Canon and Sony News for Aug 2016 (Page 5)
Image quality results from the Nikon D810 have been added to the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR II Nikkor Lens page.
The 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II is a core piece of kit for Nikon users.
B&H has the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR II Nikkor Lens in stock.
From Eyefi:
UPDATE: Information Regarding "End of Life" (EOL) of X2 and Prior Generation Products
We have started work on a new desktop software utility designed to enable impacted cards to continue operating beyond the previously announced EOL date of September 15, 2016. The new software is called the "Eye-Fi X2 Utility" (X2U) and will be provided free of charge as a download.
The X2U will enable cards impacted by the EOL to transfer images to a desktop computer via an Infrastructure or Direct network connection. The utility will be made available in early August on the Mac (OS X) platform. We are also exploring the feasibility of offering the X2U on the Windows platform but are unable to commit to availability at this time. We will provide updates should this situation change.
X2U will be a one-time release provided to enabled continued use of an EOL impacted card for desktop transfer only on a transitional basis. The utility will not have the full capabilities of Eye-Fi Center and/or Eye-Fi View. ALL other Eye-Fi provided software will have to be uninstalled prior to installing the X2U on a supported device. The company will provided X2U documentation and knowledge base but no help desk support, no warranty and restrictive terms of service.
More information about this project will be available in this Community section the week of August 8th.
Image quality results from the Canon EOS 7D Mark II have been added to the Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens and Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens reviews.
These same lenses were recently tested on the Canon EOS 5Ds R (in case you missed those announcements).
B&H has the 200mm f/2.8L II, 300mm f/4L IS and 400mm f/5.6L lenses in stock with 4% rewards (the 400 also has a $70 instant rebate).
From the Cinecom.net YouTube Channel:
A camera slider is a wonderful tool to add cinematic movement to your shots. In this video you'll learn 5 creative tricks with your DSLR camera slider.
Exactly 3 years ago we published a tutorial video about different ways you could use a camera slider. We got so many great reactions on it that we had to create another video! This time we share 5 more creative tricks and tips with a camera slider.
See the Original 10 Slider Tricks Video here.
B&H carries camera sliders.
Watch the video above to see how Getty photographers are capturing underwater photos at the Rio Olympics.
From Adobe:
Photoshop 2015.5.1 Update (8/8/2016)
8/8/2015 – Today we released Photoshop CC 2015.5 update version 2015.5.1 (Mac and Windows) to address several issues.
Customer reported issues resolved
- Fixed customer submitted crashing issues
- Subtool reverts to primary tool after using keyboard shortcut
- Unable to Export individual layers that are nested in Artboard > Group
- “Rasterize EPS Format” dialogue box doesn’t remember Mode setting
- Embed color profile result reflects whatever it was set last time
- Text accidentally commits when try to transform Paragraph text using bounding box transform handles
- Cursor doesn’t correctly change to Commit cursor to differentiate from Rotate and Move cursor
- Print color is off when using App Manage Color (Mac only)
- Error: “Could not apply the workspace because the file was not found” when opening a file
- Several fixes and improvements for Select and Mask:
- Select and Mask: Command not available on non-pixel layer masks
- Select and Mask: Refine Edge Brush Tool creating artifacts along the brush stroke in mask
- Select and Mask: Redraw corruption (RGB 16bit/32 bit) with Show Original in certain zoom levels (preview mode “black and white”)
- Select and Mask: Using the Refine edge brush on one area of a pre-existing selection may cause certain hard edges in another area to change a few pixel values, especially when the image is in very high resolution
- Select and Mask: Using brush tool with feather 8 or more and zoom level 50 or lower get redraw issue
- Select and Mask: With a selection, the output defaults to selection, even if the previous output setting was a mask
- Select and Mask: Inverting a selection outputs the original selection
- Select and Mask: Crash when double-clicking adjustment mask
- Select and Mask: Program error when image is multi-channel
How to get the updates
Launch Photoshop and choose Help > Updates.
B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.
This is a wild baby cottontail rabbit photographed in the studio using a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens. Yes, there are some inconsistencies in that statement. The 100mm macro is not a first choice for a serious photographer photographing wild rabbits and ... why is the wild rabbit in the studio? Let me explain.
First, apparently the dog couldn't help itself and had to show us a baby cottontail rabbit (called a "kit") from a nest it found. Golden retrievers have soft mouths and she gently delivered the rabbit to the front door unharmed. The baby rabbit was so cute that a few photos were a requirement.
To create a natural scene, I took a decorative piece of driftwood and placed it on the shooting table along with a couple of ferns sacrificed from the flower bed just outside. With control over many aspects of the image, the 100mm macro lens was the ideal choice in this case. The 100 L is one of my MFU (Most-Frequently-Used) around-the-house lenses because of its versatility (great image quality, relatively small size with a light weight, image stabilization, 1:1/1x magnification ability, ...). It seems that there is always a subject available for this lens.
A large softbox and studio monolight is always beside my shooting table, ready to light whatever small or medium-sized subject that shows up. From lenses to backpacks to ... baby rabbits. A light source significantly larger than a close subject creates a soft light, lacking hard shadows. In this case, the light was a bit too soft for my taste, making the scene appear somewhat unnatural. Adding a few exposure adjustment layers with creatively painted layer masks (in Photoshop) created a more-natural unevenness (digital flagging) to the lighting. Of course, an octagonal catchlight in the eye is not going to say "sun" to anyone.
The rabbit (mostly) cooperated and after capturing a few photos, the kids asked Sierra (the dog) to find the nest. I thought that request was unrealistic and that the rabbit was orphaned, but ... Sierra took the girls to the middle of a nearby field of thick grass and impressively used its nose to point out the covered nest. The rabbit was reunited with its siblings with ... an unbelievable story to share.
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr, Google+, Facebook and 500px. If reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image.
ISO 100
8688 x 5792px
Get a behind the scenes look at Nikon Ambassador Corey Rich’s 24 days on the road, traveling to diverse geographic locations to capture different subjects with the flagship Nikon D5. Watch the full-length film, INSPIRED.
Speaking as a guy who loves capturing outdoor portraits with strobes while underexposing the ambient, I thought this was a fairly neat trick. That said, setting up an 8x8 diffusion frame, hanging the net and then sandbagging the whole thing means that Joel Grimes (and crew) probably spent just as much time (or more) setting up this scrim as I would setting up a strobe, power pack and light modifier. Also, this doesn't look to be a very flexible option as moving the setup would take a lot of time and work.
That said, a diffusion panel and net would be a more reliable solution as there aren't any electronic components to fail and battery power is not required. And compared to a high-power monolight solution, the scrim is probably a less expensive option. [Sean]
From the F.J. Westcott YouTube Channel:
Have you ever had trouble shooting in full sun? World renowned commercial portrait photographer Joel Grimes discusses how to cut bright sunlight and backgrounds in this portrait tutorial.
B&H carries Westcott Scrim Jim Cine products.
From the Profoto US YouTube Channel:
Lin & Jirsa Photography shares their secrets to achieving unique and creative wedding imagery in this behind-the-scenes video series. Learn how they use Profoto Off-Camera Flash to control light to match their creative vision and overcome wedding day challenges.
B&H carries the Profoto B2 Off-Camera Flashes.
I recently mountain biked to a nearby wildflower field and spent a very enjoyable end of day with the Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC Lens (and a large black bear that also showed up). The Samyang 135 is not a macro lens (it's not a good bear lens either), but this lens is great at creating a strong background blur and that is precisely what I wanted this evening.
The sun had set, giving me even, low contrast lighting, and the wind had practically stopped, allowing sharp images to be made without clamping the flower stems in place. I worked along the edge of the field (to avoid damaging the flowers), looking for compositions that could work. This white-trimmed brilliant red poppy caught my attention and I found an angle and background combination that I liked.
When photographing people and wildlife with shallow depth of field, the eye(s) are nearly always the right focus point. When there are no eyes, more difficult decisions sometimes need to be made. In this case, I set the lens to its minimum focus distance and moved in so that the front edge of the upper set of petals was in sharp focus. I later second-guessed my decision and focused on the top edge of the closer flower petal, but ... in the end, I liked the first choice best. The very shallow depth of field covers more of the flower and the stem (also known as a leading line) is more prominent in this version.
The Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC Lens performed excellently for me this evening. This lens holds lots of creativity-unleashing potential (and it is a very good value).
A larger version of this image is available on Flickr, Google+, Facebook and 500px. If reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image.
ISO 100
8688 x 5792px
From Samyang:
Explore Your Wideness
Samyang 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC is a wide angle manual focus lenses for DSLR cameras with full frame sensor size. The flow of light is devised based on the uniqueness of the distance from glass to sensor in mirrorless cameras to create optimal performance.
The bright f/1.8 aperture secures a fast shutter speed even under the restricted lighting conditions to offer best quality images. It will brighten up your everyday snapshots. Also it creates an outstanding out-of-focus look by highlighting the main object effectively. In between ultra-wide 16mm and wide-standard 24mm, 20mm lens is a perfect fit to explore wide angles not only for shooting indoor images such as concerts and interior photos but also street snaps. The 0.2m of minimum focusing adds versatility to the lens.
Based on Samyang Optics’ exceptional optical technology, Ultra Multi Coating and two aspherical lenses and three extra-low dispersion have been included among 13 glasses in 12 groups to minimise aberration and unnecessary light dispersion, delivering high resolution from the centre to the corners of the image.
Samyang 20mm f/1.8 is compatible with 10 camera mounts: Canon EOS, Nikon AE, Pentax K, Sony E, Canon M, Fujifilm X, Samsung NX, Sony E, FT, MFT.
Specifications
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Sigma has firmware updates available for the following lenses:
- Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
- Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary
- Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Contemporary
- SIGMA 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports
All three firmware updates resolve an underexposure issue when the lens is used with a Nikon D500. The 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports firmware update is only required if using a TC-1401 or TC-2001 teleconverter with the lens.
Sigma Global Vision lenses (like the ones above) can be updated using Sigma USB Dock. Before updating, be sure to download and install the latest version of Sigma Optimization Pro.
If you do not own a USB Dock, you can send your lens to a Sigma Service Center and have its firmware updated free of charge. However, considering the cost of shipping a lens insured and the universal nature of the dock, simply buying the USB Dock seems to be the most practical way to update your lens' firmware.
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.
Watch as Rudy Winston, Technical Advisor for Canon USA, explains the 1D X Mark II's feature set in this nearly 16 minute video.
Want even more information? Check out our full review of this awesome camera.
B&H has the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II DSLR Camera Premium Kit in stock.
 "Share on Pinterest!"){kind=small}
 |
|