|
I
recently installed Photoshop's 6.01 upgrade and have been
worried for a couple of weeks. Today, I conferred with
Photoshop User's Senior Art Director Felix Nelson who
confirmed that my problem isn't with just my computer. In
6.01, the Open command spends anywhere from 5-10 seconds
waiting for a file or folder window to appear. Then clicking
on a folder, say from the desktop, results in the same lag.
Once available folders or files appear, Photoshop chugs
along in its normal speedy mode after the first slow open
procedure.
Felix was puzzled by the same behavior,
especially after upgrading on a second machine. Since our
talk, I've checked with several other 6.01 users and the
condition seems to be wide-spread. Acts like a software bug
but it's not fatal, just annoying. We're planning to ask
Adobe experts in three weeks at Photoshop World.
Have just finished testing the Canon
Powershot Pro90 IS for Mac Design and realize that there are
a few disturbing trends in certain digital cameras.
The Pro90 IS is a long reach camera with an
equivalent 37-370mm f:2.8-3.5 optical zoom lens backed up by
Image Stabilization. This is terrific telephoto capability
and the IS makes hand-held shots possible with shutter
speeds lower than 1/500.
Like its long-focal length brethren from
Fuji, Olympus and Sony, the Pro90 uses an electronic
eye-level viewfinder which is my first disturbing trend. I'm
just not a fan of these mini-LCD viewfinders since they're
not clear enough and too contrasty to let the photographer
focus and compose.
And an eye-level viewfinder is needed for a
camera of this focal length. Just try to hold its 370mm lens
steady while composing with its excellent swiveling LCD.
At best. electronic viewfinders are tracking
devices best suited for camcorders. As such, the Pro90's
does a pretty good job of tracking and the camera's other
systems kick in to produce an excellent image.
Long-lens traffic: I drive this road every
day and it looks worse through the lens than from behind the
wheel.
The lens represents a couple of compromises for the Pro90.
The camera has a 3.3 megapixel CCD but captures a 2.6
megapixel image. The structure of the 13-element lens
requires a bit of masking to ensure sharpness in the
captured image.
At the other end of the lens compromise is a pretty long
close-focus distance (about 4 inches at wide, a meter at
tele). A screw-in close-up lens is available as an option
that takes macro focus down to 1:1.
Rose close-up. At one meter, the longest
focal length still makes first-class closeups.
The Pro90's shutter speed range is from 8
seconds to 1/1000 in some modes. For instance, since the
shutter seems to be incorporated with the camera's iris
diaphragm, the highest speed can only be used with apertures
of f:4 or larger. Not a big problem as a 1/1000 setting
predictably requires a large aperture.
The zoom lens is controlled by a twist ring
on the front of the lens barrel but this is not a manual
zoom as on the Olympus E10. It's power-assisted and the ring
must be turned to its right or left limits before the
fly-by-wire zoom is actuated. I'd just as soon have a zoom
butterfly switch but do prefer the Olympus manual approach.
Long lenses created packed perspective as
illustrated on this shot of a biker, about 300 yards away
from the camera.
That all said, Canon is to be commended for such a hefty
upgrade to its Pro70 model. It produces fine images and has
the versatility that the amateur sports or wildlife
photographer could ask for in a less-than-$1300 box.
Solve the aforementioned grousing by adding
a Nikon-like macro capability, a true SLR eye-level finder,
a manual zoom and the capability to shoot at 1/1000 @ f:8
and the Pro90 IS would cost about three times as much.
I particularly like the swiveling pop-out
LCD finder. It's great for shooting at extreme angles and
making self-portraits. It also continues to be visible in
bright sunlight (huzzah) and can tuck away behind its own
protective cover when not in use.
Canon's penchant for studding the Pro90's body with all
sorts of shooting controls is worth acclaim. I tucked the
LCD away and shot a whole morning's worth of photos using
only the buttons, just like a film camera. One exception:
the Menu and Set buttons sit in the space normally occupied
by the thumb when shooting. It's just a case of revising the
way you hold the camera.
Finally, every digital camera manufacturer
should follow Canon's lead by making the tiny infrared
remote control part of the package. My only suggestion would
be to move the sensor to the frame of the swiveling LCD so
the control could be used from behind the camera. |