Whats-New-2002

January 13, 2009 ·

Michael Reichmann

This page contains descriptions of changes made to this site during 2002.
Current site update information is foundhere.
Please check theTable of Contentsfor a complete overview of this site.

December 31, 2002

Before anything else today I would like to extend to everyone my warm and sincere best wishes for 2003. I hope that this year brings you peace, prosperity and good health.

Here at theLuminous Landscapewe are looking forward to a number of exciting improvements to the site as well as a raft of exciting new content, workshops and travel. Be sure to visit regularly. To maximize your involvement and benefit from this site why not consider becoming a subscriber toThe Luminous Landscape Video Journal? Your subscriptions are what makes this site possible and allow it to remain free of advertising and commercial bias.

My friend, the prolific nature photographerCC Lockwood, has just published a new photographic book onAlligators. He spent the past 12 months shooting nearly 400 rolls of film to produce this new book, and in an exclusive article provides us with someinsights into this project.

TheCanon 1Dscontinues to amaze me. One of the things that I have noted during the past few weeks is how unforgiving it is of anything less than the best possible lenses. I have now addedsome commentsto this effect to an earlier article. I plan on doing an extensive lens comparison, especially zooms vs. primes, some time early in the New Year. Stay tuned.

Capture Onesoftware for theCanon 1Dand1Dsis very highly regarded by most users but it can quickly eat up disk space while you’re not looking. I have now addedsome commentson this to myCapture Onereview.

Canadians as well as those flying out of Canadian airports should note that as of today security has been taken over byThe Canadian Transportation Security Authority. They are advising the publicnotto put unexposed and unprocessed film in checked luggage as high powered X-Ray machines are now in use at Canadian airports thatwilldamage film.

A spokesperson announced today that photographerscanrequest a hand check of carry-on film from airport security agents. This is also the case at U.S. airports, but my experience is that many airports are ignoring this FAA directive and insisting that film be X-Rayed. It remains to be seen whether Canadian airports will similarly ignore the rules. Note that unless you are going to be bringing the same film through numerous X-Rays prior to having it developed there is little risk to carry-on film. But, any film checked with baggage will likely be toast — count on it. (Another good reason to consider a move to digital, if you haven’t done so already, and if you fly a lot).

December 29, 2002

Due to illness Mike Johnston’sSunday Morning Photographercolumn will not appear this week. (I think that Mike’s been sniffing the Dektol again).

December 28, 2002

In the past 24 hours I have received a number of questions about both tripod mounted as well as hand-held shooting with Canon’s Image Stabilized super-telephotos. I have now addeda new sectionto yesterday’s article elaborating on this subject.

December 27, 2002

The biggest lens buying decision (literally, figuratively and financially) that most photographers ever make is regarding the purchase of a 500mm or 600mm large aperture lens. I recently tested both a 500mm and a 600mm f/4 lens on two separate week-long wildlife shoots and have now made my final purchase decision. In500mm vs. 600mmI examine that decision making process.

December 24, 2002

Full frame sensor digital SLRs are now shipping, and pixel count is up to 14MP (or at least will be if Kodak ships theDCS Pro 14nin January as promised). The Canon 11MP full frame sensor in the1Dshas been wowing photographers worldwide for a month. At least two more major camera makers will have high pixel count full-frame cameras to announce at PMA in March. So, what’s next? Full frame has been achieved. Will we continue to see higher pixel densities, and if not, why not?

My crystal ball is cloudy, but the laws of physics can’t be denied. I have therefore just published a new article titledPixel Count And Future Imaging Chips, which looks at some of the issues involved. At least you now have a photographic topic to debate over the holidays.

And speaking of holidays, please accept my best wishes for a most enjoyable Christmas week. I hope that Santa has been good to you and that you have a safe and enjoyable celebration.

Update:ThePixel Countarticle has now been updated with aQ&A section.

December 22, 2002

One of the pleasures of being an author — especially now, in the era of the Internet — is receiving mail from readers. Not something forwarded weeks or even months later by a neglectful editor, butnow, immediately after someone has read ones work.Mike Johnstonlooks at two of his more interesting reader’s comments in this week’sSunday Morningcolumn.

December 21, 2002

Shadow Controlis a newPhotoshopplug-in that provides digital photographers with an exciting and unique tool for dealing with digital camera images. Using a dynamically created mask, and a clear and simple user interface, this program has quickly become part of my regular tool kit. Highly recommended.My reviewis now online.

Earlier with week I tookPhase Oneto task for having raised the price of their excellentCapture Onesoftware for theCanon 1Dand1Dsfrom an announced price of $500 to $600. I failed to mention that while the software now costs $600 if downloaded from their web site, retailers are still charging just $500. I apologize for any confusion that this incomplete information may have caused.

A second source of good news is thatPhase Onehas rethought their policy of dual platform use (possibly as a result of my critical comments) and have now announced that they will be providing a free upgrade toMac OS Xwhen the new version ships in March, allowing their customers to use the software on both their Windows and Mac platforms at the same time. Well donePhase One! My revised thoughts are foundhere.

December 20, 2002

I will be conducting a 2 day seminar in Toronto onJanuary 22nd and 23rdtitledProfessional Digital SLRs — Purchasing, Best Practices & Workflow. The seminar is sponsored byCAPIC; theCanadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communications.

The seminar is designed to help professional photographers who are making the transition to digital image capture using 35mm format SLRs. Though designed for pros, it will be of interest to any photographer who wants to understand the issues involved in making the transition. If you are in the Toronto area, or would like to travel to Toronto to attend, check out the link above for further details. Registration is open to anyone, but is done though CAPIC, not through me or this site. I hope to see you there.

There has been a lot of discussion on various Net forums over the past few days disputing my statement inWhither Nikon, that we can expect full-frame sensors to see a significant drop in price over the next few years. I made this assumption based on discussions with folks whom I know in the semiconductor industry. But, there are those who appear to know better.

In any event, a knowledgeable industry participant and observer,Chris Reid, sent me an e-mail which givesan industry professional’s perspective.

A few days ago some updates were made to the site which unfortunately have created problems for users ofNetscape 4.7. We are trying to find a fix, but in the meantime my suggestion is that you may wish to use this as an excuse to finally update to a more current browser. FYI — and for what it’s worth, 83% of the visitors to this site are using MSInternet Explorer.

December 19, 2002

Telling The Storyis a new article that explores differences in the way that pros and amateurs approach the question of "how much to shoot".

Canon has now released their latestFile Viewer UtilityforMac OS X. This program allow RAW file conversion for all current Canon digital cameras, including the latest 1Ds. It is available as a free download.

Not free, and in fact over-priced in my opinion, isPhase One’sCapture Onesoftware for the Canon 1D and 1Ds. It was announced at Photokina and made available as a free 30 day trial download last month when the 1Ds began to ship. Phase One has now announced commercial availability, from dealers as well as a download from their web site, at a price of U.S. $600. After 3 weeks of daily use, and after considering the final price, I have decided that I will not be buying the software. In a follow-up to my reviewI discuss why.

Steve Kossack’sYosemite Winter Workshopis now sold out.Thanksfrom Steve to everyone that expressed an interest in it.

December 18, 2002

Phil Askey atDPReviewhas just published his long-awaitedreview of the Canon 1Ds. It is superbly done, as his reviews usually are, and you can read it for yourself. But at the risk of appearing to be an ongoing 1Ds evangelist allow me to quote Phil’s closing comments… "What more can I say? I love this camera, it’s addictive, you get the first hit when you pick it up, look through the viewfinder and press that shutter release, it’s one of the most effective and rewarding photographic tools you can use. The next hit comes when you see the images on a monitor (and prints look even better still). Simply the best (at the time of writing this review."

To further annoy those who think I’m somehow‘in Canon’s pocket‘, here’s an excerpt from a colleague of mine who recently finished a location shoot of his own with his 1Ds… "I’m still on the ninth cloud of incredulousness…the resolution of the 1Ds is quite extraordinary. I’ve been doing a number of 13 by 19s and just sit staring at them in awe ! Some of the desert shots with the texture of the sand are beyond words." This is from a talented fine-art photographer with some 30+ years of experience, who until recently has been shooting medium format, but who has now sold his entire Rollei 6008 outfit.

So, to address the obvious — why do I publish such enthusiastic links and references? Not because I have any relationship with Canon (I don’t , and don’t even own stock in the company). But rather because there is a revolution going on, and at the moment the Canon 1Ds is the forerunner in this revolution. Maybe in a few months it will be a camera from Nikon, or someone else — at which point I’ll be pleased to sing its praise instead. In the meantime, over the past 3 months almosta half million peoplehave read my multi-part 1Ds review and commentary, and so clearly there a great deal of interest about it in the photographic community. No, not everyone can or will be able to buy this camera. But understanding what it can do will tell photographers a lot about where the industry is goingandwhat more mainstream and affordable cameras will be like over the next few years. And that I think is worthwhile.

December 17, 2002

The concept ofnegative spaceexists in art, and can be a compelling compositional element in photography. In this new article I explore the concept using a recent nature photograph as an example.

In my article last week titled1700 frames, detailing my experience shooting that many frames with aCanon 1Dson a shoot in New Mexico, I wrote a strongly worded complaint that it can be slow to change modes onCanon Image Stabilizedlenses when shifting from stationary to moving subjects.

A reader kindly wrote to let me know that there is in facta solutionto this problem. To my knowledge, this information has not appeared in print anywhere else till now. If this is the case, the question is — why hasn’t Canon told us this?

Update #1:I have been informed by a reader that there is aCanon Technical Reporton their IS technology that can be found on Canon Germany’s web site. This PDF file provides some worthwhile information on IS technology that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Update #2:Some readers have called me to task for stating in myWhither Nikonarticle of yesterday that full-frame imaging chips would be coming down in price as a consequence of Moore’s Law. I have now added the following comment to that article."I am aware that Moore’s Law applies to chip speed and density, not manufacturing yields. But it is also clear that as demand for large surface area chips increases these too will see price reductions due to advances in fabrication techniques".

December 16, 2002

Nikon’s announcement last week of the first lens in a new line of reduced coverageDXlenses for its D Series digital cameras struck me as curious. While I understand the need for the first lens that is to be made available in the series — a 12-24mm zoom that gives the equivalent of 18-35mm on full-frame, that there would be additional reduced coverage lenses seemed not to make much sense.

After pondering the implications of this I have now written an editorial titledWhither Nikon, in which I explore this topic in some detail. Is the emperor wearing any clothes?

December 15, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn for this week is titledConfessions of a Cameraholic. How doyoureflect in this mirror?

Earlier this year I reviewed several interestingPhotoshopplugins fromtheimagingfactory. They now have an expanded range of useful programs that have been upgraded toVersion 2, and which features compatibility withMac OS Xas well asWin XP. Since these are available as downloads with free 30 days trials they are well worthchecking out. I use several of them on a regular basis.

December 14, 2002

A field report on the newCanon EOS 1Ds, based on1700 framestaken over a 4 days period, is now online. The venue was a landscape and wildlife workshop which I conducted last week in southern New Mexico.

My formal review of the1Dsis to be found in the current (Jan / Feb 2003) issue ofPhoto Techniquesmagazine, currently on newsstands. And, for those of you who are saying to themselves,"Enough already with the 1Ds", I agree. It has now simply become part of my equipment arsenal and we’ll be moving on to other more varied topics in the days ahead.

Chris Breezehas just announced the release ofBreezeBrowser v2.4. It features the ability to perform RAW conversion on Canon 1Ds, S45 and G3 camera files.

Ever since the server’s crash last weekend theDiscussion Forumhas had very slow response times. We are trying to figure out what the problem is and will fix it as soon as possible. The main site’s response times fortunately seem to be unaffected.

December 11, 2002

Australian fine-art nature photographerNick Rainshas contributed a new essay onThe Ethics of Filter Use.

If you’re following with interest the forthcoming release of theKodak DCS 14n,Kodak U.K.now has the followingupdate informationavailable on their web site.

December 10, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn for this week is about lenses —How Many is Too Many?It was delayed due to my being offline for the past 5 days.

Kodak has announced that theDCS Pro 14ncamera has been delayed until mid-January due to continuing refinement of the firmware. For those that can’t wait Kodak now have online the full214 page camera manual. It’s a 20MB download.

Speaking of big downloads, I just shot some 1,700 frames with my newCanon 1Dsover a 4 day period in New Mexico. That’s 17 Gigabytes worth of files. It’s going to take a few days for both me and my computer to start digesting these, but I hope to have some images online shortly, and also a continuation of my 1Ds field report.

December 9, 2002

I have just returned this evening from conducting a 4 day wildlife and landscape workshop in New Mexico. I discovered that on Sunday morning at 4am EST this site’s server crashed and the site was off-line until 11pm EST today. Conjecture on some of the discussion boards that this was as the result of anything other than a simple crash are without any basis in fact.

I apologies for any inconvenience.

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn will appear tomorrow. There’s also a great deal of other new content coming up this week so check back soon.

December 5, 2002

Needless to say, the newCanon EOS 1Dshas fired the imagination of many photographers; those that have taken delivery within the past week or so as well as those who are giving the purchase some thought. I have therefore started ongoingField Noteswhich will chronicle my experiences with this landmark camera in the weeks and months ahead. The first installment looks at taking delivery, batteries issues, image noise (hah! — what noise?), and other early impressions.

I have now left for a 5 day workshop / wildlife and landscape shoot which I am conducting inBosque del ApacheandWhite SandsNew Mexico. This will be the 1Ds’ inaugural real-world shoot, and I’m eager to see how it does. Two of the workshop members will also be working with their new 1Ds’, so we’ll have lots of impressions and mutual feedback to share. Look for a comprehensive write-up when I return next week.

In the meantime I am now offline and unable to respond to e-mails or Forum messages until next Tuesday, Dec 10.

Video Journalorders are processed automatically. If you are not already familiar with this remarkable photographic resource, I urge you tofind out more now.

December 3, 2002

One of the disadvantages of the current generation of 6 MP digital SLRs, like theCanon D60,Nikon D100orFuji S2, is that with their 1.5X or 1.6X cropping factors wide angle coverage is seriously limited. But there isa solution!

Today I review theCanon 15mmrectangular fisheye lens (Nikon has a similar 16mm) used in conjunction withImageAlignsoftware. When used together this combination gives undistorted very wide angle coverage with current digital SLRs and ultra-wide angle coverage with film bodies and full-frame DSLRs. The review can be foundhere.

December 2, 2002

At long lastWilhelm Imaging Researchis back online. How long has it been off? About 18 months as far as I can recall. The new site seems pretty sparse at the moment but hopefully in the months ahead we will once again see the kind of print permanence information that used to be provided.

