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Posts Tagged ‘Meet’

Google Photos — Bait Meet Switch

23 Nov

Google Photos blog post announcing their new Google Photos service.

In case you missed it recently, Google Photos has decided to end their free unlimited photo hosting service. Beginning in June of next year users will be limited to 15GB of space before being asked to pay for more storage. How much you’ll have to pay will depend on how much storage you use. Unfortunately for me, I have more photos than fit their top tier $ 100/year plan, so even if I wanted to pay I’d be capped out of the service.

While I don’t begrudge Google, a trillion dollar company that makes billions of dollars a year, from wanting to make even MORE money, I am offended by the bait and switch approach that they took with Google Photos. Offering a user the first hit for free is classic dealer marketing. A lot of time and energy goes into organizing your photos on ANY photo sharing site and when someone spends hundreds or even thousands of hours organizing their photos at a site only to be priced out of the site, those are countless hours that you will never get back.

Fortunately for me I’ve spent a lot less time using Google Photos for the past few years. Google’s consistent bad faith across photo hosting/sharing products has left me very skeptical of anything they do anymore.

Some of you may remember Picasa (Google killed it). I was a user of that. I also was a big user of Google Buzz (they killed that too). Then I put hundreds of hours into my photography on Google+ (once again RIP). We used to do photowalks and hangouts and lots of other fun things around photography with Google+. Here’s my old Google+ url.

Initially I was super excited about Google Photos, but that changed over time. I was disappointed that one of their early features, photo facial recognition, didn’t really work for me. It limited the service to 200 faces and unfortunately for me when the service launched it grabbed a bunch of faces of musicians I’d photographed performing at Coachella and chose those as the ones to tag. There was no way to delete those and have it choose people who were actually my family, friends, neighbors, etc.

I was also disappointed that the hours and hours and hours I’d spent keywording all my photos in Adobe Lightroom were stripped out of my uploads to Google Photos. I’m not sure why Google would want to remove one of the best ways for me to search my photos from their service but for whatever reason they strip this data.

Still, Google Photos was free (even though it downsized my photos). It’s hard to complain about free — until they locked my gmail. Last year I received a rather ominous message from Google threatening that unless I paid them for more storage they were going to turn my gmail off.

It turns out that even though Google Photos claimed to be able to convert my photos to high quality JPEGs with free unlimited storage, that TIFF files generated by the software program Analog Efex Pro (ironically a former Google owned product before they jettisoned that as well) were not being converted by Google Photos and were sucking up my gmail storage which was then demanding payment from me. They actually locked my gmail and I missed several important emails that were blocked during this fiasco.

By this point I was about ready to delete my Google Photos account — except I could not find ANY way to delete my Google Photos account. That’s right you can’t just delete Google Photos. You have to delete your entire Google account including your Gmail!

While this is my unhappy story and experience with Google Photos, many, many users were duped into signing up for a free service that they thought would protect, as Google put it, their “lifetime of memories.” Now Google is demanding money from these users.

To me it seems wrong (even evil — remember their old motto “don’t be evil” that they also abandoned?) that Google would bait and switch so many users on this product. You can’t/won’t get the many hours that you spent organizing your photos on Google Photos back. Some will just begrudgingly pay up. What I see is one of the world’s largest companies who used a classic monopolistic tactic to grab market share by pricing out and hurting smaller competitors and now wants to profit from their move.

Once burned shame on you. Twice, three times, four times, five times, six times burned, shame on me. I will never trust Google with another product again.

Thankfully there is an alternative to Google Photos, good old trustworthy Flickr. Here is a thoughtful analysis done by Jeremy Zero comparing Google Photos and Flickr.

