Well, that was a surprise. We knew Irix had a fast medium format lens on the way because they released a teaser a couple of days ago. But it turned out to be faster than the teaser suggested – only hinting at an aperture of at least f/2.8. We thought it was going to be something new and shiny, but it seems that all they’ve done is stick a GFX mount on their existing 45mm f/1....
The practise of using bait to attract owls and other wildlife is a controversial topic. On the one hand, it can remove the fear of humans from rare and protected species, putting them at risk. On the other, how is it any different to putting out a feeder for wild birds in your garden? Then there’s also the chance that the humans can put themselves and others at risk as more dangerous species lose their fear of people....
How many times have you heard the proverb “I am not rich enough to buy cheap things?” Do you live by it? When buying camera and lighting gear, you should rely on this saying. Cheap gear may actually turn out to cost you more in the long run, and not only in terms of money. In this video, Pye Jirsa explains the true cost of gear and gear failure. So, is cheap gear really a good investment?...
I imagine a world where, at some point, somebody told Kathy Griffin she was funny as some kind of prank. But, she believed it and has ran with it ever since. Sure, I’m probably not all that funny, either, but I’m not attempting to make a living out of it. Her latest act of “comedy” has landed both Griffin and photographer Tyler Shields in some pretty hot water. The photo, obscured above, shows Griffin holding up a blood covered Donald Trump mask, made to look like a decapitated head....
It’s unlikely that Sony shooters are going to go out and buy Mamiya 645 lenses, but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility for Mamiya 645 shooters to pick up a Sony for when they want to carry something a little lighter. Occasionally, though, they may want to use their 645 lenses on that little Sony body, so Kipon has answered the call. They’ve announced two new adapters which offer full electronic aperture control via your Sony body....
There’s a seemingly endless amount of photography tutorials on the internet. But just how many of them feature leading photographers and experts? Right now, School of Visual Arts is offering dozens of online lessons from some of the best in the industry. And what’s great about it is you don’t have to pay a dime to access them. You can watch a total of 109 lectures on SVA’s Youtube channel under Images, Ideas, and Inspiration....
An integrated flash can come in handy for photographers, but it’s useless for vloggers and video makers. However, a new Canon patent could resolve this. It shows a set of LED lights integrated with the pop-up flash to provide DLSR video makers with a continuous light source. The patent discusses how the LED lights can be integrated along with the pop-up flash. Although it sounds like a good idea, the main problem is how to sink the heat away from the LEDs....
What do you think about Lensbaby? It’s kind of a odd chicken, right? On one hand, they are making $100 “cheap toy lenses”, but they they started making “object of desire”, high end $500 lenses. This change is fascinating, and definitely shows a change in how Lensbaby is perceived (by photographers, but also by itself). We sat down with Ken Mitchell, Lensbaby president for a chat during Photokina 2016 and listened for some of his insights and his plans for Lensbaby as a company....
Window light portraits are something we all can do from the comfort of our own homes, Its quite amazing during this time of lockdown, actually having the time to observe the light around the home at different times during the day and how it can transform a room as the sun pops out from behind the clouds, so what a perfect time to learn and practice lighting during this downtime....
After the original Lume Cube, here comes the upgrade. Lume Cube AIR has just been released, and it’s a lighter, slimmer and more portable lighting solution for content creators. Just like its predecessor, it’s durable, shock-proof and waterproof, and it’s an affordable little light. The Lume Cube AIR has a CRI rating of +/- 90, a 5700K daylight balanced color temperature, 400 LUX at 1M power, and a 60-degree beam angle....
A man from East Jordan, Michigan has recently captured a photo that shows an angel hovering above his truck. Well, at least he claims it’s an angel. The photo went viral and brought him lots of attention and interviews for different publications. But of course, not everyone is convinced that the photo truly is a miracle. Some would say that it’s nothing but a moth. Glen Thorman, the fire chief for East Jordan, told The Sun that he has a security camera set to take two pictures, a second or two apart....
Back in June 2017, a photo of Donald Trump crashing a wedding at his golf course resort went viral. Jonathan Otto took the photo, shared it with a wedding guest, and it quickly got all over the internet – and ended up in the media. After Otto found it out, he filed a lawsuit. And recently, the court ruled that media using a snapshot from someone’s social network doesn’t constitute a fair use....
Deepfakes have been a thing for a while now, and they’ve been used for fun, useful, but also malicious purposes. Samsung has now introduced yet another deepfake tool that turns a single still image into a creepily accurate video. Samsung’s Megapixel portraits, or MegaPortraits, is able to create high-resolution human avatars. All it needs is a single portrait, and it doesn’t even have to be a photo – you can also turn paintings into moving portraits, for some extra creepiness....
The problem with most underwater camera housings is that they usually cost more than the camera you’re buying them for. With digital cameras being upgraded every 3 to 5 years, this makes the purchase of an underwater camera housing a significant investment. After purchasing a Sony mirrorless camera for video work, I decided that I’d like to get an underwater housing for it. I eventually chose a Meikon underwater camera housing (also sold under a number of other brand names such as Sonovel, Andoer, Neweer and others) for my Sony mirrorless camera (a Sony a6300)....
Drones meeting “real aircraft” seems to be hitting the news more and more often these days. And right now the reports from social media are that it’s happened again. This time on a flight from Guadalajara to Tijuana, Mexico. While the reports that it was a drone have yet to be confirmed, that does seem to be the prevailing thought right nowThe incident happened on Wednesday, December 12th, as the flight was on approach at Tijuana International Airport....
Last year, Microsoft announced Azure Space, a tool that brings together the possibilities of space with the power of the cloud. The company has now added a bunch of new capabilities to it, and some of the most interesting ones include “seeing” through clouds and turning blurry satellite images into high-quality photos that look like drone shots. Microsoft has announced several new partnerships and features for Azure Space. But in this article, we’ll only stick with those that could be most interesting to the photo community....
Taking out his frustration on twitter after being ejected from the UFC 199 pay-per-view event on Saturday, journalist Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting/SB Nation was seemingly escorted from the building by security prior to the main event. Along with him went photographer Esther Lin and video director E. Casey Leydon, also part of the SB Nation crew, all three alleged to be banned from UFC for life. After breaking the news that Brock Lesnar was close to finalizing a deal to fight at UFC 200 the day before an official announcement was made, it appears that the UFC didn’t take it too well....
Model Mayhem, favorite among many creatives, has recently redefined its membership structure. Starting from this month, they have limited many perks they used to offer with the free account. This, in a way, forces you to pay for membership, at least if you want to reach more people and find more work. While this move is promoted as an “improvement,” it’s not how photographers and models see it. Negative feedback comes from all over the place, and many photographers are reevaluating their decision to use this website further....
Twenty years, they have gone by fast. I can remember the first time I saw a camera with a screen on the back of it at a sporting venue, and now a camera without one is considered vintage. However, the look of modern cameras is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to changes. Spending time with the Nikon D1 to create the piece on it really opened my eyes to what it was to take a photo in 1999, and how different it is now....
Now, this is why we cannot have nice things. While I am not enjoying saying this, it looks like photographers are slowly earning the bad cred that authorities are giving them. After shuttering a 126 old statue for a selfie, it is now revealed that the fire on The Big Cypress Monroe Station last month was probably caused by a photographer trying to spin steel wool for a light paining photo....
