Thursday, May 30, 2013

Think Tank Photo Test Drive–FREE 30 Day Trial!–EXPIRES on May 31st, 2013

Logistics Manager 30_2
Click Here for Ron's Review of the ORIGINAL Logistics Manager

My friends at Think Tank Photo just announced an exciting new Test Drive program and the release of a new version of its monster rolling camera case, the Logistics Manager™ 30.

RETRO7PS_GEARSHOT
Click here for Ron's Retrospective 20 Review 

With the Test Drive program you get to try out any of Think Tank’s very popular Retrospective® soft shoulder bags for 30 days for free!  Should the shoulder bag meet your needs, then your credit card will be charged at  the close of the 30 days.  Should it not meet your needs, return it within the Test Drive time period and your card won’t be charged.  The Retrospective series was created as an homage to classic photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank.  Designed for the photographer who wants to remain inconspicuous in any situation, its "old-school" look mixes with "new-school" features giving tribute to the days when bags were visually simple but highly functional.  It comes in nine models and three colors. This offer is good only on shipments to U.S. addresses.

And, Think Tank just released a new version of its largest rolling camera case, the Logistics Manager™ 30.  Its roomy internal dimensions of 13.75”W x 27.5”H x 8.25 – 10”D (35 x 70 x 21 – 25.5cm) allow it to hold multiple combinations of cameras and lenses, lighting gear such as strobes and reflectors, and accessories of all kinds.  Use this link and you will receive a free gift with your orders from Think Tank.

And don’t forget, there is free shipping on all orders through May 31, 2013.

Conclusion

This is a great chance to try out these awesome bags!

The Test Drive program will run from May 15, 2013—June 15, 2013 or while supplies last.

Where to order

Click here to do the Retrospective Test Drive

Click here to do the Logistics Manager 30

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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, May 29, 2013

REVIEW: The Digital Photography Book: Part 1 (2nd Edition) by Scott Kelby

The first edition of The Digital Photography Book (review) is probably the most frequently purchased single product from this blog, and one that I’ve verbally recommended to thousands of people. The reason for this is simple – it’s short, simple and just gets to the damn point on a huge number of questions EVERY new photographer has. With The Digital Photography Book: Part 1 (2nd Edition), Scott has refreshed the original title to be relevant to 2013.

Controversy Explained

While all the books in The Digital Photography Series are extremely useful to the new photographer, there are some seasoned photographers, sticklers for details, and web trolls who seem to erupt at the very mention of these books (and often the name Scott Kelby). The reason for this is often because Scott uses the KISS principle in this book to make a large amount of information easy to digest for an audience of all abilities. When making generalizations there are often details that can cause Scott’s advice to be technically inaccurate for special circumstances and that stresses some people out.

The truth of the matter is that no small children will be harmed if you take ALL of the advice in these books, and as you grow in your photography journey you’ll begin to recognize a few cases where Scott gave you sound generalized advice to get started but the devil in the details suggests a better way. A good analogy would be if you were teaching to someone to drive an automatic transmission car you’d just tell them to put the car in drive, release the brake and drive straight. You wouldn’t bother them with when and how they’d use 2nd gear or whey they should manually downshift when passing on a hill. In this example a good instructor isn’t even going to talk about reverse just yet because you just need to know that to make the car you put it in drive and when you stop you put it in park – they don’t need to know that you can also put the car in 2nd and the car will move forward for a better start in slippery conditions. If you can follow this example and understand the necessity of providing only what’s needed for hundreds of photography topics that you’ll face in your first months as a photographer, then you’ll love this book!

But Scott Contradicts Himself…

Web trolls are always quick to point out that Scott Kelby sometimes contradicts himself, but with the information above think about this for a second. If you told your driving student to just put the car in drive and go that’s a great first step. It’s not really a contraction to later say you’ll get better performance on hills if you don’t use drive and you manually shift through the gears. What you are doing in the latter statement is giving the more advanced student additional information when they are ready to hear it.

Two common contradiction examples that seem to get peoples panties in a bunch are:

  1. Scott says “when you want as much as possible in focus…just choose the highest [f-stop]number your lens will allow” – This causes pitchforks to come out! Discussions of diffraction, lens sharpness, and much more factor into what f-stop will offer the sharpest image and some would say “the best result”, and they are all totally valid arguments/facts. However, the largest f-stop number WILL offer the greatest depth of field, so Scott is absolutely correct. He just leaves out the dissertation (which could be its own book) on what factors and tradeoffs come into play in getting the best image with a large depth of field.
  2. Scott says in the book “good glass makes a big difference” but in his videos he often says that you don’t need expenses lenses. In fact he even touts sub $500 lenses (like the nifty 50 for $200) as being all you need to get a great shot. Of course when you ask him what gear he owns, he has a huge selection of very expensive lenses (including a lens that cost nearly $9000 these days!). However, Scott’s reality matches his book advice and it is a fact – great photos are made with cheap lenses too! Great photographers will make great photos with cell phones, old cameras, etc… so again there’s no contradiction – just context is necessary to understand why the different statements come up.

There’s many other examples too, but I used these two because they are both common and they illustrate how people sometimes freak out by clinging to words out of context. It’s also a fact that if you are given a sentence to generalize subjects that chapters or even books have been written about, then a language lawyer is going to eat your lunch. Don’t be fooled by the foolishness – Scott has given a LOT of great advice that has made lots of photographers successful. Many of those photographers have gone off to make a lot of money with their skills, so there’s a reason why the books in this series are the #1 top-selling digital photography books ever!

What’s New

Canon users will notice that this edition has more Canon product images than the predecessor, but all of the information applies to most DSLR and even mirrorless systems. In fact, the biggest part of what’s new are mostly the images and product mentions have become relevant with today’s models.

This book is about 20 pages longer and features a new chapter entitled “Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me” which is a chapter I think most seasoned photographers will relate with.

Chapter by Chapter Walkthrough

  1. Pro Tips for Getting Really Sharp Photos – Want sharp photos? This is practical advice on how to do that quickly. When I first read this book I was new to digital photography and modern day SLR’s, so I really appreciated the practical advice given here. It mirrors what I tell my students in my own classes.
  2. Shooting Flowers Like A Pro – Macro photographers are an interesting bunch so they’ll drive you insane if you ask them this question. Scott offers great advice for normal people on how to get shots of flowers and other basic small objects that don’t suck – without spending a small fortune.
  3. Shooting Weddings Like A Pro – Okay books bigger than the bible can be written on this subject, so don’t hang your shingle out as a pro wedding photographer after reading this chapter. However, you’ll have some practical advice on how to prepare yourself for helping out a friend by taking some photos for them IN ADDITION to their pro wedding photographer. This is a huge subject though so Scott digs into this and others in other volumes of this series as one chapter simply just scratches the surface.
  4. Shooting Landscapes Like A Pro – This helps you know what you need to get your shot of the Grand Canyon or other common landscape, but again it’s just the beginning. For some this may be all you need to know, but for those with a passion in this area you’ll want to read Scott’s other books and those of other accomplished landscape photographers.
  5. Shooting Sports Like A Pro – This basically gets you set up for what you need to know to get good shots of your kids sports and offers a reality check on what’s required to get the shots YOU wish you could get at these games. It’s also good basic advice in case you luck out and find yourself on the sidelines of a college or better game.
  6. Shooting People Like A Pro – You probably won’t get hired by Maxim to do their covers after reading this chapter, but your spouse will probably be a lot happier with the shots you take! This is good basic advice for those getting started.
  7. Avoiding Problems Like A Pro – Some simple advice that would most likely come up if you went on a shoot with any experienced photographer.
  8. Taking Advantage of Digital Like A Pro – This is great advice even for some experience photographers who have started their photography journey only reading in-depth books which lack practical advice.
  9. Taking Travel & City Life Shots Like A Pro – This is one of my favorite chapters because it’s something we all do and it’s what I think Scott does best. His practical advice is sure to help you improve your “luck” at travel photography.
  10. How to Print Like A Pro and Other Cool Stuff – I’ve got a whole Printing Series and Printing 101 eBook on this subject, but Scott’s advice here boils it down the basics very well. Consider it a primer on what is probably the most complex thing to dive in and master in the art of Photography.
  11. Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me – This is the new chapter filled with some sound advice that honestly many seasoned amateurs would be wise to listen to. Some people get so obsessed with reading, classes, gear and “the facts” that they forget that photography is supposed to be fun and you just need to get out there and shoot!
  12. Photo Recipes to Help You Get “The Shot” – This is how Scott finishes all of the books in this series and he’s even going to do a Volume 5 that is purely Photo Recipes. These are just cool shots with a quick blurb about how to get this type of shot, but in the new book it will have more depth to show you how to actually do it (including lighting setups). Scott also has a fantastic video (part 2) that expands on what is show to help you get the shot – I highly recommend the video or Kelby Training if you’d rather learn by example.

Conclusion

As a seasoned photographer I enjoy these books because they are filled with tips that sometimes make me think – hum, I should try that. Even when I find myself starting to say “yeah, but…”, when I really think about my photography students I think – yeah, this advice is “enough info” for the beginner. Many of the haters forget what it’s like to be new to photography and being overwhelmed with information by everyone who claims to be an expert.

I believe so strongly in the value of this book, I think it’s a book that every photographer should buy with their first digital camera purchase (including seasoned film photographers moving to digital). I give it my highest recommendation of any product featured on this blog. It’s also a the longest recommendation of my “Which Books Should I Read?” list.

What to know something else funny? This book is super easy to digest so you probably could have read a quarter of the book in the time it took you to read this article. When I got it I just put it in the restroom (don’t laugh) and I’d read a few pages on each visit. In less than a week I finished it and we didn’t even have any beans to eat that week!

This is also great to have on your Kindle or favorite eBook reading device!

Where to order

Click here to order this book at Amazon in your favorite format. Scott has a bunch of best-selling books that are great on his Amazon page as well.

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And for those who are screaming “What about <insert your favorite author here>”, you can see my thoughts on other books in the right hand column of this blog where I keep my book reviews. Here’s a few other great books from other authors that I think are worth reading IN ADDITION to this book:

There’s tons more too with new ones coming out all of the time. Again, consult my book reviews and Which books should I read? article for more info.

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

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Guest Blog: Promote Control Mini-Review by Luc Schoonjans (Updated: 5/28/2013) Discount Expires June 11th!

Promote Control
Promote Control
Actual Photo (vs the rendered view found most other places)

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and occasionally dabble with HDR. If you shoot Canon too, you know that the auto-bracketing exposure (AEB) is limited to 3 exposures on all but the 1D Series bodies, while Nikon allows up to 9 exposures. So, what do you do? Short of buying a new camera, you stick to the limits provided by Canon, or you take a set of 3 exposures, change the settings on the camera, take another set of 3 exposures. This is far from ideal as this may cause misalignment between sets of exposures.

Enter the Promote control, from Promote Systems. When I heard Ron had one unit on loan, I had to ask him permission to do some field testing with it.

My first surprise is that the Promote Control is much more than just a snazzy device for taking HDR pictures. A quick run through the various modes and you realize this device does a lot more:

However, there is a little caveat for the Focus Stacking. The unit I used was loaded with firmware 2.25 (beta), which allows Focus stacking, but only for Canon cameras with the Live View feature. This is temporary though, as Promote systems will extend this feature to Nikon as well, in a future firmware release. A quick look at their website reveals that the latest firmware release is now at version 2.36 (beta, as well). Click on this link to see the details of the list of firmware and the features that are added.

The second surprise was the ease of use. It is very intuitive. For each mode you select the parameters that you want to set, hit “Start” and voila. For each mode there are a few pre-requisites for the unit to operate flawlessly. So, before reading the manual, it does pay off to watch the “Quick Start Videos” that are posted on Promote systems main webpage (and here on YouTube). They are short, but they will set you straight away on the right track.

Promote control, in its basic configuration, comes with the following:

  • The unit,
  • 1 USB cable, to connect the unit to the computer (for firmware updates),
  • 1 mini USB cable to connect the control to the camera,
  • a lanyard,
  • and a pouch.

If you shoot HDR, it is strongly recommended you buy the additional Shutter cable, for faster operations (more details below).

This review focuses (no pun intended) on HDR and focus stacking

HDR – Mini field testing

As mentioned earlier, if you want to get the best experience in this mode, get the additional Shutter cable. Among the many advantages, there are 2 that are directly relevant for HDR:

  • Enable faster shutter release
  • Enables mirror lockup functionality

This cable is brand specific, so make sure to get the right one for your camera.

The pre-requisite for this mode are the following:

  1. Set your camera on manual exposure mode
  2. Set the exposure setting on 1/3 of a stop increments
  3. Set the lens on manual focus.

This means that in the field you will want to do the pre-focusing first and then switch to manual focus.

Using the Promote Control is straightforward. Set your camera as indicated above, connect the unit to your camera, select your settings and press “start”. The combo camera/Promote Control does the rest.

What I personally liked about this unit in real life shooting is two-fold:

  1. Once you have focused and connected the unit to you camera, you no longer touch it. You can shoot the same scene using different settings and never lay hands on your camera, hence avoiding misalignment between exposures
  2. It is flexible.

The power of the Promote Control lies with the settings:

  • Number of exposures (it goes up to 29)
  • Interval between exposures are in increments of 1/3 of a stop
  • Mirror lock-up
  • Time lapse HDR
  • Sequence of exposures (from dark to bright, or the opposite)

There are additional options in the Function menu that allows you to customize your unit so that it matches your camera and your shooting style more adequately.

If there is one drawback that I can think of, it is one more accessory to carry with you. The unit is very light, weight is not at all an issue, and the pouch allows you to stow away the unit plus its cable in a very snug way. It is just “one more thing to pack and carry with you. Having said that, you can buy a tripod holder that allows you to attach the Promote Control to the tripod, and / or you can also buy the remote control unit. (I did not have either of those, so I was not able to test them).

Focus Stacking – Mini field testing


Focus Stacking Example
Notice how both the foreground and background objects are in full focus

Focus Stacking is a technique that consists of taking 2 or more pictures at different focus points and combine them later in software, in order to achieve greater depth of field. This particularly handy for situations where depth of filed is a challenge, like macro photography, but of course, this applies to any situations where you want to get the greatest sharpness you can get, from near to far (architecture, landscape …).

This features uses Live View, so in the case, you just need the USB cable that links the unit to your camera (no shutter cable required for this mode).

Click here to see a gallery that shows all 15 shots taken to create the shot above that is perfectly in focus from the rear all the way to the front of the image. Doing this by hand is a pain yet this app makes it easy to capture the images for use by your favorite focus stacking software.

Again, there are some simple pre-requisites. Your camera needs to be set in manual exposure mode, and One-Shot mode. The lens this time will need to be switched to AF. You then connect the unit and adjust the settings. Note that when you start adjusting the settings, Live View turns on automatically, and you see the effect on focus on your LCD as you adjust the settings on the unit. The Promote Systems main page has a video that explains how to use this mode in more details than I could do here, but I must say, using this mode will make you a believer.

Make sure you read the caveat above. This feature is currently available only to Canon cameras (with Live View functionality). It will be extended to Nikon in a future firmware release. With that out of the way, WOW, I would buy the Promote Control just for this feature alone. I absolutely love it.

Conclusion

This mini-review has only scratched the surface. As mentioned earlier, there are additional modes that I have not even used yet. Additionally, one feature I have not included in this review is that you can combine modes together, for instance, Time-lapse HDR, or Focus Stacking HDR. But for what I have seen so far, Promote Control is a very powerful tool. It is very flexible, and allows you to do much more than what you would normally achieve with a regular remote control, like the Canon remote release and other similar alternatives.

If you shoot HDR, Time-lapse or do focus stacking (and more), I would definitely recommend buying one. You will use it a lot.

Special Offer (EXPIRES June 11, 2013)

Click this link to place your order directly from Promote Systems, and get $15 off the total price of your order. This offer WILL NOT WORK if you don’t click the link.

You can also order from Adorama or B&H and get free shipping.

Disclosure

This unit was loaned to Ron & Luc by a reader of this blog. I may get a commission if you make a purchase using the links in this article.

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 Sale on Sony Alpha Cameras until May 31st

The following items are on sale until May 31st at 8:59 PM Pacific / 11:59 PM Eastern:


Sony Alpha NEX-3NL - $448


Sony Alpha NEX-5R - $498


Sony Alpha NEX-6 - $748


Sony Alpha SLT-A58 - $598


Sony Alpha SLT-A77 - $998


Sony SLT-A99V - $2798

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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

Monday, May 27, 2013

5D Mark III with Motorsports - The 24 Hours of Nürburgring at the "Green Hell" by David Yowe

I often get asked, is the 5D Mark III really good enough for shooting sports? As a Canon EOS 1D X owner, I know that all it lacks from my pro camera is a faster burst mode and larger battery, so I tell people – heck yeah! This thing is no 5D Mark II with an antiquated AF system, so when one of my readers was sharing his experience with me of shooting the most awesome motorsports venue on the planet – the Nürburgring – I couldn’t resist asking him to guest blog for me.

I’m an avid amateur photographer with a passion for motorsports and have photographed several car races in the US and overseas. However, there was one race I always wanted to go to since seeing photos from Paddy McGrath at SpeedHunters.com, and that is the "24 Hours of Nürburgring". This sports car endurance race is held at the Nordschleife (the Green Hell) and GP circuit of the Nürburgring in Nurburg, Germany. About 200 cars and 500 drivers participate in this race, with each lap about 15.5 miles through the Eifel mountains. The race is attended by about 150,000 fans with most camping on site, which is something to be seen from scaffolding viewing platforms to make-shift buildings. The changing weather conditions, hilly terrain, high catch fencing, and "mud" make photography and getting around the Nordschleife part of the track challenging. But it's worth it, with great photography opportunities. The photos below were mainly shot from spectator viewing areas with a Canon 5D Mark III using a 300mm f2.8L IS II (with or without a 1.4x extender III) or 50mm f/1.2L using shutter priority and the camera settings below. The raw files were exported to the iPad (since this is all I take with me when traveling), with minimal editing using the Photo App, then imported into Pages for this blog posting. Hope the photos capture some of the experience that is the Nürburgring 24 Hours. If you would like to see more photos from this race and other races I've attended please check out my blog at http://dlymotorsportimages.com. Sorry for the short blog, but I'm in the middle of traveling back to the US. Many thanks to Ron for giving me the opportunity to post a guest blog on his website.

Camera settings
  • Metering = Spot
  • AF mode = AI servo (with back-button focusing can lock AF and use like One-stop AF)
  • AF area selection mode = AF point expansion (manual selection) 4 or 8 adjacent
  • AF Case 2 = Tracking sensitivity (-1), Acceleration/deceleration tracking (0), AF point switching (0)
  • AI Servo 1st image priority = Focus priority
  • AI Servo 2nd image priority = Focus priority
  • Selectable AF points = 61 points
  • AF point display during focus = All (constant)
  • VF display illumination = On
  • Drive mode = Single-shot (or multiple shot if needed)
  • ISO = 100 (or adjust as needed)
  • File format = RAW
  • Image recording = Record images to multiple card (CF card and SD card for back-up)

clip_image002Pre-race preparations on the front straight. Shot from the Mercedes Tribune (420mm, f/4, 1/2000, ISO 100)

clip_image004The start of the Nürburgring 24 Hrs. Shot from the Mercedes Tribune (420mm, f/4, 1/1000, ISO 125)

clip_image006A Lexus LFA about to pass a Porsche along the Tribune 5 straight. Shot from the top of Tribune 5a (300mm, f/3.2, 1/320, ISO 100)

clip_image008Audi R8 LMS going downhill in the rain at Breidscheid. Shot from the bottom of the spectator viewing area (420mm, f/4, 1/1000, ISO 100)

clip_image010Lexus LFA speeding around the corner at the bottom of Breidscheid in the rain. Shot from top of spectator viewing area. This was probably my "luckiest" shot (420mm, f/18, 1/13, ISO 100)

clip_image012Porsche 911 heading down pit lane. Was lucky to get access to the pits during night qualifying with another guest at the hotel I was staying at who had a spare pit pass. This was an experience of a lifetime to be able to go from one pit area to the next and to see the workings of teams in action (50mm, f/2, 1/50, ISO 800)

clip_image014BMW GT3 braking on the front straight before turning right into the Yokohama S in the rain. Shot from Bilstein Tribune (300mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 12800)

clip_image016Audi R8 LMS about to make an outside pass on a BMW at the exit of the Wipperman S. Shot from the Brunnchen spectator area (300mm, f/2.8, 1/250, ISO 100)

clip_image018
Audi R8 LMS speeding through a right hand corner at Hohe Acht. Shot from safety car entrance to the track (300mm, f/9, 1/1000, ISO 100)

clip_image020Lexus LFA speeding down the straight between Tribunes 6 and 7. Shot from top of Tribunes. You can probably guess that this is one my favorite race cars. This car has great lines (300mm, f/7.1, 1/100, ISO 100)

Conclusion

I’d like to thank David Yowe for taking the time to share his excitement for motorsports photography at the coolest racing venue on the planet! You can see more of David’s work at http://dlymotorsportimages.com/.

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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

Adorama Memorial Day Price Drops

*** These offers expire at Midnight Eastern (9:00 PM Pacific) ***

Olympus E-P3 PEN 12.3MP Digital Camera with M. Zuiko Digital 14-42mm II R f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens, Black - Was $369 Price Dropped to $349 + a free Olympus Messenger bag and free shipping

Kodak P570 Personal Photo Scanner, 5x7" Photos, 600dpi Resolution, USB 2.0 - Price Dropped to $79

Olympus Tough TG-820 iHS Digital Camera, 12Megapixel, 5x Wide Angle 28-140mm Lens, 1280x720p HD Video, 3"LCD Display, Waterproof/Shockproof, Red - Was $179.00  Price Dropped to $169.00 + Free Shipping

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 16MP Camera Body, 17.3x13mm Image Sensor, 3.0" Touch Enabled LCD

Was $249.00 Price Drop to $199 + 2% Adorama rewards and Free Shipping

Learn more below by clicking the color of your choice:

Panasonic Lumix DMCFX78N 12.1MP Digital Camera, 3.5 inch 16x9 LCD Monitor, Leica DC Vario-Summarit Lens, 1920x1080 Full HD Video – ONLY $79!!!!

Learn more below by clicking the color of your choice:

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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 Memorial Day Sale on Canon 5D Mark III, 6D & 7D–Awesome bundles

Click the images or links below for sale details

Canon 5D Mark III - $200 Instant Rebate, 2% Reward, AMEX Card with Printer Purchase,  Sandisk 32GB memory card, Watson Battery & Gadet bag
Canon 5D Mark III - $200 Instant Rebate, 2% Reward,
AMEX Card with Printer Purchase, SanDisk 32GB memory card,
Watson Battery & Gadget bag

Canon 5D Mark III 24-105mm lens, $200 Instant Rebate, Printer AMEX Card Deal, $110.90 free accessories
Canon 5D Mark III 24-105mm lens, $200 Instant Rebate,
2% Reward, Printer AMEX Card Deal, $110.90 free accessories

Canon 6D, $100 Rebate, 2% Rewards, $200 RebateRuggard Commando 35 DSLR Shoulder BagSanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Ultra Class 10 UHS-I
Canon 6D, $100 Rebate, 2% Rewards, $200 Rebate
Ruggard Commando 35 DSLR Shoulder Bag
SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Ultra Class 10 UHS-I

Canon 6D with 24-105mm - $200 Rebate, 2% Reward, AMEX Card Deal, Canon 200DG Deluxe Gadget BagWatson LP-E6 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.4V 1750mAh)SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Ultra Class 10 UHS-IOben ACM-2400 4-Section Aluminum Monopod
Canon 6D with 24-105mm - $200 Rebate, 2% Reward
AMEX Card Deal, Canon 200DG Deluxe Gadget Bag
Watson LP-E6 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
SanDisk 16GB SDHC Memory Card Ultra Class 10 UHS-I
Oben ACM-2400 4-Section Aluminum Monopod

Canon 7D, $200 Rebate, 2% Reward, AMEX Card Deal
Canon 7D, $200 Rebate, 2% Reward, AMEX Card Deal

Canon 7D with EF-S 18-135mm lens, $200 Rebate, 2% Reward, AMEX Deal, Canon 200DG Deluxe Gadget BagWatson LP-E6 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.4V 1750mAh)SanDisk 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Ultra 200xOben ACM-2400 4-Section Aluminum Monopod
Canon 7D with EF-S 18-135mm lens, $200 Rebate,
2% Reward, AMEX Deal, Canon 200DG Bag
Watson LP-E6 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.4V 1750mAh)
SanDisk 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Ultra 200x
Oben ACM-2400 4-Section Aluminum Monopod

Canon 7D with 28-135mm, $200 Rebate, 2% Reward
Canon 7D with 28-135mm, $200 Rebate, 2% Reward

Camera & Lens Rebates

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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

REVIEW: Trey Ratcliff's Lightroom Presets (Discount Offer)

Click here to order Trey Ratcliff's Lightroom Presets. Please note that you will NOT see my reader discount until you go to shopping cart.

THESE DO NOT WORK WITH LIGHTROOM VERSIONS LESS THAN 4.0!

If for any reason you aren’t seeing a discount then use the  RONMART15 code for 15% off most other products when this offer expires and consult my discount coupon code page or contact me if you are having troubles getting the discount to show up in your cart.

The discount should just appear automatically, but if it doesn’t then use the instructions above. If you did everything right your cart should look like this when you place your order:

image

Remember, my RONMART15 code for 15% off is good for nearly all the products in the Stuck In Customs store. Only one coupon code is valid per order.

Review

Trey Ratcliff runs one of the hottest photography related web sites in the world (based on current Alexa rankings) and enjoys over 8 million+ fans on Google+! One of the major factors of his rapid success is his ability to keep cranking out amazing images on StuckInCustoms.com.

When I interviewed Trey in early 2010 his site wasn’t much bigger than ronmartblog.com is now, so I’ve been studying his site carefully to see why he’s experienced such tremendous growth in the last 4 years. The key reason seems to be his consistency at cranking out images that people love. Many of these images are HDR, which is what he’s famous for, but the real secret sauce in his imaging has been what he does AFTER the HDR merge. He talks about it in his tutorials but what struck me as the most impressive thing is how quick his workflow is! This dude is fast at making images that start out looking like something you or I would take, but then BAM they look awesome!

Like all photographers he has a workflow which features a lot of things that done frequently that might seem random to the casual observer. Trey has collected these common things he does to make his images look great into this collection of Lightroom Presets which can transform any image – HDR or not – to get that Trey Ratcliff signature color look and feel.

Of course if you want the full monty then you’ll need to have to start with great composition techniques, do some HDR work, probably apply some textures with an eye for great subjects to shoot. However these presets can be your starting point for your everyday shots or your finishing touches after you are done editing your images in Photoshop.

Samples

Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Steampunk Afternoon Preset

Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
HDR in Lightroom Preset Collection Example

Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
HDR in Lightroom Preset Collection Example

Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Beyond Expectations Preset

Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Trey's Lightroom Preset Sample Image - Copyright Trey Ratcliff
Big Wheel Race Preset

Video Demonstration from Trey


You must click this link to get the special price!
The link in the video will not offer this special discount.

Ron’s Real World Sample

Due to Mother’s Day I needed to do a quick article tonight so I didn’t have much time to build samples for the article, but I’ve been playing with these for a few days and I really like them. To help demonstrate how they look on a random image that I just edited recently (see here for my full HDR edit). Here’s the original image with no adjustments and no HDR (just one frame):

Original with no edits - nothing special, just an average tourist shot
Original with no edits - nothing special, just an average tourist shot

Trey's HDR Preset: A Good Start
Trey's HDR Preset: A Good Start
I was quite happy with this one click improvement from LIGHTROOM ONLY!

Endless Portrait Preset
Endless Portrait Preset
I was excited about the whole new direction this photo took with this preset

Stronger Glaze Preset
Stronger Glaze Preset
This was a pretty hot effect that I would have never come up with on my own

The Navigator Preset
The Navigator Preset
This looked like a Infrared converted camera took the shot – awesome!

Dramatic Chippy Preset
Dramatic Chippy Preset
This felt like a cool old film shot

More Potent Preset
More Potent Preset
I was impressed at how this was better than my 90 minute edit done using HDR!

HDR Mild Mild Mild Preset
HDR Mild Mild Mild Preset
And for those who really want a subtle improvement, this was nice!

Amazing Raisins Preset
Amazing Raisins Preset
This wasn’t exactly to my taste, but it gave me some ideas that I really liked
because it’s Lightroom I can easily many non-destructive changes from here!

Overall I was impressed with the variety of styles I could get with a single click.

Please note that ALL of these images in this section are Copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED! You may view them on your own machine but you may not print them or save them beyond the time you are viewing this article.

Please keep in mind that Lightroom Presets REPLACE your settings and are NOT additive so you click and you get this effect. Click another and you get a different effect – not the combination of both.

Click here to see the full gallery and larger sizes of these files. Additional preset applications not shown here are included.

Conclusion

These are the hottest selling Lightroom 4 and UP presets on the web right now because they are really quite good! In fact, I can easily say these are the best ones I’ve ever used and honestly the only ones I’ve felt are worth importing in Lightroom. Most of the others I’ve tried elsewhere have been crappy presets that I can easily do myself!

It’s worth a try to use my discount and if you don’t like them then enjoy the risk free returns!

THESE DO NOT WORK WITH LIGHTROOM VERSIONS LESS THAN 4.0!

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If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

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.

All example Images provided by StuckInCustoms.com were taken directly from the order page. It is my understanding that these are shots where the presets have been applied, but I have not personally seen the before shots.

My before and after shots are authentic and you can try them yourself if you get this product.

Terms and conditions are subject to change and this offer WILL expire as described in this article.

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