Canon and Sony News for Dec 2016 (Page 5)
From Datacolor:
Lawrenceville, NJ – Datacolor, a global leader in color management solutions, today announced the release of Spyder5+, the next generation software expertly designed to build upon its popular color calibration tools for photographers, designers, videographers and imaging professionals.
“Spyder5 is already an amazing tool for getting the best color out of your display. With the Spyder5+ upgrade, Datacolor has added several really nice features that are an absolute no-brainer for the price,” said David Cardinal, professional photographer and Datacolor Friend with Vision. “I’ve been using the new capabilities and am really pleased with how much time they’ve saved me, as well as the additional productivity they’ve provided.”
The software upgrade is now available for all existing and new Spyder5 customers, with the option to purchase Spyder5PRO+ or Spyder5ELITE+. Spyder5+ adds unique features to the Spyder5 calibration tools by enhancing users’ digital color workflow, including:
- Automatic Room Light Switching ensures users’ monitor profile changes as the room light conditions shift, with no user interaction required
- 1-Click Calibration streamlines a user’s workflow with a single click to start the calibration without having to re-select saved settings
- Profile Management Tool gives users the ability to edit, remove, rename, locate, and activate each display profile for ultimate control and flexibility
Users who purchase the Spyder5ELITE+ upgrade will have access to all of the above features, in addition to:
- Spyder SoftProof improves “Screen-to-Output” matching with a new workflow to simulate how photos will look on any printer or device – including home printers, online or retail printers, and certain mobile/tablet devices
- Enhanced StudioMatch verifies precise monitor matching and takes the guess work out of making all connected displays look the same – including a new visual verification step that assists you by fine tuning your results
“We’re very excited to add this upgrade to our Spyder5 product line. This new software offers unique tools to ensure color management across all devices, so our customers can remain confident in their decision to choose Datacolor for their color calibration needs,” said Stefan Zrenner, Director Global Sales & Marketing Imaging, Datacolor. “With a competitive set of features, Spyder5+ is the perfect tool for creatives that rely on consistency in their work.”
New and existing Spyder5 customers wishing to purchase the Spyder5+ software add-on can find out more and buy via the Datacolor website. Upon software purchase, customers will receive a software serial number and a step-by-step guide for easy download.
For more information, please visit:
- Spyder5PRO+: datacolor.com/spyder5proplus-pr
- Spyder5ELITE+: datacolor.com/spyder5eliteplus-pr
B&H carries Datacolor Spyder5 Display Calibration products.
From Canon USA:
Canon U.S.A. Releases Survey Results Confirming Consumer Perceptions of Faster Service Times and Higher Tech Support Satisfaction Over Major Competitor
MELVILLE, N.Y., December 5, 2016 – Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced today the findings from a nationwide third-party blind survey that compared customer perceptions concerning the speed of service and quality of tech support offered by Canon and Nikon. The survey was conducted among photographers (primarily professional, semi-professional, and advanced amateur) in November 2016 and found that customers perceive Canon’s service times to be faster than Nikon’s and that customer satisfaction with tech support is higher for Canon than it is for Nikon.
“Our customers need service they can count on,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, President and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We are very proud of our achievements in delivering world-class service and support. By making customer service an integral part of our business model, we are positioned to meet and exceed the changing needs and expectations of our customers.”
Key Survey Findings
- Ultra-Fast Service: 76.9 percent of Canon customers who have had a service experience in the last 18 months indicated that the speed of their service was either ultra-fast or fast compared to 64.7 percent for Nikon.
- Support Matters: 90.4 percent of Canon customers indicated that they were completely satisfied or satisfied with the technical support they received, as compared to 73.7 percent of Nikon's customers.
Canon has made significant investments in service and support programs and operations, starting with the opening of their first call center in Chesapeake, VA in 1995. The Company prides itself on providing 100 percent in-house U.S. technical support. When it comes to call center operations, keeping all tech support calls in-house allows the Company to tightly control the quality and depth of the tech support provided. Canon maintains full control of its customers’ repair transactions, unlike other industry players that may rely on local third-party service providers to augment their service processing. This is a key differentiator for Canon and is one of the factors that allows the brand to control quick turn-around times and quality service.
About the Ultra-Fast Canon Service & Support Team
- Support Across the Country: Canon’s Service & Support Network spans from the East to the West Coast (reaching as far as Honolulu, HI) with 10 locations totaling more than 300,000 square feet of space devoted to serving customers. Canon has two call center locations – in Virginia and New Mexico – which boast an average wait time of only 78 seconds to talk to a live tech support representative. There are also three locations in key metropolitan areas that specifically cater to professional customers, in addition to four factory service locations that serve all customers. Canon also has a Customer Care Center, which offers a service drop-off point at its corporate headquarters located in Melville, NY. In the spring of 2017, the Canon Hollywood Professional Technology & Support Center will relocate to Burbank, CA. In this new location, Canon service and support will be enhanced even further to assist the growing number of professional filmmakers and broadcast production clients in Southern California.
- It’s More Than Just Support: The Canon Experience Center located in Costa Mesa, CA, not only offers service, but is also home to Live Learning workshops and seminars that provide opportunities to learn the latest photography, video, and printing techniques. Additionally, both the Costa Mesa and Lyndhurst, NJ, locations house product showrooms where customers can explore the latest Canon products.
- 100 Percent U.S.-Based Team: Canon provides 100 percent U.S.-based tech support that is completely in-house staffed with over 600 “all Canon” employees. Canon’s combined nationwide service and support network is comprised of over 1,100 expert service and support team members who maintain full control of service quality and speed of repair transactions.
In addition to announcing the results of this survey, Canon has also launched a new digital advertising campaign that highlights the Company’s knowledgeable tech support staff and efficient service times that average 2.82 days (1.59 days for Canon Professional Services (CPS) Platinum members)1.
About the Survey
A blind survey was conducted between the dates of November 17-22, 2016, resulting in over 2,300 responses from photographers, primarily professional, semi-professional and advanced amateurs. The methodology and results were validated by a third-party expert, Dr. William Bleuel, Ph.D.
From Nikon:
Changes from Version 1.0.1 to 1.0.2
- Fixed an issue that resulted in the application not displaying correctly at some monitor resolutions.
- Fixed an issue that resulted in previews of selected images not being displayed at startup when the KeyMission 360/170 Utility was launched from ViewNX-i.
Download: Nikon KeyMission 360/170 Utility 1.0.2
B&H carries Nikon KeyMission cameras.
From the TIME YouTube Channel:
On the day the Yankees retired Babe Ruth’s number, Nat Fein’s instinct to shoot him in 1948 from behind paid homage not only to the baseball legend but to the House that Ruth Built.
See TIME's exploration of 100 photographs that shaped the human experience (updated daily).
Last week we shared the news that B&H was going to start carrying popular tripod, ball head and accessory brand manufacturer Really Right Stuff. Now I'm happy to say that B&H's RRS inventory is 235 products strong with all images and product information loaded onto the site.
Have you ever wondered about the small tripod featured in many of Bryan's product review images? You can find the tripod right here.
There are only a small handful of DSLR lenses that can take in a view this wide. Basically, excluding fisheye lenses, the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens or one of the three Sigma variants including the latest, the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art Lens are your choices.
With the senate recessed for the holiday, I made a visit to this location to give the Sigma 12-24 Art a workout. The angle of views afforded by this lens are a blast to use and with the widest, I was able to capture a great deal of the French Renaissance architecture in the senate chamber.
While the 12mm angle of view was great to have, the bright lights were a bit of a problem from an exposure standpoint. But, they were very beautiful and I wanted to see some of the detail in them. Thus, an HDR technique was needed.
The primary image was captured at 2.5 seconds with a second image captured at .4 seconds (2 2/3 stops darker) to retain some of the detail in the lights. It can be very challenging to composite two images captured at such drastically different brightness while retaining a natural appearance, but here is a technique that proves rather easy.
First, stack the two images in Photoshop with the brighter image on top. Then add a layer mask to the top layer and select the layer mask. Select the brush tool, select black as the color and reduce the opacity to something low, such as 10%. Select a brush size appropriate for the area that needs detail added (areas too bright in the original exposure) and adjust the brush hardness as desired (softer may be better in this situation). Then paint the blown areas until just the right amount of detail shows through. The process is easy and the results appear natural.
When photographing a symmetrical scene such as this one, it is usually desirable to have the scene perfectly centered in the frame (for perfect balance) and to have the camera perfectly centered in the room (to avoid perspective-caused converging horizontal lines) and horizontally level (to keep horizontal lines parallel to the frame borders). As you can figure out from the resulting image dimensions, I cropped this image very slightly from the top left to perfect my capture. Note that no distortion correction was used. Even at 12mm, this lens is a good performer in this regard.
A larger version of this image is available on BryanCarnathan.com, Flickr, Google+, Facebook and 500px. If reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image. If you find these tips useful, please share them in your circle of friends!
ISO 100
8588 x 5726px
Apple added the ability to edit RAW files in its iOS 10 update released earlier this year. This left many asking, "What's the easiest way to transfer RAW files to my iPhone/iPad?"
According to photography Brian Worley, the answer is to use a Lightning 8-Pin to USB Female OTG Adapter and your camera's USB cable to transfer files directly to your mobile device.
Directions
- With the camera turned off, plug the USB cable into the camera's USB port and attach the OTG adapter.
- Unlock the smart device and plug in the OTG adapter.
- Turn on the camera. At this point the Apple Photos app will open and an import icon will be visible.
iOS Devices with Lightning Connectors
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5C
- iPhone 5S
- iPhone 6/6 Plus
- iPhone 6S/6S Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 7/7 Plus
- iPad (4th generation)
- iPad Air
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Pro (9.7-inch and 12.9-inch models)
- iPad Mini (1st generation)
- iPad Mini 2
- iPad Mini 3
- iPad Mini 4
From the Profoto US YouTube Channel:
Finding the perfect light depends on your subject matter and the desired effect.
In the latest video of our Ordinary to Extraordinary series, Pye Jirsa gives you 3 dramatic lighting techniques to take extraordinary athletic portraits.
B&H carries Profoto lighting equipment.
From the MTA New York City Transit:
MTA New York City Transit and the New York Transit Museum are putting extra magic on the rails with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s annual holiday tradition of rides to the past via its vintage fleet. These subway cars will help customers experience the most magical time of year the way that New York straphangers did long ago.See the entire article on the MTA New York City Transit website.A special eight-car subway train that is typically displayed in the Transit Museum is put into service for special Sunday rides. This “Shoppers Special” takes customers between Lower Manhattan to Queens on four consecutive Sundays from Thanksgiving weekend to the week before Christmas, all for the swipe of a MetroCard.
Vignetting, flare and distortion test results along with specs, measurements and standard product images are now available on the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art Lens page.
I hope to have the full 12-24 Art review done early this week. Here is an interesting visual comparison.
B&H has the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art Lens in stock.
My favorite wildlife subject lighting comes from a low-in-the-sky sun behind me, but ... wildlife is not always (not often?) cooperative. In this case, the elk was in the shade while the incredibly-colorful background remained in direct sunlight of a setting sun.
When the subject is in the shade and the background is in direct sunlight, you are most likely going to have a different white balance for each. Usually, the sunlit background will be warmer in color than the shaded subject. However, that is a difference I sometimes welcome. Adjust the overall white balance for the subject and the background becomes especially warm/golden. This is often an ideal situation for fall foliage, making the colors especially vibrant.
For this image, I used an exposure that pushed the red channel nearly against the right side of the histogram (nearly R=255) and let the rest of the image fall where it may. I initially thought I would have a complete silhouette (totally black elk), but there was plenty of light remaining in the shade to work with. While I could have very significantly increased the brightness of the elk in this photo (and did use a +3 shadow adjustment), I chose to keep the animal dark to emphasize the outline.
A mature bull elk with a set of headgear this big is ... really big. Creating a very strong background blur while including most of or the entire animal in the frame requires a large sensor camera, a long telephoto lens and a wide aperture. The Canon EOS 5Ds R and EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens at f/4 created what you see here.
A larger version of this image is available on SmugMug, Flickr, Google+, Facebook and 500px. If reading from a news feed reader, click through to see the framed image.
ISO 640
7646 x 5097px
From the LensRentals Blog:
by Roger CicalaSee the entire article on the LensRentals Blog.We recently tested the Nikon 105mm f/1.4E ED AF-S lens and were mightily impressed. Optically it was better than I’d ever expected. We had idly talked about doing a teardown when stock allowed, but we got an unexpected opportunity yesterday: one of our week-old copies had some significant dust in both the front and rear lens groups. We know (like hopefully you know) that some dust doesn’t affect images, but our customers like their lenses dust-free, so we decided to open this one up and clean the dust out of it and to take a few pictures while we were doing it.
I try to identify where my head is whenever I write about anything, so you’ll understand when I go all fan-boy or all snarky. Like everyone else, my expectations going in have a lot to do with my impressions coming out. In this case, I told Aaron before we started that given how awesome this lens was optically that I expected Nikon’s optomechanics were going to modernize, too. Unlike previous Nikon lenses, I thought this lens would have nice, modular construction, no soldered wires running hither and yon, not so much Kapton tape holding stuff down, and maybe even some curved circuit boards. You know, like a lens from the 21st century, not like one from the 1980’s. Aaron didn’t think so.
Well, I was a little bit right but mostly wrong. There is some real modularity and superb construction to this lens. There were also big chunky square circuit boards and wires soldered hither and yon held down with Kapton tape. None of which has anything to do with making a lens take better pictures or making it last longer, but it does make it a pain to take apart and work on.
B&H has the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED Lens in stock.
A few days ago Kai Wong announced that he had left DigitalRev. Now his cameraman and oftentimes partner in front of the lens, Lok Cheung, has also officially announced his departure from the Hong Kong based retailer.
From Tamron:
Dear users and potential purchasers of Tamron interchangeable lenses,
Thank you for using Tamron products.
We have learned that, when attaching the Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC (Model B011) to the Canon EOS M5, which will soon go on sale outside Japan, the camera power is turned off or is not turned on, making it impossible to use the camera.
We sincerely apologize to all users and potential purchasers for any inconvenience the issue may cause.
An investigation is currently underway in detail about the connections between the Canon EOS M5 and our lens, and as soon as we know more we will post a notice on the Tamron website.
From the Canon Digital Learning Center:
by Laura MoritaSee the entire article on the Canon Digital Learning Center.ou've scrimped and you've saved. You've researched and planned. And the time has finally come: VACATION. Unfortunately, vacation doesn't happen often enough, and when it does come, you want to have nice photos. Sure, you'll take plenty of pictures with your phone and maybe even a point and shoot, but is there room on your vacation for your more professional gear? Well, I say “yes.” As a somewhat "expert" vacationer to Hawaii, there's no way I could imagine traveling there without packing at least some of my gear. This article will outline some of the considerations I make in deciding what gear to pack, when to bring my camera with me on outings, and knowing how to not completely ruin a trip for my kids with an overabundance of pictures.
Interested in underwater housings? You may want to check out Bryan's review of the Ewa-Marine U-B 100.
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