hardware – Page 3 – CanonBlogger

The Un-review Software

June 16, 2009 Jason10 Comments

This week I am going to talk about the lack of software in the weekly software review. That’s right – the lack of it! You may be sitting there wondering which software item I am going to talk about, promote, or diss in some way shape or form, but instead of that, I actually want to talk about the general trending of software, hardware, and system resources. Why? Because we demand a lot from our computers these days. Think about it – we want our computers to do many things from surfing the internet, to designing graphics, office functions, building websites, and yes, processing ever-increasing image file sizes. At what point do we say we are asking enough of our computers?

Lately my main desktop computer had been getting slower and slower and slower, and it seemed no matter what I did whether it was beefing up the RAM, adding a faster hard drive, processor, or the like, and even re-installing the OS every 6 months – it was just getting pathetic. At one point, I clocked abut 5 minutes for Firefox to start – on a fresh boot! The culprit? I am asking my computer to do too much. I finally said enough is enough – and am re-purposing the computers in the house. We have a grand total of five computers and each has a unique function: from Office to web, to image processing, and podcasting. And that’s just it – each computer has a task. Yet I have not been disciplined about asking the computer to only perform its assigned task. I revert to the one desktop and the one laptop. The end result: the systems s……l……o……w…… d……o……w……n…….

With a grand total of 78 programs at last count, it’s no wonder my cmputer was screaming “Mercy!”. So, enough is enough. I vowed to make each computer perform only one set of tasks, as explained above. The end result: removing about 50 applications from the main computer. It took the better part of an evening (4 or 5 hours) but at the end, the computer is now screamingly fast again – and Firefox loads in seconds, not minutes. The reason – purposing your computer for a specific software function.

So, instead of looking at adding new software all the time to your computers, you may want to take a look at the computer itself – is it doing the job you want, or are you asking too much? Think about purposing your resources more efficiently. Do you really need that HP 3600 printer driver on there from 4 years ago? What about that trial version of Elements you downloaded a few months ago? And the 4 instances of Tweetdeck you have there? Really? Clean out your software and watch your computer performance increase a notch or two as a result. It’s just like us humans – we can get more done when we’re asked to do less all the time! We’re faster, more productive, and yes, more focused on the task at hand.

So, check that installed software list and try cleaning things out from time to time – your computer will thank you!

Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Hardware review: Sigma 10-20mm

June 15, 2009 Jason11 Comments

The review you’ve all been waiting for – the one to compete with my Canon 10-22mm review from a few weeks back! Well, there is no clear and decisive winner, so the wind is probably taken out of all the sails of those who were waiting for some smack-down talk. The reason? Some aspects I like better on the Sigma, and some on the Canon version of this lens. So, I’ll refrain from declaring a “winner”, and just give you the lowdown on this lens, what I like, and what I don’t. So, without further ado: Continue reading “Hardware review: Sigma 10-20mm” →

Write it down!

June 11, 2009 Jason12 Comments

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday folks – for those of you that Twitter and have me on follow, you’ll know that we had our cars taken out from under our noses (literally while we slept) early Tuesday morning. By the time I woke up and got dressed for work (at 6) they were gone…

Suffice to say, the wind has kind of been taken out of my sails here, and after an entire day of dealing with police reports, insurance claims, DNA testing (yes, they took DNA from us), finger printing, and pretty much feeling like our private living space was totally disrespected and violated, I didn’t have much of a mood to put anything together for Wednesday. With another weekend looming large and trying to resurrect some excitement for Tracy’s pending birthday, I am afraid today’s post will be no picnic either, as this is more of a lecture on security. To make it photo-related, let’s look at it form an inventory perspective.

