360Photography

Month: December 2019

  • Oppo demonstrates its under-display front camera in prototype devices

    Back in June Chinese smartphone maker OPPO announced a device with an under-display front camera at MWC Shanghai. This allows for the design of display without a ‘notch’ or front camera ‘pinhole’ but also means that incoming light has to first travel through the display before it hits the camera lens.

    To make this possible the display section above the camera is made of a highly-transparent material and comes with a redesigned pixel structure that is optimized for the transmittance of light. In addition, the camera comes with a bigger than usual sensor to further make up for any loss of light and white balance and HDR algorithms have been customized to reduce the transparent display’s impact.

    This week, Oppo now finally shared prototypes of devices with the new in-display camera with press and media and thanks to a Twitter post by David Imel from Android Authority we can see the new design fully in action.

    The new under-display camera system is hardly visible on the front of the device and only becomes slightly visible when viewing the phone at certain angles. Of course, it’s way too early to make any judgments on image quality but in terms of usability, the new system appears to work just like any other smartphone front camera.

    Just like their rear counterparts, front cameras have taken huge steps forward in terms of image quality over the last couple of years or so. However, manufacturers have not only been focused on image output but also the integration into the device. We’ve seen notches and pinholes as well as motorized pop-up and flip-up front cameras. If Oppo’s concept catches on 2020 might well be the year of the under-display front camera.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Want to get off “Auto-Mode”? (Fast and so easy!)

    The post Want to get off “Auto-Mode”? (Fast and so easy!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

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    The post Want to get off “Auto-Mode”? (Fast and so easy!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.


    Digital Photography School

  • FeiyuTech announces four new gimbals for mirrorless cameras, phones and action cams

    Left to right, the Vimble 2A, the G6 Max and the AK2000S

    Chinese gimbal manufacturer FeiyuTech has released details of four new devices aimed at a range of photographers using smartphones, mirrorless cameras, DSLRs and those wanting to shoot timelapse sequences. The four are the Feiyu AK2000S, the Feiyu QING, the Feiyu G6 Max and the Feiyu Vimble 2.

    The Vimble V2 is a lightweight gimbal that comes in two versions, the 2A for action cams and the 2S for smartphones. The 2S is an update of an existing gimbal, but the Vimble 2A is completely new. It has an extendable handle that contains a telescopic section to increase the length of the handle by 18cm. The device weighs 277g, which the company says makes it the lightest action cam gimbal on the market. Controlled via the handle or a smartphone app, the Vimble 2A is designed to work with the GoPro5, 6 and 7 models and offers users a quick release clamp for these cameras.

    Those with mid-sized mirrorless cameras are the target of the Feiyu G6 Max, with its 1.2kg capacity. A system of flexible heads allow the G6 Max to also be used with action cams, compacts and smartphones, and a new design means the gimbal is both smaller and lighter than the previous G6 Plus. Each arm on the new model has a motor lock, the device’s LCD screen is enlarged and the 9 shooting modes can be controlled directly from the handle as well as via the app.

    The Feiyu AK2000S is designed for camera kits weighing up to 2.2kg/4.85lb and can control and power certain guest cameras. It uses 16.8v high torsion brushless motors to deal with the weight and now offers quicker and smoother response to instructions. The company claims motor performance is improved by 400%, and that a single charge will deliver 14 hours of operation.

    The biggest of the new gimbals is the QING, which is really designed to sit on a tripod or slider to function as a complex timelapse and panoramic controller. Feiyu calls it a Motion Control Device and it can handle up to 3.5kg of kit and weighs 1.3kg itself. A detectable handle can be used as a remote controller but can also attach to the base of the QING so that it can be used as a regular gimbal. The QING comes with a 2200mAh battery to allow it to operate over long periods during timelapse sequences.

    The QING costs $ 900, the AK2000S is $ 450, the G6 Max is $ 360 and the Vimble 2A and 2S are $ 127. For more information see the FeiyuTech website.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DPReview TV: Hands-on with the Hasselblad XCD 30mm F3.5

    The XCD 30mm F3.5 is a wide angle prime lens for Hasselblad medium format cameras, and with a price tag close to $ 4000 you expect it to be good. As Chris and Jordan discover, it’s an outstanding optic – with interesting bokeh.

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

    • Introduction
    • Landscape samples
    • Size and build
    • Sharpness
    • Bokeh
    • Chromatic aberration
    • Conclusion

    Sample gallery from this episode

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    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • News: The Canon EOS Rs to Have 75 MP Sensor and Dual Card Slots

    The post News: The Canon EOS Rs to Have 75 MP Sensor and Dual Card Slots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

    gear-news-canon-eos-rs

    Over the past few months, rumors have abounded regarding a “professional” Canon EOS R. But recent news has given us the month of the release, making this new Canon camera more exciting than ever.

    As initially reported by Canon Rumors, this Canon mirrorless snapper is about to enter the market, offering a resolution far beyond anything previously offered by Canon.

    The Canon EOS Rs (as the folks at Canon Rumors are calling it) will apparently be announced in February of next year, presumably around the same time as the Canon 1D X Mark III and the Nikon D6, though it’ll be aimed at a completely different audience.

    So what should we expect from Canon’s pro-level mirrorless model?

    The EOS Rs will have plenty of the features you’d expect based on the EOS R, but better:

    • The latest and greatest Canon processor, the DIGIC 9.
    • A “similar” continuous shooting speed to the EOS R (which clocks in at 8 fps in One-Shot AF).
    • An improved EVF.
    • Weather sealing.

    But the Canon EOS Rs is also rumored to possess a few traits that should pique the interest of quite a few professional photographers:

    • Dual card slots and a 75 MP sensor.

    The dual card slots are somewhat expected, given the slew of complaints that Canon received regarding the lack of dual slots on the EOS R. But a 75 MP sensor is groundbreaking for a 35mm camera, offering a higher pixel count than either the Canon 5DS and 5DSR duo or the Sony A7R IV. It would be, in fact, the highest-resolution 35mm digital camera currently available.

    Now, a camera like the EOS Rs is designed with professional photographers in mind. The huge megapixel count is required by, for instance, commercial photographers, as well as those looking to make giant landscape prints.

    But while megapixel monsters are undoubtedly powerful, they come with some downsides.

    The first is the price; the Canon 5DS debuted at around $ 3700 USD, and I don’t expect Canon to knock many dollars off the EOS Rs MSRP.

    The second is file size. The RAW files produced by a 75 MP camera will be huge, which makes storage (both in memory cards and on computers) potentially frustrating.

    And third, higher megapixel counts result in smaller pixels. This hurts high ISO performance on even the most professional of cameras, which is one of the reasons why megapixel monsters are often outperformed by other full-frame cameras in low-light scenarios, especially when images are compared at native resolutions.

    What do you think about the Canon EOS Rs? Is it something you’d be interested in? What would you like to see in it?

    Let me know in the comments!

    The post News: The Canon EOS Rs to Have 75 MP Sensor and Dual Card Slots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


    Digital Photography School

  • Compact and feature-packed: Our Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III review

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    Silver Award

    82%
    Overall score
    Jump to conclusion

    The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is a 20MP Micro Four Thirds camera aimed at enthusiast photographers, but could be a good option for beginners that want a system to grow into. It features the same sensor, AF system and 4K video capture as the flagship E-M1 II and E-M1 X, in a considerably smaller, lighter package.

    It’s the first in the E-M5 line to offer on-sensor phase detect autofocus, which includes both face and eye detection modes. The updated AF system is complemented by a 10 fps max burst rate in AF-C. The camera also gets a new image stabilization system, an updated EVF and some small ergonomic improvements.

    Key takeaways

    • 20MP Four Thirds sensor
    • 121-point hybrid autofocus system
    • 50MP high-res shot mode
    • 10 fps burst shooting with AF-C
    • Cinema (DCI) and UHD 4K video
    • Up 6.5EV of image stabilization (CIPA-rating) with supported lenses
    • 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder with 60 fps refresh rate
    • Extensive direct controls and articulating touchscreen
    • Weather-sealed body
    • In-camera USB charging
    • 1/8000 sec mechanical shutter speed

    The E-M5 III will be available at the end of November for a body-only price of $ 1,199.99, CAN $ 1,499.99 in either black or silver. It will also be available kitted with the weather-sealed Olympus 14-150mm F4-5.6 II for $ 1,799.99, CAN $ 2,249.99.

    What’s new and how it compares

    The E-M5 III is Olympus’s smallest, lightest 20MP camera. Here’s what else is new and how it stacks up against its peers.

    Read more

    Body and controls

    The rear of the E-M5 III is largely unchanged, but some significant changes have been made to both the camera’s top plate and the EVF.

    Read more

    Shooting experience

    Photo editor Dan Bracaglia spent 48 hours shooting in the deserts of Southern, Utah, E-M5 III in hand.

    Read more

    Image quality

    The E-M5 III is capable of some excellent image quality, up there with the best that Micro Four Thirds can produce today.

    Read more

    Autofocus and performance

    While the E-M5 III comes with an autofocus system that shares its spec with higher-end models, we were a bit disappointed with its performance.

    Read more

    Video

    With incredible stabilization, a mic input, an articulating touchscreen and good quality files, the E-M5 III is a good candidate for video shooting.

    Read more

    Conclusion

    We find the E-M5 III to be a fantastic companion for travel and general photography, producing excellent images under a wide range of scenarios.

    Read more

    Sample gallery

    Curious what kind of files the E-M5 III produces? Have a look at our vast sample gallery.

    Read more

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Former Facebook employees claim Instagram hid ‘likes’ to increase post frequency

    A new report claims on behalf of three former Facebook employees that Instagram is hiding ‘likes’ as an experiment to determine whether doing so will get users to post more content. The theory, according to CNBC, is that users who receive few likes on their content may not post as often out of a sense of embarrassment. By hiding likes, Instagram may remove the psychological barrier preventing many users from frequently posting.

    Over the course of its test this year, Instagram repeatedly presented its decision to hide likes as an effort to ‘depressurize’ the platform, reduce cyberbullying, and help users focus on the subjects and people who interest them. By hiding likes, the company has said, Instagram will feel less like a popularity contest.

    The anonymous sources speaking to CNBC claim that it was parent company Facebook’s research that spurred the hidden likes test. The social media company allegedly found that removing public like counts resulted in Instagram users posting more often.

    One source claims that Facebook’s research showed users were deleting or hiding posts that didn’t receive many likes, among other things. Whereas the lack of publicly visible likes helps users feel less self-conscious when their content doesn’t get much attention, the delivery of like and comment notifications to these same users may provide an incentive for them to post more often.

    Instagram is allegedly aware of the fact that hidden ‘likes’ may have a negative impact on influencers by reducing the amount of engagement on their posts, but the sources claim that Facebook isn’t terribly concerned due to the lack of adequate competing services these influencers have available to them. This may not matter for the company in the long run if enough users start posting often enough to noticeably boost ad revenue, potentially making up for any negative effects on influencers.

    The question remains over whether the ‘depressurized’ nature of a publicly like-free Instagram will lead to the more habitual use of the platform among some users, potentially paving the way for an uptick in ‘Instagram addiction’ cases. If a sense of peer pressure is causing many users to inherently moderate their use of the platform, removing that psychological barrier may have some unwanted consequences.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DxO PhotoLab 3 update adds keyword management for Windows, support for new cameras lenses

    French software maker DxO has released an update to its PhotoLab 3 image editing and organization application.

    Version 3.1 brings keyword management, which already was available to Mac users, to Windows PCs. Users of the Microsoft OS can now add, delete and rename keywords that are assigned to one or a series of images simultaneously. In addition, keywords can be displayed associated with an image, including those imported from other XMP-compatible software packages. Keywords can also be added to multi-criteria searches.

    The new version also adds support for a number of new cameras from several brands. Photographers shooting with the Canon EOS 90D, Canon EOS M6 Mark II, Canon EOS M200, Fujifilm GFX 100, Nikon Z50, Olympus E-M5 Mark III, Sony A6600 and the Sony A6100 can now all process their Raw files in DXO Photo Lab 3. There’s also preliminary support for the Sony A9 II.

    A number of new lenses have been added to the database as well which now includes over 55,000 camera/lens combinations. These include the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM, the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM, the Fujinon GF 50mm F3.5 R LM WR, the Fujinon GF 110mm F2 R LM WR, the Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S, the Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G, and the Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD for Sony FE.

    The Essential Edition, as well as the more comprehensive Elite Edition of DxO PhotoLab 3.1, can now be downloaded from the DxO website for $ 100 and $ 150, respectively. For existing PhotoLab 3 users the upgrade is free.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: Watch someone play DOOM on a Kodak digital camera from 1998

    Retro tech and gaming YouTube channel LGR has published a new video showing the original DOOM video game being played on a 1998 Kodak DC260 digital camera. This model was quite expensive at the time with a price tag of $ 999.99; the cost was due, in part, to the surprisingly capable hardware packed into the camera, including a 66Mhz PowerPC CPU, 8MB of RAM and an 11khz sound chipset.

    As explained in the video, the Kodak DC260 was unusual for its time in that it features USB and support for sideloading apps. Though this sideloading functionality was intended to expand the camera’s capabilities in unique ways, it also makes it possible to install and run a special version of the original DOOM video game, which appears to play without issue on the camera.

    DOOM is one of the multiple apps demonstrated in the video, which includes instructions on downloading, sideloading and running the software.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon’s XQD memory cards can now be preordered in the US despite rise of CFexpress

    More than a year after it announced them, Nikon has officially launched its XQD memory cards in the United States. This is unfortunate timing for Nikon, which must compete with the new wave of CFexpress cards being released by a number of major competitors, including SanDisk and ProGrade.

    Nikon offers a number of camera models that support XQD cards, which are physically smaller than CF with ample storage space, rapid speeds and a high level of durability. Here to challenge them is the CFexpress successor, which has largely eclipsed XQD due to its faster speeds.

    A number of CFexpress memory cards are already available to preorder and, in the case of SanDisk, to purchase. That hasn’t stopped Nikon from bringing its branded XQD cards to the U.S. through B&H Photo, however, where they’re now available to preorder in 64GB capacity at $ 129.95 each.

    Given the availability of similarly-priced CFEXpress media, this release casts doubt on whether we’ll see a promised firmware update for CFE support to Nikon’s XQD-compatible models in the near-term future.

    CFexpress Type B cards feature the same form factor as XQD cards, meaning they physically fit in cameras made for XQD. However, in order to actually use CFE cards in these XQD cameras, manufacturers must release firmware updates that add support for the newer cards. Nikon promised that CFExpress compatibility would be added to key models in an announcement earlier this year, but the update has yet to become available.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)