Current Events

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

Hewlett-Packard. In a surprise move, HP announced just two days ago that it will cease all operations related to its webOS products, including the TouchPad tablet and Pre 3 phone, and will likely also sell its PC manufacturing business (see story).  Large stocks of unsold TouchPads have been discounted to $99 (16GB model) and $149 (32GB model).  While this seems an extremely aggressive move, it’s not unlike the approach IBM took a few years ago to concentrate on enterprise services.

Micro Four Thirds. There’s a lot of action in the m4/3 realm with Sony about to announce an upgraded NEX-7, Nikon to enter the mirrorless category for the first time, Zeiss to showcase their 24mm f/2.8 Sonnar for Sony E-mount, and Panasonic about to bring out a pro lens series called  “Lumix X.”

Big Hard Drives. Are you running out of space on a 2TB or smaller HDD?  Units with 3TB of capacity have been available for some time in both internal and external configurations.  While these are certainly attractive, one needs to be aware they may not work properly with older systems.  Peter Krogh has some good information on his blog that lays out the options pretty well.  Get smart before taking the plunge to avoid headaches.

Digital Binoculars. Here’s something different…electronic binoculars from Sony that provide video recording, zoom, autofocus, and image stabilization.  They’re going to be big, heavy, and expensive, but will open up some new possibilities.

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On Hold

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

In a 21st century world relentlessly trained to expect instant gratification, waiting for announcements of new and exciting products we just can’t live without from some of the biggest and most influential manufacturers of photographically related hardware in the world is psychologically and emotionally painful.  Those announcements are coming soon—no doubt about that—and we know some of the dates (August 24 for Nikon and Sony); others are hinted at being shortly thereafter (Canon, Apple, Fuji).  So how does this work in the big picture?

One of the things I’ve been pondering for some time is the balancing of expectations with regard to information availability.  I’ve been a reader and information junky for most of my life.  And it’s no secret I enjoy tools, both for their usefulness in accomplishing selected tasks, and for their inherent quality and design.  In the distant past the way one found out about new tools was through printed periodicals, magazines and trade publications.  Because of the mechanics of production, there was about a three month lag between actual new information (announcements) and arrival of the news on stands or in your mailbox.  The Internet has forevermore changed that, and I find myself now relying almost entirely on web sources for time-sensitive product information.  It’s a sad realization, actually, but a reality of life.  [As a side-note, I don’t think magazines are going away completely, but I think in an accelerating manner they will need to rely much more on in-depth reporting and thought-provoking, multi-faceted discussions of complex topics to retain relevance since they simply can’t meet the immediacy test in printed and distributed form.]

But here’s the delicate part of the balancing act for big business.  The more media methods hone “immediacy” (think ≤ 140 character tweets and collections of these limited-depth near-instantaneous responses being interpreted as solid opinion), the more problematic future announcements become.  How far out can opinion (and desire) generators hype expectation without it getting stale in the process?  We don’t know at this point of course, since the time element of human experience continues to move ahead in minutes, hours, days, weeks and months regardless of how intense our personal expectations to know everything immediately becomes.

In the meantime, a whole “rumor” industry has exploded to sate the speculations of those who simply can’t wait to learn the specifics of the next Apple iPhone 5, Nikon D4, Canon 1Ds Mark IV, or Sony A77).  If you enjoy rumors, Google your favorite brand followed by the word “rumors” and you’ll have plenty to keep you entertained.

Another part of the equation is actual availability.  Some manufacturers are notorious for announcing new products and taking nearly forever (or even failing entirely) to get them to brick-and-mortar stores where you can actually buy them.  At the present time the entire cycle continues to be in disarray as a result of the Japanese disaster in March and big-time world-wide economic troubles.  As always, while it’s exciting to contemplate how technology may soon expand your personal photographic capabilities, it’s exceedingly wise to operate conservatively.  Nevertheless, within a very short period of time we’ll be enjoying the evaluation of how beneficial some of these new offerings may be to our own personal endeavors.  Is patience still a virtue?

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Unusual Flora

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

In the quest for compelling images it’s always a pleasure to happen onto something a little out of the ordinary.  Nature is full of variation—part of the continuous challenge to adapt and survive.  During the short wildflower season in Alaska, Chiming Bells are among the early bloomers with delicate drooping clusters of blossoms which when fully open are usually a vibrant sky-blue color.  But now and then they appear in a pink variation like the one below, which is part of a small colony in Denali National Park.

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Potpourri

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

More rebates. In a continuing sign that the market is soft for certain hard goods, here’s another rebate from Epson, this time for their relatively new Stylus Pro 4900 printer—$1,000 off!  You’ll recall this is their top-of-the-line 17” model with UltraChrome HDR inks…the best there is at the moment in consumer photo inkjet printers.  At least two vendors have the 4900 for sale now for $1,149 (plus shipping).  Wow!  Keep in mind though that this is a large, heavy unit with eleven 200ml ink cartridges that run about $100 each.  You need some serious space to properly set this printer up, and you’d have to make a lot of prints for the arrangement to be economically feasible.  But it’s a heck of a price.  Keep in mind the R3000 rebate for $200 is still in effect, and for most folks that’s a much more practical solution, even if you print a fair bit.

Read RAW files in Microsoft Windows. In an interesting twist, Microsoft has released a Camera Codec Pack for Windows 7 and Vista that enables viewing RAW files directly in Windows Explorer and Windows Live Photo Gallery.  While the list of supported cameras is not all-inclusive, it’s pretty broad and likely will include the latest cameras before long.  This is a long-standing game of cat and mouse since few manufacturers make their RAW file codes public.  Third party vendors of products designed to manipulate image files (like Adobe, Phase One, Apple, LaserSoft, and many others) have to reverse-engineer the code to arrive at a best guess solution to render the images in the best possible fashion.  Manufacturers like Canon and Nikon have their own software of course and would like you to use it exclusively, but with no exceptions these products have always proven less capable and/or refined than the heavy hitters even though they may include a few features that are nice to have.  A few manufacturers have taken the enlighten route of using Adobe’s DNG (Digital Negative) public archival format for their RAW files, removing one more annoying hurdle between builders and buyers—kudos to Leica and Ricoh, and may others follow.

Major announcements next month. Traditionally, big manufacturers like Canon and Nikon make major announcements of new product in August.  Gossip and rumors have been slow of late but are expected to accelerate soon as dates are set for press releases.

Printing photos. One website that has been a mainstay for quality information during the evolution of digital imaging has been Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com).  It’s evolved dramatically itself, including a change of ownership, physical location, and major appearance and content alterations.  Now they’ve added a new printer section.  For those who haven’t dabbled extensively with making your own photographic prints with an inkjet printer, there’s some pretty good stuff here.  Currently there are two Printer Primer articles, the first on Choosing a Photo Printer and the second on Print Workflow; combined, they offer one of the best introductions to the topic I’ve seen.

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Big Industry Changes and More New Tools

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

Should you need proof of turmoil and flux in the photo industry, look to the most recent changing hands of two of the oldest icons in the business—Hasselblad and Pentax.  Two days ago Hasselblad was sold to a venture fund, and yesterday Ricoh acquired  Pentax Imaging Systems from Hoya.  This follows announcement on the 23rd of the new Pentax Q, a tiny camera with tiny sensor sporting interchangeable lenses.  A lot of folks are left scratching their heads on this one, but time will tell whether it finds a profitable niche or not.  For my purposes the potential of another 1/2.3 inch sensor wouldn’t measure up, but others might find it just fine for their use.

Olympus has also announced three new m4/3 bodies, the one with the most appeal being the Pen E-P3.  While there have been few changes to the 12MP sensor, much else has and this body deserves serious consideration if you’re looking for a serious pocket camera with interchangeable lenses.  So far Olympus has the best electronic viewfinder accessory among the several m4/3 viewfinderless bodies.

Another headline issue is Apple’s release of Final Cut Pro X, a replacement for FCP 7.  Since I do very little video, I don’t pretend to be an expert here, but the storm has already broken regarding the massive changes Apple has wrought from most current professional video workflows, and competing companies like Adobe and Avid are jumped at the opportunity to convert customers with very big discounts on their products.  If you process video, look before you leap.

In need of color calibration equipment?  X-Rite has replaced their lower-end colorimeter products, both hardware and software.  They also have a trade-up program for those who wish to upgrade from earlier X-Rite products as well as other brands.  Keith Cooper of Northlight Images already has a review of the i1 Display Pro here.

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Canon Lens Technologies

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

Those of you who use Canon EOS camera bodies might be interested in a fairly extensive article on this company’s latest EF lens technologies.   Among the topics discussed are hybrid image stabilization (used in the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM), fluorine lens element coating, Power Focus, and IS Mode 3.  The article is part of the Education series on the Canon Professional Network site, a source for a lot of good information available to anyone, not just CPS members.

