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Posts Tagged ‘confirms’

Google confirms that Pixel 4 will offer multiple rear cameras

13 Jun

Leaked renderings of the upcoming Pixel 4 seem to have prompted Google to get ahead of its own story by tweeting an image of the device well ahead of its expected fall launch date. Prominently featured is a square “bump” that appears to house two rear-facing cameras, a flash and two smaller sensors, one of which is visible if you raise the image’s shadows.

We imagine that the small sensor to the right of the flash is a spectral + flicker sensor, something that helps avoid banding with flickering light sources and also helps the auto white balance algorithm estimate the dominant illuminant for better color reproduction. The Pixel 3 has one of these sensors next to its flash, too.

The fourth sensor, positioned above and centered between the two main cameras, appears too small to be another camera unit. We’ve often wondered about the future inclusion of a Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera in the Pixel lineup. Competitors like Huawei and Samsung have been adding these sensors to their devices to help with depth mapping. The Pixel 3’s portrait mode images were already among the best from current mobile devices, so we’re interested to see what the addition of a secondary camera – and whatever that additional sensor is – might add up to.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon confirms some counterfeit EN-EL15b batteries were sold by authorized retailers

29 May

Last week, B&H Photo began emailing customers who had purchased Nikon EN-EL15b rechargeable Li-ion camera batteries, advising these buyers that they may have received units from a ‘subpar batch.’ The company didn’t elaborate on what subpar meant in this instance, but did state that it would replace all Nikon EN-EL15b batteries it had shipped because it couldn’t determine which customers had received the bad units.

Following a leak that claimed as much, Nikon has confirmed counterfeit EN-EL15b batteries have been sold by authorized retailers to some of its camera owners. In a statement to DPReview, a Nikon spokesperson said:

We have been made aware that some customers who purchased individual EN-EL15b batteries from authorized Nikon retailers received defective product. These batteries are not genuine and were not manufactured or distributed by Nikon USA. Concerned users can find a guide for determining if the battery they have purchased is a genuine Nikon battery at this link.

Counterfeit batteries may be poorly constructed and cause damage to the camera hardware; lithium-ion batteries are known to be volatile and counterfeit units are particularly prone to overheating, which may result in fire or explosion. In addition to the fake EN-EL15b batteries, Nikon says it has been alerted to other counterfeit batteries intended for its hardware, including fake versions of its EN-EL11, EN-EL10, EN-EL9a, and others.

Nikon customers who have purchased camera batteries from third-party sources can evaluate their products for signs of being counterfeit using Nikon’s guide. Indications may include font differences in the logo and text on the battery and the possible inclusion of the battery model number on the front of the batteries.

B&H Photo encourages its customers to recycle the EN-EL15b batteries they received from the retailer. These customers will receive free authentic replacement batteries from B&H, which will send both order processed and shipment emails to the customers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DJI confirms its drones are prepared for the GPS 2019 week rollover event

22 Mar

DJI has confirmed its drones are prepared for the GPS 2019 week rollover scheduled to take place on April 6. The event may disrupt some GPS receivers, but most manufacturers have confirmed that their systems have been tested ahead of time and are prepared for the rollover.

The GPS 2019 week rollover is an event that will take place due to how the Global Positioning System (GPS) works. Receivers are provided with time information from the GPS system, which uses a 10-bit week counter to count weeks from 0 to 1023. Upon reaching the end of that range, the system reverts back to 0 and starts over.

GPS receivers that aren’t prepared for the rollover may incorrectly report a date of 19.6 years in the past (1024 weeks), resulting in some GPS devices displaying a date of August 22, 1999, starting after the April 6 rollover. The first GPS rollover took place on August 21, 1999.

To avoid this complication, manufacturers must push out software updates to prepare their devices for the change. In a brief statement published on March 20, DJI said that all of its ‘platforms have been thoroughly tested’ and will not be impacted by the GPS rollover. DJI drone owners can continue to use the devices as normal.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Roger Cicala tests new Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM, confirms ‘insanely good’ MTF results

12 Mar

Roger Cicala is a hard man to impress. His team tests a lot of lenses, but the new Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM is a cut above the rest. Literally, all the rest. Roger’s verdict? ‘This is the sharpest lens we’ve tested. Period’.

We already knew that the FE 135mm F1.8 GM was good, but the MTF results are quite spectacular. In Roger’s words, ‘curves higher than anything I’d ever seen in a normal-range lens’. Compare the Sony’s performance at F1.8 to the Zeiss Batis 135mm F2.8, below. Even if you’re not familiar with MTF curves (in brief – the center of this graph shows resolution at the center of an image, the extreme right and extreme left represent corner sharpness, and higher lines are better), it’s clear that the Sony outperforms the Zeiss in the center and compares well towards the edges, even wide open.

