Photographer Focus - Peter Yang

Photographer Focus of the Day:

Peter Yang

According to Peter he lives in Brooklyn, hails from the great state of Texas, and photographs subjects all over the world.

Peter shoots lots of rock stars. He gets along with them because he's a nice guy and not intimidating. This is confusing to Peter because he thinks he totally looks like a rock star. Peter is a regular contributor to Rolling Stone, ESPN Magazine and Wired, among others.

Website: http://www.peteryang.com/
Image by Peter Yang.

Adobe TV Launched As New Training Resource

Adobe has launched a new online video resource. Adobe TV offers channels for photographers, designers, developers, and video professionals, each of which makes a wide selection of video tutorials available for free viewing. While some of the tutorials are produced by Adobe itself, others come from a variety of well-established professional training companies and publishers, including xTrain, Lynda, and Total Training. Adobe TV has launched with over 200 videos, and plans to add new segments each week.

The training videos can also be watched via the Adobe TV channel on Adobe's new Media Player software. In addition to Adobe TV, the player offers access to a broad range of programs from television networks and other content publishers. You can download the player for free from Adobe's Web site.

Rolleiflex 5MP MiniDigi AF

Many people may think of Rolleiflex professional cameras as classic if somewhat clunky affairs. Those people may want to start reevaluating that view, however, now that Rolleiflex has once again released a super cool miniature digital version of its twin reflex camera. Once again, we have to say that this mini Rollei is cute as hell. (Whoa, can't believe we just said that.)

The Rolleiflex MiniDigi AF 5.0 is just three inches tall but it includes some fairly decent digital features, making this tiny camera more than just a novelty. Though it may look like the original MiniDigi released back in 2006, the AF 5.0 model includes several improvements including autofocus (between 10CM and infinity); 5MP interpolated image files, and a 1.1-inch screen on top of the camera for reviewing your shots.

The coolest part though is how much is resembles a shrunken version of an original Rolleiflex which used two lenses, one above the other, a hand crank lever, shutter release, and hooded viewfinder. The crank lever on the new MiniDigi prepares you for your next shot – rather than advancing the film – while the classic pop-up hood and viewfinder lets you do some traditional-style "waist-level" shooting and prevents stray light from getting in. Another interesting throwback is that the MiniDigi AF 5.0 shoots digital files in a square format just like in the old days.

Along with being small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the Rolleiflex MiniDigi AF 5.0 offers one distinct difference from the classic coal-black model –it comes in fire engine red. Oh how very racy it is!

Cost: $399
Further information: http://www.dsmww.com/

Image © PDNOnline
Article by Dan Havlik

New Digital Camera Reviews Posted

New reviews in the Recent Digital Camera Reviews section:

Canon PowerShot A650 IS

Nikon CoolPix P80

Sony Alpha 350

Sony CyberShot DSC-H10

Sony CyberShot DSC-T300

Adobe Releases Lightroom and Camera RAW Updates

Apologizing "for any inconveniences caused by the issues presented in the initial updates," Lightroom Product Manager Tom Hogarty announced the release of updates to the Photoshop Lightroom, Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in and DNG Converter to correct problems found in Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4.

Highlights of the revisions follow:

Lightroom

• Lightroom 1.4 incorrectly modified the EXIF time date field of images that had a metadata update applied. This incorrect modification does not appear in Lightroom or Bridge and is only viewable through third party EXIF tools. This error has been corrected in Lightroom 1.4.1 and all files in a Lightroom catalog that have been incorrectly modified will be corrected on their next metadata update. (Metadata can be updated by selecting the files in the Library grid view and choosing Command or Control+S to save and update the metadata.)

• Olympus JPEG files could render incorrectly in Lightroom 1.4, displaying an artifact in the exported file.

• Any conversion to DNG in Lightroom 1.4 (Windows Only) would cause the DNG file to become unreadable by Lightroom's Develop Module or Camera Raw 4.4 in Photoshop. The issue has been corrected and files can be converted to DNG again in order to resolve the issue for existing files. Returning to the original native raw files is not necessary. The affected DNG files can be selected and converted again using the DNG Converter 4.4.1 available at www.adobe.com/dng/. This process is not required but recommended to ensure that a correct validation value is stored within the DNG files.

• Lightroom 1.4 provided degraded import performance relative to Lightroom 1.3.

Camera Raw

• Camera Raw 4.4 incorrectly modified the EXIF time date field of images that were saved as TIFF or JPEG files from the Camera Raw dialog. This has been corrected in Camera Raw 4.4.1

• Olympus JPEG files could render incorrectly in Camera Raw 4.4, displaying an artifact in the exported file.

Downloads

The Lightroom 1.4.1 and Camera Raw 4.4.1 updates are available
immediately as free downloads at http://www.adobe.com/downloads.

PENTAX Student Photography Program

PENTAX Imaging Company has announced a PENTAX Student Photography Program to support budding photographers and photography educators with camera bodies, lenses and flashes at significant savings. Known for producing photography equipment that offers value, quality, ease-of-use, durability, and affordability, PENTAX takes great pride in the commitment to countless users who have learned and taught the art of photography with a PENTAX camera.

The PENTAX Student Photography discounts are offered exclusively to full-time students at accredited institutions (high schools, colleges and universities) as well as full-time photography educators. Students and educators must observe the following conditions to qualify for these significant savings:

Purchase the PENTAX equipment from an authorized PENTAX dealer between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2008. Complete a PENTAX Student Program form (available for download at www.pentaxslr.com or www.pentaximaging.com.) Students must provide photography class enrollment certification (class schedule or copy of registration) and a copy of a valid student identification. Educators must submit a copy of course curriculum for their photography class and a copy of a valid faculty identification.

Due to the significant discounts offered, all requirements listed must be met and approved by PENTAX Imaging Company and may not be combined with any other offers including consumer promotions and rebates. This program is valid to students and educators in the United States for purchases made in the United States.

For more information, qualified photographers may e-mail customer.followup@pentax.com or call 1-800-877-0155 (press “0” and ask to speak to the PENTAX STUDENT PROGRAM).