Today I got to test out the Tourbox. The company behind it claims its the “ultimate controller for creators”. The Tourbox is said to be compatible with many programs including Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator and Capture One, drawing software, like Clip Studio Paint, Comic Studio and SAI, or video and audio editing software, like Final Cut Pro, Premiere, After Effects, DaVinci, Continue Reading
The post Review of Tourbox Controller For Creators appeared first on Photodoto.
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Announced alongside the EOS R5, the R6 offers a lot of the same technology but in a more affordable, slightly more enthusiast-focused model. While the more advanced R5 might dominate headlines for a while, the R6 is likely to end up in the hands of more photographers. Click through for a closer look.
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Canon has a long tradition of adding features from its professional models into lower-tier cameras over time, but this is the first time we’ve seen a sensor from a flagship DSLR end up in an enthusiast camera.
The R6’s 20MP sensor is essentially the same as the one in the EOS-1D X Mark III, offering 20MP and a wide ISO sensitivity span of 100-102,400 (expandable up to 204,800). Just like the EOS-1D X Mark III, images can be captured in Raw, JPEG or HEIF file formats, with HEIF used for lifelike HDR capture.
Please note that like the EOS R, the R6’s shutter normally closes over the sensor when a lens is removed. This image shows the sensor exposed because we know that you like to look at sensors.
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Some photographers might be disappointed that the R6 offers ‘only’ 20MP, but we’ve been impressed by the images that we’ve been able to create from the 1D X III. Although we don’t (yet) have full third-party support for the R6’s Raw files, we expect similarly clean high ISO images and good dynamic range compared to previous generations of Canon ILCs.
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The 20MP sensor is accompanied by a Digic X processor, also previously found in the 1D X Mark III. This allows the R6 to shoot Raw and/or JPEG files at up to 20fps (in electronic shutter mode) with full autofocus. In mechanical shutter mode the maximum shooting rate drops to 12fps.
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The R6 features Canon’s Dual CMOS autofocus, with 1053 automatically-selected AF areas covering 100% of the frame, both vertically and horizontally. This enables phase-detection autofocus right out to the very extremes of the frame, and should mean that there’s no risk of your intended subject ‘falling out’ of AF coverage during tracking.
The usual range of AF modes are included in the R6, with the Face+Tracking mode now able to recognize eyes, faces and heads for people, and eyes, faces and bodies for animals. Autofocus is rated down to -6.5EV with an F1.2 lens using the center AF point.
From our limited shooting so far, subject detection, autofocus speed and AF accuracy appear excellent, and this is something we’re hoping to properly test very soon, as we move towards a full review of the EOS R6.
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The EOS R6 doesn’t get the super high-res EVF of the R5, but its 3.69m-dot OLED is nevertheless excellent, offering a sharp and contrasty view. A 120fps live view feed option (turned off by default to save power) means that there is virtually no noticeable ‘lag’ between the real world and the finder, which – with the 0.76X magnification – makes for a highly realistic, immersive experience.
Honestly, at this point, the gap between traditional D/SLR finders and the best electronic equivalents is effectively closed for all but a niche range of purposes (i.e. if you’re taking photos of fine patterns or display screens, where moiré in the live view feed can still be an issue).
It’s worth noting that like the EOS R5, and unlike most previous Canon cameras, the rubber eyecup around the R6’s EVF is fixed, and is not user-replaceable.
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On the rear of the R6 you’ll find the expected large, touch-sensitive LCD panel, offering full articulation in the Canon style. Offering 3.0″ and 1.62M dot resolution, the LCD image is sharp and contrasty, and the touch functionality works very well. As we’ve seen in previous R-series ILCs, the R6’s screen can be used as an AF touchpad, for quick control over manual AF point positioning with your eye to the viewfinder.
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The R6’s rear controls are about what we’d expect from a mid / high-end Canon ILC at this point, and include an AF positioning joystick to the right of the EVF, and a control dial to the right of the LCD. Build quality overall is very high, and Canon claims that both the R6 offers build and weather-sealing inline with the company’s 6D-series. In practical terms, this means that it should easily withstand use in pretty demanding conditions. It certainly feels well-built, and its various controls are nicely damped and move positively without any play or wobble.
At 680g (1.5 lbs) including battery and memory card the EOS R6 is just a shade lighter than the EOS 6D Mark II.
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From most angles, the R6 is almost indistinguishable from the R5, but where the R5 features a top-mounted LCD, the R6 instead has an exposure mode dial. Twin control dials on the top and rear of the handgrip serve for exposure adjustment and menu navigation etc., augmented by the rear control dial which – by default – is set for direct adjustment of exposure compensation in PASM modes.
There’s no MFn bar to be seen (let us know how you feel about that in the comments) and overall, the R6’s ergonomics are likely to be extremely familiar to anyone who’s picked up a Canon DSLR or mirrorless ILC in the last few years.
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After almost two years of reassuring messaging to the effect of “we know, we’re working on it”, Canon has finally introduced in-body stabilization into the R-series lineup. The R6 offers the same IBIS system as the R5, which is capable of a claimed 8 stops of correction, when certain IS-enabled lenses are mounted.
We haven’t been able to test this in a controlled way yet, but from our shooting so far we have no reason to doubt this figure. Whatever the exact performance turns out to be in measured stops, it’s certainly a powerful and effective system. The addition of IBIS alone should make the R6 (and R5) immediately more practical than its predecessors for a lot of purposes.
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While the 8K-capable R5 has stolen the headlines, the R6’s video specs are impressive; at least on paper. Offering oversampled 4K recording at up to 60p, and slow-mo (120p) HD capture, the R6 looks like it could be a powerful tool for enthusiast videography, with a solid set of additional features, including 10-bit 4:2:2 internal C-Log or HDR recording, and physical sockets for both a microphone and headphone.
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The EOS R6 offers twin slots for SD cards, and both slots support the UHS-II standard. The slots are offset, and the usual range of overflow / backup options are available in the menu system. It is also possible to set the R6 to record stills to one card, and video to the other.
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The R6 ships with a familiar-looking but updated battery. The LP-E6NH is backwards compatible with all previous Canon models which accepted some variant of the LP-E6 (and there are a lot of them) but offers a roughly 14% increase in capacity. Battery life is stated as being between 250 frames per charge (in 120 fps EVF mode) and 510 frames (in Power Save mode, using the LCD).
The R6 is compatible with a new battery grip, the BG-R10 ($ 349.99), which replicates key controls for vertical shooting and allows the use of a second battery, to effectively double shooting time.
The EOS R6 is scheduled to be available at the end of August for an estimated retail price of $ 2499.00 for the body only, $ 2899.00 for the R6 and RF 24-105 F4-7.1 IS STM lens kit or $ 3599.00 for the R6 and RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens kit.
For more detail, read our Canon EOS R6 initial review
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Canon has just announced the EOS R5, a 45MP full-frame mirrorless camera that we have to confess we’re pretty excited about. It’s the spiritual successor to the company’s 5D-series of do-everything DSLRs, and offers a mix of speed, resolution, autofocus capability and video features that will appeal to a lot of different types of photographers.
We’ve been fortunate enough to get our hands on a pre-production model leading up to the official release, so follow along and get an up-close look at Canon’s newest high-end mirrorless camera.
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The EOS R5 feels very well-built. Its bottom and front plates feel metallic, and the other parts of the body feel more plasticky. We suspect this is to ensure a better signal for the camera’s built-in 2.4 / 5.0Ghz Wi-Fi antennas, and frankly, polycarbonate could prove to be more durable in the long run.
Canon claims the EOS R5 is sealed to the same degree as an EOS 5D Mark IV; no official figures are given, but there are visible gaskets around possible points of moisture or dust ingress. Overall, we think the R5 succeeds at feeling solid while being appreciably smaller and lighter than an average high-end DSLR.
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At the heart of the camera is an all-new Canon-designed-and-manufactured sensor, and its 45MP of resolution makes the EOS R5 the highest-resolution mirrorless camera Canon has to offer. Canon claims that increases in readout speed mean that rolling shutter won’t be a major issue if you want to use the silent electronic shutter (more on that in a moment). Canon also claims that EOS R5 should offer around one stop of dynamic range improvement over the EOS R. Of course, we’ll be looking at this more closely when we have a final copy.
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As mentioned on the previous slide, the EOS R5 has a silent electronic shutter that can shoot bursts of images at up to 20fps with full autofocus and autoexposure. You can always switch to the mechanical shutter – shown here – if you’re in a situation where artificial lighting could cause banding. You can also choose whether you want an electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS), to minimize any chance of shutter shock, or a fully mechanical shutter to prevent truncating your out-of-focus highlights if you’re using high shutter speeds.
Using either EFCS or the mechanical shutter limits you to 12fps with AF and AE. A deep buffer means you’ll approach 100 shots per burst before the camera slows down, regardless of your image quality settings.
Also visible in this view are the front custom button, which defaults to depth-of-field preview, and the cover for a remote port.
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Resting behind the R5’s shutter and supporting the new sensor is Canon’s first-ever in-body image stabilizer. With the right lenses, Canon claims it offers a jaw-dropping eight stops of shake correction, and the lowest rating with current RF lenses is still an impressive six stops. We’re particularly anxious to see how well it works to stabilize video footage, since video is another one of the EOS R5’s standout features…
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With few exceptions, video shooters tend to prefer fully articulating touchscreens; and it’s a good thing the R5 has one, because it looks to be a serious video shooting tool. Capable of up to DCI 8K/30p capture, including in Raw, the video specs are the best we’ve yet seen (of course, we’ll have to wait until it’s tested to know for certain).
Otherwise, around the back of the camera is a well thought-out array of controls that will be pretty familiar for existing Canon shooters. Of particular note is that the R5, along with the R6, are the first RF-mount cameras with AF joysticks and a rear jog dial, both of which are staples of Canon’s higher-end DSLRs. The AF-ON button is a bit small for our tastes, but is in a good spot.
Thoughtfully, Canon’s also added menu options for the behavior of the eye sensor below the viewfinder. You can set it so that if the screen is flipped out, the eye sensor is deactivated, so you won’t accidentally trigger it if you’re shooting stills or video from the hip. Conversely, you can make sure it’s always enabled, if for example you want to be able to check critical focus at a moment’s notice for video shooting. And speaking of that viewfinder…
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The EOS R5 comes with a 5.76M-dot viewfinder that uses an OLED panel and offers 0.76x magnification. It has a default refresh rate of 60fps, but you can boost it to 120fps in the menus; doing so will give you a more lifelike view of the world, and overall, the EOS R5 gives a great viewfinder experience. For glasses-wearers, the eye point is approximately 23mm.
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The EOS R5 comes with a top plate control scheme that’s all-but-identical to that of the older EOS R. This means you get an easy-to-read OLED display of settings that you can choose to light up if needed, and a mode button that you press before turning the rear dial to change your exposure mode. Incidentally, if you want to swap to video shooting, you hit the ‘INFO’ button on the rear of the camera to do so.
Everything else is pretty straightforward; the movie recording and M-Fn buttons can be customized in the menus, the deep grip is comfortable and your index finger will fall naturally over the shutter button. It’s a comfortable camera to hold.
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Along the side of the camera are a full suite of ports. For video shooters, you get headphone and microphone jacks for audio and a micro HDMI port for video and audio output. Micro HDMI ports tend to be a lot more fragile than the larger options, but then again the EOS R5 offers a plethora of options for in-camera recording.
The USB-C port is a high-speed, USB 3.1 Gen 2 port that allows for quick file transfer and in-camera battery charging using Canon’s USB Power Adapter PD-E1. You also get a dedicated flash sync port, and on the front is a better view of that proprietary port for Canon remotes that we got a glance at earlier.
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The EOS R5 has one CFExpress card slot and one UHS-II SD card slot. The CFExpress slot is of course the faster option, and is the only type of media you can use if you want to record 8K video in Raw or All-I encoding. If you’re using one of the latest and fastest UHS-II SD cards, you can still get an awful lot of performance out of the camera, but expect the buffer to fill more quickly if you’re shooting bursts with Raw and JPEG files going simultaneously to the SD card.
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A new, higher-capacity LP-E6NH battery powers the EOS R5, but the camera retains backwards battery compatibility with LP-E6N and LP-E6 units as well (but you may see reduced battery life or lose USB charging with the older models).
If you keep the LCD and EVF at their lower refresh rates, the camera is rated at 490 / 320 shots per CIPA, respectively. The higher refresh rates are beautiful to behold, but battery life drops precipitously to 320 / 220 CIPA-rated images for the LCD and EVF, respectively.
Tucked inside the battery compartment is also a gold-plated connector: this connects to two different battery grips for the EOS R5 / R6 cameras. One of which, exclusively compatible with the R5, comes with an ethernet hookup for wired uploading of images as they’re being taken.
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And there you have it, a full tour of Canon’s EOS R5 mirrorless full-frame camera. We’re still awaiting a production copy that we can begin to test fully, but in the meantime, what do you make of it? What do you want to know about it that we haven’t yet told you? Let us know in the comments.
The EOS R5 will be available at the end of July for $ 3899 body-only, or $ 4999 with the RF 24-105mm F4L.
For full details, read our Canon EOS R5 initial review
The post 4 Goals to Set for Expanding Your Photographic Creativity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
The new year has come and gone and we find ourselves well and truly into 2020. Traditionally, many significant goals are made around the new year mark. But setting goals is a great way to work towards achieving a desired outcome at any time of the year. So why wait? Here are some simple creativity goals you can set yourself to expand on your photographic practice right now.
There’s nothing wrong with specialising, but branching out in photography can often reveal surprising creative opportunities.
For the first of our creativity goals, grab a pen and paper. Your task is to list at least 10 subjects that interest you but that you haven’t photographed in a while (if at all). Bugs, aviation, food, architecture… the list can be as varied as you’d like.
Once you’ve finished compiling your list, narrow your results down to the three most appealing (and doable) options. You want topics that interest you, but are also realistic and achievable.
Once you’ve decided on your top three, set a reasonable time frame to photograph your chosen subject matter (it can be weeks, months or even years!).
You may also need to consider what photographic equipment you require for your goal. And don’t forget to do your research. Good research into a subject and a realistic time frame will help you make an actionable plan to achieve your creativity goals.
Keep your list nearby as motivation. You could stick it on the fridge, or in your camera bag…somewhere that will remind you of your goal. You could even use the list as a check-list of sorts. The point is that you have identified topics of interest and made a commitment to work towards a corresponding goal.
By creating a list of new subject matter, doing the research, and setting an actionable goal, you’ve already created a solid foundation from which to launch into new photographic opportunities.
Goal setting is a great way to check-in with your own creative process. Grab yourself another sheet of paper and a pen (don’t worry, the whole article isn’t about list-making) and jot down two or three aspects that might be hindering your creative practice. Some ideas are:
Next, write some actionable goals that will make a positive impact in the areas you’ve identified as needing improvement. Here’s my list:
You’ll notice I also added a time frame to complete or perform these goals – this will give you motivation, and a concrete idea of how your goal will impact your practice.
Again, choose a realistic time frame. You can always elect to tackle a goal for a week and then expand the duration from there.
Put your list on your cork board, in your organiser, as an alarm on your phone…whatever works. The list serves as a reminder for you to make time for growing your own practice.
Do your best to achieve the creativity goals you’ve set, but don’t worry if you can’t get everything done. Goal setting is about gradual growth, and every small step toward your goal is a victory. Just do your best!
Not everyone has a spare camera, lens, tripod, etc laying around. But if you do, setting a dedicated goal to put some of your underused equipment to good use is a great way to expand your creativity. The same goes for testing out some new photographic techniques.
You don’t have to set a terribly elaborate goal to make a difference. Committing to experimenting with an old lens can offer a completely new perspective.
Shooting with film for a month can test your photographic approach.
Setting a goal to get out of Auto Mode or tackling a new technique each week in-camera or in Photoshop will grow your practice significantly. Setting creativity goals based around new tools and techniques challenges your photographic approach, thus, building your creative repertoire.
We touched on this before, but inspiration can be a fleeting phenomenon. One minute you’re bursting at the seams with creativity and then running on empty the next.
Creativity goals inspire us to take the time to do a stock-take on our own creative levels. Everyone feels creatively drained from time to time, but making a dedicated gap in your schedule to check-in with what is going on in the artistic sphere creates more opportunities for gathering inspiration and technical knowledge.
Start by setting a goal to dedicate at least 15-30 minutes per day for a week to inspiration. Reading books, going to exhibitions, researching websites (like Digital Photography School of course!), filling up a visual diary, and even checking Instagram can all contribute to a greater grasp of photographic theory and execution.
Once your set period of inspirational activities is over, review and make adjustments to your goal so it better suits your daily regimen.
Then…start again!
Soon, you’ll be in the habit of surrounding yourself with inspirational resources that recharge your creative practice and keep you abreast of creative possibilities and solutions.
Goal setting may seem daunting at first. However, once you break the process down, the usefulness and accessibility of goal-making become more apparent.
Goals encourage us to take active steps towards bettering our photographic practice. By making creativity goals, we commit to expanding our creativity incrementally, bettering our theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
Have you set yourself a creative goal recently? How did it go? Share your experience in the comments!
The post 4 Goals to Set for Expanding Your Photographic Creativity appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
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A new video encoding standard that reduces video file sizes by 50% is set to become usable by the end of the year, allowing high-resolution footage to be saved with smaller file sizes and to be transmitted in less time. H.266/VVC (Versatile Video Coding) follows on from the current H.265 compression standard and was developed by Fraunhofer HHI alongside companies such as Sony, Apple, Intel, Huawei, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Ericsson.
The idea of the new standard is to compress files so that 4K and 8K footage become easier and quicker to move, particularly over slower network connections. The effect should be that all video footage takes up less space on a memory card and can be copied over to a hard disk in less time, all while using less computer power. That footage can also be posted online, to external storage, sent to a third party or streamed more quickly/easily due to the reduced file size.
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The new H.266 standard will also allow systems or locations with poor data rates to receive larger files more quickly, so movies, for example, will buffer less and play more smoothly. Mobile devices will also be able to send higher resolution files, or longer clips, without using so much data.
Fraunhofer says that ‘H.266/VVC offers faster video transmission for equal perceptual quality,’ so we shouldn’t see the difference between files compressed by H.266 and those compressed using H.265. H.265 also halved file sizes when it was introduced, as did the H.264 standard that came before that — and which is still in use today.
The new standard requires new chips to make the most of it, and the press release states that they are already in production and that Fraunhofer will release the software to allow the standard to be used in the autumn of this year. For more information see the Fraunhofer website.
Press release:
After devoting several years to its research and standardization, Fraunhofer HHI (together with partners from industry including Apple, Ericsson, Intel, Huawei, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Sony) is celebrating the release and official adoption of the new global video coding standard H.266/Versatile Video Coding (VVC). This new standard offers improved compression, which reduces data requirements by around 50% of the bit rate relative to the previous standard H.265/High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) without compromising visual quality. In other words, H.266/VVC offers faster video transmission for equal perceptual quality. Overall, H.266/VVC provides efficient transmission and storage of all video resolutions from SD to HD up to 4K and 8K, while supporting high dynamic range video and omnidirectional 360° video.
Today, compressed video data make up 80% of global Internet traffic. H.266/VVC represents the pinnacle of (at least) four generations of international standards for video coding. The previous standards H.264/Advanced Video Coding (AVC) and H.265/HEVC, which were produced with substantial contributions from Fraunhofer HHI, remain active in more than 10 billion end devices, processing over 90% of the total global volume of video bits. Both previous standards were also recognized by collectively three Emmy Engineering Awards for contributing substantially to the progress of television technology.
Through a reduction of data requirements, H.266/VVC makes video transmission in mobile networks (where data capacity is limited) more efficient. For instance, the previous standard H.265/HEVC requires ca. 10 gigabytes of data to transmit a 90-min UHD video. With this new technology, only 5 gigabytes of data are required to achieve the same quality. Because H.266/VVC was developed with ultra-high-resolution video content in mind, the new standard is particularly beneficial when streaming 4K or 8K videos on a flat screen TV. Furthermore, H.266/VVC is ideal for all types of moving images: from high-resolution 360° video panoramas to screen sharing contents.
“After dedicating almost three years toward this standard, we are proud to have been instrumental in developing H.266/VVC,” says Benjamin Bross, head of the Video Coding Systems group at Fraunhofer HHI and editor of the +500-page standard specification of H.266/VVC. “Because of the quantum leap in coding efficiency offered by H.266/VVC, the use of video will increase further worldwide. Moreover, the increased versatility of H.266/VVC makes its use more attractive for a broader range of applications related to the transmission and storage of video.”
“If you consider that Fraunhofer HHI already played a key role in the development of the previous video coding standards H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC, then we are happy with the fact that more than 50% of the bits on the Internet are generated by a Fraunhofer HHI technology,” adds Dr. Detlev Marpe, head of the Video Coding and Analytics department at Fraunhofer HHI.
A uniform and transparent licensing model based on the FRAND principle (i.e., fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) is planned to be established for the use of standard essential patents related to H.266/VVC. For this purpose, the Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) was founded. In addition to Fraunhofer Society, the MC-IF now includes +30 companies and organizations. The new chips required for the use of H.266/VVC, such as those in mobile devices, are currently being designed. Dr. Thomas Schierl, head of the Video Coding and Analytics department at Fraunhofer HHI, announced “this autumn Fraunhofer HHI will publish the first software (for both encoder and decoder) to support H.266/VVC.”
There’s no shortage of lighting accessories available for smartphones, ranging from small LED lights to more sophisticated Xenon-flash solutions like the Godox A1 or the Profoto C1. However, all those solutions are more or less designed for maximum portability and amateur use. If you needed professional-level studio lighting that is fully compatible with smartphone cameras, you were pretty much out of luck…until now.
Profoto has announced it’s made its B10 flash series compatible with Apple’s iPhone cameras. The B10 and B10 Plus are compact studio flash heads and have a powerful continuous light source for videographers as well. They come with removable lithium-ion battery and have output control via the company’s AirTTL system. The B10 is a 250Ws unit while the slightly larger and heavier B10 Plus doubles the output.
‘This is a revolutionary innovation, said Profoto CEO Anders Hedebark. ‘Making professional flash available to smartphones has the potential to be ground-breaking, just like how the transition from analog to digital cameras once changed everything. We believe freedom with connectivity is the next step for professional photography. No matter what kind of photographer you are, it’s all about the light. And we want to offer image creators to work with great light, regardless of what capturing device you chose to use.‘
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| Shot on iPhone with B10 series flash by Andrea Belluso |
Profoto says it has been able to make the B10 series units work with the iPhone by using ‘a range of advanced technologies.’ The company’s AirX technology has been key to the project as it allows users to clock synchronize Bluetooth devices. The flash unit has to fire at exactly the right point in time, and for the right length of time. Using Bluetooth-sync iPhone photographers who use the B10 series can capture images at 1/25.000 sec exposure time and still sync the full power.
‘One challenge when working with smartphone cameras is that they require much more flexible flash-length on different shutter speeds than for instance DSLR or MILC. This has forced us to refine our methods with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) flashes into long, or extremely short, pulses with an exact and controlled intensity‘, explained Göran Marén, Product Manager at Profoto.
Most serious photographers who are happy to lug a portable flash system like the B10 around will almost certainly also carry a DSLR or mirrorless camera. However, this is still very good news from Profoto as it simply gives you the option to shoot with an iPhone on those occasions when you have to work with a flash but absolutely have to or want to minimize the bulk you carry. It also makes the iPhone a potential backup device should your main camera fail on a studio shoot.
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| Shot on iPhone with B10 series flash by Profoto product manager mobile Marko Pirc |
iPhone connectivity for the Profoto B10 flash series is available from today. Profoto B10 users will have to update the flash firmware for the new feature to work which can be done through the Profoto app. The feature requires iOS 11.0 or later and works with the iPhone 7 and newer models.
The Profoto app also allows you to control B10 and B10 Plus strobes from both iPhones and Android devices when shooting with a ‘real’ camera.
Sony recently confirmed plans to launch a successor to the video-centric a7S II, expected this summer. We don’t even know the name of the camera, but Jordan already has a feature wish list for the new ‘a7S III’ – and it doesn’t include 8K.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Read our recent interview with Sony about its a7 II successor
The post Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
Messy People Have More Creative And Productive Minds, Science Says
While science may well say this, I’ve got to admit after deciding that I had ‘no room to swing a cat’ with my stuff everywhere, that I’ve taken some time during this COVID-19 lock-in to plan and execute my office clean-up! Along with that office clean up, I’ve reorganized my external storage, my raw image archiving, and my general day-to-day workflow, and I wanted to share that process with you.
I’ve been using a large external ‘DAS’ for a good while – a raid array (external disk) with a Thunderbolt 3 connection. Without spending a shed-load of cash on a very expensive cable, I wasn’t able to get it a suitable distance away from my workspace.
So, all of those pretty glowing blue lights and the accompanying whir of drives had to be right beside me. Not necessarily a terrible thing – it’s a very well behaved Raid array – however, it wasn’t very quiet. And, it was kinda ugly in my new small, streamlined office.
I had the idea to ‘kill the clutter’ and switch to a complete NAS (Network Attached Storage) setup with a single direct attached drive at the back of my iMac. Then I tucked the second NAS away in my “server room” (a cupboard in the corner of my office with some powerpoints and a Cat6 patch panel).
This would move the big whirring, glowing drive out of my office space and tuck my main image archiving server away, out of sight.
I also added a second monitor to my setup, a stunning 27″ EIZO. I highly recommend checking them out! It’s very easy on the eye.
So I loaded six of my regular-flavor hard disks into the Synology DS1618, the 6tb WD Red disks – the same drives I have in all of my Synology NAS gear.
Setting the NAS up using Synology’s SHR (Synology Hybrid Raid) and splitting my data across the drives for some hardware failure redundancy, is a very simple process I’ve written about here. My workflow with the second NAS has changed considerably and, after a month or so of testing, is working exactly as I’d like it to.
Now when I import from an SD card, I import directly into my external USB-C disk (Invariably, a G-Technology 4-8TB) and at the same time import to my backup location which is an identical library on the freshly installed Synology DS1618, where previously I’d import to the blue whirring beast (It was a Promise R8, an amazing unit, but just not what I wanted in my new space) and the USB-C drive. Over Cat6 the import of RAW files to my NAS doesn’t register as taking too long and hasn’t bothered me once.
Now, when I import from an SD card, I import directly into my external USB-C disk (invariably, a G-Technology 4-8TB) and to my backup location – an identical library on the freshly installed Synology DS1618. Previously I’d import to the USB-C drive and the blue whirring beast (a Promise R8. An amazing unit, but just not what I wanted in my new space). Over Cat6, the import of RAW files to my NAS doesn’t register as taking too long and hasn’t bothered me once.
Indirect benefits of the NAS running DSM as a second image storage location are, I can put any RAW files (or all of them), after conversion by the NAS, into a piece of Synology software called “PhotoStation.” This automagically creates good-looking web albums and can group and organize your photos in many ways. In this modern age of never printing anything and having dinner-table arguments discussions about ‘never seeing any of the photos we take’ is a very good thing!
The other main reason for the setup change is that I consult and, from time to time, have people into my home office to chat. Having my servers out and about, with cables hanging around to trip people over, was not a good look! Now, with everything tucked away, there’s no fear of that happening! I also spend a lot of time in my office, and I like to enjoy the space, so I am very happy with the transformation!
Since we talked last about storage, backups and NAS, my home/office internet has joined the (almost) 20th century in the form of 100Mb NBN. This means that my digital delivery to clients directly from my NAS is MUCH faster. I’m able to share albums and full-res finished images directly from my Disk Station, all from the privacy of my cupboard!
In closing, the process of de-cluttering your workspace is really very simple these days and can be quite cathartic! A small to medium-sized Synology NAS tucked away in your cupboard, and you’re good to go.
Together, Synology and WD provided the equipment for this test setup, but the opinions expressed are my own.
Have you got a storage set-up you’d like to share? Please let us know in the comments section.
The post Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
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The EOS-1D X Mark III is the latest high-end, ultra-tough, hyper-fast DSLR from Canon. From the outside, it looks about the same as previous EOS-1D bodies dating back two decades. But on the inside, there are radical updates. And even though this is a big, double-grip DSLR, it functions as a highly capable mirrorless camera in Live View mode provided you’ve got the muscle to hold it out in front of you for extended periods of time.
This is also a camera that can take you beyond 8-bit JPEG shooting as your ‘finished image’, includes AF subject recognition based on machine learning in both OVF and live view shooting, and has some impressive video capabilities (including internal Raw video).
There’s a lot to cover on the EOS-1D X Mark III, so let’s get started with a rather lengthy list of key specifications before diving into just what this all means on the following pages.
And those are just the key specifications.
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| The EOS-1D X Mark III is likely to find its way into the hands of sports, wedding and event photographers, and remain there for years of use and hundreds of thousands of images. Out-of-camera JPEG. EF 85mm F1.4L IS | ISO 3200 | 1/1000 sec | F1.4 |
Excepting landscape and studio specialists that need massive amounts of megapixels, the EOS-1D X Mark III is the most well-rounded, well-specced camera currently on the market for both stills and video shooters that have the requisite funds. It’s clear that Canon is aiming for the 1D X III to be relevant for professional users for years to come, despite the ever-increasing pace of innovation and ever-decreasing length of product cycles in the industry.
The EOS-1D X Mark III is scheduled to be available in mid-February 2020 for an estimated retail price of $ 6499 USD, body-only.
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Find out what’s new under the hood of the EOS-1D X Mark III. Read more |
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There have been so many updates to the 1D X III’s autofocus system that they get their own page. Read more |
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From portraits to pounding white-hot metal, we’ve taken a look at how our pre-production EOS-1D X Mark III stacks up. Read more |
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A mix of the new and the familiar will satisfy existing 1D-series users while offering some significant improvements. Read more |
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The EOS-1D X Mark III shoots Canon’s best-ever JPEGs, and Raw performance is up there with the best. Read more |
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The 1D X III has impressive dynamic range among its class of sports-shooting flagships. Read more |
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Autofocus has been extensively tweaked on the 1D X III – check out how it performs both in our more controlled testing and with team sports. Read more |
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Raw and log recording, detailed footage and reliable autofocus make the 1D X III the best DSLR for video to date. Read more |
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The EOS-1D X Mark III gets high marks from us for being reliable, capable, future-proof. It’s also a joy to photograph with. Read more |
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The EOS-1D X Mark III is capable of some seriously good image quality – take a look. Read more |
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It’s been almost two years since the French startup Pixii announced its display-less digital M-mount rangefinder that uses your smartphone as both a screen and means of storage. Now, the niche camera is available to purchase, but don’t expect to pick it up for cheap.
To recap, the Pixii camera (Model A1112) is a digital M-mount rangefinder constructed of an aluminum frame that houses the 12MP (4080 x 2732 pixels) APS-C CMOS sensor. It features an electronic global shutter, Raw (DNG) capture and works with Leica M-mount lenses, as well as M39/LTM lenses when used with an adapter.
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Similar to the Leica M-D, the Pixii camera eschews a rear LCD display and instead relies on being paired with a smartphone to review images captured through the 0.67x magnification optical viewfinder (53.6-degree FOV). The only display on the camera is a small OLED screen on the top of the camera that shows the basic image settings.
The Pixii camera also forgoes an SD card and instead stores images on 8GB of internal storage (4GB if you pick up the ‘launch edition’ model). Once filled, images can be transferred wirelessly to a paired mobile device via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The camera also uses a built-in 1,000mAh Li-ion battery that can be recharged via the onboard USB port.
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While we haven’t taken it for a spin ourselves, our friend Hamish Gill of 35mmc fame spent some time with one of the units and wrote up a comprehensive review of his experience with one of the first units.
Pixii has also shared a number of sample photos captured with one of its cameras:
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The Pixii camera is available to purchase on the Pixii website. The 8GB model comes in ‘Space Gray’ and ‘Black Matte’ finishes and retails for €2,900 / ~$ 3,277, while the special ‘launch edition’ comes in at €2,900 / ~$ 3,259. There’s no information at this time on shipment timeframes, but we’ve contacted Pixii about the matter and will update accordingly when we receive a response.