Reviews

Professional Head-2-Head Report: LumaPix YearbookFusion vs. Pelican Software's Yearbooks! Desktop 2010
on Aug 30, 2010 at 10:00AM

Memorable yearbooks encapsulate a shared voice and unique spirit of a particular time, place, and collection of people. For publishers, schools, and social institutions tasked with generating these relics, the conventionalized structure and increasing turn-around expectations often makes for an arduous production process and invariably gets in the way of the true creative task at hand. There are a number of software applications currently on the market designed to help assist with the yearbook creation process. Two leading alternatives are LumaPix's YearbookFusion and Pelican Software's Yearbook! Desktop 2010...

Head-2-Head Micro 4/3 Lens Review: Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f4 vs. Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm f4
on May 17, 2010 at 12:00AM

Olympus and Panasonic engineer quality lenses for Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds formats that match or surpass those available for APS and full-frame DSLRs. Both companies offer 7-14mm zooms that correspond to a 14-28mm lens on the 35mm format with an angle of view of 114-degrees. The fundamental difference between the Olympus 7-14mm and the Panasonic 7-14mm is that the Olympus has a standard Four Thirds mount and the Panasonic has a Micro Four Thirds mount....

Head-2-Head Lens Review: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM vs. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
on Apr 6, 2010 at 9:57AM

These two lenses represent a fairly classic "battle for speed" between two optics from a single manufacturer. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens sells for an MSRP of $419.95, and is a standard short-telephoto Canon workhorse. Canon's more exotic 85mm prime, the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, buys you an additional stop of exposure latitude, superior build quality, extremely high resolution, and what is described as a "silky-smooth" bokeh effect. Sporting an MSRP of $2199.95, and nearly twice the size and weight of the EF f/1.8, we evaluate whether Canon's "L-Series" glass warrants the near $1,800 upgrade....

Head-2-Head RAW Processor Review: Adobe Camera RAW vs. Phase One Capture One Pro
on Mar 25, 2010 at 10:34AM

The RAW file is often described as the "digital negative", basic digital information that has to be processed to become a photograph. In fact, it's more accurately described as the "digital latent image", a term made popular as far back as the Zone System and Ansel Adams, describing the film in the camera, exposed to light, but not yet processed into a negative....

Head-2-Head Lens Review: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM vs. Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
on Mar 5, 2010 at 7:01AM

Canon's EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM ($1699 MSRP) and EF 17-40mm f/4L USM ($839.99 MSRP) are two of the most popular "Ultra-Wide Zoom" lenses available for its mid- and upper-level DSLRs. The 16-35mm f/2.8 II is an update of the previous 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, and is said by Canon to offer a complete optical redesign for increased resolution and contrast. The 17-40mm f/4 is billed as a high-quality, budget-priced "L" lens by Canon, at a stop slower than the 16-35mm f/2.8 II and just a bit more than half the price. The question is, how do these lenses stack up optically?...

Head-2-Head Digital Camera Field Review: Hasselblad H3DII-31 vs. Nikon D3s vs. Canon EOS 5D Mark II
on Feb 12, 2010 at 8:09AM

The Hasselblad feels like, compared to these cameras, it’s in a different world. To be fair, it really is. The frame rate of the camera is 1.2 seconds-per-capture. That’s not frames-per-second, that’s seconds-per-frame. There is no video, HD or otherwise. High ISO shooting, that is, anything over 800, is probably not going to make you happy, and it’s rated at only ISO 1600. The sensor, at 31mp and a physical size of nearly twice that of 35mm sensors, has pixels that are physically 6.8µm (microns) and an Analog/Digital converter that works at full 16-bit. If you’re into cars, this is kind of like putting a smaller turbocharged four-cylinder car up against a big, heavy V8....

Head-2-Head Digital Camera Review: Olympus E-P1 vs. Olympus E-620
on Dec 30, 2009 at 10:08AM

Olympus announced two tiny interchangeable lens cameras in 2009: the EVOLT E-620 came to us in February and the Pen Digital E-P1 in June. In February, the E-620 was announced as "the world's smallest and lightest image-stabilized digital SLR." In June, the E-P1 took center-stage as a retro rangefinder-like camera that Olympus claimed was the “world's smallest 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens system camera.” The E-620 can technically keep its claim as the smallest DSLR as the E-P1 does not have a mirror box and is therefore not a DSLR. The E-P1 can still swap lenses and has slimmer measurements than the E-620, but does it match the performance of true Four Thirds DSLRs?...

Head-2-Head Portrait/Fashion Shootout: Nikon Mid-Range DSLRs
on Dec 23, 2009 at 8:04AM

This article looks at the top tier of Nikon's DSLR stable, the D300s, the D700 and the D3s, with a concentration on a fashion/portrait assignment. We're shooting full-figure shots under strobes at low ISO (ISO 200), some head shots under strobes, and some "available light" shots with tungsten, shot with an ISO 800 setting, and identical lenses on all the cameras, the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED....

Head-2-Head Portrait/Fashion Shootout: Canon Mid-Range DSLRs
on Jan 1, 1970 at 12:00AM

The middle tier of Canon's DSLR lineup starts at a very affordable price point, with the well-rounded, 15-megapixel EOS 50D carrying an MSRP of $1200. The 50D's balance and all-around solid performance qualifies it as a suitable backup camera for almost any application, and even a primary camera for a majority of assignments....

Head-2-Head Software Review: Phase One Capture One Pro vs. Hasselblad Phocus vs. Leaf Capture
on Dec 15, 2009 at 7:58AM

If you're in the market for a Medium Format Digital Back (MFDB), it doesn't take too long before you realize that a very big part of the decision is the software that works with the system. These cameras started as tethered systems for the studio, and that's where they justified their investment early on - in speed and efficiency of workflow. It's no wonder that one of the applications, Phase One's Capture One Pro, has evolved to give professional MFDB power to the DSLR user....