Canon has released a barrage of firmware updates for a number of its mirrorless cameras and a single RF lens, bringing new and improved features, as well as the usual bug fixes. None of the updates offer major improvements in autofocus or other areas, but they all take care of a few ‘phenomena’ and offer support for newer Canon lenses.
Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM
We’ll go ahead and get the most minor firmware update out of the way first. The Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM lens has received a version 1.0.5 firmware update that ‘Reduces image noise when performing high sensitivity shooting with the RF50mm F1.2 L USM lens attached to the EOS C70 camera.’ How exactly a firmware update for a lens addresses noise issues is a bit intriguing, but it never hurts to have the latest update anyway. You can download firmware version 1.0.5 for the Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM lens on Canon’s website.
Canon EOS R and RP
We’ve grouped these two updates together, because they offer the exact same changes, according to Canon’s changelog. Firmware version 1.6.0 for the EOS RP and firmware version 1.8.0 for the EOS R improves color balance when shooting with the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM lens and adds support for Canon’s newer RF 70–200mm F2.8 L IS USM and RF 100–500mm F4.5–7.1 L IS USM lenses. You can download firmware version 1.6.0 for the EOS RP and firmware version 1.8.0 for the EOS R on Canon’s respective product pages.
Canon EOS R5 and R6
As with the EOS RP and R firmware updates, the latest updates for Canon’s EOS R5 and R6 cameras are identical to one another based on the changelogs. Firmware version 1.2.0 for both cameras addresses the following changes and improvements:
When using high-speed or low-speed continuous shooting modes, in Drive Mode with [High Speed Display: OFF], the visibility of the subject within the frame has been improved when shooting moving objects.* *During continuous shooting black frames will be inserted between frames in the viewfinder and live view. This will improve the visibility of moving subjects in live view and in the viewfinder.
Adds the [Auto] setting to the [Viewfinder brightness] menu that will brighten and dim based on ambient light conditions.
Enables 2nd curtain shooting sync during radio transmission wireless flash shooting when the Speedlite EL-1 flash is attached to the camera.
Enables manual flash output (excluding high-speed sync and optical transmission wireless flash shooting) to be selected and set up to 1/8192 from the camera menu screen when the Speedlite EL-1 flash is attached to the camera.
Improves compatibility of HEIF images recorded in the camera with MIAF (Multi-Image Application Format) standards.
Adds support for AF and release during zoom operations for some RF and EF lenses.
You can download firmware version 1.2.0 for the EOS R5 and EOS R6 cameras on Canon’s respective product pages.
Canon 1D X Mark III
Lastly, Canon has updated its flagship DSLR, the EOS 1D X Mark III. Firmware version 1.3.0 addresses the following changes and improvements:
Enables 2nd curtain shooting sync during radio transmission wireless flash shooting when the Speedlite EL-1 flash is attached to the camera.
Enables manual flash output (excluding high-speed sync and optical transmission wireless flash shooting) to be selected and set up to 1/8192 from the camera menu screen when the Speedlite EL-1 flash is attached to the camera.
Improves compatibility of HEIF images recorded in the camera with MIAF (Multi-Image Application Format) standards.
Fixes the phenomenon that may result in the occurrence of time-out under certain conditions during FTP transfer.
You can download firmware version 1.3.0 for the EOS 1D X Mark III on Canon’s product page.
The post The Five Most Essential Camera Settings and How to Use Them appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by David Shaw.
Modern cameras, from smartphones to high-end DSLRs, are designed to make decisions for us.
And, for the most part, they do a pretty good job. Slap your DSLR into Auto mode, and more often than not you’ll get images that are sharp with a decent exposure.
Now, if you’re just looking to document your world, then go for it. Snap away. But the drawback is that images taken with Auto mode tend to look similar to one another, with a uniform depth of field and exposure.
If you want to move beyond the automatic camera settings, you need to understand your camera, how to use it and, most importantly, what impact changing those settings will have on your final image.
Here are five of the most essential camera settings, what they mean, and how they’ll impact your photos.
ISO
Here’s the first essential camera setting you should know:
ISO.
Now, the acronym “ISO” is terrible, because it’s basically meaningless in terms of photography. It stands for International Organization for Standardization, a European non-governmental organization that makes sure industries apply the same standards.
In the case of photography, the International Organization for Standardization wanted to make sure that an 800 ISO on a Canon camera is the same as on a Nikon, Sony, or a Fuji. If that standard didn’t exist, then settings wouldn’t be applicable across camera brands. So if I set my Canon to make an image at 1/100s at f/2.8 and ISO 400, and you set your Nikon to the same settings, we wouldn’t get the same exposure.
Thankfully, all the major manufacturers do subscribe to the ISO standard.
So what is ISO?
ISO is the measure of the sensitivity of your camera’s digital sensor to light. The lower the number, the lower the sensitivity; the higher the number, the more sensitive the sensor becomes.
Say that you’re shooting in a low light situation, such as in a poorly-lit room or on a dusky evening. An ISO setting of 100 will require that more light reaches the sensor than if you were to use a setting of ISO 400, 800, or 1600.
This night image required a fast shutter speed to retain detail in the flame, so I had to use a high ISO (3200). In the next shot (below), you can see the noise in the original RAW file. (By the way, this image shows what happens when you free methane from a bubble in the ice of a frozen pond in the boreal forest and then set it alight.)
Drawbacks of a high ISO
So why not shoot with a high ISO all the time?
Two reasons:
High ISOs often create digital noise in the image (though camera sensors are getting better and better at avoiding this).
Sometimes you may want to force a slow shutter speed, in which case you need less sensitivity to light. This may be the case if you are trying to capture blurred motion such as water or wind, or if you’re creating pleasing blurs in sports photography.
Note the noise in the detail of the person’s clothing and in other shadowed areas.
In short, ISO is one of the three tools you have at your disposal to manipulate your exposure.
Shutter speed
The length of time your camera’s sensor is exposed to light is the shutter speed.
Many cameras have a mechanical shutter that snaps open and closed, allowing light to reach the sensor. Others use a digital shutter that simply turns on the sensor for a set period of time before switching it off again.
Your shutter speed has a huge impact on the final image.
Why?
Because a long shutter speed will create blur in moving subjects. As a landscape photographer, I use long shutter speeds to blur water, capture starlight, or show wind motion.
For this image, I used a 1/2s shutter speed to blur the waves while retaining some detail.
A 30s shutter speed blurred the Yukon River into a mirror-like surface.
Short (i.e., fast) shutter speeds have the effect of stopping motion. Use a shutter speed of 1/2000s and the motion of a runner or a cyclist will be stopped dead.
This image of a passing bike required a shutter speed of 1/500s. The shutter speed was just fast enough to make the image sharp overall while retaining some sense of motion in the spinning tire.
Your use of shutter speed must be thoughtful to create a good image. Think about the final image you want to create. Does it have blurred components or is it all sharp? Do you want to stop your subject or convey a sense of motion?
Consider, experiment, then decide on your shutter speed.
Aperture
The aperture, or f-stop, might be the most confusing aspect of photography for many photographers. This is because it affects images in unexpected ways.
Essentially, the aperture is how big the hole in the lens is. The smaller the hole, the less light that is allowed in; the larger the hole, the more light that gets through.
What often confuses people is the numbering system:
The smaller the number, the larger the hole.
So a setting of f/2.8 corresponds to a larger opening than f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, and so on. Lenses with a wide maximum aperture (i.e., a small number like f/2) are considered fast, meaning that they are capable of allowing in more light.
But it’s not just about light and how wide a lens can open. The aperture also affects image sharpness.
You see, most, if not all, lenses are sharper a few f-stops down (called the sweet spot). A lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 will create a sharper image at f/8 than at f/2.8. The better the lens, the less this matters, but it is noticeable on most lenses.
Depth of field and its applications
The aperture also controls the depth of field.
The depth of field is the amount of the image from close to far that is in focus. A lens set to its widest aperture (say f/2.8) will give less depth of field than the same lens set to f/11.
A very shallow depth of field in this image brings the grouse hiding in the brush into focus while the surrounding chaos of branches blurs into a haze.
As with shutter speed, your use of aperture should be purposeful. Have a landscape image that you want in focus from front to back? You better select a high f-stop (such as f/11). How about a portrait where you want a clean, soft background but a tack-sharp eye? Then use a small f-stop (such as f/2.8 or f/4) and carefully choose your focus point.
An f-stop of f/11 at 17mm was sufficient to make the entire scene, from inches in front of the lens to the cliffs in the distance, sharp.
The aperture directly impacts the shutter speed. A narrow aperture will require you to use a longer shutter speed to attain a proper exposure, just as a wider aperture will allow you to use a faster shutter speed. Aperture and shutter speed are completely interrelated; there is no escaping it.
So you need a strong understanding of both.
White balance
White balance, like ISO, relates to the sensor.
But, in this case, it has to do with the color of the light, rather than its brightness.
Different light sources have different color tones. Our eyes often don’t detect these differences, but you can bet your camera will. Have you ever seen a photo of a home interior lit by soft white bulbs, but including a window? Usually, the interior of the room looks natural while the outdoor light looks artificially blue.
That’s white balance. The camera (or photographer) decided to use the interior light (the warm-toned bulbs) as the neutral color, but then the natural light outdoors shifted toward blue.
Now, when the white balance is set wrong, the colors are off. They look too yellow, blue, or orange.
But when the white balance is correct, everything looks natural, as our eyes detect it.
Here is an image with the camera’s white balance set to Auto. The colors of the aurora borealis appear too purple and yellow.
In this version, I adjusted the white balance further into the blue range, making the colors of the lights appear more natural and pleasing.
What about Auto White Balance?
I’ve got a confession to make here:
I almost always use the Auto White Balance setting on my camera. Cameras are pretty darn good at assessing color tones and deciding on the appropriate white balance. When my camera does get it wrong, I can check the image on the LCD and make the correction for the next shot.
Also, I shoot exclusively in RAW format, which means that I can make adjustments to the white balance during post-processing. I trust the image on my computer screen more than I trust the tiny LCD on the back of my camera.
That said, there are times you should adjust the camera’s white balance setting. The first is if you are shooting JPEGs. The JPEG file format will not allow you to effectively adjust the white balance later, so you must get it right in-camera.
The second time you’ll want to adjust your white balance setting is when stacking images, either for high-contrast scenes or for panoramas. When stacking, slight changes in color tones will make combining several images into a single HDR photo or a panorama much more difficult or even impossible.
You can also adjust your white balance if you purposely want to make an image look cool or warm, or if you are using artificial lights.
So be mindful of your white balance; know what it does and how it will impact your images. Then decide how to use it.
Exposure compensation
What is exposure compensation?
Exposure compensation allows you to very quickly add or subtract light from an image.
Too dark? Use the exposure compensation feature to add a stop of light. Too bright? Exposure compensation can quickly darken the image.
For the image above, I used exposure compensation to make sure the scene showed details in the foreground, while keeping the bright sunset in the background from being blown out.
And the image below was made in bright sunlight, but a deliberate underexposure of three stops (via exposure compensation) reduced the mountains to black but retained detail in the sky, resulting in a surreal image.
Know your camera well
Exposure compensation is a tool you should know how to adjust without lowering the camera from your eye. How it is set depends on your camera settings.
I use Aperture Priority mode most often on my camera. So I select the aperture, and the camera decides the shutter speed. If I adjust the exposure compensation, my camera will retain my chosen aperture and simply adjust the shutter speed up or down to get the desired exposure.
And if I were to use Shutter Priority mode, as I sometimes do, the camera would adjust the aperture, instead.
(In Auto mode, the camera makes this decision for you.)
I use exposure compensation constantly. It is my go-to method for fine-tuning my exposures in the field. On my Canon DSLR, I can adjust it with a simple twitch of my thumb on the rear wheel of the camera. Other cameras have their exposure compensation control as a wheel near the shutter button, or as part of a system of buttons on the back.
Know how your camera works and learn to adjust the exposure compensation quickly and efficiently. Understanding this important tool will mean you don’t miss your chance to get the shot right when you are working in the field or the studio.
Essential camera settings: Conclusion
These five camera settings are the most important things to understand about your camera.
Experiment with them so you know how they affect your final image. Learn to change each setting quickly and without fuss.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll have taken charge of your photography.
And you’ll be on your way to creating purposeful images.
If you have any comments or questions, please add them below!
The post The Five Most Essential Camera Settings and How to Use Them appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by David Shaw.
The post The Five Key Features on any Street Photography Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Are you struggling to choose the perfect street photography camera?
You’ve come to the right place.
Because while picking the perfect camera for street photography can be tough, it doesn’t have to be.
In fact, there are five basic features you’re going to want with any street photography body. While finding them all in a single camera can be tough, depending on your current lens lineup and preferred system, I’d recommend getting a camera that offers as many as possible.
And if you can find a camera that includes all of these features, you know it’s going to be a great street shooting option.
Let’s dive right in:
50mm | f/1.8 | 1/320s | ISO 200
1. A compact body
When you look for a street photography camera, the very first aspect you’ll want to consider is size.
Because here’s the thing about street photography:
The less that people notice your camera, the better.
50mm | f/2.8 | 1/320s | ISO 200
As soon as people start to see your camera, they get nervous, you get nervous, and photography becomes uncomfortable.
And while it’s inevitable that your camera will be seen, the smaller it is, the less this will happen.
That’s why I recommend you get the most compact camera you can find. Or, at least, a camera that offers a small form factor.
One option is a higher-end point-and-shoot camera, such as the Fujifilm X100V. That camera is tiny but still manages to offer excellent image quality.
But if you’re a fan of interchangeable lens cameras, you have other options. Some APS-C mirrorless cameras are designed to be near pocket-sized, including models such as Sony’s a6000 series, or the Fujifilm X-T200. Same with quite a few Micro-Four-Thirds cameras, such as the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III.
These bodies are light, they’re compact, and they’re some of the most inconspicuous cameras I’ve ever come across.
(Another advantage of a compact body is that they’re easy to carry around. You can take a Fujifilm X-T100 with you wherever you go, so that you never miss a shot!)
So start your search by looking for a small body, and only then should you consider the rest of the features on this list.
If you want to capture close-up candid shots of people, I recommend a compact street photography camera. 50mm | f/3.5 | 1/200s | ISO 200
By the way:
It’s not just the camera that should be small; you’ll want small lenses, as well. One of the best ways to ensure you have plenty of small lenses to choose from is by working with a Micro-Four-Thirds camera (offered by both Panasonic and Olympus).
These systems have unusually compact lenses, thanks to their smaller sensor size.
2. A high continuous shooting speed
If you’re planning on doing lots of street photography, then you’re going to need a camera that shoots fast.
Why?
Because the best street photos tend to involve a convergence of elements. Three people are perfectly aligned with a building, a person makes a sudden strange expression, or a biker passes in front of an interesting facade.
The ability to shoot frame after frame is key when shooting images like this. 50mm | f/2.8 | 1/200s | ISO 250
And you’re going to miss out on these moments…
…unless your camera can fire off a burst of shots in quick succession.
I’d recommend a continuous shooting speed of at least five frames per second, and more is better. For me, the 8-10 range is ideal, which you can find on quite a few cameras these days.
And honestly, anything more than 10 fps is overkill for most street photography purposes. You’ll run through your memory cards ridiculously fast, and end up with a huge amount of unnecessary shots.
You’ll also want to get a camera with a decent buffer. There’s no use in being able to shoot at 10 fps if you can only capture 15 frames. So I recommend you look for a camera with a buffer of at least 25 RAW files (and more is better!).
50mm | f/3.5 | 1/160s | ISO 320
3. Excellent autofocus with strong eye detection
As I said above, street photography happens fast.
And you’re often reacting to moments that come and go instantly.
24mm | f/8 | 1/200s | ISO 320
That’s why the best street photography cameras have lightning-fast autofocus and, ideally, face/eye detection.
I’m talking about systems that can nail focus instantly, as well as track a subject through a complex array of objects without losing focus.
For this latter requirement, a great option is any of the more recent Sony a6000 models (including the a6100, the a6400, and the a6600). These cameras offer fantastic tracking, great AF speeds, and amazing Eye AF.
A camera with fast autofocus will allow you to seize the moment and grab shots like this! f/3.5 | 1/640s| ISO 320
Now, it is possible to do street photography with a less AF-adept camera. But you’ll frequently struggle, especially when trying to lock focus for spur-of-the-moment shots.
You’ll also want good AF for situations when you’re shooting from your LCD or from the hip. If your camera can grab focus with ease, you’ll end up with quite a few keepers, even if you’re firing the shutter without looking!
4. A silent shooting mode
Getting a camera that can shoot in silence was a real game-changer for my street photography.
Finally, I could shoot without people realizing, and it made me feel so much less anxious.
f/2.8 | 1/640s | ISO 200
And the truth is that most street photographers feel anxious at one time or another, and a loud shutter sound just made that anxiety worse.
(If you’re a street photographer that never feels uncomfortable, please share your secret in the comments!)
In fact, I almost quit street photography. It was only once I had a camera that could do true silent shooting that I was able to resume and feel better about what I was doing.
That’s why I recommend you get a street photography camera that has some sort of silent shooting mode. Ideally, it has an electronic shutter, one that allows you to shoot in total silence (though any silent shooting mode is better than nothing at all).
You’ll want to be careful, though:
Some cameras can be restricted when using a silent shutter. For instance, my Sony a6300 can only shoot bursts at about 3 frames per second when silent, and this can be extremely frustrating. So, I’d suggest looking for a camera that can maintain both silence and fast continuous shooting speeds.
That way, you can capture bursts of action without dealing with the chatter of a camera shutter!
5. A tilting screen
This feature is a bit more optional, but it’s still useful in quite a few situations.
You see, there will be times when you want to shoot from the hip (i.e., keep your camera held down low and fire off some shots).
50mm | f/4 | 1/800s | ISO 200
I do this while walking past people on busy streets because I don’t want to bother them with the sight of my camera. And I also like the low-angle look that it creates!
Of course, you can do this blindly, and you’ll end up with some keepers.
But if you have a tilting screen…
…you can look down at the camera while you walk, in order to ensure perfect focus and composition!
Note that you don’t need a fully articulating screen, as you won’t need to shoot from ultra-strange angles. A screen that tilts up 90 degrees will do just fine.
And since we’re talking about screens, I’ll mention that a touchscreen can be pretty useful in these situations, too. If you can tap to set focus, you can quickly choose a subject while looking down at your LCD, then fire off shots as they come closer.
Make sense?
The five key features on any street photography camera: Conclusion
Choosing a camera for street shooting doesn’t have to be hard.
Just make sure it has as many of these characteristics as possible, and you’ll be capturing stunning shots in no time!
That’s the power of a great street photography camera.
50mm | f/2.8 | 1/160s | ISO 400
The post The Five Key Features on any Street Photography Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
In addition to its new lens and updated roadmap, Olympus has also released OM-D Webcam Beta, a utility program for Windows 10 computers that turns compatible Olympus OM-D cameras into webcams.
Following in the footsteps of Canon and Fujifilm, this new utility works on Windows 10 computers (both 32 bit and 64 bit) and is compatible with five Olympus OM-D cameras: the E-M1X, E-M1, E-M1 Mark II, E-M1 Mark III and the E-M5 Mark II. As with similar utilities, the process is as simple as downloading the free software, plugging in an OM-D camera via the appropriate USB cable and turning the camera on.
Once all of this is finished, the plugged-in camera should be available as an image input option in video conferencing software such as Skype and Zoom.
This is a beta, so keep that in mind if you come across any bugs or issues. You can find the download link and further instructions on Olympus’ support page.
The X100 series is one of Fujifilm’s most popular and important product lines. Over the course of almost ten years, the company has built the X100 series into an iconic line of cameras, which established Fujifilm as a serious brand with enthusiasts, and continue to be best-sellers.
Ever since its introduction, some photographers have been asking Fujifilm to develop a full-frame version of the X100. And on the face of it, that’s an appealing thought. Who doesn’t like the idea of greater depth of field control and a boost in potential image quality? But we strongly suspect that Fujifilm will never do it. Read on for the five main reasons why not, and why we doubt that a full-frame version is on the cards, either.
Size and weight
The Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II is a very small compact camera with a 35mm F2 lens, but in order to make it so compact, compromises were made on ergonomics and battery life.
The X100V is a little bigger than previous iterations of the X100 series, but it’s still a relatively small camera, considering everything that Fujifilm has packed into it. One of the reasons for that is its APS-C sensor. A larger sensor would mean a larger imaging circle (which means a larger lens to achieve the same F stop), a larger shutter mechanism, and probably a deeper body, to accommodate the additional circuitry hardware, and to keep it cool.
