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Archive for June, 2017

Macphun introduces Luminar Neptune with Accent AI filter

16 Jun

Software company Macphun has launched an update to its easy-to-use image editor Luminar. The most significant innovation in Luminar Neptune is a new artificial intelligence powered filter. The Accent AI Filter improves images with one simple slider instead of many adjustments and controls, such as shadows, highlights, contrast, tone, saturation and exposure.

The new filter uses artificial intelligence to analyze different areas of an image based on structure, objects, dark and light zones, colors and other parameters. As a user moves the slider across the image, the software automatically detects what areas of the image need improvements and applies them. You can also adjust the intensity of changes, generating a more natural or dramatic look, depending on the desired effect.

“Our mission to make complex photo editing tasks simple and fun led the team at our R&D Lab to explore Artificial Intelligence technology for image enhancement,” said Kevin La Rue, Vice-President at Macphun. “The Accent AI Filter emerged as a ground-breaking way to make perfect images instantly, incorporating the power of dozens of filters into one convenient tool. This is something other photo software is missing; and what’s more important, it’s something that all photographers will greatly benefit from,” concluded La Rue.

There is also a new workspace called Quick & Awesome. It consists of three filters which can create results very quickly: the aforementioned Accent AI Filter, Saturation & Vibrance and Clarity. The latter two allow for fine-tuning of the image after application of the Accent AI filter. Other updates include plug-in integration with Aurora HDR 2017, faster masking/brushing, an improved vignette filter and better memory management.

This latest update of Luminar is currently available for Mac only but Macphun is planning to launch a public beta of Luminar for PC in July. More information and free trials are available on the Macphun website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Nikon announces prices for 100th Anniversary products

16 Jun

Nikon has released details of its pricing for the range of collectables it will be selling to mark its 100th anniversary. The gifts and special edition cameras, lenses and binoculars are due to begin shipping in late July, but orders will be taken between now and the end of August – though check your local region for dates as these may vary by location.

RRPs:

D5 body 100 years £7,699.99 / €9,399.00/$ 7999.95
D500 Body 100 years £2,599.99 / €3,199.00/$ 2799.95
Triple lens kit 100 years £7,699.99 / €9,399.00/$ 7999.95
70-200E w/ lens display 100 years £3,599.99 / €4,399.00/$ 3999.95
Nikon 100th Anniversary Crystal Creation Nikon Model £1,299.99 / €1,500.00/$ 1499.95
Nikon 100th Anniversary Premium Camera Strap BK £99.99 / €109.00/$ 99.95
Nikon 100th Anniversary Premium Camera Strap BR £99.99 / €109.00/$ 99.95
Nikon 100th Anniversary Miniature Nikon F Camera £129.99 / €149.00/$ 139.95
Nikon 100th Anniversary Pin Collection £250/$ 269.95
8×30 E II 100th Anniversary Edition $ 799.95
WX 7×50 IF 100th Anniversary Edition $ 5999.95
WX 10×50 IF 100th Anniversary Edition $ 6399.95

The products will be sold direct from Nikon’s websites as well as via specific retailers. For more information see the Nikon website.

Press Release

Nikon 100th Anniversary Commemorative Models and Goods Now On Sale

Nikon is pleased to announce the release of a number of commemorative models and goods celebrating its 100th Anniversary on July 25, 2017. Official Nikon shops will be accepting orders for these commemorative models and goods starting as of today, June 15. Orders will be accepted through August 31, 2017.

For full details, please see our 100th Anniversary site and authorized Nikon retail partners.

100th Anniversary Editions

D5 100th Anniversary Edition
The commemorative edition of the D5, Nikon’s flagship digital SLR camera has a metallic grey finish and a stamp on the bottom noting Nikon’s contribution to the study and exploration of space. An Anniversary booklet detailing these contributions is also included.

D500 100th Anniversary Edition
Featuring a special anniversary design, the D500 Anniversary Edition comes in an exclusive metal case with engraved commemorative logo and serial number. It also comes with both a body cap and leather strap embossed with the commemorative logo.

NIKKOR 70-200E 100th Anniversary Edition
The AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a fast telephoto zoom lens that offers both superior agility and excellent optical performance. The Anniversary Edition comes with a set of the individual glass elements that make up the lens (special display stand and case included).

NIKKOR Triple F2.8 Zoom Lens Set 100th Anniversary Edition
The NIKKOR Triple F2.8 Zoom Lens Set 100th Anniversary Edition is comprised of the wide-angle AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, the normal AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR, and the telephoto AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR. The same commemorative serial number is engraved on all three lenses.

WX 7×50 IF and WX 10×50 IF 100th Anniversary Editions
The 100th anniversary editions feature the special commemorative logo and exclusive serial number. In addition to the usual strap, they also come with a WX leather strap embossed with the commemorative logo. Sales of these are limited to a total of one hundred (7×50 and 10×50 combined).

8×30 E II 100th Anniversary Edition
This elegant commemorative edition of Nikon’s 8×30 E II has an exclusive metallic gray finish and is imprinted with the Anniversary logo.

100th Anniversary Special Collection

Nikon 100th Anniversary Crystal Creation Nikon Model I
A beautiful crystal reproduction of Nikon’s first camera the Nikon Model I from 1948, created by Swarovski®1, the world’s leading crystal manufacturer.

Nikon 100th Anniversary Miniature Nikon F Camera
The historic Nikon F, Nikon’s first flagship model and the camera that set the standard for single-lens reflex cameras around the world, is faithfully reproduced with this 1/2-scale model.

Nikon 100th Anniversary Pin Collection
This collection of pins looks back over Nikon’s 100-year history by Nikon’s most historic and popular products, as well as its various corporate logos.

Nikon 100th Anniversary Premium Camera Strap
This premium camera strap is made entirely of the best Italian leather that improves with use and age.

*Order period, sales period, and price for each product varies by country or region.
*Please note that delivery of purchased goods may take some time if a large number of orders are received.

1 Swarovski® is a registered trademark of Swarovski AG.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Watch a mirror, LED, razor and a camera make the invisible visible

16 Jun

If you have a camera and a long lens, then you’re halfway toward a Schlieren photography setup. YouTube channel Veritasium demonstrates the effect in the video above, essentially revealing gasses and airflow normally invisible to the human eye. All it takes is an optical-grade concave mirror, an LED, a camera on a tripod with a telephoto lens and a razor blade.

What the camera sees with everything aligned is actually the slight differences in the refractive index of whatever’s in front of the mirror. If you light a match in front of the mirror, light from the LED will change direction slightly differently as it passes through the warmer and cooler air around the flame.

We don’t normally perceive those differences, but this setup reveals them as lighter and darker spots to the camera. The same thing happens with, for example, butane escaping from a lighter. Light passes through it at a slightly different angle than the air around it, and the Schlieren rig captures those slight differences.

Suddenly, it’s possible to see the heat displaced when you rub your hands together, or worse, the stuff that flies everywhere when you sneeze. It’s pretty darn cool, especially when played in slow motion as in the video above.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Researchers let AI loose on 100 million Instagram photos to study style

16 Jun

Cornell University researchers have found the mother lode of data to inform their studies about clothing trends around the world: Instagram. They’ve applied machine learning to a set of 100 million photos uploaded to the image sharing app, and while the results aren’t earth shattering (red hats are big at Christmas!) they’ve paved the way for the anthropologists of the future.

The photos come from 44 cities across the world. A machine learning algorithm was trained to identify faces and articles of clothing. After weeding out photos without faces or a visible torso, the algorithm went to work on 15 million images. While findings were a bit basic this time around, it represents a step toward mining a massive data set that may help anthropologists conduct broad studies of culture and fashion in a way that’s never been done before.

Read more about this research at MIT Technology Review.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Cyberpunk City: World’s First Self-Driving Grocery Store Hits Streets of Shanghai

16 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

It’s a tale as old as time, or at least: science fiction films — an autonomous grocery store on wheels (staffed by a holographic assistant) that can deliver late-night snacks as well as everyday essentials.

The Wheelys “Moby Mart” looks the part as well, sporting a trapezoidal shape, illuminated display in front, vintage neon sign on top, and mysteriously uniform boxes on the shelves inside.

But that retrofuturistic look is just part of the package: fueled by solar panels on the roof, this driverless shopping center operates staff-free 24/7.

When it runs low on stock it returns itself to a warehouse automatically for reloading — eventually, its makers hope to task a fleet of rooftop drones to do those pickups (maybe they could be extended to make deliveries, too).

Like other new grocery store prototypes, there will be no need to check out — items taken are automatically tallied and added to a shopper’s bill. If you need any help, the aptly named Hol (a holographic store assistant) is on hand to assist.

To top it all off, the Moby Mart has the potential to be carbon-negative, at least in terms of its urban travels — soaking up the sun for fuel, it also captures and cleans smog on its grocery runs.

A project of Himalayafy, Hefei University and Wheelys the first prototype is currently being tested out in Shanghai, a sweet spot for cyberpunk fans but a bit far for some of us to travel. But don’t worry: if all goes well your city may get one soon, too.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

[ WebUrbanist | Archives | Galleries | Privacy | TOS ]

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Posted in Creativity

Enter the Photojojo Weekly Photo Challenge!

16 Jun

Here in the Photojojo office, we love, love podcasts. We listen to comedy podcasts, music podcasts, educational podcasts, and even podcasts for making podcasts.

That last one inspired and encouraged us to start our very own podcast about something we also love SO much – photography! And the Photojojo Photo-a-Week Challenge was born.

Read on for some info about how to enter our podcast challenge and learn about some of our other favorite photography podcasts.

(…)
Read the rest of Enter the Photojojo Weekly Photo Challenge! (477 words)

The post Enter the Photojojo Weekly Photo Challenge! appeared first on Photojojo.

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Posted in Equipment

Verizon officially acquires Yahoo including Flickr

15 Jun

It’s been written on the wall for a while, but now US network operator Verizon has confirmed its acquisition of Yahoo in a deal worth $ 4.48 billion. This also means that Yahoo’s online image sharing platform Flickr is now in the hands of Verizon. With both AOL and Yahoo now owned by Verizon it seems the network giant is planning to combine the two companies and a few of its other subsidiaries into a new service called Oath.

“We’re putting together one of the largest companies on the planet that’s focused on brands,” says Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL. “Oath is our house of 50+ media and technology brands. We reach over 1 billion consumers around the world.”

In the process of merging Yahoo and AOL 2,100 employees will be made redundant but Flickr users should, at least in the short term, not expect any major changes to the service as Verizon says it has no immediate plans to change Flickr pricing.

It appears the Oath service has been structured to compete with other major ad platforms, such as Facebook or Google but it remains to be seen what the move will mean for Flickr. Under Yahoo ownership the service has not necessarily been developed in a way that users and photographers would have liked. We’ll have to wait and see if Verizon and Oath can increase the rate of innovation at Flickr and bring the site back to its former glory.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Paralenz is an underwater action cam for scuba divers

15 Jun

Action cameras and compatible underwater housings have been available for any budget for years but now Danish company Paralenz is taking a new approach by designing an action cam specifically for underwater use by scuba divers.

The Paralenz can go to 200 metres depth without any additional housing and automatically corrects color, using a pressure sensor to detect the depth you’re diving at. Conventional action cams typically require the use of filters to correct for underwater light conditions.

In addition the Paralenz can act as a dive computer. The camera logs your dive, and an accompanying app then generates a dive profile with photos and videos registered at the time and depth they were taken at. The camera can capture 8MP still images or 1080p 30fps video recording for 3.5 hours and 4K footage for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Images are stored on a 128GB microSD card. The Paralenz underwater action cam can now be ordered for €649 ($ 728) on the Paralenz website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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21 Images That Show a Trip to the Market

15 Jun

Markets the world over are fascinating places. A photographer’s paradise, with a cornucopia of things to aim the camera at. Here are 18 images from a trip to the market:

By Carsten ten Brink

By Roberto Verzo

By David Stanley

By jpellgen

By Brook Ward

By Bud Ellison

By swong95765

By sara marlowe

By Rod Waddington

By Vanila Balaji

By aotaro

By David Guyler

By Neil Howard

By Leticia Roncero

By eugenuity

By James Merhebi

By Ryan Bodenstein

By Grant Matthews

By sdosani

By Carla Cometto

By Didier Baertschiger

The post 21 Images That Show a Trip to the Market by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Posted in Photography

Kowloon Walled City: Drone Photos Reveal a Re-Growth of Urban Density

15 Jun

[ By SA Rogers in Drawing & Digital. ]

Once notorious both for its lawlessness and a maze of urban density so intense that sunlight couldn’t penetrate to its lowest levels, Kowloon Walled City was demolished in the 1990s, but a new version of it is rising from the ashes. Standing in stark contrast to the modern towers of Hong Kong just beyond its borders, Kowloon was an autonomous ‘city of anarchy’ built up from the ground like lasagna. 500 buildings were packed into less than seven acres, and there were no municipal services like trash collection or running water.

Outsiders called it the City of Darkness, and it certainly had a squalid appearance, but former residents remember it with fondness as a friendly and tight-knit community where everyone worked together to uphold their own poor but inventive society. But Hong Kong (and later, Britain – check out our previous coverage for the history) wasn’t too fond of the fact that it was run by the mob and packed with gambling dens and brothels, not to mention concerns about its structural soundness. So in 1993, all 50,000 inhabitants were cleared out and the whole thing was razed to the ground.

In its place came a 330,000-square-foot park full of paths and pavilions named after the city’s former streets and buildings. Ponds, gardens and floral walkways took the place of layer after layer of haphazard architecture. That park is still there – but it seems that the wild profusion of growth associated with Kowloon’s spirit couldn’t be contained. It may be modernized, with orderly rows of skyscrapers instead of a labyrinthine network of mismatched towers, but it’s growing more packed every year, and this level of density is creeping into the rest of Hong Kong, too.

Photographer Andy Yeung proves as much with his new drone photography series, Walled City. “The Kowloon Walled City was once the densest place on Earth. Hundreds of houses stacked on top of each other enclosed in the center of the structure. This notorious city was demolished in 1990s. However, if you look hard enough you will notice that the city is not dead.”

“Part of it still exists in many of current high density housing apartments where the only view out of the window is neighbor’s window. I hope this series can get people to think about claustrophobic living in Hong Kong from a new perspective.”

See the whole series at Andy Yeung’s website or on 500px.

360Photography

Archive for June, 2017

Macphun introduces Luminar Neptune with Accent AI filter

Nikon announces prices for 100th Anniversary products

Nikon 100th Anniversary Commemorative Models and Goods Now On Sale

Watch a mirror, LED, razor and a camera make the invisible visible

Researchers let AI loose on 100 million Instagram photos to study style

Cyberpunk City: World’s First Self-Driving Grocery Store Hits Streets of Shanghai

Enter the Photojojo Weekly Photo Challenge!

Verizon officially acquires Yahoo including Flickr

Paralenz is an underwater action cam for scuba divers

21 Images That Show a Trip to the Market

Kowloon Walled City: Drone Photos Reveal a Re-Growth of Urban Density

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