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What's New
Today's new essay is by scientist, photographer and author Harold Merklinger. It is titled The Game of Photography – What Are The Rules?
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
High end video production is now within the reach of any modern DSLR owner. What does it take to achieve something really worthwhile though? Regular contributor Peter Cox shares the trials and tribulations of producing an hour long video tutorial/travelogue in Learning Video Production the Hard Way.
"I have purchased many of your tutorials in the past and found them very helpful. However, Camera to Print and Screen is truly over the top in usefulness and helpfulness. I have gone back to it several times to get up to speed on a subject, or answer a question about sharpening, printing and/or moving photos to an iPad; it is great, and well worth the cost."
In the first of a major two part essay titled Everything Matters, Mark Dubovoy explores the unseen and hyper-realism in photography.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
I've had more mail over the past few weeks, asking when my NEX-7 video report would be online, than just about any topic in recent months.
Well, the answer is, today. Sony NEX-7 Video is the final installment in my NEX-7 Rolling Review, which was published over the past couple of months.
Someone had to do it eventually. How does the exciting new 24 Megapixel Sony NEX-7 compare with the now somewhat aged, but still excellent 24 Megapixel full-frame A900?
Contributor Rick Kettelmann has done some considerable work comparing these two cameras in a review entitled Comparing the NEX-7 with the A900.
"You and Jeff did it again! A great series of videos.
I've watched the earlier Camera to Print series as well as the LR 2 & 3 videos and as usual, I learned new technique and ideas even though I've been behind a camera for 45 years.
Additionally, the rapport you two have is most engaging, enjoyable, and totally different than the sterile video tutorials from others (I'm afflicted with being a visual learner).
Again, a great series of videos that have helped me grow once again."
Do you have a 4K future? 4K is the next major development in motion picture and TV production (forget 3D), and while the RED Scarlet-X is the current 4K tool of choice for film and TV producers as well as simultaneous stills production, there are some new cameras coming. This includes a 4K prototype from Canon, recently shown.
But JVC has just stolen a big march on the competition with it's just-announced 4K HMQ10 camcorder, priced at under $5,000. My look at the unfolding 4K environment and the new JVC are in a just published essay titled Do You Have a 4K Future?
Pikto's Top Pick contest was very successful, with 280 entries from around the world. They will have an opening to highlight the winning entry on Saturday January 21st 6-10pm at the Pikto Gallery in Toronto. The winning entry by Anastasia Taylor-LInd has just been featured in theNew York Times. Anastasia is flying over fromn the UK for the opening.
Whenever I tease my wife about how many shoes she has, she (quite rightly) zaps me back about my camera bags.
I don't know about you, but I think that one can never have too many bags for ones gear. There are backpacks for hiking, rolling bags for travel, small shoulder bags, large hip bags... well, you get the idea.
Gura Gear makes some of the best and most versatile bags around, and Nick Devlin and I have been using two of their latest offerings for the past several months. Our review of the latest Gura Gear bags is now online.
Adobe Relents
Sometimes vocal consumer ire pays dividends. Adobe pissed off a lot of its loyal customer base last year by announcing that Photoshop users would only be able to upgrade to Photoshop CS6 (when it ships) from the latest earlier version, rather than three versions back as has always been the case.
Adobe has now relented, as described in this article. Well done Adobe.
Adobe has just anounced the availability of Lightroom 4 Public Beta. You can find out more, watch a free 22 minute streaming video with Michael Reichmann, and link to the free program download.
Fujifilm has just introduced today the X-Pro1, an interchangable lens hybrid viewfinder camera, similar to their hugely popular X-100. This camera has an APS-C sized 16 Megapixel sensor, no anti-aliasing filter, and a unique new 6X6 quasi-random colour filter array to eliminate moire.
The first of a new X series of fast prime autofocus lenses have also been introduced. These include a 18mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4 and 60mm f/2.4 macro. Fuji will also be producing their own Leica M lens adaptor.
I expect to have a camera and lenses for review shortly. In the meantime, here's what we know at the moment.
Miles Hecker's geotagged travel photo article for January is The Battling Bighorns.
Phase One has just announced two new Master Class Workshops, one in Namibia in September and the other in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in March.
The Master Class in San Miguel is being taught by Michael Reichmann and Mark Dubovoy. It takes place here in San Miguel from March 4–9. It is intended for photographers, both pros and enthusiasts, who currently use Phase One equipment. It is an opportunity to refine your skills, learn new techniques, and work with the instructors and like minded individuals in a stimulating environment.
This is a 100% all-inclusive workshop. From the group getting on the plane in Houston till you return there later that week for your flight home, everything is included. Just bring your Phase One camera gear!
