One Stop Under

PhotoshopNews.com has just published an interview with John Nack, Product Manager, Adobe Photoshop.

The interview is mostly about new features in Photoshop CS2, Adobe Bridge, and Camera Raw. John talks about some how some of those features came about, why they were implement in the way they were, and where he sees the products heading.

Says John:

…I’m very proud of the work we’ve done this cycle. The team rebuilt two versions’ worth of Photoshop File Browser features from scratch, expanding and refining pretty much every area along the way, while building a highly scriptable, extensible platform for the future. I think the integration between Bridge and Camera Raw alone represents a huge leap forward.

Filed under: RAW Files,Software
No Comments

DPReview has just published a review of Adobe Photoshop CS2 by Vincent Bockaert.

The objective of this review is to highlight the new and changed features compared to Photoshop CS. As usual, we will focus on those features which are useful to digital photographers.

Vincent concludes that “Photoshop CS2 offers again a range of very impressive features, with HDR, Warp, and Smart Sharpening being my personal favorites” and recommends the upgrade as good value for money.

The review is definitely worth a look if you want to see some screenshots of the new functionality in Photoshop CS2.

Filed under: RAW Files,Software
No Comments

Nikon has released Nikon View version 6.2.6, which adds support for RAW images captured by the D50, and allows the Red Eye Correction function to be used on RAW and 16-bit TIFF images.

Nikon also mentions the following problem:

An error occurs and images cannot be opened in Nikon Capture when the following operations are performed with Nikon View version 6.2.x.

• RAW images have been transferred with the Rotate image(s) (Supported cameras only) option selected in the Transfer panel of Nikon Transfer’s Transfer Options dialog (applicable models: D2H, D70).
• RAW or NEF-format images have been rotated with Nikon Browser. Do not perform the operations noted above when Nikon View version 6.2.x is used with Nikon Capture 4 version 4.0.0 or Nikon Capture 3 version 3.5.2 and earlier. Images to which the operations described above have been performed can be correctly opened in Nikon View version 6.2.x Nikon Editor.

Filed under: Nikon
No Comments

Canon has released firmware updates for the EOS 1D Mark II (version 1.2.3) and the EOS 1Ds Mark II (version 1.1.3).

So what’s fixed by these updates? According to Canon, under previous firmware versions:

pressing the DISPLAY button right after shooting images resulted in an abnormal display and the camera would freeze. Images are not lost when this occurs. Also, removing and then reloading the battery restores the camera to normal operation.

Apparently that’s the only issue these firmware updates address.

Canon EOS 1D Mark II firmware update version 1.2.3 (Mac and Windows).

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II firmware update version 1.1.3 (Mac and Windows).

Filed under: Canon,Firmware Updates
No Comments

Michael Reichmann from The Luminous Landscape has written an article on his visit with Phase One, one of the leading makers of digital backs for medium format and large format camera bodies.

Over the past 35 years I have done business extensively with North American, European, and Asian companies. (I have had a career in several high-tech industries, as well as as a photographer). If I had to rank companies in their willingness to openly discuss their products, business plans and their competitive environment, I would have to rank Americans as the most open, followed by the Europeans, and then Asians. But Phase One is from another mold altogether. We had almost complete access to the company’s facilities, including manufacturing, engineering, product development, and marketing. This included not only walk-throughs of all the facilities, but the opportunity to chat with employees, from the CEO to assembly line workers.

Michael had very open access to pretty much anything he wanted to look at, and also filmed a lot of footage for a report coming up in the next issue of The Luminous Landscape Video Journal.

If you enjoyed reading that article, Michael has also written articles on his tours of the Dalsa and Kodak medium format chip-making factories.

Filed under: Equipment,Phase One
No Comments

Thom Hogan — Nikon guru, author, and world-class photographer — has just had a bunch of articles published that are well worth reading:

• Artist Showcase: Thom Hogan – the first part of a three-part interview by James Morrissey
• Backpacker Magazine Digital 201 by Thom Hogan – brief tips for specific situations, aimed more at the beginner photographer
• Backpacker Magazine Digital 301 by Thom Hogan – more advanced photography tips
• Backpacker Magazine Trail Tips by Thom Hogan
• Full list of Thom Hogan’s articles from Backpacker Magazine, going back several years

Filed under: Photographers,Technique
No Comments

Ian Burley has put Epson’s new UltraChrome K3 photo printer inks through their paces using an Epson Stylus Pro 4800 inkjet printer.

Ian compares various printer inksets and paper types against each other in a purely technical range of tests, measuring the color gamut of each. You’ll have to read the article to find out what he concludes.

Filed under: Printers
No Comments

Two new Sunday Morning Photographer columns have been posted over on The Luminous Landscape:

• Keeping Up (June 12, 2005)
• The “Compact Disc Effect” and the Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D (June 19, 2005)

Filed under: Technique
No Comments

Edwin over at CameraHobby.com has just compiled his web-based ‘learning modules’ Introduction To Photography and Wedding Photography into two PDF eBooks that can be downloaded for free. Both of these eBooks are worth checking out if you’re interested in those topics.

Edwin also runs NikonLinks, a huge resource for Nikon shooters.

Filed under: Nikon,Technique
No Comments

PhotographyBLOG has posted their Wacom Intuos3 A4 Pen Tablet review.

Before reviewing the Wacom Intuos3, I’d never used any kind of pen tablet product before, instead persevering with the trusty keyboard and mouse combination. I’ve since discovered that a pen tablet is very much like a monitor calibration device – you don’t actually need to use it, and you may avoid using one for a long time, but when you do actually try one, it will revolutionise the way that you work, and you won’t want to go back to the old days. Just as a monitor calibration device will help ensure that your colour workflow is accurate from viewing an image to printing it, so the Wacom Intuos3 ensures that your workflow in applications like Adobe Photoshop is much slicker, more accurate and ultimately easier and more enjoyable than with the old keyboard and mouse.

An A4 tablet is probably a bit big for working on photographs – I think more traditional artists like those large ones for sketching and drawing on. The A5 models are quite a good size for photo editing, and they’re cheaper as well.

Filed under: Equipment
No Comments