What's New Archives          Jul 01, 2007 - Jan 01, 2008

July 3, 2007 – Seitz Roundshot 28/220 Field Review

Having read his own premature obituary in the paper one day, Mark Twain is reported to have quipped in a cable to The Associated Press – The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

The same can be said of film these days. Dealers shelves and freezers are mostly bare, labs have closed and the vast majority of photographers are shooting digital. It is reported that RIT, one of the top photo schools in the US intends on teaching film processing as "an alternative technique" beginning with the 2010 academic year.

Be that as it may, there are still many photographers shooting film, and enjoying it. Though 95% of my photography has been digital for the past 5 years, I still own film-based cameras and shoot with them from time to time. Indeed, I just bought a new one, the unique Seitz Roundshot 28/220, which is the subject of my latest field review.

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July 5, 2007 – More Lightroom V1.1 Learning Assistance

In addition to The Luminous Landscape's 5+ Hour Lightroom tutorial download video, there are a number of very good books available. One of the best is Martin Evening's The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book.

Martin has just put a V1.1 update on Sharpening and Noise Reduction online on the Lightroom News web site.

This is a truly valuable article, and I highly recommend it to anyone currently using Lightroom.

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July 7, 2007 – Ringflash; a product review

Though the photographic equipment industry is dominated by a few very large companies, there is always room for the entrepreneur to try something new. Today Paolo Valentini gives us a look at a look at a unique new product from a small Czech company, called Ringflash.

I just went to an opening of a wonderful new photographic & painting
show at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in Victoria Hall, Cobourg,
Ontario. The show is titled Ancient Places: Sacred Spaces and runs July
7 to August 25.

The show is special not only for its individual first-rate canvases and
photographic prints but also for its themed cross-pollination of
photography, painting and ancient symbols.

There are many fine photographs by John Satterberg exploring the rock
formations and megaliths of the Orkney & Shetland Islands and the
Scottish coastline. Ron Bolt has some stunning paintings inspired by the
same landscape and megaliths; Ron starts with a camera and paints beyond
them from the photographs he takes on location. The third artist
represented, is painter Andrew Gregg who uses ancient imagery from
petroglyphs to create mysterious and haunting images.

Well worth a visit.

– Chris Sanderson

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July 10, 2007 – Phase One P45 Plus Review

I've been shooting with e P45 for the past two years, and about a month ago received my P45+. How does is stack up to the previous back, and what about the competition?

My review of the P45+ is now online.

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July 12, 2007 – Six World-Class Seminars Just Announced

During October, November and December of this year The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Print Studio will be offering a very exciting series of seminars, which are being announced here for the first time. These will be conducted by some of the finest photographic educators in the world, including Jay Maisel, John Paul Caponigro, Bill Atkinson and Charlie Cramer,

In addition Christopher Smith, one of the country's top Adobe Certified Photoshop Instructor, and Michael Reichmann, will together be offering three separate weekend days focusing on specific Photoshop techniques for photographers.

Most of these instructors have never taught in Canada before, and for some of them this is the first time that they are going to be offering their world-class seminars on the east cost.

You can find out more about these seminars, and also sign up online, by visiting our new Lectures and Seminars page. Don't hesitate to sign up if one of these special classes appeals to you, because with only 20 places available for each one they are bound to sell out quickly.

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July 16, 2007 – Digital Safari Equipment Tips

For many photographers an African Safari is the dream of a lifetime. But, if you do get to experience one, how can you be certain what gear to bring to maximize your chances of success?

Nathan Myhrvoid has been on numerous safaris over the past few years, and in Digital Safari Equipment Tips gives us some insights and advice on equipment and technique.

Australian photographer (and sometimes contributor to this site), Nick Rains, has now joined this site's list of supported photographic educators. He is currently offering an expedition to the Kimberley region. If you're an Australian looking for an expedition / workshop on your home turf, or are considering a visit down-under for the first time, Nick's latest workshop is well worth considering.

You may notice that there is a new small map gizmo on the site's home page. This is designed to show geographic distribution of visitors to the site. I'm not sure how well it's going to work, as this site receives far more visitors than the device is designed to record, but I'll leave it up for a few days to see if it's worthwhile.

The Palouse page has been updated again with a few new photographs from my recent shoot there.

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July 18, 2007 – New Epson printers, and Canon MKIII focus Issue

There now seems little doubt that the new Canon 1D MKIII has an autofocus issue. Enough people (and reviewers – who may also be people) have seen something amiss that this is more than just cat photographer paranoia.  I missed the issue when I did my brief First Impressions report on the camera back in May, simply because I didn't have the camera long enough to test high-speed, wide aperture shooting, and I didn't have a MKII to compare it with. Rob Galbraith did catch it on a pre-production camera though, (which is why potential purchasers should always read more than one reviewer's opinions).

In any event, determining the exact nature of the problem has proven difficult, especially because Canon (in typical fashion) has remained mum on the issue. The most comprehensive test that I've seen yet that tries to determine the underlaying cause of the problem was just published by ProPhoto Home. The bottom line appears to be that there is a indeed a real autofocus issue with the MKIII, and it is seen in some, but not all cameras.

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July 22, 2007 – New Video Tutorial Coming. Current freebe coming to an end.

By the end of this coming week we will be publishing a major new download video. This is an almost 7 hour tutorial on fine art printing, titled From Camera to Print.

Filmed this summer at my Toronto studio, it features digital imaging guru Jeff Schewe and me exploring virtually every printing-related topic, from camera settings, to printer settings (Windows and Mac), RIPs, paper types and choices, softproofing, current printer models, colour management, profiling options, rendering intents, monochrome printing.....(you get the idea). If it's about printing, we cover it - in depth.

Watch for the announcement and availability of the major new video download tutorial.
With the publication of our new printing tutorial we have to free up non-revenue generating bandwidth, and so as of Monday evening (EDT) we will be removing our complimentary 30 minute Lightroom V1.1 video update tutorial. It, along with the entire Lightroom Video Tutorial will, of course, remain available for purchase, but the free download of the update will come to a close.

If you have already downloaded this free Lightroom V1.1 update, but not yet purchased the entire tutorial, then this might be a good time to do so. It costs less than lunch for two at McDonalds, and is a lot more nourishing.
Please Note: To support the extra traffic on the site due to the high volume of video file downloads (currently about 5 Terrabytes a month), we will be updating our server, again, on Sunday morning from about 0600 -0800 GMT/UTC. The site will therefore be offline for a while. Sorry for any inconvenience.

UPDATE

Canon has announced an update to the firmware for the 1D MKIII. It will be available for download on Canon's web sites before the end of this month. (DPReview has the full text of the Canon press release). It is claimed to address some of the autofocus issues which have plagued this camera.

But, Rob Galbraith, who first identified the problem, has tested the new firmware and reports that it does little if anything to solve the problem that he, and others, are seeing with the camera.

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July 25, 2007 – Do Curves Throw You a Curve?

The new parametric curves found in Camera Raw 4.x and Lightroom 1.x are somewhat different than those found in Photoshop. There are differing positions on the strengths and weeknesses of both, and some debates over their relative merits. Contributor Mark Segal looks at some of these issues in his new essay Do Curves Throw You a Curve published in the form of a downloadable PDF file.
Bill Atkinson and Charley Cramer's seminar in Toronto at The Luminous Landscape Gallery in October is now sold out. But there are still a few places left in some of the other seminars being offered this Fall at the gallery. Have a look, and choose the one that you think will best suits your needs.
Here's a reminder that Issue #16 of The Video Journal is available both as a DVD and in download form. This is the world's only video magazine about photography – now in our 5th year of publication and enjoyed by many thousands of photographers worldwide.

Our exclusive video tutorial on Adobe Lightroom, V1.0 and V1.1 is also available; containing more than 5 hours of hands-on instruction.

My 10 Year Retrospective Book and print offer is still available. The announcement page contains a slide show of the images contained in the book.

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July 27, 2007 – Four New Epson "80" Series Printers for 2007

Epson has announced four new Pro series printers (at least they've done so in several countries so far). Though not officially announced yet in the USA, Epson US has agreed to my publishing information about the new printers, and my impressions from a preview show in New York earlier this month, even though these printers have not yet been officially announced in the US.

My exclusive report titled  Four New Epson "80" Series Pro Printers For 2007 is now online. Hopefully some of the uncertainty about the new printers will now be addressed.
UPDATE

Leica has placed an updated firmware release for the M8 on their website. Initial reports are that among other small improvements, auto white balance and high ISO performance have been enhanced.

UPDATE

Jay Maisel's seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery in Toronto in December is now sold out, as is the Atkinson / Cramer seminar in November.

There are still a few spaces available for Jean Paul Caponigro's remarkable weekend workshop in December, and in the three Smith / Reichmann Photoshop seminars in November. Find out more, and register soon, before these too are sold out. UPDATE

Would you be interested in a digital monochrome back? Lloyd Chambers is spearheading an effort being put forward to Phase One to provide true digital monochrome capability. A group of ardent monochrome photographers are trying to expand interest within the community and to get a proper list going. Phase One has expressed interest in proceeding. Find out more.

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July 29, 2007 – From Camera to Print – A 6+ Hour Video Tutorial


Today sees the launch of a major new download video tutorial, titled From Camera to Print. This 6 hour and 40 minute video features Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe exploring in detail virtually every major topic associated with printing,

It is priced at just US $34.95 and is available for immediate download. No shipping costs,  no taxes (except for Canadians), no duties, no postal delays. Nearly 7 hours of live video tutorial.

Our second major announcement is the creation of The Luminous Landscape Endowment. This is a fund created to provide fine art photographers worldwide with financial assistance which may be used by photographers like you to pursue a special project, further formal photographic education, finance project related travel, or to mount an exhibition or show. Almost any worthwhile project associated with fine art photography will be considered.

The annuity will receive its seed financing from The Luminous Landscape Inc. Every purchase of the From Camera to Print tutorial will see 15% of revenue ($5) placed into the Endowment fund. This is made possible by Michael, Chris and Jeff relinquishing part of their profits from the tutorial to help finance the startup.

I believe that you're going to find From Camera to Print a tremendous source of information about the art and the craft of printing using today's printers and software tools. There's simply nothing else like it available. And I hope that you will also support the creation of The Luminous Landscape Endowment.


UPDATE #1

Since the launch of the Camera to Print tutorial download Saturday afternoon demand has been extremely heavy. We anticipated this and have been beafing-up our server and bandwidth for the past while in anticipation, but still, the load has been considerable. Imagine 50 people trying to download 2GB of files simultaneously and you'll understand.

This means that from time to time the server may be slower than you (and we) would wish. Thanks for your understanding, and know that we are continuing to do everything that we can to improve server performance, and will continue to do so.

UPDATE #2

During this period of initial availability the demand on our server is very high. When you download the 7 zip files, each of which is about 250-300MB in size, please do so one at a time. If you do two, three or more simultaneous file downloads you will clog the server and slow things down for everyone. Just download the first file, which contains three segments, and then start downloading the others afterwards. Everyone will appreciate your consideration.

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August 1, 2007 – Canon Powershot S5 Hands-On Review

I received two letters last week on roughly the same topic. The first chastised me for having too many "artsy" articles and not enough equipment review, while the other was critical of the fact that I did too many reviews of high-end equipment and expensive medium format digital.

Obviously, no good deed goes unpunished.

Disirregardless, today has on offer a hands-on review of the Canon Powershot S5 by Tim Penner.

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August 4, 2007 - New Leica M Lenses. I don't get it.

Ok, here's the thing. I'm a big Leica fan. Have been for a v e r y long time. But I don't get their latest announcement, which is of four new lenses – a SUMMARIT-M 35 mm f/2.5, SUMMARIT-M 50 mm f/2.5, SUMMARIT-M 75 mm f/2.5 and SUMMARIT-M 90 mm f/2.5.

In Leica-speak, Summarit means f/2.5, which is on the slow side for prime lenses, but it also means lower weight, smaller size and lower price. Nothing wrong with any of those things.

The issue that I have with this announcement is that while these are typical focal lengths for film-based Leicas. They are mostly on the long side on the digital M8; equivalent to approximately 47 mm, 67 mm, 100 mm and 120 mm.

Now, only Leica knows for sure the ratio of M8s to film-based M7s that they are currently selling, but I would have to guess that M8s are in the ascendancy and M7s in decline.

That being the case, why issue four news lenses of which two are focal lengthsthat are less ideal for use with rangefinder cameras? These are best suited to wide angle and "normal" focal lengths. I would have thought that a couple of slow but wideish lenses would have been more in keeping with typical usage of such a camera, in this instance the reduced frame digital M8.

Call me a curmudeon, and I'm sure they'll sell a boatload to new M8 users if the prices are decent, but I would have thought there were other focal length priorities to aim at for new M8 owners. Disirregardless, it's still great to see Leica continuing to do what it does best – lenses.

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August 6, 2007 – Endowment Fund Takes Off. New Lightroom Book.

Regular readers will know that I am a fan of both Adobe Lightroom, and of Iceland as a photographic location. Put the two together, and for me at least it's a winning combination. A new book by Mikkel Aaland titled Photoshop Lightroom Adventure combines these two subjects, and does so in a most appealing way.

What Mikkel did was to bring together a dozen leading photographers from all over the world, along with members of Adobe's product development team. The group spent a week shooting and working closely together in Iceland during the summer of 2006, while Lightroom was in its beta period.

Let me make clear up-front that I have a strong bias in favour of this book. I was invited to be one of the members of the Adventure, and I have been a friend of author / photographer Mikkel Aaland for many years. The book contains a number of my photographs and usage hints.

With that said, I can recommend Photoshop Lightroom Adventure without reservation. It is visually a treat, and it covers the use of Lightroom in a well presented and coherent manner. It also is one of the few books on Lightroom currently available that covers V1.1.

I want to thank everyone who has so far bought our From Camera to Print video tutorial. Feedback has been gratifyingly positive. I'd like to report as well on the progress of The Luminous Landscape Endowment.

After just one week in existence, your purchase of the printing tutorial along with direct donations have placed some US $10,000 into the fund. Thank you! In another couple of months I'll be announcing the process and criteria for applying for grants from the fund. And, even though I have not been soliciting individuals or corporations for donations (yet), these have started to come in, and are now acknowledged on the Endowment Fund page.

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August 9, 2007 – Three Updates

Mark Segal has written a significant follow-up piece to his essay from last month titled Do Curves Throw You A Curve? You can download this PDF update directly here.

