360Photography

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  • Photo of the week: Swimming with Humpback whales in Tonga

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    Tonga is the only country in the southern hemisphere where you can actually swim with Humpback whales. Every year, starting around June/July, thousand of whales undertake the longest migration known, crossing half of the world to meet near the island of Tonga.

    Before this, the last time I had had the opportunity to see humpback whales was in Antarctica, but I had never had the opportunity to swim with them. We purposely decided to go early in the season, and so Craig Parry and I headed out to Vava’u, Tonga in July. Going early in the season meant less whales, but also less tourists visiting those islands—a prime time if we were hoping to increase the quality of our interactions. And I have to tell you… we got really lucky.

    Literally 3 minutes later, this young whale was swimming toward us, looking to play with us.

    On day two, while we were swimming with a mother and cub, we noticed a lone teenage whale playing around. We slowly approached him and gently slipped into the water, hoping not to scare him. Literally three minutes later, this young whale was swimming toward us, looking to play with us.

    A scary moment, you might say, when you realize that you can’t fit this airplane-sized animal into your fisheye lens. When his nose and tail are about to touch you… missing by just a few centimeters. This whale would swim in front of us, roll next to us and swim under us, only a few centimeters from our fragile human body.

    We understood that this animal meant no harm to us, and as this realization seeped in confidence replaced fear, and we literally spent the next 2 hours playing with this beautiful creature. Those two hours were magical, intimate, and powerful. Having previously shot whale sharks underwater, I didn’t believe Craig when he told me that I would constantly need an ultra-wide angle lens. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and both of the shots you are seeing were taken with a fish lens.

    We understood that this animal meant no harm to us, and as this realization seeped in confidence replaced fear, and we literally spent the next 2 hours playing with this beautiful creature.

    In fact, I used the following configuration for this trip: Aquatech underwater housing, Sony A7r II, and a 28mm with Fisheye adaptor (16mm). I also used the Sony 11-22mm.

    I decided to shoot 7 bracketed exposures in 0.3 stop increments, hoping to either get (1) A high dynamic range composition or (2) A correctly exposed photo (given how fast the whale was coming to us, I had no time to adjusting the metering of the camera). Regarding autofocus, those two lenses seems to focus too much on the picoplankton at wide aperture. Reducing the f-stop from F6.3 to F8 increased the amount of keepers. And finally, regarding shutter speed, I wouldn’t recommend going below 1/640s, given the movement of water and the speed at which the whale moves around.

    Josselin Cornou is an explorer, contemporary and landscape Photographer, and an addict of the unknown. He’s travelled all over the world capturing some of the most stunning photographs you’ve ever seen. You can find more of his work on his website or by following him on Instagram.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony packed serious phase detect AF into these new 4K palm-style camcorders

    If you’ve used a palm-style camcorder to try and film action at any point over the past several years, you’ve probably noticed an issue: most of these camcorders are god awful at finding and holding focus, usually relying exclusively on contrast detect AF or simply the deep depth-of-field their small sensors made requisite. Well, not anymore.

    Sony has just debuted three new 4K camcorders with advanced, relatively large sensors aimed at three different tiers of users. But all of them have one thing in common: blazing fast, 273-point phase detect autofocus systems similar to (and, in fact, a bit more advanced than) the system found in Sony’s new RX10 IV. More advanced because the camera allows you to further customize features like AF Drive Speed, Tracking Depth Range and Subject Switching Sensitivity to make sure you nail every shot. We’re also told the focus ramping is more sophisticated, if you ask the autofocus to rack between two subjects. The hi-res touchscreen LCD should make focus easy and intuitive as well.

    All three palm-style camcorders feature this same autofocus system, a 1-inch type stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor, and support 4K ‘Instant HDR’ recording using Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) technology. However, not all three are meant for the same user. The AX700 is for serious amateurs, the NX80 for semi-pro video shooters, and the Z90V packs in some interesting broadcast capabilities such as XAVC L format recording, 3G SDI connectivity, and other features the support news reporting.

    Of course, at $ 1,900 for the ‘cheapest’ model, it was obvious from the get-go that Sony wan’t aiming for the entry-level crowd with this release.

    The most beginner-friendly model, the FDR-AX700, arrives in October for the aforementioned price of $ 1,900. The two higher-end models, the HXR-NX80 and PXW-Z90V, both arrive in December for $ 2,300 and $ 2,800 respectively. To find out more about any of these camcorders, read the press release below or visit the Sony 4K Palm website.

    Press Release

    Sony Unveils First Camcorders with Phase-detection AF

    Sony’s newest camcorders are its first to feature phase detection Auto Focus (AF), and expand its line of 4K and HDR-capable tools for shooting applications ranging from video enthusiasts to corporate and events to broadcast news and TV production.

    The three new palm-style models are the XDCAM PXW-Z90, the NXCAM HXR-NX80 and the Handycam FDR-AX700. The camcorders’ Fast Hybrid AF system ensures highly accurate focusing and tracking — especially useful during 4K shooting — delivered by 273 phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 84% of the shooting area, high-density placement of autofocus points and a newly developed AF algorithm. In movie recording mode, the appearance of phase-detection AF frames indicates the focused area and easily allows users to monitor a subject that is in focus.

    Each camcorder combines fast and reliable AF adapted for video shooting with a 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS CMOS image sensor. The new camcorders support 4K HDR recording with Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) offering an Instant HDR workflow to produce high-quality HDR content smoothly. The Instant HDR Workflow enables simple shooting, editing and viewing of HDR content in HLG, without the need for color grading during post production.

    The new camcorders feature a high-resolution OLED viewfinder (0.39-type OLED, 2,359k dots) and advanced touch screen operation, on the 3.5-type large LCD screen (1,555k dots), to allow users to quickly switch focus from one subject to another, while the AF Drive Speed, Tracking Depth Range and Subject Switching Sensitivity can all be configured as required for different subjects and content styles.

    Simple, multi-camera live production

    The PXW-Z90, HXR-NX80 and FDR-AX700 camcorders all work seamlessly with Sony’s MCX-500 live producer, a compact, cost-effective switcher that makes it easy for one operator to run a multi-camera live event. With the switcher and Sony’s RM-30BP controller, a Tally icon appears on each camera’s LCD panel and viewfinder. A red icon indicates when the shot is live (PGM) while Green indicates preview mode (NEXT).

    The MCX-500 supports mixing between eight video sources, four stereo embedded audio channels plus two XLR Inputs, and a dedicated Title Input, up to nine video inputs, and five stereo inputs including XLR. Internal recording and live streaming is also possible via Ustream, Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

    Users can also synchronize timecode among multiple camcorders using Sony’s free Content Browser Mobile 3.0 app with optional CBKZ-WTCL upgrade and devices running iOS® (9.0 – 10.3) or Android® (4.4 – 7.1) operating systems.

    Versatile Shooting Capabilities

    The new camcorders enable the following key technology and features to support versatile shooting, including:

    • 4K full-pixel readout without pixel binning using an enhanced BIONZ X™ image processing engine
    • Super Slow Motion recording up to 960fps, which is industry leading among palm categories and Slow & Quick Motion Full HD recording up to 120fps.
    • S-Log3/S-Gamut3 capabilities for users to create and work with images as they desire.
    • 29mm wide-angle ZEISS® Vario-Sonnar T* 12x optical zoom lens and 18x Clear Image Zoom
    • Less image distortion (rolling shutter phenomenon), in comparison to conventional models, when shooting moving subjects in motion

    Workflow efficiency benefits such as proxy recording, relay recording and simultaneous backup recording are also delivered thanks to the new camcorders’ dual memory card slots and multi-camera operation capabilities supported by TC (time code)/UB (user bit). The new camcorders also have REMOTE terminals, Multi-Interface Shoe™, and HDMI Type A for enhanced operability.

    The new models also feature dual XLR audio input, a detachable handle, and access to Content Browser Mobile a supporting smartphone application to enable Wi-Fi® monitoring, Camcorder remote control and wireless timecode sync between multiple cameras.

