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Sony unveils FS5 II Super 35mm camera with 4K HDR and 120fps RAW

10 Apr

Sony has announced the latest member of its professional Super 35mm lineup, the FS5 II. Similar in looks and functionality to its predecessor, the upgrades to the FS5 II are mostly features that were available to its predecessor through paid updates—only now they’re ‘free’.

Inside, the Super 35 Exmor CMOS sensor remains untouched. Likewise, the E-mount body of the camera remains identical aside from the updated nameplate and a different color neutral density dial. Where the camera gets the biggest changes is in its color science, Raw shooting modes, and high frame rate functionality.

The stand-out feature of the FS5 II is the updated color science that’s gone into it. Sony says it’s taken everything it’s learned from developing the 6K Venice camera and brought it into the much more compact (and affordable) FS5 II. The changes are said to yield ‘rich mid-range colours, alluring facial tones, and a softer tonal look’. Also added are nine color profiles, including a few designed specifically for S-Log2 and S-Log3.

Here’s a closer look at the new camcorder:

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Also present in the FS5 II is Sony’s ‘Instant HDR’ workflow. This is one of the features available for the FS5 via a paid update, but it comes standard on the FS5 II. The Instant HDR workflow eliminates the need for color grading footage. This effectively means HDR video can be streamed straight from the camera when shot in HLG/BT.2020 mode.

Finally, the FS5 II features dual SD card slots that can internally record video up to 4K/30p and Full HD video at 1080/120p. For higher-resolution and RAW video, an external recorder is needed; however, if you are using an external recorder, the FS5 II can output 4K/60p video and even RAW 4K/120p, but only in four second bursts. At 2K, the FS5 II can output continuous RAW footage at 240fps.

The FS5 II is expected to launch in June 2018 for $ 4,750 USD body-only. For more details, check out the overview video at the top or head over to the Sony Pro website.

Sony Introduces FS5 II with 4K HDR, 120fps RAW and New Color Science

Sony’s Popular Super 35 mm handheld Camcorder Adds New Functionality Based on User Demand

Sony’s new Large Format Sensor lineup is expanding with the introduction of the FS5 II (Body: PXW-FS5M2, Lens Kit: PXW-FS5M2K). Complete with stunning 4096 x 2160 4K HDR and 120fps performance at 60Hz mode (and 100fps at 50Hz mode), as well as RAW capabilities, the new Super 35 mm camcorder marries outstanding image quality with an ergonomic modular frame, offering content creators ultimate creative flexibility.

In addition to S-Log 2/3, the FS5 II offers Instant HDR Workflow to produce HDR content, when shooting in HLG/BT.2020 mode, for quick post-production without the need for grading.

The FS5 II interchangeable lens, E-mount camcorder offers flexibility for applications including web commercials, music video production, dramas, corporate and event videography and documentaries.

Designed to meet the requirements of today’s content creators, the FS5 II features an all-new look with a refined picture tone to capture natural highlights, subtle, alluring and well rendered facial tones and a softer tonal look, for capturing lifelike portrayals. Using the accumulated expertise of Sony’s digital cinematography camera VENICE, the FS5 II promises a fresh and vivid look while still retaining plenty of creative options in post-production, as a result of its high performance 4K Super 35 Exmor® CMOS sensor.

Takuro Ema, product manager for Sony Professional Solutions Americas explains, “When Sony develops new camera technologies we gather feedback from all ends of the production chain – from DOPs to post production professionals. This camera was no exception. We’ve evolved and developed our hugely popular FS5 with default shooting capabilities and the FS5 II is now a powerful addition to the Large Format Sensor line-up which promises even more flexibility and creative choices.”

The FS5 II builds on Sony’s heritage for image quality, delivering stunning High Frame rate shots supporting four seconds of 120fps in 4K and continuous 240fps at 60Hz mode and 200fps at 50Hz mode in 2K (2048X1080) RAW output when used in conjunction with a compatible external recorder. Continuous 4K 60fps RAW output at 59.94p is fully supported, with 50fps supported at 50Hz mode.

The camcorder also offers High Frame Rate (HFR) recording to an internal SD card at Full HD 10bit 4:2:2 image quality and a frame rate of up to 240 fps of 8-second cache recording, allowing up to 10 x slow motion and capturing 239.76fps at HD or 2K, and playback at 23.98p. Continuous recording of 120fps in Full HD is also supported.

With an Instant HDR Workflow users can now reduce time in post-production and produce high-quality HDR content quickly without the need of grading. For productions of longer lead-times, S-Log 2/3 allows the HDR image to be fine-tuned via color grading.

Lightweight but robust, theFS5 II’s well balanced 0.8kg body, adaptability and creative features make it a perfect fit for movie shooting, while its modular design makes it easy to reconfigure for any application including mounting on a gimbal or drone. Sony’s unique Electronic Variable ND filter with Auto ND function covers a wide range of exposure adjustment, as well as creating a wide range of shallow Depth of Field control.

Now with ten Picture Profile settings, the FS5 II allows users to instantly and easily configure the camera for different shooting styles, such as cinematic and online content creation.

The FS5 II is planned to be available in June, with expected pricing as follows:

PXW-FS5M2, body only — $ 4,750 USD and $ 5,940 CAD
PXW-FS5M2K, with lens — $ 5,250 USD and $ 6,560 CAD

For further information, please visit www.sony.com/pro.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Blackmagic Design announces Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

10 Apr

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Way back in 2013, Blackmagic Design introduced the Pocket Cinema Camera, a compact camera with a Super 16 sensor that promised cinema recording quality in a body about the size of a Sony a6500. While it delivered high quality footage, many users acknowledged that it felt like a version 1 product, including frustrating issues like fussy behavior, short battery life, and inelegant ergonomics and controls.

At NAB in Las Vegas, Blackmagic finally announced the sequel many were waiting for, the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Video shooters will be happy to know that it’s a significant upgrade at a very aggressive price point.

The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is built around a Micro Four Thirds sensor with dual native ISO and a native DCI 4K (4096×2160) resolution. Although we don’t have any technical information on the sensor, this sounds suspiciously similar to the one used in Panasonic’s GH5S. Blackmagic claims the sensor can capture 13 stops of dynamic range.

Blackmagic finally announced the sequel many were waiting for, the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Video shooters will be happy to know that it’s a significant upgrade at a very aggressive price point.

The camera will be able to record DCI 4K at 60 fps and windowed HD (a native 1080 crop) at up to 120 fps in either 10-bit ProRes or 12-bit Raw formats. Various internal recording media are supported including standard SD cards, UHS-II cards, and CFast 2.0 cards.

What’s potentially more interesting, however, is the option to record externally using the camera’s USB-C port. Blackmagic claims it’s the first camera that will let users connect media, like an SSD, directly to the camera’s USB-C port for direct external recording. This means it should be possible to go directly from shooting to working on your computer without transferring data from cards. It seems like a brilliant, if not obvious, use for the USB port.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Image courtesy of Blackmagic Design

In addition to the USB-C port, there’s also a full sized HDMI port that can output clean 10-bit video, a mini XLR input with 48v phantom power for audio, 3.5mm audio input, and a headphone jack. Power comes from a standard Canon LP-E6 type battery, and there’s a locking DC power connector that protects the camera from being accidentally unplugged.

The camera’s body is made from a carbon fiber polycarbonate composite to keep it both sturdy and light. It has a substantial grip and a top button layout similar to what’s found on many mirrorless cameras, which should improve handling over the original.

Blackmagic claims it’s the first camera that will let users connect media, like an SSD, directly to the camera’s USB-C port for direct external recording.

