This
summer the widely anticipated third season of American sci-fi TV
series, Stranger Things, lands on Netflix. To mark the occasion,
Polaroid Originals have joined forces with the series creators to
make a new analog instant camera and special edition film that, as
the company claims, will turn your world ‘Upside Down’. Available in stores and
online from the 6th May 2019, fans can now brave the Stranger Things
alternative dimension. Transformed into the TV shows’ red and blue
colors, the special edition camera sees the classic Polaroid design
flipped ‘Upside Down’. Polaroid Originals is also
releasing a collectable special edition film, perfect for super fans
to capture their stranger moments. As a further ode to the Stranger
Things universe, each pack of 8 will include 16 graphic design
prints. Stranger Things is renowned
for re-imagining the early 80s, and is infused with popular culture
from the period, from walkie-talkies and Fabergé Organic big hair to
Dungeons and Dragons. Retro Polaroid cameras pop up throughout the
series, capturing moments from the Hawkins middle school’s Snow
Ball to the gang’s iconic Ghostbuster Halloween costumes. After all
what would the 80s be without a Polaroid snap? The new camera is reportedly
optimised for today with a fixed-focus lens, a powerful built-in
flash, easy USB charging and a self-timer. Taccording to Polaroid,
the battery lasts up to 60 days, and the high-quality lens guarantees
a sharp image from as close as 2 feet to infinity – perfect for
selfies. The camera also reportedly works with a new generation of
Polaroid Originals i-Type and 600 instant films. The new season of Stranger
Things premieres on the 4th July 2019, and will see the story
continue in Hawkins in the summer of 1985 where things are heating
up. The Stranger Things Polaroid OneStep 2 analog instant camera and
special edition Stranger Things film will be available from May 6th,
at polaroidoriginals.com for $109.99 and $17.99 respectively.
BenQ disclosed a new
4K UHD 27” professional monitor for photographers–Photovue SW271
which has HDR10. It covers 99% of Adobe RGB, 93% DCI-P3, and 100% of
both sRGB and Rec. 709. The monitor delivers the colour accuracy
of Delta E2 with its 10-bit IPS panel and 14-bit 3D lookup table
(LUT). Equipped with USB Type-C, it features customisable colour
characteristics with X-Rite or Datacolor calibrators and BenQ Palette
Master Element software.
“We want to
make professional tools accessible to everyone, whether you’re just
starting out or you’re a pro upgrading an old monitor, the SW240 is
the perfect choice,” says BenQ Product Manager Jason Lee. “It
fits in our professional lineup with pristine color accuracy and
without the hefty price tag of similar professional monitors.”
The Adobe RGB,
sRGB, as well as Black and White modes can be switched between using
the addition of SW271’s Hotkey Puck. The GamutDuo mode feature
enables users to simultaneously work on picture-by-picture in the two
different colour spaces. The monitor has adjustable height, an SD
card reader, USB 3.1 (Gen 1), HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4 ports.
The most important feature for this “value monitor” is its
price, and that’s where BenQ may have missed the mark. The SW240
monitor is available now for $400 by itself and the optional shading
hood will cost you an additional $100, or you can purchase the
monitor and hood in a bundle for $450.
GoPro is an American technology company
founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. Founded as Woodman Labs, Inc,
the company eventually focused on the connected sports genre,
developing its line of action cameras and, later, video editing
software. It developed a quadcopter drone, Karma, released in
October 2016. In January 2018, Karma was discontinued and
the company hired JPMorgan Chase to pursue options of
selling the company. However around February 2018, CEO denied to sell
the company and continue its business in action cameras. Karma was
discontinued because of DJI Drones, as they were a tough competitor
to fight. Since Dji had many variations in Drones and features,
people automatically moved on to it.
GoPro launched its new action camera
GoPro Hero7 on October, 2018 with some amazing features for a great
comeback in market and it performed pretty well. DJI is planning to
keep a hand small camera section as well. After releasing the Dji
Osmo Pocket, which was a great success and lot of customers moved
from GoPro Hero 7 to DJI Osmo Pocket, and according to rumors soon
DJI is moving into action camera as well. It’s interesting that DJI
now may be encroaching into GoPro’s market after GoPro failed
miserably to break into DJI’s. Since the current level of
GoPro is down, DJI’s attempts to cross into a new market will be
much more successful. Well this will have a new and tough competitor
for GoPro in market and can lead a great loss for them.
According to the rumors DJI will
transform its Osmo Pocket into a new action camera with a wide angle
lens, it may also include a dual LCD screen (front and back), that it
will shoot 4k upto 60 fps and 1080p at 120fps and will have a
rectilinear wide angle to produce a more pleasing look. Still there’s
no news when DJI might announce its action camera because they
haven’t confirmed they are working on it or no. Though GoPro is the
first name whicch strikes the mind when you hear action camera,
they’re still struggling, and who knows how longer they’ll survive in
the market?
Eric Rubens is a San Diego Area,
Southern California based self-taught photographer photographer,
filmmaker, traveler and electrical engineer who enjoys traveling the
world. Eric joined instagram in 2012 and he has built an audience of
over 400,000 followers on his Instagram channel @erubes1 along with
hundreds of thousands of followers across his other social channels.
He loves travelling the beautiful world, meeting new people, and the
experience of living every day like it’s the last day. He shoots a
lot of lifestyle, swimwear, portraits and adventure photography, His
clients include Disney, BMW, LG, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, AT&T,
Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Mercedes Benz, Toyota USA and many
others.
How
did you get into photography being a full time engineer?
I
was working as an electrical engineer and looking for a creative
outlet everyday after I got off work. Luckily I worked about 15
minutes from the beach in San Diego which made it easy to catch the
sunset every day. I’d go for a run, surf, or just shoot almost
every day! I was pretty fortunate to start sharing my work on
Instagram and before I knew it, people were sharing my sunset shots
all throughout Southern California. What started as an after work
hobby somehow snowballed into the job I have today doing photo and
video projects around the world.
Does
the engineer in you have an affect on the photography you shoot?
Even
though engineering and photography seemingly use different sides of
the brain, I’ve
always thought there were more parallels than people realized.
Looking for angles, lines, and calculating settings and their
effects on the picture all require a bit of a technical
understanding. One of the things I love most about photography is
how everyone views the world differently. Taking photos is my way to
share the vibrancy and electric energy I feel each time I visit a
location.
What are
your sources of inspiration?
I’m
inspired by the people and landscapes which make each destination
unique from one another. When I’m on the beaches at home, there’s
a genuine enjoyment amongst the people around me and it’s my job
to try to capture that energy in a photo. Same goes for when I
travel. I love trying to convey the feeling of the destination
through my work. In terms of outside inspiration, I’m drawn to
those who have a unique eye. I enjoy following photographers who are
able to visit a place I’m familiar with, but through their
creative eye capture it in a new way.
As
a content creator, how much time you spend on planning, shooting,
and editing?
When
it comes to planning out pictures, I spend less time than most
others in my field. When I’m traveling to a new destination,
there’s obviously quite a bit of effort that goes into researching
which places to visit and what the best times to go are. When I’m
at home, I wing it almost every time. There’s too many variables
that I have no control over like surf conditions, changing light,
subjects in shots, etc. which make planning a shot not really
realistic. I also think the more you plan an exact picture and have
expectations for an outcome, the more likely you’re letdown if
conditions aren’t how you thought they’d be. I have a really run
and gun style. I very rarely shoot with a tripod and I love running
around and getting as many different looking pics from a variety of
angles as I can. Editing is when I have the real fun. I love pushing
the boundary of light and color in my work. I’ve always been drawn
to neon colors and trying to recreate that energy in my pictures is
always the goal!
What are
the three new things you learnt in the past year about photography?
I’m
always learning new things about photography as I travel. I’ve
learned that expectations doom trips. Go in with an open mind and
eagerness to explore and you’ll never be letdown! I also learned
that the people you surround yourself with are more important than
the destination. I’ve had the best times ever in mediocre
destinations and conversely trips to bucket list locations that
weren’t that fun due to the people on the trip. Always build
memories with those you care about! Finally, I learned to be
appreciative of where I call home. I’ve been to remote islands and
on top of some of the wildest mountains in the world, but I’d
still pick a beach day at home with my friends and family.
What are
the best memories behind some of your favourite photographs?
I
love capturing my friends and families in travel photos. Having a
person in the scene really helps me remember the people I was able
to share my experience with. Sometimes when I’m home and can’t
find someone to shoot with, I’ll default to landscape photography.
As fun as it is capturing a sunset photo at the beach, I’d much
rather grab the pic with a subtle human element to it.
In
order to be a good travel photographer what are the other areas of
knowledgethat are critical apart from photography?
One
of the most important things is the ability to be flexible and adapt
to changes quickly. Very rarely do trips go exactly as planned.
There’s road closures, random thunderstorms, language barriers,
and a myriad of other challenges that stand in the way of you and
getting the shots you’re hoping for. You have to be able to pivot
quickly from original plans and make new ones instantaneously. This
all goes back to the important of having fewer expectations and
living in the moment.
What’s
the story that you like to communicate with your pictures and how do
you get your photographs to do that?
One
thing I like to preach is the beauty in each day. Whether it’s a
morning walk, taking a break in the middle of the day, or even just
catching the sunset after work, I think it’s important to take a
few minutes to yourself each day. There’s enough stressful things
in life and I don’t think we all take the time to relax and take a
deep breath. I try to have my photography be a visual escape for
someone having a stressful day. Whether someone scrolls by for a
quick second on Instagram or takes a minute to look at the scene, I
hope to help people unwind a bit from the business of life and
provide inspiration for anyone who needs it. I try to push my edits
a bit more surreal to capture this. I emphasize light and color and
try to transport someone to a relaxing and dreamy world.
What are
the top 3 things you look for in a great travel photograph?
I
think it’s important to tell a story. Anyone can take a photo, but
there a far fewer people who can captivate you with their work and
make you think for a second. Building on that point, I look for
photos that make me pause. We live in a world of quick attention
spans and people scroll so fast through their phones. Photos that
make me stop and think are the ones I always come back to. Finally,
I look for creativity. Everyone knows the view at Moraine Lake in
Banff National Park or Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park. I
don’t think people should stop visiting these locations just
because they’re overshot but I love it when someone can capture
that view in a refreshing and creative way.
What
are a few tips you would give someone who wants to pursue travel
photography
Start local and
grow from there. Your own backyard is a great launching pad into the
world. Next, go on road trips with your friends. This is an easy way
to break in the feeling of being gone for days and the challenges of
travel (keeping gear charged, being adaptable, chasing golden hour,
etc.) Once you have a hang of some closer trips, it makes staying
organized while traveling internationally that much easier.
What is
your weapon of choice (Equipment)?
As
an engineer, I’m in love with everything Sony does. I think from a
product evolution and evolving technology standpoint, they are
progressing faster than all their competitors. I shoot with the Sony
a7riii and also use the Rx0ii. I mainly shoot with the Sony 24-70mm
f2.8 GM lens but also use the 24mm f1.4, 12-24mm f4, 16-35mm f4, and
35mm f1.4. I also use a DJI Mavic Pro 2 for aerial work since the
quality you get in that size can’t be beat.
Sony India recently announced a major upgrade to its α9 mirrorless camera that will be available to the users through a firmware updates. Sony’s α9 camera will receive several major enhancements to its autofocus (AF) performance and image quality, as well as a variety of new features that are designed to improve the overall workflow for professional photographers. In addition, new firmware updates for α7R III and α7 III will be available that update these cameras with the latest enhancements including Real-time Eye AF performance and add interval recording capacities.
Hiroyuki Tokuno, Head of Digital Imaging Division, Sony India said, “The new firmware upgrades to Sony’s acclaimed α9 to enhance its key features is an outcome of our commitment to the fact that we strive to offer nothing less than a premium experience to our customers. Their voice is critical to everything we do and being able to provide our customers with new capabilities is a source of great pride for Sony.”
The upgrades include Evolved Eye AF with half press activation and right and left selection; Real Time Tracking to capture subject with extreme precision; Real-time Eye AF for Animals for Wildlife photography; Interval Record Functionality for time-lapse movies; Improved Features and Imaging Edge Mobile applications support for professional photographers
In addition to the several new capabilities, the firmware also adds compatibility with Sony’s new ‘Imaging Edge Mobile’[iv] application – the successor to the PlayMemories Mobile application. The new Imaging Edge Mobile application features a ‘Transfer & Tagging add-on’[v] to assist professional workflow. This allows photographers to transfer images from their camera to their smartphone simultaneously using the FTP transfer functionality[vi],and adds support for including IPTC metadata[vii] on transferred images.
The new system firmware update version 5.0 and version 3.0 is already available. A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content related to all of Sony’s exciting announcements can be found at alphacommunity.sony.co.in. The new content will also be posted directly at the Sony Photo Gallery and the Sony India Channel on YouTube.
Panasonic unveiled their much awaited
S1 and S1R mirrorless full-frame cameras in India recently under the
banner of ‘Futurography’. The S1R features a 47-megapixel sensor
whereas the S1 features a 26-megapixel. The cameras are priced at
2.99 lac (body only) and 1.99 lac (body only) are the company’s
foray into the full frame mirrorless market, aimed at the
professional photographers looking to push the boundaries in the full
frame segment. The 3 biggest plays that the manufacturer is banking
on is the ‘Pixel Shift’ technology, 4K with 60p and also new M
mount, which with the help of the Sigma adapter allows users to use
any lens on the cameras. ‘We’ve
been waiting to launch a product like this’ said Manish
Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India & South Asia. The S1R
is aimed at the professional with a 47-megapixel camera while the S1
is aimed at the more affordable range. In terms of video both cameras
shoot 4K and offer frame rates of up to 60 FPS. And that seems good
considering that both offer Dual Stabilization, in-body as well as
lens. And also the camera features the highest resolution EVF in
the industry currently, giving a resolution of 5.7 million dots at
the refresh rate of 120 FPS. The new cameras also come along with the
new M mount lenses that are jointly developed with Leica and Sigma.
Along with the cameras Panasonic debuted the 50 mm F/1.4, the
70-200mm F4 with OIS and also the 24-105 mm F4 Macro with OIS. Over
time the M mount is expected to universally allow users to use other
manufactures lenses on the Panasonic bodies.
Fujifilm has dubbed the X-T30 the
“Little Giant” – a small camera with big performance. It’s
the successor to the X-T20, and it’s a kind of cut-down
version of the company’s flagship X-T3 model which shares
a lot of that camera’s technological advances. You’d still pick
the X-T3 for speed, handling with bigger lenses and
high-end 4K video, but the X-T30 is ideal if you want a
sophisticated, high-performance mirrorless camera that’s also small
and not too expensive. This makes the X-T30 a great little
all-round camera that’s right at the cutting edge of APS-C
mirrorless camera technology, but well under the Rs 1,00,000 price
barrier. If you’re a first-time Fujifilm user and you need a kit
lens to go with it, that will probably push it over that figure.
Canon
EOS RP is the Canon’s latest offering in the full-frame mirrorless
segment. A smaller version of Canon EOS R with a compact and
light-weight body, Canon has launch EOS RP for the users looking for
some budget friendly full frame mirrorless camera. In terms of
dimensions, Canon EOS RP is nearly 30% smaller and almost 200 grams
lighter than Canon EOS R. The
EOS RP really is impressively smaller than many of Canon’s DSLRs that
have smaller APS-C sensors. Despite this, Canon has made sure the
controls aren’t constricted, the grip is comfortable, and both the
viewfinder and screen are nice and big.
Canon
EOS RP Key Specifications
26.2MP
Dual Pixel CMOS sensor
4K/24p
(from 1.7x crop region)
4
fps continuous shooting with continuous AF (5 without)
Pupil
detection AF in continous/Servo AF mode
AF
rated to -5EV
Digic
8 processor
2.36M
dot OLED viewfinder
Fully-articulated
1.04M dot touchscreen
Twin
command dials
Look,
Body and Feel
The
Canon EOS RP comes with a 7.62-cm Vari-angle OLED touch panel and
DIGIC 8 image processor with Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The offering weighs
485grams with dimensions 132.5 x 85.3 x 70.0mm. It carries a special
Feature Assistant which helps users with navigation. The offering
also has an RF lens mount which was introduced in the EOS R and it
has a short focal length of 20mm. Users can also use their existing
collection of EF and EF-S lenses via an optional mount adapter. The
Canon EOS RP is kitted with a 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS sensor with an
ISO range of 100-40,000 and it can be expanded to the range of
50-1,02,400. The Auto Lighting Optimizer feature of the camera helps
in balancing the darkest and brightest parts of a picture for better
low-light results. The Digital Lens Optimizer corrects distortions,
and the CMOS sensor provides Optical Image Stabilisation.
Additionally, the Dual Pixel CMOS AF provides autofocus speed of up
to 0.05 seconds. There are 4,779 selectable AF positions and the Eye
Detection AF which works in Servo AF mode focuses on the subject’s
eyes even when it is in motion. The camera is also capable of
shooting videos with 4K resolution at 24p/25p and the Combination IS
provides stable footage even without a tripod. It has an LP-E17
battery and along with that, the camera can be charged by the
optional USB Power Adapter PD-E1 through its Hi-Speed USB 2.0/ Type C
Interface. One can also transfer data via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low
Energy technology. The product also performs network-related
functions using Canon Camera Connect app for mobile devices. The
continuous shooting speed of the camera is 5fps in One-Shot AF and
4ps in Servo AF.
Compared
to the existing EOS R, the RP is a bit more ‘compact’ and
significantly slimmed down, against other full-frame interchangeable
lens cameras, only Sony’s original A7 is lighter. Despite its light
weight, the RP’s all-plastic body feels reassuringly solid, with
little in the way of creaks or obvious signs of cost-cutting in its
build. It’s at a price point where we can’t really complain about the
lack of weather-sealing, but at least the RF lenses so far have a
covering to keep dust and moisture entering around the mount. The
grip on the RP is quite comfortable, and it may not be comfortable
for use with larger lenses, the optional grip extender will help
here. Though a fractionally larger grip that could have also
accommodated a larger battery was much needed in EOS RP. The RF
24-105mm F4L IS USM which came with the camera works good, but is not
up to mark as the lens is bit heavy which makes the hold
uncomfortable. The control on the EOS RP are well implemented than
Canon EOS R. The touch bar form EOS R is missing in EOS RP, which is
a good point. Customization buttons are provided by Canon, giving you
plenty of flexibility with some buttons. If you want to use the
four-way controller for AF point placement instead of the
touchscreen, there’s still no option to make your chosen AF area move
faster, which we would really like to see on EOS RP and the EOS R.
The rear screen provides and excellent and responsive touchscreen
experience. The electronic viewfinder has loer resolution than Canon
EOS R but it still provides good colours and contrast.
Image
Quality
The
Canon EOS RP has a 26.2 megapixel full-frame sensor. The images look
nice and colourful. The exposures were correctly exposed and had a
good result in terms of sharpness. The Canon EOS RP does not have an
in-body stabilisation system built in which is a major miss on the
Canon EOS RP. The depth of field in the images are quite good and
smooth as the ditance between the lens the sensor is less, which is a
plus point for Canon EOS RP. Looking at the low light images, Canon
EOS RP performed pretty good with colours, though it had a liitle
reddish tinge in the images. The low light portrait captured on EOS
RP resulted with good colours and sharpness.
ISO
Performance
The
ISO performance of this camera isn’t bad. We really liked how the
camera handled ISOs upto 6400 well. While other mirrorless cameras in
this category might be a better perfomer or the same, this camera is
by no means any less competent. The camera faulters a bit at ISO
12800 and shows signs of grains and becomes almost unusable at ISO
12800 as the picture loses edge sharpness.
Video
Quality
The
video quality of Canon EOS RP isn’t bad, but there are few points
which needs to be noticed. The Eye Auto Focus Tracking in EOS RP is
ok in comparison with other full-frame mirrorless camera, though it
had lag in focusing the eye when the subject is moving. While the
focusing speed is fast and smooth in the videos. Canon EOS RP is
missing in-body stabilisation system and the stability is totally
dependent on the lens. While shooting the video with turning off the
stabilisation on lens, the camera performed the same as other
full-frame mirrorless camera do. The major part to notice in video
section of Canon EOS RP is that it shoots Full HD on 60fps which link
to the missing of slow mo in the camera as there is no 120fps
available and it also shoots 4k with 1.7x crop frame of the sensor at
25fps only.
Conclusion
The
Canon EOS RP is priced at Rs 1,10,495 for the body only, which is
much more lower than the other full frame mirrorless camera. However,
The Canon EOS RP misses out on a few things than the other full frame
mirrorless camera like in-built stabilisation system and joystick.
However, the images from the Canon do not dissapoint when it come to
quality and colour reproduction. The images along with he ISO
performance is definiltly something you can look forward to if you
have a lower budget for a full-frame mirrorless.
Sony
has announced the RX0 II, what they are billing as the “smallest
and lightest premium ultra-compact camera.” A waterproof,
dustproof, shockproof, crushproof and extremely small “premium”
camera, the RX0 II is capable of internal 4K recording and now
includes a flip-up screen that tilts upwards 180 degrees and downward
90 degrees (for selfies, as you could guess).
The
main featured specifications actually look really good on paper:
Superb
image quality delivered by 1.0-type stacked 15.3MP image sensor
condensed into waterproof, rugged, highly compact body
Features
a ZEISS Tessar T* 24mm f/4 fixed wide-angle lens
Movie
shooting with 4K internal recording and new image stabilization
solutions
Advanced
functionality for stills photography, including up to 1/32000 sec.
anti-distortion shutter and up to 16fps continuous shooting
Diverse
range of shooting scenes enabled by waterproof 180-degree tiltable
LCD panel and Clear Image Zoom
Multi-camera
solution that enables creative video expression from various
viewpoints
The
RX0 II offers 4Kp30 internal movie recording with full pixel readout
and no pixel binning to collect approximately 1.7x the amount of data
required for 4K video. By oversampling this data, the moire and
jaggies is reduced to deliver clean, high-quality 4K footage with
exceptional detail and depth. The RX0 II introduces in-body
electronic stabilization for steady footage, even when shot handheld.
This can be enhanced even further when footage is exported to a
smartphone or tablet running Sony’s “Movie Edit add-on”
application, where the additional information captured during filming
can be processed to produce a video with gimbal-like smoothness.
Additional movie features of the RX0 II include Super Slow Motion
recording at up to 1,000 fps, uncompressed 4K HDMI output and
simultaneous proxy movie recording. But more than video, the RX0 II
promises a high-quality photo taking experience. It boasts an
anti-distortion shutter of up to 1/32,000 sec. and can shoot at up to
16 fps. Rating and Protect functions can also be applied in-camera
and a grouped display of continuously shot images can be viewed on
the camera. Sony’s Eye AF, which is proving hugely popular with
portrait photographers across the world, has been upgraded on the RX0
II. The speed, accuracy and operation of the Eye AF are improved to
make it even easier to capture a stunning portrait; a simple
half-press of the shutter button will lock-on to the eye of the
subject.
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