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Review: The Wacom Intuos Pro is a workflow-boosting machine

06 Dec

Wacom Intuos Pro
$ 299.95 | Wacom.com

When it comes to precision photo editing, a tablet may be the tool you never knew you desperately needed. Although the Wacom tablet has long been a favored tool of graphic designers and digital artists, it’s also an excellent piece of editing gear for photographers.

The Wacom Intuos Pros allows you to return to your roots of putting a pen to paper to create an image – a tactile experience that many younger digital artists may be out of touch with. If you’ve spent a number of years editing with a mouse or trackpad there will undoubtedly be a a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using the pen, but with a little bit of practice you will likely find this device speeds up your editing process and make tools like dodging, burning and clone-stamping much more precise.

Key features

  • 338 x 219 x 8mm / 13.2 x 8.5 x 0.3 in
  • 1.54lb / 0.7kg
  • Wacom Pro Pen 2 with 2 programmable buttons
  • 8192 pen pressure levels (up from 2048)
  • 8 Customizable ExpressKeys
  • Built-in Bluetooth connectivity and USB connectivity
  • Pen stand with 10 replacement nibs (tips)
  • Choose between ‘standard’ or ‘felt’ nibs for added friction
  • Mac and Windows compatible

What’s new

The Wacom Intuos Pro tablet is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, so it occupies less real-estate on your desk. Despite this, the active area is larger thanks to a slimmer bezel and he surface plate can be swapped for a variety of different textures depending on your preferences.

The Wacom Intuos Pro is designed to imitate a large piece of paper

The new version utilizes the Wacom Pro Pen 2, which comes with a weight base (shown below), and is slimmer than version 1 – It also features two programmable buttons and 8192 pressure levels (up from 2048). Wireless Bluetooth connectivity is also new to the Wacom Intuos Pro.

Design

The Wacom Intuos Pro is designed to imitate a large piece of paper. The user chooses the orientation of the tablet and how it will map to their computer screen – this makes it a great tool regardless of your computer setup or dominant hand. On one side of the tablet you will find eight customizable express keys and the touch ring. The power switch and the touch functionality switch are located on the side of the tablet near the express keys and the optional USB plugin is on the opposite edge of the tablet.

The Wacom Pro Pen 2’s stand stores additional nubs. The pen itself has two customizable buttons – flip it upside down and you can use it as an eraser. The tablet itself has rubber grip on the bottom to keep it in place, and its slim profile makes it easy to travel with or store away when space is limited.

In use

It had been a number of years since I’d used a tablet for photo editing, and I can confirm that the learning curve was certainly there. But after a bit of practice with the pen and tablet I found the process of retouching scanned negatives in Adobe Photoshop to be more precise, faster and less taxing on my wrist than it would have been if I were using a mouse. Put another way, the difference between retouching with the Wacom pen vs. the mouse is like hand-writing a note with a fine tipped Sharpie vs a paint roller. The eraser is precise as well. I found it to be particularly helpful when creating multi-layer image compositions.

The vast degree of pressure responsiveness in the Pro Pen 2 is something I really appreciated, especially when it came to dodging, burning and light retouching. Press hard and the results are more pronounced, use a lighter touch and everything is more subtle. If you are particularly heavy-handed you can adjust the overall sensitivity of the pen.

The difference between the Wacom pen and a mouse is like hand-writing a note with a fine-tipped Sharpie versus a paint roller

The buttons on the side of the pen make it easy to control the brush size. At first I found myself accidentally pressing them as I edited, but I eventually learned to slightly rotate the pen while I worked to avoid this problem.

Also of note is that I observed no noticeable lag time between tablet and computer screen when it was connected via USB. The Bluetooth connection also seemed quite good, though I did notice a little bit of latency when using the paintbrush tool for extended periods of time.

Of course, Photoshop is not the only application the Intuous Pro is good for; I also used the tablet to work on images in Adobe Lightroom. And while it was useful for cloning and healing, I found it to be a little unwieldy when making adjustments to the slider. Ultimately I think I still prefer utilizing the mouse and the keyboard shortcuts that have been burned into my muscle memory for Lightroom work.

Bottom line

If you’ve never used a tablet and pen setup – or if it’s been a number of years since you’ve picked one up – the Wacom Intuos Pro will take some getting use to. Give it time though, because if you are doing a lot of image retouching, image compositing or light graphic design work, this editing accessory will certainly boost your productivity. And the customizable functions will make it appeal to a large variety of users. In all, we think that this tool can help take your editing workflow and the final image results to the next level.

What we like:

  • Pen delivers precise results
  • Pressure sensitive tip
  • Lightweight and travel friendly
  • Highly customizable
  • Excellent to use with Adobe Photoshop

What we don’t like:

  • Somewhat laggy Bluetooth connectivity; not a huge problem for light retouching jobs, but could become problematic when making large scale image composites that require a lot of painting.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review

02 Dec

The post The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

Focus is one of the most important concepts for a photographer. It can make or break an image. Whether you’re a pixel peeper like me who always looks for technical critical focus or an image maker who uses specific focus points to tell a story,  how the camera focuses is everything.

That’s why the newest addition to the Sony Alpha series is so conversation-worthy. With the 399 focus points on the Sony a7R III, and its ability to track focus like no other, the company touts it’s hard to get a shot that’s out of focus. This camera is like an artificially intelligent robot – it can predict and figure out exactly what you want in focus on.

With the thumb joystick on the back of the camera, you can quickly and easily change your focus point. And its AI Servo is out of this world. It could figure out the entire outline of a subject and hold on to it for dear life.

I take varying images – shooting animal action sports, live concerts, and everything in between. So I took all the boasting I’ve heard about this camera and put it to the ultimate test.

About the Sony a7R III

The a7R III is one of Sony’s newest and flashiest addition to its impressive mirrorless line of cameras. According to its website, the Sony a7R III sports the following drool-worthy perks:

  • 42.4 MP 35mm full-frame Exmor R™ CMOS and enhanced processing system
  • Standard ISO 100-32000 range (upper limit expandable to 1024005, with a lower limit of 50)
  • Fast Hybrid AF with 399-point focal-plane phase-detection AF and 425-point contrast-detection AF. The focus modes include:
    • AF-A (Automatic AF)
    • AF-S (Single-shot AF)
    • AF-C ( Continuous AF)
    • DMF (Direct Manual Focus)
    • Manual Focus
  • Face detection, with Modes:
    • Face Priority in AF (On/Off)
    • Face Priority in Multi Metering (On/Off)
    • Regist. Faces Priority (On/Off)
    • Face registration (max. number detectable: 8)
  • High-speed continuous shooting of up to 10fps (12fps with AF/AE tracking)
  • 5-axis image stabilization with 5.5-stop exposure advantage
  • 4K video recording
  • Dual card slots with simultaneous or consecutive recording
  • Silent Shooting Mode

The camera is compatible solely with Sony E-mount lenses, including G-Master and Zeiss lenses (sought after in the Sony world). The aspect ratio is 3:2, and the camera can record still images in JPEG, (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.31, MPF Baseline compliant) and RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format). The images are quite large: a 35mm full-frame image is 42MP (7,952 x 5,304 pixels), which in uncompressed RAW format takes up about 80MB of storage.

The camera also has built-in noise reduction software you can turn on or off as needed.

But what really set this camera apart (and why I fell in love with it) is the autofocus.

The Sony a7R III Autofocus Features

The a7R III allows for silent shooting at up to 10fps with AF/AE tracking – great for those who do wildlife photography. Shooting at 10 FPS yields up to 76 images at a time (when shooting JPEG).

Its phase-detect points cover around 47% of the sensor area. When you combine that with the contrast-detect sensor areas, the total AF coverage is nearly 68% of the frame.

Advanced algorithms provide high AF precision down to light levels as low as -3 EV for more reliable autofocus in dark scenes. The enhanced Fast Hybrid AF speeds up AF approximately two times faster under dim lighting conditions. The camera’s infrared technology allows it to autofocus even in extremely low or difficult lighting situations.

The camera also has an ‘eye autofocus’ setting. You read that right: it can find eyes on your subject and lock focus on them with the push of a button. This is photographic witchcraft and I love it. The a7R III’s Eye AF evolves with twice the effective eye detection and tracking, even when shooting a moving portrait subject. It’s touted by the company to work when:

  • the subject’s face is partially hidden
  • the subject is looking down or wearing glasses
  • the subject is backlit
  • the lighting is dim or low
  • the subject is far away.

The a7R III includes a touchscreen that provides touch AF, focus point dragging and focus racking features. The AF-C (continuous autofocus) option feature is extraordinary. The camera can keep tracking the subject even if it’s changing direction erratically or an object gets in the way.

Tip: The ‘Expand Flexible Spot’ mode is a good one to start from, and works well with the AF joystick for quick adjustments to the preferred focus area.

Real Life Use

This camera is fast and accurate. With my DSLRs, I usually have to refocus multiple times. But I didn’t have to do it once on the Sony a7R III. I think mirrorless cameras really outshine most DSLRs in the autofocus department.

Here’s how it did in various scenarios:

Action and Sports

I photograph a lot of action, and when I first bought this camera I took it to a Frisbee dog competition to test it out. I was absolutely blown away by the autofocus. The camera even recognized a dog’s face with its facial tracking autofocus and maintained focus on the dog’s face throughout its trick-induced performance. When the dog moved further away the focus changed to the animal’s entire body, which I appreciated.

Regardless of how spontaneously the dog moved, the focus remained locked.

I typically use my Canon 7D Mark II for animal sports photography due to its speed and the fact the body is intended for action. But I now prefer the a7R III due to its superb tracking. The 7D tends to get lost when there isn’t much contrast between the subject and the other objects in the frame, such as photographing in the fog. (Many of these dog sporting events happen around 7am when the fog rolls onto the field.)

The Sony mirrorless clearly identified the subject despite the lack of contrast. It can even refocus on dogs running at me without needing any prompting or additional technique.

Portraits

Portraits are an absolute breeze with this camera. From face tracking to eye tracking, it’s almost impossible to take an out-of-focus image unless you have your settings wrong. As I mentioned earlier, the eye tracking feature is said to work in problematic scenarios (the face is partially hidden, the subject is looking down, etc.)

Well, I can confirm that what Sony promises is true. It works in all of those scenarios. Even when I shot a model wearing unnatural contacts and bright glittery makeup, the camera had no issue.

Dimly-Lit and Golden Hour Portraits

Much like the camera’s success with well-lit portraits, the Sony a7R III can focus on portraits in dim light as if they were lit to perfection. I’m happy to say there was absolutely no difference between the two. Night portraits were a breeze.

The golden hour portraits were just as easy (not to mention exquisite). My other cameras have focusing issues when the sun is low and hitting the lens at an angle. But the a7R III breezed through and held focus on the subject no matter how the sun was hitting the lens glass.

Live Concerts

Dogs may wake me up in the mornings, but it’s the rock stars who keep me awake at night. In the evenings you’ll probably find me shooting a live concert with an arsenal of camera equipment to get me through the job.

Live concerts are extremely difficult focusing situations. In fact, they’re like a low-light sports situation. For the most part, you’ll have limited lighting, and have to deal with colored bulbs that can paint the subject with a very saturated color (such as the dreaded red hue).

Live concerts are also high-energy and filled with action as the guitarists swing their guitars and the drummer pounds away. You may not always have enough contrast to work with, and plenty of annoying obstacles to get in the way of whatever musicians you’re photographing.

Much like I found success in dog sports photography, the Sony a7R III does mighty well at maintaining focus on the subject despite erratic movement or instruments getting in the way. If the light is low but even, the camera does a splendid job of finding the subject thanks to its Advanced AF algorithms.


Unfortunately, live concerts are also where we hit a bit of a snag. As venue goers know, most music venues (especially small indie ones) don’t have consistent lighting on the stage. It can be uneven, sporadic, and wild. Some genres of music (e.g. metal and rock) really love using strobe lights on the stage as well.

And this is where the Sony a7R III flops terribly.

The moment strobes are used, the camera completely loses its ability to focus or find the subject. It’s a negative I haven’t seen covered in other reviews and one that keeps me from bringing this camera to a live concert (after having a particularly bad experience at a recent show).

When strobes were involved, none of the autofocus settings or adjustments worked. The camera began to hunt and then failed to focus at all. This happened with other native and non-native lenses. My guess is the infrared technology is affected by the strobing effects, but that’s just an assumption.

Non-Native Lens with an Adapter

As an avid 16-year Canon user with an army of L lenses, I have no plans on switching brands anytime soon. When I added the Sony a7R III to my kit, I immediately looked for ways to adapt my L glass to the Sony camera. (That way I’d need to buy only buy one native lens for the Sony and use the rest of my existing kit.)

After testing out several adapters I found that the Metabones Smart Adapter worked best.

Now it was time to test the autofocus on a non-native lens.

Although some of the autofocus features (e.g. eye-tracking) are disabled on non-native lenses, the facial recognition and AF-C (continuous autofocus) features worked like a charm. Once I’d calibrated the adapter to my lenses I didn’t experience any lag, searching or loss of focus. And despite certain features being unavailable, the camera was just as fast with non-native lenses as it was with native ones – even in low light. (I took this set up out for a spin during a club event.)

But the strobing issue was still there, which is why I’m convinced it’s a camera issue rather than a lens issue.

Final Thoughts

I have no regrets investing top dollar in this mirrorless camera. I find myself using it as much as my DSLRs, and I have three of them. I’ll often pick the mirrorless for more complex shoots simply because of its exquisite face tracking with autofocus.

Have I got you salivating? Think the Sony a7R III might be your next camera? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

The post The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.


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DPReview TV: Nikon Z6 and Z7 review for video

01 Dec

Following up on their review of the Nikon Z7’s still photo capabilities, Chris and Jordan take a look at the Z7 and Z6 for video shooting. Both cameras – particularly the Z6 – represent a huge step forward for Nikon in terms of video, but Jordan doesn’t think they’re quite ready to be your primary video camera. Take a look and see what they have to say about it.

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  • Introduction
  • Design and Handling
  • Stabilization
  • Autofocus
  • Manual Focus
  • Image Quality
  • Slow Motion
  • External Recording
  • Audio Quality
  • Timelapses
  • Conclusion

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Gear Review: The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

29 Nov

The post Gear Review: The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by David Shaw.

1 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

The Lumix G9 – a 20.3mp, micro 4/3rds, mirrorless camera.

When I bought my first full-frame DSLR many years ago (an original Canon 5D), I thought I’d discovered the pinnacle of camera technology. Because a bigger sensor is better right?

Well, not necessarily.

Sensor sizes are like film sizes- they are different formats, not different quality. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and some will fit your needs while some won’t.

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Flying in small planes is how I reach many of my photo locations. A light camera system is vital.

The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

Bigger sensors, for all their benefits, also mean bulkier and heavier lenses. A smaller sensor, such as the micro 4/3rds system, is compact, and light. That’s why, as an outdoor pro who specializes in shooting in remote areas, I’ve recently begun shooting the Lumix m4/3rds system. Specifically, my primary camera is now the Lumix G9 mirrorless camera, the flagship of Lumix still cameras.

Body Quality

3 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera from the top.

The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera is of a similar size to other pro-level mirrorless camera bodies. For me, this is the appropriate size. If the body were much smaller the controls would become too small and cumbersome for rapid use in the field, and impossible while wearing gloves. The G9, in my opinion, is a good compromise between size and functionality.

The build is sturdy with a die-cast magnesium chassis and is environmentally sealed. A textured rubber coating covers most of the body providing a confident grip, even when wet. The body weighs in 658g, more or less typical of this size mirrorless camera. I’ve used mine in temperatures varying from -25F, to +100F in the snow, rain, and salt spray. I’ve banged it around inside bush planes, safari vehicles, rafts, and canoes, and have yet to have an issue with durability.

4 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

Bush planes. I’ve gotten used to flying in them, but I never get tired of photographing them. (De Havilland Otter reflected in an Alaskan lake).

Sensor

The 20.3mp micro four-thirds sensor has an excellent dynamic range for a sensor of this size and extremely low noise below about 1600 ISO. At higher ISOs, the noise does increase noticeably, which is a drawback for night photography. However, the files can handle substantial pushes in post-processing. Adding two or even three stops of light seems to have little impact on image quality.

