As an avid proponent of doing due diligence, I’ve always encouraged people to do research on lenses before buying them. Whether it means renting them from vendors like LensProToGo, Rent Glass, or through vendor relationships, it’s a great way to get a first hand look on how lenses perform under a variety of circumstances. This was the case when I’d been the benefactor of a solid relationship with the folks at Sigma. I spent about a month kicking the proverbial tires on one of their latest lenses to hit the market: the Sigma 8-16mm lens. Continue reading “Hardware review: Sigma 8-16”
Tag: review
Hardware Review – Sigma 50-500mm
A while back I teased about a forthcoming lens review (nearly 3 months ago actually, in the Teaser Alert), and after several project shoots, the holidays, and scheduling delays, I am finally getting my act together to bring you the latest gear review…that of the Sigma 50-500mm. As a word of caution, you should be forewarned that the Sigma line-up of lenses that I have reviewed has become quite extensive. Right away this should tell you two things:
- Sigma has been quite generous with me in terms of making a variety of lenses available. They likely are doing this for a number of reasons, but primarily because they know that I will give a fair, honest, and 9 times of out 10, a positive review of their equipment.
- I like Sigma lenses! It should be no secret by now that I do like their lenses. They are optically on par with what one would expect from lens manufacturers by todays standards. Heck, sometimes I think the optical quality even exceeds that of the main brands out there (of course here I mean Canon and Nikon). The price is almost always right on – sometimes the price tag is a little high for my taste, but the advantage that Sigma has is that they are what is considered a “third party lens”, and because of that designation, their pricing is a notch below comparable lenses made by either Canon or Nikon for equivalent glass.
So, when Sigma came calling (actually I called Sigma), with the 50-500, the game face was put on. Right off the bat, here Sigma has been more than generous because I have now had this lens in my possession for nearly 3 months! I’ve posted a few photos from this lens over the past three months, so you may see some repeated images here, but they serve the purpose of demonstrating the various settings that I have used to shoot and test this glass. Having set the stage, let’s get started with the review. In the past, I’ve talked about things in terms of Pros and Cons, listing first the things I like, then the things I was not as much a fan of. While it has worked to a degree, I am trying to make things more uniform in the review section, so will start adhering to some more concise points and then indicating whether it is a pro or a con. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the
Sigma 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 Review
1. Focal Range: The focal range is how lenses are most commonly identified, and this is the measure of how much “zoom” there is in the lens. Here, the description says it all. This lens ranges from a widest point of 50mm to an impressive “zoom” of 500mm. On a crop sensor camera, that means you are looking at a range of 80 to 800mm! By any standard, this is a pretty wide range, encompassing a difference of nearly 700mm in focal adjustments. I am going to call this one a Pro.
2. F-Stop Range: The f-stop range is the measure of the minimum (or maximum depending on your way of thinking) aperture the lens can handle at various lengths. When dealing with a zoom lens, as you move further out, the elements have to compensate for the change in the length by increasing the size of the opening of the aperture, so you will see adjustments as the lens “zoom” increases. The Sigma 50-500mm is dialed in to a minimum aperture opening of f4.5 to f6.3. So, at the widest zoom of 50mm, the lowest aperture setting you can get is f4.5. Likewise, if you zoom this all the way out to 500, the minimum aperture is f6.3. So, don’t be misled by the numbers, shooting this lens at 500mm will not afford you the f4.5 that is capable at the widest setting any more than the f2.8 is available on a 70-200 at the longest zoom. When you have zoom lenses, there is a compromise in aperture capabilities that must be met when zooming out, and such is the case here. I did some experimenting at various focal lengths, and here are some apparent limits at different zooms:
| Focal Length | Minimum Aperture |
|---|---|
| 50mm | f 4.5 |
| 70mm | f 5.0 |
| 100mm | f 5.0 |
| 135mm | f 5.6 |
| 200mm | f 5.6 |
| 250mm | f 6.3 |
| 300mm | f 6.3 |
| 400mm | f 6.3 |
| 500mm | f 6.3 |
Given the technology of aperture limitations in zooms, I would say that the Sigma is on par with what the expectations would be for this range. To build this lens for any lower aperture settings would make the lens both heavier and longer. I don’t even want to think about what it would do to the price either! It’s not the greatest in aperture abilities, but it’s no slouch either. I’m going to have to thrown an “Even” flag on this.
3. Noise: I brought in the noise consideration based on my first Sigma lens I ever purchased, the 70mm Macro (f2.8) which did not have HSM. The inclusion of HSM in almost every lens since has been a Godsend. This holds true for the 50-500mm as well. It’s super quiet and has convinced me that I will never stray off the Hyper Sonic Motor (or USM on Canon glass, ever gain! ‘Nuff said. Pro
4. Size/Weight: My last big lens I reviewed here was the 18-250. It was a respectable weight, but this is by far the heaviest lens I’ve ever tested. Weighing in at a shade upder 4.5 lbs (that’s 1970 grams for you Metric folks), it can cause some serious arm strain after extensive shooting. I would recommend using either a monopod or a tripod for this lens whenever possible. It also bears mentioning here that due to the weight of the lens, you want to support it in the provided collar. Supporting the rig by the camera can result in some serious shear force, which can rip the lens right off the camera. Other size considerations involve the length of the lens both fully closed and fully extended. This will draw some eyes at either end…whether it be the short side (8.5″) or the long side (12″)! Here’s a comparison shot with it next to several other lenses so you can get an idea of its relative size:
Another consideration to take into account about this size is the filter required. For those interested in using the ND filters to protect front elements, you will need a 95mm filter to cover this – not a cheap thing to purchase by any means. Ultimately the size/weight considerations really will depend on your personal ability to handle it effectively. For me, most of the time it was not a factor, so I’ll acquiesce and call it a Pro.
5. Build Quality: In line with expectations, the Sigma quality showed here. Their now easily recognizable textured exterior exudes professionalism, and just feels good in your hands. Given the weight of the lens, you don’t want to hold this gingerly, but at the same time, if the body took a slight bump from another lens in your bag, the “other lens” would likely bear the brunt of it. No questions here. It’s a Pro.
6. OS/IS/VR: Due to the limited aperture range, and the weight, the presence of OS is invaluable. Using the OS allows you to keep your aperture value low, allowing for bother faster manipulation and shorter shutter speeds, as well as some nice bokeh in the background when your distances are good. What was extra nice about this is the ability to toggle between the vertical and horizontal planes to control vibration in different circumstances. When I was on a monopod, I switched to OS 2 to help control vertical (or up and down) vibration. When shooting handheld, I was on OS 1 most of the time, under the premise that my own face, body and camera holding helped to minimize the vertical and thus needed more help with horizontal. When I was on a tripod, I turned it off per normal procedures for when using OS/IS/VR. In my book, having versus not having OS/IS/VR is definitely a Pro.
7. Cost: The average retail market for this lens is approximately $1500. Given the focal range, the aperture range, and other considerations thus far, it seems to be pretty competitive. The Canon lens with the longest zoom range is their 100-400 and that factors in at $1800. Nikonians can salivate over their 80-400 for $1850. Both price in over the Sigma lens, and it still gives an extra 110-150mm of variable range. For my own personal budget, that’s a tougher call because while I would love to own this lens – I would have to sell something else to do so, and am not sure I want to dispose of anything else in my camera bag at the moment…the jury is out on this for me personally, but for those interested in purchasing any time soon: Pro
8. Image Quality: Image quality is always subjective to the viewer/shooter, so here I will just let everyone defer to their own tastes by sharing a few sample images taken over the last few months:
Miscellany:
Other features that bear mentioning here include the locking mechanism and the focusing rings. I thought about including the latter in the build quality, but decided to bring it in here for discussion. First, the locking mechanism is a handy feature to have for keeping the lens locked in place to prevent lens creep. The idea is a good one, but for this particular lens, it would not lock in the “zoomed” position, where I would have thought lens creep would be more of an impact, than in the “closed” position. Having said that, from the lunar shots I did (as shown above), the fully extended lens did not experience much, if any, creep. This could be because the lens was recently brought back from a service stop where knobs and buttons and toggles were all tightened and such.
