Scarpati – Cramp, Slash & Burn

April 9, 2012 | Guests

Scarpati, whose images span four waves of modern music and have become some of the most enduring iconics of metal, rock and punk, was raised in New Jersey, came of age in San Diego, gained notoriety in Los Angeles, now calls the world his home and Nashville his return address.

“Think of me as an innocent bystander, there was no master plan. No carefully tended career path. I loved rock and punk music. I saw things. Puzzles intrigued me. Bugs and lizards and creepy crawly things fascinated me. Influences possessed me. There had to be a way to put it all together… and those girls in the clubs who were all presence, black leather and kohl eyeliner…”

Cramp, Slash & Burn: When Punk and Glam were Twins

Two fistful of images that defined SoCal’s glam, punk, roots scene, Scarpati’s work is unrelentingly torn from the streets, bars and alleys.



About This project
Capturing the nascent moments in California punk, glam and roots that was torn from the streets, internationally acclaimed shooter Scarpati made his reputation revealing the intensity, beauty and artists as they were. Revealing and iconic, from the man who lived it with them, Cramp, Slash & Burn celebrates the bands that defined an era — Social Distortion, Janes Addiction, Fishbone, LA Guns, TSOL, Kix, Poison & the Cramps — as they exploded into cultural forces as well as compelling musicians. These images — are lightning bolts of a time gone, but still as electric in reflection as they were in the moment, taken by a man who was there, in the moment, a peer and an artist evolving into a career that includes covers for some of the 80s biggest selling acts. It is the charge of the music, the inherent charisma of the artists, the singularity of the creativity that defines CSB, pictures from the most combustive time of pop creativity since the Beat Generation.

Book available via blurb.

Read more on Scarpati & Capture Integration here.

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Profoto Spring 2012 Promotions

April 9, 2012 | Promotion

Buy an Acute 2 or 2R ProValue pack and get a free Acute/D4 head

Between March 1 and July 31, 2012, photographers that purchase an Acute2 or Acute2R ProValue Pack or any Acute Pack with 2 heads will receive an additional head Free of Charge – a $1,000 Value!

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Call (877) 217-9870 or Contact Us today.

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Buy an Acute B2, get a FREE Acute B head

Between March 1, and July 31, 2012, customers that purchase a Profoto Acute B2 Power Pack will receive a free AcuteB head free of charge – an $825 Value!

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Call (877) 217-9870 or Contact Us today.

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Broncolor Spring 2012 Promotions

April 9, 2012 | Promotion

Free Accessories with Scoro and Verso Purchase

Purchase a Scoro or Verso power pack and get up to $2500 in instant credit for eligible Broncolor accessories. Eligible power packs are Scoro A4s, Scoro A2s, Verso A4 RFS, & Verso A2 RFS. Promotional credit may be used to purchase any Broncolor accessories including specialty lamp heads except the following: Power Packs, Pulso G and Unilite lamp heads, flash tubes, modeling lamps, or protective glass. Credit must be used at time of purchase. Offer expires June 30th, 2012.

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Call (877) 217-9870 or Contact Us today.

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Buy any Senso kit and get a FREE RFS 2 transmitter!

Buy a Senso 21, Senso 22, Senso 41, or Senso 42 kit and receive a free RFS 2 transmitter. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts. Expires June 30th, 2012.

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Call (877) 217-9870 or Contact Us today.

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Buy Broncolor Minicom at 25 percent off

Buy any Minicom kit or devices for a special price of 25% off. Offer applies to Minicom 160, Minicom 160 RFS, Minicom 80, Minicom 80 RFS, Minicom 40, Minicom 40 RFS, Minicom Pro Kit, Minicom Pro Kit RFS, Minicom Basic Kit, Minicom Basic Kit RFS, Minicom Classic Kit, Minicom Classic Kit RFS, Minicom Expert Kit, Minicom Expert Kit RFS, Minicom Travel Kit, and Minicom Travel Kit RFS. Offer expires June 30th, 2012.

Have Questions? Ready to Purchase?

Call (877) 217-9870 or Contact Us today.

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Phase One iXR & iXA Cameras

April 2, 2012 | News

Meet the new Phase One Industrial Mirrorless Camera Bodies — the iXR & iXA

Today, Phase One has announced 2 new, fully integrated and robust digital camera systems for digitization, fine art reproduction and diverse industrial applications. The Phase One iXR is a state of the art reprographic solution that combines complete camera control with high resolution optics and sensors. The Phase One iXA is an advanced solution for aerial photography, or any photography where vibrations push equipment to the extreme. The Phase One iXR and iXA bodies are both made from tough, aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, are built without a mirror and viewfinder to present an industrial strength, precise, and vibration-free solution.

Phase One iXR Highlights

• Mirror-less body for vibration-free captures
• Separate and independent focal plane shutter and leaf shutter
• Single power source for camera body and digital back
• Works with all Phase One mount lenses
• Mamiya/Phase One digital back interface
• Real focus control via Live View inside of Capture One or with SDK
• Contant aperture option (allows the lens aperture to stay closed down during shooting to reduce wear and tear
• Fully compatible with IQ series digital backs
• Limited functionality with Phase One P/P+ and Leaf Aptus-II
• Self-locking LEMO connectors to ensure cables stay attached
• 1/4000 to 60 minute shutter speed options

 

For more information or to reserve yours, please call us today at 877-217-9870

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Phase One Press Release

Phase One Introduces the iXR Dedicated Digital Reproduction Camera System

Fully integrated medium-format digital reproduction camera system enables control over the entire image reproduction workflow

COPENHAGEN, April 02, 2012

Phase One, the world’s leading pro photography equipment provider, today announced the Phase One iXR camera system — the world’s first medium format dedicated digital reproduction camera system.

The Phase One iXR is a robust, fully-integrated digital camera system designed to excel at high-quality digitization such as fine art reproduction and diverse industrial applications. The Phase One iXR’s outstanding image quality, full automation and rugged engineering make it a compelling new solution for digital reproduction.

The Phase One iXR was built from the ground up to meet the exacting needs of the reproduction photographer and was designed to streamline workflow by enabling full control of the entire process. Using the iXR camera system with Phase One’s Capture One workflow software, photographers can take advantage of remote focus and easily move from live view to capture at the click of a mouse. The iXR incorporates a rugged industrial design that has done away with both the mirror and viewfinder to reduce moving parts and subsequent vibrations; its tough aircraft grade aluminum alloy camera body delivers a real workhorse solution capable of high-quality performance under the most demanding conditions.

The Phase One iXR is one of the first products being offered by Phase One Industrial. Formed in 2011 Phase One Industrial is a division of Phase One dedicated to research, development and manufacturing of specialized industrial camera systems. Phase One Industrial camera systems are built specifically for industrial applications such as fine art reproduction, machine vision and aerial photogrammetry and provide advanced hardware and imaging software solutions that meet the unique requirements of their users.

Dov Kalinski, General Manger of Phase One Industrial said, “We are very proud of the new Phase One iXR camera system and its elegant combination of medium format image quality and robust industrial design that offers photographers full control over their entire workflows. A new camera body, Phase One’s Capture One workflow software and high-end optics offer a full-package solution for the reproduction industry.”

The iXR camera system is available in three different configurations – 80MP, 60MP and 40MP. The iXR is also available as a stand-alone camera body for existing Phase One digital back owners. Prices for a complete iXR camera system including lens begin at EUR 22,990 / USD 29,990. The iXR will be available for shipping as of May, 2012.

For additional information, please visit industrial.phaseone.com

Phase One Launches iXA Medium Format Aerial Camera System

Dedicated medium-format aerial photography camera system delivers exceptional image quality and value

COPENHAGEN, April 02, 2012

Phase One, the world’s leading pro photography equipment provider, today announced the Phase One iXA camera system, a fully integrated aerial camera system specifically designed to meet the exacting needs of aerial photography, with features that rival large-format cameras at a fraction of their price.

Developed with leading experts and engineers in the field, the iXA has been built to streamlines the image capture and processing workflow. This camera is a major addition to existing aerial camera implementations that Phase One already provides to its partners in the industry. With a choice of 80 megapixel or 60 megapixel models, in either RGB or NIR versions, the iXA is easily incorporated into existing or new systems, making it the perfect solution for both integrators and end users looking for a rugged, high-quality robust aerial camera system.

The Phase One iXA’s rugged construction incorporates 6061 aluminum alloy to enable a robust solution capable of superior performance under tough aerial conditions, while secured connectors firmly hold cables in place. Designed for flexibility and scalability, the iXA operates effectively either in single or in a multiple camera configuration, capturing synchronized images within 100 microseconds of each other and eliminating post production sync issues.

The Phase One iXA offers high dynamic range and detailed image quality, with outstanding image sharpness and excellent color with Phase One’s range of Schneider-Kreuznach internal electronically controlled leaf shutters and Phase One digital lenses. The Phase One SDK software provides control over critical exposure parameters such as ISO, shutter speed, aperture and capture during the flight and includes interface components for custom applications to work with the iXA camera system in a production set up.

The Phase One iXA camera system is developed manufactured by Phase One Industrial, a division which was formed in 2011 with a focus on providing advanced imaging solutions for special applications such as aerial photogrammetry, machine vision and fine art reproduction. These growing market segments will benefit from two decades of high-end photographic equipment and imaging software development experience.

Dov Kalinski, General Manger of Phase One Industrial said, “The iXA camera system offers great value to the market with its extremely high performance and cost-effective price. Phase One has spared no effort in developing a truly integrated aerial camera system.”

Listed at just 45,000 EUR / 60,000 USD for the 80MP version and 40,000 EUR / 53,000 USD for the 60MP version, the iXA offers a highly competitive price performance ratio that is second to none in the medium/large format aerial photography market. Shipping for the iXA camera system will commence as of May, 2012.

For additional information, please visit industrial.phaseone.com

About Phase One

Phase One is the world’s leader in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions. Phase One medium format cameras, digital backs and lenses are designed to deliver superior quality image capture and investment value. Phase One’s Capture One and Media Pro software helps streamline capture and post-production processes for both medium format and DSLR cameras. Phase One products are known for their quality, flexibility and speed enabling pro photographers shooting in a wide range of formats to achieve their creative visions without compromise.

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Arca Swiss Updated VarioFinder

March 27, 2012 | News

Arca Swiss is now shipping a modified version of the VarioFinder for the Rm2D, RM3Di, and RL3D Cameras. The new version employs dual tracks on the front of the VarioFinder and new slotted masks that fit onto 2 brass levers that slide up and down for rise and fall and allow the mask to shift east and west for your shift views. This eliminates the clunkiness of the previous mask that utilized magnets to maintain the position for rise and fall trajectory but also necessitated flipping the mask over for shift views that were not guided in any way other than with your hand. This produced the potential for mis-alignment.

 

The new VarioFinder slotted tracks do a great job of eliminating this possibility of mis-alignment and greatly enhance the ease of use. We have these in stock and the lenses we have in inventory on our shelf (40HR, 43 Digitar, 70HR, 72 Digitar) include the new slotted mask.

 

 

 

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Canon 5D Mark III – High ISO Test

March 23, 2012 | News, Tech

It’s here!

Canon’s new 5D Mark III is now available. Boasting a fair amount of new features, capabilities and functions, the Mark III promises to be a worthy replacement for the 5D Mark II.

The camera’s new autofocus system (thanks to the yet released 1DX) and high ISO performance are at the top of the list of these new upgrades. We decided to do a quick test to evaluate the Mark III’s high ISO performance in a real world senario. We set up a scene lit by overhead can lights and a bit of daylight through a frosted window. Images were shot from ISO 100 all the way up to the camera’s maximum ISO of 25,600. The CR2′s were imported into Photoshop CS5 via Camera RAW 6.7.

*NOTE: As of writing of this article. The RAW files of the MkIII are currently unsupported in Capture One, Lightroom 3 and CS5. Only by using the included software or downloading the Camera Raw beta from Adobe Labs can you access the RAW format for processing. It is also possible that the new Photoshop CS6 beta will support the files although we were unable to test that at this time.

Brief High ISO Test

Below are the 100% crops from the scene we set up, showing the high ISO performance of the 5D Mark III from 1600 all the way up to 25,600. The images we shot RAW, white balanced in the Camera Raw 6.7 with default settings and saved as jpegs from within Photoshop. The results are nothing short of stunning. Click to enlarge and view the performance.

First Impressions

Aside from the internal upgrades and tweaks, the camera as a whole is definitely a step up. The body itself is more refined in both fit and finish. Canon clearly took the time when rethinking the ergonomics, button placement and menu system noting that many 5D shooters are now pulling double duty shooting stills and motion.

One of the first things you’ll notice when you pick up the 5D Mark III is that the body is a bit more curvaceous and resembles the 7D in more ways than its predecessor. Also the sound of the mirror and shutter is more crisp & mechanical rather the “clack clack” most 5D Mark II shooters are now used to.

In Stock!

We have a few 5D Mark III Kits (w/ 24-105 f/4 IS lens) in stock and ready to ship. Please contact us or call 877.217.9870 to place your order today!

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Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Home

March 21, 2012 | CI Team, News

Our Capture Integration Workshop at the home of Clyde Butcher

Last week a few of us were fortunate to have one of those top 10 photographic days where everything seemed to come together.  We had just had an incredible Phase One IQ International conference at our Miami location with a tremendous turnout and inspiring presentations by customers, Ed Cooley and Jack Flesher.  The planning of such an event had all of us working non stop to ensure that all the small details were covered and no balls were dropped.  Needless to say, after pulling it off we needed to blow off some photographic steam for a few days and this is exactly what we did.

A few weeks before I had promoted a small workshop to shoot in the Everglades for the weekend.  I had always been a huge fan on Clyde Butcher and had seen his work in galleries and private collections all over our country.  However, I had never had the opportunity to spend some time in the swamp and the “muck” as a few affectionately call it.  So I made some calls and did a little research.  What I found was that you could arrange private swamp walks behind Clyde’s Big Cypress Gallery off of Tamiami trail in Ochopee, Florida.  This was only a 90 minute drive from Miami so I jumped on the opportunity.  Now, the swamp walks are normally only on Saturday’s but I was able to “sweet talk” my way into a private Friday walk for our small group.

Mr. Butcher and I discussing my “tiny” Cambo RS Anniversary Edition Camera

I have to admit that I was a mix of excitement and fear thinking of walking waist deep in the swamp with reptiles as long as my rental car.  I was anxious about our day until we arrived on site and was greeted by none other than Clyde Butcher himself.  Clyde no longer lives at his location in Big Cypress as he has moved to Venice with his family.  So I was happily surprised to meet him in person.  However, that was just the beginning.  For those who do not know him (is this possible?) Mr. Butcher is one of the masters of Large Format photography.   He shoots everything from a 12×20 Wisner down to a 4×5 little beauty that he calls his Clyde-O-Wide.  Being able to meet him and pick his brain a little was a delight.  And from Clyde’s perspective, here are 6 guys with Phase One IQ digital backs all on Cambo Wide RS and Anniversary Edition large format cameras in his backyard.  Needless to say, there had never been that kind of equipment in his swamp at the same time before!  I felt like a school child again and I think that Clyde enjoyed it as well.

After spending about an hour getting ready and talking with Mr Butcher, we were off into the swamp with our gear.  Steve was our knowledgeable and generous guide for the day.  And from the first step we were knee deep in water.  Now to protect the innocent and not to point out the guilty parties, there were a few who were not so thrilled to spend the day with poisonous spiders, cotton mouth snakes, and 15′ gators as you can imagine.  But I am happy to say, that only after a few steps into the muck, it felt quite normal and you forgot about the normal comforts of dry feet and safety on solid ground.  You quickly were more enamored by the beauty and lush landscape than any negative feelings about the swamp.  It really was amazing.  Every new turn yeilded new flora, wildlife, or lush landscape.  Honestly, we spent 6 straight hours almost waist deep in water at 2 miles into the national preserve and it felt like 90 minutes.

