Blog

Luuv video camera stabilizers finally make it to the market

Three years after launching its Indiegogo funding campaign German start-up Luuv has announced it is ready to begin open sales of its video camera stabilization devices. The company has serviced all its backers and is now selling its solidLuuv, ultraLuuv Action and Action Gimbal to the public.

Designed for filmmakers using small cameras such as GoPro action cams and smartphones, the ultraLuuv Action combines the company’s solidLuuv and Action Gimbal to provide both mechanical and electronic stabilization. Luuv says the setup offers 2x 3-axis stabilization, with the 3-axis mechanical stabilization of the solidLuuv alongside the 3-axis electronic stabilization produced by the rechargeable-battery powered Action Gimbal. The gimbal has four modes that allow panning actions, panning and tilting and for the head to be locked or inverted.

On its own the Action Gimbal can only cope with 150g weight, so the ultraLuuv Action is limited in the same way, but the solidLuuv can deal with kit weighing up to 500g.

The ultraLuuv Action is priced €599 (about $ 630), while the solidLuuv is €349 (about $ 370) and the Action Gimbal is €269 (about $ 280). For more information see the Luuv website. Shipping is free within Germany, but looks like an additional €35 (about $ 37) to the US.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017
Mesmerizing video shows every New York Times front page since 1852

Looking for a history lesson that’s less than a minute long? A video from self-described data artist Josh Begley is just that. It shows every New York Times front page, starting with 1852 and ending in present day. It’s a mesmerizing visual, but it’s also acts a timeline of the adoption of photography. Photos begin appearing more frequently around the halfway point in the video, and the transition to color photography happens around the 48 second mark.

The New York Times published its first issue on September 18, 1851. The first photos published by the paper appeared in a Sunday magazine in 1896. May 29, 1910 marks the first front page photographed published by the Times, an image of a daredevil flight from Albany to New York sponsored by the paper. The first color photograph appeared on the front page in 1997.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017
Review of Moments Designer

What do you think is the one thing that people treasure the most after they have cut their birthday cake, completed a wedding ceremony, or had their first baby? Well, for most photographers, the answer is rather simple. These are the photographs taken by our fancy gadgets capturing those precious shots so that they remain a part of our clients’ Continue Reading

The post Review of Moments Designer appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

February 22, 2017
Fujinon MK18-55 T2.9 cine lens: First impressions and shooting experience

Setting up the Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9 cine lens with the Sony FS7 and Zacuto rig. (I accidentally left the matte box back at the office. Shh… don’t tell anyone.)

Fujifilm is a respected name in the photography world thanks in part to its highly regarded X-series cameras and lenses. However, Fujifilm is also a major player in the professional cinema market, producing cinema lenses with prices that reach upward of $ 90,000. The company is now extending its cinema expertise into what it calls the ‘emerging production’ market: users who need capabilities and features beyond what’s available in standard DSLR or mirrorless lenses, but who don’t have a budget to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a single lens.

The Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9 cinema lens is the first in Fujifilm’s new MK line of Super 35 lenses designed specifically for this market. It will be joined later in the year by the matching MK50-135mm T2.9 lens, giving users complete coverage of the very useful 18-135mm range of focal lengths. The MK line is based on the company’s Cabrio line of cinema lenses, which have prices starting around $ 15,000, and both lens lines share the same coatings and basic mechanical build. At $ 3,799, the MK18-55 is still a bit pricey by photography standards, but a relative bargain for a high quality cinema lens.

Sony E-mount on a Fujinon lens? Read our First Look slide show to learn why.

Despite being a Fujifilm product, this lens uses Sony E-mount. (We discuss Fujifilm’s reasons for choosing E-mount in our First Look slide show.) As a result, I tested the lens attached to a Sony FS7, a Super 35 camera that’s very popular among this segment of users.

Shooting with the MK18-55mm T2.9

We only had a couple days to do our testing, so I threw together a quick shoot highlighting one of the Pacific Northwest’s favorite sports – climbing – and met up with local climber Jay Griffin at The Mountaineers climbing wall in Seattle. This scenario was perfect for shooting with focal lengths across the range of the lens, as well as for some good follow focus opportunities.

