360Photography

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  • Video: How to capture a 0.1MP portrait with a Game Boy Camera and 70-200mm lens

    The Game Boy Camera was never meant to be a serious piece of photographic equipment, so what happens when you pair the Nintendo Game Boy peripheral with a serious piece of glass to take some portraits? Just ask Sam McKenzie, of YouTube channel 3D Printor, who took it upon himself to adapt a Tamron 70–200mm zoom lens to the 0.1MP Game Boy Camera.

    Detailed in the above video, McKenzie 3D-printed an adapter he came across on Thingiverse and attached it to the front of the Game Boy Camera. With the adapter and lens in place, he went out for an ultra-low-resolution portrait shoot to see what the Frankenstein’d camera was capable of.

    The modded Game Boy Camera mounted to a Manfrotto Pixi tripod next to a print of the 0.1MP portrait.

    While capturing the image was simple enough, getting it off the Game Boy and turned into a canvas print was less intuitive. This process wasn’t featured in a video, but in an email sent to DPReview, McKenzie said:

    ‘The Super Game Boy for SNES allows you to play Game Boy games on your TV […] so I used an old VHS to DVD making software and USB capture card I had from the early days of DVD and thankfully it worked with the SNES.’

    Once he had the image, he ordered a small canvas print and within the week it was at his front door.

    The canvas print, in all its pixellated glory.

    You can find more of McKenzie’s 3D printing projects on his YouTube channel.

    Image credits: Photos by Sam McKenzie, used with permission.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Slideshow: Winners and finalists for the 2020 Minimalist Photography Awards

    Winners and finalists for the 2020 Minimalist Photography Awards

    Powered by B&W Minimalism magazine, the 2nd annual Minimalist Photography Awards recently announced its winners for 2020. Over 4,200 photos from 41 countries were submitted across 12 categories including Street, Photomanipulation, Conceptual, and Aerial. Australian photographer George Byrne won the title of Minimalist Photographer of the Year for his series ‘Exit Vision’ – though 2 of the images ended up in 2nd place for the Abstract and Fine Art categories, respectively.

    ‘As an approach in photography, minimalism or minimalistic photography could be taken by the photographer in all genres. No matter your are a portrait, architecture, landscape etc. photographer, minimalist photos are always an option as long as you have a minimal look toward your surroundings,’ said Milad Safabakhsh, founder and president of the awards. First, second, and third place winners in each category will be published in a book and exhibited at Galerie Minimal Berlin when it reopens.

    All category winners and honorable mentions can be viewed here.

    1st Place Winner, Abstract Photographer of the Year: ‘Abstract Series One’ by Stanislas Augris

    Artist Statement: I’m Stanislas Augris. French musician and photographer. I’m from the Parisian suburb so part of my photographic work is to focus on the geometric shape, patterns and palette color of the urban environment, my daily environment. The aim is sometime to render an abstract picture of flat tints of colors and so create an artwork that decorrelate the form and the substance. Photography allows me to keep my eyes open to the world and to those everyday places, those in-between places.

    I think either for architecture photography or for the rest of my photographic work (landscape and street photography) the main world is to keep it minimalistic and graphic. Trying to find simple lines, curves and play with foreground and background to create new shapes is really something that matters for me.

    2nd Place Winner, Fine Art: ’71st St. Miami’ by George Byrne

    Artist Statement: This image is from a recent series of mine called Exit Vision. It is a photo-collage, constructed from elements pulled from multiple locations. Shot on medium format film in Miami. For the ‘Exit Vision’ series, I would look for ready-made vignettes of color and form in the built world around me, and then try and repurpose or reinvent them. By embracing the process of photo-assemblage or collage, these photographs have become creations as much as they are observations.

    Honorable Mention, Open Theme: ‘The Square’ by John Andreas Godwin

    Artist Statement: Coming back to this geometric shape as the landscape surrounding it changes. [Taken in] Akersberga, Sweden.

    3rd Place Winner, Aerial: ‘Salt Shapes’ by Kevin Krautgartner

    Artist Statement: Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns, are shallow artificial ponds designed to extract salts from sea water. To make its sea salt, many companies in Australia are using a method called ‘solar evaporation.’ Solar salt is produced by the action of sun and wind on seawater in large ponds. The seawater evaporates in successive ponds until the seawater is fully concentrated and the salt then crystallizes on the floor of the pond.

    Due to variable algal concentrations, vivid colors, from bright blue to deep red, are created in the evaporation ponds. The color indicates the salinity of the ponds. This photo was taken from a small plane with the doors removed.

    Honorable Mention, Landscape: ‘Whipped Cream Iceburg’ by Geffrard Bourke

    Artist Statement: An iceberg resembling whipped cream in the ocean off the coast of Greenland.

    1st Place Winner, Photomanipulation Photographer of the Year: ‘Yellow Stairs’ by George Byrne

    Artist Statement: This image is from an ongoing series of mine called Exit Vision. It is a photo-collage, constructed from elements from multiple locations. Shot on medium format film. For this series, I would look for ready-made vignettes of color and form in the built world around me, and then try and repurpose or reinvent them. By embracing the process of photo-assemblage or collage, these photographs have become creations as much as they are observations.

    2nd Place Winner, Architecture: ‘Oqaatsut Home’ by John Kosmopoulos

    Artist Statement: Oqaatsut is a small Greenlandic town north of Ilulissat in Eastern Disko Bay. As the sun drenched and warmed the colorful homes and rocky landscape, it revealed clues of what life must be like there: a close but isolated community where the spirits of icebergs come and go in the distance.

    I wanted to convey the feeling of the town by using minimalist compositions and creative framing to provide portraits of life in Greenland. Most of the citizens were indoors, but one citizen overlooked our whereabouts while children played a game and chanted a song that echoed through the town.

    Honorable Mention, Long Exposure: ‘Ariake’ by Ulana Switucha

    Artist Statement: From a series on Japanese Torii gates.

    1st Place Winner, Portrait Photographer Of The Year: ‘Selfhood’ by Vicky Martin

    Artist Statement: The series ‘Selfhood’ is in part inspired by the proverb ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’ and a desire to challenge the need to see the eyes within a portrait. The intention in each portrait is to create a character and a narrative and encourage an empathy without the visual stimulation of the eyes.

    The conscious composition of each image gives the character a foundation in reality whilst combining fantastical creative elements to challenge the viewer’s preconceptions surrounding the connotations of each individual outfit and distinctive concealment of the eyes.

    The viewer is inspired to make their own inferences about the subject’s persona and circumstance by drawing on personal connections and interpretations to each image, whether these be from memory or culture. Therefore each portrait in the series can take on a number of different identities depending on links made by the viewer to their own experiences and opinions.

    3rd Place Winner, Conceptual: ‘Alabula (Colorful)’ by Mehrdad Fathi

    Artist Statement: Mircea Eliade (philosopher and historian) says about the creation of universe: Creating the universe is considered to be a prototype for any type of building. Every city and every new home that they establish, it is a brand new imitation of the creation of universe, in other words, means of repeating the creation of the universe.

    1st Place Winner, Night Photographer of the Year: ‘Decay by Night’ by Rachel Warne

    Artist Statement: Decay by Night is a continuation of Rachel Warne’s fascination with the beauty of decay. Rachel has embarked on several personal photographic projects such as ‘Faded Glory’ exhibited at the Garden Museum, London in 2015 and ‘The Beauty of Decay’ – a collaboration with floral installation artist Rebecca Louise Law, touring several countries during 2017.

    The idea of ‘Decay by Night’ seems like a natural progression for Rachel whom is drawn to decay and rebirth within the botanical world. By shooting flora at night she will be able to capture the transitional process which naturally occurs throughout the night, but rarely seen. Giving quite a different interpretation to their form as seen in day light.

    Rachel shoot the flora in the dead of winter, once darkness falls. The plant portraits were be lit by one small portable continuous light to emulate the moon. Rachel wanted to explore how flora appears in the shadows creating its own ethereal beauty. Ghostly an enigmatic with a hint of gothic.

    Winter is the perfect time to photograph the flora before the dormant season ends.

    Shot at the Millennium gardens Deigned By Piet Oudolf at Pensthorpe in Norfolk. Pensthorpe seemed to be the most poignant naturalist garden in England to work from. Especially with Piet’s piquancy with the beauty of decay too.

    1st Place Winner, Street Photographer of the Year: ‘Coronavirus Confinement’ by Santiago Martinez de Septien

    Artist Statement: Millions of children in Spain, stuck at home since the authorities implemented a nationwide lockdown in mid-March, have been unable to exercise outside, take a short walk around their block, go with their parents to the supermarket or leave their house except for medical reasons. Such measures, the strictest in Europe, have left countless children bored, exhausted and sometimes depressed.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony’s Imaging Edge Webcam utility turns 35 of its camera into webcams on Windows 10

    It might be one of the last manufacturers to the party, but Sony has just released its Imaging Edge Webcam utility, making it possible to use select Sony cameras as webcams with compatible livestreaming and video conferencing programs.

    Similar to webcam utilities for other companies, Sony’s Imaging Edge Webcam utility is only available for Windows 10 computers, for now. We’ve inquired with Sony about a macOS version and will update with more information when we have it.

    Below is a list of the cameras supported by Imaging Edge Webcam utility as of version 1.0.0:

    ?: E-mount?ILCE-?

    • ILCE-7M2
    • ILCE-7M3
    • ILCE-7RM2
    • ILCE-7RM3
    • ILCE-7RM4
    • ILCE-7S
    • ILCE-7SM2
    • ILCE-7SM3
    • ILCE-9
    • ILCE-9M2
    • ILCE-5100
    • ILCE-6100
    • ILCE-6300
    • ILCE-6400
    • ILCE-6500
    • ILCE-6600

    ?: A-mount?ILCA-?

    • ILCA-77M2
    • ILCA-99M2
    • ILCA-68

    Digital Still Camera?DSC-/Vlog camera)

    • DSC-HX95
    • DSC-HX99
    • DSC-RX0
    • DSC-RX0M2
    • DSC-RX100M4
    • DSC-RX100M5
    • DSC-RX100M5A
    • DSC-RX100M6
    • DSC-RX100M7
    • DSC-RX10M2
    • DSC-RX10M3
    • DSC-RX10M4
    • DSC-RX1RM2
    • DSC-WX700
    • DSC-WX800
    • ZV-1

    The utility is free to download on Sony’s website. Simply select the camera you intend to use the program with and click the download link. Sony has also provided a thorough guide on how to install the utility and set your camera up for use.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • It will get much more difficult to use a non-stock camera with third-party apps in Android 11

    The latest upcoming evolution of Android, version 11, will introduce a fairly small but unwanted change about which some smartphone owners are already complaining: elimination of the camera selection menu. Going forward, Android users will only be able to access the device’s pre-installed camera app when attempting to take a photo through a third-party app, something Google has confirmed and described as necessary for privacy and security.

    Though Android devices come with a stock camera app, users have a huge number of alternative options available in the Play Store, including ones that feature ‘pro’ controls. When a user attempts to capture an image through a third-party app, such as an auction app that supports directly capturing images rather than uploading from the camera roll, they may be presented with a menu that asks which installed camera app should be used.

    When the Android 11 update rolls out, however, this will change and users will no longer be given this option, as recently spied by Android Police. Instead, the third-party app will default to the device’s stock camera app. To get around this, users would have to first launch their preferred camera app, capture the images they need, then upload those images in the third-party app from the camera roll — a process that would take considerably longer than directly launching the desired app.

    News of this change seems to have first surfaced on Reddit’s Android Dev community, where developers have expressed frustration and concerns about the restriction.

    Google itself details this change on its Android Developer website, stating that, ‘Media intent actions require system default camera.’ In this case, ‘intent’ refers to the third-party app’s intent to capture an image, but its dependency on the device’s camera apps due to its own lack of built-in camera functionality.

    When questioned about the change on its Issue Tracker website, a Google employee stated that the lack of third-party camera selection was an intended behavior and that despite potentially making things more complicated for developers, ‘we believe it’s the right trade-off to protect the privacy and security of our users.’

    The idea is that while the Google Play Store takes steps to protect users from malicious apps, some still manage to get through to users. In addition, Android allows users to sideload apps that haven’t gone through the security vetting process, potentially putting themselves at risk. A malicious camera app may compromise the user’s privacy, gathering anything from images to location data.

    Whether that risk is an adequate reason for restricting the third-party camera picker is a point of contention among developers. While some acknowledge the security benefits of ensuring users don’t accidentally use malicious third-party camera apps, others note that users are likely to blame developers for this restriction.

    Beyond that, users are deprived of the freedom of choice that has made Android an appealing platform to many. Whereas Apple has historically restricted users in ways intended to protect their privacy, Android users have enjoyed more control over their devices, including the ability to load apps outside of the Google Play Store — even if it does come with risks that average users may not understand.

    Some developers and users have expressed concerns that Google’s decision to restrict the camera picker in the name of security may indicate a wider change behind doors that could lead to additional restrictions in the future. Whether this ends up being the case is yet to be seen.

    At this point in time, Google offers developers who are unhappy with this change an option for getting around it, but it would require them to have their apps directly check for other camera options by looking for their package names. This isn’t a terribly useful option as developers would have to choose which packages to look for ahead of time. If the developer fails to include the specific camera app the user wants to access, they’ll still end up using the stock camera app.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Lightroom CC update for iOS, iPadOS permanently deletes photos and presets for some users

    After updating to Lightroom version 5.4 on iOS and iPadOS, numerous users found that photos and editing presets that had not yet been synced to the cloud were missing. Worse yet, Adobe has confirmed that affected users and Adobe itself will be unable to retrieve the missing data.

