Canon and Sony News for Jul 2014 (Page 4)
Canon USA has released two more videos in its EOS 6D On-Camera Tutorial Series:
- Built-in Wi-Fi: Registering with CANON iMAGE GATEWAY
- Built-in Wi-Fi: Sharing through CANON iMAGE GATEWAY
Complete List of EOS 6D On-Camera Tutorial Videos
- Basic Overview
- The Auto Options
- Image Quality
- In-Camera RAW and JPEG Processing
- Composition Aids
- Low Light Shooting
- Multiple Exposure Shooting
- Auto Exposure Bracketing
- In-Camera HDR
- Basic Video Operation
- Built-in GPS Technology
- Time Coding Operation Basics
- Built-In Wireless: How to Enable WiFi
- Built-in Wireless: Remote Capture
- Built-in Wi-Fi: Transfer Images Between Wi-Fi Cameras
- Built-in Wi-Fi: Registering with CANON iMAGE GATEWAY
- Built-in Wi-Fi: Sharing through CANON iMAGE GATEWAY
B&H carries the Canon EOS 6D.
From the Lightroom Journal:
What happens to Lightroom after my membership ends?
Since the launch of the Creative Cloud, Adobe has engaged in an ongoing dialog with the photographic community. We’ve tackled mobile workflows, provided ongoing enhancements and lastly, provided a membership plan tailor made for all levels of photographers. With the latest update to Lightroom 5.5 I believe we’ve also addressed a lingering concern in the community: What happens to my photographs after my membership ends?
With Lightroom 5.5, at the end of a membership, the desktop application will continue to launch and provide access to the photographs managed within Lightroom as well as the Slideshow, Web, Book or Print creations that we know many photographers painstakingly create. The Develop and Map modules have been disabled in order to signal the end of the membership and the need to renew in order to receive Adobe’s continuous innovation in those areas. Access to Lightroom mobile workflows will also cease to function. We hope this meets the expectations of our customers and we look forward to an ongoing dialog.
TDP Note: For what it's worth, I'm a big fan of Adobe's Photoshop Photography Program. In my opinion, a continuously updated Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 for only $9.99 per month is a great deal – and one I'll be more than happy to invest in for the foreseeable future. [Sean]
Roger Cicala over at LensRentals has put the new Petzval lens to the test using his Trioptics MTF bench and OLAF machines.
Check out LensRentals Blog post to see how the lens (with its 175 year-old design) performed.
From B&H:
We are proud to announce our recently-upgraded shipping policy for the continental U.S.
In keeping with our tradition of bringing you the greatest shopping experience, we have launched our new B&H FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING PROGRAM that delivers your orders of $49 or more in 1, 2, or 3 business days, depending upon your order’s destination. There are NO membership fees.
B&H constantly seeks new ways to improve your shopping experience and we hope you’ll enjoy this new program.
See the aqua blue water in this photo? Caribbean blue may be my favorite color and this is the color that I hoped to capture a lot of on my recent St John, USVI photography trip. I mentioned in the 100 Megapixel Francis Bay, St John, USVI Sunset post that I faced a big challenge to my landscape photography on this trip. That challenge was dust blowing nearly 5,000 miles from the Sahara Desert to the Virgin Islands, causing haze.
To get the brilliant blue color I like so much requires white sand under clear water and a clear sky with an overhead sun. The white sand and clear water are generally abundant on this island, but the haze caused by dust took out the clear sky requirement and with the exception of about one day, the blue water did not pop like I wanted during my trip. Since that one day was partly-to-mostly cloudy, shooting was only good for part of that day. Some clouds are of course desired for adding interest to an otherwise solid blue sky, but too many clouds become an issue.
This picture of Ram Head and Booby Rock was captured during a break in the clouds with part of Ram Head, the distant sea and the island under shade from the clouds. I shot a variety of compositions of this scene, but liked the panoramic captured handheld at 53mm the best.
Often, an extremely wide angle of view captured using a circular polarizer filter will result in an unevely darkened sky, and I have been asked about the evenly polarized skies in this image. The key was that this image was captured at 12:48 PM under a very high sun. With the sun was high in the sky, the 90 degree angle of strongest sky darkening is at the horizon – the entire horizon, making wide panorama skies captured using a polarizer filter look great (if significantly more sky was included in this photo, you would start to see the sky lighten toward the top of the frame). I frequently shoot under a high sun for this reason. Use a circular polarizer filter to create mid-day amazement.
Even without landscape photography being greatly successful on this trip, I had success in another area of photography and will share some of those results soon.
ISO 100
14829 x 3805px
From DxO:
07/10/2014 – DxO FilmPack v4.5.2 and DxO ViewPoint v2.1.7 are now available! These two upgrades allow both software products to integrate perfectly with Adobe Photoshop CC (2014 edition).
DxO FilmPack: All the quality and emotion of fine arts photography
Acclaimed by professionals for the fidelity of its analog film renderings, DxO FilmPack lets photographers apply to their digital images all the characteristics of the analog films that have made photographic history, as well as many original looks, filters, tones, and visual effects. All of these renderings and effects can be infinitely combined and customized for unlimited creativity.
Coming in two editions, Essential and Expert, a single DxO FilmPack v4.5.2 license lets the software be used as a standalone application for OS X and Windows, and as a plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and DxO Optics Pro.
DxO ViewPoint: the indispensable companion to wide-angle lenses
DxO ViewPoint fixes even the most complex problems with perspective, and easily restores the natural shapes of subjects located on the edges of images. Taking advantage of all of DxO Labs’ know-how in terms of optical calibrations, the software corrects barrel, pincushion, and fisheye distortions. DxO ViewPoint supports all photographic equipment, much of which also benefits from the automatic corrections provided by DxO Optics Modules.
DxO ViewPoint is available as a standalone application for OS X and Windows, and as a plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Adobe Lightroom, and Apple Aperture — all with the same license.
Availability
The Essential and Expert editions of DxO FilmPack v4.5.2 and DxO ViewPoint 2.1.7 for Mac and Windows are available at photo resellers.
B&H carries DxO FilmPack 4 and DxO ViewPoint 2.
From Manfrotto:
Upper Saddle River, NJ – July 10, 2014 – Manfrotto, a manufacturer of premium photo and video accessories, unveiled a new travel backpack in its Advanced bag collection: the MB MA-BP-TRV BeFree backpack. Billed as the perfect travel companion to the Manfrotto BeFree tripod, this new backpack features a unique carrying slot in the extendable side-padded pocket that is designed to fit the BeFree and other compact travel tripods.
The interior of the backpack was created to provide durability, flexibility and ease of use for travel-minded photo enthusiasts to carry their photographic gear and personal belongings in one compact bag. As part of the Advanced bag collection, the travel backpack features hard-wearing fabrics and professional features.
The backpack employs the Manfrotto Camera Protection System (CPS), which is designed to provide protection at its most vulnerable spot—the center of the bag, where the lenses are stored. The CPS consists of specially structured 3D foam encasing dividers that reduce shock and absorb and dissipate the force of impact.
It also has a rugged, durable bottom half that’s made of high-density nylon as well as nylon material on the top. It’s carbon detailing ties it in with Manfrotto’s Italian heritage.
The all-in-one carry solution is divided into two main compartments. The upper section is dedicated to personal belongings, while the bottom section has a quick side access. It can fit a DSLR with attached lens, two additional lenses, flash and accessories. Additionally, a 13-inch laptop can be stored in a back compartment. The bag can also be converted into an everyday backpack by removing the main compartment divider. And its extendable side-padded pocket makes it possible to add additional space to the bag by unzipping the pocket to insert a travel tripod.
Manfrotto’s Advanced bag collection includes six basic bag designs, each in various sizes, including active backpacks, tri-backpacks, gear backpacks, active slings, shoulder bags and holsters. Manfrotto’s new BeFree travel backpack is available now at Manfrotto Authorized Resellers.
B&H carries the new Manfrotto Advanced Bag Travel Backpack and BeFree Tripods.
Update: Manfrotto is offering up to a $100.00 rebate if purchasing the backpack and tripod together - see this form for details. (thanks Yoderz)
From the Toronto Star YouTube Channel:
Toronto Star photographer Randy Risling shows many ways that photographers can ruin the intimate moments of a wedding.
From Canon:
Asana, Canon, Dropbox, Google, Newegg and SAP Announce Formation of New Cooperative Patent-Licensing Agreement
TOKYO, July 10, 2014—Asana, Canon Inc., Dropbox, Google, Newegg and SAP today announced the formation of the License on Transfer (LOT) Network, a cooperative patent-licensing agreement that will cut down on patent troll litigation and the growing practice of patent privateering.
Patent litigation reached an all-time peak last year, with more than 6,000 lawsuits filed. Most of those suits came from non-practicing entities, also known as patent trolls—companies that don’t have a business outside of licensing and litigating patents.
More than 70 percent of the patents used by trolls come from still-operating companies. Indeed, in a growing trend called privateering, companies are selling patents to trolls that then use those patents to attack other companies. In some cases, those companies arrange to get a cut of revenue generated from the trolls’ suits.
The LOT agreement is a new kind of royalty-free cross-license meant to address these growing systemic problems. Member companies receive a license when the patents are transferred out of the LOT group. That means that companies retain their right to enforce a patent so long as they retain ownership of it. However, as soon as it is sold, a license to the other members becomes effective, protecting them from attacks by the troll to which the patent was sold.
The agreement includes several other provisions that preserve a patent portfolio’s value, including carve-outs for certain M&A transactions and change of control.
The initial members of the LOT Network range from early-stage startups to established technology companies. Together they own almost 300,000 patent assets, generate more than $117 billion in revenue and employ more than 310,000 people.
"The LOT Network is a sort of arms control for the patent world," said Allen Lo, deputy general counsel for patents at Google. "By working together, we can cut down on patent litigation, allowing us to focus instead on building great products."
"Startups need to overcome many risks before they can become mature, thriving companies. The LOT Network is a powerful and creative new idea that will help ensure that patent abuse need not be one of them," said Dustin Moskovitz, cofounder of teamwork software provider Asana.
"The LOT Network provides a unique mechanism for reducing patent troll threats while maintaining a portfolio’s primary significance and value," said Kenichi Nagasawa, director and group executive of Canon Inc.’s Corporate Intellectual Property & Legal Headquarters. "Through the further expansion of the LOT Network, I look forward to the patent system restoring its sound functionality."
"We believe that patents should never be used to stifle innovation," said Brett Alten, IP counsel at Dropbox, "The LOT network is a creative solution to fight patent abuse that becomes more effective with each company that joins. The more participants there are, the better off we’ll all be."
"Newegg has a very strong history of successfully battling patent trolls, and the License on Transfer Network is another valuable tool that helps protect participants from frivolous patent litigation," said Soren Mills, chief marketing officer of Newegg North America. "We’re very happy to join forces with Google and other leading technology companies to preserve the spirit of innovation that’s so vital to our collective well-being."
"The structure of the LOT Network helps protect innovative patent owners from unwarranted litigation, without stifling valid, beneficial uses of patents, such as cross-licensing," said Anthony DiBartolomeo, senior vice president and chief IP counsel at SAP. "As long as a company owns their patent they retain all their rights to it."
More information is available at http://www.lotnet.com.
The complete set of standard test results along with specs/measurements and product images are now available on the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG II HSM Lens Review page.
Check out the Von Wong blog for the behind-the-scenes and final images.
Image quality, vignetting and distortion test results along with product images have been added to the Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro Lens Review page. Flare results will be available soon.
From Nikon:
Picture Control Utility 2.0
Updates included in this 2.0 download
Modifications that apply to both the Windows and Macintosh versions
- Not only can the application be used from ViewNX 2 and Capture NX-D, but it can now also be installed and launched as a separate, stand-alone application.
- Support for the D810 has been added.
- Users can now choose to save Custom Picture Control files in "NP2" format, compatible with the new Picture Control System, or in "NCP" format for use with all cameras that support Custom Picture Controls.
- The following are possible when "NP2" is selected.
- Flat can now be selected from the list of Stored Picture Controls.
- When Manual Adjust is selected, each of the adjustment items can now be adjusted in units of 0.25 for more precise adjustment.
- A new Clarity item has been added to adjustment items.
- The adjustment range for Brightness has been expanded to -1.50 to +1.50.
- The Custom Curve is larger, making it easier to adjust tone curves.
- The size of the application window can now be adjusted, allowing the area in which the preview image is display to be enlarged.
- A new Adjustments for Preview function enables adjustment of Exposure Comp. and White Balance. However, adjustments to these settings are not reflected in the Custom Picture Control being created.
- A Reflect changes on preview check box has been added for before-and-after comparison of the Custom Picture Control on the preview image.
Download Picture Control Utility 2.0
View NX 2.10.0
Updates included in this 2.10.0 download
- Support for the D810 has been added.
- Picture Control Utility has been replaced by Picture Control Utility 2.
The Canon USA YouTube Channel has posted on-camera tutorials explaining how to enable the Built-in WiFi and utilize Remote Capture on the EOS 6D.
Canon EOS 6D On-Camera Tutorial Videos
- Basic Overview
- The Auto Options
- Image Quality
- In-Camera RAW and JPEG Processing
- Composition Aids
- Low Light Shooting
- Multiple Exposure Shooting
- Auto Exposure Bracketing
- In-Camera HDR
- Basic Video Operation
- Built-in GPS Technology
- Time Coding Operation Basics
- Built-In Wireless: How to Enable WiFi
- Built-In Wireless: Remote Capture
B&H carries the Canon EOS 6D.
Image quality results for a second lens have been added to the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens review.
It is hard to distinguish the results between the two lenses with a minor exception of the latest lens showing very slightly better wide open performance at 35mm. The latest tested lens is sample "1".
Also added to this review were:
- Standard flare test results
- Coma discussion and example
- Image illustrating AI Servo AF testing
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