You’ll be forgiven if you’ve forgotten about Nikon’s WU-1A wireless adapter. I very nearly had. But, this little jobby plugs into the D3200, and once there lets your DSLR connect to a WiFi network and begins looking for a smartphone on the same network running the appropriate app from Nikon. Previously, this was only possible with an Android device, but as they promised way back when in their press release for it, it’s now September, and the iOS version of the app is exactly on time. With the app installed, you can use your iPhone or iPad to control your D3200, complete with live view, exposure, and album review. Captured photos will be sent over to your phone for immediate viewing and sharing. It’s not what I’d call lickety-split, but it does work exactly as advertised and adds some real tangible utility to your D3200. The WU-1a itself is all of $60, and the app is free, so, hey, why not?
› archive for ‘Software’
Tamron Mobile App For iPhone and Android
The Tamron rep was just in here pointing out that they have a free app available on iPhone and Android (not iPad… yet). It’s not a bad little app. As you can see from the screenshot, you get a lot more than just a sales pitch (though it does sit in the upper left there.) You also get information about Tamron’s many local events, an ever-growing number of 9really rather decent) how-to articles, lens registration, access to all current rebates, and more.
If you own a Tamron lens, or have been considering one, and have an Android or iPhone (and not Windows Phone like a growing number of us at Roberts), free is a pretty low-consequence reason to try the app out. Find it through the links below.
iPhone: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tamron-lenses-how-to/id525544564?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moblico.tamron
Tamron Provides Calibration Module For Older Camera Raw / Lightroom Versions
If you use Adobe’s RAW workflow solutions (Camera Raw, for Photoshop, or Lightroom, for awesome people), then you’re probably familiar with Adobe’s lens correction profiles, which are now matched directly to lenses and help fix distortion and chromatic abberations without any additional effort on your part. You might also be aware Tamron has a spiffy new 24-70mm f2.8 with image stabilization that’s hitting the market, and tempting people (like me) who’ve experienced what image stabilization can do even at those standard focal lengths, and think the big guys are crazy for dismissing it as unnecessary. Now, if you’ve updated to the latest builds of camera raw and LR (7.1 and 4.1 respectively), you’ve already got support for this new lens. But, if you haven’t, or can’t, then Tamron’s got your backs. They’ve put together the module needed to add support for this new pro lens into older versions of Camera Raw and LR that lack it. Which, really, is a pretty solid gesture and a show of commitment to this new lens on their part.
You’ll need the Adobe profile downloader installed, and then you’ll just be able to search for the lens and install it from there. If you don’t have the profile downloader, you can get it for Mac or Windows with the links below:
Windows: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5389
Mac: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5388
Aperture Only $79.97 in Apple’s New App Store, Not Sure For How Long
So, while I am in fact certified in Apple’s Aperture software, I have to admit, it’s not my personal cup of tea. But, it is a well-regarded and wildly popular raw development and library management app for those of you using OSX (iPhoto has some stripped down elements-style features from it), so, if vertical integration is your thing, it’s your beast. And, at least for today, it could be your beast for a whopping $120 off if you buy it through Apple’s shiny new App Store that launched today (Snow Leopard only, make sure to run your software updates). Might only be today, so, better do some quick maths and decide, yeah. Also, obviously we don’t stand to profit in anyway from pointing this out to you, so, just remember who was looking out for your wallet next time you need gear, deal?
Roberts Sponsoring 2-day Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.0 workshop with Jerry Courvoisier
On October 9th and 10th Jerry Courvoisier will be leading a 2-day workshop on streamlining your workflow in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.0. Attendees will need to bring their laptop with the current version of Lightroom installed (this can be a trial version download).
The program is designed to be a value at $395 for 2 days -Roberts customers get a 15% discount when registering, photo students get a 25% discount- and Roberts has a free ticket to give away. Learn how you can enter after the break. read more
Lightroom 3 Follow-Up
OK, in my last post I mentioned LR3 supports lens correction and tethered shooting, though I didn’t know for what lenses/bodies. So, here’s what I’ve found after some digging:
Lightroom 3 Out and Ready
Adobe has announced version 3 of it’s Photoshop Lightroom (or just Lightroom, for short). Now, it’s no secret that Nick and myself have long been advocates for Lightroom. While software and worflow will always be a subjective topic, for my money at least there’s no better workflow and raw developing solution for digital cameras than Lightroom. And, everything I’m reading about version 3 is convincing me it only got better.
The biggest thing is of course the new Adobe Camera Raw, the processing engine at the heart of Lightroom (and Photoshop’s raw development, too). The new ACR is basically just all around an awesome engine, it seems, and most notably its noise reduction seems to now be bordering on the godlike. The importance of this is difficult to stress quite enough, especially for those of us who aren’t shooting these newest gen pro bodies with their better high ISO performance. Lightroom looks to be breathing some new life into some of our aging bodies, and I can’t wait to try re-editing a few of my E-3′s high ISO shots with the new engine.
The other biggest feature, for me, is one that I always found a bit curiously lacking in LR2: perspective correction. Now I no longer have to drop out to Photoshop to correct keystones, I can do it completely non-destructively in raw. How isn’t that brilliant, I ask you?
What else is there? Well…
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Official
So, also up today, Adobe has announced the fifth revision of it’s Creative Suite of software. I haven’t had time to parse what’s new in all of the varied programs (Illustrator, actually, is my own favorite), but I have been reading about the one I know all you shooters have been waiting for: Photoshop CS5.
So, what’s new then? Other than easier and enhanced selection methods, improved HDR options, improved B&W conversion, improved workflow and workspace management, mini-Bridge, new auto lens correction, and new physical paint like brushes (as opposed to the light-blending physics we’ve all been so used to)?
Well, there’s also content aware fill and puppet warp, both of which are basically voodoo magic and I won’t even attempt to describe how awesome they are, leaving that to the videos below. If you can watch those videos and reconcile those features with Photoshop’s current offerings (included content aware scaling, vanishing points, liquify, class-leading everything else editing, interface, etc, etc) and still not believe this is worth $700 bucks for a new copy with upgrade pricing available, then I don’t know what to say. This Photoshop seems to readily and easily justify it’s price tag with the new time-sving features and performance enhancements easily.
DPS Admirably Tackles Using UFRaw for Photos
Digital Photography School, one of those sites I don’t rely on as often these days as I once did when I was getting started, is a wonderful font of intro-level ideas and lessons in photography. And, they get mentioned on Raw today because of an article they ran about getting started with UFRaw.
UFRaw is largely a Linux app from the old skool of Linux philosophy, which is to say it’s extremely robust, powerful, free, and has an interface about 6 years behind the curve. But, it’s insanely robust and FREE. And, it’s available for Windows and Mac, too. I used to use it before I got Lightroom, and we still use it sometimes in the office. It’s a good app, but it is daunting.
So, bravo to DPS for trying to help people with it. And, if you’ve just spent all your cash on equipment (and you know we prefer you do, nudge nudge wink wink) and can’t shell out for Lightroom or Aperture just yet, UFRaw is a wonderful tool to ave kicking around your virtual toolbag.
Lightroom 3 Beta Out to Try
Lightroom, Nick and I’s development and library management program of choice (yes, despite my cert in Aperture), has now been released to the public as a beta for the new version. While the full version will be as need-to-pay as ever, those of you wanting to try something a bit more flexible, or just plain better laid out than what came with your camera, Picasa, or even Photoshop (whose support for camera raw is astoundingly clunky compared to the svelte elegance of Lightroom), owe it to yourselves to give this a try.
For you vets, apparently Adobe is talking up a much better image processing engine, with better sharpness and noise performance (two of the biggest critiques I’ve seen leveled at LR). It also has better vignetting controls, and introduces a way to add grain to your images, and something about light leaks. I haven’t got to bang around in it yet myself, so I’ll have to try those at home tonight.
Oh, and it’s supposed to just be faster too. Which for those of us with larger libraries will be very well received. I think it’s supposed to demand a pretty boss machine now, though, so check the hardware requirements out.
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs_lightroom3