Genuinely small full-frame cameras exist (the Sigma fp and Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II spring to mind) but with both, their small size comes with compromises. The fp lacks a viewfinder and even a mechanical shutter. In fact, the fp is better thought of as a module inside a camera system rather than as a wholly complete camera in and of itself. Meanwhile the RX1R II has a fairly cramped control layout and a tiny battery, rated for a pitiable 220 shots, and not infrequently capable of rather less than that, depending on how you use it.
It’s impossible to know exactly what a full-frame X100 might end up looking like, but you can bet it would be larger and heavier than the cameras that we know and love.
Development cost of full-frame
The Sigma fp is even smaller than the RX1R II, and one of the ways in which Sigma ensured the smallest possible body is by eliminating both a viewfinder and a mechanical shutter. An X100-type camera without either of those things would probably be a non-starter.
And then there’s cost. The 26MP sensor in the X100V is used in multiple other Fujifilm cameras, which means that they can be purchased from Sony in bulk, keeping the per-unit cost down.
Economies of scale mean that it would probably be very expensive for Fujifilm to procure a relatively small number of totally different sensors for only a single product line, aimed at a relatively small group of customers.
On top of that, a new, larger sensor would probably mean developing a new shutter mechanism: either a conventional mechanical shutter in-camera, or a scaled-up in-lens shutter, of a type similar to the current X100 line. Either way, Fujfilm would need to make it from scratch, likely with associated development and production costs.
Bigger sensors also draw more power, and create more heat. One way or another, it all costs money.
Add all of these costs together, and developing a niche product like a full-frame X100 would probably be very expensive for Fujfilm. And what would that mean?
Literal cost to consumer
The Leica Q2 is a good example of a fantastic camera, with a built-in finder and a great lens, that makes the most out of its high-resolution full-frame sensor. But it’s priced beyond the reach of most of us.
You guessed right: it means that a hypothetical full-frame X100 would cost you more. One of the major reasons for the success of the X100 line over the past decade has been the cost of the cameras, at a sweet spot of around $ 1,200 at point of launch, usually dropping a little over their lifetime. Obviously, $ 1,200 is still a considerable chunk of change, but compared to the likes of the Sony RX1R II or the Leica Q2, it’s a relative bargain.
Imagine if Fujfilm had to double the cost of the X100 in a full-frame version. Would you buy one? Even if you’re one of those people who would answer “yes”, it’s only logical that you’d be counting yourself among a minority, compared to the potential audience for the traditional APS-C bodies.
Loss of brand identity, and customer trust
For customers who have made large investments in Fujifilm’s APS-C products, the announcement of a full-frame camera may look like a vote of no confidence in the smaller format.
Customers really like it when companies play to their strengths, talk frankly to them, and don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken. Fujifilm has said so often – and for so long – that it has no interest in developing full-frame cameras, that such an abrupt change of direction would risk damaging the brand in the eyes of some of its most loyal customers.
In short, Fujifilm is not a full-frame brand. It’s arguably the only company (R.I.P. Samsung) that has really made a full-throated case for the benefits of APS-C over full-frame, and has spent the past decade doubling-down on that approach, creating the most convincing dedicated APS-C lens lineup on the market.
If Fujifilm introduced a full-frame version of the X100 concept, there’s no doubt that the company would attract a certain number of new customers. But several other, much less positive things would happen: For starters, a lot of loyal X100 series fans would feel betrayed, and worried that such a move might spell the end for a range of cameras they’ve come to love.
Photographers with an investment in the APS-C interchangeable lens X-series would also get spooked. To a Fujifilm shooter who has spent thousands of dollars on XF lenses, the announcement of a full-frame camera – any full-frame camera– could look like a massive vote of no confidence in APS-C.
Finally it’s not hard to imagine the feelings of someone who has just dropped thousands on one of Fujifilm’s medium-format GFX cameras, if the company suddenly announced it was developing a compact full-frame camera. Which leads us on to…
Risk of cannibalization
How many GFX 50Rs would Fujifilm sell if a similarly-sized, fixed-lens alternative were available? Such a product would risk cannibalizing Fujifilm’s existing lineups.
I’ve explained the likely potential costs (both real and in terms of potential damage to the brand) to Fujifilm of adding a full-frame X100 lineup, but there are always costs associated with doing something new, and costs are acceptable if there’s a major long-term benefit.
There’s no doubt that by putting a full-frame sensor behind a fixed 35mm F2 lens, Fujifilm would be providing photographers with a more powerful tool than any of the previous X100 series models, but that might actually end up being a problem. Why? Because it would risk ‘cannibalization’.
In this context, ‘cannibalization’ describes a situation where sales of a new model come at the expense of sales lost in other parts in the lineup. Would Fujifilm want to risk a large number of sales of the (at this point presumably quite profitable) X100-series in favor of a new, costlier full-frame model? It seems unlikely, and it’s even less likely that the company would risk sales of the nascent GFX range by inserting a full-frame model into the lineup, aimed at the exact same type of users.
Summing up – arguments against
Every one of Fujifilm’s medium format cameras so far has used the same NP-T125 battery. It’s physically big, because it has to be. That means the cameras have to large enough to accommodate this kind of battery.
To sum up, it’s highly unlikely that Fujifilm will develop a full-frame X100 series camera for the following reasons:
A larger sensor would add size and weight, mitigating a major X100 selling point
Such a product would cost a lot to develop and manufacture
The result would be a very expensive camera – reducing its potential audience
A move to full-frame would annoy and worry existing loyal Fujifilm APS-C customers
The risk of cannibalization within existing lineups is too great
At a technical level, the imaging potential of full-frame is undeniably greater than APS-C, and only slightly less than medium-format. But the additional development cost, and the size and weight penalty involved in making full-frame work in a compact X100-type form factor, would be considerable. It’s lovely to imagine a full-frame X100 with a 35mm F1.4 lens, but less lovely to picture how much larger, heavier, and costlier that camera would have to be, compared to an X100V.
But what about medium format?
Fujifilm has a long track record of making fixed-lens medium format cameras, from the days of film. Could it repeat the trick with digital?
Fujifilm has said repeatedly that it has no interest in full-frame. Instead, it has developed a medium format lineup, offering far superior image quality potential and differentiated from both its own APS-C line, and the growing crop of full-frame mirrorless cameras now on the market.
The sensor in Fujifilm’s flagship $ 10,000 GFX 100 can be thought of essentially as four X-T3 sensors, in a single piece of silicon. With four times the surface area, and current-generation chip design, the GFX 100’s sensor is capable of astonishing resolution and dynamic range, putting it in a different league to even the best APS-C cameras.
So might Fujifilm build a medium-format X100? There’s an argument to be made that it makes sense in a way that full-frame just doesn’t. Medium format would offer an increase in potential image quality over full-frame (albeit relatively modest – about 2/3EV), a significant leap in image quality over APS-C, it’s a major part of Fujifilm’s brand identity, and the larger format is a key differentiator for Fujifilm compared to competitive manufacturers.
In conclusion
For all of the appeal to Fujifilm of burnishing the company’s credentials in the medium format marketplace, an MF X100-type camera still seems very unlikely, for all of the same reasons why a full-frame X100 is probably a non-starter.
The difference in image quality between full-frame and what Fujifilm calls medium format is relatively modest. In fact, in our testing we found that the 50MP sensors used in the GFX 50S and 50R don’t offer significantly better performance than the best current full-frame sensors. The more advanced 100MP sensor in the GFX 100 is a slightly different matter, but its cost (larger sensors are significantly harder to produce, and their ‘yield’ is much smaller) probably makes it impractical for use in such a different type of camera.
Meanwhile, remember how a full-frame X100 would have to be bigger and heavier? Well that’s even more true with a hypothetical medium format version.
The GFX 50R provides a convenient point of comparison here. It’s not huge, compared to (say) the GFX100, but it’s definitely not a camera you can slip into your pocket. Imagine a fixed version of the compact 50mm f3.5 on the front, and it might be possible to shave off a few mm here and there. But either way, you’re likely still looking at a very expensive product, which probably won’t deliver much better image quality than a current full-frame model from Nikon or Sony.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t still want one.
A factory worker inside Canon’s Utsunomiya factory (not one affected by these closures) works on a telephoto prime lens.
