August 2012

Tiffen Dfx v3: World’s leader in film filters goes digital–helps me recreate history

Like many pro photographers, I’ve gotten used to relying on filters from nik Software to augment those found in Photoshop. Tiffen, to me, was a name associated with glass filters, not digital ones. But when Mike Rubin, who I greatly respect, made the jump from Nikon to Tiffen, my ears perked up and I had to learn more. I’m glad I did. Mike introduced me to plug-in for Photoshop (as well as Lightroom and Aperture). At first I wasn’t sure I needed yet another plug-in for Photoshop, as I already use a variety of others. After firing up Dfx, though, I realized it took a different approach than any other filter set I’d used, starting by recreating Tiffen’s legacy of film filters for digital, making it feel much more like a traditional darkroom tool – except on steroids…

Great deal on ultimate DX format camera kit: Nikon D7000 + Nikon 18-200mm VR II lens for < $1600

B&H are offering a pretty amazing deal on a Nikon D7000 plus Nikon 18-200mm VR II lens. The . That's just about the same price as the D7000 would normally be with a kit lens, and you're getting a state of the art all-in-one zoom, probably the single best lens ever for DX format cameras. If I didn't already own a D7000 and 18-200mm lens, I'd certainly be!

Field Test of the Sony RX100: Is it enough to make you ditch your DSLR?

After weeks of shooting in Alaska with a 3 pound , 8 pound telephoto lens, and 6 pounds of carbon fiber tripod, I was more than ready to review the new . At 8-1/2 ounces, the Sony barely even registers on a travel scale. It is a little larger than my current favorite point and shoot, the , but certainly still qualifies as pocket-sized. I’ve never been a big fan of Sony’s point and shoots, although I do like some of , but after the New York Times called the the “world’s best point and shoot” I had to give it a look…

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Nikon GP-1 GPS: An accessory I really want to like

After several years of reliable geotagging with my Red Hen GPS unit, I was eager to test out Nikon’s GPS accessory, the . I was really hoping that, being from Nikon, it would more seamlessly integrate with my DSLRs and my shooting experience than third party solutions. Unfortunately, while the is certainly a competent and effective product, it needs some serious work before it outshines less expensive options already on the market.

Thinking about going LED? This book tells you what you need to know

Lighting is crucial for photographers. That isn’t true just for our photographs, it’s also true for our studios and every location where we work on or look at images. Until recently, more light has also meant more power – and more cost. With the recent awareness of the impact power consumption is having on our environment, and climbing power prices, alternative lighting technologies have come to the fore. CFLs have been flogged as a great idea for the cost-conscious, but they suffer from mediocre light quality, anathema to photographers.

 

Making fine-tuning your autofocus a cinch with Datacolor’s SpyderLensCal

Before using the LensCal, I found tweaking the AF on my camera & lens combos (by setting the camera to adjust its AF +/- for each lens in its fine tuning menu) such a hassle that I usually just sent suspect lenses back to Nikon for calibration. That’s expensive and time consuming, so I decided to give the LensCal a try. We used it on both of my recent Texas trips and Alaska trips, with great results. Several participants found at least one lens combo that needed tweaking, and the ones that didn’t gained some extra confidence that their AF was focusing properly. I was excited enough to write an , where you can learn how to do it yourself!.

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