MangoTree Photography Blog

The New Macbook and MacBook Pro

Finally, the new versions of the Macbook and Macbook Pro are available.  Have been waiting for these for some time so we can replace our mac laptops with faster and ore features computers.  You can view all the pictures and specs at Apples site. 

Aloha

Mike

The Canon 5D Mark II Released Today!

My first day off in the past few weeks, I was just cruising thru some blogs and came across the official release of the 5D Mark II.  I knew this was going to be released soon, as Nikon and Sony have recently added cameras in their lines to compete with the 5D.  Wedding and portrait photographers will be all over this new version of a their trusted camera.  Below are the key features.  enjoy.

Key features / improvements

• 21 megapixel CMOS sensor (very similar to the sensor in the EOS-1Ds Mark III)
• Sensor dust reduction by vibration of filter
• ISO 100 - 6400 calibrated range, ISO 50 - 25600 expansion (1Ds Mark III & 5D max ISO 3200)
• Auto ISO (100 - 3200) in all modes except manual
• 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
• DIGIC 4 processor, new menus / interface as per the EOS 50D
• Image processing features:
  • Highlight tone priority
  • Auto lighting optimizer (4 levels)
  • High ISO noise reduction (4 levels)
  • Lens peripheral illumination correction (vignetting correction)
• RAW and SRAW1 (10 MP) / SRAW2 (5 MP)
• RAW / JPEG selection made separately
• Permanent display of ISO on both top plate and viewfinder displays
• AF microadjustment (up to 20 lenses individually)
• Three custom modes on command dial, Creative Auto mode
• Image copyright metadata support
• 98% coverage viewfinder (0.71x magnification)
• 3.0" 920,000 dot LCD monitor with 'Clear View' cover / coatings, 170° viewing angle
• Automatic LCD brightness adjustment (ambient light sensor)
• Live view with three mode auto-focus (including face detection)
• No mirror-flip for exposures in Live View if contrast detect AF selected
• Movie recording in live view (1080p H.264 up to 12 minutes, VGA H.264 up to 24 mins per clip)
• Two mode silent shooting (in live view)
• New jump options in play mode
• HDMI and standard composite (AV) video out
• Full audio support: built-in mic and speaker, mic-in socket, audio-out over AV (although not HDMI)
• IrPort (supports IR remote shutter release using optional RC1 / RC5 controllers)
• UDMA CompactFlash support
• New 1800 mAh battery with improved battery information / logging
• New optional WFT-E4 WiFi / LAN / USB vertical grip
• Water resistance: 10 mm rain in 3 minutes

Canon 50D Just Released!

Here is the New Canon 50D just released Pre-Photokina.  It is similar to the 40D, but has a whopping 15.1 Mega pixels!  As more news comes out I will keep everyone posted.  Now just waiting for the release of the new 5D MarkII...

Here are the current specs from the press release.

• 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
  
• 6.3fps continuous shooting, max. burst 90 JPEGs with UDMA card
  
• DIGIC 4 processor
  
• ISO 100-3200, expandable to 12800
  
• 9-point wide area AF
  
• 3.0” Clear View VGA LCD with Live View mode & Face Detection Live AF
  
• Magnesium alloy body, with environmental protection
  
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
  
• HDMI connection for high quality viewing and playback on a High Definition TV
  
• Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

Lightroom 2.0

Lightroom 2.0 was just released.  For those photographers who use the Lightroom program now, you can upgrade for just $99, those of you who have yet to use Lightroom, I strongly suggest you breakdown and invest in your workflow.  

The program has come along way in just a few short years.  I can honestly say it has saved me so much time with color correcting images and organizing the tens of thousands of photos we shoot annually.  I have been getting inquires again for my Lightroom Wedding Workflow class.  I will look into offering a Fall Class, and can go over 2.0 new features that pertain to the Wedding Photographer.  If you are interested send an email to, aloha@mangotreephotography.com

Here is a quick list of the new Features in 2.0.  Have fun editing and making your images look there best!

Local adjustment brush New

Enjoy more flexible, accurate enhancements by targeting a specific area of a photo for dodging, burning, and other local adjustments.

64-bit processing support New

Utilize the advanced memory handling capabilities on the latest Mac OS and Windows® systems.

Flexible print packages New

Quickly arrange a photo for printing multiple sizes on one or many pages with flexible and customizable templates to make the most of paper and ink every time you print.

Improved organizational tools Enhanced

Sort and filter large volumes of photos using powerful metadata filters to quickly find just the photo you want.

Nondestructive photo editing Enhanced

Adjust and enhance color, exposure, and tonal curves nondestructively on more than 190 camera raw file formats, as well as JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files.

