Derrick Story

www.adobe.comNew software versions offer new features to entice upgrading. And Lightroom 4 certainly has expanded its functionality with video editing, book creation, geotagging, soft proofing, and more. But at the core of of this latest release is a refinement of what many already admire about this application: its ability to help you produce beautiful imagery. And in this category in particular, Lightroom 4 does not disappoint.

Better Develop Module

The Canon EOS Rebel T3i is a complete picture-taking machine, especially when you use it with its 18-135mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS optional kit lens. The latest Rebel features an LCD that you can swing out and position at a variety of angles, as well as full HD video recording, wireless flash control, a respectable continuous-shooting mode, and the same high-resolution sensor as its predecessor, the EOS Rebel T2i.

You can build an entire system around the T3i by purchasing additional lenses, but we encountered no problems handling common shooting situations with the kit 18-135mm zoom lens ($1200 for the kit configuration as of April 29, 2011); that versatile camera/lens combination will serve most hobbyists well. For tighter budgets, a kit with an 18-55mm lens is also available ($900 as of April 29, 2011), and a body-only version of the camera costs $800 (as of April 29, 2011).

The Samsung NX100 ($450 with a 20-50mm kit lens, as of April 7, 2011) is an innovative, reasonably priced camera, but it's not an entirely practical one. This compact, mirrorless, interchangeable-lens camera has a handsome, slim body that you'll need to hold carefully because it doesn’t have a textured handgrip. Inside is a large APS-C image sensor that captures 14.6 megapixels of resolution. That's a huge draw: You get a sensor as capable as those in many Digital SLR cameras, but in a smaller, more-portable package.

With this camera, Samsung also introduces a clever, lens-mounted iFunction control button that lets you adjust some common settings without removing your left hand from the lens. As a result, you don't have to break away from framing or focusing the shot in order to adjust the exposure controls (for example). Unfortunately, neither the 20-50mm kit zoom nor the body provides an image-stabilization system. The NX100 comes with a useful "Smart Exposure" system for automatic exposure optimization, but the camera doesn't have a built-in flash.

The Samsung NX100 is an innovative camera, but not always a practical one. The compact interchangeable lens camera has a handsome and slim body, but you should hang on to it carefully because it doesn't include a textured grip. Inside is a large APS-C image sensor that captures 14.6-megapixels of resolution. This means that you get the same sized sensor as in many standard DSLRs, but in a smaller overall package. Samsung designed a clever iFunction control system that lets you adjust some of the most common camera settings from controls on the lens itself. Yet, neither the 20-50mm kit zoom, nor the body, includes image stabilization. There's a smart system for automatic exposure selection, but no built-in flash.

When thinking about a NX100 as the next possible camera for you, the real question is, does innovation outweigh its shortcomings?

Olympus is putting a lot of energy into its Micro Four Thirds product line, and the Olympus Pen E-PL2 interchangeable-lens camera demonstrates that the company has no plans to rest on its laurels.

Even though Olympus has stayed with the 12.3-megapixel Live CMOS image sensor found in other Pen cameras, it has redesigned the body of the E-PL2, improved the LCD, upgraded the accessory port, retooled the kit lens, and introduced a handful of creative accessories. The result? A camera that is fun to use and takes great pictures.

Olympus is putting a lot of energy into its Micro Four Thirds product line, and the PEN E-PL2 digital SLR demonstrates that the company has no plans to rest on its laurels. Even though it has stayed with the 12.3-megapixel Live CMOS image sensor that we see in other PEN cameras, Olympus has redesigned the body of the E-PL2, improved the LCD, upgraded the accessory port, retooled the kit lens, and introduced a handful of creative accessories. The result? A camera that is fun to use and also takes great pictures.

Features overview

First we looked at how the MacBook Air performs as a laptop for photographers on the go. Now I'd like to share some of my recommended workflows for shooters who add a MacBook Air to their camera bag.

Even with a MacBook Air, most photographers will continue to use their home-base computer to serve as a primary workstation-something with a larger screen for viewing and editing, and more storage and back-up drives. The MacBook Air works best as a satellite laptop-one that occasionally offloads cargo, namely photographs and video, to the mothership.

On paper, the MacBook Air appears to be the answer to many roving photographers' dreams. It's small enough to travel in a camera bag yet fast enough to run major photography software.

The MacBook Air's maximum thickness is a mere 0.68 inch. You can comfortably hold while open it in one hand, and the wedge-shaped design makes the laptop easy to slip into the pocket of a camera backpack. Despite the MacBook Air's portability, specs for it indicate that it's no lightweight on performance. With the MacBook Air you can run iPhoto '11, Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3, or Aperture 3 anywhere.

Canon tends to be conservative with its DSLR upgrades, but it has made a big departure from the norm with the release of the EOS 60D. The 60D ($1100, body only) is a new class of Canon DSLR that’s quite different from Canon's EOS 50D and other existing models. As with any big change, the changes in the 60D thrill some photographers and frustrate others.

The 60D doesn't have the 50D’s magnesium construction, which has been replaced with an aluminum and polycarbonate resin body. Also missing is the flash sync socket, AF micro-adjust, and joystick. But gained is a better sensor and new set of features that should appeal to many of today’s enthusiast photographers. In fact, many will like the 60D because it is different.

There hasn’t been much activity on the DSLR front from Olympus since the E-30 was released in 2009. At that time, its enthusiast DSLR out-specified the flagship E-3. Now, with the unveiling of the new E-5, Olympus shooters finally have a professionally-styled body with updated specs to complement their four/thirds lens collection.

The Essential Specs

The Olympus E-5 features a 3-inch articulated LCD with 920,000 pixels, very fast autofocusing (especially if you're using the excellent 12-60mm f/2.8-4 SWD zoom lens), HD movie capture, dual memory card slots (CF and SD), and an upgraded image processor (TruPic V+). The optical viewfinder provides a 100-percent field of view, so what you see is what you get. The E-5 is a camera that can endure the elements with a weather resistant magnesium body that feels solid in the hands.

There hasn't been much activity on the DSLR front from Olympus since the E-30 was released in 2009. At that time, its enthusiast DSLR out-specified the flagship E-3. Now, with the unveiling of the new E-5, Olympus shooters finally have a professionally-styled body with updated specs to complement their four/thirds lens collection.

The essential specs

Canon tends to be conservative with its DSLR upgrades, but it has made a big departure from the norm with the release of the EOS 60D. The 60D ($1100, body only) is a new class of Canon DSLR that's quite different from Canon's EOS 50D and other existing models. As with any big change, the changes in the 60D thrill some photographers and frustrate others.

The 60D doesn't have the 50D's magnesium construction, which has been replaced with an aluminum and polycarbonate resin body. Also missing is the flash sync socket, AF micro-adjust, and joystick. But gained is a better sensor and new set of features that should appeal to many of today's enthusiast photographers. In fact, many will like the 60D because it is different.