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Video: Panorama Assembly in Photoshop

re: panorama
re: videos by Lloyd

At my Patreon account (by subscription) in Pro Photography Workflow:

Photoshop: Assembling Panorama from Multiple Images

How-to example of assembling four 100-megapixel images into a 200 megapixel panorama using Adobe Photoshop.

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing.

Panorama assembly process in Photoshop

Connect and charge all of your devices through a single Thunderbolt or USB-C port.

FastRawViewer: Discount Code 25% off

re: FastRawViewer and RawDigger and Monochrome2DNG

re: FastRawViewer: Saving me a Lot of Time Organizing My Shoots Into Subfolders + video

FastRawViewer discount code for diglloyd.com readers: DIGLLOYD25

I highly recommend both FastRawViewer and RawDigger.

Valid through Feb 29, 2024. Applicable to: FastRawViewer or any FastRawViewer bundle with RawDigger and/or Monochrome2DNG. Discount cannot be combined with any other sale price.

libRaw FastRawViewer image display with dozens of powerful organizing features

 

View all handpicked deals...

Apple 16.2" MacBook Pro with M1 Max Chip (Late 2021, Space Gray)
$3499 $2399
SAVE $1100

FastRawViewer: Saving me a Lot of Time Organizing My Shoots Into Subfolders + video

re: FastRawViewer and RawDigger
re: videos by Lloyd

FastRawViewer discount code for diglloyd.com readers: DIGLLOYD25

Valid through Feb 29, 2024. Aplicable to: FastRawViewer or any FastRawViewer bundle with RawDigger and/or Monochrome2DNG. Discount cannot be combined with any other sale price.

...

Many photographers resort to Lightroom just to organize — often with problematic results in the sense of not even knowing where the files reside and with counterproductive/confusing file and folder organization*. Which is also huge productivity killer when you intend to work mainly in Photoshop and/or just want to organize your work by time and place, as I do.

I frequently shoot panoramas, focus stacks, aperture series, and sometimes frame averaging or various shot variations that all relate to each other (eg a particular location or sub-location). This can get quite confusing even with fairly large previews; at reduced size, I might not be able to tell apart an aperture series from a stack unless I can see the appropriate shooting info. Or I might have re-shot the same series for some reason (wind, lighting, etc)

All of those situations means I want to group the related images into a subfolder with an appropriate name.

UPDATE: see the video Photoshop vs Lightroom — Which is Best for You? over at my Patreon account under Pro Photography Workflow.

I am not an Adobe Lightroom or Phase One Capture One Pro user. Those programs are not only an extra make-work chore for me (wasted time and storage spade), but pretty much useless , since I require Photoshop layers for just about 100% of what I need to do. So Lightroom and similar organizational programs have negative utility for me—all overhead and no benefit.

* I mean that literally; I’ve had consulting clients who had no idea where their image files even were, and with a huge mess to clean up of duplicate files and lost files (lost by Lightroom), etc. Messes so bad that it took 7-8 hours to work through.

Continues below after the video.

See also: Photoshop vs Lightroom — Which is Best for You? over at my Patreon account under Pro Photography Workflow.

Organizing shoots with FastRawViewer

Enter FastRawViewer—it does not couple file organization with raw file conversion (though it does generate high grade previews extremely fast of a size you configure). In this sense it is very similar to Adobe Bridge, only... better.

FastRawViewer thus eliminates lot of the mess and complexity that comes from commingling organizational tasks with image processing tasks—perfect for my needs, and perhaps hours.

Website for RawDigger
Website for FastRawViewer
Website for PixelShift2DNG
Website for Monochrome2DNG

FastRawViewer is developed by the same folks as RawDigger, and Monochrome2DNG and PixelShift2DNG.

What impresses me about the libRaw folks is how they think through all of their software at every level—the design and each and every feature set is done in a way that shows great attention to detail. Plus the response to issues is very fast, with most of my suggestions implemented quickly (though I don’t get everything I ask for).

The screen show below shows FastRawViewer in a simplified setup; it highly customizable as to what it displays, what is shown or not shown, etc. Further below, I show a common task I do with it.

libRaw FastRawViewer image display with dozens of powerful organizing features

Making a subfolder of a related group of images

A common operation that I need to do: is to create a new subfolder containing related images: panorama, focus stack, aperture series, particular subject, etc.

Below, the need is for a subfolder for six files of a panorama. Select the files, right-clicking and choose Move To => New Subfolder, entering the name and hitting ENTER. It doesn’t get any more efficient than that. Well, it does in some cases—I’ve petitioned for some kind of smart auto-organize feature based on smarts within EXIF info, but so far no luck. There is a “copy” variant as well, as well as facilities to move or copy files to other already-existing folders.

That’s just one feature—check out FastRawViewer and see what it can do for you. Be aware that behavior if highly customizable, so be sure to go through the preferences to configure to suit.

libRaw FastRawViewer: moving six files of a panorama into a new subfolder

Alternative: macOS Finder — sometimes useful but extremely limited and often unusable

Images grouping can be done in the Finder if the images can be seen and distinguished adequately: select the images, then right click and choose New folder with Selection....

But the feature set is a single capability (making a new folder), and there are hassles, like not being able to folderize a single file without a multi-step process. Nor can key information that may be a deciding factor be viewed, let alone customized. Plus, the Finder is far slower to preview images and it makes it very awkward because there is no file hierarchy separate from the viewing window that works in any efficient way.

Or, as shown below, there is no preview at all, making the Finder totally useless. situation persists 3 years later after I wrote this. This situation shown below has existed for 18 months now for Fujifilm GFX100 raw files, and it is a problem for other cameras too, though common ones do show icon previews.

UPDATE: this uselessness situation persists as of Dec 2023 (thanks Apple).

macOS Finder generic icons for Fujifilm GFX100 image files of nil utility

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Videos: Intro to Zerene Stacker + Monochrome from Color Intro

At my Patreon account (by subscription) see my Pro Photography Workflow section.

I’ve made these two videos below publicly viewable. See what you think, feedback welcome. I am of course learning as I go, startingwith the wrong microphone on the first video, so the sound is a little low.

See also: Creating an Encrypted Volume for Backup or Otherwise (video How-To) as well as the IntegrityChecker how-to videos.

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing.

OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock
Ideal for any Mac with Thunderbolt 3


Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports
USB 3 • USB-C
Gigabit Ethernet
5K and 4K display support plus Mini Display Port
Analog sound in/out and Optical sound out

Works on any Mac with Thunderbolt 3

Reader Comment: “what do people use to activate the shutter without touching the camera?” for Fujifilm GFX100S

re: remote release

Tony B writes:

Sony RMT-P1BT Wireless Remote Commander

I was out with my GFX100II yesterday and (as a landscape photographer, using the camera on a tripod) I found myself wondering what people use to activate the shutter without touching the camera.  As I see it there are three options, although there may be more I'm unaware of:

  1. Self timer
  2. Cable release
  3. Fujifilm's phone app

I have been using the phone app, but it's a pain.  It keeps crashing and generating warnings on my Android phone, strongly suggesting I put the app to sleep.  The app constantly wants to re-establish a connection with the camera, which has me standing for minutes at a time waiting for the "remote" option to become enabled.  In addition, it tries to copy camera images to my phone - which only has a limited amount of storage.

This made me consider the cable release option.  I believe going from the GFX100s (which I never owned) to the GFX 100 II, Fujifilm shifted the cable release port from one side of the camera to the other.  I'd have much preferred if they'd left it where it was.  Then I think they changed from a 2.5mm to a 3.5mm port, presumably to accommodate microphones - which I never use. 

I believe Fujifilm's cable releases all use a 2.5mm jack, although having never bought one, I can't confirm this.  The manual seems to suggest we just live with it and buy some form of adapter, described as "readily available".  Ideally I would prefer an L shaped male 3.5mm socket at the camera end and a 2.5mm female socket at some short distance away - especially given that opening the access door on the side of the camera is made difficult by the L bracket I use.  I have not been able to find a cable fitting this description, although they may be readily available in Japan for all I know.

Somehow using the self timer seems to be admitting defeat, although I may resort to it after all.

DIGLLOYD: good summary!

Cable releases are problematic in that most “solutions” are crap.

Cable releases

Cable releases have to be physically attached. The mechanics of this mean constantly attaching and detaching, eventually wearing out or gunking up or otherwise damating the port. You have to carry it too, it’s one more thing to not forget, and sooner or later it falls out of a pocket and it’s gone. And being attached to the camera physically, it now becomes a risk itself in transmitting jiggle to the camera precisely when you can least afford it. Plus wind blowing on it. There may be exceptions (eg studio use), but I consider them useless for my work outdoors.

Phone apps

All of the above issues noted (connectivity, warnings, etc) make an app dead on arrival for practical in-the-field use. Then, digging a phone out of a pocket (and the reverse) is a constant headache. As is having to stare at a phone instead of the subject and conditions. Meanwhile, I might have to shade the front lens element from the sun, and maybe while balanced precariously. I now look down at my phone to use the phone app, and my dead body is found a week later. Phone-apps are an anti-solution devised by morons. Again, there might be situations (eg studio) where it could make sense.

Ideal solution — RF remote

The ideal solution which “pro” cameras like the Fujifilm GFX100S and siblings fail to offer is a compact and lightweight RF remote. By that metric alone they should be booted out of the “pro” designation. Then again the PhaseOne IQ4 has the same issue... whatever. Unbelievable.

The best solution is an RF remote release (infrared ones suck but are better than nothing). Sony has a good one, the Sony RMT-P1BT Wireless Remote Commander. Nikon’s suck, I am not sure about Canon, Fujifilm jackass designers apparently didn’t even consider the idea.

See: Summarizing Remote Release For Exposures.

OWC ROVER PRO wheels for Mac Pro

No tools or hassle… just place your Mac Pro’s factory feet into the Rover Pro’s polished stainless-steel housings and secure with a few hand twists.

When you’re done moving your Mac Pro around, the Rover Pro makes it just as quick and easy to convert back to the factory feet for stationary use.

Sign Up for my Patreon Today and Learn All About How I Shoot and Process Images and more

re: videos by Lloyd

I will be continuing to do my usual written reviews as I’ve done for the past 15 years. However, such work takes many hours and often is more detailed than some people even want. Ditto for long essays in the blog—fun but the ROI is no good.

I’ve put off having a video offering for all that time... that now changes.

My goal is to share what I’ve learned over the years about Photoshop, focus stacking, panorama assembly, capturing images in the field, camera and lens overviews, computer considerations, etc.

I’ve already posted a good number of how-to videos to my Patreon account (by subscription) in Pro Photography Workflow (see all collections). There will be dozens soon, but my internet is only 2.3 MB/sec, so it’s taking a long time.

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing.

Some of these are free samples, but you have to sign up to see them. The majority are by subscription.

Please also sign up for my SubStack, as I will begin using it also to see what it’s good for.

Some of you might know some of this, but I’d bet that few of my readers know it all. In other words, just one video might give you a valuable tip worth way more than the small subscription fee. And if it’s not worth it... it’s month-by-month so your biggest risk is $20 for the first month or even less if you want to quit early (you won’t!).

What do you have to lose? If you like this blog at all, give it a try today!

Sign up for my $20/month Patreon today...

Thanks!

Click to sign up...
Click to sign up...

Video: Photoshop: Transforming Color Images to Monochrome using B&W Filter Layer

At my Patreon account (by subscription) in Pro Photography Workflow:

Photoshop: Transforming Color Images to Monochrome using B&W Filter Layer

Video showing how to convert to monochrome using a Photoshop Black & White filter layer.

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing.

Click for video showing how to convert to monochrome using a Photoshop Black & White filter layer

 

SubStack or Patreon?

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing. Also, 1.25X speed might be useful.

I am experimenting with my offerings.

SubStack is becoming very popular, but I don’t know if it fits well for me or not. It seems more essay-oriented from everything I’ve seen, and I’ve been thinking more about the video side. Still, they just did a major upgrade for videos, so that's something.

But I hear that X is blocking outgoing links to SubStack, a huge negative.