Also just announced by Canon is an updated EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II lens intended to meet the goals of high image quality in a compact form at modest expense.  EF-S lenses will only work on crop-sensor bodies such as the 7D, 60D, 50D, and various Rebel models.

For the very technically inclined, there’s a detailed article on the Canon Rumors site titled “How To Test a Lens” which helps explain many of the factors involved in manufacture and use of these complex devices.  Focus testing is one item not only critical to good results, but a factor many of us can now influence on bodies that allow autofocus microadjustment.

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New Tripod Head & Quick-Release Base

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

Tripods are a great aid in making sharp images even though they can be awkward to use and cumbersome to transport.  There are also different heads for different purposes and finding the right combination can be challenging

For those who use large telephotos a gimbal head is big plus as it helps balance the lens and greatly improve overall handling.  But most gimbal heads are bulky and heavy, and they don’t work very well for general photography with shorter lenses.  One popular compromise has been Wimberley’s Sidekick which attaches to a conventional ballhead so you don’t have to completely change one head for another  to achieve a gimbal-like setup, or carry a second tripod with a full gimbal head attached.  While this definitely saves bulk and weight, the arrangement is not as strong, rigid, or smooth to operate as a full gimbal head.  Recently David and Clay Wimberley have come up with a third alternative called the Sidemount which slots between the Sidekick and Wimberley Head Version II (their current full gimbal model).  By removing the full gimbal swing arm with platform and mounting the Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release clamp directly to the upper pivot point, they’ve reduced the weight by nearly a pound and improved portability.  Of course your lens has to be held sideways in the clamp while you attach it, which is not as easy to do as when using a full gimbal platform, but that’s part of the compromise.  In operation, the Sidemount works just like the Wimberley II with both locking knobs on the same side.  In addition, the Sidemount can be converted to a Wimberley II by adding the full gimbal conversion kit.  Alternatively, a Wimberley II can be converted to a Sidemount by removing the swing arm and platform and installing the Sidemount conversion kit which consists of a quick-release clamp and two hex screws, so now you can pretty much have it your way.  On a personal note, I’ve used the original Wimberley head for several years and though I’ve been tempted by the newer Version II I’ve held off—partly because of familiarity and partly because I like the smoothness of the original bearing surfaces.  While it’s bulky and heavy, when mated to a Gitzo GT5541LS, it pretty much removes any excuses relative to support

If reduction of weight and bulk are at the top of your priority list but you still require a gimbal head, the top choice is 4th Generation Designs’ Mongoose 3.6.  This elegant machined aluminum head is a sidemount design weighing just 1.5 pounds.  That it is sufficiently sturdy to do the job is attested to by the fact that Arthur Morris uses one regularly with his Canon 1D Mark IV and EF 800/5.6L lens.  4th Generation also now offers an Integrated Low Mount Arm which will convert the sidemount M-3.6 to a full gimbal head with platform, adding an additional 5 ounces.

Going in another direction, Really Right Stuff has come up with a novel twist to allow an easier change of heads on a particular tripod by offering a leveling base with integrated clamp.  The idea is to permit a fast swap between ballhead, gimbal head, or video head, all with the added advantage of the ability to quickly and securely level the platform.  RRS makes top-quality accessories, pretty much as good as it gets.  My only concern here would be the series of connections between the camera or lens and ultimately the tripod legs.  For this setup to be truly rigid, every one of these has to be absolutely tight with no give or play whatsoever, and has to stay that way.  In general, reducing the number of connections as much as possible has been the mantra (hence the long-standing recommendation for 3-section legs over 4-section legs, and choosing a leg set with only a top plate and no vertical center post) in the quest for the most solid platform for your camera.  But if you have (or want to use) only one tripod and really need more than one head from time to time, this looks like a convenient solution.

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Local Wildlife

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

It’s family time for all manner of wild creatures in Southcentral Alaska.  Protective moose cows with calves have had run-ins with a number of humans during the last couple of weeks.  It pays to keep your distance from big animals with young.  Nesting birds have already hatched chicks and many will have second clutches in this accelerated northern reproductive season.  I spent the morning watching a pair of American Dippers diligently forage for food in a fast local stream to satisfy a clamoring group of very vocal nestlings nearby.  Green grubs of some sort seemed to be the most prevalent fare, though various bottom-dwelling insect larvae were also gathered as well as a small salmon fingerling that happened by at the wrong time.  Dippers winter over in Southcentral and are less pressed than many species to reproduce quickly in order to be ready to migrate south again in just a matter of weeks.  Their foraging habits are unique and very entertaining to watch; look for them along any fast-moving freshwater stream.

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Good News

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

All of us have sensed the disruptions caused by the disasters in Japan in one way or another.  Photo District News Online has an extensive article describing some of the photo related shortages and complications it is creating for some photographers.   Other commentators have suggested these events are likely to skew sales data as well, and if company executives don’t interpret the information carefully they may make unfortunate decisions that won’t pan out very well in the long run.

But there is some good news.  Canon has indicated they expect their supply chain to return to normal by the end of June.  In addition, they have updated their USA release plan for several new lenses as follows:

EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM – Late July 2011
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Late August 2011
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Late August 2011
EF 500mm F4L IS II USM – December 2011
EF 600mm F4L IS II USM – December 2011

Even though the prices of these new lenses (particularly the telephotos) will be stratospheric, I expect demand to be intense.  Just another example of equipment getting better all the time even as the cost of ownership escalates.

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Technology Tug of War

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Chuck_Maas

Transferring files isn’t a very entertaining process, but it’s necessary, and the more images one makes, the more advantageous rapid file transfer becomes.  You’ve got to get those new captures onto your main system and backup devices somehow.  For a long time USB 2.0 has been a fairly universal connection protocol between computers and cameras, card readers, and external hard drives, though some Mac users opted for FireWire 800 card readers which bumped the throughput somewhat but wasn’t exactly nirvana.  Now we have two new standards, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, both promising to speed the transfer process significantly.

USB 3.0 has been on the scene for a while, though it’s been slow to be integrated into new computers.  Part of the reason is that Intel (in partnership with Apple) had been working on a competitive protocol called Light Peak for some time which would theoretically leapfrog USB 3.0 in capability.  Therefore, both Intel and Apple resisted integrating USB 3.0 in their products in favor of developing a proprietary feature (at least in the short term) from which they could leverage profits (that’s the way business works, right?).  Accordingly, it took a while for USB 3.0 to gain much traction.  Then, not unexpectedly,  Apple punched a hole in the dike by releasing their 2011 MacBook Pro laptops with a new connector called Thunderbolt (rebadged Light Peak using copper instead of fiber).

While there are many other subtle twists to this intrigue, including the fact that when Thunderbolt was announced with great fanfare the trademark was said to be owned by Intel; now it appears that Apple owns the trademark instead.  Hmmmm.  At any rate, as of now there are few if any peripherals to hook up to your Thunderbolt port (if you have one), while USB 3.0 devices are becoming widespread.  The latest to appear is a card reader from Lexar which has slots for both CF and SD card formats (including SDHS, SDXC, and SD UHS-I), and is optimized to accelerate UDMA enabled cards as well.  Maximum transfer rate is said to be up to 500MB/s—how much faster that may be than the speeds you’re experiencing now depends on your setup, but chances are it would make you current process seem very slow.

So, if you like the sound of this additional download speed, how do you make it happen?  Not so easily perhaps.  For one thing, only a tiny fraction of new computers (desktop or laptop) offer built-in USB 3.0 connectors, and certainly nothing form Apple at this point.  For a Windows desktop there are any number of PCIe cards you can pop into an open motherboard slot (for those who’ve never had the cover off your computer, it’s not really rocket science), though you do have to also connect to the power supply in order for self-powered external drives to get juice through the connector.  There are also ExpressCard adapters for the few laptops that have an ExpressCard slot (either 34mm or 54mm) built-in, but you’ll have to address the power issue.  For Macs, both LaCie and CalDigit have USB 3.0 adapters, though there are some caveats to making them work well (see a very technical but thorough rundown here).  A few cutting edge Windows laptops are starting to show up with built-in USB 3.0, but it’s going to take a while longer for this technology to be widely adopted.  In the meantime, you could pop a PCIe card into your desktop machine and reap at least some of the benefits of faster transfer with the new Lexar card reader and just use it with your laptop as a USB 2.0 device since it’s backward compatible.

All in all we’re in a bit of a transition stage.  Within the next year we’ll see new processors, new chipsets, and a coalescing of these disparate methods and protocols that hopefully will benefit us all.  Just in case you thought technology was slowing down and that Moore’s Law was in jeopardy, did you notice the announcement of Intel 3D Tri-Gate transistors?  Sometimes technologies magically converge to provide a real leap forward instead of just a step.  Maybe this is one of those events.  Time will tell.

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