Category Archives: 40D
Can you trust your meta data?
We all talk about tags, and flags and meta data whenever we are importing our photos into Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, or whatever program you use. While there are discussions ad infinitum about the value of adding extra tags to your photos like “2010″ or “Canon” or “family vacation” or whatever labels you like, there is an underlying set of “fixed” data that contains HUGE amounts of information about your picture, and that is the EXIF data.
The Canon Rebel T2i – A First Look
Yes, that’s right, I am looking at the T2i, but like everyone else, my look is virtual rather than real, so for those expecting a hands-on review, you’ll have to wait until it ships. For what it’s worth though, here’s some initial thoughts on looking through the specs that Canon released. First off, their PR description from the landing page on their website:
37 out of 52
Can anyone guess the significance of the post title right off the bat? Any takers at all? For those that could, cool! For those that can’t, 37 is a reference to the last podcast for 2009! Episode #37 (Longevity of Lenses) is now available for your listening pleasure in iTunes and with the folks hosting the show directly on the web at Personal Life Media. It might be an hour or so actually before the show is available for download on iTunes, so hold off for a little there before downloading – you might get the previous episode! It does … Continue reading
The Life of a Lens
Yesterday we looked at things to consider when getting a new camera body…while the idea is all well and good, lenses are another story, and since we are likely to invest more in glass than in cameras (Have you seen the costs of some of the really good glass lately?), the life of a lens is something worth considering. In all things technology-related, there is a principle called Moore’s Law which states that technology will advance at a rate of re-doubling roughly every two years. While this principle was developed primarily for computers, we can draw similar analogies for digital … Continue reading
The 1D Mark Huh?
You knew it was gonna happen. A new camera body has hit the market from Canon. It was only a matter of time. The latest? The Canon 1D Mark IV! (That’s four in Roman numerals…) What’s it got going for it? Lots of features and functions. Everything is being discussed ad infinitum from Megapixels to frame rates, to video, to shutter speeds to ISO’s, and everything in between. In the end, I’ve come to one conclusion: the camera market is always changing, always advancing, and new gear is coming out all the time – from all the vendors. Want some … Continue reading
Software Review: Noise Ninja
With the October Contest underway where the winner will walk away with a fully licensed copy of Noise Ninja, courtesy of the folks at PictureCode, today is a great day to give everyone an idea of what makes this program one of the industry leaders. Since I have talked about the presence of noise in your images before (read that post here), re-hashing the principles of what introduces noise and the artistic benefits and image quality downsides of it in your images isn’t really needed. Instead, here I will simply share some of the interface, and a few before and … Continue reading
How I shot Lightning!
Today the post is going to revolve more around a set of photos I took the other day – you see while en route back to the house, I noticed that the clouds were passing over the mountains and the sun was starting to set. It had the makings for a really nice sunset. Never one to turn away the opportunity to capture a sunset, I hurried home and gathered my gear, and took off to my favorite spot near the house for landscape work. Well, the clouds and the sun didn’t really cooperate so I gave up on that … Continue reading
A video short on HDR and bracketing
One of the more popular posts here on the blog has been two that consisted of explanations on how to bracket multiple exposures in camera in order to capture a wider range of exposure values than is typically permitted in a single frame. Typically, these various exposures are then seamed together in some editor like Photoshop, Photomatix or other that is available to produce an effect called HDR – high dynamic range. You can get some impressive results with various techniques that appeal to different subjective perspectives. Here at the blog though, rather than take sides on such post processing … Continue reading
Cactus, Trigger, Zebra, Oh My!
Remember the old game of password where you said a related word to one on your card to get your partner to guess it? Well, here goes: What do the words cactus, trigger, and zebra all have in common? If you answered “flash photography” you’d be right! As you may have realized, that does mean that the podcast will not come out today – I simply didn’t have time to get all my thoughts and notes together. So instead, here’s a review of sorts that I did just earlier this evening. A while back I decided to ditch the Canon … Continue reading
How do you like to sound?