I’ve been using Flickr since 2004 and as long as I can remember my Flickr Pro account has remained unlimited. Flickr/SmugMug CEO Don MacAskill even recently re-iterated Flickr’s commitment to honoring their unlimited service. While Flickr may not be a trillion dollar company or make billions of dollars every year like Google does, they are a small company that cares about photographers and your photography. They also do a great job storing and sharing your full high-res, uncompressed, high quality images (and they even retain your photo keywords when you upload them there). I feel much better supporting an ethical small business than a trillion dollar company using monopolistic bait and switch tactics to try to drive the smaller guy out of business.

You can find me on Flickr here. If you are an American Photographer come join the American Photographer Group I administer on Flickr and say hello.


Thomas Hawk Digital Connection

 
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Video: Meet Calypso, the predecessor to Nikon’s iconic underwater Nikonos cameras

03 Nov

A customer at Camera West in California recently traded in an interesting piece of photographic history, the Calypso underwater camera. The 35mm film camera was the first of its kind that didn’t need housing to be used underwater.

The Calypso was the brainchild of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau and Belgian engineer Jean de Wouters. The Calypso was released in 1961 as the first 35mm underwater camera which could be used without housing. Cousteau wanted a small, simple camera you could use on land and underwater without any fuss.

When the Calypso launched, there were a trio of available lenses. Two of the lenses were manufactured by SOM Berthiot, 28mm and 35mm prime lenses. A third lens, a 45mm prime, was manufactured by Angenieux. In the video below, the Calypso is shown with the SOM Berthiot 35mm F3.5 lens. The knob on the left side of the lens barrel is used for focusing and the knob on the right controls the aperture.

The camera includes a distinct shutter design. When firing the shutter, the camera simultaneously winds the film. Since the camera is always ready to fire, there’s a shutter release lock on the top of the camera. The original camera strap is included and as you can see above, there is a built-in mechanism in the links to open the camera for loading film.

The camera’s construction is quite simple. Camera components are in the top portion of the body and the lower area is primarily a shell. The camera is constructed from an alloy and is coated in black enamel. Each component includes water sealing and the grip is faux sealskin. The camera’s top shutter speed is 1/1000s and it does include a port for using a flash.

To construct the camera, you put the two camera body components together and then mount the lens. Each lens includes a notch, allowing you to tell when the lens is fully mounted and sealed against water. At the time of its launch, the Calypso was rated to for use up to 200′ (60m) underwater.

The Calypso camera, as seen in Camera West’s video above. Click to enlarge.

In 1962, Nikon took over the production of the Calypso camera, rebranding it as the iconic Nikonos underwater 35mm camera. This was not Nikon’s first foray with underwater photography, as the Japanese company had already developed an underwater housing for the Nikon S2 camera in 1956. After teaming up with the Calypso’s original manufacturer, La Spirotechnique, the redeveloped Nikonos was released. Interestingly, in Nikon’s history of the Nikonos, Nikon says the camera was water pressure-resistant down to 50m rather than 60m, and the shutter speed topped out at 1/500s.

Ultimately, Nikon released three Nikonos cameras built upon the legacy of the Calypso, with the Nikonos III releasing in 1975. Nikon then went back to the drawing board and designed a full original Nikonos IV-A. This camera was released in 1980 and included new features such as a TTL exposure meter, aperture-priority AE control, an electronically controlled shutter, hinged open-and-close camera back and improved usability. The Nikonos V came next and was sold for 17 years before its discontinuation in October 2001. Nikon also released an autofocus underwater camera, the Nikonos RS AF, which could be used at depths of up to 100m. You can learn more about all the Nikonos cameras by clicking here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meet Leica’s newest limited-edition camera, the ‘White’ M10-P

19 Dec

German camera manufacturer Leica has announced a new limited edition M10-P camera that will be almost entirely white and silver, aside from the iconic red dot, of course. The ‘White’ edition will feature white leather trim and white paint on the top- and base-plates, as well as white lettering in the shutter speed and ISO dials.

