Photography 24/7 » Gear

First Impressions of the Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic

Thomas — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:32:53 +0000

When I first saw the announcement of the Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic I fell in love head over heels immediately. The images that accompanied the announcement earlier this year sold me straight away. They were dreamy and velvety soft and had a very beautiful quality to them.

While I have had the Soft Focus Optic for a while now, it wasn’t until today that I finally got around to make some images with this new optic.

And I can tell you that I wasn’t one bit disappointed. I’m still very much in love…

The focal length of the Soft Focus Optic is 50mm which is ideal for portraits (although you can of course use this optic for virtually any subject matter) and since I had my 21 month old daughter within arms reach, she became the subject for my ‘first impressions’ of this lens baby (pun most definitely intended!)

Contrary to the Double Glass, Single Glass, and Plastic Optics the Soft Focus Optic does not have the sweet spot of sharp focus and dramatic blur outside of that spot. The optic comes with three special soft focus multi-hole apertures that combine one large opening over the optic’s sharp center with small openings over the optic’s soft edges. This hole pattern creates a sharp underlying image with a soft overlay. This effect is shown in the image above where Laura’s hair appears fairly sharp, but there is still a lovely soft overall quality to the image.

For me it was very much just a matter of installing the Soft Optic into the Composer (it also works with the Muse and Control Freak) and then just start shooting away. The design of the optic takes care of creating the soft focus for you, and the learning curve is therefore not as steep as with the ‘sweet spot optics’.

The image above was only my fifth out of a total of 35 images for this ‘first impressions’ article and it’s probably my favourite of them all. Although I must say I have wondered about the somewhat uncomfortable lack of eye contact, but it leaves the image open for interpretation.

In this next image Laura started fooling around with her Teddy’s blanket, putting it over own head, so I snapped a few more and as you can see the soft focus is quite apparent.

I find the Soft Focus Optic is very easy to work with and if you shoot portraits from time to time I’m inclined to say this is a ‘must have’ in your gear bag.

I will be using the Soft Focus Optic a lot more and on a variety of subjects in the coming weeks and will be sure to share my further impressions in a couple of weeks/

Here is the Soft Focus Optic product specification:

Focal Length: 50mm
Multi-coated optical glass doublet
f/2 optic with aperture disks that range from f/2.8 to f/22
Creates images that are overall soft and diffuse
Creates a flatter field of focus than the other Lensbaby optics. Suited for variety of soft focus applications such as portrait, landscape, urban, and botanical photography
Magnetic disk aperture system
Degree of softness can be controlled by changing the special apertures, or stacking them with regular Lensbaby aperture disks
With the soft focus multi-hole apertures, bright, out-of-focus points of light take on the hole pattern’s shape. Photographers can control this creative effect by using standard Lensbaby apertures or choosing a low contrast background

The Soft Focus Optic costs US$89.95 and can be purchased directly from the Lensbaby website.

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Camera Strap, Made For Women, by Women

Thomas — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:28:53 +0000

Every now and then it happens that a new product with a twist hits the market. In the case of the new RS1-W1 camera strap for women the twist is a quite literal.

A new camera strap, made for women, designed by women and decorated for women.

Or rather as Black Rapid describe it:

While maintaining the traditional “Built For Speed” design, our designers have added a sleek curve highlighted with an elegant but slight pattern accent. The RS1-W1 is the world’s first camera strap that focuses on the perfect fit for the female.

So is this a fashion meets camera gear situation? Hardly.

But in what’s a fairly male dominated industry, it’s definitely refreshing to see a product launch with a specific female twist.

Personally I think Black Rapid could have gone a step further and given their new product a better (more feminine) name than the rather technical and somewhat non-descript ‘RS1-W1′.

What’s wrong with ‘Black Rabit by Black Rapid”?

But, hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the boring, technical naming issue is one that the whole industry suffers from.

Whether the camera strap also functions in the comfortable and practical way claimed by Black Rapid, I’ll leave that for the ladies to decide.

The new camera strap is still in production and is scheduled to hit the market in the northern hemisphere summer of 2010.

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First Impressions of the Lensbaby Fisheye Optic

Thomas — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:16:46 +0000

The fisheye look is not to everyone’s taste and I have always been a bit unsure about the look myself. However once I found out Lensbaby had introduced a $149.95 Fisheye Optic for the Lensbaby Optic Swap System I was sold.

Until the other day I had never used a fisheye lens before, so this is definitely new territory for me.

Any fisheye lens requires a bit of visual training if you’ve not used one before. This really is quite a different type of lens.

I’m used to ultra wide angle lenses, but a fisheye lens takes in an enormous amount of information and obviously in a very distorted view, so it does require some practice to find subjects and compositions that work. However, at the same time this is of course also what makes a fisheye lens so interesting, fun and challenging to use.

'Locks' (Fisheye Optic with the Composer on a Canon 5D MKII)

So far I have only had about an hour worth of shooting time with my new Lensbaby Fisheye Optic, so my thoughts are very preliminary indeed, but I have to say that I’m very impressed. After shooting just a couple of images my initial reaction was “this is a fun lens to use”.

In fact “fun” is probably the best single word I can think of to describe this lens.

While I was perfectly aware that the Lensbaby Fisheye Optic could capture a fisheye view from infinity all the way down to one inch away from the front of the lens, it was not until I actually held the lens right in front of a flower myself, and the flower was in sharp focus and only taking up about one third of the view, that this whole fisheye concept really sank in. It’s simply quite amazing. You have to try it for yourself.

If you already have a Lensbaby please note that the Fisheye Optic is designed for use with the Composer, but that it can also be used with the Muse with the purchase of a special adapter.

'Cat and Gate' (Fisheye Optic with the Composer on a Canon 5D MKII)

One of the things on my wishlist for the Fisheye Optic, though, is some kind of lens cap or other contraption to better protect the front element of the lens from getting scratched. This would give me more peace of mind if I wish to leave the Fisheye Optic in my Composer after use. I know it’s not a thousand dollar lens, but still. However I can easily overcome this small “problem” by simply not being lazy, and just return the lens to its dedicated plastic container after a shoot (the plastic container ships with lens). Problem is, of course, we humans are lazy by nature!

Anyway, all in all the Lensbaby Fisheye Optic is a really fun lens to use and I can’t wait to share some more pictures and thoughts on this lens over the coming weeks, so stay tuned. Roger over.

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Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Thomas — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:23:06 +0000

Not sure what to put on your wish list for Christmas? How about a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV!

Canon has just released a “white paper” on their new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR which is set to ship sometime in December and will have an estimated retail price of $4,999 at introduction which is considered to be a highly competitive opening price for a state-of-the-art, go anywhere, do anything professional DSLR with great speed, outstanding image quality and remarkable convenience in Canon’s own words.

Well, it’s still quite a hefty price for my Christmas budget this year, but admittedly it is quite an attractive price for what must be considered Canon’s latest top of the line model.

Canon’s “White Paper” is part technical and part promotional, but certainly a good read if you’re looking for all the details about the upcoming EOS-1D Mark IV from Canon.

Download the “White Paper” on the new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV.

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Lensbaby Introduces Two New Optics

Thomas — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:59:03 +0000

Lensbaby has just launched two new Optics – Fisheye and Soft Focus – which both look very interesting, although I have to say my love at first sight falls on the Soft Focus Optic. Some of the sample images on the Lensbaby website from this Optic are just stunningly beautiful. Here is a quick little introduction to each of these new Optics.

Fisheye

With Lensbaby’s new Fisheye Optic you can now turn your Lensbaby Composer into a fun fisheye lens. The Fisheye Optic’s ultra-wide 12mm focal length and 160 degree field of view captures eye-popping fisheye views from infinity all the way down to one inch from the front of your lens. The Fisheye Optic is designed for use with the Composer, but it can also be used with the Muse with the purchase of a special adapter.

Soft Focus

The Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic creates a velvety soft image perfect for portraits, flowers, landscapes or any of your subjects that may need that soft touch. Soft Focus has a look that is evenly soft throughout the image without the Sweet Spot of sharp focus created by our selective focus optics. You can vary the amount of softness by changing the aperture disks.

In addition to the two new Optics Lensbaby has also introduced Step-up/Shade ring which will enable you to fit 52mm filters on your Lensbaby Composer.

Check out the Lensbaby website for full details on these new products.

P.S. For the sake of good order please note that the image accompanying this article was not created with any of the new Optics, but rather with the Lensbaby Macro kit on a Canon 20D converted to a dedicated infrared camera by LifePixel.

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Lumix Galore

Thomas — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:37:20 +0000

Following on from my Lumix Looking Good post yesterday it looks like Panasonic has given most of their retailers some incentive to clear their floor stock. This means good deals for us, the consumers.

B&H Photo are also offering some attractive deals on select Lumix models. Here are a couple of attractive Point and Shoots currently on sale over at B&H Photo.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Digital Camera (Red)

12.1 Megapixels
Leica 8x Optical Zoom Lens
True 25mm Wide Angle
2.7″ LCD
Advanced Face Recognition
Intelligent Auto Exposure (iA)
POWER Optical Image Stabilization

Click here to check the latest price on the ZR1 at B&H Photo.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Digital Camera (Black)

12.1 Megapixels
Leica Zoom Lens
True 28mm Wide Angle
Ultra Compact Design
Intelligent Auto (iA) Mode
HD Video Recording
Optical Image Stabilization

Click here to check the latest price in the FP8 at B&H Photo.

There are lots of great images to be captured out there when you carry a little point and shoot camera with you all the time. I challenged myself to do this in August and you view some of the pictures I created in my August Snaps project.

Have fun shopping for your Lumix!

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Lumix Looking Good

Thomas — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:27:50 +0000

Are you looking for a great deal? Look no further.

Amazon.com has just announced some great new low prices on select Panasonic Lumix.

Choose from the waterproof Lumix TS1, the powerful ZS3 – which features 12x optical zoom and HD video capability – and other popular models that make it simple to capture picture-perfect images.

As you have probably seen elsewhere on Photography 24/7 I challenged myself to carry a point and shoot throughout the month of August in my August Snaps project.

The thumbnail image above (click it to enlarge it) is an outtake from my August Snaps project and is an abstract – or an extract to use Ansel Adam’s expression – of a palm leaf photographed up against the blue sky while applying camera shake during the exposure in order to achieve the blurrred, somewhat dreamy look.

I find it creatively inspiring to have a point and shoot camera at the ready at all times. So if you want to get the creative juices flowing and would like to spoil yourself today, I’d encourage you to hop over to Amazon and take a closer look at the deals on the Panasonic Lumix range before they sell out.

Note: for some strange reason only known to Amazon you have to add the cameras to your shopping cart to see the prices, but you can always just delete them from the cart again if you don’t want to purchase the model you are looking at. A totally ridiculous way to try to ‘force’ users closer to a making a purchase if you ask me! Amazon likens it to having to ask a salesperson in a physical store about the price. Hmmm, but hey Amazon, aren’t you the epitome of an online store, so why? I just don’t get it, but anyway… suffice to say, that prices do look attractive.

Have fun shopping!

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Going Back in Time in a Modern Way

Thomas — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:46:38 +0000

If you have just found your way to Photography 24/7 you’re invited to take a look at my August Snaps project. I gave myself the challenge to carry my Canon G9 with me everywhere throughout the month of August in an effort to make daily images and also to simply exercise my vision and creativity. It was a great and fun challenge which led me to photograph things – and in ways – I wouldn’t normally shoot.

The image above is an outtake from the 12 August.

The Canon G9 is an excellent compact camera which has since been succeeded twice by newer models, latest by Canon’s recent announcement of the brand new Canon G11 which you can pre-order at: Amazon.com, B&H Photo or Adorama. Word has it that the first batch of stock will be available in October (so just a few weeks away now).

However, Canon is of course not the only manufacturer to offer great compact cameras. In fact there’s an interesting trend developing at the moment within the compact camera arena where some manufacturers are bringing out cameras that seem to be ‘going back in time in a modern way’ (for lack of a better of way of putting it); cameras with more of a rangefinder sensibility, small compact portable cameras with high quality single focal length lenses, quick on the draw and easy to put in your pocket.

In this post I wrote about the cool new digital Olympus PEN which is definitely worth a closer look.

Another company which is pursuing this interesting new direction is Sigma (probably best known their range of SLR lenses). Sigma’s latest offering to fit this glove is the sleek Sigma DP2.

The Sigma DP2 Digital Camera is a high-end compact digital camera equipped with a 14 megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor. Featuring Sigma’s unique ‘True’ image processing engine and a 24.2mm (41mm equivalent) f/2.8 lens, this compact camera provides the same superb image quality as found in the Sigma SD14 professional SLR. With the DP2, it is possible to record images in RAW or the widely used JPEG in four resolution modes. Furthermore, it offers five Exposure modes and three Metering modes as well as being equipped with a built-in flash, hot shoe, and 2.5″ TFT color LCD monitor.

Current price at B&H Photo: $631.95 with free shipping within USA.

To find out more about The Sleek Sigma DP2 you can watch this interview with Thomas Sobey of Sigma Corporation USA.

So if you don’t already have a professional grade compact camera, now is a great time to make the leap! Good luck and if you get on the ‘snapping’ wave I’d love to see your images! Just drop me a line with a link…

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The Amazing Polaroid SX-70

Thomas — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:10:31 +0000

A couple of days ago I put a bid on a Polaroid SX-70 on Ebay and I won the auction. I have contemplated buying this beautiful species of a camera for a while now and finally I got around to look around on Ebay for one. To me, the design is as trendy, futuristic, functional and cool as it no doubt was back in the early seventies when the SX-70 design was first launched. The SX-70 is a folding single lens reflex camera.

Now, mind you, it’s not so much spending the money on the camera that concerned me, but getting film for this camea is outrageously expensive! Nevertheless, I’m very excited about starting to shoot analogue with instant results. I really like the look that you can get with Polaroid film and if I win the lottery one of these days I would also like to experiment with the manipulable “Time Zero” film, but this film is very difficult to find today – and consequently very expensive – as Polaroid phased it out of production late 2005 to early 2006. However there is still hope that we will get better priced film options for the Polaroid SX-70 in the future. A group of Polaroid enthusiasts have started the The Impossible Project and we can all hope they succeed with their efforts so the Polaroids can live on for many years to come!

If you’re not familar with the SX-70 here is an advert for the camera. Oh, how I wish there would be more ads like this one TV today – and I’m absolutely serious here! TV ads today (at least here in Australia) are for the most part targeting their audiences as if we were all imbeciles. Anyway, take a little time out if you can, sit back and enjoy this video.

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Canon Powershot G11 Announced

Thomas — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:05:29 +0000

Well, what do you know? In the middle of my personal challenge to carry my compact Canon Powershot G9 with me every day throughout the month of August to make images with it every day this month, Canon unveils the successor to the PowerShot G10 – the brand new PowerShot G11 – a compact camera built to capture professional images.

So, if you haven’t got yourself a serious compact camera yet there is no better time than now. Pre-order your Canon G11 today at: Amazon.com, BH Photo or Adorama.

Canon’s Press Release reads as follows:

Canon announces the launch of the feature packed PowerShot G11, the successor to the multi award-winning PowerShot G10 – the favourite compact of professional photographers and photoagencies the world over.

Commenting on his use of the predecessor to the PowerShot G11, the PowerShot G10, Gary Knight, acclaimed photojournalist and co-founder of the VII Photo Agency, said: “As a photojournalist who covers warzones, one of the main challenges I face is getting high quality images in hostile environments.

To achieve this I need a camera that offers great image and build quality without the bulk, and the PowerShot G series is perfect for this purpose. When shooting in areas of conflict, it’s important to have a compact camera in my bag that allows me to work discreetly but also provides the level of quality required to get the photos I need. The G Series excels in this respect, delivering great quality images from a compact body that is less intimidating than that of an SLR.”

Professional photographers will benefit from the G11’s greatly expanded dynamic range. Canon’s new Dual Anti-Noise System combines a high sensitivity 10.0 Megapixel image sensor with Canon’s enhanced DIGIC 4 image processing technology to increase image quality and greatly improve noise performance by up to 2 stops (compared to PowerShot G10). The PowerShot G11 also includes i-Contrast technology, which prevents high-light blowout whilst retaining low-light detail – ideal for difficult lighting situations.

