ArsTechnica compared the Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture in workflow management. Here’s the conclusion: “Aperture’s main drawback is still performance and as that last joke implies, it was designed for bleeding edge machines. On a quad Core2 Duo Xeon, it is very usable but Lightroom just feels faster for everything regardless of hardware. Since Aperture relies on Core Image and a fast video card to do its adjustments (RAW decoding is done by the CPU), it’s limited to what the single 3-D card can do. Lightroom does everything with the CPU and so it is likely to gain more speed as multicore systems get faster.

Apple may have a hard time making up the speed difference. When Aperture came out, I think we were willing to give it some slack for speed because it was doing something no other app was doing: RAW processing in high res and near-real-time. But now that Lightroom can do the same and faster on top, Aperture has its work cut out for it in the future since stacking more filters is where it tends to suffer noticeably.”

Pros for Lightroom

• More responsive interface
• Faster feedback for edits
• More color correction options
• Much better spot removal and cloning (Aperture’s is still comically bad)
• Plug-in architecture
• Works well on older hardware/doesn’t rely on a fast video card
• Cross-compatibility with Photoshop via updated Camera RAW
• Multiple filters and adjustments don’t slow down processing
• Better quality non-RAW image adjustment
• History is better than multiple undos

Pros for Aperture

• More control over sharpen
• More color profile and rendering intent options
• Loupe tool is more powerful than just zooming and provides easier quick navigation of image
• Area average settings for white/neutral/black point tool
• Light Table mode
• Vault for one-click backups
• Book printing
• Separate black, gray and white point settings
• Makes a good demo for selling your wife/husband on why you need a new computer when you already have seven

Website : Comparing Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture

The SD14 was originally scheduled to ship in November, and then was delayed until December, and then again until sometime this year. Now Sigma has announced that the camera, along with most accessories, will be available on March 6. In addition to the camera, the battery charger, AC adapter, and battery pack will be available on March 6. The remote control and cable release will be available on March 22. The Power grip is expected in late April. Before the launch, you can enjoy the SD14 Sample Image Gallery below:

In 2006, five 10MP cameras hit the U.S. market, all packed with high-end features and priced at $1,000 or less (street) — including, in four cases, a kit lens: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP, Nikon D80 10.2MP, Pentax K10D 10.2MP, Samsung GX-10 10.2MP, and Sony Alpha 100 10.2MP. PopPhoto compared the models head-to-head on performance and features and the conclusion is:

1. Nikon D80
2. Canon EOS Rebel Xti
3. Pentax K10D (tie)
3. Samsung GX-10 (tie)
5. Sony Alpha 100

There has to be a winner, and, given its image quality and near-pro-level feature set, the Nikon D80 was hardly a surprise. We’re more than happy, though, to use any of these superb cameras.

Website : Comparing 10MP DSLR Camera from PopPhoto

Pentax has released details on the new line of high-end digital SLR lenses that the company announced at Photokina in September 2006. The smc Pentax-DA* 16mm-50mm F2.8 ED AL[IF]SDM has a 35mm-equivalent focal-length range of 24.5mm to 76.5mm and a 0.3-meter minimum focus distance. It incorporates two ED (extra-low dispersion) elements and three aspherical elements to reduce optical flaws. In addition, its front element has Pentax’s SP coating to repel dust, water, and grease.

The smc Pentax-DA* 50mm-135mm F2.8 ED [IF]SDM telephoto zoom has a 35mm-equivalent focal-length range of 76.5mm to 207mm and a 1-meter minimum focus distance. It includes three ED elements, and its front element has an anti-ghosting coating to minimize reflections inside the lens.

The wide-angle zoom will be priced at $899.95 and the telephoto zoom at $999.95.

Website : Pentax Announces New Lenes 16-50mm & 50-135mm F2.8

This new version of the Camera Raw plug-in replaces the original Camera Raw plug-in that was installed with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 and 5.0 software. Visit the Camera Raw page for a complete list of supported cameras. Support for the following cameras has been added in this update 3.7:

• Nikon D40
• Pentax K10D

Website : Download Adobe Camera Raw 3.7 for Mac or Windows

Samsung posted a statement today notifying users that Samsung cameras and software are compatible with the new PC operating system, Windows Vista. Most of the newer Samsung cameras are compatible with the new PC system, but the Digimax Viewer software is not.

The following Samsung cameras will be recognized by Windows Vista Photo Gallery when directly connected to a PC:

• DSLR/High End
• GX-10
• GX-1S
• GX-1L
• Pro 815

For cameras not included in the above list, Samsung recommends using an external memory card reader to upload photos instead of direct camera-to-computer connection.

The Samsung photo programs Digimax Convert, Digimax RAW Convert, Digimax Reader, Digimax Biz Reader, and Digimax Mater are compatible with the new operating system, according to the company website, although Digimax Viewer is not. Digimax Viewer will then be replaced by Digimax Mater.

Samsung will soon update their site with firmware upgrades.

Bob Atkins reviewed the popular wide-angle Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX and compared that with the higher priced Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5. Here’s the summary of the review:

“The Tokina 12-24mm f4.0 is a good lens. It’s sharp in the center and pretty good at the edges when stopped down a little. Corners are a somewhat soft wide open at 12mm, but sharpen up nicely by f5.6. Similarly corners at 24mm wide open are a little soft, but stopping down to f5.6 sharpens them a little and stopping down to f8 sharpens them a little more. Center sharpness is good at all apertures and focal lengths. Chromatic aberration is well controlled, flare resistance is good and distortion, though noticeable at 12mm, is low. Vignetting is slight and not likely to cause problems and is essentially eliminated by stopping down a stop.

In terms of optical quality the Canon may be a little sharper in the corners wide open at the wide end and the Tokina may be a little sharper in the corners wide open at the long end, but overall the optical quality of the two lenses is pretty similar. If forced to say which is the overall sharper lens, on the basis of pixel peeping at resolution test chart images I’d have to give the edge to the Canon 10-22 - but based on real world shots it would be pretty hard to tell. The Canon does show a little less distortion at the wide end of the range, though distortion in the Tokina is also pretty well controlled. The Canon 10-22 is also about 6.5 oz lighter so if weight is critical, that could be a factor worth consideration.

Overall I can say that I liked the Tokina 12-24mm f4 and I’d have no hesitation in recommending it if the focal length range meets your needs. “

Website :  Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX Compare with Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5

Capture NX version 1.1 provides full support for Intel-based Macs and the Windows Vista operating system. Nikon says the new version offers improved performance and a simpler user interface as well. Nikon Capture NX 1.1 is available now for $149.95 from Nikon’s Web site. A 30-day trial version is also available for download, and current users of Capture NX can download an update to version 1.1 for free. Nikon is also offering a limited-time $89.95 upgrade to current owners of Nikon Capture 4 software.

Camera Control Pro 1.3.0 adds support for Nikon’s D40 and D80 digital SLRs, Intel-based Macs, Windows Vista, and firmware version 2.00 for the D2HS and D2X. The new version corrects a couple minor interface bugs as well. Version 1.3.0 is available now for $69.95 from Nikon’s Web site. Current Camera Control Pro users can update their software with a free download. A 30-day trial version of the earlier Camera Control Pro 1.0.0 is also available, but Nikon has not yet offered version 1.3.0 as a free trial.

Website :  Nikon Capture NX now supports Windows Vista