360Photography

Category: Uncategorized

  • Photographer David Burnett with his large-format, wooden camera was the real hero of today’s impeachment hearings

    Photographer David Burnett (L), pictured in the press pack at today’s first public session of the ongoing impeachment hearings.

    As diplomat William Taylor and State Department official George Kent took their seats in the House today to begin their public testimony, their entry was heralded by a noisy fluttering sound, as attendant photographers shot off hundreds of continuous frames on their Canon and Nikon DSLRs. But one man stood alone, among the fray: David Burnett, veteran, multi award-winning photographer, co-founder of ContactPressImages and large format film enthusiast.

    The camera is an ‘Aero Liberator’ – Made by John Minnicks, the Liberator is a custom-made camera, which takes 4 x 5 plates. Judging by today’s footage of David using it, continuous shooting speed is limited to about one frame every five or six seconds.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • You will soon be able to import into Lightroom on iOS directly from external storage

    Adobe has given the public a new sneak peek at a future update for Lightroom on iOS that will simplify the process of importing images into the app. As demonstrated in the above video, Adobe will enable users to directly import images from card readers into Lightroom on iOS, after which point the content is uploaded to the cloud and added to the app’s photo library.

    The ‘seamless importing experience’ will arrive in a future Lightroom update starting with iOS 13.2, according to Adobe’s Tom Hogarty. The company doesn’t provide an exact release date for this update, but says that it will arrive ‘soon.’

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Fujifilm announces upcoming firmware updates for X-T3, X-T30 and other models

    Fujifilm has announced plans to release future firmware updates for its X-T3 mirrorless camera. The first update to version 3.10 will arrive in mid-December, according to a release from the company published on Wednesday.

    The update scheduled for release in mid-December will bring ‘controls for video recording from Gimbal / Drone via USB communications,’ according to Fujifilm, meaning X-T3 owners will be able to use their camera with a drone and gimbal setup that supports the function. This same functionality will also be released for the X-T30 and other models not specified at this time.

    The firmware version 3.20 update is scheduled for release in January 2020 and will bring ‘enhanced autofocus’ with better eye AF frame tracking and face-detection performance, as well as improved autofocus when it comes to foreground subjects. Additionally, versiohn 3.20 will add support for saving up to 9,999 images in each folder on the SD card, a dramatic increase from the current 999 limit.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The Pixel 4 can’t beat a compact camera, but that doesn’t matter

    With its newly improved Super Resolution Zoom, the Pixel 4 makes a case for itself as a replacement for a compact camera with a 4-6x zoom range. The kind you might bring on vacation – something with a sensor that’s a little bigger and a modest zoom that won’t be too cumbersome while you explore your destination.

    I took the Pixel 4 as my primary camera on a recent trip, but just to satisfy my curiosity, packed the Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II alongside it. The Pixel 4 fell short in a couple of ways, but overall it did the job well enough that I wouldn’t have regretted taking it as my only camera. Here’s what it did well, what the dedicated camera still does best, and why I think those differences don’t matter much to most people who take pictures.

    A military fort-turned-prison is kind of a weird place to take someone for their birthday, but my fiancé is into that kind of thing. Plus, it was a great excuse to quote Sean Connery saying ‘Welcome to the Rock,’ for several weeks leading up to the trip. I’d been to Alcatraz before, so I was happy to spend a little more effort and concentration on taking photos.

    As you might imagine, a jailhouse provides lots of low light photography opportunities – a task that the Pixel 4 is well equipped for. Night Sight does a little bit of computational magic to create surprisingly detailed images in low light (and good light for that matter). But even the default camera mode does a very nice job in dim conditions, thanks to its ability to capture multiple frames, analyze them and assemble the best bits into one final image on the fly. In fact, it out-performed the Canon G5 X II in the situations where I tested both.

    The moderately low light images below show the Pixel 4 producing a slightly more detailed, less noise-smudged image in its standard camera mode versus the Canon G5 X II’s out-of-camera JPEG.

    Pixel 4 – 100% crop

    Canon G5 X Mark II – 100% crop

    Zoom is another story. Google has improved the Super Resolution digital zoom in the Pixel 4, boosting image quality thanks to a combo of clever algorithms and the new telephoto lens. The company claims that the camera will produce decent results up to 6x zoom, but admit that zoom is a difficult problem to solve with the current technology.

    Absolutely nobody is claiming that the phone’s 4-6x zoomed images can take on a traditional camera’s zoom pixel-for-pixel, but because I’m curious I checked it out anyway. Both cameras are at 5x zoom in the example below (about 135mm equiv. for the Pixel 4 and 122mm equiv. on the G5 X II).

    Pixel 4 @ 5x digital zoom – 100% crop

    Canon G5 X II 5x optical zoom – 100% crop

    The difference is obvious in the 100% crops above, and can be easily seen even at 50% – but then again how often will those photos be viewed on anything bigger than a computer screen? If I planned on making prints of these images, I’d still want a traditional optical zoom. But I rarely print images and I suspect I’m in the majority of the picture-taking public.

    There was one more Pixel 4 camera feature that I found myself relying on that the G5 X II doesn’t offer: Dual Exposure Controls, which doesn’t mean what you think it means.

    Dual Exposure Control puts a higher level of control over shadows and brightness, along with the ability to adjust them independently of each other, all before image capture

    An advanced compact such as the G5 X II provides plenty of manual controls over exposure settings. What it doesn’t provide is the ability to finely tune shadows and brightness before you press the shutter: you can instead select low, medium or high levels of its Auto Lighting Optimizer.

    The Pixel 4’s Dual Exposure Control gives you direct control over shadows and brightness, along with the ability to adjust them independently of each other, all before image capture. This phone and previous Google devices would do this automatically expose for backlit subjects and high-contrast scenes, but the dual controls allow you to increase or minimize the effect, depending on what you want.

    The Pixel 4’s Dual Exposure Controls allowed me to slightly boost shadows in this image before pressing the shutter.

    Of course the G5 X II offers plenty of editing flexibility with in-camera Raw processing, but control over settings is limited. For anything more advanced than some basic tweaks, you’ll need to take your Raw images into Lightroom or the like. On the Pixel 4, it all happens in-camera.

    This potentially changes how you approach a high-contrast scene. Normally I’d expose for the highlights and bring up the shadows later, which works well but leaves me without an image to share now. This is annoying because social media has robbed me of any patience I once had. The Pixel 4 lets me make those adjustments before I take the photo – rather than having to wait until I can process the image later.

    If I was keeping score, I could award a lot more points in favor of either device. Color science backed by decades of fine tuning, better picture-taking ergonomics, flip-out touchscreen for low angle shots: all points for the traditional camera. Integrated photo storage, seamless image sharing, always in your pocket: point, point, point for the Pixel 4.

    What speaks louder than any arbitrary score-keeping though is the fact that I saw few, if any, compact cameras among my fellow tourists at Alcatraz. I saw mirrorless cameras, DSLRs, a few superzoom cameras and of course, lots of phones. To most of the photo-taking population though, the compact camera – even a really nice compact camera – is already history.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Hands-on: The Sigma fp is shaping up to be an impressive camera for video pros

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    The Sigma fp is the world’s smallest full-frame camera. Built as a hybrid stills / video platform, the fp is highly modular and packed with features that many stills photographers would find esoteric in the extreme. The fp has clearly been designed with filmmakers in mind, and after using one for a few days, we suspect that they’ll love it.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    Measuring 112 x 70 x 45mm and weighing only 422g (just shy of one pound) with a battery and memory card, the aluminum-bodied Sigma fp is a very small, very light camera, considering its sensor format. We’re told that fp stands for ‘fortissimo pianissimo,’ which Sigma is interpreting as ‘very loud and very soft’. One way of interpreting that is ‘a lot of power in a small package’.

    Sigma has achieved the fp’s compactness in a couple of different ways. Firstly, the body is the core of a very modular system. There’s no built-in viewfinder, no integral flash, and no grip. Leaving these things out means some serious space savings, and furthermore there’s no in-body stabilization, and no mechanical shutter, either. The fp is all electronic shutter, all the time. This has one major advantage for stills photographers – totally silent shooting – but a couple of disadvantages: a very slow maximum flash sync speed, and the potential for rolling shutter (‘jello effect’) and banding in some lighting conditions.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    From behind, you can get an idea of the fp’s minimalist ergonomics. The rear of the camera is dominated by a large, touch-sensitive LCD, with only four direct control buttons to the right, plus a control wheel / 4-way controller. The accessory grip adds a protruding thumbrest but without this, the back of the camera is essentially flat. Below the screen you’ll find five more buttons, mainly geared to video shooters.

    Because the form factor of the fp is essentially a flat-sided rectangle, with barely any protuberances anywhere, it’s easy to incorporate into a video rig.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    This view shows the interesting design of the accessory grip, which is formed from a single curve of metal. It also shows off the fp’s very simple upper control layout. A control dial and integrated shutter button, a ‘REC’ button and a very simple ‘Cine | Still’ toggle for fast switching between capture modes. In a nice touch, when the switch is set to ‘Cine’, the switch moves to expose a bright red painted backing, providing quick visual feedback that the camera is set to record video, even when it is powered off.

    Also visible in this shot is a row of vent holes, above the rear LCD. More on those in a moment.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    Here’s the fp without the accessory grip attached. The grip, straps and tripod socket all use 1/4-inch threads, which makes modifying the camera pretty simple and gives videographers multiple attachment point options for incorporating the fp into a cage or shoulder-mounted rig.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    Here are those same vent holes viewed from the base of the camera. The fp is passively cooled, via a large heat sink designed to dissipate heat away from internal components and out of the camera. The system is ‘passive’ to the extent that it does not rely on mechanical fans to do so, hence it will not create any operational sound: a potential issue when shooting video.

    The vents do not lead directly to any of the fp’s delicate innards. As such, if dust or moisture make their way into them, it doesn’t present a problem. The fp is fully weather-sealed at 42 points, and Sigma is confident that the fp should stand up under use in poor weather.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    The fp does not feature an integrated hotshoe, and Sigma has opted not to make an optional EVF. Instead, for cinematographers that really need a viewfinder, there’s the LVF-11 finder, which attaches physically to the rear screen and offers a 2.5X magnification, for precise focus and composition adjustments in (say) bright ambient light.

    While not as flexible as a true electronic finder, for video work the LVF-11 works very well, and the additional stand-off distance from the back of the camera actually ends up being very useful when the fp is built up into a multi-module rig…

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    …a rig like this Zacuto one, where as you can probably imagine, the close proximity of the LCD screen to the operator’s face would make focusing on composition and focus very uncomfortable. With the LVF-11 attached, the operator can both hold the camera and look through the finder in a comfortable working position.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    This rig demonstrates the fp with an optional HU-11 hotshoe adapter attached, allowing for the addition of a range of accessories, such as an external microphone, or of course a flash (assuming you can live with the 1/30sec max flash sync speed).

    It also shows a Samsung T5 SSD drive (right) attached to the fp via USB 3, into which 12-bit CinemaDNG Raw video can be recorded directly.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    Here’s the USB port, alongside the HDMI port and mic socket. The six gold connectors are proprietary, and carry power to the accessory hotshoe unit.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    According to Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki, the fp was developed on the basis of knowledge gleaned from the creation of Sigma’s ‘Cine’ range of Art-series prime lenses. The 35mm T1.5 is shown here, dwarfing the fp. But cine primes are typically heavy things, and every ounce saved from the total setup is precious, especially for filmmakers working with shoulder-mounted rigs.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    We’ve only had a full production-quality fp for a few days, but that’s long enough to form some preliminary impressions. Right now, we’re pretty positive for the most part, with some caveats. Stills photographers might be a little shy of it at first (I did find myself really wishing for a conventional finder, and I’d personally take a bigger body for the sake of IBIS) but with one of the optional grips attached, the fp handles pretty well. The most serious handicap for stills shooting is likely to be rolling shutter, which does introduce distortion in some situations, albeit not to a problematic extent in many shooting scenarios.

    Although the fp uses a contrast-detection autofocus system, it is reasonably fast and responsive (with the L-mount 45mm F2.8 and 14-24mm F2.8 attached) and finds faces and eyes fairly quickly and accurately, assuming your subject is facing the camera. That said, overall autofocus performance is definitely a step behind the best of the mirrorless competition, with noticeable lag (for example) when placing the desired AF point by touch.

    Hands-on with the Sigma fp

    Realistically though, the fp is a video camera that can shoot stills – not the other way round. And video pros have a lot to be excited about. In the fp, Sigma is courting them pretty aggressively, with features like HDR video (coming via firmware), 12-bit Raw video output to an SSD and ‘Directors’ Viewfinder’ which allows filmmakers to simulate the different viewing angles and fields of view of other popular video cameras for framing.

    So that’s the fp, coming soon to a store near you for an MSRP of $ 1,800. With the potential to be a seriously powerful tool for filmmakers, along with some solid stills photography features, the fp is an interesting prospect, and a bold move for Sigma. Watch out for more analysis – including a detailed look at its video capabilities – soon.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Volta packs an 8,000mAh power bank into the handle of a camera rig

    A new Indiegogo campaign is seeking funds for Volta, an 8,000mAh power bank packed into a camera rig top handle. The product features multiple 1/4″ and 3/8″ screw mounts, a removable ‘handle component,’ and two interchangeable 21700 batteries, which are the same power cells used by Tesla.

    The top handle design is presented as a convenient way to tote around an extra power bank — one that, in the case of Volta, features a USB-C port on the front of the handle offering 7.4v versus the 5v commonly offered by commercial external batteries. When Volta isn’t needed as a handle, that component can be removed to use it as an ordinary power bank.

    The team behind Volta presents the device as being akin to the combination of an NPF-970 battery and a top handle, but as noted by DIY Photography, the claim doesn’t quite hold up. The 8,000mAh capacity comes from two 4,000mAh power cells wired in series, which works out to 29.6Wh; Sony’s 6,600mAh NP-F970 7.2v battery, on the other hand, features 47.4Wh.

    Regardless, the Volta is available to back on Indiegogo with pledges starting at $ 32 USD. Shipping to backers is expected to start in December 2019, assuming the campaign is successful and everything goes according to plan.

    Via: DIY Photography

    Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Apple loses patent lawsuit, will have to pay RED royalties for ProRes RAW format

    Apple has failed in an attempt to over-throw patents held by RED that govern methods for compressing Raw video, leaving the company open to paying royalties on its ProRes RAW file format. Apple had tried to show that the technology RED patented around its RedCode codec was obvious and shouldn’t have been granted protection, but the court rejected the claim leaving RED secure to license the lossless compression technique to camera, software and accessories manufacturers.

    It seems that Apple had wanted to avoid paying royalties on the ProRes RAW format it introduced via Final Cut Pro last year, and which is used in some DJI drones, some Atomos recorders and a few other products. The problem is that RED claims ProRes RAW uses technology it owns for compressing those RAW files to make them manageable to work with. RedCode allows Raw video to be captured and compressed in-camera in much the same way that stills cameras do, allowing data directly from the sensor to be recorded and made available for very flexible post-production manipulation.

    RED’s technology allows files to be compressed by ratios of up to 22:1, though it says 3:1 is mathematically lossless and 8:1 is visually lossless. The value of this is not only that it allows video files to be reduced in size, but also that for the same size file videographers can record in higher resolutions to provide the means for heavy cropping and frame splitting in post-production.

    RED President Jarred Land posted on the RED User forum that he was glad the company’s technology remained protected but that the dispute between RED and Apple was just a means to finding where each stood technology-wise so they could continue to work together. He wrote:

    ‘We are pleased to see our REDCODE patents withstand another challenge.

    To be clear, as I mentioned before, this never really was Apple vs. RED. It has always been APPLE + RED, and this was all part of the process defining how we work together in the future.

    RED integration with Apple’s METAL framework for realtime R3D playback is coming along well and the work that the two teams are doing together is exceeding expectations. We are very excited for the new Mac Pro and the new XDR pro display and the power they bring to the entire RED workflow.’

    The ‘another challenge’ refers to a similar attempt made by Sony in 2013.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • PolarPro introduces ultra-lightweight filter systems with active creators in mind

    Today, California-based filter manufacturer, PolarPro, known for their premium ND and polarizing filters for cameras, as well as drones, announced the launch of two toolless, ultra-lightweight filter systems – one matte box, Basecamp, and one landscape filter system called Summit – designed to catapult professional creatives to the next skill level.

    BaseCamp Ultra-lightweight Matte Box System

    A base camp is a pillar of safety, as you head out into the unknown. It’s a haven to take shelter intermittently as battle the elements and push your limits to capture the best possible footage. Camera gear is getting heavier, especially lenses as higher quality optics are implemented. PolarPro designed BaseCamp, the lightest matte box system possible at 438 grams, to alleviate the burden heavier cameras put on operators and gimbals.

    Built on the foundation of PolarPro’s Quartzline series, the toolless Variable Neutral Density configuration allows photographers and filmmakers to adapt to any lighting change instantly without having to swap out filters. Its modular design, constructed out of aluminum and carbon fibers, features a removable flag and hood that allows users to customize it to suit their production requirements.

    Summit Landscape Filter System

    Summit is a new range filter system aimed at photographers. It allows for toolless filter swapping and, like the BaseCamp system, has been designed with a large grip handle to minimize the risk of fingerprints on the filters. Summit filters screw onto the end of your lens and were constructed, with lightweight aluminum, in a fully light-sealed system to prevent light leakage.

    PolarPro is offering $ 100 off the first 300 people who purchase their Summit Landscape Kit, the BaseCamp VND Kit, and their Cores. The BaseCamp VND Kit retails for $ 799, its Core is $ 399, Rectangular Filters are $ 299 each, while Rails Kits come out to $ 119.99 each. The Summit Landscape Kit will cost you $ 699, its Core $ 299.99, both Gradient and Neutral Density Filters $ 249.99 each, and a Circular Polarizer for either the Matte Box or Filter System costs $ 150. All can be purchased on PolarPro’s website.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Plugable’s new 1TB, 2TB Thunderbolt 3 NVMe SSDs offer read speeds up to 2800MB/s

    Computer accessory manufacturer Plugable has announced the release of its updated Thunderbolt 3 NVMe External SSDs, now with 1TB and 2TB capacities.

    The compact drive is constructed of solid anodized aluminum, weighs 173g (6.1oz) and features an integrated 18cm (7in) 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 cable (read: not removable). Plugable claims the drive offers read and write speeds of up to 2800MB per second and 1800 MB per second, respectively, thanks to its PCIe Gen3 x4 connection.

    In our tests with a 1TB review unit Plugable sent our way to test out the claimed speeds, we were able to reach sustained write speeds of 1915MB per second and sustained read speeds of 2331MB per second using the Blackmagic Design Disk Speed test on macOS Catalina.

    A screenshot of our test run on the latest beta of macOS Catalina using a 2016 15.6-inch MacBook Pro with Touchbar.

    These drives are backwards compatible with USB-C connections, but to get the fastest speeds, you’ll want to make sure the computer you’re plugging it into features Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. The drives come pre-formatted with exFAT out of the box, but can be reformatted to work with any other macOS or Windows system.

    The 1TB and 2TB Plugable Thunderbolt 3 NVMe External SSDs are currently available for $ 299 and $ 499, respectively. Plugable is offering a ‘launch discount’ of $ 50 on the 1TB drive and $ 100 on the 4TB drive for an unspecified amount of time. All units come with a 36-month warranty.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Fujifilm X-Pro3 review: living in the moment, not a screen in sight

    $ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryStripV2({“galleryId”:”5133487436″,”isMobile”:false}) })

    Sample photoSample photoSample photoSample photoSample photo
    Silver Award

    85%
    Overall score
    Jump to conclusion

    The Fujifilm X-Pro3 is a 26 megapixel mirrorless interchangeable lens camera built around a clever optical / electronic viewfinder and designed to look like a classic rangefinder.

    This, the third iteration of Fujifilm’s first X-mount camera gains titanium top and base plates but the most noteworthy feature is an LCD panel that faces the back of the camera and needs to be flipped down to use it. The viewfinder and rear screen are the main distinctions between this and the similarly-specced X-T3.

    A low-resolution status panel on the back of the camera speaks to the underlying ethos of the camera, which we’ll look into in more detail on the next page.

    Key Specifications

    • 26MP APS-C BSI CMOS sensor
    • Optical/Electronic hybrid viewfinder
    • Fold down rear LCD
    • Rear-facing Memory LCD status panel
    • Titanium top/bottom plates
    • 4K video at up to 30p, 200Mbps
    • 11 Film Simulation modes, now with ‘Classic Neg’

    The X-Pro3 is available in painted black version with a list price of $ 1799 or with the silver or black hardened, coated surface for $ 1999.

    What’s new and how it compares

    The X-Pro3 looks a lot like its predecessors except for one major change.

    Read more

    Body and controls

    A new titanium top plate, rear ‘sub monitor’ and hidden flip-out LCD round out the major body updates.

    Read more

    First impressions

    Photo editor Dan Bracaglia took a pre-production X-Pro3 on holiday to Northern California. Here are his thoughts on the hidden rear screen.

    Read more

    Image quality

    The X-Pro3 offers the excellent image quality and attractive processing options we saw in the X-T3. It also gains an in-camera HDR mode.

    Read more

    Autofocus

    The X-Pro3’s autofocus is highly capable but requires more user input than the best of its peers.

    Read more

    Video

    Despite its old-skool stills ethos, the X-Pro3 can shoot some impressive video footage.

    Read more

    Shooting with the X-Pro3

    The X-Pro3’s design pushes you to shoot with the optical finder or with the camera at waist level. We found both methods to be limiting and engaging to different degrees.

    Read more

    Conclusion

    The X-Pro3 is an intentionally divisive camera, but one we think will hold a certain appeal for some photographers.

    Read more

    Sample gallery

    The X-Pro3 gains the ‘Classic Negative’ film stimulation. Check out examples of it and more in our hardy samples gallery.

    See more

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)