I was given a Sigma lens for a Nikon 70 (film SLR) years ago, and then started using it on my Nikon D80 (digital SLR) this past year with mixed results. I won’t go into why I felt short-handed with the old lens, but will say that I was not entirely unhappy when I dropped the camera right on the lens while cavorting with the dogs down by the Yellowstone River. The ground was pretty soft, and the D80 is unscathed, thank goodness. However, I now have an excuse to buy a new and better lens. (I will confess that I am neither a patient or a gifted amateur photographer, but I know very well that...

SlideshowPro Director offers an inexpensive and elegant solution for image galleries on the Web. Since I started using it last year, I have seen its use proliferated in many different formats all over the Web, from artist portfolios to lodging virtual tours. SSP Director has to be installed and used on a server, and it requires Flash. It is available as a component for Flash and gallery extension for Lightroom. [There is a standalone version that eliminates the need for owning Flash, described below.] If you have a Web site hosted on a server and know how to get access to it for uploading and installing...