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What's New
We have just posted another hour-plus of videos in LR4_24.zip, LR4_25.zip & LR4_26.zip from our Lightroom 4 Advanced User's Guide Video Tutorials.
– The Creation of a Portrait. In a studio portrait shooting session, Jeff demonstrates Tethered Shooting & using a 'live' Develop Preset. Then he shows selection editing, basic corrections and finally retouches a 'beauty shot' - all within Lightroom 4.
– Map - an overview
– Map - GeoTagging. How to edit capture time. How to add a GPS' tracklog to Lightroom 4 using a freely available translator. Learn how to reverse GeoCode.
– Book. Create a PDF book of your photographs, publish to a PDF and import a portfolio book of images to an iPad.
– Saved Creations. New to LR4 and a critical element in working with Books, Slideshows, Prints & Web Galleries. Learn how to create a 'saved creation' in those modules.
– Layout Overlay. Create and use a Layout overlay when shooting to a layout. Preview the photograph, type & graphic elements of a final printed page within Lightroom.
Please note that this is the second to last posting of videos. When we post again, that will mark the completion of the Tutorial and thus the 25% Off 'Incomplete' Sale will end.
The latest Table of Contents V6 is found here.
Brilliant Lightroom 4 videos.
I thought I was a knowledgable pro. Hah!
If you own and use a Sony NEX-7 camera, you almost certainly have many minutes if not hours of video clips, showing your shoes, the sky, or the inside of your lens cap. The reason is that the camera has a very badly placed video record button that is far to easy to press accidently during normal handling, and it can't be disabled.
Mark Dubovoy has a solution though, and it is detailed in his new essy titled Sony NEX-7 Redneck Edition.
Truesense Imaging is the new name for the Kodak sensor division that was purchased by Platinum Equity late last year. The company now has a new web site, which may be of interest to some readers.
UPDATE
Hasselblad today announced massive price reductions (up to 23%) on a number of its cameras, backs and lenses. These have been rumoured within the industry for a while now, with much speculation as to the reason why.
Is it because of the Nikon D800/e? Likely not, because they are even discounting their top-of-the-line H4D-60 by almost $10,000 (6,200 euros). Nevertheless their 31MP camera / back combo is now down to $12,000 and the 40MP is $17,000, still about 5X the price of the D800/e. Quo vadis medium format?
We have yet to hear from those that have recently bought Hasselblad systems, and their reactions to this devaluation of their new purchases.
Then there's the question of how Leica, Phase One and Leaf will respond. Is the sub 50MP segment of the medium format market threatened?
Brilliant Lightroom 4 videos.
I thought I was a knowledgable pro. Hah!
Leica showed the X2 in Berlin last week. This update to the popular X1 features a new 16MP sensor and a number of additional enhancements.
Due to other committments I have not had a chance as yet to work with the X2, but my colleague Sean Reid of ReidReviews has, and has kindly provided us with a brief overview of the new Leica X2. Sean also has a much more comprehensive review of the new camera on his own subscription site.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos
that have helped me grow once again."
Our good friend Nick Devlin, also one of this site's contributing editors, was just out in Calgary last week picking up his new Nikon D800E. Nick has been a long time Pentax 645D afficionado and shooter, as well as a good friend of the folks at The Camera Store in Calgary.
Put the two together for a few days, and what you get is another one of TCS's fascinating video test reports. How does the larger, heavier and more expensive Pentax hold up against the new Nikon challenger? Watch it and find out.
Britain's high regarded Amateur Photographer magazine has today published a Nikon D800E vs Hasselblad review in which they conclude "... the Hasselblad HD4-31 has more than met its match for large reproduction of fine detail in what is the smaller, quicker and more affordable form of the D800E." (AP is available on newsstands in the UK and via download on Zinio.)
And, to round out the sub-40 Megapixel medium format Vs. D800/E comparison field, Lloyd Chambers at Diglloyd (a subscription site) has recently performed a test of the Nikon D800 vs the Leica S2. The results are not much different than what we now see against the Pentax 645D or Hasselblad H4D31. The consistancy of these comparisons simply can not be ignored. It would appear that the lower end of the medium format industry has been formally put on notice by Nikon.
Brilliant Lightroom 4 videos.
I thought I was a knowledgable pro. Hah!
There has been a lot of sturm und drang in the photo community these past couple of months about the Nikon D800/E, and deservedly so. But the Leica S2 continues to sell very well to a segment of the marketplace that values tremendous build quality and what are arguably the world's finest camera lenses.
Last week's media event in Berlin for the launch of the M Monochrom also gave me an opportunity to handle the S2 for a while, and it reminded me of how appealing I had found the camera a few years ago, the last time I was in Germany for that product's launch.
By coincidence, our colleage Andy Biggs has recently completed a US Southwest and an Antactic photographic expedition using the Leica S2 and today shares with us his impressions.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos
that have helped me grow once again."
Leica has been making adaptors for various medium format camera's lenses. But now, in an industry first, they have released a full autofocus adaptor for Hasselblad H series lenses.
I tried it out at the Leica event in Berlin this week, and it simply does what it claims to do. Now the full range of H series lenses is available for current and potential Leica S owners. Very cool.
Brilliant Lightroom 4 videos.
I thought I was a knowledgable pro. Hah!
It isn't every day that a new M Leica comes along. It's only happened less than a dozen times in the past 50 years. Today is one of those days though, with the introduction of the Leica M Monochrom.
I am currently in Berlin, Germany for the launch event, but have also been working with a pre-production sample of the M Monochrom for the past 10 days or so. My initial hands-on impressions report is now online.
For a more detailed report you may want to look at Sean Reid's in-depth review at Reid Reviews, a pay site, but one which focuses in considerable depth on Leica and related products.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
Charlie Cramer is one of America's preminant landscape photographers and photographic educators. Today he provides us with an exclusive tutorial titled Tonal Adjustments in the Age of Lightroom 4. Don't miss it!
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos
that have helped me grow once again."
We have just added ten new videos our new Lightroom 4 Advanced Training video tutorials; LR4_20.zip, LR4_21.zip, LR4_22.zip, LR4_23.zip
Here is the new Table of Contents.
These videos are largely about various functions in the Library module
– Changing the default rendering of a Raw file on import. If you have a particular camera & ISO that you know is going to require some basic noise reduction, learn how to apply that automatically on import.
– Smart Collections. How to let Lightroom do the organization of files for you; let the database do the work.
-– Video Files. How to view, trim, colour correct and export video.
– Location Catalogs. How to work with new empty catalogs on a per project basis and then import them into your main master catalog. This video shows Jeff Schewe's Selection Editing workflow.
-– Michael Reichmann's Selection Editing workflow: a different 'take'
– Keywording. How to make key wording work for you
-– Keywording on location. Work with a Master Keyword list and keep everything organized when you import a new catalog. Avoid having to insert and edit keywords from two lists.
- DNG. Learn about the new abilities of LR4 in saving out DNG files
– Make a Virtual Copy the Master Image. When a Virtual Copy becomes the file interpretation you want, change it to become the master image.
– Publish Services. Use this valuable feature of LR to automatically publish and edit photographs onto an iPad or other external source such as Flickr or FaceBook.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
Why are cameras designed the way that they are? This engaging topic is explored today in an original and insightful essay titled A Critique of Contemporary Camera Design, by Richard Sexton.
Friday Evening – Gallery Show Opening
New Work by
Michael Reichmann and Mark Dubovoy
@ 44 Wide Gallery
171 East Liberty Street. Unit 122
Toronto, Ontario
Inside the arcade at Liberty Village
Opening Night: Friday, May 4, 2012. 6–9PM
Michael and Mark will be in attendance
Refreshments will be served
The show will run until May 31
If you live in or near Toronto and can attend the opening
on Friday evening, we'd love to see you there.
Please come and say "Hi", and have a glass of wine with us.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
There is a constant flow of new cameras from the major manufacturers. It's what keeps the industry alive. But many (most?) are simply rehashes of what came before...new chrome and a fresh bumper design, as a colleague once put it.
But every now and then there are new cameras that really move the art foreward. Two of these are the Sony NEX-7 and the Nikon D800/E, devices which have received considerable coverage on these pages.
Today, Mark Dubovoy discusses these in a new essay titled An Embarrassment of Riches.
Incidently, as noted in yesterday's What's New announcement below, Mark will be in Toronto for a new gallery show featuring some of his as well as my new work, at the 44 Wide Gallery. The public opening is this coming Friday evening, from 6–9pm.
This show runs for the next month. Mark is also here to teach an advanced printing workshop with me this weekend, and also an Algonquin Park field workshop next week.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos
that have helped me grow once again."
A Two Man Show of Recent Work
by Michael Reichmann and Mark Dubovoy
44 Wide Gallery
171 East Liberty Street. Unit 122
Toronto, Ontario
Inside the arcade at Liberty Village
Opening Night: Friday, May 4, 2012. 6–9PM
Michael and Mark will be in attendance
Refreshments will be served
The show will run until May 31
If you live in or near Toronto and can attend the opening
on Friday evening, we'd love to see you there.
Please come and say "Hi", and have a glass of wine with us.
