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DJI hopes to take on GoPro with its new Osmo Action camera

15 May

DJI has taken a detour from drones and gimbals to release the Osmo Action, a robust action camera designed to compete directly with GoPro’s Hero lineup.

The compact, ruggedized action camera features the same 1/2.3-inch sensor found inside the Osmo Pocket and captures 12-megapixel Raw stills, as well as 4K HDR video. In front of the sensor is a three-element F2.8 glass lens with a 145 degree field-of-view.

As noted in our hands-on, the Osmo Action features DJI’s electronic image stabilization (EIS) technology it refers to as RockSteady, an tongue-in-cheek nod to GoPro’s HyperSmooth EIS technology. It’s worth noting though that DJI estimates an 18-22% crop factor when using RockSteady. DJI has also included a de-warp function to minimize the exaggerated perspective of the wide-angle lens.

One, er two, of the stand-out features of the Osmo Action are its dual displays. In addition to the 2.25in rear touchscreen that’s used to navigate the menu and compose shots, DJI has also added a 1.4in front-facing screen so you know what you’re getting in the shot when snapping a selfie.

Being an action camera, it shouldn’t come as any surprise the Osmo Action is designed to take a beating and keep on working; it’s dustproof, shockproof up to 1.5m (5ft) and waterproof down to 11m (36ft) as is. If more protection or underwater capabilities are required, DJI is also offering an external housing.

The device itself features three buttons: a power button, a record button and a dedicated button DJI calls the Quick Switch (QS) button. The QS button makes it easy to transition between shooting modes, flip what screen is active and change settings, even with gloves on. If the Quick Switch button doesn’t fit the bill, the camera can also be turned on and start recording with your voice thanks to integrated voice control.

On the photo front, the Osmo Action can capture 12MP Raw (DNG) or JPEG images in 16:9 or 4:3 ratios. It features an ISO sensitivity range of 100-3200 and shutter speeds between 120 seconds and 1/8000th of a second. In burst mode, the Osmo Action can capture shots at three, five or seven fps, and the self-timer mode can be set for three or ten second intervals.

When it comes to video, the Osmo Action can capture 4K/60p video at 100Mbps and 4K HDR video at up to 30 fps. For high frame rate video, the Osmo Action can capture up to 240 fps if the resolution is dropped down to 1080p.

The Osmo Action has built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi so it can be paired with Android and iOS devices via DJI’s Mimo mobile app. When connected, you can compose shots, change settings, capture images and instantly transfer content on the fly.

Media is stored on microSD/SDXC/SDHC cards up to 256GB. The battery, which DJI says can be fully charged via the onboard USB-C port in 88 minutes, can last 116 minutes when recording at 1080/30p or 91 minutes when recording 4K/30p with RockSteady enabled.

The DJI Osmo Action is currently available to pre-order at Adorama and B&H for $ 349. It comes with a camera frame, a flat adhesive mount, a curved adhesive mount, a quick-release base, the battery, a battery case, a locking screen and a USB-C cable. Additional accessories are also available.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos

23 Dec

The post How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Peter West Carey.

Sometimes 6, 7 or 12 frames per second (fps) isn’t fast enough to get the shot you want. Sometimes the action is so fast it is best to use a different concept altogether. I’m talking specifically about how to use high-speed video to capture action photos that you want.

1 - How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos

Think of it this way; standard frame rate for video is either 24fps or 30fps. That’s good, but may not be fast enough. Most smartphones these days can shoot 120fps, which makes them a possible tool for this technique. Or you can step up to a camera with much higher frame rates, maybe 480fps or even 1000fps.

No matter the camera, the technique below opens up a world of possibilities for freezing high-speed action.

I had a request from my client Andy Suzuki & The Method to capture slow-motion burning clocks for a music video, which turned out to be perfect material for this post.

Shooting

When shooting at a high speed, lighting can be critical, as it is with any quality photography. The high frame rate should be accompanied by a higher shutter speed, which can be accomplished with more light, an open aperture and higher ISO.

There are benefits and drawbacks to increasing each of these factors that depend on your intended outcome. I find Adobe Lightroom does a good job of cleaning up most ISO noise, so I prefer to increase the ISO before anything.

