Articles from Jaron Schneider

At least once a week I enjoy watching something that totally blows my mind. I love challenging my brain and my perspective, and this video featuring Ray-Ban Clubmaster sunglasses does just that. Not really sure what it's supposed to teach me about sunglasses, but it sure as heck is sweet to watch.

I certainly wasn't expecting this from Leica today: The new Leica Ultravid Colorline collection of compact, high quality binoculars. In addition to the classic models with black leather trim, the Leica Ultravid 8 x 20 and Leica Ultravid 10 x 25 are now also available in vibrantly colored leather trim: apple green, Aztec beige, dove blue, Capri blue, cherry red and lemon yellow.

Last summer Lindsay Adler and Brooke Shaden teased a new show they were working on with the [F]ramed Network called "The Concept," where they will take on the challenge of executing a surprise concept by the Framed Producers. Equipped with the same Sigma lenses, both photographers will be expected to shoot the same models in the same location, giving viewers the opportunity to see them plan a shoot from start to finish, the first episode of which will air on October 22.

Ready to turn your wildest ideas into fine art images? World-renowned photographers Sue Bryce and Lara Jade are teaming up for a mesmerizing creativeLIVE workshop — free to watch while it’s live! With their powers combined, only magic can happen.

When Nikon released the D610, I’m sure that many of you (myself included) initially reacted with joy. “Hooray!” we said. “They’ve fixed the problem of the D600! Nikon made things right!” But then I let things sit for a few hours and I realized, Nikon did no such thing. They didn’t fix anything, no more than Canon “fixed” the T4i when they released the T5i. Hooray? No. Not hooray.

Zeiss, makers of some of the most outstanding glass on the market, announced a new member of their Canon and Nikon connected lenses: the 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T* Lens. It is a standard focal length premium lens optimized for full-format DSLR camera sensors. If it's anything like the 135mm f/2.0 APO SONNAR, there is a lot to be excited about.

To be categorized in the "strange yet brilliant ideas" bin, the 1888 Hotel in Sydney, Australia is coining themselves as the first "Instagram Hotel" with their architecture both inspired by and made for Instagram shots. What results is actually a really well-designed space that's fitting for the most discerning hipster... a hipster who can stay for free if they have at least 10,000 Instagram followers.

Adobe has disclosed that there has been a breach in their servers, and hackers had access to encrypted data for as many as 2.9 million customers. Adobe is stressing that the data is encrypted and that they “do not believe the attackers removed decrypted credit or debit card numbers." [Read Fully Story At TC]

Well, this is certainly not what I expected to run across today. GQ Spain proposed a film to director Álvaro de la Herrán inspired by the characters of the book "50 Shades of Grey." What results is incredibly NSFW (seriously, it's super sexual), but still quite beautiful. I have to say I'm a huge fan of how it was shot. The lighting is gorgeous. But we have to ask, where does fashion end and porn begin? The line is becoming rather foggy.

Thank you to everyone who entered our Shallow Depth photo contest sponsored by Sigma. We got a huge number of entrants, which goes to show how many of you really want this lens. Selecting from all the entries was tough. but in the end we were able to narrow it down.

Remember the Phottix Mitros speedlight? I loved this flash, and I wasn't the only one. Despite some complaints regarding the interface, generally there was only one other disappointment: no built in wireless receiver for their Odin transmitters. Phottix has now built them in, wiping aside the only place of complaint and making the Mitros+ instantly a speedlight you should seriously consider.

Adobe, in addition to announcing Q3 earnings which look to be a little lower than anticipated (but the stock is still doing quite well), also announced the availability of the Photoshop Photography Program that was revealed a couple weeks ago. To remind those of you who missed it, you can get a bundle specific to photographers for $9.99.

Earlier this year at MAX, Adobe announced Project Mighty and Project Napoleon, new cloud-based hardware tools that were somewhat overshadowed by the Creative Cloud announcement. Today Adobe has revealed that their prototype concepts for Mighty and Napoleon will indeed become full fledged products.

Many of you probably love the Vagabond/Einstein combination, and for good reason: it rocks. That said, constant lighting for video can still be a pain when you want to take the show on the road. LitePanels, who make some pretty great LED fixtures, has attempted to address this by combining one of their lights with Anton/Bauer’s portable power solutions to go beyond normal limitations.

It is insanely difficult to bring an idea for a product to market. One of the biggest impediments is, of course, cost. That's why I have the utmost respect for folks who put it all on the line to follow their dream, folks like Chris Field. Chris has invented the Lens Apparatus, a universally compatible lens controller for timelapse and DSLR videography follow focus control that looks like something all of us DSLR videographers will love.

If you want the best in lighting, one name probably immediately comes to mind: Profoto. They make top-of-the line professional lighting equipment that boasts some of the best specs you can find, and now they want you to have some of it. Get yourself a Profoto Octa RFi and a RFi Speedlight Speedring by submitting your best group photo!

Hasselblad, a company that is currently receiving a mixed bag of emotions from photographers due to their seemingly disjoined marketing strategy, is set to open their first retail outlet in Tokyo's "fashionable" Harajuku area on September 14. This decision is the latest move in Hasselblad CEO Dr. Larry Hansen's extensive new investment program aimed at supposedly making it easier for more people across the globe to own a Hasselblad camera.

Remember the Olympus E-5? If you don't, I can't say I blame you. It was Olympus's last attempt at a "professional" DSLR that was anything but. Everything about the E-5 felt outdated as soon as it was released. It's been years since the E-5, and Olympus is finally ready with its successor, the micro four thirds OM-D E-M1.

