Buying into the Apple's Ipad

Well I am continued to be amazed and disappointed by the Ipad simultaneously; which is an amazing feat for any product.

For example, thinking that I would type up this blog on my Ipad using my usb camera connector and a usb keyboard which amazingly does work, but once I got into the blogger's edit mode, the IPad doesn't allow me to enter any text!!

The reason is that http://www.blogger.com/ uses Flash!! and hence once again the limitations of the Ipad surfaces.

It is a beautifully crafted device. Although it only has a 1ghz processor, the GPU allows fast rendering of all Jpeg photos which is instantaneous unlike my netbook that trudges painfully from one photo display to the next. For most graphics games, the device doesn't miss a heartbeat. This is also true for movies and any other graphic displays.

The interface is always quick and responsive, unlike my aged HTC touch phone that seems to acquired a two to ten second delay when opening or closing applications.

Starting up MSN Messenger on the Ipad means that you are stuck in MSN for the whole duration of the conversation; meaning you cannot multitask like websurfing which most of us likes to do when chatting with our friends. I heard that IOS 4 will solve this problem when it comes out for the IPad, but we wonder how well this multitasking will work with only 256mb of memory.

As you encountered disappointments, you are also caught up in all the glitz of Apple. Applications just simply snaps open, restoring your game at the last save, or the last opened page on the internet. If you need an app, just open the Apple store and do a search. Within seconds, you can either click on a pay application or even download a multitude of free apps to try out. Most of the apps cost only 99 cents. It is all there... a shopper spree environment.

As you learn more and more about what you bought, it is a device that sells you and you begin to buy into it.

I cannot help it but I have to admit that I might be switching from Oranges to Apples despite some of the limitations; at the worst I can always make apple sauce.

note: Apple wants me to buy a new computer since my USB doesn't output the necessary 1.21 Gigawatts needed for Apple to charge from my USB connection. The solution is simply a usb Y cable that combines the power of two usb ports into one. You can order this Y cable from ebay here.

Also another toy that I have bought for my IPad, is the mini bluetooth keyboard that purports to work with the Ipad from China here.

http://www.rtomstudios.com/

IPad with the USB Camera Connector & Lexar CF Card Reader

So after one day of owning the 16GB IPad with Wifi, I became addicted to Apple's products. From playing with sudoku, reading the Vancouver Sun, viewing my photos and surfing the web, my whole life style changed from just this one simple product.

No longer was I chained to my desktop doing my daily emailing and research. I was now able to lounge around on the couch doing all my normal work.

However, I figure if I can do all this on my couch, wouldn't it be better if I could do it on the road? Thus digging deeper into my shallow artist account, I returned my 16GB Wifi IPad and went whole hog for the 64GB 3G version and activated my Rogers 5GB data plan.

Having the internet on the road was a mixed blessing. Although I love the fact that I could access the internet sitting at Mcdonalds, I was constantly checking the amount of data that I was consuming. It was disconcerning to find that after browsing my facebook account and a few photo pages, my internet consumption was already 10MB. Until someone can offer unlimited internet, working on the IPad with a limited data plan is not an enjoyable experience. The option is there.

Now lets get back to the original topic of the USB Camera Connector.

One of the reason for the 64GB Ipad version was the thought of using a camera connector to upload the intermediate photos like the wedding ceremony to the IPad for viewing during the reception. It is a $40 investment which opens a lot of doors for other USB attachments.

I am happy to say that my Lexar CF card reader does in fact work in standalone mode with the connector allowing the import of the photos while my camera and I continue shooting with a new card. Also the Nikon D700 does in fact connect directly to the IPad as well without any problems.

With the photos imported into the IPad, you have a choice to delete all the photos from the card (as a photographer, this is a dangerous option). All imported photos are now found under Event and of course as you upload other photos, newer event folders are created for you automatically. The only problem is that you cannot delete the imported photos from your IPad; however after connecting your IPad to your PC as a USB device, you can actually see the imported photo folder under DCIM and actually delete the photos. I know of no other way of deleting the photos.

A nice VGA pocket projector and a VGA IPad connector might provide a nice complementry service to my wedding package; however as mentioned before that this Artist has very shallow pockets.

www.rtomstudios.com

Apple IPad as a Professional Photographer Tool

As a photographer, one of the most important aspect to being a good photographer is to learn to use the tools effectively; from my digital SLR to a whole range of lenses, to computers, photoshop and more. Adding another tool to the arsenal changes the set of established procedures. It is a never ending game of learning, but it is all in the name of art.

Recently and a bit reluctantly, I bought an IPad. The relunctantly comes from the fact that it is in-fact an expensive and huge ipod touch. The decision to buy the IPad was not for the ability to play music as I don't have pockets that will fit the IPad, but rather the ability to display photos much like an expensive digital photo frame.

The sales pitch at the Apple website drew me in with the beautifuly crafted video showing the ability of the IPad to display photos much like an artist would turn his pages of his portfolio. With a leather case, this tool would be indispensible as a carry-all portfolio as well as it being impressive as a thin notebook that has great potentials to be a contact and email manager and more.

With a wedding client meeting on Saturday, I bought the IPad on Friday and spent the whole night formatting all my presentation photos.

As a PC user, I hate Itunes for its non intuitive user interface and even registering for the Apple site was annoying as it requested that I generate a user password that was 8 characters long, at least one character has to be a capital, with non-repeating numbers. Of course I failed several times in generating a password that I could remember after hitting each and every requirement at least once. However once everything was settled and a new photo folder was created, it was a snap to sync the IPad with the pc everytime I added more photos to the folder.

Soon the IPad was full of wonderful and beautiful photos. The screen was simply breath taking as many of my photos has shadows and highlights that almost created a 3d effect on the glowing tiny screen. I was ready for my wedding client meeting on Saturday.

Confirming my appointment on Saturday, my client, before hanging up, asked "oh can you bring some samples of your work!" Beaming with pride that I had bought the IPad for this very question, I told him this story that I am now blogging about.

Of course the meeting went very well with the Bride scanning through all my photos with a critical eye and the males simply talked; letting the Bride decide whether or not my work was acceptable of which it was.

There were a lot of comments about my work which is now easily acessible on the IPad. I even had a chance to show off my baby photos, which of course brought out the motherly instinct in the bride to be.

After closing the deal, arriving home and having a chance to relax and blog, I thought about my new tool that I added to my photographer profession. Apple did a great job in delivering an excellent product that seems to fit in all niches.

The IPad allowed the client to interact with my photos in a more personal and warmer level. By giving them the IPad to view the photos, they controlled the speed of browsing as well as skipping to another album at their leisure. The photos were brilliant in colors and at times they almost seem to pop out from the screen; it was a thrilling way to view my photos.

Although a bit expensive, the IPad has now found a home in my camera bag. It will be passed around at the banquet table for those who have babies for booking future family photos as well as new wedding engagements.

For an expensive digital photo frame, the IPad will earn its keep.

www.rtomstudios.com

Quality versus Quantity

I have had customers that only wanted only five photos of themselves for various reasons whether it is to post on facebook or to build a portfolio for acting or modeling.

If you only need a handful of photos, I can do that for you but it still requires at least 60 photos so that you will have a choice.

However to build a proper portfolio of 10 to 20 photos with different change of clothing for variation, it takes hundreds or even a thousand photos just to get it right. The general rule of thumb is to expect one great photo from twenty to forty similar photos.


The quantity of photos is not the fault of composition but rather a problem of the subject as I have observed throuh countless session, such as a single expression that prevades through all the photos that creates a very monotonous portfolio. As with one subject she had a fixed smile and she kept her angle of her head the same in all the photos no matter the pose. My solution was to keep her distracted while I walk around her rather then having her move, I did the moving.


A good portfolio must capture the subject naturally without the feeling of awkwardness or trite.


Although a good subject will inspire the photographer, it is also the job of the photographer to inspire the subject to be themselves during the session; it is a synergistic relationship. Keeping them distracted or even laughing during a casual conversation is essential to a good candid photo session.

In this day and age of photography where a single memory card can hold up to several thousands of photos, there is no reason why a photographer should only take a handful of photos.

If a photographer quotes quality over quantity then they are missing out on a lot of beautiful candid photos of you as you relax between grimaces. It is the natural "you" after the un-said count of 4 that you want, not the photo of "you" at the count of 3.

No Checklist!!

Anyone who has hired me has always marveled at the paparazzi type of photography that I do. All you hear is the constant clicking of the shutter before, during and after the ceremony; I do this without blocking anyone's view or stepping on anyone's toes.

I am passion driven, constantly searching for the right angles, the flirting moments such as your dad with tears down his cheeks; photography has never been a list of things to shoot.


I've been asked on many occasion whether I use a check list as well as I've been given a check list, by many, on what photos they would like. Although I'll accept your checklist and make a mental note on the shots that you would like, to an old verteran photographer all of this is second nature like photos of the church, ring fingers, bride peeking out with anticipation, groom wiping his forehead and so much more; it is a given that these photos are takened whenever possible.


Recently I had the opportunity to view a check list created by another photographer on what photos the family would like him to take; it had more then a hundred photo items. I cannot even fanthom how this would work. Does the photographer take a photo then pauses to check off the photo from the list? I've heard horror stories that a photographer had walked past the grandma on a swing while she was waiting for the reception to start and didn't bother to take a photo since it wasn't on his list. What kind of photographer would miss this kind of photo moment?



If you riffle through my thousands of shots, it almost become an animated movie of your wedding. Every expression from the time I start shooting until you relax at the completion of the ceremony are all captured forever as photo snapshots; even candid shots of your grandma on a swing included.


