Artist's Network Courses

Watch instructional videos of art subjects.

Great Deal on a Pentax K-50 Outfit

The Pentax K-50 is a very nice mid level DSLR. 16MP APS-C, in body image stabilization, weather proof, can use many legacy K-mount lenes...

Now til the end of this month, Adorama is offering a kit of this camera for an astonishingly low price. The camera, 18-55 lens, 50-200 lens, AF-200FG flash, gadget bag, 16GB card, and a nice piece of software for around what the camera and kit lens alone used to go for.

$596.95 with free shipping and 4% back in Adorama Rewards.

Prices below are after applying coupon code PENTAXJUNE at checkout.

Get it in BLACK, RED, or WHITE

A few other variations of the kit can be found here.

Read an in depth review from dpreview.com

Sky and Telescope observing tools

Sky & Telescope has some awesome online resources for amateur astronomers.

This Week's Sky at a Glance is one of their best tools. It tells you where and when certain very photograph-able events are going to be happening. The crescent Moon will be in the same sky area from June 23rd to 25th. The predawn passing by Venus on the 24h will probably be the best photo op for most of us.

Moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter in 1989

Stop the Train!

Train track trespassing for photos, I mean.

There ARE other backgrounds for senior portraits. 

Be aware of laws and of safety issues. Sage advice for any type of photo shoot.

Look online for guidelines.

See My Article On Yahoo Voices

See my article on Yahoo Voices.

I am a guest contributor for Yahoo Voices. 

Check back often for more fun photography tips.

Fujinon 18-135

Here's a press release from Fujifilm I got today:

Embargo: June 16th, 2014 

5:00am GMT

Fujifilm Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) is announcing the release of its XF18-135mm high magnification zoom lens. The XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR will be available from July 2014. 

This latest addition to the company’s line up of profession-grade lenses for X-series interchangeable-lens cameras covers a wide shooting range of 27mm wide-angle to 206mm telephoto equivalent*1. It has the world’s most advanced 5.0-stop image stabilization technology*2 and features a dust-proof and waterproof structure with weather resistant sealing applied to more than 20 different areas of the lens

*1 35mm film equivalent

*2 Complies with CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) standards

1. Product name, release date, retail price

Product name	Fujinon Lens  XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
Availability date	July, 2014

2. Product features

(1) Covering a wide shooting range, from 27mm wide-angle to 206mm telephoto*1

· The new XF18-135mm lens is suited to a variety of scene types and subject matter as it covers frequently used angles of view.  These include wide-angle shooting, often used for landscapes and architecture with an excellent sense of perspective (27mm equivalent); a normal angle of view that naturally captures the image as it is (35mm, 40mm, 50mm equivalent); and telephoto, which allows you to zoom right in to capture portraits and sports scenes (85mm, 135mm, 200mm equivalent) with its 7.5x zoom.

· To achieve high descriptive performance with sharpness and rich contrast from the wide-angle to the telephoto, high-performance glass including 4 aspherical glass lenses and 2 ED glass lenses has been used.  Multi-layer HT-EBC, which has high permeability (99.8%) and low reflectance (0.2%), is applied to the entire lens to effectively reduce lens flare and ghosting, which often occur in backlight conditions.Utilizing the wide zoom range of the lens, there is more freedom in composition and selecting angles. 

*1 35mm format equivalent

(2) Fast autofocus (max. 0.08sec.)*2, silent operation

· The XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR uses an inner focusing mechanism*3 for rapid autofocus speeds.  This was engineered by making the focus lens lighter and installing a linear motor.  When this lens is combined with an X-series camera body*4 which is compatible with phase detection AF, smooth photography is offered with faster AF.

· Linear motor technology which directly drives the focus lens creates low noise for silent operation when shooting movies.

*2 Complies with CIPA guidelines, internal measurement, during high performance mode, according to Fujifilm as of June 2014

*3 Method that moves relatively smaller lenses in the middle or at the end without moving the front which is composed of relatively larger lenses

*4 As of June 2014, “FUJIFILM X-T1” and “FUJIFILM X-E2”

   *5 To ensure that autofocus performs as expected, download and install the latest version of the firmware for your camera. 

     The firmware can be downloaded from the following website.

    　http://fujifilm.jp/support/digitalcamera/download/fw_table.html   *available from June 27th

(3) World’s most advanced 5.0-stop image stabilisation function

· In order to achieve the world’s most advanced 5.0-stop image stabilization performance, the ability to detect movement in the low-frequency band was improved, and an algorithm to accurately sense blur from the detected signal was developed.  Correction performance was doubled in the low-speed shutter range.  This helps to support a lightly-equipped shooting style without the use of a tripod.

· The newly adopted high-precision gyro sensor is installed with quartz oscillators which detect movement from high frequency to low frequency bandwidths. 

(4) Dust-proof, weather resistant structure

· A dust-proof, weatherproof structure with sealing applied to 20 different areas of the lens barrel is resistant to typical atmospheric changes that occur in a natural environment, such as sudden rain, dust, and splashes of water.

· In order to improve the feel when adjusting the zoom, a ventilator has been placed on the inside of the base of the lens barrel. The structure effectively prevents dust particles and moisture from getting into the lens to ensure smooth operation.

· Designed to be paired with the Fujifilm X-T1 and its dedicated vertical grip VG-XT1 which also have dust-proof and weather resistant bodies. 

(5) Light-weight and compact design for excellent portability

· The XF18-135mm lens offers a wide shooting range, advanced image stabilization, and a dust-proof, waterproof structure, all in a compact structure. 

· When combined with the X-T1, the camera and lens weigh a mere 930g. This highly portable weather resistant kit offers much improved flexibility and wider photo opportunities to the photographer.

· The adoption of 4 aspherical lenses, each of which delivers the performance of multiple general spherical lenses together, has been used to achieve the lens’ extremely short optical length.  With an easily maneuverable size and good holding balance with the total lens length, a comfortable shooting style is promised. 

3. Specification Chart

Name	Fujinon Lens XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
Lens configuration	16 elements in 12 groups (4 aspherical elements and 2 ED lenses)
Focal length	f=18-135mm  (35mm format equivalent: 27-206mm)
Angle of view	76.5°- 12°
Maximum aperture	F3.5-5.6
Minimum aperture	F22
Aperture control Number of blades: Step size:	7 (rounded diaphragm opening) 1/3 step (17 steps)
Focus range	Normal: 0.6m～∞ Macro: 0.45m～∞
Maximum magnification	0.27x
External dimensions:  Maximum diameter X length (approx.)  (distance from tip to standard mount flange)	φ75.7mm x 97.8mm (Wide-angle) / 158mm (Tele)
Weight (approx.)  (excluding lens cap and hood)	490g
Filter size	φ67mm

Here is the Fujifilm website page about it (click here).

 

Preorder from Adorama here For $899.00

Makes me wish I had the XT!

 

Photoshop-type Programs Primer

Photoshop is actually not a generic term for image manipulation software. It is the name of one the more full featured programs. We know what people mean when they use it as a generic term, tho, so no worries.

I've been using a variety of image manipulation programs. So, if you're looking for what might work best for you, read on. At least it'll be a good start.

First off, Photoshop. This software from Adobe is looked at by many as THE photo image manipulation software. Good reasons for that view. It is very full featured. However, it does have a rather steep learning curve, and it is expensive. For anything beyond basic exposure or cropping adjustments, you probably should use one of the tutorials, either a 'for dummies' type manual, a you-tube series, or a full on class. If photography is your business, or if you want to move beyond basics to advanced, spend some time getting to know this awesome program.

Many people are turning to another Adobe offering, Lightroom. Lightroom takes some of the most common adjustments of Photoshop, and puts them in an easier to use and understand program. The controls seem a little more intuitive to how a photographer thinks, as opposed to how a computer tech thinks. Pricing is much lower than Photoshop, too.

Adobe also offers a couple of subscription models for these programs. For a small monthly fee, you can sign up for Adobe's Creative Cloud. Various subscription models are available. Besides the upfront cost factor, a great benefit of using the Creative Cloud versions is instant upgrades. As soon as a new tool is designed, it goes onto the cloud and your program will update to that. Works with new cameras and their specific RAW files, as well. The subscriptions come with some nifty extras. Like membership to the BeHance website and extra programs useful for our digital world.

Another lower cost program is Adobe's Photoshop Elements. Some of the most used aspects of Photoshop in a very basic interface. A good start, but any serious digital photographer is likely to outgrow this program fast. I recommend either Lightroom or the Creative Cloud memberships.

Another very good program outside of the Adobe world is ACDSee. An advanced photographer will want to use the "Pro" versions, as they have many more controls. ACDSee's use of slider controls makes almost any color, contrast, exposure, or sharpness adjustment as easy and intuitive as using your camera controls. The dodge and burn tools feel exactly like you're in a darkroom using film and paper. Relatively inexpensive, too, especially when you catch one of their frequent sales. One negative mark, tho. If you buy a new camera, there is a chance that you may not be able to find an update for your older version to use the new RAW files. Example, if you had ACDSe Pro 5 and then bought a new Nikon D3200, D5200, or D7100, your program won't read the new RAW files. Because upgrades for Pro 5 ceased as soon they released ACDSee Pro 6. Since they add in new features with every new version, tho, it's not really that painful to get the new program. A generous upgrade pricing structure helps, too.

Perfect Effects 8 and some of the Serif brand of programs are available from time to time as free downloads. Full programs! Just not the latest versions. Some really nice tools in these programs, and again with a very intuitive feel for longterm, oldschool photographers.

Some cameras come with their own versions of image manipulation software. The versions packaged with the cameras are usually very basic. But, they will allow you to read your RAW files and convert them to TIFF or JPEG so you can use them with other programs you might have. A huge reason to use the packaged software is for video. Editing and file conversion are important tools to have. I will upload another blog post sometime in the near future about video editing.

Hopefully, this helps you know what to look for. Examine your own style, wants, and needs, and then shop for the software that enhances those things specific to you.

My own preference is the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription or the latest "Pro" version of ACDSee. Both are excellent options and are also cost effective.

Sigma Lens Sale Plus New Panasonic and Sigma Quarttro Cameras

I'm really enjoying these new lower prices on APS-C ultra wide angle lenses! Last week, we saw a great introductory price on a Canon APS-C format wide angle zoom. And now THIS sale! Finally, cool stuff for the budget minded.

See Me on Behance!

My newest website, courtesy of Behance:

Stephen Harker on Behance