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Posts Tagged ‘Users’

New Sony a1 firmware update (version 1.10) addresses EVF and IBIS issues some users were experiencing

29 Jun

Sony has released a firmware update for its a1 camera that addresses, amongst other things, in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and electronic viewfinder (EVF) blackout issues some users have been experiencing.

Before getting to the new details of the version 1.10 firmware update for the Sony a1, let’s look at what led to the EVF and IBIS issue being discovered.

Last month, photographer and DPReview forum member Jamieson Dean (f1point4andbethere) shared in a post on our Sony E-mount forum that he was having issues with the IBIS in his then-new Sony a1. In the video demonstration (embedded below) he shared in the post, Dean shows how his Sony a1 unit would delay the activation of the IBIS mechanism with both Sony and third-party lenses.

In replies to Dean’s original forum post, other photographers chimed in and said they too had been experiencing IBIS issues with their respective a1 units, while others also noted there was an issue with the EVF of their a1 units blacking out at times. Eventually, Dean was able to get in contact with Sony to replace his a1, but the new unit had the same IBIS problem. In fact, as visible in the below comparison video, the problem was even more pronounced in the replacement a1.

‘I don’t believe my usage of the camera is outlandish,’ said Dean in a follow-up post. ‘I have had this issue with both my original A1 as well as the replacement that Sony gave me […] It occurs with all non-stabilized lenses, and happens roughly 50% of the time for me during normal use.’

Now, over a month later, it seems Sony has addressed EVF and IBIS issues, even if it hasn’t specifically addressed the latter in its firmware update changelog:

  • Improves overall AF performance and stability
  • Improves operability when using the Remote Camera Tool app Note: Make sure you have updated the Remote Camera Tool app to the most recent version
  • Improves eye sensor detection performance with strong light sources, such as sunlight [this is believed to be the issue behind the EVF blackout problem]
  • Improves operational stability when using the Imaging Edge Mobile apps
  • Improves operational stability when using the SEL100400GM, SEL200600G, or SEL600F40GM lens
  • Improves the overall stability of the camera

As visible in a new video from Dean, the 1.10 firmware update fixes the lag previously seen in both of Dean’s a1 camera units. Dean says ‘the ibis is flawless now’ and notes ‘it’s working at least on par with [his] a7 III now’ in new forum posts made today.

Regardless of whether or not you were experiencing any of these issues, firmware version 1.10 for the Sony a1 appears to be substantial from a reliability and usability standpoint, so be sure to download it using the link below.

Download firmware version 1.10 for Sony a1

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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iPhone Users: Put an AirTag in Your Camera Bag

02 Jun

Apple’s new AirTags are a straight-up gift for photographers. After testing one for the past couple of weeks, I’ll be hiding an AirTag in my scooter, one in my car and another one in my camera bag.
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Strobist

 
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Library of Congress asks Flickr users in US to submit their pandemic-related images

11 Sep

The United States Library of Congress (LOC) is seeking COVID-19 pandemic-related images from photographers based in the United States, it has announced through the photo-sharing website Flickr. The LOC has teamed with Flickr to launch a new group dedicated to these images; anyone can add their images of pandemic life in the US to this group, which will be evaluated by Library curators. Some images will become part of permanent collections.

The opportunity to submit images is open to all photographers — both pro and amateur — located in the US or its territories, according to Flickr, which is home to the new ‘COVID-19 American Experiences’ group. Flickr users must join this group in order to submit their images for the LOC’s consideration.

Library curators will decide which images get added to the Flickr group photo pool and which go on to become preserved in permanent collections. Photographers seeking this distinction should assign a Creative Commons license to their images that will allow the LOC to display the photos on its website if selected, Flickr notes.

Participants are allowed to submit up to five ‘graphic artworks’ or photographs for consideration. The curators are looking for content specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Flickr noting that photographers can submit ‘photos that depict your experiences of the pandemic’ on a variety of topics, including things like street scenes, panic buying, elder care and similar things.

The photos can also depict emotions in relation to the pandemic, such as sorrow, grief or joy. There are a couple of big requirements, however, including that the images must be appropriate for viewers of all ages and that they must meet Flickr’s ‘safe’ guidelines, which means ‘acceptable to a global, public audience.’

The LOC explains that its goal is to expand how much documentation it has on the current pandemic, doing so by tapping the wider public community spanning many more aspects and parts of the US than the photographers and artists already higher for special projects.

As of September 10, the COVID-19 photo group has around 160 images featuring a variety of subjects, including pandemic-inspired graffiti, images of masks for sale, empty parks and restaurants, protesters, close theaters, people wearing masks, medical workers and more.

The Library of Congress is home to vast photo archives, including a large number of photos showing the last major pandemic to impact the world: the 1918 flu that claimed around 50 million lives. The public can view the Library of Congress photo archives on its digital collections website. The photos are joined by collections ranging from archived websites to old newspapers, audio recordings and maps.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google Images launches ‘Licensable’ badge, making it easier for users to identify creators and license images

01 Sep

In collaboration with Shutterstock, Google has announced the launch of licensable images on Google Images. This feature entered beta testing earlier this year and is now fully launched and integrated into Google Images, hopefully benefiting photographers. With the new ‘Licensable’ badge on Google Image search results, viewers can immediately identify which images can be licensed for varying uses and better understand the usage rights of individual images.

Shutterstock worked closely with Google to ensure the licensable images feature works effectively. Of the new features, Shutterstock’s VP of Content Operations, Paul Brennan, says:

‘Google Images’ new features help both image creators and image consumers by bringing visibility to how creators’ content can be licensed properly. We are pleased to have worked closely with Google on this feature, by advocating for protections that result in fair compensation for our global community of over 1 million contributors. In developing this feature, Google has clearly demonstrated its commitment to supporting the content creation ecosystem.’

When an image has specified license information on a website, the image can be displayed with the Licensable badge on image thumbnails in Google Images. This badge indicates to viewers that license information is available for the image and then provides a link directly to the license in the image viewer. From here, someone can learn how the image can be licensed and used.

Here you can see the ‘Licensable’ badge on the bottom left corner of images. When clicking on an image and accessing the image viewer, Google Images displays the creator, where the image can be licensed and also license details for the selected image. Image credit: Google

For Google to be able to discover and index images on a website, the images must be accessible without an account or by logging in. You must also follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and Google Images Best Practices. In addition to these existing steps, the new Licensable badge requires structured data or IPTC photo metadata to follow Google’s new guidelines. You can learn more about these requirements here.

Close-up image of the new image viewer in Google Images. Click to view larger. Image credit: Google

With the introduction of the Licensable badge, search results in Google Images can now be filtered to only display images that include licensing. Further, the dropdown Usage Rights filter has been streamlined, such that it now includes only options for ‘All’, ‘Creative Commons licenses’ and ‘Commercial & other licenses’.

It has long been far too easy for people to search for images on Google and use them without a license or permissions. Today’s changes to Google Images will hopefully reduce image misuse. At the very least, assuming a photographer has taken the steps to ensure their images are properly badged and filtered on Google Images, it will now be much easier for Google Images users to view creator information and licensing requirements.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lightroom CC update for iOS, iPadOS permanently deletes photos and presets for some users

20 Aug

After updating to Lightroom version 5.4 on iOS and iPadOS, numerous users found that photos and editing presets that had not yet been synced to the cloud were missing. Worse yet, Adobe has confirmed that affected users and Adobe itself will be unable to retrieve the missing data.

After reports of lost photos spread around the web on places such as our own forums, Reddit and Adobe’s own forums, Adobe representative Rikk Flohr published a response on the afternoon of August 18. It reads:

‘We are aware that some customers who updated to Lightroom 5.4.0 on iPhone and iPad may be missing photos and presets that were not synced to the Lightroom cloud.

A new version of Lightroom mobile (5.4.1) for iOS and iPad OS has now been released that prevents this issue from affecting additional customers.

Installing version 5.4.1 will not restore missing photos or presets for customers affected by the problem introduced in 5.4.0.

We know that some customers have photos and presets that are not recoverable. We sincerely apologize to any customers who have been affected by this issue.

If you are affected by this issue, please refer to the information in this forum thread.’

Adobe has not issued any additional comments about the incident, nor has it disclosed an estimate of how many users were affected by the issue ahead of the release of Lightroom 5.4.1. When we contacted Adobe this morning, a representative said they have no further statements at this time.

In a thread originally started by Lightroom user Mohamad Alif Eqnur on Adobe’s forums, numerous users chimed in with their own experiences of lost photos, including multiple users who shared that they had lost purchased presets.

Affected customers are understandably very upset, especially given that Adobe’s fix only acts to prevent the issue from happening to additional customers, rather than offering users a solution to restore missing photos and presets.

When issues like this occur, and if it can happen to a giant in the industry like Adobe it can happen to any company, it stands as a reminder that it’s critical to have multiple backups of your images. Further, it’s a good idea to save edits of your photos as sidecar files, so even if a catalog becomes corrupted, you will retain your edit data. These sidecar files can even be read by Adobe Bridge.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Fujifilm confuses users by releasing a promo video for its 8-year-old 35mm F1.4 R lens

05 Aug

The saying goes, ‘better late than never,’ but Fujifilm might be pushing the boundaries of the phrase with its new promotional video.

It’s been eight years since Fujifilm released its XF 35mm F1.4 R lens, but a new promo video showcasing the features of the lens has popped up on the Fujifilm X Series YouTube channel. Understandably, this new promo video has left some Fujifilm users confused and even disappointed, as an upgraded version of this lens is high on the request list of many Fujifilm users.

Unfortunately, this new four-minute video, which showcases numerous Fujifilm X-Photographers talking about the lens, isn’t a teaser for a new, upgraded ‘Mark II’ version or anything of the sort. It’s simply a self-described ‘ode’ to ‘one of the original X mount lenses [that] has captured countless numbers of precious moments over the years.’

The timing is curious, as is ‘The Original’ nomenclature, but the video links directly to a landing page for the XF 35mm F1.4 R, suggesting Fujifilm is still working hard to promote one of the first XF lenses.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon image hosting platform, image.canon, temporarily shut down after loss of users content

03 Aug

Over the weekend, Canon’s cloud media hosting platform, image.canon, suffered an outage that left users unable to login and use the service. No specific information was provided over the weekend, but we now know what went wrong.

In a statement shared on the image.canon homepage, Canon confirmed there’s been an issue with its long-term storage on image.canon that’s resulted in the loss of original image and video uploads. The full notice reads as follows:

Important Notice
Thank you for using image.canon.
On the 30th of July, we identified an issue within the 10GB long term storage on image.canon. Some of the original photo and video data files have been lost. We have confirmed that the still image thumbnails of the affected files have not been affected.
In order to conduct further review, we have temporarily suspended both the mobile app and web browser service of image.canon.
Information regarding the resumption of service and contact information for customer support will be made available soon.
There has been no leak of image data.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

To prevent any further issues, Canon has temporarily shut down both the mobile and web app versions of image.canon. Per the notice, we should have further updates ‘soon.’ We will update this article when further updates are provided.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lumix Tether for Streaming allows some Lumix users to use their camera as a webcam

09 Jun

Following in the footsteps of Canon, Panasonic has released an additional version of its USB tethering software that allows compatible Lumix cameras to be used for streaming to social media and video conferencing applications. Lumix Tether for Streaming (Beta) works in the same way as the standard version of Lumix Tether, but it includes a button that clears the AF box graphics and the control panel from the Live View pane so can be used for broadcasting.

A third-party broadcasting application, such as OBS, is needed to capture the Live View window as the camera’s feed isn’t detected by the computer. An external microphone built-in or plugged-in to the computer is also needed as the camera’s audio isn’t captured via this beta version of Lumix Tether for Streaming.

With Live View quality set to Fine, the feed to the window has a resolution of 1280 pixels on the longest edge, and the Lumix Tether control panels allow users to access many of the camera’s features to control the way the image looks.

The idea of the software, as we have seen recently from other manufacturers, is to offer a free way of streaming for Lumix users, and to allow them to improve the quality of their streaming video beyond that which is usually offered by built-in webcams. The idea will have been sparked by the rise in the number of people using video streaming for work and keeping on contact with family during the coronavirus pandemic.

Like the original version of Lumix Tether, this new beta streaming application is compatible with Lumix G9, GH5, GH5s and Lumix S cameras, but this time Windows 10 is required – there’s no Mac version. Lumix Tether for Streaming can be downloaded from the Panasonic support pages.

Press release:

Panasonic releases ‘LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta)’ software program for PC integrating new LIVE VIEW mode for live streaming purpose

Panasonic has today released a ‘LUMIX Tether for Streaming’ beta software program for Windows, following the conventional ‘LUMIX Tether’ (Version.1.7). The new beta program includes a new display option designed for live-streaming, and makes it easy for the user to self-stream.

Originally, the ‘LUMIX Tether’ software program was designed for tethered shooting and therefore its GUIs, such as the focus area mark or control panels, are displayed with live view images on the PC monitor during USB tethering. However, in response to feedback from customers that these graphic items become a hindrance when the software is used to capture camera view for live streaming, LIVE VIEW mode has been added on ‘LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta)’. This update enables the display of camera-view only, making it easy for the separate streaming software read. Users can now choose to show or hide these graphic items during USB tethering according to the usage purpose.

‘LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta)’ is provided as a pre-release version that is currently still under development. Please note that this software is not eligible for operation warranty and customer support.

Compatible models: DC-GH5, DC-G9, DC-GH5S, DC-S1, DC-S1R, DC-S1H

LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta) Operating Environment

  • OS: Windows 10 (32bit/64bit)
  • CPU: Intel CPU of 1 GHz or higher
  • Display: 1024 x 768 pixels or more
  • RAM: 1GB or more (32bit),2GB or more (64bit)
  • HDD: Free space of 200 MB or more for installation
  • Interface: USB 3.0/3.1

LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta) is now available to download from:
https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/lumixtether.html

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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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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Xiaomi asks users which camera manufacturer it should collaborate with

28 Jan

Collaborations between smartphone camera manufacturers aren’t anything new. We’ve seen Leica labels on Huawei phones, the Zeiss logo on Sony and Nokia handsets and Motorola used to offer a Hasselblad-branded camera module for its Moto Z series. It’s often difficult to tell if the teamwork is mostly marketing-driven or actually happening on an engineering level but one thing is clear: smartphone manufacturers like the logo of a big-name camera brand on their devices.

Chinese company Xiaomi has so far (as far as we know) worked without the help of a big name in the camera business, but it appears this could be about to change. The company launched a survey on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, asking users which camera company it should collaborate with.

Image: Weibo

Options included Hasselblad, Canon and Nikon. The ‘vote’ was won by Hasselblad. There is, of course, no way of knowing if we’ll see a Xiaomi phone with Hasselblad-branded camera anytime soon but out of three camera manufacturers, it would be the most logical choice. It’s the only one with previous experience in the mobile business (through the Hasselblad True Zoom module) and has previously collaborated with other manufacturers in the camera category. In any case, we’d hope a company like Xiaomi does not base strategic business decisions solely on social media surveys.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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