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NYC photo tour helicopter crashes in the East River, claiming five lives

13 Mar

A photo tour helicopter crashed into New York City’s East River on Sunday, claiming the lives of the five passengers who were onboard. The helicopter was owned and operated by New Jersey-based Liberty Helicopters as part of a doors-off photo tour that allows passengers to take aerial images of the city.

According to the New York Times, the tragedy was caused by engine failure. The helicopter’s pilot, Richard Vance, made an emergency call shortly after taking off, later telling investigators that the fuel shut-off switch may have been accidentally hit by a passenger or some onboard equipment.

Vance reportedly aimed toward the river as an emergency landing site to avoid crashing in Manhattan; however, after hitting the water, the helicopter’s inflatable pontoons were unable to keep the chopper upright. The helicopter quickly capsized, and though Vance was able to escape and scream for help, the passengers were unable to cut themselves loose from the heavy-duty harnesses that are used as part of these doors-off tour.

Firefighter and police divers worked as quickly as they could against 5 mph currents to try and free the passengers, but they were not able to rescue any of them in time.

The tragedy highlights concerns about marketing helicopter photo tours to tourists. These doors-off tours require strapping passengers into the helicopter using heavy-duty harnesses, equipping them with only a knife to cut themselves free in the event of a crash. And while all passengers must watch a short safety video, this is hardly adequate training to deal with an actual emergency.

According to the Times, the passengers on this helicopter tour were shown a 10-minute safety video about using the knife to escape the harnesses; however, the video didn’t include instructions on cutting through nylon ties during a water landing. Critics have long called on officials to restrict helicopter traffic over Manhattan, but the latest incident has also called into question whether the doors-off photo tourism industry should face greater regulation.

An investigation into the crash, including why the helicopter’s inflatable pontoons failed to prevent the vehicle from sinking, is still underway.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe Creative Cloud prices will increase April 16th, Photography Plan will stay the same

13 Mar

Yesterday, a few of our staffers received an email from Adobe warning them that, in a little over a month, the price of their Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions would increase on their next renewal date. The email read:

Dear *subscriber*

The price of Creative Cloud will increase on April 16, 2018. However, your price will not change until your next renewal date. Please note that this is the first time in over five years that we’ve raised the base price of Creative Cloud.

The price of Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps will change to US$ 52.99/month on your renewal date of *insert date here*. A reminder email will be sent to you as your renewal date gets closer.

It seems these prices changes were initially announced in October at Adobe MAX, but the email still came as news to us. So when we received the notice, we reached out to Adobe to confirm and to ask if the Creative Cloud Photography plan pricing would also increase.

Here’s what we got back:

As announced in October 2017 at Adobe MAX, for the first time since the introduction of Creative Cloud five years ago, a modest adjustment in commercial pricing will take effect for customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico on April 16, 2018 or at existing customers’ next contract renewal. Beginning April 16, new subscribers will benefit from the current pricing and can lock in a year subscription at no additional charge. Prices will vary by plans—for example, Creative Cloud for Individuals All App annual plans will experience a 6% increase to $ 52.99 per month from $ 49.99 per month. These pricing updates do not impact our Student/Education, Creative Cloud Photography, XD or Acrobat CC plans.

For more pricing details visit: https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-updates-creative-cloud-pricing/

So, the good news for photographers is that the Creative Cloud Photography plan price is not changing. You will still pay $ 10/month for Photoshop CC, Lightroom Classic CC, and Lightroom CC with 20GB of cloud storage, or $ 20/month to increase that cloud storage quota to 1TB. But if you’re on an All App or Single App plans, you’re going to see a price hike.

In addition to the Individual All App plan increasing in price to $ 53/month (previously $ 50), Creative Cloud for Individual Single App plans will now cost $ 21/month (previously $ 20), and Creative Cloud for Teams All App plans will now cost $ 80/month (up from $ 70).

For more info on this price increase, you can read the original announcement post here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony executive predicts Nikon and Canon will go full-frame mirrorless within a year

13 Mar
Kenji Tanaka, Sony Senior General Manager of the Digital Imaging Business Group | Photo by Carey Rose

Earlier this month at CP+, we sat down with several camera company executives for in-depth interviews about the photo industry, trying to tease out what the future holds for the cameras and lenses of tomorrow. One of the people we spoke with was Sony’s Senior General Manager of the Digital Imaging Business Group, Kenji Tanaka, and he had an interesting prediction. He told us to look for Nikon and Canon full-frame mirrorless “by next year’s CP+.”

We’re still working on finalizing the full interview for you, but we wanted to share this tidbit right away:

One of the reasons that companies like Sigma and Tamron are creating native Sony FE lenses is that they’re looking forward to a future where full-frame mirrorless is the norm. How long will that be?

This is just my personal opinion, but I think that maybe by next year’s CP+ you’ll see full-frame mirrorless cameras from Canon and Nikon. I think [by then] they will be participating in this market.

Just look at our technologies, like eye focus. All of that data comes from the imaging sensor. In DSLRs, the data comes from separate sensors. The main imaging sensor is blanked out, 90% of the time by the mirror. The sensor is turned off. But the imaging sensor is very important. So if cameras are going to develop, and be more able to capture the moment, manufacturers have to develop mirrorless technologies. So within one year, I think.

Rumors of Nikon and Canon full-frame mirrorless cameras have been swirling for years, but no official confirmation has ever come down the pike. The best we’ve managed to get so far is this somewhat vague statement from Nikon, and confirmation that Canon is now willing to cannibalize its DSLR sales to invest in mirrorless cameras.

Obviously Kenji Tanaka does not speak for Canon or Nikon—he even made sure to mention this was his “personal opinion”—but he has a much better high-level understanding of the camera industry’s ins and outs that most of us. In other words: we take his ‘personal opinions’ quite seriously.

The latest whispers on the rumor mill claim there’s a Canon full-frame mirrorless prototype in the wild, and up until CP+ came and went, many were hoping to see a full-frame mirrorless from Nikon at the show. As we move further into 2018 and look ahead to Photokina, Photo Plus Expo, and next year’s CP+ show, maybe all of those rumors will finally start paying off.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Olympus E-PL9 sample gallery

13 Mar

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Olympus’ latest update to its light-and-compact Pen series comes in the form of the E-PL9. The camera incorporates some design updates, including a more substantial grip, as well as some hardware improvements, like a built-in flash and a newer sensor capable of 4K video. Throw on a prime or the svelte 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ kit lens and it starts looking like a pretty attractive camera to toss in your bag for the day. See how we’ve fared with it so far.

See our Olympus E-PL9 sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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‘I’m Back’ digital back for analog SLRs successfully returns to Kickstarter

13 Mar

Last year, a Kickstarter project for a product called ‘I’m Back’ offered a digital back for 35mm film cameras, but it wasn’t successful. Now, the product has relaunched on the crowdfunding platform, where it has successfully raised (and exceeded) its €20,000 (~$ 25,000 USD) funding goal. As with other digital back products, “I’m Back” claims to transform an analog film camera into a hybrid that can capture digital images.

‘I’m Back’ is billed as a low-cost alternative to other digital back products, one that offers a 16MP Panasonic sensor with options to capture images starting at a 2MP resolution. The system works by capturing images off the device’s focusing screen, which results in “the nice vintage flavor of your 35mm camera,” according to the product’s creator.

The digital back also features a 2-inch touchscreen display, Wi-Fi for image transfers, and mobile control via smartphone. Other features include HDMI, USB, a 128GB microSD card for storage, a NOVATEK 96660 processor, and rechargeable battery.

According to the Kickstarter page, ‘I’m Back’ is directly compatible with many 35mm analog cameras, including multiple models from Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Yashica, Leica, and Contax. However, a universal adapter accessory enables the digital back to be used with nearly any 35mm camera, including the Lomography Diana seen in the photo above.

‘I’m Back’ has raised nearly €29,000 (~$ 35,500 USD) on Kickstarter so far. Interested buyers can back the project with pledges starting at €225 (~$ 277 USD) for the ‘Pro’ kit, with global shipping to backers estimated to start in September of 2018. For more info, or to put down your own pledge, visit the Kickstarter page here.

And if you’re curious what DPReview thinks of these digital conversion products, this opinion piece by resident curmudgeon Richard Butler just about captures it:

Why Your Beloved Film SLR is Never Going Digital

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Shiftcam 2.0 iPhone add-on offers 6-in-1 lens-slider and ‘Pro’ lens options

13 Mar

The makers of the Shiftcam lens slider case for the iPhone have returned to Kickstarter to fund mass production of their latest development: the ShiftCam 2.0, an iPhone lens case that offers six integrated lenses in a single easy-to-use package, as well as a set of ‘pro’ lenses that slide into the same rail system.

Depending on the shooting requirements of a scene, Shiftcam users can pick a lens and slide it into place over the phone’s built-in camera, using a sliding mechanism and magnetic lens cap. Shiftcam 2.0 comes with a 2x tele lens, a 20x macro, a 10x macro, a 120-degree wide-angle lens, and a 180-degree fish-eye for the rear camera. There is also a 120-degree wide-angle adapter for the front-facing selfie camera.

The system is available in versions for the iPhones 7/Plus and 8/Plus, as well as the iPhone X.

If you want to move past the 6-in-1 slider, the ShiftCam ProLens expansion set adds that option to the Shiftcam product lineup. This series of individual interchangeable lenses includes a telephoto, wide-angle, 238-degree fisheye, “traditional” macro, and “long-range” macro options.

The lenses slot into the same rails on the Shiftcam case as the multi-lens slider, but offer what Shiftcam is characterizing as “pro level image quality.”

Pledging at least $ 50 on the Shiftcam 2.0 Kickstarter page gets you the basic 6-in-1 lens slider and case, but prices go up all the way to $ 350 for the slider, a full set of Pro lenses, and accessories. Delivery is estimated for May of 2018.

If you are interested in Shiftcam 2.0, check out the introduction video above for a quick overview. And before you put down your pledge, you might also want to have a look at our review of the original Shiftcam to get a better idea of how (and how well) the system works.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The Broccoli Tree and the dangers of sharing photos of the places you love online

13 Mar

Landscape, wildlife, and adventure photographers (among others) will often keep their most treasured locations and subjects secret. And while this might seem rude or selfish or mean, the tale of The Broccoli Tree in Sweden—told beautifully in a recent vlogbrothers video by best-selling author John Green—explains exactly why this practice might also be necessary.

The Broccoli Tree, for those who aren’t familiar, is (or was) a tree in Huskvarna, Sweden that somehow became social media famous.

Photographing this tree became a passion project of photographer Patrik Svedberg, and over the course of 4+ years, the tree gained quite a following on Instagram. In fact, it kind of became Insta-famous so-to-speak, accruing over 31,000 followers to date.

But Insta-fame comes with consequences in this day and age. No matter how beautiful or inspiring, no matter how much joy something brings to the general populace, there will always be those people who get some deluded self-satisfaction out of destroying it.

This is what happened to The Broccoli Tree.

One day in September of 2017, Svedberg went to photograph his favorite tree, only to find that someone had sawed one of the tree’s branches almost all the way through. It wasn’t long before the whole tree had to be cut down.

Ever since the tree got viral a couple of years ago the number one joke has been ”what if someone cuts it down..?” Or ”What´s next, maybe you should cut it down and take photos haha.” I´ve never had good answer to that question, or joke. It´s not like we´re planted together, we live different lives the tree and I. This question was so common so I guess it was just a matter of time before some guys mentally retarded enough would crawl up from under a stone and make it happen as a part of a bet or something. Clearly it´s a obsession in lots of minds out there for some inscrutable reason. One of the trees branches has now (a couple of days ago..?) been sawn in almost all the way through and it´s just a matter of time before it´ll fall off. I won´t be around to document it, others will for sure so I guess you lunatics who did it can enjoy every moment. You can win a bet. Get cheered at. Even get a bit infamous. Congrats. What an accomplishment. I guess you were excited like little children while you did it, must have taken quite a while. For sure you are excited now, aspecially when the word is out. Now is your moment. High fives, maybe some back slapping. Suck it in. Time will erode those memories, excitement will turn into second thoughts. But the saddest thing of all, however You absolutely cannot un-saw a tree. —– I leave the judgement to others and have to move on to work, you can talk to each other about this below of course, but I feel for now this is what I have to say in this matter. Cheer up, there will be a tomorrow after this. // Patrik

A post shared by A tree on Instagram (@thebroccolitree) on

You can hear the entire story in the video at the top of this post, although you might be surprised to find that Green’s takeaway isn’t that people should keep these locations a secret, or not share photos of them at all. In fact, he comes to a totally different, if somewhat melancholy, conclusion:

The truth is, if we hoard and hide what we love, we can still lose it. Only then, we’re alone in the loss. You can’t un-saw a tree, but you can’t un-see one either. The Broccoli Tree is gone… but its beauty survives.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Agfa Vista film is no more, stock drying up world-wide

13 Mar

According to a report by Japan Camera Hunter, Agfa Vista color negative film is no longer being produced. The site says the information—which has been rumored for a few months—has now been confirmed by ‘reliable industry sources,’ and that supplies are drying up around the world.

The film has become popular for its low cost and punchy colors, but obviously not popular enough for it to remain in production.

Since the demise of AgfaPhoto GmbH in 2005, the film was distributed by Lupus Imaging and Media, a marketing company that bought the rights to use the Agfa name on a range of items from film to memory sticks. At first, the company slit the remaining stock from Agfa’s factory in Leverkusen, but in more recent times it is widely believed Fujifilm was the manufacturer of the Vista films.

Japan Camera Hunter’s dramatised Death of Vista illustration.

Agfa was one of the very early experimenters with color photography, bringing a color emulsion to the market shortly after Kodak introduced Kodachrome. Agfacolor Neu was much easier to process, however, as it needed only one pass through the chemistry to develop all three colors.

Rolls of Agfa Vista in both ISO 200 and 400 varieties are still available from specialist stores and even Amazon UK, so panic buying hasn’t quite taken hold yet. But JCH doesn’t expect stock to last too long.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Instagram might bring back the chronological feed

13 Mar

In 2016, Instagram changed the way the images of the users you are following are displayed in the app from a chronological feed, to a much-debated ‘”algorithm feed”, causing a fairly heavy backlash among its user base.

The chronological feed wasn’t even kept alive as an option, meaning that since this change users have had to rely on the intelligence of Instagram’s algorithm instead of simply seeing posts appear in real-time. Then, adding insult to injury, Instagram recently started inserting “recommended” posts of users you’re not even following into your (still algorithmic) feed.

Almost two years after the change, users are still complaining about the algorithm feed, but there are now signs Instagram might bring the chronological feed back as an option.

Resource Magazine reports that Instagram user @jackharding posted a video of his Instagram stories, showing his feed was in chronological order and including the following comment:

“Instagram back to chronological order. I wonder if this is good or bad news.”

This could simply have been coincidence, but In a follow-up story the same user revealed he is an Instagram employee, and part of a beta test of the new chronological feed. And while my own Instagram feed is still in algorithm mode, more reports about users seeing a chronological feed have since appeared on the web.

So, if you’re one of the many (many, many) users who have been missing Instagram’s chronological feed over the past two years, it seems there is now hope. For already-popular accounts with massive engaged followings, a move back to chronological could actually hurt their reach; however, for anyone looking to build a following on Instagram, it would level the playing field and put everyone on equal footing once again.

No word on when or even if Instagram will ultimately make this change—a beta test does not a promise make—but let us know in the comments if your Instagram feed has shifted back to chronological order, and what you think of the change.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The most expensive camera in the world: 1923 Leica sells for $2.97M at auction

12 Mar

A private collector in Asia just bought her or himself the most expensive camera ever sold at auction, making away with an ultra-rare Leica 0-series no. 122 for the mind-boggling price of €2.4 million (approximately $ 2.97M USD, or £2.15M)—a sum reached when you combine the hammer price of €2 million with the €400,000 premium.

The auction took place on Saturday at the famed WestLicht auction house in Vienna, where Leica majority owner and chairman of the board Andreas Kaufmann was there to watch the record be set.

Leica 0-series no. 122 | Photo: WestLicht

According to WestLicht, the astronomical price “reflects the camera’s fantastic original condition.” Only 25 of these ‘test’ cameras were produced by Ernst Leitz in 1923—two years before the first Leica camera was officially brought to market—and WestLicht claims that of those 25, only three are known to still be in ‘original condition.’

Speaking of which: this sale beat the former €2.16 million (~$ 2.67M USD) record price paid for another Leica 0-series (no. 116) in 2012.

Press Release

The Most Expensive Camera Ever

Leica camera sold for 2,400,000 Euro (USD 2,976,000) at WestLicht record auction

The 32nd WestLicht Camera Auction brought not one but two record winning results. With the new world record price of 2.4 million Euro (2 million hammer price plus premium) the Leica 0-series no. 122 is the World’s most expensive camera to date. Furthermore, the auction turned out to be the most successful one in the rich history of the Vienna auction house.

The Leica 0-series had started at a price of 400,000 Euro and rose to a result 6 times higher. A private collector from Asia emerged as the winner from the exciting bidding war. The remarkable price certainly also reflects the camera’s fantastic original condition. In 1923, two years before the first Leica was introduced to the market, Ernst Leitz produced 25 of this test camera, only three of which are known to still be in the original condition.

The previous record holder, a Leica 0-series with no. 116, was also auctioned at WestLicht in 2012 for 2.16 million Euro. Peter Coeln, WestLicht founder: “The outstanding result once again emphasizes the international leading position of our auction house”. Leica majority owner and chairman of the board Andreas Kaufmann added: “This world record price of 2.4 million Euro demonstrates the ongoing and ever-growing myth of the Leica brand.”

A further excellent result was achieved by another Leica camera from the famous collection of Jim Jannard (founder of Oakley): A Leica MP-89 black paint climbed from a starting price of 120,000 to 456,000 Euro. A Leica MP-2, the first camera with electric motor drive, changed ownership for 432,000 Euro. For the comparatively moderate sum of 48,000 Euro a collector purchased the Hasselblad Lunar Surface SWC which was manufactured for the Apollo missions.

The overall sales rate of the 32nd WestLicht Camera Auction was at 91% of the 530 lots, with close to 100% among the Leica items.

Next WestLicht Auction is scheduled for November this year.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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