Canon and Sony News for Nov 2017 (Page 2)
Just posted: Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens Review.
Professional and serious amateur photographers have another must-have lens to add to their list.
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens is (momentarily) in stock at Adorama and available for preorder at B&H | Amazon | WEX
A huge number of hours goes into creating a review such as this one. Please extend the value by sharing it with others! Thanks!
A baby animal photo elicits an "Awwwww" response more frequently than perhaps any other subject.
And for a good reason of course – baby animals are just sooooo cute.
I find whitetailed deer fawns to be among the cutest baby animals and when a tame fawn became a photo opportunity, I of course made full use of it.
While tame is extremely helpful for photographing a wildlife subject, tame does not mean that subject is easy to photograph.
Unless feeding, fawns are mostly in constant motion.
That is, until they lay down.
Newborn fawns spend a significant amount of time lying down, but finding them doing so can be very challenging as they usually pick a hidden location.
That means getting a clear photograph of them in this position remains challenging.
Fortunately, this particular location choice gave me a window of opportunity.
My lens choice was the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens.
The reason I chose this lens, aside from its excellent overall performance, was for the focal length range combined with the wide aperture.
The fawn was in dark woods (heavy tree canopy) and there were plenty of obstructions that I needed to be in front of.
Having the focal length range gave me the ability to adjust framing as desired, allowing me to fit the entire fawn in the frame, while keeping the obscuring brush behind me.
The f/4 aperture is the widest available in a zoom lens of this range and I made full use of that feature on this day.
The fawn was still moving its head enough to warrant the 1/400 sec. shutter speed and a proper exposure at f/4 needed ISO 5000.
When the right opportunity occurs, it only takes a short period of time with the right subject to get a card full of great images.
When that happens, I become challenged to select one or a few favorites to share.
And, that was the case with this fawn.
I finally decided to share this one because I liked the overall body position and because the eye is so prominent.
Hopefully, the adorable little fawn invoked an "Awwww" from you.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.
ISO 5000
8540 x 5694px
Macphun/Skylum Luminar 2018 v.1.0.1 has been released with the following changes:
Luminar 2018 version 1.0.1 for MAC:
- Fixed crash on saving to .PSD format
- Fixed bug when Adobe Photoshop Elements is unavailable.
- Fixed bug with Luminosity Mask preview on filter
- Fixed "Image Cannot be saved” issue with Adobe Lightroom
- Fixed RAW Develop\Develop issue when converting Panasonic files
- Added support for more Adobe Photoshop plugins, including Topaz Labs plugins
- Improved RAW processing on opening file
- Improved Windows preset preview
- Improved accuracy of the filter collapse/expand triangle control
- Improved application and Batch processing UI
- Fixed RAW Develop/Develop issue with DNG files
- Plus other performance improvements and fixes to the reported issues.
Luminar 2018 version 1.0.1 for Windows:
- Workspaces
- Luminosity Mask
- Image Resize & Sharpen on Export
- Improved Hotkeys support
- Improved RAW opening & processing
- RAW support for more cameras, including Nikon D850
- Fixed bug when launching Photoshop with a blank image
- PLUS; Improved performance and fixes for a number of reported bugs, including the fixed issue with LowRes image preview on layers with masks; Fixed progress bar for opening images.
Through November 29, use promo code THEDIGITALPICTURE at Macphun/Skylum to save $10.00 on the already discounted Black Friday pricing for new or upgrade purchases of Luminar 2018 and Aurora HDR 2018.
Just posted: Gitzo GM4562 Series 4 Carbon Fiber Monopod Review.
The GM4562 is currently my daily-use monopod.
The Gitzo GM4562 Series 4 Carbon Fiber Monopod is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX
PhotoBulk Lite is a stripped down version of Eltima Software's PhotoBulk 2 which allows you to create your own unique watermark with a variety of settings: choose Font, Style, adjust the Opacity and the Color of the text. Also, you can control angle and position of your logo in the live-preview box.
This app can be especially handy if all you want to do is add "PROOF" to the middle of your photo previews. You can download PhotoBulk Lite on the Apple Mac App Store.
For more advanced watermarking, PhotoBulk 2 is likely worth its $9.99 price.
From the Adobe Photoshop YouTube Channel:
Discover how to use the Fill command in Photoshop CC. Quickly fill areas in an image with color, patterns, history, and the content aware technology to remove distracting elements in an image.
B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.
It is highly likely that you will be doing some Christmas shopping over the next month or so and that is a great opportunity to support us at no additional cost to you. This site is here for you, it is up to you to keep us funded to continue working for you and your support is needed right now.
Simply use one of the many retailer links on this site immediately prior to purchasing anything from that retailer and in turn, we receive the support needed to serve you. Other options, including direct one-time and monthly donations are available on our support page.
Note that, if you see what looks like a deal at a local store, that deal is likely also available at one of the online retailers we work with. Unless you prefer driving in traffic and waiting in lines, you will likely find the online experience with the primary retailers we recommend to be a much better option. Spend that extra time photographing.
Along with purchasing items to use personally over the holidays or to gift to someone else, this is a good time to consider renting something fun to capture your holidays with. Renting from LensRentals.com is another win-win for you and TDP.
We are grateful for your support and love serving you!
Just posted: Breakthrough Photography X4 Dark Circular Polarizer Filter Review.
Looking for a gift for a photographer? It is very likely that this filter would be both a useful and a unique piece of kit for them.
The Breakthrough Photography X4 Dark Circular Polarizer Filter is in short supply right now with some sizes in stock at Breakthrough Photography.
From the Canon Digital Learning Center:
by Liza GershmanRead the entire article on the Canon Digital Learning Center.On a professional commercial or editorial shoot, food stylists prepare food to make it look “real,” or better than real, which requires quite a few tricks. Setting the scene and telling a story is also the job of the stylist team, and once that has been created then the photographer and photo assistant handle the lighting, composition, and framing. If you are photographing for a blog, magazine, or cookbook, working with a great food stylist isn’t always possible, but using these helpful tips when photographing food will enhance your imagery.
Think of the food before you even begin to photograph and plan the steps that it takes to create a successful food image.
Ask yourself, what is the size, shape, height and dimension of the food? What makes the subject special or unique?
Image quality test results have been added to the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens page.
I've been anxiously awaiting these results. Check them out and let us know what you think!
Here is an 85mm lens image quality comparison to get you started.
I think I might know what you want under the Christmas tree this year. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens is available for preorder at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX
Standard product images, ideal for visually comparing lenses, along with some on-camera images have been added to the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens page.
Here are some comparisons you might be interested in:
Current Canon 85mm Lenses
Canon 85mm f/1.4 between the equivalent Nikon and Sony lenses
Canon 85mm f/1.4 between the Sigma and Tamron options
Canon 85mm f/1.4 between the Zeiss Otus and Milvus
Did I miss a comparison you wanted to see? Click on any of the above links and build your own.
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens is available for preorder at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX.
Of course, if you preordered this lens early, you are probably out using it right now and will already know how this lens sizes up. I expect to have the 85 f/1.4L IS image quality results available tomorrow morning.
Canon has filed a patent for a camera "...employing a viewfinder device allowing [for] switching between an optical viewfinder (OVF) and an electronic viewfinder (EVF)."
Want the benefits of both an optical an electronic viewfinder? Canon may already have your camera in development. We reported on another hybrid viewfinder patent last year, so this technology may show up in a consumer product sooner rather than later (if at all, of course).
Patent Details
- Publication number: 2017-146322
- Date of publication: 24.08.2017
- Application number: 2016-025399
- Date of filing: 15.02.2016
- Applicant: CANON INC
- Inventor: KARASAWA AKIRA
Today, Sony Japan issued an apology to consumers for expected delays in its a7R III availability due to orders "exceeding expectations." According to the notice, preorders will be shipped in the order they are received by "early December."
B&H has the Sony a7R III available for preorder.
From Nikon USA:
For the Second Time, Nikon Names Michigan America’s Best Destination for Fall Foliage
November 16, 2017 – MELVILLE, NY – Today, Nikon announced Michigan (#NikonFallMI) as the top spot for capturing stunning images of beautiful fall foliage through the brand’s annual campaign. Now in its third year, the Top Spots for Fall Foliage campaign encourages and inspires participants to share their vibrant, colorful and unique fall images from their respective states to take home bragging rights as America’s best destination for autumn photography.
This year, Nikon received nearly 10,000 entries from participants coast to coast, showcasing beautiful autumn landscapes. Images included vividly colored leaves scattered across a calm eastern lake and vibrant forests of the west. The results are tabulated by the number of entries from a given state, which Nikon received through the brand’s Facebook channel and designated campaign hashtags on Instagram and Twitter.
“After an overwhelming response to our previous campaigns, we have made it our mission to encourage participants all over the country to get outside and capture all the beauty that this time of year has to offer,” said Lisa Baxt, Associate General Manager of Communications, Nikon Inc. “The vibrant colors of fall offer photographers of all levels an opportunity to capture this season’s magnificence.”
Michigan earned top honors for the second year, with more than 1,240 gorgeous photos submitted across social media. Notable images showcased gorgeous photos of the Great Lakes surrounded by warm tones, wildlife, and serene landscapes blanketed with vibrant foliage. Michigan took top honors for 2017 by beating former champion New York by more than 160 entries, while third place honors went to Colorado with 600 entries.
To view all of this year’s submissions on Instagram and Twitter, search the hashtag #NikonFall followed by the state’s abbreviation (e.g. #NikonFallMI). On Facebook visit www.facebook.com/NikonUSA to view the fall foliage submissions. For tips on photographing fantastic seasonal landscapes, check out Nikon’s Learn and Explore website.
Adobe recently released Lightroom Downloader, a Windows 10 & macOS v10.13 application that allows you to download all synced Lightroom photos to a folder on your hard drive.
Notes (from Adobe):
- The app downloads all your Lightroom photos and videos from the cloud as original files and writes them into a date-based folder hierarchy at the hard-drive location that you specify.
- The edits made to the raw images are written into the XMP sidecar files that accompany the downloaded raw files.
- For the photos originally uploaded from the Lightroom Classic CC desktop app that only have a Smart Preview synced to the cloud, the app downloads DNG Smart Previews only for such photos.
Download: Lightroom Downloader
B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.
 "Share on Pinterest!"){kind=small}
 |
|