What the what? Why did Panasonic replace a seemingly near perfect lens with one that from initial reports didn’t remedy the AF speed which was really the only major gripe about the first version? Well, let’s see…
*Topaz Star Effects, on sale just in time for the holidays
With the recent kitchen sink sale that Topaz had, it got me curious about some of the other plugins on offer. I love DeNoise, Clarity and ReMask, but what about all these other cool, quirky plugins? Topaz Star Effects allows a user controlled enhancement for any point of light in your image, and through the month of December, it is on sale at 50% off for $14.99 here at Topazlabs.com when using the code “decstar” at checkout. Well, if you have an extra few bucks lying around, and would like to enhance any points of light in your images, check this out…
*Another set of this guy’s opinions, or Mirrorless Lens buying guide!
As requested from the camera body shopping guide post (thanks Tim and Chris), here are my opinions on the best lenses for the various mirrorless systems. Keep in mind that I have not shot extensively with all of these lenses, or at least, many of the lenses for systems that aren’t the micro 4/3 system aside from the tire kicking in stores or when getting the chance to shoot friend’s gear, so my opinion is based on minimal use combined with personal intrigue and web based research. Because I don’t own an X series or Alpha E (NEX, etc) camera body, I have not been able to access many of the lenses on offer for any period of time, but there are a few I have, as well as those that I would certainly look long and hard at if I was invested in these systems. As for the micro 4/3 lenses, I have those down pretty well. C’mon in and I’ll lay out my faves…
*One man’s opinion, or Holiday Shopping guide 2013!
The season for the commercialization of spirituality (or, SFTCOS) is upon us and following suit, we have been absolutely bombarded with new offerings in the digital photography department. Taking the holidays out of it, and looking at it purely from a gear point of view, it is truly an exciting time to be shopping around for the best bang for your (or a loved one’s) buck.
Over the last 4 years that I’ve written this blog, I’ve been asked quite a few questions about which cameras, lenses, systems, et al, are the best. While I’ve chosen the gear I’ve chosen for my own personal reasons, there are so many others out there that offer their own set of pros and cons, and to put it plainly, there is no universal truth, nor answer to that question.
Come on in and I’ll give my take on which of the newly announced cameras over the last year or so are the most intriguing, interesting, best value or just plain confusing…
*Alien Skin Snap Art 4, Instant digital painting effects
As seen above, Alien Skin has released Snap Art 4, featuring an example image from yours truly! I am a big fan of the Alien Skin plugins and with this new release, they’ve continued to refine one of their most unique offerings.
Painting has never been so easy. With their most recent release, Alien Skin has yet again upped the ante on creative digital photography plugins. Snap Art 4 provides many jumping off points and the final result can vary between a single click, or as much time as you’d like to throw at a painted rendition of your digital image. The use of improved masks and even more creative controls, Snap Art 4 builds on what was already a powerful and fun tool. C’mon in to see more examples and info…
*The Hits Keep Rolling! Last day for Topaz sale and Alien Skin releases Snap Art 4!
While I usually become ill with all the Black Friday/Cyber Monday hoolabaloo ushering in a season of pure consumerism while we’re still recovering from the Thanksgiving celebrations, I find myself somewhat internally conflicted as I do find benefit to some of the deals on offer. I’m a bit of an opportunist and in many ways like to save money when I spend it, if that makes sense. I like to buy winter clothes in the spring and then shorts and tee shirts in the fall when everything is being pushed out to make way for a slightly different version of that which it replaces at twice or three times the price a few months down the road.
Enter the current software deals. As I’d mentioned this last weekend, Topaz is offering everything they’ve got at nearly 50% off ($199 for 14 awesome plugins) and today is the last day. Go to TopazLabs here and enter “blackfriday2013” to get the discount. So if you’ve been waiting here’s a good chance to sneak in a deal on DeNoise (amazing), ReMask (awesome), Adjust (staple), Clarity (absolutely killer) or any of the other wonderful Topaz plugins.
On top of that, Alien Skin has just released Snap Art 4 (which I will have the full review up tomorrow or so) and they are offering any and all of their plugins at a 30% discount via AlienSkin.com until this Friday the 6th.
Happy holiday shopping season everyone, while a little crazy, it can be advantageous for those of us that have needed these tools in our post processing tool kits.
All the best and happy shooting,
Tyson
*Holiday Topaz Super Sale!
If you’ve been waiting for a particular Topaz Plugin to go on sale, consider this… The entire collection, like every single plugin they currently offer, is available for $199 from Friday November 29th through December 2nd. Click here and use code “blackfriday2013” to get every plugin for nearly half off. In my opinion, Topaz offers four plugins that are unparalleled and a couple others that have proven to be useful and really fun. I’ve been using, and have reviewed many of these over the years so feel free to have a read via the links below.
MWL up for best new restaurant design on eater.com!
Hi friends, family, fellow bloggers and photo fans, the ELK Collective’s most recent project is up for best new restaurant design in Portland. Being that I have been fortunate enough to become part of the ELK collective, and provide all of the official photo documentation for our projects, I have a vested interest in seeing this amazing space rewarded for the design marvel that it is. If you have 10 seconds, we’d greatly appreciate your support in voting for the Multnomah Whiskey Library HERE.
Thank you and happy shooting!
Tyson
*Shooting the Multnomah Whisk(e)y Library for the ELK Collective
Authenticity is a difficult thing to create from scratch. Too often a good idea is hindered by budget or lack of total vision by its collaborative creators. When harmony is achieved in the process, and vision meets up with knowledge, skill and competent execution, beauty can be born. I introduce to you, one of the coolest spaces I’ve seen created from the ground up, the Multnomah Whisk(e)y Library.
***Update, MWL is up for best new bar/restaurant design on Eater.com here in Portland, if you have 10 seconds, please go HERE and give us your vote.
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*The GX7 vs the OM-D E-M5, battle for my affection, Round 3 – IQ, Interface, Features and the Final Decision
These two have gone toe to toe, and we’re all tired. If you’re not, believe me you will be, this final round is a long one, and really the reason I needed to break this into three parts. Now it’s time to see which, if either can really pull itself ahead and prove to be a better choice. I use the word choice because, it will come down to a personal preference, or needed feature for any given shooter because both are great cameras. I’m finding that it is a decision based more on what each camera doesn’t have as opposed to the qualities that they do. Both are great, but what can you live without? Here’s round three, the round to end all others…at least for me and my decision making process.
Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography 