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Lime One is a compact, easy to use light meter you attach to your camera’s shoe mount

07 Oct

German mechatronics engineer Johannes Heberlein has launched a new photo accessory on Kickstarter, the Lime One compact hot shoe light meter. The meter has been designed to be very easy to use, and even updates its readings in real-time.

In 2018, Heberlein started using film cameras, and he immediately found his light meter options somewhat lacking. He started using a smartphone-based solution but became frustrated with needing to constantly take his phone out of his pocket, get an exposure value and then put his phone away. In late 2018, Heberlein started sketching out ideas for a compact, easy to use light meter. His first prototype was ready a few months later and final hardware revisions took place over the next year.

Lime One works with all cameras that have manual exposure control, including analog cameras that do not feature a built-in light meter. Heberlein hopes that Lime One, which has a funding goal just shy of $ 30,000 USD, will help photographers who have been frustrated by external meters and smartphone light meter applications. He designed Lime One to be compact enough that you can leave it attached to your camera indefinitely, even when packing your camera away in a bag.

Lime One promises fast operation and start-up, plus the ability to store previous settings. It has four modes: aperture priority, shutter priority, manual mode, and exposure value. The control wheel has a knurled edge for grip and when holding the Lime One’s button while rotating the wheel, you can change secondary parameters.

The hot shoe light meter is constructed using anodized aluminum for both the body and wheel and attaches to a standard accessory shoe mount. The device is battery powered and uses a CR2032 battery.

The Lime One appears very simple to operate. For example, when using aperture priority, you set the desired aperture on the Lime One using the control wheel, frame your shot, and then the light meter shows you on its top display the required shutter speed. You can also use exposure compensation by holding down the button while rotating the control wheel. By double-tapping this same button, you access the menu where you can perform actions such as adjusting operational mode and ISO.

Hedeco Lime One on 6×6 folding medium format camera. Image credit: Hedeco, Kickstarter

For those who pledge €99 or more, which is roughly $ 115 USD, you will receive one Lime One in silver in April 2021. If you pledge €149 (about $ 175 USD), you have a choice of silver or black for Lime One, plus you receive an accessory pack. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can download the files to print your own accessories and instead purchase just the standard pack.

To learn more about the Lime One compact light meter, head to the 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)

 
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Nikon Z 70-200mm F2.8 VR S sample gallery

07 Oct

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We first got our hands on a pre-production Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 at CES 2020, in what we’re calling the Before Time. Nikon had planned to start shipping the lens to customers in February, but then some stuff happened, and production was delayed.

Well, the long wait is over, and in-between the toxic smoke and damp fog of recent weeks here in the Pacific Northwest we’ve been able to take this much-anticipated telezoom for a spin. Take a look.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview TV: Sony LA-EA5 A-mount to E-mount adapter review

07 Oct

Sony just breathed new life into older A-mount lenses thanks to its LA-EA5 adapter for E-mount. Watch our review to find out why it could be a great option for those who still own A-mount glass.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

  • Introduction
  • Previous Sony adapters
  • LA-EA5 benefits
  • Lenses tested
  • Sample photos
  • Focus modes supported
  • Video functionality
  • Focus performance
  • Who's it for?

Sample photos from this episode

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Freefly Systems announces Astro quadcopter, hints at new 4K camera

07 Oct

Freefly Systems recently introduced the Astro, a quadcopter capable of carrying a two-pound payload on a 3-axis gimbal for up to 30 minutes. While the company is following in the footsteps of fellow American manufacturer, Skydio, by primarily marketing its latest offering to the public sector and enterprise, it’s worth noting that the Astro allows you to capture 61MP aerial photos with the Sony a7R IV camera.

‘My priority with my drones is being able to shoot good landscapes and cityscapes. Being able to fly my a7R IV and a7S III will be huge,’ says Drew Armstrong, a professional remote pilot and realtor. ‘I had a (DJI) M600 I was using with my Sony a 7R II. It worked but being able to adjust exposure while in the air was very difficult. I have also flown the M600 with the aerial specific package for the Phase One camera. That is a sweet ($ 50,000+ USD) setup,’ he adds.

