Canon and Sony News for Oct 2017

In this video, Benjamin Warde provides tips for using the color picker in Lightroom Classic CC.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

Just posted: Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Review.

How does Sony's latest telephoto zoom lens perform? That question is now answered.

The Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX.

From the Profoto YouTube Channel:

Albert Watson’s iconic photographs resonate. Perhaps none more so than this 2006 shot of Steve Jobs which has become a signature image of the late visionary and businessman.

B&H carries Profoto equipment.

by Sean Setters

I always enjoyed playing sports while growing up, and these days I thoroughly enjoy watching live sports action with a camera in-hand, a situation that perfectly combines my greatest interests.

This weekend I decided to take my EOS 7D Mark II (with battery grip), EF 300mm f/4L USM lens and a few business cards to a local park here in Savannah where youth football games are played. While walking around, I tried to photographed pivotal and/or exciting plays to see what I could get. Inevitably, many parents would ask me, "Did you get that last play? If so, where will the images be published and how can I get one?"

Getting noticed by players' parents was precisely my goal when setting out, and it started with my choice of gear.

Go to any sporting event and you'll likely see a parent (or several parents) taking photos using their mobile phones or otherwise sporting consumer-grade cameras and 18-55mm lenses. As such, simply using a DSLR isn't enough to get noticed by potential clients (and an 18-55mm lens won't likely allow for capturing impressive imagery at such long-field events). However, a gripped DSLR with a big white telephoto lens attached reminds people of the type of gear they see being used along the sidelines of every major pro sports event. Without having shown anyone a picture you've taken, you've already got street cred.

And for youth sports events which are often played at public venues (like parks), even a 70-200mm lens can work well in capturing the action (though I find a 300mm lens to be ideal). Of course, you'll have to make good use of your gear to bolster your credibility (practice, practice, practice!).

And when a parent asks about where they can find your images, you have a few options. You can either point them to a website gallery tagged with the date/time/team names (for individual sale through services like SmugMug) or you can simply hand them a card and say, "I'm a freelance photographer. If you'd like me to take photos of your child while he plays, my rate is $ ___.00/(hour or game) for a disc of all the images featuring him/her." Otherwise, you could work out a deal for a specific image they previewed on the back of your LCD using PayPal to settle the transaction fee. And speaking of previewing images on the LCD, you may want to carry a hood loupe around your neck so that parents can see glare-free images on your LCD.

Want to really grab potential clients' eyes at such events? Here's an idea I've been kicking around for quite some time. Get a custom designed T-shirt that says, "Want action photos of YOUR athlete? Call 555-555-5555!" This type of advertising will be easier than handing out a bunch of business cards and will likely lead to even more sales.

Keep in mind, I'm talking about photographing youth sports that have been organized under a public league program and are not tied to a specific school or academic conference. Note that some schools and organizations may have an exclusive contract with an official photographer or may otherwise prohibit freelance sales at such events. A quick check with the event’s organizer can quickly discern this matter.

If you love sports and already have a big white telephoto lens in your kit, then shooting youth sports events is a fun way to make extra income on the weekends while doing what you love.

Noise test results have been added to the Canon EOS M100 page.

With their current top-of-the-line 24 MP APS-C imaging sensor, Canon has been making full use of economies of scale. This sensor is now featured in a large and growing number of DSLR and MILC cameras, ranging from higher-end models down to the bargain-low-cost M100. Are there any differences between models from an image quality perspective? The Canon EOS M100 vs. M5 comparison will shed some light on this answer.

The Canon EOS M100 is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX (preorder).

From Oct 29 2017 - Jan 6, 2018, purchase and register the products listed below and receive 13 months of accident protection from drops, spills & more! For further details, visit usa.canon.com/protection.

CarePAK Plus Eligible Items

• EOS-1D X Mark II
• EOS 5D Mark IV
• EOS 5D Mark III
• EOS 5Ds
• EOS 5Ds R
• EOS 6D
• EOS 7D Mark II
• EOS 6D Mark II
• EOS 80D
• EOS 77D
• EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
• EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
• EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
• EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
• EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
• EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
• EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
• EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
• EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
• EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

From Nikon:

Nikon Corporation (the “Company”) has announced at the Board of Directors’ Meeting held today the resolution that operations of consolidated subsidiary Nikon Imaging (China) Co., Ltd. will be discontinued.

Reason for Discontinued Operations

Nikon Imaging (China) Co., Ltd. (NIC) was established in June, 2002 in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, and manufactured digital cameras and lens units for digital cameras. In recent years, however, due to the rise of smartphones, the compact digital camera market has been shrinking rapidly, leading to a significant decrease in operating rate at NIC and creating a difficult business environment.

In this context, the Company conducted rounds of thorough reviews and discussions on the global manufacturing structure optimization measures stated in the company-wide restructuring plan announced by the Company in November 2016. The Company has decided to discontinue operations of NIC. Thereafter, we will begin conducting relevant dissolution and liquidation procedures of NIC. Specific details will be notified separately according to the decision.

As part of restructuring the Imaging Products Business, the Company will focus more on high value-add products.

China’s position as one of the most important markets in the world will remain unchanged. Nikon Imaging (China) Sales Co., Ltd. (NICS), the Company’s sales subsidiary in Shanghai, continues in full operation as normal, contributes to photo and imaging culture development, and strengthens the sales effort of imaging products and the after-sale services in China that meet customers’ satisfaction.

Moreover, besides NIC, the rest of the Company’s manufacturing and sales subsidiaries in China remain in full operation, and continue proactively developing business and services in China.

Related Article

• Shuttered Chinese factory kicks off round 2 in Nikon restructuring (Nikkei Asian Review)

NORTH WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – OCTOBER 26, 2017 – X-Rite Incorporated, the world leader in color management and measurement technologies announces the i1Studio, an all new start-to-finish color management solution that delivers expert results from capture through to print. The i1Studio enables exceptional color accuracy for photographers, filmmakers and designers of all levels to achieve consistent and predictable results across their workflow – saving time and money. The package comprises the i1Studio all-in-one spectrophotometer, i1Studio software, X-Rite’s market leading ColorChecker camera calibration tools and the ColorTRUE mobile app.

“Photographers tell stories with their pictures. Along with light, color plays an essential role in telling these stories. We want to make sure that your story is told as perfectly as possible, whether it’s color or black and white. Managing color should be easy with getting accurate repeatable results every time as the ultimate goal. i1Studio provides an intuitive, start-to-finish color management solution for every device in our users’ workflow so they can easily achieve this goal and get amazing results.” Liz Quinlisk, Marketing Director Photo & Video, X-Rite.

The i1Studio package comes with:

• i1Studio Device: The all-in-one i1Studio spectrophotometer is the only device creatives will need to profile their monitors, projectors, scanners, mobile devices and printers.
• NEW i1Studio software for Displays, Projectors, Scanners and Printers: The i1Studio software, based on X-Rite’s award winning i1Profiler software, provides an easy to navigate interface that delivers expertly calibrated and profiled monitors (including video pre-sets), projectors, scanners and printers, including a new dedicated Black & White print module for creating custom profiles for five unique B&W looks.
• ColorChecker Calibration for Cameras: The included industry standard 24 patch target allows creatives to create custom camera profiles, set a custom white balance and have a neutral starting point no matter what light photographers are shooting in for a more streamlined editing process. (Also includes Adobe Lightroom Plug-In)
• ColorTRUE Mobile App for iOS Devices: A simple way to calibrate Apple iOS mobile devices for a true mobile to desktop color match of all images. (Downloadable from Apple App Store)

X-Rite’s i1 brand has long been the choice for color perfectionists around the world and is now extended to the i1Studio.

Amongst its wide array of features, i1Studio includes dedicated profiling for Black & White prints, scanners, mobile devices and video monitors. The new i1Studio software is engineered on the same platform as X-Rite’s i1Profiler, offering a streamlined user experience with the perfect balance of automation and creative controls. This gives users more options and more control, while delivering prints perfectly matched to their creative vision.

X-Rite's i1 Studio is now available through our global reseller network and on xritephoto.com, xritephoto.eu and xrite.com.

Existing ColorMunki Photo & Design customers can obtain a complimentary upgrade to i1Studio software at xrite.com/geti1Studio

B&H has X-rite i1Studio available for preorder.

A rented Sony a7S II was dead on arrival when it was returned to LensRentals, so Roger Cicala and his crew (Aaron) disassembled the camera to find out why. Their disassembly demonstrates what can happen when even a "weather resistant" camera is subjected to corrosive sea water.

Check out the LensRentals Blog post for the complete teardown.

From Think Tank Photo:

Our Airport Advantage roller, which is designed to hold the maximum amount of gear that will fit in overhead bins or under seats on commuter or regional jets, was named “Best Camera Bag” by the judges of the 2017 Lucie Technical Awards. The Lucie Technical Awards honor large and small companies, as well as the individuals who have advanced the photographic industry in a given year.

“It is a tremendous honor for the Airport Advantage to be named a winner of this prestigious technical award,” said Think Tank Photo’s president and lead designer Doug Murdoch. “With this, our smallest rolling camera bag, we help photographers solve one of their biggest headaches, which is how to keep their very expensive gear near them at all times on regional aircraft, as opposed to it being tossed into the hold.”

Think Tank Photo has the Airport Advantage rolling camera bag in stock.

I have a Canon EOS M100 in my hands and it is time to set up the camera for use. Following are the 25 steps I took to make an out-of-the-box M100 ready for use.

1. Open the box, find the battery, place it in the charger and plug it in.
2. While the battery is charging, unpack the other items you want from the box. This is a good time to install the neck strap.
3. Download and install the Canon Solution Disk software on your computer to get support for the latest camera(s). Canon Digital Photo Pro (DPP), EOS Utility, Photostitch and Lens Registration Utility are the options I manually include in the install.
4. Insert the battery (after charging completes) and power the camera on.
5. The date, time and time zone setup screen will show at the first startup. Use the Rear Control dial and Set button to update this information.
6. Insert a memory card (don't forget to format the card via the tools menu option before taking pictures).
7. If the lens being used retracts beyond a usable focal length (the EF-M 15-45 for example), unlock and extend the lens.
8. Set the camera's mode to Av, Tv or M (some modes provide only a small subset of available menu options). Use the middle switch setting (Creative Assist by default) and scroll up to the advanced modes.
9. Scroll through all of the menu tabs to configure the camera as follows:
10. Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Image quality: Use top dial to set RAW to "RAW" and Rear Control arrow (press left or right) to set JPEG to "-"
11. Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Shooting information display: Grid display: 3x3, Histogram: RGB
12. Shooting Menu, Tab 2: Image review: Off (without a review display being shown and cleared, the viewfinder becomes ready-for-shooting faster)
13. Shooting Menu, Tab 3: Continuous AF: Off (increases battery life)
14. Shooting Menu, Tab 4: Lens aberration correction: disable all (I correct lens aberrations during post processing if warranted, though enabling CA correction is usually a good idea and if shooting in JPG mode, consider enabling other options as well.)
15. Shooting Menu, Tab 5: Auto Lighting Optimizer: Off (again, those shooting in JPG mode might want to explore the results of this option)
16. Shooting Menu, Tab 6: Picture Style: Neutral with Sharpness = 1 (Note: the low contrast "Neutral" picture style provides a histogram on the back of the camera that most-accurately shows me blown highlights and blocked shadows on the camera LCD. I usually change the Picture Style to "Standard" in DPP after capture. If shooting in JPG mode, selecting "Standard" is probably a better option.)
17. Shooting Menu, Tab 6: Long exp. noise reduction: Auto
18. Shooting Menu, Tab 6: High speed NR: Off (or Low) (Noise reduction is destructive to images details - I prefer to add NR sparingly in post. Select "Low" if shooting in JPG format).
19. Tools Menu, Tab 3: Beep: Off
20. Tools Menu, Tab 3: Hints & Tips: Off
21. Tools Menu, Tab 3: Mode icon size/info: Small, no info
22. Tools Menu, Tab 4: Copyright info: Enter Author's Name: [enter name]
23. Exit the menu, press the playback button and press the Menu button.
24. Playback Menu, Tab 1: Transition Effect: Off
25. Playback Menu, Tab 1: Auto Rotate: Off (always uses full LCD for display)
I make other menu and setting changes based on current shooting scenarios, but this list covers my initial camera setup process.

To copy this configuration would mean that you intend to shoot similar to how I shoot - including shooting in RAW-only format. While my setup works great for me, your best use of this list may be for tweaking your own setup.

If you can't remember your own menu setup parameters, keeping an up-to-date list such as this one is a good idea. Anytime your camera goes in for a service visit, the camera will be returned in a reset-to-factory state (unless you request otherwise). Your list will ensure that you do not miss an important setting when putting the camera back into service.

More Information

Canon EOS M100

The Canon EOS M100 is in stock at B&H | Amazon | Adorama | WEX

From Adobe:

The goal of this release is to provide perpetual customers additional camera raw support, lens profile support and address bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom.

A few clarifications for this release:

Do I need upgrade to Lightroom 6.13 when Lightroom Classic CC has already launched?

You should only update to Lightroom 6.13 if you are currently holding a license to our perpetual, non-subscription-based product.

Is this the last upgrade of Lightroom perpetual product?

As we align our investments in the direction of supporting our subscription-based products, the last version of Lightroom 6 will be coming out towards the end of the year. If there is a camera not supported in Lightroom 6, you can use the DNG converter before importing your images into Lightroom 6.

As a perpetual license customer, can I try out Lightroom Classic in tandem with Lightroom 6 to see if I am interested in upgrading?

Yes. We highly encourage you to try out Lightroom Classic to get the additional performance benefits and feature enhancements launched recently and to come. If you are interested in trying out Lightroom Classic, while still keeping a version of Lightroom 6 in tandem on your desktop, check out Lightroom Classic CC 7.0.1.

New Camera Support in Lightroom 6.13

• Canon EOS M100*
• Casio EX-ZR4100
• Casio EX-ZR5100
• Fujifilm X-E3
• Nikon D850
• Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mark III
• Samsung Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
• Sony RX0 (DSC-RX0)**
• Sony RX10 IV (DSC-RX10M4)*

* Denotes preliminary support.
** Only the Adobe Standard color profile included.

New Lens Profiles in Lightroom 6.13

• High Sierra- non-alphabetical order of external editing presets
• Black Panel in Full Screen Mode in High Sierra
• Non-responsive state while accessing face-tagging
• Blurb Book Module Page Numbering anomaly

B&H carries Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.

One of the biggest concerns of getting a drone is the fear of breaking it on your first (or second, or third) flight. Thankfully, DJI's Care Refresh can help when disaster strikes. [Sean]

B&H carries DJI Care Refresh coverage.

From the Adobe Lightroom Journal (authored by Priya Alexander):

We understand we sent perpetual customers down a path of subscribing to a trial version of the new Lightroom Classic CC last week, replacing already installed versions of Lightroom 6.

The good news is we fixed this issue and wanted to get a quick release out to immediately address your concerns. Now once you click on the “Update” button next to Lightroom Classic CC, you will see under the Advanced Options, the “Remove old versions” is unchecked by default. As a result, you can try out Lightroom Classic CC for the trial period and still keep Lightroom 6 running in tandem on your desktop.

We sincerely apologize for not providing a better user experience for our perpetual customers to try out Lightroom Classic CC while still keeping Lightroom 6 in place. This was a mistake on our end. Please let us know if you are experiencing any additional issues with this process moving forward.

What is the difference between Lightroom Classic CC 7.0 vs. Lightroom Classic CC 7.0.1?

The difference is the fix mentioned above, which only impacts perpetual customers, and the customer issue below, which impacts both perpetual and monthly subscribers. If any customer is experiencing crashes in High Sierra upon import from external devices (SD cards/iPhone, etc.), we recommend you upgrade to 7.0.1. Regardless, it’s best to stay up to date with the latest version of Lightroom Classic, and it’s free to do so as a paid, monthly subscriber.

How can I download Lightroom 6 if it’s already been removed in the process of downloading Lightroom CC Classic before this release?

Please follow the steps referenced under “Reinstall Lightroom 6.”

What happens if I attempt to update all apps that I am subscribed to?

Please click here to see which preferences are stored by default when updating apps

The following items are now available for preorder from B&H:

• Sony a7R III Mirrorless Digital Camera
• Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens