Canon and Sony News for Apr 2016 (Page 2)

 Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Image quality (D3x and D810), vignetting, flare and distortion test results along with specs and measurements have been added to the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E AF-S VR Lens page.

There is a bit of a backstory to this post. This is the third copy of this lens we've put through the lab. I was not satisfied with the 50-70mm performance of the first copy, so I brought a second lens in. The results from the second lens were about the same as the first with great wide angle sharpness and not so great long end performance.

What to do next was the dilemma. Was this performance indicative of what you should expect from this lens? Did we get two duds in a row? Was there an issue with the Nikon D3x test camera? Perhaps something was not working well with the camera and lens combination?

Being unsettled, I opted to clean house and try again. I purchased a new Nikon D810 and brought in a third copy of the 24-70 VR. Here are the results of the 3rd lens on the D810 compared to the 2nd lens on the D3x.

Many comparisons can be made. I'll let you decide which of those to make.

Nikon D810 test results from more lenses are planned for the future, though it will take a long time to work all previously-tested lens models through the lab. Remember, all lens aberration correction is turned off for these tests (CA, if present, will be especially noticeable at high resolution). The same sharpness settings being used for the D3x (initially setup to match or perhaps slightly exceed the Canon settings) are being used for the D810. We will be looking more closely at this setting, probably after bringing in a 200 f/2 VR for testing (the original base lens used for sharpness setting selection).

Don't forget: we really need your support to keep the camera and lens tests coming in. Especially when copy quality is questioned, these tests become very expensive to conduct. Please use the site's links to make your purchases! Even buying diapers at Amazon helps.

B&H has the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E AF-S VR Lens in stock.

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Posted to:    Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 4/27/2016 9:53:44 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

TIME Magazine is reporting that Getty Images has accused Google of encouraging image piracy through its image search engine, Google Images. Getty has gone so far as to file an official complaint with the European Union Antitrust Commission.

In its complaint, Getty outlines key design features – like full-resolution slideshow previews – available in Google Images which leads to users being unwitting pirates.

From Time.com:

Getty argues that since image consumption is immediate, “there is little impetus to view the image on the original source site” once it’s seen in high resolution on Google. By making these images available to download, Google has “also promoted piracy, resulting in widespread copyright infringement, turning users into accidental pirates,” Getty claims.
See the rest of the article on Time.com.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Google News
Post Date: 4/27/2016 8:08:36 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

Nikon has created a Tips Page for the new D500.

Topics covered include:

  • Custom Controls
  • Taking Pictures
  • Playback
  • Upload
  • Accessories
  • Sports AF
  • Movie-related tips

B&H has the Nikon D500 available for preorder.

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Posted to:    
Post Date: 4/27/2016 6:26:23 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

From Canon:

TOKYO, April 27, 2016—Canon Inc. announced today that the Company's Powershot G9 X premium digital camera was honored for design excellence, winning the Red Dot Design Award: Product Design 2016. The internationally recognized "Red Dot" is organized by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein, a design institution based in Essen, Germany.

Red Dot Design Award: Product Design 2016 winning product

The Powershot G9 X features a compact, lightweight design, a 28-84 mm (35 mm film equivalent) 3x optical zoom lens and a 1.0 inch image sensor. Its luxury design, characteristic of a premium compact camera, features a touch-panel LCD and a control ring for intuitive operability that makes possible the effortless capture of high-quality images and video.

Encouraged by the recognition of the Company's design excellence, Canon will continue striving to realize products that combine the highest levels of performance and design.

B&H carries the Canon PowerShot G9 X.

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Posted to: Canon News   
Post Date: 4/27/2016 5:28:23 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Tuesday, April 26, 2016

From ON1:

PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 26, 2016 – ON1, Inc. today announced ON1 Photo RAW, the first all-new RAW processor and non-destructive photo editor to be released in more than a decade. With modern code optimized for today’s super-megapixel cameras and high-performance computer graphics systems, Photo RAW will be the world’s fastest, most flexible, and easiest-to-use RAW processor and photo editor on the market when it is released this fall.