Stabilization

5 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

Handheld, at 1/15th second. Easy.

Lumix advertises a whopping 6.5 stops of stabilization built into the camera; a system that works seamlessly with lens-integrated stabilization. This impressive number isn’t just marketing hyperbole. I’ve found I can handhold images, even while using a long lens, to speeds as low as 1/8th of a second. Blurred water shots no longer require a tripod and video capture is smooth and almost vibration free. This is unquestionably the best camera I’ve ever used when it comes to image stabilization.

6 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

Still Photography Performance

Frame Rate

Mirrorless cameras are not subject to the same limitations of shutter speeds as their DSLR counterparts. The electronic shutter of the Lumix G9 reaches a whopping 20 frames per second, far more than is needed except in all but the most extreme, fast-paced shooting situations. Even when using the standard frame rate, it still manages 9 frames per second, which is competitive with just about any camera on the market.

7 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

At 20fps in the high burst mode, or 9fps in regular, the G9 makes quick work of moving subjects.

Autofocus

The autofocus is perhaps the one point, where the G9 does fall a bit short of high-end DSLRs. Lumix has applied a contrast detection system combined with Panasonic’s Depth from Defocus technology (DFD). In bright conditions with few obstacles, I found the autofocus to be exceptionally fast with a high hit rate. However, in tangled environments, or in low light, it occasionally struggles to grab my subject.

8 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

The DFD system is an active autofocus that perpetually pushes and pulls the focus just a hair back and forth as it determines the focus point. It’s fast, but slightly distracting and often lead me to think that the camera hadn’t settled on my subject. It had, and the resulting images show a high hit rate, but the constant push-pull is a bit distracting.

Image Quality

9 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

While overall image quality is excellent, night photography is the one place where the G9 falls short. This image, captured at ISO 3200, required substantial noise reduction.

In most lighting situations, the 20.3mp images are excellent. RAW format files have a competitive dynamic range which allows substantial pushing of exposure in post-processing. If you are jpeg shooter, the camera exports colorful, but not unnatural files ready for sharing on social media. I like the jpeg outputs so much that I’ve set the camera to write both small jpegs and RAW files which allows for quick shares without post-processing.

10 - Gear Review - Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera

Contrasting the previous image, this image captured at 800 ISO is nearly clean and required no noise reduction, despite the dim conditions. There seems to be a big reduction in image quality between ISO1600 and ISO 3200.

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High contrast scenes like this, the G9 handles admirably well.

High-Resolution Images

One of my favorite features of the Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera is the high-resolution setting. The 20.3mp sensor is plenty for general use, however, as a landscape photographer, I often desire files that can be printed very large. The high-resolution image setting on the G9 takes 8 images in a row, each offset by 1/2 pixel. This produces a final file that is over 80 megapixels! For best results, a tripod is required, but for landscape work, I’m almost always using one anyway. The quality of the final image is, quite frankly, amazing.

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This image was captured using the high-resolution setting on the Lumix G9. The original file is a whopping 10368x7776px.

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The above image, cropped nearly in half, is still enormous by almost any standard.

Features

WIFI

Wifi connectivity when combined with Lumix’s intuitive app for phone or tablet, allows quick exporting of files for sharing from the field. Additionally, the app allows full remote operation of the camera. Once your image is composed, you can use the app to adjust exposure, aperture, shutter speed or ISO, then click the shutter from a 100m away.

Customization

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With a wide variety of lenses in the Lumix (and Olympus) lines. There is no shortage of options for all kinds of photography from wildlife to portraits and landscapes.

Advanced shooters will appreciate the extensive customization options on the G9. You can program in multiple preset modes, accessible from the main function dial atop the camera. But I’ve come to like even more, a separate switch on the front of the camera at the lower left, which allows you to switch between two types of shooting modes. I have one set for my standard landscape settings, and one to my favorites for wildlife. With a quick flick of a finger, I can move back and forth between the two as my shooting situation changes. Nifty.

Video

Lumix has always been associated with video capture, even more than still photography. And while the G9 was definitely designed with still images in mind, it has inherited many video features of the other Lumix cameras. 4k video capture up to 60fps is possible with the G9, something few other still cameras can achieve. With the excellent integrated stabilization, high-quality video is a breeze. As many of my clients are now requesting video clips in addition to stills, the excellent moving image capture of the G9 means I no longer have to carry a second, video-specific camera when I’m shooting on assignment. For a still shooter who likes to capture some video or a film-maker who also wants high-quality stills, the G9 may be the perfect compromise.

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From the back, the camera’s controls are straight forward.

But What’s it Like to Use?

All the tech specs in the world won’t tell you what it actually feels like to use the camera. And in that case, I think the Lumix has really won the race. The controls are intuitive, with buttons conveniently located and ergonomics that allow you to determine buttons easily by feel, and without searching around. I moved from Canon to Lumix and found it didn’t take long to feel at home from the new system. I also shoot a Sony mirrorless, and moving back and forth between the two is not challenging.

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It was intermittently snowing hard and blowing cold wind when I made this image in Alaska’s western Arctic. The G9 handled the conditions without issue.

But it’s in the field that I really love the Lumix G9. The m4/3rd system means that not only the sensor is smaller, but the lenses too. Everything is much smaller and compact, even with fast, high-end lenses. My kit has shrunk substantially with my switch to Lumix. While full-frame mirrorless cameras are smaller and lighter than pro-level DSLRs, the lenses are not, which puts a limiter on how much weight and space you can really save by switching to full-frame mirrorless. With micro 4/3rds however, everything is smaller.

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As a wilderness photographer, this is a HUGE advantage for me. I can carry a body and multiple lenses for the same weight and size as a single DSLR and mid-range zoom lens. I can’t tell you how much this has meant to me on the many occasions I’ve had to weigh out every ounce to make my kit fit in a bush plane. Size matters to a backcountry photographer, and when it comes to cameras, smaller is better.

A Note on Lenses

While this isn’t a review of the Lumix lenses, I do want to offer a quick hat-tip to the Lumix-Leica lens systems. The glass is compact, light, and extremely sharp. The Leica glass elements are impeccable, and while not cheap, the sharpness is in every way comparable to the best Nikon, Canon, and Sony lenses. Secondarily, the m4/3rds lenses are compatible across brands meaning that Olympus equipment works seamlessly on Lumix bodies. (My current long lens is the Olympus 300mm f4 PRO, and it works perfectly on the G9).

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Final Thoughts

Lumix has been a go-to manufacturer for videographers and film-makers looking for a compact, high-quality system for many years, while Olympus has led the m4/3rds still photography market. That has all changed with the Lumix G9. While I look forward to a few improvements in the next generation, the G9 has almost everything a serious photographer could want: great image quality, excellent choices in lenses, ability to shoot 4k video, abundant customization options, and intuitive controls.

It looks like the Lumix system has found a permanent place in my camera bag.

Have you used the Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

The post Gear Review: The Lumix G9 Mirrorless Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by David Shaw.


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Review: DJI Ronin-S gimbal stabilization system

28 Nov

The Ronin-S is DJI’s newest camera stabilization system, distilling the technology of the more expensive $ 900 Ronin-M, a two-handed stabilization system, into a more efficient single-handed model that retails for $ 750.

There are other, less expensive single-handed gimbals on the market, but the Ronin-S stands apart thanks to a number of features, such as its easy-to-use setup app and its offset roll axis motor, which is lowered down behind the camera so you can more clearly see the back of the camera as you shoot. DJI also says it uses the most powerful motors it’s ever used in a handheld gimbal.

In addition to stabilization, the Ronin-S will connect to a range of popular cameras and allow varying degrees of control, from video start/stop all the way up to remote focus and zoom control.

Key specifications

  • 3-axis motorized gimbal head
  • Auto-tune feature for quick gimbal calibration
  • 3.6kg (7.9 lbs) load capacity
  • Integrated follow focus knob
  • Remote camera control (depends on model)
  • Button to switch between three sets of custom settings
  • Fully configurable using smartphone app
  • 12-hour battery life

Like other gimbals, the Ronin-S provides three-axis stabilization using motors that can counteract the movements of your camera, as well as create automated (or guided) tracking and panning camera movements. DJI recently released nine additional accessories for the Ronin-S, including useful items such as focus motor to facilitate remote follow focus on additional lenses.

Controls on the Ronin-S include a dedicated focus wheel, a joystick, a trigger, and three buttons on the grip: power, start/stop, and the ‘M’ button. The focus wheel system can be attached to either side of the grip using an Allen wrench using either of the two 8-pin ports on the side of the gimbal’s base, and cables are included for follow focus and remote camera control.

Fully assembled Ronin-S including gimbal, handle (which houses the battery) and mini-tripod. The detachable tripod collapses to create an extended handle for two-handed support.

The gimbal is rated to support up to 3.6kg (7.9 lbs), nearly the same as the Ronin-M, and is capable of balancing fairly large zooms as well, including the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR and the Sony E 18–200 mm F3.5–6.3 OSS LE.

In fact, the gimbal’s weight limit is much higher than the one kilo (2.2 lbs) weight of the Panasonic GH5S camera and 12-60mm f/2.8-4 ASPH lens that I used for testing. Balancing the diminutive GH5S and 12-60mm kept each axis so close to center that I wonder if there’s potentially a minimum weight restriction.

In terms of remote camera control, the Ronin-S supports a number of cameras from Canon, Panasonic, Nikon and Sony. Only certain camera and lens combinations will support full camera communications with focus pulling, but DJI continues to add additional support through firmware updates. An evolving list of compatible cameras and lenses can be found on the Ronin-S support page. (Look in the ‘documents and manuals’ section.)

…the Ronin-S stands apart thanks to a number of features, such as its easy-to-use setup app and its offset roll axis motor, which is lowered down behind the camera so you can more clearly see the back of the camera as you shoot.

DJI also provides a sliding attachment plate to mount the camera to the gimbal, which is compatible with the Manfrotto 501PL type quick-release plate, letting you transfer from the gimbal to some tripods without dismounting the camera. However, you can’t use a Manfrotto plate on the gimbal. DJI’s plate is proprietary, no doubt on purpose.

Balancing and setup

Broadly speaking, balancing a camera on the Ronin-S is similar to most other gimbals, though it handles some situations particularly well.

DJI has mitigated some of the pain in the balancing process by including bright white position scales on each of the adjustable bars for recording the perfect balancing positions of favored setups. With proper annotation, this process only needs to be performed once for each camera and lens combination.

Most of the setup and configuration process for the Ronin-S is conducted from a smartphone app. The gimbal connects easily and quickly (faster than most cameras) via Bluetooth. There’s a balance test available through the Ronin App (iOS or Android) to check and score each axis by its center of gravity. This helps you optimize balance, which helps minimize the amount of effort the gimbal has to make to keep the camera steady.

Balance is achieved by balancing each axis of the gimbal, working from the camera outward. Once balanced, the Ronin app can be used to run the Auto Tune function that configures the motor behavior. Each adjustable part includes helpful index lines, making it easy to record precise positions for a particular camera and lens combination.

By my second day of use I had developed a good feel for how the cameras and lenses would balance, and I could switch back and forth between the Panasonic GH5S and a much larger Canon 1D X Mark II within just a few minutes. DJI’s recommended process for balancing is based on a sequential approach by axis working from the camera outward, though I ended up going off-book, slowly centering gravity by weight, locking off each axis from the outside-in.

Once balanced, the Ronin app has an Auto Tune function that configures the motor behavior. It gives you a choice of three levels of ‘aggressiveness,’ depending on how extreme the motion you’re correcting is. This avoids the need to learn how to configure the motor behavior (though you can do so manually if you wish).

As well as making the whole setup process easier, Auto Tune also makes it easy to quickly re-calibrate the gimbal. Instead of using the app, you can also hold the trigger and M button down simultaneously for four seconds. The Ronin then vibrates (rather alarmingly, sometimes) each of its movement axes, to test its setup.

As well as making the whole setup process easier, Auto Tune also makes it easy to quickly re-calibrate the gimbal. Instead of using the app, you can also hold the trigger and M button down simultaneously for four seconds.

DJI says the use of strong motors mean that Ronin-S can cope with slightly mis-balanced setups, which is especially useful when working with zoom lenses. Small changes in weight distribution as you zoom in and out can be corrected-for, without having to re-position and re-calibrate the gimbal.

SmoothTrack

With the camera balanced, it’s worth investigating the ‘SmoothTrack’ settings in the Ronin App. These let you dictate how you want the gimbal to respond to your movements. There are three customizable parameters: ‘Deadband’ sets the threshold for how much user movement it should ignore before interpreting the motion as an intentional input. ‘Speed’ defines how quickly the motors move in response to that input and ‘Sensitivity’ lets you control how much additional acceleration should be applied if you make an extreme movement.

You can set up three SmoothTrack presets, each of which holds separate settings for each axis, so you could set up a slow preset that only responds to big, intentional movements, another that is faster and more responsive and a third that only responds to input in one axis (just panning, for instance).

The Ronin app allows you to adjust the gimbal’s SmoothTrack settings, which let you dictate how you want the gimbal to respond to your movements.

Three sets of these parameters can be defined and then selected from the gimbal. Each parameter sets allows you to configure different responses for each axis, letting you create presets to suit a range of shooting styles.

The presets also let you choose whether an axis will respond to you pushing the camera around, so that you can physically over-ride the motors.

Operating the Ronin-S

Once your camera is balanced, and any cables connected, you’re ready to start shooting. The controls on the Ronin-S provide a simple user interface that makes it possible to perform multiple functions quickly and easily at the tap of a button or nudge of the joystick.

Pressing the M button while you’re using the Ronin will cycle through your three SmoothTrack presets, with numbered LEDs indicating which you’re currently using. Having three presets makes it much easier to react to situations on-the-fly as you’re working, something that would be especially useful to documentary filmmakers.

A fourth setting, the Sport Mode, can also be found by holding down the M button until the indicator LED turns yellow. Sport Mode provides the maximum responsiveness possible from the gimbal in order to accommodate and counteract extremely rapid movements, ideal for tracking subjects that move around quickly or unpredictably.

The ‘M’ button on the grip of the Ronin-S allows you to quickly cycle between three groups of settings; holding the ‘M’ button switches to Sport Mode, which is useful for tracking fast moving subjects. The joystick can be used to independently control camera movement.

The joystick on the handle gives another way to re-direct the camera when you turn it, and again you’ll probably want to play with the settings until it responds to your liking. I found the default parameters to be too sensitive; a little flick of the joystick would move the camera too quickly for a refined camera move.

Finally, the trigger on the front of the handle serves multiple functions. Holding it down will lock the camera in the direction it’s pointing, cancelling all user movement, while a double-press of the trigger will recenter the camera if it drifts. I found this to be a very quick way to reset the camera to its default, centered position when switching from one shot to the next. A triple tap will reverse the camera 180º for a selfie POV shot, useful for the vlogger generation, I’m sure. Finally, four taps and a trigger hold will unlock joystick-drift corrections.

It’s also worth noting that the rubberized grip on the handle is comfortable and easy to hold, and the shape insures that you can tell which way it’s oriented at any time even without glancing at it.

Remote camera control

One of the most useful features on the Ronin-S is remote camera control, using either the MCC (multi camera control) or RSS (remote start/stop) cable, both of which are included with the gimbal. With the Panasonic GH5S that meant I was able to pull focus electronically using the focus wheel, as well as start and stop recording, capture photos, or trigger autofocus with the button on the handle. Support for remote control varies depending on your camera/lens combination, so I recommend reviewing the current list of compatible cameras and lenses found on the Ronin-S support page.

MCC (multi camera control) and RSS (remote start/stop) cables facilitate remote operation of the camera using the Ronin’s controls, though support varies depending on camera model and lens. With the GH5S I was able to use the Ronin’s follow focus knob, which worked smoothly and allowed for very precise adjustments.

Beyond this, the Ronin app contains a series of extra functions, beyond basic stabilization and camera control. Even a cursory dig into the controls unlocks an absolute litany of versatile camera movements, including options like barrel rolls, 360º of spin, head-over-heels, tailspins, and seemingly endless combinations thereof.

In use

At the base of the handle there are two female 1/4″-20 and 3/8″-16 threads for additional supports and tripods. An included mini tripod screws into this base, and it’s very helpful when rigging your camera. The mini tripod can also act as a second handhold when folded.

The folded mini-tripod provides a boom-like extension for overhead shots, low-to-the-ground shots, and generally provides a better handhold than the handle alone.

The folded mini-tripod provides a boom-like extension for overhead shots, low-to-the-ground shots, and generally provides a better handhold than the handle alone. I also found the mini tripod could be used to prevent fatigue by using it as a belt rest. That’s good, because at 1.9kg (4.1lbs), the Ronin-S looks lightweight on paper, but adding any weight at all to a camera setup increases physical stress for even the most experienced gimbal operators. It’s much less of a workout than trying to manhandle the larger Ronin-M for any length of time, though.

The Focus Wheel worked very well when adjusting focus on my GH5S, and when racking focus I found it easy to make very subtle changes with focus peaking enabled. It’s possible to move this wheel to the other side of the handle if that works better for you ergonomically.

The front of the gimbal includes the trigger and USB charging port; the follow focus knob can be mounted on either side or removed completely. The base of the gimbal connects to the battery with a very solid lever.

The 2400 mAh battery promises roughly 12 hours of use on a two hour charge, and I found these estimates to be more or less in line with my experience. One gripe is that you have to charge the battery through the gimbal’s USB-C connection, meaning the battery and gimbal have to remain fully assembled in order to charge. If you want to charge the battery independent of the gimbal you’ll need to purchase DJI’s $ 39 Ronin-S Battery Adapter to do so.

In addition to providing exceptionally smooth camera movements, the Ronin-S has a few other tricks up its sleeve. Features like Panorama, Hyperlapse, Track, and CamAnchor allow time-lapses, panoramas, and programmed tracking shots from the Ronin App. Using the internal intervalometer, moves can be programmed in precise, repeatable patterns, with up to five keyframes that can create a segmented motion path for time-lapses and multi-shot panoramas for later stitching.

My overwhelming sense with the Ronin-S was just how easy it was for a novice to get going with it. With just a little thought given to the kinds of motion you want to make (and which you want the device to correct), it was pretty easy to get to the point where I could just start shooting and learn how to move with it.

The offset roll axis motor on the Ronin-S sits below the camera at an angle rather than being directly behind the camera. This design makes it much easier to monitor the rear screen on a camera when shooting.

Using a gimbal for the first time is something of a challenge to your inherent sense of spatial reasoning: the device over-rides some, but not all of your attempts to move the camera. But after a little time spent looking like you’re inventing your own Tai chi moves, you get a feel for how you need to move your hands and body to communicate your intentions to the gimbal. Using the app to create different SmoothTrack presets makes it easy to experiment and fine-tune the Ronin to perform different types of motion for different circumstances.

The verdict

Due to its small size and impressive performance, the Ronin-S should appeal to a variety of users ranging from filmmakers to wedding videographers.

For those not accustomed to working with a stabilization system, the Ronin-S may initially appear daunting, but it can deliver professional looking camera moves with surprisingly little experience. I think most shooters who need this kind of solution for their work are going to look at it as a no-brainer compared to many other options, and with a bit of practice even beginners will be able to get great results.

I think most shooters who need this kind of solution for their work are going to look at it as a no-brainer compared to many other options, and with a bit of practice even beginners will be able to get great results.

With the plethora of available stabilization kits in the market, DJI has done an exceptional job of setting the Ronin-S apart through clever engineering and, most importantly, heightened toolsets at a similar price point to many other, far simpler stabilization kits. More advanced movements will require a bit of time to master the programming, but can result in great looking shots. For those who are novices to gimbals and stabilization systems, DJI has done a really great job in balancing the complexity of the device with simplified, ready to go, out of the box operations.

What we like:

  • Easy setup and calibration
  • Remote camera operation, including follow focus (depending on camera model)
  • Very effective at creating smooth, steady video

What we would like to see improved:

  • Battery charging adapter included with purchase
  • Support for additional camera models and lenses
  • App-based instructions as to how each axis interacts

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Review: Color night vision with the SiOnyx Aurora

25 Nov

As someone who frequently photographs the night sky and nocturnal landscapes, I was intrigued by the recently announced SiOnyx Aurora IR Night Vision Camera. The Aurora is a compact camera designed to shoot stills and video in color under low light conditions, in addition to providing night vision capability.

The camera is marketed for outdoor enthusiasts (e.g., boaters, fishermen, hunters, hikers) who need to see in the dark and might want to capture their nocturnal activities. At a retail price of $ 799 it’s more than an impulse buy, but it promises some impressive capabilities. Being an aurora photographer, I was interested in its performance capturing the Northern Lights so I took the Aurora to Yellowknife, Canada.

Key specifications

  • ‘Ultra-low-light’ 1″-type CMOS sensor
  • 1280×720 resolution (stills and video)
  • 16mm (47mm equiv) lens
  • Three shooting modes: Night (F1.4), Twilight (F2.0), and Day (F5.6)
  • Image stabilization
  • Video frame rates from 7.5 to 60 fps
  • OLED viewfinder
  • IP67 water resistant

Night Vision

The SiOnyx Aurora features a one-inch-type ultra low light CMOS sensor—sensitive to both visible and infrared light —capable of capturing stills and video in either monochrome or color, though it’s limited to shooting stills and video at 1280×720 resolution.

This resolution may seem low by today’s standards but it makes sense for a night vision camera. In everyday photography pixel size has very little effect on image quality, other than that small pixels give more detail. However, the tiny advantage that large pixels can have can become significant in extreme low-light situations, which means a night vision camera is one of the few instances where bigger pixels offer a recognizable benefit.

The SiOnyx Aurora features a 1″-type ultra low light CMOS sensor sensitive to both visible and infrared light. It also includes effective image stabilization for handheld use in dark conditions.

Resolution and pixel size aside, as soon as I picked up the Aurora it became evident that its compact size and light weight were going to put this camera in its own category. The water-resistant Aurora is 11.7 cm (4.6″) long and weighs only 227 g (8 oz) so it fits easily in a jacket pocket. Its portability and the fact that a tripod is not required to shoot at night means that the Aurora can always be within reach and ready to shoot.

The Aurora has three shooting modes for daytime (F5.6), twilight (F2.0), and nighttime (F1.4) scenes. The daytime setting performs as expected but the twilight mode performs well only for a short window of time. My impression was that I needed to change the dial to the night setting long before twilight was over. When you rotate the dial from Twilight to Night, the infrared filter is removed from the optical path. The Night scene mode is the most useful (and fun) since at that setting the camera captures light at wavelengths way beyond what the human eye can see. Specifically, its wavelength range goes from blue (400 nm) to infrared (1,100 nm). In comparison, the human eye can see from blue (400 nm) to red (700 nm).

All videos below are straight-out-of-camera and were shot handheld.

Comparison of the Twilight and Night scene modes shot two hours after sunset. It was dark enough that I needed my smartphone LED light to safely walk around. Download original
Scenes shot in Twilight and Night modes two hours after sunset. Download original

The Night scene mode has three color settings collectively referred to as ‘Night Glow’: Grayscale and Green, both useful when there’s almost no artificial light and barely any natural light, and Night Color, beneficial when viewing colors is important, as in the case of the Northern Lights.

Scenes shot in Grayscale Night mode. The armadillo was shot near a street lamp. The scene in the park was very dark to the human eye since those trees blocked most of the artificial light. The third scene was shot under moonlight and some street lighting. Download original

Point, Focus, and Shoot in the Dark

The benefits of the Aurora for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor enthusiasts is very apparent, but I wanted to see how useful it would be to capture video of the Northern Lights. Since most of the time the Northern Lights move slowly, time-lapse photography with exposures of several seconds is the perfect technique to capture them. That way, we get to capture more light with long exposures and we get to compress (or speed up) time by playing the frames at a higher rate than those at which they were taken.

During a substorm the lower end of an aurora curtain can move at speeds exceeding 5 km/s and look motion-blurred in time-lapse sequences. The higher frame rate of video works better to capture the substorm motion…

Nevertheless, time-lapse photography might not be the best technique to capture a substorm: the sudden brightening and increased movement of auroral arcs that can last for tens of minutes. During a substorm the lower end of an aurora curtain can move at speeds exceeding 5 km/s and look motion-blurred in time-lapse sequences. The higher frame rate of video works better to capture the substorm motion, but the shorter exposure for each frame results in lower signal-to-noise ratios and lower image quality.

