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  • 2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year: winning photos announced

    2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year

    ‘Dancing Octopus’ Gabriel Barathieu/UPY 2017 

    The winners of the 2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year compeition have been announced, and the photos are absolutely spectacular. The overall winner was Gabriel Barathieu with his image of an Octopus taken in the Lagoon of Mayotte on Mayotte Island.

    He says, ‘In the lagoon of Mayotte, during spring low tides, there is very little water on the flats. Only 30 cm in fact. That’s when I took this picture. I had to get as close as possible to the dome to create this effect. The 14mm is an ultra wide angle lens with very good close focus which gives this effect of great size. The octopus appears larger, and the height of water also. Also, I didn’t need flash because I had lots of natural light.’

    2017 British Underwater Photographer of the Year

    ‘Out of the Blue’ Nick Blake/UPY 2017

    Kukulkan Cenote, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

    Kukulkan Cenote on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula forms part of the Chac Mool system and is noted for the spectacular light effects as the sun penetrates the darkness. I left my strobes behind for the natural light shot I wanted and positioned myself in the shadows of the cavern. Moving my eye around the viewfinder, I could see that the rock outline of the cavern around me made for a pleasing symmetry and I adjusted my position to balance the frame. The light show flickered on and off as the sun was periodically covered by cloud and as it reappeared, I beckoned to my buddy and dive guide, Andrea Costanza of ProDive, to edge into the illumination of some of the stronger beams, completing the composition. My journey from diver to underwater photographer has brought many amazing photographic opportunities and I feel humbled and privileged that this image has achieved such recognition.

    2017 Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year

    ‘Oceanic in the Sky’ Horacio Martinez/UPY 2017

    The Brothers, Egypt

    This was my first Red Sea experience, and my first live-aboard-based photo workshop, so everything was interesting… but arduous. We were on the last dive of the day and I ventured a tad deeper to get closer portraits of the Oceanic White Tips, when I noticed this shark patrolling in the distance. I took a few shots to expose for the sun beams and the surface, and was pleased by the dreamlike effect. Oceanics are great subjects for close ups as they are anything but shy. Yet, every now and then it is great to try and capture their apparent loneliness, their wandering, and their independence in the big blue.

    2017 Most Promising British Underwater Photographer

    ‘Orca Pod’ Nicholai Georgiou/UPY 2017

    Tromso, Norway

    Orcas are easily the most beautiful, intelligent and confident animals I’ve ever had the honor of spending time with. This photo was taken during an amazing week freediving with wild Orca in Norway. The days are quite short in winter and the water was around 5 degrees but we wore a thick wetsuit and of course with Orca around, the cold was quickly forgotten. The light had a really nice colour from the setting sun as this graceful pod of Orca swam by nice and close. It was a moment which will be hard to top and I’m glad to have this image to share it.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Frozen Hunting’ Fabrice Guerin/UPY 2017 

    Andenes, Norway

    Judge’s comments:

    A stunning behavioral image of a humpback in shallow water scattering herring taken in very tough conditions. The photographer did very well in very dark waters to record this breath-taking scene sharply.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Finally Whalesharks’ Patrick Neumann/UPY 2017

    Gorontalo, Indonesia, Central Sulawesi

    Although I have been diving for more than 30 years with over 3000 dives, I had never saw a Whaleshark before. When I was working on a liveaboard in Thailand twice the whole boat saw one but not me and my group. Among my friends it was already a running gag. If you want to see Whalesharks don`t dive with Patrick. On our latest trip through Indonesia a friend told me that recently there are some around the Gorontalo area so we changed our plans and went there to end my whaleshark dilemma. We drove out to the divesite and everything was perfect. Very good visibility, no waves and a bright sunny day. Now only the big guy had to be there to make it really happen. When we entered the water there was not one Whaleshark… but 6 of them! You can imagine my happiness.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Views at Dawn’ Pasquale Vassallo/UPY 2017

    Miseno, Gulf of Naples, Italy

    Over the past few months, my photographic work has focused primarily on the large presence of species of jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo, in the Gulf of Naples. In this picture a couple of crabs, Liocarcinus vernalis species, are its tenants.
    When the jellyfish rub the sandy seabed, the crabs jump on it and get carried to different areas.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Humpback whale feeding on krill’ Jean Tresfon/UPY 2017

    A few miles offshore from Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

    Every summer hundreds of humpback whales gather off the Cape Town coast in a massive feeding aggregation. Working as part of a film crew I was privileged to have a chance to photograph this phenomenon. Although the water visibility was really good, inside the krill patch it was much reduced. Without warning the whales appeared just metres away with their pleats distended as they surfaced with huge mouthfuls of krill. Realising that they must be feeding deeper down I descended into the darker water to find the thickest concentration of krill. Suddenly a humpback appeared right in front of me, its huge mouth wide open as it sieved the water for the tiny crustaceans. I took several images before it disappeared into the gloom and then I was surrounded by a multitude of massive bodies as the rest of the pod took its turn to feed. Not a little intimidating! 

