Canon Fact & Speculation

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

Photokina has come and gone and the biggest Canon announcement was the EOS 6D, an “entry level” full-frame model aimed at a niche a step below the 5D Mark III.  For about $2,100 you can shoot full frame too.  Of course a brand new 5D Mark II can still be had for less than that and is still a very competent tool, so if you’re interested in moving to full frame for the first time you’ll need to compare features carefully.  Nikon has also released a D600 in the same price bracket, so the completion—even across platforms— is very strong, to say the least.

And yes, there were a couple new PowerShots (G15 and S110) at the Canon stand, but little else to raise the heart-rate of those invested in the EF lens mount—still nothing official on the 200-400mm zoom, for example, and no 7D update.  After-show speculation is mounting though, and several sources indicate there may be a high megapixel count Canon body coming fairly soon (the mythical 3D or a 5D X?), and that there is likely a newly designed crop sensor intended for a 7D Mark II early next year.  I hope this is the case.  As much as I appreciate and enjoy using a full-frame body for a lot of nature work, the additional reach a 1.6 crop-factor sensor provides can be an invaluable tool without resorting to extenders and the inevitable loss in light-gathering capability and image quality, however slight.

Here’s what I’d really like to see from Canon in the next few months:  a 7D Mark II with first-rate sensor plus articulating LCD (and please keep the CF memory card format); and a long-awaited update to the venerable 100-400mm zoom lens with state-of-the-art IS and a little closer minimum focus distance.  That would be a killer combination for a whole host of nature shooters.

In the meantime, the level of imaging tool sophistication is way beyond the needs of 99.5% of users, and obsessing over body/lens choices just isn’t very useful anymore.  Which is a good thing, because it’s never been the most important part of the equation anyway.

Posted in Hardware, Industry trends | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Canon Fact & Speculation

Natural Challenges

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

There’s a story behind this rather benign image of the Sanctuary River in Denali National Park that illustrates choices and consequences and the constant challenges wild creatures face.  I happened to be in the park in June on a stormy day with leaden skies and strong, blustery winds and it had already been raining heavily for several hours.  At this particular spot just west of the campground, the level of the river was only a little higher than in this picture, but the water was already roily and brown with glacial silt.  At that time the gravel island was mostly covered with grass and a few small shrubs, and a mew gull was sitting on a nest right in the middle of it.  I thought to myself that perhaps the nest location wasn’t the most prudent, but it all depended on the weather.  Unfortunately, the rain continued in earnest, and by later that day flood waters completely covered the small island.  When the waters eventually receded, the nest and all the vegetation was gone—the gravel island had been swept clean.  Of course these sorts of events happen all the time in nature, but because I was a witness this particular sequence seemed particularly poignant.

Posted in Locations, Wildlife | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Natural Challenges

Canon News

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

As Photokina gets closer, along with the inevitability of more product announcements, several events from Canon have kept the interest level up for those married to the EOS system including a new mirrorless offering and a major firmware update for its top 1.6 crop body.  In addition, a close third party look at focusing system improvements sheds more light on recent advancements.

Among the major camera companies, Canon is the last to bring out a mirrorless body.  Many wished for an m4/3 lens mount, but Canon decided it needed a larger sensor and a more direct and proprietary connection with its own EF and EF-S lenses.  So now we have the EOS M, with a new EF-M lens mount and an EF/EF-S lens adapter.  How one views any new camera body depends entirely on personal perspective and intended use.  The EOS M has no optical or electronic viewfinder (either built-in or as a clip-on accessory), relying instead on the typical use of rear LCD for framing, nor does it have a built-in flash.  While the sensor is a duplicate of the very capable relatively new Rebel T4i, the overall package seems a curious mix of features.  However, along with the announcement comes the promise of a more fully featured model a little later.

As a bit of a surprise, the very popular EOS 7D has gotten a major firmware update, which adds significant features to an already highly capable camera (and perhaps spins its longevity out a bit).  Some owners have experienced odd events after installation of the update, so make sure directions are followed precisely.

Anyone using or interested in the EOS-1D X or EOS 5D Mark III should read Roger Cicala’s investigation of the new autofocus systems in these bodies.  Without a doubt our tools are getting more and more complex, and sometimes that complexity actually makes them more precise and useful in making good pictures.  But it can also drive the need to upgrade all components of the system.

On the availability front, the new versions of EF 500 and 600 super-telephoto lenses are gradually making it to market for average people, though the stratospheric prices will stretch even well-heeled budgets.  By all accounts they do offer spectacular results for those who can make the reach.  Lots of the not-yet-formally-released Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens were seen at the Olympics, and there is every expectation it will make its official debut at Photokina.  Might be an entry-level full frame body too (though likely not until October), replacing the still-popular 5D Mark II.  More rumors also of the long-awaited update for the EF 100-400.  This is one that would appeal to a huge number of outdoor/nature shooters.

All things considered, the next few weeks will be full of news on new imaging tools.

Posted in Hardware | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Canon News

Bear Tales

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

Juvenile brown bears are inquisitive creatures and won’t turn down a free lunch when they can find it.  That could include first-run red salmon bound for the Russian River already caught and put on a stringer, or a backpack full of human food left unattended on the bank.  This year there has been two sets of sows with cubs frequenting the Upper Kenai near the ferry—one on each side of the river— regularly working the shorelines.  One man I spoke with had been blissfully fishing on the north side while listening to music through earphones when he suddenly noticed two small cubs right out in the river with him 30 feet or so to one side and the mother bear out there too on the other side.  The way he described it I doubt he’ll forget the experience of being sandwiched between a sow and cubs for a very long time.  Nothing bad happened, fortunately, as he eventually waded around the bears and made his way back to the parking lot the long way around and cautiously went back to his previous fishing spot to retrieve the backpack he’d left on the bank.  I don’t think he did any more fishing that day.

Posted in Locations, Wildlife | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Bear Tales

Renewal

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

It’s that time of year.  With nearly 18 ½ hours of sunlight now at latitude 61.2N the non-winter season is in full swing.  Trees are leafed out, bird activity is at its peak, moose calves are in vogue, and salmon are arriving.  Things won’t slow down now ‘til October!

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Renewal

Imaging Computers

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

While much of the emphasis in discussions of digital photography hardware revolves around camera bodies and lenses, the computer component is critically important too, at least if you value your time as part of the equation.  It’s the combination of all the tools that has evolved into the richest capture-to-output image creation platform ever.

As is always the case, new technology is continually pushed into the chain, sometimes causing minor ripples, and at other times causing big waves.  The current breaking wave on the computing end of the spectrum is a new family of central processors coupled with advanced graphics card capabilities which are being leveraged by ever more sophisticated software like the Mercury Graphics Engine in Adobe’s latest Creative Suite.  Intel’s “Ivy Bridge” processors (and upgraded workstation CPUs with a different family lineage) are just entering the product stream at the same time Nvidia’s CUDA parallel graphics computing platform continues to raise the bar on the GPU side.  All this is good news for those stepping up to really large image files (perhaps out of a Nikon D800?), or producing more video along with stills.

Some of the first upgraded packages are showing up in laptops.  Lenovo has just announced their new lineup (with Windows OS), and very strong rumors suggest Apple will be unveil a new 15 inch MacBook Pro at their Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11.  And there’s much more to come with OS upgrades soon from both camps.  No doubt it will take a while for all the dust to settle and clear choices to become evident, but the options to expand your creative suite will be broader than ever, and commensurately, might deserve a bit more study than in the past to make the best picks for future acquisitions.

If you use Photoshop, here is Adobe’s list of suggestions for optimizing performance.  Notice how much more important the GPU has become in the overall mix.  Add 64-bit processors, solid state drives, and large amounts of RAM and the performance improvement of a state-of-the-art system over one just a few years old can be mind-boggling.  Take a look at one reviewer’s perception of the quantum leap in usability afforded by a new variety of SSD that runs in a PCIe slot on the desktop system’s motherboard.

Most photographers would rather be in the field making pictures than doing post-production work on a computer, and making some astute choices on end-game hardware and software can save a lot of time to help you do just that.  2012 is rapidly shaping up as a banner year for technology improvements on both ends of the imaging spectrum.

Posted in Hardware, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Imaging Computers

True Black & White Capture

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

Until now, most digital black & white images have been processed from color captures.  Now Leica is offering a different approach—a new model of their classic M-series rangefinder called the M Monochrom which uses a full frame black & white sensor recording only luminance values and a histogram readout that displays unprocessed and unmodified raw data.  This is a tool for purists, without a doubt, and will be cheered by many who advocate for the artistic value of monochromatic expression.  Of course the whole line of justly famous Leica lenses will be at your disposal, including the brand new APO-Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 ASPH.

With this camera Leica is filling a niche many photographers have been longing for—a single purpose tool optimized for one particular photographic technique.  Other manufacturers have shied away, with limited market size and short term profit potential being judged outside their business model.  But Leica has an edge here as a boutique company that continues to hold superlative craftsmanship and quality among its core values.  Dedication to these tenets has driven the costs of its products into the stratosphere, but regardless, they’ve succeeded in developing a customer base that keeps both cameras and lenses (especially the lenses) in high demand and short supply.  There is a unique mystique surrounding the whole Leica experience, and I expect the M Monochrom will rejuvenate many discussions about it.  And there will likely be some angst as well that film will no longer be required to authentically capture black & white images.  Technology marches on.

Posted in Hardware | Tagged , , | Comments Off on True Black & White Capture

Memory Cards and Image Files

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

Sometimes speed matters, and the type of memory card you use to record digital images can make a big difference.  Considerations depend of course on your shooting style and your equipment.  Those focused on landscapes and close-ups probably are less inclined to be concerned about how fast the camera writes data to the card, but wildlife shooters who count on high frame rates to capture precise moments during action sequences (particularly with recent high-end camera bodies) will want to choose cards carefully to maximize performance.

Standards keep changing and technology keeps moving forward.  Just a few years ago a 1GB 40x card cost hundreds of dollars; today a top-brand card with 10 times the speed rating and 32 times the capacity costs less than $100.  Memory overall has gotten relatively inexpensive, in the greater scheme of things, and for most shooters there’s little reason to be cramped for capacity or transfer speed any more.

For technically oriented folks who like to study the numbers, Rob Galbraith has recently updated his CF/SD/XQD Performance Database (the only one like it I know of) to include data on Canon 7D and 5D Mark III, Nikon D3S, D7000, D4, and D800 camera bodies, and several of the latest CF and SDHC cards.  Right now, for a number of the cameras the 32GB version of the Lexar Professional 1000x CF card is the clear winner, though the new XQD 32GB card in the Nikon D4 (the only current body with a slot for that card format) eclipses everything!

One interesting note from this data compilation:  the Canon 5D Mark III with Lexar 32GB Pro 1000x CF card reached a RAW file transfer rate of 80.2 MB/s!  That’s stunning, and aside from the fierce debate over the ability of the new Nikon D800/E to resolve more fine details than the 5D Mark III, I’m finding the 5D3 to be a very satisfying body to actually use.  With a maximum continuous shooting rate of 6 fps I expect it to meet most “action” needs, and the top-end focusing system and many other improved features make it a very well fleshed out body.  For any serious shooter already committed to the Canon system, the 5D3 is worth a very close look.

As image files get larger and cards get bigger, it takes ever longer to transfer those files to your computer (where they have to go eventually).  One efficiency improvement option is Lexar’s Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader (UDMA 7). While USB 3.0 ports are not yet available on all computers, they are showing up on most new Windows systems.  So far Apple has thumbed its nose at USB 3.0 in favor of Thunderbolt, which is taking a long time to catch on.  You can fairly easily add USB 3.0 capability to a desktop system if you have an available PCIe slot, or add an adapter to a laptop if it has an ExpressCard 34 slot (though you’ll have to power the device you connect to it through another source).  USB 3.0 is way faster than USB 2.0, and even faster than eSATA for those with that capability.  When Thunderbolt connectivity and devices actually reach the market at affordable prices they’ll be even faster than USB 3.0, but that’s somewhere down the road.

So don’t let memory cards be the weak link in your system.  Find the right combination of capacity, speed, and price so you can shoot to your heart’s content with…as they say in the really deep south… “no worries.”

Posted in Connectivity, Hardware | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Memory Cards and Image Files

Real, and Maybe Real

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

Real. Some things we know are going to happen—like the next iteration of Adobe Photoshop.  This comes around every couple of years or so and there’s always a lot of grumbling… some at the cost of upgrades, and some at the burden of learning to use the new tools included with each new program version.  Cost is certainly a concern, but companies are in business to make money and it’s not a surprise they want to continue improving a product with the hope they can entice you to buy it.  And as to the need to keep learning, the continued acceleration of  the rate of technological change in the 21st century has pretty much made that a fact of life whether we like it or not.

Adobe has now released their free CS6 Public Beta available at Adobe Labs.  By all accounts this upgrade will be significant on several levels, not the least of which is that the entire interface has changed to a new (darker) color scheme with redesigned icons.  There’s plenty of information beginning to flow and you can find a pretty good synopsis of the major changes at DP Review.  Do keep in mind this beta release is not the final product, so there will almost certainly be some additional tweaks before it ships sometime in the next couple of months.  This upgrade will also provide an opportunity for the information industry to launch a new wave of online and hardcopy training materials to help get you up to speed, such as the free video sessions at lynda.com and Tim Grey’s training department.  I suspect too that a few eyebrows will be raised regarding elevated system requirements which will demand more of the host computer (for example, CS6 will not support 32-bit Macs).  Read the fine print carefully.

Which brings up another point.  If you’re anticipating a computer upgrade in the near future primarily to run Photoshop (and/or other computationally intensive photo editing programs), consider the confluence of converging technologies.  The next wave of Intel’s “Ivy Bridge” Core i7 processors should find their way to suppliers within the next month or two, and the latest iteration of workstation Xeon E5-2600 series CPUs are coming on line as well, so delaying a purchase just a bit might be good practice.  With the new processors will come system components and features that significantly improve data throughput and reduce the time it takes to create content. 

Maybe real. And some things are just tantalizing rumors that may or may not eventually make it to market—like a new 37MP full frame Sony Alpha SLT body sporting a square sensor!  Far fetched?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I for one really like the square aspect ratio.  I still own a vintage Rolleiflex through which I put many scores of rolls of film a long time ago.  Discussion of this interesting new development purports that all current Alpha mount lenses would work just fine with this 36mm x 36mm sensor, removing the impediment of a new lens line.  Whether or not this concept gains legs remains to be seen, but it could be a way for Sony to quickly separate themselves from the crowd with one very clever move.

Posted in Hardware, Software | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Real, and Maybe Real

Bits and Pieces

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

It’s been a busy year so far and without a doubt there’s more to come.  Here’s a short rundown.

Adobe Lightroom 4 has just been released.  There are some pretty big changes that should appeal to most users and the package carries a lower price tag too.  At the fundamental level there’s a new RAW development Process Version (PV2012) in which the underlying engine has been improved and which will require some study and familiarization as to which sliders are performing what function.  The same new engine will also show up soon as Camera Raw v6.7 in Photoshop CS6 since the same RAW developer is used in both packages, just implemented differently.  (ACR Release Candidate v6.7 is available now for early adopters.  This is your key to Photoshop RAW conversion for the new PowerShot G1 X; see full new camera support list here.)  There’s plenty of online info available on LR4, but a place to start might be with DP Review’s coverage.  As image editing programs continue to improve, it’s worth pointing out that going back to some of those older RAW files and redeveloping them with the new process can sometimes yield some pretty surprising results.  Files you may have skipped before because you couldn’t envision making anything reasonable from them might be worthy of attention now; one more reason not to be too hasty making initial editing decisions and permanently deleting questionable original RAW files just to save a little storage space.

In other software, Both Apple and Microsoft have new operating system versions on the way—Mountain Lion for Apple, and Windows 8 for Microsoft.  Both efforts accelerate the convergence of mobile operating system components with the traditional keyboard/mouse interface.  This is a sea change, and will challenge the comfort level of a lot of established mindsets, but it’s the way forward and is best embraced to leverage current processes for efficient future output.

In the realm of tablets, Apple announced their new (3rd Generation) iPad yesterday.   The top new feature is a very high resolution Retina display.  While still more a device for consumption than creative production, the iPad has become a very useful tool for a great many photographers.  One source has indicated the new high-res model has a significantly wider color gamut as well, and it will be interesting to see what discriminating reviewers like Ctein and Rob Galbraith have to say on that subject down the road as color accuracy is especially important for image makers.

The Micro Four Thirds category has a strong new player in the Olympus OM-D E-M5.  While Olympus as a company continues to struggle with huge financial issues, the E-M5 has certainly created excitement by employing some very interesting high-level features with pro aspirations in a diminutive package having distinctive retro styling harking back to the vaunted OM-4 SLR film camera.  With m4/3 lens selection continuing to improve, I think the E-M5 has a bright future.

In a different vein, Pentax chose to enter the compact interchangeable-lens category (which they are labeling “Hybrid”) with the K-01.  Using a 16MP APS-C sized sensor and a proprietary lens mount that provides backward compatibility with a large number of legacy Pentax lenses, the curious thing (from my perspective) is the very strong emphasis for this model on design (function following form?).  Press material goes to great lengths to laud the artistic acclaim of Marc Newson and what Pentax perceives to be the magnetic appeal of bold lines, bright colors, rounded corners, and soft accents.  I’m sure it’s all in the eye of the beholder, and while I have great respect for Marc Newson, the K-01 looks to me more like a toy than a tool, and in addition comes up a bit short in the basic feature department (like some sort of eye-level viewfinder).  But I’m sure it’s capable of making very nice images, and I certainly wish Pentax well as that venerated company has a rich legacy of producing fine photographic tools.

Posted in Hardware, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bits and Pieces