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Archive for October, 2018

Pixii is a display-less digital rangefinder that connects to your smartphone

22 Oct

French startup Pixii has announced its first product, the Pixii camera. The Pixii is a digital rangefinder with an M-mount that pairs with your smartphone to use the mobile device’s display and memory.

The machined aluminum body houses a CMOS sensor with global electronic shutter and 12-bit sampling rate that, according to Pixii, offers a dynamic range of 60-90dB. Base ISO is 200 and gain can be adjusted from ISO 100 to 6400. Unfortunately at this point there is no information on the sensor’s dimensions or pixel count. All we know is it features a 5.5µm pixel pitch.

Lenses are attached via a Leica M mount but, using an adapter, you can also shoot with M39 and LTM lenses. Shutter speed can set to auto or manual but focus and aperture are controlled manually only.

“The digital camera hasn’t changed much since the 90s,” says PIXII founder David Barth. “But now the new generation is learning photography with a smartphone: who understands why a camera still needs to bother with a screen or an SD card?”

On the camera’s back there is no display but an optical viewfinder that offers a 0.67x magnification, LED backlit frame lines (40/50mm and 28/35mm) and exposure indicators. LED brightness adjusts automatically and the viewfinder also offers automatic parallax correction.

On the top plate you can find a small OLED control screen that displays the most important camera and image settings but images have to be reviewed on the display of your smartphone. There is no card slot either. Instead images are saved into 8 or 32GB of built-in memory or directly transferred to your phone.

Other features include a tripod mount, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity (presumably for connecting to the smartphone) and a 1000mAh Li-ion battery.

There is no information yet on pricing or availability but we will let you know as soon as we get an update from Pixii.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly at weddings

22 Oct

Wedding days are filled with details. While the bride and groom portraits are the most important pictures you’ll photograph during the day, family and bridal party portraits come at a close second.

These tips help you photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly and beautifully, giving your guests great photos without taking up valuable time.

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If you have time during the bridal party photos, get creative!

Family portraits

Make use of a consultation to speak with your clients before the event to find out if any of their parents are divorced and note this down on a wedding info sheet.

I lead with this because it can change the order in which you photograph family portraits, especially if there are parents who choose not to see each other.

Unfortunately, this is a reality and should be handled with care.

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Ask about divorced parents before the wedding because it can affect family portraits.

During the consultation process, you should also create an itinerary so that you have at least 30 minutes for family portraits. The more time you have, the more variety in posing you can get, however, 30 minutes is enough time to capture the family.

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Both family portraits in the same location.

When photographing wedding family portraits before the ceremony, make sure you confirm if both the bride and groom families will be present or if you will be photographing them separately.

Either way, this list provides different combinations to use with each family; all achievable in under 15 minutes.

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Build portraits by adding people gradually.

Bride/Groom with parents (If they are divorced, photograph with new spouses or simply keep them separate portraits)
Bride/Groom with entire immediate family, including brothers, sisters, including spouses and children
If grandparents are present, take another photo of the entire family including grandparents
Bride/Groom with mother
Bride/Groom with father
Bride/Groom with nieces and nephews only
Bride/Groom with siblings
Bride/Groom with grandparents
Bride/Groom with important uncles/aunts/extended family

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Build portraits by adding parents and without moving them, add in the rest of the family.

Keep the portraits of the extended family until the end.

They may be eager to get family portraits after the ceremony but make sure that you express to them that the most important photos are of the immediate family.

Of course, make sure to ask the bride and groom if there is anyone in the extended family that is a must-have during the family portraits.

At small weddings, you might have a chance to photograph all of the guests with the bride and groom.

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Take photos of each family individually and don’t forget to add the bride or groom.

The family portrait formula

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To do this and all of the family portraits quickly, follow this formula:

Find a big space with a neutral or pleasing background, like pretty landscaping, an interesting building, or a clearing in the venue/location. One great option is to photograph close to the ceremony where family members are all together and present. This helps keep people from wandering off and missing out on the portraits.
Begin with the family that is present. For example, if the groom’s family is ready, begin with them so that you don’t waste time waiting. Set up the bride and groom in the center, tummy to tummy, holding the bouquet. From here, build out until you get the entire family in the photo. Remember to also take photos of the bride and groom with their respective families alone.
From there, it is easier to keep the bride or groom in the center and add or remove people as needed.
Always show a connection by having people put their hands on the arm of the person next to them or if they are spouses, holding hands. Putting hands on the shoulders of children or holding their hands also helps.
For babies and children under 3, they are best when being held as sometimes they might be too small if they are standing in the portrait. If you have time, photograph both options.

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Both families are in one portrait.

Family portraits are the ones that guests always download the most as many family members do not live nearby. Weddings act as a mini-reunion for families, which is why it’s important to get solid portraits of them.

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Grandparents are very important guests, make sure to take portraits when they are present.

Taking family portraits using the formula above ensures that you can work quickly and not take up time from the cocktail hour or even the bride and groom’s portraits!

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Connect family with hands to arms or on shoulders.

Once you take the solid portrait of the family, if you have time, get creative or have fun with it.

Get a photo of the family hugging or siblings doing something funny.

Doing this also helps keep the mood light and ensures that everyone has fun during the family portraits.

How to photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly at weddings 11

Bridal party portraits

Bridal party photos should take anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour to photograph to get as much variety as possible. Begin photographing the entire bridal party together to ensure that no one is missing and everyone is present.

Begin with photographing the entire bridal party together.

A few quick tips for bridal party portraits

Make sure that all boutonnières and bouquets are ready and each person has their flowers pinned or in hand. Place bouquets at belly button height because this keeps the arms slightly bent, and the flowers visible without being too high or too low.

For the groomsmen, ask them to take out all of their belongings from their pockets as this can create hard to edit shadows on the pants. If there is something special, like a gift from the bride or groom to their bridal party, take a photograph of that too.

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Take the following series of photos for the entire bridal party portraits:

Bridal party standing in line – placing bridesmaids on bride’s side and groomsmen on the groom’s side is a classic and sure portrait of the entire bridal party. Place the tallest people on the outside as they can distract from the bride and groom if they are shorter. Then line them up according to height.
Create a ‘u’ shape forward or try to use a ‘v’ shape to create more depth.
Stagger the bridal party and turn some people away from the center, creating more depth in the portrait. You can sometimes have the bridesmaids interlocking arms or the groomsmen holding shoulders or leaning against each other. Try different ideas with them standing.
If you have access to chairs, place a couple in front to create differences in height and create a similar portrait but with a few people sitting. It makes a much more interesting photo.
If there are steps, use them to stagger the bridal party across, keeping the bride and groom center.
Get a photo of the bridal party walking toward the camera having fun.
Ask the bridal party to mix and get a group photo of them having fun.
Get a group hug if the bridal party isn’t too large. Doing so creates authentic smiles and breaks-up the stiffness or seriousness of the portraits.

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How to photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly at weddings 15

Bridal party portraits should be fun and keeping the mood light always helps.

If you find yourself having a hard time getting them to focus, try letting them know that the faster you photograph the portraits, the faster they can get to the party.

This usually motivates them to cooperate faster.

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Once you have the entire bridal party portraits, take photos of the groomsmen. The bride can take a break to touch up makeup, take a sip of water, or rest for a moment.

Groomsmen usually want to get the portraits over as quickly as possible so beginning with them makes everything run smoothly. If you have a second photographer, ask them to take the groomsmen aside and photograph them while you focus on the bride to cut time as well.

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Photographing the bridesmaids and groomsmen separately is much more fluid and can be more fun. Have them line up, hug, do something funny, and take individual photos of the bride or groom with each person.

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Have fun during bridal party portraits.

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How to photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly at weddings 20

Take individual photos with each person in the bridal party.

Make sure to take waist-high portraits as well as full-length with enough room around the frame just in case they print the photo at different sizes that may crop the image.

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How to photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly at weddings 22

Try and keep the bridal party photos in one location so that you don’t have to move so many people around.

Another tip is to photograph the bridesmaids and groomsmen separately earlier in the day and come together after the ceremony for the larger portrait.

Sometimes this can save time as well.

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Extended family bridal party portraits

After the ceremony, as guests congratulate the couple, do not get caught in the trap of photographing extended family portraits. Make sure to let the guests know that during cocktail hour or the reception, you will have more time to photograph guests with the couple.

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Extended family photos during cocktail hour saves time from the bride and groom portraits or other events during the wedding day.

The reason for this is because taking portraits of guests with the couple immediately after the ceremony, or while the guests are congratulating the couple, can cut time from the family portraits.

It is okay to get candid/photojournalistic photos during this time of the couple with the guests.

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Photos during the reception for extended family is very ideal.

However, make sure to get a few before heading to the location where you are taking the family portraits. This gives you time to set up and get your camera ready for the quick family portraits.

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Keep a checklist

Use the Notes app on your phone or carry a printout of a checklist with all the combinations to use to photograph the family and bridal party portraits. Doing so helps you keep track of what you’ve already photographed and what you need to do, so you don’t waste time wondering what comes next.

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Weddings are all about the guests, and the guest list is meticulously planned, so make sure you take the extra step and ask the bride and groom if there are any guests they specifically want photographing.

Doing so makes all the difference when they look through their final images. Make sure to include these VIP guests in your checklist and note when would be a good time during the day to get their portrait.

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Once you have more wedding experience, these portraits become easier and quicker to set up, photograph and pose. Soon you’ll be doing them in under 15 minutes, giving you more time to experiment and get creative!

Put a family member or someone close in charge

It can be stressful making sure all the family members and bridal party are present where and when they need to be. This stress should not fall on either the bride or groom.

On the day of the wedding, find someone who is a family member or bridal party member who is familiar with both sides of the family be in charge of making sure that all family members and bridal party are where they need to be during the portraits.

Since they know who the key players are, this helper can cut time by making sure everyone who needs to be in the portraits is present, making the portrait time more fluid.

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Take photos of gifts the bridal party receives from the couple.

Keep the portraits moving

Sometimes, you’ll have to wait on a family member or bridal party member, and that is okay. You always want to make sure the bride and groom stay as calm and stress-free as possible. When this happens, keep the portraits moving.

