Successful event photography requires quick reflexes and a few tricks. And like the magician's wand, the 70-200mm pro zoom can cast the perfect spell.

Canon 70-200mm IS at f/4.5 on a Canon 60D at ISO 1600, 1/400th of a second.

When fully extended and wide open, I can isolate subjects that are only a few inches apart. I have enough reach to achieve a good shooting angle, even in a crowded room. And with image stabilization combined with wide aperture, nearly any lighting condition can be tamed.

Ask just about any event photographer this question: "If you could take only one lens to this assignment, which one would you choose?" The answer more often than not would be: "My 70-200mm."

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Regardless if you're primarily an Aperture or iPhoto user, you can sweeten your workflow by using the two applications together. And in my latest lynda.com title, I show you how. Here's a quick overview.

In the coming weeks I'll be sharing some of my favorite techniques for using these two excellent apps together. In the meantime, you might want to check out the free movies on lynda.com.

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Canon wants you to have the option to keep the optical DSLR experience, even when the camera body itself is compact. They've introduced the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 with new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens ($799 for kit). It's the world's smallest DSLR.

Good news is that the SL1 is truly a feat of miniaturization. The camera body measures 4.6" (w) x 3.57" (h) x 2.74" (d), and weighs only 14.36 oz. In comparison, the EOS Rebel SL1 is approximately 25 percent smaller and 28 percent lighter than the EOS Rebel T4i digital camera. Canon has also managed to keep the familiar Rebel control layout on the compact body. So the SL1 should be comfortable and easy to use.

The tradeoffs under the hood seem more to do with marketing decisions than miniaturization. Frame rate is 4 fps, which is a little slow by today's standards. And flash users don't get wireless control with the SL1.

I'm looking forward to the first test results. This could be a good option for those who want to use their existing lenses, but have a smaller form factor option for travel and business. More to come.

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Want to spice up your photography life? How about a new lens?

When considering optics, you have many things to think about: sharpness, distortion, durability, focusing speed, and cost, just to name a few. All of those factors are important. But before you get to the technical aspects, I offer five considerations that might help you narrow down the list of candidates.

Your kit lens (on the right) is great for general photography. But what if you want to do something different? Maybe explore low light compositions? Consider adding a fast lens (left) to your kit.

In my latest TechHive article, Five tips to help you choose a new camera lens, I cover perspective, maximum aperture, size and weight, stabilization, and emotional appeal.

Once you've covered those bases, then you should have a short list of lens candidates to choose from.

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I just received my Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner (Lomo) and have had fun testing it. I have my unit now because I participated in the Kickstarter funding. Retail units will be available very soon online.

The Lomo enables you to connect a smartphone, in my case an iPhone 4S, and scan 35mm film strips. The internal light is powered by 2 AA batteries. Operation is simple. Feed the film into the unit using a knurled knob, turn on the light, mount your phone, and take a picture of the illuminated image.

Retired Dr. "Wild Bill" Ellison photographed in his study in 1991 using a Contax SLR and Ilford XP2 film.

You can use any photo app to take the picture. I prefer using ProCamera because of the controls it provides. Once I captured the image, I used Photoshop Express to invert the picture to make it a positive (Effects > Invert). After a bit of image adjustment, I'm ready to share my photo with the world.

Front grill of a 1935 Chevy truck photographed in 1993 with an Yashica FX2000 and a Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens using Ilford HP5 Plus film.

The good points for the Lomo include:

• Low cost (around $65) and very compact. Fits easily in your daypack.
• Easy to use with quick results.
• Free iOS and Android scanning apps soon to be released.
• Great way to share your film archives or current projects on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and other sites accessible from your mobile phone.

Not so good points include:

Bottom line, however, is that the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner is fun, and is about the easiest way to digitize 35mm film strips. I'm looking forward to publishing more of my film work from past decades.

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In last week's podcast, I talked about how I was going to prepare for the St. Patrick's Parade assignment in San Francisco. My basic equipment list was:

• Lowepro Pro Messenger 200 AW
• Canon 5D Mark II with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L zoom
• Olympus OM-D with a Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 X Series lens

Originally I was thinking of using the 60D instead of the 5D Mark II. As it turned out, I had to send my 60D to CPS to have the grip reglued. So I went with the 5D Mark II with the 70-200mm, which I used most of the time. But when I did need a short lens, I grabbed the OM-D. I prefer this to changing lenses while on the run.

Here's a 1-minute peek inside my Pro Messenger 200 AW to show you how I set up the bag.

I carried this rig all day, logging miles up and down Market St., across the water on the Larkspur Ferry, and with me in restaurants for some after-assignment celebration. (I don't like to leave camera gear in the car!) I'll be working with this same set-up later this week for my 3-day assignment covering the Artisan Cheese Festival.

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Beautiful weather and happy people were the highlights of the St. Patrick's Day celebration in San Francisco. Here are a few images that show why this is such a popular gathering year after year.

Photos by Derrick Story.

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I bet you rarely use Noise Reduction in Aperture. Probably because it doesn't work that well... at least not for its intended purpose. What it is good for, however, is rendering more pleasing skin tones for your portraits. Here's how.

Model Francesca Parnigoni already has great skin. Using my noise reduction technique, I was able to soften it just a bit without losing its natural texture.

Noise reduction, when applied as illustrated here (2.0 Radius; 0 Edge Detail), creates a slight softening effect without losing the natural textures. So when you have a subject that has nice skin, you can retain its characteristics while creating a subtle, but appealing enhancement. In Francesca's case, I want to see those faint freckles. They're attractive. Most skin enhancing techniques would wipe them out. But not this one!

Basic Steps

• Choose Noise Reduction from the Add Adjustment popup menu. Make sure the box is checked.
• Set Radius to 2.0 and Edge Detail to 0. The effect is now applied to the entire image.
• Click on Gear icon in the Noise Reduction brick and select "Brush Noise Reduction Away" from the popup menu.
• Use the brush to paint over the eyes, eye brows, and selected hair to remove the noise reduction effect from those areas. (They will return to their original sharpness.)
• To check your work, click on the Gear icon in the floating Noise Reduction palette, and select Color Overlay. You'll be able to see the areas where you removed the noise reduction effect.
• Turn off color overlay, and enjoy.

Eyes will now be their original sharpness, but skin receives the subtle enhancing effect. If you need further work on the skin, you can always apply the skin softening brush. Just make sure you're not too heavy-handed.

More Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

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The Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH Lens ($499) for Micro 4/3 cameras brings a fast prime lens to the mirrorless form factor at a relatively reasonable price.

I've tested this lens for a variety of shots, mostly when set to f/1.4, and have a few images with comments to share.

Natural Light Portrait Lens

Capturing portraits with the Leica set to wide open on an Olympus OM-D is pure joy.

It's sharp where you focus it, there's nice softening outside of the focus area, but the falloff isn't so steep that you ruin shots due to misfocusing.

Model Francesca Parnigoni

Francesca Parnigoni close up

The 25mm focal length forces you to interact with your subject because you can't stand too far back. I'm definitely adding this lens to my portrait studio kit.

Sharpness

It's sharp. The autofocusing on the OM-D was fast and accurate. And even though the lens doesn't have image stabilization built in, the OM-D does. So you get speed and IS... and excellent detail.

Here's a screen capture from Aperture showing the loupe magnified to 200 percent on the detail of the top basketball. Notice the texture and the clarity of David Stern's signature, even at 200 percent.

I opened the aperture to f/1.4 for the basketball image. Actually, I rarely shoot at any other setting with this lens. Also note how the background is nicely softened.

Color Fringing

I had read that the weakness of the Leica 25mm is some color fringing in bright, contrasty light. I tried to duplicate those results in my own testing. But I didn't see much in my shots.

Here's a screenshot from Aperture with the magnifying loupe set to 200 percent. I examined all of the tree branches too, and they looked the same as the lamp. This image was captured at f/4.5. There may be different results at different settings. But overall, I had no problem with color fringing in my initial tests.

Bottom Line

The Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH Lens is worth every penny of its $499 price tag. Included in the box is a bayonet mount lens hood and soft lens pouch. I'd recommend getting a 46mm neutral density filter to allow you to shoot at wide apertures outside. Because that's the real joy of this lens.

Having a compact f/1.4 prime that fits in my pants pocket adds value to my micro four thirds system. It's this type of glass that increases my trust in the system for assignment work as well as creative projects. I love it!

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Take a look at the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Gear Guide for an overview of cameras, lenses, and accessories.

You have two cameras on your iPhone, why not put them to use? That's the feeling of Toad Murphy, the group that created Dblcam.

This free app captures two image in quick succession. The first with the back camera on the iPhone, then a second with the front. The obvious users are the growing numbers of selfy photogs on Instagram and Facebook. But the app has potential for anyone with a creative bent.

I recorded this image during a midday stroll on one of my favorite walking paths. I captured a half dozen images, liking them all, but preferred this version that I shared on Instagram.

If you're in the mood to try something different, Dblcam is definitely worth a look.

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