RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Rolls’

Twitter rolls out Live Photo support on iOS, improved JPEG compression

13 Dec

Twitter has updated its platform with two new useful features for photographers: iOS Live Photos support and better JPEG quality. Both changes are live now.

Live Photos are a type of image that can be captured using an iPhone or iPad; in addition to the image, Live Photos include the 1.5 seconds of action that happened before and after the photo was snapped. In order to make it possible to share these images, Twitter is first converting them into GIFs.

To share a Live Photo, iPhone users must launch the Twitter mobile app and select the image from their Camera Roll. Once the Live Photo is selected, the user can tap the new ‘GIF’ option located in the bottom left corner of the image. This will result in Twitter converting and sharing the Live Photo as a GIF.

Converting Live Photos into GIFs has been the primary method used to share the video versions of these images. Lack of direct support on many platforms has forced many iPhone users to turn to apps like Lively. Twitter’s new support merely removes this time-consuming manual conversion process, enabling iPhone users to rapidly share their Live Photos with followers.

In addition to the new direct Live Photos to GIF conversion feature, Twitter is also now publishing JPEGs with their original encoding, according to company engineer Nolan O’Brien.This eliminates the transcoding and compression that obliterates image quality when viewed in full size. O’Brien notes that the thumbnail version of JPEGs will still be transcoded to cut down on file size and that only the bitmap encoding is preserved, not the metadata. As well, the new encoding preservation is only live for images uploaded using Twitter for Web.

Twitter for Web has supported 4096 x 4096 image uploads since last year, according to O’Brien, who details some upload scenarios in which the platform will still encode images:

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Twitter rolls out Live Photo support on iOS, improved JPEG compression

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Fujifilm issues advisory after discovering counterfeit 35mm rolls of Fujifilm-branded film

26 Jun

Fujifilm Japan has issued an advisory (Japanese) warning customers that counterfeit 35mm film featuring the ‘Fujifilm’ brand has been found on the market. The fraudulent products were discovered when a customer took the counterfeit film to a photo developer in Japan, according to a statement from the company.

Fujifilm warns the counterfeit 35mm film products are packed with ‘movie film’ that can’t be developed using CN-16 and C-41 processes; attempting to develop these products may contaminate the developer, putting other customers’ film at risk. Shops that attempt to develop this counterfeit film are advised to change the developer solution and clean the machine.

It’s unclear how widely the counterfeit film products have been distributed. Fujifilm provides three sample images featuring the non-genuine ‘Fujifilm’ film. In addition to the 250D roll featured in the advisory, Fujifilm says there may be other counterfeit products including 250T and 64D.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Fujifilm issues advisory after discovering counterfeit 35mm rolls of Fujifilm-branded film

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Instagram rolls out Checkout payment feature, data handled by Facebook

20 Mar

Instagram has announced Checkout, a new feature that is not directly imaging-related, but should still be of importance to many users. Checkout will allow users to purchase goods and services from Instagram business accounts without leaving the app and finalizing the transaction in another app or browser.

After tapping on a product page users will be able to select sizes, colors, and other product characteristics and make payments inside Instagram. Previously they would have redirected to the retailer’s website for these actions.

Instagram says it will “securely” save your name, email as well as billing and shipping information after your first order. This information package will be stored and managed by parent company Facebook but only be used by Instagram for the time being.

Checkout is currently in closed beta and only available to users in the USA. Participating brands include Adidas, Burberry, H&M, MAC Cosmetics, Nike and Zara. The current list of brands will be expanded soon. Retailers are charged a selling fee by Instagram for the service.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Instagram rolls out Checkout payment feature, data handled by Facebook

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Lomography launches new 35mm monochrome film stock cut from German cine film rolls

08 Nov

The film photography enthusiasts over at Lomography have launched a new film, Lomography Black & White 400 35mm Berlin Kino Film.

Inspired by the New German Cinema sweeping through Berlin in the 1960s, this film is extracted from a roll of cine film produced by a legendary German company that has been changing the face of cinema since the early 1900s,” reads the product description. “Originally used to make moody monochrome movies, its gorgeous black and white tones lend a timeless effect to cinematic scenes.”

The film has a native sensitivity of ISO 400, but Lomography says it can be pushed to ISO 800, 1,600, or 3,200 while still retaining a solid tonal range with minimal grain.

The Berlin Kino Film can be developed by professional labs or at home using standard black and white developers, including Kodak D-76, Kodak HC-110, Iford Ilfosol-3, and even Rollei’s Black & White Reversal Kit if you’re wanting to get a little wild and turn the negatives into positives.

Below is a gallery of sample images shot on the Lomography Black & White 400 35mm Berlin Kino Film:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4849747286″,”galleryId”:”4849747286″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The film is available in 5-packs for $ 44.50, which converts to $ 8.90 for each 36-exposure roll. Pre-orders are currently being taken with the estimated delivery window being sometime in December 2018. To find out more and to pick up your film, head on over to Lomography’s product page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Lomography launches new 35mm monochrome film stock cut from German cine film rolls

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Fujifilm rolls back firmware 4.0 for the Fuji X-T2 due to ‘malfunctions’

18 May

Last week, Fujifilm released firmware version 4.0 for the Fuji X-T2, which brought the two-year-old camera almost on par with the newly-released Fuji X-H1. The update was hailed as yet another phenomenal example of Fuji’s ‘Kaizen’ policy, but we may have all jumped the gun. Today, Fuji rolled back the update after users who had updated discovered some major issues with v4.0.

The roll back was announced in a note on Fuji’s website, where General Manager Toshi Iida writes:

It has been brought to our attention that there are a few issues with the recently released X-T2 ver 4.00 firmware update. We have therefore taken the difficult decision to remove the update from the website until we are confident that all the issues have been completely fixed.

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment this has caused.

The malfunctions listed include issues converting RAW files captured by the X-T2 before firmware 4.0 was released, live view flickering under certain conditions, and the rare chance of a “hang-up” while shooting.

The good news is that Fuji has “identified the problem” and are planning to re-release the much-anticipated update “as soon as we can.” The bad news: for now, it’s highly recommended you “update” to version 4.01, which is actually a roll back to the stable version 3.0.

Finally, due to this hiccup, Fujifilm has also announced that planned firmware updates for the GFX 50s, X-H1, and X-Pro2 that were due out later this month have been delayed so Fuji can more thoroughly test them.

Read the full release notes for this roll back below, or visit the Fujifilm website to download Firmware v4.01.

Release Notes

To all loyal Fujifilm X Series customers and photographers,

It has been brought to our attention that there are a few issues with the recently released X-T2 ver 4.00 firmware update. We have therefore taken the difficult decision to remove the update from the website until we are confident that all the issues have been completely fixed.

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment this has caused.

Sincerely yours,

Toshi Iida
General Manager
Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Products Division
Fujifilm Corporation, Tokyo, JAPAN


Details of the Problem

We have discovered malfunctions in the firmware ver.4.00 released on May 8 2018. They are as follows:

  1. When RAW files, which were taken by X-T2 (before firmware ver.4.00), are converted in camera (ver.4.00) or by “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO”, they are not converted properly.
  2. When pressing the shutter button halfway under certain conditions, the live view can flicker.
  3. In rare cases, a hang-up can occur.

We have identified the cause and plan to release the upgraded firmware to address the malfunctions as soon as we can.

In the meantime, for customers who have upgraded the firmware to ver.4.00, the firmware ver.4.01*, whose functions are same as ver.3.00, have been posted on our website. Please download it and update your camera.

  • *Ver.4.01 doesn’t include the additional functions of ver.4.00.

Again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.

[ X-T2 Ver.4.01 Download page ]

  • X-T2 Camera Body Firmware Update Ver.4.01

Note

We announced the firmware update for GFX 50S, X-H1 and X-Pro2, which was planned in May 2018, on the Global website on 12 Apr 2018. However, it will be postponed because we need more time to check the firmware for the three models. For detail, we will inform you later.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Fujifilm rolls back firmware 4.0 for the Fuji X-T2 due to ‘malfunctions’

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Instagram rolls out ‘Recommended Posts’ feature, and users aren’t happy

29 Dec

Instagram is testing and rolling out features at a quick pace. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Facebook-owned photo sharing app started letting users follow Hashtags in addition to Profiles. And now, after testing the feature with a limited number of accounts, Instagram has confirmed to TechCrunch that “Recommended Posts” are being rolled out to everybody’s feed as I type this.

According to TechCrunch, the feature adds a “More Posts You Might Like” section to the bottom of your feed. But even though this feature isn’t meant to replace posts by people you follow, the response from users who have had the new feature thrust upon them is… expected. Many took to Twitter to voice their displeasure at this latest ‘indignity’ perpetrated on their feeds:

And there are plenty more where these Tweets came from. Still, just like the infamous switch from chronological order to algorithm, chances are good Instagram won’t bow to the pressure or even give users an option to disable the new feature. To paraphrase Bob Dylan: the feeds, they are a’ changin.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Instagram rolls out ‘Recommended Posts’ feature, and users aren’t happy

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Google rolls out ‘Saturated’ mode to address Pixel 2 XL display issues

10 Nov

The Google Pixel 2 might sport one of the best smartphone cameras around, but when it comes to the display—particularly on the larger XL—model, Google has had nothing but trouble. Reports of everything from burn-in, to blue tint off-axis, to ‘dull’ colors have left the tech giant playing catch up, and today it finally … well… caught up. Or at least it tried.

A promised software update released on Tuesday (and rolling out to all users by the end of the week) addresses the issue of burn-in with some minor tweaks, and adds three total color saturation modes under the phone’s Display settings to hopefully quiet down the complaints about ‘dull’ colors.

Here’s a quick summary of the update in Google’s own words:

This update includes some of the enhancements we posted about on October 26, such as the new Saturated color mode for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, a fix for the faint clicking noise heard in some Pixel 2s, and other bug and security updates. As we mentioned in our deeper dive, this update also brings planned UI changes which extend the life of the OLED display, including a fade out of the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen and an update to maximum brightness.

According to Android Central, the updated saturation settings come in three flavors: Natural, Boosted, and Saturated. Natural should provide the most accurate color reproduction; Boosted takes the place of the “Vivid Colors” setting previously available, which boosted saturation by 10%; and, finally, Saturated will put the display in an “unmanaged configuration” that will make colors “more saturated and vibrant, but less accurate,” according to Google’s deep dive on the topic.

Unfortunately, this mode throws away one of the most important things about Android Oreo: color management. In ‘Saturated’ mode, all apps, images and video will first render to sRGB (for now) and then be stretched to the display’s wider color gamut.

This will make for inaccurate colors across the two devices, but there is hope for us color nerds. As Seang Chau, VP of Engineering at Google, says in his blog post: due to color management under the hood in the new OS, “an Android app developer can now make use of the wider Display P3 color gamut precisely for a wider range of colors. Google apps will take advantage of wide colors in the future.” We’re hoping this means that future apps will render either to P3 or straight to a display profile provided by Google, which would allow for saturated colors when appropriate, but not at the cost of accuracy.

Finally, no comment was made on the poor viewing angle of the XL model that introduces a strong blue-tint off-axis (see picture above of the Pixel 2 XL vs the original XL). This can make photos with warmer tones look even more desaturated by shifting toward blue. But while Google was able to address some of its display complaints this week, this seems like a hardware problem that will be difficult to fix via software.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Google rolls out ‘Saturated’ mode to address Pixel 2 XL display issues

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Analog revival rolls on: Rollei Vario Chrome slide film coming soon

28 Jun

Dear film photographers! Rollei Vario Chrome 135-36 is a medium to high-speed color reversal film that is intended for photography under low-level daylight illumination or under other light sources using proper filtration. Rollei Vario Chrome has a medium degree of sharpness, its image results are characterized by a slightly visible grain and a warmish image tone. As the name of the film suggests it has a broad exposure latitude from 200 to 400 ISO (DX coded at 320 ISO). If you intend to project the slides we suggest to shoot the film at 200 ISO whereas 320-400 ISO is preferable for scanning applications. Pre-sale will start next week on Monday July 3rd. We expect the supplies to arrive in week 28 so that we’ll be able to start shipping between July 10th and 14th. We hope you’ll like the film as much as we do and thank you all for the support.

A post shared by macodirect (@macodirect) on

Well this is some unexpected, but exciting news: German photography shop and producer of Rollei-branded film, Maco Direct, has announced Rollei Vario Chrome 135-36. It’s an ISO 320 color reversal film stock with medium sharpness and a warm tone, which sounds perfect for grey Seattle days.

That brings the count to four new, reformulated or resurrected film stocks that will become available this year. The others include: Kodak Ektachrome, Ferrania P30 b/w film, and a reformulation of LomoChrome Purple 400 film. Not to mention Lomography also announced three new single-use cameras and German film maker ADOX announced it will doubled the size of its film plant. All this means more options for analog diehards.

You can pre-order a roll (or more) of Rollei Vario Chrome come July 3rd, and orders will begin shipping as soon as the middle of the month. Of course, it makes some sense to wait and see what images from this new film look like, unless you’re the gambling type. In that case, please share your results as soon as possible.

Has this Rollei news whet your appetite for film? Here are 10 excellent, affordable film cameras that are easy to track down and get started with.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Analog revival rolls on: Rollei Vario Chrome slide film coming soon

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Flickr rolls out neural-network-based Similarity Search

08 Mar

Flickr has announced a new feature called Similarity Search, a deep neural network-based discovery engine that is designed to uncover a wider range of related image results than is possible under the current search system. It lets users search for a photo and use the results to dig deeper for additional similar photos.

Powered by Yahoo’s computer vision technology, this new function expands the depth and level of search results, and not coincidentally, will derive additional advantages to users of Flickr’s 13 billion-plus photo database. To use similarity search, just hover over a photo on the search result page to reveal a three-dot (“…”) Similarity Pivot button at the upper right corner. That exposes a menu giving you the option to search for additional similar photos.

Neural networks are used to map raw pixels of a photo into relevant tags. Credit: Flickr

This spells more potential exposure for both aspiring and professional photographers, where search results can go far beyond anything that may be obvious, popular or trending. Similar to a web searching or browsing experience, users will likely encounter a wider array of different, unexpected, and hopefully valuable results to choose from without having to conduct increasingly elaborate text searches.

‘One of those major problems is that of discovery,’ said Clayton Mellina, Flickr’s software developer engineer, in the blog post explaining the new tech. ‘We understand that the value in our photo corpus is only unlocked when the community can find photos and photographers that inspire them, so we strive to enable the discovery and appreciation of new photos.’

Points nearer to the query image are semantically similar; points further away are not. Credit: Flickr

What is similarity?

While similarity can mean the same person or thing or color or style, Flickr goes into deep neural network territory with semantic similarity — similarity based on the content of photos to help users discover new images and better use Flickr’s tools to find what they’re looking for from its huge database. Flickr has some experience with neural networks and already uses them for object recognition, NSFW prediction, and aesthetic quality. In addition, neural networks power Flickr’s style filters, which allow filtering by styles like ‘minimalist’ or ‘patterns.’
 

Because visual searching often does not translate well to text, the new Similarity Pivot button now gives users a way to more deeply explore visual concepts. ‘With similarity, we are understanding the photo abstractly with specific aspects that are related to the visual experience and layout of the scene,’ Mellina said.

Similarity search rolls out today to all Flickr users, and results will be available immediately. Mellina says that the Flickr collection is still in the process of being indexed, but that indexing should be completed by the end of this week. 

Similarity search will reveal only public photos, so there should be no security issues, Mellina says.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Flickr rolls out neural-network-based Similarity Search

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Moment rolls out Kickstarter for redesigned lens and new cases for iPhone 7 / 7 Plus

08 Feb

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_5370414927″,”galleryId”:”5370414927″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Mobile photo accessory provider Moment is introducing two iPhone 7 / 7 Plus cases via Kickstarter: a battery case for storing extra charge, and a standard case. Both cases are compatible with a new wide-angle attachment lens designed specially for the 7 and 7 Plus.

The Battery Photo Case offers a two-stage shutter release button. When used with Moment’s camera app a half-press will acquire focus. Apple’s stock camera app will only recognize a full press and shoot accordingly. The case does not use Bluetooth to communicate with the phone, unlike previous Moment cases. Instead, it uses the Lightning connector, which the company says is 75% faster.

Moment’s new Photo Case is a cheaper alternative without the shutter button or backup battery. It’s slim and offers basic protection from wear-and-tear, and offers an attachment for a wrist strap.

Both cases provide a mount for the new Wide Lens (as well as an adapter for existing Moment lenses), which can be positioned over the phone’s wide and telephoto lenses. Moment says the lens has been re-designed considering the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus’ wider aperture lenses. The slightly larger lens is also lens prone to vignetting cause by misalignment. 

Planned MSRP for the Wide Lens is $ 100, the Photo Case is $ 30 and the Battery Photo Case is $ 100. The company is well on its way to its $ 500,000 Kickstarter goal, and is offering discounts to early backers. As with any Kickstarter project things might go awry, but if all goes to plan Moment will ship the new cases and lenses starting the end of May.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Moment rolls out Kickstarter for redesigned lens and new cases for iPhone 7 / 7 Plus

Posted in Uncategorized