Nik Silver Efex Pro Review

Can anyone tell me how they developed this plug-in? Did they hold a seance and contact Ansel Adams and Edward Weston? I don't know. I do know that Nik Silver Efex Pro is as good as gold. Even somebody like me can achieve fantastic results in just seconds. You may begin to smell the chemicals after looking at your own results.


Nik Silver Efex Pro has an easy to use interface with presets on the left and the main controls on the right. You can choose from many popular film stocks, apply color filters, adjust the amount of grain and burn the edges with precision. Then you can save it as your own preset if you like. You can also use it as a smart filter in PhotoShop. This allows you to go back to the photos current setting and tweak it a bit, rather than starting all over from scratch.


You'll find that the default presets are well thought out. As with many of the parameters you just roll over the setting and it temporally updates your photo. Click on it and the settings will lock in. High Structure works great on landscapes. It cranks up the detail and contrast. There's also pull and push settings that mimic film processing. I counted 26 presets in all. On the photo above of Monument Valley I used presets "Full Spectrum Inverse" on the bottom half and "High Structure" on the top half. The very top was a little too dark so I added a control point and brought up the brightness about ten percent. Control points function like a mask, but they're easier to make and adjust. You can click on and off each parameter to see it's effect.

It's fun coming up with your own look. For the Cally Lily I liked their "Antique Plate II" and removed the grain and bumped up the brightness a bit. For the Sand Dunes below I cranked up the Structure slider. For me Nik Silver Efex Pro is a must have plug-in.

Nik has many online video tutorials and they offer a 15 day free trial. You can't ask for more.

Check out my Fine Art Black and White Gallery using Nik Silver Efex Pro.

You can download a 15 day Trial and see the online video tutorials for Nik Silver Efex Pro here.

Hummingbird Flies

Christoper Grey was kind enough to include one of my photos in his most recent book "Canon DSLR: The Ultimate Photographer's Guide". His book covers all the basics in the first few chapters and then he goes over each and every button on your Canon DSLR. Chris covers Canon's software too.

I tend to use it in place of the Canon Manual. They're are several interviews with well known photographers and tons of examples. You can check the book out on Amazon.

The Hummingbird shot is one of my first digital shots. I was using a Digital Rebel with a 100-300 Canon Lens. I was still shooting JPG's and I did a bit of a crop to make a better composition. Still it holds its own.

Tech Info: Canon Digital Rebel - 6mp, Canon 100-300 Lens, f5.6,2000th of a second, ISO 400 slight crop.

For more info on Christopher Grey see his website. He has a great DVD on Lighting and many more books. His book on book on Portrait Lighting (Mater Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers) is one of the very best photography books out there.

Tamron 200-500mm Lens Review

For years the longest lens I owned was a 300mm. Those were the days of slide film. I shot Velvia at ISO50. Then I went digital. The very first digital Rebel. (The camera, not me.) Of course on a 1.6 DSLR that 300mm becomes the equivalent of a 480mm. Wow! I was amazed at the reach. So when I went back to a full frame Canon 1Ds Mark II I had to have a 500. I just couldn't give up the extra versatility. After weighing in the options (pun intended) I opted for Tamron's SP AF200-500MM F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF). I'm primarily a landscape photographer (who often hikes) and the light weight is greatly appreciated.

I've found the lens to be sharp and contrasty. The zoom allowed me to grab this wildflower shot from the edge of a cliff. Another step and I'd be a goner. I'm also able to extract the sweet spot of a sunrise or get in close for wildlife shots.

The 6.3f isn't a problem in this digital age, you can just up the ISO a little. The filter size is 86mm. I bought the recommended coarse thread. Tamron provides a detachable filter holder so you rotate the polarizer without reaching into the lens hood. Now it's not going to beat the Canon 500L, but since I don't have my very own Sherpa, the lightweight allows me to take it everywhere. This lens won't break the bank either. Pound for pound it's one of the best lenses out there.

Tamron 200-500mm @ 210

Tamron 200-500mm @ 500

Tamron 200-500mm @ 500

Tamron 200-500mm @ 500

For More Info see Bob Atkins' Review
For complete specs see Tamron