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I find The masking in C1 is OK. No sky selection and the “AI” masking tools in my use are nothing like LR in both ease of use or accuracy. C1 cannot easily select an entire sky quickly enough especially if there are objects that need the masking to work around like leaves, branches etc. It’s also impossible to copy a mask from one image to another in a pano series in C1. LR makes this so easy and quick. However the C1 masking far exceeds what is available in Phocus.

International stock on the Fuji TS lenses does seem better than in the US.

Paul

The single greatest hurdle for my use of X2D is the software support. Phocus just can’t compare to the more modern software like LR or C1. Sad that C1 and Hasselblad can’t work this out. However C1 greatly lacks the masking toolset of LR.

As for color I can’t see much difference between the X2D and GFX as both make excellent images.

Fuji and Hasselblad both seem to currently have supply issues with their lenses. Hasselblad the newer P and V glass and Fuji the excellent 20-35 zoom and new 500mm along with both of their brand new tilt shift lenses.

Paul

In Tokyo the two Fuji T/S and the 500mm are in stock. Glad I bought my 20-35mm before most people realized it's as good as the 23mm f4. :-)

None of the Hasselblad V lenses are in stock, the X2D is though. Hard to think the Hassy glass isn't overpriced when I see that the Fuji 500mm is cheaper than any of the V lenses.

The masking in C1 Pro is good in fact.

Cheers,
Bernard

Two new Topaz Photo AI updates were released this week. My screenshots show different sections of a small Stable Diffusion AI render being upscaled 6X, with no other treatments.

v3.1.1
Released July 25th, 2024

Changelog

Added error for unsupported Sony Medium and Small compression files and prevent crash
Improve preview when using very high zoom
Enable preview capture in plugin modes
Add warning for multiple instances of an enhancement not working for recording PS actions
Disabled face recovery filter suggestion if face detection is turned off
Fix changing auto-selection in preferences changing the selection in suggestions
Fix various bugs with processing blocking selection
Fixed ghost face appearing when an image is imported after overwriting it
Fix AP filters re-added to an image when opening an image where they’ve been removed
Fix authenticating un-maximizing app window
Fix application window size resetting when minimizing and restoring
Prevent spacebar from minimizing application window
Fix show in finder/explorer opening incorrect image if same file is exported multiple times
Fix a crash from 3.1.0
Fix various issues related to “Close images after saving” setting
Fix upscale not counting as removed when calculating if modified from AP
Fix various batch processing issues
Update application header
Clicking custom scale now selects the scale text field
Fix various issues with status bar in preview
Fix some light mode issues
Fix spacebar to show original not working after switching AI model
Fix right panel menu not closing when clicking the 3-dot menu
Fix close menu behavior when hiding enhancement
Fix preset order being different in filmstrip vs right menu
Minor UI and text formatting improvements
Automatic Lensfun Update

v3.1.2
Released July 26th, 2024

Update: Topaz released v3.1.2 to hotfix an issue with 3rd party plugins.

The single greatest hurdle for my use of X2D is the software support. Phocus just can’t compare to the more modern software like LR or C1. Sad that C1 and Hasselblad can’t work this out. However C1 greatly lacks the masking toolset of LR.

As for color I can’t see much difference between the X2D and GFX as both make excellent images.

Fuji and Hasselblad both seem to currently have supply issues with their lenses. Hasselblad the newer P and V glass and Fuji the excellent 20-35 zoom and new 500mm along with both of their brand new tilt shift lenses.

Paul

Which is amazing considering the backlog of available lenses for the X2D and the lack of a more enhanced software than Phocus. The newer V lenses are excellent in design and optical performance but since mid 2023 to current are never in stock anywhere in volume. This makes locating them very tedious.

They must be selling a lot of products outside the US.

Glad to see they are profitable.

Paul

Hey Larry, sorry to hear about the bum experience with UPS. They've been notorious for extra fees in USA to Canada shipping for years (decades actually), but believe it or not it's actually gotten better 

The key thing with UPS (and I think also Fedex and probably others) is that their "Standard" service does not include brokerage fees, so they will be added when they bring it across. Their higher priority services however include the brokerage fees in the shipping cost so it's definitely better to use those instead. I forget the specific service names but it'll be on their website somewhere with info whether it includes brokerage in the cost. For sure tho anything listed as "standard" (or I think "ground" for FedEx) usually doesn't include brokerage service.

That said, they'll still throw on a $10 fee (I think that's what it was) for paying the CBSA fees on your behalf when they bring it across. I still feel that's BS, however technically Canada Post has done the exact same thing for years for about the same price, so at least it's competitive. (The fee might actually be set by CBSA, I really don't know.)

The only other thing I can think of is check the fees invoice carefully to see if any "custom duties" have been assessed aside from the expected HST. If the shipper (LPS in this case) chooses a poor category for the item then you might get charged duties that shouldn't otherwise be there. I don't recall duties being assessed on any printer parts I ordered from LPS (belts, basket hinges, maintenance tools, etc). If you got charged duties, you can dispute it with CBSA by basically submitting what the customs code should have been, so you can get those duties refunded. I forget whether you do it thru UPS or directly with CBSA, but I think it's the latter -- the invoice will have the instructions in any case.

Overall tho I agree that LPS doesn't have the greatest shipping options for Canada. Before the pandemic and the rise of "global shipping centres" that made a lot of the cross-border hassles go away, I always preferred USPS Priority as the cheapest option, and generally really quick too (way faster than Canada Post on this side). But LPS doesn't use USPS so I just went with the priority courier services (brokerage included), and accepted the fact that my total shipping fees are sometimes greater than the cost of the item. I didn't bother asking LPS if they'd be willing to use another shipper like USPS Priority, it just didn't feel worth it. I think USPS Priority rates went up a bunch in recent years (just like Canada Post), so they're no longer substantially cheaper than the courier companies.

I've had to use computer glasses (prescription for this distance) for years.

Good Afternoon,

So it appears that I have a need for a much longer lens then what I am use to using with my backdrop business.  I was looking at the Rod 138mm, but it is retro-focal (I think), has no shutter, very heavy & big and is insanely expensive.  That last one is a real sticking point, and it makes me wonder if the increase in quality is really worth the extra $14G. 

So I am considering the SK 150mm instead.  How is this lens, and how do you think it would respond with modern sensors? 

Just to note, I am not a pixel peeper and normally do not view my work at 400%.  Likewise, this would be used to capture tighter shots of buildings within wider views I am capturing for Film Backings in order to generate a library of building images that could be dropped into other, or used to create ground up, backings when requested.  Backings need to be softened slightly before printing to account for depth of field differences from real life to working in a sound stage.  So I can deal with it not being as sharp as the Rod 138mm. 

I use progressive lenses…work at any distance.  Not that it matters, mine are 32”….and the distance is probably about 28”

I tried progressives and couldn't stand them as I had to constantly move my head up and down to look at different parts of the screen. My health insurance (Kaiser) let me try them for free, luckily.

Thanks! I love these places and so does Luna.

Yes, she looks like she loved it. For the first time, last week, we went for a short walk (mostly to avoid the heat) along a bisse and our dog loved it. Next stop, the Alps.