The Aperture Users Network Launches MacCreate.com

The Aperture Users Network just announced the launch their new sister site: MacCreate.com. According to a recent e-mail I received, MacCreate is “dedicated to providing information and resources for the creative Mac user…MacCreate.com provides instruction on programs in Apple’s iLife and iWork suites, pro applications as well as third party programs.”

After taking a look at the site, I’m very impressed by the content that’s already there, including:

• Facebook posting from iPhoto in just a few steps;
• Assigning a place in iPhoto; and
• How to make Quick Keywords in iPhoto

The site’s home page can be found at MacCreate.com.

Video Coverage from PMA 2009 by Imaging-Resource.com

I just had a chance to take a look at many of the videos created by the folks at Imaging-Resource.com during the PMA trade show in Las Vegas. I think that they are very well done and offer a quick look at products as if you were there walking through the aisles. It takes a lot of effort to produce videos like these (including the B-roll that shows close-ups), and I look forward to testing some of the products featured.

Below is a partial list of the products that were introduced and/or featured:

Leica’s New System Flash and Wide-Angle Lens
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Kodak EasyShare Z915
Video: Olympus E-620 DSLR
Casio EX-FC100 & EX-FS10
Sony Cyber-shot HX1
Datacolor Spyder Cube
Lowepro Pro Roller X
Delkin Devices Fat Gecko
Western Digital ShareSpace (8 Terabyte NAS)
Canon PIXMA Pro 9500 MKII

All the videos can be viewed from this page on imaging-resource.com.

And for an overview with many press releases and a great list of links to PMA coverage by other websites (look in the bottom right), visit this page.

Great Article/Checklist on TWiPphoto.com on How to Unbox a New Camera

I just read a great article by Scott Bourne of TWiPphoto.com about how to unbox a new camera. I think that posts like this are outstanding and rarely covered because they are not necessarily “sexy.”

To add a small item on a related subject, I think that testing all the lenses you own with the camera on a tripod, shooting at a map or other flat object using autofocus at a fairly wide open aperture (f4 or f5.6) in good lighting can help to determine if the sensor and lens are properly in sync with regard to focus (many lenses have “issues” in one or more of the corners of the frame, which can show up as slight blurriness/darkening/chromatic aberrations). If all your lenses show a problem (such as blurriness in the same area), that may point to a problem with the sensor.

You can read Scott’s 15 steps here on TWiPphoto.com. The comments from readers/listeners of the site are also always worth a look.