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July 2008
After a few months of a Public Beta, Adobe has announced the release of Lightroom 2. Available immediately, Lightroom will sell for $299.99 for users while existing users can upgrade for $99.99. You can read more on the press release after the jump.
Last summer when Nikon announced the D3, there was a lot of speculation as to when we would see a smaller, lighter body with a full-frame chip in it. Well, the Nikon D700 is pretty much just that: a slightly modified D300 body with the 12.1MP FX format chip from the D3. I had a chance to get some hands-on time with the D700, and it's sure to be a hit with the Nikon crowd.
Portrait retouching can often be a very time consuming process. It requires a lot of skill, patience, and is often very intimidating to beginners. But what if there was a way to simplify the process by automating a lot of the control? Portrait Professional 8 is looking to do just that. Continue reading to see if it might save you time retouching portraits.
Ring flashes are popular among studio photographers to produce an evenly illuminated subject with minimal shadows. Most ring flashes are not as practical in the field because of their size and weight. But what if there was a way you could use a ring flash just like your ordinary hot-shoe flash? Well, the Ray Flash just might be the solution. The important question is: does it work? Continue on to find out.
Image Trend's Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In is a Photoshop and Aperture plug-in that utilizes a proprietary mapping technology that produces more aesthetically pleasing images. The plug-in differs from most "rectilinear" fisheye fixes in the sense that it retains much of the pixel information and does not distort people towards the edge of the frame. I had the opportunity to try the Fisheye-Hemi, so continue on to see if it's worth it for you fisheye users.
The results are in from the Click June 2008 Photography Contest! The Pineapple Cocktail image I entered placed third in the Spectra Category (Best Capture). You can view all the winners here. Congratulations to all of the winners and all the participants, and thank you to everyone who voted for me.
Canon USA has announced the latest addition to its Rebel line of cameras, the EOS Rebel XS. Announced last month internationally as the EOS 1000D, the 10.1 Megapixel camera will serve as the entry point to the Canon DSLR lineup. Features include a 2.5 inch LCD screen with Live View capabilities, self-cleaning sensor, DIGIC III processor, 7-point AF system, and bursts of up the 3 frames per second. The Rebel XS will be available this August with the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS in black or silver with an estimated price of $699.99.
Also announced is the new 430EX II Speedlight, the replacement to the 430EX. New features include a 20 percent faster recycle time, quick lock attachment, and the ability to control flash function directly from the camera on the latest Canon DSLRs. The flash should be available around the same time as the Rebel XS and sell for about $329.99.
After weeks of speculation, Nikon has officially announced the D700 FX-format DSLR. Essentially a D3 sensor in a D300 body, the D700 offers the same 12.1 megapixel low-noise CMOS FX-format sensor, and 51-point autofocus system found in the D3. It also features a frame rate of up to five frames per second out of the box, or up to eight frames per second with the MB-D10 battery grip it shares with the D300. Surprisingly, the D700 will be available late July with an estimated selling price of $2999.95 for the body only.
The second part of today's announcements is the new flagship SB-900 speedlight. Fully compatible with Nikon's existing Creative Lighting System (CLS), the SB-900 offers a host of new features including a 17-200mm zoom range (which adapts to FX or DX equivalent focal lengths, three "light pattern" modes, an "intelligent gel" mode that automatically compensates when color correction gels are added, and a recycle time 25% faster than the SB-800. The SB-900 also becomes the first Nikon speedlight with the ability to receive firmware updates via the D3 or D700. The SB-900 will be available starting this August for $499.95
Nikon has announced the release of two new PC Micro Nikkors: the PC-E Micro Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D ED. With development originally announced at this years PMA, these two new lenses will join the new PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED as part of Nikon's updated line of PC lenses. Both lenses feature a 1:2 macro reproduction as well as some of the latest Nikkor technology including Nano Crystal Coat and an electronically controlled aperture (when used on a Nikon D3, D300, and D700. The PC-E Micro Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D ED should be available starting in August for around $1799.95 and $1739.95 respectively.
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