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  • National Geographic kicks off 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year competition

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    National Geographic has kicked off its 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year competition, with the grand prize being a 10-day trip to the photogenic Galapagos Islands. The categories are nature, cities and people, and entries are already starting to come in. Take a look at some early Editors’ picks in the nature category.

    Above: ‘A drive to remember’ by Manish Mamtani

    Aerial view of the Scenic drive and the beautiful Fall colors of New Hampshire. I used a drone to capture the fall colors that cannot be seen from the road.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘In Your Face’ by Shane Gross / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    Caribbean reef sharks are usually shy so I placed my camera on a rock where I know they frequent and used a remote trigger to click away as they came in and bumped my camera around.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘The Mirror’ by Takahiro Bessho / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    Lake Yogo, called “The lake of Mirror”, sometimes reflects everything in front of you.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘Lost in white’ by Adam Cunningham-White / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    This photo captures the moment that I, along with 3 other Sami reindeer herders become a little lost while migrating with 350 reindeer. They were rounded up from a section of forest around 30kms south of this point. Our goal was to take them, via rivers, northwards to pastures new using the network of rivers and lakes that flow through Sweden.

    This was taken on Randijaur lake, Jokkmokk, Sweden

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘Little Eyewitness’ by Hidetoshi Ogata / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    “Little Eyewitness” was taken in Jigokudani Monkey Park, Nagano, Japan on December, 2016. On a cold winter’s day, monkeys have several ways to keep off the cold. For example, in order to keep them warm, they have a soak in a hot spring, take a bedrock bath or huddle together, etc. While monkeys were huddling together, I approached them with the stealthy footsteps. Then I photographed them from directly above at the moment when a little monkey nestled in mother’s arms looked to the camera.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘Blue pond the stellar sky’ by Nao Akimoto / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    Voice from the stars

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘Powerful cloud’ by Takashi / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    Mt Fuji is a treasure trove of mysterious shaped clouds.

    Various forms of clouds appear when a fast air current blows over the Mt Fuji.

    I stayed in the car during the night at the Inokashira forest road about 0.8 miles above sea level about 25 miles west of Mt Fuji. The small clouds that appeared before dawn grew bigger and bigger. Just before sunrise they had become a huge cloud covering Mt. Fuji. The shadows of them in the backlight were the most powerful masterpieces.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘SymmetryrtemmyS’ by Hiroshi Tanita / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    Cherry blossoms reflected in perfect condition.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘The Salt Miners’ by Tugo Cheng / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    As the most ancient and grueling trade in Ethiopia, the salt miners in the Afar region are still using the most traditional camel caravan to carry loads of salt bricks extracted from the vast salt flats everyday. However, an under-construction railway from Djibouti and new road traversing the old salt route may soon render the camel caravan obsolete.

    2017 National Geographic travel photographer of the year

    ‘Moss forest’ by Tetsuya Hosokawa / National Geograhic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

    Yakushima is an island full of abundant moss and beautiful water

    If you have a photo you’d like to submit for consideration, you can do so here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • New tripod tech

    Cinema5D recently posted a video look at the new Manfrotto Nitrotech tripod head, which uses a ‘nitrogen piston mechanism’ to push up against the bottom of the tripod head where its horizontal axis would normally be. You can read the full article along with the video here.

    What do you think? Does the Nitrotech head look like something you would use?

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Is it time to adopt DaVinci Resolve for video editing?

    Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve has a well deserved reputation as one of the best (if not the best) color grading software for film and video editing. But over the past few years, the company has put a lot of effort toward developing Resolve into a full suite of editing tools as well. With Resolve 14, introduced last week at NAB, Blackmagic has now added Fairlight audio editing tools to complement the software’s color and nonlinear editing tools.

    NewsShooter posted a video interview with Blackmagic president Dan May, who talks about some of the improvements in Resolve 14. You can see the original story at newsshooter.com.

    Would you consider switching to Resolve for video editing? Tell us in the comments.

     

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Wider than wide: A landscape photographer’s thoughts on the Canon 11-24mm

    The Canon EF 11-24mm F4L USM is a super wideangle zoom lens for Canon’s full-frame DSLRs, which can also be adapted for use on Sony Alpha a7 and a9-series full-frame mirrorless cameras.

