Setup:

• Einstein
• Small light stand
• Vagabond Mini
• 8′ feet from subject (test target)
• 7″ reflector

This is a pretty basic setup and since what I was testing was refresh time, problems with RF interference, and speed of refresh I did not do anything elaborate.

First test was two fold refresh times and accuracy of lighting increase.

As it happens my Sekonic L358 with the PW module read exactly f2.8 at ISO 400 and 8′ at minimum power, almost like I had planned it :angel:

Min power f2.8 refresh <1 second
+2 stops of power f5.6 refresh <1 second
+2 stops of power f11 refresh <=1 second
+2 stops of power f22 refresh 1 second
+1 stops of power f32 refresh <2 seconds
+1 stops at full power f45 refresh ~4 seconds

Plugged into an AC outlet at full power was ~2.5 seconds

Not super scientific on the timing but it will give you a rough idea.

Next I set the light at minimum power and shot some high speed shots at 10FPS with my 1D MKIII. At minimum power and 90+ frames there was only a slight shift in power from frame 1 to the final frame. I was able to duplicate these results up to +2 stops. Again not overly scientific but now I know if I want/need to shoot an action sequence with the one light I can do so up to 10 FPS at ISO 400 and f5.6 with a the subject ~8 feet away. Also through out this test not one black or dark frame so it also showed me that the consistency was there as well as that the RF problems I had seen before had been fixed! [COLOR="Red"][I] Disclaimer – you can’t do this with a regular AlienBee light, this capability is part of the beauty of the new Einstien lights with their IGBT circuitry similar to that in a off-camera flash where it only dumps as much light as it need for each pop and is ready for the next that much quicker at low power settings.

Last test was with the Einstein and a AB1600 both connected to the battery pack. Both at 1/2 power was ~3 seconds with the AB1600 lagging by almost a second. I believe this is due to the Einstein charging its capacitors fulling and them only discharging what was needed for the half power pop where as the AB1600 only charges as much as it needs for the pop dialed in and therefore has to recharge fully for the next. I set both lights to max power and popped them and got a ~5 second recycle with the AB1600 again being the limiting factor. Plugged both into the wall and got a sub 3 second recycle times.

My conclusions:

- If you every shoot and do not have access to an AC outlet you need this in your bag, which it will actually fit in :w00t:
- This is in my opinion much better than the standard Vagabond with the weight and size savings.
- The Einstein light is now ready for prime time with the RF issue resolved!!
- The only pluses I see for the original Vagabond are:

• They make a great sand bag for a light stand in the field at 18+ lbs (ugh!)

• Will likely last longer if you are shooting for hours

• You can hook up a bunch of lights to them

For what it is worth I tried the DIY version of the battery pack and it was not a great success! Having used it only makes me appreciate this little guy so much more!!

I mounted the Vagabond pack to the base of my lightweight stand

I have large hands but this thing is tiny compared to the original Vagabonds!

Adobe has released a beta version of their new web based version of Photoshop! This is a slimmed down version of Photoshop but still very powerful and useful. You have to sign up for your free account that includes 2 GB of online storage. The interface for uploading your files is quite simple to navigate and use. Once the images are uploaded rotating and adding captions to them in the gallery viewer is quick and easy. The editing of a full sized image (10 MP JPEG) was slow for me. I realize this is a beta but still I was a little let down by the extremely slow response to edit a single image. Once you have done your editing you can share them with other users, email them, or use them in your Photobucket or Face Book gallery. I recommend you check it out and reserve your custom URL today.

I am a big fan of the Lowepro Slingshot bags. I own the 200 AW and 300 AW. The 200 AW is the mid-sized bag and is great for the 20D and a shorter lens attached. Last year when we prepared for our vacation in Europe I wanted something a little large so I upgraded to the 300 AW. I like this bag since it easily holds the 20D or the 1D MK III as well as an assortment of lenses and accessories plus other items you need when on vacation. I like the fact that the bag is easy to get on and off and can pretty easily be rotated along my side for easy access to all of the pockets and compartments. My only minor complaint is that with only one true padded strap if you really load this thing up it is not the most comfortable bag, with or without the second strap. A new addition to the 300 AW over the 200 AW is a nice padded belt which goes a long ways towards making this more comfortable. Link to the bag on Lowepro’s site

Scott Kelby who is in my opinion a guru of everything about digital photography has many books out and recently published “The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom book for Digital Photographers”. Scott has authored a number of book that deal specifically with Adobe Photoshop and now Lightroom. The style that Scott writes in is very informal and a welcome change from most books I have attempted to read on Photoshop. All of his “For Photographers” books are just that and really are written in a way that a Photographer can relate to and easily use. I purchased the Lightroom book and was learning about functions and features that I had no idea existed or how to do them in Lightroom. This book and his others has continued to move me along in improving my workflow and quality of work. Scott is also heavily involved with NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). Please support the blog and click on my Amazon links to purchase on of Scott’s books

When the Adobe Lightroom Beta came out I was on of the many that downloaded it and played around with it but honestly I was no blown away, at first. As I played around with it more and more and discovered some of the new tweaks and features. Soon I started really looking at it and how it could improve my workflow I got excited. I eventually purchased the Scott Kelby Lightroom book and then I started seeing the improvements in my ability to import files, tag them, and catalog them. I like the fact that Lightroom treats all files (RAW and JPEG) as if they were negatives and does not alter them. I do sport photography and a typical day is shooting close to 4,000 JPEG photos and then having to short them and select the 10% to 15% that I will process and post for purchase. Lightroom has really reduced the amount of time required for my end to end workflow.

Click to see at Amazon.com

The Canon EOS 1D Mark III is definitely a step up from the EOS 10D and EOS 20D that I have previously shot with. I shoot a lot of sports so the blinding fast 10 FPS is a must and a noticeable upgrade from the 20D’s 5 FPS. I was an early adopter and suffered from the early focus problems when I shot outdoors in the sun. The camera has since been fixed and shots as I would expect. The autofocus is very fast and was the upgrade I was looking for as well. The dual memory card slots are very convenient and prevent running out of storage space and having to switch at the worst times. The brighter viewfinder is also a welcome sight too. All of that being said I personally think the best upgrade or improvement is the low noise at the high ISO ratings. I find the 800 ISO shot compare well with the 400 ISO shots from the 20D. The 1600 ISO is also very usable and produces great snapshot sized prints with little or no grain. I have nothing bad to say about this camera. Link to Canons 1D Mark III product page