This brings me to the focusing rings. The rear focusing ring is the one used for fine tuning and the front ring is for zoom. This was an adjustment for me as my other zoom lenses have these rings reversed (where the zoom is on the back ring and the focus is on the front ring). it forced me to change my style of shooting a little, but since I was working off a lens-mounted setup most of the time rather than a camera-mounted setup, my shooting habits were already being adjusted anyway. The last part is that the zoom ring did seem a bit tight to move. Whether this is by design or because of the recent factory adjustments, I am not sure, but it was just a tad stiff to adjust.
Summary:
All in all, the Sigma 50-500mm is a great lens. It stood up for the challenges of both wildlife and aerial photography, as well as lunar and even a portrait shot of the canine companion. The compression it exhibits at the far end (which is characteristic of these long zooms) is to be expected, but I would probably not be using this for landscapes unless I was in a pinch and had no other lens with me. Still, it could be done, depending on what kind of landscape you are trying to capture. The zoom really had no noticable effect on image quality without going into some serious pixel peeping, and thus, meets or exceeds all criteria that I can think of. I would definitely make a positive recommendation on this lens for either a wildlife or sports shooter where distance from subjects is often greater than 10-15 feet. (The minimum focusing distance at 500mm is something like 6 feet!)
That does it for today – I hope you enjoyed the review and photo gallery from the Sigma 50-500. Here’s the final results/scores I give the lens:
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Focal Range | 8 |
| F-Stop Range | 7.0 |
| Lens Motor Noise | 8.5 |
| Size/Weight | 7 |
| Build Quality | 9.5 |
| Optical Stabilization | 8.0 |
| Cost | 7.0 |
| Image Quality | 8 |
Have you shot with this lens? Share your own thoughts in the comments or with me via email. Likewise, if you have a lens you would be interested in having me review, feel free to drop me a line or share your requests through the comment area as well. Special thanks to Sigma for giving me such an extended testing period to review the lens, and we’ll see you here again soon! Happy shooting!
Hardware Review: Sigma 18-250
The subject of today’s post: The Sigma 18-250mm lens review! You read that right – Sigma has a lens that covers the range of 18-250. This allows you to go from relatively wide angle shots at the 18mm end to zooming pretty far in at 250mm on the opposite end. But, is the quality really there?
I took the lens through its paces over the weekend and here’s what I found out about the Sigma 18-250! In the interests of full disclosure, I should also note that this was actually requested by myself for review, and that I am not being compensated in any manner by the good folks at Sigma. So, this is, in fact, a loaner and I am required to send it back no later than June 26th. Since I will be busy next weekend, decided I should get the review shots done with this weekend so the lenses can be shipped back on schedule.
Pros:
- Weight – this has a nice solid feel to it. With I think a total of 13 elements in here, it’s no surprise that it doesn’t feel the slightest bit flimsy. The weight adds a certain durability, but I still took things carefully as this is only on loan from Sigma for the purposes of this review. Compared to the 70-200, it certainly felt heavier, but I am not sure what the comparative weights are. All in all though, I think the weight is a good thing.
- Noise – Excellent! My prior experience with Sigma is my own 70mm Macro, which does not have the HSM (hypersonic motor). That thing is NOY-ZEE! This, on the other hand, rivals the USM operation of Canon lenses. Compared to the 70-200L glass I own, the two are pretty close to each other in terms of silence in operation. The test I did for this was switch focus to manual, then take the lens all the way out to the opposite end of its last focus point. I then switched it back on to AF and listened for the motor operation. Sure, I could hear it when listening, but man was it quiet!
- Range – This is without a doubt, my most favorite element (bad pun) of this lens. The fact that I could go from wide angle work to close up work with such ease makes this an ideal lens for things like photo walks (which are becoming more and more popular), or for just a go-to lens on a regular basis without having to switch out.
- OS – Optical Stabilization – the equivalent of IS on Canon lenses. While I don’t own a Canon IS lens for direct comparison, I will say that it went a full stop faster than my 70-200mm CanonL f4.0 did at the same focal length/light. In a day and age where fast glass is becoming pretty much the standard, I would say this meets the mark.
- Size – This lens is remarkable compact – standing at almost half the height of my 70-200 comparison lens. Think about that – a wider range of zoom and half the length. I can store this vertically in my bag, saving precious cargo space for other accessories and accouterments. Alongside would be the 70mm Macro, the 10-22mm, lensbaby, flash and other such items. Very tempting for that reason alone.
- Feel – The signature brushed metal feel of Sigma lenses is present here and it just exudes “cool” and “professional”. No bells or whistles, no fancy L rings or anything, just brushed smoothness. Gotta love it!
- Image Quality – The bugaboo, the real deal, the end result – the pictures! So how does it stack up? Pretty well actually, but rather than wax on, I’ll just share some images I took for you to judge the IQ – just remember to distinguish IQ from compositional quality! 🙂 Here’s the results…
Cons:
- Weight – Yes, I am listing weight as both a pro and a con – the weight did get to me after a while of shooting on the 40D. While it’s durability is not in question at all, the heaviness can get on your wrist and forearm. I should put this qualifier out that I am still recouperating a tender arm from our move last July, which I am for the most part over, but it still flares up with extended use. So, things like shooting for a day can wear on me. Lighter is always better, but if I had to choose between durability and lightness, the former would win every time. Take what you wish from this con then…’nuff said.
- Cost – It retails at B&H for $529, which is always a big price tag to swallow no matter what you are buying. Then again, when you look at a comparable lens from Canon that has the OS/IS built-in, the Canon counterpart goes for almost twice that at $1025 (and you still don’t get the same range of focus). While it may be a lot to pay on first glance, you really are getting quite a bit of bang for your buck.
Truth be told, I couldn’t find much else to nit on. I also liked the fact that they made this lens so you can put the lens hood on while also leaving the cap able to attach. Don’t ask me why, but I like that… Believe it or not, the lens also performed fairly well with portrait work too. I did a few test shots with yours truly as the subject and even got one I liked! So, would I recommend this lens? Absolutely! To see a complete gallery of photos I took this weekend, including the portrait ones, and even a few of the moon last night with a TC attached), follow this link:
Sigma 18-250 Gallery of Images
Well, that should be enough content for the day (I know, my reviews are long-winded), so get out and shoot (with a Sigma if you like! 🙂 ), and we’ll see you back here tomorrow. Happy Shooting! Don’t forget – would love to hear reader thoughts and ideas for product reviews – let me know in the comments or via email!
That Face!
Last week I wrapped things up with three tips for posing your subjects better, and boy did that launch a flurry of questions…so many that I think the next podcast will be dedicated to tips on posing your subjects. There’s so much to take into account, it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
However, until then a few nuggets here and there will have to do. (I am trying to coordinate with friend-of-the-blog Kevin Mullins to have a go at a podcast and this would be a great subject for him as he’s an accomplished wedding, event, and photographer from across the pond. Kevin, I promise we’ll find a date here soon!)
So, the nuggets for this week are facial features – because at the heart of the portrait photographer is bringing out the beauty in your subjects’ face! Here’s a great set of tips for bringing out the best in your subjects! When shooting subjects it helps to keep in mind the three basic facial positions: full front, 3/4 pose, and profile positions:
For subjects with round or wide faces, it helps to raise the camera angle slightly so as to look down to them just a little bit. This elongates things a little more and minimizes the width perception. It also helps to approach them with a pose that has a 3/4 look rather than a full frontal look.
For subjects with a thin face, just the opposite holds true – have their full face looking toward you with the camera and try to keep the camera at eye level with your subject. Going up or down below their eye level will only serve to elongate a thin face even more.
For subjects with a large nose, it can often help to have them also face the camera directly. By doing this, their nose will point straight into the camera to help minimize its size, and lets viewers see the rest of their pretty face!
For subjects with a smaller nose, it’s time to shift back to the 3/4 look…this will bring more depth to their face and “enhance” things a little…
Other tips I’ve picked up that are not specifically related to facial positioning include things like:
- People Deep-Set Eyes – Point light into their eyes. Light coming too far from the sides will accentuate the depth.
- Glasses – Bounce the light off the ceiling where possible. If not, position the subject so that glasses are pointed away from the lights.
- Dark Hair – Make sure that the background provides enough contrast so hair doesn’t just blend into it. Hair lights or a light on the backdrop are extremely helpful. Also make sure the background doesn’t show through hair.
- Double Chin – A slightly higher camera angle will be more flattering than straight on. It also helps to have the subject leaning forward.
- Large ears – Use a ¾ face pose or a profile.
There you have it! Great ways to capture portraiture, specifically when working with facial angles. Special thanks go out to my good friend Evan Ashenhurst for sharing some of his portfolio for this article. You can see more of his work on his website at: Ashenhurst Photography
A final footnote – since I will undoubtedly get a few questions about which lenses are best to shoot portraiture with, my favorite is the nifty fifty actually. Amazingly sharp and the 1.8 depth of field is to be envied among all glass. If you’re in the market for a portrait lens, you’ll definitely want to check this bad boy out. Here’s the Canon-mount, a steal for less than $150 retail!
Hardware review: The Tether Table
A while ago I was thinking about what would be the best way to set up all the hardware for a studio scenario and blogging about it with the reading audience. The idea of the Tether Table came to me quickly and on approaching the folks at Tether Tools, it was met with equal enthusiasm. So, in short order, one was dispatched to me for review here on the blog – this will be the one given away in the upcoming end of month finale for the March Flickr Contest. So, without further ado, I give you:
The Aero-Master Tether Table
The Tether Table is a pretty straightforward device – it comes with the table itself, made out of T6 Aerospace Aluminum (whatever that is). Regardless of what the official name is – this table is pretty solid – I have no doubts as to whether it might bend under the weight of a laptop. What I found to be really nice is that it spins onto a tripod (sans head of course) quite nicely, and just as easily fits over the top of a light stand. The stability is also pretty equal between the two once it’s locked down.
So, how does the table lock down? There’s four little Allen screws that tie the female acceptor tube to the bottom of the table through the top. Their design makes them lay seamlessly flat so no worries about your laptop getting off kilter. Here’s a few sample shots to show you the design:
The other part that bears mentioning is the additonal kit item (not included normally with a Tether Table) is the Jerkstopper – a handy little device that attaches at both the laptop and camera end to avoid getting cables tugged out of your connection points. They really help to keep equipment from falling, plugs or connectors from getting ripped or damaged, and the add-on value is well worth the $22! Here’s the product shot from Tether Tools site to give you an idea…
The first problem I found was that it does require either a light stand or a tripod. So, if your camera normally goes on a tripod (mine does) and you have an external flash that goes on the light stand (mine does), then either the flash has to become more of a portable device (enter the wireless trigger system), or you need to get another light stand. I initially lucked out in that I am/was running the triggers through their paces for my good friend Kerry Garrison over at Blackbelt Lighting for an upcoming review this Friday, but the need for another light stand has become pretty clear to me. When I am using two-light setups though, things could get complicated, but that’s a personal gear issue, nothing really to do with the Tether Table itself, so no harm no foul there.
The second problem I found was budgetary. While the sturdy construction and clean polished look and feel are certainly features I can appreciate, being on a budget, the cost of entry to obtain a Tether Table of this caliber is a little pricey for my blood. At $179 for the Table and another $22 for the Jerkstopper kit, we’re over $200 and while it’s not inconceivable, it’s certainly rich for the enthusiast blood. For most professionals it is easily justified and likely something you can itemize in an invoice if needed. So, not completely out of reach, but up there for sure. Oh well, no one ever said photography was going to be cheap!
When all is said and done, I do think it’s a worthwhile investment. These can be invaluable in a studio or on-location shoot where you need to be moving around in between shots. The benefits of both the Tether Table and the companion Jerkstopper could be invaluable in a number of environments, including macro photography, food photography, portrait photography, and most product photography where a dedicated preview monitor would be super handy to have! To that end, I will be sad to see it go, but alas, the Contest Series gets priority! Thanks to the folks at Tether Tools for their generous contribution, and best of luck to all the participants! (If you haven’t entered your photo yet, the theme is FLAT, and the contest link is both here and at the top of the page!)
Have you got an idea for a product review? Is there something you’d like to see a test drive on? Sound off in the comments and I’ll try my darndest to make things happen! See you next time here on the blog. (And don’t forget the Facebook page where the “Behind-the-Scenes” video is posted on using this very table!…”Likes” and comments there are always appreciated too!).
For the Birds
One of my annual clean-up sprees happened over the weekend and ran a little long into the week…this was not a task for the light of heart because it requires seriously chimping your own work – and even admitting that some you’ve kept just aren’t worth keeping anymore because you’ve never touched them ever since capture. I cleaned quite a bit, and although tedious, the task really is for the birds because you should be doing this all the time, not just annually. Sometimes a diamond in the rough can squeak through though…and here’s two that might be a exception…what do you think?
I wish the birds eyes were more viewable, and the ISO was pretty high so took some serious slider dragging in LR to make presentable here. Not sure the second is close enough to be worth it, but then again there is something to be said for negative space! Consider it a photo critique day – so do thy worst fair readers, critique the author! 🙂
Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again soon!
Book review: Photo Trade Secrets
Zeke Kamm puts together an interesting set of books in Vols 1 and 2 of “Photo Trade Secrets” This is not your typical book though, so I’m not really sure that a normal review is warranted. It’s a pretty simple concept though:
Each book is a series of “hero shots” – just some really cool photography, ranging from studio work, to portrait, landscape, and everything in between. The concept behind the series is that each page can be torn out (they’re perforated) so you can go and try to duplicate the effect in your own images. I tore a few pages out of the books to show you the idea in practice. Keep in mind that it seems my scanner is having some issues, so the image quality here is not very consistent nor is it necessarily accurate – the end result in the book look much better!
You can see the front image (left) shows the end result, and the rear of the page (right) shows the setup with how and where things are positioned. I do wish he would have included the technical data such as aperture, shutter, ISO, light settings (1/4 power, manual, TTL, etc.), but it’s a neat idea regardless.
Here’s the rest of the sample images…
With 25 pages per volume, it’s nothing too meaty that will leave your head swirling with technical minutia and yet it’s got enough creative directions from all the contributing photographers to give you plenty of ideas for inspiration. It’s all a lot like “lighting recipies” with a boiler plate template, from which the author (and contributing photographers) expect you to springboard from. They give you enough to get up and running, but not enough to completely duplicate w/out a little of your own flavor and tastes in to season appropriately…
Depending on where you are and what you are looking for – this could be a two thumbs up or one to skip. For me personally – I love getting creative and inspirational ideas from other photographers, so this medley gets two thumbs up! Cool idea, well implemented, and lots of inspiration going forward!
The Winner Is…
Ladies and gents, we have a winner!
From the comment contest last week, the winner it none other than Richard Hales – a.k.a. #4 from the Random Number Generator:
Congrats to Richard, and thanks to the folks from Easy Release for their contribution – if you could get in touch with me via email Richard, I’ll connect you both to arrange distribution of the license or discount code for iTunes. Thanks to all for their participation!
Did you miss the comment contest?
On Wednesday I put out a review on some very cool software that is available for both Apple and Android devices – Easy Release, which lets you take digital model and property releases out with you in the field and people can sign the release right on your mobile device, using only their finger! You can also email the release to yourself and the model as PDF files too! It’s pretty slick, and while you have likely read the review, perhaps you missed that there is a comment contest going on to win the app for your own phone/device! Priced at $10, and you can win it for free, just by throwing a comment up in the post!
Live Learning Webinar
In other news, the next Live Learning Webinar that Kerry Garrison and I are heading up for the folks over at Nations Photo Lab is ready for registration. We can take up to 100 registrations for this event. It sold out fast last time, and we expect things to go quick for this one too. Sign up here: http://livelearninglab.eventbrite.com For the inaugural one we covered some great stuff on Lightroom, and this go around, we’ll be talking ‘Shop (as in Photoshop)! It’s only for an hour and it’s completely free!, thanks to the sponsorship of Nations Photo Lab!
Last Chance Sale on 49 Photo Tips, Vols 1 and 2
This weekend is also the last weekend before the 49 Photo Tips books are pulled from the eJunkie store to be completely revamped for an entirely new product line, so get ’em while you can! The laundry list of tips (49 Photo Tips, Volume 1) is only $2.99 and the full color photo-included list (Volume 2) is only $7.99. Get them both and save $5 (that’s nearly 50% off…) using the coupon code FINAL !
That’s it for the Friday Freebies (and discounts) for this week. Be sure to get your own comments in for a chance to win! Gotta be “in it to win it”! Happy shooting and see you back here next week!
Software Review: Easy Release! App on iTunes!
Easy Release! is designed as a model release application that lets you get model release signatures straight from your smart phone (either Android based or iPhone based, which in and of itself is pretty cool!). Some of the cooler features of the app include:
- Includes two standard model and property releases, which are accepted by both Getty and Alamy
- You can add your own custom releases afterward (albeit a bit clunky)
- You can personalize the releases to include your own information including company, your name, email, phone, contact information, and even a thumbnail photo of the person for whom the release is prepared
- You can email the release via PDF to yourself, your client, or both – all within the app
- You can add models, properties, etc. to your contact list (or build from there)
Having said the best features of the app, it kind of needs a few minor improvements though. In the next version, let me import pre-made release forms for specific purposes. While Getty and Alamy outlet acceptance is huge, there are other custom needs like TFCD and TFP that would be tedious to type out into the custom function area. Let me use a PDF of my own creation and add a signature field at the end for models to sign. Some photographers already have custom ones on file from their attornys (yes, I have a few) that are already created in PDF, and that import function would make this just about a perfect app! The interface for building one internally is a bit clunky, and this would make things a lot easier.
In order to appeal to a broader market, lower the price a little…$10 is a bit much for an app that only has two forms. Right now the appeal is there for those who do only model and property shoots, but the app marketplace seems to average around $5 for a high end app, so $10 is a little pricey. (It’s not insanely overpriced – after all I did buy this app, but I would have liked to see it lower) Yes, I know the ROI is lower initially, but you’d likely get more buyers from a lower price. $4.99 is about the max I’d think apps would go for unless they were super powerful or utilitarian. If the standard model releases covered more situations, then sure, but more and more, releases for things like TFP, exchange of services, and other variations are becoming the norm, not the “old fashioned” model releases, and the price is just a smidge high for my liking. Different strokes and tolerances for sure, so some may find this completely reasonable, while others may find the price something of a barrier.
Here’s my screen captures from installing it on my iPod:
For those that are interested in getting a copy of this app – I did contact the developers, and they were generous enough to donate a license for some lucky reader – so, here’s the deal:
Share your own thoughts on the app here in the comments below and at the end of the week – some lucky reader (as determined from the Random Number Generator, based on comment #) will win a license key for this app! Thanks to the developers for their generous donation, and thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment. Oh yeah, try to provide at least some value from your own comments as that is what makes dialogs fun in the first place! I’ll announce the winner Saturday on Twitter (you are following me on Twitter, aren’t yo?) and again here on the blog on Monday! Good luck all, and thanks again to the folks at Easy Release!