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Posts Tagged ‘promises’

JPEG XL image format promises smaller files, backwards compatibility and more

14 Jul

JPEG, the lossy compression standard for images used on the Internet and digital cameras, might receive a much-needed upgrade by year’s end. The creators of JPEG XL claim their free open-source format offers up improvements that will result in a significant reduction in global bandwidth and storage costs.

The JPEG image format was first developed by researchers at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the 1980s. Over the years, due to its many advantages over other formats of the time, it became the go-to format for photos on digital cameras and the World Wide Web. At the time, it was revolutionary, cutting down on the time it took for images to load (think 5 seconds compared to minutes) and could store up to 50 images, rather than 1, on a memory card.

For almost 30 years, this standard, which uses data compression to keep files small, has remained largely unchanged and unchallenged, even after several unsuccessful attempts. That, however, could change. Several formats introduced in the past to replace JPEG, including JPEG 2000, JPEG XR, Google’s WebP, and even HEIC have fallen short of widespread adoption. JPEG XL is hoping to rewrite that script.

JPEG XL can take existing JPEG files and transcode them, losslessly, to reduce their size without compromising their quality. A single JPEG XL file can be stored on a server and serve both JPEG and JPEG XL clients. A JPEG XL file can also be restored to the initial JPEG through backwards compatibility without compromising the file.

The format will benefit photographers by including a wide color gamut, HDR (high dynamic range), and high bit depth images.

The format will benefit photographers by including a wide color gamut, HDR (high dynamic range), and high bit depth images. Support for printing, large panoramas, 360-degree imagery, and image bursts is also available. Optimized for responsive web environments, it’s also addressing current Internet user needs on a wide range of devices such as tablets and smartphones.

‘JPEG XL further includes features such as animation, alpha channels, layers, thumbnails, lossless and progressive coding to support a wide range of use cases including but not limited to photo galleries, e-commerce, social media, user interfaces and cloud storage,’ reads the official overview. What the creators promise is superior image quality, a codec ratio smaller than the typical 20:1 to 50:1, and encoding plus decoding without hardware acceleration on mobile devices.

The standard has four specifications which will be combined to make JPEG XL the standard, going forward, by the end of 2021, so long as the project doesn’t encounter any setbacks. Even if it gets set in stone before the end of the year, it may take time for it to be compatible on all the applications and platforms available. To find out if your browser supports JPEG XL, you can check here. Those interested in the coding system can check out the white paper.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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VALOI 360 Kickstarter campaign promises affordable way to digitize film

22 Nov

A new Kickstarter campaign for VALOI 360 promises to deliver an affordable, high-quality way to digitize rolls of 35mm and medium format film.

VALOI 360, which is over halfway toward its roughly $ 74,000 USD goal, is a system of modular physical components you can use to digitize 35mm and 120mm film negatives using a digital camera. There are three main components in the 360 system. There is the VALOI 360 35mm Holder. The holder keeps 35mm film flat while allowing for a backlight to shine through. It is constructed of injection-molded plastic and has an S-curve film path to flatten the film without touching the image area.

Prototype VALOI 35mm Holder

The other holder, the VALOI 360 120 Holder, holds 120 medium format film up to 6 x 9cm frames. Like the 35mm holder, it allows light to shine through, is made of injection-molded plastic, and has an S-curve film path. Both holders also include rubber dome feet to make sure the holder sits flat on the light source underneath.

Prototype VALOI 120 Holder

The third component is the VALOI 360 Film Advancer upgrade. You place a film holder inside the Film Advancer and the advancer allows you to quickly forward to the next frame by rotating a knob. The frame and axle are made of steel and the rollers are rubber. It comes with screw-in rubber feet with long threads which can be used for leveling. As part of the Kickstarter campaign, the Film Advancer upgrade is only available alongside holders, but VALOI plans to sell it separately later.

To use the VALOI 360, you must have a digital camera (or, in a pinch, even a smartphone) and a light source. An ideal setup involves a digital camera, tripod, and a stable, color-consistent light source. The VALOI 360 holds your film flat, you capture an image of the film and if you’re digitizing a negative, you use a computer to invert and process it. There is additional information about digitizing best practices on the Kickstarter page.

Prototype VALOI 360 Film Advancer

The primary challenge that VALOI hopes to overcome with its 360 system is how to hold film flat and stable in front of a light source. This is the problem that VALOI founder, Arild, first tried to address with various prototypes. Arild used plywood, acrylics, LEGO components and more in pursuit of building something affordable and easy to use when digitizing film. He even learned how to build 3D CAD designs. Mechanical engineer Wicher van Lambalgen, VALOI co-founder, came on board to turn Arild’s ideas and early designs into a commercially viable prototype.

Assuming the campaign reaches its funding goal, by pledging €19 backers will receive the VALOI 35mm Holder. For €29, you can select the 120 Holder. The €44 pledge includes the VALOI Holder Pack, which includes both the 35mm and 120 film holders. For photographers wanting the VALOI 360 Film Advancer, you must step up to the VALOI 35mm Kit at €129 (the €139 kit includes the 120 Holder instead). A full kit with all three components is also available for €179. All pledge options include a scanning tutorial to help beginners learn how to best use the VALOI 360 system to scan their film. Products are expected to begin shipping to backers in April 2021. For full details about the VALOI 360 system and the available backer options, click here.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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X-tra promises a fresh take on the conventional camera battery with its innovative offering

20 Nov

Camera batteries are difficult to get excited about, but they are a critical part of any camera kit. Sure, they come in different shapes and sizes, but they’re basically all functionally identical. A new Kickstarter project hopes to change this by improving upon the conventional camera battery. The X-tra battery promises increased capacity, improved usability, and quite simply, a better user experience for photographers and videographers on the go.

For many photographers, particularly those using mirrorless cameras with smaller batteries and larger power consumption, it’s a foregone conclusion that you need to carry extra batteries. Keeping your charged and empty batteries organized and swapping out batteries is an inconvenience. The X-tra battery aims to reduce the hassle by delivering an increased capacity of 3,700 mAh, including a built-in charge level indicator, reducing the time it takes to swap out batteries and allowing for easy recharging, even while shooting. The 3,700 mAh capacity is about twice that of a Canon LP-E6 battery.

X-tra battery diagram and physical features

To use the X-tra battery, you must remove the battery slot door on your camera, as the X-tra battery is larger than standard batteries. The tradeoff here is that you get an extra area to grip your camera, plus you have access to the X-tra battery’s quick-release system. Of course, it’s possible that the overhanging portion of the battery will impact your ability to use existing tripod plates and other accessories. To remove the X-tra battery, you simply push in and it slides out. To install a new X-tra battery, just pop into place.

To check the capacity of the X-tra battery, you press and hold the button on the bottom of the battery. There are four illuminated indicators, signaling the level of charge remaining in the battery. This is great if you want to check an X-tra battery’s life without inserting it into your camera and check the remaining battery life. If you need to power your camera for an extended period, such as when shooting timelapse video, you can use the X-tra’s included USB-C port.

The X-tra battery includes many features not found in traditional camera batteries.

There is also an included X-tra Charging Case. This case allows you to quickly charge the X-tra battery via USB-C. Further, when you put an X-tra battery inside this case, you can use the battery as a power bank.

Given its design, the X-tra is not universally compatible with all cameras. You can view the full compatibility below. As you can see, the X-tra will work with numerous Sony, Canon and Nikon cameras, including both DSLR and mirrorless cameras. The team will update the final compatibility list before the campaign ends in a little under a month.

Current X-tra compatibility chart. Click to enlarge.

The X-tra has already eclipsed its Kickstarter campaign goals. The product is expected to begin shipping in March 2021. As of writing, you can pledge $ 99 USD to receive an X-tra and the charging case. $ 188 will net you an additional battery and case. Additional combos are also available to backers. The planned MSRP for the X-tra is $ 145 per battery/case combo. For more information and to make your own pledge, visit the X-tra Kickstarter campaign.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Solarcan Colours promises easy tinted solargrams—from a soda can

10 Nov

The maker of the Solarcan has launched a new series of solargram cameras loaded with ready-tinted photo paper that will create colored images straight out of the tin. Solarcan Colours come in a choice of three versions to offer warm, cool or duotoned traces of the sun’s passage across the sky.

Solarcan cameras are literally a drink can with a pin hole drilled into the side and a sheet of 7x5in photographic paper loaded and sealed inside. The idea is to strap the camera somewhere outside so it is facing south and then to leave it there as long as you like while it records a trace of the sun everyday while it is in place. Once you can’t wait any more you take the camera indoors, open it with a tin opener and retrieve the paper. The paper will show the image without processing, so you photograph it or scan it and then invert the image to get a positive impression of what you’ve recorded.

The longer you leave the can strapped to a tree or a pole the more sun traces you get, and the company recommends leaving it is place for six months from one solstice to the other. You can just leave it for a day though.

The Solarcan Colours kit includes (left to right) Eldorado, Atlantis and Nebula versions of the camera. These are the colors you’ll see once the recorded negative is inverted in software, or via a smartphone app

The original Solarcan uses straightforward black and white paper, but Solarcan Colours uses tinted papers that deliver a color to the images without post-processing. Many Solarcan fans add colors to their digitized negatives in software, but the new Solarcan Colours have the shades built-in. The colors are:

  • Atlantis: Produces a cool blue finish
  • Eldorado: A warm, golden appearance with solarised halos
  • Nebula: A striking, duotone picture of the Sun and landscape

Inventor Sam Cornwell won’t let on what’s in the paper to give it the tints, but he does tell DP Review that the Solarcan Colour is half-way on his Solarcan roadmap – and that he has something ‘big’ planned for 2022.

Solarcan Colours is being launched via a Kickstarter campaign, as was the original Solarcan, and the company aims to deliver the first consignment in January 2021. Prices start from £39 (approx. $ 51) for a kit with all three colored cans, while the original black and white Solarcan is also for sale for £15 (approx. $ 20). For more information see the Solarcan website or the Solarcan Colours Kickstarter page.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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MFT ‘Alice’ concept camera promises smartphone AI with interchangeable lenses

24 Sep

A team of engineers, data scientists and content creators have come together to produce a camera that it says marries the quality of Micro Four Thirds with the artificial intelligence of a smartphone to ‘change and challenge the concept of the digital camera for the next decade’. Alice is a camera that uses a MFT sensor and lens mount, and which is controlled by a smartphone app.

Similar to Sony’s QX10 camera announced back in 2013, Alice has no screen of its own, but uses a clamp on the rear to allow users to attach their phone for adjusting settings, previewing and reviewing images. The camera and phone will communicate using a 5GHz wireless connection while its creators say AI and computational drivers will offer ‘new capabilities and techniques for autofocusing, autoexposure, colour science and more.’

The idea was born out of an experience where a smartphone took a much better picture of a campfire scene on the beach than a professional photographer using a professional camera could manage. The project intends to combine the sort of image processing we see in smartphones with the technical quality achievable with the Micro Four Thirds system. The team behind the Alice Camera says the main camera manufacturers are losing ground to smartphones because they have failed to innovate and to introduce significant changes to their technology over the last ten years. This has left ‘content creators’ in an endless search for the perfect camera. The team conducted interviews will 1000 photographers and videographers to hear their gripes so that they could ensure the Alice Camera addresses them.

The app that controls the camera will allow your phone to be mounted with its screen facing the rear for normal control, or facing towards the back of the camera with a portion of the screen showing for selfies and vlogging. A Micro SD card will be used for storage and images can be transferred immediately for editing on the phone before posting online. The camera will be able to record 4K video at 30p or FHD at 60p, and will be able to stream live using the phone’s network connection.

Obviously a render of how the camera is expected to look in selfie/vlogging mode

The sensor chosen has only 11 million pixels, but those 4.63um pixels are claimed to offer better low light performance as well as an extended dynamic range.

The camera is still at the prototype stage at the moment, but pre-orders are being taken before an Indiegogo campaign begins next month. The full price of the Alice Camera will be £750 body only, but early birds and Indiegogo users will be able to pre-order at £450 and £550 with a deposit of £50. The finished camera is expected to be delivered in March 2021. For more information see the Alice Camera website.

And of course, with adapters, most full-frame and APS-C lenses will fit the MFT mount

Product Information:

Alice camera

Alice Camera™ is an AI-accelerated computational camera being built in Britain from the ground up for content creators. An interchangeable lens camera with a dedicated AI-chip that elevates machine learning and pushes the boundaries of what a camera can do. Alice is in concept prototype stage and will be available on Indiegogo in Autumn 2020.

Alice is a compact and low-profile camera which can be mounted onto the back of almost any standard smartphone. An ergonomic handle enables better hand placement and stability whilst capturing your scenes.

Alice uses the Micro Four Thirds lens mount, the most flexible and compact interchangeable lens system around, with over 50 professional-quality lenses available. Attach an adapter to use lenses with different mounts too!

Alice’s Micro Four Thirds sensor excels in low light conditions and allows you to capture high-quality 4K video with no crop. Large pixel sizes and an innovative Quad Bayer structure enable exceptionally low noise and high dynamic range.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming photography in the 2020s like digital technology did back in the 1990s. Alice has been designed from the ground up to harness AI and computational photography for modern content creators, offering you new capabilities and techniques for autofocusing, autoexposure, colour science and more.

The Alice Camera native app will provide you with a familiar smartphone user interface and experience. It will be easy to use and navigate with touchscreen interface and customisation. The camera system and firmware will improve with future software updates through our app.

We want to give creatives as much control as possible. We will be providing open-source software access to Alice allowing you to deeply customise your creative process, encouraging collaboration and software development. Regular software updates means Alice will stay up-to-date with the latest computational photography technology and features.

Fast wireless data transfer between camera and phone gives you a seamless real-time viewfinder on your smartphone. Instantly share your content to social media and live stream directly to your favourite platform. A selfie screen will appear when you turn your phone around so that you can view yourself at all times. Alice will even work when your phone is not attached. You can set up across the room and have your phone in your hand and content will still stream. Double whammy!

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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OnePlus promises major video improvements on its future smartphones

28 Jan

Earlier this month smartphone manufacturer OnePlus hosted on Open Ears Forum, an event designed to gather user feedback, in New York City. This time around the focus was on smartphone videography and attendees included OnePlus users with varying degrees of video experience, from casual users to video shooters that use smartphones as a work tool.

Now OnePlus has published its own comments from the Q&A sessions held at the event and committed to improving video quality and features on its existing products as well as upcoming models. The most important points include exposure and color consistency across all camera modules, LUT options in editing and a video night mode. You can see the full list below:

  • Exposure / color / white balance shift and consistency across all cameras
    Tuning all the cameras to have the identical exposure, white balance is our first priority and main goal.
  • Auto focus consistency
    We weren’t be able to reproduce the issue reported by the OEF attendees in our lab, but an upgrade both on hardware and software for auto focus will come in 2020.
  • Skin tone consistency
    Skin tone improvement is one of our top priorities. It will improve via future system updates.
  • Sharpness: Sharpness needs improvement across all scenarios
    We are trying to find the new balance between sharpness and noise.
  • Super stabilization: Support for 4K recording; Reducing noise and improving low light quality.
    There are hardware limitations, but 4K super stabilization will be supported in some of our future devices.
  • Dynamic range: Subject is lit but background is too dark
    We have been working on video HDR, which will solve these dynamic range problems.
  • Light flickering
    We’ve heard a lot of feedback about this, and we are working on de-flickering solutions to reduce this issue.
  • Panning shots are not smooth: Improve panning shots stabilization and smoothness
    So far, we weren’t be able to reproduce this issue in our lab, but smoothness and video are part of our key improvement points for 2020.
  • Faster camera
    Again, this is one of our main goals in 2020. Faster shutter requires updates from system, application, as well as the animation. It will constantly be improved via future updates.
  • Lens feature-parity: 1080P and 4K should be supported in all three lenses, allowing to switch between lenses while recording
    This is due to a hardware limitation in current devices, but we’re exploring ways to make it possible for future devices.
  • Limited 4K record length
    Having considered overall performance and temperature, we will not change current limit, but will keep working on optimizing this in the future.
  • Single handed use: Difficult to reach the top bar for features; Single hand zooming
    This is very important feedback for us, and we’ve already been discussing solutions with the design team.
  • Video editing
    We plan on completely updating our Gallery app’s video tools, so many of the features requested during the OEF will be supported. For color grading or LUT options, we will have news soon.
  • Pro video mode
    Pro video mode will be put into backlog, since our high priority is improving default video quality and use experience across the board.
  • Depth of field for tele camera recording (optical)
    We have already been researching and working on this feature, and the current quality has not reached our standard to release.
  • Zoom-in time-lapse
    We have some similar ideas for time-lapse as well, they are already in future product plan.
  • Reverse recording video
    Less frequent user scenario, so we’ve put into backlog. Our main focus in video is basic quality and user experience for all users.
  • Night mode for night video
    This is something we believe to be very interesting, we have already been researching and working on it.
  • AR emoji and stickers recording
    We still haven’t found a killer scenario for AR in video. There are some third-party apps that already offer interesting sticker features, so this isn’t a big priority for now.
  • Social media mode: Directly to twitter, crop ratio for Instagram, etc.
    We believe the image quality in third-party apps is of high importance and has a higher priority. We have been working on this, these features are planned after image quality improvement.
  • Light painting mode
    We decide not to follow on light painting effect due to a narrow user scenario.
  • 2 cameras recording at the same time: Wide and ultra-wide; rear and front
    This is already supported by current platform and cameras, but we are looking for user scene to fully take advantage of this feature.

