360Photography

Category: Uncategorized

  • GoPro will now accept almost any digital camera for trade-in, even ‘destroyed’

    GoPro has relaunched its Trade-Up program, this time as a permanent option for customers located in the United States. The program first launched last year, but only as a temporary promotion limited to previous-generation GoPro cameras exchanged for discounts on current-generation models. This time around, GoPro is accepting nearly any digital camera in any condition.

    The company says it will accept any GoPro or non-GoPro digital camera under the program, and that any condition is acceptable, including “destroyed.” To participate, customers must use the Trade-Up website to purchase either a Fusion or HERO6 Black, where they’ll receive a $ 50 discount on the HERO6 Black (bringing the price down to $ 350) and/or a $ 100 discount on the Fusion (bringing the price down to $ 600).

    GoPro provides the customer with a prepaid shipping label to send the company their trade-in camera; once the trade-in is verified, GoPro ships the newly purchased camera to the customer.

    According to the program’s FAQ, the trade-in camera must have a new value of at least $ 100 USD, and while multiple cameras can be traded-in, only one discount can be applied per camera purchase. Customers have 45 days to ship the trade-in to GoPro; once received, the company will charge their payment card for the new device.

    Explaining why it decided to expand the program to cover any digital camera, GoPro says, “It’s not so much that we want your old camera. We just want to make it easy for you to get your hands on the latest and greatest GoPro.”

    Press Release

    GoPro Launches Camera Trade-Up Program for HERO6 Black and Fusion Cameras

    Send in Any Older-Generation GoPro – or Any Other Digital Camera – and Receive $ 50 off HERO6 Black and $ 100 off Fusion at GoPro.com

    SAN MATEO, Calif., April 18, 2018 – GoPro, Inc. today announced the launch of its camera Trade-Up program, offering users in the United States the ability to trade up from any previous-generation GoPro, or any other digital camera, to experience its latest and greatest products. Starting today, anyone in the U.S. can receive $ 50 off a new HERO6 Black or $ 100 off Fusion by participating in the program at GoPro.com.

    GoPro first introduced its Trade-Up program for a limited time in 2017, which only accepted previous-generation GoPro models in exchange for a discounted upgrade to a current model. Nearly 12,000 customers participated in the 60-day promotion. The new and improved Trade-Up program brings back the initiative with major enhancements, including the acceptance of any digital camera and making it an everyday offer.

    “The Trade-Up program is a great way for our fans and customers to upgrade to our newest products and experience how fun and convenient GoPro has become,” said Meghan Laffey, senior vice president of product at GoPro.

    To participate in GoPro’s Trade-Up Program, customers should visit the Trade-Up website, select the new camera of their choice, and follow the instructions to return their old GoPro or digital camera. Upon receiving the returned camera, GoPro will process the discounted order and ship the new HERO6 Black or Fusion to the customer. Returned cameras will be recycled responsibly via zero landfill and recycling methods appropriate to material type.

    To learn more about GoPro’s Trade-Up Program, visit https://shop.gopro.com/tradeup.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Samsung Galaxy S9+ sample gallery

    $ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4795242505″,”galleryId”:”4795242505″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

    We recently got a hold of Samsung’s latest and greatest smartphone, the Galaxy S9+. Like the Note 8, the S9+ has dual cameras (one wide, one telephoto,) but this time one of them can switch between F1.5 and F2.4 automatically or on demand.

    We took the S9+ on a recent trip to Southern California and returned with a nice selection of photos taken under both sun and clouds. Watch this space for a full review very soon.

    See our Samsung Galaxy S9+ sample gallery

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony ‘striping’: here’s the fix

    Take a look at the PDAF stripes across the female model’s face in this image (cropped from an original vertical shot). The bad news is that it looks terrible. The good news? There’s a fix.

    Among the major pieces of feedback we received when we published our Sony a7 III sample gallery concerned some odd striping artifacts viewable in some images, such as the one above.

    It’s known as ‘PDAF striping’ and it’s not limited to a single camera, or even a single brand. It’s likely due to light reflections off the metal masks of on-sensor phase-detect pixels. PDAF striping is one of those annoying issues which only shows up sometimes, and which depending on the kind of photography you practice and your set of lenses, you might never see. But if you do see it, it’s pretty unpleasant, and very distracting. Particularly if you print large, or pixel peep.

    The striping does seem to be limited to certain lenses: the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 is particularly prone to this issue

    In our shooting with the a7 III, prominent examples of bright stripes tended to show up up in images that contained a significant amount of flare or backlit subjects. It seemed to mostly be an issue with shots taken with the FE 85 F1.8, when subjects were captured with the intent of deliberately inducing flare (we saw it in a couple 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM shots, but it wasn’t offensive).

