Although the Beta version of Adobe Lightroom 2 has been out for a couple months now, the official version from Adobe has just been released yesterday and is ready for download right now or for immediate purchase. - Lightroom 2 is $299 or available as a $99 upgrade for Lightroom 1 customers. - 30 Day trial available here. Here's a list of new features in Lightroom 2 to persuade you to upgrade: Target specific areas of a photo for dodging and burning Automatically organize photos using Smart Collections Work with high-quality previews of offline images from multiple libraries and drives Expand your workspace across multiple monitors Enjoy state-of-the-art 64-bit memory handling Easily transfer images to popular photo-sharing sites Access a rich community of export plug-ins and web gallery styles at the Lightroom Exchange Work smoothly with Adobe Photoshop CS3 Bonus link: Here's a video of two guys talking about Lightroom 2 in front of a green screen.

If you buy any of the lenses in the Canon L series, you are guaranteeing yourself a good, durable, quality lens. But for those of us who are unwilling to spend a couple thousand dollars for a single lens, we assume that we just have to sacrifice quality to save some money, but that's not always the case. Here's a list of cheaper alternatives to the Canon L series where you really get a big bang for the buck. You don't have to always sacrifice optical quality to save some money when buying a lens. Listed below are several lenses, broken down into categories, which I consider to be real bargain lenses where you're getting a lot more then what you're paying for. (Canon lenses only) Wide Angle Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM. - $700 Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. - $1000 Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 - $300 Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM. - $400 Standard Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II. - $100 Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. - $350 Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM. - $230 Telephoto Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. - $550 Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. - $350 Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM. - $400 Macro Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro. - $500 Now with these lenses, you won't ...

There is still time left this summer to squeeze in a vacation or two with your loved ones, so make it count! Bring the camera gear and start making memories. Here are some tips to get better photos on your next vacation: Pack light. Bringing all your gear can have its  toll on your back at the end of the day. Instead, only bring a couple lenses. Zoom lenses are nice because you will have a lot more freedom without having to constantly switch lenses. Wake up early. If you expect to visit any popular tourist attraction, getting there early can give you a lot more freedom to take the pictures you want. Not only will you be getting the beautiful light from the low sun, you will not be amongst hundreds of tourists because they will still be in bed! Get the details. Get the details. Do not put your camera down because you are not next to any landmarks. A way to make a vacation album really unique is by getting the details. Shoot street signs, passing cars, what you had for lunch, anything! There are tons of photographic opportunities and you are only letting them slip away when you put ...

Often times if you want to do macro photography, you'll have to get a dedicated macro lens, and that comes with a price. There is however a much cheaper solution that can give you better magnification then a lot of the macro lenses you see on the market today. Reversing the lens is easy, cheap, and the results you are just mind blowing. Understanding the term macro: A true macro lens is considered to have 1:1 magnification, or life size. Those two numbers represent the reproduction ratio. What that means is if your lens is capable of shooting at 1:1 magnification, your camera will be able to fill the entire picture with an object exactly the same size as your camera's sensor. If it is 2:1, the magnification doubles and now that object will appear twice as big. If it is 1:2, the magnification halves and now that object will only fill half the frame. Almost all true macro lenses will be able to get 1:1 magnification. A lot of manufactures claim that some of their lenses have macro capabilities, but in reality the maximum magnification you'll be able to achieve is 1:2 or less. How to get the poor man's macro: Reversing the lens ...