Canon and Sony News for Mar 2015 (Page 5)

All of the standardized test results (image quality, vignetting, flare and distortion) along with specs, measurements, standard product images and the owner's manual are now available on the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens review page.

My plan is to have the full 11-24 L lens review completed this week.

B&H has the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens available for preorder.

Canon Asia has the Canon EOS M3 User Manual available for download. (thanks Niklas)

DigitalRev has the Canon EOS M3 available for preorder.

If your hard drive failed right now, what would you lose? While I hope that your answer would be "Practically nothing", unfortunately, I know that the percentage of photographers lacking regular backups is very high.

While shooting at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge last week, I overheard one gentleman asking another why he was shooting a particular scene, indicating that the person already had photographed that particular scene numerous times before. The response sent a chill down my spine: "My hard drive crashed. I didn't have a backup and lost most of my pictures. I'm trying to replace what I lost."

PLEASE don't let me hear those words from you. Hard drives fail or become corrupted far more frequently than you want to believe. You could be the next victim and you could become so right now. Theft and fire are additional perils you should guard against.

With so many good backup options available today, there is no good excuse for not backing up. Western Digital My Passport Portable Hard Drives are currently my first choice backup strategy. I have 15 of the 2 TB models in active use and another dozen or so smaller capacity models acting (mostly) as archive drives. The small size and high capacity of these drives allow me to easily rotate current copies off-site and also to a second location in my studio regularly.

If you are lacking a regular backup strategy, decide right now to tackle that problem and commit to a routine that protects what you've worked so hard to create.

From Photoshelter:

It may not be obvious, but your wedding photography business’ brand and its worth -- i.e. what your able to earn -- go hand in hand. The stronger your brand, the more you’re able to capture the hearts and minds of potential clients and charge them accordingly. In this special webinar in partnership with Tamron, we’ll talk to internationally renowned wedding photographers Justin & Mary Marantz. The duo, with 10 years’ experience shooting and building their own business, has presented workshops to wedding photographers from London to Australia and been featured on Inside Wedding, Style Me Pretty & Martha Stewart. They also co-founded the blogs The Black Tie Bride and The Well-Groomed Groom.

As an added bonus, all webinar attendees will be entered to win a Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 lens!

This jam-packed 1 hour takes place March 12, 2015 at 4pm ET, and will include tips like:

• Editing your portfolio to attract the clients you want
• Finding your “brand personality”
• What quality will have clients paying you more
• Turning clients into ambassadors
• Branding mistakes to avoid

Register Now

Aaron Nace of Phlearn (Photoshop and Photography Tutorials) shows us how to add a realistic reflection to sunglasses.

From the Phlearn YouTube Channel:

Adding a little Paris to your studio portraits is simpler than you might think! Learn how to add a reflection to sunglasses in today's episode.

Start by scaling the scenery down to the right size. Lower the opacity to see how it will look inside of the lenses. Be aware that only one of the lenses needs to look good, because it will be copied!

Next, select the area right around the lens with the Marquee tool. Go to Select - Inverse, then press the delete key. Now you should have a little square of reflection over one eye. Copy that layer and move it over to be on top of the second eye. Now make the reflection layer invisible and select the Magic Wand tool. We use this to select out the lenses (be sure that “sample all layers” is checked). Use the refine edge tool to soften or bring the edge in a bit. Group those layers with themselves and hit the layer mask button.

To style the reflection so that it doesn’t look fake, create a levels adjustment layer. Darken the darks and mess with the output levels so that it looks more like a reflection. You can add a Hue/Saturation level as well, to match the color from the original lens. In this case, we make it a little bluer and lessen the saturation.

Being able to see through the glasses a little bit is extremely helpful in terms of realism. We use a black to transparent gradient to select areas to be darker, and others to be more see-through.

Now the part you’ve all been waiting for…time to blow some minds! Select the layer that the reflection is on with the Marquee tool. Go to Filter - Distort - Spherize. From here it’s very simple to adjust the slider to a certain amount of curve. This bulges the image out and makes it appear less flat!

From Canon Professional Network:

Canon Europe has revealed the latest members of its Ambassadors Program with the addition of six new ‘Explorers’ – highly talented photographers and filmmakers from across Europe who share a passion for photography and film with a love of shooting with Canon equipment.

The new Explorers joining the Ambassadors Programme have been specially selected by Canon representatives from across Europe and they come from a wide range of genres including wildlife, photojournalism, architecture, adventure and filmmaking.

The six new Explorers to become part of the Canon Ambassadors Program are:

• Photojournalist photographer Sinan Çakmak (Turkey).
• Wildlife photographer Marina Cano (Spain).
• Street fashion photographer Catalin Opritescu - aka Lightaholic (Romania).
• Photographer and filmmaker Simeon Quarrie (UK).
• Timelapse photographer and cinematographer Beno Saradzic (Slovenia).
• Sports photographer Samo Vidic (Slovenia).

The six latest Explorers joining the Ambassadors Program mean the Explorers tier has now swelled to 53 top imaging talents from right across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, each of whom being superb exponents of their art. They join the 11 Canon Ambassadors – world-class photographers from a wide range of photographic disciplines and from all corners of the world and the four Masters – world-renowned industry influencers and spokespeople.

Canon Europe’s Ambassadors Program was launched in June 2008 and over the past seven years the Canon Ambassadors, Explorers and Masters have lent their expertise to workshops, seminars and major photography shows around the world, as well as providing expert feedback to help in the development of future Canon imaging products.

Kieran Magee, Professional Imaging Marketing Director, Canon Europe, explained: “We very much value the relationship we have with our Masters, Ambassadors and Explorers, and the addition of six new Explorers means we can continue to connect with Canon photographers who are actively using our products to further their creative vision.”

To find out more about Canon Europe’s Ambassadors Program, and discover more about all of the current Ambassadors and Explorers, just click here.

B&H has updated the status of both the Canon EOS 5Ds and 5Ds R to read, "Item will be available for purchase on Mon, Jun 29 12AM."

We are awaiting clarification from B&H and Canon as to whether or not preorders will be available before this time.

From Canon USA:

High quality EOS MOVIE which was shot with EOS EOS 760D / EOS REBEL T6s. This sample movie shows the high performance of Hybrid CMOS AF III.

B&H has the Canon EOS Rebel T6s available for preorder.

Lenses Used in Video

• Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye
• Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
• Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM
• Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
• Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
• Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
• Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
• Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
• Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM

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

To put these results into perspective, check out the Canon 11-24mm L Lens vs. Sigma 12-24mm DG II Lens comparison. Spin through the focal lengths and apertures. The price difference between these two lenses is significant, but so is the image quality difference.

Standard product images are also available. Create your own comparisons.

I knew how wide this lens was going to be, but I'm still blown away by the 11mm angle of view. Even my kids were enthralled by this extremely wide view.

B&H has the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens available for preorder. A significant second shipment of this lens model is scheduled to arrive this week.

From the Nikon Europe YouTube Channel:

Corey Rich is one of the world's most recognized adventure sports and outdoor lifestyle visual storytellers. In this video he shares what to keep in mind when shooting time-lapse photography and how to make the most out of it creatively.

Note: One very interesting feature of the D7200 is exposure smoothing during time-lapse capture. This feature allows the camera to adjust for drastic changes in exposure (day to night, for example) without getting the typical flicker caused by changing settings.

B&H has the Nikon D7200 available for preorder.

I've always liked the idea of photographing myself through a lens. However, lenses are designed to project an image flipped and upside down. As such, shooting a portrait looking through the lens leaves you with either an upside down subject or otherwise everything else topsy turvy. True, I could simply correct the flipped and upside-down portrait in post-processing, but I just didn't like that idea (I prefer in-camera solutions if possible).

Another thing I didn't like about the self-portraits taken through a lens that I had come across before is that they usually had a distinct selfie vibe to them. That's because the subject was typically holding the lens in front of the camera thereby mimicking the outstretched phone in hand capture. When creating my version of the the self-portrait, I wanted it to be different. But until recently I never figured out how to execute an image that avoided those traits.

However, while putting the lens caps on my Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter yesterday, I realized something – the teleconverter doesn't flip the image. Of course, that makes perfect sense as it's only supposed to magnify the projected image circle of the lens in front of it, not transform it in any other way. The teleconverter may not be a traditional lens, per se, but it was the answer I had been looking for.

So yesterday I attempted to take a self-portrait looking through the 1.4x teleconverter. It was a little challenging to get it right, but I finally got what I wanted.

Capturing the self-portrait meant overcoming a few challenges. The first thing I needed to do was figure out a surface on which I could set up the teleconverter. I originally planned on standing for the self-portrait, so I needed a table that that was relatively high. Not surprisingly, I didn't have a table that stood 4 1/2' off the ground. I ended up mounting a video slider onto one of my tripods to allow for an adjustable surface for the teleconverter to rest upon. I leveled the slider so that I could lay something across it (in this case, a clipboard for rigidity and a white 2-pocket folder on top). However, when trying to balance the teleconverter on its edge, I noticed that it was a little front heavy and tended to fall forward. I actually adjusted the ballhead so that the slider was tilted away from the camera just a bit so that the teleconverter was properly balanced. This adjustment meant that my standing portrait became a sitting portrait instead (not a problem, as only a small part of me would be seen anyway).

I set up my Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro on a second tripod and pointed it at the teleconverter.

Framing and focus were the next big challenges to overcome. The solution to both problems came in the form of DSLR Controller and a battery-powered wireless router. With the battery-powered wireless router attached to my camera (via USB) and my Samsung Galaxy S4 loaded with the DSLR Controller app, I was able to see what the camera was seeing (Live View). This allowed me to adjust my position in the frame so that the teleconverter [almost] completely obscured my position behind it aside from my portrait in the projected image circle. DSLR Controller also allowed me to manually adjust focus using 5x and 10x magnification making obtaining focus fast and easy.

The final challenge was lighting. I tried several different setups before finding one that I really liked. The main light is a radio triggered Canon Speedlite 580EX (precursor to the 600EX-RT), camera left (facing subject) diffused by a Glow 24" Collapsible Softbox with a grid in place. The rest of the light in the scene is provided by a radio triggered Canon Speedlite 580EX placed just to the right of the camera's position which was bounced off the ceiling. I flagged this flash with a Rogue FlashBender (Large) to keep direct (harsh) light from hitting the subject area. Without the flag in place, a more distinct shadow would have been cast on the wall in front of my face.

With everything set up I tried several iterations of the self-portrait before ultimately settling on the one above. It had everything I wanted – decent pose, good lighting, and a right-side up portrait, foreground and background. It was a fun and rewarding exercise – the image was even featured on Flickr Explore last night (click on the image above for a larger version).

But more importantly, I figured out a solution to an image that's been rattling around in my head for quite a long time – the experience of problem solving is worth more than the image itself as it will [hopefully] lead to even better images in the future.

From RØDE:

RØDE Microphones is excited to announce that the ‘My RØDE Reel’ international short film competition - first launched in 2014 to huge international acclaim - will return in 2015, with an increased total prize pool of more than $200,000 in prizes.

My RØDE Reel’s inaugural competition saw RØDE receive a staggering 1,120 entries from 76 countries worldwide, with nine category winners sharing a total prize pool of over $70,000, making it the largest short film competition of its kind.

Entrants to ‘My RØDE Reel’ are required to create a short film of three minutes or less, as well as a behind-the-scenes reel that features a RØDE product being used during the production of the film. RØDE has provided an entry pack that steps through the process, as well as templates for scripting, storyboarding and more, available now by registering at www.myrodereel.com.

There are three main awards and prize packs of filmmaking gear available to win -- a Judges’ Film award for the best short film in competition, a Judges’ BTS award for the best behind-the-scenes reel, and a publicly voted People’s Choice award for the most popular short film. Each of these award winners will be presented with an enviable production filmmaking kit valued at more than $40,000.

Additional technical and genre awards and prize packs are available for Best Sound Design, Best Soundtrack and more, and for the first time in 2015 RØDE has announced a Young Filmmaker award, to acknowledge and encourage entrants under the age of 18.

Joining an incredible list of sponsors and bringing the 2015 total prize pool to more than $200,000 are Atomos and Freefly Systems, supplying their Shogun 4K RAW Recorder and MOVI M5 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer respectively to multiple prize packs. They join an already illustrious list of sponsors including BlackMagic, Carl Zeiss lenses, Miller tripods, RedRock Micro rigs, SmallHD and Teradek monitoring equipment, Kessler sliders and jibs, ThinkTank Photo bags, Event studio monitors, G-Technology storage solutions, software from Adobe and RedGiant, licensing credit from The Music Bed and Film Supply, and of course plenty of RØDE microphones. A full list of the prize packs is available at www.myrodereel.com.

Once again, RØDE has brought together a respected judging panel for ‘My RØDE Reel’ that includes inspirational pioneer filmmakers Philip Bloom, Ryan Connolly, Vincent LaForet and Rodney Charters.

“Last year’s My RØDE Reel was really one of the best film competitions I have ever judged.” commented Philip Bloom. “The calibre of entries from all over the world was superb. I can’t wait to see what we get this year, it’s going to be even better I am sure.\"

"I’m really excited to engage with the next generation of filmmakers and to see what they come up with in the RODE Reel competition in 2015” added Vincent LaForet. “2014 was an impressive year and I can’t wait to see what they come up with this time!\"

Putting its “money where its mouth is”, RØDE has put together its own short film plus a complete series of behind the scenes tutorials to highlight the production process. Hosted by filmmaker Clinton Harn and the RØDE Production team, the course guides viewers through the filmmaking process from pre-production through to shooting and on to post-production.

Entries for ‘My RØDE Reel’ are open from March 2nd and close June 1st. All entrants will receive the exclusive 2015 My RØDE Reel Directors T-shirt, and a free subscription to Hollywood DP Shane Hurlbut’s “Inner Circle” online community.

Visit www.myrodereel.com now to learn more.

B&H carries RØDE microphones.

Amazon UK has the Canon EOS M3 + EF-M 18-55mm IS STM Lens Kit available for preorder.