$23.09 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:
$11.90 (34%)
Pre-Order Price Guarantee! Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and release date, you'll receive the lowest price. See Details
Availability: This title has not yet been released. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Keep connected to what's happening in the world of books by signing up for Amazon.com Books Delivers, our monthly subscription e-mail newsletters. Discover new releases in your favorite categories, popular pre-orders and bestsellers, exclusive author interviews and podcasts, special sales, and more.
Editorial Reviews
Book Description Based on his popular column for Photoshop User magazine, professional photographer Kevin Ames shares his expertise and experience with digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop in "The Digital Photographer's Notebook: Practical Tips for Professional Photographers." Ames takes pages from his own storied career, from outdoor field shoots to studio lighting techniques to Photoshop retouching. He gives readers the practical advice they need to become more seasoned photographers and more accomplished Photoshop users. Ames covers such topics as setting proper exposure, cleaning the camera sensor, making digital contact sheets, managing an imaging workflow, automating Photoshop functions, and more. Written in a friendly and personal style, The Digital Photographer's Notebook is like having a professional photographer sitting next to you in the studio.
About the Author Kevin Ames is much in demand as a teacher and speaker. He is a Photoshop World Dream Team instructor at the semi-annual Photoshop World conference. Kevin is also a Software Cinema author and presenter at Dean Collins' Photoshop Training Camp Live! events across the country, and author of "Basic and Advanced Fashion Photoshop" training CDs. Kevin writes the "Digital Photographer's Notebook" column for Photoshop User Magazine. His articles and reviews have appeared in Studio Photography + Design, PhotoElectronic Imaging and Digital Output magazines. Ames is the author of Wiley's Adobe Photoshop CS: The Art of Photographing Women.
Finger fitting As notebooks shrink in size, so do their keyboards. If possible, try some simple typing exercises before you buy. The smaller the keyboard, the more creative the vendor may have gotten with key size and placement. Pay particular attention to the spacebar, Shift, Ctrl, and Backspace/Delete keys. Be sure all are in a good location for your hand size and typing style.
Touchy, touchy Computing today relies a lot on mousing. With a notebook, all you get is a touch pad or pointing stick. Unless you plan on traveling with a mouse, test the notebook's input device for comfort and responsiveness. Some touch pads include extra features, such as a dedicated area for scrolling. We've never been big fans of those little pointing sticks tucked in the middle of the keyboard, because precision is tough and the little nubs wear off, requiring replacement.
Vying for video RAM If you're not planning on doing much graphics work or playing 3D games, shared memory should be fine. But if you have a choice, aim for a graphics chipset that shares at least 256MB of system memory. You may not find it in an ultraportable, but other notebook types may offer more robust graphics chipsets. In fact, many high-end notebooks have discrete graphics subsystems with dedicated high-speed video memory. If gaming or intensive graphics work is on the agenda, look for 256MB or 512MB of dedicated memory.
A slot for all reasons Like a PCI slot in a desktop, a PC Card (or PCMCIA) slot in a notebook provides expansion opportunities. Additional USB and FireWire ports, wired and wireless modems, and wireless LAN radios are all available in PC Card form. PC Cards and slots come in three sizes: Type I, II, and III. Type I cards are normally used for memory, Type II for input/output devices, and Type III for mass storage and firewalls. The very latest notebooks include the ExpressCard slot which is set to replace the PCMCIA card format in the long run.
Get connected Ports, especially USB and FireWire, are necessities, but on notebooks they're usually in short supply. At a minimum, look for two USB ports, and if you have any legacy devices, such as parallel printers, look for those ports, too. If you'd like to use a digital camcorder or iPod with your notebook, make sure the notebook has a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port. Connecting a monitor will require a VGA port. (If you'll be giving presentations, a VGA port is also where you'll connect a projector.) And if you want to output video to a television, find a notebook with an S-Video out.
There are a lot of notebook computer buying guides designed to help an inexperienced user to buy the right notebook. Some of these guides are good, some of them are not. Here is a notebook buying guide I like because it’s written on people’s language and not designed to sell you anything. This guide explains the difference between a budget notebook, a mainstream notebook and a gaming notebook and what you should expect from your laptop.
From myself I would like to add some hardware related details you should think of before you buy a notebook computer.
Laptop AC Adapter.
Make sure to check the size of the AC adapter before you buy a laptop. Usually, you do not see the AC adapter before you buy the laptop and open the box at home. You’ll be very surprised to see that your AC adapter is half-size of your computer. I did this mistake when I bought Sony Vaio PCG-FRV26. The AC adapter wasn’t designed for a portable computer at all.
Volume Control.
If you like listen music a lot then you have to choose a laptop with some kind of a hardware sound volume control (sound volume buttons or sound volume wheel located on the laptop). I prefer a volume wheel like on most Toshiba laptops. The volume wheel gives you almost instant access to the sound level. If you do not have a hardware control, then the only way to change the sound volume is through the software settings; it takes some time.
Sound System.
This is again for music lovers. Make sure to find a laptop with a good sound system. In my opinion, Harman/Kardon system is one of the best. I have Harman/Kardon speakers on my HP Pavilion zv5430us and the sound is awesome. Sound on my Sony Vaio laptop sucks!
Question: I was thinking about buying a laptop computer. Any tips on which one to buy? -P.F.
Answer: Making a decision on which laptop -- or notebook, as they are called these days -- to buy isn't easy because of such issues as weight versus features and prices versus processing power. There's also the sticky issue of battery life.
Mobile PCs have come a long way in a decade. Ten years ago, they were more like "luggables" than portables. Today, a notebook can weigh from four to nine pounds, without the carrying case. The trick is to balance the weight against the features you want. A bigger screen, long battery life and extras mean a heavier notebook.
One solution to reducing weight is to choose a model that has external drives that you can remove when you don't need them. Try carrying the notebook you like around the store for 10 minutes and see how it feels.
You'll also have to consider how much you want to spend. Processing power and price are usually synonymous. The higher the price, the higher the chip speed. Top dog in mobile processors is the Intel line of Mobile Pentium III processors. They feature a new technology called SpeedStep, which changes power requirements and chip response on the fly -- so batteries don't get consumed quite as quickly. AMD is also making an entry into the notebook market. AMD processors are reliable, with a lower cost than similar Intel products.
When it comes to screen technology, you'll be looking at an active matrix screen versus a passive matrix screen. You'll likely want an active matrix also known as TFT (Thin Film Transfer) displays, which provide a high quality display and can be viewed at an angle.
New technologies have give passive matrix displays a new lease on life. Originally, they limited the angle at which the display could be viewed. But Sharp's CSTN (color super-twist nematic) and technology called DSTN (double-layer supertwist nematic) is making passive matrix more palatable. You may also see a technology called HPA (high-performance addressing) on low-end machines.
Don't let all these acronyms confuse you. Look at the screen from straight on and from different angles. Then compare them against the other screens in the store. If you like what you see, that's all that matters.
Battery power continues to be one of the biggest problems on mobile computers. More battery means more weight, but few batteries will get you through a full working session on a transcontinental flight.
Your choices in portable power are lithium ion, NiMH and NiCad batteries. If you plan to use your notebook regularly on long trips where plugging in won't be possible for extended periods of time, choose a notebook that lets you take out the CD-ROM or floppy drive and insert a second battery.
Then there's the issue of pointing devices. Using a mouse isn't always possible if you don't have a flat surface to work on. IBM ThinkPads and some Toshiba computers are equipped with a pencil-eraser-sized nub mounted in the middle of the keyboard. This is finicky for some and loved by others. Other technologies include built-in roller balls and touch pads.
You'll want to connect your notebook to the Internet at some point, so a built-in modem is a nice feature. Some have modem plug-ins in the side of the unit, while others use the PC Card port to insert a credit-card-sized PC Card modem. Aim for a modem that supports a 56 kilobits-per-second transfer rate. A PC Card that doubles as a network card for the office is always a nice addition but they are also more expensive.
I like to divide notebook products into three categories. Budget PCs offer low prices and heavier weights. They often feature AMD processors called the K2-6 or a Cyrix chip. The budget Intel processor is called the Celeron chip. The mid-level notebook is designed for the on-the-go professional. It's usually wafer-thin with drives that plug in externally.
The third category is a high-end notebook. These computers have very fast processors -- usually Pentium IIIs -- with lots of memory and moderate weights. They will put a serious dent in your pocketbook.
A rule of thumb: if you find a notebook you like and the price is within your budget, buy it. Yes, there will be a cheaper, faster model available next month. But that too will be replaced by a cheaper, faster model the month after that. Buy the best you can afford at the time, or you'll be waiting for infinity.
1: Choose your form factor Notebooks are broken down into four categories by weight, with some overlap: ultraportables (less than 2kg), thin-and-lights (2 to 4kg), mainstream models (3 to 5kg), and desktop replacements (more than 5kg).
Ultraportables excel for frequent fliers who need just the essentials while on the road. Screen sizes are small -- usually 10 or 12 inches -- and their keyboards petite. Also, to make these machines so small, features such as internal optical drives, large and fast hard drives, and extra ports are frequently absent.
Their batteries also need to be small and often yield as little as 2 hours of juice. New processor technologies, however, can extend battery life to beyond 4 hours. Finally, tiny tech comes at a higher cost compared with larger laptops.
A balance between size, battery life, and power, thin-and-light laptops are a perfect fit for both students and business users. Their larger screens -- 14 to 15 inches -- and roomier keyboards make them more comfortable than ultraportables for longer computing sessions. Depending on usage, you can expect about 4 hours of battery life.
Mainstream laptops are like budget desktops: They're good for general tasks but won't win any contests for their performance or features. Though they don't qualify as thin or light, they still offer some portability. With 14-inch or larger screens, a standard selection of ports, and big keyboards, they're suitable for everyday use.
If you want desktop power, you need a desktop replacement. With screen sizes of 15 to 17 inches, travel weights as heavy as six kilos, and average battery life of less than three hours, these behemoths are not for people on the go. They can accommodate a wide range of performance parts, however, and are just right for power users of all kinds.
2: The CPU and you When it comes to processors, go with the fastest you can afford, regardless of the notebook's form factor. You have a lot of options, so here are the basics.
Intel's Centrino line offers speed while enabling great battery life. These chips, combined with Intel's wireless LAN electronics and either the 945 Express, 915 Express or 855 chipset, make up Intel's Centrino mobile technology.
AMD's mobile processors are more affordable than Intel's, but they generally lag behind Intel's on our MobileMark tests. AMD's Turion 64 X2 processors may change that, though initial reports say its performance is still behind the new Core 2 Duo chips.
You could also go with a desktop processor from either Intel or AMD. Desktop CPUs come in a broad range of speeds and prices, but they aren't designed for mobility, so they run hotter and guzzle battery juice. Intel's Celeron processors, which come in both mobile and desktop variants, are another choice, but not a good one, because they deliver subpar performance. If you're short on dough, though, they'll suffice for basic needs.
3: A word about wide-screens Wide-screen notebooks, which have an aspect ratio of 16:9, offer larger, sharper, and all-around better images than their 4:3 standard-screen cousins. They're great for watching DVDs, of course, but they also allow you to have two documents or Web pages open side-by-side. A spacious 17-inch wide-screen laptop is a nice luxury if you're not planning on traveling with it.
Sunlight is not ideal for computing -- specifically, for seeing the screen. If you want to work outdoors, you have options, but most consumer models have what are known as transmissive screens. These screens are lit from behind, and despite what you've seen in the commercials, they're virtually invisible on a bright, sunny day. Reflective LCDs, which light the screen's pixels from the front and reflect polarised light from the environment, are much better for outdoor work, but their screens look dim indoors. What's more, they're mostly reserved for vertical-market notebook models and are pretty tough to come by.
5: Mind your memory Having enough memory is vital to system performance, and lots of RAM lets you run more applications simultaneously. Sufficient RAM is also necessary for graphics work, image editing, and video editing, and crucial for 3D gaming. This is especially true in notebooks, because notebook graphics processors frequently have little or no memory of their own and share the main system RAM.
Adding RAM is an easy way to boost performance, but first make sure the notebook's memory sockets are accessible. (They're usually under a panel on the bottom of the system.) Here's an easy way to determine how much you need:
512MB: Good for basic office apps, running one at a time.
1GB: Adequate for running several programs at once, photo editing, and basic 3D gaming.
2GB or more: Recommended for high-performance 3D gaming, demanding graphics work, and video editing.
Sound on my Sony Vaio laptop sucks! 
don't get consumed quite as quickly. AMD is also making an entry into the notebook market. AMD processors are reliable, with a lower cost than similar Intel products.