Even with family group shots, I never use the 1,2,3 method where everyone grimaces at the prospect of being shot or holds their breath before the flash. From the time the family gathers for the group photo and organizes themselves, at least several photos have already been takened; the expression just before the grimace and the moment of relaxing are usually the best photos.

It is a passion as well as hard work as I shoot at the oddest angles above your head and sometimes at floor level for spur of the moment creativity. I take shots that no list can ever imagine and if it is on the list you can be sure that I will have at least six variations of that photo and if it is not on the list, you can be sure that I have it too...

Obsession with Equipment

I'm a fan of Ken Rockwell site as with most amateur or professional photographer alike would agree that his insights into lenses are usually spot on.

As a professional, I really cannot spend a lot on frivilous lenses and photography toys as I make a living out of being a photographer and rent and food comes first. I may spend a lot on a single lens, but I expect that lens to earn its keep. Although I may be tempted into buying a unique lens, I hold off on its purchase until I am absolutely sure that I can find at least several uses like portraiture + landscape combine.

Recently I found myself wanting on a lens reach as I zoomed to my current max of 120mm and barely reaching the bride and groom; although I could crop their kiss in photoshop, that extra zoom would have been nice.

So my search through Craigs list lead me to a seller that was selling a 28-200mm zoom. His return call reminded me of someone that woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Although his demeanor changed after meeting him, I pushed his patience by examining the lens for the next 15 minutes; all the while chatting with him on what equipment he owned, why he is selling etc, while I took various photos with the lens.

The lens was an old lens; meaning no VR. With scratches on the front element (more then one scratch), no lens cap, no back cap, no lens hood and of course no case, no box or other paraphernalias like manual, warranty card etc., the lens reminded me of a war veteran lens that is seeing its last days.

It wasn't so much as the cost of $160 but it was the fact that I was reluctant to use or trust this lens for a wedding. Although I can always set the shutter at a higher shutter speed, the fact remains that, without VR, any drop below 60th a second can mean another blurry photo and already there are so many factors such as the people moving, my own haste to take a photo and more, that since I already have the 24-120mm VR lens that I realize that my mind has already been made up that even though my 24-120mm lens is not as sharp (according to Ken Rockwell), it is still a lens that I trust more then any of my lens for weddings.

The seller snapped at me "well if you don't want the lens" his voice sudden grew cold as I was voicing all my thoughts out loud, made the decision easier to make. I thanked him for his time but I doubt he had heard it as he literally stomped out my vehicle after I handed back his war-veteran lens.

Although I am still in the market for the nice 80-200 old plastic lens which should sell for $75, I doubt that I would be buying any other older lens that don't have VR. This includes the 14-24mm, the 14mm and most non VR lens.

The fact remains that VR is needed; just in case. You don't need a fast lens, you don't need a sharp lens because if you cannot focus on your subject and if your hand shakes it defeats the purpose of paying $2k for a fast sharp lens.

Although this lens was under $200, it is time that I stop making a collection hobby out of my profession; Get the lenses you need and use them.

Studio Strobes VS Continuous Lights

Since the late 70's I've always shot with studio strobes (lights that flashes). With a meter in hand, I would carefully move and measure the lights around the subject before even taking the first shot; subject movement was very limited. Every time we reposition the subject such as sitting, standing, lying down we had to re-measure the lights and adjust the distance.

Average time, in the late 70's, per headshot session was several hours; this did not include the photo development time which is usually a week.


With digital, we could see the photo immediately and we could move the lights freely and adjust the camera as needed; thus eliminating the need for meter. However the need to constantly checking the shot is still a hit and miss process; color balance is a task usually reserved for photoshop.


Recently with the purchase of a continuous light system, all this has changed. Basically setting up the lights is a snap as it is "what you see is what you get". In fact, you can also use the camera WB pre setting to set the exact WB thus no post process color correction is needed.

With aperture priority, auto-iso set to a max of 1600 iso and a 50mm lens, it takes less then 10 minutes to shoot a 150 headshots; all color perfect.

The post processing was a pleasure too as since every photo is already color corrected, the only work that needed to be done in photoshop was re-centering and cropping.

Total time from start to finish took less then half hour.

If you are still using strobes, it is time to change over to continuous; you will thank me for it if you are reading this.

The Illusive back up

In my line of work, all photos are irreplaceable; irreplaceable in the sense that represents the progression of my work throughout the years and are simply priceless.

I spent years looking for the ultimate backup for my work. From complete standalone servers that were foisted into small closets, to huge drive arrays (12 hard drives) built right into the workstation that kept me warm over the cold winter season to smaller external raid system that tested my patience in transfer speeds, I never found the perfect backup until recently.


Data recovery is big business and they survive by the laziness of users that don't bother to backup; but backing up your data is such a chore and even automatic backup software doesn't mean you have up to the minute backup. What if your last backup was yesterday night and you have spent the whole day editing and suddenly your system fails?