On the rear is a large 5″ touchscreen for composition, viewing exposure parameters, and useful tools such as a histogram and focus peaking. Notably, Blackmagic doesn’t mention support for waveform displays or vectorscopes.

The camera can capture still photos, though Blackmagic hardly mentions it. Since this camera is clearly aimed at videographers we don’t expect a deep feature set for regular photography.

What may be most impressive about the camera is the price. The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will sell for $ 1295 and be available later this year. We definitely look forward to getting our hands on this camera and testing it out.

Press release:

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K

Next generation 4K camera features dual native ISO, full 4/3 HDR sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, and ProRes or RAW recording to internal SD/UHS-II and CFast cards, or even external USB?C drives!

NAB 2018, Las Vegas, USA – April 9, 2018 – Blackmagic Design today announced the all new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, a handheld digital film camera with full 4/3 HDR sensor, dual native ISO with up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance as well as 13 stops of dynamic range. It also eliminates expensive external recorders, as it features a unique new USB-C Expansion Port, which allows customers to record using the internal SD/UHS-II and CFast recorders or directly to the same external disks they will use for editing and color correction. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be available from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide later this year for only US$ 1,295.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be demonstrated on the Blackmagic Design NAB 2018 booth at #SL216.

The revolutionary new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is the handheld digital film camera that customers have been asking for. It packs incredibly high end imaging and professional features into a portable and affordable design that can be used anywhere. The compact body style is perfect for shooting independent films and documentaries, fashion shows, travel blogs, web videos, weddings, corporate video, sports and much more.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features a full size 4/3 HDR sensor with native 4096 x 2160 resolution and 13 stops of dynamic range for true digital film quality. The full size of the 4/3 sensor is designed to perfectly match MFT lenses so the crop factor is greatly reduced, giving customers a wider field of view. It also features dual native ISO with up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is packed with features such as a MFT lens mount, large 5 inch touchscreen monitor, 10-bit ProRes and 12-bit RAW recording, 3D LUTs, 4 built in microphones, mini XLR audio input with phantom power, Bluetooth wireless camera control, HDMI on set monitoring output and more. The latest Blackmagic Design color science lets customers shoot images that are far better than DSLR cameras and even better than professional digital film cameras costing tens of thousands more.

Designed using a space age carbon fiber polycarbonate composite, the body of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is extremely strong and light. The carbon composite material consists of a high strength polymer that’s reinforced with carbon fibers. This gives the camera body incredible strength and rigidity to help protect it from accidental knocks and drops which can often result in damage. The handheld design features a multi function grip which has logically placed buttons and dials that allow super fast access to essential shooting functions such as recording start/stop, still photos, ISO, shutter, aperture, white balance, power and more.

Fourth generation Blackmagic Design color science lets customers shoot HDR images in film, video and new extended video modes. The new extended mode combines the latitude of digital film with an optimized video file. This gives customers working on fast turnaround projects an ideal solution for shooting great looking images that don’t need a lot of color correction or post production work.

Images can be recorded onto standard SD cards, faster UHS-II cards or CFast 2.0 cards in either ProRes or RAW formats. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K can record 4K images at up to 60 frames per second and windowed HD at up to 120 frames per second. It’s also the first camera that lets customers record directly onto the same exact external USB-C media drives they use for editing and color correction. That means customers can turn projects around much more quickly because they don’t have to transfer files. All they need to do is unplug the USB-C drive and then connect it to their computer to start editing.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K uses the same MFT (Micro Four Thirds) lens mount as the original Pocket Cinema Camera so customers can use the investment in lenses they already own. The MFT mount is extremely flexible and allows for different lens adapters so customers can also use PL, C, EF and other types of lenses from manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Leica and even Panavision.

The rear of the camera features a large bright 5 inch touchscreen that makes it easy to frame shots and accurately focus. It also uses the same Blackmagic OS as URSA Mini so customers can use simple tap and swipe gestures to adjust settings, add metadata and view recording status. On screen overlays make it easy to see recording parameters, status, histogram, focus and peaking indicators, and playback controls. In addition, 3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and recording.

For audio, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K features multiple built in microphones with an extremely low noise floor, a mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power to connect professional lapel and boom mics, and a 3.5mm stereo audio jack for connecting different types of video camera microphones. The high quality built in audio recording means customers don’t have to carry around a separate recorder.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K also includes a full size HDMI connector which can output HDR video as well as a clean 10-bit video feed with optional on screen overlays. There’s also an innovative high speed USB-C Expansion Port for adding external accessories such as flash drives and an SSD for external recording. The camera uses standard LP-E6 batteries and can be charged via USB-C or the locking DC power connector, which protects the camera from being accidentally unplugged during a shoot.

“Customers love the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and have been asking us for a 4K version,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “We’ve listened and built a camera that combines all of our newest ideas and customer feedback from the previous model! The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is exciting because it packs so much technology into an incredibly small design. We feel it will go well beyond what customers expected. It’s perfect for anyone that needs a truly professional ultra compact digital film camera. This is not a consumer camera that’s trying to do high end work, it’s a true high end camera designed for high end work.”

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Features

Full size 4/3 sized sensor with native 4096 x 2160 resolution sized sensor.
Compatible with extremely high quality Micro Four Thirds lenses.
Super wide 13 stops of dynamic range allows capture for high end feature film look.
Up to 25600 ISO for incredible low light performance.
Carbon fiber polycarbonate composite body which makes it lightweight, portable and durable.
Multi function grip for quick access to recording start/stop, still photos, ISO, shutter, aperture,white balance, power and more.
Built in SD, UHS-II and CFast card recorders.
USB-C expansion port allows longer duration recording directly to an external SSD or flash disk.
Standard open file formats compatible with popular NLE software such as 10-bit ProRes and 12 bit RAW.
Features full size HDMI output for monitoring with camera status graphic overlay.
Professional mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power for connecting to pro microphones.
3.5mm audio jack, headphone jack, and locking DC 12 volt power connection.
Built in 5” LCD touchscreen allows accurate focus when shooting 4K.
LCD supports on screen overlays including status, histogram, focus peaking, and transport controls.
Records 4K images at up to 60 frames per second and windowed HD at up to 120 frames per second.
3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and recording.
Blackmagic OS as used in URSA Mini and URSA Broadcast cameras.
4th generation Blackmagic color science.
Supports remote camera control via Bluetooth.
Includes full license for DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, color, visual effects and audio post production.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K will be available later this year for US$ 1,295 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Tips for Doing Photography On Gray Gloomy Days

10 Apr

Few things dampen photo-taking spirits more than rainy and gloomy days. Especially if you are on a trip to an exciting location and the clouds and wind are conspiring to keep the sun from those beautiful, but hidden, landscapes you know exist.

Tips for Doing Photography On Gray Gloomy Days

Fear not, intrepid photographer, there are still many subjects for you to capture on gray, gloomy days. They may not be what you typically shoot or what you really want to be shooting. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stretch your creative muscles a little and create some memorable photos.

Express the mood

The first mistake is assuming that when your mood doesn’t match the mood of the weather or scene in front of you, you should pack it up and go home. Viewers connect with photos because of emotion and emotions are highly tempered by mood.

While gray moods are not as popular to express as say, a sunny golden sunset, they are just as prevalent. I like to highlight the relative emptiness of a scene when the color has been sucked out of it and show a sense of loneliness when possible.

Tips for Doing Photography On Gray Gloomy Days

Washington State Ferry alone in the gray of Puget Sound.

Add some grit

In the days of film, the higher ISO emulsions (think ISO 1600 and more) allowed for photography in low light but was a trade off for what most of us consider image quality. The emulsion accomplished the low light performance by having larger grains of silver, which were far more visible than their ISO 50 counterparts, which tended to blend smoothly and be almost invisible. That grain didn’t do well for fine art landscape photos, but it worked wonders for conveying the grit of a scene.

Grit is a hard thing to define. It’s not necessarily dirty, but it’s not sharp and clean, either. It’s a little muddled and it’s more real than posed. It’s more of a feeling than anything else and it is available more on gloomy days than when the sun is bright.

Lighting candles in Kathmandu to chase away the gloom.

It can also be added to photos in post-production. Lightroom has a section to add grain back into a photo with three different sliders to show just the right amount of grit you are looking for.

Think on the Grayscale

With all the wonderful colors we experience in the world, I think the thing we like least about the gloomy weather is that it compresses our palate to fewer options. Or so we think. Just because the colors aren’t popping like they do in bright sunshine, doesn’t mean you don’t have a range of options.

Enter the grayscale and zone system. For a primer, check out this article. The idea is different colors and patterns get accentuated differently when seen in just grayscale. Even composition should change a little when considering grayscale photos. Contrast can be enhanced if you like.

I’d start by using the monochrome setting on your camera. Most cameras have a scene or profile mode to shoot images in black and white. That will give you instant feedback on your LCD screen and is an awesome gateway to shooting black and white images that don’t need blue skies and sunshine.

Zero In

Flowers and plants are especially happy to be photographed on gloomy days.

“Get Closer” is a common refrain in the photography world, and for good reason. It’s a tried and true method of finding more interesting subjects, or for framing subjects more interestingly.

If the background of your subject is drab and dull, work to crop it out in-camera. It’s a bit of forced tunnel vision and it can help bring out new subjects when the skies are gray. Plants, I find, are especially happy for a nice close-up on gray days when their colors seem more saturated.

Tips for Doing Photography On Gray Gloomy Days

Look For Patterns and Abstracts

You might not have that bright, sunny landscape you were looking for but that doesn’t mean you are without subjects. Besides getting closer, look for patterns and abstracts.

For instance, yesterday the weather was threatening (and later delivered) snow. I was itching to get out and shoot something. I found some birds but they were too far off for decent photos. Then I found some old bridge pilings crossing over a lake and was instantly excited.

The gray of the sky reflected in the lake and the gray of the pilings helps the moss and grass pop out.

Likewise, lower light makes for easy purposeful abstract blurring. I covered this before in a dPS article (6 Tips on How to Create Abstract Photos) and I love the simple technique of camera movement, coupled with low light and low ISO, to create unique images.

Streaks of gray and steel cut across a black background in striking abstract patterns.

Conclusion

The gray gloomy days don’t need to keep you inside feeling uninspired. They are a challenge to us all to get out there and see the world in a different light. Then express that world through photos.

I’d love to see your gloomy day and gray work, please share in the comments area below.

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6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

10 Apr

Great travel photography has the power to take the viewer to that destination and make them feel like they are there. It can evoke memories of faraway lands and local people and culture that the viewer might have never seen.

You may have heard the usual advice about travel photography like “getting up early” and photographing at the “golden hour”. But here are six travel photography secrets that you have probably never tried that will help you capture stunning photos.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

#1 Walk Around

Often the biggest advice for any prospective travel photographer is to simply walk around. It’s incredible how many different photo opportunities you will find simply walking around a city rather than getting in trains, buses, and taxis. Not only will you be able to get a better understanding of the geographical side of the city, but you will also notice moments that would often get missed if using transport.

Just get yourself a handy local map, set a route, and walk. Once you finish the route set another and walk again. Sometimes you might not see anything, and it will feel like a waste of time, but every now and again a photo opportunity will present itself that will make you glad you did walk.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

#2 Find High Vantage Spots

Getting up high for an aerial view of a place is a wonderful way to capture great photos. But it can also help get an understanding of the layout of the city and aid you in finding potential shot locations. Often most places have well-defined lookout or viewpoints and there’s nothing wrong with going to those locations and capturing photos even though they have been done before.

But in addition to that, when you are at the location try to figure out if there are any other places that can help you capture great elevated shots.

The great thing these days is that you can find a ton of information online about every location. So always try to build in time at a location to capture some photos from a high viewpoint.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

#3 Change Your Hotel

A great trick for photographing cities and being able to capture a good variety of photos is to change your hotel. So rather than staying in the same place for a week, aim to stay at two different hotels around the city.

By choosing your hotels carefully you may be able to capture photos from a rooftop bar or even from your room of different views of the city. Often these photos can work better than those from lookout points as only those people who have stayed at the hotel will be able to capture it.

But the other advantage of staying at a hotel in a different part of the city is that you will get to learn that area and naturally spend more time around there. This will mean rather than focusing most of your time in one location if you were staying in one hotel, you can now spend time in two.

Clearly, if the city is small you won’t need to do this, but in a big city such as Moscow or London this could be useful and help you capture more photos.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

On a recent trip to Bangkok, I was able to my hotel room balcony to capture a cityscape shot.

#4 Speak to a Local Photographer

Let’s be honest, no matter how good of a photographer you are and how well you plan your trip, a local photographer will always have an edge purely because it is their home city. So why not use that to your advantage.

Contact a local and ask them some questions or get some tips about places you are looking to photograph. Obviously, the key here is not to try to copy their photos but get advice about anything you want to capture. The great thing about doing this rather than contacting a tour guide is that as a photographer they will understand your needs and can help you capture the shots you want.

You never know they may even tell you or show you around a few places that you never knew about. Just think of it as paying it forward, so if one day someone contacts you for information, do the same thing.

Note from the editor: Please do your due diligence and use normal safety precautions when meeting someone you do not know over the internet or in person. Always put your safety first over getting a shot.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

#5 Hire a Translator

Whilst not absolutely essential, sometimes having a translator can come in handy. This is especially true if you are photographing anywhere that might be sensitive such as religious buildings or even women in some cultures.

Having a translator can mean that they can ask permission for you, speak to locals to put them at ease, and even help you get model release clauses. You could look to hire a translator just for a day or for the duration of your stay, but they can be a big help in capturing photos in a place where you don’t speak the language.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

#6 Ask Tourists

More and more these days picture editors want photos of experiences rather than just another standard snap of the Eiffel tower. Sometimes you can capture those photos naturally with things that happen before your eyes. At other times you may need to set something up to help get that story across.

One of the best ways to do this is by using other tourists. Firstly, if they are from your country you will be able to communicate without any problems. Second, and most importantly, they would probably love to have some great photos of themselves from their trip for their personal use.

Just explain what you are doing and ask if they are willing to participate. Then take their email address and email them a copy of the photo when you get home. The bonus here is that you also have their email address and if one day you require a model release form, you can contact them.

Just be aware of time. No one wants to spend half of their day on holiday posing for photos. Work quickly, take a few photos, and let them get on with their day.

6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried

Conclusion

Travel photography often requires a lot of “out of the box” thinking as you’ll rarely encounter exact situations over and over again. Over time you’ll build up your own arsenal of solutions to potential creative challenges. In the meantime use the tips above to help you capture great travel photos.

Have you got any travel photography tips and tricks? Please share them below.

The post 6 Travel Photography Secrets That You May Not Have Tried appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Eizo unveils ColorEdge CG319X DCI-4K HDR monitor for high-end video and photo editing

10 Apr

High-end monitor maker Eizo has just unveiled the ColorEdge CG319X: a 31.1-inch DCI-4K HDR display with a 4096 x 2160 resolution, built-in calibration sensor, and 98% DCI-P3 coverage. The new ColorEdge model builds upon the previously launched CG318-4K, adding multiple new features including hybrid log-gamma (HLG) support and a perceptual quantization (PQ) curve for HDR video editing.

According to the company, the CG319X’s panel offers images that “appear more true to how the human eye perceives the real world.”

The new ColorEdge model is targeted at pro-tier post-production work, offering a variety of features beyond what is available on typical consumer displays. For one, the CG319X has an integrated calibration sensor that has been upgraded so that it can recalibrate your monitor even while you’re using it. To facilitate this, the user selects a time during which the sensor will swing onto the screen, using up “minimal space” so that work can continue.

The CG319X comes with this built-in calibration sensor, which has been updated so it can recalibrate your display even if the monitor is in use.

This model also offers 98% DCI-P3 color space reproduction, a 1500:1 contrast ratio, and a retardation film that maintains tone depth when viewing the monitor from an angle. Finally, because temperature changes can affect an LCD’s brightness and color, Eizo has built a temperature sensor into the CG319X, which allows the display to adjust as necessary when the ambient temperature of the room changes.

The ColorEdge CG319X also features two HDMI ports, two DisplayPort inputs, DCI-4K/60Hz using HDMI or DisplayPort 1.2, 3D LUT, 10-bit simultaneous display from 24-bit LUT, 4K zoom, aspect ratio markers, luminance warning, an ergonomic stand, light-shield hood, built-in carrying handle, 5-year manufacturer’s warning, and support for the following cinema and broadcast preset modes:

EBU
Rec. 2020
Rec. 709
SMPTE-C
DCI
PQ
HLG

Eizo will start shipping the ColorEdge CG319X monitor next month in some regions; US shipments start in June. Price is still TBD.

Press Release

EIZO Releases 31.1″ DCI-4K Monitor with HDR Gamma Support for Media and Entertainment

Hakusan, Japan, April 5, 2018 – EIZO Corporation (TSE: 6737) today announced the new ColorEdge CG319X – a 31.1-inch monitor with DCI-4K resolution (4096 x 2160) and HDR gamma support for the professional post production workflow. It is the successor model to the CG318-4K with several upgraded features.

Distinguishing it from its predecessor, the ColorEdge CG319X comes equipped with HLG (hybrid log-gamma) and the PQ (perceptual quantization) curve for displaying and editing HDR (high dynamic range) video content. The optimized gamma curves render images to appear more true to how the human eye perceives the real world compared to SDR (standard dynamic range). Having a monitor equipped with HDR gamma support ensures professional creators can reliably display HDR content during the editing process so it is ready for color grading at the end of the workflow.

ColorEdge CG319X is equipped with an upgraded built-in calibration sensor, which allows the user to continue to operate the monitor even during recalibration. The sensor swings onto the screen at a time designated by the user and takes up minimal space so work remains uninterrupted.¹A built-in sensor eliminates the need for a third-party calibration device and ensures the screen stays color-accurate.

The monitor’s wide color gamut reproduces 98% of the DCI-P3 color space used in the media and entertainment industry. In compliance with the DCI standard, the ColorEdge CG319X offers a high contrast ratio of 1500:1 for producing true blacks that are otherwise difficult to display on a typical LCD monitor. In addition, it is equipped with a retardation film which allows tones to retain their depth even when viewed from an angle.

The color and brightness of an LCD monitor can be affected by changes in ambient temperature of the monitor itself. The ColorEdge CG319X is equipped with an internal temperature sensor which detects those changes and adjusts the monitor so gradations, color, brightness, and other characteristics continue to be displayed accurately. The algorithm used in the AI (artificial intelligence)² of the monitor allows it to perform this temperature detection and adjustment even at high brightness levels for providing a truly accurate viewing environment. In addition, EIZO’s patented digital uniformity equalizer (DUE) technology also counterbalances the influences that a fluctuating temperature may have on color temperature and brightness for stable image display across the entire screen. The monitor also provides noiseless, fanless operation while still maintaining low heat output without impacting performance.

Additional Features

3D LUT for individual color adjustment on an RGB cubic table
10-bit simultaneous display from a 24-bit LUT for smooth color gradations³
DCI-4K resolution at 60 Hz via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI input
Broadcast and cinema preset modes: EBU, Rec. 2020, Rec. 709, SMPTE-C, DCI, PQ, and HLG
Two DisplayPort and two HDMI inputs
Ergonomic stand which meets IEC/EN 62368-1
Light-shielding hood included
5-year manufacturer’s warranty⁴

EIZO will be showing the ColorEdge CG319X for the first time at the NAB Show 2018 in Las Vegas, USA from April 9 – 12. Visit Booth SL15713 to see the product.

Product Information

ColorEdge CG319X

Availability

The ColorEdge CG319X will begin shipping in May, 2018. Date of availability varies by country so contact the EIZO group company or distributor in your country for details.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Western Digital debuts new G-Drive and G-Speed professional grade SSDs

09 Apr

Western Digital just revealed its new lineup of G-Technology G-DRIVE and G-SPEED external solid state drives at NAB 2018, and as you might expect, they’re built to handle ultra-high resolution video. In fact, WD claims these Thunderbolt 3 drives enable “real-time 4K and 8K workflows” for professionals who need serious speed, capacity, and reliability.

There are three new drives in all: the G-DRIVE Mobile Pro SSD, the G-DRIVE Pro SSD, and the G-SPEED Shuttle SSD.

G-DRIVE Mobile Pro SSD

The G-Drive Mobile Pro SSD aims to be one of the fastest mobile storage solutions you can bring with you in the field. Available in 500GB and 1TB configurations, this Thunderbolt 3 drive boasts read speeds up to 2800MB/s that should let you “edit multi-stream 8K footage at full frame rate, quickly render projects and experience them at full resolution, and transfer as much as a terabyte of media in seven minutes.”

The most portable of today’s announcements, the drive has also been built to be rugged. The derive uses “specially engineered components” for its shock-resistant design, and the aluminum core is meant to prevent overheating.

To learn more about the G-DRIVE Mobile Pro SSD, head over to the G-Technology website. Both 500GB and 1TB capacity drives will be available in the US starting this summer for $ 660 and $ 1,050, respectively.

G-DRIVE Pro SSD

The G-DRIVE Pro SSD, as the name suggests, is the Mobile Pro’s big brother. Like its younger sibling, it features a Thunderbolt 3 connection (actually two of them) and can transfer data at up to 2800MB/s. Thanks to the dual-connection, however, you can daisy chain up to 6 of these bad-boys together and stack them on your desk like Jenga pieces.

Since this is a desktop solution, it’s not built with the same shock-proof design as the Mobile Pro, but the G-DRIVE Pro SSDs do boast enterprise-class solid state drives with an endurance rating of one drive write per day.

These drives will be available to US consumers starting in May, and will come in capacities of 960GB, 1.92TB, 3.84TB, and 7.68TB for $ 1,400, $ 2,100, $ 4,100, and $ 7,600, respectively. Just for fun we did the math: if you daisy chain six of the 7.68TB drives together, you will have spent $ 45,600 for 46.08TB of solid state storage.

You can learn more about the G-DRIVE Pro SSD on the G-Technology website.

G-SPEED Shuttle SSD

Finally, the biggest and baddest of the drives released today (if you can call this a “drive”) is the G-SPEED Shuttle SSD: an enclosure that comes with eight removable SSDs pre-loaded and configured in RAID 5. This is meant for “ultra-demanding” workflows like multi-stream HD, 4K, 8K, VR and VFX backup and editing.