Say you were the victim of a crime – all your photo gear was taken from you. Could you produce the records needed to replace everything? With cars it’s easy, as insurance is in place, titles are held, and banks have documents as well that you can fall back on – but what about other items? It took some digging through the Mac, but I was able to find the serial number for my iPod. Do you know your serial numbers? What about that expensive zoom lens? What about your SLR serial number? When was it purchased? What was the purchase price? What about the computers? Software licenses? Think about it – you’ve invested some serious money into this, whether it’s a hobby or a profession. Do you have the records to produce in that worse case scenario? If not, take my experience with the cars and apply it to your gear – write info down! Update your inventories, and keep records of everything! Finally, don’t tempt fate – lock things up. Get a lock box or some kind of safe – and don’t leave things out in the open – it’s just an invitation waiting to be seen and responded to, so take precautions now to avoid lots of heartache and headaches later. Here’s a sample spreadsheet to get you started:

Inventory Spreadsheet (right-click, and select download or Save as and the file name is “inventory.xls”)

That’s it for today folks – so, sorry for the “downer” of a post, but felt there was something there that could be learned by all of us – so enough of the doldrums now – forget the past and move into the future with positivity – so get out shooting, and be careful out there! (Hello Hill Street Blues! 🙂 ) We’ll see you back here tomorrow, and hopefully the podcast that I’ve been meaning to finish will go up early next week. Until then, keep on shootin’ (photos)!

Impact Lightstand – Hardware Review

June 1, 2009 Jason2 Comments

This week’s hardware review is the Sigma Lightstand. Specifically, the Impact 8 foot Air Cushion Lightstand. While you may think that this is something that wouldn’t garner much discussion – I actually have found this to be a very handy tool. “Tool?”, you ask. Yes, a tool. Sure, it’s primary function is to hold lights, but look at the variety even there – I’ve used it for small flashes (like my 550 EX II), studio strobes from Smith Victor, and water bags.

Lest you do a double take, that’s right, I used it along with a makeshift boom (arm that extends out to the side) to hold a water bag for a photo project. The point is, light stands, like tripods, can function in a wide variety of capacities. While I tend to shy away from making generalizations because I know my own gear experiences are unique, for me the biggest difference between a light stand and a tripod is weight and stability – light stands seem much lighter and aren’t as stable. I am sure there are some high end light stands that provide excellent stability and can weigh a decent amount, but this one that I use is pretty light:

I’ve linked the photo to the item at B&H (Item #IMLS8AQ ) for those that want all the detailed specs, but here’s my two cents.

Pros:

Weight – these things are super light, and very easy to move around. I could literally pick one of these up with one finger.
Extension – this basic model extends up to eight feet tall and compresses down into a shade under 3 feet.
Cost – very inexpensive, running a mere $35 from B&H Photo – small price to pay for an assistant
Size – this collapses down so small, I can fit my tripod, my monopod, umbrella, and this all in an over-the-shoulder bag! Compactness is a plus, especially when travelling!
Functionality – aside from the obvious funtion of holding lights of various sizes, with a small clamp, you could hold pretty much anything from lights to grey cards to reflectors, to booms with water bags. Heck, you can even jury-rig something from your garage or storage shed to make this guy hold pretty much anything for you. So much for the photo assistant, eh?

Cons

Weight – yep, while a pro, it’s also a con – because they are so light, the can get easily bumped out of position or knocked over. While using it with the boom/water bag for a weekend project, I bumped it ever so slightly with my foot and everything got knocked out of position. Not by much, but when your DOF is a mere quarter of an inch and you are zoomed in tight on a water drop, one little bump requires re-setting everything from scratch again!
Workmanship – I was rather disappointed when I was going to pull out one of the extensions one day when the whole top pulled off the bottom legs. It seems the nuts that are used to anchor legs and extensions into position weren’t tightened down all the way and as a result, a firm yank can pull it off the assembly. Then, when I went to tighten it back down – the plastic collar that the screw/net combo fits through cracked on me. *Sigh* Ah well – it still works, and I just have to make a mental note not to pull on the extension too roughly as the top will pop off. But, what do you expect for $35?

Bottom line – I’d recommend this for people needed an extra set of hands from time to time. If you are into off camera lighting (and after Wednesday, you should be!), then a light stand is a must – and this is a great entry level one that will fit your needs indefinitely, because even if you upgrade, an extra set of hands is just a few seconds away.

