Been spending my weekend updating various bits of software. WordPress to 3.7, the MacBook Pro to Mac OS 10.9 (Mavericks) and the BlackBerry Q10 to 10.2. So far so good in that nothing has gone badly wrong.
Funny how all these updates have come out so close to one another.
There are three items which I can’t wait until they are shipping.
All these three new toys will cost a fair bit but I’m also hoping the wait will be worthwhile.
I’ve been looking at the various options for continuous lighting and there are two options that appeal to me.
The first question is why continuous lighting when I could invest in higher powered studio flash lights. Well the answer is simple, with continuous lights you see what you get. No need to fire the camera as you are setting up the shot. And also there is the benefit of being able to use them for video in the future if that is an area I need to branch out into.
As for the options, I do have experience of the Dedolight system. They are light in weight and really versatile. The beam is controllable and it is easy to add barn doors or a soft box.
The Ice Light is a more recent product launch which is an LED light in the shape of a stick. I’ve not seen one in real life but the fact that it is battery powered appeals to me.
I would not hesitate to get either of these items if I was a multi millionaire. The Ice Light costs about £720 for a pair and a decent Dedolight kit is around the £1500 mark. For that money there are other things I would like to get first.
Fujifilm launches the FUJINON XF23mmF1.4 R premium wide-angle lens
The FUJINON XF23mmF1.4 R is a premium wide-angle lens designed to maximize the performance of the Fujifilm X-Trans CMOS sensor for the highest picture quality
Product page:
http://www.fujifilm.eu/uk/products/digital-cameras/fujinon-x-mount-lenses/model/fujinon-xf23mmf14-r/
Announcement:
I can’t wait until I get my hands on this new lens for my XE-1.
The current lens I have permanently attached to the camera is the 35mm f1.4 which sometimes isn’t wide enough for me.
I’m just wondering after I get this lens if I will neglect the 35mm f1.4 and it will just then sit in the bottom of by camera bag.
Earlier today I had posted on Twitter that I was now following Reuters on Instagram and that if the images they were posting were not taken on a phone some how lacked the spirit of Instagram.
On my account http://instagram.com/patrickphotosuk today there are five images. Only one of those were taken with a phone. So I’m not really in a position to preach about the type of camera being used to post on to Instagram.
I think my point is that the square format of Instagram reminds me of years ago when I was playing with a film Hasselblad and the difference in discipline using that compared with 35mm film.
There are great examples of when Instagram works well. The above is one from AFP Hong Kong staffer Alex Ogle.
I’m just not sure I, like many others out there, are using Instagram to the full potential. In the right hands it is a wonderful tool. In the wrong hands it is just another way of creating images that should have been consigned to the digital rubbish bin.
The Nikon 1 V2 Speed Project – Fashion Photography (by iamnikon)
I first tweeted this YouTube video on 2 June with a follow up tweet that said “Pretty amazing what can be done with modern cameras and the creative desire to make something astonishing”.
Now that I have a Tumblr account, I can add the video they were creating so that it is one coherent article.
Just been spending my time updating site to WordPress 3.6 using the theme Twenty Thirteen. Had a few goes in revising the header image as there is a different look and feel to the previous theme.
It may just be me but I quite like working with the standard themes. There is an argument that by doing so you don’t stand out from the crowd. At the moment there is no need for me to be radically different. At some stage in the future I may look at getting a premium theme to jazz things up.
So far the new changes have been pretty painless.
Yesterday I posted here an image which looked fine on this computer. When I checked on my BlackBerry phone and Android phone the image was coming up as a question mark.
Having a look into the image, I think that the problem was that the image had an embedded colour profile that my computer was happy with but the two phones were upset by.
If I had not checked on the other platforms, I would have not know that there was a problem.
Some time ago an idea was born. This idea was that professional photo editing should be cheap, simple and accessible for everyone everywhere. This idea is now a reality, it’s called Repixl, and after a successful test phase, we’re now open for business!
You can now take advantage of a…
I came across Repixl from this article on the BBC News website and it seems an interesting site if you want a photo retouched.
Having given a few hours thought about what equipment I would get if I was not restricted by the fact that I am not a multi millionaire and I have to pay things like car insurance, here is my wish list.
1. Nikon D3X camera – I know that there is the D4 and the D800/D800E but I like the shape of the D3x which has the two CF slots rather than having XQD slot. Plus it uses the same batteries as my D3.
2. AF-S NIKKOR 35MM F1.4G – Fast wide prime which I have been dreaming about.
3. AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105MM F/2.8G IF-ED – I’m thinking of doing some close up pictures which isolate parts of the body.
4. LED or continuous lights – I’m not sure what kind but for a three light set up you are looking at over £1000.
There are loads of other items that if money where no object I could list. But I would probably only use them once and then it would just sit at the bottom of my camera bag.
Now which numbers to choose for the next draw…
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