Canon and Sony News for Jun 2016 (Page 4)

One of the most annoying things about Instagram – and the biggest reason why I don't personally use the service – is the app's inability to allow users to upload images from devices other than a smartphone or tablet.

Well that just changed.

A new plugin called LR/Instagram allows you to upload images to your Instagram account directly through Lightroom CC or LR 3.0 (or later).

From the author's website:

About the Lightroom Plugin

LR/Instagram is an unofficial publish plugin for Lightroom, allowing you to post photos directly to your Instagram account.

Simply install the plugin, add new service in Lightroom Publishing Manager and authenticate with your Instagram account.

Drag photos to the publish collection, then click Publish to immediately upload your photos to Instagram.

There simply is no faster way to publish from Lightroom to Instagram!

Visit the LR/Instagram for more information and to download the software.

From Bowens (UK):

Limelite by Bowens has announced the launch of groundbreaking Mosaic2 LED panels - with ultra-high CRI 94/TLCI 94 light output.

Available in Daylight (5600K) and BiColour (3000K-5000K) options, Mosaic2 uses 576 cutting edge high fidelity LEDs, dimmable from 100-0%, to create 1x1 panels that are extremely powerful and significantly more colour accurate than previous models.

Alan Walmsley, Bowens sales and marketing director said: “Mosaic2 is a powerful addition to our comprehensive portfolio of light tools. These new units, which target the full gamut of photo and video enthusiasts as well as working professionals, embrace the rugged build-quality synonymous with all Limelite products. They are quick to set up and easy to use. This is a truly multi-purpose lighting solution providing feature rich LED panels suitable for small or large studios.”

He added: “These metal-bodied panels, which weigh in at just 1.4kg, create high levels of soft, flattering light that can be further shaped and controlled with our comprehensive range of accessories.

They are also an ideal choice for photographers working with babies, small children and animals who might be startled by flash lighting. And users shooting heat sensitive subjects such as food will benefit from Mosaic2’s cool-running operation.”

The new panels, which will have an RRP of £654 (Daylight model) and £835 (Bi-Colour model), are also designed for video and broadcast work both in studio and on location (with optional battery mounting accessories)

Tim Haskell, Limelite business development manager said: “Mosaic2 1x1 LED panels are used by leading broadcasters and global news gathering operations. Mosasic2 can be controlled remotely via an external DMX mixer and multiple panels can easily be linked and used as a single panel.”

Mosaic2 key features:

• Outstanding colour fidelity
• Ultra-bright LEDs (up to 4000Lux@1m)
• Exceptional build quality
• Fully dimmable and user programmable
• Pre-mounted AC adaptor and international cable kit (use anywhere in the world)
• Wide range of light control, mounting and battery power accessories

Pembrokeshire-based photographer and Panasonic GH camera ambassador Ross Grieve added: “I trialled the new Mosaic2 lights and they are superb. They are now my go-to panels for events and training programmed. I also use them as reflectors when I need more bounce. These panels are child’s play to use and with full control over colour temperature and brightness I have all the power and control I need.”

B&H carries the Bowens Mosaic2 LED Panels.

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 21 June 2016 – Canon UK, a leader in imaging solutions, today marks the company’s 40th anniversary with a birthday celebration for all 2,000 employees who will also receive an extra day off to celebrate their own birthdays.

Canon Business Machines was established in the UK on 21st June 1976 when the key focus was on sales of calculators, micrographic equipment and photocopiers for the business market. In 1982, Canon merged with a separate camera sales operation to create Canon UK, as it is now known, growing to become a leader of digital imaging solutions for office and home environments.

Dave Newell, a long-serving Canon employee who joined the company in 1982 said: “It’s brilliant to work at a company like Canon. There is a great atmosphere and staff are treated as valued members of the team, rather than just cogs in a wheel. When asked why I have chosen to stay at one company for so long, I have to say that it’s not the same company – the business continually transforms in really exciting ways to support the changing needs of our customers.”

When Canon first came to the UK it operated from a house in Croydon but now has offices across the country including the award winning head office in Reigate (Surrey) as well as London, Birmingham, Livingston (Scotland) and Belfast where today’s anniversary will be celebrated.

Throughout the period, Canon has continued to evolve and enhance its broad offering to create exciting technologies that continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of imaging, including developments in broadcast, production print, photography and office solutions.

When Canon UK was established the latest product was the “AE-1”, the world’s first 35mm AE SLR equipped with a central processing unit (CPU) and seen as a pioneer of automated and computerised cameras. With its strong ongoing investments in R&D, Canon remains a creator of ground breaking new technologies, such as a 250-megapixel CMOS sensor, the world’s highest pixel count for its size.

Canon’s ongoing passion for the power of image has extended and grown into new markets such as 3D print and Network Video Solutions ensuring that the demands of customers are met today and into the future.

Wex Photographic is an Authorized Retailer of Canon gear in the UK.

From the What Digital Camera YouTube Channel:

Lenses attacked by ants and kit trampled by elephants: Stories from inside Canon’s UK service center.

From National Geographic:

Look up at the moon on June 20, and you may be witnessing something that has not been seen in decades. That night, depending on your local time zone, the full moon will rise on the same day as the June solstice for the first time since 1948.

From the B&H YouTube Channel:

The video review checks out the new H4n Pro 4-Channel Handy Audio Recorder. This new update keeps the smart feature set that made the original a big hit and adds a few significant improvements.

B&H carries the Zoom H4n Pro and accessories.

B&H has uploaded more of its Optic 2016 event presentations to YouTube. Below is a list of the presentations availalbe.

Newly Available Presentations

• Photography After Dark with Roman Kurywczak (above)
• Capturing the World as You See It, and Using Visual Narrative to Tell Your Story
• Advanced Travel Photography with Brenda Tharp
• Essentials of Creative Composition in Landscape Photography with Robert Rodriguez Jr.
• Africa - the Ultimate Photo Safari with Ron Magill
• Photographing the Brown Bears of Alaska with David Cardinal

Previously Posted Presentations

• Wildlife Photography in the Digital Age with Ralph Lee Hopkins
• Transforming Central Park with Sara Cedar Miller
• A Paradigm Shift in the World of Bird Photography
• How to Think Like an Editor with Krista Rossow
• Insight into Two Generations of Master Artists with John Paul and Paul Caponigro
• Seeing Beyond Traditional Travel Images with Ira Block
• Photographing Whales and Marine Life with Flip Nicklin
• Somewhere over the Chromatic Rainbow with Vincent Versace
• Black and White Mastery with John Paul Caponigro

Pye Jirsa of Lin and Jirsa Photography shares his tips for photographing bridal parties with Profoto's off-camera flashes.

B&H carries Profoto B1 Battery-Powered Flashes and light modifiers.

Nikon's new YouTube series – Exploring NIKKOR Lenses – highlights specific lenses in Nikon's lineup. The two lenses that have been featured so far (70-200mm f/2.8 VR II & 85mm f/1.4) can be seen below.

• AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G
• AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR

B&H carries Nikon lenses.

According to a study published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, approximately 80% of those in North America live in ares where the Milky Way is no longer visible.

From ScienceAdvances.com:

We found that about 83% of the world’s population and more than 99% of the U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies (that is, where artificial sky brightness at the zenith is >14 µcd/m2). Due to light pollution, the Milky Way is not visible to more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans. Moreover, 23% of the world’s land surfaces between 75°N and 60°S, 88% of Europe, and almost half of the United States experience light-polluted nights.

The countries with the populations least affected by light pollution are Chad, Central African Republic, and Madagascar, with more than three-quarters of their inhabitants living under pristine sky conditions. The countries and territories with the largest nonpolluted areas are Greenland (only 0.12% of its area does not have pristine skies), Central African Republic (0.29%), Niue (0.45%), Somalia (1.2%), and Mauritania (1.4%).

On the other side, the most light-polluted country is Singapore, where the entire population lives under skies so bright that the eye cannot fully dark-adapt to night vision. Other populations experiencing this level of light pollution are Kuwait (98%), Qatar (97%), United Arab Emirates (93%), Saudi Arabia (83%), South Korea (66%), Israel (61%), Argentina (58%), Libya (53%), and Trinidad and Tobago (50%); all of these countries have more than half of their inhabitants living under extremely bright skies.

Image quality results from the Canon EOS 5Ds R have been added to the Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Lens Review.

With a TDP popularity rank of 67 among Canon EF and EF-S lenses, the EF 20mm f/2.8 doesn't get a lot of love. Make some comparisons at 20mm and see if you think it deserves better.

B&H has the Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Lens in stock.

It looks like Canon will soon be offering the new EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM in EOS M3 and M10 kits in Japan (and possibly other regions as well). You can see the kits below.

B&H carries the EOS M3, M10 and EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM with built-in LED light.

B&H has uploaded a number of its Optic 2016 event presentations to YouTube. You can find the current list below.

B&H Optic 2016 Presentations

• Wildlife Photography in the Digital Age with Ralph Lee Hopkins (above)
• Transforming Central Park with Sara Cedar Miller
• A Paradigm Shift in the World of Bird Photography
• How to Think Like an Editor with Krista Rossow
• Insight into Two Generations of Master Artists with John Paul and Paul Caponigro
• Seeing Beyond Traditional Travel Images with Ira Block
• Photographing Whales and Marine Life with Flip Nicklin
• Somewhere over the Chromatic Rainbow with Vincent Versace
• Black and White Mastery with John Paul Caponigro

From Cokin:

The dark side has never been so attractive.

Hampstead, MD — June 14, 2016 — Only a few months after having introduced NUANCES Full ND filters – the best Neutral Density filters available, Cokin is proud to announce NUANCES Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filters.

Cokin states that their biggest challenge has been to adapt their coating technology to make it graduated. A nano-metallic alloy is gradually applied on both sides of a highly resistant tempered Schott Glass B270, renowned for its high transmittance and low reflection. The result is stunning neutrality, completely free of infrared pollution. Multiple NUANCES filters (GND or Full) can be stacked without color cast.

NUANCES GND filters are dedicated to landscape photography. When the dynamic range of film or the sensor is too narrow, they allow a balanced brightness between two parts of an image by efficiently keeping details in overly-bright part of a scene. GND filters effect cannot be reproduced in post-processing, where clipping is hard to recover. The transition between the dark and light areas is soft, making it easier to use in most situations.

NUANCES GND filters are designed to fit Cokin’s range of CREATIVE filter-holders, from M to XL sizes. They can be combined with other filters from the CREATIVE Filter System range for unlimited creativity. L and XL sizes to begin shipping in late June with M sizes to ship in late July.

B&H carries the Cokin NUANCES line of ND filters.

From Canon Professional Services:

British photographer Mark Lloyd works in the specialised world of sailing and over the last 15 years has won himself a reputation for exceptional action images of all manner of watery pursuits. His latest assignment, to photograph the America’s Cup catamarans as they ‘fly’ across the race course, is being made infinitely easier thanks to the EOS-1D X Mark II, as he explains to CPN Editor David Corfield...

Want even more info on the 1D X II? Check out Bryan's full review for all the details.

B&H has the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Premium Kit available for preorder.