I took this last night with an aim to get something slightly different. After some faffing about this is the best of what I got. Not sure if I like this or not what are you’re thoughts?

Tenpa 1.22x on Nikon D50

This was a 2nd attempt at a magnified view after a failed attempt using genuine Nikon parts.  The basics of this can be found here. Though be warned it’s harder than it looks and it’s easy to get glue on the eye piece as I found out.

I ordered my kit from Roxsen on eBay for £29.20 delivered from Hong Kong.  This makes it more expensive than a DK-17m and DK-22 sourced from a UK company.  However the big plus is you get a nice big solid adapter to mount the lens to the camera, along with a big rubber eye cup like the one some pros seem to like for their D3s.

The lens it’s self is clearly a rip of of the Nikon DK-17m, with a few minor differences.  The lens it’s self sits proud of the mount body meaning you have to be careful putting it down, but it does make it easier to clean. This comes fitted with a rubber eye guard similar to the Nikon part and once mounted I can’t tell the difference.  The optical quality seems to be identical as best as I can tell, which was honestly quite a shock.  Both vignette slightly, especially at the bottom of the frame meaning the flash and focus indicators are hard to see with out moving my eye up.  That said I haven’t found this to be an issue yet, time will tell on this one.

The big eye cup fits nicely on both the Tenpa and Nikon lenses with no issue.  It seems to work well to exclude side light but if I’m honest I don’t really like this style of cup.

Here’s a  few shots taken using my iPhone to show the sort of magnification on offer. (click the i to see the lens used)

You can clearly see the difference the 1.2x makes, but you can also see next to no difference between the Nikon and the Tenpa.

The extra 1.22 does seem to make a difference and is quite nice but is by no means world changing.  The vignetting is a touch annoying but so far seems to be a small issue.  This small magnification won’t help much in manual focusing either I suspect as some have made out.

If I ever want a 2nd one of these I honestly see no benefit of the Nikon lens over the Tenpa.  The quality of the view is now so close the extra £22 just isn’t worth it as it may have been in the past.

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.

Basic Panel and Rendering engine

Lightroom 4 Beta Basic Panel

Potentially one of the biggest changes is Adobe have updated the basic panel in the develop module.  They have removed brightness and renamed a few other sliders.  The result is a much simpler interface that I feel works well and is much more intuitive in use.

Updated Process Engine Option

Images edited using the old panel (still accessible using the old 2010 process method) will map their settings into the new panel so you won’t loose edits when you update into the new 2012 processing engine.

The new 2012 rendering doesn’t seem to have made any huge leaps forward as with the LR2 to LR3 change.  The Noise reduction seems unchanged and the general result seems to be identical when comparing to LR3, at least to my eyes.

The end result of these two changes to the panel and rendering engine are more of an evolutionary change.  The net result is similar, if not identical, only the route to it has changed a small amount.

Softproofing

One of a few true new features in Lightroom 4 is soft proofing, previously only available via Photoshop this may prove to be a useful addition.

The Soft Proof Screen

Having never used it before I was unsure what soft proofing was and how it would help me, especially as I don’t colour calibrate my monitors.  However after watching the Adobe TV video on the subject I can see this being a useful feature for people who print a lot and are often disappointed with the results or have troubles with jpegs when exported for web viewing.

Map Module

For me this is the biggest new feature in version 4.  Lightroom now supports GPS tagging and viewing on a map natively.  Previously Lightroom only displayed the GPS if it was already in the EXIF from the camera, though there was a plugin that allowed you to map in GPS position from a track.  This is now all handled natively within Lightroom 4.

The Map Module

If you have a camera with GPS you need do no more, your images will show on the maps and you’re done.  If you don’t there’s a couple of ways to add this GPS data after the fact.

The first way is a simple drag and drop onto the map.  This is very similar to what Flickr uses and very simple.  Simply find the location (via search or manually) then drag the image(s) on to the map to add an exact GPS point to the image.  Done.

