This is The Digital Story Podcast #613, Dec. 12, 2017. Today's theme is "The Top 5 Photography Products of 2017." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

It's been a good year for photography announcements. Across the board we've seen both innovations and refinements. But at the end of the day, what were the five that really stood out? I'm going to share mine, in no particular order, on today's TDS podcast.

The Top 5 Photography Products of 2017

The DJI Spark is one of my top photography picks for 2017.

The DJI Spark ($349) - This compact quadcopter features an integrated camera with motorized stabilization to capture 12MP photos, 1080p Full HD videos, and even aerial selfies. The drone's compact size, 31 mph top speed, and up to 16 minutes of flight time will appeal to a variety of users, from FPV enthusiasts to racers to those just looking for more dynamic shots than are possible with simply a smartphone or camcorder. The drone features GPS- and vision-based navigation for outdoor or indoor use, a variety of flight modes, and a 3D obstacle-detection system.

Nikon D850 ($3,297) - Revolving around a newly designed 45.7MP BSI CMOS sensor and proven EXPEED 5 image processor, the D850 is clearly distinguished by its high resolution for recording detailed imagery. The back-illuminated design of the sensor is able to acquire greater detail and clarity when working in low-light conditions, and the sensor also forgoes an optical low-pass filter for improved sharpness. Working in conjunction with the sensor is the EXPEED 5 image processor, which together afford a 7 fps continuous shooting rate for up to 51 consecutive frames, an expandable sensitivity range from ISO 32 to 102400, and 4K UHD video recording using either a DX crop or the entire area of the full-frame sensor.

Sony Alpha a7R III ($3,198) - Revolving around a full-frame 42.4MP Exmor R BSI CMOS sensor and updated BIONZ X image processor, the a7R III affords an impressive 10 fps continuous shooting rate along with improved autofocus performance for faster, more reliable subject tracking along with wide frame coverage. This updated Fast Hybrid AF System employs a combination of 399 phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection areas for quicker acquirement of focus in a variety of lighting conditions, and also maintains focus on subjects more effectively. In addition to speed and AF, the processing improvements also help to realize greater image clarity throughout the sensitivity range from ISO 100-32000, which can further be expanded to ISO 50-102400. Video recording capabilities have also been extended for enhanced quality when recording UHD 4K video with the full width of the full-frame sensor, or when using a Super35 area and 5K oversampling to minimize moiré and aliasing. Additionally, benefitting both stills and video operation, the a7R III retains the 5-axis SteadyShot INSIDE sensor-shift image stabilization, which is now effective to minimize the appearance of camera shake by up to 5.5 stops.

Apple iPhone X ($999) - A larger and faster 12MP sensor. A new color filter. Deeper pixels. And a new telephoto camera with OIS.

Olympus TG-5 ($399) - Utilizing a 12MP BSI CMOS sensor and TruePic VIII image processor, the TG-5 offers notable image clarity and low-light performance, to ISO 12800, along with fast 20 fps continuous shooting, 4K/30p video recording, and high-speed Full HD 1080p shooting at 120 fps. Balancing the imaging capabilities is a versatile 4x optical zoom lens, which spans a 25-100mm equivalent range, and has an f/2 maximum aperture to benefit working in low-light conditions. Additionally, the Variable Macro System also positions this lens for close-up shooting with subjects just one centimeter away for true macro photography.

Comparing the Olympus 45mm Primes - f/1.2 vs f/1.8

The Olympus 45mm f/1.8 actually fared quite well in my field tests. It rendered pleasing bokeh, excellent sharpness, and fast performance. It's no wonder that I carry this lens with me all the time. In fact, I have two of them, one black and one silver, to match the camera that I'm packing.

The new Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO takes this performance to a higher level, however. First, the feather bokeh is different than any of my other optics. For lack of a better term, I would call it very artistic. The backgrounds have a painterly feel to them.

When I look at the f/1.2 images, the thought of bokeh doesn't jump out at me. Rather, I'm thinking more about an overall pleasing composition with outstanding subject sharpness and beautifully rendered background. In many ways, I feel like this is an optic for grownups (with grownup resources).