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Big Red’ Guglielmo Cicerchia/UPY 2017

    Giannutri Island, Italy

    During the dive I found a fishing net in which many fish were trapped still alive. They were struggling to get free. Using a slow shutter speed and zooming during the exposure I wanted to emphasize the attempt to break free from the fishing net. 

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Imp of darkness’ Damien Mauric/UPY 2017

    Isla Fernandina, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

    On his visit to the Galapagos islands, Charles Darwin was revolted by the animals’ appearance, writing: “The black Lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large, disgusting clumsy Lizards. They are as black as the porous rocks over which they crawl & seek their prey from the Sea. I call them ‘imps of darkness’. They assuredly well-become the land they inhabit.” The marine iguana are all but monsters. Endemic to the Galapagos, it’s a rare privilege to share a moment underwater with this animal now considered as an endangered species.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Green Turtles in the rays’ Greg Lecoeur/UPY 2017

    Tenerife, Spain

    During a diving trip to Tenerife, I came across these green turtles. It was early morning and the sunbeams pierced the surface. I adjusted the setting of my camera and I waited for the turtles to come close enough to trigger my camera. After a little while, the turtles were circling around us and it was a great opportunity to photograph them.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Clownfish Swirl’ Katherine Lu/UPY 2017

    Semakau, Singapore

    I shot this photo in the local waters of Singapore where the visibility is 3m on average. Scuba divers I know are always surprised that I dive there and most don’t even know there is great macro right off our shores. I wanted to do something different and turn a nudibranch commonly found in our waters into a piece of art. I have always been fascinated by bubbles and the inspiration for this photo came about when I was reading about aquatic plants that produce oxygen bubbles from photosynthesis. The images of the bubbles sticking to the green leaves had an abstract quality and hence came the idea to create Nudibranch Art.

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Prey?’ So Yat Wai/UPY 2017

    Anilao, Phillipines

    This photo was shot during a blackwater dive in Anilao. Even though the larvae mantis shrimp (left) is very small, it still a predator which uses its raptorial appendages to hunt. Has it spotted the prey and is ready to pounce?

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Competition’ Richard Shucksmith/UPY 2017

    Shetland Isles, United Kingdom

    I was out off the coast making images for SCOTLAND: The Big Picture – a project about re-wilding that produces images to amplify the case for a wilder Scotland. Hundreds of gannets were circling the boat looking for the fish that were being thrown over the side. Suddenly a single bird dives and the others seeing it as an indicator and 20, 30, 40 birds are diving at once. Because of this behaviour competition between gannets is always going occur creating several gannets diving for the same fish. I could hear the birds as they hit the water right above my head just before they appeared in front of the camera. A great experience. 

    2017 Underwater Photography Awards

    ‘Capturing History’ Tanya Houppermans/UPY 2017

    Wreck of the U-352, North Carolina, US

    An underwater photographer lines up a shot of the conning tower of the wreck of the U-352 off the coast of North Carolina, USA. During WWII, German U-boats patrolled the waters just off the east coast of the U.S. In May 1942 the U-352 fired upon the USCGC Icarus but missed. The Icarus retaliated, and sunk the U-352 in 120ft of water 26 miles southeast of Beaufort Inlet. During this particular dive the visibility was especially good, so my goal was to capture wide angle images with as much of the wreck in the frame as I could get. As I was lining up the shot, a fellow photographer was focusing on the conning tower, so I decided to include him in the image to give a sense of scale to the wreck.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The good, the bad and the ugly of aerial photography – part 4: technique

    A glacial river in Greenland

    Getting your settings right is important when shooting from the air. Due to low light and strong vibration, many images from this shoot turned out blurry.

    In the previous article in this series, I talked about the equipment one might use for aerial photography. So what about technique, and especially camera settings? What should you consider when shooting from the air? 

    The important thing to remember here is that you’re shooting from a moving, vibrating aircraft instead of from stable ground. This simply means that in order to keep your shots sharp, you’ll need to use a high shutter speed. Remember that the compensation mechanisms in stabilized lenses are meant to deal with human movement, not high-frequency vibration, and will thus offer little help. Same goes for your own hands’ stability: even if you’re rock solid, the aircraft is not, and you should always bear that in mind or suffer the consequences (as I unfortunately have in the past).

    Depending on the angle of view, I’d recommend shooting at least 1/400th of a second to make sure the shot is sharp enough, preferably even faster, and faster still if the focal length is long. When shooting from a plane, expect to need even faster shutter speeds, as wind can often move the lens and even change the zoom settings, as it sucks the lens out of the window. To keep your shutter speed in check, don’t be afraid to use a higher ISO setting. I frequently use ISO 400, 800 and when it’s darker even 1600 and 3200. Having a bit more noise and less dynamic range is a much better alternative to having a blurred shot. You can also use relatively wide apertures, since the subject is far away and depth of field is therefore large.

    Shooting at ISO 800 is a no-brainer when light is low and you’re in a Cessna.

    While I talked about equipment in the last article, I left one piece of gear to this article, since I wanted to link it to exposure times: Gyroscopes. These are contraptions which use rotational inertia to counter movement and vibrations, allowing the photographer to use much lower ISO values and longer exposure times while maintaining stability and sharpness. Unfortunately, they are large, heavy and very expensive, which leave them out as an option for the casual aerial shooter such as myself and most photographers with me. I personally don’t have any practical experience with gyros, but hopefully I’ll get to try shooting with one in the future.

    Another point on technique: it’s very beneficial to shoot in fast-continuous mode. Even if exposure times are high, you never know when the vibrations take their toll on camera stability. Shooting the same image 2 or 3 times will significantly increase the chances that at least one of the exposures turns out crisp.

    Another reason to shoot in continuous mode is HDR. HDR is surprisingly possible in aerial photography, and I use it in cases of extreme global contrast. Take for example the image below of the Holuhraun volcanic eruption in Iceland. Taken at night, the lava was quite a few stops brighter than its black surroundings, and so I used exposure bracketing together with continuous mode to quickly shoot two shots of the same scene with different exposure times, which were later combined using Photoshop.

     With the lava many stops brighter than the surroundings, I had to use HDR to get this image.

    Another surprisingly possible technical feat is panoramas. As long as all parameters are in check, there’s really no reason not to pano from the air, and one can really get interesting results that way. This is especially important due to aerial photography’s equipment limitation – when you’re stuck with one or two lenses, shooting a panorama allows you to achieve a wider angle of view.

    A 2-shot panorama taken from a Cessna above the mountains of Lofoten, Arctic Norway. Due to the aircraft’s movement it was a bit of a difficult stitch, but still very possible and worthwhile.

    In the next and final article in this series, I’ll survey several of my aerial shoots.

    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

    More in This Series:

    • The good, the bad and the ugly of aerial photography – Part 1: Why shoot aerials?
    • The good, the bad and the ugly of aerial photography – Part 2: Aircraft
    • The good, the bad and the ugly of aerial photography – Part 3: Equipment

    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

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 lens now available

    Yongnuo has announces its full-frame 85mm F1.8 lens, for Canon and (eventually) Nikon mounts. This budget-friendly lens, which closely resembles Canon’s 85mm F1.8, first surfaced a couple of months ago. It features 9 elements in 6 groups, as well as a 0.85m minimum focusing distance, a 58mm filter diameter, and an overall weight of about 460g/16oz. It’s offered Canon EF mount now, with reports pointing to a Nikon version coming soon.

    Yongnuo announced the launch on its Facebook page, where it is also giving away three lenses for testing. The lens features an AF/MF switch and according to its B&H listing, gold-plated contacts. The new lens is priced at $ 177 at B&H, but is currently backordered.

    Via: PhotoRumors

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Leica SL gallery update

    Image taken using a Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm F2 adapted using the Leica M-Adapter T and processed to taste in Adobe Camera Raw. ISO 2000, 1/125 sec, F2. Photo by Carey Rose

    As we move towards completing our full review of the Leica SL, we’ve been toting it around town just about everywhere, from the grit of Pioneer Square to…well, the grit of a dim living room rock show. Whether you want images at ISO 50 or ISO 50,000, we’ve got you covered – including an adapted Minolta M-Rokkor lens to boot. 

    See our updated Leica SL sample gallery

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony FE 100mm F2.8 STF bokeh demystified

    Sony’s new STF (Smooth Trans Focus) 100mm F2.8 GM OSS uses an apodization (APD) filter to create very smooth out-of-focus regions/highlights both in front of, and behind, the focal plane.

    But how exactly does it work? Sony has published a video demonstrating the principle, and the effect. Take a look:

    The apodization element is a circular graduated neutral density filter that lets in more central light rays than peripheral light rays. This smooths out transitions between out-of-focus elements, leading to quite unique imagery.

    The APD element is a (circular) graduated neutral density filter inserted into the optical path of the lens. Out-of-focus light rays that are either converging in front of the focal plane, or diverging behind the focal plane, have a gradual radial softening (seen as darkening of the more oblique rays in front of or behind the focal plane). This yields less interference between out-of-focus light rays and, so, less ‘busy’ and simply smoother bokeh. 

    What’s the real-world impact? Have a look at the image comparison below, which compares the foreground and background bokeh with and without the APD element:

    The APD element leads to smoother foreground and background bokeh. Note how out-of-focus highlights are smoothed, and this applies to everything. There’s a cost though: sometimes I like sharp, enlarged de-blurred out-of-focus highlights, which you won’t get with this lens. But what you will get is smooth, creamy bokeh.

    We’ve had very little time with the lens, but our initial impressions of image quality are extremely positive. If you’d like to learn more about the lens, visit the company’s dedicated page on this lens over at Sony Alpha Universe, then take a look at the phenomenal MTF curves on Sony.com’s site. Yes, this is a sharp lens, but with beautiful bokeh. And image stabilization, to boot, which, combined with IBIS on most E-mount cameras, will allow you to use slow-ish shutter speeds to maximize light gathering, minimizing noise.

    Which you’ll need, because wide open, while you have the depth-of-field of F2.8, you have the light transmission of F5.6.

    Sony’s E-mount system is becoming increasingly hard to ignore for professional results. With the release of the 100mm STF GM and 85/1.8 lenses, Sony is rounding out a format that already accepts arguably the largest lens lineup in history (thanks to its short flange distance). But the importance of a native lineup cannot be over-stressed, as it is native lenses that benefit most from Sony’s AF technologies.

    A note on autofocus…

    Similar STF lenses tend to be manual focus or contrast detect-only, since peripheral light rays – the very ones the filter is designed to block out – are necessary for traditional phase-detect sensors to function. However, since (at least Sony’s) on-sensor PDAF sensors can still use more central light rays for focusing, focusing does still work, remarkably well in fact with the a7R II, even indoors, wide open. That’s quite an achievement, in no small part due to the excellent focusing system of the a7R II. What’s more, movement of the focus element(s) is incredibly fast, thanks to the excellent Direct Drive SSM mechanism we’ve seen in blazingly fast-to-focus lenses like the FE 35mm F1.4 and FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM.

    “Unlike Sony’s recent releases, this lens focuses wide open…”

    In other words, I was able to use to the 100mm STF to focus on faces, even using Eye AF, in fairly low indoor lighting, despite the T5.6 rating at a F2.8 aperture. This is in no small part due to the fact that this lens, unlike Sony’s recent releases, focuses wide open (albeit stopping down after initial acquisition in AF-C). More tests to follow, but simply the fact they got phase-detect AF working, nevermind the AF performance, is nothing short of impressive.

    The FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS is already shaping up to be a spectacular lens, adding to an already well-rounded, serious E-mount lens lineup.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Metropolitan Museum adds 375,000 scans of artwork to public domain

    “[Advertisement for Sarony’s Photographic Studies]” by Napoleon Sarony (American (born Canada), Quebec 1821–1896 New York) via The Metropolitan Museum of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has added 375,000 images to the public domain, each showing a scan of copyright-free artwork in the museum’s collection. Every image has a Creative Commons ‘CC0’ license, meaning they can be used for both personal and commercial purposes, and can be edited or used as parts of other projects.

    This photo release follows the Museum’s Open Access of Scholarly Content initiative launched back in 2014, which made 400,000 photos available for non-commercial use. This latest photo release represents a slight change in the Museum’s policy: that all of its photos of public domain works are now accompanied by a CC0 public domain license.

    Talking about this move, Creative Commons CEO Ryan Merkley said:

    Today, The Met has given the world a profound gift in service of its mission: the largest encyclopedic art museum in North America has eliminated the barriers that would otherwise prohibit access to its content, and invited the world to use, remix, and share their public-domain collections widely and without restriction. This is an enormous gift to the world, and it is an act of significant leadership on the part of the institution.

    The newly released public domain photos can be located using the search tool on the Creative Commons website.

    Via: Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • iPhone 8 expected to replace Touch ID with 3D facial recognition

    Given 2017 is the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, many expect Apple to come up with a few special features for this year’s generation of its smartphones. A high-end model with 5.8″ edge-to-edge OLED display is widely rumored and according to a note from J.P. Morgan analyst Rod Hall, this top-of-the-line device could do away with the Touch ID fingerprint reader and introduce 3D-facial recognition with a front-facing laser scanner as a security feature to Apple smartphones.  

    Removing the fingerprint reader would be an important step to make the edge-to-edge display possible and would also reduce user frustration in wet conditions when Touch ID doesn’t work well. Additionally, it could potentially be more secure, making it ideal for Apple Pay and other mobile commerce applications. Eventually the technology could also be used for augmented reality purposes but according to JPMorgan this is not expected to happen before 2018. 

    The research note also claims that, based on economies of scale, the 3D recognition technology could also make it onto the lower level models of the 2017 iPhone line. The scanner is said to add $ 10 to $ 15 per module to the iPhone 8’s bill of materials. In combination with the OLED display, glass casing, and related increased production cost this could mean that the new top-model will cost upwards of $ 1000.

    What’s your view on the new technology? Would you prefer it over a fingerprint reader, and be willing to pay a premium for it? Let us know in the comments.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Crash drones over and over again with Microsoft’s open source simulator

    Microsoft has released a free, open source simulator to help engineers test drones in a photo-realistic environment. The AirSim, as it’s called, offers a space for developers to run simulated flights again and again, gathering data and seeing how a drone’s onboard perception systems react to a complex environment. Naturally, that’s a lot cheaper and less time-consuming than studying repeated real-world drone crashes.

    The cross-platform software supports manual or programmatically controlled flights, and thanks to its open source nature, data gathered from test flights can be easily used to create new algorithms to guide drone operation. There you have it – hundreds of simulated drone crashes aren’t just amusing to watch, they may be actually useful.

    The code is available for download via GitHub.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Silkypix Development Studio Pro8 released with new clarity slider and B&W controls

    Japanese software developer Ichikawa Soft Laboratory Co. has released a new version of its Silkypix Development Studio Pro application that introduces a number of new tools and functions. Version 8 of the Raw adjustment and conversion program adds a clarity slider to the tool-set, that can be used to emphasize or smooth-out differences in neighboring tones to deliver more or less tonal impact in an image.

    Users can also now take more control of black and white conversions using the Monochrome Controller Function that allows a range of colors to be lightened or darkened to simulate the use of colored optical filters over the lens of a camera loaded with black and white film. For selective enhancements a brush tool has been added to the Partial correction tool kit which the company says will make it easier to create rounder selection areas for adjustment.

    Those who like to shoot underwater will be glad of a dedicated tool for correcting the color of images recorded in a range of sub-aqua conditions which reduces the impact of color-loss and shift at various selectable depths. Silkypix also now allows a single license to cover three computers and the company says it has cleaned up the user interface to make it more straightforward to use.

    The program, and variations on it, is favored by a number of camera brands as an in-the-box raw converter given away with their cameras, but the full version can be purchased on-line from the manufacturer for 22464 JPY (approx. $ 200/£160). A 30-day free trial is also available. The program supports raw files from 613 cameras, it is claimed. For more information see the Silkypix website.

    Press release

    Product release announcement, high quality RAW development software high-end version “SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8 download version”

    The product concept of SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8

    “SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8” is the latest development in the SILKYPIX series, aiming at “enhancement of functions for finishing photographs that meet the photographer’s expectations” and “a comfortable and enjoyable RAW development software.” In this version, we have added “Clarity” and a “Brush” to the “Partial correction tool,” which have been requested by many customers. In addition, it has been equipped with a “Monochrome controller” specialized for monochrome adjustments and a “Underwater photo controller” specific for underwater photography. This RAW development software will be a strong support so you can create your own works.

    SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8 major features

    Clarity adjustment
    A “Clarity” parameter has been added to the “Tone” adjustment item to adjust the luminance level of each pixel based on information from surrounding pixels. Increasing the effects of “Clarity” will make it possible to finish the details of the subject in a bold picture, so it is effective when you want to finish bold scenes with a hazy surrounding. In contrast, by lowering the “Clarity” you can finish with a soft ambience like with a soft focus, so you can use it to effect with women and children’s photography.

    A Brush added to the Partial correction tools
    A “Brush” that makes it possible to select correction areas more freely to “Partial corrections” was added in “SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro7.” Using the “Brush” makes corrections easier even in difficult areas of “circular correction filter” and “gradual correction filter.” More creative adjustments have become possible by making partial corrections that do not take the form of the subject.

    Strengthening the Monochrome Controller Function
    A Monochrome Controller function has been installed specialized for adjusting monochrome pictures. Eight kinds of “Color filters” can be selected, and it is possible to reproduce filters when shooting monochrome photographs on your screen. In addition, since the “Lightness” can be adjusted for each hue, you can make a thorough finish to your black and white photographs. Even beginners of black and white photography can easily switch between color and monochrome images after applying parameters in the preview display, so you will be able to intensify the understanding of effects on monochrome photographs due to changes in color.

    Underwater Photo Controller Installed as a Function for Correcting Dedicated to Underwater Photography
    A function from “SILKYPIX Marine Photography” for RAW development software dedicated to underwater photography has been installed into “SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8” called Underwater photo controller. With this Underwater photo controller, you can correct the bluishness that is difficult to adjust with the normal white balance by using “White balance for underwater.” It also features “Color restoration,” which actually reproduces colors lost in water, as well as “Muddy reduction” to eliminate murkiness in water.

    Focus Peaking Function Installed
    A Focus peaking function has been installed to detect the parts focused on from adjacent pixels in the image, and to display them with colors added to those parts. With this function, you can clearly check the area of focus.

    Improved User Interface
    We have improved the design to be clean and simple to make it possible to concentrate on adjusting images. In addition, the layout has been changed to make it easier to understand for those using adjustment functions for the first time. Also, you can now change the background color of the preview display according to your preference.

    One License Can Be Used on Three Computers
    In recent years, more and more people own multiple computers, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, etc., sometimes using both Windows and macOS. With such changes in the industry, “SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8” is now available for use on three computers with one license.

    New function / Improvement list

    • Tone – Clarity slider addition
    • Partial correction tool – brush addition
    • Monochrome controller
    • Underwater photo controller
    • Warning indication – Focus peaking addition
    • Preview display Select background color
    • Choose Rating Display / Non-display under the thumbnail display
    • Improved User Interface
    • One License Can Be Used on Three Computers

    SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro8 download version (Win/Mac) license price

    Regular list price
    New license
    28080 JPY (tax included)

    Upgrade license
    Customer who already has following license can purchase one license for your one product license.
    Upgrade target products:
    SILKYPIX Developer Studio Pro, Pro5, Pro5 for Panasonic, Pro6, Pro7, Pro7 for Panasonic
    11232 JPY (tax included)
    Upgrade target products:
    SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0, 4.0, 6, 7
    16848 JPY (tax included)

    Special price for bundle products
    Customers for (bundle version) SILKYPIX series which were shipped with the cameras and lenses
    22464 JPY (tax included)
    [Target products]
    SILKYPIX Developer Studio SE version
    SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.0 for TAMRON
    SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.0 for CASIO
    FUJIFILM RAW FILE CONVERTER powered by SILKYPIX
    SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 for PENTAX or LE
    SAMSUNG RAW Converter

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Archos to make Kodak-branded Android tablets

    It appears that the Kodak brand name is about to appear on more mediocre consumer electronics products. Ever since the company went bankrupt, what is left of the legendary imaging powerhouse is making at least some money by licensing the iconic brand name to anyone who wants it. A little while back, the Bullit Group launched the Kodak-branded camera-centric Ektra smartphone, and the Kodak website lists a whole bunch of other consumer electronics items that are manufactured by various companies under license.

    “We are very proud to become one of Kodak’s licensees to jointly develop their brand into the tablet world. We truly look forward to putting these devices into people’s hands”, said ARCHOS CEO, Loïc Poirier.

    Now Kodak and French electronics maker Archos have announced that the latter will launch a line of Kodak-branded tablets bound for the European market. Archos is best known for its budget and entry-level devices, so we should not get our hopes up of seeing Kodak-branded high-end tablets, but according to the joint statement the tablets will combine “chic design” and the “latest technologies” with pre-loaded photo and video apps for creative users. There will also be 8MP rear cameras and 3G connectivity for easy sharing on the go.

    The new tablets will be available in summer 2017 and, although no pricing information has been released, we’d expect them at the budget end of the market.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)