Also backup means that you have to have at least twice the storage space and four times the storage space is needed if you wish to be methodical. Thus your current working storage has to be redundant so that if anything fails on your working system, you are protected. The backup system has to be redundant too since you may keep files on your backup system, but not on your working space.


Currently I am using a system that has a built in hardware raid that ensures me that when a hard drive fails, I can simply replace the failed hard drive and the system will be rebuild the data. However this is all hardware dependant, i.e. it is a function of the computer that if the computer fails the only way to recover and read the data is to have an identical spare computer that you can move the hard drives to.


Back a couple of years ago, I bought a Drobo, an expandable hard drive unit that as you need more room to store your data you simply swap out one of four drives to a larger hard drive. However after my purchase, I was able to see the real problems behind the iron forum curtains that were locked to owners only. One out of ten users were loosing their data completely. Drobo hid the fact of this data loss attrocity by locking the forums, deleted troubled posts and even kicking out owners that caused trouble. In order to get software updates which you pay for, you had to be a registered owner on the forums.


Some owners of Drobo would wake up one morning to find that their Drobo unit blinking all four led lights, indicating all four simultaneous drive failures. Although it wasn't completely Drobo's fault as at the same time the 1.5TB seagate drives were having a timing delay error that caused any Raid unit to see the slight delay as a drive failure; thus with Drobo, it caused a cascade failure as the unit attempted to recover by moving the data and causing another drive to time out.

I sold my Drobo shortly after discovering this fact. The second problem is the methodology of storage is proprietary; meaning once you copy your data into a drobo storage device, you are locked into using only Drobo units to read it. You cannot use a non-drobo drive reader since the data is stored in a drobo proprietary manner.


Subsequently, I've always been on the lookout for a NAS (network attached Storage). This is a unit that you can attach to the home network and when you have the backup whims you simply copy your files to the magical network storage device, preferably the unit is located in the closet somewhere so that you don't have to hear the fans as well as keeping your desk uncluttered.


However most NAS units are costly, usually in the range of several hundreds to several thousands and they are usually sold without hard drives. Although they may sound like the optimal backup, these units are also proprietary in their format of keeping your data. Thus if the unit fails, you will need an identical unit in order to read your data off the hard drives.

I cannot begin to tell you the trepidation you will feel as you transfer your hard drives to a new unit, knowing that if this doesn't work, you would have lost all your precious data. With the various methods that I've used over the years, the process isn't automatic after your inserted the drives. In fact some methods are just frightening as it warns you against data loss or that it will wipe out your drive despite the fact that it is the only method to reconnect your drives together in order to read the data.

Every time a solution presents itself, another brick wall is encountered. Such as the 4 drive Mediasonic device that allowed me to build a 4TB (terabyte, a 4000 GB) storage device but due to my dinosaur computer hardware, I was only able to read and write to a max of 2TB (esata bios limitations) and proceeded to corrupt the data once the 2TB limitation was reached due to the bios software wrap around.

A raid card that allows you to build your own NAS in your own computer had caused read/write errors due to a bad driver and this wasn't discovered until all the data was moved (copied and erased); one in every five files were corrupted. Thus hardware that depends on the proper software drivers is not a good option since you have to re-install the Operating system plus locating the proper drivers for the new system.

The only reliable external storage system is one that you attach directly to Esata or usb and uses the file structure of your operating system. Thus if all else fails, you can remove the drives from the external casing and plug it directly to a computer to read off your data.

The trouble with most Raids (a method of keeping your data redundant) is that in order to protect your data, the raid device has to keep two copies of your data; thus if you lose one copy due to a hard drive failure, you can recover from the second copy. This means that only half of the total space is usable; the other half is a copy of the original.

The beauty of Raid 5 is that it only uses only one third (instead of half) of the space of your hard drive to protect your data. I've been trusting the Raid 5 method since the late 90's, however all that has changed recently as I realize how vulnerable my data is.


Raid 5 whether it is software or hardware driven, depends totally on your current version of software or hardware; thus if the computer fails or the NAS device fails, the data is held ransom until you are able to rebuild/repair or buy another unit that reads the data.


Your data is vulnerable with all the Raid methods since they are all software/hardware dependant. Software Raid does give you portability from system to another, but you will still require to re-install the software before you can access your data, however if you change software version again you will run the risk of data corruption. Also what if the NAS or raid card manufacturer no longer exists? Obtaining drivers or a replacement unit will be close to impossible.

The only reliable Raid method is mirror and that is, only if it mirrors an identical OS file structure that your computer can read without the hardware enclosure; mirroring is where an identical copy of your data is written to a second hard drive simultaneously.

Now remember, when I talk about mirroring, this isn't the hardware dependant mirroring where most NAS units uses linux ext2 or ext3 file structure to store your data. If you are using a MAC and are able to mount the hard drive volume, then you are in luck, however do check that you are able to mount the hard drive volume separately from the NAS unit.