The premium quality Canon lens delivers picture-perfect performance, offering a 5x wide angle (28mm) zoom with optical Image Stabilizer (IS). This allows handheld shots to be taken at much slower shutter speeds (4-stops) than conventional non-IS models – allowing perfect shooting in darker conditions or at a lower ISO. Greatly reducing blur caused by camera shake, photographers can shoot at longer focal lengths and in lower light conditions without the need for a tripod.

The digital compact includes the ability to shoot in RAW format and is compatible with Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software, ensuring that photo shoots can be easily integrated into a photographer’s workflow.

Stephen Munday, Senior Operations Director, Editorial, Getty Images, comments: “The quality of images delivered by the PowerShot G series are so good that we use G10 images within our editorial library, and our photographers using the G series models do so because of the image quality and flexibility they provide.”

He continues, “The unpredictable nature of news photojournalism requires our photographers to get shots in all kinds of situations, and the size of the G10 allows them to do that without drawing too much attention to themselves. The low-light capabilities of the new G11 will be of even greater help in that respect, as it will allow our photographers to shoot high quality images without flash in even more situations.”

Alongside superb image quality, the compact size of the PowerShot G11 and a 2.8-inch vari-angle PureColor II VA LCD (461k dots) make it the ideal choice for professional photographers to use where an SLR is impractical or obtrusive. The G11 is ergonomically designed for faster, accurate menu scrolling. Analogue style dials for ISO and exposure compensation give photographers instant, familiar access to common settings and features.

“I’ve been a user of the G series since the G5” says Edmond Terakopian, photojournalist and winner of the British Press Awards Photographer of the Year and a World Press Photo award for Spot News. “Recently I’ve been using the G10 which is absolutely spot on; image quality, usability, reliability and build quality are all excellent. It’s the one camera that’s always with me, no matter where I am; whether on or off duty. I know I can rely on it to help me get the picture, no matter what.

Over the years I’ve used my G Series cameras on the occasions when assignments have needed discretion. It’s a satisfying feeling telling a picture editor that the photograph he’s just complemented was from a compact camera.”

The G11 is equipped to deal with any light condition. Low Light mode enables photographers to shoot up to ISO 12,800 in reduced 2.5MP resolution at 2.4fps capturing brilliant shots indoors without the need for a flash, whilst a built-in Neutral Density (ND) filter decreases light levels by 3 stops allowing creative control in bright conditions.

The camera’s highest flash synchro speed has been increased to 1/2000th seconds, reducing the possibility of overexposed bright scenes. A real time histogram displays brightness levels on the PureColor II VA LCD screen, so photographers can easily view conditions and change settings when shooting.

The PowerShot G11 gives photographers the freedom to perfectly shoot fast-paced action. Quick Shot mode takes images almost instantly after pressing the shutter, so fast moving objects are always captured, whilst Servo AF/ AE continuously adjusts focus and exposure to optimise settings when photographing moving subjects.

The PowerShot G11 can be used with a wide range of Canon accessories, including the Speedlite 270EX, 430EX II and 580EX II; Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX and Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX flashes for enhanced shooting options; the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, Speedlite Bracket BKT-DC1 and Remote Switch RS-60E3. Underwater photographers can even team the PowerShot G11 with the specially designed Waterproof Case WP-DC34 – an underwater housing allowing full control of the camera at depths down to 40m. The PowerShot G11 includes an HDMI port so users can review images on a full HD screen via an optional HDMI cable.

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Nikon S1000pj with Built-in Projector!

Thomas — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:50:17 +0000

Well, occassionally a new interesting camera comes along in the long line of new digital cameras being announced every year. Nikon has just issued a press release announcing the imminent launch of the Nikon S1000pj which is a Coolpix-branded point-and-shoot able to project a 40-inch image onto your wall! Now, this is certainly something I have not come across until now. Sounds like a pretty exciting little camera.

The projector is powered by LED and can serve up both videos and slideshows accompanied by music, effects and creative transitions. The camera itself has a 12.1-megapixel sensor, 5x wide angle zoom lens with 5-way VR image stabilisation, an ISO range of 64-6400 and a 2.7-inch LCD screen.

Your can get the Nikon S1000pj at B&H Photo or Amazon.com.

Front:

Back:

So if you want to project your images straight from your camera take a closer look at the Nikon S1000pj.

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More Infrared Black and White

Thomas — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:42:32 +0000

A few days ago I posted one of my first infrared black and white images and I thought I would share another image from the same outing (click the thumbnail on the left to view image in full size) in this little quick post.

I like this image because it has an almost ‘other worldly’ quality even though it is of course just a piece of decayed, weathered wood sticking up through the water in a lake. I really enjoy isolating small scenes in nature like this in an effort to simplify things.

If you are considering upgrading your current DSLR then don’t throw it away or sell it for next-to-nothing on Ebay.

Instead consider having your old DSLR converted to a dedicated infrared camera which can be a lot of fun to shoot with. Life Pixel Infrared Conversion Services is the company that converted my Canon 20D and I have been happy with the results. I had a ‘Standard IR’ conversion done to the camera, but you also have the option of ‘Enhanced Color IR’ or ‘Deep BW IR’ conversions.

I have not been shooting a lot of infrared images yet, but I plan to shoot some infrared coastal scenes soon as well as some landscapes with some foliage included in the scene as foliage can often look amazing in infrared. I will be sure to share some of the results here on Photography 24/7.

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Not a Point & Shoot. Not an SLR. It’s a PEN.

Thomas — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:20:00 +0000

Earlier this month I posted The PEN Story which included a great stop-motion video produced by Olympus.

With its groundbreaking Micro Four Thirds technology and high quality interchangeable lenses, the Olympus PEN gives you all the creativity and control you’d expect from an SLR, in a compact, beautifully designed body.

Featuring a 12.3 megapixel high speed Live MOS sensor and latest TruePic V image processing engine, the PEN not only delivers incredible image quality but enables you to record HD video with ease and allows for shooting at up to ISO 6400, resulting in stunning shots even without flash. The PEN also features 6 built-in Art Filters. With effects including Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film and Pin Hole, they’re a fantastic way to give your photographs and video a more personal touch.

While the PEN is packed with features, it couldn’t be easier to use. Its iAuto function will automatically evaluate the scene and adjust settings accordingly, while the Live Control function lets you choose settings intuitively from the icons displayed on the sizeable 3.0 inch LCD screen.

The PEN brings new photographic possibilities to everyone.

Amazon.comnow also has the PEN available for sale and I have to say that it looks like a very interesting (read: very tempting) camera with some really cool functions and creative possibilities. It’s the sort of camera that I would be carrying down the street as an alternative to Canon G10 or Nikon P6000 albeit a slightly more expensive one (you pay about US$300 more for the PEN, but remember you also get interchangable lenses).

If you don’t already own a serious compact carry-with-you-everywhere camera then the new digital PEN should definitelyt be on your list to consider and perhaps take a closer look at. Personally, I already own the Canon G9 (which has since been replaced by the G10), so I can hardly justify it at the moment, but then again it is my birthday soon, so who knows…?

Click here to learn more about the new Olympus PEN

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Infrared Black and White

Thomas — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:50:25 +0000

A couple of months ago I sold my beloved Hasselblad XpanII to free up some cash so I could upgrade my Canon 20D to a Canon 5DMKII. However I kept my old 20D (partly as I have a few good EF-S lenses and partly because of the extra reach the 20D’s 1.6 crop factor offers). In fact I logged onto Ebay and bought myself another Canon 20D body for just a few hundred dollars!

My idea with this purchase was to convert the new 20D body to a dedicated infrared camera (keeping the original as a normal back-up camera). So, the day after I received my 20D I sent it over to the good guys at Life Pixel Infrared Conversion Services in Mukilteo, WA. I had a ‘Standard IR’ conversion done to the camera, but you also have the option of ‘Enhanced Color IR’ or ‘Deep BW IR’ conversions.

There are other companies offering infrared conversions, but Lifepixel seemed like the best choice to me. They offer a great turn-around service – I had my camera back within 10 days (and that’s between Australia and the US) and they ship from the US to all over the world.

I have been pleased with the results and have had a lot of fun shooting with the converted infrared camera. One obvious advantage of converting your camera is that your exposure times are not slowed right down as they are when you use a infrared filter in front of the lens. This allows you to shoot hand-held in many situations and opens up creative possibilities. Moreover, when you place an infrared filter in front of your lens you can’t really see to compose and focus, making it a lot more difficult and time consuming to make each shot.

The shot included with this post (click the image above to view the large version) was shot at the very end of day and then converted from the reddish infrared RAW file to a pure, high contrast black and white image.

For this particular image I like the (implied) repetition of the power poles and the strong silhouetted graphic elements juxtaposed against a very soft graduated evening sky.

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Best Imaging Products of 2009

Thomas — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:58:24 +0000

Every year the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) votes for the best products launched within the imaging industry.

In 2009 the votes were cast in Budapest with a total of 40 different categories.

In this post I have compiled a list of the 15 most interesting products (in my view) out of the 40 awarded products. The awards are given according to the votes of editors of 25 photo magazines from 10 European countries.

Best Photo Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

Best Expert Digital SLR: Canon EOS 5D MKII

Best Expert Photo Printer: Canon Pixma Pro9500 Mark II

Best Expert Compact Camera: Canon PowerShot G10

Best Professional Lens: Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L

Best Storage Backup System: Data Robotics Drobo

Best Film: Kodak Ektar 100

Best Photo Frame: Kodak OLED Wireless Frame

Best Fine Art Inkjet Paper: Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta, 315g

Best Prestige Camera: Leica M8.2

Best Advanced Digital SLR: Nikon D90

Best Entry Level Digital SLR: Olympus E-620

Best Design Innovation: Panasonic Lumix G series

Best Entry Level Lens: Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM

Best Digital Accessory: Wacom Intuos4

As you can see, lots of exciting products have been launched in the last year. I hope you enjoyed the list. Perhaps it might inspire you to an upgrade, or perhaps you might even to treat yourself to a new addition to the gear bag or to the digital lightroom?

DISCLAIMER: I accept no responsibility for complaining wives or husbands in case this list did inspire you to upgrade or make a new purchase of an imaging product!

To view the full list of the 40 awarded imaging products of 2009 you can visit TIPA’s website.

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The PEN Story

Thomas — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:12:47 +0000

There are a some very creative stop motion videos appearing on YouTube these days. A good friend of mine pointed me to this video which appears to be a clever marketing ploy from Olympus for their new digital E-P1 PEN camera which was announced just recently and available from B&H Photo.

Update March 2010: The new digital E-P2 PEN camera is now available from B&H photo.

Here is what Olympus says about the video:

This is the PEN Story in stop motion. We shot 60.000 pictures, developed 9.600 prints and shot over 1.800 pictures again. No post production! Thanks to all the stop motion artists who inspired us.

Just think for a moment about the time and effort that have gone into the production of this little video.

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, therefore creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence in a video.

Check out the PEN Story and enjoy three minutes of incredible creativity!

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New Tilt and Shift Lenses from Canon

Thomas — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:25:17 +0000

A couple of months ago Canon announced the arrival of two new tilt and shift lenses, the Ultra-Wide angle TS-E 17mm f/4L and the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II (an upgrade to the popular TS-E 24mm f/3.5L).

Canon was the first company to offer 35mm camera users a combined tilt and shift lens and Canon has now added a new unique functionality to the TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II, allowing users to rotate the direction of the tilt and shift independently of each other. This affords greater control over the focal plane, replicating the movements of a large format view camera. Canon’s revolutionary tilt and shift revolving mechanism is particularly useful when shooting product shots from a perspective where specific framing and focal plane is required.

17mm TS-E f/4L

24mm TS-E f/3.5L II

The new lenses, influenced by feedback from professional photographers, have been created to produce the best image quality with high resolution, high contrast and low distortion.

The use of high-precision asphercial front elements keeps distortion, common in wide angle lenses, to an absolute minimum, even at the edges of the frame. The TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II also feature multiple UD elements to reduce chromatic aberration and optimised focus mechanisms.

Tilt and shift lenses are particularly useful for architecture and landscape photography although due to their relatively high price tag they tend to be used mostly by professional photographers and (very) serious amateur photographers. Certainly, I would consider adding one of these lenses to my camera bag should I happen to win a little bit of extra money in the lotto draw one of these days!

If you wish to check out prices and specifications you can visit B&H Photo Video.