Photography News

Capturing a good time-lapse requires patience and precision. Normalizing exposure in changing lighting conditions is an intricate task. Similarly, knowing how your final product is shaping up during the process is difficult. One company is seeking to solve both those problems with one device.

Since digital photography was introduced, our art has become available to most, for better or worse. Releasing a shutter doesn’t cost much anymore, the process of creating an image is easier than ever, and everyone who has a phone is now a photographer. In 2016, going back to film sounds like a crazy idea for many. However, like "One Roll of Film" shows, it still has its place, and it is different from digital.

If you are active in a Facebook Group, you most likely have wished at some point in time that you could stream what you are doing live to them. The connection with a tight-knit community makes you want to share with them often. Until today, you would have to invite people to come view you somewhere else: Periscope, Facebook Live on your personal page, or any number of other options. It was unreliable, as people often don't want to have to access things through another app, especially if it involves a download for them of something they have never used before. Now, you can stream directly to a Facebook Group using the Facebook Live feature.

Hasselblad has launched a brand new medium format digital body, the H6D, in both the familiar 50-megapixel CMOS flavor and also in a new, 100-megapixel CMOS configuration with the same Sony sensor found in Phase One's XF IQ3 100 MP released earlier this year. The new body features an updated UI, a relatively new look and design for the first time in several generations, and a brand new lineup of updated lenses capable of shooting at up to 1/2000 of a second, with full support of the new 100 MP sensor.

New to the market is the GX8 "lite," the DMC-GX85. This is one of Panasonic's most recent mirrorless digital camera releases that comes with almost all the same perks as the GX8. The main differences between the two cameras are the lower resolution Live MOS sensor (16 megapixels versus 20 megapixels on the GX8) and a fixed EVF. Here are some of the specs the camera comes with.

Who else is sick of hearing the same five Premium Beat songs in what seems like every advertisement on TV right now? Well, fear not, a new site is in town to help you with your short film or commercial projects, and there is plenty of variety. For $199 a year, Art-list gives you access to universal licenses and unlimited downloads for all of your music needs. Yes, you read that right, unlimited downloads.

Having your images stolen at one point or another is virtually a formality when it comes to being a photographer. It’s frustrating, not least when it happens through one of your customers. One new website claims to have the solution to make sure you never get ripped off again.

Think Tank makes some of the best camera bags on the market period. Their bags are so well designed that I've actually become a bit cynical when someone announces the "next breakthrough camera bag" because, well, there isn't really much more I need other than my Think Tank Airport. Today Think Tank has announced a new roller bag for everything that won't fit in your camera bag and it looks awesome! Welcome the Think Tank Production Manager 50.

I'm sure you're all fatiguing a bit with the Instagram news lately, but this time, it is positive. Since its introduction in June 2013, video on the social media platform has been a success, especially for advertisers. Recently, they appealed to more advertisers by switching from video "likes" to video views. Now, the platform has announced they are extending the video duration allowed extensively.

Well, it's official. The app once known for its convenient, chronological order of posts is no longer. As I woke up this morning and did my usual routine of running through emails and social media, I noticed something odd. I opened Instagram, and the first post wasn't the most recent. It looks like the rumors were true, at least for me.

If you have ever tried to create an album from an event that you have photographed, you know the difficulties that can come along with the creation process. If you have experience using Adobe InDesign, you are off to a good start and most definitely have full control of your album. However, InDesign is a complex program that takes time to learn and even more time to become timely and proficient with. A ways back while listening to a podcast I heard about Fundy Designer. Fundy is an all-in-one design suite that can be used to design, sell, proof, and print with ease. The application goes beyond album design and covers many aspects of your photo business, helping you focus on providing your clients with beautiful, timeless prints, along with a variety of other options to help your brand grow.

Nik software is one of the heavy hitters in the Lightroom and Photoshop plugin world. They are so big that in 2012, the company was bought up by Google. After Google's acquisition, they lowered the price for all the desktop plugins and made their mobile app (Snapseed) free of charge. Now, four years later, Google has decided to bring their desktop plugins into line with their mobile application by making all of them free.

Just a few hours ago, Lufthansa 456, an Airbus A380 finishing an 11-hour flight, reported a drone flying just 200 feet above it as it was on approach to Los Angeles International Airport. The near-miss was reported to the LAPD, who immediately began a search.

I've started to embrace the mobile and web sides of Lightroom a bit more. The ability to access my catalog on the go, easily create and sync collections to show to clients, and cull and make basic edits while standing in line at the market has been a great boon in convenience for me. Adobe seems to be embracing it too, pushing ahead with the introduction of a useful and rather neat feature today.

Phase One has dropped two new software updates today including Capture One Pro 9.1 and a camera firmware update for its medium format XF system. Version 9.1 of Capture One Pro is focused on workflow tool improvements aimed towards working fashion and still life photographers. The XF camera system update brings interesting new software tools and autofocus improvements, as well as two new “blue ring” lenses.

After the successful release of the Skyport Transmitter Plus HS that brought Hi-Sync capabilities to the Elinchrom lineup, the Swiss flash manufacturer now introduces the new Skyport Plus System. While many thought the Skyport Plus HS was the replacement of the old Skyport, it was not. The transmitter announced today is the real replacement.

I suppose it was inevitable. One of Instagram's most beloved features is its entirely chronological feed — no algorithm, no priority — all posts are equal. That's coming to an end, though, as the company has just announced the impending introduction of curated feeds.

Whenever we've written an article mentioning Affinity Photo, people have commented and complained that it is not compatible with Windows. But this is about to change in the next couple of months. Affinity just announced that they are working on Windows versions of their different apps.

Lately, I’ve noticed a huge surge in the number of emails I’ve received inquiring about my interest in partnering up with a website or app that claims to be shaping the next generation of holiday photo. One email even introduced its company’s services with a tagline of “the app that’s replacing selfie sticks.”

SanDisk and Lexar each have some deals going on today. SanDisk's Extreme SD cards with transfer rates of up to 90 MB/s are available at great prices at Amazon in sizes from 16 GB to 256 GB. Meanwhile, Lexar's super fast Professional 2933x XQD cards are an astounding 50 percent off at B&H (Amazon's prices are more than double).

In the market for a new Canon body? B&H has released deals for many of Canon's most popular cameras. With limited stock, now is a great time to pick up a second body or upgrade your kit.

To the excitement of professional photographers shooting with Sony Alpha cameras, today Sony announced plans to release an all new wireless lighting control system this summer in the U.S. and Canada. The control system set consists of the FA-WRC1M wireless radio commander and the FA-WRR1 wireless radio receiver.

Today, Profoto released the OCF Beauty Dish, a collapsible 24-inch beauty dish for use with their popular B1 and B2 heads. Designed to be ultra-portable while still offering the highly sought-after quality of light afforded by a beauty dish, it looks to be a great solution for on-location photographers who desire portability without compromising creative lighting capabilities.

With any luck, USB-C will be the new standard for the next decade or more, perhaps until wired connections are a thing of the past altogether. Until then, it's today's most advanced connector, featuring theoretical speeds faster than Thunderbolt 2 and simultaneous data and display connections via daisy-chaining through a small, reversible connector. With a number of PCs and the new MacBook already supporting USB-C connections, G-Technology is finally here with their G-Drive mobile USB-C in the world's most popular metallic colors.

Instant film shooters will be disappointed to hear that Fujifilm has discontinued its most popular instant film. Stock is still available for some time, but you'll have to hurry if you want to grab a pack before it's gone forever.

Pentax recently announced their long-anticipated entry into the full-frame market, the K-1. Coupled with a slew of interesting and useful features, the camera looks to be a serious contender for those who demand the utmost capability from their gear and like to explore different photographic genres. Pentax has now released sample images from the new camera, including one that shows off its pixel-shifting technology.

Those of us who have looked into underwater photography have all experienced the same sticker shock when it comes to underwater housings. Often well above $1,000, these housings can be more expensive than the cameras we're putting into them. Plus, for the most part, we have to get a new housing if we get a new camera. AquaTech's latest $995 Base Sport models bring relative affordability for which we can be grateful.

Citing savings due to larger-scale production following an expansion into 22 countries and over 2,000 retail locations, 3D Robotics has dropped the price on its popular and well-designed Solo drone, as well as on the matching Solo gimbal. The Solo drone captured a wide audience with the help of a flashy launch video that introduced the product about a year ago, in addition to its fresh, modern design. Today, you can get the Solo for just $799 and/or add a gimbal to your kit for $199, down from yesterday's price of $999.95 and $399.95, respectively.

Over the last few years, there just haven't been that many massive updates to DJI's Phantom drone lineup. The biggest was perhaps the inclusion of its own camera when it ditched the need to add a GoPro to the bundle. But just looking at today's Phantom 4 design is enough to indicate the major steps DJI took to step into an entirely new generation of autonomy. Featuring class-leading obstacle avoidance and autonomous flying modes, the Phantom 4 is so good that people are afraid of the implications of never actually having to learn to pilot a drone.

Phase One released its new camera body last year, the XF. However, it was not clear if it would ever be compatible with the Leaf Credo backs. It was first said that it would be, and then, months later, the support told everyone who'd ask about it that they could not give any answer. Well, today we finally have one: Leaf Credo backs are compatible with the XF body.

The Phantom 3 is the best drone for the money today by far, and I would say that even at its original retail price of $999 for the "standard" version. For the next 3 days you can buy one for 56% off. That's right, you can get a new Phantom 3 Standard for just $439.

Sigma has announced their follow up to the EF-610 Flash, the EF-630 and It will be available on B&H very soon. Yesterday Sigma announced the new flash with models available for Nikon, Canon, and of course Sigma. The new flash will pack a little more fire power than its predecessor, and will automatically adjust for focal lengths from 24mm through 200mm.

Cell phone cameras are getting better and better each year as sensor technology improves, but zooming still doesn't really work. Yes, you can "zoom in" with your iPhone, but it's not a real optical zoom. Really, you are just cropping into your picture or video, which means the further you "zoom," the lower resolution you will end up with.

DJI should have called me and made me the face of their new drone insurance policy. I've crashed many of their drones, destroyed one, and lost another. Sadly, I didn't have the luxury of buying insurance, but now, you do... but it's probably too expensive.

I have no idea where this request came from, but here we have it: views will now be added for videos on Instagram. Starting this week, view counts will appear below videos instead of likes, which we have been seeing for years. The shift will likely happen within the week for most users and be a change of pace for what we usually see on the platform.

Perhaps a perfect followup to Nikon's D500, Canon's 80D, and even Sony's A7-series releases, Sigma's two new lenses aren't built for full-frame coverage, but instead include a fast, Art-series portrait zoom for APS-C cameras and a fast, f/1.4 normal lens specifically designed for mirrorless cameras that is supposed to offer superb image quality at a reasonable price. In addition, Sony E-Mount users will enjoy the availability of Sigma's new MC-11 Sony E-Mount converter that will allow the use of 19 of Sigma's Global Vision series lenses on many Sony APS-C and full-frame mirrorless bodies.

Tamron has fired a serious shot across the bows of Canon, Sony, and Nikon, announcing the release of the world's first 85mm fast-aperture lens with image stabilization for DSLRs, a new macro lens, and a lens console that allows for updating and customization of certain lenses.

Great news for Lightroom users on Android: Adobe has just updated the app to version 2.0, introducing an in-app camera with DNG raw file capture, shoot-through non-destructive presets, split toning, and more.

G-Technology updated its lineup today with the introduction of two eight-bay storage arrays made to be easily transportable. From enterprise-class hard drives for robust performance to handles on top of the units that let them be more easily moved from studio to car, to set, and back, the G-Speed Shuttle XLs are the ultimate on-the-go editor's dream direct-attached-storage system.

Before CP+ kicks off next week, Canon just announced the successor to the 70D, the Canon 80D. Featuring multiple improvements, especially in areas surrounding autofocus, the 80D provides a more professional standing for Canon's representation in the advanced APS-C DSLR segment. Additionally, Canon introduced a new PZ-E1 power zoom adapter for a new lens, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. Finally, the PowerShot G7 X was updated with a Mark II version along with a new compact superzoom, the PowerShot SX720 HS.

Today, Pentax has announced their entry into the full-frame market, the K-1. Slotting in-between the company's APS-C and medium format offerings, the K-1 aims to be the do-it-all solution for working photographers. In addition, the company has also announced two lenses to complement the new system.

In a quaint suburban neighborhood south of Sydney, Australia stands a three bedroom brick home that looks like any other at first glance. It is sharp and modern. The image is bright and vibrant and definitely eye catching. At a quick first look, it is a pretty standard image of the facade of a home. The detail that isn't featured in this image is what has the entire real estate industry buzzing. A simple Google search of the home brings up a much different representation of the property. Which begs the immediate question; how far is 'too far' when using photo editing software to edit real estate imagery?

For an instant, she stares blankly out into the distance as she would for any photograph. But almost immediately, she takes notice. You're there. She turns her head, looks over, and then slowly turns back, looking down at her outstretched legs. Her eyes move slowly, looking down, as her chin lifts her gaze from the top of her legs to her feet. She's admiring herself — for you. She even starts crawling toward you. You turn your head to look around ("Toward me?," you think, but no one else is there). You turn back to her. The clip is over. You can take off your Google Cardboard viewer and go back to flipping channels on your living room TV.

A bug in a recent Adobe Creative Cloud update is currently deleting a folder on the root drive (Macintosh HD, by default) of Macs upon installation. This issue is affecting Backblaze users disproportionately due to the fact that the bug results in the deletion of the contents of the alphabetically first hidden folder on the root drive, which is often the folder ".bzbol" for Backblaze users.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), based in Pasadena, CA, recently released a 360-degree video of a vista of Mars' Namib Dune from their rover, Curiosity. On one hand, it's an all-encompassing, but static, noiseless video. Yet, on the other hand, it's the most realistic, hands-on, feels-like-you-were-there video of another planet that we have. If you think about it for a moment while you're watching, it suddenly hits you: we're really there. We have a presence on Martian land.

When Pixellu came out with its too easy to believe drag and drop album creator that synced with every popular album company's layouts, those who were not Mac users were certainly bummed to hear they would be missing out. But today, after Pixellu released SmartAlbums 2 for Mac, the SmartAlbums version for Windows is here and it comes at a generous $50 discount for those who have waited so patiently.

Users of Adobe Bridge will be pleased to learn that the latest release of the software includes several performance enhancements and new features. Available today for Creative Cloud subscribers, Adobe notes that this release "will lay the foundation for future development."

The day has come; Instagam will finally add support for switching between multiple accounts this week! Yes, you heard that right. After almost five years in the social game, they have come to their senses and added the ability to flip through accounts quickly and easily.

Adobe Stock has been around for a short while now, featuring useful, deep integration into Creative Cloud products, as well as a more traditional online portal through which to purchase content. Through a blog post on its website, Adobe recently announced these platforms will now benefit from native 4K video content in addition to the photos and standard high-definition videos previously offered.

One of the primary reasons many have given for stalling in making the switch to mirrorless is the lack of solid fast aperture zooms. With the newly announced Sony G Master series and initial debut of a FE 24-70mm f/2.8, FE 70-200mm f/2.8 OSS, and FE 85mm f/1.4 lenses, not only are we getting the highly requested fast zooms, but we are getting some of the best precision optics overall for the Sony Alpha system.