A true creative, as the saying goes, does not use a mouse to draw, to edit photos, nor to edit videos. To be a really productive artist, one needs to use, in a computer, a tablet for drawing. As another saying goes, “drawing with a mouse is like drawing with a bar of soap!” It can be done, but it isn’t easy...
One of the best brands when it comes to tablets is Wacom. Ever since I’ve started my digital photography, I’ve never been without one. And it has served me well!
So it made me really happy that they are officially launching here in the Philippines! On July 13, 2017, at the Draft Gastro Pub in Greenbelt, Makati, Wacom held their very first press launch! At the said event, they launched their line of Cintiq tablets, Intuos tablets, Bamboo Slate and Bamboo Styli. Every artists of every inclination will have something that will make them happy; and more productive!
Company officials from Wacom also made official Wacom’s partnership with the Philippine Society of IT Educators (PSITE), an institution that promotes IT education in the country.
Wacom was represented by Mr. KS Ong, Wacom Senior Director for Marketing in Asia Pacific, while PSITE was represented by Dr. Neil Balba and Dr. Rolando Lansingan, President and VP External of PSITE respectively.
Of course, the Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the signatories on a Wacom Cintiq tablet.
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NB: This review originally appeared on the GMA News Online Network. The link to that post can be found here.
When you use one iPad, you've used all of them. Ever since Steve Jobs first introduced it in January 27, 2010, in terms of usage, the iPad has not really changed much. Sure it's faster now, it's thinner, it's now in it's 7th iteration... But when you have learned how to use one, you will be able to use any one of them: there is a home button, the volume rocker buttons on the upper right corner, and the power button near it. Yes, the ringer/lock switch has disappeared since the iPad Air 2 but there is still the same sense of familiarity that you get with all iPads out there.
Even the finger gestures remain the same.
(I get the same sense of familiarity when I use a Canon camera, another brand that I admire. Whether I use a DSLR or a point-and-shoot, my fingers seem to know the layout right away. The same is true with its menu system.)
However, despite not changing much, despite the familiarity one feels when one upgrades to a newer model, one cannot help but be impressed with the progression Apple has made regarding this "laptop-replacement" device.
So, what impressed me the most regarding the new iPad Pro 9.7? (Ok, I'm getting tired or writing "iPad Pro 9.7" every time. So let me just call this "the new iPad" or simply "the iPad".)
First of all, this new iPad now comes in - don't call it pink - Rose Gold. Yes, it's the first iPad to come in this color. And with the arrival of this iPad, the biggest capacity now comes in 256GB! It is as big as the ones on the starting configuration of most MacBooks!!!
The screen of this iPad is glorious! It has the same resolution as the previous iPad Air but there is something different with the latest device. It is bright and texts are highly readable even in direct sunlight. The new screen has reduced glare and reflections are reduced to a minimum. And with the new "true tone" technology, the color of the screen adjusts based on the color of the ambient light. It is not the same as the screen on, say, a Kindle, but this iPad is the closest one can get to reading on a real piece of paper. I was able to read the Kindle e-book Dune on this!
When iOS 9 was introduced, picture-in-picture within an iPad (and iPad Mini) became available. With the new iPad Pro, this transition is really fast and really smooth. For example, if you are watching a movie and you decide to use the four finger swipe to change to a different app, then the movie you are watching will automatically be reduced to a smaller size! This transition, as I've said, is really smooth! There is no lag, the sound will continue playing.
And I can't believe I will be saying this, but this new iPad is the one where I can see myself taking pictures! Its cameras, the back and the front, have the same specs as that on an iPhone 6s! Yes! Including, but not limited to, 12 megapixel back camera, 5 megapixel front camera, Live Photos, True Tone flash, panorama, auto HDR, and 4K video recording. The camera on the new iPad is really, really good! However, having similar camera module means the camera on this iteration of the iPad also has a protruding camera... (Hence the new sapphire lens on the new iPad also... This is so that the lens will not be scratched even if you put the iPad, or the iPhone 6s/6s+ on a rough surface.)
Now if only I can find a way to mount this iPad to a tripod...
Now, speaking of rough surfaces, I still recommend that you don't put it down on one. The metallic back is glorious and when you put it down unprotected, the back will surely be scratched. It's just the way Apple products are... The irony here is, if you want to protect your latest device, you have to put it in a case, which will hide the device's true beauty. Ironic, isn't it?
Also, the use of a case for this iPad seemed to be a necessity. It is so thin and the back is so slippery that you absolutely need to increase friction between the device and your fingers. And that protruding camera? Yes, you're better off using a case so that the camera will not touch the surface when you put it down.
(Ok, let me put this out there since I am already on the subject of cases - one of the best back protection for the iPad is Apple's own silicone back. It doesn't add much to the thickness of the device and it will provide enough grip for those times you want to hand hold the new iPad. This is also the same material used for the silicone cases used for the iPhone 6s/6s+.)
Well, are there times when you don't want to hand-hold the iPad? Well, yes! There are times when I just want to put the device down when I want to watch a movie. That is also true when I am reading an e-book. And whenever I want to do some typing - I want to have a real keyboard to type on, rather than type on the iPad's screen.
When Apple introduced the big iPad Pro, the 12-inch one, they also introduced the Smart Keyboard case for it. This is because the company was trying to sell that device as a laptop replacement. When this new iPad was introduced, it also came with its own keyboard cover. And boy, is the keyboard really, really good!
The keyboard of the 9.7 iPad is, of course, smaller than the one for the 12-inch iPad Pro. I thought that the smaller keyboard would be uncomfortable to type on, but I was greatly surprised at the typing speed I was able to achieve on it. This review is actually typed using the new iPad Pro and the keyboard cover. It is nice to type on and the response of each key click is very precise.
The keyboard draws its power from the iPad itself, via those three new holes on the left side of the device, and, since it doesn't use Bluetooth, you don't need to pair it with the iPad. This is some ingenious design by Apple...
And since it's a cover also, the keyboard will also serve as protection of the new iPad's glorious screen.
Have I told you that the screen is glorious?
However, because of the presence of the keyboard on the cover, the cover has an uneven thickness - there simply is no way around it...
The keyboard cover, together with the back case, makes the new iPad Pro thicker and slightly heavier.
And I wouldn't want it any other way...
If you say that there isn't much changed with the design of the new iPad Pro, you will be mostly right. Aside from the change in the design of the LTE antenna, the iPad Pro is almost identical to the iPad Air. However, what is new with this iPad, and the bigger iPad Pro before that, are the four speaker grills. You will find two speaker grills at the top of the iPad and two also at the bottom. And boy are these speakers loud! With these speakers, you really wouldn't need to pair it with an external Bluetooth speakers. Yes, the bass is on the tinny end, but for casual listening, the built-in speakers would be enough. And these are stereo speakers so sounds originating from the left will come out of the let set of speakers and the same is true for the right set. And Apple made it in such a way that the high frequency sounds are emitted at the topmost speakers - no matter how you hold the thing! And don't worry if you rotate the iPad: the speakers will be oriented accordingly to how the sound is made to come out.
But what about productivity? Can the iPad Pro replace a dedicated laptop?
According to a Wired article, only about 5% of people really requires a laptop/desktop. These are the people who do extensive coding, use photoshop a lot, or edit and render videos for example. But for the other 95% percent, all they do are surf the web, Twitter, Facebook, emails... For majority of users, an iPad will be enough. And since you already get a device to watch movies on, read e-books, a great camera, a great device for surfing the web and updating the web, for a lot of people, instead of getting a laptop, the new iPad would be a much wiser choice.
And when you buy a new iPad, Apple gives you its own version of office suite, iWorks, for free! So you can be productive right off the bat with this device. (The same is true if you buy a Mac.)
Even I, when the wife and I went on a holiday, just brought the new iPad Pro and a wi-fi-enabled camera. I then edited photos on the iPad!
And if you are a creative, you may also get the new Apple Pencil. You might also find it enjoyable to use an Apple Pencil if you do calligraphy, or write in Chinese or Japanese characters for example.
Just don't get the 32GB model. Start at 128GB. And you will be using the new iPad for a long time.
Highly Recommended!
Photos shot with an iPhone 6s+ using the iOS app VSCO
We live in a connected world. Aside from our mobile phones, we now have iPads, iPad Minis, or laptops. Sometimes, a person has all of the above... And photographers are no exceptions.
And so, photographers need a bag that can handle all, or most, of the above.
The Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 35 V2.0 is a great candidate. It certainly has the great looks and the capacity that can meet a photographer's requirements.
You can fit a pro DSLR with a 70-200 f/4 mounted lens with the lens hood placed in the proper orientation, a couple of extra lenses and a speedlite. You certainly can add another body in the huge front pocket. A gripped body can be put inside though you would need to make a little adjustment to the padded divider. The 35 can carry a 13-inch MacBook Pro or something of similar dimensions. Take note though, that you cannot put a gripped body and a laptop at the same time. This is because of the previously-mentioned modification to the divider that enables you to put a gripped body: because of this modification, the space for the laptop is reduced by a couple of inches in the long dimension. Well, you can still put an iPad, or maybe a small notebook after you modify the insert...
The front pocket is covered by a flap. It has hook-and-loop tapes plus a buckle that took me sometime to unlock. There is a zippered pocket on the said flap for your small items. This is one thing I greatly love about this bag: there are a lot of pockets!
You can put an iPad in the compartment reserved for your laptop or in the huge front pocket. And there is even another pocket inside the main compartment where an iPad can be placed, though this last pocket is not greatly padded and your iPad will bump with your camera gear - take great precaution when you placed your precious tablet here.
A rain cover comes with the bag and I was able to test if it really can protect my camera gear: the wife and I took it to the Sea Dog Extreme Ride here in Chicago and my camera gear and other electronic stuff survived! Yes, the rain cover works!
There is another pocket at the back of the bag. If you unzip the bottom portion of the pocket, you can slide the sleeve to the handle of your luggage. This is perfect because it means you don't have to carry the bag.
The 35 is great but if there's one thing that I'd like changed, it would be the padding in the strap. When you put your camera gear plus a laptop plus an iPad then you've got one heavy load. I've always believed that you cannot go wrong with a thick padding for a shoulder strap and you certainly would need it here if you've got a full load. Also, the padded portion of the strap is fixed in place, so there were times when it was the strap itself that sat on my shoulder, not the padded portion. The Think Tank Photo Retrospective Series, I believe, has one of the best strap padding there is.
The Think Tank Photo 35 V2.0 is a gorgeous bag which you can use around the city, in extreme thrill rides, and in formal places. It is an unassuming bag that you can take with you wherever you go.
This bag is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Check out the video the wife and I prepared.
And get yours here:
Special thanks to Brian Erwin of Think Tank Photo for providing the bag.
Music used in the video:
Celeb Lounge by Don Taylor from the Podjam Store
Coming Down from the BlackRapid Music Store
When the Neon is Flashing from the Vimeo Music Store
So, who is the real Apple fan? I was able to convince the wife to upgrade to Snow Leopard a few days ago (9/25/09). It took her a long time to agree, but she was having a little problem with her three-year-old Macbook (it belongs to the first batch of intel Macbooks) - she's running out of hard disk space! The wife is an astrophysicist and every time she makes an observation, she uses about 5GB of storage. We talked about upgrading her Macbook - I helped her with the specs for the new one and we planned out the financial side of the equation. But she needed a more immediate solution since she will be observing in the next three days! So, I told her we can buy a portable HDD while she's still contemplating about the purchase. Then, I told her something crazy - I told her that, with her permission, I'm going to upgrade her OS to Snow Leopard, and if something breaks, I will revert it back to Leopard. That's how much I trust the Time Machine backup!
Well, the wife kind of agreed. She just wanted to check her most vital astro-observation app before she gives in. She found out that the app was already Snow Leopard compatible so it was a go. But, we updated her LaTeX/TexShop first before we finally did it.
So, we finally went with it. We updated her Macbook. I inserted the DVD, double-clicked it, and the installer went its happy way. (After a few minutes, the Macbook re-started itself. The wife was greatly impressed because of the speed of the "installation". I told her it hasn't started yet - the DVD just checked some compatibility issues.)
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