Photography

The Best Photo Management Tool  →

CJ Chilvers:

It may not please the geeks, but the best solution I’ve found for all this is the humble book. Making a collection of photos into a book (even if it’s just a year book of miscellaneous shots) solves several problems.

Making a photo book through iPhoto has become one of our favorite things to do as well, and I highly recommend it. It’s super easy and affordable.

For the last two years now, after Thanksgiving weekend, I place all of my favorite photos from the past 12 months into a new iPhoto library. The software will auto-generate the layout of the book (it puts them in chronological order), and then I just tweak it and send to print. The quality is fantastic and it’s one of the best ways to have your favorite photos all in one place.

The Best Photo Management Tool

State of Photo Sharing in 2014  →

Justin Williams on the different options available for both backing up our photos and sharing them with friends and family. He looks at Dropbox’s Carousel, Apple’s Photo Stream, and Google+ Cloud Backup, and email.

Aside from my writing, I really can’t think of anything else I make that is as important to me than the photos I am taking. If you’re casual about your photos and only care about sharing the most recent snapshot and then you never really care about that photo again, then things aren’t that bad. You take a picture, upload it to Instagram/Facebook/Twitter and/or email it/text message it to your friends or family and you’re done.

But once you start caring. Once you realize that you want your favorite photos in some sort of album for easy trips through memory lane, and that you want all your photos to be available on all your devices, and that you want to more easily define who you share what photos with, and that you want all your photos to be safely backed up in case your toddler tosses your iPhone into the potty, well… that’s when you realize the state of photo sharing and backup in 2014 is still a confusing mess.

I touched on this yesterday in my link to Federico Viticci’s iOS 8 Wish List article. While pontificating what Apple has in store for the future of iOS, surely improvements to Photo Stream and iCloud storage are on the list. With how aggressive Apple is when it comes to enhancing the iPhone’s physical camera and the software that drive is, it’s mind boggling how much they’ve neglected the storage, syncing, and sharing of those photos.

State of Photo Sharing in 2014

DPR’s Review of the Olympus OM-D E-M10  →

From the overall conclusion:

The E-M10 very much feels more like a third generation OM-D model than a step-down from its two brothers. It borrows many qualities we liked from both of them and presents them in a slightly smaller, lighter package.

I’ve read a few other reviews of the E-M10 and they are all glowing like this one. When the E-M10 was first announced a lot of people pooh-poohed it, saying it was just a poor man’s OM-D. But I think that’s missing the point entirely.

Last year when I wrote my one-year review of the E-PL5, I said there were no cameras enticing enough for me to consider upgrading. I spent some time with the E-P5 over Christmas and was actually underwhelmed by it — I wasn’t getting any shots out of it that I couldn’t also get with my E-PL5, and yet the E-P5 was bigger, heavier, more expensive.

But the E-M10 has turned out to be a fantastic upgrade from my E-PL5. For one, it’s almost exactly the same size (but with the EVF on top). It has a better back menu dial button (a 4-button d-pad instead of a spinning dial), it has the two dial control rings for adjusting Aperture, Shutter Speed, and/or exposure on the fly.

But something I’ve found myself using quite often is the Wi-Fi. I thought it was just a neat novelty, but turns out it’s actually quite useful.

As an example, a couple weeks ago I was at my nephew’s 2-year birthday party. I snapped a bunch of photos of him blowing out his cake. Then, as everyone was eating cake, I import a couple of the photos onto my iPhone, edited them in VSCO Cam, and then sent them to my folks who live in Colorado.

I have plans to write a more comprehensive review of the E-M10, but in the meantime I’ll say that I’m extremely happy with it. I’m not shooting more often than I already was with the E-PL5, nor has the E-M10 suddenly made me a brilliant photographer. However, I am taking advantage of all the extra features and functions that E-M10 has over the E-PL5. And that’s the point.

For further listening, check out a few weeks back, on one of my Weekly Briefly episodes where I talked about the E-M10 and why I decided to stick with Micro Four Thirds.

DPR’s Review of the Olympus OM-D E-M10

The Best Camera Is the One You Have Built on Top of a 40-Foot Trailer  →

Where the camera industry is zigging, photographer Dennis Manarchy is zagging. Manarchy designed and built the largest film camera in the world. This ginormous format camera is 35 feet long, 8 feet wide, 12 feet tall, and it uses 6-foot film negatives.

Manarchy’s incredible goal is to take the camera all around the United States and document portraits of people from all different cultures. Followed by a traveling exhibition where he’ll display 24-foot prints of the portraits, printed at detail never before seen at that scale.

Be sure to see the video they made, giving more explanation into the history and vision behind this project. I would love to visit the Butterflies & Buffalo exhibit if it ever comes near Kansas City.

The Best Camera Is the One You Have Built on Top of a 40-Foot Trailer

Regarding the Olympus 25/1.8 Lens and the Panasonic Leica 25/1.4

There are now two nifty fifty lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system: the infamous Panasonic 25mm f/1.4 and the new Olympus 25mm f/1.8.

Some of the initial comparison reviews of the Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens are in and they’re not what I expected them to be. It seems the choice between either the Panasonic or the Olympus lens isn’t an obvious one.

The Panasonic 25/1.4 is my favorite lens for M43. And it’s not just me — this lens has long been heralded as one of the finest pieces of M43 glass you can get.

However, as you may recall, when I bought my E-PL5 in the fall of 2012, I went with the 20/1.7 pancake lens as my daily shooter. For me, the size was a very important factor and at the time I didn’t want to have both the 20mm pancake lens and the 25mm.

But, after renting the 25/1.4 for the second time this past Christmas, I decided to just buy the thing (along with the new E-M10).

What I like about the 25/1.4 is that it has a much faster auto-focus than my 20/1.7 pancake lens1 and produces a more shallow depth of field with creamier bokeh. Also, the 25/1.4 has a distinct character to it — not only is it a handsome and well-built lens, it takes great shots that have a contrast and look to them which I think is great.

Then, Olympus came out with their own 25mm lens: the 25/1.8. Ugh.2 The Olympus lens comes in black, it is $130 cheaper than the Panasonic 25/1.4 lens ($399 and $529 respectively), and it’s a bit smaller. Anyway, I decided to stick with my Panasonic lens because it is about 2/3 of a stop faster (f/1.4 vs f/1.8).

A few comparison reviews have now started rolling in, and it looks like the Olympus lens is almost as great as the Panasonic.

If you check out Robin Wong’s side-by-side comparison shots, the difference between the two lenses is not as distinct as I would have expected. The images from the Olympus lens look great and have a character all their own, even when set side-by-side with the Panasonic lens.

Though I will say that I prefer the images from the Panasonic. Also I think the Panasonic is a better looking lens on the camera itself — as awesome as the Olympus lenses are, they are also, unfortunately, kinda ugly.

But that’s not the whole story. The Olympus lens has better corner-to-corner sharpness and its auto focus speed is even faster and quieter to that of the Panasonic.

And so the big question is this: is the extra cost and extra size of the Panasonic lens worth it? Well, Steve Huff says no:

The Panasonic is slightly sharper here but not by much at all. To me, the benefits of the Olympus ($129 less, smaller, faster AF, silent focus, more neutral color) beat out that small miniscule [sic] sharpness difference.

A year and a half ago, when I originally decided to go with the Micro Four Thirds system, my decision was predominantly influenced by the lens selection. Though mirrorless cameras have all come a long way since then, the M43 system continues to have one of the more impressive and affordable lineups of awesome lenses and compact bodes.

While I won’t be trading in my Panasonic lens for the new Olympus, for those who’ve been holding out on the former and waiting for the latter, it looks like it was worth the wait.

  1. The 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens does have notoriously slow auto focus. I’ve talked with people who have experience with nearly every single M43 lens, and the 20/1.7 has the slowest AF of them all. ↵
  2. The worst thing about being into photography is also the best thing: there are so many darn choices for amazing gear! ↵
Regarding the Olympus 25/1.8 Lens and the Panasonic Leica 25/1.4

Flickr Turns 10  →

Yesterday was Fickr’s 10th birthday, and Harry McCracken wrote about the site’s rise, fall, and revival over the past decade.

I thought I’d look to see what the first picture I posted to Flickr was. And wouldn’t you believe it, but it’s a picture of my very dorky office and my Mac Setup from the summer of 2007. My usage of Flickr has certainly changed over the years, with the most significant shift happening when I bought my E-PL5. I now use Flickr far less for screenshots and far more for family and artsy photos.

Flickr Turns 10

Perfect Photos Every Time  →

CJ Chilvers gave a 5-minute presentation based on his essay about how to make perfect photos.

I love his rule for perfect photography:

The only rule in photography is to tell a story with a compelling subject – for you.

Think of it as a Maslow’s Hierarchy of Photographic Needs. Every decent photo needs to tell a story. Telling a story with a compelling subject can make the photo historic (as seen above). But a step above even those photos, is a photo with a subject compelling to you specifically. That’s what makes your snapshots even more important than the most important photos ever made.

Perfect Photos Every Time

Mathieu Gasquet’s First Impressions of the new Olympus E-M10  →

The E-M10 is the first new M43 camera to genuinely tempt me to upgrade from my E-PL5 which I’ve had for about a year and a half now.

I’ve rented both the E-M5 and the E-P5 but wasn’t blown away by either of them in such a way as to upgrade my current camera. Though I was initially very excited about the E-P5, after renting it I didn’t feel that it was a significant enough upgrade from my E-PL5 — and at nearly twice the price, I felt that was money better spent on a good lens.

However, after reading a few reviews, my first impressions of the E-M10 may be a different story — this may be my next camera.

Here’s what is compelling to me about the new E-M10:

  • Price: $700 for the body, which is a bit more than I paid new for my E-PL5 and is $300 less than the list price of the E-M5 and E-P5 (though the latter two cameras are both 20-percent off on Amazon at the moment, making them just $100 more expensive than the E-M10).

  • Size: the E-M10 looks stellar, and is just slightly larger than the E-PL5, and smaller than the E-P5, E-M5, and E-M1.

  • Manual Controls: after size, having a few manual dials to quickly adjust aperture and shutter speed is what I most wish the E-PL5 had.

  • Viewfinder: Though I don’t long for a viewfinder, I’d welcome having one.

  • Image Stabilization: the E-M10 has 3-axis in-body image stabilization (for pitch, yaw, and roll) compared to the 5-axis of the E-M5 and E-M1. My E-PL5 has 2-axis IBIS (pitch and yaw only). In usage, I never found myself in deep need of the 5-axis IBIS when renting the E-M5 and E-P5. I always felt able to get just as good of images from my E-PL5 and its “measly” 2-axis IBIS as I was with the nicer cameras and their 5-axis IBIS.

In short, the E-M10 looks to have enough compelling features, in a camera body that is still small enough, at a price that is still low enough, to be exciting to me. But we’ll have to see. Once it’s out (Feb 12th), I hope to rent one from Lens Rentals and give it a spin to find out for sure if it’s as exciting as it looks.

Mathieu Gasquet’s First Impressions of the new Olympus E-M10

The Best Photo Editing App for the Mac Is Lightroom  →

And speaking of The Sweet Setup, we just published our latest app review/recommendation. It was written by none other than Duncan Davidson himself:

The upside of photography in the digital age is that it’s easy to make as many images as you want. The downside: Once you’ve made all those photos, you have to do something with them before they pile up faster than you can sort through and share the best.

The Best Photo Editing App for the Mac Is Lightroom

Grandpa’s iPad

My grandpa is legally blind. He can see, but poorly. When he reads books they are the extra large print editions, and he holds them so close they’re practically resting on his nose. And when he watches an old western film from his VHS collection he sits about two feet away from his big-screen TV.

Last weekend, while in Colorado visiting family, we had a big family dinner at my parents’ house. I loaded my 2-year-old son, Noah, into the car and we drove to pick up my Grandpa from his apartment and bring him over for dinner.

My Grandparents’ homes were always filled with seemingly floor to ceiling photos of family. And his current apartment is no different. There are picture frames on the table and on the desk and on the dresser, and snapshots of grandchildren have been printed out (with the help of more tech-savvy relatives) and thumb-tacked to the walls.

At the apartment, I held Noah while my Grandpa gathered his things — his coat, hat, and walker. And, a new item now: his iPad.

The iPad was a gift from my aunt. It’s a 3rd generation and she doesn’t use it that often so she gave it to him hoping he could use it. (Perhaps as a giant remote control for the TV?)

But my Grandpa discovered a use for it that none of us had considered. It is the best camera he’s ever owned.

Before leaving the apartment, Noah and I had to pose for a picture. Holding the iPad about 10 inches in front of his face, my Grandpa snapped a few photos.

I know there are people out there who take pictures using their iPads, because I’ve seen — ahem — pictures of them doing it. But I’ve always thought it a bit funny and awkward.

And there I was. Posing to have my picture taken with an iPad.

At first, I wanted to snicker. But how could I? If my Grandpa wants to use an iPad to take a picture of his grandson and great grandson, then who cares? Certainly not me.

Back at my parent’s house, my Grandpa continued to spend the first part of the evening taking everyone’s picture. Several of my cousins were there, and many of us don’t get to see my Grandpa more often than every couple of months, if not longer. It was a prime time for snapshots.

Later, Noah quickly warmed up to my Grandpa thanks to the iPad. (As any parent knows, iPads and iPhones are captivating to a toddler. Noah is already quite fluent with iOS and has been sliding to unlock since before he could walk.) The iPad was a way for my Grandpa to spend some time with Noah at his side, as the two of them flipped through the camera roll.

With a smile, I’ve been thinking about that evening for the past week.

My Grandpa’s iPad has enabled him to do something that he’s been unable to do for as long as I can remember. The 9.7-inch touch screen has turned my Grandpa into a photographer.

The screen is large enough that he can see well enough to actually frame and take pictures. And then he has them right there, on that same large screen, where he can browse through them any time he wants.

To me, that’s pretty magical.

Grandpa’s iPad

A Brief, Unordered Miscellany Regarding the Olympus E-PL5, E-P5, and E-M5 Cameras

(Why do camera names always have to be a mouthful of awkward? Nevertheless,) I’ve not been silent in my affinity for the Olympus E-PL5 which I bought over a year ago and have been using and enjoying ever since.

To give myself context when writing about the E-PL5, I’ve rented two other awesome M43 cameras: Last spring I rented the E-M5 (which was the Olympus flagship M43 camera at the time) and over this past holiday I rented the E-P5.

In a nut, each of these three cameras are more-or-less capable of producing the exact same quality of images in almost any circumstance (because they all have the same sensor and image processor on the inside). For the most part, the variables are the lenses and the burden is on the photographer.

However, there are some nice features and other bells and whistles that the E-M5 and E-P5 have which the E-PL5 does not. Such as:

  • E-PL5 doesn’t have any dedicated dials for adjusting Aperture, Exposure, Etc.
  • The E-PL5 has 4-axis In Body Image Stabilization, while the E-P5 and E-M5 have 5-axis IBIS.
  • E-M5 has weather sealing, E-P5 and E-PL5 do not.
  • E-M5 has a built-in viewfinder.
  • The E-P5 has a built-in flash.
  • E-P5 has an ISO range from 100 to 25,600 (the E-PL5 and E-M5 only go down to 200).
  • The E-P5 has a max shutter speed of 1/8000 (presumably for taking pictures of the sun at high noon with your f/1.4 lens’s aperture wide open) compared to 1/4000 for the E-PL5 and E-M5.
  • The E-M5 has good battery life, the E-P5 and E-PL5 have great battery life.
  • All cameras have a dust reduction system that silently vibrates the sensor each time you turn on the camera to help “fling” any dust which may be there and keep the sensor clean.
  • The E-P5 has a wi-fi mode that can connect the camera to the Olympus iOS app and send images to your iPad/iPhone.

In my two weeks using the E-P5 during this past Christmas and New Year, I oftentimes wanted to (and even did) reach for my E-PL5 instead. The E-P5 is noticeably larger and heavier (albeit, not significantly so). And, to my surprise, I hardly ever used the manual dial controls for quickly adjusting aperture, shutter speed, exposure, on the fly.

What I enjoyed most from my rental gear wasn’t the better camera, but was actually the 25mm f/1.4 lens. I haven’t used this lens in over a year and I had forgotten just how fast it is to autofocus when compared to the 20mm f/1.7 lens I have been using, and how much more character there is in the images it makes.

In my opinion, the advantages of the E-M5 and the E-P5 over the E-PL5 are almost entirely in the bells and whistles and not in the end-product capabilities of making photos. For many people, the extra features and controls are worth the extra cost. But for me, I think the $450 saved by buying the E-PL5 instead of the E-M5 or E-P5 is money better spent on a nice lens.

One day I’ll upgrade my E-PL5 to something a little bit bigger with a few more features. But for now, I’d much rather invest in another great lens (or two). The more I’ve tried different cameras, the more I realize the important thing is to just find a kit you love to use. If you find yourself saying “it’s magical” then you’ve got it.

A Brief, Unordered Miscellany Regarding the Olympus E-PL5, E-P5, and E-M5 Cameras

VSCO Cam Interview with Kyle Steed  →

Kyle is a fantastic photographer. He and nine other mobile photographers went to Israel for a week to document their travels for the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the non-profit called Stand With Us. His interview here on the VSCO Journal has some great photos from the trip and some behind-the-scenes info about the trip. You can see more of Kyle’s Israel photos on his Grid page.

I talk a lot about how much I like my fancy-pants mirrorless camera, and here guys like Kyle are taking incredible shots with their iPhones. Proof that tools and rules, in and of themselves, do not an artist make.

VSCO Cam Interview with Kyle Steed