Category: Uncategorized

  • Lensbaby unveils Creative Bokeh and Sweet 80 optics

    Lensbaby just released two new “optics” for portrait photographer and other shooters who want to add a bit of creative flare to their photography. The first is the Sweet 80: an 80mm optic that gives portrait shooters that trademark Lensbaby ‘sweet spot’ of focus; the second is the Creative Bokeh optic: a 50mm single-element lens that comes with 11 drop in apertures in a variety of shapes.

    You can see both optics in the gallery below:

    Product Photos

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    Both the Sweet 80 and Creative Bokeh optics join the so-called ‘Lensbaby Optic Swap System’ that allows you to pop different creative lenses onto your Composer Pro I or II Composer, Muse, Scout, and Control Freak.

    Lensbaby Sweet 80 Optic

    At its core, the Sweet 80 is an 80mm F2.8 selective focus optic with a 12-blade aperture that closes down to F22. As with Lensbaby’s other ‘Sweet’ optics, you select the size and location of your ‘sweet spot of focus’ by tilting the lens and adjusting the aperture.

    Here are a few sample photos captured with the Sweet 80:

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    Lensbaby Creative Bokeh Optic

    As mentioned above, the Creative Bokeh optic is a 50mm, single-element lens that you attach to a Composer Pro II. Inside you’ll find a 12-blade aperture that ranges from F2.5 to F22, but the built-in aperture isn’t the main draw of this optic.

    Instead, Lensbaby is including 11 magnetic drop-in aperture plates that will turn the out-of-focus points of light in your background into a variety of shapes, including: diamonds, dripsplat, slots, swirly, whirlpool, birds, sunburst, heart, star. There are also two blank disks so you can create your own.

    Here are some sample images captured with the Creative Bokeh optic:

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    Both of the new optics are available now from the Lensbaby store. The Sweet 80 is available by itself for $ 200 or in a kit with the Composer Pro II for $ 380, and the Creative Bokeh optic sells for $ 100.

    To learn more, head over to the Lensbaby website.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Throwback Thursday: the Canon PowerShot G1

    It wasn’t the first ‘prosumer’ compact on the market, but it did check off a lot of the items on enthusiasts’ wish lists at the time. The Canon G1, announced to the world on September 18, 2000, offered a great deal of manual control options, a hot shoe, Raw capture and a fully articulated 1.8″ screen. That line would eventually evolve into the present-day PowerShot Gx X series – but it all started 17 years ago this week.

    Read our full Canon PowerShot G1 Review

    Canon PowerShot G1 sample gallery

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    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Diversify Photo launches database of photographers of color to promote diversity

    Diversify Photo wants to promote greater ethnic inclusion in the world of photography, and they’re taking concrete steps. Step one: Diversify has just established a database of ‘photographers of color’ that will make it easier for art buyers, creative directors and editors to find photographers from a wide range of cultural backgrounds to hire.

    The point of the database, says Diversify Photo, is to, “break with the narrow lens through which history… has been recorded” by equipping those who commission photography with “the resources to discover photographers of color available for assignments.”

    The groups says that calling for greater diversity in the media has proved not to be enough, so it took action by creating this online database. The website features a gallery of images taken by individual photographers, and clicking on any of those pictures takes users to the photographer’s website. The site also offers an email service that explains the self-identified ethnicity of its photographers, along with their areas of expertise and languages spoken.

    The site was set up by Brent Lewis, a senior editor at ESPN’s The Undefeated, and independent photo editor Andrea Wise. In an interview Brent told Photo District News that the database was created to show photography buyers, “that there are a lot of talented people out there that they may not see, have the time to go looking for, or just don’t know where to begin to find.”

    At the moment there are 340 photographers registered on the site covering a wide range of photographic genres. For more information, and to see their work, visit Diversify.Photo.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Photo Experiment: Shooting macro photos of boiling water

    Recently I’ve become interested in photographing boiling water in a glass tea kettle. It may sound boring and uninteresting, but with the right lighting you can get some truly interesting images.

    It began when I was boiling my tea water one day in January this year, and I happened to have my camera with a macro lens and a speedlight mounted, laying nearby. I decided to try what would happen if I photographed the boiling water in the glass tea kettle and was very surprised by the results! It looked like melted metal, and the shapes were a lot more intricate and detailed than I would have expected.

    When experimenting with this, I have gotten the best results when using a macro lens with a long focal length. I used my trusty Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro. You could probably get interesting photos with a non-macro lens, but you would likely have to do some cropping to take away the edges of the teakettle and the background, as you wouldn’t be able to focus as closely.

    I set the aperture to around F6 or F7 for the sharpest results, and I focus fairly close, but not all the way to 1:1 magnification. I make sure that the room is as dark as possible, as this gives the photos a calmer background. I use either a normal speedlight mounted on the top of the camera, or, for more interesting results, I use two speedlights with colored gels, placed at different angles towards the teakettle.

    In this case, I used two Godox TT 685s: cheap but incredibly well-built wireless speedlights.

    Finally, I turn on the teakettle and let the water start boiling, while I press the shutter as many times as possible. Be prepared to take a lot of photographs, and know that most of them will turn out only okay. When I recorded my video about this, I took thousands of shots, and only deemed around 10-20 to be “good.” But when you get a nice composition of bubbles, with perfect sharpness and that metallic, futuristic look, it is worth the effort!

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    The most interesting photos seem to come at two stages: when the water is boiling the most – when it is total chaos inside that teakettle—and when it has stopped boiling and you only see small, flat bubbles rising from the bottom with some distance between them.

    Again, this might seem like a silly, boring idea but photographing boiling water is a fun and interesting experiment to try at home on a rainy day!


    Micael Widell is a photography enthusiast based in Stockholm, Sweden. He loves photography, and runs a YouTube channel with tutorials, lens reviews and photography inspiration. You can also find him as @mwroll on Instagram and 500px.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Report: Blackstone working with Morgan Stanley to sell 45% Leica stake

    Photo by Alexander Andrews

    In early August, Reuters reported that Blackstone was engaging in talks with potential buyers to acquire its 45% stake in Leica. Sources had said at the time that Blackstone was working with an investment bank, though that bank wasn’t named, and that it had already discussed the potential business deal with several possible buyers. Reuters is back with more info about the alleged business plan, revealing that Blackstone is working with Morgan Stanley.

    Sources have claimed that Zeiss was interested in possibly acquiring a stake in Leica, but only if it could get a majority of the company. Private equity funds, family investors, and “Asian optics groups” are also claimed among those interested in Blackstone’s 45% stake.

    In its most recent report, Reuters said that Blackstone is aiming for a high valuation, banking on the fact that Leica is perceived as a luxury brand versus other big camera companies like Nikon and Canon. No auction for the stake has been started, the sources claim. Neither Blackstone or Morgan Stanley have commented on the report.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Adobe announces record-breaking $1.84 billion in revenue for Q3

    Adobe has once again posted record quarterly revenue, this time for the fiscal quarter that ended on September 1, 2017. The software company experienced a 26% year-on-year revenue growth with $ 1.84 billion in its third fiscal quarter this year. Of that, $ 1.27 billion came from the company’s Digital Media segment, including Creative Cloud. On a GAAP basis, Adobe saw its year-on-year net income grow 55% and its operating income grow 48%.

    We’ll give you a moment to take that in… 55% net income growth, and a fiscal quarter of $ 1.84 billion. The jump to a subscription model is treating the company VERY well.

    This marks yet another high point for Adobe, which previously posted record revenue during its second fiscal quarter ending in June 2017. During its Q2, Adobe made then record-setting $ 1.77 billion with its Digital Media segment having driven that revenue.

    Looking forward, Adobe anticipates fourth fiscal quarterly revenue of $ 1.95 billion, which would once again keep it in line with analysts’ expectations and set yet another record. Financial highlights from Adobe for Q3 are listed below:

    • Adobe achieved record quarterly revenue of $ 1.84 billion in its third quarter of fiscal year 2017, which represents 26 percent year-over-year revenue growth.
    • Diluted earnings per share was $ 0.84 on a GAAP-basis, and $ 1.10 on a non-GAAP basis.
    • Digital Media segment revenue was $ 1.27 billion, with Creative revenue growing to $ 1.06 billion.
    • Digital Media Annualized Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) grew to $ 4.87 billion exiting the quarter, a quarter-over-quarter increase of $ 308 million.
    • Adobe Experience Cloud achieved revenue of $ 508 million, which represents 26 percent year-over-year growth.
    • Operating income grew 48 percent and net income grew 55 percent year-over-year on a GAAP-basis; operating income grew 43 percent and net income grew 46 percent year-over-year on a non-GAAP basis.
    • Cash flow from operations was $ 704 million, and deferred revenue grew to approximately $ 2.20 billion.
    • The company repurchased approximately 2.1 million shares during the quarter, returning $ 298 million of cash to stockholders.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Oprema Jena revives Biotar 58mm F2 lens with record-setting 17 aperture blades

    After successfully funding the ‘legendary’ Biotar 78mm F1.5 lens through Kickstarter, newly-minted company Oprema Jena is trying to pull off yet another resurrection. This time the crowdfunding platform is Indiegogo, and the lens they’re bringing back is the Biotar 58mm F2: the world’s only lens with a ‘historic’ 17-blade aperture.

    Oprema isn’t holding back when it comes to describing this lens in the most epic of terms:

    Reengineered to its true historic 17 aperture blade version it will change how you feel about photography. With its unique design the Biotar 58 balances the need for sharpness and bokeh in one lens like no other. It is truly an enchanting miracle bokeh wonder lens for all your photographic situations.

    “Miracle bokeh wonder lens” …. there’s a tagline for you. And if that’s not enough, here’s an overly-dramatic introduction to this lens complete with inspiring music and over-zealous presenter voice:

    Joking aside, people seem very excited about this old lens coming back. The original design dates back to 1927, and it was introduced to the public around 1937. Unfortunately, due to the war, the original Biotar 58 was only produced in small numbers, and later versions never quite recaptured the original’s flare for dramatic bokeh.

    Until (at least according to Oprema Jena) now.

    Oprema identified the models that were “most outstanding” from the Biotar’s history, and recreated those while adding in some modern conveniences like rangefinder coupling for Leica users, and modern-day lens mounts for everyone else. Here are some web resolution sample photos so you can judge for yourself if they succeeded in creating a lens worth dropping a grand on:

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    Already over 150% funded, it looks like the Biotar 58mm F2 will come to be whether or not anybody else decides to pledge their money and pick one up. But if you want to learn more about this lens and/or drop the $ 950 it’ll take to buy one in either Silver or Black (Super Early Bird level, still 180 available), head over to the Indiegogo campaign by clicking here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Incredible microscopic close-ups of a peacock feather

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    Turkish macro photographer Can Truncer takes his macro work far beyond most macro shooters. Forget 1:1 or even 2:1, when Truncer decides on a project his super macro work requires complex focus stacking rigs, microscope lenses, and 40-images per photo to get everything in focus.

    This was the case with his most recent project, Peacock Feather, in which he used three different microscope lenses and a super-macro setup to capture extreme closeups of these colorful marvels.

    For this particular project, Truncer used three lenses: a Lomo 3.7x (3.7x magnification), Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5x (5x magnification), and Nikon CF Plan 10x 0.30 WD 16.5 (10x magnification). Each was mounted to his Canon 6D in turn and, using the light from a single Yongnuo YN-560 III and two Ikea Jansjö LED lamps.

    The final rig looked like this:

    And these are the three lenses used:

    The project took two weeks to complete, during which time Can captured 1,500 images of a single feather in order to create the final focus-stacked series you see at the top. Scroll through the high-res versions for yourself if you need to add a bit of wow-factor to your Wednesday.

    And then, if you want to see even more incredible macro photography, you can find more of Can’s work on 500px, Flickr, and Instagram.


    All images by Can Truncer and used with permission.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Snapseed app updated with new interface and presets, adds perspective tool to iOS

    Google has just pushed out an update to Snapseed, the popular mobile image editing app for iOS and Android. The update (version 2.18) is for both versions of the app, and offers users on both mobile platforms a new interface and 11 new image presets. Additionally, the iOS update has brought the app’s Perspective Tool to Apple’s mobile devices, enabling users to adjust the horizon and “skewed lines” using their iPhone or iPad.

    The update was announced on the Google Plus Snapseed page, where the team explained that Snapseed 2.18 is redesigned to make accessing features more efficient while speeding up the overall editing process. The new interface, meanwhile, moves Looks to the main screen, a feature that enables users to save their favorite edits so they can be applied to multiple other photos quickly.

    Other changes are minor, and include switching the app from a dark to a light theme, as well as making certain tools and the export function accessible in a menu at the bottom of the display while editing. Both the Android and iOS updates are available now through the Google Play and iTunes App Stores, respectively.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Lens Rentals test shows all circular polarizing filters work great, price doesn’t matter

    Photo: Roger Cicala/Lens Rentals

    Our friend Roger Cicala over at Lens Rentals is at it again: buying up super expensive optical testing equipment because someone asked him why LR carries the circular polarizing filters they do. The answer, until now, was simple: make the expensive one on the market their high-end rental, and the cheapest one their “basic.” But is there really any difference?

    That’s what Roger set out to figure out, and the answer might save you a little bit of cash.

    You can read the full post and see all of the detailed results on the Lens Rentals blog, but the most surprising and positive conclusion was this:

    All circular polarizers, regardless of price, are 99.9% effective at polarizing light.

    Translation: if you’re looking for a circular polarizer because … well … you want to polarize light then save your money because the cheaper ones work just as well as the more expensive ones.

    In addition to their ability to do what they say they do, Cicala and LR team tested CP filters for overall transmission (how much light to they let through) and transmission by wavelength so you can see what effect each filter has on the colors your camera sees. Check out the results here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)