If you're reading this What's New post you have arrived on our new server. Welcome and enjoy.
One of the annoying defects of digital imaging is the occasional occurence of so-called purple fringing. The new release of Lightroom 4.1 RC2 addresses these issues and is quite effective.
The new Defringe controls are designed to fix axial (longitudinal) CA, color aberrations due to ghosting or flare, and color aberrations (thin fringes) due to charge leakage, which affects some CCD sensors.
You can read more, find links to the new Lightroom beta download, and a write up by Eric Chan here.
Palouse PODAS Announced
Our friends at Phase One have a new PODAS workshop planned for The Palouse in June. If you are fascinated by the geometry of landscapes caused by the hand of man, and are interested in working with high-end medium format equipment, then this is a workshop to seriously consider.
We're Moving
On Sunday evening, Eastern time, we will be moving our servers to a new hosting company. The switch-over will be instantaneous, but because this also means a move of IP address, there may be some problems for the next day or two as DNS servers around the world are updated.
Nothing for you to do – just be aware that if you see anything strange going on, it's not at your end, it's just a ripple caused by the change-over.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
It's now been a few weeks since I started using the Nikon D800, and then shortly afterward also the D800E. Part of me wants to continue working with and discovering the nuances of these new cameras before publishing a full review, but so many people have been asking – is it soup yet? – that I've decided to wrap up the review process a bit early.
My Nikon D800/E Initial Field Impressions report is therefore now online.
My colleague Mark Dubovoy will have his own first impressions available here early next week, and undoubtedly we'll have more to say about this landmark camera in the days ahead.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
Our regular contributor from Japan, Bernard Longuillier, gives us a second report on his thoughts and experience using the Nikon D800 over the past few weeks in The D800 is Here to Stay.
Many readers have written asking about my own Nikon D800/E review. I have been working on it daily, along with doing as much field shooting with the cameras as my schedule allows. These are sophisticated and complex cameras and require some time to get the measure off. I expect though to have my full report ready within a week or so.
Mark Dubovoy and I will be teaching an advanced printing workshop here in Toronto weekend after next at 44Wide. Two space have become available, so if you are a printer who wants to bring your skills in image processing and printing to the next level, do consider attending.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
Though many of us are glad to see the ice of winter disappear for the time being, Miles Hecker's latest Geotagged location article is titled Ice is Nice – The World Ice Art Championships.
UPDATE
Leaf Mamiya has today announced three new medium format backs, the Credo 40, 60 and 80 with matching megapixel counts.
These will become available from June, in Mamiya / Phase One, Hasselblad V and H and Contax backs. These new backs are priced at $19,500, $32,500 and $39,000.
Commentary
It would be, of course, be disingenuous if we didn't at some point mention "the elephant in the room" – the new Nikon D800/E. The affect that this $3,000 36 Megapixel full-frame DSLR, with its top-ranked sensor, will have on the medium format industry is yet to be felt or fully understood. We'll have more to say on this in the days ahead.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
Imagine being a photography enthusiast and also an astronaut. What photographs you could take!
Well, Alan Poindexter is both a passionate photographer and an astronaut, and today shares with us some of his work as well as descriptions of his experiences doing photography aboard the shuttle Discovery, in a new exclusive article titled Photography in Space.
Nikon D800 / D800E Second Comparison
Yesterday's comparison between the Nikon D800 and D800E raised a lot of commentary. (Gee, what a surprise). To address some of the concerns I have redone the test, using a different venue, a different lens, and some different technique. Results? Have a look at my Second D800 / D800 Resolution Comparison Report.
Fred Miranda has just published a Canon 5D MKIII vs. Nikon D800 Field Report. Interesting reading for anyone considering the pros and cons of each camera.
Though nothing has been made public that I am aware of, it has been reported by dealers in Canada and the UK that Canon has informed them that new shipments of the 5D MKIII have been halted until a solution to the top LCD light leak has been implemented.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
I have been working with a Nikon D800 for the past 10 days or so. It arrived in the second wave of shipments to hit Canada last week. I am currently working on my field review.
But then Wednesday morning I received a call from my dealer. "Your Nikon D800E just came in. When can you pick it up"? The first wave of D800E deliveries have started.
Needless to say I wasted no time collecting it from the dealer, and then spent the rest of the day shooting comparisons between it and the D800.
Is the D800E sharper? Is moire really an issue? Read my Nikon D800 / D800E First Comparison to find out.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
As a reviewer, I'm as eager to find out how a new product (especially a camera) is going to perform as you likely are to read about it. But, it sometimes can take months and many thousands of frames to get the full measure of a new piece of sophisticated gear.
