Canon and Sony News for Jan 2019 (Page 4)

• Holds 2 Pro DSLRs, 4 Lenses, 17" Laptop
• Holds a DSLR & Attached 400 f/2.8 Lens
• Front Zip Lid Closure with Hinge
• Exterior Zip Pockets
• Zippered Interior Lid Pockets
• Padded Touch-Fastening Dividers
• Side/Top Grip Handles & Tripod Attach
• 2 Rear Transport Wheels
• Built-In TSA Combination Zipper Lock
• Water-Repellent Fabric & Rain Protector

B&H has the Manfrotto Pro Light Reloader Air-55 available for preorder.

Image quality test results have been added to the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens page.

Is the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III Lens sharper than the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II? It is hard to tell the difference in a perfection vs. perfection comparison. That the III weighs so much less than the II makes the III's image quality look much better to me.

The Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens is in stock at B&H and available for preorder at Amazon | Adorama | WEX.

Rent the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens from Lensrentals.

In this video, Adobe's Benjamin Warde demonstrates why the Quick Develop module in Lightroom may be more useful than you first thought.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

Watch as Adobe Digital Imaging Evangelist Julieanne Kost provides thirteen tips for working with curves in Photoshop.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

Just posted: Nikon Z 6 (AKA Z6) Review.

Only a small set of differences separate the Z 6 and Nikon Z 7 cameras and the two reviews, created simultaneously, will also share significant content. The low price will be the most significant Z 6 advantage for most. Again, please share the review with your Nikon friends.

The Nikon Z 6 is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX.

Rent the Nikon Z 6 from Lensrentals.

From Sigma:

The SIGMA Corporation is pleased to release the SIGMA 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art.

The classical angle of view with the latest lens design

28mm angle of view used to be a representative wide-angle in the era of film cameras, and attracts many fans even today. To accommodate the request from many photographers who expressed the strong interest in using the familiar 28mm with Art line quality, SIGMA produces the SIGMA 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art, based on the know-how gained through development of the Art F1.4 prime lens lineup released so far. This newest traditional wide-angle lens, advantaged by the latest design and materials, as well as the processing technologies, is now available from SIGMA’s Art line.

Accessories: Case, Hood (LH828-01) supplied
Corresponding AF mounts: SIGMA / Nikon F mount / Canon EF mount / Sony E-mount

SIGMA, Nikon F mount and Canon EF mount are scheduled to start the shipment in January, 2019. Launching date of Sony E-mount is not determined yet.

Sigma 28mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens Preorders: B&H | Adorama | Wex

Just posted: Nikon Z 7 (AKA Z7) Review.

As you likely expected to hear, the Z 7 is a great little camera (though not flawless). Be sure to share the review with your Nikon friends!

The Nikon Z 7 is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX.

Check out the used Nikon Z 7 cameras at B&H in conditions rated as high as "Open Box with full manufacturer warranty".

Rent the Nikon Z 7 from Lensrentals.

From the Adorama YouTube Channel:

The Docu Series 24 Pictures A Second focuses on following and hearing from working professionals in the film, tv, and pro-video industry. In this episode, colorist Josh Bohoskey of The Mill walks through the color correction of a new, and stylistically specific, narrative piece with Framework Productions. After detailed discussion with style references, each moment is graded and then layered, creating a look that is both visually cohesive and narratively supportive. From saturating and desaturating to keying and tracking, the thrust of the story and every other element combine and even "pop" under this execution of the color-vision.

Featured Products

• Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel
• Blackmagic Design DV/RESOLVE DaVinci Resolve Control Surface
• Cinegears Ruige 24.1" 10-Bit Cinema Color Grading Monitor
• NEC Spyder5 Full-Spectrum Color Sensor for SpectraView II
• NEC SpectraView II Display Calibration Software
• NEC MultiSync EX341R 34" Ultrawide Curved LED Monitor

San Jose, USA, January 9, 2019 – Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced the new Lexar Professional 633x SDXC UHS-I card with 1 terabyte (1TB) of memory.

Shoot and record more of what you love without changing cards with this high-capacity 1TB memory card that supplies the space you need for capturing all the action. Designed for your mid-range DSLR, HD camcorder, or 3D camera, the Lexar Professional 633x SDXC UHS-I card lets you quickly capture, and transfer high-quality photos and stunning 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video**, with read speeds of up to 633x (95MB/s)*. This Class 10 card leverages UHS-I technology to deliver high-speed performance to get the shot you want, while providing the reliability you need.

“Almost fifteen years ago, Lexar announced a 1GB SD card. Today, we are excited to announce 1TB of storage capacity in the same convenient form factor. As consumers continue to demand greater storage for their cameras, the combination of high-speed performance with a 1TB option now offers a solution for content creators who shoot large volumes of high-resolution images and 4K video,” said Joey Lopez, Senior Marketing Manager.

All Lexar product designs undergo extensive testing in the Lexar Quality Labs, facilities with more than 1,100 digital devices, to ensure performance, quality, compatibility, and reliability. The 1TB Lexar Professional 633x SDXC UHS-I card is available now at an MSRP of $499.99. It also comes with a limited-lifetime warranty. For more information visit www.lexar.com

Lexar will be exhibiting at this year’s CES, Las Vegas, Nevada January 8th – 11th, the world’s largest consumer technology show.

B&H has the Lexar Professional 1TB 633x SDXC UHS-I Memory Card available for preorder.

From ProGrade Digital:

CFexpress 1.0 Memory Cards Provide Read Speeds of up to 1400MB/s to Maximize Workflow for Professionals

LAS VEGAS, NV, CES JANUARY 08, 2019 – ProGrade Digital, founded with a mission to provide the highest quality professional grade memory cards and workflow solutions, is taking part in a technology demonstration highlighting its CFexpress 1.0 card teamed with Thunderbolt 3.0. Professional photographers using the Nikon Z series cameras are demonstrating workflows, both mobile and desktop, as paired with the ProGrade Digital CFexpress card plus Thunderbolt 3.0-enabled personal computers. The presentation is taking place at CES in Central Hall 10048.

“ProGrade Digital is delighted to be participating in this technology demo highlighting the speed of the ProGrade Digital 1TB CFexpress card and Thunderbolt 3.0 within the digital workflow,” said Wes Brewer, founder and CEO of ProGrade Digital. “With read speeds up to 1400MB/s, this technology provides peak performance for offloading cinema-quality video and still image files at speeds that are at least three times faster than ever before.”

ProGrade Digital CFexpress 1.0:

• Fully compliant with CompactFlash Association 1.0 specification
• XQD host interoperable with firmware support
• 1,400 MB/s continuous read speed capable; write speed 1000MB/s
• Certified to perform at a minimum sustained transfer speed of 400MB/s
• Dimensions: 29.6 mm x 38.5 mm x 3.8 mm
• Metal enclosure/encasement to endure high temperatures and provide better thermal conductivity
• Built-in thermal throttling to protect card and its content in the event of overheating

B&H carries ProGrade Digital products.

Image quality test results have been added to the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E AF-S VR Lens page.

This is a much-loved lens that has great utility. However, this model does seem to show more than average image quality variability. This particular copy shows good performance at the focal length extents (typically the most-used on a zoom lens). The lateral CA in the with-2x Teleconverter III corners is ... rather extreme.

The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E AF-S VR Lens is in stock at B&H (note the used options in up to 10 condition) | Amazon (note the certified refurbished option)| Adorama | WEX.

Rent the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E AF-S VR Lens from Lensrentals.

by Sean Setters

Canon USA often offers excellent rebates on their PIXMA PRO-100 Wireless Professional Inkjet Photo Printers. Not long ago, I took advantage of one of those rebates and received my PIXMA PRO-100 shortly afterward.

Aside from the great build quality of the printer itself, I was thoroughly impressed by the box that the printer was shipped in. I realize that reading that previous statement may invoke a quizzical look on many site visitors' faces, but hear me out. Not all cardboard is the same, and the cardboard used in the PIXMA PRO-100's packaging (it's likely the same for the PRO-10 as well) is extremely rigid and durable, a fact that was clearly evident when I attempted (and eventually succeeded) in cutting out the barcode for rebate claim purposes.

Why would someone care about the quality of cardboard? Well, if you're like me, you may have a decent amount of 8.5 x 11" photo paper lying around because you took advantage of a couple of great printer paper deals which tend pop up every now and then. However, 8.5 x 11" is rarely a requested print size; more often than not, an 8 x 10" print is desired. It's easy enough to produce an 8 x 10" print on an 8.5 x 11" piece of paper, but cutting is required to make that print fit in most 8 x 10" frames.

While scissors are certainly an option for accomplishing the task, if you're like me, you may have trouble cutting in a straight line. Even though a print with slightly not-so-straight edges will rarely be noticed once it's in the frame, handing such a print over to a customer is a bit embarrassing. We strive to produce the highest quality photos possible, so why would we hand over a print that gives the impression of a low quality product without exquisite attention to detail?

My solution for obtaining clean, straight cuts on my prints involves an X-ACTO knife (with plenty of spare blades), a stainless steel ruler and cardboard. Before the PIXMA PRO-100 arrived, I had been using whatever cardboard box was in the recycling pile waiting to be picked up (usually an Amazon box). But I often didn't have a large enough box on-hand to make the required cuts, and even if I did, a single project made the box unusable for future projects because the cardboard was too weak to endure multiple uses. A single PIXMA PRO-100 box top panel, on the other hand, has sustained multiple uses (I've created about a dozen prints with it) and shows no signs of imminent failure. And when (or possibly, "if") that panel ever becomes too worn to do its job, I've got another panel waiting to take its place.

Everyone who has received a hand-cut print from my Canon PIXMA PRO-100 printer has been extremely happy with the quality of the finished product. Of course, the quality of the photos and the quality of the printer deserve most of the credit for my clients' satisfaction, but the printer's box top also deserves some credit for helping me to produce those high quality 8 x 10" prints.

Oh, and by the way – select Canon Printer Paper products (including 8.5 x 11" sheets) are on sale at B&H for a limited time.

From the MAC Group:

New York, NY – January 8, 2019 – X-Rite Incorporated, the world leader in color management and measurement technologies announces a public beta release of ColorChecker Camera Calibration software v1.2, an updated version for photographers working with Capture One software that now includes TIFF file support. This allows them to quickly and easily create custom ICC Camera profiles to maintain consistent color control from capture to edit.

Photographers can now create and save custom ICC camera profiles for virtually any lighting situation utilizing either an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo or ColorChecker Classic target together with the X-Rite Camera Calibration software v1.2. Whether working in a DNG or ICC workflow, camera profiling ensures that a user can obtain accurate color at capture based on specific lighting, camera and lens combination during any given shoot, saving valuable time in edit.

“It’s been a long-standing request from Capture One users to be able to take advantage of our ColorChecker products to produce ICC camera profiles.” says Liz Quinlisk, Global Business Unit Manager, Photo & Video at X-Rite Incorporated. “It’s been something we’ve been working on and now our customers can immediately try out this pre-release software and provide feedback on any suggestions for improvement.”

The public beta software is now available free of charge. To register and download the software for Mac or PC and view a step-by-step instruction guide, simply go to xritephoto.com/cameraICC.

B&H carries X-Rite ColorChecker products.

From DJI:

Remote Lets Pilots Fly Newest Mavic Drones Without A Mobile Device

DJI, the world's leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, continues its tradition of making aerial technology accessible to everyone by introducing a powerful new remote controller for its drones at CES 2019. The Smart Controller features an ultra-bright display screen and controls optimized for DJI drones, allowing pilots to fly the newest drones without using a smartphone or tablet. DJI will also be exhibiting its full lineup of consumer drones and handheld imaging products at its booth at CES 2019, including the new Osmo Pocket stabilized camera, and will host exciting workshops, hands-on product demonstrations and more. Attendees can find DJI in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth #25602.

Smart Controller Expands Pilot Options

The DJI Smart Controller expands the ecosystem of accessories built around DJI's industry leading drone technology. Using a crisp 5.5”screen built into the controller itself, the Smart Controller allows pilots to quickly get their drone in the air without the need to connect a mobile device. It can be paired with DJI's newest drones including Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro[1] which use DJI's OcuSync 2.0 video transmission system, displaying vivid images in Full HD resolution. Drone pilots can take advantage of its compact, highly portable design that has been optimized for use in direct sunlight. It features an ultra-bright display with an output of 1000 cd/m2, twice the brightness of standard smart phones. A customizable Android dashboard supports DJI GO 4, DJI Pilot[2], along with various third-party apps such as editing programs. The DJI GO 4 app also touts several new features including SkyTalk, that allows pilots to livestream the drone's camera feed to social channels including Facebook, Instagram and WeChat so that anyone can experience the thrill of flying a drone. Another new feature is DJI GO-Share which easily transfers imagery from the Controller to your mobile device. The DJI Smart Controller brings a new level of reliability when flying, with 2.5 hours of battery life and the ability to operate in adverse temperatures as cold as -4° Fahrenheit and as hot as 104° Fahrenheit.

Price and Availability

The new Smart Controller will be available for purchase beginning January 8th, 2019 for the retail price of $649 USD. Combination packages of the Smart Controller with Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom will be available as well.

Adorama has the DJI Smart Controller available for preorder.