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  • Review – Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm

    The post Review – Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm Review

    It used to be that photographers were wary of third-party camera lens makers because they often sacrificed quality for a cheaper price. However, that’s no longer the case today. In fact, third-party lens makers such as Tamron and Sigma are now creating viable lens alternatives that even professional photographers are turning to. Relatively new to the game is Viltrox, a Chinese camera accessory manufacturer. They recently put out the Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm f/1.8 STM and I tested it out with my Fujifilm X-T3. Here are my thoughts.

    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm
    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 lens for Fujifilm

    Lens specs

    The Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 lens is a fixed autofocus lens available for both Fujifilm X-Mount and Sony E-Mount cameras. It’s interesting to note that this is a full-frame lens as it works with both Sony FE and crop-sensor camera bodies; if Fujifilm made a full-frame mount, it would likely work with that as well.

    This is a hefty lens, weighing in at 1.4 lbs (636 grams). It is an all-metal body that, unfortunately, is not weather-sealed. However, it would likely be able to hold up well over time, given its hard exterior.

    The lens is simple with no buttons or controls on the body, which made for an interesting usability experience (more on that below). It comes with both a lens hood and front and rear caps.

    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm
    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm with the included lens cap and lens hood.
    • Filter size: 72mm
    • Focal length: 85mm (roughly 127.5 mm on a crop-sensor)
    • Aperture range: F1.8-F16
    • Optical structure: 10 Elements in 7 Groups
    • Aperture Blades: 9
    • Focusing distance: 0.8m~?
    • Flange distance: 17.7mm
    • Object distance image ratio: 1:8
    • Image stabilization (IS): No IS or vibration reduction
    • Weight: 636g (1.4lb)
    • Price: $ 399 USD

    Comparable lenses

    One of the biggest selling points of this lens is its price: US$ 399 for an f/1.8 short prime lens is a pretty good deal.

    Looking at Fujifilm’s native lens library, your closest other choices are the XF80mm f/2.8 for US$ 1,199.00 and XF90mm f/2 for US$ 729.99.

    When compared to these two lenses, the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 seems like a steal at its price point, plus it is the fastest lens of the bunch.

    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm
    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm compared in size to the Fuji 18-55mm.

    Usability

    Part of the joy of shooting with a Fujifilm camera is the experience. Most cameras, including the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-H1 that I use, have dedicated buttons and dials for setting details such as shutter speed and ISO.

    All official Fujifilm lenses are built to integrate well with this shooting experience as they include a dedicated aperture ring used to control your F-stop. This little tidbit is where shooting with the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 took some getting used to.

    The Viltrox lens has no buttons or dials on it, and no aperture ring for adjusting the aperture. Instead, the front dial on your Fujifilm camera becomes the default way of changing your aperture. For long-time Fujifilm shooters, this is a strange thing to get used to.

    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm
    Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 for Fujifilm on the Fuji X-H1.

    Camera lens balance

    Another thing to get used to is the weight of this lens.

    Fujifilm mirrorless cameras are typically quite lightweight and compact compared to many of their full-frame competitors. As a result, which camera body you choose to pair with this lens can make a big difference in how you shoot with it.

    When attached to my Fujifilm X-T3, the camera was harder to hold due to the shallow grip on the X-T3. In comparison, the Viltrox felt better balanced when paired with the Fujifilm X-H1, which has a more solid body with a deeper handgrip.

    However, don’t forget that you can enhance the grip of most cameras like the X-T3 by using the optional battery grips or adding an L-bracket.

    Autofocus

    The autofocus is a mixed bag. While the autofocus mechanism is accurate once you secure focus, it does quite a bit of hunting when you first begin framing your subject. This is also not a very quiet lens, and you can hear the focus mechanism as it works to find focus. It’s not necessarily a dealbreaker unless you shoot a lot of fast-moving subjects, or really need dependable autofocus. But you get what you pay for.

    Image quality

    Image quality is spot on and in line with what you would expect from a Fujifilm camera. Sharpness, color, and contrast are all great at various apertures, but the best feature is the bokeh. When shooting wide open at f/1.8, you get bokeh that is insanely smooth and gorgeous.

