Drobo: backup storage solution for your photography
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
It’s been a while since my last post. I have been in over my head working on shoots and retouching the last few weeks.
About 2 months ago I picked up a Drobo. A Drobo is described as a storage robot – an array of convential SATA hard drives managed so that your data remains redundantly stored across all the drives. The Drobo acts as one very large drive so that finally I have my images all in one place. This makes organisation much easier and in turn my work flow one step less convoluted. Previous to this investment my tens of thousands of images were spread across a number of external hard drives – making organisation and digital asset management a bit of a nightmare. Not only were they often difficult to locate, but this method was exceedingly insecure.
The current iteration of the Drobo is the Drobo 2.0, whose main drawcard is the enhanced includes firewire connectivity which results in increased transfer speeds – perfect for photo and video applications. I purchased mine from B&H.
It’s one of the best purchases I’ve made and though pricey, allowed me to set my mind at ease when it comes to storage.
Listen to more about Drobo in the following videos (Note that these refer to the first generation Drobo which lacked some of the features of the current model).
Tags: drobo
Amazon Kindle: The future of reading
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
When I travel, my suitcase is always too heavy. You’d think that it would be because I lug lots of gear across the countryside…
The real reason is that I am a book and magazine addict – my packing regime consists mostly of packing a small number of clothes, an assortment of miscellaneous camera items and as many books as the seams of my suitcase can withstand. Don’t worry, I still lug more camera gear than I should, but that all comes along with me as carry-on.
Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked.
Meet Amazon Kindle – the future of book reading and an item that if it was available in Australia – would save me a whole lot of space when I’m packing for my next trip.
Check it out here.
Otherwise, here are some of the highlights direct from Amazon:
- Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
- Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
- Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
- Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
- More than 230,000 books available, including more than 105 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
- New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
- Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
- Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
- Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
- More than 1100 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
- Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
- Holds over 200 titles.
- Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
- Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
- No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
- Includes free wireless access to the planet’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
- Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.
- Included in the box: Kindle wireless reader, Book cover, Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop with No Keyboard
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
I’m an Apple fan, but this is too funnnnny!
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard.
Nikon releases D3X with a US RRP of $8000 – biggest fans outraged!
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
Nikon released their newest flagship DSLR a couple of weeks ago, the 24 megapixel D3X. Essentially the camera is the year-or-so old D3 with a tweaked Sony sensor inlaid – so when Nikon announced a recommended retail price of $8000, heads rolled…
Enjoy!
Tags: D3X, GEAR, Nikon, youtube
5D mkII at ISO6400
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
So I’ve had the 5D mkII for a week now and have had the opportunity to shoot assignments as well as test shots with it. My first impressions remain strong – the AF is great, the big screen makes it much easier to resolve whether you’ve ‘got the shot’ in run-and-gun situations and the image quality and level of detail is extraordinary.
As we know, pictures speak a number of words, so following are some photos I took last weekend on the second evening of having the camera. Some were taken at the astronomically high ISO 6400 to resolve how well the camera performs at this level. As such, these images are only for testing purposes. Click on each to view them on flickr where you can see them at full size.
First up, a couple of unsharpened images at ISO100 run straight through Adobe Camera Raw at its default settings.
View the images taken at ISO6400, after the jump…
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 5D mkII, camera, canon, GEAR, street, test photos
Canon 5D mkII – 100% crops – ISO 6400
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
I should really be sleeping, but I couldn’t resist…
I was just going through some of the shots I took this evening on the production 5D mkII i picked up from the shop in Perth (Western Australia) this afternoon and after casually checking them out – I decided to take a look at some of the ones taken under more adverse lighting conditions.
Boy was I impressed.
Following is a 100% crop of an image shot under the lights of a gaming arcade (most of the illumination in the photo is provided not by overhead lighting, but by the screens of arcade gaming machines!!!!). It is amazing to see what the camera can capture – beyond the scope of the human eye!
Shot at f1.8 (wide open) on a Canon 85mm 1.8, I wasn’t expecting much, but not only did the 5D mkII nail focus on the eye (AF seems really reliable and accurate!), what impressed me so much was the level of detail and sharpness resolved at such a high ISO.
