360Photography

Tag: first

  • 12 Things Not To Do When Buying Your First Film Camera

    12 Things Not To Do When Buying Your First Film Camera

    You’ve got your flannel and your beanie and you’re ready to buy your first film camera. So… now what? I can’t tell you exactly what to do, because then you’d risk turning into me, which means drowning in an ever-deepening lake of 35mm SLRs, but I can tell you a few things to avoid. Here are a dozen things you should try not to do when buying your first film camera.

    Images by Dan Bracaglia except where noted

    1. Don’t worry about buying ‘the best’ camera

    Here’s a tidbit that’s a bit of a mind-bender for some digital photographers: When it comes to film photography, the camera body itself has very little bearing on image quality. In the digital world, an entry-level Nikon D40 simply cannot achieve the same image quality as a high-end Nikon D5, but with film, a low-end Nikon N55 really can make just as good a picture as a pro-level Nikon F6. It’s the lens and film choice that really impact the technical quality of your pictures.

    Find a good working camera that you like, because with film, good is good enough

    All a film camera does is hold the film in place and facilitate its exposure. More advanced cameras give you more options for doing this, but they don’t necessarily do the job any better, to the point that few people can tell the difference between a photograph made with a $ 5,000 Leica and one made with a $ 50 Minolta. As long as the camera has a decent lens—and most lenses made by camera manufacturers are pretty decent—the capability for an image of good technical quality is there. (Good composition is up to you.) So don’t get caught up in trying to find the best camera—just find a good working camera that you like, because with film, good is good enough.

    Photo: Nikon

    2. Don’t assume a more expensive camera is a better camera

    Used film camera prices are subject to all sorts of forces, including nostalgia. As a result, popular ‘student’ cameras like the Pentax K1000 and Canon AE-1 often command prices out of line with their feature set. In fact, in the topsy-turvy world of used film cameras, some of the most advanced cameras are among the cheapest. The N8008, Nikon’s top-of-the-line ‘prosumer’ camera in the late 80s, was priced three times higher than the entry-level Pentax K1000 when both were new. Today it’s the K1000 that costs three (or more) times as much.

    Used film camera prices are subject to all sorts of forces, including nostalgia

    Brand reputation also plays a big (and sometimes outsized) role. The Nikon FE, a magnificent manual-focus SLR with an aperture-priority automatic mode, sells in the $ 75 to $ 150 range, a good deal for a Nikon of that era. But the Ricoh KR-10 offers most of the same features, and you can easily find one for $ 35 or less. I own both cameras, and while the Ricoh is less refined, it makes equally good photos. (How do you find out what a camera can do? Camera-wiki.org is a great resource for looking up specs and features.)

    Photo: John Nuttall

    3. Don’t be afraid of electronic cameras

    There are a lot of mechanical camera snobs out there; I’m one of them. But some of the arguments for going all-mechanical aren’t relevant to all film shooters (Sure, they work if the batteries fail, but their light meters won’t). Mechanical cameras like the Nikon FM, Olympus OM-1 and Pentax MX are robust but expensive. Cameras with electronically timed shutters (which need a battery for the shutter to work) usually sell for less, and many all-electronic autofocus cameras are even cheaper.

    It’s sometimes more cost effective to replace a broken electronic camera than to fix a mechanical camera

    Electronic cameras do have some key advantages over mechanical cameras, particularly for first-timers. They have fewer moving parts and are less prone to going out of adjustment than mechanical cameras. That means that if they work, they probably work correctly, with accurate metering and shutter timing (which is why camera manufacturers switched over to electronics in the first place). Repairs can be dicey because they often rely on ‘donor’ cameras for electronic parts, which are subject to the same age-related issues. But because they are so cheap, it’s sometimes more cost effective to replace a broken electronic camera than to fix a mechanical camera.

    Photo: John Nuttall

    4. Don’t buy a camera without researching lenses

    The obsession with lens optics is the film equivalent of pixel-peeping. In truth, few people can look at a photo and tell if it was shot with a Nikkor, a Rokkor or a Takumar. The differences in quality between the camera manufacturers’ lenses* is narrow, but the price differences can be massive. (It’s a different story with third-party lenses, which vary in quality.) Remember, an inexpensive camera isn’t inexpensive if it locks you into pricey lenses.

    An inexpensive camera isn’t inexpensive if it locks you into pricey lenses

    The general wisdom is that manual-focus cameras are best paired with prime (fixed focal length) lenses, as the optical quality of zooms from that era wasn’t great. Also, primes tend to have larger maximum apertures for low light. Zoom technology improved in the mid-to-late 80s, so they’re a safer bet for autofocus cameras. You’ll need to do some research on lens compatibility (which can get confusing—for example, Nikon has used the same lens mount for decades, but not all lenses are fully functional with all cameras). Don’t know where to start? For 35mm SLRs, a 50mm lens with a max aperture between F2 and F1.4 is a good first lens, and for autofocus cameras, a zoom in the neighborhood of 28-85mm works nicely. Or you can just buy a rangefinder, compact or bridge camera with a non-detachable lens.

    * Some camera manufacturers used different brand names for their lenses. Nikkor = Nikon, Rokkor = Minolta, Takumar = Pentax, Zuiko = Olympus, and Rikenon = Ricoh.

    5. Don’t get a camera that’s too automatic… or too manual

    Film cameras have different levels of automation. Some only have manual exposure control, requiring the photographer to set both aperture and shutter speed. Some require you to pick one (usually aperture) and will set the other for you. Still others have ‘program’ modes that do everything. Focusing and winding can be manual or automatic as well.

    A manual-focus camera with both manual and automatic exposure modes is a great way to start

    I recommend avoiding automatic-exposure-only cameras as a first-time buy. While they take great pictures, it’s nice to have the option to set your exposure manually and really take control of the process. On the other hand, an all-manual camera can be frustrating if you’re used to digital-era automation. A manual focus camera with both manual and automatic exposure modes is a great way to start. You can shoot in automatic as you get the hang of focusing and winding (which takes more getting used to than you might think), then switch to manual when you’re ready. Some good examples of these cameras include the Nikon FE2, Minolta X-700 and Canon AE-1. If you buy an autofocus SLR, look for one that has a manual mode.

    6. Don’t buy a camera that hasn’t been tested

    If you’re buying on an auction site, check the description and see if the camera has been tested. If it doesn’t say, ask. Working, for a film camera, means that the light meter turns on, the shutter fires at all speeds, the film and battery doors latch shut, the film advance moves freely, and autofocus, auto-wind, and self-timer functions, if present, are operational. Not every seller knows this, but you do, and if the seller says the camera works and it doesn’t, you have grounds for a refund. ‘Not tested’ or ‘parts’ cameras are a crapshoot. If you’re squeamish, shop at a local camera store or an established dealer like KEH. You’ll pay a bit more, but you’ll know what you’re getting.

    Shop at a local camera store or an established dealer like KEH. You’ll pay a bit more, but you’ll know what you’re getting

    Should you buy a non-working camera? Probably not for your first one, but don’t rule it out. Most issues with mechanical cameras, and some better-made electronic cameras, can be fixed as part of a CLA (cleaning, lubrication and adjustment) service, which generally costs $ 100 and up, and this may be worthwhile for a more valuable camera or a model you really want. Once CLA’d, a camera should work for years without needing further attention. Find a good film camera repair shop and get their opinion on whether a given camera is worth fixing.

    Photo: Gerry Lauzon

    7. Don’t buy a camera that doesn’t focus

    If you’re looking at compact point-and-shoot cameras, you should be aware of the difference between autofocus and focus-free. Autofocus is exactly what you think it is. Focus-free cameras have a small lens aperture and rely on depth-of-field to get your shot in focus. These cameras often don’t have much in the way of exposure control, either; they rely on the built-in flexibility of the color print film process to get good pictures out of close-enough exposures.

    If the camera is a cheap plastic affair with a name you’ve never heard of, there’s a good chance it’s focus-free

    Believe it or not, there were focus-free cameras made by big-name brands like Olympus, Minolta and Kodak as well as cheap-camera purveyors like Vivitar, Argus and Keystone. Most of these will say ‘Focus Free’ on the body. If the camera is a cheap plastic affair with a name you’ve never heard of, there’s a good chance it’s focus-free.

    Photo: E Magnuson

    8. Don’t buy a used ‘pro’ 35mm camera

    When you see a legendary top-of-the-line camera like a Nikon F4 or Canon EOS-1n come up on eBay for a fraction of its original price, it can be tempting to slam that ‘BUY NOW’ button. These cameras were the best of the best in their day, listing for upwards of $ 2,000, and the idea of buying one for a couple hundred bucks is pretty darn tasty. Resist! Resist!

    Better to stick to high-end ‘advanced amateur’ cameras, which have similar features to the pro cams but usually led easier lives

    Here’s the problem: A lot of these cameras were purchased by working professional photographers, which means they were used often and hard. Like DSLRs, film cameras with electronic shutters have finite shutter lives, and even mechanical shutters can wear out. An avid shutterbug averaging two 35mm rolls a week will take around 3,800 pictures per year, but a busy wedding or news photographer can take that many snaps in a month. If the shutter goes south, replacing it can cost more than the camera is worth. Better to stick to high-end ‘advanced amateur’ cameras, which have similar features to the pro cams but usually led easier lives.

    Photo: ShikikanZero

    9. Don’t buy a medium-format camera (yet)

    Medium format cameras produce big, beautiful negatives that can be enlarged to ridiculous sizes. But the bigger the image, the more money you’ll spend, both for cameras* and film. If you’re just starting out in film, 35mm offers you a lot more camera and lens choices at a lower price point. If you find you’re in love with film, you can always move up to medium format later.

    If you find you’re in love with film, you can always move up to medium format later

    * Okay, not always. Plastic cameras like the Holga and the Diana (sometimes called ‘toy’ cameras) are inexpensive, but they have imperfect plastic lenses and the occasional light leak, which injects a random element into one’s photography. Some people like that look (I think it’s pretty darn cool), but they aren’t a real alternative to a professional-quality cameras from Mamiya, Rolleiflex, Hasselblad or Pentax. Another exception: Older twin-lens reflex (TLR) cameras, which were popular with snap-shooters before the rise of smaller film formats. They offer limited creative control but can make beautiful photos.

    Photo: Classic-Photographic

    10. Don’t start out with good film

    Buying a used camera always carries an element of risk, and I can imagine few things that will turn off a first-time film photographer more than spending a lot of money on film and processing and getting back a roll of unusable negatives. Save that Ektar, Portra or Cinestill film for later. The first film you shoot in any new-to-you camera should be a 24-exposure roll of the cheapest freshest (not expired) print (not slide) film you can buy.

    The first film you shoot in any new-to-you camera should be a 24-exposure roll of the cheapest freshest film you can buy

    Fire off a quick few exposures close to home. Try to include a variety of subjects of different textures and brightness, and shoot at different distances. If possible, use a variety of apertures and shutter speeds. Get the film processed and check the negatives carefully. If you don’t have experience evaluating negatives, your lab can help you find signs of light leaks or improper exposure, as can your friends on the DPReview film forum. Once you’re sure your new camera works, you can confidently load up the good stuff.

    11. Don’t buy just one camera

    Back in The Day, it was common to carry two cameras in your gear bag. Unlike digital, a film camera can’t change ISO on the fly or switch seamlessly between color and black-and-white, at least not without unloading and reloading. A second camera gives you options: You can shoot the same scene in color and B&W, or you can run faster film if the clouds roll in or the action moves indoors. And it’s nice to have a backup in case your primary camera craps out.

    A $ 35 Pentax MG makes a great backup for a $ 350 Pentax LX

    If you use an interchangeable-lens camera, owning two compatible camera bodies means less gear to carry. They needn’t even be the same model: A $ 35 Pentax MG makes a great backup for a $ 350 Pentax LX (or a Nikon EM + FM2). I wouldn’t necessarily buy two cameras right off the bat, but if you find a camera and a set of lenses you like, a second compatible camera body is a smart investment.

    12. Don’t spend too much money just yet

    I think film photography is wonderful, but it’s not for everyone. You might get some film experience under your belt and decide you prefer digital, and that can be a real tragedy if you’ve spent $ 500 on gear. There are plenty of good cameras available for $ 100 or less (often a lot less), so start with something more modest.

    Cameras hold their value well, so if you decide you’re just not a film shooter, you can sell your gear at a minimal loss

    Cameras hold their value well, so if you decide you’re just not a film shooter, you can sell your gear at a minimal loss—or give it to someone else who wants to try film. If you do fall in love, as so many of us have, you can always buy something more expensive, though I can all but guarantee that your first film camera will always have a special place in your heart.

    Ready to start the hunt for your first film camera? Here are some of our all-time favorite analog gems, most of which are affordable and easy to find in good working order (though not all follow the advice of this article!):

    Analog gems: 20 film cameras worth buying right now

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Adorama’s opens up ‘Perspective,’ the first of its new photo contest series for US residents

    U.S. camera retailer Adorama has opened a competition as part of it’s ‘Create No Matter What’ campaign in which photographers based on the U.S can win a Canon EOS RP kit worth $ 3000. The theme for the contest is Perspective, but you’ll need to move quickly as the closing date is 27th May.

    The store is running the campaign with an ongoing series of competitions to encourage creative people to remain active during the lockdown, and says it aims to inspire photographers, videographers, designers and audio artists while many may find it hard to work or enjoy their hobby.

    The Perspective Challenge though is a photographic contest, and entrants are allowed to put forward up to five images. Judges will be looking for ‘adherence/appropriateness to the challenge theme, originality of expression, composition, lighting, and visual and emotional impact’.

    The prize is a Canon EOS RP body and Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens along with a Manfrotto Befree Live aluminum tripod with fluid head, a Moment variable ND filter, a ProGrade Digital 256GB SD camera and a Peak Design backpack to put it all in.

    For more information, and to enter, see the Create No Matter What page of the Adorama website.

    Press release:

    Adorama Announces #CreateNoMatterWhat Creative Challenge Series

    First Challenge Theme: Perspective Offers Photographers a Chance to Win a Canon Camera Package

    Adorama, the trusted source for market-leading photo, video, audio, and computer equipment and information, announced today the “Create No Matter What: Perspective Challenge” photography contest. Revealed by travel, outdoor and adventure photographer Nathan Lee Allen, the Perspective Challenge asks photographers to show how they create a different perspective of their art, for a chance to win a Canon EOS RP camera prize package worth more than $ 3,000.

    “With more than 50 million impressions and even more engaged users, our #CreateNoMatterWhat campaign has really hit a high note within our community. To keep the positive momentum flowing, we are excited to launch a series of themed creative challenges and will be rewarding our community with really amazing prizes!” said Mary-Irene Marek, Director of Content and Social Media for Adorama. “Our first challenge is all about perspective within photography. Whether you’re capturing life from a different angle or using props to create a whole new environment, you’re using perspective to tell the story.”

    Adorama’s #CreateNoMatterWhat campaign is a community-based hashtag to engage with and encourage creatives to create, learn, and think outside the box. Whether it’s photography, videography, audio, design or editing, #CreateNoMatterWhat challenges creators to keep their creativity flowing and to continue their passions while at home.

    To enter the Perspective Challenge, photographers should submit a completed online entry form and up to five photographs that demonstrate their talents, skills and vision. Winners will be selected based on the following criteria: adherence/appropriateness to the challenge theme, originality of expression, composition, lighting, and visual and emotional impact.

    The Perspective Challenge is open now through May 27th at 11:59 PM ET. The winner will be announced on May 29th at 12 p.m. ET.

    To learn more about the Perspective Challenge and enter up to five images for a chance to win, visit www.adorama.com/cnmw.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony’s new ‘Intelligent Vision Sensor’ is the world’s first to feature on-chip AI processing

    Sony has shared the details of its new sensor array that it claims is the world’s first to feature artificial intelligence (AI) directly onboard the chipset.

    Before diving into the details, it’s worth noting this sensor has been produced with industrial applications in mind, but as tends to be the case with much of Sony’s other sensor technologies, it’s not difficult to imagine seeing these AI-powered technologies in Sony’s smartphone and possibly even mirrorless camera sensors down the road.

    With that out of the way, let’s dive into the details. The IMX500 is a 12.3MP (4056 × 3040 pixels) backside-illuminated 1/2.3” sensor capable of 4K/60p video capture that features a new stacked design that puts the pixel chip atop the logic chip. The stacked design means the data captured from the pixel chip can immediately be parsed via Sony’s AI processing directly on the logic chip.

    Processing in the sensor not only removes the need for external hardware, it also means only the relevant data needs to be output, significantly reducing the amount of data that needs to be communicated to the cloud, reducing bandwidth and increasing speed. Sony says the new sensor can capture and process the image within 3.1 milliseconds when using the MobileNet V1 image analysis model.

    IMX500 (left), IMX501 (right).

    In addition to faster, real-time object-tracking and processing, this setup also allows the system to export either image data and information or information alone. The ability to export the AI-derived information alone adds an additional layer of security that could be added to scenes where privacy is critical.

    Illustration from Sony showing how the data output format can be customized to meet various needs.

    Again, Sony specifically mentions retail and industrial equipment use-cases for this new sensor technology, so it’s not likely we’ll be seeing this in consumer camera tech anytime soon.

    The IMX500 (bare chip model) is expected to start shipping in April 2020 for 10,000 JPY (~$ 94), while the IMX501 (packaged product model) is expected to start shipping in June 2020 for 20,000 JPY (~$ 188).

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Compact, capable and imperfect: First impressions of the Sigma fp

    If you’d asked me prior to the fp’s announcement which company was going to produce the world’s smallest full frame camera, and one with some pretty serious video capabilities, I’m not sure Sigma would have been my first guess. But the specs made it look very tempting indeed.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Powerful feature set in compact, adaptable body
    • Good selection of tools for video making
    • 8-bit footage with no Log option (or low-contrast mode) for non-Raw shooters
    • User interface has some oddities: no direct access to ISO setting, under-utilized touchscreen
    • Cine/Stills switch makes it easy to change shooting modes but most settings carry-over, demanding careful re-configuring as you change

    We grabbed the fp to see how it would behave for a short (and suitably socially distanced) video project, to see how much Sigma has been able to get right, the first time. These are our first impressions based on that time spent shooting, and as this isn’t a review, we haven’t looked at all the major features just yet. But this is what we found:

    What it gets right

    The most obvious thing the fp gets right is its basic concept: a tiny video module (that can also take nice stills) stripped back to its core functions so that it can be adapted suit all manner of situations.

    To deliver on this underlying idea, a lot of work has clearly been done to provide the features that videographers will want. For a start, there is a waveform display that provides a hugely useful way to assess exposure within a scene, and one that videographers will be familiar with.

    The waveform display at the lower right of the screen is a valuable exposure tool.

    Then there’s the option to report exposure time as shutter angle, rather than shutter speed. The actual terminology can appear somewhat esoteric when you first encounter it, but even without worrying about what specific ‘angles’ might mean, it means you can easily change the frame rate you’re shooting at without having to adjust the exposure time to match.

    Perhaps the defining feature of the camera is its ability to record CinemaDNG files
    to an external SSD

    The way the zebra exposure warnings are handled will also be familiar to users of higher-end video gear: the fp gives you a choice of using zebras to indicate highlights (ie: indicate the areas exposed at 95% or brighter) or to monitor a specific exposure region (ie shot areas exposed as 70% with an adjustable tolerance level on either side). All of these are key videography tools.

    Fins around the edge of the LCD hint at how the fp manages the heat, despite its compact size.

    But perhaps the defining feature of the camera is its ability to record CinemaDNG files to an external SSD. There are some drawbacks to this: CinemaDNG can be a bit of a handful and isn’t especially widely supported and, like the Nikon Z6, the footage is sub-sampled to keep the data sizes manageable, increasing the risk of moire. But it lets the fp output files that are more gradable than Log footage without requiring investment in any unusual card formats.

    CinemaDNG wasn’t a good fit for this particular project but we intend to look more closely at the results in future.

    What’s a bit odd

    If you turn on zebras and focus peaking, the zebras don’t appear to work. It turns out you can’t have them both at the same time, so zebras simply don’t appear.

    You can easily work around this by defining custom displays modes, one of which has focus peaking turned off. This let me configure a manual focus display mode and an exposure display mode, that I could switch between as I prepared each shot, which is a pleasant-enough way of working. But modes like this aren’t set up by default and nothing on the camera makes it obvious that turning on focus peaking is going to over-ride the zebra settings.

    The menus themselves are laid-out in a fairly straight-forward manner

    The menus themselves are pretty well laid out, with a Canon-esque horizontal array of pages, broken up into three, color-coded tabbed sections. Vertical tabs tend to be a little faster to navigate but the fp lets you scroll the front dial to jump between pages, so it’s all pretty quick. There’s no option to jump between tabs, though.

    The bigger problem (for me, at least) is the camera’s handling of sub-menus. If you go into a sub-menu page there’s not much of a visual indication that you’re no longer in the main menus (and hence need to press ‘Menu’ to retreat back up a level).

    Configuring custom display modes is the easiest way to gain access to both focus peaking and zebra exposure warnings

    Also, given the camera’s willingness to stream data to an external drive, I was surprised there’s no option to power the camera from an external battery if you need to record for extended periods. You can top the battery up between shots but the camera insists on communicating with anything connected to the USB port while it’s powered on.

    Then there are a few of bugs (or, at least, oddities). For instance, if you set a manual white balance, the camera will continue to add on any fine tune values that you’d applied to its previous setting, meaning your new white balance will be off by whatever correction you last used. The camera also seems to turn focus peaking off if left switched off for a while.

    The fp also carries most settings (exposure mode, aperture value, shutter speed, WB and color mode) across from stills to video mode, which can entail a lot of re-configuring if you switch between the two. Using the shutter angle option creates a distinct video-only setting, so you don’t accidentally carry fast shutter speeds across to video mode.

    What it gets wrong

    The single biggest omission I have found on the fp is the inability to adjust ISO using one of the dials. I tend to shoot manually, fix the shutter angle and use a combination of aperture value and ISO to adjust the look of my footage. There’s no easy way to do this, which feels like a fundamental shortcoming.

    The dials only control shutter angle and aperture, with no option to reconfigure that, meaning you can’t adjust ISO on the fly. ISO is available in the QS menu, but this means you can’t see your exposure tools (waveforms or zebras) as you’re making adjustments.

    The QS menu can be customized but it’s not touch-sensitive, and some sub-options require a complex combination of button presses and dial operation

    On the subject of the QS menu, it’s disappointing that both this and the menu menus are not touch sensitive. Tapping on the option you want to change is much quicker than using the four-way controller to navigate. Similarly, just being able to tap between the three main tabbed sections of the menu would be faster than having to scroll though all the individual pages.

    The other feature I found myself really missing was the option to shoot Log, to provide a middle-ground between the CinemaDNG output and the standard color modes. There’s no 10-bit gamma-encoded (non-Raw) modes, so your choices are 8-bit H.264 or Raw. There are some interesting color modes provided (Cine and Teal & Orange) in particular but they all have pretty aggressive tone curves: there’s no out-of-the-box equivalent of Fujifilm’s lovely, low-contrast Eterna mode or Panasonic’s Cinelike-D.

    Sigma has promised a significant firmware update, so we’re hoping some of these issues can be addressed at that time. Sigma has announced a list of functions that will be added with firmware V2.0 but hasn’t detailed any operational changes, so we hold out hope.

    At the end of the project

    Shooting early in the morning to avoid encountering people meant the need to just grab shots and keep moving, something which the fp’s modest size and weight really contributed to. Having spent a couple of days familiarizing myself with the camera, I’d become pretty adept at manipulating the QS/AEL/dial combinations needed to change key settings (though apparently not so familiar that I didn’t accidentally knock the camera into the wrong color mode just before starting).

    Note the balancing point is roughly in the middle of the lens: the front elements of the 24mm F1.4 weigh nearly as much as the fp body does.

    This rather short video, shot outdoors in around 50°F (10°C) conditions didn’t present any temperature challenges for the fp and the roughly ten minutes of footage wasn’t enough to assess battery capacity, but there was nothing to give cause for concern during the time the camera was in use.

    It feels like Sigma has tried to address a videographers’ wishlist but doesn’t yet have the experience to make it as slick as it could be

    As anticipated, I found that a touch-sensitive QS menu and the ability to adjust ISO on-the-fly would help hugely, as would some more forgiving color/tone modes.

    My overriding impression is that it feels like Sigma has tried to address a videographers’ wishlist but perhaps doesn’t yet have the experience in video to make the implementation as elegant as it could be. But Sigma has promised a major firmware update. And it’s also apparent that there’s a lot of capability crammed into the fp, even before exploring one of its defining features by shooting Raw footage.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon confirms first D6 units will ship out by end of May, after a brief delay

    At the time of its announcement on February 12 this year, Nikon said its flagship D6 DSLR was expected to ship in April 2020, with pre-orders starting the day of its announcement. However, due to component supply issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nikon was forced to issue a ‘notice of delay’ on March 9 stating the first units wouldn’t be shipping until May.

    $ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_9625198425″,”galleryId”:”9625198425″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

    Nikon has held true on that promise, confirming in a press release today that the first D6 units will start shipping to customers on May 21. In addition to the new shipping date, Nikon also shared a few images captured with the new DSLR as a teaser of sorts to tide over customers (and pixel-peepers alike):

    $ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_7067042395″,”galleryId”:”7067042395″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

    You can read more about the Nikon D6 in our initial coverage linked above, as well as in our hands-on coverage from our time with it at WPPI. Pre-orders are still live at retailers acros the globe, with the D6 DSLR body-only going for $ 6,500 (Adorama, B&H).

    Press release:

    Nikon Inc. Announces Retail Availability of the Flagship Nikon D6 DSLR

    MELVILLE, NY (May 7, 2020) – Today, Nikon Inc. announced the retail availability of the new Nikon D6 DSLR, which was unveiled in February of this year. The D6 will be available in the U.S. starting on Thursday, May 21 for the suggested retail price (SRP) of $ 6,499.95* for the body-only configuration.

    Whether on an assignment or in the studio, Nikon’s flagship D6 DSLR always delivers. The D6 incorporates Nikon’s most powerful AF to date, featuring a high-density system with 105 selectable cross-type AF points to help capture pivotal moments again and again, even in the most challenging conditions and environments. Since every second counts, the uncompromising D6 incorporates important upgrades to enhance photographers’ workflow and accelerate file transfer capabilities, offering time-saving and customizable options during and after capture. Additionally, the D6 offers robust reliability, unrivaled low-light capability, amazing versatility, 4K UHD multimedia capabilities and a mechanical shutter frame rate that can capture at a blazing fast 14 frames-per-second (fps).

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DPReview TV: Canon EOS R5 video specs first impressions

    In this video we share our first impressions of the Canon EOS R5’s impressive video specifications, as well as some other features that might get lost in the headlines.

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

    • Introduction
    • 8K Raw video
    • Recording media
    • 4K recording
    • Dual pixel autofocus
    • In-body image stabilization (IBIS)
    • What we don't know
    • Stay tuned!

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Intel announces first mobile CPUs capable of more than 5GHz clock speeds

    For photographers, one of the most important components of their computer is the processor (CPU). When considering how software such as Adobe Lightroom performs, maximum single and multi-core CPU performance is critical. This makes Intel’s announcement today that it is releasing the world’s fastest mobile processor particularly exciting for creatives on the go.

    The 10th generation Intel Core H-Series introduces half a dozen H-Series mobile processors, including four which can surpass 5 GHz frequency from a single core in Turbo performance mode. These chips are built using Intel’s 14nm Comet Lake architecture, rather than the 10nm process that Intel teased at CES earlier this year. The top of the line processor, the Intel Core i9-10980HK, has a base clock speed of 2.4 GHz and can reach 5.3 GHz speeds at its maximum performance. This processor, along with the 5.1 GHz i7-10875H, delivers 16 threads across 8 cores and include a 16 MB Intel Smart Cache.

    Another pair of new i7 processors, the 10850H and 10750H, can reach 5.1 and 5.0 GHz respectively. These processors are both 6-core CPUs with a dozen threads. Rounding out the new lineup are the Intel Core i5-10400H and i5-10300H. These four-core CPUs have eight threads and have maximum speeds of 4.6 and 4.5 GHz respectively.

    You can view a comparison of the six Intel 10th generation mobile processors in the chart below:

    Image credit: Intel Corporation. Click for a larger view.

    What do all these numbers mean for creatives? On the photography side of things, Photoshop and other photography applications heavily utilize your computer’s CPU relative to the GPU. Software such as Photoshop is getting better at using a computer’s GPU to accelerate certain tasks, but the CPU is particularly important. Further, the maximum frequency of CPU chips is more important than the number of cores for most photo editing tasks. All else equal, a faster CPU results in better performance when importing, processing and editing image files.

    Thus, the new 10th generation Intel i9 processors represent a very powerful CPU for CPU-intensive applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Lightroom, for example, is optimized to utilize multiple cores for handling tasks, so Intel’s eight-core chips are exciting. The quicker your computer’s CPU can work through tasks, the less time you must spend waiting.

    For video editors, Intel has published specific performance gain numbers. When compared to a similar Intel chip from three years ago, the top-of-the-line i9-10980HK can render and export 4K resolution video up to twice as fast. The i7-10750H fares well too, exporting 4K video up to 70 percent faster compared to its predecessor from three years ago. It will be interesting to see how the new chips perform in the real world when rendering 4K and even 8K video.

    This image shows the wafer of Intel’s 10th generation H-series processors. Image credit: Intel Corporation

    Of the Intel Core i9-10980HK, Intel states that it features ‘unparalleled performance across the board with up to 5.3 GHz Turbo, eight cores, 16 threads and 16MB of Intel Smart Cache. The unlocked 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK processor powers the ultimate laptops for gamers and creators, allowing further customization, optimization and tuning of the CPU’s performance.’

    Additional features of the Intel 10th generation chips include Intel’s proprietary Speed Optimizer one-click overclocking feature, Thermal Velocity Boost and Adaptix Dynamic Tuning. For a full breakdown of all the key features in the new Intel chips, you can download a PDF briefing by clicking here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Film Fridays: Thinking about spending a stack of cash on a film camera? Read this first!

    We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing an article from our film friends over at 35mmc on Fridays. This week’s article addresses the ever-inflating second-hand film camera market and the realities of what you get for your hard-earned cash. So don’t drop $ 300 on an Olympus MJU II before reading this first!

    Thinking about spending a stack of cash on a film camera? Read this!

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • A Photographer’s Guide to Buying a Drone – Getting it Right the First Time

    The post A Photographer’s Guide to Buying a Drone – Getting it Right the First Time appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

    photographers-guide-to-buying-a-drone

    In this photographer’s guide to buying a drone, I’ll share with you some invaluable tips for buying a drone for the first time.

    Seven years ago, my employer wanted a photo of a local lighthouse from an elevated viewpoint. It sounds ridiculous now, but very early on a winter’s morning, I was loaded into a cherry picker with two cameras and hoisted 15 meters in the air to take photos. I’m a little bit scared of heights, so I really had to concentrate on getting the images and not looking down!

    With the introduction in the last few years of many relatively low-cost good quality drones (also known as UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicles), that whole scenario seems laughable.

    So why should you think about buying a drone if you haven’t already?

    Here are some of the key considerations.

    Image: By chance, I saw this boat sailing past when I was taking aerial images of fishing boats in Y...

    By chance, I saw this boat sailing past when I was taking aerial images of fishing boats in Yamba. Taken with the DJI Mavic.

    A photographer’s guide to buying a drone

    Why buy a drone?

    The main reason for buying a drone is the unique viewpoints that it will bring to your photography that you couldn’t achieve easily otherwise.

    Sure, you can take elevated images from buildings, planes, helicopters – or even a cherry picker. However, those options are unlikely to be suitable or cost-efficient, depending on what you’d like to photograph. Having a drone in your kit opens up new possibilities and viewpoints like never before.

    How else would you be able to take images from viewpoints like this? Boats at the seaside taken with the DJI Mavic Pro 2.

    What kind of photographers would benefit from having a drone?

    The short answer is – all kinds of photographers. I’ve seen or heard of aerial images from UAVs used in many industries.

    Travel

    Aerial images have been a stable of Instagram travel accounts for years now. Many Instagrammers take a compact drone with them on their travels to add to the range of shots they can take at a destination. They can use the images for both posting on social media or as deliverables for clients.

    These images are often featured by large national and regional travel accounts to showcase destinations.

    A Photographer's Guide to Buying a Drone

    Real estate photographers

    Drones are widely used amongst real estate photographers and seem to be essential kits these days.

    Aerial images are common on many listings here in Australia to show the boundaries and layout of a property and its location to nearby landmarks and amenities.

    Fine art

    This is a small but very well paid niche. Some photographers make thousands of dollars for breathtaking fine art aerial images taken with UAVs.

    Stock photographers

    There’s been an increasing number of aerial images and videos sold on stock photography sites recently. Using a drone is one way to add to the range of images you have for sale in your portfolio.

    A Photographer's Guide to Buying a Drone

    A stock photography library I shoot for had a call out for images to illustrate bad parking. This is an image I sold them for the campaign.

    Wedding and portrait photography

    Aerial images are becoming increasingly popular for weddings, engagement shoots, and portrait sessions.

    Images for your family archive

    When I’m out and about taking photos for stock or travel, my family often accompanies me. I love taking aerial images of them; it certainly makes for a different type of shot in the family photo archive.

    Tips before buying a drone

    If you’re thinking about buying a drone, it pays to do your research first. Take a look at photos taken by drones on Instagram using hashtags such as #dronephotography, #dronestagram, and #droneoftheday.

    Which make and model of UAV took these images? Looking at the photos will give you a good indication of the quality you can expect from each model.

    Join some drone-related Facebook groups. Have a read through the discussions and ask questions. People will often be happy to share how they took a photo, what equipment they used, and what post-processing they did on the image.

    Image: My daughter taking her board out for a surf in northern New South Wales, Australia.

    My daughter taking her board out for a surf in northern New South Wales, Australia.

    Try before you buy

    Do you know a friend who has a drone? Ask if you can go along with them next time they fly it and learn the basics. You could also see if a local drone Facebook Group has meetups where you can learn the ropes. Maybe you’ll love it, but maybe you’ll hate it. Handy to know before you shell out for such a high cost.

    Buy cheap, buy twice

    I’ve heard many people buy a cheap toy drone to see if they’ll like it. The truth is, many of those cheaper drones are a complete nightmare to fly, and people are put off when it crashes. Typically, the more expensive a UAV, the easier it is to fly.

    I’d recommend the “try before you buy” approach over this.

    Which drone should I buy?

    Ultimately, this is down to two different factors: the first is your budget, the second is what you want to do with your aerial images.

    If you want to sell your images for stock, weddings, or fine art, go with the drone with the best image quality. However, if you want to travel with your drone, take family photos or only post to social media, perhaps you’d value a compact, lighter offering.

    Pros and cons of some popular drone models

    Below are some of the pros and cons of popular drones.

    The Mavic Pro

    The Mavic Pro is one of the best-selling drones of all time. It’s capable of taking photos in both horizontal and landscape orientations, which I found very handy when I owned it. The 12-megapixel camera has a fixed f/2.2 aperture, which compared to newer offerings, is a bit limiting. The good news is, you should be able to pick up one for a good price secondhand.

    Image: DJI Mavic Pro

    DJI Mavic Pro

    Mavic Pro 2

    I sold my Mavic Pro when they released the Mavic Pro 2. It has a significantly better 20-megapixel camera with a 1-inch sensor, which suited me better for taking larger images for stock libraries.

    It also has an f/2.8-11 variable aperture, which gives you the potential to be more creative with your aerial images.

    The one potential downside is that when facing the horizon, the gimbal doesn’t rotate the camera so you can capture vertical images like you can with the Mavic.

    Read a full review of the Mavic Pro 2 here.

    A Photographer's Guide to Buying a Drone

    The Mavic 2 drone.

    Mavic 2 Zoom

    The Mavic 2 Zoom came out at the same time as the Mavic Pro. Its main advantage over the Pro 2 is the ability to zoom the camera. Combined with movement, you can use this to achieve the dolly zoom effect. The downside is that its camera is only 12-megapixel, and the aperture is f2.8-3.8.

    Read a review of the Mavic 2 Zoom here.

    A Photographer's Guide to Buying a Drone

    DJI Mavic 2 Zoom

    Mavic Mini

    The Mavic Mini is a very small and light drone with impressive specifications. The Mavic Mini is the cheapest I’ve covered and would be ideal for many people wanting to take aerial images as they travel. It has a 12-megapixel camera. Unlike the others listed, it is only capable of taking images in JPG format for stills.

    A Photographer's Guide to Buying a Drone

    DJI Mavic Mini

    Also, read a review of the DJI Spark here, and the Mavic Air here.

    What else do I need to consider?

    Is your device up to scratch? To fly a DJI drone, you’ll need the DJI GO app on your smartphone or on a tablet.

    Is your device good enough to support the latest app? You’ll need to look into this before you get started.

    A Photographer's Guide to Buying a Drone

    Make sure your phone or tablet is powerful enough to run the drone app.

    How will you edit your image?

    If you’re a dPS regular reader, no doubt you’ll know all about the various ways you can post-process your images. I use Adobe Lightroom and occasionally Adobe Photoshop to edit my JPG and DNG drone images.

    Insurance

    UAVs are an expensive investment. Make sure that your camera insurance or home contents insurance adequately covers your new kit.

    DJI have their own insurance product – DJI care. Whichever option you go for, make sure you understand the limits of the policies, so you don’t get caught out.

    Flying legally

    This is very important. You don’t want to find yourself on the wrong side of the law, especially if you take your drone overseas.

    It’s good to learn all the rules when you’re considering buying one or while you’re waiting for it to arrive.

    Rules differ from country to country, region to region, so always make sure you know the correct laws to fly at your destination.

    For example, in Australia, you’ll need permission to fly a drone in a National Park in the state of New South Wales, but over the border in Queensland, you do not.

    Image: Early morning view of South Stradbroke Island, Queensland. DJI Mavic.

    Early morning view of South Stradbroke Island, Queensland. DJI Mavic.

    Flying safely

    Investing time learning the rules and regulations is just one part of things. You also need to learn to fly safely.

    A major part of this is learning to identify hazards, whether they be trees, powerlines, buildings, weather, or as I found out once, a swooping bird in my local park.

    It’s always a good idea to have a pre-flight and post-flight-check routine in place.

    Conclusion

    Buying a drone is a fantastic way of adding new viewpoints to your photography. The latest offerings from companies such as DJI have given photographers the ability to capture scenes that were not possible a few years ago without chartering a plane or helicopter.

    However, there are many things to consider before you dive in. Consider what you want to use the images for, which model to buy, and how to edit your images. You also need to learn how to fly safely and legally.

    I hope this photographer’s guide to buying a drone has been helpful if you are currently looking at adding a drone to your photography kit.

    What other considerations do you think are important when considering buying a drone? Tell us below.

     

    The post A Photographer’s Guide to Buying a Drone – Getting it Right the First Time appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.


    Digital Photography School

  • ON1 announces upcoming Android, iOS mobile app set to ship ‘in the first half of 2020’

    ON1 has announced it’s currently working on ON1 Photo Mobile 2020, a mobile app for Android and iOS that will be able to both capture and edit Raw images. The app will also sync with ON1 Photo RAW for desktop computers, with the ability to view, edit and sync images across devices.

    Not much information is given on the teaser page, but from what information is available, it seems the app is part mobile camera app, part editing tool, with many features taken from ON1 Photo RAW. ON1 says the capture component of ON1 Photo Mobile 2020 will offer ‘pro-level controls you are familiar with on your interchangeable-lens camera’ and ‘is packed full of advanced features.’

    As for editing on-the-go, ON1 says the app will offer ‘ the same power as […] in ON1 Photo RAW.’ Specifically, ON1 mentions the ability to enhance shadows, remove distractions, lighten/darken areas ‘and more.’ Put in more parallel terms, it sounds like ON1 Photo Mobile 2020 will offer highlight/shadow controls as well as a healing brush-style tool. Presets and local adjustments will also be available within the app.

    The app will also sync with ON1 Photo RAW on your computer to ‘push edits […] back to ON1 Photo Mobile using ON1 Sync,’ a process that provides ‘a complete, open, photo editing and organizing system,’ according to ON1

    ON1 says ‘ON1 Photo Mobile 2020 will be available in the first half of 2020’ for Android and iOS devices. No pricing information has been given at this time.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)