360Photography

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  • Report: Bowens employees not paid for July, told they must continue to work unpaid

    A bombshell of a report on PetaPixel reveals just how sudden last month’s closure of 94-year-old UK photographic lighting company Bowens has been, especially for its employees. An infuriated UK employee reached out to the photography blog to share their story, and the whole workforce of Bowens China has sent an email to the company to complain about how the process is being handled.

    The UK employee, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed anger at how the liquidation has been handled, specifically citing issues with pay. According to them, “26 of the most hard working members in the UK […] were in complete shock [on July 14th] to be informed that they will be unpaid for the previous month, and will have to continue to work through a consultation process unpaid.”

    The employee claims the UK crew was told they would have to continue working because they are bound by contract. Staff are reportedly considering legal action.

    These claims are backed up by an email sent to Bowens and Calumet distributors by the workforce of Bowens China, and acquired by PetaPixel.

    The letter claims employees of Bowens Suzhou were “suddenly abandoned” with “no July wages, no social insurance, [and] no updated information since Germany let us stop work [on the] 17th July.” The employees took to the streets and the German embassy to protest what they’re describing as “dishonest betrayal” and “bloody exploitations” by Aurelius and Calumet.

    For their part, Calumet did respond to PetaPixel’s request for comment. The company sent a statement in which it re-states the reasons for closing Bowens (“the result of far reaching changes affecting its market”) before addressing the concerns in China, saying:

    “As part of the decision to discontinue its operations Bowens consequently also decided to discontinue the manufacturing operations in China […] The liquidation process is handled according to all local laws and requirements and the employees will be informed in due course on next steps.”

    You can read Calumet’s full statement on PetaPixel. However, DPReview has reached out to Calumet for comment as well, specifically asking Calumet to address the claim that employees were not paid for July and are contractually bound to continue working without pay.

    We will update this post if and when we hear back.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The iPhone camera may soon use ‘SmartCam’ AI to adjust to different scenes on the fly

    Apple’s Photos app and other gallery solutions have used AI (artificial intelligence) technology for years now to identify objects and scenes for image sorting, searching and categorization. But according to information that was found in the source code of the Apple HomePod firmware the same technology might soon be implemented in the iPhone Camera app, and be used in real time (instead of post-capture) to optimize camera settings such as exposure, white balance and HDR for specific scenes.

    The new feature is called “SmartCam,” and takes the widely used face detection technology to a new level. The code—which was discovered as part of a firmware leak for Apple’s HomePod—identifies several different types of scenes that could be identified, including: baby photos, pets, the sky, snow, sports, sunset, fireworks, foliage, documents and more. This sounds pretty much like a list of conventional camera scene modes, but without the need to select and set them manually in the camera menu—Apple will simply recognize them and shift accordingly.

    The so-called “SmartCam” feature was not announced by Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which likely means it won’t be made available to older iPhones with an update to iOS 11. It’s possible Apple wants to retain the feature as a unique selling proposition for the next generation iPhone models, which are expected to be announced in September.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • MIT’s newest photography tech can retouch an image before it’s captured

    MIT has developed a new machine learning technology that is able to retouch an image in real-time, presenting the photographer with the final product before they snap the photo. The system, which is being presented by both Google and MIT researchers at the digital graphics conference Siggraph in Los Angeles, was trained using thousands of both raw and retouched images that comprise a dataset created by MIT and Adobe, among others.

    The automatic image retouching system is lightweight enough to be used on an ordinary smartphone, and it can be equipped with multiple different styles. While real-time image retouching isn’t a new idea, the ability to perform it on a smartphone is. Talking about this, researcher Jon Barron explains:

    Using machine learning for computational photography is an exciting prospect but is limited by the severe computational and power constraints of mobile phones. This paper may provide us with a way to sidestep these issues and produce new, compelling, real-time photographic experiences without draining your battery or giving you a laggy viewfinder experience.

    In order for the image retouching to work in real-time on low power devices like smartphones, the researchers developed a system that modifies a low-resolution version of the final image, then translates those edits to the full-resolution photo.

