Canon and Sony News for Apr 2015 (Page 7)
From the Defrozo Kickstarter Campaign:
Defrozo is a free, all-in-one platform that helps photographers better display and market their work online.
We’re a team of web developers keen on photography, and we’re building software to help any photographer fulfill a dream - make money doing what they love most.
One login to showcase your photography, organize your workflow, manage your clients, sell prints, and discover growth hacks tailored specifically to photographers? Meet Defrozo.
Why do you need Defrozo?
Time-consuming website management. Troubles with hosting. Custom equals expensive. Multiple subscriptions to stay in control of. Limited time to devote to the business side of things. No affordable tool to manage your client base. Defrozo is born out of many pains.
With Defrozo you get a single login to access all the tools you might need to organize your images, create your portfolio, manage your workflow and client base, and sell your work online. Everything done via a simple, drag-n-drop interface and integrated system, so that you could spend less time clicking the buttons and more time taking photographs.
What makes Defrozo stand out?
Entering the pond with some big fish like PhotoShelter, Zenfolio, ShootQ in it may seem doomed. But we all remember the David vs Goliath story, right?
Defrozo is the first universal platform available for free to include every tool a photographer might need to start their business from scratch or grow their established brand. In other words, Defrozo will have all the features offered by the leading software solutions under one roof, and more. Reinventing the wheel? No. Integrating odd wheels and gears into a sophisticated mechanism to drive your career? Yes.
Free forever
We’re not here to build a startup and sell it to some big dawg in the business. We believe we have an idea that will be a game change in the world of photography services. When we’re talking about our goal we imagine office workers that will be finally able to become full-time photographers, entrepreneurs that will find new ways to drive referrals to their business, as well as end customers that will receive unmatched service at no additional cost.
This is why the free version of Defrozo will always include the full spectrum of features. There will be an opportunity to upgrade for users requiring more customization and storage space in each functional module.
To fit photographers’ needs at any stage of their career, there will be three plans available:
In case you didn't notice, I made some changes to the site recently. While the changes may not be very noticeable to you, they were very significant structural changes, implementing "responsive design". If you are on a mobile or similar low-res device, the site is hopefully now easier to read and navigate (with more improvements needed and coming soon).
Note that display resolutions below approximately 750px wide may not see 100% crop sample images at the intended 100% size. Simply rotating your device to landscape/horizontal orientation may provide enough pixel width to show these images correctly.
Combine all of the technology used on the site with the number of browsers available along with their different implementations of "standards" and you get a very complex development scenario. Then add in a vast array of device models using those browsers and the complexity is further increased. While I have been testing on Chrome, Safari, Firefox and IE at various resolutions, I cannot realistically test each of the tens of thousands of pages on the site even on a single browser. It was not unusual to make numerous changes, testing each as I went and later finding something unrelated not working. Such as IE and Firefox not properly reducing sample images posted on the main news page (that one showed up this morning). Sometimes changes had to be rolled back until the problem went away with different strategies then required.
I lean toward the optimistic side of being a realist and I'm rather confident that problems remain. I will attempt to correct these as quickly as possible. Please report any issues that you encounter. Bonus points awarded to HTML/CSS experts if you can tell me specifically how to fix the problem you found. :)
To answer the "What-is-coming-next?" question, finishing the Sigma 24mm Art Lens remains my highest priority for this week.
Also, our first copy of the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM Lens arrived on Friday. I had the privilege of carrying it for hours on Saturday while shooting a track meet. The size and weight of this lens make it a joy to use. Also a joy was seeing the AI Servo AF performance this lens turned in – it was as good as from any lens I've used on the track including for capturing the fast sprints. Watch for the 400 DO II's standard test results to hit the site this week.
Jane's Carousel is a standout landmark in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, NY. While it is hard to miss the carousel house, the highly-styled words in the concrete are not as obvious. Ultra-wide angle lenses are great for emphasizing the foreground and I decided to emphasize the not obvious in this case, the words:
"Jane's Carousel made by Philadelphia Toboggan Co in 1922"
Jane's Carousel is a very popular location and, while not a necessity, keeping people out of your frame is challenging (an understatement). To start, visiting on a cold winter weekday will reduce the visitor population. Next, taking enough frames to allow all parts of the scene to be captured without people or their shadows in them is key. Fortunately, I had two images that when combined, showed no humans outside of the building. In post, I combined these two exposures to show only the sans-people parts.
At 11mm, it is hard to keep your own shadow out of the frame. By using the self-timer, I was able to step back before the shutter released. The camera's own shadow was the remaining problem. With a clean foreground, I was able to remove the shadow in post processing without difficulty.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr, Google+ and Facebook. Also, if reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image.
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Deadline for Tamron lens users residing in the USA to create their exhibit entry on www.myphotoexhibits.com for a chance to win a Tamron lens is August 31, 2015
From Tamron USA:
Commack, N.Y., April 3, 2015 - Tamron USA announces its fourth “My Travel Exhibit” photo contest, offered exclusively to Tamron USA lens users. Entrants will create a 3D virtual exhibit showcasing 8-14 of their best images in a travel theme on Tamron’s unique photo-sharing exhibit site, myphotoexhibits.com. Tamron judges will select the winning exhibit based on overall image quality and originality of the collection. The winning exhibit will be featured on the Tamron USA website and in the Tamron eNewsletter. The winner will also receive his/her choice of one of three full-frame, image-stabilized Tamron lenses:
- SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (model A012, $1199 value)
- SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (model A007, $1299 value)
- SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (model A009, $1499 value)
The contest officially launched on April 1, 2015. Entrants without a computer or Internet access may send in entries of 8-14 images up to 8.5×11 by mail. The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2015; complete contest rules are available at http://tamron.myphotoexhibits.com/contest.
B&H carries Tamron lenses.
Commercial photographer Jay Morgan of The Slanted Lens provides tips for shooting video in a manufacturing facility.
From Canon Professional Services:
Canon Professional Services will host a CPS Lounge at ShutterFest 2015 featuring complimentary Clean & Check service on current Canon professional gear for all ShutterFest 2015 attendees.
The Clean & Check service will be performed on site by our Canon factory trained service technicians and is limited to (2) Canon EOS DSLR bodies or Canon EF/EF-S lenses. All items will be taken on a first come, first served basis and same day service is not guaranteed.
Equipment evaluation loans of Canon professional gear will be available for walking tours to all ShutterFest 2015 attendees. All loans are available on a first come, first served basis and must be returned at the completion of the tour and no later than 5:00 pm. Photo ID is required for all loans and CPS will retain your ID for the duration of the loan.
Pro Market representatives will be available to answer technical questions and offer product demonstrations.
The CPS Lounge is located in Midway Suite #3. Be sure to visit Canon’s booth (in spaces 54-58) on the ShutterFest 2015 show floor.
Location:
St. Louis Union Station Doubletree
1820 Market St.
St. Louis, MO 63103
Dates and Hours of CPS Operations:
Tuesday, April 7, 2015 – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 – 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Canon has updated versions of Digital Photo Professional, EOS Utility and Picture Style Editor available now. (thanks Fabio)
From Canon USA:
Digital Photo Professional 3.14.48
Changes for Digital Photo Professional 3.14.48 Updater:
- Supports EF11-24mm f/4L USM
Digital Photo Professional 4.2.10
Changes for Digital Photo Professional 4.2.10 Updater:
- Supports 32-bit OS (Windows)
- Supports EOS 8000D / EOS REBEL T6s / EOS 760D, EOS Kiss X8i / EOS REBEL T6i / EOS 750D, EOS M3.
- Supports EF11-24mm f/4L USM, EF-M22mm f/2 STM, EF-M11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, EF-M18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, EF-M55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM.
EOS Utility 2.14.20
Changes for EOS Utility 2.14.20 Updater:
- Supports EF11-24mm f/4L USM
EOS Utility 3.2.10
Changes for EOS Utility 3.2.10:
- Supports EOS 8000D / EOS REBEL T6s / EOS 760D, EOS Kiss X8i / EOS REBEL T6i / EOS 750D, EOS M3.
- Supports EF11-24mm f/4L USM.
Picture Style Editor 1.15.10
Changes for Picture Style Editor 1.15.10 Updater:
- Supports EOS 8000D / EOS REBEL T6s / EOS 760D, EOS Kiss X8i / EOS REBEL T6i / EOS 750D, EOS M3.
Download the software updates at Canon USA.
From the B&H YouTube Channel:
Taking pictures in harsh or challenging weather conditions can be challenging, but with the right gear and accessories, extreme weather photography can be creatively and personally rewarding.
Relevant Products
- SeaLife Desiccant Moisture Muncher 1 oz. - 3 Packs
- SeaLife Moisture Muncher Desiccant 1.5 Gram - (10-Pack)
- BRNO Dehumidifying Rear Lens Cap for Canon
- BRNO Dri + KIT Dehumidifying Caps for Nikon
- LensCoat LegCoat Wraps
- OP/TECH USA 18" Rainsleeve (Set of 2)
- Ruggard Fabric Camera Rain Cover (White)
- Vortex Media SLR Storm Jacket
- OverBoard Waterproof Dry Pouch Multi-Pack (1 L, 4-Pack, Assorted Colors)
- OverBoard 20 Liter Waterproof Backpack (Yellow)
B&H has the newly announced Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens available for preorder.
B&H has select Foba Ball Heads on sale for 20% off with free expedited shipping.
From the LensRentals Blog:
"Most of you know I've been very impressed with Sigma's new Art lenses. Their 35mm f/1.4 Art I still think is the sharpest 35mm prime lens made. The 50mm f/1.4 Art is also superb.See the entire article on the LensRentals Blog.When I heard about the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art lens, I had some mixed emotions. I was excited that we might get a 24mm lens of similar quality to their 35mm. But the logical side of me thought that perhaps Sigma had bitten off a bit more than they could chew this time. Designing a wide-aperture 24mm lens is much more difficult than designing a fast 35mm lens. Even the best 24mm f/1.4 lenses (I consider the Canon 24mm f/1.4 L to be the best current offering, although that's arguable) still have distortion, aberrations, and some edge softness.
But when our first five copies of the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 arrived, I swiped them from intake and took them over to the testing lab for a quick look and MTF testing on our optical bench. We already had results from the Canon 24mm f/1.4 L, the Nikon 24mm f/1.4 ED AF-S, and the Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 lenses in our database to compare them to."
B&H has the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens available for preorder.
The crew over at the Canon Digital Learning Center has created a virtual EOS C100 Cinema Camera menu system. It's actually kind of neat.
Curious? Want to see what the C100 is capable of? Try it out!
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) today launched Slate, a new free iPad app that makes it easier than ever to turn words and images into a story that can be published as beautifully laid-out Web content, in minutes. Bringing Adobe’s unrivaled creative software expertise--across digital imagery, page-layout, typography, and Web design--to a mass audience, Slate is made for anyone who wants to communicate with impact. Students, teachers, non-profit organizations, small business owners or corporate communicators can now turn their next report, newsletter or travel adventure into a document that captures attention. Through professionally designed magazine-style layouts with elegant fonts, beautiful colors and eye-catching motion, Slate content automatically adapts to any device for a high-impact reading experience on tablets, smartphones or computers. Slate creations are links that can be shared easily via text message, email, embedded in websites, or posted on social media channels.
Adobe Slate builds on the success of Adobe Voice, an app for creating animated videos that was named one of the Apple App Store’s Best New Apps of 2014. Like Voice, Slate features a collection of themes that set the tone for any story – with a single tap. The interface makes it simple to add text, choose the right photo layout and apply carefully curated looks and motion. Leveraging an advanced Adobe animation engine, Adobe Slate makes words and images move with automatically applied scrolling transitions, making it a much more engaging and exciting read. Key features include:
- Stunning professionally designed themes allow users to simply tap to select from multiple font combinations, fun colors and motion to ensure stories stand out from the crowd.
- Arresting photo layouts and covers deliver options that help photos pop, making them the highlight of the story, including grid or window view. Users can also add a caption overlay on images, ensuring photos are more integral to the narrative.
- Adaptable design that looks great on any device, ranging from a phone to large desktop monitor.
- Call-to-Action buttons link to online sites and other relevant information to encourage readers to take action, like: “Donate Now”, “Volunteer” or “Learn More”.
- Sharing options automatically publish the finished content and help spread the word via a simple Web link that can be easily posted to social channels, sent via text message, email or embedded in personal blogs and websites. Readers can easily view the content in their PC, tablet or mobile phone browser.
Paul Gubbay, vice president of product development noted, “In today’s digital world, everyone wants to share engaging Web-based stories that stand out, but often people don’t have the right tools to easily create something impactful. With our move to Creative Cloud we’re able to tap into our pro-level creative software expertise and bring it to a much wider audience with new tools—first with Adobe Voice and now Slate. Stay tuned for more innovation like this from our teams at Adobe.”
Availability
Adobe Slate is available immediately as a free download in the App Store. The app requires iPad 2 or higher and iOS 8. To learn more about Adobe Slate, visit adobe.com/slate.
My kids are amazing. Yes, I am of course heavily biased, but I sincerely hope that you feel the same way about your own kids.
Many of you comment about having watched my kids grow from tiny to what they are today, so I thought I would share a current group photo of them. Having the three girls together while they are dressed up and not having to run out the door because they are late for wherever they need to go has become a rare situation, so I jumped on this one.
Setup for this 5 minute portrait session involved grabbing a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens mounted to a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and positioning the girls just behind direct light streaming in a wall of windows. There is not a bad portrait focal length in this lens and the 100mm end gave me an ideal angle of view for this tight group photo even in tight quarters. I avoided background distractions the best I could while including enough to give the photo a homey feel.
My kids are growing up and so are yours. Growing up is of course what is supposed to happen to kids, but ... the growing up happens too fast – in a flash it seems from hindsight. So, I'll leave you with a parenting tip: You cannot take too many pictures of your kids (and grandkids I'm sure). Load them on a digital picture frame or computer in your home's living area to regularly relive those great times of life.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr, Google+ and Facebook. Also, if reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image.
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Yesterday we posted the news that Photoflex was closing its doors after 30 years in the photo lighting/accessory industry. As it was April Fool's day, we weren't 100% sure if the information listed on Photoflex's website was legitimate or just a prank.
Why were we not sure? Primarily because Photoflex had rented a booth at the Photography Show which ended March 24. Why would a business bother marketing at an event if the business was just about to go under? Another reason to question the closing was that Photoflex had announced a new partnership with distributor Flaghead Photographic Ltd at the beginning of last month.
Today we can confirm that Photoflex is indeed out of business. Yesterday evening I talked with Nan Corber, a paralegal with Binder & Malter LLP (a lawfirm specializing in bankruptcies) who confirmed that Photoflex – a client of theirs – is no longer in business.
However, all hope is not lost. After talking with Nan I received an email from Photoflex that read:
"Yes we are closed however hopeful that the brand will live on with a new owner. Stay tuned as there will likely be a post on the website should that occur."We'll just have to wait and see...
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