Canon and Sony News for Jun 2016 (Page 2)
From Cactus:
Go high-speed sync! Cactus launches the V6 II, a newest version of its popular Wireless Flash Transceiver to add cross-brand HSS and the V6 IIs, a dedicated Sony version.
Hong Kong, June Hong Kong, June 24, 2016 – After two years in the making, Cactus V6 II & IIs - the second generation of the World’s First cross-brand wireless flash transceiver, NOW supports high-speed synchronisation (HSS)! Besides the revolutionary remote power control of Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax flashes all at the same time, the new models now support HSS / FP mode in the same cross-brand environment.1 This unique function gives photographers flexibility undreamed of. Matching flashes with same camera system for off-camera flash photography is over.
Two High-Speed Sync Modes
- 1. Normal HSS: Supports shutter speed up to 1/8000s.
- 2. Power Sync: Boosts flash contribution above camera’s x-sync speed, perfect
- for extreme conditions where Normal HSS is not powerful enough.
AF-assist
Both the V6 II and IIs now has an automatic LED AF-assist light that makes autofocusing in dark environments possible – even in pitched-black! Besides the cameramounted V6 II/IIs, off-camera units will also activate the AF-assist light, which helps focusing even when camera is far from the subject.
V6 IIs for Sony
The dedicated Sony version – V6 IIs, embodies all the desirable functions of its sibling V6 II but with a Sony compatible hot shoe on the transceiver body, ensuring a seamless and secured connection with Sony cameras and flashes. Mounting the V6 IIs on a Sony Alpha camera allows the photographer to shoot above camera’s maximum x-sync speed and control power and zoom of Sony, including those with a Minolta/Sony hot shoe via an adapter, and other V6 II compatible flashes. 4 It is the perfect wireless flash trigger for existing and new users of Sony Alpha cameras, especially those who may still have non-Sony system flashes in their camera bags.
Highly Intelligent
V6 II and IIs can now auto-detect the on-camera portable flashes at device start-up by selecting the system the flash belongs to and assigning an Auto flash profile.
Similarly, the V6 II will auto-detect the camera and selects the system accordingly. This simple plug-and-play makes the setting up extremely quick and easy that both amateurs and professionals appreciate.
Expands Flash Compatibility
Remote zoom control now applies to all compatible TTL flashes, gives the photographer much quicker controls. Better still, previously unsupported digital TTL flash models on the V6 are now being supported.
Features at a Glance
- Cross-brand wireless manual power and zoom control with HSS support of Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax and Sony flashes;
- Two cross-brand high-speed sync modes:
- Normal HSS supports shutter speeds up to 1/8000s;
- Power Sync boosts flash contribution above camera’s Power Sync x-sync speed;
- Multi-master supports up to 20 photographers firing the same set of flashes at their own power settings;
- AF-assist light assist light assist light assists focusing in low light environment;
- Flash profile customization ensures accurate power Flash profile customization output;
- Work seamlessly with the RF60 series to support HSS Work seamlessly with the RF60 series and Power Sync;
- Other useful features inherited from the V6 useful features inherited from the V6 useful features inherited from the V6 including:
- Low Power
- Absolute Power
- TTL Pass-through
- Group Sequence
- Sport Shutter
- Remote Shutter
- Relay Mode
- Delay Mode
- Firmware Update support
Cactus V6 II and IIs are currently scheduled to be available in 2016 July and August respectively and both are priced at US$95.00 (ex VAT).
B&H carries the original Cactus V6 Flash Transceivers.
B&H has uploaded additional Optic 2016 event presentations to YouTube. Below is a list of the presentations availalbe.
Newly Available Presentations
- Photographing the Brown Bears of Alaska with David Cardinal (above)
- Walk on the Wild Side - Adventure and Wildlife Photography with Ron Magill
- Night Visions of National Parks
- Small, Medium, Large with Katrin Eismann
- Dance Photography in the Streets with Omar Z Robles
- Photography as a Conservation Tool with Ron Magill
- Capturing Culture with Erika Larsen
- Travel Light - Take Great Pictures with Katrin Eismann
- Traveling Light with Mirrorless with Krista Rossow
Previously Posted Presentations
- Photography After Dark with Roman Kurywczak
- Capturing the World as You See It, and Using Visual Narrative to Tell Your Story
- Advanced Travel Photography with Brenda Tharp
- Essentials of Creative Composition in Landscape Photography with Robert Rodriguez Jr.
- Africa - the Ultimate Photo Safari with Ron Magill
- Photographing the Brown Bears of Alaska with David Cardinal
- Wildlife Photography in the Digital Age with Ralph Lee Hopkins
- Transforming Central Park with Sara Cedar Miller
- A Paradigm Shift in the World of Bird Photography
- How to Think Like an Editor with Krista Rossow
- Insight into Two Generations of Master Artists with John Paul and Paul Caponigro
- Seeing Beyond Traditional Travel Images with Ira Block
- Photographing Whales and Marine Life with Flip Nicklin
- Somewhere over the Chromatic Rainbow with Vincent Versace
- Black and White Mastery with John Paul Caponigro
Want to know more about DLSR infrared conversions? Look no further!
I've had my LifePixel IR-converted EOS 7D for about 8 months now and I've used it substantially over that time. An IR-converted camera has been an inspiring tool to have at-hand, and I've been able to create intriguing imagery that I never would have been able to create otherwise.
Check out our Infrared Camera Conversion by LifePixel Review for an overview of IR photography and how LifePixel can help you create unique imagery. [Sean]
The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is an amazing camera, but I continue to use the Canon EOS 5Ds R a considerable percentage of the time. The primary benefit of the 5Ds R is its incredibly high resolution. Lighter weight, especially without the battery grip installed, is another advantage.
When planning my fawn photography trip to Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, I expected the higher resolution to be my preference and packed a pair of 5Ds R bodies along with many spare batteries. I also packed the 1D X Mark II, with expectations for this camera being more for additional in-the-field experience in support of the currently published review.
The Big Meadows meadow is thick with vegetation. Thick patches of thigh-high briars are found throughout and grass covers much of the balance of the meadow area. The grass is not exceptionally thick, but it sends stems and seed heads up rather high and there are few openings void of the tall grass.
While somewhat attractive, these seed heads create problem. The fawns are short – shorter than the grasses. While the fawn may be easily visible, a very high percentage of my fawn photos include a grass across an eye or blocking enough of the fawn's face to detract significantly from the image. With the sun at my back, the ideal lighting for wildlife photography, the grasses created shadows directly on the fawns and the shadows were just as detracting as the grasses themselves, creating double trouble. With careful timing, images could be captured when the fawn passes between the grasses. That is if the fawn was moving slowly and if the wind wasn't blowing.
The problem was that the fawns were seldom still or moving slowly and the grasses move in even the lightest wind, making accurate timing nearly impossible and even challenging with the fawn standing still. Compounding the problem was that grasses close to the camera were not so visible in the viewfinder, but they still contributed to a noticeable contrast reduction in the image. There are a lot of things to concentrate on when photographing a randomly moving animal (focus point selection to mention one) without having to keep track of blowing grasses and their shadows. Shooting from a higher position than ideal (ideal being level with the subject) was often helpful in getting above some of the grasses, but ... the 1D X Mark II's fast frame rate delivered a much greater number of keeper images than the 5Ds R was capturing.
Capturing images at 14 fps, there was often the right combination of body and grass positions in at least one of the frames from a burst. Or, subsequent frames captured so quickly could potentially allow portions of one image to be composited with the other, such as for removing an offending blade of grass.
I'm not sure if this fawn was playing or experimenting with a new food, but it was adorable for sure. I held the shutter release down for the short period of time it was holding the branch in its mouth. While I captured well over a dozen images, only one image gave me a clear view of the fawn's head.
Grass was my #1 nemesis in Big Meadows and was responsible for the delete button being pressed on thousands of images, but the 1D X II ensured that there were plenty of great shots remaining in the keeper folder.
Overall, the success of my three days in Shenandoah National Park was largely due to the 1D X II's capabilities. Even when the grass interfered visually, I was impressed at how adept the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II was at focusing on the fawn. Foreground obstructions are notorious for grabbing AF's attention, but very frequently the 1D X II figured out that the fawn was the real subject and remained locked onto it.
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. If you find these tips useful, please share them in your circle of friends!
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Just posted: Droll Yankee B72 Executive Wild Bird Feeder Review.
This feeder has been bear-tested.
Amazon has the Droll Yankee B72 Executive Wild Bird Feeder in stock.
The Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, PA has been on my to-photograph list for a long time and earlier this year, I was technically able to check this attraction off of my list (I decided to keep it on the list for images from a different angle).
Having not been to this location before (aside from driving across the bridge), I needed some daylight time to scout for the evening's photos. I knew the basics of the area based on my research, but onsite finalization of the plan is usually needed. Even though very far from the bay and roughly 90mi (150km) from the Atlantic Ocean, this location on the Delaware River is tidal. I knew that there was a tide and that the tide would be going out during my shooting time (incoming tides require more concern). What I didn't know was the significance of the water level change. My scouting determined that locations close to the early evening water appeared best and I had lots of flowing water in the foreground for the image I envisioned.
As prime time approached, I watched the water level rapidly decrease a significant amount until my side of the river became nearly empty. There was nothing I could do about the situation and I was not about to attempt walking out into the quicksand-like muck. As photographers must always be ready to do, I embraced what I had to work with. The good news is that, as the water level dropped far enough, I had wet mud and pools of water that nicely reflected the bridge and city, creating a look that I may like even better than the image I had visualized.
On a good day, Philadelphia is an over-3-hour drive for me. The ideal time of the day to photograph the city lights with at least a little color in the sky is only a small fraction of that time duration. Life is busy and when it comes to good images, more is rarely worse than less. If you are a professional photographer, you count on your images for your income. If your primary income is not generated by photography, you probably cannot spend as must time in the field as you wish. To maximize your image volume relative to effort expended, perhaps close to a doubling effect, run two complete camera setups.
If you read my Canon EOS 80D review, you saw an image showing one angle of the Ben Franklin bridge. With a very short period of time to capture images and each image taking approximately a minute to capture (a 15-30-second exposure followed immediately by a same-length long exposure noise reduction process), having at least a second complete camera and tripod setup nearly doubled my images for this evening. While the 80D and Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS USM came out of the MindShift Gear BackLight 26L later in the evening, I mostly used the 5Ds R and EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II on a Gitzo GT3542LS with an Arca-Swiss Z1, set up close to the bridge.
About 100' (33m) to the north, I had another 5Ds R mounted to an EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens on an Gitzo GT1542T Traveler with an Acratech GP-s Ball Head as my second primary camera and lens combination.
I very frequently utilize a pair of cameras when shooting landscapes and cityscapes before sunrise, after sunset or even when working with strong neutral density filters under bright sunlight. The process is simple. I find a unique composition for each camera. Upon finishing one camera's setup and triggering the shutter release, I run to the other camera (well, I sort-of ran and stumbled over the big rocks in this case) and did the same. By the time I return to the first camera, it is usually finished or nearly finished with its processing. I quickly evaluate the image captured, make any adjustments I feel are warranted and repeat the process.
If running two camera setups not immediately within reach, safety for the gear must be considered. I wouldn't call the area below the Camden, NJ side of the Ben Franklin Bridge the safest I've been in. It was dark, there were no other people around and I kept a very close eye on the second camera setup, watching for anyone sketchy approaching. Having the cameras setup this far apart gave me very different perspectives of the bridge and city vs. simply different framing of the same perspective. The 5Ds R would permit strong cropping to achieve a similar framing adjustment, so I wanted something completely different from the second camera.
With so many images that I like captured that evening, I struggled to pick out one to share (part of the problem of having perfectionist tendencies). Three months later, I forced myself to pick one. This was it. Hope you like it and hope even more that you can increase the number of great images that you capture.
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.
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From Reuters:
Canon Inc. Chief Executive Fujio Mitarai said on Friday he was "very dismayed" by Britain's shock decision to leave the European Union, saying the move hurt Japan's economic growth prospects."In Japan, while we can expect to see a temporary surge in the value of the yen, the U.K.'s decision could also bring a halt to the economic recovery that had been underway," Mitarai, head of the camera and printer maker, said in a statement.
"We look to the Japanese government to implement strong monetary measures."
Europe accounted for 28 percent of Canon's sales in 2015, although it does not provide details by country.
(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
The Tamron TAP-in Console User's Manual (PDF) is now available for download.
The TAP-in Console allows lens owners to update lens firmware and adjust settings of compatible Tamron lenses.
Compatible Lenses
- SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD
- SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD
- SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD
- SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD
B&H carries the Tamron TAP-in Console.
From Nikon:
TOKYO - Nikon Corporation announced delays in the release of new digital cameras and the effects of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes in a press release dated April 20, 2016. The following is an update on the release of the new COOLPIX A900 and B700 compact digital cameras (announced on February 23, 2016).
On April 20, we announced that release of the COOLPIX A900 and B700 would be delayed until July as more time was required for software adjustment. However, due to the effects of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, release of these cameras is now scheduled for October 2016.
We sincerely apologize to our customers, business partners, and all those who have expressed interest in these models for the delays.
B&H has the Nikon COOLPIX A900 and B700 available for preorder.
From Nikon:
Changes from Version 2.23.0 to 2.23.1
Added support for D5 firmware C version 1.10, including the following features:
- Dynamic-area AF (9 points)
- Electronic VR
- Flicker reduction
- Movies with files sizes over 4 GB
Download: Camera Control Pro 2 v.2.23.1
From Photoshelter:
Get tips from photographers and folks in the industry to grow your fine art sales and get more eyeballs on your work! We’ve teamed up with WhiteWall photo lab to assemble inspiring interviews with photographers, gallery directors, and curators -- all with helpful ideas to consider when trying to increase your sales. Download your copy today!
From Sigma:
Thank you for purchasing and using our products.
We would like to announce the update in the lens firmware of the SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art Canon and SIGMA 24-35mm F2 DG HSM | Art Canon on the SIGMA Optimization Pro.
The latest firmware update makes it fully functional with the Canon Digital Cinema Camera EOS C300 Mark II.
For those customers who own the following products, please update the firmware of the lens via the SIGMA Optimization Pro.
[Applicable products]
SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art– Canon mount
SIGMA 24-35mm F2 DG HSM | Art– Canon mount
[Benefit of this firmware update]
- It becomes fully functional with the Canon Digital Cinema Camera EOS C300 Mark II.
- For SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art Canon, this lens firmware update also corrects the phenomenon that the images show some underexposure when "Evaluative Metering" or "Center-weighted Average Metering" is selected on Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.
Please be sure to update SIGMA Optimization Pro to the latest version before upgrading the lens's firmware.
You can download the latest version of the software from the following page:
http://www.sigma-global.com/download/
We appreciate your consistent support for our company and products.
B&H carries the Sigma USB Dock.
From Sigma:
Thank you for purchasing and using our products.
We would like to announce the availability of new firmware and support for the applicable lenses regarding the phenomenon that exposure of the image may not be accurate, which was announced on May 27th, 2016. This happens when some SIGMA interchangeable lenses for CANON are used on Canon EOS-1DX Mark II.
If you own the following applicable products, please refer to the information below and update the lens firmware accordingly.
[Benefit of this firmware update]
The lens firmware update corrects the phenomenon of some underexposure when the lenses listed below are used and either “Evaluative Metering” or “Center-weighted Average Metering” is selected in Metering Mode of the camera.
[Applicable products]
SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art – Canon mount
SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art – Canon mount
SIGMA 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM – Canon mount
For customers who own the applicable products listed above, the lens firmware update will be provided free of charge. Please contact your nearest authorized subsidiary/distributors of SIGMA.
For customers who own the SIGMA USB DOCK, and either the SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art Canon or the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art Canon, please update the lens firmware using SIGMA Optimization Pro.
We appreciate your continued support for our company and products.
B&H carries the Sigma USB Dock.
From the Phlearn YouTube Channel:
In today’s episode, we give you the gift of facial hair! Whether for fun or for professional retouching, creating hair can always come in handy.
Creating a custom brush: Step One
The first and possibly most important step is to make one single hair with the brush tool. This hair should be as perfect as possible and match the other hairs on the face, because it will become the custom brush. If you want to create stubble, simply make the brush a little smaller to resemble a single spot of stubble.
Create a white background around the hair by using the marquee tool. Then, after selecting the boxed hair, go to Edit - Define Brush Preset. After it is saved, you can open it in the brushes panel.
Creating a custom brush: Step Two
Spend time playing around in the brush menu! Many little adjustments add up to an amazingly realistic look. Make changes such as increasing the angle jitter, roundness jitter, scattering, opacity, spacing, etc.
A Hairier Face
When you are satisfied with your custom brush, it’s time to paint! All you have to do is paint on the face where you want the hair to be.
Remember: hair is not always the same color, so a good mixture of lights and darks is important when making realistic facial hair. Hold ALT/OPT and sample multiple colors as you go. You can also paint with white to create some highlights.
B&H carries the Adobe Photography Plan Subscription Cards.
B&H has Canon's new Video Creator Kits available for preorder.
Note: There's apparantly no discount realized by buying the items combined rather than separately. In fact, as these kits don't seem to qualify for rebates right now, you're actually better off buying the individual components rather than the kit and save $200.00 in the process.
EOS 80D Video Creator Kit Components
- Canon EOS 80D with EF-S 18-135 IS USM
- Canon PZ-E1 Power Zoom Adapter
- Rode VideoMic GO Lightweight On-Camera Microphone
EOS M3 Video Creator Kit Components
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