The sharpness is downright amazing. The portraits are crisp in all the right places, and softened where they should be. I honestly feel like the lens is doing most of the work for me. All I have to do is compose and focus on the eyes, and everything else just falls into place.

The improvements of the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 do come at a price, however. The lens weighs over 14 ounces compared to 4 ounces for the f/1.8 version. Plus the price is 3 times as much at $1,200, compared to $400 for its baby brother. And I think if you're really going to reap the benefits of the f/1.2, you need one of Olympus' Pro bodies, such as the E-M1 Mark II. Those are all real considerations.

So, is the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 PRO a must-have lens for you? It could be. If you're shooting with the E-M1, E-M1 Mark II, or E-M5 Mark II; regularly shoot portraits for hire or art, and have the budget for a $1,200 optic that is unlike any in its class, then I would say yes. It's magically impressive.

Most Downloaded Motion Backgrounds of 2017

So I've been talking about all of the royalty free content I can download via my videoblocks account. They help expand your horizons by constantly introducing you to new items in their library. This week, it was: Most Downloaded Motion Backgrounds of 2017. Here are just a few of the winners.

• Fly through outer space nebula and stars
• Abstract 1217
• Worship 1017

Over the next few weeks, I'll be your tour guide for this site. But if you need content right now, you can join Videoblocks for $149 a year and gain access to great video, stills, and audio content. This is really a great idea...

A Patreon Change

A new service fee of 2.9 percent + $0.35 will be paid by patrons for each individual pledge starting on December 18th. This streamlines fees for both creators and patrons to ensure that you pay no more than 5 percent. That works out to an extra 50 cents per month for our members.

Since that wasn't the original agreement that we made, I'm going to make it up to you. For January 2018, I will post 3 training movies instead of the scheduled two. The software will be Capture One Pro, Photos for macOS High Sierra, and for Luminar. My hope is that the extra movie will make up for the additional 50 cents per month. Thanks so much for your support!

To become an Inner Circle Member, simple pledge $5 or more a month through the TDS Patreon program.

We have more benefits coming in 2018 for our Inner Circle Members. Join today and become part of the TDS Elite.

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members!

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

Texas-based Red River Paper recently announced a new fine art paper, Palo Duro Etching. The new paper is a 100 percent cotton rag paper and is free of optical brightener additives. The paper is designed to offer warm white tones, deep blacks and a subtle texture to accurately recreate traditional darkroom fine art prints.

See you next week!

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

Videoblocks - Go to videoblocks.com/digitalstory to get all the stock video, audio, and images that you can imagine for just $149. Save on millions of studio-quality clips, tracks, and graphics.

Red River Paper - Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

One of my favorite Olympus optics is the 45mm f/1.8. It's sharp, compact, and it sports a wide aperture. It also looks great on my PEN-F. So I was anxious to get my hands on the newly announced Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO. It promises even better sharpness and smoother bokeh. My wish came true this week in Charleston, South Carolina.

I spent some time there with the Olympus team and a small group of journalists. We had at our disposal an E-M1 Mark II, and the family of PRO prime lenses: 17mm, 25mm, and 45mm f/1.2s. Even though I did a lot of work with the 17mm as well, I'm going to focus on the 45mm for this post.

I also packed my own kit that included the f/1.8 versions of both lenses, and the Olympus PEN-F. So I was able to field test both 45mm optics side by side. This is a hands-on test, so I just shot as I normally would with both optics to I can give you a feel for their differences in the field. This isn't a lab test. Here's how things stacked up.

A Look at Bokeh

There were three categories that I used for comparison: type of bokeh, sharpness, and focusing speed. During our technical briefings, Olympus talked about 3 categories of bokeh that most optics fall into: ring, solid, and feather.

The new Olympus 45mm f/1.2 employs the feather style bokeh while the f/1.8 optic displays solid style bokeh. Here's a bokeh comparison of the two lenses. Notice the difference in how the background is rendered.

Feather bokeh with the 45mm f/1.2 at f/1.2

Solid bokeh with the 45mm f/1.8 at f/1.8

Impressive Sharpness

Even though it's very difficult to achieve, bokeh style is really an artistic preference. Sharpness, on the other hand, is much more analytical. The trick for a portrait lens is to provide sharpness, especially for the eyes, without rendering the skin with too much texture.

Of all the categories for comparison with the f/1.2, its sharpness is what impressed me the most. Not only was I able to capture a very sharp eye with the aperture wide open, the other eye was also rendered clearly. So I didn't have to battle the unforgiving minimal depth of field challenge that I typically face when shooting portraits at f/1.2.

Eye sharpness with the 45mm f/1.2 at f/1.2. Click on the image to view the full-sized version on Flickr where you can zoom in.

Eye sharpness with the 45mm f/1.8 at f/1.8. Click on the image to view the full-sized version on Flickr where you can zoom in.

With the 45mm f/1.2, when focusing on the eyes for a straight-on portrait, they were both extremely sharp, as well as the lashes, brows, and lips. Yet the nose had a slight softening (desired) and falloff was apparent with the hair around the face, mild to very soft, moving from front to back.

I didn't do anything special to achieve this effect. I simply set the E-M1 Mark II to ISO 200, Aperture Priority at f/1.2, and went about my shooting as I normally would. I tried both "focus hold and recompose" as well as "eye detection" modes. Both worked great.

The images shown here were opened as RAW files in Lightroom, then exported as full-sized Jpegs without any processing - no enhancements of any type other than Lightroom's RAW decoding algorithms. You can download the full-sized Jpegs from my Flickr site.

Swift Focusing

When you look at the cross-section for the 45mm f/1.2, note that the focusing mechanism is at the back of the lens. The front element doesn't move. The focusing elements only have to travel a short distance from close-up to infinity. This allows for very fast focusing speeds, which was also quite accurate.

Bottom Line

The Olympus 45mm f/1.8 actually fared quite well in my field tests. It rendered pleasing bokeh, excellent sharpness, and fast performance. It's no wonder that I carry this lens with me all the time. In fact, I have two of them, one black and one silver, to match the camera that I'm packing.

Object sharpness with the 45mm f/1.2 at f/1.2. Click on the image to view the full-sized version on Flickr where you can zoom in.

Object sharpness with the 45mm f/1.8 at f/1.8. Click on the image to view the full-sized version on Flickr where you can zoom in.

The new Olympus 45mm f/1.2 PRO takes this performance to a higher level, however. First, the feather bokeh is different than any of my other optics. For lack of a better term, I would call it very artistic. The backgrounds have a painterly feel to them.

When I look at the f/1.2 images, the thought of bokeh doesn't jump out at me. Rather, I'm thinking more about an overall pleasing composition with outstanding subject sharpness and beautifully rendered background. In many ways, I feel like this is an optic for grownups (with grownup resources).

The sharpness is downright amazing. The portraits are crisp in all the right places, and softened where they should be. I honestly feel like the lens is doing most of the work for me. All I have to do is compose and focus on the eyes, and everything else just falls into place.

The improvements of the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 do come at a price, however. The lens weighs over 14 ounces compared to 4 ounces for the f/1.8 version. Plus the price is 3 times as much at $1,200, compared to $400 for its baby brother. And I think if you're really going to reap the benefits of the f/1.2, you need one of Olympus' Pro bodies, such as the E-M1 Mark II. Those are all real considerations.

So, is the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 PRO a must-have lens for you? It could be. If you're shooting with the E-M1, E-M1 Mark II, or E-M5 Mark II; regularly shoot portraits for hire or art, and have the budget for a $1,200 optic that is unlike any in its class, then I would say yes. It's magically impressive.