That’s it for today – make sure you stop in tomorrow for the next installment of software reviews! Happy shooting and see you then!

Hardware Review: The 70-200L f4.0

May 18, 2009 Jason7 Comments

In keeping with the last few weeks of hardware reviews, I am taking a look in my own bag one more time to bring you this weeks’ hardware review: the 70-200mm L lens from Canon. Canon has several variants on this lens, with different minimal apertures both with and without Image Stabilization (IS). So, in the interests of full disclosure, this is a non-IS lens, and the aperture range is the standard one, 4.0 to 5.6. So, with that distinction being made, we’re off and running:

Canons 70-200mm f4.0 lens — Canon's 70-200mm f4.0 lens

The “L” distinction is one that bears discussion right off – Canon only gives this out to lenses that it deems have superior optics – which means a wider range for it’s sweet spot, tack sharp focus, and better sealing against the elements. This naturally means that this lens will, by definition and categorization, be sharper than a comparable “non-L” lens. However, for this particular range of zoom, Canon doesn’t make a non-L lens, so one would have to make a comparison with a 3rd party brand such as Sigma or Tamron. Even there though, comparisons are tricky primarily because vendors are moving toward faster glass (in the 2.8 category) and IS features.

In that regard, the 70-200 f4.0 really is in a class by itself. As a result of its unique status in the field of available lenses, comparisons are rather arbitrary as no other lens out there has the same specs. Rather than making those comparisons though, I’ll just say that this lens does deliver superior performance for its’ category.

So, how is this a review? Well, it’s not just a question of performance, it’s also a question of price. Anything can be stellar, but whether it’s worth the price is another story. I know of luxury cars that exceed 6 figures for their cost, however, most cannot justify the expense, either because of their financial situation or the expected need. So, how does the 70-200 fit when it comes to cost? Pretty well actually.

The cost for this lens at B&H Photo is $600 right now (technically $599.95) after a $50 rebate. Considering the next step up is twice the price for either an f2.8 or an IS lens, this is actually a steal! I was able to find mine second hand from a fellow photographer when I lived in SC, so got it for considerably less. Included in my package was a lens hood, and a collar for mounting to a tripod (which I definitely would recommend given the weight). The previous owner was also nice enough to leave the Tiffen filter on it that provided protection for the lens. All told, the lens and accessories would run around $700 for the lens, lens hood, UV filter, and tripod collar.

When looking at comparable other lenses from Canon, this is where you really see the bang for the buck. Take a look at the most recent prices from B&H for similar lenses:

70-200L f2.8 = $1250
70-200L f2.8 IS = $1600
70-200L f4.0 IS = $1025

So, you can save at least $425 if IS isn’t important to you, or $650 for the next fastest version of this lens

At a smidge over 1.5 lbs, the weight does balance the mid-grade SLR’s quite nicely, although on the Rebel line I recall it being a tad heavy. As a general rule of thumb, with larger and heavier lenses, you’ll want to carry this by the lens itself rather than the camera as you don’t want to put undue tension on the mount.

Overall though, for the price and range, I would highly recommend this lens. It’s tack sharp at both 70 and at 200 with a sweet spot ranging from f5.6 to f16. Kind of hard to say no to that kind of quality when it’s offered at such an affordable price. Here’s some sample shots to show what I’m talking about:

Here’s a sample from 70mm at f9.0

And the same scene from 200mm at the same aperture:

Then, just to give you an idea of the sharpness, here’s some shots at f4.0 (a little noiser because I was at ISO 3200)…first the 70mm shot:

And now at 200mm:

And the 200mm shot:

Okay, so that’s about it for the day. Hope you found it useful and informative (as always). Don’t forget the Lightroom Contest going on over at the Flickr Thread – only about 12 more days left and still not a lot of entries. Great chance to win a free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (retails for $300)! If you have ideas, suggestions, comments, feedback or other insights on future gear you’d like reviewed, feel free to share those in the comments below or with me via email.