    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/12 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200

    In conclusion

    Is the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 lens worth it? It depends on your budget and expectations for quality.

    Many features from solid build quality, respectable integration with the Fujifilm system, and overall image quality are on-point. However, autofocus is not as reliable as it would be on a native Fujifilm lens.

    Then again, you’ll be paying a lot more money for a similar Fujifilm lens, so if the cost is an issue, you really can’t go wrong with this lens given its price point.

    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/5000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 1000
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/4000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 1600
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/2200 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/60 sec, f/5, ISO 200
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/5000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 3200
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/4000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 400
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/4000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 800
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/4000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 1600
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/950 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/2200 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/300 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200
    Review - Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm
    Fujifilm X-H1 with Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 – 1/800 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200

    The post Review – Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 Lens for Fujifilm appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.


    Digital Photography School

  • The ins and outs of ISO: What is ISO?

    What is ISO?

    Strictly speaking, ISO is a Switzerland-based standards body whose name derives from the greek word for ‘the same’. It is not an acronym, since the letter order would change in different languages, hence it shouldn’t be pronounced as a series of letters.

    ISO is the name given to what’s commonly called ‘sensitivity’ in photography. It’s analogous to the system used in film but has a few fundamental differences, and these differences have been increasing over time.

    Lightness

    Throughout this article we use the term ‘lightness’ to express how light or dark the final image is. This is to make clear that we’re discussing a representation on a white to black tonal scale, not a measure of emitted light. How ‘bright’ any tone specific tone appears to a viewer would depend on the display it’s viewed on.

    At its most simple, ISO tells us that using specific exposure settings at a given illuminance level should give an image that looks like we expect it to. For many circumstances, this is all you need to know. It’s still a close-enough analogy for the film standard that a film-era light meter will still work for digital. Give or take.

    But it’s often assumed that increasing ISO just adds amplification (voltage gain applied to the analog signal coming from the pixels), a bit like turning up the volume on an audio amplifier. This is not true, and this misunderstanding can make it harder to understand what your camera is actually doing. Virtually all modern cameras have at least one mode or function that diverges from the ISO = Amplification concept, so put that idea aside.

    Seriously, what is ISO?

    ISO in digital cameras (specifically ISO standard 12232:2019) is designed to resemble the ASA film speed standard that was adopted by the International Organization for Standardization in 1974.

    ISO describes the response of the whole processing pipeline, relating exposure to end image lightness

    However, there is a fundamental difference: the film standard defined the ‘speed’ of a film that would give a correctly exposed negative (for print film) when combined with a certain exposure and illumination level, but said nothing about how light or dark your prints would come out. The digital standard covers the response of the whole processing pipeline to give a final JPEG image with the ‘correct’ lightness.

    The ISO in digital photography is based on the lightness of the final JPEG. It doesn’t specify how this lightness should be achieved. It explicitly doesn’t specify a relationship between Illumination, Exposure and amplification for Raw files.

    To really understand the impact of ISO on your photography, it’s useful to recognize that it binds together a series of functions to relate exposure to image lightness:

    • Exposure: the density of light hitting your camera’s sensor, based on the illumination level, shutter speed and aperture value used
    • The inherent, unchangeable response of your sensor to light
    • Lightening: the sum of all processing by which your camera delivers the expected image lightness from this exposure. ‘Lightening’ includes both analog amplification and any subsequent digital processing.

    Separating out these elements helps us eliminate another error: that amplification or some aspect of the camera’s electronics increase noise when you raise the ISO level. In most circumstances, it’s the reduction in exposure that increases the noise, because it means you’re capturing less light and are more likely to see how random and noisy the light itself is.

    How are you defining ‘correct’ lightness?

    The light conditions here demanded the use of a wide aperture to capture as much light as possible, given the camera shake-constrained shutter speed. The high ISO setting has delivered the image lightness the photographer wanted.

    Fujfilm GFX 50S | ISO 12,800 | 1/90 sec | F2.8 | GF 63mm F2.8 R WR
    Photo: Dan Bracaglia

    Before we go any further, it’s worth noting that there are two different definitions of ISO currently in use in cameras:

    • SOS – Standard Output Sensitivity
    • REI – Recommended Exposure Index

    SOS is the simpler of the two. It essentially says that if you get an sRGB JPEG with lightness values of 118 (ie: middle grey) from a middle grey target shot with a given illumination level and exposure settings, then this must represent a certain ISO rating. This is the variant that most closely resembles the old film speed standard.

    REI is the variant designed for multi-weighted metering modes. This is broadly similar to the SOS system, except it doesn’t specify the lightness of the final image. Instead the manufacturer gets to decide what ‘correctly exposed’ looks like. As a result, it can’t be measured, since there’s no definition of what the end result should look like.

    Sensitivity

    It’s worth noting that that you cannot adjust the ‘sensitivity’ of a sensor.

    A camera’s sensor will capture a certain proportion of the light that hits it, depending on the efficiency of its design. This can’t be increased or decreased. Everything after this step is a question of signal processing: you can try to minimize any further degradation, and you can manipulate how that signal gets represented in the final image, but only changing your exposure can adjust how much light you capture.

    In most instances, the results from the two systems are usually pretty similar, but in a REI-based camera, you can’t take your light meter and conclude that following its advice will give you a specific image lightness.

    Manufacturers are supposed to specify which of these standards they are working to, but this isn’t always done.

    As an aside, the ISO 12232 document also specifies other ways of assessing camera response (based on saturation point or based on noise level), but these aren’t the ones your camera is claiming to comply with, so there’s no reason to expect them to align with what your files say in their EXIF.

    What about Raw?

    Raw is often talked about as being like a ‘digital negative’ but as we’ve seen, unlike the film standard, the digital version of ISO doesn’t specify what should happen in your Raw file.

    The latest update to the ISO standard makes it explicit that it does not apply to Raw files. Until a tone curve is applied, a Raw file doesn’t have a ‘middle grey’: it’s up to the manufacturer to decide which Raw value should be used. Consequently, there isn’t a specific Raw value you can measure or check for correct exposure, so you can’t measure the ISO (or ISO accuracy) of a Raw file.

    If you’re ever seen graphs plotting ‘Measured ISO’ against ‘Manufacturer ISO,’ then you risk being misled.

    If you’re ever seen graphs of ‘Measured ISO’ plotted against ‘Manufacturer ISO,’ then you risk being misled. What they show is how a camera’s ISO settings are delivered, relative to an arbitrary system that assumes Raw files will saturate at a certain exposure. You can often work out how amplification is being applied using these graphs, but they do not show ISO accuracy, since the ISO standard doesn’t define a relationship between exposure and Raw saturation.

    What’s next?

    Now we’ve established that ISO includes exposure and lightening components, and that the lightening part is made up of more than just amplification, we can look at how these distinctions are exploited.

    In part two of this article, we’ll look at how ISO is implemented in different cameras and different modes, why you tend not to get low ISO options in Log mode and how some video cameras are moving beyond ISO by separating the exposure and lightening aspects.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DPReview TV: Fun with bokeh

    Photographers throw the word ‘bokeh’ around a lot, but what exactly is it? Our resident mad scientist, Don Komarechka, takes us on a ride through a bokeh-rific world of creative possibilities.

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

    • Introduction
    • What is bokeh?
    • Bokeh shapes
    • Trioplan 100 bokeh
    • 100mm triplet projector lens bokeh
    • Take apart a lens and put it together backward
    • Using bokeh in composition
    • Using bokeh in video
    • Conclusion
    • Wait… just one more thing!

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • 5 stay-at-home challenges for photographers and videographers in quarantine

    People are getting creative during these challenging times. As a result, a few top camera companies and creators are acknowledging homebound ingenuity. Freelance photographer Jeremy Cohen already won the ultimate reward, the cover shot on a recent edition of the New Yorker after his ‘quarantine cutie’ TikTok clip went viral.

    It isn’t just about sharing, or winning. It’s also about community. This is why major companies, from GoPro to Leica, are launching challenges and offering free educational resources as well. The key is to stay inspired and even learn a few new skills. The opportunity to gain exposure, without being exposed, is going to be an ongoing theme these next few months. Here are 5 photography and videography challenges worth checking out.

    GoPro #HomePro Challenge

    GoPro recently launched the #HomePro challenge to reward photographers and videographers confined to their abodes with prizes. From now until April 30th, creators are encouraged to upload their most imaginative homebound content to Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Youtube, or Facebook with the #HomePro and #GoPro hashtags. 5 submissions will be selected every day and the winners will receive their choice of a HERO8 Black or MAX camera plus 5 years of GoPro PLUS.

    ‘The GoPro community captures the most amazing videos that wow billions of viewers around the world. Now, we want to tap into their creativity to inspire others to find magic in their home-bound experience,’ said GoPro founder and CEO, Nick Woodman. ‘We launched this challenge to see what creative radness, inventiveness or weirdness people are getting up to at home. And so far, we’ve been stoked with what we have seen.’

    Download the FREE GoPro App to get started. You don’t need to capture footage with a GoPro device to qualify. Entries taken with any type of camera, including a phone, will be considered. If you’re looking for a soundtrack to accompany your footage, GoPro offers up free music on their contest page.

    Stay Home with Leica Photo Challenge

    Leica recently announced a series of free Akademie educational talks to help the photography community stay active and inspired while safely social distancing. To coincide with the courses, they’re also offering weekly Instagram challenges to reward community members who are making the most of their time indoors. Courses with Ruddy Roye and award-winning documentary photographer Doug Menuez are starting this week.

    View this post on Instagram

    Some more Color captured from my balcony. . . . #stayhomewithleica #leicas #leica #leicastorela #leicagallery #socialdistancing #crps #spicollective #streetphotography #street #streetphotographyinternational #color_captures #capturestreets #lensculture #lifeframer #streetphotographer #walking #store #fromhome #stayhome #streetlife #digitalmediumformat #mediumformat #city #losangeles #leica_fotografie_international #spi_colour #capturelandscapes

    A post shared by Terry LaRue (@terrylarue) on

    Any camera can be used to capture submissions to the contest. Simply tag your posts with the hashtag #StayHomeWithLeica to be considered for a prize that includes a Leica Akademie bespoke class (a $ 150 value) and a feature on their social profiles including Instagram. The winner of the current challenge will be announced on Saturday, April 11th. Here are the rules:

    #StayHomeWithLeica Photo Challenge Rules

    1. Follow us on Instagram
    2. Post an image that shows a daily ritual performed or a moment with your family
    3. Tag #StayHomeWithLeica & @LeicaCameraUSA in the caption

    View this post on Instagram

    “Untitled,” – 2020 #leica #leicam240 #? #stayhomewithleica #socialdistancing #DVNLLN

    A post shared by Devin Allen (@bydvnlln) on

    Sigma #shotathome


    Starting April 6th through June 26th, Sigma is encouraging participants to submit their best photos and videos depicting life in quarantine. A $ 500 American Express gift card will be awarded weekly. At the end of each month, weekly winners will be pooled and the overall best submission will be awarded with a $ 1,000 American Express gift card. At the conclusion of the contest, the grand prize winner will receive     a Sigma fp camera plus a 45mm F2.8 DG DN contemporary lens. A second-place contest winner will be awarded with any Sigma lens valued at $ 1000 or less.

    View this post on Instagram

    After nap snuggles. We were standing by our front door and I noticed our reflection in the window. This girl has always been a snuggle bug, it’s my favorite thing. #sigmashotathome ?? • • • #nikond750 #sigma35mmart #candidchildhood #pixel_kids #cameramama #clickinmoms #getin52 #my_magical_moments #follow_this_light #galleryoflightfeature #jj_its_kids #exploringcreativephotography #clickthrough52 #oureverydaymoments #loveourbigkids #theartofchildhood #momhub #cm_homesweethome #sigmashotathome #sigmaphoto

    A post shared by Faith Fritz (@faithfritzphotography) on

    ‘We are in the midst of an unprecedented moment in history that has dramatically impacted the heart of the creative imaging community,’ says Mark Amir-Hamzeh, President, Sigma Corporation of America. ‘#sigmashotathome is our humble attempt to bring inspiration and creativity to a difficult situation and to remind creators, regardless of stylistic choices, field or gear preferences, that we are in this together.’

    Entries can be captured with any type of camera though Sigma encourages entrants to let them know if their brand was used. Up to 10 photos or videos are permitted per week and can be submitted here. The contest is currently open to U.S. residents only.

    Files uploaded must:

    • Have the file naming convention: DATE_LAST NAME_DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
    • Be under 25MB and .jpg format with 3000×2000 maximum resolution
    • If any discernible person is in your film, you must be able to provide an image release form
    • Must be original work in which you own all creative rights

    Entrants can also:

    • Like and Follow Sigma Corporation of America on Facebook and Instagram
    • Upload the photo submission to Facebook and Instagram, tag Sigma Corporation of America and include the hashtag #sigmashotathome

    Getty Museum Recreations of Famous Artwork


    While there aren’t any prizes awarded, the opportunity to be featured on the Getty Museum’s     Twitter feed, which currently boasts 1.3 million followers, makes it worth the effort to enter their current stay-at-home challenge. To qualify, the Los Angeles-based museum has invited people to recreate famous works of art using three objects found in the home with these simple requirements:

    • Choose your favorite artwork
    • Find three things lying around your house
    • Recreate the artwork with those items
    • And share with us (by replying to their Twitter posts)

    The contest looks to be ongoing. The Getty staff has shared the following resource for inspiration.

    The Art of Photography Challenges

    Ted Forbes, who runs the popular instructional YouTube channel The Art of Photography, has returned with much-anticipated new challenges for 2020. Free bi-weekly classes are designed to change how photographers see things while enhancing their skills.

    In the spirit of staying home, and mostly indoors, Forbes is encouraging people to make the most of the light that is available. The lessons for his first assignment can be found below:

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DPReview TV: The gear that changed my life

    We all have some piece of photo gear that changed the way we work. In this video, DPReview TV host Chris Niccolls tells us what product rocked his world. The answer may surprise you.

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

    • Introduction
    • The wrist strap
    • The problem(s) with neck straps
    • Chris's journey…
    • The DIY wrist strap
    • Chris's favorite wrist straps
    • Conclusion
    • Whoops!

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • How to Use Lightroom Presets- A Handy Guide

    How many of you love wasting hours of time making the same basic edits to a lot of photos? Anyone? No? Well, that’s understandable. None of us like doing menial repetitive tasks and it’s no different when editing images — even for those of us who enjoy the editing process. The good news is that Lightroom has a handy tool Continue Reading

    The post How to Use Lightroom Presets- A Handy Guide appeared first on Photodoto.


    Photodoto

  • Fujifilm X100V review: The most capable prime-lens compact camera, ever

    Introduction

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    All product photography by Dan Bracaglia

    Gold Award

    86%
    Overall score
    Jump to conclusion

    The X100V is Fujifilm’s fifth X100-series camera since the original model debuted almost a full decade ago. Through each successive iteration, Fujifilm has made its large-sensor, prime-lens compact camera more and more capable, and this latest model (officially pronounced Ex One Hundred Vee) takes the core bits of Fujifilm’s high-end interchangeable-lens X-Pro3 and slips them into a much smaller package.

    This means you get the company’s latest 26MP X-Trans APS-C sensor and processor combo, the promise of much-improved autofocus and the best video feature set we’ve seen on a prime-lens compact camera. But it doesn’t stop there: the lens has been redesigned, the ergonomics refined, the viewfinder revisited, and a whole lot more.

    Key specifications:

    • 26MP X-Trans sensor
    • Redesigned lens (still a 23mm F2 pancake, compatible with previous converters)
    • Built-in 4-stop ND filter
    • Tilting 1.62M-dot touchscreen LCD panel
    • Updated 3.69M-dot OLED EVF, redesigned OVF optics
    • Up to 4K/30p with Eterna film sim and F-Log internal capture (8-bit only)
    • 2.5mm mic port, headphones through USB-C with adapter
    • Weather-sealed, when filter adapter and filter are used
    • Single SD card slot
    • CIPA rated to 350 shots using the EVF, 420 using the OVF
    Processed from Raw.
    ISO 320 | 1/320 sec | F5.6
    Photo by Barney Britton

    The X100-series has always been a favorite among the DPReview staff, and for some good reasons; these cameras produce wonderful images, they’re beautifully designed and are engaging to use. For those that have been eyeing some or other version of X100 over the years but never taken the plunge, this latest model is arguably the one to get. But for owners of previous X100 models, should the V tempt you to upgrade? Let’s find out.

    The X100V is expected to be available in late February 2020 at a suggested retail price of $ 1399, £1299 (inc VAT), €1500 (inc VAT) or $ 1799 CAD.

    What’s new and how it compares

    The X100V comes with some significant changes, but still follows the basic formula its predecessors have followed for the last decade.

    Read more

    Body, controls and handling

    Out with the 4-way controller, in with the touchscreen. This and more have the potential to change the way you take control over the X100V.

    Read more

    First impressions

    If Reviews Editor Carey Rose had the previous X100F, he’s not sure he’d upgrade – but he’s not sure he’d not upgrade, either.

    Read more

    Image and lens quality

    The X100V has a familiar sensor with good performance and we take a close look at the new Color Chrome feature and the redesigned lens.

    Read more

    Autofocus

    The X100V gets pretty much all of the same autofocus features as the X-Pro3, making it very capable for a camera of its type.

    Read more

    Video

    In terms of video, there’s really no better-specced fixed-lens, large-sensor option on the market today.

    Read more

    Conclusion

    The X100V is (predictably) the best X100 yet, and frankly, leads its market segment in terms of overall capability.

    Read more

    Sample galleries

    Our pre-production camera gallery started out with a dark, gray January, and our full-production gallery ends with quarantine. But we did get some nice photos here and there.

    Read more

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Panasonic releases minor 1.5 firmware update for its Lumix S1, S1R mirrorless cameras

    Panasonic has released a minor firmware update for its Lumix DC-S1 and DC-S1R mirrorless camera systems.

    Firmware version 1.5 adds support for ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type B cards as well as a new 50p/25p video frame rate option for NTSC region cameras. Panasonic has also disabled the ‘Delete All’ touch control option in playback mode to minimize the possibility of accidentally deleting all of your media.

    Firmware version 1.5 for the S1 and S1R is available to download on Panasonic’s support page.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • CamFi update adds wireless tethering support to Fujifilm’s most popular cameras

    CamFi has announced the latest version of its application now supports wireless tethering for some of Fujifilm’s most popular camera systems.

    The app update supports the following Fujifilm cameras: X-T2, X-T3, X-H1, GFX 50R, GFX 50S and GFX 100, and will work with the CamFi’s CF 101, CF 102, CamFi Pro and CamFi Pro Plus units. In addition to nearly instantaneous image transfers to laptops or mobile devices over Wi-Fi, the update also supports live view mode, remote capture, time-lapse, HDR and focus stacking modes.

    CamFi has also added the ability to save a Raw image to the camera’s SD card while remotely transferring over the JPEG to the connected device, allowing for quicker transfers while still getting an image preview. A new USB connector for Fujifilm cameras has also been released, which CamFi says will extend the battery life of the CamFi unit’s battery from one hour to three hours.

    The CamFi mobile app update is available to download in the Google Play Store and iOS App Store, where it’s rated 3.4 stars and 2.9 stars, respectively. The macOS and Windows desktop apps are available to download on CamFi’s website.

    CamFi app update adds wireless tethering support for popular Fujifilm cameras

    Guangdong, CHINA—April 8, 2020—CamFi, maker of wireless camera controllers, today announced that the new version of its app adds wireless tethering support for Fujifilm cameras. This feature allows the photographer to transmit photos from a Fujifilm camera to a laptop or a mobile phone via Wi-Fi automatically during a photo shoot.

    “It is not very convenient to review the photos on a mobile device or a Mac while shooting by Fujifilm camera,” explained Mark Ma, CEO of CamFi. “The built-in Wi-Fi is too slow. Our new feature changes all that. Now, our device and app will speed up the workflow of photographers who use Fujifilm cameras.”

    The new version of the app delivers a great deal of convenience to Fujifilm photographers. It supports the most popular Fujifilm cameras that are available after this update, including X-T2, X-T3, X-H1, GFX 50R, GFX 50S and GFX 100. The new version of the app also supports live view, remote capture, time lapse, HDR and focus stacking. Furthermore, this version allows photographers to save an image’s RAW file on the camera’s SD card and transfer the JPG file to the client device only. This capability can shorten the time required to review the photo.

    All existing users of CamFi CF 101, CF 102, CamFi Pro and CamFi Pro Plus can upgrade their firmware with this version. Windows, Mac, iOS and Android platforms are all supported.

    To prevent draining the battery of the CamFi device, CamFi also released a new USB connector for Fujifilm cameras. It will extend the work time of CamFi’s battery from 1 hour to 3 hours.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop

    The post The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop featured image

    Photoshop is a powerful program with a great variety of tools to help you get the most out of your images. From simple cleaning techniques to complex composites, the software offers everything photographers need for photo manipulation at all levels.

    There are a variety of tools to help you, depending on your subject and goals for your image. With the exception of product photography, there are only a few key tools that you’ll need 90% of the time in retouching still life photography. Cleaning techniques in Photoshop are the foundation of beautiful imagery in this exciting but challenging genre.

    Let’s take a look at what they are.

    cleaning techniques in Photoshop
    Canon 5D Mark III, EF 100mm 1:2.8, 1/160 f/9 ISO 100 Manual Mode, Evaluative Metering

    The cleaning tools in Photoshop

    There are just a few key tools that you need for cleaning techniques in Photoshop. These are: the Spot Healing tool, the Healing tool, the Clone Stamp tool, and the Patch tool. These tools are all you really need to take your still life images from good to great.

    Each tool has its strengths and weakness. Some will achieve desired results more easily than others. When you combine the tools together, the result is a clean and refined image.

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop
    Canon 5D Mark III, EF 100mm 1:2.8, 1/250 f/5.6 ISO 100 Manual Mode, Evaluative Metering

    The Spot Healing Tool

    The Spot Healing tool is the quickest way to fix little blemishes in Photoshop because it doesn’t require you to select an area to sample pixels from. Photoshop’s algorithm looks at nearby pixels and replaces them with pixels that it determines to be a good match.

    When using this tool, you have some choices that will help Photoshop make the best guess as to what pixels would be the best replacement.

    cleaning techniques in Photoshop

    You can find the Spot Healing tool by the icon that looks like a bandaid. The shortcut for this tool is “J“.

    When using this tool, you have some choices that will help Photoshop make the best guess as to what pixels would be the best replacement.

    First, you want to choose a very soft brush. Start with a hardness of “0” and increase it slightly if needed. When retouching in Photoshop, every image is unique, so you have to assess your approach on a case-by-case basis.

    Proximity Match will only look at the pixels around the sample area.

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop

    When you use this tool, it’s best to choose Content-Aware Fill. This will ensure that the tool chooses pixels that will give you a seamless result.

    In still life photography, it’s a good starting tool to quickly clean up any dust or small bits and blemishes before moving on to bigger blemishes or imperfections. It’s better than using the Spot Removal tool in Lightroom because if you use this tool repeatedly, it will slow down Lightroom’s performance very quickly.

    Although the Spot Healing tool is one of the best cleaning techniques in Photoshop, one drawback to note is that using it excessively in a given area can lead to a plastic-like look. You may have to layer your use of this tool with others.

    The Healing Brush Tool

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop
    Still life should look clean and refined. Canon 5D Mark III, EF 24-70mm f/2.8, 1/160 f/9 ISO 100 Manual Mode, Evaluative Metering

    The Healing Brush tool is similar to the Spot Healing Brush tool. However, when using this tool, you choose the area that you want to sample from. This gives you much more control, but of course, it’s not as quick as simply using the Spot Healing tool.

    Imperfections blend into the surrounding areas. the brush works by matching texture, lighting, transparency, and shading of sample pixels to the pixels in the area we want to heal.

    To use this tool, pick a source point to sample from. Think about what is going to work in terms of color and texture.

    Start with a hardness of zero. You need a soft brush, but can add a bit of hardness if needed, depending on what you want to heal

    Choose Aligned and Current & Below.

    Choose where you want to select from and head over to where you want to “paste” the pixels

    When utilizing cleaning techniques in Photoshop, the Healing Brush is a powerful tool because of the control it gives you.

    cleaning techniques in Photoshop
    Using the Healing Brush to clean up small flaws. Canon 5D Mark III EF 100mm 1:2.8 1/160 f/5.6 ISO 100 Manual Mode, Evaluative Metering

    The Patch Tool

    Using the Patch tool in Photoshop is another important tool for cleaning techniques in Photoshop. It’s like a large, customizable Healing Brush tool. The Patch tool repairs a selected area with pixels from another area. It seeks to match, lighting, shade, and texture from sample pixels to the source.

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop

    It basically works like a “cut and paste” tool. However, it doesn’t work very well on larger areas because there usually are differences in tonality.

    If you need to work on a larger area, you should attack the area by working in sections. Also, note that it also doesn’t work well on edges. In this case, you may have to use another tool or combine it with another tool for more precision.

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop

    To use the Patch tool, select it from the sidebar or use the “J” key. Also, decide on your blending parameters.

    The Patch tool’s Content-Aware mode works on empty layers by sampling below. It shuffles the content around a bit as it acts like a patch. If you’re using normal mode, don’t worry about lightness or color, as there will be a healing calculation when you release the mouse.

    Use your mouse or pen to draw a slightly loose selection around the problem area (as pictured above) and then drag it to an area that might work to replace the pixels. You can drag it several times until you find a proper match.

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop

    The Clone Stamp Tool

    Perhaps one of the most popular and often used tools in Photoshop, the Clone stamp tool may possibly be your best ally when employing cleaning techniques in Photoshop.

    The Clone Stamp copies pixels to a new location. With this tool, you’re literally painting over one part of an image with another. You can do this in both very small and large amounts, depending on the brush size you use.

    Unlike the Patch Tool, it works very well in areas where you have texture, pattern, or an edge. It doesn’t work as well in areas where you have conflicting exposures on colors.

    Although it’s a fantastically useful tool, when it comes to cleaning techniques in Photoshop, it might not work perfectly in every situation; you’ll need to combine it with other tools and techniques.

    To activate the Clone Stamp, use the shortcut > Cmd/Ctrl + S.

    cleaning techniques in Photoshop
    Use the clone stamp to clean up areas with texture.

    You can also use “T” to Transform to adjust further. This means that you can alter the size and rotation of your cloned area to make it blend better.

    One last tip

    The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop
    Canon 5D Mark III, EF 100mm 1:2.8, 1/160 f/5.6 ISO 100 Manual Mode, Evaluative Metering

    When working with cleaning techniques in Photoshop, it’s a good idea to work using a lot of layers. This will allow you to go back a few steps if you make mistakes.

    Using these tools together in Photoshop will give you the best results and will cover most of your bases when retouching your still life photography.

    Do you have any other tips you’d like to share with us on cleaning techniques in Photoshop for still life images? If so, please do so in the comments section.

    The post The top Still Life Photography Cleaning Techniques in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.


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