Canon and Sony News for Apr 2015 (Page 2)

From Photoshelter:

We get it: Search Engine Optimization can seem complicated, and you probably want to throw in the towel on the whole thing if you’ve tried time and again to start showing up on the first page of Google search results. Fortunately, for those who feel a little lost we’ve broken down easy tips and tricks you can do to build your SEO in our recent guide, SEO for Photographers, and we’re hosting a live Google Hangout with tips from it next week, April 29th at 2pm ET. In this live Google Hangout, Allen Murabayashi will be showing examples of photographer websites with good SEO practice, the inner workings of Google Analytics, how to create a free Google Business listing and more.

In this hour Allen will cover:

• How to make sure your site appears properly in Search Engine Result Pages
• The importance of mobile friendly sites
• How/where you can “link to yourself” to boost your SEO
• Creating a keyword list
• How to perform backlink analysis
• How PhotoShelter can boost your SEO

Join us to get ahead in the SEO game, Thursday 4/29, 2pm ET. Register below to receive an email with the link to the Google Hangout.

Photoshelter's Boost your SEO: 8 Tips To Get You Started Webinar

Image quality results from the EOS 7D Mark II have been added to the Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 Distagon T* ZE Lens review.

Great lens, though I doubt it will become highly popular on the APS-C format.

B&H has the Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 Distagon T* ZE Lens in stock.

From LensProToGo:

Now through April 30, 2015, take $20 off rental orders of $150 or more . To take advantage of this discount, use code 20OFF150 in your cart!

Not spending $150? No worries! Use code 10OFFAPRIL to take 10% off your order total.

As a reminder, we are officially in our ‘busy season’. With many wedding photographers and filmmakers renting gear for their weekend shoots, we recommend placing your orders at least a week in advance to assure you will be getting the gear you would like. We cannot guarantee gear, especially orders that come in and are due to ship the same day. As always, we do our absolute best to get you the exact gear you request, however when we are not able to, we will also assist you in recommending other products that are available.

Discounts above cannot be combined with any other offer. Rentals must be placed between 4.23.15 and 4.30.15 and must be delivered by 4.30.15. Valid only on rentals.

From Adobe:

Camera Raw 9.0 is now available as a final release through the update mechanism in Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CC.

As mentioned here, updates to Camera Raw for Photoshop CS6 only include new camera support, lens profile support, and bug fixes. The new features listed in the release notes are only available in Photoshop CC.

New Features

Merge to HDR and Panorama

Combine your photos to produce panoramas and HDR images in ACR. The merged result is a DNG file and is saved to disk alongside the input images. If you are merging raw files, then the merge is performed using raw image data and the resulting DNG is just as much a raw file as the originals (and retains all the editing flexibility that comes with shooting raw). Because of this, you no longer need to edit your photos before merging. To see the new Merge feature in action, check out these videos: Merge to Pano | Merge to HDR

Usage Instructions:

1. To merge files in ACR, select the photos that you want to merge then press the “Merge…” button at the top of the filmstrip. Select “Panorama” or “HDR” from the pop-up menu.
2. After a preview of the merge is generated, select desired options in the merge preview dialog and click the “Merge” button to start a full-size merge.
3. The full-size merge is performed in the background so you can continue to edit other photos or start other merges while you wait. To view status, or cancel a merge, press the link in the lower left area of the main ACR window (it will say “1 remaining” if you’ve started a merge).
4. Once the full-size merge is complete, the resulting DNG file will be added to the bottom of the filmstrip and be available for further editing.
5. HDR deghosting has three amounts: low, medium, and high. In order to make it easier to select the best option for a given image, a visualization option is also available

1. Color artifacts in deep shadow areas of some HDR merges with deghosting and HDR panorama merges.
2. If the merged pano result is larger than ACR’s largest supported image size then you will get an error. In future builds we plan on adding an option to scale the result so that it’s within ACR size limits.

Camera Raw can now use the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to speed up interactive image editing. The GPU is particularly helpful when using high-resolution screens, such as 4K and 5K displays.

Minimum system requirements:

• 64-bit only
• Mac OS 10.9 and higher or Windows 7 and higher

Usage Instructions:

• Ensure then GPU support is enabled by visiting the Camera Raw Preferences dialog and check the “Use Graphics Processor” box at the bottom.
• When this box is checked, Camera Raw will automatically determine whether the system’s GPU (if any) can be used to accelerate image drawing. If yes, Camera Raw will display the name of your graphics card below the checkbox. Otherwise, Camera Raw will display an error message.
• Note that the GPU options in Photoshop’s Preferences and Bridge’s Preferences have no effect on Camera Raw.
• Camera Raw’s GPU implementation is used only to accelerate the drawing of the main preview image within the Camera Raw dialog. It is not used for other tasks, such as saving images to disk, or opening images into Photoshop.
• Scrubby Zoom: Camera Raw offers a “Scrubby Zoom” option in GPU mode. With the Zoom tool selected, click on the Zoom menu (bottom-left of the image preview). Select “Scrubby Zoom” from the bottom of the menu to toggle scrubby zoom behavior on/off. When enabled, click-dragging on an image with the zoom tool will zoom smoothly in and out.

New Camera Support in Camera Raw 9

• Canon EOS 5DS
• Canon EOS 5DS R
• Canon EOS 750D (Rebel T6i, Kiss X8i)
• Canon EOS 760D (Rebel T6s, Kiss 8000D)
• Canon EOS M3
• Casio EX-ZR3500
• Fujifilm X-A2
• Fujifilm XQ2
• Hasselblad Stellar II
• Nikon D5500
• Nikon D7200
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 II
• Olympus Stylus SH-2
• Olympus Tough TG-4
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF7
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 (DMC-TZ70, DMC-TZ71)
• Samsung NX500

New Lens Profiles in Camera Raw 9

Download Links
Camera Raw 9 – Please use the update mechanism in Photoshop CS6
DNG Converter 9: Macintosh | Windows

Please note – If you have trouble updating to the latest ACR update via the Creative Cloud application, please refer to the following plugin installation:
http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/camera-raw-plug-in-installer.html

Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan (USD$9.99 per month) includes Lightroom CC across desktop, web and mobile, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Mix (for iPhone and iPad).

LONDON, 23 APRIL 2015 – Canon Europe today announces that it is acquiring London-based digital start-up Lifecake, marking a major step in the development of Canon’s digital consumer services business. This brings Canon closer to its ambition to play a part in every image taken no matter what device is being used, and enables the business to establish a presence within London’s ‘Tech City’.

Lifecake is the company behind the Lifecake photo-sharing app for families, which allows parents to store, organise, share and relive key moments of their children’s lives. With Lifecake, parents can create photo and video timelines that the whole family can experience on smartphones, tablets, computers and in printed photobooks.

Alberto Spinelli, Director of Digital Services at Canon Europe, says: “Today, we are all taking more photos on more devices than ever before but often become overwhelmed and even disconnected from them. We would all like to be able to quickly find our photo as we remember a moment – at the swipe of a finger – and relive it on any screen, or print it to hold. At Canon, we are building digital services to help people do just that with tailored experiences.

“Lifecake is an extremely exciting addition to the Canon Group providing a digital service that makes it easy for families to take control of their ever-increasing number of photos. This acquisition fits perfectly with our vision to give everyone taking photos the tools to bring their stories and experiences to life – and engage with them whenever and wherever they choose.”

CEO and co-founder of Lifecake, Nicholas Babaian comments: “With the reach and technology of Canon, we’ll strap booster rockets onto our service. At the same time, our team will accelerate the growth of Canon’s digital services ecosystem. But we’re most delighted that our existing and potential customers will know their precious memories are safe with one of the most trusted brands in photography – a company that’s helped families capture and relive moments for nearly 80 years and will continue to do so for generations to come.”

Lifecake is currently available in English language worldwide. Today sees the launch of additional language versions in French, German, Spanish and Italian.

If you're wanting a more in-depth look at Adobe's newest version of Lightroom, look no further than the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom YouTube Channel where they added more than 50 videos since yesterday (and that's in addition to the 4 videos I posted about yesterday)..

B&H has the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 DVD available for preorder. However, you can purchase the download version for even faster delivery.

Adobe's Photoshop Photography Program is only $9.99 per month (Photoshop CC + Lightroom CC).

From Nikon:

A convenient tool that offers various information on interchangeable lenses and accessories for Nikon cameras

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that it has developed and released the "NIKKOR & ACC" app (exclusively for iPad) that introduces NIKKOR lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses and a variety of accessories. The "NIKKOR & ACC" app can be downloaded free of charge from Apple's App Store. In addition, a short movie has also been released for introduction of the contents of the app.

NIKKOR & ACC

Installing the "NIKKOR & ACC" app makes it possible to download the contents of "Digital Catalog". "Digital Catalog" that includes the entire lineup of NIKKOR lenses is a convenient app that allows users to search for lenses based on lens type, technology used, specifications and sample images. Quick confirmation of lens information helps users who are considering the purchase of new lenses to find those most desired or most appropriate for their purposes.

The "Digital Catalog" menu offers 5 items, specifications, lens categories, focal length, f-number, and a variety of sample images shorted by shooting scenes. By using these items, users can compare various lenses to find the one most desired. "Contents Maps" that allows users to directly select desired contents of "Digital Catalog" is also available. Added to this are the "NIKKOR Lens Technology" movie that introduces Nikon's representative lens technologies and the "The Optical Masterpiece" movie that demonstrates the high-quality and reliability of sophisticated NIKKOR lenses.

In addition to various information such as lens characteristics, primary specifications, illustration of lens construction, MTF curves, sample images, accessories as well as external design included in the introduction of each lens, focal length and angle of view of the lens are illustrated with sample images for easier understanding. The information necessary to select lenses is richly provided so that information on any NIKKOR lens is readily available to users.

Information on lens basics, NIKKOR lens technology, Speedlights, etc. will be added to the contents of "Digital Catalog" in the future to make this app more informative. In addition to the "NIKKOR & ACC" app, Nikon plans to create more apps for Nikon imaging products such as an app for Nikon digital SLR cameras.

Download
NIKKOR & ACC App for iOS

Image quality results from the EOS 7D Mark II have been added to the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens review.

As with the 1Ds III test results for this lens, the "Sample 1" lens shows results without the internal 1.4x extender in the optical path (except for the first set of 560mm results). The "Sample 2" results show the built-in 1.4x extender included in the optical path for all images.

Even with the high-density 7D II sensor behind it, the 200-400 L performs very impressively.

While this is still not an inexpensive lens, the recent $800 price drop definitely makes it more affordable. B&H has the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS Lens in stock.

Save an additional $1,700 on the 200-400 L

B&H a used 200-400mm f/4L IS Lens in "9" condition in stock. Buying used always involves some risk, but buying used from B&H with a "90-Day B&H Used Warranty" dramatically reduces that risk.

Browse the B&H Used Department to find other deals.

From Canon USA:

Real 4K technology goes far beyond the label. Canon 4K optics are born from decades of research and design, creating brilliant, vivid, rich images. And it all begins with the lens.

Note: The factors outlined in this video – resolving power, contrast ratio, lateral chromatic aberration & modulation transfer function – are applicable to all lenses, not just 4K ones. On a side note, isn't it kind of ironic that a movie explaining the aspects of 4K lenses is only available in 720p?

B&H carries Canon lenses.

From Canon USA:

MELVILLE, N.Y., April 22, 2015 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced today that Kat Candler, a decorated filmmaker best known for “Hellion” and “Black Metal”, has signed on to Canon’s Project Imagination: The Trailer, a consumer contest helmed by Ron Howard. Howard and actor Josh Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games”) will choose one winning trailer to inspire a Hollywood short film starring Hutcherson and written and directed by Candler. Ron Howard and Josh Hutcherson hand selected Candler for the project who’s film “Hellion” was in the 2014 U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive Honorable Mention for the Gamechanger Award at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival.

“I’m so excited to work with Kat Candler and after watching ‘Hellion’, it was clear that she is extremely intuitive and can bring thought-provoking work to the screen,” said Josh Hutcherson. “The best part about the project is that I have no idea how the script will unfold with Kat or what type of part I’ll play — it’s totally up for interpretation!”

“Kat’s films are cinematic and she has a very real approach to capturing life experiences in a way that viewers can relate to,” said Ron Howard. “With everyday moments at the crux of this creative experiment, Kat’s technique and skill will lend themselves in the most authentic ways possible.”

“It is an honor to work with Canon, Ron Howard and Josh Hutcherson on this project,” said Kat Candler. “I’m a firm believer that there are many great stories living within each of us and the Project Imagination platform is the perfect opportunity to share and inspire others.”

Project Imagination: The Trailer contest launched in February 2015 and is open for submissions through April 29th. Based on the concept that anything in life can be a movie, and every movie starts with a trailer, even those who have never picked up a camera before can easily turn everyday photo and video footage into a creative movie trailer, with titles, Hollywood style voice-overs and epic soundtracks. Consumers of all skill levels can create and submit trailers of their everyday moments using Canon’s Trailer Editor tool at imagination.usa.canon.com.

For the third iteration of Project Imagination, Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy of Freestyle Picture Company are once again producing the film, this time with Josh Hutcherson.

A few days ago I posted the following video from ExpoImaging's YouTube Channel:

Upon watching the video I realized that the small version of the FlashBender 2 was better suited for my needs, so I ordered one.

But what if you were in a bind and couldn't wait for a FlashBender 2 to land on your doorstep? I figured that a DIY solution would be fairly easy to fabricate. And the best part is you probably have everything you need already in your home (and if not, the tools and materials would be easy to find).

Tools Required:

• Card Stock (white, 8.5x11")
• Template
• Scissors
• Printer
• Gaffer Tape (I prefer the size of Spike Tape)
• CTO Gel

Directions:

1. Download and print out the template on an 8.5 x 11" piece of card stock and cut along the lines.
2. Fold the lower flaps of the modifier around your flash head and tape the modifier and gel in place. Voilà, you're ready to go.

Image quality results from a second lens have been added to the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens review.

The second lens is at least as awesome as the first.

B&H is taking orders for the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens with stock expected very soon.

Can't wait? Check Adorama (bundle) and Amazon has 1 lens in stock.

The Canon EOS Rebel T6i is now in stock and shipping from B&H.

Panorama Merge within Lightroom CC

Facial Recognition in Lightroom CC

Improved Slideshows in Lightroom CC

Hidden Gems in Lightroom CC

Lightrom 6 is part of Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan (Photoshop + Lightroom CC for $9.99 per month).

B&H has the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 available for preorder and download.

From Adobe:

All-New Photoshop Lightroom CC With Photoshop CC Lets Anyone Perfect Photos Across Desktop and Mobile for $9.99 per Month

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 21, 2015 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced a major update to its Creative Cloud Photography plan with the release of an all-new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC that delivers lightning-fast performance and new tools to edit, enhance, organize and showcase beautiful photos. With Lightroom CC and the legendary magic of Photoshop CC, Adobe Creative Cloud Photography empowers photographers to transform photos into amazing shots. Creative Cloud Photography also includes unique sophisticated mobile capabilities: automatically syncing photos with Lightroom CC on the desktop, Lightroom on mobile devices lets users access and edit their entire catalog of photos on iPad, iPhone as well as Android smartphones and tablets. At just $USD9.99 per month, Adobe’s photography plan champions photographers of every level -- bringing the tools relied on by photo pros worldwide within reach of anyone who loves photography.

“Photographers at any level are driven by their passion to capture the perfect shot and make it incredible,” said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of digital imaging products, Adobe. “Whether you shoot with a DSLR or smartphone, the Creative Cloud Photography plan gives everything you need to organize, edit and share amazing photos on mobile, web and desktop – thanks to the imaging power of Lightroom and the magic of Photoshop.”

Photoshop and Lightroom have been fundamental in the evolution of digital photography. Today, Creative Cloud Photography is leading the transition from a traditional desktop-based process to a more mobile, connected workflow for digital images. Anchored by a major update to Lightroom CC, Creative Cloud Photography is the must-have solution, offering powerful editing and photo organization across multiple devices, all powered by Adobe’s industry-defining imaging technologies.

Work Seamlessly Across Desktop, Mobile and Web With New Lightroom CC
The standard for photo enthusiasts and professionals, Lightroom CC is essential for perfecting and organizing photos. New features in this release include:

• HDR Merge – Create natural-looking or surreal images from extremely high-contrast scenes by easily combining multiple shots taken with different exposure settings into a single raw high dynamic range image
• Panorama Merge - Capture super wide fields of view and amazing detail by stitching together multiple images to create stunning raw panorama shots
• Performance Improvement & GPU Enhancements - Perfect photos up to 10 times faster than ever
• Facial Recognition - Quickly find and categorize images of family and friends.
• Video Slideshows - Create beautiful, polished slideshows using still images, video, and music along with professional effects like pan and zoom

Bring Out The Best In Your Photography - Anywhere
For anyone who loves photography, it’s essential they can organize, edit, and share photos from mobile devices. Automatically synced with Lightroom CC on the desktop, Lightroom on mobile devices lets users access and edit their catalog of photos across a full range of iOS and Android devices. This release includes a major enhancement for Android with DNG raw file support on compatible Lollipop-enabled devices, providing customers the full power of raw file post-processing on their Android smartphones and tablets.

Take It To The Next Level With Photoshop CC
In addition to Lightroom CC, Creative Cloud Photography plan includes Photoshop CC, the imaging software that continues to redefine creativity in the digital age. Celebrating its 25th birthday this year Photoshop’s legendary magic touches virtually all the inspirational imagery that surrounds us. Now, thanks to Creative Cloud Photography, photographers have a powerful round-trip editing workflow from Lightroom to Photoshop CC. Even cut out and combine photos on your iPhone and iPad with Photoshop Mix, connect to Creative Cloud, then refine your work in Photoshop CC.

Share Compelling Stories in Exciting New Ways
In addition to sharing instantly with social networks such as Facebook, Flickr and Instagram, new to Lightroom is the ability to create beautiful, polished video slideshows using still images, video, and music, featuring professional effects like pan and zoom. After using Creative Cloud Photography to produce stunning images, anyone can craft amazing stories that place photos at the center of the narrative, using two groundbreaking storytelling apps from Adobe: Slate and Voice. [Link to app pages on Adobe.com.]

New Lightroom CC Available to Creative Cloud Members Worldwide
Adobe Creative Cloud has approximately 4 million paid memberships worldwide and all Photography and complete plan members are able to access the new version of Lightroom CC today – at no extra charge – showing, once again, the incredible ongoing value of Creative Cloud. Creative Cloud features the world’s leading creative desktop apps; a growing family of mobile apps that are seamlessly integrate with the desktop apps and creative assets; expert training; and access to a dynamic creative community, where creatives can discover inspiration and opportunity. A free 30-day trial version of Lightroom CC is also available.

Getting Started Is Easy:
Creative Cloud Photography plan is designed to make onboarding easy whether you’re a beginner or pro, or have previously used Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements or Apple Aperture. Available now is an easy-to-learn library of photography tutorials aimed at all levels. [Link to tutorial page]

Pricing and Availability
Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan (USD$9.99 per month) includes Lightroom CC across desktop, web and mobile, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Mix (for iPhone and iPad). All products are also available as part of Creative Cloud complete plan.

B&H has the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 DVD available for preorder. However, you can purchase the download version for even faster delivery.