    Even though I’ve been writing for DPReview for over 4 years, I’ve never written any equipment reviews. And why should I? There are far better equipment experts, technical fanatics, pixel-peepers (I mean that in a good way!) and gear enthusiasts out there than me. My fields of expertise are different, and my writing consists mostly of photographic vision, composition, the philosophical aspects of photography and so on. I intend to stick to this line of writing, and for the most part, I’m happy to leave the equipment reviews to the experts.

    That said, after shooting with the Canon 11-24mm F4L for a few months, it has proven to be such a game-changer that it has altered how I think about composition. And in a more general sense, it has changed my ability to take control over what is included in an image, and how these elements are arranged.

    Goðafoss, Iceland at 13mm. The extra width allowed me to get closer to the edge and get a wider view while keeping all the elements I needed in the image, framing the waterfall, with enough space around them to avoid a crowded feel.

    Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon 11-24mm F4L
    Nisi Filters 180mm ND + GND
    F14, 13sec, ISO100

    This will not be your regular gear review. I won’t be discussing sharpness (although trust me that this lens is very sharp), chromatic aberrations or barrel distortion. I will only be talking about composition, which is, in my opinion, the single most important ingredient to a successful photograph. I will present some images and explain what about the 11-24mm made them possible. I’ll also talk a bit about the downsides of this lens and the solutions to the problems it presents. 

    So why? Why does a landscape photographer need an 11-24mm? Isn’t it just too darn wide? Is 11mm worth the size and the monstrous weight? Is it worth the hefty price tag? I have to admit that before shooting with it, I was in serious doubt. I was sure I’d leave it in the bag most of the time, taking it only on rare occasions when 16mm wasn’t wide enough. I thought that 16mm would be wide enough for 90% of my images, after all, I’ve been producing satisfactory shots until now – what good could a wider lens be?

    I knew that when going wider, background subjects shrink significantly in size, which can hurt the composition. Moreover, in cases where 16mm wasn’t enough, I had a 14mm F2.8 which was excellent for night photography and for shooting in confined spaces. 

    It turns out that I was wrong. The extra width proved to be extremely useful, much more than I had imagined. It allowed me to have much more control, to include more sky when I wanted to, to get closer to the foreground, to reveal more detail and create a greater sense of depth and more dramatic imagery. Let’s look at some examples.

    An ice cave in Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, Iceland. Getting this composition in one shot with a narrower lens would have been impossible.

    Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon 11-24mm F4L
    Focus stacked from 3 images at 11mm, F13, 15sec, ISO800.

    The ice cave pictured above was magnificent, but it was also very cramped. I couldn’t walk upright in most of the spots I shot, and this stream was very small. The ice-crusted rock in the middle was tiny, and its details were so beautiful, I needed to get close in order to expose their intricacies. On the other hand, I needed to frame the different elements well, and in a balanced way that makes visual sense.

    The cave’s ceiling is extremely important, since it’s the only subject of the frame which is part of the glacier, which basically IS the ice cave. It also contains wonderful melting patterns, and black, volcanic earth which gives extra texture and detail. 
    On the bottom of the frame, there are two important elements: the ice-crusted rock in the middle of the stream, which is most definitely the centerpiece, but equally importantly the ice crusted banks on the bottom right. These serve to create the frame to the blurred water and to compositionally counterbalance the rock and the left-running stream.

    In addition to the compositional aspect, I strongly feel that including all these elements serves to give the viewer a better sense of being in this incredible cave. This might be the strongest advantage of utilizing such a wide angle of view.

    Without a super wide lens, I could still have included all of these elements. I could have achieved this in one of several ways.

    Firstly, I could have moved back a little. This would indeed allow me to include all the different desired elements in the frame, but going backward would change the perspective significantly, shrinking the most important elements in the process, namely the ice crusted rock and the stream itself. That would hurt the composition a great deal.

    Alternatively, I could have shot a panorama, using a tilt/shift lens or by moving the camera and lens. This would make the job much, much harder, since (a) it would require multiple stitching in addition to the already-challenging focus stacking and (b) shooting so close to the stream meant I constantly needed to wipe the lens dry, and the extra shooting time would mean much more wiping, Photoshop work and general headache.

    The 11-24mm allowed me to shoot this as close to the rock as I needed to, in order to include all the detail I wanted to show while still framing the shot as I desired, all with only three shots to focus stack. I simply wouldn’t have been able to do that before I bought this lens. 

    Let’s see another example from my Arctic trip earlier this year.

    The amazing black and white sand patterns of Skagsanden Beach, Lofoten, Arctic Norway.

    Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon 11-24mm F4L
    Nisi Filters 180mm ND + GND
    Stacked from 4 images at 11mm, 0.8 sec, F13, ISO100

    Again, this image would’ve been almost impossible without the 11-24mm, which allowed me to get very close and personal with the tree-like sand patterns, while being wide enough to shrink the background and include the whole mountain range in the frame. 

    The Lofoten Islands are full of fjords with towering mountains rising out of them. Some mountains are so close to a water body, it’s extremely hard to include the entire thing in the frame without a truly wide lens. This is even more so when trying to include reflections.

    Mount Stortinden reflecting in the calm Flakstad Fjord, Lofoten. I was standing about 1 km from this 850m tall mountain. Being so close, I couldn’t have included both the mountain and the reflection with a 16mm. It was easily done, however, with the 11-24mm.

    Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon 11-24mm F4L
    Nisi Filters 180mm ND + GND
    11mm, F11, 0.5 sec, ISO100

    Last but not least, the 11-24 is an almost perfect tool for night photography. The maximum aperture of F4 is a limit, but then again, it’s easier having the foreground in focus at F4, plus the monstrous angle of view allows one to expose marginally longer without getting the stars or Northern Lights blurred.

    Let’s see an example from an incredible night of Aurora in Lofoten. The super wide angle allowed me to include a huge chunk of the sky, showing the wonderful patterns and lines in addition to the mountains and the moving waves. I could also expose for 8 seconds, which is considered a bit long for this kind of strong Auroral activity. To be honest, the lights blew up a few seconds before I took this shot, and I should’ve exposed for less time, but the amount of blur is not a big issue and the Aurora is still well defined.

    Beautiful Aurora in Skagsanden Beach, Lofoten, Arctic Norway.
    Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
    Canon 11-24mm F4L
    11mm, F4, 8sec, ISO1600

    Here are a few more examples of Aurora shot with the 11-24mm.

    Stacked from 2 images at 11mm, F4, 8sec, ISO3200 Stacked from 2 images at 11mm, F4, 13sec, ISO3200
    11mm, F4, 5sec, ISO1600 11mm, F4, 8sec, ISO3200

    I hope you’re convinced of this lens’ advantages. What about the downsides?
    For me, the greatest disadvantage is the inability to fit regular filters in front of the huge front element. I’m used to popping my 100mm system out of the bag and putting it in front of any lens. Not this one.

    The only solution I currently know of which covers the whole width of this monster is the Nisi Filters 180mm system (proper disclosure: Nisi gave me the holder and some filters to try out). These filters are not cheap, but they are well made and have superb optical quality. The problem is that together with the mounting system, they are big and heavy, and don’t allow a photographer to be as spontaneous as with a 100mm system. I still like the system very much and I’ve achieved good images with it. If you’re into using filters with the 11-24, I highly recommend it.

    As to the size, weight and price – simply put, it is what it is. If you need this type of lens, or if you can extract any type of value out of it, there is not much choice, is there? You need to weigh the advantages and the disadvantages and make up your own mind. You can also leave the lens at home if it’s not really necessary or if the weight is too much for a specific project (for example, on my recent Patagonia hiking trip, I chose not to lug it around due to the weight, and opted for the lighter 16-35mm). In my opinion, the answer is clear: if you’re an avid landscape photographer, don’t wait – get this lens, you won’t regret it.

    Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram, Facebook and 500px, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.

    If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the most fascinating landscapes on earth with Erez as your guide, you’re welcome to take a look at his unique photography workshops around the world:

    Land of Ice – Southern Iceland
    Winter Paradise – Northern Iceland
    Northern Spirits – The Lofoten Islands
    Giants of the Andes and Fitz Roy Hiking Annex – Patagonia
    Tales of Arctic Nights – Greenland
    Saga of the Seas and The Far Reaches Annex – The Faroe Islands
    Desert Storm – Namibia

    Selected Articles by Erez Marom:

    • Parallelism in Landscape Photography
    • Behind the Shot: Dark Matter
    • Mountain Magic: Shooting in the Lofoten Islands
    • Behind the Shot: Nautilus
    • Behind the Shot: Lost in Space
    • Behind the Shot: Spot the Shark
    • Quick Look: The Art of the Unforeground
    • Whatever it Doesn’t Take
    • Winds of Change: Shooting changing landscapes
    • On the Importance of Naming Images
    • On Causality in Landscape Photography

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Breakthrough Photography’s GND and ND filters are the first made with tempered glass

    Breakthrough Photography has launched what it claims are the first-ever neutral density and graduated neutral density filters made with tempered glass. The new X4 GND, X4 ND Square, and Dark CPL filters are being funded through Kickstarter, where both 100mm and 150mm versions are detailed. According to Breakthrough, the X4 GND is the sharpest GND filter ever, while both the GND and ND filters are the ‘world’s most color neutral.’

    Both the X4 GND and X4 ND filters are made with Schott B270 tempered glass which, says Breakthrough, results in ‘an incredibly durable filter’ that can withstand drops onto hard surfaces. Both sides of the tempered glass are refined with an MRC16 coating and a nanotec coating, the combination of which cuts down reflections and makes cleaning easier.

    Joining the two X4 filters is the Dark CPL, a filter that combines X4 ND and X4 CPL filters. Breakthrough explains that while stacking these two filter types typically produces a vignetting effect at about 19mm with a full-frame sensor, the new Dark CPL version gets rid of that vignette down to 16mm on the same full-frame sensors. The company is offering Dark CPL for Fuji, Leica, Carl Zeiss, Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Schneider Xenon lenses, among others that weren’t specified. 

    Breakthrough plans for the Dark CPL 46mm – 86mm to retail at up to $ 199, the Dark CPL 95mm/105mm at up to $ 259, the X4 GND 100x150mm at up to $ 199, the X4 GND 150x170mm at up to $ 249, and the X4 ND Square at prices ranging from $ 149 to $ 219 depending on both density and size. The company is offering various discounts on these filters to those who back the Kickstarter campaign. Shipping to backers is estimated to start this upcoming August.

    Via: CanonRumors

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Microsoft’s HoloLens may give surgeons virtual help during spinal surgeries

    Scopis, a maker of navigation tools for surgeons, has introduced a new platform that utilizes Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed-reality headset. The benefits are pretty obvious – useful information can be projected in onto a patient, hands-free, and virtual monitors can be displayed within view for quick reference. Take a look at a simulated demo in the video above.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Is this what we can expect the iPhone 8 to look like?

    YouTube channel DailyTekk has put together a mockup of the yet-to-be-announced iPhone 8 based on the rumors flying around. What will it look like? Will it even be called the iPhone 8? It’s all pure speculation at this point, but let’s go ahead and imagine life with a bezel-less iPhone.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Take a 360-degree look around the dunes of Mars’ Ogunquit Beach

    NASA’s Mars Rover recently spent some time on the Red Planet’s Ogunquit Beach, studying the area’s dunes that stretch for miles. According to NASA the image above was stitched together from 115 individual images taken between March 24th and 25th. Color has been adjusted to represent how it would look in daytime Earth lighting. To fully enjoy a quick trip to Mars, be sure to play the video above in a browser that support 360-degree video.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • 2017 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras $500-900

    The $ 500-900 category (based roughly on US MSRP) features quite a few strong offerings, some of which should satisfy first-time camera buyers with easy-to-use interfaces and point-and-shoot style functionality. Others are aimed more at seasoned-enthusiasts, offering direct manual controls and high-end features.

    At this price point, all of the cameras use either Four Thirds or larger APS-C-sized sensors and all can shoot Raw. And while a larger sensor can mean the potential for better image quality and more control over depth-of-field, the difference in size between APS-C and Four Thirds is not enormous. As such, small differences notwithstanding, the vast majority of cameras in this roundup have what we would consider to be very good image quality.

    All of the cameras in this selection are reasonably small in size (compared to pricier ILCs), but the number and arrangement of control points, grip size, build quality and weight all vary quite a bit. As do the inclusion of features like like 4K video capture and in-body image stabilization.

    Let’s take a look at the currently available interchangeable lens cameras that fall into the $ 500-900 price range (give or take).

    • Canon EOS M3
    • Canon EOS M6
    • Canon EOS Rebel T7i (EOS 800D)
    • Fujifilm X-E2S
    • Fujifilm X-T20
    • Nikon D5600
    • Olympus OM-D E-M10 II
    • Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85
    • Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX850
    • Pentax K-70
    • Sony Alpha a6000

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Look at this teetering stack of Panasonic cameras

    We’re working on reviewing the Panasonic GX850 and while shooting some product shots got a bit carried away with the stacking. From top to bottom: the Panasonic GM1, Panasonic GM5, Panasonic GX850, Panasonic GX85 and Panasonic GX8.

    Note: No Panasonic cameras were injured in the making of this photo.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)