Lens manufacturer Viltrox has issued a statement warning customers that a number of its X-mount lenses can damage Fujifilm X-Pro3 camera bodies.
The statement, seen below, notes that ‘it would be better not [to] use [the] Viltrox 23mm, 33mm or 85mm X-mount lenses’ with Fujifilm X-Pro3 camera systems, as it can damage the camera ‘due to the structural conflict [wherein] they will scratch a little bit against each other.
This information is backed up by reports on this DPReview forum post from Pete Richardson that notes his Viltrox 85mm lens rubs up against the lens release button on the X-Pro3 camera body, causing ‘the slightest mark on the edge of the collar surrounding the release button.’ The reason this only affects X-Pro3 camera bodies is that the lens release button sticks out ever-so-slightly further than that on the X-Pro2, as illustrated in this screenshot from CameraSize.com by DPReview reader DarnGoodPhotos:
Note how the lens release button on the X-Pro3 sticks out marginally further than on the X-Pro2.
If that is the case, the damage would be mostly cosmetic, but it’s probably best to avoid using the lenses with the camera unless you don’t mind scratching up either item.
The post How to Arrange Your Photoshop Workspace for Faster Editing appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.
The key to quick and painless retouching is creating a workflow that works for you. Photoshop has a highly customizable workspace that you can set up in a way that best suits your needs. Here are some tips on how to declutter your Photoshop workspace for a seamless and efficient workflow.
Photoshop workspace preferences
A workflow that’s effective for one photographer may not be as helpful for another.
Your Photoshop workflow has to be built around your preferences and your most-used tools and windows. For example, the tools that I use most for my food photography may not be as useful for wedding photography or street photography.
For this reason, you may want to have multiple workspaces set up for different applications, especially if you shoot in more than one genre.
You may want to have a workspace for black and white photography only, and another you use for color retouching. It’s up to you if you want to have multiple workspaces and how you organize them.
The important thing is that you arrange your workspace in a way that you’re best prepared for the type of retouching that you want to do. This will keep distractions to a minimum and make the process of retouching go faster.
Photoshop comes with some pre-configured workspaces, depending on what you use the program for. You’ll find these, as well as your various options to set your preferences, under the Window tab at the top of the Photoshop workspace. The panels that show up in your workspace are denoted with a checkmark. Click them on or off accordingly.
Choose the default Photography workspace as a base and customize it from there.
When setting up your workspace, I recommend always showing your Layers and Histogram panels to keep you on track while retouching. I also like to sometimes have my History and Actions visible.
Rename your workspace in a way that will help you quickly differentiate it from other workspaces, if you have them. I personally only use one workspace because I mostly shoot in one genre – food photography.
Creating a new workspace
To create a new photoshop workspace:
go to > Window navigate to > Workspace choose > New Workspace Give your workspace a name Hit >Save
Toolbar and windows
The toolbar and various menus in the Photoshop workspace can be easily dragged to where you want them. In the default workspace, you can find the toolbar on the left-hand side. However, you can drag it to the right-hand side of your workspace, so you have all your tools and menus on one side. This can make the workspace cleaner and more effective because everything you need to access will be consolidated in one area, and your eyes won’t be bouncing around, looking for things.
Make sure that your most important windows are visible, and that you hide or collapse any that are unused, or rarely used.
Observe which windows and tools you use the most and make sure that they are prominent and easy to navigate to.
You can make your menus larger or smaller in relation to the rest of your workspace, depending on your preference. If you have a large screen, you might feel comfortable having several wide menus.
In my Photoshop workspace, I want to see my Histogram and Navigator panels at the top, where I’m used to seeing them in my RAW editor.
Below that, I have my Adjustments and Actions, which I access regularly.
I also always have my Layers panel open so I can see them all and know exactly which one I’m working on.
You can minimize a given window and have it noted by an icon. For example, I have minimized my History panel to a small icon because I want it accessible in case I need to step back in my retouching process, but it’s not a panel that I constantly use, therefore I don’t need to expand it.
History panel denoted with an icon.
When you move your panels around, note that they will be saved as such in the organization of the current workspace. If you go to another workspace and then come back, all your panels will be found in their most recent arrangement.
Floating menus
Any of the individual panels can be moved onto the screen. They can be moved outside the Photoshop window, or even onto other monitors, if you use a double or multiple monitor set-up.
Some photographers like to work this way, while others find floating panels annoying and intrusive.
Docking panels
You can dock panels with other panels to create panel groups.
To do this, you hover the pointer of the mouse over the boundary of another panel. A blue outline will show you where the panel will be docked.
Two panels docked together.
You can also dock several panels into columns, as I did with my History panel. Again, you probably want to do this with the panels that you need but use less often.
Shot at 38mm on a 24-70 f.2.8 zoom lens at ISO 100, shutter speed 1/160th.
Conclusion
An organized workspace is one of the most important factors in working effectively in Photoshop. Arrange your tools and panels in a way that makes sense for you.
This might mean:
creating multiple workspaces with various preferences for different applications
consolidating your toolbar and panels on one side of the screen
hiding unused menus and collapsing those that are used less often
docking floating panels and tools together or using floating panels on another monitor
minimizing the number of panels in your workspace to avoid distractions
At the end of the day, your retouching process has to make sense for you. Hopefully these tips will help you declutter your Photoshop workspace for a faster and efficient retouching workflow.
If you have any other tips for decluttering your Photoshop workspace, let us know in the comments.
The post How to Arrange Your Photoshop Workspace for Faster Editing appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.
Model Naomi Campbell became a cover star, make-up artist and photographer for the latest issue of Essence magazine as lockdown measures prevented the team from traveling that was booked to work on the special issue cover. Just days before the shoot was due to take place, as part of the magazine’s 50th anniversary issue celebrations, the USA went into lockdown so the magazine asked Naomi if she would shoot the pictures herself.
On the eve of her 50th birthday, @NaomiCampbell covers our 50th Anniversary issue, shot by the icon herself with an iPhone while in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tap the ? for more on our May/June 2020 issue. #ESSENCE50 https://t.co/JluyvLQwha pic.twitter.com/ZrL7F9ka8M
— ESSENCE (@Essence) May 5, 2020
Also celebrating a 50th anniversary, Campbell rose to the challenge and, with direction from the magazine’s creative team, set up and shot the pictures with her iPhone. Planning discussions went on from the team’s homes via video chat, and the actual shoot was styled and directed remotely on the day—and the pictures have turned out pretty well.
it also brought me hope and encouragement to know that our people and our infrastructures are resilient. We are rooted in knowledge and creativity and continue to take back full control of our narratives. We will come out of this stronger than ever.
— Naomi Campbell (@NaomiCampbell) May 5, 2020
‘Naomi shot herself with an iPhone,’ says MoAna Luu, the Chief Content & Creative Officer of the magazine. ‘We couldn’t send a team so, she had to do her hair, her makeup and her styling herself. We were on late night calls trying to figure out how she was going to do the shoot with her phone in her hand. Then, we had to do a re-shoot because the photos didn’t come out how we imagined. So, there were technical challenges, there were human challenges; but Naomi did it all without asking any questions, she never quit. What’s amazed me the most about working with Naomi to do this cover shoot during the pandemic is the way that she embraces the fact that she truly controls her own narrative. She’s never waited for people to do for her; she’s created her own opportunities. She’s been a pioneer in so many ways and now she’s a pioneer in ESSENCE history because she’s completely and literally controlling her own narrative in this issue from the cover to the in-book story.’
Presenting GQ’s June/July cover star: Robert Pattinson. See all the self-portraits by Robert Pattinson and read the story by @ZachBaron here: https://t.co/EPzPWk2vTH pic.twitter.com/2IZ75xJ3gE
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) May 12, 2020
Campbell isn’t the only one doing her own shoots during the global pandemic, as Batman actor Robert Pattinson had to take the pictures for an interview with him for GQ magazine. Pattinson had the good fortune to have a Nikon DSLR to shoot himself with rather than his phone, but perhaps a little less direction from the magazine. The pictures are pretty cool, and one shot in a mirror is used on the cover of this month’s magazine while another is being used as the header on the magazine’s social media channels.
Note: This is an updated version of an article originally published in Fall 2019. Assessments of print quality and delivery times have been carried over from that article.
Believe it or not, there are still people that like to print out their photos and create photo books to send gifts to family members. There seem to be more options than ever when it comes to online printing services, which makes choosing one a bit overwhelming.
We tested out five popular online printing companies and assessed them based on their ease of service, price, turnaround time and most importantly, print consistency/paper quality.
How we tested
We placed an order for three 8×10 and three 4×6 prints on the same day (October 23rd, 2019) from Snapfish, Amazon Photos*, Shutterfly, MPix, and Printique (formerly known as AdoramaPix). We used the automatic ‘smart crop’ feature on each website when preparing the prints and, when it was possible, requested that the image be printed on Lustre paper. All prints were shipped with the economy shipping option.
Our picks: Printique and MPix
Printique.com Our top pick
Printique, formerly AdoramaPix, offers slightly higher pricing than the competition, but has the most consistent/pleasing print quality. Print turnaround is fast.
MPix.com Also good
MPix’s pricing is in the middle of the road, the print quality is consistent – second only to Printique – and print turnaround is also speedy. But you’ll have to pay extra for options like lustre paper.
Now let’s take a closer look at each of these print services including the process of ordering, the speed of delivery, the condition prints arrived and the overall quality of our purchase.
*FULL DISCLOSURE: DPReview.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon. We are editorially independent of our parent company.
Oh hi, didn’t see you there! Welcome to the DPReview Virtual Camera Museum.
Feel free to look around, we have an impressive collection. Down this hall you’ll find Unique Cameras from the Dawn of Digital Photography. And beyond that is the Samsung NX1 Memorial Garden – it’s really lovely this time of year. But you’re probably here to see our special exhibit: the Digital Camera Hall of Shame.
Please note that the museum is not responsible for any emotional damage caused by this exhibit, and the curators would like to stress that it is meant in good humor. At least the manufacturers featured here were trying to do something different with their cameras – not just the usual black-or-silver-rectangle with a lens on the front. They just missed the mark, in our opinion.
As you navigate the exhibit you’ll notice a progression from what we consider minor infractions – mere lapses of judgement – at the beginning, to the most egregious transgressions in camera design history towards the end.
Take your time, and please fill out the survey at the end and let us know if you’d rank them differently!
Exhibit A: Compacts gone wrong
Here you’ll find a range of design missteps from manufacturers trying to break free of the mold. Don’t worry, they’re harmless.
Thanks for visiting! Do take a moment to answer the survey below, and fill out a comment card to let us know what exhibits you’d like to see us host in the future. Our curators are always listening!
Nikon has announced a new ‘Creator’s Kit’ for its Nikon Z50 camera system that’s designed to create an all-in-one solution to get shooting, streaming and recording right out of the box at a price less than the sum of its parts.
The Nikon Z50 Creator’s Kit includes the Z50 camera body, the Nikkor Z DX 16–50mm F3.5–6.3 VR lens, a SmallRig Vlogging Mounting Plate, a Joby GorillaPod 3K and a Rode VideoMicro microphone, all of which comes in a Nikon-branded travel bag. Along with the hardware, Nikon includes free access to its ‘Creator’s Mindset: Creating Video Content with the Z 50’ online class.
If all of the items were purchased individually (not including the bag or course), the total would add up to roughly $ 1,400, give or take for taxes and other additional costs. The Nikon Z50 Creator’s Kit costs $ 1,149.95 and is currently available to pre-order on Nikon’s store, with an estimated shipping date of Thursday, May 21.
Nikon also notes this kit (alongside its other camera systems) can be used as a webcam setup with various third-party hardware and software. To help get you started, Nikon has created a dedicated page to using your Nikon camera system as a webcam rig.
Press release:
Nikon Inc. Announces New Z 50 Creator’s Kit
Today, Nikon Inc. announced the new Nikon Z 50 Creator’s Kit – an essential toolkit for creators, bloggers, vloggers, DIYers and travelers who want to explore the limits of their creativity and share their stories in a unique way.
The Nikon Z 50 Creator’s Kit pairs the versatile Z 50 mirrorless camera with must-have video accessories to create an all-in-one bundle to match user’s creative potential:
Nikon Z 50 Camera Body – offers 4K Ultra HD capture, slow-motion recording, time-lapses and in-camera creative filters, plus a 3.2” flip-down LCD screen, great for capturing selfies and vlogging, and built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to help creators quickly share their content
NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens – the smallest and lightest NIKKOR Z lens, great for capturing street photography, candid portraits, landscapes, and close-ups
SmallRig Vlogging Mounting Plate– allows users to attach multiple accessories to the camera when using the flip-down LCD for vlogging
Joby GorillaPod 3K – adds extended reach for selfies and vlogging, plus can be used as a compact tripod for steady shooting
RØDE VideoMicro microphone – captures pristine audio that complements the camera’s outstanding video quality
Pack up equipment in style with the Nikon Travel Kit Bag
Free access to the Nikon School Online Class “Creator’s Mindset: Creating Video Content with the Z 50 and sharpen their skills by using the voucher for the Nikon School Online Class, Creator’s Mindset: Creating Video Content with the Z 50 (with camera registration)
The Nikon Z 50 Creator’s Kit will be available starting on Thursday, May 21 for $ 1,149.95.
Please refer full press release below and click the link here for products images of the new kit.
Additionally, the Z 50 Creator’s Kit can be used as a webcam using optional third-party video capture software. For more information and to learn how to do this, please visit here. For those looking to explore the endless possibilities of what they can create with the Nikon Z 50 Creator’s Kit, check out Nikon’s selection of ever-changing and inspiring content on NikonUSA.com/CreatorsHour.
If you have any questions or need more information, please let us know.
Sony has informed DPReview that it will be extending its Sony Imaging PRO Support platform for all members for an additional six months due to the ‘current global situation.’
No press release was issued, but in an email shared with DPReview (embedded below) via a spokesperson, Sony says PRO Support members will have an extra six months of service added free of charge, immediately and automatically. These services include dedicated U.S. Phone support, expedited repair turnaround time, repair loaners, evaluation loaners, camera maintenance and more.
Sony says its PRO Support members ‘are among [its] most loyal customers [and it wants] you to know how much [it] values you being a part of Sony’s Imaging family.’
Email:
Sony PRO Support extended by six months for customers due to global conditions
As a PRO Support member, you are among our most loyal customers and we want you to know how much we value you being part of Sony’s Imaging family.
With the current global situation, we are taking steps to ensure we are supporting all of our customers during these difficult times. For all Pro Support members like yourself, we are automatically extending membership for an additional 6 months, free of charge.
As a refresher, your ProSupport membership includes:
– Dedicate US Phone Support Experts
– Expedited Repair Turnaround Time
– Repair Loaners
– Evaluation Loaner
– Camera Maintenance
– Terms & Conditions for the program applies to
o US members
o Canada members
We are here to support you via phone or email:
M-F 7AM PST to 5PM PST. Saturday 7AM PST to 2PM PST.
Fuji X-Photographer Kim Farrelly recently published a video explaining how to use a mirrorless or DSLR camera as a webcam with Zoom without using a capture card. The tutorial is only applicable to macOS, enabling photographers who are now working from home to utilize the camera hardware they already own rather than having to purchase a standalone webcam, which are increasingly hard to find.
Though the tutorial may seem a bit intimidating to users who are less tech-savvy, it’s fairly simple. Firstly, users are advised to check whether their camera supports tethering and live view, something that can be done on the Capture One website.
Assuming the camera does support these functions, the user must first download Zoom followed by XCODE from Apple onto their computer using the following command in the Terminal application:
xcode-select –install
After Xcode is installed, use the following command in terminal to open up access to use external cameras with Zoom:
The path in the second line of code must be the same as the path where Zoom is installed on the Mac. By installing Xcode and executing these two lines of code, Farrelly explains that Zoom will be able to use external webcams — or, in this case, a mirrorless or DSLR camera.
The process requires two additional applications called Camera Live and CamTwist, in that order, as well as a USB cable for tethering the camera to the computer. Farrelly explains that Camera Live version 13 works “100%” with his Fuji X-T2, but it’s unclear whether this version is needed for every camera model.
Farrelly walks viewers through this entire process, including some notes and links in the video’s description on the processes that will ‘piggyback’ each application so that the camera can ultimately be used as a webcam for Zoom video calls. Viewers who experimented with the process also dropped some additional tips, such as adding a zoom effect in CamTwist in order to remove the black bars from the video feed.
Nikon Corporation has issued a statement to investors warning the company ‘expects to post extraordinary losses’ for its 2020 fiscal year (FY2020) that ended on March 31, 2020, and has subsequently made a revision to the financial forecast ahead of the upcoming release of the results on May 28.
If Canon’s latest financial results were anything to go by, it was inevitable Nikon’s were going to look even worse. While we don’t have the exact numbers yet, Nikon has preemptively warned investors that it won’t be pretty. In a document titled ‘Notice Regarding Recognition of Extraordinary Losses and Reversal of Deferred Tax Assets in Non-Consolidated Financial Statements,’ Nikon says the following:
‘Using the future plan that reflects the impact and more caused by the spread of COVID-19 to business activities, the Company has assessed an indication that fixed assets may be impaired, performed valuation of financial assets, and examined the recoverability of deferred tax assets.’
Put more simply, Nikon is saying the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused much of its business to slow or stop production in its facilities and dramatically reduced sales, leading to a drop in value of its production line and equipment. In turn for reducing the value of these departments, Nikon will be able to reduce its taxable income equal to the amount it’s decreased the value of these divisions. Nikon specifically references its Imaging Product Business, saying it is posting a 5.7 billion yen impairment loss.
A worker pieces together a custom sensor rig for testing in Nikon’s Sendai factory.
In addition to the above notice, Nikon has also published revisions to its projections for the forthcoming FY2020 results. As you might expect, the numbers are down dramatically.
Nikon expects revenue and operating profits to be 591 billion yen and 6 billion yen, respectively, a decrease of 4.7 percent and 70 percent, respectively, compared to Nikon’s previous forecasts. Nikon notes these figures are amplified due to the ‘recognition of impairment losses of 11.1 billion yen’ mentioned above. Nikon specifically notes the 7.5 billion yen in impairment losses for its Imaging Products Business is ‘mainly for property, plant and equipment and intangible assets.’
Summed up, Nikon is expecting much less revenue from its Imaging Products Business and other divisions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, it’s devaluing the assets of those divisions to account for the income said divisions won’t be making in an effort to reduce its tax liability. Put even more simply, Nikon is being clever with its accounting to help cushion the financial blow from what is shaping up to be a rough year.
Just how rough remains to be seen, but we’ll know for certain on May 28, when the full results are released.
Notices:
Notice Regarding Recognition of Extraordinary Losses and Reversal of Deferred Tax Assets in Non-Consolidated Financial Statements
NIKON CORPORATION (hereinafter “the Company”) expects to post extraordinary losses and to reverse a part of deferred tax assets in its non-consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with Japanese GAAP, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.
Using the future plan that reflects the impact and more caused by the spread of COVID-19 to business activities, the Company has assessed an indication that fixed assets may be impaired, performed valuation of financial assets, and examined the recoverability of deferred tax assets.
As a result, the Company has decided to post an impairment loss of 5.7 billion yen for the fixed assets held by Imaging Product Business. And for Nikon Metrology NV, the Company’s consolidated subsidiary, a loss on valuation of the investments in subsidiaries and affiliates and provision for loss on business of subsidiaries and affiliates will be recognized 6.7 billion yen and 9.2 billion yen, respectively. The Company has also decided to reverse a part of deferred tax assets and post deferred tax expenses of 20.6 billion yen. However, the losses associated with the subsidiary mentioned above will have no impact on the consolidated financial results, as those losses will be eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.
Notice Regarding Revision of the Consolidated Financial Forecast for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2020 and Recognition of Impairment Losses
This is to announce that the consolidated financial forecast announced on February 6, 2020 is revised as below, reflecting our recent business performance trend, and to disclose that impairment losses are expected to be recognized.
1. Revision of the Consolidated Financial Forecast Revised Consolidated Financial Forecast for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2020 (From April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020)
2. Reason for Revision of the Consolidated Financial Forecast
Decrease in revenue is expected due to factors such as the delay in installations of FPD lithography system, affected by the spread of COVID-19. In addition, operating profit, profit before income taxes and profit attributable to owners of the parent are also expected to be lower than the previous forecast due to the recognition of impairment losses of 11.1 billion yen for non-current assets, as indicated below in “3. The Recognition of Impairment Losses.”
Based on these situations, the consolidated financial forecast announced on February 6, 2020 is revised as above.
3. Recognition of Impairment Losses
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, indication of impairment for non-current assets was examined based on its future utilization and the impact caused by the spread of COVID-19 on business operations. As a result of measuring the recoverable amount of the cash-generating units in which impairment was indicated, a sufficient recoverable amount was not estimated in the Imaging Products Business and the Industrial Metrology Business and Others. Therefore, impairment losses of 11.1 billion yen are to be recognized. In the Imaging Products Business, impairment losses of 7.5 billion yen mainly for property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are to be recognized. In the Industrial Metrology Business and Others, impairment losses of 3.6 billion yen mainly for goodwill, property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are to be recognized.
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