    We investigated the issue further with the help of our very own knowledgable forum members, and are pleased to announce that as of today there is at least one fix available, and another is coming in the near future.

    See the results for yourself:

    JPEG processed from original Raw
    JPEG from corrected (fixed) Raw

    This fix is courtesy of Professor Hank Dietz, who is none other than the fellow who developed a fix for Sony compressed Raw artifacts. His tool is available here. For now, it only works on compressed Raw files, but it works with Raw files from any Sony camera exhibiting the issue. That’s important, because this issue is not isolated to the a7 III by any means (though its predecessor the a7 II doesn’t appear to have any issues). It occurs with the a7R II/III, a9, R100 V – i.e., most cameras with masked pixels for on-sensor phase-detect AF (and not just limited to Sony).

    Higher resolution bodies are less problematic because a single pixel stripe is a smaller proportion of the image. The a7 III and a9 also have more phase-detection pixels than any other camera Sony has introduced, which makes the issue slightly more pronounced on these cameras.

    Striping does appear to be isolated to certain lenses though: the Sony FE 85/1.8 is particularly prone to creating this issue, and we were easily able to induce striping even in modest backlit shots like the one above (zoom into 1:1 on the flare above the toddler’s hat). However, we’ve had less luck recreating the striping with many other lenses like the 55/1.8, FE zooms, or the various 35mm primes we’ve tested. There doesn’t appear to be much aperture dependence, based on Jim Kasson’s analysis of our test shots.

    You need not worry… just run problematic Raws through Prof. Hank Dietz’s repair tool, and you’ll get a Raw file largely devoid of any issues

    What does all this ultimately mean? Well, if you shoot a lot of backlit subjects and love flare, don’t worry: you don’t have to steer clear of the a7 III or Sony mirrorless cameras. Instead, you may wish to steer clear of certain lenses like the 85mm F1.8 or 50mm F1.8. But even then, you need not worry too much: just run your problematic (compressed) Raws through Prof. Hank Dietz’s repair tool, and you’ll get a clean Raw file in return.

    Click here for the fix on The Aggregator

    To take advantage of Professor Dietz’ work, you simply drag-and-drop a compressed Sony Raw file into the web application, wait a few seconds, and download the resulting file (you’ll want to add ‘.ARW’ to the end for your Raw software to read it properly). And voila – almost every trace of the striping is removed. In extreme cases, you may see some remnants of striping, but out of the files we tested, this only happened once. Oh, and if you have any feedback, please PM Hank via his DPReview profile.

    We’ve been in touch with one of the contributors – forum member pippo27 – for the open-source RawTherapee Raw converter as well, and he’s integrated a fix in the Raw processing pipeline based on an understanding of the exact locations of the masked PDAF pixels.1 It’s already available in development versions you can download here, and will be included in the next major release. There’s even a Photoshop fix developed by DPR forum member Magnar W, if you’re past the Raw development stage or have a problematic JPEG.

    While we’re still trying to nail down the root cause of these issues to help us predict when, where, and with what lens this will be an issue, rest assured that you needn’t worry too much: the occurrence is rare, and when it appears, you’ll likely have a (quick) workaround. We do hope though that Sony itself addresses the issue in-camera, especially as Prof. Dietz suggests it shouldn’t even be too computationally burdensome.

    1Thanks to extensive investigations led by Jim Kasson, Bill Claff and forum member Horshack.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Rumor debunked: Canon and Profoto will both attend Photokina 2018

    One of the Canon displays at a previous Photokina. Credit: Photokina

    Flash maker Elinchrom recently revealed that it would skip Photokina 2018, with company CEO Simon Whittle explaining, “…we feel this is a transitional year for photokina and this break will help Elinchrom to analyze and refocus on what is really important for our customers in the coming years.” Starting next year, the event will take place in May instead of September.

    On the same day as Elinchrom’s announcement, DIY Photography said it had been hearing rumors that “big brands,” among them Canon and Profoto, may also be skipping Photokina 2018.

    As DPR stated last week, claims that Canon would skip the event seemed far-fetched from the beginning. A day later, DIY Photography said it had received word from Photokina director Christoph Menke denouncing the rumors, and today Photokina responded more broadly by publishing a list of brands that will officially be attending—among them Canon and Profoto.

    According to the press release, Photokina is “expecting every single exhibitor space in the halls in Cologne to be filled,” and the following brands have “secured their stands” for the event, which starts September 26th:

    • Arri
    • Canon
    • Cewe
    • DJI
    • Epson
    • Fujifilm
    • Kodak Alaris
    • Leica
    • Manfrotto
    • Nikon
    • Olympus
    • Panasonic
    • Profoto
    • Sigma
    • Sony
    • Tamron
    • Zeiss

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The FlyJacket soft exoskeleton turns your body into a drone controller

    Researchers with Switzerland’s École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a soft exoskeleton that enables its wearer to control a drone using their upper body. Called FlyJacket, the exoskeleton is a human-robot interface (HRI) that offers “natural and intuitive control of drones,” according to the university, enabling inexperienced individuals to operate them.

    Typical drone controls involve a touchscreen and/or joysticks, which researchers say are “neither natural nor intuitive” for operators. As an alternative, FlyJacket places motion sensors on the operator’s body, requiring them to spread their arms like wings (with supports to prevent fatigue) and move their upper body as if they’re flying to control the drone, while a VR headset provides a first-person perspective from the UAV’s camera.

    Explaining the usefulness of the technology, the research paper states:

    The development of more intuitive control interfaces could improve flight efficiency, reduce errors, and allow users to shift their attention from the task of control to the evaluation of the information provided by the drone. Human-robot interfaces could be improved by focusing on natural human gestures captured by wearable sensors. Indeed, the use of wearable devices, such as exoskeletons, has been shown to enhance control intuitiveness and immersion.

    The team has tested FlyJacket using a Parrot Bebop 2 quadcopter. A smart glove expands the user’s abilities by recognizing certain finger gestures to trigger actions. Touching the thumb to the middle finger, for example, triggers the system to set a point of interest, which could be useful during search and rescue missions. The researchers are working to add additional controls to FlyJacket, including the ability to adjust the drone’s speed, according to IEEE Spectrum.

    A paper detailing the technology is available from EPFL here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony fixes a7 lll ‘blinking pixels’ video issue with firmware 1.01 update

    Sony has released the first firmware update for the Sony a7 III—version 1.01—and it was specifically released to solve a “blinking pixel” issue that showed up when recording video footage while using certain settings.

    The flickering pixels would appear along the base of footage “during XAVC S 4K (PAL 25p) recording (depending on the combination of camera settings).” Additionally, the update resolves a problem that could occasionally make the rear touch screen stop working, and Sony says the camera’s system should run more smoothly with the new firmware as well.

    For more information and to download V1.01 for yourself, visit this support page on the Sony website.

    Release Notes

    ILCE-7M3 System Software (Firmware) Update Ver.1.01 (Windows)

    Resolves a “blinking pixels” phenomenon at the bottom edge of the image during XAVC S 4K (PAL 25p) recording (depending on the combination of camera settings)

    Applicable Models

    This information is for the following models: ILCE-7M3

    About this download

    Benefits and improvements

    • Resolves a “blinking pixels” phenomenon at the bottom edge of the image during XAVC S 4K (PAL 25p) recording (depending on the combination of camera settings)

    • Resolves an issue where the touch panel could occasionally become unresponsive

    • Improves the overall stability of the camera

    File Info

    File Name: ILCE-7M3 System Software (Firmware) Update Ver.1.01 (Windows)

    File Version: 1.01

    File Size: 282 MB (296,352,960 bytes)

    Release Date: 18/04/2018

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The new JPEG XS image format was built for streaming 4K and VR content

    There’s a new video compression standard on the block. It’s called JPEG XS, and while it’s made by the same team behind the ubiquitous JPEG image format, it serves a much different purpose.

    JPEG XS was announced earlier this week by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), headed by École Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne (EPFL) professor Touradj Ebrahimi. The mission of this new format isn’t to replace the standard JPEG image standard, but to supplement it by being a low-energy standard for streaming video content via Wi-Fi and 5G cellular networks.

    According to JPEG, the mission of JPEG XS is to, “stream the files instead of storing them in smartphones or other devices with limited memory.” JPEG specifically mentions the benefits of JPEG XS for video captured and streamed by “drones and self-driving cars—technologies where long latency represents a danger for humans.”

    Photo by Samuel Schwendener

    What’s interesting is that JPEG isn’t trying to shrink the file size with JPEG XS. In fact, quite the opposite. Whereas the JPEG standard has a compression ratio of about 10:1, JPEG XS comes out to a 6:1 ratio.

    “For the first time in the history of image coding, we are compressing less in order to better preserve quality, and we are making the process faster while using less energy,” said Professor Ebrahimi in the EPFL announcement post. “We want to be smarter in how we do things. The idea is to use less resources and use them more wisely. This is a real paradigm shift.”

    JPEG XS is open source, as well as HDR-compatible, making it a prime candidate for content creators around the world. Already, the European Space Agency (ESA) has expressed interest in the standard. JPEG XS would serve as a perfect format for sending high-quality images and video from space probes down to Earth while not using up any unnecessary energy.