And this isn’t just a standout outlier sample hand-picked by Sony to give the best results – these graphs are created from data averaged from ten copies of the lens.

The 135mm F1.8 was so sharp, in fact, that just for fun Roger ran tests at 100 lp/mm as well as the usual 50 lp/mm, which – again – showed that Sony’s latest lens should perform brilliantly for several generations of even higher-resolution full-frame cameras to come.

Read Roger’s full article on the Lensrentals blog

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meyer Optik Görlitz confirms rumor that Nocturnus was a rebranded Chinese lens

12 Mar

Meyer Optik Görlitz, the German brand that offered lenses through Kickstarter before its parent company filed for insolvency last year, has confirmed speculation that the Nocturnus lenses were slightly modified versions of a Chinese lens, and the Somnium lenses were modified versions of a Russian lens.

The brand’s new owner OPC Optics revealed its finding in a press release, stating that it had spent time analyzing the Meyer Optik products and planning how it would move forward with the brand. According to OPC Optics Managing Director Timo Heinze, ‘It’s fair to say that the previous organization and processes shocked us on occasions.’

Among other things, the company said it discovered that past speculation about the Somnium and Nocturnus lenses proved true, and as such it will discontinue both ranges ‘for the time being.’ The company didn’t say which lenses were used, but online speculation over the years had pegged the $ 3,000 Nocturnus as a modified $ 849 Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 lens.

Heinze explained, ‘That is an absolute no go. As a German manufacturer using the ‘Made in Germany’ quality seal, this is a shameful indictment. These lenses may be perfectly good in their own right, but their production methods and marketing goes against all our principles.’

Heinze acknowledged that Meyer Optik may relaunch lenses ‘with similar characteristics’ under its ownership in the future, but they would not be rebranded, modified Russian and Chinese lenses. The potential future lenses ‘would, of course, be our own designs
and produced by us, in order to genuinely earn the ‘Made in Germany’ label,’ according to Heinze.

Via: PetaPixel

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung confirms 4K video on Galaxy S10 front camera

13 Feb

We already know plenty about the main cameras of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 devices. Now, more detail has been revealed about the front camera and it looks like manufacturers have clearly started putting more emphasis on the selfie shooter than was previously the case.

According to a teaser video posted on Samsung’s Vietnamese Youtube channel, the Galaxy S10 front camera will be capable of recording 4K video. We also know from previous leaks that the front-facing camera will shoot 10MP still images and feature optical image stabilization and dual-pixel autofocus. A secondary camera module is reserved for depth-sensing. This means a huge step up from the simple fixed-focus modules that can still be found on the front of many devices.

A couple of additional teaser videos also reveal that the S10 phones will not have a display notch and come with in-display fingerprint readers as well as reverse wireless charging. The new S10 series will be unveiled on February 20.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Tamron confirms compatibility with Nikon Z6 for six of its Di, Di II lenses

18 Jan

Lens maker Tamron has confirmed new firmware issued at the end of last year to make certain lenses compatible with Nikon’s Z7 camera will also work for owners of the Z6. The firmware applies to six lenses from the Di and Di ll ranges, and allows the following lenses to be used with the cameras via the Nikon FTZ adapter:

  • SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A041) for Nikon
  • SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A032) for Nikon
  • 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD (Model B028) for Nikon
  • SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A025) for Nikon
  • SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022) for Nikon
  • 17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di OSD (Model A037) for Nikon

(Links to firmware below)

Tamron initially faced issues with compatibility when the company’s lenses were used on the new Nikon mirrorless cameras, and issued new firmware for certain lens models at the end of last year to make them work with the Z7. This latest announcement appears to come after tests have confirmed that the same firmware also works when the lenses are mounted on the Z6.

Users need the Tamron TAP-in to update lens firmware – or a visit to a Tamron service centre. The TAP-in console costs around $ 60.

For more information see the Tamron support pages.

{pressrelease}

Notice about compatibility for Nikon Z6 with Tamron lenses for Nikon mount

Dear users and potential purchasers of Tamron interchangeable lenses.

Thank you for using Tamron products and for your continuous support.

We would like to announce that we have clarified compatibility for general operations (*1) of the following Tamron Di & Di II lenses with the latest version of lens firmware (*2) when used with the Nikon Z6 and Nikon mount adapter FTZ.

*1 Defined to work on existing DSLR cameras
*2 Firmware for Nikon Z7 (announced on November 16th and 22nd, 2018)

1. Compatible models for general operations

  • SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A041) for Nikon
  • SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A032) for Nikon
  • 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD (Model B028) for Nikon
  • SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A025) for Nikon
  • SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022) for Nikon
  • 17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di OSD (Model A037) for Nikon

The lens firmware can be updated with the separately sold TAP-in Console.

If you do not have a TAP-in Console, please contact your nearest Tamron distributors.
For a list of Tamron distributors, click here.

