Specialized lenses are tricky things. Since they are built for a set of specific purposes in mind, they really need to follow through on that small list of tasks lest they be discarded as an unnecessary expenditure. That is a lot of pressure to make an outstanding lens, so how did Sigma fare with their new 180mm f/2.8 macro? Is it a good addition to your lens collection?
An image has surfaced of a Canon 135mm f/1.8 L IS lens, and it is a gorgeous creature. Though there is supposedly a patent placed by Canon for a 135mm, is this the lens or just an excellent rendering?
In this behind the scenes video, Photographer Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens explains in-depth, the differences between lighting with the Octodome and a rectangular soft box. By building a 12 foot tape wall, he was able to clearly explain the area of coverage and quality of light for 14 different lighting set-ups.
The Canon G12 camera is one of our favorite "point and shoots" because it has all the features a photographer would want: manual settings, shoots RAW, and has a hot shoe. Until they run out of inventory, BH Photo is giving a $400 rebate when you purchase the Canon G12 with Canon's Flagship PixmaPRO 9000 MKII Printer. So this makes the printer free and knocks down the G12 to $307.50 which is $70 cheaper than anywhere else. Pretty awesome deal if you ask me!
With just $500 and 4 days to film, Luke Neumann of Neumann Films created one heck of a slow motion video with the new Sony NEX-FS700. What sets this video apart from all the others is that in at least every clip something or someone is flying through the air. With 24 frames per second we are able to see a ridiculous amount of detail captured on video. Check out Luke's review below to see what he has to say about rolling shutter performance, low light and resolution capabliiltes.
It's pretty crazy to think just a small change of focal length can drastically distort your subject's face. In this behind the scenes video , Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens goes into detail to show us each change and how it effected the model's appearance. Maybe you're interested in buying a fixed lens or maybe you're interested in gaining tips on portrait and headshot photography - either way this video is definitely worth checking out.
UPS just dropped off the box containing the new Sigma 180mm f/2.8 macro lens not thirty minutes ago. I'll be testing this lens out over the course of the next week, but I wanted to share some images and comparison of size to the competitor lenses to whet your appetite. My first impression? It's beautiful, and everything I expected.
I've been a big fan and user of Alien Skin Exposure software for many years now. A couple months ago Alien Skin asked if I would review their newest version of the software and although it took me quite a while, I'm finally done. Basically, Alien Skin has taken what I have always considered to be the best photo enhancing software available and they have made it even better.
I'm sure many of you heard the original hooplah involving Canon's issues with the new Rebel T4i/650D, and if not, allow me to summarize: the grips were changing colors and allergic reactions were being reported related to some serial numbers. Well Canon Australia, which originally stated that its cameras were not affected by a fault - when they were - which could result in allergic reactions and red eyes when users come into contact with the camera, has expanded the number of serials affected.
Sony's business woes continue as today the tech giant reported a stinging loss of 24.6 billion yen ($316 million) for the second quarter of 2012, compared to the 15 billion yen loss the same time last year. But fear not Sony camera fans! The camera sales were not the where the loss was prevalent. In fact, cameras seem to be the only thing keeping Sony afloat.
In this behind the scenes lighting lesson, Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens does something we might not often think to do: he uses the natural sunlight and turns it into moonlight-like light for this 1920's "speakeasy-themed" shoot. Believe it or not, he was able to achieve moonlight all in the camera - no post processing involved. So with a couple of tungsten lights, gels and sunlight, Jay P. has shown us a great idea that can easily be mimicked in your own shoot.
Many photographers already use a tablet like the Wacom Intuos to work in Photoshop. You would think that an iPad would be even better because you can touch the very screen that you work is on but it's not that simple. Due to a number of issues like lack of pressure control and the fact that your hand itself will "select" parts of the screen, the iPad never took off as a professional tool. That is until I saw this video.
MIT has created a camera that can actually view light in motion. By firing trillions of pulses of light and syncing their cameras shutter, they can create a video that shows how light moves through space and reacts to mass. By recording this amazing detail, these cameras can actually see into objects and around corners by monitoring the way the light bounces off and around an object.
For the last few years photographers have been getting nervous about high res video cameras taking still photography jobs but we failed to see the biggest threat... robots! Apparently 12 of these robotic arms have been make to hold Nikon D4 cameras and shoot aerial photography at this year's Olympics Games. Luckily each of these cameras must still be controlled by a human photographer so we aren't going to lose our jobs yet.
Video monitor manufacturers SmallHD have recently released a port cover for the Canon 5DmII that prevents the HDMI port from getting damaged due to an accidental, uncontrolled removable of a mini-HDMI cable. This video makes you hold your breath as they drop a camera from the HDMI cord, but the Port Protector seems to hold strong. A very handy add-on to save you from a potential costly repair. Always practice safe shooting!
Even as Kodak Cameras have ballooned in value, Kodak is still struggling in their attempt to convert billions of dollars in patents into cash to turn around the haggard company. Unfortunately, they lost an appeal of a $1 billion patent suit against Apple and RIM, a turn of events that doesn't help the struggling former photography giant.
The Canon EOS M camera is now available for pre-order at B&H Photo. It's selling for $799.99 and is expected to ship October 15, 2012. We previously posted about the announcement of this camera and since then, Canon has updated their website with high resolution examples and videos.
Canon's mirrorless camera is due out Monday, but Digicame-info.com posted a photo of what promises to be this mirrorless camera. And if the picture is correct, it's quite a neat little thing -- not so bulky as these other 'semi-pro' mirrorless offerings.
This is a sad day. While I don't foresee the end of the world, the Mayans tell us we still have time...it can still happen. Certainly, this being the third post about discontinued film since I started on Fstoppers just six months ago, this is the start of the photographers' Armageddon. But don't go hang yourself just yet -- there's just enough good news to keep me going just a little longer.
Last month we published a post on Fstoppers informing you guys that the first batch of knockoff MB-D12 battery grips for the Nikon D800 were available on eBay. It took over a month for the grip to show up from Hong Kong but yesterday I finally got it. If you have been considering buying one of these you will want to watch our full review.
Many of you are familiar with Blair Bunting, one of the premier commercial portrait photographers in the United States, and a good friend of mine. A couple weeks ago we were chatting about lenses when he brought up this project he did several years back. I instantly wanted to share it, and we tweeted an image of his 50mm f/1.4 next to his 110mm f/.95, which many of you thought was fake. It wasn't.
Sinar's new Sinarback eXact boasts an impressive 12-192-megapixel capabilities within a single back. While it's just been announced, and so far without a price, there is definitely a catch or two...
I've been looking at the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 for a couple weeks now, and as awesome as the specs look on paper, I'm somehow still in a fog of "meh." The compact point-and-shoot camera used to be relevant, but I haven't felt that to be the case for some time now. These days, the compact camera market belongs to the cell phone, and for anything else I'll just pick up a DSLR or a mirrorless. So what do you think? Do you care this camera exists?
Over the past few months while other sites have been quick and ready with the rumor mill surrounding the entry level full frame Canon camera, Canon Rumors has remained skeptical. Today however, they have come out with a brand new rumor and they, rather begrudgingly, seem to put a little more legitimacy on the speculated camera with a set of new specs.
Touting some impressive specifications, (15 stops of Dynamic Range, Super 35mm Sensor) the Apertus Project is aiming to create a modular camera system that operates on an (free) open source software. This opens up opportunities for coders to develop and modify the system to meet their needs, and share with a community.
Alex Jansen, who is currently on a deployment in Afghanistan, recently created this video showing off the weather and dust sealing capabilities of his Pentax K-5 and K-7 cameras. I know that even though my Canon 1D claims to be 'weather and dust resistant' it would be a cold day in hell before I ever voluntarily did something like this to my camera (and lenses!). Alex is clearly confident
XQ-What? Okay, so most of you have heard of the Nikon D4's new card slot and the XQD card that goes with it. But that still leaves the question: What are they good for? Lexar apparently knows the answer, as they announced they're introducing XQD cards due out third quarter of this year. So what is the hype? Should we get ready for an XQD revolution?
When the Canon 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens was announced a couple weeks ago, Canon fans all over were squealing with joy- myself included. This tiny lens would be great for life on the go, had a brand new AF engine called the Stepping Motor (or STM), and looked to be extremely versatile. But does it live up to the expectations?
We all take a lot of photos with our phones. And you know what? That's ok. The camera on the iPhone takes pretty darn good images, and the plethora of mobile editing apps gives us all more flexibility than we would ever need. But what happens to all these photos after we edit them and post them to Facebook or Twitter? We forget about them. Well now we can actually make use of those photos, and bring them into the physical world hassle free, insanely cheap, and unexpectedly gorgeous.
Wacom just announced the impending release of two new Cintiq interactive pen displays to their line of tablet/monitor hybrid products- a widescreen HD model as well as a widescreen HD touch Cintiq. In case you didn't know, the Cintiq is like an art board as a monitor, allowing you to use the popular Wacom pens directly onto a screen rather having a separate tablet.