The Namibia Workshop, from Sept 23 – Oct 3, is being taught by Andy Biggs. It too is a Master Class intended for current Phase One equipment owners, and it too is all inclusive.
Both workshops have limited enrollement, so if you are eligible and find either of these of interest, now is the time to book your place.
Mea Culpa
Unfortunately we are the victims of our own success. With the completion this week of our long-anticipated Camera to Screen and Print tutorial, along with our Holiday Sale, sales (and therefore downloads) of our videos have far exceeded expectations.
That's the good news. The bad news is that our server, which can comfortably handle many dozens of simultanious multi-megabyte downloads is being swamped with many hundreds of multi-gigabyte downloads. Burp.
Things will settle down over the next few days, but we do appologize for the inconvenience. Just wait a day or two and video downloads will be back to normal. But if you're really pissed off, we understand. Just ask for a refund and you'll get it right away.
After two weeks of studio production, two months of post planning, and six months of actual editing, Chris has just completed our opus Camera to Screen and Print.
It contains close to 13 hours of live video instruction with printing experts and renown teachers Jeff Schewe and Michael Reichmann.
While the production was being finalized and published on a serial basis these past few months, we have offered a -25% discount. That discount will end tonight at midnight Central time.
The 25% Discount Ends at
Midnight Central Today
0600 UTC
The Guess Jeff's Shirts Contest
Jeff Schewe has a thing about shirts. He changes them often. We even launders them from time to time. In Camera to Screen and Print we anounced a contest – guess the number of different shirts that Jeff wore during the production, and win a prize.
Now that the entire 13 hours of content is live, so is the contest. There will be three prizes of a print of your choice from any of the samples shown during the video. All you need to do is send in your guess (err...count), and we will select three winners from the first ones received. (No, you don't win one of Jeff's shirts, They wouldn't fit you.)
The Winners Are
We now have our three winners. They are...
David Garcia Perez
Ken Davidson
Tim Elliott
Congratulations gentelman. We'll be in touch soon about your prints.
Oh yes, how many shirts were there? There were a total of nine, eight flowered shirts and one black T-shirt.
It isn't often that someone does something new and unique in photography. Today's Toronto Star newspaper reports on photographer Michael Chrisman's pinhole camera shot taken last year of the Toronto skyline.
When last year? All of last year! Read the article to find out more. Nicely done Michael.
In our latest tutorial, HDR Workflow For The Rest Of Us, Vegard Brenna takes a look at how HDR when actually needed can be integrated into a normal photographic workflow. The aim is to produce consistent, high quality, natural looking images with a minimum of fuss and time spent.
SALE EXTENDED BY 1 DAY ONLY
Please note that we are extending our 15% off sale on everything in our on-line store until Tuesday evening. The reason for this is that demand on our server has been so high that some people have not been able to place their order successfully.
We regret any inconvenience. Today and tomorrow are the last days to save money on any of our training videos or other products.
We have just added several new segments to our newest Camera to Print and Screen tutorial series. The total running time is now 11.25 hours.
– Watch a complete fine art shoot 'The Violin' from camera to print...
– A discussion on Printer Maintenance
– A discussion and demonstration on Matting & Framing
A Safe and Happy New Year to All
ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT
ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT
"Just wanted to pass on my thanks for 'Camera to Print and Screen'. I have found it immediately applicable, and especially useful in getting the most out of my equipment. I'm not a professional (yet), but I am starting to achieve what I consider to be professional level results, largely as a result of the information on your website, and especially your tutorial videos, of which 'Camera to Print and Screen' is simply the latest, and most comprehensive yet."
Let's face it, we all blow it from time to time. We make mistakes. We screw up. Sometimes it's because we're stubborn. Sometimes because we're misguided or misinformed. And sometimes because we're simply dumb.
Companies can be this way to. So, in the spirit of making year-end awards, we hereby launch our first annual Photo Industry "Fails of The Year".
ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT
ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT
"Just wanted to pass on my thanks for 'Camera to Print and Screen'. I have found it immediately applicable, and especially useful in getting the most out of my equipment. I'm not a professional (yet), but I am starting to achieve what I consider to be professional level results, largely as a result of the information on your website, and especially your tutorial videos, of which 'Camera to Print and Screen' is simply the latest, and most comprehensive yet."
There are just a few days left to take advantage of our -15% sale on everything in our online store.
Our newest Camera to Print and Screen tutorial series is also just a couple of weeks away from completion, and until then is available at 25% off. For previous customers of From Camera To Print (2008), this means the total discount is 40% - but only for a few more days.
"Just wanted to pass on my thanks for 'Camera to Print and Screen'. I have found it immediately applicable, and especially useful in getting the most out of my equipment. I'm not a professional (yet), but I am starting to achieve what I consider to be professional level results, largely as a result of the information on your website, and especially your tutorial videos, of which 'Camera to Print and Screen' is simply the latest, and most comprehensive yet."
Since I started spending the winter months living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and publishing photographs taken here, quite a few people have written asking what San Miguel is really like.
Well – there is no one "really like", since SMA is such a unique place. But, in the spirit of the season, last Saturday evening I shot a small video of the festivities in the main square and on one of the side streets near where we live in Centro.
This 3.5 minute video was shot primarily with the Sony NEX-5 and 16mm f/2.8 at ISO 3200. The street segment with the pinata was shot with the Sony NEX-7 using the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 at ISO 1600. Editing and grading was done using Final Cut Pro X along with Irudis Tonalizer.
The team responsible for Pixmantec RawShooter a few years ago has returned, this time with a video enhancement plug-in called Irudis Tonalizer. It has a few unique abilities, including highlight recovery and noise reduction, which are not normally available in Final Cut X, for example. This plug-in is on sale until Jan 15 for $89.50, and can be demoed without charge.
You may recall an article we published back in September titled Phase One IQ 180 Vs. 8X10 by Marcus Zuber. It raised quite a fuss at the time. Now, Tim Parkin has published a follow-up report which you may find of interest.
The gang here at LuLa, Chris Sanderson, Mark Dubovoy, Charlene Sanderson and Michael Reichmann
all wish you a very safe and enjoyable
Christmas season.
The 2005 edition of Erwin Puts invaluable Leica Lens Compendium is now available as a free PDF download. This 223 page version does not contain any images, but otherwise is the complete text of the original edition. It is available as a free download with the permission of the author. Erwin released a new version of the hardcover book in August 2011, but it now appears to be out of print for the second time in 12 months.
This book, regardless of edition, is an invaluable resource, not only for those that are interested in Leica lenses, but also anyone with an interest in optical design and theory. Simply a must have research tool for all lens lovers.
If you're not familar with Erwin's writing you owe it to yourself to visit his web site. Thanks for the Christmas present Erwin, and thanks as well to LeicaRumors.com for bringing it to our attention.
"Just wanted to pass on my thanks for 'Camera to Print and Screen'. I have found it immediately applicable, and especially useful in getting the most out of my equipment. I'm not a professional (yet), but I am starting to achieve what I consider to be professional level results, largely as a result of the information on your website, and especially your tutorial videos, of which 'Camera to Print and Screen' is simply the latest, and most comprehensive yet."
Our regular contributor Alain Briot today gives us his Fine Art Photography Top Sixteen most important aspects of Fine Art Photography.
Learn from Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe in the free Video #36 of Camera to Print & Screen Fine Art Photography tutorial – B&W Workflow.
Your complicity with Jeff Schewe makes viewing more enjoyable than a film, and the quantity of information you manage to convey is truly wonderful. I can't wait to see more :)
The NEX-7 vs. M9 comparison in my recent Sony NEX-7 Rolling Review got a lot of flack because of its particular methodology, though I remain confident that what I was testing had relevance, as described.
But several people asked if I could redo the test using different lenses so that the camera's field's of view would be matched, thus providing a more real world comparison, and removing the need to crop the M9 image.
I have now done this in a small separate report titled NEX-7 vs. M9 – Part Deux. The results are almost indentical to those in my first resolution comparison. The M9, though only 18 MP, is almost a match for the NEX-7. Most interestingly, it appears that the NEX-7 may not have an AA filter, or at least has a very weak one.
"Just wanted to pass on my thanks for 'Camera to Print and Screen'. I have found it immediately applicable, and especially useful in getting the most out of my equipment. I'm not a professional (yet), but I am starting to achieve what I consider to be professional level results, largely as a result of the information on your website, and especially your tutorial videos, of which 'Camera to Print and Screen' is simply the latest, and most comprehensive yet."
We have added new content to bring the running time of Camera to Print & Screen to just shy of 10 hours...
The new videos are:
- A discussion about Inks, Print Heads & the archival properties of today's prints
- A discussion about papers and how to handle the enormous choice. Examples include Photo & Watercolour papers - with & without Optical Brightening Agents (Jeff likes them, Michael does not!)
- A brief look at printing personal snapshots with a PictureMate
- A visit to Andrew Collett's gallery with discussions on printing canvas & face-mounted prints for sale and running a successful commercial gallery
- The techniques involved in printing, spraying, stretching & mounting canvas prints. A close look is taken at creating 'gallery-wrap' edges for canvas. A look at the equipment and processes involved in face-mounting photographs to acrylic and aluminium.
The new Table of Contents (v.9) can be seen here.
Learn from Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe in the free Video #36 of Camera to Print & Screen
Fine Art Photography tutorial – B&W Workflow.
