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Leica releases Elpro 52 close-up lens adapter

10 Aug

Leica has announced the Elpro 52, a new close-up converter lens for select Leica M and TL lenses.

As its name suggests, the Elpro 52 can be screwed onto the front of any Leica M and TL lens that has a 52mm front filter thread. It also comes with stepping ring adapters so it’ll work with 46mm and 49mm front filter threads as well, making it compatible with more than 20 different lenses.

‘The Leica Elpro 52 will expand upon the capabilities of selected Leica M- and TL-Lenses, making them more suitable for macro photography,’ says Leica in the press release. ‘This lens holds true to the standard focusing and aperture settings Leica is known for, and ensures a light-weight and compact style as to not interfere with the lens handling while mounted.’

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The lens is available now for $ 395. It comes with the two aforementioned stepping rings and a protective case to house it all.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Five things to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s camera

10 Aug

Five things to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s camera

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 made its debut today at a high-profile launch event in New York. While we knew not to expect any new camera hardware thanks to numerous leaks, we still found a few interesting new features under the hood.

It has a two stabilized cameras, one of which is dual aperture

First: the hardware. The Note 9 seems to be basically using the S9+’s camera (flipped sideways of course) and that’s not a bad thing. Both lenses are stabilized (a tradition the Note 8 started) and are coupled to a 12MP sensor. The wide-angle camera carries over the F1.5/2.4 dual aperture feature Samsung introduced in the S9+, which isn’t terribly useful in real-world shooting. Based on our experience with the S9+, we expect very nice image quality from the wide-angle camera, and slightly disappointing results from the telephoto side.

It tells you when you took a bad photo

While there’s no new hardware to speak of, the Note 9 camera boasts some new AI. A feature called ‘Flaw detection’ can be toggled on and off in the camera settings menu, and presents the user with an on-screen indication when it detects a photo is too blurry, backlit or a subject is blinking. In our quick test the feature worked as advertised, and the notification isn’t too obtrusive.

It will optimize image settings based on scene detection

Another intelligent feature is Auto Scene Optimization, shortened to just ‘Scene optimizer’ on the menu screen pictured above. Samsung says this mode identifies subject matter and sorts the photo into one of 20 categories automatically. Saturation, white balance, brightness and contrast are adjusted accordingly.

It can automatically correct distorted faces

Here’s one we found in the camera settings menu: automatic distortion correction for faces. We don’t know anything more about it other than the feature can be toggled on and off in the camera settings menu. If the results look natural it could be a nice feature, especially when using the camera’s wide-angle lens with subjects positioned toward the edge of the frame – speaking from personal experience, you can take a really unflattering selfie that way.

It comes with a remote trigger

Now that the S-Pen supports Bluetooth Low Energy it can double as a remote shutter trigger. A single button press will take a photo, and a double button press will switch between cameras. The pen now needs a battery, of course, but Samsung says it charges in under a minute in the phone.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon’s 3rd teaser video showcases the ‘Body’ of its upcoming full-frame mirrorless camera

09 Aug

Nikon has released the third teaser for its upcoming full-frame mirrorless camera. Following up on Travel of Light and Mount, the third teaser is called ‘Body: The Evolution of Nikon Quality.’

The video opens up with a few shots of cameras from Nikon’s past as a narrator says ‘all the expertise Nikon has acquired over the past 100 years has been poured into this camera.’ Of course, ‘this camera’ refers to the impending full-frame mirrorless system set to be announced on August 23rd.

A slightly-brightened screenshot from Nikon’s teaser video

After multiple detail shots of older Nikon cameras, the video teases yet another outline of the yet-to-be-seen mirrorless camera. The shot appears almost identical to that seen in the ‘Mount’ teaser video, but this time there seems to be an unrecognizable lens attached to the camera.

A screenshot from Nikon’s ‘Mount’ teaser video — note the absence of the Nikon branding on the viewfinder bump, something we now have a glimpse of in the ‘Body’ teaser.

The teaser also shows Nikon branding on the front of the viewfinder bump, a detail missing from past teaser videos.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Epson FastFoto FF-680W, world’s fastest personal photo scanner, now available

09 Aug

Epson has launched its new FastFoto FF-680W High-Speed Photo and Document Scanning System, a model it claims is the fastest personal photo scanner currently available. At max speed, the FastFoto FF-680W can scan a photo every second at 300dpi (up to 36 photos per batch).

The FF-680W, which builds upon the existing FF-640 model, supports a variety of media types, including Polaroids, postcards, and panoramic photos, as well as scanning in 300dpi (“easy sharing”), 600dpi TIFF (“archiving”), and 1200dpi (“enlarging”) modes. More than one mode can be used per photo batch. The scanner also supports document scanning with OCR.

Both USB and wireless connectivity is supported. Users can directly share scanned images to Google Drive and Dropbox, capture handwritten notes on the back of an image during a single scan, and perform modest photo restoration and edits using Epson’s ScanSmart software.

The Epson FastFoto FF-680W scanner is available through the company’s website and at select retailers, including Amazon, for $ 599.99 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung starts mass producing high-performance 4TB QLC SSDs for consumers

09 Aug

In 2016, Samsung launched a 4TB SSD with a prohibitively expensive $ 1499 price tag. In a statement this week, Samsung revealed that it has started mass producing a less expensive variant, ushering in the industry’s first 4-bit quad-level cell (QLC) 4TB SATA SSDs. The 4TB model will be part of a consumer QLC SSD lineup released later this year alongside 1TB and 2TB capacities.

…its new 1-terabit V-NAND chip enables it to efficiently produce 128GB cards for mobile devices

The three new consumer-tier QLC SSDs will utilize a 2.5″ form factor, making them compatible with a variety of PCs and external enclosures. According to Samsung, these SSDs have a sequential read speed of 540MB/s and write speed of 520MB/s, offering the same performance as 3-bit drives via the use of TurboWrite tech and a 3-bit SSD controller.

In a press release, Samsung executive VP of memory sales and marketing Jaesoo Han said, “Samsung’s new 4-bit SATA SSD will herald a massive move to terabyte-SSDs for consumers.” In addition, the company says its new 1-terabit V-NAND chip enables it to efficiently produce 128GB cards for mobile devices, paving the way for high-performance mobile storage.

Prices and release dates haven’t been revealed yet.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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AirSelfie2 pocket-sized camera drone launches with slight improvements

09 Aug

AirSelfie2, an update to the original AirSelfie drone launched in late 2016, is now available for purchase. The new model, which was introduced during CES 2018, improves upon the original AirSelfie by increasing the camera resolution from 5MP to 12MP, including a 16GB integrated microSD card versus the original’s 4GB capacity, and increasing flight time by two minutes.

The AirSelfie2 features an anodized aluminum casing with overall dimensions slightly larger than a smartphone at 3.8″ x 2.8″ x 0.5″ / 9.7cm x 7cm / 1.3cm. The internal 400mAh battery provides up to five minutes of flight time per charge, with four turbo brushless fans providing lift. Users wirelessly control the miniature drone using a mobile app available on iOS and Android; range is vaguely stated as “over 60ft.”

The drone’s camera captures still images and Full HD videos with an 85-degree FOV. The company behind the device, AirSelfie Holdings, promises new features and “experiences” delivered to AirSelfie2 drone owners via future updates. The drone is available from AirSelfie and select online retailers in gold, rose gold, black, and silver colors for $ 200.

Via: Android Police

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Cactus launches bare bulb wireless monolight on Kickstarter

08 Aug

Lighting manufacturer Cactus has officially launched its RQ250 bare bulb wireless TTL flash unit on the Kickstarter crowd funding website. Plans for the flash were originally announced at the beginning of the year, and now the company says it will be ready for delivery in October.

The head offers a maximum output of 250Ws and a recycle time of 1.1 seconds at full power

The RQ250 is ‘barely larger than a speedlight’ according to the manufacturer but offers the flexibility of a studio head. It can be controlled wirelessly via the Cactus V6 II radio transceiver system and allows TTL metering across the six main camera brands. Those who prefer manual control can adjust it in 0.1EV steps from full power down to 1/512th power, while the 4-cell lithium ion rechargeable battery provides 520 full-power bursts per charge. The head offers a maximum output of 250Ws and a recycle time of 1.1 seconds at full power. An integrated fan is designed to maintain a decent temperature in the head during intensive shoots, and the aluminum reflector helps by dissipating heat away from the body.