Check it out after the jump…
Tags: 100% crop, 5D mkII, low light, test
5D mkII available in Perth, Western Australia – first impressions
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
Today I got the call…the one I was expecting though didn’t believe until I heard it for myself.
My 5D mkII was in store in the most isolated city on earth – Perth, Western Australia – waiting for me.
Picked it up at 2:30pm and have been playing with it ever since. Unfortunately the battery just died as I only charged it half way and have been playing non stop with live view and video mode – so much fun.
First impressions are great. Wonderfully robust build quality – very solid. AF is very accurate, even in very low light – a big step up from my 30D it seems. Auto ISO is another big advancement – very handy. The gorgeous 3 inch VGA resolution screen is a much more important advantage than I had anticipated. You can now see whether you got the shot, at least in terms of focus and sharpness. Makes getting great, technically sound images all the more easier.
Apparently I’m pretty lucky, Canon Australia have only released a small number around Australia – some estimate less than one hundred!
My thanks to the guys at Team Digital, in particular Ben Walton and Peter Clarke for putting up with my constant questioning as to when the camera will be available – great guys to deal with – highly recommended.
I’ll get up some sample pics and hopefully video tommorow – I need to sleep.
First impressions of high ISO are very, very good – better than I had anticipated based on the samples across the web!
WOOHOO!
5D mkII Shipping – More HD video love
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
So, the much awaited 5D mkII is now available in China and Hong Kong, and is beginning to to ship to those who put their names down first on the uber long preorder lists in the states.
Australia isn’t far behind, with rumour being that Canon is shipping a handful of units (some say as few as 150) around Australia as soon as today.
I’m hoping to have mine at least by early next week!
Since my last post, a number of new, well produced films shot with the 5D mkII have surfaced. First up is a large production Korean adaptation of Reverie and secondly we have some journalistic stlye footage of Beijing.
Enjoy!
EOS 5D Mark2 Movi – Prism from chador on Vimeo.
Canon EOS5DmkII, One night in Beijing. from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
Both of these movies allow Vimeo members to download the originals for closer inspection, which is worth doing as Vimeo tops out at 24 fps for HD. That means these 30 fps movies are getting a crappy 24p conversion when Vimeo compresses them, which hides some of the 30p smoothness, but not in a good way.
Tags: 5D mkII, Multimedia, News, video
Canon 5d mkII videos: Game Changers
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR, Multimedia, News
The Canon 5d mkII promises to revolutionise the photographic industry – both in the amateur and professional spheres. Shooting full High Definition video – via a highly sensitive 35mm sensor – the camera allows photographers to unleash their creative vision in motion picture as well as 21 megapixel still photographs.
But don’t take my word for it, listen to Vincent Laforet – pulitzer prize winning photojournalist and creator of the widely acclaimed short film ‘Reverie’ – shot in one day on a pre-production 5d mkII – as he speaks about the 5D mkII at the Photo Plus Expo in New York.
For those as eager I as have been to get your hands on any examples of video recorded on a 5d mkII, check the following links out – a selection of my favourites from around the web – after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »
The future of video is coming: RED Scarlet
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under GEAR
Imagine if a Canon 5d could shoot video – then imagine it shot that video in a RAW format.
Then imagine this figurative camera came in at under US$3000 and could fit in your coat pocket.
You have in your mind, something similar to the eagerly anticipated RED Scarlet HD camera projected for release in early 2009.
This little beast, a derivative of it hefty older brother, the RED One, is going to change the way we think of video.
check it:
Among the juiciest tidbits: Ted likens the battle between “regular” HD camcorders versus 3K and 4k Red cameras to cell phone cameras versus SLRs. Damn!
“I talk very publicly and very bluntly about what our camera is, and it is essentially, a digital still camera that can shoot video,” RED’s Ted Schilowitz told Maria during an interview at NAB. “It doesn’t think like a video camera at all.”
In typical RED fashion, the only promises about the final product is that “specifications, delivery dates and design are subject to change… count on it,” but this is certainly a good start.
Tags: camera, GEAR, RED, video, video camera