I set the camera to the Night Color mode, the frame rate to 30p, and set focus to infinity. Once a substorm started all I had to do was to take the camera out of my pocket, turn it on, and press record. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) shows you exactly what you are capturing so it is very easy to point, shoot, and follow your subject.

Handheld video showing strong green and red auroral emission during a substorm on the moonless night of 9 September 2018. The foreground in all of these auroras videos was extremely dark and the use of flashlight to safely walk around was imperative. Download original

As expected, the SiOnyx Aurora works best when the Northern Lights are at its brightest, and you can see how the video gets noisier when the lighting conditions are darker (0:20 and 1:08 marks on the video above). Also, the Auto White Balance appears to shift during faint periods (1:33 mark). Overall, the camera captured the colors and rapid motion of the substorm well.

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The images above are video frames taken from the SiOnyx Aurora camera. Both video and still images from the camera have a resolution of 1280×720.

A few nights later I shot a brighter auroral substorm from the side of a road. The infrared light reflected by nearby trees at the beginning of the video below indicates that the ambient light at that location was also brighter. Note that the infrared light detected by the camera comes from objects reflecting it and not emitting it. In other words, the camera does not detect thermal emission (light emitted due to the temperature of matter).

This brighter auroral substorm resulted in a video with lower noise. Notice the infrared light reflected by vegetation and the very fast motion of the aurora around 0:25. Download original
The SiOnyx Aurora outputs JPEG stills and MOV (H.264) video files with audio. Unless otherwise noted, images in this articles are frames from videos files. To compare the quality of a JPEG with the quality of a video frame, I shot a still in Color Night mode (F1.4) with an exposure of 1/30 sec at ISO 20,000 and compared it with a frame of a video of the same scene shot in Color Night mode (F1.4) at 30p. I can only assume that the chosen ISO (the Aurora always operates in Auto ISO) was 20,000 as well.

The video frame looks cleaner and the edges look slightly sharper but the shadows are clipped. This could be the result of further image processing and video compression. One definite advantage of shooting stills is the ability of taking exposures as long as 1.5 seconds.

Comparison of a still image with an exposure of 1/30 sec at ISO 20,000 and a frame from a video shot at 30p. Both were shot in Color Night mode (F1.4). The foreground tree was illuminated by a street lamp.

To see how the SiOnyx Aurora compares to another camera that performs well in low light conditions, I shot two scenes with the Aurora (set to Color Night mode) and with the Nikon D5 with a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G. Both image sets were shot with the same exposure parameters.

Still image shot with the SiOnyx Aurora: 1/30 sec, F1.4, ISO 20,000 Still image shot with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G: 1/30 sec, F1.4, ISO 20,000. Sampled down to 1280 px wide.
Still image shot with the SiOnyx Aurora: 1/15 sec, F1.4, ISO 102,400 Still image shot with a Nikon D5 and a Nikkor 50mm F1.4G: 1/15 sec, F1.4, ISO 102,400. Sampled down to 1280 px wide.

Not surprisingly, given its relatively low resolution, the images from the SiOnyx camera are not as sharp and clean as those shot with the Nikon D5, but they do show more vegetation due its extended range into the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The second scene was too dark for the unaided eye to clearly perceive and, while I was able to easily focus using the Aurora EVF, it was impossible for me to focus using the D5 viewfinder or Live View mode. It is evident that the advantages of the Aurora are its infrared sensitivity, bright EVF, ease of use, compactness, and light weight.

The Aurora sports a fixed 16mm lens (47mm equivalent in full frame terms) which provides a diagonal FOV of 48 degrees. Although, I wished I had a wider FOV to capture the auroral displays, I think the fixed 48-degree FOV is a good compromise for most uses. Lens focus is manual only, but I was surprised how easy it was for me to focus in the dark thanks to the bright OLED EVF. Additionally, the camera features focus peaking, which displays a red highlight on in?focus edges.

Features Galore

The Aurora is packed with shooting features including shutter speeds from 1.5 sec to 1/8,000 sec, burst mode (2.5, 5, or 10p), HDR, self-timer (2, 5, or 12 sec), panorama (up to 180 degrees in landscape or portrait mode), and time-lapse. Video frame rates range from 7.5 to 120p. The Aurora also features Electronic Image Stabilization and remote operation using the SiOnyx mobile app (iOS and Android).

Lens focus is manual only, but I was surprised how easy it was for me to focus in the dark thanks to the bright OLED EVF.

Its EVF displays shooting parameters and modes, current time, compass direction, GPS coordinates, and optionally, focus peaking, grid (to aid in image composition), and pitch & roll (to aid in keeping the camera level in two axes).

The EVF has the option to turn itself on only when you move your face close the eyepiece. Although this definitely helps to save power (from a standard Fujifilm-style NP-50 lithium ion battery) I thought that battery life was very limited. Fortunately, the Aurora can draw power from an external source via USB. (NB: For this to work you still need a battery inside the camera). This is very helpful, for example, when taking long time-lapse sequences.

The SiOnyx app lets you connect remotely to the Aurora via Wi-Fi to: browse and delete content in the microSD card, change settings, and shoot stills and video.

Final Thoughts

Not only can the Aurora capture video and stills at night, but the list of uses (thanks to its bright EVF) in wildlife watching, hunting, boating, fishing, and other nocturnal outdoor activities is long.

I think it’s important to stress what the camera is not for. It’s neither designed for capturing high-resolution images for prints or HD monitors nor for shooting video for professional productions. Hence, it is not in the same category as low-light mirrorless cameras or DSLRs. The camera is very useful as a device to do tasks in the dark—especially when safety might be an issue—and to capture outdoor activities and the natural world at night in a fun and easy way.

Video frame of Northern Lights tour participants warming up and waiting for the natural spectacle to begin.

I benefit tremendously from using high-end DSLRs to take long exposures and time-lapse sequences of natural phenomena. I don’t see the SiOnyx Aurora as a substitute to my equipment but as a complement instead.

I’ll let my high-end DSLRs do what they do best—capture time-lapse sequences for my science films—and use the Aurora to capture nocturnal videos that allow me to demonstrate phenomena in my science lectures (e.g., how fast can the Northern Lights appear to move). As a science communicator, handheld videos shot in real time, especially with audio, help me bring audiences closer to the natural phenomena I present and, as a photographer, the fact that I can take this camera out of my pocket and be ready to shoot in seconds is a big plus.

As a science communicator, handheld videos shot in real time, especially with audio, help me bring audiences closer to the natural phenomena I present…

Does the SiOnyx Aurora let me see things in the dark that I can’t see with the unaided eye? Absolutely: the infrared sensitivity makes a big difference and, hence, my stress on the night vision capability of this device. The fact that you can also capture what you see is a plus. For me it was capturing Northern Lights, but I’m also looking forward to capturing surface lava flows in Hawaii, bioluminescence in Puerto Rico, as well as other phenomena around the world.

What we like:

  • Pocketable, always with you size
  • Easy to operate in the dark
  • High enough image quality for instructional use or social media
  • Image stabilization

What we’d like to see improved:

  • A dial less prone to accidentally turning off the camera
  • Ability to set white balance manually
  • Video metadata saved to XMP file (GPS coordinates, direction, etc.)
  • A hot shoe (for accessory lights)
  • A lens cap

José Francisco Salgado, PhD is an Emmy-nominated astronomer, science photographer, public speaker, and tour operator who creates multimedia works that communicate science in engaging ways. His Science & Symphony films through KV 265 have been presented in more than 350 concerts and lectures in 18 countries.

José Francisco is a seasoned night sky and aurora photographer and filmmaker. If you would like to view, photograph, and learn about the Northern Lights please inquire about his Borealis Science & Photo Tours in Yellowknife, Canada.

You can follow him on: Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Facebook, and Twitter

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Review: Kodak Scanza film scanner is easy-to-use, but overpriced

24 Nov

Kodak Scanza film scanner
$ 169.99 | Kodak.com

The Kodak Scanza is a simple, non-professional film scanner. It wears the Kodak logo, but has no affiliation with Kodak Alaris, the company bringing back Kodak T-Max P3200 and Ektachrome.

Key features

  • Tilting 3.5″ LCD
  • SD card slot
  • Video out, HDMI and USB connectivity
  • Works with: 35mm, 126, 110, Super 8 and 8mm formats

What’s included

Opening the box you’re greeted with HDMI, USB and video out cables, an AC adapter, user manual, the scanner itself (in bubble wrap below), a toothbrush shaped surface cleaner and a handful of plastic film holders. Pretty much everything is plastic and feels a little cheap in its construction quality.

Format compatibility

In terms of film format flexibility, the Scanza is… okay. There’s no option for medium format, though you can scan 35mm, 110, and 126 formats as well as 8mm/Super 8. The 8mm/Super 8 option is misleading, though. This is not for scanning a whole reel of 8mm film, this is specifically for scanning individual frames of 8mm or Super 8 slides.

One of the plastic film holders with 35mm slide.

In use

The biggest thing the Scanza has going for it is ease-of-use. Even if you’ve never scanned film before, you can expect to be up and running in around 10 minutes.

To operate it, plug in the power (the scanner uses a widely available micro-USB to USB cable for power) either to an AC outlet or your computer, insert an SD card (this is where scans are saved), press the power button, select your film type, load the holder with your film, insert it and press the capture button. Done. Scanning takes only a couple of seconds per negative/slide.

Despite some gripes with the Scanza, the usability of this thing is awesome and for those intimidated by the more technical conundrums of photography/scanning, it is super freeing.

If you’re plugged into the wall and the 3.5″ LCD feels too small to view your images, don’t fear: In addition to the Micro-USB, you’ve got Video-out and HDMI-mini ports (cables included for both) so you can view your scans on a TV or monitor screen. This additional connectivity feels like a bit of an unnecessary feature, but I’m not going to count it against the Scanza because connecting it to a TV reminded me of using a slide projector and that is the most Kodak thing about this product.

A 35mm Elite Chrome slide scanned at 22MP with no corrections or cropping.

The scanner is 14MP but offers a 22MP scan option that interpolates the images and ups the resolution from 4320×2880 pixels to 5728×3824 pixels. In use, we found the 22MP mode entirely unnecessary. There’s no option for TIFFs or DNG, only JPEG. (Prosumer scanners like the Nikon CoolScan 9000 and Epson V-series accommodate TIFF and DNG workflows, giving your film scans a lot of editing flexibility). Also, the scanning area ends up slightly cropping your photos, mostly horizontally – if you’re a perfectionist, this may bother you.

The biggest thing the Scanza has going for it is ease-of-use

When scanning you’ve got the option to perform color adjustments which includes Brightness, Red, Green, and Blue levels, all on an arbitrary scale of -3 to +3. In testing, just +1/-1 on any of these scales was too drastic a change to be used effectively. Unless your film is severely expired and has a significant color shift, I’d stay away from these settings to keep your scans as accurate as possible.

Scan quality

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The scans in the gallery above are from a 35mm roll of Fujifilm Natura 1600. Below is an example of an image scanned using the Scanza (left) next to the same image scanned by a local photo lab here in Seattle (right). For what it’s worth, said lab charges $ 18 for processing and scanning a roll of 35mm color film.

Scanned in Scanza. Scanned by lab.

Scan quality isn’t terrible, but a quick comparison to a professional lab scan shows the limits of the Scanza. For simply preserving memories, or scanning to share on social media, the Scanza’s quality should be good enough.

Bottom Line

This is not a bad product, it’s just an overpriced one for what it is. For similar cash, you can invest in a decent flatbed scanner with film trays – like the Epson V550 – which offers higher-quality scans and greater versatility, but at the cost of speed and ease-of-use.

For those simply wishing to painlessly make digital copies of years of photos, the Scanza is a decent option. But we have a hard time believing it is much better than this similar option with no Kodak label, priced half as much.

What we like:

  • Extremely easy to use
  • Fast at scanning
  • No computer needed

What we don’t:

  • Similar products available for much less cash
  • Limited scanning resolution
  • Can only save JPEGs
  • Scanza sometimes crops images
  • No option for scanning medium format

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon EOS R review

20 Nov

79%
Overall score
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The Canon EOS R is the first full frame mirrorless camera to use the new RF mount. It’s built around the same 30 megapixel Dual Pixel CMOS sensor as 2016’s EOS 5D Mark IV but is designed for a new series of RF lenses. Canon says the shorter RF lens mount will allow them to design better or smaller lenses than they can for the existing EF mount.

With the EOS R, you are, in essence, getting image and video quality from the 5D Mark IV at around the price point of the 6D Mark II with a healthy dose of control philosophy from both of those cameras as well as the EOS M series. Unfortunately, while it’s capable of great image quality, handling and ergonomics are a mixed bag and the EOS R’s video capabilities lag behind the competition considerably.

Key Specifications:

  • 30MP full frame sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus
  • 3.69M dot OLED viewfinder
  • Fully articulated rear LCD
  • Autofocus rated down to -6EV (with F1.2 lens)
  • Up to 8 fps shooting (5 fps with continuous AF, 3 fps ‘Tracking Priority mode’)
  • UHD 4K 30p video from a 1.8x crop of the sensor
  • Canon Log (10-bit 4:2:2 over HDMI or 8-bit 4:2:0 internal)
  • USB charging (with some chargers)
Converted from Raw using ACR 11 and the Camera ‘Standard’ profile.
ISO 100 | 1/100 sec | F1.2 | Canon RF 50mm F1.2L
Photo by Wenmei Hill

The EOS R was announced less than two weeks after Nikon’s Z7, which itself is Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera and is also designed around a new mount. Where Nikon makes a big deal about how immediately familiar the Z7 will be to existing Nikon shooters, Canon is incorporating some more radical ergonomic innovations on the EOS R – it handles unlike any existing Canon camera. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly those innovations are and how they work.

The Canon EOS R is available at a cost of around $ 2,299 (£2399 in the UK including the EF mount adapter) or $ 3,399 with the RF 24-105mm F4L IS lens (£3299 in the UK).

What’s new and how it compares

The EOS R comes with a lot more than just a new mount. Read about the new features included on the EOS R.

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Body and handling

The EOS R is Canon’s lightest full-frame camera, but remains weather sealed and has a full-size grip. Read about all of the EOS R’s ergonomic updates here.

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Controls and customization

The EOS R comes with a mix of control points that can be widely customized, and some that can’t be customized at all.

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First impressions

The EOS R comes with some surprising ergonomic updates that aren’t to everyone’s tastes, but its still capable of great image quality.

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What’s it like to use?

The EOS R is Canon’s smallest, lightest full-frame camera body. Find out how we think it stacks up for a variety of types of shooting.

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Image Quality

See how the EOS R stacks up in front of our studio scene.

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Autofocus and performance

The EOS R’s Dual Pixel AF system generally works well, and you should never need to microadjust your lenses again.

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Video

With 4K capture and Dual Pixel AF, the EOS R should make for a pretty solid vlogging camera – but the quality of its footage lags the competition.

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Conclusion

The EOS R can take some great photos, but is broadly overshadowed by the competition and struggles to stand out in today’s crowded market.

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Sample gallery

View a variety of sample images from our final production EOS R.

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview TV: Nikon Z7 review

17 Nov

The Nikon Z7 is the company’s first full frame mirrorless camera, and one that presented Nikon with a stiff challenge: how to build a mirrorless camera that could measure up to its own DSLRs and deliver a familiar experience to Nikon users. Chris and Jordan have used the camera for the past couple of months and tell us whether they think Nikon succeeded.

Editor’s note: In order to fully cover the Z7’s new video capabilities, we will be publishing a separate video focused entirely on the camera’s video features and performance.

Also, make sure to read our in-depth review of the Nikon Z7.

Click links below to jump to a specific topic:

  • Intro
  • Handling
  • Z-Mount
  • Battery Life
  • Dynamic Range
  • Stabilization
  • Nathan Elson Introduction
  • Studio Performance
  • Continuous AF Performance
  • Nathan Elson's Impressions
  • Chris' Conclusions

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Insta360 One X hands-on review

14 Nov

The One X is Insta360’s latest consumer 360-degree cam and is controlled via an iPhone or Android smartphone, and retails for $ 400. The big news on the new model is the 5.7K resolution which means you can reframe the spherical footage and extract a standard 16:9 video with good resolution after capture. During recording you don’t have to worry where the camera is pointed at.