Canon has announced it will be suspending operations at five of its plants on Japan’s Kyushu island due to supply shortages from China caused by COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
The five factories, located in the Oita, Miyazaki and Nagasaki prefectures, produce cameras and other photographic gear. The manufacturing facilities will shut down from March 2 to March 13, with Nikkei (translated) reporting these missed production days will be made up at a later time in the year when the supply of parts is more stable.
DPReview has contacted Canon for more details on what products these closures will affect. We will update this article accordingly if we receive a response.
Chinese camera accessory manufacturer SIRUI has announced its new carbon fiber AM-2 Travel Tripod series featuring a total of five tripod models. The company describes its new lineup as lightweight, with the largest and heaviest model weighing in at 1.22kg (2.69lbs). The tripods are suitable for uses that range from macro to travel photography, according to the company.
The SIRUI AM-2 Travel Tripod series features the following models:
AM-223 ($ 129.90): 350mm (13.78in) max height, 15kg (33lbs) max load
AM-225 ($ 199.90): 1200mm (47.24in) max height, 6kg (13.23lbs) max load
AM-254 ($ 199.90): 1200mm (47.24in) max height, 12kg (26.46lbs) max load
AM-284 ($ 249.90): 1200mm (47.24in) max height, 15kg (33.07lbs) max load
SL-200 ($ 29.90): 320mm (12.60in) max height, 15kg (33.07lbs) max load
The tripods are resistant to corrosion and have a high level of stability, according to SIRUI. Features vary based on the model, but include anti-slip leg locks, leg angle adjustment buttons, 1/4″-20 accessory port, interchangeable feet for use with metal spikes, included adjustment tools and tripod bag, as well as, in some cases, an included ball head. The AM-2 series can be used with the optional low gravity A-10R ball head priced at $ 99.90.
The new models are listed on the SIRUI USA website at this time but don’t appear to have yet been added to other online stores like Adorama and B&H Photo.
Photographer and filmmaker Mark Holtze has shared a video explaining ‘5 Reasons Why You Need Vintage Lenses in 2020.’
Throughout the eight-minute video, Holtze highlights five particular reasons vintage, manual lenses still make sense despite increasingly-impressive lenses manufacturers are making nowadays. Holtze says in a comment beneath the video ‘I could have made a list of top 100, but honestly…nobody is sitting through 90 mins of this,’ so eight minutes it is.
Not all of the reasons will make sense for all photographers or filmmakers, but each is valid in their own way. You can find more videos from Holtze on his YouTube channel and keep up with his work on Instagram and Twitter.
Researchers led by Monash University in Australia have developed what they say is the ‘most efficient’ version of a lithium-sulfur battery; one capable of powering a smartphone for five full days of continuous use. The team has filed a patent for the manufacturing process they developed and they report interest from ‘some of the world’s largest manufacturers.’
Prototype lithium-sulfur power cells were manufactured in Germany, according to an announcement from the university published last week. The technology holds promise for revolutionizing everything from consumer gadgets like cameras and phones to larger systems involving vehicles and solar power. The newly developed lithium-sulfur battery offers more than four times the performance of the market’s current most efficient batteries.
With this level of battery performance, photographers and filmmakers could spend weeks in remote locations with only power banks as their power source, eliminating the need to tote around and use solar chargers, which are dependent on direct sunlight and often take several hours or more to recharge a battery.
In addition to improved performance, the Li-S battery technology is also said to have less of an environmental impact than the lithium-ion battery products currently in use. The new battery prototype utilizes the same materials used to manufacture ordinary lithium-ion batteries; as well, the process is said to have lower manufacturing costs.
According to the university, additional testing of the technology with solar grids and cars will take place in Australia early this year. Major lithium battery manufacturers in Europe and China are interested in upscaling the production of these lithium-sulphur batteries.
Managing to get your photos some attention is one of the biggest hurdles that you may face as a new photographer in the market. The situation becomes even tougher when there are well-known and well-established photographers available. Thousands of photographs are being clicked on a daily basis, so what will make your photographs stand out from them? How will you Continue Reading
The post Five Powerful Ways to Get Your Photos Noticed appeared first on Photodoto.
You must be logged in to post a comment.