Wearable devices are the flavor of the season and the digital camera sector is no exception. A little while ago we reviewed the Autographer and now the Lifelogger, which is currently trying to get funded via a Kickstarter project, offers a similar concept. The idea is to record liife events from your point of view with the Lifelogger attached to your ear. It’s similar to how you would wear a bluetooth headset. Learn more
Sony has announced pricing and availability information for its Alpha 7S 12MP mirrorless camera. The Alpha 7S is the first full-frame camera able to read out its entire sensor fast enough to output 4K 30p footage without the need for line skipping or pixel binning. It’s also not constrained by the AVCHD standard with bitrates of up to 50Mbps. The body will be available in July and sell for $ 2,499.99. Learn more
Tokina has officially announced its first optically-stabilized lens – the AT-X 70-200mm F4 PRO FX VCM-S telephoto zoom. Designed for use with full frame SLRs, it has a ring-type ultrasonic motor for autofocus, and the voice coil motor-driven IS system promises three stops of stabilization. When used on APS-C / DX format SLRs, the lens will offer a 105-300mm equivalent zoom range. It will initially be available in Nikon mount, and will go on sale in Japan at the end of May for ¥150,000.
Sony has announced the Cyber-shot DSC RX100 III, the most advanced model yet in its 1″-type sensor range of compacts. The RX100 III gains a pop-up electronic viewfinder, a faster lens and the latest Bionz X processor. The RX100 III’s zoom now extends across a 24-70mm equivalent range, with a maximum aperture of F1.8-2.8. It also includes Wi-Fi and can run Playmemories Camera Apps. Video has also been upgraded – including full-sensor readout 1080p stored at up to 50Mbps in the XAVC S format. Learn more
Based in Manchester, Katie Nattrass is a professional retoucher with an innovative eye for image retouching. Recently featured in Professional Photographer Magazine, Katie’s background in photography strengthens her ability to connect with the needs of clients and photographers. From editorial, fashion and beauty to products and commercial images, she has worked with an impressive array of clients such as Boohoo, Puma, Nike, JD Sports Fashion, Blacks Outdoor Retail and Boots UK. Katie was able to share with us some very valuable insights into post production as well as a quick lesson in Photoshop.
Working for global brands, Katie Nattrass is responsible for perfecting the final images for fashion campaigns using Photoshop. We asked Katie; how did you come to work in this industry?
“I started working as a photography assistant for a top commercial photographer called Matthew Seed; he said I was the strangest assistant he had ever had because I had no desire to get behind the camera. He taught me so much about the industry and business that after three years assisting I flew the nest and became a fully-fledged retoucher. I then went on to work with some amazing clients and work on global campaigns.”
You must sometimes have to work with challenging material. What are the most common mistakes photographers make?
“From a technical aspect I don’t really have to deal with too many ‘mistakes’ as I’m lucky enough now to be working with top end photographers who know what they are doing and what they want. When I first started out retouching I’d spend a lot of time correcting lighting, or emailing photographers explaining that they had lit their models so much that they had blown out any detail in their faces and left nothing but floating eyes. I found that people would literally point four lights at the model and start from there, rather than using one light and knowing what that’s doing first. This just showed a lack of control and a lake of understanding as to what their lights were actually lighting.”
So what does retouching an image involve? We asked Katie to take us through a typical example. Katie has chosen a beautiful image from Boohoo’s spring campaign;
Before
After
“This image was shot on location in Lanzarote by our Head of Studio and Photography Graham Reid. The composition of the image was beautiful; the horizon line fell completely level behind the models, giving a fantastic balance of sky and the volcanic sands.
The first stage was to extend the frame as I knew this was going to be used for outdoor media, rather than crop into the image and loose visibility of the product it makes sense to expand out.
The next stage is the general clean-up of the shot, removing any distracting blemishes, and then sharpening to make it look really eye-catching and crisp.
Then it’s all about achieving the right colour temperature, there is no right or wrong answer here; it’s down to knowing your message and audience. In this case, I wanted to capture the landscape of Lanzarote and story of our shoot, making the image really warm – it’s as if you can feel the sun coming from the billboard. Bringing out the colour of the red sand was also important to give it some depth and make the metallic dress look almost space-like…they could almost be on Mars.
The final two stages are about the contrast and saturation. If you’re using the auto setting in Photoshop then stop right now – retouching is an art and by using auto you’re giving up your creative licence. This part can make or break a shot; you have to show control and watch what you’re doing with every area of the image”.
For more examples of Katie’s work, take a look at her website http://katienattrass.com/
Few compact cameras have garnered as much attention as the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 and RX100 II. Sony had managed to squeeze a much bigger sensor into cameras only a little larger than the Canon S-series enthusiast compacts. The RX100 III continues the tradition by adding a wider, faster 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens and a built-in, pop-up EVF. Along with a 20MP 1″-type sensor, does the RX100 III remain the ultimate compact for enthusiasts? Learn more in our First Impressions Review
The Google Photo Sphere 360-degree panorama feature was introduced in November 2012. However, until now, viewing 360-degree panoramas not created with Google Camera or a compatible app was a slightly cumbersome process. Google has now changed that with an update to Google+. Learn more
Lytro’s new Illum camera packs in a few tricks that will appeal to some still photographers, but its aim is really to introduce a new type of imagery. Time will tell if that medium succeeds. Technology writer Liam McCabe spoke with a few players in the light field camera industry to get a sense of where this technology is headed in the next few years and beyond. Learn more
Lenovo has launched a 10-inch version of its ThinkPad tablet. Running Windows 8.1, the ThinkPad 10 is aimed at professionals and business users. The use of the optional ThinkPad Tablet Dock allows you to turn the tablet into a full-blown workstation. In terms of imaging, the ThinkPad 10 comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front-equivalent. Lenovo promises 10 hours of battery life. Learn more
Nokia’s Camera Beta for Windows Phone is arguably one of the best camera apps for enthusiast users. It combines comprehensive manual control with an excellent user interface. Now Nokia has released an update that makes the app even better. It now supports continuous autofocus and surround sound capture. Learn more