Latest News

Stay up-to-date with the latest news within the photography industry. Here we feature new photography gear announcements, creative conferences, and other interesting headlines related to the world of photography and filmmaking.

First Close-Up Images of Pluto Downloaded from New Horizons and Released

New Horizons left Florida's Cape Canaveral launch pad on January 19, 2006, arrived over Pluto more than nine years later on July 14, 2015, and finally gave scientists its first images over Labor Day weekend, when its year-long, tediously slow data dump first began. Coming in at 2,000 bits per second (1/28th the speed of dial-up), these images - many of which are composited in various ways to form a final image - finally shed some light on what secrets Pluto's surface, atmosphere, and core might hold. All told, the results give sci-fi fanatics a run for their money.

Sony Announces a7S II with Internal 4K Video and ISO 409,600 Shooting

Ever since the release of the original a7, Sony hasn't been shy about quickly updating their now-popular line of full-frame mirrorless cameras. Geared towards cinematographers, low-light shooters, and anyone who likes a lot of tech, the Sony a7S II is now the sixth camera in the series since 2013. Boasting in-body 5-axis stabilization and a promise of clean images throughout its impressive ISO range, the a7S II is likely to continue growing the brand's reputation for making quality compact full-frame cameras.

DJI Announces X5 and X5R Micro-Four-Thirds 4K Cameras for Inspire 1 Drone

Traditionally offering drone technology to the creative imaging market, DJI ditched its common GoPro-oriented drones in favor of a device with its own included camera. Now, DJI offers professionals a way to capture higher-quality video in a package that is specifically suited for drone photography and that capitalizes on a larger, micro-four-thirds sensor size.

Zeiss Launches Entirely New 'Milvus' Line of High-Performance Lenses for Nikon and Canon DSLRs

Zeiss was long expected to announce at least one new Otus lens today (and I suppose they still might, although I wouldn't hold your breath). Instead, at least for now, Zeiss announced a new line of lenses for Nikon and Canon DSLRs under the moniker, "Milvus." Oddly enough, however, there are some interesting, stand-out differences between the Nikon and Canon versions.

ReelSteady Software Can Make Your Shaky Videos Look Amazing

Normally I don't promote software based on their promo video alone but this video was so compelling I had to share it. The ReelSteady plugin for After Effects appears to be made of pure magic, taking cheap looking footage and making it look like Hollywood CGI. 

Apple Introduces 12-Megapixel iPhone 6s Camera and New "Live Photos"

Happy New iPhone Day! Today, that small startup in Cupertino known as "Apple" released their latest and greatest iPhones, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. But with all the hype and cool new features, we were mostly concerned with the camera and boy, did they deliver.

Canon Officially Developing 8K Recording Equipment and a 120-Megapixel DSLR

Camera manufacturers have been in a megapixel race for some time. Canon has its new 5DS and 5DS R bodies, Nikon has its D810 and even the D810A for astrophotography, and PhaseOne, Hasselblad, Pentax, and even Leica are competing for medium format, high-megapixel territory. While Canon's 120-megapixel APS-H sensor is actually not entirely new (it was announced some time ago), the announcement that Canon is actually working to get it into a DSLR body and not just using it for bragging rights (their 250 MP sensor now lifts that crown) is a huge development. Meanwhile, Canon is among the first to announce some serious commitment to 8K video.

GoPro Announces Details On Their New Professional Virtual Reality Camera

At this point, you've probably heard that the Virtual Reality revolution is coming. Seemingly every week, big companies are making announcements about dipping their toes into the 360 video technology game. For example: Facebook purchased the class-leading virtual reality headset company Oculus, Samsung released their GearVR headsets that work with their smart phones, and Nokia announced their stereoscopic professional VR OZO camera.

G-Technology's New Enclosures and Adapters Offer Increased Flexibility and Support for All Creative Workflows

Professional hard drive and storage solutions company G-Technology unveiled a series of new hard drives that expand compatibility and flexibility with their growing Evolution Series solutions. Denoted with an "ev"  in their product names, the Evolution Series products enable professionals to take portable project drives on the go, dock them to professional and extremely fast workstations in the office, and then go mobile again -- all with the same drive(s). Among the new devices is a creation from a G-Technology and RED Digital Cinema partnership: the ev Series Reader RED MINI-MAG Edition.

The World's Smallest 1-Inch Sensor Camera by DxO Is Now Available, and It's Pretty Incredible

DxO (yes, the company best known for creating a rating system for cameras) has just released what seems to be the world's most powerful compact camera. Available today you can now pick up this incredible device that includes a 20.2-megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor, 32mm fixed lens, and an outstanding f/1.8 aperture for perfect low light conditions. I have to admit, in my first week testing out the camera this might be one of the best compact cameras I have ever used and here are my first impressions.

Tamron Announces Lenses That Break Them into the Prime Game

Tamron has announced two new lenses that break new ground for the well-known lens company. This morning, as part of their rebrand and push towards better optics, Tamron announced a new 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD and 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD for their lens lineup. Tamron invited me to test these lenses out. 

Agree: A New Way to Track Contracts and Payments for Your Photography Business

Keeping track of contracts and payments can be somewhat cumbersome. If you're like me, sometimes you want to write everything down and have an excel spreadsheet just to double check everything. Along with that there is a neatly organized folder on your hard drive, external, and hard copied in a cabinet somewhere. Agree wants to eliminate a majority of the hassle we experience in our day to day when talking to clients. 

Funding of Record-Breaking 3.2 Gigapixel Camera for Telescope Approved by DOE

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently gave final approval of $168 million in funding for what would be the most powerful (and likely most expensive) camera to date, created for the new, primarily National Science Foundation-funded Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) that will live on the peak of Chile's Cerro Pachòn.

Musicbed’s Newly Launched Site Filmsupply Aims to Revolutionize the Stock Footage Industry

Musicbed, the music licensing website in which many filmmakers rely on for quality pieces to accompany their videos, has launched a new site with big goals in the film licensing sector. Filmsupply is not content with the way stock footage tends to always stick out, and wants to change that with a highly curated library from hand-picked contributors.

Paypal Reveals P2P Payment Service

PayPal just launched a new peer-to-peer payment service called PayPal.me. It’s your own personal URL for people to send you money. You can grab your personal link right now.

GoPro Releases New Trim and Share Features for Camera and App

These days, if you don't own a GoPro, you're pretty much a person that doesn't own a GoPro. But if you ARE a person that owns a GoPro, then get ready to enjoy some sweet new features that will make creating and sharing your content even easier.

Your Favorite Post-Production Tool Might Be Gone by Year's End

VSCO Keys is no more. There is no glorious explanation, no plans for a big, better, more badass version.

Today, mass emails filled the inboxes of photographers everywhere letting us all know that the maker of some of the most popular photography mobile software and editing presets was calling it quits with the beloved Lightroom shortcut plugin.

Serif Releases Free 10 Day Trial for Affinity Photo

A couple of weeks ago, Serif released its powerful photo editing software called Affinity Photo. This Adobe Photoshop competitor has since been downloaded by numbers of users and has already seen a couple of improvement through an update. Its price and its speed are probably two of the most notable advantages the software offers over Photoshop. While the reviews are slowly making their way to different websites, many photographers and retouchers seem to be wondering if the software is worth its price.

The Memorial Fund for My Friend and News Anchor Alison Parker Is Now Live

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready to meet up with a future bride and groom about their upcoming wedding, my phone began to blow up with messages from friends. A friend of mine from highschool had been shot and killed while on air reporting for a local news station. I was fortunate to have known Alison Parker personally in high school through athletics. She was always a caring, fun, care free individual, and a loyal friend. Our thoughts and prayers, as a community, go out to the Parker family and the Ward family as they struggle through the chaos and lost feeling that is losing a dear friend.

You Can Now Post Portrait and Landscape Oriented Photos on Instagram

We never thought this day would come, but Instagram now allows you to natively post portrait and landscape oriented photos and video. The days of cropping, white backgrounds, and 640x640 pixel photos and videos are over (unless you don't want them to be).

Canon Announces Third-Generation EOS M3 for The US Market, Available for Pre-Order

Canon's EOS M was a good first-try mirrorless, compact APS-C camera that fell a bit short. After withholding the EOS M2 for other markets, the M3 comes to the United States after two generations of much-needed improvements. Those features, however, just might launch the platform into best-in-class territory -- at least on paper.

Canon Announces The 35mm f/1.4L II USM

Canon's rumored 35mm follow-up is finally here. Apart from the obvious general increase in quality with the standard aspheric and ultra-low dispersion elements, the new lens specifically promises to further reduce chromatic aberration (important for wide-aperture lenses) while being the "ideal complement to the latest generation of Canon's high-resolution DSLRs" (i.e. the 50-megapixel Canon 5DS and 5DS R cameras).

The Greatest Release of High Quality NASA Photographs

GRIN (Greatest Release Images by NASA) is a huge collection of historical space culture images digitally scanned for public access. Intended specifically for media, publishers, and the general public looking for high-quality photographs, the GRIN database is full of striking digital and analog exposures taken throughout a pivotal point in American History.