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Canon RF 85mm F2 Macro IS sample gallery

23 Nov

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Canon’s RF 85mm F2 Macro IS offers EOS R-series shooters an affordable, stabilized and fast-ish portrait prime. Its ‘Macro’ designation also reflects its close-focusing capabilities and while it falls short of true 1:1 reproduction, its 0.5X magnification gives this lens another layer of versatility. Take a look at how it handles subjects out in the real world.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon Will Offer 27 Z Mount Lenses Before 2022 Is Out

23 Nov

The post Nikon Will Offer 27 Z Mount Lenses Before 2022 Is Out appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Nikon Z mount lenses

Nikon’s Z lens roadmap has expanded substantially over the past two years – and the company’s most recent roadmap update promises a total of 27 Z-mount lenses before the close of 2022.

It’s a clear sign that Nikon is devoted to their mirrorless system, which debuted just over two years ago with the Nikon Z7 but has remained limited in both camera and lens selection. But while a complete set of lenses is a long way off, it’s nice to know that Nikon is willing to dig in and create a mirrorless lineup that will eventually compete with the current heavy hitters.

So what lenses can you expect from Nikon over the next couple of years?

The existing set of Z mount lenses already offers a lot of the basics (note that this includes lenses coming out over the next couple of months):

  • A handful of fast primes and zooms for professional and amateur portrait shooters, including the 50mm f/1.2, the 35mm f/1.8, and the 24-70mm f/2.8
  • A few cheaper zooms, such as the 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3, the 24-200mm f/4-6.3, and the 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3
  • Some excellent glass for landscape photographers, including a 24-70mm f/4, a 70-200mm f/2.8, and a 14-24mm f/2.8

However, despite a core set of strong Z mount options, Nikon has failed to offer a few “standards,” including a faster 85mm lens (e.g., an 85mm f/1.4), as well as a 70-200mm f/4 (for hobbyist landscape photographers, among others). The Z-mount lineup continues to lack lenses for specialized shooters, as well – such as super-telephoto primes and zooms, plus a macro lens or two.

Which is where the Nikon Z mount roundmap comes in.

While the roadmap doesn’t address all of these gaps, it does promise a number of powerful lenses, including:

  • A 24-105mm lens
  • An 85mm lens (likely an f/1.4 version!)
  • Both a 50mm and a 105mm macro lens
  • Four super-telephoto lenses, including a 200-600mm zoom, a 100-400mm zoom, a 400mm prime, and a 600mm prime

If you’re a bird, wildlife, or even sports photographer, then Nikon’s Z system is going to become a lot more appealing over the next couple of years, as Nikon fills in its super-telephoto gap (with a 200-600mm and a 100-400mm option, no less!).

The same is true for macro photographers, who will pounce on Nikon’s 105mm micro lens (though I do wish Nikon would offer a 180mm or 200mm Z mount macro lens; maybe it’ll be added to a future roadmap).

Regardless, Nikon’s Z system is becoming more and more well-rounded – and the addition of these lenses will simply broaden its appeal.

Now over to you:

What upcoming Z mount lenses are you interested in? And what lenses do you wish Nikon would make? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Nikon Will Offer 27 Z Mount Lenses Before 2022 Is Out appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Google Photos — Bait Meet Switch

23 Nov

Google Photos blog post announcing their new Google Photos service.

In case you missed it recently, Google Photos has decided to end their free unlimited photo hosting service. Beginning in June of next year users will be limited to 15GB of space before being asked to pay for more storage. How much you’ll have to pay will depend on how much storage you use. Unfortunately for me, I have more photos than fit their top tier $ 100/year plan, so even if I wanted to pay I’d be capped out of the service.

While I don’t begrudge Google, a trillion dollar company that makes billions of dollars a year, from wanting to make even MORE money, I am offended by the bait and switch approach that they took with Google Photos. Offering a user the first hit for free is classic dealer marketing. A lot of time and energy goes into organizing your photos on ANY photo sharing site and when someone spends hundreds or even thousands of hours organizing their photos at a site only to be priced out of the site, those are countless hours that you will never get back.

Fortunately for me I’ve spent a lot less time using Google Photos for the past few years. Google’s consistent bad faith across photo hosting/sharing products has left me very skeptical of anything they do anymore.

Some of you may remember Picasa (Google killed it). I was a user of that. I also was a big user of Google Buzz (they killed that too). Then I put hundreds of hours into my photography on Google+ (once again RIP). We used to do photowalks and hangouts and lots of other fun things around photography with Google+. Here’s my old Google+ url.

Initially I was super excited about Google Photos, but that changed over time. I was disappointed that one of their early features, photo facial recognition, didn’t really work for me. It limited the service to 200 faces and unfortunately for me when the service launched it grabbed a bunch of faces of musicians I’d photographed performing at Coachella and chose those as the ones to tag. There was no way to delete those and have it choose people who were actually my family, friends, neighbors, etc.

I was also disappointed that the hours and hours and hours I’d spent keywording all my photos in Adobe Lightroom were stripped out of my uploads to Google Photos. I’m not sure why Google would want to remove one of the best ways for me to search my photos from their service but for whatever reason they strip this data.

Still, Google Photos was free (even though it downsized my photos). It’s hard to complain about free — until they locked my gmail. Last year I received a rather ominous message from Google threatening that unless I paid them for more storage they were going to turn my gmail off.

It turns out that even though Google Photos claimed to be able to convert my photos to high quality JPEGs with free unlimited storage, that TIFF files generated by the software program Analog Efex Pro (ironically a former Google owned product before they jettisoned that as well) were not being converted by Google Photos and were sucking up my gmail storage which was then demanding payment from me. They actually locked my gmail and I missed several important emails that were blocked during this fiasco.

By this point I was about ready to delete my Google Photos account — except I could not find ANY way to delete my Google Photos account. That’s right you can’t just delete Google Photos. You have to delete your entire Google account including your Gmail!

While this is my unhappy story and experience with Google Photos, many, many users were duped into signing up for a free service that they thought would protect, as Google put it, their “lifetime of memories.” Now Google is demanding money from these users.

To me it seems wrong (even evil — remember their old motto “don’t be evil” that they also abandoned?) that Google would bait and switch so many users on this product. You can’t/won’t get the many hours that you spent organizing your photos on Google Photos back. Some will just begrudgingly pay up. What I see is one of the world’s largest companies who used a classic monopolistic tactic to grab market share by pricing out and hurting smaller competitors and now wants to profit from their move.

Once burned shame on you. Twice, three times, four times, five times, six times burned, shame on me. I will never trust Google with another product again.

Thankfully there is an alternative to Google Photos, good old trustworthy Flickr. Here is a thoughtful analysis done by Jeremy Zero comparing Google Photos and Flickr.

I’ve been using Flickr since 2004 and as long as I can remember my Flickr Pro account has remained unlimited. Flickr/SmugMug CEO Don MacAskill even recently re-iterated Flickr’s commitment to honoring their unlimited service. While Flickr may not be a trillion dollar company or make billions of dollars every year like Google does, they are a small company that cares about photographers and your photography. They also do a great job storing and sharing your full high-res, uncompressed, high quality images (and they even retain your photo keywords when you upload them there). I feel much better supporting an ethical small business than a trillion dollar company using monopolistic bait and switch tactics to try to drive the smaller guy out of business.

You can find me on Flickr here. If you are an American Photographer come join the American Photographer Group I administer on Flickr and say hello.


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Best gifts for photographers in 2020

22 Nov

Best gifts for photographers in 2020

First, an acknowledgement: this holiday season is unusual. It’s been a grim year to say the least, and it might seem a little frivolous to be recommending gadgets and stocking stuffers when many people are struggling.

The counter-argument is that in these difficult times, creative pursuits are more important than ever. For many of us, photography is therapeutic – something that invigorates us when we’re feeling depleted. If we can assist you in helping the photographer in your life find a little calm in the storm that is 2020, then we’ve done our job.

So in light of all of this, most of the gifts in this guide are well under $ 100, and many of them are geared towards enabling and enriching the experience of photography, rather than just adding to the world’s landfill sites. If you’re looking for camera cufflinks – and we advise against gifting them – you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Jump to:
Outdoor enthusiasts | Indoor enthusiasts | Creatives | Travelers | Stocking stuffers

For outdoor enthusiasts

If you’re shopping for someone whose photography takes them out into the elements, you really can’t go wrong with hand warmers ($ 24 for 40 pairs). They’re a wintertime wildlife or landscape photographer’s best friend. Plus, they’ll be great for all of those chilly outdoor hangouts with your COVID pod squad.

Outdoorsy types also tend to be early risers, so it’s a good idea to make sure they’re equipped with an excellent coffee tumbler. The Yeti Rambler ($ 35) is vacuum insulated, dishwasher-safe and uses a magnetic latch for easy opening and closing.

Also consider a membership or annual pass to a nearby park or wildlife preserve. In the US, an America the Beautiful interagency pass ($ 80) is like a golden ticket – it gets you into federally-managed sites including all national parks and national forests for a year from the time of purchase. Access to some federally-owned land has been tricky this year, but hopefully 2021 will be different.

For indoor enthusiasts

It’s a safe bet that many of us will be spending a lot of time in the great indoors over the next six months. With than in mind, we’ve got some ideas for photo-centric gifts to help curb cabin fever.

This deck of photography-themed playing cards ($ 35) has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. For starters, they’re gorgeously designed. They also serve a dual purpose with photography tips and techniques printed on each card. And of course, they function as regular ol’ playing cards, which will come in handy when every jigsaw puzzle in the house has been assembled and disassembled again.

Henry Carroll’s Photographers on Photography ($ 20) is another good bet for photographers of all skill levels and disciplines. It’s a collection of images and reflections on the photo-making process from a wide range of established photographers. It’s more thought-provoking and inspiring, less a technical guide or how-to.

For the truly ambitious tinkerer, consider a Raspberry Pi computer ($ 35 and up) and interchangeable lens camera module ($ 50). A helpful companion guide ($ 14) coaches the user as they build a working camera from scratch. Python coding experience is helpful, but not absolutely necessary – just ask The Verge’s Becca Farsace. And don’t forget a lens: Raspberry Pi offers two compatible lenses to choose from ($ 30/60).

For creatives

We’ve recommended an Instax Share instant printer in our gift guides several years in a row now, and for good reason: it’s really good! You’ll find lots of cheaper non-Instax options if you go looking for an instant smartphone photo printer, but you won’t necessarily find the quality of of Fujifilm’s instant prints in the lower priced alternatives. The Instax Share SP-3 ($ 100) uses Fuji’s slightly larger, more Polaroid-esque square format film. It’s a truly delightful way to share photos.

Capturing great-looking video clips starts with stabilization. The DJI OM 4 ($ 150) is smartphone gimbal that produces amazing results right out of the box with very little setup (its predecessor, the Osmo Mobile 3 is $ 30 cheaper and also a good buy while it’s still available). The included tripod accessory will also make it possible to shoot timelapses with movement. For the photographer who’s curious about video, or just wants to try something new, it’s a great low-cost tool that works with the camera they already have in their pocket: their smartphone.

The Lensbaby Omni ($ 100) is a little sci-fi looking, but hear us out. It attaches to the front of a lens and provides adjustable, magnetic mounts that hold included pieces of glass and objects in front of the lens for creative effects. Resulting images will include dramatic flare and reflections of light in the scene, which make for interesting effects in portraits or landscapes. It’s a fun way to let loose a little more creative energy and capture familiar scenes in a different way. Be sure to purchase the right size Omni – the ‘small’ will fit most standard DSLR kit lenses.

For travelers

Fun trips to other parts of the world have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop planning or reminiscing about past trips – and that’s part of the fun. Moleskine’s travel journal ($ 30) is part planner, part memory keeper for short trips and long journeys alike. Sure, it’s a little twee in the year 2020, but sometimes it’s nice to do things with pen and paper and stop looking at screens for two seconds.

When it’s safe to hit the road again, a Tom Binh organizer ($ 30) is a great tool for packing all of the cords and chargers that keep smartphones and cameras powered. An organized carry-on is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Stocking stuffers

If it’s that little extra something you’re after, here are a few inexpensive, useful items that you can’t go wrong with. For starters, extra micro fiber cleaning cloths ($ 10 for pack of two) are always welcome in a photographer’s life, and they’re especially nifty when they fold up into their own storage pouch.

Another helpful item is this photographer’s multi-tool ($ 10), with a 5/32″ (4mm) allen wrench on one end and a flat-head screwdriver on the other. Between the two, you should be able to tighten or loosen attachments on most camera supports, cages and tripod plates. This handy double-ended tool is attached to a key ring so it’s always close by. What could be handier than that?

Finally, for the family photographer a Shutter Hugger ($ 20) is a simple-yet-genius way to coax little ones into looking at the camera. These small stuffed animals fit around a camera lens and come in four adorable varieties: monkey, giraffe, dinosaur and Dalmatian. Cute, effective and inexpensive – a true triple threat.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography

22 Nov

The post Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Elliot Hook.

Composition is often the difference between a good landscape photograph and a great landscape photograph. There are oft-quoted rules that we all try to adhere to and break in equal measure (the rule of thirds, leading lines, golden spiral, etc.), yet when considering what we are trying to capture, we don’t always think about the frame itself.

The aspect ratio of a photograph can make or break the composition by either emphasizing the subject and removing distractions, or by putting the whole scene off-balance. When looking through the viewfinder, about to press the shutter, it’s a good idea to try and envisage the final shot, including the aspect ratio, in order to optimize your composition. Too often, the aspect ratio is an afterthought, applied during post-processing to correct for poor compositional choice.

But how does each aspect ratio impact compositions in landscape photography?

That’s where this article comes in. I’m going to discuss a few common aspect ratios (with examples). I’ll show the benefits and drawbacks for each, and explain where each aspect ratio may be applied.

Note that there is an argument for cropping your photo without sticking to a defined ratio; in other words, that you should give an image a custom ratio based on your subject matter. But that can make printing and framing awkward, so I will therefore be sticking to well-defined ratios that most should be familiar with.

1:1 – Square format

The square format can often be used to simplify an image and give your subject a striking presence at the center of the frame. 

By keeping the width equal to the height, the way in which we read the photograph changes, as there is less of a need to move from left to right through the frame. 

The square format also offers a good opportunity to break the rules we so often follow; place the horizon along the center of the image or place a subject in the center of the frame, and the composition may only get stronger. 

You’ll often see a 1:1 aspect ratio used to emphasize minimalism (again, it’s the theme of simplification).

Derwent Water, Lake District, UK presented in a 1:1 aspect ratio

4:3 – Four thirds format

This format is the default aspect ratio of cameras that use Four Thirds sensors. 

An image with a 4:3 aspect ratio is wider than it is tall, meaning that the eye naturally wants to move left to right through the image. However, given that the image is still fairly tall in relation to the width, this ratio is perfect for drawing the eye into the scene through leading lines. 

The relative height of a 4:3 image encourages the use of wide-angle focal lengths to capture the depth of a scene, without including excess details at the edge of the frame.

Lavender field at sunrise presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio

6:4 – 35mm format (also called 3:2)

This is the default aspect ratio for 35mm film, and therefore for full-frame and APS-C sensors used in most Nikon and Canon cameras. 

With a 6:4 image, the width is significantly wider than the height. This encourages viewing the image from left to right, meaning diagonal leading lines can work quite well.

A limitation of this aspect ratio is that the height is that much shorter in relation to the width. So capturing foreground detail using a wide-angle lens becomes more difficult due to the limited vertical space with which you can work. A 6:4 aspect ratio can even cause the subjects within the frame to become too disparate and therefore lose impact. 

The 6:4 ratio can, however, be suited to capturing scenes where there is little to no foreground interest, especially if you’re using midrange focal lengths (e.g., 35mm).

Rain over Lake Como presented in a 6:4 aspect ratio

16:9 – Widescreen panoramic

The widescreen panoramic format was supported in film by the Advanced Photo System (APS) upon its introduction, and has recently become more popular due to the prevalence of 16:9 aspect ratio displays in the home on TVs, computer monitors, and mobile devices. 

With this format, the width of the image is dominant, so leading the viewer in from the foreground is difficult.

But the format is ideally suited to presenting portions of landscape scenes captured with longer focal lengths (e.g., zoom lenses) from a distance.

Beach abstraction presented in a 16:9 format

12:6 or 18:6 – Panoramic (also called 2:1 or 3:1)

I’ve chosen to adopt 12:6 or 18:6 as the panoramic format here for a few reasons.

First, both 2:1 and 3:1 seem to be fairly well supported in that panoramic picture frame options are typically either 2:1 or 3:1. 2:1 is a panoramic format supported by a number of medium format film cameras and 3:1 was supported by the APS. 

Typically, panoramic ratios will be used to present the result of stitching two or more images together; it’s quite challenging to capture a 3:1 aspect ratio image in one frame and still be able to print at any meaningful size.

Often, frames to be stitched will have been captured using a longer focal length in order to pick out distant details in the landscape. There is no real option to include foreground detail here.

Chalkfields at sunrise presented in a 3:1 aspect ratio

Portrait mode

I’m aware that I’ve discussed a number of different aspect ratios in “landscape” format, and not in “portrait” format.

But that is because I believe the options for the successful presentation of landscapes in “portrait” format are much fewer in number. For a landscape to work, you need to balance the composition throughout the frame, and aspect ratios such as 6:4 make that very difficult, due to the image being too tall relative to its width. 

For “portrait” landscapes to work, fatter rectangles, such as 4:3, 7:6, or 5:4, are ideal. In fact, 5:4 is heavily used by professional landscape photographers with medium and large format cameras. This aspect ratio allows the eye to be taken through the image from left to right, without having an excess amount of sky knocking the frame off-balance.

Bwlch Y Groes, Wales, UK presented in three different portrait formats

Conclusion

While I have tried to describe specific uses of certain aspect ratios, I am aware that not all scenes will follow the suggestions I’ve made. Some images may work well with a certain ratio that’s contrary to what I’ve suggested.

However, I’m hoping this introduction to aspect ratios will encourage you to think about them when composing your shot, before pressing the shutter. It isn’t always ideal to fill the frame with the landscape in front of you.

And knowing that the aspect ratio you choose is not dictated by which camera you use means that you may be able to use aspect ratios effectively to boost the impact of your landscape photographs.

The post Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Elliot Hook.


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Sony announces its new FX6 full-frame cinema camera with 10-bit 4:2:2 4K/120p internal recording

22 Nov

Sony has announced the launch of its new FX6 full-frame 4K cinema camera, which merges Sony’s cinema technology and form factor with advanced imaging technologies taken from its Alpha mirrorless camera systems.

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At the core of the camera is a 4K 10.2-megapixel full-frame backside-illuminated CMOS Exmor R sensor powered by a Sony Bionz XR image processing engine — likely the same setup used in the Sony a7S III. Sony notes the sensor offers 15+ stops of dynamic range and has a maximum ISO of 409,600 for ultra-low-light shooting.

The FX6 captures 10-bit 4:2:2 full-frame footage at 120 frames per second (fps) at 4K and 240 fps in 1080. If you use the onboard 12G-SDI port, the FX6 can output 16-bit SDI Raw 4K/60p video. Sony has also added its S-Cinetone look profile, which is inspired by its Venice colorimetry and also found in the company’s FX9 cinema camera.

Footage is stored to one or both of the camera’s dual CFexpress Type A card slots, which are also backwards compatible with SD UHS-II cards. It’s worth noting though that any recording over 100 fps will require the use of the faster CFExpress Type A cards, as even UHS-II SD cards won’t have the bandwidth to get the job done.

Below are still frames pulled from footage captured with the FX6:

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The FX6 uses Sony’s E-mount for attaching lenses, making it compatible with more than 50 native lenses and countless dozens third-party lenses. The FX6 features the same 627-point Fast Hybrid AF system found in the FX9 and Sony’s Alpha mirrorless cameras, including advanced Face Detection and Real-time Eye AF. The FX6 also has internal electronic variable ND filters, which can be manually adjusted ‘in smooth increments from 1/4 to 1/128.’ Below is a video demonstration of the FX6’s electronic ND filter at work:

The FX6 is constructed of a magnesium alloy chassis that measures 11.6cm (4.6”) x 15.3cm (6”) x 11.4cm (4.5”) and weighs 890g (1.96lbs). The included 3.5” LCD viewfinder can be attached to various locations on the body, thanks to its modular design.

Other features include built-in Wi-Fi, four-channel audio recording and compatibility with Sony’s Catalyst Browse/Prepare software as well as Sony’s Content Browser mobile app that can be used to monitor video and control focus, iris and even zoom remotely.

The FX6 full-frame cinema camera from Sony will be available for $ 6,000 in December through Sony and authorized retailers. It will also be available as a kit with Sony’s FE 24–105mm F4 G E-mount lens for $ 7,200. Sony is also releasing a new FE C 16–35mm T3.1 G lens in December that will retail for $ 5,500.

Press release:

Sony Electronics Launches FX6 Full-frame Professional Camera to Expand its Cinema Line

FX6 Combines the Best of Sony’s Industry-leading Digital Cinema Technology with Advanced Imaging Features from Alpha™ Mirrorless Cameras

FX6 Product Highlights:

  • 4K 10.2 megapixel full-frame back-illuminated CMOS Exmor R™ sensor
  • Compact and lightweight body design for on-the-go shooting
  • Ultra-high sensitivity with ISO expandable up to 409,600 for very low light conditions
  • 15+ stops of dynamic range[i]
  • S-CinetoneTM look profile, also used in FX9 and inspired by VENICE colorimetry
  • BIONZ XR™ image processing engine, first used in Alpha 7S III
  • Fast Hybrid Auto Focus, also used in Alpha cameras and FX9
  • Recording up to 4K 120p / HD 240p, 10-bit 4:2:2 color depth in full-frame[ii]
  • Support for up to 12G-SDI and 4K at up to 60p 16-bit SDI RAW output
  • Compatible with more than 50 native E-mount lenses

SAN DIEGO – November 17, 2020 – Sony Electronics Inc. today officially announced the FX6 (model ILME-FX6V) camera, the latest addition to Sony’s Cinema Line, a series of products that brings the company’s expertise in imaging technology to a broad range of filmmakers and content creators.

Sony’s Cinema Line, which also includes the VENICE and FX9 cameras, delivers a coveted filmic look cultivated from extensive experience in digital cinema production, as well as enhanced operability thanks to an innovative body design, extensive durability and intuitive customizability.

As part of the Cinema Line, the all-new FX6 incorporates Sony’s core technologies of image sensor, processing engine, and AF (autofocus) performance. FX6 is also compatible with the wide range of Sony E-mount lenses for creative flexibility.

“The new FX6 is the latest example of Sony’s drive to continuously push the boundaries of imaging technology based on the needs of our customers,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Imaging Products and Solutions Americas, Sony Electronics. “With the advancement of our Cinema Line, we are dedicated to enabling the extraordinary skills and talent of today’s content creators and cinematographers. The FX6 leverages technology from Sony’s industry-leading VENICE cinema camera and marries it with the best of Sony’s innovative Alpha mirrorless camera technology.”

Full-frame Cinematic Image Quality

The new camera features a 10.2 MP[iii] full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R™ CMOS sensor that delivers a 15+ stop wide dynamic range[iv] with high sensitivity and low noise. FX6’s base sensitivity is ISO 800 with an enhanced sensitivity setting of ISO 12,800[v] – expandable up to 409,600[vi] – for shooting in low and very low light conditions. It is capable of recording in XAVC All Intra 4:2:2 10-bit depth with stunning image quality in DCI 4K (4096 x 2160 – up to 60p), QFHD 4K (3840 x 2160 – up to 120p[vii]) and FHD (1920×1080 – up to 240p) for incredibly detailed slow motion. When more convenient file sizes are needed, FX6 can record in XAVC Long GOP 4:2:0 8-bit QFHD 4K (3840 x 2160 – up to 120pvii) and 4:2:2 10-bit FHD (1920×1080 – up to 240p). FX6 also includes a BIONZ XR™ image processing engine, first used in the new Sony Alpha 7S III camera, providing up to four times faster processing performance compared to the FS5 II.

Developed with the same expertise as Sony’s world-leading VENICE cinema camera, FX6 offers advanced cinematic color science including S-CinetoneTM for richer tonal reproduction right out of the box as well as S-Log3, S-Gamut3 and S-Gamut3.Cine for post-production flexibility. FX6’s cinematic color science is optimized for premium applications by capturing the maximum dynamic range from the sensor and providing creative freedom. Leveraging the color science of VENICE, FX6 also allows productions to easily match footage with other cameras in the Cinema Line.

Advanced Video Features

Pulling from Sony Alpha’s impressive AF features, FX6 offers Fast Hybrid AF by combining 627-point[viii] focal plane phase-detection AF with advanced Face Detection and Real-time Eye AF in high frame rates with continuous AF, allowing camera operators to effortlessly and precisely track fast-moving subjects in slow motion without losing focus. Fast Hybrid AF works with over 50 native E-mount lenses. The camera can also capture up to five times slow-motion with 4K (QFHD) 120fps.

The new FX6 also offers internal electronic variable ND filters for easy and seamless control of the camera’s filter density. Users can set variable ND to auto or adjust the filter density manually in smooth increments from 1/4 to 1/128 for perfectly exposed images without affecting the depth of field or shutter angle, even during changing lighting conditions. Combined with the camera’s ultra-high sensitivity, the electronic variable ND filter provides users with outstanding creative control in almost any shooting environment.

Made for Content Creators on the Go

Outstanding Mobility and Operability

Built with a durable magnesium alloy chassis, measuring just 4.6 inches x 6 inches x 4.5 inches (116 millimeters x 153 millimeters x 114 millimeters) and weighing just 1.96 pounds (0.89 kilograms), FX6 has a compact and lightweight design making it easy for users to grab and shoot at any time. The new camera includes a heat dissipating structure to keep the camera’s components within their normal operating ranges to prevent overheating, even during extended recording times. FX6 also features a modular design allowing users to easily pair accessories, such as grips and viewfinders, or attach the camera to other mechanisms, such as gimbals and drones.

FX6’s 3.5-inch LCD Viewfinder can be attached on multiple locations of the camera body for added freedom and easy menu control with touch operation. Using a quick access control menu for commonly accessed features, camera operators can change key settings with a single touch – including Codec, Imager Scan Mode, Picture Size and Frequency, Base ISO and Sensitivity, Shooting Mode and Audio Levels.

Professional-level Reliability

In line with professional workflows, FX6 includes a 12G-SDI output that also supports 16-bit RAW, HDMI output, timecode in/out, built-in Wi-Fi and four channel audio recording (via XLR Interface, Multi-Interface Shoe and built-in Stereo Mic). The new camera also features two media slots compatible with CFexpress Type A cards[ix] for higher overall capacity and faster read and write speeds in addition to SDXC UHS-II/UHS-I cards.

Additionally, Sony’s Catalyst Browse/Prepare[x] software facilitates fast and easy editing. Users can import FX6’s image stabilization metadata into Catalyst Browse/Prepare to transform handheld footage into incredibly smooth and stable visuals. FX6 also has a dedicated Clip Flag button to easily filter and locate preferred takes using Catalyst Browse/Prepare. This software also reflects metadata indicating when FX6 is rotated or in its normal position, eliminating the need to rotate footage beforehand. FX6 is also compatible with Sony’s Content Browser Mobile App to easily monitor and control focus, iris, and zoom remotely[xi].

About Cinema Line

Cinema Line is series of professional cameras that have a filmic look, cultivated from Sony’s long experience in digital cinema production, and enhanced operability and reliability that responds to the wide variety of creator’s high demands.

Cinema Line includes the digital cinema camera VENICE, which is highly acclaimed in the feature and episodic production industry, and the professional camera FX9, which is has been popular for documentary and drama production. With the new FX6, Sony brings versatile creative tools to all types of visual storytellers.

FE C 16-35mm T3.1 G E-mount Cinema Lens

The FE C 16-35mm T3.1 G (model SELC1635G) lens, announced at IBC 2019, will be available in December 2020 to pair with FX6, FX9 and other full-frame Sony cameras. This new lens supports intelligent shooting functions unique to E-mount cameras – such as fast and accurate AF within shallow depth of field – while also offering manual focus options in a form factor familiar to professional cinema creators.

The FE C 16-35mm T3.1 G delivers stunning bokeh and corner-to-corner resolution thanks to two XA (Extreme Aspherical) elements with extreme surface precision of 0.01-micron, circular 11-blade apertures in addition to three aspheric lenses that are positioned in a way that effectively reduces field curvature, astigmatism and, in combination with two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements, reduces color distortion. Additionally, floating focus provides outstanding resolution at every zoom position. The new lens also features Nano AR (Anti Reflection) coating, to reduce flare.

The focus ring offers a 140-degree large angle of rotation for fine control, with distance scale markers for consistent focus reset during multiple takes. Linear Response MF enables smooth manual focus, allowing users to adjust focus accurately and intuitively. Three independent rings for focus, iris and zoom enable users to get the exact creative results they desire. Each ring has the industry standard 0.8mm pitch gear for use of follow focus accessories, and the 114mm barrel diameter is compatible with industry standard matte box accessories. A two-speed servo provides smooth, accurate control of focal length and can be activated from a switch on the lens or a lever on the FX6 Smart Grip.

Pricing and Availability

The new FX6 full-frame Cinema Line camera will be available in December and will be sold for approximately $ 5,999.99 USD and $ 8,048.99 CAD, at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.

A new kit featuring the FX6 full-frame Cinema Line camera and FE 24-105mm F4 G E-mount Lens will also be available in December and will be sold for approximately $ 7,199.99 USD and $ 9,658.99 CAD. It will be sold at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.

The FE C 16-35mm T3.1 G lens will be available in December and will be sold for approximately $ 5,499.99 USD and $ 7,199.99 CAD, at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.

Exclusive stories about Cinema Line, FX6, FE C 16-35mm T3.1 G and Sony’s other imaging products can be found at www.sonycine.com and www.alphauniverse.com, resources designed to educate and inspire all fans of Sony’s technology for content creation and photography.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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VALOI 360 Kickstarter campaign promises affordable way to digitize film

22 Nov

A new Kickstarter campaign for VALOI 360 promises to deliver an affordable, high-quality way to digitize rolls of 35mm and medium format film.

VALOI 360, which is over halfway toward its roughly $ 74,000 USD goal, is a system of modular physical components you can use to digitize 35mm and 120mm film negatives using a digital camera. There are three main components in the 360 system. There is the VALOI 360 35mm Holder. The holder keeps 35mm film flat while allowing for a backlight to shine through. It is constructed of injection-molded plastic and has an S-curve film path to flatten the film without touching the image area.

Prototype VALOI 35mm Holder

The other holder, the VALOI 360 120 Holder, holds 120 medium format film up to 6 x 9cm frames. Like the 35mm holder, it allows light to shine through, is made of injection-molded plastic, and has an S-curve film path. Both holders also include rubber dome feet to make sure the holder sits flat on the light source underneath.

Prototype VALOI 120 Holder

The third component is the VALOI 360 Film Advancer upgrade. You place a film holder inside the Film Advancer and the advancer allows you to quickly forward to the next frame by rotating a knob. The frame and axle are made of steel and the rollers are rubber. It comes with screw-in rubber feet with long threads which can be used for leveling. As part of the Kickstarter campaign, the Film Advancer upgrade is only available alongside holders, but VALOI plans to sell it separately later.

To use the VALOI 360, you must have a digital camera (or, in a pinch, even a smartphone) and a light source. An ideal setup involves a digital camera, tripod, and a stable, color-consistent light source. The VALOI 360 holds your film flat, you capture an image of the film and if you’re digitizing a negative, you use a computer to invert and process it. There is additional information about digitizing best practices on the Kickstarter page.

Prototype VALOI 360 Film Advancer

The primary challenge that VALOI hopes to overcome with its 360 system is how to hold film flat and stable in front of a light source. This is the problem that VALOI founder, Arild, first tried to address with various prototypes. Arild used plywood, acrylics, LEGO components and more in pursuit of building something affordable and easy to use when digitizing film. He even learned how to build 3D CAD designs. Mechanical engineer Wicher van Lambalgen, VALOI co-founder, came on board to turn Arild’s ideas and early designs into a commercially viable prototype.

Assuming the campaign reaches its funding goal, by pledging €19 backers will receive the VALOI 35mm Holder. For €29, you can select the 120 Holder. The €44 pledge includes the VALOI Holder Pack, which includes both the 35mm and 120 film holders. For photographers wanting the VALOI 360 Film Advancer, you must step up to the VALOI 35mm Kit at €129 (the €139 kit includes the 120 Holder instead). A full kit with all three components is also available for €179. All pledge options include a scanning tutorial to help beginners learn how to best use the VALOI 360 system to scan their film. Products are expected to begin shipping to backers in April 2021. For full details about the VALOI 360 system and the available backer options, click here.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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ON1 announces ON1 Professional Plugin Series, including new versions of 4 plugins

21 Nov

ON1 has announced its all-new ON1 Professional Plugin Series. The suite includes new versions of ON1 HDR, ON1 Effects, ON1 Resize and ON1 Portrait AI. ON1 states, ‘The ON1 Professional Plugin Series is a new product line focusing on bringing ON1’s editing technologies into existing professional photo workflows with a more integrated experience.’

The ON1 plugins work with an expanded set of host applications, including Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Corel Paintshop Pro, Apple Photos and Capture One (coming soon). ON1 says, ‘We were founded on creating plugins for Adobe Photoshop and later the Lightroom workflow. Back then, it was all about saving photographers time by making things easier to do in our plugins, which would make their workflows much faster. Today, it’s about how ON1 software can tightly integrate our newest technologies from ON1 Photo Raw into more workflows to produce better results.’

ON1 HDR 2021 includes improved performance and control over your images. Image credit: ON1

ON1 HDR 2021 promises ‘natural HDR photos’ that combine highlight and shadow details from bracketed exposures. It includes de-ghosting controls for reducing movement in a scene, such as clouds in the sky or moving water, and promises fast previews. ON1 says the software is up to 7x faster than ‘leading HDR apps.’ You can also adjust tone and color while working with layers and applying special effects. ON1 HDR includes noise reduction and lens corrections as well.

ON1 Effects 2021 features filters and presets crafted by ON1’s team of experts. New features in the 2021 version include a replace color filter, non-destructive Spot Healing Brush and Color-Sensitive Gradient Masks. ON1 states that the new custom brush shapes ‘give customers a quantum-leap in new ways to add creative edits.’ Further, the latest version includes a new full-screen preview option.

ON1 Effects 2021 features filters and presets designed by ON1’s team of experts. The plugin includes a non-destructive spot healing brush, among other features. Image credit: ON1

When you need to enlarge your images, ON1 Resize 2021 delivers ‘industry-leading Genuine Fractals technology’ to make it simpler and quicker to enlarge image files without sacrificing sharpness and detail.

Finally, ON1 Portrait AI 2021 relies upon machine learning to automatically find and retouch each face in an image. The plugin analyzes the image, locates the faces and adds ‘just the right amount’ of retouching to each person’s skin, eyes and mouth. The plugin includes a spot healing brush, custom brush shapes and full-screen preview as well.

ON1 Portrait AI 2021 uses machine learning to automatically retouch each face in a portrait. Image credit: ON1

ON1 is looking forward as well, promising that the company is working hard to introduce better integration with each host application. Future updates will also include better options for non-destructive workflows between plugins and host applications, such that your photos will remain re-editable.

Dan Harlacher, VP of Product, says, ‘One of the biggest challenges plugins face today is the walled gardens created by host applications. It makes it very difficult to re-edit your adjustments. We have a powerful solution for this common complaint that will maintain flexibility and your creativity on both sides, and we can’t wait to unveil this in the coming months.’

‘We have a powerful solution for this common complaint that will maintain flexibility and your creativity on both sides, and we can’t wait to unveil this in the coming months.’ -ON1’s Dan Harlacher

ON1 is also working ‘to improve on working with multiple photos between plugin and host application and quick access to features and functionality from ON1 within the host application itself.’ As part of the ongoing development, ON1 is investing in new AI technologies and solutions, with the goal of removing repetitive manual tasks. Improved AI-based solutions will result in faster culling of images, improved noise reduction and better batch image processing.

ON1 has also announced a partnership with photo and software educator, Matt Kloskowski. Matt K’s Corner is a new resource center for photographers using ON1 alongside Adobe products. Kloskowski will provide tutorial videos and articles each month and recommend workflows for users.

Click to enlarge

You can try each of the new plugins with a free 14-day trial. Each plugin is available for $ 59.99 USD each (regularly $ 69.99), or you can purchase the bundle of ON1 HDR 2021, ON1 Effects 2021, ON1 Resize 2021 and ON1 Portrait AI 2021 for $ 89.99 (regularly $ 99.99). For additional information and to download trials, visit On1’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Tamron 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 sample gallery (DPReview TV)

21 Nov

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70-300mm zooms are incredibly popular, particularly for travel. How does Tamron’s newest model compare? Check out our sample gallery to judge sharpness, bokeh and pincushion distortion for yourself.

View the Tamron 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview TV: Best smartphone gimbal

21 Nov

Smartphones capture amazing video, but to kick production value up a notch consider adding a compact gimbal to your kit. This week, we test three leading smartphone gimbals: The DJI OM 4, the Moza Mini MX and the Zhiyun Smooth XS.

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

  • Introduction
  • The competitors
  • Sample footage
  • Size and weight
  • Setup and breakdown
  • Ergonomics
  • Stability
  • Companion smartphone apps
  • Overall recommendations

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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