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It’s like standing at the base of Mount Olympus and having an audience with Zeus. That’s the feeling many folks get when the sales clerk brings out the latest camera model. Sleek, big. heavy, impressive; holding it is like possessing a seven-thousand dollar magic tool. On the opposite hand, we now have cell-phone camera’s (Samsung Galaxy S III) that can take eight pictures quickly, by itself, and choose the best of the eight. Oh yes, you can even program the phone to take a picture every time you say “cheese”.  The phone fits in your pocket. However, both camera extremes offer better images with just a little forethought that I call “SEEING”.

Starting the journey of Seeing….

Picture yourself sitting on deck with a flower-pot full of colorful flowers. In the background is a sandy beach with clean sand with the ocean waves gently flowing to and fro the sand. You look at the flowers and next you notice the sand and last you see the waves breaking onto the sand. You move your camera so the flowers are low in the viewfinder and the sand is above the flowers and yes, the waves are breaking on the shore. Click or in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S III, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click and here’s the best of the eight. The only problem is that the flowers look perfect while everything else is out-of-focus as well as being light (washed-out). When you look with your eyes, our brain autofocuses our eyes to the point we are looking at. Our eyes first focus on the flowers, refocus and adjust our eyes aperture on the sand, refocus on the water. Understanding this simple fact, that our eyes see differently than a camera is the first step in my definition of “seeing”.

Understanding this simple fact, that our eyes see differently than a camera is the first step in my definition of “seeing”.

The next step….

Understanding how to see photographically is the goal. A photograph should be seen in your-minds eye. Your mind’s eye image may be the result of “seeing” different versions of the scene. A high position, low position, a unique perspective, a different time of day. When you actually click the camera’s shutter, it’s to share your mind’s eye vision with others.

The technique….

Where about to distinguish the phone-camera group from advanced DSLR group.  If all you are after is a “better” image with your cell phone camera the simple tips above will help. If you’re think about practicing photography as an art form, a DSLR is either in your future or you presently own one. The technique of using, for example perspective, is not so much changing lenses but rather changing your physical position.  Stand in the same position and take an image of the stop sign at the end of your street. Use a wide angle lens and a telephoto lens. Remember, don’t move your position for either image. If you enlarge the wide angle image to the size of the telephoto image, the perspective will be the same. It’s a simple but effective lesson. Moving your camera to another position is the way to change perspective.

While most people don’t seek the photographic education of a professional photographer, many more have an artistic desire to express what their eye’s see with a camera. In many instances a good phone-camera will suffice. Simply being aware of what you see and understanding how it relates to your camera will suffice. When it no longer meets your need, welcome to advance photography. The correct camera for you is the one that meets your needs. There are many good ones that start off in the hundred’s of dollars—not thousands.

The art of photography is to bring the images that you see in your mind’s eye to reality. Understanding how, obtaining the knowledge, is the first step.

I enjoy my work. Photography enables me to meet a wide range of interesting people. One of my closest friends, whom I consider a brother, was and is a client. Photography is a form of communication, visual in nature, without the need for the spoken word. When I go out on assignment, I usually have an image in my minds-eye. It’s amazing how similar many of my finished-images are to what I saw in my minds-eye. Seeing an image in my minds-eye is really no different than you imaging how a room will look before you paint it, or a farmer picturing his crop while planting seeds. I enjoy assignments as well as personal photography. It feeds my stomach as well as my soul. It’s really you and I who are the masters of our images, not our cameras. With all the hype of new camera models, I think that’s important to remember.

“It’s really you who are the master of your images, not the camera”

Understanding lighting, composition and image perspective is a great beginning. Good photography technique is a must but the ultimate goal, for many of us, is to develop our own style. A good book on the subject is Freeman Patterson’s “Photography And The Art Of Seeing”.

Patterson, a photographer, lecturer, teacher and writer (twelve books), inspires as he takes us on a journey into such subjects as “Barriers to seeing”, “Learning to observe”, “Learning to image”, “Learning to express” and more. Copyrighted in 1985, I own the copy published in 1989. It has been republished in 2011. I find a lot of good advice between its covers. His ideas are timeless. If you are strong in photographic knowledge and technique, this is a worth while book for you. Who knows, you may develop a style that will separate you from the pack professionally as well as increase your photographic experience and pleasure.

Talking about barriers of seeing, Patterson quotes Monet, the Impressionist painter, “…in order to see we must forget the name of the thing we are looking at.”

That’s worth repeating.

“…in order to see we must forget the name of the thing we are looking at.”

Seeing my subjects as lines, shapes, color, perspective and placement has made me a better artist. How about giving it a try?

I enjoy creating raw files. (NEF’s in the case of Nikon) However, in the recent past, I really dislike not being able to view them in Windows 7 64 bit, using Windows Explorer. That problem disappeared a while back.  Windows 32bit Nikon Codec was first. It took a good while longer for Windows 64bit users to get the Nikon Codec. For a while now, both Windows 32 & 64bit can view NEF’s but you should be aware that the latest Nikon Codec, version 1.12.0,  includes additional Nikon cameras. Version 1.12.0 includes: D3X, D3S, D3, D2XS, D2X, D2HS, D2H, D1X, D1H, D1, D90, D80, D70S, D70, D60, D50, D40X, D40, D700, D300S, D300, D200, D100, D7000, D5100, D5000, D3100, D3000, Nikon 1 J1, Nikon 1 V1, COOLPIX 8800, COOLPIX 8700, COOLPIX 8400, COOLPIX 5700, COOLPIX 5400, COOLPIX 5000.

Too bad we can’t see PSD files in Explorer. (Hint for Nikon) Just saying.

You can download the  Nikon Codec at http://nikonimglib.com/nefcodec/ 

Thank you Nikon!

It’s the beginning of a new year. We all make mental notes about the things we want to do.  You know the misery that would face you when (and I mean when, not if) the hard drive breaks-down. Having important files backed up will help but it’s not the cure.

Once the hard-drive goes down

Where is the Windows OS disk? Oh yes, we need the program disks too. Each one will also need updating. Windows OS probably has over a hundred updates alone.  Oh yes, Photoshop’s installation is good for two computers. Adobe sees your new installation as a third. Better call Adobe and explain what happened. I’m sure they will be helpful. The same goes for your paid Anti-Virus, Office and other restricted-registered programs. After a few day’s of installing, updating and tweaking, you can now put back your backup files. When you tell your story of woes, someone might ask you why you didn’t backup the entire disk-drive by creating an image backup? Deep down you remember reading about image backups, both here and elsewhere. You just never got around to doing it.