With the Mediasonic HUR1-SU2S2, a dual raid bay unit, any data that is written to one hard drive is duplicated on the second drive. Pulling a hard drive out and simply inserting one drive into a docking port shows that I am able to access the data on that drive; the identical data is stored on the other drive.

The beauty of this setup is that it is hardware driven but is not proprietary.

Recently, I had a chance to test out my new backup system when one of my dual drive enclosure failed. Stipping the enclosure away from the hard drives, I inserted the drives into the the dock to check the data; both drives shows the data was intact. Since the enclosure was only two days old, I was able to exchange for another enclosure immediately.

Since I have two copies of the hard drive, I decided to keep one on the shelf for backup and use the other one as the main hard drive and inserted a brand new drive for mirroring instead. The unit proceeded to mirror the drive without a hiccup.

Twelve hours later, the mirror process completed; however during the whole process, I had read/write access to the original data.

Finally, after all these years, I have found the perfect solution.


Although it is costly in the sense that I am doubling my storage cost but at least
- I am not quadrupling my storage requirements by keeping redundancy on my main storage as well as my backup.
- I am also completely free of any operating system dependencies, so no software raids and no software drivers.
- I am free to install any operating system without the fear of a new driver corrupting my existing data, as well I am free from using any hardware dependant units.
- I can plug the drives directly to the computer or use an external USB drive enclosure allowing the data to become portable.

Every photo is stored twice automatically; thus

- if one of my hard drive fails in the middle of a wedding edit, mediasonic will automatically switch to the second hard drive.

- if my system fails, I can move my mediasonic device to another computer and continue editing up to the minute last save.

- if my mediasonic device fails, I can disassemble the unit and plug one of my drives into a docking port and continue editing; again up to the minute last save.

As with all cliches, this is such a win/win solution that I am totally stoked and simply had to share.

I can honestly say that this magic trick uses mirrors.

The Fallacy of Auto

Auto, meaning automatic, on digital SLRs can make everyone a professional photographer. With Auto focus, Auto ISO and Auto Aperture/Shutter combined with huge megapixels on our modern day Digital SLR's you can simply point the camera and shoot; crop and ask questions later in photoshop.


Huge megapixels on a DSLR allows us to pluck a bird from the photo sky with amazing clarity; that is if all your other auto settings syncs with your endeavors such as a fast shutter speed to freeze the bird in flight.


However with all these wonderful auto functions on your DSLR, it creates havoc with the professional photographer as we fight to re-gain control of our camera.


In the old days, there were only four controls that we had to worry about and once you had selected the film with a fixed ISO, you are left with only three controls; focus, shutter speed and aperture.


With digital SLRs, you wrestle with a plethora of new controls ranging from white balance, Dynamic Range, saturation, noise reduction, auto iso and so much more. With everything set on Auto, you would think that you would get a perfect photo everytime, and it should, that is if we would just stop fiddling with the settings on the menu.

Like an airplane pilot performing flight check on all the dials, a photographer must run through all the settings before his assignment starts; testing with a few photos ensuring that the settings are performing as expected.

Auto-Focus

You really don't have much of a choice these days on focusing. Gone are the split prisms that aided the photographer in the old days. When an image converges in the focus area on a split prism, you know that you are in focus. However, with todays DSLR, manual focusing is more of a guessing game especially when you attempt to view your subject on the lcd panel in bright sunlight. Although there is usually a LED indicator, it is nothing more then the auto-focus at work, making you become the focus motor; so why not let the camera do all the work.

So it is a given that you have to use auto-focus.

Now the problem with auto-focus is "just what is it auto-focusing on?"

For most, it is usually the nearest object which means that it would be focused on the boquet of flowers in front of the bride, rather then on the face of the bride.

Even if you were to focus on the bride using selective area focusing, will the in-built camera predictive focusing compensate for the bride moving toward or away from you; ie will the bride still be in focus if she walks down the isle? or is your focus locked at her last position since you had your finger on the shutter.

If someone moves between you and the bride, momentarily, does your camera re-focuses on the new subject or will it track the bride before and after the interruption?

With the Nikon, continuous focusing will continually focus and track the bride as she saunters down the isle; focus tracking with lock-on will track the bride for 3 seconds (default) if someone dashes across the isle.

Combined this with an aperture of F11 giving you a deeper DOF, (depth of field) ,it should give you a fairly sharp photo of both her boquet and her face; regardless of whether your auto-focus focuses on the boquet or the bride's face.

If you don't have a firm understanding of how your auto-focus system works, even the most sharpest lens will not save your photos from a blurry grave. Getting to know your auto-focus and how it behaves is a very important aspect of todays cameras and will ensure that all your photos are as sharp as razors.

Auto-ISO

It is a wonderful feature, provided you use it correctly.