In preparation for the next podcast, due in no small part to a technical difficulty with Garage Band, I’ve set up a dedicated computer and recording space (call it my dedicated recording studio) and the audio quality is off the charts better than anything I’ve done before. Ironically, the new topic for this weeks podcast is also about sound – the sound of shutters and how they can impact the feel of the camera, and how they can effect a moment is significant enough to warrant consideration. Make sure you tune in for this one from the good folks over … Continue reading
Go soak your gear!
It pays to review your web traffic periodically because I just learned a way that your bathtub can be used for photography! Not only is it a good place to mellow out after a stressful shoot, but it also makes a heckuva softbox! I was on a forum that had referenced the blog and a guy had some product that he placed in his tub. I thought it was an interesting idea, and decided to give it a try. As it turns out, the tub is a great place to put your gear! Granted, not to soak it (sorry, but … Continue reading
Unintended Inspiration
Today I thought I’d share a little “inspirational” series with the readership. I had taken a break from reading blogs, magazines, news, twitter, forums, and all the other associated activities related to keeping current and learning about photography to actually put together to make some dinner. Photography had exited my mind – I was taking a break, not even thinking about it. So there I was, slicing and dicing, cutting celery, carrots, and onions for a spaghetti sauce, when BAM! I saw some colors and shapes on the white cutting board and my knee jerk reaction was: “Hey, that looks … Continue reading
The Meat is in the Maintenance
With another week come to a close, I got a late start in recording and putting together the podcast for today, so it’s going up a tad late. However, as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait. This week, I look at some of the photo news, relevant to Canon users, photographers, and just some good old news tidbits. In the “meat and potatoes”of the week, I look at what should be included in an extensive maintenance schedule for any photographer, including cleaning, software, firmware, batteries, data, backups – literally the whole schmear! It’s quite the … Continue reading
What’s on YOUR tree?
Since I missed out on recording a podcast this week, I was also slack in getting out and about to shoot a “What’s This?” type image. The fact that Tracy wanted to get all the decorations up (I did too…actually it was probably more me than her) so we’d have some time to enjoy them also detracted from the photography mission for the week. So, as I ditched the bad chili from yesterday, I pulled out the ole 40D and snapped off a few macro type shots from our work on the house. Nothing that will make Better Homes and … Continue reading
Cactus Confusion
Well, I finally got the Cactus gear that I ordered online at GadgetInfinity last week. I had ordered their wireless trigger/receiver combo set and an extra receiver for the purpose of getting two lights to fire. I excitedly opened all the packaging and unwrapped it all, then – stop, hold the phones, and check this out – I read the directions! Yes, that’s right, an admitted geek read directions to make sure I utilize them right. After reading about these kinds of things on David Hobby’s Strobist site and over on the Flickr Colorado Strobist site, I wanted to make … Continue reading
Camera Profiles
So, today I had the day off work, and was catching up on a few things. I read through most of my piled up photo magazines, caught up on some NAPP tutorials, and some overdue email replies to various asundry things. One of the tutorials I watched was from Matt Kloskowski on installing camera profiles for ACR in both LR and CS3/CS4. It’s pretty cool stuff. Basically, Adobe has worked with various camera vendors to get the ACR to approximate the same colors that are shown in the vendor proprietary software (Digital Photo Professional for Canon and Capture NX for … Continue reading
The 40D versus the XT
We are now in day 5 of the first ever photo contest from Canon Blogger, so keep thinking freedom as you point that lens – it could win you cold hard cash! Check out the details from the post of July 3rd, here. In new news, I got a good long weekend with family to shoot with the 40D, and after some pretty extensive shooting (over 1500 shots in 48 hours), I’ve had a chance to get at least a good handle on the basics of the 40D. Granted I do not have the minutia of it down pat like … Continue reading
Monday Muscle Failure
This was quite the weekend! Two of three bedrooms have been cleaned up, packaged, and taken to an off-site storage so we can “stage” the house. Apparently staging a house is very important when selling. It helps “define the space” for the prospective buyer. Anyway, as a result of all the lifting, bending, pushing, pulling, hauling, and shoving (oh yeah, we packed some boxes too!), we are very much in a state of “muscle failure”. For the more athletically inclined, you know what I am talking about. For the rest, when you push your muscles to the brink of not … Continue reading
Friday Feel-goods
Found a couple neat resources around the web over the last few days. But, I am not gonna share them today. That’s right, the old bait-and-switch! I say something then switch gears once you’re hooked and talk about something else entirely. But, rest assured weary reader, I am not selling anything…yet! Quite simply – I got my 40D!!! That’s right, pulled the trigger, but the bullet, took the plunge, and every other metaphor you can think of. So, now with not one but 2 SLR’s in hand, I feel a little better knowing I have a backup. That means my … Continue reading
Canon Canada Rebates announced!