One last little nugget to share today…Scott Kelby announced his 2nd Annual Photowalk early this morning, so be sure to register in your city. I’m already registered in the Denver group and that’s rolling early (7:45ish am) in the Lodo area. More details to come on route, eating place, etc. , but mark your calendars now for July 18th! Here’s the link for more info if you’re not in Denver: Worldwide Photowalk Have a great day, Happy Shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

The Sigma 70mm Macro

May 11, 2009 Jason6 Comments

Next up in my gear bag is the Sigma 70mm Macro lens. This is one sweet lens. With an aperture that goes down to f2.8 this is legally classified as “fast glass”. It’s got some super nice bokeh, and has an impressive range for it’s sweet spot – ranging from roughly f2.0 – f11. Seriously, it’s tack sharp through that entire range. It’s got the characteristic touch and handling of all Sigma lenses with its brushed matte black coating.

Other features include the manual on/off switch for auto-focus, which is typical for most lenses these days, but one thing I particularly enjoy is the limiter. While this is also characteristic for macro lenses, it helps to keep you within a certain range of focus so it doesn’t have to search as long before finding that tack sharp point. This toggle can be turned on or off any time, so it really helps when you are in Macro mode or shooting portraits. Oh yeah, did I mention this does a nice job at portrait work? The 70mm fixed focal length means I don’t have to get too up close and personal like you would with a 50mm lens, but I also don’t have to be as far away from the subject so it’s still fairly easy to interact with subjects.

If I had to list downsides, they would be that without the limiter on, it can take a while to focus, and that it is somewhat noisy when it is searching. I am very spoiled by the USM features of Canon bodies, and wish I had the Sigma equivalent (HSM – Hypersonic Moter), but that was just not available in this lens at the time (and don’t think it is to date…). Lastly, I don’t like how the lens shade prevents you from capping the lens when out in the field. If the lens hood is on, the cap simply cannot be in place.

As with any fixed focal length lens, it forces you to compose with your feet (if you want a tighter shot, step forward a few paces, and if you want to go wider, step back). But it does give you tack sharp results each and every time.

Here are a few sample shots I took with this lens, both in normal mode and in macro mode over the weekend for this post. My in-laws were in town so we did the tourist-y thing. First off, we visited the Hammonds Candy Factory where pictures are not only welcomed, but encouraged – so, my camera in ahd with 70mm attached (intentionally only went out with one lens each day…), I got some good samples of each category, except Macro (you need a tripod most times when shooting Macro work – at least I do in anything but the brightest light!):

Still Life

Some of the wonderful candies at Hammonds

Weights and Measures

Portrait

There you have it – the 70mm Macro f2.8 from Sigma – the third lens in my bag. Coming up next week, the 70-200L f4.0. it’s an oldie but a goodie! What do you think? How does the Sigma 70 Macro stack up based on what you’ve read here? Like it? Love it? Hate it? What other macro lenses do you have experience with? Share your thoughts in the comments! Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Don’t forget about the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Contest announced over on Learning Digital Photography! Win your own copy of LR by sharing images in the Flickr thread here!

Where oh Where can You Go? (GPS Units)

May 4, 2009 Jason3 Comments

Many of us as photographers are also gadget hounds, and the ability to accessorize our cameras with the latest and greatest gadgets and doohickeys is both a boon and a curse. It’s a boon because we have so many options available to us, and it is a curse for the same reason – because we have so many options available to us. A perfect example of this is the development of GPS attachments.

GPS (Global positioning system) units allow us to add the longitudinal and latitudinal information to the meta data of our digital images. This can help us locate the picture on a map, find the location later, and adds another type of data that we can filter for when managing our images. As the technology has advanced, the price has come down to the point where the ability to incorporate such an accessory is much more feasible.