There are just a few places left for John Paul Caponegro's workshop in Toronto at The Luminous Landscape Gallery in December. If you can make it, don't let this one pass you by.

Pikto, a Toronto based digital lab has added a new service for photographers who produce on-demand photo books. This is an online Flash version of the book, and my recent (and still available) Retrospective book may now be viewed. Here is a direct link.

Rob Galbraith has updated his continuing analysis of the Canon 1D MKIII's autofocus issues.

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August 15, 2007 – Exercising Your Creativity

It's the dog days of summer. At least it is for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. For those on vacation and still bothering to read anything online, I hope that your travels and pass-times are rewarding. I'm on vacation as well this month, at my place in Northern Ontario. But, I know that many of you are looking for new inspiration for your photography.

It comes today in the form of a new essay by Alain Briot titled Exercising Your Creativity. This is Part 8 of Alain's ongoing series titled Reflections on Photography and Art.

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August 20, 2007 – Three New Canon Cameras

Canon has announced three new cameras, the 40D, 1Ds MKIII and G9. With the latter exception their announcement is a bit anti-climatic since Best Buy spilled the beans on the 40D last week, and Amazon published full specifications for the 40D and MKIIIs on Sunday morning. Though these were removed a few hours later, tens of thousands of people had seen them, and numerous copies were floating around the web yesterday.

My initial, though now somewhat redundant comments on these new cameras are now online, along with some observations on how they fit into the current camera taxonomy.

By way of a personal comment, I would add that journalists who were already aware of the new printers under NDA, and who were preparing their articles for today's announcement, once again found themselves in a bind. Though NDAs are void once information becomes public, no one wants to annoy a big company by breaking even the spirit of the agreement, at the risk of no longer being provided with advance information.

But I have to say that since virtually every new product announcement from Canon over the past few years has been preceded by either internal or dealer leaks, it makes one wonder as to the value of the entire media NDA process. Maybe companies should realize that in the world of instant global information dissemination there has to be a better way of leveraging new product announcements than the traditional method that goes back to the days of print magazine with 3 month lead times. And, companies like Apple have shown that it is possible to keep new products secret until the moment of introduction.
If you're interested in a more in-depth report on the new Epson 80 series printers than what has been available till now, have a look at a page posted by Joe Holmes late last week. Worthwhile reading for anyone interested in printer developments.
George Kraniotis, a London-based photographer who was recently in Toronto for one of my One-On-One sessions has just opened his digital lab and print studio. If you're located in the UK and looking for an excellent service bureau, I can recommend George and his partner Myrto to you.

I'm always pleased to mention workshops by some of my colleagues. If you're looking for a late summer  workshop in the American Southwest I can recommend this site's columnist Alain Briot's Navajoland Workshop, which begins September 7th. There are a couple of openings which have just become available due to last-minute cancellations.

There also are a few spaces left on John Paul Caponigro's Toronto Workshop at The Luminous Landscape Gallery in mid-December. Some spaces also remain in each of the Weekend Photoshop / Printing Seminars which I'll be doing together with certified Photoshop expert Christopher Smith at my gallery in November.

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August 22, 2007 – Watches & Cameras – A Parable

We all struggle daily with a myriad of purchasing decisions, from breakfast cereals to house purchases. Our society produces products in such abundance and variety that sometimes how to choose the right product for ones needs becomes a challenge.

In some ways the Internet has made the process easier than it's ever been, but on the other hand the tidal wave of information that the net provides tends to overwhelm some people.

In A Watch Parable I illustrate my suggestion on how to proceeded when making a purchase decision by illustration from one of my other passions, watch collecting.

"Michael, I was thrilled when I learned you are sponsoring a two day small-group workshop with John Paul Caponigro, and I immediately signed-up for it. I attended John Paul's sessions at NAPP's April PhotoshopWorld in Boston and I was inspired. He's a visionary and an artist with superb technical skills for translating photographic vision into print, and a superb communicator. This is a unique opportunity right here in Toronto and I'm looking forward to a memorable experience."

A FEW PLACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE

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"As a professional photographer, based in Ireland, I just wanted to say how much I have learned from the new Luminous Landscape video tutorials. I didn't actually think that I needed a tutorial on printing - as most of my work currently does not output to print (at least at my end). But the topics and information covered was a total eye-opener - really worth the money and a whole lot more!"

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August 23, 2007 – Nikon Roars Back

The photography world just got a whole lot more interesting. Nikon today introduced a slew of new gear, including two new cameras, the Nikon D3 and D300 as well as several high-end lenses.

The D3 is Nikon's first full frame DSLR, calling the format FX (a new acronym for something that we've had for the past 80 years – thanks Nikon, we needed that). The second camera is the D300, the expected upgrade (and a significant one) to the best-selling D200. Both cameras will become available in November. You can read all of the specs at DPReview and other camera test sites.

Of course the release by Nikon of a full-frame DSLR is big news, Possibly the most exciting from that company in the past 8 years, since the ground breaking D1 in 1999. With its 1Ds series and low noise CMOS sensors Canon put tremendous pressure on Nikon. This was in large part due to Canon having invested heavily in its own chip fabrication facility in the '90s while Nikon was reliant on chip makers such as Sony, who make Nikon current line of sensors. The meant that Nikon was forced to take the position that reduced frame sensors had advantages (or that FF sensors had disadvantages), and of course the Nikon faithful echoed those claims. Add to this Nikon's slow introduction of VR (stabilized) long lenses, and during the first half of this decade Nikon lost a lot of market share among pros.

Their comeback though was in Prosumer cameras. The Nikon D200, especially, had a lot to offer over Canon's competitive offerings during the past couple of years. Canon has just replied (finally) with the very well speced 40D, but now Nikon has responded almost simultaneously with the D300, which matches the 40D spec for spec, and which appears to offer up some even more appealing features.

Nikon's D3 is a direct competitor to Canon's 1D MKIII, introduced this past May, and surpasses it in several important respects including sensor size, resolution, and frame rate. At 12.1 MP the D3 isn't even close to the just announced 21.1MP 1Ds MKIII, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a higher resolution Nikon to compete with Canon's flagship within the next 6 months.

Of course nothing can be said about image quality of any of these cameras at this time, since none of the 1Ds MKIII, 40D, D3 or D300 is available yet for testing and comparison.

But, the real news is that Nikon is finally back in the race, at least in the pro market. For at least the past six years dedicated Nikon users either hung in waiting for a Nikon with full frame, or higher resolution, or superior image quality, or they reluctantly migrated to Canon. Now Nikon has come back, and has seemingly done so with a vengance.

Ultimately this is of benefit not just to Nikon loyalists but also for Canon users. Canon seems to be at its best when responding to pressure. Take the pressure off and they coast. But now, with Nikon offering a new range of super-telephoto VR lenses that match or exceed Canon's, a camera with full frame capability, and a new killer Prosumer offering, Canon will no longer appear as compelling a choice as it has in recent years.

And let's not forget the other elephant in the room, Sony. They will soon be putting their full frame chip technology into a new flagship A series camera built upon the solid technology acquired recently from Konica Minolta.

This all is good news for photographers everywhere.

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August 27, 2007 – Antarctica - A Warning and an Opportunity

A new book of photography about Antarctica is about to be published. I take strong exception to its presentation, and my commentary on this is now online.