A range of modifiers will be available that connect to the head with via a twist lock bayonet system. The bayonet-mount reflector has a magnetic rim which allows further modifiers to be switched very quickly. The range that can be used will include softboxes, umbrellas and a reflector, as well as a set of magnetic gel holders, a snoot, a diffuser dome and barn doors. Initially it was said that the head would have a Bowens S-Mount bayonet, but it seems Cactus has changed this to its own mount but will offer an optional Bowens S-Mount adapter.

An LED in the head can be used as a 20W modeling bulb as well as an AF assist lamp that comes on only as the camera’s shutter release is depressed

The head can be used in two modes – Color or Speed. Color aims to produce consistent color balance as output varies, while Speed is designed for short flash duration to freeze motion in the image. High speed sync is also available.

An LED in the head can be used as a 20W modeling bulb as well as an AF assist lamp that comes on only as the camera’s shutter release is depressed. It can be kept on all the time at full brightness or linked to the selected level of output to give proportional lighting in multi-head set ups. Additional Speedlights can be used in one of four groups with the RQ250, and wireless control can be achieved with 2.4Ghz radio or optical slave settings.

The Cactus RQ250 is designed and assembled in Hong Kong, measures 194mm x 80mm x 80mm and weighs 1235g (2.7 lb) with the battery, reflector and tube loaded. It will cost $ 699 but can be snapped up for an early bird price of around $ 550 / £430 on Kickstarter.

See the Cactus website or the RQ250 Kickstarter page for more information

Press Release

Cactus RQ250 is now on Kickstarter

The Cactus RQ250, a palm-sized, 250Ws, Li-ion battery-powered TTL wireless monolight, is now on Kickstarter!

Cactus, the award-winning manufacturer of the world’s first cross-brand wireless trigger, is proud to present its first project on Kickstarter: The RQ250 Li-ion battery-powered TTL wireless monolight.

With the freedom of going wireless using portable flashes, location shooting is much easier than before. “Over the years, Cactus started to think about making a flash with all the essentials of a studio strobe, powerful yet portable enough like a speedlight, a light that can pair up with various kinds of modifiers to shape the light photographers want. A light photographers can use on location, fast and smart,” says Henry Chan, the head of R&D at Cactus.

The Cactus RQ250 is small, versatile, fits all kinds of light modifiers in just a click, and addresses all location shooting needs.

Small but Powerful

The RQ250 is so compact it can sit on the palm of your hand. Barely larger than a speedlight, it comes with 250Ws of power and a range of 10 stops, from 1/512 to full power.

Uni-body Design

What makes the RQ250 unique is its special flash head design. The 63-degree optical optimized reflector, which is equivalent to speedlight zoom setting of 35mm, not only makes it good to shoot with on its own, but it is also a perfect match with a lighting umbrella.

Inside the flash head sits Cactus TubeOneTM, the proprietary bare bulb that can be put instantly in a softbox. Coupled with the aluminium flash reflector and Cactus bayonet mount, changing instantly from a round head diffusion disc flash to bare-bulb requires only one click.

Magnetic Clip-on Modifier System Kit

With built-in magnets on the RQ250’s reflector head, clip-on light modifiers can be snapped into place and easily stacked to create the desired lighting effect. The optional kit to the RQ250 includes a barn door, a colour gel set, a diffuser dome, a honeycomb, and a snoot.

Instant Recharge and Fast Recycling Time

The RQ250 maximizes the power of its four-cell battery pack using our proprietary UltroEDTM transformer, which recycles in 1.1 seconds and fires a whopping 520 full power flashes on a single charge.

The RQ250 is also the only monolight of its size equipped with an integrated cooling fan and thermal sensors that allow optimal cooling in any environment photographers are working in. Together with the aluminium flash reflector that dissipates heat, the RQ250 can take a beating and still not overheat.

Colour Mode and Speed Mode

With colour mode on, the RQ250 is able to produce consistent colour temperatures across the entire 10-stop power range and over hundreds of shots, saving photographers a tremendous amount of time during post-editing.

In speed mode, lightning fast flash duration at low power outputs allows photographers to freeze the fastest of movements. With power adjustment steps as fine as 0.1EV, the 10-stop power range from 1/512 to 1/1 enables full manipulation of the RQ250 power band.

TTL on Eight (8) Camera Brands

The RQ250 is a wireless TTL monolight for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, and Sony when triggered by a Cactus V6 II or V6 IIs. It supports TTL, high-speed sync (HSS/FP) as well as manual power control and works simultaneously with any portable flashes compatible with the Cactus V6 II or V6 IIs.

Modelling Light and AF-assist

A modelling light has always been an exclusive feature in professional studio lights, but we managed to put one in the small body of the RQ250. The RQ250 not only has one, but it has 20W, making it powerful enough to light any subject and allowing photographers to work freely in any environment. The modelling light can be used as an AF-assist to help photographers achieve accurate and efficient focus.

Kickstarter

The new RQ250 (MSRP: US$ 699.00) and its accessories will be available on Kickstarter for a pre-sale discount beginning August 6, 2018.

About Cactus

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Cactus is a brand under the R&D company Harvest One Limited. The RQ250 is designed, engineered and assembled in Hong Kong.

The manufacturer of the award-winning Cactus wireless flash triggers and flashes, the world’s first and only wireless triggering system that supports TTL/HSS across eight (8) brands of camera and flash systems, Cactus stands firmly behind its products and closely works with photographers to always cater to their needs.

Cactus has distributors and dealers worldwide. Learn more about the RQ250 and Cactus’s other products at www.cactus-image.com.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lensbaby Sol 45 impressions and sample gallery

07 Aug

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Lensbaby has announced the Sol 45, a lens aimed at photographers new to the Lensbaby lineup. The Sol 45 is a fixed F3.5 aperture 45mm manual focus creative lens that offers a relatively straight-forward way to try out the creative effects that Lensbaby is known for. You get the signature Lensbaby tilting focus, sharp center and blurred edges, but in a more restrained package that can help you get the look you are after.

The fixed F3.5 aperture on the Sol means that you only have one “level” of focus + blur to work with. If you are familiar with other Lensbaby lenses, you can typically use the aperture to control how strong of an effect you get: the wider open the aperture, the stronger the effect. This is useful if you want control over how bold or subtle the effect is, but it does add one more decision you need to make when setting up your shot. With the Sol 45, that decision is removed so you have a more consistent experience. This might feel limiting if you are accustomed to using aperture as one of your controls, but it also simplifies the process.

The Sol 45 can be tilted to move the focus to different parts of the frame, giving you plenty of options for composition. If you are coming from another Lensbaby tilting lens system like the Composer Pro II, you will notice that the Sol 45 does not tilt quite as much — the Sol tilts 8.5° whereas the Composer Pro II can tilt up to 15°. But the feature that I am excited about is the ability to lock the Sol 45 back to the center (or keep it locked so that the focus sweet spot is always in the center). The narrower tilting range combined with the ability to find and lock the focus back to center gives photographers a lot more predictability and control.

If the tilt and blurred edges aren’t enough for your creative tastes, the Sol 45 has one more trick up its sleeve: two bokeh blades that can be used to add texture to your bokeh. You can use the bokeh blades alone or together, and they can be rotated to create different effects. As someone who doesn’t use textures very often in my editing I prefer to keep the bokeh blades tucked safely away, but I can see the appeal for someone who is a fan of textured bokeh and who is using more appropriate backgrounds and composition (most of my sample images include very busy backgrounds because I wanted to see the maximum effect of the bokeh blades).

My only frustration with the Sol 45 is that the in-focus area seems a bit small compared to the frame, especially if I have the lens tilted at an angle. With a 45mm focal length, I found that my normal framing for portraits was too close if my subject wasn’t centered; any off-center subjects would have only one eye in focus. This could be corrected by taking a few steps back, of course.

Overall, I found the Sol 45 to be simple and fun to use. The more conservative controls made it less intimidating than creative lenses sometimes can be, and I was able to quickly get the hang of it and get results I liked. It’s a good way to be introduced to the world of in-camera creative effects if you are curious about the potential but you’re not quite ready to dive in.

Check out our Lensbaby Sol 45
real-world sample gallery

Lensbaby Inspires New Audiences With the Fun and Accessible Sol 45

A tool to inspire. A tool to be bold. A tool to build memories.

Portland, OR (August 7th) – Lensbaby—makers of award-winning creative effects lenses, optics and accessories—announces the launch of their most playful and accessible lens yet, the Sol 45.

“Sol 45 opens up a new creative experience for those who want to dip their toes in the Lensbaby pool,” said Craig Strong Lensbaby Co-Founder and CCO. “Sol inspires visual artists to find new and fun ways to see their world by creating unique images in camera – no filters needed.”