Here are some of the more popular GPS units on the market these days. While I have not tested these, coming from the article Jack neubart wrote in the May issue of Shutterbug, I would suspect that these are some of the more well-known devices available:

Amod AGL3080
DeLorme Earthmae GPS PN-40
Eye-Fi Explore
ATP GPS Photofinder
GiSTEQ Phototracker CD111
Jobo Photo GPS
QStars BT-Q1000X
Sony GPS CS1KA
Super Trackstick
Wolverine GEO-35

I was able to get some pretty detailed reviews on each of these devices, along with their respective software components by performing a simple Google search of the device name, and rather than regurgitate all that information here, suggest that those who are interested in learning more detailed information do the same.

Special thanks for the collection of all this data to Jack Neubart over at Shutterbug magazine for his very informative article and summary on all of these devices. If you’d be interested in the summary, be sure to pick up a copy or subscribe to the magazine today – it’s one of the better resources on the internet! Happy Shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow for the Software Review – very exciting one too, so be sure to add CB to your feeds!

Hardware Review: Canon 10-22mm

April 27, 2009 Jason9 Comments

Happy Monday to all! Today is an exciting day here at the blog, because a new schedule of sorts is going to start, both to make reading more enjoyable, and to make writing more planned and easily executed.

The reason behind the new flow is due to many listener questions asking a wide variety of questions, ranging from hardware questions to software questions, technical questions, work flow questions and the like. So, in the interests of providing answers to each of the wide subject matter areas, here’s the new schedule:

Monday: Hardware – I’ll take a look at hardware components, ranging from lenses to bodies, attachments and accessories. This could come in the way of a review, a summary, or other commentary.
Tuesday: Software – many elements of photography involve using software, whether it be organizing your library of images, to managing that library, and editing idividual photos. Here is where I’ll take a look at software reviews, editing tips and tricks, considering work flows,and other similar subjects.
Wednesday: Composition – As with anything else, you only get better when you practice what you preach. We can only learn so much from reading – and today I’ll focus on the “doing”. How to take better pictures, what elements of composition work, what elements of composition don’t work, what to look for, what to avoid… things of that nature.
Thursday: Free-for-all – Who knows what may happen – I’ve been doing the “Thursday Thoughts with…” series, and this may happen from time to time – I’ll keep everyone on their toes with this post! (This will probably also be the post that includes show notes for the weekly podcast hosted over at Personal Life Media, Learning Digital Photography.)
Friday: Weekly wrap-up – news and events of the week, notable items of interest to photographers, and the occasional note with blog announcements, and other administrative types of things.

So, in kicking things off, here is the first installment of a look at some of the hardware in my own gear bag (since many of you dear readers have asked about that stuff specifically). This week, I take a look at the 10-22mm lens from Canon.

ef10-22_586x225

This lens has been the premiere wide angle lens for quite some time, as the widest non-fisheye available on the market. Only recently have Sigma and now Nikon added this specific range to their inventory of available lenses. I absolutely love this lens and have used it for everything from landscape work to architecture work, and even some portrait work when I am going for a unique look. In general you won’t use a wide angle lens for portrait work because of the distortion that can occur when you get up close. This distortion can work to your advantage if that is the look you are going for though. Alternatively, if you have a larger group of people, a wider lens may be required to fit everyone in the scene.

Fitted with the well-regarded USM feature for Canon lenses, I also love this lens for it’s whisper quiet and fast focusing. You almost can’t even hear it as it locks in on your point of focus.

On the downside (if this can be considered one) – because it is an EF-S lens, this will not work on the full frame cameras. So, shooters using the Canon 1Ds series (Mark II or III). While full-frame lenses may be the future of digital photography, there are enough people out there with the Rebel series, and the family of 20D-50D bodies that can really take advantage of this lens. I have to give this lens two thumbs up!

ETA: Update: I had inadvertently made the notation that the 10-22mm is an “L” lens from Canon. This is not the case – thanks go out to Bill for detecting this. While it was a typo, the disctintion is an important one because Canon designates their high end glass with the letter “L”.

The cost of doing business…

November 24, 2008 Jason7 Comments

Recently I was participating in a thread in one of the photo communities that I enjoy, and the subject of the cost of doing business came up. I decided to take a serious look into the costs associated with being an event or wedding photographer. Turns out, the costs associated that I could determine made me appreciate even more the fact that I am a hobbyist/enthusiast and not a pro – I couldn’t survive on this salary and with that kind of workload!