The camera will come in a kit with a silver chrome Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH lens, and will have a white leather strap and a white case for the lens. Only 350 white kits will be made, and Leica says each will have a serial number unique to the White edition.
The Leica M10-P White kits are available now and retail for £12,750. The US$ price has yet to be revealed.

Press release:

Leica M10–P ‘White’: the new special edition comes in a set with a Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens

Leica Camera is delighted to announce the Leica M10-P ‘White’, a new colour option of the iconic rangefinder camera. Limited to 350 sets only worldwide, the all-white design takes its cue from the extremely popular Leica M8 ‘White Edition’ released in 2009. The top and bottom plates are finished in white paint to match the camera’s white leather trim and the silver control elements feature white engravings, complementing the design concept of the Leica M10-P ‘White’.

The technical specifications of both camera and lens are identical to those of the standard models: particularly discreet and concentrating on the most essential camera functions only, the Leica M10-P embodies the essence of the M-Philosophy. Featuring the quietest shutter release of all M-Cameras ever built, the almost inaudible sound makes it the ideal tool for discreetly capturing authentic photographs in any situation. With its handling concept, the Leica M10-P fulfils everything that discerning photographers expect from a Leica M and reflects the philosophy of all past and present Leica M-Cameras.

The Leica M10-P ‘White’ comes as a set with the silver chrome Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens, which complements the Leica M10-P by delivering consistent exceptional performance at all apertures and distance settings. Whether used for selective sharpness at short distances, high contrast available light photography or for landscapes with enormous depth of focus, the Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens delivers outstanding results in all situations and superbly fulfils its tasks as a true universal lens.

The set is completed with a white leather carrying strap with Leica embossing and a white leather case for the lens. All Leica M10–P ‘White’ cameras have a unique serial number.

The Leica M10-P ‘White’ is available for sale from today.

RRP: £12,750 for the set

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meet the Insta360 EVO, a foldable camera that shoots 3D 180º video and 360º 5.7K video

13 Mar

Insta360 has launched EVO, a cube-style camera that shoots 360-degree and stereoscopic 3D 180-degree video footage and stills thanks to its unique folding design.

The camera features the same 5.7K video resolution and 18-megapixel still resolution as the Insta360 One X, as well as Insta360’s six-axis FlowState stabilization technology. In fact, the camera as a whole has similar specs to the One X as a whole, including F2.2 apertures on both lenses, various exposure modes in video and stills, Bluetooth 4.0, 5Ghz Wi-Fi and a microSD card slot with a maximum storage of 128GB.

But the internal specs are where the similarities end. Unlike the One X, the EVO doesn’t have any integrated LCD display. Instead, the camera features a hinged design that enables the cameras to capture a full 360-degree image when the lenses are facing opposite directions or stereoscopic 3D 180-degree images when the EVO is folded out with the lenses facing the same direction.

The camera itself has only a few buttons and ports on it, including a power button and a button for switching between various shooting modes and settings. On the side of the camera is the microSD card slot and a micro USB slot (unusual Insta360 didn’t opt for a USB Type-C port instead).

Since the EVO doesn’t have a screen of its own, the camera is dependent on an Insta360 EVO app to compose the images, change the settings and overall control the camera with more finesse than the limited on-device controls. The app will be available in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

The EVO is currently available for order on Insta360’s website and B&H for $ 419.99.

Insta360 has also announced Insta360 VR, a new app for Oculus Go, HTC Vive Focus and Samsung Gear VR that will allow users to connect an EVO camera to a headset for simple wireless playback of the stereoscopic 3D 180-degree video or 360-degree video.

For phones that don’t have stereoscopic playback capabilities, Insta360 has also announced Holoframe, a specialized phone display cover that will enable standard smartphones to view photos and videos in 3D with the naked eye. In its press release, Insta360 says ‘It’s simple, mind-blowing and feels like magic.’

The HoloFrame is available for iPhone X/Xs, iPhone X Max and iPhone XR for $ 29.99 from Insta360’s online shop.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: Meet the Panasonic Lumix G9

09 Nov

What happens when a company known for its video-centric hybrid cameras turns its attention to professional stills shooters? The Panasonic G9. Still equipped with high-end video specs like 4K/60p recording, it adds stills-centric features like 20 fps bursts and an 80MP high-resolution mode. Get caught up on everything that’s new in our quick overview video.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meet the Canon PowerShot G1 X III

17 Oct

The Canon G1 X Mark III is what would happen if someone crammed a Canon 80D or M5 into a Powershot G5 X body, which is pretty cool. The body is impressively small and light weight, given its large sensor and useful 24-70mm equiv. zoom range, even if the F2.8-5.6 aperture is a tad slow. We’re excited to get it in and get shooting, but for now, here’s a look into some of its main features and specs.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: Meet the world’s fastest camera slider

12 Oct

Photographer, filmmaker, and ultra-creative YouTuber Daniel DeArco recently put together something really interesting: the world’s fastest camera slider. At least, he *thinks* it’s the world’s fastest camera slider. But even if it isn’t, the practical effects he’s able to get by shooting with this slider are really interesting.

In the two videos embedded here, he (above) shows off some of his experiments with his new toy—including regular motion shots and some interesting slow motion panning and zooming movements—before diving into a behind the scenes look and outtakes (below).

According to DeArco, one of his main goals is to create a faux bullet time or ‘Matrix’ effect by shooting slow motion while moving the camera at high speed.

I shoot a lot of movement and action, and wanted to shoot high speed, WITH the camera in high speed––since you can’t fake gravity. My goal was to achieve a similar effect to what you see in, “The Matrix”, when Neo is dodging bullets.

Check out the results for yourself in the two videos embedded here, and then head over to DeArco’s YouTube channel or Instagram account to see more of his creative work.

Outtakes

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: Meet the ‘camera whisperer’ who fixes cameras nobody else can

15 Aug

If your camera or lens goes for a swim in salt water, most service centers will just write it off as unfixable. But one man in Singapore, known locally as the ‘Camera Whisperer,’ won’t give up on you. In fact, he’s made a name for himself by fixing cameras nobody else wants to or can.

David Hilos, 49, is a fixture in the Singapore hobbyist photography community. So much so, that Channel NewsAsia recently filmed a profile on him titled The Camera Fixer.

Tinkering at a workbench in his small public housing apartment in Singapore, he charges a fraction of what the service centers charge and takes ‘lost causes’ like the water damaged Nikon D750 you see in the video above. Or this Canon 50mm F1.2 he saved after a dip in some salt water:

Check out the short documentary above to meet Mr. Hilos and watch him work. And the next time your camera takes a swim or sustains some damage that a service center tells you is beyond them, don’t just give up. Try and find your own David Hilos instead.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meet the EOS 6D Mark II – Canon’s entry-level full-frame DSLR

29 Jun

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Meet the new 6D – it looks a heck of a lot like the old 6D, but before you jump to the comments to complain about how nothing exciting ever happens in the camera industry anymore, read this article first.

Because appearances are deceptive…

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

One of the most notable upgrades compared to the original 6D is an entirely new 26.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor, with a native ISO sensitivity span of 100-40,000.

We haven’t been able to conduct any lab testing yet, but from our initial shooting it appears (unsurprisingly) to deliver better image quality than the 20MP sensor inside the 6D. The bump in resolution from 20 to 26 Megapixel won’t make as much difference to maximum print sizes as the bare number might suggest, but as a general rule, more pixels = better image quality.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Ergonomically, the 6D Mark II is exactly what you’d expect. Button layout is virtually identical to the original EOS 6D, and anyone with experience of a recent EOS-series DSLR will be able to find their way around without any trouble at all.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

It’s the same story on the back of the Mark II, with one very obvious difference. The LCD is now touch-sensitive, and fully articulating.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Like so. Operationally, this makes the 6D Mark II behave very much like the APS-C format EOS 80D. It even shares the same 45-point phase detection autofocus system, with the same Dual Pixel AF implementation in live view and movie modes too, covering 80% of the frame both vertically and horizontally.

