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Posts Tagged ‘Drop’

Canon to Drop Its EOS M Lineup in Favor of Crop-Sensor EOS R Cameras

04 Jan

The post Canon to Drop Its EOS M Lineup in Favor of Crop-Sensor EOS R Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Canon to drop its EOS M lineup

Bad news for Canon EOS M fans: 

The Canon EOS M lineup, which includes popular models such as the EOS M50 and the EOS M6 Mark II, may soon be no more.

This comes from Canon Rumors, which reports that “two sources…suggested that 2021 will be the last year of the EOS M lineup.” 

Over the better part of the last decade, Canon has developed two mirrorless camera lines: 

The dedicated APS-C EOS M series, and the full-frame EOS R series. 

But while sibling APS-C and full-frame cameras are nothing new, the EF-M mount is incompatible with the RF mount, forcing Canon to produce two independent sets of lenses. And as the EOS R series continues to soar in popularity, it seems that Canon has decided to throw all of its resources into expanding the RF-mount cameras and lenses while leaving the EOS M lineup behind.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Canon will stop selling its EOS M models; the EOS M50 Mark II was only announced this past fall, and EOS M cameras are, by all accounts, performing well. But I wouldn’t hold out hope for any additional EOS M cameras or lenses. According to Canon Rumors, “the EOS M50 Mark II was a ‘stop-gap for a couple of future RF-mount APS-C cameras’” – which implies that the M50 Mark II will be the last of the EOS M cameras, and that Canon will try to channel its APS-C demand into new RF-mount models.

Rumors of an APS-C EOS R7 have abounded for months now, but the crop-sensor RF-mount models discussed by Canon Rumors are likely entirely different, catering to beginner photographers, walkaround shooters, and vloggers. Canon Rumors also reports that “there will not be RF-S lenses for APS-C EOS R cameras.” Instead, “future lens design will ‘fill the void of no dedicated APS-C lenses.’”

In other words, you can expect a handful of full-frame lenses that will also appeal to APS-C shooters – in the form of lightweight, kit RF lenses – rather than lenses designed solely for APS-C R bodies.

Personally, I welcome this move away from the EOS M series, as it gives APS-C shooters the opportunity to work with higher-end RF glass while allowing Canon to focus its resources on a single camera lineup. But I can also understand the frustration that EOS M users will undoubtedly feel as Canon lets a successful camera series fade away.

Now over to you:

What are your thoughts about the end of the EOS M lineup? Are you happy? Frustrated? Worried? Do you think Canon will end production of its EOS M cameras anytime soon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Canon to Drop Its EOS M Lineup in Favor of Crop-Sensor EOS R Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Blackmagic Design’s Pocket Cinema Camera 6K now costs $1,995 after permanent price drop

24 Apr

Blackmagic Design has announced it’s dropping the price of its Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (BMPCC6K) by $ 500, bringing the retail price down to $ 1,995.

Although Blackmagic Design doesn’t explicitly say the price drop is due to the current COVID-19 pandemic in the press release, it does suggest the decision was made alongside the release of its ATEM Mini switchers to help the current demand for at-home livestreaming efforts, saying ‘With the current demand for multi camera live streaming from home broadcast studios, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K makes a perfect studio camera when combined with the recent studio camera software update!’

The BMPCC6K offers 6K30p recording on its Super 35 sensor (6144 x 3456 pixels), up to 13 stops of dynamic range, built-in SD UHS-II and CFast card slots, HDMI output, an expandable USB-C port, a built-in 5” touchscreen and Blackmagic OS to run it all. All of that is packed inside the carbon fiber polycarbonate composite frame, which comes with a built-in Canon EF mount.

You can find the new price live at retailers around the globe, including Adorama and B&H.

Press release:

Blackmagic Design Announces New Low Price for Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

Fremont, CA, USA – Friday, 24 April 2020 – Blackmagic Design today announced a new lower price for the popular Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K of US$ 1,995. This is a reduction of $ 500 which will help make this camera more affordable for users working on digital film as well as live production with the new ATEM Mini switchers. With the current demand for multi camera live streaming from home broadcast studios, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K makes a perfect studio camera when combined with the recent studio camera software update!

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is available immediately from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$ 1,995.

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera now works as a studio camera for live production when used with ATEM Mini. Video and control is via the HDMI connection, which is available as soon as customers plug the cameras in. The record light becomes a tally light so customers can see which camera is on air. The ATEM Software Control camera page has a camera control unit (CCU) style interface for adjusting and matching their cameras. Move the CCU control vertically for iris and left to right to adjust black level. It’s the same as a broadcast CCU. There are also controls for color tint to balance camera as well as focus, gain and shutter speed. Customers can even ISO record Blackmagic RAW in the camera for editing later.

The elegant design of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera packs an incredible number of high end digital film features into a miniaturized, handheld design. Made from lightweight carbon fiber polycarbonate composite, the camera features a multifunction handgrip with all controls for recording, ISO, WB and shutter angle right at their fingertips.

Featuring a larger 6144 x 3456 Super 35 sensor and EF lens mount, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K model lets customers use larger EF photographic lenses to create cinematic images with shallower depth of field, allowing creative defocussed backgrounds and gorgeous bokeh effects.

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras have an incredible 13 stops of dynamic range which means they preserve more detail in the lightest and darkest areas of an image than simple video cameras can. This allows customers to set exposure for an indoor scene and still retain the details of bright outdoor light coming through a window.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features built in CFast and SD UHS-II card recorders, and a USB-C expansion port for recording direct to an external media disk. Customers can use regular SD cards for HD or higher performance UHS-II and CFast cards for native 4K or 6K when using Blackmagic RAW. Imagine capturing over an hour of full resolution 6K images on a single 256GB SD UHS-II card. The ProRes and Blackmagic RAW files work with all video software.

Blackmagic RAW is a revolutionary new format designed to capture and preserve the quality of the sensor data from their camera. Video formats such as H.264 are highly compressed, plus add noise and artifacts, causing original sensor detail to be lost forever. Blackmagic RAW eliminates this problem and gives customers stunning images with incredible detail and color throughout the production pipeline from camera to edit, color and mastering. It also saves camera settings as metadata so customers can set ISO, white balance and exposure in camera or override them later while editing, all without any loss of quality. Blackmagic RAW files are also small and fast to use making them easy to work with.

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features a large, bright 5 inch touchscreen that makes it easy for customers to frame shots and accurately focus. The touchscreen displays critical information while users are shooting, menus for setting up the camera and intuitive touch to focus controls. On screen overlays show status, a histogram, focus and peaking indicators, levels, frame guides, playback controls and more.

With the advanced Blackmagic OS, customers get an intuitive and user friendly camera operating system based on the latest technology. The interface uses simple tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. Customers also get full control over advanced camera features such as on screen focus and exposure tools, 3D LUTs, HDR, metadata entry, timecode, Blackmagic RAW settings and more.

Both Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera models feature a mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power for connecting professional microphones such as lapel mics and booms. The four built in microphones have an extremely low noise floor and are shock and wind resistant, allowing customers to capture great sound in any location. There’s also a 3.5mm audio input for connecting video camera style microphones, along with a built in speaker for playback and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

“We have worked very hard to build this camera at lower cost, and we think even more people will be able to take advantage of this price reduction to move into a more advanced and much higher quality digital film workflow,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “This has become more important with COVID-19. Many broadcasters have been setting up home studios for presenters, which have used ATEM Mini switchers and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras. We think with the recent software updates for switcher control of the Pocket Cinema Cameras from the ATEM Mini switchers, combined with this more affordable price it will greatly help this workflow.”

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Features

  • Works as a studio camera when connected to ATEM Mini.
  • Designed from carbon fiber polycarbonate composite.
  • Wide 13 stops of dynamic range for film looks.
  • Built in SD, UHS-II and CFast card recorders.
  • Features incredible quality Blackmagic RAW recording.
  • Built in 5″ touchscreen allows accurate focus when shooting 6K.
  • Blackmagic OS as used in URSA Mini and URSA Broadcast cameras.
  • Professional mini XLR input with 48 volt phantom power.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is available now for US$ 1,995, excluding local duties and taxes, from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google Pixel 4 ‘Feature Drop’ brings post-capture Portrait Blur and more

10 Dec

Google’s Pixel phones run the company’s Android operating system in its ‘purest’ form which also means they are the first devices to receive Android updates. Now Google has released its first ‘Feature Drop’ for the Pixel 4 and given us an overview in a blog post.

From an imaging point of view, the most interesting new feature is the ability to add a simulated bokeh effect post-capture, even if the image wasn’t originally shot in the Pixel’s Portrait mode. This means using Google Photos you can now add background blur to images that were shot a long time before bokeh simulation even was a thing.

On the downside, we would expect subject segmentation to be less precise than on images shot in Portrait Mode as the feature won’t have any depth data to work with and solely relies on subject recognition.

Other new features include an option for automatic Call Screen for robocalls and spam calls. Google Assistant can detect spam calls and silence them. Then it will screen the call to see if it might actually be worth your while. Google says it will also provide a ‘helpful context about who is calling and why.’

In addition, the video-calling app Google Duo can now auto-frame your face using the Pixel’s wide-angle selfie camera and expand the frame if a second person joins the caller. Google also says it has improved the Pixel 4’s memory management.

All new features will roll out ‘soon’ to Pixel users and at least some of them are likely to at some point appear on other Android devices as well. You can find the full list of new features on the Google Blog.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5 will drop mid-May with searchable history, nested tags and more

25 Apr

ON1 Photo RAW may not be as well-known compared to the other major brands in the photo editing software space, but that doesn’t mean it should be discounted. It’s the only service that can transfer and displays Lightroom-edited photos in Photo RAW. The software package boasts hundreds of built-in filters, LUTs and presets. It also supports layer masks for creating composite images.

ON1 is offering up a free update of its service with ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5, scheduled to be released mid-May. As a standalone product with photo organizing and editing features, ON1 Photo RAW boasts the tools that photographers use the most in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and places them in one program. For users who don’t wish to fully convert, ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5 can also serve as a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5 will include new updates to increase productivity, additional organizing benefits, more feature and performance enhancements, and new camera support.

ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5 will also have a fully-reversible history section. Each editing step will be accessible, along with the ability to roll-back and compare prior adjustments.

Photographers will be able to search for photos based on specific adjustments applied such as cropped, retouched, and so on. Crop tool settings will be persistent and information on those adjustments will be retained across all photos.

The master keyword list will now support nesting keywords inside of other keywords. Nested keywords will allow photographers to organize keywords as they see fit. They’ll be easier to search, add, delete, and modify. Importing a list of nested keywords from other apps such as Adobe Lightroom will also be supported.

For photographers new to ON1 Photo RAW, there will be new walkthroughs that teach the basics. These series of short tutorial videos explain how to use each feature and help shorten the learning curve.

The Portland-based company has even more plans beyond the forthcoming release of ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5. These include incorporating solutions into the software for photographers that use mobile devices in their workflow. ‘The next year will be the biggest in our company history. A lot of these internal projects we’ve been working on will finally get introduced to the market. There is a lot to be excited about for our customers and our industry, and it all starts with Photo RAW 2019.5,’ said Craig Keudell, ON1 President & CEO.

Users can start a free 30-day trial of the current version of ON1 Photo RAW today. The software is available as a one-time purchase of $ 99.99 for new users and $ 79.99 for users with past versions who are updating. It includes both macOS and Windows installers, plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and can be used on up to five computers. The Photo RAW 2019.5 update will be available mid-May. For a full rundown on all the new features that will be added, visit ON1’s blog.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CIPA’s February 2019 report shows huge drop in global digital camera shipments

09 Apr

The Japanese Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) has published a new graph showing the number of cameras shipped in February 2019 and the figures aren’t reassuring. According to the association, sales were down from January 2019 and had substantially decreased compared with February 2018.