    With this method arose a big problem, however. Namely, that the low-resolution image doesn’t contain enough data to adequately determine edits for the full-resolution version. Two different solutions were found to solve this problem, the first being that the system outputs ‘a set of simple formulae’ rather than the low-res image itself, and the second being a method for applying the formulae to the full-resolution photo. The team explains that technology in detail in the video below:

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED fisheye lens impresses in underwater review

    Photo © Robin Dodd

    Our friends at Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo—the world’s leading supplier for underwater imaging equipment, the same folks behind this impressive underwater review of the Canon 1DX Mark II—recently took the new Nikon 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED fisheye zoom lens for a spin beneath the waves. As usual, they came back with some stunning photographs, along with a few thoughts about Nikon’s new fisheye zoom lens.

    Backscatter CEO Jim Decker and Producer Robin Dodd were able to ‘MacGyver’ a makeshift zoom gear from some stuff they had lying around the shop, slapped the lens onto a Nikon D810, and went diving. Immediately they were impressed.

    “The lens is a fisheye zoom lens that is a full frame diagonal fisheye lens at the 15mm side of the zoom, and a circular fisheye at the 8mm side,” explains Decker in their review. “It’s great to have the versatility of being able to shoot a circular fisheye, without having to dedicate your whole dive to it.” The photo up top was shot at 8mm, the one below at 15mm.

    Photo © Robin Dodd

    But it’s not just the versatility of having both a diagonal fisheye and a circular fisheye in one lens—a first for Nikon—that impressed Backscatter. The photos turned out great, too.

    “We were super impressed with the image quality of this lens along with the versatility,” writes Decker, “and will now recommend this lens as the primary lens for wide angle use with full frame Nikon cameras.”

    That’s some high praise. To read Backscatter’s full review and see several more underwater sample shots captured with the Nikon 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED fisheye, head over to their website by clicking here. And if you want to see some above-ground sample photos, you can see our sample gallery here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nine new lens adapters announced for the Fujifilm GFX

    A host of new adapters have just been launched that allow owners of the Fujifilm GFX 50S to attach new and historic lenses from other brands to their mirrorless medium format camera.

    K&F Concept has introduced eight of the adapters, and is offering completely manual mounts for some surprising brands, including Olympus OM. The K&F adapters are brass on both sides and have matte black interiors to prevent flare.

    K&F Concept adapters:

    • KF-EFG: Canon EF – Fujifilm G
    • KF-CYG: Yashica/Contax – – Fujifilm G
    • KF-LRG: Leica R – Fujifilm G
    • KF-OMG: Olympus OM – Fujifilm G
    • KF-NFG: Nikon F – Fujifilm G
    • KF-SRG: Minolta MD-MC/SR – Fujifilm G
    • KF-PKG: Pentax K – Fujifilm G
    • KF-42G: M42 – Fujifilm G

    None of the K&F Concept adapters have any electronic communication with the body, and all cost around ¥10,000 (approx. $ 90)

    Contax 645 users will be more interested in this adapter from Fringer, which allows full electronic contact between the Fujifilm GFX and Contax 645 lenses.

    The extent of the communications provides autofocusing for 35mm f/3.5, 45mm f/2.8, 80mm f/2 and 140mm f/2.8 lenses, aperture control on all lenses through the camera body, and full EXIF information in the image file. Fringer admits ‘AF performance is not as good as native GF lenses!’ but some AF is usually better than no AF. The Fringer Contax 645 – GFX smart adapter costs $ 750.

    For more information see the K&F Concepts website (where there is no mention of the adapters) or the Shoten Kobo website (where there is).

    More information on the Fringer adapter can be found on the Fringer website.

    Sample shot taken with the Fringer adapter that allows AF with Contax 645 lenses on the Fujifilm GFX body

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Adobe launches new ‘3, 2, 1 … Photoshop!’ tutorial series on YouTube

    Adobe launched a new YouTube tutorial series for Photoshop beginners this week. It’s called ‘3, 2, 1 … Photoshop!’ and it covers some basic tips on how to use different features of the image editor—from the crop tool, to layer groups, to brushes and beyond.

    Advanced users probably won’t get much out of the new series (although, to be fair, you never know what basic tip you’ve been overlooking), but beginners will find it extremely useful. Over the years Photoshop has gotten more and more advanced and complicated. The tutorial series helps cut through the clutter and offer a few top tips from the makers themselves.

    You can watch the first video in the series, Three Tips for Photoshop’s Crop Tool, up top. To see the rest, keep on scrolling down.

    Five Tips for Working with Brushes

    Six Easy Ways to Select Colors in Photoshop

    10 Tips for Working with the Layers Panel

    Three Ways to Quickly Zoom in Photoshop CC

    Five Reasons to Use Smart Filters in Photoshop CC

    Eight Reasons to Use Layer Groups

    If you like these videos and you want to see more like them, check out the Adobe Photoshop YouTube channel and keep your eyes peeled for more ‘3, 2, 1 … Photoshop!’ tutorials in this playlist.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Miggo launches Agua line of waterproof camera and drone bags

    Miggo, the smartphone and photography accessory makers who brought us the Pictar iPhone camera grip among other innovative products, have returned to crowdfund the launch of a new Agua line of waterproof bags designed for DSLRs as well as the DJI Mavic and Spark drones.

    There are three models in the series, which are all made from a matte-finish tarpaulin material and offer the IPX3 environmental protection standard.

    The Agua Versa backpack is designed for carrying photographic gear but can easily be converted into a backpack for daily use by removing the “doc-bag” camera insert. The Versa can be carried as a backpack, sling bag or x-position style and comes with external charging system for mobile devices.

    The main compartment comes with laptop and tablet pocket, and there are several smaller pockets as well. Three water-proof outer pockets can hold a large variety of smaller items, and the rigid bottom offers impact protection when setting the bag down. The bag can hold a Canon 5D-sized full-frame DSLR and two F2.8 lenses, including a 70-200 F2.8 and a flash.

    The Versa’s strap system can be adjusted for sling-style use. Inside your gear is protected from the elements.

    The Agua Drone Lander is made from the same waterproof material as the Versa, but it was made to function as a carrier for the DJI Mavic or Spark drones. The latter and accessories are are protected by a padded three-layer insert, and an integrated landing mat doubles as a work surface. The Drone Lander is carried in the sling position, and an additional diagonal strap offers better stability for long-distance carrying.

    The third model in the line, the Agua Sling, combines a compact design with storage capacity for a 5D-sized DSLR and three lenses, including a 70-200 F2.8 and a flash gun. A padded strap allows for sling-style carrying and gear is accessed through a side-opening. Like the Versa, the Agua Sling comes with a water-proof front pocket for personal items and an external charging port for mobile devices. The main compartment offers a laptop pocket.

    The Drone Lander comes with a landing mat. Padded inserts protect your drone and accessories.

    We’ve had a chance to use the Agua Versa backpack for a couple of weeks, and our first impression is indeed very positive. The backpack is well-made, and the strap system is comfortable to wear and allows for a lot of adjustment.

    There are plenty of external and internal pockets to help you organize all sorts of small things, such as batteries, memory cards and other accessories. My 14″ Acer just fits into the internal laptop sleeve and the camera insert holds a DSLR and a couple of lenses no problem. When the insert is removed, the bag also works well as a rugged day pack, with more than enough space for a change of clothes for when you bike to work.

    You should be aware that access to your gear is only available from openings in the sides, but once you’re used to that, getting your stuff in and out of the bag is easy and quick. You can now pre-order the Agua bags on Indiegogo from $ 100 for each model with the early bird special, which sounds like an interesting deal if you are in need of a waterproof bag for your imaging gear.

    Press Release

    “Agua” storm-proof camera and drone bags set a whole new standard for adventure photography!

    After three successful funding projects which shattered all expectations, miggo returns to Kickstarter with three completely new “agua” bags – an exciting new take on storm-proof bags for cameras and drones.

    Jerusalem, July 2017 – One year after the launch of Pictar – the revolutionary iPhone camera grip, miggo returns to Kickstarter for the fourth time with Agua – a brand new collection of three storm-proof bags designed for DSLR cameras and the super-popular Mavic and Spark drones. Every new offer by miggo is a sensation, with its fun and exciting products for photography enthusiasts.

