Adobe Lightroom 4 beta review

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Chris

January 10th 2012 saw Adobe release an open beta of Lightroom 4, 6 years after Lightroom 1 hit the shelves. In this period the product has changed massively but what does this new version bring to the table.

Adobe have made a few changes to existing features and also add some new ones, including a new Map module.

As stated in the title, this is a beta, so there will be dragons. To help keep support issues down Adobe don’t let you convert old catalogues. Instead they recommend you make copies of some files and then import and work on those, never work on the originals as they won’t be there to pick up the pieces when it all goes wrong.

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Nikon announces the D4, does it affect me?

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Chris

Today Nikon finally announced the long awaited follow up for the D3s, the Nikon D4. While this new flag ship has some quite stunning stats, which can be seen elsewhere, at £4800/$6000 it’s out of the reach of most of us.

Nikon D4

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GIMP startrail plugin update 1.3

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Chris

I have released version 1.3 of my GIMP startrail plugin.

This is a free plugin that will layer lots of shorter exposure shots into 1 startrail. There is also the ability to add in 1 or more dark frames which allows you to do dark frame subtraction noise reduction.

Version 1.3 adds the ability to save after each layer is added so you can do a cool timelapse of the trail building up.

This is an example startrail timelapse I have made using this new feature

You can get the plugin from google code: http://code.google.com/p/gimp-startrail-compositor/

DIY flash grids

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Chris

Over the last few evenings I have been indulging in some arts and crafts to make a set of grids for my Yongnuo YN-467 flash. Made from a handful of black drinking straws cut down and glued together then mounted to the flash, these are simple, cheap and effective.

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3 Legged Thing Kirk X2a Tripod Review

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Chris

First a bit of disclosure: I won this tripod in a contest. While this may mean I can’t comment on value for money very well, I can still be objective and tell you about what I like and what I don’t.

Named after Kirk Hammet of Metallica this differently named tripod from 3 Legged Thing sits at the top of their non carbon tripod range. This one also came with the B3 Arca compatible ball head and a rather nice bag.

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It came from Stagsden!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Chris

Thanks to a superb put down by yours truly (see link) I am now the proud owner of a 3 Legged Thing Kirk X2a tripod.

Initial thoughts are very good. Continue reading →

YongNuo YN-467 intermittent power issue

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Chris

Recently I have been having intermittent power issues with my YongNuo YN-467 Nikon flash. It would power up then the power would just die, then power its self backup, and so on.

Yesterday I discovered the cause: the batteries. They weren’t flat, but too short! Continue reading →

How long do I need to go?

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Chris

I have been looking into telephoto lenses recently and been trying to find a good ballance between cost, length, lens speed and quality.

In order to do this I have made a graphic showing the fields of view of various common focal lengths to help me work out just how long I need, rather than how long I want.

Field of view of focal lengths 200mm through 500mm

The bird is a crow (about the size of a small pigeon) taken at about 10-15m from the subject.

DIY bean bag support

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Chris

Bean bags are a popular form of support it seems, and a lot of suppliers will happily relieve you of about £15-25 for one, for what is basically some fabric and rice or lentils. I was sure I could make one for far less, so I did.

Initial investigations showed that camouflage fabric was stupid money in the small volumes sold online. A visit to a local miltary suppliers and I had the perfect bean bag kit. The large mess bag from HM Supplies was the perfect size (12×10″) and only £2.50. This is made from water proofed nylon fabric so I can put this down with out worrying that it will soak up loads of water.

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Red Snapper Verso Backpack

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Chris

After getting my D50 I was pretty skint but still needed a bag. After a bit of hunting past all the normal cheap bags I found one by UK supplier Red Snapper that seemed to fit the bill.

The verso bag offers 2 modes, it can be used as either a back pack or a shoulder bag. This combined with the low price made it stand out from the crowd and was quickly ordered.

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