Friday, February 27, 2009
Lightroom & GPS Camera-Mounted Systems
Matt Kloskowski of Adobe Lightroom Killer Tips writes:
"Here’s the condensed 3 minute version of how GPS info relates to your photos in Lightroom. It’s actually a very cool feature and with many sharing sites today reading GPS information and taking viewers directly to a map of that location it makes it even more fun."
GPS System That Scott Kelby Recommends: di_GPS
Nikon's GPS Unit: GP-1 GPS Unit On Nikon Website
Nikon's GPS Unit: GP-1 GPS Unit On B&H
Largest US Camera Store Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
Largest US Camera Store Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
DPReview
February 24, 2009
EXCERPT:
Ritz Camera, the largest dedicated camera retailer in the US has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, which owns over 800 stores across the country, under a series of names, including Wolf Camera, has proposed a restructuring plan that will aim to see the chain continue in some form. As part of this, the company has applied to the bankruptcy court for permission to continue to honor its customer loyalty and rebate schemes...
Court papers suggest that Ritz Cameras owes over $40 million to its two largest creditors: Nikon's US subsidiary Nikon Inc. and Canon USA, with a further $8.4 million owed to Fujifilm USA, a subsidiary of which owns around a third of the company. To put the $26.6 million owed to Nikon Inc. into perspective, it would represent somewhere in the region of 20% of Nikon Inc's expected annual operating income.
DPReview
February 24, 2009
EXCERPT:
Ritz Camera, the largest dedicated camera retailer in the US has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, which owns over 800 stores across the country, under a series of names, including Wolf Camera, has proposed a restructuring plan that will aim to see the chain continue in some form. As part of this, the company has applied to the bankruptcy court for permission to continue to honor its customer loyalty and rebate schemes...
Court papers suggest that Ritz Cameras owes over $40 million to its two largest creditors: Nikon's US subsidiary Nikon Inc. and Canon USA, with a further $8.4 million owed to Fujifilm USA, a subsidiary of which owns around a third of the company. To put the $26.6 million owed to Nikon Inc. into perspective, it would represent somewhere in the region of 20% of Nikon Inc's expected annual operating income.
Nikon D-Town
DTownTV is a weekly show brought to you by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski with KelbyTraining.com. Join Scott and Matt each week as they share their photography knowledge along with the coolest tips and tricks out there for Nikon’s digital SLR cameras.Nikon D-Town Website
Nikon D-Town RSS Feed
Does Mac OS X Need A Disk Defragmenter/Optimizer?
Does Mac OS X need a disk defragmenter/optimizer?
MacFixIt
March 1, 2007
EXCERPT:
Defragmentation and disk optimization in Mac OS X collectively represent an issue nearly as contentious as the debate over repairing disk permissions -- one camp argues that utilties purportedly performing these functions amount to little more than nostrums, while others claim real-world performance gains as a result of the tools' usage.
Apple's input on the subject is, as usual, less than definite. The company states explicitly in Knowledge Base article #25668 (published in 2003) that that "you probably won't need to optimize at all if you use Mac OS X," then provides instructions for what you should do "if you think you might need to defragment."
According Apple's advice, there are two scenarios under which you might need to defragment your drive:
• You have many large files (such as digital videos)
• Your disk is low on space (i.e. more than 90% full)
If these are in fact your only concerns, there are some basic remedies.
In the case of myriad large files, you can easily (as described by Apple) create a backup of all your important data -- essentially everything but operating system files -- then re-install Mac OS X and restore the files from backup. It's somewhat tedious, but should result in faster access to said large files. Or, you can use a utility like SuperDuper! to make a clone (or near-clone) of your startup drive, then simply format your drive using Apple's Disk Utility (located in Applications/Utilities) and copy the files back...
The bottom line is that users with large files will benefit most greatly from defragmentation routines in Mac OS X. However, use of the disk optimization routines offered by tools like iDefrag can also serve as a boon to casual users of Mac OS X looking for a speed boost. If you choose to use such a utility, you'll likely see the most betterment after applying a significant system update.
MacFixIt
March 1, 2007
EXCERPT:
Defragmentation and disk optimization in Mac OS X collectively represent an issue nearly as contentious as the debate over repairing disk permissions -- one camp argues that utilties purportedly performing these functions amount to little more than nostrums, while others claim real-world performance gains as a result of the tools' usage.
