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Posts Tagged ‘Global’

Video: Astrophotographer creates stunning global map of Mars

17 Nov

Astrophotographer Jean-Luc Dauvergne spent six nights this fall capturing images of Mars. Dauvergne used the 1.06m telescope of Pic du Midi observatory in the French Pyrenees to capture his photos, which he has since used to create a global map of Mars.

In addition to the six nights Dauvergne spent at the observatory, he told PetaPixel that it took him an additional 10 days to process the images. He says that Pic du Midi ‘is one of the best places in the world for planetary imaging.’

The 1m telescope has a 17,000mm focal length and was originally installed in 1963 to help NASA with its Apollo missions. Dauvergne says that ‘it’s still one of the best [telescopes] in the world to study planetary surfaces in the visible part of the spectrum.’ He’s used the telescope to create what he says is the best global map of Mars shot from Earth’s surface.

Dauvergne photographed Mars this October and November due to the Mars opposition. This event happens roughly every 26 months. This year, the opposition itself occurred on October 13. You can learn much more about the Mars opposition by clicking here. Dauvergne picked a great place for his observations and the Pic du Midi Observatory has an interesting history with observing Mars.

Image credit: Jean-Luc Dauvergne. Click to enlarge.

The Pic du Midi observatory is located 9,439′ (2,877m) above sea level at the top of the Pic du midi de Bigorre mountain. The Pic Du Midi Observatory is part of the Midi-Pyrenees Observatory, which includes additional research stations in France. Construction of the observatory began on the mountaintop all the way back in 1878, although costs slowed progression significantly. In 1908, an 8m dome with a mechanical equatorial reflector was built. Interestingly, this reflector was used to observe Mars and discredit the theory that there were canals on its surface.

When NASA funded the building of the 1m telescope in 1963, the telescope was used to photograph the surface of the Moon. In 1965, the telescope was then used by astronomers Pierre and Janine Connes to analyze Mars and Venus. Their work helped inform James Lovelock, a scientist in California, to theorize that these planets didn’t support life.

The observatory includes a 2m telescope as well, which was built in 1980. It’s the largest telescope in France. There’s also a 0.6m telescope which has been used by amateur astronomers since the early 80s. In total, the Pic du Midi Observatory includes four telescopes. With the aid of these telescopes, the discovery of nine minor planets are credited to the Pic du Midi Observatory.

If you’d like to see more from Jean-Luc Dauvergne, check out his Twitter and YouTube channel. On YouTube, he has additional videos of Mars from his observations at Pic du Midi.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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15 Global Photography Events You Should Participate In

07 Dec

Meeting experienced and amateur photographers from around the world gives you the opportunity to expand your skill set, whilst getting inspiration for your future projects. A great way to do this is by participating in photography events and competitions. Fortunately, there are countless photography events around the world for you to choose from. If you’re new to the photography scene, Continue Reading

The post 15 Global Photography Events You Should Participate In appeared first on Photodoto.


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Instagram hidden-likes trial goes global after months of regional testing

16 Nov

After testing it across several regions earlier in the year, Instagram started hiding ‘likes’ for accounts based in the United States last week. Now, the Facebook-owned company has announced on Twitter it’s rolling the test out on a global scale.

The trial is part of an initiative aimed at making users focus on the quality of the content they are posting rather than on how many likes their posts are receiving. Those users included in the trial won’t see a like-count on other people’s images and videos, but can still see the numbers for their own posts.

Instagram says feedback on the trial so far has been positive but the company is aware that removing like counts constitutes a fundamental change to its platform and therefore is expanding the test to ‘learn more from our global community.’

It is also aware of the importance of like counts for some of its users, such as influencers who use followers and likes as a currency in sponsorship negotiations, and says it is ‘actively thinking through ways for creators to communicate value to their partners.’, without specifying yet what these ways could be.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony bumps Nikon from #2 spot as its global ILC market share increases 4% year-over-year

24 May
An illustration in Sony’s financial documents that shows how its Digital Imaging Business is positioned.

In a recent conference call with investors and analysts, Sony broke down the numbers and statistics of its digital imaging business for the 2018 fiscal year (FY2018). While there’s plenty of interesting tidbits to pull out, the most significant is that Sony is now reporting it has 24 percent of the global still camera market based on revenue, an increase in four percent compared to FY2017.

