dSLR Dad

Now that PMA is over, and we’ve all digested the new gear, it’s now time to actually photograph something. So what I want to know from all of you dSLR Dads is a list of topics that you want covered over the coming weeks.  Just add your own comment below.

What to include:

• Do you have a dSLR?
• How long have you been using it?
• What do you like to photograph?
• What are your Top 5 requests for dSLR Dad?

State of the Union – From the Photographer’s Perspective

Last night was President Bush’s last State of the Union Address to the United States. Photographer John Harrington was there and shares the challenges associated with capturing the event. You can read more from John over at his blog, the Photo Business News & Forum. The following is a complete transcript of the speech for those who wish to review: (more…)

A Scott Kelby Retrospective

Scott Kelby, the Photoshop master, has written a new year’s retrospective on all things Photoshop for the year 2007.

For my last post of the year, I thought I’d take a quick look back at what has just been an amazing year of change, innovation, and growth for our industry. I’m going to focus on what’s happened in the Photoshop arena, in photography, what’s happened here in my Photoshop Insider blog, and how it’s impacted our lives (and my own work), throughout this year (which seems like it literally just flew by).

You can read the entire article here. You can also view all of Scott Kelby’s Books at Amazon here.

Photo by Marcus Bleasdale / VII. Refugees from fighting in Mogadishu seek shelter at a camp in Baletwayne, Somalia.

Time Magazine has posted a powerful collection of The Year in Images. You can view them here.

What, the 3-ounce rule doesn’t apply?

Actually, it’s 8 grams, and I await with bated breath the comments to follow.  The following comes from the safetravel.dot.gov website:

Effective January 1, 2008, the following rules apply to the spare lithium batteries you carry with you in case the battery in a device runs low:

• Spare batteries are the batteries you carry separately from the devices they power. When batteries are installed in a device, they are not considered spare batteries.
• You may not pack a spare lithium battery in your checked baggage
• You may bring spare lithium batteries with you in carry-on baggage – see our spare battery tips and how-to sections to find out how to pack spare batteries safely! (more…)

Sports Illustrated has launched their 2007 Year in Pictures. You can view them here.

via Imaging Insider

The following is part of a much larger dSLR Dad Holiday Gift Guide:

Red River Paper is a great company in Dallas, TX that supplies very good quality inkjet papers factory direct. For this holiday season, why not pick up one of their inkjet paper or greeting card sample packs. Each pack includes a two sheets of each paper. Red River also offers free ICC color profiles are available for the most popular papers on some printers.

You can find out more information about their inkjet paper kits here.
You can order the Greeting Card sample kit here.

Update 12/20/2007 - All orders through 12/30/2007 receive a 10% discount.

ColorVision has updated their Spyder3 line of color management devices with the release of the SPYDER3PRO and the SPYDER3Print. The SPYDER3PRO Colorimeter is designed to deliver more precise control over white point and gamma, and has easy-to-use features including a new Display Assistant that stores and easily retrieves all user device-specific information on each display to save time during recalibration.

The SPYDER3Print enables photographers to output gallery-quality color or black and white prints and makes storing and creating profiles easy through its simple wizard-driven program. This way, you can create your own profiles (which normally cost $100 each) for a multitude of papers with greater control. This way, you could use Epson’s Exhibition Fiber Paper on the Canon Imageprograf IPF5000 Printer (Which, by-the-way, is a now available at a $1100 discount).

A Comparison Chart of all four of the Spyder 3 products (more…)

The Canon Imageprograf IPF5000 Printer was replaced by the $1,900 Imageprograf IPF5100 earlier this fall. Both printers are 17″ Wide, 12-Color Pigment Ink (archival quality around 200 years) that take both roll and sheet paper. It also has automatic switching of Black Inks between Gloss and Matte Paper.

What makes the IPF5000 such a great deal this week? Since Amazon has it priced at $790, it’s only a $100 more than the 13″ Canon Pro9500 Printer! You can buy it at either the dSLR Dad Amazon storefront (post comments to let me know what you think) or regular Amazon. As always, these links help to support this site. And I would like to thank all of you who have done so this Holiday season. (more…)

Sigma has updated their APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG Macro HSM Lens. They improved the optical performance and minimum focusing distance to 100cm/39.4in and a maximum magnification of 1:3.5. Two SLD and three ELD glass elements are now used to provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations.

B&H Photo currently has the Canon mount in stock here. For those of you interested, they are available for pre-order in Nikon and Canon mounts over at the dSLR Dad Amazon Store. Of course, they will also be made available in a Sigma SLR mount. (more…)