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The Infinite Retouch Panel for Photoshop makes retouching fun again

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It seems photographers are constantly looking for the best ways to retouch their photos–search any photography group and you won’t have to scroll far to find a post about dodge and burn or frequency separation. Recently, Stefan Kohler, Pratik Naik, and the rest of the Infinite Tools team added a new panel to their Infinite Tools Suite: The Infinite Retouch Panel.

This panel is geared toward providing the most useful tools in a retouching workflow and considering their history of creating other Photoshop tools to help with creativity and workflow, I decided to take a serious look at this panel to see if it is worthwhile as a photographer and retoucher.

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Wireless microphones: Godox Movelink M2 vs Rode GO II

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Neck mics have been around for as long as I can remember. You see them being used on movie sets, TV studios, and with on-location crews. And why not? They offer great sound quality and are not too conspicuous. A few years back Rode introduced the GO system, a mini wireless neck mic, that is a full solution – a microphone and transmitter in one small box, and a receiver in another small box. While it is not as hidden as your usual lav, it is super quick to use, and there is less hustle putting it up.

Since then, Rode came up with a second iteration for their popular Rode Go, the Rode Go II, and now Godox are entering the arena with their own solution, the Godox Movelink M2. Both systems share basic functionality and form-factor, but which is the right one for you?

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Fujinon XF 90mm f/2.0 – Too good to be true (for me)?

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I think lens decisions are even more of a personal choice than the camera system. In the 30 days I had to use the Fujinon XF 90mm f/2.0 R LM OIS on loan from Fujifilm USA, I learned a lot about the capabilities of this lens, and was reminded about my personal preferences in creating photos.

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Elinchrom ONE review: A portable, but truly powerful light

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The Elinchrom One TTL HSS is a very cool little light. For a while, the public has been screaming for Elinchrom to bring something compact with no cables. And now they finally did! It’s an OCF Mouth 131 watts small little beast. I’ve had it for a little while now and now it’s time to break apart all the findings and real-world usage.

So let’s start with the technicals so we can get that out of the way.

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Up Close with the Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro Lens

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One of my favorite ways to create more interesting photos is to get closer to the subject and fill the frame, eliminating or reducing background distractions. Often, I am unable to get as close as I would like to the subject due to the minimum focusing distance limit of the lens. This is where macro lenses, such as the Fujinon XF 80.. f/2.8 R LM OIS WR with their ability to focus when close to the subject, enter the picture (pardon the pun.)

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The Sennheiser MKE 400 is an almost perfect on-camera shotgun microphone

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As more people have taken to vlogging and creating other content for YouTube over the last few years, on-camera shotgun microphones have become extremely popular. One of the more well-known and long-established names in microphones is Sennheiser, who also make a couple.

They’ve recently released the second iteration of the Sennheiser MKE 400 on-camera shotgun mic and it sees a massive change in both appearance and quality over its predecessor. It’s designed for use with both smartphones as well as “real” cameras and includes some great features for both types of user. I’ve been using one for a few weeks now, so here are some of my thoughts.

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Fujifilm X Prime Lens Review – Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4

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Until recently, if you were a Fujifilm X-Series camera owner, your options for fast prime lenses (f/1.4 or wider) were limited to (relatively) expensive options from Fujinon, or less expensive third-party manual focus lenses. Fujifilm has recently opened its autofocus protocols, and we can expect more third-party autofocus fast prime lenses soon. Until then, Viltrox has filled the gap of autofocus fast primes with their reverse-engineered 23, 56, and 85mm f/1.4 lenses. Let’s take a look at the Viltrox AF 23mm f/1.4 lens to see what you get for lots less money.

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The Cosyspeed PhotoHiker 44 is the most comfortable photography backpack I’ve ever used

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I am notoriously difficult to find backpacks for, as I’ve mentioned on here before. I picked up a Tamrac Cyberpack 6 quite a while ago and it took 16 years to finally find another bag that felt as nice to wear. Now, I’ve found one that blows both of them away in the comfort stakes. Completely. That bag is the Cosyspeed PhotoHiker 44, which was recently launched on Kickstarter (and hasn’t quite ended yet).

What makes it so special? Well, unlike most camera backpacks, it’s a hiking bag that you can carry camera gear in. Rather than a camera gear bag that you can put on your back. This means it’s designed specifically for all-day carrying comfort while still being able to hold a lot of gear. Allow me to explain…

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No More Lies, Only True Colour! — SpyderX Pro and SpyderCheckr Review

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What is color? That is a physics question that will require a team of scientists much smarter than me to answer. What I can answer fairly well is what is accurate color? Hint: It’s not what your camera sees, or what your display shows you. If anything, it’s quite far from it.[Read More…]

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