The G-SPEED Shuttle SSD comes with up to 16TB of storage (eight, 2TB drives pre-loaded) and can be configured to run hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and 50. And, like the G-DRIVE Pro SSD, the G-SPEED features two Thunderbolt 3 connection that max out at 2800MB/s and can be daisy chained with up to five additional devices.

The G-SPEED Shuttle SSD will arrive on store shelves in the US this month, and can be purchased in either 8TB or 16TB configurations for $ 5,100 and $ 7,600, respectively. That means the same $ 45,600 mentioned above will buy you 96TB of solid state storage if you go with the G-SPEED Shuttle.

To learn more or order yours, visit the G-Technology website.

Press Release

Access, Edit and Share Massive 4K and 8K RAW Video from Multi Camera Shoots in Real Time with the Fast and Reliable Western Digital Thunderbolt 3 SSD Solutions

Award-Winning G-Technology® G-DRIVE^® and G-SPEED^® Families Enable Creative Professionals to Access and Work With Data Quickly

Las Vegas, 2018 NAB SHOW, Apr. 9, 2018 – Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) is meeting the escalating fast-transfer and high-capacity demands of professional content creators by enabling real-time 4K and 8K workflows with three new professional-grade ultra-fast solutions in its powerful G-Technology® G-DRIVE® and G-SPEED® Shuttle product families.

Working with large 4K and 8K RAW video means massive file sizes and is undoubtedly one of the largest pain points for content editors. With new cameras capable of capturing over 400 MB/s of RAW data, there is an opportunity for content professionals to create incredibly high-resolution footage and ever-more immersive viewer experiences. It is not uncommon for a production crew to be on-location for two or three months recording three to four terabytes per day of footage from multiple cameras. With this expansion of data capture, comes a potential bottleneck in maintaining a real-time workflow on location – until now.

“Saving time means getting more done, which means booking more jobs over the course of a year,” said Scott Vouri, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Western Digital. “Creative professionals need to know that their drives will keep up with the growing demands of their workflows. To capitalize on these opportunities, the right tools are crucial. When working in the field, production teams need a fast solution that can handle demanding workflows of 4K and 8K content with the ability to quickly collect that valuable footage and be able to edit on the spot. With the power of Thunderbolt 3*, and transfer rates up to 2800MB/s**, the the new G-Technology Pro SSDs offer an ultra-fast, super-reliable solution for any creative project team.”

G-DRIVE Mobile Pro SSD

With storage running at 2800MB/s, the G-DRIVE mobile Pro SSD (Up to 1TB of capacity) lets you edit multi-stream 8K footage at full frame rate, quickly render projects and experience them at full resolution, and transfer as much as a terabyte of media in seven minutes or less (for capacities 1TB or larger) wherever you are. A durable, shock-resistant design uses specially engineered components to endure traveling, while a single Thunderbolt™ 3 port lets you instantly edit footage on the go with incredible speed without the need for wall power. An aluminum core prevents overheating and maintains a consistent high performance, and with a trusted 5-year limited warranty, you get durable, fast solutions. The G-DRIVE mobile Pro SSD solution with Thunderbolt 3 is available in the U.S. Summer of 2018 in capacities of 500GB ($ 659.95) and 1TB ($ 1,049.95) USD.

G-DRIVE Pro SSD

Equipped with scorching fast transfer rates of up to 2800MB/s, the G-DRIVE Pro SSD solution (up to 7.68TB of capacity) with Thunderbolt 3 technology enables a filmmaker to edit multi-stream 8K footage at full frame rate, quickly render projects and experience them at full resolution, and transfer as much as a terabyte of content in seven minutes or less (for capacities 1TB or larger). Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports are ready to daisy-chain up to five additional devices, while a stackable, rugged aluminum enclosure offers a durable way to help keep your workplace tidy. Combined with Enterprise-class solid state drives, an endurance rating of one drive write per day (DW/D) endurance rating, and a trusted 5-year limited warranty, the G-DRIVE Pro SSD delivers reliable, high-performance desktop storage you can rely on. The G-DRIVE Pro SSD solution with Thunderbolt 3 is available in the U.S. May of 2018 in capacities of 960GB¹ ($ 1,399.95), 1.92TB ($ 2,099.95), 3.84TB ($ 4,099.95) and 7.68TB ($ 7,599.95) USD.

G-SPEED Shuttle SSD

With up to 16TB of SSD capacity, the G-SPEED Shuttle SSD with Thunderbolt 3 is optimized to support multi-stream HD, 4K, 8K, VR and VFX workflows. Equipped with transfer rates up to 2800MB/s, hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50, and eight removable SSDs pre-loaded and configured in RAID 5, it is built for ultra-demanding production workflows. The G-SPEED Shuttle SSD is available in the U.S. this month in capacities of 8TB ($ 5,099.95) and 16TB ($ 7,599.95).

*Backward compatible with Thunderbolt 2 using Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter

**Based on read speed. As used for transfer rate, megabyte per second (MB/s) = one million bytes per second. Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software components and configurations.

¹As used for storage capacity, one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

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10 Photography Lessons I’ve Learned Over 10 Years

09 Apr

When learning any new skill, it’s universally agreed that you need to put time into it to grow. There’s a popular theory by Malcolm Gladwell that it takes 10,000 hours to master any skill. That theory is pretty controversial these days, but the number of hours isn’t important. What’s important is that you must put time into learning a skill if you want to become better at it.

Photography is no exception. Ask any of the photographers you admire how long they have been developing their photography skills, they will all tell you that it’s taken them years.

So, how do you speed this learning process up? There are a few ways, but one of them is to learn from other’s mistakes and successes. Every photographer starts out as a beginner, so it would make sense that others have learned a few lessons along the way from which you can benefit.

10 photography lessons 07

I’m no photography master by any stretch, but I’ve learned a few valuable lessons in the 10 years since I picked up a camera. Here are a few of them.

1. Great light beats a great subject every time

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had the experience of visiting a gorgeous location with grand visions of the stunning photos you’re going to come home with, only to be bitterly disappointed and wonder what you did wrong. On the flip-side, you’ve likely been pleasantly surprised by the beautiful photos you’ve taken of a very ordinary scene or subject.

So, what is the one thing that makes a great photo above anything else? Great light. This is the reason why I will often return to the same location to photograph the same scene repeatedly. The scene hasn’t changed, but the light will never be the same twice. Learn to predict, look for, and create great light.

10 photography lessons 06

2. Shoot for love, not likes

Social media has changed the world we live in, which is a great thing for photographers. Of course, there are negatives to this as well. The biggest drawback, in my opinion, is the eternal quest for likes. Not a single one of us is immune to it.

It’s flattering and gives a nice ego-boost when someone “likes” your photo on Instagram or Facebook. But it can become a dangerous obsession when you begin to shoot or edit your photos with the motivation of getting more likes.

Sure, we all change and develop our style over time, and this is partly influenced by current trends. Just try to stay focused on shooting what you love, and don’t let the desire for validation on social media make you shoot for likes.

3. Post-processing is part of your artistic expression – learn it well

It’s no secret we live in a digital age. Despite Photoshop having some pretty negative connotations at times, post-processing your photos in the digital darkroom is a necessity, and the sooner you learn it, the sooner your photography will really take off.

10 photography lessons 04

Capturing your photos well in-camera is only half of the process. As a visual artist, what happens to those RAW images is entirely up to you. If you don’t know how to edit them well, then you’re short-changing yourself.

You don’t need to become a professional retoucher, just start with the basics and learn them well. Post-production software is cheap these days, and you can learn how to use it for free. There’s no excuse. Your inner artist will thank you for it.

4. Keep your gear simple

My gear has fluctuated from a single point-and-shoot to a bag heavy enough to crush a camel, and everything in-between. When I switched from a large Nikon full frame kit to Sony mirrorless a couple years ago, I intentionally simplified my gear, and I’ve kept it that way.

There are three reasons for this. Firstly, as a landscape and travel photographer, I don’t want or need large or heavy gear. Secondly, I’m more likely to consider a new purchase more seriously. And thirdly, simplifying your gear (especially lenses) forces you to develop your creativity.

10 photography lessons 03

One of the best exercises you can do for your photography is to go out with your camera and only one prime lens and shoot with just that setup. You don’t need anywhere near as much gear as you think.

5. Make friends with other creatives

For most of us, photography is a solitary pursuit. That’s part of the attraction. Even for an extrovert like me, getting out by myself to explore with my camera is one of my favorite things to do. However, networking with other creative people has a number of benefits that you should try to make the most of as well.

You can do so online, but doing it in person is even better. These creatives could be photographers, but they don’t have to be. They could be filmmakers, painters, illustrators, cake decorators, or musicians. It doesn’t matter what their outlet is or how you spend your time together. Just find other people who will inspire and motivate you, and who you can do the same for. The benefits will surprise you.

6. Hold off trying to make money as long as possible

10 photography lessons 05

Do a quick Google for “how to make money with photography” and you will be drowning in the sea of photo-selling tactics. There’s no question, you can make money selling photography, but that doesn’t mean you should.

I’m not going to go into the pros and cons of trying to turn your photography into a business. I will say, however, that you should try not to rush into monetizing your passion. Turning a hobby into a business (even just a side-hustle) changes things. It can be very satisfying, but mixing art and money isn’t for everyone. Just keep enjoying your hobby as long as you can.

7. Comparison will cripple you and steal your passion

This is in some ways an extension of #2 above. If you spend any time at all on Instagram, you will see there is a massive amount of very talented photographers out there. It’s easy to get discouraged by comparing your photography to that of others.

Again, nobody is immune to this. I often catch myself being overly critical of my own photography because I’m not just viewing the work of others, but comparing mine to it. Nothing good comes from this.

10 photography lessons 02

It’s great to be inspired by the work of others, but if it’s stealing your love for your own photos, it’s turned into something else. Comparison can be a very useful tool, but only if you’re comparing yourself to yesterday.

8. Invest in your craft

Unless your gear was gifted, borrowed, or stolen, then you understand that photography will cost you some of your hard-earned pesos. You can spend a little, or you can spend a LOT.

There are some things that will give you a far better return on your investment than others, though. For example, good lenses are a far better investment than a new camera body. The thing that will give you the best return on investment, in my opinion, is photography education.

There are a lot of great free resources out there, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. You can learn a hell of a lot from very affordable ebooks and online courses. And if you really want your photography to flourish, take a workshop with a master. You’ll never wish you hadn’t made the investment.

10 photography lessons 08

9. Start a blog

You might be thinking, “The world doesn’t really need another blog”, and you’d be right. But you’re not doing this for the world are you?

When I started my travel photography blog back in 2010, I never had any visions of millions of readers, I just wanted somewhere I could share photos of my travels and stories of my adventures. I wanted a medium other than Facebook, where I could choose how it looked. It was one of the best things I have ever done.

It’s since grown into somewhere that I now teach travel photography, but it’s still my photo blog, and it’s been a hugely creative outlet for me. I recommend Pro Blogger’s free Start A Blog course (by dPS’s very own Darren Rowse).

10. Your best image is yet to be made

10 photography lessons 01

As I mentioned in #7 above, it’s easy to get discouraged from time-to-time in photography. This happens for a number of reasons, but there’s one thing that I have learned which helps me get back on the horse when I feel like I’m wasting my time. I remember that I still haven’t made my best photo yet.

Of course, there is no such thing as a “best photo”, because photography is an art, not a science. What I’m getting at is that if you keep going, keep learning, keep practicing, you will keep making images that you think might be your best image yet. There will be dry periods, but push through them, try something different, get out of the rut, and you’ll come out the other side and continue to make images that remind you why you do it.

Conclusion

I hope you can take away something to help you in these photography lessons which I’ve picked up over the years. Do you have any pearls of wisdom that you’d like to share with other dPS readers? What have you learned that has made you a better photographer?

The post 10 Photography Lessons I’ve Learned Over 10 Years appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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CP+ 2018 interviews: The reign of the DSLR is almost over…

08 Apr

Canon executives (L-R) Yoshiyuki Mizoguchi, Go Tokura, and Naoya Kaneda. Will Canon announce a full-frame mirrorless camera this year? The signs are looking increasingly positive. Read the full interview

At DPReview, we’re in touch with the companies that make your favorite cameras and lenses all year-round. Our best opportunity to really tap into how the leaders of those companies are thinking though comes once a year, at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan.

Senior executives from all of the major camera and lens manufacturers are present at CP+ and we try our best to speak to as many of them as possible. This year we sat down with leaders from (in alphabetical order) Canon, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, Ricoh, Sigma, Sony and Tamron to learn more about how they see the market, and to get an indication of what might be coming down the road.

Full-frame mirrorless will become the norm, and it will happen pretty soon

This year, almost all the executives we spoke to seemed to agree on one thing: full-frame mirrorless will become the norm, and it will happen pretty soon. Kenji Tanaka of Sony even put a date on it, saying that in his opinion, Canon and Nikon would join Sony in the full-frame mirrorless space within a year. Executives from Sigma and Tamron were similarly confident, and even Go Tokura of Canon dropped a couple of fairly heavy hints that the move to mirrorless is imminent.

Kenji Tanaka of Sony thinks that it won’t be long before Sony has some company in the full-frame mirrorless market, but must be hoping that products like the A7 III will increase his company’s share of the full-frame market in the meantime. Read the full interview

It certainly makes sense, and honestly, I’m surprised that it’s even taken this long. For quite a while now, I’ve had the feeling that DPReview has been reporting on two camera markets. One is the mirrorless market: new, energetic, and increasingly packed with advanced autofocus systems and high-end video features. And the other is the DSLR market, dominated by increasingly non-essential iterative updates at the low-end, solid money-makers in the middle, and tough but conventional flagships at the top. There are some exciting and innovative DSLRs still being released, no doubt, but they’re starting to look less and less like products of the technology’s continuing evolution and more like its ultimate expression.

At a certain point, the mirror and prism will become barriers to further innovation

It’s hard to imagine, for example, how much more advanced Nikon’s DSLR platform can get, following the release of the D5 and D850. At a certain point, the mirror and prism will become barriers to further innovation, and if we haven’t already reached that point already, surely we must be getting close?

We spent some time at CP+ talking with senior executives from Fujifilm about the runaway success of the GFX system, and how the company is moving into video.

Read the full interview

Canon already has a mirrorless lineup, albeit one that up to now has been primarily aimed at entry-level customers. They’ve been quietly laying the groundwork for high-end mirrorless for a while now though, with key technologies like Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus and a small system of compact EF-M lenses that are optimized for the short flange-back of the M-mount. As Mr. Tokura and his fellow executives told us when we spoke to them in Japan, ‘we have the technology’ – they just need to put it all together. Nikon’s 1 System (it’s not dead, it’s just sleeping…) likewise introduced some important technologies that Nikon could presumably incorporate into a larger-format system when it feels the time is right.

When we spoke to the head of Olympus’s imaging business unit, Shigemi Sugimoto, he told us that he hopes to grow his company’s market share after “a painful period”.

Read the full interview

I think that the time is close at hand. It’s hard to argue with Mr. Tanaka of Sony that “if cameras are going to develop […] manufacturers have to develop mirrorless technologies”. Consider features like face / eye-detection AF, full-frame autofocus coverage and 4K video. All work best with the mirror up, even when it might not technically be a prerequisite.

With a lens like its new 28-75mm, Tamron is not just betting on Sony, but on full-frame mirrorless in general

Sigma and Tamron both announced full-frame Sony E-mount lenses at CP+, and appear committed to further development in the future. Takashi Sawao of Tamron confirmed something that we already suspected – lenses like its upcoming 28-75mm F2.8 for Sony have the potential to be adapted relatively easily for future – new – mirrorless mounts. The not-so-subtle message here is that with a lens like the 28-75mm, his company is betting not just on Sony, but on full-frame mirrorless in general. Sigma isn’t quite there yet (although Sigma has several native FE lenses on the market, they’re based on existing DSLR designs) but CEO Mr. Yamaki told us that his company’s announcement of E-mount versions of some Art-series lenses is ‘just the beginning’.

Among the topics covered in our conversation with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki were his determination to make more native Sony E-Mount lenses for mirrorless cameras. Read the full interview

Technically speaking, there are plenty of advantages to making lenses for full-frame mirrorless systems from scratch. Mr. Yamaki explained that for wideangle optics especially, the lenses can be made substantially smaller. They can also take advantage of in-camera optical corrections. If and when Canon and Nikon fully commit to full-frame mirrorless, I predict a flood of new lenses, as well as cameras. Nobody is expecting a return to the salad days of the early and mid-2000s, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a little more competition in a market with a few more new products in it? I’m asking for a friend…

Our conversation with Tamron executives covered various topics, including the move to new native mirrorless designs and the decline in DSLR lens sales.

Read the full interview

Sony and Fujifilm both told us that they would welcome Canon and Nikon’s eventual contributions to the high-end mirrorless marketplace, and I believe them – although Sony’s rapid release cycle of full-frame a7 and a9 bodies in the past 18 months certainly looks like an attempt to grab as much market share as possible in the meantime.

Olympus’ Shigemi Sugimoto seems to be looking forward to some growth, after “a painful period” which saw his company’s imaging products lineup shrink. He’s new to his job, but appears confident that his company’s high-performance Micro Four Thirds cameras can compete thanks to their attractive combination of small size and market-leading image stabilization.

Meanwhile, Panasonic also hinted at further development of its stills-focused ILCs, after a period when the company has seemed more focused on meeting the needs of professional and enthusiast videographers. For its part, Fujifilm has made a bold move in the other direction with its new flagship X-H1, explicitly courting video creators for the first time.

Panasonic executives told us that the company is hoping to ‘re-brand’ its stills photography offerings, after a period of investment in video users. Read the full interview

The only manufacturer we spoke to in Japan that appeared uninterested in talking about mirrorless development was Ricoh. I suspect that this is partly strategic and partly also driven by necessity. The R&D resources required to tool up and launch a new system into (presumably, before too long) a crowded market may simply be prohibitive – especially given that the company has only recently started to dip its toes into full-frame digital.

At least for now, it looks as if we can expect little more from Ricoh than consolidation of the existing K-series DSLR lineup and probably a GR II successor of some kind, at some point in the future. A proportion of die-hard Pentax fans will be disappointed by this, but I expect that many simply won’t care. The K-1 II and the imminent arrival of a new 50mm F1.4 represent (at least) a continued investment in the company’s core user-base, and that’s probably enough to keep the loyalists happy for now.

Takashi Arai of Ricoh told us that we can expect new K-series products and possibly also a GR II successor soon, but it seems unlikely that we’ll see any Pentax-branded mirrorless cameras in the near future.

Read the full interview

So what’s coming around the corner? If you’ll indulge some informed guesswork, I’m expecting the announcement of 4K-capable full-frame mirrorless cameras from at least one if not both of the major DSLR manufacturers by late summer, ahead of Photokina in September. That would fit the historical pattern of major product launches from both manufacturers. I don’t think that either Canon or Nikon will attack the professional market straight out of the gate – instead, it’s probably more likely they’ll kick things off with EOS 6D / D600-type products.

I expect flagship professional mirrorless ILCs to be launched ahead of Tokyo 2020 from Canon, Nikon and Sony

A slow build-up of core native-mirrorless lenses (alongside the necessary mount adapters for legacy EF and F lenses) will naturally follow, and development will ramp up as we get close to the Olympic Games in 2020. We know from speaking to executives at CP+ that Tokyo 2020 is going to be a big deal for Canon, and I’d expect it also to be used as a showcase for flagship professional mirrorless ILCs from the other two manufacturers in the ‘big three’ – Nikon and Sony.

By then, it would make sense for both Canon and Nikon to have replicated their most important tele primes and wide-aperture zoom lenses in their new native mirrorless mounts, and for Sigma and Tamron to be offering their own lower-cost alternatives. I don’t want to guess at exactly what those alternatives will look like, but it’s a safe bet that Sigma’s will be larger.

What do you think? Will Fujifilm or Panasonic be competing with the big three in the photographers stands at Tokyo 2020? Will Ricoh ever make another mirrorless ILC? Will Canon’s concept cameras transform how we think about capturing images?

Have your say in the comments.

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How to Choose the Right ISO for Landscape Photography

08 Apr

In this article, I will give you some tips on how to choose the right or best ISO for landscape photography.

The challenge as a beginner

Choosing the ideal settings in different scenarios is quite challenging as a photography beginner. We’ve all been there and I certainly know your frustration when your images don’t look as good as you want.

There’s so much to think about including; the composition, the perspective, the camera gear, do you need filters? And what about the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO? Don’t worry, though. It takes some trial and error but soon enough it will be a piece of cake!

How to Choose the Right ISO for Landscape Photography

Since my camera was mounted on a tripod I could use a low ISO of 80 for this image.

I hope to make one of these questions a little clearer through this article, though. Choosing the ideal ISO is crucial for the image quality, and it has a direct impact on both the shutter speed and aperture.

Always use the lowest possible ISO

I won’t go too much into detail regarding how the ISO works in this article, but to simplify, the ISO expresses your camera’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive it is to light, while a lower ISO makes the camera less sensitive to light.

Please note: This is a simplification for beginners. It is actually much more complex than this but you don’t need to understand all the science behind the scenes to use ISO correctly.

While a higher ISO is good when aiming for a quick shutter speed, it also introduces a significant amount of grain or digital noise into the image. That’s something you want to avoid, and it’s the reason that you’ll often hear that you should always use ISO100.

To achieve the longest possible exposure I could use an ISO of 64 here.

Now, I agree that you should aim to use ISO100 for most stationary landscapes, you shouldn’t make the mistake of only using that setting. It took me several years before I managed to accept that there’s not only one correct ISO in landscape photography. In fact, I was pretty much an ISO100-nazi, and except for night photography, I stuck to it.

In later years I’ve learned that this isn’t necessarily the best practice.

First of all, you aren’t always able to use ISO 100. Here are a few scenarios where you might need to bump up the ISO:

Photographing handheld.
When trying to freeze moving subjects.
When photographing at night.

ISO 640 was the lowest ISO I could use here in order to achieve a quick enough shutter speed to get a sharp handheld image.

These are just some of the scenarios where ISO 100 might not be possible. However, there are other, and less talked about, times where you need to increase the ISO as well:

When adjusting the shutter speed for capturing the perfect motion/flow in water.
If you need to freeze elements moving in the wind (such as bushes, branches etc.).
When you’re using a telephoto lens handheld.

In other words, you should always aim to use the lowest ISO possible but that doesn’t always mean ISO 100 (even though that’s the “ideal” ISO quality-wise).

Adjusting the ISO at night

I briefly mentioned that ISO 100 is not ideal for night photography. Let’s look a little closer at that and find the best option. Remember that a higher ISO is more sensitive to light. In other words, that means you need less time (a shorter exposure) to achieve a correct exposure when it’s increased.

Now, at night there’s not a lot of light which means that you need more time to capture a well-exposed image. However, just setting the shutter speed to 30-seconds and leaving the ISO at 100, will still result in an underexposed image.

I had to increase the ISO to 4000 to get a well-exposed shot of this night scene.

Instead, you need to sacrifice some image-quality and increase the ISO. Exactly what ISO you need depends on the moon phase and overall brightness of your scene (for example, being close to city lights or other light sources will have an impact on your choice).

The first steps in my night photography workflow are to set the Aperture and Shutter Speed I’m going to use. Next, I use my base ISO for night photography, 1600.

However, just as with ISO 100, it’s not the only one you should use. ISO 1600 works as a starting point and after taking a test shot I’ll often make small adjustments. Most of the time you’ll use an ISO between 1200 and 3200 for night photography (though a full-moon or Aurora session might allow for an ISO as low as 800).

Adjusting the Aperture or ISO for a Quicker Shutter Speed

The most difficult part of manually adjusting settings is to learn what adjustments you need to make in certain situations. Should you adjust the ISO, Aperture, or Shutter Speed? I remember this being one of my biggest frustrations when first making the switch to Manual Mode.

ISO 100 – f/10 – 0.4 seconds.

While leading photography workshops I often tell the participants to adjust the settings as they normally would before I help them. I often notice that many are photographing with an aperture of f/22 and ISO 100. However, when they need a faster shutter speed, their first instinct is to increase the ISO.

That’s when I ask the question; “Do you really need an aperture of f/22? Will an aperture of f/16, f/11 or f/8 give you similar results? If so, then leave the ISO alone.

Remember, always use the lowest ISO possible. In this scenario, the image will benefit from using a wider aperture and maintaining a low ISO.

Let’s Summarize

I hope that I haven’t made you even more confused than what you were before. Understanding the ISO and choosing the correct one is a little tricky, as there isn’t always one correct choice. However, what I hope you take away from this article is that you should aim to use the lowest ISO possible in each given scenario.

For regular daytime photography, I typically use an ISO between 64 and 400 – the latter is when I’m using a telephoto lens handheld, which requires a quicker shutter speed to keep sharp. For night photography, I typically use an ISO between 1200 and 3200.

I used ISO 400 to capture this sharp handheld shot with my 200mm.

Most DSLR cameras are able to take relatively noise-free images at ISO 400 but I recommend spending some time getting used to your camera and finding its limit.

So, as the final word, there isn’t one single correct ISO for each and every scenario but aim to use the lowest possible.

Learning how to choose the ideal settings takes some trial and error to learn. In my eBook, A Comprehensive Introduction to Landscape Photography, I teach the techniques you need to know in order to capture beautiful images, and how you easily can master them.

The post How to Choose the Right ISO for Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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3 Techniques and Tips for Photographing the Moon in the Landscape

08 Apr

It’s been almost 180 years since the first photograph of the full moon was made by an English scientist, chemist, and historian, John William Draper. Since then, the moon has been a subject that has captivated the attention of photographers around the world. Photographing the moon by itself is one thing, but when you want to include the moon in a landscape photo, you have some challenges to overcome.

Moonrise over Shack Island - 3 Techniques and Tips for Photographing the Moon in the Landscape

The first problem is that the moon is exceptionally bright in the night sky. The second problem is that you want both the landscape and the moon detailed and in sharp focus.

To make a dramatic photo of the moon in a landscape, we’ll be using two techniques in the field and one in post-processing to make the final image.

Moonrise over the ocean in Sidney, British Columbia - 3 Techniques and Tips for Photographing the Moon in the Landscape

1. Exposure bracketing

To make your job a bit easier, photograph the moon when it is close to the horizon. At this time the light from the moon goes through more atmosphere before it reaches our eyes, so it is not as bright as when the moon is high in the sky.

But, under normal circumstances, you’ll still need to bracket your exposures to capture detail in both the landscape and the moon.

Plan to make one exposure for the landscape and another exposure for the moon. You can either use spot metering in both cases, or you can use exposure compensation after your first image to darken the next shot by four or five stops until the moon is properly exposed.

Here is an example of two photos with different exposures: one exposed for the landscape and one exposed for the moon.

3 Techniques and Tips for Photographing the Moon in the Landscape - two exposures for the moon

2. Focus stacking

If you are working with a landscape composition where some elements in the frame are relatively close to the camera, you’ll find that your moon is not sharp if you’ve focussed your camera on the landscape. The only way your landscape and the moon will both be in focus at the same time is if everything in the frame is far way away from the camera.

But the solution is simple. Make your first exposure in the normal way, exposing and focussing on the landscape. Then make your second exposure to not only expose for the brightness of the moon, but also focus on the moon to make sure it’s sharp.

In the two brackets shown in the image above, I not only changed the exposure to expose properly for the moon, but I also changed the focus point so that the moon would be sharp.

Sometimes you may need to use focus stacking without changing the exposure settings. For example, when I made the image below I didn’t need to bracket my exposures because the moon was a dark red color due to the eclipse. However, I still needed to use focus stacking to make both the cactus and the moon appear sharp.

Blue, blood, super moon in Ajo, Arizona, 3 Techniques and Tips for Photographing the Moon in the Landscape

3. Exposure Blending

In post-processing, you can combine your two exposures to make an image with a properly exposed and sharp foreground landscape and moon.

But it’s not quite as simple as just doing a copy and paste if you want it to look natural.

Photo 1: Clone out the moon

In the first photo, notice how the brightness of the moon has caused a strong glow in the sky beyond the moon itself. So if you just paste your properly exposed moon on top of that, the glow will look strange. My first step in post-processing is to clone out the original moon and make the color of the sky look even.

Photo 2: Select the moon

In the second photo, use the Quick Selection Tool to make a selection of the moon. You can then improve your selection by using “Refine Edge” in Photoshop Elements or “Select and Mask” in Photoshop CC. Other post-processing programs have similar tools.

Whichever program you use, the objective is the same. You want to smooth out the edge of your selection so the moon looks natural when pasted onto the first image. If the edges are abrupt, it won’t look natural.

To do this, contract your selection by about 3 pixels and then feather it by 2 pixels. When you are done, save your selection on a new layer.

Paste the moon from Photo 2 on to Photo 1

Finally, you can copy your new layer, go to the first photo and paste it in place.

Super Moon in Ajo, Arizona by Anne McKinnell

If the moon doesn’t look natural, you may need to experiment with blend modes and opacity. Try using the overlay blend mode and reducing the opacity of the layer until you get the look you are after.

Conclusion

Using these techniques will help you create dramatic images of the moon in the landscape – images that more closely match what you are able to see with your own eyes.

To see exactly how I created my moon composite image using Photoshop Elements, watch the video below.

If you have any other tips for photographing the moon in the landscape, please share in the comments below.

The post 3 Techniques and Tips for Photographing the Moon in the Landscape appeared first on Digital Photography School.