Specs Comparison

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8

• Minimum Focus Distance 1.64' (50 cm)
• Elements/Groups 9/8
• Diaphragm Blades 7, Rounded
• Dimensions Approx. 2.20" x 1.81" (56 x 46 mm)
• Weight 4.09 oz (116 g)
• Price $399

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO

• Minimum Focus Distance 1.64' (50 cm)
• Elements/Groups 14/10
• Diaphragm Blades 9, Rounded
• Dimensions Approx. 2.76 x 3.34" (70 x 84.9 mm)
• Weight 14.46 oz (410 g)
• Price $1,199

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Live View on an iPhone is fun, but the Long Exposure mode that you can tap afterward is even better.

To create dreamy water effects, just make sure that Live Photo is on with your iPhone. Hold the camera very steady during exposure, and keep your position for a few seconds afterward. This ensures that the stationary objects in the composition will be sharp.

Choose your "view" of Live View in Photos for macOS. Image by Derrick Story.

Water is far more interesting after Long Exposure is applied.

Then, open the image in Photos for macOS High Sierra. Go to Edit mode (press the Return key to do so), and edit the image as your normally would. Adjust color, contrast, etc. Once you're finished, click on the Live popup menu in the lower right corner and choose Long Exposure. Then just sit back and admire.

The combination of Live Photo and Long Exposure enables you to capture flowing water shots without a tripod. It's really something.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

The last thing that photo subjects want when we're taking their picture is for us to waste a lot of time fooling with our camera. If you're using Portrait Mode on a recent model iPhone, you may be tempted to scroll through the options at the point of capture. There's really no need to... that is if you're using Photos for macOS High Sierra to manage your images.

When you open your Portrait Mode image in Photos, and go to editing mode, you'll see all of the same options that were available at capture. So if you recorded in Natural, but decided later that you wanted Studio, you can make that change in Photos. No pressure, no problem.

So, just make sure you're in any Portrait mode, then fire away. Your photo subjects will thank you.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #612, Dec. 5, 2017. Today's theme is "So Much News, So Little Time." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

There's been a flurry of announcements, updates, and releases lately. Who says there's nothing new and interesting in the world of photography? So this week I thought I'd share a handful of lightening talks to bring you up to speed. So buckle up and let's go.

So Much News, So Little Time

Capture One Pro 11 Released - With an updated processing engine, market-leading performance and powerful new features, Capture One 11 is the professional choice in imaging software. Headline new features: 1) Annotations - Annotate your images in Capture One by adding handwritten notes and drawings directly on your images. 2) Layered Workflow - All adjustment tools are now compatible with Layers, making Capture One a truly "layer centric" application. 3) Editing Speed - The overall performance of Capture One has been increased, which gives a smoother and faster experience when editing. This is especially helpful when fine-tuning adjustments. Upgrade is $119.

DxO ONE for Android Devices - Do you have an Android smartphone? Want to enjoy the DxO ONE's exceptional performance (1" sensor, 20MP, f/1.8, RAW)? Well, now you have two options: you can wait for the official launch of the Android-compatible DxO ONE a few months from now, or you can take part in our Early Access program starting today! For $499 your get the DxO ONE, outdoor shell (normally $59), and DxO PHotoLab (normally $199).

Pixelmator Pro for the Mac - The Pixelmator Team has packed a wide range of features and innovations into Pixelmator Pro, such as full RAW support, including support for multiple RAW layers; HEIF file format compatibility; superior support for Adobe Photoshop images; complete macOS integration via full support for iCloud, Versions, Tabs, Full Screen, Split View, Sharing, Wide Color, and others; Metal 2-powered painting tools and dual texture brushes; powerful retouching, reshaping, selecting, type, shape and vector tools; and a lot more. In addition, a number of free updates adding major new features to Pixelmator Pro are already lined up for the very near future. $59.99 in the Mac App Store.

Samsung's new W2018 flip phone features a variable aperture F1.5-F2.4 lens - Samsung just announced something that looks like it belongs in the mid-2000s... but looks can be deceiving. Meet Samsung's new flip phone: the W2018. Announced at an event in Xiamen, China, the followup to the W2017 is an Android-powered flip phone that boasts smartphone-caliber specs. In fact, the 12-megapixel rear camera is nearly identical to the one found in the Galaxy S8, featuring dual pixel autofocus, optical image stabilization and 1.4?m pixels. Price? Estimated to be near $3,000 US.