Upon exiting the swamp we were then happily greeted by Mr Butcher with a “What did  you think?”  And he then escorted us back to a his personal favorite spot that he thinks is one of the best shooting areas of his backyard.  It was lush and green with a tremendous canopy that kept the colors saturated without too much contrast.  And we all got right back into the water for another 45 mintues of shooting.  But this time with Clyde’s advice and direction.  After hosing off our gear, feet, boots and anything else that was full of muck Mr. Butcher then invited us into his home followed by a private tour of his gallery.  Clyde shared anecdotes about the creation of many of his brilliant 4′ x 6′ images hanging on the walls mixed in with some experienced advice for all of us.  Seldom do you have the chance to meet one of the masters of our medium.  And never do you get invited into their home, their backyard, or have a personal after hours tour of their gallery.  Last Friday was one of my all time favorite days in our industry.  I was able to experience the beauty that exists in the mysterious Everglades and Big Cypress Preserve up close and personal.  But moreover, a few of us were fortunate enough to meet and learn from one of the living masters of our medium.  Thank you Clyde Butcher for your generosity and gracious hospitality.   This photographer is forever grateful.

 

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Capture One 6.3.5 adds 60 day trial

March 21, 2012 | Capture One, Tech, Tech Features

Phase One released Capture One 6.3.5 today with little documentation or information as to the update.

We have confirmed with Phase One that the only change between 6.3.4 and 6.3.5 is the extension of the free trial period to 60 days. Previously, the free trial period was 30 days for Capture One Pro.

Keep an eye on our blog for anymore information regarding the changes.

Changes

• 60-day free trial period

About Capture One Updates

Capture Integration is constantly testing new releases of Capture One and has many customers who are kind enough to keep us informed about their testing. We recommend a user update critical software or their operating-system only when:

1. The update contains an improvement, new feature or bug fix which is relevant to the user (“if it isn’t broke – don’t fix it”)
2. The update has been out long enough to give a sense of whether it contains any nasty bugs
3. The user has time/desire to do a complete test of anything workflow critical (e.g. tethering, processing, retouching, printing etc)
4. The user has a complete bootable backup of the computer. We recommend SuperDuper.
5. The user has the time to do a clean install. This means removing the previous version before installing the new version in the case of a software update. For an OS that means doing a erase+install.

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Miami IQ World Conference Video

March 21, 2012 | News

Phase One IQ World Conference in Miami

Weeks and weeks of preparation and partnership with Phase One DK, Phase One US, and Bron Imaging Group, led to a tremendous event at MAPS studio in South Beach, Florida on March 15th, 2012. Our talented clients, Ed Cooley and Jack Flesher, shared some technical and inspirational information about their process in creating imagery.  And Andre Rowe did an awesome job teaching Broncolor lighting and high speed synch with the LS digital lenses.  We are very fortunate to have great partners in the industry along with the most talented customers in the field.  Thank you to all of you who could attend and for those who missed it………. make sure you get to the next one!  Enjoy the video above and we hope to see you all again soon!

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IQ Firmware 3.0 released today!

March 21, 2012 | News, Tech, Tech Features

New IQ Series firmware gives you a big speed bump!

Phase One released IQ firmware 3.0 today with many enhancements to the IQ backs. The majority of the update helps increase the speed of the back itself. Most notably, the new firmware now fully supports UMDA 7 memory cards which allows for a full 119 mb/s writing to cards.

Phase One Release Notes

Improved performance:

• Significantly improved speed when showing previews, especially when zoomed.
• Improved CF-card writing speed – with a fast CF card it is now practically impossible to shoot faster than the images can be written to card.
• Improved tethered capture speed – images are now transferred faster than ever before

New features:

• Browsing, zooming and panning is now possible in the last 10 images when shooting tethered to the computer
• Custom White Balance 1,2,3 in digital back can now be set in tethered mode
• Zooming and panning in not yet stored images are now possible on the digital back
• Custom background can be uploaded as an image (backgrnd.bmp or backgrnd.tif) on the CF card
• User can now adjust the offset for roll and pitch.

