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The Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN is for the photographer who wants a focal length that falls squarely between 50mm and 85mm. Have a look at our initial sample gallery taken on a full-frame Sony body.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Chris and Jordan take a look at the new Sigma 35mm F2 and 65mm F2 Contemporary lenses for E- and L-mount. Depending on which system you’re in and what your needs are, they might just be the compact, well-priced and impressively sharp little primes you’ve been looking for.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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One of the most-asked questions Profoto received after releasing its Profoto Camera app for iOS was: ‘when will it be available for Android devices?’ Now, four months after releasing the Profoto Camera app for iOS alongside the release of its B10/B10 Plus strobes, an Android version is here, albeit in beta and limited to a select number of Samsung devices, for now.
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As with its iOS counterpart, the Profoto Camera app for Android beta makes it possible for Android users to trigger a number of its strobes, speedlights and compact LED lights using the company’s AirX Smart-TTL technology. Specifically, the app will work with Profoto’s A10, B10, B10 Plus, C1 and C1 Plus flashes, bringing full flash tube sync support.
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| Click to enlarge. |
Getting this support wasn’t easy, says Profoto in its announcement post:
‘One difference in synchronizing external flash to a mobile device compared to traditional capturing devices like DSLR or MILC is that smartphone cameras require a much more flexible flash-length on different shutter speeds. This makes it more difficult to fire the flash at the exact time and duration to light the image. Up until now, attempts to synchronize the two have fallen short, making Profoto the world’s first company to successfully bring the full power of professional flashes to smartphones with their proprietary Profoto AirX technology’
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The Profoto Camera app for Android is available for free in the Google Play Store as an ‘early access’ beta starting today for the following Samsung smartphones running Android OS 8 or later:
Profoto doesn’t specify when the app will likely be out of beta, nor when we can expect to see support for other phones. It’s likely going to be a slow-going process, as Profoto needs to create specific algorithms for each device to ensure compatibility with the onboard camera systems—no small feat considering the fragmentation of devices running Android OS.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sony has announced Visual Story, a new iOS application for Sony camera users. The app has been designed with wedding and event photographers in mind and provides users with simplified gallery creation, cloud storage, and web delivery solutions.
Visual Story offers automated image transfer from compatible Sony Alpha cameras to the cloud. From there, users can edit and deliver curated digital albums directly to their clients. To speed up image selection and organization, the app also utilizes AI and reads the metadata of your images.
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‘The voice of our customer is at the center of everything we do. Today’s professional photographers constantly challenge themselves to deliver higher quality content faster than ever to their clients,’ said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Sony Imaging Products and Solutions Americas. ‘Visual Story allows them to streamline their workflow, ultimately giving them the ability to edit, select and send photo galleries to their clients on the day of the ceremony or event. Sony continues developing innovative hardware and software solutions empowering content creators to capture, communicate and share in ways never before possible.’
With Visual Story, photographers can quickly and easily create, edit, curate and deliver a photo gallery. When your camera is connected to the app, images are automatically transferred from the camera to the connected smartphone or tablet in addition to Sony’s cloud service. Images are automatically organized using AI and can be sorted based on metadata, star ratings, shooting timeframe, focus position and additional parameters.
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AI can also sort based on different types of images from an event. For example, AI can detect cake and ring ceremony images from a wedding, identify photos of speeches and dances, and more. The app can also detect when a subject’s eyes are shut, reducing the number of images you must choose from when creating a gallery.
Visual Story includes auto presets as well. Photographers can automatically apply custom edit presets or utilize built-in fixed presets. You can register an edit preset prior to shooting, such that all transferred images are automatically applied as the images are transferred, ensuring a consistent look across all photos. Additionally, the app includes a variety of editing functions, including controls over exposure, white balance, contrast, hue, saturation, and luminance.
