December 2009

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December 2009

2010 Editors’ Choice Awards
Our editors pick some of the best products and technologies for the new year

by The Editors For Nikon shooters, there’s a lot to like about the AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm ƒ/3.5-4.5G ED superwide zoom.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV by The Editors It has been two and a half years since Canon introduced its EOS-1D Mark III pro D-SLR, which amazed action shooters with its ability to shoot 10.1-megapixel images at 10 fps.
Nikon D3S by The Editors When Nikon introduced the original D3 back in fall 2007, it revolutionized digital low-light photography, with amazingly good image quality at ISOs up to 25,800.
Pentax K-X by The Editors The Pentax K-x is an entry-level D-SLR featuring a 12.4-megapixel CMOS sensor that turns out images measuring up to 4288x2848 pixels.

Basic Tech: HD Video And Autofocus
DSLRs with HD video are the wave of the future. Is lagging autofocus a thing of the past?

by William Sawalich If, the first time you picked up an HD video-enabled DSLR, you blasted full-speed ahead into figuring out how to shoot video without reading the owner’s manual (as I did), you were undoubtedly surprised to discover how poorly your camera focused (as I was).

November/December 2009 by The Editors
Use Your Head
Choosing a tripod head for still and video

by Jon Canfield Maybe the most important part of your tripod is the head. That’s why many tripod makers give you options, and most tripod designs have removable heads so you can switch them out or upgrade.

Digital Graduated Filters
Balance extreme contrast with this digital interpretation of a classic photo filter

Back in the age of film, I carried several graduated neutral-density filters. They were both hard to pronounce and hard to use.
Secrets Of Black & White
Learn to see and shoot differently for your best monochrome images ever

by Rob Sheppard In recent years, black-and-white has gained new attention and appreciation. Software makers are offering increasingly capable tools for custom black-and-white conversions, and most photo printers address the unique needs of black-and-white printing with special inks and settings. Use the following tips to help you create distinctive black-and-white images.
Seeing The Big Picture
Use panoramas to open up tight spaces

by Rick Sammon Panoramas usually are associated with sweeping landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes.
The ISO Advantage
How to use the excellent high-ISO performance of today’s cameras

I recently returned from photographing brown bears along the Katmai coast of Alaska.

Alien Skin Snap Art 2
An artistic, natural media plug-in that creates painterly effects in a single click

by The Editors Sometimes a photograph is better looking as a painting. But instead of busting out a brush and palette, let Alien Skin Software’s Snap Art 2 do the work for you.
Photoshop Elements 8
The new elements offers photographers fast, intelligent organization, cool correction tools and new ways to share

by Dave Willis Photoshop is the gold standard for image enhancement, but for many photographers, it’s overkill. Adobe’s Photoshop Elements, now up to version 8, focuses on the best tools Photoshop has for typical adjustments and distills them into simple steps for improving your photos quickly, with a gentler learning curve than Photoshop.

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