It does differ in one very interesting way though.

Not only does the W2018 boast an F1.5 aperture--the brightest you'll find on a phone--that aperture is actually variable, switching between F1.5 and F2.4 when it senses there's enough light around. In this way, the phone automatically captures as much of the background as possible.

Hasselblad launches its own online store, offers 5% off for a limited time - Iconic medium format manufacturer Hasselblad has opened its own online store, allowing users all over the world to skip the third-party vendors and local dealer and buy direct from the manufacturer itself. Following in the footsteps of Hasselblad's first brick-andmortar stores in Sweden, China, and Japan, the online 'Hasselblad Store' will be open to resident of the USA, China, UK, Germany and France.

Currently, the Hasselblad Store is selling both X1D and H6D cameras, as well as a limited number of lenses. Opening offers include 5% off some X1D kits and the body-only price, while H6D buyers can get a free hard case with their purchase. These discounts will last until December 7th.

Think Tank Announces the Airport Advantage Plus - Despite having a roller design, retractable metal handle and protection for your gear, the Airport Advantage Plus weighs in at only 6.9 pounds (3.1 kilograms) to help you keep your carry-on under weight restrictions. It also has a dedicated padded 17" laptop pocket. As far as gear capacity is concerned, the bag holds a gripped DSLR with an attached lens, an ungripped DSLR with an attached lens plus five to eight addditional lenses. Or it can hold a pair of gripped DSLRs with five to seven additional lenses. If you're a mirrorless camera user, Think Tank says it can hold two bodies "with a crazy amount of lenses." In terms of the largest lens you can fit inside the back, Think Tank states you can hold a detached 200-400mm lens with the lens hood reversed onto the barrel. Available now for $289.75.

What Do You Do with Your Prints?

Robin posted this question on our TDS Facebook Page: "Hey Derrick, you talk a lot about printing but you never say what you do with those prints. Do you mat them? Put them in glassine envelopes/some kind of archival storage or frame them? If I were to print my 2017 top 10, I'm thinking I would do 8x10s, mat them but not frame them because I don't have the wall or storage space." Here's my answer.

Videoblocks - Their Most Popular Winter Footage

One of the fun things that Videoblocks does is update their home page regularly with new goodies. Today, it was "Our Most Popular Winder Footage".

Click on it and you're treated to titles such as: Sunset View of Snowy Mountain, Tree Branches Covered in Snow, Serene Lake by Mountains, Winter Snow Coating Top of Trees, and so many more.

Plus, today's bonus clip is Lake Tahoe Winter Landscape. Why spend hundreds filming an epic flyover of Lake Tahoe when you can download this clip from the Member Library instead? We're happy to include this stunning shot with your membership! Of course I downloaded it for my library.

You just never know what's waiting for you when you log in to your Videoblocks account.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be your tour guide for this site. But if you need content right now, you can join Videoblocks for $149 a year and gain access to great video, stills, and audio content. This is really a great idea...

December Videos Posted for TDS Inner Circle Members

Our December Nimble Software Videos are: Localized Editing in Capture One Pro 10, and Magic Filtering in Photos for macOS High Sierra. Inner Circle Members just need to click on the Patreon tile that on all the pages of The Digital Story, and make sure they are logged in. Both training videos are available right there on the front page.

Rafael wrote: "Great video. Provides me with new ideas for an efficient workflow to manage my photos. Thanks." And Greg added: "Thank You Derrick. This was really valuable!!"

To become an Inner Circle Member, simple pledge $5 or more a month through the TDS Patreon program. Existing Inner Circle members are automatically enrolled in the Nimble Software Series.

We have more benefits coming in 2018 for our Inner Circle Members. Join today and become part of the TDS Elite.

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members!

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members.

And finally, new offer from our friends at Red River Paper.

Use promo code STORYSHIPIT to receive free ground shipping on all inkjet paper items. No minimum purchase required.

See you next week!

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

Videoblocks - Go to videoblocks.com/digitalstory to get all the stock video, audio, and images that you can imagine for just $149. Save on millions of studio-quality clips, tracks, and graphics.

Red River Paper - Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

I admit it, I shoot RAW+Jpeg a lot - and for many good reasons. These days, I just pile everything into Capture One Pro, then sort things out in the app. I can do this because of the terrific C1P tools, with Global Filters at the top of the list.

Generally speaking, when it's time to rate images and decide which ones are worthy of editing, I just want to work with the RAW files. So all I have to do is go to View > Global Filters > Always Hide Jpeg Files. (There are other options as well, depending on the situation.) The Jpegs remain in the catalog, I just don't see them. So then I can go about my business of working just on the RAWs. Here's a movie that shows this in action.

Use global filters from Advanced Capture One Pro: Library Management by Derrick Story

It's a little thing, right? But little things really add up when you're under the gun with finishing off a shoot.

Master Capture One Pro

Start with Capture One Pro 10 Essential Training that will quickly get you up to speed with this pro level imaging application.

Then drill down into mastering the editing tools with Capture One Pro 10: Retouching and get supremely organized with Advanced Capture One Pro: Catalog Management.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

The 6mm f/2.4 camera on the iPhone X is a welcome addition for those of us previously using single-camera handsets. Have the option to use a stabilized mild telephoto in addition to the wider lens is helpful not only for portraits, but for landscape work as well.

"Under the Bridge" - Captured with the 6mm camera on an iPhone X at f/2.4. Photo by Derrick Story.

And since the recorded image goes directly into my Photos for macOS library, I can finish off the image using the Luminar editing extension. The workflow is very fast, and the results are appealing.

This is not to say that I'm ditching my mirrorless. But when I went for a bike ride the other morning, all I had was my iPhone X in my pocket. And thank goodness I didn't have to pass on this shot just because I didn't bring my full camera kit with me.

Photos for macOS as Your Digital Darkroom

You can learn more about using Luminar as an editing extension in my lynda.com training, Photos for macOS: Advanced Editing Extensions.

And if you'd prefer to cozy up with a book, check out The Apple Photos Book for Photographers that features chapters on basic editing, advanced post processing, and editing extensions.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #611, Nov. 28, 2017. Today's theme is "The Creative Photographers Gift Guide 2017." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Now that we have survived Black Friday and Cybermonday, we can take a deep breath and consider gift items for their merit as well as their price tag. For today's show I've handpicked 10 items that photographers will love. And I'm going to introduce you to them right now.

The Creative Photographers Gift Guide 2017

Think Tank Photo DSLR Battery Holder 2 ($10.75) - The DSLR Battery Holder 2 from Think Tank eliminates the hassle of fumbling around through your camera bag searching for that extra battery. When the shot is there and you need power right away, this small, compact and efficient folding holder will help you get back up and shooting in no time. It's lightweight and easily stores in any optional Think Tank bag, pouch or skin. It features hook and loop closure and holds two standard lithium-ion DSLR batteries. For durability, it's made from rugged rip-stop nylon.

Nimble Photographer Fingerless Gloves ($12.99) - Soft, 100 percent acrylic gloves with exposed fingertips enabling you to adjust devices and keep your hands warm. Rubberized dots on the palm side assist with gripping tripods and light stands. High-wrist design ensures that gloves stay within jacket sleeves, even during activity.The Walking Man logo is embroidered on top of each wrist with silver thread providing a classic look.Designed for men's hands, all sizes.

Indigo Marble, Wrap & Protect Electronic Equipment ($20.95) - #1 Premium Medium Camera Cover from Indigo Marble, Wrap & Protect Electronic Equipment, Adjustable & Light Weight to Provide Quick Fit with SLR Straps or Slings, 15" Square with Strong External Pocket.

FlashBender 2 Reflector, Bounce Flash, Snoot, Gobo ($27.96) - The small and lightweight shapeable Flash Bender 2 Small Reflector is ideally suited for on-camera flash event photography. The Small Reflector can also be used off-camera to soften, shape and control your main, background, hair, rim, or accent lights. What's New with Flash Bender 2? New Attachment Design: Flash Bender 2 reflectors use an improved belt and buckle design to provide a faster and more secure attachment to your flash. The integrated attachment strap is adjustable to fit all popular brands of accessory flashes with a circumference measuring from 8" to 9 3/4". New Lighter Weight Reflectors: We developed custom fabrics for the Flash Bender 2 Reflectors to reduce weight and soften highlight reflections. The softer fabrics also allow for increased flexibility and improved light shaping abilities.

Solar Charger 24000mAh Portable Charger ($39.99) - Lightning and Micro Dual Input - No matter whichever cable you are carrying, you can recharge the power bank with either the attached micro-USB cable or your own lightning cable. Amazing Monster Capacity - Can fully charges an iPhone 10 times, a Samsung Galaxy S7 6 times, a 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2.2 times and other smartphones multiple times. Quick Charging Technology - Auto detects your device to deliver its fastest possible charge speed up to 2.1A. DC 5V/2.1A high-speed input is 2.1 times as fast as normal DC 5V/1A input - a full recharge only takes 11 hours with DC 5V/2.1A charger.

Elvid OptiView 100 3.2" LCD Viewfinder Loupe ($49.95) - The OptiView 100 3.2" LCD Viewfinder Loupe from Elvid is a 1:1 magnifying loupe, which attaches to the back of a camera, over an LCD screen up to 3.2" in size. Because it features multi-coated optical glass, the viewfinder enables you to see your images or videos with better sharpness and contrast. In addition, the rubber eyecup blocks stray or extraneous light, and the viewfinder's built-in diopter can be adjusted +/-3, which allows you to view without glasses.

Fovitec StudioPRO - 5' x 6.5' Black/White Double-Sided Pop-Out Muslin Backdrop ($54.95) - The Fovitec StudioPRO pop-out muslin backdrop combines portability and convenience with professional-grade materials and construction. The background is made of high-quality cotton with a matte finish to prevent reflections, and is the staple of every professional and aspiring photographer/videographer.

Finnhomy Professional Portable Photo Studio ($60.99) - 16" Cube Portable Photo Studio, designed for effortless product photography. You can easily take pictures of your item with pure color backdrops. The 5500K daylight white LED bands provide perfect lighting, you can adjust the bands on the steel strips or just place them on the frame bar, the magnets on the back will stick right on!

MeFOTO Classic Aluminum Globetrotter Travel Tripod ($172) - The MeFOTO GlobeTrotter is a compact travel tripod that folds up inversely and also turns into a full size monopod without the use of any tools. It's available in Black or Titanium. The GlobeTrotter can be used with many different style cameras including a DSLR with a zoom lens. The GlobeTrotter comes with a dual action Q series ballhead with Arca-Swiss style quick release plate. Carry case with shoulder strap included.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 Lens ($199) - Positioned as the perfect portrait prime, the black M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 from Olympus is a sleek 90mm equivalent lens for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. The short-telephoto focal length pairs with a bright f/1.8 maximum aperture to benefit working in low-light conditions and also offers greater control over depth of field for producing selective focus effects. The optical construction of the lens incorporates two extra-high refractive index elements, which help to reduce distortion and spherical aberrations in order to realize notable sharpness and accurate rendering. Additionally, a Movie & Still Compatible (MSC) autofocus system is employed to deliver quick, quiet, and precise focusing performance to suit both video and photo applications.

Videoblocks - Royalty-Free License Agreement

So I've been talking about all of the royalty free content I can download via my Storyblocks account. But you may be thinking, how could I prove that it's OK for me to use this video if I had to? Well, one of the things that Videoblocks provides is a personalized Royalty-Free License Agreement.

