Testing and real-world shooting show slight banding and striping patterns in Nikon Z7 images, undermining its otherwise excellent dynamic range. We demonstrate when you’ll encounter the effect so you can assess its importance for your photography.
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How to do Portrait Photography in Bright Midday Sun
In photography, learning and knowing how to use and manipulate light will always be an advantage. Especially when it comes to portrait photography because you aren’t always going to photograph your clients in the most ideal light.
Sometimes you don’t have a choice but to put your clients in direct sunlight.
Backlight your subjects
You might think that backlighting can only apply during sunset hours, however, it can be used any time the sun has passed its peak. Once the sun angles a bit, you are able to backlight your subject.
This technique is best to keep direct sun off your client’s face and avoid those weird shadows that happen under the eyebrows, nose, and chin.
Backlighting your clients can help minimize shadows.
It also helps to keep people from squinting. Keeping your subject’s face away from direct sunlight will also help keep them comfortable during the session. Beware of backgrounds as well because sometimes, to keep the light of your client’s face, it may mean having them in front of ab undesirable background.
Backlighting can also add lens flare to your photos in an artistic way.
Try your best to position your subjects away from direct sunlight while still keeping the background that you desire.
Use reflectors
Luckily, because the sun is high in the sky, and most likely really bright, you’ll have big natural light reflectors at your disposal.
Natural reflectors are great to bounce light back onto your subject without having to spend tons on expensive photographic gear. They are found at the location and can fill in the shadows nicely.
Use a shaded area to help with bright sunlight. The sand also acts as a natural reflector and bounces light back onto people’s faces.
Natural reflectors include big parking lots, sidewalks, windows, big light-colored walls, silver or white cars, buildings with silver or reflective paneling/architectural designs, light-colored cement walls/floors, sand at the beach, and any found natural reflective surface.
Use the sand as a natural reflector. Use trees to create a frame within a frame.
Backlight your subject when the sun has passed its peak and position them in front of a large natural reflector to bounce light back onto their face.
Professional photographic reflectors are also great to use if you have one already. Position your subject with their back to the sun. Use the silver side of the reflector to bounce light back onto them.
Be careful not to aim the reflected light directly into your subject’s eyes as it can be really bright, almost as strong as direct sunlight. Angle it a bit until you find enough fill on their face.
Backlighting your clients can help with shadows.
Make sure you do not place your reflector on the floor pointing upward at your client. This will cause the light to bounce upward which will give you odd unflattering shadows on the face. Rather, have a stand or a friend hold the reflector up so that the light bounced back is around torso height.
Be careful when using the white side of the reflector during midday sun as this can cause your client’s face to wash out and look opaque.
Use a scrim to diffuse light
Some reflectors, especially the 5-in-1 kind, come with a translucent side. This translucent reflector helps to diffuse sunlight without completely blocking it out. You can also make your own using translucent fabric and a PVC/hula-hoop.
Hold the scrim over your client’s face or body to diffuse the light. Be careful of your backgrounds. If your background is brighter than your client, the background will be overexposed. If possible, try and match the light on the background to the light on your client.
Scrims are especially effective if you are going for close-up photos of your client.
Slightly underexpose
Underexposing while photographing in bright midday sun can help you get less washed out backgrounds. Underexposing your photo can also help retain details that otherwise get lost if they are too bright.
Put your clients in direct sunlight to get a different look.
After the session, you can bring up the shadows in your editing program of choice without losing detail in the rest of the image. Underexposing 1/2 – 1 stop can also help to keep the background details intact.
You can also expose for both your clients in one photo and in the next expose for the background. Later you can merge both photos so that your final photo is exposed for both the people and the scene.
This will also look a bit like HDR which gives your photo a more artistic and dynamic look. Make sure that both photos are taken using the same lens, at the same distance, with the same framing so that both images line up. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to merge the photos in an editing program.
Try to avoid photograph clients in really bright backgrounds otherwise, you’ll get this washed out background and lens flare.
Use flash
Flash is a great resource to use during the midday sun. Especially when you are in a location where natural reflectors are scarce or you need an extra pop of light. Flash is also handy during midday sessions so that you can properly expose for your clients while keeping the background from washing out.
Use flash to fill in shadows and compete with the bright sunlight behind.
Since you’ll be competing with the bright midday sun, point your flash directly at your clients to make sure the light reaches them. Using a diffuser can help to disperse the light. If you’re using your flash in manual mode, aim to use it at 1/8th power or more. This will give you enough power to light your clients.
Experiment with your flash in the high-speed sync mode where you can use shutter speeds higher than 1/200th of a second. You’ll get more fashion styled photos as the pop of light will be more directional and your background will be darker.
Pointing the flash at a big white wall can also help to bounce light back onto your clients meanwhile diffusing the light so that it isn’t so harsh creating a nice blended fill.
Two different portraits created in midday sun during the same session.
If your flash is attached to your camera, you can slightly bend the flash down to direct it towards your clients rather than having it all the way up. It can add more light to the scene and direct it where you want it to be.
Shoot in Shade White Balance
It might seem a little weird to photograph your entire session in the Shade White Balance and your eyes might take some time getting used to the sepia tones. However, photographing people in shade mode helps to keep skin tones even.
This is very important, especially while photographing during midday sun since it can be really bright and hard to keep the skin tone consistent.
Have fun photographing in the midday sun.
Shade White Balance allows you to then edit your photos so that you can get the exact skin tones that you desire.
Let creativity flow
Photographing during midday sun may not be ideal yet it can offer many different ways for your creativity to flow. Use shadows to create interesting effects. Try to face your client toward the direct sunlight and focus on the details.
Use midday sunlight to create different effects.
You can also use hats, palm leaves, water, and other interesting elements to create different styled photographs. Experiment with your flash in different positions. Use the sun as a subject within the photo.
Use the sun to create repeating patterns and shadows.
Allow your backgrounds to grow dark or wash out. Use the midday sun to highlight details that you want and put into shadow the details that you want to eliminate. There are many different ideas and letting the sun guide you can often give you the best results!
Put your clients in the shade
Just because you have to photograph during the harsh hours of midday sun, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use shaded areas to your benefit!
You don’t need a much shade, just enough for your clients to fit in. Tall buildings, large tall trees, and tall walls work to help shade your client from harsh light during the middle of the day. Position them close to a big natural reflector, keeping them in the shade while taking advantage of the light being bounced back.
Put your clients in the shade if you can.
Make sure you expose for your client’s face and not the background, this will help keep your skin tones even if the background washes out a bit.
In conclusion
While photographing in midday sunlight isn’t necessarily ideal, it can always offer some great ways to create different and interesting photographs of your clients. Practicing during these hours is also helpful in case you do have to photograph in midday sun such as a wedding day, for example.
Photograph your client in direct sunlight.
If you find yourself photographing during these peak hours of the day, just know that these tips will help you to get the best out of your session, no matter what the light is like.
The post How to do Portrait Photography in Bright Midday Sun appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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Google Images adds creator and credit metadata to photos
This week, Google revealed a new collaboration with IPTC and CEPIC that brings image rights metadata to Google Images. The new “Image credits” inclusion is found by tapping the triple-dot menu icon directly beneath an image located on Google Images. When selected, Google presents both image credit and image creator metadata.
The company notes that it has historically been difficult to locate creator and copyright information for online images. Google’s new image credits data helps address that problem, and in “coming weeks” it will also add metadata related to image copyrights.
The information’s inclusion depends on the availability of metadata, though, leading to another announcement: Google will work with IPTC and CEPIC to improve guidelines advising photographers, photo agencies, and more on how to include relevant metadata with their images.
PhotoShelter CEO Andrew Fingerman provided Google with a statement on the importance of this new feature, saying:
Employing IPTC metadata standards in Google Images results will help ensure proper attribution of credit and support photographers’ copyright, while also boosting the discoverability of content and creators. This is a win for the professional photo community.
Via: Engadget
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Photokina 2018: Hands-on with Tokina’s Opera 50mm F1.4 premium full-frame lens
Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4
We first saw a prototype of Tokina’s new 50mm F1.4 Opera lens at the CP+ show in Japan earlier this year. After waiting all summer, we finally gotten hands-on time with a working model at this year’s Photokina in Germany. The Opera series is Tokina’s high-end lens lineup – the equivalent to Sigma’s Art line – and the 50mm F1.4 is the first lens in the series to come into production.
Available in both Nikon and Canon full-frame DSLR mount, the lens is specifically meant to be paired with high-resolution cameras like the Nikon D850 and Canon EOS 5DS R. Set to ship around the end of October, it is priced at $ 950.
Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4
The build quality of this Opera lens is superb. Weighing 33.5oz / 950g it’s about 4.8oz / 135g heavier than the Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art, but handles well on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. It doesn’t feel front heavy.
The large rubberized focus ring matches the directional turn of the mount it’s meant for – turning the ring to the right achieves minimum focus on a Canon and infinity on a Nikon. And the ring continues to turn beyond its minimum and infinity point.
Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4
The Opera 50mm F1.4 is made of 15 elements arranged in 9 groups. 3 of those elements are super low dispersion elements to compact chromatic aberration – there’s also one aspherical element in the rear focus group. To deal with flaring, the lens is coated with Tokina’s Extremely Low Reflection coating. The front element has a 72mm filter size, smaller than the 77mm filter size of the Sigma’s front element.
Minimum focus distance for this lens is 0.4m / 1.3ft, the same as the Sigma.
Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4
Autofocus is achieved using an ultrasonic ring-shaped AF motor which is very quiet in operation. There’s also a manual focus decouple switch on the side of the lens barrel.
The lens has 9 rounded aperture blades which we hope will result in very nice bokeh. And this is the first Tokina lens ever to include an electronic diaphragm (specifically for the Nikon version).
Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4
There are a total of 8 weather sealing points in the construction of the Opera, which should keep water and grime out of the internal construction. There is also a rubber gasket around the lens mount to keep nastiness out of your camera body.
Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4
Overall we’re excited to get Tokina’s first Opera series lens in and start shooting with it. It’s priced exactly the same as the Sigma Art version and seems to be built to a similar level of physical and optical excellence. Seeing as Sigma’s version is one of our favorite 50mm F1.4s out there, we have high hopes for the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4. Stay tuned for a sample gallery.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Abstract Flower Photography
Abstract flower photography can stop you in your tracks. But unfortunately, when it comes to abstract flower photography, you probably don’t know where to start. What equipment do you need? What techniques do you use?
The world of abstract flower photography can seem distant and difficult.
Actually, it is no harder than any other genre of photography. It can be a lot more rewarding, though. You just need to know how to get started.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn the fundamentals of abstract flower photography. You’ll learn about the required equipment, as well as several key techniques for getting powerful abstract images. When you finish, you’ll be ready to go out and start applying these tips immediately.
Sound good? Read on.
What is abstract flower photography?
I’m going to define abstract flower photography simply as this – photographing flowers in a way that the viewer doesn’t immediately see the flower.
That is, an abstract floral focuses not so much on the flower itself, but on parts of the flower: the curve of the petals, the color of the flower center, the play of light on the stamens.
To do powerful abstract flower photography, you have to stop thinking in terms of flowers, and start thinking in terms of shape, color, and light. This isn’t complicated. It’s easy to do, once you get the hang of it. The tips I share below will help you to do just that, so keep reading.
Equipment
To get beautiful abstract flower images, you need two things: a camera and a macro lens.
The type of camera doesn’t matter. These days, essentially all cameras are capable of capturing stunning images. In abstract flower photography, it’s the lens that counts.
So what lens do you need?
Any sort of macro lens will do. I’ve taken excellent abstract flower images with cheap, sub-300 dollar lenses. I’ve also used my much more expensive Canon 100mm f/2.8L lens.
The thing is, abstract flower photography isn’t really about sharpness and perfectly rendered detail. It’s about composition, light and color.
A tip worth mentioning is that the shorter the focal length of a macro lens, the closer you need to be to your subject to get life-size images. So, for instance, 60mm macro lenses can be a problem when you’re trying to get a close-up of a rose and you keep casting your shadow on the petals by accident.
You may have also heard that for abstract flower photography you need a tripod.
I would disagree. I don’t use a tripod for abstract flower photography, myself because I find that it’s too limiting. I need to explore the flower through the lens, change my composition, take a few photographs, and change my composition again. You can’t do that with a tripod.
Have you got your camera and a macro lens? If so, you’re ready for the bulk of this tutorial on quick and easy tips for stunning abstract flower photography.
Tip 1: Shoot on cloudy days
If you’ve done natural light macro photography before, you’ll know that you can get beautiful macro photographs at a few different times of the day. First, when it’s cloudy. Second, during the golden hours: just after sunrise and just before sunset.
I photographed this tulip on a cloudy spring day.
For abstract photography, I recommend that you only shoot on cloudy days.
On cloudy days, the light is even, resulting in colorful, deeply saturated images. And in abstract photography, color is key. In fact, out of all the images featured in this article, all but one were taken on a cloudy day.
Once you become a more experienced abstract flower photographer, you can start to experiment with other types of light. But until then, stick to cloudy days. Your results will speak for themselves.
Tip 2: Get close. Really, really close!
In abstract flower photography, you cannot just take a snapshot of your subject. Your goal must be to show the viewer something new, something unexpected.
The way to do this is to get close. Really, really close.
As I said above, you must think in terms of shapes, color, and light. The way to start is to magnify your subject.
Take that macro lens and crank it up to its highest magnification setting (which should be 1:1, if you have a true macro lens). Then get close to a flower. Look through the viewfinder of your camera, and just move the lens around.
What do you see?
You probably won’t immediately notice a stunning composition. I spend a lot of time looking through my lens without taking any pictures. There’s a lot of experimentation involved, and that’s okay. Which brings us to Tip 3…
Tip 3: Use a shallow depth of field
The depth of field is the amount of an image that is actually in focus.
Images with only a small amount of the subject in focus have a shallow depth of field. Images with a large amount of the subject in focus have a deep depth of field.
Depth of field is controlled by your camera’s aperture setting, also known as an f-stop. A low f-stop (f/1.4 to f/5.6) gives you a nice, shallow depth of field.
On most cameras, you will be able to choose your f-stop. For abstract flower photography, I usually keep it in the f/2.8-3.5 range but feel free to experiment a bit depending on your creative vision. Just keep that depth of field nice and shallow.
Why do I recommend having so little of the image in focus?
In abstract photography, you must photograph flowers so that the viewer doesn’t immediately see the flower. You must work in terms of light, color, and shapes.
By using a shallow depth of field, you emphasize those elements and take the focus off the flower itself. You shift the focus to the shape of the flower, the color of it, and the light falling on the flower.
This is what I focus on in my final tip.
Tip 4: Look at the shape of the flower
As I mentioned above, it’s essential that you think about light, color, and shape.
Out of these three elements, I think that shape is most important in abstract flower photography. This is because flowers have naturally interesting shapes: sinuous curves, perfect circles, radiating lines.
The photographs are there. You just have to find them.
For instance, flowers tend to have such beautiful, soft petals. You can use these to your advantage in your photography. Think about the petals, not as parts of a flower, but as twisting lines. Try to see these shapes moving about through the flower.
Carefully set up a composition that uses these lines. Keep it simple—one or two lines is all you need.
Only once you’ve composed deliberately, keeping the shape of the flower at the forefront of your mind, should you take the image.
Conclusion
Capturing beautiful abstract photographs can be an intensely rewarding experience.
Make sure you have the right equipment. Then, if you shoot on cloudy days, get super close, use a shallow depth of field and, above all, think in terms of the flower’s shape, you’ll be well on your way to taking stunning abstract flower photographs.
Have any more tips for abstract flower photography? Share them in the comments!
The post A Beginner’s Guide to Abstract Flower Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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Fujifilm GFX 50R pre-production sample gallery
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ONA and Japan Camera Hunter team up to release camera bag for film photographers
Camera bag manufacturer ONA has partnered with Bellamy Hunt, founder of Japan Camera Hunter, to release a limited-edition camera bag designed specifically for film photographers.
Officially named the ONA x Japan Camera Hunter Bowery camera bag, the messenger-style bag was ‘developed closely with Bellamy Hunt […] This edition of the Bowery bag features a number of modifications to ONA’s best-selling style worldwide, with the film street photographer in mind.’
Specifically, the bag now features matte black solid brass hardware ‘that will wear-in overtime to reveal the brass underneath, similar to the contact points of a vintage camera.’ Also new is a trio of elastic bandolier looks to hold 35mm film canisters directly on the shoulder strip.
Inside, the rebranded bag is entirely black and now has two pockets dedicated for film, batteries and other accessories, while a zippered pocket on the back of the bag offers a little more security.
‘This bag is the result of over a year of working out the finer details with ONA,’ says Hunt in the press release. ‘I wanted a shoulder bag, as I only carry one camera and a few items. But one that is simple, strong and geared towards the film shooter. The ONA Bowery was a great platform to start off with, but it needed some changes to suit my style.’
Only 230 of these bags will be made. Each will be hand-numbered and available exclusively through ONA’s online store and a few select retailers in Europe and Australia.
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The ONA x Japan Camera Hunter Bowery camera bag will officially launch on October 2nd, 2018 and is currently available for pre-order for $ 199.
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Photokina 2018: Hands-on with new Voigtländer M and E-mount prime lenses
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Voigtländer is one of the oldest names in photography. These days licensed by Japanese lensmaker Cosina, the Voigtländer brand is still going strong. We’re at Photokina, where we got our hands on the company’s newest lenses.
First up is a lens that was quietly released earlier this year for Leica M-mount. The Nokton 50mm F1.2 Asph is a fast standard prime lens designed for high-resolution digital imaging on modern Leica rangefinder cameras.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
While at 1,099 Euros ($ 999) it’s not exactly cheap, it’s a good deal more affordable than Leica’s 50mm F0.95 Noctilux. The all-metal Voigtländer doesn’t have quite the same high-quality feel as the Leica, but it’s very nicely built. The focus and aperture dials rotate with a lovely smoothness and crisp clickiness (respectively) that set this lens apart from most of today’s polycarbonate lenses.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Unlike Leica’s own lenses, the Voigtländer doesn’t offer 6-bit coding for Leica’s digital rangefinder bodies.
The Nokton 50mm F1.2 is priced at 1,099 Euros ($ 1,059) and is available now. A companion lens, the medium-wide Nokton 35mm F1.2 Asph II is also available now, for 1,299 Euros ($ 999).
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
In addition to M-mount lenses, Voigtländer was also showing off its new primes for the Sony E-mount. This is the new 110mm Macro APO-Lanthar, also first announced earlier this year at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
The 110mm offers 1:1 macro capability and a closest focusing distance of 35cm (13.7 in). It uses three floating lens groups for focusing to ensure optimal quality at all distances – according the Cosina – and apochromatic correction to satisfy the resolution requirements of 40MP+ sensors.
Electronic contacts on the mount communicate the lens’s focal length, focus distance and aperture settings to Sony E-mount cameras.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
The 110mm is a beautifully-made lens, but at 771g (27 oz) it’s fairly weighty and as you can see in the previous image, it gets fairly long at its minimum focus distance, too. As well as effective macro photography, the APO-Lanthar could provide a useful portrait capability for Sony E-mount shooters.
The 110mm Macro APO-Lanthar will be available soon for 1,199 Euros ($ 1,099).
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Voigtländer’s Nokton 40mm F1.2 Asph for Sony E-mount is an E-mount version of the M-mount Nokton that Voigtländer has been selling for many years. It offers a minimum focus setting of .35m (13.7 in) in a body weighing 420g (14.8 oz).
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
The Nokton 40mm F1.2 features a 58mm filter ring, and a ten-bladed aperture.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Like the 110mm, the 40mm has electronic contacts to communicate lens settings to Sony E-mount cameras. First announced last year, it is available now for 1,099 Euros ($ 1,099).
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Voigtländer’s new 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar is another E-mount prime. The lens is constructed of nine elements, including one aspherical element and one anomalous partial dispersion element, in eight groups.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
The 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar has a minimum focusing distance of 20cm/7.87in and uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm. The lens will start shipping soon for 749 Euros (US price TBD).
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Also on show are two ‘concept’ lenses, which may or may not enter production, depending on feedback from the market. This is the first one, an ultra-compact ‘Ultron’ 35mm F2 for Leica M-mount. Finished in a classic-looking combination of black and chrome, the Ultron could be a very attractive option for users of film and digital rangefinders looking for a compact and lightweight medium-wide prime.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Next up is another 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar, but again in Leica M-mount. Much smaller than its E-mount equivalent, this tiny prime is almost a pancake lens.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
Despite its size, the 21mm F3.5 is very nicely made. It features a large, nicely-machined aperture dial and a pegged focus ring for one-finger focusing.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
The third and final concept lens is an E-mount version of the new Nokton 50mm F1.2 Asph.
New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount
We believe that optical construction is the same as the M-mount version, but the addition of electronic contacts will ensure that the SteadyShot stabilization systems in Sony’s E-mount cameras work properly with this lens, as opposed to an M-mount version fitted via an adapter.
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Phottix launches new multi-brand Odin Z OS, and a pair of Juno hotshoe flash units
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
Phottix has launched a new operating system for its portable flash systems that it says automatically switches between different manufacturer’s TTL systems as it detects their presence from an on-camera flash unit or on-camera transmitter. The Odin Z operating system also offers an auto metering feature that suggests a manual power setting for the photographer to dial in, and now shows power settings in real time on the slave flash display as it is changed via the commander unit.
Along with the new OS the company has launched two new hotshoe flash units and a Lite version of its Odin transmitter.
We got some time with Phottix CEO Steve Peer who showed us around the new kit. Prices of all the released items have yet to be set. For more information see the Phottix website.
The first new flash (above) is called Juno TTL and seems pretty close to the Mitros + unit the company currently offers. It has a guide number of 60m at the 200mm zoom setting, while the Mitros + has a GN of 58m and a maximum zoom of 105mm. It is just as nicely made as the Mitros + and it about the same size.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The new Juno TTL is compatible with the Elincrom Skyport system, as well as the collection of other Phottix communication protocols for older or less sophisticated units. The flash can command or be commanded, by the Odin studio flashes, and triggered by non-TTL Ares products by radio. Optical systems can also be controlled or used to control the Juno TTL.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The Odin Z system, and the Juno TTL flash, will offer TTL control for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony camera systems. Peer tells us he is ‘thinking about’ Panasonic/Olympus and Fujifilm systems, but that demand is much lower for users of those brands. The Odin Z system still works for the other camera brands, just not in TTL mode.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
As you might expect, the head swivels about 180 degrees in each direction and can tilt upwards by 90 degrees, and the zoom head can be controlled manually or automatically over a range of 20mm to 200mm. As you can see, the Juno TTL runs on four AA cells.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The Odin Lite transmitter is designed to control a network of flash units and studio heads in manual mode, and doesn’t support TTL flash exposure. Steve Peers says that 70% of Phottix customers want to shoot with their flashes in manual mode the majority of the time, so this unit is for those for who TTL is inappropriate.
As it isn’t TTL it will work with any camera system – the central pin on the foot has been positioned so that it will still connect with the camera’s hotshoe system even when the trigger connector isn’t absolutely in the middle of the hotshoe. The Odin Lite offers 4 groups and 32 channels. Channels 5-32 use the Phottix Digital ID system for an extra secure connection.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The Juno Li60 is another new flash unit that is almost the same as the standard Juno, but it only operates in manual mode and is powered by a lithium battery instead of AAs. It has the same 60m guide number as the Juno, and as it doesn’t operation with TTL it can be used with any camera system. This is a very pre-production unit that doesn’t have the name printed on it yet.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The Juno Li60 takes a massive lithium ion battery instead of the usual AA batteries of the Mitros + models. The pack is rated 3200mAh, which compares well to the 2000mAh of the VB18 in the Godox V860 II that I used to shoot the pictures. Peer couldn’t say how many full power bursts we should expect per charge, but it I’d expect that sort of battery to last well.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The rear of the Juno Li60 looks just the same as that of the regular Juno and the TTL version, but the display is simpler as it only shows manual flash settings. It doesn’t have the new flash exposure meter mode.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
Also on the stand were the company’s new Nuada LED panels. The R (left and right) and R3 (centre). The three have a heavily diffused surface and produce really very soft and attractive light. The R3 measures 428mm across, and is only 33mm thick/thin.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The R3 runs on V-lock batteries, but comes with an adapter for NP batteries. And of course, it can be powered from the mains via the included AC adapter. The light puts out 1100Lux at 1m and allows its temperature to be varied between 3200 and 5600K.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
A new panel is the Nuada S3 from the square/rectangle series which outputs 850 Lux at 1m. The panel measures 2376x266x25mm and again produces a really soft light – as modeled here by CEO Steve Peer.
Phottix hands-on at Photokina 2018
The panel is also powered by NP batteries or via the AC adapter, but doesn’t take V-Lock batteries. As with the R3, the S3 has a variable temperature of between 3200-5600K, and a CRI of >95.
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Batteries and Backups: How to Shoot Off the Grid
Road trips, and other “off the grid” travel adventures are a time for slowing down, for finding the unexpected, and for reconnecting with the world around you. Unfortunately, for us photographers, they can also be a time of anxiety and frustration. How can you keep your camera charged so it’s always ready when inspiration strikes? How can you handle batteries and backups of your photos so they aren’t lost in the mix before you return home?
As a consummate road-tripper and photographer, I’ve spent many years fine-tuning how to keep my camera charged, and my photos safe, for weeks of off the grid travel. Here are some tips to help you do the same.
Charging 101
Many cameras, from point and shoots to DSLRs, are powered by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Li-ion batteries are small, lightweight, rechargeable batteries that can tolerate hundreds of charge and discharge cycles.
They are recharged by an external charger, which comes with your camera when you purchase it. That charger plugs into a wall via a two-prong plug and feeds off your house’s Alternating Current power (also called AC power).
Here’s where charging off the grid gets tricky. Unless you’re staying nightly in a hotel room, two-prong AC plugs (and the charging capacity to power them) are hard to come by. In order to keep your camera battery charged, you will need to adapt.
Essential Charging Gear
Start out by purchasing a universal Li-ion battery charger. Universal chargers can hold almost any kind of small Li-ion battery, and come with a two-prong plug as well as a 12-volt Direct Current (DC) adapter. This adapter is cylindrical and fits into your car’s 12-volt port (traditionally called a “Cigarette Lighter” charger).
If you plan to drive for long distances each day and are only looking to recharge a camera battery, this may be all you need. If you plan to charge other devices—tablets, phones, and laptops—or won’t be driving, you’ll need a power bank.
Power Banks
Power banks are essentially big batteries. They receive a charge, either from a wall outlet or an alternative source like solar panels, and hold onto that charge until you need it. Power banks vary greatly in size, weight, and capacity.
Small USB power banks are perfect for powering cell phones and tablets. Depending on their capacity, they can recharge a phone or tablet anywhere from two to eight times.
Though they are harder to find, some small power banks also have a two- or three-prong port for plugging in a Li-ion camera battery charger. For quick trips where a little backup is needed, these power banks are just right.
If a little backup isn’t what you’re looking for, it’s time to call in the big guns. Portable power stations range in size from 150 to 1250 watts and are designed to be a full-service power solution. Power stations offer three-prong ports for AC power, multiple USB ports, and a 12-volt port.
They can charge camera batteries, laptops, tablets, and cell phones with ease (charging capacity varies by model).
Portable power stations are relatively large, as well as heavy. To illustrate, they are great at a campsite but too bulky to hike comfortably into the backcountry. These power stations are recharged by plugging them into a wall outlet, or by connecting them to solar panels and allowing them to charge for 8-12 hours.
If you’re looking for serious charging power, or plan to be off the grid for long stretches, a portable power station is a wise investment.
Note: Portable power stations cannot be brought on airplanes, though smaller USB power banks often can.
Photo Backups
Is there anything worse than returning from travel and finding your image files are corrupted or missing? A savvy photographer will avoid this scenario by doing daily backups of their images.
Backing up images online to the cloud is an option if you have fast, reliable Wi-Fi at your disposal. Set the backup to happen overnight, and you’ll wake up knowing your images are safe.
Fast Wi-Fi is hard to find. Hotel and coffee shop connections are often sluggish, so always be prepared with another backup plan. If you’re traveling with a laptop you can either back up the images directly to the computer or carry a rugged external hard drive. If the images are critical, such as a wedding gallery or a shoot for a client, back up the images to two different locations.
When traveling without a laptop, invest in a portable backup device like a Gnarbox. These small drives have an SD card slot and will copy and store all of the card’s images. Again, if the shoot is extra-important, be sure to back up the images to at least two locations.
Conclusion
Keeping your camera and other devices charged while on the road can be a challenge, but is made easier with a few pieces of essential gear designed to meet your charging needs. Together with regular backups, you can take images off the grid with ease and peace of mind.
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