Global digital camera shipments in February 2019 came in at only 935,148 units compared to the 1,001,398 shipped in January 2019. This is a more than 30% decrease year-over-year, with January 2018 having seen 1,340,492 shipments and February 2018 having maintained a consistent rate at 1,340,995.

A decrease was experienced in the interchangeable lens camera market as well, dropping from 798,014 in February 2018 to 521,217 in February 2019. Both the February 2018 and 2019 shipment periods were lower than February 2017, which had 843,217 in global interchangeable lens camera shipments.

A similar, though not quite as dramatic, decrease in global built-in lens digital camera shipments was experienced in February 2019 compared to February 2018 at 413,931 units versus 542,981.

According to the CIPA data, global digital camera shipments remained very similar from January to February 2017 and increased slightly for those same months in 2018. The trend changed in 2019, with overall February shipments dipping a little more than 6% below January’s global shipment numbers.

The numbers are concerning due to the general decrease year-over-year, but also because the shipment numbers decreased during a time in the year when they previously remained relatively steady or began increasing. It’s yet to be seen whether March’s figures represent yet another decrease or if February’s shipment numbers end up being an unfortunate, concerning fluke.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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CIPA: Sizable drop in camera shipments for July

05 Sep

CIPA, the Japanese Camera & Imaging Products Association, has released its numbers for July and things don’t look terribly rosy. The summer months are generally a slower time of the year for most retail sectors, but in terms of camera shipments this past July has been much worse than in 2017.

Compared to last year, shipments of all digital cameras are down 33%, dropping from 1,942,192 to 1,496,604. Things look only slightly better in the interchangeable lens segment where we have seen a smaller drop from 973,651 to 820,893 units (down 16%).

The numbers look particularly bad in part because summer shipments in 2017 were strong – or at least, didn’t dip as dramatically as they have in 2016 and this year. And on the plus side, the industry can now look forward to the traditionally stronger autumn months and the holiday season. The recent high-profile product launches from Nikon, Fujifilm and Panasonic, plus any new products that might be announced at the upcoming Photokina trade show, will likely have a positive impact on shipments for the remainder of the year.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to Take Amazing Photos Using the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

22 May

Water droplet photography is a dream for almost every creative photographer. When a water drop collides with another drop, it creates beautiful crowns and other shapes that look fabulous. Capturing those moments is a very satisfying experience for a photographer.

MIOPS Splash water droplet

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Until now it was not easy to create such shots, but thanks to the advancement of technology, now we have some gadgets that could make this process almost effortless for us. One such gadget is the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit which is the world’s first water drop photography gear that can be controlled by your smartphone.

It not only controls the size and timing of drops with great precision, but it also controls your camera or flashes so that you can focus on other creative tasks like lighting, background, and different settings to create unique pieces of art.

So, let’s find out how you can create extraordinary splash photographs using this amazing device.

Photo credits: In this article, we are featuring examples done by myself, as well as three photographers and MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit customers; Andrea Laybauer (a specialist who shoots drops and splashes), Jos Daanen (a primarily wildlife photographer), and Paul Lindqvist (a specialist in food, stop-motion products, and portraits).

MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit - blue drops

Taken by Ramakant Sharda using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

What you need:

A Quiet Room:

First, you’ll need a room that can be darkened where you can create a lot of mess in that room. It’s better to choose a spare room as you may need to keep your equipment setup for a few days.

Camera and Lens:

You can use any DSLR camera for water droplet photography, or any other camera that has manual controls. Lens choice is important as you need one with a longer focal length and shorter minimum focusing distance so your camera is safe from water splashes but you can still fill the frame with splashes. I found that a 100mm macro lens is the best option for this project.

Flashes/Speedlights:

Next, you need flashes with manual control over power. You are going to use the flashes at the lowest power setting so you need a minimum of two flashes. If you have more, that is even better.

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Tripod:

A steady tripod is a must for the camera so you can focus on other aspects of the shoot. You also need an extra tripod for attaching the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit device.

Water Containers:

You may use a glass bowl, wine glass, or a designer cup. But if you don’t want to show the container in the picture you need around an 8×12″ glass tray with two-inch depth. You can get it from your local aquarium shop (or a similar baking dish).

Taken by Jos Dannen using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Jos Daanen using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Backgrounds:

You also need some colorful background images. Go to Google and search for “blur abstract background” and you’ll get an idea about what type of images you require. You can buy similar images from stock sites or there are some sites that provide images at no cost. You now have two options, you can print these images on paper or transparencies.

MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit:

Finally, you need a MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit to control the water drops and your camera. It comes with a holder kit so you can easily fix it on a tripod.

MIOPS splash dark

Other than these items, you need a few more things like a milky white acrylic sheet (Plexiglass) to attach backgrounds. Something to hold the acrylic sheet, a dry cloth, some clamps or clips and a shutter release cable.

Setup:

Now you have everything ready, so let’s start. First, place the acrylic sheet as the background, making sure to leave at least two feet at the back for placing the flashes. Now place a tripod at the front of this and attach the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit on it. The distance between the background and the point where your drop will fall should be around 12-15 inches.

Now put your water container below it and ensure that the drop falls in the center of this container. Also, align your background with it.

Next place your flashes. If you are using transparencies for the background, place the flashes behind the glass, at a distance of around 12 inches. If you are using a paper background, place the flashes at a 45-degree angle on both sides. Make sure to cover your flashes with a plastic bag.

Water droplet splash Setup 01

Setup using a transparent background with the flashes behind it.

Water droplet splash Setup 02

Setup using a paper background with the flashes in front of it. Notice the flashes are being protected from any water drops that might splash and land on them, potentially damaging your delicate electronic equipment.

One flash will be the master and it’ll attach with MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit and the other flashes will be in slave mode so they fire automatically when the master flash fires.

Lastly, fix your camera on a tripod and attach a shutter release cable. It’s better to create this setup on a table because you need to work for a long time and if this setup is on the ground, you’ll get tired quickly.

Settings:

At this point, you may want to take a break and have coffee but if you are like me, you probably dying to see your first image. So, let’s talk about all the settings.

First, set your flashes at 1/32 power. If you are using four flashes, you may need to lower the power to 1/64 or 1/128. The lowest power setting will give you shortest flash duration and your photos won’t have any motion blur.

Next set your camera to Bulb Mode, set ISO to 100, choose an aperture between f/11-f/16 and attach the shutter release cable. Now put a pencil or something else where your drop will fall and focus manually on that spot, and leave the camera.

Taken by Andrea Laybuarer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Andrea Laybuarer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

You can also control your camera using the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit, but it’s always better to set your camera to Bulb Mode and fire flashes instead. It will give you accurate results as there will be no shutter lag.

Lastly, you need to do the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit settings. You are going to set the size of the first drop, the delay between two drops, size of the second drop and finally the flash firing time. Open the MIOPS Mobile app on your phone and you’ll find some settings. Set the first drop size to 25 milliseconds, the second drop size to 50 milliseconds and delay to 100 milliseconds. Finally set Trigger to 350 milliseconds and set mode to flash.

These settings are just a starting point and you need to do some fine-tuning. If your nozzle is too high or low, you need to change delay time according to that. For the above settings, the distance between nozzle and water container is around two feet.

Workflow:

Now you need to open the shutter using the shutter release cable and tap on the Start button in the app and close the shutter when flashes are fired. Since your room is dark and you are using a narrow aperture, the ambient light won’t affect the shot.

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Jos Daanen using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Jos Daanen using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

So, take a shot and check if the lighting is good or not. If your picture is too dark, increase the ISO or move the flashes a little bit closer. Keep in mind that you should not increase the power of your flashes above 1/32 or you’ll start getting motion blur. If your picture is too bright, lower the flash power to 1/64 or 1/128 or move them back.

Once the light is okay, take another shot and see if it’s properly focused. If not, focus again.

