The post How to Achieve Great Portraits with Window Light appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
When you learn to do portraits with window light you can set up a studio anywhere there is a window.
In this tutorial, I’ll give you all the important information, including what to do with different window sizes, where to position the person, and how to make their eyes sparkle.
You’ll see examples of newborns/infants, children, professional headshots, and candid moments.
The bigger the window, the nicer the light
The first thing that you should know about making portraits with window light is that the bigger the window, the nicer the light. What each photographer considers to be “good” light is relative. But many photographers want soft light for portraits.
If you would like soft light for your portraits, then you need a large window. If you want harsh light, look for a smaller window.
This principle is true for all light sources; the larger the light source, the softer the light will appear on your subject.
Notice how dark and crisp the shadows are when using a small window (approximately 12 inches by 12 inches). ISO 1600 f/2.5 1/320 sec
But the window in this photo was about ten times the size, resulting in brighter light and softer shadows. ISO 1600 f/2.4 1/500 sec
Remember that small windows are more likely to create harsh looking light with dark, crisp shadows, while larger windows will produce softer-looking light with gradual, subtle shadows.
A larger window will also create more sparkle in the eyes (you’ll learn how to do that below).
Where to position the person
Now you know how to get soft light or harsh light for your portraits.
The next thing you need to know is where to position the person for the portrait.
If you have beautiful soft light, but you position the person wrong, then the light won’t look pleasing on the person’s face.
Portrait lighting usually looks best when the light source is in front of the person, but off to the side. It also helps if the light source is a little higher up.
Notice that the window is beside the infant and that she is placed back a bit.
This is the resulting portrait. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/500 sec
In this case, I laid her down with the window above her. I could have turned her to the side a little bit, but decided not to because I like the way the catchlights will appear in her eyes.
This is the resulting portrait with bright catchlights. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/250 sec
Do not sit them in direct sunlight
If there is direct sunlight coming in the window, make sure that you do not sit your subject in the direct sunlight. If you do, the window will no longer be the true light source; rather, the harsh sunlight will now be the light source.
Notice how the two girls are positioned in this photo. The one on the left is in direct sunlight, while the one on the right is out of the direct sunlight.
How to make their eyes sparkle
The sparkle in the eye that you see in portraits is called a catchlight. You create catchlights by making sure that the window is reflected in your subject’s eyes.
Do you see the sparkle in the top left corner of her eyes? This is the window reflecting in her eyes. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/500 sec
You can tell where the window is positioned by where the reflection is in her eyes. Now that she has turned her head, the catchlights are in the lower part of her eyes. 50mm ISO 1600 f/4.0 1/500 sec
When doing portraits with window light, be sure to bring your portrait to life with catchlights.
How to get rid of unwanted shadows
It can be hard to take a portrait using a window and have no shadows on the face. But you can fill in those shadows or make them disappear using a reflector. Remember, you can use any large white surface as a reflector.
You can soften or reduce shadows by using a reflector. If you don’t have a professional reflector, you can use a large sheet of white paper or poster board.
Window light for headshots
At this point, you understand that large windows create soft light, you can use a reflector to fill in shadows, and that catchlights create a sparkle in the eye. You’re on your way to having a pro studio set up in your living room!
Here is a setup that you can use for headshot portraits with window light.
The same principles apply; a large window will make softer light, set your subject beside and behind the window a bit.
Notice the soft light and nice catchlights. A reflector was used for this portrait.
No reflector was used for this portrait.
Window light in everyday life
Now that you know the principles, you can use window light with candid photography as well.
Remember that it is often good to have the light source coming from the side. However, you can experiment by putting the window behind your subject to make creative silhouettes. You can also get creative by allowing direct sunlight to fall on your subject.
Did you know your home was filled with such great light sources?
Studio strobe lights are wonderful to use, but they’re not always affordable or practical to drag around.
Once you know the principles, you can use windows just as effectively and creatively as strobe lights.
Remember these principles when making portraits with window light:
Larger windows create softer light
Smaller windows create harsh shadows
Do not sit your subject in direct sunlight
Have the window to the side and in front of your subject
Use a reflector to fill in shadows
Catchlights create a sparkle in the eyes
Use a backdrop for professional portraits
Get creative with backlight and candid moments
One of the best ways to get started is to use a toy as a model. Go and have some fun with this and share your results with us in the comments!
The post How to Achieve Great Portraits with Window Light appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mat Coker.
The post 7 Essential Tips for Photographing Business Events and Conferences appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by James Maher.
Photographing business events is a lesson in extremes. One day you might be photographing a fascinating gala with incredible lighting and a lot of alcohol and energy. Then another day, you might be forcing yourself to pay attention while capturing an insurance industry conference in a dimly lit hotel ballroom, waiting for one person to make a single joke so people will laugh or smile during a talk on offshore tax havens.
In both cases, you have to do the best job you can to come back with the best possible photography from the day. You have to be prepared for the worst lighting, awkward people, and speeches that will cause even the most focused business professionals to nod off in their chair.
Here are some tips that have allowed me to always be prepared.
1. Before the job/being professional
1/200s at f/5.6, ISO 800.
The more prepared you are before a job starts, the smoother the day will go, and that starts with communication.
Provide your client with quick responses to make sure you don’t get beat out by competitors. Make sure you understand all the details of the event and what will be required of you and explain everything that you will provide the client. The better the communication when photographing business events, the fewer surprises will happen during the day.
Provide an official PDF quote on branded letterhead (it’s a nice touch) and always make sure to use a contract. I know this can be stressful for those just starting, but have a standard contract created that you can easily alter for each job, and it will quickly become a simple step in the process.
1/30s at f/2.8, ISO 3200.
Price yourself well. Do some research on event photographers in the area and value your services. Consider your expenses, travel time, shooting time, and editing time. On top of this, consider the time you spend marketing to get these jobs, your overall business expenses, and your personal expenses.
If you under-charge, you may make a little money, but you will quickly be out of business as well as hurting your competitors at the same time. Your work is valuable.
Always make sure to bring backup equipment for everything vital to the day. Bring an extra camera, lens, flash unit, batteries, and more CF cards than you need. The more prepared you are, the less will go wrong.
Finally, dress the part. This tip segways into the next topic about making people comfortable. As a photographer, people are watching you. Cameras stand out, and as much as you want to lay low to capture the best candid moments, you will be a focus of people’s attention.
Because of this, you need to make the best impression possible, While it may feel superficial, the better you dress, the more people will respect you and believe that you are doing a good job (because they often aren’t speaking to you, just seeing you working). It’s simple, but it works.
2. Make people feel comfortable
1/160s at f/3.5, ISO 800.
Your job as a photographer is to capture people looking happy and comfortable. The first step to doing this is making yourself look comfortable. The more comfortable and pleasant you look, the more relaxed people will feel around you, so remind yourself to keep a smile on your face.
Early on, I smile at people and give a quick hello or nod to some of the guests if the situation warrants it. If people look like they want to avoid me, I’m happy to let them. This makes me look non-threatening.
As the event goes on, people will begin to forget about you. However, the earlier you make people feel comfortable around you, the quicker this will occur.
3. Fast equipment
1/160s at f/4.5, ISO 6400.
In my experience, a majority of business events are in places with terrible lighting, so having the right equipment is necessary. You need to have a fast lens (that goes to f/2.8 or even faster), a flash unit, and a camera that can shoot well at high ISOs of at least ISO 3200 (which most new cameras can do these days).
My main event lenses are the Canon 24-70 f2.8 and the Canon 70-200 f2.8. This will cover everything from the overall room shots, the walk-around cocktail photographs, the group shots, to the detailed speaker photographs.
If you are on a budget, a 50mm f1.8 lens is a fantastic and affordable lens for event photography. However, the prime focal length will cause some significant constraints.
For photographing business events in darker environments, I will raise my ISO to 1600 and often 3200. My camera can handle this level of ISO (and 6400 if I really need) without clients noticing and it allows me to always be able to shoot with f2.8 lenses instead of needing faster ones.
1/125s at f/6.3, ISO 1600.
Now, even though you need to be able to shoot at f/2.8 when the lighting warrants, that doesn’t mean that I always do this. Often you will want more depth of field to show the full venue or multiple subjects sharp.
Particularly when photographing groups of people, I will always try to be around f/4 at least when it’s possible. Photographing a group at f/2.8 will often have the center person sharp while the edge subjects (or people standing too far forward) can be quite blurry.
Finally, you need a reliable flash unit. This will allow your subjects to stand out from the background and give them a pleasing light source much more flattering than your typical overhead ballroom lights. For presentations, I stay away from using a flash and instead stick to high ISOs as to not annoy a room full of people trying to concentrate.
For indoor cocktail event photography and similar, I almost always use flash.
4. Balance the room light with your flash
1/40s at F3.2, ISO 3200.
Whenever I need to use a flash, I will first set my camera to expose the room correctly without the flash. In my opinion, the best event photographs show the room and natural lighting of the environment while artificially lighting your subjects, so they look as good as possible.
I will raise my ISO and lower my aperture number until the room looks good, making sure that my shutter speed does not go too slow to cause too much handheld motion or motion in the subjects.
After this, I will turn my flash on and use the TTL (through the lens) setting to allow it to expose the scene correctly. TTL gives the camera the ability to read the light in the room and to give off what it believes to be the right amount of light.
While this screws up occasionally, it can be very accurate and will allow you to focus more of your attention on the event itself.
5. Bounce your flash with a diffuser
1/80s at f/2.8, ISO 2000.
Using a flash does not mean the light that comes off of it will be automatically pleasing on your subjects. Facing it directly at the subject can be pretty harsh.
Instead, I typically aim my flash up and sometimes slightly to the back. That way, the light will spread out and bounce off the ceiling back to them. The shorter the ceiling, the more this works. With a very tall ceiling (or dark ceiling), you will have no choice but to aim the flash directly at your subject.
I also use a small cap diffuser on the flash, which spreads out and diffuses the light. It will also send some of the light forward when the flash unit is pointed up, which helps out significantly.
I highly suggest the smaller cap diffusers over the larger ones, since the larger ones will light up like a bright bulb and blind anyone near you. This can be disruptive for an event.
6. Anticipate and wait for the right moment
1/125s at f/3.5, ISO 1600.
Anticipation is the key to good event photography. If you walk around constantly, it’s so hard to both pay attention and to be in the right position to capture those quick, amazing moments. Instead, find a location with a good vantage point on people having fun and wait for the right moment to occur. When it happens, you will be in position and ready with your camera to capture it.
When I do this, I try to be candid about it because there is nothing that will stop a great moment from happening more than a photographer staring at you and waiting with their camera. So instead, I try to make it seem like I’m looking around the room or looking at something else. I am scanning the room, of course, but I’m primarily watching them out of the corner of my eye.
Sometimes the moment happens and sometimes it doesn’t, so don’t be afraid to give up and move on when needed.
For conferences and long speeches, the key is to wait for someone to make a joke. That is usually the only way people will smile during these serious events. And while I try to be at attention for the entire time, this can be very difficult for a full eight-hour event of speeches and talks.
Instead, I usually pay the most attention early on in each speech and talk. Usually, the jokes come at the very beginning, so I will shoot a lot early on until I’m sure I have enough good photos. Then I will rest my attention for a bit, while still waiting for jokes or light moments to occur.
7. Edit the photos efficiently
1/200s at f/2.8, ISO 1600.
Coming back from an event with 600-1000 photos (or more) can be a daunting experience, particularly for those newer to photographing business events. Having an efficient workflow is necessary for these situations.
I try to stick to a week-at-most turnaround time. This can be difficult, but it is a big draw for businesses in this fast-moving social media world. Often, I’ll even send a small section of the best photographs the next day.
But how do you do this efficiently?
Before I do anything, I cull down the photos to the selects as fast as I can in Lightroom. I use the star system to go through my photos. I give the best photos 5-stars, 3-stars to the ones I am probably not going to use, but I’m not yet sure about, and the rest 0-stars. Then I go through the 5-star images again to turn some of the photos into 4-star images. This allows me to get down to my final set of 5-star photographs to send to the client as quickly as possible. It reduces the rest of the editing time significantly, which is a key step.
From there, I will edit and crop the photographs. Take significant advantage of Lightroom’s copy and paste functions for the changes you make. Since you will have groups of photographs taken under the same lighting conditions, copying and pasting your changes will save you so much time. Often, some of the photos will need small tweaks after that, but the core of the work can get finished so much quicker this way.
1/160s at F6.3, ISO 1600.
Conclusion
Photographing business events can be overwhelming at first as you never really know what you are getting into. Some events will be easy, inspiring, and delightful, while others will test your patience. Moreover, you often won’t know how this will go until you show up.
But over time, even the tough jobs with bad lighting and boring subjects will eventually become routine, as long as you take advantage of the tricks to get the best out of these situations.
Do you have any other tips for photographing business events that you would like to share? Please do so in the comments section.
The post 7 Essential Tips for Photographing Business Events and Conferences appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by James Maher.
The post Great Photoshop Tools to Edit Backgrounds in Images for Online Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
Are you moving your business online? You’re probably noticing the huge amount of possibilities? From blogs to Instagram; from banners to thumbnails – you need to keep editing your images to fit your every need. Fortunately, there are some Photoshop tools to edit backgrounds that come to the rescue. Keep reading to learn how to solve some of the most common issues about backgrounds.
Are your white backgrounds really white?
Photoshop tools to edit white backgrounds
There are a number of Photoshop tools to edit white backgrounds, so let’s break them down.
Curves
A white background shot seems simple, but it ‘s not so easy to achieve. You can always cut out the subject and replace the backdrop, but this can be very time-consuming even if you did it right in the photo-shoot. You still need to do some editing, and one of the best Photoshop tools to edit a backgrounds’ brightness is Curves.
When a white background image is placed on top of a digital background you can see if it was really white.
Often, despite your best efforts, your seemingly white background is not 100% white. Look at the example above. On the left, you can see the result of the photo-shoot, which appears to be okay. But, if I add a white background layer, you can see it’s not. Notice how you can see the difference in the corners. To easily fix this, you have to add a Curves Adjustment Layer.
To add a Curves adjustment, click on the Adjustments icon at the bottom of the Layer palette, denoted by a circle with black and white halves.
Then, lighten your image by dragging the top part of the curve. Keep going until the transition between your photo and the digital background is not visible. Don’t worry if your subject is getting too light, you’ll fix that in the next step.
Now, grab the Brush tool, and with a soft brush at 10 or 15% flow, start painting black over your subject. This will mask out the adjustments from the curve to keep the original exposure on the subject, including its shadows.
Photoshop tools to extend backgrounds
There will be times when you also need to extend your image backgrounds. Here are some tools to help you do that.
Clone Stamp
The Clone Stamp is one of the most useful Photoshop tools to edit backgrounds. Being able to clone one part of the image to another, helps you to retouch almost anything.
You can correct any specks, dust, or scratches in your image.
I want to show you another situation where it can come in handy too. Imagine you need to extend your background to gain some negative space. You can clone your background to cover a bigger area. First, enlarge your document by going to Menu->Image->Canvas Size and set up the new size.
For this example, I was turning a thumbnail into a header.
Grab the Clone Stamp and take a sample from the background to start cloning. If you are working on a separate layer, make sure to set Current and Below in the options bar. If you’re working on the same layer, use “Current Layer.”
Keep going by sampling from different areas each time, that way, it’s less noticeable, and you’ll get a better result. If the area is too big for this, then the Pattern Stamp tool will be more efficient.
Pattern Stamp
First, use the Rectangular Marquee tool to select a sample of the background. Then go to Menu->Edit->Define Pattern. This will open a pop-up window where you can name and save this background as a pattern.
Pick the Pattern Stamp tool that you’ll find under the Clone Stamp. On the options bar, you can open the pattern menu and choose the one you just created.
Now you just have to paint all the space you want to fill. You can adjust the size of the brush, the hardness, and flow for better results.
If the separation between stamps is noticeable, then go back to the clone stamp tool and smooth out the junctions.
Photoshop healing tools for backgrounds
Similar to the Clone Stamp is the Healing Brush, which has two variations. Unlike the clone, both of them will blend the new pixels with the existing ones. As a result, the correction is much smoother. Let’s see the difference between them.
Spot Healing Brush
The Spot Healing Brush will automatically sample the pixels it thinks are best to use as a source. It will take the texture and reproduce it while blending the color and luminosity with the pixels in the new spot.
This is really useful when you’re working on large empty areas, like textures. In most cases, I find it’s very unpredictable, and it includes pieces that don’t belong, so I don’t use it often. However, it’s a matter of finding what works best in each situation.
I wanted to extend the background. Notice how it included the texture from the subject.
If you cancel the action by going back on your history or using the command Ctrl+Z and try again, it will give you a different result. It works better when you use a small brush and tackle small areas at a time.
If you want to cover a big space, you’ll be better off using the Healing Brush Tool.
Healing Brush
This tool is a mix between the Spot Healing Brush and the Clone Stamp. You can manually choose where to sample by clicking on the spot while holding the Alt key. Then click on the area you want to ‘heal’ and it will blend the source pixels with the current ones. This way the result will be much more uniform. Make sure that “Sampled” is marked as the Source in the Options bar.
You can use this tool to extend your background or to retouch any details on it. It’s very versatile, so try it out.
Conclusion
Your background can complement, enhance, or distract from the subject, so it’s just as important and you want to give it enough attention. Whether it’s a blemish or an extension, these Photoshop tools to edit backgrounds can help you out for most of your online needs.
What is your favorite tool? Share it in the comments section!
The post Great Photoshop Tools to Edit Backgrounds in Images for Online Use appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
As you might expect, there are plenty of portraits featured in this week’s DPReview TV episode looking at the Canon RF 85mm F1.2. Take a closer look at images from this modern marvel as well as some comparison shots from the original EF 85mm F1.2.
This week Chris and Jordan take a closer look at the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L and – no surprises here – find it to be a technically excellent optic. They also compare it with the original EF-mount 85mm F1.2L, which is no slouch for its age, to see just how far the design has advanced in the past 15 years.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Introduction
Size and design
Depth of field control
Flare
Chromatic aberrations
Minimum focus
Autofocus
Bokeh
The DS version
Sharpness
Video performance
Who is it for?
Sample images from this episode
$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_0086204603″,”galleryId”:”0086204603″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) }); Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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The post Adobe’s Exciting New Updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and ACR appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Adobe has released several impressive updates to its Creative Cloud programs, including Lightroom, Photoshop, and Adobe Camera Raw.
The changes give Adobe users a number of features to be excited about, including:
Enhanced subject selection in Photoshop
Easy movement from Lightroom to Photoshop on iPad
An interface makeover for Adobe Camera Raw
The addition of local hue adjustments in Lightroom
While you can read about the many new and improved features on Adobe’s blog, I’ll run through the most important new upgrades for photographers, starting with:
Photoshop offers updated Select Subject tool
Photoshop’s Select Subject tool has been steadily improving since the feature was first released.
But with these new updates comes a huge advance in terms of Select Subject’s capacity to identify complex edges.
As explained by Adobe, Select Subject has advanced in two key ways:
First: “Select subject is now content aware, and applies new custom algorithms if it detects a person is in the scene.”
And second: “Hair and treatment around hair has been vastly improved.”
When it comes to subject selection, any improvements are welcome; for most folks, better selection tools means less time spent in Photoshop and more time out shooting photos.
Hair has traditionally been the most difficult aspect of selecting, even with Adobe’s most powerful tools in hand. But with these improvements, subject selection should become at least slightly easier.
Lightroom on iPad offers easy Edit in Photoshop button
If you frequently edit images in Lightroom on your iPad, you’re in luck:
Adobe has now added an easy method for moving your photos from Lightroom to Photoshop:
The Edit in Photoshop button, which you can access from the export menu in Lightroom and use to quickly open an image in Photoshop.
Adobe explains that, after editing an image to Photoshop, “you can either send it right back to Lightroom, or keep it as a new cloud document.”
This should be a massive improvement for folks frustrated by the lack of integration between Lightroom and Photoshop on iPad.
(According to Adobe, this was among the “top requests” of iPad users.)
Adobe Camera Raw starts to look sleek
The new ACR layout looks far more stylish!
It’s finally happened:
Adobe Camera Raw has shed its aging skin and turned into something better; it’s still not exactly modern, but it’s certainly much sleeker.
Take a look at ACR, and you’ll now see a new interface, one that’s designed to “feel familiar to any Lightroom user.”
The layout has changed, the sliders have changed, and you even have some tool enhancements (for instance, the Curves tool is much easier to work with).
You also get a brand new tool, which comes to both Adobe Camera RAW and Lightroom in the form of local hue adjustment:
Lightroom and ACR gain local hue adjustment feature
Lightroom (and ACR) has long offered global hue adjustment capabilities in its HSL panel:
You select the original color, then you shift it along the color spectrum via a slider.
Up until now, this has remained a global editing tool. Lightroom included no option to selectively adjust hue via the adjustment brush, radial filter, or graduated filter, which meant that selective color editing was a feature largely confined to Photoshop.
But all that has changed, because you’ll now see a new slider when using local adjustment tools, one that allows you to select an area and shift its colors via a handy hue slider.
With this new local editing option, you can selectively adjust skin tones, clothing color, sunset color, and much more.
So here’s my recommendation:
Head over to your Lightroom, Photoshop, and Adobe Camera Raw applications right now.
And try out these new options!
Now I’d like to ask you:
Which of these new updates are you most excited to try? And were there any changes that you’d still like to see from Adobe? Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post Adobe’s Exciting New Updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and ACR appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Boats appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
This week’s weekly photography challenge – BOATS!
Boats on Merimbula Lake at sunset by Caz Nowaczyk
It can be boats, kayaks, or stand-up paddleboards. Capture them on lakes or out at sea, at sunrise or sunset or in the middle of the day. They can be close-ups of things on a boat, or the boats can be part of a large vista. They can be color or black and white. They can be taken with your good camera or your smartphone (as mine are).
Play with post-processing too, if you like.
The choice is yours! I look forward to seeing what you share
Boats on Merimbula Lake and Mitchies Jetty at sunset by Caz NowaczykBoats on Merimbula Lake and Mitchies Jetty at sunset by Caz NowaczykBoats by the Lake at Durras North at sunrise by Caz Nowaczyk
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
Tips for photographing BOATS
5 Reasons Why Your Sunrise or Sunset Photos Don’t Look So Stunning
How to Find a Great Sunset Photography Location
8 Ways to Use Water in Photography to Add Impact
Tips for Photographing Reflections to Create Stunning Images
How To Photograph Reflections In Water
How to Photograph Long Exposures to Create Dreamy Images
How to Avoid Blurry Long Exposure Images with Proper Tripod Setup
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.
Share in the dPS Facebook Group
You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSboats2020 to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Boats appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
What makes a lens ‘perfect?’ Is it a lack of distortion and aberrations? Is it measured by sharpness across the frame or the dreaminess of its bokeh balls? Are modern lenses, with all their technical achievements, really better than their film-era counterparts? And can a ‘flawed’ lens still be considered perfect?
Ultimately all lenses have some sorts of ‘characteristics’ based on their design. And how much you notice and appreciate these characteristics depends entirely on what you shoot and personal taste. To that regard, there is no perfect lens, or rather there is no universally-perfect lens. But there are perfect lenses for individual photographers, ones that allow you to work within a state of harmony.
35mmc’s Hamish Gill dives deep into the subject. Read on…
Read: Defining the ‘perfect’ lens
About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at 35mmc.
Photographs have always been intended to provide us with memories to last a lifetime. Of course, the technology has certainly evolved over the past 150 years. There are now countless ways to display our most precious images. Photo albums and high-definition emails are two common examples. However, what if you instead wish to place photos throughout the home? What options Continue Reading
The post Creative Ways to Display Your Photography at Home appeared first on Photodoto.
Venus Optics has announced three additions to its cine range of lenses that each gives users an angle of view equivalent to a 15mm lens on a full-frame camera. The lenses released are for MFT, APS-C and full-frame sensor cameras and come with clickless apertures and 0.8 mod pitch gears for focusing and iris control.
The lenses are the Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine for Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Laowa 9mm T2.9 for APS-C and Super35 sensors and the Laowa 15mm T2.1 for Sony full-frame models. The 9mm and 15mm lenses have the company’s Zero-D designation meaning there is minimal barrel distortion, and all have exceptional close focus abilities – 12cm/4.7in from the sensor for the 7.5mm and 9mm, and 15cm/5.8in for the 15mm lens.
Each of the lenses is an adapted version of an existing stills lens but built with a new housing that has no lens hood, a larger filter thread and slightly longer focus rotation for the 15mm – as well as the geared rings, clickless apertures and T-stop markings.
The lenses are on sale now and come with their own mini Pelican hard case. The 9mm is available in mounts for Fujifilm X, Sony E and MFT, while the 7.5mm is MFT-only and the 15mm is Sony E-only, though the company says versions of the 15mm for Nikon Z, Canon R and L mounts will be coming later this year. The 7.5mm T2.1 and 9mm T2.9 cost $ 599 and the 15mm T2.1 is $ 1,199. For more information see the Laowa website.
Press release
Venus Optics unveiled 3 new Ultra Wide cine lenses for Micro Four Thirds, Super 35 and Full frame cinema cameras
Anhui China, Jun 19, 2020 – Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer specialize in making unique camera lenses, unveiled three new ultra-wide cine lenses for cameras with different sensor sizes. They are the Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine for Micro Four Thirds cameras, Laowa 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine for Super35 cameras and the Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine Lens for large format (full frame) cameras. All three lenses feature the same optical system as the their popular photography version and offer premium optical performance. They have also been built with robust cinema lenses housing with design up to the industry standard.
Ultra-wide FoV & fast aperture All three Laowa cine lenses feature an ultra-wide angle of view and fast aperture. The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 feature a 110° FoV on MFT while the 9mm T2.9 features a 113° on Super35 sensors. The 15mm T2.1 instead features a 110° FoV on cameras with full frame sensors. The fast maximum t-stop is well suited for filming under low light condition. It also allows filmmakers to have more flexibility in depth of field control.
Close-to-zero distortion Both the 9mm and 15mm feature the distinguishing Laowa close-to-zero distortion (Zero-D) design where the optical distortion at infinity distance has been compressed to the minimal. This is extremely important for motion picture recording when shooting indoor, architecture or footage with straight lines included. This also saves tremendous amount of time in distortion correction in post processing.
Compact & lightweight All three wide angle prime lenses are extremely compact and lightweight. Both 7.5mm and 9mm weigh close to 0.5 lbs (226g). The 15mm is a little bit heavier due to the larger coverage but Venus Optics still manage to compress it to around 1.2 lbs (540g). On the contrary to the huge and heavy wide angle lenses in the market, the new Laowa cine lenses are extremely handy for run-and-gun productions, shooting with gimbals, in-car shots, indoor scene, etc.
Close Focusing Distance All three Laowa cine lenses possess an extremely close focusing distance. This provides a great deal of flexibility for directors to compose shots at any distance. Filmmakers can also take advantage of this close focusing to create some wide angle shots with shallower depth of field. Both the Laowa 7.5mm and 9mm can focus as close as 4.7” (12cm) from sensor to subject while the 15mm can focus up to 5.9” (15cm).
Industry standard cinema lens housing The major difference between the new cinema version and the still version is the improved housing. The new cinema lens housing have been designed with details to facilitate filmmakers to shoot with ease. Both the aperture and focus rings have been built with industry standard 0.8 mod pitch gears for pairing up with follow-focus motors. The aperture ring is now click-less for smooth iris control. Every one of Laowa cine lenses comes with a filter thread for filmmakers to use screw-in filters and mini matte-boxes. Entire lens body is made by premium grade aluminum and build for usage in extreme environment.
Hassel-free transportation An authentic hard case made by Pelican will be included with the lens to allow filmmakers to travel around for shooting with ease.
A variety of Current & Future mount options The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine is available in Micro Four Thirds mount and it is a perfect companion to cameras like Blackmagic Pocket 4K, Panasonic GH5 and Z-Cam E2
The 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine is available in Fuji X, Sony E mount and Micro Four Thirds mount. The Micro Four Thirds mount can cover the same cameras as 7.5mm and serve as an not-as-wide alternative to MFT users. The Fuji X mount is extremely popular among XT-4 or XH-1 shooters. The Sony E mount works really well with Sony cameras with Super35 sensors including FS5, FS7, A6500 series, etc.
The 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine is designed for large format sensor with Sony FE mount available. It is best suited with Sony full frame cameras like Sony A7 series and FX9.
New Nikon Z, Canon RF and Leica L mount will be introduced later this year and they will certain be interesting wide angle options for cameras like RED Komodo, Canon R5, Nikon Z6/Z7, Sigma FP, Panasonic S1H and more to come.
Laowa Wide Angle Cine Lenses line-up Together with the Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine released earlier for EF and PL cinema cameras, Venus Optics currently offer four wide angle cine lenses for cinema cameras with different sensor sizes.
Pricing & Availability All three cine lenses are currently available to purchase via Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized resellers. The US price for 7.5mm T2.1 and 9mm T2.9 is $ 599/pc (ex-VAT) and 15mm T2.1 is $ 1,199/pc (ex-VAT). Pricing varies in different countries.
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