It's now been six months since I started working daily with the Sony NEX-7, with more than six thousand frames captured, mostly shot in Mexico this past winter.
So, how did the NEX-7 do? Find out in my newest product review – Sony NEX-7 – What succeeded, what failed?
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
If you have purchased our new Lightroom 4 Advanced Training video tutorials please note that some 21 minutes of new content is now available in LR4_19.zip.
This section is all to do with working between Lightroom 4 & Photoshop – specifically PS CS6.
– Move a file in and out of Lightroom to Photoshop, making edits
– Use Raw files as Smart Objects
– Blend two Raw files with different sharpening settings for high and low frequency areas. Yes, take two versions of a Raw file and blend them together!
– Merge to Panorama in Photoshop CS6.
– HDR with Photoshop CS6
– Merge layers in Photoshop to blend different exposures for a more 'natural' look to HDR
As usual, if your LR4_19.zip shows no size, hit Download Now anyway - it means we have not updated the shopping cart yet - but the files are there and will download.
This completes the Develop part of LR4. Next release will concentrate on various functions & techniques within Library .
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
Our friends at The Camera Store, a major photographic dealer in Calgary, Alberta have just released Part II of their three part video series comparing these two new cameras.
These are up on YouTube but is also now found here on our site.
FYI – Chris and I have completed our drive back from Mexico to Canada. 4000 km in 4 days (39 hours of driving). Car, dog and both drivers doing well, though the latter two still a bit brown around the edges.
Took delivery of a Nikon D800 on Friday, and will be starting my long term report shortly. Hopefully my D800e will arrive soon as well, so that I can start my planned comparisons.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
One of the best ways to ensure accurate colour prints is to make your own profiles. XRite has just announced the Eye One Pro II, and colour expert Andrew Rodney today provides us with his review of this new version of a recognized standard product.
Just FYI, I am on my way back from Mexico to Canada this week, currently trucking along through Arkansas.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
Our regular contributor Bernard Languillier has now been working with his Nikon D800 for several days and updates us with his first impressions in Here Comes The D800.
Though we're giving the new 36 MP Nikon a lot of coverage here, and will continue to do so in the weeks ahead, there are other new cameras and lenses which we'll also be reporting on including, of course, the Canon 5D MKIII.
One other new camera just coming to market is the Pentax K-01. Our colleague Sean Reid of Reid Reviews has just published a review and also recently published a review of the Ricoh GXR A16 "24 - 85" Zoom Lens module.
As you may know Reid Reviews is a subscription site. But Sean is one of the most insightful writers on the current scene and his site is worth its modest cost.
Your videos are overflowing with fascinating lessons and insights into the why as much as the how of the creative process. They have become a valuable resource for me and I find myself
returning to them often.
Our friends at The Camera Store, a major photographic dealer in Calgary, Alberta have just produced a 20 minute long video comparing these two new cameras. This is the first of three projected video comparison reports.
It is up on YouTube but is also now found here on our site.
"The content delivered by Michael and Jeff, so far, is just what I was hoping it would be, technically highly informative, and entertaining. Can be watched over, and over, and it will still keep you engrossed!
The image quality you've achieved is the best to date, what clarity!! I'm viewing the tutorial on a 27" iMac.
Based on what I've seen I don't think I'll be disappointed with what is to come. They are the masters and I don't think I could get any better tuition anywhere, and it's never boring!
Looking forward to the next "episodes" with great anticipation!"
What the Internet giveth, the Internet taketh away. This is true of the millions of photographs that photographers put online. The web gives us broad exposure but unfortunately also allows clueless individuals and businesses to illegally copy and use our images for commercial and other purposes.
Our regular contributor Alain Briot explores this in his new essay entitled The Are Stealing our Work!
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
There are now three new ZIP files available as part of our Lightroom 4 Advanced Video Tutorial. These are found in LR4_16.zip, LR4_17.zip & LR4_18.zip.
The new Table of Contents v3 is now online.
These videos include in-depth coverage of...
– Lens Corrections: Profile & Manual. Use Lightroom's Lens profiles to correct aberration in capture and learn to correct perspective issues manually
– Effects: Post-Crop Vignetting & Grain. How to 'improve' the look of a capture.
– Camera Calibration: DNG Profiles. Choose or adjust your camera's default colour processing
– Crop Tool: all those handy shortcuts
– Spot Removal. Heal or clone out sensor dust spots
– Synchronize Settings: When & how to use the 'batch mode' for Spot Removal and Basic adjustment
– Graduated Filter & Adjustment Brush: How to create asymmetrical grad filters
– Adjustment Brush - Moiré: Quickly eliminate colour moiré and reduce tonal moiré
– Adjustment Brush - Noise Reduction: use when a global Noise Reduction messes up mid-tone detail
– ETTR - Expose to the right: the Develop adjustments to make when processing a 'light' image
"The content delivered by Michael and Jeff, so far, is just what I was hoping it would be, technically highly informative, and entertaining. Can be watched over, and over, and it will still keep you engrossed!
The image quality you've achieved is the best to date, what clarity!! I'm viewing the tutorial on a 27" iMac.
Based on what I've seen I don't think I'll be disappointed with what is to come. They are the masters and I don't think I could get any better tuition anywhere, and it's never boring!
Looking forward to the next "episodes" with great anticipation!"
Video DSLRs are hot. Versatile, compact and able to produce shallow DOF footage, they are all the rage in amatuer and professional production circles.
But even hotter (and able to shoot much better video) are the new generation of so-called Super 35mm video cameras from Sony and Canon.
Many photographers find it of interest to learn how a particular image was created. In the second of a new series for this site, Australian photographer Peter Eastway describes The Making of Sugarloaf Rock.
OOOPs
It seems that I wasn't paying close attention last night when I posted the above article. I cut and pasted one that I had already published. I then went out for the evening and didn't go online or look at the site till the next morning. No harm, no foul.
"The content delivered by Michael and Jeff, so far, is just what I was hoping it would be, technically highly informative, and entertaining. Can be watched over, and over, and it will still keep you engrossed!
The image quality you've achieved is the best to date, what clarity!! I'm viewing the tutorial on a 27" iMac.
Based on what I've seen I don't think I'll be disappointed with what is to come. They are the masters and I don't think I could get any better tuition anywhere, and it's never boring!
Looking forward to the next "episodes" with great anticipation!"
We've all been there. After long research and due deliberation we spend our hard earned money on a new camera. But then, sometimes only minutes are starting to work with it, we encounter a design flaw. Sometimes its minor, but other times it's so annoying that it makes working with the camera downright unpleasant.
Why is this the case? In my new essay J'Accuse – Why Camera Makers Produce Flawed Products I explore this issue.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
Alain Briot's latest column is titled Artistic License. If you are a fine art photographer I strongly urge you to read it, as it explores some of the critical issues which we all face in describing what we do, and why.
DxOMark has just today published their test results for the new Nikon D800, which began shipping this week. They rate Nikon's newest camera at an overall 95, the highest score yet, exceeding every other camera thus far including the $40,000 Phase One IQ180 medium format back.
Now – DxOMark ratings are controversial. Some people (myself included) have expressed concerns that these scores do not necessarily track real work experience. Also, small numerical differences are usually just that, small, and not necessarily something to hang ones hat on. Finally, these scores only measure the sensor, not the goodness of the camera as a whole.
Regardless of the weight that one gives to DxOMark test results and numerical analysis, they are rigorous and consistent. Therefore if read properly they can provide comparative insights into a camera's sensor performance.
It would appear that Nikon has scored a real coup with the D800, and other camera makers are going to have to seriously up their game to stay competitive, at least in this market segment and at this price point.
"The content delivered by Michael and Jeff, so far, is just what I was hoping it would be, technically highly informative, and entertaining. Can be watched over, and over, and it will still keep you engrossed!
The image quality you've achieved is the best to date, what clarity!! I'm viewing the tutorial on a 27" iMac.
Based on what I've seen I don't think I'll be disappointed with what is to come. They are the masters and I don't think I could get any better tuition anywhere, and it's never boring!
Looking forward to the next "episodes" with great anticipation!"
Adobe has just released Photoshop 6 Beta as a free download from Adobe Labs. The Beta is available to anyone, not just current Photoshop users. Once the beta period is over (before Q3, 2012) you'll be able to purchase the final version if you wish, either as a new product or an upgrade.
If you'd like to quickly get up to speed on PS6, for a limited time lynda.com has opened its Photoshop CS6 Beta Preview course to the public, giving both members and nonmembers access to experience the software’s upgrades. The course is taught by Deke McClelland, an expert in the field who has written a number of books on Photoshop.
"The content delivered by Michael and Jeff, so far, is just what I was hoping it would be, technically highly informative, and entertaining. Can be watched over, and over, and it will still keep you engrossed!
The image quality you've achieved is the best to date, what clarity!! I'm viewing the tutorial on a 27" iMac.
Based on what I've seen I don't think I'll be disappointed with what is to come. They are the masters and I don't think I could get any better tuition anywhere, and it's never boring!
Looking forward to the next "episodes" with great anticipation!"
Click here for a listing of the What's New archives.
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