I'll cut right to the chase:  if you spend a lot of time traveling - either long distance or a long daily commute - I consider the iPad to be an essential piece of gear.

What does the iPad do?  Basically, it is a giant iPod touch.  With the iPad you can:

- read books (either with the iBook reader or with the Amazon Kindle app)

- listen to your iTunes music library

- watch tv shows and movies

- view photos

- surf the web

- email

- thousands of other tasks/functions/games using third party apps

Here's the iPad next to the Amazon Kindle and iPod touch:

Compared to the Kindle

I read at least two books a week - electronic only, I'll never read a paper book again if I can help it!  As a book reader, I prefer the iPad. The screen is slightly larger, and it is backlit, so I can read it no matter what the ambient lighting. In very dim light, you can switch from black letters on a white background to white letters on a black background - this makes it much easier on the eyes. I also like the fact that you turn pages with a flick across the screen versus hitting a physical button on the Kindle. MaryBeth wouldn't let me read my Kindle in bed because the clicking of the button drove her crazy. No problem with the iPad.  And of course, using the Kindle app you can read all of the books you purchased for your Kindle on your iPad.

I have not tried the iBook application, so I have no comment on that. There are some reviewers that claim that the Kindle's non-backlit screen is easier on the eyes, but I have not found this to be the case.

The only downside compared to the Kindle is the heavier weight, but I'm willing to live with that.

Compared to the iPod touch

The iPad and iPod have basically the same functionality. Pretty much anything you can do on the iPad you can do on the iPod. However, the screen on the iPod is so small that I never even bothered with some of the functions. Email and web surfing on the iPod is just plain painful. With the exception of simply listening to music, everything is much more fun on the iPad.  Watching movies, reading, email, web - it's all better on the iPad's big gorgeous screen.

Compared to a laptop

So if the iPad is better than the iPod, isn't a real laptop better still?  Not really. A laptop is definitely far superior to an iPad if you're doing some serious work, writing long emails, etc.  However, it's much more cumbersome. If I'm on the road and I'm eating dinner at the hotel bar, I'd much rather pull out my iPad and have it instantly on rather than trying to boot up a big laptop. It's just much more unobtrusive. Try lying down on the couch reading a book on a laptop - not so fun.

The cover

Apple sells a case that in my opinion is required.  You definitely need something to protect that big gorgeous screen from scratches.  This cover does that job, but it also folds over to prop up the iPad. This puts it in a nice position for reading when you're at a table. At $39 it's overpriced, but you still need it.

Any complaints?

Yes, one major drawback.  The iPad does not support websites built using Adobe Flash. HTML only.  This of course limits your web browsing severely. Thumbs down for Apple on this one. They could have enabled Flash, but in their rivalry with Adobe they decided to freeze them out. Despite their weak explanations, this was clearly a business decision on Apple's part - not a technical one. Supposedly they're working on a fix.  It can't come soon enough.

For photographers

For photographers, the biggest reason to love the iPad is to have your portfolio with you at all times on a big, beautiful screen.  If you meet your clients at Starbucks, this would be a handy tool to have.

The bottom line:  If you read a lot, travel a lot, or both, and have $500 to spend, there's no reason not to get the iPad.  It will make life much more pleasant.

Laurence Kim Workshops

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Image Wizards is a North Carolina based lab that makes metal prints. I'm not talking metallic prints like you can get from any lab, but prints actually printed on real aluminum.

Their website asks "remember the first time you saw HDTV"?  It calls it's prints "AluminArte", and describes them as being high definition.

I decided to give them a try. Prints are offered with a high gloss, satin, or brushed satin finish.  IW recommends satin for portraits, so that's what I had made.

The print was not shipped in a box, it was actually shipped in a heavy plywood crate!

It came mounted on a black-edged aluminum frame and was ready to hang.

Okay, so what's the deal?   The print is very, very nice. It has good color, is reasonably sharp, and the mounting/framing is clean and modern.  

However, based on the marketing hype (and the high price!) I was expecting more. While it's a nice print, it doesn't look any sharper or more vibrant than the canvas prints I get from Simply Canvas.  It looks like a nicely printed Fuji luster print that I get from my regular lab. For the price (about $300 for a 16x20, including framing and shipping) I did expect more.  

If you look at the sample images on their site, most of them are of very vibrant subjects like underwater images of colorful tropical fish.  I think that this product would indeed make stunning high gloss prints for landscape, wildlife and architectural prints - but for portraits, I think I'll take a pass.

3.5 stars out of 5

Laurence Kim Workshops

Building a Profitable Portrait Business, Feb 27, Seattle:  Sold Out!

Location Lighting 101, March 20, Vancouver BC:  Seats Available

So you're determined to start shooting with off-camera flash. You've got a stand, umbrella bracket and some pocket wizards. Great start. Now you need some modifiers.

Umbrellas are a great place to start, but eventually you're going to need a softbox. Why? Because - especially when shooting indoors - you want a large light source that is directional. Shooting indoors with an umbrella, unless you're in a very large room, will result in lots of light spilling all over the place. To control the light better you'll need a softbox.

Which softbox to get?  If you're shooting with speedlights, there's pretty much one softbox of choice:  the Westcott Apollo.

The Westcott Apollo is a softbox that is mounted on an umbrella shaft. That's important, because it means (1) near instant setup and (2) you don't need speedrings or adapters - just mount the softbox to your umbrella clip and you're good to go.

You can find the 28" softbox here and the 16" softbox here. B&H sells them in various kit configurations, some including stands, umbrella mounts, etc. It'll be the best 100 bucks or so you've ever spent.

I have the 28" version.

I used this softbox for this quick snap of Shinji, one of my one-on-one lighting students.

What is the LumoPro LP120?  It's a basic, no-frills manual flash that's great for off-camera flash work.  Oh yeah, it costs $130 from MPEX.com.

No stinkin' TTL, ETTL, or whatever. Just one manual control - a switch that controls the flash power. That's it.

On the back you can see that the power setting is really simple. No LCD. No menus. Just flick the switch from 1/32 to full power.

Aside from it's simplicity, the other thing that makes this thing great for off-camera work is that it has a pc outlet and comes with a small cord that will hook this puppy up directly to a Pocket Wizard.

I'm not a real camera gear tester, so I didn't scientifically test the power. However, on a real quick test I find it to be about as powerful as my 580EXII.

Build quality is not as robust as a Canon or Nikon flash, but what do you want for $130?

So should I get one?

For on-camera flash, you'll need your Nikon/Cannon speedlight. If you want to get into off-camera flash, then get the LumoPro.  Why buy a Canon or Nikon flash for $450 when you can buy one that does the same thing, is much easier to use, and is 1/3 the price?  

Laurence Kim Workshops

Building a Profitable Portrait Business, Seattle, Feb. 27: one seat left

Location Lighting 101, Vancouver BC, March 20

The Paul C Buff Parabolic Light Modification System (PLM) is basically a giant umbrella softbox.

It comes in umbrella diameters of 75", 55" and 42".  I have the 55" model.  This thing is big. Really big.

There are 2 models: white translucent and silver.  Get the silver model, it has a much higher efficiency rating and will thus put out more light than the white translucent. By putting the white diffusion sheet over the umbrella it essentially creates a giant softbox.

Better still, since it's configured as an umbrella, it's a snap to set up.

As you can see, even the 55" is huge. It can be used with any brand of flash, even with a speedlight. (correction: might not fit Elinchrom, which uses a proprietary 7mm shaft diameter)

What's the benefit of such a big umbrella-box?

• The bigger the light source, the softer the light. Now softer doesn't always mean better - sometimes you want a harder light. But if you're looking for that big, soft, gorgeous, wrap around light you need a big light like this.

• The bigger light source can cover a bigger subject. You can light cars with this thing.

• It will make nice big, round catch-lights in your subject's eyes

Here are a few quick snaps in the front yard, taken at 2pm. Canon 30D w/17-55mm f2.8 EFS, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/250 sec. This metering knocked down the ambient by about 3 stops.

Look at how this giant light source wraps around Theresa!

Now here's the best part.  The cost?  $80.  That may not seem ultra-cheap to you, but consider the alternatives. The comparable modifiers from Elinchrom and Profoto run $1,100 and $1,485 respectively. That's 12x-15x the price of the Paul C Buff product!  Remember, you can use the PLM system with any brand of flash.

So here's another quiz question. You know me by now so the answer is obvious.  What will make a bigger difference to your images, the $80 PLM or an $8,000 1DsMkwhatever?

Laurence Kim Workshops

Location Lighting 101, Jan 23, Seattle WA:  sold out!

Building a Profitable Portrait Business, Feb 27, Seattle WA: seats available

Location Lighting 101, March 20, Vancouver BC: seats available