Month: September 2011

My First Video Surpassed A Quarter Of A Million Views

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Whilst uploading a new video to my Vimeo channel last week I noticed that the very first video I ever created has now been viewed more than 285,000 times!  I can’t believe it !  The bulk of my creative work continues to be photographic but this video is a good reminder to me that I need to get out there and shoot more videos from time to time.  No special equipment was used to shoot the video, I simply used the things I already had for my photography business and shot it with a Canon 5dMKII.  Apart from being the

RED Prepares To Sue ARRI ?

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Unlike the continual patent infringement bickering between the major player in the mobile industry, the digital cinema and even photographic industry is a lot quieter on the legal front.  This week though a story of Hollywood proportions is beginning to unfold when it was revealed that ARRI’s ex VP of Market Development Michael Bravin has pleaded guilty to hacking into the e-mail account of a rival camera company called Band Pro Film and Digital, a company with close ties to RED Digital Cinema.  Mr Bravin is an ex employee of Band Pro and in his plea agreement filed last week

Getty Photographer Checking Out New Canon Technology ?

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I thought this was kind of interesting.  Getty sports photographer Clive Rose tweeted yesterday that he was : “Waiting outside #Canon to get a preview of some new tech.” Hmmm, I wonder what it could be ?  If I had to guess I’d say that it was to take a look at one of Canon’s yet to be released super telephoto lenses like the 500mm MKII or 600mm MKII, perhaps the 200-400 f4 L.  Possible that it was a camera, but there haven’t been any recent solid indications of a new camera this year whereas the super telephoto lenses are

Datacolor SpyderLensCal Review

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Over on ProPhotoCoalition I’ve just posted a quick review and how-to-use for the Datacolor SpyderLensCal which is a pretty neat little tool for helping you quickly calibrate all your lenses using the AF micro adjust feature in today’s DSLRs. Calibrating Your Lenses With Spyder LensCal From Datacolor

Nikon Announces V1 and J1 Mirrorless Cameras

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So hear they are then.  Finally.  Nikon has taken a step into the lucrative mirrorless camera market that has so far been dominated by Panasonic, Olympus and Sony.  It’s not really been a secret they were on their way, we’ve known about the size of the sensor for some time, but to their credit Nikon plugged the holes in the leaky ship and managed to keep all actual images of the cameras away from the internet prior to launch.  Something that has become rarer and rarer in the last couple of years.

UPDATE: Amazon taking pre-orders !

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Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW Review

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The eternal quest for the perfect camera bag is one that I’m sure you’re all familiar with.  I’ve given up looking for “The One” though because the breadth of photography that I enjoy makes such a bag an impossibility.  I prefer to narrow things down a little and in this instance I’m on the hunt for the best outdoor adventure photography pack. This year Lowepro launched two bags that fall into this category, the Photo Sport Sling 100 and the Photo Sport 200 AW. Lowepro recently sent me a 200 AW to try out and it’s actually the first Lowepro

Canon To Make An Historic Announcement on November 3rd

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I rarely publish rumors here, but this isn’t really a rumors as invitations are out there.  On November 3rd Canon will make ” An Historic Announcement” at a location in Hollywood.  The location of the event obviously implies that this is related to the film industry rather than anything photography related.  Will we finally see a large sensor video camera from Canon ?  Ef mount or PL mount with a Super 35 sensor ?  Or will it have a 4k sensor ?

It’s always seemed odd that Canon didn’t jump head first into the large sensor wars with the Panasonic AF100 and the Sony F3 and FS100.  The technology was there already in the Canon DSLRs so it made sense.  Yet Canon never unveiled anything…… perhaps because they knew that 1080p is a standard that is on it’s way out ?  4k will be the new standard, of that there is no question so perhaps Canon spent the time working towards 4k in a more affordable package than something like  RED Epic of the new Sony F65 ?  At photoplus Expo last year they did show a working 4k sensor in a camera that was deemed a “concept” only.  At IBC last week in Amsterdam JVC showed the first camcorder with a 4k sensor as well, so 4k will be coming to the masses, it’s only a matter of time.

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Canon Launches powershot S100 Compact With GPS

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Canon PowerShot S100 – key features:

  • High-sensitivity 12.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS (1/1.7 type)
  • HS System with powerful DIGIC 5
  • Ultra-wide 24mm, f/2.0, 5x zoom lens. Intelligent IS
  • Lens Control Ring, NR Control & RAW
  • GPS
  • Full HD, HDMI
  • Large 7.5 cm (3.0?) LCD
  • High-speed Burst HQ
  • Smart Auto, Multi-area WB
  • Optional Waterproof Case

London, UK, 15th September 2011 – Canon today announces the launch of the new PowerShot S100 – a powerful, versatile and highly compact camera offering photographers extensive control and leading image quality. The most advanced PowerShot S-series model to date, the PowerShot S100 surpasses the high standards set by its acclaimed predecessor, featuring a new f/2.0 Canon lens and an enhanced HS System, which combines an elite high-sensitivity sensor with the very latest in Canon processing technology – DIGIC 5.

Packed with upgrades, the PowerShot S100 marks a true step forward for the PowerShot S-series. Its 24mm ultra-wide angle, 5.0x optical zoom genuine Canon lens provides greater power and flexibility, and combines with Canon’s Intelligent Image Stabilizer (IS) system to deliver crisp, clear images in stills and movies. GPS functionality records the time and location of every shot, Full HD movie recording captures stunning video, and the powerful DIGIC 5 processor offers fast shooting speeds and even better image quality in all conditions. All of these new features also come in a super-slim body measuring just 26.7mm front-to-back, available in matte black and titanium silver variants.

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New Budget Friendly Fluid Head From Sachtler

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I’m a big fan of Sachtler fluid video heads but they don’t come cheap.  With more and more budget conscious DSLR film makers out there Sachtler have decided to address the lower price point with the launch of a new full fluid head called the Ace , which comes partnered with a tripod for an expected price of only around $500. This price would make it the cheapest proper fluid head on the market and initial reviews of the heads build quality have been glowing.

Thunderbolt CF/SD Card Reader Solution On It’s Way

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The new Thunderbolt standard, developed jointly by Apple and Intel, is an exciting prospect for media creation professionals of all sorts.  It allows a phenomenal data transfer rate that looks sure to change the way we think about computer peripherals.  As of September 2011 Apple has now added Thunderbolt ports to all it’s computers except the Mac Pro which is sure to follow shortly.  Like many other photographers though I have been eagerly awaiting some useful peripherals.  People “in the know” have suggested that Apple is currently charging a huge amount of money to license the technology though, meaning that