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Posts Tagged ‘Report’

Report: Samsung Galaxy S11 to come with 5x telescopic zoom and 108MP main camera

26 Sep

Huawei with the P30 Pro and OPPO with the Reno are still the only manufacturers to offer folded-tele-optics in their respective smartphone camera systems. According to South Korean technology publication The Elec they might soon be joined by Samsung, though.

The company started mass production of a 5x optical zoom camera module back in May. In in its report, The Elec claims the new tele camera will debut in the next generation Galaxy S11 device and will be accompanied by a 108MP main camera.

Like other recent high-resolution smartphone sensors, the 108MP juggernaut will likely not be designed to output full resolution images but instead deliver image data that can be subjected to all sorts of computational imaging trickery, resulting in better detail, lower noise, a wider dynamic range and better zoom performance among others.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has released a video which shows the new lens design and how it works in detail. The module is only 5mm tall which means it fits even in thin smartphone bodies without protruding too much. Light is diverted onto the sensor via a prism. The latter is tilting to provide image stabilization which makes a lot of sense for the lens long maximum focal length.

Samsung launched the Note 10 flagship series with a more conventional camera not too long ago but we should be able to see the new design in the S11 models which are expected to launch sometime next spring.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Nikon is only producing 1,000 units of its 500mm F5.6 lens each month

23 Aug

Since its release in August 2018, the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm F5.6 PF ED VR lens has been perpetually out of stock. In past apologies, Nikon has said demand for the 500mm F5.6 lens has exceeded supply, but now we know just how limited supply is.

Almost immediately after launching the 500mm F5.6 PF lens, Nikon Japan issued an apology [Japanese], stating it wouldn’t be able to deliver all 500mm F5.6 pre-orders in September, as it had hoped to do. Six months later, it issued another apology, stating orders had exceeded expectations and they were working to deliver units as soon as possible.

Screenshot used with permission from Nikon Rumors.

Now, Nikon Rumors has shared a screenshot of the German Nikon Professional Service website noting only 1,000 units are able to be produced each month. The text in the screenshot, seen above, translates (via DeepL) to:

‘Delivery currently uncertain, since only about 1,000 copies are produced per month. We apologize for any inconvenience and will accept any pre-order.’

A screenshot from the current product page on Adorama showing the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm F5.6 PF ED VR lens is ‘On Backorder.’

We contacted Nikon USA to check in on the current pre-order status and clarify whether or not production is at 1,000 units per month and received the following response:

‘Orders of the AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens have exceeded our expectations. We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to fulfill orders as quickly as possible.’

In other words, Nikon isn’t confirming the 1,000 unit per month limit, but it isn’t denying it either. Whatever the case is, it doesn’t look like the backorders are slowing down anytime soon, so don’t get your hopes up that you’ll have Nikon’s compact telephoto lens anytime soon.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: The next GoPro will shoot 4K 120fps video, offer screen, light and mic accessories

16 Aug

Photo Rumors, citing sources based in China, is reporting a number of specs for the next generation of GoPro action cameras and has a set of purported images of the unreleased device.

According to Photo Rumors’ information, the action camera — expected to be called the GoPro Hero 8 — will be announced in September 2019.

The updated action camera is said to feature a new design with an optional housing that features cold-shoe mounts on the top and side for attaching accessories. Photo Rumors specifically mentions microphone, LED light and screen accessories. The leaked renderings show off the LED light and screen accessory, the latter of which appears to have a USB-C port on the side of it.

In terms of specs, Photo Rumors is reporting the action camera will be able to shoot 4K video at 120 fps and Full HD at 480 fps, all powered by a 12-megapixel sensor and GoPro-designed GP2 chipset. It’s also said the camera will feature an improved lens design for better image quality.

As with all rumors, the specifications should be taken with a grain of salt, but the renderings look identical to past product images from GoPro and the specifications do align with the incremental improvements GoPro has made over the years to its action camera lineup.

Image credits: Image via Photo Rumors, used with permission

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Apple stops development of quantum dot image sensors

27 Jun

Last week, shares of Nanoco Technology, a UK company specializing in quantum dot (QD) technology, dropped by nearly 80 percent after news broke that a high-volume supply-contract had been canceled by a major customer.

The Telegraph now reports this customer is Apple which has been working with Nanoco on the development of QD technology for image sensors that could have been used in future iPhone generations. According to market research firm BlueFin Research, Apple decided to stop the development of QD image sensors because it was too expensive for mass production.

Nanoco first announced a partnership with a ‘large, undisclosed U.S. listed corporation’ in 2018. In January of this year it announced the contract had been expanded to cover stress testing and refinements. According to the report, the contract had a volume of £17.1 million ($ 21.7 million) which is more than half of Nanoco’s total revenue.

The UK company specializes in cadmium-free QDs, which are currently predominantly used to improve image quality on TVs and other high-resolution large screens where the dots’ light-emitting properties allow for more accurate color rendering. In an image sensor Apple and Nanoco were hoping to apply the technology to enhance image quality and help with the development of advanced augmented reality features.

With QD technology off the table, it remains to be seen if Apple’s iPhone cameras will rely on more conventional technologies for the foreseeable future or if the US company has another innovative image sensor card up its sleeve.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Samsung’s upcoming Note 10 will have a ‘3-stage variable aperture’

26 Jun

Samsung guru and leaker Ice Universe claims Samsung China engineers have said the camera inside the upcoming Samsung Note 10 smartphone will feature a ‘three-stage variable aperture.’

As noted in the above tweet, Ice Universe says the camera on the Note 10 will offer three specific apertures as options: F1.5, F1.8 and F2.4.

Since the Galaxy S9, Samsung’s flagship lineups have featured dual-aperture camera systems, so it’s not new territory for Samsung. It is interesting though that Samsung is continuing to put an emphasis on the mechanical side of mobile photography when so many others, including Leica, are clearly doubling down on the computational side of it.

It’s unknown how the variable apertures will be implemented in the camera system, but the option alone is an improvement over other manufacturers and so far Samsung’s dual-aperture setup has proven itself.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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BCN Retail report: Japanese camera market still in decline

11 Jun
Graph: BCN Retail

Analyst firm BCN Retail, which collects daily sales data directly at on- and offline points of sale, has published data (Japanese) on the camera market in Japan for the fiscal year from April 2018 to March 2019. With almost all big manufacturers based in Japan, the domestic market is an important indicator for global trends and unfortunately, things have not improved from previous years, according to the numbers.

At 37.3 percent of all units sold, Canon remains the market leader, but Nikon has been able to increase its share, according to BCN, thanks to improvements in compact camera sales, and now stands at 26.7 percent. Sony is a solid number three at 13.1 percent but can rely on the highest average per-unit price. Olympus and Fujifilm follow on the next positions with 6 and 5.8 percent respectively.

In terms of units sold, these numbers are bad news for almost all manufacturers, though. Canon is down 1.3 percent year-over-year, Sony 6.6 percent, Olympus 13.8 percent and Nikon even 15 percent. Only Fujifilm has been able to increase the number of units sold—by an impressive 19.4 percent.

The picture slightly shifts when looking at revenue, though. In money terms, Fujifilm’s sales increased by only 0.6 percent. Sony, however, managed to expand sales by a whopping 14.5 percent, thanks to a focus on high-priced premium models in its camera lineup.

At the other end of the spectrum, things do look pretty dire for industry giants Canon, Nikon and Olympus whose sales value went down by 11.4, 28.5, and 21.3 percent respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony’s financial report shows 2% YOY growth for its ‘Imaging Products and Solutions’ division

18 May

Editor’s note: Keep in mind that each company groups different products under their respective ‘Imaging’ category, so there may be slight differences in what products and services are offered in the financial details. However, the categories are broadly similar and comparable, and we’ve done our best to account for those differences using available information.’

If you were to look at the most recent financials of Canon, Nikon and a few other camera manufacturers, it would seem the camera industry as a whole is facing a crisis. But not everyone in the imaging market is struggling, as Sony’s latest financials show.

Sony has published its latest annual financial report and inside a number of interesting details have emerged. Sony’s 2018 fiscal year (2018FY), which ended March 31, 2019, saw increased sales of 14.6 billion yen for its Imaging Products and Solutions division for a total of 670.5 billion yen. This amounts to a two percent year-over-year (YOY) growth, accounting for loss due to currency conversion.

A small snapshot from Sony’s financial report showing the sales numbers (in millions of yen). On the left are the numbers are through March 31, 2018, while numbers bolded in the center are the numbers through March 31, 2019. The numbers on the right are the difference between the two years.

While two percent might not seem impressive, Nikon’s imaging division reported a 17.9 percent decrease while Canon reported an annual decrease of 11.3 percent YOY.

Sony specifically mentions in its report (starting on page 26) that ‘[the] increase was mainly due to an improvement in the product mix reflecting a shift to high value-added models such as mirrorless single-lens cameras and the interchangeable lens lineup, partially offset by a decrease in compact digital camera unit sales reflecting a contraction of the market.’ Sony also says reductions in operating costs helped to reduce to YOY numbers.

In a year when it seems nearly every other company manufacturing cameras is showing decreasing profits YOY, it seems Sony managed to find a way to keep profits growing throughout 2018.

Update (May 17, 2019): The last paragraph in this article has been removed and rephrased to account for the discrepancies in the fiscal years between companies.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: iOS 13 will be able to import photos directly into apps from external storage

25 Apr

As powerful as iPads have become over the past few years, one of the most limiting factors of the device is its operating system. Apple has incrementally updated iOS, but overall has left much to be desired from the creative world, most notably in the area of storage. That might just change, however, according to the latest reports from 9to5Mac.

At its World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC19) in June, Apple is expected to announce iOS 13, which 9to5Mac says will finally include the ability for third-party applications, such as Adobe Lightroom CC and Affinity Photo, to import photos directly from external storage.

Until now, it was only possible to import photos into Lightroom CC and other post-production apps after the photos had been imported to the iOS Camera Roll. This not only effectively doubled the time it took to start processing photos, but also doubled the amount of space the images took up, at least until the photos were entirely imported to Lightroom CC and deleted from the Camera Roll.

According to the reports, which 9to5Mac has had a solid history of getting right on the iOS front, it will now be possible to plug in a memory card via the iPad Pro’s USB-C port and skip the Photos app altogether. Combined with the ability to now add various docks and hubs to the iPad Pro via its USB-C port, it could make for a pretty capable mobile setup.

There’s no definitive word on whether or not external HDDs and SSDs will be supported in terms of storing Lightroom CC libraries and other media elsewhere, but that too is one area that needs to be addressed for many photo professionals and hobbyists alike to make the jump to working off an iPad Pro exclusively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: ‘Photographer’ among 2018’s worst jobs due to rise of freelancing, smartphones

23 Apr

CareerCast has published its 2018 Jobs Rated Report, which provides a ‘general snapshot’ of 220 careers based on certain ‘key criteria,’ including stress levels, work environment, growth outlook, and income. The report lists the best and worst careers of 2018 based on these factors; included in the ‘worst’ category is photography.

The career of ‘photographer’ is listed as #25 among CareerCast’s ranking of 2018’s worst careers, falling behind other roles like ‘enlisted military personnel,’ ‘newspaper reporter,’ and ‘disc jockey.’ Factors that negatively influence career ranking include high stress levels, danger, low pay, and poor outlook.

As far as photography goes, CareerCast noted an annual median wage of $ 34,000 for photographers working in the US last year, which is slightly lower than the nation’s median wage across all jobs of $ 37,690. As well, the company projects photography as a career will experience negative growth of -5.6% from 2016 to 2026.

An increase in smartphones, which make the field more accessible to non-professionals, as well as an uptick in the corporate use of freelancers are cited as issues impacting the career’s projected negative growth over the next decade. As freelancers are increasingly used, the photography industry has seen an elimination of salaried photographer positions.

In contrast, ‘mathematician,’ ‘genetic counsellor’ and ‘university professor’ are listed among the report’s best careers.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Canon is lowering profit forecast 20% due to shrinking camera sales

20 Apr

According to a report [partial paywall] from Nikkei Asian Review, Canon is planning to lower its profit forecasts for the 2019 fiscal year by 20 percent — amounting to approximately 50 billion yen — due to shrinking camera sales.

What’s to blame for this downturn? According to Nikkei, the digital camera and semiconductor markets are shrinking due to the increasing capabilities of smartphone cameras. Below is the full translated section of the report:

‘Canon will lower its forecast for the fiscal year ending December 2019. Consolidated operating profit (US GAAP), which indicates the mainstay of the business, is likely to decrease by 20% over the previous fiscal year to just over 270 billion yen. About 50 billion yen lower than the previous forecast. The shrinking of the digital camera market and the deterioration of the semiconductor market due to the functional improvement of smartphones (smartphones) will hit hard.’

This report echoes the drop in global camera sales reported by the Japanese Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) earlier this month.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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