digital photography

I have switched over to the N900 for the moment for my cameraphone pictures. All in all the N900 seems better than the N82. Some comments and nits:

1. Would be nice to be able to switch off the touch screen because sometimes in the middle of bicycling I realize the GPS has turned off or the setting is wrong for some reason:
2. Does this happen because of a glitch / bug or because of an inadvertent touch while bicycling? I think both!
3. The N900 camera is not much faster than the N82 (in fact the N82 might be faster). Anybody done any timing?
4. The N900 lens is clean. After 3 years, the N82 has dust under the cover
5. In silent mode, the N900 camera app doesn't make a noise. This is different from the N82 and N95 which didn't allow me to turn the camera sound off even in silent mode
6. The N900 built-in GPS is faster than  the N82 + Bluetooth GPS that I was using before

I was wrong. The N900 version of Pixel Pipe *does* (yay! my apologies to the PixelPipe folks!)  allow sharing of unlimited number of photo as follows:

1. In the Photos app, touch the top (where it typically says "All Images")
2. Tap "Share Images"
3. Select as many images as you want to upload
4. Tap "Share"
5. Tap "Share via service"
6. Under Account, select your PixelPipe service
7. Tap "Share"

It works great except when you lose connectivity. Then PixelPipe due to no fault of their own but due to Nokia's brittle sharing infrastructure doesn't retry when you re-gain connectivity. This retry "seamlessly when you re-gain connectivity" is what ShoZu does so well. It's not a big deal if you only load 1 or 2 photos. It is a big deal when you upload dozens ; then you have to figure out which photos were uploaded and then go through the above 7 step process for the remainder of the photos.

Finally! I've had an Eye-Fi card (bought in the USA for me by my brother in law) for over a year and use it with our point and shoot to upload kid photo to our private kid photo flickr account. Highly recommended!

QUOTE [From Eye-Fi’s Wireless Memory Cards for Digital Cameras Come to Canada | Eye-Fi]

Mountain View, CA Nov. 18, 2008 – Today, Eye-Fi, Inc. (www.eye.fi), makers of the world’s first wireless memory cards for digital cameras, announced that its Eye-Fi Share and Eye-Fi Home cards are now available in Canada. The cards are available exclusively at Black’s Photography online and retail locations across Canada, and from www.eye.fi.

END QUOTE

[Disclaimer: I am a friend of Kinzin honcho Michael Fergusson and Kinzin social media marketer Megan Cole]

I love Kinzin's aka "These are my Kids"'s new (well not so new my blog post is late!) "Print Pack" feature. This feature allows you to ship 10 prints for $US 2.50 plus shipping anywhere in the world!

I use it to send 10 photos per month to my family in Belgium and Ontario and also to us. Great idea (which I and probably others suggested to them!)

Digital photos are great but having hard copies is also great. And finally through the Print Pack Feature I have an easy way to do it from flickr (or from your local drive or facebook but I don't store my photos on local drives or facebook).

Feature Request: do the same thing for videos i.e. how about a DVD from my flickr videos shipped once a month for say $5 / month plus shipping?

Feedback on These are my kids:

1. Could we please have it as an independent website? There's no value for me having it as a facebook app (but I can see why it is a facebook app; the community is there, still I'd rather use it using my kinzin login rather than my facebook login)
2. The default privacy settings are to make everything visible in your Facebook feed. I'd prefer the default to be that everything is NOT visible but I concede I am over zealous about the privacy of our child.
3. Adding a photo to my print pack is not intuitive. You can't add all 10 at once, why not? Also I would prefer to have to be able to add photos via a tag e.g. kinzinprintjuly08 to my print pack.

After using an Eye-Fi card for about 3 weeks, I have to say it's fantastic and highly recommended!

