Canon and Sony News for May 2019 (Page 3)

From Profoto:

We are never fully satisfied with the products we make. We always strive to take steps forward, whether they be baby-steps or strides. That is why we not only will create ground-breaking products, but we'll also continually evaluate and improve those products, as we have done with the launch of Profoto A1X, the A1’s new and improved sibling. It has a little more of everything that made its predecessor a success. An even more powerful battery, faster recycling and Sony compatibility are some of the 30+ updates that we have made to the product. Or put in other words – more when it matters.

Because in photography, there are no second chances. An image might present itself for a second, and then it's gone, so you can't afford to be fiddling with batteries or waiting for the flash to recharge - you've got to be ready. That's why the new Profoto A1X has up to 450 full power pops per charge, and lightning-fast one-second recharge time, so you'll never miss a shot.

The light in the image will always be natural and beautiful thanks to the innovative round head with its soft and gentle fall-off.

Allowing you even more creative freedom, the A1X features a magnetic click-on mount for light shaping tools; there are six tools available that can be used individually or in combination with one another.

And for more flexibility still, there's a flicker-free modelling light built-in to the head, so you can see exactly what you're going to capture before you press the shutter; which is especially useful when operating off-camera or in low light situations.

The Profoto A1X features a 20-channel Air Remote with HSS and AirTTL so you'll always get beautiful and professional images fast. And with the increased number of channels, you can be sure you won’t be interrupted at busy events or important moments.

Use TTL mode, and it's essentially point-and-shoot, the sensor will calculate the correct exposure for you. However, switch it over to manual, and you can then fine-tune that exposure to create exactly the look and feel you want.

Ease of use has always been at the heart of every Profoto product, and the A1X is no exception. The large, high-resolution display is incredibly easy to navigate with big, super-legible numbers. The way we see it, the less time you spend messing about with menu's, the more time you can spend doing what you love – creating images.

And whether you're a Sony, Canon or Nikon shooter, all the light shaping possibilities of the Profoto A1X are yours to enjoy.

Whether it's the natural and beautiful light it provides, the easy to navigate and intuitive display or superior battery life and recycling time - with the Profoto A1X there's more when it matters.

Because let's face it - it always matters.

Features

• Bespoke versions for Sony, Canon and Nikon
• 20-channels Air Remote
• Round head with soft, smooth and natural fall off
• AirTTL and HSS for a beautiful professional image fast
• Smart magnetic click-on mount for A1X Light Shaping Tools
• 6 dedicated A1X Light Shaping Tools available
• Integrated flicker-free modelling light.
• Built-in Air Remote TTL.
• Rechargeable and replaceable Li-Ion battery.
• 1.0s recycling time.
• TTL/MAN switch.
• Built in motor-zoom with hand control.
• Auto focus (AF) assist.
• Large Hi-Res display.

Specifications

• Height 10.8 cm (4.25 in)
• Full length: 16.5 cm (6,37 in)
• Width: 7.5 cm (2,95 in)
• Weight: 560 g (1.2 Ibs) including battery

The Profoto A1X is in stock at B&H and Adorama.

From Adobe:

New features and enhancements in the May 2019 (version 8.3) release of Lightroom Classic

Flat-Field Correction

You can now reduce shading, or lens cast, from your digital photos using the Flat-Field Correction feature. Shading can occur from a variety of different lenses and can result in both asymmetrical vignettes as well as color casts introduced by certain lens characteristics.

Flat-Field Correction is available in the Library module. To apply the correction, select all your photos in a natural interleaved order and choose Lightroom > Library > Flat-Field Correction.

For detailed information, see Flat-Field Correction.

New Texture slider

You can now smoothen or accentuate details such as skin, bark, and hair with the new Texture slider. You can adjust the Texture slider negatively to smooth skin and retain fine pore details to ensure natural-looking skin. You can increase the Texture amount to accentuate details such as bark or hair without affecting less detailed areas, like the out of focus areas in a photograph. Adjusting the Texture slider does not change the color or tonality in your photograph.

You can apply texture to your photos both as a global adjustment and to specific parts of the photo as a local adjustment. To apply texture, select a photo and switch to the Develop module.

Support for new cameras and lenses

Latest cameras added in May 2019

• Canon EOS 250D (EOS Rebel SL3, EOS 200D II, EOS Kiss X10)
• Google Pixel 3 Front Standard Camera
• Google Pixel 3 Front Wide Camera
• Google Pixel 3 XL Front Standard Camera
• Google Pixel 3 XL Front Wide Camera
• HMD Global Nokia 9 PureView Front Camera
• HMD Global Nokia 9 PureView Rear Camera
• LG V40 ThinQ Front Standard Camera
• LG V40 ThinQ Rear Main Camera
• LG V40 ThinQ Rear Wide Camera
• Panasonic LUMIX DC-G99 (DC-G90, DC-G91, DC-G95)
• RICOH GR III
• RICOH THETA Z1
• Sony RX0 II (DSC-RX0M2)

Latest lenses added in May 2019

Other enhancements

Import photos from devices using the Files section

When you import photos from storage devices, such as SD card and CF card, the photos are now selected from the Import grid’s Files section by default. In previous versions, it used to be from the Device section.

Importing from the Files section is more performant. The Files section selects the DCIM folder of the storage device where the camera saves images. If you want to select any other folder, you can do so.

Improved performance of Auto setting

Experience performance improvements when you apply Auto settings. In the Develop module, the Auto option is located next to Tone in the Basic panel.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From the COOPH YouTube Channel:

The COOPH team wanted to bring their images to life, so we have created this video to show you exactly how we did it – using some epic Cinemagraph ideas that anyone can try! Cinemagraphs are still essentially photographs in which a small and repetitive movement is shown. They are super cool, easy to make and are sure to make your future social media posts stand out from the crowd! So, take a look at these six tips and try them out for yourself!

Note: For the mirror reflection portrait, I can't help but think the cinemagraph might have been more interesting if the focus had been on the subject rather than the subject's reflection. What do you think? [Sean]

In this video, Benjamin Warde demonstrates how to reorder the Develop Module's edit controls in Lightroom CC Classic.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From the Adobe Blog:

A Creative Cloud subscription offers numerous benefits, including frequent product updates with new features and capabilities, critical bug fixes and important security updates. We recommend all customers use the latest release of Creative Cloud for optimal performance and benefits.

Please note that going forward, Creative Cloud customers will only have direct download access (from the Creative Cloud Desktop app and Adobe.com) to the two most recent major versions of Creative Cloud desktop applications.*

Focusing our efforts on the latest two major releases of Creative Cloud applications, which the vast majority of Adobe customers are already using, will further enable us to develop the features and functionality most requested by customers and ensure peak performance and benefits across Windows and Mac operating systems. Business customers in need of an older version of a Creative Cloud application should contact their IT Administrator to see if one is available.

*Exception: Only the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat is available for download.

With a Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D, EOS Kiss 10, EOS 200D II) in hand, it is time to set up the camera for use. Following are the 32 steps I took to make an out-of-the-box Canon EOS Rebel SL3 ready for use.

