1. Adobe Elements. Will it be useful to someone like me? I want a program used primarily for editing photos, not storing or organizing them; I can do that myself. The only use I have for Lightroom, for example, is converting my RAW files into jpegs. I've used it maybe three times (see links below). Just not my box of cherry juice.
Or, alternatively, any suggestions for something else? I've read only bad reviews for Paint Shop Pro, but I know Pete, Rebbecca and Malena use it. Doesn't help that two of three deleted their accounts :P
Erm. I don't really know of anything else. I tried GIMP a few years back but it wasn't for me, I strongly dislike Picasa and there's only so much you can do with Picnik. :/
2. Then: Canon f/1.4 vs. f/1.8 - is there actually any difference as far as the results go? Does anyone have one or both of these? I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt to either start with the cheaper one and see if I like it and only then get the other. Or should I skip the f/1.8 altogether?
It depends how much editing you want to do. I believe that Elements, unlike Photoshop, doesn't use layers. I find myself using layers all the time for literally everything as it means you can do non-destructive editing, and I wouldn't rate myself as a particularly professional photographer. I've never used Elements though, but I'll be sticking to Photoshop because I'm used to using layers now.
I can't answer your first question, but I can answer your second one. Yes, there is a considerable difference. I have the 50mm f/1.4 and love it! If you like a shallow depth of field, the only way to go is the 1.4 in my opinion. It allows for so much more detail in low light situations. The 1.4 is by far my favorite lens and I think it's definitely worth the extra money!
@indiannie_jones Yep. The CS bit referes to "Creative Suite" which is additional software. Photoshop is just one part of the Creative Suite but all the latest versions go by the "CS5" tag. I'm still CS1!!!
@indiannie_jones I just bought the f/1.8 and was talking with a friend who have both. She said that she loves the f/1.4 and there is a big difference, but she needed some time to get used to the extra shallow depth of field.
If you ever get to the point where you are batch editing photos you will learn that LR is GREAT... yesterday I had a shoot where I wanted to make minor tweaks to WB and sharpness and the curve for a shoot at one location with a standard light source... I picked my fav 8 photos from 50 based on face and pose... I tweaked the first one in about 2 mins... and presto the other 7 where done... that saves me tons of time! I try and get it as close as possible in the camera, but sometimes what I see on the LCD does not match my computer screen.
as to the second question canon f/1.4 vs f/1.8 does not help as I have no idea what length of lens you are talking... the 24mm vs 28mm, the 55mm, the 135...
If you mean just 1.4 vs 1.8 there is not much difference... for instance I have 50mm that are f1.8, 1.4, 1.2, 2, 2.8, 4... My favorite is the 50mm f/4 Macro... but I also like the colors from the 1.8....
I will assume you mean the 50mm
for me the difference would be the 5 blades on the 1.8 vs the 8 (?)rounded(?) blades in the 1.4
I assume you want this lens for ports with creamy background... with five blades you get the one of the right... with 8 it will be like the middle...
Oh I forgot why I was asking about the 50mm? Do you like that length on a digitial camera? Have you tried the 24 or 28mm range... It is a real treat and gives you a normal view on a 35mm... or the 135... on digital is my perfered Focal Length for portraits vs the 50mm... but that is just me...
@electricwriter Elements 9 added layer masks, but you can't use layer masks other than adjustment layers in editions prior to 9. :)
Still there are some differences, and it will depend on you and what you are planning to do, Annie. :) I know I'm the odd man, but since PS is out of price range, Elements is working just fine, and there are ways to make it behave more like PS, but, it takes a little time to learn to do that. :)
yeah, elements has layers, and also batch editing capabilities. not that i know how to do either. but, i will be here for moral support if you get it. ;)
i should say, it is quite a leap coming from picnik, and i am a bit frustrated, but i am starting from scratch. i really don't know a thing about layers or masks or any of that stuff, but i think it won't be difficult once i learn the basics and play around some. it's just so..different. oh, elements 9 is what i just got, btw.
2. If you are asking about the 50mm ones, then all I can speak on is the 1.8, and I love it but it really isn't that sharp, but you can't expect much for the price. IIRC the 1.4 is way more expensive, so should be sharper... I'm considering getting a more expensive low-f-number lens myself right now, so much do I love the 1.8, but for its lack of sharpness
okay, i have calmed down from my initial photoshop shock, and am playing around more and liking it. the main thing i like over the simplicity of picnik (which i also like) is the selecting tools that allow for more precise selection of sections that i can edit. which was one of the main reasons i wanted something more comprehensive than picnik.
Re...The difference between the f1.4 and f1.8. In a secular life long ago, I worked in a studio where we took pics, processed film (B&W and Color) (I spent so much time in a darkroom I lost my tan!) and bought and sold high quality equipment. In the buying and selling end, we tested everything! I have tested many different lens on the bench collimator, and the only lens that showed enough difference that actually rated the increase in price from 1.8 to 1.4 were the Leica lens and the Pentax Takumar lens. The optical difference between the Nikkor, the Canon, the Zuiko, etc lens did not justify the difference in price.
By the way, it blew my socks off to find the Pentax Takumars rated as close to the Leica lens as they did. In fact the 135mm F3.5 Takumar Tele lens was actually better than the the same sized Tele Emerit lens from Leica. The Rangefinder lens from the old Zeiss Ikon Contaxes were excellent also.
I've used both the f/1.8 and f/1.4 ... jinx bought me the 1.8 not long after purchasing my camera - at the time it was more a case of me learning how to use my camera and not really knowing how "into" it I would get ... we figured financially, it would be a better option to go for the less expensive one at the time ... now though, I would be lost with my 1.4 and if I had my time again, I would definitely purchase it over the 1.8 ...
So if money isn't an issue, I'd recommend the 1.4 ... when we have friends who are purchasing a DSLR for the first time and have a limited knowledge of photography, we tend to recommend they buy the 1.8 so that they can at least have a good prime lens (and either not purchase a kit lens or use it for a pretty paperweight instead) - I think I tend to see it as a learning lens now ...
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as to the second question canon f/1.4 vs f/1.8 does not help as I have no idea what length of lens you are talking... the 24mm vs 28mm, the 55mm, the 135...
If you mean just 1.4 vs 1.8 there is not much difference... for instance I have 50mm that are f1.8, 1.4, 1.2, 2, 2.8, 4... My favorite is the 50mm f/4 Macro... but I also like the colors from the 1.8....
I will assume you mean the 50mm
for me the difference would be the 5 blades on the 1.8 vs the 8 (?)rounded(?) blades in the 1.4
I assume you want this lens for ports with creamy background... with five blades you get the one of the right... with 8 it will be like the middle...
And yeah, I mean the 50mm. I think I'll go straight with 1.4 :)
Still there are some differences, and it will depend on you and what you are planning to do, Annie. :) I know I'm the odd man, but since PS is out of price range, Elements is working just fine, and there are ways to make it behave more like PS, but, it takes a little time to learn to do that. :)
Annie... f1.4!!!!!!! :)
there are portables of this, so it wont eat lots of your memory.. hihihi
i couldn't find my download link. u can try torrent...
i recommend photoshop for editing for the reason that i haven't tried any other LOL!
By the way, it blew my socks off to find the Pentax Takumars rated as close to the Leica lens as they did. In fact the 135mm F3.5 Takumar Tele lens was actually better than the the same sized Tele Emerit lens from Leica. The Rangefinder lens from the old Zeiss Ikon Contaxes were excellent also.
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So if money isn't an issue, I'd recommend the 1.4 ... when we have friends who are purchasing a DSLR for the first time and have a limited knowledge of photography, we tend to recommend they buy the 1.8 so that they can at least have a good prime lens (and either not purchase a kit lens or use it for a pretty paperweight instead) - I think I tend to see it as a learning lens now ...
Okay so I went with the 50mm f/1.4 :D yaaay