    “Kickstarter is the place where we bring products to life”, says Guy Sprukt, Marketing Manager and one of miggo’s founders. “This is where we introduced our first agua camera bag two years ago, and this year we are proud to present not one but three new agua bags! The entire new line is IPX3 standard storm-proof and the bags offer an exceptional combination of protection from the elements and quick-draw ability. We had a long development stage, and we’re proud of the results and we believe that the new agua bags offer a completely different approach to carrying photographic gear and drones.”

    The agua series consists of 3 bags – all of which are IPX3-standard storm-proof and carefully designed from durable tarpaulin with a impressive matt finish – unique to the entire miggo agua collection.

    1. Agua Versa Backpack

    A versatile backpack for carrying professional photographic gear, as well as for daily use. The bag lets users enjoy a handy and carefully designed everyday bag, while the photographic gear is safely stored in a “doc-bag” insert. With the insert firmly in place, the Versa turns into a tough photo bag for any challenging task.

    The Versa Backpack provides fast and easy access to the camera and additional gear, excellent weather protection, a versatile back system with 3 different carrying modes (backpack, sling and X-position), a retractable insert for photographic gear, external charging system for mobile phone, a designated pocket for a laptop or iPad and three water-proof outer pockets for personal stuff. Versa Backpack is made from durable tarpaulin with a matt finish, and offers a rigid bottom made with thermoforming technology for superior impact protection. The agua Versa Backpack can carry a full-format DSLR such as Canon 5D Mark 4 (or similar), 2 professional lenses including 70-200 f2.8, and flash. Like all the bags in the agua series, the Versa Backpack is IPX3-standard storm-proof.

    1. Agua Drone Lander

    Extreme enthusiasts will be delighted to know that they can now own a revolutionary carrier for Mavic or Spark drones, which offers easy carrying and excellent protection from weather and impact.

    Agua Drone Lander lets users carry their easily on their back to the most challenging places in the world or just for a weekend trip with the family. The sensitive gear is fully protected thanks to a specially padded three-layer insert with a dedicated space for the drone and all its accessories. The bag also comes with an integral landing mat, which doubles as a work station. The Agua Drone Lander is made from durable tarpaulin with a matt finish that wraps around the padded insert and serves as an additional layer of protection from the elements such as rain, snow, dust or dirt. The agua Drone Lander is equipped with a main padded strap for carrying in the “sling” position, and a diagonal strap to keep the bag tight against the body for easy long-distance carrying. Like all the bags in the agua series, the Drone Lander is IPX3-standard storm-proof.

    1. Agua Sling

    A one-time combination of superior storm protection and camera quick-draw – Agua Sling offers them both, perfectly!

    The Agua Sling offers a compact design with surprising storage capability. It can carry a full-format DSLR camera such as Canon 5D Mark 4 (or similar), three professional lenses including 70-200 f2.8, and flash.

    A wide, padded strap allows easy carrying and quick access to the gear through a side opening. Agua Sling is made from durable tarpaulin with a matt finish and offers a rigid bottom made with thermoforming technology for superior impact protection. It also features a water-proof front pocket for personal stuff, an external and convenient charging port for mobile phones and a dedicated laptop pocket. Like all the bags in the agua series, the Sling is IPX3-standard storm-proof.

    “In July 2017, we’ll be returning to Kickstarter for the fourth time, and we’re looking forward to hearty support and backing “, says Rafi David, miggo’s CEO. “Kickstarter is an amazing platform that enables young companies like us to bring innovative products to the market, to receive feedback from consumers at a stage where changes can still be made and thus offer the products that are most suitable for our users.”

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • NVIDIA Computational Zoom lets you change perspective and focal length in post

    Researchers with the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and NVIDIA have detailed a new type of technology called ‘computational zoom’ that can be used to adjust the focal length and perspective of an image after it has been taken. The technology was detailed in a recently published technical paper, as well as a video (above) that shows the tech in action. With it, photographers are able to tweak an image’s composition during post-processing.

    According to UCSB, computational zoom technology can, at times, allow for the creation of ‘novel image compositions’ that can’t be captured using a physical camera. One example is the generation of multi-perspective images featuring elements from photos taken using a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens.

    To utilize the technology, photographers must take what the researchers call a ‘stack’ of images, where each image is taken slightly closer to the subject while the focal length remains unchanged. The combination of an algorithm and the computational zoom system then determines the camera’s orientation and position based on the image stack, followed by the creation of a 3D rendition of the scene with multiple views.

    “Finally,” UCSB researchers explain, “all of this information is used to synthesize multi-perspective images which have novel compositions through a user interface.”

    The end result is the ability to change an image’s composition in real time using the software, bringing a photo’s background seemingly closer to the subject or moving it further away, as well as tweaking the perspective at which it is viewed. Computational zoom technology may make its way into commercial image editing software, according to UCSB, which says the team hopes to make it available to photographers in the form of software plug-ins.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • NASA will chase the August eclipse in jets to capture ‘clearest images of the corona to date’

    It doesn’t matter where you’ll be during the August 21st solar eclipse, NASA plans to one-up you and capture a better photo—or at least a unique one. The space agency is actually going to chase the eclipse’s totality in two highly modified 1950s-vintage WB-57F jets, in order to capture the ‘clearest image of the sun’s […] corona to date,’ and the first-ever thermal images of Mercury.

    The whole plan is detailed in the short video above, although we have to warn you, it might make you feel a little bit of gear envy—”if only I’d bought that Air Force surplus reconnaissance plane…”

    Joking aside, the August 21st eclipse is a brilliant research opportunity, and NASA doesn’t plan to let it slip by unused. The two WB-57F jets have each been retrofitted with twin telescopes mounted on their noses. Using these telescopes, Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado plans to capture “the clearest images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere — the corona — to date and the first-ever thermal images of Mercury.”

    One of the WB-57F jets is readied for a test run at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The instruments are mounted under the silver casing on the nose of the plane. Photo: NASA’s Johnson Space Center/Norah Moran

    According to NASA, the jets will capture high-definition pictures at 30fps during the entire eclipse totality—which will last three times longer as the jets speed along, staying inside the moon’s shadow—from the stratosphere, avoiding interference from most of the Earths atmosphere. These photos will then be analyzed to determine why the sun’s atmosphere is so hot (millions of degrees), when the visible surface of the sun is significantly cooler (a few thousand degrees).

    Before and after these observations, the scientists will also use the jets to try and capture the first-ever thermal images of Mercury—”the first attempt to map the variation of temperature across the surface of the planet.”

    To find out more about this fascinating scientific (and photographic) mission, check out the video at the top or head over to the NASA website for a more detailed breakdown of what they’re looking to capture and why.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Full-res image samples from the 16-module Light L16 camera

    The Light L16 camera has been in the works for years now. A 16-module camera that looks like a smartphone, it uses up to 10 camera modules at once to capture 52-megapixel (minimum) photographs, and promises to “DSLR quality in the palm of your hand.” Plenty of people are skeptical of that claim, but now that the L16 is finally shipping to pre-order customers, Light has released three high-resolution image samples for you to pour over and critique.

    Admittedly, none of the three photographs pits the L16 agains what you might consider a challenging lighting scenario. There’s a portrait, a landscape photo taken at the Grand Canyon’s famous Horseshoe Bend, and a photograph of the iconic shipwreck at Point Reyes.

    All three are taken when there was plenty of natural light around, and while the Point Reyes shot does contain some more intense contrast between the highlights and shadows we really wish Light had shared one or two low-light shots. Still, barring that, the photos will give you a good idea of what this diminutive little computational photography camera can do:

    $ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_3604419316″,”galleryId”:”3604419316″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

    The smallest of the three photos is 53.3MP, the largest a whopping 81MP, giving you some serious cropping power. Give our gallery a second to deal with the photos, especially if you’re using the 100% zoom feature… these files are nothing to scoff at.

    To see more photos taken with the L16, or if you want to download these full-res samples for yourself, head over to the Light.co gallery. And once you do pixel peep these shots your heart’s content, let us know what you think of the L16 in the comments.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)