Think Tank announced a new bag and accessory case today that focus specifically on jiving with your favorite Apple products. The "My 2nd Brain" bag comes in three sizes for iPads and the different sized laptops, while the PowerHouse is an accessory bag to keep cords and whatnot in place. It's an interesting direction for the camera bag maker, to say the least.

"A 19-year-old man was killed on Thursday when a remote-controlled model helicopter that he was piloting in a Brooklyn park struck him in the head, the authorities said. The man, Roman Pirozek Jr. of Woodhaven, Queens, had been operating the large model — measuring several feet end to end — when it hit him and the top of his head was sliced off, the police said." Image Via AP [Full Story at NYT]

It is getting pretty hard to avoid reading a story a couple times a month where a photographer's photos are stolen in some way. It has become, sadly, the nature of the internet. Sometimes photographers aren't even aware of it until the image spreads beyond containment, but others, like Swedish photographer Tuana, do their best to nip it in the bud and succeed with help from what many would consider to be an unlikely source: the company who was unlawfully selling the image.

Canon rather quietly snuck a new lens onto the market today, announcing the CN-E35mm T1.5 L F single-focal-length Cinema prime lens designed for large-format single-sensor digital cinematography cameras employing Super 35mm or full-frame 35mm imagers. This brings Canon's cinema lens family up to six.

We have just heard that Adobe has listened to the cries of photographers since the Adobe MAX announcement of the new CC pricing and is giving a new bundle specific to their needs containing Photoshop and Lightroom for just $9.99 a month... if you sign up by December 31... and prove ownership of CS3 or later.

Advertised as the "first consumer 4K camera by Sony," the FDR-AX1 is now available for pre-order at a (consumer friendly?) price of $4,499. It shoots 3840 x 2160p video at 60 fps on a 1/2.3" Exmor R 8.3MP CMOS Image Sensor through a Sony G Lens with 20x optical zoom. Sony says it has packed technology developed for their professional video cameras to create a compact, easy-to-operate 4K consumer model that's designed to make 4K video and professional-quality audio available to the masses.

Sony's highly discussed and hotly debated cell phone cameras (accessories?), the DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 are now available for pre order. These camera/lens combo devices attach to Android and iOS devices using WiFi, but can also store images on a microSD card of up to 64 GB capacity. The products have been the subject of a lot of speculation and rumor over the past few weeks and they are finally available to order.

Cell phone makers are really pushing the envelope with image quality in phones these days. It seems like new phones can't be released onto the market without some totally new and crazy feature enticing you to buy it. First was the Nokia Lumia 1020, now the Acer Liquid S2 which is the first smartphone to record 4K video.

Phottix has been steadily working its way up the ladder when it comes to reliable and affordable photography equipment. Much like Yongnuo, Phottix started in the marketplace as somewhat unreliable, but in recent years has done a lot to turn that around. Introduced a few months ago, the Phottix Luna collapsible beauty dish caught many an eye as a perfect answer for beauty lighting on the go. But the question remained: does it produce the same results as a real beauty dish?

If you've early-adopted to Canon's new STM motors, then you've probably been wishing there were a few more lenses available that you could make use of. Canon is releasing new STM lenses at a steady pace, and today announced the 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, expanding the lineup of STM lenses to six total models. The new 70D will have STM compatibility, so this is certainly an area to keep an eye on.

Canon, makers of some of the more trusted point-and-shoot cameras, have announced four new members of their lineup, the PowerShot G16, the PowerShot S120, the PowerShot SX510 and the PowerShot SX170. The cameras feature advanced DIGIC imaging technology for high-quality images, and all four models have the ability to achieve faster autofocusing speeds than was possible with previous PowerShot models.

Following in the footsteps of Samsung who have the convenient "Share" button on their cameras, Canon has updated their tiny point-and-shoot with a feature they think fits right to the audience looking at a camera of this class: an built in Facebook share button. Canon is Facebook ready... are you?

Jim Jannard, the mind behind Oakley and RED Cinema camera, has "finished [his] mission" and will be leaving as the face of RED. Current President Jarred Land will be taking the reins in Jannard's absence. "I have done my best. I saw a fatal flaw in the camera industry. We did our best to address it. I will now sink into the background, I hope with my reputation intact.

Shooting aerial video for commercial purposes might be iffy in the United States, but the team at Helicam, based in Finland and Estonia, make some truly epic video using a quadcopter, a RED and a custom stabilizing gimbal. The featured video is a reel showcasing shots from the system, but we also have BTS footage of the team using the copter and a video showing the custom rig being constructed.

Based on what we've published in the past, I think it's safe to say you guys really appreciate detailed tutorials showing how to make impressive composite scenes. My buddy at TutsPlus just showed me this amazing composition and I just had to share it. The artist combined 23 stock images to make one fantastic underwater scene.

Earlier this year we showed you an amazing and advanced 4K aerial gyro system that lifestyle brand Teton Gravity Research (TGR) acquired. The Gyro-Stabilized Systems (GSS) C520 system is considered most advanced five-axis gyro-stabilized camera platform in the world. This week they released a trailer for their production "Way of Life" featuring the platform, and it looks fantastic.

Voightlander, maker of one of the sharpest pancake lenses I've ever used, has a new lens on the market, and it's unbelievably fast. Their new 42.5mm f/0.95 lens has the potential to be amazing if you're in the market for a new micro four thirds prime, and with an equivalent to 85mm after factoring the crop magnification, this lens could be amazing for portraits and is available for pre-order now for shipping by August 21.