This week, Jordan takes us behind the scenes of his short feature film, A Walk Down to Water. He and director Levi Holwell discuss the gear they chose for the production, as well as the importance of camera movement in storytelling.
Want to see the entire film? You can watch it here.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Aurora Aperture Inc. has announced a next-generation rear mount filter system for wide-angle lenses. The new filter system is designed to allow for the use of filters with many popular ultra wide-angle lenses, including those which do not include a front filter thread.
In 2017, Aurora Aperture released a rear mount filter system for the Canon EF 11-24mm F4L USM lens. The newly-announced next-generation system works with the 11-24mm lens, plus the Canon EF 8-15mm F4L Fisheye USM, EF 14mm F2.8L USM (versions I and II), EF 15mm F2.8 Fisheye, EF 16-35mm F2.8L USM (versions II and III are not supported), EF 17-35mm F2.8L USM and EF 17-40mm F4L USM. In addition to Canon lenses, Aurora Aperture’s new filter system is also compatible with the Nikon Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm F2.8G ED, Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM Art (Canon EF, Sony E and L mount versions), Sigma’s 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art for Canon EF mount and the Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G lens.
Not only is Aurora’s latest rear mount filter system compatible with a wider array of lenses, but it also includes other new features. The new rear mount filter system utilizes a magnetic quick-release structure, allowing for easier installation and removal from the lens. In addition, there are a variety of new filters available for the system, including graduated neutral density filters and light pollution reduction filters.
Neutral density – Aurora Aperture refers to them as PowerND – filters are available in 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 stop variants. Graduated neutral density (GND) filters are available in 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 stop densities. Each GND filter features a soft transition at 60 percent of the image frame height. Finally, the new PowerDusk filter is designed to filter out artificial lighting and reduce visible light pollution in urban areas, which Aurora Aperture states will allow for better astrophotography and even improved nighttime street photography. For specific information on how the PowerDusk filter reduces the light which hits your image sensor at different wavelengths, click here.
Image credit: Aurora Aperture
In order to utilize the magnetic filters on the rear of your wide-angle lens, you must first install the new rear mount filter system. The installation process will vary depending on the lens in question, but it ranges from using specialty adhesive to replacing existing gel filter holders. Once the filter holder adapter has been installed, using and changing filters is as placing a small glass filter into the magnetic filter holder.
The Aurora Aperture next generation rear mount filters will be available through a Kickstarter campaign starting this month and general availability is expected in September. The price of lens adapters range from $ 35 to $ 41 USD and filter prices range from $ 43 to $ 113. Stay tuned to Kickstarter and to Aurora Aperture’s website for additional information and availability.
Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.
Lightroom, a leading photo editing and organization software program from Adobe, now has its own Ambassador program. The product’s Marketing Manager for Photography, Pei Ketron, announced that she is ‘happy to have finally launched this program that I spent much of 2019 working on.’
Happy to have finally launched this program that I spent much of 2019 working on ? https://t.co/eP8a9sEygk
— Pei Ketron (@pketron) May 15, 2020
‘Now more than ever, you live with a camera in your hand, ready to capture every moment. You want your photographs to reflect what you see, to tell the stories you want to tell, to match the vision you had when you captured the image. But cameras don’t always see what you see, and they don’t come equipped with inspiration or expertise. Only people can offer that,’ reads the introductory paragraph on the Lightroom Ambassador Program’s home page.
Ketron’s hope is that the community grows over time and its members, from beginners to seasoned photographers, continue to inspire each other. 10 ambassadors are currently on board to kick off the initiative: Aundre Larrow, Carmen Chan, Gloria Atanmo, Jennifer Chong, Johnie Gall, Mylo Fowler, Omar Robles, Paola Franqui, Summer Murdock, and Tobi Shinobi.
Adobe Lightroom is available on macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and tvOS. Any questions about the Ambassador Program can be addressed to lightroomambassador@adobe.com.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Cards appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
This week’s photography challenge topic is the CARDS!
Many people have a set of playing cards around the house, or some motivational cards, tarot, companion cards, etc. So get creative with them – build a house of cards, use interesting light, try macro, or intentional camera movement. Color or black and white, or try a series, like mine.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
Tips for photographing CARDS
Moment Smartphone Lens Review for Photography and Videography
How to Understand Light and Color to Improve your Photography
Reverse Lens Macro: Close Up Photography Lesson #3
Reverse Mounting Your Prime Lenses for Affordable Macro Photography
Photographing a Still Life Series for Exhibition or a Portfolio
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.
Share in the dPS Facebook Group
You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPScards to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Cards appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The Olympus mju-II, also known as the Stylus Epic, is a cult favorite film point-and-shoot that’s been increasing in both popularity and price over the past 10 years. A relic of the late 1990’s it offers a sharp 35mm F2.8 lens, excellent metering and accurate autofocus, all in a highly-pocketable, weather-sealed package. Sounds pretty appealing, eh?
Sadly, the days of purchasing one these for bargain prices are long gone. What may have set you back $ 40 in 2013 will likely cost you 5x that much today, for a plastic camera that’s now 7-years-more degraded. So are these little wonders still worth acquiring? 35mmc’s Hamish Gill has the answers…
Read: Olympus mju-II review – a great camera but too expensive for what it is
About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at 35mmc.
Members of the Society for Nature Photography have selected the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year. The 7th annual competition received 5,046 submissions from 307 GDT (German Society of Nature Photography) members across 11 countries. Peter Lindel was declared the Overall Winner with ‘A Hare’s Dream.’
‘The European hare, once a common inhabitant of open country all over Germany, has become a rare sight. While the large number of hares that I used to spot every morning on my way to work in the fields and meadows North of Dortmund, prompted me twelve years ago to explore this area with my camera, it has now become increasingly time-consuming to find hares and present them in an appealing photograph,’ Lindel explains.
For the first time, voting was conducted online instead of a general meeting on account of the pandemic. 70 winners and finalists were selected by judges and members for the following categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio, and the Special Category: Water. All winning and finalist photographs can be viewed here.
While GDT Nature Photographer of the Year is open to the society’s members only, GDT’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open to all photographers residing in Europe.
Overall Winner: ‘A Hare’s Dream’ by Peter Lindel
GNPY 2020, Peter Lindel, GDT
About this photo: ‘A hare’s dream was taken in July of 2019 when months of searching a suitable location led me to a dirt road, which offered the most beautiful morning light, lovely vegetation and … three hares. Dreamy, curious, careful, anxious. These are the adjectives that I find describe the expression of “my hare” best,’ says Lindel.
Winner, Other Animals: ‘Danger in the Mud’ by Jens Cullmann
GNPY 2020, Jens Cullman, GDT
About this photo: Crocodile in a drying mud pool.
Winner, Nature’s Studio: ‘Flooded with Light’ by Jan Piecha
GNPY 2020, Jan Piecha, GDT
About this photo: A blackbird perches on a branch in North Hesse, Germany.
Winner, Landscapes: ‘Magic Light’ by Benjamin Waldmann
GNPY 2020, Benjamin Waldmann, GDT
About this photo: Tree in the mist at the Albtrauf.
Winner, Birds: ‘Take-off’ by Flurin Leugger
GNPY 2020, Flurin Leugger, GDT
About this photo: Coyote panics geese.
2nd Place, Mammals: ‘Glowing Fox’ by Mohammed Murad
GNPY 2020, Mohammed Murad, GDT
About this photo: Arabian red fox in Kuwait City.
2nd Place, Special Category, Water: ‘Milk and Honey’ by Sandra Bartocha
GNPY 2020, Sandra Bartocha, GDT
About this photo: Reflection of the chalk coast, England.
4th Place, Special Category, Water: ‘Poseidons Wrath’ by Christian Wappl
GNPY 2020, Christian Wappl, GDT
About this photo: A top-down view of Waves, La Palma.
5th Place, Nature’s Studio: ‘Refraction’ by Burkhard Hillert
GNPY 2020, Burkhard Hillert, GDT
About this photo: Refraction of light in the cobweb.
10th Place, Atelier Natur: ‘Iceland Going Abstract’ by Uwe Hasubek
The post 10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
There is really no better time to practice some at-home creative photography ideas. There are lots of ideas you can experiment with, and with some basic equipment, you can really work wonders. Let’s get into it and discover some creative photography ideas you can work on at home, and work into a series of images.
1. Photographing water droplets
This is a classic project that you can try at home. It’s also relatively simple to set up, though you will need some specialized photographic equipment.
The equipment needed here includes a camera with a macro lens, a tripod, and an off-camera flash. You’ll then need to set up a location where you can drip water into a bowl of water. Learn more about how to take these photos here.
Water drop photography is another form of refraction photography.
2. Food photography
Everyone loves to practice food photography, especially when the food looks amazing! This genre is huge, and potentially lucrative, as the images you take could be sold as stock.
So what are some of the things that can lead to successful food photography in the home? Take a look at this list, but for a more detailed guide take a look at this article.
Lighting – This is key to good food photography. Natural light such as window sidelight works well. If you use off-camera flash, the light should come from behind the food, but be sure to reflect the light back to avoid shadows in your photo.
Backdrop – Standard still life backdrops like photographing the food in a lightbox can be effective. Otherwise, make sure the background provides context to the food you wish to photograph.
Food layout – Make sure your food is well presented. The best professional food photographers use food stylists, so see how you can produce something with style. The use of repeating elements is one potential solution here.
The best bit about food photography is eating the food!
3. Lensball light painting
A lot of Lensball photography will be carried outdoors, however, the Lensball is an excellent still-life object too.
One popular indoor project for Lensball photographers is light painting. You’ll need a dark room, tripod, and sheet of glass to go on the table as your initial setup.
Keyring – Use this under the ball to prevent it from rolling on the glass.
Table – Place the glass sheet on a table, and then put the ball on this.
Camera – Set the camera up on the tripod, and focus it on the ball.
Dark – Turn the lights off in the room, and ensure no ambient light seeps into the room.
Exposure – The exposure length should be around five seconds, but could be longer.
Light painting – With the camera setup, hit exposure, and light paint behind the ball with the light-emitting device of your choice.
In this photo, an iPhone was used to produce the light painting.
4. Freezing objects in ice
A fun project to try when you have a bit of time at home is freezing objects in ice. You’ll need a few days to complete each photo since there is a process involved in freezing an object. The main thing you need to achieve is getting the object to freeze in the middle of the block of ice.
If you want to read about how to successfully carry out this technique, then click this link.
Take your food photography in a different direction with this technique.
5. Still life photography
Once again, this is a huge genre in photography. The most professional photos will always have good lighting.
This style of photography could dovetail nicely with another hobby you may have. For instance, if you’re a quilter, photographing your finished product is a great idea.
If you want to get the best out of your still life photography then you can learn more by reading this article.
A nice simple image with a white background can look nice.
6. Mixing oil and water
Another of the at-home creative photography ideas involves getting into the science vibe with a bit of hydrophilic and hydrophobic action.
That’s mixing oil and water and then photographing the resultant oil “bubbles.”
You’ll need to add your oil and water mix to a glass container, and then suspend this glass container above the ground a little. Now you’re ready to photograph downwards and through the oil bubbles.
To get the best results, use colorful backgrounds underneath the glass container.
A classic project to try at home is mixing oil and water.
7. Water droplets on glass
Another science-based photography project you can try is placing water droplets on glass.
This style of photography utilizes refraction and repetition to produce great results.
You can experiment with the number of water droplets, or varying the background to increase your output. To learn more about this read this article.
Use an interesting background to get great results.
8. Learn a new post-processing skill
One of the more obvious candidates for at-home creative photography ideas is post-processing.
Everyone knows this is a vital aspect of photography, it’s basically the new darkroom. Yet investing time in learning new post-processing skills when you’d rather be outside photographing? Well, if you have to be inside, then learning some new post-processing skills is a great idea!
Digital blending – A great technique to learn for landscape photographers, you’ll learn some key Photoshop skills like layer masking through learning this procedure.
Cloning – Whether it’s cloning an object out of the image, or cloning yourself multiple times, this is a great skill to learn.
Sharpening and softening – An essential skill for portrait photographers to learn. Sharpen the eyes and soften the skin for best results.
In this photo, cloning and selective coloring were both used in post-processing.
9. Creating bokeh shapes
This is a great project with a little hands-on craft to it.
Bokeh is produced when your camera blurs the background, and this area of the photo is referred to as bokeh. When there are points of light in the background they will enlarge to “balls of light.”
To create bokeh shapes, you need to put that shape onto the front of your lens. This involves attaching a black disc to your lens, with the desired shape in the center of this disc. Want to try this out? Take a look here.
This photo used shaped bokeh with colored fairy lights in the background.
10. Light spirals
Another kind of light painting you can try at home is light spirals. This is a lot of fun, and you can get quite creative with the patterns you produce.
You’ll need a completely dark room to get the best results from this. You’ll be spinning a light source attached to some string, and this will be above your camera.
This is a long exposure photo, so of course, a tripod is recommended. However, you could go without in this case by placing the camera faced upwards on the ground. If you want to learn more, then check out this excellent video.
Light patterns like this can look great.
Which of these at-home creative photography ideas will you take on?
With time at home it’s a great chance to take up an indoor photography project. Have you ever tried any of these at-home creative photography ideas yourself?
If you haven’t, which of these is the most interesting to you? Perhaps you have another technique like water-drops on a CD, that you’ll try out?
As always, please leave your thoughts and comments below, and if you have any images you’re willing to share that would be great as well!
The post 10 Great At-Home Creative Photography Ideas appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
Ricoh has published a video setting out its development plans for three new lenses, including a constant F2.8 standard zoom for APS-C, a 21mm lens in its much-loved ‘Limited’ prime lens series and gave more details of the FA*85mm F1.4.
The company says its announcements were originally planned for the cancelled CP+ trade show, that was supposed to take place in February 2020 in Yokohama, Japan.
The company gave more details of the HD Pentax-D FA* 85mm F1.4ED SDM AW first announced in March 2020. This is the first 85mm Pentax lens designed specifically for digital cameras. The lens will include three super ED lenses, which behave similarly to fluorite elements, to minimize chromatic aberration. They say this should avoid the purple or green edges that can be distracting in wide aperture portraits.
The design also utilizes a concave front element, which the company says reduces some aberrations. The spherical aberration has been optimized to provide attractive bokeh, rather than solely prioritizing sharpness. They claim this will result in ‘the finest lens in its class.’
The lens will be launched later in 2020, with a more definitive announcement soon.
Alongside the 85mm, the company showed the forthcoming D FA 21mm Limited lens as an addition its range of prime lenses. Like the other ‘Limited’ lenses, it will feature metal construction and will be available in black or silver. The focal length was chosen as one that’s not currently available in the lineup. The maximum aperture was not disclosed.
Unlike the current Limited series lenses, the D FA 21mm will have a built-in DC focus motor, rather than being driven by the camera body. It will also be weather sealed. The lens will be available in 2021.
For APS-C users, there will be a lens current called the HD Pentax DA* 16-50mm F2.8ED PLM AW, a completely new constant F2.8 standard zoom for APS-C. This, like the 85mm, will be part of the ‘new-generation’ star range.
It will be powered by a PLM ‘Pulse’ motor, which has meant a complete optical redesign with a light focus element to suit the fast, quiet motor. The company is aiming to have the lens ready in the first half of 2021, to more closely coincide with a promised APS-C flagship camera.
The company’s manager of product planning, Tetsuya Iwasaki also promised that the company will also develop some smaller and reasonably priced lenses in future.
In a video published on YouTube, Ricoh has announced details of its upcoming flagship Pentax APS-C DSLR. The company was originally going to make tshe announcement at CP+ 2020, but the show was cancelled due to the coronavirus. A prototype of the camera was shown at an event in the Netherlands last fall.
According to Ricoh, the most notable feature on this as-yet-unnamed camera is its entirely new optical viewfinder, which uses a special glass that ‘excels in refraction’. The company is targeting a magnification of 1.05x (0.7x 35mm-equivalent), which is the same as on the full-frame K-1. An eye sensor below the viewfinder automatically dims the LCD panel, and the eye cup protrudes further away from the back of the camera than previous models. The shape of the pentaprism is a bit different, as well.
Ricoh claims that autofocus subject tracking has been improved, without providing further detail.
A battery grip will be available for the camera, which will share the same dials and AF joystick as the body.
Ricoh says that despite the coronavirus delaying the introduction of the camera, the company hopes that it will still ship on schedule by the end of the year.
Looming. Yes, of course a Canon EOS-1D X Mark III will offer better image quality than the junk camera that’s built-in on my laptop. But for your sake, I hope you have a smaller compatible EOS camera laying around.
Canon recently announced the EOS Webcam Utility beta: software that will convert several of its recent cameras into webcams. All you need is a USB cable and a PC running Microsoft Windows 10. Since we’re all stuck inside right now, and our laptops all have horrible built-in webcams (and no, not even a shiny new Apple Macbook Pro includes anything at all decent), we figured we’d take a quick look at the software to see if it’s any good.