The other way, which is how the plugin works, is to use a GPS track log and then sync this against the photos.  The idea behind this is you use a GPS device to record a log of your position while taking photos then using the time stamps of the locations and the photos sync the two.  I am yet to try this as I don’t have a GPS log and photo set but I will try it before the beta expires to see how it works.

Personally I like the idea of an external GPS unit as then I am not using camera battery maintaining a GPS lock, the UI is better (can see accuracy and position not just on/off) and I can use it for other tasks.

Remove Location Option on Export

The main concern I had with GPS tagging was that of privacy. While I might want to tag my shots of the kids were at home or where that rare bird was it doesn’t mean I want to share this information with the world. Fortunately there’s a single check box in the export wizard which will remove all location information from the exported image keeping this data private.

Books

Another new feature is the ability to create photobooks direct from Lightroom.  This is a feature provided by Apple in both iPhoto and Aperture. The books are provided by Blurb, I haven’t used them my self but have heard good things.  Had this been in lightroom before I would have considered them when I made a photobook.  Pricing isn’t the cheapest but the quality is supposedly good and if the integration is any good this could be a winner.

It also looks like you can export PDF versions, but I haven’t tried this only seen it in the menus.

Video

Adobe seem to be making a big deal of the new video support.  Though from what I have seen this is primative at best and you’d be far better off using iMovie or Windows Movie maker which can do all that Lightroom can and more.

Conclusions

Based on the March 31st exipry date on the beta, we’re looking at a spring launch of the final product.  Will I be swapping over to the new version?  Well it depends.

Currently Lightroom 3 retails for £240, this is more than 4 times what Apples Aperture 3 costs via the App store (or 2x the price from Apple on DVD).  Unless Adobe cut the price significantly I can’t see me making the change to Lightroom 4, and would probably want to look at getting an Aperture trial working*.  Other than the map feature, which is already in Aperture 3, there is no 1 killer feature I feel is worth the potential huge cost.

Lightroom 4 Resources

Adobe Labs download page for Lightroom 4 – http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom4/
Adobe TV video introduction series - http://blogs.adobe.com/jkost/2012/01/4267.html
Kelby media Lightroom 4 site - http://www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom4

*I squandered my free trial by not using it for the 30days allowed as many often do!

Nikon D4

So how does this affect me at the other end of the market where such bodies are pipe dreams?  Well there will soon be a lot of D3 and D3s bodies hitting the used market as people upgrade to the D4.  This might not happen immediately as people hold on to them until the D4 proves it’s worth, it will happen.

Once this does happen the prices of the current generations of gear will drop, especially at the pro end.  So instead of looking at a used D700 people will look to the D3 or maybe even a D3s. This will bring, what is in fact quite amazing kit (especially if your still running a 6 year old D50 like me), into the realms of the hobbyist budget.

Count me in for a D700 or D3 in about November.

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/

One key peice of information always seemed to be left out when these are mentioned so I decided to make 2, one deep one and a shallower one and see what I got.

I picked up a box of straws in a local tat emporium for a massive £1.25, some Uhu glue for £1.99 and dug out the spare bit of foam draw liner I had from my tool box. I was all set.

For my lengths I went for 2cm and 5cm.  To ensure all the straws were cut close to the same length I marked up a line on some thin ply to use as a cut board and got to work.  The box contained about 200 straws and there’s hardly a dent so I’d guess on 30-45 straws were enough to make enough lengths.

1 down, one half way

Glueing them together was easy, though messy.  Working a layer at a time I measured up against the flash I glued them together in a honeycomb style pattern until I had a big enough grid (about 10 rows each or 11 or 12 straws).  Once the grid was made I left the glue to dry over night and go pretty solid.

Next I cut a strip from the foam 2.5cm wider then the grid and long enough to wrap round with a small overlap.  Gluing the grid to the center of the foam and leaving to dry made the wrapping a far easier job, wrapping rubber bands round held things still till the glue dried.

Rubber bands hold everything in place while the glue goes off.

The completed items are a bit tight on the flash so the glue has broke free a bit on the bottom but gives me a good snug fit.

A look down the grid, you can see where the foam broke away when fitted to the flash.

Results from initial tests seem good giving a nice controlled spread.

bare strobe @ 85mm zoom

2cm grid

5cm grid

The 5cm grid focuses the beam nice and tight, the above images are 3m from the wall so that circle is pretty small.  The 2cm looks like it will also be useful but more of a spill kill than a spot of light.

Once these get used in anger I will attempt to remember to come back and add some proper samples.

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.

First impressions of this tripod where it was very well made. All the machining seemed nice and clean and the anodising was certainly top notch. While not the carbon fibre that so many desire the whole package is still very light, especially when compared to similarly priced tripod from another major player.

The legs use twist locks which I was sceptical of to begin with as my cheap monopod uses them and have always been a pain. I needed not worry as a mere 1/4 turn is plenty to release or lock the legs. There was some grit in one of the locks from delivery but a quick clean with some water and a re-grease and it was as smooth as the other 8 locks.

Stability wise I really can’t fault the Kirk. Even at full height with the column up therese very little movement. For me (about 5′ 10″ tall) I do need to raise the column a small amount to use the camera at eye height but this is plenty solid. You can also remove the centre column and screw the top plate direct into the spider and get really low if needed, but allow 2-3 mins to do that.

One leg stands out as it comes with a neoprene foam grip. On a cold day you really notice the cold on the magnesium alloy legs so this is a very welcome feature. This leg can also be unscrewed to be used as a monopod. This is a bit of a faff as you have to also remove the 3/8″ bolt from the centre column and screw it into the leg. Even with the supplied 100mm extension piece and B3 head on this is a bit short and I found my self stooping. While this might be useful in a pinch I don’t think it’s a real alternative to a proper monopod if you have the ability to carry both.

The Kirk in action

The B3 head is rated to the same 12Kg as the legs and is a nice and substantial item. I went for a nice moondust finish which is sort of golden in colour, but theres a choice of 4 colours right now, so go for something that’s not black!

The friction dial has proved to be excellent and gives a good range of damping from none up to a full lock, letting you get it just so with ease. The lock knob is a similar size so I have confused the two a few times but with time I might get more used to this. There is also a smaller pan lock knob. Once slacked off the pan is nicely damped but it does allow a very small wobble so I’d recommend tightening it back up between shots if this may be a problem.

Conclusion

At about £170 this is a very well priced tripod. It’s light and packs down small, both advantages over it’s competition. Once you add in the fact it comes with a nice padded bag this really does seem to come to good value (if you’re paying anyway).

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to anyone in the market for a standard type tripod. I would even ponder the need for CF when this weighs so little.

Initial thoughts are very good.

The tripod is nice and solid and a definite step up from the Camlink I have been using.  A nice touch is one leg can be used as a monopod which might be handy if I don’t want to take the Red Snapper as well.  The design also allows for the centre column to be removed getting the tripod as low as  21cm (about 30cm with the head on) which is pretty low by any measure.

The B3 head that came with it is nicely damped and the clamping control seems to work flawlessly.  I went for the titanium colour option which gives a nice change from the usual black of photo gear.

They also supply a nice padded bag, a 4″ centre column extension and an allen key.

I am hoping to get out with this soon and will do a proper review once I have been able to try out the tripod in its various guises.

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

When upright the flash was usually fine, but once jostled the power would go and I’d get tourette’s.  Then when swapping to portrait I heard the noise of moving batteries and quickly solved the issue by swapping battery brands.

The problem batteries where 7 day shop good to gos, and the batteries that fixed the issue where VapexTech Instants.

Amazing how simple the issue was, as I was ready to send the flash back to China!

Update:
I have spent a bit of time fiddling with my flash tonight to try fix a wobble but no luck.  While I was there I used a small screw driver to bend the battery contacts a bit.  There was 1 which had lost it’s spring so bending this up a bit means I am now able to use both my sets of batteries again.

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.