At the bottom of this essay is notice of pre-announcement wait list registration for my next Antarctic Photographic Expedition, scheduled for January, 2009. This may be my last Antarctic voyage, so don't miss out this time.

Ian Lyons of Computer Darkroom has written a very valuable new essay on how to set camera defaults in Lightroom and Camera Raw. This is well worth your reading.

I will be conducting a full-day seminar at The Toronto Guild for Photographic Art on Saturday, November 17, 2007. This is open to non-members as well. Click here for further details.

The Seitz Roundshot 28/220 which I reviewed earlier this summer is now for sale. Information on price and availability are found here.

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August 29, 2007 – Canon Canada CPS Event in September

Canon Canada is presenting a mini-trade show and seminar series called CPS-Expo in September. These will take place in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. All of the new Canon cameras as well as video and printing equipment will be on display.

Keynote and guest speakers are Pulitzer Prize Winner Vincent Laforet and Celebrity Wedding Photographer Denis Reggie. There will also be seminars by Apple, Adobe, and AutoCad. Admission is free, but you need to register in advance. More details here.

Maybe I'll see you at the one in Toronto later in the month.

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August 30, 2007 - Capture One 4.0 Beta Preview

Phase One has (finally) announced the release of Capture One 4.0 as a free public beta. My preview report is now online. Is 4.0 too little, too late?

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September 3, 2007 - Canon 40D Hands-On Report

Within the past few weeks the two big dogs of the DSLR industry, Canon and Nikon, have each announced two new cameras. Each in its own way is a critical product for these companies.

The first to come to market is the Canon EOS 40D, that company's lead product in the prosumer marketplace. My hands-on report on the 40D is now online.

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Sept 7, 2007 – Misc Announcements

Anyone buying a Canon 40D from now on has a choice of a second raw processor in addition to Canon's DPP. Bibble 4.9.8e Pro now has support for the 40D and is a free upgrade for existing users.

The eagle-eyed among you will note that this site now has, for the first time in its eight year history, a retailer's banner ad at the bottom of each page. The retailer is B&H Photo. If you click through to B&H and make any online purchase within three days of doing so, then The Luminous Landscape will earn a commission on that sale.

Since the site's inception I have resisted any form of advertising other than for our own products because i felt that it could be perceived as biasing my reviews and commentaries (as if they're not already biased enough). But as I've thought about it I realized that a retailer that sells just about everything is unlikely to be seen as influencing me unduly, and we certainly can use the revenue to help with the continued growth of the site.

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September 8, 2007 - High-end Camera Profiling

The profiling of digital cameras is somewhat controversial, and something not attempted by most photographers. But many professionals do profile their cameras, and one of the leading tools for anyone who wishes to do this themselves is ColorEyes Commercial.

My latest free online video report shows how this program is being implemented at Sheridan College, one of North America's leading training centers for commercial photography.

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September 10, 2007 - More on Canon 40D IQ

There is an axiom among web and print magazine reviewers that as soon as a new camera review appears there will be a flurry of postings on one of the better known discussion boards, that has brand specific forums, that decry the writer's findings. Oh no! It can't be! That's not right. What an idiot! My uncle's best friend says it's not true. My cat pictures prove that he's wrong.

Of course the fact that they may not ever have even held the camera in question, let alone shot with it is beside the point. The fact that they've been doing photography since last Wednesday, and the reviewer has been at it for nearly a half century counts for naught. If their sacred cow is being gored (sorry for the mixed metaphor) facts and experience don't matter. Also, until the patron saint of digital camera testing (you know who he is) has blessed a camera with his charts and graphs the pixel-peepers won't tolerate dissention.

Such was the case with my 40D first-look (not even a review) which was posted here last week. I was vilified online for claiming that the Canon 40D had overall IQ (Image Quality) comparable to that of the 5D. And since my commentary appeared online before any other well known equipment reviewer or pundit had an opportunity to do any testing, the Chicken Littles enjoyed a field day.

Today the highly respected photographer and photographic educator Miles Hecker, has published a brief review on his web site showing examples of the IQ differences between the 20D, 5D and the new 40D. His results and conclusions closely parallel mine (gee, I'm so surprised).

Maybe the sky is falling after all.

Epson US today has officially announced their four new professional grade printers, the 4880, 7880, 9880 and 11880. (Yes, I know, these were the ones announced in the rest of the world last month). Epson also have a new professional imaging web site online.

There are a few spaces left on John Paul Caponigro's Toronto Workshop at The Luminous Landscape Gallery in mid-December.



 

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September 11, 2007 - New Harman Byrata Paper Review

For any photographer with traditional darkroom experience the inkjet printing revolution has been both a blessing and a curse. While on the one hand we are now able to produce prints with greater longevity that ever before, with greater dMax than ever before, and with higher colour saturation that ever before, we can't do so all on the same paper type at the same time.

Printing has been bifurcated between so-called fine art matte finish papers, which can have lovely texture and feel, but flatter blacks and reduced saturation, and so-called photo papers with plastic bases that have higher dMax and wide colour gamut, but, which are, well, plastic, and thus not that well suited to fine art use.

Over the past couple of years there have been a number of papers introduced which have attempted to combine the best attributes of both paper types. Some have done so better than others, but none really came all that close to matching the desirable qualities of traditional fiber based glossy photographic papers. Until now.

At last year's Photokina in Cologne I met with Harman paper and discussed their intention to develop a Baryta-based paper that would address this shortcoming. Over the months since I have had the opportunity to test ever-improving implementations of this new paper, and have been very excited by what I was seeing.

I had started to work on a review scheduled to coincide with Harmon's release of Harman Gloss FB AL. But previous contributor to this site, photographer and educator Richard Lohmann, was also working on a review, and I have deferred to him on this. His commentary and review of the world's first Baryta based inkjet paper is now online.

I should add though that Hahnemuhle last week announced Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta, and I expect to have samples available for testing before long. These are exciting times for anyone involved in fine art printing.

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Sept 13 – Antarctica 2009 - Announcing my next expedition / workshop

My next Antarctic Expedition / Workshop is being publicly announced today for the first time. For two weeks in January 2009 five of the world's leading photographic instructors and six special assistants, along with 66 photographers, will be sailing from the southern tip of Argentina across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula where we will spend almost two weeks exploring the coastline, with two to three landings each day. It is our plan to cross the Antarctic Circle.

We will be sailing on the Ocean Nova, the newest ship operated by Quark Expeditions, who are one of the leading polar expedition companies. This will be my third Antarctic photographic expedition with Quark.

Our total compliment of passengers and instructors is 78 people. As of today there are only 10 berths left. All of the others have sold out over the past few days to previous workshop and expedition members and those who requested to be on the wait list.

If this admittedly expensive, though one-in-a-lifetime photographic adventure has your name on it, you'll need to act fast. The remaining berths are bound to sell out quickly.

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September 14, 2007 - Lightroom 1.2 and Camera Raw 4.2 now available

For those with the latest generation of cameras, there's good news today. Adobe has released Lightroom 1.2 and Camera Raw 4.2. There'll be more news on these soon, but in the meantime you can find out more along with download links here.

Those who doubt that the new Canon 40D's 14 bit data path is beneficial, or that this camera is a significant step forward in image quality over its predecessors, might wish to have a look at this article on its use in astrophotography. It is in both French and English.

