LATEST ADDITIONS

My husband and I have a Texas peach tree in our backyard that in the spring covers itself with pink flowers during a brief two-week period. When this happens we are literally surrounded with all kinds of insects flying all over the place, getting intoxicated on the sweet nectar of the flowers. It is one of those spectacles of nature that we look forward to witnessing every year.

Corel announced the release of Corel PaintShop Pro X4, the latest version of its award-winning photo editing software. PaintShop Pro is said to deliver ‘DSLR’ power at a ‘point-and-shoot’ price while offering an uncompromising depth and selection of pro-quality tools to expertly manage, adjust, edit and share your entire photo collection.

You don’t always need a lens to make photographs. When I was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, our instructor Jack Wilgus had all his students make their own pinhole cameras and shoot images with them. I took the easy way out and used a Quaker Oats box and used photographic paper cut into a circle to fit the box as my capture media. My homemade camera produced round, negative images that I kidded myself into believing echoed the style of early photographs but now, as with many things photographic and not, I know better. Yet one thing remains: you don’t need a lens to make photographs. Sure, many new SLRs, such as the Olympus E-30 that I tested (April, 2009, issue of Shutterbug), have a “pinhole” filter but the camera itself uses a lens and internal software to create the look of the real thing. But shooting film in a real pinhole camera brings back that very “ah-ha” that Ernst Haas was talking about.

Starting September 2011, Carl Zeiss will be offering four new diameters for UV and POL filters (circular): 52 mm, 55 mm, 62 mm and 77 mm. With these new sizes, the company is expanding its range of filters, which until now have only been available in diameters 58 mm, 67 mm, 72 mm and 82 mm. Additional diameter sizes will follow in January 2012: 43 mm and 46 mm as UV filters and 95 mm as a UV and POL filter. This will complete Carl Zeiss’ UV and POL filter program for the most common lens diameters.

“The premium Carl Zeiss T* UV and POL filters meet only the highest quality standards,” said Michael Schiehlen, Director of Sales for the Camera Lens Division of Carl Zeiss AG. “The filter threads and optics glasses are adjusted to the lenses from Carl Zeiss, but they are also compatible with lenses from other manufacturers.” The T* coating used onCarl Zeiss lenses is also used on its filters. The T* anti-reflective coating minimizes flare on glass-air surfaces and improves light transmission. Carl Zeiss T* UV and POL filters can be easily changed and used in combination with lens shades. Furthermore, they feature a compact design and front thread. Commercially available lens caps can be used with the filters.