Issue #6of theVideo Journalis now shipping. This new issue contains almost 2 hours of content. Current subscribers can expect to receive their copies within the next week to ten days, depending on the mails and where in the world you live.

If you’re not already a subscriber, why notfind out more. TheVideo Journalis a unique DVD-video based "magazine"that will play on almost any PC, Mac or set-top DVD player, anywhere in the world. It is of broadcast quality and has no regional coding. By subscribing you’re not only gaining a tremendous photographic resource but you’re also supporting the continued excellence of this site.

December 1, 2002

There will not be aSunday Morningarticle by Mike Johnston’s this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Mike’s column will resume next weekend.

I have now had myCanon EOS 1Dsfor several days, and will add some further impressions to my 5-part pre-productioncamera reviewbeginning in a few days. Simultaneous with the camera’s release last weekPhase Onemade available their new RAW file converter and file processing software designed specifically for the 1D and 1Ds —Capture One.My reviewof this remarkable new software is now online.

Southwestern landscape photographer and guideSteve Kossack, is conducting awinter landscape workshopinYosemite National Parkin mid-February. Steve knows this world-famous National Park like the back of his hand. In winter there are no crowds and wonderful opportunities to make photographs totally unlike those produced in summer.

This isnotaLuminous Landscapeworkshop, but Steve has been co-instructor on many of my workshops, and has been highly regarded by participants. Several have subsequently hired him for private tours of the region. Recommended!

November 30, 2002

Rumours and Rumbles

I normally don’t publish rumours, though I do hear a lot of them, but one that comes from a well informed source is worth pondering. Apparently at thePMAshow in early March one of the major camera manufacturers will be announcing a new DSLR that uses a new 10 Megapixel, full-frameFoveonchip. Who it is, price, other features and availability are unknown, but all I can say is — let the games begin!

WhenKodakannounced theDSC Pro 14nfull-frame 14 MP camera atPhotokinain September it was to ship in December and have a street price of $4,000. The price has now crept up to $5,000, and it appears that shipments won’t begin until January or even February. The 11MPCanon 1Dson the other hand had its price reduced from $9,000 to $8,000 and has started shipping on schedule in November. Whichever manufacturer it is that’s going to be using the newFoveonchip, (and I have my strong suspicions) there seems to be a very nice parking spot between these two price points and feature sets.

One final observation.CMOStechnology (which the Foveon uses, as does Canon, and Kodak as well in the 14n) appears to have become the chip of choice for high-end cameras, winning out over CCDs. What a change from just 2 years ago when the pundits were touting the superiority of CCD and claiming that CMOS was too noisy.

November 29, 2002

Issue #6of theVideo Journalis now shipping — or at least it will be on Monday morning, right after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This new issue contains almost 2 hours of content. Current subscribers can expect to receive their copies within the next week to ten days, depending on the mails and where in the world you live.

If you’re not already a subscriber, why notfind out more. TheVideo Journalis a unique DVD-video based "magazine"that will play on almost any PC, Mac or set-top DVD player, anywhere in the world. It is of broadcast quality and has no regional coding. By subscribing you’re not only gaining a tremendous photographic resource but you’re also supporting the continued excellence of this site.

Uwe SteinmuelleratDigital Photo Outbackhas donea comparisonofCanon 1Dsoutput with scannedProvia 100F. The scans were professionally done using a 5600 PPI drum scanner. The images speak for themselves.

The site’s new seasonalHome Pagephotograph was taken with my newCanon 1Ds, and alarger versionas well as technical data is now online as well. All I can say is that I’m knocked out by the image quality and I can’t wait until next week when I get to shoot with it in New Mexico on a 4 day wildlife and landscape workshop which I’ll be conducting. I’ll also shortly have online an on-going article that chronicles my shooting experiences with this new landmark camera.

November 28, 2002

Ever since the first digital SLRs became available a lot of misinformation and nonsense has appeared online about what the magnification or cropping factor is, how it works, and its drawbacks and benefits. Contributor, and leading Australian landscape and nature photographerNick Rainsnow provides us with a tutorial onUnderstanding the DSLR Magnification Factor.

Today isThanksgivingin the United States and I’d like to wish all my U.S. readers and friends a safe, happy and healthy holiday weekend.

November 27, 2002

Those who placed their deposits early and who have been waiting eagerly for their newCanon EOS 1Dswill be very pleased to learn thatCanon U.S.has announced that shipments to dealers have now begun. Canon Canada, Hong Kong and U. K. have also started shipping. Likely in most other countries as well.In fact I just picked up my 1Ds yesterday at my dealer in Toronto.

If you’re interested in ordering a1Dsplease be aware that shipments will be very slow for some months, and availabilityverylimited. Also, because of the scarcity there will be no discounting available. If you place an order now you can expect to have to pay anything from a large deposit to the full price upon placing your order. My advise is to work through a local pro dealer rather than the mail order houses.

I have several major wildlife and landscape shoots coming up in the next few months, including workshops that I’ll be conducting inBosque del Apache / White SandsandCosta Rica. You can expect to see portfolios from those shoots as well as additional test reports here in the days ahead. And, yes, Iamexpecting aKodak 14nfor testing soon and plan on doing an extensive field comparison between the two cameras.

Phil AskeyofDPReviewhas just posted his long-awaited review of theSigma SD9. This is the first, and so far only camera to utilize theFoveonimaging chip. My impression from Phil’s conclusions is that this is a worthy camera, but I’m still left with the question — who is going to buy it, since it only can use Sigma lenses in Sigma’s proprietary lens mount? Certainly not someone who already has an investment in any other manufacturer’s glass. If a major manufacturer picks up this chip and brings it out in a 6MP or larger size then we’ll really have something!

November 26, 2002

How about 11 days on anAfrican Photo Safari / Workshopin January of 2004? It’s only 13 months away and I am now in the planning stages for just such a workshop. It will be conducted by me in conjunction withAndy Biggs, who spent 5 weeks shooting in East Africa earlier this year. This will be on opportunity of a lifetime to do wildlife and landscape photography in one of the world’s most spectacular locations.

Read the preliminary outline. If you’re interested, complete the information request form and put yourself on the waitlist. No obligation of course.

If you are interested in an equally exotic landscape and wildlife workshop that’s now just 3 months away, have a look at myCosta Ricaworkshop announcement. There are a few places left, but time is quickly running out.

November 25, 2002

Canon D60owners will want to know that Canon has now made availablean updateto this camera’s firmware. This new version is 1.0.4. It cleans up a couple of file writing bugs. Updating the software is simple and only takes a few minutes once the file is downloaded. Full instructions are provided.

I have added a new photograph, taken this past weekend on a small boat off the coast of Florida, to myMiscellaneous Momentspage.

November 24, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn for this week concerns hisfavourite lens, the50mm Pentax SMC Takumarand its many variations.

November 23, 2002

James Pierceis an Australian landscape photographer. Today he provides us with a fascinating look at theVictorian High Country, with photographs taken with the uniqueHasselblad XPan.

Fred Mirandahas just published an excellentreview of the Canon 1Ds, including numerous high quality samples. What I particularly enjoyed about Fred’s review is that he is a digital photographer, and doesn’t bring a film background and bias to the game. This review is a must -read for anyone interested in this remarkable new camera.

Outbackphoto.comhas also today completed their 1Ds review, this time including a comparison with a 4X5" digital back.

November 22, 2002

Notwithstanding its nameNikondigital.orgcovers both Nikon and Canon digital camera gear. The site is byMoose Peterson & David J. Cardinal. Moose is a highly regarded nature and wildlife photographer who has been working digitally for some years. They have just publisheda review of the Canon 1Ds.

We will be seeing more reviews of production cameras over the next few days now that Canon has lifted their embargo on published pictures taken with this camera. The fact that they imposed this embargo on reviewers is strange, but the mind of marketing departments tends to be beyond my comprehension much of the time. My review, and photographs taken with a pre-production 1Ds done in late September, the week the camera was announced, can be foundhere.

November 21, 2002

Issue #6of theVideo Journalships to subscribers next week. I have now placed online briefvideo clipsthat give a preview of some of the content in this new issue. Included inIssue #6are a review of the new Canon EOS 1Ds, the Leica M7 and f/1.0 Noctilux lens, a tutorial on the use of graduated neutral density filters, a tutorial on digital image blending, a look at a Fall Colour workshop in Great Smoky National Park, and a lot more.

These video clips are small, low resolution Quicktimes. Of course theVideo Journalis filmed in broadcast quality digital video and reproduced on DVD. These disks play on any DVD video player (PC, Mac or set-top) anywhere in the world.

You mean you’re not a subscriber yet? For shame.Find out more now. View the clips and subscribe. You’ll be supporting this site and also receiving a unique source of information designed for serious photographers.

November 20, 2002

Today’s new article is by regular contributorSteve Kossackand is a review of the uniqueLightning Trigger. Want to take daylight landscape photographs that include lightning? This is the ticket.

I am one of the featured photographers in a new book titledThe Best of Nature Photography. Published byAmhert Media,this book features the work of 40 top nature and wildlife photographers, includingArt Morris,John SextonandJim Zuckerman. The book contains more than 150 photographs and detailed articles on how these photographers work. I’m honored to be part of this talented group. Naturally, I recommend the book highly. (I would even if I wasn’t in it. It’s a great book).

November 19, 2002

TheContax N Digitalwas a hot topic for the past two years. Remember? A full-frame 6MP digital SLR using Zeiss lenses. How bad could it be? Well, we never really were able to find out. After almost a 2 year delay the camera finally started shipping last spring, but nary a review was to be found. I tried to get a review sample many times, but without success.

A major review of the N Digital has now appeared in the French magazineChasseur d’Images, and it goes a long way toward explaining what’s been going on. My thoughts and experiences on this topic are now found in myContax 1N Digital Non-Review.

Unfortunately theLeonidMeteor storm was a no-show for me here in Southern Ontario, and for many people in the Northeast. We had heavy overcast and so I stayed in bed.

November 18, 2002

Every now and then a new piece of software comes along that either does something in a new or different way, or even something that’s never been done before.Archive Creatoris one such program. If you shoot digitally, or produce a lot of scans, then our exclusive review will explain why this remarkable new program is a must-have.

A reminder to existingVideo Journalsubscribers.Issue #6is now at the duplicator and will be shipped to current subscribers very soon. If your subscription is about to expire — don’t let it!Resubscribe now. You’ll be glad you did. If you are not yet a subscriber, why don’t you find out why theVideo Journalis one of the most unique, enjoyable and informative resources for the serious photographer to be found anywhere in the world.

November 17, 2002

Nothing excites some photographer’s passions more than the differences between top-ranked lenses.How many photons can dance on the head of a Summicron?The two greatest lens rivals have always been Leica and Zeiss and in this week’sSunday MorningsermonMike Johnstonaddress the questionLeica vs. Zeiss: Whose Lenses are Best?

November 16, 2002

Effective today theCritique Competitionsection of this site has been suspended. I know that a lot of people have enjoyed it these past two years, and I too am sad to see it go. But my work and travel schedule has gotten to the point that the time expend on this section had become out of proportion to what I have available. With as many as a dozen submissions a day, every day, I also know that I was disappointing a lot of people by not being able to include their work. I hope to bring this feature back in the new year in a different way.

I have today added a new regular feature titledMiscellaneous Momentsin which I feature and analyze one of my own recent photographs that hasn’t otherwise appeared in a review, test report or travel article.

November 15, 2002

Anyone with an interest in wildlife photography has dreamed of anAfrican photo safari.ContributorAndy Biggshas lived that dream and shares with us some of his experiences, and technical issues related to spending 5 weeks shooting digitally in east Africa.

November 14, 2002

Next Monday evening / Tuesday morning (Nov. 18-19) the earth will experience the last great meteor storm of the next quarter century — the2002 Leonids. Last year’s storm was quite spectacular and this year’s promises to be every bit as good. If you missed viewing and photographing it last year (or screwed up the way I did), this is the last chance that most of us will have in our lifetimes to experience such an event.

My latest article describes the issues involved in photographing meteor showers in general and this one in particular. If you can get to a good dark site, well away from city lights, and are fortunate enough to have clear skies, it’s going to be quite a treat.

November 12, 2002

A week ago my exclusive review of the newHasselblad H1autofocus 645 camera was published onphoto.net. It now appears on these pages as well.Photo.nethad asked me to attend aHasselbladpress conference in New York for them and to provide their readers with the world’s first hands-on review of this important new camera.

During the past week that review has had more than 35,000 readers on thephoto.netsite, and not a little bit of controversy. The Zeiss zealots, the Fuji flusterers, the 6X6 sycophants, the bokeh boosters and the autofocus autocrats have vented their collective spleens (see the bottom of that page). My current take, after a bit of additional reflection, is that the only thing that the H1 has going against it is the price, which is not at all in line with current market expectations. See what you think.

Ps:Anyone who writes to me about the bad bokeh on the photograph of the model will be severely punished. I’ve read enough nonsense on this, thank you.

November 10, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn this week is titledOn Photography Magazines, and is a look at the current state of the industry, including what’s working, and what isn’t.

November 9, 2002

Fall colour is quickly coming to an end most places in the northern hemisphere, but I thought I’d share with you some thoughts on my approach to shooting this most popular of landscape subjects. The article is titledPhotographing Fall Colour(what else?) and is illustrated with images from a shoot done last week in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York.

November 7, 2002

Regular readers will note that the photograph at the top of theHomepage of this site has changed to something more seasonal. This shot was taken last week in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York. An article on shooting Fall colour will appear in a day or so.

I have heard from a number of readers recently that they are unable to findEpson 2200printers, with dealers claiming that they don’t know when they will receive more stock. Looking into the story behind this I received the following information from one of my contacts at Epson…

"The situation on the Stylus Photo 2200 is similar in Canada and the US. We underestimated demand on this printer and are unable to make short-term changes to our production capacity. Currently, production is fulfilling about 1/2 – 1/3 of monthly demand. This is not a situation that will be rectified in the near future as both countries have significant back-order lists at the moment, and the factory producing the unit has performed perfectly, but simply cannot manufacture the additional units we could sell.

There was a strike at the City of Industry port in Long Beach, CA (where our units enter North America). This complicated things as none of our units landed for a period of several weeks. There is a back-to work effort that is seeing some improvement, but apparently they are not yet back to full work capacity."

So, if you’re keen on getting an Epson 2200 sooner rather than later my suggestion is to contact an Epson pro dealer and get on a waiting list.

Video Journal Update:We are now a few weeks late withIssue #6ofThe Video Journal. The main reason for this was that we wanted to include my on-camera review of the recently announcedCanon 1Ds. The good news is that we are just completing the issue and it will go to the duplicator shortly. Subscribers can therefore expect to receiveIssue #6by the end of the month.