As I expected, my next Antarctic workshop, announced a couple of days ago, has now sold out. If you would like to be on the wait list in the event of a cancellation, there's a link on the workshop page.

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September 17, 2007 - Reflections on Photography - Part 9

Contributor Alain Briot continues Reflections on Photography with the ninth essay in the series – Developing Your Vision. Whether you've been eagerly awaiting this new installment, or are discovering this series for the first time, I believe that you'll find it both informative and inspirational.

Due to last minute cancellations Alain has a couple of openings on his Antelope Canyon Workshop at the end of this month.

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September 21, 2007 - New Hasselblad, and Raw Without FUD

Hasselblad has just announced a new medium format integrated camera system, the H3D II. The new camera is available immediately in 22, 31 and 39 MP versions. It features an enhanced 3" LCD screen, Ultra-Focus, which is a claimed improvement in the integration and positioning of the removable back and the camera body, and an available GPS accessory for placing location information into the camera's EXIF data.

This looks like an appealing upgrade to the Hasselblad line, and I hope that the company sees its way clear to get over its annoyance with me for some critical comments which I have made during the past year, and is able to provide me with a review sample of the H3 DII. Hint, hint.

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September 24, 2007 - YES - The Photographer's Watch

One of my interests is in collecting watches. Not just any watches, but rather technical watch, ones which perform special functions.

But is there a "photographer's watch"? If you're a landscape photographer, there is. It's called the YES Watch, and among other things it can tell the time of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, as well as the current phase of the moon, all with a unique graphic interface. Oh yes, and it can do so for any place on earth until the year 2100. Find out more in my latest review.

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25 September, 2007 - A Hands-On One Day Medium Format Digital Seminar

Vistek, Canada's Phase One distributor, has asked me to assist them with a specialized one day workshop for those who might be interested in discovering what's involved in working with medium format digital equipment.

This seminar is intended for both working pros as well as advanced amateurs – anyone in Toronto and Southern Ontario who might be interested in a hands-on experience with the latest medium format digital equipment.

This one-day session will take place at The Luminous Landscape Gallery and Print Studio in Toronto next week, on Thursday October 4, 2007. Find Out More.

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1 Oct, 2007 - The Making of a Photo Book

Over the past couple of years I have written more than once about the making of books of photographs. This topic appears to be of continuing interest and so today sees a new article titled The Making of Ghana, An African Portrait Revisited, by Peter E. Randall.

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3 October, 2007 – Maisel Toronto seminar opening

Due to a cancellation there is one space available at Jay Maisel's seminar at The Luminous Landscape gallery in Toronto on Dec 1 & 2. This is now available on a first-come first-served basis.

There are also a couple of spots still open for Jean Paul Caponigro's Toronto seminar weekend, Dec 15 & 16.

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4 October, 2007 - WIN an Antarctic Photographic Expedition Worth $15,000

I am excited to announce our biggest contest yet – a chance to win a berth on my next  Antarctic Photographic Expedition, worth approximately $15,000. This prize includes airfare from anywhere in the world to southern Argentine to join our expedition ship in January, 2009.

To enter this contest, and for a chance to win, all you need to do is purchase our latest downloadable video tutorial called From Camera to Print.

In fact, you will also be entered in the contest if you purchase any of our other downloads or DVDs, and every purchase made is another entry in the contest.

Why this contest and remarkable prize? Simple. We want you to find out about the value to be found in our online tutorials. They are unique, and are professionally produced with broadcast quality. There's nothing else like them.

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8 October, 2007 - Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper - First Look

Fine art photography has become as much about paper as it has ink or printers themselves. We now have an abundance of papers and paper types, far more than we ever had in the chemical darkroom. But for many long-time darkroom workers the holy grail of inkjet printing has been a paper with the look and feel of a traditional air-dried F surface gloss.

Last year saw the first round of such paper offerings and now we have several more in round two. Epson, the 800 pound gorilla of the printing world has announced today a new paper, Exhibition Fiber, which aims to become a major new offering in this category.

My initial comments and report on this exciting paper are now online.

This week begins a month-long period where I will be traveling a great deal. Bill Atkinson and Charlie Cramer are in Toronto, and we're are heading up to Algonquin Park and Muskoka in north central Ontario for some fall colour landscape shooting this week. This coming weekend Bill and Charlie will be conducting their first Toronto workshop at The Luminous Landscape Gallery.

Early next week I will be in New York briefly on business, and then at the end of that week will be heading first to France and then on a two week shoot in Madagascar. (No, I'm afraid that I will not be at Photo East this year).

To top things off I have recently received one of the first production Epson 11880 printers for testing, and also have received one of the newest DSLRs for testing on my Madagascar shoot. (No, I can't say at the moment which it is).

All in all it's going to be a busy month, but I'll keep you updated as often as possible. Look for major reviews on these products and more in early November when I return. There will be at least two more new articles and reviews before I leave for Africa though, and likely lots of announcements as Photo East draws nearer late next week.

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10 October, 2007 - Last minute space available for Atkinson Cramer seminar this weekend in Toronto

Due to a cancellation today there is now one space available for the Bill Atkinson / Charlie Cramer seminar this weekend in Toronto. If you can take advantage of this, please act immediately. Though the announcement page says SOLD OUT, the store will accept ONE more registration. First come – first served. Go for it!

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11 October, 2007 - Hasselblad Drops the Other Shoe

In a move which surprises no one, Hasselblad has announced that they have discontinued the H2 camera. This leaves the company only selling cameras like the H3D with removable but included digital backs, something which Hasselblad confusingly calls a DSLR. And, no other brands of digital back will interface with an H3D series body.

They have simultaneously introduced an H2F model, with the F standing for Film. (Some in the industry think that F is the first letter of another word). The H2F lacks the digital interface that the original H1 and the H2 had, and can only be used with digital backs via a sync cable. This is the case with the older Hasselblad C series cameras, and when a back is attached to a technical or view camera. The H2F will apparently cost some 20% less than a discontinued H2 did when it was available. And parenthetically, a couple of calls to dealers verified that there appear to be no H2s left in the wholesale pipeline, at least in North America.

So, almost exactly one year after they first threatened to do so, Hasselblad has turned the H series camera into a closed system. It is not longer possible to purchase a new H series Hasselblad camera with a digital back interface. Therefore anyone who currently owns an H series Hasselblad and a medium format back from another manufacturer will not be able to buy a new body in future, in the event their current H1 or H2 fails, which will mean having to abandon their back. Similarly, anyone who wants to buy into the Hasselblad system will now only be able to do so if they are willing to use it with a Hasselblad back.

Whether this turns out to be a wise decision for the company or not, only time will tell. It may well be that to ensure its survival Hasselblad has to sell high margin backs along with lower margin bodies and lenses. Allowing backs from other manufacturers to interface with their cameras reduces their revenue potential. Is this good for consumers? I don't think so. Is it good for the company's bottom line? Maybe. The marketplace eventually will determine this.

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14 October, 2007 - It's About Light

I'm always on the lookout for sample images to use in my classes – ones that illustrate a certain point. One of those points is that photography is frequently more about light than it is about subject alone. Without interesting light it takes a very strong subject indeed to make a strong photograph

In It's About Light I've found just the example that I've been looking for.


I have just finished watching all the Camera to Print videos, and just want to thank you both very much for your clear, accessible, comprehensive and amusing presentation.
 
I have learnt so much.  Even where the material was going over ground that I have covered before, your clear exposition really helped me to better understand what I have previously been taught.  You answered questions that I wanted answers to, and even answered questions that were only vaguely forming in my foggy mind.

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16 October, 2007 - New Olympus E3 and Canon lenses coming

With the Photo East show in New York now just a couple of days away, the new camera announcements have begun in earnest. For the first time in several years I will not be at the show and reporting on it since it conflicts with other travel plans made long ago.

This means that you'll have to fend for yourselves in the wild and wooly world of online press announcements and product previews. But, today saw announcements from both Canon and Olympus. Here they are.

Oly announced the long awaited (4+ years) Olympus E-3 Digital SLR; a 10MP DSLR. The new camera features all the latest bells and whistles, including live view, dust elimination, a swiveling LCD, in-body image stabilization ,and a pro-grade weather proof body. In addition there are three new lenses, a 12-60mm f2.8-4.0, 50-200mm f2.8-3.5, and 14-35mm f2.0. (Remember to multiply these focal lengths X2 to get their 35mm full-frame equivalents, since this is a 4/3 format camera).

Canon has announced two new lenses, a 200mm f/2 L IS and an 800mm f/5.6L IS. The 200 is a replacement for the 200mm f/1.8L which was discontinued last year. It was one of the highest resolution lenses Canon ever made, and loved by many sports photographers as its the ideal focal length and speed for indoor sports such as court-side coverage of basketball or gymnastics. With the addition of Image Stabilization for the lucky few who can afford and need it, the best likely just got better.

The 800mm is a brand new focal length in Canon's so-called Super-Telephoto line and it's bound to be a monster. I found the 600mm almost impossible to handle comfortably in the field, and I can imagine that the 800 will require a built-in Sherpa to help schlepp it around. But I'm sure it will sell like hot-cakes to sports and serious wildlife photographers. No info yet on price or availability.

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17 October, 2007 - Nikon D3 - First Impressions Field Report

Contributor and professional photographer James Russell has just returned from Osaka, Japan where he shot a major sports event with the recently announced but as yet unreleased Nikon D3. His exclusive First Impressions Field Report is now online.

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19 October, 2007 - Canon EOS 1Ds MKIII First Impressions Report

During the past week or so I have been able to do some shooting with a beta sample of the new Canon 1Ds MKIII. My initial impressions report is now online.

I will be leaving tomorrow for an almost 3 week trip to Madagascar. I'll be working extensively with the MKIIIs on this shoot and I expect to have a more comprehensive report on the camera and my shooting experience with it available here in mid-November.

UPDATE

In a version of this review which was online for a few hours on Oct 18-19, there was a discussion of antialiasing filters and how I felt that there would be advantages to the 1Ds MKIII not having one, for a variety of reasons. Due to a mix-up an early version, not intended for publication because of mistakes in my initial analysis, found its way online in error.

I regret any confusion that this may have caused.

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20 October, 2007 - Off to Madagascar

I am now offline until November 9, traveling on a shoot in Madagascar. This means that there will be no new content on the site until that time. I'm afraid that you'll have to content yourself with the more than 3,000 pages of reviews, essay and tutorials previously published. Time to explore them if you haven't already.

Our Discussion Forum requires registration approval for new users. Since both Chris and I are offline now for three weeks this means that no new registrations will be accepted until we return. The Forum is therefore read-only for newcomers until then. Blame the spammers.
 
Our customer service department is on reduced hours from Oct 19-26, and so there might be some delays in responding to any issues that you may have with our online store.

See you again in early November.


I have just finished watching all the Camera to Print videos, and just want to thank you both very much for your clear, accessible, comprehensive and amusing presentation.
 
I have learnt so much.  Even where the material was going over ground that I have covered before, your clear exposition really helped me to better understand what I have previously been taught.  You answered questions that I wanted answers to, and even answered questions that were only vaguely forming in my foggy mind.

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9 November, 2007 - Back From Madagascar

After three weeks on the road, in France and then Madagascar, I am now home. From Belo sur Mere, our last destination (a small fishing and boat building village on the island's west coast) to Toronto took three days of almost continuous travel. Motorized canoes, 4WDs on ox cart tracks, and an 11 hour followed by an 8 hour flight. Whew.

Now it's time to catch up on some sleep, get my tummy in order, continue taking anti-malaria pills for another week, back up and start processing over 5000 files, and catch up on about 2000 emails.

As you may recall, I took a pre-production Canon 1Ds MKIII on this shoot. It performed flawlessly. I will have a report and an ongoing article with many photographs in the weeks ahead. I also plan on having a new exhibition at my Toronto gallery before Christmas as well as at another gallery. Details soon.

The first of my Madagascar images is now online on the site's Home Page.


New registrations for the site's Discussion Forum were disabled during our time off line. This will be turned on again in the next day or so, and those of you who have been frustrated with not having been able to join will soon be able to do so. This was necessary to keep the spammers and nut-bars away. We regret any inconvenience.

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11 November, 2007 - Nikon SP 50th Anniversary Reminisce

Fifty years ago Nikon introduced what many regard as the finest rangefinder camera ever made, the Nikon SP. The Nikon F SLR, introduced just two years later in 1959, became one of the most significant cameras in history, and the beginning of a great camera dynasty. But for many rangefinder aficionados the SP may well be the camera of all time. My 50th Anniversary Nikon SP Reminisce is now online.

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13 November, 2007 - Phase One and Mamiya Get Hitched

In a press announcement released this morning Phase One and Mamiya Digital Imaging jointly announced a "strategic alliance" to develop open platform-based medium format digital camera systems.

Apparently the agreement includes technology-sharing and intellectual property assets as well as sales and marketing co-operation. Their first new camera system is anticipated to be introduced in the first quarter of 2008.

For the small but vital medium format industry this is an important announcement. Depending on whose numbers you believe Phase One has been 50% and 70% market share in medium format backs. But with the death a few years ago of the Contax 645, the introduction a year ago of the closed Hasselblad H3D, and the termination last month of manufacture of the open H2, Phase One found itself in a bit of a pickle. What camera to mount their backs on?

The other two players, Sinar and Leaf, have each signed onto the new Hy6 camera system, which will start shipping very soon. Phase needed a platform and Mamiya was the only game left in town.

Exactly what a Phase One / Mamiya camera system will look like is anyone's guess at this moment, but by combining a company with some of the greatest digital imaging depth with another with tremendous historical roots in camera and lens manufacture, there are fascinating possibilities.

What's interesting, in an ironic sort of way, is that Hasselblad's move last year to turn the H series into a closed system so that only Hasselblad digital backs would work with it, seems to have backfired. Its three back competitors, who used to at least generate camera and lens sales for Hasselblad, no longer will, since each now has been forced to have its own camera platform. The Hy6 camera and lenses are interchangeable between Leaf and Sinar, and the Mamiya system and lenses are owned by hundreds of thousands of pros and amateurs, forming a very strong installed base for Phase.

Isn't there an old phrase about cutting off your nose to spite your face?
Henrick Paul has written a very useful introduction to the new features in Leopard, Mac's new OS X 10.5. What makes it interesting is that it addresses those new features that are of greatest interest to photographers.

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15 November, 2007 - An interview with the CEO of Phase One

Following Tuesday's announcement by Phase One and Mamiya of a joint venture to produce a new medium format camera system, I had an opportunity to interview Henrik Håkonsson, the CEO of Phase One, and to find out some additional details about the new camera that's coming.

My new essay titled Phase One and Mamiya Get Hitched is now online. In it I also look at the upcoming shape of the medium format marketplace as we move into 2008.

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16 November, 2007 - Canon 1Ds MKIII Madagascar Field Report

My field report on using the Canon 1Ds MKIII in Madagascar on a two week-long shoot is now online.


UPDATE
I have just finished watching all the Camera to Print videos, and just want to thank you both very much for your clear, accessible, comprehensive and amusing presentation.
 
I have learnt so much.  Even where the material was going over ground that I have covered before, your clear exposition really helped me to better understand what I have previously been taught.  You answered questions that I wanted answers to, and even answered questions that were only vaguely forming in my foggy mind.

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19 November, 2007 – Various Updates

As previously mentioned here, Lightroom V 1.3 is now available as a free update. Ian Lyons at Computer Darkroom now has a very insightful and comprehensive report on what's new in 1.3.

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21 November, 2007 – JPG Follies

No matter how much writers and educators preach the benefits of shooting raw, there are still many photographers who think that they can get away with shooting JPG, even when they don't have to.

They say – But I can change the white balance and exposure just fine in JPGs. What's the big deal?

The other day, while preparing for a lecture, I did a few quick shots to use as examples, and my new article JPG Follies is the result. This is not intended to be any sort of definitive discussion on the subject, nor is it technically rigorous, but I thought some people might find it of value.
I have been working with a production sample of the Sinar Hy6 and eMotion 75 back for the past week and expect to have my review online next week. Watch for it.


I have just finished watching all the Camera to Print videos, and just want to thank you both very much for your clear, accessible, comprehensive and amusing presentation.
 
I have learnt so much.  Even where the material was going over ground that I have covered before, your clear exposition really helped me to better understand what I have previously been taught.  You answered questions that I wanted answers to, and even answered questions that were only vaguely forming in my foggy mind.

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23 November, 2007 – Antarctic News

There was a news report today about a cruise ship that hit an iceberg near Antarctica and is in danger of sinking. The passengers and crew have been safely removed without reported injuries.

Thank you to the many people that have forwarded these reports to me.

Please note that this is not the same cruise company, nor one of the ships that I have used for my Antarctic Expedition Workshops. It's also worth commenting that while this is news, and we are all of course concerned for the passengers and crew, these types of occurrence are very rare. And, just as when there's an airplane crash it gives us all pause, so to when there's a ship mishap. Nevertheless, these are very rare and shouldn't give anyone undue concern about any ship-based trip they may be planning.

My friend, photographer and teacher Nick Rains has a few places left in his April, 2008 Kimberley Workshop. If you live in Australia, or are planning a trip there, this workshop can be highly recommended.

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24 November, 2007 – Outdoor Photography in Challenging Environments

Some photographers work close to home while others seek remote locales. Some shoot from the side of the road while there are those that prefer the most remote mountain top.

If you fall into the later categories or are at least an armchair adventurer, then you'll likely enjoy reading Bernard Languillier's fascinating new essay titled Outdoor Photography in Challenging Environments

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26 November, 2007 - Sinar Hy6 and eMotion 75 Back Reviewed

It isn't often that a totally new medium format camera system comes to market. The last time was with the introduction of the Hasselblad H1 in 2002.

At Photokina, a year ago, Franke and Heideke the makers of Rollei medium format cameras, along with their OEM partners Sinar and Leaf, announced the new Hy6 camera. Now, 13 months later the Hy6 is in production and shipping from Sinar.

Sinar was kind enough to provide me with a Hy6 and eMotion 75 digital back for testing from among the first cameras available. My exclusive review is now online.

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27 November, 2007 : Nikon – Back in The Game!

Regular readers know that I shoot with Canon 35mm digital equipment. (I also use Hasselblad / Phase One and Leica). But for some 30 years prior to switching to Canon in the late 90's I shot with Nikon (F, F2 and F4). I switched platforms in the just-pre-digital days because there were certain lenses from Canon (T/S and IS) that simply didn't exist from Nikon at the time.

I had few regrets at the switch through the first 7 years of this decade and the move to digital because it's my opinion that with its full frame sensors and superior high ISO noise capabilities Canon had a clear edge. Many other pros apparently thought so as well, and as a consequence Nikon lost some marketshare in this segment.

But with the introduction of the D300 and D3 a few months ago (the D300 started shipping last week, and the D3 will as well within days) I now believe that Nikon is back in the game – big time!

For this reason I have purchased a Nikon D300 and several lenses and will start shooting with it on a regular basis. A D3? when it comes out next year (the higher resolution version of the D3) will also be added at that time.

Am I switching from Canon to Nikon? No, absolutely not. But I feel that there is now going to be a huge resurgence in use of Nikon gear by pros and amateurs alike, and as a teacher and a writer it is appropriate for me to become much more familiar with what this platform now has to offer.

A few weeks shooting with a test sample isn't enough time to really get into a system, and therefore I've purchased a D300, and took delivery of it just yesterday. In the weeks ahead I expect to start writing extensively about Nikon gear through the perspective of an experienced Canon user. Should be fun.

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28 November, 2007 – A Review of Jeff Schewe's New Book

Real World Camera Raw has been the bible for the past couple of years for anyone interested in learning the world's most popular raw processing program.

Originally written by Bruce Fraser, Jeff Schewe has co-authored a major revision titled Real World Camera Raw With Photoshop CS3. The book is just been published, and is becoming available this week in stores and from online book sellers. My biased review is now online.
If you are thinking of escaping dreary winter weather, a trip to Phoenix in February could be just the thing. And if you'd like to attend a unique series of photographic seminars by Alain Briot, then this is your excuse.

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29 November, 2007 – Rescued, and a New Workshop with Jay Maisel in NYC

Just as the question with hard drives is not will they fail, but simply, when, a corollary to this is that if you shoot a lot, at least a couple of times a year you'll end up with a corrupted memory card.

This happened to me yesterday when I was shooting a seminar session being put on at a local studio. When I got back to my own studio in the evening to copy the files to disk, I found that the card was corrupt. I have no idea why, or how it happened, but there it was. My Mac couldn't even see the card and mount it, and in the camera (Nikon D300) the display said, no directory, no images.

Rather than despair I simply ran PhotoRescue overnight, and this morning had every single file recovered, including every file that had been on the card from my previous shoot, before I had formatted the card in camera yesterday morning. Simply amazing.

I'm plugging PhotoRescue here simply because it works, while numerous other such programs that I've tried over the years don't, or at least don't do so as effectively. Highly recommended!
World famous photographer Jay Maisel is going to be teaching a weekend seminar at The Luminous Landscape Gallery in Toronto this coming weekend. It's been sold out for some months. But, if you live in, or will be visiting New York city in December, here is another opportunity for you to work with and learn from Jay. It will take place at his amazing studio / gallery in lower Manhattan over a five day period, from December 17 to 21.

Here is a PDF which provides much more information. This is an expensive, though amazing opportunity. Do it if you can.

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1 December, 2007 – Achieving Personal Style, by Alain Briot

Our regular columnist, landscape photographer and teacher Alain Briot's latest article, Achieving Your Personal Style, is now online. This is Part 10 of a continuing series.

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4 December, 2007 - Sony A700 Field Report

Contributor and event photographer Doug Brown has been working with the new Sony A700, and today provides us with his Sony A-700 Field Report.

The Nikon D3 is now shipping. It is Nikon's new flagship camera and has been reported to have exceptional high ISO capability. Is ISO 25,600 real, and if so how good is it? How does the D3 stack up against the equally new Canon 1Ds MKIII when it comes to noise at ISO 3200? And, what about the Nikon D300? Can it hold its own with its bigger brother?

I had the opportunity to do a brief informal test and high ISO comparison with these three cameras this past weekend, and will have my report online here before the end of this week. You may be surprised at the results.

Speaking of reviews, California based professional photographer Phil Holland has just published a report on the Canon 1Ds MKIII on his web site. His conclusions pretty much match my own, and provide interesting and informative reading.

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7 December, 2007 - Nikon D3, D300 and Canon 1Ds MKIII Low Noise Comparison

While current DSLRs differ widely in their features and ergonomics, at low ISOs their image quality is mostly comparable. The differences that can be seen are either attributable in JPGs to in-camera processing differences, and in raws can be easily normalized with appropriate processing tweaks.

Where the IQ differences are most apparent are at high ISO, and so this is what most pros look at when doing comparisons, especially those photographers who work at low light levels a great deal of the time.

This past week I had the opportunity to do some low light level testing of three new cameras which were just released in the past few days, the Canon 1Ds MKIII, the Nikon D3 and the Nikon D300. These were informal comparisons, but were done in the presence of 20 experienced photographers who were visiting The Luminous Landscape Gallery to attend a seminar with Jay Maisel. That comparison report is now online.

Camera Raw has been updated to version 4.3.1. This fixes a few small items as well as provides enhanced conversion quality with some of the new cameras which are supported in the 4.3 release of last month. The Windows version is available here and the Mac version here.

If you are not using Photoshop CS3, which is needed to run the latest version of Camera Raw, and which offers support for a slew of new cameras, don't despair. Just download the latest Adobe DNG converter, batch run your raw files through it, and then load them into your old version of Camera Raw and Photoshop.

Jeff Schewe and I have just returned from visiting Thomas Knoll at his home in Michigan, where senior members of Adobe's Camera Raw development team were having a three day meeting. This was an opportunity for Jeff and me to interview the team about their plans for Camera Raw and Lightroom. This discussion, filmed by director Chris Sanderson, will appear in a new multi-hour video tutorial on Camera Raw to be released before the end of February. Watch for it. It will join our current  Lightroom and Camera to Print downloadable video tutorials.

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9 December, 2007 - In This Corner

A surprising number of people got a bit bent when I compared the new Nikon D3 to the also new Canon 1Ds MKIII the other day. My comparison was only about high ISO performance, but voices were heard saying – Not fair. One is a 21MP camera and the other a 12MP. They're designed for different markets.

Yup. They are. But that still isn't going to stop me, or many others for that matter, from doing the comparison. These are the two leading company's current flagships, and they both started shipping the same week. It's was inevitable.

I'm not the only one interested in this new battle of the giants. Yesterday professional photographer and blogger John Harrington produced an amusing and insightful comparison of the two cameras. Trust me – it won't be the last that you read.

Oh yes – his high ISO results pretty much matched what I saw and reported here.

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12 December, 2007 - Take a Trip With Hyperdrive

Backing up memory cards in the field can be done either with a laptop and outboard drives, or with a stand-alone card reader / drive combo. The new Hyperdrive ColorSPACE offers the best of both capabilities in a single unit, and is under review.

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15 December, 2007 - The View Camera in a Digital World

What is the place of The View Camera in a Digital World? Photographer and scientist Mark Dubovoy shares his thoughts and experiences.

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19 December, 2007 - Leica M8 Revisited

UPDATE

As you may have noticed this site has just one commercial sponsor – B&H Photo.

I've just received an email from them letting me know of a special promotion that runs until 11PM today, Eastern time. Here's what it says...


James Russell, one of the top commercial photographers in the US and a dedicated SLR user, tells us about his recent epiphany with a Leica M8 in Leica M8 Revisited.

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22 December, 2007 - Battle of The Barytas

For fine-art photographers paper is where the battle lines are drawn.  Over the past year or so paper manufacturers have tried to bring us inkjet printing papers that combine the tactile and visual beauty of fibre-based substrates with the high dMax and saturated colours of resin coated papers using photo black ink. Close, but not quite there yet in my view.

In the chemical print era Baryta-based papers were considered by many as the pinnacle. Now, three of the major paper makers have introduced Baryta papers for inkjet printing; Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta 325 , Harman Gloss FB AI, and Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk. Are these the Holy Grail of printing?

My three-way comparison report, Battle of The Barytas is now online.

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25 December, 2007 – Can James Russell Focus?

Whenever anyone puts themselves on the line publicly, such as publishing a web article, they are bound to receive both positive as well as negative commentary.

Last week, James Russell, one of the top commercial photographers in the US, shared with us a wonderful article about his experiences using a Leica M8 for the first time, in a piece titled Leica M8 Revisited.

He's received a great many accolades and positive feedback, but as too often happens a few mean-spirited know-it-alls in some of the online communities have written commentaries which are really unworthy of them, not to mention the wonderful contributions that James has made to the photographic community.

Today James shares with us some thoughts on this in an addendum to his original article.

Our Win-An-Antarctic-Photographic-Expedition comes to an end one week from now, on New Years Eve. If you haven't already entered, why not do so now. Your chance of winning is as good as that of anyone else.

Your purchases will also finance our The Luminous Landscape Endowment Fund, which will be closing its first round of financing next week. We expect to issue a call for applications to fund photographic projects early in the new year. Watch for it.

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26 December, 2007 - Oscar Peterson Video - In Memoriam

World famous jazz pianist Oscar Peterson died this week. In addition to being one of the finest jazz pianists of his era he was an ardent photographer as well.

I had the pleasure of knowing Oscar, and he was a daily Luminous Landscape visitor. A few years ago he invited us to his home so that we might film an interview about his photography. This piece is contained in Video Journal Number 7.

As a tribute to Oscar, Chris Sanderson and I are now making this interview with him freely available as a streaming video. It can be found here.

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28 December, 2007 - The Mob Goes Wild

Darren Henderson is a Melbourne based commercial photographer whose passion is photographing rock concerts. A Nikon D2x has been his tool of choice for the past few years, but this past month he shot a couple of concerts with his new Nikon D3, and in The Mob Goes Wild tells us about his experience.
And speaking of the Nikon D3, as regular readers know, during the past couple of months I have been putting together a complete Nikon system so that I can start using and reporting on the latest Nikon DSLR gear alongside my usual Canon outfit. I now have a D3, D300 and seven lenses.

My D3 will be accompanying me on a week-long vacation in Barcelona, Spain, which begins today, and its use there will form part of my initial impressions report which will appear here in early January.

Due to my vacation I will be offline until January 4, at which time I will be able to respond to any emails. The store and the site's forum continue live under the supervisions of Chris Sanderson.

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