An Answer

You can and should do a search on this site for Macrium Reflect, it’s a complete disaster recovery program. For their site click here. Up until recently, I’ve been using the free version.  It’s already saved me days of work when I updated to a faster, larger hard-drive. It also saved me days of work when I picked-up a computer virus.

For those of you already using the free Macrium program as well as newbie’s….

Beside the free version (for personal use), Macrium has a few additional programs that cost but offer additional benefits. One major advantage is that you cannot get personal help questions answered with the free version but you can with the paid ones. I recently went from the free version to the $58.99 (USD) Macrium Reflex-Professional.  The pro version (The one I use) offers additional benefits over the free and the lower price standard versions. Click here for a feature-comparison chart of the different Macrium programs.

When my hard-drive became infected with a virus, try as I might, I couldn’t repair the damage. I placed the Macrium created (Should be the first thing you do with the program) startup disk into the optical drive and turned the computer on. (Make sure the computer boots from the optical, DVD, drive first) The disk will boot into Macrium restore. Chose the backup file (In my case it’s on my portable storage disk that is plugged into my USB port) and about thirty minutes later, my computer was repaired. I over-wrote the drive with my earlier, pre virus image backup. When I say I overwritten the drive I mean everything, the OS, programs and all files.

I have about 80GB on my notebook. The last image backup took a little over fourteen minuet’s. Naturally the backup or restore time will vary from computer to computer.

I keep my image backup on an older notebook hard drive that’s kept, in a USB enclosure. I place the USB enclosure together with the Macurium startup disk in a zip-lock bag. This way I know, should the worst happen, that I’m only about thirty minutes to an hour away with a Linux Macrium disk. The new Windows PE startup disk that I’m using for the first time, may take as long as overnight. If your hard-drive went down now, how long will it take you?

Photoshop is not an intuitive program and it’s expensive. Photoshop Elements is affordable but still complicated to learn. Today, few photographs can be complete until you use a photo editor to maximize them. How to get started with editing photographs is a problem many photographers’ face. I recently came across an online (free) editor that is a good introduction to photo editing. Click here for the site.

Pixlr photo editor’s weakness is also its strength. Compared to Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, Pixlr is limited in scope. But that’s exactly why I recommend it. By playing and familiarizing yourself with this simple editor, eventually you will find an upgrade to, say Photoshop Elements, less intimidating. 

Let me start you off by making a few suggestions. Use a duplicate of your file. This way you can do no damage to the original file. Unlike Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, when closing the Pixlr editor program, it will not ask you if you want to save your work; it will simple close and your work will be lost. If you want to save your work, do so before closing the program.

Above all, enjoy the experience of photo editing!

Photoshop is not an intuitive program. Most of us use a handful of tools that, over time, we become familiar with, such as levels, curves, selection tools and____ name your own favorite tools. Well, the Content Aware tool definitely should be added to that list. Why? The best reason might be for when a photograph is slightly crooked. A crooked image is quickly seen by our brain as “something is wrong with the photo.” Once we get that message from our brain, negativity about the image sets in. In many cases, straightening a image will greatly improve it. Below is an example of how Content Aware comes to the rescue. The final corrected image highlights the cat, the image below, because of the crooked lines, detracts from the subject. 

Click on any image to enlarge.

Since the feral cat my wife feeds in our backyard works cheap, I’m using her again. The image is good but something isn’t correct. If I correct the slight crookedness, it will become a much better photograph.

I opened the image in Photoshop and:

• Selected all (Ctrl—A)
• Rotate the image (Ctrl—T) place the curser near a corner and rotate the image until it’s straight. Press Enter. The same instinct that told you it was crooked will tell you how much to rotate. 
• After you click enter, the image will still be selected (Similar to the screenshot above). However, since we want the white corners to be selected (not the rotated image) we must do the following: Go to the Select menu and choose Invert. You’ll end up with the white corners selected as in the screenshot below.

Content Aware works best if you also have a slight part of the image included with the white. To expand our selection do the following:

• Choose Select menu—Modify—Expand. This will bring up the following:  
• Expand by 10-20 pixels. The resolution in my image was 300 so I expanded it by 20 pixels. If, for example I was using 100 DPI, I would have tried 10 pixels.

Notice that the selection expanded into the image.

• Next, go to the Edit Menu and choose Fill.
• 
• Select Content-Aware as in the image above and click OK.

The corners are cloned in. It’s not magic—it’s the awesomeness of Photoshop. Once you become familiar with the technique, it will take a lot less time to perform than reading this tutorial. Once you use Content-Aware a few times, it will become as familiar as your favorite Photoshop tool.

A small correction that creates a big impact. Brought to you by the author and Photoshop’s Content-Aware.

The corrected image is now a photograph of Mercedes, not a crooked brick fence.

Mercedes, you’re on the Internet again! Good job, thanks for posing  Eat, drink and be merry, you deserve it!

In an article on this blog called “It’s new, with more features but should you purchase that new camera?” I  basically said that the newest, just introduced camera’s may get oohs and aahs but that alone won’t make you a skilled photographer. It’s the photographers knowledge that turns a snapshot into a photograph or perhaps art. Art is the process of arranging items in a way that affects our senses. In photography, we work with the sense of seeing. 

For me, creating images that has a strong shape or design that I call “Stopping Power” is important. Stopping power grabs the viewers attention and entices the desire to understand the image.

With this article in mind, I decided to take an image that can, at best, be called a snapshot and one that, because of shape and design, can be called a photograph. As in previous articles, I’ll use a feral cat, one that my wife puts food out for in our backyard as my model. Oh yes, I’ll also use my Canon D940 IS pocket camera.

My snapshot…

my photograph.

Understanding photographic composition trumps bigger and better cameras every time. I’ll continue and expand this topic next week….

Many Photoshop users are seem to be stuck in using editing techniques such as Levels, Curves and perhaps thirteen other editing adjustments the destructive way. I can hear you saying; the destructive way? What’s the destructive way? Let me explain by example. You click Image—Adjustments—Levels (or Ctrl-L) and adjust the shadow, midrange and highlights. Perhaps you make a few additional adjustments like Color Saturation (Ctrl-U) some filters (sharpening) cloning or facial editing and a host of other corrective techniques. You save your work. Days or perhaps months later you open the file and notice that the shadow details are lacking details. You open Levels or Curves to fix the problem but no additional detail is found. That’s because the method of editing destroyed pixels. Once you clip pixels (move the shadow slider in levels to the left or move the highlights to the left, for example) and save the file, those pixels are gone forever. There is a better, non-destructive way to adjust your file; use the Adjustment Layer Palette.

In the above screenshot, clicking the Levels Adjustment icon in the Adjustment Layers Palette (#2 in the screenshot above) would result in an additional layer, above the background layer. (see screenshot below) BTW, a fast method of getting to the Adjustment Layer Palette is to click Essentials, #1 in the above screenshot.

The Adjustment Layers Palette turns into the Levels adjustment. Once adjustments are made, save the file as a PSD. Since this, as well as any other adjustments you decide to use from the Adjustment Layers Palette will be on its own layer, you can reopen the file and change adjustments without destroying pixels.

New Camera Time!

It’s about that time; new camera models are and will be hitting the market. More pixels, faster focusing, better video the list goes on and on. Oh yes, don’t forget about the new lenses. I’m sure one will fit your “wants” to go along with that new camera. But (there always is a but) do you need that new, more pixel, faster focusing, better built in video…camera?

Needs and Wants.

Let’s cut to the chase. We all have “Wants” and “Needs”. Many of us confuse the two. Just how will that new camera improve your enjoyment or in the case of a pro, earning power? Will the more pixels offer a quality advantage? Is that advantage real or imaged? I’ve done 40×60 prints with my present camera; do I need more pixels? Instead of continuing with each feature comparison, answer this question: Just how will this new model improve your photographic abilities? If you come up with a decent answer, one that falls under the “Needs” (instead of the “Want”) group, (and you can afford it) buy the equipment. Similarly, If the new camera falls into the “Wants” group and you have deep pockets, go for it! You work hard and the economy needs the help. However, if you fall into the “cash is hard to come by” group (most of us), think hard and honestly before deciding.

How To Succeed At Photographic Imaging

If purchasing a new camera represents your hope for better images, I have a suggestion that might save you thousands of dollars. Check out the many articles that I’ve written for this Blog. I have multiple articles on lenses and their use as well as articles on composition. Another good idea is to buy a good book. A camera will help you take a picture, knowledge will help you create a picture. If you’re looking for a book that’s not just another camera manual, may I recommend Freeman Patterson’s book: Photographing the World Around You. (A visual design workshop for film and digital photography.)  I have the 2004 version (3rd printing) and (as of this writing) is available from amazon. You may advance your photographic abilities more with the book than by purchasing a new camera.

The Horse and the Cart.

I believe lighting, perspective, composition might fill the photographic canvas but lines shapes and texture are the details. I also believe, unless you understand enough about the fundamentals any camera will result in snapshots. The new camera might be bigger and better but the results will pretty much be the same.

Knowing you Wants and Needs is helpful in ways far beyond photography. It’s being honest with yourself.

When working in Photoshop (PS), many users have a hard time adjusting shadows and highlights. Unlike PS, if you adjust shadow and highlights in bridge, you can turn on color indicators. Color indicators enable you to know exactly when you are clipping (discarding pixels) information.  Photoshop doesn’t have this feature so when, for example, you create a levels or Curves adjustment layer, you are on your own—there’s no color guides. A really good Photoshop Guru named  Calvin Hollywood, a German based photographic artist, PS trainer and author has come up with a solution. Instead of doing the multiple steps each time you want to use the color indicators in PS, create an action. An action will put the color clipping color indicators (blue for shadow and red for highlights) into Photoshop with a click of your mouse. I’m using Windows PS CS5 for this demonstration. While there is a lot more to the understanding of actions then I am including in this article, if you follow the directions, you will have a workable action. One last point before we continue; if you think because you are a professional, you won’t benefit by using colors to indicate clipping, think again. Precision settings trump artistic guessing every time.

Note: Click on any image to enlarge it.

• Open an image in Photoshop (PS).
• From the action menu, click “Create a new action.” #1 in the screenshot above.
• Name the action.
• Choose a color (optional).

• From the Adjustment menu, click the “Create a new Gradient Map adjustment layer. The finger is pointing to the correct icon in the above screenshot.

• Adjustments now appear as the screenshot above.
• Click within the gradient (as shown in the above screenshot) to edit the gradient.

• The Gradient Editor appears.
• Click on the shadow indicator (1 in the screenshot above).
• Click in the Color box (2 in the screenshot above) create a blue color and click OK.

• Do the same for the Highlight end (Click the highlight indicator—Click in the Color box and select red as the color, click OK.

• Make sure the adjustment Layer is selected (blue) and double click in a clear blue area. (#1 in the screenshot above.).

Next we are going to reverse the Shadow slider and the Highlight slides to a specific reading.

• Drag the Shadow Slider to the Highlight side until the number reads 250 as in the screenshot above.

• Drag the Highlight Slider on the right left, toward the shadow end until you get 5 in the box.
• When the results look like the screenshot above (250 on the left and 5 on the right click OK.

• Click the Stop Playing/Recording button.
• Were finished creating the action.

How To Use The Action

• Click the dropdown-list by clicking on the down-arrow (highlighted in the screenshot above.).
• Select “Button Mode”.

• The Action Menu will look like the screenshot above.
• With an image open in Photoshop, run the action you just created. (Click on the name in the action list.)

• Notice that you now have a Gradient Map 1 layer as well as your opened image (Background).
• Unlike the screenshot above, the Gradient Map 1 is selected (blue).  Click on the Background layer to select it. When the layer looks like the screenshot above, go to the next step.

• From the Adjustment Menu select “Create a new Levels adjustment.”

• Notice the new Layer 1 in the Layers palette. Remember that the Gradient Map 1 layer must always be on top, the adjustment Levels Layer under it.
• Use the Levels adjustment sliders (highlighted in red) for adjustments.

• The adjustment colors indicate detail lost.
• Adjustment are made by using the sliders (#1 in screenshot above.).

Thanks you Calvin Hollywood.

Windows User Password

My Desktop and notebook computers contain a lot of business and personal information. While Windows User password will prevent a casual passerby from snooping, it won’t prevent a thief, who has more time, from easily bypassing it and having access to all your files. The internet has many free Windows User password recovery programs. PC Login Now is but one. You can view the guide and download it here. While it may feel good to secure your computer with the Windows User password, the reality is very different.

Biometric Fingerprint readers

I have few definitive answers about Biometric fingerprint readers (BFR) for notebook computers. Some BFR’s work off a program stored on the hard disk and some have a separate hardware chip stored within the computer. If all the fingerprint reader does is type in the user password for you, it’s as secure as the Windows user password—not secure. While I assume that the BFR setup that you activate in the BIOS is safer than the BFR that uses a program stored on the hard drive, I have many unresolved questions. For example, if you remove the hard drive and placed into a USB case, could I access the files by hooking it up to another computer, thus bypassing the chip and security program? In other words, just how safe are the files on the hard drive? After all, it’s the files that a thief would have time to get access to that concerns me. So far, with all my research, I haven’t been able to get a straight answer. If you can shed any light on the subject reply to this thread and I’ll post it.

Hard Disk Drive Password

Without the password you’ll need a Data Recovery Expert.

The Hard Disk Drive (HDD) password on my computer keeps the password on the Hard Disk Controller that’s attached to the HDD and in a hidden section of the HDD. Without the HDD password the HDD is unusable. The only way I know of to restore the disk is to send it in to a Disk Recovery Service Company—it will cost you plenty. Removing the HDD and placing it into another computer won’t help the thief; it will still ask for the password. It won’t help you either so write down the password and keep it in a secure place.

The computer’s hard disk drive can be activated in the computer’s BIOS. When in the BIOS go to the Security tab. In my computer’s BIOS I created a Master password that locks the BIOS so nobody (without the password) can change the BIOS. Still within the Security section of the BIOS, I clicked on and created the HDD password. I use a different password, not my Master password. The third type of password that can be set here is the User password. For me, it isn’t necessary. To summarize; In my BIOS I set a Master password and the HDD password. On my computer (a Dell Vostro) the Master password and the HDD password can be used interchangeable to start the computer.

Be aware of the following.

1. When your computer goes to sleep, upon awaking, the HDD password won’t ask for a password. The computer will be exposed so should the situation require security, (Such as leaving your office for a time) shut down the computer instead of putting it to sleep.
2. Backup your computer often. If (when) your HDD breaks-down it might be impossible to retrieve information. Oh, did I mention, BACKUP!!
3. While doing research for this article I have seen many forum threads asking for help with lost HDD passwords. I have yet to see a “Thank you! for the successful help”  reply. Keep your Master and HDD passwords written down and store them in a secure place.

Encrypting Programs

The security of your files is your responsibility. Don’t make it easy for a potential thief. A HDD password is a big leap forward. Depending on your security needs, additional layers of security can be added. Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise have encrypting built into the OS. Click here for details. Other Windows 7 OS can download from a vast number of free and pay for encrypting add-on programs. Some meet the government classification of Top Secret. Two popular free programs are:

• TruCript is a free open-source disk encryption software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux. For more information click here.
• Cypherix LE – Free 128bit Personal Encryption Software is another free program. Click here for more information.

There are many other encrypting programs available. I haven’t tried any so I can’t make a recommendation. I don’t do Top Secret work and I don’t have anything on my computer  that would embarrass me if it were published in the New York Times.  However, I do want my personal information protected in case of computer theft. My HDD password alone is sufficient protection for me. Knowing my HDD password is adequately secure is my “Feel-Good” choice.

As a professional in the photographic profession I spend more time behind a computer than a camera. No longer can a professional photographer take the images from the camera and deliver them to the client and stay competitive. simply put, my computer is part of my camera equipment.

My computer recently started to take an unusually long time to shutdown. I did a Google search of the problem and came up with a Microsoft site that, among other suggestions was the following. (For the Microsoft article, click here).

“Enable half of the Services items:

In this step, you are trying to isolate which background service is causing the interference with the program. Start by turning half of the services on and turning half off.

• Click Start Orb > type msconfig in the searchbox
• Click msconfig in the search results
• Click the Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft Services box, and then click to select half of the check boxes in the Services list, leaving the other half unchecked.
• Click OK, and when you are prompted, click Restart.”

I have about 156 services listed in the service tab of msconfig. If I followed the sites recommendations it would take me more hours to solve the problem then the computer is worth. I remembered a Windows 7 feature called Verbose.

 One of many screens when Verbose is on.   Verbose tells you what action the computer is performing on startup and shutdown. The current process flashes on the screen. When everything is normal, the screens fly by. Should a screen linger longer than normal, you have an indication (a reliable name-clue) that there’s trouble.

I turned Verbose on. In the case of my long shutdown problem, I noticed that a service called Authentication service was on display for a long time. Way too long; over a minute.  Authentication service comes into play with my Finger-reader security program. I disabled the Authentication service and shutdown the computer. I did a restart and tested my theory by shuttering down the computer. It now only took six seconds to shutdown. Success! I disabled the Finger Reader and now use the password feature built into my HDD. (More on password protection setups and how secure they are in my next article.) The potential time saved between the recommended solution and observing Verbose for clues is astounding. Follow along as we set up Verbose. 

Turning on Verbose

Note: If you’re unsure of your ability to use Regedit—Stop, don’t continue. Get help from someone who does. Remember to Backup the registry or (even simpler) create a new Restore Point.

•    Click Start—type regedit—Important; right click on  the regedit icon and choose Run as administrator.
• When regedit opens, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE—SOFTWARE—Microsoft—Windows—CurrentVersion—Policies—System
• Click Edit—New—Dword (32-bit) Value. Rename this value VerboseStatus (this will appear in the right-side pane)
• Double-click on the newly created VerboseStatus and give it a value data of 1 and click OK.
• Close the registry and restart the computer.

You’ll now see what the Windows 7 OS is doing on Startup and Shutdown. When the computer is acting normal, the custom Startup and Shutdown screen with its words flashing by may be enjoyably unique to watch. However, it just might be extremely helpful in determining causes for Startup or Shutdown problems.

The dictionary meaning of “Verbose” is “Using or expressed in more words than are needed” in my case it was just the perfect amount of words. Maybe Microsoft should rename the feature.

When depth of field is a problem, try Focus Blending using Photoshop

In every pro photographers life there comes a time when a series of objects, set at different distances, must be photographed. By the way, every item must be sharp. Stopping the lens down may or may not work, at best, it’s a compromise. The screenshot above tells the focus story of what we might get, instead of what we want. Below is the “how to” for creating a Focus Blending image using Photoshop. A cold Guinness Draught in a can is optional.

(BTW, You can click on any screenshot to enlarge, then hit the Backspace key to return to the article.)

I set up the glasses, beer can and 8-pack to demonstrate how to get each prop in perfect focus. Oh yes, for this demonstration I used a Nikon D7000 with a 55mm lens set to f2.8.  The camera was on a tripod. The f-stop isn’t important; use whatever aperture you want. I shot both images in  the screenshot above wide-open to highlight the difference in the above screenshot. Notice that even wide open (f2,8), in the image on the right, all the props are in focus.

Here is how Focus Blending works.

• • Focus Blending will work with NEF, JPG and TIF files.
  • Set the camera on a tripod.
  • Set all camera controls to manual. (Manual exposure and  Manual focus.)
  • Once I got the correct exposure, I set focus (manually) on the first glass (on the right) and clicked the shutter. I manually focused on the can and took the second exposure. Using the same technique I took the rest of the props.

Open the Images in Photoshop’s Bridge.

• Select the six images of our test props.
• Click Tools—Photoshop—Load files into Photoshop Layers…

The Image opens in Photoshop.

• When Photoshop opens, notice that our six files are in the Layers palette.
• Select all six Layers.

• Go to Edit and select—Auto Blend Layers.

• Notice the check mark in Stack Images and Seamless Tones and Color.
• Click OK.

• Photoshop does its magic!

Finished and…

Cropped…

Pixel bending added. (Pixel Bending will be another article for another day.)

Worth noting: The Guinness can was originally standing, cold and proud. However, the can blocked the glasses so in the interest of professionalism I filled the first glass (on the right) and…well, you know the rest.

Before we discuss the pros and cons of using a SSD for Photoshop, lets take a second or two, to talk about SSD memory. Solid State Drives (SSD) use two different types of memory; SLC NAND or MLC NAND.  MLC NAND flash memory comprises most of today’s SSD’s. SLC NAND flash memory is three times faster and has up to ten times the endurance of MLC NAND flash memory. However, MLC NAND is significantly more cost effective, so naturally it’s used in most SSD’s. Click here for my source for this paragraph and additional information about NAND flash.

Installing a SSD will launch Photoshop in a second! That’s the good news. Using the SSD as a scratch disk is also beneficial but very expensive. That’s about it because that’s about the only time a HDD, or SSD drive reads data.

BTW, I see many recommendations to turn off Windows System Protection, Restore Point when using a SSD. I’m sure there must be a good reason for this but for me, Restore Point is a key Windows feature. Stuff happens, I recently lost my notebooks custom profile that corrects my notebooks display (calibration) when it starts up. I remembered that the computer started the calibration profile correctly yesterday so I went to System Protection—System Restore and set it back to yesterday. It worked perfectly, my notebook computer now opens with the correct color calibration. I’ve used System Restore many times to cure many different problems. It’s also worth a try if you pickup a virus.

If you’re running Windows with a 64 bit OS, Photoshop will use all the memory that you could fit into the machine. Memory gives more bang for the dollar than a SSD upgrade.

So I compromised

With Photoshop in mind, I chose the middle-ground.  Basically, I installed a Seagate Hybrid disk drive that combines a small SSD with a conventional hard drive. The SSD part uses the more desirable SLC NAND memory. With 500GB of space, I feel more comfortable and productive, not to mention the huge dollar savings. While I do believe in keeping up with technology;  SSD’s advertise better and faster (not bigger—drawback number one) but could have side-effects that translate into less productivity. Question, are you purchasing your needs or your wants? For more on this topic click here.

Large, noticeable  expected changes are the norm of wide-angle or telephoto lenses. Wide-angle lenses expand the look of the image while telephoto lenses compress the look of the image, usually in a dramatic way. Many photographers also use a wide-angle lens when they cannot step back and want to get an expansive view. The image of the Avram  Theater below is a good example. Using a 17mm wide-angle lens on a Nikon D300 was the perfect solution.

429-seat Avram Theater Stony Brook, Southampton Long Island NY

Now, before reading further, study the image below.

OK, lets continue.

Recently, I’ve been using a wide-angle lens for portraits. No, not for close-up’s where the subject’s nose would become large and deformed but subtly, enhancing a feature. In the case of the image above I exaggerated the length of her legs and enhance the look of the image. By using a 24mm lens on a Nikon D7000 with the location of the camera closer to her feet, the legs became elongated. A 10 or 12mm lens would miss the mark. Artist, in a variety of different disciplines have been using similar methods for centuries. 

Does the camera lie?  If so, why not use it as an artistic tool?

Artistic license is part of a photographers tool-kit. You can look at the elongated leg as an artistic enhancement or you can only see a foot that is larger than the subjects face. But remember what you felt when you first looked upon the image; before you heard the technical explanation. Every magician knows that once a magic trick is unmasked the magic felt by the audience is gone. Ask others for their reaction and perhaps you too might have an additional artistic tool for your kit. Oh yes, keep the magic, don’t tell how it’s done.

The lure of a new DSLR model is strong! Soon Nikon will introduce the newest,  latest and greatest high end DSLR. Because you’re an astute seller, (and buyer) your going to beat the crowd of potential sellers (competitors) by selling early.  Most potential buyers will want to know how many shutter clicks your camera has. If you use Photoshop, you have the program that can answer that question. I’m using  my new Nikon D7000 as an example (No I’m not selling it.)  Follow along.

In the screenshot above, I opened a NEF file in Photoshop, clicked on File-File Info. The box below opens.

• Click the down arrow in the upper right-hand corner and choose Advanced.
• Click the “Schema (http://ns.adobe.comexif/1.0/aux/” line” (highlighted above in select-blue.)
• Read the aux:ImageNumber: xxxx (red border in above screenshot) that’s your shutter’s click number.

Simple and quick. Perhaps after writing the ad exalting the camera’s features and low shutter clicks you won’t want to sell it!  If however you still do, good luck with the sale.

Time and technology change many things. I remember living without the Internet. When I wanted to see camera equipment or pick-up some really fast B&W film, I would  take the subway (underground train) from Brooklyn into New York City and go to one of New York’s large camera stores. Kodak introduced Tri-X black and white film in 1954. This new, really fast film had an ASA (Think ISO) of 400! In the 1970’s I was using 4×5 and 2 1/4 square professionally. For my personal use, I had a Nikon SLR with a Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 with Tri-X film. It was a true delight to use. I loved the grainy look. Today, on my Nikon D7000, I wouldn’t think twice of using ISO 3200 or even ISO 6400 and get quality equal or better than the old Tri-X film. I’m sure that the next upgrade of cameras will be better yet. That’s technology at work. So why are we still looking for super fast lens?

Is there a counter-argument to what I’m suggesting? Of course there is. True, photography is a science but it’s also an art. Hopefully, my topic will provoke you to thought. Your conclusions will determine your future actions. The truth of my conclusion is also dependent upon the quality of your camera’s sensor. The sensor in my Nikon D7000 may be better or worse than yours.

• Before we continue, lets define our definitions’.
• ISO—100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400. Each ISO number listed doubles the speed of the previous one. Example; ISO 800 is twice the speed of ISO 400 etc.
• Lens Stops—1.0, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32. Each lower stop listed is twice as fast as the previous higher one. Example; f2.8 is twice as fast as f4 or said another way, f4 lets in half the amount of light as f2.8. Higher stop numbers—less light.

Let’s compare the good-old days f1.2 or f1.4 with Tri-X, ISO 400, and todays high ISO setting. I believe we would agree that ISO 3200 is probably better than the old Tri-X ISO 400. For the sake of clarity, (it’s easier to read the ISO chart above) I’ll use f1.4 instead of my f1.2 (it’s a 1/2 a stop different) for this explanation, using the charts of ISO and Lens Stops.

• If ISO 3200 or ISO 6400 is today’s equivalent of Tri-X ISO 400 then the required lens aperture changes from f1.2 or f1.4 to f4 or f5.6.
• Let’s see why:
• From ISO 400 (Tri-X) to ISO 3200 is 3 stops up on our ISO chart.
• On our Lens Stop chart 3 stops up from 1.4 is f4. If you believe, as I do, that 6400 is equal to the old Tri-X then 4x up from f1.4 would be f5.6

Today’s ability to use an f4 or an f5.6 lens in low light shooting also gives us an advantage in focus depth—front to back distance that is in focus. For example, using a DX camera with a 50mm lens at ten feet distance with the lens set at f1.2 and f4.5 what would be the difference in depth of field sharpness?

• 50mm on a Nikon DX, Subject at 10 feet. (Total = depth of Sharpness)
• f1.2—Near limit: 9.72 ft., far limit: 10.3 ft., total: 0.57 ft. *Hyperfocal distance: 345 ft.
• f4.5—Near limit: 9.03 ft., far limit: 11.2 ft., total: 2.18 ft., *Hyperfocal distance: 91.5 ft.
• *Hyperfocal distance: Focus a lens at the hyperfocal distance and everything in the photograph from that near (hyperfocal) distance selected to infinity will be sharp.

The point of this article, is today, the fastest, heaviest, most expensive lens is not your only choice to get the job done. In the above example, f4.5 added more than a foot more depth over the f1.2 setting. While working quickly in dim light, a foot more depth of field can make the difference between a sellable image and one that ends up deleted.

I recently needed another 50mm lens. It was for my backup kit. A 50mm Nikkor f1.2 list for $724.95. A 50mm Nikkor f1.8D list for $134.95. The difference is a little less than a stop and $590.00.  Guess which one I purchased? If Nikkor had a 50mm f2 or f2.8 that list for $90.00, I would have taken that and still thought it was a super fast lens! Perhaps our definition of just what is a super fast lens should change.

If there is a common thread among my last few articles it’s “buy your needs, not your wants.” 

With each new incarnation of a new DSLR model, the quality of high ISO settings improve.  While I have no intention of arguing the merits of keeping my ISO setting on 6400,  I do however, keep my ISO on Auto ISO. If you’re unsure about the advantages of using auto ISO or simply want more information, click here for the article “How to set your ISO and FORGETABOUTIT!” I’ve always believed that the incorrect use of the word “invent,” when the word “Discover” is more accurate, is a common error. In this article you will discover why the combination of Auto ISO and Shutter Priority are a perfect mixture for sharper images with a telephoto lens.

The rule of thumb for shutter speed setting is to place one (1) over the millimeters of the taking lens. for example, you’re taking a picture using a 35mm wide angle lens. The slowest shutter speed that you should use (handheld) is 1/35 of a second. Remember, this is not a hard and fast rule, some photographers might need 1/60 because of their inability to handhold a camera as steady as “the average” photographer. Also remember, we’re only talking about the shutter speed required to handhold the camera (camera shake). The subject might be in motion requiring a faster shutter speed.

Using the shutter speed rule above, wide angle and normal lenses are obviously much less of a problem than telephotos. I’m sure the image viewed with a 300mm lens attached, bobbing up and down in your viewfinder, illustrate this fact of life. Oh yes, don’t forget that 300mm lens on a DX size sensor is equal to a 450mm lens on a 35mm format camera.

Depending on how you set up the camera’s menus, when you shoot in aperture mode (A) you might end up with a shutter speed that is far to slow to handhold. You may have the ability to steady the camera with a 50mm lens at, say,  1/30 of a second but you’ll surely be a looser using a 300mm the same way. Many photographers make the mistake of using their knowledge of wide—normal lenses on a telephoto lens. Does blurry images while using a telephoto ring a bell?

Keeping my ISO setting on Auto offers a wide range of options that I describe in the article mentioned in my first paragraph. Using Shutter Priority (S) enables us to set a shutter speed fast enough to handhold the camera without blurring.  For example, you’re about to take an impromptu portrait. The screenshots below might be the typical results using the aperture (a) setting and the shutter priority (S) modes.

Why f4.5 instead of f2?

