|
|
|
What's New Archives Jul 01, 2010 - Jan 01, 2011
The Luminous Landscape Gallery is closing as of July, 2010. It's been a fun three years since it opened, and I thank everyone who visited for your interest and support.
The gallery has served primarily as a teaching space and print studio. It also has functioned as a gallery whenever I was working there and in town, but given my travel commitments this hasn't been often enough to justify keeping it open.
On next Saturday, July 10, 2010, from 11am until 3pm I will be having a print sale. This will consist of approximately 30 large matted and framed prints that are currently on display on the gallery walls, as well as a number of large format unmatted and unframed prints.
For those that are interested, I will be continuing my print studio and teaching activities out of my new studio space near Creemore, Ontario. Details to be announced. I may also have gallery shows from time to time at other Toronto area galleries, as I would in the days prior to my Carlaw gallery.
If you can't view it properly, you can't print it properly. That's a mantra that I and many other fine art printers subscribe to. But, is the latest $299 monitor special from Best Buy the way to go?
Possibly for some, but since the discontinuation and eventual demise of the famous Sony Artisan the search has been on for the next candidate for monitor nirvana.
Our regular contribotor Pete Myers today shares with us his experience with and impressions of the Eizo Nanao ColorEdge CG243W in his report titled – Finally Here: 10-bit LCD Graphic Monitors.
____________________
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
A Reminder....
The Luminous Landscape Gallery is closing. It's been a fun three years since it opened, and I thank everyone who visited for your interest and support.
The gallery has served primarily as a teaching space and print studio. It also has functioned as a gallery whenever I was working there and in town, but given my travel commitments this hasn't been often enough to justify keeping it open.
On Saturday, July 10, 2010, from 11am until 3pm I will be having a print sale. This will consist of approximately 30 large matted and framed prints that are currently on display on the gallery walls, as well as a number of large format unmatted and unframed prints.
For those that are interested, I will be continuing my print studio and teaching activities out of my new studio space near Creemore, Ontario. Details to be announced. I may also have gallery shows from time to time at other Toronto area galleries, as I would in the days prior to my Carlaw gallery.
What does the well dressed and well equipped trecking photographer wear and use? Find out in our latest essay by Bernard Languillier.
____________________
Sony has announced the NEX-VG10, a hybrid video / stills camera that uses the same APS-C sized sensor used in the recently introduced NEX still cameras. It will become available in September at a US price of $2,000, including an 18-200mm lens.
Pretty cool, you say. But, when you read the specs you'll find that the camera can only shoot video in 1080/60i mode. Yes – interlace mode only. No progressive. And no 720 mode. ?????
Memo to Sony: No one wants interlaced video any more. It's old technology from more than 50 years ago. All computer monitors and current TVs are progressive devices. At least the VG10 should have had 30P. 24P would have been very nice as well and might have made creative film makers looking for narrow DOF excited. But, 60i? Fail!
Though the VG10 can shoot 14MP stills, Sony has eliminated raw mode. So the question has to be asked, who is this camera for? It's video modes seem crippled as do its stills modes.
I'll let you know when I get one for testing – if Sony is still speaking to me after this rant.
Most photographers are shooting digital these days, but some still shoot film, and many have large slide and negative collections.
The choice of quality scanners and software grows smaller each year, but in today's exclusive review Mark Segal looks at an excellent choice – the Plustek Optic Film 7600i-Ai Film Scanner.
His review is in two parts – an executive summary online and a comprehensive and in-depth review available as a free downloadable PDF.
____________________
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
No need to say much more. It's finally here – The Luminous Landscape Guide to Lightroom 3.
We have just published roughly the first two hours of this, the most comprehensive training guide to Lightroom ever produced. The complete training video will run more that nine hours when completed. New segments will be added every week for the next month or so until all nine hours and 40 segments are online.
The price of US $49.95 is currently being discounted by 10%, until the full tutorial is online. And, if you already own our Lightroom 2 tutorial we are offering an additional10% discount. (You must request a discount coupon before ordering).
Full details are available on this page. We also have a brief streaming preview available, and for the first time we are making available a free 10 minute full HD Video segment of the training video as a complimentary download so people can see for themselves what this training video is all about.
Thank you everyone for your purchases of our new tutorial video – The Luminous Landscape Guide to Lightroom 3. Your response has been literally overwhelming.
The good news is that the server is holding up well and people are reporting not having any download delays. The bad news is that our customer service staff is simply overwhelmed with upgrade coupon requests from previous LR2 tutorial purchasers.
We are doing our best to issue these electronic coupons as quickly as possible, but unlike the rest of the process, it's handled manually and thus takes some time.
If you've e-mailed requesting a discount coupon we ask for your patience, and thank you for your ongoing support! – Michael
Our regular columnist Alain Briot today publishes Part 3 of his series – Composing with Colour.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
We have just published three new video segments in our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial; Files 8, 9 & 10 are now available. These cover Import, Export, and Publish Services.
We have also replaced the original seven files to change the audio codec to AAC for those who had playback issues, and also to allow import to an iPad more easily. If you have had audio issues you may wish to redownload these.
The Table of Contents in File #40 and the downloadable Contents PDF reflect these changes.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Where will you be shooting next winter? How about Alaska where the temperature will be about -30C (at this temperature Fahrenheit and Celsius are the same). A far cry from the +30C that many of us in the North East are feeling right now.
Our newest photographic travel essay is by Ben Hattenbach and is titled Winterscapes Of The Alaskan Arctic. Think cold, and enjoy.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
We have just made available six additional video segments to our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial.
- Quick Develop
- Develop: Histogram & Crop
- Develop: Basic Panel
- Develop: Tone Curve
- Develop: HSL & Color
- Develop: Black & White
If you've already purchased, just log onto your account on the LuLa Store and download them. If you haven't yet discovered the most comprehensive learning tool available for Adobe's Lightroom, now's the time to do so while it's still priced at -10%.
And remember, if you previously purchased the LuLa Guide to Lightroom 2 you can get an additional 10% off through the use of a special coupon code. More in formation can be found here.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
The Sinar ArTec has been available for a couple of years, but only with a proprietary back mount. Now, Sinar has released a version able to work with just about any Phase One, Leaf, or Hasselblad back.
I recently had the opportunity of working for the new ArTec for a couple of weeks and my hands-on review is now online.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Regular readers may have noticed here and on the site's forum during the past year or so mention of changes that will be coming to LuLa.
Our development process has now reached the stage where we will be starting to roll out some pretty exciting new features, starting today (Tuesday) with new Discussion Forum software.
The main site and Store will be unaffacted today, but the Forum will likely be down for several hours on Tuesday afternoon (Eastern Daylight Tme). If all goes well it will be up and running again by evening.
Big deal, you say. Forum software is forum software. Right? Actually not, because in this case your forum registration will be the key to a broad range of new personalized information services which will be rolled out over the next few months.
Stay tuned, as they say on TV. I think you're going to like what you see.
___________________
UPDATE
Adobe has just released updates to Lightroom and Camera Raw. These provide bug fixes as well as additional support for quite a few new cameras.
You can find out more and download the Lightroom 3.2 update here and the Camera Raw 6.2 update here.
And of course, if you want to learn how to use Lightroom 3 in depth, our new 10 hour live training video is what you may need.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Tuesday's Discussion Forum update was completed in the evening and looks to be stable.
Please let us know of any problems encountered. More new stuff soon!
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
One of the hottest topics in the DSLR world are video capable still cameras. But, real video cameras are still very much in use by cinematographers who produce commercial films and videos.
Canon makes not just consumer camcorders, but also professional models, competing in this arena with Sony, Panasonic and JVC. But for the past three years they have been the last hold-out to produce a memory card based pro-grade camera. Their pro camcorders until last month were all tape based (Remember videotape?).
But now the Canon XF 300 and XF305 camcoders are shipping and they have been blessed by the BBC as certified for full broadcast use, a first for a just-released camera and also for one at this price point – about the same as a top pro rank DSLR.
We have been working with these two camrras for the past month, and our in-depth review of the Canon XF300/305 is now online.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
We have just made available more than 90 minutes of new video segments to our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial.
New topics which have changed dramatically since LR2 and which are now covered in depth, include Sharpening and Noise Reduction.
If you've already purchased our LR3 tutorial, just log onto your account on the LuLa Store and download them.
BUT FIRST – Please Read the New Table of Contents PDF.
You will learn that we have restructured the files and the ZIPs that they are found in. There are now multiple video files per ZIP. Also, if you've already downloaded ZIP #15, please do so again, because it now contains new material.
THEREFORE– Please Read the New Table of Contents PDF.
___________________
If you haven't yet discovered the most comprehensive learning tool available for Adobe's Lightroom, now's the time to do so while it's still priced at -10%.
And remember, if you previously purchased the LuLa Guide to Lightroom 2 you can get an additional 10% off through the use of a special coupon code. More in formation can be found here.
___________________
Earlier this year, Sean Reid of Reid Reviews surveyed photographers about they would like to see happen with the evolution of the Leica DRF (digital rangefinder) camera. Readers may recall that I looked at this same topic in an essay called An Open Letter to Leica and Mark Dubovoy also contributed ideas in an essay called Leica, A Different View.
Sean has just published a summary and analysis of the survey results and the new article on his site titled Thoughts About a Future Leica DRF. It provides engaging reading for anyone who is interested in the future of the DRF camera. Reid Review is a paid subsciption web site and accepts no advertising.
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
There are a vast number of useful apps for the iPhone, but one that pro photographers may find of use is ID-Release, a model release manager. Contributor Jim Martin today provides us with his review.
___________________
I have been shooting near Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park this past week with the exciting new Sony VG-10 and 18-200mm lens. The VG-10 is the world's first camcorder with a large sensor (APS-C) and interchangable lenses. It is also a still camera with a 14MP sensor as well as being a camcorder.
How did it fare? Watch for my field report by the weekend.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
We have just made available five new videos to our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial in Zip files 20, 21 & 22.
This is the final hour on the Develop Module.
- Lens Correction
- Effects
- Camera Calibration
- Spot Removal
- Sync & Auto-Sync
If you've already purchased our LR3 tutorial, just log onto your account on the LuLa Store and download them.
BUT FIRST – Please Read the New Table of Contents PDF.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Convergence is happening – like it or not. Just about every new DSLR model has HD video, and now Sony has introduced the world's first interchangable lens, APS-C sized sensor camcorder, the Sony VG10.
Along with a small group of web and print journalist I spent part of last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park working with the VG10 and its included E mount 18-200mm lens.
My Sony NEX VG10 HD Camcorder / 14MP Stills Camera Field Report is now online.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Sony today is introducing three new DSLRs and three new lenses. These include the A560, A55 and A33, as well as a Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm F2, a DT 35mm F1.8 SAM and an 85mm F2.8 SAM.
I had an opportunity to work for several days last week with the exciting new A55, and have just published my Sony A55 Preview Field Report.
___________________
Phase One and Mamiya have announced the long-awaited vertical grip for the DF cameras. You can find out more about it on the Phase One site. The V-Grip Air should be available at the end of September for US $1,290, with the optional Profoto wireless receiver at $199.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
'Tis the season for new product announcements. Photokina is just around the corner and all of the major manufacturers seem hell-bent on announcing their latest offerings a month before the show even opens. (Can't let the other guy beat us to the punch, can we?)
Nikon announced the D3100 along with several lenses last week, and Sony began this week with four new camera (A33, A55, A560 and A580). There have also been about 712 new point-and-shoot (but who's counting)?
Today, it's Canon's turn with the announcement of the 60D and six new L series lenses.
The Canon 60D is the replacement for the 50D and will be available at the end of September for about US $1,100. It features an 18 Megapixel sensor, an articulated high-res LCD, 5.3 FPS shooting rate, and in-camera raw to JPG conversion – something first seen a couple of years ago on the Nikon D60 and D90, and before that, in 2006, in the Pentax K10D.
