reviews

I may be old fashioned but I don't think seeing an image on screen can compare to a good print especially at sizes of 8" * 10" and above.  Up to now I've done all my printing at home and at up to A4 size am likely to contine to do that but I've been considering replacing my A3 printer and decided to look at the option of online Photolabs before I took the plunge.  I've read mixed reviews of Photobox but some friends have been pleased with results from there so I decided to try them first.

Choosing a Macro Lens

I already had a Sigma 105mm Macro which I was very happy with, and have kept so why did I buy this lens?  Well, mainly to get the extra working distance, I wasn't having a lot of luck photographing nervy subjects like butterflies and damselflies.  As it happens the difference in the distance from the front of the lens to the subject is only a few centimetres but it does seem to make a difference, so that's good.

I read a number of reviews of different macro lenses and came to the conclusion that image quality was similar throughout, the price difference between a Tamron and a Canon seems to be down to build quality, faster and quieter focus and the brand name.  Of these only the first point bothered me as I rarely use autofocus for macro work and have some great 3rd party lenses.  There seemed little to choose between the Sigma and Tamron so I went for the one I could get cheapest at the time. 

Using the lens

I've now had this lens for a couple of years and have been very pleased with it, it's not too heavy (which is good as my macro rig is heavy enough), it does feel a little plasticky but it's solid and the focus ring is large and smooth.  I don't often need the hood, this again is good as it would reduce the working distance and prevent me using my MT24-ex flash.

I also use this lens very successfully with a Kenko Pro300 2X Teleconverter either for extra reach or extra magnification, generally this would be tripod mounted or using flash to reduce camera shake.

Bruce Fraser and David Blatner are acknowledged experts on Photoshop, between them they have authored or co-authored a number of books on the subject and they clearly have a wealth of practical, hands on experience which really shows here.  This book is aimed at photographers, concentrating on subjects such as tone and colour correction, raw conversion, noise reduction, sharpening and basic image tweaking with the cloning and healing tools.  Areas such as special effects and creating images from scratch are not included here.