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  • Manfrotto launches new ‘Pro Rugged’ line of SD, Micro SD memory cards

    Italian tripod and accessory manufacturer Manfrotto has launched a range of memory cards that it claims is the strongest on the market. Comprising of SD, MicroSD and CompactFlash models, the Pro Rugged series is claimed to combine high-speed performance with waterproof, crush-proof and temperature-proof build quality that can withstand extremes of use and conditions.

    The SD cards particularly are sealed against ingress of water and dust, and can remain underwater for up to 72 hours without suffering damage. They are made from a solid moulded piece of plastic and are said to be three times stronger than normal cards and able to survive a 20kg impact. Tested in temperatures of between -25 degrees C to 85 degrees C, the SD cards come in 64 and 128GB capacities and have a V90 rating that sees 280MB/s and 250MB/s read/write speeds.

    The Pro Rugged MicroSD cards are V30 rated, offer 90MB/s read/write speeds and come in 64 and 128GB capacities, while the CompactFlash cards are UDMA 7 rated, offer 160MB/s and 130MB/s read/write speeds and also come in 64/128GB varieties. The CF cards aren’t waterproof but Manfrotto claims they are made from tougher materials than most cards, that they will last longer and that they can withstand a 35kg impact. They are suited to use in temperatures of between freezing and 70 degrees C.

    The SD cards are half price at the moment on the Manfrotto website and are listed at $ 57.50/£47.50 and $ 112.50/£92.50, while the CF cards are $ 80/£65 and $ 150/£125 and the MicroSD cards are $ 32/£27 and $ 42/£35. Visit Manfrotto’s website for more information.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony releases new wireless shooting grip for select mirrorless cameras

    Sony has launched the GP-VPT28T, a new wireless shooting grip designed to work with a number of Sony cameras. The grip, which also serves as a tripod, uses Bluetooth connectivity to wirelessly control the shutter, zoom and more on compatible cameras.

    Specifically, the grip can trigger both photo and video capture, control zoom on compatible cameras, and trigger a custom setting using the dedicated ‘C’ button on the face of the trigger. There’s also a ‘Lock’ button to ensure you don’t accidentally trigger the camera.

    The grip is dust-and-water-resistant and works with the following Sony cameras: a9 II, a9, a7R IV, a7R III, a7 III, a6600, a6400, a6100, and RX100 VII.

    The GP-VPT2BT Shooting Grip With Wireless Remote Commander is set to ship this month in North America for $ 140 ($ 180 CAD).

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Shooting with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III in Sonoma County

    From rolling vineyards to redwoods to ocean views, Sonoma County is a stunning place to photograph. For restaurateur and cyclist Remi McManus, it’s also a much-needed escape from the stresses of his day-to-day work. On a recent trip, he brought along the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III to capture the sights on a ride through the region, getting better acquainted with its beauty (and wines), as well as the scars that remain after the recent wildfires.

    Sample images from this video

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    This is sponsored content, created with the support of Amazon and Olympus. What does this mean?

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Venus Optics releases Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D Cine lens for PL, EF and E mount cameras

    Venus Optics has announced pricing and availability of its Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine lens.

    The lens, which Venus Optics claims is ‘the world’s widest T2.9 cinema lens covering Vista Vision/Full frame sensors,’ is a re-engineered version of its 12mm F2.8 Zero-D photo lens. It’s constructed of 16 elements in 10 groups, features two aspherical elements and has a minimum focusing distance of just 18cm (7in) from the sensor.

    As the ‘Zero-D’ nomenclature in its name suggests, the Laowa 12mm T2.9 lens features ‘close-to-zero’ distortion. It offers up a 47mm image circle, which is large enough to support both full-frame sensors and the larger Vista Vision sensors found on RED Monstro and Arri Alexa LF cameras. It also works as a 17mm equivalent lens on Super35 sensors.

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    Both the aperture and focus rings use standard 0.8 mod gears for easy operability with follow focus systems. The focus ring has a 270-degree throw for smooth and precise adjustments. The lens, which is constructed of an aluminum alloy, measures in at 87mm (3.4in) long and weighs just 675g (1.5lbs).

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    The Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine lens is currently available to order in PL, EF and E mount on Venus Optics’ online shop for $ 1,500. In addition to a custom Pelican case, the lens comes with a 114mm step-up ring for attaching matte boxes and other accessories, as well as shims for flange calibration. Pricing will vary in different regions around the world, according to Venus Optics.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work?

    The first thing any photographer wants to know about a piece of gear is how well it works. Camera equipment is expensive, which is why photographers spend so much time sifting through reviews before making purchasing decisions.  For some of the more specialty lenses,  photographers test the waters with accessories like wide-angle lens converters. These are much cheaper than buying Continue Reading

    The post Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work? appeared first on Photodoto.


    Photodoto

  • Seagate is planning to release 18 and 20TB HDDs in 2020

    If you’re the kind of photographer who likes to archive every single Raw file and video clip they’ve ever shot, Seagate’s upcoming new 18 and 20TB hard drives might just be what you’ve been waiting for.

    According to a report from AnandTech, drive maker Seagate has confirmed it will release an 18TB hard drive in the first half of 2020 and follow up with a 20TB unit in the second half of the year.

    The 18TB drive will come with the same nine-platter design already used in Seagate’s 16TB Exos drive and use conventional magnetic recording (CMR). However, shingled magnetic recording (SMR) will be used for the 20TB drive. This technology increases the storage density, and therefore capacity, of a drive by partly overlapping the magnetic storage tracks. This leaves the previous track narrower but allows more data to fit within the same platter.

    Dave Mosley, CEO of Seagate, said the following:

    “We are preparing to ship 18 TB drives in the first half of calendar year 2020 to maintain our industry capacity leadership. We are also driving areal density leadership with our revolutionary HAMR technology, which enables Seagate to achieve at least 20% areal density CAGR over the next decade. We remain on track to ship 20TB HAMR drives in late calendar year 2020.

    Currently, Seagate’s largest drives offer a 16TB capacity and are aimed at the enterprise and NAS markets. The new 20TB drive will also use heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology which temporarily heats the disk material, allowing for data to be written to smaller regions.

    This much storage likely won’t come cheap. Seagate’s current 16TB Exos drive will set you back around $ 420, so the new versions will, at least at the time of launch, likely be more expensive than that.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Filmmaker Mode TV setting will be available on select Philips, Samsung and other TV models

    Motion smoothing, the controversial TV setting that uses interpolation to reduce motion blur, will be addressed with a previously announced television feature called Filmmaker Mode. During CES 2020, the UHD Alliance offered an update about this setting, revealing that Samsung, Kaleidescape and Philips/TP Vision will offer Filmmaker Mode on some of their 2020 television models.

    Filmmaker Mode was first announced by the UHD Alliance in August 2019 with support from directors like Martin Scorses, Christopher Nolan and Rian Johnson. The goal of this setting is to present movies in the way they were intended by the filmmaker, including with the original frame rates, aspect ratios and colors.

    Below is a brief video explainer of motion smoothing, provided by Vulture:

    Motion smoothing has proven controversial among consumers and filmmakers alike. Though the technology is effective at reducing motion blurs, many viewers complain that it adds an unwanted visual effect that makes the content less enjoyable to watch. Most modern TVs, including many budget models, now offer motion smoothing as a standard feature, though some manufacturers make it possible to disable the setting.

    In addition to the manufacturers announced at CES, Vizio, Panasonic and LG were previously revealed as companies that will also offer Filmmaker Mode on select television models starting in 2020.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • 4 Yummy Tips On How To Master Food Photography

    Can you recall the last time you saw an advertisement for what looked like the PERFECT burger? Remember that mouth-watering feeling you experienced? Sorry to say this, but that burger was far from being perfect, or real. And, while this may be a disappointing truth as a customer, as a food photographer, you can use it to your advantage. Food Continue Reading

    The post 4 Yummy Tips On How To Master Food Photography appeared first on Photodoto.


    Photodoto

  • Canon releases white papers detailing the still and video tech inside the 1D X Mark III

    Editor’s note: Links have been updated and are now linking to the proper white papers once again. It appears Canon changed the URLs, causing a permission error.

    Canon has released a pair of white papers on its new 1D X Mark III that dive into the details of the still and video technology inside its latest flagship camera system.

    The still and video white papers are 59- and 21-pages long, respectively, and cover nearly every piece of tech inside the 1D X Mark III, complete with accompanying charts, graphics, tables and more. From details on the new square pixel AF detectors and their faster readouts to the Canon Log optoelectronic transfer function used in the video, these white papers cover it all and then some.

    One of many charts/illustrations in the video white paper showing the Canon Log OETF for video captured with the 1DX Mark III.

    You can find the still image white paper and video white paper on Canon’s 1D X Mark III product page. They’re viewable in the browser or available to download as PDFs.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • DJI restocks its Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drone, nearly a year after discontinuing it

    The Phantom boasts an iconic, instantly recognizable design that marked DJI’s foray into the consumer drone business back at the start of 2013. Since then, the product line has been upgraded 4 times. The DJI Phantom 4 series became especially popular with the commercial drone operator sector when the Pro line was introduced in November 2016. The camera has a 1″ 20MP CMOS sensor plus 4K/60p video, along with 5 directional obstacle sensing and 4 directional obstacle avoidance – amongst other upgrades.

    The Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 was introduced in May 2018. There isn’t much difference from the previous model in the Phantom 4 series except for the addition of an OcuSync transmission system and low-noise propellers. When all versions of the Phantom 4 series were sold out, some for over half a year at the time, the company made an unfortunate announcement. ‘Due to a shortage of parts from a supplier, DJI is unable to manufacture more Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drones until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause and recommend our customers explore DJI’s Mavic series drones as an alternative solution to serve their needs,’ read an official statement from DJI last April.

    In a statement to DPReview regarding the re-launch, Patrick Santucci of DJI said:

    ‘DJI is excited to announce that the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 will again be available for purchase on January 6, 2020. This popular and versatile drone had been temporarily out of stock because of a shortage of parts from a supplier. DJI sets high standards for the extremely advanced components in our products, which require advanced lead time and technical precision to manufacture. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers, and we thank them for their patience as we ensure the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 will continue to meet their high expectations.’

    Much of DJI’s efforts over the past 18+ months have been focused on the Mavic series – from the Mavic 2 line to the sub-250-gram Mini. A Mavic 3 is rumored to be released in the coming months. This is why it came as a shock that DJI announced the return of its Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drone earlier this week. Some enthusiasts have taken to the drone forums to predict a forthcoming Phantom 5 successor, despite rumors being all but dismissed at the same time the V2.0 was initially discontinued.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)