In your My Account page, just complete the basic information such as your name and address. Once you've done that, then you can click on the Get License Agreement button. Videoblocks will generate a personalized License Agreement for you and download it to your hard dive. Keep it on file in case you ever need that backup documentation for publishing your movies that contain Videoblocks content.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be your tour guide for this site. But if you need content right now, you can join Videoblocks for $149 a year and gain access to great video, stills, and audio content. This is really a great idea...

New Benefit for TDS Inner Circle Members

Speaking of video:

Starting in December 2017, I have a great new benefit for TDS Inner Circle Members: Nimble Software Series. Each month I will post two training videos for our Inner Circle Members, covering Capture One Pro, Lightroom, Luminar, Photos for mac OS and more. Each video will run between 10 to 30 minutes, and will show you specific techniques for improving your images.

To become an Inner Circle Member, simple pledge $5 or more a month through the TDS Patreon program. Existing Inner Circle members are automatically enrolled in the Nimble Software Series, and receive their first two movies on Friday, December 1, 2017.

We have more benefits coming in 2018 for our Inner Circle Members. Join today and become part of the TDS Elite.

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members!

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

Texas-based Red River Paper recently announced a new fine art paper, Palo Duro Etching. The new paper is a 100 percent cotton rag paper and is free of optical brightener additives. The paper is designed to offer warm white tones, deep blacks and a subtle texture to accurately recreate traditional darkroom fine art prints.

See you next week!

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

Videoblocks - Go to videoblocks.com/digitalstory to get all the stock video, audio, and images that you can imagine for just $149. Save on millions of studio-quality clips, tracks, and graphics.

Red River Paper - Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

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You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Macphun has released Luminar 2018 1.0.1 with a list of improvements and fixes for both Mac and Windows users. They also announced a Black Friday special that runs through November 29.

For $69, you get the latest version of Luminar 2018 for Mac and Windows, plus an Urban Preset Collection, Creative Look LUTs Collection, Ultra Wide Landscape eBook by Ian Plant, and Aerial Photo & Video Training by Matt Granger.

As for the specifics of the update, Luminar 2018 version 1.0.1 for Mac includes these fixes and improvements:

• Fixed crash on saving to .PSD format.
• Fixed bug when Adobe Photoshop Elements is unavailable.
• Fixed bug with Luminosity Mask preview on filter.
• Fixed "Image Cannot be saved" issue with Adobe Lightroom.
• Fixed RAW Develop\Develop issue when converting Panasonic files.
• Added support for more Adobe Photoshop plugins, including Topaz Labs plugins.
• Improved RAW processing on opening file.
• Improved Windows preset preview.
• Improved accuracy of the filter collapse/expand triangle control.
• Improved application and Batch processing UI.
• Fixed RAW Develop/Develop issue with DNG files.

For the Windows version of the app, these issues were addressed:

• Workspaces.
• Luminosity Mask.
• Image Resize & Sharpen on Export.
• Improved Hotkeys support.
• Improved RAW opening & processing.
• RAW support for more cameras, including Nikon D850.
• Fixed bug when launching Photoshop with a blank image.

Plus, improved performance and fixes for a number of reported bugs, including the fixed issue with LowRes image preview on layers with masks, and fixed progress bar for opening images.

In addition to working as a standalone application, Luminar 2018 comes with plugins for Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop, plus an editing extension for Photos for macOS.

Photos for macOS as Your Digital Darkroom

You can learn more about using Luminar as an editing extension in my lynda.com training, Photos for macOS: Advanced Editing Extensions.

And if you'd prefer to cozy up with a book, check out The Apple Photos Book for Photographers that features chapters on basic editing, advanced post processing, and editing extensions.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

What does a family of nerds do once the plates have been cleared on Thanksgiving? Stack up their iPhones for a friendly comparison of the screens. And we thought Steph Curry was the perfect photo subject.

From bottom to top: iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6S with a 3rd party replacement screen, iPhone 5S, and at the top was a Samsung Android smartphone. (Yes, there's one in every family.)

What started this foolishness? Folks were marveling at the color and detail in the new iPhone X and wanted to see how their handset compared to it. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we had a stack of Steph Currys. We photographed this whacky distraction with an iPhone 6S Plus.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.