Streamlined Photoshop CS3 integration Enhanced

Enjoy tight integration with Adobe Photoshop software for streamlined use of Smart Objects, panorama stitching, high dynamic range (HDR) functionality, multiple layer workflow, and more. See your edits automatically updated in Lightroom.

Multiple monitor support New

Add a second monitor and enjoy more room to work. Support for multiple monitors enables you to configure your workspace to manage image workflow and presentation more efficiently.

Extensible architecture New

Take advantage of the wide range of plug-ins to help you quickly and easily transfer images to your favorite sharing sites and photo labs.

Volume management New

Freely manage and organize your images across multiple drives, and continue to work with the high-resolution previews — even when your originals are offline.

Batch processing Enhanced

Quickly import large volumes of photos from cameras or camera cards and automatically rename files, organize them into folders, and make nondestructive adjustments.

Output sharpening Enhanced

Improve the appearance of your photos with enhanced algorithms that can automatically sharpen photos when you export files or output print and web creations.

The phone Review

So after the last week and half with the phone, here is my take on this little device.

The look, feel, and style of the phone is amazing.  It fits your hand very comfortably, and the large screen is gorgeous.  Over the years, Apple has made many products that follow the mantra, form follows function, and the new phone fits very comfortably into that mantra.

The new phone is quite a noticeably faster on the new 3g network, but, the only downside to this is the increase in battery consumption.  This little phone sucks up the juice!  In all the years I have used cellular phones, I have yet to charge a device more that this black beauty.  When I contacted ATT about this issue, they told me, it's the price to pay for having high speed applications like web, and maps!  The one advice I can give is buy the car charger, it will be your savior when half way through your workday the phone is at 10% battery life.

Applications on the phone work brilliantly, and really what makes this phone a must have.  The phone, Ipod, Web, are all very easy to use and deliver great results.  The developers program has allowed 3rd party developers to create some very useful apps to help with things you might use often like Restaurants, movies, language translators, currency exchange...  Tada lists help keep all my to do's in order and works great on the iphone.  I did find the app store almost overwhelming.  I will shop through over the next few weeks and see if there are any must have apps.

As a business tool, the phone is a necessity.  For a photographer it is always important to show a client or prospective client your work ASAP.  As much as you can talk with someone and tell them your a photographer there is nothing that compares to viewing the work for themselves, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.  

Importing my images into iphoto and then setting up slideshows for different clients is so simple, it is almost to easy.  The phone's glossy display does the photos justice, and sets up a beautiful slide show in just seconds for clients to view. 

  

The phone also serves another purpose for our business.  It has the ability to handle all our orders, and bookings no matter where we are, whether it be a Destination wedding in Mexico, or personal travel in Asia, the new phone paired with Mobile Me, allows our business to use Push email, calenders, and contacts anywhere anytime.  Simply put, I can sync all my computers, and devices instantly over the web.  this is slick, and I can't recommend this enough for business people on the go.

Overall the new phone has made vast improvements on a device that was already industry leading. Apple does this so well, takes their best products and makes them better.  Now if we could only have signature templates and longer battery life... Maybe next year!

iPhone and Business

A few days with this already and it is an amazing business tool. I will post my thoughts soon. Have a great weekend.

 

More New Camera Gear!

 

For those of you who are into Water Sports Photography,  SPL Water Housings is getting ready to release the Simple Water Housing!  The housing will offer a custom housing for your digital SLR, composite pistol grip shutter release, and a few option for adjustment knobs and buttons.  I have used the SPL housings in the past and like the way they feel, and the picture quality is great.

Here is a photo that I took while on the North Shore of Oahu, a few months back.

Here is the new Urethane Flash attachment for the Canon 580EXII.    Check out the rest of the SPL line on their website.

 

Here you can also see the clear housing for the Pocket Wizard Wireless Transmitter, for remote off camera flash firing.

Grip, PW Slave Cover, and Flash Housing.

Here is some inspiration from Famous Photographer Nelly, who is based out of Santa Cruz, California.  

Here, Nelly is using a second swimmer, holding a remote triggered flash with a green gel, while shooting Pro Surfer Peter Mel's air, during a amazing California sunset.

New Camera & Flash from Nikon

Here is the recent release of the Nikon D700, and the SB900 from Digital Preview.  I am a Canon shooter myself, but can appreciate a great camera gear when I see it.  Those of you in the Hawaiian Islands can find Both Canon and Nikon gear at LightHaus Camera.  With 4 location between Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island, LightHaus Camera are always helpful with any of my photography needs. 

"Perhaps the worst kept secret of any recent announcement Nikon has now officially revealed the compact, professional, twelve megapixel, full-frame (FX format) Nikon D700. From the outside the D700 is virtually identical to the D300, albeit for its larger 'full frame' viewfinder, internally it's almost identical to the D3, except for a slightly slower shutter (five frames per second up to eight frames per second with the MB-D10 battery grip). By comparison it also includes several function improvements over the D3 including Image Sensor cleaning ('sensor shake'), more flexible 'hard button' programming, virtual horizon in Live View and different DX mode indication on the focusing screen. The D700 also becomes the first professional Nikon DSLR to sport a built-in flash. As far as competition is concerned the D700 really only faces the Canon EOS 5D (and any replacement that may be in the works). On sale in July for US$2999"

Nikon has announced the Speedlight SB-900. The new model features a Multi-step auto zoom covering a 17-200mm zoom range, three illumination patterns (standard, center-weighted and even) and automatically detects if you are using the Nikon FX or DX format. The SB-900 will be available from the 25th of July.

Canon's New 430 EXII Flash

New features
For maximum flexibility and ease of use, the Speedlite 430EX II incorporates a number of new features. Recycle times have been reduced by approximately 20%, with the recycle process performed silently to minimise distraction. A new metal mounting foot with redesigned connection pins provides ultra-stable communication between the camera and flash; for rapid connection to the camera, a new quick release and locking mechanism is also incorporated.
Used in Manual mode, the Speedlite 430EX II offers settings in 1/3 stop increments for increased precision of operation. Plus – when used with compatible EOS cameras – every setting on the Speedlite 430EX II can be controlled via the camera menu system, allowing rapid, intuitive alteration of settings.

System flash
The Speedlite 430EX II is a key component of the integrated flash system for both analogue and digital cameras, and is fully compatible with the distance-linked E-TTL II system found on recent EOS cameras. It can also be used as a slave unit when combined with a master unit in a wireless flash setup.

White balance compensation
Slight variations in a flash gun’s voltage and brightness can destabilise white balance in respective frames during continuous shooting. The Speedlite 430EX II compensates for this by transmitting colour information from the flash to the camera. This information is then used to optimise the white balance setting for each individual image. This function works with the camera set to Auto WB or Flash Mode.

Matching sensor size
When mounted to compatible EOS digital cameras, the Speedlite 430EX II detects whether the sensor is full frame, APS-C or APS-H. The flash’s zoom position is then automatically adjusted, optimising flash coverage and the amount of charge needed per shot.  

Fully featured for full control
Other features on the Speedlite 430EX II include 1st and 2nd curtain flash synchronisation, exposure compensation, and an expanded range of nine custom functions.

Accessories
The Speedlite 430EX II can be used with the following optional accessories: the Canon OC-E3 off-camera shoe cord and the Speedlite bracket SB-E2. Featuring a handy quick release/locking mechanism, the OC-E3 adds wired, short-range positioning flexibility to the Speedlite 430EX II. The Speedlite bracket SB-E2 is designed specifically for wedding and press photography and allows the     Speedlite 430EX II to be mounted to one side of the camera – removing the harsh, unnatural shadows that can occur to one side of the subject when shooting in portrait orientation with a camera-mounted flash.

Mobile Me

So today's post I am going to totally geek out for a minute, and Blog about a cool new Technology from Apple, that I believe will really help out photographers and small businesses.  

By now you know that I am a big "Apple Computer" Fan. Our entire business is run on Macs, and I look up to the company for their great products, amazing marketing, and creative ways to help people handle new technology.  

So today Apple announced the new iphone 3G.  The new phone has 2x faster data transfer, and is now available for only $199. Blah, Blah, Blah...

The bigger, and way cooler news is the ability to now offer Exchange services for your mobile everyday workflow.  

Presenting Mobile Me.  A service that will allow small business to run live, wirelessly and completely mobile. Instant updates of email, calenders, and contacts will be available with Mobile Me from any Mac, PC, or your iphone. 

As a photographer, I am always on the go.  Between Photo shoots, Destination Weddings, and Travel, there are so many times I need instant access to client emails, work contacts, or live up to date event calenders.  Since the mobile phones and applications we use now are not in real time, sometimes we have to wait hours or god forbid days, to get back to our clients, or vendors until we returned back to our office computers. Mobile Me will now make accessing our client content, and important information, instantaneous and simple, right on our mobile device from anywhere in the world!  This is great for giving fast, timely service to our clients and vendors.

The Mobile Me will be replacing .Mac, and service will begin July 11th, with the launch of the new iphone.  

I am so excited for the new phone and mobile Exchange service.  Apples technology is years ahead of the leading mobile services, and a must for small businesses using Macs!

Stop by the Apple website for a closer look at the new iphone 3G, and Mobile Me.

Aloha

Mike