As kind of an unannounced PSA, it seems that a mere two weeks after the news hit the airwaves that Canon was adjusting their gear prices by about 5% due to “increased fuel costs” and “unfavorable exchange rates”, Thursday they announced their Canada rebate program. Since I missed this in my Friday post, I figured a weekend post would be in order. For the newcomers to the world of photography and Canon and rebate programs, Canon typically does start rebates in Canada every year. This rebate program will then migrate to US retailers and e-tailers about two weeks after Canada, … Continue reading
Canon in the News – XSi body to be released
Well, since I am an admitted Canonite, and the blog name has Canon as part of the identity, I guess I should also chime in with a report on the announcement that Canon is adding a new body to it’s SLR lineup. The XSi was announced last Thursday by Canon, and this is apparently an incremental upgrade to the XTi that now serves as the baseline consumer grade SLR. Designed to compete with the Nikon D40, it offers a slightly larger pixel count, and makes the transition from CF cards to SD cards. I’m not sure if existing Canon shooters … Continue reading
Web gem for Wednesday – go buy some baggies!
Starting the new year off with a bang, the Wall Street Journal reported this morning that the Transportation Safety Administration has implemented new policies regarding what battery types can be brought on airplanes. The new rule speaks to the Lithium batteries we’ve all come to know and love that charges everything from our cell phones to watches, cameras and laptops. That’s right, your Li-ion batteries are now a restricted item. What are the rules? Well, it turns out you can have one in your device, so your camera, laptop, cell phone, and other such equipment is safe. You can also … Continue reading
Software updates for Canon 40D vis a vis Adobe
Adobe has released raw converter updates for both Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom to incorporate more bodies and their algorithms, the 40D being one of the most noticeable (for me) among them. For anyone using these software programs, the downloads are available at the Adobe website: Photoshop: Windows Download Mac Download Lightroom: Windows Download Mac Download Helpful note: Owners of CS2 and earlier PS versions should not attempt to update with this raw converter – it’s meant for CS3 users only…
New video tutorial is available!
What with all the work I’ve been putting in to my new dedicated photography site, and keeping up with web activities, I’ve not had a chance to look into the issue of embedding flash in the blog yet, so links to the videos will have to suffice for the time being. As I get more vids put together, I may generate a static page where all of them can be viewed in a myriad flash/html format, depending on how much feedback I get. For the time being here is my first video attempt, attached as a flash file: Clearly, this … Continue reading
Top Five Reasons I am getting the Canon 40D
It wouldn’t be a year in photography without at least one of the Big Boys of photography world (those boys being Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax) announcing some new piece of equipment that sets everyone off, racing to give their money away so they can have the “latest and greatest” that money can buy. As a technology buff, I am particularly susceptible to this tendency, so I always have to take a step back and look at my current setup, as well as the rest of the options available before I can pull the trigger (or trip the shutter, since … Continue reading
