Canon and Sony News for Jun 2013 (Page 3)
Includes Next Generation of “CC” Desktop Applications and Delivers New Community and Publishing Capabilities
SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 17, 2013 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that a major update to Adobe® Creative Cloud™, the company’s flagship offering for creatives, is now available. Unveiled at Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference, in early May and packed with new features, this Creative Cloud release reimagines the creative process through a stunning set of “CC” desktop applications and sophisticated cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored and shared, via Creative Cloud, on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android; and Behance, the world’s leading online creative community, is now integrated with Creative Cloud, so customers can showcase work, get feedback on projects and gain global exposure.
“We’ve added a ton of new innovation to all our CC desktop apps like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. These apps include new features that increase productivity, streamline the effort to build mobile content and showcase some stunning new imaging and video science. And in addition to the traditional areas of innovation these apps are now connected to the powerful publishing and community features integral to the Creative Cloud experience,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Media, Adobe. “And with even more great updates coming to Creative Cloud throughout the year, we can’t wait to see the incredible work our customers are going to deliver.”
With Creative Cloud, publishing finished work has never been easier, with enhanced services that build and power websites, mobile apps, tablet publications, online portfolios, and content for virtually any medium and device.
Adobe Creative Cloud Powers Frictionless Creative Workflows
This milestone update to Creative Cloud simplifies the entire creative process. Core features include:
- Creative Cloud Experience on the Desktop. With the new Creative Cloud desktop app, your entire creative world is synced and organized across your desktop, website, and mobile device. You can stay connected to work on Behance; track feedback; and install and manage apps and updates. More features will be added soon to manage your files and desktop fonts within this same experience.
- Integration With The World’s Leading Creative Community. With Behance now integrated with Creative Cloud, members are able to publish their own portfolios, follow other creatives, publish work-in-progress from within a growing number of CC apps and solicit feedback from the worldwide creative community. Over 1.4 million creatives globally are part of the Behance network.
- Store, Share and Collaborate. All files and assets can be shared between the desktop, cloud and mobile devices. A designer can take a photo on their iPad, use Photoshop® Touch to refine the photo while on the go, then access that file, via the cloud, and use Photoshop CC on their Mac or Windows PC to further enhance the image. Designers can send files to view, download or comment. Individual members receive 20GB of storage.
- Seamless Publishing. Creative Cloud members have access to the services necessary to publish highly personalized portfolio websites using Behance ProSite, high-impact digital publications for iPad using Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) Single Edition, and PhoneGap™ Build to create and publish mobile apps for any device. Adobe Typekit features an unmatched library of old-classic to new-favorite fonts for use on websites and, coming soon in an update to Creative Cloud, creatives will also be able to quickly find the perfect fonts in the growing Adobe Typekit library, sync them to their computer, and have them immediately available for use in any desktop application. Full Creative Cloud members will soon have access to over 700 fonts, installed with a single click.
New Family of CC Desktop Applications Available Exclusively to Creative Cloud Members
This update to Creative Cloud includes the next generation of 15 Adobe desktop applications -- including Adobe Photoshop CC, InDesign® CC, Illustrator® CC, Dreamweaver® CC, Premiere® Pro CC and more. Adobe Creative Cloud includes more than 30 tools and services that enable professional-grade content creation and delivery across print, web, mobile apps, video and photography.
Hundreds of new features are included in these latest versions of Adobe’s industry-defining desktop tools. Innovations include:
- Photoshop CC ships with new sharpening technologies and designer workflow enhancements. Camera Shake Reduction deblurs images that would have otherwise been lost due to camera movement. All-new Smart Sharpen makes texture and detail pop, and Adobe Camera Raw 8 adds even more powerful photographic controls to straighten and perfect images. Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC are the first Adobe desktop applications to include the ability to post files directly to Behance, showcasing work immediately and integrating peer feedback into the creative process.
