Thursday, November 28, 2013

Topaz Labs Complete Collection Black Friday Deal–Save $570!!!

One of the best deals on the web for this Black Friday period is NOW live! Get all 14 Topaz Labs products ($770 if sold separately) in one collection for only $199.99 – that’s only $14.29 each!!!! Even the normal sale price with my blog over $100 more than this, so this is a screaming deal!

This offer expires on December 2nd, so act fast by CLICKING HERE to order and use the promo code blackfriday2013

Here’s a sample cart showing the code working and how to use it:

image

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If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Adorama Black Friday Deals (Expire Dec 2 at 11:59 PM EST)

Canon G15 - save $150


Reg $449.00 Sale Price $299.00


This offer expires on December 2nd at 11:59 PM

Nikon D800 Digital SLR Camera Body, USA - Special Promotional Bundle


Regular $3396.95 Sale $3196.95 Free Shipping


This offer expires on 12/03/2013

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Zoom Lens


Reg $2289.00 Price After MIR Price $1799.00 Free Shipping


This offer expires on 12/03/2013

Asus Taichi Full HD IPS 11.6" Touchscreen i5-3317U 1.7GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8


Regular Price $899.99 Sale Price $699.99 Free Shipping


This offer expires on 12/02/2013

Nikon Black Friday Deals


Big buy together and save deals on all Nikons including the D800E

Canon Mail in Rebates


Lots of bundle deals and mail in rebates


This offer expires on December 28th, 2013

Fujifilm Black Friday Specials Page


See link for details


This offer expires on Monday at 11:59 PM EST

Asus Taichi Full HD IPS 11.6" Touchscreen i7-3517U 1.9GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 256G SSD, Windows 8


Regular Price $1189.00 Sale Price $899.99 Free Shipping


This offer expires on 12/02/2013

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    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

    B&H Black Friday Deals (Expires Monday at 11:59 PM EST)

    LINK TO ALL BLACK FRIDAY PHOTGRAPHY DEALS


    Over 30 awesome deals


    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    Canon EOS 60D DSLR Camera Kit with Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS Lens


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    This offer expires on MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    Nikon D3200 DSLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm VR and 55-200mm DX Lenses


    $496.95 was $796.95 + $57.45 FREE ACCESSORIES +FREE SHIPPING


    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    Pentax K-500 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 50-200mm f/4-5.6 Lenses


    $596.95 was $696.95 + 4% Reward +FREE SHIPPING


    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM for Canon


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    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

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    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    HGST 4TB Deskstar 3.5" SATA III Internal Desktop Hard Drive


    SAVE $65! BLACK FRIDAY $174.95 was $239.95 +FREE SHIPPING


    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Software for Mac and Windows (Download)


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    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

    Drift HD Action Camera


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    LINK TO ALL BLACK FRIDAY COMPUTER DEALS



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    LINK TO ALL BLACK FRIDAY iPad & Tablet DEALS



    This offer expires on ENDS MONDAY 11:59 PM EST

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    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

    Wednesday, November 27, 2013

    The Amazing Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A Lens for Canon, Nikon, Sony, & Pentax

    Copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
    Taken using a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A Lens
    for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, & Sigma DSLR's
    Image Copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    This image was taken with a Canon 1D X 1/160 sec at f/8, ISO 100 at 35mm, and I’ve got to say it’s the most impressive Sigma lens I’ve ever used. This was also the first of the new “Art” series lens that I’ve tested, so I’m now eager to try more!

    I was going to save this picture for the full article, but I decided to share it now as a teaser to the full article which will come during the first week of December. Click here to see a larger version.

    If you see any deals form authorized dealers (see “where to order” below), then I highly recommend picking this lens up!

    Conclusion

    Click here to learn more about this lens on Sigma.com, and come back for my full review which will feature full-size image files with zero post-processing to show how amazing the images are that come straight out of this lens!

    Where to order

    Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Series Lens
    Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Series Lens

    Click here to learn more or order at B&H web site.

    Click here to learn more or order at Amazon.

    Click here to learn more or order at Adorama.

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    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    The image shown does have basic photo editing and sharpening, but the full article will show the out of camera original.

    Sigma has loaned this lens to me for the purpose of evaluating it – at my request.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

    REVIEW: Nikon D610 - Part I of II (Real World Shots)

    Nikon D610 DSLR Camera (Body Only)
    Nikon D610 DSLR Camera

    I titled my D600 review “Nikon D600–My Favorite Nikon Ever?!!!” because at that point in time (October 2012) I was still getting over my disappointment of the D800. The D600 still went on to be my DSLR of the year (alongside the Canon 6D), but for the Nikon platform in 2012 I felt it was “the” camera to own when all factors (price, image quality, size, etc…) were considered. In short, it was my preferred “everyday” camera for the Nikon platform. In fact, I liked it so much that I almost bought one (but my investment in Canon gear stopped me).

    Fast forward over a year later and a LOT has changed, but surprisingly not much changes on the D610. You basically get a marginally faster burst mode and a quiet shutter burst mode (great for event photographers). Despite this disappointing list of improvements, I enjoyed its predecessor so I decided to have an extended evaluation period with this camera over a variety of conditions as I had done with its predecessor.

    Real World Sample Images

    The following sample images were all taken with the D610 and the Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens and no flash. The images are not processed in any way (no crop, rotate, sharpen, nothing). These are the in-camera jpeg’s that have simply been renamed and uploaded. You can click the photos to download the original files and you can visit the gallery to get more samples not featured in this article.

    For comparison, please read my D600 article or visit the Nikon D600 Sample Gallery.


    Beautiful model under studio lights sample is in camera with no crop or edits
    f/10 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 100


    The dinner rose test – impressive for ISO 5600 (when viewed at realistic sizes)
    f/2.8 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 5600


    Overall I thought the D610 did good with this tough mixed color scene
    f/4 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 900, No Flash


    Smoke, red, movement, lights, – this shot has a lot to look at to see how the D610 handles complex situations
    f/4 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 3200, No Flash


    Handheld at night – solid as expected
    f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 5000

     


    f/11 @ 35 mm, 0.6s, ISO 100 (Tripod)


    Incredible dynamic range
    f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/60, ISO 2000


    f/5.6 @ 26 mm, 1/125, ISO 12800 or 25600 - Nikon hides the h mode ISO's from Lightroom


    f/9 @ 50 mm, 1/60 ISO 12800


    f/7.1 @ 24 mm, 1/30, ISO 1100


    Auto white balance (2) torture test
    f/2.8 @ 42 mm, 1/60, ISO 3200


    The burst mode improvement didn’t seem to help much with my busy toddler
    f/2.8 @ 56 mm, 1/250, ISO 2000


    The performance of the tonal range of the blacks here was impressive
    f/10 @ 70 mm, 1/125, ISO 100

    Conclusion

    Click here to see my conclusion in part II.

    Where to order

    Click here to learn more or order from B&H. Sign up for my deals newsletter to keep up on sales announcements for this camera and much more.

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    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    B&H provided me with a loaner camera and lens so I could bring this article to you.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

    Tuesday, November 26, 2013

    First Thoughts: Perfect Photo Suite 8 Final Release

    I’ll be doing a full review soon, but in the meantime here’s my initial thoughts on the main products included…


    Perfect Enhance 8

    Perfect Enhance is basically like your develop module in Lightroom. It’s the place where you get started with your basic editing as well as where you revisit for your final touches. I love the graphical layout and sharpening panel.


    Perfect Effects 8

    This module gets a whole lot better thanks to the new Perfect Brush and Gradient Tool. Everything you liked before is there with subtle but powerful user interface enhancements.


    Perfect Effects 8 - Dynamic Contrast is similar to Nik's Tonal Contrast

    (Red hair is a visible mask painted with the new perfect brush)

    Dynamic Contrast is going to be a big hit because it’s similar to what Nik’s Tonal Contrast does but with visual presets and editing aids to help control how much effect is applied using the Detail sliders.


    Perfect Portrait 8

    Perfect Portrait will feel familiar, but the improved blemish eraser now features content aware fill so it is as effective as Photoshop’s default spot healing brush.


    Perfect B&W 8

    Perfect B&W doesn’t seem to have changed much feature wise, but it definitely seems more stable. The brushes are helpful now as well.


    Perfect Resize 8

    No big changes for Perfect Resize, but its integration is seamless.

