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Posts Tagged ‘Those’

Godox SL60W Review – A Light for Those that Don’t Like Flash

07 Jul

The post Godox SL60W Review – A Light for Those that Don’t Like Flash appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sean McCormack.

The SL60W is a monobloc-style LED continuous light from Godox. Godox is probably more well known for its excellent flash systems, which incorporates everything from small Speedlites to 600W battery flashes. We’ll see if they can also match this excellence in continuous light with the Godox SL60W.

About the light

While taking the look of a monobloc, the Godox SL60W is actually smaller than a typical studio flash head. It still weighs in at a hefty 1.6kg. First impressions of this light in the box were that it was a little smaller than I expected and that although it looked plastic, it looked well made.

Removing the light hood revealed the LED itself and the aluminum heatsink. It gave the light an immediate hi-tech look – instantly increasing the perceived build of the lamp. The heatsink, combined with the internal fan, keeps the LED chip cool.

As the LED lamp is a combined controller chip and LED, it means the light has a high CRI, translating to accurate and consistent color in use. Rated at 5600k ±300, this is daylight balanced, which matches your midday light and any flashes you may have.

In the box are a long IEC cable, a Bowens mount reflector and remote control. The remote needs AAA batteries (not included). The remote can be set to 16 channels with 4 groups, the same as the light. This allows for a large number of lights to be controlled remotely. While the remote does appear to allow temperature changes, this light is white light only. You can dim the light from 100-10%. A single pushes give 1% changes while holding down the + or – buttons speeds this up. You can also turn the LED off from the remote, while the light remains powered up.

As well as the remote, you can dim the light from the dial on the back, and power on and off.

The included reflector has a pop-out hole that allows an umbrella shaft to run through, for better on-axis light modification.

Specifications

The Godox SL60W has the following specifications:

  • AC Power Supply: AC 100~240V 50/60Hz
  • Channels: 16
  • Groups: 6 Groups (A-F)
  • Power: 60W
  • Color Temperature: 5600k ± 200K
  • 100% Illuminance (LUX): 4100 (1M)
  • 100% Luminous Flux: 4500
  • Color Rendering Index: >93
  • TLCI (Qa): >95
  • R9: >80
  • Light Brightness Range: 10%-100%
  • Operation Temperature: 10-50ºC
  • Safe Temperature: <70ºC
  • Dimension: 23X24X14cm (without lamp cover)
  • Net Weight: 1.61kg approx

The key things to note are that the light can be used worldwide and has high color accuracy.

Why continuous light?

Despite having years of experience with flash, I get that it takes time to learn. You’re effectively guessing what the light will look like, every time. With continuous light, there is no guessing. You turn it on and modify it as you see fit. Every change you make is there before your eyes. You can immediately see if it’s bright enough, and whether or not moving the light will improve the shot.

The first and foremost thought about using the SL60W is that what you see is quite literally what you get. No guessing or external metering required. Your in-camera meter will give an accurate reading and those on mirrorless with preview simulation on will see the shot in-camera before shooting (same for Live View users with Exposure Simulation on).

You’re reading this article at a photography site, but it’s worth mentioning that this light is perfect for basic lighting applications for video such as YouTube channels. Yes, it has a fan, but the light position behind camera mixed with directional mics should minimize this during recording.

Changing the look

You may be considering this light for food or product photography, so here’s how you can change the look of the light to get a variety of photo options. There are a few ways of getting modifiers onto the light. The most basic is the umbrella slot in the stand mount, coupled with the standard reflector. You can use either bounce or shoot-through umbrellas for this.

Further options open up with the Bowens mount. Any modifier than can fit a studio light with a Bowens  S-type mount will work. As most studio lights have modeling bulbs that heat up inside the modifier, it should work no bother with the SL60W.

Hard light

With just the included reflector you get a crisp hard light. Placing the edge of the light roughly 2-feet from the side of the plate gives you an in-camera reading of 1/400sec ISO200 at f/2.4. (My Fuji has a default ISO of 200).

By bringing in a white foamcore card from the opposite side, it fills in the shadows. While the hard shadows from the reflector are still visible, the bounced light softened the overall look.

Soft light

By placing a shoothru umbrella on the light, you’ll get a softer light, but at the expense of lower power. This is because you tend to lose about two-stops of light when using any kind of diffuser modifier.

I’m using a Westcott double fold with the black back removed. The umbrella edge is also about 6-inches closer to the plate than the reflector, giving you a reading of 1/160 ISO200 at f/2.4. Not quite a full two-stop drop, but close. Notice how much softer the shadows are, even without a bounce card.

 

Adding your card again makes a difference. You could increase the shutter speed to compensate, but this sample hasn’t changed to show the increased light in the scene

Lighting product

With photographing products, it’s similar. Here’s the hard light scene on some colorful products. The high CRI means that you know you have good color accuracy here.

First, the reflector.

Using the white reflector card:

And the umbrella:

Finally, here’s how the umbrella looks with the foamcore card.

 

If you’re shooting for e-commerce, or even like this situation where you need to create product shots for reviews or tutorials, the SL60W makes it remarkably easy.

Here are a few random shots in this vein.

Godox SL60w lighting a product set

I’ve started making camera wrist straps and bracelets, so this light makes it easy to capture shots of my work.

Portraits

Again, the “what you see is what you get” factor is great. Using Fuji’s iOS app, I could pose myself easily for this self-portrait. Here I’ve used a Neewer 26″ Octagonal Softbox. This is now my go-to YouTube video setup.

Conclusions

The Godox SL60W is a keenly-priced continuous light with accurate color, good remote control, and more than adequate output for most of your indoor lighting applications. As well as photo applications, you’ll find it’s also usable for video – something more and more photographers are involved in.

If you need more light, the Godox SL200W is a higher-powered option.

I can’t speak to the long term reliability of the product yet, but I do own quite a few Godox products – some for quite a few years – and they still function perfectly.

 

Godox SL60W Continuous Light

The post Godox SL60W Review – A Light for Those that Don’t Like Flash appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sean McCormack.


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Look. Think. Click. Don’t Rush Into Taking Those Action Photos

27 Jul

How can you improve your action photography? Everything moves so fast that it is a real challenge to make decent action photos.

The best way to improve your high-speed action photography is to slow down. Don’t be mistaken that because your subject is moving rapidly that you must do the same.

Expert action photographers achieve their outstanding results by carefully anticipating and planning. Then they pick up their cameras to begin making photographs.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

My best action photo. Sometimes it’s more than just good planning. My timing was lucky!

Here are three basic steps to improving not only your action photos but all of your photography. You can apply these principles each time you shoot, no matter your chosen subject.

Look First

Before you bring your camera to your eye, even before you turn it on, look carefully at what you have chosen to photograph. Look at:

  • Your subject
  • The background behind your subject
  • Foreground in front of the subject
  • Lighting
  • Weather
  • Obstacles – people, traffic, cows, etc. (Anything that might hinder you from taking pictures.)

Being observant is one of the key things photographers need to be experts at. You need to know what is around you and how it will help or hinder your photograph making process.

Hmong New Year top spinning - Action Photos

Then Think

Once you have chosen your subject and had a sufficient look at your surroundings, it’s time to piece together the picture you want to make.

Think about your shooting spot

One of the most important things to consider is where you will take your photos from. You need to think about how your subject will look from different angles and which one you will choose. You may need to take photos at a few different locations before finding one you are happy with.

For any action photography your subject will be moving, so your background may not remain the same. Ask yourself if you will get better photos if you are moving with your subject or if you are stationery.

Moving with your subject will be more difficult. There will be a greater risk of not getting any usable photos. It might pay to stay in one spot until you are confident you have some good pictures and then move with your subject.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Be conscious of others

If you are at a sports event you will need to be conscious of other people. Photographing your kid’s football game, there will be other parents on the sidelines that you will need to consider. They may not consider you and step in front of your camera ruining that shot where your kid scores.

So choose a location where you will not be hindered. Sometimes this will mean getting in front of others or getting further back.

Think about the light

Is it bright enough to achieve a fast enough shutter speed? If not you will need to raise your ISO to a higher setting.

Where is the light coming from? Will your subject be lit from the front or back? Maybe from the side? Maybe from multiple angles as they move around.

Looking at how the light is falling on your subject will help you choose a location at which to position yourself. Look and see at what angle the light is best for the type of photo you want.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Think about the weather

Photographing outdoors you may also have to give some thought to the weather. On clear sunny days or cloudy dull days when weather conditions are unlikely to change there’s not much to think about. When there’s a good wind blowing that might cause dust or sand to hinder you photo session you will need to be careful.

Clouds are the thing that you need to think about the most. On a day when clouds are moving across the sky and the sun is being obscured some of the time, you will need to pay attention. As the light changes your exposure will need to be altered and this may affect your shutter speed, depending on the settings you are using.

Think about your composition

Composition requires careful thought. So often people will try and take a quick snap of the action. They may be successful at capturing the decisive moment, but the composition is often terrible.

That is because it was unplanned. Choosing a good location and anticipating the action will also help you plan your composition.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Lastly, Click

Now that you have thought everything through you can start taking photos. The thinking stage does not always have to take long. It can happen very quickly at times. This depends on how familiar you are with your subject and the location you are shooting.

The more familiar you are with both, the easier and quicker it will be for you.

Camera settings

Setting your camera well for action photos is important. Your shutter speed and focusing mode are especially critical.

To stop the action you will need to chose a fast enough shutter speed. The faster the action the faster shutter speed you will need to freeze your subject.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

To blur your subject the opposite applies. Choose a shutter speed sufficiently slow enough to let your subject appear blurred by their motion, but not so slow that you cannot recognize it anymore.

With really fast action I typically set my camera and lens to manual focus. I will pick a spot to focus on and only make photographs when my subject is within my focus zone. I do not practice a lot of action photography these days so I find this method suits me well. Of course, this technique will depend on the type of action you are photographing.

Most importantly with action photography, make sure to squeeze your shutter button and take your photos at the decisive moment when the action is at its peak.

Hmong New Year - Action Photos

Conclusion

If you just grab a few frames without first looking and then planning before you shoot, your results will often be lacking. Being ready when the action happens will more often lead to better action photos.

The more familiar you are with your subject and surroundings the easier is will be. So, if you are just starting out and trying some action photography, picking a subject you know well might mean you have early success.

The photographs I have used in this article are all from a Hmong New Year celebration I photographed a few years back. The day features various sports activities that individuals and village teams compete in. There’s always loads of action and tons of fun.

Please check out this video for some more tips on looking, thinking, and clicking your way to improved photography.

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The post Look. Think. Click. Don’t Rush Into Taking Those Action Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Video: Those ‘Shot on iPhone’ ads are not what they seem

02 Jul

Anybody who knows about the technique and gear involved in capturing great photos and video knows to look at those ‘shot on *insert smartphone here*’ ads with a bit of skepticism. Yes, they were technically shot on those phones, but many people don’t realize the amount of extra gear and software that goes into the final product.

There is a disclaimer at the end of these videos, of course, but it’s easy to miss or subconsciously ignore it when you’re hoping against hope that your iPhone 7 Plus will be the last camera you’ll ever need.

Have you noticed this disclaimer at the end of the ‘Shot on iPhone’ ads?

In this short video, YouTuber Marques Brownlee sheds a bit of light on the matter, sharing a little behind the scenes look at some of the really intense gear these commercials use, before diving into some more affordable options that can help get your smartphone video—shot on iPhone or otherwise—closer to those professional grade commercials.

Because while you’ll probably never use a rig this advanced:

It’s not unthinkable that you could buy yourself a DJI Osmo Mobile and some Moment lenses to help get your shaky hand-held attempts a little closer to the results you see in Apple and Samsung’s professional ads.

Just don’t beat yourself up if your first few tries don’t live up to this level of quality. We don’t know exactly what gear Apple used on its latest ‘Shot on iPhone’ commercials, but we’re betting it’s closer to the crazy rig you see above, than the pared down little stabilizer and smartphone lenses Brownlee touts in his video.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Throwback Thursday: the Fujifilm FinePix S5100 Zoom and all those shiny new compacts

28 Jul

Twelve years ago today Fujifilm announced six new compacts all at the same time, which is something that camera manufacturers used to do a lot. Here’s a fun game: ask anyone who writes about cameras to tell you about CES in the mid-to-late 2000’s, but don’t be surprised if they start babbling incoherently about megapixels and run screaming from the room.

The Fujifilm E550 Zoom. Similar to its more elegant sibling, the F810, it offered a high ISO 800 setting at a reduced 3MP.

Back in August 2004, Fujifilm launched its FinePix E Zoom compact series, describing it as ‘no-nonsense’ and ‘sure to bring even the most hardened sceptic round to digital photography.’ The E500 and E510 boasted conventional 4.1MP and 5.2MP sensors respectively, while the FinePix E550 offered a 6MP SuperCCD HR sensor, Raw shooting and sold for a ‘competitive’ $ 350/£300. Also introduced was the FinePix F810 Zoom, with many of the same specifications at the E550, but with a few premium touches like a metal body and a 2.1″ widescreen LCD.

But there was more! Also announced were the FinePix S3500 and S5500/S5100 Zoom SLR-style bridge cameras (the latter being our own Richard Butler’s first digital camera). The S5100 used a conventional 4MP sensor rather than the Super CCD sensor used by its predecessor, and offered such luxuries as Raw shooting, VGA 30 fps video recording (with sound!), a 115,000-dot LCD and PictBridge compatibility.

The Fujifilm FinePix S5500, or S5100, depending on where you live. 

Priced at $ 399/£250, we liked the S5100’s ‘fuss-free operation’ but wished it included optical image stabilization for its 10x zoom lens. It falls just a bit short of the 50x zoom lenses we routinely see in superzooms these days, but all in all it was a great value proposition in its time.

Did you own any of these cameras? Let us know in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Hasselblad offers no-loss trade-up on H6D to those waiting for 100MP back

21 May

With the Hasselblad 100c 100MP back delayed by the after effects of the Japanese earthquake the company has introduced a trade-up deal for photographers who want to get their hands on the new H6D medium format body sooner rather than later. The deal allows photographers to buy the camera with the 50c 50MP back now and then trade-up without financial penalty later when the higher resolution back becomes available.

Those trading up will only have to pay the difference in recommended sales price between the two backs, so Hasselblad will effectively take the 50c back for the same amount that was paid for it. This means those who are waiting for the 100c to become available before buying the H6D can start using the new, improved camera now.

The sensor used in the 100c back is made by Sony at its plant in the Kumamoto region of Japan. The factory was badly damaged in the recent earthquakes and is only just getting production underway now, so there will be quite a delay before Hasselblad can get its 100c into the stores. The sensor in the 50c back is also made by Sony, but as it has been in production for longer the company had a stock-pile before the earthquakes struck.

For more information visit the Hasselblad website.

Press release:

H6D-50c to H6D-100c Trade-Up Promotion

Purchase the H6D-50c now and trade-up to the H6D-100c for the difference in price!

The H6D has become an instant success with orders received worldwide and has far exceeded our expectations. The engaging media coverage and encouraging comments from our current and new users has been phenomenal!

Unfortunately due to the recent devastating earthquakes in Kumamoto, Japan, the suppliers of some components, including the 100MP sensor, have been affected.
To get the H6D into the hands of eager customers Hasselblad are offering a fantastic H6D-50c Trade-Up promotion.

Purchase the all new H6D-50c at the standard price and you will have the option to trade-up that camera to the H6D-100c for the difference in the recommended sales price (MRSP).

The H6D has a brand new electronic platform boasting super-fast image processing and faster shooting rates that can be sustained for longer than ever before. The 100MP option, delivers unmatched image quality and the ability to resolve the finest detail with all our HC & HCD lenses.

This unique offer of getting started with our all new H6D-50c applies to both new and previous H6D-50c customers, and will be valid until 31st October 2016.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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All those moving elements: LensRentals looks inside the Leica SL 24-90mm F2.8-4

25 Feb

LensRentals Leica SL 24-90mm F2.8-4 teardown

The Leica SL 24-90mm F2.8-4 may not break any new technical ground, but when the SL’s ‘kit’ lens made its way to LensRentals headquarters, the team endeavored to take a careful look inside. With the solidly constructed lens partially disassembled, they got a closer look at its impressive number of moving elements. Take a look at some of the highlights here, and for a full look inside the 24-90mm head over to LensRentals.

Weather-sealing

Sliding the rear of the lens off took a little muscle according to LensRentals’ Roger Cicala, ‘as it’s very tightly sealed by the thick, greenish weather gasket underneath.’ Leica promises this keeps the lens protected from dust, moisture and splashes.

The inner barrel assembly

With the zoom key and six screws in the internal chassis removed, the outer assembly of the lens barrel can be removed, and Cicala finds that ‘the zoom and focus rings are one modular assembly connected to the main chassis.’

Not all focusing mechanisms are created equally

With the inner barrel exposed, part of the 24-90mm’s focus-by-wire linkage can be seen. Says Cicala: ‘I won’t argue with those who prefer a mechanical focusing linkage, and I agree that some electric focusing mechanisms feel sloppy and inaccurate. But I’ll add that they aren’t all made equally, and the Leica focus feels quite good and seems very accurate.’

A ‘complex dance’ of moving elements

With the casing and front barrel removed, the lens’ helicoid grooves are visible. These allow the moving elements to travel on their separate paths. ‘This is a really nice example of the mathematical formulas involved when you move elements. Notice none of those grooves are parallel; as you zoom the lens the various elements move in a rather complex dance.’

Focusing assembly up close

Although they’d sworn not to do a full teardown, Roger and company wanted a better look at the focusing group so out it came. And that’s where things got interesting. 

‘You can see the stepper motor (green line) of course. The actual focusing element is what Aaron is holding the group by. The larger group in the center is where the entire assembly is attached to the helicoid. One of the first things we notice (red arrows) is this group has 3 pairs of adjustable eccentric collars. These were thoroughly glued in place so we left them alone, but it seems each pair has one collar for tilt and another for centering of this group. None of the other moving groups had eccentric adjustment collars visible.’

A peek at IS

The teardown stops at this point, but not before a glance up the barrel toward the image stabilization unit. While those screws tempt Cicala and crew, memories of finicky IS systems kept them from going any further.

See the entire peek inside the SL 24-90mm at LensRentals.com

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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For those on the leading edge Sony announces enthusiast 4K Handycam

05 Sep

SonyFDR-AX1-t2.png

Sony announced a consumer 4K camcorder, the FDR-AX1, which gives enthusiast videographers a way to capture four times the resolution of a Full HD camera. The AX1 is able to save the massive amounts of data gathered by a 4K, 60fps camera thanks to its XQD memory card. Its G lens covers a 20x zoom range equivalent to a 31.5 – 630mm, and includes Optical Steady Shot. Click through for more.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Those Abusing Marissa Mayer’s Personal Flickrstream Should Be Ashamed of Themselves

23 May

Dear Marissa Mayer

As one of Flickr’s most active users, I’ve been watching intensively over the past 48 hours as the new Flickr design has been released. Personally speaking, I’m a fan. I think the new Flickr is the best version I’ve seen yet and agree with almost every design change that they made. That’s not what this post is about though; I’ve already given my opinion on the new Flickr here.

This post is about respect and civility.

As the drama of the new Flickr has unfolded, an element of what I consider to be the worst of the internet has taken to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s *PERSONAL* Flickr stream to express their disdain. Sure, Flickr (the company, not the person) has a dedicated Forum for users to discuss the new designs, which is way more than many companies provide, btw, but for some people this isn’t enough. They need to take their displeasure out personally on Mayer.

Even worse, many of the attacks on Mayer’s *PERSONAL* Flickr stream are crude, classless, vulgar personal attacks of the worst kind.

This is just absolutely awful.

Whatever people may think about the new design, there is a way to go about talking about change. It saddens me to see the lowest element of the web react this way. It saddens me to see people in the help forum egging others on to go post on Mayer’s personal page.

Ironically, it was “the internet” that asked Mayer to “make Flickr awesome again” when she first started up as CEO of Yahoo. Flickr had been neglected for years and finally Mayer would be our savior.

Then, she goes and actually DOES make Flickr awesome again and people freak the fcuk out. Gee, thanks a lot! At least the page that asked her to make Flickr awesome again gets it right.

Now, whether or not you love the new Flickr or hate it is your own opinion; design can sometimes be subjective — but to post images of excrement on someone’s personal Flickr page over that design opinion? Really? Watching people in the Help Forum encourage the trashing of someone’s personal Flickrstream is disturbing.

Mayer is the first ever CEO of Yahoo to have a public Flickr page. She goes out on a limb and participates in the community and this is what people do? They trash her *personally* over design decisions?

These people should be ashamed of themselves.

I am all about healthy debate. I’ve probably been more vocal and critical of Flickr than just about anyone over the years. I’ve also been a huge cheerleader for Flickr when I feel like they’ve done well. I love Flickr and want to see it be the best place it can possibly be. I may get emotional and heated in my opinions sometimes, but there is a way that debate should go on on the internet, and trashing someone’s personal stream is not it.

Mayer is the youngest CEO in the S&P 500. Whatever your opinion on her and her work, every intention she has with the new Flickr design is to make it BETTER. Being a highly visible CEO means taking a lot of flak. I understand that — but Marissa Mayer is also a human being, and deserves basic respect and civility — like EVERY OTHER HUMAN BEING.

One of the reasons why I’ve largely quit Flickr Groups is because you can’t block people in Flickr Groups. I encountered some of the worst human beings I’ve ever met online in some Flickr Groups. Some of the folks who live on Flickr really are the worst of the worst. It’s disappointing seeing some of these same types take to someone’s personal Flickr stream.

Let’s try to show the world that there are still people on Flickr who can discuss and debate with dignity and respect. I think it’s fine to debate the new Flickr design. I think it’s fine to be strongly opinionated about it. I think it’s fine to attack the design itself and share why you dislike it. Attacking employees, though, is way over the line.

I have made my own mistakes on the web over the years. I, too, have, in the past, let my emotions get the best of me. It’s easy to get angry sometimes and I’m certainly capable of overreacting. I’ve tried to learn from these mistakes, though. It’s so much better to attack ideas than individuals. Hate is so ugly.

We are better than this.


Thomas Hawk Digital Connection

 
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