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Archive for March, 2018

Venus Optics officially launches the Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro

10 Mar

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About a week ago, Venus Optics’ Japanese distributor Sightron announced two new lenses: the Laowa 9mm F2.8 Zero-D and 25mm F2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro. And while the 9mm F2.8 Zero-D still hasn’t made its way onto the English language Venus Optics site yet, today did see the official announcement of the strange Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro.

Nothing has changed about the lens’ design since last week’s debut: the 25mm F2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro is still made from 8 elements in 6 groups—including an ultra low dispersion lens and multilayer coating on each element—which allow for a max working distance of 40 mm (5x) to 45 mm (2.5x). Ultimately, this lens was designed to be as portable as possible, as this comparison between it and the Canon MP-E 65mm F2.8 1-5x Macro demonstrates:

Size comparison: Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro vs Canon MP-E 65mm F2.8 1-5x

The Venus Optics Laowa 25mm F2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro will be available starting in March for the price of $ 400 USD. You can also purchase an optional tripod collar ($ 30), Micro Four Thirds adapter ($ 30), or Fuji X mount adapter ($ 30).

For more information, if you’d like to pre-order your own, or if you want to scroll through a series of official sample images, head over to the Venus Optics website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Things People Say to Photographers – What Have You Heard?

10 Mar

If you’re in the photography business you’ve likely heard some pretty outrageous comments made by clients. In these three videos let’s have a humorous look at things clients say to photographers. Remember this is all in fun, and we, as photographers, value our loyal clients fiercely. Right?!

Things Clients Say

I this first video by Queen Photographers we see some of the most common phrases and things heard by photographers. Some just make our eyes roll. Have you heard any of these gems?

Shtuff People Say

Here’s another tongue-in-cheek look at “shtuff” people say to photographers. What’s your favorite? How about, “Wow your camera takes really good pictures!” If you aren’t a professional, even as an amateur or hobby photographer you’ve probably heard that one right?

Kid Edition

This one is probably my favorite of the lot. It was made by a photographer and his kids, using the kids as models. I think they did a fantastic job.

?

Let’s hear from you

So now it’s your turn. What are some of the doozies you’ve heard from people? Here are some of my faves:

  • Your camera takes great photos. (Never mind the two years of photography school, and years of experience I have been doing it.)
  • Much be nice charging that much for a wedding, you hardly have to do any work at all. (Said a wedding guest who has no idea a wedding takes up to 40-50 hours of work before, during and after the big day.)
  • Can you take a photo with my camera? (A father of the bride asked me this once, and I was the paid wedding photographer taking their family photo at the time!)
  • Can you NOT put your name/signature on our prints? I might want to get them copied and the copy shop won’t do it if there’s a professional mark on them. (Asked of me by an actual paying client.)
  • Can you NOT put your signature on any of my family’s prints? That is only for art and artists. You’re just a photographer and what you do isn’t really art, so I don’t want your name on it. (He then proceeded to convince everyone in the extended family why they didn’t need 20×24 prints which they have purchased and they all downsized to 11×14 or 8×10, thanks, buddy! But I refused to not sign them so he had to take it or get none.)
  • Can you give us the wedding photography package we want but just throw in a free 16×20 wall canvas? The studio down the street said they’d do it for less. (To which I suggested they go meet with that photographer and hire him if they liked his work. After 2 days they hired me at my price PLUS the 16×20 at full price.)

Let’s hear yours. Remember – this is dPS so please keep it clean folks, no curse words (use a bleep if you have to), or name calling. Keep it light-hearted in the spirit of the videos. Just do an eye-roll and move on.

The post Things People Say to Photographers – What Have You Heard? by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Week Photography Challenge – Antiques

10 Mar

This week it’s time to dig out all your old stuff, or get out and look for some antiques. Things that are aged and beautiful – look for old buildings, your old shoes, rotting wood of an old window, antique cars, clocks, books, etc., yes even people. Remember these old things have great value, especially our senior citizens – so photograph them with the respect they deserve.

Textured wall of an old building in Havana, Cuba.

 

If you want to add a few tricks to your images of antiques try these techniques:

  • How to Create an Antique Photo Look Using a Lemon and Layer Masks in Photoshop
  • How to Apply a Texture Overlay to Your Images to Create an Antique Look
  • How to Create a Retro Faded Look Using Lightroom or Photoshop
  • How to Add Vintage Frame Overlays Using Alien Skin Exposure X
  • How to Use Split Toning to Make Your Photos Stand Out

Split toning to make it look like an antique photo.

Antique cars of Havana.

Even try your hand at some light painting as was done here to “turn on” the car’s headlights.

An old typewriter makes a great subject. Simplify your composition for maximum impact.

Weekly Photography Challenge – Antiques

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

The post Week Photography Challenge – Antiques by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Panasonic Lumix ZS200 sample gallery

10 Mar

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Spending time in Japan for CP+ also means that we’ve been able to get out and take some photos on the vibrant streets of Yokohama. With a 20MP 1″ sensor and 24-360mm equiv. zoom, the Panasonic ZS200 / TZ200 was more than up to the task. See how this travel-friendly compact fared.

See our Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200
sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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SonyPixelShift2DNG combines a7R III Pixel Shift shots into DNG files

10 Mar

One of the useful features baked into Sony’s latest flagship mirrorless full-frame camera—the Sony a7R III—is the Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode in which the camera captures four consecutive images, shifting the sensor one pixel for each.

This allows the camera to sample each point in the scene with each of its four color filters (R, G, B, G2). Those images are then combined in post to produce files with improved ‘crispness’, color resolution, noise and dynamic range. It’s essentially meant to overcome the limitations of the Bayer color filter array.

The process looks something like this:

We discussed Pixel Shift in detail here, but if you read our full Sony a7R III review then you know that one of our main complaints about this feature is Sony’s limited support for Pixel Shift files. Basically, you’re stuck using Sony Imaging Edge to process the files—a rather limited (and slow) Raw converter that’s probably not on anybody’s “favorite photo software” list.

Well… you were stuck. Enter LibRaw, LLC’s SonyPixelShift2DNG beta.

As the name implies, this piece of software combines the four ARW files captured by your Sony a7R III in Pixel Shift mode and spits out a DNG on the other side, allowing you to process the result in the Raw editor of your choice. What’s more, it’ll automatically detect the 4-image Pixel Shift sets, ignoring any non-Pixel Shift files (as long as you select ‘Analyze + Convert All’), generating single DNGs for each set. It’ll even name the DNG sensibly, indicating the original ARW files it was generated from.

Finally, Any Pixel Shift ‘quartets’ (Sony ARQ files) you’ve already created with Sony Imaging Edge can also be converted to DNG.

The software is still in Beta, but we gave it a test drive and found it fast, easy and nearly effortless. We threw an entire directory of Pixel Shift and non-Pixel Shift files at it and it worked flawlessly. This essentially eliminates any worries we had about compatibility or convenience when it comes to capturing and editing Sony a7R III Pixel Shift files. As far as we’re concerned, until and unless Sony releases something similar itself (and we wouldn’t hold our breath) this is a must have for Sony a7R III users who use the Pixel Shift function.

To learn more about the software or download it for yourself—there are versions for both Mac or Windows—head over to the FastRawViewer website. Don’t wait too long to try it though, the free beta version at that link expires on May 1st, 2018.

And check out LibRaw’s other excellent software while you’re at it: FastRawViewer allows you to quickly evaluate, sort and do more with your Raw files, and we use the RawDigger app to perform technical analyses of Raw files on a daily basis.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Announcement: Strobist Full-Day Shooting Workshop, June 7th in Washington, DC

10 Mar

Just a quick heads-up that I’ll be teaching a small-class lighting workshop in Washington, DC this June 7th. It is part of the Focus on the Story International Photo Festival being held June 7-10.

This class is small — a maximum of 16 people — and we will be shooting all day. It is designed for people who are new to intermediate in their lighting skills. If you are comfortable with shooting in manual mode, you will not be out of place. If you already have some experience, we will happily stretch you out a bit.

If you have your own lighting gear (small flash only, please) feel free to bring it. But you need not, as lighting gear will be provided for the class. Just bring a camera, normal range lens (a kit zoom would be fine) a storage card and batteries and you are good to go.

I teach this class a lot; it’s my favorite course. But oddly, almost never in the U.S. In fact, this is the only time I am scheduled to teach a small shooting workshop in the U.S. this year.

Here is my promise: if you show up as an “available light” photographer, you will leave as a lighting photographer. Period. I guarantee it. (In fact, I won’t let you leave until you understand it. So if you are intimidated, maybe… bring a sleeping bag.)

The class, which includes lunch, is $ 230. You need not sign up for the whole festival to take this class. (But the festival has a really strong speaker lineup, and a 40% off early bird discount until March 18.)

Links below, hope to see you there. (Hit me on Twitter if you’re coming!)
__________

FOTS International Photo Festival
My Lighting Workshop
Strobist

 
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Photojournalist faces death penalty in Egypt for covering anti-government protests

10 Mar

Mahmoud Abou Zeid, a 31-year-old photojournalist also known by the alias Shawkan, is among more than 700 individuals currently facing a death sentence in Cairo. According to Reporters without Borders, Shawkan and the others were arrested in connection with the anti-government protests that took place in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in August 2013.

On March 3rd, the prosecution in the trial requested that all 700+ individuals, including Shawkan, be sentenced to the maximum penalty of death by hanging. Charges lobbed against the entire collective include accusations of being members of the Muslim Brotherhood, attempted murder, murder, and more.

Shawkan, however, was merely covering the protests as part of his job. The photojournalist was reportedly working on assigned for Demotix, a British photo agency, when he was arrested on August 14th, 2013.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is aware of Shawkan’s arrest, which it has classified as arbitrary. According to a report from the group, Shawkan was held without charges or trial until March 2016. The group states that Shawkan has been deprived of medical treatment, adequate access to his lawyer, and due process… among other things.

Reporters without Borders has called for Shawkan’s release, also noting that RSF’s World Press Freedom Index ranks Egypt among the lowest in the world.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Android P brings HEIF and multi-camera support to Pixel devices

10 Mar

Google has released the first developer preview of its upcoming Android P mobile operating system, and the long list of improvements includes support for a display cutout (iPhone X-style “notch”), more precise indoor navigation, and improved messaging notifications among others. However, there are also two points that should be specifically interesting to camera-minded users: HEIF-support and the ability two simultaneously access streams from two or more physical cameras.

Devices running Android P will support the same HEIC version of the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) as the latest iPhones. HEIC files are roughly half the size of JPEGs, and can include several photos as well as short videos. Android P devices will also be capable of merging image data from two or more cameras at OS-level, which kind of makes us think there could be a dual-camera equipped Pixel-phone on its way.

“You can now access streams simultaneously from two or more physical cameras on devices running Android P. On devices with either dual-front or dual-back cameras, you can create innovative features not possible with just a single camera, such as seamless zoom, bokeh, and stereo vision. The API also lets you call a logical or fused camera stream that automatically switches between two or more cameras.”

It’s possible (read: likely) this first Developer Preview of Android P will be pretty unstable, but if you are feeling adventurous and have a spare Pixel device lying in a drawer, you can download and install the new OS version from the Android website for the Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 2, Pixel XL and Pixel. A full list of new features can be found here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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This Samsung infographic tracks the evolution of the camera phone

10 Mar

With a variable aperture, super-slow-motion and (in the case of the Plus model) a dual-camera setup, Samsung’s newly announced flagship smartphones Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus put a lot of emphasis on camera features and performance. But, of course, this is far from Samsung’s first foray into camera phone tech.

Samsung has long been at the forefront of mobile imaging, and to visualize this fact, the company has released am infographic that puts its camera phone innovations onto a timeline of the past 18 years.

The graphic starts with Samsung’s first camera phone—the SCH-V200—which was launched in 2000 and allowed you to shoot and store up to 20 0.11MP images (you still needed a computer to view them, though). From there, it move on to a number of flip-style feature phones and smartphone classics, such as the first Galaxy S or the Galaxy S4 Zoom.

As you would expect, the infographic ends with the new Galaxy S9 models, but it includes technical data and interesting tidbits about all the featured phones—well worth a closer look for anyone interested in tech history. Check it out for yourself below:

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Contest – Win One of THREE Online Professional Photography Courses from the New York Institute of Photography

09 Mar

Over the last few years here at dPS, we’ve run some incredibly popular competitions with one of our partners – the New York Institute of Photography – to give away some of their great online photography courses to lucky dPS readers.

Photo by Finnur Tomason, NYIP Graduate.

Due to popular demand – we’re doing it again this week.

For this competition, NYIP will name 3 winners.

Each winner will receive a free enrollment in their most popular course:

Professional Photography Course – worth $ 1,199

The professional photography will teach you to take control your digital camera.

  • Develop your eye as a photographer and develop a visual signature.
  • Utilize exposure, lighting, and lenses on your camera.
  • Describe the proper composition and how to take the perfect photograph in all conditions.
  • Discuss different photographic genres including wedding, landscapes, portraits, studio, and more.
  • Use the manual mode on a camera.
  • Explain how to make money with your camera in a variety of fields.
  • A professional photographer will serve as your mentor.
  • NYIP Graduates are eligible to become certified by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

Photo by Etienne Ludovic, NYIP Graduate

All students get the benefit of online courses they can work through at their own pace, as well as one-to-one feedback from professional photographers on their work!

How to Win

To win this competition you’ll need to:

Watch the video below and visit the course page HERE

Leave a comment below and tell us why you’d like to enter to win this course from New York Institute of Photography. Please note: there is a limit of ONE entry per person.

Do this in the next two weeks and on March 30th, 2018, the team at NYIP will choose the best three answers and we will announce the winners shortly after that date.

Deadline is March 23rd, 2018 at 11:59 pm PDT. Comments left after the deadline will not be considered.

By “best” – we’re looking for people who understand what NYIP is, what the course offers, and how it suits their needs. There’s no need to write essay length comments to win – but we’re looking to hear what you like about NYIP, the course and how it would help your development as a photographer.

This competition is open to everyone around the world no matter where you live, but there is only one entry per person, please. To enter – simply leave your comment below.

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about New York Institute of Photography here.

NYIP is partnered with the PPA – Professional Photographers of America. NYIP graduates are eligible to become certified by the PPA.

Contest open to all. No purchase necessary to enter. The winner is responsible for any fees or taxes. The prize will be delivered electronically by NYIP. Only ONE entry per person. Please allow 2-4 weeks for prize delivery.

Disclaimer: NYIP is a paid partner of dPS.

The post Contest – Win One of THREE Online Professional Photography Courses from the New York Institute of Photography by Juanita Nessinger appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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