From Elinchrom
Elinchrom Inspires With Two New High End Compact Flash Units
The ELC Pro HD Compacts 500 and 1000 are the world's most complete, feature rich compact studio flash units. The result of over 50 years experience at the forefront of studio lighting technology. Designed and assembled at Elinchrom’s HQ in Switzerland the ELC benefits from the highest Swiss specification.
Elinchrom President Chris Whittle says, ”We set out to make a unit that would not only change the way a photographer works but also the way that they think. We believe the ELC combines everything a photographer needs with everything a photographer wants, plus the consistency and reliability that you expect from Elinchrom.”
Recycling times are lightning fast (0.6s / 1.2s to full power, ELC 500w / ELC 1000w) while Swiss precision guarantees consistency of power output and colour temperature, shot after shot. Furthermore the super fast flash durations (up to 1/5000s / 1/5260s, t0.5, ELC 500 / ELC 1000) enable you to freeze motion like never before.
The ELC is the first unit to incorporate an OLED screen that displays every control for the most professional user experience. As well as Elinchrom’s stop based power scale, you will now be able to see the power in Joules, flash durations and many other settings. A jog wheel provides easy navigation of the new menu.
New Shooting Modes
The ELC features three exciting new shooting modes that will literally change the way you create. Sequence Mode - Allows you to sequentially trigger up to 20 ELC’s, in bursts or as a continuous cycle, to utilise the high frame rate of your camera.
Delayed Mode - Provides the option of first or second curtain sync and everything in-between, plus predictive syncronisation within a short sequence.
Strobo Mode - Enables you to take a picture with stroboscopic effects within a single frame.
The new Elinchrom ELC 500 and 1000 Compact Flash units will be available soon with an MSRP of $1,049.99 and $1,449.99, respectively.
B&H has the Elinchrom ELC Pro HD Flash Heads available for preorder.
Profoto recently announced its B1 Location Kit. Watch as Karolina Henke uses the Profoto B1 kit to photograph a fashion model on Fårö, a small but beautiful Baltic Sea island off Sweden's southeastern coast.
From Nikon's YouTube Channel:
Capture the real 'Lion King' in action with photographer Chris McLennan at Botswana safari. Unleash the power of the D4 and D800E against Africa's robust wildlife, and capture even the faintest detail with the NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 and 500mm f/4 lenses, plus the Nikon Creative Lighting System. Now with improved resolution, find out how Chris manages to capture a new side of Africa that was previously impossible.
Related Gear
From Canon Professional Services:
Canon has announced that purchasers of its EOS C100 Digital Cinema Camera are now eligible to take advantage of a special promotion that offers a free copy of Grass Valley’s EDIUS Pro 7 editing software.
The promotion applies to all purchases of a new Canon EOS C100 (including lens kit) between April 1 and December 31, 2014 (promotion ends August 31st 2014 in North America). Simply claim a free copy of EDIUS Pro 7 by registering via the dedicated Grass Valley EOS C100/EDIUS Pro 7 promotion website, where you will also find details of the eligible countries and applicable dates in order to take advantage this promotion.
Grass Valley’s EDIUS Pro 7 is the only editing software package that currently supports the new Continuous Recording function of the EOS C100. Introduced as part of a free firmware update, Version 1.0.3.1.00, in February 2014, Continuous Recording enables videographers to insert metadata markers to identify crucial moments in their footage without stopping and starting the camera. When ‘Continuous Rec’ is on these ‘IN’ and ‘OUT’ markers are set by pressing the START/STOP button of the EOS C100 and do not interrupt the recording process. Recording can continue without a break until your memory card is full. The markers are then identified in metadata as separate shots which can be individually imported into the EDIUS timeline. If the marked shots are not exactly what is required, the complete original video recording is also available.
Continuous Recording is ideal for applications in which you don’t get a second chance to capture the crucial moment – wedding or wildlife videography, for example. It provides the security of a complete recording, with the convenience of a pre-selected shot list for the edit.
EDIUS Pro 7 is a fully featured professional video editing package that is widely used within the broadcast industry and is a superb finishing tool for broadcast news, news magazine content, studio programmes, documentaries, corporate films and 4K theatrical productions. It’s a fast and extremely versatile editing software that can deal with almost any format – from 24x24 to 4Kx2K – all on the same timeline, even in nested sequences, and all in real time.
Go to the EDIUS Pro 7 Editing Software Promotion Page
B&H carries the Canon EOS C100 Cinema Camera.
Nikon Asia has posted sample images from the AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens. From the looks of the sample photos, the lens looks to be a great performer. [Sean]
B&H has the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens available for preorder.
Tokina announced a new stabilized telephoto zoom to the Japanese market – the AT-X 70-200mm f/4 PRO FX VCM-S for Nikon. The google translation for the announcement is a little clunky, but you can find it on Tokina Japan's website.
Specifications
Focal length | 70-200 mm |
Angle of view | 34.45 ° ~ 12.42 ° (35mm full format) |
Brightness | F4 |
Lens constitution | 19 pieces of 14 group |
Minimum focusing distance | 1.0 m |
Maximum magnification macro | 1:3.57 |
Filter Size | 67mm |
Size | 82mm (maximum diameter) X167.5 mm (total length) |
Weight | 980 g |
Supported Formats | To 24x36mm (35mm full format) |
Corresponding mount | Nikon DSLR (full-size solid-state image sensor) JAN Code: 4961607 216 569 |
Thoughts – I'm assuming Tokina will eventually come out with a Canon version of this lens. The price quoted for the Nikon version in the Japanese market is 150,000 yen, or roughly $1,480.00 USD. At that price, it would exceed the MSRP of the similarly spec'd Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM. The specs indicate Tokina will be built like a tank (as most Tokinas are), with a much heavier weight in comparison (980g vs 760g). [Sean]
From B&H's YouTube Channel:
Noted architectural and interiors photographer, Thomas H. Kieren, will show and discuss some of his project images from a variety of work that he has completed. This will include a combination of artistic and operational factors that drive the success of a photography project that he incorporates into his work for clients.
Canon China has posted some sample images from the newly announced Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens.
B&H has the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens available for preorder.
I was lucky to have existed in a time that allowed me to purchase a DSLR camera long before I ever purchased a smartphone. But saying that, the time of your birth or the circumstances leading to the evolution of your own photographic journey shouldn't prohibit yourself from making a decision right now – to henceforth capture images of yourself that are more meaningful and productive.
Nearly all of us have done it. We've extended our arms a little higher than our head and snapped a quick shot of our faces just to prove where we were at a moment in time. Or maybe we snapped it just to show we were happy. There's nothing technically wrong with the now-traditional selfie. Except maybe that it's lazy. And the lighting is all-too-often terrible. And the image quality is typically lacking.
"Selfies" have been around in one form or another for hundreds of years. Even before the invention of the camera, artists carved their own likeness in stone, created charcoal renderings or painted themselves. In contrast to today, self-portraits from generations past took many hours (sometimes days or weeks) to complete. But why did artists devote so much time to creating their own self-portrait? Are all creative types just that vain? (I don't think so.)
Fast forward to today and the effort that goes into making a typical selfie is shamefully minimal.
Why Should You Create More Self-Portraits?
Devoting time to taking self-portraits has many benefits. First, taking a self-portrait allows you to test out new techniques or refine existing techniques so that you're better prepared to handle future situations. Most of my self-portraits were taken while I was testing a new camera, lens, or light modifier. After playing around with the new gear, I had a pretty good idea of how the gear would perform when used in a for-profit portrait session.
And here's an obvious benefit that is often overlooked – when it comes to testing gear, you're always available to be your own subject. Your subject won't likely get bored or annoyed if things don't go according to plan (especially if the photographer takes an unusually long period of time getting familiar with the new gear).
Need a profile photo for your website? Or business card? Create the image that you're most happy with. Don't rely on someone else's vision to perfectly represent who you are as an artist.
In case it's not overwhelmingly obvious, I don't usually like to smile in my self-portraits. I like the "intense" look and can usually pull it off fairly well. The funny thing is that I'm really very friendly, approachable and – dare I say it – possibly even a goof ball. But taking my own self-portrait allows me to be whoever I want to be (even if only in pictures). However, I found out the "intense" look isn't very good for online dating profiles. Smiling picture, check.
Self-portraits can also be inspiring. After taking a self-portrait one day, I thought it might look interesting as a magazine cover. So after a little bit of Photoshop work, I created something fun that I really enjoyed. That image led me to create several more tongue-in-cheek magazine covers in the series.
After flipping through the fake magazine covers found on my Facebook page, a client asked me to create one for him. So not only had I honed specific photography and Photoshop skills while creating the personal project (which snowballed from a single self-portrait), but doing so led to business I would not have had otherwise.
I'm not saying that there's never an appropriate time for a cell phone snapshot. But as photographers, we should take pride in the images we post for people to see. Instead of just capturing where we were at a moment in time, we should take the opportunity to hone our craft through self-portraiture so that we're even better prepared for tackling all of the photographic challenges that we might otherwise be ill-prepared for.
Self-Portrait Tips
If you're reading this, you've obviously made a relatively serious investment in (and commitment to) photography. Get the most out of that investment by creating images of yourself that you can enjoy sharing as much as creating.
From Pocketwizard:
South Burlington, VT - May 14, 2014 - We have identified a potentially hazardous issue with the PocketWizard PowerMC2 receiver when used in combination with the Paul C. Buff Einstein E640 flash units, especially the CE/433 MHz version sold in Europe. You may have received a previous message from Paul C. Buff, Inc. regarding this issue.
In rare circumstances, if the PowerMC2 is connected to the Einstein flash and the Einstein flash is connected to a power outlet, exposed metal components like the USB port or antenna spring on the PowerMC2 can become electrified, posing a potentially serious shock hazard. If the PowerMC2’s antenna cover is broken, removed, or in any way damaged, DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY and contact PocketWizard.
Customers in the United States may continue to safely use the Einstein flash and PowerMC2 with the power cord supplied by Paul C. Buff and a properly wired USA-style three-pronged power outlet (NEMA 5) or with the Vagabond battery pack. If a properly wired NEMA 5 power outlet is unavailable in your location, ALWAYS UNPLUG THE FLASH PRIOR TO HANDLING THE POWERMC2.
1-877-393-004 The issue has been corrected for all PowerMC2 units sold by PocketWizard’s authorized distributor in the USA after February 15, 2014. Customers owning affected units are advised to immediately contact PocketWizard Technical Support toll free 1-877-393-00451-877-393-0045 or via our inquiry page to arrange for the return of affected units for free servicing to reduce the risk of electrical shock. We urge you to contact us regardless of the condition of your PowerMC2. We greatly apologize for this inconvenience.
Affected units:
All units with the CE logo on the back, or any serial number beginning M2Cxxxxxxx are affected and correctable.
Units with the FCC logo on the back and with a serial number M2U192000 or lower are affected and correctable.
Corrected units:
Units sold by PocketWizard’s authorized distributor in the USA after February 15th, 2014, or have serial number M2U194000 and higher, already have corrective safety features and warnings installed. Identifying features are “www.pwpatents.com” on the serial number sticker, and a yellow warning label.
Thank you,
Patrick Clow
Technical Support Manager
From Nikon:
Updates included with this release (Applicable to AW1, J1, J2, J3, V1, V2 & S1)
Additional updates Applicable to AW1
Additional updates Applicable to J1, J2 & V1
Additional updates Applicable to J3
Additional updates Applicable to V2
Additional updates Applicable to S1
Download:
Nikon 1 AW1 Firmware A:1.10 / B:1.10 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon 1 J1 Firmware A:1.40 / B:1.40 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon 1 J2 Firmware A:1.20 / B:1.20 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon 1 J3 Firmware A:1.20 / B:1.20 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon 1 V1 Firmware A:1.40 / B:1.40 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon 1 V2 Firmware A:1.20 / B:1.20 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon 1 S1 Firmware A:1.20 / B:1.20 - Windows | Macintosh
From Nikon:
Excellent mobility with better image quality in a lighter package. A fast, super-telephoto fixed focal length (prime) lens with a focal length of 400mm and a maximum aperture of f/2.8 compatible with the Nikon FX-format. A 1.4x teleconverter that offers rendering performance close to that of the master lens
TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8E FL ED VR, a super-telephoto, fixed focal length (prime) lens with a focal length of 400mm and maximum aperture of f/2.8 compatible with Nikon FX-format digital SLR cameras, and the AF-S TELECONVERTER TC-14E III, a 1.4x teleconverter with a new optical design, which is capable of rendering performance close to that of the master lens at maximum aperture.
The AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8E FL ED VR is a fast, 400mm super-telephoto lens for which fluorite lens elements , ED lens elements , and Nano Crystal Coat have been adopted for superior optical performance. In addition to the fluorite lens elements, components made of a magnesium alloy have been adopted for the barrel to make the lens lighter, while a tripod collar ring utilizing bearings ensures smooth transitioning between horizontal and vertical shooting, as well as greater durability. The AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8E FL ED VR is also equipped with an electro-magnetic aperture mechanism that contributes to better auto-exposure stability with high-speed continuous shooting, and a vibration reduction (VR) function that offers compensation for camera shake equivalent to a 4.0-stop* increase in shutter speed. What's more, the lens is equipped with a SPORT vibration reduction mode optimized for tracking subjects exhibiting intense movement that can be predicted, such as athletes participating in sporting events, by compensating only for camera shake. The AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8E FL ED VR is a lens that responds to the demands of professional photographers who demand the ability to capture decisive moments with on-site sports and press photography.
In addition, meniscus protective glass with a fluorine coat, produced using a process exclusive to Nikon for greater durability and superior resistance to water and oils, has been adopted for the extreme front lens element.
The AF-S TELECONVERTER TC-14E III is a 1.4x teleconverter with a new optical design that enables rendering performance close to that of the master lens with shooting at maximum aperture. The same fluorine coat used for the AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8E FL ED VR has also been adopted for the extreme front and rear lens surfaces.
AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8E FL ED VR Primary Features
AF-S TELECONVERTER TC-14E III Primary Features
B&H has the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens and Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III available for preorder.
From Nikon:
Capture of images as intended, with simple operation, even for those new to interchangeable-lens cameras. Moving-subject tracking performance that enables the world's fastest* continuous shooting rate of approximately 20 fps with AF tracking, and simple operation.
TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the new Nikon 1 S2, the latest addition to the S series of Nikon 1 advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses that propose new forms of imaging expression.
The Nikon 1 S2 is the latest model in the Nikon 1 S-series, developed for those using an advanced camera with interchangeable lenses for the first time. The S2 enables capture of beautiful images, with simple operation and performance with tracking of moving subjects that exceeds that of digital SLR cameras, as well as a variety of functions, all in a compact and lightweight body that offers the superior portability that is a primary feature of Nikon 1 cameras.
The S2 is equipped with 135 densely packed focus points, and also boasts the world's fastest* high-speed continuous shooting rate of approximately 20 fps with AF tracking. This ensures fast and accurate focus acquisition, even with moving subjects. Equipped with an effective pixel count of 14.2-million pixels, a super high-speed AF CMOS sensor with no low-pass filter, the latest EXPEED 4A image-processing engine, and support for a broad range of sensitivities, from ISO 200 to 12800, the S2 is capable of capturing sharp and clear images exhibiting very little noise, even with shooting in dark surroundings
An intuitive and clear GUI has also been adopted to make the camera easier to use. The S2 is also equipped with a Creative Palette that allows users to freely change imaging effects with simple operation of the rotary multi selector. A variety of movie functions, including support for recording of 1920 x 1080/60p full-HD movies and Auto Image Capture during movie recording, as well as new advanced movie functions such as Fast Motion, Jump Cut, and 4-second Movie stimulate user's creative intent.
What's more, the seamless exterior inherited from Nikon 1 S1 has been refined for a more elegant design in a body that is slimmer and lighter. In addition to the standard white, black, and red, the S2 is also available in a distinct yellow.
Nikon 1 S2 Primary Features
B&H has the Nikon 1 S2 Mirrorless Camera available for preorder.
From Nikon:
Modifications enabled with this upgrade of firmware, release date May 13, 2014
Function that has been added:
Functions that have been renamed:
IMPORTANT NOTE: To enable support for these functions, Communication Unit UT-1 firmware must be updated to Ver. 2.0 or later, and the Wireless Transmitter Utility must be updated to Ver. 1.5.0 or later. When camera firmware is updated, network profiles specified with earlier firmware versions cannot be used. Network profiles must be created again.
Click here for the D800/D800E manual addendum reflecting changes made with this firmware update.
Download:
Nikon D800 Firmware A: 1.10 / B:1.10 - Windows | Macintosh
Nikon D800E Firmware A: 1.10 / B:1.10 - Windows | Macintosh
Communication Unit UT-1
Updates included with this version
The following functions have been added or renamed when the UT-1 is used with the D800 / D800E (firmware 1.10).
Function that has been added:
Functions that have been renamed:
Download:
Communication Unit UT-1 Firmware 1.10 - Windows | Macintosh
B&H carries the Nikon D800, Nikon D800E and Communication Unit UT-1.
Nikon has released its financial results for the year ending March 2014.
From Nikon:
The Year ended March 2014 [May 13, 2014]