    After reports of lost photos spread around the web on places such as our own forums, Reddit and Adobe’s own forums, Adobe representative Rikk Flohr published a response on the afternoon of August 18. It reads:

    ‘We are aware that some customers who updated to Lightroom 5.4.0 on iPhone and iPad may be missing photos and presets that were not synced to the Lightroom cloud.

    A new version of Lightroom mobile (5.4.1) for iOS and iPad OS has now been released that prevents this issue from affecting additional customers.

    Installing version 5.4.1 will not restore missing photos or presets for customers affected by the problem introduced in 5.4.0.

    We know that some customers have photos and presets that are not recoverable. We sincerely apologize to any customers who have been affected by this issue.

    If you are affected by this issue, please refer to the information in this forum thread.’

    Adobe has not issued any additional comments about the incident, nor has it disclosed an estimate of how many users were affected by the issue ahead of the release of Lightroom 5.4.1. When we contacted Adobe this morning, a representative said they have no further statements at this time.

    In a thread originally started by Lightroom user Mohamad Alif Eqnur on Adobe’s forums, numerous users chimed in with their own experiences of lost photos, including multiple users who shared that they had lost purchased presets.

    Affected customers are understandably very upset, especially given that Adobe’s fix only acts to prevent the issue from happening to additional customers, rather than offering users a solution to restore missing photos and presets.

    When issues like this occur, and if it can happen to a giant in the industry like Adobe it can happen to any company, it stands as a reminder that it’s critical to have multiple backups of your images. Further, it’s a good idea to save edits of your photos as sidecar files, so even if a catalog becomes corrupted, you will retain your edit data. These sidecar files can even be read by Adobe Bridge.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Vazen announces an $8,000 85mm T2.8 1.8x anamorphic lens for PL, EF mount cameras

    Chinese cinema lens manufacturer Vazen has announced the release of their new 85mm T2.8 1.8x Anamorphic lens for PL and EF mount camera systems.

    The 85mm T2.8 1.8x Anamorphic lens is the first of a new ‘LF’ lineup designed for large-format cinema cameras, such as the RED Monstro, Alexa LF, Kinefinity Mavo LF and Z-Cam E2-F8.

    The lens weighs just 1.5kg (3.3lbs) and measures only 17.5cm (6.9”), making it ‘the world’s lightest and smallest 1.8x anamorphic lens for full-frame cameras.’ It features an 86mm front filter thread, a front diameter of 95mm for mounting matte boxes to, 0.8 mod cine gears for follow focus systems and a minimum focusing distance of 9.6cm (3.8”).

    Vazen says the anamorphic lens ‘delivers a buttery smooth oval bokeh, signature blue, but not oversaturated, horizontal flare and the widescreen cinematic look.’ When paired with 4:3 sensors, the lens yields a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Below is a video preview of the lens by Expressway Cinema Rentals:

    The lens is currently available to order from the Vazen website and authorized Vazen retailers for $ 8,000. The first units will start shipping out in ‘late August.’

    Vazen says it also has two other lenses in the works: a 55mm and a 105mm. These two lenses are expected to be released in ‘late 2020/early 2021’ and will eventually be sold as a three-lens set with the 85mm T2.8 anamorphic lens.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Oppo shows off its next-generation optical zoom camera module with 85-135mm equivalent focal length

    Oppo has announced (translated) it’s latest camera technology, a next-generation periscope zoom camera that features improved optics, a new sensor and updated image processing algorithms.

    The new camera module features an 85mm to 135mm full-frame-equivalent focal length with an aperture range of F3.3 through F4.4. To achieve this, the module uses seven elements in three groups with the two rear-most groups being the ones that move for zooming and focusing.

    In addition to new optics, the camera module uses a new 32MP quad-bayer-like sensor. Both the movement of the lenses and image processing will be powered by the custom-designed 16-bit image processing chip inside the module.

    Sample images from the new camera module captured with the wide angle (left), equivalent 85mm focal length (center) and equivalent 135mm focal length (right).

    If we’re to assume this would be used in a smartphone with a 26mm main camera — such as the Oppo Reno 10x zoom — this new camera would offer a 3.3x to 5.2x optical zoom and presumably feature the same ‘hybrid zoom’ up to 10.4x. Even though the multiplication factor is roughly the same as that found on the Reno 10x zoom, Oppo says its new hybrid zoom technology improves image quality, as can be seen in these example images (older ‘hybrid zoom’ images on the left, new technology on the right):

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    There’s no mention of when we could see this new camera tech, nor what phone it might be in, but as noted by GSM Arena, details of a forthcoming Oppo phone believed to be the Reno 10x zoom successor were revealed last month.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Panasonic will announce, via livestream, its new Lumix S5 full-frame camera on September 2

    Panasonic has announced it will hold an online launch event for its new full-frame mirrorless camera, the Lumix S5, on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at 10 AM EDT.

    Aside from the date and time, no further information was shared about the camera or launch event. Panasonic suggests keeping an eye on its Lumix S5 webpage and Instagram account, but we will also update this article with a link to the event when it goes live.

    Press release:

    New LUMIX Full-frame Mirrorless Camera to be Unveiled at an Online Launch Event

    Newark, NJ (August 19, 2020) – Panasonic is pleased to announce that they will hold an online launch event for the new full-frame mirrorless camera LUMIX S5. It will be unveiled at www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/s/s5.html on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at 10:00 EDT. Panasonic is committed to meeting the passionate demands of all creators through its LUMIX brand, and the new LUMIX S5 is one of the embodiments of this commitment.

    More information will be added and updated at www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/s/s5.html and the official Instagram account @lumix ( www.instagram.com/lumix/ ) on September 2, 2020.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony Alpha 9 II review

    Introduction

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    Product photos by Dan Bracaglia

    Gold Award

    90%
    Overall score
    Jump to conclusion

    The Alpha 9 II is Sony’s latest high-end sports camera and is capable of silently shooting 24MP images at up to 20 frames per second with no blackout between frames. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the a9 II’s predecessor was similarly capable, but this new version brings some refinements and enhancements to make for a formidable, yet compact, option for professional sports and action photographers.

    One of the most significant of updates is a new mechanical shutter mechanism that allows for 10 fps bursts: this is significant because if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t use the electronic shutter for risk of banding or other artifacts, the older model could only muster 5 fps which is a bit uninspiring on a camera meant to specialize in sports and action. Suddenly, this is a camera that will give you a solid burst rate in just about any setting, rather than being best suited for brightly lit outdoor venues.

    Key specifications:

    • 24MP full-frame stacked CMOS sensor with 93% autofocus coverage across the frame
    • 20 fps continuous shooting with full AF (electronic shutter)
    • New mechanical shutter rated to 500k shots, allows for 10 fps shooting with full AF
    • 5.5-stop (CIPA rated) 5-axis image stabilization
    • Dual UHS-II SD card slots
    • 3.69M-dot OLED viewfinder (1280 x 960 pixels) with up to 120 fps update
    • 1.44M-dot rear touchscreen LCD
    • Oversampled full width UHD 4K/24p video (1.24x crop for 30p); no Log option
    • Gigabit ethernet, 5GHz Wi-Fi, 10 banks of FTP / camera settings
    • Support for voice memos
    • Battery CIPA rated to 690 shots
    • 678g (24oz)
    Processed and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.
    ISO 25600 | 1/800 sec | F2.8 | Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM @ 152mm

    With some additional ergonomic tweaks, the Alpha 9 II is an evolution of its predecessor’s revolutionary capabilities, but it remains impressively compact and speedy. And, of course, it comes with Sony’s industry-leading autofocus implementation. It’s available now at an MSRP of $ 4499 USD.

    What’s new and how it compares

    While the a9 II isn’t quite as revolutionary as its predecessor, it comes with some valuable updates.

    Read more

    Body, handling and controls

    On the outside, the a9 II looks a lot like Sony’s a7R IV with an extra pair of dials on the top left. That’s a good thing.

    Read more

    Image quality

    The a9 II produces lovely images across a variety of situations, with great noise performance and a fantastic JPEG engine.

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    Dynamic Range

    The a9 II’s dynamic range is up there with the best in its class, but if DR is your main concern, it might not be your best choice.

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    Autofocus

    The a9 II has, hands down, the best autofocus performance money can buy.

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    Video

    With oversampled 4K video, the a9 II is great for casual run-and-gun video shooting, but it lacks some options that experienced users will miss.

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    Conclusion

    It’s compact, it’s a great value, and its autofocus system will all-but-guarantee that you’ll just ‘get the shot.’ Read why we give the a9 II a gold award here.

    Read more

    Sample gallery

    Check out how the a9 II performs right here. Where else will you find a sample gallery with everything from rugby to farm animals?

    Read more

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8E FL ED SR VR sample gallery

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    The Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8 has all the trappings of a pro-grade lens: it’s unapologetically heavy, offers weather sealing and sports an alphabet soup of special lens elements and coatings in its name. We spent some time capturing subjects on the ground, in the air and – kind of – at sea with this impressive optic. Take a look.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)