"This is The-Digital-Picture.com's Weekend Recap for the week ending March 30th, 2013.In the news...
On Monday, Profoto announced the release of a new product – the AcuteB Two-Head Split Cable. As the product’s name implies, the cable allows you to connect two flash heads to a single battery pack. The product manager at Profoto noted, “This is admittedly an uncomplicated product, but sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.”
On Tuesday, we reported on a 16 Gigapixel panoramic image of Machu Picchu, an Incan-built site nestled in the mountains of Peru. Using a Canon 7D, EF 100-400mm lens, and a Gigapan camera mount, photographer Jeff Cremer captured 1,920 images to create the world’s highest resolution image of the historic landmark. If you’re a fan of the “Where’s Waldo” games, then see if you can find the photographer within the 16 gigapixel image.
On Wednesday, Sigma announced a delay in the release of its 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens as well as its USB Dock. Apparently, a delay in procuring manufacturing parts led to release dates being pushed back.
On Thursday, we linked to a Gizmodo article explaining Panasonic’s new filter technology that could revolutionize low-light photography. Instead of using red, green, and blue filters over every pixel, the new technology uses vertically aligned color splitters. Color splitters have proven to be significantly more efficient in allowing light to hit the sensor – and more light hitting the sensor ultimately leads to better image quality in low-light conditions.
In site news and reviews...
On Monday, Bryan added a new gallery to the site containing images from his recent Hawaii trip. The gallery contains 30 images with subjects ranging from bamboo to green sand beaches, and just about everything else in-between. Be sure to check out the captions on each image where Bryan left helpful tips for those planning a photographic paradise getaway.
On Tuesday, Bryan posed a question for site visitors – “Should we complete a full T5i review?” To voice your opinion, check out the site’s Facebook page and leave a comment.
On Wednesday, Bryan recounted the story of his lost Canon T4i – and how it had a happy ending. The bottom line is – be sure to include contact information in your camera bag. If you’re lucky, an honest stranger will contact you if they find your misplaced gear.
On Thursday, Bryan announced that most lenses have now been tested with the Canon 60D and are available on the site’s ISO Resolution Chart Comparison Tool. Bryan also noted that there are now 25,344 crops from 8,448 test images available for review on the site.
And, for our deal of the week…
On Wednesday, we reported that you could get a Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Lens for $319.00 with free shipping. That’s more than a 20% savings off the normal retail price.
This has been the The-Digital-Picture.com’s Weekend Recap. Thanks for listening, and as always, happy shooting!"
"World Backup Day" is this Sunday. As a photographer, you cherish your photos - but have you done enough to protect them? While we like to think that our devices and hard drives are reliable, they will eventually fail. When it comes to protecting your images (or other important files), redundancy, distance and discipline are your friend.
Relevant Posts
From Gizmodo:
"Researchers at Panasonic's imaging division have found a way to increase the sensitivity of digital camera sensors, which in turn equates to almost double the brightness in photos taken in low light conditions. But the discovery has nothing to do with the sensor itself; instead, the company's improved the color processing filter placed in front of it..."
Read the entire article here.
Canon EOS 60D ISO 12233 resolution chart test results for most current Canon lenses are now included in the site's camera lens image quality comparison tool.
As you can imagine, this was a big project for us. The 60D will become the standard EF-S Lens test camera and we will continue to test EF Lenses with the 60D as time permits.
Though the 60D results are useful in same-camera comparisons, you will find that results from this camera are not as sharp as results from the 1Ds III and other impressive Canon full frame cameras - even though identical test and processing settings (with a very low sharpness setting) were used. The T4i would deliver sharper results at the same processing settings (comparison), but the T4i has increased high ISO noise visibility as a result. There is a trade-off. The 60D results can also be given a higher sharpness setting. You are welcome to load 60D results into your favorite image processing application to see how increasing sharpness changes the results for the lens you are interested in.
Interesting spec: There are now 25,344 crops from 8,448 ISO 12233 test images available for review on the site.
From BBC News:
Dragons' Den star Peter Jones has spoken of his excitement as Jessops re-opens 30 stores across the country.
The entrepreneur now owns the camera retailer after 187 shops closed in January with the loss of 1,500 jobs.
He told the BBC's Steph McGovern he has "never been more excited about re-launching a business".
From Transcend:
Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend®), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced the introduction of the 64GB microSDXC Ultra-High Speed Class 1 (UHS-I) memory card. With enough space to carry an entire collection of personal media files, the new 64GB microSDXC card also features high-speed transfer rates of up to 45MB/s (300x); perfect for users aiming to get the best performance results from their mobile device.
Featuring capacities ranging from 8GB to an enormous 64GB, Transcend's Premium Series microSDHC/SDXC UHS-I memory card lineup allows smartphone, tablet, and other portable device users to significantly expand their multimedia storage space. The new 64GB microSDXC card, for instance, can store more than 10,000 high-resolution jpeg images (12 megapixel camera, 6MB file size), a full 16 hours of 1080p High-Definition footage (1920x1080 9Mbps H.264 AVC compression), or over 1,200 media-rich mobile apps (50MB file size).
In addition to large capacity, mobile users consider fast performance to be an equally important factor when choosing the best memory upgrade solution. Equipped with the next-generation UHS-I interface, the 64GB microSDXC UHS-I card offers data transfer speeds of up to 45MB/s (300x) – especially noticeable when running memory-intensive mobile apps and capturing high-quality video. With its impressive combination of high-speed performance and vast storage capacity, the 64GB microSDXC UHS-I memory card will undoubtedly satisfy mobile users for a very long time.
For added value, each Transcend UHS-I memory card includes a free download of Transcend’s own RecoveRx™ software – an extraordinarily effective tool for bringing back accidentally deleted or lost files. Transcend’s new 64GB microSDXC UHS-I card is now available for a suggested price of US$109 and carries Transcend’s renowned Lifetime Warranty.
B&H carries Transcend Memory Cards.
Nikon Professional Services has published a D-Movie Setting Guide for the D800, D800E, and D4 DSLR cameras.
Topics Covered in the Guide
Download the Nikon D-Movie Setting Guide (PDF, 16.9mb).
B&H carries the Nikon D800, D800E, and D800E DSLR cameras.
Is every camera bag you own labeled with your name, address and phone number? If not, go label it right now.
Upon arriving at our rental house in Maui, Hawaii, after being up/traveling for nearly 24 hours, my daughter asked me if I had her camera - a Rebel T4i. With a sinking feeling, I replied that I did not.
My mind immediately began plotting the course of action that was to be taken - after I had some sleep. We had been in four airports and on three planes that day. Locating the camera appeared to be a huge challenge - if not an impossibility.
I woke up the next morning to a voice mail from Janet at the United ticket counter in the Vancouver International Airport. The camera had been left on a plane and went at least one stop beyond our time on that particular aircraft. Janet knew how to reach me because: I had a business card in the camera case.
While it may seem normal to have a business card in a travel camera case, the particular case my daughter was using was the tiny Lowepro Rezo TLZ-20 Case. Cases this size are seldom tagged, but as proven on my last trip, they should be.
If you were to lose your camera and the case you are carrying it in, would someone know how to get in touch with you? This does not apply only to airline travel. A lost camera could happen at a restaurant, hotel, wedding, park ... or anywhere.
This story *should* have a happy ending. An intern apparently dropped the ball on shipping the camera back, but that issue appears to have been resolved and the camera is in route. And fortunately, I had an EOS M packed to HI - it became my daughter's camera for the trip.
Following is a relevant (and entertaining) infographic Mike shared with us:
From Photoshelter:
The Photographer's Guide to Copyright
by PhotoShelter and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)
Navigating copyright can be a daunting task. So, we’ve partnered with the experts at ASMP to break down this important subject and help you, the photographer, take the necessary steps to protect your work.
Get the guide here.
From Canon Professional Network:
"Canon Ambassador Jeff Ascough has been photographing weddings in his distinctive, award-winning, documentary style with the EOS 5D Mark III DSLR and the EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens: you can find out his opinions about working with the new standard zoom lens in an exclusive CPN interview.
The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens is a smaller, lighter, more optically sophisticated and durable incarnation of a zoom lens that was already much favoured by photojournalists, portrait, landscape and wedding photographers."
See the CPN article here.
B&H carries the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens.
The Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and T5i Owner's Manuals are now available for download:
Canon EOS Rebel SL1 (PDF, English)
Basic Instruction Manual | Quick Reference Guide | Full Instruction Manual
Canon EOS Rebel T5i (PDF, English)
Quick Reference Guide | Full Instruction Manual
Preorder Opportunities:
SL1 Body: B&H | Adorama | Amazon
SL1 with 18-55mm IS STM Lens: B&H | Adorama | Amazon
T5i Body: B&H | Adorama | Amazon
T5i with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM Lens: B&H | Adorama | Amazon
T5i with EF-S 18-135mm IS STM Lens: B&H | Adorama | Amazon
[via CanonWatch]
From Sigma Japan (paraphrased from Google Translate):
2013.03.27
SIGMA 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM, SIGMA USB DOCK Release Postponed
Thank you for your patronage.
The "SIGMA USB DOCK" and "SIGMA 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM" lens were expected to be released in March 2013 for Canon. Because of a delay in the procurement of [manufacturing] parts, the release date has been postponed.
For now, the revised release date has not been determined. Please check our website for future updates on these products.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
B&H has the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Lens (Canon/Nikon) available for preorder.
Here is a list of changes/upgrades in the Rebel T5i from the Rebel T4i:
While I would of course rather have the newer model, the above-listed additional benefits will set you back, at announcement time, an additional $100.00 USD for the body-only and $250.00 USD for the 18-55mm lens kit (with the $150 instant rebate in effect).
Am I missing something? Or should the T5i perhaps be better-named the T4iN?
Is anyone going to pay the price for these minor T5i upgrades?
Is a full T5i review worth the significant time and cost required to create?
Let me know what you think over at our Facebook page.
In late 2012, travel photographer Jeff Cremer embarked on a mission to create the highest-resolution image of Machu Piccu ever created. Cremer used a Canon EOS 7D, an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens, and a Gigapan camera mount to capture the 1920 images used for the panoramic image.
Check out the final 16 gigapixel image of Machu Picchu.