Anyway, I thought I’d share the results of my calculations here, and hear what others have to say. Am I too high in my estimation? Too low? Did I miss any expenses? Are some unrealistic? (I don’t know how much health insurance is if you are not part of an employer plan…)

I categorized the costs into various groupings to include:

Hourly Commitment
Gear Investment
Educational Investment
Advertising Investment
Miscellaneous Expenses

Is there anything else? See the attached Excel spreadsheet and plug your own numbers in! (I made columns C, D and E formulas so everything should adjust out for you…) In the meantime, Happy Shooting, and I hope all your shots are good ones!

Cost of Doing Business

Thursday Thoughts v2.0

August 28, 2008 Jason1 Comment

As I jump back in the saddle of topical discussions, I am going to actually share an experience I had with the readership today. You’ll notice the title of the post today includes a v2.0 – why is that? Well, because there are many versions of many things out there, and as photographers one of the things that is easy to lose sight of is the versioning of our firmware.

See, cameras, like any other device in todays technologically advanced world, can have flaws that are discovered after it is released to the public. Most of the time the bigger players like Canon and Nikon keep these to a minimum, but nevertheless, things can happen. Here is what happened to me.

Thus far my lens collection has consisted of glass that does not have built in image stabilization(or Vibration Reduction if you are a Nikon shooter). So, when I had a shoot for work this last Tuesday, I thought it might be a good idea to go rent some glass and give it a whirl – to see if I could benefit from it. Well, the oddest thing happened…whenever I was using the IS lens, I would hear a funny sound in camera. It’s very hard to describe, but when I swapped lenses out, I didn’t hear the sound anymore. I stopped using the lens and did the rest of the evening with my kit 18-55 lens. When I returned the lens to the rental store, the guy told me that there have been reported problems with my particular body (the 40D), and I should check my firmware.

Sure enough, the firmware was at 1.5 or something, and Canon’s website verified that a newer release had been issuedto correct this very problem. So, I downloaded the firmware and will be updating that for a tutorial next week. (Make sure you tune in for that, because it’s not like I’ll have a chance to practice for it, and if I mess up, that will make for a funny tutorial!) The moral here though is that cameras need maintenance too.

As we think about our work flow, we make sure our software is up to date, our operatig system is patched and secured, and hotfixes or system updates are applied…after all, we’re talking about all our work captured and saved on those precious hard disks.

Since Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and the rest all have ways to automate our updates, that side of things can become rather ubiquitous. We’ve set things up, and we know it will update itself when it needs to, so we don’t even think about it anymore. it falls off our radar. Cameras though, do not have a way of “auto-updating”. Thus, we can’t let things things fall off our radar. Letting things slide like that will only result in what happened to me on Tuesday – equipment failure or problems due to lack of current firmware.

As sort of a PSA, I am including here indications of what the latest firmware is for all the EOS cameras that are active in Canon’s line. Check your firmware in camera and if it matches, you’re good to go. If not, follow the link to get the latest firmware direct from Canon. Mac is listed first, Windows is listed second:

Canon 1Ds Mark III – at version 1.1.2, dated 4/30/08

Canon ID Mark III – at version 1.2.3, dated 4/30/08

Canon 5D – at version 1.1.1, dated 3/18/08

Canon 50D – brand new, no version updates available yet

Canon 40D – at version 1.0.8, dated 4/7/08

Canon 30D – at version 1.0.6, dated 3/18/08

Canon XSi – no firmware updates are available for the XSi – but software updates can be obtained too

Canon XTi – at version 1.1.1 dated 12/7/07

Canon XS – no updates are available for this camera on a current platform, but legacy WIn2K has some installers

Windows 2000 downloads

Canon XT – at version 1.0.3, dated 12/1/07

So, there’s the complete list of all EOS cameras. Hope you take a moment to check your firmware today. Happy shooting and watch those apertures (and firmware). We’ll see you back here tomorrow!