I Use – ExpoDisc

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A majority of the time, I treat white balance subjectively. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t use a white balance target. Targets give you the option of setting white balance objectively. Without them you have to fall back on the SWAG method (Scientific Wild Ass Guess). My favorite white balance target is ExpoImaging’s ExpoDisc. (I use a Flat; while they’re more expensive, they can be used with any and all lenses.) Why do I like the ExpoDisc so much? It performs three functions at once – white balance, dust map, vignetting map. In addition to setting white balance you can use it to precisely map dust on you sensor and vignetting. Once you’ve identified these with a single exposure, you can automatically apply those corrections to all images shot during that session. Automatic retouching? Yes! Dust mapping will save you hours. Often, I’ve felt a resistance to using white balance targets in the field. Because the ExpoDisc offers so much more and is so easy to use, I use it consistently.
I demonstrate these kinds of techniques in all of my field workshops.
Download my Review of the ExpoDisc here.
Find out more about the ExpoDisc here.
Find my Review of the ExpoDisc here.
Get Insights free here, for upcoming alerts of new Reviews.
See more of the products I use here.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.

I Use – X-Rite ColorChecker

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The X-Rite ColorChecker is the standard target for getting accurate color in the studio. But, it’s useful in any shooting situation. You can create a custom calibration setting for your camera using the X-Rite ColorChecker and Tom Fors Adobe Camera Raw camera calibration script. Do this once for significantly different lighting situations; daylight, overcast, full shade, tungsten, florescent, etc. You only have to do it once for each lighting situation. The calibration is model specific and chip specific, so do it for every digital camera you use. Performing this routine makes an appreciable improvement in color rendition. Saturated hues will be represented more accurately.  In the field, I use the credit card sized ColorChecker.
I demonstrate these kinds of techniques in all of my field workshops.
Click here for a step-by-step guide to using the X-Rite ColorChecker and the Tom Fors script.
Download Tom Fors script here.
Find my Review of the X-Rite ColorChecker here.
Get Insights free here, for upcoming alerts of new Reviews.
See more of the products I use here.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.

I Use – 3 Filters / Polarizer, ND, IR

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Because it offers so many more options, digital imaging may change the way you use your tools.
For instance, I use only 3 filters – a circular polarizer, a neutral density filter, and a infrared filter.
No other filter is as useful to me as a polarizer. Polarizers remove glare making colors more saturated and reflections allowing you to reduce or remove images on the surface of reflective surfaces. No software filter can do this. I use Canon’s circular polarizer. Whenever possible, I prefer to match filters to the manufacturer of the lens,
I’ve been experimenting with long exposures. Singh Ray makes a unique neutral density filter – the Vari-ND filter. Rotate it and you can slow reduce light between 2 and 8 stops. This eliminates the need to carry multiple filters and to stack them during exposure. It’s fantastic. (As an aside, I prefer all graduated filtration to be done with software because you can control both the effect and the graduation precisely.)
For infrared imagery I use an infrared filter. It’s not exactly the same as converting a camera to infrared, but it’s closer than simulating IR effects with software and it’s doesn’t permanently change your camera. I prefer to carry as little equipment as possible, move freely, and take long walks. Because I prefer to keep my options open, many times I will shoot in full color and use software to create an IR effect. If you take both a full color and IR filtered exposure of the same subject you have many more options.
I demonstrate these kinds of techniques in all of my field workshops.
See more of the products I use here.
Check out my full Review on the Singh Ray Vari-ND filter here.
Get Insights free here, for upcoming alerts of new Reviews.
Read about essential camera tests techniques here.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.

Arctic Butterfly® 724 (Brite) Sensor Brush

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The Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly® 724 (Brite) features a bright LED that illuminates the sensor while it’s being used, making it even easier to use and easier to see when your sensor is clean. Light makes locating dust easier and it reduces the possibility of smearing from contaminated fibers (generally with oil picked up from oil in the chamber).
(It’s not recommended for use in dental cleaning, nose hair removal, or as a flashlight.)
Here’s more information off the Visible Dust website.
The DC rotary engine has been modified to meet a certain RPM standard. It generates an optimal centrifugal force that enables speedy dust rejection while increasing the charge enhancement of the fibers. These combined patented features also include SCF (Super Charged Fibers). By implementing nano-coating technology for charge enhancements and by using super thin fibers for maximum lift capability along the AB-724’s rotary motion for cleaning/charging (without the use of canned air) makes the Arctic Butterfly® 724 (Brite) a superb sensor cleaning tool. Because of its safety features all models of Arctic Butterfly® can be safely used on ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) coated sensor and DLSR’s with built in sensor cleaning systems
Key Features
– Three Stage Power Button On/Off – Equipped with Bright LED light
– Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)
– Enhanced fiber cleaning through patented rotary motion
– No canned air – completely travel safe
– Super-Charged Fiber Technology
– Metal ferrule is attached to the body of the Arctic Butterfly through a non-conductive joint
Price: $109.95 CAD  |  $109.95 USD*  |    €79.47*  |   ( * approximate price )
Check out my Visible Dust Sensor Cleaning System PDF here.
What do you use / do to clean your sensors?

Apple iPhone 3G – Big Just Got Bigger

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One year ago today, the first Apple iPhone was released. Since then, with over 6,000,000 sold, we’ve all come to realize that the iPhone is big – really big. It just got bigger. This is a new era in mobile. David Pogue of the New York Times wrote, “You’re witnessing the birth of a third major computer platform; Windows, Mac OSX, and iPhone.”
Last year, Time named the iPhone the best invention of the year. “The phone that has changed phones for ever.” 90% customer satisfaction. 98% browse. 94% use email. 90% text message. 80% use 10 or more features.It’s touch screen alone promises to revolutionize the monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Available July 11, the iPhone 3G (8G $199 and 16G $299) offers 3X faster (approaching Wi-Fi) wireless technology, built in GPS, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, and new Mobileme services. Audio is improved. Battery life is improved to 300 hours in standby, 10 hours in 2G talk 10 hours, 5 hours in 3G talk time, 5-6 hours browsing time, 7 hours video, 24 hours audio. This year, it’s expanding from 6 to 70 countries (22 on July 11). iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips.
New features include …
Contact search
iWork document support
Supports Microsoft Office documents
Bulk delete and move
Save images into your Photo library
Scientific calculator
Parental controls
Languages
(You can switch between languages of the fly. It’s one great advantage of not having plastic keys.)
Find out more about the iPhone 3G’s new features and specs here.
Jobs quickly identified Apples next challenges … and addressed every one of them.
3G networking (faster)
Enterprise support
Third party applications
More countries
More affordable
Jobs addressed enterprise announcing full Microsoft Exchange support with security.
Jobs went on to announce Apple’s new service Mobileme, offering push email, contacts, and calendars with all of your favorite Mac applications (Mail, Calendar, Address Book, iPhoto, etc), which are now web based. Everything is up to date everywhere. All of your devices are automatically synced wirelessly with the data stored in “the cloud”. It’s exchange for everyone. And it’s implemented so it doesn’t use battery or CPU resources. Mobileme replaces .mac – .mac members will be automatically upgraded.
Apple has made it incredibly easy to develop and bring new applications to market. The iPhone Developer Program provides a complete and integrated process for developing, debugging, and distributing your free, commercial, or in-house applications for iPhone and iPod touch. Complete with development resources, real-world testing on iPhone, and distribution on the App Store, you have everything you need to go from code to customer. The seventh beta version of the iPhone SDK includes Xcode IDE, iPhone Simulator with Open GL ES support, Interface Builder, Instruments, frameworks and samples, compilers, and Shark analysis tool.
What’s this mean for the user? An incredibly feature rich computing environment that is capapbel of (and is) developing at blazing speeds. Simply put, more applications. Incredible convenience. Convergence. Users will get automatic alerts when Applications are updated. The new iPhone software will be compatible with all existing iPhones.
What can you do so far?
You can search, bid, and track Ebay auctions (with 84,000,000 active users) on an iPhone, the #1 mobile device for eBay.
You can mobile blog in seconds with Typepad, the largest professional blogging service in the world.
You can get AP (Associated Press) news, servicing more than half the world’s population, on their mobile news network, automatically retrieve news from local news sources and downloaded it so you can read it even when you’re out of range, and upload your own content so you can literally make the news by sending images to AP.
Loopt combines location and social network showing you the location of friends on a map with one click directions to them, share public journals in real time, and read comments..
Oh, and gaming is outrageous without needing to buy an additional device.
Expect an explosion in this new arena.
Check out the Apple App Store here.
One of the key evolutionary features in the iPhone 3G is built in GPS. Expect an explosion of location based features and services. For instance, you can track yourself on maps while you move. You can even locate your friends!
You can watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs keynote address where he unveiled iPhone 3G, the App Store, MobileMe, and more at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2008 in San Francisco.
You can see the new ad here introducing, “The first phone to beat the iPhone.”
I use my iPhone as an essential business tool. Sure there’s phone and email and browsing and music. I also take photographs with it, not for exhibition but for family, friends, notes, and blog entries. I carry most of my professional images with me on my iPhone, for quick display. For years, I’d be in public and get asked, “What kind of images do you make?”. I’d reply, “Cross Salvador Dali and Mark Rothko with photography.” Heads got scratched. Now I simply pull out my iPhone and show them my images. Sometimes you don’t have time for a thousand words. Sometimes pictures are worth more than 1000 words. (I’d love to see my iPhone’s GPS data synced and inserted into my photographs and later be used to launch Google maps for anyone wanting to learn more about them.)
How do you use your iPhone? Tell us by commenting here.