reveals « 360Photography

RSS

Posts Tagged ‘reveals’

Google reveals how to simulate shallow DOF from a single mobile camera

19 Jun

Google has published an 18-page study fully detailing the synthetic depth-of-field technology that makes its single-camera Portrait Mode possible. Google introduced its evolved Portrait Mode feature on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, though neither smartphone model has the dual-camera hardware typically required to produce this effect.

The in-depth paper shows a degree of openness unusual for the smartphone and camera industries. Smartphones with a single camera produce images where everything is generally in focus. Dual-camera phones paired with a stereo algorithm get around this limitation by matching points in images from both cameras to determine depth within the captured scene. Having acquired that depth data, some pixels can be selectively blurred to produce the shallow DOF effect, Google explained in a blog post last year.

Achieving this same effect using only a single camera is difficult. Some mobile camera apps attempt to simulate a shallow DOF by separating an image’s pixels into two layers, isolating the foreground, and then blurring the remaining pixels; this is called semantic segmentation. The lack of depth data, however, means the software doesn’t know how much blur to apply to any arbitrary object in the scene. The results can often be lackluster or unrealistic, without the gradual optical blur expected of objects receding into the distance.

That’s where Google’s “authentic defocus” technology comes in. The Pixel 2 smartphones utilize the semantic segmentation method for images taken with the front-facing camera, but they also use a stereo algorithm for images taken with the rear camera… despite there only being a single lens. Google provided an overview of how it achieves that on its AI blog in October.

There are advantages to Google’s technology versus using a second camera, including reducing the space taken up by the imaging module, reduced power consumption, and helping keep costs down.

Put simply, Google repurposes its dual-pixel auto focus hardware utilized increasingly in mobile cameras for fast AF. Each pixel on the sensor is split into two photodiodes; the left- and right-looking (or up- and down-looking) photodiodes essentially establish two perspectives of the scene with a ~1mm stereo baseline. A burst of images are aligned and averaged to reduce noise, and a stereo algorithm computes a depth map from the two perspectives. This simulates the data that would be provided by two physical cameras next to each other, enabling Google’s software to determine the depth of every point within the captured scene.

There’s a lot more to Google’s approach, including even advantages over traditional optics – for example in its choice to force a larger depth-of-field around the focus plane to ensure a sharp subject, something impossible to achieve optically. The study also points out that there are advantages to Google’s technology versus using a second camera, including reducing the space taken up by the imaging module, reduced power consumption, and helping keep costs down.

Read the full PDF here.

Via: Cornell University Library

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Sony reveals faster, higher-res OLED viewfinder display

30 May

Sony has unveiled a faster, higher-resolution OLED panel for use as an electronic viewfinder. The UXGA panel gives a 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution (5.76m dots) for those of you who don’t still think in terms of 1980s PC monitors. This is a 25% increase in each direction, compared with the panel used in the likes of the Panasonic GH5 and Sony a7R III. Despite the resolution increase, Sony says the panel uses the same amount of power.

The panel can be run either progressively (with one row being shown after another), at 120 fps or in a dual-line progressive mode that we expect to halve the vertical resolution in return for a 240 fps mode to give a more lifelike preview.

A redesigned structure places the color filter array directly on the light-emitting silicon, maintaining the angle of view, despite the move to smaller pixels. Sony says it has also designed a circuit to mitigate some of the voltage and consistency drawbacks of the move to finer pixels.

Unusually, Sony specifies a sample price for the panel: ¥ 50,000 (~$ 460). We suspect this price will come down once production ramps up, especially for orders of tens or hundreds of thousands of panels, but it hints at the costs of including a high-res viewfinder in a camera, and why the a7 III misses out on the 3.69m dot display used in the more expensive a7R III.

Sony Releases 0.5-type OLED Microdisplay with Top-of-Class UXGA Resolution, Featuring the World’s Smallest Pixel Pitch of 6.3µm

Tokyo, Japan—Sony Corporation today announced the upcoming release of the ECX339A OLED Microdisplay featuring UXGA (1600 x 1200 resolution), the highest in class for a 0.5-type. This product achieves the world’s smallest pixel pitch of 6.3?m by leveraging Sony’s OLED display technology and miniaturization technology, enabling a resolution 1.6x higher than the previous model^*1. By employing a new drive circuit design that operates on half the voltage of the previous model^*1, the new product achieves the same level of low-power operation as its predecessor but with much higher resolution. When paired with Sony’s original driving system^*2, a frame rate up to 240 fps is supported—double that of previous product^*1.

0.5-type OLED Microdisplay ECX339A

Model name	Sample shipment date	Mass-production shipment date (planned)	Sample price (excluding tax)
ECX339A 0.5-type OLED Microdisplay	January 2018	November 2018	50,000 JPY

Enhancing the resolution on microdisplays has traditionally presented problems such as deteriorating image quality due to decreased pixel pitch and inferior viewing angle properties. The new product features optimized transistors layout and process to address uneven characteristics and loss of withstand voltage, the issues associated with transistor miniaturization. The Sony original variation compensation circuit also enhances picture quality. Additionally, the color filter is deposited directly on the silicon substrate, reducing its distance from the light emitting layer, and the filter’s color array has been modified. This helps to secure the viewing angle properties while achieving high resolution.

OLED Microdisplays are widely used in digital camera electronic viewfinders (EVF) for their superior high contrast, high color gamut, and high-speed responsiveness. Sony, having achieved this high resolution and high frame rate, now offers even more realistic image display and accurate capture of subjects for use in high-end cameras that demand extremely high image quality.

Going forward, Sony expects this high-definition OLED Microdisplay to be employed in a diverse range of fields and applications such as AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) head-mounted displays.

Comparison of images on OLED Microdisplays. New product (UXGA, left) and previous product (QVGA, right)

Main Features

1.High-resolution UXGA in a 0.5-type
The new product has achieved the world’s smallest pixel pitch of 6.3?m by leveraging Sony’s proprietary OLED display technology and miniaturization technology, and has superior resolution 1.6x higher than the previous model^*1. Generally, transistor miniaturization results in characteristic variation and reduced withstand voltage. This product uses a Sony original compensation circuit and optimized layouts and process for each individual transistor to address these adverse effects. Furthermore, the color filter is deposited directly on the silicon substrate, reducing its distance from the light emitting layer, and the filter’s color array has been modified to secure the viewing angle properties while achieving high resolution.

Measures to secure viewing angle even with smaller pixel pitch
New product (UXGA, left) and previous product (QVGA, right)

2.High-speed frame rate
A new drive circuit design supports a high frame rate of up to 240 fps^*2, nearly double that of its predecessor^*1. This has made it possible to capture fast-moving subjects in the viewfinder with higher accuracy, so users will not miss a photo opportunity, delivering a more comfortable shooting experience. In head-mounted display devices, this will help to improve image delay issue for items superimposed on real-world vision of AR and to avoid motion sickness during usage of these kinds of devices.
3.Low power consumption
By employing newly-designed peripheral circuits that operate on half the voltage of previous model^*1, the new product delivers the same low-power operation as its predecessor when operating at the same frame rate, despite the nearly 1.6x increase in the number of pixels.

Key Specifications

Name	ECX339A
Display Size	0.5 type (12.6 mm Diagonal length)
Resolution	UXGA?1600×RGB×1200?
Pixel pitch	6.3?m
Max. frame rate	120 fps (progressive) / 240 fps (dual-line progressive)
Power consumption (200cd/m2)	310 mW @ 60 fps (progressive) / 120 fps (dual-line progressive)
Video interface	LVDS/Sub-LVDS
Max. luminance	1,000cd/m2
Contrast	100,000:1 or higher
Color gamut (u’v’)	sRGB ratio: 110%

Footnotes

*1 Compared with the Sony OLED Microdisplay ECX337A (0.5-type QVGA (1280×960)).
*2 Driving method of dual vertical line simultaneously (“Dual-line progressive” driving technique)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Sony reveals camera strategy: aims to be the top camera brand by 2021

25 May

In a recent presentation at its investors relations day in Tokyo, Sony was not shy about its ambitions in the photography market. According to the presentation, Sony intends to occupy the top slot in the overall camera market by the end of 2020 by boosting its interchangeable lens systems to beat back Canon and Nikon.

Already doing quite a good job of grabbing market share, the company has told investors that it plans to expand its lens business and push towards the professional market while ‘strengthening products’ in the interchangeable lens camera segment.

Despite predicting only very modest growth in 2018 and acknowledging that competitors are becoming more aggressive, the company told investors that it will “win in an increasingly competitive market and continue to generate high profit” in the mid-term. Citing its crop of awards from TIPA, EISA and Camera GP Japan to back up the claims, Sony stated that it intends to broaden the range of lenses it offers and to expand its professional support services worldwide.

According to figures shown at the event, Sony achieved a 20% share of the still camera market in 2017 by value, and managed to rank third behind Canon and Nikon. It says it was the number one brand in the mirrorless market, and was number one in the premium compact business.

To learn more about Sony’s plans, check out the whole Sony Imaging Products and Solutions Segment presentation here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

ON1 reveals Photo RAW 2018.5 with ‘massive performance boost’, LUTs and more

12 May

ON1 has released a major update to its ON1 Photo RAW photo editor. Version 2018.5 will be available in June and boasts, “a massive boost in overall performance” in addition to bug fixes and two major feature additions: a new LUTs filter in the effects panel, and the ability to select brand-specific in-camera profiles, including Fujifilm’s much-loved film simulations.

There are also some other new features like the ability to collapse RAW + JPEG frames into a single image to de-clutter your library, nested albums, background export, and more. But the big three additions are performance, LUTs, and Camera Profiles.

Performance Boost

ON1 says Photo RAW 2018.5 comes with a “massive overall performance boost,” which should be noticeable across Browse, Develop, and Effects. This is particularly obvious when you flip through photos in the filmstrip view, regardless of module. You should see practically no lag at all.

In addition to culling images, brushing performance, switching between modules, and exporting/sharing photos have all benefitted noticeably from this performance boost.

LUTs Filter in Effects

A much-requested feature, LUTs (or Look-Up Tables) are a popular way to add various color grading looks to your images. This feature is now available inside the Effects module in ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5, which will launch with “a ton” of LUTs, alongside packs you can purchase from professional photographers like Matt Kloskowski and Tamara Lackey. You can also import both the .3DL and .CUBE LUT formats into Photo RAW if you have LUTs of your own.

Applying a LUT will work like all of the current filters available in the Effects module, meaning you’ll be able to “stack them, mask them and control the blending options.”

Camera Profiles

The final feature update coming in 2018.5 is the ability to apply brand-specific camera profiles to your pictures. If you shoot Canon or Nikon, that means your Natural, Landscape, Portrait, etc. profiles will all be available. If you shoot Fuji, that means your film simulations.

Additionally, you’ll have some built-in ON1 profiles—in addition to ON1 Standard, you now have ON1 Faithful, ON1 Landscape, ON1 Portrait, and ON1 Vivid—that can be applied across brands, just like the recently-announced Adobe RAW profiles in Lightroom.

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_8405143667″,”galleryId”:”8405143667″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 is scheduled to arrive officially in June. It’ll be a free upgrade for owners of ON1 Photo RAW 2018, but if you’re not part of the ON1 ecosystem yet, there are some discounts to be had before launch.

Owners of previous versions of ON1 Photo RAW can upgrade for just $ 80 (usually $ 100) and new users can purchase ON1 Photo RAW 2018.1 for $ 100 (usually $ 120). Each license of ON1 Photo RAW includes both Windows and Mac installers, and can be activated on up to five devices.

To learn more about ON1 Photo RAW, visit the ON1 website. And if you want to learn more about 2018.5, the company has set up a landing page where they’ll be demoing new features every week before the official release goes live.

Press Release

ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 – Coming this June

Portland, OR – May 10, 2018 – Today, ON1, Inc. announces the new ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5, a significant update to Photo RAW 2018. Version 2018.5 will include a massive boost in overall performance, fixes for user reported issues, and new key features such as LUTs and camera profiles.

“We’re incredibly excited to unveil the new features in ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 over the next several weeks. We plan on showcasing the new features and improvements through weekly videos leading up to the June release,” says ON1 President, Craig Keudell.

Key Features and Improvements

Camera Profiles – Select the same looks you see on the back of your camera in ON1 Photo RAW. Select from Natural, Portrait, Landscape, etc. depending on what your camera offers. These are not presets as they don’t adjust any of the sliders, and are non-destructive. These will include popular cameras like Fujifilm®.
LUTs in Effects – LUTs or Look-Up Tables are a favorite way to add matte, vintage or cinematic color grading looks. These will be available inside Effects in version 2018.5. A ton of LUTs will be available in the release along with individual packs from Matt Kloskowski, Tamara Lackey, and Hudson Henry. The common .3DL and .CUBE formats found online can be imported into Photo RAW. LUTs will work like any of the current filters in Effects. You can stack them, mask them and control the blending options.
RAW+JPG – If you shoot RAW and JPG at the same time, you will be able to collapse and hide the JPG copy, so your library isn’t cluttered. Any metadata or file changes you make are mirrored to the JPG seamlessly.
Faster Film Strip for Culling – Using the Filmstrip in Develop and Effects will be just as fast as in Browse. You will be able to switch photos instantly! You can even perform your editing and culling tasks, like ratings, labels, rotate and delete, while you are adjusting your raw processing.
Transform Enhancements – The Transform pane in Develop will include new tools to correct perspective and rotation issues along with a new grid will make it easier to visualize results.
Nested Presets – Ability to better organize presets into a nested category structure will be added along with the ability to move, rename, delete, and nest presets and categories.
Nested Albums – Nest albums or photos inside of other albums. If you are migrating from Lightroom®, your nested collections are brought over by the Lightroom migration assistant.
Improved Brushing Performance – Brushing with the Masking Brush will be more fluid and responsive, especially on Windows computers with large or high-dpi displays.
Export Improvements – Exporting will be processed in the background so customers can continue to work on another job without having to wait for the export to finish. You can even stack multiple export jobs and continue working on your photos.
Performance Boost & Increased Stability – Significant under the hood speed and stability improvements are coming in 2018.5. These include speedier switching of modules between Browse, Develop, and Effects along with switching and culling photos using the film strip in Develop and Effects.
New Cameras & Lenses – Each update includes new cameras and lenses. The list is continuously updated, and we will share the final details when version 2018.5 is released.

ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 Exposed

Each week ON1 will be adding videos showcasing the new features and improvements available in version 2018.5. Get a sneak peek of the new camera profiles, new LUTs, and overall performance improvements at www.on1.com/exposed.

Price and Availability

ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 will be available this June. New customers can purchase version 2018.1 today and receive 2018.5 as a free update once it becomes available. ON1 is running an introductory price of $ 99.99 for new customers for a limited time (Reg: $ 119.99). Owners of previous versions of ON1 can also upgrade at an introductory price of $ 79.99 (Reg: $ 99.99). Version 2018.5 is a free update for all owners of ON1 Photo RAW 2018. A single purchase of ON1 Photo RAW will include both Mac and Windows installers and activation for up to five computers. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, world-class customer support, hundreds of free video tutorials, and free ON1 Loyalty Rewards every month.

About ON1 Photo RAW

ON1 Photo RAW is the only photo editor designed by photographers for photographers. ON1’s unique community-driven development approach via The Photo RAW Project gives customers a voice in how it’s designed, allowing users to submit ideas and vote on new features. The majority of new features and updates in version 2018.5 have come as a result of the Photo RAW Project. With fast photo organizing, hundreds of customizable photo effects, powerful masking tools, LUTs, Camera Profiles, HDR, panos, layers, and other Lightroom and Photoshop®-like features, Photo RAW is the ultimate all-in-one photo editor and raw processor with no subscription.

ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 isn’t just for raw files. It also supports JPEG, TIF, PSD, PSB, PNG, and DNG are supported and benefit from the speed, performance, and abundance of editing tools in the app. Photo RAW 2018.5 will continue to work seamlessly within current photography workflows. The app will integrate as a plug-in for Adobe® Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop CC. Like the current version, Photo RAW 2018.5 will integrate with the major cloud services to allow for uploading, managing, and editing photos across multiple computers. This enables users to sync photos and their edits across multiple computers or in a studio setting.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Yongnuo reveals YN 60mm F2 MF macro lens

10 May

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_6086595609″,”galleryId”:”6086595609″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Hong Kong company Yongnuo—known for releasing ultra-affordable photography accessories and, more recently, lenses as well—has introduced its newest lens: the YN 60mm F2 MF macro lens.

The model has a minimum focus distance from 0.234m / 9.2-inches and offers up to a 1:1 magnification ratio, as well as an infinity mode, manual focus with support for half-press shutter focus prompt and automatic exposure. The lens is made up of a metal bayonet, 10 glass elements in nine groups, and seven aperture blades.

Other features include gold-plated metal contacts, integrated electromagnetic aperture, and a focus distance indicator. The lens firmware can be updated from the camera rather than over USB, assuming the camera supports the feature.

There has been no official word on what mount it will be made for, but the gold-plated contacts in the product shot make this a Canon EF lens. Price also hasn’t been revealed, but we expect it to come in quite a bit cheaper than your typical 60mm macro lens if Yongnuo’s reputation as a budget brand is to continue.

To learn more about this lens, head over to the Yongnuo website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

GoPro reveals unit growth in Q1 2018, but revenues are still down

05 May

GoPro has announced its fiscal first quarter 2018 financial results, revealing 3% year-on-year unit growth with $ 202 million in revenue. The figures exceeded analysts’ expectations, sending GoPro’s stock upward on the news, and company CEO Nick Woodman expects a similar positive outcome in the company’s second quarter.

According to Woodman, HERO5 Black and HERO6 Black sell-through drove the company’s Q1 revenue, as well as the newly launched $ 200 GoPro HERO action camera. “Initial demand for HERO is promising,” said Woodman, “and we expect it to improve as large retail partners like Target and Walmart begin selling the product in the second quarter.”

Though unit growth was up, GoPro saw a 7% year-on-year decrease in revenue. The company previously restructured multiple times to address its financial issues. In its latest financial announcement, the company said its GAAP operating expenses were reduced by 24% year-on-year.

Despite the drop in revenue versus its first quarter last year, GoPro still dominates in the US action camera market, saying it held 86% and 95% of the market share based on unit and dollar volume. “Our first quarter performance makes it clear that there is significant demand for GoPro, at the right price,” says Woodman.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Venus Optics reveals four new Laowa lenses for Sony FE, Fuji GFX, and more

21 Apr

Venus Optics has unveiled several new lenses today, including a wide-angle lens for the Fuji GFX mirrorless medium format camera, and the “world’s widest zoom lens for Sony full-frame E-mount cameras.” There are four new lenses in all: the Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO, the Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX Zero-D, and the Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye MFT.

All four will be on display at Venus Optics’ booth at the Beijing P&E Imaging fair. But in case you don’t happen to be in Beijing between May 3rd and the 6th, read on to find out what these lenses are all about.

Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom

The Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom is the aforementioned “world’s widest zoom lens for Sony full-frame E-mount cameras.” According to Venus Optics, the lens was primarily designed for travel photography, offering an angle of view between 102° and 130° in a package that weighs only 496g and is less than 100cm in length.

Inside the 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 you’ll find 14 elements in 10 groups, including two aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion element. The lens’ aperture can be de-clicked using a switch on the lens barrel, and if you like using filters, you’ll be happy to know the lens features a rear filter slot built to handle 37mm filters.

This Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom will be available only in Sony FE mount.

Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Next up, the Laowa 100mm F2.8 2:1 Ultra Macro APO is… well… it’s an ultra-macro lens that offers a maximum magnification of 2x with a minimum focusing distance of just 24.7cm. The lens can focus from 2:1 macro to infinity, and promises “crystal [clear] sharpness image in both macro and tele distances” thanks to an optical design consisting of 12 elements in 10 groups.

The Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO is the only lens released today that isn’t limited to a single mount. When it ships, you’ll be able to get it in Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, and Sony FE mounts.

Laowa 17mm F4 GFX Zero-D

Third party options for the mirrorless medium format Fujifilm GFX camera are still somewhat limited—at least compared to more popular mounts like Sony FE, not to mention Canon EF or Nikon F. So it was a nice surprise to see Venus Optics release the 17mm F4 GFX Zero-D.

The 14mm F4 GFX is another of Venus Optics Zero-D lenses, offering a full-frame equivalent focal length of 13mm and a field of view of 113° with “close-to-zero distortion.” The lens is made up of 21 elements in 14 groups, including two aspherical and three extra-low dispersion elements. Venus Optics claims this lens is “ideally suited for landscape, architecture and interior photography.”

Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye MFT

Last but not least, we have the only Micro Four Thirds lens of the bunch: the Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye MFT. This circular fisheye lens offers a 210° angle of view at a full-frame equivalent 8mm focal length. Made up of 7 elements in 6 groups, the ultra-portable lens weighs just 135g to keep your MFT kit light and agile.

Here are detailed specs for all four lenses:

All of the new lenses are expected to ship “in mid/late 2018” according to Venus Optics, although “exact ship date and pricing are to be confirmed.”

Press Release

Venus Optics announces 4 new & unique lenses in development, led by the Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE, World’s widest zoom lens for Sony full frame E-mount cameras

All 4 lenses will make their debut in the coming Beijing P&E Imaging Fair.

Anhui China, Apr 20, 2018 – Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer who had previously launched a number of unique Laowa camera lenses, is proud to announce 4 new and unique lenses.

Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom
Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO
Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX Zero-D
Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye MFT

Laowa 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 FE Zoom

This lens is currently the widest zoom lens available for Sony full frame E-mount cameras. Designed primarily for travel photography, Venus optics have managed to compress the size to smallest in its class, less than 10 inch (<100cm) and only 1.1 pounds (<500g). The 102° (18mm) to 130° (10mm) angle of view provides flexibility for photographers to compose landscape or architecture photos with ease. The lens houses with 14 elements in 10 groups with 2 aspherical elements & 1 extra-low dispersion element to deliver exceptional performance. It can focus as close as 15cm for some mini-macro shooting. A rear filter slot is included to fit with 37mm filter. Click/clickless aperture can be toggled by the switch on the lens barrel.

Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Followed by the success of the Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro, the 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Macro is the 2nd member of Laowa 2:1 macro line-up. This new 100mm lens can cover full frame sensor size and focus from 2:1 magnification to infinity. The wide magnification range allows macro photographers to capture subject at any sizes. This 100mm portrait lens also features an apochromatic (APO) characteristic that no chromatic aberration can be found. The 12 elements in 10 groups optics design delivers a crystal sharpness image in both macro and tele distances. Canon EF / Nikon AI / Pentax K / Sony FE mounts are available.

Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX Zero-D

This is currently the widest available native lens option for Fujifilm G-mount cameras. The new Laowa 17mm f/4 GFX has a field of view equivalent to 13mm in 35mm format (113°). Featuring a close-to-zero distortion and 86mm filter thread, this lens is ideally suited for landscape, architecture & interior photography. The 21 elements in 14 groups design with 2pcs of aspherical & 3pcs of Extra-low dispersion elements successfully help to control the distortion & chromatic aberrations to the minimal.

Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye MFT

Featuring a 210° angle of view, this lens delivers unique circular fisheye field of view on Micro four thirds cameras. The ultra-wide angle view allows photographers to create 360° panorama with ease. Despite the unique & ultra-wide perspective, the lens only weighs 0.3 pounds (135g).

Availability

All four lenses will be available for trial at Venus Optics’ booth (T225) in Beijing P&E Imaging fair during 3rd-6th May 2019. They are expected to be shipped in mid/late 2018. Exact shipping date and pricing are to be confirmed.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

iFixit teardown reveals OIS on all three cameras in the Huawei P20 Pro

11 Apr

Credit: iFixit

The team at iFixit has performed its usual teardown on the new Huawei P20 Pro triple-cam equipped smartphone to assess the device’s repairability. The score for the latter is 4/10—which means it’s probably advisable to leave repairs to trained service personnel—but far more interesting to us photographers is the detailed look iFixit got at the Huawei triple-camera setup.

You can see the full teardown here, but the main and most pleasant surprise is that Huawei actually built in more stabilization than their specs revealed.

In the official Huawei specifications, only the tele-lens with 80mm equivalent focal length is listed as optically stabilized, while the RGB main camera and the the monochrome secondary unit rely on the Kirin chipset’s neural processing unit for ensuring sharp images. However, according to the iFixit engineers, all three cameras come equipped with OIS hardware, which makes us wonder if there are plans to activate this hardware via a firmware update at some point in the future.

Credit: iFixit

The image above shows the triple-camera in all its glory. The primary RGB camera is placed at the center of the setup and uses a large 40MP 1/1.7 inch sensor with an F1.8 aperture and a maximum ISO setting of 102,400, on the left you can see the 20 MP monochrome camera with F/1.6 aperture, and the 8MP/F2.4 telephoto is on the right. Next to the triple-camera the engineers have placed the 24MP front unit.

For more information and images, as well a video showing the OIS hardware, check out the full report on ifixit.com.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

LaCie reveals slimmed down Rugged RAID Pro with USB-C and integrated SD card reader

10 Apr

French computer hardware company LaCie has announced the Rugged RAID Pro, the latest addition to its popular lineup of rugged external storage solutions.

Like its predecessors, the Rugged RAID Pro sticks with the iconic orange aesthetic made famous by Scottish product designer Neil Poulton. The signature design remains largely unchanged from its predecessors with the exception a few notable differences.

First, the integrated wrap-around cable is no longer present in the Rugged RAID Pro. While this might be a slight inconvenience, LaCie hopes the new, faster USB-C port and included Thunderbolt 3 cable (backwards compatible with USB-C connections) will make up for it. LaCie claims the max transfer speeds in RAID 0 configuration top out at 240MB/s, although you can configure the two internal hard drives to run in Raid 1 as well.

In addition to the new USB-C port, LaCie took a note out of its own book with the LaCie Copilot and added a UHS-II SD card reader to the Rugged RAID Pro. Now there’s no need to carry around an extra card reader if you’re using an SD card, which should be nice for those times when you don’t want to fuss with more cables than absolutely necessary.

Like all of LaCie’s ruggedized external drives, the Rugged RAID Pro is shock, dust and water resistant. LaCie claims it can handle drops from 1.2m/4ft without skipping a beat. In the event something does happen to it, LaCie includes three-years of Seagate Rescue Data Recovery Services. It also comes with one month of Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, a $ 50 value.

The Rugged RAID Pro will be hitting shelves with 4TB capacity ‘this quarter’ with an MSRP of $ 350. To learn more, head over to the LaCie website.

Press Release

Seagate Showcases Latest Products, Partnerships And Unveils New Online Community To Industry-Leading Media & Entertainment Organizations At NAB 2018

Providing solutions that effortlessly integrate into a wide range of creative workflows

LAS VEGAS, NV – NAB 2018 – At the NAB 2018 conference Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX), a world leader in data storage solutions, today announced the launch of a new product, LaCie Rugged® RAID Pro, and creative professional community, Collective. These announcements mark Seagate’s ongoing commitment to provide innovative solutions and platforms to support the workflows of creative professionals that allow digital content to be created, stored, utilized and shared in the most creative and effective ways.

