Manfrotto has updated its popular 190 series tripod range, with a substantially reworked design. The mechanism for switching the centre column to the horizontal position has been redesigned to reduce weight and folded length, and now pops out from the centre casting only when needed. A rotatable bubble level has been added underneath the head platform, and the leg angle selectors redesigned for easier operation. The tripods come in either carbon fibre or aluminium, with a choice of three- or four-section legs. Prices range from £185 to £360.
We have added DxOMark’s Mobile Report to our camera review of the Apple iPhone 5s. The report includes DxO Lab’s usual industry-standard scientific measurements and analyzes 14 aspects of mobile imaging including detailed image quality assessment, flash performance, autofocus reliability and more to calculate a final score. Click through to read our Apple iPhone 5s review and go to page 8 for the DxO Mark mobile report.
Editor's Note: Contributor Sara Lando continues her three-part series chronicling her 10-day stint as an assistant/mole with Gregory Heisler in Dubai. This is part three. Part one is here.
Whenever I spend enough time shadowing a photographer, I end up lusting for gear. Don't judge me: you probably wouldn't be reading Strobist if you didn't have the same problem.
A week spent with Heisler had me definitely interested in playing around with gels, made me want to trade my octabank for a strip light, definitely added a tilt-shift lens to my wish list, but what impressed me the most is what he calls "the unsung hero of light modifiers": the narrow beam reflector.
We’ve found the secret to making your video footage downright moving! The (not so) secret, is moving your camera as you shoot.
The Mobislyder makes it easy to add dimension to your videos with pro level pans and epically smooth pulls.
This gizmo is a shrunken down version of the big ‘ol sliders used on movie sets.
It’s made of precision cut aluminum and fitted with an adjustable clamp to hold tight to any camera phone.
We’ve been having a ball with this gadget and are here to share our four fave techniques for adding professional polish to your next videographic masterpiece.
Check Out The Mobislyder
$ 95 at the Photojojo Store
Why It’s Cool
Moving your camera while you shoot gives your videos a more movie-like quality simply because that’s what the pros do when they’re making movies!
Use any (or all) of the following techniques to give your vids that Hollywood look, no matter where you’re filming.
Track the Action
With a simple left to right (or right to left) push, follow your subject across a scene.
The effect is subtle and feels very natural because a smooth pan is precisely how humans take in a scene when they’re watching through their eyeballs, not a camera.
PRO-TIP: To give your viewers the feeling of scanning the scene at eye level, mount your Mobislyder to a tripod like we did for this vid.
Surprise! Master the Reveal
When your camera is on the move, you get to control what part of the scene your viewers are privy to.
Just wait till you see what’s around this corner, over this fence, behind this pole…
The possibilities are endless.
PRO-TIP: Use your slide behind an obstruction to change up the scene. When you slide back to the action, you’ll give your viewers a surprise!
Movin’ on Up (or Down)
The tide does it, pogo sitcks do it, even see-saws do it. Let’s do it. Let’s go up and down!
A vertical slide lets you smoothly scan an object that’s too tall to fit in a single frame or follow action that’s changing in elevation.
PRO-TIP: Meld together tracking the action and the art of the reveal, like we did in this video!
Zoom to Focus
Lock the focus on a specific object then pull away or move in close to throw it out of focus.
With an iPhone you can lock the focus by tap-and-holding on your subject until the focus box pulses.
Locking the focus on Android phones varies from model to model. Google your phone model and “focus lock” to find out how it’s done.
PRO-TIP: The Mobislyder lets you move your phone very smoothly, more quickly than your auto focus can handle. Leave your phone in auto focus mode to see your subject lose focus, then snap back into focus as your AF catches up.
Taking It Further
Mount a Photojojo Cell Lens onto your phone to shoot video with a fisheye, telephoto, wide angle or even macro view.
Slide your camera diagonally for a fun if somewhat wonky look. Wonky can be good!
Tie a string to your Mobislyder to slide your phone during filming, while you’re in the shot! Our pal Margo did that in this video here.
Head over to the Photojojo Shop and learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Mobislyder and more!
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Canon’s new 12MP PowerShot S120 arrived in our Seattle office a few days ago and we’ve created a small gallery of samples, taken in a range of different conditions to show off what the camera can do. The PowerShot S120 features a 24-120mm (equivalent) zoom lens which starts at F1.8 at the wide end. We’ve got more content on the way, but for now, check out our gallery of pictures.
Tioga Pass East Entrance with Sign – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Day 1 of the partial U.S. government shutdown just happened to fall on the day I left for my fall photography and new moon astro-landscape trip. My first stop was Yosemite National Park which was a high profile casualty of the shutdown. All highways were open to the park so as to drive through, but visitors were asked to refrain from stopping. Quite ironic that the public was and still is being advised to avoid using public land.
Tunnel View Signs – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Having traveled through Yosemite so many times it was incredibly sad and frustrating to not be able to enjoy the scenery as I might normally. I cannot emphasize how frustrating it was to have something of such beauty in reach, but yet deliberately taken away. Lucky for you though I’ve developed a set of images taken during my trip that just might evoke that frustration as I felt. Below are the amazing views of Yosemite as taken during my time in Yosemite during the first days of the U.S. government shutdown.
El Capitan Sunset – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Tuolumne Meadows – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Half Dome from Olmstead Point – 2013 Federal Shutdown
El Capitan – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Tunnel View – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Deer in El Capitan Meadow – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Tenaya Lake – 2013 Federal Shutdown
Photo Details:
iPhone 5S with blur achieved in camera at the time of capture.
For more on why the national parks were shut down I recommend this NPR article and broadcast:
National Parks Close As Other Public Lands Stay Open
Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved
Government Shutdown Effect – Yosemite National Park
The post Government Shutdown Effect – Yosemite National Park appeared first on JMG-Galleries – Landscape, Nature & Travel Photography.
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ZEISS has announced the Otus 1.4/55, a premium manual focus ‘normal’ lens for full frame SLRs. It’s the first in a new line of lenses aimed at uncompromising professional photographers, with a price tag to match – €2,940 or US$ 3,999 (excl. VAT). According to Zeiss it’s named Otus after a type of owl known for its excellent vision in darkness. On the technical side, it uses a Distagon design that’s unusually complex for this class of lens, and uses 12 elements in 10 groups to minimise aberrations even when shooting at maximum aperture.
Ever heard of TED Talks? If you like photography, you should! For those of you who are unfamiliar with TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), know that it is a global series of conferences that’s owned by the Sapling Foundation, which is a private non-profit organization. TED’s whole concept is to spread ideas about science and culture, which are delivered by their Continue Reading
The post 5 Most Memorable Photography TED Talks That You Have to Witness! appeared first on Photodoto.
Der erste Felix Schoeller Award hat seine Nominierten bekanntgegeben. Ein guter Zeitpunkt also, sich den großen neuen Fotowettbewerb einmal genauer anzusehen.
25 Nominierte wurden für die fünf Kategorien und weitere fünf Nominierte für den Nachwuchsförderpreis ausgewählt. Bewerben konnten sich nur professionelle Fotografen und Fotografen in der Ausbildung oder im Studium. Insgesamt sind die Gewinnerarbeiten in fast jeder Kategorie sehr dokumentarisch.
Für die beste Nachwuchsarbeit nominiert ist zum Beispiel die Fotografin Marlene Sattler mit ihrer Serie „In der Zwischenzeit“. Mit ihren Bildern gibt sie einen Einblick in die Arbeit rechtsmedizinischer Institute.
Die Kernfrage war, wie die Mitarbeiter eines Rechtsmedizinischen Institutes mit der täglichen Konfrontation mit dem Tod umgehen. Ausschnitte sind sehr bewusst gewählt und spiegeln den Respekt wider, den die Mitarbeiter den Verstorbenen entgegen bringen. Die Arbeit in der Rechtsmedizin und der Umgang mit dem Tod wird alltäglich, bleibt aber zu jedem Zeitpunkt respekt- und würdevoll.
In der Kategorie Fotojournalismus ist Christian Werner nominiert, der mit seiner Serie „Depleted Uranium – The silent Genocide?“ aufzeigt, dass selbst nach einem Krieg noch Menschen und insbesondere Kinder an den Folgen der Nutzung von Uranmunition sterben.
Das ganze entsetzliche Ausmaß dessen, was Uranmunition anrichtet, wird jetzt erst langsam verstanden. Berichte, Dokumentationen und breit angelegte Studien fehlen aber bis heute – und wären doch so dringend nötig, um über diesen Wahnsinn aufzuklären. Die betroffenen Menschen brauchen Hilfe.
Nick Franks Serie „Erinnerung“ in der Kategorie Freie / konzeptionelle Fotografie hebt sich schon durch die intensive Farbgebung von den anderen Nominierten ab.
Wir sehen nicht das, was ist, sondern das, was sein soll: Nick Franks Serie „Erinnerung“ ist eine Hommage an Traditionen im Wandel der Zeit. Bunt, lebendig, melancholisch, gefühlvoll, heimatverbunden – und ein charmantes Spiel mit der eigenen Fantasie. Was zählt, sind die Bilder in unseren Herzen, unsere Vorstellungskraft und unsere Erinnerungen. Lebenslust, die im eigenen Kopf, aus dem persönlichen Gefühl heraus entsteht.
Alle Nominiertem sind in einer Galerie auf www.felix-schoeller-photoaward.com zu sehen.
Am 13. Oktober 2013 findet die Preisverleihung im Kulturgeschichtlichen Museum Osnabrück statt. Direkt im Anschluss daran eröffnet die Ausstellung mit dem Titel „Winners & Nominees 2013 – Felix Schoeller Photo Award“. Rund vier Wochen lang, bis zum 10. November 2013, sind die Werke der 30 Foto-Künstler im Format 120 x 100 cm bzw. 70 x 100 cm zu sehen.
Photo organization app Loom is fairly new on the scene but it is already turning heads and getting a plenty of positive reviews. Loom’s latest update has improved its user interface to better reflect iOS 7’s new aesthetic and also allows for RAW photo uploading. Click through to read more on connect.dpreview.com.