    See my summary at the end for more thoughts…

    PRESS RELEASE: onOne Software Announces Availability of Perfect Photo Suite 8

    New Perfect Eraser for Content-Aware Fill, Enhance and Browse Modules, Perfect Batch Processor, and Re-imagined Effects Module Evolve Popular Plug-In Into a Complete Photo Editing Solution for Every Workflow

    Portland, OR – November 26, 2013 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative digital photography solutions, today announced the availability of Perfect Photo Suite 8—the Photographer’s Choice for Photo Editing. Perfect Photo Suite 8 is a full-featured, standalone photo editor that also integrates seamlessly with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, and Apple Aperture. It includes all the best tools a photographer needs to create stunning images.

    Key new features include the Perfect Eraser, with content-aware fill technology; the Perfect Enhance module for essential photo adjustments; a new Browser that streamlines direct access to images wherever they are located; the Perfect Batch engine that applies presets to multiple images with a single click; and a re-engineered Perfect Effects module, with twice as many adjustable filters, customizable presets, and integrated FocalPoint technology. These new tools and capabilities alongside Perfect Photo Suite 8’s eight modules, one-click presets, tools for automated enhancements, and powerful controls allow photographers to enhance, retouch, and stylize images in a layered workflow, replace backgrounds, create high-quality enlargements, and prepare images for output—giving them the ability to express their creativity and transform their photos quickly and easily.

    “We are extremely excited about Perfect Photo Suite 8,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “This version is the result of what photographers have been asking for, not only from us but from the industry as a whole. We’re grateful for the contributions and feedback the photography community has invested in our effort and we believe that we’ve created an extraordinarily powerful image editing tool that meets their specific needs in return.”
    After a successful public beta program for Perfect Photo Suite 8, many photographers had a chance to try out the new version and give their feedback. “The attention to your user’s needs is unmatched,” said Rebecca Lyyski, owner of Lyyski’s Designs. “As a graphic designer and photographer with an elevated workload, your product has made editing my professional photography a pleasure instead of a chore,” she adds. Greg Lambert, public beta user and onOne Software photo contest winner shared, “Perfect Photo Suite 8 continues to evolve by refining its existing capability, streamlining the interface and providing some new and exciting tools and presets to enable photographers to produce the images they visualize when they press the shutter button.”

    The New Perfect Photo Suite 8 Features:
    • Eight integrated modules – Effects, Enhance, B&W, Portrait, Mask, Layers, Resize, and Browse. Each module is designed to target a specific image-processing task. Together, they help photographers enhance, retouch, and stylize images in a layered workflow, replace backgrounds, create high-quality enlargements, and prepare images for use in various capacities.
    • New Module! Perfect Enhance provides essential tools for basic enhancements, such as brightness and contrast adjustments; colorcast, dust spot, and power line removal; and the addition of vignettes. It is an ideal module to start with when using Perfect Photo Suite 8 as a standalone application or when quick corrections are needed.
    • New Module! Browse provides convenient and direct access to image files wherever they are stored—whether they are on a computer, an external drive, a connected network, or on a cloud-based storage service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Apple’s Photo Stream.
    • Reimagined! Perfect Effects – As a cornerstone of Perfect Photo Suite 8, the Effects module has been redesigned by adding adjustable filters and customizable presets, making it the most powerful and versatile image stylization tool available on the market today.
    Twice as Many Adjustable Filters to create the most sought-after looks, including:
    • Dynamic Contrast – Adds stunning clarity to images and makes them pop by exaggerating the levels of contrast, without sacrificing highlight and shadow detail, creating halos, or affecting saturation.
    • Lens Blur – Includes the best parts of FocalPoint technology to create bokeh, tilt-shift, and selective focus effects after the shot.
    • HDR – Gives images the edgy look of high dynamic range. Settings are adjustable and create effects that range from subtle to surreal.
    • Vintage – Turns photos into a nostalgic memory with retro-style filters.
    Powerful brushes provide the right results for specific editing tasks:
    • Perfect Eraser removes objects with content-aware fill technology
    • Retouch Brush uses spot healing to remove small distractions
    • Clone Brush removes unwanted items by replicating and covering specified areas of an image
    • Masking Brush reveals underlying layers or selectively applies effects
    • Perfect Brush delivers precise edge-detection masking

    Hundreds of Customizable Presets are available throughout Perfect Photo Suite 8 that make it easy for any photographer to instantly create an image they love. Presets can also be used as starting points for creativity and efficiency. Presets are included in the Enhance, Effects, B&W, Portrait, and Resize modules.

    Improved Masking Bug in the Effects and Layers modules make mask creation easier and more intuitive.

    Perfect Batch engine simultaneously applies presets from multiple modules and a watermark to a selected group of images.

    Availability and Pricing

    The new Perfect Photo Suite 8 is now available at www.ononesoftware.com/store. Perfect Photo Suite 8 is available in three editions: Premium, Standard, and for Adobe Lightroom & Apple Aperture.

    The Premium Edition works with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Apple Aperture, and as a standalone application. It is priced at $179.95. Owners of previous versions of Perfect Photo Suite Premium Edition can upgrade for $99.95. For a limited time, orders of Perfect Photo Suite 8 Premium Edition will include a special collection of Professional Presets and The Essential Video Guide to Perfect Photo Suite 8, which provides a comprehensive collection of getting started training videos for Perfect Photo Suite 8—for free ($80 value). This offer ends on December 3, 2013.

    Perfect Photo Suite 8 for Adobe Lightroom & Apple Aperture works with Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop Elements, and as a standalone application. It is available for $129.95; upgrades are $79.95. The Standard Edition works as a complete standalone photo editor and is available for $79.95. For more information on Perfect Photo Suite 8, please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com. A 30-day Money Back Guarantee backs all onOne Software products.

    About onOne Software

    onOne Software, Inc., is a leading developer of innovative software tools and apps for digital photography and offers time-saving software solutions for photographers of all levels, from enthusiasts to professionals. Leveraging its extensive history as successful plug-in developer for Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, and Apple Aperture, and continued development of cutting-edge technology, onOne publishes unified solutions that offer both full-featured photo editing capabilities and the flexibility of traditional plug-ins. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit www.ononesoftware.com.

    Conclusion

    I wasn’t a big fan of Focal Point and I hated its “bug”, so I’m not too sad to see it go. With the Perfect Brush making masks easy, I find myself using the brush quite often – much like I use U-Point controls in the Nik Collection.

    I’m also excited about how fast and reliable this version seems to be, and how the brushes feel as effective and powerful even more so than the one in Lightroom.

    With the browse and enhance modules, it’s now very possible to do all your work just in the onOne Suite. The lack of a good noise reduction solution is probably its biggest handicap, but if you aren’t using noise reduction software, then you’ll probably not even notice this issue.

    I’ll have more to say in my upcoming full review of the new suite, but my early testing makes it a no brainer upgrade for me. The perfect brush, dynamic contrast, improved performance and better integration make it the most flexible and powerful version yet.

    Where to order

    Click here to order and learn more.

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    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

    B&H’s Best Deals of the Year Now LIVE (Save up to $1400 on Fujifilm X-E1/X-Pro1)

    The best deals of the year are finally getting announced. You can keep track by subscribing to my deals newsletter and checking the archive here

    Below is one of my favorite, but CLICK HERE to see a bunch more!

    Fujifilm X-E1 Buy Together & Save Promo


    Save up to $1400 with instant rebates when you purchase Fuji lenses with camera in one order

    See my review of this product

    Sample shown with maximum lenses in cart

    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

    Friday, November 22, 2013

    YOU DECIDE: Traditional or Fashion Processing?

    Copyright © Ron Martinsen – All Rights Reserved
    Copyright © Ron Martinsen – All Rights Reserved

    I thought I’d try something new today to try to encourage some reader involvement.

    The photo above is processed first as I’d normally process my photos – the clean and safe way (A), but on the right I process it using a technique that I see fashion photographers doing more often these days (B).

    Which do you prefer and why?


    Post your preference here as comments, or on my Facebook or Google+ pages.

    Processing Details

    On the left (A) I played it safe and did my standard workflow of Imagenomic Portraiture and the Nik Collection, but on the right (B) I used combination of filters in Perfect Effects to get the popular washed out / dated fashion look that has become rather common these days. Topaz Restyle was originally used to get the look on the right, but I misplaced my product key so I had to use something else to publish the article. Both are able to produce the same look.

    Where to order

    Visit my review of Portraiture to learn more, watch a video and get a discount on my favorite skin softening product!

    Click here to learn more about Perfect Effects (new version 8 review coming soon).

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    SNAGHTML296ec9

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    Disclosure

    If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

    NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

    If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

    This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

    The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity