Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion of 2560×1600 pixels, big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.

Dramatic Highlights

Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography. If you have suggestions for Desktop Friday, feel free to shoot me an email. Have a great weekend!

Download this weeks desktop wallpaper here. Want more? Check out the archives.

Image credit: POTN forum member Sootyvrs.

A contest which seems to be almost eternal is the photographers war on zoom vs. prime lenses. A few commonly asked questions are which is best, which should I use, which is the most affordable, and which will give me the best image quality? Sit tight and be prepared to pick a side, the war is just beginning.

Advantages of Zoom Lenses

Zoom lenses are the most common lenses on all camera types, both DSLR & Point and Shoot. How often do you see a simple Point and Shoot camera with a fixed focal length lens?

Zoom lenses are perfect for situations where you don’t have the time to keep changing lenses every half hour, or need the versatility to be shooting landscape one minute and wildlife high in the branches of trees 30 seconds later. In the aspect of versatility and function when you’re on the go, having a zoom lens will save you many headaches and many missed shots.

Advantages of Prime Lenses

In terms of image quality prime lenses win hands down. This is because prime lenses don’t have as many internal elements as zoom lenses, meaning image quality is much sharper and saturation much more balanced.

For a photography beginner prime lenses will force you to move in or move out to physically change the perspective of your subject. They will totally remove your mindset of “I’ll just zoom in to get closer” - they’ll make you use your feet to zoom and make you much more aware of the importance of good framing.

Prime lenses are also much sharper than their counterpart zooms at the same focal lengths, heavy cropping an image produced through a prime lens will give you a much better result than cropping an image from a zoom lens. They also tend to have faster aperture speeds and are lighter than their zoom counterparts.

Prime lenses are much less versatile than zooms, I wouldn’t be caught using them in a very important situation where image subjects are switching rapidly as shots will be missed. If you have the time to make images and are shooting for your own personal satisfaction, prime lenses are a perfect solution.

Conclusion

Personally, I would follow the philosophy of Duncan Davidson, Apple event photographer goes by. Zoom lenses for work when time is everything and prime lenses for personal work where you have time to spare and time to “make” shots.

Both lenses have their place for different types of shooting, jobs and people. I would recommend not kitting out your bag solely with either prime lenses nor zoom lenses. Consider having a couple of each in there and then further assess your needs after a few shooting assignments.

No matter what you currently have in your kit the main elements are always solid, take your time, discover how you shoot, and ‘make’ images instead of taking them.

Update: Darren Rowse also has an insightful article on zooms vs primes.

Here’s this weeks overview of the latest videos published to YouTube and iTunes on The Glenn Wolsey Show.

In addition to checking out what has been produced each week here, you can subscribe to the show on YouTube, or iTunes.

Canon 40D DSLR

I went over the specifications of Canon’s 30D sucessor, the 40D. Was I excited with the announcement? That’s an understatement. I’m thrilled with the Canon 40D, it looks like a revolutionary product which I cant wait to get my hands on.

Watch Canon 40D DSLR on YouTube.

Blogging Q&A

Henning Stednitz had a page full of blogging questions somehow related to my overall blogging history. I answered almost ten questions in a detailed manner surrounding how I run this site.

Watch Blogging Q&A on YouTube.

Keep Waiting For New iPod?

Justin Brown asked if he should buy a 5th generation iPod now, or keep waiting until Apple release an updated iPod. My advice to him was if he’s happy with the current line, go ahead and buy. If there’s something he’d like to see in a future revision, keep waiting.

Watch Keep Waiting For New iPod on YouTube.

How To Install RAM In Mac Pro

I purchased an additional 2GB (2 x 1GB) RAM for my Mac Pro taking it to a total of 5GB. I made a detailed video on how easy and painless it is to upgrade the RAM in your pro Apple tower.

Watch How To Install RAM In Mac Pro on YouTube.

Apple Pro Line Updates Soon

I answered Darrell’s questions regarding Mac Pro and Apple Cinema Display updates in the near future. He’s saved up $8,000 so far toward a new pro machine. I recommended him to wait for Mac Pro updates in November (estimate), while purchasing used/refurb Apple Cinema Display’s to complete the setup.

Watch Apple Pro Line Updates Soon on YouTube.

Have any questions for me to add to the queue? Feel free to send me an email.

Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion of 2560×1600 pixels, big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.

Towering Above

Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography. If you have suggestions for Desktop Friday, feel free to shoot me an email. Have a great weekend!

Download this weeks desktop wallpaper here. Want more? Check out the archives.

I have one word for you regarding the latest update to the popular DVD encoding application Handbrake. That word is ‘Wow!’

The latest version of Handbrake, 0.9.0 is labeled by the developers as a major update with a vastly improved user experience through a re-envisioned Mac interface that’s been rebuilt from the ground up.

Along with a few cool features added in the new version, one thing has protruded and stood out beyond the rest for me. That’s the vast leap in speed when ripping movies. DVDs encoded in the MP4 format now produce results of around 150 frames per second instead of less than 130 per second with the previous version. I’m also encoding H.264 video at 95 frames per second, improving on 75-80 in the previous build.

Overall, I’m thrilled with the work which has been put into Handbrake 0.9.0. The new user interface makes ripping DVDs a much cleaner experience. All that needs work now is the icon, can anyone tell me a pineapple has to do with movie encoding..?

Just a few quick notes which don’t warrant a full post of their own, but I wanted to make a quick mention of.

I’ve sat down with a few other Mac fanatics and recorded the first episode of the MacFocus podcast. The team of Nick Danforth, Alex Killpatrick, Wesley Yendrys and myself produced the first podcast yesterday evening. Oh, and before you mention something - I’ve already told Wesley the show needs an iTunes feed before any further episodes are made.

Chanpory Rith from the popular blog LifeClever which focuses on helping you design, work, and live better, asked me to write a guest post a few weeks back. My article, 5 Simple Steps To Greater Productivity is now live on the site.

Last but not least, up-and-coming Mac blogger Shawn Blanc interviewed me on his personal weblog. The interview was conducted over dozens of emails and more than three days last week, and is now live for viewing on his blog. I was very pleased with how the interview evolved, very detailed and fun to be a part of.

On a final note, writing this post has left me considering integrating a link blog into the blog where I can post little rambling much like this on a daily basis. Kind of like the Daring Fireball Linked List. Any thoughts on this idea?

The Canon EOS 40D DSLR has now been official announced by Canon. As reported yesterday, the camera features a 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View, 6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability, sRAW mode with a 35-zone metering system, and an integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit.

I’ve been waiting for a camera like this for a long time, and like others, I’m very excited about Canon’s new successor to the EOS 30D.

Here’s Why

Although used sparingly until recently, I’ve found shooting at 3 frames per second on the 350D rather clunky and slow. It’s okay for portraits when I want to capture a few images to eliminate blinking, etc, but when shooting sports, 3-fps really doesn’t cut it. 6.5 frames per second is a much appreciated improvement over the 3-fps in the 350D, and the 5-fps in the 30D.

When spending a lot of time in the field I find myself reviewing shots on a constant basis to check focus, aperture, and exposure. The enhanced 3-inch LCD screen with LiveView appears perfectly suited to aid in checking shots while (and after) shooting an image.

The Canon 350D performs rather poorly when pumping the ISO speed to 800 and above, I find this very inconvenient when shooting with slower glass in low light situations - grain is very apparent with shots at ISO 800, I don’t even want to get into ISO 1600. With the new Digic III processor, I’m hoping for much cleaner shots when shooting with a raised ISO speed.

The final feature I’m excited for is Auto ISO. When entering this custom function you have the ability to choose a desired shutter speed, and the camera will automatically adjust your ISO speed on the fly to keep your desired shutter speed in tact while keeping exposure even. Very, very handy if you’re shooting an important event and want a constant shutter speed without worrying about the ISO speed.

When & Why

Priced at $1299, it’s expected to ship on September 20th. I will not be placing a pre-order as I have a habit for purchasing technology on impulse. Instead, I’ll be putting a little away each month and picking it up over New Year 08 (I hope). The Canon 40D is everything I want in a DSLR.

Last night Amazon let slip of specifications, details, and pricing on Canon’s upcoming successor to the 30D, the Canon 40D DSLR.

The Canon 40D is more of a revolution than an evolution to the previous model in the line. It packs in some pretty impressive features professional amateurs and professionals alike will thoroughly appreciate and make use of in the field or studio.

- 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor
- Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View
- 6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability
- sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system
- Integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit

Priced at $1299, it’s expected to ship on September 20th.

I’m very keen to test out this camera and hoping to have one in my hands sometime next year. I’ve also recorded a video showcasing my thoughts on todays episode of The Glenn Wolsey Show.

What about you? Does the new 40D excite you?

Here’s this weeks overview of the latest videos published to YouTube and iTunes on The Glenn Wolsey Show.

In addition to checking out what has been produced each week here, you can subscribe to the show on YouTube, or iTunes.

iPhoto 08 Feature Overview

I go over a few new iPhoto 08 features I like the look of. Not a full review, just a few features which are important in the latest release. What’s at the top of my list? Events, a whole new way to organize and view your images, I can have some fun with this.

Watch iPhoto 08 Feature Overview on YouTube.

iWeb Adsense Integration

I went over my single favorite iWeb 08 feature, the seamless iWeb Adsense Intergration. Apple allow you to sign up for a Google Adsense account from right within iWeb, then you can drag, drop, and resize Google ads on the fly. Perfect for any new web publisher.

Watch iWeb Adsense Integration on YouTube.

Mouse For Graphic Designer

Jordan Green asked about decent mouse options for a graphic designer. I recommended the Logitech MX Revolution which is my personal mouse of choice. Why the Logitech MX Revolution? Complete with five buttons, it’s the perfect mouse if you’d like to customize functions. For example, I have one of the side buttons controlling the CD tray on my Mac Pro, while the button on top of the mouse hides applications with one touch.

Watch Mouse For Graphic Designer on YouTube.

Dot Mac Thoughts

Clay Carson asked for my views on Apple’s $99 per year .Mac web service. I’ve been a .Mac user for two years now, two things have kept me with the service Chris Pirillo described as a “colossal waste o’ money” - the seamless syncing between two or more Mac’s, and the email service.

Watch Dot Mac Thoughts on YouTube.

Have any questions for me to add to the queue? Feel free to send me an email.

Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion of 2560×1600 pixels, big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.

Silhouette

Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography. If you have suggestions for Desktop Friday, feel free to shoot me an email. Have a great weekend!

Download this weeks desktop wallpaper here. Want more? Check out the archives.

After having the machine for just over 6 weeks, I feel the time is right to post some more detailed views about my 2.66Ghz Apple Mac Pro.

This review is based on (almost) baseline specifications of the shipping Mac Pro, with an additional 2GB of RAM and an extra 500GB data hard drive.

Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz, 3GB RAM (now 5GB) , 250GB + 500GB HDD.

Continue Reading »

While keeping an eye on Twitter updates via Twitterrific today, I stumbled across an excellent web application called Wakoopa. Weird name huh? What’s it all about?

When signing up to the service you’re prompted to download the desktop client for either Mac OSX or Windows (the Linux version is current a work in progress). This client tracks what software you’ve been using and transmits the data to your profile on the site.

Essentially, Wakoopa tracks how much time you’ve spent in various applications. It provides you with a sense of general habits and allows you to see your potential time wasters. You can receive updates on what applications friends are using the most, and see reviews on applications you’re using. Another cool feature is Wakoopa’s ability to notify you when there are updates available to any applications you’re using via a neat widget on the site.

The design looks very clean and well organized, navigating around the website and through profiles is a very unstained experience. I’m not too hot for the colour scheme but I’m sure it’ll grow on me.

Overall the service looks pretty solid. I plan on using it for the simple task of watching general habits evolve in terms of what software I’m using the most. My bet for the number one slot, Safari.

Want to take a look for yourself? Here’s my profile dashboard on Wakoopa, and here’s my full usage charts. Post your profile link in the comments below if you decide to sign up.

I’ve been using the Safari 3 beta since the day it launched at this years World Wide Developer Conference. Overall, I’ve had a very pleasant experience with the browser, it hasn’t crashed as frequently as you’d expect with beta software and feels very well polished for such a new product.

Two features have stood out for me which I’m using on a constant basis. Those are the rearrange tabs, and the new on page searching feature labeled as “Inline Find.”

Both of these features are amazing, both in looks and function, I assume I’m dragging tags dozens of times a day, and I using the search feature at least five times a day on average. No more is searching on long pages clunky and time consuming, I can simply hit Apple + F and start typing, with results highlighted in orange instantaneously.

What features are you liking in the Safari 3 beta? Are you using it as your browser full time, or are you still on the previous version for extra stability?

I want to showcase weekly videos on The Glenn Wolsey Show without embedding each clip into a separate blog post. The solution? A post every weekend showing what was produced from Monday to Friday, some weeks you might see two videos, others you might see ten.

In addition to checking out what has been produced each week here, you can subscribe to the show on YouTube, or iTunes.

Aperture Image Management

Tom asked a question regarding how he should be managing his folder structure within Apple’s professional image management tool Aperture. I run him through how I am managing projects, folders, and smart albums using iShowU, a screen-casting application.

Watch Aperture Image Management on YouTube.

Quality Speakers On A Budget

Bryan Muller was looking for some good quality speakers for his Mac Pro on a budget. I recommend Altec Lansings FX6021 system which I just picked up as an addition to my system. I too found my new Mac Pro lacked one element, a good sound system. The Altec Lansing FX6021 speakers provide superb bass and treble levels, and ships with a nifty desktop controller and wireless remote control.

Watch Quality Speakers On A Budget on YouTube.

Where To Buy RAM

Jakob Wells asked where’s the best place to purchase RAM for his Mac. For Mac RAM, I choose MacSales or Transintl. I’ve purchased from both in the past, and would recommend MacSales between the two. Superb support, quick shipping times, and lifetime warranty on RAM. Not much more you could wish for.

Watch Where To Buy RAM on YouTube.

Have any questions for me to add to the queue? Feel free to send me an email.

Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion of 2560×1600 pixels, big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.

Graffiti

Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography. If you have suggestions for Desktop Friday, feel free to shoot me an email. Have a great weekend!

Download this weeks desktop wallpaper here. Want more? Check out the archives.

Looks like Apple has put a lot of in-depth work into their iLife and iWork 08 training tutorials. They’ve recorded literally dozens of high quality, well presented video clips training you how to make the most of each main feature in the new software suites.

I’ve gone through and downloaded all the videos to my media hard drive for viewing at a later date. Looks like there’s plenty to learn. I’m hoping Apple use this as a launching pad and start to record more of these videos for newly released software - I’m sure it’ll receive nothing but praise from consumers learning their newly acquired applications.

Check out the iLife tutorials here, and iWork tutorials here.

I placed an order for both iLife 08 and iWork 08 earlier this morning and just received my shipping confirmation email a few minutes ago. Look like I’ll have both in my hands by Friday. Have you jumped on board yet?

The release of Apple’s new iMac line had me a little disappointed this morning. I was wondering why I hadn’t waited to purchase up one of the new 24″ iMac’s, until I realized I’d made the right move with the Mac Pro and I loved the machine to death.

Here’s a few reasons why you should purchase the upgradable Mac Pro over the non-upgradable iMac if you’re on the edge trying to decide which to pick up.

Ability To Run Two Large Displays

Sure, you could pair up a 24″ iMac with the 23″ Apple Cinema Display, but currently with the Mac Pro I have a 30″ Apple Cinema Display hooked up, and have the ability to add another down the track if I felt the need to do so. Two smaller screens vs two larger screens? Bigger is better in my opinion.

Mac Pro can run bigger displays, and more displays than the iMac.

Backup Drives Inside The Tower

If you need additional storage with an iMac you need to attach external drives to the machine, you can’t add more than a single drive inside the machine. With the Mac Pro, you can install up to four drives inside the tower, more if you’re willing to give up the second optical drive bay. This reduces desk clutter and keeps everything safe and tight inside the tower.

Mac Pro can have four internal drives installed.

Upgradability

The iMac is still the same as before in a form. It’s not a truly upgradable machine. Sure, you can pack in a 1TB hard-drive and 4GB of RAM, but will that really be all so impressive in three years time when you could have 32GB of RAM and four 1TB hard-drives in the Mac Pro? The Mac Pro allows you to upgrade almost every single internal item, including the processor, video card, memory, optical drives, and hard-drives.

Mac Pro can be expanded like mad.

Lifecycle

When the Mac Pro needs extra RAM, more internal HDD space, or a quicker processor, simply pop the unit open and install the components. With the iMac, once you hit a certain point, no more upgrades can be performed. In three years time when you need more than 4GB of RAM, you’ll have an iMac you need to get rid of which still has a perfectly fine screen, logical? Not really..

Mac Pro will last much longer.

Are you swayed yet? If you had $4000 in pocket and needed a new machine, which would you be opting for?

When iTunes 4.9 was released, podcasts were exposed to a large potential audience. I subscribed to dozens. Since then, I’ve followed the podcasting industry at a distance over the past few years.

It didn’t take long before the podcasts I subscribed to slowly dwindled off my subscription list due to many contributing factors. I eventually came to a point where I didn’t listed to any at all.

Recently I’ve revived my listening habits and now have a few favorite shows I eagerly await updates to daily, weekly, and monthly.

Macbreak Weekly

MacBreak Weekly is run by Leo Laporte and the team over at TWIT is a weekly show highlighting the best of the weeks happenings in the Mac world.

I thoroughly enjoy listening to the well educated Merlin Mann each week, spilling the latest productivity and workplace tips. I’ve been a listener to MacBreak Weekly since week one, overall it’s my favorite Mac radio show.

The Talk Show

Recently launched, The Talk Show is hosted by John Gruber and Dan Benjamin, both long time Mac fanatics. John Gruber, the more well known of the two is author of the popular Daring Fireball read by over 40,000 on a daily basis.

I still haven’t exactly figured out what the general topic of The Talk Show is, as with each episode, a new topic is explored. In the most recent episode John and Dan are talked about punctuation, while the previous episode they had guest James Duncan Davidson, Apple & O’Reilly Media event photography on the show talking photography.

The Chris Pirillo Show

I only recently discovered Chris Pirillo through my good friend Michael Yurechko. For those who don’t know (like I didn’t), Chris is a former employee of G4 media. He now runs a personal blog, company blog, video show, and broadcasts a 24/7 “lifestream” directly out of his office.

The Chris Pirillo Show is something Chris does multiple times daily, comprising of short 3-10 minute video clips he records from reader questions in his live chat or email inbox, he spends time answering these over video helping people out.

The clips are short, relevant, interesting, and full of knowledge. Chris is a joy to watch in front of the camera and his humerous personality makes for an interesting show. Chris inspired me to start my personal community video show, The Glenn Wolsey Show. (iTunes).

Inside Aperture

As an avid amatuer photographer who loves to get out in the field and shoot, one aspect of photography I find myself struggling through in lack of enthusiasm is post production..that was until I discovered Aperture, Apple’s one stop application for “after the shoot.”

The Inside Aperture podcast is produced by the guys from the Inside Aperture blog over at O’Reilly Media. The infrequent and un-scheduled show has had interviews with pro photographers, and conversations from within the Apple HQ with their Aperture product manager, Joe Schorr.

The Inside Aperture podcast is highly recommended to anyone who runs Aperture, I’m always left with a feeling of inspiration as the show winds down.

Additionally…

Notably, a few other favorites inside iTunes include Diggnation, The MacApper Podcast, The Nick Danforth Show, and This Week In Tech.

What podcasts or video shows do you enjoy or subscribe to?

This below article was previously published in Macguide Magazine - While I am at Parkside Media this week, I’m slowly going through the back issues and publishing reviews which are still relevant.

After the success of his “Cult Of Macâ€? book, which highlighted the deep and heavily attached relationship Mac-users have with their computers, Leander Kahney has returned with another “Cult of” book, this time looking at the iPod.

The Cult Of iPod was deeply anticipated and awaited from fans of the first book. Author Leander Kahney hasn’t failed to impress with this effort. The Cult Of iPod showcases the devotion iPod users have towards the exciting gadget Apple has developed.

I have both “Cult Of� books on my bookshelf, and thoroughly enjoyed reading the startling stories of iPod addiction, and loyal iPod fans who would do almost everything to spread the word, and pass on the addiction.

While reading and comprehending all the refreshing information in-between the covers of The Cult Of iPod, I was full of mixed emotion. Exhilaration, satisfaction, and inspiration were running through my body while turning from page to page, studying every word with eagerness.

The people featured in the book don’t just like the iPod; they live for the iPod; every second of the day involves the music player in some freakish way. These people are gleefully proud to be part of the iGeneration, the Apple iGeneration that revolves around the gadget of the 21st century, the iPod.

The book portrays dozens of stories about the iPod, and hundreds of fascinating facts about Apple’s wonderful gadget. Each story accompanied by glossy, invigorating images, encapsulating the wide range of creative uses, and users of the iPod.

The book features 151 glossy colour pages, chock-full with stories from all over the world. There are chapters about the making of the iPod, iPod hackers, a man who has 71 iPods, the popular PodBrix Lego figures, iPod prototypes, and more. The book is crammed full with everything you could possibly want to know about the iPod. Some of the information is absolutely jaw dropping, and some hard to believe, yet true, but you will need to read it to find out more about these excellent tales.

The book’s design is excellent; the layout is crammed full with colour images, yet the book is simple, uncluttered, and easy to comprehend.

Die-hard Mac and iPod fans alike will enjoy this book. Recommended reading for iPod addicts.

Do you have any technology or Mac books that you throughly enjoyed?