360Photography

Tag: first

  • The first photo shared from a phone just turned 20

    Sharing photos from a phone is easy as breathing these days, and we have Philippe Khan to thank for paving the way. In June 1997, he achieved a technological first that would be repeated countless times in the following decades: he shared a digital photo instantly.

    It all came together just under the wire in the delivery room where his wife Sonia was in labor with their daughter, Sophie. He connected his Casio QV-10 camera to his laptop, and with a his flip phone rigged up to the laptop by way of a makeshift cable, the system was ready for Sophie’s arrival.

    His laptop was connected to a server at home, already configured to send email notifications to friends and family once his photo and text were transmitted. He snapped the photo, and an email with a link to the photo was sent out to 2000 people. There are a lot fewer cables involved in the process today, but basically, we’re doing the same thing in delivery rooms twenty years later. New parents everywhere thank you, Philippe.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • First pictures from the new Nikon 8-15mm fisheye

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    Nikon Ambassador Joshua Cripps was lucky enough to get hold of one of the company’s new lenses recently, for a shoot in Patagonia. Joshua took the new AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8-15mm F3.5-4.5E ED, along with his D810, to the southern area of the country. There, he shot the mountains, lakes and glaciers that make Patagonia such a popular location with photographers.

    The sun setting over as mountain in southern Patagonia. Photo by Joshua Cripps, used with permission.

    While many people avoid fisheye lenses on the (mistaken) assumption that they will always create unnaturally distorted images, Joshua found that with practice, the 8-15mm can be used to create very naturalistic compositions, with the benefit of a much wider field of view than would be possible with a conventional wide-angle lens.

    As well as stills, he also used the new 8-15mm to create some time-lapse video.

    Read Joshua Cripps’ first impressions of the Nikon 8-15mm fisheye

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: Nikon D7500 first look

    Nikon’s brand new midrange D7500 just arrived in our office. Announced back in April, the camera uses the same image sensor, metering sensor and processor as the APS-C flagship Nikon D500. It also gains 4K video capture and features a lighter design, with improved weather sealing and a deeper grip. Other improvements come in the form of a tilting touch LCD. Check out the video above for more on the Nikon D7500.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Kodak’s first issue of new ‘limited edition’ Kodachrome magazine now on sale in the US

    Late last year Kodak announced that it would produce Kodachrome (sorry, not that Kodachrome), a magazine dedicated to art, culture and all things analog. Today, it has become available for sale to US residents on the company’s website.

    The limited run first edition costs $ 20, weighs in at 80 pages and includes features on actress/director Chloë Sevigny, filmmaker Isaac Julien and illustrator Tad Carpenter. The magazine was created by Stranger Collective, a UK-based content agency.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Europeana Photography lets you browse through the first 100 years of photography

    Eadweard Muybridge, Loya: Valley of the Yosemite (The Sentinel), c. 1867 – c. 1872. Rijksmuseum. Public Domain

    Europeana Photography is a new online image archive that includes more than 2 million historical photographs from European collections in 34 countries, covering the first 100 years of photography. The gallery includes important images from pioneers in the field of photography, such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Eadweard Muybridge and Louis Daguerre.

    The Europeana Photography project is being led by PHOTOCONSORTIUM, the International Consortium for Photographic Heritage and a non-profit which aims to promote and enhance the culture of photography and photographic heritage.

    The 2,296,517 photos in the gallery were sourced from photographic archives, agencies and museum collections across Europe and can be filtered by the providing country, institution, and usage license. Many of the images are Public Domain.

     Nicola Perscheid. Grand Canal, Venice, 1929. Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, CC0.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: Kai Wong’s first impressions of the new DJI Spark drone

     
    DJI’s latest drone is here and it is tiny, stabilized and reasonably priced. A floating selfie stick of sorts, the DJI Spark is likely to appeal to a wide array of casual users and enthusiasts. So is it any good? Kai Wong spent some time testing out a prototype of the Spark prior to its release, and seems impressed with the video quality and stablization. Have a watch for specifics and some insightful commentary, as well as a bit of humor.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Kodak EKTRA ‘camera first’ smartphone now available in US

    The Kodak EKTRA, the company’s ‘camera first’ smartphone, is now available to purchase in the United States. The Android smartphone, which was first announced in October 2016, features a 21MP camera and a design reminiscent of point-and-shoot cameras. The handset has been available to purchase in Europe for a handful of months, and now US consumers can buy the model unlocked with support for GSM mobile networks for $ 399.99 USD.

    Coinciding with the launch is software update version 2.009.00/_A for the smartphone,  which Kodak says it is zeroing in on requests from its ‘photo-enthusiast’ customers. The update brings improved autofocus performance, better color saturation and white balance, and the addition of raw image support, among other things.

    The full software changelog:

    • Enhanced single handed camera functionality; when the camera app is enabled the Android touch buttons are now disabled to avoid an accidental press when using the camera with one hand
    • Added RAW file support in manual mode; shooting in RAW records all the data from the sensor enabling more sophisticated image processing options
    • Improved auto focus making in quicker and more accurate
    • Improved Face Detection performance for better portrait photos
    • Optimisations to the Auto White Balance and colour saturation
    • Improvements to shutter speed performance
    • New option to disable Auto Scene Detection in smart auto mode
    • New shutter effect to provide visual indication of when a picture is taken
    • Enhanced low light performance
    • Optimisations to the noise reduction algorithm from ISO 100-6400
    • Introduces a new ‘How To’ camera tutorial on the new functionality

    Via: BusinessWire

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video: first person view of a spacewalk, shot by an action cam

     
    There’s literally nothing cooler than outer space. And getting to see a first-person view of a spacewalk, shot by an action camera, is both fascinating and exciting. The above video was taken on March 24th by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet. It also shows NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough.

    The two are shown preparing a dock and making repairs to components at the International Space Station. From the Youtube post:

    “The primary task was to prepare the Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3) for installation of the second International Docking Adapter, which will accommodate commercial crew vehicle dockings. The PMA-3 provides the pressurized interface between the station modules and the docking adapter. The pair disconnected cables and electrical connections on PMA-3 to prepare for its robotic move, which took place on Sunday, March 26. PMA-3 was be moved from the port side of the Tranquility module to the space-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will become home for the docking adapter, which will be delivered on a future flight of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The spacewalkers also installed on the starboard zero truss a new computer relay box equipped with advanced software for the adapter.

    The two spacewalkers lubricated the latching end effector on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator “extension” for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, inspected a radiator valve suspected of a small ammonia leak and replaced cameras on the Japanese segment of the outpost. Radiators are used to shed excess heat that builds up through normal space station operation.”

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Waterbird demos world’s first bendable Multi-Slider

    Photo Gear News has a hands-on video of Waterbird systems’ Multi-Slider, which the company touts as a world’s first. The slider can easily go from linear to curved, and users can make fine adjustments to the curve using an allen wrench. Each segment of the track has a tripod mount in order to keep things stable.

    An included motor moves the camera smoothly along the track, while a controller lets the photographer define the positions, speed and acceleration for camera movement. The controller can also be controlled remotely from a mobile device.

    The Multi-Slider comes in three sizes: 80cm, 120cm and 150cm, and Waterbird can produce custom sizes, as well.

    Pricing has yet to be announced.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • We shot the Boeing 737 Max 9’s first flight with a Sony Cyber-shot RX10 III

    The Boeing 737 Max 9, shortly after landing. There’s enough latitude in the RX10 III’s Raw files to allow for moderate shadow and highlight adjustment.

    28mm (equiv) F4.5, ISO 100

    As has been amply demonstrated in the past, I’m an aeroplane nerd. So when Boeing offered us the chance to shoot the first flight of its brand new Boeing 737 Max 9 last month, I jumped at the chance. I might even have pushed a couple of my colleagues out of the way.

    In the end, three of us headed over to Boeing Field in Seattle for the first flight – Dan, (who couldn’t care less about aeroplanes), with a Panasonic FZ2500; me, the super-nerd with the Sony RX10 III, and Carey, an impartial observer, with a Panasonic GH5 (to film me and Dan arguing). We’ll be publishing a longer article comparing our results soon, but in the meantime, with the 737 Max 9 just (temporarily, hopefully) grounded, we thought you might like a sneak preview.

    The 737 Max 9 at the end of the runway at Boeing’s Renton assembly plant, seconds before starting its takeoff roll.

    400mm (equiv) F4, ISO 100

    I am on record as having described the Sony RX10 III’s lens as being ‘made of magic’. I just don’t understand how a 24-600mm lens built into a compact (ish) camera can be as sharp as it is. Since as Arthur C. Clarke so memorably said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic anyway, and bearing in mind that I’m no expert in advanced optical technology, magic is the explanation I’m sticking with.

    It was for that reason that when the question came up of which cameras we should bring, I grabbed the RX10 III from our stockroom. I might even have pushed Dan out of the way…

    As well as 20MP stills, the RX10 III also shoots 4K video. Because we were trying to compare two cameras, and Boeing didn’t seem too keen on our suggestion that the Max 9 take off at least five times for accurate side-by-side tests (sorry Rishi, we did ask), we decided not to worry about shooting any video. The RX10 III takes nice-looking video, and if you’re curious you can see several examples of its footage in our full review.

    Grant Hindsley is too tall. It’s an unfair advantage.

    24mm (equiv) F4, ISO 100

    First flights are always a bit of a lottery in terms of timing. I’ve shot a couple of them, and things rarely go exactly according to schedule. The 737 Max 9 takeoff was delayed by a couple of hours, which we spent standing around, stamping our feet to stay warm and teasing Grant Hindsley from the Seattle PI (above) about his great height. When the plane started to taxi, things happened very quickly. No time for comparing how mode x compared to mode y – we just had to start shooting.

    In high speed capture mode, the RX10 III can shoot at up to 14 fps, in Raw + JPEG, with focus locked. Since we were shooting a large airplane, pretty much at infinity, moving from infinity to infinity by way of infinity, having focus locked (at infinity) was fine.

    What I hadn’t anticipated is that when focus is locked, so is the RX10 III’s zoom. It makes complete sense when you think about it, but the lens won’t zoom with the shutter button half pressed. For this reason, I had to zoom and recompose a couple of times during the Max 9’s takeoff run, but even with this interruption, I still captured a lengthy sequence of sharp images of the plane rocketing past our position, and into the sky.

    The 737 Max 9 lifts off from the runway at Renton, for its first flight.

    400mm (equiv) F4, ISO 100

    While the RX10 III can be a somewhat frustrating camera to use (I really dislike its fussy user interface and I can’t wait for the inevitable Mark IV to finally clean it up) that lens really is something. From 24mm right through to 600mm, I took home images that are sharp and contrasty from edge to edge, and free from noticeable distortion. Having such a wide (and usable) zoom range in a single camera allows for incredible versatility.

    Zooming out to a medium focal length of 50mm let me capture one of the members of the assembled press taking a quick shot on his iPhone as the 737 Max 9 was towed to its gate after the flight…

    50mm (equiv) F4 ISO 100

    Dan and I we were shooting alongside photographers from various news outlets and picture agencies (and of course slightly beneath Grant, from the PI) and while they juggled with huge telephoto primes, swapping for wides for crowd shots and then back again, I just nudged the RX10 III’s zoom rocker switch in the desired direction.

    The 737 is on final approach? Nudge.. nudge… to 600mm. It’s taxiing into the gate below our balcony? No problem. Nudge… nudge… back to 50mm. And then out again to 600mm for a shot of the pilot waving from her window. Done.

    … and moments later, zooming in let me capture Boeing’s chief deputy test pilot Captain Christine Walsh waving from the window of the 737 Max 9 as it taxis to the gate after the first flight.

    600mm (equiv) F5, ISO 100

    We’ll be publishing Dan’s images from the Panasonic FZ2500, and a short video from the day very soon. For now, take a look at the gallery, which includes out of camera JPEGs and converted Raw files, as well as Raw files for download.

    Sony Cyber-shot RX10 III sample gallery

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    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)