Of interest to those looking for a video DSLR, like other Canon, Nikon and Panasonic DSLRs the 60D shoots 24P.
(Hello Sony – can we please dump the ersatz 30P using 60i PsF and have real 30P and especially 24P on your cameras? Interlaced is so 20th Century).
The six new L series lenses (Canon's best) include an 8-15mm Fisheye f/4L, (wow); a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS L, an upgraded 300mm f/2.8L IS, an upgraded 400mm f/2.8L IS, and third generation 1.4X and 2X extenders.
You can find out more on the Canon USA, Canon Canada, and Canon Europe sites.
___________________
Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 for Micro Four Thirds
Cosina, who sell their products internationally under the venerable Voigtlander brand, has just announced that they have formally joined the Micro Four Thirds group.
Their first offering is a brand new 25mm f/0.95 lens, which should become available in October for around US $1,000. This is just 1/10th of the cost of the world's only other current f/0.95 lens, the amazing Leica Noctilux.
I would expect many of their other excellent and reasonably priced lenses to become available in M4/3 mount in the days ahead. This is a major boost for the format.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
We have just made available seven new videos to our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial videos 30 through 37, within Zip files 23-26.
These include...
- Print 1: Page Setup, Settings & Resolution
- Print 2: Print Sharpening & Color Management
- Print 3: Page Panel, Print to JPEG, Picture Packages
- Identity Plate
- Lightroom 3 & CS4 - a gotcha!
- Roundtrip to Photoshop (Soft Proof)
- Merge to Panorama with Photoshop
- Sync Develop Settings
If you've already purchased our LR3 tutorial, just log onto your account on the LuLa Store and download them.
BUT FIRST – Please Read the New Table of Contents PDF.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Adobe has just released Lightroom 3.2 and Camera Raw 6.2. These are available for download here. There is support for a number of new cameras, including the Canon EOS 60D, Fuji FinePix HS10, Panasonic DMC-FZ100, Panasonic DMC-FZ40 (FZ45), Panasonic DMC-LX5, Pentax 645D, Samsung NX10, Samsung TL500 (EX1), Sony A290, Sony A390, Sony Alpha NEX-3, Sony Alpha NEX-5, Sony SLT-A33, Sony SLT-A55V.
There are also more than 120 new lens profiles available as part of the free download update.
What's very gratifying to note is that many of these new cameras aren't even shipping yet, which means that these manufacturers are working closely with Adobe to provide early samples for profiling.
One manufacturer notable by the absence from this list is Nikon with the D3100. What's the matter guys, didn't you get the memo?
___________________
And speaking of Lightroom, if you want to learn it from two of the industry's leading educators, Jeff Schewe and Michael Reichmann, there's no better way than our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial.
___________________
My friends at Phase One are running a medium format workshop in Iceland this week. Kevin Raber is keeping it updated with commentary and snapshots. You can follow it on the PODAS blog.
___________________
Those of you familar with the work of large format nature photographer Clyde Butcher will be interested in catching a live video interview with him on Fine Art Photography Weekly this Wednesday at 1:30 PM Pacific time, at http://smibs.tv/live.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
Once every five years Canon holds a technology exposition. The latest took place in New York City, opening yesterday, September 1st.
This event is for Canon's customers and partners (as well as selected media), and includes business, education and government participants. Attendance is by invitation only.
I spent the day at the show, and while there was only one new product announced – the Canon XF100 and XF105 video cameras, there was an impressive array of expo type future products on display.
I have just posted a brief overview of the show and also a 2 minute video that tries to give a taste of what it was like.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
We have added six new video files today to our new Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial; Numbers 38 through 43, which are found in zipfiles 27 through 30.
This will be the last time files are added before the final videos are completed on or before September 15th.
- Slideshow
- Web
- Keywords & Painter
- Metadata
- Metadata changes made outside of Lightroom
- XMP sidecar Files
This is your last chance at the 10% off Pre-Publication Sale price.
If you've already purchased our LR3 tutorial, just log onto your account on the LuLa Store and download them.
BUT FIRST – Please Read the New Table of Contents PDF.
___________________
"These tutorials have made my understanding of much of the digital world so much easier.
It is far easier to watch these two experts and learn than trying to understand from some of the 'encyclopedias' that are on the market, and at a price that is excellent value for money."
The Pentax 645D has been a long time coming. But this brand new 40 Megapixel 645 camera is now shipping in Japan and should start to become available in the rest of the world within the next few months.
Recently LuLa corespondent Nick Devlin spent several hours closely examining the camera with Pentax Canada's Bill Gouge, while Michael Reichmann filmed their discussion.
Nick's First Look Report is now online, as well as a 15 minute long video interview with Bill.
___________________
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
If you were paying attention a few years ago (and maybe even if you weren't) it was hard to not have heard about the Leica M8's excessive infra-red sensitivity. Owners were provided with free IR blocking filters by Leica, and that was about that – with the subsequent Leica M9 pretty much relegating the issue to a historical footnote.
But there are some people who enjoy actually doing infra-red photography, and one of them is Harold M. Merklinger, a scientist, author and a regular contributor to this site. His newest tutorial, The Leica M8 and Infra-Red Photography is now online.
___________________
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
We have just posted the final video files of the our Lightroom 3 Tutorial.
They are videos 44-52 and are found in Zip files 31-37.
- DNG Files
- Edit Capture Time
- Sort Order
- Ranking & Labeling
- File Renaming
- Stacking
- Synchronize Folder
- Dual Displays
- Shooting Tethered
The last Table of Contents V.8 can be found here.
___________________
We will be working on the server this weekend adding new features and capabilities to the site. The discussion forum will be unaffected, but the main site may be up and down occasionally. Thanks for your understanding.
___________________
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
The Sony A55 promises to be one of the hottest new cameras of the season. Following my earlier first review I've had an opportunity to work with one for another couple of weeks on my home turf. Today sees my latest article, Sony A55 – A Further Evaluation.
