Jon Sienkiewicz Blog

Adobe just released Photoshop Elements 2020, the most powerful derivative of Photoshop to date. Available for $99 (or bundled with also-new Adobe Premier Elements for $149 retail) the latest version features automation powered by Adobe Sensei, their amazingly potent AI engine, and three access levels to suit Beginners, Intermediate Users and Experts. If you haven’t seen Elements recently (and I suspect many of you fall into that category) you will be surprised by the range and capabilities of this inexpensive photo editor. What follows here is my recap.

Sony offered to loan me an Xperia 1 mobile phone for 30 days. I thought it was a mistake at first. My (first) name is pretty common; I’m not a phone guy. My last cell phone had a rotary dial and a whip antenna. But I heard that the Sony Xperia 1 had some of the most sophisticated camera features around, so I cautiously accepted and approached the product the same way I approach cameras. Here is what I found.

British tripod maker 3 Legged Thing gives their products clever names, but I just call them awesome. In addition to some of the best tripods money can buy, they offer camera brackets, monopods and related accessories. Here’s my review of the morphable Ellie L-bracket and the DOCZ2, a combination monopod stabilizer plus heavy-duty tabletop tripod.

The Domke bag. Affordable, functional and as durable as a 30-pound slab of stainless steel. Right now Domke is offering the popular F-2 (original) model and the F-5XB (my personal favorite) in a Limited Edition camouflage pattern that looks sensational and honors our troops—emotionally and financially.

Leica recently announced the latest M-Series camera, a stunning anthracite gray full-frame digital rangefinder based on the Leica M which launched in September of 2012. The new Leica M-E (Typ 240) has a few welcomed upgrades and a nice surprise—a lower price. In fact, the new Leica M-E, priced at $3995 (body only), is the lowest-price full-frame Leica camera on the market.

The U.S. tariffs that recently have been threatened or imposed against China by President Donald Trump will doubtlessly affect the photo industry in one way or another. Many of us are concerned that we may be paying more for our camera gear in the future. Just how likely are price increases, and are rising costs the only things that should make us nervous?