Just posted: Our samples gallery shot using a production Canon EOS 100D and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM. In this gallery we’re aiming to give an idea of the image quality possible from Canon’s latest miniature SLR with its new, silent-focusing kit zoom. We’ve also quicky tested its refocusing ability during movie recording. Click through to see the sample images and movies.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
You may have heard the term “Nifty Fifty“ before. If you haven’t, it is usually a reference to the Canon 50mm f1.8 lens. But for the purpose of this article I’m going to use it synonymously with any prime 50mm lens.
I get asked all the time by my students about what lens they should buy next after the basic kit lens that came with the camera. I almost always recommend picking up a simple 50mm prime lens. Let’s look at some reasons . . .
Shot at ISO 1600, 1/50th a f1.8. Without the 1.8 aperture I would have needed a much slower shutter speed or even higher ISO.
Fun bokeh at a wedding using ambient light. Almost impossible to get this shot without the big aperture.
Like I tell most of my students, I highly recommend you have a 50mm lens in your bag. If you can afford a fancier one go for the f1.4 or even the f1.2. However they do come with much bigger price tags, and are a lot heavier. So keep that mind if you go shopping for a 50.
Here’s some of these 50mm lenses listed on Amazon:
Then think outside the zoom lens box and see what other prime lenses might be perfect for the kind of photography you do. I love my 85mm f1.8 as well, it’s great for portraits (I use a full frame camera so will be similar to the 50 on a cropped sensor). If you like macro work perhaps a 60mm macro or 100mm will do the trick for you. Either can also double as a nice portrait lens. Take on my 10 challenges if you dare!
Lastly – show me your Nifty Fifty photos! Share some images you’ve done with your little 50mm lens. Let’s see what it can do!
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Why a 50mm Lens is your new Best Friend
[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]
Experience the awe-inspiring power of a tornado, up-close and personal, without putting yourself in serious danger chasing a real one. The Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart hosts the strongest artificially generated tornado in the world, with 144 jets spewing 28 tons of smoke in a 112-foot-high column. Why intentionally produce a tornado in a showroom full of over 150 luxury vehicles? The answer may surprise you.
The facility, designed by Dutch architecture firm UNStudio, is one of the most cutting-edge of its kind. Reminiscent of the Guggenheim, the Mercedes-Benz Museum is a steel structure based on a double-helix, featuring a massive central atrium viewable from the floors that spiral around it. All rooms are open, all walls are curved and each of the 1800 triangular window panes on the exterior walls is unique.
The 1500 exhibition areas contained within the space are connected without any fire zones – making them a bit of a hazard if a fire were ever to really break out. The solution? An artificial tornado created by injecting air into the interior courtyard of the museum from those 144 jets. The smoke is collected by the air currents and whisked outside.
Though it’s actually a safety measure, the tornado effect is so spectacular that it has become a bit of a tourist attraction, bringing even more people to check out the museum. See it in action above.
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For whatever reason it was a long wait for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 — I counted about six months. Worth waiting for?
Yes, for a number of reasons, not all directly to do with image making either.
As a MILC (mirrorless interchangeable lens camera) this is as fully featured as you can get and then offers more in the rugged department: it has a magnesium alloy, full diecast body, coupled with splash and dustproof construction, achieved by tightly sealing sections of the camera body.
Test lens was the Lumix G Vario Power OIS f2.8/12-35mm, equating to a 24-70mm lens in a 35 SLR.
There’s a ton of external controls planted on the GH3′s body.
Top deck: at left is a tiny wheel that gives access to single shot or burst shooting as well as the self-timer and an auto bracketted exposure option.
The mode dial has eleven positions: PASM; ‘creative’ video shooting; three custom modes; stills creative control; 13 scene modes (inc portrait, backlit, children’s faces etc); intelligent auto; intelligent auto plus.
By now you will have sussed out that this camera attempts to straddle two levels of user: the expert who wants precise control of image capture and the dabbler, keen to fiddle with images.
Further along the top deck is the prominent on/off lever; three buttons that take you to ISO, AWB and exposure compensation; there is a front and a rear rotating dial that take you through a number of options; the shutter button is right at the front of the pronounced speed grip. And then there is the first of five Function buttons, with the other four sprinkled around the rear surface of the camera.
Rear: replay; Function buttons 2, 3, 5; auto focus and exposure lock button; video record; display options; a rotating control dial and concentric menu button.
So you can see, as I said: ‘There’s a ton of external controls …’
The 16.05 megapixel Live MOS sensor can capture a maximum image size of 4608×3456 pixels, or 39x29cm as a print.
Video? You can shoot Full HD in either MPEG4 or AVCHD. I was able to shoot stills while recording video with no apparent interruption to the latter. The AF tracked seamlessly mid video recording … a great performance.
Video users will appreciate the enhanced handling of the program material as it embeds SMPTE-compliant time code either in Rec Run or Free Run count-up methods; this makes it easy to synchronise multiple video shots or sound sources in post production.
In video sound recording, the DMC-GH3 has Dolby Digital for AVCHD Progressive /AVCHD videos, and linear PCM (LPCM) for un-compressed MPEG4 video. There are two 3.5mm terminals for an external microphone and headphone.
The camera uses OLED displays both in the rear LCD and the turret finder: while both displays are excellent, the former suffers in bright sunshine.
In the design of the GH3 great attention was paid to minimising sensor noise, preventing sensor noise from entering the output signal and preventing noise from entering the signal processing circuit, power supply and grounding lines. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 200 to ISO 12800, but you can extend this to ISO 25600 by accessing a special function.
The camera’s HDR mode takes three shots at different exposure levels and automatically combines them to produce a single image. Other shooting functions include Time lapse shooting and multiple exposures using four shots to combine into one.
The rear LCD screen can rotate 180 degrees laterally and tilt 270 degrees vertically.
Continuous speed: the GH3 can shoot at 6 fps in full res of 4608×3456 (maximum 18 consecutive shots in RAW+JPEG) and 20 fps at 2336×1752 pixels (maximum 80 consecutive shots in JPEG).
I much appreciated the on screen distinct level gauge, which detects the horizontal/vertical angle of view as well as sensing if the camera is tilted forwards or back.
The touch screen can be more useful than you think: just by touching the subject you want as your point of focus, the camera will focus on the subject and take the picture automatically.
In Creative Control mode you can access a range of additional image effects. You set the effects to add by selecting example images and confirming them on the screen. Such effects as expressive, retro, high and low key, mono. etc.
Going well at ISO 1600. Still clean at ISO 3200. OK at ISO 6400. Noise becoming visible at ISO 12800 but colour OK. At ISO 25600 noise is well up and there are signs of a colour shift.
Quality: excellent colour, tops in the sharpness dept.
Why buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3: built in flash with a GN of 12 (ISO 100 in metres) that covers a 24mm range; access to a wide range of lenses, inc Leica’s optics.
Why not: too many pro-ish controls for some users; too many amateur options for pros!
To me, this would make an excellent camera for an ambitious beginner: you could start by using it as a point-and-shoot, then gradually move upwards as you learn the more complex controls.
Image Sensor: 16.05 million effective pixels.
Metering: Multiple, centre-weighted and spot.
Effective Sensor Size: Four thirds 17.3×13.0mm CMOS.
Lens Factor: 2x.
Compatible lenses: Micro Four Thirds.
Exposure Modes: Auto, Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Shutter Speed: Bulb, 60 to 1/4000 second; flash sync 1/160 sec.
Burst Speed: 6 fps.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): 4608×3456 to 1712×1712. Movies: 1920×1080, 1280x720p, 640×480.
Viewfinders: Turret finder (1.74 million pixels), 7.6cm LCD screen (614,000 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW, AVCHD/MPEG4, MPO (3D).
Colour Space: Adobe RGB, sRGB.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 200 to 12800.
Interface: USB 2.0, AV, HDMI mini, WiFi, DC input.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, AC adaptor.
Dimensions: 133x93x82 WHDmm.
Weight: Approx. 550 (inc battery).
Price: Get a price on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 (body only) or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 with Panasonic H-FS 45-150mm Lumix G Series Lens.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 Review
We put four of the top-of-the-line smartphone cameras to the test in our super shootout featuring the two most promising newcomers – the brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One – and the established competition, the Apple iPhone 5 and the Nokia Lumia 920. We shot with the camera phones in a variety of “real-life” situations and in our controlled studio environment to compare their overall performance. See our results today on connect.dpreview.com.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]
Growing up shouldn’t mean having to let go of fun and free-spirited activities like swinging from the trees – or your living room rafters. Indoor swings can be as simple as a piece of wood strung from rope, or as complex as a hip set of eight modern swings around a dining room table. Here are 13 examples of interior swings that will inspire you to turn your home into a playground for all ages.
The shape may be fairly classic by now, but one thing this particular hanging chair has that others simply don’t is its highly unusual material: volcanic basalt fiber. Extremely lightweight and suitable for indoor or outdoor use, the Manu Nest chair by Maffam can withstand 220kg (485 pounds) of weight while itself weighing just 15kg (33 pounds.)
Designed to look just like an oversized beaded necklace, the Swing Necklace by German interior designer Johanna Richter is definitely a conversation piece as well as a fun and functional piece of furniture. 10 feet long, it can be adjusted to the desired height.
Business meetings would be a lot less boring if they were all held at designer Christopher Duffy’s Swing Table. Sleek and modern, the table suspends eight seats from bars built into a simple frame that also supports an overhead light.
Simple and ergonomic, the ‘Fugle Swing‘ by Pratt Institute industrial design graduate Christine Fesmire is inspired by Scandinavian bentwood design. “I was intrigued with the impacts emerging from Scandinavia in the twentieth century and I wanted to bring this fascination closer to my image what a swing for adults could be. The practical issue of comfort and my aesthetic determined the overall shape.”
As captured in this image by photographer Nicolas Matheus, an indoor swing can be just as simple as one you’d find hanging from a tree in the backyard.
This design from Julie Couch Interior Design is reminiscent of cozy Southern porch swings, but it’s upholstered for extra comfort.
This U-shaped upholstered swing hangs from the ceiling with a wire, and comes in a range of colors and interchangeable fabric covers.
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