Rangefinder Magazine
May 2005

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Digital Photography by John Rettie
Olympus C-7070WZ and Giga Vu Pro

Olympus C-7070WZ Camera
There are so many compact point-and-shoot digital cameras on the market today that it is difficult deciding which ones are worth looking at. Most photographers I know like to have at least one point-and-shoot for carrying around at all times and for their spouses or kids to use. Unfortunately none of the point-and-shoots feel as good as a digital SLR camera, and they are all slower in operation. One of these days I am sure a company will produce a lightning fast point-and-shoot digital camera that produces images better than even today’s DSLRs.

The 7-megapixel Olympus C-7070WZ camera offers a zoom with a decent range from 27–110mm (35mm equivalency).	The LCD screen on the rear of the C-7070WZ can be rotated through 180 degrees along its top edge.

One area where digital cameras have been lacking is at the wide-angle end of the zoom range. Olympus has come to the rescue with its C-7070 Wide Zoom camera that sports a 4X zoom with a 35mm equivalency of 27–110mm. It has a 7.1-megapixel CCD image sensor, so it can produce decently sized images (3072x2304 pixels).

I had the chance to play with one for a few weeks and found it quite acceptable. It boots up in about one second, and if you forget to take off the lens cap, it shoots off at quite a velocity as the lens moves out of the body.

Even James Bond would be pleased with this photograph of a new Aston Martin DB9 luxury GT car captured on the Olympus C-7070WZ.

As one would expect in a $650 (street price) camera, the C-7070WZ is loaded with features such as movie mode and fully automatic options in addition to manual controls. The LCD screen on the back produces a decent image, and the screen can rotate in several directions. Unlike some cameras, it does not revolve from the side of the camera but along the top edge. I found this better as it makes it easier to hold on to the left side of the camera when shooting at slow speeds without the screen getting in the way.

The camera has two storage card slots, one for an xD card and the other for a CompactFlash card. It is powered by the same lithium-ion battery that is used in several Olympus cameras including the E-1 and E-300. It can also utilize the functions of a dedicated Olympus flashgun mounted on its standard hot-shoe. This compatibility makes it an ideal camera for a photographer using the Olympus E-1 system as it avoids duplication of chargers, flashguns, etc.

The camera is too big to be pocketable, but it is well made, feels solid and has a nice finish. Options include screw-on adapters to provide a 19mm wide-angle or 330mm telephoto lens. There is even optional underwater housing that can be used in concert with the built-in preset underwater scene modes.

	The Jobo Giga Vu Pro can hold thousands of photographs on its internal hard drive and display images on the 3.8-inch screen before the images are downloaded to a computer.

Giga Vu Pro
Storing and backing up images while shooting has gotten easier than it was just a few years ago. I often filled up CompactFlash cards and had to erase some images to make room for new ones while on location. Each evening I’d download images to a laptop and make CD-R backups.

I’ve begun using 4GB Lexar and Sandisk storage cards that don’t fill up quite as fast as the old 512MB cards, at least when I’m shooting JPEG instead of RAW. I still download images to a laptop and burn CDs, but I don’t need to do it as often.

As storage capacity has increased and cost has decreased, the variety of alternative storage systems such as portable hard disks and CD writers has increased. They would have been a godsend a few years ago in the days of smaller storage cards, but in my view they’ve arrived a little late. I still find a laptop the ideal way to store images because it allows full use of image editing programs and reviewing on a decent size screen.

Nevertheless, if you don’t want to carry around a laptop computer, a portable storage device makes sense. One of the newest ones on the market is the Giga Vu Pro from Jobo Fototechnic. It is a largish palm-sized unit with an internal hard drive and a 3.8-inch LCD screen that tips the scales at just over half a pound. It is housed in a rugged case with a rubber clamshell cover that protects the screen when not in use.

