Excellent for the pro's
355837
I've owned other brands that I thought were the best for yrs but when I seen this one online I figured I would give it a try I gotta tell you it is just as good if not better than the ones I paid double the price you won't be disappointed . Great for top soil do not get it if you want to spread stone won't work well but mulch and soil is the key..
2305225
Too much for my needs as a casual shooter, but it delivers on every count. Everything you need to know about staged shoots is spelled out in complete detail. The voice of experience rings loud and clear. I'll take home some valuable general concepts, but this is really a guide for pros.
4725274
I'm a Photoshop professional- I use Photoshop daily and have for many years. Most of what you can do here you can do in Photoshop, of course, but it's a lot harder to learn and the cost difference is phenomenal-- $40 vs $6-700! So my review will have some bias. That said, CPSPX4U is a delight. I won't run down the individual features as many others have done a great job describing them.

I can imagine a bit of a learning curve for someone who hasn't used any image editing software, but it's worth taking the time to learn. My advice to beginners is to explore. Open a copy of whichever photo you want to manipulate (ALWAYS work on copies- whichever program you're using!) and start trying each section. Within a section, explore the tools and within each tool, explore the variations you can use.

For the intermediate user, someone who has used other photo-editing software, I think you'll enjoy the different approaches you'll find in this application. Let yourself go wild and play. Work using a succession of copies, then toss the ones that don't work out and save the good variations.

For professionals who create digital art - I find using another program - even if you work primarily in Photoshop or Illustrator, is particularly helpful from a creative perspective. Sure, you can pretty much do everything in your main app, but I'm willing to bet you didn't think of many of these ideas- so having them in front of you is wonderful. We ALL get set in our ways -- working in a different application forces us to create with a different tool - and I believe you can't have enough tools at your disposal. I don't use secondary apps for the primary things I do in Photoshop as much as for the filters, layer effects, etc, available in another app. PaintshopProX4 Ultimate has a delightful range of filters and plugins. I find switching between Photoshop and Paintshop Pro (or Corel Paint) offers me the widest range of inspiration within my work. I recommend this app for all levels of users- you simply can't go wrong for the price.
160189
I find this book excellent.  He gives so much information & makes it easy to access.
It is good for professionals & amateurs .
2722257
I've been using a 24-105 L (original version) for pro jobs and not feeling too pleased with the image quality. Odd, as it's supposed to be the standard for journalistic activities. Finally I read about this one and got a good used one on Amazon. The image quality of the 15-85 is phenomenal, much, much better than the 24-105, or my copy, anyway. I have no problem now with getting rid of the "pro" lens.

I took this one to Madrid and Dublin recently and was incredibly happy with every shot it produced. It's super-fast focusing on an 80D and performs very well in lower light--doesn't hurt that the 80D allows for pretty high ISOs with very little grain. It's made like a tank, kinda heavy but not excessively so, especially since it replaces several other fixed-focus lenses and does it quite well. I brought a 35mm along on that trip, mostly to have in case this one crapped out, but I never used it.

Pairing this with a 70-200, either 2.8 or f4, gives you a pretty solid kit. If you pair the 70-200 with a full-framer, you've got a superb kit. I don't really like having two camera formats (the 6D won't take this lens and actually pops out the mirror if you accidentally try to mount it--I know this from sour experience), but if you've got the transport capacity, it's a great combination for the mindful. Using two APS-Cs with that combo is also a fine option. Anyway, love this lens and plan to use it for my next pro job, a large indoor forum event. It'll take care of business without question.
3344222
Perfect product for Amateur to Pro users.  Easy on/off clip so you don't have to screw in the pod every time you want to use.  I used it for videos on my youtube channel and quality is great!  Check out those videos here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_dN8t0MXL8AMY-2Omx2kw Videos from Dec 2015 on were used with JOBY tripod
4325334
Excellent book for a beginner and an expert alike. Sometimes, the easy things in life can be the best things too. This book drives home that point (about indexing). There is some amount of redundancy in driving that point across to the reader, but maybe it is for the better.
37654
I've been shooting sports photography of my kids and their friends in tournaments and high school for about nine years. In that time I've learned much from books, podcasts, and simply trial and error. However, this book stitches it all together for me. It has explained and verified things I knew or suspected about the interplay of aperture, shutter speed, focal length, and white balance but it does so in an easy to understand way. The directions on what setting to use for a particular look are easy to implement, and it's fun to follow a particular instruction and watch a photo appear that you didn't think you could make. I wish I'd found this book about five years ago but I'll take what I can get now. If you're a pro or a super-serious amateur this book is probably too fundamental for you because you already know these points (or at least you better). But if you're new to photography or just love it as a hobby (and wish you could leave your day job to do what you really like to do) take a look at this book. You'll be glad you did.
138384
There's a lot more to shooting than pointing the camera and pushing record. Cinematography is not a book for beginners, or even some novices, but if you're a professional (or want to be) this is a must-have.

The first third of the book covers the art of cinematography, framing and composition. It's well laid out with tons of good-sized color stills; many from actual movies you've seen, which is always a good touch.

The rest of the book is the craft of shooting, with all the technical details that comes with. All the details on core principles like lighting and focus to tips on more specialized situation like shooting on a green screen or underwater. The slew of tables and conversion charts might not be of much use to even the novice, but pros will want to have them flagged for easy reference.

The disc is a new one on me. It's an actual DVD you can play in a DVD player instead of just a collection of files, containing short tutorials on the basics of camera and grip work. If you're less experienced with cameras, you'll love this disc. Concepts like ISO and depth of field are much easier to absorb in a short video than any span of text. There's even a half-hour video behind the scenes of a basic film shoot, which can lend some great insight into what goes into a professional production.

If you're an aspiring professional this is a book to get, even if a fair bit might fly over your head. If you're on the fence about this book, the DVD alone is worth it.
103727
This is a great book for amateurs and pros alike. Most defiantly worth the read, cut almost five stokes off my game!! Very satisfied. Thank you.
2496174
A top notch guide book for amateurs and professionals alike.
3354278
Very good camera for the inexperienced or the pro, for video or stills. No camera is perfect under all circumstances, I have been doing photo video since the 70's with everything from  Mamiya to Ricoh, Sony, Canon (used to have everything Canon) and I suspect some of the negative reviews are from people who either have a defective unit, don't know how to use a camera or expect miracles.

Used properly you can get very good results from this camera. If I were going to criticize something about it it would be the way the manual focus has to be accomplished. I much prefer the focus ring on my FZ1000 which is overall even better than this one (of course lacks the zoom) and will probably keep me from buying any more DSLRs.

Panasonic has had some of the top cameras in the past several years, right now I have 8 and I do everything from videos (my youtube channel with almost 2,000,000 views), landscape photography, nature both macro and distant, model shoots and almost anything else you can do.

I hardly ever give a 5 star rating, but I would give both this one and the FZ1000 5 stars without hesitation. (see updates - downgraded to 4)

If the trend continues and technology can handle it I think cameras with interchangeable lenses will eventually be dinosaurs.

10-20-2015 UPDATE:
I still like this camera a lot although have been using the FZ1000 and others a lot more, mainly using this one when I need extended zoom.

However, it has developed a problem with the viewfinder that I see others have also had. For no apparent reason when I turned it on yesterday and looked through the EVF there were 2 large translucent diagonal streaks across the upper left 1/2 to 1/3 of the viewing area. Sort of purple in color, looking almost like someone had taken a wide marker or paint brush and swiped across it. My first reaction was to check the LCD screen, which did not have this issue so then I assumed maybe somehow something got on the viewfinder (although I take great care of things and this was hard to accept), so I cleaned it but it's not that it is something inside, perhaps an electronic failure of some sort.

In any case it's extremely annoying and is a defect that should not have showed itself in the 2 years I have had this camera, so I have contacted Panasonic to see what they will do for a very loyal customer and an issue that they may know about. Will try to update here with results.

UPDATE: 10-25-15
Panasonic finally replied to my inquiry about the viewfinder issue. Oddly they told me to reset the camera, remove the battery and then restart it. I didn't expect this to fix the defect but followed their instructions and then when restarted I found all the menus, etc. were in Spanish so had to figure out how to return them to English. As I expected the VF issue is the same as it was. Their email said if that did not work to ship it to them, but they did not say if/what they would charge so I emailed them again to find out.

UPDATE: 11-16-15
No reply whatsoever now from Panasonic even after sending a second request asking what the cost might be to send this back. I Love their products but the few times I have had to contact them for support the response has been more like a second or third rate sketchy company than a major electronics manufacturer. Forget their customer service, it doesn't exist and will have an effect on my future purchases and reviews.
713684
I am best classified as a part-time professional location based shooter who shoots without use of assistants. I shoot all Nikon gear (including an SB-900 and 3 SB-700's) and typically do event, portrait, intimate, and children's sporting events. I do not do weddings due to the complexity of the event (that is a confession by the way). I love photography and would do what I do for free but I happen to get paid much of the time. Lighting is critical to everything I do to some extent; more so than others. This book has lessons for all aspects of my photography.

This book starts out by avoiding the inevitable talk of pro gear and the inherent costs associated with an extensive supply of nearly limitless commercial light modifiers.  Rather, the book starts with DIY (Do It Yourself) lighting equipment that you either have, can cheaply buy (Home Depot is a great resource), or simply build.  This is welcome approach as I loathe having to spend $400 on a scrim.  In fact, the author recommends not buying expensive lighting gear to start off, though many will find such expenditures "necessary."  Either way, DIY lighting is a movement gaining popularity and you may want to research it further. This book does a great job of introducing the DIY concept.

Beyond the DIY aspect, you will find explanations of advanced techniques involving softboxes, multiple flash, reflectors, etc..  Granted, you will need access to that equipment to really engage the book at some point.  However, the concepts are pretty much the same and serve as a foundation for application.  I typically recommend finding a local photography club for possibly sharing gear, especially lighting gear.  The book will provide great examples and outcomes that can be replicated.  This will build a foundation from which you can explore additional lighting options.

Clearly this book is for beginners and serves as an incredible resource.  If you are one of those prosumers who bought a low-end DSLR and are considering taking your photography to the next level, do not buy a new camera.  Instead, buy this book first and take up lighting, which is how awesome images are really made.  Also, simple lighting techniques with DIY gear will provide a far greater return of investment than buying the latest Nikon pro camera.  Too often I see people using these cameras in the program mode.  You can do the same with a compact camera.  It's called "Scene" mode.

It is also worth noting that the layout of this book including font's and callouts is very impressive and really assists in grasping the information.  Very professionally done.
3970994
I've been a pro photographer and studio owner for 30 years.  [...].
This is the most incredible thing I've ever used.  I had their previous (.jpg only) version and it was a novelty. Tried it - and it worked, but not really ready for pro's.

It needed raw support.  The new PRO card (this one) supports RAW and movies. My shots are uploaded to my computer as I shoot them in my studio.  My Canon 1D MKII raw files are about 6.5mb and each one transfers to the computer through the air in 10 seconds.  When I shoot outdoors behind the studio, I do my session shots and when I come in range of the router (network) the outdoor files are then uploaded as well.

Amazing that it fits all this network support in a SD card.  Company is great for addressing/resolving support problems. This item has now been around a while and appears most all the bugs are out.  I'm thrilled.
Ron - [...].
3851638
Great Deminsion Pro sounds MIDI
Great Effects Compression, delay, and awesome stereo Reverb...

If you can not use this program you really are a numb skull...

I have been making recordings with great results since Music Creator 4...

The only thing better than Cakewalk is pro tools, and that is only because the interface is lighter and runs faster.

One complaint is that it will only record up to 48Khz 24bit and that is better than CD quality anyway!

Thanks 4 making a great inexpensive product for poor musicians like me who live in there parents basement,

John
4585879
Awsome,fun,easy to use with some practice...I would recommend
2902999
Good stuff, highly recommend if you can't find in your local pro shop.