Adding more light is the next variable I would adjust. Although, as you can see in my example here, it was not an option. Next, I will adjust the aperture as open as I can make it while still ensuring my depth of field is adequate for my subject.

Grabbing the frame in Lightroom

Grabbing the appropriate frame in Lightroom is incredibly simple.

Downloading your video in Lightroom, and while in the Library Module, play your video until you get to the frame you desire. When you find it, hit ‘pause’. The forward and backward arrows can be used to step your video frame-by-frame until you find the frame you need. You can run this exercise multiple times if you need or want multiple frames.

2 - How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos

Once you have the frame you want on your screen, click on the rectangle at the bottom of the preview area.

There will be two options Capture frame and Set poster frame. Simply click Capture frame and a JPG of the frame will be stacked with the video.

3 - How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos

4 - How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos

The capture will be the same size as the original video. In this case, with high-speed video on a Sony RX-100 V, as demonstrated here, the image is 1920×1080. There will be some balance you need to strike in order to ensure the final image is large enough for your intended use.

Conclusion

High-speed video is an excellent way to produce images it would take hours to capture. Think of splashing on puddles, wine poured into a glass, breaking ice or any number of fast-moving subjects. The method described here does have some limitations, but it is fast, easy and just a bit of fun.

The post How to Use High-Speed Video to Capture Action Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Peter West Carey.

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GoPro moving production of U.S.-bound action cameras out of China, cites concerns over tariffs

11 Dec

GoPro announced today it will be moving camera production out of China for cameras destined for the U.S. market.

In a press release shared this morning, GoPro stated that while its cameras bound for the international market will continue to be made in China, gear destined for the United States will be moved elsewhere by summer 2019, citing concern over the recent tariffs put in place as a part of the trade war that’s been brewing between the U.S. and China.

‘Today’s geopolitical business environment requires agility, and we’re proactively addressing tariff concerns by moving most of our US-bound camera production out of China,’ says Brian McGee, executive vice president and CFO of GoPro in the press release. ‘We believe this diversified approach to production can benefit our business regardless of tariff implications.’

McGee assured consumers and investors alike the move will have little impact on GoPro’s financials, saying ‘It’s important to note that we own our own production equipment while our manufacturing partner provides the facilities, so we expect to make this move at a relatively low cost.’

As of writing this article at 10:10am on Monday, December 10th, 2018, GoPro is priced at $ 4.82 USD per share, down 2.82% on the day on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Insta 360 launches ONE X 360-degree 5.7K action camera

10 Oct

Insta360 today launched the ONE X, a 5.7K 360-degree action camera that’s compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices.

The new model is capable of recording spherical video at 5.7K resolution and 30 frames per second. For smooth motion in action videos or slow-motion effects you can also opt to record 4K footage at 50fps or 3K video at 100fps. In photo mode the camera captures 18MP still images.

OnePlus claims the new camera delivers “gimbal-like” stabilization without the gimbal. To achieve this the ONE X uses an upgraded version of Insta360’s FlowState stabilization algorithm which constantly analyzes movement in all directions.

Using the dedicated editing app, video can be reframed and re-edited to highlight the best elements of a scene and create cinematic clips that would be much more difficult to achieve with conventional cameras. In addition the new TimeShift feature lets users adjust the speed of different parts of a clip to put the focus on key moments, using either slow-motion or hyperlapse effects.

Insta360 says the ability to automatically remove a selfie stick from the footage in the app in combination with the company’s customized 10-foot selfie stick allows for the capture of drone-like footage without a drone. Thanks to its rugged construction the camera can even be thrown around when snapped into the Insta360 Drifter camera dart, allowing for very unusual effects.

The ONE X connects to mobile devices via WiFi, providing real-time image preview and control. The same connection can be used to transfer footage for editing but you also have the option to use a USB cable.

ISO, exposure compensation, white balance and shutter speed are user adjustable and optional accessories include a rugged case, an underwater case and a GPS Smart Remote.

The Insta360 ONE X can be pre-ordered on the Insta360 website and at retailers globally now and is priced at $ 399.95. Shipping starts on October 17. For more information and some quite impressive sample footage have a look at the video below.