Yet if this writer’s take has even partial legitimacy, then I have to take a hard look at SubStack before I commit too much to Patreon. And already I’ve found that Patreon moves very slowly on improvements, and does ultra-stupid things like not being able to gift a subscription, so I can’t even give my own family or friends.

As a writer, I spent six years slogging away on Patreon, only to move to Substack and quadruple my subscriber number in under four months. I’m no mathematician, but I like those numbers.

Each platform has its issues.

As an experiment, I wrote my first SubStack post on this very topic. The first thing I found is that my 4K video is delivered as 2K (1080p), which in and of itself makes SubStack dead on arrival. Can SubStack deliver high quality 4K video?

OWC Envoy Pro Elektron

Ultra-high performance across entire capacity, outperforms the competition.

Tiny, bus-powered, rugged, compact!


√ No more slow and noisy hard drives!

More Videos: Adobe Camera Raw, Focus Stacking Introduction, Preparation, Retouching

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing. Also, 1.25X speed might be useful.

I am experimenting with my offerings.

I have done only a smattering of videos over the years, but some things lend themselves to video, and many people find video tutorials much easier than written form. I intend to continue the offerings as usual here on this site, but the videos will be a separate offering, available separately over at my Patreon account. Please become a patron and give me feedback on which kinds of videos are most usefu or enjoyable to you.

At my Patreon account, by subscription

UPDATE: apologies that the sound is not loud enough on some of the videos. I think it's probably OK if the volume on your computer speaker is turned up. It seems that macOS threw away my choice of the high quality microphone I thought I was using, and reset it to the LG 5K display.

Adobe Camera Raw: Workflow using Enhance Details + AI Denoise

Adobe Camera Raw: Managing Color and Contrast, Backlit Portrait

Focus Stacking: Preparing Files Prior to Stacking

RAW-file Conversion with Adobe Camera Raw — How I do It

MORE!

Focus Stacking: Introduction to Zerene Stacker

Focus Stacking: Basics of Retouching Problem Areas in Zerene Stacker

Diffraction and How to Sharpen to Counteract in Adobe Camera Raw

Photoshop: Transforming Color Images to Monochrome using B&W Filter Layer

Drag-n-Drop Data Integrity with IntegrityChecker and How-To Videos for diglloydTools IntegrityChecker

RAW-file Conversion with Adobe Camera Raw — How I do It

Many of you already know this stuff cold... and some might not. And maybe there is just one thing in there that might be helpful.

For those who have not mastered Adobe Camera Raw, please let me know if this is useful and what I left out or should have left out, any issues, etc.

The video applies when using ACR in Adobe Photoshop as well as in Adobe Lightroom. The controls in Lightroom are a little different, but the approach and reasoning is identical.

Going forward, I will be doing an entire series on focus stacking and panorama assembly as as other workflow topics. These will be showing up on my Patreon page, currently in development as I learn the platform (ugggh... it has lots of issues and limitations).

See also: Drag-n-Drop Data Integrity with IntegrityChecker and How-To Videos for diglloydTools IntegrityChecker

TIP: watch at 4K on a 5K display for greatest ease of viewing. Also, if the pacing of narration is too slow for you, watch at 1.25X speed.


Connect and charge all of your devices through a single Thunderbolt or USB-C port.

Voigtlander FE 65mm f/2 APO-Lanthar at just $899 — Reference Grade Lens on the Cheap

Fantastic top-flight lens at just $749: Voigtlander FE 65mm f/2 APO-Lanthar.

The Voigtlander FE 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar and Voigtlander FE 50mm f/2 APO-Lanthar are also superb reference-grade lenses. I have yet to find any lens that can beat any of those three or even be credible against them.


Deals Updated Daily at B&H Photo

Incredible Value in 100-megapixel Fujifilm GFX100S at just $4399

Fujifilm has seriously damaged my Fujifilm GFX100S resale value—thanks Fujifilm, what’s my trade-in deal? Great way to please customers who want your Fujifilm GFX100 II at $7500.

I don’t know how a 'serious' landscape photographer can ignore this deal.

At just $4399, we’re talking just $500 more than the Sony A7R V. The A7R V is of course a much more versatile camera, but if we’re talking pixels and peak image quality, the GFX100S just walks away with the prize.


Connect and charge all of your devices through a single Thunderbolt or USB-C port.

Articles by Lloyd on Zeiss Lenses

re: external articles by Lloyd
re: articles by Lloyd for Medium Format Magazine.

These articles were written about five years ago, but are still useful today.

All articles by Lloyd Chambers at Lenspire.Zeiss.com
(a few will show up that are not mine, but reference my name).

Zeiss Lenspire articles here on this site, with higher quality image presentation, direct links below:

  1. Focusing Zeiss DSLR Lenses For Peak Performance, PART ONE: The Challenges
  2. Focusing Zeiss DSLR Lenses For Peak Performance PART TWO: Tips and Best Practices for Sharply Focused Images
  3. Depth of Field Challenges: Bypass the Limits with Focus Stacking, Near or Far, Macro or Landscape
  4. Getting Started with Focus Stacking
  5. Harnessing Wide Angle Lenses: Perspective and Impact
  6. Macro and Close-up Shooting, Especially Outdoors
  7. Zoom Lens or Prime? 15/18/21mm Lenses
  8. Zoom Lens or Prime? Moderate Wide Angles (25mm, 28mm, 35mm)
  9. Zoom Lens or Prime? 50mm and 55mm
  10. Zoom Lens or Prime? 135mm
  11. Micro Contrast and the Zeiss 'Pop'
  12. Zeiss Milvus 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4 Anchor a Gorgeous New Lens Line
  13. Zeiss Fills Out the Milvus DSLR Lens Lineup with the 21/2.8, 35/2, 50/2M, 100/2M
  14. First Look at the Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/1.4
  15. Zeiss Loxia 21mm f/2.8 Distagon: Class-Leading Performance in a Compact Package for Stills or Video on Sony Mirrorless
  16. Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon: the Reference Standard With a Gentle Grace
  17. Astrophotography Tips, Especially with Zeiss Otus 28mm f/1.4 APO-Distagon
Zeiss Mirrorless Lenses for Sony
$1159 SAVE $390 = 25.0% ZEISS 18mm f/2.8 Batis IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$1299 SAVE $250 = 16.0% ZEISS 21mm f/2.8 Loxia IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$999 SAVE $350 = 25.0% ZEISS 25mm f/2 Batis IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$1129 SAVE $220 = 16.0% ZEISS 35mm f/2.0-16 Loxia 35mm f/2 IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$849 SAVE $150 = 15.0% ZEISS 50mm f/2 Loxia IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$929 SAVE $320 = 25.0% ZEISS 85mm f/1.8 Batis IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$1229 SAVE $220 = 15.0% ZEISS 85mm f/2.4 Loxia IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
Zeiss DSLR Lenses for Nikon and Canon
$1299 SAVE $450 = 25.0% ZEISS 135mm f/2.8 Batis IN STOCK in Lenses: Mirrorless
$2209 SAVE $565 = 20.0% ZEISS 15mm f/2.8 Milvus ZE IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$2209 SAVE $565 = 20.0% ZEISS 15mm f/2.8 Milvus ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1899 SAVE $475 = 20.0% ZEISS 18mm f/2.8 Milvus ZE IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1899 SAVE $475 = 20.0% ZEISS 18mm f/2.8 Milvus ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1528 SAVE $390 = 20.0% ZEISS 21mm f/2.8 Milvus ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1659 SAVE $415 = 20.0% ZEISS 35mm f/1.4 Milvus ZE IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1659 SAVE $415 = 20.0% ZEISS 35mm f/1.4 Milvus ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$947 SAVE $245 = 20.0% ZEISS 35mm f/2.0-16 Milvus 35mm f/2 ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1009 SAVE $265 = 20.0% ZEISS 50mm f/1.4 Milvus ZE IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1009 SAVE $265 = 20.0% ZEISS 50mm f/1.4 Milvus ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1078 SAVE $280 = 20.0% ZEISS 50mm f/2 Milvus M ZE Macro IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1078 SAVE $280 = 20.0% ZEISS 50mm f/2 Milvus M ZF.2 Macro IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1489 SAVE $385 = 20.0% ZEISS 85mm f/1.4 Milvus ZE IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1489 SAVE $385 = 20.0% ZEISS 85mm f/1.4 Milvus ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1528 SAVE $390 = 20.0% ZEISS 100mm f/2 Milvus M ZE Macro IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1819 SAVE $455 = 20.0% ZEISS 135mm f/2.0 Milvus 135mm f/2 ZE IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR
$1819 SAVE $455 = 20.0% ZEISS 135mm f/2.0 Milvus 135mm f/2 ZF.2 IN STOCK in Lenses: DSLR

Connect and charge all of your devices through a single Thunderbolt or USB-C port.

Crushed Cabin

The winter’s unprecedented snow (at least in recorded history) was tough on trees and tough on older buildings—60 feet of snow is a load that few of the older structures could withstand.

No retouching at all for this shot, just load up into Zerene Stacker and go with DMAP.

CLICK TO VIEW: Ultimate Fujifilm Medium Format

Crushed Cabin
f9 @ 0.8 sec electronic shutter focus stack 6 frames, ISO 80; 2023-10-04 18:22:37
Fujifilm GFX100 II + Fujifilm GF 55mm f/1.7 WR @ 45.3mm equiv (55mm)
ENV: Sawmill trail, altitude 9600 ft / 2926 m, 48°F / 8°C
RAW: Camera ASTIA, Enhance Details, LACA corrected, distortion corrected, vignetting corrected, WB 6000°K tint 18, push 0.33 stops, +10 Clarity, AI Denoise 10, USM {8,50,0}, SmartSharpen{30,0.7,0}, diffraction mitigating sharpening

[low-res image for bot]
Save Big $$$$ on Memory for 2019 Mac Pro

Up to 65% better pricing than Apple

Lloyd recommends 32GB RDIMM modules for most users (more expensive LRDIMMS are for 512GB or more).


Deals: Factory-Sealed and Refurb iMac 5K+ Accessories

I don’t know how you can go wrong buying a gorgeous 5K display with a free built-in Mac.

I used the 2017 iMac 5K for years—outstanding (see review). The 2019 iMac 5K (see review) is a little faster and I still use it.The 2020 iMac 5K (see review) is a nudge faster than the 2019 but much.

Perfect for anyone for home use—student or parent. And you can upgrade the memory later if need be, all the way to 128GB.

For SSD, many people can do fine with a 250GB SSD (add something like the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron later, if need be), but 512GB is a lot more flexible, and my recommendation for photography usage is 1TB or 2TB.

Looking for a laptop deal? This one is awesome and there are other great choices too.

Apple is not making the iMac 5K anymore and has stated it has no plans to do so. IMO, the iMac 5K is the best all-around machine Apple ever made—reliable and with a gorgeous display. And with an Intel processor, which some folks still need.

As for value, the 2017 models below are just about impossible to beat—you can’t even buy a 5K display for that price.

Don’t miss the incredible $180 deal on the OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock, my favorite dock.

Click through to see additional discounts up to 20% on some items.

Accessories


ON SALE NOW: OWC Gear Proven in my Workflow

Over the years, there is some gear that makes the cut as essential or very handy.

Examples below— storage devices come in a wide range of capacities.

Please buy direct from OWC (macsales.com) or at least from B&H Photo.

Click through to see discounts; some have an additional up to 15% to 25% off!

Cards and card readers

Not just for your camera; see OWC Atlas Ultra CFExpress B Camera Card: Awesomely Fast, Perfect Encrypted Wallet Backup.

Ports and Connectivity

Add USB-A ports, ethernet, displays, etc.

Super-fast SSDs

I have various capacities of all of these. The OWC Envoy Pro FX makes short work of backups, far faster than any USB-C SSD, well at least until USB-4 arrives. But

Capacious Storage

I have various capacities of all of these. The OWC Envoy Pro FX makes short work of backups, far faster than any USB-C SSD, well at least until USB-4 arrives. But


Best Deals, Updated Weekly

FLASH DEAL on Brain-Saver: Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise-Canceling Headphones... Proven the Test of Time

Still noise-sensitive, these headphones were so critical to my well being that I chafe at forgetting them. Which is why I keep a pair in my van and a pair at home now. The in-ear earphones work much less well, and quickly become uncomfortable, so I have abandonded them.

In Brain-Saver: Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones I discussed just how critical the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones to me after my concussion in 2018.

Flash Deal: $110 off the Sony WH-1000XM5 until midnight Nov 25.

Now using the latest model, the Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones, they continue to be very helpful. I have two pairs actually, and my wife has a pair which she uses constantly, though more for listening to podcasts and such.

Sony WH-1000XM4 @AMAZON or Sony WH-1000XM4 @ B&H Photo

Sony WH-1000XM4
Wireless Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones

Noise is far more of a hazard than most people acknowledge, with studies showing damaging hits to learning of children whose classrooms are in noisy environments. Not that adults outgrow the bad effects of noise! Noise disrupts the ability of the brain to focus and learn, at the least.

See also Wikipedia: Sensory Processing Sensitivity.

I tried the Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Noise-Canceling In-Ear Earphones also. They can’t hold a candle to the over-ear headphones for noise cancellation and I quickly have discomfort with in-ear things of any kind. Airpods—they’re a hit but that’s it—hipness is not performance.

I use them for mowing the lawn, long trips (Sprinter van is very noisy), noisy house stuff (vaccuum cleaner etc), inconsiderate neighbors, etc. How well something like the Apple Airpod Max would perform under similar conditions I don’t know. The Airpod Max are 75% more expensive and a lot heavier (384g vs 254g for the Sony WH-1000MX4). I’ll see about a loaner pair to test/compare.

UPDATE, initial impressions: just received—the Airpods Max definitely have better noise cancellation for some lower frequencies, such as a 20-year old IQAir air purifier with a particularly resonant droning sound. Yet on my lawn mower, the Sony’s might be slightly better, or at least as good. I find the Airpods Max less comfortable to wear and I am more conscious of them with movement that causes up/down inertial forces (eg walking), particulary on rough ground eg while lawn mowing. The top band in particular is quite annoying on my thin hair if not forced down (feels like something crawling). Also, wearing my closeup glasses for computer work, the Airpod Max cups are harder to work with. My initial take is that the Sony’s are more portable/compact and more comfortable, and just as good noise cancellation for some things, but less effective noise cancellation for lower frequency sounds. On a price baiss, the Sony’s are awesome. I’ll be comparing the two some more, but I’m not sold on the Airpod Max other than they are definitely better noise cancellation for some (and only some) sounds.

TIP: buy two pairs, one for car/travel/office, and one for home. Kids might also find them helpful for studying better.

John L writes:

Not an impulse purchase for me (too costly for that!).  I got both (yes, it was the XM4), and listened for a few days, testing the noise cancellation particularly — wanted to go with the Sonys (price); never spent near this amount on a pair of headphones before.

(I’m mid-50s. Can still hear ‘subsonics’ — 20Hz — not sure if that’s the technical term — but have typical hearing loss at higher frequencies, ie 16kHz.)

AirPods Max are heavier, but comfortable for me — for hours of wearing. (Earpads more comfy than Sony’s.) YMMV of course.

My study is by a busy road — cut traffic noise superbly. Not my initial plan to wear them for desk work, but now I tend to, for hours —  have been enjoying the quiet.  Have worn them outside gardening; I’d offer to give the lawn a mow with a flymo (uk), but it’s not the season. I could try a power drill if you’d like. (Like the Sonys, they pass the running tap test with flying colours.) I take them off when it starts raining; I doubt they’re very water resistant. (They are at no risk of falling off when pruning, working on a ladder etc.)  Worn around others watching tv etc; very easy to switch in and out of conversations by switching in and out of transparency. 

So a real world ‘household’ and ‘general life’ test. Might be different wearing in a plane, etc. 

Sony’s seemed to me very good at sound cancellation; but Apple somewhat better. (That’s what I meant by a ‘margin’; ie not by a large margin, but noticeable.) Wearing the AirPods just seemed that bit quieter.  That difference might not have decided me; but add to that how much better transparency worked than the Sony's, and how effective that was for Zoom etc (I’ve been doing quite a lot of online stuff for work) or chatting for a moment in the kitchen and I was sold. 

