RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Upcoming’

Sony releases stunning wide-angle footage shot on its upcoming Airpeak drone

19 May

Sony first announced its official entry into the drone sector early this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Though there still aren’t solid details on a release date or pricing for its Airpeak drone, the company recently unveiled some stunning wide-angle footage captured over Okinawa, Japan’s, remote island called Irimote. Besides the scenery, the video also showcases the Airpeak drone in action carrying both Sony’s a7S III and FX3 cameras.

What’s revealed, as well, is how the drone is able to carry a payload that includes their new 14mm F1.8 GM lens. Although rather large in size for a drone, Sony claims that the Airpeak is the smallest model available that is able to carry its Alpha line of cameras. For comparison’s sake, Freefly Systems has been working on its Astro drone, which is compatible with Sony’s a7R IV camera, but hasn’t been released yet.

One issue pointed out about the Airpeak is that it is a quadcopter. For comparison’s sake, DJI’s Matrice 600 is a hexacopter. If one rotor fails on the Matrice 600, the drone will still remain airborne. That’s not the case with a quadcopter, and Sony camera’s aren’t exactly cheap. We can also see from the latest video that two batteries are needed to power the drone. This is a typical failsafe, also found in DJI’s Inspire 2, should one battery fail during flight.

Much like a drone of its class, the Airpeak also has an additional front-facing pilot’s camera as well as obstacle avoidance sensors on the front and back of the aircraft. There aren’t any sideways sensors but unlike a DJI Phantom or Mavic series drone, which is constrained by a 3-axis gimbal that only tilts up and down, the AirPeak doesn’t need those additional sensors since it only needs to fly forwards or backwards since the camera can also rotate from side to side.

It also looks as though Sony hasn’t created a gimbal for the Airpeak yet. Instead, the Gremsy T3V3 3-axis camera stabilizer is attached. It is unclear whether or not Sony will develop their own gimbal. The remote is clearly made by Sony, since the branding is there, and a tablet is attached – suggesting, for now, that a built-in screen won’t be available.

The software being used to power the drone is built on Mapbox, which also powers self-driving cars. What this means is that Airpeak users will be able to pre-plan flights.

This isn’t the first teaser video Sony has released for its Airpeak drone. Sony also introduced a VISION-S concept car at CES. The Airpeak was featured in the video, above, where you can see its landing gear extensions retract upward, after takeoff, to give a fuller field of view for the camera. Wind resistance is another pain point for drone users. Sony recently created a wind tunnel to illustrate how well the Airpeak handles gusts up to 45 mph.

As mentioned above, a definitive release date and price point has yet to be announced. Sony is still looking for professional drone videographers and photographers, its target audience, to test out the Airpeak. You must be located in the United States or Japan to participate at this time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Sony releases stunning wide-angle footage shot on its upcoming Airpeak drone

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Nikon teases upcoming super telephoto lenses, 50mm prime with an updated lens road map

21 Nov
Click to enlarge. The new ‘Micro 50mm’ prime is center-left in the bottom row and the two super-telephoto lenses are top-right in the back row.

Nikon has released an updated version of its visual lens roadmap for Z-mount camera systems, revealing silhouettes of three upcoming lenses, including two super-telephoto lenses and one macro prime lens.

While there are eleven total silhouettes, only three of them are new: the ‘Micro 50mm,’ the 400mm S-Line and the 600mm S-line. As you would expect, the silhouettes for the two super-telephoto lenses tower above the rest. Meanwhile, the ‘Micro 50mm’ lens falls halfway between the already-released 24–50mm F4–6.3 and 35mm F1.8 S-Line prime.

Below is another roadmap from Nikon that shows the focal length coverage of current and future lenses:

Click to enlarge.

There’s still no concrete information on expected release dates for thee lenses, so the waiting game continues. But at least we now have visual representations of all the lenses currently on Nikon’s Z-mount lens roadmap and Nikon does say all of the lenses on display ‘will be available by the end of 2022.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Nikon teases upcoming super telephoto lenses, 50mm prime with an updated lens road map

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Skylum shows how new Templates feature in upcoming Luminar AI update can save you time

01 Oct

Ahead of Luminar AI’s release this holiday season, Skylum Software has shared additional information about how Templates will work in the upcoming all-in-one photo editing software and how Templates can be used to save photographers a lot of time and energy when processing many images.

In many traditional photo editors, users must adjust different sliders to get the desired results when processing images. There are often available presets, which will speed up the editing process, but presets have limitations, and photographers are often left feeling like their creativity has been removed from the editing process. Ideally, many of us want to save time without sacrificing creative control. Skylum believes that Luminar AI’s Templates will remove the frustration and overcome the limitations of presets in other photo editors.

Photo credit: Elia Locardi

The artificial intelligence in Luminar AI has been integrated throughout the entire editing process and has been trained with ‘expert input from artists, photographers, colorists and scientists.’ Alex Tsepko, Skylum’s CEO, says, ‘With Luminar AI, we wanted to ensure that AI not only was easy to use, but that it also provided creatives a way to express themselves. Through our unique 3D depth-mapping and segmentation technologies, we’re able to recognize the contents of a photo, recommended edits and then allow creatives to refine every aspect of that recommendation. Doing this lets creatives retain their unique style in their edits without tedious, manual work. Professional results, but in a fraction of the time.’

Artificial intelligence starts operating as soon as you open an image in Luminar AI. The software identifies the contents of an image, analyzes potential problem spots, and evaluates the depth of the image. Luminar AI then offers a list of carefully selected Templates for users to select from.

Users can test out different Templates and see how they impact their image. Skylum states that a preview is created in less than a second. When you evaluate a specific Template you can even see which AI tools were utilized in the Template. For beginners, it should prove useful to see which tools are used to create different images and how each tool changes the look and feel of a photo.

Photo credit: Javier Pardina

Templates will offer novices a variety of ideas to help choose the direction they want to take an image. For advanced photographers with more editing experience, they can choose when and how they want more advanced manual control over their image edits. They can pick and choose which AI tools they want to utilize and then create their own templates for future use on single images or when batch editing. Skylum states that utilizing templates will allow photographers to save ‘up to 90% of their time spent editing.’

You can learn more about Luminar AI here. For a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Luminar AI, click here. Luminar AI is available for preorder at a special price, which you can learn more about here. As the release of Luminar AI approaches this holiday, stay tuned for more information, including a planned hands-on preview ahead of the full public release of Luminar AI.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Skylum shows how new Templates feature in upcoming Luminar AI update can save you time

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Vaonis teases upcoming feature for its Stellina smart telescope with 546MP panorama

16 Sep

French company Vaonis unveiled a fully automated camera telescope, Stellina. The product is designed to allow amateur astrophotographers to easily capture beautiful images of the night sky without the need for regular manual control or extensive astrophotography knowledge.

Vaonis is preparing to launch a new feature via software update in 2021 and it recently tested the feature by capturing a massive 546MP panorama of a group of nebulae. The new feature is ‘Automatic Mosaic-ing’ and it will take advantage of Stellina’s image stacking and image stitching technologies. This feature will let you create ultra-high-resolution panoramas of the night sky without you needing to do anything manually.

The image, shown via the screenshot below, was captured with the new feature by Vaonis Technical Director, Gilles Krebs. The image shows, from left to right, the Running Chicken, Statue of Liberty and Carina nebulae. These nebulae are about 7,000 light-years away. The image is comprised of 208,000 total photos, stacked into 168 images and then stitched together into a 546MP panorama. The panorama represents 336 hours of total exposure time. You can explore the full-size image by clicking this link.

Image credit: Vaonis

The Vaonis Stellina is designed to be easy to use and its intelligent, smart design allows the user to easily set up and use the device. DPReview contributor and astronomer Jose Francisco Salgado wrote an excellent review of Stellina. Salgado says, ‘The Stellina is a well-thought out smart telescope. It can easily be transported from one location to another and setting it up cannot be more simple.’ He continues, ‘…if you want a fun-to-use, click-and-shoot device that will work for you while you relax and enjoy the night sky then the Stellina is right for you!’ You can learn some of the basics of Stellina in Vaonis’s video below.

If you’d like to learn more about purchasing the Vaonis Stellina, you can head to Vaonis’s website. Vaonis has also begun teasing a brand new product that they ‘believe will change astronomy.’ The Stellina is already a compact device considering its capabilities, but the new teased product will be even smaller. It will be fully unveiled on Kickstarter on October 1. If you’d like to sign up for alerts or learn more about the new product, click here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Vaonis teases upcoming feature for its Stellina smart telescope with 546MP panorama

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Zenit teases upcoming 60mm F2.8 macro, 58mm F1.9 and 35mm F2 lenses

11 Aug

Over the past week, Zenit has announced three new lenses: the Zenitar 60mm F2.8 macro lens, the Selena 58mm F1.9 lens and the Zenitar 35mm F2 lens. All three lenses will feature electronically-controlled apertures and are set to be available later this year.

Krasnogorsky Zavod main building. Credit: ??? ???, used under CC BY-SA 4.0

Zenit doesn’t divulge too many details about the lenses, aside from the most basic specifications. In machine-translated press releases, Zenit says all three lenses will be constructed in the S. A. Zverev (KMZ) factory in Krasnogorsk, Russia, which has a long history of producing cameras and optics.

The Zenitar 60mm F2.8 macro lens will offer a 1:1 magnification ratio and feature a minimum focusing distance of 23cm (9”). Information on the Selena 58mm F1.9 is even more scarce, with no other specifications outside of the focal length and maximum aperture being revealed. Both the Zenitar 60mm F2.8 and Selena 58mm F1.9 will be available in Canon EF and Nikon F mount at release.

As with the previous two lenses, detailed specifications of the Zenitar 35mm F2 aren’t provided, but we do know it will be available for Sony E-mount cameras. Zenit says it plans to release future versions for other mirrorless mounts as well.

All three lenses are set to go on sale in the United States, Germany, Italy and China through Zenit’s online store and authorized retailers. The press releases suggest the lenses will be made available during the International Forum on Photography and Video Filming, which takes place from October 8–10 in Moscow.

Update (August 10, 2020 10:00 AM ET): Added details about the forthcoming Zenitar 35mm F2 lens and confirmed the mount options for the Zenitar 60mm F2.8 macro and Selena 58mm F1.9.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Zenit teases upcoming 60mm F2.8 macro, 58mm F1.9 and 35mm F2 lenses

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Ricoh shares additional information about its upcoming APS-C DSLR, lenses

24 Jul

In a video shared to YouTube yesterday, Ricoh offered more information on its upcoming Pentax APS-C DSLR. The video, embedded above, is the latest in a series that Ricoh is creating ‘to reinforce its commitment to DSLR photography.’

The 24-minute video, which offers embedded translated subtitles in English, is a dialogue between professional photographer Keita Sasaki and Wakashiro Shigeru of Ricoh’s Product Planning department.

The pair give a little hands-on with the new camera and lenses and discuss many facets of the upcoming Pentax APS-C DSLR. Here are a few of the highlights from the conversation:

  • The new optical viewfinder will be brighter and clearer than the one found in the Pentax KP; it uses a new high-refraction glass pentaprism first developed back in 2017.
  • It will be compact and offer a new grip for ‘increased comfort.’
  • The camera will have a joystick on the back (for autofocus and more) and use larger buttons for better tactile feedback
  • The shutter release will use the same ‘leaf switch’ mechanism found in the Pentax 645Z and Z-1.
  • The rear LCD display will be ‘extra large’ (no specific size is shared, however).
  • The new sensor will be improved across the board, at lower and higher sensitivities

Shigeru also reveals the camera will come in silver (alongside the standard black version) and have a set of silver lenses to match (a 70–210mm F2.8, 50mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.4). A silver version of the K-1 Mark II will also be released in the near future alongside the silver D FA 21mm lens announced back in May.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Ricoh shares additional information about its upcoming APS-C DSLR, lenses

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Capture One teases upcoming Capture One 20 update, including new heal and clone brushes

06 May

Earlier today, Capture One showed off a trio of major new features coming via a free update to Capture One 20 later this month. The announcement came in a live stream, which you can watch the replay of below, hosted by Product Manager Alexander Flemming and Business Development Manager David Grover.

In the live demo below, the first major new feature coming to Capture One 20 later this month is a revised healing brush for retouching images and removing unwanted spots. In the current version of Capture One 20, the healing workflow comprises creating a new heal layer, select your brush and pick a source point. Further, you can only select a single source point per layer.

In the upcoming update, the software will be able to quickly and intelligently select a source point for each instance of using the heal brush on a single ‘Heal Layer’. Per Flemming, there will be no limit to how many different heal points you can have on a single layer nor has the team found any performance issues when utilizing many heal points.

In the livestream, Flemming and Grover shared a few interesting tidbits about how the new healing brush operates. The first time you use the brush on an image, the software caches the entire image, so that all subsequent uses of the heal brush are much faster. Further, the new healing technology is adept at adjusting the luminosity of your source point to match the area you wish to heal or touch up. For example, if an area in the image with the best match for texture is brighter or darker than the area you are trying to heal, the software can match the source area by brightening or darkening it.

In addition to the new healing brush, there’s also a new clone brush. The clone brush works similarly to the new heal brush, but it creates a ‘Clone Layer’ rather than a ‘Heal Layer’. The clone brush creates a pixel-for-pixel clone, rather than replacing a healing area via a source selection. Basically, the clone brush allows you to copy a selected set of pixels from one area of your image to another area.

In this screenshot from Capture One’s presentation, the new clone brush is being used. Image credit: Capture One

Another addition is the new before and after button, which can be found on the toolbar. In prior versions, seeing a before and after comparison was done via a convoluted process whereby you reset the image and then undid the reset. Now you will be able to simply press the before/after button, which creates a sliding before/after split view, showing before on the left and after on the right. This works at all zoom levels and can be used across multiple images. Users will even be able to edit in this view if they so desire. There’s also a secondary before/after mode where you can view the entire image in its before and after state, rather than using a slider.

The upcoming free update to Capture One 20 includes a new before/after view. You can use this view across multiple images at once as well, as can be seen here. Image credit: Capture One

As mentioned, the update is scheduled to arrive by the end of the month. The update will be free for all existing Capture One 20 users, including those who use Capture One Fujifilm and Capture One (for Sony). For more information on Capture One 20, including pricing information for both subscriptions and perpetual licenses, click here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Capture One teases upcoming Capture One 20 update, including new heal and clone brushes

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Nikon, Olympus postpone upcoming financial results, citing COVID-19 challenges

27 Apr

Both Nikon and Olympus have announced the companies will be postponing the announcements of their most recent financial results, both of which were originally scheduled to be announced in mid-May.

In a press release on its website, Nikon explains the rationale for postponing the results of its fiscal year ending at the close of March 2020, which were set to be released on May 12, 2020. Nikon says the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders have made it difficult to follow the accounting procedures within the company, which includes auditing the numbers to ensure accurate reporting. As a result, Nikon has pushed back the financial results release date to May 28, 2020.

Olympus, too, has announced it will be postponing its financial results for its fiscal year ending at the close of March 2020. Like Nikon, Olympus says the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the timeliness of the results, saying ‘it is difficult to proceed with the scheduled accounting procedures implemented by the Company and its domestic and overseas affiliates as scheduled.’ Instead of an early May release, Olympus says it will release the latest results on May 29, 2020, just one day after Nikon.

