In the past month or two I became aware of how I was losing a lot of time and personal sanity editing images on my primary work desktop, the performance of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 on my old system was both poor and erratic, so I’m replacing it. In this article I’ll share with you my limited investigations into Lightroom performance and configuring a Lightroom-centric photography computer on a budget. (more…)
by Linda Bellingham and Jean Ann Bybee
It may be easiest to start with what this book is not. This book, and the lessons within, will not make you a food stylist. This book will not take work away from stylists. We all know there are times when we don’t have the option of working with a professional stylist, whether due to budget, time or logistical constraints. They will not replace the expertise, talents and skills of a professional food stylist.
This isn’t really a review so much as it’s a giant, stinky, slobbery dog-kiss on the people who make this program. I can’t believe I waited so long to buy it.
In my last installment, I discussed some of the joys and challenges of photographing lightning. One of the tools I use to capture images of lightning is Stepping Stone Products’ Lightning Trigger which is particularly valuable for daylight lightning captures. (more…)
Recently I had a disk drive failure, but I didn’t lose any data at all. In part that’s because that disk was “mirrored” to another disk using “RAID 1” or “mirroring”. In mirroring, software or hardware keeps two identical copies of a disk up-to-date as you go about your work, if one goes, you can replace the failed disk and (within a few hours) you can rebuild the mirror. It’s a good technology,and it allows you to continue to work when failure happens. Even so, I moved quickly to replace the disk and restore the mirror, despite having additional backups. (more…)
If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
The Nikkor AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED DX is a professional grade lens and it certainly shows up regarding its exceptionally high build quality as well as very fast AF speed. Optically it is, without doubt, a very good lens but it has a few issues. The center performance is nothing short of stellar but the borders are a little worse than desirable at 24mm @ f/2.8 and at 55mm (for such a lens). The level of CAs, distortions as well as vignetting is quite typical for a lens in this class but then thing aren’t substantially better either. So all-in-all there may be a few question marks regarding the price/performance ratio of this lens. It simply lacks the greatness suggested by its price tag. READ FULL REVIEW
If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED IF Autofocus DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
The Nikkor AF-S 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED DX proved to be a very good performer. Its center resolution figures are exceptionally high and apart from 12mm @ f/4 the border quality is also impressive though a little less field curvature may be desirable at 12mm. CAs as well as the distortion characteristic are very good for an ultra-wide zoom lens wMOREas vignetting is about average due to the reduced APS-C image circle. The build quality is, in principal, very fine but you would usually expect a little more from a lens in this price class. The primary competitor is probably the Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X Pro – a lens which is just as sharp but with a higher degree of CAs and worse flare in contra light – all at less than half the costs and combined with a better build quality. Costs aside it’s a close race between the two with a slight edge for the Nikkor regarding optical quality. When taking the very different price tags in account the decision may be a little more complicated. READ FULL REVIEW
If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get more information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
Regarding some glowing reviews available on the web the expectation were rather high. Unfortunately the (tested sample of the) Nikkor AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR II DX wasn’t able to convince completely. Weak points are rather hefty distortions and high vignetting (@ f/3.5) at 18mm. Apart from a few weak spots the resolution figures are quite good though and it is possible to get very decent images from this lens under field conditions. The VR can surely help to save the day in situations where similar zooms must fail utterly The build quality is a little soso for a lens in this price class and probably the biggest disappointment. All in all the Nikkor is a highly interesting lens but not without flaws (hardly surprising for a 11x zoom). … READ FULL REVIEW
If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get more information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Nikon 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
The Micro-Nikkor AF 105mm f/2.8 D may be a relatively old lens but it is still capable to deliver excellent results. Optically it is a near-flawless lens with high resolution figures, low vignetting, low CAs and non-existent distortions. The mechanical quality is very high but it also feels a little dated here with its independent AF-MF switch. Typical for most macro lenses it also suffers from a relatively slow AF speed. The new Micro-Nikkor AF-S 105mm f/2.8 ED VR has been improved in both respects (with VR on top) and regarding its similar price tag there’re probably few reasons left to prefer the classic lens. Nonetheless it is still a very fine lens. READ FULL REVIEW
If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.
Shutterbug
Picking up a Nikon 300mm f/2.8 for the first time was certainly a humbling experience. This lens was not only large in physical size, it was heavy! Considering the larger 500mm and 600mm super telephotos have only one more lens element in roughly half again the overall length surely indicates this 300mm f/2.8 is one optically packed powerhouse. Would I recommend this new “II” for someone looking for a 300mm f/2.8 high-performance lens? Absolutely, and without reservations. READ FULL REVIEW