Canon and Sony News for Nov 2016 (Page 4)

According to the Egami Blog, Canon has patented a camera design that allows for the mount to be exchanged.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-192701
• Published 2016.11.10
• Filing Date 2015.3.31
• Mount exchange possible
• Change the menu content depending on the mount

From SpaceWeather.com:

On Monday, Nov. 14th, there's going to be a full Moon--the biggest and brightest in almost 70 years. The best time to look in North America is before sunrise on Monday morning, while in Europe the best time is after sunset on the same day.

"The last time we had such a close full Moon was January 26, 1948," says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory, "and it won't happen again until November 25, 2034."

The Canon EOS M5 Owner's Manual is available for download from Canon USA. (thanks Niklas)

B&H has the Canon EOS M5 available for preorder.

From the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom YouTube Channel:

Lightroom tips and tricks in 60 seconds or less from longtime Lightroom team member Benjamin Warde.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

#SkyReplace allows you to quickly swap out the sky in your digital photos. Presented live during the Adobe MAX 2016 Sneak Peeks, co-hosted by Jordan Peele. Learn more about this year's Sneak Peeks here: http://adobe.ly/2ffyder

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From Serif Affinity:

Windows users can now download the long-awaited Affinity Photo, with the launch of a free public beta.

It’s the first opportunity for PC users to experience the speed, power and precision of the award-winning professional image editor.

Chosen as Apple’s ‘App of the Year’ 2015, and ‘Best Imaging Software’ 2016 by the Technical Image Press Association, Affinity Photo for Mac has received thousands of 5-star reviews from professional photographers, editors, artists and retouchers around the world.

The Windows version matches it feature-for-feature and the public beta offers users the chance to try it free of charge before the full version goes on sale.

For more information about Affinity Photo: https://affinity.serif.com/photo

Ashley Hewson, Managing Director of Affinity developer Serif, says: “When we started developing our Affinity apps nearly seven years ago one of the key aims was to be cross-platform, so this is a huge milestone for us. Because we did plan this from the beginning we made nearly all of our back-end code – the core engine of Affinity, if you like – completely operating system independent.

“This not only means that file compatibility between the two platforms is 100% perfect, but all the power, performance, tools and accuracy which have really set us apart on Mac are there for Windows users to enjoy now too.”

Affinity Photo’s awe-inspiring range of tools work in real time, so there’s no waiting to see results. Non-destructive editing, RAW processing and end-to-end colour management are standard, so Affinity Photo has all the accuracy and quality necessary to make beautiful images spring to life.

Participants will be excited to know that the beta version includes a host of powerful new features to be made available in Affinity Photo’s next major update, v1.5.

They include:

• Advanced HDR merge producing full 32-bit linear colour space images
• Focus stacking to bring depth to multiple combined images
• Batch processing for smoother, faster workflow
• An all-new way to edit 360 degree images

The beta period also offers Affinity’s developers the chance to perfect the product before its full launch, and users are encouraged to share their feedback.

Naturally, Affinity Photo works perfectly with Serif’s stunning graphics editor Affinity Designer, sharing a common file type and shared save history. Affinity Designer for Windows is on the verge of full release.

Windows prices will match Affinity’s subscription-free Mac pricing ethos, with a one-off payment of $49.99 / £39.99 / €49.99 covering future updates.

by Sean Setters

With nothing planned on slightly overcast Saturday, I decided to venture downtown to find an interior space in Savannah to photograph. Although not my primary focus, I wanted to be able to shoot outdoor subjects (buildings, fountains, etc.) as well should a suitable interior space prove elusive. I packed a Lowepro Nova Sport 35L AW with the following gear before heading downtown:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR Camera
• Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens
• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens
• Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens
• Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L Tilt-Shift Lens (predecessor to version II)
• B+W Circular Polarizing Filter
• 15-stop ND Filter (similar product here)
• Step-Up Filter Adapter Rings
• Miops Camera Trigger
• Feisol TT-15 Mini Carbon Fiber Tabletop Tripod & ball head
• Bottled water

I also brought along my Induro Carbon Fiber Tripod (CT314, now discontinued) fitted with a Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1 Ball Head to serve as my primary means of support.

Notes on Gear Choices

First off, Tip #1: When weight is not necessarily an issue, fill your bag completely with gear and/or supplies. This will enable you to quickly check to make sure you haven't left any gear behind when packing up after shooting at a location. The gear above completely filled my bag.

A camera and tripod are a given when it comes to low-light interior photography for me. The EF 17-40L, TS-E 24L and Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 encompass the typical focal lengths I use for indoor and outdoor architecture photography with the TS-E providing the excellent benefit of keeping vertical lines straight (when 24mm is a viable focal length option). I brought along the EF 24-105L IS and circular polarizer (CPL) to cover general purpose needs if I should come across anything interesting outdoors that was not ideally covered by the wider focal lengths. I threw in the 15 stop ND just in case I wanted to photograph a fountain (with blurred water) or a building exterior where individual pedestrians would be unnoticeable (blurred to oblivion). The step up rings would allow me to use the CPL and ND on all of my lenses except for the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8, thereby increasing my options. I also brought along the Miops Camera Trigger for time lapse purposes and to provide the ultimate flexibility in bracketed exposures. With extra room in my bag, I also packed the table top tripod in case I found an interesting place to position the camera or for low-level photography needs. I filled the remaining slot in my bag with a water bottle as I had no idea how far I'd be walking on the relatively warm November day.

Venturing Downtown

With no specific destination in mind, I traveled to downtown Savannah and found a free metered parking space on W Oglethorpe Ave. Tip #2: Parking in downtown Savannah is free on the weekends (and after 5pm on weekdays). As soon as I parked, the Savannah Civic Center at the corner of Oglethorpe and Montgomery St. caught my eye. As I neared the building, I noticed people were going in one of the doors idicating that it was open on this particular Sunday. Conspicuously, there was a lot of temporary signs posted which warned, "No Loaded Weapons are Allowed on Premises."

After entering the building, I noticed several individuals filing past a table on the other end of the foyer and filing into one of the larger event halls. As it turns out, there was an NRA sponsored gun show being held at the Civic Center. "Ah, now the abundant signage makes sense," I thought.

After exploring the building's entryway, I found a set of doors with the heading, "Johnny Mercer Theatre." As the security guard's office was positioned next to the theater doors, I poked my head inside with tripod in-hand and asked if the theater was open and if I could take a look around. He nodded and said, "Sure thing! The door's open."

Tip #3: If you are in an unfamiliar place, make sure you are not violating a facility's regulations by exploring. Being respectful and asking for permission to wonder about may not technically be necessary (depending on the facility's policies), but doing so may mean favors, if needed, are more easily granted in the future. Or as my grandmother would have said, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

The theater was extremely dark. The aisle ways were lit with dim LED strip lights and there was a flood light in the middle of the stage pointed toward the seats. After walking up on stage, I could see that the balcony aisle ways were also lit with a few overhead lights.

Unfortunately, I thought it might be a bit presumptuous to ask someone to turn on the theater lights, and I didn't feel like cashing in my good will karma just yet. As such, I tried a few bracketed exposures utilizing the the Miops Camera Trigger to trigger the camera via smartphone while standing behind the stage light. While bracketing technically worked to give me enough dynamic range to ultimately create an HDR image, the scene did not seem inspiring.

After a little while, though, someone who worked at the facility entered the theater and made his way down the aisle as he was headed to a room to the right of the stage. After a small conversation, the man asked, "Do you want me to turn on the lights?"

"Um, yes, that would be great!"

With the lights turned on, the view in front of me came alive. I continued taking bracketed exposures to give me the ultimate leeway in post processing. After viewing the results on the back LCD, I decided it was missing something. Looking around, I found a stool to serve as a foreground element and add a bit of interest. I returned the stool to its original location, packed up my gear, thanked the facility employee for turning on the lights and headed off.

Post Processing

I loaded a 7-image auto exposure bracket into HDRSoft's Photomatix Pro 5 and, starting with one of the "Natural" settings, I adjusted the sliders until I arrived at an HDR image that I liked. I then loaded the resulting .TIFF file into Photoshop CC for slight adjustments to color and levels.

A larger resolution version of this shot can be found by clicking on the image atop this post.

From the Canon Professional Network:

by Jennifer Borget

There is so much information available about taking photos of your children, and how to become a better photographer. Another important factor to keep in mind when you’re working to be your family’s historian is to make sure you’re documented as a part of their memories.

For times you don’t have someone around to help take nice photos of you and your kids together, it’s nice to know you can do it yourself. In this article, I’ll outline the tools you need to take self-portraits so you can get out from behind the camera and into the shot with your kids.

From Nikon:

Entry-level DX-format Digital SLR Camera with Seamless Connectivity Ignites Creativity and Sharing by Transforming Social Storytelling

TOKYO - Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the release of the D5600, an entry-level DX-format digital SLR designed for photography hobbyists and content creators to explore different creative and artistic expressions. With convenient connectivity features, the D5600 is also built for easy sharing and social storytelling.

The D5600 is equipped with a range of features that encourages users to capture and communicate their stories. Featuring a vari-angle LCD monitor that flips out and rotates, it is possible to shoot from nearly any angle for greater creative freedom. The touch-screen operation so popular with the D5500 has been further enhanced in the D5600 with the addition of a crop function for use during playback zoom, and a frame advance bar that allows scrolling through images in playback mode easily. The D5600 also incorporates a time-lapse movie function equivalent to that of the more advanced Nikon D7200, enabling users to capture changing scenes over a time period and create stunning time-lapse videos.

In addition, a constant connection between the D5600 and a smart device is possible using the SnapBridge app and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology. Images captured are automatically transferred to the paired smart device and users can upload and share high-quality images in a seamless, integrated process. The image transfer continues even after the camera has been turned off. SnapBridge also enables automatic image upload to NIKON IMAGE SPACE. Furthermore, wireless video transfer and remote shooting are possible via Wi-Fi.

Primary Features

• SnapBridge support for constant connection of the D5600 to a smart device
  Support for the SnapBridge app means that with one-time setup, a constant connection between the D5600 and a smart device is maintained, realizing simple automatic transfer of photos. In addition, a number of convenient functions, including automatic upload to Nikon's photo sharing service, NIKON IMAGE SPACE, the addition of copyright information and comments to photos, and automatic synchronization of camera date/time and location information with that of the smart device, can be used. What's more, the D5600 also supports the high-speed transfer of selected still images, movie transfer, and remote capture of still images when Wi-Fi is enabled.
• A vari-angle LCD monitor that makes capturing creating photos easy from any angle
  The D5600 is equipped with a 3.2-inch vari-angle LCD monitor that enables shooting from low angles, high angles, and even selfies. A touch screen has also been adopted. Naturally, it supports the same touch operation available with the D5500, but it also features the frame advance bar adopted for the high-end D5 and D500 for scrolling through images in full-frame playback. In addition, the touch Fn function so popular with the D5500 has been expanded to support the enabling and disabling of auto ISO sensitivity control, and operation with viewfinder shooting has also been improved.
• An effective pixel count of 24.2-million pixels and support for a broad range of sensitivities — ISO 100 to 25600 — enable expression with superior image quality
  The camera offers an effective pixel count of 24.2-million pixels. It is equipped with a Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter. This achieves capture of images that make the most of the superior rendering characteristics of NIKKOR lenses. The EXPEED 4 image-processing engine has been adopted, and a broad range of standard sensitivities are supported — ISO 100 to 25600, the combination of which enables capture of highly detailed images in which noise is effectively suppressed, even with shooting in dark or dimly lit surroundings.
• Equipped with the same time-lapse movie function found in more advanced models
  The D5600 is newly equipped with the time-lapse movie function, which allows users to easily compress long periods of time into short ones, entirely within the camera, to express changes that occur over time, such as the shapes of clouds as they roll by, or the movement of people and cars through city streets. In addition, the exposure smoothing function makes capturing beautiful time-lapse movies easier by suppressing variations in exposure caused by changes in lighting that occur naturally, such as when the sun comes up or goes down. Time-lapse movies recorded with the camera can also be transferred to a smart device via SnapBridge.

Note: From what I can tell, this update may not be available in the US market just yet. It doesn't appear on Nikon USA's website and cannot be found for preorder at any USA market authorized retailers.

From Canon Australia:

Tales by Light Season One, produced in Australia, available on Netflix from 11 November, 2016

Sydney 10 November 2016 – Canon Australia is proud to announce that Season One of the brand’s locally conceived and produced photography adventure series, Tales by Light will be available to the global Netflix audience from 11 November.

Shot in stunning 4K resolution, Tales by Light Season One is a six-part series that follows five extraordinary photographers as they push the limits of their craft in little-known, little-covered and little-understood corners of the Earth.

“Having Tales by Light Season One available on Netflix is a wonderful acclamation of the quality and broad appeal of our Australian-made photography series and we are excited that it will now entertain millions of subscribers around the world,” says Canon Australia Director of Consumer Imaging and Executive Producer of the series Jason McLean. “This series is unique and started from our simple aim of celebrating the amazing visual storytellers who push the creative boundaries and it’s great that this concept resonates so well across regional divides.”

Prior to joining the Netflix documentary content line-up, Tales by Light Season One screened initially on the National Geographic Channel subscription network in Australia and New Zealand. Uniting exploration, photography and the natural world, Tales by Light Season One was produced locally in 2015 and offers a rare glimpse into the eyes and minds of some of Australia and the world’s best photographic storytellers.

B&H is now shipping the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens to preorder customers. The Nikon mount version is currently in stock with more Canon mount inventory expected soon.

From Canon USA:

MELVILLE, N.Y., November 9, 2016 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced firmware updates for both the Canon EOS C300 and EOS C300 Mark II Digital Cinema Cameras being showcased at NAB Show New York 2016, November 9 and 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. These firmware updates support a number of feature updates for users including improvement of accessory support, ease of use, Dual Pixel CMOS AF (DAF) and creative flexibility.

Firmware updates are as follows:

• The EOS C300 Mark II Digital Cinema Camera (EF-Mount) updates will allow various functions such as support for the Canon EVF-V70 OLED Electronic Viewfinder, WFT-E8 Wireless File Transmitter, Shutter Angle Priority, support for Zebra range at 65 percent or below, 2K Crop Audio Recording, Built-In Mic Audio off, and Peripheral Illumination Correction when using the new EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens.
• The EOS C300 Mark II Digital Cinema Camera (PL-Mount) updates will allow various functions such as support for the Canon EVF-V70 OLED Electronic Viewfinder, WFT-E8 Wireless File Transmitter, Shutter Angle Priority, support for Zebra range at 65 percent or below, 2K Crop Audio Recording, and Built-In Mic Audio off.
• The EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera (EF-Mount) updates will allow various functions such as support for the WFT-E8 Wireless File Transmitter, Shutter Angle Priority, Grip Zoom Function when using CINE-SERVO 17-120mm EF-mount, CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm EF-Mount and COMPACT SERVO 18-80mm lenses, Auto Iris and Push Iris when using CINE-SERVO 17-120mm EF-mount, CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm EF-Mount and COMPACT SERVO 18-80mm lenses and Peripheral Illumination Correction when using the new EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens.
• The EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera DAF (EF-Mount) updates will allow various functions such as support for the WFT-E8 Wireless File Transmitter, Shutter Angle Priority, Dual Pixel CMOS AF (DAF) when using CINE-SERVO 17-120mm EF-Mount and COMPACT SERVO 18-80mm lenses, Grip Zoom Function when using CINE-SERVO 17-120mm EF-mount, CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm EF-Mount and COMPACT SERVO 18-80mm lenses, Auto Iris and Push Iris when using CINE-SERVO 17-120mm EF-mount, CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm EF-Mount and COMPACT SERVO 18-80mm lenses and Peripheral Illumination Correction when using the new EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens.
• The EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera (PL-Mount) updates will allow various functions such as support for the WFT-E8 Wireless File Transmitter and Shutter Angle Priority.

To learn more about the firmware updates, please visit usa.canon.com/nabny2016firmware.

These firmware updates are scheduled to be available on December 13, 2016.

B&H carries the EOS C300 and EOS C300 Mark II.

From Adobe:

Two major updates for Lightroom are now available: Lightroom for Android 2.2 and new updates for Lightroom on the web.

Lightroom for Android 2.2 — Raw Technology Preview

Lightroom has always been about helping you get the most out of your images, and with Lightroom for Android 2.2, you can now import raw files directly into your Android device. The Raw Technology Preview makes it possible for you to connect your camera to your Android device and import photos directly from your camera. With this Technology Preview now available for Android (released for iOS in July of this year), you can capture, edit, and share raw photos, in full resolution, and have access to them wherever you are in the world.

Lightroom for Android now 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’ll need a USB On-The-Go adapter, sometimes just referred to an OTG cable. An OTG cable enables you to connect your mobile device directly to your camera and transfer your images with the PTP transfer mode. We recommend getting an OTG cable that matches the ports on both your camera as well as your Android device. For example, if your camera uses a Micro USB port and your Android device has a USB-C port, you’d want a Micro USB to USB-C OTG cable. These cables, and nearly every other imaginable combination of ports and connectors can easily be found online and are quite inexpensive.

After installing the Lightroom for Android 2.2, plug your camera into your Android device, and change to the PTP transfer mode in the Android Notification Center. Then, tap on the notification that indicates “Connected to USB PTP Camera. Tap to view files.”

You’ll be presented with an importer to select from the photos found on your camera to import into Lightroom on your Android device. Select the photos you want to import, the collection you want to import the photos into, and tap transfer. Lightroom will transfer the photos and notify you once all of the photos have been imported.

Lightroom for Android 2.2 is available now from the Google Play Store.

Lightroom on the Web — November Updates

• Significant improvements to Shares
  New Shares created within Lightroom on the web have been made even more powerful. You can now add a header graphic, add sections within your Shares, and add text describing the sections. You can use this additional functionality to engage your audiences and tell richer photographic stories with Lightroom on the web.

• Adobe Portfolio Enhancements
  Adobe Portfolio helps you showcase your creativity with your own professional online portfolio. We’ve made it possible for you to quickly and easily send your images from Lightroom on the web to Portfolio so that you can create and maintain a special place on the web to show off your photos. You can now create a new Project in Portfolio directly from within Lightroom on the web and copy your Lightroom photos into that new Project, saving time and making it even easier to maintain your online presence.

• Download Original
  A highly requested feature is the ability to download your originals from within Lightroom on the web – and now you can. Any image for which the original is available in the cloud (such as images uploaded from Lightroom iOS or Android, or from Lightroom on the web) will now have an option available to download the original. The ability to download the original is only available for the owner of the account and will not be visible to viewers of the share.

As of today, all of these features are now available at lightroom.adobe.com.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan Subscriptions.

From GoPro:

Consumers Who Have Purchased Karma Can Return It for Immediate Refund

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 8, 2016 -- GoPro Inc. today announced the recall of the approximately 2500 Karma drones purchased by consumers since October 23. The recall was announced after GoPro discovered that in a very small number of cases, Karma units lost power during operation. No related injuries or property damage have been reported.

Owners of Karma can return their units to GoPro, or their place of purchase, for a full refund. Replacement units are not being offered. GoPro plans to resume shipment of Karma as soon as the issue is resolved.

To participate in the recall, visit GoPro's webpage at: www.gopro.com/2016karmareturn

"Safety is our top priority," said GoPro Founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman. "A very small number of Karma owners have reported incidents of power failure during operation. We have moved quickly to recall all units of Karma and provide a full refund while we investigate the issue. We are working in close coordination with both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration. We are very sorry to have inconvenienced our customers and we are taking every step to make the return and refund process as easy as possible."

According to the Egami Blog, Canon has filed a patent for a display that can automatically switch between an optical viewfinder and an electronic one.

• Patent Publication No. 2016-173443
• Published 2016.9.29
• Filing date 2015.3.17
• Provided with the OVF and EVF
• Trackable AF
• It switched to the EVF and deviates from the effective range of the AF sensor