Pictures and video from an action camera can be awesome. But how do you get the best shots? It’s all about the mounting of the camera and we’re going to tell you how to do it. How and where do you mount an action camera? The most popular place to mount an action camera is on a helmet using a Continue Reading
The post How (And Where) To Mount an Action Camera (On Anything!) appeared first on Photodoto.
DJI has lifted the veil on its latest commercial drone platform and its first hybrid camera series, the Matrice 300 RTK (M300 RTK) and the Zenmuse H20.
While the M300 RTK and Zenmuse H20 are both packed with features designed specifically for commercial use-cases, the systems feature a number of groundbreaking technologies and features that will inevitably make their way into more consumer-centric drones.
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The M300 RTK features a unique design with a top-mounted body and bottom-mounted blades, opposite of its 210 predecessors. This unique design allows advanced AI-powered technologies to get a more expansive overview of the environment for less obstructed viewing. The chunky array atop the drone features a six directional sensing and positioning system that offers a maximum object-detection range of up to 40m (130ft) horizontally, as well as an Anti-Collision Beacon for making the drone more visible in low-light environments. DJI has also included its AirSense (ADS-B) technology that will alert pilots if other aircraft or drones are nearby.
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DJI has also improved its OcuSync Enterprise technology to enable triple-channel 1080p video transmission up to 15km (9.32m) thanks to its 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz connections, which will switch in real-time based on what offers the clearest connection.
Together these systems work together to power the Primary Flight Display (PFD) that ‘merges real-time flight and navigation data into one integrated display.’ Aside from the usual flight telemetry, the pilot will also see obstacle data and other details to ensure a proper flight path in tricky conditions.
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The M300 RTK also features DJI’s new Advanced Dual Operator Mode, which gives two separate pilots equal access to flight controls, telemetry and other data. ‘Now, if one pilot becomes compromised or their controller loses battery or connection, the other pilot gains full control over the M300 RTK and its payloads,’ says DJI. This feature can also be used for training new pilots, where the teacher can take over control of the drone if need be.
When paired with the new Zenmuse H20 camera system, the M300 RTK will also offer two new means of syncing the drone’s location with objects of interest for more precise location tracking in coordinated missions, such as search-and-rescue operations and critical infrastructure repairs. The first is PinPoint, ‘a function that allows users to mark the subject of interest and instantly share the precise location data to a second operator or if necessary to ground teams via DJI FlightHub.’ The second method is Smart Track, ‘which allows users to automatically detect and track a moving object, even at extreme distances, while synchronizing the subject’s dynamic location in real time.’
The M300 RTK is capable of carrying up to three payloads—two on the bottom of the drone and one on the top. Below are a few product photos, including a trio of images showing one-, two- and three-camera setups.
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Additional data collection tools include Live Mission Recording, AI-Spot Check and Waypoints 2.0. Below is a description of each of the three systems from DJI:
‘Live Mission Recording [is] for recording sample automated missions in real time; AI-Spot Check which enables data collection from exactly the same location every time, greatly improving the accuracy of automated missions. After photos from a sample waypoint inspection mission have been recorded, operators are able to mark the subject of interest. During subsequent automated flight missions, AI algorithms perform a comparison between the marked subject and current live view, thus correcting the camera orientation accordingly to deliver accurate and consistent results; and Waypoints 2.0 [is] an improved mission planning system offering up to 65,535 waypoints, while supporting an array of consecutive actions, 3rd party payloads, and more.’
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DJI says the M300 RTK offers up to 55-minutes of flight time on a single battery, offers AES-256 Encryption of its data between the drone and its connected controllers, has IP45 Protection with an operating temperature window of -20 to 50° C (-4 to 120° F) and a self-heating battery when running in the lower temperatures.
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While the M300 RTK can be used with other payloads, including previous camera systems from DJI, the Zenmuse H20 series is designed to make the most of the new technologies inside DJI’s latest drone. The H20 series comes in two versions: the H20 and the H20T.
