Foto Tech

Apples new iPad might be just the trick for photographers on the go.  I’ve used a number of portable computers and media devices to download and edit images on the fly, but they have all come up short(or BIG).  Most don’t have enough features or they are too big for an editorial photographer to tote around.  The iPad won’t do it all, but it might work well for viewing and transmitting images.  The big backlit display, wireless connections (802.11G & 3G) , and operating system are the key features that make it unique.  I have all of this on my laptop, but it’s 5.5 pounds and eats batteries.

Compact Flash (CF) and SD cards have become so cheap that there is usually no need to download to a portable media device with a built in hard drive to free up space. It is a good idea to have multiple copies of your files at all times.  In the past, I’ve used a number of small devices  to download and backup images on the fly, but lately I’ve resorted to either setting up a full tethered laptop or just shooting to dual cards in camera.  The iPad should open up some new options that will improve my workflow.

There’s built in WiFi, which might work well with a Eye-Fi (see Eye-Fi post). There’s also  two adapters for connecting cameras: USB and SD.  I’m hopeful that I can work out a tethered shooting scenario with the USB.  I really just want a backlit big screen to view the images as I work.  This may require recording Raw plus jpeg and viewing only the jpegs on the fly.  I can record RAW separately and download them when there is more time.  I think  I can get it to wirelessly pop up a display of the images I’m shooting for my crew and client to see.

I’m excited to see Apple’s iPad because I think it might be just the thing to keep in my bag when I’m on the run.  I’m looking forward to creating a few workflows for photographers using the device. I expect a whole slew of Apps to come out that will help photographers use the iPad as a portable media device.  One way or the other photography wise, the iPad is another groundbreaking device from Apple that’s going to be popular.

Litepanels 1X1 Kit

LED lighting will play a crucial role in the evolution of photography. I’ve dreamed of a specific light my entire career and LED technology makes that light possible. The light would be small yet bright, dimmable and with adjustable color. This light would run cool and quite on battery power. That’s exactly what LEDs can do.

LED lights are quickly replacing all forms of lighting. In most cases it’s just a better technology. Just look for a flashlight or camping lantern and you’ll see what I mean. My friends at 360s.com have developed a light engine that will be manufactured for mobile operating rooms. This LED light source replaces traditional incandescent systems, and it lasts over 4x longer than other lights using similar battery packs . I’ve been playing with one of these “light engine” prototypes and I love it. It’s shows incredible potential as a photographic light: bright, cool, adjustable, and small.

Look for manufactures of all sorts of photography lighting to move to LED sources in the coming years. As I said before, it’s simply a superior photography technology. I’m curious weather or not these lights could be “pulsed” like a strobe. An LED light that could turn on for a 1/4000 of a second would replace the need for standard on-camera flash and studio strobe systems . At the very least, manufacturers will replace modeling lights with LEDs and compact flash units will become hybrid lights.

The move to hybrid cameras that shoot both stills and video is driving a need for continuous lighting. Also, strobes can’t keep up with the frame rates that are possible with today’s cameras.  HDR imaging also requires a continuous light source because shutter speed adjustments are necessary for exposure changes (changing the aperture changes pixel alignment).

Strobes are available and usable in far brighter ranges than LEDs, however I find this unnecessary. An LED equivalent to a 6400 watt second  strobe would blind everyone on the set. For portrait work, I’m often using 1600WS lights on their lowest settings and sometimes adding neutral density to dim them down. Modern DSLRs do an excellent job at higher ISOs like 400-800, so the need for all the power has really diminished.

Litepanels MicroPro

There is already an abundant selection of stage lighting and architectural lighting available in LED. There are also many on camera video lights and ring lights for macro work. Larger arrays of LEDs for studio and location lighting are available, but the selection is limited. I do expect  there to be a vast selection of adjustable color LED lights with available within two years.
Many of these lights are controllable by a stage lighting communications protocol called DMX

Here are a few LED Lighting resources:

Litepanels – Video
Kometled
Pdngearguide
Arri
Switronix
Enfis

DXO Optics has added 80 new modules.  Most noteworthy for me is the Canon 5d Mark II with the Sigma 12-24.  I really need this combination for some of my HDR Architectural Interiors.
DXO has a unique way of processing raw file and to make it really work correctly you need to download and install their modules, which are scientific characterization (Profiles) of a camera and lens combination.
DXO makes it pretty easy to fix undesirable lens characteristics, like Chromatic Aberrations, Fall off, edge sharpness, etc.
I use it to output corrected tiff flies, which I then merge to hdr images.
DXO is a pretty darn good RAW processor, but I find the workflow a bit tedious for large quantities of images, so I generally only go to DXO when I need some good lens correction for a derivative file.
DXO is a french company and I use to talk with one of their engineers over Skype. Good guys, try the demo if you haven’t.

” I’ve loved more cameras than women, but I love women more than cameras.”

I’ve been working out some theories on the most practical way to upgrade technology. Cameras, computer hardware, and software technology move at an alarming rate. The question is: when does it make financial and practical sense to upgrade? There are considerations of implementation and cost involved. Here I will outline these considerations and my theories and strategies.
Moore’s Law describes a long-term trend in computer hardware where capacity of circuitry doubles every 24 months. These same principles can be applied to almost all technologies, though the timing is different for every technology and situation. Technology upgrade theory is all about cost, implementation, and gain. Developing a good strategy is dependent on the nature of the technology and that must be studied carefully.

Know the Technology and know the habits and schedules of the manufacturers of that technology.
Example #1 Adobe is on an 18Month upgrade cycle: they allow you to skip versions and still get upgrade pricing: and their upgrades are usually major.
Example #2 Nikon usually upgrades the flagship models six-nine months before the top prosumer models. The top of the line prosumer cameras usually have many of the desirable features of the Flagship model at 40% of the price. Nikon is notoriously slow in getting their announced cameras to market. Read more…

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Adobe will announce the CS4 release date and a show a preview of CS4 on the 23 of Sept, 2008. You can register for the braoadcast by following the link below.

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________http://adobe.istreamplanet.com/