Apple's input on the subject is, as usual, less than definite. The company states explicitly in Knowledge Base article #25668 (published in 2003) that that "you probably won't need to optimize at all if you use Mac OS X," then provides instructions for what you should do "if you think you might need to defragment."
According Apple's advice, there are two scenarios under which you might need to defragment your drive:
• You have many large files (such as digital videos)
• Your disk is low on space (i.e. more than 90% full)
If these are in fact your only concerns, there are some basic remedies.
In the case of myriad large files, you can easily (as described by Apple) create a backup of all your important data -- essentially everything but operating system files -- then re-install Mac OS X and restore the files from backup. It's somewhat tedious, but should result in faster access to said large files. Or, you can use a utility like SuperDuper! to make a clone (or near-clone) of your startup drive, then simply format your drive using Apple's Disk Utility (located in Applications/Utilities) and copy the files back...
The bottom line is that users with large files will benefit most greatly from defragmentation routines in Mac OS X. However, use of the disk optimization routines offered by tools like iDefrag can also serve as a boon to casual users of Mac OS X looking for a speed boost. If you choose to use such a utility, you'll likely see the most betterment after applying a significant system update.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
SMARTReporter
Another software program I use to protect my Macs is SMARTReporter. SMARTReporter monitors your hard drives and can warn you of some hard drive failures before they happen, giving you time to backup critical data before it's lost! In case you need a good backup system, here are a few suggestions from previous blogs:
• Fantastic Backup Systems: WiebeTech's RTX200
• Second Generation Drobo With Firewire 800
• Scott Kelby's Photo & Computer Backup Strategy
• What To Do If Hard Drive Disaster Strikes!
TechTool Pro 5
Micromat just came out with TechTool Pro 5. I've been using TechTool Pro for years, both to diagnosis and keep my Macs running smoothly. I'm using the "Volume Optimization" feature right now to optimize a badly fragmented hard drive on my MacBook Pro. Apple, by the way, includes a stripped down version of TechTool Pro in their Apple Care program.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm F/1.8G Lens
Nikon Inc. today announced the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G lens, which is the first fixed focal length, fast-aperture DX-format lens that affords photographers superb image quality along with the creative possibilities and versatility of the classic 50mm focal length (FX-format equivalent of 52mm). When mounted on a DX-format camera body, it enables photographers to document their world with a lens that produces a picture angle similar to the field of vision as seen through the human eye. Whether new to D-SLRs or a seasoned enthusiast, users will appreciate the extreme low-light performance and the expanded ability to dramatically separate the subject and background with the new 35mm DX lens’ wide f/1.8 aperture.
Click here for more information.
And here.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Sony HVR-Z5U / HDR-FX1000
Sony HVR-Z5U / HDR-FX1000
3-CMOS Pro HDV Camcorders
Before I went full time as a photographer, I used to shoot video, so I couldn't resist posting this B&H video that introduces two new HD cameras from Sony. While there are several wow! features on these new cameras, I was especially interested in their ability to shoot to both tape and flash card AT THE SAME TIME, thereby recording footage on two separate sources. Sony has also improved the ability of their cameras to shoot in low light which has been a major problem for the HD format. While Nikon has won me over in the photography world, Sony is the only pro level camera I would buy. The pricetag: $4,299.00 for the HVR-Z5U and $3,199.00 for the HDR-FX1000. Take a look:
Sony HVR-Z5U / HDR-FX1000
3-CMOS Pro HDV Camcorders
Before I went full time as a photographer, I used to shoot video, so I couldn't resist posting this B&H video that introduces two new HD cameras from Sony. While there are several wow! features on these new cameras, I was especially interested in their ability to shoot to both tape and flash card AT THE SAME TIME, thereby recording footage on two separate sources. Sony has also improved the ability of their cameras to shoot in low light which has been a major problem for the HD format. While Nikon has won me over in the photography world, Sony is the only pro level camera I would buy. The pricetag: $4,299.00 for the HVR-Z5U and $3,199.00 for the HDR-FX1000. Take a look:
Sony HVR-Z5U / HDR-FX1000
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