By utilizing cloud storage, images can be synchronized across multiple devices. Further, ‘Visual Story also allows wedding photographers to automatically create an online gallery for their clients, which can be delivered instantly on site. This can be offered to their client as an additional service, or complimentary and included in their wedding or event package.’ You can also embed a selected logo and social media information directly into the images in the photo gallery, making it easier to market your business when clients share images online.
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When creating a photo gallery in the app, your ratings and selections can be saved as an XMP file as well, meaning you can transfer your ratings/selections to your computer for easier processing later.
Visual Story is available now for iOS in the Apple App Store. It is a free download. Your iOS device must be running iOS 13 or newer. Visual Story is compatible with select Sony cameras, including A7C, A7R IV, A7S III, A9, and A9 II. The Sony A7 III will be supported in a planned firmware update in Spring 2021.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The post Introduction to Shutter Speed in Digital Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.
Previously, I introduced the concept of the exposure triangle as a way of thinking about getting off of Auto Mode and exploring the idea of manually adjusting the exposure of your shots.
The three main settings that you can adjust are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. As we’ve covered aperture and ISO in other articles, today I want to turn your attention to shutter speed.
As I’ve written elsewhere, defined most basically, shutter speed is “the amount of time that the shutter is open.”
In film photography, shutter speed is the length of time that the film is exposed to the scene you’re photographing. Similarly, in digital photography, shutter speed is the length of time that your image sensor “sees” the scene you’re attempting to capture.
Let me attempt to break down the topic of “shutter speed” into some bite-sized pieces that should help digital camera owners trying to get their head around shutter speed:
In the bird image above, the shutter speed was 1/1000th of a second, meaning that despite the bird’s fast-flapping wings, they appear to be frozen in a split second of time. The surfing shot below had a fast shutter speed (around 1/4000th of a second), which captured even the splashing drops of water sharply.
For example, in the following waterfall photo, the shutter speed was around 1s, so we see the movement in the water:
In the subway shot below, the shutter speed was around 2s, so the movement of the train is beautifully blurred:
Remember that thinking about shutter speed in isolation from the other two elements of the exposure triangle (aperture and ISO) is not really a good idea. As you change your shutter speed, you’ll need to change one or both of the other elements to compensate for it.
For example, if you increase your shutter speed by one stop (for example, from 1/125s to 1/250s), you’re effectively letting half as much light into your camera. To compensate for this, you’ll probably need to increase your aperture by one stop (for example, from f/16 to f/11). The other alternative would be to choose a higher ISO (you might want to move from ISO 100 to ISO 200, for example).
I hope you’ve found this introduction to shutter speed useful. I would highly recommend you also put a little time aside today to learn about the other two important elements of the exposure triangle – aperture and ISO.
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The post Introduction to Shutter Speed in Digital Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.
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Sigma just added three ‘I-series’ lenses to its Contemporary lineup, in the form of 24mm, 35mm and 65mm primes. Physically somewhat similar to the metal-bodied 45mm F2.8 ‘C’ released alongside the fp, these new primes promise very good performance and light weight when paired with L-mount and Sony E-mount mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.
We’ve had our hands on the 35mm and 65mm for a few days; read on for pictures, impressions and key specifications.
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‘A classic reimagined’ is how Sigma describes this lens, which is one of a trio of new ‘I-series’ primes in Sigma’s established ‘Contemporary’ line. The ‘I’ lenses are described as compact, high-quality optics for mirrorless cameras, offering an alternative to the often large, heavy lenses we’ve seen appear for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
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Like the quirky 45mm F2.8, these new ‘Contemporary’ primes are unusual in featuring a metal construction, including the lens hood. Made from ‘precision cut’ aluminum with a brass mount, the 35mm F2 feels like a premium product. However, at 325g (11.5 oz) it remains relatively lightweight, as well as being (by the standards of most modern mirrorless primes) fairly compact.
On a Sony a7R IV, it feels very well-balanced indeed, with its light weight keeping the combination from feeling front-heavy.
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Knurled focus and aperture rings add to the somewhat retro-inspired design of these new lenses, although both operate of course ‘by wire’. The focus ring is buttery-smooth yet well-damped, and the ‘clicky’ aperture ring is a joy (though it cannot be de-clicked for smooth operation when shooting video).
The accented ‘cut-out’ between the focus ring and aperture ring is cosmetic (it looks like it should be an annular switch but it isn’t) but does provide a little purchase when mounting and dismounting the lens. Unlike the rest of the lens, this ring has a gloss, rather than matte finish, giving it a strange prominence. Both finishes are something of a fingerprint magnet.
Focus speeds aren’t lightning quick, but are more than fast enough for almost any subject you’d be shooting with a 35mm prime. The focus motor is, for all intents and purposes, silent, though you may hear a slight whine or hum if you’re using onboard microphones to record audio while shooting video.
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It might be small (only 70mm long, or about 2.7 inches) but the 35mm F2 packs in ten glass elements in nine groups, including one SLD (super low-dispersion) and three molded aspherical elements, all produced in Sigma’s factory in Aizu, Japan. This fairly complex design is optimized for excellent control of chromatic aberrations and field curvature. Sigma also claims very good correction of coma, which is good news for fans of low light, wide-aperture shooting.
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Speaking of wide-aperture shooting, the 35mm and 65mm ‘C’ primes feature a nine-bladed aperture, with rounded blades to help deliver circular bokeh at a wide apertures (the 24mm has seven blades). The 35mm F2 accepts fairly standard 58mm screw-in filters and the included metal lens cap attaches magnetically.
The back of the metal cap has a felt ring to prevent it scraping the lens, and this is something of a dust trap. The lens comes supplied with a conventional plastic pinch cap, too.
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Sigma doesn’t make any great claims about the weather-sealing of the new ‘I’ series, but like all three of the new lenses, the 35mm F2’s brass mount is rated as ‘dust and splash-proof’. To that end, a slim rubber gasket around the mount helps keep any dirt or moisture from entering the camera.
The Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN will be available in mid-January for $ 639.
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The 65mm F2 is physically very similar to the 35mm, but a little heavier (405g/14.3oz compared to 325g/11.5oz) and very slightly longer. Optically it comprises 12 elements in nine groups, including one SLD element and two aspherical elements.
Sigma says the 65mm focal length encourages a greater working distance than a conventional 50mm ‘normal,’ which in turn provides slightly more of a compression effect for the same composition. Its minimum focus distance is 55cm (21.7″)
The front filter ring is larger than that of the 35mm F2, and accepts 62mm screw-in filters.
The Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN will be available in mid-January for $ 699.
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Like the 35mm, the 65mm comes with both a pinch-fit plastic lens cap and a rather smart magnetic metal one. There’s also a light, ribbed metal hood with a plastic insert with a clip mechanism that provides smooth and secure attachment to the lens itself.
Despite its extra length and weight, it still balances nicely. We used it on some of Sony’s more recent full-frame models, whose larger grips mean the weight is easy to hold. Unlike some recent FF mirrorless lenses, the lens’s weight is pretty evenly distributed along its length: there’s no extreme front element pulling the front of the lens down.
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Third in the new trilogy of primes (and the only one not available to us at the time of writing) is the lightweight (only 225g/8oz) 24mm F3.5 DG DN. Of the three, this lens is the closest in terms of physical design and handling to the existing 45mm F2.8, but unlike that lens, it promises thoroughly-modern, aberration-free imaging, with ‘high resolving power’ across the entire frame at all apertures.
Its 10 element in 8 group optical design includes one SLD element and three aspherical elements, and a minimum focus distance of only 10cm (~4″) works out to an impressive maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.
The Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN will be available in mid-January for $ 549.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo appears to be working on a modular mirrorless camera. Per Lighting Rumours, Yongnuo has filed a patent for a device combining a ‘mobile terminal’ and an external lens assembly.
The mobile terminal appears to be similar to a smartphone in its shape and form factor. The device has a large display and a central, exposed image sensor. There aren’t specifics about the sensor, but it’s worth considering that Yongnuo joined the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) System Standard in February of this year. Further, the company’s Android-powered mirrorless camera, the YN450, includes a 16MP 4/3 image sensor.
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| On the left you can see a mobile terminal and to the right is the external lens apparatus. The patent outlines how the terminal, which includes a large display and an image sensor, attaches to the external lens element. |
The external lens assembly appears to incorporate a lens mount although it’s unclear what kind of lens mount, a grip and a locking mechanism. Lighting Rumours speculates that you may be able to use the mobile terminal as a standalone phone device, provided that Yongnuo supplies a cap to cover the exposed image sensor when it is not attached to the external lens assembly. Further, the patent illustration shows a retractable zoom lens but mentions possible prime lenses and lenses with image stabilization.
Originally filed by Shenzen Yongnuo Photographic Equipment Co., Ltd. in April and published last month, the patent also outlines why a modular device would be advantageous. It argues that the lenses built into smartphones lack the performance and versatility users demand, which has given rise to external lens solutions. However, Yongnuo claims that these external lens solutions come up short. The patent claims that external lenses can be impractical, flimsy, and not offer high-quality performance. In order to deal with these issues, Yongnuo’s new system, including the external lens assembly and mobile terminal, are more convenient to use, fit together precisely, and offer superior performance.
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Of course, companies file patents regularly and many patents never result in a commercially viable product. That may be the case here as well, but it’s certainly an interesting patent. It’s clear what such a product may offer over a traditional smartphone camera design, but it’s not necessarily obvious what such a product offers users relative to a standalone compact camera.
In terms of new products, in case you missed it, Yongnuo announced a new full-frame autofocus lens for Sony mirrorless cameras in late October. You can learn more about the new lens and Yongnuo’s other products, such as flashes, triggers and more, by visiting Yongnuo USA.
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If you’re interested in another modular camera concept, you can refer to a modular Fujifilm GFX concept Fujifilm showed off last year. It’s quite a different take on a modular camera than what Yongnuo’s patent shows.
(Via Lighting Rumours)
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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In August, we reported that Canon suffered a ransomware attack that, allegedly, saw more than 10TB of data taken from Canon’s servers. At the time, a Canon representative told us the company was ‘investigating the situation,’ but the company never confirmed the attack took place. Now, three months later, Canon has confirmed in a statement that an attack did take place as well as details on exactly what information was taken from its servers.
The notice, first spotted by Canon Watch, states information of past and current employees ‘who were employed by Canon U.S.A., Inc. and certain subsidiaries, predecessors and affiliates from 2005 to 2020’ was taken. This data, which also includes employees’ beneficiaries and dependents when applicable, includes ‘Social Security number, driver’s license number or government-issued identification number, financial account number provided to Canon for direct deposit, electronic signature, and date of birth.’
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| A notice originally sent to Canon employees notifying them of the cyberattack. |
Canon says it immediately opened an investigation, hired a cybersecurity firm and contacted law enforcement, who helped to support the investigation.
To assist with those whose information was taken in the attack, Canon is offering a free membership to a credit monitoring service to help ‘detect possible misuse of an individual’s information and provides the individual with identity protection services.’
Canon statement:
Notice of Data Security Incident
Canon understands the importance of protecting information. We are informing current and former employees who were employed by Canon U.S.A., Inc. and certain subsidiaries, predecessors, and affiliates1 from 2005 to 2020 and those employees’ beneficiaries and dependents of an incident that involved some of their information. This notice explains the incident, measures we have taken, and steps you can take in response.
We identified a security incident involving ransomware on August 4, 2020. We immediately began to investigate, a cybersecurity firm was engaged, and measures were taken to address the incident and restore operations. We notified law enforcement and worked to support the investigation. We also implemented additional security measures to further enhance the security of our network.
We determined that there was unauthorized activity on our network between July 20, 2020 and August 6, 2020. During that time, there was unauthorized access to files on our file servers. We completed a careful review of the file servers on November 2, 2020 and determined that there were files that contained information about current and former employees from 2005 to 2020 and their beneficiaries and dependents. The information in the files included the individuals’ names and one or more of the following data elements: Social Security number, driver’s license number or government-issued identification number, financial account number provided to Canon for direct deposit, electronic signature, and date of birth.
We wanted to notify our current and former employees and their beneficiaries and dependents of this incident and to assure them that we take it seriously. As a precaution, we have arranged for them to receive a complimentary membership to Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM credit monitoring service. This product helps detect possible misuse of an individual’s information and provides the individual with identity protection services. IdentityWorksSM is completely free to the individual, and enrolling in this program will not hurt the individual’s credit score. If you are a current or former employee, or the beneficiary or dependent of a current or former employee, and would like more information on IdentityWorksSM, including instructions on how to activate your complimentary membership, please call our dedicated call center for this incident at 1-833-960-3574. For information on additional steps you can take in response, please see the additional information provided below.
We regret that this occurred and apologize for any inconvenience. If you have additional questions, please call 1-833-960-3574, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
1This notice is being provided by or on behalf of Canon U.S.A., Inc. and the following subsidiaries, predecessors, and affiliates: Canon BioMedical, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-Central, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-Mountain West, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-NewCal, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-Tereck, Inc., Canon Business Solutions-West, Inc., Canon Development Americas, Inc., Canon Financial Services, Inc., Canon Information and Imaging Solutions, Inc., Canon Information Technology Systems, Inc., Canon Latin America, Inc., Canon Medical Components U.S.A., Inc., Canon Software America, Inc., Canon Solutions America, Inc., Canon Technology Solutions, Inc., Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc., NT-ware USA, Inc., Océ Imaging Supplies, Inc., Océ Imagistics Inc., Océ North America, Inc., Océ Reprographic Technologies Corporation, and Virtual Imaging, Inc.
ADDITIONAL STEPS YOU CAN TAKE
We remind you it is always advisable to be vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your account statements and free credit reports for any unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. To order your annual free credit report, please visit?www.annualcreditreport.com?or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies is as follows:
If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe your personal information has been misused, you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in your state. You can obtain information from these sources about steps an individual can take to avoid identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes. You should also contact your local law enforcement authorities and file a police report. Obtain a copy of the police report in case you are asked to provide copies to creditors to correct your records. Contact information for the Federal Trade Commission is as follows:
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
As we continue to test Nikon’s update of its multimedia full-framer, we’ve added more of our findings so far on image quality, dynamic range and video quality. Take a look.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Meyer Optik Görlitz, under its new parent company OPC Optics, is bringing yet another lens back to life — the Primoplan 75mm F1.9 II.
This fully-manual ‘legendary portrait lens’ is a revitalized version based on the original 1936 design by Meyer Optik designer, Paul Schäfter. Meyer Optik Görlitz says this redesigned version has been ‘carefully adapted it to the high standards of digital photography after an intensive development period,’ which included the support of Meyer Optik Görlitz engineer Dr. Wolf-Dieter Prenzel.
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Meyer Optik Görlitz says the ‘Primoplan 75 f1.9 II is an enhancement of the Cooke triplet, in which a central dispersion lens is flanked by two groups of lenses, each acting as a converging lens.’ It adds, ‘the rear group consists of a single biconvex converging lens.’
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| A low-res sample photo, provided by Meyer Optik Görlitz. |
The lens features an all-metal construction, is hand-assembled and each unit is calibrated and tested. Other features include an aperture range of F1.9 through F16, has 14-blade aperture diaphragm, has a minimum focusing distance of 75cm (2.45ft) and uses a 52mm front filter thread.
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| A low-res sample photo, provided by Meyer Optik Görlitz. |
The lens is available today for Canon EF, Fuji X, Leica M, M42, MFT, Nikon F, Pentax K and Sony E mounts for €973.82 (approximately $ 1,155) on the Meyer Optik Görlitz online store.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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