It’s simple to operate—one inserts a CompactFlash card in a slot and double clicks on the menu to transfer images to a fresh automatically created folder on the hard disk. A small thumbnail image of each file is displayed as it’s being transferred, which is a comforting feature. Files can then be renamed and viewed in full screen mode after downloading. Its even possible to view a histogram and zoom in on images using a combination of buttons and a small joystick. Most RAW files can be accessed, although some formats are not viewable. Jobo posts new firmware regularly, so support of more RAW formats is promised. A stylus is included (although at the time I tested the unit, it did not have touch screen capabilities). However, Jobo says this useful capability will be added in the near future, again via a firmware upgrade.

In addition to storing and viewing photos, the Giga Vu Pro can also store and play music and video files. Of course, the sound quality and the image on the 320x240 pixel screen is a limiting factor compared to more specialized devices. Once you realize the capabilities of the machine, it’s apparent it is almost as good as a small laptop without a keyboard or software. However, its price ($549.95 for a 40GB and $599.95 for a 60GB version) is also approaching that of a real laptop, which would be far more versatile.

SkinTune is a Photoshop plug-in that automatically adjusts skin colors according to a range of colors applicable to different races. Photograph of Myla Leigh Chenoa, a model from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Quick Software Review: SkinTune
Most photographers will agree that skin tones are tough to correct. It is all too easy to over-adjust and create unwanted color shifts. SkinTune is a Photoshop plug-in specifically designed to correct skin colors. The creators claim to have analyzed thousands of skin colors from around the world and compiled a complete reference library of skin colors for different nationalities, including African, Asian, European, Latin and Middle Eastern.

It’s simple to use: Users open an image in SkinTune, and then click the mouse on an open area of smooth skin. SkinTune immediately finds the nearest acceptable skin color from the appropriate library and displays a preview. Users can then make their own adjustments to hue, brightness and saturation. All the while, SkinTune ensures the adjusted colors stay within the boundaries of lifelike skin tones.
Some photographers might consider SkinTune overkill at $69, but for those professional portrait photographers or commercial photographers who need accurate skin colors, this plug-in is worth considering.

Of course at the end of the day, it’s critical that the computer’s monitor and printers are accurately calibrated, otherwise skin colors in the final images will still be incorrect.

	Lensbaby is a unique bellows lens for producing soft focus images with a sharp “sweet spot.”

Lensbaby
This hardly counts as a high-tech digital item, yet it works much better with digital cameras than with film cameras. Invented by Portland photographer Craig Strong, Lensbaby is a unique f/2.8 50mm lens with a flexible body. Like a bellow lens of old, the lens itself is moved around to focus. Only one small area produces a sharp image, and this “sweet spot” can be moved from side to side leaving soft unfocused areas around the edges. Although Lensbaby can be used on a film camera, it’s not as satisfactory because correct metering is uncertain and the actual image obtained is somewhat unpredictable; consequently, it’s much easier to get satisfactory results when the image can be immediately reviewed on the back of a digital SLR.

Photograph of Las Vegas model Rachel Gutowski was captured on a Nikon D2X using a Lensbaby.

Talented Photoshop users can produce a similar look on a computer, but for most photographers it’s much easier to get a soft focus look using a Lensbaby at the time of capture. I tried one with a Nikon D2X camera and was quite pleased with the results. It takes a bit of mastering to get the right look since you have to use fingers on both hands in order to position the lens accurately.

The newest 2.0 version of the lens has an optically sharper f/2.0 coated lens, and it’s easier to install and remove the f-stop rings. The original Lensbaby continues on sale for just $96, while the f/2.0 lens costs $150. Both are available in a variety of different camera mounts.

Quick Book Review: Make magazine
I suspect a good number of Rangefinder readers are tinkerers at heart. Over the years there have been many magazines that cater to inveterate hobbyists, but most of them are specialty magazines with limited appeal. General interest hobby magazines with unusual DIY (do-it-yourself) construction articles have all but disappeared.

Make magazine is a new magazine geared to modern hacks. The magazine has how-tos that can appeal to computer nerds as well as ordinary folk. The first issue had a surprising number of projects with appeal to photographers, such as building a kite camera for aerial photography and a simple $14 stabilizer for a video camcorder. Other interesting projects in the 181-page magazine, actually more like a small book, include a magnetic stripe card reader and a backyard monorail.

If you have some spare time and enjoy modifying or repairing items or building gadgets from scratch, I’m sure, like me, you’ll find Make a fascinating magazine that offers practical technical advice in addition to interesting projects. Make will be published quarterly with a cover price of $14.99 or an annual subscription cost of $35.

WPPI 2005
Google “WPPI,” and you’ll find the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International web site (www.wppinow.com) is at the top of the list of over 30,000 pages found by the amazing search engine.

WPPI’s prominence must upset the Wisconsin Public Power Inc. and proponents of the Wind Power Production Incentive as neither of them gets top billing.

It just indicates how WPPI has gotten bigger and better, and this year’s 25th Anniversary Convention and Tradeshow at Bally’s, Las Vegas, was no exception.

Over 7000 people registered for the five-day event. What they got was expert advice and inspiration from over 100 speakers and information from more than 240 exhibitors. As usual, attendees were kept busy all day. There were programs and events from early in the morning until 11:00 at night. The doors to the exhibit hall were open for over five hours during each of the three trade show days. Numerous companies had photographers speaking or giving live demonstrations, making the trade show floor more than just an exhibition of products.

The growing importance of the WPPI show was evident as several companies chose to announce new products at the WPPI Tradeshow, opting for this venue over other shows. Naturally, most were aimed squarely at wedding and portrait photographers.

All of the major camera manufacturers displayed their latest equipment with live demonstrations by sponsored photographers. Color management companies, such as ColorVision, gave hands-on demonstrations of their software. Lighting companies, such as F.J. Westcott, rolled out special offers since attendees can purchase equipment at the WPPI Tradeshow (unlike many trade shows where selling is not allowed). By the way, in case you’re wondering, Nikon was not selling the hot new D2X much to many Nikon fans’ disappointment.

Ironically, two of the most popular booths were for decidedly low-tech products. Gary Fong could hardly keep his LightSphere II On-Camera Flash Diffuser in stock as he sold them at a special show discount.

In many ways, the most significant introduction at WPPI was the launch of the second version of Lensbaby. This unique soft focus bellows lens has created a lot of interest in the wider photographic community, so the resultant launch publicity also helped improve awareness of WPPI. For example, there were several threads on popular Internet forums where photographers were inquiring about WPPI. Some were questioning the value of attending. They soon got responses from attendees saying it was more than worthwhile as an educational and inspiring event.

Even photographers who do not shoot weddings or portraits would find WPPI worthwhile: Many of the best-attended seminars covered topics that are applicable to all photographers. For example Adobe’s Photoshop Evangelist Julieanne Kost gave three one-hour presentations on how to get the most from Photoshop. What’s more, each presentation was preceded by a slide show (rather its modern equivalent, involving a computer and LCD projector) and presentations from well known photographers Bruce Dale, Joyce Tenneson and John Paul Caponigro. Dale’s show in particular was inspiring as he showed his National Geographic film images from years gone by as well as examples of his recent commercial imagery using digital cameras and Photoshop.

Although there were plenty of classes and demonstrations of traditional photo posing, marketing seminars and the like, it seemed as if the majority of speakers centered their topics around digital photography and ways it can help photographers make more money and improve customer satisfaction. In Bambi Cantrell’s opening presentation on “The Fine Art of Digital Wedding Photography,” she said it’s important to keep abreast of changes. She was referring to wedding styles, but it is certainly applicable to any pro photographer who wants to also keep up with equipment and business changes.

Next year’s WPPI will be held at Bally’s in Las Vegas once again, but it will definitely be bigger and better as ballrooms in the adjoining Paris hotel will be utilized. There will be room for 100 more exhibitors and the ballrooms in Bally’s will become available to accommodate more attendees for the conference sessions and classes. Mark your calendars: April 7–12, 2006.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 35 years, a computer for 25 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past 12 years. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.