TL;DR – I really like this lens. In fact, I won’t even make you wait to get to the video, so here it is:

Video shot using the Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9 cine lens and Sony FS7 camera. All footage was captured in DCI 4K/24p using Sony SLog3, edited in Final Cut Pro X, and graded using LUTs from Color Grading Central.

I chose to shoot the entire video shoulder-mounted, so I set up the FS7 on a Zacuto Recoil rig with rails, a Z-Drive follow focus, and a Gratical Eye viewfinder, along with the FS7’s remote grip. This is a fairly straightforward setup, but it takes a few minutes to arrange all the pieces so that everything works correctly and is ergonomically arranged for the camera operator

Setting up the rig highlighted one of the important features of the MK lenses: they’re matched. For this shoot I only had the MK18-55mm available, but later in the year Fujifilm will be adding the MK 50-135mm to the line as well; both lenses share the same weight and dimensions. In a two-lens shoot, it would be incredibly easy to switch between the two while leaving things like matte boxes and follow focus in place. Also, since both lenses have identical T-stops it would be easy to match exposure as well.

Using the lens was a joy. As with most cinema lenses, it’s completely mechanical, and build quality is outstanding. Every movement feels well damped, and one gets the immediate sense that it’s a high quality piece of precision equipment.

One place where this mechanical build is immediately noticeable is the focus ring. Unlike most modern DSLR or mirrorless lenses, which continue to spin after reaching the end of their focus range, the MK18-55mm has hard stops.

Working with a follow focus is a breeze thanks to the mechanical lens design and geared focus ring.

It was simple to set up the Z-Drive follow focus with the standard pitch gearing on the focus ring, and thanks to the 200 degree focus rotation angle it was easy to make precise focus adjustments, using peaking in the viewfinder as a guide. The large rotation angle made it easy to adjust for small movements or to follow Jay when he moved slowly. You don’t get this level of precision with the shorter focus throw of most DSLR lenses, and you certainly don’t get it with focus-by-wire!

I didn’t notice any obvious signs of lens breathing, a phenomena that causes a lens’s field of view to change slightly as a lens is focused. Breathing is fairly common on stills camera lenses, and it rears its ugly head when you’re trying to do something like rack focus between two subjects. Cine lenses are designed to suppress lens breathing, and as far as I could tell the MK18-55 did so extremely well.

Like other cine lenses, the MK18-55mm has a parfocal design, meaning it should maintain precise focus during zooming. Still photographers often don’t care much about this since it’s simple to zoom and then refocus before taking a shot. For video work, however, you sometimes want the zoom to be part of the shot. Loosing focus mid-zoom is a big deal.

Since I was using a shoulder mount rig without an assistant, it wasn’t very practical to test the parfocal performance of the lens with Jay. However, back in the studio I lined up the lens with our studio scene and confirmed that its performance is excellent in this regard; once focused, the subject remains in focus throughout the zoom range.

Shooting with the Fujinon MK18-55mm T2.9 lens and Sony FS7.

It should be pretty obvious by now that I really enjoyed using the MK18-55mm. In addition to finding it well designed and delightful to work with, I was very pleased with the footage I captured. Optical performance appears to be outstanding. Based on my brief experience I would have no qualms about shooting a full project with this lens. It’s exciting to see Fujifilm entering this market, and I’m really looking forward to future lenses in the MK line.

Now, bring on the MK50-135mm so I can use the set!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017
How to Use the Levels Tool in Photoshop

Photoshop is a pretty daunting program when you’re beginning. So this is the first in a series of articles to bring you up to speed on some of the most useful tools to you as a photographer for editing and correcting your photos. If you’ve been a Lightroom only user, and are a CC subscriber, do follow along to start your journey into Photoshop. In this article, you’ll learn how to use the Levels tool, along with Auto Levels and learn to set up Auto Levels to suit your personal preference for the tool’s response.

You’ll also take your first step with Layers by using a Levels Adjustment Layer right at the end. But first, we’ll talk a little about Histograms.

The Histogram

A Histogram is a graphical representation of the colors and tones in your photo. The bottom axis shows the range of brightness in the image from dark to light. The side axis shows the strength a given tone has at that particular brightness. Typically you’ll hear people say that the bulk of tones should be in the middle, but that’s not exactly right. A night scene of stars will have the bulk of the tones in the dark region, with a spike at the top. Same for a dark product shot on a white background.

Histogram of a high key (light) image.

High Key shots will tend to have more information on the right of the histogram, while low key portraits will have them mostly to the left.

In general, most images will have information throughout the range of tones. When they don’t, but should, that’s where the levels tool comes into play.

Levels

To begin, you can use the keyboard shortcut CNTL/CMD+L, or choose Levels from the Image>Adjustments Menu. This is a destructive version of the tool, so it will throw away pixels. You won’t be saving this file, so it’s okay for now.

I’m using an image that I know is underexposed (you can tell by the histogram below as it doesn’t touch the right-hand side of the graph). Let’s look at what’s in your Levels tool dialog.

Preset:

You can save settings as a preset to reuse again quicker, there are a few default ones that ship with Photoshop. You can choose these presets and see both the effect and what’s been done to get it.

Level presets that come with Photoshop.

Channel

As well as the overall tone channel (RGB), you can select the red, green or blue channels separately. This will change the color balance of the image and you can use it to fix white balance issues or to creatively manipulate the look of the photo. For now, you’ll just be using the RGB channel.

Input Levels

This shows the histogram with three triangles (see above). Each triangle has a number below it (the defaults are set at 0, 1.00 and 255). You can edit these points by dragging the triangle along the histogram. They have names too. The leftmost is the Black Point, which controls the darkest tones in the image. The centre one in the Mid-tone Point, while the top is the White Point, or brightest tone in the image.

If you move the Black Point to the right, all tones to the left of the new position are rendered as pure black pixels. If you move the White Point to the left, this means that any pixel to the right of the new position will be rendered as white. Moving the Midpoint, (also referred to as the Gamma) it will shift the histogram the same direction effectively lightening or darkening the mid-tones. Left will lighten the mid-tone, while moving it to the right will darken. You may also have a perceived change in contrast as some tones at the extremes are compressed.

Output Levels

You can dictate the brightest or darkest point allowable in the image using these sliders. In general, you won’t use these as much as input levels.

Buttons

OK applies the Levels change. Cancel ignores any changes. We’ll look at Auto and Options separately. The Eyedroppers allow you to select the Black, Mid-tone, and White Points by clicking on specific parts of the photo. Preview allows you to see the changes you’re making on the image before applying the effect.

In Practice

Now that you know what the bits do, let’s look at them practically. You can see there’s a huge gap between the ends of the mountain in the histogram below and the White Point slider. By moving the White Point to the left, you can brighten the image and fix the underexposure.

Original histogram – notice the gap between the end of the mountain and the right-side of the chart? This indicates underexposure and is easily fixed.

Here the White Point has been moved to the left to touch the bottom of the mountain. This will give the image brighter tones and pure white.

By holding the Alt/Option key as you slide, you also see a heat map that shows where and clipping (pure white with no detail) occurs. For the White Point, the screen goes black, and the clipped areas show as color. For the Black Point, the image goes white, and again, the clipped areas show as color.

Holding Alt/Option while moving the slider, you can see there are some areas being clipped in the highlights. Move the White Point slider back to the right until they disappear in order to have detail in all areas of your highlights.

Here’s the result:

Fixing overexposure

If your image is overexposed (but without the highlights clipping in important areas), you need to do the opposite. In this case, you bring the Black Point up to fix the issue.

See the different left to right here? There is no black in the image on the left.

Low contrast

Another possibility is the detail is all in the middle of the histogram (low contrast or flat image). In this case, you need to move the sliders in from both ends. Notice the increase in contrast between the two photos.

By moving the Black Point to the right and the White Point to the left the contrast has been increased in this image.

While you’ve seen what changing the black and white points can do, you should also know that moving the midpoint will allow you to brighten (by moving to the left), or darken (by moving to the right) the mid-tones in your photo.

Auto Levels

Auto Levels, as the name suggest, will do this for you automatically. How Auto Levels responds depends on the settings in the Options section. These have changed with time as well, so you may not be aware of this. Press Auto Levels for this to work.

Original image.

After Auto Levels has been applied.

Options

To change the Auto Levels default settings you use the Options button.

Enhance Brightness and Contrast

The default option is Enhance Brightness and Contrast, which uses the external Brightness and Contrast tool to get a good rendition of the file. This is the look in the version of the photo above.

Enhance Monochromatic Contrast

The top option, Enhance Monochromatic Contrast is closer to what you’ve done manually in the previous section. Here’s what it looks like (starting from a fresh version of the file). First the settings in Options.

This results in the following, more dramatic, look.

Auto Levels with the default set to Enhance Monochromatic Contrast.

You can also automatically fix the color by clicking the “Snap Neutral Midtones” checkbox.

You’ll notice that the shadows are more than a little crushed in these images, though. That’s because of the mix of the swatch settings and the clip settings below. Clicking on the swatch gives Photoshop the base color for your blacks, neutrals, and white. In general, these should be black, mid gray, and white, but you could set them to suit tasks like having pure white below 255 to render something when printed, instead of paper white. For now, you should leave these at the defaults.

To prevent pure white and pure blacks being so deep, you need to back off the clipping settings. Put them at 0%.

You’ll notice the reduction in the blacks from this adjustment immediately. If you prefer the drama, leave the black clipping at 0.10%.

You can have your images render this way automatically by ticking the “Save as Defaults” checkbox.

Enhance Per Channel Contrast

This setting emulates you going in and setting each channel separately to get the white and black points to the edge of information for each color channel.

This has the effect of changing both the contrast and the color of your photo as seen below.

Find Light & Dark Colors

This option is used by the Auto Color command. It finds the average lightest and darkest pixels in your photo and uses them to get the best contrast while avoiding clipping.

Each person will have their own preference for which looks best on their photo. So choose the option you prefer the most and save it as the default. Now when you use Auto Levels, it’ll give you a quick fix when you need to get done in a hurry.

Levels Adjustment Layer

Everything you’ve done so far has been destructive editing. You’ve been throwing away pixels, which affects the quality of the photo. Have a look at the histogram in Levels when using the Enhance Monochromatic Contrast option.

See all those gaps? That’s information you’ve thrown away. If you change your mind, you’ve got nowhere to go, you can’t get that information back. There are ways to prevent this of course. You could, for instance, duplicate the layer (CTRL/CMD+J) and work on that. But you have an even better option; the Levels Adjustment Layer.

At the bottom of the Layers panel is the Adjustment Layers option. It’s a circle that’s half black and half white.

Click this to bring up the available Adjustment Layers and choose Levels. (Note: you can also open the Adjustments panel by going to: Window>Adjustments and then find the levels option, it’s the one that looks like a graph right after the sun icon).

The Adjustments panel – Levels is the second one on the top row.

A new layer, called Levels, will appear in your Layers panel. The controls for Levels don’t show as a dialog, they’re now in your Properties panel.

If you can’t see the Layers or Properties panel, you can turn them on in the Window menu. Using the Properties panel, set your Levels. If you’re not happy you can just change the settings as often as you like, without degrading the image like repeated use of the normal Levels tool would.

For the plane photo, I used Auto, which had Enhance Monochromatic Contrast, with 0% clipping, and Snap Neutral Midtones on, as the Default. I then brightened the image using the Midtone, set to 1.15.

Levelled Off

Right folks, so that’s been a look at the Levels tool in Photoshop. It’s one of the most fundamental photo tools in Photoshop. I actually think it’s a shame that Lightroom doesn’t have equivalent options in the Basic panel that emulate the options available in the Auto options (Aperture had buttons for both Monochromatic and Per Channel Auto Levels for example).

Give the tool a try, especially if you’re just starting to come to grips with Photoshop.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post How to Use the Levels Tool in Photoshop by Sean McCormack appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 22, 2017

Sigma Announces 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_4367973287″,”galleryId”:”4367973287″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Sigma has announced the 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM, a relatively compact and lightweight optically stabilized super-telephoto lens with with a dust and splashproof mount. The lens weighs 1160g/41oz, is 182mm/7.2in long, and the lens’ front element has a 67mm diameter filter thread.

For zooming, the lens utilizes a standard twist mechanism, or the front of the lens can be pushed or pulled. It can focus down to 1.6m/5.2ft, and features a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.8. The optical design comprises of 21 elements in 15 groups with four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements and a hypersonic motor with an updated algorithm.

Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Press Release

SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM

Introducing the light bazooka-a new approach to the ultra-telephoto zoom

Top performance with the specification and functionality of a more expensive unit
Compact packaging with uncompromising image quality
Push/pull zoom mechanism incorporated
Telephoto plus macro functionality
Other features?

A compact body and top performance in one complete package

An ultra-telephoto lens with an optical stabilizer (OS) system has several advantages. The OS allows the photographer to take photographs in unstable circumstances. The narrow angle of view makes it possible to dramatically compress perspective and flexible handling of the background. The photographer can thereby make the subject appear to jump out of the image, with the area in focus impressively sharp and clear. Nevertheless, ultra-telephoto lenses have traditionally had some disadvantages as well. As the nickname “bazooka” implies, they have tended to be big, heavy, and therefore burdensome to carry around. With the goal of creating an ultra-telephoto lens that is far more accessible, SIGMA incorporated all of its latest technologies into SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary. With its outstanding combination of optical performance and compactness, this is an ultra-telephoto lens that is a joy to carry and use. While keeping the robust functionality and exceptional image quality of an ultra-telephoto zoom lens intact, SIGMA has achieved amazingly compact packaging enclosing 400mm optics. Introducing the new and greatly enhanced “light bazooka” ultra-telephoto zoom lens.

SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary offers the compact size, lightweight, and high cost performance of a 70-300mm lens while delivering 400mm telephoto performance. This approach results in a tempting new ultra-telephoto choice for photographers. Offering a combination of stunning image quality and outstanding functionality, this lens satisfies the needs of pros and amateurs alike.

?Key features?

Top performance with the specification and functionality of a more expensive unit

Since its release, the SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary has won photographers over with its strong fundamental performance and exceptional image quality. The new lens retains all of this performance in a compact 400mm ultra-telephoto zoom package with a filter size of just ?67mm and weight of just 1,160g. Yet it also comes with the full range of features and functions expected of an ultra-telephoto zoom: optical stabilizer (OS), hypersonic motor (HSM) with updated algorithm for fast autofocus, focus limiter, and more. In addition, this uncompromising specification becomes customizable with the available SIGMA USB Dock accessory.

Compact packaging with uncompromising image quality

In designing this lens, SIGMA strived to push both compactness and image quality to the limit. Four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass lens elements and an optimized power distribution help minimize optical aberrations. Moreover, by taking special care to minimize transverse chromatic aberration, which cannot be corrected via aperture control, SIGMA has ensured outstanding image quality throughout the zoom range.

Push/pull zoom mechanism incorporated

For quick control of the angle of view, the zoom ring incorporates a push/pull mechanism in addition to the regular twist mechanism. The exclusive lens hood has also been designed to accommodate push/pull zooming and overall lens maneuverability. By making it possible to adjust the angle of view instantly, this lens gives photographers an even better chance of getting that crucial shot.

Telephoto plus macro functionality

With a minimum shooting distance of 160cm and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.8, this lens can shoot either from a distance or up close.

Other features

Dust- and splash-proof mount

Since the area of the lens most vulnerable to dust and other foreign bodies is the mount, rubber sealing helps provide peace of mind.

All-new optical stabilizer (OS) unit with exclusive algorithm

Featuring a newly developed gyroscopic sensor and a new and exclusive algorithm, the all-new OS unit provides a powerful stabilization effect. An acceleration sensor detects camera shake in any direction—horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. This technology allows the OS to stabilize the image very effectively, regardless of whether the camera is being held in horizontal or vertical orientation.

Nikon electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism included

The Nikon mount version of this lens includes an electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism that allows it to receive the appropriate signals from the camera body. This feature ensures precision diaphragm control and stable Auto Exposure (AE) performance during continuous shooting.

Note: Functionality may be limited on some camera bodies.

Rounded diaphragm

Designed to minimize flare and ghosting

Compatible with the newly developed tele converters

Fast AF with full-time manual override

Note: The operation of full-time MF may vary based on mount type

Compatible with Mount Converter MC-11

Available SIGMA USB DOCK (Makes customization and flexible adjustment possible)

Available Mount Conversion Service (Allows use with another camera body)

High-precision, durable brass bayonet mount

Evaluation with SIGMA’s own MTF measuring system “A1”

Made in Japan (With outstanding craftsmanship)

The lens barrel is engraved with the year of release

Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C specifications

Principal specifications
Lens type	Zoom lens
Max Format size	35mm FF
Focal length	100–400 mm
Image stabilization	Yes
Lens mount	Canon EF, Nikon F (FX), Sigma SA Bayonet
Aperture
Maximum aperture	F5–6.3
Minimum aperture	F22
Aperture ring	No
Number of diaphragm blades	9
Optics
Elements	21
Groups	15
Special elements / coatings	Four SLD elements
Focus
Minimum focus	0.16 m (6.3″)
Maximum magnification	0.26×
Autofocus	Yes
Motor type	Ring-type ultrasonic
Full time manual	Yes
Focus method	Internal
Distance scale	No
DoF scale	No
Physical
Weight	1160 g (2.56 lb)
Diameter	86 mm (3.4″)
Length	182 mm (7.18″)
Sealing	Yes
Colour	Black
Zoom method	Push/Pull (extending)
Power zoom	No
Filter thread	67.0 mm
Hood supplied	Yes
Hood product code	LH770-04
Tripod collar	No
Other
Notes	Rotating or push/pull zoom.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017

Review of the Polaroid PL-190 TTL Flash

Popping open the generic black carrying case of the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash is an unimpressive endeavor. Not that these things ever are of course. The flash which slid smoothly out into my hand looked unremarkable as well; an LCD screen and a series of buttons below. The lens had the typical integrated bounce card and diffuser. But when I slid the sizeable flash onto the hot shoe of DSLR, the un-remarkability ended. In use, the PL-190 TTL was far more impressive.

Equipped with an 18-180mm zoom, swivel/bounce head, TTL, and wireless remote capability, and it started to look pretty comparable to the high-end flashes available from Canon and Nikon (though much, much less expensive).

Note: the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash is available for both Nikon (PL-190N) and Canon (PL-190C).

Brand comparison

As a largely Canon shooter, I’ve always been a bit disappointed by my brand’s flashes. Designed to be so closely integrated into the operating system of the camera, they can produce great results. But making swift changes to settings, power, and TTL exposures can be a slow, button-pushing, menu-searching process. Then, of course, there is the cost of the Canon flashes. The higher end can run close to $ 500, which is almost five times the cost of the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash, which I held in my hand.

On-camera, the PL-190 TTL is as large as Canon or Nikon’s high-end flashes. And it’s just about as powerful.

In part due to the fiddly nature of Canon flashes, I’ve often defaulted to using basic, inexpensive, manual control lights. Plus I can buy two, three, or even four for the price of a Canon 600EX. So I was excited about this new offering. The specs of the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash are similar to that of Canon’s high-end ones (the Speedlite 600EX II-RT), though perhaps not quite as capable, and as a third party offering, the integration with my standard operating system is not quite as smooth. This flash is capable of TTL, but also easily adjustable through manual power settings. Basically, the flash seemed like a great compromise, and much more affordable.

Using the flash

In using the flash, that pleasure continued. Frankly, I love this thing and didn’t want to return the demo I’d received on loan from Polaroid.

The controls on the back are simple, a pleasant change from the various wheels and menus required to Canon’s 580ex. It’s powerful too, lighting up distant objects even under fairly bright conditions. The zoom capability, which was automated, to correspond with the focal length of the camera’s lens reached to nearly 200mm, throwing a light cone that worked nicely with my 70-200mm (one of my favorite lenses).

Straight flash, is typically direct and bright, mostly lacking shadows and textures. (True of any camera when used on-camera.)

Using the built-in diffuser, you lose about two stops of light (this is the same flash power and camera settings as the previous, straight-flash shot). The light does soften somewhat but is still direct and harsh.

This image shows the same camera setting and flash power as the previous two images but is using just the bounce card with the flash aimed straight up. It creates a softer, top-light look, though you lose about three or four stops of light.

Here, I increased the flash power three stops and used the bounce card with the flash aiming up. The result is brighter but retains the softness and directionality of a top light.

TTL and Manual Settings

Since the TTL functionality worked well with my camera, I could take advantage of that one shot then quickly switch over to full manual functionality the next. I could zoom manually as well, allowing me to focus the beam narrowly while shooting with a wide angle lens on the camera, highlighting a single portion of a much larger frame.

Off-camera the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash was easy to use. Manual settings are easy to control, providing a great deal flexibility when creating the proper exposure.

Another off-camera image. When used with the bounce card and placed close the subject, the light was surprisingly soft.

Now I want to note, that since I was primarily interested in the basic functionality and usability of this flash, I tried it only briefly off-camera, making a few images of flowers. Off-camera, I used the manual settings. As I noted earlier, the simple adjustment of power makes this a breeze. With a simple radio trigger on board, I was set to go. The Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash does have wireless slave capability and although I did not test this, given the smooth operation of the flash in general, I’m sure this too would work well.

With a 1/200th sec flash sync speed the PL-190 TTL is easily capable of images like this. Fast moving subjects like flying birds retain sharpness, with little motion blur.

Summary

In short, I think the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash is a great lighting tool. It worked flawlessly in the brutal cold of an Alaska winter day when I played with it outdoors, and it has easy to use controls with some helpful camera integration. In fact, I liked its simplicity and ease of use so much that as my Canon 580ex ages, this Polaroid flash may be the replacement. With a $ 109 price tag (at major online retailers) I can buy four with change for the price of one Canon 600ex. Guess that means I can quadruple my creative lighting options…now, where did I leave my credit card?

Shop for the Polaroid PL-190 TTL flash on Amazon.com (Nikon PL-190N or Canon PL-190C ) or B&H Photo (Nikon PL-190N or Canon PL-190C ) .

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post Review of the Polaroid PL-190 TTL Flash by David Shaw appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

February 22, 2017
2016 Challenge of Challenges winners announced

The votes have been tallied and we have a winner! DPR member cand1d’s image of a glowing sunset in Bagan, Myanmar takes top honors in the 2016 Challenge of Challenges competition. The photo is one of almost 1000 challenge-winning entries. See how your votes ranked the top 25 images, and head to our challenges page if you’re feeling inspired.

See the 2016 Challenge of Challenges Winners

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017
iPhone 8 front camera rumored to capture 3D images

Last week it was reported that Apple might be replacing the Touch ID fingerprint reader with 3D facial recognition on the top-of-the-line model of the upcoming iPhone 8 series. Now these rumors have become more substantiated by another report by Apple analyst KGI Ming-Chi Kuo which has been published today and obtained by 9to5Mac.

According to the report, the upcoming iPhone top model, which is also expected to feature an OLED display, will come with a technology that combines 2D images captured by the front camera with depth data from an infrared module to record 3D information. The application for this new front camera technology could include facial recognition, iris recognition, and 3D selfies. It could also be used in innovative games that allow for replacing a 3D-avatar’s head with the head of the phone’s user or for augmented reality purposes.

If the report is correct, the infrared transmitter will use vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser technology from a company called Lumentum and the IR receiver will be manufactured by Foxconn/Sharp. The front camera will be supplied by Sony. The hardware will be controlled by algorithms developed by PrimeSense, a company that Apple acquired in 2013. The system works by emitting invisible IR light and then detecting the signals that are reflected by objects in the proximity using a 1.4 megapixel IR receiver. The resulting system will have much more advanced depth-sensing capabilities than the existing iPhone 7 Plus dual rear camera that uses the optical parallax offset of its two lenses to determine the distance to objects in the scene.

As usual, there is no guarantee the rumored feature will actually materialize in the final product. That said, it certainly looks as if Apple is preparing something special for its 2017 iPhone generation. Unfortunately, another rumor is saying the flagship model might set you back upwards of $ 1000.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017
ADOX is doubling the size of its film production plant in Germany

The analog revival seems to roll on, as film producer ADOX has announced it’s doubling the size of its facility that produces photographic chemicals, film and papers. This latest facility comes shortly after ADOX acquired a facility in Marley, Switzerland, which itself joined the company’s Berlin facilities. The new production plant is being constructed alongside the company’s current ‘crowded and stuffed’ facility in Germany.

Per a statement from ADOX, the additional space will enable ADOX to construct additional laboratories, a new emulsifying machine, build a large freezer for storing master rolls, incorporate a Super 8 production line, relocate its packaging factory and setup more offices.

Via: PhotoRumors, DSLR Magazine

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

February 22, 2017