steven_quan

<p>I have LR3 and Aperture 3. I'm getting better at using LR having used it to edit many photos over the holiday since I didn't have access to my Mac. There are some things LR does better than Aperture and vice versa. I prefer Aperture as it inspires me. I don't know if it's the interface, or maybe it's the very computer I'm using? I would be disappointed if I had to use LR.<br> I just downloaded an update to Aperture with new raw support for more cameras so it still gets updates. I don't know what features people are using that are so useful that LR has that Aperture doesn't. <br> Vast majority of the features you will use for editing are already there. They are the basics: exposure, brightness, black point, highlight recovery, contrast, saturation, vibrancy, color curves, etc. Both programs allow you to brush in edits which is pretty important. <br> People keep clamoring for more features in Aperture but they don't list any features. Just because you have more features doesn't necessarily make it a better product. Those features have to be meaningful and useful. These people are clamoring for more features just for the sake of having more features, not necessarily to make the software better.</p>

<p>PS Express is a good one, although they charge extra for some filters, just keep that in mind. I really like the crop and straighten feature. The anti-noise feature (which I paid $4.99 for, it came with other filters) works ok, it won't do miracles.<br> Camerabag used to be my "goto" app for pictures. I still use it for exposure compensation and other basic edits cause it's easy to use and I also have the desktop version for my iMac.<br> I use "Coin Flip" or "Fortune Teller" quite a bit. I always have those situations in the day where I'm like: "Should I go home for lunch or not?" Then I flip a coin.<br> I love the app: "Wake" which is a replacement alarm clock for the standard iOS alarm clock. Setting the alarm is a lot more intuitive (you roll your finger around the clock to set the exact time) and I love the fact that it will actually tell you that you are X number of hours from when the alarm is about to go off. This has saved me already from forgetting to re-set it from PM to AM.<br> It also has some fun whimsical alarms like a chicken clucking, birds chirping and others. Don't expect it to wake you up gradually. It's supposed to do this, but it takes like less than 1 second to ramp up so it does ramp up, but it does it so fast that I don't even count this as a feature.<br> If you're a traveler, TripIt has been super useful. Simply Forward the itinerary the airlines send you when you make a reservation and TripIt will do all the work for you. It will scan your travel dates and times and put it in the app for you. When you need to look up your confirmation number and travel times, the info is right there all organized.<br> You can also do this for your hotel and rental car too. All info is stored on the cloud, so it's accessible from all your devices, iPad, iPhone, PC, etc.</p>

<p>"<a href="/photodb/user?user_id=862488">Michael Ferron</a> Ok nothing wrong with bigger cameras but am not buying the 10% weight difference thing.My G5 with a 20 1.7 and 45 1.8 fit into a small belt bag. Try that with a Nikon D5300, 35 1.8 and 85 1.8!!"<br> Thank you Michael, for telling it like it is. I have no idea what that guy is smoking. The GH4 is arguably the biggest and heaviest M43 camera there is. The GH4 doesn't represent M43 as a whole at all. The vast majority of the M43 cameras out there are much smaller and lighter than any DSLR.<br> M43 cameras definitely offer a big savings in weight and size. I used to have a Nikon D40 and while my Panasonic GX1 with 25mm F1.4 lens isn't exactly light in comparison, it's a lot smaller and compact and it's a lot more user friendly as well.</p>

<p>If they wanted to put my picture on it and put my name next to it as the OP described, I wouldn't have any problems at all. If they are putting your image, with watermark, and putting your name along with it, I fail to see how this is in any remote way, not giving you proper attribution. Now, if you want money, that's a different story. It's not like someone is ripping off your picture and telling the world it's their photo. Now that would be a crime, but that's not what happened.<br> Facebook is a social media site, not a magazine or professional publication. They have rubbed people the wrong way over privacy rights many times. If you don't agree with it, then cancel your account. Nobody says you have to use Facebook.</p>

<p>The OP doesn't seem to be paying anymore attention but I'll post for the heck of it.<br> <br /> Currently using Panasonic GX1, can be had for around $250 used. Can recommend 20mm F1.7 used to get your price around $500ish. Love the touch screen and user interface. Great way to wake up to modern photography. No stupid focus points to futz around with, just touch the screen where you want it to focus. Auto focus is fast, good for surfing, kids, and sports shots.<br> <br /> Some seriously fast glass available for M43, you will be surprised. Flash is not necessary at all, although the GX1 has one just in case (it's bounce able). I'm currently rocking the 25mm F1.4 and I'm in heaven. I've taken plenty of shots indoors without flash, in fact, I rarely use it.<br> <br /> Important to have a digital dark room in 2014 to get the most out of your camera. Shoot in raw and use Lightroom (or Aperture) to process your shots.</p>

<p>I have Panasonic GX1 and I upload pix to Facebook using the Mediashair wifi usb hub: http://www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-MediaShair-Wireless-Station-GWFRSDU/dp/B00D7FRQMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402716267&sr=8-1&keywords=mediashair+wifi<br> It's not 1 step but it works. I shoot in Jpeg, remove the SD card to the Mediashair hub. Connect my iPhone to the hub, then transfer the pic directly to Facebook from the hub. It works, I like it. Much better shots than my iPhone camera.<br> The hub is small and light weight. Battery last about 9 hours. It's also a wifi repeater so it can connect to wifi like Starbucks.</p>

<p>For me personally, I would get the MeFoto Daytrip tripod: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/994909-REG/mefoto_a0320q00k_daytrip_tripod_kit.html/prm/alsVwDtl<br> It only extends to maximum 24" but it only weighs 1.8lbs and only cost $119. 7 months is a very long time to be trekking. I would not want to lug around anything of significant weight. I'm not a fan of the gorilla pod. I do have a camera clip that I keep attached at all time just in case I need a tripod in a pinch. Manfrotto makes one ($27) but there are other clips that may be more robust.<br> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024719-REG/manfrotto_mp3_bk_pocket_tripod_black_for.html<br> I would check them out because they are inexpensive, and I've been able to get useable shots out of mine. It's great to have the flexibility of a tripod permanently mounted on the bottom of your camera. It has come in handy for my night shots and when I'm trying to get those silky smooth pics of water flowing.</p>

<p>Simon, you didn't say where you were headed off to first on your trip. If your first destination is Japan, I would recommend shopping there. I don't know where you live now, or if you've been Japan before, but the selection of camera gear there is unparalleled. Go to Yodobashi Camera, Labi, or any camera store and you will have an insane selection of tripods from all sorts of price ranges and features. There are no stores in the U.S. that offer an equivalent to the giant Japanese Camera stores. <br> I was in Japan for 2 weeks. The majority of those 2 weeks were spent not sight seeing, but shopping inside Yodobashi Camera store. I went to the one in Kyoto, and 2 in Tokyo (Shinjuku and Akihabara). The flagship store in Akihabara is too large. It's divided up into multiple buildings along several blocks. <br> I saw photo gear that I've never seen anywhere else. Majority of the tripods I saw were commonly available in stores or online, but you never know. You might find a gem. Their prices are competitive, you won't be overpaying.</p>

<p>Agree with your assessment. To me, Lightroom appears ugly and clunky to me. I have been comparing photos I edited with both softwares with some recent photos of Lupines (flowers). I have also been looking at comparison photos between the 2 using the exact same tools for editing on different websites. Most of the time I find myself preferring photos from Aperture using a blind test.</p> <p>The comments about future support make no sense. Apple isn't going out of business anytime soon. Comments about Lightroom "surpassing" Aperture sound exactly like the comments that say Samsung's Galaxy S5 have "surpassed" the iPhone 5S. I find Aperture to be much more user friendly and useable compared with Lightroom which feels like working in a prison to me. The sliders are small in Aperture, but compared with Lightroom they feel huge. The saving grace here is you can input your own value in Lightroom which I wind up doing.</p> <p>To me it's about user friendliness and output. I find myself enjoying using Aperture and find the results to be more pleasing to my eyes. That's the bottom line for me. No better way to find out which product is for you than to try both. There's a free trial for both Aperture and Lightroom if I'm not mistaken. Let your own eyes be the judge.</p>