digital imageMaker international

The firmware update includes PS Recording Mode (1920×1080/60p), which enables users to capture smooth images of fast moving scenes with a higher frame rate of 60p. A new “Water Mode” is also available on the Action Cam, which adjusts the camera’s white balance to an optimal setting for underwater shooting. Furthermore, the new ‘Beep Off’ setting gives users the option to turn off audio notifications of key camera functions, such as when recording is enabled or disabled.

In addition, users of the Action Cam HDR-AS15 will get to enjoy ‘Seamless Mode Change’ functionality via PlayMemories Mobile from June 2013. The update will enable users to change from ‘Smart Remote’ mode to ‘File Transfer’ mode directly, without having to go through the Action Cam.

To download the software, please click on the link here: http://www.sony.com.au/support/product/HDR-AS15. The operation manual will be made available during the download.

Action Cam HDR-AS15 Accessories

Users can now capture the action in even more ways with the availability of mounts and attachments for the Action Cam HDR-AS15. The new Skeleton Housing (SRP $39) and Float Attachment (SRP $19) will let you take the action anywhere, while the latest Wrist Mount (SRP $39), Surfboard Mount (SRP $39) and Dog Mount (SRP $49) allow you to shoot from a totally new perspective. All new accessories will be available from late May at www.sony.com.au.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III firmware upgrade provides significant still-shooting and Full HD video improvements

Wayne Cosshall — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:15:08 +0000

Supports advanced user needs through clean HDMI output for video and boosted AF performance for low-light and telephoto shooting

Sydney, Australia, 30 April 2013 – Canon Australia today announced that the new firmware upgrade for the EOS 5D Mark III digital SLR camera is now available for download, delivering considerable improvements to still-shooting and Full HD video. The new free-of-charge upgrade will allow users to boost the EOS 5D Mark III’s potential, opening the door to new imaging opportunities.

The upgrade, which was first announced in October 2012, enables the use of the HDMI output functionality for more efficient video editing and monitoring workflows by professionals in the fields of cinema and TV production. With HDMI output, users can record HD uncompressed video data (YCbCr 4:2:2, 8 bit) to an external recorder via the camera’s HDMI terminal, supporting minimal image degradation during video data editing for greater onsite efficiency during motion picture and video productions. Additionally, video can also be displayed on an external monitor while being captured, for real-time on-site monitoring for HD video during shoots.

To further improve functionality, the upgrade improves the AF system with centre AF point now enabled at f/8 supporting the needs of photographers to achieve more from their camera when using fast super-telephoto lenses with extenders. Drastically increasing the shooting range, version 1.2.1 now makes it possible to use an EF600 f/4 lens and two-times extender to achieve a massive 1200mm focal length with precise AF performance. This will benefit sport and nature photographers who shoot over long distances. This upgrade also increases the range of lens options with full AF capabilities, including the EF400mm f/5.6 and the EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS with 1.4x extenders, for zoom ranges up to 560mm.

“The EOS 5D Mark III, continues to lead the way in DSLR Full HD Movie making and with this new update Canon has responded to the needs of professional image makers by providing them with clean HDMI output, as well as boosted AF performance for telephoto shooting over an expanded range of focal lengths,” said Charles Montesin, Product Manager – Professional Imaging, Canon Australia. “We’re excited to be offering these features in direct response to requests from professionals working in the fields of cinema and TV production, and expect the firmware to enhance the user experience and workflow.”

The EOS 5D Mark III free firmware update is available now from: http://support-au.canon.com.au/P/search?model=EOS%205D%20Mark%20III&filter=0&menu=download

Related links:

EOS 5D Mark III

About Canon

Canon is the world’s leading imaging brand that actively inspires with imaginative ideas that enable people to connect, communicate and achieve more than they thought possible through imaging solutions for business and consumers. Canon’s Australian R&D company, CiSRA, develops and exports digital imaging technologies for use in Canon products worldwide. Canon has ranked among the top-four US patent recipients* for the past 21 years, and had global revenues of over $US40 billion in 2012. Canon Australia also operates Canon Finance Australia, which offers one-stop shopping for customers wanting leasing or finance services. For more information, visit www.canon.com.au, www.facebook.com/canonaustralia, www.twitter.com/canonaustralia, www.youtube.com/canonaustralia

* Based on weekly patent counts issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Sony Makes Fun Of Customers, Again

Wayne Cosshall — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:03:57 +0000

Sony revisits clueless DSLR users, for the new NEX ‘DSLR Gear No Idea’ campaign

Sydney, 29 April, 2013 – DSLR ‘phonies’ be warned: Sony’s NEX ‘DSLR Gear No Idea’ campaign is returning for a second year. It builds on 2012’s successful and light-hearted creative that mocked DSLR owners who fumble with the settings and missed the perfect shot – even though they never take their camera out of auto mode.

The 2012 campaign was viewed by 3.8 million people across 128 blogs in 16 countries and featured a variety of DSLR ‘tragics’ including ‘Macro Freaks’, ‘Flashers’, ‘Lens Spotters’, ‘F-Stop Fusspots’, ‘Vidiots’ and ‘Status Updaters’.

In 2013 Sony focuses on the two most identifiable characters: the ‘Sideline Hero’ and the ‘Foreign Correspondent’. They make fools of themselves at a lads’ bowls day and when capturing their daughter’s tennis practice. In each scenario our ‘tragics’ struggle with their DSLRs before ditching their gear for a Sony NEX.

Ervin Quek, Marketing Manager of Digital Imaging, Sony Australia said, “We loved the good-humoured insight of last year’s ‘DSLR Gear No Idea’ campaign so much we decided to build on its success by re-visiting our characters in new scenarios and offering them the NEX alternative.”

“With this year’s campaign our goal is to further increase consumer awareness about alternative cameras available to non-professionals who want to take better photos. Sony’s NEX compact system camera range can help put a stop to all those embarrassing DSLR moments.” He continues, “With a same size sensor as the average DSLR, the NEX packs all the same image quality into a light weight and compact body. These features make the NEX camera straightforward and easy-to-use, ideal for non-professional photographers.”

The two new videos, housed on the Sony Australia YouTube channel, will be seeded via social media, online publications and photo enthusiast blogs and websites. Our characters will also make an appearance in cinema this year so we can see their antics on the big screen. The two new ‘DSLR gear no idea’ videos can be seen here: Foreign Correspondent and Sideline Hero.

The Week In Photography 25th April 2013

Wayne Cosshall — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:33:17 +0000

Here’s what caught my attention on the Internet in the past week or so:

David Kingham Photography | Focusing at Night

Seven Lenses for The Portrait Shooter on a Budget

FocusTwist: Focus-Controllable Images with the iPhone | CDTobie’s Photo Blog

How to Do Stop Motion Photography: An Introduction

The Great Compositions of Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt

Amateur Photographer Captures NASA-like Space Images

Magic Lantern’s Focus Peaking Makes Freelensing A Snap

Photography redefined

Accession by Ben Thomas

How photographers joined the self-publishing revolution

Alien Skin Software Announces Exposure 5

Wayne Cosshall — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:57:49 +0000

A big update to Exposure is out and includes:

Visual preset browser makes previewing effects faster and easier
Dark user interface lets photographers concentrate on their photos
Program offers greater creative texture control

Preset Browser
Presets are now explored visually as thumbnails. This allows easy exploration of the hundreds of effects in Exposure 5. And, you can also explore your custom created, favorites, and recently used settings.

Raleigh, NC (April 24, 2013) - Alien Skin Software today announced Exposure^® 5, the new version of its flagship photography effects software. Exposure 5 enables digital photographers to achieve accurate film simulation, using a wide range of creative effects in a simple interface. Significantly, Exposure 5 can be used as a plug-in with popular host software or as a stand-alone program for even greater flexibility.

Exposure 5 brings all the creative tools of traditional film photography to the world of digital, such as the look of discontinued films, darkroom tricks, and trendy lo-fi camera quirks. Popular classic films like Kodachrome, Polaroid and even Panatomic-X are accurately simulated. Hundreds of preset effects can be applied with a single mouse-click, helping photographers achieve their desired look quickly. Exposure 5 includes both Color and black-and-white processing so there’s no need to switch between tools.

New Interface
Exposure 5 now has a dark interface theme, a scrolling parameter area, and collapsible side
panels. These improvements provide a seamless experience when going to Exposure from
Photoshop or Lightroom. This image shows Exposure’s new capability to separately control texture effects: borders, light leaks, and dust & scratches.

“With Exposure 5, a photographer’s vision is the only element separating an ordinary image from an extraordinary one. Creative control and increased productivity were essential design objectives,” said Terence Tay, designer of the new Exposure 5 software. “It’s now much easier and faster for photographers of all levels to find the right look for their photographs.”

The entire user interface has been redesigned with productivity in mind. A darker theme reduces distractions around the photo and matches other popular tools. The preset and editing panels can be hidden, to further remove distractions and allow more room for the photograph. The new visual preset browser shows how each preset will look when applied to an image. Users can see many presets at once, for quick exploration. In addition, favorites and recently used presets are just a click away.

Peter Nguyen
Photographer Peter Nguyen uses Alien Skin Exposure as an important part of his workflow. This
is just one example of the many beautiful portraits he has created.

Significantly, Exposure 5 includes many new textures for a greater variety of vintage and Lo-Fi looks. There are now separate controls for adding borders, dust & scratches, and light leaks. A new randomize option allows a user to easily explore multiple variations on a particular look.

Exposure 5 integrates with the popular tools many photographers use in their professional workflow: Adobe^® Photoshop^®, Lightroom^®, and now Apple^® Aperture^®. Now Exposure 5 can also be launched as a standalone application. That is especially useful for fast batch-processing or as part of a workflow that includes tools that do not support plug-ins.

To help users get started and for advanced techniques, the Alien Skin website has a library of tutorial videos and example images.
Pricing and Availability
Exposure 5 will be available in June 2013 through www.alienskin.com for $199 USD. Owners of any version of Exposure may upgrade for $99 USD. Free upgrades will be automatically sent to everyone who purchased Exposure 4 directly from Alien Skin Software in March 2013 or later.
Host Requirements
Exposure 5 may be used as a standalone program or a plug-in. When it is used as a plug-in it requires one of the following host applications:

Adobe Photoshop CS5 or later
Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 or later
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 or later
Apple Aperture 3 or later

System Requirements
Microsoft Windows users need Windows 7 or later.

Apple Macintosh users need Mac OS X 10.7 or later.

An Intel Core 2 processor or compatible is required.

A monitor with 1280×768 resolution or greater is required.
About Alien Skin Software
Alien Skin Software makes Photoshop and other plug-ins for photographers and graphic designers. The company distills advanced math and cutting edge research into simple tools that render beautiful pictures. Alien Skin software’s reputation for bug-free software and friendly tech support has grown worldwide since its founding in 1993. For more information, visit the Alien Skin website at www.alienskin.com.

Exposure, Alien Skin Software, and the Alien Skin Software logo are registered trademarks of Alien Skin Software, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

New Manfrotto Webinar on Lighting

Wayne Cosshall — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:55:33 +0000

Manfrotto School of Xcellence, the educational platform by the world leader in the equipment and accessories industry for photography and imaging, is thrilled to host famed photographer Drew Gardner for their next webinar entitled, “Behind the Scenes Lighting Secret”. During this one-hour webinar, Gardner will take participants “behind the scenes” of some of his work, sharing lighting and technical insights, including a ‘graphic’ breakdown of each photo.

An award-winning London based photographer, Drew Gardner is known for his narrative-focused work that encompasses everything from group portraiture to photographing beautiful and extraordinary people on location and in the studio. He has a burning passion for photography and people, getting the very best from any given situation.

This webinar is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 30^th from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (EDT).

A must attend for any photography enthusiast, these webinars will be run in real-time on the official website of the school, www.manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com

Registration for this webinar is now underway. To register, please visit:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/642599609

Manfrotto. Imagine More.

About Manfrotto Distribution

Manfrotto Distribution, Inc. is a leading distributor of key accessories brands for the photographic, video, cine and lighting production markets. Manfrotto Distribution is an international company within the Imaging Division of the Vitec Group, which owns the following leading international brands: Manfrotto, Gitzo, Kata, Avenger and Lastolite. As the U.S. distributor of National Geographic, Metz, Gossen, Elinchrom and Rotatrim, which are available nationwide through an extensive network of authorized dealers, Manfrotto Distribution offers the most complete range of exceptional camera and lighting accessories in the business. The Manfrotto Distribution international network covers the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, U.K., Hong Kong, China and Japan. www.manfrottodistribution.us.

New Snug-It Pro DSLR Skin For Your Canon 6D or Nikon D5200

Wayne Cosshall — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:33:11 +0000

Poway, CA. April 23, 2013 – Delkin Devices is proud to announce that Snug-It Pro DSLR camera skins are now available for the Canon EOS 6D & Nikon D5200. Custom-manufactured to securely fit specific camera models, Delkin’s Snug-It Pro skins protect cameras from being damaged in any environment or situation.

Snug-It Pro for the Canon 6D
Each Snug-It model is made out of a high-quality silicone material that makes it easy to put on and take off, as well as protect your DSLR against bumps, scratches, sand and dust. As DSLRs are becoming smaller and lighter, there is a higher chance for cameras to slip and fall while shooting. With the Snug-It Pro, your camera is easier to hold, grip and handle. All models are molded around the camera’s hot shoe attachment, buttons and lens in order to provide maximum coverage, while allowing for quick setting adjustments & lens changes. In addition, each Snug-It Pro skin contains openings for all of the camera’s closed compartments, such as the memory card slot, HDMI port, and battery; allowing for easy access when needed. Each Snug-It Pro skin also comes with a clear plastic screen protector to shield your camera’s LCD screen from dust, dirt, scratches and fingerprints. Reliable and durable, Delkin’s Snug-It Pro DSLR camera skins provide photographers secure protection for their camera in any situation; whether on a hiking trip, filming a video or simply enjoying an afternoon outdoors.

Snug-It Pro for the Nikon D5200
With DSLR cameras ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, Snug-It Pro skins protect your investment from any potential harm or damage. Protection will lead to an extended working life for your camera, as well as a better resale value. Dents, scratches, or defects decrease a camera’s value. “I pay more for cameras in good condition,” said a representative from Columbus Camera in Columbus, OH “and that means no scratches or wear marks.” By protecting your camera, you protect your investment.

Delkin’s Snug-It Pro product line also includes protective skins for 15 other camera models, such as the Canon 5D Mark III, 60D, and Nikon D800. Snug-It Pro skins for the Canon 6D and Nikon D5200 are now available and can be purchased at the retail price of $34.99 via delkin.com or any Delkin authorized retailer.

About Delkin Devices, Inc.
Delkin Devices’ consumer group manufactures storage devices, such as memory cards and digital accessories, for the photography market. Delkin has been in business since 1986 and has offices located in the U.S. and Europe. High resolution images and samples are available.

Canon Holds No. 1 Share of Global Interchangeable-Lens Digital Camera Market for 10 Years Running

Wayne Cosshall — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:16:16 +0000

In news today, Canon has dominated the dSLR market for the past 10 years. While a big congratulations to Canon, I have to ask if this is good for the industry and the consumer?

TOKYO, April 22, 2013

Canon Inc. today announced that the company’s interchangeable-lens digital cameras (digital SLR and compact-system cameras) have consistently maintained the No. 1 share worldwide in terms of volume within the interchangeable-lens digital camera market for the 10-year period from 2003 to 2012.^[^*1^]

In addition to the interchangeable lenses, Canon also develops its own key components – the CMOS image sensors and image processors – employed in the company’s interchangeable-lens cameras, incorporating the most advanced of these technologies in its flagship EOS-1D series. By applying these technologies to other models as well, Canon has successfully created a powerful product lineup that effectively responds to the needs of a wide range of users, from professionals to entry-level users, which has enabled the company to maintain the top global share.

In 2003, the dawn of digital SLR cameras, Canon introduced its breakthrough EOS 300D Digital, a compact and lightweight user-friendly camera that set the stage for growth in the digital SLR market while, at the same time, captured the top share of the global market. Since that time, Canon, in the company’s ongoing pursuit of high image quality, has launched a number of models targeting advanced-amateur users that offer among the highest levels of performance for their class, including the EOS 5D series, which paved the way for digital SLR video recording.

In 2012, Canon celebrated the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the EOS system and marked its 10th consecutive year as the market’s world leader. During the year, Canon launched the compact-system EOS M, aimed at expanding the company’s entry-level user base, along with the EOS 6D, the world’s smallest and lightest^[^*²^] digital SLR camera equipped with a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor, which contributed to the growth of the advanced-amateur user segment.

This year, Canon introduced the EOS 100D, the world’s smallest and lightest^[^*²^] digital SLR camera equipped with an APS-C-size sensor, bolstering its product lineup with a model befitting the industry’s top brand while targeting its 11th straight year as the world’s market leader.

With a history of producing cameras that dates back to the company’s founding in 1937, Canon will continue refining its diverse imaging technologies based on its core optical technologies, striving to produce exceptional and reliable lenses and cameras that cater to the varying needs of photographers – from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals – while contributing to expanding the photographic and video imaging culture.

*1 Based on a survey by Canon.

*2 As of March 1, 2013, based on a Canon survey.