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Posts Tagged ‘several’

Several Canon 1D X Mark III users are reporting issues with the OVF freezing in burst mode

11 Mar

A number of Canon 1D X Mark III owners have reported issues with Canon’s flagship DSLR, wherein the camera appears to lock up and fall asleep while shooting in continuous mode.

First reported nearly three weeks ago in the DPReview forums, users have noticed their 1D X Mark III cameras seizing up after a few shots, making the camera unusable for a few seconds until it appears to reset. DPReview reader Hamilton Pytluk made what we believe to be the first mention of the issue when he had the following to say (emphasis his) in the Canon EOS-1D forums:

“My only gripe so far [with the 1D X Mark III] has been what I believe to be a buffer “issue” when shooting through the OVF, which seemingly puts the camera to sleep after taking a series of shots (as few as 5 in my usage) and de-pressing the shutter (if you keep it half-pressed, it’ll stay “awake”). Everything shuts down — I can’t even open the menu — until the write (red) light stops flickering.”

DPReview forum member PrestoPhotographer responded to Pytluk’s post confirming they too were affected by this issue:

‘I have the same issue with the viewfinder ‘sleeping’. Incredibly frustrating when shooting soccer or any fast-moving sport. I’m sending mine back as it’s currently not usable for me. I’ve noticed the card access light going off randomly amongst some other bizarre things as well. I’m set up for an eventual exchange but no clue when they’ll get more stock.’

Pytluk responded with the following YouTube video, showing exactly what both users described: after ten shots in continuous mode, the digital markings on the optical viewfinder (OVF) went blank and shut off until the camera caught back up, at which point the shutter could be released again.

Follow-up posts in the thread confirmed this issue occurred regardless of whether or not a memory card was inside the camera.

We experienced a similar issue with a pre-production camera earlier this year, but have not replicated the problem with two production samples of the EOS-1D X Mark III currently undergoing testing at DPReview. We have contacted Canon for comment and will update this article if we receive a response. If you’ve noticed this issue on your 1D X Mark III unit, leave us a message in the comments below.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Topaz Labs will end free upgrades for several products starting in August 2020

15 Feb

Topaz Labs, the software company known for offering free software upgrades, has announced a major change to its business model: customers will have to pay to upgrade several of the company’s products starting in August 2020. The announcement was made by company CEO Eric Yang in a statement on Thursday. Gigapixel AI, DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI and Mask AI are all affected by the change.

Yang explains that offering free major upgrades for its products was a way ‘of acting differently than faceless corporations,’ but that it ultimately had an unwanted effect. By hinging its revenue on new products rather than product upgrades, Yang says, ‘we found that we weren’t focusing as much as we wanted on improving existing products.’

Yang goes on to state:

We ended up with several different products that did similar things, which caused confusion about which tool to use. Although it started out with good intentions, our free upgrade policy ultimately prevented us from delivering the best possible products to you. Make no mistake about it: this situation was 100% our fault. We were not thoughtful enough about aligning our pricing structure with continuous improvement of our products.

Topaz Labs says more than $ 8 million worth of free upgrades were claimed for major new products last year. In 2020, the company will transition to paid upgrades, which will involve paying $ 49.99 for a year of upgrades following an initial first year of free major and minor upgrades. For customers who own multiple Topaz Labs products, the upgrades can be collectively purchased for $ 99.99.

The company says that Mask, Sharpen, DeNoise and Gigapixel will require upgrade licenses this year. Topaz Labs stresses that customers retain access to the products they purchased even if they choose not to purchase software upgrades. ‘Wait until [the upgrade] actually includes something you want to pay for,’ Yang says. ‘This also incentivizes us to make sure that the improvements we do implement are useful enough for you to upgrade.’

Some customers are understandably upset about Topaz’s decision to start charging for upgrades. Yang acknowledges this in his post, stating that it was a hard decision to make. ‘I’m asking you to lock arms with us and walk through this phase of our development by accepting this change,’ he states. Users will soon be able to view how much time remains on their upgrade licenses within their customer accounts.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panasonic releases firmware updates for several MFT, full-frame and compact cameras

20 Nov

Following a series of firmware releases earlier this month, Panasonic has released additional firmware updates for a large number of camera models, including several of its Micro Four Thirds offerings, many compact digital camera models and a couple of full-frame camera models. The updates add a number of new features and improvements ranging from expanded media and wireless transmitter compatibility to improved autofocus performance and ‘enhanced’ video functionality.

The updates were released on Tuesday, November 19, and are available to download from Panasonic now via the links below:

  • DC-GH5: Version 2.6
  • DC-GH5s: Version 1.4
  • DC-G9: Version 2.0
  • DC-GF9/GX800/GX850: Version 1.2
  • DC-GF10/GX880: Version 1.2
  • DMC-GX80/GX85: Version 1.3
  • DC-TZ90/TZ91/TZ92/TZ93/ZS70
  • DC-TZ200/TZ202/TZ220/ZS200/ZS220
  • DMC-LX10/LX15
  • DC-S1: Version 1.3
  • DC-S1R: Version 1.3

Some of the firmware updates are more notable than others. The G9 model, for example, has received support for recording 4K 30p/25p 4:2:2 10-bit video, as well as support for 4K 60p/50p 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output. The model has also received variable frame rate shooting and HDR video support.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Costco says it will close the photo departments at several stores in April

03 Mar

American retailer Costco is shutting down the photo labs in a growing number of its stores, according to letters the company has sent to its customers. The most recent letter to surface comes from the company’s store in Woodland, California, which plans to close its photo department on April 25.

The letter, which was recently published by PetaPixel, cites low demand as the reason for the closure, stating, ‘the need for printing photos has steeply declined, even though the number of pictures taken continues to grow.’ The retailer will continue to offer photo printing through its Photo Center website and at select other locations, however.

Photo Center customers who receive the letter from Costco are offered a $ 50 credit for use with the company’s photo website. This is the latest among a growing number of Costco photo department closures. According to The Dead Pixels Society, the company will also shutter all but one photo department in its Massachusetts stores, as well as the photo lab at its busiest Hawaii location, the Iwilei store.

Though Costco has made the decision to repurpose its limited floor space in stores with low consumer printing demand, select other retailers continue to offer in-store photo printing services, including Walgreens and Walmart. Online photo printing services remain ubiquitous, and Costco is still counted among them.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google Lens will soon be available in several Android camera apps

13 May

Google’s AI-based image recognition system Google Lens will be making its way into stock camera apps, the company revealed during its I/O 2018 conference this week. The tool— which identifies objects, landmarks, and more in the images you capture with your phone—was first revealed last year, later launching for the maker’s own Pixel smartphones and then on Android and iOS in general.

For now, Google Lens is only available through the Google Photos app, but that will be changing in coming months. The company plans to launch Google Lens in stock mobile camera apps starting with its own Pixel handsets; other Android smartphone models will get support later on. According to The Verge, a total of 10 models will offer Google Lens in their stock camera apps.

Joining the expansion announcement are three new Google Lens features: smart text selection, style match, and real-time functionality for instant results.

With smart text selection, Google Lens is able to identify words within images and find relevant information—such as retrieving data on a food dish after the user captures an image of its name in a menu or other document. Style match, meanwhile, is a feature for finding objects similar to ones captured in an image, such as related outfits or home decor.

Finally, all of this information will be made available at a faster pace thanks to real-time functionality. With this addition, Google Lens finds and provides information proactively based on items in the user’s environment that are captured as they point their phone’s camera around.

Google says these features will start rolling out in the next few weeks.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Godox accidentally leaks AD600 Pro strobe that boasts several key improvements

05 Jan

Oops. Godox recently leaked its own strobe light—a new model called the AD600 Pro—via a product listing published briefly on its website. That product listing has since been pulled and no official announcement has been made, though a version of the light sold under the Flashpoint name is already up for preorder on Adorama for $ 900 USD as of this writing.

The Godox AD600 Pro retains the same 600 watts of power as the original model, but improves other elements such as decreasing recycle time from 2.5s to 0.9s, and replacing mini USB with USB-C. Screenshots of the Godox website product page were shared with DIY Photography, which notes that the modeling light’s output has also been increased from 10W to 38W.

Other notable changes between the original and new model include a “stable color temperature mode,” a step-less handle for angle adjustments, a slightly heavier weight at 3kg / 6.6lbs versus 2.66kg / 5.9lbs, and a redesigned head that eliminates the recessed bulb.

Based on the AD600 Pro’s spec sheet, not all changes are positive. The AD600PRO’s li-ion battery has a capacity of only 2600mAh, a drop from the AD600’s 8700mAh battery capacity; that means it can only shell out 360 full power flashes rather than the 500 flashes the original model is rated for. The AD600 Pro also lacks optical transmission mode.

Godox’s launch plans for the AD600 Pro are unclear, but screenshots of its product page live on in this Dropbox file, and it’ll likely appear online shortly.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple facing several lawsuits over intentionally slowing down old iPhones

29 Dec
Photo by Robin van der Ploeg

Earlier this week, we shared the news that Apple had admitted to slowing down older iPhones—an accusation originally leveled at the company by several Redditors and bloggers who found their phones’ performance had been cut in half, and would only return to full performance with a battery replacement.

This admission, in which Apple defended this ‘feature’ as benefiting users, has now sparked several lawsuits.

Background

Last week, Apple confirmed that older iPhones—specifically iPhone 6/Plus, iPhone 6S/Plus, and iPhone SE—were indeed being slowed down on purpose, but denied any malicious intent (e.g. trying to trick people into upgrading to a newer iPhone).

Instead, in a statement to The Verge, Apple said the ‘feature’ had been implemented, “to deliver the best experience for customers” by preventing sudden shut downs or damage to the internal components that can be caused by an older battery trying to provide peak current it just can’t handle anymore.

This explanation makes sense, and several technologically savvy commentators online (and even some readers in the DPReview comments) speculated that other companies likely do this same thing. But the lack of transparency—essentially only admitting that this was being done after being called out publicly—left many Apple users upset… and a few of them are doing something about it.

And Now

According to USA Today and The Verge, several lawsuits have been filed against Apple over this iPhone throttling. In the United States, suits have been filed in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York among others, but the lawsuits over this admission extend as far as Israel, according to Reuters.

One of the first, a proposed class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles filed last Thursday by two consumers, claims breach-of-contract because users never agreed to allow Apple to slow down their iPhones.

The latest suit, filed by five iPhone users in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, seeks class-action status and accuses Apple of fraud, deception and breach-of-contract for not notifying users that it was slowing down old iPhones. The lawsuit states that, had they known batteries were to blame for their phones slowing down, these plaintiffs would have chosen to replace their batteries instead of purchasing a new phone.

Apple has not released any comment on the lawsuits filed thus far.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon releases several firmware and software updates, adds new features to the D5

13 Jul

Nikon has pushed out several updates today, increasing its D5 firmware from version 1.10 to 1.20, its D500 firmware from version 1.00 to 1.12, and its Coolpix B700 firmware from version 1.2 to 1.3. In addition to updating camera firmware, the company also updated its ViewNX-1 software from version 1.2.7 to 1.2.8, and its Camera Control Pro 2 software from version 2.25.0 to 2.25.1.

All of the updates are minor with the exception of the D5 firmware update, which brings a substantial number of changes including new features and a handful of bug fixes. The full change-logs for each update are listed below.

The updates are available via the following links:

  • Nikon D5
  • Nikon D500
  • Nikon Coolpix B700
  • Camera Control Pro 2
  • ViewNX-i

D5 Firmware Version 1.10 to 1.20:

  • Added two new AF-area modes: group-area AF (HL) and group-area AF (VL). The user selects a row (HL) or column (VL) of focus points; when AF-C is selected for focus mode, the camera will give priority to the point in the selected row or column containing the subject closest to the camera.
  • Updated the photo info display to show the color temperature for photos taken with Auto selected for white balance.
  • Added an Exif tag listing the difference between the local time zone and UTC, part of the Exif 2.31 specification.
  • Added the support for the following features of AF-P lenses:
    • If the standby timer expires after the camera has focused, the focus position will not change when the timer is reactivated.
    • In manual focus mode, the focus indicator in the viewfinder (or in live view, the focus point selected in the monitor) will flash to show that infinity or the minimum focus distance has been reached by rotating the focus ring.
  • Changed the checks performed when Clean image sensor > Clean now is selected in the SETUP MENU. We recommend that you perform image sensor cleaning after updating the firmware.

