RSS
 

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

DJI drones temporarily banned in UK after reports of them falling from the sky

01 Nov

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has banned a number of DJI drones from flights over human beings as investigations are carried out into the cause of some models falling out of the sky. Matrice 200 series models and the Inspire 2 have had temporary flying restrictions applied to them as they use the DJI TB50 and TB55 battery packs that are suspected of failing mid-flight.

The authority states that “a small number of incidents have been recently reported where the aircraft has suffered a complete loss of power during flight, despite indications that there was sufficient battery time still remaining.” While the drones in these incidents themselves have suffered damage from the incidents no third-party persons or property has been affected as a result.

The cause of the fault remains unclear at the moment, and not all of these models of drone seem to suffer from it, but investigators believe the common link is the batteries in use. DJI itself is advising customers to ‘fly with caution’ when using drones that use these batteries as it says they can show incorrect power levels. The company suggests users follow the guidance of the CAA ‘out of an abundance of caution’, and say they are working on firmware to fix the problem.

In addition to the temporary ban on flights over people the CAA has also suspended permissions to fly these models:

  • over or within 150 metres of any congested area;
  • within 50 metres of any persons;
  • within 50 metres of any, vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the SUA Operator or remote pilot of the SUA;
  • over or within 150 metres of an open air assembly of more than 1,000 persons; or
  • using EVLOS

DJI seems to have suspended sales on its website of the Matrice 200 series models. For more information see the DJI newsroom, and the CAA website.

CAA Safety Notice:

Civil Aviation Authority
SAFETY NOTICE
Number: SN–2018/009

Small Unmanned Aircraft

Issued: 31 October 2018

DJI Battery TB50 and TB55 In-Flight Power Failures

This Safety Notice contains recommendations regarding operational safety.
Recipients must ensure that this Notice is copied to all members of their staff who need to take appropriate action or who may have an interest in the information (including any ‘in-house’ or contracted maintenance organisations and relevant outside contractors).

2 Introduction
2.1 This Safety Notice supersedes and revokes Safety Notice SN–2018/008.

2.2 This Safety Notice applies to operators of multi-rotor small unmanned aircraft utilising DJI battery model TB50 or TB55, including all DJI Matrice 200 series (which includes the 200, 210 and 210 RTK platforms) and the DJI Inspire 2 (the “Affected SUA”).

2.3 A small number of incidents have been recently reported where the aircraft has suffered a complete loss of power during flight, despite indications that there was sufficient battery time still remaining. In each case, this resulted in the aircraft falling directly to the ground due to the immediate loss of lift with the remote pilot unable to control its subsequent flight path. The small unmanned aircraft were damaged upon impact, but the CAA has not received any reports of injuries to people or other property.

2.4 Investigation by the manufacturer has confirmed that this issue is not confined to any specific firmware version and is thought to be related to the batteries TB50 and TB55. The full details of the occurrences are still being investigated.

2.5 The purpose of this Safety Notice is to highlight the requirement for the SUA operator and/or remote pilot to be reasonably satisfied that the flight can be safely made (Air Navigation Order 2016 (ANO) article 94(2)), restrict overflight of persons at any height and to temporarily limit the scope of any operational authorisations issued to operators of the Affected SUA.

Civil Aviation Authority Safety Notice SN–2018/009

3 Compliance/Action to be Taken
3.1 This Safety Notice requires the following actions to be taken:

a) Provisional Suspension of Operations

i) In accordance with Air Navigation Order article 257 and 257(2)(c) operators of Affected SUA are hereby directed not to permit any flight that involves overflight of any persons at any height until further notice.

ii) In accordance with Air Navigation Order article 253, any element of a permission based on an Operational Safety Case (OSC), issued by the CAA to an SUA operator which permits the operation of an Affected SUA to be operated:

* over or within 150 metres of any congested area;
* within 50 metres of any persons;
* within 50 metres of any, vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the SUA Operator or remote pilot of the SUA;
* over or within 150 metres of an open air assembly of more than 1,000 persons; or
* using EVLOS

is provisionally suspended until further notice.

iii) These limitations will be subject to regular review. As soon as further updates have been obtained from the manufacturer, and the CAA is satisfied that this has been addressed in a satisfactory manner, the CAA will then issue a further update via the SkyWise alerts portal on the CAA website.

b) Emergency Services Operations

i) Due to the unique nature of emergency services operations, the privileges contained within General Exemption E 4506 (ORS4 No. 1233) may continue to be exercised whilst using the Affected SUA, provided that the potential risks highlighted in this Safety Notice have been considered within the decision to proceed and the overflight of uninvolved persons is minimised.

4 Queries
4.1 Any queries or requests for further guidance as a result of this communication should be addressed to the following e-mail address: uavenquiries@caa.co.uk, with the subject line ‘Safety Notice – DJI Battery TB50 and TB55 In-Flight Power Failures’.

5 Cancellation
5.1 This Safety Notice will remain in force until further notice

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DJI drones temporarily banned in UK after reports of them falling from the sky

Posted in Uncategorized

 

The thing that impresses me most about Leica? Its innovation

01 Nov
Ok, so maybe there’s still room for innovation when it comes to memory card access.

It might sound odd to discuss the innovations of a company whose best-known product is anachronistic to the point that you have to take the baseplate off to change the film memory card, but I’m serious.

I know I’m supposed to be impressed by the company’s history, its (rather outdated) use as a press camera and the stellar reputation of its lenses. But I’m not, especially*.

I love that Leica doesn’t just have crazy ideas, but that it turns them into workable, purchasable products.

It’s not that the lenses aren’t great. It’s just that I’m not terribly impressed a company’s ability to make single focal length, manual focus lenses good when money’s essentially no object and you can individually correct every one if you have to. My experience of working as an engineering journalist always reminds me that it’s many times harder to produce a kit zoom that has to offer decent performance at multiple focal lengths, offers fast autofocus for both stills and video, includes image stabilization and can be made with a degree of consistency for something like $ 35.

But while I’m not that fussed about all that ‘red dot’ business, I love that Leica doesn’t just have crazy ideas, but that it turns them into workable, purchasable products. Even if they’re not necessarily the most affordable ones.

Take an ‘e’ (off the word Monochrome)

The Bayer color filter array is amazing. It lets spectrally-indifferent sensors perceive color and does so with a good level of resolution and fairly few downsides. Except that it steals around a stop of light.

I love the idea of a mono-only second camera. But perhaps not one that costs more than my (admittedly ludicrous) road bike.

So why not make a mono-only camera? None of the softness and noise that comes from demosaicing, and better, cleaner image capture because you’re not letting a series of color filters absorb half your light. That’s a great idea, why doesn’t someone do that?

Well, Leica has, with the Monochrom series of cameras. They do exactly what you’d hope: produce super-detailed mono images.

Of course, given that you have only one ‘color’ channel, it becomes more important than ever to avoid clipping, so I wish there was monochrome camera that didn’t meter by looking at the light reflected off the stripes painted on its shutter blades. Also, since it would need to be a second camera for me, I’d prefer it to cost less than a small car. But I have to applaud Leica for doing it, rather than just thinking about it.

What’s the opposite of Iconoclasticism?

Again, who would have thought it’d be Leica: a camera brand that added a faux winder lever onto its latest camera, that would design one of the most innovative user interfaces of the past decade?

Love it or hate it, the icon-led touchscreen interface of the Leica T series is one of the few genuine attempts we’ve seen to completely re-think how you should interact with a camera and its settings. Interestingly, the person I’ve met who dislikes it most is also one of the few I know who owns a digital Leica rangefinder (though that could be because the first iteration had some interesting quirks). Personally, though, I thought the design struck a good balance between command dials that controlled the primary exposure parameters while letting you tap and swipe the settings, just as you might on a smartphone. Certainly an ambitious thing for a ‘traditional’ camera company to do.

Settings? There’s an app for that

On the subject of smartphones, it’s long been suggested that they might provide a solution to the uncontrolled menu sprawl that’s overwhelming even the best-designed modern UI. Connecting cameras to smartphones over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is becomes ever more easy and ever more commonplace, just as the complexity of menu options becomes unbearable, so why not pass-off responsibility for settings to the phone?

Handing off responsibilities for camera settings to a smartphone app makes great sense. I’m not sure the same is true of taking away the rear screen or adding a faux-winder ‘thumb rest.’

And, if looked at from a certain angle, that’s what Leica’s M10-D does. I’m not necessarily convinced that it made sense to keep going and take the entire LCD screen away but pushing set-and-forget settings off to a smartphone app I could get behind. An app can offer a nicer interface with better guides and instructions, meaning the on-camera interface can be stripped back to focus on the main shooting parameters. But perhaps leave me a screen, eh, Leica?

You can’t be serious?

I don’t want flippant tone to completely undermine my sincerity. I genuinely am more impressed with Leica’s innovative thinking than the specifics of its products. I’d love to see some of them more widely adopted. Like having a 36 x 24mm image capture area, that might take off.

* Full marks to every comment or blog post concluding that I don’t ‘get’ Leica. To be clear, I love shooting with its rangefinders. They deliver a unique shooting experience that every keen photographer should strive to have. Even if I wouldn’t necessarily recommend spending the cost of a hatchback (or a nice road bike) on one. [Return to text]

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on The thing that impresses me most about Leica? Its innovation

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Yongnuo teases YN450 mirrorless camera with Android, 4G connectivity

01 Nov

Chinese company Yongnuo has revealed plans to launch an Android-based mirrorless camera. The model is being referred to as “YN450,” but Yongnuo is soliciting name suggestions in a new contest on its Facebook Page. The public has until January 2019 to submit their name ideas.

The Yongnuo mirrorless interchangeable lens camera features 4G connectivity and runs on the Android operating system, which is accessible via a touchscreen display that covers the entire back of the camera. PhotoRumors elaborates on the Facebook post, claiming the YN450 camera will feature a memory card, headphone jack, 4000mAh battery, 4K/30fps video recording, support for RAW files, and built-in GPS.

Yongnuo will reveal the model’s final name in January 2019 and send contest winners a YN50mm F1.8C/N YONGNUO lens. As noted by MirrorlessRumors, the January date hints at a possible CES 2019 unveiling, though the company hasn’t confirmed the rumor.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Yongnuo teases YN450 mirrorless camera with Android, 4G connectivity

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Lexar announces ‘the world’s largest’ A2 microSD card

01 Nov

Longsys has announced the world’s largest A2 microSD card under the Lexar brand name.

The impending 512GB Lexar High-Performance 633x microSDXC UHS-I card meets the Application Performance Class 2 (A2) requirements, meaning it has a minimum write speed of 2000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) and a minimum read speed of 4000 IOPS. In the case of this particular Class 10 card with a V30 rating, that means it can read up to 100MB per second and write up to 70MB per second.

This particular card is designed more for smartphones and tablets, but can also be used in various action cameras and drones that use microSD cards for storage. Based on the speed, this particular card should handle 4K/30 video and 1080p/120 video without any hassle.

Lexar says the card has been tested in the “Lexar Quality Labs with more than 1,100 digital devices, to ensure performance, quality, compatibility, and reliability.” It claims an operating temperature range of 0°C/32°F to 70°C/158°F, storage temperature range of -25°C/-13°F to 85°C/185°F, and a humidity range of 5-95 percent.

Lexar said the card is expected to hit shelves by the end of October for an MSRP of $ 299.99, and has the card up on its website, but the 512GB version isn’t yet available from any retailers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Lexar announces ‘the world’s largest’ A2 microSD card

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Dubblefilm launches new Jelly film with bright pre-exposed colors

01 Nov

Analog photography company Dubblefilm has unveiled a new film stock called Jelly. This 35mm C-41 200 ISO pre-exposed film adds highly saturated blue, red, green, orange, and yellow colors to photos, the effect being random through the film to offer “the purest form of serendipity.” Some parts of the film lack tint for “occasional bits of reality creep through,” the company explains.

Below is a collection of sample images provided by Dubblefilm:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_0225536190″,”galleryId”:”0225536190″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

This is the 5th film Dubblefilm has launched in collaboration with European company KONO! The Reanimated Film. Jelly can be processed and scanned by “any mini-lab,” according to the company, which is offering the product for €12.00/USD$ 13.50 per 24 exposure roll through Dubblefilm’s website and at select retailers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Dubblefilm launches new Jelly film with bright pre-exposed colors

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Lens Rentals calls the Z7 the ‘best built mirrorless full-frame camera we’ve taken apart’

31 Oct

In case you were wondering what’s packed inside the Nikon Z7 and how well constructed it is, Lens Rentals has kindly cracked one open so you don’t have to, as promised in its EOS R teardown.

The camera equipment rental and repair business, famous for its camera teardowns, has documented the process of taking the Z7 apart, showing pictures of the weather sealing, electronic design, internal structure, and component layout of Nikon’s flagship full-frame mirrorless camera.

Roger Cicala, the man behind the teardown and founder of Lens Rentals, praises the extensive weathersealing protection from ingress of dust and moisture in the camera’s construction, and says the joints in the body are overlapped, screwed together and then covered by adhesive and rubber. He’s also impressed with the neatness of the electronics and the way the boards are packed into the body without leaving much space between them, especially with the in-body image stabilization.

“[The IBIS] noticeably more compact, has less travel than the Sony system, and seems more robust,” says Cicala. “From our focus on repair, we see this as a good thing – early Sony IBIS systems would sometimes move enough to jam and/or break. (To be clear, that’s not an issue with newer Sony cameras. I point this out just to show that the manufacturers have been watching each other.)”

Cicala’s only concerns seem to be that the diopter adjustment knob might not stand being pulled out and pushed in multiple times in rental models, and that the tripod screw isn’t as deep as some, so runs the slight risk of a long thread busting through it.

In conclusion Cicala says “I’m impressed by the very solid construction of the chassis and IBIS unit. I’m impressed with the neat, modern engineering of the electrical connections […] I’m not here to tell you which camera is best to use or has the best performance. I’m just here to say this is a damn well-built camera, the best built mirrorless full-frame camera we’ve taken apart.”

Go to the full teardown on Lens Rental’s website to see more photos and a more thorough take with all his comments. And remember, don’t try this at home!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Lens Rentals calls the Z7 the ‘best built mirrorless full-frame camera we’ve taken apart’

Posted in Uncategorized

 

DJI unveils Mavic 2 Enterprise, a commercial-oriented drone with modular accessories

31 Oct

DJI has unveiled the Mavic 2 Enterprise, a modular version of its Mavic 2 Zoom drone designed specifically for businesses, governments, educators and other professionals.

At its core, The Mavic 2 Enterprise is effectively a Mavic 2 Zoom drone with a few tricks up its sleeve. It has the same 4K video capabilities, 2x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom, and 31-minute flight time. But in addition to the standard features, DJI has added a few unique features that will help it perform in more demanding environments.

The battery inside The Mavic 2 Enterprise is “self-heating,” which DJI says will enable it to operate at much cooler temperatures than your run-of-the-mill Mavic 2 Zoom. DJI has also beefed up storage, adding 24GB of storage, three times what the Mavic 2 Zoom offers. There’s also new security features, including a GPS timestamping feature and a new password protection feature that will make users type in a code every time the drone is activated, accesses the onboard storage, or connect with the controller.

To help with various needs such as search and rescue operations and inspections, DJI has also created three add-on accessories: The M2E Spotlight, the M2E Speaker, and the M2E Beacon.

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_7312418918″,”galleryId”:”7312418918″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The M2E Spotlight is a 2,400-lumen dual spotlight designed to help “operators in carrying out missions in dark or low-light areas.” The M2E Speaker is a 100-decibel loudspeaker that can have up to ten customized recordings for blaring in emergency situations. The The M2E Beacon is a strobe build with the FAA’s Night Waiver standards in mind, meaning the drone will be visible up to three miles away, be it for other drone operators or pilots of manned aircrafts.

The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Universal Edition includes the drone, a remote controller, one battery, all three mountable accessories, and a protector case with flight tools. It’s set to retail for $ 1,999 USD and is available through DJI Enterprise resellers around the world. To find out more information, head on over to DJI’s product page.

There is also an optional “Fly More Kit” that includes two batteries, a battery charging hub, a car charger, a USB connector, a soft case, and two propellers for $ 419 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DJI unveils Mavic 2 Enterprise, a commercial-oriented drone with modular accessories

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Samsung announces two new 1/2-inch sensors likely destined for future Galaxy devices

31 Oct

Recent flagship smartphones have shown the newest arms race in the world of mobile photography is how many lenses you can stick on a device, but Samsung isn’t giving up on the megapixels yet. Samsung has announced a new pair of half-inch image sensors destined for future smartphones: the 48-megapixel GM1 and 32-megapixel GD1.

Both the 48MP ISOCELL Bright GM1 and 32MP ISOCELL Bright GD1 have 0.8?m pixels and are backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensors that use Samsung’s latest pixel isolation technology, nicknamed ISOCELL Plus. They also use Samsung’s Tetracell technology, which merges four pixels together to create a single pixel that’s more effective in low-light environments. Samsung claims “the GM1 and GD1 can deliver light sensitivity equivalent to that of a 1.6?m-pixel image sensor at 12MP and 8MP resolution, respectively.”

Both sensors support gyro-based electronic image stabilization and the 32MP GD1 supports real-time HDR image capture.

Samsung expects the ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 to be in mass production by the end of 2018, which would likely pave the way for an appearance in future Samsung Galaxy devices in 2019.

Samsung Introduces Two New 0.8?m ISOCELL Image Sensors to the Smartphone Market

Ultra-small pixel size combined with ISOCELL Plus and Tetracell technologies enhance sharpness and detail in smartphone photos

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced two new 0.8-micrometer (?m) pixel image sensors – the 48-megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and the 32Mp ISOCELL Bright GD1.

“Demand for ultra-small, high-resolution image sensors are growing as smartphones evolve to deliver new and more exciting camera experiences for users,” said Ben K. Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With the introduction of our cutting-edge 0.8?m-pixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 image sensors, we are committed to continue driving innovation in image sensor technologies.”

As cameras are becoming a key distinguishing feature in today’s mobile devices, smartphone makers are faced with the challenge to fit multiple cameras into the sleek designs of their latest flagships. At a reduced pixel size, the new sensors provide greater design flexibility, enabling camera module manufacturers to build smaller modules or pack more pixels into existing designs, and consequently allowing smartphone makers to maximize space utilization in slim, bezel-less smartphones.

The GM1 and the GD1 sensors are based on the company’s latest pixel isolation technology – the ISOCELL Plus* – which optimizes performance especially for smaller-dimension pixels, making them the ideal solution for today’s super-resolution cameras. In addition, thanks to Tetracell technology, where four pixels are merged to work as one to increase light sensitivity, the GM1 and GD1 can deliver light sensitivity equivalent to that of a 1.6?m-pixel image sensor at 12Mp and 8Mp resolution, respectively. The sensors also support Gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) for fast and accurate image capture.

A real-time high dynamic range (HDR) feature is added to the GD1 to deliver more balanced exposure, richer color and detail when filming selfie-videos or streaming live video content even in low-light, high-contrast environments.

The Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 are expected to be in mass production in the fourth quarter of this year.

*Samsung first announced its ISOCELL technology in 2013, which reduces color-cross talk between pixels by placing a physical barrier, allowing small-sized pixels to achieve higher color fidelity. Based on this technology, Samsung introduced the industry’s first 1.0um-pixel image sensor in 2015 and 0.9-pixel sensor in 2017. In June 2018, Samsung introduced an upgraded pixel isolation technology, the ISOCELL Plus.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Samsung announces two new 1/2-inch sensors likely destined for future Galaxy devices

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Apple unveils new 2018 iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and Apple Pencil

31 Oct

Today, Apple announced updated MacBook Air, iPad Pro, Mac Mini, and Apple Pencil models at its event in Brooklyn, New York. Both the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air received considerable design changes, including the addition of Touch ID to the latest MacBook Air model and an elimination of the home button from the new 11″ and 12.9″ iPad Pros. This follows last month’s iPhone event.

The 2018 iPad Pro swaps Touch ID for Face ID, the face-scanning security technology first introduced with the iPhone X. Both the 11″ and 12.9″ 2018 iPad Pro models feature an all-screen design with Liquid Retina displays, rounded corners, flat edges, and a 5.9mm thickness, making them the thinnest iPads to date.

The new iPad Pro features Apple’s A12X Bionic chip with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, as well as a new performance controller that Apple says allows all eight cores to be used at once. This is joined by Apple’s own seven core GPU, which the company claims offers “console-quality graphics.” As rumored, Apple has replaced the Lightning connector with USB-C.

Apple is offering the new 2018 iPad Pro tablets in space gray and silver with 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations; both WiFi-only and WiFi+cellular options are available. Prices start at $ 799 USD for the 11″ model and $ 999 USD for the 12.9″ model.

Full details on the new iPads are available here.

The two new iPad Pro tablets are joined by an updated Apple Pencil, the stylus that originally launched as an iPad Pro exclusive. The new Pencil model charges wirelessly and attaches magnetically to the iPad Pro’s edge. This eliminates the highly criticized Lightning connector found on the bottom of the original Apple Pencil. The updated model likewise packs a touch sensor that can detect taps, which Apple describes as a new way to interact with apps.

Joining the new iPad Pro models is the fabled MacBook Air update, which brings Touch ID to the Apple laptop, as well as a 13″ Retina display, faster SSD options, a Force Touch trackpad, an Apple T2 Security Chip, Thunderbolt 3, and wide stereo audio. Other features include a FaceTime HD camera, the ability to display 48% more color than the previous Air generation, an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and Intel UHD Graphics, up to 13 hours of battery life, and a new “wedge-shaped” design.

Apple is offering the 2018 MacBook Air starting at $ 1,199 USD. More information on the laptop can be found here.

Joining the MacBook Air is a new Mac Mini with quad-core and six-core processor options, up to 64GB of RAM, the Apple T2 Security Chip, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and what Apple says is five times faster performance than the previous model. The updated model boasts 10Gb Ethernet, all-flash storage in capacities up to 2TB, HEVC video transcoding up to 30 times faster than before, and an enclosure that’s the same size as the previous model.

Apple says it used entirely recycled aluminum for the enclosure and increased its use of post-consumer recycled plastic for parts. The company claims these two things combined reduce the Mac Mini’s carbon footprint by almost 50%.

The 2018 Mac Mini is available from Apple now starting at $ 799 USD. More information on the model can be found here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Apple unveils new 2018 iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and Apple Pencil

Posted in Uncategorized

 
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »