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Canon Full-Frame Mirrorless Unveil is Likely September 5th

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Can’t wait for Canon to finally jump into the world of full-frame mirrorless cameras? Your wait may soon be coming to an end: the latest murmuring is that Canon may be unveiling its first of two full-frame mirrorless cameras in about a week, on September 5th, 2018.

Canon Rumors writes that although its trusted sources aren’t aware of any impending mirrorless camera announcement, this seems to be due to the fact that Canon has been successful at keeping the news under wraps and leaks from slipping out — Apple-level secret keeping.

After just yesterday saying that it was confident Canon wouldn’t be revealing a full-frame mirrorless camera prior to Photokina in late September, Canon Rumors today says that a September 5th announcement is now “likely.”

“I may have been wrong this time,” Craig Blair of Canon Rumors writes. “While we still can’t say for sure that a full frame mirrorless camera is going to be announced on September 5, 2018, by Canon, we’re now leaning towards thinking one is coming that day.

“Canon has truly done a masterful job of keeping this quiet. All of the usually leaks that come before a camera announcement have not come.”

If Canon does let a full-frame mirrorless camera out of the bag next week, it may not be one geared at professional photographers — that one could be the second one announced months later.

This past weekend, CanonWatch published a set of basic rumored specifications of what we may see in the first camera announced. It’s said to be a 28-megapixel full-frame mirrorless camera with Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF), in-body image stabilization (IBIS), 10fps continuous shooting, 4K video at 30fps, and 1080p video at 60fps. Price tag: $1,900.

This announcement would come just two weeks after Nikon announced its entire new Z Series with two cameras: the more affordable $1,996 Z6 and the higher-end $3,400 Z7. If the above specs are true, then the camera appears to be one that’s designed to compete against the Nikon Z7 and $1,998 Sony a7 III.

It will be interesting to see how photographers react if Canon’s response turns out to be the weaker of its two planned full-frame cameras. Stay tuned.

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August 28, 2018 at 09:54AM

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Photoshop may not be primarily a graphics program but it still comes with very useful tools for that kind of work. For example, making image-filled shapes.

It doesn’t matter if you’re doing some professional job like web design for your business or something personal like a birthday card, you’ll often need to constrain your photo to fit within a specific shape. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to do that with just a few clicks.

Create a Shape

First, you need your shape. You can easily create one with the Shape tool from the toolbox. You can click and hold to display the menu with your choices. In this first menu, you’ll have some basic shapes like rectangle, ellipse, line, polygon and a customize shape tool.

If you choose the custom shape you’ll have a second menu with all your possibilities for that. You can access it in the options bar at the top. If you don’t see many choices, just click on the bracket on the right and click All from the menu that will open; this will load all the preset shapes. If you download any new shapes from the Internet you’ll also found them in this menu.

To draw the shape you chose on a blank canvas, just click and drag until it reaches the size you want, then let go. Whenever you draw a shape on your canvas you can choose to use Fill and Stroke from the options bar. In this case, the filling will be your photo, so set the Fill as black so that your image will be constrained to the shape that you chose.

Here’s how you can do it:

Add Your Image

Now that you have your shape you need to bring in the image to fill it. Go to Menu > File > Place. This will open a browser window so you can choose the file from your computer. Choose the one you want and click OK. This photo will be imported into your project as a new layer.

Clipping Mask

Now you just have to go to Menu > Layer > Create Clipping Mask. This can also be achieved by clicking Alt + Ctrl (PC) or Cmd (Mac) + G at the same time.

Note: If you were following my steps exactly then the image was placed as a layer at the top. However, if you are working with a complex project with many layers or if you followed the instructions in a different order this might not be the case.

If that happens, then you do need to take an extra step. Just drag and position the image layer on top of the shape layer in the Layers panel for the Clipping Mask to work as you want.

As a result, you’ll only see the photo through the shape and the best part is that the process is non-destructive. In other words, you did not cut out your photo, the rest of it is just hidden underneath which gives you two advantages.

First, you can reposition your photo to best fit the shape. If you click on the Move tool from the Toolbox you can just click and drag the image so that it gets placed in the best possible way. You can also use any of the transformation tools to resize or rotate it until you are happy with the result.

Second, you can work on the shape as well without worrying about damaging your photo or showing any empty canvas because the photo is complete and untouched underneath.

Extra tip

You can do as many image-filled shapes as you want in the same canvas, as they will just be stacked as additional layers. For example, you can add text to your project.

To do that, instead of using the Shape Tool go to the Type tool and select a font type broad enough to make the effect noticeable. Then repeat the process of placing an image (it can be a different photo than the one you used for the shape) and creating a clipping mask.

And again, since the image is intact underneath, you can come back and edit the text anytime you want. Have fun!

The post How to Make Image-Filled Shapes in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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August 28, 2018 at 09:15AM

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These 16 Self-Portraits Were Shot Using Only Home Lighting

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Back in February, I created several self-portraits using only lights from around my house. I wanted an exercise in something outside of my current comfort zone and to challenge myself to get back to my photography roots.

I then challenged any takers who might have felt like taking to also create a self-portrait image without any traditional photography lights.

Below you will discover some of the awesome pictures taken by photographers from all over the place using nothing but a camera, some imagination, and whatever lights they happened to have in their homes.

#1. Marissa McPeak

Marissa McPeak used some sort of a salt lamp situation to create this warm “crystal mage” image. I love the contrast, rich deep colors, and the subtle use of double exposure. Is it just me or does this picture make you want to give hugs?

#2. Christian Aaron

Christian Aaron was also feeling the salt-lamp-mystical-wizard-type-vibes and created this picture complete with a hooded cloak, badass headpieces, flying particles, and magical swirly circles of … magic. Because magic.

#3. Laurence Boswell

Laurence Boswell made this sleepy whimsical little composite that, much like Marissa’s image, just makes me want to give hugs … and also possibly take a nap? I think it was a good move making the pillow yellow so it didn’t match the background too well, and it really draws you into the center of the image. Also, I love seeing the lighting setups with all the chairs and things stacked on top of each other to get lamps at the right height. Not only do you not need fancy lights for great images, you don’t even need light stands! (Just ask Kristina and Anton from the next entry below.)

#4. Kristina Kashtanova

Kristina Kashtanova took advantage of these incredibly cool 3D printed sun (or Mars maybe?) and moon lights she has and decided to pull inspiration from them to create an image of cosmic balance. I love the mixed light colors and how perfectly symmetrical her hands/pose looks. (She is a yoga instructor so I wouldn’t expect anything less.) Also, can we talk about Anton, her amazing human light stand? Nailed it.

#5. James Sterling

James Sterling is my BFF/cousin and, much like Kristina, he also made excellent use of one of those fancy 3D printed moon lights. He threw in a tiny desk lamp for some backlighting and SHAZAM, a perfect little lighting setup. I really enjoy how you can just barely see some of his surroundings and there are books and things on shelves. I’m not sure if this was his intention, but it makes my brain immediately dream up some sort of a modern-day wizarding school – Like he is off in his dorm room and has just successfully cast some spell he shouldn’t be meddling with. Also, he kinda looks like Quentin Coldwater, the main character from the SyFy show “Magicians,” which is about that very thing. Perhaps that’s why my brain went there, but either way, it’s a super simple shot that apparently has all kinds of stories built in, whether he meant for it to or not. Oh, and it looks super cool, too.

#6. Valerie Kasinski

Valerie Kasinski also had “Magicians” on the brain because she says her piece was directly inspired by the show. (If you haven’t seen it, it’s def worth a watch!) She had quite the top-notch home lighting set up – I really dig the flashlight bouncing off of the white surfaces for some soft fill light. Also, apparently even when a light has a tall stand of its own (as seen on the right side of her lighting setup pic), this challenge still leads to lights on stools. I’m not really sure why she bothered to take the actual picture, because the “digital rendering” of her in place for the lighting setup is perfection hahaha. But seriously though, her finished image is SO COOL!

#7. Roderique Arisiaman

Roderique Arisiaman decided to make use of super nifty lights he has and included wild colors in his image using “Philips Hue lights” that let you intricately change the light colors! (Where do I sign, take my money.) He also used something called a “Nixie Clock”…? Not sure what that’s all about or what is even going on in the picture, but it looks dang cool and makes me want to figure it all out – so that’s a major win in my book.

#8. Madeline Shayne

Madeline Shayne did some serious “set building” and world-creating for her image. How adorable is this baking themed shot, including her ridiculously cute boxer Freya!? I just love all the details and props, plus she really brought me back to my early days with her lighting setup (shown below). My bedroom often looked quite like that, with several lamps from all over the house smooshed in as close as possible without being in-frame so I could get enough light for a decent exposure. She actually did a whole blog post about her experience with my home lighting challenge — you should go check it out.

#9. Chuck Eiler

Chuck Eiler created some sort of an alien-like-arm-plant-mutation-situation with just a handy desk lamp and a reflector/flag as a backdrop. Really goes to show that you don’t need much to make something super badass! Photoshop always helps, obviously. (Oh, also, bonus point for the cat in the setup shot. I’m not sure what the points are for … but you get them.)

#10. Aleah Michele

Aleah Michele did some incredibly crafty craftsmanship with a couple chairs, weights, a work light, and a bunch of plastic leaves. She crammed herself beneath her perfectly haphazard little setup and shot down through plexiglass with plastic plants set on it creating a fancy depth-of-field-enhancing foliage-in-the-foreground look, and for this I bow down to her brilliance. Such a lovely shot, Aleah! (She did ever so slightly break one of my “rules” for the challenge and used a little daylight, but I’ll let it slide this once on account of how genius of a setup she used. Plus, the whole point of the challenge was to get everyone to shoot differently than you are used to, and see what we can come up with using what we have lying around – so I think this counts.)

#11. Joshua Pheneger

Joshua Pheneger was also playing for Team Plexiglass, but went in a totally different direction. He smeared Vaseline on the glass, lit the glass with a small desk lamp, and hung Christmas lights in the background to create some bokeh. Josh then made the interesting artistic choice to focus on the texture on the glass, and let his body (lit by his garage ceiling florescent light, not shown in the setup picture) fall out of focus. I feel like this is a real poem of a photograph, one that you have to read several times and still leaves you wondering what the author means by each and every line … if that makes any sense. Oh, and did I mention that he shot on 4×5 film? He was really kickin’ it old school. So. Awesome.

#12. Bethany Perron

Bethany Perron really went all out in the character-creation-department for her self-portrait and brought this mysterious Djinn lady to life. I really enjoy the muted purplish color palette with the pop of the red lips. Also, can we just take a minute to appreciate how she created a beautiful soft light using a desk lamp and a plastic bag for diffusion, complete with a dresser-light-stand? Such ingenuity!

#13. Amani Alshaali

Amani Alshaali made rather excellent use of a super simple setup of a desk lamp (the real champion of this challenge is apparently the desk lamp) and a piece of cardboard for a backdrop. Then she took a mannequin head and shot it in the same position as her portrait and edited the two pictures into one perfectly creepy masterpiece. Such a cool idea and so well done, Amani! For being such a simple setup, the end product is so professional looking and such a powerful image.

#14. Loren Schmidt

Loren Schmidt only used a tap light and her cellphone’s flashlight. (That’s what it says in the bottom right of the setup picture, “phone Here.” The clamp the arrow is pointing to was holding her phone.) She shined the flashlight through a few strands of lace to get some snazzy in-camera texture and then in post made the tap light into a bouquet of glowing flowers. I love a motivated light source, especially when it’s a magical one.

I’m so very pleased that this challenge popped into my head and that so many amazing artists played along with me. I’m not sure about all of you, but I know for me this little jog down lighting-memory-lane has left me feeling all kinds of inspired and excited for future shoots. Not only did it make me super appreciative of the professional flash equipment I’ve grown accustomed to, but it actually made me want to do more shooting with household lights. If I’ve learned anything it’s that all you really need are stools and, above all else, deck lamps!

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About the author: Robert Cornelius is a photographer and an award-winning Photoshop guru based in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of his work on his website and read more of his writing on his blog. This article was also published here.

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Image credits: All photographs copyright their respective artists.

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August 28, 2018 at 08:56AM

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Phase One Unveils the 151-Megapixel XF IQ4 Camera System

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The Danish camera company Phase One has announced the new Phase One XF IQ4 camera system, which the company calls “a giant leap forward in photography.” It’s three full-frame medium-format camera systems based upon a new and expandable Infinity Platform.

There are three digital backs in the system: the 151-megapixel IQ4 150MP, the 151-megapixel IQ4 150MP Achromatic, and the 101-megapixel IQ4 100MP Trichromatic.

Both of the 150MP backs feature a 151-megapixel backside-illuminated (BSI) sensor for “unprecedented image quality in detail” — “a world first in full frame medium format photography,” Phase One says.

Starting with the new Infinity Platform, Phase One is moving the core of Capture One’s imaging processor into the IQ4 itself. While photographers could previously only do image editing and processing of RAW files in the company’s Capture One software, those things can now be done within the IQ4 camera itself.

The “Capture One Inside” system brings improved preview quality, JPEG processing, IIQ Style integration, improved live view, faster frame rate, and new tools.

The IQ4 also brings three new tethering options: wireless, USB-C, and Ethernet.

“[U]sers will be able to interface directly with accessories such as hard drives, NAS storage, network solutions, mobile devices, etc,” Phase One says. “New ports (Ethernet and USB-C) can offer charging capabilities of the camera system or sustained power from compatible devices.”

Storage-wise, the IQ4 supports both SD and XQD memory cards.

Here’s a 1-minute promo video introducing the new IQ4 system:

The new Phase One XF IQ4 150MP, IQ4 150MP Achromatic, and IQ4 100MP Trichromatic will be available starting in October 2018 with price tags of $51,900, $54,990, and $47,990, respectively.

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August 28, 2018 at 08:18AM

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DPReview on TWiT: Nikon Z Mirrorless

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As part of our regular appearances on the TWiT Network show 'The New Screen Savers', our Science Editor Rishi Sanyal joined host Leo Laporte to discuss Nikon's entry into the high-end mirrorless market. In this episode, we cover everything from DPReview's initial impressions of the Z 7 camera based on hands-on testing of the camera and lenses over multiple days of shooting, to the broader question of what Nikon's serious entry into mirrorless means for the camera industry at large.

The entry of one of the camera industry giants into the full-frame mirrorless ILC segment signals, in our opinion, significant winds of change. Just two short years ago Nikon advertised the benefits of DSLR over competitor mirrorless cameras during its D5 launch, citing the immediacy of the optical viewfinder and higher frame rates during burst shooting.

But shortly thereafter the Sony a9 showed us that mirrorless technologies could not only overcome but surpass these shortcomings. Now in its mirrorless launch, Nikon is introducing cameras with higher burst rates, wider AF coverage and far superior video autofocus than any of its previous full-frame, non-pro-grade DSLRs. And mirrorless' reliance on fast-evolving image image sensor technology means that, just maybe, we can expect faster, far reaching improvements with each generation.

Have a watch of our discussion, and then let us know your thoughts on the launch of the Nikon Z cameras in the comments below.

View all of our Nikon Z mirrorless system content

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August 28, 2018 at 08:06AM

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4 Tips On How To Get Great Results In Low Light Without A Tripod

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It's safe to assume we have all had those days where the light and location is so beautiful we just cannot stop shooting.

As the light fades, the scene becomes even more photogenic, we continue to fire away. As we chimp our pictures though we start to see the dreaded camera shake. The light has become too low to handhold, and guess what? Our tripod is at home.

All is not lost though, and here is why. We will assume for all for these tips that you are shooting at the widest aperture possible. 

1. Bump That ISO.

We start with the obvious one, increasing the ISO or film speed. This, of course, has its drawbacks, the higher you go, the more noise you will introduce to the image. There are a couple of ways that we can gain control of the noise when we shoot.

The first is to make sure you are shooting in RAW. When you shoot in Jpeg, the camera will attempt to reduce noise automatically using its built-in algorithms. Although you can set how much noise reduction you want to have, the fact is, that you will still get that smeared blurry look when using it.

When you shoot RAW, no noise reduction is applied to the image. Combine this with the wider dynamic range of a RAW file, you have much more control over reducing noise in post-production. Most editing software has a pretty decent noise reduction tool, but for even better results you can use third-party plugins. 

The second option is to use a technique called image stacking. This is where you take several identical images in quick succession and blend them together in Photoshop. As noise never manifests itself in the same place, blending each image effectively reduces the noise.

We have an extensive tutorial on how to do this here.

2. Make Your Own Support.

Pretty much anywhere you shoot, there is going to be something solid that you can incorporate as a support. It might be a low wall, a lamp post or perhaps a table top.

The secret to creating a solid support is to mimic a tripod. You are trying to create a triangle that absorbs any movement from the camera. For example, if using a low wall or tabletop, place your elbows at body width apart on the surface bracing the camera at the top of the triangle. 

If using a wall, lean your body into the wall with one elbow and one leg braced against it. The secret to getting a good result is not to tense up your muscles but to remain relaxed and fluid, allowing your muscles to absorb any movement.

3. Image Stabilisation.

Many modern camera systems come with some form of image stabilisation. The problem is we often forget to use it. There are two types of image stabilisation that we might have, in camera and lens. 

In camera stabilisation moves the camera’s sensor to soften out any movement. Lens stabilisation uses motors in the lens barrel to move the optical elements to reduce camera shake. In camera stabilisation has the advantage of working with any lens, while lens stabilisation is regarded to give slightly better results. 

As a rule of thumb, stabilisation will give you 3-4 stops of leeway when shooting handheld.  Without stabilisation, the lowest handheld shutter speed you can get without shake is 1/60th at f2.8. With stabilisation that could drop as low as 1/4 of a second. Results will vary according to focal length and camera technique. 

4. Go Wider.

The last of today's low light tips is often neglected or forgotten. It is simply to use a wider focal length. The longer your focal length the more exaggerated any movement of the lens or camera will be. By going wide you will be able to use a lower shutter speed handheld and still get good results. 

The rule of thumb for handheld shooting is to match the focal length to the shutter speed. If you are shooting with a 200mm lens, the lowest safe shutter speed will be 1/250th. However, shooting with a 14mm lens might allow you to get down to 1/15th of a second. As you can see, that’s quite a difference. 

Forgetting your tripod is not the end of the story for low light photography. You can use any of this tips to help reduce camera shake. Some of them can be used in combination with each other to produce even better results.

Next time the light fades over a beautiful location try combinations of the above tips to help get a good result. 

Further Resources

• Bite Size Tips: Techniques And Tips For Low Light Photography
• 4 Tips for Low Light Photography Success
• How to Make the Best of Low Light Using Slow Shutter Speed: 6 Stunning Effects
• 6 Tips For Using A Kit Lens In Low Light 
• 3 Free E-Books on Low Light Photography

The post 4 Tips On How To Get Great Results In Low Light Without A Tripod appeared first on Light Stalking.

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August 28, 2018 at 08:02AM

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August 28, 2018 at 07:05AM

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Phase One XF IQ4 digital backs offer up to 150MP and 'Capture One Inside'

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Phase One has announced its new 'Infinity Platform,' which has built the core of the company's Capture One software into the processors of three new XF IQ4 54 x 40mm digital backs. According to Phase One, having 'Capture One Inside' brings "unprecedented image editing and processing - once possible only in the Capture One software." The new processor also provides improvements in JPEG quality, live view and frame rates.

The Infinity Platform includes three digital backs, including two 150 Megapixel, Sony-designed BSI-CMOS models (IQ4 150MP and IQ4 150MP Achromatic) as well as a 100MP Trichromatic model. The backs now include three new tethering options, via Wi-Fi, USB-C and Ethernet. All three models have dual card slots, supporting XQD and SD.

The three XF IQ4 backs will ship in October and include the camera body and prism and the Blue Ring prime lens of your choice. Prices range from from $47,990 for the IQ4 100MP to $54,990 for the IQ4 150MP Achromatic.

Press Release

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August 28, 2018 at 06:05AM

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The PureView trademark is now owned by HDM Global

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August 28, 2018 at 06:05AM

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Another great 60-seconds or less tip from Lightroom Team member Benjamin Warde. This one is for when you’re removing dust and specs from your shot — it’s how to make you’ve checked every inch of your image to make certain you didn’t miss any. Check it out:

Thanks, Benjamin.

Here’s to a rockin’ Tuesday!

Best,

-Scott

P.S. My 11th Annual Worldwide Photo Walk is coming up on Saturday, October 6th in cities all over the world. Join a photo walk near you (it’s free) at WorldwidePhotoWalk.com

The post How to Ensure You Don’t Miss Any Spots While Cleaning Your Image in Lightroom appeared first on Lightroom Killer Tips.

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August 28, 2018 at 03:44AM