{PressRelease}

Insta360 ONE X Redefines the Action Camera with 5.7K Video, Impossible Stabilization, Cinematic Slow-Mo

The future of the action camera is here. Insta360 today launched the ONE X, a 5.7K camera that uses 360° capture, groundbreaking stabilization and cinematic slow-mo to radically expand what’s possible with a camera.

Compatible with both iOS and Android, the ONE X is available to order today at Insta360.com, with shipments beginning Oct. 17.

Insta360 ONE X – The Future Of The Action Camera:

A new kind of camera.

The ONE X is more than a 360-degree shooter. It’s a new kind of camera that uses 360 to give users more freedom and more creative possibilities – both during and after capture.

Combining an unlimited field of view with gimbal-level stabilization and new high-FPS shooting modes, the ONE X unlocks the ability to control time and perspective in ways that make it feel more like a fleet of cameras than a single device.

Look sharp.

Shooting in every direction and making it all look good, requires some serious resolution.

That’s why the ONE X records at a best-in-class 5.7K (30 FPS). For dynamic scenes, new 50 FPS (4K) and 100 FPS (3K) shooting modes keep action super-smooth and let you slow the action down to highlight key moments.

18 MP photos show vivid detail, while an increased pixel size offers superior image quality and low-light performance.

Like a gimbal. Without the gimbal.

The ONE X uses the upgraded FlowState stabilization algorithm, analyzing movement in all directions to achieve a level of stabilization never before possible with a single device.

FlowState lets users capture impossibly smooth video with no accessories needed. Mount the ONE X anywhere – from a helmet to a selfie stick to a kayak – and footage comes out looking like it’s been professionally stabilized.

Shoot first, point later.

The magic of 360 is that it lets you choose the best way to frame an experience after it’s over – there’s no need to point your camera, and you’ll never miss a shot.

Using the ONE X’s simple editing app, users can easily reframe and re-edit the best parts of a scene, creating cinematic clips that would never be possible with a traditional camera.

Own the moment.

The ONE X’s new TimeShift feature lets users adjust the speed of different parts of a clip on a whim. Users can highlight key moments with cinematic slow-mo, or speed things up with a stabilized hyperlapse – the app always keeps playback smooth.

Combine TimeShift with the freedom to frame the shot in any direction, and the possibilities are endless. Users have total control over both time and perspective in their edits.

A drone without the noise.

Using the ONE X app, users can automatically remove a selfie stick from their scenes, leaving the ONE X apparently suspended in mid-air.

The result is the ability to shoot aerial angles without a drone. Pairing the ONE X with Insta360’s customized 10-foot (!) selfie stick leads to stunning possibilities.

Bullet Time. In 3K.

The Insta360 ONE introduced the unique Bullet Time shot, an orbiting perspective that puts a user at the center of an epic slow-mo shot. The ONE X takes this concept to the next level with a wider field of view and a sharper 3K resolution.

Throw them for a loop.

The ONE X is made to throw around. Seriously.

Creators can snap it into the new Insta360 Drifter camera dart, and send it soaring.

The resulting Drift Shots — airborne slow-mo shots enhanced by the full freedom of 360 — unlock impossible angles and create a mind-blowing effect.

High-speed WiFi for preview and transfer.

Users can connect to the ONE X via super-fast 5.8 GHz WiFi, letting them conveniently preview and control their shots in real time.

When they’re ready to transfer footage back to their phone for editing and sharing, they can quickly send it back over WiFi or connect directly with a transfer cable (Lightning, USB Type-C and Micro-USB cables come standard with the ONE X).

Staying power.

The ONE X has a removable 1200 mAh battery, ensuring that creators will stay powered up even when they’re far afield.

Natural lighting. In every direction.

Users can manually tweak image settings — including ISO, exposure value, white balance and shutter speed — to dial in the perfect shot.

The ONE X is also ready for HDR photos, timelapses, hyperlapses, interval shooting and timed shots.

Ready for the elements.

Two rugged case options for the ONE X mean it’s ready to go anywhere.

The Venture Case is a tough shell designed for above-water shooting, which offers splash protection and waterproofing to 5 meters.

The Dive Case is built to breach the depths. Specialized dome lenses allow for underwater 360 shooting — with a clean stitch – down to 30 meters.

Track your trek.

The optional GPS Smart Remote lets users control the ONE X, while automatically recording GPS data for video and photos.

This data can be used to easily upload video and photos to Google Maps Street View, and to add a customizable journey-tracking dashboard to video clips – overlaying speed, direction, elevation, location and route info.

Order now.

The Insta360 ONE X is priced at $ 399.95 USD and available to order now via Insta360.com and select retailers worldwide, including B&H Photo Video. Shipments begin Oct. 17.

Insta360 ONE X purchase link:

http://bit.ly/ONEX_pr

{PressRelease}

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Review: the GoPro Fusion is a different kind of action camera

16 Aug

Introduction to the Fusion and OverCapture

The GoPro Fusion ships with an extendable selfie stick that doubles as a small tripod.

GoPro may have jump started the action camera market, but the Fusion is different than all the GoPros that came before it: it’s a true 360 camera. Instead of using a single forward-facing lens, its two ultra-wide angle lenses capture a full 360 spherical image of everything around it.

Unlike most 360 cameras, the Fusion is designed to create both spherical and standard HD videos, potentially offering action camera users more capability than they can get from their current action camera – something that’s become progressively difficult in a highly commoditized market. If action/adventure is your game and your workflow is geared towards mobile and web, the GoPro Fusion may be the camera you’re looking for.

Key features

360 video: 5.2K/30p, 3K/60p
360 photo: 18MP 5K 360 photos (5760 x 2880)
OverCapture for creating HD videos
Image stabilization
Spatial audio (4 microphones)
Waterproof (5m/16ft.)
GPS
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
Smartphone app + desktop software
Includes two 32GB SD cards (75 minutes record time)
Removable battery (75-80 minutes record time)

A view of the Fusion’s twin offset lenses.

What makes the Fusion most exciting, and what is arguably its main selling point, is ‘OverCapture’, a feature that allows you to pull standard 1080p HD videos from anywhere within the 360 sphere.

This is an entirely different way of producing video content. Since you’re capturing every single direction at once, you can frame your shot after you’ve shot it. For an action camera user, this unshackles you from the confines of recording a single, unchanging perspective and opens the doors to generating complex camera moves for more compelling footage.

OverCapture is an entirely different way of producing video content. You can frame your shot after you’ve shot it.

To be fair, the Fusion isn’t the first consumer camera to provide this functionality. The Rylo Camera offers a similar feature, and as we discussed in our review of the Rylo it works impressively well. (The main difference between the Fusion and the Rylo comes down to how you edit over-captured video: the GoPro lets you pan/tilt your phone to follow the action, whereas the Rylo provides excellent subject tracking to follow the action. Both methods work well.)

Let’s take a look at a real world example. To create the two videos below, I set the camera in the middle of a skate-park and asked Colin Flynn, founder of Fool’s Gold Surf, to skate around it. In the first video, you can drag around to see all the angles or, if you’re watching using a VR headset, you can just look around in any direction.

This is an example of 360 video captured with the GoPro Fusion. You can drag around the image to look in different directions.

The second video was created from the exact same camera footage, but using OverCapture to follow Colin’s movement on the mobile app (literally by moving my phone around as if I was recording in real-time), then exported as a standard HD video.

This video was created from the exact same clip as the one above, except that I used OverCapture to follow the action on my phone after the clip was recorded, then exported it as a standard HD video.

You can do all of this – and share it – from the mobile app. You can do the same with the desktop software, though as we’ll see, there are some glaring differences between the two and OverCapture does have its limitations.

Despite being GoPro’s first foray into the 360 camera space, the Fusion gets a lot of things right and performs well.

In fact, one important consideration when using OverCapture is that while the camera may be high resolution, you’re exporting a 1920×1080 HD video (if shot on 5.2K), or 1280×720 HD video (if shot in 60fps 3K). Furthermore, if you zoom in, you’re losing more resolution relative to how much you’re punching in on that OverCapture frame, so if 4K is essential to your needs, or you’re interested in the Fusion primarily for action footage using OverCapture, those are things you might want to think about.

Despite being GoPro’s first foray into the 360 camera space, the Fusion gets a lot of things right and performs well. The things it doesn’t do well could, for the most part, be remedied by firmware and software updates, and we’ll take a look at some of those things in the following pages.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Look. Think. Click. Don’t Rush Into Taking Those Action Photos

27 Jul

How can you improve your action photography? Everything moves so fast that it is a real challenge to make decent action photos.

The best way to improve your high-speed action photography is to slow down. Don’t be mistaken that because your subject is moving rapidly that you must do the same.

Expert action photographers achieve their outstanding results by carefully anticipating and planning. Then they pick up their cameras to begin making photographs.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

My best action photo. Sometimes it’s more than just good planning. My timing was lucky!

Here are three basic steps to improving not only your action photos but all of your photography. You can apply these principles each time you shoot, no matter your chosen subject.

Look First

Before you bring your camera to your eye, even before you turn it on, look carefully at what you have chosen to photograph. Look at:

Your subject
The background behind your subject
Foreground in front of the subject
Lighting
Weather
Obstacles – people, traffic, cows, etc. (Anything that might hinder you from taking pictures.)

Being observant is one of the key things photographers need to be experts at. You need to know what is around you and how it will help or hinder your photograph making process.

Hmong New Year top spinning - Action Photos

Then Think

Once you have chosen your subject and had a sufficient look at your surroundings, it’s time to piece together the picture you want to make.

Think about your shooting spot

One of the most important things to consider is where you will take your photos from. You need to think about how your subject will look from different angles and which one you will choose. You may need to take photos at a few different locations before finding one you are happy with.

For any action photography your subject will be moving, so your background may not remain the same. Ask yourself if you will get better photos if you are moving with your subject or if you are stationery.

Moving with your subject will be more difficult. There will be a greater risk of not getting any usable photos. It might pay to stay in one spot until you are confident you have some good pictures and then move with your subject.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Be conscious of others

If you are at a sports event you will need to be conscious of other people. Photographing your kid’s football game, there will be other parents on the sidelines that you will need to consider. They may not consider you and step in front of your camera ruining that shot where your kid scores.

So choose a location where you will not be hindered. Sometimes this will mean getting in front of others or getting further back.

Think about the light

Is it bright enough to achieve a fast enough shutter speed? If not you will need to raise your ISO to a higher setting.

Where is the light coming from? Will your subject be lit from the front or back? Maybe from the side? Maybe from multiple angles as they move around.

Looking at how the light is falling on your subject will help you choose a location at which to position yourself. Look and see at what angle the light is best for the type of photo you want.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Think about the weather

Photographing outdoors you may also have to give some thought to the weather. On clear sunny days or cloudy dull days when weather conditions are unlikely to change there’s not much to think about. When there’s a good wind blowing that might cause dust or sand to hinder you photo session you will need to be careful.

Clouds are the thing that you need to think about the most. On a day when clouds are moving across the sky and the sun is being obscured some of the time, you will need to pay attention. As the light changes your exposure will need to be altered and this may affect your shutter speed, depending on the settings you are using.

Think about your composition

Composition requires careful thought. So often people will try and take a quick snap of the action. They may be successful at capturing the decisive moment, but the composition is often terrible.

That is because it was unplanned. Choosing a good location and anticipating the action will also help you plan your composition.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

Lastly, Click

Now that you have thought everything through you can start taking photos. The thinking stage does not always have to take long. It can happen very quickly at times. This depends on how familiar you are with your subject and the location you are shooting.

The more familiar you are with both, the easier and quicker it will be for you.

Camera settings

Setting your camera well for action photos is important. Your shutter speed and focusing mode are especially critical.

To stop the action you will need to chose a fast enough shutter speed. The faster the action the faster shutter speed you will need to freeze your subject.

Hmong New Year kart racing - Action Photos

To blur your subject the opposite applies. Choose a shutter speed sufficiently slow enough to let your subject appear blurred by their motion, but not so slow that you cannot recognize it anymore.

With really fast action I typically set my camera and lens to manual focus. I will pick a spot to focus on and only make photographs when my subject is within my focus zone. I do not practice a lot of action photography these days so I find this method suits me well. Of course, this technique will depend on the type of action you are photographing.

Most importantly with action photography, make sure to squeeze your shutter button and take your photos at the decisive moment when the action is at its peak.

Hmong New Year - Action Photos

Conclusion

If you just grab a few frames without first looking and then planning before you shoot, your results will often be lacking. Being ready when the action happens will more often lead to better action photos.

The more familiar you are with your subject and surroundings the easier is will be. So, if you are just starting out and trying some action photography, picking a subject you know well might mean you have early success.

The photographs I have used in this article are all from a Hmong New Year celebration I photographed a few years back. The day features various sports activities that individuals and village teams compete in. There’s always loads of action and tons of fun.

Please check out this video for some more tips on looking, thinking, and clicking your way to improved photography.

The post Look. Think. Click. Don’t Rush Into Taking Those Action Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Nikon KeyMission action cameras listed as discontinued on maker’s websites

19 Jul

Nikon now lists its KeyMission action cameras as discontinued on its UK and Japan websites, a change first spotted by Nikon Rumors. The maker’s UK website lists the KeyMission 80 as “discontinued,” though neither the KeyMission 170 or 360 models show the same notice. The Nikon Japan website lists the KeyMission 360 as an “old product,” but doesn’t include the KeyMission 80 or 170 models under its discontinued action camera page.

The Nikon USA website does not currently list any of the KeyMission cameras as discontinued and is still selling all three models. The Nikon UK website is still selling the KeyMission 360 model, but lists the 170 as out of stock and the 80 as discontinued. Existing inventory is still available to purchase through online retailers like B&H Photo.

We have reached out to Nikon for an official statement.

Via: Nikon Rumors

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8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

03 May

In this article, we’ll give you 8 quick tips for photographing fast action and sports.

8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

But what if you don’t shoot sports?

There is a lot of value in learning how to make images that work across different genres. You might avoid sports or wildlife images. Perhaps you find landscapes boring. However, each genre requires a unique skill set that needs to be practiced in order to make images that work. When you practice photographic “cross-training” your work in your primary genre will benefit. In other words, get out of your comfort zone once in a while.

Regardless of what you like to shoot for personal projects or commercially (i.e. portraits, landscape, social documentary, wedding, wildlife, etc.) your reflexes and hand-eye coordination needs to be sharp and fast. When your observation skills are finely tuned, you can anticipate moments before they happen.

8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

How can you learn to anticipate action and synchronize your eyes with your right index finger?

A great way to practice this is to shoot sports. Live theatre or dance performances are also useful activities to shoot for this purpose, but sports (especially motorsports) is the fastest of fast. Moments come and go in rapid succession so you get more opportunities to respond than in other types of photography, relatively speaking. Consider that a vehicle traveling at 60 miles an hour is moving at 88 feet per second!

8 Tips for photographing fast action

In the eight points below, I aim to share technical settings that are useful when shooting action or sports. Follow these, and not only will you be closer to making images of action and sports that work but your overall technical capability as a photographer should improve as well.

8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

Granted, making images of this type is not easy but anything worth doing should never be easy.

1 – Use a long lens

Use a long telephoto lens such as the common 85-200mm focal length and try to get close to the action.

A telephoto lens will give you the flexibility to quickly adapt to the changing situation. Sports move quickly and so must you. On a football pitch, the action may go from one end of the field to the other within seconds.
Depending on where you are standing you need to move quickly as well. A twist of the wrist will get you there with a good telephoto zoom lens.

2 – Don’t go too long

You can go bigger such as 300-600mm focal length, but super long lenses are not necessary. They are also bulky, heavy, and expensive.

Super telephoto lens can be useful especially when shooting motorsports. A race car or motorcycle on a track moves way faster than a ballplayer on a field. Depending on how much you expect to shoot sports,
you might want to wait on the purchase of a super telephoto.

3 – Minimum shutter speed

The shutter speed should be inversely proportional to your focal length to avoid camera shake. For example, a 200mm focal length lens should be shot at around 1/200 or 1/250 of a second while a 400mm lens should be shot at 1/400 of a second, handheld.

A tripod will basically negate this rule. However, some places forbid tripods or it may be unsafe to use one so be prepared to shoot without a tripod.

4 – Practice panning

Panning is when you place a moving subject in your viewfinder and them by moving the camera from left to right or right to left, following the subject’s direction and speed.

The benefit of the technique is that you are afforded more time in which to compose the image. It is generally advisable to place your moving subject off to one side of the frame, and moving into the negative space on the other side of the frame. This gives your subject room to breathe and a place to go, so to speak.

Panning takes practice but it is one of the basic techniques in which all photographers should be proficient. It usually works around 1/60 of a second or faster for faster-moving subjects. Experiment until you feel proficient and happy with the results.

Go to the nearest street and shoot the cars until you get the car in the frame and mostly or entirely sharp.

8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

5 – Use a teleconverter

A teleconverter is a small device that fits in-between your camera body and your actual lens that increases the focal length by some factor. Increases of 1.4x or 2.0x are common. A 200mm lens can quickly become a 400mm using a teleconverter.

Teleconverters have the benefit of being small, compact, and relatively inexpensive (especially compared to 400mm or longer glass). Additionally, the teleconverter will normally communicate with your digital camera and retain metering, autofocus, EXIF data, and more.

Be sure to get the same brand for all your equipment so that it all works together. There are exceptions to this rule but you will need to do a bit of research to sort that out.

8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

The downside of using the teleconverter is that you will lose at least one stop of light. During broad daylight, you can probably afford to do that but at night, you need all of the light than you can get without having to sacrifice ISO. Teleconverters are great little devices, however, you will need to consider trading sharpness for that extra reach.

6 – Blur the motion

Consider if you want motion blur (and how much) or want to completely freeze motion. Some amount of motion blur can be desirable in your images so that the viewer can get a sense of the speed and action of the subject.

Alternatively, you might want to freeze motion and keep things tack sharp. It’s really a matter of taste, and how you intend to tell your story through your images and techniques.

7 – Freeze the motion

To freeze motion you will need around 1/500th of a second, 1/1000th, or even faster depending on the speed of the subject.

My old Nikon FE SLR shoots at 1/4000th of a second and there are DSLRs that will shoot at 1/8000th. Dial in a number, test, and adjust as needed. When you shoot sports, It’s advantageous to use “S” Mode or Shutter Priority mode for best results.

8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports

8 – Use low ISO

Set your maximum ISO to about 100, 200, or 400. You can go to 800 (or higher) and get usable images but the odds fall considerably against you at this “end” of the ISO dial. Less is more ISO, especially with action and sports.

Using the lowest ISO possible will give you the sharpest images given the shutter speed that you are using. Sports and sporting events are usually colorful activities with lots of details in the frame. Therefore, when shooting sports, you ought to aim to use the lowest ISO possible.

If you are shooting with a really fast shutter speed such as 1/1000th or higher, given the amount of available light, you may need to use a higher ISO such as 800 or 1600 to compensate for the reduction in light hitting your camera’s sensor. You get to make this decision before pressing the shutter on every image. Do you want sharp or do you want to freeze motion or do you want both?

There are limits and you need to be mindful of these especially when shooting fast moving objects.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve found this tips helpful. Are their any others you’d added to this? Please share in the comments area below.

The post 8 Tips for Photographing Fast Action and Sports appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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SiOnyx Aurora action cam with color night vision blasts past Kickstarter funding goal

01 May

Kickstarter’s latest major funding success is a campaign for SiOnyx’s Aurora, an action cam said to be the first ever day/night camera of its kind offering “true night vision.” SiOnyx packed a 1-inch sensor into Aurora for low-light capabilities, using it to offer both night vision and color night vision recording options for twilight and night time settings.

Aurora records low-light scenes at 10x the brightness compared to standard CMOS sensors, according to SiOnyx, which claims there are no competing products with Aurora’s level of performance at a sub-$ 800 price point. SiOnyx provides multiple examples of Aurora in action on its YouTube channel, including the video below:

Aurora features a manual Day/Twilight/Night mode selector, as well as time lapse, still picture, and video recording options. The camera has an IP67 waterproof rating for submersion to depths down to 3ft / 1m for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Joining the large 1-inch sensor is an F1.4, 2.0, 5.6 selectable 16mm lens, 8 fps to 60 fps recording, 4x digital zoom, integrated compass/accelerometer/GPS, stereo audio, color/monochrome display, WiFi, a 32GB microSD card for storage and support for both iOS and Android.

SiOnyx has exceeded its $ 50,000 Kickstarter funding goal, so far raising about $ 200,000 with 24 days remaining in the campaign. The company is offering an Aurora Early Bird unit for backers who pledge at least $ 559 USD with shipping expected to start in July 2018, assuming everything goes according to plan. Aurora will have a $ 799 USD MSRP.

Via: PhotographyBLOG

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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GoPro unveils entry-level GoPro HERO action cam that costs just $199

29 Mar

Photo: GoPro

It seems the rumors and leaks from earlier this week were spot on, and right on schedule (a day early, actually) GoPro has revealed its new, entry-level action camera: the $ 200 GoPro HERO.

The HERO is the cheapest action camera GoPro has ever announced, coming in at the same price tag as the HERO5 Session while boasting several features that are reserved for the company’s regular line (read: not the Session lineup) of action cams. If you’re keeping track, the HERO lineup of action cams now goes: GoPro HERO ($ 200), GoPro HERO5 ($ 300), and GoPro HERO6 ($ 400).

As GoPro SVP of Product, Meghan Laffey, explains, GoPro is hoping that the lower price-of-admission into the GoPro action cam family will entice first-time users who would otherwise pick up a third-party option or just keep using their phone. “HERO is a great first GoPro for people looking to share experiences beyond what a phone can capture,” says Laffey. “HERO makes it easy to share ‘wow’ moments at a price that’s perfect for first-time users.”

Photo: GoPro

There’s not much to say about the GoPro HERO that wasn’t already revealed in Monday’s leak, but here goes. The main features are exactly what we expected.

The camera captures 1440/60p and 1080/60p video and 10MP stills, features a 2-inch display, voice control, electronic video stabilization, waterproof to 10M (30-feet) out of the box, and compatibility with all of the current GoPro HERO mounting accessories on the market (30+ from GoPro itself).

Finally, the camera also features compatibility with the GoPro and Quik Stories mobile apps, the latter of which can automatically edit your captured footage into ready-to-share highlight videos.

Photo: GoPro

The entry-level GoPro HERO action camera is available starting now from the GoPro store and online retailers alike for $ 200. To learn more about the GoPro HERO or pick one up for yourself, click here.

Press Release

GoPro Launches Entry-Level HERO Camera 2018

$ 199 HERO Joins $ 299 HERO5 and $ 399 HERO6, Making GoPro Accessible to All

GoPro, Inc. has added a new HERO camera to the family. On sale now, HERO is a $ 199, go-anywhere, capture-anything camera that makes it easy to share experiences that would be difficult to capture with a phone.

HERO features a 2-inch touch display, is waterproof to 30 feet and is extremely durable, making it the perfect GoPro for kids, adventurous social sharers and travelers.

“HERO is a great first GoPro for people looking to share experiences beyond what a phone can capture,” says Meghan Laffey, GoPro’s SVP of Product. “HERO makes it easy to share ‘wow’ moments at a price that’s perfect for first-time users.”

Sharing cool experiences with HERO is simple. It offloads your photos and videos to the GoPro app which creates fun, shareable videos for you, automatically. No more fumbling with your SD card or plugging your camera into a computer. HERO makes it simple.

Those looking for the ultimate GoPro-experience can subscribe to GoPro’s PLUS subscription service. Cloud backup, damaged camera replacement, 20-percent off accessory discounts and more are included with a PLUS subscription for just $ 4.99 a month, cancellable anytime.

HERO is available today at retailers around the world and on GoPro.com. Key features include:

Award-Winning Image Quality: HD Video (1440p60 and 1080p60) and 10MP photo performance
2-Inch Touch Display: Using HERO is as easy as using your phone thanks to its touch display
Voice Control: Tell HERO to start and stop recording, take a photo, turn off and more
Waterproof + Extremely Durable: Waterproof up to 30’ (10M) and designed go everywhere your smartphone can’t
Video Stabilization: HERO features video stabilization that helps smooth out the shakes
Smartphone Compatible: HERO offloads your photos and videos to the GoPro app which creates fun, shareable videos for you, automatically
Body and Gear Mountable: compatible with 30+ GoPro mounting accessories

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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