    According to Ebrahimi, JPEG XS will first be put to use in “professional applications like movie editing, space imagery and professional-grade cameras.” Consumer electronics will like VR, AR, wireless connections between media devices, and self-driving cars will follow. The only remaining hurdle in the path of JPEG XS is the final approval from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Once it gets approved, it should be rolling into products and services shortly.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Canon shows off its latest CMOS sensor tech in new promo video

    Canon isn’t only in the business of making DSLR, mirrorless and point-and-shoot cameras. It’s also in the business of making the CMOS sensors inside those cameras—arguably the most important component. And in order to showcase what its achieved with its latest lineup of CMOS sensors, Canon USA has created a little promotional video.

    The video showcases a variety of sensors seen across Canon’s product line, from the extreme low-light full-frame sensor it showed off earlier this year, to more industrialized CMOS sensors made for surveillance and security purposes.

    The video description from Canon USA:

    This video showcases Canon variety of sensors. For several decades Canon has been developing and manufacturing advanced CMOS sensors with state-of-the-art technologies for exclusive use in Canon products. These sensors are a critical driving force behind many of our successful product lines, ranging from consumer products all the way up to high-end business and industrial solutions.

    The video does seem a touch overly dramatic for what it is, and may even come across as a bit cheesy at times (why are they showing new sensor tech inside a Canon EOS 1D that came out in 2001?). Nonetheless, it’s an interesting watch that gives a good overview of the work Canon has been putting into its CMOS sensors in recent years—technology that will hopefully impact the Canon DSLRs and mirrorless cameras of the future.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: How to find the best natural light for portraits

    How do you find good quality natural light while walking out and about? It’s not always easy, but if you know where to look and what to look for, you can almost always find the perfect light for a portrait. At least that’s what London-based photographer and YouTuber Sean Tucker believes, and he’s created a helpful tutorial for his series ‘Good Light’ that explains what it is you should look for in natural light to make the most of a scene for an impromptu portrait session.

    In the six-minute video, Tucker and his friend Sarah hit the streets of London in search for a backdrop for their photo shoot. As tends to be the case with so many street shoots, the pair end up in an alley, where Tucker sets up shop to explain the benefits of this particular scene and why it provides good natural light for the portrait he’s trying to capture.

    Tucker hows how the buildings on either side of the alley not only provide good leading lines, but also serve as black flags of sort, helping give depth to the subject by making the natural light more directional. After a few shots, he noticed a problem though: panda eyes. To fix this, Tucker uses a simple white grocery bag his subject had on hand as a reflector. A bit primitive, but as his final image shows, it did the trick.

    Photo by Sean Tucker

    To wrap up the video, Tucker shows how he went about editing the image in Lightroom CC on his iPad—itself a helpful tutorial for those of us who frequently edit images on-the-go for sharing on social media and beyond.

    Watch the full video for yourself up top, and then head on over to Tucker’s YouTube Channel to see more from his popular “Good Light” series. You can also find him on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or read his DPReview Photo Story of the Week.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Tokina Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF lens will ship June 1st, costs $950

    Tokina announced the Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF—its second prime lens in the premium Fi?RIN lens lineup for mirrorless cameras—back in February, and we got to see it in person at CP+. But it was only this month that they revealed when the lens would ship, and only earlier today that we finally know the price.

    According to Tokina itself, the autofocus lens for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras lens will begin shipping on June 1st; and according to online retailers who finally put the lens up for pre-order today, the price will be $ 950.

    There’s not much more we can say about the lens that we didn’t already reveal in the announcement post and hands-on at CP+. The Fírin 20mm F2 FE AF is simply the autofocus version of Tokina’s first high-end Fírin lens. The two lenses share an optical formula, and the addition of AF is simply meant to offer “more options for end-users to choose from according to the purpose and style of shooting.”

    To learn more about the Tokina Fírin 20mm F2 FE AF lens, dive into the optical design, and see some sample images captured with this lens, visit the Tokina website.

    Press Release

    New Tokina Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF

    April 06, 2018 – Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd. is proud to announce the sales release of Tokina Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF – the second prime lens in Tokina’s premium lens series Fi?RIN for mirrorless cameras.

    Name Origin

    Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF belongs to the newly launched “Fi?RIN” series of Tokina lenses for mirrorless cameras (or ILCs – Interchangeable Lens Compacts) marking a new epoch in Tokina history. Fi?RIN is a variation of Fi?rinne – the old Irish word for “truth”. It means “that what is real” and signifies “being true to someone or something”. It represents a promise from Tokina to photographers to help them capture the truth in their images with this revolutionary new lens.

    Overview

    Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF is the long-awaited autofocus version of the existing Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE super wide angle lens for full-frame Sony E-mount. Being specially designed for Sony E-mount and adopting the same optical design as in MF model, Fi?RIN series now offers more options for end-users to choose from according to the purpose and style of shooting.

    Estimated time of arrival: June 1, 2018 EAN code: 4961607634509

    For more information about the product refer to Fi?RIN 20mm F2 FE AF product page.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)