If you just logged onto the site for the first time in a while you may have noticed a slight change in the cosmetics, and also a new box in the upper right corner for "Contributor Log-In".
While the appearance change is small, underneath the skin there have been massive changes which have been in development for the past 12 months.
In the days ahead we will be rolling out a number of new services to readers, so stay tuned.
PS: Try the new site search box on the left panel or here. I think you'll find it helpful in finding content among the 4,000+ pages on the site.
Michael Reichmann will be interviewed live online on Smibs TV this coming Wednesday, September 15th at 1:30pm Pacific, 4:30pm Eastern. That's 20:30 GMT. I hope that you can watch.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Michael Reichmann will be interviewed live online on Smibs TV today, Wednesday, September 15th. The interview will take place at 1:30pm Pacific, 4:30pm Eastern. That's 20:30 GMT if you're outside of North America.
Among topics to be discussed will be some exciting changes coming to the site.
I hope that you can watch.
The live interview is now concluded,
but you can watch a streaming recording of it
at your convenience on Smibs TV.
____________________
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
Over the past several years new software options have become available for converting RGB images into Black and White.
One of the most versatile programs on the market for doing this is NIK Silver EFEX Pro. It has developed an avid user base, including our regular contributor, Mark Segal, who today takes us through the full preparation of an image to demonstrate key aspects of the program's creative possibilities.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Is the weather rotten? Raining? Snowing? Too hot? Too cold? A good day to stay in bed and read LuLa on your iPad?
Fugedaboutit. Get up, grab your camera and get outside. That's the lesson learned by many photographers over the years. Get outside your comfort zone. Push yourself. You may come home at the end of the day, cold and wet, and possibly without a single worthwhile shot. Or you might have captured something wonderful.
You can read more on this thought by Contributor Mark Dubovoy in his latest essay – Photography, Rain or Shine.
Speaking of Mark, he is now on his way to Germany for this week's bi-annual Photokina show. Mark will be reporting regularly throughout the week on the major product announcements as well as many of the more obscure ones that we know will interest LuLa readers.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Photokina opens Tuesday, and our Contributor Mark Dubovoy will be there filing daily reports from the show floor.
Due to a scheduling conflict Michael will not be attending this year, but will be filling in Mark's reports with fresh press announcements and observations.
If you're interested in the world of speciality cameras, medium format, large format, image processing, lenses, printers, papers and other pro gear this will be the place to find out about what's new and what's coming.
Mark's Photokina Blog is now online.
Most Recent Update was at 11:15 am EDT
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Today is the official opening day of Photokina and the announcements are pouring out.
New cameras from Panasonic, Sigma, and Leica have been announced as well as three new printers from Epson.
Most Recent Update was at 10 am EDT
____________________
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
For professional photographers few tools are as important as lighting equipment. From tungsten to electronic flash, even HMI, little has fundamentally changed over the years and even decades.
But now there's a new kid on the block – LED lighting. One of the pioneers of LED photographic lighting technology is Scott Geffert, and today he provides us with an exclusive essay on the history of lighting equipment, and what we can expect from LEDs in The Next Chapter in Photographic Lighting.
__________________
Most Recent Update was at 2:30pm EDT
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Mark continues to prowl the halls of Photokina, looking for some of the speciality items that we know our readers will be interested in.
___________________________
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
When the Sony NEX 3 and NEX 5 started to ship a few months ago Sony was taken to task, by both reviewers and end users for its poor user interface. At the time I called the menu design "a dog's breakfast".
But now, just three months later, Sony has announced a firmware update and plans to make it available by mid-October.
I have been testing this new firmware for the past few days, and my report on what it does and how well it addresses the failings of the original design is now online in my exclusive Sony NEX Firmware Update Review.
___________________________
Mark Dubovoy's Photokina Blog
Has Been Updated with
A Day Four Report
___________________________
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Photokina 2010 ended on Saturday afternoon and Mark Dubovoy, who has been filing daily reports from the show floor all week, is now on his way home to SFO.
His final report, including a video interview with Photokina TV, is now online.
________________________________
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
One of the most respected landscape photographers working in America today is William Neill, who is becoming a new regular contributor to this site.
His latest essay is titled Yosemite Sanctuary. Yosemite is an icon of the American West, and many of us have photographed there over the years, but it has been home to Bill for the past 30+ years.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Today's new essay is titled Bombay Taxi. It is by Azhar Chougle, a photojournalist who lives in Bombay, India, and who also studies in New York. In it he explores what it takes to persevere in the pursuit of images.
I have been shooting in the mountains of Virginia this past week, with my Sony A900, and also a Sony A55, kindly loaned to me by Sony Canada for further testing. (If you haven't already done so, you might want to look at my A55 Preview Report and also my recent A55 Further Evaluation).
I continue to be impressed by the A55, though when used alongside the A900 the EVF does leave something to be desired. Image quality doesn't though, and while only 16MP vs 24MP, IQ is excellent, displaying at least two stops lower noise than the A900 at higher ISOs.
Today's Home Page image was taken with the A55 on my shoot this past week, and there will be a few more on these pages in the days ahead.
Of note to those interested in the A55 and A33 is that Sony just announced that the camera is subject to overheating after a certain amount of time when shooting video with sensor stabilization turned on.
I am not surprised, since I noted this issue in my A55 Further Evaluation report several weeks ago – to my knowledge that being the only test report of this camera that observed and reported on this phenomenon thus far.
Medium format is for fashion, landscape, advertising, and the like – right?
Well, not necessarily. In his essay You Can't Do That With Medium Format photographer and educator James Martin explains that MF digital is a lot more versatile that some folks think.
Regular readers know that I usually don't mention or draw much attention to the images that I put on the Home Page. These are usually simply something that I have recently shot, often with a camera that I am testing.
Today's Home Page image is one that tickles my fancy, and so I thought I'd mention it. I'm drawn to both humorous juxtapositions and also puns, and today's shot has both.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
View Free HD Preview Video
Master photographer Art Wolfe needs little introduction. Over the course of his 30-year career, Art has worked on every continent and in hundreds exotic of locations worldwide. Through his public television series, Art Wolfe’s Travels To The Edge, Art has been taking us on fascinating visual journeys to visit and photograph far flung lands, people and creatures. His love and respect for our planet’s beauty, and talents as a photographer continue to inspire viewers.
Now, through a joint publishing effort between Art and The Luminous Landscape, we are excited to provide you with all 26 episodes of his award winning television series Art Wolfe’s Travels To The Edge as immediate HD video downloads. Each episode shows Art working in one of the most remote and photographically challenging locations on earth.
Going into its third season, Art Wolfe’s Travels To The Edge is recurrently airing worldwide. Now, for the first time and only available on the Luminous Landscape, is the downloadable version in HD!
Find Out More And Download
It's time for a Superzoom Shootout.
Both Canon and Panasonic have introduced a new generation of Superzooms – small sensor cameras with huge zoom ranges and 14 Megapixel sensors. Both are in the low US $400 range, and both can fit in a jacket pocket.
But, can they deliver the goods?
Our latest review is of the Canon Powershot SX30 vs. the Panasonic Lumix FZ100. Is there a winner? Yes there is. But not because of image quality.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
We have now completed publication of all thirteen episodes of Season 1 of Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge series.
Individual episodes are just $9.95 each. The complete 13 episode series is also available at a special discount price of US $99. These programs are presented exclusively here as 720P High Definition downloads.
Find Out More And Download
ANTARCTICA
LuLa friends Andy Biggs, John Paul Caponigro and Seth Resnick have announced they are running a photographic workshop to Antarctica in November 2011.
I have lead three workshops to Antarctica in the past, and can faithfully say that Antarctica as a photographic destination should be near the top of the list for every nature photographer. Eric Meola and Arthur Meyerson are additional instructors, so this voyage won't disappoint.
Alain Briot's latest essay is titled Composing With Color : Part 4. For those following Alain's essay series this long overdue installment (my fault, not Alain's) will be welcome. If you haven't yet read the first three parts, now is a good time to get caught up.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Mark Dubovoy, a Luminous Landscape partner and regular contributor, is an acknowledged expert on technical cameras and medium format digital. Peter Urban recently interviewed Mark at his home near Palo Alto, and his video interview will be streaming live for the next few days on Smibs.tv.
Not too long ago, Nick Devlin reviewed the intriguing Cosina Voigtlander 50/1.1 Nokton lens for rangefinder cameras. Now, after over a month of testing and preparation, Sean Reid - of Reid Reviews - has published an in-depth review that compares this new Nokton with the new Leica 50/.95 Noctilux and previous 50/1.0 Noctilux.
Reid Reviews is a subscription site written for professional and serious amateur photographers. Sean has also been a contributor to Luminous Landscape for many years now and has been a professional fine art, magazine and commercial photographer for over twenty-five years.
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
We have just published seven new episodes of Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge from Season Two of this award-winning series. These are available in 720P HD for immediate download.
If you are not yet familiar with this PBS television series, you can find out more and watch an HD preview here.
Architectural photography is one of the technically most demanding disciplines of our craft. In days of yore (more than about 5 – 10 years ago) it was the almost exclusive domain of large format technical cameras and film. Not so much today.
Our regular contributor Richard Sexton has just provided us with his latest essay titled Digital Tools for Architectural Photographers. This is a must-read if the topic is of interest to you.
Observant readers who check the site's Home Page will notice that its lead photograph was taken with the upcoming Panasonic GH2 and 100-300mm G lens.
I have been testing a pre-production sample, along with the also new 14mm f/2.5 pancake lens. My first-impressions report will be published this coming Wednesday. Watch for it.
I will also be going to New York City later this week for the PhotoPlus Show. Maybe I'll see you there.
Adobe has announced the immediate availability for download of Lightroom 3.3 and Camera Raw 6.3 RC. These new version are a free update for anyone that owns Lightroom 3 or Camera Raw 6 (Photoshop CS5) or later. A number of new lens profiles are also available.
No new features in this dot release, but support for eight newly released cameras, including the Canon PowerShot S95, Nikon D3100, Nikon D7000, Nikon Coolpix P7000, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, Samsung NX100, and the Samsung TL350 (WB2000).
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
When you use a fast lens wide open on your DSLR and you set the ISO to a desired speed, is your camera giving you what you ask for? Or, is the camera increasing the ISO without reporting what it's doing?
Indeed – does it even make sense to use fast lenses on a CMOS sensor DSLR when you could get better quality, along with smaller size and lower weight with a slower lens to start with?
The Luminous Landscape's Mark Dubovoy, using data kindly provided by DxO Labs, has been investigating this issue and today publishes An Open Letter to Major Camera Makers.
Publication of my First Impressions report on the Panasonic GH2 and two new lenses has been delayed until Friday.
The Panasonic GH2 looks to be a winner. It addresses the shortcomings of its predecessor the GH1, and more. After a week with a pre-production sample I now have my First Look Report online.
We have just published the final six episodes of Season Two of Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge. You can purchase individual HD downloads of each of the 26 episodes, or each of the season's combined 13 shows at a reduced rate. Find out more.
The new Home Page photograph is my homage to the Halloween season. Trick or Treat.
For most fine art photographers the ultimate goal of photography is the exhibition or portfolio print. But what are the techniques and tools used to achieve the best results?
Our video tutorial, From Camera to Print teaches the basics in depth, but is there more? How does a master printer achieve utlimate print quality?
In today's new tutorial, In Search of the Ultimate Inkjet Print, Mark Dubovoy provides suggestions of how to increase ink saturation to achieve superior colour, and he also looks at the Imageprint 8 RIP.
PREVIEW
________________________________________________________________
I have downloaded the entire series and am a little over half way though watching it.
It is absolutely first rate and is clarifying a lot of questions I've had about the entire digital workflow.
I find the discussion format between Michael and Jeff particularly helpful. I'm sure I'll rewatch many segments.
Eleanor Brown
One of the most common questions asked by newcomers to printing is "Why are my prints too dark?"
To understand the problem requires looking at the entire chain from viewing environment to screens to printer profiles. In a new tutorial for LuLa, colour management expert Andrew Rodney address the question – Why Are My Prints Too Dark?
Our regular columnist Alain Briot has created a series of fourteen brief essays on the making of particular photographs. I will be publishing two new essays per week between now and the end of the year.
The first two essays, Hoodoos and Clearing Spring Storm are now online, as is their permanent Index Page.
____________________
NOW AVAILABLE
The Luminous Landscape Guide
to Capture One Pro
Thank´s for one of the best tutorials I´ve seen so far!
It´s much easier to listen and learn when there is an educated discussion going on
between two very knowledgeable guys!
Find out more and watch our sample training video.
The Pentax 645D, a medium format 40 Megapixel camera, has been a long time coming. But now it's here, or at least available in Japan. They are promised for North America and Europe at the end of this year.
A few weeks ago regular contributor Nick Devlin ordered one from Japan and has been working with it since. Today we have published his exclusive First Impressions Review of the Pentax 645D. Nick will have a lot more to say about this milestone camera in the weeks ahead.
PREVIEW
________________________________________________________________
I have downloaded the entire series and am a little over half way though watching it.
It is absolutely first rate and is clarifying a lot of questions I've had about the entire digital workflow.
I find the discussion format between Michael and Jeff particularly helpful. I'm sure I'll rewatch many segments.
Eleanor Brown
What happens when an experienced photographer and reviewer gets his hands on one of the first of a new model medium format cameras? He writes a review of course, which is what Nick Devlin did a few days ago with his exclusive report here on the exciting new Pentax 645D.
Then what happens when a friend of his (another experienced photographer / reviewer, and also a contributor to this site, Mark Segal) who owns a Phase One 645DF and P40+ gets together with Nick? They of course do a shoot-out test and jointly publish their 2010 Mini-Medium Format Shoot-Out here on LuLa.
Oh yes – they also throw a Leica M9 and a Canon 1Ds MKIII into the mix. What fun!
Photokit Sharpener 2 Announced
You probably know that Jeff Schewe, my co-instructor on a number of LuLa training videos, is a partner in Pixel Genius, the company that developed the highly regarded Photokit Sharpener (also the basis for the sharpening in Lightroom).
Pixel Genius has announced today that Photokit Sharpener 2 is coming before the end of the year. Upgrade pricing for current PhotoKit SHARPENER 1.x users provides a 70% discount for an upgrade price of $29.99. Users who purchased PhotoKit SHARPENER 1.x on or after October 1st, 2010 are eligible to receive a free upgrade to PhotoKit SHARPENER 2.0.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Our regular columnist Alain Briot has created a series of fourteen brief essays on the making of particular photographs. I will be publishing two new essays per week between now and the end of the year.
The second two essays, Storm Along The Green River and Teepees Sunrise are now online, as is their permanent Index Page.
Panasonic recently announced the GF2, a new even smaller Micro Four Thirds camera, with a touch screen. But fans of the GF1 were upset, because they didn't see the GF2 as an appropriate next-generation version of its predecessor.
Why not? Because it isn't. It's a different camera altogether aimed at a different audience than was the GF1. The problem isn't with the camera, it's with its name.
Find out more in my Panasonic GF2 First Impressions review.
PREVIEW
________________________________________________________________
I have downloaded the entire series and am a little over half way though watching it.
It is absolutely first rate and is clarifying a lot of questions I've had about the entire digital workflow.
I find the discussion format between Michael and Jeff particularly helpful. I'm sure I'll rewatch many segments.
Eleanor Brown
The two big stories in digital photography technology during the second half of 2010 have been interconnected. These are Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras and Convergence – not just DSLRs with video capability, but video cameras with large still camera sized sensors.
To put some perspective on this I have just published an essay titled Mirrorless – Video – Convergence.
On this same topic, this coming Wednesday, Nov 24, at 1:30pm Pacific, 4:30 Eastern (21:30 GMT) together with well known videographer and industry pundit Phillip Bloom, I will be participating in a live TV webcast interview on this very topic at http://smibs.tv/live.
Pentax 645D cameras are now starting to become available outside Japan. Nick Devlin has consequently updated his 645D review.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
As we do each year, we're having a Thanksgiving week sale. Between Wednesday midnight CST and Sunday midnight all of our videos are on sale at discounts of either - 15% or -25%.
If you're Canadian and celebrated Thanksgiving last month, consider it our belated gift. If you live outside North America and haven't the foggiest what Thanksgiving is about, don't worry. Just enjoy the sale.
Our regular columnist Alain Briot has created a series of fourteen brief essays on the making of particular photographs. I am publishing two new essays per week until the end of the year.
The third two essays, Comb Ridge Clouds and Playa Reflections #1 are now online, as is their permanent Index Page.
For some photographers the most interesting tool is the camera. For others (myself among them) it's lenses that have the greatest appeal and fascination.
Every now and then a lens comes along that grabs our attention and becomes a must-have for some photographers. The brand new Voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 Nokton in Micro Four Thirds mount is one such lens.
I purchased one from the first batch available and have been shooting with it for the past few weeks. My First Impressions Review of what I call the Naught Dot Nokt is now online.
Those who thought (and some who claimed) that the highly anticipated Panasonic GH2 was delayed can now eat crow. As of late last week a major Canadian retailer, Henry's, has started shipping both GH2 bodies as well as bodies with kit lenses. The new 14mm and 100-300mm lenses are also shipping.
To my knowledge Henry's are the first retailer outside of Japan to ship to end users. They are also likely out of stock for the moment, having first filled back-orders. Other retailers in Canada may already have them or be about to receive them as well.
Due to high demand our Thanksgiving / Black Friday Sale, with 15% – 25% off on all our download videos has morphed into a Cyber Monday Sale and will extend until midnight tonight.
Two video interviews which were online live in recent weeks have now been made available for download and on-demand viewing; Mark Dubovoy's episode is now up at http://smibs.tv/fine-art-
Mark Dubovoy's Open Letter to Manufacturers has been updated with a link to some new DxO sensor data.
It's the first of a new month and with it we are beginning a new monthly series of geotagged photo-related travel articles by author and photographer Miles Hecker.
The first in the series is titled On The High Road to Taos. You can expect a new installment on around the first of every month from now onward.
Adobe Labs has just released their Color Print Utility that allows for printing profiling targets directly. Mark Dubovoy who has been testing this new application for Adobe describes its background and use in his latest article.
DxO Labs has today announced the immediate availability of DxO Optics Pro v6.5.1 for both Mac and Windows. It adds RAW support in both its Standard and Elite editions for the Nikon D7000 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A390.
As you read here earlier this week, Panasonic has started shipping their new GH2 outside of Japan, with the first dealers to get them being those in Canada.
Video producer Chris Sanderson and I had placed our orders early – after having been so impressed by both its stills and video capabilities when I previewed the camera on these pages back in October. We have just received our ordered cameras and will be using them on a combined stills and video project later this month in Mexico.
You can therefore expect to see a lot here about this new camera's capabilities in the months ahead. This includes the phenomenal but hidden 1:1 video mode, which I'll be reporting on here next week.
Today's featured Home Page image was taken just yesterday with the new GH2.
UPDATE
Phase One announced late today the availability of Capture One 6.0. You can read about the new features here.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
From about noon EST Dec 2 until noon Dec 3, the Texas-based server that hosts the main part of The Luminous Landscape & the Forum was down. A cascading series of problems that had our very best working non-stop to solve, meant that we were essentially invisible during that time.
The solutions have meant machine replacements and complete re-installation from backups. Our warm thanks to Mark Guertin and Vincent Roman who have spent a sleepless night to come up with solutions. It appears that there was no data loss. There may still be some anomalies – let us know! And as they say in the airline business – Thanks for your patience!!
I recently wrote about Cosina Voigtlander's very interesting new 25mm f/0.95 Nokton lens for MFT cameras. Earlier this year Cosina also released a new, M-mount, 75/1.8 rangefinder camera lens.
After more than a month of testing and preparation, Sean Reid – of Reid Reviews – has just published an in-depth review that compares this new Voigtlander 75/1.8 Heliar Classic with the Voigtlander 75/2.5 Color Heliar, Leica 75/2.0 Summicron APO ASPH and Leica 75/2.5 Summarit.
Reid Reviews is an independent subscription site that is written primarily for professional and serious amateur photographers. Sean has also been a contributor to The Luminous Landscape for many years now and has been a professional fine art, magazine and commercial photographer for over twenty-five years.
What if a manufacturer built a terrific new capability into one of its latest cameras, then forgot to tell customers about it?
That's the case with Extra-Tele Converter video mode (ETC) on the new Panasonic GH2. This is a 2.6X virtual teleconverter capability with no light loss and essentially no image quality degradation.
Find out more in our latest exclusive review.
UPDATE
Joe Holmes is one of the most diligent and tech savvy fine art printers in the world. Like many of us he has been struggling with Photoshop and CS5 printing issues.
Joe has just written a report on his investigations which, if you use the latest version of Photoshop to print to an Epson, should be on your must-read list.
PREVIEW
________________________________________________________________
I have downloaded the entire series and am a little over half way though watching it.
It is absolutely first rate and is clarifying a lot of questions I've had about the entire digital workflow.
I find the discussion format between Michael and Jeff particularly helpful. I'm sure I'll rewatch many segments.
Eleanor Brown
Adobe announced release candidate versions of Lightroom 3.3, Camera Raw 6.3 and DNG Converter 6.3 a few weeks ago, and has now released the updated products. The new cameras supported include...
Canon PowerShot G12
Canon PowerShot S95
Nikon D3100
Nikon D7000
Nikon Coolpix P7000
Olympus E-5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Pentax K-5
Pentax K-r
Ricoh GXR, GR LENS A12 28mm F2.5
Samsung NX100
Samsung TL350 (WB2000)
Sony A560
Sony A580
Your can downloaded the Mac version of Lightroom 3.3 here, and the Windows version here. Mac Camera Raw 6.3 is found here and Windows here.
Epson US has announced two new printers, the Stylus Pro 7890 and 9890. These use eight colour Ultrachrome K3 inks with Vidid Magenta.
Panasonic has updated the firmware for its 14-140mm lens, allowing for improved stabilization and AF in movie mode.
Do you bother with model releases? Most amateurs don't, but for pros it can be a real hassle, especially in foreign countries.
For fine art photography it's rarely an issue, but for commercial photographers and other pros who will be publishing their images, a model release can make the difference between a money maker or a dud, or even a law suit.
Jim Martin today reviews iD-Release, a really slick and convenient model release application for the iPhone.
One of the reasons why I believe that this is the golden age of photography (at least at the tools and materials level) is because of the vast selection of terrific printing papers that we currently have available.
In an exclusive first-look report titled Rice is Nice, I look at some pre-production samples of a new fine art rice paper from Hahnemuhle.
"Awesome video presentation.
I have learnt so much more after looking through this on the weekend. The tip about pushing blacks and fill light in the Basic Module was worth the price alone. My images of a recent trip to the Australian Outback are popping and punching with delight!
Thanks Michael and Jeff – I really appreciate you taking the considerable time to share your in-depth knowledge and insights."
Of all the places in the world to do photography Yemen is not high on most people's list of places to visit.
But today California-based fine art photographer Don Whitebread provides us with a fascinating insight into doing photography there in Yemen, A Leap Back in Time.
Film Maker Chris Sanderson and I are currently on a road trip down to Mexico. We hit the mid-west snow storm yesterday, but managed to avoid the worst of it. Only about 15 jack-knifed tractor trailers and 30 spun out cars noted in a 7 hour period between Akron and St. Louis!
