Canon and Sony News for Mar 2016

In 2010, Canon announced a special Studio Version of its EOS 7D which allowed for the embedding of barcode details in its images' EXIF information via a specially modified WFT-E5A Wireless File Transmitter.

Although no official announcement has been made, it seems Canon has developed a similarly modified EOS 7D Mark II and has provided an overview of its capabilities when paired with a WFT-E7A. Here are couple of screenshots from the video above:

My guess is that Canon USA will release an official announcement about the specially modified EOS 7D Mark II in the not-so-distant future.

From Canon USA:

Join Canon USA Technical Advisor Mike Gurley as he gives an overview of the EOS 7D Mark II SV Studio Version with a barcode solution. He goes over key camera features and discusses how the camera can be used for different workflows in event photography. Mike also shows how to set up the camera to sync with a compatible barcode scanner.

From Fotodiox:

MARCH 29, 2016 –Fotodiox Pro, creator and distributor of several lines of specialty solutions for videography, cinematography and photography, has announced the Wonderpana FreeArc XL - a comprehensive filter system for the Canon 11-24mm lens. Ultra wide-angle lenses, like Canon's extremely wide 11-24mm lens, are usually impossible to filter due to their bulbous front lens element, lack of filter threads and potential for severe vignetting with typical filter solutions.

The WonderPana FreeArc XL, however, is the latest in Fotodiox’s custom filter system line and is designed expressly for the Canon 11-24mm lens. Its aircraft aluminum lens collar allows photographers to attach a custom series of massive 186mm filter options, like ND 4-1000 and circular polarizers.

The WonderPana filter system has been a worldwide success since its debut, particularly among landscape and architectural photographers and filmmakers. To suit Canon’s ultra wide 11-24mm lens, Fotodiox re-engineered the WonderPana FreeArc to create larger "XL" versions of the mounting system and custom filters to maintain the same level of flexibility and creative control as the acclaimed original.

Durable and lightweight enough for hand-held shooting, the WonderPana FreeArc XL can be ready at a moment’s notice to answer any image challenge that require filters. It can even remain installed full-time on a photographer’s lens as a critical layer of lens protection.

Additionally, photographers can add the WonderPana WP80 Filter Brackets to the WonderPana FreeArc XL to mount one or two square graduated filters at the same time as a round filter. Measuring 200mm x 260mm, the WonderPana FreeArc XL's square filters are the largest commercially available in the industry today, available as both soft and hard-edged graduated filters at .6 and .9 ND – perfect for meeting any shooting conditions head-on.

The WonderPana FreeArc XL is available now for $229.95.

The Fotodiox WonderPana FreeArc XL is available on Amazon.

As I work through the 80D evaluation, testing this camera's Anti-Flicker Mode was on my to-do list. This technology is such a game-changer for indoor and after-dark outdoor action that I felt compelled to share the test results from the latest EOS model to feature this capability.

The top set of images show consecutive frames from an 80D 7 fps burst using a 1/1000 sec shutter speed under fluorescent lights with no flicker avoidance in use. The uneven brightness and white balance shown in these photos represents a daunting post processing challenge.

The best solution to the light flicker problem is Canon's Anti-Flicker Mode, available in many of Canon's EOS DSLR cameras, starting with the 7D Mark II. The bottom 8 images show the results of the enabling the Anti-Flicker Mode. My results from shooting an indoor soccer match with the 80D were similarly excellent.

B&H has the Canon EOS 80D in stock.

Seemingly well ahead of the US availability of their lens modification device, Tamron has released the corresponding TAP-in Utility Software.

From Tamron:

Supported Lens List

For details please visit:
http://www.tamron.co.jp/software/en/tapin/help/lens/

*Compatible Tamron Lenses

• SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F016)*
• SP 90mm f/2.8 Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD (Model F017)*
• SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F013)**
• SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012)**

*By first updating firmware to the most up-to-date version with use of TAP-in Console, it becomes possible to use all the functions of TAP-in Console compatible with this lens.
**Initial firmware update by Tamron service facility is required to enable compatibility with the TAP-in Console.

For Users of SP 85mm (Model F016) and SP 90mm (Model F017)
By first updating firmware to the most up-to-date version with use of TAP-in Console, it becomes possible to use all the functions of TAP-in Console compatible with this lens. For details please visit here.

For Users of SP 35mm (Model F012) and SP 45mm (Model F013)
Initial firmware update by Tamron service facility is required to enable compatibility with the TAP-in Console. For details please visit here.

B&H will carry the Tamron TAP-in Console when it becomes available.

Noise test results have been added to the Canon EOS 80D page.

In addition to the standard 80D test results, you will find 7 additional sets of results. The RAW-captured standard results utilize Canon's Digital Photo Professional Standard Picture Style with a sharpness setting of 1 (very low) and no noise reduction. The next two result sets utilize the default Standard Picture Style settings selected in-camera with standard noise reduction also selected, showing RAW vs JPG capture.

The MSNR results show the capability of Multi Shot Noise Reduction, also with the default Standard Picture Style and settings selected (JPG capture required). While MSNR shows great improvement (roughly 2 stops), it has limited usefulness in real world shooting. I'll explain more about this in the full review.

The next two result sets are labeled "Pushed". These images were created from the same baseline "Standard" results (no noise reduction, very light sharpening), but the brightness was pushed by 1 and 2 stops during post processing, simulating a severe underexposure situation. Similar results were added to the Canon EOS Rebel T6i and Canon EOS 70D tests for comparison purposes.

The last pair of results were acquired by underexposing and overexposing the original capture by 2 stops and then adjusting the results in Canon DPP by the same amount. The result is more noise and less noise respectively. The bright colors become muted in the overexposed capture due to blown color channels being darkened; but otherwise, these results show a benefit of ETTR (Exposing to the Right).

Here are some comparisons:

The next model down: EOS 80D vs. Rebel T6i/T6s)
The predecessor: EOS 80D vs. 70D
The next APS-C model up: EOS 80D vs. 7D Mark II

B&H has the Canon EOS 80D in stock.

From Canon:

TOKYO, March 29, 2016—Canon Inc. announced today that the Company’s interchangeable-lens digital cameras (digital SLR and compact-system cameras) have maintained the No. 1 share of the global market for 13 consecutive years from 2003 to 2015.

Canon, which develops the key components featured in its interchangeable-lens cameras—the CMOS image sensors, image processors and interchangeable lenses—employs these cutting-edge technologies across its entire product lineup, from entry-level models to professional-use flagship cameras. Through its robust product lineup that effectively responds to the needs of a wide range of users, Canon has continuously secured the top global share within the industry.

In 2003, the dawn of digital SLR cameras, Canon introduced its breakthrough EOS Kiss Digital (EOS Digital Rebel or EOS 300D Digital in other regions). This groundbreaking camera, which was competitively priced and featured a compact, lightweight design, captured the top share of the global market and set the stage for growth in the digital SLR market. Since that time, Canon has continued to launch a range of epoch-making products, including the professional-model EOS-1D series and the EOS 5D series which, equipped with a 35 mm full-frame sensor, paved the way for digital SLR video recording.

During 2015, Canon introduced an impressive lineup of new interchangeable-lens camera products that supported the Company’s achievement of a 13th consecutive year at the top of the global market. In June, the Company released the EOS 5Ds and 5Ds R digital SLR cameras, which realize the world’s highest pixel count with approximately 50.6-megapixel resolution; while in April the EOS 8000D (EOS Rebel T6s or EOS 760D) and EOS Kiss X8i (EOS Rebel T6i or EOS 750D) digital SLR cameras were released. Also, in March, Canon launched the EOS M3 compact-system camera.

Additionally, further bolstering Canon’s product lineup designed to meet the specific needs of a diverse user base, the Company announced in February this year the introduction of the EOS-1D X Mark II, capable of high-speed 14 frame-per-second continuous shooting, and the EOS 80D, which combines full-fledged still image-capture performance with exceptional movie-shooting operability. Also, the extensive EF lens-series lineup, production of which surpassed the 110 million unit mark in June 2015, currently comprises a total of 98 models and represents one of Canon’s biggest strengths, supporting the EOS series by enabling a wide array of shooting possibilities and rich expressive capabilities.

Through the further refining of its diverse imaging technologies, based on the Company’s core optical technologies, Canon will continue striving to create attractive and reliable products aimed at contributing to expanding the culture of photographic and video imaging.

by Sean Setters

I'm sure you've seen them before, but in short, a photomosaic is a photo that is made up of lots of individual photos. If arranged and edited properly – and viewed from a distance – the individual tiles transform into one beautiful overall image.

My first experience with photomosaics came in high school. A favorite history teacher of mine had a photomosaic of Abraham Lincoln adorning his door which utilized pictures of the Civil War as the tiles. It was captivating.

After college I came across a very cool free program – AndreaMosaic – that allowed users to create photomosaics simply and easily by adjusting a few variables and letting the computer do all the hard work. I created several photomosaics at the time but I hadn't created one in several years before last week.

The good news is that AndreaMosaic is still in development and works better than ever. The desktop application is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 2000, 2003, Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10, OS X 10.7 - 10.11, and can even be installed and run from a flash drive (Windows only). And the best news – it's still free. There are a few very advanced features that are unlocked by purchasing the software, but... my guess is that very few people will feel limited by the features included in the free version.

The ease and simplicity of creating photomosaics – along with the large batch of images necessary to create a good one – make it a perfect add-on for your wedding photography services. Wedding clients typically love them.

For the example photomosaic seen above, I used a little more than 450 images from a wedding I shot in late 2014 as the individual tiles. The overall image was my favorite shot of the couple, Kim and Brian, on their wedding day.

Below is an enlargement of the happy couple from the photomosaic above:

For starters, the more tile images you have to start with, the better off your final photomosaic will look (with fewer duplicates). My suggestion is to create a resized batch of tile images to reduce the algorithmic processing load. I personally used COOLTWEAK to create a set reduced resolution images that were 800 pixels on the longest side (although I could have resized to an even smaller resolution). If using Lightroom or DPP, simply set the Resize option accordingly in the program's export/batch dialogue.

The main reason for using reduced resolution tile images is that your photomosaics will be calculated and compiled much more quickly, meaning that you can easily modify the various parameters and create several different versions of your photomosaic in a very short amount of time. And since your tiles will likely end up relatively small (depending on your chosen settings), you won't likely miss the incremental resolution you gave up to gain faster processing time (each tile in the photomosaic seen above is only 120 x 80 pixels at full-resolution).

Once your tiles are ready, the next step is to open AndreaMosaic. You'll be greeted with the following screen:

Next, click the stacked images below the number "2" to select your tile images. The program will bring up another window. Click the Add Images or Add Folder buttons to specify your tile images.

The Size Parameters will vary widely based on need, but I chose to create a [roughly] 20 MP image at 300 PPI. Because details in my overall image are quite small, I chose a relatively large number of tiles per row (30) because smaller tiles will help define smaller details. If your overall mosaic image has larger (and fewer critical) details, you can easily choose a lower number of tiles per row. However, if your photomosaic features a relatively small number of tiles per row, your individual tiles will have to be large enough in resolution to fill the row accordingly.

The Tile Parameters, just like size parameters, will vary significantly from user to user and from job to job. For my image, I set the Pattern option to "Mixed (2.0L 1P)" because I had roughly a 2-to-1 ratio of landscape to portrait images in my tile set, meaning that the program should utilize my tile set more effectively (with less need for duplication) using that option. I also could have chosen "Parquet (2L 1P)" or "Mixed2 (2.0L 1P)" for similarly tile-efficient results but with a different looking pattern. If you resized your tile images as advised, you can easily try several different tile variations in a short amount of time to see which one best suits your overall image and intended use.

Note that some of the features, like certain patterns and select 1/2 and 1/4 tile options, are only available to those who donate at least $2.00 to the developers.

Let's take a look at the next set of options – Use same tile up to, Duplicate spacing & Color Change.

By default, AndreaMosaic will analyze your tiles and attempt to use the place them in the overall image where it calculates they look best. This means some of your image tiles may get used significantly more than others. To minimize duplication, you can limit how many times the program utilizes any one tile with the Use same tile up to option.

One way AndreaMosaic helps you improve the look of your photomosaic is to allow you to space out duplicate tiles with the Duplicate Spacing option. I chose the "5 tiles minimum" spacing option, but if you're starting with a large number of tiles (with less need for duplication), you might want to set this value even higher for optimal results.

The next option, Color Change can have a huge impact on how your final photomosaic will look. If you set this value to a low percentage, your final photomosaic may not be recognizable as far as the overall image is concerned. Setting this value to a higher number will ensure that the overall photomosaic is a good representation of your featured image, with the downside that each individual tile will be automatically adjusted to a higher degree. For my purposes, I chose "65%."

The next set of options is the Tile Variants. These parameters are here to help bolster your number of tiles available (reducing duplicates) by allowing rotated, mirrored and flipped images. Note that the "Integral Tiles" option is new (it isn't even shown in the User Manual that's installed with the program) and, from my understanding, is supposed to keep your final row intact (uncropped) by adjusting the overall dimensions of the image slightly to accommodate for any discrepancies in sizing. Unfortunately, my final row was cropped even though I left a checkmark beside the option.

You can save your parameters in the Load/Save Settings section for future use and/or specify file type, mosaic filename/save location using the More Options icon located at the top/right of the window. When ready, simply click the Mosaic icon at the top of the window (it has a "3" beside it) to compile your photomosaic.

And voilà! Your photomosaic will be created after processing.

Keep in mind, the photomosaic market isn't limited to wedding couples. Hospitals, large businesses and any medium-to-large sized organization will likely enjoy seeing their logos comprised of hundreds of images of their employees or group members. And creating a photomosaic is an excellent way to generate income through large print sales and billable hours of photography services necessary capturing the tile images.

As I noted earlier, a donation of at least $2.00 will unlock a few additional features of the program. If you need even more flexibility in creating photomosaics, you can unlock Professional options with a $35.00 donation.

What do you get with the Professional version of the software? Take a look at the following screen shot from their User Manual.

Nikon has published a Technical Solutions Guide with tips for the D5.

Sections Include

• Useful Features
• Sports AF Edition
• Movie Edition

B&H has the Nikon D5 available for preorder.

The DJI Phantom 4's Active Track and Obstacle Avoidance features were heavily hyped during the product launch, but the question remains - just how reliable are the new features? Early purchasers are now finding out.

Here's a small bit of advice if you have a new DJI Phantom 4 headed your way - try not to be overconfident in the Phantom 4's new technology. Always be aware of your drone's surroundings and understand the limits of its capabilities. [Sean]

From the LIXI Studios Vimeo Channel:

We just got the new DJI Phantom 4 here at Lixi Studios, and decided to try the new Active Track feature in the most ironic way: by trying to track the DJI Phantom 3!

We also do a review of the new features, show off test footage, compare it with the DJI Phantom 3, and participate in our usual hijinks along the way.

B&H has the DJI Phantom 4 available for preoreder.

From Canon:

TOKYO, March 28, 2016—Canon Inc. announced today that the Company will begin accepting entries for its New Cosmos of Photography 2016 (39th edition) photo competition on April 20. The New Cosmos of Photography is Canon’s cultural support project to discover, nurture, and support new photographers who pursue new possibilities in creative photographic expression. Aiming to incorporate diverse perspectives, the number of judges for this year’s competition will be increased to seven toward the realization of an even more open photo exhibition.

Entries for New Cosmos of Photography 2016 will be accepted between April 20 and June 15, 2016, while the Excellence Award selection committee is to meet in July to choose seven Excellence Award winners and fourteen Honorable Mention Award winners. Later, in November, the Grand Prize selection committee is scheduled to meet to select one Grand Prize winner from among the seven Excellence Award-winning entries.

The Grand Prize winner of this year’s competition will receive not only JPY 1 million in prize money and a Canon product, but as an added bonus will be granted the right to hold a solo exhibit at the exhibition of winning entries for next year’s New Cosmos of Photography. Additionally, to encourage the continued pursuit of their creative activities, 2016 Excellence Award and Honorable Mention Award winners will each receive prize money and the right to display their works at this year’s exhibition of winning entries.

For additional information about this year’s New Cosmos of Photography competition, visit the New Cosmos of Photography homepage at: www.canon.com/scsa/newcosmos/

According to the Egami Blog, Sigma has patented the optical formula and technology for a 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | Art lens.

Patent Details

Patent Publication No. 2016-38502

• Published 2016.3.22
• Zoom ratio: 2.74
• Wide-angle intermediate telephoto
• Focus distance: 24.85 50.00 68.00
• F-number: 2.92 2.92 2.93
• Angle of View: 83.71 45.71 34.33
• Image height: 21.63 21.63 21.63
• The total lens length: 150.73 167.12 178.30

Canon Europe has the EOS 80D User's Manual available for download.

B&H has the Canon EOS 80D in stock with free expedited shipping.

From the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom YouTube Channel:

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

The Creative Cloud Photography Plan (Photoshop CC & Lightroom CC) is an excellent value at only $9.99/month.

From Nikon:

What’s New with Version 1.28.0

• Added support for NEF (RAW) files created with the D5.

Download: NEF Codec v.1.28.0

B&H has the Nikon D5 available for preorder.

From Google:

Today we’re making the Nik Collection available to everyone, for free.

Photo enthusiasts all over the world use the Nik Collection to get the best out of their images every day. As we continue to focus our long-term investments in building incredible photo editing tools for mobile, including Google Photos and Snapseed, we’ve decided to make the Nik Collection desktop suite available for free, so that now anyone can use it.

The Nik Collection is comprised of seven desktop plug-ins that provide a powerful range of photo editing capabilities -- from filter applications that improve color correction, to retouching and creative effects, to image sharpening that brings out all the hidden details, to the ability to make adjustments to the color and tonality of images.

Starting March 24, 2016, the latest Nik Collection will be freely available to download: Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro and Dfine. If you purchased the Nik Collection in 2016, you will receive a full refund, which we’ll automatically issue back to you in the coming days.

We’re excited to bring the powerful photo editing tools once only used by professionals to even more people now.

Download: The Google Nik Collection

From the DJI YouTube Channel:

ABC's Dancing with the Stars is a show built on dynamic motion and physicality. It's no surprise that they had DJI assist on some of the most complex and intricate shots of the season. With the help of the DJI Ronin, they were able to pull it off night after night.

B&H carries the DJI Ronin and Ronin-M gimbal stabilizers.

Image quality have been added to the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Review.

We should expect this lens to deliver iamge quality similar to the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens. Here is the comparison: Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS USM vs IS STM Lens.

The 18-135 IS USM is a really nice lens to use - a pleasure to walk around with.

B&H has the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens in stock. This lens is also available in the Canon EOS 80D kit, but unusual is that there is no savings over buying the lens and 80D separately.

The balance of our standard test results, including flare, distortion and vignetting, along with specs/measurements are now available on the have been added to the Tokina 14-20mm f/2 AT-X Pro DX Lens page.

Completing this review (including the standard product images) is a high priority for me, but ... I admit being distracted by the arrival of the Canon EOS 80D and the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens. Sorry, I might have to finish these two reviews first. :)

B&H has the Tokina 14-20mm f/2 AT-X Pro DX Lens in stock.

Adobe recently released Camera Raw 9.5 with support for the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, 80D, T6, Nikon D5 & D500. Unfortunately, if you're using OS X 10.7 or 10.8, you'll want to hold off on installing the update.

From Adobe:

Camera Raw 9.5

We have a critical issue with support on OSX 10.7 and OSX 10.8. Please continue using Camera Raw 9.4 until we issue an update that resolves the issue.

B&H has the new iPad Pro (12.9" | 9.7") available for preorder.

Resolution chart results have been added to the Canon EOS 80D page.

With a higher pixel count on its sensor, the 80D is expected to outresolve the 70D, and it does. Here is the comparison: 70D vs. 80D. Sharpness remains similar.

While the EOS Rebel T6i and T6s share the same megapixel count, these two bodies do not have Dual Pixel AF, so there is likely a difference in their sensors. Still, the results appear the same to me: 80D vs. Rebel T6i.

Many more comparisons are available – build your own!

B&H has the Canon EOS 80D available for preorder with shipments expected to commence on Fri, Mar 25th.

The Nikon D5 User's Manual is now available for download.

B&H has the Nikon D5 available for preorder.

According to the Egami Blog, Canon has filed a patent for a hybrid viewfinder.

Description of Patent

Patent Publication No. 2016-35525

• Published 2016.3.17
• Filing date 2014.8.4
• During the pentagonal prism and the eyepiece optical system, providing two optical surface inclined
• Since the light from the objective optical system is transmitted through the two optical surfaces, the photographer can observe the object
• Since the light from the display optical system reflects the second optical surface and the first optical surface, the photographer can observe the display information
• Display panel, display the shooting information at the time of the mirror-down, to display a live view image at the time of the mirror-up

Note from B&H:

Our NYC SuperStore and offices will close for the Purim holiday at 5pm ET Wed, March 23. We will reopen at 9am ET Fri, March 25.

If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can't miss seeing Finding Vivian Maier.

The 2013 documentary attempts to shed light on the unknown-in-her-lifetime, but completely brilliant street photographer Vivian Maier. From FindingVivianMaier.com:

Finding Vivian Maier is the critically acclaimed documentary about a mysterious nanny, who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that were hidden in storage lockers and, discovered decades later, is now among the 20th century’s greatest photographers. Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, Maier’s strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never before seen photographs, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her.

Maier’s massive body of work would come to light when in 2007 her work was discovered at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s Northwest Side. From there, it would eventually impact the world over and change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public eye, John Maloof.

Currently, Vivian Maier’s body of work is being archived and cataloged for the enjoyment of others and for future generations. John Maloof is at the core of this project after reconstructing most of the archive, having been previously dispersed to the various buyers attending that auction. Now, with roughly 90% of her archive reconstructed, Vivian’s work is part of a renaissance in interest in the art of Street Photography.