Many photographers prefer using a large lens opening, such as f2 or f2.8 for portraits. With candid portraits this can lead to focus errors because of the shallow depth of field. for example, at 15 feet a 105mm lens set at f2 will have about a half of a foot depth of focus. At f4.5 the depth of focus increases to about a foot. My choice would be the f4.5 setting. At 15 feet and only inches in focus, that doubles my insurance against focus errors. The screenshot below is a candid-portrait using the f4.5 setting.

• No additional sharpening was performed in Photoshop.
• obviously the camera was handheld.
• ISO was set to Auto—"A" mode was ISO 5000, "S" mode was ISO 6400.
• I did remove a slight bit of noise using Photoshop’s ACR noise reduction.
• Images were lit by available kitchen-lighting.
• I used a Nikon D7000.

Click images to enlarge.

Left: f4.5, 1/60 A mode Auto ISO                                 Right: f4.5, 1/160 S mode Auto ISO

A closer look;  A mode on the left,                                  S mode on the right.

I would bet that a lot of the “my camera doesn’t take sharp pictures” complaints are because of the selection of A-mode with telephoto lenses. When using a telephoto lens, give the S-mode a try, you may be pleasantly surprised! 

From Left to right: Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC, Tokina 12-24mm f4, Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6D ED.

The previous three articles on zoom lenses (Nikkor 70-300 f4-5.6D ED, Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 VC and both the Nikkor and Tokina 12-24mm f4 ) represent a focal range on my Nikon DX size cameras from 12mm-300mm. That’s an 18mm-450mm equivalent on a 35mm format camera. True, 51mm to 69mm is missing but that range is covered by taking a few steps forward with the 17-50mm lens set to 50mm or taking a few steps backward with the 70mm setting on the 70-300mm lens. While I believe that all three lenses discussed in the previous three articles have unusually good lens designs, zoom lenses in general, often mean lens design compromise, as well as user decisions. Below is a short discussion, a postscript to my three previous articles.

In my last article “Cliff Notes: For this Pro Photographer, It’s All about the results: Lets talk about the 12mm-24mm Nikkor f/4 and The 12mm-24mm Tokina f/4 lenses for a Nikon DX Camera.” I discuss the lenses, spoke about product name envy, pointed out that price doesn’t always mean “better,” spoke about the early day’s of Tokina and mentioned my personal preference (wants not needs) for a particular lens. Understanding why you purchase a particular lens is important but using it successfully, for pleasure or work, is the true reward. I’ve always considered photo equipment as tools; and my photo tools must fulfill a function. If you are the type of person who believes that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is the only lenses that should be used, may I paraphrase Abba Eban; “you never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” 

If it’s to heavy and won’t fit in your camera case, you won’t use it. I placed all three lenses including their lens shades, front and back lens caps, onto a scale. All three together weighed in at 3.14 lbs., (1424g). Comparing the weight, for example, to the Nikkor 70-200mm AF-S f2.8G ED VRII, all three lenses together, just about equal the weight of this one lens! Value wise, the three lenses cost me less than half of the cost of the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8G. (Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8G AF-S ED VII has a street price of about $2300.00.) While I do admit that the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8G AF-S ED VII is an excellent lens, used successfully by many pro photographers—it’s much to heavy for me. It’s a question of needs and wants. I may feel a great pride of ownership for the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8G AF-S ED VII (my wants) but my needs demanded the three aforementioned lenses.

Vignetting or the darkening of the corners associated with fast wide angle lenses is usually a design feature not a design flaw. The sensors of todays DSLR cameras require that the rays coming through the lens fall straight onto the sensor. Yes, I know, film was a different story, the angle of rays had a much greater latitude. But here we’re dealing with the less tolerant digital sensor. Large aperture lenses are designed to give sharper corners by designing lenses that block rays of unacceptable angles. It’s a trade off of the lens design; sharper corners for vignetting. In any case stopping down the aperture is the quick cure. Additional lens aberrations also worsen when designed for faster f-stops. Vignetting as well as other lens aberrations can normally be corrected using Photoshop.   Since ultra wide angle lenses seem to be the most problematic, I really appreciate the Nikkor and Tokina 12-24mm lens design. I would rather use higher ISO settings with an f4 lens opening, than a faster wide angle lenses that has flaws when shooting wide open.

A tip for using the normal focal range of your zoom lens. The middle article started out by saying “Arguably the most popular lens range, the 17-50mm….” but let’s look a little closer at what this range represents. Since most of us understand what the millimeters of a lens represents in the 35mm camera format, I’ll place the 35mm equivalent (35mm equivalent) in brackets. Let’s agree that 17mm-25mm (24mm-36mm) is a mild wide angle. The 26mm-35mm (39mm-52mm) would be our normal lens range. Lets call the rest of our zoom range (36mm-50mm) our short telephoto. Now that we have our definitions, let’s look closer at our normal range.

The 26mm-35mm (39mm-52mm) range represents a choice; we can choose 26mm(39mm), 35mm (52mm) or anything in between. Unthinking photographers would move the zoom to crop the image instead of keeping a zoom setting and moving their feet. “So what’s wrong with that,” you ask. Well let’s look at the following scenario to make my point.

Your photographing the reception at a wedding. Folks are having a good time and you see many opportunities for excellent un-posed  dance shots. You decide to use the normal lens range because you’ll be shooting quickly and you’ll worry less about the distortion a wide angle might produce. We’ve already decided that 26mm to 35mm (39mm-52mm) represents the a normal range. You have radio controlled remote flashes setup around the hall. you’re adding bounce-flash from the on camera flash. The camera is set to f8 and your about to shoot a group of dancers. Behind the dancers are lots more folks, dancing, talking, drinking and enjoying the celebration. Just what your host wants to see. You select the 35mm setting, focus, it turns out to be 17 feet, and shoot. Technically speaking, the image will have everything from 10.2 feet to 51.9 feet in focus. that’s a total of 41.7 feet. Now, let’s check out the 26mm setting. First off, you could move closer to the action, the 26mm setting has a wider angle of view. You set the zoom at 26mm, use the same f-stop of f8, focus, it turns out to be 12 feet, and shoot the picture. You’ll probably get more people in the image because a wider angle increases the angle of view (expansion) but the real difference is that everything from 6.45 feet to 85.4 feet will be in focus. In other words, at the 26mm setting, 79 feet of the hall will be in focus while the 35mm setting had only about half (41.7) in focus. More people in the image, a deeper depth of field, all because you used the shorter millimeter setting. At times, it pay’s to move your feet instead of the zoom setting.

