El Capitan is a Breath of Fresh Air

September ended on a high note. Apple released their latest version of Mac OS X, El Capitan, and it's a beauty.

I installed it on my test machine, a 2012 MacBook Pro 15", and put it through its initial paces. So far, only one application is incompatible: the software that communicates with my Transporter. After uninstalling it, everything else is running fine - even Aperture survived to fight another day (except for one minor casualty).

Aside from faster smoother performance all the way around, the big news for me is a refreshed Photos for OS X app. This latest version accepts Photo Extensions. They're applications in their own right, but they integrate seamlessly with Photos. I posted about them on The Digital Story.

Even with the first few Extensions available, I can see the potential for this approach. Because the integration is so smooth, in large part because the workflow is totally nondestructive, Photos for OS X can become just about anything that the developer community envisions.

We'll still need some help from Apple on the front end of the workflow with organization. El Capitan did not bring improved ratings for pictures or better metadata handling. Apple needs to un-dig its heels on those issues and give enthusiast photographers the organizing tools they need.

But the editing front is promising. And I can't wait to see what developers bring to Photos. If OneON and Nik/Google join the party, we're going to have some serious fun.

But for the moment, I'm going to enjoy the new tools we have. With an iPhone 6S in hand and a revitalized computer, this Fall looks more promising than ever.

-Derrick

Capturing Moments with Modern Cameras: The Super Moon

The eclipse of the super moon last night was the perfect finish to a lovely weekend. I wandered outside during an advertising break after the Putin interview had concluded on 60 Minutes and observed the phenomenon with my binoculars. Now that's what I call a quality commercial.

I hadn't originally planned to take a photo. I was just going to enjoy the moment with my binoculars, then head back to the couch for the Donald Trump interview. But the moon was so pretty. I felt so good standing outside on a quiet, temperate evening watching this rare phenomenon. I changed my mind. I wanted a picture to commerate the night.

I went back inside and dug around in my camera bag. I had the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II with me. My longest fast lens with me was the Olympus 60mm f/2.8 prime. I was hoping that I had the 75mm with me, but no luck. It was back at the studio. I'd make this work.

I took the E-M10 with the 60mm back outside. The eclipse was just starting to recede. Perfect. I raised the ISO to 3200, lowered the EV to -0.3, leaned against the car to steady the camera, and recorded a few frames at 1/10 second at f/2.8. I then used the digital zoom to increase the magnification to 2X. So pretty!

I know I could have been more serious about the photo, getting out the tripod, making sure I had a longer lens, and finding a better location. But not that night. I just wanted a momento in my Dropbox that reminded me of this lovely evening. And thanks to the imaging technology in today's cameras, I could do that... even when the subject is an amber moon hanging in the night's sky down the end of my street.

-Derrick

The Unlocking of My iPhone Carrier Plan

I have an appointment tomorrow morning at my local Apple Store to purchase an iPhone 6S and investigate the new iPhone Upgrade Program.

My goal isn't to purchase a new handset every year, although I could if I wanted. What I'm more interested in is that my new iPhone will be unlocked, allowing me to use any carrier I want at home or abroad.

I once had some loyalty to AT&T. They provided me with a new state-of-the-art smartphone for $199, and I agreed to be a customer for two more years. Given how much I spend monthly for me and my family, I thought it was a reasonable deal for both parties.

But the last two times I purchased phones from them, one for each of my boys before heading off to college, they changed the rules. Essentially I was buying the device at full price and making installments over a 2 year period... and paying the same amount for my data.

AT&T said this approach is better. It is. For them.

But why should I chain myself to their service if I'm not receiving any benefit for doing so? If I'm going to purchase the phone outright, then I want it unlocked. I want to be free to use whomever I want for connectivity.

Very few business opportunities get by Apple. They saw what was going on in the marketplace with the carriers. Customers who buy iPhones tend to keep buying iPhones, so why not create a program for them?

For the time being, I'll keep using AT&T. But as better deals surface from other carriers, I'll be looking at each carefully. Not only for me, but for my family.

In all honesty, I'm tired of businesses telling me that the changes they make are in my best interests when indeed they are not. It's BS. And I seriously doubt I'm the only one that will be unlocking from my carrier.

-Derrick

Two Cans and a String

When I was a kid, there was this goofy science demonstration where you could attach two tin cans with a string. Supposedly, this showed us of how sound waves could travel on a device. 

Each person would pull the line until it had good tension, then talk into their can. The receiver should hear the voice in their tin can a short distance away. But you could hear the voice anyway because your counterpart was only a few feet away.

I thought it was one of the worst science displays ever. Fortunately things have improved greatly. 

This last weekend our family had to split in two. And we hated it. But that was the hand we were dealt.

One boy had to check in to Santa Clara College as a freshman and the other at UC Santa Barbara. This was their first move away from home. I took Max to Santa Clara and Theresa drove Zach down south. This means that each of us missed out on one of the biggest moments in our sons' lives.

The boys were focused on their move, as they should be. But Theresa and I used our iPhones to text updates, photos, and short video clips back and forth during the entire process. We had this running conversation that helped make hundreds of miles feel like next door.

As I scroll back through the notes and images now, I can't imagine getting through the weekend without these devices. I'm going to archive the conversation. It's my experience of Zach's move in, and the things that Theresa was feeling during the process.

We hear a lot about how distracted we've become because of our mobile devices. And there's truth to that. But there are moments, like this weekend when a family is trying to hang together during a big event, that I'm truly thankful for this technology.

I'll take the good with the bad in this modern age. Because if all I had were two cans and a string, I would have missed one of the biggest moments in my son's life.

-Derrick

Firmware Updates Preserve Our Investments

In large part, the digital age has been marked by parade of devices with two-year shelf lives before being shipped off to the local landfill or reseller. Based on what I see, we're upgrading hardware more frequently than necessary, when it's the brains that we should be enhancing.

The first examples that come to mind are our smartphones. Both Apple and Samsung tempt us annually with new devices that eclipse our current abilities to communicate with one another. But camera upgrades seem to be on a similar cycle. I know I spend a lot of time testing and reviewing the latest models.

But just because they're there, that doesn't mean we have to buy them. And thanks to consumer-friendly companies such as Fujifilm and Olympus, we can often enjoy new tech with older models. This seems particularly true with their flagship cameras.

Fujifilm release Firmware 4.0 for the X-T1 in June of this year. It's a substantial upgrade that once again improves an already excellent camera. Sony is in the process of bringing uncompressed 14-bit RAW to its A7 series. And Olympus just announced a mammoth firmware update for its flagship OM-D E-M1 to give it much of the same technology that was introduced for the E-M-10 Mark II.

Personally, I'm quite fond of the OM-D cameras. I have the original E-M5, the E-M5 Mark II (also getting a firmware update soon), the E-M10, and I'm testing the E-M10 Mark II. As happy I am with the updates that Olympus has released, I think they could do even more. I would add enticing features, such as silent shutter, to the original E-M10. And I don't think it's out of the question to enhance the original E-M5 with functionality that's compatible with its hardware.

Building trust with your customers promotes brand loyalty. I think Fujifilm, Sony, and Olympus are showing us glimpses the real promise of the digital age, which is better management of the earth's precious resources though intelligent software evolution.

It's a good start. Let's do more.

-Derrick