Rosario Tech

Thom Hogan writes some of the most detailed reviews, mostly about Nikon equipment, has his review posted of Nikon’s new DSLR, the D200. Go check it out. The short: 5 stars. Go buy it.

I plan to.

We can all use a little rescuing sometimes, and photographs are no exception. Well, ever had a memory card go bad on you just after you photographed that guy who said he was Moses reincarnated and had an addendum for the ten commandments, along with one or two typo corrections, like “Thou Shall Not Kelp“, and “Thou Shall Not Convert Thy Neighbor’s Wife.” Changes things, huh?

Anyway, I  digress.

Well, fret no more. Photo Rescue to the rescue! This guy’s story is pretty compelling. Read it and think about whether or not you might need software like Photo Rescue. I’ll bet you’ll say yes.

(and what’s with the icon?)

Apple Aperture 1.1 Update:

(Via PhotoshopNews.)

Press Release: Aperture 1.1—the first Universal version of Aperture—offers increased computer and camera compatibility. The upgrade allows photographers to run Aperture on both PowerPC-based and the new Intel-based Macintosh computers, including MacBook Pro. Developed in consultation with pro photographers, Aperture 1.1—scheduled for release in March—will be available for $499. Current owners of Aperture 1.0 can upgrade to Aperture 1.1 via Software Update. In addition to enhanced compatibility, Aperture 1.1 also provides a variety of significant performance and feature enhancements.

More after the jump.

(note - I am posting this as information only and not because I like Aperture. I think Adobe’s LightRoom will end up being a better product. Go and test it for yourself. - AMR)

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Digital photographers have long made Epson’s Photo Fine devices their PMPs of choice, which is no surprise given the excellent 3.8-inch display, ample storage, RAW viewer, EXIF manipulation tools and CF/SD slots available on the units. Unfortunately, the latest version, the P-4500, seems to have few upgrades over the fact that its screen is said to be 1.5x brighter than that of its predecessor, the P-4000, which was announced just a few months ago. Other than that, specs look the same, including the same 80GB drive, MP3 and video playback and video out. We hope the “upgrade” doesn’t mean a hit on the wallet — or on battery life, which is often the case when you pump up the brightness.

(Via Engadget.)

(I would wait for the Jobo Giga Vu PRO evolution to come out before I’d consider buying this - AMR)

If you’re looking for a way to make use of that extensive collection of Leica lenses you’ve accumulated over the years, there’s another option beside waiting (and waiting) for Leica to release the Digital M.
Epson has announced a modest upgrade to the R-D1, the company’s digital rangefinder, which is compatible with Leica M mount and L mount glass. The R-D1s shares its predecessor’s 6 megapixel APS-C sensor, 2-inch LCD, RAW format, multiple black-and-white modes, and ISO 200-1600, and adds a few minor improvements, including a JPEG RAW mode, quick view function, Adobe RGB mode, and noise reduction for long exposures. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but will probably be in line with the original R-D1, which goes for about $3,000 (and which will probably come down a bit now that this one’s out, so if you can live without JPEG RAW and Adobe RGB, you may want to skip this one and see what kind of deal you can get on the D1 — unless you’d rather keep waiting for the Digital M).

(Via Engadget.)

(A very expensive toy that will end up on Ebay in three years, if you ask me - AMR)

Now you have no excuse not to calibrate your monitors. For, as we all know, calibrationess is next to Godliness (well, that’s not a real word, but so what).

Macworld Online has a little preview of an $89 monitor calibration device called Huey, by Pantone. Pantone knows a thing or two about color. In fact, I think it was Pantone who invented color in the first place.

Anyway, read the article and check out Huey and calibrate for Dog’s sake!

PCMag.com has a review of the Epson P-4000, a hard drive-based photo viewer/media player similar to the Jobo Giga Vu PRO evolution device I mentioned earlier today.

Looks like they are given it a good review. I’m still going to hold out for the Jobo model, which is easy for me since I already own an Epson P-2000 and can use it now. I bet it’ll be hard to get the Jobo model once it comes out, so, for those of you in need for a device like this now, the P-4000 seems like a good buy.

UPDATE: Epson P2000 40GB Multimedia Storage and Photo Viewer $399.00

Onecall has the Epson P2000 40GB Multimedia Storage and Photo Viewer on sale for $399.00 after rebate, $8.62 3 day shipping. $50 rebate Exp 3/31/06

So if you have an extra twelve boxes of ziti lying about, or, for those of you who don’t speak Soprano, $12,000 and need to have a 22-megapixel behemoth… Well, it’s shipping now according to MobileMag.com.

So, now is the time to start planning knocking over Junior’s big game.

I took a seminar once with Gary Fong and he showed off a product that he produces called the LightSphere. This is essentially a deli container-shaped diffuser that sits (looking a little ridiculous) on a portable strobe, helping to even out the diffused light from the strobe. It works the same even when you rotate the strobe head in order to shoot vertically. Anyway, he has a video and sample pix on his website that can explain the effect better than I can.

I own two of these and plan to buy a third. It’s a great invention that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, even if it does make my flash unit look a little dorky.

Rob Galbraith has the poop on a new portable media device called the Jobo Giga Vu PRO evolution. This device is mainly for photographers to transfer and backup digital photographs while on the road. It seems to have many great features and looks like it’ll be priced to compete with the Epson P-2000/P-4000.

After reading the specs myself, I think that my P-2000 will go up on Ebay and I’ll get this as soon as it comes out.