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Archive for April, 2016

IKEA VR: Explore Interior Layouts in New Virtual Reality App

30 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

ikea virtual reality

A new virtual reality application from IKEA lets users try out various kitchen configurations in three dimensions. Using an HTC Vive headset, the app lets people see different setups but also change key details in each, such as the colors and materials of drawers and cabinets.

ikea interactive vr

Created in partnership with the French company Allegorithmic and employing the Unreal Engine 4 (from Epic Games), the app lets would-be buyers select from various furnishings and fixtures.

ikea options

“Virtual reality is developing quickly and in five to ten years it will be an integrated part of people’s lives,” says optimist and futurist Jesper Brodin, managing director of IKEA of Sweden. “We see that virtual reality will play a major role in the future of our customers. For instance, someday, it could be used to enable customers to try out a variety of home furnishing solutions before buying them.”

ikea meatspace digital fun

ikea home interior design

For now, the system is a test case, available to those with access to a virtual reality headset. Users are encouraged to try it out and let the company know what they think about the current setup and how it can be improved. The company hopes to enable participants not only to shop smarter but also to become a part of the creative process in developing new design ideas and interior options.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Let’s take a look: Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

30 Apr

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

Before Sony ever put a 1″-type sensor in a compact, there was the Canon PowerShot G series. If you wanted extensive controls without all the weight of a DSLR, the G-series compacts were where you looked. The PowerShot G16 was the last in that line, sporting a 12MP 1/1.7″ sensor before Canon ushered in a series of 1″ compacts with a similar form factor.

The G16 may be gone from retailer’s shelves, but it is not forgotten. It’s also the subject of a recently published iFixit disassembly guide. The good people at iFixit publish product-specific disassembly guides, written to help common folk make simple repairs to their own electronic devices. They’re also an easy way to peek inside a modern digital camera without voiding your warranty. This week, we look inside the Canon PowerShot G16.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

The first disassembly step (after taking the battery out, of course) is an easy one. The G16 offers an accessory attachment point around the lens, which is covered when not in use by a metal ring. Pressing the button on the front panel next to the lens frees the ring.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

Next comes the removal of the screws. Many screws. Including this one hiding next to the viewfinder…

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

…And another tucked next to the ports. 

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

With the first round of screws removed the back chassis can be removed from the body, revealing just a peek at the motherboard. 

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

The front panel can also be carefully removed…

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

…And after removing another screw, the port cover is ready to go.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

This ribbon cable on the back panel connects the buttons to the motherboard, and can be carefully removed.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

The button circuit board comes free with the removal of a couple of tiny screws, revealing a cable connecting the motherboard to the LCD. Got your spudger handy?

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

In order to free the cables you’ll need to lift this little tab. A spudger is just the tool for the job.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

And with that, the LCD is free.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

The copper shield (likely for heat dissipation) can be removed. 

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

More screws are removed, freeing the viewfinder casing.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

With the metal shield removed, the network of cables underneath is revealed. The ribbon highlighted here connects the top panel with the motherboard and will need to be removed from the motherboard with the trusty ol’ spudger.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

The top panel is ready to go once it’s free of its connections to the motherboard. 

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

Lose a few more cable connections and the motherboard is ready for removal.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

The front lens covering is next to go after the five screws connecting it to the front plate are removed.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

At this point there’t not much camera left, and the lens module can be removed from the rest of the housing with one last screw removed.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

But why stop at removing the lens? The viewfinder can be taken right off the top of the lens assembly.

Canon PowerShot G16 iFixit disassembly guide

A few more odd screws removed and that’s it – the Canon PowerShot G16 is reduced to its bare bones. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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World’s Longest Tunnel Slide Opening at Sculptural London Monument

30 Apr

[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

arcelormittal slide main

Experience monumental sculpture like you never have before with a new 15-story tunnel slide that spirals around London’s ArcelorMittal Orbit monument, set to be the world’s longest. The UK is really pushing its public art to the next level by adding a record breaker to a record breaker, as the sculpture already holds the title of tallest in the nation. The slide wraps around the sculpture 12 times, and it takes forty seconds to get from the very top to the bottom in a trip through the tube.

world's longest tunnel slide 2

Opening to the public on June 24th, 2016, the Carsten Höller-designed slide features both opaque and transparent sections so riders get brief glimpses of the London skyline before plunging back into darkness. A tight corkscrew section snakes its way around the red geometric structure, ending in a straight run to the ground. The slide’s total length is 584 feet.

world's longest tunnel slide 3

world's longest tunnel slide 4

world's longest tunnel slide 5

London erected the strange and rather controversial ArcelorMittal for the 2012 Summer Olympics, offering panoramic views of the city from its location in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Tickets for the attraction are already on sale for £15 ($ 22), with a limited number available each day, and you can book more than one ride at a time.

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[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Sony patents contact lens camera with blink-triggered shutter

30 Apr

Sony has patented a contact lens that comes with an integrated miniature camera module and all its components, such as image sensor, lens, processor, storage and even a wireless module to transfer images to a smartphone or other connected device. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Getty accuses Google of anti-competition practices, files complaint in EU

30 Apr
Ian Walton / Getty Images

Getty Images, one of the largest photo agencies in the world, has filed a complaint with the European Union’s Competition Commission because Google won’t budge on making high resolution photographs freely available from its Images search engine. Getty says that as users can see images in high resolution via the results window in Google Images there is no incentive for searchers to click through to the owner’s website. Getty maintains that the practice of showing searched images at high resolution deprives websites of traffic, while also making it easier for Google users to download and use images without paying a license fee to the copyright owner.

In an open letter posted on the Getty Image’s website, the companys General Counsel, Yoko Miyashita, says ‘Our complaint focuses specifically on changes made to Google Images in 2013, which have impacted the competitiveness of our business by siphoning off traffic and promoting piracy – to the detriment of the 200,000 contributors who rely on us to earn a living. On a broader scale, this has impacted the interests of content creators around the world, allowing Google not only to profit from their work, but also to reinforce its role as the internet’s dominant search engine and thus maintain its monopoly power.’

The changes Miyashita mentions, that were made in January 2013, are those which saw Google shift from serving searchers a thumbnail sized image to allowing users to see and download full-sized images. The service even allows users to specify the size of image they want to see. Getty argues ‘Once an image is displayed in high-resolution, large format, it is immediately consumed – there’s very little reason to go see it somewhere else. This format change immediately diverted traffic away from Getty Images, and from the websites of Getty Images’ customers and those of other image creators, deterring users from leaving Google’s platform to engage with content through legitimate sources. This, in turn, negatively impacts content creators’ ability to monetize users’ interest through licensing and advertising, and reduces the level of reinvestment available for the creation of new content.’

Getty says it has been in talks with Google for three years, but that Google’s attitude has been that image creators should either accept the search engine’s terms or opt-out of image search. Getty says it is fighting to protect its interests and those of its contributors, but also to protect the entire image-making industry.

Getty’s complaint is part of a wider investigation of Google by the European Competition Commission in which the search giant faces questions about restrictive practices in the way it serves search results as well as the compulsory apps that come with devices using the Android operating system.

For more information, and to read Yoko Miyashita’s open letter, see the Advocacy page on the Getty Images website. 


Press release:

Getty Images to file competition law complaint against Google

Getty Images, a world leader in visual communications, will today file a competition law complaint against Google Inc. with the European Commission. The complaint follows on from Getty Images’ submission in June 2015, when it joined as an interested third party in support of the European Commission’s existing investigation into Google’s anti-competitive business practices. 

The Commission’s current proceedings against Google are wide-reaching, with Google accused of distorting search results in favour of its own services. This affects a myriad of industries, from media companies like Getty Images, to comparison shopping and travel websites. Just last week, a further set of proceedings were issued against the search engine, to address Google’s business practices around its Android mobile operating system.

Getty Images’ complaint focuses specifically on changes made in 2013 to Google Images, the image search functionality of Google, which has not only impacted Getty Images’ image licensing business, but content creators around the world, by creating captivating galleries of high-resolution, copyrighted content. Because image consumption is immediate, once an image is displayed in high-resolution, large format, there is little impetus to view the image on the original source site. These changes have allowed Google to reinforce its role as the internet’s dominant search engine, maintaining monopoly over site traffic, engagement data and advertising spend. This has also promoted piracy, resulting in widespread copyright infringement, turning users into accidental pirates.

Getty Images’ General Counsel, Yoko Miyashita says: ‘Getty Images represents over 200,000 photojournalists, content creators and artists around the world who rely on us to protect their ability to be compensated for their work. Google’s behavior is adversely affecting not only our contributors, but the lives and livelihoods of artists around the word – present and future. By standing in the way of a fair marketplace for images, Google is threatening innovation, and jeopardizing artists’ ability to fund the creation of important future works. Artists need to earn a living in order to sustain creativity and licensing is paramount to this; however, this cannot happen if Google is siphoning traffic and creating an environment where it can claim the profits from individuals’ creations as its own.’

Miyashita continues: ‘Getty Images believes that images have the power to move the world by spurring action and driving change. It is key that these issues with Google are addressed and that the dominant search engine in Europe leads users to legitimate sources for imagery, rather than creating an environment that benefits Google alone. A fair marketplace will allow photographers to continue to capture the ground-breaking imagery that informs and impacts the world every day.’

Getty Images firmly supports a more image-rich, digital world, but one that recognizes and remunerates the content creators who create this imagery. In 2014, Getty Images launched its embed tool, which revolutionized the visual content industry by making imagery available for easy, legal sharing at no cost for non-commercial use. This embed functionality provides consumers with an easy, legal alternative to the ‘right click,’ an alternative that ensures the content creator is appropriately credited for their work and that the image is clearly traceable to Getty Images in the event that a user wishes to license the image for a commercial purpose.

Visit Where We Stand  to learn more about how Getty Images is working with policy makers and industry groups to defend intellectual property and ensure a fair marketplace for content creators.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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MacPhun launches Filters for Photos free app for Mac users

30 Apr

Software developer MacPhun has announced a new app for Mac OSX users that comes with 30 photo filter effects, and which is being offered as a free download. The Filters for Photos application can be downloaded as an extension to Apple’s own Photos program or as a standalone product. It provides one-click effects in a similar way to Instagram, and comes with sketch, oil painting, color tones, black and white, and grain styles – among others. Once applied the filters can be down-played and adjusted according the characteristics of that effect, and users can apply multiple filters to a single image.

When finished, filtered images can be exported directly to social media or other MacPhun and Adobe software programs, or they can be saved to the hard drive.

Filters for Photos can be downloaded from: macphun.com/filtersforphotos.


Press release:

Macphun’s new extension for Photos makes Photos for Mac more creative and fun

Filters for Photos adds 30 creative photo filters, and is available for free

Macphun, a leading photography software developer has today launched a new free app, Filters for Photos. The new software works as a Photos for Mac extension, as well as standalone software? it gives users the ability to add sketch, analog, vintage, and many other filters to their photos in a single click.

The software is the next step in Macphun’s continued support for Photos for Mac. Macphun was the first software developer to launch the Photos extensions in September, 2015. And now all the bestselling Macphun apps work as extensions (Aurora HDR, Intensify, Tonality, Snapheal, Noiseless).

About Filters for Photos
Filters for Photos is available as a free download exclusively from the Macphun Store. It introduces 30 creative filters to suit every hobby photographers’ style? from sketch to oil painting, vintage to rainbow palette. Users can adjust and tweak every filter, plus apply the filters to a certain part of the photo, quickly export their creations to other photo editors, or share via the social media and email.

Apple Photos for Mac is the default photoediting software for every Mac user, and Macphun aim to accelerate the user experience with this exciting new extension. There are 8 default filters in Photos for OS X with limited styles. Filters for Photos by Macphun is changing that.

In addition to 30 new filters, users will be able to:

  • Selectively apply filters with the custom brush
  • Preview all the changes in real time
  • Adjust and tune filters
  • Mix filters, creating new creative styles
  • Export to social media
  • Export to other photo software by Adobe, Apple and Macphun

Why Filters For Photos?
Macphun have introduced Filters For Photos in response to the popularity of oneclick presets and filters in Macphun’s other software. FX Photo Studio by Macphun (available for both iOS and Mac OS) features over 170 different filters? it has over 2 million monthly active users, and a total of over 25 million downloads. Over 65% of people, who use Aurora HDR, Intensify and Tonality, use oneclick presets to give their photos the necessary look in no time. So there’s definitely a high demand for editing tools that allow a quick change of the look of the photo.

Filters for Photos integrates with the Photos for Mac user experience, and helps more people be creative with their photography, without spending anything. Filters for Photos is available as a free download from macphun.com/filtersforphotos

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Weekly Photography Challenge – Urban Decay

30 Apr

If you live in a city now is your chance to get out and hunt for some run down, dilapidated, crumbling buildings that say urban decay to you.

Thomas Hawk

By Thomas Hawk

Weekly Photography Challenge – Urban Decay

You can handle this challenge and subject however you wish to approach it. Shoot or convert to black and white, try some HDR, how about doing some light painting at night? The choice is yours. Go find a good subject, take a friend along too, and shoot away!

NOTE: As always though – please put your safety and taking the proper precautions to ensure you aren’t trespassing on private property or endangering yourself or anyone else in the process of getting your photos. Safety and getting proper permissions come first!

Pelle Sten

By Pelle Sten

Louis Du Mont

By Louis du Mont

Babak Fakhamzadeh

By Babak Fakhamzadeh

Toby Bradbury

By Toby Bradbury

Neal Wellons

By Neal Wellons

David Barnas

By David Barnas

Share your images below:

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Julian Lennon

By Julian Lennon

Freaktography

By Freaktography

David Barnas

By David Barnas

Darkday

By darkday

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The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Urban Decay by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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25 Dilapidated Images of Urban Decay and Grunge

29 Apr

Many photographers are fascinated with old things, the more decayed and falling apart the better. Urban decay and grunge is a popular subject for photographers in cities. Some go out of their way to find abandoned buildings and little known spots.

Perhaps like these images:

Wayne Stadler

By Wayne Stadler

Vincent Ferron

By Vincent Ferron

RAFFI YOUREDJIAN

By RAFFI YOUREDJIAN

Ghalam_DAR

By ghalam_DAR

Anna S.

By Anna S.

Claudia M Eastman

By Claudia M Eastman

Nano Anderson

By Nano Anderson

Simon Samuelsson

By Simon Samuelsson

OlavXO

By olavXO

Howard Ignatius

By Howard Ignatius

Freaktography

By Freaktography

Freaktography

By Freaktography

Andre Valente

By Andre Valente

Freaktography

By Freaktography

Pietromassimo Pasqui

By Pietromassimo Pasqui

Maurizio

By Maurizio

Oreste Messina

By Oreste Messina

Maurizio

By Maurizio

Mariyan Dimitrov

By Mariyan Dimitrov

Daniel Go

By Daniel Go

Kamil Dziedzina

By Kamil Dziedzina

Darkday

By darkday

Darkday

By darkday

Guillaume DELEBARRE (Guigui-Lille)

By Guillaume DELEBARRE (Guigui-Lille)

Thomas Hawk

By Thomas Hawk

 

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The post 25 Dilapidated Images of Urban Decay and Grunge by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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2016 Roundup: Compact Enthusiast Zoom Cameras

29 Apr

The enthusiast compact market has exploded over the last couple of years, with almost every manufacturer offering a product with a 1″-type sensors. Most of those cameras are small (and sometimes pocketable) and feature fast (but short) lenses. They also vary in terms of design, control points, video specs and whether they have an EVF, so you’ll have some decisions to make. In this roundup, we’ll try to help.

Here are the cameras that we’ll be covering in this article:

  • Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
  • Canon PowerShot G5 X
  • Canon PowerShot G7 X
  • Canon PowerShot G9 X
  • Fujifilm X30
  • Fujifilm XQ2
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100/TZ100
  • Sony Cyber-shot RX100
  • Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II
  • Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III
  • Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV

As mentioned above, the majority of offerings in this category utilize 1″-type sensor, however two cameras offer even larger sensors. The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II is built around the largest sensor of the bunch at 1.5″, while the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 uses a slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds chip.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the two Fujifilm options use significantly smaller 2/3″ sensors, which is important, because sensor size can be a major indicator of potential – particularly lowlight – image quality. Also, cameras with larger sensors will generally allow for much more control over depth of field.

To further help you pick the right camera in this class, we’ve also created the chart below, which breaks down the equivalent aperture for each camera, as you work your way through the zoom range. Our article here explains the concept of equivalence, but at a high level all you need to know is that the lower the line is on the graph below, the blurrier the backgrounds you’ll be able to get and typically, though not always, the better the overall low-light performance.

This graph plots equivalent focal length against equivalent aperture – with both axes taking sensor size into account so that they can be compared on a common basis. Equivalent focal lengths offer the same field-of-view and equivalent apertures give the same depth-of-field and similar total light capture. For more information, click here.

On the following pages, you’ll find what we liked and didn’t like about each camera, links to our test scenes for image quality comparisons, and real-world galleries to give you a sense of how each performs outside the lab.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Top 6 Best Cameras Under $1000

29 Apr

If you are interested in taking up photography as a hobby or just love snapping pictures of family and friends, you are probably well aware of how expensive most high-end digital cameras can be. The really great cameras all seem to be well outside your budget. In fact, if you happen to run across a great camera for around $ 3000, Continue Reading

The post Top 6 Best Cameras Under $ 1000 appeared first on Photodoto.


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