Canon and Sony News for Jan 2013 (Page 3)

Update: B&H has changed its expected arrival date for the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A1 Lens for Nikon from January 24th to January 31st.

Photoshelter has a new guide available via email: The 2013 Photo Business Plan Workbook.

For many photographers, Adobe Photoshop is a must-have in their digital post-processing workflow. Unfortunately, Photoshop is not cheap. For those photographers who are finding Photoshop's price tag to be a significant barrier, there is a free alternative - GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program).

From GIMP's website:

"GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.

It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.

GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted."

While GIMP does not offer the latest features found in Adobe's Photoshop, it is a very powerful and capable image editing program. Unfortunately, GIMP's interface is not as user-friendly as Photshop's. For someone who is used to working in Photoshop, GIMP can be especially cumbersome.

Thankfully, there is a book that may be able to help:

The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything

From Amazon:

GIMP is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop with tons of professional-grade features. But with so many powerful tools and menu options, GIMP can be difficult to master. Whether you're struggling to get started or trying to master some of GIMP's more complex features, you'll find the answers you're looking for in The Book of GIMP.

The tutorials in the first half of the book walk you through essential GIMP skills, like resizing and cropping images, touching up spots and scratches, and customizing your work area. Illustrated, step-by-step instructions show you how to:

• Improve the lighting and composition of images
• Remove distortions and noise to make old and damaged photos look like new
• Create stunning panoramas and digital collages using a series of photos
• Make, edit, and export custom textures, logos, and animated GIFs
• Work with selections, channels, and masks to edit images like a pro
• Create colorful digital art, layer by layer

The book's second half offers a comprehensive reference to GIMP's many features, including color balancing, masks, filters, and plug-ins. You'll find tools described in unparalleled detail, with coverage of nearly every option and parameter.With illustrated tutorials and detailed references, The Book of GIMP is sure to become your one-stop guide to just about everything GIMP.

Amazon has The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything available for purchase.

A recent New York Times article explains why some of New York City's finest eating establishments are banning food photography.

"There are the foreign tourists who, despite their big cameras, tend to be very discreet. There are those who use a flash and annoy everyone around them. There are those who come equipped with gorillapods — those small, flexible tripods to use on their tables.

There are even those who stand on their chairs to shoot their plates from above.
...

Moe Issa, the owner of Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, said he banned photography several months after opening when it became too much of a distraction to the other diners at his 18-seat restaurant."

Read the entire article here.

From DxO:

01/23/2013 - Version 1.1.1 of DxO ViewPoint, the software solution entirely dedicated to correcting keystoning as well as deformations caused by the use of wide-angle lenses, fixes various minor problems caused by extreme perspective corrections.

Based on DxO Labs’ advanced geometrical corrections, DxO ViewPoint corrects the distortion of the subjects on the edges of images — known as “volume anamorphosis” — due to the use of short focal lengths (as with wide-angle lenses). DxO ViewPoint also lets users correct the most complex kinds of perspective problems, including keystoning, without having to resort to costly shift lenses. Each of these features includes advanced fine-tuning controls to achieve the highest correction precision.

DxO ViewPoint can be used as a standalone application for Mac and Windows, and as a plugin for Adobe® Photoshop® CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6, and Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 and 4.

This upgrade is free for all owners of DxO ViewPoint v1.0.

B&H carries DxO Viewpoint software.

From DxO:

DxO FilmPack v3.2.3 expands its compatibility to include Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and supports Windows 8

Five free new DxO FilmPack Expert Edition renderings created by Andrea Bagnasco

January 23, 2013 - DxO Labs announces the immediate availability of DxO FilmPack v3.2.3 its vintage film simulation and creative rendering software for Mac and Windows. This update allows DxO FilmPack to expand its compatibility to include Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and to officially support Windows 8.

Based on the advanced calibration technologies of DxO Labs, DxO FilmPack perfectly restores the authentic characteristics of color, contrast, saturation, and grain of several dozen legendary films. Twenty-five additional creative renderings and numerous processing tools allow photographers to explore endless creative possibilities.

Expanded compatibility

DxO FilmPack v3.2.3 functions in 32 and 64 bits as a standalone application. As a plugin, the software is compatible with:

• DxO Optics Pro 6, 7, 8 (32 et 64 bits)
• Adobe Photoshop CS3, CS4 (32 & 64 bits), CS5 (32 & 64 bits), CS6 (32 & 64 bits)
• Adobe Lightroom 3 & 4 (32 et 64 bits)
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, 10, 11 (32 et 64 bits)
• Apple Aperture 3 (32 et 64 bits)

Now compatible with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 11, DxO FilmPack v3.2.3 addresses an even wider number of people in love with photography.

Sharing emotions with the best photographers

DxO FilmPack's Export renderings feature allows photographers to save the parameters of their custom renderings and to easily share them with other users. It is also possible to use a style created by another user by downloading it from the renderings library.

DxO FilmPack has become a major element in the creative process for professional photographers. By integrating DxO FilmPack in their post-processing steps, photographers such as NyghtFalcon and Andrea Bagnasco ? both DxO Image Masters ? can express all their creativity and give their images a unique atmosphere. They are willing to share the emotional impact of their work by making their creative renderings exclusively available to the DxO FilmPack user community. To download these free original Expert Edition renderings, go to the dxo.com website.

Availability and prices

DxO FilmPack v3.2.3 for Mac and Windows comes in two editions - Essential and Expert - which differ in terms of the number of film renderings and features available. Both editions are available in the DxO Labs online store (shop.dxo.com) and at photo resellers at a discount through January 31, 2013:

USD:

• DxO FilmPack 3 Essential Edition: : $49 instead of $79
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Edition:: $99 instead of $129

EUR:

• DxO FilmPack Essential Edition: : 49€ instead of 79€
• DxO FilmPack Expert Edition:: 99€ instead of 129€
• (Suggested retail prices, including VAT)

GBP:

• DxO FilmPack 3 Essential Edition: : £39 instead of £59
• DxO FilmPack 3 Expert Edition:: £79 instead of £99
• (Suggested retail prices, including VAT)

This upgrade is free for all owners of DxO FilmPack 3.

B&H carries DxO Filmpack 3.

From Nikon Europe:

Nik Color Efex Pro for Capture NX 2

Shortly after the acquisition of NikSoftware by Google in September 2012, Nik ended sales of the Color Efex Pro plug-in for Nikon Capture software.

From the end of January 2013, Nikon Europe no longer distribute Nik Color Efex Pro for Capture NX 2 and it is no longer available from our online sales site. However, should you be a current user of Color Efex Pro, you can of course continue to use the plug-in with Capture NX 2. Please refer to the table below for version compatibility.

If you previously purchased Color Efex Pro for Capture NX 2 from Nikon and require further assistance or technical support, please contact us.

From Iridient:

Iridient Developer is a powerful RAW image conversion application designed and optimized specifically for Mac OS X. Iridient Developer gives advanced photographers total control over every aspect of their digital camera's output, yet still provides easy drag and drop batch conversion and access to basic adjustments for the casual user. Thanks in part to Dave Coffin's work on the open source RAW decoding program dcraw, RAW developer is able to support files from over 400 RAW capable digital camera models!! Note that although we do use portions of dcraw for decoding RAW image files, essentially the entire image processing pipeline is completely unique to RAW Developer this includes the demosaicing algorithms used for all cameras based on RGB color filters (which is nearly all of them), all color management operations, all other processing adjustments, sharpening, noise reduction and final file format conversion.

Iridient Developer 2.0 changes:

New Features:

• Support for lens corrections including embedded lens metadata from some cameras (Olympus) and RAW formats (DNG), lens profiles (LCP files), automatic and manual chromatic aberration correction and manual distortion correction.
• Newly designed image thumbnail browser with support for live updates.
• Support for star ratings.
• Support for IPTC, XMP and EXIF v2.3 metadata pass through.
• Support for most all standard, non-RAW, image formats including JPEG, TIFF, PNG and more.
• Support for high dynamic range (HDR) image formats including OpenEXR and Radiance.
• Optimized graphics, user interface controls and image rendering for high resolution Retina displays.
• Enhanced full screen support including support for new full screen window controls introduced in 10.7 (Lion).
• Code signed for support of Apple's Gatekeeper security introduced in 10.8 (Mountain Lion).
• Support for touch gestures for zooming and scrolling preview.
• Support added for the Canon 6D, Rebel T4i (650D, Kiss X6i), EOS-M, S110, G15 and SX50 HS.
• Support added for the Nikon D5200, D600, P7700, 1 V2 and 1 J2.
• Support added for the Sony NEX-6, NEX-5R, SLT-A99 and DSC-RX1.
• Support added for the Olympus E-PL5, E-PM2 and XZ-2 iHS.
• Support added for the Sigma DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merrill.
• Support added for the Panasonic DMC-GH3, DMC-G5, DMC-LX7 and DMC-FZ200.
• Support added for the Pentax K-5 II, K-5 IIs, K-30 and Q10.
• Support added for the Samsung NX20, NX210, NX1000 and EX2F.
• Support added for the Leica New S (S3), D-Lux 6 and V-Lux 4.
• Support added for the Fuji F800EXR and XF1.

Improvements:

• Improved preview display quality including support for deep color dithering on 10.7 (Lion) and later.
• The LAB curves keyboard adjustment increments were made adjusted again now offering both smaller and larger increments through the option and shift+option key combos.
• Improved processing of lens color shift metadata for Sigma SD1 and new DP1/2 Merrill models.
• Refined default ICC color profiles for many camera models.
• Numerous performance enhancements including incorporation of Apple's Grand Central Dispatch technology for better utilization of the latest multi-core Intel processors.
• Improved parsing of various lens distance and lens metadata fields.
• Added additional name information for some new lens models.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue which would cause a crash when loading Fuji X-Pro1 images which had been converted to DNG format. This camera is not currently supported in either native RAF or DNG format.

Download the free demo of Iridient Developer 2.0 here.

From Epson:

New Epson Ultimicron Brings Benefits for Camera Enthusiasts

- Epson begins volume production of panel for electronic viewfinders -

- TOKYO, Japan, January 22, 2013 -

Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson," TSE: 6724) today announced that it has begun volume production of its latest Ultimicron panel. These high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT color panels bring to life the electronic viewfinders used in mid- to high-end digital interchangeable lens system cameras. The new panel will be exhibited at Epson's booth at CP+ 2013 in Yokohama, Japan, from January 31 to February 3.

Measuring just 0.48 of an inch diagonally, the latest in the Ultimicron series offers XGA (1024 x 768) resolution in red, green and blue for a total of 2.36 megapixels. The new panel is equal in size to a 0.47-inch SVGA panel, but offers higher resolution. In addition, Epson has increased the surface luminance to 520 cd/m2, allowing photographers sufficient visibility in any environment, from the brightest sunlight to the darkness of evening.

The Ultimicron series is positioned to meet growing demand among camera enthusiasts of all levels and abilities for superb quality electronic viewfinders.

Advantages and features

• Compact
  Small 0.48-inch diagonal screen contributes to compact, thin cameras
• High resolution
  High pixel density with XGA resolution (1024 x RGB x 768, 2.36 megapixels)
• No color breakup
  Use of a color filter ensures that it is not affected by the color breakup that can occur with fast-moving subjects and panning shots when using a field-sequential color system.
• Bright
  Achieves brightness of 520 cd/m²

New panel specifications

Electronic viewfinders and Epson's Ultimicron

Electronic viewfinders are employed mainly as the finders - the small windows used to view the subject of a photo - in digital single-lens reflex cameras and camcorders using LCD screens. Epson's Ultimicron electronic viewfinders have the advantages of both high resolution and of being highly compact. This makes it easy for manufacturers to make the camera compact, and for users to focus the camera when taking pictures.

Camera using an Epson Ultimicron electronic viewfinder.

To learn more about Ultimicron, visit:
http://global.epson.com/products/htps/ultimicron/

From LensRentals:

Know you need gear for a future date? Reserve it early and get 10% off!

Directions:

• Place your order 7 days in advance
• For any arrival date before 3/1/13
• Using the code EARLYBIRD
• Get 10% off your rental fees!

To support this site, click on the appropriate product review and then click the button beside the camera/lens you want to rent.

From Nikon:

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the January 28 launch of "NIKON IMAGE SPACE ", a new image sharing and storage space.

"NIKON IMAGE SPACE" top page

"NIKON IMAGE SPACE" is a free online service for sharing images open not only to users of Nikon digital cameras, but anyone who enjoys taking photos or recording movies.

This service makes it easy for camera enthusiasts to upload, view, organize, and share their photos and movies of once-in-a-lifetime moments with greater convenience through sequential operation, which is achieved by high speed operation of the system, an intuitive user interface (UI), a clear window layout, and a simple operation flow.

Nikon has offered its image sharing and storage service, my Picturetown, since August 2007. my Picturetown has been used by a great many people in the world either for free of charge or for a fee with some special privileges. However, with a complete overhaul of the service, we are taking this opportunity to change the name from my Picturetown to "NIKON IMAGE SPACE."*

*my Picturetown user account information and images will be automatically transferred to "NIKON IMAGE SPACE".

Nikon will continue to offer users ways to enjoy their digital images through "NIKON IMAGE SPACE".

"NIKON IMAGE SPACE": http://nikonimagespace.com

*The site will be available on January 28, 2013 at 20:00 Japan time.Further information on "NIKON IMAGE SPACE" will be presented at the Nikon Imaging Japan booth at the CP+ 2013 camera and photo imaging show to be held January 31–February 3, 2013 at the Pacifico Yokohama (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan).

"NIKON IMAGE SPACE" primary features

1. Two types of free accounts
   "NIKON IMAGE SPACE" offers users a choice between two types of free accounts. Basic accounts are available to anyone. Users of Nikon digital cameras have the additional option of upgrading to a Special account, using a dedicated application to verify Nikon digital cameras. While both types of accounts are free of charge, the maximum storage space is 2 GB for Basic accounts and 20 GB for Special accounts. Special accounts also offer more advanced functions, including the ability to apply a password when sharing images, and a function that restricts image download.
2. Improved usability
   Significant changes in window design make sequential image operations, from upload to viewing to organizing to sharing, smoother. In addition, a relaxing background color has been adopted for a more pleasing image display, and image layout has been adjusted for ease of use.
3. Greater performance as a Web system
   Operation has been improved with faster system processing capabilities. "NIKON IMAGE SPACE" offers smoother, more natural operation with faster image upload and download, as well as faster response when images are manipulated.
4. Greater collaboration with social networking sites
   Greater collaboration with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter expands the possibilities for sharing photos of your own special moments, and posting images from "NIKON IMAGE SPACE" is easier than ever.

*Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.
*Products, brand names and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

I added a new page to the Photography Tips section of the site:

Rock Concert Shooting Tips and Musings

B&H is showing an expected arrival date of January 24th for the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A1 Lens for Nikon.

The National Geographic Society, founded on January 13, 1888, is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Since its first issue in October of that year, National Geographic has played a pivotal role in supporting contemporary adventurers, explorers, and conservationalists - and inspiring countless more.

Some of the world's most recognizable photographs came from the pages of National Geographic. Its impact on the world of photography, as well as its contributions, are immeasurable.

Visit National Geographic's 125th Anniversary page.

The Canon Camera Museum has featured the Canon EOS M Mirrorless Camera in its Design Hall series.