2. Lens Update Service Information
https://www.tamron.jp/en/support/release_note.html

3. How to Update
https://www.tamron.jp/en/support/update.html

4. For other models, once we confirm the compatibility with Nikon Z7 and FTZ adapter, we will announce the models sequentially at our support website.

We are sorry to keep you waiting, and also ask for your understanding of the situation.

{/Pressrelease}

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Irix confirms its lenses are ‘fully compatible’ with Canon’s EOS R camera

31 Dec

Swiss lens manufacturer Irix has announced its lens lineup is completely compatible with Canon EOS R cameras when attached using Canon’s EF to EOS R adapter.

In an announcement post on its website, Irix says ‘it is possible to control the aperture from the camera’ and notes that all metadata is transferred properly from the lens to the camera including focusing distance and other exposure details.

Irix specifically mentions its 11mm F4, 15mm F2.4 and 150mm F2.8 1:1 Macro lenses.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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China confirms photojournalist Lu Guang’s arrest near Xinjiang

18 Dec
Screenshot from World Press Photo’s video interview, embedded in full below.
Award-winning photojournalist Lu Guang, 57, was arrested near China’s far western region Xinjiang, Chinese police officials have confirmed to the photographer’s family. News of Lu’s disappearance first surfaced last month via his wife, Xu Xiaoli, who told the New York Times she had lost contact with him around November 3, the day he was travelling to Xinjiang.

As reported last month, Lu, who lives in New York with his wife and son, was invited to visit Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi to lead a week-long photography workshop. Xu lost contact with Lu around November 3, and the New York Times cited “local sources” who claimed he and his local host were detained by security services around the same time.

Weeks had passed without official information about the photographer’s location, but a new report from the New York Times states Lu’s family was given confirmation of his arrest. Neither written confirmation nor the reason for Lu’s arrest were provided, however. The friend who invited Lu to Xinjiang was reportedly also arrested.

Xinjiang has been subjected to intense surveillance and police activity in recent years as the Chinese government attempts to crackdown on what it claims are terrorist threats from the region’s Muslim Kazakh and Uighur populations. A recent report revealed the existence of forced labor within Xinjiang’s re-education and ‘training’ camps, fueling international condemnation.

Below is a video interview conducted by World Press Photo back in 2011.

Though Lu’s past work has included documenting China’s marginalized groups and the issues they face, Xu told the New York Times that she doesn’t believe her husband was in Xinjiang to cover its ongoing problems. Rather, Lu was reportedly touring the region as a first-time visitor with plans to hold a workshop for local photographers.

Lu’s condition remains unknown.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Flickr confirms it’s sparing Creative Commons, non-profits from the new 1,000 image cap

08 Nov
A Grazing Encounter Between Two Spiral Galaxies — NASA on The Commons

Last week, Flickr announced it was removing the previously-required Yahoo login, adding new “Pro” features, and adding a 1,000 image limit on free accounts.

The news, particularly the 1,000 image limit on free accounts, hasn’t exactly gone over well, here on DPReview and other forums. One complaint in particular is what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of Creative Commons photos currently being hosted on Flickr.

Creative Commons CEO, Ryan Merkley, even got in on the topic, saying on a post on the Creative Commons blog, “Many users are concerned such a limit on free account capacity might cause millions of CC images to be deleted from the Commons. A lot of people have reached out to us directly and asked what we can do. I’m confident that together we can find solutions, if we assume goodwill and bring our collective creativity to the problem.”

He later added in the blog post, “I have confidence in Don and Ben and the SmugMug and Flickr teams: they want to do right for the Commons, and they understand how deeply CC and the photo Commons is integrated into the goodwill that Flickr has retained over all these years.”

Well, we now know the fate. In a post on the Flickr blog, SmugMug Co-Founder and CEO, Dan MacAskill, announced Flickr is sparing Creative Common photos from the 1,000 image limit. Flickr will also keep any photos in the Flickr Commons that have been uploaded by institutions, including NASA, The Smithsonian, The National Archives UK, and The British Library, and others, saying “all these organizations already were Pro or have received a free Pro account from us, so they have unlimited storage.”

The post also address non-profits who rely on Flickr for image hosting. He says SmugMug has worked hand-in-hand with 501(c)(3) organizations and International charities in the past to provide free, unlimited storage and will continue to do so going forward with Flickr. Flickr has even set up a dedicated page where non-profits can fill out a form to get started on getting a free Flickr Pro account set up.

MacAskill ends the article saying “Whatever changes come in the years going forward, the importance of these photos will always matter to us. We not only want to preserve the photos we have, we want to keep partnering with organizations such as libraries, museums, and government agencies to contribute to The Flickr Commons as well. And we will continue to work hard to keep these photos safe and available for the world to view and enjoy.”

You can read the post in its entirety on the Flickr blog.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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