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Lightroom 3 Review: part 2

July 30, 2010 By

This part 2 of Jon Lightroom 3 review. You can see the introduction in is first post.

Import Dialog


One of the first things you’ll notice about LR3 is the new import Dialog, which is largely different than previous versions. The simple dialog box of old is gone and replaced with a full screen window complete with a large preview area. The preview area is the most significant improvement- you can now preview images and video before importing and can un-check any you don’t want to ingest- a nice feature (and overdue!). However, in exchange for a more sophisticate import dialog we are also given a slightly more complex interface, with essential source and destination information on opposite sides of the screen. This can make a normally simple task of simply importing, renaming, and adding metadata, cataloging and backing up a little more tedious. It also doesn’t help that they’ve now included a few seemingly unimportant options for these tasks, for example the rename images by shoot in addition to custom name. In other words, LR3 will add the words “shoot_whateveryouwant-1”. It would be just as easy to do this with a custom name, and with this option they’ve just made the list unnecessarily longer. Another annoyance of the new import dialog is that you will get it when importing ANY new images, even simply updating a folder. This essentially creates an extra step in the workflow, i.e. importing tiffs or psd back into LR after they’ve been processed in Photoshop. For photogs who require speed and consistency and are used the efficiency of previous versions of Lightroom in this regard may be surprised when they find themselves being slowed up by these little nuances of the new import dialog.

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The Case

July 26, 2010 By

This is Jeremy third post. While he provides a cheap solution to the carrying case problem, read until the end to see my suggestion.

I had a shoot out in NY, and discovered that having the proper case makes all the difference in the world. I was almost in hysterics when my case was tipped over by a stranger running for his plane. Camera equipment isn’t cheap, and having a case that is protective is a must. I was using an old camera bag my wife had since her first year of college. A close friend of mine told me about a store that he had gotten a small hard case from for his camera for under $30. So, for those of you looking for a case that you can customize on the inside, you should check out this link here: and also picking up some egg crate foam that you could find at Wal-Mart or even Foam by Mail.

I do suggest that you replace the strap on the case, it was too short and too flimsy for my liking. I ended up with two cases that only cost me $50, so I highly suggest that if you don’t have the money for expensive equipment, consider going cheap and getting better equipment as you grow. Just an FYI, these should fit in overhead compartments on the plane too, making traveling a little less worrisome.

Now the Admin take on this

Jeremy suggestion is good. Actually, I know a lot of photographers who uses these case to carry their gear around. Actually, I am one of these, I have been given one a while ago. While it feels secure and solid, it misses a few things I find important:

  • waterproof
  • near indestructible
  • secure

You may think that I am over doing it a bit but you would be wrong. Waterproof is important when you travel because you never know for how long you will be stuck in the rain waiting for a cab. Having a super resistant case is also nice because you wont be afraid to sit/step on it when ever you need it. And, lets admit it, its cool to be able to throw your camera case around without having to worry about  its content survival. Finally, I need my case to be secure. It has to be lockable and once locked and attached to something, I want to have the peace of mind that it is still going to be there when I will be back. This is especially useful when shooting wedding since I can leave all my gear in the bride room instead of the car for example.

After looking long and hard at the various offering, I picked the Pelican 1510 case. It has the perfect size for travel (maximum size to be counted as a carry on bag when flying) and fits the criteria mentioned above. While not cheap at around 145$, it is money well spent. I actually recommend that you spend a bit more and get the one with the padded dividers. Actually, my suggestion is to buy at least 2 dividers and preset them for the various kinds of shoot you may have to do.

Since about a year ago, I have noticed a lot of new products in the hard case category, anyone had good experiences with one of the cheaper models?

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Lightroom 3 Review: Pt 1: Overview Of What’s New

July 19, 2010 By

This post is from our other contributor, Jon. Jon is a pro photographer with a lot of experience who will be covering the HDSLR movement from a pro perspective. Go take a look at his portfolio, some great rock climbing shots there!

Since Adobe created Lightroom 4 years ago the software has changed the way photographers work in such a profound way that many have wondered if this little gem might just someday replace the need for Photoshop all together- for most photography needs anyway. Anyone who has used Lightroom extensively as the de-facto front line in their digital workflow can attest to the power of the program as not only an essential digital asset management tool, but also as a potent developing and publishing tool.

With the release of LR3, the gap between what is necessary in Photoshop for photographers and what is achievable in Lightroom has once again shrunken. Why do I mention that? Well, in the past Lightroom has been most valuable as a digital asset management (DAM) tool- importing, renaming, adding /editing meta data, organizing, cataloging etc have all been staples of the program since it’s introduction, along with the added benefit of being able to publish images to web galleries, contact sheets, print, or various resizing options. But LR has come a long way since it’s inception and with each new incarnation it’s become more and more relevant as a developing tool as well. While it has not yet replaced Photoshop for the really heavy lifting in digital imaging, for many photographers it may well be a one stop solution for the majority of their work.