- For designers, the Touch Type tool in Illustrator CC offers a new level of creativity with type. Move, scale, and rotate text characters knowing that it remains editable. This feature works with a mouse, stylus or multi-touch device. Illustrator also enables painting with a brush made from a photo. Art, Pattern, and Scatter brushes can contain raster images, so designers can create complex organic designs quickly, with simple brush strokes. And Illustrator CC features integration with Behance, so work can be shared directly to Behance to get feedback and showcase projects. A new, modern architecture for InDesign CC turbocharges performance, and in-browser editing in Adobe Muse™ CC – a tool for designers to create and publish HTML websites without writing code – allows clients to make edits to a published website, which can then be reviewed, approved, and updated by the designer.
- For video customers Adobe Premiere Pro CC includes dramatic new editing features, customizations and improvements to help editors workefficiently. Premiere Pro CC integrates powerful color workflows, with the addition of the Lumetri™ Deep Color Engine to easily apply rich color grading looks. A high-impact version of Adobe After Effects® CC brings motion graphics and visual effects artists more creative possibilities and allows them to work more easily in 3D with the new Live 3D Pipeline with Maxon Cinema4D integration. There are also all-new versions of Adobe SpeedGrade CC, Audition® CC, Prelude™ CC and Adobe Story CC Plus.
- Web designers and developers can look forward to significant advances in Adobe’s family of Edge tools and services. The latest Edge Animate CC lets web designers create animated and interactive content with amazing ease and precision, using native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Dreamweaver users can look forward to the most up-to-date CSS and properties via the intuitive visual editing tool, CSS Designer. And Adobe Flash® Pro CC features a modern, modular 64-bit architecture rebuilt from the ground up to be fast and reliable.
Adobe Create Now
To mark this introduction, Adobe has also launched Create Now: a Celebration of Creativity. Over the course of the program’s first month Adobe will host a variety of collaborative art projects, commemorate the birthday of a design icon and provide a forum for creatives to use Adobe tools to express themselves in fun, engaging and unexpected ways. More information is available at: http://adobe.ly/createnow.
Membership Plans and Availability
This major update to Creative Cloud is available now. Current Creative Cloud members receive all of this innovation as part of their existing membership, at no extra cost. Special promotional pricing is available to existing customers who own CS3 or later. Individual, education, team, government and enterprise membership plans are available. For pricing details, visit: Adobe.com.
From Canon USA:
Thank you for using Canon products.
This notice is to proactively inform our customers of the details of the phenomena described below along with Canon’s support actions. Because we value the trust our customers have placed in us, we are dedicated to continuously improving product quality and delivering industry-leading service and support. We offer our sincerest apologies to any customer who may be inconvenienced.
Affected Products
EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera
EOS-1D C Cinema EOS Camera
Phenomena
In some units of the models listed below, there is a possibility that the following phenomena may occur due to wear caused by insufficient lubrication within the camera’s driving mechanism.
- AF searches but does not lock in on the subject. (Caused by minute particles produced by wear mentioned above.)
- The image shown in the viewfinder is “blurry” or “not steady”. (Occurs if wear progresses.)
Potentially Affected Products
- EOS-1D X: If the sixth digit of the serial number is “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6” or “7”, the phenomena described above may occur.
- EOS-1D C: If the sixth digit of the serial number is “1”, the phenomena described above may occur.
NOTE: If the camera’s battery compartment contains one of the markings illustrated below, the camera is NOT affected by the phenomena described above even if the sixth digit of the serial number is one of the numbers mentioned above.
Markings of UNAFFECTED cameras
An "A" mark or a black mark on the silver bracket
Support
Potentially affected cameras will be inspected and repaired free of charge. If you own one of the potentially affected cameras please contact our Customer Support Center.
This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.
Please register the EOS-1D X and the EOS-1D C. By registering, we will be able to notify you via email when service updates are available.
Thank you,
Customer Support Operations
Canon U.S.A., Inc
Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera
Contact Information for Inquiries
Canon Customer Support Center
Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON, 1-800-652-2666, TDD: 1-866-251-3752
Email: carecenter@cits.canon.com
Canon EOS-1D C Cinema EOS Camera
Contact Information for Inquiries
Canon Customer Support Center
Phone: 1-855-CINE-EOS (toll free), 1-855-246-3367, TDD: 1-866-251-3752
Email: CinemaEOS@cits.canon.com
B&H has the Zoom H6 Handy Digital Audio Recorder available for preorder.
From Westcott:
Westcott`s new line of PRO softboxes offer the same amazing high quality found on the 1000w softboxes for a fraction of the cost. For use with hot lights, strobes or LED`s these softboxes are a perfect fit for any photographer or videographer. Westcott boxes feature only the finest quality fabrics and are backed by a 5 year warranty. Diffusion materials are among the purest on the market meaning virtually no colour shift.
FEATURES INCLUDE:
- 5-year warranty
- Double layer heat shield fabric
- Sprung Steel Rods
- Tent Style Vents
- Up to 500 watts
RANGE:
16" x 22" Pro Softbox
24" x 32" Pro Softbox
36" x 48" Pro Softbox
Adorama has the Westcott Pro Softboxes available with free shipping.
"This is The-Digital-Picture.com's Weekend Recap for the week ending June 15th, 2013In the news...
On Monday, Adobe announced the availability of Photoshop Lightroom 5. New features include an advanced healing brush, upright tool, radial gradients, and extended sharing and publishing capabilities.
On Thursday, Nikon announced the production of its 80 millionth NIKKOR lens. Nikon has been producing NIKKOR lenses since 1959.
Also on Thursday, Adobe addressed various issues regarding its release of Lightroom 5. One thing to note – if you’ve purchased Lightroom 4 recently, you may qualify for a free upgrade to Lightroom 5. Check the press release for more information.
On Friday, Tokina announced its AT-X 12-28mm f/4 Pro Lens for crop-sensor cameras. The lens features a new optical design featuring aspherical elements with super-low dispersion glass as well as a quieter autofocus motor. The new lens is expected to hit retailers later this month.
Also on Friday, Sigma announced pricing and availability for its 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens. The big news? The lens will carry an MSRP of only $799.00. That’s an impressive price point for this uniquely wide zoom lens. It’s expected to hit retailers at the end of July.
In site news and reviews...
On Monday, Bryan posted the image quality results for the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens and asked, ‘Is This the World's Sharpest DSLR Zoom Lens?’ Take a look for yourself to see how the 200-400 stacks up against the venerable 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and the 24-70mm f/2.8L II.
On Tuesday, we introduced a new feature on the site – the Camera Specifications Tool. The new tool allows you to see cameras side-by-side to compare feature sets within an organized, standard layout. Check out the Camera Specifications Tool for more information.
And, for our deal of the week…
On Saturday, we posted a deal from B&H Photo where you could get a refurbished Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 18-200mm DX VR II lens for $529.00 with free shipping. The “new-model” retail lens sells $846.95.
This has been the The-Digital-Picture.com’s Weekend Recap. Thanks for listening, and as always, happy shooting!"
From Zoom:
World's first six-track portable recorder, featuring a revolutionary system of interchangeable input capsules
Ronkonkoma, New York: June 14, 2013 — Zoom North America has announced the release of the all-new H6 Handy Recorder.
The H6 is the most advanced portable recorder ever introduced. It offers six tracks of simultaneous recording and employs an innovative system of interchangeable input capsules that can be swapped out as easily as the lenses of a camera. Four capsules are available: stereo X/Y and MS (Mid-Side), both included with the H6, and Shotgun and dual XLR/TRS combo capsules, available as options.
The H6 can be attached to a camera strap or mounted directly to a DSLR or camcorder, and its large full-color display makes it easy to view recording and playback levels even in low-light environments. It records directly to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards up to 128 gigabytes in a variety of MP3 and BWF-compliant WAV file formats, including 24-bit / 96k for the ultimate in high-definition audio. Four XLR/TRS combo jacks enable the connection of external microphones or line-level devices. Each input has its own dedicated gain control and pad switch, as well as phantom power in three different voltages.
Other features include a stereo Line Out for connection to camcorders; a headphone jack and built-in speaker; onboard effects, metronome and chromatic tuner; adjustable playback speed and pitch correction; and Pre-record, Auto-record and Backup-record functions. A USB port enables data transfer to and from audio editing software and allows the H6 to serve as a multichannel audio interface for computers and tablets.
"The H6 will provide users with a totally new level of performance and possibilities," said Scott Hagen, Vice President of Sales and Strategic Planning for Zoom North America. "We believe it's poised to become a legacy recorder that will stand the test of time."
The Zoom H6 will be available in stores July 2013.
B&H has the Zoom H6 Handy Recorder available for preorder.
From Sigma:
RONKONKOMA, N.Y., — June 14, 2013 — Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced that its new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens will arrive in the United States early July for the street price of $799.
As the market’s first zoom lens to achieve a maximum aperture of F1.8 throughout the entire zoom range, the 18-35mm was created for DSLR cameras with APS-C size sensors, which translates to a focal range of 27-52.5mm on a 35mm camera. This lens will be available early July in Sigma and Canon mounts, with Nikon, Sony and Pentax mounts to follow.
“Sigma users are really excited about this lens. They’ve been watching the new Art line very closely – and their reaction to our initial announcement of this lens has been fantastic,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “More than 50 years of innovating with photography equipment has helped us build new generation lenses like the 18-35mm F1.8. We’re confident that photographers who focus on landscape, portrait, still-life, studio, close-up and casual shots will love this lens.”
The 18-35mm F1.8 is the latest addition to the company’s Art line of lenses, designed under the new Global Vision. The Global Vision lenses have a sleek new design with the manufacturing year stamped on the barrel, and are categorized by use into one of three groups: Art, Contemporary and Sports. The Art category delivers high-level artistic expression through sophisticated and abundant expressive power.
The new 18-35mm F1.8 lens features Sigma’s improved AF/MF switch and the use of Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) compound material, which has a high affinity to metal parts, consistently performs well at extreme temperatures, and reduces the size and weight of the lens. The lens’ Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides sharp and high contrast images, even in backlit conditions. Sigma’s Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures a silent, high-speed AF function, while its nine-blade, rounded diaphragm creates an attractive, round bokeh at large-aperture settings.
The 18-35mm F1.8 lens is also compatible with Sigma’s new USB Dock, which is available for the street price of $59, enabling photographers to update lens firmware and adjust focus parameters from their computers.
Preorder Opportunities:
B&H has the Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS Lens available for preorder.
From Tokina:
Wide Zoom Range
The new Tokina AT-X 12-28mmF/4lens has a super-wide to standard zoom range while maintaining a constant fast f/4.0 aperture. This makes ita very versatile lens for different photo applications such as scenery, street scenes photography and event coverage. The lens is designed for DSLR cameras with APS-C (DX) sized sensors.
New Optical Design
A new optical design using aspherical elements and super-low dispersion glass matches even the highest mega-pixel DX sensors cameras available today.
One asphericallenselement is positioned in the front group. This together with another precision molded glass aspherical lens element placed in the rear group ideally focuses marginal light rays andmaintains sharpness at the edgeswhile also correcting distortion. The use of two different SD(Super-low Dispersion)glass elements,typeFK01 and FK03,correctschromatic aberration. The combination of all these specialized elements in the optical design yield excellent sharpness and color.
New Auto Focus Mechanism
The new AF “GMR magnetic precision” control sensor is capable offastauto-focus. Tokina placed the new sensor closerto the drive unit in the lens for faster communicationbetween the controller and AF motor. This combined with the motor's high-precision focus control yields faster, more accurate auto-focus.
Additionally, a brand new “SD-M” (Silent Drive-Module) has greatly lowered the sounds emitted by the auto focusdrive system allowing for much quieter AF. Both Canon and Nikon mounts have a built-in AF motor to make them auto-focus compatible with all current camera bodies.
Compact Body Design
The Tokin AT-X 12-28mmF/4 compact designmakes the lens easy to carry and handle. Manual focus is achieved through Tokina's one-touch focus clutch AF/MF mechanism. Simply slide the manual focus ring forward for auto-focus or back for manual focus operation. The lens focus ringis damped in the manual mode for smooth and precise focusing.
In addition thelens has a 77mm filter size allowing filters such as the Hoya HD2low-profilecircular polarizer or UV to be used.
Specifications
Focal Length: 12-28MM
Equivalent Focal Length:18-42MM Nikon / 19-45MM Canon
Maximum Aperture: F/4
Minimum Aperture: F/22
Optical Construction: 14 Elements / 12 Groups
Coatings: Multi-layer coatings
Angle of View: 99.37° –54.73°
Minimum Focus Distance: 9.8 in. (25cm)
Reproduction Ratio: 1:4.94
Zooming System: Rotary Zoom
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9curved blades
Filter Size: 77mm
Maximum Outer Diameter: 3.31n. (84mm)
Dimensions: 3.31in. (84mm) x 3.54L in. (90mm)
Weight:: 18.70 oz. (530g)
Lens Hood: BH-77B
Mount Availability: Canon, Nikon
Est. Street Price: $599.00
B&H has the Tokina 12-28mm f/4.0 AT-X Pro Lens available for preorder.
Canon USA has just made EOS Rebel T4i Firmware Update Version 1.0.4 available for download.
Firmware Version 1.0.4 incorporates the following fixes:
- Fixes the following phenomena which may occur when the camera is used in combination with certain lens models equipped with a stepping motor.
Affected lenses: EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM / EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM.- The camera may freeze in rare instances if you try to shoot with a lens cap attached or meter a subject in low contrast in Live View (or Movie) shooting.
- Fine focus adjustment may not be possible in Remote Live View on the EOS Utility software.
- Fixes a phenomenon in which some SD card products are not recognized by the camera.
- Corrects some misspellings displayed on the menu screen.
From Adobe Lightroom Journal:
The team would like to provide an update on several issues discovered since Sunday night’s launch. Thanks for your patience while we investigated and compiled this list.
Noise Reduction and Sharpening Not Visible on export
As mentioned here, a bug was introduced in Lightroom 5.0 where files exported at less than 1/3 of their original size may not retain Output Sharpening and Noise Reduction settings. We are working on a solution and will include it in our next update.
Incorrect photos selected when working with Publish Services
When working in a Publish collection, it is sometimes possible for the grid view to indicate that certain photos are selected, while the filmstrip indicates that different photos are selected. In this case, the filmstrip is actually correct, and any actions that are performed will be performed on the photos that are selected in the filmstrip. If you are concerned about this bug, make sure that you have the filmstrip showing while you’re working in a Publish collection, so that you know for sure what photos are selected. We are working on a fix and hope to include in a future update.
Presets Disappearing when Upgrading Catalog to Lr5
As reported here, user created presets were not migrated to Lightroom 5 with a catalog upgrade. This only occurs when the “Store Presets with Catalog” preference is checked (enabled). Within Lightroom 5, the “Store Presets with Catalog” preference will be unchecked (disabled). Please check (enable) this preference and the missing user created presets will return. Please note that this only occurs on Mac.
Revel Publish Service
The Revel Publish Service for Lightroom 5 is available here.
Lightroom 5 Upgrade Eligibility
We’ve had several questions around who is eligible for an upgrade to Lightroom 5. Any Lightroom 1, 2 3, or 4 version of Lightroom, education editions included, can utilize the upgrade version of Lightroom 5. The prior version of Lightroom does not need to be installed on the computer, however you will need the prior version serial number at the time of installation of Lightroom 5. If the prior version is still installed on the computer, Lightroom 5 will automatically pick up that serial number so you don’t need to go digging through boxes or your email.
Customers who purchased Lightroom 4 through the Mac App Store are eligible for upgrade pricing. Please see here for instructions. Lightroom 4 must be installed on the machine before installing the Lightroom 5 upgrade.
Upgrade policy for those that just purchased Lightroom 4
We’ve seen quite a few questions from those who have just purchased Lightroom 4. If you purchased Lightroom 4 very recently you may be eligible for a complimentary upgrade to Lightroom 5: http://www.adobe.com/go/pa
We’re listening
If you have additional workflow or how-to questions visit our user community on Adobe.com: http://forums.adobe.com/community/lightroom
To report Issues or Ideas on how to improve Lightroom, visit our Feedback Site on Photoshop.com: http://feedback.photoshop.com/
B&H carries Adobe Lightroom 4 (which, according to this, *may* qualify for a free upgrade) and Lightroom 5.
From Nikon:
TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that total production of NIKKOR lenses* for Nikon interchangeable lens cameras reached eighty million in mid June 2013.
In 1959, Nikon (then Nippon Kogaku K.K.) released the Nikon F as well as its first NIKKOR lens for Nikon SLR cameras, the NIKKOR-S Auto 5cm f/2. The NIKKOR tradition has continued over the many years since that first lens was released. What's more, Nikon continues to expand its lineup of interchangeable lenses for Nikon 1 cameras, the first of which was released in October 2011, and bringing total lens production to eighty million.
At the beginning of November 2012, total production of NIKKOR lenses for Nikon SLR cameras reached seventy-five million. Since then, Nikon has continued to actively release new NIKKOR lenses.
In January 2013, Nikon announced the AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR, a super-telephoto 800mm lens compatible with the Nikon FX format and offering the longest focal length in the history of NIKKOR autofocus (AF) lenses, and the approximately 385-gram compact and lightweight, approximately 1.9x zoom AF-S NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED ultra wide-angle zoom lens, also compatible with the Nikon FX format. Further, in March of this year, the 5x telephoto-zoom, FX-format compatible AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, offering one of the fastest AF speeds in its class, was also announced.
In January 2013, Nikon announced two new lenses for Nikon 1, Advanced Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses—the 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 10x zoom lens, a single lens that covers focal lengths ranging from wide-angle to telephoto, and the ultra wide-angle zoom 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6, offering the widest angle of view in the 1 NIKKOR lineup at 100°. In addition, the fastest lens in the 1 NIKKOR lineup, the 1 NIKKOR 32mm f/1.2, a mid-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2, was announced in May of this year. The current lineup of interchangeable lenses for Nikon 1 cameras consists of nine lenses, and Nikon will continue to expand and enrich this lineup.
The 80th Anniversary of the NIKKOR Lens
NIKKOR is Nikon's brand of photographic lenses. This year, the NIKKOR camera lens celebrates its 80th anniversary since the first lens was introduced in 1933. The NIKKOR name arose from adding "r"—a common practice in the naming of photographic lenses at the time the name was established—to "Nikko", the Romanized abbreviation for Nippon Kogaku K.K., the original name used when the company was established.
Nikon's own high-quality standards are applied to all stages from initial design and development to final product release for design that responds to user needs, and production system and inspections that ensure the superior quality of NIKKOR lenses.
Nikon's lineup of lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses currently consists of more than 80 types of lenses, including ultra wide-angle to super-telephoto lenses, fisheye lenses, zoom lenses, micro lenses, and PC-E lenses that support a wide variety of applications, as well as 1 NIKKOR lenses for advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses. Nikon will continue to develop and release high-quality products that appeal to users the world over.
* Interchangeable lenses for Nikon SLR cameras and Nikon 1, Advanced Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses
B&H carries Nikon NIKKOR lenses.
This site supports my family, but my family also supports this site. Brittany, my 13 year old, frequently provides support through subjects she raises or finds. This time, it was an at-least 54" (1.4m) black rat snake that she carried home.
Black rat snakes are somewhat common here. They are non-venomous and usually docile after a short initial fright. This one, however, was anything but docile. It was out to get anything near it.
And of course, an angry snake provides a more dramatic picture than a friendly one. So, with the new Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens begging for subjects, Brittany and I had a short photo session with the snake.
The first photos (just snapshots) were of course of Brittany holding the snake – for the memory – and to freak out her friends. I grabbed the handy Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS STM Kit Lens for these shots.
Having held the snake for a good period of time, Brittany was ready to photograph the snake herself. She goes everywhere with a Rebel T3i and a Tamron 18-270mm VC Lens in a Think Tank Photo Digital Holster 20 over her shoulder. But, she needed a second hand to operate the camera with – and didn't want her snake to escape before getting the shot. We quickly moved on to more serious photogrpahy - snake portrait photos to be specific.
I usually have specific shots I am looking for at any given time. For this session, I was looking at the 200-400's maximum magnification and AF accuracy at minimum focus distance. Both proved to be quite good.
This snake was not about to pose in a more-woodsy environment, so we shot right in the front yard. Groomed front yard grass is not ideal for nature subject backgrounds, but getting down very low (only my hand between the grass and the lens plate), using a long focal length (560mm, f/5.6) and moving in close allowed the background and foreground to be completely blurred. This position gave a nice perspective of the always-ready-to-strike snake. It was not too hard to focus the snake's attention on us (and it was incredibly fixated on the dog), so I was able to position myself in relation to a nice background.
The highlight of this shoot was the snake moving toward Brittany and suddenly striking her front lens element. Brittany squealed. I laughed (knowing that she was not at risk as her hands were farther back from her extended long lens – I was closely monitoring). The snake eventually calmed down. And we let it crawl away.
One photography-related snake characteristic I like is their curves. Snakes naturally create the curves that photographers are frequently searching for. Note also that longer focal lengths allow you to stay farther away from dangerous situations.
Now, the next time your kid brings home a snake, you know what to do.
Image quality results from a second Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens are now available on the site.
The second lens' results are displayed as sample "3" and "4". Read the Is This the World's Sharpest DSLR Zoom Lens? post to learn the details of this lens' image quality presentation.
From PocketWizard:
Free update provides compatibility with several new cameras and dramatic improvements to HyperSync, further removing the barrier to x-sync limitations.
So. Burlington, VT – June 12, 2013 – LPA Design, manufacturers of PocketWizard Photo Products, the world leader in wireless control of cameras, flash lighting and light meters, announces today a major update to its ControlTL firmware for the MiniTT1, FlexTT5, PowerMC2 and PowerST4 radios and minor updates for the Plus III and MultiMAX radios.
The new ControlTL firmware (version details below) provides compatibility for several new Canon and Nikon cameras, greatly improves the performance of PocketWizard’s exclusive HyperSync feature and resolves bugs in previous versions. It is available now as a free download using the PocketWizard Utility and it is strongly recommended that all current owners of the MiniTT1, FlexTT5, PowerST4 and PowerMC2 update all their radios to the latest firmware for best performance. Any current owner of the ControlTL system can easily install this version via USB connection and update their PocketWizard radios for free. Complete details are available at the PocketWizard website here.
The new firmware includes complete compatibility for the Nikon D600 and D3200 cameras and manual power control compatibility for the Canon EOS 6D, EOS-1D X and EOS Rebel T4i cameras.
In addition to the new camera compatibility, this new firmware version offers significantly improved HyperSync flash performance. This exclusive feature offers photographers the ability to use studio flash well beyond their camera’s normal x-sync speed, for greatly expanded creative control.
“Our PocketWizard HyperSync technology has redefined studio flash photography for those working outdoors,” said Dave Schmidt, Vice President of Marketing at LPA Design, the company that manufacturers PocketWizard Photo Products. “When photographers can go beyond the normal x-sync shutter speed limitation of 1/200 second or so, they can create an entirely new look whether they need to reduce ambient light to achieve shallow depth-of-field, or freeze action, or both, photographers can now do so quickly, simply and with more creative control than ever before.”
Adventure photographer Tom Bol has been using the new firmware in beta version for the past month and had this to say about the latest version, “Performance with the new software in my MiniTT1, FlexTT5 and ST4s is remarkable.” You can read more about what Tom had to say on the ProPhotoCoalition website.
Any owner of PocketWizard MiniTT1, FlexTT5, PowerMC2 or PowerST4 can benefit from the latest firmware. This release also includes several bug fixes found in earlier versions. “Downloading and installing the latest firmware is one of the simplest and smartest things a creative photographer can do,” Schmidt added. “We’ve designed our products to be reliable and upgradable because it allows owners of PocketWizard radios to keep their equipment up-to-date as new cameras, flash units and features are introduced.”
The Plus III and MultiMAX radios also have new firmware. The new firmware for the Plus III resolves some minor bugs. The MultiMAX firmware, which has been available for a while in beta, adds two new features.
PocketWizard Utility version 1.54 or newer is required before installing these updates. For more information on the latest firmware versions and how to update PocketWizard products via USB connection visit: http://www.pocketwizard.com/support/downloads/
The latest firmware versions are:
- 6.400 for the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Canon
- 3.400 for the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Nikon
- 5.400 for the PowerST4
- 2.400 for the PowerMC2
- 1.200 for the Plus III
- 7.51 for the MultiMAX
B&H carries PocketWizard products.
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