Professional photographers and shutterbugs alike were excited when Nikon Corporation launched in January 2016 the Nikon D5 (the most advanced professional DSLR to date), as well as the Nikon D500 (which replaced the D300S, Nikon’s previous DX-format flagship DSLR). Let’s take a deeper look at each of the new Nikon cameras. Nikon D5: Setting New Benchmarks for Speed, Accuracy, and Continue Reading
The post Nikon D5 and D500 Review: Exceptional Image and Video Quality appeared first on Photodoto.
If you are a parent, you probably pull out your camera to take photos of the big moments in your child’s life. You have almost certainly captured her first taste of solid food, his first steps, and her first day of school. You probably also have a handful of photos from family vacations, and you may even have an annual portrait for the end-of-year holiday card.
But, looking back, you are likely to find that these photos don’t tell you much about what life was like for you, and your child, during his early years. To help you capture the smaller, but special, moments of your little one’s childhood, be sure to take photos of these essential parts.
Your child will always hold a special place in his heart for his childhood friends. While it is tempting to always get shots of your child alone, you and your child will appreciate having photos of him with his friends to look back on through the years, especially if you, or a special friend, may one day move away. To make these photos even more meaningful, get a shot of the kids engaging in a favorite activity together – whether it’s playing board games, dolls, or soccer.
One look through your Facebook or Instagram feed, and you might think that all of your friends’ kids are happy, all the time. While your friends may work hard to make their little ones seem perfect, the reality is that disappointment is a big part of childhood. Don’t overlook taking pictures of your kids when they are in the midst of a temper tantrum, or when they are doing their Oscar-worthy performance to try to convince you to give them an extra 10 minutes of screen time.
Bedtime happens every night, and by the time it rolls around you are probably just ready to get the kids to bed, and aren’t thinking about taking photos. But, there are lots of great memories being made at the end of the day. Your kids probably look adorable in their jammies, and brushing their teeth. If you read books before bed, getting photos of your child flipping through her favorites, while snuggled under the covers, will bring back memories of the books she loved the most, years later. On the nights you take out your camera, be sure to get at least one shot of your sleeping angel.
Although they may not seem like picture-perfect moments, capturing the little mannerisms that your child makes as he grows up, will be precious to you when he’s older. Did your baby start putting his hands on his head when he’s upset? Does your toddler cross her arms to show she’s angry? Has your pre-schooler started covering her mouth with both hands when she’s excited? Whether these mannerisms are fleeting, or stay with your child for life, you will appreciate having photos of his little quirks when he’s older.
Your child sitting on the floor playing with blocks, or on lounging on the sofa with his tablet, may not seem noteworthy now, but in a few years her interests will change. Having photos of your child at play, will bring back precious memories of what your child was like back then, and will help him remember specific toys and games he liked to play during that time.
There is probably no people more important to your child, than his Mom and Dad. If you are the one picking up the camera, you are probably not in a lot of pictures. Your child will want to remember what you looked like when they were little, and will treasure photos of you and him doing activities together, even if it’s as simple as playing a game or baking cookies. Find a way to get into some photos with your child, whether it’s by using a tripod and remote, handing the camera to a friend, or hiring a professional photographer.
Do you have any other moments in your child’s life that you feel are important to capture in photos? Please share in the comments below your thoughts and your images.
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The post 6 Moments of Childhood to Capture Beyond the Obvious by Jamie Davis Smith appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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After being introduced to the long-awaited Pentax K-1, staff contributors Jordan Stead and Sam Spencer took a quick stroll with the K-1 and a handful of lenses: the recently announced 15-30mm, the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm. As an added bonus, and to our delight, we found the 70mm F2.4’s image circle covers full-frame, so we snapped some samples with it as well. Take a look to see what this pre-production 36MP contender is capable of.
Take a look at our Pentax K-1 pre-production real-world sample gallery
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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After years of promises and months of teasing, Ricoh has finally unveiled the Pentax K-1, a 36.4MP full-frame DSLR built around the K lens mount. It becomes the only conventional DSLR to offer a full frame sensor with image stabilization.
The camera is extensively sealed and features magnesium alloy construction. But despite its range-topping status and high-end build, it has a relatively low list price of $ 1799.
As this list of spec highlights should make clear, the K-1 makes the most of its moveable sensor. As well as the image stabilization, which is rated to an impressive 5 stops, the camera offers a host of other clever features. These include anti-aliasing filter simulation which vibrates the sensor during exposure to intentionally blur high frequency detail across multiple pixels, to avoid moiré. Then there’s the Pixel Shift Resolution mode that increases color resolution by shooting four consecutive images with the sensor moved by one pixel – effectively canceling the Bayer color filter array and lowering noise by image averaging.
The other sensor-shift modes are also clever: the K-1 includes Horizon Correction, which rotates the sensor if you hold the camera slightly off-level, and the Astrotracer system that uses the sensor’s movement to cancel-out the effect of the Earth’s rotation when taking images of stars (something it can calculate using its GPS).
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The sensor at the heart of the SAFOX 12 AF module. It gives 33 AF points in all, 25 of which are cross type and three of which offer greater accuracy when paired with bright lenses. |
The camera gets a new AF module (called SAFOX 12) which features 33 focus points, 25 of which are cross type. The central three of these offer higher precision when used with F2.8 or faster lenses and they continue to focus down as far as -3EV.
An 86,000-pixel RGB metering sensor acts to offer 77-segment metering but also aids the camera’s autofocus system, enabling scene analysis and subject detection to yield accurate exposures and automatically select the correct AF point to stay on your subject (subject tracking) when using continuous AF.
Overall, though, it’s not the clever use of the sensor that most stands out about the K-1, it’s Ricoh’s obvious focus on the core photographic capabilities. There’s a reason we chose to list the viewfinder size so far up the list of specifications – it’s because we think it’s something users coming from existing Pentax cameras will most appreciate. Sure, there are multiple exposure modes and time lapse options, but the things that most jumped out are the high resolution sensor, the well positioned dials, the large viewfinder and image stabilization – the core things that help you to get better images. Speaking of core things: some may bemoan the omission of a dedicated AF point control, though the four way controller can be re-purposed for this.
Which isn’t to say the K-1 is entirely without the occasional flourish. Aside from clever sensor shift modes (that some – particularly landscape – photographers will surely come to love), the most obvious of these is its ‘Cross-Tilt’ LCD. The Cross-Tilt mechanism takes a tilting LCD cradle and mounts it on four legs that slide along a cross-shaped series of slots, allowing the screen to extend outwards and move in a complex manner, before the screen itself is tilted up/down.
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| The K-1’s Cross-Tilt LCD system has all the elegance of two deck chairs mating, but it provides a useful range of articulation. |
Mounted to the back of the LCD are four white LEDs that can be used to shed light on the rear controls. Another LED, whose behavior can be set independently, shines a light on the lens mount for easier alignment when swapping lenses in the dark. The camera’s card bay and remote release port are also illuminated by LEDs.
For the most part, though, the camera’s focus is very much toward a traditional approach to still photography. Video capture tops-out at 1080/30p (which can also be encoded as 60i, if you prefer), which is a long way from cutting edge, but we very much doubt that Ricoh has would-be film makers in mind with this model.
Still shooters are likely to appreciate the camera’s Smart Function system, which adds a third command dial to the top right corner of the camera and a further control to define its function. The three dials give direct control over three of the camera’s parameters with the ability to customize one of them without going anywhere near a menu.
And how much does Ricoh want for this twin-dial, weather-sealed, magnesium alloy, image-stabilized full frame camera? The list price is a fiercely competitive $ 1799, body only. To put that in perspective, that’s $ 200 lower than the launch price of Nikon’s more basic D610 and $ 300 less than what Canon originally expected for the EOS 6D, meaning there’s only a $ 100 premium over the list price of Sony’s image-stabilized a7 II.
This is a very similar pattern we’ve seen from Ricoh before, with the company’s models often including higher-end features (twin control dials, prism viewfinders and weather sealing) at a lower price than you’d need to spend to get them from one of the other DSLR makers.
At present, Pentax offers a mixture of full-frame compatible lenses, including a handful of screw-drive FA prime lenses from the film-era and the much-loved 31, 43 and 77mm FA Limiteds from the late ’90s/early 2000s. However, the company is already starting to flesh-out a range of more modern ‘D FA’ zooms, including a 15-30mm F2.8, a 24-70mm F2.8 (both suspiciously reminiscent of certain current Tamron-branded zooms) a 70-200mm F2.8 and an 150-400mm F4.5-5.6. For now, though, those looking for modern, fast-focusing primes will be disappointed.
But that isn’t the whole story, of course. Part of the reason for all the interest in a full-frame Pentax is the vast collection of K-mount lenses that exist around the world. The K-1 lets you use the aperture rings on these lenses and can give a focus confirmation beep with the central AF point, even with manual focus lenses. When you mount an older, manual lens the K-1 prompts you to manually specify the focal length so that the image stabilization can be tuned appropriately.
| Review History | |
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| 17 Feb 2016 | First Impression Review based on Pre-Production camera running Firmware 0.3 |
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).
Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.
We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X, Y, and Z and ideally A, B, and C.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By WebUrbanist in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]
The Art Institute of Chicago has brought one of the most famous paintings of Vincent Van Gogh to life like never before: a complete replica realized in three dimensions and available as a rental to art fans in for a night of surrealistic immersion. The details, furniture and decor have been painstakingly drawn from the image, right down to crooked chairs, suspended paintings and heavily brush-stroked colors.
For rent on AirBNB, the project is part of a larger exhibition around Van Gogh’s various bedroom paintings made in the late 1880s, one of which was made during a stay at an asylum. The recreated room is located in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, next to one of the AIC’s campuses.
At just $ 10 a night, this place is likely to rent out entirely if it has not already. For whatever reason, the space also comes with a television and internet connection, though authentic experience-seekers may want to skip those, turn down the lights and just enjoy a night living inside of a classic work of art. The exhibit runs through early May and features over 30 of the master’s works.
More from the AIC: “Van Gogh’s life was short and nomadic. By the time he died, at the age of 37, he had lived in 37 separate residences across 24 cities, mostly as a boarder or a guest dependent on the hospitality of family or friends. In 1888, he finally moved into the only home he truly considered his own: his beloved ‘Yellow House’ in Arles.”
“Of his many bedrooms, Van Gogh immortalized only the one from the Yellow House—three times in fact. He first painted the room in 1888 shortly after his move to the Arles and then painted the composition twice more in 1889: once to record the first version that had been damaged when his home flooded and then again as a gift for his mother and sister.”
It is a fantastic endeavor and nearly finished – a movie made up of 56,800 stop-motion paintings, all presented in the style and told by the characters …
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Opening last night in Nuenen, Holland, this illuminated cycling surface is free to the public, storing sunlight during the day to create stellar patterns to …
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These still photographs have some surprising elements of movement tucked into their scenery – some quite obvious and others very subtle, but all truly stunning.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]
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A team of researchers at Rice University are developing a thin, lensless camera called FlatCam, which replaces the traditional lens with a grid-like coded mask essentially made of multiple pinholes positioned directly over the sensor. From there, raw data from the camera – which looks nothing like an actual image – is sent to a computer where an algorithm demultiplexes the raw sensor measurements to reconstruct a photo.
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FlatCam was developed by Richard Baraniuk and Ashok Veeraraghavan, and while it isn’t likely to replace traditional cameras, FlatCam could find use in a variety of applications where present imaging technology isn’t suitable. Due to its lensless design, FlatCam is thinner than a dime and can be ‘fabricated like microchips,’ decreasing costs.
Offering an example of possible future applications, Baraniuk explained, ‘We can make curved cameras, or wallpaper that’s actually a camera. You can have a camera on your credit card or a camera in an ultrathin tablet computer.’ The team’s paper details more potential applications, including surveillance, foldable cameras and wearable devices. They’ve even created a couple of video clips using the prototype camera.
In its present form, FlatCam produces 512 x 512 pixel images; however, the team expects better algorithms and improved manufacturing will one day result in higher resolutions. One of the salient issues mentioned in the paper surrounds noise: a linear demultiplexing system invariably adds noise from all the mathematical operations, with higher spatial frequencies experiencing even more ‘noise amplification’ that ultimately limits resolving ability. These are issues the researchers are actively working on.
The researchers recently talked about FlatCam on NPR’s All Things Considered; the episode can be streamed here.
Via: Rice University
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]
Toy-maker Mattel has announced a 3D printer with a novel application: a way for children to make their own custom toys using a simple digital interface. The app, designed by Autodesk, is easy to learn, fast to use and simple enough even younger kids can use it. The gadget itself is priced at $ 300.
The ThingMaker program comes with a number of templates and basic characters that can be customized in terms of color and texture, but also allows for from-scratch designs. Each design can be saved for future editing and printing as well, in standard formats that work with or beyond the printer.
Finished objects are only one piece of the puzzle, however: the idea is to also allow for printing, connecting and assembling larger creations from smaller parts. Ball-and-socket joints can be easily included for attachment purposes, helping facilitate complex dolls and action figures. Eventually, Mattel may also facilitate combinations and accessories associated with existing branded toy lines, like Barbie and Hot Wheels.
Various safety measures have been included to keep kids safe, from an automatically-locking door to a retractable print head. For liability reasons they are listing it as a device for kids ages 13 or older.
“In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever for families to transcend the digital world and make their ideas real,” said Aslan Appleman, senior director, at Mattel. “ThingMaker pushes the boundaries of imaginative play, giving families countless ways to customize their toys and let their creativity run wild.”
Following in the footsteps of the microwave oven, at-home 3D printing in the form of the Poieo3D Printer is ready for prime time, play time and study time!
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LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys … what do they have in common? They each represent a universe of constructive possibilities, but each is incompatible with …
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Imagine programming a large-scale, 3D-printing robot to simply print your entire home, from top to bottom, within a matter of hours.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]
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Sony has announced a 22.5MP Exmor RS imaging sensor for smartphones. The new stacked 1/2.6″ CMOS sensor, called IMX318, is smaller than most used by current smartphones and includes on-chip processing for AF and video image stabilization. Sony has used pixels measuring 1.0µm, allowing for a smaller sensor with higher resolution to be included in likewise slimmer mobile devices. For comparison, this sensor is 20% smaller than the 1/2.3″ chip commonly used in smartphones.
Like many current smartphone sensors, the IMX318 uses phase-detection AF elements combined with contrast-detection to create ‘hybrid AF,’ and the company claims AF reporting 0.03 seconds. According to Sony, IMX318 has such an efficient data interface that pixels can be read at 30 fps from across the entire surface. This allows the company to use the whole 22.5MP resolution for video recording – although the footage is scaled to 4K – and full resolution stills to be captured during video shooting. HD movies can be recorded at up to 120 fps, and 720p footage at 240 fps.
While this sensor is most suitable for the smartphone market, the technology could soon move into larger sensors for compact, mirrorless and DSLR cameras. IMX318 will go on sale in May, according to Sony, at a price of ¥2000/$ 17.50/£12.30 per unit. For more information see the Sony website. Below, you can see the sensor’s image stabilization system in action.
Press release:
Tokyo, Japan – Sony Corporation (“Sony”) is announcing the commercialization of a new Exmor RS™ image sensor for smartphones and other devices that require increasingly better cameras and thinner form factors. The IMX318 is a type 1/2.6 stacked CMOS image sensor with 22.5 effective megapixels, and it boasts a more compact size, greater image quality, and higher performance. This new Exmor RS is the industry’s first*1 to be equipped with built-in high-speed hybrid autofocus (“AF”), as fast as 0.03 seconds*2, and built-in 3-axis electronic image stabilization technology for video. Sony aims to begin shipments for this new CMOS image sensor in May, 2016.
*1: According to Sony research (as of February 16, 2016)
*2: The time it takes to bring the picture into focus when the distance from the sensor surface to the subject is reduced from 2m to 2cm, given high-light conditions (2,000lux or higher).
The IMX318 boasts a stacked structure and the industry’s smallest unit pixels, which measure 1.0?m (micrometers) in size. With this, the image sensor achieves a compact, type 1/2.6 size suitable for inclusion into smartphones, while still realizing a high resolution of 22.5 effective megapixels, among the top in the industry. This new image sensor not only boasts enhanced resolution, but it also matches its predecessor in image quality despite the IMX318’s smaller size and unit pixels (IMX230 predecessor model: type 1/2.4 sensor with 1.12?m unit pixel size). Additionally, Sony has succeeded in equipping the IMX318 with cutting-edge digital imaging features, namely high speed built-in hybrid AF and 3-axis electronic image stabilization for video, a first*1 for the industry. With this image sensor, the user can capture image stills of those decisive moments reliably in high quality, as well as high resolution video without fear of blur.
Main Features
1. The industry’s smallest unit pixel size at 1.0?m, achieving compact size (type 1/2.6) while realizing 22.5 effective megapixels high resolution
As smartphones grow ever thinner, so too are image sensors growing increasingly more compact. In line with this trend, Sony has developed a miniscule 1.0?m pixel sensor that, despite its small size, realizes high image quality. To accomplish this, Sony employed manufacturing technology that improves light utilization efficiency, as well as circuit design technology that eliminates noise, a root cause of deterioration in image quality. With this innovation, Sony has realized an image sensor that delivers high quality images, while also boasting small optical size and a high resolution of 22.5 megapixels. Night shots have long been a weak point for the compact cameras used in smartphones, with the lack of light translating into excessive visual noise. The IMX318 addresses this weakness and realizes beautiful photography in nighttime conditions.
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No drop in image quality from the IMX230 predecessor model (Left: 1.12?m unit pixel size) to the IMX318 (Right: 1.0?m unit pixel size), despite the latter’s smaller size
2. The industry’s first*1 image sensor with built-in hybrid AF, as fast as 0.03 seconds*2, and 3-axis electronic image stabilization
Hybrid AF
Hybrid AF, which merges image plane phase detection AF with contrast detection AF, has previously been realized through the combination of an image sensor and an application processor. But with the IMX318, Sony has created the industry’s first*1 stacked CMOS image sensor with hybrid AF built into the sensor’s internal signal processor. The IMX318 leverages Sony’s high-speed AF technology that has been honed over many years, boasting an AF as fast as 0.03 seconds*2 (and as fast as 0.017 seconds when shooting video at 60fps). With this power in hand, the user can capture those decisive moments reliably in focus, whether shooting stills or video.
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When shooting with hybrid AF: 0.03 seconds
(Time required for focusing)
Image plane phase detection AF: Utilizes dedicated image plane phase detection AF pixels embedded throughout the image sensor pixel array.
Contrast AF: Works off the contrast of the subject.
3-axis electronic image stabilization for video
With the IMX318, Sony has also created the industry’s first*1 stacked CMOS image sensor with image stabilization functionality built into its internal signal processor. This sensor leverages the image stabilization technology that Sony has cultivated over its years developing cameras, realizing smooth 4K*3 videos with little camera shake by making effectively use of the signal output obtained from the external 3-axis (pitch, yaw, and roll) gyro sensor*4. Sony’s unique image stabilization technology incorporated into the IMX318 corrects not only camera shake, but also lens distortion, making for more beautiful videos. Furthermore, because image stabilization is achieved by processing within the hardware of the image sensor, less power is used than when it is accomplished by software processing in the external application processor. Since it enables smooth video shooting, this image sensor is suited for incorporation into not only smartphones, but also a variety of other products that tend to generate substantial camera shake, such as aerial drones used for image capture.
*3: QFHD (3840 x 2160)
*4: Gyro sensor: instrument that determines angular velocity through inertia.
3. 4K and high frame rate video recording, through high-speed communications leveraging the latest MIPI specifications
Sony elected to adopt the MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) Alliance’s latest C-PHY 1.0/D-PHY 1.2 specifications for this image sensor’s interface. With this interface, the IMX318 is able to achieve more power efficient and faster data transmission from the image sensor to the application processor. As a result, even at the high resolution of 22.5 megapixels, transmission is realized for all pixels at 30fps. This enables seamless switching between high resolution video and still image photography, realizing the best of both worlds. Since the image sensor can transmit greater-than-4K resolution images for all pixels to the application processor, the user can capture 22.5 megapixel still images even while in the middle of recording video in 4K*3 at 30fps
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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| The new model (right) is smaller and lighter than the original version of the lens (left) |
The Shenyang Zhongyi Optical & Electronic Company Limited has introduced an updated version of its super-fast 35mm lens for APS-C-sensor cameras that it claims has better resolution and reduced chromatic aberrations. The manual focus Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm F0.95 II is also smaller and lighter than the original model, with a length of 60mm instead of 82mm, a filter thread of 55mm instead of 58mm and a weight of 460g/1.06lb compared to 680g/1.5lb.
The latest version uses a new optical design that features 11 elements in 8 groups, and includes a single extra-low dispersion element, two extra-high refractive index elements, and three elements made in high-refractive glass. The company says the new design produces 30% more resolution via better overall sharpness and reduced chromatic aberrations. Performance wide open is also greatly improved, ZY Optics says.
A click-less aperture ring makes the lens suitable for video recording, so it is a shame the Micro Four Thirds system isn’t supported in the initial offering. Fuji X, Sony E and EOS-M camera system owners will be provided for though.
The lens costs $ 599, and you can learn more on the ZY Optics website.
Press release:
Shenyang China, Feb 14, 2016 – Zhongyi Optics (ZY Optics) has released an improved version of their first f/0.95 lens, Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 Mark II. The mark II verison features a drastic improvement of sharpness, better control of chromatic abberations and much compact size. The new version comes with a Fuji X / Sony E / EOS-M mount and is able to cover the image circle of APS-C sized sensors.
Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 Mark II is a ultra-fast prime lens which provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length of around 53mm in APS-C cameras. A maximum aperture of f/0.95 makes it extremely convenient to shoot at a low light conditions without flash. The new optical design incorporates a 11 elements in 8 groups structure, including 1pc of Extralow disperson elements, 2 pcs of Extra-high Refractive Index elements and 3pcs of High Refractive Index elements. This structure effectively improved the image resolution by 30% compared to the previous version from corners to corners. This also controls the chromatic abberations very well and deliver excellent image sharpness even at f/0.95.
The new Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 is light and compact. The total weight is reduced from 680g to 460g, making it an ideal companion for the compact mirrorless cameras. Manual focus design and a click-less, silent aperture ring promote smooth handling and are especially well-suited to video applications. The lens is built in metallic enclosure with additional protective process and finest finishing, which gives extra durability and aesthetic.
Pricing & Availability
Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 is now available to purchase at ZY Optics authorized resellers and at our official website (http://www.zyoptics.net/). The Recommended Retail price is USD 599.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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