I happened to have Canon’s EOS-1D X Mark III handy, although I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the most practical camera for this type of use (my personal M100 isn’t supported, and as expected, didn’t work when I tried it). Still, in the end, I’m pleased to say the 1D worked pretty darn well.
The software installation went smoothly. After you run the installer, you just restart your computer, power on your camera, set your desired exposure, white balance and autofocus settings (you can’t control them from the computer), and then plug it in via USB. I expected to have to open a dedicated Canon app to check compatibility, but you only need to open your videoconferencing app of choice, go to video settings and select ‘EOS Webcam Utility Beta’ from a dropdown list where your existing webcam lives.
You may find, as I did, that the difference in image quality is pretty striking.
I think the fact that the internal webcam makes it look like I’ve shaved much more recently than I actually have is a mark in its favor. I guess I could slather some Vaseline onto the front element of the Canon lens for a similar effect, though then you wouldn’t be able to see my cat-themed mousepad in all its glory. 1D X III photo captured using a 24mm F2.8 lens at F2.8.
My test computer is my well-specced HP Envy 13 ultrabook with an 8th gen Intel i7 and a dedicated graphics processor, and so it’s clear that good core specs don’t mean you automatically get a good webcam. (And yes, I wiped off the lens before giving this a go.) For more flattering results I could definitely raise my laptop a fair bit and make sure that the lighting is better, but I’ll admit that I’m still impressed at the difference a ‘real’ camera makes.
In my testing, I was able to get the EOS-1D X III working with Zoom as well as Skype, though for some reason, I had to uninstall and reinstall Skype (downloaded from the actual Skype site) to get the camera to show up as an option. It still doesn’t work with our work videoconferencing service (Amazon Chime – full disclosure, DPReview is an editorially independent subsidiary of Amazon), and I haven’t been able to test Microsoft Teams yet.
After re-installing Skype on my computer, it worked great; Chime, not so much.
Canon’s software is still in beta, and I fully expect compatibility and reliability to improve in the coming weeks and months. I think the bigger question is, if you are so fortunate to be able to work remotely during the pandemic, how good do you really need your webcam to be?
As I mentioned in an image caption earlier, the level of detail the EOS-1D X III captures relative to my built-in webcam means I’ll need to shave a bit more regularly (this is probably a positive thing overall, I’ll admit). I’m also in the midst of moving house, so my workspace is messy and I don’t want that to be visible, though a different lens would help somewhat. Plus, some software (like Microsoft’s Teams) can blur backgrounds already, and Zoom lets you insert in a virtual background of your choosing.
If it’s important to you or you have a smaller-sensor Canon camera that won’t convincingly blur backgrounds, you can continue use your camera with Zoom’s ‘virtual background’ feature. Depending on your workplace, I recommend you use this feature with either caution or reckless abandon.
I will say that Canon’s Dual Pixel AF kept my face in perfect focus throughout my testing, so if you are into real bokeh more than the computational alternatives, using something like a 35mm F1.4 lens doesn’t mean your face will be a blur; just your surroundings. But the biggest barrier is likely to be just making sure you can work around the camera. In my case, that proved difficult.
For my current setup, I would have to move my desk away from the wall quite a bit or get a different mounting mechanism for the 1D X III to be a viable permanent webcam. Admittedly, I could get a compatible compact option like the Canon PowerShot G5 X II and a tiny Gorillapod and still get way better results than my laptop’s built-in camera (or I could even use a Sigma fp, which has a similar webcam feature). But at the end of the day, it’s all extra stuff to have on or around your desk. If your office area is anything like mine, it’s already pretty crowded.
Lastly, during a real-world test, a roughly 50-minute Zoom call drained more than 50% of the battery on the 1D X III I was using. Dedicated webcams that draw their power from your computer won’t have this issue, and other Canon cameras that charge over USB will presumably present less of a problem.
In the end, I have to applaud Canon for making the effort to create this software quickly enough to allow locked-down workers to take advantage of it. It’s free, it’s valuable, and it could really benefit a ton of people out there with minimal effort. It may not be the best solution for everyone, but for at-home workers that still need to keep up professional appearances, this is a fantastic option.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article mentioned that the EOS Webcam Utility beta was incompatible with Skype. Further experimentation showed this not to be true. The article has been updated and we regret the error.
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