"Just bought your latest e-book its really great, I am now working in layers much more efficiently. Also now using ACR properly. Good piece of work, well worth the money. " Gary Yelland
Free add-on PDF to DOP2000: Featuring Canon EVU and DPP raw converters (about 3MB)

9/25/2004 Canon EOS 20D Experience Report started

Last minute before we head to Photokina we got the Canon 20D and could start our experience report. We will take the 20D as our only camera to Photokina.

9/25/2004 Our new newsletter: "fotoespresso" (also the English version published)

We (Uwe and his German friends: Gerhard Rossbach - publisher at dpunkt, Jürgen Gulbins - writer and translator) start a new newsletter called "fotoespresso". Fotoespresso will be published in English and German:

• www.fotoespresso.com
• www.fotoespresso.de

Fotoespresso is free and will be published about every second month. Fotoespresso is mainly about every thing that provides fun in digital photography and/or makes the photographer's life easier. We want our readers to relax and just enjoy.

9/24/2004 "From Snapshot to Fine Art" (source Luminous Landscape)

A very nice article how a good snapshot can be enhanced to be a fine art portfolio print.

9/23/2004 User Feedback to "Histogram Hell" article

A reader sent us an other example where the Canon 1D Mark II histogram is hard to read in the field.

9/23/2004 Quadtone RIP now also for the Epson 4000

On the Mac the QTR also supports now the Epson 4000. The Windows version will follow soon.

9/22/2004 New Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II announced

The 1Ds Mark II is Canon's answer to the new Nikon D2X and seems again to refine state of the art for any digital SLR. Here are the main features:

• 16.7 MP full frame sensor
• Improved noise behavior (the 1D Mark II and 20D are good examples that Canon can handle the noise very well)
• ISO 100-1600 (50 and 3200 via menu option)
• 4 fps
• Raw buffer 11 images
• DIGIC II
• about $7999
• Shipment planned to start in November.

Note: Actually nearly all data were leaked before on the Internet.

You can find a full 1Ds Mark II white paper here (3MB). Because of the EOS 1D Mark II and the EOS 20D we think the performance of the 1Ds Mark II is right now more predictable than that of the D2X. But in any case the full story will be told once we get a sample of the new 1Ds Mark II (we will first check it out at Photokina). One of the more open questions is how strong the AA filter will be. We hope that it is slightly weaker than the one used for the 1D Mark II (still a great camera though).

9/22/2004 Workflow Seminar at Photokina (will be in German)

Here is a reminder for all our German speaking readers of our first workflow seminar in German at Photokina 2004. The seminar will feature part of our workflow covered in our new German book. Every attendee will also get a copy of that book at that seminar. The content of that book is essentially the same as our English E-Books DOP2000, DOP2000LE and DOP2100 (plus some additions and refinements). Hope to meet you at Photokina.

9/20/2004 Free PTLens Version 5.0 released

Thomas Niemann added also a new optional vignetting correction to PTLens 5.0.

9/20/2004 Printing Panoramic Images with Qimage

9/18/2004 D2X CMOS sensor possibly made by Sony

There is a lot of speculation about the new CMOS sensor used by the Nikon D2x. There is a good reason for this as the image quality of the D2x depends to a large extent on the quality of its sensor (of course there is also other processing involved in firmware). Sony is the leading manufacturer of CCDs today but will eventually also have to move onto the CMOS bandwagon. Time will tell how close the competition is getting to the results that we see today with Canon CMOS sensors used in all their DSLRs. Goodbye CCD? Probably not for quite some time in the absolute high-end as used by today's digital backs.

9/18/2004 Kodak Teams with IBM to Develop New Image Sensors (Source Imaging Resource)

This shows the clear trend towards CMOS sensors (see also Nikon D2x and of course Canon with all its DSLRs).

9/18/2004 Histogram "Hell"

The camera histogram should be your friend and help with better exposure. But sometimes they could be much better to be useful.

9/17/2004 Nikon announced the D2x (Source Steve's Digicams)

Nikon announced the D2x sporting a 12.4MP CMOS sensor (multiplier 1.5x). We know that the body derived from the D2h will be excellent. The real question is how much quality Nikon can get out ouf these relatively small pixels. The upper limit of ISO 800 indicates that high ISO performance might not be the main strength of the D2x.

9/16/2004 Photoshop Elements 3.0 Preview

Adobe announced the next version of Photoshop Elements. We have a short hands-on preview online.

9/15/2004 Workflow Seminar at Photokina (will be in German)

Here is a reminder for all our German speaking readers of our first workflow seminar in German at Photokina 2004. The seminar will feature part of our workflow covered in our new German book (back from the pinter in Germany). Every attendee will also get a copy of that book at that seminar. The content of that book is essentially the same as our English E-Books DOP2000, DOP2000LE and DOP2100 (plus some additions and refinements). Hope to meet you at Photokina.

9/15/2004 Just released: DOP2000LE a shorter and lower priced version of our DOP2000 e-book

Read the Table of Content

This is a shortened version of our popular DOP2000 e-book. This version saves you $15 but contains all the essential content.

You can upgrade to the full version later at any time for only 17.95

9/14/2004 Phil Askey's Pentax *ist DS Preview

Today Phil presents a preview of a Pentax camera in the Canon Rebel class. This will make this market soon more crowded (we expect Olympus to follow soon). We are not sure whether Pentax will provide us with a sample camera as we did not receive any in the past. We are interested in all digital SLRs and not biased on any brand. But if we do not get a camera (or very late) we cannot do anything about it.

9/14/2004 Phil Askey's Fuji S3 Preview

Once we get a sample of this camera (Not sure when Fuji will get one) we will check out the extended dynamic range in the outdoors.

9/13/2004 New Frontape Photo: Red Room by Alan Kolnik

9/12/2004 Front Page Photos

This magazine is about photography and that is why our front page photos and portfolios play a major role in this magazine. All readers are invited to send in their submissions for the front page. The top photo is randomly selected from 16 photos while on out front page photo page we show at least the last 50 photos in chronological order (newer images first). Enjoy!

9/11/2004 Using Canon 1.4x tele extender and lens distortions

In case you may not have read it earlier we link again to our sample that demonstrates the distortion you may get using the Canon 1.4x tele extender. The good news is: PTLens can help to correct these defects.

9/10/2004 "Developing Images that Pop" Part III by Glenn E. Mitchell II

Mitch this times concentrates on how to improve images with Levels and Curves.

9/10/2004 Free add-on PDF for our e-book DOP2000 (about 3MB)

For all readers of our e-books we release a free add-on PDF that features the Canon DPP and EVU raw converters. This add-on is meant to be used in the context of our e-book series (mainly DOP2000) and is not a self contained e-book. We plan to add new sections once major new quality raw converters hit the market.

9/9/2004 Contest September 2004: Noise Removal Contest #2 (8 entries)

We received 8 entries and the contest is terminated.

9/8/2004 Paul Caldwell reviews the new Really Right Stuff Ballhead BH-55

9/8/2004 Leaf Aptus digital camera back announced

This will be a new self contained digital back at 17/22MP. "...The Leaf Aptus digital camera back contains a built-in, large (6 x 7 cm) LCD enabling practical image evaluation, focus confirmation and editing...". Have a look at our Photokina preview over the next few weeks.

9/7/2004 Alain Briot announced his 2005 workshops

Get his workshop brochure.

9/7/2004 Norman Koren launched the "Imatest" camera & lens testing application

For all readers that like the hard facts about cameras and lenses this an affordable way to test your cameras and lenses (you actually test also your raw converters too).