Google has teamed up with Canon to release a new integration for Google Photos that makes it possible to automatically back up your photos over Wi-Fi.
The integration works through Canon’s image.canon app for Android and iOS. Inside the app, you can connect your Google account and have images automatically upload to Google Photos when they’re transferred from your compatible Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera.
A full list of the cameras supported by image.canon
Unfortunately, this integration doesn’t come free. In order to wirelessly upload images to Google Photos, you must have a Google One subscription, which starts at $ 20/year ($ 2/month) for the 100GB plan and goes up to $ 100/year ($ 10/month) for the 2TB plan. Google is offering a free month to Canon users interested in testing out the new feature.
Olympus has announced the macOS version of its OM-D Webcam Beta utility is now available. Like the Windows version, released back in June, the macOS version enables select OM-D cameras to be used as webcams with compatible videoconferencing and streaming software over USB.
The utility is free to download from Olympus’ website. Once installed, the process is as simple as plugging one of the compatible Olympus cameras and selecting the OM-D Webcam Beta as an input in the conferencing or streaming program of your choosing. Below is the limited list of compatible cameras:
OM-D E-M1X
OM-D E-M1 Mark III
OM-D E-M1 Mark II
OM-D E-M1
OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Olympus notes the utility won’t capture audio from your camera, so plan on having another microphone nearby (or just use your computer’s built-in microphone). Olympus also says streaming quality will be lower if there isn’t a memory card inside the camera.
We have contacted Olympus to see if any other cameras will be compatible in the future. You can find out more information and download the utility on Olympus’ website.
The post Is There a Right and a Wrong Way To Expose Your Photos? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
I have never liked the term ‘correct exposure.’ I don’t believe there’s often a single right way to expose your photos. There’s always room for artistic interpretation depending on:
Light
Subject
Camera
Lens
Exposure setting choices
Composition choices
Intent
All these will have some influence on the way a photograph will appear. One of the most important aspects of achieving a pleasing exposure is your intent. This cannot be measured by an exposure meter.
How you expose your photos is a key choice when working with your camera. Most photos you take will display variation in tone from the brightest point to the darkest. You won’t often photograph subjects that are the same tone throughout.
The quality of light and how it reflects off the surfaces in your composition will help determine the exposure value for each tone. Sometimes the range of tones in a composition means your camera will not be able to render them all with visible detail.
When the level of contrast is beyond what your camera’s sensor can capture in a single exposure, you have to choose how to expose your photos. What is the most important part of the composition you want to expose correctly? Often this will be the middle tones. Other times it will be either the highlights or the darkest parts of your composition.
Particularly with high contrast lighting, you must choose how you want to expose your photograph. This is where the intent you have for how the photo will look comes into play. Do you want a bright, energetic image, or a more somber and moody one? What look will best suit your subject?
With a more monotone subject, the tonal range will not be large, especially when what you are photographing is not highly reflective. It was very easy to make a nice, even exposure of this dusty little dog lying in the dirt. This was because of the limited tonal range, low-contrast light, and overall beige color.
The dynamic range of film is far narrower than that of modern camera sensors. Our digital cameras are far more capable of recording a broader tonal range in a single image than any film. When you take photos with film, you need to be more precise about how you expose your photos. This is more vital in high contrast situations.
Because the tonal range of film is much narrower, you’re more likely to lose detail in the shadows and/or highlights than when you work with a digital camera. Imagining that you are using film can help you be more aware of what part of your composition you want to expose well.
For example, when I photographed this novice monk (above), he was in a dark space with light coming through a window. The contrast was significant. I knew that if I let my camera decide the exposure, it would mean the light area of the boy’s face would be overexposed. This is because most of the composition was in shadow.
I used my spot meter to take an exposure reading from the light reflecting off the monk’s face and set my exposure accordingly. In my original file, there is some detail visible in the shadows. I have boosted the contrast during post-processing to eliminate it.
The bell-shaped histogram myth
The notion that a correctly exposed image will produce a bell-shaped histogram is nonsense. You can’t rely on a histogram to provide useful information about exposure.
Histograms are a graphical representation of the tones present in a photo. When the photo is mostly middle tones, you’ll see the histogram as a bell shape: high in the middle section and low toward the left and the right.
The tonal range of the scene you are photographing has an influence on what the histogram will look like. This is why you cannot gauge exposure by looking at the histogram. Some people may find it helpful, but it’s not good practice to rely on it to help you choose your exposure settings. Don’t aim to make your histogram a bell shape.
For example, portraits made against a black background will never display a bell-shaped histogram. The graph will always spike on the left because there are more dark tones in the image than midtones or light tones. Depending on what a person is wearing, such a histogram may be very flat.
For the image above, the grandma’s face is where I wanted the correct exposure. It would not be possible, even if I wanted it, to set my exposure so that detail in both the background and the headscarf was visible.
Expose your photos with intent
Know what you want before you press the shutter release.
Often, you have chosen your subject. You’ve composed carefully. Then you take a photo with no real regard for the lighting or your exposure setting.
Letting the camera take care of the exposure using averaged metering and an automatic setting is the way many people take pictures. The results of such exposures are relatively predictable. This is because of how cameras are designed and calibrated. To obtain the best exposure each time you take a photograph, you must match it to your intent.
How do you want the light on your subject to look? What is the mood you want your photo to convey? Are you capable of achieving this with the current lighting? These things must be considered before you press the shutter release.
Be in control of your exposure settings. Read your meter as a guide. Rather than ensuring that your meter is reading zero for every photo, adjust your settings to where you can capture the photo that matches your intent.
I do not believe there is a right or wrong exposure choice for any photo. You can take into account all the technical aspects, but while this approach may produce technically correct images, they will often lack expression and feeling of any kind.
Not being intentional when you expose your photos often produces bland results.
The post Is There a Right and a Wrong Way To Expose Your Photos? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
Ricoh has announced the limited release of a Silver edition of its Pentax K-1 Mark II DSLR as well as, for the first time ever, silver versions of its D FA* lenses.
The limited-edition camera is identical to its black counterpart, complete with a 36MP full-frame CMOS sensor, Safox 12 autofocus system with 33 AF points and a maximum ISO of 819,200. The only difference is the paint scheme, which is silver with contrasting parts, including a black shutter release and hot shoe.
In addition to the camera, Ricoh is also releasing Silver edition versions of three lenses: the HD Pentax-D FA* 70–200mm F2.8, 50mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.4. Like the camera, these lenses are identical to their black counterparts, but unlike the camera, just 600 units for each model will be produced.
This isn’t the first time Ricoh has released Silver editions of their gear. In March 2010, the Pentax K-7 Limited Silver camera was released and, more recently, the Pentax K-1 Limited Silver was released in September 2017.
The Pentax K-1 Mark II Silver Edition camera body will be available in September for $ 2100. The lenses will also be released in September with prices ranging from $ 1200–2100. All Silver Edition cameras and lenses will come with specially designed product boxes.
Press release:
Ricoh announces Silver Edition of PENTAX K-1 Mark II, plus three HD PENTAX-D FA? Silver Edition lenses
PARSIPPANY, NJ, August 26, 2020 – Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced the PENTAX K-1 Mark II Silver Edition, a special silver-colored version of its digital single-lens reflex (SLR) flagship model. Ricoh is also releasing for the first time silver versions of its D FA? series lenses, with high-grade silver coating that is especially well suited to the top-of-the-line PENTAX optics.
The camera will be available in a limited quantity of 1,000 units worldwide, and the three lenses— HD PENTAX-D FA? 70-200mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4—will be available worldwide in limited quantities of 600 units for each model. These lenses join the silver-edition PENTAX full-frame lenses currently available: SMC PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 LTD, SMC PENTAX FA 43mm F1.9 LTD and SMC PENTAX FA 77mm F1.8 LTD.
The limited-edition silver models of the camera and lenses are coveted by PENTAX photographers worldwide. The PENTAX K-1 Mark II Silver Edition camera sports contrasting black parts–a shutter release button and hot shoe—to provide a handsome complementary color and enable it to be color coordinated whether used with traditional black or the special silver-colored lenses.
Previously issued limited-edition cameras include the PENTAX K-7 Limited Silver (March 2010) and the PENTAX K-1 Limited Silver (September 2017).
Pricing and Availability
The PENTAX K-1 Mark II Silver Edition camera body will be available in September for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $ 2099.95. The HD PENTAX-D FA? Silver Edition lenses will be available in September with prices ranging from $ 1199.95 – $ 2099.95. Both the camera and lenses can be purchased at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com and at select Ricoh Imaging-authorized retail outlets.
Main features of the PENTAX K-1 Mark II Silver Edition
? The camera body and detachable battery grip feature a high-grade, fine-textured silver coating, with an exclusive silver SR badge placed on the front of the body.
? The camera’s shutter release button and hot shoe, as well as the battery grip’s shutter release button, feature black parts, so the camera is coordinated with either black or silver lenses.
? Each camera has been given a unique serial number, from 0000001 to 0001000, to further support its exclusivity.
? Two exclusive batteries are included in a product package to simultaneously power both the camera body and the battery grip.
This special camera and its accessories come in a specially-designed product box.
The camera body comes with the latest firmware version pre-installed.
Main features of the HD PENTAX-D FA? Silver Edition lenses
The lenses’ high-grade silver coating complements their use with silver-edition camera bodies.
Each lens has been given a unique serial number, from 0000001 to 0000600, to further support its exclusivity.
The lenses come in a specially-designed product box.
NOTE: The features and specifications of this camera body and lenses are identical to those of standard models, except for the camera firmware
Canon has released firmware 1.1 for the EOS R5. Alongside a flurry of minor bug fixes, the new firmware also promises to improve video shooting times. We’ve had the new firmware for a few days, and prepared a test.
Check out Jordan’s take on the new firmware in the video, above, and see below for Canon’s official description of the changes in FW 1.1 and a link to download it.
Download firmware 1.1.0 for the Canon EOS R5 (Canon USA)
Press release:
Firmware Version 1.1.0 incorporates the following fixes and enhancements:
Useful messaging is now displayed when [HDMI display?Camera+External monitor] and [Overheat control: on] settings are enabled.
When using certain RF lenses for movie shooting, the in-lens image stabilization mechanism has been improved.
Fixes a phenomenon in which the “Slow Synchro” setting screen is not accurately displayed, when the language is set to English.
Fixes a typo displayed on the communication setting screen, when the language is set to Korean.
Connectivity during FTP transmission has been improved.
Fixes a phenomenon, in which the card access time may take longer, when using certain CF express cards.
Temperature detection and shooting time control in video shooting have been improved. In addition, the total shooting time when the short-time recording and power-on/off are performed repeatedly at room temperature is improved.
The phenomenon in which the movie recording time available is not correctly displayed when the Date/Time/Zone is not set has been corrected.
*The firmware scheduled for release in early September will incorporate the following improvements for the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM. -Supports 6-stop image stabilization. (CIPA-compliant) -Improves IS capabilities when performing continuous shooting under specific conditions.
Firmware Version 1.1.0 is for cameras with firmware up to Version 1.0.0. If the camera’s firmware is already Version 1.1.0, it is not necessary to update the firmware.
The Canon EOS R6 is a 20MP full-frame mirrorless camera aimed at enthusiast photographers and videographers. It sits below the R5 much as the EOS 6Ds did beneath the 5D DSLRs, and offers a well-rounded combination of features for both disciplines.
It’s also one of the first enthusiast-level cameras to shoot both stills and video that can exploit the capabilities of the latest high-dynamic range displays. However its tendency to hit its temperature limits take the edge off its video capabilities.
Key specifications:
20MP Dual Pixel CMOS Sensor
In-body stabilization rated at up to 8EV of correction
Dual Pixel AF II with AI-trained subject tracking and 100% AF coverage
20 fps shooting with e-shutter, 12 fps mechanical
UHD 4K shooting at up to 60p, 1080 at up to 120p
10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording in either C-Log or HDR PQ
10-bit HDR photos in HEIF format
3.68M dot EVF
1.62M dot fully-articulated rear touchscreen
New battery rated at around 380 shots per charge (EVF)
The R6 is available with a recommended price of $ 2499, body-only. It can also be bought in a kit with the 24-105mm F4L for around $ 3599 or with the 24-105mm F4-7.1 STM IS for approximately $ 2899.
What’s new and how it compares
The EOS R6 can’t boast 8K video but it’s got a solid feature set nonetheless, including the same IS and AF as its big brother.
Read more
Body, controls and handling
The R6 has elements of the original EOS R to its design but it also gains a fair amount from Canon’s DSLR range. We think the combination works nicely.
Read more
Initial impressions
We’ve been shooting with the EOS R6 and think Canon users (and, in particular, Canon DSLR users) will find a lot to like about the camera.
Read more
Image Quality
The 20MP sensor, combined with Canon’s JPEG color does a great job, despite having fewer pixels than its peers.
Read more
Dynamic Range
The EOS R6’s files prove very flexible, but that performance is aided by noise reduction you can’t turn off.
Read more
Autofocus
The EOS R6 offers at least the performance that the EOS-1D X III does in live view mode. It’s powerful, customizable yet often very easy-to-use.
Read more
Video
The EOS R6 can shoot some very attractive 4K footage, but despite a well thought-out interface, its propensity for hitting its thermal cut-off means it’s not as good a stills/video hybrid as the specs make out.
Read more
Conclusion
The EOS R6 has a lot going for it: it offers excellent image quality, shoots at high speeds and includes impressive image stabilization. It’s not the best stills-and-video option but it’s a superb photographer’s camera.
Read more
Sample gallery
We’ve put together a gallery from the EOS R6, to show what its image quality looks like.
Canon has announced a new CMOS image sensor that is designed to perform in extreme low light conditions. The LI7050’s is a sensor of the 1/1.8-inch variant which means it has the same size as many image sensors that can be found in smartphone cameras. However, this is not the new sensor’s intended use.
Instead it’s meant to be used for industrial applications that require extreme low light capabilities. For example, it could record low light video with realistic color and good detail in security cameras that are monitoring public areas, transport infrastructure or manufacturing facilities. Thanks to its compact dimensions it could also help improve image quality in underwater drones or wearable cameras for security personnel that operates in dark environments.
Canon says in its press release: ‘Conventional nighttime monitoring employs infrared cameras and records video in monochrome. However, network cameras equipped with the LI7050 can capture video at night in such locations as public facilities, roads or transport networks, thereby helping to identify details including the color of vehicles or subjects’ clothing.’
Thanks to the ‘architecture’ of its 4.1 µm pixels the sensor is capable of recording Full-HD color video in near darkness – light levels as low as 0.08 lux – and also comes with an HDR mode that dramatically expands the dynamic range. When recording in this mode the sensor can capture scenes with extremely high contrast (light levels between 0.08 lux and 80,000 lux) while avoiding clipping in both highlight and shadow areas of the frame, achieving a dynamic range of 120dB (approximately 20EV).
HDR mode merges a bright and a dark exposure into one frame and is only available at 30 frames per second. If you need faster frame rates of 60 frames per second the sensor can still avoid clipping anywhere between 0.08 and 500 lux and offers a dynamic range of 75dB (approximately 12.5 EV).
Those are impressive numbers and they are backed up by the low light footage in Canon’s sample clips which does not only have very good exposure but also maintains excellent detail in the bright illuminated areas of the frame, something that a lot of cameras struggle with.
Even though the sensor is marketed as a security and surveillance product there could be interesting applications in consumer imaging as well. Modern smartphones come with multi-camera arrays for different focal length already. Why not add a dedicated low light video camera?
Sample shipments of the LI7050 have started in August and official sales will be launched in late October. We’ll probably see sometime next year if the new sensor will be confined to its industry niche or possibly make it out to the wider consumer imaging market.
DJI has unveiled its latest smartphone gimbal, the Osmo Mobile 4 (OM4). Like its predecessors, the OM4 is an ultra-compact three-axis gimbal for keeping your smartphone footage as stable as possible, with a few other unique features baked in.
Visually, the OM4 isn’t much different than its predecessor, the Osmo Mobile 3 (OM3). It is a light grey instead of a darker grey, but aside from the joystick, trigger and grip being a bit more rubberized, the body of the gimbal remains largely unchanged.
The only functional difference is a new mounting system that uses magnets to hold the phone in place. Whereas the OM3 had a built-in clamp, the OM4 has a clamp that can be removed and kept on a smartphone, then snapped back into place when the gimbal is needed. There’s even a small sticker-style mounting bracket that can be semi-permanently attached to a smartphone for even faster operation.
The OM4 works alongside the DJI Mimo app to enable multiple shooting modes, including an improved ActiveTrack 3.0, Gesture Control and pre-programmed movements and modes. Three of the new pre-programmed modes include Dynamic Zoom, Spin Mode and a ‘Clone Me’ panorama mode.
Dynamic Zoom is effectively a digital dolly zoom feature, that allows you to move away from the subject while the DJI Mimo app automatically zooms in, or move in as the app zooms out. Spin mode is an Inception-inspired mode that makes it possible to rotate the smartphone for a spinning effect (although it’s not posisble to do a full 360-degree spin). The ‘Clone Me’ panorama feature is another new mode that will wait between shots of a panorama so you can move into place and be ‘cloned’ in the final image.
Even if you don’t want to use the DJI Mimo app, the OM4 can also control basic camera functions with the stock iOS camera app when connected via Bluetooth.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 4 is available to order from the DJI Store and authorized retailers for $ 149. It comes with a wrist strap, grip tripod and storage pouch.
The post Tips for Managing Digital Noise in Lightroom and Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
If you’ve ever set your ISO toward the higher end of your camera’s range, you will find that your photos don’t always turn out so great. Digital noise is generally noticeable in photos that have been taken with a high ISO setting. Managing digital noise is important when you move toward the limits of your camera’s ISO range.
In this article, we’ll take a look at various techniques, both in-camera and during post-processing, for managing digital noise.
Digital noise appears like colored sand scattered through your photos. It’s particularly noticeable in darker and lighter areas of your compositions when you’ve used a high ISO setting.
Noise varies from camera to camera depending on the quality of the sensor. You’ll have noticed it in photos made with your smartphone at night. When the light is low and the ISO is high, a phone or camera with a very small sensor is prone to producing a lot of digital noise. On higher-end full-frame cameras there’s not so much of an issue with digital noise until your ISO reaches the highest settings it’s capable of.
At first glance, digital noise may not be so noticeable. But when you enlarge an image made using a high ISO, it is easy to see noise speckles. These speckles are discolored pixels and pixels with an incorrect luminance value. They contrast with the surroundings in an unnatural way.
Digital noise in photos is not the same as grain. Grain is associated with film and has a different appearance than digital noise. Different types of film have different grain structures. Grain can be used to creatively enhance photos, whereas digital noise degrades an image.
Detail showing digital noise. Nikon D700 | 70mm | 1/100 sec | f/2.8 | ISO 6400.
Two types of digital noise
There are two types of digital noise that affect your photos when you use a high ISO setting. These are color noise and luminance noise.
Color noise, or chromatic noise, appears as discolored pixels that contrast with how the colors in a photo should look. It’s most apparent in the very light or very dark areas of photos taken at high ISO settings. Sometimes this type of noise is difficult to eradicate. The best approach can be to simply convert your photo to black and white.
Luminance noise shows up as pixels that are brighter than they should be. When you raise the ISO setting on your camera, the pixels on the sensor become amplified and distort. Think of it as like turning the volume on your stereo up too high to the point that the sound distorts.
How can you avoid digital noise in photos?
The most surefire way to avoid digital noise is to keep your ISO setting low. This is not always possible, especially when photographing in low light conditions.
Raising your ISO increases the risk of adding unsightly noise, but it also allows you to choose a narrower aperture and faster shutter speed.
Getting sharp photos of action at night requires a fast shutter speed. And an easy way to achieve this is by raising your ISO setting. So it’s not always possible to avoid noise. Managing digital noise when you post-process your photos then becomes necessary. There are various tricks and tools you can use to do this.
Try this exercise to discover the highest ISO setting you are comfortable using on your camera:
Find a reasonably dark place to take photos of a static subject, such as a room with the drapes drawn or outside at night. Set your camera on a tripod, or on a firm surface where it won’t move.
You can set your camera to any exposure mode you’re comfortable with, but you must set your ISO to manual. And if you use your camera’s manual exposure setting, balance your aperture or shutter speed before each shot (so your meter is always reading zero).
Start with the lowest ISO setting. This is usually ISO 100. Take a photo of your subject. Then change your ISO setting to 200. Take another photo.
Repeat this process, doubling the ISO, until you have taken a series of images throughout the ISO range.
Study the photos on your computer. Zoom in to 100% and look at the digital noise. At what ISO setting does the digital noise appear to degrade image quality? The ISO setting below that point should be the maximum you use.
Post-processing programs and apps have functions that can reduce digital noise in photos.
The less noise apparent in a photo, the more successfully you can remove it. If you’re too aggressive with managing digital noise, your photos will appear soft and blurry.
Detail showing digital noise.
Reducing digital noise using Lightroom
In the Develop module in Lightroom, click on the Details Panel on the right side of the screen. Here you’ll see a number of sliders. The ones you want to use are the Luminance and Color sliders.
Start with Luminance slider and drag it to the right. Then slide the Color slider if you still see some noise. Watch what’s happening to your image as you do this. You don’t want to slide it further than you need to. The further to the right you move these controls, the softer your image becomes.
The amount you need to adjust the sliders will vary from image to image.
Detail with noise reduced. Note the position of the Color and Luminance sliders.
Reducing digital noise using Photoshop
If you prefer using Photoshop, you’ll still find good controls for managing digital noise.
In the top menu select Filter>Camera Raw Filter. In the new window that opens, select the Details icon (it’s the two triangles). Here you have the same two sliders as in Lightroom: Luminance and Color. Slide them to the right only enough to get a satisfactory result.
Detail of unprocessed image showing noise reduction tools in Photoshop.
You can further reduce noise by selecting Filter>Noise>Reduce Noise from the top menu.
Applying the noise reduction filter in Photoshop.
Photoshop allows you more flexibility in reducing noise. You can isolate the problem areas with masks or multiple layers. This can help retain detail in important areas of your compositions.
Try this noise reduction technique
When you are photographing a static subject and have your camera on a tripod, take two or more photos.
Open two of the photos in separate layers of the same file in Photoshop. Once you’ve done this, the easiest way to reduce the noise and retain clarity is by changing the blend mode of the top layer. The Multiply blend mode usually works well. You can also experiment with Overlay and Soft Light blend modes.
Conclusion
Whenever I’m taking photos, I try to maintain the lowest ISO setting possible to avoid digital noise. In many low light situations, using a higher ISO setting is necessary to take photos without extra lights.
Each camera model manages digital noise differently. Use the experiment I outlined in this article to ascertain the highest ISO setting at which you are comfortable shooting.
Managing digital noise is now easier than ever. Cameras have more advanced sensors than early digital cameras had. And imaging software has also evolved to be better at managing digital noise.
The post Tips for Managing Digital Noise in Lightroom and Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
The breathtaking landscape before you is just begging to be photographed. The only problem is that you don’t know how to do it. You try taking a few images, but upon reviewing them your disappointment sinks in. They don’t hold a candle to the real thing — and they certainly don’t look like those gorgeous landscape images that show up Continue Reading
The post Landscape Photography: Complete Guide for Beginners; Equipment, Settings, and Tricks appeared first on Photodoto.