5.7K video is recorded at 30 frames per second. For smooth motion in action videos or slow-motion effects you can also opt to record 4K footage at 50fps or 3K video at 100fps. In photo mode the camera captures 18MP still images.

The One X also comes with an improved version of Insta360’s FlowState stabilization and a new TimeShift feature that lets users adjust the speed of different parts of a clip to put the focus on key moments, using either slow-motion or hyperlapse effects. The “Bullet-time” special effect was already available on the predecessor Insta360 One.

We’ve had the chance to play a few days with the new Insta360 One X. Read this article and find out how we got on.

Key specifications:

  • 18 MP still image resolution
  • 5760 x 2880 @30fps, 3840 x 1920 @50fps, 3008 x 1504 @100fps video resolutions
  • Built-in 6-axis gyroscopic stabilization
  • Live-streaming
  • Exposure compensation and manual control over shutter speed and ISO
  • Weight with battery: 115g
  • Dimensions: 115mm x 48mm x 28mm
  • MicroSD card slot up to 128GB
  • 1200mAh battery, 60 mins run time shooting 5.7K @30FPS or 4K@50FPS video

Operation

The One X only has two buttons, making stand-alone operation very straightforward. The small button is the power button and also used to cycle through shooting modes and settings. The larger button is the shutter and also used for confirmation when navigating the menus which are displayed on a small circular OLED display.

Camera settings are shown on a small circular display.

The display isn’t always easy to view in bright light but you can enable a QuickCapture mode that powers the camera up and immediately starts recording when you long-press the shutter. This is a useful feature for shooting while riding a bike or doing any other activity that demands your full attention.

At the bottom of the device is a standard tripod mount which allows you to attach the camera to all sorts of supports and selfie-sticks. With an adapter, you can use the One X with a GoPro-style mount, and if you don’t have any other means of support, the flat base allows you to place the camera on any flat surface.

The One X connects to mobile devices via WiFi, or, for better transfer speeds, via a supplied USB-cable. Via the same connection you can also trigger and control the camera from the dedicated mobile app. Parameters such as ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, and shutter speed are user adjustable.

In the app you can view images and videos that are stored on the camera or your mobile device. Photo editing options include filters and stickers.

The dedicated One X app lets you transfer, view, edit and share both 360-degree videos and still images.

Videos

The One X can record 5.7K 360-degree video which allows you to reframe on your phone and extract a 16:9 1080p standard video at very good quality. The easiest way to achieve this in the app is through the Viewfinder feature.

In Viewfinder mode the 360-degree video is played back on your device. You can then move the phone just as if you were recording a video in real-time. Whatever is visible on the display of your device will be “re-shot” and saved as a new video.

You can use the Viewfinder, Pivot Points or Smart Tracking to frame your video In Viewfinder mode you press and hold the red shutter while moving the phone as you would during recording of a standard video.

The video below is totally uncut to give you a better idea of what’s going on. After starting to record I hand the camera to my buddy who then simply rides along with the camera in his hand, not worrying about where the lenses are pointing.

Back home I “re-shot” the video using the Viewfinder function and aiming to keep myself in the frame. With a conventional action camera this type of video would have been a lot more difficult to shoot, especially from a bike.

Viewfinder also allows you to “recycle” your 360-degree footage and re-shoot several versions of the same footage. The sample clip below was recorded from the same 360-degree footage as the one above, but this time with different framing, creating more of a typical rider point-of-view video you would get with a conventional action cam in a chest or handlebar mount.

For this third version of the same video I applied a Tiny Planet effect to the 360-degree footage. The feature won’t particularly useful to more serious video makers but makes for a nice party trick.

As you can see in the video samples above, the camera is capable of capturing decent detail, even when using only a portion of the full 360-degree footage. With the sun always visible somewhere in the frame, there is inevitably some clipping in the brightest areas of the sky but overall dynamic range is pretty good and, although occasionally visible, stitching artifacts are well under control.

The real highlight is Insta360’s FlowState stabilization, though. Footage is very smooth and almost looks like it was shot from a gimbal, despite the hand-held capture.

Footage is very smooth and almost looks like it was shot from a gimbal

The sample below was recorded with the Insta360 selfie-stick to give a perspective from higher up than usual. Camera movement was created using Insta360’s pivot points instead of Viewfinder mode. You can set as many pivot points as you like in a video and the app creates smooth transitions between them. Pivot points are a good alternative to Viewfinder mode if you prefer a more automated solution.

The app also offers a subject tracking option for controlling camera movement during editing. This works generally well but will stop tracking if the subject is momentarily obscured by another object, so depending on your footage it’s not always the best solution.

Below is the same video in 360-degree format as a reference. If you pan the video to see myself you can see that the Insta360 app is doing quite an impressive job at making the selfie-stick disappear from the footage.

In lower light, like the indoor scenes below, the camera is still capable of producing good detail and noise-free footage. When light conditions get really dim the otherwise excellent FlowState stabilization loses some of its efficiency. However, you have the option to sacrifice some image detail for faster frame rates which allow for a very similar stabilization performance as in good light.

I’ve also created a “Bullet-time” video using the optional Bullet-time handle that allows you to swing the selfie-stick over your head in a circle. In bullet time mode the camera records at 100 frames per second, allowing for a slight slow-motion effect in playback. The feature is fun to play with and with some more practice more impressive results than mine should be easily possible.

Still images

The Insta360 One X will likely be most attractive to video shooters but the camera is also capable of capturing 18MP spherical still images. In still image mode you can activate HDR mode, configure interval shooting and capture in Raw format. A self-timer is on board as well.

In the app you can view and export images in several formats including full 360-degree fisheye, tiny planet and crystal ball formats. Below you can see a few samples, in original 360-degree format and Tiny Planet or Fish-eye variations.

Full 360-degree image Full 360-degree image
Tiny Planet Fish-eye

The camera is capable of producing good quality 360-degree image output that in terms of detail, noise, color and dynamic range is roughly on the level of a good smartphone camera. While in some video clips some stitching artifacts are just about noticeable, they are as good as invisible in most still images, making the camera an interesting and affordable option for professional users, such as property agents or wedding photographers.

Full 360-degree image Full 360-degree image
Tiny Planet Fish-eye

Conclusion

I’ve used a couple of Insta360’s earlier models before, for example the Insta 360 Air. Those older consumer cameras were easy and fun to use but had one important limitation: the video resolution would not allow for the extraction of standard video at a sufficiently high resolution. The cameras were fun to play with but ultimately not of much use to anyone serious about video.

At a retail price of $ 400 the One X now makes high-resolution 360-degree footage available to the masses, allowing for the creation of Full HD video from the camera’s 5.7K 360-degree output. During recording this means it doesn’t matter where you are pointing the camera because you can select the final frames in post-production in the app.

This makes the camera extremely useful for use on a bike, while hiking or running or doing any other kind of physical activity during which you don’t really want to think about where to point your camera.

At $ 400 the One X makes high-resolution 360 footage available to the masses, allowing for Full HD standard video from the camera’s 5.7K 360-degree output.

I’ve never been a big fan of using GoPro-style action cams on a bike for example. If you mount it to the handlebars or your chest, the footage gets quite boring quite quickly. But if you hold it in your hands and try to frame an interesting video, you dramatically increase the risk of crashing. The One X makes shooting interesting video on a bike so much easier, which is why I have been carrying it on every single bike ride since I received the camera for testing.

Both video and still image quality are on the level of a decent smartphone camera, all editing can be done on a mobile device and the dedicated app is intuitive and straightforward to use, making the Insta360 One X an easy recommendation to anyone who has a use case for 360-degree video and still images but a limited budget.

If you find the features of the One X appealing, you may also want to read our reviews of the Rylo Camera and the GoPro Fusion, two other 360-degree cameras that we liked and which include similar feature sets.

What we like:

  • Ability to “reframe” 360-degree footage to create Full-HD standard video
  • Intuitive app control, very easy to use Viewfinder reframing function
  • Very good video stabilization in most conditions
  • Price

What we don’t like:

  • Occasional stitching artifacts in video footage
  • Strong wind noise in some outdoor videos

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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