For all of you photographers out there who got all excited about the Drobo when they first heard about it only to find out it was USB 2.0, it looks like you can quit your whining…for now. Data Robotics, Inc announced the second generation of the Drobo today. The new Drobo now includes Firewire 800 and a “vastly improved” USB 2.0. Their tech specs claim up to 52MB/s reads & 34MB/s writes and 30MB/s reads & 24MB/s writes respectively. Some other new features are a faster processor along with a quieter and cooler operation.
Drobostore.com is selling the new FW800/USB 2.0 for $499 as well as the original USB 2.0 Drobo for $349. I’ve been using my Drobo since the start of this year and couldn’t be happier with it. I truly believe this is a must have piece of technology for photographers, especially those who can’t afford to lose client’s images!
The Lens Pen is a pretty amazing gadget for under 10 bucks. No batteries, no hassle.Every photographer should have this gem in their kit.
There’s a multitude of lens cleaning products out there, but the Lens Pen allows you to easily clean or brush off a lens. really fast, really portable, and really reusable.
To the point! On one end it’s a cleaning pad that really works, and without any solution (takes off fingerprints too). The other end is a retractable brush for getting off excess dust. It’s all about the size of a large pen.
This one is Nikon branded, but it’s cheaper and works great. I have two of them. You can’t go wrong with theese… Gavin Seim
 Happy 4th of July and Belated Canada Day! Lets’ shoot!
For those in the USA, the 4th of July is near, and that means Fireworks. Even if your not in the US, your sure to have chances to shoot fireworks sometime.Maybe you shot a few on Canada Day.
Scott Kelby just posted a few quick and dirty tips the other day on getting good fireworks shots, Starting with getting out your tripod. I can say from experiance that these tips are great, and thought I’d pass it along.
Lets see some great fireworks on the PPS Flickr group next week… Gav
Nikon just announced the new d700, which will fill in the mid range of Nikon’s pro line that they’ve been lacking for awhile. Some more nice images and details on Engadget.
The 12mp D700 will be shipping with a live view 3-inch display, 51 point auto focus, scene recognition, four-speed active dust reduction, ISO up to 6400, 5 or 8 fps full-res shooting, HDMI out and more.
I‘m a canon user myself, and still waiting for Canon to get me that 5d MK II, but you Nikon user can expect this gem in July for about 3k. Don’t gloat too much though. Canon will be getting us some goodies soon (we hope)
In similar news Nikon has also announced the SB900 flash, and a bit of new glass, including the PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D
By Gavin Seim: Updated 05/13) – HDR (High Dynamic Range) is really powerful, but often misunderstood. People will throw images into the latest software only to mimic the easy, but often ugly and over processed “HDR look”. That HDR that has become the stigma of the technique. HDR and especially HDR portraits can be challenging, but they are not rocket science. It just takes some time to get the hang of the subtleties. Here’s a few tips that anyone can use for both pictorial and portrait work to mange dynamic range better.
1. Understanding HDR: It’s not a style in itself. A style is something that comes from you. HDR all about light. Sometimes it’s from a single file. Often it means getting various exposures at different lightness levels and then combining them in a way that looks good either manually, or using tone-mapping or fusing, with software like Photomatix and others.
But contrary to what overdone HDR suggests. It’s not about showing ALL the light in a scene. Without shadow, an image is usually flat, chaotic and without focus. HDR about gaining control over all the light in a scene. It’s almost like a bucket filled with light from an entire scene and you can use it however you want.
2. Tripods & Releases: While most HDR rendering software can attempt to line up images, you really want clear consistent frames because stability is key. If there’s no other option, you may have to hand hold and hope for the best. It can work, but a tripod is king and is always the safest route. Even with single image exposures, using a tripod will generally get you better quality. See The Six Keys To Image Quality.
Cable releases are also a great tool. Allowing you to avoid touching the camera while making frames. Good for sequences and long exposures. Besides that, it looks cool to stand there majestically and press the release button.
A PPS Loan award winner from 2010. 3 images blended in HDR software and finished in Photoshop.
3. Auto Bracketing: Most DSLR’s have an auto bracket function that allows you to have -2, 0 and +2 exposure compensation in one quick burst. AB allows you to expose things fast without handling the gear as much. In some cases you may want to manually get a wider exposure range, but I find that 3 images are usually all I need.
Auto bracketing is not only convenient, it’s especially valuable with HDR portraits or moving subjects because you need to capture your sequence as fast as possible without having to manually change settings. But remember that just because your bracketing is not an excuse for poor exposure. Keeping that middle frame dead on will give you a better final result.
A three image bracket blended in Photomatix and refined in Photoshop.
The Lens Pen
is a pretty amazing gadget for under 10 bucks. No batteries, no hassle. Every photographer should have this gem in their kit.
