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New study reveals insights of first-time interchangeable lens camera owners

Kobe Subramaniam/Unsplash

KeyPoint Intelligence — InfoTrends has released its 2018 US Digital Interchangeable Lens Camera (DILC) Market Study.

The study, which “started as a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) market has now evolved into two segments: DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras (MILCs),” says KeyPoint Intelligence — InfoTrends in its synopsis. Some of the data presented in the study seems obvious, while other tidbits stand out.

Starting off, the study revealed 72 percent of consumers looking to purchase a DILC in the next year currently don’t own one. The study says most of those potential first-time buyers are making the jump from smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras, with 33 percent of smartphone users and 42 percent of point-and-shoot users saying they’re considering a mirrorless camera.

The study also discovered that 30 percent of all camera and/or smartphone owners planned on taking photography more seriously in the next five years. Of the 30 percent, 80 percent plan on labelling themselves as a hobbyist photographer or higher.

KeyPoint Intelligence — InfoTrends says the “study is designed to equip companies that are interested in the DILC market with critical business planning information.” As such, the entire study is available for purchase, but it won’t come cheap. The study costs $ 20,000 and includes a 158 slide PDF presentation, demographic and digital camera banners and tabulations, and Excel pivot tables.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 8, 2018
Fujifilm XF10 sample gallery

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The Fujifilm XF10 is something of a simplified X70, using the same 28mm equiv. F2.8 lens while losing the tilting screen that made it appealing to street shooters. Still, there’s plenty to be said for a (relatively) pocketable compact with a fast prime lens on board, and we’ve been out shooting with it in the very last of our summer weather.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 7, 2018
5 Tips for Underwater Photography with a GoPro

Jumping from a cliff. Diving with whale sharks. Documenting a road trip. The compact, rugged technology of the GoPro has created incredible opportunities for capturing the action of events like these. And while the GoPro is known mostly for its video capabilities, improved senor technology means it’s also a camera capable of high-quality imagery that can withstand harsh conditions such as water and dust.

And being able to shoot in adverse conditions opens new opportunities for creative photography.

In the past few months I’ve been experimenting with a GoPro Hero5 to shoot underwater photography. Although shooting underwater is a new realm for me, I’ve found that by applying generic photography knowledge I’ve grown quickly and made the GoPro work for me.

I hope you can learn and adapt what I’ve learned for your own purposes with these five tips for underwater photography with a GoPro.

I used a GoPro under water to capture the behavior of these breeding salmon in Alaska.

1. Know the Minimum Focus Distance

You may already know that the GoPro has a very wide field of view (FOV), which lets you frame a subject with the contextual scene around it. When searching for an image, focus on your desired foreground element and then get as close to it that foreground element as you ethically can. Place your camera close and take advantage of the GoPro’s 12-inch (~30cm) minimum focus distance. Placing the foreground element about 12 inches from the camera will emphasize it while still providing surrounding context.

I kept the minimum focusing distance in mind for this coral. The image was taken from very close while snorkeling.

2. Pre-set your Camera Field of View

Following in line with the minimum focusing distance, be sure to pre-set the FOV for your GoPro before entering the water. Even though GoPros are waterproof, I use a third-party housing to further protect the camera. And if you use a housing you can’t engage the touch screen, so you need to set the FOV first.

If you can’t get close enough to your subject, set the field of view to “Narrow”. This will require you to aim your camera precisely, which can be difficult if snorkeling or swimming. Of course, you can keep an eye on the back screen to help you compose the shot.

I used a narrow field of view to capture this image of this large trigger fish in Hawaii.

3. Set Your Camera Defaults to Maintain Image Quality

Setting your default settings ahead of time will help you capture quality photographs. GoPros have pretty good image quality in well-lit conditions, but the image graininess (noise) will increase quickly as the camera adapts its ISO to low-light conditions. You can control the image quality by setting a maximum ISO setting. With your phone connected to your GoPro, go into your settings and change the maximum ISO to a value of 800 or less. While you’re there, you may want to set the default mode to “photo”. Doing this will ensure you can quickly take a photo if your GoPro shuts off while underwater and you need to turn it back on.

Underwater conditions can be very murky and may cause your camera to boost the ISO, which will result in greater image noise.

A slower shutter speed due to low light caused some of the darting herring in this image to blur.

4. Stabilize Your Camera

If the water is cloudy or the day isn’t sunny the camera will shoot at slower shutter speeds, which may result in blurry or non-sharp images. This will be particularly noticeable if you can’t keep the camera stable. If you’re hand-holding the camera, keep it as stable as possible. You can also mount the GoPro to a tripod and place it in a suitable location. This is more useful when a phenomena or animal is predictable, such as salmon in a river. Just as it does on land, using a tripod will help stabilize the image.

I captured this image from a tripod. This was necessary because this salmon was wary of any movement in the river that reminded it of a bear.

If you’re out of the water and photographing something near you (think of tide pools) you can keep the camera stable by mounting it on a extension pole. You can buy one, or even build one relatively easily. A long pole will help you photograph something far away, and if you have a long pole (say 12 feet) the top of it will help counterbalance the GoPro at the bottom. If you’re using the pole in shallow water try bracing it against the bottom for further stability.

I used a long pole and a GoPro to capture an image of this sponge during a low-tide cycle in Alaska. I braced the pole against the bottom to take this image.

This image combines a couple of the concepts discussed in this article. I kept the camera on a pole and maintained the minimum focusing distance to capture the image of this octopus in a tide pool.

I used a pole and a GoPro to photograph these colorful tube worms and anemones under a dock.

Another camera setting useful for stability is the time lapse mode. Set the camera to time lapse (say, one shot every second) and start taking images. Compose your shot underwater, and then hold the camera in place while it takes pictures. Since you won’t have to fumble for the trigger button it will be easier to keep it still and ensure your images are sharp.

I used the time lapse mode to capture this school of fish in the clear waters of Hawaii.

In some situations you may be able to trigger the camera with your phone. The GoPro’s wifi network will cut out under deep water, but if the camera is on a tripod with only a small covering of water you can trigger the camera remotely from a distance. You’ll need to experiment with how much water is too much for the wifi network. Remotely triggering the camera may help you ethically and safely photograph wildlife.

I remotely triggered this image of a large coastal brown bear moving up a river in Alaska.

Although I don’t use underwater lighting, you can avoid blurring by using strobes or other versions of underwater lighting. These will help keep your shutter speed up and your ISO low. But use them with discretion depending on your subject. In some circumstances they may be detrimental to wildlife.

5. Use a Housing for Split-Level Photography

Split-level imagery is a way to help give an image context and tell a story. To create the effect, use an underwater housing with a convex dome and then place the dome half-in and half-out of the water. By doing so you get to observe both the underwater world and the terrestrial world. I use a housing by GoPole to create split-level images capturing the streams and local salmon runs of Alaska. You can use this technique anywhere to create compelling images. You can create split-level images by hand-holding the camera or using a tripod as I mentioned earlier.

A GoPole dome housing was used to create this split-level image of a large coastal brown bear.

The split-level shot helps tell the story of these spawning pink salmon under a large log in Alaska.

The Takeaway

I want to reiterate that I’m not an expert at underwater photography. But I’ve enjoyed extending my capabilities and skills to that realm. The GoPro is a fun way to learn underwater photography techniques without breaking the bank. And since GoPros are naturally waterproof, the likelihood of destroying gear is lowered substantially.

As I like to say, “pixels are cheap,” so I hope you make a lot of pixels while shooting photographs underwater with your GoPro.

The post 5 Tips for Underwater Photography with a GoPro appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 7, 2018
ADOX HR-50 is a new monochrome film stock that comes in 135, 120, and 4×5 formats

ADOX has announced HR-50, a new monochrome film stock that will be available in 135, 120, and 4×5 formats.

According to ADOX, the HR-50 film stock is “based on an emulsion commonly available for technical purposes.” It features “an ultrafine grain” and uses “super panchromatic sensitization,” meaning it’s sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light.

ADOX says HR-50 is particularly well-suited for street and landscape photography, but also works for portraits, although they do recommend using its own HR-50 developer. In the event you don’t want to buy another developer to keep in the darkroom, ADOX says the “gamma [of HR-50 has been] reduced so it becomes perfectly usable for pictorial photography in regular developers.”

According to the press release, ADOX HR-50 also works as an infrared film and handles the use of filters “extremely well.”

Below are a few sample photos provided by ADOX.

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There’s no mention of an exact release date or expected price. We have contacted ADOX regarding this information and will update the article accordingly if we hear back.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 7, 2018
Side-by-side comparison between reflectors and diffusers for portraits

If you’ve been looking into portrait photography, whether it be a casual read, in depth, as a hobby, to improve your portraits, or as a pro, you would have come across the use of reflectors. Reflectors come in various sizes, shapes and colours. My favourites are the 5-in-1 circular foldaway reflectors and the rectangular panels you can lean on or clip to a stand.

Have you ever wondered what a side-by-side comparison using different reflector colors would look like? Wonder no more. Below, you can see the different types I used. These photos all share the same white balance and editing as I wanted the colors to be as true a reflection of the effects of the reflectors used as much as possible. I’ve also kept the edits as clean as possible.

#1 Three reflectors, light shirt

Top left is a natural light portrait lit only by window light, half-clear and half-frosted (diffused) but with no other reflectors used. The window is large enough for a big spread illuminating both face and background. The portrait on its right shows a rather obvious warm glow all over. I used two gold reflectors: camera right and in the front underneath the face. This setup warmed everything up – shirt, teeth, face and even the background.

Compare the effect of the gold reflector to the bottom left. This one had two silver reflectors positioned in the same places. Notice how cool the color temperature has become. Next to it on the right I once again had the same setup, but this time using two white reflectors. Notice the color temperature is still cool but softer, less sharp and less edgier than the silver one. Look carefully and this difference is more apparent on the teeth and skin tone being just a touch warmer.

#2 Two reflectors, dark shirt

I thought I’d do the same comparison, this time with the subject wearing black. The difference is more dramatic. With the gold reflector, the black is richer and darker, whereas with the silver it’s a little more washed out.

For me these are both a bit extreme, with the gold reflector being too warm and the silver being too cold. If I were to edit these photos without considering the true effects of the reflector I’d tone down the warmth of the gold reflector by half and I’d be good with that. Similarly, I’d warm up the one with the silver reflector in post, both using the white balance slider. I’d then get the happy warm tone that I’m after.

#3 Diffuser reflector and flash

If you’re familiar with the 5-in-1 reflector, you’ll know there are four colored sides: white, silver, gold and black. These sides are made of fabric all stitched together as one zipped wrap. This fabric wraps around a middle standalone piece that’s translucent. This is the diffuser and a super versatile tool. Strictly speaking, the black side doesn’t actually reflect light but rather absorbs it, and is good for cutting light out or using as flags.

This diffuser is great when shooting in harsh outdoor sunlight and you just want to cut the light down or tone it down by placing the diffuser between the sunlight and the subject. In effect, you are creating a slightly shadowed area for the subject, which makes it ideal for portrait lighting outdoors.

I thought I’d try this same technique for my indoor portraits by using this diffuser to cut down light from a flash, thereby acting like a big softbox but without the bounce.

Here are the results. The left photo was lit with one flash on camera right positioned behind the diffuser, which was pretty big and placed close to the subject for a smooth, soft light. The right photo had two flashes, again diffused, with one light overhead to provide hair light and light the background for more separation.

#4 Diffused natural light vs diffused flash

The final comparison is between diffused window light on the left photo and one diffused flash on the right photo. Window light produced softer shadows here, with less contrast and a bigger spread of light. In contrast, the diffused flash had more defined shadows. It’s smaller than the window with less spread of light, but sculpted the face better.

If I were to mimic the higher contrast and shadows produced by the diffused flash, one trick would be to cut out the light by using the black reflector side as a flag. I wasn’t able to do this, however, as I didn’t want my subject to be waiting too long for my experiment. (He only came in for one headshot.)

I hope you found this little comparison exercise fun and enlightening. It’s amazing what the 5-in-1 reflector, a small and inexpensive tool, can do to your portraits.

The post Side-by-side comparison between reflectors and diffusers for portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

October 7, 2018
DPReview TV: Canon EOS R review

Chris and Jordan have been shooting the EOS R for some time now, starting with the launch in Hawaii. Find out what they think of its still photo capabilities and its unique controls, and tune in for probably the first-ever video performance analysis from a swimming pool.

Get new episodes of DPReview TV every week by subscribing to our YouTube channel!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 7, 2018
How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style
As a photographer, achieving a consistent and clean photo editing style is important for developing your work.

Depending on your photographic niche, the way you choose to post produce and edit your images is a key factor in achieving cohesiveness in your portfolio. Utilizing editing software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop can help you develop a style and aesthetic that is personal to you.

Let’s discuss some of the necessary elements for achieving a consistent and clean photo editing style.

Focus on Lighting to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style

In order for your images to look polished and professional, you will want to focus the majority of your edits on making lighting corrections. It is important to note that shooting in camera RAW mode will allow you to make the most of your editing process. If you have this capability, change your image capture mode prior to shooting.

Lighting corrections in post-production include changes to exposure, highlights, shadows and adjusting your black and white points. By shooting in RAW mode, you can bring details back into the image that may have been lost while shooting by increasing or decreasing some of these lighting values. This allows you to set a base for your images that define your editing style.

Whether you want to create bright, airy images or darker, moody edits – these can all be achieved by manipulating your lighting.

Take a look at the clean photo editing style in the before and after of the images below.

Avoid Harsh Color Edits

While using editing programs including Lightroom or Photoshop, it can be easy to over-manipulate the color of your image. With tools such as the RGB curve, HSL or Split Toning, these capabilities can be very powerful and effective when used properly. When aiming to create a consistent and clean photo editing style, avoid harsh or dramatic color edits that appear inauthentic to the original image.

In order to stay true to the original tones of your image, consider adjusting your white balance to ‘AUTO’ within your camera before shooting. You can manually adjust this using Lightroom if your images are shot in RAW format. The white balance ‘Auto’ mode on your camera is designed to achieve the most authentic and true-to-life color under most shooting circumstances. During the editing process, color adjustments can be made by changing values such as temperature, tint, saturation, hue and tone.

Each photographer has a colour editing style that is specific and recognizable to their work. Whilst you can create a color style that is unique to you, be sure to remember that professional images maintain accurate color consistency. You want to make sure to change your image color values with intention, and use this same method across your body of work.

Eliminate Distracting or Unnecessary Elements

Another tip to creating a consistent and clean photo editing style is to remove distracting elements from your images. This may include background elements, imperfections of your subject, or even poor composition. Many of these imperfections can be fixed by utilizing removal tools such as healing brushes or the clone stamp.

The overall composition of the image can also be improved by altering the cropping and fixing alignment problems with straightening. In order for your work to have a professional appearance, you must remember to fix the imperfections and pay attention to the smaller details of your images.

For example, in the image below, I wanted more of the sky and less of the tree branches. Using the Lightroom Clone Stamp tool, I was able to remove some of the branches by replacing it with the blue detail of the sky. You can change your image as you see fit to avoid an image with distracting or unnecessary elements.

Create Tools for Consistency

The most effective way to create consistent editing in your post-production workflow is to create tools such as presets in Lightroom or actions in Photoshop. These capabilities were created so you can save edits and reapply them across multiple sets of images. Depending on the editing software you prefer to use, presets and actions are both fairly simple to create and integrate into your editing workflow.

Presets

Presets are used in Adobe Lightroom to copy and paste edits from one image to another. In order to create a preset, you must first make edits to an original image. To do this:
1. Open your original image in the Develop Module in Lightroom.
2. Apply the color edits and lighting adjustments you want to make.
3. Once satisfied with your results, navigate to your keyboard and press ‘Command + C’ (the shortcut for copy).
4. The Copy Settings dialog box will appear, guiding you to choose the settings you would like to copy. Make your selection and press ‘Copy’.
5. Navigate to the left tool bar and find the tab labeled ‘Presets’
6. Press the ‘+’ button and choose the option of ‘Create Preset’ or alternatively, go to the menu bar, choose ‘Develop’ and then select ‘New Preset’.
7. A ‘New Develop Preset’ box will appear asking you to name your preset and choose the settings you want to save.
8. After you have determined these values, press ‘Create’ and your preset will now show in the ‘User Presets’ tab in the Develop Module.
9. You can now apply this preset to any of your images with one simple click to paste the edits.
Here is an example of a before and after edit with one of my personal Lightroom image presets.

Actions

Actions are created in Adobe Photoshop by recording adjustments made in the program. Unlike presets, actions are developed by pressing the ‘RECORD’ button while editing your image. Once satisfied with an edit, press the ‘STOP’ button and your action is created. Actions are used for specific adjustments to an image such as color, light and retouching.

To create an Action, you will need to go to the right side panel and find the ‘play’ button denoted as a triangle pointing to the right.
1. Choose the paper icon to ‘Create New Action’.
2. Name your Action and press ‘RECORD’.
3. Photoshop will record your adjustments and save them to your new Action.
4. When you are satisfied with your changes, press the ‘Stop’ button to save it.
5. Once your Action is complete it can be applied to your images by selecting the name of your action and pressing the ‘Play’ button.
Actions can be very effective for portrait photographers who need to retouch and fine tune the facial features of their subject. You can create actions to smooth skin, remove blemishes and even for methods such as frequency separation.

Here is an example of a before and after edit with one of my personal Photoshop Color Actions.

As you can see, a consistent and clean photo editing style is achieved through integrating techniques such as; lighting adjustments, natural color edits, and the elimination of distracting elements. It is also achieved by using tools such as Lightroom Presets or Photoshop Actions. In your body of work, having an editing style that is cohesive and visually appealing will give your images a truly professional touch.

Do you have any tips for creating consistent and clean photo editing styles in either Lightroom or Photoshop? Share with us in the comments below.

The post How to Achieve a Consistent and Clean Photo Editing Style appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
October 7, 2018
Study sheds light on selfie deaths from around the world

A study newly published by the US National Library of Medicine NIH sheds light on deaths that occurred while taking selfies. The team behind the study found a total of 259 selfie-related fatalities had occurred between October 2011 and November 2017 from a total of 137 incidents around the globe. Risky behavior is cited as the primary cause of these tragedies.

The researchers conducted their study “to assess the epidemiology of selfie-related deaths across the globe,” according to the published research paper. Selfie-related deaths were categorized into two “causes” categories: non-risky behavior and risky behavior.

Risky behavior accounted for the majority of deaths, 72.5% of which involved male and 27.5% of which involved female victims. India was found to have the highest number of reported incidents, with Russia, the US, and Pakistan following. Falling, drowning, and transport-related incidents topped the reasons for the deaths.

As well, the study found that male victims were three times more likely to die during selfies due to risky behaviors, whereas non-risky behavior was the primary cause of female selfie-related fatalities. A recent example of such a tragedy involved 26-year-old Chinese “rooftopper” Wu Yongning who died after falling from a skyscraper.

The researchers conclude that regions with tall buildings, bodies of water, and other similar perilous places should be declared “no selfie zones” to help protect people from potential injuries or death.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 6, 2018
US Congress approves bill granting warrantless private drone take-downs

Following approval by the House earlier this year, the United States Senate has passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, which was delivered to the White House on October 3, 2018. Under this bill, which grants the FAA federal funding through 2023, law enforcement officials are given the authority to shoot down and/or confiscate private drones if they’re deemed a credible threat.

As noted recently by The Washington Post, the new bill allows officials to shoot down private drones if they’re “identified as high-risk and a potential target for unlawful unmanned aircraft activity.” In these cases, law enforcement isn’t required to have a warrant to take down or confiscate the aerial vehicle.

Last month, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) expressed concerns over the reauthorization bill, stating that it had been “stuffed with last-minute provisions that would strip people of their constitution rights.”

Among other things, the EFF pointed toward the warrantless downing of private drones, as well as the lack of a requirement to warn operators when they’re flying in restricted airspace. As well, “the bill still has no process for clearly stating what areas are “covered facilities,” so that the public can know where they are allowed to fly,” the EFF explains.

Critics worry the new authority will enable the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to take down camera drones used during protests and by reporters, activists, and photographers, all without a warrant. Private drone owners also risk losing possession of their drone if it is confiscated without warning due to being labelled a “threat.”

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 6, 2018
Tamron issues warning about Nikon Z7 compatibility

Tamron has issued a warning to its customers that some of the company’s Nikon F-mount lenses do not work with the new Nikon Z7 and FTZ adapter. Saying only that ‘issues’ have been discovered, Tamron promises that it is investigating, and will provide further compatibility updates once a solution has been found.

Meanwhile, Sigma has confirmed to DPReview that its Nikon F-mount lenses should work without limitation on the new Z7 and Z6 using Nikon’s FTZ adapter.

Read Tamron’s full statement

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

October 6, 2018