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  • YI 360 VR camera can livestream in 4K, supports Vive and Rift headsets

    Chinese company YI has introduced a new consumer camera called the YI 360 VR. This model features a pair of cameras with 220-degree f/2.0 aspheric glass lenses, one on the front and another on the back, that simultaneously record footage. The resulting videos have up to a 4K/30fps resolution if stitched in-camera, while footage stitched using the camera’s PC app maxes out at 5.7K/30fps resolution.

    The YI 360 VR is compatible with both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets. The camera supports recording 4K video for up to 60 minutes per charge, and you’ve got integrated dual-band WiFi for livestreaming in 4K.

    Users are able to preview the footage in five modes: little planet, stretched view, panoramic, round, and dual VR. Here’s a quick introduction that gives you an idea of the kinds of shots you can expect from the YI 360 VR:

    YI is offering its 360 VR camera through Microsoft’s website and its physical Microsoft Store US locations for $ 400 USD. Live demonstrations of the camera are offered in stores as well.

    Press Release

    YI Technology’s High Quality, Live 360 VR Camera Now Available at Microsoft Stores for $ 399

    The pocket-sized camera is the first to shoot 360 degree video in 5.7K at 30fps, with instant in-device stitching for 4K footage and live-streaming.

    SEATTLE, November 13, 2017 – YI Technology (YI), the leading provider of advanced, intelligent imaging technologies, announced availability today of its unique YI 360 VR camera (“YI 360”) at Microsoft Store locations in the U.S. and Microsoft.com. The YI 360 makes high-end virtual reality video easy and accessible to anyone who wants to create and share content.

    With a simple, handheld and mountable camera design, the YI 360 VR is the first VR camera to combine high-fidelity, 360-degree video capture, an easy mobile application along with 4K instant, in-device stitching and 4K live-streaming to any sharing channel. With these innovations, the YI 360 VR™ provides a complete solution for creating immersive, 360-degree video experiences easily, quickly and anywhere.

    “At YI Technology, we challenge ourselves to bring the most innovative technologies together in a way that is simple, enjoyable and useful for anyone, from kids to professionals. VR is no exception,” said Sean Da, CEO of YI Technology. “Today’s solutions for 360 capture and sharing force users to choose between an affordable low quality, low resolution product and an overly expensive, highly complicated product. That is why we worked so hard to perfect YI 360 VR. By combining the best components, rigorous industrial design and many years of testing, we eliminated the cables, confusing interfaces and bulky components and added 5.7K fidelity, 4K in-device stitching and 4K live-streaming, all in a handy, affordable package.”

    Already known for its YI 4K+ Action Camera, the YI M1 Mirrorless Digital Camera and the YI HALO professional 3D camera, YI’s launch of the YI 360 VR Camera offers users a consumer-grade, affordable yet professional quality option for capturing and sharing 360 degree footage.

    Vivid, Easy, Live – Key YI 360 VR Features:

    • Two 220-degree 8 aspheric glass lenses with f/2.0 aperture
    • In-camera video stitching for up to 4K/30fps
    • PC application for 5.7K/30fps video stitching
    • Built-in 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi for live-streaming in 4K
    • Five video preview options within the app including stretched view, little planet, round, panoramic and dual VR view
    • Up to 60 minutes battery life recording at 4K/30fps
    • Compatible with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets

    Pricing & Availability

    At $ 399, YI 360 VR™ is now available for purchase at Microsoft Store locations in the U.S. and Microsoft.com. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/YI-360-VR-Camera/8ZG9K9SM5BSZ now to purchase or to find a store near you to see a live demonstration YI 360’s vivid capture and live sharing for yourself.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Ultra-creative NYC ‘layer-lapse’ plays with night and day… and your mind

    Filmmaker Julian Tryba has created a time-lapse that is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before—and that’s saying something when you’re talking about one of the most popular (and creative) genres of photography out there. His so-called NYC Layer-Lapse ditches the traditional time-lapse model of watching the world go by, and instead uses post-processing to inject a little bit of night into his daytime shots and day into his nighttime shots.

    An effect Tryba says is inspired by Einstein’s theory of relativity, it’s quite difficult to explain what’s going on in words. Here’s how Tryba himself puts it in the video’s description:

    Traditional time-lapses are constrained by the idea that there is a single universal clock. In the spirit of Einstein’s relativity theory, layer-lapses assign distinct clocks to any number of objects or regions in a scene. Each of these clocks may start at any point in time, and tick at any rate. The result is a visual time dilation effect known as layer-lapse.

    In perfect time with the music, parts of the frame—usually individual buildings or groups of buildings in the iconic NYC skyline—shift from night to day or visa versa. In this frame, for example, the One World Trade Center is shown at nighttime, while the rest of the skyline is lit up by the same daylight:

    As impressive as the final product, however, is the way in which Tryba made it happen. This was not a 100% manual process. That, he admits, would have taken far too long; he needed to find a way to automate his workflow, and so he put his engineering background to work:

    In early 2016 I started learning scripting in after effects, and began writing code to create different layer-lapse ‘looks’. To create a layer-lapse effect, I am assigning a unique equation to hundreds of buildings simultaneously. For each frame, every building is calculating and deciding which time of day to reveal

    From there, the final step was syncing it all to music, which was also done algorithmically:

    The final step is linking an action or a script to a piece of the music. One way I’ve found this can be done is creating a set of audio triggers for a song, so that every note or beat triggers a change. By linking a certain script to each of these triggers one can create computer generated layer-lapses that are animated in response to music.

    The result is an impressive feat of both time-lapse filmmaking and creative coding that allows Tyrba to create something out-of-this-world that will mess with your head as you view it. To that end: full screen and 4K if you please. And if you want to learn even more about how this time-lapse was created, click here.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Video Tutorials and Tips for Shooting Blue Hour

    Blue hour is a fantastic time to get out and do some night photography. Yes, you read that right – night photography is best done before it’s actually night time.

    To help you out with blue hour photography here are three videos with examples and tips.

    How to shoot at blue hour with filters

    Ray Salisbury takes you on location at blue hour and demonstrates how he scouts a location for the best spot, finds a good composition and uses filters.

    Get the timing right for blue hour

    In this next video photography education guru Brian Peterson gives you tips for getting the timing just right when shooting blue hour. He’s on location in Las Vegas.

    Blue hour photography examples

    Finally, Brendan Van Son is shooting blue hour in Leiden, Netherlands. In this video, you can see how the length of blue hour varies greatly depending on your geographic location.

    The farther away from the equator you are, the long blue hour will last. Where I live it’s usually about an hour, so it’s frustrating for me that it’s so quick in more tropical locations I like to visit. So you really have to plan ahead and be prepared when that is the case.

    I hope that gives you some good blue hour shooting tips. Now get out there and give it a try.

    The post Video Tutorials and Tips for Shooting Blue Hour by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • Canon Japan unveils a few silly gear-themed gifts for Canon lovers

    Ahead of the holiday shopping season comes a new catalog of gifts from Canon Japan. The gifts are styled after the camera company’s existing gear, including a coffee mug and travel thermos designed to resemble lenses, a pair of miniature USB flash drives that resemble classic Canon cameras, a photo album and thermal bottle with an illustrated history of Canon’s camera collection, a lunch bag styled after a camera bag, and a picnic mat with illustrations.

    All eight products, plus a gift set, are available from Canon Japan now for the following prices:

    • Lens Mug MG001:?3500
    • Lens Mug MG002:?2500
    • Mini F-1 16GB USB: ?9,980
    • Mini IVSb 8GB USB: ?8980
    • Photo album: ?1800
    • Thermal bottle: ?3780
    • Lunch bag: ?1580
    • Picnic mat: ?3780
    • Mug Gift Set: ?5,800

    Check them out for yourself below:

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    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Weekly Photography Challenge – Blue Hour

    Blue hour is the time of day after sunset (and just before sunrise) when the sky still has some color it and it’s not pure black. This is the number one tip for shooting night photography – don’t shoot at night! If you want a dark, deep blue sky – shoot at blue hour.

    This is a bonus – you don’t have to stay up all night getting shots for this week’s challenge. Just catch the blue hour and you’re good to go.

    Blue hour in New York City.

    If you need some help:

    • Video Tutorials and Tips for Shooting Blue Hour
    • 5 Quick Tips for Better Blue Hour Photography
    • New Photographer’s Guide to Blue Hour
    • Recommended Gear for Doing Long Exposure Photography at Twilight and Dusk
    • Do you pack up and leave after sunset and miss the fun of night photography?
    • How to do Long Exposure Photography and Light Trails at Night

    Weekly Photography Challenge – Blue Hour

    Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

    Blue hour in Rome, Italy.

    San Francisco – the complementary colors of blue hour make for stunning compositions. Use it to your advantage.

    Share in the dPS Facebook Group

    You can also share your images on the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

    The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Blue Hour by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


    Digital Photography School

  • Polaroid wants Fujifilm to pay millions in royalties for Instax Square format

    According to a report by World Intellectual Property Review, Fujifilm has filed a complaint for declaratory judgment, asking a US district court to clear the company of any wrongdoing after it was allegedly threatened with trademark litigation by Polaroid over the borders around its Instax Square images.

    According to the suit, PRL IP, the brand licensor and marketer of the IP rights for Polaroid instant cameras, has turned against Fujifilm, “by suddenly demanding millions of dollars in annual royalty payments, on threat of a lawsuit.”

    Fujifilm says Polaroid sent the company a letter in January 2017 stating that the “square form” of photographs taken by Fujifilm’s Instax camera is “essentially identical” to the trademark and trade dress rights owned by Polaroid. In March, another letter said that Polaroid would have “no choice but to take appropriate action to protect” its IP rights if Fujifilm would not take its Instax Square film off the market.

    A third letter, sent in June, demanded royalty payments, and the complaint goes on to say that “on November 8, 2017, Fujifilm was notified that a negotiation meeting between the parties scheduled for the following day was cancelled because the lead investor expressly instructed defendants to pursue litigation unless Fujifilm complied with demands.”

    PLR IP owns the US trademarks covering the borders surrounding instant photographs, but Fujifilm’s claim says that after filing for bankruptcy and discontinuing many product lines in 2008, Polaroid has been “unable to return to profitability through product sales” and now seeks “to generate revenue from what remains of the Polaroid IP portfolio”.

    Fujifilm is asking the court to declare that its Instax film photos do not infringe any Polaroid IP rights, and is requesting cancellation of Polaroid’s trademarks.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony a7R III added to studio scene comparison

    We’ve had our hands on the Sony a7R III for about a week now, and the camera has quickly impressed our reviewers both in the studio and on the road. Currently, a couple of our staffers are traipsing around Arizona capturing beautiful photos we’ll soon be adding to our a7R III sample gallery, but back in Seattle we wasted no time putting the camera in front of our standard studio test scene.

    See how the Sony a7R III stacks up against its closest competitors by clicking the button below. And don’t forget to compare the a7R III’s Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode against the Pentax K-1’s (both are available in the studio scene tool). Pentax debuted the first full-frame pixel-shift tech with the K-1 in February of 2016; has Sony managed to improve upon it with their version?

    See the Sony a7R III in our studio scene comparison tool

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Top 10 sample galleries of the year #8: Nikon D7500

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    We’re counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017. At the #8 spot we have the Nikon D7500, which launched in the spring of this year.

    This enthusiast DSLR is very well suited for all forms of still photography – read how it won one of our editors over – thanks to excellent subject tracking, a fast burst rate, deep buffer, good image quality, and solid ergonomics. It sits right below the APS-C flagship Nikon D500 (read how the two stack up) and borrows a few key components from it and the Nikon D5.

    We gave it a silver award in our review – it also scored a bit higher than its closest Canon competitor, the EOS 80D (read how the two compare). So take a peek around our gallery and see why we think this camera rocks.

    Top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017:

    #10: Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art
    #9: Fujifilm GFX 50S
    #8: Nikon D7500
    #7: To be revealed on 11/18
    #6: To be revealed on 11/19
    #5: To be revealed on 11/20
    #4: To be revealed on 11/21
    #3: To be revealed on 11/22
    #2: To be revealed on 11/23
    #1: To be revealed on 11/24

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Adobe’s Lightroom Downloader lets you rescue your image library from the cloud

    Adobe has released Lightroom Downloader app, an application that pulls original image and video files from the cloud and stores them locally in a folder.

    The Lightroom Downloader app is available for both Windows 10 and macOS High Sierra, and requires users to log in with their Lightroom account. Once the login is complete, users are prompted to choose a hard drive location to which the cloud content will be downloaded.

    As Adobe explains on its help site, Lightroom Downloader pulls all of the cloud video and image files and parks them in a date-based folder in a user-specific hard drive location. Any edits made to these original, raw files will be written into XMP sidecar files alongside the raw files.

    In instances where only a Smart Preview is cloud synced, Adobe says its app will download the DNG Smart Previews for those photos.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Kodak reveals how and when it’s bringing back 35mm Ektachrome film

    Photo: Kodak

    Kodak first announced the rebirth of Ektachrome way back in January at CES. Along with Kodak Alaris—who will distribute the 35mm Kodak Professional Ektachrome film for stills shooters—the company said it would bring back Ektachrome by the end of 2017… and then promptly stopped talking about it.

    But if you were worried that Kodak had given up on the idea, fear not: in a new episode of the Kodakery podcast, a few of Kodak’s higher ups (including Marketing and Product Manager Diane Carroll-Yacoby) updated the world on the progress of the Ektachrome reboot, how they’re making it, and what testing still stand between your hands and a fresh 36-shot roll of the stuff.

    You can listen to the entire Kodakery podcast update below:

    The first half of the podcast is mostly a photography and history lesson: discussing the origins of Ektachrome, its ‘characteristics’ (read: limitations), and how Kodak has managed to bring it back to life after discontinuing it in 2013. But if you want to get into the “how and when” of the matter, you’ll want to skip to the 22 minute mark.

    That’s where we get to learn about how difficult it is to bring back a film like Ektachrome—which is made up of 80 ingredients, some of them no longer available to purchase—and how Kodak is making the economics of Ektachrome work by creating it in smaller, more sustainable batches.

    You’ll want to listen to the discussion to really get the details of how the film is made, but here are a few of the most interesting tidbits about the revival process (for us anyway):

    • Kodak has managed to either find or manufacture all 80 ingredients required to make Ektachrome.
    • Much of the process so far has involved retooling the formula so it will work on the machines available to them, because they no longer have all of the equipment they had when Ektachrome was being developed previously.
    • They’ve already produced some ‘pilot coatings’ that they are testing to ensure they’re ready to mass produce Ektachrome that’s up to snuff.
    • When they’re ready to go, they will be making rolls using a coater that produces the film on sheets that are 4 feet wide and 6,000 feet long. The first of these ‘wide’ rolls will be produced before the end of 2017, and will be used for internal testing.
    • Kodak will be making a single (4ft x 6,000ft) roll for the first production run, so they don’t have to hold on to too much inventory at one time.
    • Kodak Ektachrome’s market release is planned for 2018.

    Eastman Kodak itself will produce all of the film and plans to distribute the Super 8 cinema version of Ektachrome, while Kodak Alaris will distribute the 35mm slide film for stills shooters. For now, we still don’t know exactly when Ektachrome is coming back in 2018, but as soon as we do, we’ll let you know so you can mark your calendars.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)