When everything is set and you get your first shot, it’s time to do some experiments to create different masterpieces. Change the size of drops to see what difference it makes. Remember that first drop size won’t make any major difference, it’s the size of the second drop what will create different shapes. Now change the delay time, every time you change it, you’ll get different shapes.

Now experiment with both drop size and delay between drops. Each change will give you different results. Just keep in mind that you should make small changes like 5-10 milliseconds.

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Andrea Laybauer using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Once you understand the process and take enough shots, experiment with different backgrounds and light positions. You can place the flashes at the back and front or you can use gels on them to get different results.

Taken by Paul Lindqvist using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

Taken by Paul Lindqvist using MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit

At last, I am going to tell you a little secret to get outstanding photos. If you add a few drops of liquid soap in the water, you’ll start getting some totally unique shapes.

So, let’s get started, please share your masterpieces in the comment area below.

More about the photographers:

Andrea Laybauer started to photograph in 2001. However, since 2009, she has dedicated herself to shooting drops and splashes. View her website here and Instagram to see more of her work.

Jos Daanen is primarily a wildlife photographer. He did his utmost best to get some collisions of droplets… For these featured photos, he ordered the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit unit which was released at the beginning of 2018.

Paul Lindqvist is a commercial photographer who specializes in food, stop-motion, product photography, and portraits.  He loves using technology to create his images, and always find new ways to use it to his advantage. View his website and Instagram

Disclaimer: MIOPS is a paid partner of dPS.

The post How to Take Amazing Photos Using the MIOPS Splash Water Drop Kit appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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MIOPS Splash: The world’s first smartphone-controlled water drop photography kit

04 Apr

Camera trigger company MIOPS has launched a new specialized photography kit that aims to help photographers get into water drop photography. Called the MIOPS Splash, this standalone kit doesn’t require an extra trigger, and is said to be the first of its kind that’s controlled with a smartphone.

MIOPS Splash doesn’t just control a flash or camera, it also controls the timing and size of a liquid drop, essentially taking all of the hardest parts of out of water drop photography. Settings are chosen using a companion smartphone app, and users are given two setup options:

In addition to the Splash kit, which is available now for $ 80 USD, MIOPS offers the Splash Holder kit for an extra $ 20. The Holder kit enables users to mount Splash on a tripod with an included tripod mount and box clip.

The MIOPS Splash kit comes with a 2-year warranty and is available now with free global shipping. To learn more about Splash or order your own, head over to the MIOPS website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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AT&T decision to drop Huawei Mate 10 Pro reportedly made under pressure from US Congress

17 Jan

According to a report by Reuters AT&T’s decision to not sell the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, currently one of the best camera smartphones, in the US might have been made under pressure from the US Congress.

According to the report, lawmakers did pressure the communications company to drop its plans to offer Huawei’s devices to customers. AT&T is also being urged by Senators and House members to put an end to its collaboration with the Chinese manufacturer on standards for its 5G network.

The report claims that companies are being told that doing business with Huawei, China Mobile and other Chinese companies could reduce the chances of procuring government contracts. “The next wave of wireless communication has enormous economic and national security implications,” said Michael Wessel of a US-Chain security review commission. “China’s participation in setting the standards and selling the equipment raises many national security issues that demand strict and prompt attention.”

According to US intelligence information, Huawei has shared sensitive information with the Chinese government

In addition, Congress has proposed a bill that would prevent any government agencies from working with the Chinese company. The proposal says that, according to US intelligence information, Huawei has shared sensitive information with the Chinese government, and that Chinese security agencies can make use of Huawei equipment to spy on US businesses.

As one would expect, Huawei insists that its technology does not come with any built-in tools for access to US communications infrastructure. The company also told Reuters that its equipment is used by 45 of the world’s top 50 carriers, for all of whom security is a priority.

The good news is that If you are based in the US and did like the Mate 10 Pro’s camera performance in our full review, you’ll still be able to purchase the device, just not through a carrier. Instead you can buy the unlocked version on Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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