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Posts Tagged ‘Cameras’
Profoto is bringing TTL and HSS to Fujifilm cameras with new Air Remote TTL-F
08
Sep
 |
Profoto is expanding its AirTTL product family for Fujifilm cameras, the company has announced, with the release of a new Profoto Air Remote TTL-F. This wireless radio transmitter is designed for use with a Fujifilm camera’s hot shoe, lending full HSS and TTL support with the Profoto Pro-10, D2, B1, B1X, and B2 flashes.
This version of the Air Remote TTL was optimized for Fujifilm cameras in collaboration with Fuji itself, joining a lineup that includes Air Remotes for Sony, Canon, Nikon and Olympus cameras. The Fujifilm variant will retain all of the features of the existing Air Remote TTL models, meaning the Air Remote TTL-F will work from as far away as 1,000ft (300m), is capable of remote manual firing, and will offer three groups per channel with eight frequency channels.
Profoto plans to start shipping the Air Remote TTL-F by the end of 2017.
Press Release:
Profoto TTL and HSS now for Fujifilm – Empowering your creativity
Profoto today announces collaboration between Profoto and Fujifilm to offer optimized compatibility between Profoto flashes and Fujifilm cameras.
When the unique Profoto AirTTL was first announced in November 2013, it revolutionized the photography industry by enabling a lean workflow and making it possible to seamlessly merge your camera with your flash. Now we are proud to include Fujifilm shooters in the AirTTL family, empowering photographers to be more creative and focus less on settings.
“Together with Fujifilm, we are proud to announce our latest family member – the Air Remote TTL-F. Light is the essence of every image and the Profoto AirTTL makes light shaping easier. It unlocks new creative possibilities and helps you go from idea to final image faster. We are happy to help the world’s most ambitious image creators turn their ambition into reality,” says Anders Hedebark, President of Profoto.
Profoto Air Remote TTL-F is a small, wireless radio transmitter that can be attached to the Fujifilm camera’s hot shoe. The remote offers full TTL and HSS capability with Profoto’s B1X, B1, B2, D2 and Pro-10 lights.
The Air Remote TTL-F will start shipping at the end of the year.
Key Features
- Attach to your Fujifilm camera’s hot shoe to wirelessly connect camera and AirTTL light into one.
- Shoot in TTL Mode for fully automatic point-and-shoot shots.
- Shoot in HSS Mode to shape light in broad daylight.
- Switch from TTL Mode to Manual Mode with the automated TTL settings intact – a huge time saver.
- Sync and manually control any Profoto light that is compatible with Air.
- Intuitive and easy to use user interface.
- Long operating range of up to 300 m (1,000 ft).
- 8 digital channels.
- Controls up to 3 groups of lights on each channel.
- USB port for firmware upgrades.
- Collaboration with Fujifilm for future proof compatibility with new cameras.
- Approved for world wide use.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
These incredibly intricate pinhole cameras are made from clay
22
Aug
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Steve Irvine is an incredibly talented ceramic artist, but he’s been passionate about photography for almost as long as he’s been working with clay. “It only seems natural,” he says, “that the two passions should come together.” And when they do, the ceramic pinhole cameras you see above are the result.
In the gallery above, each camera is followed by a sample photograph taken with the selfsame camera.
Most are made using a combination of throwing and hand-building techniques, glazed and fired by Irvine, and then improved upon with little antique dials, gadgets and other accents until the final product looks like something out of your favorite steampunk universe. As Irvine explains on his website, these creations are fully-functional cameras:
These are fully functional pinhole cameras. They have no lens, light meter, viewfinder, or automatic shutter, and yet they can produce gallery quality images. I use black and white photo paper in them for the negatives. The negatives are either 4 x 5 inches, or 5 x 8 inches.
You can find more examples of Irvine’s pinhole photography at this link. And if you want to see how one of these cameras is made, you can find a step-by-step tutorial on Irvine’s website here.
All photos by Steve Irvine and used with permission.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Video: Meet the ‘camera whisperer’ who fixes cameras nobody else can
15
Aug
If your camera or lens goes for a swim in salt water, most service centers will just write it off as unfixable. But one man in Singapore, known locally as the ‘Camera Whisperer,’ won’t give up on you. In fact, he’s made a name for himself by fixing cameras nobody else wants to or can.
David Hilos, 49, is a fixture in the Singapore hobbyist photography community. So much so, that Channel NewsAsia recently filmed a profile on him titled The Camera Fixer.
Tinkering at a workbench in his small public housing apartment in Singapore, he charges a fraction of what the service centers charge and takes ‘lost causes’ like the water damaged Nikon D750 you see in the video above. Or this Canon 50mm F1.2 he saved after a dip in some salt water:
Check out the short documentary above to meet Mr. Hilos and watch him work. And the next time your camera takes a swim or sustains some damage that a service center tells you is beyond them, don’t just give up. Try and find your own David Hilos instead.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
New TSA rules require separate screening for cameras
27
Jul
 |
| Photo by Josh Hallett. Licensed under Creative Commons |
Photographers who fly frequently in the US may want to finally pay for TSA Pre-check status. New rules state that in standard security lines, cameras will need to be placed in a separate bin for screening. According to new procedures announced by the TSA today, any electronic device larger than a cell phone will need to be removed from its case or bag and placed in a bin with nothing above or below it.
Now, not only will your laptop need its own bin, but potentially every camera body, lens, flashgun and tablet in your carry-on bags will need to be placed in bins for X-ray screening. A photographer traveling with a full complement of gear for a shoot is going to need to budget a little extra time for all of the un-packing and packing at the airport.
TSA mentions that the heightened security requirements come as a response to ‘an increased threat to aviation security.’ The new procedures are already in place at ten airports and will be phased in to all airports in the ‘weeks and months ahead.’ There’s also no change in what items are permitted through security.
Anyone enrolled in TSA’s Pre-check program will be able to keep their electronics in bags just as before. If you do a great deal of flying through the US with photo equipment, that’s probably going to sound pretty appealing.
Here are the airports where the new rules are already in place:
- Boise Airport (BOI)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Colorado Springs Airport (COS)
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB)
- [Las Vegas] McCarran International Airport (LAS)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- [San Juan] Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
Have you flown through any of the airports with the new regulations in place? Let us know about your experience in the comments.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Silkypix adds support for Sony Alpha a9 and other cameras
22
Jul
 |
The makers of the Silkypix Raw processing software have just released version 8.0.9.0 of the Developer Studio Pro 8 package, and the version 8.8.1.9 of the Developer Studio 8 variant. On the Pro version, the update gets you an improved partial correction tool and fixes the preview of of the shading center tool and partial correction tool on filter areas in the Windows version among other bug fixes.
Both version now support Raw files from the Casio EX-ZR3200, Casio EX-ZR3700, Olympus STYLUS TG-5 and Sony Alpha a9. The updated Silkypix can now be downloaded from the Silkypix website. 30 day trial versions are available as well.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Concert Photography 101: Cameras and Lenses for Beginners
20
Jul
If you’ve ever wondered how to become a concert photographer, one of the very first steps is to acquire the right gear. You’ve probably been to a concert or festival and seen music photographers hauling tons of equipment such as two camera bodies and enormous lenses. While it’s certainly ideal for a professional to have this much stuff (and then some), most beginners or amateurs absolutely don’t need this much gear to get started. Read on for some of my suggestions on how to gear up as a beginning doing concert photography.
Concert photography rules
Before we get into gear, let’s discuss your typical concert photography setting. Whether you’re shooting a big arena show or a small, casual performance in a bar, concert photography rules are more or less the same. You get to shoot for the first three songs only, and cannot use a flash or strobe of any sort. With these two rules in mind, this means that you need gear that allows you to adjust and shoot quickly and pull off shots in a low lighting setting.
What kind of camera do you need?
First off, invest in a solid DSLR camera. While there are point and shoot cameras that could arguably get the job done, you need the lens choices that come with DSLRs. It doesn’t really matter what brand you choose. What does matter is being comfortable using it and knowing that you have a wide variety of lenses to pair with it. Canon and Nikon are two of the biggest camera brands that are among the most popular for concert photographers.
Crop Sensor or Full Frame?
When researching DSLR camera options, you’ll have a choice between investing in a crop sensor or full frame camera. The differences between the two types of DSLR cameras is best explained in this article.
To quickly summarize, crop sensor cameras are typically smaller in size and much cheaper than full frame cameras. The main disadvantage to crop sensor cameras has to do with their smaller sensor sizes that will impact available ISO options, thus resulting in slightly noisier or grainy photos than full frame cameras. In short, start out with a crop sensor camera if you’re on a budget, and aim to upgrade to a full frame camera the further you get in your concert photography career.
Canon 5D Mark III (full frame) on the left and a 6D on the right.
Suggested concert photography cameras
Full Frame
- Canon EOS 6D
- Canon 5D Mark IV
- Nikon D810
- Nikon D750
- Nikon D610
Crop Sensor
- Canon 7D Mark II
- Canon 77D
- Canon 80D
- Canon EOS Rebel T6i
- Nikon D500
- Nikon D7500
- Nikon D5600
- Nikon D3400
What are the best concert photography lenses?
After you’ve invested in a DSLR, be sure to budget for the purchase of accompanying lenses, which can end up being just as expensive as the camera body. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t use the kit lens that automatically comes with your DSLR camera.
Most of these kit lenses are fine for shooting in ample lighting conditions, but they won’t perform well in the low light settings of concerts. Instead, what you want is a fast lens with a wide aperture (or f-stop) of between f/1.2-f/2.8. This will help you capture moving subjects in dark settings.
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8.
Start with prime lenses
For beginning concert photographers on a budget, prime lenses are your best bet. While these lenses have fixed focal lengths, meaning you can’t zoom with them, their low f-stops mean they will shoot better in low light. Prices and exact lens models will vary according to which camera brand you’ve chosen. Since I’m a Canon shooter, these lenses are geared toward Canon.
- 50mm f/1.4 (or the cheaper 50mm f/1.8) – for Nikon try the 50mm f/1.8G
- 85mm f/1.8 – for Nikon try the 85mm f/1.8G
- 35mm f/1.4 – for Nikon try the 35mm f/1.4
Put these lenses on your wish list
Pretty much every professional concert photographer will have two go-to lenses on hand: a 24-70mm f/2.8 midrange zoom lens, and a 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. Neither of these lenses is cheap and should definitely be considered a long-term investment. But if you can afford one or both, don’t hesitate to add these lenses to your concert photography kit.
Keep an eye on third party brands
While it’s certainly ideal to purchase lenses in the same brand as your DSLR camera manufacturer, there are many third party companies producing cheaper and sometimes even better options. Great lens options exist from Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina, to name a few. Again, the specific options will depend on the DSLR camera body you’ve chosen, but here are a few possible options for Canon shooters:
- Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 (for Canon EF-S/crop sensor or Nikon DX)
- Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 (for Canon EF-S/crop sensor or Nikon DX)
- Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8
If you’re on a budget
It’s a reality that concert photography equipment isn’t cheap. But there are some ways to score more affordable camera gear. First, look into used or refurbished camera bodies and/or lenses. As long as you purchase from an accredited source, you can save hundreds of dollars on gear.
On the flip side, keep in mind that camera gear retains its value as long as you take care of it. So if you buy a lower-end camera or lens and want to upgrade later on, it’s pretty easy to sell off your old gear to help you invest in newer options.
Finally, look for older models or previous versions of gear. For example, you could spring for the brand new Canon 5D Mark IV camera body, or you can save over $ 1,000 by investing in the older yet still very functional Canon 5D Mark III. The same is true for many other camera bodies and lenses on the market. It all depends on your budget and what kind of features you absolutely need to have.
In Conclusion
Consistently pulling off pro-quality concert photos often requires investing in pro-grade camera gear. But it’s best to start small and to upgrade over time as your skills and budget increase. What are your go-to concert photography cameras and lenses? Let me know in the comments below!
The post Concert Photography 101: Cameras and Lenses for Beginners by Suzi Pratt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Canon 6D Mark II dynamic range falls behind modern APS-C cameras
20
Jul
 |
We’ve reported in recent years how Canon’s newer sensor designs have started to close the dynamic range gap, compared with chips from the likes of Sony and Toshiba. Dynamic range isn’t everything, of course: Canon’s Dual Pixel sensors have brought advances in live view and video autofocus that for many people will be every bit as significant as the noticeable shortfall in Raw file malleability. But it was promising to see Canon getting competitive in an area where it had fallen behind.
Sadly though, it seems the benefits that appeared in the sensors used in the EOS 80D and EOS 5D IV have not been applied to the latest EOS 6D II, and the new camera has less dynamic range than we’ve become used to. Graphs plotted by regular DPR collaborator Bill Claff illustrate this pretty clearly. In this article, we’re taking a look at what this might mean for your images.
Dynamic range assessment
Our exposure latitude test shows what happens if you brighten a series of increasingly dark set of exposures. This illustrates what happens if you try to pull detail out of the shadows of your image.
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As you can see, the EOS 6D II begins to look noisy much sooner than the broadly comparable Nikon D750, meaning you have less processing flexibility before noise starts to detract from your images.
The EOS 6D II should have a 1.3EV image quality advantage over the 80D, when the images are compared at the same size, since its sensor is so much bigger. Despite this, the EOS 80D’s$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-3692–1019644042”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(3692); }); }) images shot with the same exposures look cleaner, when brightened to the same degree. Have a look and you’ll see the difference is around 1EV$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-3693–487818319”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(3693); }); }), despite the head start that the 6D II’s chip should have. This corroborates what Bill Claff’s data suggests.
ISO Invariance
The downside of our exposure latitude test is that reducing the exposure also increases the noise. Our ISO Invariance test uses the same exposure shot at different ISO settings, such that the shot noise contribution is the same in each image. This way any differences must be a consequence of electronic noise (and how well the camera’s amplification overcomes it, at higher ISO settings).
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This isn’t good, especially not by modern standards. We’re used to seeing sensors that add so little noise$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-3694–1065892121”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(3694); }); }) that there’s barely any visual difference between shooting at a high ISO and using a low ISO (retaining additional highlights) then brightening. Instead we see that you have to amplify to around ISO 3200 before you see no additional impact from the camera’s electronics. This suggests a reversion to the level of the original EOS 6D$ (document).ready(function() { $ (“#icl-3690-1001550611”).click(function() { ImageComparisonWidgetLink(3690); }); }).
Real world impact
If you shoot JPEG, you’ll never notice any of this, since the differences occur beyond the ~8.3EV or so that tend to be incorporated into a typical image. Similarly, at higher ISO settings, amplification overcomes the electronic noise, so you see the camera begin to out-perform the 80D and then close the gap with the D750, just as Bill’s chart suggests.
However, it means if you’re processing from Raw at low ISOs, you have much less flexibility in terms of what you can do with the file than we’d expect from a modern camera. Almost as soon as you start to push the image or pull detail out of the shadows, you risk hitting the camera’s electronic noise floor and hence you won’t see the advantage over the 80D that you might reasonably expect.
 |
| Canon EOS 6D Mark II | EF 35mm F2 IS | ISO 100| F9 | 1/200th Shadows lifted, highlights lowered, slight selective brightening to couples’ faces. As you’ll see if you click to view the full-sized image, noise in the areas of lifted shadow is very apparent. |
This is an extreme example but it’s a photo I’d expect to be able to shoot on other full frame cameras without revealing so much noise. All of our test results suggest I could have achieved just as good a result from a contemporary APS-C camera.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
This is what happens when your camera’s frame rate matches a bird’s wing flap
19
Jul
Here’s a neat trick you might not have realized is possible. If your camera’s frame rate matches the flapping rate of a bird’s wings, you can create a video where it seems like the bird is floating ‘magically’ on frozen wings.