We could theorize other reasons the companies may be pushing back the results, but the truth of the matter is auditing the financials of a multi-national operation is an intensive task; one made very difficult when non-essential employees are being ordered to work from home to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. That said, it’s unlikely to be good news if Canon’s most recent financial report is anything to go by.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Nikon, Olympus postpone upcoming financial results, citing COVID-19 challenges

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Viltrox announces new $280 33mm F1.4 autofocus lens for APS-C systems, teases upcoming 20mm T2 cine lens

14 Apr

Viltrox has announced the release of its new 33mm F1.4 APS-C autofocus lens for Canon EF-M mount, Sony E-mount and Fujifilm X-mount camera systems as well as the impending arrival of a 20mm T2 cinema lens for L-mount camera systems.

33mm F1.4 APS-C lens

The Viltrox 33mm F1.4 APS-C lens is one of the three APS-C lenses it teased back in August 2019. The autofocus lens is constructed of ten elements in nine groups, including one extra-low dispersion (ED) element and one high-refraction element.

It features Viltrox’s ‘noiseless’ stepping motor (STM focus motor) for driving the autofocus unit, features an aperture range of F1.4 through F16, uses a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, has a minimum focusing distance of 40cm (15.75in) and uses an ‘HD Nano’ multilayer coating on an unspecified number of elements to help improve water resistance and minimize chromatic aberration.

No dimensions are given for the lens in the press release, but it weighs 270g (9.5oz) and uses a 52mm front filter thread. Viltrox says pre-orders will open tomorrow on its website, with a retail price of $ 279.99.

Viltrox also told us to expect other ‘lens(es)’ to launch sometime in May, likely a nod to the 23mm and 56mm F1.4 lenses in Viltrox’s APS-C lineup.

20mm T/2 L-mount cinema lens

Viltrox has also shared the details of its forthcoming 20mm T/2 cinema lens for L-mount camera systems.

The lens will be constructed of 12 elements in 9 groups, include one double-sided aspherical element, four ED elements and one short wave-length, highly-transparent element. Like the 33mm F1.4 APS-C lens, the 20mm T/2 lens offers Viltrox’s ‘HD Nano’ coating on an unspecified number of elements.

The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 25cm (9.8in), has an aperture range of T2 through T16, uses a 14-blade aperture diaphragm and uses an 82mm front filter thread. It will measure in at just over 100mm (4in) long, 80mm (3.15in) diameter at the front and will weigh 808g (28.5oz).

No specific release date or pricing information has been given at this time, with ‘coming soon’ being the only indicator so far. We have contacted Viltrox for more information and will update this article if we receive further information.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Viltrox announces new $280 33mm F1.4 autofocus lens for APS-C systems, teases upcoming 20mm T2 cine lens

Posted in Uncategorized

 

ON1 announces upcoming Android, iOS mobile app set to ship ‘in the first half of 2020’

29 Feb

ON1 has announced it’s currently working on ON1 Photo Mobile 2020, a mobile app for Android and iOS that will be able to both capture and edit Raw images. The app will also sync with ON1 Photo RAW for desktop computers, with the ability to view, edit and sync images across devices.

Not much information is given on the teaser page, but from what information is available, it seems the app is part mobile camera app, part editing tool, with many features taken from ON1 Photo RAW. ON1 says the capture component of ON1 Photo Mobile 2020 will offer ‘pro-level controls you are familiar with on your interchangeable-lens camera’ and ‘is packed full of advanced features.’

As for editing on-the-go, ON1 says the app will offer ‘ the same power as […] in ON1 Photo RAW.’ Specifically, ON1 mentions the ability to enhance shadows, remove distractions, lighten/darken areas ‘and more.’ Put in more parallel terms, it sounds like ON1 Photo Mobile 2020 will offer highlight/shadow controls as well as a healing brush-style tool. Presets and local adjustments will also be available within the app.

The app will also sync with ON1 Photo RAW on your computer to ‘push edits […] back to ON1 Photo Mobile using ON1 Sync,’ a process that provides ‘a complete, open, photo editing and organizing system,’ according to ON1

ON1 says ‘ON1 Photo Mobile 2020 will be available in the first half of 2020’ for Android and iOS devices. No pricing information has been given at this time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on ON1 announces upcoming Android, iOS mobile app set to ship ‘in the first half of 2020’

Posted in Uncategorized

 
« Older Entries