360Photography

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  • Corel PaintShop Pro 2020 launches with new ‘Photography Workspace’ interface

    Software company Corel has taken the wraps off PaintShop Pro 2020 and PaintShop Pro 2020 Ultimate, the newest version of its image editing application. The updated software brings a new Photography Workspace interface designed for photographers who need to make ‘quick edits,’ as well as new tools, performance enhancements and what Corel calls a ‘streamlined workflow.’

    PaintShop Pro 2020’s new Photography Workspace is a touch-ready interface with support for 4K Ultra HD displays. Users get ‘simplified’ access to what Corel considers essential tools used by photographers to make quick image edits. Joining this new interface is an overall streamlined workflow, according to Corel, that includes various features and performance improvements that expedite getting work done.

    In addition to the new interface, PaintShop Pro 2020 brings a new Smart Clone content-aware cloning tool and Refine Brush for selecting objects with ‘extreme accuracy and precision.’ As well, existing tools like Pic-to-Painting are faster than before due to performance enhancements, according to the company. The updated software also brings support for the newest graphics tablets, styluses and new raw camera formats.

    PaintShop Pro 2020 on its own is available from Corel for $ 79.99 USD. The Ultimate version includes PaintShop Pro 2020 bundled with other software, including Painter Essentials, Parallels Toolbox, and more, plus a collection of backgrounds, brushes and textures for $ 99.99 USD.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DPReview TV: Panasonic S1 V-Log firmware update

    Thanks to an optional firmware update, the Panasonic S1 now offers advanced video features historically reserved for the company’s GH series of cameras. Does this make the S1 the best full frame camera for video on the market? The boys in Calgary have been putting it to the test and have the answers.

    Editor’s note: Instead of a sample gallery, we’re providing several ungraded clips from the S1, captured in V-Log, for download so that you can try grading it yourself. (See the links below the chapter markers.) If you have difficulty playing the clips try using the VLC media player.

    Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!

    • Introduction
    • Installation process
    • Recording formats
    • V-Log vs. V-Log L
    • V-Log view assist
    • Waveforms
    • Missing features
    • Wrap-up

    Panasonic S1 V-Log sample download links

    • Close-up with skin tones
    • High contrast landscape
    • High contrast sky
    • High contrast with skin tones

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: Taking natural light portraits in a backyard shed

    Photographer Irene Rudnyk has published a new video demonstrating how she captured portraits in her backyard using a garden shed and natural light. The process was fairly simple, involving a backdrop, large circular reflector, and two-step ladder, the total cost of which was minimal, camera gear aside.

    The portraits were captured using a Mamiya 645 camera with a Mamiya 80mm F1.9 lens and Porta 400 film, as well as on digital using a Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon 85mm F1.2 lens. Two of the portraits captured during the photoshoot are available on Rudnyk’s Instagram account. Rudnyk’s other work can be found on 500px.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The Pinhole Pro X — a pinhole zoom lens — launches on Kickstarter

    On the back of the Pinhole Pro and Pinhole S ‘innovation incubator’ Thingyfy has launched what it is describing as the world’s first pinhole zoom lens. The Pinhole Pro X offers full frame users a range of focal lengths covering 40-60mm, while the APS-C and MFT version has focal lengths of 18-36mm.

    Unlike the usual pin prick in a sheet of aluminium foil, the aperture for these lenses is created by micro drilling, which the manufacturer claims produces a rounder and cleaner hole and thus better image quality. This allows company to create an aperture measuring just 0.25mm in diameter and less than 0.1mm deep. The F-stop values than for the full frame model will be F160-240, and for the APS-C lens F72-144.

    The below video was shot with Thingyfy’s previous pinhole lens, the Pinhole Pro S:

    The metal bodied lens comes in mounts for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A, Sony E, Pentax K, Fujifilm X and Micro Four Thirds. Both the full frame and APS-C models cost $ 69 via the Kickstarter campaign. For more information see the Pinhole Pro X Kickstarter page.

    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)

  • Shoot 5x macro with this DIY 3D-printed 300mm extension tube

    Can’t quite fill the frame with your macro subjects? New Zealander Nicholas Sherlock might have the answer you were looking for as he has shared his plans for a 3D printed macro extension tube that’s helped him achieve a whopping 5x magnification.

    Software developer Sherlock designed and produced his extension tube for his Canon DSLR system, and incorporated electrical contacts to allow the camera and lens to communicate across the 300mm tube, allowing him control of the aperture settings from the camera body as well as metering and focusing functions. When mounted with the Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO Macro DG HSM he is able to fill the frame with subject matter measuring only 7.2×4.8mm/0.28×0.19in with a working distance of 170mm.

    The front and back ends of the tube are fitted with a lens mount and camera mount borrowed from a Kenko 12mm extension tube, and in between Sherlock has printed two lengths of tube measuring 150mm each. He also used gold contacts on either end with connecting cable so information can be passed between camera and lens.

    Below are a few sample images captured with the extension tube:

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    On his Thingiverse profile Sherlock shares detailed information on how he went about making the extension tubes with step-by-step instructions for others to follow. He also lists known issues, advice on what to avoid and warnings about what could go wrong as well as recommended sources of the materials needed. Below is a comparison slipover showing 1x magnification without a tube and 5x magnification with his 300mm extension tube:

    1x magnification 5x magnification

    For more information see Nicholas Sherlock’s 300mm macro extension tube thingiverse page, and his personal website.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • UC Berkeley researchers have created a drone that shrinks to squeeze through small spaces

    Since drones entered mainstream consciousness, people have gotten creative with developing new ideas for how they can be used. Drones can deliver food and other small items. They can even bake cakes or play instruments when configured properly. Now, a team of researchers at UC Berkeley’s High Performance Robotics Laboratory (HiPeRLab) has created a ‘Passively Morphing Quadcopter’ that can temporarily shrink down to squeeze through small spaces.

    While this isn’t the first drone that can compress its shape mid-flight, it is the only one that can shift its shape without using any additional hardware components. This feature helps preserve battery life, enabling the aircraft the fly even longer. Engines enable the arms to rotate freely and constant force springs provide the momentum to change shape. When no thrust is applied, the springs pull the arms into a folded configuration.

    When the drone approaches an opening smaller than it can fit, it can plot a course that allows its arms to retract as it’s flying through a small small space. The rotors shut off and after the drone passes through, it loses a bit of altitude as it powers back up. While this set up can offer up a number of useful real-world applications, like inspecting hard-to-reach areas, there is still work to be done by the HiPeRLab team for it to work in any other scenario where there isn’t a wide open area on the other side of a small space for the drone to squeeze though. Nevertheless, when perfected, it could make for an innovative filmmaking tool.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • SliderMini ultra-portable motorized camera slider can fit in a pocket

    An Indiegogo campaign is seeking funds for SliderMini, an ‘ultra-portable and smooth’ motorized camera slider that’s small enough to fit in a pocket. SliderMini features a lightweight unibody and can support capacities up to 14.9kg (33lbs), offering operators access to three different shooting modes: timelapse, stop motion, and video.

    SliderMini is 2cm (0.79in) thick with a weight of 0.56kg (1.2lbs) and travel length of 20cm (8in). The device features a fully enclosed CNC machined aluminum unibody design and can be controlled using either a hardware button on the unit or the companion mobile app. The Android and iOS apps include 10 timelapse presets, customization options, and more.

    Smartta, the company behind the product, says SliderMini features two advanced functions: Silent Mode, which disables the device’s default beep alert, and Loop Mode, which prompts the sliders to continuously move back and forth until manually stopped.

    The company has fully funded its Indiegogo campaign in which backers are offered a single SliderMini unit in exchange for pledges of $ 399 USD. In its most recent update on the campaign, Smartta said it has started shipping products to backers.

    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)

  • Google reportedly ‘DSLR-like’ attachment for Pixel 4 smartphone

    The upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone introduced by Google in June will reportedly be offered with a ‘DSLR-like attachment,’ according to 9to5Google, which recently leaked details about the model and its larger variant, the Pixel 4 XL.

    The report claims Google is developing this attachment for the new Pixel 4 and that it will possibly be offered as an accessory for the handset. No other details about the attachment were provided, however. Google is expected to launch the Pixel 4 in October and will likely introduce this alleged accessory at the same time.

    The Pixel 4 is expected to feature two rear cameras, a 12MP offering with phase-detect autofocus and a 16MP camera with a telephoto lens. Google confirmed in its June tweet that the Pixel 4 will be the first Pixel model to feature two rear cameras.

    The Pixel 4 is expected to feature two rear cameras, a 12MP offering with phase-detect autofocus and a 16MP camera with a telephoto lens.

    Until now, the Pixel line has featured only a single rear camera (though the Pixel 3 and 3a have dual front cameras), with Google electing to focus on computational photography utilizing artificial intelligence to produce the Pixel’s notable image quality. The inclusion of two front cameras on the Pixel 3 was largely viewed as writing on the wall for the eventual inclusion of two rear cameras on a Pixel phone.

    Despite the company’s substantial AI capabilities, Google’s computational photography faced issues that only hardware could overcome. The inclusion of dual front cameras on the Pixel 3 enables the phone to capture wide-angle selfies. Google will overcome AI limitations surrounding focal length by adding a second rear camera to the Pixel 4.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Tamron issues compatibility notices for lenses adapted to Canon, Nikon mirrorless cameras

    Tamron has issued compatibility notices (Canon, Nikon) for a number of its Di and Di II lenses regarding issues that arise when shooting on Canon and Nikon mirrorless camera systems with their respective first-party lens adapters.

    In the notice, posted in its entirety below, Tamron lists lenses that are currently compatible when the latest lens firmware is applied, as well as lenses that are yet to receive firmware updates. Tamron says it will announce the firmware release dates ‘once they are decided.’

    Tamron also notes that all of its Canon and Nikon mount lenses released starting May 2019 are fully compatible with Canon EOS R, Canon EOS RP, Nikon Z6 and Nikon Z7 camera systems when used with their respective first-party lens adapters.

    Compatibility notice:

    Notice about Canon EOS R and EOS RP compatibility

    Dear users and potential purchasers of Tamron interchangeable lenses.

    Thank you for using Tamron products and for your continuous support.

    We would like to announce that we have clarified compatibility of following Tamron Di & Di II lenses on Canon EOS R and EOS RP with Canon “Mount Adapter EF-EOS R”.

    1. Planned to be released (F/W release dates will be announced once they are decided.)

      SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A012) for Canon (*)
      SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A009) for Canon (*)
      SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD (Model A005) for Canon (*)
      SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD (Model A030) for Canon (*)
      SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD MACRO (Model F004) for Canon (*)

    2. Compatible as they are

      SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A007) for Canon (*)

    3. F/W readily available (Updating to the latest version confirms compatibilty.)

      10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD (Model B023) for Canon
      SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A041) for Canon
      17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di OSD (Model A037) for Canon
      18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD (Model B028) for Canon
      SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A032) for Canon
      SP 35mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012) for Canon
      SP 45mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F013) for Canon
      SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A025) for Canon
      70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD (Model A034) for Canon
      SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F016) for Canon
      SP 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD (Model F017) for Canon
      100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD (Model A035) for Canon
      SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022) for Canon
      SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD (Model A011) for Canon(*)

    4. Operational only in MF (No plan for new F/W.)

      SP AF 28-75mm F/2.8 XR DiLD Aspherical [IF] MACRO(Model A09) for Canon(*)

    5. (*) Not supported in TAP-in Console.

      [Note]
      a. All Canon-mount models released after in May, 2019 are compatible with EOS R and EOS RP.
      b. F/W updates can be performed using Tamrons TAP-in Console (sold seperately) or by visiting your local Tamron Service Center.

    Notice about Nikon Z6 and Z7 compatibility

    Dear users and potential purchasers of Tamron interchangeable lenses.

    Thank you for using Tamron products and for your continuous support.

    We would like to announce that we have clarified compatibility of following Tamron Di & Di II lenses on Nikon Z6 & Z7 with “Nikon mount adapter FTZ”.

    1. New F/W update coming soon

      To be released on 7 August, 2019 (Click here for the updating process.)
      SP 35mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012) for Nikon

      Planned to release in September, 2019 (Exact date will be announced once they are decided.)
      70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD (Model A034) for Nikon
      SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F016) for Nikon
      100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD (Model A035) for Nikon

    2. Planned to be released (Release dates will be announced once they are decided.)

      10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD (Model B023) for Nikon
      SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A012) for Nikon (*)
      SP 45mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F013) for Nikon
      SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD (Model A030) for Nikon (*)
      SP 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD (Model F017) for Nikon
      SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD (Model A011) for Nikon (*)

    3. F/W readily available (Updating to the latest version confirms compatibilty.)

      SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A041) for Nikon
      17-35mm F/2.8-4 Di OSD (Model A037) for Nikon
      18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD (Model B028) for Nikon
      SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A032) for Nikon
      SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Model A025) for Nikon
      SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022) for Nikon

    4. Operational only in MF (No plan for new F/W.)

      SP AF 28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical [IF] MACRO (Model A09) for Nikon (*)
      SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A007) for Nikon (*)
      SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A009) for Nikon (*)
      SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 (Model 272E) for Nikon (*)

    5. (*) Not supported in TAP-in Console.

      [Note]
      a. All Nikon-mount models released after in May, 2019 are compatible with Nikon Z6 and Z7.
      b. F/W updates can be performed using Tamrons TAP-in Console (sold seperately) or by visiting your local Tamron Service Center.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: Sony Tough SD cards torture tested with blender, washer, freezer and more

    Photographer Steve Huff has published a new video in which he subjects Sony’s Tough SD cards to a variety of durability tests involving everything from a washing machine to a blender. According to Sony, it engineered this SD card model ‘for toughness,’ stating on its website that the Tough cards are ‘dust, dirt, water, mud, and grime-proof.’

    The Sony Tough SD card has an IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating, as well as a rib-less and switchless design, which Sony says eliminates ‘risks of breakage.’ Ultimately, the company claims its Tough cards at shock- and crush-proof.

    Of course, this doesn’t mean the cards are indestructible, as demonstrated by Huff. The SD cards were no match for the blender, which immediately rendered them into small bits of plastic and metal. The Sony Tough cards were able to withstand the other tests, however, including cycles through a washer and dryer, being frozen in water, submerged in a pool and left out in sunlight.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)