Observations:

1. Shouldn't have to rely on a PC or Mac to configure it (although i can see why they do, it's the lazy/easy way, c'mon be creative and do it without a PC or Mac or Linux box!)
2. The fact that none of the digicam or SLR manufacturers have this built-in (Nikon's Wifi on their point and shoots is inflexible and the WiFi transmitters on digital SLRs are overpriced and far too big) shows their analogue camera heritage. Connectivity is the most important part of digital cameras and WiFi is the easiest and most ubiquitous connectivity and should therefore be built in
3. Eye-Fi should do RAW files and video files as well
4. Can't wait for the Eye-Fi Explore, the geo version that uses Skyhook technology
5. Please can we have an Eye-Fi version for Compact Flash as well as SD Cards? I don't want to have to buy SD to flash adapters
6. I'm going to buy another Eye-Fi and a SD to CF adapter so I can use it in my Canon 20D digital SLR and upload photos no muss no fuss at public events with WiFi
7. The fact that the Eye-Fi is *still* unavailable in Canada is unacceptable

I am running the Lightroom 2.0 Public Beta and like what I see so far. I love the dual monitor support and the many many keyboard shortcuts (e.g. '<' and '>' to cycle through basic adjustments in develop, ';' to reset the adjustment, plus/minus to make the adjustments go up and down and command/control f11 to toggle the the second monitor on and off). Haven't tried the localized adjustment too much; initially it's a bit confusing to me because it doesn't have a preview, otherwise the fantastic what's new in Lightroom instructions by Ian Lyons are very helpful. Looking forward to the upcoming Lightroom 2.0 videos from Michael Reichmann . It's non production-quality but I don't see any reason for early adopter enthusiastic amateurs like myself not to try it out.

From Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Public Beta:

QUOTE

As a result of user feedback the engineers have enhanced the Basic adjustment panel so that it's now possible to cycle through the controls using either the comma '< 'or period '>' keys. The keyboard '+/-' keys now increase/decrease the active control, and larger adjustments can be obtained by holding down the 'Shift' key when holding down the '+/-' keys. Tapping the semi-colon ';' key resets the active control to its default value.

The Clarity control can now be adjusted for negative values, which has the effect of softening images. This particular feature is likely to be ore useful when applied as a local correction brush than globally.

END QUOTE

I know nothing about sharpening. So I will read this blog post about Lightroom 1.1 sharpening very carefully and try the new presets (and playing around with the sliders of course!).

FROM LightroomNews » Sharpening:

QUOTE

Perhaps the easiest way to get started is to use either of the two new Sharpen presets found in the Develop module Presets panel (Develop presets are also available via the Library module Quick Develop panel). These two presets can be a useful starting point when learning how to sharpen in Lightroom 1.1. All you have to do is decide which of these two settings is most applicable to the image you are about to sharpen.

END QUOTE

Great Lightroom 1.1 tip!

FROM John Beardsworth Photography News/Blog:

QUOTE

When it's ticked, Lightroom adds the VCs and not the master images to the new Collection. This is a smart move because, especially when you're working with lots of pictures, a Collection remains the fastest way to select your virtual copies - grouping all the black and whites for a job, or all the alternative crops etc. It's certainly faster than filtering on the date or keyword or whatever, and then on virtual copies in the Filmstrip. I'm tempted to say forget other methods of creating VCs - the shortcut's Ctrl/Cmd N.

END QUOTE

Ian Lyons' Lightroom 1.1 Review is the best Lightroom 1.1 review and summary of what's new I've found so far. Complete with informative annotated screenshots! Thanks!

FROM Adobe Lightroom:

QUOTE

So what's with the reference to a photo shoot to Antarctica? The photo shoot was memorable for many reasons, not least of which was the opportunity it provided to put Lightroom through its paces away from the comfort of home and our very speedy desktop computers. It allowed us to see how the application performed in the hands of those less familiar with its operation. It also provided an opportunity for those who had influenced much of what had gone into Lightroom 1.0 to hear what others really thought. Much was learned (good points and bad) and I think it’s fair to say that many of the frustrations experienced by a much larger group of users since the official launch was also experienced by those on board the good ship Professor Multanovskiy.

Did much of what we learned find it's way back into Lightroom 1.1? Some of it did and some didn't, but then again Rome wasn't built in a day. Remember, Lightroom still hasn't celebrated its first birthday, so expectations of major enhancements are unrealistic, or are they?

READ THE WHOLE THING FOR THE COMPLETE SCOOP!

END QUOTE

This is the most comprehensive list of Lightroom 1.1 changes I have found so far!

FROM Photoshop Services - Lightroom:

QUOTE

1.1 has finally been released!!!

Download links

I've noted as many of the changes I can think of, and there are no doubt plenty more I've forgotten!

Updates to the keyboard shortcuts sheets are available here

So, the main new features...

END QUOTE

The new Lightroom 1.1 catalog functionality that replaces Libraries at first glance appears very similar to iView Media Pro catalogs. Must check this out and explore this further!

FROM LightroomNews » General menus:

QUOTE

With the release of the 1.1 update, the Lightroom program has undergone a number of fundamental changes. The program’s performance has been tuned to run that little bit faster and more smoothly. Elsewhere you will notice quite a number of interface changes, not least in the Lightroom menus. When you first launch Lightroom after upgrading you will see a big change here, so as a service to those of you who are upgrading I have highlighted all the main menu differences. You can use this as a quick guide to some of the new changes.

Let’s start by looking at the File, Edit and Help menus, which are common to all of the Lightroom modules (I have not included the Window menu here because this is the one menu list that hasn’t changed in 1.1).

...

Starting from the top, we have the Catalog options. Catalog is the new term now used to describe what used to be referred to as the Lightroom image library (the file that contains all the information used to manage the images that are displayed in Lightroom). It is argued that this change in terminology from ‘library’ to ‘catalog’ now provides a clearer distinction between it and the Library module. Plus there is now better support for multiple catalogs.

END QUOTE

Without the N93's optical zoom, this shot would not have been possible since I had no other camera on me. Without the N93's GPRS connectivity (too bad it doesn't support 850 MHz EDGE which is not 3G but much faster), I wouldn't have been able to upload it to flickr while I was still at the beach and get reactions to it via the N93's WebKit web browser again while still at the beach!

The combination of an optical zoom with always on connectivity is unbeatable (in spite of the imperfections of the memory management in S60v3 and the random shutoff bug that happens with the latest firmware). I am jealous of the N95's GPS but when I get an N95, I am sure that I will miss the zoom. In the meantime, I continue to groove on my awesome but flawed N93!

Are you a busy parent and don't have time to correct each of your photos in Lightroom? Then just use Lightroom's cataloguing and culling features and upload to flickr using Mac OS X's built in RAW to JPEG converters.

I do this for kids pics to get them up on the net as soon as possible. Obviously you'd want to crop and develop using the Develop module if you want to print your pictures or have total control over the JPEGS but this works for fast and dirty, get 'em up on the web so your worldwide family can see them !

1. Import the photos into Lightroom
2. Remove blurry and non keepers
3. Add keywords
4. In LIbrary mode, select all the keepers and then Metadata->XMP->Export Metadata to Files
5. Drag the photos into PictureSync and then upload to flickr
6. Done!

UPDATE: the Nikon D40 doesn't support auto-focus with Nikon prime lenses arg! Get a D50 Nikon fans! 

Herewith a recipe (of course play around and have fun, this is just what works for me and I know it will work for you too and command key = control key on Windows and option key=alt key on Windows) for awesome kid photos:

1. Get a digital SLR (I have a Canon 20D, but any decent DSLR e.g. Canon 30D, Canon Rebel Xti or Nikon D40 or Pentax K100 or better will work nicely too) and a fixed  50mm lens like the cheap Canon EF 50mm f1.8 that I bought a year or so ago for about $100 Canadian. Unfortunately point and shoots don't work very well for kid shots in 2007 (just too slow but of course much better than nothing if you aren't carrying your SLR everywhere). I hope by 2010 that we will have a decent point and shoot like the mythical DMD.
2. My default settings for my DSLR (play around to get the depth of field and effects you want of course): If you are inside, set your ISO to 1600 (or 3200 if you have a camera that supports it) and your aperture to f1.8 and shot in aperture priority and you can shoot almost in the dark. If you are outside set your aperture to f7.1 and ISO to 100 to 400 depending on the lighting. And set your SLR to RAW mode so you can best take advantage of Lightroom. Set your white balance to auto. I also set mine to the Ken Rockwell 20D settings to get very vivid and over saturated pics
3. Go crazy and take lots of pics. The lens is fixed focal length so you'll have to get up close and personal with your kids but it's fun! And you'll get lots of great pics. Some will be blurry but you will have a lot more keepers than you would with a point and shoot.
4. In Lightroom import your photos from your card: File->Import Photos... I import directly to a firewire drive to a directory for each month and I set the filename to yyyymmdd-seqno.cr2 e.g. 20070516-3.cr2. And for every photo I put in keywords: rolandtanglaophoto, 20d, canon20d, nameofkid
5. Using the library mode delete all blurry and bad photos
6. For photos that you can't decide between, select them (in Library select the first one and command click to select the others) and hit N to get survey mode and delete all that don't make the cut. Be brutal about deleting :-). With a digital SLR, you'll have lots of great photos so delete marginal photos! And no I don't follow my own advice :-) !
7. The default conversion of Lightroom is pretty good . Since I am a parent and have no time I just leave it for 90% of my keepers.
8. For a few special photos I do the following (this like all uses of the Develop Module is subjective; make sure your monitor is calibrated and go crazy and play around and find out what suits your aesthetic and photos and I am still learning and I will probably look back on this and laugh at my unsophisticated use of the develop module! But the cool thing about shooting in RAW is that I will be able to apply my new found knowledge easily!):
   i) crop if necessary by hitting R
   ii) Set the white balance (hit 'W' and click the eye dropper on something that you know was white in the photo and then manually tweak the white balance up and down as necessary using the Temp and Tint sliders
   iii) Set Exposure - Hold down the Option Key and click on "Exposure" in the right sidebar and set it to just before or after it clips (it's up to you decide what looks best, the clipping indicator just shows you what the computer is best but you know what's best!)
   iv) Set Black point - Hold down the Option key and click on "Blacks" - same drill as Exposure - often times the default black point is too high
   v) Set Fill Light -usually needs to be increased a lot - to about +10
   vi) Set Recovery - I usually end up increasing this to about +15-20
   vii) Set Brightness - I usually increase to about 60 vii) Set Contrast - I usually bump this to 30 or so
   viii) Vibrance - I usually bump this to about +21 as it suits my Ken Rockwell oversaturated aesthetic :-)
9. Export to JPEG for upload to flickr (you'll probably want different setings for JPEGs that aren't going to the web) - Select photos in Library Mode and the File -> Export Photos (make sure Minimize Embedded Metadata is unchecked and Color Space is sRGB; I set Quality to 85 and export to a Folder called LIGHTROOM JPEGS underneath my monthly folder)
10. Export to flickr. I drop and drop the JPEGS into PictureSync (how to setup PictureSync and Lightroom)

Whew! It's a lot easier and faster than all the text above implies!

Notes / things to improve on:

1. Don't forget to add keywords in Lightroom - they become tags in Flickr and help you find your photos later.
2. The 50mm obviously doesn't work for sports photography. For that, I have a zoom lens which I love; the Canon 28mm-135mm f3.5 but for some reason (maybe it's size and the fact that the 50mm lets in so much more light) it feels more fun to use the 50mm. I'd love to get the Canon EF-S 10-20mm and also a big zoom like the 70-300mm L. Someday when I have money :-)
3. I am re-reviewing the Luminous Landscape Lightroom videos and the George Jardine Develop video and considering getting both the Kelby and Evening Lightrooom books to hone my Develop module skills.
4. I would like to buy a pair of 100GB firewire drives and backup all my photos upon import to both drives. Again, some day!
5. Since I take alot of ISO 1600 and 3200 shots, I'd love to incorporate Noise Ninja or some such assuming it can be done in an automated and easy way with Lightroom. This will have to wait until the Lightroom plugin SDK is available.
6. I'd love to shoot cool cross processed film like Kris but I don't have the time, energy or money (in that order!).

I have to try this. Luv the cool effects you can get from the Adobe Lightroom Print module and would luv to post those to flickr and print at futureshop.ca or wherever. And yes this is the first part of my 'homage to lightroom' series. And I will not be using the term 'Adobe Photoshop Lightroom' because I think Photoshop is a necessary evil :-) ! In fact it should be the other way round. Photoshop should be re-imagined using the interface from Lighroom.

FROM Jao's photo blog: Printing to jpg from lightroom:

QUOTE

And you'll end up with nice jpg files directly from the Lightroom print module in a usable color space! You can add borders, put multiple images on the page and add your logo!

END QUOTE

I love Lightroom so much so that I am a 'small e' evangelist for Lightroom and hate Photoshop but like driving a car, I guess I'm going to get over my loathing of Photoshop's horrendous user interface and non digital photographer oriented features and eventually buy CS3. I am still hoping that Lightroom team eventually re-imagines Photoshop! And yes, I share Tim's ambivalence about Lightroom's non open sourced nature. I think that all apps like all mainstream operating systems will eventually be built around an open source core like Mac OS X is built around BSD and how Lightroom is built around Lua and sqlite.

FROM ongoing · Lightroom and Open Source:

QUOTE

Over the last few years, I’ve become something of an open-source triumphalist, drifting to the conclusion that (on the engineering side) it’s the best way to build software and (on the business side) it’s a better way to monetize it. I have to confess that Adobe Lightroom has kind of shaken my convictions. Certain elements of its UI and design (for example, the crop/rotate tool, and the nondestructive editing paradigm) are qualitative steps forward in the state of the art. Furthermore, I can’t think of a single good business reason for Adobe to open-source it. I guess the conclusion is obvious: for the foreseeable future, both models of software building and marketing are going to march along; neither is doomed.

END QUOTE

Lightroom rocks. Can't wait until the Lightroom SDK is released so that these hacks are legit.

FROM Jeffrey Friedl’s Blog » Blog Archive » Jeffrey’s Lightroom Configuration Manager:

QUOTE

As I discussed in a previous post, Adobe's new photo-workflow application, Lightroom, has the sometimes-unpolished feature set one might expect in a “1.0

I'd love to do a 6-8 hour PhotoCamp (thinking out loud program: eat, photowalk, a few sessions, photowalk, a session or 2 and then go home?)! In the 1 hour PhotoCamp session at BarCamp, I learned a lot! Kris you in? Anybody else in ? Love to have VanDigiCam (and other Vancouver digital photography groups) co-organize this!

I doubt I'll switch but it can't hurt to have a free account just in case.
Herewith the requisite mundane video photo:

FROM Official Zooomr Blog : Sending Our Love to Bloggers: 2.5GB Free Pro Accounts:

QUOTE

Thomas posted a little while back that we’re giving free Pro accounts to Bloggers. And, well, we still are — to be quite frank, it’s going very well.

But, Thomas and I have been thinking lately about rewarding bloggers further. So, we’re announcing today that we’re giving any blogger around (that includes our LiveJournal, Xanga and MySpace buddies too!) free 2.5GB Pro Accounts. That folks is the ability to transfer over 1700 photos per month to Zooomr for free.

END QUOTE

Been thinking abut this since I saw Kris's packing photo on the weekend. I can't afford it at the moment but it sounds like the best way to go is with a huge bag with wheels to carry all your photo gear on a trip like the Lowe Pro (or like my Lowe Pro Computrekker if you can't stand wheels) that Derrick Story mentions and then a huge fanny pack (bum bag for you Brits :-) !) like the bag that Ken Rockwell uses so you can quickly access the photo gear you have brought for that day's photo shoot.

From African Safari Photo Equipment - Roël Dixon-Mahatoo's Blog:

QUOTE

I didn’t bring my whole kit and I had a lot of stuff with me on this trip – I don’t need to go to the gym for a while now since I got a lot of weight training in Africa carrying my gear. I actually couldn’t get everything in the Tamrac Expedition 7, so my wife put the Sigma 10-20mm, the Epson P-2000 and the chargers in her camera bag.

UNQUOTE