Recommended lens review sites

Here are the recommended lens review sites:

Lensrentals.com (using Imatest)

Photozone (using Imatest)

Lentstip (using Imatest)

ByThom

DPReview (using DxO Analytics)

DxOMark (using DxO Analytics)

SLRGear (using DxO Analytics)

兩個世紀的相機歷史

相機的歷史已接近二百年。每個發展階段，都有其里程碑，你是否同意以下這個圖表呢？

Source: http://spacechimpmedia.com/design-project/pixntell-the-history-of-the-camera-infographic/

Dirty lenses

Don't be afraid of "dirty lenses"! See:

http://kurtmunger.com/dirty_lens_articleid35.html

購買iMac的最後決定。 iMac - the final decision.

考慮過所有各款型號iMac 2010的意見後, 我在Apple網上站訂購了以下的型號：

Having studied all the commentaries about the different configurations of the new iMac 2010, I have ordered the following one from Apple Store:

• iMac 27" 3.2GHz Intel Core i3
• 8 GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (4 x 2GB) (Yes, I know third-party RAM is cheaper, but it's less convenient)
• 2TB Serial ATA Drive (Firewire 800 drive is not cheap in Hong Kong, and it's slower than internal SATA drive)
• ATI Radeon HD 5670 512MB GDDR3 SDRAM
• Wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad (it's a luxurious option, but please take into account its decorative value!)
• Apple battery charger (initially I didn't intend to buy it, but I just found that my NiMH batteries that had not been used for a few months were dead; thus I have to buy new anyway)
• Total price: HK$16,454

哪一款 iMac? Which iMac?

當選定用 Apple iMac 而不是 Windows 建立數碼黑房後，下一個問題是：哪一款 iMac? 較平宜的牌本，顯示器只有21.5吋，像數只有 1920x1080，如用作數碼黑房，還是要大一點才方便。較高級型號，擁有27吋顯示器，更重要的是像數高達 2560x1440，有較大空間用作編輯相片。兩款27吋的iMac，分別是處理器和顯示卡，較平宜的賣 HK$12,188，是3.2GHz Intel Core i3 和 ATI Radeon HD5670 (512MB)，而較昂貴的賣 HK$14,788，是2.8GHz Intel Quad-Core i5 和 ATI Radeon HD5750 (1GB)，售價高了21%，但性能卻只高出15%左右，其中我最關心的 Aperture 指標，更只高出11%。再加上我擔心較快的顯示卡每令機件運作的溫度過高，所以還是決定省點錢，買3.2GHz Core i3，把錢用於把記憶體加至8G為上算。雖然有網站的測試結果與我的結論相反，但我對速度的要求不是很高，而且也絕不會出售二手電腦，所以仍然維持以上決定。Digllord 的CPU速度測試也和我的估計吻合。不要忘記，連 Lightroom 3 也不能盡用四核！

Once I've decided to use Apple iMac, instead of Windows, to build up my digital darkroom, my next question is: which iMac? The 21.5" one only gives you a monitor with 1920x1080. I need more screen real estate to operate my digital darkroom, and thus I choose the 27" one, which gives me a screen with 2560x1440. The differences between the two 27" iMac are the CPU and display card. The one sold at HK$12,188 gives you 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 and ATI Radeon HD5670 with 512MB. The one sold at HK$14,788 gives you 2.8GHz Intel Quad-Core i5 and ATI Radeon HD5750 with 1GB. It's 21% more expensive, but it seems to boost the performance by about 15% only. The most significant benchmark, Aperture, sees only a 11% increase. I'm also concerned about the operating temperature of the faster display card. Thus I'll buy the Core i3 one, and saving some money for the memory upgrade to 8G. Although some commentators have reached a different conclusion, I won't change my decision because I don't demand top speed and I'll never resell my iMac. Digllord's findings of real life speed of CPUs also confirm my view. And don't forget that even Lightroom 3 cannot use all 4 cores fully!

暫時我找到最詳盡有關 iMac 的評論有以下幾個：

At the moment, the best iMac reviews that I can find are the following:

• CNET – Review By: Rich Brown
• PC Mag – Review By: Joel Santo Domingo
• Computer Shopper – Review By: Jonathan Rougeot
• Engadget – Review By: Nilay Patel
• AppleInsider – Review By: Daniel Eran Dilger
• Macworld – Review By: Roman Loyola
• Digllord – Review By: Lloyd

建立數碼黑房。 Build a digital darkroom.

建立數碼黑房的第一步，當然是購買電腦；而選購前最重要的決定，是採用 Windows 還是 Mac 的作業系統。以往我用 Windows，但自從幾年前買了部 MacBook 和 iPod Touch 後，便不能自拔，雖然沒有用作數碼黑房，但也有用作簡單的影片剪輯。不錯，過去 Apple 的優點經常給人跨大了，但不能否認，如僅用作數碼黑房，Mac OS 天生始終優於 Windows，硬件價格與 Windows 的差異也不斷收窄。是時候轉用 Apple 了。

決定了是 Mac 後，緊接的問題是，iMac 或 MacPro？ 我同意 Lloyd Chambers 說 iMac 不能擴充，但我不是專業攝影師，操作數碼黑房時，不會追求頂級的速度，我可以接受外置硬碟作備份的速度，所以還是選外表較漂亮的 iMac。

Apple 今天 (7月27日) 剛公布 新一代的 iMacs，有雙核 dual-core Core i3 和 i5，也有四核 quad-core Core i5 和 i7. 雙核處理器的速度達 3.6GHz，四核是 2.93GHz。所有 iMac 都有獨立 ATI Radeon HD GPUs，由 256MB 4670 至是高的 1GB 5750。RAM 起碼有 4GB。可選擇 256GB SSD 作為第一或第二硬碟。

You must buy a computer before you can build a digital darkroom. An obvious question is: Windows or Mac OS? I have been using Windows for years, but I think I am converting to Mac. I have been using a MacBook and iPad Touch for a few years for editing video clips and other things not relating to photography. It's time for me to start afresh with a new system to manage my collection of millions of images. It's the time to switch wholly to Mac.

The next question is: iMac or Mac Pro? I fully agree with Lloyd Chambers that iMac is a dead-end machine, but speed is not my main concern as I am not a professional photographer. I don't have customers' deadline to meet. MacPro accepts 4 internal drives, but external drives are perfectly acceptable to me. Hence, I'll buy the eye-appealing iMac.

Apple today (27 July) announced an updated line of iMacs. The new series offer dual-core Core i3, i5, quad-core Core i5 or i7. Dual-core CPUs are now rated up to 3.6GHz, whereas quad-core speeds to 2.93GHz. All systems now use dedicated ATI Radeon HD GPUs, from 256MB 4670 to 1GB 5750 at the peak. RAM on each system is 4GB by default. New is the option of a 256GB SSD as a primary or secondary drive.