It’s a long list and we’ll have to see if the OnePlus engineers will manage to implement all of the features and improvements in it. In any case it’s good to see manufacturers interact this closely with its customers and vowing to make improvements that users are asking for.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Researchers have developed reset-counting pixel that promises near-limitless highlight capture

12 Oct
Figure 4 (from the paper linked below): Realized CMOS test chip: (a) photograph of the packaged chip, (b) screenshot of the layout.

German researchers have developed a pixel design with the potential for massively increased dynamic range. Their design, reported in the ‘Advances in Radio Science’ journal isn’t limited by the point at which it saturates, meaning it can continue to capture more highlight data when other sensors would become overwhelmed.

Unlike conventional CMOS chips, their ‘self-resetting pixel’ doesn’t simply ‘clip’ when it becomes saturated, instead, it resets and has a circuit that counts how many times it’s had to reset during the exposure. It also contains a conventional analog-to-digital conversion circuit, so it is also able to measure the remaining charge at the end of the exposure.

Figure 2 (from the linked paper above): The working principle of the self-reset pixel.

This would mean that you don’t need to limit your exposure to protect highlight data and can instead set an optimal exposure for capturing your subject, safe in the knowledge that this won’t result in blown-out highlights. In their paper, the researchers from Institut für Mikroelektronik Stuttgart created a series of test pixels with different designs, and will now focus on the one that gave the most linear response to different light levels, both in terms of its reset characteristics and its conventional ADC mode.

Figure 1 (from the linked paper): Schematics of the analog and digital parts of one pixel cell and a global control for all pixel cells.

Before you get too excited, though, this work is still at a fairly early stage and is primarily focused on video for industrial applications, though lead researcher Stefan Hirsch tells us: ‘basically it should also be possible to use for still images.’

At present, the additional counting circuitry ends up meaning the light-sensitive photodiode in each pixel is very small, making up just 13% of the surface area of huge 53?m pixels. A move to a stacked CMOS design, with the circuitry built as different layers, would increase this, with potential for 20?m pixels with more of the area being light-sensitive. A three-layer design could allow still smaller pixels. For perspective, the pixels in the 12MP Full-Frame a7S II are around 8.5?m, so there would need to be a lot of work done to find a way to produce a sensor useful as a consumer video or stills camera.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon issues advisory for new super-telephoto lenses, promises firmware fix soon

18 Mar

Canon has issued a product advisory for its new super-telephoto lenses, the EF 400mm F2.8L IS III and the EF 600mm F4L IS III.

Canon says the two lenses might experience a ‘phenomenon where the exposure may flicker slightly if recording a movie with the camera shooting mode set to M or Av in combination with select cameras.’

According to the press release, an upcoming firmware update (version 1.0.8) will fix the issue with the affected cameras. In the meantime, Canon says there are two ways to avoid this problem:

  1. When shooting movies, set the camera’s shooting mode to P or Tv mode.
  2. When using the lens alone or with the EXTENDER EF 2x, set the exposure setting step to 1/2 or 1/1 with the camera’s custom function, even if the camera shooting mode is M or Av.

DPReview will update this article accordingly when the new firmware is released.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony promises firmware updates for a7 III, a7R III and a9, improving AF

16 Jan

Sony has announced two major firmware updates for the a9 alongside updates for the a7R III and a7 III. The a9 updates adds a range of features, including improved tracking in both stills and video, as well as extending Eye AF to animals, something Sony teased at Photokina back in September. The a7R III and a7 III will also gain the improved Eye-AF and animal Eye AF, as well as time-lapse capabilities.

The a9 firmware will be coming in two waves: version 5.0 will be available in March while version 6.0 is slated for ‘summer.’ Firmware version 3.0 for the a7 III and a7R III will arrive in April.

Sony a9 improvements

The nitty gritty of the the a9 updates center on autofocus and usability improvements. Interestingly, there’s no mention of adding Log capability to the a9’s video, which is a shame, given it has such fast readout and minimal rolling shutter.

Firmware version 5.0 will bring about a new ‘Real-time Tracking mode,’ which uses Sony’s latest subject recognition algorithm.

The updated ‘Real-time Tracking’ mode adds consideration of eye detection and pattern recognition to the color, distance and and face detection that was previously being used.

The tracking mode lets you specify a subject and it’ll prioritize their eye, switching to face detection if it loses the eye and treating them as a generic subject to track if they, for instance, turn their head away from the camera. This is likely to be especially useful in video mode, whether previous iterations of face detection could jump to a different face if your intended subject turned away.

Real-time Eye-AF

A real-time Eye AF mode, which will come to the a9, a7 III and a7R III, lets you focus on eyes without pressing a second button and lets you specify in advance which eye (left, right or closest) you want the camera to focus on.

Animal Eye AF

The Eye AF feature has been expanded to be able to recognize animals’ eyes, which Sony says will help both wildlife shooters and photographers taking images of their own pets. Knowing that the camera will focus on eyes means the photographer can concentrate on composition, rather than focus.

Sony says both this mode and the subject recognition aspect of full-time tracking are based on ‘AI,’ which we’re taking to mean they’re based on machine learning (training an algorithm to recognize a subject by showing it lots of images). The company branded the capability ‘Speed x AI.’

You’ll have to wait until firmware version 6.0 for the animal Eye AF mode, on the a9, though

The full list of changes to the a9’s firmware

As well as the AF improvements, the two a9 firmware updates promise more than 20 updates. These include the addition of a screen allowing you to see which buttons are mapped to offer which function.

Press Release

Sony Announces ?9 Camera Upgrade Through Major Firmware Updates

New Firmware Releases will Deliver Enhanced Autofocus Performance and New Functionality for Sony’s Acclaimed Full-frame Camera

SAN DIEGO — Jan. 15, 2019 — Sony Electronics Inc. today announced a major upgrade to its ?9 mirrorless camera that will be available via a firmware updates.

Sony’s revolutionary ?9 camera will receive several major enhancements to its award-winning autofocus (AF) performance and image quality, as well as receive a variety of new features that are designed to improve the overall workflow for professional photographers. In addition, new firmware updates for ?7R III and ?7 III will be available that update these cameras with the latest enhancements including Real-time Eye AF performance and add interval recording capacities.

“These new firmware upgrades demonstrate the strong commitment that Sony has to our customers,” said Neal Manowitz, vice president of Imaging Solutions at Sony Electronics. “Their voice is critical to everything we do, and being able to provide our customers with new capabilities is a source of great pride for Sony.”

Firmware Ver. 5.0 and Ver. 6.0 for ?9

The upcoming firmware version 5.0 for ?9 adds Sony’s newly developed Real-time Tracking mode for object tracking. This mode utilizes Sony’s latest algorithm—including Artificial Intelligence-based object recognition—and processes color, subject distance (depth), pattern (brightness) as well as spatial (distance) information to ensure that all subjects can be captured with extreme accuracy and precision. When photographing or videographing humans or animals, face and eye position information is recognized by AI and the subject’s eye is monitored in real time with extremely high tracking precision. In addition, “Tracking On” helps initiate real-time tracking at any time by simply pressing a custom-assigned button and “Touch Tracking,” which quickly activates through the touch screenii.

With this new firmware version 5.0, Sony’s acclaimed ?9 camera will receive advanced “Real-time Eye AF,” the latest version of Sony’s acclaimed Eye AF technology. This exciting new capability employs AI-based object recognition to detect and process eye location data in real time, resulting in improved accuracy, speed and tracking performance of Eye AF. In all autofocus modes, the camera can automatically detect the eyes of the subject and activate Eye AF with a half press of the shutter button, and the camera will seamlessly track the eyes at all times when in AF-C mode. The new firmware will also enable photographers to select the preferred eye (left or right) of their subject as the focus point.

