Recommend me...a few things

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1. A photo/graphic editor that isn't Photoshop
Currently, I use Micrografx Picture Publisher 8 (I've tried version 10, but it's too buggy to be worth using) and Corel PhotoPaint 9. They both work and do what I need, but neither of them really works well; they're buggy and some functions don't behave how they are expected to.

What else is out there that can do everything these two programs can do, but actually works? (and don't say GIMP ;))

2. A tripod for less than $100
All I want is something sturdy (and what's more important than that in a tripod?) that's least 66 inches in maximum adjustable height. Recommendations?
 
RE: A few things

RE: A few things

Just for grins, might I ask what you have against Photoshop? What are you looking for in a photo editor?

For the tripod, under $100, you might be looking at a bogen. You can probably get the 3011, 3012, or whatever model they are up to for under that price and not wind up too disappointed. It's not a bad tripod and should meet the height requirement you have specified.

G'luck.
 
Only thing i can use (as in not rubbish) is Adobe Lightroom or Nikon Capture NX.

And yeah, why dont you want to use Photoshop?
 
I use Paint.NET, but it's pretty limited unless you start adding plug-ins.
 
As for why I say no to Photoshop:

1. It's overpriced. Seriously, a thousand bucks for a photo editor? Get real.
2. I absolutely hate it's complete inflexibility of the UI and Adobe's general "you'll like it how we say you'll like it" mentality with their applications.

I use Paint.NET, but it's pretty limited unless you start adding plug-ins.
Yeah, I tried it. I don't really like it.

For the tripod, under $100, you might be looking at a bogen. You can probably get the 3011, 3012, or whatever model they are up to for under that price and not wind up too disappointed. It's not a bad tripod and should meet the height requirement you have specified.
Thanks, that looks better than pieces 'o crap I looked at in the local computer shops.
 
As for why I say no to Photoshop:

1. It's overpriced. Seriously, a thousand bucks for a photo editor? Get real.

There's a solution to that problem...


I just got a tripod for $25 or so at Staples and it seems great to me
 
GIMP? :ph34r:
 
I just got a tripod for $25 or so at Staples and it seems great to me

That can hold a DSLR and heavy lenses reliably in windy conditions? I doubt it.
 
I've only ever used Photoshop so I'm not much help for the first one, but CS3 has preset and customizable workspaces, would that fix your gripe?

And the second one I can't help with either, except than to say, look at second hand stuff, classifieds, swap meets etc.
 
A student version of CS3 is 170 Euros...
 
GIMP is worth a try, or try CinePaint which is an offshoot of GIMP with more advanced support. In the end you just can't beat Photoshop...
 
That can hold a DSLR and heavy lenses reliably in windy conditions? I doubt it.

I have yet to have it out on a really windy day, but so far it has held my DSLR and lens fairly well.

And its a Digital Concepts 57" unit:

41wsrdO2zRL.jpg


290818
 
That would make an OK hiking tripod if you really needed to keep weight down and couldn't afford a set of CF legs, but for everyday use I wouldn't trust it. I used to use one that was similar for a while, but one day a slight gust of wind caught it and if I hadn't been paying attention I would have gone home with a bag of smashed gear.

Also, the head is designed for video cameras, not still cameras.

If you really don't want to spent much on a tripod, I like the ones from Amvona. They're knockoffs off the Monfrotto/Gitzo designs but they work quite well. If you keep en eye on their Ebay auctions you can get them really cheaply.

http://stores.ebay.com/amvona-com_tripods-monopods_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZ4QQftidZ2QQsclZ2QQtZkm
 
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That would make an OK hiking tripod if you really needed to keep weight down and couldn't afford a set of CF legs, but for everyday use I wouldn't trust it. I used to use one that was similar for a while, but one day a slight gust of wind caught it and if I hadn't been paying attention I would have gone home with a bag of smashed gear.

Also, the head is designed for video cameras, not still cameras.

If you really don't want to spent much on a tripod, I like the ones from Amvona. They're knockoffs off the Monfrotto/Gitzo designs but they work quite well. If you keep en eye on their Ebay auctions you can get them really cheaply.

http://stores.ebay.com/amvona-com_tripods-monopods_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZ4QQftidZ2QQsclZ2QQtZkm

Too bad their international shipping cost is....$72 with USPS. I could get a Manfrotto locally here for the same price as that tripod + shipping.
 
As far as Photoshop being overpriced, have you looked at Elements? It's way cheaper (under $100) and, thought it does not fit your requirement for "non-Adobe" it does a lot of the things that CS2 + 3 do for a very reasonable price. It really is very close to the CS versions and comes at a reasonable price.

As far as the tripod, you can try to go to a local electronics store and get one way cheap (~$30 or so) but you'll wind up with one that's probably got a video head (not sure if you want that) and won't stand up to much abuse (though, at that price, you can just toss and get a new one when the current one cracks.) If you want to go that route, Valbonne (sp?) makes a decent "very cheap" tripod. The bogen would be a step above that though, as it's a "real" tripod just less expensive than something like a gitzo.
 
If you want to go that route, Valbonne (sp?) makes a decent "very cheap" tripod.
I actually just looked at a "Velbon" brand tripod. For $80, it sure felt pretty flimsy. It was also designed for a video camera, not DSLR.
 
You might also try a Slik tripod, it would be close to the Bogen in quality, though I can't say they fall within your budget. They are quite sturdy and won't feel flimsy at all though.

Velbon, that was the cheaper brand I was trying to spell/think of before. I had one of those for a while and, though it felt quite wobbly, it actually held up quite well. It eventually broke but, at the price I paid, I can't really complain. Got a few years use out of it for the money. I wouldn't trust it with an extra heavy load but a light digital camera would do ok with it.
 
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