The video above is going viral today after YouTuber Ginger Beard shared it on his nascent channel. As he explains on Reddit, the video was captured with a Hikvision DS-2CD2342WD-I security camera set to “max resolution” at 2688×1520 and 20 frames per second. Apparently, the bird’s wings were also set to 20fps, because this ‘magic’ video is what popped out the other side.
And if you like this, check out this similar video shared on the DPReview forums a few months ago. In that one, the camera’s frame rate is perfectly synced to a helicopter’s rotor.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Nikon expands D750 shutter recall yet again, more cameras affected
14
Jul
 |
| The Nikon D750 shutter unit has been causing problems for 2 years. Photo: Nikon |
It seems Nikon D750 shutter issues are still plaguing the company 2 full years after it initially issued a recall on some serial numbers produced between October 2014 and June 2015. In another update issued yesterday, Nikon expanded the recall to include more cameras—specifically: models produced between July 2014 through September 2014 and from July 2015 through September 2016.
This issue first cropped up on the Nikon advisory page in July of 2015. At the time, Nikon claimed the issue—which could result in the shutter shading a part of your photo—was limited to units made in October and November of 2014.
Then, in February of 2016, Nikon expanded the recall to include units made between December 2014 to June 2015.
Today’s update makes three, and expands the recall to include units manufactured between July 2014 to September 2014 and those made between July 2015 and September 2016. If you’re keeping score, that means that affected units were being manufactured from July of 2014 all the way through September of last year.
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| Check your serial number using Nikon’s website to find out if your camera is affected. Photo: Nikon |
As with the original advisory and the previous update, D750 owners can check to see if their camera is affected by using Nikon’s serial number lookup tool at this link. If your camera is affected, that tool will provide instructions on sending your D750 to Nikon for repair free of charge regardless of warranty status.
Read the full service advisory text below for more details.
UPDATED NIKON D750 SERVICE ADVISORY AS OF JULY 12, 2017.
Technical Service Advisory for users of the Nikon D750 digital SLR camera
Thank you for choosing Nikon for your photographic needs.
In February of 2016, we announced in an update that the shutter in some Nikon D750 digital SLR cameras manufactured between October 2014 through June 2015 may not function normally, sometimes resulting in a shading of a portion of images. Since that time, we have learned that the same issue may affect D750 cameras manufactured from July 2014 through September 2014 and from July 2015 through September 2016.
For those who have already purchased a D750 and would like to have their camera serviced for this issue, free of charge, Nikon service centers will service cameras as indicated below. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.
Identifying affected D750 cameras
To check whether or not your camera may be one of those affected by this issue, click the Check Your Serial Number link below and enter your D750’s serial number as instructed.
If your D750 camera is one of those that may be affected, instructions for obtaining service will be displayed. If your D750 camera is not one of those to which this issue may apply, rest assured that service to your D750 camera as to this issue is not necessary and you may continue using your D750 camera without concern for this issue.
Check Your Serial Number
The camera’s serial number is the 7-digit number indicated by the red frame in the image above.
Resolution
If your D750 camera may be affected, as confirmed with the serial number check above, you will be provided with the necessary information to obtain service for this issue free of charge. Once your D750 camera is received by Nikon, your D750 camera’s shutter will be examined and replaced, and your D750 camera returned to you free of charge, even if your D750 camera warranty has expired.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this matter may have caused you.
Nikon will continue to take all possible measures to further improve product quality. Therefore, we hope that you will continue to choose Nikon for your photographic needs.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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