Canon and Sony News for Jul 2016 (Page 3)

According to the Egami Blog, Tamron has patented the optical design for an SP 60mm f/2.8 Di VC USD.

Patent Details

• Patent Publication No. 2016-126086
• Published 2016.7.11
• Submitted 2014.12.26
• Focus distance 61.79 61.21 56.74
• F-number 2.88 2.92 3.16
• Field of View 38.58 38.03 34.57
• Inner focus
• Anti-vibration (the second group)

Is this pro-grade full-frame superzoom ready for the ultra-high resolution Canon EOS 5Ds R? Your answer to that question is now available. Image quality results from the 5Ds R have been added to the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens Review.

B&H has the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens in stock.

From PhotoPlus:

Register now for North America's largest Photography conference and expo — all taking place under one roof at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City! Take advantage of our early-bird pricing, which ends soon!

No other conference packs as much education into four days, covering everything from Mastering Lighting to Filmmaking Essentials. Among this year's highlights is a full schedule of intensives including: Photoshop with Chris Orwig; Lightroom with Jared Platt; and a Wedding Intensive with a superstar lineup.

Also don’t miss out on our annual seminar series featuring legendary photographers such as Jay Maisel, Gregory Heisler, Ami Vitale, Gerd Ludwig, Gillian Laub, Kira Pollack, Kathy Ryan, Art Streiber, Joe McNally, Cig Harvey, and Deanne Fitzmaurice. See the full list of seminars here.

As if you need another excuse to come to NYC, how about having your work reviewed by the world's best photo editors and art buyers? America's premier review event for commercial & fine art photographers is back: Registration is now open for the Official Portfolio Review, presented by the Palm Springs Photo Festival. All participants receive FREE admission to the Expo.

There’s over 100 conference Seminars, Intensives, Photo Walks, and Master Classes; the Photography Resource Center; the WPPI wedding/portrait photographers pavilion; and, of course, all of your favorite imaging brands together under one roof. Over 200 exhibitors from the industry’s top brands will feature the latest products, previews, and more. Don’t wait; many of these classes sell out fast, plus you can save by taking advantage of our early-bird pricing! What are you waiting for?

Register Here

by Sean Setters

While working with The-Digital-Picture.com has enabled me to become competent in a variety of photographic disciplines, I always find myself coming back to my first love – portraiture. The look on someone's face when they see themselves in a whole new light [pun intended] is such a joy for me.

But alas, there are some types of portraiture I'm just not that interested in pursuing. If someone wants their 2-3 year-old photographed, I will gladly refer them to someone else. Being 34 and not a father, I never acquired the patience it takes to photograph young children. For those who can create great pictures with kids of that age group, I tip my hat to you. But as for me, there are three things I look for in clients:

My ideal clients...

• must be able to follow directions.
• actually desire having their picture taken.
• are interested in creating unique and/or creative imagery.

For the longest time, high school seniors have been the group that I preferred working with most. High school seniors are young, exuberant and usually excited at the idea of standing out from the pack. And with high school graduation being such an important event in one's life, a graduate-to-be's parents are typically willing to mark the occasion with a significant photo investment. All of these factors make high school senior photography very attractive to me (as well as many others).

But it wasn't until this week that I realized another, fairly untapped market existed that also met all the criteria for my ideal client – those with online dating profiles.

We've previously promoted the importance of creating an eye-catching self-portrait for the purpose of online dating, and even the CDLC provided some self-portrait tips specifically for this purpose. But until recently it never occurred to me to mention this as an available service to potential clients.

With that in mind, let's take a look at our potential market. In 2014, census data showed that 45% of Americans over the age of 18 were unmarried. That's about 107 million Americans. Large market – check! And with a seemingly increasing number of single Americans being older and educated, my guess is that here is a lot of disposable income at stake.

From a consumer's perspective, putting your best foot forward in the form of an attractive profile picture is the easiest way to generate interest in your profile (more interest = greater odds in finding an ideal partner). Your first impression – that little profile picture – is big factor in causing potential partners to click "View More Details." And after your detailed profile has been explored, more great images can further increase interest. Let's face it – physical attraction is a part of life (thankfully!).

From a photographer's perspective, if we can help people find their soul mates while making money at the same time, everyone wins. The relatively small investment for a portrait session tailored for online dating may turn out to be the most gratifying and fulfilling investment the client ever makes.

And that brings us to Teddy. Teddy is 40 years-old, single, has a good job and has recently tried online dating. He's been on a few dates over the last couple of months and his dates always noted that he "...looked better in person than he did in his profile pictures." Armed with that feedback, Teddy hired me to take a variety of pictures to replace the iPhone snapshots he was currently using.

Being relatively new to the Savannah area, Teddy temporarily rents the third floor of a large, beautifully decorated home. With lots of interesting rooms to work with, choosing to shoot inside the common areas of the home was an easy decision. And while I packed quite a bit of gear, I ended up using only the following items:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark III
• Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
• Canon Speedlite 580EX (x2)
• Light Stands (x2)
• Umbrella Swivel
• 24" Folding Softbox with Grid
• 45" Photoflex Umbrella with Adjustable Frame
• Radio Flash Triggers
• B+W 2-stop ND filter
• X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo

Using a two-speedlite setup allowed me to easily move to different areas throughout the common areas of the home that he and his landlord share. Following are some of my favorite images from the roughly 2-hour session:

In short, the online dating market is growing because of social and cultural factors, and the proliferation of mobile devices means this market is poised to be very strong for the foreseeable future. Adding dating profile pictures to your advertised list of services will likely generate clients that are easy to work with and eager to get the most out of their session. And maybe best of all, you can help someone find a companion for life while doing something you enjoy. That's rewarding for everyone.

SANTA ROSA, CALIF. – Working in partnership with renowned wildlife photographer Moose Peterson, MindShift Gear has updated the three classic Moose Peterson backpacks. Initially designed for wildlife and safari photographers, the backpacks feature a three-compartment layout that helps protect their gear from the elements.

The Moose Pack series is available in three sizes: MP-1, MP-5 and the smallest, the MP-7. The backpacks can carry up to three DSLR camera bodies with telephoto lenses attached—up to 600mm f/4. This strategy enables photographers to be ready to capture wildlife at any distance without changing lenses or exposing the sensor to the elements. The backpacks also feature the same innovative “Moose Ear” flaps that close automatically, protecting camera gear from dust and debris common in wildlife photography. And because nature photographers often travel to remote locations, the packs are designed to meet airline carry on requirements, and even fit in the overhead compartment of the smallest regional jets.

Moose Peterson is a recognized Nikon USA Ambassador, Lexar Elite Photographer, recipient of the John Muir Conservation Award, and Research Associate with the Endangered Species Recovery Program. He also shares his knowledge through writing, being published in over 143 magazines worldwide, authoring 28 books including Photographic FUNdementals and Taking Flight and Captured, and lecturing across the country to thousands of photographers. As one of the original Nikon shooters to receive the D1 in 1999, Moose became the first wildlife photographer to shoot strictly digital.

“Moose Peterson backpacks are renowned for serving the needs of traveling photographers,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo’s CEO and lead designer. “It has been a joy collaborating with him on bringing these classic designs back to the marketplace. While their design and materials have been enhanced, the designs of all three backpacks retain Moose’s original vision.”

KEY FEATURES

• Original 1998 ‘Moose Ears’ design with auto-close compartment flaps protect the interior from dust, spray, wind, etc.
• Three compartment system allows you to keep lenses attached providing the quickest way to access gear
• Tuck-away harness system with removable waistbelt easily allows you to streamline your bag when loading it in a train, plane or automobile (MP-1 & MP-3 only)
• Sized for carry-on, allowing you to get the maximum amount of gear on the plane
• Long glass carrying solution with body attached
• Tripod/monopod mounting system on side and front
• Flap guard protects front zippers
• Highest quality RC Fuse YKK zippers, 600D and 420D nylon construction for long-lasting durability and strength
• Dual-density foam padded shoulder harness, cushioned with air mesh
• Zippered side pockets fit full-sized flashes (MP-7 only)
• Stretch water bottle pocket fits 32 oz. water bottle
• Robust zipper pulls are easily gripped with or without gloves
• Seam-sealed rain cover/drop cloth included protects against rain and dust

GEAR CAPACITY

Moose Peterson MP-7 V2.0

• Holds 1 gripped body attached to 70–200mm f/2.8 and two ungripped bodies with primes attached, two flashes and accessories
• Or, holds 1 gripped body and one ungripped body with 70–200mm f/2.8, 24–70mm f/2.8, 14–24mm f/2.8 (or 16–35mm f/2.8), a 2x teleconverter, two flashes and accessories
• Maximum lens size: 200mm f/2 attached to a gripped body

Moose Peterson MP-3 V2.0

• 3 gripped DSLRs with lenses attached, 1–2 additional lenses and 1–2 flashes and accessories
• Or, 3 gripped bodies and 1 ungripped body detached from lenses, 4–5 standard zoom lenses, 1–2 flashes, a 2x teleconverter and accessories
• Maximum lens size: Holds 600mm f/4 detached or 500mm f/4 lens attached to a gripped body

Moose Peterson MP-1 V2.0

• 3 gripped DSLRs with lenses attached,3–5 additional lenses, 2x teleconverter,1–2 flashes and accessories
• Or, 3 gripped bodies and 1 ungripped body detached from lenses, 7–8 standard zoom lenses, 1–2 flashes, a 2x teleconverter and accessories
• Maximum lens size: Holds 800mm detached

MATERIALS

Exterior: For superior water resistance, all exterior fabric has a durable water-repellant coating, plus the underside of the fabric has a polyurethane coating. The backpacks also feature highest-quality abrasion-resistant YKK RC-Fuse zippers, 420D velocity nylon, 600D polyester, 1680D ballistic nylon, 320G DuraStretch mesh, nylon webbing, 350G airmesh, nylon webbing, 3-ply bonded nylon thread.

Interior: high-density velex, 210D silver-toned nylon lining, hexa mesh pockets, high-density closed-cell foam, 3-ply bonded nylon thread.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Moose Peterson MP-7 V2.0

• External Dimensions: 15” W x 15.5” H x 8” D (38.1 x 39.4 x 20.3 cm)
• Large Camera Compartment: 5.3” W x 14” H x 6.5” D (13.5 x 35.5 x 16.5 cm)
• Small Camera Compartments (each): 5” W x 6.3” H x 6.5” D (12.5 x 16 x 16.5 cm)
• Weight: 2.5–3.3 lbs. (1.1–1.5 kg) (Lower weight excludes all dividers and accessories)

Moose Peterson MP-3 V2.0

• External Dimensions: 14” W x 20” H x 8” D (35.5 x 50.8 x 20.3 c m)
• Large Camera Compartment: 6.8” W x 18” H x 6.8” D (17.3 x 46 x 17.3 cm)
• Small Camera Compartments (each): 6” W x 8.5” H x 6.8” D (15 x 21.5 x 17.3 cm)
• Weight: 3.2–4.6 lbs. (1.5–2.1 kg) (Lower weight excludes all dividers and accessories)

Moose Peterson MP-1 V2.0

• External Dimensions: 14” W x 23” H x 8” D (35.5 x 58.4 x 20.3 c m)
• Large Camera Compartment: 6.8” W x 21.8” H x 6.8” D (17.3 x 55. 4 x 17.3 cm)
• Small Camera Compartments (each): 6” W x 10” H x 6.75” D (15 x 25 x 17 cm)
• Weight: 3.7–5.1 lbs. (1.7–2.3 kg) (Lower weight excludes all dividers and accessories)

MindShift Gear carries the Moose Peterson Backpack Series.

From Canon USA:

MELVILLE, N.Y., July 14, 2016 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced its new Canon Connect Station mobile application for the Canon Connect Station CS100 device. This application makes it easy to view, transfer, upload and share cherished photos from a compatible smartphone or tablet.

The new Canon Connect Station mobile application makes it easy to connect to the Canon Connect Station CS100 device from a compatible smartphone or tablet. Users simply connect to the same wireless network and open up the Canon Connect Station mobile application to start browsing, uploading, and downloading images. Users can also "drag and drop" images from their computer or select multiple images at a time from a compatible smartphone or tablet to the Canon Connect Station CS100 device. The application can save over 1,000 images at one time and easily identifies previously saved and stored photos, helping to eliminate duplicates stored on the Canon Connect Station CS100 device. The application also now makes it easy to save single images, or entire albums, stored on a Canon Connect CS100 device to a compatible mobile device. Additionally, users will be able to edit album names and add comments using the mobile application that can be saved to the Canon Connect Station CS100 device.

The Canon Connect Station CS100 device is a go-to-photo and video hub that provides a place for family members to share, store, manage and view unforgettable memorable moments. The Canon Connect Station CS100 device offers up to 1 TB of wirelessly accessible storage with the capacity to store approximately 150,000 photos or approximately 70 hours of video content. Photos can be transferred from a compatible smartphone or tablet to the Canon Connect Station CS100 with the new mobile application; or photos and videos can be transferred to the device by tapping an NFC-equipped Canon camera or camcorder, in addition to using the available SD/CF card slots and USB connection. Once loaded onto the Canon Connect Station CS100 device, photos and videos are automatically organized by date or shooting device, and can be quickly accessed and enjoyed. Photos and videos from the Canon Connect Station CS100 device can be played on an HDTV via an HDMI cable, or printed wirelessly to a compatible Canon wireless printer such as the PIXMA MG7720, allowing families to relive special memories together or wirelessly share photos and video with family members who may be in different locations between two Canon Connect Station CS100 devices.

The new Canon Connect Station Mobile Application is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For more information about the Canon Connect Station CS100 Mobile Application please go to: usa.canon.com/cs100mobile

For a limited time, the Canon Connect Station CS100 device will be available for $99.99 with the purchase of an eligible Canon camera or camcorder such as the Canon EOS Rebel T6i or Canon VIXIA HF R70. For more information, visit: usa.canon.com/cs100mobile

B&H carries the Canon Connect Station CS100.

As I work my way through a trio of Samyang (Rokinon, Bower, etc.) lens reviews, I have finished the product images and thought I would share the eye candy with you. Find them on the pending review pages:

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens
Samyang 16mm f/2 ED AS UMC CS Lens
Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC Lens

These lenses are available for comparison in the Product Image Comparison Tool. That link includes all 3 of these lenses. Here is another comparison you may find interesting (Nikon equivalent).

The sharp-eyed among you have noticed that the Samyang 16 is mounted on a Canon EOS 5Ds R in some of its product pics. You are right, this lens is not full-frame compatible. But, it mounts just fine and ... I didn't have an APS-C body available to me while photographing this lens. Visualize the camera as the similarly-sized 7D Mark II. :)

B&H carries Samyang Lenses.

From the B&H YouTube Channel:

Would you like to learn to better understand how to approach your photos and achieve the best results using the Develop module in Lightroom? If so, you won't want to miss this presentation by Tim Grey. You'll gain insights into a workflow for optimizing your photos that focuses on the photo itself, to help you achieve your vision for each image.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From Photoshelter:

Get contact information from 100+ fashion publications!

Getting published in a fashion magazine is extremely rewarding, but it’s no easy task, especially when just starting out.

That’s why we teamed up with PhotoShelter member and acclaimed fashion photographer Lindsay Adler for Get Published! 2, a resource to help you pitch the right publications and connect with the right people.

Inside, get a rundown of over 100 fashion publications, complete with up-to-date contact information for photo editors, art directors, direct submission links and more.

The first tip, of course, is the most important: Always make sure your images fit the submission criteria and focus on pitching the publications your style feels most in sync with.

Now go get published!

Get the Free Guide

From Nikon:

Changes from Firmware Version 1.0 to 1.1

• Fixed an issue that resulted in the camera interfering with nearby radios and other devices, possibly producing audible noise, when connected to the EH-73P/EH-73PCH charging AC adapter via USB with the battery inserted and the power off. This issue does not occur when the EH-71P/EH-71PCH charging AC adapter is used.

Download: Nikon COOLPIX S33 Firmware v.1.1

B&H carries the Nikon COOLPIX S33 Digital Camera.

From the Canon Professional Network:

Top wildlife photographer Thorsten Milse recently took a trip to Madagascar to capture the beauty of the island's nature and many of its endemic species with the new EOS-1D X Mark II DSLR. In an exclusive interview he spoke to CPN writer Steve Fairclough to reveal how the camera performed for him in the field...

B&H carries the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.

According to the Samyang Facebook page, the Korean manufacturer is poised to debut five different lenses over the next five weeks.

From the Samyang Facebook page:

"In this Summer, the five Samyang Blockbuster series will blow your mind away!

5 NEW Samyang Lenses will be released on every Monday for the next five weeks."

B&H carries Samyang Lenses.

From the Adobe Lightroom Journal:

Two big updates for Lightroom for mobile are now available for download: Lightroom for iOS 2.4 and Lightroom for Android 2.1.

Lightroom for iOS 2.4

In version 2.4, two major improvements have been added: a raw technology preview and the addition of local adjustment tools. In addition to these major improvements, we’ve also added the ability to use keyboard shortcuts with physical keyboards connected to iPads, the ability to add your copyright to all imported photos, functionality to turn on lens profiles (if your camera and lens combination are supported), as well as the usual bug fixes and improvements.

Raw Technology Preview

We’re sure it’s happened to you before: you’re out taking photos (in raw of course) and you capture a real stunner that you can’t wait to share with the world. Until now, you had to either transfer a JPEG version of the file over or you had to wait until you got back to your desktop or laptop. With the raw technology preview, you’ll be able to import raw photos immediately to either your iPhone or iPad, edit them, and then share them, anywhere you’ve got a connection. Our goal with Lightroom for mobile is to make it an indispensable part of your photography workflow, providing the tools that you’re familiar with and the quality you expect in a product that can be with you, no matter when inspiration strikes. With this technology preview, we want to push the boundaries of how photographers around the world work with their mobile devices.

You get all of the benefits of raw, such as the ability to change the white balance, being able to recover blown out highlights, access to the full range of color information, as well as editing an uncompressed file, all using the exact same technology that powers Lightroom on your desktop. An added benefit is that the raw file that you’ve imported into Lightroom for iOS will be synced with Lightroom on your other devices, such as Lightroom for desktop or Lightroom on the web, along with any of the edits, star ratings, or flags that you added.

Lightroom for mobile supports all of the same raw files that Lightroom for desktop as well as Adobe Camera Raw support, with the full list available here.

To transfer photos to your mobile device, you need to use either the camera connection kit or the lightning to SD or USB kits from Apple to transfer your raw files over to your device, which will bring up the Import tab within the iOS Photos app. Importing the files will add them into your camera roll, where you can then access and load in any raw file directly into Lightroom mobile. It’s important to keep in mind that raw files are significantly larger (3-5 times larger) than JPEGs, meaning the raw files will take longer to import, upload, and take up more space on your device. Even as such, we found that the added control and quality that the raw files afforded were so useful that it outweighed the negatives.

Just as when working with raw files that were synced from Lightroom for desktop or Lightroom on the web, you’ll be able to perform raw-specific enhancements, such as changing the white balance with greater control and recovering clipped highlights, but unlike when working with raw files synced from Lightroom for desktop, you’ll have access to the full resolution file AND you can do it anywhere in the world, even from your iPhone!

We’ve run Lightroom for mobile through its paces on a number of different files, including the 50MP Canon 5DS running on an iPhone 6, proving that you really can edit nearly any photo anywhere. After playing with the app for a few months, we’ve found that it’s a really great way to take a few of your favorite images from the day (or even that you just captured), review to make sure you captured what you saw, edit, and then share them, all right away, and with all of your edits carried through the rest of the Lightroom ecosystem.

We had the pleasure of working with a number of photographers while creating the raw technology preview, take a look at how travel photographer Elia Locardi was able to put the technology to use while shooting on location in Greece.

You can read more about the images that were created for this release through an article about Elia on Adobe Create as well as on Elia’s own blog.

Linear and Radial Selections

In addition to the raw technology preview, we’ve also added in the ability to perform local adjustments with linear and radial selections, the two most requested features after raw support.

Lightroom for iOS Availability

Lightroom mobile 2.4 is available immediately for iPhone and iPad from the iOS App Store for free. Both of these improvements are available only for members with a creative cloud subscription.

Lightroom for Android 2.1

While the iOS team was working hard on the raw technology preview, the Android team doubled-down on the unique end-to-end DNG capture experience first announced in Lightroom for Android 2.0 and created a brand new capture experience. Our goal is to create the best mobile photography experience available, and with the amazing quality possible on Android devices, especially thanks to DNG raw capture, we wanted to provide all of the controls and functionality needed.

Now, the built-in camera has a new Pro mode that lets you control the shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus all manually, in a brand new interface.

You can access the camera directly using the new Lightroom Camera widget. This new widget will launch the Lightroom camera directly, making it faster for you to get in and start taking pictures.

In addition to the new built-in camera, we’ve also improved the app’s ability to export full-resolution files. If the files are available somewhere within the Lightroom ecosystem, Lightroom for Android will now download the full resolution version and enable you to export them.

You can download Lightroom for Android 2.1 here now for free.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom YouTube Channel:

See how photographer Elia Locardi captures and enhances his images while traveling the world using Lightroom for iOS.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.`

by Sean Setters

The bright, sunny days of spring, summer and fall present perfect image-making opportunities when you have an infrared converted camera in your gear bag. For me, that camera is an EOS 7D converted by LifePixel with a Super Color IR sensor.

While conventional photographic wisdom dictates that the golden hours just after sunrise and before sunset are ideal times for image-making, those with an IR camera at hand can take full advantage of midday sun to create compelling IR images. This IR benefit came in handy a couple of weeks ago.

Seeing a beautiful blue, midday sky overhead on my way to the mailbox around 1pm, I decided to head out with the IR camera to a spot I had filed in the back of my memory. It was a small parking area off of Victory Dr. on the way to Tybee Island from Savannah, GA. After arriving at the location, I photographed various scenes for about a half hour before ultimately deciding it wasn't as photogenic as I had thought (or maybe my creative skills simply weren't doing it justice on that day). With my tail between my legs, I headed home.

However, on my return trip I spotted an interesting dock area to my right on the other side of the bridge that crosses the Wilmington River. After turning off the main road, I worked my way back to the dock and found that it was a public park – W.E. Honey Park, to be exact – and the dock I had seen from the bridge was easily accessible.

I parked and attached the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM to the EOS 7D to allow for a wide range of framing opportunities from the dock. I also attached a B+W Circular Polarizer to the lens to see how it might impact the image. After several attempts to capture the bridge as seen from the dock, I turned around to photograph a small river winding its way through the marsh with lots of clouds near the tree-lined horizon. After returning to my vehicle, I realized that my normal custom white balance may not be optimal with the circular polarizer attached. As such, I pulled out my X-Rite ColorChecker Passport and photographed its white balance target in direct sunlight with the CPOL attached for color correction purposes in post processing.

As I do with all my images captured in IR, I set the white balance in Digital Photo Professional and then exported a TIFF into Photoshop CC. There, I view the image a few different ways to see which post processing technique I feel best suits the scene.

Here's what the image looked like straight out of the camera with only an Auto Levels applied:

Let's try another technique. Below I've applied Auto Levels, swapped the red and blue color channels and desaturated the yellow color of the foliage.

I've been really happy having an IR-converted camera in my kit these past few months. It's been a great investment for me and a fitting use for a DSLR which would have seen little use after upgrading to 7D Mark II. And the great thing about the Super Color IR sensor option, in particular, is that I gain great flexibility in creating multiple image styles from the same capture.

Ready to learn more about infrared camera conversions? Take a look at our Infrared Camera Conversion by LifePixel Review.