November 6, 2002

Alain Briot’scolumn for November is in the form of a response to the numerous questions that he receives from photographers onselling prints.

The winner of the OctoberCritique CompetitionisDarwin Wiggettof Alberta, Canada. Congratulations Darwin. His winning entry as well as those of previous month’s winners can befound here.

I’d like to apologize to the many people who have submitted photographs to the competition during the past few weeks that were not included in the October competition. My heavy travel schedule prevented me from spending as much time on this as I would have liked. The best of these submissions will be included among November’s entries, to be added to in the days ahead.

November 4, 2002

Myreport on the PhotoPlus Expo showin New York this past weekend is now online. There has not been any attemtpt on my part to be comprehensive. The products discussed are simply the ones that I found to be of interest.

I also would like to add that on Thursday evening I met with about 16 site regulars and some industry friends for dinner. We all had a ball, and I want to thank everyone for coming. Same time next year!

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn for this week is now online, (I think we’ll change the name to Sunday Evening).

November 3, 2002

One of the purposes of my trip to New York last week was to attend a special press preview of the just-announcedHasselblad H1. This is a 645 format autofocus camera — Hasselblad’s first in both categories. My review is also the first to appear anywhere in the world, and it is found exclusively this week as a special report onphoto.net.

November 2, 2002

Late on Friday night I returned from a 4 day trip toNew Yorkcity. I attended a press launch of the newHasselblad H1medium format camera; spent a day covering thePhotoPlus Exposhow, and I enjoyed a dinner on Thursday evening with some 18Luminous Landscaperegulars. I also traveled each way by car through theCatskill Mountainsof upstate New York during the peak of Fall colours.

It will take me a day or two to get caught up, but when I do be prepared for some interesting reports. I’ll also get to the large volume of e-mails, Forum messages, as well as the monthlyCritique Contestover the next few days as well.

Special Report 1: The price of the Canon 1Ds has now been officially set at U.S. $7,999. This is the subject of considerable debate online and so I have weighed in with my thoughts in a piece titledCanon 1Ds Pricing.

Special Report 2: In Friday’s keynote speech at PhotoPlus Expo Adobe demonstrated a technology preview of a Photoshop plug-in that will directly import RAW files from digital cameras. I’ll have more on this in my show report, which should be online by Sunday evening EDT.

October 29, 2002

One of the most famous jazz pianists of the past half century isOscar Peterson. What most people aren’t aware of is that he is also an enthusiastic photographer, and has been for most of his life.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Oscar about his life in photography for an upcoming issue ofThe Video Journal. I also had an opportunity to informally take his portrait, and that photograph and a description of the session is now online atOscar Peterson — A Portrait.

– – –

I am now inNew YorkforPhotoPlus Expo, the largest consumer photographic and imaging show of the year. (Photokina and PMA are larger, but are trade only). Many of the new products that were first shown atPhotokinain Germany last month will be on display, and there a press preview for a major new camera system which I’ll be attending. I’ll have a report here on anything and everything that catches my interest when I return next weekend.

October 28, 2002

This week Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn appears today — on Monday, but it will — I’m sure — annoy some photographers regardless of which day it’s published on. (Just kidding Mike; sort of).

October 27, 2002

Australian photographerNick Rains, a frequent editorial contributor to this site, has weighed in to the current film vs. digital debate with an article titledDigital is Not Film. I thank Nick for his reasoned arguments, and also the literally dozens of readers who have written in on this unnecessarily acrimonious topic. At this point though I think we’re all ready to move on.

October 26, 2002

Few of my essays have generated as much reader comment as the one I published yesterday titledTelling It Like It Is. I have now created a special page witha selection of these responses. Thanks to everyone for your comments, and also your support of this site.

October 25, 2002

If you’re a regular reader of this site you know that we also publish the world’s only DVD video based "magazine" for photographers.The Luminous Landscape Video Journal. If you haven’t already done so, take a moment to find out more about this unique resource for serious photographers. For the cost of a few rolls of film you can support this site as well as enjoy this highly informative and entertaining journal. (These disks will play on virtually any PC / Mac or TV connected DVD player, anywhere in the world).Here’s what current subscribers are saying.

– – – –

During the past two years I have tested digital SLRs on several occasions and have stated clearly that their image quality can exceed that of scanned film. Because I was an early herald of this dramatic change in the state of our industry some have taken me to task for this position. Now I am seeing mainstream and even conservative critics and photographers finally begining to appreciate the nature of the changes that we’re experiencing. But not everyone.

I have written an essay titledTelling It Like It Isthat explores this topic, who to believe, and why.

This article also contains some previously unpublished photographs from my recent wildlife and landscape shoot inYellowstone.

October 24, 2002

Have you ever needed to put a lens from one brand of camera on another? How about putting a medium format lens on a 35mm camera? Does the idea of havingtilt and shiftcapability intrigue you, even if your camera maker doesn’t offer a lens with this capability? In that case you need to know aboutZörk.

No, notZorkthe computer adventure game, but Zörk the German manufacturer of weird and wonderful adaptors.My reviewof theirPanorama Shift AdaptorandPro Shift Adapteris now online.

October 22, 2002

Image processing software has become one of the hot new areas of interest for photographers. New tools are eagerly awaited as more and more people take up working with their photographs on their computers, and anything that makes life simpler and faster is welcome.

One important new package that is coming out next week isPhotoKit, a Photoshop plug-in written by some of the industry’s leading imaging gurus. Myfirst-look reviewis now online.

I have previously favourably reviewediCorrect EditLab. This program is now available asVersion 3.0, and features a number of enhancements, including Photoshop 7, Mac OS X and Windows XP support in addition to an enhanced user interface and new features. Recommended.

Another worthwhile package previously reviewed on these pages, Photoshop plug-ins fromThe Imaging Factory, have now been upgraded to Version 2.0 and comparability with Mac OS X.

October 20, 2002

Rob Galbraith, a respected photojournalist, has just publisheda review of a pre-production Canon EOS 1Ds. While his camera had some unfortunate functional problems which mine didn’t, nevertheless his impressions of the 1Ds paralellminein many respects. He writes, "At its best, the preproduction EOS-1Ds body in hand here generates photos that match or exceed the level of clarity of the best 6×6 Hasselblad and Mamiya 6×7 prints I’ve ever made."

While some have expressed concern with my comparison of 1Ds output with that of scanned film and inkjet prints (which I can’t agree with — but that’s another story), Rob has done his comparison with "fibre-based and RC custom prints from TMax 100 B&W vs both colour and black…", as well.

He writes, "The smallest landscape detail in EOS-1Ds frames holds up at or beyond the level of the traditional darkroom prints, even when comparing at the equivalent of a 16 x 20 inch enlargement. I’m talking about fine, smooth, photographic detail, free from sharpening-induced pixelation or other digital oddities."

October 20, 2002

Mike Johnston’s column for this morning is titledMiscellaneous Notes #1. I know you can’t wait. Also, I have revised theIndex pagefor Mike’s columns so that past content is easier to find.

October 19, 2002

Imaging Resourcehas just publishedan additionto his previewCanon 1Dstest. Dave has just received a sample of a production 1Ds and he has posted a comparison with shots taken with a D60. (Canon appears to be right on schedule. Production samples were supposed to start appearing just about now, though retail shipments aren’t due for another month or so.)

No surprises in his evaluation against the D60. But interestingly, he also compares the 1Ds’ resolution to that of a shot of the same subject taken earlier with a 4X5" view camera on Fuji Velvia, and drum scanned on a Crosfield drum scanner to a final image size of about 400 MB. His conclusion —

"What’s interesting to me is how much sharper the 1Ds’ image is…. What I do find illuminating though, is that this film shot was the result of the best efforts of a practicing (and successful) commercial photographer to produce maximum sharpness with his 4×5 view camera. And that a relatively casual effort by an amateur (me) resulted in dramatically better detail from the 1Ds."

Dave cautions that no firm conclusions should be drawn from this casual experiment, but his experience so far with the 1Ds’ image quality certainly mirrorsmine. It looks like this is going to be a milestone camera. (Of course the yobos are going to have a field day discussing this on the Boards. Yes it is. No it isn’t. Can’t be. But, but but…)

October 18, 2002

Since my article on photography in Iceland was published a few months ago it has proven to be one of my most popular travel pieces, and a surprising number of photographers have written to say that they’d like to join my planned workshop there in 2004. In the meantime I now have onlinea new pageabout an worthwhile Geographic style magazine that has just started publication in Iceland, and also about a campaign to prevent a major corporate ecological rape in that country that needs your support.

NewCritique Competitionsubmissions for this month have also been added.

October 17, 2002

Most serious landscape photographers usesplit neutral density filters(grads) to tame the extreme contrast range that sometimes is encountered in nature. But these can be expensive to purchase as well as slow to use. If you shoot with a digital SLR then there’s now a better way. My new tutorial titledDigital Blendingconsists of three seperatePhotoshoptechniques that allow you to expand dynamic range when shooting with a digital camera. One of them will be just right for you.

Video Journalsubscribers please note that this topic will be theFeatured TutorialinIssue #6— which you will receive in November. If you’re not yet a subscriber, why notfind out moreabout how to subscribe. Don’t miss an issue.

October 15, 2002

MyYellowstone & Grand Tetonwildlife and landscape portfolio is now online. It contains several images from the trip and a detailed discussion on both the locations, and how the images were made. Additional images from that prolific shoot will appear as illustrations in another article later in the week.

October 13, 2002

Because I was traveling last week Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn forOctober 6thdidn’t appear. It is now online. In it Mike describes the importance of editing, something that I can relate to right now as I have just spent the past 48 hours reviewing the 1,800 frames that I shot last week inYellowstoneandGrand TetonNational Parks. My portfolio from that trip will appear here tomorrow.

Miles Heckerhas now updated hisDigital Qualityarticle with preliminary statistics for theCanon 1DsandKodak 14ncameras.

October 11, 2002

I have just returned from a week-long wildlife and landscape shoot inYellowstoneandGrand Teton National Parks. We were very fortunate as the Fall colours were are their peak and we had ideal weather. I will have a full write-up and portfolio online within the week.

I reported earlier today that an e-mail had arrived from a reader in Japan informing me that theCanon 1Dsis now on sale there, and that the price at one of Tokyo’s largest camera retailers was ¥ 650,000 — aboutU.S. $5,280. This information turns out to have been in error. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. The best information that I have right now (from sources in both Japan and the U.S.) is that shipments will start on a small scale in late November and that the price will be about $6,000. Time will tell.

We today begin what is going to be a steady stream of exciting new articles, tutorials and product reviews in the coming weeks with a photographic guide toBryce Canyon National Park, by contributorBruce Wilson.

October 4, 2002

I am now offline untilFriday, October 11th. I am on a Fall wildlife shoot inYellowstoneandGrand Teton National Parks. Any e-mails sent to me during the coming week will be responded to upon my return. Order processing forThe Video Journalis automated and therefore will not be affected in any way. Lots of great new articles and reviews are coming up later this month. Have a great week.

October 3, 2002

Part 5, the concluding segment to my multi-part field test of the just-announcedCanon EOS 1Ds, is now online. This has been a very enjoyable, but exhausting week. The camera has been a great pleasure to use but a challenge to test appropriately. Fortunately I had another photographer working alongside me for the last two days helping to conduct the review — someone with some considerable expertise in digital imaging —Thomas Knoll, the original author ofPhotoshop. I hope that you have enjoyed reading the report this past week as much as I did writing it.

October 2, 2002

I have just returned from a 2 day shoot in north central Ontario, concluding my field test of a pre-productionCanon EOS-1Ds.Part 5, the final segment of the report, will appear online tomorrow.

A photograph taken with the 1Ds last week in Florida is now myFeatured Imagefor September.

The winner of the SeptemberCritique CompetitionisJason Clarkof Mesa, Arizona. Congratulations! Jim wins a copy of the current issue ofThe Video Journal. There were many fine entries this month and so choosing a winner was very difficult. Also, due to travel and workload I was unable to include a great many interesting submissions that were received in the second half of the month. These will be carried over and considered for inclusion as part of the October competition.

September 30, 2002

Part 4of myCanon EOS 1Dsfield report is now online. It examines the issues of dynamic range, user interface, and resolution and cropping. It is illustrated with some photographs from my weekend trip to Florida, all taken with the 1Ds.

On Monday and Tuesday I will be heading up to theBruce Peninsulaarea ofNorthern Ontariofor a couple of days of landscape and nature photography with the 1Ds, and I will therefore be offline.Chris Sandersonand I will be filming a report on theCanon 1Dsfor the next issue ofThe Luminous Landscape Video Journalduring this shoot. Therefore my next and final installment of the report will appear on Wednesday or Thursday.

If you have any interest in photographingPolar Bears in Churchill Manitobathis Fall, this is the year to do it.Scott WoodcoxofWoodLife Photography and Tourshas two workshops coming up, and because there are still unfilled spots he is offering a 50% discount.(Please note that this tour is not associated in any way withThe Luminous Landscape. This announcement appears here for informational purposes only).

September 29, 2002

Part Threeof myCanon EOS 1Dsfield report is now online. In it I explore how the camera handles skin tones, the issue of dust, the use of wide-angle lenses with a full-frame sensor, a resolution evaluation, and the camera’s noise performance.

MyPhotokina Reportwas updated with several new items today, and I expect to provide additional items tomorrow as the show draws to a close.

In the meantimeMike Johnston’sSunday Morningcolumn this week is titledKodak Fights Back. You won’t want to miss it.

September 28, 2002

I’m sure that many of you are waiting eagerly forPart 3of myCanon EOS 1Dsfield report. It’s going to be delayed somewhat I’m afraid. I’ve had to go to southern Florida for the weekend for a family event, and while I have the camera with me, and will continue with my testing, I won’t be able to file a report each day.

Then on Monday I’ll be heading up to theBruce Peninsulaarea ofNorthern Ontariofor a couple of days of landscape and nature photography with the 1Ds and will be offline. (That’s what this is all about isn’t it? Taking photographs.) This all means that for the next 5 days or so my reports will be intermittent.

September 27, 2002

Yesterday was my second day testing the newCanon EOS 1Ds. I was able to redo the comparison with the D60, which was botched the day before, and I have also done an evaluation of noise levels at various ISO settings, looked at the issue of Moire and anti-aliasing, as well as some other issues. All of this is available inPart 2of my ongoing 1Ds evaluation. If you have not yet readPart 1, please read it first for the whole thing to make sense.

September 26, 2002

I spent much of yesterday testing and shooting with a pre-productionCanon EOS 1Ds, Canon’s just announced 11 Megapixel full-frame CMOS digital SLR.Canon Canadawas kind enough to let me have this camera for testing for the next 5 days. I have now published the first offive daily hands-on reportson my experience using this camera — both doing comparison tests and using the camera in the field.

