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Tips for Quick Photo Editing in the Field

In today’s world of fast and super fast consumption of everything, perhaps photography and photographers are an anomaly in that we obsess over editing and over-editing our photos until the cows come home (figuratively speaking of course)! But there are some situations where quick photo editing and speed are our friends.

For example, say you are traveling on an adventure of a lifetime but still want to keep your followers and/or your community engaged and up to date on all your adventures by way of images. Or if you have just come back from a client photoshoot and want to send some sneak peek images so that your clients get excited about what is to come in the next few weeks.

A quick edit of an image as I was traveling around India for 10 days.

In situations like these, having a process to edit your photos quickly yet efficiently and on-point with your photographic aesthetics is key. Luckily there are a few elements that can be adjusted to achieve a clean edited look. These sliders are universal in that they are available with almost any editing software available be it Lightroom (as seen below), Photoshop, or even smartphone editing software like Snapseed and VSCO.

Follow along with this video

In the following video, I share some quick and easy editing tips for times when you are in a crunch.

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One quick tip for a fast edit in the field is to start with an image that has good bones, to begin with. Essentially what this means is that you try to get the images as close to your vision for the final outcome, straight out of the camera.

So slow down and really think through elements like exposure, composition, tonality, etc., right as you are taking the image. This will definitely help speed up your editing even more.

A clean straight out of camera shot that was almost what I wanted to achieve.

A few minor adjustments to amplify the pink/orange hues for a quick edit.

Conclusion

I hope these editing tips were useful. Keep in mind, the whole point of this exercise is to make editing in the field easy and quick.

You can always come back and re-edit those images to perfection when you have the time to spend hours on a single image (we have likely all been guilty of doing that at some point or the other – it is called the photographer’s dilemma!!).

Do you have any other quick photo editing tips you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments below.

The post Tips for Quick Photo Editing in the Field appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

April 4, 2018
Huawei P20 Pro hands-on: 3x zoom lens leaves the competition behind
The P20 Pro is Huawei’s latest flagship smartphone and, at least in the camera department, arguably the most innovative mobile device we have seen in quite some time. The camera module was developed in cooperation with Leica and is the first to combine three sensor/lens modules:
- A large 1/1.7-inch RGB sensor with Quad-Bayer structure in the main camera is designed to capture as much light as possible and keep noise levels low.
- A secondary high-resolution monochrome sensor provides depth estimation for the simulated bokeh effect, helps with digital zooming at low magnifications and improves detail and noise levels.
- A dedicated tele-camera with an equivalent focal range of 80mm springs into action at 3x or higher zoom factors.
The Huawei P20 Pro camera combines three cameras: The main module is at the center, the monochrome camera at the bottom (left in this image) and the tele at the top (right).

So the spec sheet looks impressive but is the Huawei P20 Pro the best camera smartphone money can currently buy? We had the opportunity to shoot with a Huawei P20 Pro for a few days. Here are our first impressions.

Please note that the camera software on our test unit is not final, so some improvements can be expected for the production version.

Key specifications:
- Triple-camera, 10MP output size
- Main camera: 1/1.7-inch 40MP Quad-Bayer sensor, F1.8 aperture and 27mm equivalent focal length
- Secondary camera: 20MP 1/2.78-inch monochrome sensor, F1.6-aperture and 27mm equivalent focal length
- Tele-camera: 8MP, 1/4.4-inch RGB sensor, F2.4-aperture, 80mm equivalent focal length and optical image stabilization
- Kirin 970 chipset
- 6.1-inch Full View display
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage
- 4,000 mAh battery
Wide-angle

In bright light the P20 Pro’s main camera captures images with good detail and very low noise levels. As you can see in the sample below, there is no noticeable grain in the blue sky, which is unusual for a smartphone, and fine detail is rendered nicely, though almost a touch oversharpened. Dynamic range is excellent as well, with very little highlight clipping for a smartphone camera.

Colors and contrast are definitely on the vibrant end of the scale but if you like things a little more natural you can can set colors to ‘smooth’ in the settings. There is a touch of corner-softness in our sample but overall the P20 Pro performs very well in good light.

ISO 50

The picture below was taken in a dim bar. In these conditions the camera does a very good job at keeping noise levels down. Some fine grain is noticeable in the shadows, but overall the image is very clean.

Some detail is lost on very fine textures but you have to zoom in to full-size view to notice. Edge detail is still very sharp and colors are maintained nicely. This is very good image quality from a smartphone in these light conditions.

ISO 1250

The very dim street lighting in the scene below pushes the P20 Pro camera to its limits. The image is exposed very well and colors are rendered nicely. However, detail clearly suffers and some fine textures are very soft. In these conditions the lack of optical image stabilization also becomes obvious, with some images showing signs of camera shake.

ISO 4000

Zoom

Thanks to the triple-camera with dedicated tele module, zoom is one of the P20 Pro’s highlight features. The series below shows the same scene as the first image in this article, with the camera zoomed onto the stork that is nesting on the church tower.

3x zoom

As you can see when clicking through to the full version of these images, detail is still decent at a 3x zoom factor and a good step ahead of any other current smartphone. Noise is very well controlled as well. At 5x a loss of detail and texture becomes more obvious but the images are still usable at smaller output sizes, for example in social media.

5x zoom

The 10x zoom image shows the typical softness and pixelation we are used to from digital zoom images and is best reserved for emergency situations. That said, while the P20 Pro’s zoom can’t compare to the optical zoom of a compact camera, it’s outstanding for a smartphone camera. Kudos to Huawei for squeezing the technology into the thin body of a mobile device.

10x zoom

The zoom is still usable in indoor light conditions and produces results that, in terms of detail and noise, aren’t far off from images captured in bright outdoor light.

Wide angle 3x zoom

5x zoom 10x zoom

The Huawei’s zoom is not only handy for magnifying elements of the scene, just like the optical zoom on a “real” camera it also helps compress the planes of a scene. In the wide-angle image below the mountain range in the background is so small, it’s hardly noticeable.

In the 3x zoom image the mountains have become a much more important element of the composition, thanks to compression. However, in the zoom image the color response is much less vibrant and the camera tends to be a little more prone to highlight clipping. Hopefully that is something that can be fine-tuned for the final software version.

Wide-angle

3x zoom

While zoom performance is generally pretty amazing for a smartphone camera, we found exposure to be very unstable when zoomed in. Once zoom is activated you can get very noticeable exposure jumps between two images in a series, as you can see in the 3x zoom samples below.

We would expect this bug to be fixed with a software update, hopefully for the final release of the production software.

Underexposure Slight overexposure

Portrait/Aperture modes

Like most current high-end phones, the P20 Pro offers a background-blurring Portrait mode. The feature works very well with head-and-shoulder type portraits. The default blur strength is pleasant and the masking of the subject is quite accurate. Only some minor segmentation artifacts are visible in the hair of the subject below.

Portrait mode

Things don’t look as good with full-body portraits, however. Like in the shot below, on most occasions Portrait mode does not trigger for this type of scene.

Portrait mode

Portrait mode applies a degree of skin tone smoothing to your subject’s face. If you don’t want that, or take an image of an object rather than a person, you can switch to Aperture mode which artificially blurs the background in the same way as Portrait mode.

As you’d expect, the mode delivers similar results as Portrait mode but more complex objects, such as the bicycle in the image below, can cause some trouble, especially when shooting zoomed in. Foreground/background separation in this shot is pretty bad, with a lot of blur applied to areas that should be sharp and vice versa.

Aperture mode, 3x zoom

Video

Video, and particularly video image stabilization, are strong points of the Huawei P20 Pro camera. The clip below was shot hand-held and is very stable and smooth, almost steady-cam-like. No judder, over-compensation or similar kind of artifacts are visible. Other than that, detail is in line with the competition and the color response is similar to still image mode.

Conclusion

We’ve only had a few days with the Huawei P20 Pro but that has been long enough to say it is the most advanced smartphone camera to date. General image quality is very good, with good detail, very low noise levels across all light levels and excellent dynamic range. In terms of those parameters the differences to other flagship smartphones, for example the Google Pixel 2 or Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus aren’t massive, however.

Where the P20 Pro really leaves the competition behind is zoom. The dedicated 3x tele-lens provides a real advantage in the zoom department and makes this device the best current smartphone for zooming. The triple camera is also capable of creating a natural looking bokeh simulation, and in video mode the image stabilization is up with the very best, creating an almost steady-cam like effect.

There are still a few niggles in the camera software but hopefully those will be ironed out for the final release and our full review. It’s still early in 2018, but it’ll be interesting to see what the competition will come up with later in the year in order to counter Huawei’s impressive move.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 4, 2018
Japan’s NHK will demo an 8K camera that can shoot 240fps slow motion at NAB 2018

NHK Fukuoka Broadcasting Bureau. Credit: Soramimi

Japan’s national public broadcasting organization NHK is developing an 8K slow-motion camera capable of recording ultra-high-definition content at 240fps. The technology was announced in a press release (partially translated here), and will be showcased at NAB 2018 in Las Vegas next week. Though 8K monitors and televisions are still in their infancy, the broadcaster is pioneering 8K technologies in anticipation of future demand.

To that end, NHK also plans to showcase a new 8K VR display during NAB 2018. The display is designed to eliminate the pixelated look common to current VR headsets.

NHK’s 8K 240fps camera

Finally, future 8K broadcasts may benefit from the NHK’s new transmitter technology, which reduces an 8K broadcast from a huge 40Gbps to a more manageable (but still huge) 8Gbps. The transmitter then converts the content into an IP-based signal for live broadcasting, a process that allegedly happens in “tens of microseconds.”

According to AV Watch, NHK anticipates using its new 8K technology for sports broadcasts (think Tokyo 2020 Olympics) and other content featuring fast-moving objects starting later this year. Unlike existing solutions, the NHK system is said to offer better compression and transmission for a very low delay while maintaining 8K quality for live shows.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 4, 2018
Tips on how to Verify That Pest Regulate Services Are Effective to the People

To get rid of these kinds of pests, utilization of pesticides and pesticides may be of excellent assistance once the pests are fewer in selection. The moment the infestation becomes uncontrollable,termite control pensacola fl one particular really should understand that there may be a necessity for expert services that will assistance persons to eliminate these annoying pests. Using the services of a pest regulate services may be beneficial in quite a few strategies namely –

• Provisions in the very best products – The industry experts involved along with the pest handle services vendors equip them selves with the best devices, pesticides and pesticides that allow them to eradicate the existence on the pests not to enable it infest the premises once more.

• Protected and safe ecosystem – When 1 decides to remove pests all by them selves, there are actually possibilities of a person harming the surroundings by spilling the insecticide or spraying it in locations which could contaminate drinking water, food stuff, and so forth. The kids and pets in the household might also occur in touch with this sort of sprays or liquids. When performed with the professionals, you can sit back assured that there is no harm brought on on the ecosystem as these experts consider all attainable care to curb such dangerous challenges.

• Usage of Eco-friendly items – Most corporations offering pest management solutions equip on their own with eco-friendly items that bring about a safer atmosphere where by there’s no type of pollution created. The sprays applied are ozone welcoming and thus only influence the qualified pest and almost nothing else.

• Turning out to be educated with regards to the numerous safeguards – The specialists from the pest manage services providers without a doubt present their ideal services and strive to eradicate the pests from the individual premise. In addition they educate the citizens about the methods to avert these types of pests from infesting yet again. The citizens are recommended to help keep their environment cleanse and litter free in which there’ll be no probabilities of even further pest breeding.

• Lowered Infection – Pests unfold an infection inside a way that turns fatal occasionally. They handle many health conditions for instance malaria, dengue, plague, leptospirosis, salmonella, asthma, and many others. Eradication of these types of infection resulting in pests with the enable of pest handle solutions will help a single to steer a healthier lifestyle where by you’ll find lesser conditions of folks falling sick. It can be beneficial don’t just for the residents but in addition for your persons residing around them.

Benefiting within the services which the pest management companies provide, people may very well be able to steer a much healthier and a peaceful lifestyle with no existence of those pests.

The post Tips on how to Verify That Pest Regulate Services Are Effective to the People appeared first on Photonovice.

Photonovice

April 4, 2018
MIOPS Splash: The world’s first smartphone-controlled water drop photography kit

Camera trigger company MIOPS has launched a new specialized photography kit that aims to help photographers get into water drop photography. Called the MIOPS Splash, this standalone kit doesn’t require an extra trigger, and is said to be the first of its kind that’s controlled with a smartphone.

MIOPS Splash doesn’t just control a flash or camera, it also controls the timing and size of a liquid drop, essentially taking all of the hardest parts of out of water drop photography. Settings are chosen using a companion smartphone app, and users are given two setup options:

In addition to the Splash kit, which is available now for $ 80 USD, MIOPS offers the Splash Holder kit for an extra $ 20. The Holder kit enables users to mount Splash on a tripod with an included tripod mount and box clip.

The MIOPS Splash kit comes with a 2-year warranty and is available now with free global shipping. To learn more about Splash or order your own, head over to the MIOPS website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 4, 2018
Facebook Messenger adds 360-degree photo and HD video support
Facebook just released an update that brings high-definition video and 360-degree panoramic photo support to Messenger. The update follows the high-res photo support Facebook added to Messenger in November 2017, expanding the quality and type of content that users can privately share with each other.

For 360-degree photos, users capture the panoramic content using their phone’s camera app or a third-party app, then share the panorama in Messenger like any other photo. The app automatically processes the panorama, converting it into an immersive 360-degree image that recipients can ‘explore’ by either moving their phone around or tapping and dragging the photo. Panoramic photos feature a compass icon in their upper right-hand side.

High-definition video sharing, meanwhile, supports the sharing of 720p videos from both the Camera Roll and a user’s newsfeed. To distinguish these videos from standard definition videos, Messenger now shows an HD or SD marker with the content.

360-degree photos are now available to all Messenger users on Android and iOS. HD video support is only available in the following countries:
- Australia
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Romania
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- UK
- USA
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
April 4, 2018
Intel unveils Core i9 laptop CPU, promises ‘ultimate’ content creation experience

Intel just revealed its 8th Generation laptop CPUs, and sitting at the top of the heap is a behemoth. Behold the Core i9-8950HK, a chip the company is calling “the highest-performance laptop processor Intel has ever built.” Equipped with 6 cores/12 threads, this unlocked chip boasts single-core Turbo Boost speeds of up to 4.8 GHz and promises “the ultimate content creation experience.”

Of course, that’s just marketing speak, which is why Intel came to this press release armed with some benchmarks. According to the company, the 8th Generation Core i9-8950HK can edit 4K video up to 59 percent faster than a machine sporting the 7th Generation Core i7 with same discrete graphics (in Adobe Premiere Pro).

It’s also 29 percent faster in general performance, and 41 percent faster for gaming.

Of course, you don’t have to go all the way up to the Core i9 to get great photo and video editing performance out of your laptop. All of the 8th Gen Intel Core mobile processors revealed today pack some punch, with 6 cores and 12 threads available in both the 2.6GHz Core i7-8750H and 2.2GHz Core i7-8850H. According to Dell, these deliver 68 percent faster photo editing compared to a 3-year-old system.

This 8th Gen Core i9 CPU has already made an appearance in the Dell and MSI laptops revealed this week, and more high-performance and gaming laptops will surely follow suit. To learn more about the new 8th generation mobile chips, check out the full press release below or check out this product overview presentation.

Press Release

Intel Core i9 Processor Comes to Mobile: The Best Gaming and Creation Laptop Processor Intel Has Ever Built

Today at a global event in Beijing, Intel unveiled the first ever Intel® Core™ i9 processor for laptops. Part of the new lineup of high-performance mobile products unveiled, the powerful 8^th Gen Intel Core i9 processor is the highest-performance laptop processor Intel has ever built to deliver the best gaming and content creation experience on the go.

Building on the arrival of the new Intel Core i9 processor for mobile, Intel also announced a new Intel Core platform extension that brings together the benefits of 8^th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel® Optane™ memory, rounded out its family of high-performance desktop CPUs and chipsets that deliver modern standby and ambient computing capabilities, and shared new details on the 8^th Gen Intel® Core™ vPro™ platform.

Delivering the ultimate gaming and content creation experience

The new 8^th Gen Intel Core i9, i7 and i5 processors for laptops are based on the Coffee Lake platform and leverage the 14nm++ process technology enabling them to deliver up to 41 percent more frames per second in gameplay¹ or edit 4K video up to 59 percent faster than the previous generation with same discrete graphics.²

At the top of the stack, the 8^th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK processor is optimized to push the limits of performance. It is the first mobile Intel processor with six cores and 12 threads. It comes fully unlocked and features the new Intel Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB), which opportunistically and automatically increases clock frequency up to 200 MHz if the processor temperature is low enough and turbo power budget is available. This translates to a turbo frequency of up to 4.8 GHz.

As the PC gaming industry rapidly grows, Intel has seen increasing demand for incredibly fast laptops that can provide desktop-like performance for an immersive and responsive experience, including the ability to stream and record without compromising gameplay while still enabling portability.

But, performance goes beyond gaming. Thanks to the rapid pace of technology innovation, the industry has broadened the access to all types of content and how people create it. It has radically redefined what creativity means, and as content has become richer and more immersive, the level of performance needed to both consume and create that content has also increased. This 8^th Gen Intel Core processor family provides a powerful mobile platform for creators. In addition, the new highest-performance 8^th Gen Intel Core mobile processors’ single- and multi-threaded performance allows users to enjoy the smoothest and highest-quality mobile VR and new Windows* Mixed Reality Ultra experiences.

The highest-performance 8^th Gen Intel Core mobile processor family also adds a new Intel® 300 Series Chipset, which adds integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi for a blazing-fast connection that is capable of being up to 2 times faster than standard 2×2 802.11AC 80 MHz (867 Mbps).³

Intel Optane memory: now on 8^th Gen Intel Core mobile and desktop platforms

Intel Optane memory is a smart and adaptable system accelerator for desktop and mobile platforms, increasing the performance and responsiveness of SATA-based storage technology without compromising storage capacity.

Now, Intel Optane memory is available across both 8^th Gen Intel Core mobile and desktop platforms. Additionally, Intel has released a new Data Drive Acceleration feature that delivers a boost to a large secondary HDD data drive. This powerful combination provides up to 4.7 times the game loading⁴ and 1.7 times faster media loading.⁵ See more on Data Drive Acceleration.

Consumers will also begin to see a new platform extension with Intel Core i5+, i7+ and i9+ badges on select systems, starting with today’s high-performance 8^th Gen Intel Core mobile processors and desktop processors. This indicates they are purchasing a device that has the combination of Intel Core performance with the acceleration of Intel Optane memory.

¹As measured by Total War: WARHAMMER II Workload comparing 8^th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK vs. 8^th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HK

²As measured by Adobe Premiere Pro Video Editing Workload comparing 8^th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-8950HK vs. 8^thGen Intel® Core™ i7-7820HK

³802.11ac 2×2 160 MHz enables 1733 Mbps maximum theoretical data rates, 2x faster than standard 802.11ac 2×2 80 MHz (867 Mbps) and nearly 12x faster than baseline 1×1 BGN (150 Mbps) Wi-Fi as documented in IEEE 802.11 wireless standard specifications, and requires the use of similarly configured 802.11ac wireless network routers or better. To achieve Gigabit wireless speeds, the network requires a wireless router/access point that supports 160 MHz channels.

⁴As measured by Game Level Load Workload comparing 8^th Gen Intel® Core™ i7+ 8750H (32GB Intel® Optane™ memory module) + 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD vs. 8^th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8750H + 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 4, 2018
Fotophire Photo Editing Toolkit

If you’re looking for a good and reliable photo editing tool, Fotophire has you covered. It provides you with a host of interesting features that help you turn your photos into beautiful works of art. Fotophire is simple and easy to use. It has an intuitive user interface packed with functionalities both beginner and pro users can draw on to Continue Reading

The post Fotophire Photo Editing Toolkit appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

April 4, 2018
Free Atomos Shogun Inferno update will let you capture 5.7K RAW on the Panasonic EVA1

Credit: Atomos

Atomos’ Shogun Inferno and Sumo19 external HDR monitor/recorders are about to get a free upgrade that will really delight owners of the popular Super 35 Panasonic AU-EVA1 cinema camera. The update—full details incoming at NAB 2018—will allow EVA1 owners to capture 5.7K Raw video direct from the sensor at up to 30fps using the recorders’ 6G SDI connections.

If you pull that down to 4K resolution, you can record Raw video at up to 60fps in CDNG Raw, as well as straight to Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR formats. If you drop the resolution further to 2K, you can record slow-motion Raw video at 240fps. According to Atomos, “the resulting frames are super clean, detailed and capable of withstanding heavy grading.”

Credit: Atomos

For those of us not into video, it’s worth noting why this is a big deal.

The Panasonic EVA1 is a camera that a lot of DSLR/mirrorless users consider when they get serious about video. Support for 5.7K Raw on a ~$ 7-8K cinema camera of this quality is pretty compelling. It’s a logical next step for people who want to go beyond DSLR/mirrorless video.

We won’t dive into the Shogun Inferno or Sumo19’s other features here, but you can learn more on the Atomos website. And if you already own one of these recorders, keep an eye out—this free AtomOS update will be released at NAB 2018 later this month.

Press Release

Atomos Shogun Inferno and Sumo19 unlock the Panasonic AU-EVA1 5.7K RAW output

Melbourne, Australia – 02 April 2018 – Panasonic’s AU-EVA1 is a great Super35 cine camera with excellent low light capabilities – winning wide-spread acclaim since its launch last year.

Now users will be able to unlock the true potential of this amazing camera and its low noise sensor by combining it with the Atomos Shogun Inferno HDR monitor/recorder, thanks to the release of Panasonic’s free RAW output upgrade. The results take the camera to another level of performance, giving you images with maximum dynamic range in pristine quality.

Users will soon be able to capture stunning 5.7K RAW imagery direct from the sensor at up to 30 fps over the 6G SDI connections and record it to reliable, affordable SSD media. Full details will be revealed by Atomos at the NAB 2018 show this month.

In 4K resolution you can record up to 60fps from the RAW output in production ready Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHR,or CDNG RAW up to 2Kp120 or 4Kp30. The resulting frames are super clean, detailed and capable of withstanding heavy grading.

The Shogun Inferno also supercharges the EVA1’s slow motion performance. It can record the RAW output at up to 240fps in 2k/HD, direct to Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR. Perfect for sports, wildlife and a wide range of other uses.

All these features will come in an AtomOS upgrade for the Shogun Inferno and Sumo19 to be released at NAB April 2018. This will be offered for free as part of our continuing commitment to our users.

“Panasonic and Atomos have combined to deliver an astonishing set of features for end-to-end RAW production – 5.7K, 4kDCIp24-60, 2KDCIp240 in 10-bit V-Log recorded on our Shogun Inferno or Sumo 19. This is the best RAW solution for the price point on the market today,” said Atomos CEO Jeromy Young.

Of course, recording is only half of the equation, accurate monitoring is also essential. Luckily, the Shogun Inferno also offers state-of-the-art monitoring for both HDR and SDR recording with its 7” 1500nit high brightness panel with the Sumo19 at 19” and 1200nits.

Take the guesswork out of exposure in HDR or Log with Atomos’ unique AtomHDR system which shows a massive 10+ stops of dynamic range on either screen. The display is colour accurate and can be calibrated over time using a X-rite i1Display Pro probe. Benefit from AtomoOS’ full range of monitoring tools like waveform, vectorscope, false colour, audio level meters and pixel-to-pixel magnification.

Users can also load and store LUTs directly into Shogun and Sumo for complete creative control, production to post. With HDMI or SDI users can output their footage in 4K PQ (HDR 10) or HLG HDR direct to a compatible television or monitor for instant preview using our AtomHDR engine – great for on-set use or client review.

When used with the EVA1 no other external monitor recorder will give users the extensive range of options available from the Shogun Inferno and Sumo19. It remains the most versatile, flexible and cost-effective solution for high end external monitoring and recording on the market today.

If you are attending the NAB Show then be sure to come and check out the EVA1 and Atomos RAW capabilities live at Booth C9425.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

April 4, 2018
Review of the New Cotton Carrier G3 Strapshot Holster
As more camera harnesses and holsters hit the market, it seems that traditional camera straps are becoming a thing of the past. The latest takes the form of the Cotton Carrier G3 Strapshot Holster.

Designed by professional landscape photographer Andy Cotton, this holster is made for the active photographer. The compact carrying system attaches your camera to any bag for easy access while keeping your hands free and your gear safe. The G3 Strapshot launched in October 2017 and I tested it out to see if it was a viable camera holster option. Here’s what I found.

What’s in the box

The G3 Strapshot Holster is available in two color choices: Charcoal Grey and Realtree Xtra Camouflage. The latter color is intended for wildlife photographers wishing to blend in with a variety of habitats.

I opted for the neutral Charcoal Grey option and appreciated its tough yet stylish synthetic canvas material. The product arrives in an accessory-laden box. Here’s what you get:
- Velcro-Wrap holster
- Mounting strap
- Hand strap
- Quick release safety tether
- High-Impact split ring
- Two sets of camera attachment pieces (an aluminum camera hub and rubber washer with screw)
- One set of tripod mount attachment pieces
- Allen key (to tighten screws)
- 3-year warranty against manufacturing defects
Setting up

Given all of the accessories in the box, one of the best inclusions was a visual setup guide. You should absolutely read the instructions at least twice as the initial setup can take some time.

One thing to note is that you don’t necessarily need to use all of the accessories in the box. For example, the hand strap seems optional as you could use the holster just fine without it.

Attach the holster to your bag

Initiate set up the system by attaching the Velcro-wrap holster to your bag or belt of choice. Big Velcro flaps make it quick and easy to attach to straps or belts of just about any thickness. You’ll notice a long strap up top known as the Top Tether, which is adjustable and can be looped through the top handle of your bag for extra security.

Mount attachments to your camera

Next, attach the aluminum camera hub and rubber washer to your camera’s tripod mount. This is when you can also add the hand strap as part of it attaches to the camera in the same area. Secure everything using the included screw and Allen key.

If you added the hand strap, finish attaching it by looping the velcro through your camera’s built-in metal loop (where you would normally attach a neck strap).

Finally, the camera is secured one last time via the bottom quick release camera tether. This strap attaches to your camera using the included High Impact split ring. You can also secure the tether through your camera’s built-in metal loops if they are big enough.

Now you’re ready to secure the camera to the G3 Strapshot Holster. Simply slide the camera in at 90 degrees and twist to lock it into place. Your camera is now secured to the holster.

What works well

Lots of extra security

First off, I greatly appreciate the extra security build-ins factored into the G3 Strapshot Holster. Having used many other “alternative” camera holding systems, I’ve had my fair share of them fail, resulting in broken cameras and lenses. The G3 Strapshot gives you not one but several extra tethers to make you feel like your camera is ultra secure.

You get a hand strap

The inclusion of the hand strap was a nice surprise. Even though it doesn’t seem absolutely necessary in order to use the G3 Strapshot it’s a compact, well-built accessory that you can use on its own.

The hand strap in action.

Solid construction

Finally, the overall construction of the G3 Strapshot Holster is very solid and feels like it would hold up well over time. The Velcro-Wrap holster is made of durable canvas, and the big flaps make it very easy to add and remove from a bag.

Compare that to other holsters that might be smaller, but require tedious fiddling with small screws and knobs just to secure it to your bag.

What could be improved

Too many accessories

As you can probably tell from the summarized setup instructions above, there are lots of pieces to the G3 Strapshot Holster. This can be initially very overwhelming and a potential problem if you ever wish to use your camera without the holster. The same problem of having too much stuff also applies to the extra straps and tethers included with the holster. Yes, they give you added security, but at the cost of a more bulky rig.

The awkward fit on small cameras

Initially, I tried the G3 Strapshot on a Sony a6300 with the kit lens attached. Even after following the instructions, the camera didn’t securely lock into place. That is, it felt locked into the G3 Strapshot’s proper mount and wouldn’t fall out, but the camera itself freely spun around in circles. After calling Cotton Carrier directly to see if this was an issue, they insist it is part of their design.

Small cameras such as the Sony a6300 with 16-50mm kit lens tend to sit at an awkward angle, probably due to not enough weight to hold them in place properly.

Once I tried the G3 Strapshot on my bigger, heavier Canon 5D Mark III with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens attached, it felt like a more secure connection. While it was still possible to spin the camera around even when in the mount, the weight of the camera held in place.

Conclusion: the G3 Strapshot seems to work better with DSLRs or heavier cameras. It’s not necessarily a good option for small point and shoots or really compact mirrorless cameras with small lenses attached. Also on that note, the hand strap also feels too big when attached to smaller cameras, but it fits my DSLR perfectly.

Best used on a backpack (or upright surface)

Cotton Carrier’s website claims that the G3 Strapshot Holster will “fasten to the strap of a backpack, sling style bag, or even your belt.” While it’s entirely true that the holster can fasten to all of those straps, it isn’t necessarily comfortable in each scenario.

I tried attaching the holster to my Think Tank TurnStyle Sling Bag. Everything secured properly, but it was very uncomfortable to wear the bag with the holster attached to a strap running diagonally across my body. I also found it challenging to remove my camera from the holster since it has to line up in a certain way that is hard to do from a diagonal angle.

In Conclusion

Overall, it’s tough to give the Cotton Carrier G3 Strapshot Holster a conclusive rating. On one hand, it seems perfect if you’re shooting with a heavy DSLR and wearing a backpack. But if you’re attempting a more compact setup such as a small mirrorless camera and a bag other than a backpack, it leaves much to be desired.

Overall rating: 7/10 – It would be a 9/10 if I was still shooting primarily with a DSLR and a backpack, but a 7/10 when using a mirrorless with a sling bag (my current go-to setup).

The post Review of the New Cotton Carrier G3 Strapshot Holster appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
April 4, 2018