Perhaps the most challenging lens to use composition wise is the ultra wide angle zoom. The third article that I referenced to in the first paragraph is about ultra wide angle lenses. Discussing the attributes of ultra wide angle lenses is more that can be handled in this article. Stay tuned, I’ll get to it. TIP: With ultra wide angle lenses, the composition should hold interest in the foreground, middle and background. Ultra wide angle photography isn’t easy but it can be very rewarding.  To be continued….

Arguably the most popular lens range, the 17-50mm  Tamron SPF/2.8 XR VC LD LENS (Street price about $649.00) is excellent for general walk-around, news and social event photographers.  When most photographers get a new lens they pop it onto the camera and start testing. ( Testing is a professional photographic term for having fun with a new toy!) Don’t do that with this lens. The first thing you should do is read the manual. (I hear you, but stop with the boring bit.) Many a photographer got blurry results because the didn’t understand just how Tamron’s proprietary tri-axial VC (Vibration Compensation) works. I got a chuckle while reading one article where the reviewer was getting blurry images until he realized how to work the VC feature of the lens. Duh! He was so disgruntled that he downgraded his evaluation because of his mistake! Don’t let it happen to you. Read the manual!

The *paragraph’s below is from the TAMRON SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR VC LD LENS owners manual(*) http://www.tamron-usa.com/about/manuals.asp  I underlined the crucial part. Again, read the manual. It offers examples of when and when not to use the VC feature. You’ll also read why you shouldn’t keep the lens hood on when using the camera’s built-in flash.

*“VC Mechanism
VC (Vibration Compensation) is a mechanism which reduces the image blur caused by
hand-held shooting. When using the VC, pictures can be taken at shutter speeds up to a
maximum of 4 stops slower than the speed when the VC is not used.”

*“VC can be used in AF or MF mode.
1. Set the VC switch on.
*When VC is not used, set switch off.
2. Press the shutter button halfway to verify the effect of the VC. When the shutter button
is pressed halfway, it takes about 1 second for the VC to provide a stable image.
With the VC mechanism, there are no occasions when the image in the viewfinder blurs
after the shutter button is pressed down halfway.”

The VC feature helps with camera shake only. I keep VC off by default. I use the VC only when necessary. There is an older model without the VC feature. If you’re not a VC fan (I am) and enough of a discount is offered, consider the older TAMRON SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD LENS model that Has no VC feature The VC model has a filter size of 72mm and the non VC is 67mm. Both lenses are sharp and produce excellent results. Note: After testing this lens, I have a much improved understanding and respect for the VC feature. I personally would go for the VC model.

Many pro photographer (including myself) try to use depth to our advantage. Compression, enabled  by the use of a telephoto lenses or the expansion provided by a wide-angle lens. If you don’t understand what I just said, stop and read my multi-article description on wide-angle, normal and telephoto lenses called “Seeing and Photography” Use “Seeing and Photography”(without the quotes) in the search  box at the right-hand upper part of this site. This 26mm-75mm (equivalent on a 35mm camera) meets the above requirements only (and barely) at the extreme ends. However, for news photographers, event, wedding and Bar Mitzvah photographers it’s a good-fit. For creativity, an extreme wide angle or telephoto lens used by a skilled practitioner is best.

Many reviewers complain of the plastic used in the build of many of today’s lenses. It doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ll repeat what I’ve said to the following argument: “The lens has a plastic housing—the lens manufacture did it to save a few pennies.” Really! Are you comparing todays plastic with the Bakelite of the 1950’s?” Because it is strong and light many automobiles have plastic gas tanks. I really don’t plan on going to war with the lens. Nor do I plan on hammering nails with it. I do however appreciate the lightness and durability that the lens offers. Drop any lens and you’ll wish is wasn’t  made of metal or plastic…but sponge!

I don’t know of any zoom wide-angle lens that doesn’t have some problem reported at their extreme end. Other reviewers report that the Tamron shows (sometime noticeable) distortion at its 17mm end. They continue, distortion is  minimal once you enter the 2o something millimeter settings. Perhaps it’s me but I haven’t seen any noticeable distortion at 17mm or any other setting. Some reviewers report minor pincushioning at the 50mm end. Again, they must have better eyes than me, I saw normal images. My first test consisted of photographing a bookshelf. The bookshelf and the books looked normal to me. In any event, most of these problems (if you see problems that I don’t.) are easy to handle. Post processing (Photoshop) cures both problems should you see a problem that I don’t. As to sharpness, f/2.8 is surprisingly excellent. If you have problems with corner sharpness at f/2.8 (again, I had no problem, perhaps it’s time for me to see an eye-doctor.) boost the ISO (or turn on VC) and close the lens down a few stops for corner to corner sharpness.

Bottom line—The Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR VC LD Lens more than meets my professional needs; this lens is sharp, even wide open, a cost-performance winner!

PS: Resolving my personal conflict between the Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 XR VC LD Lens and the AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED fits Nikon FX & DX .

AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED fits Nikon DX, FX and film Nikon cameras

A while back, I gave my Cliff’s Lifetime Achievement Award to: The AF Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED. For numerous jobs, over many years, the Nikkor 17-35mm served me extraordinarily well. For years, in my opinion, nothing came close to its quality and performance. This Nikkor is still offered by Nikon and because of its high pro standing, hard to find used. Click here for the article. I readily admit that the Tamron 17-50mm would produce equal quality results. So the question comes up; would I sell the Nikkor 17-35mm for the Tamron SP 17-50mm? Not an easy question to answer. After some thought my answer would be; only if I need the money. Now I don’t mean that as a put down of the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 VC. As I’ve said, the Tamron easily meets my needs. But the Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 has a quality and feel that speaks to my artistic soul. (i.e.. memories of using it in the Mediterranean.) It’s also pride of ownership. It’s the Rolex and Timex analogy, after all, they both tell time. The Nikkor fulfills my needs and wants.  Will my perceived advantages about the Nikkor wane? Perhaps, then I’ll sell the lens; after all, I still have the Tamron. A new Nikkor 17-35mm is about three times the cost of the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC. I fully understand if you don’t agree with me; I also admit that this paragraph is totally subjective.