The H20 is a triple-sensor unit with a 20MP, 23x Hybrid Optical Zoom Camera, a 12MP Wide Camera and a Laser Range Finder that covers distances from 3–1200 meters (3–1312 yards). The H20T, on the other hand, adds an additional Radiometric Thermal Camera (640 x 512 pixels), that ‘allows operators to see what is invisible to the human eye thanks to high thermal sensitivity.’
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DJI has also updated its Pilot app to make it easier to switch between the various sensors onboard the H20 series payloads and added a few new modes to make the most of the multi-camera array. One-Click Capture will capture photos or video from all three cameras simultaneously without having to switch between cameras mid-flight, as well as a Night Scene mode that will capture better low-light images when lighting conditions are less than ideal.
Both the M300 RTK and Zenmuse H20 series payloads are available to pre-order from authorized DJI Enterprise dealers. the first units are expected to ship in the second quarter of 2020.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
A documentary film maker from Utah has designed and built a series of battery holder magazines that he says help to solve the problem of knowing which batteries are fresh and which are depleted. The 3D printed magazines hold three or four batteries from common cameras and allow the batteries to be inserted contacts up for dead batteries and down for fresh ones.
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Tim Irwin, who is printing the magazines in his basement, had been meaning to come up with a solution to this problem for a while, and had tried downloaded plans for 3D printed magazines in the past, but found they always broke. ‘I originally found files on Thingiverse that worked for a bit. But all the designs I tried from there ended up breaking because of a weak point in the print’ he explains. ‘When the travel restrictions around Covid 19 hit every one of my gigs was cancelled or postponed, so it seemed like prefect time to dive into this side mission. I designed my own from scratch and refined it over a long period of time until I was happy with the product. I’m always looking for ways to make my kit more efficient, quick, and organized. The Battery Mag was born out of that.’
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Tim has designed the magazine so that when fresh batteries are loaded with their contacts down they are isolated from each other and from anything else the magazine might come into contact with, so the risk of shorting is avoided. And with deads loaded with the contacts facing up it is easy to see at a glance which battery to reach for next in fast moving situations.
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Tim, who owns Functional Films, makes commercial video documentaries and says he is usually on the road shooting about 140 days a year. That has all stopped due to the coronavirus out-break, so this is how he is filling his time.
The Battery Mags are available for Panasonic DMW-BLF19, Canon LP-E6/N, Pentax DLI90, Sony NP-FZ100, Sony NP-FW50 batteries and he says a unit for Panasonic S cameras is also in production. The magazines are $ 9, $ 10 and $ 14 each, respectively, and can be ordered via the Battery Mag website.
For examples of Tim’s work see his Instagram page.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sony first announced its triple-camera-equipped Xperia 1 Mark II flagship phone in February but users around the world are still waiting for the commercial release of the device. Once available, with its photo-centric design that borrows a number of features from Sony’s Alpha series cameras, the Xperia 1 Mark II should be a compelling option for mobile photographers. Now the company has shared additional information on camera technology and features in Japan.
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In its primary camera the new Sony offers the same 12MP resolution as its predecessor. However, those pixels are distributed across a larger sensor surface. The Mark II’s 1/1.7″ primary sensor is quite a bit bigger than the Mark 1’s 1/2.6″ variant, but still falls short of some other flagship phones. The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro and Huawei P40 Pro for example come with 1/1.33″ and 1/1.28″ sensors respectively.
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| The Xperia 1 Mark II comes with a larger sensor than its predecessor. |
However, Sony is deploying a different strategy to most of its direct rivals. Both rival phones mentioned above use much higher resolution sensors and pixel-binning technology to reduce noise levels and capture images with a wide dynamic range.
Sony bets on ‘traditional’ large 1.8µm pixels, which, according to the company, make the new sensor 50 percent more light sensitive than its predecessor and results in improved low light performance.
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| The 12MP sensor offers faster read-out than the 108MP Quad-Bayer sensors used in some competitors. |
Sony says the conventional design of the sensor offers faster read-out speeds than the pixel-binning Quad-Bayer technology deployed in most current high-end phones. The entire sensor can be read out in 10ms versus 32ms for a 12MP image from a Quad-Bayer sensor.
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| The sensor features 247 phase detection points. |
This speed is necessary to enable the Mark II’s 20fps continuous shooting with autoexposure and autofocus. Dual-Pixel AF is embedded into the sensor and an additional 3D time-of-flight (ToF) sensor supports the system. Overall, the camera can use 247 phase detection points on the image sensor and 43,200 points from the ToF sensor to perform AF calculations.
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| The AF also uses data from a 3D time-of-flight sensor. |
This is done by Sony’s BIONZ X branded image processor which performs 60 AE/AF calculations per second to keep subjects in focus and the image well exposed. The new phone also comes with the Eye AF feature that we already saw on the original Xperia 1. However, now it can lock on to animal eyes in addition to human eyes.
The ultra-wide and tele lenses of the triple-camera setup cannot quite keep up with the primary shooter in terms of read-out speed and processing, though. They both offer continuous shooting at 10fps with AE/AF enabled and AE/AF calculations are performed at a slower rate of 30 per second.
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| Sony says the triple-camera offers the same flexbility as a camera system with 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200mm lenses. |
This said, with equivalent focal lengths of 74mm for the tele and 16mm for the ultra-wide, both cameras make nice additions to the primary camera’s 24mm-equivalent lens, covering a wide range of shooting situations. Sony goes as far as comparing the lenses in the Xperia 1 Mark II triple camera to a full-frame lens set including a 16-35mm wide-angle, a 24-70m standard zoom and a 70-200mm tele-zoom. Those lenses should have you prepared for almost anything, and according to the company the same is true for the phone’s triple-cam.
To make the new device even more attractive to serious photographers it comes with Sony’s new Photography Pro app, which features Shutter and Aperture priority modes in addition to a bunch of other manual controls you would find on the company’s mirrorless cameras. Most camera apps offer some sort of manual controls these days, usually in the shape of a separate ‘Pro mode’, but it looks like Sony is taking things a step further than most.
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| The Photography Pro app offers a range of manual modes and settings. |
The Xperia 1 Mark II is also the first Sony smartphone to feature a ZEISS lens. ZEISS lenses can be found on many of Sony’s Cybershot compact cameras and are also available with an E-mount for Alpha cameras. ZEISS lenses featured on Nokia phones previously but the new Sony is the first to come with the German lens maker’s T* anti-reflective coating to reduce glare and ghosting effects.
It’s good to see Sony, which is the only current smartphone manufacturer that also runs a sizeable camera operation, creating more synergies and technology interchange between its mobile and Alpha divisions. Now we just need to wait for the device to appear in the market and see if the camera can compete with the best. According to rumors that could happen as soon as next week, starting in Taiwan.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
What if I told you that for just $ 50, you could have yourself a fully-customizable interchangeable lens camera capable of shooting 12.3MP stills and capturing 4K/30p video? You’d probably tell me to kick dirt, but the truth is that’s now a possibility thanks to Raspberry Pi’s new ILC camera module and accompanying lenses, which start at just $ 25.
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‘There has always been a big overlap between Raspberry Pi hackers and camera hackers,’ reads the Raspberry Pi blog post announcing the setup. ‘Even back in 2012, people (okay, substantially Dave Hunt) were finding interesting ways to squeeze more functionality out of DSLR cameras using their Raspberry Pi computers.’
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| The full kit currently available from Raspberry Pi. |
Since 2013, Raspberry Pi has released a few different camera modules: the original 5MP camera board based around the OmniVision OV5647 sensor, a Pi NoIR board for infrared photography and a follow-up camera board that used the Sony IMX219 8MP sensor (this unit replaced Raspberry Pi’s 5MP camera board, which has the distinction of being just two other products the company has ever officially discontinued).
Despite selling more than 1.7 million units of the 8MP camera boards to date, the Raspberry Pi team wasn’t content with the limitations put in place by fixed-focus camera modules with small sensors and poor performance. Enter the new Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera.
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This new module is build around the Type 1/2.3” (7.9mm diagonal) Sony IMX477 backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that features 1.55?m pixels (double that of the IMX219 found in the 8MP camera board). In front of the sensor is a C and CS lens mount with adjustable back-focus, a mount most commonly used on 8mm, 16mm cameras, closed-circuit security cameras and other industrial-focused systems. It even features a built-in 1/4”-20 tripod mount for supporting the system.
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While any off-the-shelf C- and CS-mount lenses will work with the new sensor, Raspberry Pi has announced it will be working with its official retail partners to carry a pair of lenses: a 6mm CS-mount lens and a 16mm C-mount lens for $ 25 and $ 50, respectively. There’s always the option of 3D printing and purchasing third-party adapters to create wild combinations, such as this monster, shown below, built around the Canon 70–200mm F2.8 IS II lens.
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| The possibilities are nearly endless. |
The High Quality Camera is compatible with ‘almost all’ Raspberry Pi models, starting with the original Raspberry Pi 1. The only exception are a number of early Raspberry Pi Zero boards that lack the connector. Raspberry Pi has compiled accompanying support documentation on the product page, including a ‘Getting Started’ guide. There’s also ‘The Official Raspberry Pi Camera Guide’ that’s available to download for free as a PDF or buy in physical form on the Raspberry Pi Press Store for £10.
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The Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera, which will remain in production until at least January 2027 per Raspberry Pi’s obsolescence statement, is available starting today for $ 50 on the Raspberry Pi website.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
We’ve updated our ‘best fixed prime lens camera’ buying guide and – no surprise here – the Fujifilm X100V came out on top.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Lomography has announced the release of the Analogue Aqua a new ‘simple use’ reloadable camera that comes packed an underwater case.
The Analogue Aqua is the latest version of Lomography’s take on the disposable 35mm film camera—this time with an aquatic twist thanks to its protective plastic housing, which is waterproof down to 10m (33ft).
The kit will be available in two versions, pre-loaded with one of two Lomography film stocks: Color Negative 400, for ‘classic analogue character’ or LomoChrome Purple for ‘violet tones that flourish and fade,’ in the words of Lomography. When you finish the 27-exposure pre-loaded film, you can put another roll in its place with the help of Lomography’s guide, giving you the convenience of a disposable camera with much less waste.
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The camera itself operates on a single ‘AA’ battery, features a very rudimentary 31mm F9 lens, will focus on anything from beyond 1m (3ft) to infinity and has a permanent shutter speed of 1/120th of a second. In the event you need more light, the camera features a built-in flash that can fire once every 15 seconds.
Below are a few sample photos provided by Lomography:
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The Lomography Analogue Aqua ‘Simple Use’ camera is available in both the Color Negative 400 and LoomChrome Purple versions starting today for $ 40 on Lomography’s online shop. The first units will ship out in May.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Photographer and DIY camera extraordinaire Brendan Barry has used his time in lockdown to create a camera and darkroom out of a shed in his yard.
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Throughout the above 22-minute video, Barry summarizes the build process, showing what was required to turn his compact shed into an all-in-one photo room and the process required to capture the image and make the resulting prints. As you might expect from such an ambitious project, it took a good bit of time to get everything sorted out and even more time to dial in the capture and printing process.
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| A close-up screenshot from the video showing off the massive 1016mm (40″) F5.4 aerial reconnaissance lens used in the build. |
‘In [the video] I talk through the build and operation of the shed camera, bring together a number of the processes I experiment with and shares some of the materials and approaches I use in my practice,’ says Barry in an email to DPReview. Barry specifically notes he used ‘RA4 colour reversal, B&W paper negs contacted to positives and shooting with direct positive paper, both with normal chemistry and with caffenol’ to capture and make prints of the images captured with the ridiculous rig.
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While this is technically possible to do at home, it will require plenty of power tools, spare wood you might have sitting around, a generous amount of gaff tape and an insanely large lens (a 1016mm [40”] F5.4 aerial reconnaissance lens in Barry’s case).
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We’ve featured Barry’s previous projects before, including his 101 Park Avenue skyscraper camera, his shipping container camera and his guide to turning any room in your home into a camera. This shed project might not be his most grandiose project to date, but it certainly required a healthy dose of elbow grease and equal amounts of patience.
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You can find more of Barry’s work on his website and keep up with his latest endeavors on his Instagram profile.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The post 9 Solutions for Common Camera Mistakes Beginners Make appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
One of the most common camera mistakes beginner photographers make is to not learn to use their new camera well. Photography is about the only art-form you don’t need to practice to get a half-decent result.
You can pop a battery in your brand new camera, turn it on and set it to one of the scene modes and take a picture. Most often, the photo will be reasonably well exposed – not too light or too dark. You might be pretty happy with the results and initially think you don’t need to learn much to be able to take photos.
Buying your first musical instrument or learning to paint will be much more challenging. Most people can’t pick up a guitar and play a tune without having some understanding of music theory. Most people certainly couldn’t play a recognizable tune without practicing. To learn to use your camera well, you must also practice with it.
One of the most common camera mistakes is poor focusing. Out-of-focus photos can’t be fixed during post-production. The only solution is to make sure you get your main subject sharp when you are taking your photos. Check that your auto-focus indicator is precisely where you want it to be before you press your shutter button.
I prefer to use single-point focus rather than multi-point focus. This allows me to choose exactly what part of my composition will be the sharpest. This is particularly important when you use very wide aperture settings, as the depth of field is so shallow.
Underexposed and overexposed photographs are disappointing. Pay careful attention to your exposure as you are setting your camera up to take a photo. Make sure your main subject is being well exposed. This can be challenging in certain lighting conditions.
Backlighting your subject can often mean the camera will underexpose it. You need to adjust your exposure settings so your main subject looks the way you want it to. This may be different than how the camera’s exposure meter determines it to look.
Getting the wrong white balance means your photos will have an unnatural-looking color cast to them. The most practical fix for this is to use the auto white balance setting on your camera. This is the only auto setting I use most of the time because it’s most often correct.
Using manual white balance it’s very easy to forget to alter it. Even when you do, the setting you choose may not be the best when the light changes slightly. Using auto white balance can help you overcome one of the most common camera mistakes.
Using a faster shutter speed is the solution to unwanted motion blur in your photos.
Learning what shutter speed to use when photographing moving subjects is important. A person walking will not require such a fast shutter speed as a person running fast will.
Be aware of the relationship between your shutter speed and the speed of movement you want to capture. This will help you alleviate this problem.
Some people can handhold a camera at slower shutter speeds than others. Once the shutter speed is so slow you are experiencing blurring in your images, you need to make some choices. Either adjust your exposure controls so your shutter speed is faster, or use a tripod.
One of the other common camera mistakes I see people making is using an ISO setting that is too high. Using a very high ISO, you will see digital noise, lack of contrast, and flatter colors in your photos.
The solution is to keep your ISO as low as possible. This will mean you get the best technical quality photos with the best color, contrast, and the least noise.
Always make sure you charge your batteries before you head out with your camera. Carrying fully-charged camera batteries is always a good idea. You never know when you might come across some fabulous event or happening that you want to photograph. Save yourself the disappointment of a dead battery by having some extra ones in your camera bag.
Being busy taking photos and all of a sudden not being able to is very frustrating. This is what can happen when your card is full. Make sure to off-load images on your card and format it after each photo session. This will mean you always have the maximum amount of space on your card.
Having some extra cards with you is a good backup strategy too. Finding your card full half-way through the day is so disappointing when you don’t have a spare.
You can always start deleting photos from your card. This is slow and you might make a mistake and delete a good image. Doing this in-camera, the process is irreversible and your images will be lost.
Always having your camera on one of the auto or scene settings is another of the most common camera mistakes I come across.
Most people who take our photography workshops come with their cameras on Aperture Priority because it’s easy. This is not a good reason to use this setting, and they are not happy with their photos. They know they are not getting the most from their camera.
The solution I encourage them to use is switching to manual mode and sticking with it. There’s no point in using manual mode only occasionally. If you do, you are unlikely to ever master it. If you commit to it, you will pick it up in no time. You will also begin to think differently about your photography in regards to light, exposure, and composition.
Not all common camera mistakes result in ruined photos, but they can. Being aware of how you are setting your camera and the choices you make will help you overcome these problems.
Slow down and be mindful of what you are doing. Plan your photo session, and make sure you are well prepared for anything that might come up. Know your camera well, like a best friend.
The post 9 Solutions for Common Camera Mistakes Beginners Make appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
Cinema camera manufacturer Kinefinity has announced the MAVO Edge, an 8K cinema camera with the ability to record ProRes RAW internally.
At the heart of the MAVO Edge is a newly-designed 44.7-megapixel 36mm x 24mm full-frame CMOS sensor that can record 8K ProRes RAW at up to 75 frames per second (fps) and features dual native ISO of 800/3200. It can also record 8K Open Gate (8192 x 5460 pixels) at up to 48 fps, 6K up to 100fps (in Super 35 mode) and 5K up to 120 fps (in Super 35 mode). Powering all of this data is a new processing engine, which helps to pull up to 14 stops of dynamic range from the sensor and minimizes rolling shutter to just 12ms when shooting 8K full-frame (9ms in Super 35 mode).
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| Illustration showing what section of the MAVO Edge’s full-frame sensor is used depending on the capture mode. |
All of the data is recorded to KineMAG Nano cards, which are now built on NVMe M.2 SSD. The MAVO EDGE uses two KineMAG Nano slots, which can record at up to 10Gb per second thanks to its PCIe 3.0 protocol. The two card slots can record identical footage for redundancy or record separately for times when you need to shoot original footage and proxy footage. Kinefinity isn’t keeping its KineMAG Nano drives exclusive either; the company will also be selling KineMAG Nano enclosures so you can use any third-party NVMe M.2 SSD with the camera.
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Kinefinity has also included a motorized electronic neutral density (ND) filter, which lets you steplessly dial in the strength between 0.6 and 2.1 ND (2–7 stops of light) in 0.01 stop increments. As for inputs, the camera features two 3G/1.5G SDI ports, Timecode IN/OUT (5-pin), BNC Genlock, 12V RS Output (three-pin), a seven-pin sync port, an R45 Ethernet port, a 12V D-Tap Out a 3.5mm headphone jack a USB-C port and more.
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The MAVO Edge uses Kinefinity’s KineMOUNT, which uses adapters to offer compatibility with PL, LPL, Active EF and passive Sony E-mount lenses. Kinfinity has also included an internal three-axis gyroscope for recording the camera’s positioning during filming, but it’s not clear how this information will be used at this time. GPS and Bluetooth 5.0 support is also included.
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All of this is housed inside an aluminum alloy frame wrapped in a carbon fiber case . It measures in at 10.5 x 12.1 x 11.9 cm (4.1 x 4.8 x 4.7?) and weighs 1.2kg (2.6lbs). Powering the camera can be done via its two-pin DC input or via batteries via the hybrid battery plate, which can power the camera with either V-mount or Sony BP-U batteries.
The MAVO Edge will retail for $ 11,999 with an expected release in September 2020. The camera is currently available to pre-order through Kinefinity’s website, with a $ 149 deposit. Newsshooter has written up a thorough post diving into the specs and comparing it with similar cinema cameras on the market.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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