Camera Bag

[ukcatfan]

Good news!!! I am glad it worked out for you.

 

[RadioNate]

Can any Mac users offer some insight.

I love the basic functionality of iPhoto. I don't keyword and I find things like 'faces' and 'places' hokey but for the most part I like it's management. I like the whole 'event' thing and the 1 step click to publish online.

I don't like their basic editing tools. I've been using Photoshop Elements for basic editing but even that isn't really doing it for me. I used to have the full version of Photoshop but right now that is too spendy and frankly overkill for my ability and interest in editing.

Which obviously brings me to the Aperture v. Lightroom question.

I'm looking for better RAW tools, improved editing function yet with the management simplicity of iPhoto.

This is a horrible question and I probably need to formulate my thoughts better but maybe a Mac user will understand and have some thoughts on the subject. I've googled and like the great Canon/Nikon debate it seems to boil down to a lot of personal preference things.

So maybe tell me why you prefer one to the other?

 

[Spaceace5150]

I have never used either program, so I can't comment. However, there was a review by the Wall Street Journal technology person this week of both programs. Here is the link:

http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20100908/tackling-54000-photos-with-two-programs/

Good luck!

 

[handicap18]

I used Lightroom for a little while when I had a PC. I tried the Aperture trial after I got my iMac. In the end I've still stuck with Nikon Capture NX2. It doesn't do everything, but it does what I need and does it well.

Both Lightroom and Aperture have free trials. I say try them both and see what you like.

 

[photo_chick]

I second the free trials suggestion. We all have different tastes.

 

[Chikabowa]

Love Lightroom. It is so versatile and powerful.

For personal use... I love the fact that it's a one step upload to my zenfolio account and then I and my mother can go in and order pictures from there.

 

[RadioNate]

Ugh, this is going to be a personal preference thing. I hate choosing, lol. I wish one far outweighed the other.

guess I'm off to download....

 

[pgowder]

Love LR! Great tool! Get the free trial.

 

[Mockingjay12]

I've used Lightroom ever since I got my Macbook a year ago and I really love it. It's simple to use and straight to the point with simple photo adjustments.

 

[bostran1]

I'm a huge Aperture fan myself. But I haven't used Lightroom so for all I know I'm missing out something there...

One thing to keep in mind with Aperture is that many Apple Stores offer training on it and there is a pretty sizable learning curve from iPhoto to Aperture. Apple also does a good job of putting instructional videos online to help too.

At any rate, download the free trials and go from there.

 

[disneyboy2003]

Ugh, this is going to be a personal preference thing. I hate choosing, lol. I wish one far outweighed the other.

The good thing about consumers is that we DO have a choice in what we use. Our lives are FULL of choices:

• Nikon vs. Canon vs. etc.
• Apple vs. PC
• Coke vs. Pepsi
• Aperture vs. Lightroom

In terms of Aperture vs. Lightroom, if you're looking for some metric where one "far outweighs" the other, here's a survey from InfoTrends that shows that Lightroom is WAY ahead of Aperture, among use by professional photographers:

	        2007	2008	2009
Camera Raw    	66.5%	62.2%	57.9%
Lightroom    	23.6%	35.9%	37.0%
Aperture    	5.5% 	7.5%	6.3%
 	 	 
[B]On the Mac platform only:[/B]	 	 
Lightroom    	26.6%	40.4%	44.4%
Aperture     	14.3%	14.6%	12.5%

According to these numbers, among professional photographers who use Macs in 2009, 44.4% of them use Lightroom, while only 12.5% use Aperture. And apparently, Lightroom's market share has grown each year since 2007.

I couldn't find the InfoTrends Web site itself, but here are some folks who are quoting these stats:

• John Nack, from Adobe
• Scott Kelby, Photoshop guru and President of NAPP

Should this convince you to go with Lightroom? I guess it's a matter of personal preference.

 

[RadioNate]

I've got both the trials. So far I think Aperture is easier to use but I think that is just because it has a more iPhoto feel than Lightroom.

I need to import more photos into Lightroom and play with the RAW conversions a bit more. So far I've only put RAW files into Lightroom and haven't imported any RAW into Aperture. I have more than 22k photos in iPhoto so I'm not messing with my entire library. I don't have the HD space for that!

This is going to be a tough decision. I know I need "more" than iPhoto and my Photoshop Elements has some issues. But I'm in no way a professional. I don't have professional skills. I don't even have advanced hobbiest skills. I just need a little more editing help to save the photos I totally botch!

 

[disneyboy2003]

I need to import more photos into Lightroom and play with the RAW conversions a bit more. So far I've only put RAW files into Lightroom and haven't imported any RAW into Aperture. I have more than 22k photos in iPhoto so I'm not messing with my entire library. I don't have the HD space for that!

Regarding Lightroom, Lightroom doesn't actually do anything with your RAW or JPEG photos, unless you want it to. Lightroom actually creates a "catalog" of data about your photos. Any importing or changes you make in Lightroom is stored inside the Lightroom catalog itself. Your actual RAW and JPEG photos are still in the same places, they're never moved, and they're not touched by Lightroom. So you are not importing 22,000 actual photos into Lightroom...you're only importing data and previews of 22,000 photos.

With over 22,000 photos in your library, Lightroom is actually the perfect program for organizing your photos. Lightroom was made specifically for photographers to help with their / our workflow.

I'm sure the same can probably be said about how Aperture works.

There are lots of great introductory books and tutorials about Lightroom. I'm sure you can find some on YouTube. Actually, Adobe has several excellent links to different places where you can learn Lightroom: link.

Don't be discouraged. All software take a little time and effort to get used to. But once you get used to it, you'll see that Lightroom is really made specifically for photography and that it's flexible enough for your digital photography workflow.

Hope that helps.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

John Nack, from Adobe
Scott Kelby, Photoshop guru and President of NAPP

In the interest of full disclosure, both of these guys have a very strong interest in Lightroom - one working the company that sells it and the other owning the company that sells the most training for it. That said, the stats seem right based on my personal experience. I see a pretty even split between Aperture and Lightroom for casual and amateur photographers using Macs but virtually every pro I know that uses either uses Lightroom.

It is definitely a presonal preference issue. Neither locks you in and both are good. Well, I guess Aperture locks you into the Mac world.

 

[Rental01]

Lightroom is the first stop for any picture I plan on keeping. That's where I view the images and delete the bad shots, then make the good shots amazing. My workflow that used to just include CAmera RAW then Photoshop now centers around Lr preparing the photos and using Ps to finish them.

Lightroom has become an essential tool for me.

 

[RadioNate]

Regarding Lightroom, Lightroom doesn't actually do anything with your RAW or JPEG photos, unless you want it to. Lightroom actually creates a "catalog" of data about your photos. Any importing or changes you make in Lightroom is stored inside the Lightroom catalog itself. Your actual RAW and JPEG photos are still in the same places, they're never moved, and they're not touched by Lightroom. So you are not importing 22,000 actual photos into Lightroom...you're only importing data and previews of 22,000 photos.

With over 22,000 photos in your library, Lightroom is actually the perfect program for organizing your photos. Lightroom was made specifically for photographers to help with their / our workflow.

I'm sure the same can probably be said about how Aperture works.

There are lots of great introductory books and tutorials about Lightroom. I'm sure you can find some on YouTube. Actually, Adobe has several excellent links to different places where you can learn Lightroom: link.

Don't be discouraged. All software take a little time and effort to get used to. But once you get used to it, you'll see that Lightroom is really made specifically for photography and that it's flexible enough for your digital photography workflow.

Hope that helps.

I need to find more "play" time. The importing has to do with the way Apple stores files when you use iPhoto. I can't use my iPhoto library directly with Lightroom (or Aperture for that matter) it's just the stupid file system.

And I guess I should be more specific, I want to see what I can do with my RAW files in both programs. iPhoto is bad at handling RAW, in my opinion there isn't much flexibility and my PS Elements doesn't work at all, which I know is from a glitch in the software updates but I've given up messing with it.

 

[BorisMD]

Great question.

I've been using Aperture for several months, and am very happy with the way it works and how it allows me to post process files. It is a much better program for that type of work compared to iPhoto.

Having said that, last night I went to the first meeting of the year for a local camera club, and the speaker went through Lightroom 3. I was very impressed. One really neat feature is that it can automatically correct an image based on which lens was used to take the image (automatically correct for chromatic aberation and pincushion or barrel distortion, vignetting, etc). Also, little did I know, but the Adobe division that does Lightroom is right here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and the local Lightroom/PS user group is attended by the engineers who write the software. So, if you go to the user group meetings, you can get some really good insights into how to use the software. I purchased a copy, and plan to work on getting to know it better.

The speaker last night is an instructor for a local photography school, and he was using a MacBook Pro, and said he does 90% of his work in Lightroom, and only minimal work in PS (mostly if he has to remove a powerline, etc, from an image) -- but he also demonstrated how Lightroom can now do some of this type of photoshop work too.

It does take some work to get to know a new program, but I'm going to give it a try.

Regards,

Boris

 

[zetachi]

Bumping this for some opinions. I'm in the same boat with my Oly E510 and biggest lens 70-300. I have the Flipside 400 which I've found is way to big to carry all day esp @ someplace like Disney. I've been looking at reviews of the LowePro Inverse AW series, just need to get to a store and try out some of these bags.

 

[zetachi]

Bump for more bag opinions.

 

[ssanders79]

I now use the Tamrac Adventure 9. It provides more room than I need with the addition of a laptop compartment that I can stuff a rain coat. The top is great for snacks and extras we bring to the parks. I no longer carry the tripod on the bottom since getting a benro travel angel. It is easier to put it on the top handle.


Tamrac Adventure 9 | Tripod by ssanders79, on Flickr


Tamrac Adventure 9 | Inside by ssanders79, on Flickr