Other focusing capabilities that will be available with the new firmware include Touch Pad, Touch Tracking, an extended phase-detection AF aperture range that has been increased from F11 to F16, and Fast Hybrid AF for movie shooting that provides smooth, automated focusing for movies.

Image quality will also be enhanced with the new ?9 firmware version 5.0, specifically in the areas of color reproduction. The camera will more accurately account for subtle changes in light for smoother, more natural tonal gradations in elements like the sky. There is a new auto white balance algorithm that gets added as well, which produces more consistently balanced images while burst shooting. Other new functions for efficient controls and data management include My Dial and Dual Slot media menu improvement, rating and protect functions.

In addition to the several new capabilities, the firmware also adds compatibility with Sony’s new Imaging Edge Mobile application – the successor to the PlayMemories Mobile™ application. The new Imaging Edge Mobile application features a ‘Transfer & Tagging add-on’ function to assist professional workflow. This allows photographers to transfer images from their camera to their smartphone during capture using the FTP transfer functionality,and adds support for including IPTC metadata on transferred images.

Version 6.0 firmware for the ?9 camera will add Eye AF for animal eyesi, an exciting new feature for wildlife photographers that will enable interval shooting functionality for creating time-lapse movies.

The new system firmware update version 5.0 is scheduled for launch in March 2019, and version 6.0 is scheduled for Summer 2019.

Firmware Ver. 3.0 for ?7R III and ?7 III

Sony’s popular ?7R III and ?7 III full-frame cameras will both receive enhanced Real-time Eye AF performance with the upcoming firmware version 3.0. This will be available in AF-C mode with a simple half-press of the shutter button. Real-Time Eye AF for animals will also be available.

The cameras will also receive interval recording functionality that will allow for simple creation of time-lapse moviesvii. The new feature can be set for anywhere between 1 and 60 seconds, with a total number of shots from 1 to 9999. AE tracking sensitivity can also be adjusted to “High”, “Mid” or “Low” during interval recording, allowing for reduced changes in exposure over the shooting interval.

The new system firmware update version 3.0 is scheduled in April 2019.

A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content related to all of Sony’s exciting announcements can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site built to educate and inspire all fans and customers of the Sony ? brand. The new content will also be posted directly at the Sony Photo Gallery and the Sony Camera Channel on YouTube.

1. Accurate focus may not be achieved with certain subjects in certain situations
2. Function must be set via the menu beforehand
3. A successor application of PlayMemories Mobile. Existing PlayMemories Mobile users can use this by updating PlayMemories Mobile
4. Add-on mobile application for ‘Imaging Edge Mobile’. Available countries: US/Canada/UK/France/Germany/Hong Kong/China/Australia/Japan. User registration is required to use this application. Compatible with ILCE-9 with firmware update Ver.5.0 or later, ILCE-7RM3, ILCE-7M3
5. Compatible with ILCE-9 with firmware update Ver.5.0 or later
6. IPTC metadata for digital image metadata is a standard created by the IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council)
7. The latest version of “Imaging Edge” ‘Viewer’ and PlayMemories Home desktop applications is required

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google promises software fix for Pixel 3 image saving issues

25 Oct

It’s not unusual to see one or two software bugs on a newly released smartphone, but it looks like some Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL units are infected with a particularly nasty camera-related problem. Many early adopters have reported a bug that occasionally prevents photos from saving after capture in the camera app.

The technical details behind the problem are not quite clear, but looking at discussions on Reddit appears older Pixel phones, and even Nexus devices, have had similar issues in the past.

The good news is that Google is now reacting and addressing the issue. A spokesperson talked to Android Police and provided the following statement:

“We will be rolling out a software update in the coming weeks to address the rare case of a photo not properly saving.”

The company has also confirmed that the bug will not only be fixed on the latest Pixel 3 devices but also on older Google Pixel 1 and 2 generation phones that are affected.

Even if it only happens rarely, a lost photo in an important moment is every photographer’s nightmare. So it’s good to see Google’s is taking steps to fix the issue across all affected models.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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