Tips & Techniques
Optical viewfinder for the Panasonic Lumix GF1
The Online photographer has an interesting piece on using an optical view finder with the Panasonic Lumix GF1. Here's the lead to his story:
Talking about cameras and lenses the other night reminded me of something I meant to post but had completely forgotten about. Before leaving on vacation, I decided to try to revive my on-again, off-again love affair with the only digital camera I currently own*, the Panasonic GF1. I like the GF1 overall, but I get frustrated with the viewfinder. Although live view on the screen is actually great for indoors and low-light situations—I actually like it better than a viewfinder sometimes—shooting in bright sunlight can be very frustrating.
Panasonic GF1 and Lumix 20mm ƒ/1.7 with Voigtlaender 35mm brightline finder
continue reading....
Understanding Optical Slaves
David Hobby over at the Strobist has an excellent article on optical slaves. Here's the lead to the article and a link at the bottom to read the whole piece:
Understanding and Using Optical Slaves, Pt. 1
First off, this is a long-overdue post. It arguably could have been in Lighting 101. But this week (four-plus years later) we'll be looking at choosing and using optical slaves. In this post, how to figure out which kind is right for you.
National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson shares some tips
National Geographic's photographer Jim Richardson shares some of his tips and tricks which he's been using for the past 25 years while travelling on assignment for the National Geographic magazine. It's well worth a look through the galleries he has posted and to read through the pages he's got up on Travel, shooting friends (not literally) and doing the research before you go anywhere. Here is the link to the page. Enjoy the reading, it's entertaining and informative.
Photograph courtesy Jim Richardson
Keeping your lights upright in the wind
David Hobby over at the Strobist has an excellent piece today on how to keep your lights (if you are using lights when you shoot) upright in the wind. If you are interested in learning more, you can read the intro below and then click through to the rest of the article.
Against the Wind: Keeping your Light Upright
By David Hobby
Umbrellas, light-weight stands and even a modest breeze can be a bad combo.
But just because it is windy out does not mean you have to stay in. Three tips to keep your light stands standing, inside.
The classic method is of course sand bags. They are not terribly expensive, and you can also make them [DIY shot bags tute] if you are handy with a decent sewing machine. But there are other ways to keep your lights from taking a tumble.
Light Review: Comer LED Video Light
Looking for something different in your lighting arsenal? Have you been burned by using hot video lights in the past? Perhaps it is time to look at LED lighting.
Lets face it, flash when used appropriately is beautiful, but when you are trying to capture something a bit more intimate the last thing you want is for the couple to be aware of the flash firing as it can dampen the mood.
With the latest changes in technology I decided to try out the new generation of LED lights. I have used tungsten lighting in the past but never felt comfortable lugging them around as they were not practical in my fast paced shooting style.
Though there are several models on the market the light I chose is the Comer CM_LBPS1800 from L.A. Color Shop.
The set up for us was quite easy, as I do all of my portrait work using off camera flash it was no problem for us to mount it on a monopod to get started. The build is quite sturdy and attached quite nicely to the monopod.
With a built in flash diffuser, barn doors and a switchable color temperature filter (4500K or 3200K) I was really looking forward to trying it out with Andrea & Ryan who traveled from Canada to have an Engagement Portrait Session here in Prague.
So how did the Comer do? The following images are straight out of camera (some levels adjustments were made). As you can see the quality of the light is quite nice and the battery life was excellent.
With this image I really wanted to use the warm colors eminating from the windows and by setting the Comer to 3200 the light was a nice balance. The exposure was set to 1/50 @ 1.6 and 500 ISO using a Canon EOS 5D.
Photoshop CS5 previews
Since Adobe released Photoshop CS5 today, there are a few sites already showing how Photoshop has changed and what you can do with it now. Of course if you really want to get a good handle on the new Photoshop, consider attending our Learning Photoshop workshop in late August.
The most comprehensive preview I've found so far is from the British site Imaging Resource who have a pretty detailed writeup of CS5 as they've been playing with it for a week now. You can read their review here.
DP Review has a little blurb after they had a discussion with Bryan O'Neil Hughes, Photoshop CS5 product manager. They have some photos of new tools and a little reporting about how CS5 has changed.
Rob Galbraith has also had a chance to go through the new program a bit and his thoughts about what's new and good about Photoshop CS5 are here.
Digital Photography now, a British site, has a full general write-up by Ian Burley.
Adobe of course also has some teasers already up on the web including a few tutorials, and you can get to most of them on the Adobe TV page. If there is no CS5 live right now it should be after the launch.
If you want to watch the launch of CS5 on the internet, you have to register here. The show starts at 11AM on the East Coast and 8 on the West.
Extending the range of Pocket Wizard remotes
Did you know that Canon flashes emit radio frequency (RF) noise when they're in use? I sure didn't. But I learned something today from Rob Galbraith, not only do a trio of Canon flashes emit RF noise, there's a company that makes RF noise shields for your flash.
What? Flashes emiting Radio Frequency noise?
Yup that's right. Apparently it's so bad that with three flashes, the 430EX, the 580EX and the 580EX II, if you don't do something, you won't be able to use the remote. The RF noise the flashes emit doesn't get in the way of the transmission of the Pocket Wizard, but it does inhibit the reception of the transmission and with the 430EX if you don't have some kind of shielding the flash is basically worthless as a remote. I could go on, but since Rob already did extensive testing and wrote a really comprehensive article on the subject, it's best to just go to the source and read it there.
Friday March 25, 2010
Since LPA Design released the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Canon last year, the wireless radio remote system has been dogged by criticism that the working range is too short when the flash attached to the remote FlexTT5 is one of a trio of Canon Speedlite models that emit radio frequency (RF) noise in the operating range used by U.S./Canada PocketWizard devices.
A really good lighting tip
David Hobby over at the Strobist has a really good tip for shooting in really dark places. Here's the start of his article and you can click through to read the entire thing on his site:
The Most Powerful Light In Your Bag
Last year I photographed Michael Stebbins for Rep Stage, which is how I got to know him for the Glass Menagerie photos.
The Smith Theater, where I shot him, is big and dark. In fact, I had shot someone else there about twenty years earlier for a magazine assignment -- and the Smith Theater had kicked my butt.
I brought every light I had (many, many watt-seconds worth) but I still did not have what I really needed -- the understanding required to work in a big, dark setting.
I even had with me the exact of piece of gear I needed. It was just that I just didn't know how to use it.
Nikon SB-900 Flash has a built in Slave!
David Hobby over on the Strobist has an excellent little known fact about the Nikon speedlight SB-900, it comes with a built-in slave. He's got an entire run-through on how to set the flash up and how to get two flashes working together. It's a quick and good read, I highly recommend it, especially if you are using Nikon gear.
Keeping your gear dry in a storm
Photocrati has a nice little Q&A on the kinds of things you can buy to keep your gear dry in the rain. If you think about having invested a couple of thousand dollars in a body and then a few hundred more in a lens and flash, then spending an extra $100 on a rain cover may not be such a bad idea. Did you ever drop your cell phone into the toilet or have it bounce out of your pocket into a puddle? It works fine again if you have a chance to dry it out and you've removed the battery in time (to stop the electricity from frying all the chips in the phone) so imagine this on your very expensive camera which has thousands of little circuits all over it. Yup, get the rain cover. Here's their article:
Question
We’re getting a lot of rain and wet snow this winter, so I’m wondering how that will affect my new ultra high-tech digital SLR. Would the camera be damaged by moisture? If so, what should I do if it rains every weekend? I really want to get outside and start experimenting. K.W.
Answer
Well, that depends on the camera – as well as the lens – that you’re using. The vast majority of equipment does need protection from moisture, particularly rain. Some DSLRs and certain lenses are weather-resistant as discussed in the Features chart for such products on the manufacturer’s web site. These include Nikon and Canon’s professional products, the high-end Pentax DSLRs and a few lenses of various brands. No flash unit (including a built-in flash) is weather resistant, however. Even the most hardy, pro equipment should not be used for extended periods in heavy rain, of course.