“Digital content creation is key in the media and entertainment (M&E) industry, comprising of unique moments that are the product of time and money – and often irreplaceable,” said Tim Bucher, senior vice president of Seagate consumer solutions. “We have seen an exponential rise in the amount of data created and as such, it has become central to industries such as M&E. From shooting on set through to post-production, the transferring, storing and accessing of data is a pivotal part of the creative workflow. At Seagate, we’re constantly looking to deliver storage solutions that allow people to unlock their full creative potential, and create truly memorable content.”

Seagate and LaCie solutions are helping the M&E industry protect the value of this high-quality, high-resolution digital video throughout the capturing, editing, distribution and archiving process. From technology geared for small post-production houses to complex systems ideal for multi-editor environments, these solutions provide the ability to manage large amounts of data while ensuring it is secure and accessible anytime, anywhere.

Addressing industry’s increasing demand for high performance storage on set, LaCie is launching the Rugged® RAID Pro 4TB, design by Neil Poulton, the next generation of its popular Rugged RAID solution.

From the plains of Africa, to sub-zero temperatures, to the wasteland of abandoned Chernobyl, the Rugged range has served creative explorers no matter where they are, providing safe and reliable storage for the last 13 years. Encased in the famous orange rubber shell, the Rugged RAID Pro offers up to 240 MB/s in RAID 0 and RAID 1 for peace-of-mind in having a second copy in the field, as well as when transporting content back to the editing studios. With the integrated SD Card Reader, creative professionals can quickly offload content with the quick import toolkit.

The Rugged RAID Pro is designed with the latest USB-C connector and compatible with next-generation Thunderbolt 3 computers but also backward compatible with USB 3.0. While the drive is also shock, dust, crush and water resistant, LaCie includes 3-Year Limited Warranty with Rescue Data Recovery Services and 1-Month Adobe All-Apps Plan (a $ 79.49 value) – featuring Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Illustrator CC and much more giving creative professionals peace of mind when exploring and capturing the world. LaCie Rugged RAID Pro will be shipping this quarter with an estimated suggested price of $ 349.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Sony World Photography Awards reveals 2018 Open category and National Awards winners

23 Mar

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

The World Photo Organization is taking its time announcing the winners of this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. Overall winners—including the coveted Photographer of the Year award—won’t be revealed until next month. But in the meantime, World Photo is teasing us, first with the shortlist announced last month, and now with the winners of the 10 Open categories and the 63 National Awards winners.

The Open competition is open to photographers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels, and several of this year’s category winners are not professional photographers by trade.

This week’s announcement reveals the winner of each of the 10 categories—Architecture, Culture, Enhanced, Landscape & Nature, Motion, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, Travel, and Wildlife. All ten winning photographers walk away with “the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony,” but only one will be named Open Photographer of the Year on April 19th, earning an additional $ 5,000 worth of prize money.

The National Awards competition, meanwhile, seeks to identify “the best single image taken by a local photographer” in nearly 70 countries across the world. Scroll through the gallery above to see all 10 Open category winners, and then click here to view all 63 National Awards winners.

Press Release

World’s best single images revealed by the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Winners of the 10 Open categories, plus all 63 National Awards announced today
Huge diversity of genres and topics across the global winners

March 20, 2018 – ?Selected from hundreds of thousands of entries worldwide, the winners of the Open competition and National Awards of the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards are announced today.

The 10 Open category winners were chosen by an expert panel of judges as the world’s very best single photographs, and the National Awards winners selected as the strongest single image taken by a local photographer across nearly 70 countries. The winning works and their photographers are truly international, with images coming from Australia, Argentina, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and beyond.

Subject matter across the photographs could also not have been more diverse. Photographers chose a variety of stunning landscapes, personal portraits, touching encounters and sporting moments as their inspiration.

Chair of judges Zelda Cheatle comments:

“Judging the Open competition and National Awards allowed me to discover high calibre international work of great interest. In choosing the winners, the images all had to have something special – whether it be composition, impact, skill, a portrayal of a unique event or informing in a new way. Above all else, each winner had to be an exceptional photograph.”

All Open category and National Award winners receive the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, the winning work will be published in the 2018 Awards’ book and shown at the Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in London from April 20 – May 6.

The ten Open category winners will now go on to compete for the Open Photographer of the Year, winning $ 5,000 (USD). This photographer, along with the Professional categories winners, will be announced in London on April 19.

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s most diverse photography competition. The 11th edition saw a record breaking 320,000 submissions by photographers from more than 200 countries and territories, presenting some of the world’s finest contemporary photography captured over the past year.

Open category winners

Photographers worldwide may enter any of the Open competition’s 10 categories, with judges looking for the best single image fitting each categories’ brief. Many of the winners are non-professional photographers, making their achievement even more remarkable.

The Open category winners are:

Architecture: Andreas Pohl, German with the image The Man and the Mysterious Tower
Culture: Panos Skordas, Greek with image Young Minotaur
Enhanced: Klaus Lenzen, German with image Every Breath you Take
Landscape & Nature: Veselin Atanasov, Bulgarian with image Early Autumn
Motion: Fajar Kristianto, Indonesian with image The Highest Platform
Portraiture: Nick Dolding, British with image Emile
Still Life: Richard Frishman, American with image Sunday Buffet at Jerry Mikeska’s BBQ; Columbus, Texas 2017
Street Photography: Manuel Armenis, German with image Old Friends
Travel: Mikkel Beiter, Danish with image Shapes of Lofoten
Wildlife: Justuna Zdu?czyk, Polish with image An Unexpected Meeting

National Awards winners

Running across nearly 70 countries, the National Awards program seeks to recognize and reward the best single image taken by a local photographer. The 63 National Award winners can be found in full at: https://www.worldphoto.org/2018-national-awards

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Vertical wind tunnel build in the years 1934 to 1936 for aeronautical studies in Berlin-Adlershof. Photo was taken on 9th January 2017 at 4:26 pm when the dusk had already set in. I took the photo because I had it in mind for more than 2 years without a chance… cause there is not much snow in Berlin.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Manuel Armenis, Germany, Winner, Open Street Photography and Winner, Germany National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Hamburg, Germany. Spring of 2017. The most graceful lady of her neighborhood, despite the burden of old age. Always stylish, colorful, in good spirits, smiling, never complaining, even though the everyday is a struggle and a challenge for her. And never to be seen without her best friend—her little dog.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Justyna Zdunczyk, Poland, Winner, Open Wildlife and Winner, Poland National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

I was about to leave the Sequoia National Park when, from the corner of my eye, I saw a beautiful clearing bathed in fog. Without thinking too much, I ran with the camera to take some pictures.

When I reached the clearing, I heard the crack of broken twigs… I can’t say that I was not afraid since Sequoia National Park is a home for black bears and people are warned about it at every step. When I turned around, fortunately there was not any bear, instead I saw a curious mule deer walking towards me who cheerfully chewed his supper. Soon after other deers joined him and we just stood there together for a while and watched each other. It was one of the most beautiful moments during my trip thru California, this autumn.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Panos Skordas, Greece, Winner, Open Culture, and Winner, Greece National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Picture taken in the actual palace of king Minos, on the island of Crete. Costume and mask made by me, model with lots of patience… my son.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Fajar Kristianto, Indonesia, Winner, Open Motion and Winner, Indonesia National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The new aquatic stadium for The 18th Asian Games just has opened in Gelora Bung Karno sports complex, Jakarta. It will be held in two cities, Jakarta and Palembang. A diving athlete was in the middle of a training session while I was capturing this moment.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Nick Dolding, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture (Open competition), 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The stylish Emile shot for Paypal looking suitably aloof and hoity in a set with just a little nod towards Wes Anderson.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Veselin Atanasov, Winner, Open Landscape & Nature and Winner, Bulgaria National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The autumn has begun to decorate with its colors the woods of the Balkans. National Park – Central Balkan, Bulgaria.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

This composition is quite popular amongst photographers at the moment, and it’s easy to understand why! The beautiful Mount Olstinden has almost the same shape as the roof of this cute yellow cabin and the yellow color creates some amazing contrast to the snow covered mountain.

This place can be found in the Lofoten Archipelago at the small island named Sakrisøy. I’ve removed a small cabin in the left side during post process. Beside that, color correction, contrast and sharpness has been done in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

The picture was taken in summer 2017 from 35 individual images of swimmers at the triathlon in the Duesseldorf Media Harbor. I was able to take a picture of them from above, while the athletes crossed a pedestrian bridge capturing their very individual “breathing techniques“.

I was inspired by the work of Andreas Gursky, therefore I took the individual images with the highest possible sharpness. That enables me to display or print the overall picture in large format.

Sony World Photography Awards Open category winners

Photo © Richard Frishman, United States, Winner, Open Still Life and Winner, United States National Award, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

Documenting our American culture through our roadside landscape, I found this curious juxtaposition while looking for lunch in rural Texas, the heart of hunting country. Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q is famous for its Sunday BBQ buffet and its taxidermy.

Authentic to the scene depicted, this highly-detailed image is constructed of over 100 individual photographs meticulously stitched together.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized