead Heath. "I go running and swimming there, it's fantastic," he says, those words still coming in a bubbling rush. "It's a beautiful, neighborly part of the world as well - families, it's quiet, especially during the night, it's gorgeous. It's a really nice place to go home to."

    As for the foreseeable future, though, Cumberbatch is cheerfully resigned. "I don't know," he says with a barely fatigued sigh. "Have suitcase will travel." Bursting seams and all.





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    Source: Womencitizen

    Decoding Zack Snyder's Two-Minute History of Superman (Video)

    <costumes stores in map>

    The collaboration between Zack Snyder and Bruce Timm celebrating this year's 75th birthday of Superman has finally made its way online, offering up two minutes filled with Easter Eggs, homages and celebrations of the career of the Last Son of Krypton. In case you couldn't decode everything on show, here's a guide to what you might have missed.

    (Spoilers: a working knowledge of DC Comics continuity isn't a must, but will definitely be a plus for those trying to keep track of everything that follows. Also, Tom Welling fans, prepare to be disappointed.)

    STORY: Warner Bros., DC Unveil Superman Anniversary Logo, Promise Zack Snyder Short (Exclusive)

    0:00: John Williams' classic theme for Superman The Movie, of course.

    0:09: The cover for Action Comics Vol. 1, #1 (The series was relaunched along with the rest of DC Comics' superhero line, in September 2011), from 1938, by Joe Shuster -- the first public appearance of the Man of Steel.

    0:12: Superman runs through the crowd and traffic before eventually leaping into the air (over the Daily Planet building, of course), mirroring his power upgrade in the early comic books -- remember that, according to the 1940s Superman cartoons, he was "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound," as opposed to actually flying (He didn't actually start flying until 1941). It's barely noticeable, but Superman becomes more simplistic in look as he runs, again in parallel the character's visual evolution as other artists began to assist Shuster on the strip.

    0:23: The character (and animation style) now resembles the 1940s cartoons from Max Fleischer's Fleischer Studios (and, latterly, the successor Famous Studios). The first of these cartoons was released in 1941, the same year Superman started to fly -- and the year that the U.S. declared war on Germany. Now you see why he attacks those planes.

    0:29: That's Lex Luthor getting hit through a wall on the cover of Action Comics #47 by artist Fred Ray -- the first time that the character appeared on a comic book cover (He made his first appearance in Action Comics #23). Whether intentional or not -- and judging by the rest of this video, let's go with "intentional" -- Superman looks less like the Shuster original and more like Wayne Boring's version of the character when he flies off the page.

    0:31: The change to black and white comes as Superman changes into someone that very closely resembles George Reeves, who played the Man of Steel in Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1952 through 1958. The shot of Superman standing atop a rotating globe echoes that show's opening titles.

    0:38: Yes, Jimmy Olsen has become "The Giant Turtle Man" on the cover of 1961's Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #53, thanks to artist Curt Swan. We're officially into the Silver Age era of comics by this point -- when this comic was published, Barry Allen had become the Flash, Hal Jordan had taken over as Green Lantern and the Justice League of America had come together. As superhero comics were beginning a renaissance, Superman was still stuck dealing with goofy transformations and unlikely plot contrivances to stop Lois Lane figuring out his secret identity.

    0:41: Brainiac and the Bottle City of Kandor make an appearance, in a scene homaging (in a somewhat out of sequence manner) the cover of Action Comics #242 from 1958, again by Curt Swan.

    0:44: Brainiac is replaced by Bizarro, the imperfect clone of Superman, who first appeared in Superboy #68 (1958), fighting above the classic Fortress of Solitude, which also appeared in 1958 (This time in Action Comics #241). That square Earth in the background? That's Bizarro Earth, as built by Bizarro. He am so goofy.

    0:50: Blink and you'll miss them, but that's Superman's extended Silver Age family right there -- Supergirl, Beppo the Super-Monkey, Streaky the Super-Cat and Krypto, the Super Dog. Missing for some reason is Comet, Supergirl's half-human, half-horse lover. The Silver Age Superman stories are kind of weird, you guys. They're flying over the Kent Farm in Metropolis, for what it's worth.

    0:51: Even more blink and you'll miss him, but that's Mister Mxyzptlk for an instant, the fifth-dimensional imp who liked to show up and cause trouble until he was tricked into saying his name backwards and banished back to where he came from. Because, yes, "Kltpzyxm" is even harder to say than "Mxyzptlk" (For the record, it's "mix-yez-pittle-ick").

    0:55: See? Comic books are art -- why else would Clark Kent and a brunette that's probably Lois Lane (but could be the depowered Wonder Woman of the late 1960s) be hanging out with Andy Warhol to gaze at panels from Superman comics, all Roy Lichtenstein-like? Worth looking at in particular is the panel all the way on the left -- that's from the infamous "I Am Curious (Black)!" ( Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #106, from 1970), in which Lois Lane temporarily became a black woman to live the black experience for herself. Look, everyone involved meant well, okay...?

    0:57: Just in time to wash away the awkward taste in everyone's mouth, it's the Super Friends! This image in particular is based on the Alex Toth-illustrated cover to DC's DC Limited Collectors' Edition presents SUPER FRIENDS from 1976.

    0:59: Barely seen as he flies off-screen, but Superman turns into a Neal Adams-illustrated version of himself, just in time for a scene that evokes the 1978 special edition Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, co-written and illustrated by Adams. In a weird moment, though, the style of Superman as he's getting punches is less Adams and more Dick Dillin, the artist who drew the character for more than a decade as part of his run as artist on Justice League of America.

    1:03: This is, of course, the Christopher Reeve version of the character from the 1970s/80s Superman movies, as evidenced by...

    1:09: ...Superman as a computer game! This could be a reference to the various actual video games that started with 1979's Superman, but I'm going to call it as an explicit Superman III movie reference, instead.

    1:12: As anyone who read the 1992 "Death of Superman" storyline will recognize, that's Doomsday attacking the Man of Steel right there -- with the nice touch of a smashed Daily Planet globe in the style of Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, who drew the actual death issue, in the foreground.

    1:16: The cover of Superman Vol. 2 #75 (1992, by the aforementioned Jurgens and Breeding) is smashed through by the four "replacement" Supermen of the "Reign of the Superman" storyline that followed the "Death" storyline -- clockwise, starting from the top, that's Superboy (A clone mixing the DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor), the Eradicator (Kryptonian artifact that gained awareness and made itself a body; don't ask), John Henry Irons, AKA Steel (A hero inspired by the original Superman) and Hank Heywood, AKA Cyborg Superman, who eventually became a Green Lantern villain, unexpectedly enough. For those with sensitive ears, you will have noticed that the music has now become part of Hans Zimmer's score to Man of Steel.

    1:19: The mullet and the black costume were part of Superman's resurrection. The costume only lasted until the end of the storyline; the hairstyle, sadly, lasted three years (Again, this art style echoes Jurgens/Breeding).

    1:20: Superman splits in two, in a reference to the 1998 storyline that saw Superman firstly develop new powers and then find himself split into two different beings -- one who preferred to think his way out of trouble, and the other more action oriented. The visual here is in the style of Ron Frenz, one of the artists who worked on the storyline.

    1:22: Back to the classic look, thanks to this return for animator Timm to the Superman: The Animated Series world. Strange but true -- when we see the crowd staring up at Superman in this scene, it's the only definite appearance of Lois Lane in the entire short. Also present: Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Ma and Pa Kent, Maggie Sawyer, Bibbo and Terrible Turpin, amongst many others.

    1:27: The Smallville logo appears on the Warner Bros water tower that appeared in Animaniacs for years -- a surprisingly short mention for the longest-running version of the character in live-action -- while Alex Ross's Superman from the much-loved 1996 mini-series Kingdom Come floats past, glaring down at the viewer, a villain in each hand.

    1:32: From out of a Boom Tube comes today's comic book Superman, who made his debut in 2011's Justice League Vol. 2 #1. He's being pursued by the contemporary version of Jack Kirby's Darkseid, who was the villain of that first Justice League storyline. The visual style here isn't directly lifted from any one artist who's drawn the new version of the character, but contains elements of Cully Hamner, Rags Morales and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez to my eye.

    1:37: By the time Superman hits the safe, he's firmly evoking Henry Cavill's Superman from this summer's Man of Steel. In particular, the first publicity still from the movie from two years ago.

    1:40: The new Superman flies into the sky in a scene similar to one in Man of Steel, before landing atop the 75 Years logo and standing in a pose that evokes the George Reeves version of the character.

    1:52: The official Superman at 75 logo, which is based on early promotional art for DC's "The New 52" relaunch in 2011 by artist (and DC Comics co-publisher) Jim Lee.

    Although the short is packed, it's surprising what didn't show up at any point -- No mention of John Byrne's 1986 reboot of the entire Superman comic book mythos is, perhaps, understandable considering the number of lives pushed into the short running time of the animation. I can even forgive a lack of Legion of Super-Heroes appearance for that same reason. But, come on, people -- no appearance by Jor-El, Lara or any version of Krypton at all? What's that all about? Beppo the Super-Monkey gets screen time but Superman's parents don't?!?


    Source: Hollywoodreporter