The focus of this review will be to cover the most significant new features in LR3 that I will break down by module over the new few posts. In the meantime, here’s a quick overview of the new features. Be sure to stay tuned for a more in depth analysis of each in the subsequent posts.

So what’s new in LR3?

Accelerated Performance via new 64-bit software engine

Adobe claims that the new version has accelerated performance over previous versions, which we can assume comes in large part from the new 64-bit engine. In case you’re unfamiliar with 64-bit, in short it allows for better leveraging of your systems RAM and therefore potentially increases performance. However, to reap that 64-bit lovin’ you’ll need to be running an operating system that supports 64 bit – Mac Snow Leopard or Windows 7. More on this to come..

Support for Video Files

The key word left out here is “limited”, as the support for video does not extend beyond the Library Module, meaning you can import and achieve general cataloging and organizing tasks but that’s about it. However, we’ll be exploring some of the possibilities with this new feature that may surprise you.

Camera Raw 5.7 Processing

LR uses the newest Adobe Camera Raw engine, which is a much improved and powerful RAW converter found in Photoshop CS5. However, if you’re not using CS5 (and therefore ACR 5.7) you’ll have to jump through a couple extra hoops to gain the benefits, which I’ll be covering.

Noise Reduction performance

In short it’s excellent, far better than anything we’ve seen from Adobe to date. I’ll be covering this individually since it’s sure to be a topic of interest for most photographers. I’ll be showing side-by-side comparisons with previous versions, as well as comparisons to other NR software like NIK Dfine and Imagenonic’s Noiseware Pro. Should be interesting.

Improved Watermarking

Perhaps one of the biggest improvements over previous versions is the improved watermarking feature, which is such a vast upgrade from the horrendously limited version that it alone could be worth the upgrade. Forget having to create a droplet in Photoshop and batch export in LR in order to have a custom watermark. LR3’s new engine has full support for custom watermarks and more flexibility for creating a simple text based watermark.

New Import Dialog

A nice upgrade to the import dialog, overall it’s more of an aesthetic change than a complete revamp. Of course, previous versions were great and for those used to the simplicity and speed of past versions it may take some time to grow on you… I’ll explain why in upcoming posts.

Lens Correction Tool

Finally! One of the most useful and essential upgrades in the new software is the all mighty lens correction tool, taken directly from Photoshop. For those of you familiar with this tool it is an absolutely essential tool and a welcome addition. Not only does LR now include the tool but also has built in camera /lens profiles (similar to DXO optics) for precise and automated lens correction.

Tethered Shooting

Another welcome feature, the new tethered shooting option eliminates the need for the camera manufacturer’s propitiatory capture software getting in the middle of shooting tethered and importing to Lightroom. Is it as effective as Nikon Capture or Canons Digital Photo Pro? I’ll let you know when we get to the Library section of the review.

There are a few other less significant new features I’ll be covering that are not game changing per se but still nice features for some folks. These include the ability to add film grain, improved slideshow capabilities (including exporting slideshows to mp4 and support for audio), new publishing options, and some new print options, among others.

I’ll also be breaking down what WASN’T included in the new update, and what we can /should expect from Adobe in the future with Lightroom.



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The Rookie: Purchasing a camera

July 18, 2010 By

This Jeremy second post where he explains how he moved from HDV video camera to embrace HDSLR. While I bet a lot of you already prefer HDSLRs over video camera, I am sure a lot of readers could tell the same story, hence the reason I wanted to repeat it.

When I was looking at getting into the video production field, I decided to go with what I knew at the time. In college (I graduated in 2005) everything was tape based, so the thought of going strictly digital was un-nerving, so I went with what I knew. After digging around and knowing my budget I went with the Sony HDV-A1U. I thought I was in 7th heaven when my camera arrived. The quality of video was great, the size of the camera fit my needs for shooting in tight spots and traveling; but the thing that bugged me most about the purchase was the lack of depth of field. I knew what shots I wanted to get, and the only way to make it work was taking the camera out an extra 10 or 20 feet from the subject I was shooting and zooming in to sort of macro/mock up the d.o.f. I was aiming for.

A friend of mine who owns his own production company pointed me to the 7D and 5D, a better alternative in his mind than buying a Letus35. Don’t get me wrong, the Letus35 is a great tool, and who’s to say that some day down the road I won’t purchase one; but my thought process was in the order that I know that having a 2nd camera as a backup, and a second angle during shoots was a positive for what I could offer my clients, that solidified my decision to get the ball rolling. So through many freelance jobs and my nose to the wheel I was able to purchase the 7D and it was like something just clicked in my video production ability. The reason my shots were better is that I was very familiar with the EOS and the way it ran. I had been working with a Canon 4D for almost 2 years, and with literally a turn of a dial I was able to get the shots I had wanted since my re-emergence into video.

