All you Lightroom users out there, get ready. Adobe just dropped the beta version of Lightroom 3 out onto the Interweb, and it’s packed with all sorts of new bells and whistles.
Improved efficiency, Flickr integration, overhauled developing engine and more are served up in this revised processing powerhouse.
So, what are you waiting for? Go download the Lightroom 3 Beta now. The beta is schedule to expire in April 2010, so you should continue to use your current version of Lightroom for serious work until this is for real.
There’s more details in the press release below for you over-analytical types. [click to continue…]
Following suit with SanDisk and PhotoFast, Lexar has introduced their Professional 600x CF card line. They come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB flavors. The 8GB version and 16GB version should start shipping this week. The 32GB version will ship in November.
It looks like they smoke too – just check out Rob Galbraith’s tests of the new cards. They hit it where it matters most, in camera.
The Lexar cards are faster in the Canon 7D than the SanDisk Extreme Pro and just a smidgen faster than the PhotoFast 533x Plus. The SanDisk Extreme Pro is a little faster than the new Lexar 600x in the Nikon D300s; however, the Lexar cards manage to get 8 more images out of a burst of RAW + JPEG files than the SandDisk Extreme Pro (58 images vs. 50 images), which makes the Lexar on par with PhotoFast 533x Plus cards for burst capacity.
More details about the new Lexar 600x CF card series in the press release below. [click to continue…]
Lexar has announced Image Rescue 4, which is included with Lexar Professional CF and SDHC cards. It can also be purchased separately. Image Rescue 4 aids in the recovery of lost or delete images from any brand of memory card.
More details in the press release below. [click to continue…]
A tipster has sent in some info on the rumored Nikon D800 that he purports originates with a “very reliable source.” According to the tipster, Nikon will not be revising the D700 for a “S” model, as was the case with the D300 and D3.
Instead, Nikon will release a completely new model to replace the D700 – the D800.
Rumored Nikon D800 features from the tipster include the following:
1) Video mode 1080p video recording (full HD)
2) High resolution 24.5 MP.
3) High frame rate: 7 fps without battery grip (similar to D300s)
4) 51-area Nikon Multi-CAM 3500FX (same technology as D3X)
He also tells me that the D800 will launch before Christmas.
I can’t confirm the veracity of this info or the reliability of the tipster yet. I am reaching out to him for further details in hopes to substantiate these rumors. Keep in mind that these D700x/D800 rumors have been rattling around for over a year now.
Stay tuned for updates on the D800 or whatever else Nikon decides to throw at us.
How many of you out there can honestly say that your camera does more work than you do? With PhotoPlus Expo close approaching here in New York City and vendors prepping with meetings with all of us, it may be worthwhile to check out the education lectures and information sessions being offered. Of course, some cameras are more capable than others so there may very well be two sides of this fence that are well defended.
[click to continue…]
The Gitzo G-1560 Monotrek is a lightweight monopod and hiking stick combo. It has a small built-in ball head with a plastic cover for the head when not in use. I recently took it with me on a 9-mile hike along with the Think Tank Photo Rotation 360 backpack.
As a hiking stick, it works well. I generally don’t hike with such a stick, but I could be persuaded to making it a more regular practice. I found that I really used the Gitzo G-1560 on inclines, which turned out to be quite a bit with over 2900′ elevation gain on the trip. The grip and wrist strap are comfortable and caused no problems for me over the course of my 9-miler.
At 1.0 lb, the Gitzo is a little heavier than some of the other top-rated walking sticks out there, which are commonly in the 10-11 oz. range. I figure that most of the difference, however, is a result of the small, yet effective, ball head that comes with the G-1560. [click to continue…]
