Digital Photography by John Rettie
Canon EOS-20D and Pre-Photokina Projections

Canon’s new EOS-20D digital SLR camera body is slightly smaller than the 10D it replaces.

Every two years, around this time, rumors start to abound about new cameras. Why? Because of Photokina, the giant photo show that takes place every other year in Cologne, Germany. It’s an exhibition where camera manufacturers like to show off their new products to the thousands of trade visitors and media in attendance from around the world. This year Photokina is from September 28 through October 3.

Two years ago Kodak and Canon made headline news by revealing the 14-megapixel DCS Pro 14n and the 11-megapixel EOS-1Ds, respectively. Since then, these cameras, or this replacement in the case of Kodak, have remained at the top of the league in terms of resolution for DSLR cameras.

We know that Canon plans to unveil the next version of the 1Ds at Photokina, but at the time of this writing we were not privy to any details on its specs. But, unless another manufacturer pulls a surprise, the new version of the 1Ds will probably be the star of the show.

On the other hand, details on the other Canon camera that may also be a star will be available by the time you read this column.

Although Canon’s EOS-10D has been officially marketed as a body for non-professional use, it is nevertheless widely used by pro photographers. Many are happy with its performance, especially considering it sells for one-third the price of an EOS-1D Mark II.

The new camera is called the EOS-20D, and it is substantially different than its predecessor. It uses an all-new body that is slightly smaller and lighter than the 10D. It also uses the same materials and, as far as we know for now, the same control layout. Inside it sports an 8.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor in place of the 6.3-megapixel sensor in the 10D.

Although the 20D has the same number of pixels as the 1D Mark II, it is not the same sensor as the one found in the 1D Mark II. It is physically smaller, retaining the same 1.6X multiplier effect of the 10D.

Two new EF-S lenses, which will only work on the 20D and the Digital Rebel, will also be available in the fall. They are a 17–85mm zoom with IS and a 10–22mm zoom. Like Nikon, Canon is introducing lenses optimized for use with digital cameras using this small size image sensor, indicating that Canon plans to continue with this sensor size for the foreseeable future.

Canon says the 20D has a shooting speed of 5 fps with a 20-frame buffer. This speed, coupled with faster focusing promised from a new nine-point focusing mechanism, should make the camera more responsive.

In addition, start-up time from cold or sleep is reduced from 2.2 to 0.3 seconds, according to Canon. In fact, overall operation for the 20D, such as the time taken to write images, should be better than for the 10D since the camera uses the same Digic II image processing chip found in the 1D Mark II.

Hopefully I’ll have the chance to experience the 20D firsthand before too long. It will sell for the same street price as the 10D (around $1500), and the improvements obviously make it an even more compelling alternative for Canon shooters who don’t need the ultimate speed or ruggedness of the EOS 1D Mark II.

On the Nikon side, it’s not certain whether Nikon will unveil a new camera at Photokina. They chose not to at the last Photokina. All’s not lost though for Nikon fans as the already announced Fujifilm Pro S3 goes on sale in November. It will feature a six-megapixel SuperCCD SR II sensor with two photodiodes per pixel to allow for adjustable dynamic range. It will be based on the Nikon N80 camera body.

Hopefully next month I’ll be able to more accurately reveal what else of particular interest to pro (digital) photographers will be seen at Photokina. Of course, I will still be writing that column three weeks before Photokina starts, and you’ll be reading it a week or so after the show has ended!

Canon’s portable i80 bubblejet printer is about the size of a laptop computer.

Canon i80 portable printer
Most of us do not often need the ability to produce prints while traveling away from the studio or office. Carting around a regular printer is not the easiest of tasks since most printers are not designed for transportation. On the other hand, portable computers are plentiful and many photographers use laptops in place of regular desktop computers.

But now for those people that do need a portable printer, Canon has one that fits the bill. The i80 is about the same size (12.4x6.9x2.0 inches) and weight (4 pounds) as a laptop and is capable of producing decent photographs up to letter size.

What’s more, it can be operated entirely without wires if needed, just like a true portable. Out of the box it is powered by a regular power supply and hooked up to a computer via a standard USB cable. Purchase the optional battery pack, and it will operate without an external power supply.

In order to get rid of the USB cable, one can use the built-in infrared transmitter if your laptop is fitted with a similar device; however, it requires line of site to work so is not very flexible. Bluetooth technology is a much better wireless solution than the typical infrared transmitters.

	TThis USB Bluetooth dongle fits in a USB port on the Mac keyboard.

Canon offers a Bluetooth module for the printer that communicates with computers equipped for Bluetooth. For those of you who don’t know, Bluetooth is the name given to a form of wireless communications used over short distances to communicate between computer devices such as a mouse, keyboard and printer. Bluetooth technology is also used with mobile phones for wireless headsets.

None of my current computers came with Bluetooth installed, but it was easy to find a so-called USB Bluetooth dongle that plugged into the USB socket on the keyboard on my Mac G4. It only works with Mac OS X (version 10.2—Jaguar—and later), and it’s easy to download the Bluetooth driver from Apple’s web site if it is not already on your computer. It should be noted that Bluetooth is not fast, so it is no substitute for a wireless networking system.

The instructions that came with the Bluetooth adaptor for the Canon i80 printer indicated it would not work with a Mac. However, when I checked Canon’s web site, I found a program to download new firmware to the printer and a new print driver that would enable the feature on the Mac.

Once I had downloaded and installed these updated drivers, everything was fine. The wirelessly connected printer showed up in the print dialog box, and I was able to print from the computer with the printer sitting in another room without any cables attached. With a mobile phone, a laptop and this printer you could work outdoors, away from any electricity—at least for a few hours anyway.

The printer includes PictBridge technology so a PictBridge-equipped camera can attach by cable to the PictBridge port, enabling printing without a computer. Bluetooth is too slow for practical use with a high-end digital camera, which is probably why none have been so equipped.

The i80 is not built for heavy-duty use, but it’s certainly fine for producing quick text documents such as invoices or receipts. The text quality is not up to the quality by a regular desk-bound inkjet printer, however. Surprisingly, though, the quality of photographic prints reproduced is much better. It’s obvious Canon tuned the printer for producing photographs rather than text. It’s a little slow, taking about 90 seconds to print a 4x6 print.

At a cost of $250 for the printer, $100 for the battery pack and $80 for the Bluetooth adaptor, it’s not a low-cost solution.

What’s more, the ink cartridges are necessarily small, so ink costs per print are probably quite high. (I’ve seen one review that said it would cost $1 in ink per 8x10 print.) However, if you need to print documents or occasional photographs while traveling, the printer could be a godsend. Plus it is a joy to use without cables.

How to Wow Photoshop for Photography is a great book for photographers wanting to get the most out of Photoshop.

Quick Book Review
How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography
Longtime Photoshop users have undoubtedly come across Photoshop Wow books written by Jack Davis. They have proven to be valuable guides to using filters and modifying images in Photoshop.

Davis is an accomplished photographer as well as an author and Photoshop instructor. In his latest Wow book he has teamed up with another renowned Photoshop instructor Ben Willmore to produce a book aimed squarely at photographers.

	How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography offers step-by-step techniques nicely laid out in an easy-to-read format.

How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography (published by Peachpit Press, 269 pages, $39.99) is chock full of techniques for improving or modifying a photograph. Each topic is nicely laid out with step-by-step instructions accompanied by screen shots in color.

The book also includes a CD-ROM that contains all the photographs used in the book. This CD-ROM also includes over 250 presets, such as actions, brushes and patterns, so that readers can use them on their own photographs without having to go through each step of a process to produce the actions on their own.

Classic Photoshop Effects is a book designed for graphic artists wanting to duplicate modern advertisement layouts

The book is aimed at intermediate and advanced Photoshop users, but any pro photographer looking to improve his Photoshop knowledge will find the book useful.

Incidentally, for those who might need to produce artwork instead of just photographs, another book, a companion in some ways, authored by Scott Kelby has just hit the bookshelves. Classic Photoshop Effects (published by Peachpit Press, 365 pages, $39.99) is full of artwork and advertisements that you may have seen in magazines. Kelby shows how they were done in Photoshop.

Although the book is aimed primarily at graphic artists, there are plenty of effects described in detail that could be useful for photographers who want to be adventurous in producing artistic images or even design brochures or advertisements for themselves or a client.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 34 years, a computer for 24 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past 11 years. Readers can contact him by email at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.