Reliability:

• Camera interface is in general more robust for third party cameras.
• Improved two-shot noise rejection on trigger pulse, when using third party equipment
• Battery lifetime in cold weather is improved significantly
• General stability improvements

Known limitations: Lexar 400x 256GB CF card is not supported

Install Instructions

Update should be performed with the digital back disconnected from the camera, and without FireWire or USB connected. Also make sure you have a fully charged battery in the IQ back.

• Download the latest IQ Firmware from phaseone.com.
• Transfer the .fwr file to an empty compact flash card and insert it into the IQ’s compact flash card slot.
• Select “Update Firmware” from the Firmware menu.
• After upgrade the digital back will have to be rebooted, a full reboot is performed by removing the battery from the IQ back, and reinserting it.
• After rebooting select [Menu > Restore Defaults] to ensure the back is on default settings.

Note: If you have any issues with the update, the “Restore Firmware” option will revert to the factory installed firmware version. If you experience errors you can use the menu “Dump Log” to transfer Log information to the CompactFlash card – this log file you can use to send to support for further analysis

Standard Note of Caution

Note: Capture Integration firmly believes that professionals who rely on their cameras for their reputation and income should avoid doing any major software or firmware updates immediately upon release. We have seen problematic firmware updates from Apple, Canon, Leica,  While we have no specific reason to be hesitant with this particular update we recommend waiting several days for our in-house testing and the results of updates of our early-adopter customers before updating your IQ firmware.

Final Features Still to be Completed

This firmware does not enable two features. These will be enabled in a future firmware update.

• USB3 Port Support
• Turn on both the body and back from body.

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Patrick Cox – Greenville, SC

March 12, 2012 | Client Gallery

In Their Own Words

I remember when Dave rolled up to SC and put that Phase One into my hands back in (2003?). It was a poisonously addictive occasion. I was looking for something to give me that edge. I had all of the high-end camera companies visit me to peddle the latest gear. What struck me was this: Dave was different than all the others. First of all, the back he demo’d with me hands-down performed better. Specifically, I remember how clean the files were. The details where excellent in the shadows, and the light to dark transitions were remarkable. And that was awesome. But more importantly, here was a guy who was going to add value to my business. I knew I could trust him and he would be there for me when I needed help. A true business partner.

Over the years, Dave has proved to be a reliable source for my gear. I know I have purchased at least 6 phase backs from Capture Integration since 2003. Thanks Dave and crew for many years of sales support! You have been a key ingredient in my success and have been a pleasure to deal with!
Patrick Cox

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Capture One 6.3.4 Released

March 5, 2012 | Capture One, News

Phase One has released a service update to Capture One 6, bringing this version’s number to 6.3.4.

This update improves the image quality for Sony NEX-7and NEX-5n, Nikon J1, V1 and P7100, Panasonic GX1, GF3 and G3, and Ricoh GR DIGITAL IV, as well as offering the following bugfixes:

• Improved stability when using OpenCL in combination with certain graphics cards.
• Improved tethered stability on Mac.
• Camera counter no longer resets for certain cameras on Mac OS 10.7
• Fixed a crash on the French Windows version.

The new version is available for download now from Phase One.

About Capture One Updates

Capture Integration is constantly testing new releases of Capture One and has many customers who are kind enough to keep us informed about their testing. We recommend a user update critical software or their operating-system only when:

1. The update contains an improvement, new feature or bug fix which is relevant to the user (“if it isn’t broke – don’t fix it”)
2. The update has been out long enough to give a sense of whether it contains any nasty bugs
3. The user has time/desire to do a complete test of anything workflow critical (e.g. tethering, processing, retouching, printing etc)
4. The user has a complete bootable backup of the computer. We recommend SuperDuper.
5. The user has the time to do a clean install. This means removing the previous version before installing the new version in the case of a software update. For an OS that means doing a erase+install.

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