Speaking of movie mode, the EOS 6D Mark II offers a fairly standard (ahem – standard for Canon) video feature, with a maximum resolution of 1080/60p. If you want 4K, you’ll have to save up for an EOS 5D Mark IV, I’m afraid.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Spot the difference – externally, the 6D Mark II (on the left) is extremely similar to its predecessor. It’s basically the same weight, too – 685g (1.5 lb) compared to 680g.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

And aside from the redesigned screen, it’s pretty much identical from the back, too. Which is fine – the 6D was a pleasant, intuitive camera, and aside from some very minor styling differences (the card access lamp is now above the memory card door, not below – tell all your friends!) the Mark II barely alters the basic recipe.

While the simultaneously announced EOS Rebel SL2 features a dedicated Wi-Fi button, setting up the 6D’s wireless system is all done through the camera’s menu system. The 6D II supports NFC for easy pairing with Android devices as well as Bluetooth for maintaining a constant connection with your mobile device. Like its predecessor, the EOS 6D Mark II also offers a built-in GPS for image geotagging.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Note the raised collar around the hotshoe. This forms a weatherproof seal when the 6D Mark II is used with one of Canon’s high-end flashguns.

As usual, Canon is coy when it comes to the extent of the EOS 6D Mark II’s weather-sealing, but I am in the unusual position of having been able to test a pre-production unit in moderately heavy rain. You’ll be reassured to know that while I got quite soggy, the camera didn’t stop working, explode or fall apart in my hands.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

For almost 30 years, non-pro Canon SLRs have sported the same distinctive exposure mode dial. This is where you’ll find the standard PASM shooting modes, as well as auto exposure modes, including full-auto, custom shooting settings and scene modes (‘SCN’). The 6D Mark II’s main power switch is just below.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Some readers might be disappointed with the 6D Mark II’s single SD card slot (and lack of UHS-II support,) but a lot of enthusiasts and advanced amateurs probably won’t care. With card capacities of 64GB+ and built-in Wi-Fi, some 6D II users might find themselves swapping cards very rarely.

That said, with a maximum shooting rate of 6.5 fps, the 6D Mark II will rip through card space quicker than its predecessor (which maxed-out at 4.5 fps) especially in Raw mode.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

The LP-E6N battery is compatible with most high-end Canon DSLRs, which is great news for anyone considering a 6D Mark II as a second camera alongside an original 6D or recent 5D-series body. Battery life is quoted as 1200 shots in viewfinder shooting mode, dropping to ~400 in live view.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Like the 5D and 1D-series bodies, the 6D Mark II is compatible with Canon’s Remote Switch RS-80N3, and the programmable TC-80N3. The remote switch socket is positioned at the front of the camera, safely out of the way of the handgrip.

Hands-on with Canon EOS 6D Mark II

Standard HDMI and USB I/O ports can be found on the side of the 6D Mark II, alongside a mic socket. We’re pleased to see that the mic socket is offset, which means that it shouldn’t snag the articulating screen during movie shooting.

You can read more about using the EOS 6D Mark II in my shooting experience.


What do you make of the EOS 6D Mark II? Let us know in the comments below.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meet The Aquapac Waterproof DSLR Case

27 Apr

Water and camera guts don’t mix. That’s just science.

So, give your precious DSLR the ultimate protection – the Aquapac Waterproof DSLR Case!

It’s rated to keep your camera bone dry down to 30 ft below the water’s surface.

Aquapac protects your photo snapping pal from sand, snow, rain and all your messiest adventures.

Head on over to the PJ shop to learn about our cameras’ new favorite go-to outfit.

LEARN MORE or BUY


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