Author: Frederick Van Johnson

  • Topaz InFocus Real-World Test

    Every now and then a peice of software comes around with the promise of making photographers’ lives easier. When I first read about the InFocus software from Topaz Labs I thought it might be the holy grail of fixing soft shots. Unfortunately, it looks like there’s no magic bullet for bad focus-yet.

  • Canon/Nikon Mug Winners!

    Back in TWiP episode #166, I announced a contest to give away both Nikon and Canon lens mugs. Well, we’ve finally gotten our $%^@ together, and have selected the contest winners.

  • TWiP #170 – Adobe <3 Microsoft?

    On this episode of TWiP, the old gang catches up to chat about new gear and carry around cameras, Microsoft visits Adobe, and Derrick shares his thoughts on his recent trip to Photokina. Hosts: Frederick Van Johnson, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkmann, & Derrick Story NEWS & DISCUSSION Ron, Steve and Derrick are back after being…

  • TWiP #168 – Photokina!

    On this episode of TWiP, we recap some of the news and announcements coming out of Photokina, Sony comes on strong with the A55, and Photocomment.net editor Tristan Hall joins the discussion.

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    Photokina – A First-Timers Perspective

    As a first time Photokina attendee I will be honest, I did not know what to expect. Everyone I knew who had been said it would be bigger than anything I had been to before. When I look back now, I don’t think there is a way to prepare yourself – other than to start working out a few months in advance – and it will be tough to make other understand the magnitude of it when I get back.

  • The Empire is Back: Sony at Photokina

    A few years back I watched with admiration, a National Geographic documentary on three peoples pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. If photography were a religion – and for some that may very well be the case – then Photokina would be its Mecca, and our journey there was not without it’s challenges.

  • New Sigma SD1

    I have to admit, I’m getting much more interested in the Sigma sensors now that the resolution is getting to a size that I can work with. Stacking the sensors makes sense… If it were a full-sized sensor… I’d be even more intriguing.

  • Casio releases EX-H20G Hybrid-GPS and EX-Z16

    Casio release 2 new consumer cameras for Photokina. “Casio introduces the Exilim EX-H20G, a camera for traveling that employs a Hybrid-GPS system to track your position, even while indoors, against map data stored in the camera’s internal memory. When used with the Single Frame SR Zoom function, the wide-angle 24mm optical 10x zoom lens actually…

  • A Trek to Snow Lake

    Read one TWiP listeners’ account of his trek to Snow Lake, a remote ice basin that has been described by some as the most beautiful on the planet.

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    Nikon D3100 Review

    Nikon has announced its new D3100 entry-level SLR camera. While I’m sure there are many small improvements, the obvious and most touted improvement within the release is, of course, a much more robust video support than what we have seen in previous Nikon models. Since we are talking about video, here are my observations…

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    Fuji Releases Update to 3D Camera

    Fuji has released an update to their W1 3D camera, the W3. Their new 3D camera sports a slightly sleeker interface, larger LCD screen and the capability of 720p video… in 3-D no less! As many of you know, I purchased a Fuji W1 a few months ago and I’ve been snapping 3D photos ever since.

  • TWiP #160 – The Ansel Adams Mystery

    This week on TWiP – Ron is back from Venezuela, Steve is headed to Hawaii, Joseph is driving cross country, the Ansel Adams Mystery is solved, DSLRs swing and tilt, and special guest Chris Marquardt joins us live to talk backup.

  • TWiP #158 – Presets or Purists

    On this episode of TWiP, we discuss the emergence of a “Franken iPhone” camera, a chat about the role presets play in photography, and Skynet (computational photography) comes to point and shoot cameras.

  • Skydiving for Social Media

    Frederick talks about some of his upcoming adventures. Speaking at OpenCamp, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes with the United States Army’s Golden Knights, and hanging with amazing people in Texas.