March must be DSLR lens month. Right now there are great deals on Nikon, Pentax, and Canon glass. Here are a few promotions that I've found interesting.

Nikon Lens Sale

Here's an entire page of AF-S Nikkor glass on sale. One of my favorites here is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR zoom lens reduced $300 to $996. Promotion ends March 29, 2014.

Great Deals on Pentax

Take a look at this page of Pentax glass on sale and you'll see some terrific deals. My favorite is the Pentax smc Pentax-D FA 100mm f/2.8 WR macro lens that has been reduced $200 to $646. Better hurry on the Pentax deals, however, promotion ends on March 6, 2014.

Canon Tandems

Buy a DSLR and save big on a lens. Take a look as this Canon Sale page. My choice here is the exceptional Canon 70D bundled with EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. Essentially, you get the lens for half price ($163) and a good deal on a great camera. The Canon promotion ends March 15, 2014.

Instant Savings vs Rebates

I recommend that you go with "Instant Savings" deals that apply the discount to purchase. That reduces the charge to your credit card, and there's no fuss. I *don't advise rebate plans* because they are extra work and sometimes only lead to frustration. Avoid rebates.

Use Some of that Tax Refund Check

As long as you have spousal approval, you could take advantage of a deal right now, put it on the credit card, and be ready to pay with your tax refund check. If that money has to go elsewhere, it still doesn't cost anything to look and dream.

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This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: Sigma Takes on Zeiss with its New 50mm f/1.4 Art lens; Apple TV Review; From the Screening Room: Tim Grey: Photoshop CC Raw Workshop; and on the Nimbleosity Report: PhotoSync for iOS and Mac - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: Olympus OM-D E-M10 shooting experience and studio tests published (DP Review) "Live Composite, new to the E-M10, captures a series of long exposures, analyzing each frame to keep the brightest pixel in each location and creating a single composite image. In plain terms, it captures light trails without overexposing the rest of the frame, taking the guesswork out of long exposure photography. You get to preview the effect as the exposure builds up on screen and choose when to stop."
In other news, Sigma wasn't bluffing: 50mm f/1.4 Art appears to match Zeiss Otus ($3,990) on sharpness, beats it on contrast (Imaging-Resource).
And finally, Fujifilm Discontinues Neopan 400 PRESTO 35mm and Fujicolor PRO 400 120 Film (PetaPixel).

Story #2 - Apple TV Review

Now that Apple has declared that Apple TV is no longer a hobby, I thought it might be a good time to check in with the Internet-connected hockey puck.

The positives can be boiled down to a few basic features:

• AirPlay Mirroring - I can share just about anything from an iPhone, iPad or current Mac via AirPlay. Great for showing off your pictures or videos to a small audience.
• Apple Content - Movies, TV shows, music, iTunes Radio, and podcasts are easily accessible.
• Some Interesting 3rd Party Content - Sky News, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Vevo, HBO Go, Netflix, hulu, PBS,and others round out a variety of content that has something for just about anyone.
• Remote Control App - Using the iPhone or iPad to enter searches and passwords is much simpler that the Apple TV interface.
• Bluetooth Keyboard Compatible - You can even connect your Apple wireless keyboard to the Apple TV.

There are a handful of shortcomings too:

• No iOS Apps - If apps were enabled, I could do things such as run Olympus Share on the Apple TV and view my photos in HD, streamed directly from the camera.
• Pesky Subscriptions - I find something interesting to watch, only to learn that I need a cable subscription or that from a particular service in order to view. So that Apple TV channel isn't really a channel, but an advertising tile.
• Spotty Performance - I have screaming bandwidth at my studio, but many of the 3rd party services are slow to load and often stall while in progress.

Bottom Line: I think the Apple TV is a terrific device for $99. I use AirPlay Mirroring often, and I enjoy listening to podcasts and watching movies with the device.

But it has a long ways to go, as I'm sure even Apple will admit. iOS apps could open many doors for Apple TV. That is the top request on my list.

Story #3 - From the Screening Room - Tim Grey: Photoshop CC Raw Workshop, Image Sharpening. This week's featured artist is Photoshop veteran, Tim Grey. Tim tackles a variety of techniques in this week's featured title, including image sharpening.

You can watch Tim in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other photography titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Story #4 - The Nimbleosity Report - Super handy PhotoSync for iOS and your Mac.

Virtual Camera Club News

Photo Assignment for March 2014 is HDR.

The SizzlPix! Head to Head Challenge

Order a SizzlPix! using the image from which you've already made your best print. If, when you receive your SizzlPix!, you don't feel that it's the best version of your image ever, return yours within 30 days for a full refund.

Oh, and BTW: SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

BTW: If you're ordering through B&H or Amazon, please click on the respective ad tile under the Products header in the box half way down the 2nd column on thedigitalstory.com. That helps support the site.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (32 minutes). You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

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

lynda.com - Learn lighting, portraiture, Photoshop skills, and more from expert-taught videos at lynda.com/thedigitalstory.

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

SizzlPix! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com.

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All of the Oscars may have been handed out, but there's still news in the world of cinema. Lowepro just announced a completely redesigned update to their venerable x-Series rollers. And we had a chance to test the Lowepro x300 Pro Roller AW during a week of location shooting with the live action crew from lynda.com.

Led by filmmaker Jacob Cunningham and producer Heather Schuler, the crew packed their Canon EOS C300 Cinema Camcorders, Canon optics, DSLR bodies, audio gear, and accessories into the roomy cargo space of the x300 roller.

"I can't believe how much gear this roller packs," commented Jacob after day 1. "We replaced three bags with the x300."

In addition to its depth and capacity, standout features include: vibration-absorbing, durable wheels with ABEC-5-rated bearings (user replaceable), TSA-approved lock, redesigned MaxFit system that provides maximum protection while taking up less space, sturdy double-rail handle, all weather cover, and removable reserve pack interior.

In the field, I noticed that both tripods and light stands were mounted with the redesigned straps on the side of the bag. And because of its sturdy construction, other bags could be strapped to the extended handle and rolled to location.

The ballistic nylon hardshell exterior offers durable protection all of the gear inside the zipped-up case. Plus, when you're working on location, there's an easy-access front stretch pocket that accommodates a 17" laptop. The no-drop front organizer pocket can handle those small items that you need to get to quickly while on the go.

All three rollers: x100 ($369), x200 ($399) and the x300 ($479) are available at lowepro.com (US addresses only) and at B&H Photo (US and International).

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Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features 15-second movies too.

For the Jan. 2014 Photo Assignment, TDS shooters explored the absence of color. See for yourself in our gallery, White. And which one will be the SizzlPix Photo Assignment Pick of the Month?

"The water fowl go crazy when one of the neighbors breaks out a bucket of food," writes Kevin Miller. "I took images of this feeding earlier this month and did some extended post-processing to bring this image together. I love the contrast of our white friend amidst all his neighbors. I call this one 'I'm in Charge.' Photo by Kevin Ned Miller. See all of the great images from this month's assignment by visiting the White gallery page.

Participate in This Month's Assignment

The March 2014 assignment is "HDR." Details can be found on the Member Participation page. Deadline is March 30, 2014. No limit on image size submitted.

Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. For example, the subject line for this month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: March 2014." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.

Gallery posting is one month behind the deadline. So I'm posting Jan. 2014 at the end of Feb., the Feb. gallery will be posted at the end of March, and on and on.

Good luck with your March assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for January.

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iPad for Digital Photographers

If you love mobile photography like I do, then you'll enjoy iPad for Digital Photographers-- now available in print, Kindle, and iBooks versions.

Photography Talk posted a good article titled, How to Photograph Big Events. There are some solid talking points in there worth reviewing if you have a shoot on the horizon.

A few things that I would add or reinforce include:

• Mirrorless cameras will lighten your load and help you blend in if you're not shooting with a media pass.
• Be conservative and considerate when considering photographing a child. You may have a momma bear nearby who doesn't appreciate using her cub as a photo subject.
• I think shoulder bags are better than backpacks for crowded events.
• Bring your own food and water. You don't want to waste time standing in long concession lines for a greasy burger or to stay hydrated.
• Bring model releases and use them for shots that you think might be valuable up the road.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features 15-second movies too.

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As creative people, we do so many interesting things on our Macs. If you want an easy and affordable way to capture that activity and share it with others, you may want to investigate Screenflick.

With this application, I can record any activity on my Mac, both visual and audio, then share it in a variety of formats, including QuickTime movies, Flash f4v, and resolutions tailored specifically for iOS devices. I can record a master movie, then export it in a variety of resolutions for different uses.

I can also record time lapse movies, watermark my output, or just capture a portion of the screen. And the best part of all, is that Screenflick renders fast, very fast. So I don't spend a lot of time waiting between recording sessions.

I've used Screenflick professionally. But for only $29, I'd buy it for my fun, creative projects too. You can test Screenflick for free. If you have a project in mind, you may want to take a closer look.

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This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition tops the Weekly Update; Taking the Transporter Sync for a Spin; From the Screening Room: Chris Orwig, Lightroom 5 Essentials; and on the Nimbleosity Report: the Square Perfect Backdrop System- All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: Hands-on with the GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition (DP Review) Supports 4K, 2.7K, 1440p & 1080p Video. "It has better battery life, quicker Wi-Fi speeds with longer range, is more compact with the new case, has a significantly improved microphone, and the best image quality I've seen from a GoPro to date." In other news, Adobe Camera Raw release candidate supports 14 new cameras including Sony A6000, Fuji X-T1 (but no corresponding Lightroom update). (Imaging-Resource). And finally, Olympus Patents Impressive 12 and 14mm f/1.0 Ultra-Wide AF Lenses (PetaPixel).

Story #2 - Taking the Transporter Sync for a Spin.

I've been testing the Transporter Sync ($99) for an upcoming Lynda.com title that I'm working on for backing up your mobile photos. I'm still in the early stages of learning about this device, but I have a few things to share with you now.

This is the standalone version of the transporter that doesn't include a hard drive. The thinking is that you add your own USB hard drive and it becomes a transporter.

One of the first things to note, is that whatever drive you use has to be completely erased by the transporter before it's available for storage. Once the Transporter has finished configuring the drive is then available for use.

You can access content on the drive the a desktop application, web browser, or iOS or android device. Right now I have a portable drive connected to the transporter that uses USB fo its power. I might switch to a drive with its own power supply to see if that increases performance.

The iOS app was more basic than I had anticipated. You can add images from your camera roll to your Transporter via your iPad or iPhone. But you can't do anything with them such as rename the file names put them in folders organize them things like that. And in fact, you can't even browse the images by icon. So all you end up with is a list of filenames without any indication of what the subject for the photo is.

At this point, I don't see the Transporter replacing services such as Loom that I think have more functionality for mobile photographers. It could be used as a straight back up solution, and I'm exploring that more and will report once I come to some conclusions about it.

Story #3 - From the Screening Room - Chris Orwig, Lightroom 5 Essentials. This week's featured artist is The enthusiastic Chris Orwig, who is an excellent Lightroom instructor. Chris shows you the things that you need to know to really master the basics of Lightroom 5.

You can watch Chris in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other photography titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Story #4 - The Nimbleosity Report - The Square Perfect Backdrop Background Support Stand. This backdrop frame allows you to set up just about anywhere you have 10 feet of room. Plus it's affordable at lesson $70. And it breaks down to a pretty compact package. I talk more about it in the final segment of today's show.

Virtual Camera Club News

Photo Assignment for February 2014 is Smartphone.

The SizzlPix! Head to Head Challenge

Order a SizzlPix! using the image from which you've already made your best print. If, when you receive your SizzlPix!, you don't feel that it's the best version of your image ever, return yours within 30 days for a full refund.

Oh, and BTW: SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

BTW: If you're ordering through B&H or Amazon, please click on the respective ad tile under the Products header in the box half way down the 2nd column on thedigitalstory.com. That helps support the site.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (24 minutes). You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

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

lynda.com - Learn lighting, portraiture, Photoshop skills, and more from expert-taught videos at lynda.com/thedigitalstory.

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

SizzlPix! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com.

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 the points we're emphasizing during filming this week for my latest lynda.com title on portraiture, is getting it right at capture. This image of Ashley, for example, has no post processing. It's a RAW file interpreted by Aperture 3.5 and exported as a Jpeg.

Before sharing these photos with Ashley, I will do some work on them. But my goal is to make that phase artistic, not corrective.

Among the advantages to this approach is making post a fun activity, and the ability to show the subject images during the shoot that inspire confidence. This leads to even better photos as the session moves forward.

For this pose, I used an off-camera flash on stand and a white fill reflector. The sun was behind the subject creating some nice back highlights. I mounted the Canon 85mm f/1.8 prime set to f/3.5 on a Canon 70D. ISO 100.

I'm hoping this title on photographing teens will be released in early Spring this year. I'll keep you posted.

Flickr Essential Training 2013 - I explore the entire Flickr universe, mobile and computer, in my lynda.com title, Flickr Essential Training. Stop by and take a look.

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Most of my portrait work is outdoors. But there are those assignments where I need to set up indoors. With my portable studio kit, I'm able to fit all of the equipment in the back seat of car. Here's how I do it.

At the heart of my set up is the Square Perfect Background System ($65) that's quite sturdy, yet folds up into a single over-the-shoulder bag. I also like the Lowel Ego Digital Imaging Fluorescent 2 Light Kit (kit is $269 with stands and clamps).

I then add a few backdrops, stool, reflector, tripod, and of course my Lowepro backpack with camera gear and Speedlights. When it's all folded up and ready for transport, the studio looks like this.

Now all I need is a 10'x12' space, and of course, the subject!

This studio set up has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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A new entry in the action cam arena is the SOCAM UltiMate, due for release in April.

Highlights include a 330 degree rotatable lens, gyro-image stabilization, 1080p video, slow motion (WVGA 120 fps), time lapse, photo burst (16MP 10fps), simple two-button design, versatile camera mounts, built-in WiFi, and an affordable price. (I heard around $249 with goodies so you don't have to spend extra on accessories. That number still needs to be confirmed.) [Update! I have a confirmed price of $269 US that includes the camera, water-tight housing, accessory clips, battery, and USB cord.]

SOCAM in water-tight housing. I shot with it in a rain storm with no issues at all. Camera is easy to remove from housing when it isn't required. There's also connectors for two additional batteries in the housing. Photos by Derrick Story

The unit I'm testing measures 3.25" wide by 3.5" tall in the water-tight housing. The camera itself with no housing measures 2.75" wide by 2.75" tall. The rotating lens feature is handy. You can mount the camera as needed, then rotate the lens for the best composition. You can't, however, rotate the lens when the camera is in the water tight housing.

There are four ports: USB, external mic, HDMI, and an accessory port. A standard tripod socket is on the side of the camera. That socket is also used for the included accessory mounts. Video files are written to a micro SD card in the .mp4 format. Quality was quite good in initial testing.

You can connect the camera wirelessly to your iPhone via its built-in WiFi and free SOCAM iOS app. I was able to get the two devices talking, but I need a bit more testing before sharing an opinion about the tandem's performance.

I'll have more to report after further use. But if you're looking for an affordable action cam, you might want to keep an eye out for reviews on the SOCAM after it's released in April.

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