The Sol 45 responds to those curious and insightful individuals who desire intention, imagination, and passion within each experience they live. This fixed aperture lens features an ease-of-use that injects the classic Lensbaby energy into images while creating a fun photography experience that benefits from the creation of unique photos that are representative of the users’ passions.

Users simply identify a subject in frame, bend the lens toward it, rotate the focus ring to bring subject into focus and shoot, ultimately creating a tack-sharp circular area of focus surrounded by bold blur and smooth bokeh. In addition, users can bring the lens’s bokeh blades – situated on hinged arms hiding at the edge of the lens – into the lens’s field of view. These bokeh blades add subtle lines of texture in-camera to the bokeh, creating stylized texture effects that many photographers only experience post-edit.

Since 2004, Lensbaby has challenged photographers to make their creative process one that distinctly captures the voice they find behind the camera. Today, the Sol 45 opens this door to all creatives, regardless of skill level. Enthusiast DSLR and mirrorless camera shooters, especially those who are newer to Lensbaby, now have the opportunity to experiment with the brand’s iconic look for an affordable price of $ 199.95.

The Sol 45 is made specifically for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, and is compatible with Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A, Pentax K, Sony E, and Fuji X. The lens will also be available in a 22mm version specifically for Micro 4/3rd shooters. The Micro 4/3rd community is a passionate group who has embraced Lensbaby for years, all while longing for lenses tailored specifically for them. The Sol 22 was developed in a 22mm focal length (44mm equivalent) to serve these photographers.

For more information about the Sol Lenses please visit: https://sol.lensbaby.com/. The Sol 45 will be available for purchase on: https://lensbaby.com/product/sol45mm/ and select Lensbaby-authorized retailers for $ 199.95 on August 7th, 2018, and the Sol 22 will be available for purchase in September at: https://lensbaby.com/product/sol22mm/ . For more information please contact Keri Friedman at keri@lensbaby.com or Elizabeth Gerken with Groundswell PR at Elizabeth@groundswellpr.com.

About Lensbaby:

For over a decade Portland, Oregon-based Lensbaby has inspired and challenged photographers on their journey to finding their unique, visual voice. Lensbaby makes award-winning, one-of-a-kind lenses, optics and accessories for risk-taking photographers who believe that photography is an expression of their soul. Lensbaby provides instructional content through their educational hub, Lensbaby University and sells its products worldwide. For more information, visit www.lensbaby.com

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Pigs don’t fly, but bears do with DJI’s latest Spark drone

07 Aug

In one of the more bizarre collaborations we’ve seen in a while, drone manufacturer DJI has teamed up with Line Friends to release an animal-themed DJI Spark drone.

For those unfamiliar, Line Friends is a collection of playful characters taken from the messaging app Line. Although pictures indicate other characters could make their way onto DJI Spark drones, the only confirmed character collaboration is with a bear named Brown.

As you may have suspected, the special-edition DJI Spark, named ‘LINE FRIENDS (BROWN) | Spark,’ features a brown paint scheme with the bear’s adorable features on top. In addition to the drone’s paint scheme, the remote control also features an image of Brown on the top faceplate, between the antennas. To wrap it all up, a custom box is included as well, which features an image of Brown holding a DJI remote control.

Aside from the custom paint scheme, the Spark drone remains identical to the standard version, including the 16 minute flight time, two mile range, 2-axis gimbal and 12-megapixel camera. Like its less decorative counterpart, the LINE FRIENDS (BROWN) | Spark costs $ 399 and can be purchased through DJI’s online store.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Android ‘Pie’ adds multiple-camera access for developers, HEIF support

07 Aug

Android 9, taking the moniker ‘Pie,’ only adds a few photography features but they’re notable. With Pie, app developers will now be able to access streams from multiple physical cameras simultaneously. This means third party apps will be able to take advantage of information from dual-cameras for bokeh effects and zooming seamlessly between cameras. HEIF support is also introduced – a compressed image format that saves more space than JPEG and is now in regular use by Apple in its iOS devices.

App developers will now be able to access streams from multiple physical cameras simultaneously

Other additions in Pie include support for external USB/UVC cameras and adaptive display brightness to learn your preferred brightness settings in various lighting situations and automatically enable them. HDR VP9 Profile 2 is also added for HDR video viewing on YouTube and Google Play Movies.

Android Pie will start rolling out to Pixel phones today. Beta participants can expect the update by the end of this fall, and Google says it will work with other partners to roll out the update this year.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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