November 2015

Cardinal Photo 2015 Holiday Gift Guide: Our top travel accessories

We're entering holiday gift season, and if you're like me, there are always a couple people that are hard to shop for. So I wanted to pass along my top travel and photo accessories, in case one of them would help fill the bill. Some are awesome for just about anyone who travels, and others are especially useful for photographers:

Mastering color for travel and vacation photographers

Thank you to all of you who are attending our Webinar on Mastering color for travel and vacation photographers, sponsored by DataColor and DxO Labs.

Adobe rolls out Lightroom 6.3: New cameras, lenses, restores classic Import dialog

Lightroom CC and Lightroom 6 users should see the update automatically when they do an Update check. Adobe has fixed a slew of bugs that it introduced in LR6.2, as well as adding support for about a half-dozen new cameras, and several dozen lenses (including the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus). The pre-LR6.2 Import experience has also been restored, as the updated version wasn’t exactly a hit. As usual, the update is free to those with a current license or subscription.

Free Webinar on Mastering color for travel and vacation photographers: Nov 23

Nothing is more frustrating to a photographer than getting back from a trip and having your photos not do your experience justice. I’ll be hosting a Free webinar on November 23rd, hosted by Datacolor and co-sponsored by DxO to help you with setting up a color-managed workflow, and then going beyond managing color to mastering color in your travel and vacation photography. It’s free but . The Webinar will start at 11am Pacific (2pm Eastern) and last about an hour (including time for questions).

Super-telephoto Zoom shoot out: Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 versus Sigma 150-600mm Sports

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens for Nikon FSigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens for Nikon FThis has been an amazing year for long-lens shooters. For those who don’t want to break the bank and their backs with the Nikon or Canon 200-400mm models, there are now four exciting new options (three of which are available to both Nikon and Canon shooters):

Before we dig into some of the details, having shot with these lenses, they are all pretty amazing for what they provide at this relatively low price point. They are all head-and-shoulders above the older generation super-telephoto zooms from these companies. However, they are also bigger and heavier than the classic 120-400mm and 150-500mm designs they largely supercede. Which lens is right for you will depend on your specific budget and needs, but I can easily recommend all of them as quality products that provide good value.

Nikon lens price drop: 5% to 15% across the board!

Nikon has just dropped prices on many of  its lenses. . If you’ve been waiting to treat yourself to a lens upgrade as a Holiday present, now might be the time to pull the trigger!