Author Archives: Chuck_Maas

Summer is Here!

When the winter season in the far north really passes, the transformation is incredible. Among the first signs of late spring/early summer are the wild rose blossoms whose delicate pick petals seem to show up everywhere. They don’t last long, … Continue reading

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Operating System Battle

There’s been an interesting competition going on for a long time between two heavy hitters in the electronics world, Apple and Microsoft. This isn’t so much about hardware as it is about the conceptual nature of the underlying operating system … Continue reading

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Updated Sony Compact Camera

Sony has just released a significant update to their well-respected Cyber-shot RX100 camera which adds features not yet available in any other compact.  Using a relatively large 20.1MP 1”-type sensor, this RX100 III employs a new 24-70mm equivalent focal length … Continue reading

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“Affordable” Medium Format

Pentax is back in the news as Ricoh (its parent company) announces a significant update to their medium format digital body, now labeled 645Z.  Though an update of the previous 645D, the changes are big and important. Using the same … Continue reading

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Manipulation in Nature Photos

Occasionally it’s worth revisiting the concept of what is appropriate, acceptable, and ethical in terms of capturing and post-processing digital nature photographs.  This is a subject with no single right answer, and stridently defended views are argued from widely diverging … Continue reading

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Giveaway

Who gets to use the pictures photographers work hard to create has taken another turn.  Earlier this month, Getty Images announced they would allow 35 million photos in their collection to be used at no charge for non-commercial purposes (see … Continue reading

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Disc Storage Not Dead Yet

Though many desktops and laptops no longer come with CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives, the concept of using optical discs for archiving data hasn’t disappeared.  Discs still exhibit positive properties that tend to help them withstand many environmental factors such as dust, water, … Continue reading

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New Epson Metallic Photo Paper

Metallic prints from service bureaus and specialty metallic printing papers have been around for a while and for some subjects they create a stunning result.  Epson has now stepped up to the plate and is offering two new metallic photo … Continue reading

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Form, Function, and Retro Design

Many camera makers are now offering bodies with “retro” design, like the Nikon Df, hoping that nostalgia will lure more customers.  Too often this detracts from camera usability instead of improving it. There’s nothing wrong with liking the appearance of … Continue reading

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SD Card Speed Leap

For a long time the read/write transfer rates for SD memory cards has lagged behind CF cards.  That has now changed.  SanDisk’s new SDHC/SDXC Extreme Pro card with UHS-II sets a new standard of up to 280MB/s read and 250MB/s … Continue reading

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