For any people who are on the fence or are just starting out in the video field, I am telling you that the HDSLR’s are the best way to go. With your choice of lenses, the ability to take photographs along side video and the ability to shoot at 24, 30 and 60 frames per second… you will not regret it. Just be aware that your shooting time is limited because of over heating issues. Shooting long interviews or long wedding ceremonies will be limited.

Comments from Alain, the admin

Jeremy highlighted an important point: HDSLRs clip durations are capped. While this is not an issue for most people who are shooting weddings or video clips, it is problematic for shooting interviews or performances. While you can always try to work around the limitation by timing your questions, the only real work around is to work with two cameras and start/stop them before the time limit in interval and fix the missing parts in the edit room.

Because there are no ways to start/stop movie recording with a cable remote (it only works with the IR remotes RC1) and you can’t use an IR remote to control a specific camera (it would start/stop both camera at the same time), you have to press the SET button manual to manage the recording which could be a pain if the two cameras are far apart.

Using two cameras is also a good protection versus camera over heating or malfunctions. While I know most people do not have the budget for a second 5DMrkII, a good solution is to use one of the cheaper Rebel models (ex: Rebel T1i) with a 50mm for a close up shot on the subject face and keep the 5D for the wide shot.

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The Rookie

July 13, 2010 By

A few weeks ago, I was looking for contributors to the blog and Jeremy was one of the selected few. Jeremy will publish periodic articles about the life of a rookie HDSLR worker. I am sure his experiences will connect to a bunch of readers. My goal is to cover the spectrum from both end: Jeremy is the “Rookie” and I have another contributor coming up who is a full time pro. I hope you enjoy these posts.

After my post requesting help, I received a lot of applications from all kind of people. I selected Jeremy because he is a perfect example of the new generation of HDSLR film maker: people with no formal film school training who decides to make an important career change. He is embracing the HDSLR revolution and will probably rise with it.

Film is fun. Let me clarify, making movies, weather it is for business or pleasure has it’s ups and downs, but if you are reading this there is a 90% chance that you agree that film is fun. I am at the belief that sometimes your career ends up finding you, the thing that you really want to do kinda springs out and place itself in your lap. Maybe it was a friend who called you up to be an extra in a movie they were making for laughs. Maybe it was creating a skate board video with friends that planted the film seed in your mind. But somewhere, along the path of life you have made the decision to move in the film direction and that you were not going to settle for being second best, you were going to do it and do it right.

That is me. I got a taste of film from college where I just pumped out the videos with my Sony Handycam with friends and found a passion. Of course life had taken me in a different direction, I got a job marketing for a real estate firm and one thing led to another, my Handycam was shuffled to the back of the closet and was forgotten about.

6 months ago I was laid off from my job. The high end real estate that I was marketing stopped selling because short sales were up, the company I worked for had to let me go and I was left with two options. Find a job doing what I was good at, or make a career for myself with what I wanted to do and that I truly believe I will thrive at. The film seed was still in my heart, it just needed to be watered.

This blog will be about my life creating a film career for myself. I have invested a lot of money into the required programs and computers. I am armed with my 7D, several lenses, a Zoom H4n for recording audio and a very basic lighting kit. I will admit I feel over whelmed with the things I need to learn, the equipment I will need to purchase, the techniques I will have to harness and mistakes I am already anticipating, but the seed is growing now, and I can’t wait to see how high the bean stalk will take me.

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Canon Wonder camera, wonder what?

July 9, 2010 By

This week big news was Canon announcement of their wonder camera. If you have not see it yet, here it is.

You know what this reminds me of? Videos from the 60s saying everyone would own a flying car in 2000…

Some of the technologies highlighted in the video already exists and I am sure they are working hard on those that do not. Still, I believe it is all vaporware coming from Canon marketing department.

Think about it: why would Canon design a camera able to do everything in a single unit? We are talking here about a company that is over protective of its product lines and would rather limit customer options than cannibalize its sales. If you dont believe it, just think about where we were 18 months ago with Canon stalling the 5D  MrkII firmware to protect the video division. To make it happen Canon would have to merge the DSLR, point and shoot and video (pro and consumer) divisions under a single entity. Unless there is a big mentality shift at Canon, I can’t see it coming anytime soon.

Instead of this presentation, I would have preferred seeing one about Canon vision of what it coming in the next 3-5 years. Then again, CEO are like politicians, they only promise stuff that is going to happen when they are out of the picture.

Am I the only one wondering where is the 3D?

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