When I took my new portfolio from the wrapper the above word was what I exclaimed. Hit the jump for the nitty-gritty.

First off, let me say that AdoramaPix offered me this book free of charge due to a previous review I had written on AdoramaPix’s normal print services, which are still my primary print outlet. They contacted me and offered me one, they did not ask for a review, and I am doing this of my own volition. As a side note, this is the first review on Three Five Photo of a product that I did not pay for myself. Kudos to AdoramaPix for promoting their products in a very lassiez-faire attitude and for giving me this chance to try out their Book offering.

Ease of Creation: 8/10
AdoramaPix has an online software suite that allows you to create custom book designs, edit/use their pre-designed templates, and an option to create a blank book so you can import pages created in an layout suite like Pagemaker, Quark, Photoshop, or InDesign. The software is a little slow running, depending on your machine, but VERY in depth. The only thing I wanted to do but couldn’t was to have a round/oval clipping mask on my logo on the front. Aside from this one thing using the book software was excellent and offered much more stability and options than the Blurb Booksmart software I used in the past. Another plus to using an online suite is that the book saves to Adorama’s servers protecting your work from being corrupted or lost in the event of a hard drive failure. It took me right at 2.5 hours to compile my book using the software. Normally, I would have used InDesign but I wanted to be able to give a full review of the process.

Quality: 9.5/10
When I first opened my book, as I mentioned before, Wow was all I had to say. The cover is heavier than most typical book covers. The pages are thick and the paper used provide excellent color rendition. Pages lay flat as advertised and the finish is just the right balance between gloss and satin. Overall, the book feels very well made. The only thing I have against it is it shows fingerprints, so carry a soft cloth if you are using this book as a portfolio as am I.

Shipping: 10/10
As usual Adorama’s shipping packaging was excellent. The piece was well protected and shrink-wrapped inside its protective shipping carton.

Note: Below are a few things I would suggest Adorama to add in.
1. Template pages. I used a predesigned book and the edited it as I needed, however there were several page layouts that I liked better. I had to create those from scratch. Had there been a page layout template it would have been much easier.
2. A paper that is slightly more fingerprint resistant. This isn’t a big complaint at all, the paper is excellent as is.
3. More predesigned book. The selection is excellent, but there could be more.

Conclusion: While priced slightly higher than other POD bookmakers the product delivered is more than worth the increase in price. This is a product you will be happy to received for yourself and to deliver to your clients. I am looking forward to seeing how well they can shrink my current 8×12 book to a 6×9 book to use as a portable portfolio that fits in my messenger.

Before I get into the good stuff, I just want you mention that I won’t be going into significant technical details about this lens. That information is readily available from Nikon USA’s website, and unlike other blogs, I don’t feel the need to continue to beat the dead horse. The point of this review to is to let you know how this lens feels in the field during use. That being said, lets get started.

Having recently acquired some funding to upgrade my photography I entered into full on research mode. As a photographer, I find that I swing one of two ways … 1.) I try my best to maximize each dollar. I consider the amount of possible use, the number of times per month I can use it, longevity, upgradability, image quality, etc, etc, etc. and 2.) I blow a wad of cash on something that I’ll probably use once a month (maybe).

For me, the 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D was a case of #1. After a month of research, I felt that the 80-200 would be the best option for my style of photography. Good range for wildlife, nice low-mid range for portraiture, fast for low light usage in wedding situations, awesome bokeh, and great crisp focus. At 1100.00 new, in comparison to the 2000.00+ 70-200, the 80-200 f/2.8 is a STEAL … period. Occasionally, you can find it Refurbed by Nikon in the 800.00 range, Used ones tend to go in the 500-900 dollar range. Something to note when shopping for a Used 80-200, there are actually two versions of this lens. Originally, the lens was a push/pull style but was later switched to the current two ring version. Having used both, I can personally say that I prefer the two ring version that I own.

Build Quality

You cannot talk about this lens without discussing the build quality. Weighing in a roughly 3.5 pounds the 80-200 f/2.8 is largely constructed of metal. I don’t recommend dropping it on concrete. Internally, the lens contains 16 elements in 11 groups including 3 ED elements. The aperture is formed with 9 rounded blades for buttery smooth bokeh when shooting wide open.

Focus Speed

One complaint that people have with this lens is that it is slow to focus. Personally, I don’t agree with those people. From my own tests with a Nikon D80 I can focus the entire range in less than 2 seconds. Two seconds might seem like a long period of time, but for the range the lens gives you I find it to be quite acceptable. There is occasionally some back focus, but I have determined that this isn’t a problem with newer/better spec’d bodies (D90 and up).

Image Quality

Well, it’s just perfection … Im not sure if there is anything I can really say more than that. It is tack sharp with little evidence of distortion. It has great contrast and with the f/2.8 you can get great shots in natural light. The below images was taken at 200mm, roughly 25ft away, handheld in natural light.

Hood

The optional hood, the HB-7, is … well, pathetic in my opinion. It is functional, but no where near as good as it could be. However, the HB-29, that is made for the 70-200 is an excellent replacement. The mounting grips are different though and you will need either a 3rd party adapter (via eBay) or you can choose to modify the HB-29 petal hood to fit the 80-200. In my opinion, the adapter is well worth the 30.00 (including shipping) even though it can be a little difficult to use sometimes.

A third option is a 77mm screw on rubber hood. They are made by several different companies, but I recommend the one manufactured by Mamiya. This hood sells for about 30.00 and can be purchased via any number of camera stores.

Overall

Overall, this is a spectacular lens for the money. Some might not think that 1100.00 is a small amount, but when compared to the 70-200’s price, 1100.00 is a great value. Don’t think about it, just buy it! I got mine here.

A few months after my order with Mpix I was in need of some more prints. Having just purchased some gear from Adorama, they had hit up my Inbox with an email detailing their print service. I ended up ordering several prints on their True B/W Paper (Ilford) and Metallic paper (Kodak). All I can say is WOW. The prints were excellent, richly colored and the paper just felt better in the hands. Having a background as an Art Director in Graphic Design, I know paper quality when I feel it. No need for a caliper here! Overall, the only Con I have for AdoramaPix is their sizes in True B/W Matte paper are a little too limited in my opinion. I’d like to see a solid 11″ x 14″ and maybe even a 16″ x 20″.

My prints arrived via USPS (although faster methods are available) in seriously sturdy packaging. In fact, I often deliver my prints to buyers in this packaging (always be sure to recycle them once you’ve worn them out!). Each print job was individually wrapped and back boarded. Larger prints include corner protection “bumpers” to eliminate crushed corners.
Overall, packaging from AdoramaPix get a 5 out of 5. The boxes get a 6 out of 5, 1 extra for being able to reuse them.

Other than the one small issue of True B/W Matte print sizes, I have had no serious issues with AdoramaPix. If you DO need larger True B/W Matte prints, drop AdoramaPix a note asking them to carry bigger sizes, until then you’re stuck with going elsewhere. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend you try out AdormamPix. I use them as my primary source for prints and Im sure you’ll be happy with your results as well.

UPDATE: I’m getting some increased web traffic after being mentioned on AdoramaPix.com’s blog. I just thought I would update this review with my most recent dealings with AdoramaPix.com. Three weeks ago I placed an order which included a 20″ x 30″ print on Kodak Lustre paper.

In all honesty, this print was a bilateral test. One, I wanted to test just how far I could push some of my earlier, lower megapixel/resolution, shots. Two, I wanted to see the 20″ x 30″ quality from AdoramaPix prior to offering the option for a project that I hope will turn into some name recognition within my home state. When I received my order it was perfect, as usual, however the 20″ x 30″ print had been creased during shipping.

I was literally on my way out the door for a shoot in a neighboring state when I dropped AdoramaPix a quick email detailing what had happened. BEFORE I GOT OUT TO MY SUV, I had a response from AdoramaPix telling me they would reprint the image and ship it out, Rush Order, at no charge. By that evening I had a shipping notice and the print was sitting on my porch when I returned home.

I can’t begin to explain how impressed I have been with AdoramaPix. From quality prints, excellent color correction (by request), top notch paper (the Kodak Metallic is simply breathtaking), and now super customer service. AdoramaPix is an excellent choice for all those needing prints, from a mom needing prints for Grandma, to the casual photographer, and to the dedicated professional. Nothing from my original review has changed and I continue to highly recommend AdoramaPix.com for all your photographic printing needs, as well as Adorama.com for everything else. Cheers!

Right out of the box, Photoshop Mobile tends to be more in line with traditional computer-based post-processing. Virtually now learning curve if you are familiar with CS2 and up. There are all the normal settings like Saturation, Exposure, Contrast, B/W, Focus and Tint settings in addition to the “artistic” presets. Also unlike BC, PS Mobile gives you varying levels of each setting as opposed to a preset amount for each type of change. As a result you can get very sharp (for an iPhone shot) high contrast black and white images, which seem to be a favorite among iPhone shooters, myself included. In addition, PS Mobile also includes a Sketch mode as well as a sharpening tool.

The place where PS Mobile is lacking is the artistic modes they provide. I have found very few instances where the artistic presets actually added to the aesthetic of the image. Oh, and Adobe … if you’re reading this … that Rainbow tint has GOT to go. As I said before, if you like high contrast B/W images, you’ll love Photoshop mobile.

Photoshop Mobile also, as of the last version, has added in some great border choices. In a world where the camera phone has taken the place of the Polaroid, borders are an important detail in given the images that vintage look. I especially like the film emulsion border. I love to see more creative borders.

Chase Jarvis is a name that, if you are a photographer, you should already know. He stormed the iPhone world recently with his app, Best Camera. Being a fan of Chase, I bought it right out of the gate. After getting past a few of the birthing pains of a brand new app I have to admit I really enjoyed it. BC gives some seriously artistic presets to play with, as well as several settings. Some of these include, Fade, Warm, Cool, Contrast, Desaturate, Darken, and Vignette. However, as mentioned above, the strength of these are preset. You can stake them, but if the base effect is too strong, there is nothing you can do to really counter it.

A positive though, is that BC’s artistic presets are first rate, especially for those people who love super saturation or vintage images. This is where BC really shines, although there aren’t too many of them to choose from.

In conclusion, I have found Photoshop Mobile to be a highly usable image editor for on-the-go shooting. While I hate to say it, I also find it much more robust and usable than Chase’s Best Camera. However, I do recommend getting both of them due to the fact that multi-app processing brings a lot to the party. If you can only get one … snag Photoshop Mobile.

Both apps can be found on the iTunes App Store. Chase Jarvis’ Best Camera is currently selling for 2.99. Photoshop.com Mobile is Free.