Sony’s global market share, based on revenue, from its FY2017 report.
Sony’s global market share, based on revenue, from its FY2018 report.

According to Sony’s report, its interchangeable lens camera (ILC) market share increased from 19 percent in FY2017 to 23 percent in FY2018, moving them to second place behind Canon and ahead of Nikon. Meanwhile, its compact camera market share increased from 26 percent in FY2017 to 29 percent in FY2018, moving them to the number one spot globally.

Despite Sony’s increase in the global market share, based on revenue, Sony’s report shows the still camera market as a whole decreased from ¥1,400 billion to ¥1,300 billion, a drop of 7.1 percent. Interestingly, this decrease is identical to the 7.1% drop in global digital camera unit sales according to the most recent report from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA).

Moving away from still images, Sony also reported that while its global market share in the video camera market remained at 29 percent, the overall market size, in revenue, dropped dramatically from ¥390 billion to ¥300 billion, a massive decrease of 23 percent.

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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HMD Global unveils Nokia 9 PureView with penta-camera setup, Lightroom CC support

26 Feb

HMD Global has unveiled the much-anticipated Nokia 9 PureView smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the new device surely looks as if it had the potential to revolutionize mobile photography.

The main camera on the back features a total of five Zeiss-branded lenses which all come with an equivalent focal length of 28mm, an F1.8 aperture and a 12MP image sensors. Three of the latter are monochrome, two are RGB sensors. A sixth module captures additional depth information of the scene.

So, despite the number of lenses, the Nokia does not offer any ultra-wide-angle or tele capabilities. Instead the Snapdragon 845 chipset and a dedicated image processing chip combine image data captured simultaneously by all five 12MP camera to process single color or monochrome images with better detail and dynamic range than would be possible with conventional methods. In certain situations the camera adds frame stacking into the mix to record even more image information of a scene. Nokia claims the 9 PureView can record dynamic range of up to 12.4 stops which would put it on par with some DSLRs.

Thanks to the number of lenses and the additional time-of-flight depth camera the Nokia is also capable of creating much more detailed depth-maps than most other current high-end phones (1200 layers of depth data vs 10). This should allow for much better and more realistic results when using background blurring portrait and other simulated bokeh modes. The depth information is stored within the image file, allowing for post-capture bokeh editing in Google Photos.

Other interesting image features include a tripod detection. The device can detect when it is mounted on a tripod or supported in some other way and uses longer shutter speeds of up to ten seconds in low light. In addition Raw files include image data captured by all five cameras and Nokia worked with Adobe to include Raw support for the 9 PureView in the mobile version of Adobe Lightroom.

In video mode the phone can record 4K footage at 30 frames per second and the front-facing camera features an F1.8 lens and 20MP Tetracell sensor which uses pixel-binning in low light to output 5MP images with low noise. A dual-tone LED flash is on board as well.

The Nokia 9 PureView will come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB expandable storage at a quite affordable price point of $ 699. The bad news is that Nokia says the device will have a limited production run and become unavailable once stock is depleted. No word on how many units will be produced, though.

The Nokia 9 PureView isn’t for those who were hoping for super-wide-angles, long tele-zooms and seamless zooming on a smartphone. However, the multi-camera setup could be a step into the future of smartphone image quality. We’ll have to wait and see until we get a production device into our hands.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Skylum partners with EyeEm to launch global photography scholarship

16 Nov

Software company Skylum and mobile image sharing community EyeEm have teamed up and launched a global photography scholarship that is open to anyone interested in photography. Skylum Software will be supporting 10 artists on the EyeEm platform with $ 10,000 to help them focus on their photography.

In addition the selected photographers will be able to create editing presets for the Skylum Luminar software. The presets will be available to purchase on the Luminar marketplace as part of a special collection. Revenue from preset sales will be shared 1/3 with the artists.

Skylum CEO Alex Tsepko said: “Our focus has always been to provide artists with the best photo enhancement tools, and collaborating with a creative community like EyeEm to empower next generation of creatives is just a natural fit”.

If you want to apply for the scholarship you’ll need an EyeEm acccount, have an impressive portfolio, and convince the decision makers that your work is standing out. Submissions are open from now until December 2. You’ll find more information and the submission form on the EyeEm website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Cinemartin launches Fran cameras with 8K global shutter and RAW support

07 Nov

Cinemartin has announced the launch of Fran LT, Fran (STD), and Fran Plus, three new 8K camera models offered at introductory prices until December 31, 2019. The company also plans to start shipping a new line of ultra-high brightness 2500 nit 7″ HDMI+SDI monitors by the end of the month.

The Fran LT is the lineup’s introductory model, featuring a 24MP sensor, maximum 7920 x 3024 resolution, and aluminum chassis. The mid-tier Fran (STD) is more advanced with a 32MP sensor, maximum 7920 x 4096 resolution, and mixed aluminum and carbon fiber chassis. The line’s most advanced model, the Fran Plus, has a 47.7MP sensor, maximum 7920 x 6024 resolution, and fully carbon fiber body.

All three models feature an 8K global shutter with support for shooting raw, though only the two higher-end models support both compressed and uncompressed raw. The Fran (STD) and Fran Plus both support 8K/30p maximum frame rates, while the Fran LT maxes out at 8K/24p. Unlike the Fran LT model, the Fran (STD) and Fran Plus feature a removable lens mount, PL mount, Thunderbolt 3, stabilization, and modular design. All three support removable m.2 NVME SSD drives.

The Fran Plus is the only model of the three that is programmable, which according to Cinemartin, means users can utilize OpenCV-based code for new features. One provided example is using a plugin to identify an on-screen car’s shape and color in order to automatically present the driver’s name on the display. The company includes sample code with the camera.

Cinemartin is offering the three new models at discounted introductory prices until December 31 or when inventory runs out, whichever happens first. Buyers can order the camera through the Fran 8K website or via Cinemartin’s authorized resellers. An initial deposit must be paid to reserve the cameras, which will be available in two to four months depending on model.

  • Fran LT: 10.995€ regular, 7.920€ introductory
  • Fran (STD): 17.790€ regular, 15.995€ introductory
  • Fran Plus: 25.670€ regular, 19.995€ introductory

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2018: Hands-on with Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

26 Sep

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Six years after launching the Global Vision line at this very show in 2012, Sigma took the wraps off five new lenses at Photokina this year, and we were there at the launch event to see (and handle) them for ourselves. Click through for more information and some early first impressions.

First up is the new 56mm F1.4 DC DN ‘Contemporary’ for Sony APS-C format E-mount cameras and M43 – where it provides an equivalent focal length of 84mm and 112mm, respectively.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

At 280g (9.9 oz) the 56mm is a very lightweight lens, and with the lenshood (shown in the previous slide) removed, it’s actually the smallest of Sigma’s current fast-aperture E-mount / M43 primes.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Optical construction consists of 10 elements in six groups, and the lens features a nine-bladed aperture. We weren’t able to use it on a camera, but Sigma claims that ‘smooth autofocus’ should make this lens ideal for video use. Pricing and availability will be confirmed at a later date.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Next up is the latest in Sigma’s range of wide-aperture ‘Art’ series primes for full-frame ILCs – the 28mm F1.4 DG HSM. Compared to the 56mm, this fast wideangle prime is quite a hefty piece of glass, but if performance is in line with its stablemates, it should be capable of great things.

Sigma tells us that its benchmarks were Nikon and Zeiss’s 28mm F1.4 primes, and performance from its new Art-series option should be ‘best in class’.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Key to the 28mm F1.4’s claimed performance is its optical makeup, which comprises 17 elements in 12 groups, including no fewer than three aspherical elements, two FLD and three SLD (“F” low-dispersion and ‘Special’ low-dispersion respectively) elements. Sigma claims that this design provides ‘thorough’ correction of chromatic aberration and minimal distortion.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Unlike Sigma’s earliest Art-series primes, the new range are weather-sealed, and employ water and oil-repellant coating on their front elements. The 28mm F1.4 certainly feels like a solid professional tool, but Sigma has yet to confirm its actual weight.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Price, likewise, is TBD but we understand that the upcoming 28mm F1.4 will be somewhere around $ 1300, pre-tax.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Even larger and even heavier is the 40mm F1.4DG HSM. Created from Sigma’s 40mm cine lens, the company claims that this fast standard prime is its sharpest ever lens of this type.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

As you can hopefully tell from our pictures, it’s a big lens, measuring 87.8mm x 131mm (3.5in. x 5.2in) and weighing in at 1.2 kilos (43 oz). An 82mm filter ring is bigger than most, but not quite as bonkers as the 95mm thread on Canon’s new 28-70mm F2!

