Our review of the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 printer is posted on Computer Shopper...

“As every photographer knows, all other things being equal, a cheap, pocket-size point-and-shoot camera isn't going to capture images as high in quality as a loaded-for-bear digital SLR. The same logic applies to printers. Inexpensive, all-purpose inkjets simply cannot produce photos displaying anywhere near the same depth, detail, dynamic range, and color accuracy of those generated by dedicated photo printers. Like cameras, there are significant qualitative differences among photo printers...” Read the full review.

If you’ve been reading this blog or our reviews, or attended any of Sally’s lectures on imaging, you already know that she is partial to Nik Software’s Photoshop plug-ins. Among the many filters that we review, they are some of the very few that she installs on her own imaging workstation and uses on her fine art exhibition images.

Today, we received a press release that the new version of Nik’s Viveza – 2.0 – has started shipping. The release claimed a bunch of improvements, such as greater precision, global image adjustments, new shadow recovery, Photoshop Smart Filter support and others that we will look forward to testing. But the one addition that Sally partically welcomes is that Viveza now support 64-bit Windows. That means she can work in her 64-bit version of Photoshop and still use Viveza. In fact, other Nik filters that haven't yet been upgraded to 64-bit (such as her very favorite Silve Efex Pro) are the only reason she bothers to use 32-bit Photoshop any more. And it's a hassle to have to disrupt her workflow to periodically close out one verion of Photoshop to move an image file to the other version, just for the sake of a favored filters.

We’ll let you know what we think about Viveza 2.0 after we test it. In the meantime, you can read our review of Viveza 1.0 on PCWorld.com.

Here in DigitalBenchmarks Lab, we have what we call our “cable tree.” About 6 feet tall, with several arms, it is draped with scores of cables from years of testing a slew of devices. And yet, it’s inevitable that wading through the tangle of yards and yards of connectors won’t yield up (more…)

News Flash! All the information we give away to the Internet, especially on social networking sites, is being mined by all kinds of folks, including some bad guys. Okay, those of us who pride ourselves on being tech savvy have known that for a long time. However, knowing and doing something (more…)

I often tell my audiences and readers that the biggest difference between an amateur and a professional photographer is that an amateur “snaps” a picture, while a pro “takes” a picture.

In other words, (more…)

“Professional photographers with Cadillac-style equipment have long enjoyed the ability to operate a camera by remote control. Such pro-quality remote capabilities allow you to set up a camera on a tripod in one locale and wirelessly operate it from another—sometimes scant feet away, other times a continent’s distance. Remotely controlled cameras can be indispensable for nature photography, sports, fashion, as well as many other extreme or unusual angles or shooting situations.

“But if you’re on a Chevy budget and can’t afford a pricey wireless transmitter or an expensive WiFi-equipped digital SLR camera, onOne’s $20 DSLR Camera Remote app gives you remote capabilities for some Canon and Nikon DSLR models via your iPhone or iPod touch.... Read the full review.