With Nikon, auto-iso, you can selected the minimum shutter speed such as 1/400 for soccer and with almost any setting including Manual, the camera will adjust your ISO for the light, matching your shutter and aperture selection.

This sounds like a wonderful auto feature, but it causes havoc with your studio lights. Since there are no pre-flashes with studio strobes, your camera thinks that there isn't enough light and therefore selects your highest iso to compensate. Thus with high ISO, your noise reduction algorithm will kick in, making all your photos just a bit blurry.

I shot a whole family photo session with auto-iso on, since I shot a soccer game the night before, and every photo ended up being shot at 6400 iso causing all the photos to be slightly soft due to the noise reduction that was applied.

Auto-iso also plays havoc with flashes. If the flash is not completely charged, the pre-flashes will tell the camera to bump the iso up since there isn't enough light. Your photo may end up being overexposed and again slightly blurry due to the noise reduction kicking in with the high iso.

Just remember to turn off auto-iso with flashes and studio strobes and turning it on when shooting in a variety of outdoor lighting situations.

Compensation with Auto-iso.

Compensation is used to overexpose a photo when the sun is behind the subject, or to underexpose a photo when too much light is being reflected causing the photo to be washed out. Compensation usually works with most auto settings by controlling your shutter or aperture speeds.

You would think that Manual mode is Manual (you have all the controls) and that compensation should only work with the other auto-modes. However Nikon and their think tank, says that if you decided to turn Auto-ISO on, then compensation will work even in manual mode by compensating with the ISO.

Thus if you have your settings in manual with a compensation of +2, auto-iso will bump up the ISO to overexpose your photo at your fixed shutter and aperture settings.

Definitely not what you would expect when shooting in manual.

Trusting your camera

Auto is a fallacy when you start to rely on it to compensate such as leaving it on Auto-iso to adjust to higher ISO for varying lighting conditions during an outside photo shoot. It is too easy to forget that you have left your aperture at F11 from an outside sunny day and suddenly shoot at 6400 iso indoors with a flash.

Some things are better set manually forcing you to go through the checklist everytime the environment changes rather then being surprised at the results after the wedding is done and gone.

Here are just some rule of thumb on using some of the auto modes.

- when using auto-iso, don't set the max iso to the highest iso of 25,000 unless you plan to under extreme lighting condition. Set it so that it peaks at an ISO that you would chosen under that kind of lighting condition, such as 800 ISO for an indoor shoot.

- choose wide area focusing for general event photography, but use the selective cursor focusing for portraits and position it exactly on the eye to get extremely sharp and detail photos (it is all in the eyes).

- auto WB is usually acceptable but a better method is to use the method described by Ken Rockwell on setting the WB.

Last words

In this day and age of Automatic settings, do a lot of test photos to see what the auto settings will choose for you; if it coincides with what you would have chosen then you are in luck as the camera thinks like you do; however if completely surprises you with its selection, like auto iso with studio lights, learn to take control of your settings. Don't let auto control you; be a professional and fight.

Saving money on Lenses

In the days of film, much of the work was done before the image hits the negative. Thus if you wanted a soft focus effect, you can put petrolium jelly on your UV filter or even a humungous lens shade that has a small hole cutout on a semi transparent plastic. This softens the edges and blends the sharper image of the center with a softer whitish or blackish outter edge; we create the vignetting effect (darker, whiter edges) before it hits the film.

Of course one of the main reason we get a SLR was to limit the DOF (depth of field); this is where the main subject remains in focus and the background blends in with a flurry of colors. The faster the lens, usually f1.4 on a 50mm, the more limited the DOF as well as the ability to shoot in a much lower light. The difference can be as much as 1/30th of a second difference which meant you can hand hold the camera without camera shake.

Fast Lens
Fast lens are, of course, very expensive since they are created to let more light in and thus cost more to manufacture. As an example, the Nikon 50mm F1.8 lens is only $150 and the Nikon 50mm F1.4 lens is a whooping $570. Yet both lenses are razor sharp and deliver the same photo except the photographer that buys the F1.4 won't be eating steak for a few months.

In the old days, since we had no other control over the photo other then the three controls we had on the camera, it was important that we had a low light lens.

With todays technology, we pay for the digital camera bodies that can do amazing things; such as the ability to shoot at ISO up to 25,000 iso or Photoshop that can create digital effects that is beyond what we could do with film. With more controls on the camera and more controls over the post production, there is very little reason why anyone should be spending the money on a fast lens!

Thus to shoot faster on a F1.8 lens all you need to do is bump the iso up from 200 ISO to 400 ISO and you get the same low light lens for $400 cheaper.

In the same line of thought, the fast 80-200 F2.8 VR II zoom is a wonderful lens, but this lens is selling at most camera stores for over $2500. Granted you get a very nice fast lens that can shoot at low light and VR (vibration reduction) too, but remember that you can get a lens to be fast, by simply by pushing your ISO by one (i.e. 200 change to 400 ISO).

Is it worth the money? absolutely not! Although it is stated as a professional lens, many of us Professionals will not use it; simply because it expensive, heavy and the professionals that actually do earn their living at photography cannot afford it; a real professional is not defined by the expensive equipment they own.

The best buy for a short range telephoto lens for nikon would be the 70-300 F4.5-5.6 VR zoom for around $500. It is small and compact unlike the 4lbs bulky 80-200 F2.8 lens.

Now granted, there is nothing like the thrill of a natural DOF (blurry background) from a nice portrait lens at a fast aperture of F2.8 at 135mm but this is the only time that you should consider a fast lens.

Sports
Many photographers think that a fast lens would be great for sports! however if you shoot at 200mm F2.8, your focus is only on the nose to the ear of a single player. Great effect, but very little control over what you get during a game.

Two problems exists during a real world sports photography, first is the fast pace action that pushes your auto-focus camera to its limits on focusing especially in low light situations, second is the your shutter speeds which controls whether you can stop-motion capture the action.

Lowering your aperture to F2.8 to gain a faster shutter speed is not the answer as now you have very little DOF. Combined this with a camera that doesn't focus quick enough on the action, all you get are blurry photos. Mind you, the few photos that you do get will be gorgeous.

The better method is to set your lens to an aperture of 4.5 or even F8 to give you a larger DOF and push the ISO as you can possibly comfortably go. It is better to get grainy sports photos, then to get all blurry ones. You are paid to capture the action and the players; not to create special blurry action photos. Thus a cheaper F4.5 zoom lens will do the job versus the expensive F2.8 80-200 zoom lens.

If you really want to save money, get the older nikon 80-200 F4.5-5.6 plastic lens that is selling on craigs list for about $75. This little lens is really small and compact but gives you the 80-200mm range when you need it.

VR Lenses
Now don't spend money on a faster lens but do spend money on VR(vibration reduction). VR has been toted as the ability to shoot at a few more stops lower then what you can normally. Thus most people confuse this ability as equivalent to a faster lens. However you really have to separate this technology from F-stops and shutter speeds as it really doesn't have anything to do with them even though it is toted as such.

VR reduce the amount of shake delivered by the lens to your final image. It is not a total elimination but it reduces the chances of getting a blurry photo from slow shutter speeds. Remember that the longer the lens, the faster the shutter speed must be. Thus VR is needed much more on long lens. VR is rarely needed on 50mm or less unless you shoot at extremely slow shutter speeds which I'll talk about later.

VR is simply another control that we can add to our photography. It increases the chance of a sharp photo by a large percentage. often created through hand shakiness and slow shutter speeds. Thus you can shoot at 1/200th of a second using a 300mm lens with a greater chance that most of your photos will be clear if not razor sharp.

It is a needed feature for all lens no matter what you buy as it allows you to hand hold a camera at sometimes impossible slow shutter speeds. I've shot photos at 1/4 of a second hand held and the photo was clear.

Although VR is not needed as much at 16mm, there are times when you need to shoot at very low shutter speed; it was for this reason that I changed from a non-vr 17-35mm lens to a 16-35mm VR lens.

Low light, small aperture for greater depth of field, low iso and slow shutter speeds are needed for real-estate photography. Most of the photos are done on a tripod to enusre noise free photos, however at the end of the photo session, I usually shoot a series of quick hand held high-iso photos for backup selection. Of course you don't want too high of an ISO value, but just enough to get a shutter speed of 1/15 or 1/30th of a second; just enough for hand-holding and low enough on the ISO to reduce noise. VR is essential to this type of photography.

Fast Portrait Lenses
Now arguementively, as I said above, there is nothing quite as enticing as a lens that can deliver a beautiful portrait photo with a natural blurred background. Very little post production work is needed; what you see and composed on your camera is what you see and get on the end photo; al naturale. This is about the only time that a great fast lens at approximately 85mm or 135mm would be a great investment.

However commercial photography such as fashion, jewelry photoshoots, demands that the product eg. jewelry or clothing be as sharp as possible with only a hint of blurriness that blends in with the photo. The client will be very disappointed if the earings are out of focus, which will happen if you are using an aperture of 2.8; the DOF is very shallow at 135mm.

With commercial photography, it is better to shoot at F8 or smaller just to ensure that the model and her accessories are in focus. Post production work will allow us to blur out the background as well as any other distractions within the photo. Thus again, a cheap 28-80mm F3.3 lens at $80 or the 50mm 1.8 at $150 is adequate for this type of work.

How many lenses do you need?
Just one for each type of photography and sometimes one for almost all types of photography.

With photoshop, as long as you have a clear and sharp image of your subject, we are able to do some amazing post production work. From transporting a subject into the clouds to making a subject thinner, photoshop is the defacto standard of our digital darkroom.

With one lens, 24-120mm, a whole wedding can be shot. This same lens was used for fashion, jewelry photoshoot as well as headshots, modeling and much more. If the photo isn't sharp enough, post production products like Nik can sharpen specific areas of the photos. If the background isn't blurry enough, photoshop can do that in seconds.

There are only two other lenses that may be needed for a working professional photographer and that would be the 16-35mm lens for architecture and real estate photography and the 80-400mm zoom lens for sports.

With just 3 lens, a camera and photoshop, you should be able to operate as a full working professional.

Final words
Photography is very subjective and the most important thing is the happiness of your cliental. It doesn't matter if you use photoshop extensively with all the telltale markings of the glow filter that can be discerned by other photographers, what matters is that the photo is pleasing and that your client is happy with the final result of the photo.

The technical aspect of photography is how you got there and it doesn't matter how (whether you use an expensive lens or cropped and blurred with photoshop); what matters is that single edited photo expresses everything that you had wanted to capture and more; and that someone (hopefully your client) loves what you did.

Recently with my upgrade to the D700, I've been consumed with replacing all my lenses to full frame format.

Every decision was fraught with cost, as most lenses are sold at a price that would have definitely cause a divorce if I was still married. Ranging from six hundred to several thousands, these lenses are the heart and soul of my photography career.

Originally I was armed with only a few lenses for the D90; DX format is smaller and cheaper. Starting with my sigma 10-20mm that only cost $600 brand new, which was used mainly for real estate as well as some unique scenic wedding photography. Going full frame, this was the first lens that needed to be replaced.

Since the craigs list asking price of a 17-35 was affordable at a $1000 (retail value of $2k with tax), I sold my Sigma for $450 and bought the 17-35mm from a hobbyist that hid the fact that he was selling it from his wife; he would continuously sell and replace his arsenal of lenses . However, after using this lens for numerous real estate, one glaring fact kept cropping up. Although it was a fast lens at 2.8, in order to ensure that the whole room was in focus, I had to shoot at least at a aperture of F11 or more, thus the price for buying a F2.8 lens was lost in this method of usage. You generally pay more for the faster lens.

The second problem was that you could not hand hold this lens at shutter speeds of 1/30 or even 1/4 of a second. The probability of a blurry photo at these speeds without a tripod was basically 100%; VR was desperately needed.

My only other option was the new 16-35 VR lens, but this was retailing at $1500 before Tax. Luck was with me as I sold my 17-35mm for $1300, while purchasing the 16-35 from a suspicious young man for $1300, I was really out of pocket $550 so far; and the changeover from the 17-35 to the 15-35 was free.

Hand holding the 16-35 at shutter speeds of 1/4 of a second was exceptionally clear with no blurriness due to hand shake. This feature alone in real estate photography can mean that someday I might try shooting a whole house without a tripod, once I am confident that the photos will turn out; reducing the time from 2 hours to a mere 20 minutes.

Although the 70-300 lens is a full frame lens and was used for sports, I hated the fact that I basically lost my DX factor of 1.5x. Thus in order to regain that 1.5x zoom, I had to buy a 400mm zoom which is still a bit shorter then the 300mm in DX format of 450mm. However rather then buying the 400mm, I ended up buying a 80-200mm fixed f2.8 Pro lens that was four times the size of my tiny 70-300 for $625. I was thinking of buying a doubler 2x converter that would allow me to use this lens at 160mm to 400mm at F5.6 which is still fast. However with the nikon teleconverter 2x on, the lens could not autofocus. Another brand name teleconverter did allow the lens to work but it was also several hundred for a teleconverter. Thus it would be $625 for the lens plus a $400 for a teleconverter and the fact that you had to insert the teleconverter between the lens to get the additional zoom. I simply wanted a lens that would zoom from 70-450mm when needed.

Even though the 80-200 was a fast lens at f2.8, you will never shoot a soccer at f2.8. Minimum aperture for sport photography is at least 5.6 or even F8 to ensure that a few players would be in focus. The other factor was VR. With a lens of this length, shutter speeds would need to be at least 1/500 of a second to ensure blurry free photos; however soccer in night light would always drop the shutter speed down to 1/200th of a second thus reducing the effectiveness of a non-vr lens.

So I sold my 70-300 for $450, sold my 80-200mm for $800 and bought the 80-400 VR for $1200. The end result was that I was out of pocket of $575.

So in the end, upgrading my wide angle to a full frame lens was $550 and upgrading my 70-300mm to a 80-400mm was $575; the total upgrade costed a grand total of $1,125.

Now the fact that I had bought another D90 for $775 with battery grip several months ago as a backup (we won't include the money spent here as part of the fx lens upgrade), I ended up selling my older D90 with kit lens for $900 and the battery grip for another $125; thus I got back $1025 for my older D90.

Out of pocket for the complete fx lens upgrade? $100 :)

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