    The PXW-Z90 also includes several features to suit broadcast-specific production requirements: XAVC L format recording, which provides high-quality images at 4:2:2 10 bit (HD) and 4:2:0 8 bit (QFHD) in addition to conventional broadcasting MPEG2HD format recording; 3G SDI connectivity for compatibility with existing broadcasting equipment; and networking functions to support news reporting, such as compatibility with XDCAM® air, Sony’s cloud-based ENG subscription service. The HXR-NX80 and FDR-AX700 adopt XAVC S, an extended format of XAVC for consumer use.

    The following is planned availability and suggested list pricing for the new models:

    • FDR-AX700 – October 2017, $ 1,899 USD
    • HXR-NX80 – December 2017, $ 2,299 USD
    • PXW-Z90V – December 2017, $ 2,799 USD

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Google teases Pixel smartphone launch, takes on iPhone X on October 4th

    Responses to the iPhone 8/Plus and iPhone X launch have ranged from “meh, unimpressed” to “holy crap this is going to change everything.” But if you’re waiting for Google’s response to the iPhone X camera, you won’t have to wait long. In fact, you can mark October 4th on your calendar and start the countdown today.

    The release date was announced in the snarky little teaser video above, which points people to a landing page complete with the tagline: “Thinking about changing phones?” Billboards asking you to ‘Ask more of your phone’ have been sighted, possibly a nod to Google Assistant’s generally accepted superiority over Siri.

    Indeed, questions in the video like ‘why is my phone so dumb?’ or ‘impersonal’ seem to be a jab at Siri, while other questions like ‘why is my phone so fragile’ point to a more durable phone than last year’s not-so-durable Pixel phones, with far less glass than the newly launched iPhones. We hope the ‘why does my phone take so many blurry photos’ question refers to the addition of optical image stabilization.

    Even without OIS, when the original Pixel and Pixel XL came out, the phones’ exceptional camera performance wowed reviewers. And that was even without the use of a dual camera module like the iPhone 7 Plus. From a photography perspective, we can’t wait to see what Google does next. Apple already played their hand, the ball is in Google’s court now.

    Maybe I am thinking of changing phones Google… convince me.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Netflix acquires rights to Kodachrome: a movie about the final days of the iconic film

    Photo courtesy Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

    Netflix has acquired the rights to Kodachrome, an upcoming Jason Sudeikis movie about the last days of the Kodachrome film era. The news was first reported by Deadline, who is claiming that Netflix paid $ 4 million for the rights and plans a widespread theatrical release that could cover theaters in major regions around the world—including the US, UK, Canada, and Japan.

    Kodachrome the movie revolves around a father and son on a road trip to get to one of Kodak’s photo processing labs before it closes down forever. The screenplay was inspired by a New York Times article about the last lab in the world that was processing the now-iconic film stock; in the movie, the characters are racing against time to try and get four rolls developed before it’s too late.

    True to the film’s theme, Kodachrome was shot on film, not digital, and features the acting talents of Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris, and Elizabeth Olsen. Here’s hoping it comes to a theatre near you… and pays proper tribute to the analog legend.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: The pros and cons of natural light vs off-camera flash

    Photographer Manny Ortiz took to the woods with his wife and model Diana during golden hour to film a comparison video that many amateur photographers on up will find useful: natural light vs off-camera flash. What are the pros of each setup, why would you choose one over the other, and how can off-camera flash make natural light photos look even better? Manny dives into all of this while performing a live shooting demo.

    The video starts with a quick demo where Manny alternates between shooting natural light and off-camera flash to illustrate how each style changes his settings and the final product. Then, once he’s finished, he breaks down the pros and cons of each style.

    Here are a couple of before and after pictures Manny shared with us from his demonstration, so you can see the difference between his natural light only portraits and the ones augmented by off-camera flash:

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    After the demo Manny discusses the reasons he shoots both natural light and off-camera flash, and when he chooses to shoot which style.

    Traditionally a flash photographer, shooting natural light only is ‘liberating’ for Manny. He also appreciates the ability to stay mostly incognito when shooting on-location in a popular area—nobody wants to draw a crowd or unwanted attention during a portrait shoot.

    On the other hand, flash photography gives Manny the option to create his own light when mother nature doesn’t cooperate or the time of day isn’t ideal. And since so many portrait photographers start out shooting natural light, properly using off-camera flash can help you to stand out from the crowd.

    To hear more of Manny’s thoughts or see him in action, check out the full video above. And if you want to see more of his work, don’t forget to follow him on Instagram where he’s most active.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Godox announces affordable XPRO-C wireless flash trigger for Canon users

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    Godox has unveiled the new XPRO-C, an affordable wireless flash trigger compatible with all of the company’s X1-series 2.4GH lamps and flashes, and built specifically for Canon cameras. The new trigger seems to be competing with both Canon and Nissin, whose Air 10s trigger features some similar features at a steeper price.

    The XPRO-C supports manual, high-speed sync, and TTL control alongside TTL-Convert-Manual (TCM) functionality. The TCM function enables users to meter flashes in TTL and then switch to manual mode; the settings are auto-adjusted to maintain an equivalent output.

    User control is simplified via a large dot matrix LCD able to display five groups alongside five physical group buttons. Selecting a specific group pulls up additional information on the LCD, according to Godox, and there’s support for multiple custom functions. High-speed sync ranges up to 1/8000, manual flash power from 1/1 – 1/256, and there’s support for X1/R2 receiver flashes in up to 16 groups.

    The XPRO-C (also called Flashpoint R2 Pro in the US) has a retail price of $ 80 and is already available for pre-order online.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon Asia accused of sexism over D850 promotion that featured 32 men and 0 women

    32 photographers featured… all of the men.

    Nikon Asia is taking some serious heat today after a Nikon D850 promotion featuring 32 photographers caught the eye of the blog Fstoppers. The issue with this so-called “awe-inspiring” promotion? It featured 32 men, and 0 women, a realization that has led to wide-spread criticism of the promotion and of Nikon as a whole.

    The original article didn’t hold back, claiming that “Nikon thinks [the D850] is too much for women to handle,” since the company didn’t select a single woman photographer for this particular promotion. Responses online were equally harsh, with some users asking Nikon when the female version of the D850 would come out… and if it would be pink:

    Others implied they would be taking their business elsewhere:

    The controversy has gotten so much attention online, in fact, that CNN Money picked up the story.

    For its part Nikon Asia did respond on Twitter, thanking users for “challenging us to do more” to support its female photographers. According to that statement, Nikon Asia did invite women to be part of the promotion (no word on how many) but none were able to participate. Here is the full statement:

    All in all, it’s been a very bad 24 hours for Nikon. But inflammatory as the original story is and obviously unacceptable as this all-male promotion was, it’s worth pointing out that this doesn’t seem to reflect Nikon’s philosophy as a brand, and particularly not Nikon USA.

    The D850 has been promoted like mad, and one of the main photographers spreading the word around the United States is Dixie Dixon. When we reached out to Nikon for comment on this story, the company was adamant about its support for all photographers, sending us the following statement just a few minutes ago:

    At Nikon, we champion all passionate photographers. Women are an integral part of the photography community and we are dedicated to celebrating any talented storyteller and their work. We appreciate you raising this concern and we will continue to support the immense creative talent of female photographers in the US and globally.

    Nikon—and more specifically Nikon Asia—certainly made a big mistake with this promotion. And given the attention this story has gotten (and will continue to get) it’s safe to say they’ll never host an all-male event or promotion again, nor should they. But to say “Nikon thinks [the D850] is too much for women to handle” is a stomach-churning extrapolation to make… albeit a very click-y one.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Lastolite unveils two new ‘stone effect’ panoramic backgrounds for portrait photographers

    Studio accessories manufacturer Lastolite has introduced a pair of new stone effects to its panoramic background range. Granite and Limestone are the first textured materials to join the range that currently just includes white, black and Chromakey Green plain finishes.

    The Lastolite Panoramic Background system consists of a three-part collapsible frame that is self-supporting once erected. Plain or patterned covers stretch over the frame to form a 4×2.3m/13×7.5ft backdrop suitable for shooting groups, and once packed away the kit measures just 100cmx30cmx35cm/39x12x14in.

    The new patterns will be available with or without the panoramic frame, and will cost £306 on their own or £600 with the frame (US prices still to be released). For more information see the Manfrotto website.

    Press Release

    Lastolite by Manfrotto presents new Granite and Limestone panoramic backgrounds to the collection

    Lastolite By Manfrotto, the world’s leading manufacturer of backgrounds and lighting control systems has announced the launch of the new Panoramic Background in Granite and Limestone.

    The Panoramic Background has quickly become the go to background for busy photographers needing a 4m wide, seamless, crease free, collapsible solution. Built around a three-panel collapsible lightweight aluminium framework, the Panoramic background is completely self-supporting so there is no need for additional stands and crossbars. The Panoramic Background is assembled in a matter of minutes and, once assembled, is simply clipped onto the framework. The stretchable cover fabric ensures a flat, crease free surface at all times. Unlike other large seamless background solutions, the Panoramic collapses down to an impressive 100cm x 30cm x 35cm size, making it very easy to transport. The Panoramic Background is perfect for shooting larger groups, shooting with props or creating the negative space in a photograph that agencies so often request.

    The new themed covers now bring textured surfaces to the range and perfectly complement the existing black, white and Chromakey Green solid colour surfaces. There are two new covers available – Granite and Limestone. Granite offers a stone texture effect with a full range of grey tones and a dark vignette around the edges, whilst Limestone is much lighter, offering a subtle range of mid to light greys giving the effect of a Limestone surface.

    The Granite and Limestone Panoramic background includes the framework and the cover. For existing Panoramic background users the new covers are also available separately.

    Click here to see a video of the new Panoramic Background in action https://vimeo.com/230936776

    The Granite and Limestone Panoramic Background has an RRP of £600.
    The Granite and Limestone Panoramic Background covers have an RRP of £306.

    For more information, please visit www.manfrotto.co.uk/lastolite

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Photo of GoPro Hero6 leaked, will be able to shoot 4K at 60 fps

    We’ve already knew the GoPro Hero6 was on the way thanks to company CEO Nick Woodman, who revealed the camera’s existence back in February. But a newly leaked photo of the Hero6 reveals one very exciting feature we didn’t know about: the little camera will allegedly be able to shoot 4K at 60fps.

    The leaked photo was sent to Photo Rumors by a reader of theirs, and as with any unofficial leak, it’s worth taking the image with a grain of salt. But if it is legitimate, this is what the GoPro Hero6 will look like in its final packaging:

    If the packaging is legitimate, we can see that the Hero6 is waterproof to 10m, takes 12MP photographs, and can shoot video at 4K and 60fps. The current Hero5 maxes out at 4K 30fps, which puts it at a disadvantage when you compare it to cheaper action cameras like the Yi 4K, which shoots 4K 60fps and costs just $ 340.

    The Hero6 will very likely cost more than this—even the Hero5 still goes for $ 400—but with more accessories to choose from and a brand name people recognize, it might just convince some Yi fans to return to the mothership.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nissin announces Super Light Stand LC-50c: The world’s lightest light stand

    Nissin has released a new light stand that it claims is the lightest in the world. The Super Light Stand LS-50C uses carbon fibre for its central column to keep its total weight down to just 575g/1.2lb. But even at that featherweight, it can still hold 1.5kg/3.3lb and extends to a maximum height of 200cm/79in.

    Packed away, it stores at a minimum length of 48.5cm/19in.

    As these stands are generally static, the idea of using carbon fibre to make them lightweight is mainly to reduce the weight of the photographer’s kit when traveling, but also to make assistant’s work a little easier—whether carrying to and from a shoot, or holding during one.

    The centre column uses a collar-style rotary locking mechanism more often seen on tripods, which the company says makes tightening easier and more effective than standard locking nuts and handles. Nissin has also come up with an interesting design for the leg clamps that allows them to be extended to a flat position on the ground for added stability.

    The Nissin LS-50C will go in sale in the next couple of days priced 13,500 yen plus tax (approx. $ 130). For more information see this translated version of the Nissin product page.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)