Like Sigma’s 28mm F1.4, the 40mm F1.4 is dust and moisture-sealed.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Designed to satisfy the resolution requirements of 50MP sensors and 8K video, the 40mm F1.4 is highly corrected for distortion (which, it is claimed, is below 1%) and coma. Optical construction consists of 16 elements in 12 groups, including three FLD and three SLD elements. Pricing and availability have yet to be confirmed.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

This is a lens that Sigma fans (and photography fans in general) have been waiting for, for some time: the new 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM ‘Sports’ While not an ‘Art’ series lens, the 70-200mm was designed to meet the needs of the most demanding professional photographers, and the company claims that it will be competitive with own-brand equivalent lenses from the other major camera manufacturers. This shot shows off the various focus and OS switches, and the removable Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount collar.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

The 70-200mm F2.8 makes generous use of magnesium alloy in its construction, for strength and low weight. Sigma processes this material in-house, at a brand new factory built at its existing site in Aizu, Japan. In keeping with other Sport-line lenses, it is dust and weather-sealed, and features and oil and water-repellant coating on the front element.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Optical construction of this internal zoom lens is pretty impressive on-paper, comprising 24 elements in 22 groups, including ten low-dispersion elements – nine ‘FLD’ and one SLD. Sigma claims that this advanced optical makeup ensures attractive bokeh and excellent correction of color aberrations. On the mechanical side, ‘intelligent OS’ is capable of correcting for shake in all directions, with total shake-reduction effectiveness still to be confirmed. Ergonomically, while we couldn’t mount it on a camera (we’re hoping to do that soon!) the lens feels exceptionally nicely made and very well-balanced, and some photographers will be pleased to see that Sigma has put the zoom ring at the front of the lens.

An AF function button can be customized either via the host camera or Sigma’s USB Dock, and the 70-200mm will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Sigma SA mounts, pricing and availability still TBD.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Last but definitely not least is the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM. A beast of a lens (that’s a technical term) this 10X sports zoom is among Sigma’s most versatile, capable of covering everything from goalmouth action at one end of a football pitch to goalmouth action at the other end without swapping lenses.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

Relatively compact at 60mm (relatively…) at 600mm, this lens is quite a handful, and in terms of optical construction it just beats out the other four lenses released by Sigma by featuring 25 elements, in 19 groups. Like the 70-200mm, the 60-600mm is partially constructed using magnesium alloy from Sigma’s new factory.

A closer look at Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses

The 60-600mm is highly customizable, and usefully it features a zoom lock at all zoom positions, to help prevent ‘zoom creep’ when you’re trying to frame shots. It will be available in late October for $ 1999.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The PureView trademark is now owned by HMD Global

29 Aug

Nokia’s PureView moniker used to stand for innovation in mobile imaging and excellent smartphone camera performance. With their large sensors and Zeiss-designed lenses devices like the Nokia 808 PureView or the Lumia 1020 PureView were a step ahead of the competition at the time.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to keep the Nokia smartphone division afloat and not too long after it was sold to Microsoft in 2013, smartphone production was ceased completely. Today the Nokia smartphone brand is owned by HMD Global and now it has emerged that the Finnish company has also secured the rights to use the PureView trademark.

More recently HMD Global has launched several Nokia phones with a retro twist, for example redesigns of the legendary Nokia 3310 and 8110 phones. So could we see an updated version of the 808 PureView or Lumia 1020 at some point in the nearer future?

A 2018 version of the 808 or 1020 would likely not come with one large sensor but could, according to some rumors, feature a circular multi-lens setup. IFA in Berlin, where we will likely see several new Nokia models, is around the corner. Hopefully there’ll be a PureView-branded model among the new offerings.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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