Last week review 12-2025
This week, the weather was almost like spring, but we’re already officially at the beginning of spring.
This week’s article was about my first experiences, or rather, my first impressions, with the NovoFlex Castel M. The NovoFlex Castel M is a focusing rack specially designed for extreme macro photography at magnifications between 2:1 and 5:1.
It’s a perfect match for my AstrHori 25mm/2.8 for these magnifications. Otherwise, it’s like a normal focusing rack, except for its special feature: the rack can be moved in the range of 1/100 mm. This is necessary due to the shallow depth of field at these magnifications.
Nevertheless, I’ll still have to gain experience with this focusing rack because, on the one hand, the required sticking always results in a large number of shots, often between 100 and 200, and, on the other hand, these shots have to be stitched together in the Helicon Focus software.
Otherwise, the slide is very high quality and, in typical Novoflex precision. Nevertheless, it’s practically no bigger than a regular Novoflex Castel Q, so you can also use the Castel-M outdoors, provided it’s very calm. I’ll certainly report on my experiences with this slide over a longer period soon.
This week, Apple introduced the MacBook Air models with the M4 processor in both 13-inch and 15-inch screen sizes. Apple is also taking the approach with this model: we’re basically getting 16 GB of shared RAM on display, even in the smallest model. At just under €1,200, it’s an entry-level model, although this time with 16 GB it hasn’t gotten any more expensive.
What remains, however, is the horrendous price if you either need more RAM or want more SSD storage in this device. These are two points where Apple’s surcharge policy is actually outrageous when you consider the regular prices for RAM or SSD chips.
This week, after seven years of development, version 3.0 of, well, I’ll call it Photoshop Clown Gimp was released. However, the developers have promised to shorten the time between major releases in the future. As usual, GIMP for Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows can be downloaded from the project website.
And don’t forget, the Sklyum discount is still running. It’s a 30% discount on Luminar NEO if you order Luminar NEO via this link. Luminar Mobile is available as an app for a comparable discount, but at 20%. So, Luminar NEO in particular, which can be used both as a standalone program and as a plug-in for Lightroom or Photoshop, is definitely worth a look. The offer is valid until March 31st.
All in all, another very eventful week. I hope you enjoy the articles and look forward to your questions and comments.
Woche. Ich hoffe dass euch die Artikel gefallen und freue mich auf eure Fragen und Kommentare.
ciao tuxoche
