Canon and Sony News for Sep 2014 (Page 6)

By Sean Setters

I tend to see the world in a 2x3 ratio frame. That's how my camera captures the world, so that's how I'm accustomed to framing the world in my imagination (with the exception of panoramas).

I also tend to like tighter shots rather than wider framed shots. I like seeing more detail in my subjects rather than the surroundings. Generally speaking, that's just fine. However, the value of an extra-wide environmental shot should not be underestimated.

The biggest reason? Facebook. Many of my clients these days are wanting images that can be used in a multitude of ways, whether they be for conference promotion, marketing material, business cards, social media or their own business websites. The aspect ratios required for these uses vary considerably. Therefore, you have to keep in mind that your 2:3 ratio image may need to be cropped down to a 1:1, 16:9 or 851:315.

851:315 – huh?

Yep, that's right – 851:315. That's a very thin strip of your 3:2 image. But right now, it's an extremely prevalent aspect ratio – thanks to Facebook. Facebook's cover photo is exactly 851x315 pixels. Not only that, but you have to take into consideration other issues like how much real estate the profile picture takes up on the left side of the cover photo. Check out this Facebook Cover Photo Size Helper for more details.

I was specifically thinking about the Facebook cover photo requirements when shooting the image for Stamps Design Group at the top of this post. On the whole, it works well at a 2:3 ratio image. But it also works well when cropped down to the aspect ratio of the cover photo:

Yes, you lose a lot of content – the beautiful brick in the top and the scale model in the bottom portion of the image are gone – but the impact is still there when cropped down.

So keep in mind – when shooting for clients, be sure to grab an extra wide shot so that it can work well in a variety of different aspect ratios, including the almost-panoramic 851:315 aspect ratio.

From Samyang:

Samyang Europe announces the upcoming Autumn release of the full-frame Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye lens. The lens will be officially introduced during Photokina in Cologne on September 16th 2014.

Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye is a bright, super wide-angle fisheye lens designed especially for full-frame cameras. It offers the image area in 24 x 36mm format and the diagonal angle of view of 180 degrees. In terms of the optics, it is one of the most advanced "fisheye” lenses. The product's sophisticated optics consists of 12 lens elements arranged in 8 groups. This includes three elements made of low dispersion ED glass and two aspherical lens elements to ensure perfect image depth and minimized chromatic aberration. Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye is the third lens of the brand (along with 10mm f/2.8 and 12mm f/2.0) with highly effective nanocrystal anti-reflection NCS coating applied together with standard UMC coatings. Because of these advanced coatings and its fast aperture (f/2.8) the lens can be used as a perfect tool in diverse lighting conditions, as it provides great focus, high contrast and natural color reproduction even when used wide open. The premiere of Samyang 12mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS Fisheye is like a dream coming true for professional photographers and filmmakers who seem to have an increasing demand for this type of lenses since the release of 8mm and 7.5mm models, which are considered to be the best "fisheye" lenses on the market.

You will have an opportunity to take a look at the pre-production copy of the new lens on the Samyang stand (hall 2.1, A-025) during the upcoming Photokina 2014 in Cologne. The visitors will be also able to test two other recently introduced lenses: Samyang 50mm f/1.4 AS UMC and Samyang V-DSLR 50mm T1.5 AS UMC.

The market release date for the new lens and its retail price will be announced at a later date.

Amazon allows you to trade in your old iPhone for Amazon credit. It's definitely something to consider if you've got your eye on the new Apple iPhone 6.

Note: This announcement from last month flew under my radar. Better late than never! [Sean]

PORTLAND, Ore, – August 19, 2014 – Lensbaby, one of the world’s leading makers of creative-effects camera lenses, today announced the availability of the Sweet 50, a 50mm selective-focus optic compatible with the Lensbaby Optic Swap System for DSLR, mirrorless and motion picture cameras.

The Sweet 50 optic is a 50mm selective focus optic with a 12-blade adjustable aperture ranging from f/2.5 through f/22. Along with controlling depth of field, the aperture controls the size of the sweet spot of focus. The Sweet 50 is part of the Lensbaby Optic Swap System and is mounted to the DSLR, mirrorless or motion picture camera via the Composer Pro lens body.

Product specs:

• Manual focus
• Curved field of focus optic (creates a spot of focus surrounded by blur)
• Two multi-coated glass elements in one group
• Minimum focus distance: 15 inches
• Maximum focus distance: Infinity
• 46mm front threads
• Compatible with Lensbaby Composer Pro, Muse, Control Freak and Scout lens bodies

Pricing and availability

The Sweet 50 will be available on September 16 at Lensbaby-authorized photo specialty stores worldwide. It will sell for $299.95 (MSRP) with the Composer Pro lens mount or $119.95 (MSRP) for the optic only.

B&H carries the Lensbaby Sweet 50 optic.

From ZEISS:

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 09/09/2014 – This year during the IBC in Amsterdam (September 12-16, 2014) ZEISS will present another highlight for discerning cinematographers at its booth 11.F50: prototypes of a servo unit for the high-end ZEISS Compact Zoom CZ.2 cine lenses.

With the CZ.2 15-30/T2.9, CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 and CZ.2 70-200/T2.9, ZEISS has set new performance standards for cine zooms. Equipped with an exchangeable mount (IMS), the CZ.2 lenses can be used flexibly on virtually all current and future camera models. The full-frame cine zooms (36x24mm) are suitable for HDSLR cameras, as well as for professional HD video and cinema cameras. All lenses in the ZEISS Compact Zoom family already correspond to 4K production standards.

With the new modularly-built ZEISS Servo Unit which will be shown in Amsterdam, cinematographers can leverage all of these advantages for situations when there is no direct access to the lens, for example on a crane, on rails or a Russian Arm. The servo unit also supports the comfortable operation of the zoom when using a shoulder camera, thus allowing the ZEISS Compact Zooms to be used conveniently for reportages.

The ZEISS Servo Unit was specially designed for the three ZEISS Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses and can be flexibly used with all three of them. The user-friendly surface of the cine zooms enables them to be operated manually and, if desired, with follow-focus systems or the new ZEISS Servo Unit attached. The main unit controls aperture and zoom through powerful electric motors. A sensitive rocker switch allows for smooth zooming as well as fast changes in the image crop. An integrated iris motor enables the automatic control of the aperture via the camera. A manual operation of the aperture is, of course, still possible.

The new ZEISS Servo Unit can be controlled directly on the hand grip, through broadcast demands, or via wireless lens control systems, as is often the case for cranes.

Unique for the ZEISS Servo Unit is that no tools are needed for assembly, which can save time in critical moments. With a snap-on mechanism, the main unit can be exchanged easily, fast and without tools between the three different ZEISS Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses. For each lens, this is done with a sleeve and installation plate. In addition, the optional focus unit can be mounted on the main unit with little effort, and adjusts quickly to the respective lens during lens changes. Electricity to the servo unit can be supplied via a PL-mount with contacts (at the zero position), through the camera interface cable, or externally. For ZEISS Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses already available on the market, the necessary modifications for the contacts on the PL-mount can be carried out by ZEISS Service.

“The new ZEISS Servo Unit for the Compact Zoom CZ.2 family consistently expands the creative uses of our cine zooms, which have a growing fan community among professional cinematographers, production companies and in the rental business,” said Helmut Lenhof, Product Manager with ZEISS Camera Lenses. “Flexibility and longevity were our guiding ideas when developing the Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses and these principles are reflected in the patented interchangeable mount system (IMS) and the optical design for the full frame. The ZEISS Compact Zoom CZ.2 lenses are therefore growing in step with the requirements of their users. The new servo unit is a powerful component that lets cinematographers flexibly extend the use of their CZ.2 lenses, whether for professional film productions or on a hand camera for reportage, documentary, and live events.”

During the IBC 2014, ZEISS will again present its comprehensive product portfolio of lenses for movie productions and HD video: ZEISS Compact Zoom CZ.2, ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic, ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime, ARRI/ZEISS Ultra Prime, ZEISS Compact Prime CP.2, and SLR lenses for HD video. Visitors to the booth will be able to test ZEISS lenses on a large variety of the latest camera models, as well as meet and talk to experts on site.

The official market launch for the new ZEISS Servo Unit is planned to coincide with the NAB 2015. The total price of the system, including the focusing element, is expected to lie between € 5.000 and € 6.000 or US$ 7,800 and (net price). Orders can be taken starting April 2015.

B&H carries ZEISS Compact Zoom lenses.

By Sean Setters

Last month I posted about my experience regarding shooting headshots for Kim Frick-Welker, a local actress and theater director. The gist of the post – trust your instincts and find a way to capture the images that are in your imagination (even if the client hasn't asked for them specifically).

The point became relevant once more as I was shooting headshots for Billy Hollis, software designer, at his home in Nashville this weekend. Billy told me that his last headshot was "...taken about five years – and fifteen pounds – ago" and he was ready for an update. He wanted a few different versions of his headshot for display on social media, conference bios and various marketing tools. The only shot he specifically asked for was the "...boring, traditional on-white headshot." Other than that, I could shoot whatever I thought was appropriate (indoors or outdoors).

We decided to start with outdoor shots as the sky was overcast which provided a good, soft ambient base to work with. I found a spot behind his tool shed that provided an interesting combination of elements – a tree trunk, some limbs and an old window surrounded by weathered bricks. I used Canon EOS 5D Mark III with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM and a Canon 580EX diffused by a 24" Glow Pop Soft Box (camera right) to light the subject and a bare 580EX to light the background (camera left). His favorite from that series is shown at the top of this post.

Moving indoors, I created a white background setup by placing a Botero #037 Collapsible Black/White Background behind the subject (lit with three flashes). I used the same Glow softbox for the main light (camera right) and added a 580EX reflected into white umbrella for fill light (camera left). As I was firing my off-camera flashes with manual triggers, the first shot was simply a test shot to dial in the power of my lights; it was a throw-away. I'm usually pretty close on the first shot after setting up my lights. However, I had forgotten to change the aperture on my camera when moving to the indoor setup. With my camera set to f/3.5, my test shot was extremely over-exposed. I nearly deleted the picture right after seeing it, but I didn't.

Realizing my mistake, I set my camera to f/6.3 and the next exposure was in the ballpark. But after reviewing the images the next day, I kept coming back to the horribly over-exposed test shot. Something about it captivated me. I sent it to Billy and he's now using it as his Twitter profile picture. New lesson learned – make sure and take a good look at your "throw-aways" before actually throwing them away.

After about 20 minutes of shooting (trying various shirts and poses), Billy had the standard headshot on white that was a "must-have" request.

But while we were shooting the headshot on white, I started formulating another shot in my mind – a profile shot. So before packing up, I asked him if he would like to try one more setup. He readily agreed. I asked him to change into a black shirt while I made a few changes to the setup.

While he was changing, I turned off all of the background lights and flipped the Botero background around to its black side. I then took my mainlight and placed it on the left side just beside of (and slightly behind) where Billy was standing. I added a grid to the softbox and angled it away from the background to keep it from spilling onto the background. I remove the umbrella from my fill light, added a Honl Speed Grid and moved it to the right side to illuminate the back of Billy's head. The shots that followed were undoubtedly our favorites from the day.

So again, let me reiterate something that I mentioned in the Kim Frick-Welker headshot post:

"It may sound obvious, but here's something to keep in mind – anyone who hires you was likely impressed with the work you've already created. So if a shot really inspires you, it will likely inspire your client as well – so try to devote a few minutes to getting the shot you want to get, even if it's not a part of your agreed shot list."

From Adobe:

September 8, 2014 – San Jose, CA – Adobe plans to significantly update Adobe Creative Cloud video desktop apps and Adobe Anywhere for video. The new capabilities will build on Adobe’s integration across video workflows to enable professionals to create, collaborate and deliver productions across multiple screens. Adobe is previewing the upgrades at IBC 2014, Europe’s largest professional broadcast show. The company is also demonstrating the new solutions online at adobe.com/go/video.

Key updates include new media and project management tools in Adobe Premiere Pro CC; a refreshed user-interface across all Adobe video desktop apps; and more streamlined production workflows to allow video professionals to edit more efficiently.

Updates also will be added to Adobe Anywhere, the collaborative workflow platform that empowers users of Adobe professional video solutions—such as Adobe Premiere Pro CC and Adobe After Effects CC—to work together to shoot, log, edit, share and finish video productions. Enhanced support for Adobe After Effects CC will enable visual and motion graphic artists to collaborate more effectively so they can spend more time working creatively and less time searching for missing footage and collecting files. Additionally, new options in the Adobe Anywhere app for iPad will be added so users can review video footage faster.

“As the video and broadcast industries continue to rapidly evolve, so too does Adobe’s video technology. With Creative Cloud, we have accelerated the rate at which we deliver the features our customers need to create compelling new experiences and transform the video industry with high-quality productions,” said Bill Roberts , senior director of professional video product management, Adobe.

At IBC 2014, Adobe will showcase the new video technology that streamlines video workflows for video professionals, broadcasters and media companies. Key updates include: the acceleration of support for cutting-edge hardware and standards via Adobe Creative Cloud, enabling the company to respond quickly to new hardware and software standards; the extension of native file support, with the addition of AJA RAW; performance enhancements that include accelerated masking & tracking; and new GPU-optimized playback to deliver better performance when viewing high-resolution 4K and Ultra HD footage from Phantom Cine, Canon RAW and RED R3D files. In addition, a refreshed user-interface across all the video applications supports HiDPI displays for Mac Retina and Windows 8.1.

New media and project management features, including consolidate & transcode, search bins and multi-project workflows, will be added to offer more ease and flexibility at the project level, so Adobe Premiere Pro CC users can complete tasks more efficiently. And Adobe Media Encoder now includes “destination” publishing with preset options so users can render, deliver and share projects to multiple locations such as FTP sites and Creative Cloud folders. Extended match source support also now includes added support for the QuickTime and DNxHD formats.

Learn more about Creative Cloud on Adobe's Website.

From the Adobe Photoshop YouTube Channel:

Learn how to blend multiple images with different depths of field with Photoshop Principal Product Manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes.

From Photoshelter:

It's never too early to jumpstart your holiday sales!

What does September signal? Most think back-to-school, but here at PhotoShelter we know it's really about getting ready for your incoming holiday sales. It's never too early to start planning, so to help you get a jumpstart, we've compiled our favorite photo sales and marketing tips so you can generate more revenue and increase your profits before saying goodbye to 2014.

You'll find tips to:

• Sell and market your prints to the right audience
• Talk money and negotiate with clients
• Market your work better with 10 examples of great photographer promos
• Price your wedding and portrait photography
• Sell your fine art photos, plus get insights from those succeeding with sales
• And more!

And better yet? With a plan in place now, you’ll be in great shape during the holidays when consumers are looking to buy.

Get more tips and start selling today!

See Photoshelter's Selling and Marketing Tips

From B&H

Lensbaby's new 5.8mm circular fisheye lens is a fully manual lens for Nikon or Canon mounts that works with full-frame or APS-C sensor sized sensors.

B&H carries the LensBaby 5.8mm f/3.5 Circular Fisheye.

In addition to the press release, you can find more Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Lens information and lots of eye candy on the Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Lens Review placeholder page. Otus 85 images are also loaded into the product image comparison tool. I'll be sharing a full review of this amazing lens very soon.

B&H has the ZEISS Otus 85mm f/1.4 available for preorder.

From Zeiss:

ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 expands lens family with another focal length for the highest level of professional image quality

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 08/09/2014 – Given its focal length and speed, at first glance the new ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 appears to be a traditional portrait lens. But a closer look reveals that this is a fast all-rounder for photographers who do not accept any limitations when it comes to detail – whether it is for general studio work, or fashion, advertising, product or architectural photography. In combination with modern DSLR cameras, this lens delivers unprecedented image quality – even with an open aperture. ZEISS will present this new world-class lens for the first time to the public at photokina in Cologne/Germany from September 16 to 21, 2014.

The ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 displays all of its advantages in the classic short telephoto range, i.e. portraits and people. Its focal length, longer than a normal lens, makes it possible to keep a decent distance from the subject. Photographers who like using a landscape not just as a background will find that the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 is no ‘normal’ lens, but a surprisingly powerful companion for nature photography. The edges of the picture can be used for compositional purposes at all f-stops.

Unique creative possibilities can be achieved for pictures even with little ambient light. Today’s image sensors are extremely sensitive with little noise, which has significantly pushed the limits of what is possible even without artificial light. Fast lenses such as the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 still offer enormous benefits compared with lenses that are two or three f-stops slower, especially when weak light meets fast-moving objects. Even when the light disappears completely, the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 retains its excellent “vision”, just like the owl species from which this lens family gets its name. Lenses reveal correction deficits very clearly with night shots with lots of open light sources that dominate the image. Not so with the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85: in challenging lighting situations with low ambient light, the performance edge of this lens becomes obvious.

The ZEISS Otus family of lenses and its newest member have been specially designed to meet professional photographers’ most rigorous demands. Inner focusing, the dial window, and the dials’ clearly recognizable yellow labeling, familiar from professional cine lenses like ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime, are just a few of the features that are setting new standards.

Optically, the ZEISS Otus series stands out for its high image quality, even with an open aperture. Specifically, that means a neutral bokeh in the background, highly detailed images without any optical artifacts, consistently high resolution power across the entire image field, no color fringing or distortion, and an extremely high image contrast all the way into the edges. The imaging performance remains almost entirely consistent for all shooting distances. High apertures can be used even for close-ups right down to a working distance of 0.65 meters.

Particularly when used in combination with high-definition 35mm DSLR cameras, ZEISS Otus lenses achieve a medium-format quality never previously achieved. In other words: lower investments, more compact gear and imaging excellence.

A view inside the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 reveals how such quality is realized: The lens consists of eleven lens elements in nine groups. One of the lens elements has an aspheric optical surface and six are made of special glass. The optical design is based on the Planar. Because the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 is apochromatic, chromatic diagonal aberrations (longitudinal chromatic aberrations) are corrected with the help of lens elements made of special glass with anomalous partial dispersion. As a result, practically no perceptible color fringing appears on contrast-rich edges in front of and behind the focal plane. Bright-dark transitions in the image, and in particular highlights, are rendered free of color artifacts. In addition, the variable air spaces between certain lens groups (“floating elements design”) enable a consistently high imaging performance across the entire focusing range from 0.8 m to infinity.

All members of the ZEISS Otus family are characterized by the exceptional mechanical quality that sophisticated photographers are used to from ZEISS. As they were designed as manual focus lenses, it was possible to work with considerably narrower tolerances in the construction. Its smooth focus operation with the large angle of rotation allows for the finest variations when focusing. The freedom to focus – one of the most important creative elements in photography – has literally been put in the hands of the photographer as an artistic tool.

The extra-fine haptics and the precision of the focusing mechanism can only be achieved with a metal design. The robust all-metal barrel is also well equipped to deal with the rough daily work of a professional photographer, ensuring a long product life. In contrast to lenses containing a lot of plastic, which can become unbalanced over time, the metal ZEISS Otus lenses remain stable for many years. This ensures that the image quality remains consistently high. And for all photographers who in addition to the actual optics also rely on screw-on filters in their work, matching T* UV and POL filters with a diameter of 86 millimeters will be available from ZEISS for the ZEISS Otus 1.4/85.

In the fall of 2013, ZEISS presented the ZEISS Otus 1.4/55, the first representative of a high-end SLR lens series with manual focusing. This has since fulfilled its promise to be “the best standard lens on the market”. Both the trade press and users were impressed.

“When we launched the Otus 1.4/55, our customers immediately understood the benefits they can get from such a lens: using their high-end full-frame camera, they can shoot pictures with a quality and look they were previously only used to getting from expensive medium-format systems,” explains Christophe Casenave, Product Manager, ZEISS Camera Lenses. “With the Otus 1.4/85 we are now bringing out the second lens with this promise. Again with the Otus 1.4/85 we can say that this is a lens without any compromise on image quality. Contrast and resolution power are at the maximum level; there are no chromatic aberrations, even in the most challenging light situations; and there’s no distortion, ghosting or flare. And all of this at any aperture. When you use an Otus lens, you can focus on the composition of your images. You don’t need to spend any time thinking about whether the technology could possibly be a limiting factor.”

The ZEISS Otus 1.4/85 will be available worldwide with EF-mount (ZE) and F-mount (ZF.2) from mid-September 2014. The expected recommended retail price is €3,360.50 or US$ 4,490 (excl. VAT).

Official sample photos can be found on Zeiss's Flickr Photostream.

B&H has the ZEISS Otus 85mm f/1.4 available for preorder.

From Lexar:

New High-Capacity Card Delivers Read Transfer Speeds up to 633x (95MB per second) and Includes a USB 3.0 Reader

Milpitas, CA, September 5, 2014 – Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory products, today announced the new 128GB Lexar High-Performance microSDXC UHS-I card with read transfer speeds up to 633x (95MB per second).* Designed for sports camcorders, tablets and smartphones, the Class 10 microSDXC card can capture up to 15 hours of HD video.**

“Whether it’s on a sports camera, aerial camera, tablet or smartphone, more video is being captured than ever before,” said Adam Kaufman, director of card product marketing, Lexar. “With the new Lexar 128GB microSDXC UHS-I card, users can continue to capture and store high-quality content, without having to worry about changing cards or running out of space.”

The 128GB Lexar High-Performance microSDXC UHS-I card (633x) comes with a USB 3.0 reader and allows for high-speed file transfer of photos and videos from the card to a PC or Mac. The reader is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports and comes with a one-year limited warranty.

The new card is available for purchase in October 2014 with an MSRP of $119.99 and includes a limited lifetime warranty.

B&H carries Lexar high-performance microSD memory cards.

From the Canon USA YouTube Channel:

Did you ever want to know what it's like at the Canon Americas Headquarters in Melville, New York? In this exclusive video, take a tour of our showroom, lobby, courtyard and other great amenities that Canon USA HQ has to offer.

From the Canon Professional Network:

Canon’s wireless flash system means that you can fire two or more Speedlites together without any cables linking them.

Working with multiple Speedlites gives you creative control over your subject lighting. A main light can be used away from the camera, and other units can be used to provide backlighting or illuminate the background.

It has been possible to work with two or more flash units almost since the day they were invented. However, the problem has always been getting the exposure correct. Just synchronizing the flash outputs is not enough. You also need to control each output to give the correct amount of light for the subject.

Canon’s wireless flash does away with all this. You just set up the Speedlites and press the camera’s shutter release button. A series of pre-flashes are fired and the system automatically calculates the output required from each unit. It then fires all the units to give what should be a correctly exposed, well-balanced flash image.

The Canon wireless flash system is based on a master-slave relationship. The master unit is a flashgun, flash transmitter or built-in flash master fitted on or connected to the camera. The slave units are positioned on their own away from the camera. You can work with one master and one slave unit, or one master and between three and five slave groups. Each slave group can have one or more units. The system is very versatile, allowing almost unlimited control and creativity.

There are two types of wireless flash control within the Canon system. The newest and most versatile is the Radio Wireless system, introduced with the Speedlite 600EX-RT. The original system is an optical pulsed light system, found on previous Speedlite models.

Want even more details about Canon Speedlites? Check out Bryan's Speedlite flash reviews.