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For example, if the groom’s family isn’t ready, then begin with the bride’s family. If you’re waiting for a bridesmaid, take individual shots first and then move on to the groomsmen.

Making sure the portraits continue allows the person who is missing to arrive, all the while you are still creating beautiful portraits for the bride and groom.

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Allow the bridal party to have fun.

If there is a circumstance where someone essential is missing or unavailable for the photos, ask the bride and groom to move the portrait session to a different time.

Perhaps you can do the bridal party portraits during the cocktail hour or carve out some time during the reception to get family portraits.

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If you have access to chairs use them to pose the bridal party or family.

Make sure to note any changes to the portrait sessions and anyone still to be photographed. Ensure that you get the photo during the day to help the bride and groom feel less stressed and more confident in you to achieve all the crucial portraits.

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In conclusion

Family photos and bridal party photos are a huge part of every wedding day and can be stressful when trying to pose large groups of people.

Using these tips can help these portraits to be more streamlined so that the guests, as well as the bride and groom, can enjoy the party.

You’ll get fabulous portraits that everyone loves without having to take up too much time.

Do you have any wedding portrait tips you’d like to share? If so, leave them in a comment below.

For more information on wedding photography, read this article on What Are the Real Responsibilities of a Wedding Photographer or What to Bring to Photograph a Wedding Besides Your Photo Gear

The post How to photograph family and bridal party portraits quickly at weddings appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Greater freedom: Canon’s engineers talk about the EOS R project

22 Oct

The launch of Canon’s EOS R gave us a chance to talk to a group of the engineers involved in the project. The company put forward an engineer from each of the main parts of the development process: physical design, optical design, UI design and overall product design. They talked of being given more freedom than ever before but also of the need to build on the EOS system’s strengths.

Left to right:
Koji Yoshida – Lead Engineer/Architect, Integrated Design Department 232
Manabu Kato – Deputy Senior General Manager, ICD Optical Product Development Center
Shintaro Oshima – General Manager, ICB Product Development Div 1.
Hironori Oishi – Lead Specialist, Product Design Div 1.

A new, short and wide mount

Canon has been consistent across its launch, when it’s said that the important announcement isn’t the EOS R, specifically, or the fact that there’s no mirror, but in what the RF mount allows them to do.

Manabu Kato sums up the freedom they’ve gained in terms of optical design: “people who’ve been working on lenses for a really long time have, with this new system, been able to make lenses like the 28-70mm F2 comparably easily, compared to how they had so many challenges in the past.”

“By having [more] data being transferred between the camera and lens…you can improve the autofocus, metering and image stabilization performance”

As well as allowing more ambitious optical designs, the RF mount also adds data bandwidth, moving from eight communication channels to twelve. “During shooting there’s a massive amount of data going between the lens and the camera, so making sure that was smooth was another challenge,” says Kato. “By having that huge amount of data being transferred between the camera and lens, you can improve the general performance in relation to autofocus, metering and image stabilization. And you can also add features such as the control rings on the lenses.”

The RF 28-70mm F2 lens, combined with pupil detection AF is a powerful combination. ISO 100 | 1/5000sec | F2 | Canon RF 28-70mm F2 @ 70mm (Pre-Production lens)

“You can also use DLO without any problems,” he said. Digital Lens Optimizer – Canon’s name for digital lens corrections – previously required that the camera look up the data in a database, meaning that camera firmware needed to be updated to accommodate new lenses. It’s now supplied in real time by the lens itself, so there’s no need for a look-up step.

Video, as well as stills

This real-time data flow allows the use of Digital Lens Optimizer and distortion correction in video for the first time. And it’s clear that, despite the EOS R’s comparatively modest specs in that area, Canon has done a lot of thinking about the needs of video shooters.

“Getting rid of [the mode dial] was a big decision that required a lot of consideration”

“In relation to the optical system, we gave consideration to focus breathing*, and also aperture control: you can change the aperture in 1/8th stops,” says Kato. “also the Nano USM, it’s very quiet and quick: the first time in an L lens.”

Difficult decisions

Trying to accommodate the needs of video shooters ended up leading the removal of the camera’s mode dial, says Koji Yoshida: “if you have a mode dial then the [exposure] settings will be the same for both stills and movies.”

The decision not to offer a mode dial on the EOS R was not taken lightly.

“We consulted with a lot of different people and talked about this a lot, and decided to have different settings this time,” he says. But it’s clear this isn’t a decision made lightly: “[The mode dial] is a function that’s been common in the past, so getting rid of that was a big decision that required a lot of consideration,” said Shintaro Oshima. “There was a lot of internal discussion about this point,” concurs Yoshida.

The challenge of legacy

This tension between novelty and legacy is a constant theme of our conversation. “Our aim was to carry on the traditional parts of EOS but then bring in new innovation at the same time,” says Hironori Oishi: “our biggest challenge was making this look like an EOS camera with just a single glance, you can see that it’s an EOS camera, based on the traditional styling of the EOS cameras. And also the feeling, when you hold the camera – as soon as you hold it in your hand, you know it’s an EOS.”

The M-Fn button is one of the most obvious ways in which the EOS R introduces new thinking to the EOS experience. It’s fair to say we’re not convinced by the way it currently works.

This extended to the user interface, says Yoshida: “the challenge we faced in terms of the software or the interface was making sure that it’s got the same basic controls as an EOS: to carry on that operability that EOS users are used to, then also implementing new elements into that design at the same time.”

The answer was to blend features from Canon’s existing live view and DSLR experience:, he says: “We used the mirrorless AF modes but we also also included features from the 5D Mark IV AF, like Expand AF area and large zone AF: this is the first time this has been introduced in a live view camera from Canon.”

Opportunity for innovation

The solution to these tensions seems to have been to look for opportunities to innovate while maintaining continuity: something made clear in the challenges of maintaining EF lens compatibility. Despite the EF mount already being fully electronic, Kato says: “it was difficult ensuring that compatibility. But we think that’s a big plus for the system.”

Whatever we might think of the rest of the EOS R experience, we love the idea of adding a control dial or filter mount in the EF-to-RF adapters.

Tellingly, the team looked for ways to add new features. “We also achieved the control ring adapter which brings additional value to EOS lens users,” says Kato: “The same applies to the drop-in filter adapter: it gives added value to those who already have EF lenses. We wanted to make sure that we looked after our current users of our EF lens system.”

“The control ring adapter brings additional value to EOS lens users…the same applies to the drop-in filter adapter”

Oshima stresses that the need for continuity didn’t hold the new camera back, though: “another focus was the low light limit performance. That’s a point of evolution from the EOS cameras.”

“Another focus was the low light [autofocus] limit performance”

This eye for an opportunity to innovate is perhaps most clearly seen in the way the EOS R, unlike any other mirrorless camera, closes its mechanical shutter when shut down. “we wanted to protect the sensor as much as possible from dust and light hitting the sensor,” explains Oshima: “The light coming through the lens affects the sensor in the long term. The color filter array and microlenses and also the photodiodes can all be damaged by light [if the sensor is always exposed].”

Another bright idea: Canon’s engineers worked out that if you stop-down the lens aperture blades, it reduces the risk of damaging the shutter blades, at which point you can close them to keep light and dust off the sensor.

To then protect the shutter blades, the camera stops its lens down and displays a warning not to leave it facing towards the sun, without a lens cap. “The aperture cannot be closed completely, so that message is kind of a safeguard,” explains Kato: “We’re kind of proud of the fact that with a simple idea, we’ve been able to increase value for customers.”

Just the beginning

As usual, no one was able to discuss future products. When asked whether there was any chance of an APS-C RF-mount camera, Oishi was suitably non-committal: “we’re thinking about it, but we can’t answer in detail,” he says. But the individual engineers did all discuss what they were looking forward to.

“We want to surprise and astonish you, so please expect big things”

“It gives more structural freedom in terms of design, because it doesn’t have a pentamirror”, says Oishi. “I’m excited about improvements in Digic image processor and functions that create more value and make easier to use,” says Yoshida. But it’s optics specialist Kato who seems most enthused: “This is just the start of the system,” he says, talking about F2.8 zooms and other possibilities, before settling on a broader-reaching point: “We want to surprise and astonish you, so please expect big things.”

Editor’s note: Richard Butler

Nearly ten years ago I wrote a blog post suggesting camera makers should go back and take a ‘blank sheet of paper’ approach to the way their cameras operate. Simply suggesting it is the easy bit. Actually doing it, and having to find clever solutions is quite a different matter.

Throughout our conversation, it was obvious that Canon had given its engineers more freedom than usual in this project but that there’s still a careful balancing act to avoid confusing or alienating your existing users. The nods of recognition around the table as Mr. Oshima spoke about the difficulty of decision to eliminate the mode dial said a lot about how seriously these decisions were taken.

It’s difficult to talk to people who’ve worked so hard to make a great camera and then have to publicly report that it doesn’t work as well as they’d intended. But that’s the reality of our experiences with the EOS R so far, across the DPReview team.

If nothing else, though, the team’s responses show how seriously Canon is taking the RF system as a chance to improve and innovate.I really hope we’ll see that reflected in updates to the EOS R and future products in the system.

* A change in field-of-view as the lens focuses – a minor concern for stills shooting, but potentially distracting in video [Return to text]

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Two Ways to Transform Old Photography Magazines Into Coasters

22 Oct

Photography magazines are one thing I can’t seem to throw away. My fascination with photography has culminated in a library of magazines filled with beautifully dated galleries, equipment reviews, tutorials and advice. They accumulate on my bookshelves, and quickly migrate to desktops, the tops of fridges, assorted drawers and nightstands.

While having a cup of tea the other day, I realized I’d forgotten to put down a coaster. I quickly grabbed a magazine and rested my cup on it, sparing my furniture. And it got me thinking. Could I transform some of my magazines into coasters themselves? Surely the thousands of pages I’d accumulated could be put to use as an interactive dining accessory. After all, who wouldn’t want a cute photography-themed coaster to admire while having a cup of tea?

Here are two simple ways to create striking coasters out of your old photography magazines.

The cut and paste method

You will need

A photography magazine or two.
Some coasters to stick your magazine images to. (I used simple round cork coasters from IKEA.)
Mod Podge (a glue and sealant) available at art supplies stores.
A pen or pencil.
A brush.

Method

First, find an image you’d like to incorporate into your coaster design. The choice here is endless. You could focus on text, photographs or whatever catches your eye.

Once you’ve selected an image, trace a circle around it (using your coaster as a template) and carefully cut it out.

Next, apply a generous amount of Mod Podge to the coaster and spread it around evenly with the paintbrush. (I put some newspaper down for this bit to protect my work surface from spills.)

Place your image face up on the Mod Podged side of the coaster and smooth out any wrinkles.

Once your coaster has dried (allow an hour or two), you’ll need to seal it. Spread a layer of Mod Podge evenly over the image with the brush. (Don’t worry, it dries clear.)

Once it has dried (again, allow an hour or two), repeat this step four times. Make sure you let the coaster dry between coatings.

Once the last layer of Mod Podge has dried, your coasters is ready to use.

The coiling method

You will need

A magazine.
A ruler and scalpel (or a paper shredder).
Glue. (Mod Podge works well for this project too.)
A paintbrush.

Method

Tear out a few magazine pages – the more vibrant the better. Cut each page lengthways into 7mm strips. (If you have a strip-cut paper shredder, you can use it instead.) You’ll need to cut up at least six pages.

Once you’ve cut your strips, its time to start curling. Select one strip of paper and curl it over itself to create a coil. Once you’ve completely curled the first strip, add a dab of Mod Podge to the end and glue it down.

Now you need to add a new strip to build on the last. Add a dab of Mod Podge to the end of a new strip of paper, and press it Mod Podge side down onto the coil where the last strip ended. Wind the fresh strip around the coil, keeping the paper nice and taut. Once you’ve completely wound it on, add a dab of Mod Podge to the end of the strip and secure it to the coil.

Keep winding your strips of paper onto the coil. For every fifth strip, add a thin a layer of Mod Podge down its entire length and wind it Mod Podge-down, around the coil. This will keep the coil together as it grows.

Keep adding strips of paper until you’re happy with the size of your coil.

It may take you a couple of hours, but the results are striking. And it’s really fun to watch it grow.

Whichever method you choose, it’s a great way to get those stunning images out of the bookshelf and onto your coffee table.

The post Two Ways to Transform Old Photography Magazines Into Coasters appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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These are the first portfolio images captured on Kodak’s revived Ektachrome E100 film

21 Oct

“Here, cotton candy-hued skies are reflected in Rockland, Maine’s calm harbor, speckled with ferries, yachts, yawls and mighty windjammers, such as the red-striped Victory Chimes, America’s largest schooner readying its sailors for a wind blown journey across Penobscot Bay,” Guttman explained on Kodak’s Instagram.

Ahead of its global distribution late last month, Kodak released its new Ektachrome 100 film to select photographers for beta testing. One of those photographers was award-winning photographer Peter Guttman, who was given access to the Kodak Professional Instagram account starting on September 12. Guttman used the account to share several images captured with the new Ektachrome E100 film.

Kodak bills its resurrected Ektachrome E100 as an extremely fine grain film that produces vibrant colors with low contrast and a neutral tonal scale. Guttman put the film to the test in a variety of scenes, capturing photos of a colorful sunset, bright daylight, high-contrast environments, and more.

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The new Kodak Ektachrome E100 film is available to preorder now from B&H Photo, Adorama, and other online retailers for $ 12.99. The film is listed as back-ordered with an availability date of December 2018. You can find out more information on Guttman by reading through his interview with YAG University

Credit: Photographs by Peter Guttman, used with permission

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Why We Have Such a Love-Hate Relationship with Mirrorless Cameras

21 Oct

It’s odd how some ideas seem to cascade once our minds start churning.

I recently wrote about the weird fascination we have with constantly chasing the latest cameras and gear, where I investigated the uncanny rise of full-frame mirrorless cameras. And with the newly announced full-frame mirrorless offerings from Nikon’s (the Z6 and Z7) and Canon (the EOS R), the bell has been sounded for an all-out mirrorless war.

Which got me thinking. Why are we so fascinated by mirrorless camera technology?

Our love-hate relationship with mirrorless cameras is of special interest to me. I’m a card-carrying member of the Sony full-frame mirrorless photography club, and I’ve used an A7R MK1 as my main camera body for some years now.

Let’s look at what mirrorless camera technology gives us, and why the winds of mainstream personal and professional photography are gusting towards a predominantly mirrorless future.

Note: I’m not trying to promote one camera system over another. While I do most of my work with a mirrorless camera, I still use SLR (film and digital) bodies and large-format film cameras.

The Allure of Mirrorless Camera Tech

The concept of mirrorless cameras is nothing new. Mirrorless digital cameras with interchangeable lenses have been available commercially since 2004. That was the year Epson released the still cool (yes, really) R-D1, which incorporated a rangefinder design alongside a digital APS-C sensor. This camera was a bridge between the familiar 35mm rangefinder and the digital revolution that was soon to come.

But let’s back up just a second. What makes a mirrorless camera so appealing to the general shooter? For the most part, it’s the lack of a mirrored optical viewfinder (hence the name).

Size

Traditional SLR cameras (both film and digital) use a mirror and pentaprism system to show what’s being seen through the lens. But while this system is ingenious, it does make the camera quite bulky.

Mirrorless digital cameras do away with this system, relying on the digital sensor itself to show what’s going in front of the camera using an electronic viewfinder (EVF), an LCD screen, or a combination of the two. (Think of this as a constant “live view”.) This means mirrorless digital cameras can be inherently smaller than most DSLR camera bodies.

The Sony A7R MK1 (left) and the Canon 7D MK1 (bodies only).

And whenever something becomes smaller, it usually becomes more comfortable and practical.

Resolution for Days

Let’s briefly talk about the game-changing event in 2013, when Sony released the ILCE7 and ILCE7R (commonly known as the Sony A7 and Sony A7R respectively). These two cameras took what most hobby and professional photographers thought was possible from a compact digital camera and threw it out the proverbial window.

The A7 and A7R were the first full-frame mirrorless cameras, each packing pro-grade DSLR performance into a hand little camera body. They could even be mated to whatever lenses the photographer was using at the time (with the appropriate lens adapters). The A7 sported a 24.3 megapixel sensor, while the A7R floored us with a sensor packing 36.4 megapixels.

This meant ultra-high resolution, enhanced low-light performance and full-frame bokeh cream could be achieved with a mirrorless camera, while keeping weight and physical size to a minimum. The fact the price was comparable to other full-frame DSLR cameras at the time led to a mass exodus as camera jockeys (including me) handed in their DSLR for these new, more wieldable mirrorless cameras that could match their current setups.

The Good, the Bad, and the Mirrorless

But it’s not all butterflies and rainbows in the mirrorless camera world. Some of the benefits of digital mirrorless cameras are also their Achilles heel.

Battery Life

The ever-present live view tends to drain batteries quicker than their DSLR cousins, and also limits their burst mode rates. While the problem has been somewhat alleviated, the battery life of full-frame mirrorless cameras still hasn’t caught up with most current DSLR models, even though their burst rates have. This leaves some feeling slightly disadvantaged when it comes to battery mileage.

A Diminishing Size Gap

As I said earlier, the ratio of photographic punch to physical size was one thing that drew me to the full-frame mirrorless realm. But it comes with a few caveats.

For example, if you need to use non-native lenses with converters you won’t get much of a size benefit from mirrorless systems compared to their DSLR counterparts.

A Canon 5D MK3 with a Canon 50mm F/1.8 lens (left) and a Sony A7R with an EF 24mm f/1.4 Sigma lens attached via an MC-11 adapter.

While this is becoming less of a problem – more and more third party lens manufacturers getting on board and producing native-mount lenses for most mirrorless cameras – it’s still worth mentioning.

An Undeniable Shift in Mentality

The “big guys” (i.e. the larger camera manufacturers) have been basking in their exclusivity for years. While they’ve produced excellent (and sometimes iconic) cameras and lenses, their innovation has been lacking during the past few years.

These long-standing giants in the photographic industry are starting to realize they aren’t the only game in town. And consumers have gotten wise to the fact that mirrorless cameras, particularly full-frame mirrorless cameras, can match (if not outperform) the products that have seen them resting on their laurels for so long. The Nikon Z6 and Z7, the Canon EOS R, and even the Panasonic SR1, all hint that Bob Dylan was right all along.

The times really are a changin’.

The post Why We Have Such a Love-Hate Relationship with Mirrorless Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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New Sony sensor specs resemble chips found inside Fujifilm X-T3, Panasonic GH5S, others

21 Oct

Sony has updated its sensor page and shared the details of a number of new image sensors it’s made. Sure enough, a few of them bear a striking resemblance to sensors inside other manufacturers cameras.

One sensor in particular, a 26-megapixel backside-illuminated (BSI) APS-C chip nicknamed IMX571, bears an uncanny resemblance to the sensor used inside Fujifilm’s X-T3 camera. While Fujifilm hasn’t confirmed it’s a Sony sensor inside the X-T3, General Manager of Fujifilm UK, Theo Georgiades, did say it wasn’t a Samsung sensor used inside the camera, as some believed to be the case, leaving little doubt that it was Sony who manufactured the sensor. The specs listed under this image sensor on Sony’s website all but confirm that speculation.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a good chance we’ll see Sony build something around this sensor as well. The a6300 and a6500 both use the same sensor as Fujifilm’s X-T2, so it’s not a stretch to imagine Sony will be releasing one or two A600-series cameras using the 26-megapixel BSI image sensor found inside the X-T3.

The BSI IMX461 sensor has been in the works for a long time and based on Fujifilm’s announcement that it is currently developing a 100-megapixel medium format camera, it’s likely this is the sensor that will be inside of it. The sensor has 3.76 micron pixels and features a maximum frame-rate of up to six frames per second.

The IMX299 is a bit harder to hit on the head, but based on it being 11-megapixls, having 4.63 micron pixels, and a 60 frames per second readout, it’s almost certainly the sensor found inside the Panasonic GH5S.

Last but not least is the IMX272. This 20-megapixel Four Thirds-type sensor has 3.3 micron pixels and a maximum readout of 60 frames per second. We don’t have any reason to believe this is currently in any camera, but it seems like an incredibly capable sensor that could show up in a very high-performing Four Thirds camera in the future.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Customize and Use the Photoshop Gradient Tool

21 Oct

Despite its straightforward name, the gradient tool is incredibly flexible. You can customize practically every settings, and use it in many different ways.

In this article I’ll show you how to use it to its full potential.

The Gradient tool shares the same toolbar space as the Paint Bucket tool, so you may not see it at first glance. Click and hold the Paint Bucket tool to reveal the fly-out menu, then select the Gradient tool.

You use the Gradient tool to make a smooth transition between multiple colors. And one of the first things you can customize is the colors you want to transition between.

With the Gradient tool active, you’ll see a sample on the left-hand side of the options bar. Clicking the small arrow next to it will reveal the gradient picker that includes a number of preset gradients. And clicking the gear icon to the right of that will bring up the settings menu where you can:

load more presets
add new presets
customize the display window.

If none of the presets suit your needs, you can customize a new gradient by double-clicking the sample to bring up the Gradient Editor window. Here you’ll see a bar with the current gradient, along with a set of sliders you can use to create the gradient you want. The top sliders control the opacity, while the bottom sliders control the color. If you need more colors, simply click on the gradient where you’d like them to go.

As well as choosing the colors, you can also choose the start and end points of your gradient.

Next to the sample you’ll see five icons representing the five different types of gradients you can apply: Linear, Radial, Angle, Reflected and Diamond.

The Linear gradient will gradually transition your colors in a straight line from the start point to the end point.

The Radial gradient radiates out from the start point in the shape of a circle.

The Angle gradient will transition clockwise in the direction of the angle created by the line uniting the start and end points.

The Reflected gradient creates a mirror effect using the start point as the center.

Finally the Diamond gradient radiates out from the start point in the shape of a diamond.

Next to the gradient icons are two dropdown menus. The first lets you set the bending mode (how your gradient will affect whatever’s below it). The second reveals a slider that lets you control the gradient’s opacity.

Finally, you have three checkboxes:

Reverse, which reverses the color order of your gradient
Dither, which will make the transition smoother
Transparency, which will apply the opacity from the gradient.

In this example, the top half has the transparency option checked while the bottom half does not:

So now you know how the Gradient tool works and how to customize it. Now let me show you how you can use it to give your images a trendy look.

First, choose the photo you want to modify. While there’s no right or wrong here, some photos are a better fit for this kind of effect than others. (e.g. something that looks vintage, or an artsy portrait).

Next, make it black and white by applying the Black & White adjustment layer.

Next, add a new layer on top of this adjustment layer you just added by either selecting Layer -> New Layer from the menu or by clicking the New Layer button at the bottom of the layers panel.

Now, create your gradient in this layer, choosing whatever colors and angles you prefer.

Finally, set the Blending Mode to Screen.

The Gradient tool gives you endless possibilities for adding effects to your photos. Start experimenting, and have fun.

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5 Reasons to Consider Concert Photography with a Wide Open Aperture (and the Secret to Perfecting it)

21 Oct

Concert photography is arguably one of the most adrenaline-filled niches you can engage in as an image maker. Musicians, magazines, fans, and record labels alike turn to skilled concert photographers to tell a story for the momentous performance. For most music photographers (due to venue constraints) there is less than ten minutes to capture enough great images to populate a full gallery. Partner this with tumultuous circumstances such as sporadic lighting and an excitable audience and you have effectively created a photographic situation that is unlike any other.

As such, shooting with a very wide open aperture might appear to be too daunting of a task! There are common misunderstandings of how to use and work with a wide open aperture! If your inner aesthete drools over soft, dreamy photographs and creamy bokeh, then you better get ready to play with some low, low, low numbers. We are here to tell you how to photograph concerts at f/1.2, f/1.4, and f/1.8!

Wide aperture concert photography tips

Why Use an Ultra Wide Aperture?

Here are 5 reasons you may want to consider shooting concert photography with a wide open aperture.

1. Aesthetic and Style

To preface, a lot of the quality and final image look is based on the type of lens used. In the past several years, photography fans are gravitating towards the shallow depth of field aesthetic. If you’re in the business of producing commercial music photography (like myself), you’re going to want to keep following the trends and adapting to what is sought after in the industry.

Aesthetic and Style with Wide Aperture Concert Photography

An added bonus is being able to niche yourself a bit in an industry that has a lot of competition, many photographers are wary of shooting fast paced events with a wide aperture due to potential focusing issues. If you can master this art, you have something that will separate you from others.

2. Low Light Capability

Low light concert photography with wide aperture

Unless you’re shooting a big name at an amphitheater, a lot of smaller venues will have very poor lighting. You’ll need to use equipment that will illuminate the frame with whatever limited lighting is available. In these low light scenarios you need a lens with a wide enough aperture to let in more light. Using a lens that goes down to f/1.2, for example, is a great way to let enough light in and make the frame bright. Remember, the aperture is the hole the light passes through in your lens. The wider the aperture, the more light that enters the camera.

3. Shallow Depth of Field

Shoot concert photography with shallow depth of field

The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. Shallow depth of field is great for live concerts because the stage can be rather cluttered compositionally. From instruments to cables, background props, and other band members, there can be a lot going on in the frame at once. Only having one subject in focus with the rest blending into a creamy bokeh makes for a much more visually pleasing and simplified image. With the depth-of-field being so shallow, whatever troubles you about the background can easily melt into a beautiful creamy bokeh.

4. Detail Shots

Capture detail in your concert photography with wide aperture

On the topic of shallow depth of field, if you are photographing for an instrument company, an aperture of f/1.8 will likely become your best friend. This is because photographs taken with a large aperture allow all of the focus to lie on the subject, and the background ceases to remain a distraction. Many instrument companies love to have their products captured in a natural usable setting, such as musicians at a live show.A shallow depth of field will keep the interest solely on your single subject.

5. Sharpness

How to achieve sharpness in your concert photography with wide aperture

Due to technological constraints, lenses that open their aperture below f/2.8 are fixed millimeter lenses (they do not zoom). As a general rule, fixed millimeter lenses tend to be sharper than lenses with a range.

Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room: Focusing with a Wide Open Aperture

Right where all of the benefits of an f-stop of 1.2 start to break down is the focusing. The wider the aperture and the shallower the depth of field, the more difficult it can be to focus on what you want. Pair that with a live show in which the lighting is a bit of a mess, and the subjects move spontaneously in various directions, and it sounds like the perfect recipe for a photographer migraine. However, focusing with a wider aperture doesn’t have to be so difficult- it’s just a different thought process.

The Concept of Sharpness

Sharp concert photography through composition

Really, the focus stems from a desire to have an image that is sharp. But what is sharpness? Sharpness is an interesting concept. How sharp a subject appears is a matter of two things: the focus the camera captures and the amount of contrast on your subject. The term “sharpness” is, in fact, an illusion. You see, for an image to be considered sharp, it needs to have contrast. If the there is little contrast in the image, the subject will not look three-dimensional regardless of whether the focus is perfect or not. Biologically, the way that our eyes work, our vision naturally detects edges to register sharpness, and shadows and highlights in order to record the depth in a subject. This is a very important concept to understand when answering the question of how to make images look sharp. When editing your concert photography images, be attentive to the shadows and highlights. And add contrast to define your subject.

Perfect Focus

Sharp concert photography through perfect focus and wide aperture

In terms of getting your image to actually be sharp (from being in perfect focus), here is the basic concept of how focus works in a camera. When you focus your camera on a subject, it establishes a focal plane. To get your subject in focus, it has to be on the focal plane. Focal planes happen on an x (horizontal) and y (vertical) axis. This means anything along either of those axes will be in focus, and anything not on them will be out of focus. The concern with a wide open aperture is that your focal plane is quite small. As you decrease your aperture number and make the opening wider, the invisible area in front and behind the plane of focus will get smaller and smaller, leaving you with much less wiggle-room. As such, distance from the subject plays a key role in your focus.

When shooting wide open, even the smallest diversion from either of the focal plane axes will cause your subject to be out-of-focus. You cannot take a step forward or back without the need to refocus when shooting at a wide aperture. But by keeping this in mind, you can adjust your photography technique to better accommodate the small focal plane.

Single Point Autofocus

Using single point focus and wide aperture in concert photography

A trick to help make sure that what you want in focus is indeed sharp, is to use single point autofocus. By default, your camera will probably select either the object that’s closest to the camera or what’s in the center of the frame. By using single point autofocus, you tell the camera exactly where to focus, which is extremely helpful with low aperture numbers. Refer to your camera model’s manual to find how to change the focus setting!

The Real Secret

The real secret to wide aperture concert photography

Keeping in mind how the focal plane works, this is the big trick to shooting wide open at a concert: The farther away you are from the subject, the easier it is to get the subject in focus. You can get the subject in focus and still maintain and extremely creamy depth of field.

Whether you’re in a photo pit or just in the main venue floor, your position to begin the concert shoot can significantly affect your success for the rest of the shoot. Keeping in mind that for most general photography passes your time is limited, you need to be ready to jump right into the shoot the very second the music hits your ears. My suggestion is to start on the outer edges of the pit or venue and work your way to the middle. Many concert photographers all flock to the center of the shooting zone, and begin shoving to claim their dead center spot. When you start from the edge, while the other photographers are all congregating and fighting for the center, you have much more room to move freely on the outer edge. This is where you will have an advantage to be able to move a bit further away from your subject in order to expand your plane and get that perfect focus.

Shooting concert photography in wide aperture

Now that you’ve been let in to the secret, go out there and capture some awesome concert shots!

The post 5 Reasons to Consider Concert Photography with a Wide Open Aperture (and the Secret to Perfecting it) appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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DPReview TV: Simple techniques for great macro photography

20 Oct

This week Chris and Jordan are joined by renowned macro photographer Don Komarechka, who demonstrates a few simple techniques that can improve your macro photos in a big way.

Want to learn more? Check out some of our other articles about macro photography:

DPReview articles about macro photography

Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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