And for those that will inevitably write about the dangers of Mexico – well, all I can say is that I'm escaping the 7 shootings in Toronto this past two weeks and the 10 gang-related shootings in Vancouver the other day, for somewhere safer, like San Miguel de Allende, where I'll be spending the winter.
Today's Home Page photo, though nothing terribly special, was shot along the way earlier today.
PREVIEW
________________________________________________________________
I have downloaded the entire series and am a little over half way though watching it.
It is absolutely first rate and is clarifying a lot of questions I've had about the entire digital workflow.
I find the discussion format between Michael and Jeff particularly helpful. I'm sure I'll rewatch many segments.
Eleanor Brown
More and more still cameras have HDMI output. While video cameras have had these for years, still cameras have mostly used them for TV playback.
But now most cameras also shoot video and provide live video output while shooting and in Live View mode. This makes a small and light battery-operated monitor something worth having on location, and the just-shipping Marshall HDMI V-LCD50 is therefore the subject of our latest review.
I've just arrived at our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and will be living here until spring returns to Toronto.
Many people have written asking how my drive from Toronto to Mexico went. I've just published a brief account for those that might be interested.
Earlier this year, Sean Reid and Mitch Alland wrote an article for this site about Ricoh's unusual GXR modular camera.
Ricoh recently introduced a new module for the camera that combines a new (roughly APS-C sized) sensor and an 18.3 mm (28 mm EFOV) F/2.5 lens. The new module creates a camera with not only a wider field of view (than the "50 mm" A12) but also more compact dimensions - enough so that it can now fairly be called a "large pocket" camera.
Sean recently published an in-depth review of this new module on Reid Reviews – an independent subscription site written primarily for professional and serious amateur photographers. Sean has been a contributor to The Luminous Landscape for many years now and has been a professional fine art, magazine and commercial photographer for over twenty-five years.
Beginning next month, Sean will be periodically writing short articles for The Luminous Landscape. These won't duplicate the content he creates for Reid Reviews but should provide interesting reading. Watch for them.
Which medium format camera is the best? If you want an opinion based on many years of working with and testing almost all available brands and models, ask Mark Dubovoy.
In his new essay, Thoughts on Medium Format Cameras, Mark gives his biased yet highly informed opinion on which of today's top-end systems work best for him.
End of Year Sale
It's here and it's now live. Our annual end-of-year sale. All of our training videos and travel videos, including Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge, are now on sale through the New Years holiday at 15% off.
Leica has just released a firmware update for the S2 camera. Mark Dubovoy and Nick Rains have contributed their comments on this update in a new report.
End of Year Sale - up to 20% off
It's here and it's now live. Our annual end-of-year sale. All of our training videos and travel videos, including Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge, are now on sale through the New Years holiday at 15% off. New customers receive a coupon for an additional 5% discount making new purchases 20% off our regular prices.
Best Wishes for the Holidays from
the LuLa gang...
Michael, Chris, Mark D, Charlene, and Mark G
Does it take talent to be a good photographer? And what does it mean to have talent?
Find out what our regular contributor Alain Briot thinks in his latest essay – Rethinking Talent.
End of Year Sale - up to 20% off
It's here and it's now live. Our annual end-of-year sale. All of our training videos and travel videos, including Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge, are now on sale through the New Years holiday at 15% off. New customers receive a coupon for an additional 5% discount making new purchases 20% off our regular prices.
Cinematographer Chris Sanderson and I have been working with a couple of Panasonic GH2 systems in Mexico for the past few weeks. We are preparing a new video tutorial titled Cinematography for Photographers. It will be available here for download some time in Q2, 2011.
As we have been shooting with the GH2's we have uncovered a few operational treats as well as gottchas, which are now detailed in our latest report titled Panasonic GH2 Video Discoveries.
If you're into video you'll also be interested to note that we will be reviewing the just-released Panasonic AF-100 /101 in the weeks ahead. This is the world's first affordable, full-featured large-sensor camcorder, and it looks to be spectacular.
I have been posting new pictures from San Miguel every few days on the Home Page. I have now created a portfolio page of the images so far, and will be updating it regularly in the months ahead.
End of Year Sale - up to 20% off
It's here and it's now live. Our annual end-of-year sale. All of our training videos and travel videos, including Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge, are now on sale through the New Years holiday at 15% off. New customers receive a coupon for an additional 5% discount making new purchases 20% off our regular prices.
What did talented cinematographer Jamie Stuart and a video DSLR produce in a single evening? Have a look at this three and a half minute video on YouTube titled Idiot with a Tripod.
I point this out because it illustrates what someone with a consumer camera, passion and talent can produce with no budget and in a short period of time.
Film critic Robert Ebert said that the film deserved to win the Academy Award for best live-action short.
What are you doing with your video capable DSLR?
End of Year Sale - up to 20% off
It's here and it's now live. Our annual end-of-year sale. All of our training videos and travel videos, including Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge, are now on sale through the New Years holiday at 15% off. New customers receive a coupon for an additional 5% discount making new purchases 20% off our regular prices.
Epson continues to fill all of the bases with its latest photographic printer, the Stylus Pro 4900. Our regular contributor Mark Segal has been putting one through its paces for the past few weeks and today we publish our last review of 2010, Epson 4900 – Hands-On and Down to Work.
Today, the last day of 2010, is also the end of an era. The last roll of Kodachrome to be processed in the world comes off the line. I guess Mama did take our Kodachrome away after all. Mark Dubovoy comments in his brief essay, The End of an Era.
Happy New Year Everyone
End of Year Sale - up to 20% off
It's here and it's now live. Our annual end-of-year sale. All of our training videos and travel videos, including Art Wolfe's Travels to The Edge, are now on sale through the New Years holiday at 15% off. New customers receive a coupon for an additional 5% discount making new purchases 20% off our regular prices.
Return to the What's New archives page.
Go to the current What's New page.
|
|