The current class of RAW-based photo editors all have their heritage from the early days of digital photography, when most digital cameras had less than 10 megapixels, and computer processing power was a fraction of that found in modern PCs. When used with today’s popular 42- and 50-megapixel cameras, existing programs can often take seconds to render small portions of a RAW image and perform adjustments. Several years in the making, Photo RAW, with its modern RAW processing engine, is tuned for today’s sensors and graphics chips. It will open 50-megapixel images in a fraction of a second on a standard PC or Mac, and perform edits in real-time, without slider lag or frustrating waits for redraw.

Developed over the last several years, ON1 Photo RAW is built around ON1 Browse, the company’s lightning-fast photo browser, and will not require photographers to import and catalog their photos; an often painful and time-consuming process required before editing can begin. ON1 Browse is an integral part of Photo RAW, offering quick and easy ways to tag, rate, make color and tone adjustments, or add effects to their photos. Without catalogs, professionals will be able to make adjustments to photos and fellow colleagues can access and edit where they left off. This combination of a fast photo browser with instantaneous RAW processing will deliver a fluid, streamlined workflow to process any amount of photos all at once. Select one or 101 photos, make a few develop adjustments and all of the photos update automatically in real time.

ON1 Photo RAW’s instruction-based, non-destructive workflow will also surpass today’s RAW processors in other key ways. In addition to customary re-editable adjustments such as exposure, contrast, color, shadows and highlights, Photo RAW will also offer non-destructive effects and portrait retouching, something not present in any photo editor on the market. The complex filters found in ON1 Effects and ON1 Portrait—including Lens Blur, Skin Retouching, Dynamic Contrast, HDR Look and many more—are all available in Photo RAW’s non-destructive workflow. The controls found throughout ON1 Photo RAW will also respond in real-time by leveraging modern video cards, using the latest versions of OpenGL and OpenCL.

ON1 Photo RAW will include built-in layers, brushes, and advanced masking tools, making it a full RAW processor and complete photo editor in a single app. And, unlike any other photo app, Photo RAW will work the way you want, and where you want. For photographers with established workflows, Photo RAW will work seamlessly as a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Corel; a standalone host app for Google Nik Collection and other photo editors; or as an extension to Apple Photos. Common file formats—including JPEG, TIF, PSD, PSB, PND, and DNG—will be supported and will benefit from the speed and performance of the app.

Price and Availability

ON1 Photo RAW will be available this fall. You can pre-order ON1 Photo RAW today by becoming an ON1 Plus Pro Member at $149.99/yr. Plus Pro members receive a perpetual license for all ON1 apps (not a subscription) and will be the first to receive the app once it becomes available. If you want to purchase ON1 Photo RAW without becoming an ON1 Plus Pro Member, you can submit your email address on the ON1 Photo RAW web page to get the latest news, videos, beta, and pre-order announcements.

Owners of previous versions of ON1 Photo will have the option to upgrade to ON1 Photo RAW. The upgrade price will be determined at a later date. There will be special pricing for ON1 Photo 10 purchasers. Customers will be notified over the course of the next several months providing their upgrade information.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: ON1 News
Post Date: 4/26/2016 3:38:10 PM ET   Posted By: Sean

From Nikon Europe:

Short film contest in partnership with Raindance and chaired by Oscar-winning director Asif Kapadia announces "Not a Pizza Order" as Grand Prix winner.

Nikon is today announcing the winners of its Festival in association with independent film organisation, Raindance and Oscar-winning director, Asif Kapadia. ‘Not A Pizza Order’ by Cécile Ragot, France, takes the Grand Prix prize. Cécile will win a Nikon D810 film kit and a one-week, all-expenses paid networking trip to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016.


Over 550 budding short filmmakers from across Europe submitted entries to the Nikon European Film Festival, now in its second year. Exploring the theme ‘Everyday Moments’, enthusiasts and professional filmmakers were challenged to create a short film of up to 140 seconds that turned an ordinary moment into a creative narrative.

The winners were decided by the jury, chaired by the director of Oscar-winning documentary ‘Amy’, Asif Kapadia. He was joined by Emmy-nominated photographer and filmmaker Pieter ten Hoopen, the founder of independent film festival Raindance, Elliot Grove, and Nikon Europe’s Dirk Jasper.

‘Not A Pizza Order’ by Cécile Ragot, was selected as the Grand Prix winner by the jury during the final judging session at the British Film Institute in London. All jury members were impressed by this powerful film that highlights the struggles of domestic violence. Turning a seemingly routine call into a compelling story on screen, she was praised for her film’s memorable narrative, complemented by her incredible technical skill.

The other category winners selected by the jury were:

The winner of the People’s Choice award, based on individual likes and shares received on the Nikon Film Festival website, went to ‘At Night They Work’ by Ad van Brunschot from the Netherlands.

Asif Kapadia, Chair of the Jury for the Nikon European Film Festival, commented: “The standout films had a really strong idea and story; ones which took me on a mini journey. I felt, personally, that ‘Not a Pizza Order’ was an incredibly powerful short film. You think it’s a comedy film, but actually it’s a really serious piece of work about something very important. I’m always looking for films that stay with me; whether it’s an image or moment, or something that when I walk away, I remember that film. I think the prizewinners are all brilliant movies.”

Elliot Grove, Founder of Raindance and member of the Nikon European Film Festival Jury, added: “We were amazed by the high standard of films submitted and particularly the diversity of how the theme ‘Everyday Moments’ was interpreted. As a fellow director and general advocate of independent film, I’m delighted that Nikon is encouraging aspiring filmmakers across Europe and around the world to develop their talent and reward them with the technology they need to hone their skills.”

Cécile Ragot, winner of this year’s Grand Prix prize, said: “This award is such a wonderful encouragement to keep trying and keep making films. I am so thankful to the Jury members. I make films hoping they will maybe have an impact on people’s lives or people’s perspectives, and this award means I can maybe turn this hope into a reality.”

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Posted to:    Category: Photography Education Videos
Post Date: 4/26/2016 12:28:54 PM ET   Posted By: Sean

Test results for the Canon EOS Rebel T6 and the Canon EOS M3 are now available in the site's ISO noise comparison tool.

Hare are some comparisons that may be of interest:

Canon EOS Rebel T6 compared to Rebel T5
Canon EOS Rebel T6 compared to Rebel T6i
Canon EOS Rebel T6 compared to 80D
Canon EOS M3 compared to Rebel T6i

B&H (still on holiday break) has the Canon EOS Rebel T6 and the Canon EOS M3 in stock.

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 4/26/2016 11:15:34 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

Canon has released its 1Q 2016 financial results. As usual, the Presentation Material is our preferred method for getting the highlights.

Related Article

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Canon Financial Results
Post Date: 4/26/2016 5:52:15 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Monday, April 25, 2016

There is no shortage of mountains in Denali National Park. However, a layer of snow adds greatly to how they look. Snow especially contrasts against the darkest-colored mountains.
 
Bright white snow and very dark rock can potentially be an exposure challenge. When photographing landscape under full sunlight with snow in the frame, setting the ideal exposure usually involves bringing the image brightness level up to the point where the brightest snow has a tiny area of blinkies showing on the LCD (be sure that these are enabled). This insures that detail remains in the snow while shadow/dark areas have as much color information as possible.
 
You may have noticed that this image is not showing as full-dimensioned for the Canon EOS 5Ds R used to capture it. This image was not cropped (the 100-400mm lens was not set to its longest available focal length), but as is often the problem with long distance photography, heat waves caused enough degradation that I opted to reduce the image size by 66%, using downsampling to improve image sharpness.
 
Note that I did not use a tripod for this capture. This lens' image stabilization system combined with a solid three-point sitting position (elbows on knees and forehead pressed into eye cup) were very adequate for sharpness in this regard, and a B+W HTC circular polarizer filter blocking less light than a standard filter also contributed to this run-and-gun shot.


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr, Google+, Facebook and 500px. If reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image.

 
Camera and Lens Settings
349mm  f/8.0  1/160s
ISO 100
5792 x 3862px
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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 4/25/2016 9:58:39 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

by Sean Setters

There are several variables that can have an adverse effect on image sharpness. Therefore, it's important to isolate each variable to try to determine the exact source of the problem in order to help formulate a solution that aids in achieving sharper images.

1. Subject and/or camera movement (Shutter speed is too slow)

Probably one of the most common sources of image softness is motion blur, either caused by subject movement or camera shake. Thankfully, diagnosing and counteracting the problem are fairly straightforward.

Diagnosis
If you notice sharp areas of your frame, but moving subjects are blurred, you know that your shutter speed was not fast enough to freeze action. If you notice a fairly uniform blur across the entire frame, but the blur is directional (with sharper contrast lines running in a specific direction), or else your images' EXIF information indicates a relatively slow shutter speed for the focal length was being used, then your images likely suffer from camera shake induced by the photographer.

For more conclusive results, you can conduct a Control Test (found at the bottom of this article) to see what kind of sharpness you should expect when subject and/or camera movement has been eliminated from the equation.

Solution:
Fortunately, the solution to the problem is also straightforward – use a faster shutter speed. How fast? That's a tricky one, but... "as fast as it takes" is the true (but seemingly unhelpful) answer. Fast action (i.e., sports) may require a shutter speed in the 1/500 - 1/2000 second neighborhood. For more static subjects, a shutter speed of 1/focal length [or with more dense sensor cameras, 1/(focal length * 2)] is a good place to start. Experience is often the best teacher when it comes to determining the optimal shutter speed for obtaining sharp images in any specific situation.

If your subject isn't moving, using a tripod (or some other form of solid stabilization) and 2-second timer (combined with your camera's mirror lock-up feature) can help eliminate the effects of camera shake.

One thing to note is that wider aperture lenses will allow you to use faster shutter speeds while keeping high-ISOs at bay. If you notice that you must use a very high ISO to freeze motion because the maximum aperture of your lens is f/5.6 at the focal length you require, it might be worth considering upgrading to a lens that features a wider maximum aperture at that same focal length (or focal length range).


2. Autofocus not calibrated properly

It only takes a small amount of front or back focus to make your subject(s) look unsharp. If your camera and lens are not calibrated properly to work together at achieve perfect focus, your subjects will be noticeably soft. Keep in mind, even a top-performing AF system may miss focus occasionally. Calibrating your AF will help if your lens is consistently focusing at a point in front of or behind your intended plane of focus.

Diagnosis
The easiest way to tell if your lens is front or back focusing involves shooting several image of a distant, high-contrast object in the grass that's roughly the same height off the ground as your camera (shooting propped on a knee and pointed at a yard sign usually works for me). Reviewing the images on the LCD, the blades of grass and/or ground in focus should be on the same optical plane as the object you are trying to focus on. If the grass in focus is noticeably behind or in front of the original plane of focus, then your lens may not be properly calibrated for use with your camera body.

Solution:
If your DSLR features Autofocus Microadjustment, then a little testing should help you determine the optimal setting in order for your camera and lens to focus properly. If your camera does not feature AFMA, then you'll need to send both your camera and lens to the manufacturer's service department for calibration.

For cameras with the AFMA feature, you can dial in an adjustment to correct for front and back focusing. However, you'll need to figure out what value works best. My suggestion is to read John Reilly's excellent article "AF Microadjustment Tips" and try the setup explained in the section titled "The better DIY approach."

For DSLRs without the ability to adjust focus in-camera, you have a few of options. The first option is to exchange the lens (if it is a recent purchase) and hope that the next lens is better suited for your camera. The second option is to modify the lens firmware yourself if that option is available to you. Both Sigma and Tamron offer optional devices such as the USB Dock (Sigma) or TAP-in Console (Tamron) which allow you to modify focus parameters of compatible lenses. The third option is to send your camera and lens to the lens manufacturer (either OEM or third-party) to have them specifically calibrate your lens to your camera body.


3. Surpassing your camera's DLA (Diffraction Limited Aperture)

If you're not familiar with the concept of DLA, the take a quick look at Bryan's full explanation here. However, a quick explanation of DLA is the approximate aperture at which diffraction begins to negatively impact image sharpness. The DLA value is derived by multiplying a sensor's pixel pitch (in microns) by 1.61. For example, the DLA formula for the EOS 7D Mark II with a pixel pitch of 4.1µm would be 4.1*1.61 = f/6.6.

That means that for the absolute sharpest results at the point of focus with the 7D Mark II, you should limit your aperture to f/6.3 (the next lowest aperture that the camera can be set to) or lower. If you'd like to see an example of the degradation that can occur when using apertures significantly narrower than the camera's DLA, check out these image quality comparisons. That's not to say that you should never use apertures smaller than the DLA; sometimes a small trade-off in overall sharpness is preferable to obtaining an increased depth-of-field.

Diagnosis
If you notice that your images are taken with apertures at or above the camera's DLA value, then your images will likely show varying degrees of diffraction (narrower aperture = visibly more diffraction).

Solution:
Fortunately, this cause of image degradation is easy to correct – use an aperture wider than the camera's DLA (which can be found by referencing the site's Camera Specifications Comparison tool).


4. Heat waves

If you are using a fairly long focal length and focusing on subjects relatively far away, any heat source between you and that subject can cause heat waves which will negatively impact image quality. Common sources of heat waves include hot sand and asphalt, but even flowing water on a cold day can be a culprit.

Diagnosis
Many times, heat waves are pretty easy to pick out. They cause your distant subjects to have a rippling look to them. The rippling effect will be especially noticeable when cycling between peview images that were captured in a burst sequence. You can also try photographing nearby subjects that do not have obvious sources of heat between you and that subject. If your nearby subjects are sharper, then heat waves may be contributing to the loss of sharpness visible in your distant subjects (though, this test does not conclusively isolate heat waves as the sole cause, as an incorrectly calibrated AF may lead to similarly unsharp distant objects).

Solution:
As Bryan says in his Are Heat Waves Destroying Your Image Quality?:

What can you do about this problem? Heat waves are an image quality factor that you generally can't spend money to put behind you. For example, a sharper lens and a better camera are not going to be helpful. Selecting a different location, a different time of day and/or a different day completely or even a different season is often the best solution. A cloudy day with low temperature fluctuation may work for your image.

Many times, the photographer does not have control of the day and time of a shoot and will need to deal with the issue. Sports photographers typically fall into this group. For example, auto racing often takes place mid-day on asphalt tracks and photographers capturing these events will encounter this distortion.

If opting to shoot through the heat waves, move closer if possible (but not dangerously so – referring to the auto racing scenario). The less air that light passes through, the less likely that heat waves will cause strong distortion. Also, capture lots of images to allow selection of the least-influenced and to give your camera opportunity to lock in proper AF distances.


5. Low quality lens

It's no secret that some lenses are simply better than others. If you're using the 18-55mm lens that came bundled with your camera, you probably won't be surprised to learn that a different lens may allow you to get sharper images. That doesn't necessarily mean that you need a more expensive lens (though that may generally be the case). For instance, our tests show that the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is sharper at f/2.8 than the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens is at 55mm | f/5.6 (even though the kit zoom lens retails for $50.00 more than the prime).

Some may question my comparing a zoom lens to a prime, but I think it's a relative comparison from an image quality perspective. If you want to maximize sharpness, you may want to consider a set of prime lenses for a few reasons. For one, the low-to-mid range primes are quite affordable. For another, primes typically feature wider maximum apertures than zooms at their comparative focal length (which, as described above, can aid in obtaining sharp images by allowing for faster shutter speeds to be used). And finally, primes are typically sharper than zooms when compared at the zoom's maximum aperture at that specific focal length (because, inevitably, the prime is stopped down).

Diagnosis
Perform a Control Test (see below) to see what kind of performance your lens is capable of. Analyzing the images, see how the fine details are resolved compared to our Image Quality Test Results at the same aperture setting (or closest setting if we didn't test that exact aperture). If your results are similar, you know that your lens is performing normally from an image quality perspective. If your results are noticeably less sharp, and you've eliminated the other softness-inducing causes mentioned above, then see cause #6.

Solution:
If your lens is producing the best image quality that you can expect from it, but the sharpness level is below your satisfaction threshold, the solution is simple – upgrading your lens will be necessary to improve the sharpness of your images. The hardest part, of course, will be choosing which lens will represent the best upgrade for your needs. On that note, here are some helpful resources:


6. Lens malfunction

If you've ruled out all of the other causes of blurry images found above, then a lens malfunction is likely the culprit robbing you of sharp images.

Diagnosis:
Perform a Control Test. Compare your results to our own Image Quality Test results captured using a similar focal length/aperture/camera body for reference purposes. If your images appear noticeably soft by comparison, or else one side of the image appears significantly softer than the other, then there's a good chance your lens has a misaligned element (or some other design anomaly).

Solution
If you suspect your lens is exhibiting signs of malfunction, you'll need to contact the lens manufacturer to arrange for a repair. It may be beneficial to show the manufacturer control images to illustrate your concerns. If the item is under warranty, then the repair costs should be covered by the manufacturer (though shipping your lens securely to the repair facility – and insured – may result in a moderate amount of cost).

After the lens has been serviced and returned, it's a good idea to perform the same Control Test (and compare the new results to the old results) to ensure the repair was completed successfully.

So that's our top 6 reasons why your images may be blurry. Hopefully this list can help you "stay sharp" when capturing photographs on your next outing!



Control Test Setup

Here's what you do to find out how sharp your lens can be under ideal circumstances:

  1. Mount your camera on a steady tripod and focus on a subject that is roughly 50x the focal length using 10x Live View manual focusing (a good focusing target can be found here). If using a test chart, be sure to angle the test chart so that it is exactly parallel to the end of the lens, ensuring the focus plane runs flat with the test chart.
  2. Set the camera to RAW capture, Neutral Picture Style with a sharpness setting of 1 (for Canon cameras), Av Mode with an aperture of f/5.6 (or alternately the aperture you use most as long as it is below the camera's DLA), mirror lock-up and 2 second delay and take a picture.
  3. Repeat the process 5 or 6 times refocusing between every shot.
When analyzing the results in post-processing, be sure that your software is not applying automatic image corrections to preview images. Pick the sharpest test sample for your sharpness control image.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 4/25/2016 9:57:00 PM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Friday, April 22, 2016

According to the Egami Blog, Canon has patented an EF 50-300mm f/4.5-5.6 STM with diffractive optics and a similar EF-M version.

Description of Patent

  • Patent Publication No. 2016-57444
  • Published 2016.4.21
  • Filing date 2014.9.9
  • EF Version
    • Zoom ratio 5.59
    • Focal length 51.77 135.00 289.53
    • F-number 4.65 5.05 5.85
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 14.78 5.78 2.70
    • Image height 13.66 13.66 13.66
    • The total lens length 126.05 169.37 184.15
    • BF 35.50 35.50 35.50

  • EF-M Version
    • Zoom ratio 5.90
    • Focal length 49.13 135.00 290.00
    • F-number 4.65 4.95 5.85
    • Half angle of view (degrees) 15.54 5.78 2.70
    • Image height 13.66 13.66 13.66
    • The total lens length 108.00 152.12 168.00
    • BF 15.69 15.69 15.69

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera and Lens Patents
Post Date: 4/22/2016 12:08:31 PM ET   Posted By: Sean

Kids, especially young ones, can generate a large volume of artwork. Sources include school, home, church and other events. When this art happens, the question in parents' minds becomes: "What do I do with these treasures?" While these memories have tons of value, that value may not be high enough to justify a room addition to the house just for art storage. The solution? Implement an artwork workflow that first involves digitizing.
 
Photograph the artwork (scanning also works great for flat art sized within the scanner's capabilities). Once the artwork is in digital format, the uses for it are nearly endless. Load the images into a digital picture frame or other electronic device for playback in a slide show. Print a collage from large numbers of these art images. It might be fun to pull this print out for display at a graduation party or other life milestone event. Put the images into a scrapbook (paper or digital). Memorialize life.
 
The digital artwork files take up nearly no space and they can be available for a lifetime and beyond. A large benefit to digitalized art is that it can be backed up, providing resiliency to the original artwork and, if backed up to an off-site storage location, resiliency extends beyond the house should something terrible happen.
 
Once the art projects are digitized, implement a FIFO (First In, First Out) art posting workflow utilizing the refrigerator, a door or any surface that works well in your home. As the available space fills, the oldest work of art enjoys a quiet, parent-guilt-free trip to the trash can (when the creator is in bed or away). Keep a few of the most-treasured pieces and enjoy the photos of the rest.
 
Once the kids start creating long-term-display-worthy art, you may need to up your game also. A more advanced approach includes capturing high resolution images permit reproduction at a high quality level. But, more advanced, does not have to mean complicated.
 
My daughter (Brittany) has developed a drawing skill over the years and, when she puts a bigger effort into a project, I make sure that I get a photo of it. My light source is the first priority. I want the art to be very evenly-lit. Because of light fall-off, this means that I minimally need equal light from at least two sides or even better, a light source so far away that the light fall-off is no longer noticeable across the paper. The latter, in the form of sun, is uncomplicated, easy and what I usually use for flatwork.
 
Some considerations for using the sun as the light source include the angle and the color temperature of the light. Shooting too early or too late in the day may cause your art to take on an undesired color warmth. The camera angle (directly in line with the art) must be such that reflections of the sun are not a problem. The light angle on the art must not over-emphasize the texture of the material, and a cloudy day may be needed to photograph 3D works of art using this light source. The latter may work best outdoors, but I shoot flat art placed on the floor where the sun is shining directly through a window or door, often in the mid-late afternoon (depending on the time of the year).
 
With the artwork in place, setting up the tripod is the next task. Care must be taken to not cause any hint of shadows on the art. This means that the sun is shining between two of the tripod legs. The higher the tripod is raised, the less likely the legs are to influence the lighting. To avoid any perspective distortion (including keystoning of rectangular art), the camera must be positioned directly over the subject.
 
Note that a tripod with a center column that can be adjusted to horizontal orientation makes positioning a camera straight downward easier. Also note that a camera positioned on a horizontal column can easily become unbalanced – use this feature with care.
 
Selecting a lens is another important step. In addition to good sharpness across the entire frame (keeping the corners of the art sharp), lack of linear distortion is important as barrel or pincushion distortion will change how the art appears. The choice of focal length is also important, but since the tripod can be raised or lowered to achieve optimal framing, there is often a range of focal lengths that work well. A prime lens is often the best option. If using a zoom, select one that has low or no distortion at a focal length that can be used for ideal subject framing (use our lens distortion tool to find this). Note that gaffer taping the zoom ring in position may be necessary to prevent gravity zooming when the camera is facing straight down.
 
While a flat piece of paper photographed from directly above requires very little depth of field and permits a very wide aperture to be used, most lenses are at least modestly sharper when stopped down and most show some vignetting or peripheral shading when used at their widest apertures. Thus, using an aperture narrower than necessary for adequate depth of field may be beneficial (use our lens vignetting tool to find the ideal aperture). While narrower than max aperture is likely desired, using a too-narrow aperture may result in a less-sharp result. Try to use an aperture that is wider or not too much narrower than the diffraction-limited aperture (look for the DLA spec for your camera in the camera specifications tool). If unsure about aperture selection, use f/5.6 or f/8.
 
With the aperture selected, the proper shutter speed for a desired-brightness at ISO 100 should be determined. Note that a mostly white paper is going to need an exposure that is brighter than the camera calls for. Ideally, shoot in RAW format with the brightest RGB (Red, Green or Blue) color value captured being at the right side of the histogram. Then adjust the brightness as necessary during post processing.
 
To capture the image without any camera motion, select mirror lockup with a 2-second delay in One Shot drive mode, use the 2-second self-timer drive mode with mirror lockup enabled or use Live View with 2-second self-timer drive mode selected. A remote release can be used in place of the 2-second self-timer, but ... I don't usually bother getting this accessory out.
 
Focus and take the picture. Review the result, making any adjustments needed.
 
Once setup, many similar-sized works of art can be photographed in rapid succession. I will often setup for the larger piece of art and not change the tripod height for modestly smaller works unless they are deemed very important.
 
Modern DSLRs produce a very accurate color balance when photographing under direct sunlight, but capturing a photo of a custom white balance target at the same time as the art may be good idea. This is an especially good idea if under cloud or shade lighting or using alternate light sources. This CWB image can be used to properly adjust the color balance later if needed.
 
If you are documenting the work of more than one child, consider having them sign or initial their art prior to photographing it. Otherwise, you may find it hard to differentiate between artists' work in 20 years.
 
Start now. Make plans to photograph the artwork around your house and begin your own artwork workflow.


 
Camera and Lens Settings
28mm  f/5.6  1/10s
ISO 100
5565 x 6723px
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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 4/22/2016 10:45:51 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From Canon:

TOKYO, April 22, 2016 — Canon Inc. announced today that 231 of the Company's offices and operating sites across 26 countries and regions participated in Earth Hour 2016, which was held in each locale from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. (local time) on March 19.

Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that began in 2007. The event encourages individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a statement to stop global warming and protect the global environment.

Across various locations, Canon Group companies turned off lights at offices and operating sites as well as neon signs. This year's event started in Oceania, which is closest to the International Date Line, and moved around the world through Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. In addition to Earth Hour, various regions carried out their own energy-saving activities. A dedicated page within the Canon Global website provides an overview of the Company's global Earth Hour 2016 activities.

Through technological innovation and improved management efficiency, Canon aims to realize its "Action for Green" environmental vision: a society that promotes both enriched lifestyles and the global environment. Canon strives to reduce the environmental burden throughout the entire product lifecycle — Produce, Use, Recycle — thereby creating environmental frontrunner products.

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Posted to: Canon News   
Post Date: 4/22/2016 9:37:10 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

B&H has the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens in stock with free expedited shipping*.

* Any orders placed now at B&H will be processed after they reopen at 10am on Sun May 1.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Preorders
Post Date: 4/22/2016 8:19:53 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

From the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom YouTube Channel:

Lightroom tips and tricks in 60 seconds or less from longtime Lightroom team member Benjamin Warde.

The Creative Cloud Photography Plan (Photoshop CC & Lightroom CC) is an excellent value at only $9.99/month.

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Post Date: 4/22/2016 6:55:28 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
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