My tests and field experience with theCanon 1Dswill also be featured in the next issue of theLuminous Landscape Video Journal, to be published in November.

September 25, 2002

Dealing with large digital camera files in the field has always been a concern, but now that each shot takes between 6MB and 14MB the gigabytes build up quickly. Even if you have two or even three 1GB Microdrives, this often isn’t enough for a day’s shoot. And traveling with a laptop isn’t always viable, so what to do?

The best current solution is a 30GBDelkin eFilm PicturePad. This is a battery operated hard disk with built-in colour LCD screen, about the size of a paperback book. It is also sold as theNixvue Vista. My review is now online along with a second opinion byMichael Tapes, a New York photographer and author ofYarcPlus.

Today, Wednesday, is the first day ofPhotokina, and though there have been a number of product announcements leading up to the show many more are expected as the week progresses. Keep an eye on myPhotokina 2002 Updatepage for all the latest news.

September 24, 2002

Today is press-preview day atPhotokinaand we can expect many of the major announcements to be made prior to the show’s opening tomorrow morning. This has already started. I will spend much of the day keeping you informed of the latest announcements. You’ll find links as well as my comment and observations on myPhotokina 2002 Updatepage. Look for frequent updates throughout the day.

September 23, 2002

The introductions of a number of high-end (and very expensive) digital SLRs is causing a lot of photographers a great deal of financial concern. My new essay entitledThe Digital Revolution & Equipment Angstlooks at the issue of digital camera anxiety and how to cope with it.

You will notice that rather than listingPhotokinaproduct announcements here onWhat’s NewI have now moved them to a stand-alone page calledPhotokina 2002 Update. There are links to this page both above, and from the site’sHome Page. I will be updating the page regularly throughout the week though you can expect the bulk of new announcements tomorrow.

As you may know,Mike Johnston, the author is this site’s very popularSunday Morningcolumn, also publishes a paper and ink newsletter calledThe 37th Frame. Mike has just announced that he is going to be limiting subscriptions, so if you’re not already a subscriber this is the time to do so. Hisannouncementis now online.

September 22, 2002

Have you ever suffered from metaphysical doubt regarding your 50mm lens? If soMike Johnstonhas written just theSunday Morningarticle for you. Kick back, pour another cup of coffee, and find out why you should or shouldn’t be in a state ofmetaphysical doubt.

By the way, once your psychic state has stabilized, if you’re not already a subscriber toThe Video Journaltake a minute to find out more about it. This is a unique "magazine" for the serious photographer published quarterly on DVD video byThe Luminous Landscape. If you find this site of interest and value you’ll findThe Video Journalto be the perfect compliment to it.

September 20, 2002 — Update

The cat is sticking its head out of the bag. There is now more official information on the landmarkCanon EOS 1Dsdigital SLR which is due to be announced next Wednesday at Photokina.You’ll find a report on the new information that’s just become available here.

September 20, 2002

I spent 4 days inVenicelast week during a 10-day vacation in Italy. I took some street photographs while there that aren’t ones usual tourist pictures. Following on the heals of myEnigma Variationsessay earlier this week this will give the documentary photographers in the audience a full ration of this type of work. The new essay is titledVenice — Off The Beaten Track.

If you’re interested in a street photography workshop in Italy, Rome in October to be specific, have a look atthis onebeing put on byTuscana Photographic Worhops, conducted byDavid A. Harvey.

Photokina, the bi-annual world’s fair of photography opens next Wednesday in Cologne, Germany. Quite a number of new products are going to be announced (this will be a huge year for digital). Manufacturers have already started issuing press releases, but the major announcements won’t be made until the show opens. I’ll post information on this page as I hear about things that I find of interest and that I think readers might as well. Iwon’tbe reporting on the huge number of point-and-shoot digicams. That’s whatDPReviewdoes best.

Sigmayesterday announced several interesting new lenses. This company really seems to be moving up-market. Among the ones that readers here may find of interest are an80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX "OS"lens, with the OS standing forOptical Stabilized. Yup, the first such lens from anyone other than Canon and Nikon.

The second is a300-800mm f/5.6 EX IF HSMwith a constant f/5.6 aperture. Nowthatshould be interesting! No prices or availability yet. These lenses will be available in Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Pentax and Sigma mounts.

Canon also will have new lenses. One that is known is theEF 24-70/2,8L USM, replacing the already superb 28-70mm f/2.8L. Hard to understand the raison d’etre for this lens at the moment.

September 19, 2002

A few weeks ago I favorably reviewedinCAMERA Professional,a software package for profiling digital cameras. One of my only complaints with this fine product was that the price was too high.Pictographicshas just announced a special promotion.The price has been reduced to $375, and until September 30, 2002, there is an additional $75 rebate on the downloadable version, reducing the price further to $300. Who says reviewers have no influence?

September 18, 2002

Turning our attention away from equipment for a moment — in my new essay and portfolio entitledEnigma VariationsI examine one of the critical factors involved in successful street photography.

September 16, 2002

Anyone who owns a digital SLR and who is looking to extract optimum image quality from their camera typically works in RAW mode. But, before these files can be accessed they must first be reviewed, and then converted to a standard file format (such as TIFF) using a RAW conversion program.

Canon providesZoomBrowseras well as a plug-in, but most people find that this program leaves a lot to be desired in terms of convenience and flexibility. Owners of theCanon D30,D60and1Dand have two major third-party utilities available for this purpose —Breezebrowser and YarcPlus. I have just completed a comparison between these two programs. Either of these will be a must-have for any digital Canon owner.

Nikon DSLR owners face similar issues.Uwe Steinmueller, the publisher ofdigital Outback photohas now published the first of a series of e-booklets (in printable PDF format). This is titledManaging the RAW File Workflowand covers theNikon D100/D1x. The booklet is downloadable at a special price of $9.95 while it’s in "beta" The regular price will be $14.95. Versions covering theCanon 1D/D60and theFuji S2are in preparation. This is a well done overview of the available tools and techniques for digital imaging processing workflow. Recommended, and good value for the money.

There is now a patch file online which converts the downloadable French language version of Gray Balancer for theEpson 2200printer into English. It was written byThomas Forsand it is available from hisweb site. See my article on the Epson Gray Balancer issue titledMaking Beerfor more on this. Thanks Thomas — from all of us.

September 15, 2002

It’s Sunday once again and in his column this weekMike JohnstonexaminesThat Classic Look— why Tri-X in D-76 1+1 is the road to B&W nirvana.

Lee CarneyandSteve Kossack, both regular contributors to this site, traveled to Alaska on a shoot together last month. Lee has just published a brief write-up on that trip and the problems that they encountered. It can be foundon his site. If Alaska figures in your future travel or shooting plans you may find it of interest.

September 14, 2002

I have just returned from a 10 day vacation inRomeandVenice. I even had a chance to do a bit of street photography in both cities. Once I’ve recovered from jet-lag and had a chance to do some scanning I hope to have some images online.

Many of you may already know this, but a couple of days agoCanon Europeaccidentally (and briefly) published online their pre-Photokinapress release and spilled the beans on the forthcomingEOS-1Ds. This is an 11 Megapixel full-frame CMOS camera based on the 1D body. Needless to say this isthedigital SLR that many photographers have been waiting for (including myself). Of course I expect to have a hands-on review hereverysoon. Price and availability are not yet known but are rumoured to be around $6,000 and by year’s end.

PhotographerLee Carneywho last month gave us his write-up on photographing auto racing now shares with us his experiencePhotographing Bears at Brooks Fallsin Alaska. This is one of the world’s premier sites for photographing brown bears.

September 4, 2002

I am leaving today for a 10 day vacation. I will be offline untilSaturday, September 14thand therefore will be unable to respond to personal e-mails or Forum postings.Video Journalsubscription requests are automated, and are therefore unaffected, as are Workshop registrations.

A reminder that if you haven’t yet considered subscribing toThe Video Journal, why don’t you take a moment to see what it’s about? It is a photography publication on DVD video that explores the world ofThe Luminous Landscape, but in a totally unique way. Subscribing is also the way in which you can support this site. We are completely non-commercial and plan on remaining that way.

Also, if you haven’t yet looked at the information aboutmy next Workshop— a luxury winter vacation and wildlife shoot inCosta Ricanext February, see if this might be something to excite and challenge you. It’s going to be a remarkable trip.

There’s lots of great new content coming as soon as I get back. See you then.

Because I’ll be away next Sunday (September 8),Mike Johnstonwas kind enough to run his word processor are lightning speed and generate hisSunday Morningcolumn a few days early. This week’s topic isReadings for Practicing Photographers. Thanks Mike!

Finally, I will be away as well for the anniversary ofSeptember 11. Last year I published a photograph titledIn Memoriamwhich was my way of honouring that dreadful event. I’m posting it again now so that we can remember both those who died andwhatwas lost. —Michael

September 3, 2002

Many DSLR users own theSigma 14mm f/2.8because the 14mm lenses from Canon and Nikon are very expensive. With magnification factors of 1.3 to 1.6X, digital SLRs desperately need ultra-wide angle lenses. A 14mm becomes about a 22mm — as wide as these camera can get.

I’ve used the Sigma 14mm with my Canon D30 (and now with the D60) for a couple of years and found it to be a decent (though not excellent) performer. But arecent testwith film, and a comparison with the newCanon 16-35mm f/2.8L, shows that the Sigma 14mm is deficient at the corners on a full-frame camera.

September 2, 2002

Thewinner(again) of the AugustCritique CompetitionisLeigh Perryof Sydney, Australia. Congratulations Leigh! Leigh wins a copy of the current issue ofThe Luminous Landscape Video Journal. The September competition is now open forsubmissions.

September 1, 2002

You get a double-header today.Mike Johnston’sSunday Morning Photographercolumn isOn Self Assignmentand…

Ever wonder why manufacturers, retailers, publishers and others in the photographic industry make the (sometimes stupid) decisions that they do? Why products are released in some countries and not others? Why prices for the exact same products can vary by as much as 75% between countries?

If so, then you might enjoy my new essay titledWhy Don’t They Get It?

August 30, 2002

It sometimes seems that every photography magazine and web site publishes a never-ending stream ofPhotoshophints, tips and tutorials. This site has a few — mostly basic tutorials — but mainly I use the desktop darkroom pretty much as I did the wet darkroom, and have little interest in gimmicks and tricks.

If you are interested in a novel look though, something like a faded photograph or unrestored colour movie form the 1940s, have a look at my new tutorial onDesaturated Colour. The photographs used as illustrations were taken with the newCanon 16-35mm Lwide-angle zoom on aCanon D60.I have now added an additional technique suggested by a reader.

NewLuminous Landscaperegulars who have been suffering from withdrawal symptoms since theDiscussion Forumwent down last week will be pleased to note that aNew Forumis now online. The forum software is new — based onIkonboard, which many of you may already be familiar with. It is going to take me a few weeks to get the Board organized properly, but itisup, and your participation is welcome. (Links to the Discussion Forum are found at the top and bottom of every page on this site.)

The old Board software will remain online in "Read Only" mode because there are a number of interesting threads with useful information. It can be foundhere.

August 29, 2002

The move to the site’s new server earlier this week went smoothly, but with two exceptions. The first is that the Forum is broken. At this time it is my plan to install new and better discussion forum software, but likely not for a little while. In the meantime old messages can be read, but new postings aren’t possible.

The second problem is specifically withNetscape 4.7. For reasons which are still not clear this browser and version does not work properly with this site on the new server. We are investigating, but for the time being my suggestion is that if you’re still runningNetscape 4.7, consider upgrading toNetscape 6.2or tryExplorer 6.0.

August 28, 2002

Every now and then a camera system comes along that is either ignored or underestimated by the marketplace. TheFuji GX680is one such system. It is popular with some studio photographers, but few consider it a suitable field camera.

ButDanny Burkdoes. In fact in his new review he suggests that theFuji GX680iiimay possibly be the ideal landscape photography camera.Tempting — very tempting.

NewI will be inRomefromSeptember 5th — 8th. If any readers from Rome would like to get together for a cappuccino and to talk about the Italian photographic scene, I’d enjoy meeting with you if our schedules permit. Drop mea line.

August 27, 2002

The move to the new server is now complete and went relatively smoothly. Combined with the reindexing of the site byGooglethis past weekend things should settle back to normal soon. (You can nowSearchThe Luminous LandscapeusingGoogle. A link is found at the top of each page).

The bad news is that theDiscussion Forumis seriously broken and I’m not sure what it’s going to take to fix it. I am exploring a switch to new Forum software. I’ll post an announcement here when there is a resolution to the issue.

I’ve learned thatEpson 2100purchasers in Australia do not get Epson’s printer profiles on their installation CD. WhyEpson Australiamade this daft decision is beyond fathoming. In any event, the profiles are now on their web site and can befound here.

And, speaking of Epson sillyness,Vincent Oliverofphoto-ihas done the photographic community a service by publishing a comprehensive tutorial on how to download, translate and use theGray Balancersoftware. It’s found on his site in an article titledIt’s a Gray Issue For Epson USA.

Rhetorical Question:How can a company with such great technology (Epson) have such disjointed and inappropriate marketing practices around the world? It must really take an effort.

August 26, 2002

We’re moving. Due to continued growth of traffic on this site it has become necessary to move to a new server. If you experience any problems, other than with the Discussion Forum, pleaselet me know.

Also, p lease note that as part of this move I have had to suspend posting of new messages to theDiscussion Forum.Otherwise some people would be posting to the old server and these would end up vaporizing in a few days, (the messages, not the people). Posting should be back to normal soon. Thanks for your patience.

Googlehas completed its re-indexing following our redesign of last month. This means that the new site-wideSearchfunction is now fully operational. This will better help you find what you’re looking for among the more than 1,400 pages of photography articles on this site. TheSearchbutton is found at the top-right of every page.

August 25, 2001

Weekly columnistMike Johnstonhas now returned from his August vacation, and provides us witha reporton a very cool soundingcamera clinicat a retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.

My summer vacation is coming to a close as well, and I have just added two new photographs to myFeatured Imagessection. Summer is usually a quiet time for me, but here are two photographs (both done with the Canon D60) taken this summer at my cottage in Muskoka, Ontario.

August 24, 2002

The migration that many professional photographers are currently making to digital cameras and digital backs brings with it new and different challenges. When shooting film a photographer in need of highlyaccuratecolour reproduction needs to be concerned that the film has been properly refrigerated and is all from the same emulsion batch. Test shots need to be done and filter packs determined, along with close consultation with the lab to ensure processing consistency.

Digital shooting changes the demands. Film consistency and processing anomalies are no longer issues. Instead camera calibration and profiling are the new concern.inCAMERA Professionalis one of the new tools that anyone shooting professionally with a digital camera or back needs to consider. My review examines how this software does its job and why you may need it for the work that you do today, or may do in future.

August 23, 2002

All too often photographers simply trust the auto-exposure, auto-focus, auto-white-balance capabilities of their cameras. Usually this produces technical adequate, even very good results. But for Australian professional portrait photographerGrant Tiddy"adequate" isn’t good enough. Grant therefore provides us witha tutorialon how he sets his digital camera in the studio for perfect exposure and white balance, leading to reducedPhotoshoptime as well.

August 20, 2002

Most photographers put their cameras away after dark. They shouldn’t. There are great photographic opportunities, especially of you are shooting with a low-noise D-SLR like theCanon D60. A new article titledNight Landscape Photographyexplores the how-to of doing landscape photography by moonlight,withoutstar trails.

August 18, 2002

Mike Johnston‘svacation continues, so there will be noSunday Morningarticle this week. He should be back in the editorial saddle by next weekend.Critique submissionfrom the past week have now been updated.

A reminder that the 1,000+ pages of tutorials, reviews, portfolios, articles and critiques on this site are made possible by subscriptions to theVideo Journal. Click on the link, or one of the ones above, and find out more. We’ll both be glad that you did.

CurrentVideo Journalsubscribers are reminded that theCritique Competition, whose subject for Issue #6 is "Water", has a deadline ofSeptember 1.

August 17, 2002

Let’s put the technical arcania of printer technology behind us for a while and focus on photography. Today sees the publication of an article onhow to photograph car races, byLee Carney. Lee takes us to theMolson Indyin Toronto last month for a look at what’s involved in getting the best shots at a professional race.

August 16, 2002

Today sees the publication here of my final two articles on theEpson 2200printer (for now). If you’re interested in this milestone printer you’ll be pleased to know that this site now contains9 separate articleson it. (Links to each of the other 8 articles are found at the bottom of each page).

If you’re not interested in the 2200, you’ll be pleased to learn that beginning this weekend we’ll be returning to publishing new content on a number of different photographic topics.

The final two articles on the 2200 areB&W Printing Using Photorealistic Mode, by Carl Schofield, and my exploration of various alternativeEpson 2200 Printing Techniques, in Both B&W and Colour.

August 15, 2002

If you’ve been paying attention to the greatEpson Gray Balancer Controversyyou’ll know that theEpson 2200printer sold in North America does not come with theGray Balancerthat is provided to customers elsewhere in the world.

Many existing and prospective 2200 owners have asked thatEpson North Americaput the software online so that they can download it. But, even then, without the printed gray scale reference card from Epson the software alone wouldn’t be of much use.

It appears that theGray Balancersoftware is indeed available online, atEpson France‘s web site (NB: software and manual are both in French). And,Vincent Oliverofphoto-iin the U.K. has now provided us withEpson Reference Cardequivalents on theKodak Gray Scale Card.

Details can be found on my new page entitledMaking Beer. (Read it and you’ll see why it has that name).

August 14, 2002

I have written several reviews and articles during the past few weeks on theEpson Photo 2200printer,Ultrachromeinks and new papers. If you’ve been following these you know that I regard the 2200 as the finest desktop printer yet to appear for the fine-art photographer. But, unlike for purchasers of theEpson 2100(the same printer, as sold everywhere in the world except the U.S. and Canada), Epson is not providing us with theGray Balancerkit. Whatever the reason for this may be, I regard it as a serious oversight, and an insult to us as loyal and enthusiastic customers.

Special Report:

I now have online a review of and commentary on theGray Balancer. If you are a current or prospective purchaser of anEpson 2200you should know thatEpson North Americais depriving you of a very valuable piece of software.

I believe that through this action Epson has short-changed its U.S. and Canadian customers and now needs to rectify its mistaken decision not to provide us with this valuable utility. Readthe review. What do you think?

Update: Shortly after the review was published I started to receive correspondence from readers on this issue. Some of the more relevant topics will be included from now on onthis page. Also, in the first version of the report, online for a few hours yesterday, I erroneously wrote that there was a missing file that prevents the 2200 from usingGray Balancer. This was from an earlier draft of the report that accidentally crept in. Sorry for any confusion.

August 13, 2002

Some time in the next 48 hours this site will be moving to a new server. The move is for strictly technical reason. There should be no interruption of service, but if there is it shouldn’t last for long.

August 12, 2002

Update: I just learned mid-day Monday thatGalen and Barbara Rowellperished in a plane crash over the weekend, near the Owens River south of Bishop. Two others on board also died in the crash.

Galen was one of the greats of contemporary landscape and nature photography as well as a prolific author and dedicated environmentalist. He will be missed!More.

– – –

Two items of note today…

Item 1:The annualPerseid meteor showerbegins Sunday evening and lasts for the next couple of nights. At its peak (Monday evening) as many as one per minute may be seen. Some time after midnight should produce the best viewing conditions. Of course you’ll need clear skies, so hopefully one of the next few nights will prove cooperative where you are.

If you have not tried meteor photography before, why not give it ashotnow? All you need are clear dark skies, a camera, tripod, and a wide lens. You can find out more about how to tackle this fascinating subject in my article onMeteor Photography.

Item 2:I have now added an update to myEpson 2200review on howMacowners who useOS Xcan take advantage ofMatte Black Ink. And, I have just published a brief2nd Opinionon the 2200, byLeon Wittwer.

August 11, 2002

Mike Johnston is on vacation and so there will not be aSunday Morningcolumn from him this week. Mike is probably sitting by a northern lake taking pictures with his digicam,and waiting for the shutter to eventually release. Just the thing for a slow and lazy summer day.(Just kidding Mike! Just kidding folks!)

But, so that you don’t feel too content deprived this weekend I am publishing two new reviews related to theEpson 2200 / 2100printers (and the 7600 / 9600 as well). After my review of the 2200 first appeared here a few weeks ago I went out of town and wasn’t available to do much further testing. I’ve now had a few additional days back in the office and so you will find online a review of Epson’s specialMatte Black Ink, for high-quality printing on Matte papers, and also a preliminary evaluation of Epson’s just releasedVelvet Fine Art Paper.Please come back here when you’re finished reading them and check out the information below….

I am working on a review ofEpson’s Gray Balancer(which Epson North America doesn’t want customers in the U.S. and Canada to have), and should have this report online in a few days.

A Quick Promotion

Newcomers will soon realize, and regular readers already know, that there is nowhere else on the Net or in print that contains as much informative, controversial, up-to-the-moment, varied, opinionated, fresh, and non-commercial photographic content as doesThe Luminous Landscape. But, something has to pay the bills. 350 Mb of server storage and 60 Gigabytes of traffic a month don’t come cheap.

We don’t want donations! We don’t want you to buy equipment from a favourite dealer of ours or from a specific manufacturer so that we can get a commission — the way some sites do. What we would like is for you to take a moment tofind out moreabout a fantastic DVD video series that we produce 4 times a year calledThe Luminous Landscape Video Journal.

August 9, 2002

When I reviewed the newEpson 2200printer I was irked, and took Epson to task for not installing paper and ink profiles on theirPC Windowsinstalls. They were there for theMacIntosh, but not Windows.

Then several readers started writing that they indeed had the profiles installed under Windows, while others (like me) didn’t. What was going on?The mystery is now solved.

– – –

Earlier this year Canadian naturalist and photographerBill Caulfeild-Brownespent a month inNew Zealanddoing photography with the then just introducedCanon EOS-1D. His article was one of the first to appear online detailing field experience with this camera.

Bill has now had 6 more months of experience with the 1D, and in his new article,Living With The Canon 1D, he describes some recent shooting experience as well as the use of the exciting (though expensive)400mm f/4 DO ISlens.

August 7, 2002

About 18 months I wrote and published here a tutorial titledUnderstanding Resolution. It has proven to be of interest to tens of thousands of readers since it first appeared. Recently I learned that photographic authorRon Harriswrote a much more detailed article by the same name ten years before.

With Ron’s kind permission these two new articles are now available onThe Luminous Landscape. The page is calledMore About — Understanding Resolution. These are reproductions of the original print articles and are inPDFformat. They may therefore take a while to download, and you will need to haveAdobe Acrobatinstalled on your computer to read them.

August 5, 2002

It’s now been a month since I started running a new high-end statistics package on this site, and I thought I’d share some of the information with you. While for many this won’t be of much interest, for anyone with their own web site who lacks a full-fledged stats capability some of this data may be of interest. Others may simply find that it provides an insight into the habits of follow photographers on the Net.This pagewill be updated regularly and is also accessable via theAbout This Sitedrop down at the top of every page.

August 4, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningarticle for this week continues his exploration of the world of digital cameras. The upcoming bi-annualPhotokinashow in Germany as well as the potential of anOlydakannouncement are among the topics examined.

August 3, 2002

How about a shoot inSedona, Arizona this November?Red Rock Crossing,Bell Rock,Oak Creek Canyon.  You can do all of these, and more, in the company of one of the West’s most knowledgeable photography guides —Steve Kossack.

Steve is offering aRed Rock Crossing — SedonaWorkshopover the weekend of November 14-18. Designed for photographers of all skill levels, digital or film based, this workshop is for a small number of photographers (3 people), who want to explore the beauty of the Sedona area during the late fall / early winter, in the company of an experienced guide and teacher.

Steve has been co-instructor on many of my workshops, and he is well regarded by members who subsequently hire him as a guide to the region. (This workshop is not affiliated in any way with The Luminous Landscape).

——

And, speaking of workshops, myCosta Rica Wildlife Workshop & Expeditionscheduled for earlyFebruary, 2003still has spaces available. Most people aren’t thinking about where they want to be in the depth of winter during the height of summer, but if you want to join a unique photographic trip, and bring your spouse along on a luxury winter vacation,this is the one to sign up for!

August 2, 2002

Other than for more product reviews the most frequent requests that I receive are for assistance with learning composition. This is shown through the ongoing popularity of theCritique Competitionsection. We all learn from viewing other photographer’s work.

But, how to go about critiquing ones own work? In anew essayon this subject I have taken one of my own recent photographs and subjected it to the same analytical process as I apply to critiquing the work of others. I have also described the thought processes that I used in finalizing the composition.

 

August 1, 2002

TheLuminous Landscape Video Journalnow enters its second year of publication.Issue #5ships today to current subscribers and should be in your mailbox by the end of next week.

Included in this new issue are a field review of theCanon D60; a winter shoot inArches and Canyonlands National Parks; on-locationMacro/Ringlightphotography; a field review of theHasselblad XPan,andPart 2of theDigital Imaging Primer.

You can view briefvideo clipsfrom this new issue online. Better yet, if you’re not yet a subscriber why notfind out moreabout this unique photographic resource?

Existing subscribers please note — if you first subscribed last summer — beginning your subscription with Issue #1, you need toresubscribenow to ensure that you receive the newIssue #5and future issues without interruption.

Thanks to everyone — new, current, and renewing subscribers — for yourenthusiastic supportduring our first year of publication. Year two is going to be even better!

July 31, 2002

Due to the amount of time that the conversion to the new web site design has taken these past couple of weeks I have neglected theCritique Competition.Submission that were accepted last month are now being posted as August submissions, and I’ll be caught up in a few days. Thewinnerof the July competition isThomas W. Earleof Oregon. Congratulations Thomas! New submission are now welcome.

Regular readers of the Critique Competition will note that the links to previous month’s entries are no longer listed. They are still online, just not publicly linked at the moment. The job of reformatteeing them to the site’s new design is formidable and so I’ve delayed this until I’m finished updating some of the more critical pages. I’ll announce here when they’re accessable again.

July 30, 2002

During the past two weeks, as part of hisSunday Morningseries, Mike Johnstonhas written two articles favourable to digicams. Earlier this month I decided to have a closer look for myself at the current state of the digicam art and purchased the just-releasedNikon Coolpix 5700. My review is now online, along with some not-so-favourable observations about digicams in general.

July 29, 2002

Since the publication last week of myEpson 2200review I have received a number of enquiries as to where one can be bought.

I purchased mine fromVistek, a professional photographic retailer in Toronto. As of today they have a large inventory of 2200s and have told me that they will ship anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. You can reach them at(416) 365-1777. Ask for the digital department on the second floor.

Needless to say, I have no commercial relationship withVistekother than as a satisfied customer.

Update:I’ve been informed that as of todayB&Hhas the 2200 in stock as well.

July 28, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morningarticle for this week is the second of two parts on the topic of digicams. It is entitledReal Photographers Don’t Use Sonys.

My review ofNikon’slatest digicam, theCoolpix 5700, and a counterpoint of sorts to Mike’s new-found love affair with digicams will appear in a couple of days. You won’t want to miss it.

July 27, 2002

A full review of the newNikon D100has just been published onDPReview. This new DSLR joins theCanon D60in pushing the price and performance envelope, with both cameras retailing at about U.S. $2,000. Just 3 years ago a 35mm digital camera with this image quality cost close to $10,000.

July 26, 2002

It has been two years since the arrival of the first archival desktop inkjet printer, theEpson 2000P. It represented a breakthrough in providing between 100 and 200 year image stability, but it had problems — among them serious metamerism and a reduced colour gamut.

TheEpson Photo Stylus 2200(2100 in Europe) has now arrived, and it is a milestone product. It is my feeling that this printer represents a new maturity in photographic desktop printing.My reviewexplains why.

July 25, 2002

As you’ve no doubted noticed the site redesign is now well underway. It is more than simply cosmetic, and when competed in a week or so will allow for much simpler site navigation. For those who are curious, I’ve switched fromMicrosoft FrontpagetoMacromedia DreamWeaveras my page creation and site maintenance software.

Thanks for you patience during this transition period.

July 21, 2002

Weekly columnist (and photographic curmudgeon)Mike Johnston’sarticle for this week is entitledJust Say ‘NO’ to Digital SLRs!He makes some fascinating points, and as you’ll see in an review coming later this week there’s considerable merit to what Mike says.

The site redesign is progressing, but a bit more slowly than first anticipated. I now expect it to be completed later this week and to resume a more aggressive publishing schedule at that time.

July 17, 2002

Announcing my next major workshop‚Costa Rica Wildlife Workshop 2003.

This is an 11 day trip‚ fromFriday, January 31stthroughMonday, February 10th, 2003. It will combine an exciting photography workshop in one of the world’s most outstanding wildlife locations together with a luxury vacation‚ in fascinatingCosta Rica.

Co-leading this workshop with me isFiona Reid, a world-recognized naturalist and author. Fiona has lived in Costa Rica and has personally led more than 20 tours there. I have done wildlife photography in the Costa Rican rainforest and found it to be a remarkable opportunity.

What makes this workshop unique is that it is suitable not only for photographers but also for their mates and spouses. We will be staying in 4 Star resort hotels and the pace will be conducive to those that want to be shooting as much as possible, and also those that want to have an exciting but comfortable winter vacation. What a combination!

But, there are only 6 places left available‚ total‚ photographers and spouses. So, that means that this workshop is going to sell out quickly. If you’d like to learn moreclick here. I hope you can make it.

July 16, 2002

The sun and moon are critical components for landscape photographers. When are they going to rise and set on any given day and location? What’s the moon’s phase going to be for a day you’re planning of on shooting? Exactly where will they rise and set?

There are any number of print almanacs, ephemeris programs and web sites that will give you this basic astronomical data. But nothing can beat having this information in your pocket when traveling on a shoot. I recently discovered the best program I’ve yet seen for this. It’s for thePalm OSand is calledPlanetarium. I used it for the first time on my recent trip toIcelandand it facilitated more than one worthwhile photograph.

July 14, 2002

It’s Sunday morning. A most beautiful summer Sunday, at least where I am, andMike Johnstontakes us once again into the far recesses of his photographic mind with an essay onBlack & White Tonality.

July 13, 2002

Regular contributor and fine-art landscape photographerAlain Briotwas one of the first people to take delivery last month of Epson’s latest large-format archival inkjet printer, the newEpson Stylus Pro 9600. This printer uses the same newUltraChromeinks as the also just released7600and2100/2200printers, so there’s worthwhile information here for those interested in these new models as well. I hope to have my own review of the new 2200 printer online within a week or so.

July 11, 2002

Harold Merklingeris a highly regarded scientist and author. He has written two short technical books on photography and numerous articles forShutterbug,View Camera, andPhoto Techniques,as well asThe Luminous Landscape.

Harold is also the recent owner of aCanon D60, and he now shares with us his evaluation of this new DSLR in an exclusive article for this siteƒâ€˜D60 First Impressions. This piece is very informative in the light of the article on digital image quality that was published here earlier this week.

July 9, 2002

I am very pleased to be exclusively publishing today a highly informative article onDigital Camera Image Quality. Written by photographic educatorMiles Hecker, with contribution byNorman Koren, this important essay providesƒâ€˜ possibly for the first timeƒâ€˜ a mathematical analysis of the basis for digital camera image quality.

A word of caution;ƒâ€˜ to fully appreciate what Miles and Norman have come up with requires wading though some math. Nothing terribly complex, but a bit of concentration is required. For the mathematically challenged youareallowed to skip to the summary and conclusions, but do try and derive some understanding of how these conclusions have been arrived at.

When I first read a draft of this article I was struck by how closely the resultant analysis matches the subjective impressions that I had when first testing theCanon D30in 2000, and theCanon D60earlier this year. In both instances I was regaled online by some who found my opinions and analysis to be contrary to the waytheywanted the world to be. Though many photographers have subsequently substantiated my conclusions, it’s nice to have them confirmed by objective analysis.

Maybe this is just another way of my repeating what I’ve said often on these pages; "Don’t believe everything you read online unless you know something about who’s writing it; andalways trust your own eyes." Enjoy.

July 7, 2002

Mike Johnston’sSunday Morning Photographeressay this week is onThe Zen of Photographic Fishing(I think), or maybe it’s about golf. In any event, it’s thought provoking in the best Johnston tradition and well worth your time.

– – –

Observant site visitors may have noticed that there is now a line on theHome Pageshowing the number of people currently visiting the site. This may not be of great interest to others, except possibly at 3am when you wonder if you’re the only person out trolling the Net for photographic information, and see that there are 4 others like you online atThe Luminous Landscape. (Or, maybe these people are from Australia, and simply sitting at their desks in the mid-afternoon pretending to be working).

In any event, this is all part of a new and more comprehensive statistics package that I began installing this weekend. Anyone who runs a major web site such as this one needs to know how many people are visiting, and what they’re looking at. Only through such analysis can the site be improved. This program lets me know what countries people are visiting from, what OS and Browser they’re using, how many many pages they view per visit, and so forth. (Don’t worry, the one piece of information that it doesn’t give me is who you are. Your anonymity is secure).

In the days ahead I’ll be publishing some of the more interesting statistics from time to time. With an average of 7,000 visitors a day from over 50 countries there’s a lot to be learned. In the meantime, if there’s anything that you’d like to see to improveThe Luminous Landscape, dodrop me a line.ƒâ€˜Michael

July 6, 2002

How about a shoot in the Eastern Sierra this October?Mono Lake, theAncient Bristlecone Pine Forest, the ghost town ofBodie.  You can do all of these, and more, in the company of one of the West’s most knowledgeable photography guides —Steve Kossack.

Steve is offering aFall Color Workshopover the weekend of October 17-21. Designed for photographers of all skill levels, digital or film based, this workshop is for a small number of photographers (3 people), who want to explore the beauty of the Sierra during the peak of fall color in the company of an experienced guide and teacher.

Steve has been co-instructor on many of my workshops and he is well regarded by members who subsequently hire him as a guide to the region. (This workshop is not affiliated in any way with The Luminous Landscape).

July 5, 2002

The winner of the JuneCritique CompetitionisSteve Vitof Melbourne, Australia. Steve wins a complimentary copy of theThe Video Journal. July’s competition is now open to new submissions.

July 4, 2002

A major portfolio and extensive write-up on my recent photographicExpedition to Icelandis now online. I was completely taken by this beautiful country, and can highly recommend it to any landscape or nature photographer looking for an accessible yet unspoiled land to explore and photograph.

Of the week spent in Iceland, two days involved shooting with Icelandic nature photographerDaniel Bergmann. Anon-location interview with Daniel will be featured in the next issue ofThe Video Journal, scheduled for release later this month. A full feature video on this trip will be found inIssue #7ofThe Journal, scheduled for release in January, 2003, giving you enough time to plan your own trip there next summer.

July 2, 2002

We all know that lenses perform at their best when stopped down a couple of stops, rather than when used wide-open. While true, for the neurotic compulsives among us adhering to this maxim can cause warts. What am I talking about?Read on.

July 1, 2002

I have now finished scanning my film from Iceland and am putting together a travel article and portfolio. It should be online before the end of the week. But, I did want to share with you my favourite (and strangest) image from this shoot. It is now my JuneFeatured Image.

June 30, 2002

After a one week hiatus due to my travelsMike Johnston’s Sunday Morning Photographercolumn for this weekfeatures Part II of his interview withNicholas Hartmannand a discussion ofSingle Blackinkjet printing.

June 29, 2002

Two articles related toThe Luminous Landscapehave appeared during the past week. The first is an onlinereviewofThe Video Journalwhich appears onNature Photographers Online Magazine. ReviewerTere Hendrickswritesƒâ€˜"If you’re looking for a professionally produced DVD packed with hands-on reviews of the latest equipment, information on some of the finest locations in North America, tutorials on digital imaging and more, all commercial and advertising free; then theLuminous Landscape Video Journalis for you!"

TheAsahi Optical Historical Club, in the April 2002 issue of their magazineSpotmatic, has a profile of yours truly as well as a reprint of my review of thePentax 67II. The magazine is published in both Italian and English and is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Pentax equipment, both historical and contemporary. You’ll find them onlinehere.

June 28, 2002

I’ve just returned from my week-long landscape photography expedition toIceland. What was Iceland like? Simplyƒâ€˜ the most remarkable photographic location that I have ever seen, anywhere in the world! No exaggeration. I’ll have photographs and a comprehensive travel article online in the days ahead.

It will take me a few days to reply to various e-mails and Forum messages, but I should be caught up by the end of the weekend.

Reader Ken Schuster has forwarded the following for our attention. If you’re going to be shooting in Alaska this summer, please take note…

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME, RECENTLY ISSUED THIS BULLETIN:

In light of the rising frequency of human-grizzly bear conflicts, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field.

"We advise outdoorsmen to wear noisy little bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears that aren’t expecting them. We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear.

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear manure:

Black bear manure is comparatively small and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur.

Grizzly bear manure has little bells in it and smells like pepper."

June 20, 2002

As of today I am offline untilFriday, June 28th. I will be inIcelandon a week-long landscape photography expedition. I will be camping, so there will be no laptop computer, no modems, no phones; just (hopefully)luminous landscapes.

I will therefore be unable to respond to e-mails, Forum postings or Critique Contest submissions until I return. Subscription requests forThe Video Journalare automated, so please continue to place your subscriptions and renewals during the coming week.

The next 7 days include the summer solsticeanda full moon. There will be 21 hours a day of Arctic daylight, twilight, clouds, rain, wind, cold, and hopefully some exciting photographic opportunities.

This expedition will be featured in a forthcoming issue ofThe Video Journal, as well as in a major travel article which will appear on these pages next month.

See you here online in a week!

June 18, 2002

When photographers first start using Photoshop they can become very frustrated with the steep learning curve. Becoming proficient with this program can be like mastering how to set the time on ones VCR. Often we just leave it flashing 12:00 in frustration.

While there are dozens of books on Photoshop available most are oriented toward the needs of graphic artists, not photographers. The books thatarefor photographers can still be daunting for beginners. That’s why just over two years ago I wroteInstant Photoshop, a tutorial designed to help new Photoshop users learn the basic steps necessary to produce good images. It has subsequently become one of the most popular tutorials on this site.

Today I’m pleased to publishAn Image Processing Workflow, by Fred Scholtz. This is the most comprehensive step-by-step series of instructions on how to processes images that I’m aware of; from scanner or camera through to printing. Not just what to do, but the preferred order to do them in.

A word of caution thoughƒâ€˜ this is simply one photographer’s preferred approach. In Photoshop there usually many different ways to accomplish the same thing. If you are relatively new to Photoshop you could do a lot worse than Fred’s techniques. If you’re a more advanced user, don’t take what Fred has written as a challenge to your preferred approach. But, if you do have a better way, let everyone know about it on theDiscussion Forum.

June 17th, 2002

This week marks the third anniversary ofThe Luminous Landscape. Since June, 1999 the site has grown far beyond initial expectations in size, popularity and impact.

I just received the email below this morning. It’s feedback like this that makes publishing this site worthwhile.

"For more than 2 1/2 years I have followed your site. It has encouraged me to pursue a dream I have to become a fine art photographer. The information on your site has helped me grow and produce more interesting images. I am now represented by 2 gallery’s. Thanks for your efforts and your dedication to the art".ƒâ€˜ Barry Wolf, ChicagoFor those interested in current site statistics here are the most salient ones.

This site currently averages more than 1 million page-views per month. There are in excess of 1,400 pages of tutorials, product review, travel articles and portfolios. These are read by more than 200,000 visitors monthly. This generates over 50 gigabytes of monthly traffic. TheLuminous Landscapeis consistently ranked among the top 10 photographic web sites byGoogleand other search engines.

All of this, I’m pleased to say, on a site without any advertising. No annoying pop-up ads and no commercial biases or pressures. I do of course promoteThe Video Journala quarterly"magazine"which I publish on broadcast-quality DVD video. Something has to pay the bills.

If you’re not already familiar withThe JournalI urge you to find out more, including reading currentsubscriber’s comments. By subscribing you will not only be supporting the continued benefit of this site to yourself and the entire photographic community, but will also receive one of the most exciting and enjoyable photographic resources currently available.

What coming up? A great deal. Tomorrow will see the publication of a major tutorial onPhotoshop Workflow. The weeks ahead will be full of new and fascinating product tests, photographic travel features, instructional articles and more.

My heartfelt thanks for your involvement and support over the past 3 years. I hope to see you often onThe Luminous Landscape. —Michael

June 16, 2002

This week Mike Johnston’sSunday Morning Photographerexplores the use of black ink alone as a means of producing fine-art monochrome inkjet prints. The second part of this article will appear on Sunday, June 30th.

June 14, 2002

If you’re a photographer who is tuned in to the rhythms of the seasons and the sky, you are no doubt aware that a week from today, Friday, June 21st, is the summer solstice the longest day of the year. If you live in a northern locale, at this time of year first light is about 5 am and sunset can be 10 pm or later. A great time for extended sunrise and sunset shoots.

This year though we have a bonus. There is a full moon just a few days later, on the 24th — 25th. Because of the very long twilight and dawn hours there will be great opportunities for landscape photography. It’s summer, the weather should be fine, and other than mosquitoes there are few excuses for not being out shooting.

By next Friday I’ll be inIcelandon a week-long landscape photography expedition. Because of its location close to the Arctic Circle night will last for less than 3 hours each day, and even then it won’t get dark enough for stars to appear. Combine this with the full moon, and the possibilities should be exciting. Of course this shoot will be featured in an upcoming issue ofThe Video Journalas well as on these pages.

You may not be able to get to such an exotic location, but do plan on finding somewhere to shoot close to home over the next week or two, and see what you can make of these exciting light and sky conditions. TheCritique Competitionwill be a great place to show everyone what you were able to accomplish.

June 13, 2002

On a brief trip last week to London to visit family and friends, I had the chance to test out my latest camera. What’s that you say? Another camera? Indeed, and this time in runs on thePalmoperating system!

Read my new article onPervasive Photographyto see what this is all about.

I took oneseriousphotograph on this brief trip, and have used it to illustrate a new section of my earlier essay onStreet Photography.

June 12, 2002

Did you ever wonder what aRIPis? Have you ever printed with one of Epson’s wide-format photo printers and wished for greater speed and versatility?Chris Danielsnow provides us with a review of theColorbyte ImagePrint 4.0 RIP, a software-only RIP that may be just what you need.

June 9, 2002

In this week’sSunday MorningcolumnMike Johnstonexamines theThe Classic Era of the SLR.

June 7, 2002

Photography is a very democratic art. It is practiced by more people than any other creative pursuit. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this means (especially for landscape and wildlife photographers), that doing trulyoriginalwork can become quite difficult.

My new essayBeen There, Done Thatexplores this topic as well as offering some solutions to theweltschmertzfelt by all photographers from time to time.

June 5, 2002

I will be traveling and mostly offline for the next week, until June 11th. Therefore I will only be able to respond intermittently to Forum postings and e-mail.

In the meantime please note that this site is supported by subscriptions toThe Luminous Landscape Video Journal. As someone with a strong interest, likely apassionfor photography, you’ll want to find out about this invaluable resource for serious photographers.

Published every 3 months on DVD video byMichael Reichmann, the author of this site, it is a professionally produced "magazine" style broadcast-quality video program. Up to 90 minutes of content each issue feature travel segments, hands-on product reviews, interviews with famous photographers, digital technique tutorials and more.

To quote one subscriber,"The latest DVD’s content (#4) is overwhelmingly great and very well shot and scored. The cost of each issue to me is the cost of a single developed roll of film and will improve my photography much more than shooting a single roll. The cost should not be compared to the cost of any magazine subscription, but to film itself." 

This site is supported solely through subscriptions toThe Video Journal.Subscribe now. There is, of course, a money back guarantee.

June 4, 2002

In his column for June monthly contributorAlain Briotprovides us with anHomage to Edward Curtis, the famous Western photographer of the early 20th Century. The piece also shows how Alain has tried to recreate one of Curtis’ most famous images, and describes the horseback shoot he did and what was involved. A fascinating project.

June 3, 2002

Two of theGrand Canyon Workshopparticipants,Steve KossackandIan Lyons, have now added their portfolios from the trip.

June 2, 2002

Which is the best autofocus lens that money can buy?Mike Johnstonshares the secret with us in hisSunday Morningcolumn for this week.

The DecemberBosque del Apache & White Sandsworkshop is now sold out. Thanks to everyone for your interest. If you’d like to be added to the Waitlist for future workshops, or if a spot opens up due to a cancellation, please fill in thewaitlist form. No obligation, of course.

June 1, 2002

There are two items of note for those interested in the Digital SLR scene. Contax is now shipping its full-frame1N Digitalin the U.S. and Europe. Yes, actually shipping after a delay from first announcement of nearly 2 years. Apparently cameras have just started to arrive on dealer’s shelves.

Remarkably, no reviewer that I know of has yet received a camera (myself included, though one has been promised for some time). A strange marketing strategy by Contax, to say the least. But then this company is not known for doing things in the conventional way.

As if to underline the point,Imaging Resourcehas just published a first review of the forthcoming 6MPNikon D100. From the sounds of it this camera promises a price / performance breakthrough for Nikon owners. Together withCanon’s D60photographers working with either of these two leading brands now have affordable DSLRs available which are capable of producing images that meet or exceed those available from film.

March 31, 2002

Today is Sunday, and we begin an exciting new weekly feature calledSunday Morning, by prolific photographic author and editorMike Johnston. Every Sunday morning from now on a new critical essay of Mike’s on some aspect of photography will be published here. This week’s essay is onWorking Method Goals.

For those of you who don’t know ofMike Johnston, he was Editor-in-Chief ofPHOTO Techniquesmagazine from 1994-2000. From 1988 to 1994 he was East Coast Editor of the late and much lamentedCamera & Darkroommagazine. Consequently he has been one of the most influential editors on the American photographic magazine scene during the past decade.

Though they will be announced on this page each Sunday, you will also find a link to both, an Index page, and the current week’s essay located toward the bottom of this site’sHome Page.

March 30, 2002

The winner of the March, 2002Critique CompetitionisLoren Fedjeof Chilliwack, British Columbia. Congratulations! Lorne wins a complementary copy of the current issue ofThe Video Journal. (Lorne‚ pleasecontact mewith your address).

Loren’s winning entry as well as those of previous month’s winners can be seenhere.

TheApril Competitionis now open to new entries.

March 29, 2002

Canonintroduced new 1.4X and 2X Extenders last year. Both have weather sealing and improved antireflection coating. But, Canon also claims to have revised and improved the new 2X. Of course I was interested to see if this is indeed the case. I have now tested both the original and the newEF 2X extenders.

March 26, 2002

My original career was as a photojournalist. Though today I’m best known for my landscape and wildlife work I still retain a strong interest‚ even a passion for street photography. This past weekend I photographed a religious street procession, and now share that afternoon’s experience in a short piece titledProcession.

One of the photographs from that shoot has now been added as theMarchselection to myFeatured Imagessection.

If you are interested in street photography you should know thatIssue #4ofThe Video Journal, which ships next week, contains a featured segment on this subject.

March 25, 2002

For about a year now I, as well as other photographers around the world, have noticed a disturbing and curious phenomena when scanningFujicolour transparency films at high resolution. We have been referring to it aspepper grain ‚ black specs, that are particularly noticeable in highlight areas.

Australian landscape and nature photographerNick Rainshas been investigating this problem for some time, and now, after extensive communication withFujiin Japan has uncovered the cause of the problem.The pepper-grain mystery is now solved

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As those who have been following developments with interest know by now, the new 6 megapixelCanon D60has just started shipping in several countries around the world.Phil AskeyatDPReviewhas just posteda comprehensive reviewof a full production camera. Phil is clearly very impressed with this new camera.

I will post my own impressions of theD60once I have an opportunity to spend some time with it in the field.

March 23, 2002

As inkjet photographic printing accelerates in importance, so to do the papers that we use. In fact I believe that the choices that photographers now have in terms of variety and type of printing papers is leading to a paradigm change in what constitutes a photographic print. Paper is now more important than it ever has been before.

I have therefore now reviewed a new paper line fromLegion PapercalledProfessional Digital Art Papersdesigned specifically for inkjet printing. I think you’ll find these of interest, especially my favourite,Somerset Photo Enhanced Velvet

March 21, 2002

TheLeica M7, just recently announced, is now starting to ship to dealers, and the first cameras are showing up in users hands‚ mine included. Myreview of the M7is now online and will be of interest to all Leica aficionados. 

March 20, 2002

In early February I published a review of theMinolta Dimage Scan Multi Pro. Many readers have expressed an interest in how to use this scanner with odd-format films such as those from theHasselblad XPan.Minoltamakes a special film carrier for this scanner called theHS-P1and contributorDavid Mantripphas now provided us witha review.

March 17, 2002

Epsonhas had the wide-format photo printer marketplace to themselves until now. But, with the introduction of theCanon S9000printer there is finally some competition. This review of the newCanonprinter is one of the first to appear anywhere. 

If high image quality, remarkable speed and near-silent operation aren’t appealing, how about unchipped and individual ink cartridges for each of the 6 colours? The photo inkjet printer market is a dynamic one, but now thatCanonhas decided to play in the A3+ segment of the market we can expect to see it heat-up even more. TheCanon S9000is a winner.

March 16, 2002

There has been much speculation about what Epson’s new printer plans for 2002 might be. Usually by this time of year they are out in Europe, followed not soon after by North America.

It seems thatEpsonannounced their next-generation wide-carriage printer, thePM-4000PXin Japan last week, and thePM-950Cat theCebitshow in Hanover yesterday. The4000will likely have a different model designation in Europe and North America, and the 950 may or may not have the same number in the U.S. and Canada as it does it Europe.

Information is sketchy at the moment, but you can find aEpson 950report fromCeBitonDigital Photography Now,and also fromMacWorld UK. There is also some information on the4000 here

It appears that Epson may be diverging theirA4 / Lettersized printers and their wide carriageA3+ / 13X19"models, since the 4000 appears to use pigment inks, possibly similar to or an evolution of those used in theC80. Whether this printer should be regarded as a2000Preplacement is still unclear.

So much for factual information‚ what there is of it so far. Time now for a brief rant. 

Most high-tech companies understand that with half the population of the developed world now plugged into the Net, product announcements should, and indeedmustbe coordinated on a global basis. Because of sites like this one people worldwide have instant access to new product announcements, no matter where they are made.Unfortunately Epson doesn’t get it. They announce products in one country and not another, ignoring the fact that when it comes to information borders no longer exist.

Come-on Epson. Respect our intelligence and handle your product announcements in a coordinated and systematic manner. If a product is destined for one country and not another, simply say so. When a product is announced, let us know what the release dates and model numbers are likely to be. Lack of information only produces speculation and rumours.End of rant.

March 15, 2002

Experienced photographers know that a suitable tripod is one of the most critical pieces of photographic equipment if you want to produce very sharp, high-quality images. But, selecting the right tripod is a series of compromises between price, light weight, convenience and rigidity.

ContributorSteve Kossackreviews an excellent new product, theAcratech Modified Velbon 630carbon fiber tripod. This may be the solution for many photographers.

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PhotoFocus, is a new photography site being launched today. Its publisher,Scott Bourne,describes it as "a photography magazine aimed at the very serious image-maker." What I’ve seen so far looks good. I wish Scott success with his new publication.

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TheCebit 2002show is currently on inHanover, Germanyand there is live coverage of digital camera and associated equipment announcementshere. The reports in the center column are in English, and are also available in Spanish and Dutch.

March 14, 2002

This week theLuminous Landscapeweb site celebrates two milestones. First, our monthly readership has now reached more than aquarter million visitors. Secondly, we now haveVideo Journalsubscribers in 35 countries around the world, fromArgentinetoVietnam

The Journal is a unique quarterly publication on DVD video‚The Luminous Landscapeon TV, if you will. If you are not already a subscriber, take a moment to find out more, and also check into our currentspecial promotion

There are quite a number of exciting new articles and reviews coming to the site in the next few weeks. One that many have been eagerly awaiting is of the newCanon S9000wide carriage photo printer. Look for it toward the end of this coming weekend.

March 13, 2002

No matter what type of photography we specialize in, from time-to-time we all take photographs of people using on-camera flash, and end up withred-eye. Some of the simpler image editing programs (likePhotoshop Elements) feature red-eye reduction routines. ButPhotoshopitself does not.

Never fear. ContributorNeil Duffinhas now provided us with an elegantTutorial on Red-Eye ReductionusingPhotoshop.

March 11, 2002

On this, the 6 month anniversary of the September 11, 2001 tragedy, and at the request of several readers, I am republishing an image that I had taken just a few days afterwards. It standsIn Memoriamfor the loss that we all suffered.

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How about a portable histogram machine when shooting film, especially large format? ContributorNick Rainshas a nifty suggestion‚  using a digital point-and-shoot such as theCanon S30as a light meter.Here’s how.

March 8, 2002

Regular contributorAlain Briotprovides us this month with an article onThe How and Why of Matting Photographs. From the use of anX-Actoknife to a computerized, automated matt cutting machine, Alain’s article explores this oft neglected topic.

March 7, 2002

PhotographerMark Meyerhas drawn my attention to a photograph of his that is strikingly similar to one that I took inYellowstonelast week. I thought that you might enjoyseeing them compared, and how much of a difference the position of the sun can make in determining the "look" of an image.

March 6, 2002

While some of you may have already found your way to it through myPentax 400mmlens test report earlier in the week, I am announcing today my portfolio and travel article onWinter In Yellowstone. There are two additional sections titledWinter WildlifeandWinter Landscapes. I hope that you enjoy them.

As I do from time to time I’d like to remind you that we also publishThe Video Journal, a unique quarterly TV series available onDVD video. If you’re not already familiar with it, please take the time to find out more. If you already know about it but still haven’t subscribed, why not take advantage of our currentspecial offerand save a bundle? I think you’ll find it as informative and entertaining as have ourcurrent subscribers. Thanks!

March 4, 2002

After a brief and unsuccessful relationship with the600mm f/4lens for thePentax 67, I switched to the newer400mm f/4 ED(IF), a somewhat smaller, lighter and optically superior lens. My full review is now online, including some first wildlife images from a recent shoot inYellowstone.

Before disposing of the huge and oldPentax 600mm, I ran acomparison testwith the newPentax 400mmused with a1.4X Extender, and also of that lens with the newest version of Pentax’s300mm f/4 ED(IF),againtogether with thePentax 1.4X Extender. The results are fascinating.

March 3, 2002

MyFeatured ImageforFebruaryis now online. Each month I publish one photograph which I regard as my best from the previous 30 days. This month it is a wildlife shot taken last week inYellowstone National Park. I am still editing my film, scanning and preparing a travel article and portfolio, but it should be online within a day or two.

March 2, 2002

Ilfordannounced a family of four new inkjet papers during this past week’sPMAshow. CalledGalerie, these papers are now becoming available at retail, and I have just published the web’s firstreviewof two of them.

The winner of the FebruaryCritique CompetitionisClay E. Williamsof Long Beach, California. His winning entry along with those of previous month’s winners can be foundhere

TheMarch competitionis now open to new submissions.

March 1, 2002

I’ve just returned from a 5 day shoot inYellowstone National Park. I expect to have a full write-up and portfolio online some time next week. It was quite a trip! 

It’s going to take me a few days to catch up on a week’s worth of emails, so if you’ve written during the past few days you can expect a reply some time this weekend.

On my flight home I picked up a copy of Thursday’sNew York Times. Inan articlereporting on the release of theNikon D100and theCanon D60,Lou Desiderio, a Canon spokesman, is quoted as saying that he doubted that the pixel gap between Canon’s new camera (D60) and its most expensive model (1D) would last long."It’s pretty safe to say that a six – or eight – megapixel replacement for the 1D will be coming,"he said. Oh really?

Photoshop 7was one of the major announcement atPMA. For what we can expect have a look at thispreliminary reviewbyAndrew Rodney, atThe Digital Dog. Here is a newfeature listfrom Adobe as well.

February 23, 2002

I will be offline until Friday, March 1st. This means that I will not be able to respond to any e-mails, personal Forum messages or Critique submissions until my return. Acceptance and processing ofVideo Journalorderswillcontinue to operate normally during my absence. 

This is due to a 5-day winter wildlife and landscape shoot inYellowstone National Park.(What’s that old saying? "It’s tough but someone’s got to do it.") Traveling with me will beChris Sanderson, director/cameraman ofThe Video Journal, and western landscape photographer and photography guide,Steve Kossack

Of course a travel article on this shoot will be found on these pages later in March, and will also be featured in a forthcoming edition ofThe Video Journal. Unfortunately the timing of this trip, set long ago, means that I won’t be able to attend and report on the PMA show which begins on the 24th in Orlando.  There have been several exciting new digital SLRs announced in the past few days, with lots more to come, in addition to new lenses and a range of fascinating non-digital products. 

Since I’ll have no Net access until Friday, March 1st, I won’t be able to report on any of this as I normally would. But, rest assured, as always in the weeks and months aheadThe Luminous Landscapewill be one of the first places anywhere to feature actual hands-on reviews ofproductionversions of several of these exciting products.

====

Before I leave, here is aLuminous Landscapeexclusive‚ a review of an exciting new image processing program calledEditLabfromPictographics.EditLabis being announced this weekend at thePMAtrade show, and mine is the first review of this very competentPhotoshopplug-in to appear anywhere in the world.

February 22, 2002

The press announcement of the much anticipatedCanon D60digital SLR is now available here. 

TheD60replaces the now discontinuedD30. It features a6.3 Megapixel CMOSsensor with 3072 x 2048 square pixels. It retains the 1.6X lens magnification factor, since the imaging chip size remains unchanged. Based on the D30, and using many of the same accessories as its predecessor, the D60 is claimed to have improved autofocus (long a sore point with the D30) and enhanced in-camera and user software capabilities.

Availability is scheduled for late March with a suggested retail price of US $2,995.

I anticipate publishing an early hands-on of of a full production D60 on these pages in the weeks ahead.  A comprehensive field-report will also be featured in an upcoming edition ofThe Video Journal.

February 21, 2002

The long-awaitedPMAtrade show doesn’t begin until this coming weekend, but the new product announcements have already begun.Nikonthis morning announced theD100, a 6.1 Megapixel camera with a 1.5X focal length factor. No price yet. Availability of Summer, 2002.

Nikonowners will also be pleased to learn that aNikon 70-200mm f/2.8 Vibration Reductionlens is also on the way!

The best place to get breaking news on digital equipment announcements over the next week or so isDigital Photography Review.

February 19, 2002

The questions that I’m asked most frequently by readers, as well as by members of my workshops, are about lens sharpness. "Is the such-and-such a sharp lens? Are prime lenses sharper then zooms? Should I trade in my Canon/Nikon/Pentax system etc, to get Leica/Contax/Zeiss lenses? Will this make my pictures sharper? Is that Tamron zoom as sharp as the Sigma fixed focal-length lens that I’ve seen on sale?"

Based upon my 40 years of photographic experience, in my new articleLens Sharpness‚ The Never-Ending QuestI have written what I know about the subject.You may not like the answer!

February 17, 2002

Last December I published on these pages the world’s first hands-on review of the newCanon EOS 1Ddigital SLR. Regrettably though, I only had the camera for 4 days before it had to go back to Canon. I haven’t published a more in-depth follow-up because I decided not to purchase a 1D myself, preferring instead to wait for the their 6MP follow-up, (which is due very soon now).

ContributorBill Caulfeild-Brownehas fortunately filled the void for us with his excusive reportA Month in New Zealand With the Canon EOS 1D

‚‚‚

A Reminder‚ The current edition ofThe Video Journal,Issue #3, contains a comparison betweenEOS-1D,D30and1V, as well as nearly 90 minutes of additional broadcast-quality programming exclusively about photography‚ and like this site, always without any commercial advertising. 

Remember, this web site is supported byyoursubscription toThe Video Journal. If you are not already a subscriber, find out more and also how to save as much as $60 throughour current promotion

"Today has been spent on the third issue of the Video Journal – excellent.  I thought the first issue was very tremendous; the second good; but the third is so far the best – well done."

February 14, 2002

WhilePhotoshop, used skillfully, provides just about every capability for image processing that one could want, sometimes specialized tools calledplug-ins,that work from within Photoshop, can provide either greater ease of use, or improved flexibility.

Three such tools fromThe Imaging Factoryare reviewed today. These areUnsharp Mask Pro,Noise Reduction ProandConvert To B&W Pro. All three are available online and provide for a free 30 day trial. 

February 10, 2002

Last year I wrote a tutorial that covered the basics ofUnderstanding Resolution. Because this is a big topic, rife with misconceptions, I am pleased to publish today a new article by contributorJR Geoffrionthat explores the issue in greater detail. It is titledDigital Camera Resolution Demystified.

February 8, 2002

Regular readers will know that I am aContributing EditortoPhoto Techniquesmagazine. The current issue (March / April 2002),arrives on newsstands this week. It contains my formal review of theCanon EOS-1D. This is a follow-up to my all-to-brieftest reporton one of the first production cameras to become available, which was published here last December. 

If you’re not familiar withPhoto Techniques, drop into your local bookstore and check it out. Notwithstanding the bias of my relationship with the magazine, I believe it to be one of the last of the "mature" photography magazines available. The publisher, editor and writers reallycareabout photography both as an art and as a craft.

Ps:For readers outside of North America who may not get to see the magazine, and my review, it will be republished here onThe Luminous Landscapein approximately 2 months, after the print magazine is no longer on sale.

February 7, 2002

A couple of housekeeping items today. 

Since I began this site’sDiscussion Forumabout 2 years ago I have allowedAnonymouspostings. After considerable feedback from members who find it very confusing when there are multipleAnonsposting on a single thread, I have decided to restrict theForumto people that sign up. It only takes a few seconds and has a number of benefits, so why not?

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The site is currently experiencing about 6,000 unique visitors a day. It has more than 1,000 pages of product reviews, tutorials and photographic travel articles online. In January it hosted more 50 Gigabytes of traffic. It is without doubt the Web’s largest and most comprehensive non-commercial site devoted to photography. 

While the site is a labour of love, it is expensive and time consuming to maintain. This is a reminder that theThe Video Journalis this site’s sole means of financial support. If you’re a regular visitor, please consider subscribing. Ourcurrent promotionwill save you a bundle. 

If you’re a newcomer to the site, find out about the world’s only professionally producedvideo magazineabout photography, published quarterly on DVD video, and playable on virtually any set-top or PC or Mac based DVD player, anywhere in the world. It is completely non-commercial. Readwhat current subscribers are sayingandview video clipsfrom current and previous issues.

But, when you’ve finished reading, please do consider subscribing. End of commercial. Thanks for your attention. 

Before the end of the week I’ll be publishing a major new article on digital camera resolution, so stay tuned.

February 6, 2002

Carbon fiber tripods, like tennis rackets and airplane wings before them, offer worthwhile weight savings over aluminum, while retaining rigidity as well as offering other advantages. Unfortunately carbon fiber is expensive. 

Gitzohas been the leader in this field. ContributorJeff Simpsonnow reviews theManfrotto Carbon One, a carbon fiber tripod at a much lower price, that appears to offer a lot for the money.

February 4, 2002

The12 Januaryissue of the British magazineAmateur Photographerfeatures a review of the newCanon 400mm DO ISlens. I published the world’s first review of this lens here onThe Luminous Landscapeback in December. I havenow updated my on-line reviewwith some commentary on the new test results gleaned from the UK magazine’s report.

February 3, 2002

The past year has seen a proliferation of pro-quality medium format scanners at increasingly affordable prices. TheMinolta Dimage Scan Multi Prois one of the latest, and according to reviewerPeter Wolff, it is capable of producing excellent results. 

January 31, 2002

Everyone loves a shoot-out, especially when it comes to comparing lenses. I have just completed a comparison between Canon’s100~400mm f/5.6L ISzoom and the new Canon70~200mm f/2.8L ISlens with2Xextender. Both give 400mm f/5.6, but which is sharper?

The answer is in my new comparison and report titled400 Vs. 400.

January 29, 2002

Mirror lock-up (MLU) is an essential camera feature for many types of nature and landscape photography. The newPentax 645NII, which I reviewed earlier this month, has finally implemented this feature. But, for nearly 20 yearsPentax 645owners have said that it wasn’t necessary because the camera had a superior mirror braking system. Were they right?

I recently tested the new camera to see at which shutter speeds the need for MLU would become visible.The resultsare surprising.

January 28, 2002

The winnerof January’sCritique CompetitionisNick Thomasof South Wales, UK. Congratulation Nick! Nick wins a complimentary copy ofThe Video Journal

TheFebruarycompetition is now open toentries.

January 27, 2002

Improper, or simply a lack of monitor calibration, is for many photographers the single biggest impediment to proper printing. If your screen doesn’t display the image properly, how can you hope to make an accurate print?

Regular contributorAlain Briotnow provides us with a review and tutorial onMonitor CalibrationusingColorBlind ProveIt, and theSequelChroma 4spider. These are two of the finest tools currently available for calibrating LCD as well as traditional CRT monitors. I’ve personally been using these two tools since 1999 and can recommend them highly.

In a companion articleAlainalso discussesImage Matching ‚ the steps and tools needed to accurately match your transparency, screen and print.

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If you entered this site today via the main page you’ll have noticed that after nearly 3 years I’ve decided to replace my "trademark" image of the "Photographer on the Dunes" in Death Valley with something new. In fact, just to make things a bit more interesting (at least for me), I intend on putting a different photograph there from time to time. 

I know this breaks with tradition, but I think we all can handle it 🙂

January 26, 2002

A Reminder & A Request…

Regular readers know that this site has becomethe most comprehensive and reliable sourcefor photograph equipment test reports, travel articles and tutorials on the Net. Each month we publish more new high-quality material than any print magazine‚ as many as a dozen featured articles a month.

All of this‚ currently more than 1000 pages of content‚ is free, and without any advertising, pop-ups, or commercial influence. But we do have one request. If you are not already a subscriber,and if you are we thank you sincerely, please consider subscribing toThe Video Journal

The Video Journalis unique‚ the world’s only quarterly video magazine about photography published on DVD. Now on our third issue,The Video JournalisThe Luminous Landscapeon TV. In fact,The Video Journalwas originally developed as a TV series for one of the new Nature channels. Naturally, it is professionally produced in broadcast quality. The DVDs are compatible with almost any DVD movie player, or PC or Mac disc player, located anywhere in the world.

Not convinced?Read what our current subscribers are saying about the current issue.These folks are passionate and serious photographers just like yourself.

Finally, take advantage of our currentspecial offer. A one year subscription, along with two back issues at 50% off. Along with free shipping and handling this amounts to a $60 saving. Now is a great time to subscribe.You’ll receivethree issuesimmediately.

Thanks for consideringThe Video Journal

January 25, 2002

Many photographers work with wide-format cameras like theXPan,Noblex, or various medium format panoramics like theFuji 617. One of the challenges in working with these files digitally is scanning them. 35mm scanners usually can’t handle the 24X65 format and few medium format scanners can handle 612 or 617.

While there are commercial programs that automate stitching separately scanned sections of the same negative, no such automation exists inPhotoshop. But doing this manually isn’t very difficult, asSteve Kossackshows us in his tutorial onXPan Stitching.

January 23, 2002

I regard one of the most important accessory for an outdoor photographer to be thepolarizingfilter. I have now published as part of myUnderstandingseries a tutorial titledUnderstanding Polarizers. This is an elaboration and update to a previously published article. If you’re not currently using a polarizer outdoors any time the sun is shining, this article is amust-read.

January 21, 2002

Daylight balanced fill-flash is a must in many circumstances for nature photographers. Pentax’s top-of-the-lineAF500FTZfor thePentax 67and645cameras strangely does not feature the ability to set a reduced ratio on the flash head.Here’s a way to do this.

Many people have been puzzled as to the reason for the apparent recent shut down of allU.S. National Park Serviceweb sites. Here isa linkto the full story.

I have now updated myFeatured Imagepage with January’s selection.

January 20, 2002

Issue #3of theVideo Journalshipped to all current subscribers this past Friday. Mail delivery can take up to 2 weeks, so please allow time for it to arrive.

We now have subscribers in32 countriesaround the world. Thank you!

This issue features a new technical capability which I know from correspondence many of you will enjoy. By utilizing your DVD player’sMulti-Anglefeature we now have a separate video track on some segments that displays a full-frame version of prints under discussion. You can now listen to a print discussion or an interview while looking closely at the image being discussed.

If you are not yet a subscriber, want to learn more aboutThe Video Journal, or to find out how to save as much as $60 on a current subscription along with back-issues,here is the spot to click.

Next week we will be publishing several new reviews and tutorials, so be sure to return here daily.

January 19, 2002

For those of us that live in northern climes a vacation inMexicois a welcome reprieve from the January snow and cold. Last week my wife and I spent a week in theYucatanand I have just posted a brieftravel articleon photographing theMayantemples as well as in the wildlife reserve atCelestún

January 17, 2002

ThePentax 645NIIis the latest medium format autofocus camera fromPentax. It’s also the least expensive camera of its type available. This new model just started shipping, and I’ve recently added one to my arsenal as a second body forPentax 67system. The beauty of what Pentax does is that they allow you to use their 67 format lenses on the 645 format camera while retaining full open-aperture automation and metering. You even retain autofocus confirmation when using these lenses. 

Myfull reviewis now online. It contains several of the photographs from my recent trip to theYucatan, Mexico. A travel write-up on this trip will also appear in a few days.

January 16, 2002

Issue #3of theVideo Journalwill be shipping very soon. It’s our biggest and I believe our best issue yet. We now haveQuicktimevideo clipsonline which give a preview of some of this new issue’s content. If you’re not yet familiar withThe Journalthese small excerpts are a good way of seeing what the excitement is all about. Current subscribers will see apreviewof what will be arriving in their mailboxes within the next few weeks.

January 15, 2002

In case you haven’t seen it yet, or live outside of North America,Shutterbugmagazine has publisheda profile ofThe Luminous Landscapein its current (February, 2002) edition. The review is written byJoe Farace. It reads, in part, "Michael Reichmann’s web site has so many aspects as well as a collection of wondrously beautiful landscape images that your head may start spinning around on your shoulders…. There’s a lot to see and enjoy at Luminous Landscape, so explore and visit often."Thanks Joe. I couldn’t have said so better myself.

Several people have written asking for our publication schedule forIssue #3ofThe Video Journal. I’m pleased to say that it has just now gone to the DVD replicating facility and so subscribers can expect to receive their copies some time early in February.

January 14, 2002

I have just returned from a week-long vacation in theYucatan, Mexico. A quite wonderful place. I have several hundred e-mails to catch up on, so if you’ve written while I was away please allow a few days for me to get caught up.

To get back into the swing of things the first of several new articles to be published this week is now online. It is titledTwin Sons of Different Mothers, and is a look at both the conscious and unconscious elements that contribute to how photographers create images.

January 5, 2002

No more excuses!It’s a new year, and you’ve been procrastinating about subscribing to theLuminous Landscape Video Journalfor too long. Now is the time to act! 

TheVideo JournalisThe Luminous Landscapeon your TV

Every 90 days you will receive a broadcast-quality DVD disk (playable almost anywhere in the world on any movie player, or a PC or Mac that has a DVD drive). Each disk contains more than 60 minutes of photographic travel articles, timely and in-depth photographic product reviews, Photoshop tutorials, and on-location interviews with famous and talented photographers.

"My compliments on the fine job you do with the Video Journal. I didn’t know what to expect, so I thought about it for quite a while before I subscribed.  Now that I have, I feel this has been a very good decision and look forward to each edition."

We’ll make you a deal. Subscribe now, beginning withIssue #3(scheduled to ship by the end of the month), and we’llimmediatelyship bothBack-Issues #1and#2for only $29.95 more.That’s a saving of 50%. Combined with our current policy of "no shipping charges" this cansave you $60over our standard prices.

Find Out More Now

January 4, 2002

If you’ve read my review of the monsterPentax 600mm f/4lens for thePentax 67you will have noted my comment that this lens suffers from noticeablechromatic aberration. It turns out that there is a wonderful software program available that can largely eliminate this problem in any lens that displays it.My reviewof this program is now online. 

January 1, 2002

Let’s start the New Year with what is for some a controversial topic. I am frequently asked if the new generation of 5 Megapixel point-and-shoots have image quality equal to cameras like theNikon D1x,Canon EOS 1DandD30. They should, right? They have more megapixels.

Wrong‚ and in my essayCounting MegapixelsI explain why. 

Incidentally, for anyone interested in this site’s statistics, we had more than 1 million visitors during 2001, and more than 6 million pages were viewed. 

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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.

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