1. Open the box, find the battery, place it in the charger and plug it in.
2. While the battery is charging, unpack the other items you want from the box.
3. Download and install the Canon Solution Disk software on your computer, gaining support for the latest camera(s). Canon Digital Photo Pro (DPP) and EOS Utility are the options I manually include in the install.
4. Attach the neck strap.
5. Insert the battery (after charging completes) and power the camera on.
6. Insert a memory card.
7. Set the camera's mode to Av, Tv or M (some modes provide only a small subset of available menu options).
8. Scroll through all of the menu tabs to configure the camera as follows:
9. Shooting settings, Tab 1: Image quality: Use top dial to set RAW to "RAW" and Cross Keys to set JPEG to "-" (RAW image files provide the highest quality and are especially valuable for post processing work)
10. Shooting settings, Tab 1: Image review: 4 sec. (or sometimes off to increase shooting speed in the field)
11. Shooting settings, Tab 1: Release shutter without card: Disable (only in a retail store do you want to press the shutter release without saving the image file, leaving this option enabled will burn you someday)
12. Shooting settings, Tab 1: Lens Aberration Correction: All options "OFF" (though Chromatic Aberration correction is a good option to leave enabled for most)
13. Shooting settings, Tab 4: White balance: AWB W (White) (I seldom use another white balance setting while shooting, though I often adjust modestly during post processing)
14. Shooting settings, Tab 4: Picture Style: Neutral with Strength = 1 (Note: the low contrast "Neutral" picture style provides a histogram on the back of the camera that most-accurately shows me blown highlights and blocked shadows on the camera LCD. I usually change the Picture Style to "Standard" in DPP after capture.)
15. Shooting settings, Tab 5: Long exp. noise reduction: Auto (when active, LENR captures a dark image that is used to correct the long exposure noise in the primary image)
16. Shooting settings, Tab 5: High ISO speed NR: Off (or Low) (noise reduction is destructive to images details - I prefer to add noise reduction sparingly during post processing)
17. Playback settings, Tab 1: Histogram disp: RGB (I want to see the graph for individual color channels)
18. Function settings, Tab 1: Format card (always format memory cards in-camera — after all contained images are stored elsewhere of course)
19. Function settings, Tab 1: Auto Rotate: On computer (only) (images are properly rotated when viewed on a computer, but are always oriented to fill the LCD when viewed on the camera)
20. Function settings, Tab 2: Date/Time/Zone: make correct for your location
21. Function settings, Tab 3: Beep: Disable (no one wants to hear your camera constantly beeping)
22. Function settings, Tab 5: Copyright information: enter as desired
23. Function settings, Tab 5: Custom Functions settings(C.Fn): C.Fn I: Exposure: 2: ISO expansion: On (required for setting ISO to 51200)
24. Shooting settings, Tab 3: Photo ISO speed settings: ISO 51200 (this upper limit is only being used for testing, set to your tolerance)
25. Function settings, Tab 5: Custom Functions settings(C.Fn): C.Fn I: Exposure: 4: Exposure comp. auto cancel: Disable (I'll decide when exposure compensation should be canceled)
26. Function settings, Tab 5: Custom Functions settings(C.Fn): C.Fn I: Operation/Others: 11: Retract lens on power off (avoids having a carefully-selected focus distance reset when camera auto powers off)
27. Display level settings, Tab 1: Shooting screen: Standard (Guided is useful for beginners)
28. Display level settings, Tab 1: Menu displaye: Standard (Guided is useful for beginners)
29. Display level settings, Tab 1: Mode guide: Disable (Enabled is useful for beginners)
30. Display level settings, Tab 1: Feature guide: Disable (Enabled is useful for beginners)
31. My Menu: Add the first tab; Register the following options for Tab 1: Format card, Mirror lockup, Date/Time/Zone (great for monitoring what time it is), Expo.comp./AEB, Long exp. noise reduction, Sensor cleaning (nothing in my My Menu is found on the Quick Control display as those functions are already quickly accessed)
32. With a lens mounted and a subject focused on, adjust the viewfinder diopter until the scene is sharp

To copy this configuration would mean that you intend to shoot similar to how I shoot - including shooting in RAW-only format. While my setup works great for me, your best use of this list may be for tweaking your own setup.

If you can't remember your own menu setup parameters, keeping an up-to-date list such as this one is a good idea. Anytime your camera is reset-to-factory state for some reason, such as when being serviced, you will be ready to restore your setup quickly while ensuring that you do not miss an important setting. If you purchase another same or similar camera, you will be able to quickly set it up.

More Information

Canon EOS Rebel SL3

The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX.

Just posted: Really Right Stuff TFC/TVC-24/24L Mk2 Tripod Review.

This is my second-most-used tripod with only the Really Right Stuff TVC-34L Mk2 Tripod being used more frequently. These two tripods are practically the same except for a smaller and lighter frame, a lower weight capacity, and a lower price. Thus, a majority of the reviews are shared.

The Really Right Stuff TFC/TVC-24/24L Mk2 Tripod is in stock at B&H.

From Rokinon USA:

(New York, New York) May 13, 2019 – ROKINON has announced its new AF 45mm F1.8 Compact Lens for Sony E mount. It is Rokinon’s third compact lens and seventh auto focus lens designed specifically for Sony mirrorless cameras.

The 45mm focal length provides a natural appearance, approximating how we perceive a scene with our own eyes.

It is actually closer to the human eye than a 50mm focal length is. This focal length is great for general purpose use and can be readily used for portraiture, extreme sports, parties, lifestyle, architecture, landscape, street photography and more.

Optically, the lens is made up of 7 elements in 6 groups. Two Aspherical plus one Extra-low Dispersion element and Ultra Multi-Coating are utilized to effectively control vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration. Additionally, the rounded nine-blade diaphragm and F1.8 bright aperture produce a pleasing out-of-focus quality when working with shallow depth of field techniques.

The minimum focusing distance is 17.7” and the 49mm non-rotating filter mount allows for easy use of polarizing and other filters that require precise positioning. For Sony APS-C sensor cameras, the focal length is equivalent to a moderate telephoto of 67.5mm.

Construction has been optimized for portability, compactness, ergonomic handling, and the durability of a metal barrel. Offering quiet and accurate autofocusing with enhanced speed and at 5.71oz in weight and 2.43” in length, it is the perfect lens to live on your Sony camera always. Don’t miss that special and unique moment! It is often said “The best camera (and lens) is the one you have with you”.

The ROKINON AF 45mm F1.8 Compact Lens for Sony E is expected to be available in early June with a street price of only $399.00. It will include a lens hood, lens caps, and a custom fitted case.

Specifications

Canon USA has Digital Photo Professional version 4.10.20 available for download.

Changes for Digital Photo Professional 4.10.20 for Windows

• Supports EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS Kiss X10 / EOS 250D / EOS 200D II

In an unusual move earlier this year, Canon showed (some of) their cards in a development announcement. Mock-ups of these new lenses were on display at a press event held just before that announcement and sharing some pictures from that event has been on my to-do list since. Note that all of the images shared in this article can be clicked on to see a significantly larger version.

The lead image shows all of the 2019 RF lenses and R-series cameras. From left to right in this image (new lens quotes are from Canon Europe) are the:

• Canon RF 35mm f/1.8mm f/1.8 IS STM Macro Lens
• Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens
• Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM Lens
  A large aperture mid-telephoto prime lens, offering the ultimate performance for advanced and professional portrait photographers.
• Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS Lens
  (not shown, but looks identical to RF 85 non-DS): A unique high-performance lens offering a combination of beautifully smooth defocused background bokeh and a super faster aperture to produce breath-taking portraits.
• Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens
  Offering wide angle, fast aperture and high performance in a single package this lens is ideal for a range of uses including architecture, interiors or landscapes.
• Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens
  The high-performance standard zoom for professionals and photo enthusiasts shooting portraits, landscapes, documentary or weddings.
• Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens
  The must-have lens for any professional photographer shooting weddings, sport or wildlife. This high-speed medium telephoto zoom will be the daily go-to lens for numerous occasions.
• Canon RF 24-240mm F4-6.3 IS USM Lens
  This compact, affordable 10x zoom is a multipurpose travel lens offering a versatile range of focal lengths and practical size and performance.
• Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens
• Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens
• In front are the Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP with the RF 24-105mm and RF 35mm lenses respectively shown mounted.

Not surprising is that the RF lenses show many similarities to each other. The black L-zooms all feature an ideally-positioned (toward the rear of the lens, though not as far back as their EF counterparts) zoom ring and all but the RF 24-240mm lens feature a forward-positioned control ring. The two or three rings on each lens have a differing tactile surface and the feel for each ring purpose is similar throughout the lineup with the control ring being knurled. Notice that the RF 24-240 does not have a dedicated focus ring. It is expected that the control ring will optionally be able to serve that function.

I was told to expect RF lens image quality to be as good or better than that of the nearest equivalent EF lens with reduced size being another benefit in some cases.

Note that the lenses shown on display boxes are lens mount-deep in their holders. Still, we can discern some of the sizes. I'll start with the RF 70-200 as I added a sizing prop next to it. Canon USA was very protective of the new lens mockups the Canon Inc. engineers brought with them (we could not touch them and they used white gloves to move them), but with reluctance, I was permitted to place a phone next to the tiny 70-200.

The iPhone 7 measures 5.44" (138mm) in length. If the phone were completely upright, it would about match the lens in length. What if your 70-200 f/2.8 was nearly as small as your EF 16-35 f/2.8L III? That is about the size difference we are looking at and here is a visual comparison. I haven't seen a lens that wow'd me as much as the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens in a long time. Where is the rest of the lens? The size is so dramatically smaller that it will have an impact on the case or backpack this lens is carried in.

Interesting is that a tripod ring (hinge-removable) remains included. Is this an indication that weight will be moving forward, justifying the ring for proper balance? Or is the ring included because we expect a lens with these specs to have one, essentially checking the requirements box?

When the dust settles, I'll not likely care for the forward-positioned zoom ring and that this lens extends is not ideal. But, the considerably smaller size (the smallest Canon white L lens ever) should easily make up for those downsides. Note that this lens also has a rear-positioned control ring.

Here is a closer look at the new lenses.

Along with the RF 70-200, the RF 15-35 and RF 24-70 complete the RF f/2.8 lens "trifecta". These two similar-sized lenses appear to be slightly longer than the RF 24-105 (the spec will likely land at around 4.5" or 114mm) and will have a width very similar to the RF 24-105. Here is a current visual comparison with the RF 24-105. The wide-angle lens gets a very-welcomed extra 1mm of focal length on the wide end, making 15mm available with filter threads. It also adds image stabilization, a Canon first for full frame f/2.8 in this range. Additionally welcomed is that this lens appears to be slightly reduced in length and perhaps even more reduced in width.

The standard professional zoom lens does not get a focal length adjustment and the size appears not dramatially reduced, but the long-awaited image stabilization feature has arrived (woo hoo!).

With the RF 85 announced, we can directly compare the Canon RF 85mm to the Canon RF 50mm and see that the 85 is, as expected, a bit larger and heavier.

Only the second RF lens to be missing the red ring, the RF 24-240 relatively-affordably covers a huge range of focal length needs in a single lens, making it ideal for times when lens changes cannot be made, cannot be made quickly enough, or are simply not wanted to be made.

Still glaringly missing in the RF lineup is a value-priced general-purpose zoom lens. The RF 24-240 is positioned to be a great lower-budget option for all-around use, but although thin, it has a length similar to the RF 15-35 and RF 24-70 which does not completely align with the compactness of the EOS RP. Watch for at least one shorter-range option to arrive soon. It makes sense.

Lenses are a critical component of a camera system and the right lens can make a huge difference in the results and also in the ease in which those results are captured. Canon's new RF lens mount has obviously opened up new possibilities for lens designers and they are rolling out some of the best lenses ever. It's a great time to be a photographer.

 
A great set of rebates (up to $500) makes now an ideal time to add an R-series camera to the kit. The included Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R makes integration into an existing Canon kit easy. While I have access to evaluation cameras, I decided that I wanted my own R and recently added one to the kit.

The Canon EOS R is in stock at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

The Canon EOS RP is in stock at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

From the Adorama YouTube Channel:

Most photography has with one thing in common... all the photos are taken at eye height. But if you want to give your portraits a new look consider mixing up your shooting height.

In this video Gavin Hoey shows you how getting down low or higher up then your model can radically change the look and emphasis of a portrait. Low level shots can change the background and emphasize the foreground and high shots can be framed to completely remove the background that you see when shooting at eye height.

After Gavin has shared his shooting tips he goes on to try out all three shooting heights while taking portraits in a field of flowers.

From Canon Europe:

Watch wedding photographer and Canon ambassador Félicia Sisco, as she talks about shooting bridal portraits with the newly-released Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens. What does she look for in the perfect prime for portraits? One of Félicia’s secrets to getting a flattering look in her images is shooting at her favourite focal length, 85mm. "With an 85mm lens, I can do everything, close-up portraits and full-length shots". She enjoys the versatility to shoot both unposed, spontaneous images and editorial style setups make her appealing to brides-to-be. Félicia likes to shoot with fast shutter speeds, ideally around 1/2000 sec, so in lower light increases the ISO setting to compensate. “Every little girl looks in the mirror and wants to look beautiful, and on the wedding day, in her bridal dress, her dreams come true..."

Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM Lens Preorders: B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | Wex

Image quality test results from the Canon EOS 7D Mark II have been added to the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens page.

The Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens is in stock or coming soon at B&H | Adorama | Amazon US | WEX

Rent the Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens from Lensrentals.

Nikon has released its 2019 financial results for the fiscal year ending today, May 9, 2019. The presentation material shows that Nikon's Imaging Business revenue suffered a 17.9% decline year-over-year.

Other notes from the Imaging Business section of the presentation material:

Revenue: ¥64.6B down YoY

• ASP was buoyed by new product launch including full-frame ML cameras
• The sales volume and revenue of fullframe cameras grew two years in a row
• The sales of interchangeable lens type cameras and interchangeable lenses did not reach the plan in the continuing severe condition in Q4: ¥8.9B short of the forecast

Operating Profit: ¥8.2B down YoY

• OP for FY18/3 and FY19/3 was ¥36.0B and ¥22.6B, respectively, if excluding restructuring relevant expenses
• Revenue/profit reduction and the initial development cost increase pushed down the OP by ¥3.0B from the forecast

Financial Results and Presentation Material

• Financial Results (PDF:370KB)
• Financial and Business Data (PDF:290KB)
• Presentation Material (PDF:1.32MB)
• Financial Results for the Year Ended March 31, 2019 (PDF:724KB)
• Reference Data (PDF:1.03MB)

Related Information

• Notice of Revision the Shareholder Returns Policy and Repurchase of Shares Common Stock [May 9, 2019] (PDF:234KB)
• Notice regarding Interim Dividend and Revision of the Year-end Dividend Forecast for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2019 [Nov. 8, 2018] (PDF:202KB)
• Revision of the Dividend Forecast [Aug. 7, 2018] (PDF:136KB)

From Nikon:

Nikon D850 Firmware v.1.10

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.03 to 1.10

• The camera now also supports direct Wi-Fi connections to devices running SnapBridge. For more information, see the “Addendum to the User’s Manual” in which this feature is described. Before using this feature, upgrade to the following version of the app:
• SnapBridge version 2.5.4 or later
• Fixed the following issue:
• The camera sometimes had trouble focusing on subjects in the focus points at the edges of the frame.

Download: Nikon D850 Firmware v. 1.10

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.01 to 1.10

• The camera now also supports direct Wi-Fi connections to devices running SnapBridge. For more information, see the “Addendum to the User’s Manual” in which this feature is described. Before using this feature, upgrade to the following version of the app:
• SnapBridge version 2.5.4 or later
• Fixed the following issue:
• If the mode dial was rotated from P to U1 and then back to P, ISO sensitivity would be set to the value selected for U1.
• Repeatedly pressing the zoom in and zoom out buttons during movie live view would cause unexpected behavior when 3840x2160; 30p was selected for Frame size/frame rate in the MOVIE SHOOTING MENU

Download: Nikon D7500 Firmware v.1.10

Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.03 to 1.10

• The camera now also supports direct Wi-Fi connections to devices running SnapBridge. For more information, see the “Addendum to the User’s Manual” in which this feature is described. Before using this feature, upgrade to the following version of the app:
• SnapBridge version 2.5.4 or later
• Fixed the following issue:
• If the mode dial was rotated from P to U1 and then back to P, ISO sensitivity would be set to the value selected for U1.
• Touch Fn would sometimes not be available.

Download: Nikon D5600 Firmware v.1.10