Digitalopia

It seems that since Apple released Aperture 2, there have been ongoing debates on photography forums regarding Aperture’s tethered shooting support of the newer camera models from Nikon and Canon.

As a Nikon user, I was oblivious to the debate when I first wrote about the new tethering features in Aperture. However, after hearing about the lack of support for many Canon models, I decided to do a brief exercise looking at their support. What amazed me was the lack of support of not just the most recent Canon models such as the 1Ds III, but also models that were released over 2 years ago like the 30D.

I started to dig a bit deeper and found 2 sides to the story. I have not yet received a formal statement from either Apple or Canon (see below), but I thought I would share both sides of the arguments. Most comments are from various forums, and obviously give bias, so should be taken lightly.

What Evidence Supports Apple

The issue lies with Canon… I’ve heard different reasoning for this (Canon putting some proprietary blocks in the way or Canon’s SDK having some bugs that still need to be corrected). Hopefully, it’s the SDK issue or a firmware issue that can be updated or corrected.

The next comment was made from an Apple spokesman at a trade event.

… each camera needs to be reverse engineered for tethering because Canon is not willing to let go of the coding.

The Macworld review of Aperture 2 states the following.

Tethered shooting in Aperture works using a standard called Picture Transport Protocol (PTP), and as such, it requires supported cameras.

What Evidence Supports Canon

This comment was received from Canon’s customer support.

… while the transfer protocols for the camera and the image files are available to the software designers.

The Bibble software seems to support most, if not all of the Canon models. I guess the question here is that if Bibble can, why cannot Apple ?

The Follow Up

This is obviously not a closed case, so I have subsequently written to both Apple and Canon asking if they would be able to supply a comment that I can share with my readers. Fingers crossed they will respond.

For a more comprehensive list of supported cameras, take a look at this site. As you can see, Canon is very poorly supported by Aperture.

If you read my previous article on Aperture Tethered Shooting Tutorial, then you will know how much I enjoy using the new tethering features of Aperture 2.

However, one thing that I get asked often is how well supported are the newer camera models. In this article I will look at the support for the latest Nikon and Canon camera models, namely the Nikon D300 and D3, and the Canon 450D (Rebel XSi), 40D and 1DsIII.

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I am always looking for ways to improve my digital workflow, and I have been recently interested in refining the white balance I set for my photographs. I have previously had pretty good success with either the camera’s automatic setting for the white balance of my RAW images, or I would make small adjustments in Aperture (and previously with Adobe Bridge.) However, I have recently been shooting in artificial light and with flash, and I have not been very happy with some of the results I was achieving. It was also taking me far too long to fine-tune the ideal white balance in post processing.

So started my search for the ideal gray or white balance card. I was looking for something that was small enough so it can be carried whilst shooting outside, but sturdy enough to withstand the knocks and bumps it will get. After poring though numerous reviews of various products, I decided upon the range of WhiBal G6 White Balance Reference Cards.

They are available in three sizes, Pocket, Studio and Reference. I have ordered the pocket sized WhiBal G6 White Balance Reference Card from rawworkflow.com. The pocket version looks small enough to be able to fit into a pocket, and I have read positive reviews about its sturdy construction and relatively scratch resistant surface. There are a very good set of videos from the creator of the WhiBal, Michael Tapes.

I have also found a really informative article describing how to use the WhiBal with Aperture. It is definitely worth reading.

I will provide my personal comments on the WhiBal in a subsequent post.

There is something pure and simple about a black and white photograph. Perhaps it is its common use among the classic photographers such a Ansel Adams and its adoption in fine art photography. It may be that to create a ‘good’ black and white photo is harder than a ‘good’ colour photo; reason being the lack of colour information forces you to focus more on the image content, detail and contrast.

Most image editing applications support the conversion of an image to black and white. However, not all are created equal and some simply support a ‘convert to greyscale’ option that does not give you the flexibility to adjust the image further. Both iPhoto and the software bundled with most cameras do a reasonable job of converting an image to black and white, but the greyscale images they produce can be quite flat and it can be hard to get the effects you desire.

New Zealand - Milford Sound

Aperture provides a set of adjustments for black and white conversion that will be common to photographers that use filters to achieve their black and white effects.

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I have always had an interest in the features that can be produced using specialist Tilt Shift lenses. Available from both Canon and Nikon, they allow the photographer to make tilt and shift adjustments relative to the image plane. However, these lenses are very expensive unless you will be specializing in this area. Even the cheaper Lensbaby is still expensive if, like me you only want to experiment with the techniques. However, there is a cheaper alternative using Adobe Photoshop.

Tilt shift photographs can produce some interesting results, making the image seem like it is in miniature.

Even though the effect is produced entirely in software, it can produce some amazing results. I have included some links to galleries at the end of this article. You will be amazed at what can be produced, and it shows that I have a long way to go …

This article was inspired by the great tutorial from Receding Hairline. Many thanks for the great work you have put into producing that article.

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Having recently upgraded to Aperture 2, I was looking forward to its tethered shooting features. Whether you are shooting studio shots, stock and macro photography, or taking shots for an eBay listing, the ability to control you camera from within Aperture is a real benefit. The real-time feedback also provides a faster shooting workflow, and can be a real asset for studio photographers that want to give instant feedback to their clients.

Not all camera models are support by Aperture, and Apple maintains a supported camera list. Currently, it seems that only Canon and Nikon models are supported.

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