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Posts Tagged ‘killing’

Google is killing off free unlimited storage in Google Photos next year

12 Nov

Google has announced that it is ending its unlimited free photo and video storage through Google Photos. On June 1, 2021, users will be capped at 15 GB of free ‘high quality’ photo storage per account. This change will take place alongside additional changes with Google Drive’s storage programs, including counting Google Workspace documents and spreadsheets against the same cap, per The Verge. Google will also begin deleting data from inactive accounts (accounts that haven’t logged in for at least two years).

While it’s unfortunate, if not understandable, that Google will be changing its storage policy, the company has given users plenty of time to determine if they are willing to pay for additional storage beyond the 15 GB cap or find photo storage solutions elsewhere. Further, any photos and documents you upload before June 1, 2021, will not count against the 15 GB cap. The cap will come into effect with files uploaded after this date. Additionally, it is worth noting that the existing storage is only unlimited for ‘high quality’ files, not ‘original quality’ files. Google has long been compressing photos and videos as part of its unlimited storage program.

Image credit: Google

As The Verge points out, the change takes away one of the best features of Google Photos. The website wrote an article in 2015 about the significance of Google Photos and how important the service’s storage solution proved to be.

Looking ahead to next June, how will Google Photos look relative to its primary competition with its 15 GB cap? As of now, Apple’s iCloud service offers only 5GB of free storage, so Google will maintain its advantage there. Google also claims that upwards of 80 percent of users won’t hit the new 15 GB cap for three years. For heavy users, a new alert system will help you stay aware of your free storage limit. Google offers a ‘personalized estimate’ to help users determine how long their storage will prove sufficient.

To help save space, Google Photos will incorporate tools allowing users to easily find and delete blurry and dark images. Image credit: Google

Google Photos will include new storage management tools, such as one that helps you locate photos you likely don’t want to keep long term. Google states, ‘This tool will help you review the memories you want to keep while also surfacing shots you might prefer to delete, like dark or blurry photos or large videos.’ Perhaps Google’s machine learning will come into play here as well, letting you find and delete more specific images.

If you own a Google Pixel smartphone and currently store images in ‘high quality’, today’s announcement doesn’t impact you. Google says that ‘Photos and videos uploaded in High quality from [Pixel 1-5 devices] will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1, 2021.’

For users needing more than 15 GB of storage, Google will be heavily pushing its Google One membership. Image credit: Google

If you want to continue to use Google Photos for your photo/video backup needs and need more than 15 GB, plans through Google One will start at $ 1.99 USD per month for 100 GB of storage plus additional benefits

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon is killing off its authorized repair program in March 2020

11 Dec

Repair website iFixit has confirmed Nikon will be ending its authorized repair program in the United States in March 2020, effectively de-authorizing more than a dozen independent shops across the U.S.

The news first came from a letter obtained by iFixit that Nikon USA sent out to its roughly 15 remaining Authorized Repair Stations in early November. The letter notes that Nikon will not be renewing its agreements with the shops after March 31, 2020, meaning these stores will unlikely be able to obtain genuine Nikon parts, as Nikon stopped selling genuine parts to non-authorized shops back in 2012. This will leave just two facilities on opposite sides of the U.S. — in Melville, New York and Los Angeles, California — compared to the roughly 15 shops currently in operation.

An illustration showing the weather-sealing around the perimeter of the Nikon D700 frame.

According to iFixit, the letter notes ‘The climate in which we do business has evolved, and Nikon Inc. must do the same.’ As a result, Nikon needs to ‘change the manner in which we make product service available to our end-user customers.’

Nikon confirmed the news in a statement to iFixit, saying ‘We remain committed to providing the best product support and repair services to our customers.’ However, Nikon didn’t respond to iFixit’s question regarding whether or not former authorized shops will still have ‘access to parts or other official services.’

In its coverage, iFixit spoke with half-a-dozen of the authorized repair shops — most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity —that received the letter and shared statements and thoughts from managers and owners. As you can expect, it doesn’t look good for the independent shops (or photographers who don’t want to ship their gear halfway across the country for a repair); repairing Nikon camera gear is about to get much more difficult after March 31, 2020.

We have contacted NIkon for a comment of our own and will update the article accordingly if we receive a response. In the meantime, head on over to iFixit to read the full report.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Killing the Art of Color Calibration

26 Dec

Achieving the right colors in your photography can make or break you. And it seems like it should be simple, with the right color calibration tool. But the use of color is truly an art of its own. To stay true to your artistic vision, you have to capture exactly the right balance of dark and light, of warm and Continue Reading

The post Killing the Art of Color Calibration appeared first on Photodoto.


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Is it the smartphone or lack of fun that’s killing the camera?

29 Aug

Camera companies are struggling to sell cameras – that much is widely known. But analyst Heino Hilbig says that it’s not smartphones, market saturation or the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis that’s caused this. Instead he argues that it’s the fun-factor and easy operation that the iPhone brought that have made cameras seem less attractive. We think he’s on to something. Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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