Fixed the following issues:

  • The higher the amount of Active D Lighting selected when optional flash units were used with auto aperture (AA), non-TTL auto (A), or distance-priority manual (GN) flash mode, the more the resulting images would be underexposed.
  • Changes to exposure (including exposure compensation) would not be reflected in the photo live view exposure preview while the display was zoomed in.
  • Photo live view display WB could not be selected in the i-button menu while the exposure preview was displayed in photo live view.
  • Taking long bursts of photos with On selected for Network > Options > Auto send would sometimes drastically slow the recording of data to the memory card.
  • Reduced the amount of time needed to connect to hidden SSIDs when WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK is selected for Authentication.
  • Updated some help text.

Notice

Users of the software listed below will need to update to the following versions to support the changes in this firmware update:

    • Camera Control Pro 2 version 2.25.1 or later
    • ViewNX-i version 1.2.8 or later

Coolpix B700 Firmware 1.2 to 1.3

  • Fixed an issue that prevented the camera charging when connected to an AC charging adapter with Off selected for Charge by computer.

Nikon D500 Firmware 1.12 to 1.13

  • Fixed an issue that interfered with pairing or resulted in unreliable connections when the camera was used with the Android edition of the SnapBridge app.

Camera Control Pro 2.25.0 to 2.25.1

  • Added support for D5 “C” firmware version 1.20.
  • Added Group-area AF (HL) and Group-area AF (VL) options to AF-area mode (D5 “C” firmware version 1.20).

ViewNX-i 1.2.7 to 1.2.8

  • Added support for D5 “C” firmware version 1.20. Users can now:
    • View focus points for images taken using group-area AF (HL) and group-area AF (VL)
    • Use File and Camera Information to view the color temperature for photos taken using auto white balance

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Fujifilm releases firmware updates for several cameras and software products

26 May

Fujifilm has released firmware updates for its camera models X-T2, X-Pro2, GFX 50s, X-T20, X100F and X-T1. The links below include download links for the updated camera manuals and full details about the updates:

  • Fujifilm X-T2 Firmware ver. 2.10
  • Fujifilm X-Pro2 Firmware ver. 3.10
  • Fujifilm GFX 50s Firmware ver. 1.10
  • Fujifilm X-T20 Firmware ver. 1.01
  • Fujifilm X-T1 Firmware ver. 5.20
  • Fujifilm X100F Firmware version 1.01

In addition Fujifilm has provided updates to several of its software products:

  • Tethered Shooting Software HS-V5 for Windows Ver.1.6
  • Tethered Capture Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Ver.1.6 (Windows / Macintosh)
  • Fuji X Aquire + PC AutoSave

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Alien Skin Exposure X2 launches with several new tools and Exposure Bundle

28 Sep

Alien Skin has announced the launch of Exposure X2, the second iteration of its non-destructive photo editor and organizer. The company has added several features to its latest version of Exposure, some of which have been frequently requested by users, including faded presets, a spot healing tool, metadata search and a history panel. An updated Exposure Bundle is also available, bringing with it Alien Skin’s Blow Up, Exposure and Snap Art apps.

As expected, the new spot healing tool enables users to quickly fix small imperfections in photos without opening a separate photo editor; the tool supports both healing and cloning. The faded presets, meanwhile, are customizable and add a hazy look to images. The history panel tracks any changes you make to your images, and the metadata search, of course, enables searches based on various criteria including the camera used, shutter speed, ISO and more.

Alien Skin Exposure X2 is available now for $ 149 for new customers, and $ 100 for existing Exposure X owners. The Exposure X2 Bundle is higher at $ 199 for new customers, or $ 119 for existing customers who need the upgrade.

Via: Alien Skin

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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