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Cool new websites for Wildlife, Bird, and Landscape shooters from B&H

While nearly all of us know B&H for selling photo gear, some of us also know them as an excellent educational resource. I’ve been happy to speak at their event center, and lead photo walks for them, as well as speak at their OPTIC conference. Now, B&H has pulled together a variety of education and product resources custom tailored to specific types of photography. These mini-websites include Tips, Articles, Reviews, and Pa Product Guide for each area. The two of most interest to our readers are likely the:

Nikon D7500 field tested: A winner DSLR for mid-range budgets

Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera (Body Only)Like almost every pro Nikon shooter, I’m eagerly awaiting the new Nikon D850. In the meantime, I needed an updated backup camera for my . I wanted one good enough to use for “pro” work, but small and light enough that I could easily carry it in a messenger bag with my drone for field work. I’d already shot with the Nikon D500 and , which are both excellent cameras, but decided to be a little more adventurous and purchase the newer , that fits many of the features of the into a smaller, less-expensive, package.

Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens field test: Excellent value in a lightweight telephoto zoom

Nikon and Canon’s long glass may be getting slightly lighter over the years, but those flagship lenses are also getting incredibly expensive. Fortunately there is a crop of third party value-priced lenses that have arrived to help out consumers. We’ve reviewed several of them in the past, like the , , and , but until now hadn’t gotten the chance to take the lighter-weight of Sigmas two superzooms, the into the field. Our annual Alaska bear & puffin photo safari was the perfect opportunity. Two weeks of mid-range use for the bears coupled with longer-range use with the Puffins gave me a chance to put the lens through its paces.

New Nikon D7500 prosumer DSLR available for pre-order

Nikon has introduced a new model in its D7000 “prosumer” product line – the Nikon D7500. It features most of the headline features anyone could want in a sub-$1500 camera. In addition to 21MP DX-format sensor, it shoots at 8 fps, backed by an 51-point AF system, and can record 4K and time lapse video. Taking a page from consumer-friendly cameras, it has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and can be run from your smartphone. I’ve . You can’t get your hands on one until summer though, but . We look forward to reviewing one and letting you know how it works out in the field!

Advanced monitor diagnosis and tuning with Spyder5

Depending on which tests you run Spyder5 Elite will provide you with a score for each category  and an overall score if you ran all tests Anyone who is serious about photography is hopefully already calibrating & profiling their monitors using a hardware device, like the excellent Spyder5 (for basic use, is perfect). If you’re not, then you’re just guessing when it comes to getting accurate color. However, you can go far beyond just building profiles if you instead choose either or . These versions include powerful display measurement and analysis tools that can be used both for finding the optimal settings for your display prior to profiling, and to help you compare and troubleshoot display issues....

Sigma expands Art lens line with 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM model

Sigma continues to roll out very-high-quality, professional-grade, lenses in its Art family. These lenses are super-fast, super-sharp, and reasonably priced for their features and image quality. The new, full-frame-ready, is available for . It uses both “F-type” low dispersion glass and other low-dispersion glass technologies in its 15-element construction. Advanced lens coatings are also used. It has a hypersonic focus motor, and a minimum focusing distance of 10.9”. Like other lenses in the family, it can be tweaked using Sigma’s USB dock and software. A 9-bladed aperture helps ensure a smooth-looking bokeh. It will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F, and Sigma SA mounts.

Amazing DxO ONE SuperRAW noise reduction: How it works, and how to roll your own version

One of the most interesting features of DxO’s new camera (#dxoone) is the new SuperRAW image format it supports. SuperRAW is a compound image format, with each image file containing four RAW images taken in quick succession. When the ONE is set to capture images in SuperRAW, the four individual RAW images are shot and stored in a single, proprietary, image file (with a .DXO extension). When processed by DxO’s own OpticsPro or FilmPack software, spatial and temporal noise reduction are applied to the four images, with the resulting output image having lower noise – and better overall image quality -- than any of the four individual captures.

Becoming a better travel and vacation photographer (VIDEO)

Whether you take your travel photography seriously enough to go on specialized trips, or simply want to do a better job capturing memories from your vacation, there are plenty of useful tips and techniques in the talk I gave at B&H this Spring. The good news is, even if you missed it in person, it is now online and Free to watch, courtesy of the team at the B&H events center. Topics covered range from selecting gear, preparing for your trip, how to schedule your shooting day, best tactics for great photos, the ethics of travel photography, and how to correctly process and show off your images. Special thanks to our sponsor, Datacolor, and to Photodex for the slideshow software illustrated. If this video gets you itching for some great travel photography, we hope you can join us for our .

Quick tip on when your next point and shoot should be a superzoom

While smartphones have put a large dent in the compact camera market, tens of millions are still sold, and I often get asked about what features to look for when purchasing one. Headline numbers in ads often include not just resolution, but zoom range. Some models, like the I'm currently testing, offer ranges up to 30:1 (effectively a 720mm telephoto lens at the long end). It is really tempting to think, "Wow! Why not get one that does that?" However, there are tradeoffs...

Travel photography lesson 1: Learning your camera

Before you go on a trip – whether it is a family vacation, adventure travel, or one focused on photography – it is important to know how to use your camera before you go. While reading the manual is always helpful – if you can make it through the hundreds of pages – it doesn’t let you focus on the key features you’re likely to need most. We’ve picked out ten of the most important sets of skills you should try to learn before you go. Some may not apply to you, so feel free to pick and choose, but the list will at least give you a starting point:

Canon’s New S100: A shirt-pocket camera to drool over!

If you want the ultimate shirt pocket camera, and can stand one in a little bit larger form factor than the ultra-tiny Elph series, Canon has kicked its “S” family up another notch by replacing the excellent S95 with the brand new S100. , it is almost impossible to believe the combination of quality and features in a camera this easy to have with you all the time…

Review: Samsung 8GB SDHC Plus Class 6 Memory Card

by Annie Cardinal


For the past few weeks I have been testing the Samsung 8GB SDHC Plus Class 6 Memory Card. This card may seem like any other SD card, but it has the unique quality of being indestructible. I haven’t put it through extensive tests for robustness as I do want to use it, but so far it has survived a camera drop.


Clash of the HDR Titans: Comparison Review of Photomatix Pro and nik HDR Efex Pro Posted

I've posted my comparison of the top two stand-alone High-Dynamic Range (HDR) image processing programs, the brand new HDR Efex Pro 1.1 from nik Software and Photomatix Pro from HDRSoft the longstanding champion on my . It's already stirred up some great controversy among readers who each have their favorite. And this version left out a direct comparison with Photoshop's own built-in HDR features which I've written about previously but as Photoshop continues to expand its offerings in this area we'll begin adding it to future versions of our comparisons.

You can see all the articles we've published on this site about HDR by .

Inside a Nikon D7000--Tear one Apart and Look!

Chipworks has dissected a Nikon D7000 and candidly reveals what they found. From the new Sony imager to 512MB of Static RAM it is impressive to see what's packed between our palms when we squeeze the trigger. If you've never gotten a behind the scenes tour of a Nikon service facility this is the best way to get a sneak peek!


 


 


YOUBIQ adds all in one Mini-Pod, Grip, and Cloud Based Organizer to the iPhone 4

The YOUBIQ won't turn your iPhone into a pro camera, but for those looking to upgrade their camera phone photography experience the YOUBIQ Gymbl, App & Cloud solution is an interesting set of products and services which aim to make everything from image capture to upload and organization simpler. For, say, real estate agents or others who rely on their phones for quick images for work this could be great. And for families and vacationers who are almost happy with the iPhone as a camera but want to take it one notch further this will be an interesting alternative to getting a point and shoot with an Eye-Fi card. Read on for more details...

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