Your complicity with Jeff Schewe makes viewing more enjoyable than a film, and the quantity of information you manage to convey is truly wonderful. I can't wait to see more :)
Today sees the final installment in my Sony NEX-7 Rolling Review.
Even if there isn't a NEX-7 on your horizon, it is clearly going to become a benchmark camera, and so should be understood, if only for the role that it's going to play in pushing a couple of large competitors out of their complacency.
Sony has shown that it can now compete with the big two in the high-end camera market, and has done so with a pocket battleship, which is what I called the NEX-7 back in August when I first previewed it.
Regretably Sony didn't put as much thought and effort into the camera's menu system as it did the hardware. But hopefully Sony will listen to reviewer and early user comments and will issue a comprehensive firmware upgrade that addresses the camera's shortcomings. The NEX-7 is simply too good a camera for it to remain hobbled by an under-performing menu interface.
I've heard from more than one person this past month saying – "Enough already with the NEX-7". Ok, we now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
So – you've got a Leica M9 and some great M lenses. How will the new Sony NEX-7 compare? That's what I too wanted to know, and so now the eighth installment of my Rolling NEX-7 Review is online, in a segment entitled NEX-7 vs Leica M9 Resolution.
Learn from Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe in the free Video #36 of Camera to Print & Screen
Fine Art Photography tutorial – B&W Workflow.
Your complicity with Jeff Schewe makes viewing more enjoyable than a film, and the quantity of information you manage to convey is truly wonderful. I can't wait to see more :)
Part Seven of my Sony NEX-7 Rolling Review is now online. It is titled Creative Styles, the EVF and Live View Display.
"Just wanted to pass on my thanks for 'Camera to Print and Screen'. I have found it immediately applicable, and especially useful in getting the most out of my equipment. I'm not a professional (yet), but I am starting to achieve what I consider to be professional level results, largely as a result of the information on your website, and especially your tutorial videos, of which 'Camera to Print and Screen' is simply the latest, and most comprehensive yet."
How do you go from a quick grab shot on the street to a portfolio-grade print? In our 21 minute-long free streaming video tutorial, you'll find out the technical as well as esthetic decisions which were made.
Learn from Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe in Video #36 of Camera to Print & Screen
Fine Art Photography tutorial – B&W Workflow.
Your complicity with Jeff Schewe makes viewing more enjoyable than a film, and the quantity of information you manage to convey is truly wonderful. I can't wait to see more :)
Our Camera to Print and Screen tutorial has just had more than an hour of new material added to it.
- Printing out of Lightroom
- A close look at the value of up-sampling resolution when printing – is it worth it?
- Batch printing out of Photoshop & Bridge (it's almost as easy as Lightroom!)
- A look at RIPs: Raster Image Processors - specifically, ColorByte's ImagePrint
- A review of current printers with a shoot-out (print-off?) between Canon's Pro 9500 ll and Epson's R3000. Who's the winner?
The New Table of Contents is found here.
These latest videos bring the total running time of Camera to Print & Screen to almost eight and a half hours...
And yes, Jeff shows off even more new shirts!!
Your complicity with Jeff Schewe makes viewing more enjoyable than a film, and the quantity of information you manage to convey is truly wonderful. I can't wait to see more :)
What role does time play in your photographs? Explore this issue with Richard Schneiter in his new article Take Time With Your Images.
UPDATE
Professional photographer Peter Sills has just completed a week-long assignment in Havana, Cuba. His usual weapon of choice is a Canon 5D MKII but for this shoot he also used a Sony NEX-7. You can read Peter's blog about his shooting experience here.
His experience almost exactly matches my own of the past few weeks doing documentary / street shooting in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. His complaints about the NEX-7 also mirror my own; movie button to easy to press, seperate movie and stills review modes (with accompanying panic when you can't find your shots), limited bracketing range, etc.
If you have not already done so you can read my rolling NEX-7 review here. Much more to come.
Your complicity with Jeff Schewe makes viewing more enjoyable than a film, and the quantity of information you manage to convey is truly wonderful. I can't wait to see more :)
The Sony NEX-5n works very well with legacy Leica M mount lenses. But, what about the NEX-7? In the sixth installment of my rolling review you'll find out. It's titled Legacy Wide Angle Lenses – a NEX7 vs 5n Comparison.
Leica announced today that it has finally solved the persistent bug which caused problems on the M9 with some Sandisk SD cards. You can download firmware update 1.176 here.
"I have to say that the video tutorials produced by LL are 1st Rate.
I, from time to time, purchase other video tutorials from other photographers
and their quality does not match yours….
Your price point makes LL products definitely affordable.
In addition, the "two actors", Michael-Jeff, are just great."
Click here for a listing of the What's New archives.
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