Plus — not mentioned before; volume wheel and physical button much preferable for me.  And, if you’ve an iPhone and iPad — the switching between the different sound sources near seamless. Also a later discovery — really nicely tuned for a general audience listening, I think.

Reasons I can think of to prefer the Sonys: lighter, so may be more comfortable for some; may be more hard-wearing (show wear less?) by nature of the plastic (also catching things on the cans won’t be so disturbing, ie won’t generate so much noise); better to travel with (fold up smaller); they claim to run longer (though I’ve also heard that claim of 30 hours to be hopeful) — the AirPods seem to be giving something like 20 hours, though I’ve yet to run out as they charge quick; Sonys probably play better with bluetooth in general (just a guess).

No regrets to going with the AirPods; and I’m pretty cautious when it comes buying such (still using mid-2010 Mac Pro, now on High Sierra with CS6). I also do long distance riding; TCR, NC4000, PBP and stuff like that — so (?) I appreciate kit that works well.

I’d recommend you give the AirPods a go if you can get a loaner; their simple usability surprised me. Good Apple, not rotten Apple.

(Like you I can’t get on with in-ear AirPods — uncomfortable and impractical in my experience.)

DIGLLOYD: I’ve asked B&H if I can get the Apple Airpod Max for a loaner to try out an see.

dB, Troy-Bilt TB16 lawn mower
at handlebars

David C writes:

Noise does more than screw up your cognitive abilities at the time, you get cumulative hearing damage that eventually shows itself when, like me, you discover you are reading lips to hear people talking. I don’t know if the damage is latent or if you just don’t notice as your hearing goes away, drip, drip, drip, but I have read that a single exposure to really loud noise may cause permanent damage. I worked in an underground gold mine for five years, so I got plenty; for instance a jackhammer is estimated to be around 130dBA, but that’s on the street, think of the same noise in a small room with stone walls (tunnel face) with a pneumatic rock drill that is a lot bigger than a typical street jackhammer. I wore foam plugs part of the time, but sometimes didn’t have time or inclination (yes stupid, youthful invincibility). all the “old” guys (40+!) at the mine were deaf.

One thing I find odd is most sources list a chainsaw at around 130dBA, but I don’t find them to be very loud. maybe it’s because my high frequency hearing ability is gone (spectrum matters).

An interesting bit of trivia, apparently a lot of older people in the US have become deaf in the left ear because, before AC, they rolled down the car window while driving.

I don’t wear hearing aids yet, mainly because the markup on them amounts to highway robbery (a device bought by millions of people that is mostly electronic shouldn’t cost $thousands). yeah, I know, this isn’t rational; maybe it’s due to hearing damage ;). I *do* wear plugs or headphones running the tractor, lawnmower, grinder, etc now, but too late.

“protect your ears!” is one bit of advice I’d give to all young people if I could; of course they wouldn’t listen.

If you can tolerate them give foam plugs a shot. they are useful sometimes because they are easy to carry, don’t interfere with your head movement and don’t lose their seal as easily by being bumped (e.g. when your head is in the bushes trimming a tree). plugs aren’t sensitive to your head shape, but the size of your ear canals may dictate which plugs will work.

DIGLLOYD: loud noise is bad news indeed.

When I mow the lawn, I use earplugs plugs the Sony noise canceling headphones. Foam earplugs can be risky—I've had way too many that don’t quite fully seat. I prefer the soft rubery ones, having ordered a number of different ones to find some that insert reliably and stay in.

Jeffrey J writes:

I purchased the latest version of the Sony in ear noise canceling earbuds. WF-1000MX3. I had a difficult time getting a proper seal even after trying several sizes of the ear buds.

They would seal for a bit then if I moved the seal would be lost.

Even when sealed the noise canceling was not as good as the over the ear WM-1000MX3’s. I ended up returning them. They must work for some because reviews are generally good. Just didn’t work for me.

DIGLLOYD: I also have hard-to-fit ear canals. I find that even earplugs cause me discomfort within an hour or so too, Apple earbuds are awful for me, etc. And they don’t work nearly as well as over-the-entire-ear solutions.


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