The Astro starts at $ 7,995 for the standalone frame. The Base Kit includes a hard case, battery pair, charger, and remote for $ 9,995. The High Res Mapping configuration which includes everything in the Base Kit plus the Sony a7R IV payload retails for $ 14,995. For comparison’s sake, the DJI Inspire 2 kit equipped with a Zenmuse X7 camera starts at $ 10,995 – but you’ll only get 24MP photos. Freefly’s Alta series of drones, built for high-end cinematography and industrial work, start at $ 17,495.

The Astro is foldable and is being touted as ‘4K in your backpack.’ This is a bit curious. Sony’s a7R IV can record 4K video in full-frame but it’s not the best camera for obtaining crisp, clear footage. ‘Yes, for sure we want to support a7S III. We can mount and fly it, just uncertain as to whether Sony will allow us to have access to full camera controls just yet,’ Freefly’s CEO, Tabb Firchau, tells DPReview.

When asked if there were plans to make other cameras compatible with the system, Firchau revealed ‘yes, we will be supporting a variety of other cameras over time. [It] is set up to be modular and easy to incorporate new cameras…including our first camera [for the Astro] ‘Wave’ that we are launching on Wednesday.’

The launch event for Wave will be taking place via livestream on Wednesday, October 7th, at 10:00 am PST. The Astro is currently available for pre-order and they plan on shipping out units in Q4.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Dell announces $5K 31.5-inch UltraSharp HDR display with 2K mini-LED dimming zones, two other monitors

07 Oct

Dell has announced three new monitors, including a new 4K (3840 x 2160, 16:9) 31.5″ UltraSharp HDR PremierColor display with a 2,000-zone mini-LED array and built-in color calibrator.

The Dell UP3221Q is the first display with 2,000 mini-LED direct backlit dimming zones, beating out both the Asus ProArt PA32UCX (1,152 zones) and Apple’s Pro XDR Display (576 zones). The IPS display is VESA certified for DisplayHDR 1000, has a maximum brightness of 1,000 cd/m2, a 60Hz refresh rate, a claimed HDR contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and has a 178-degree viewing angle.

As for color, the display covers 99.8% of DCI-P3, 93% of Adobe RGB and 83% of BT.2020. To ensure colors stay accurate, the UP3221Q features a built-in Calman Powered colorimeter that can calibrate itself without the need for a PC. Should you choose to use an external colorimeter, you can do so as well with a USB-A port on the bottom of the display.

Additional I/O options include two Thunderbolt 3 ports (only one supports daisy-chaining other Thunderbolt 3 products), two HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2) ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 (HDCP 2.2) port and two USB 3.2 Gen 1/2 ports.

The 31.5-inch UltraSharp HDR PremierColor display is set to go on sale November 5 for $ 5,000.

Dell UltraSharp 24 USB-C Hub monitor (model U2421E)

Dell has also released the UltraSharp 24 USB-C Hub monitor (model U2421E), a 24″ WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200 pixel) monitor that’s the first to feature Dell’s ComfortView Plus technology — a hardware-based solution that reduces blue light output of the display while maintaining color accuracy. The U2421E display is available starting today for $ 450.

Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Hub Monitor (model U3421WE)

Last up is the Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Hub Monitor (model U3421WE). Featuring a 21:9 aspect ratio, the 3,440 x 1,440 pixel screen offers 99% sRGB coverage, 99% Rec.709 coverage and 95% DCI-P3 coverage. It supports USB-C connectivity with 90W Power Delivery (PD) and has a slew of I/O ports for connecting multiple computers and accessories at once. The U3421WE display is set to ship October 21 for $ 800.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: The impact of hand-colorized photos on photography in 19th century Japan

07 Oct

For many years, photography was strictly a monochromatic medium. While images offered people detailed depictions of people and places, without color, some people found photographs to be incomplete. In a new video, Vox shares the history of colorized photos and the important role Japan played in the colorization of black and white images.

Japan’s role in the international economy throughout the 18th and 19th centuries was tumultuous, at best. For over 200 years, Japan had closed itself off from the rest of the world, forbidding many from entering the island country. However, a United States naval expedition of warships arrived on Japanese coasts in 1854 and the US forced Japan to open its ports to foreign enterprise and visitors. Travelers and enterprising individuals from around the world traveled to Japan to visit and open businesses. As Vox notes, photography became a burgeoning industry.

Foreign photographers such as Felice Beato and Baron Raimund von Stillfried opened photo studio operations in Japan. Rather than sell customers monochrome images, which were all they could produce with their cameras of the day, photographers like Beato and von Stillfried hired local artists from the ukiyo-e woodblock industry to apply watercolors to black and white prints. Eventually, some of these artists branched out their own.

Time doesn’t stand still, and photography technology became more affordable and amateurs were able to capture their own images, leading to a downturn in the Japanese souvenir photo industry. However, the hand-colored photos from 19th century Japan have had a long-lasting impact. In the video below, Vox shares insight into the history of colorized photos in Japan and shows off beautiful examples that highlight what made, and continues to make, colorized images from Japan so desirable but also potentially problematic in informing a complicated understanding of Japan in the 19th century.

As the video above showcases, when Japanese apprentices branched out from foreign-owned photography studios, some opted to create elaborate depictions of historic Japanese culture to sell to foreigners. One of these apprentices that started his own photography operation was Kusakabe Kimbei. In his work, it’s clear how meticulously crafted some images were, with Kimbei even going so far as to simulate rain using scratches on glass plates and pinning a subject’s clothing to the background to create the appearance of wind. These techniques and resulting images draw on various tropes in traditional Japanese fine art. There are many similarities in composition and subject matter between traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints and 19th century colorized photos.

The topic brings to light a very interesting discussion on how photography shapes the understanding of a place and time. People often think about photos as realistic representation, whereas a painting doesn’t carry the same weight nor birth the same expectations. However, the early era of the Japanese photo industry was, of course, a for-profit endeavor. Photographers, both foreign and Japanese, wanted to sell a certain idea of Japan to outsiders, and this meant staging scenes, relying on outdated dress and even capitalizing on stereotypes.

If you’d like to learn more about this intriguing topic, Vox offers suggested reading. A Good Type: Tourism and Science in Early Japanese Photographs by David Odo. Sites of ‘Disconnectedness’: The Port City of Yokohama, Souvenir Photograph, and its Audience by Mio Wakita-Elis. Photography in Japan 1853-1912 by Terry Bennett. To view more videos from Vox, including other videos in their ‘Darkroom’ series which shares insight into the history of photography, click here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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NVIDIA Research develops a neural network to replace traditional video compression

06 Oct

NVIDIA researchers have demonstrated a new type of video compression technology that replaces the traditional video codec with a neural network to drastically reduce video bandwidth. The technology is presented as a potential solution for streaming video in situations where Internet availability is limited, such as using a webcam to chat with clients while on a slow Internet connection.

The new technology is made possible using NVIDIA Maxine, a cloud-AI video streaming platform for developers. According to the researchers, using AI-based video compression can strip video bandwidth usage down to 1/10th of the bandwidth that would otherwise be used by the common H.264 video codec. For users, this could result in what NVIDIA calls a ‘smoother’ experience that uses up less mobile data.

In a video explaining the technology, researchers demonstrate their AI-based video compression alongside H.264 compression with both videos limited to the same low bandwidth. With the traditional video compression, the resulting low-bandwidth video is very pixelated and blocky, but the AI-compressed video is smooth and relatively clear.

This is made possible by extracting the key facial points on the subject’s face, such as the position of the eyes and mouth, then sending that data to the recipient. The AI technology then reconstructs the subject’s face and animates it in real time using the keypoint data, the end result being very low bandwidth usage compared to the image quality on the receiver’s end.

There are some other advantages to using AI-based compression that exceed the capabilities of traditional video technologies, as well. One example is Free View, a feature in which the AI platform can rotate the subject so that they appear to be facing the recipient even when, in reality, their camera is positioned off to the side and they appear to be staring into the distance.

Likewise, the keypoints extracted from the subject’s face could also be used to apply their movements to other characters, including fully animated characters, expanding beyond the AI-powered filters that have become popular some video apps like Snapchat. Similar technology is already on the market in the form of Apple’s AI-based Animoji.

The use of artificial intelligence to modify videos isn’t new; most major video conferencing apps now include the option of replacing one’s real-life background with a different one, including intelligent AI-based background blurring. However, NVIDIA’s real-time AI-based video compression takes things to a new level by using AI to not only generate the subject in real time, but also modify them in convenient ways, such as aligning their face with a virtual front-facing camera.

The technology could usher in an era of clearer, more consistent video conferencing experiences, particularly for those on slow Internet connections, while using less data than current options. However, the demonstration has also raised concerns that largely mirror ones related to deepfake technologies — namely, the potential for exploiting such technologies to produce inauthentic content.

Artificial intelligence technology is advancing at a clipped rate and, in many cases, can be used to imperceptibly alter videos and images. Work is already underway to exceed those capabilities, however, by fully generating photo-realistic content using AI rather than modifying existing real-world content.

The Allen Institute for AI recently demonstrated the latest evolution in this effort by using both images and text to create a machine learning algorithm that possesses a very basic sense of abstract reasoning, for example. NVIDIA Research has also contributed extensively to this rapidly evolving technology, with past demonstrations including generating landscapes from sketches, generating photo-realistic portraits and even swapping facial expressions between animals.

A number of companies are working to develop counter technologies capable of detecting manipulated content by looking for markers otherwise invisible to the human eye. In 2019, Adobe Research teamed up with UC Berkeley to develop and demonstrate an AI capable of not only identifying portrait manipulations, but also automatically reversing the changes to display the original, unmodified content.

The general public doesn’t yet have access to these types of technologies, however, generally leaving them vulnerable to the manipulated media that permeates social media.

Via: NVIDIA

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Hubble captures supernova 70M light-years away as it briefly outshines its host galaxy

06 Oct

The Hubble Space Telescope recently captured images of an exploding star 70 million light-years away. The event was recorded as part of an ongoing program to measure the expansion rate of the universe in order to better understand its age. For a moment, the explosion outshined its entire host galaxy and the resulting energy was ‘equal to the radiance of 5 billion Suns.’

NASA has assembled its images from the Hubble Space Telescope to create a new time-lapse sequence, seen below. The supernova explosion took place in the spiral galaxy NGC 2525. In February 2018, Hubble began its observation of SN2018gv after a Japanese amateur astronomer, Koichi Itagaki, first detected it in mid-January. The supernova has been used to help precisely the expansion rate of the universe, which is itself critical to our understanding of the universe.

The time-lapse sequence above spanned nearly a year, with the supernova first appearing ‘as a blazing star located on the galaxy’s outer edge. It initially outshines the brightest stars in the galaxy before fading out of sight.’

Nobel Laureate Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and John Hopkins University says, ‘No earthly fireworks display can compete with this supernova, captured in its fading glory by the Hubble Space Telescope.’ Riess is the leader of the High-z Supernova Search Team and the Supernovae H0 for the Equation of State (SH0ES) Team.

The NASA Hubble Site news release continues, ‘The type of supernova seen in this sequence originated from a burned-out star—a white dwarf located in a close binary system—that is accreting material from its companion star. When the white dwarf reaches a critical mass, its core becomes hot enough to ignite nuclear fusion, turning it into a giant atomic bomb. This thermonuclear runaway process tears the dwarf apart. The opulence is short-lived as the fireball fades away.’ SN2018gv is a Type Ia supernova. You can learn more about supernovae and the characteristics of each type in this article from BBC’s Sky at Night.

NASA, ESA, and A. Riess (STScI/JHU) and the SH0ES team Acknowledgment: M. Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

Supernovae like SN2018gv peak at the same brightness, which allows them to act a type of standard, ‘standard candles.’ With the actual peak brightness known, scientists can determine the distances of host galaxies by comparing visible brightness. With this information, it is then possible to measure the expansion rate of the universe itself. You can learn more about how Hubble has aided in our understanding of the universe’s expansion rate in this article.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The inspiration behind Canon’s RF 600mm F11 and 800mm F11 super-tele lenses

06 Oct

In July, Canon announced a pair of super-telephoto fixed-aperture lenses for its RF lens mount. The new RF 600mm F11 IS STM and RF 800mm F11 IS STM lenses are distinct among Canon’s modern offerings but are reminiscent in design and philosophy to some of Canon’s R lenses from 1960.

Six decades ago, Canon released the R300mm F4, R400mm F5.6, R600mm F5.6, R800mm F8 and R1000mm F11 super-telephoto lenses. While not fixed aperture lenses like the new RF lenses, the vintage bellows-driven lenses were nonetheless the inspiration for this year’s modern interpretations. In a Japanese-language interview published by DC Watch, Canon’s Chief of Lens Product Planning, Kengo Iezuka, notes that the EOS R system allows him and his team to create new user experiences for modern photographers. This includes breaking down ‘the three barriers of super-telephoto lenses,’ which he states are weight, size and cost. In 1960, Canon worked to overcome these challenges with its R lenses, and Iezuka believes Canon’s RF 600mm F11 and RF 800mm F11 lenses do the same in 2020.

Canon R600mm f/5.6 lens. The lens was first marketed in January 1960. Image credit: Canon, Canon Camera Museum

When Iezuka was a child and wanted to capture wildlife images of a Little Egret, he was unable to due to the expense of super-telephoto lenses. Iezuka says via translation, ‘I knew that there were many people who gave up what they wanted to shoot and the expressions they wanted to shoot because they couldn’t buy a super-telephoto lens and couldn’t carry it because it was big and heavy. With the EOS R system, I think I was finally able to get closer to the dream super-telephoto world. I would like you to enjoy shooting things that you couldn’t shoot before and the expressions you wanted to shoot with this 600mm/800mm F11 lens.’

In elaborating further upon how the Canon EOS R system allows the three barriers of super-telephoto lenses, Iezuka states that Canon’s Dual-Pixel CMOS AF allows for strong autofocus performance even in low light, or when using a lens with a smaller maximum aperture, such as F11. In 1960, the sensitivity of film was stricter, requiring faster apertures in the case of the R400mm F4.5, R600mm F5.6 and R800mm F8. However, today, Canon’s EOS R system allows for much more flexibility when designing new lenses. In fact, the EOS R can even work with F22, allowing Iezuka and his team to utilize an F11 design that can incorporate a 2x teleconverter.

If Canon had pursued an F8 aperture, the lens would have been larger and heavier. An F16 lens would have worked without a teleconverter, but not with a 2x TC attached. It was around this point in the design process when the team first considered making the lens with a fixed aperture. Ultimately, removing the aperture unit allowed for reduction in weight and cost, both critical design goals for Iezuka and the team at Canon.

Iezuka also shared that the RF 600mm and 800mm lenses were not his first attempt to create a lightweight and cost-effective super-telephoto lens. He had previously explored the idea for SLR cameras. ‘I wondered if I could manage to get closer to the world of super-telephoto lenses that exceed 400mm,’ Iezuka said, ‘I considered increasing the F-number as I did this time, but it didn’t work. If you increase the F value, you can only autofocus at the center of the [frame]…so I gave up.’ The new RF lenses offer autofocus coverage of 60% x 40% (W x H) with the recent Canon EOS R5 and R6 full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Iezuka also considered zoom lenses, but this design would increase the weight too much to be able to carry the lens around all day. The RF 600mm lens weighs approximately 2.05lb and the RF 800mm weighs about 2.78lb. In order to maintain a lightweight design and ensure the lenses are affordable, metal parts are kept to a minimum and much of the lens is constructed using resin. In order to utilize a collapsible design, many parts had to be molded, which is unique for Canon’s lenses. The collapsible design came from one of the youngest members of the team, Iezuka says, and was the result of internal competition within the department.

There is much more excellent insight into the design process in the full interview, so be sure to check that out. Click the following links for more information on the Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM and RF 800mm F11 IS STM lenses.

(Via PetaPixel)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Exploring Monte Cristo ghost town with Sam Horine and the Canon EOS R5

05 Oct

The Canon EOS R5 is a powerful stills and video camera, designed for enthusiast and professional users. With a high-resolution full-frame sensor and advanced human and animal face and eye-detection, the EOS R5 is a versatile option for travel and portraiture. As well as stills, the R5 can also capture HD, 4K and 8K video.

Join Seattle-based photographer Sam Horine as he uses the EOS R5 to explore the ghost town of Monte Cristo, in Washington State. Wildflowers, campfires and the cosmos – oh my!

Monte Cristo ghost town: Sample images

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