AfterCapture's On Photography Blog

Jul 10 2012

LensPen Debuts New Look and Features

Category: Technology Insights — djordan @ 6:45 am

LensPen

After 20 years of faithful service to both photographers and outdoor enthusiasts, LensPen brushes have been redesigned to clean the latest photographic equipment, including LCD screens, compact camera lenses, viewfinders and filters. Now available in five models (Original, DigiKlear, MiniPro, MicroPro and FilterKlear), LensPen brushes utilize a special carbon compound to gently and safely remove fingerprints and dust. Unlike other cleaning systems, there are no messy liquids to apply, says company spokesman, Peter Meurrens, and there’s no need for optical tissues or microfiber cloths. LensPen products are sold in 48 countries including the United States and Canada. See a demonstration of the LensPen System 2012 at www.youtube.com/lenspennews. www.lenspen.com

Tags: Cleaning, LensPen

Comments (1)

Jul 09 2012

Adobe Announces Camera Raw 6.7 Final Release

Category: Technology Insights — djordan @ 11:37 am

Adobe recently announced the availability of Camera Raw 6.7 final release on Adobe.com. The Camera Raw plug-in provides fast and easy access to raw image formats produced by many leading digital cameras. Originally posted as release candidates on Adobe Labs, the final updates provide raw file format support for nine new cameras, including Pentax K-01 and Olympus OM-D E-M5, and add more than 30 lens profiles to help photographers automatically correct unwanted distortion and chromatic aberration. In addition, Camera Raw 6.7 corrects issues reported from the latest releases. Adobe encourages the community to provide feedback to ensure the highest quality experience for customers working on diverse hardware and software configurations.

The Camera Raw 6.7 plug-in is available as a free download for Photoshop CS5 customers. For more information and to download the updates, visit www.adobe.com/downloads/updates (available for both Mac and Windows). www.adobe.com

Tags: Adobe, camera raw

Comments (1)

Jun 22 2012

Pentax K-30 Hands-On

Category: Technology Insights — djordan @ 9:17 am

The promise of the new Pentax K-30: The toughest, fastest DSLR that won’t break your bank. We just tried it out for the first time, and so far we’re impressed. An $850 DSLR body shouldn’t feel this good.

Lower-end DSLRs can take great photos, but the build quality’s usually pretty cheap, and their performance on can be a little sluggish. If you drop them they’ll break, and don’t expect respond to your every desire.

The Pentax K-30 is weather-sealed for “all weather conditions.” The company told us it’d be good to go in a monsoon. We didn’t get a chance to put the camera under water, but it does feel a lot sturdier than the Nikon D3200 we used to take pictures of it. One detail we didn’t notice before is that the cheaper 18-55mm kit lens isn’t actually fully weather-sealed—Only the special 18-135mm lens is. Packaged together the lens and camera will run you $1100. That’s cheap considering DSLRs can get ridiculously expensive, but it’s not $900 like the cheaper kit package.

What’s really impressive is the camera’s performance. It’s the fastest we’ve used in its price range. The camera’s autofocus locks on instantaneously, and in continuous mode the camera peels of shots at 6 fps, which is faster than the 5 fps Canon T4i.

And make no mistake, the T4i is the K-30 main competitor. Its brand new Live View autofocus should make shooting video a breeze. Plus the T4i’s touchscreen controls are the first of their kind on a DSLR. The K-30 and T4i come in at the exact same fully loaded $1100 price, so we’ll see if the camera’s ruggedness and speed are enough to counter Canon’s innovations.

We haven’t closely inspected the images from the Pentax K-30, so we don’t yet know what kinda of image quality the camera’s 16-megapixel APS-C sensor is good for. We’ll let you know when we’ve spent more time with the camera. [gizmodo]

Tags: Pentax, Pentax K-30

Comments (1)

Jun 14 2012

Nokia’s Putting Monster 41-MP PureView Cameras in Lumia Windows Phones

Category: Uncategorized — djordan @ 8:25 am

Nokia’s 41-megapixel PureView camera sensors take humongous photos that actually look pretty great. And they’re coming to Nokia’s Lumia Windows Phones, according to Nokia.

Talking with Howard Forums, Nokia USA President Chris Webber said “you can expect we’ll be bringing PureView technologies to the Windows Phone platform in future Lumia devices.” Which is good news, since the Lumia’s Carl Zeiss optics were much-hyped, but not really up to snuff with the best cameras in phones, like the iPhone 4S, the HTC Amaze, or newer models like the One X. [Howard Forums via Verge]

Tags: 41-MP, Nokia, pureview, sensors

Comments (0)

Jun 13 2012

$60 Wireless Remote Controls Your 5D Mark III On the Cheap

Category: Photographers, Technology Insights — djordan @ 10:58 am

When photography calls for a stable tripod a remote shutter release is a must-have accessory. But you’ve already given Canon thousands of dollars for a fancy DSLR; why spend almost $700 on its official wireless remote when Satechi’s does the same thing for just $60?

For a fraction of the cost of Canon’s offering, the Satechi remote still includes self-timer, interval timer, long-exposure timer, and even intervalometer functionality. So you can be as far as 50 feet away from your camera while still telling it how many photos to take, how often to take them, and how long to keep the shutter open. The remote also includes a rudimentary but functional LCD display, audible timer warnings, and works with a long list of Canon EOS cameras. Unless all you’re after is brand recognition, there’s really no reason to opt for Canon’s solution anymore.

Tags: 5D Mark III, Wireless Remote

Comments (0)

May 18 2012

Sony NEX-F3 Hands-On: The Best Affordable Pro Compact Camera Gets a Boost

Category: In-Camera Techniques, Technology Insights, The Industry — djordan @ 8:27 am

Last year’s Sony NEX-C3 is the best camera you can buy for $600. It delivers professional image quality and the flexibility of interchangeable lenses in a compact package. Here comes its successor, the Sony NEX-F3. Is it worthy of its lineage?

Like the NEX-C3, the new NEX-F3 is a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera with a 16.1-megapixel APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor. In other words, its sensor is the same size and resolution as the one in more expensive DSLR cameras, but crammed into a smaller package. The downside is that the NEX-F3 doesn’t have an optical viewfinder, so you have to use the camera’s 3-inch LCD to see what you’re shooting, and the body isn’t loaded with as many buttons as a DSLR. The old NEX-C3 already took excellent photos and performed well both during the day and in low-light conditions, but the NEX-F3’s sensor has been tweaked so that it can shoot at higher sensitivity (ISO 16000 vs ISO 12800) without losing quality. In real-world terms this means that you’ll be able to take hand-held shots in slightly darker conditions.

The NEX-F3 delivers two important changes compared to its predecessor. First of all, the camera now shoots up to Full HD 1920 x 1080 video compared to the C3’s 1280 x 720 video. What’s more, the camera will shoot at full resolution at up to 60 frames per second—not even pro-DSLRs go that high. This new high-res video power brings the NEX-F3 up to speed with its competitors, but given that these cheaper cameras aren’t fabulous for video, we’ll have to wait to see whether this upgrade really makes a difference.

Additionally, Sony has made several upgrades to the camera’s hardware. Rather than embrace the camera’s compact package, the NEX-F3 is actually slightly larger and heavier than the C3. It’s now closer to the size of the more-expensive (and also excellent) NEX-5N. In addition, the camera’s tiltable LCD screen now flips a full 180 degrees so that you can—you guessed it—take self-portraits, MySpace-style.

The Sony NEX-F3 will be available in June. Like the NEX-C3, it ships with a 18-55mm kit lens for $600.

We had the opportunity to use the NEX-F3 for a few hours, and the results are promising. The camera’s snappy shooting performance remains the same. The flexible shooting settings are relatively intuitive but still not as easy as other cameras. The new larger body does feel slightly more substantive and sturdy than its predecessor. It’s now easier to brace the camera for a tricky shot, and it would be hard to imagine that the tiny increase in weight would be a lot more burdensome in your backpack. The 180-degree tiltable screen works perfectly, but feels more like a gimmick than anything else. That said, it’s hard to complain about increased flexibility. Who knows when that might come in handy? Without spending more time with the camera, we can’t say for sure if it actually takes better photos or video than the NEX-C3, but we’ll let you know when we get a review unit. [Sony]

Tags: NEX-F3, sony

Comments (0)

May 16 2012

Leica M Monochrom Only Shoots in Black and White and That’s Awesome

Category: Technology Insights, The Industry — djordan @ 7:00 am

Leica’s Latest addition to the M series of cameras is a bit different from the ones which came before it: the M Monochrom only shoots pictures in black and white. The $8000 full-frame camera is fully intended for enthusiasts and/or those with a bottomless bank account, and aims to explore the benefits of having a dedicated monochrome sensor (merely removing the color from a photo after the fact is hardly the same).

The M Monochrom is a rangefinder-style mirrorless camera, complete with an 18-megapixel, full-frame CCD sensor, ISO range up to 10,000, SD-based storage, and a 2.5-inch display. Many photo nerds argue that a dedicated B&W sensor will allow for shaper, more detailed imaging thanks to the lack of need for a color filter and ability to pickup more light. The camera itself is signature Leica design, with an all-black color scheme to go with the rounded edges of the body. A 50mm f2 Summicron lens also appeared alongside the M Monochrom today, which, at $7200, costs nearly as much as the camera itself. Those over on the rangefinderforum are in borderline disbelief, stating that it better be the greatest lens ever for that price.

But that’s not the only announcement Leica had today. The Leica X2 is also here with a 16-megapixel APS-C sensor and 24mm f2.8 lens. The compact camera will shoot photos in 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratios, save to SD card, and display your shots on a 2.5-inch screen, in your choice of all black or black/silver, for $2000.

Also announced was the Leica V-Lux 40, which packs a 16-megapixel sensor, 24-480mm superzoom lens, GPS and 3-inch touchscreen into the body of a point-and-shoot. It’s basically the same as the V-Lux 30, but with extra zoom (20x vs. 16x). All cameras are available for pre-order now and should be out later this year. [DP Review, 2, 3, 4]

Tags: B&W, Leica, Monochrom

Comments (0)

May 15 2012

$2.8 million Leica is the world’s most expensive camera

Category: Technology Insights, The Industry — djordan @ 9:14 am

We’ve seen our share of expensive cameras. The Phantom v1610, for instance, is capable of shooting 1 million frames per second — a feat that will cost you $100,000. But that’s a veritable bargain compared to this 1923 Leica camera that just sold at auction for 2.16 million euros ($2.8 million), an absolute record.

German camera-maker Leica is one of the most famous names in high-quality cameras. A new Leica can run you as much as $31,700. But this 1923 0-series Leica is a piece of camera history, one from the first batch of 31 cameras the company ever created. Only about 12 are known to still exist; fewer still are in such a pristine condition. That means this camera can command top dollar — or, in this case, top euro.

The camera was purchased by an anonymous European buyer. In 2007, a similar Leica 0-series sold for $430,000; in 2011 one sold for $1.7 million. Given the rapid increase of price in these cameras, we think we’ll keep using Instagram to take our hipster-quality photos, thank you very much.

[Image credit: WestLicht Photographica Auction]

[Source via Born Rich]

This article originally appeared on Tecca

Tags: expensive camera, Leica

Comments (0)

May 09 2012

Nikon tells PDN it is looking for a fix for D800 and D4 lock-up bug

Category: In-Camera Techniques, Technology Insights — djordan @ 7:56 am

Nikon has confirmed to PDN that it is investigating a problem that can cause the D800 and D4 to lock-up while shooting. The company says that the issue – identified while PDN was reviewing the camera – can be avoided by disabling Highlights and RGB Histogram on the display. At present the lock-ups require the battery to be removed to restart the camera but PDN thinks it likely that Nikon will be able to come up with a permanent fix.

The issue isn’t one we’ve encountered while working towards our reviews of both cameras, but we’ll stay in touch with Nikon and report on any updates.

Click here to find out more at PDN Online

Tags: bug, fix, nikon d800

Comments (1)

Apr 27 2012

Samsung’s Pro Compact

Category: Technology Insights — djordan @ 4:15 pm

Samsung’s line of excellent NX-series mirrorless cameras is getting packed with the Wi-Fi features the company’s been offering in point-and-shoots for years. Sharing your photos between devices and on Facebook made easy—but is it a feature that these cameras need?

Last year’s Samsung NX200 was pretty darn excellent, save for a few quibbles we had with its automatic settings. And for the upcoming NX210 refresh, Samsung’s largely leaving it alone, with the exception of the new Wi-Fi features: it’s got the same DSLR-sized 20.3-megapixel sensor and shoots identical 1080p HD video. The cheaper NX10 and NX100 cameras will be replaced by the NX20 and NX1000. In addition to the Wi-Fi upgrades, these cameras will also get the same 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor.

The built-in Wi-Fi features function much the same way as they do on Samsung’s point-and-shoots. The camera will allow you to connect directly to online services like Facebook, YouTube, and Microsoft SkyDrive to upload photos and video. Using the MobileLink application for Android and iOS you can view your photos on a tablet or phone, and transfer them to these devices too. The Remote Viewfinder app—as its name implies—allows you to control your camera remotely. And if you’re a Windows user, you can use Wi-Fi to back up your photos.

Over the last few years Samsung’s been leading the pack with its Wi-Fi point-and-shoots, but does anybody really want this feature in a professional-grade compact camera? When using the camera’s Wi-Fi features you’re almost always sacrificing image quality because the camera won’t transfer the huge files this camera would otherwise record to its memory card. What’s the point of spending big bucks on a high-resolution camera with a big sensor and interchangeable lenses, if all you’re going to do is scale the image down for a Facebook upload?

Samsung didn’t give us information on how much the camera’s would cost, but the NX200 costs $900, just to give you a point of reference. Get your routers ready: The new NX-series shooters will all be available in May. [Samsung]

Tags: Pro Compact, Samsung

Comments (1)