Luminous Landscape has published an interesting article by former NASA captain Alan Poindexter about photography in space. Poindexter commanded the penultimate mission of the space shuttle Discovery in 2010, and had been lead photo/TV crewmember on previous missions. In the article he provides a unique perspective on the challenges of taking photographs in space. . . . → Read More: The Luminous Landscape sheds some light on Photography in Space
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SmugMug and UK-based pro lab Loxley Colour have announced a new alliance offering a turnkey online business solution, enabling photographers to easily and cost-effectively showcase and profit from their work. Read more and comment . . . → Read More: SmugMug Teams Up with Loxley Colour Fujifilm has added more user-interface refinements to its X100 large sensor camera with firmware v1.20. The latest firmware allows the Raw button to be user-customized. It also makes it easier to set up the camera’s Auto ISO behavior and built-in ND filter. The update also claims to improve AE and AF performance when shooting movies. A PDF addendum to the user manual has also been released. . . . → Read More: Fujifilm adds further functions with X100 firmware v1.20 Insight Guides have announced a Travel Photography Master Class, to be held in London’s Covent Garden at Stanfords. Read more and comment . . . → Read More: Insight Guides Announce Travel Photography Master Class Ohanaware has updated its HDRtist Pro software to version 1.0.2. Read more and comment . . . → Read More: HDRtist Pro 1.0.2 for Mac OS There is a long list of false news goign around the web today. be warned! Vitaly Kiselev wrote that on DVXuser.com : “ During some early stages of GH2 exploring we found the follow things: 1) Quite big part of firmware is deactivated as it contains most features present in AF100, including waveform. We are looking how to enable it. 2) 4:4:4 color mode on HDMI is present in special video output debug mode. So, it can be also enabled. 3) Sensor can run at variable frame rates from 12 up to 60fsp in 1080p and up to 120fps in 720p. 4) Bitrate can be adjusted up to 110Mbps with B frames and up to 150Mbps without them. ” The new Apple iCam and the end of analogue Photography at System Kamera Forum. Crazy new camera design at ePhotozine . . . . → Read More: A roundup of fool news  SLRmagic announced a new 11mm f/1.4 wide angle lens with Micro Four Thirds mount. But there is a big disappointment. The price is incredibly high…$210!!! It would be a fair price if the lens would have at least a decent optical performance. But from the first images we have seen on eBay (Click here) we can see heavy vignetting and unsharp results. If you really need a fast wide angle lens get the Computar 12.5mm F1.3 which is much cheaper ( Read the review at EosHD ). . . . → Read More: SLRmagic announces (an expensive) 11mm f/1.4 Micro Four Thirds lens. Via Twitter (Click here) Zeiss announced that “ We’ll ship our Compact Prime CP.2 lenses w. F and MFT to our customers this week “. Zeiss AG joined the Micro Four Thirds System group and the first products are the adapted CP.2 lenses . They are very expensive and meant for professional movie work. Check price at . You can see the first image samples at Flickr . Taken with the Panasonic GH2 and Compact Prime CP.2 85mm/T2.1 Cine Lens . . . . → Read More: Zeiss CP+ lenses for Micro Four Thirds to start shipping this week Dear readers. I had a small surgery today. That’s why I had no tiem to answer your emails and comments. Tomorrow (Saturday) I will have more time to work on 43rumors. Thanks for your understanding. P.S.: I am doing fine . . . → Read More: Editors note: Had a small surgery today.  Image courtesy: Megapixel Last week Olympus stated that DSRL will become a niche market in 5-10 years. The future is mirrorless or as Olympus says the future are “Pen-type” cameras There are two data that do confirm the increasing mirrorless popularity. Almost a quarter of all interchangeable lens cameras sold in the UK during January are mirrorless (That’s a 160% rise on the same month the previous year). In Germany 80.000 of all 960.000 system cameras sold in Germany during 2010 are mirrorless. And In Japan almost 40% of all sold system cameras are mirrorless.The market is lead by Panasonic 38.7% followed by Sony 32.2% and Olympus 29.1%. . . . → Read More: Mirrorless market share in Japan (Panasonic leads)  On picture: Olympus facility in Japan I just got good news from Japan. All Olympus employees are safe, nobody was injured and all facilities are secure. There will be of course some problems with the current activities and production but that’s just a temporary and not so important issue in those days. Meanwhile Panasonic made a 300 million yen monetary contribution and in-kind donations of 10,000 units each of radios and flashlights and 500,000 dry batteries to aid victims and support the recovery of areas affected by the strong earthquake that struck Tohoku area on March 11. P.S.: Thanks to everyone who sent this in. . . . → Read More: A little good news. No injuries in Olympus facilities Canon’s IXUS 1000 HS (or PowerShot SD4500 IS as it’s known in North America) claimed the title of the World’s slimmest super-zoom camera when launched. It packs a 10x optical zoom, 3in widescreen display and 10 Megapixel CMOS sensor into a body measuring just 22mm thick. The CMOS sensor allows Full HD 1080p video recording and fairly quick continuous shooting, while the sensible resolution and clever burst composite mode attempt to keep noise levels under control. See how it measures-up in our Canon IXUS 1000 HS / SD4500 IS review! . . . → Read More: Canon IXUS 1000 HS / PowerShot SD4500 IS ELPH – full review! Right now you can get the Panasonic GH1 body only for $399 at Amazon (Click here) . Adobes new Camera RAW 6.4 and Lightroom 3.4 release candidates bring support for the newest Olympus’s XZ-1 and E-PL2 cameras: Click here to download Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v3.4 release candidate Click here to download Adobe Camera Raw v6.4 release candidate You can order the XZ-1 at Amazon , Adorama , B&H , J&R , eBay . and the E-PL2 at Amazon , Adorama , B&H , J&R , eBay . And Olympus Japan just announced that worldwide shipment of the new Olympus lens converters will start on March 18. The Fisheye, wide and macro converter do work on the new 14-42mm II lens, and on the 14-150mm and 40-150mm lenses. P.S:: The Japanese website DC.watch.impress (Click here) tested the three new E-PL2 converters a few days ago. . . . → Read More: GH1 for $399 + Adobe brings XZ-1 and E-PL2 support + Olympus lens converters coming on March 18 Those are terrible news we are currently receiving from Japan. I think I speak for everyone here on 43rumors when I say that we are deeply concerned. I confide that most people managed to escape the tsunami as the country has a well organized alarm system and procedure. I don’t have other words to express, I am really shocked. A side note via Bloomberg : Panasonic Corp. (6752) said several employees at its three factories in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures sustained minor injuries. The Osaka-based company is still assessing the damage to facilities, Yuichi Takatoku, a Tokyo-based spokesman for the company, said by phone. . . . → Read More: Japanese shock: 43rumors solidarity  The Chinese company “ Ownuser ” made a battery grip for all Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras except the GF1/GF2. Sadly the only info we got has been posted as an image with Chinese text so I cannot translate it with the help of the google translation tool. Some Chinese 43rumors readers can send us a summary of all the key features of the battery grip? What I can understand from the images is that they have three different grips and that there is also some kind of IR transmitter. The person that send me that news told me that they have made 1.500 of those items. This is the website of the company with the battery grip page: http://www.ownuser.com.tw/mig_pg2.html This are the Ownuser products on eBay (Click here) (didn’t find the battery grip…or is it there somewhere? I found the battery grip for Olympus cameras instead) UPDATE: 43rumors reader “Kolen” translated the chinese text (Hurray for Kolen!) “ The first battery grip from Ownuser: For Panasonic G2/G1/GH1/G10 MIG-PG2 with camera as shown: Model description: MIG-PG2B MIG-PG2AB MIG-PG2RAB MIG-PG2 overview: 1) tripod 1/4 20 screw thread 2) External Shutter release input 3) External AC power input 4) Camera shutter release output 5) screw of the tripod thread 6) hand grip 7) tripod mount 8 ) Left battery cover 9) Right battery cover 10) battery to camera 11) battery contact 12) cable 13) shutter 14) on/off button volume: about 12.6cmX6.2cmX3.9cm weight: 110g Compact, convenient, good build, comfortable for portrait 3 type of battery input for convenience: 1) two Lithium batteries 2) AA Battery (6A/8A) 3) External AC power input 1500 units produced globally, unique for personal style MINI-IR 2B overview 1) IR output 2) focus 3) shot 4) Bulb 5) clear 6) 10s self portrait 7) battery The camera with Mini-RHS 2 1) volume is smaller than the DX-RHS2 by 70%. Lighter and more convenient. 2) channel lock to protect interference from other sources 3) timer alarm for accurate dusk/twilight photography 4) Can used together with DX-51R 2 & Mini IR 2 5) Attached to the hot shoe on the camera, e.g. Minolta, Sony Alpha 100. 6) 360 degree rotation ability: can be used together with on camera flash 7) 2XAAA battery Mini IR 2B for amateur, indoor photography channel can be locked to prevent interference 1) 5 key control, simple and clear, perfect fit 2) Focus and shot seperately 3) Bulb / 10s self portrait Mini-IR 2B basic function A. Channel lock (must choose the channel first, then lock the channel to prevent interference) (After the first settings, it is automatically saved for future use) 1) press for 5 seconds, red/green light lights alternatively and a beep three times. 2) press the shot button on MINI IR2B, it is finished after the beep 3) press the channel lock once again to complete B. 4 main functions (IR function will consume battery life. Please shut down when it is not in use) Focus is separate from shutter to prevent delay. Focus can be set as AE-L or AF-L. Tele/macro photography self portrait LIVE VIEW shot Single button control without menu typical camera need to go into the menu for self-portrait, not so convenient a physical 10s self portrait button is more convenient in operation, autofocus green light will lights up first. red light flash once per second, continuous red light in last three seconds (in the figure: autofocus indicator (green), and red light) Bulb shutter can be used bulb shutter has a function to prevent false alarm. only after focus, bulb shutter can be activated. Only can be used to end the bulb. support longest bulb for 10 hours dusk/twilight night astro Rhythmic speaker supporting bulb bulb has a function of beep per second. After activated bulb, use the control button to set speaker. (In the figures:) control method: On-> OFF -> ON press setting button once > ON twice > OFF again > ON You can use one hand to control the remote and another hand to cover the camera at the right time. ” This is the website of the company with the battery grip page: http://www.ownuser.com.tw/mig_pg2.html This are the Ownuser products on eBay (Click here) (didn’t find the battery grip…or is it there somewhere?) . . . → Read More: New battery grip for Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras Amateur Photographer posted some more info from the Interview with John Mitchell from Panasonic UK: ‘ There’s strong growth globally. The market is growing by huge amounts, more than doubling year on year. In the UK we are expecting over 200,000 of our Compact System Cameras to be sold in the UK. ” John also ensured that Panasonic will release some “ exciting products “. In December 2010 Panasonic managed to have 11.3% share of the UK changeable lens camera market. And Canon and Nikon are loosing ground in favour of mirrorless cameras. John said the reason for the success is the “small size” of the cameras. And Panasonic doesn’t fear Canon/Nikon future mirrorless cameras because they can offer an already mature system (with 11 lenses). 43rumors note: Would be nice to know the market share in US. Should be very low considering that the Panasonic GH2 isn’t in Stock at Amazon US , Adorama , BHphoto . P.S.: The black Panasonic GF2+14mm is in Stock at Amazon (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here) . Check all the kits and colors availability at Amazon , Adorama , B&H , J&R , eBay . . . . → Read More: Panasonic ready to attack the Canon and Nikon supremacy (Amateur Photographer) Almost every day you can find news about the Fuji X100. The camera worldwide shipment started yesterday in Japan (see Amazon Japan ). It should be in Stock soon at Amazon (Click here) , BHphoto (Click here) and Adorama (Click here) and in April in Europe (See Amazon UK ). This is the latest news summary: Leica M3 versus Finepix X100 (Source: Nokton on Flickr ). Download the Fuji X100 manual in english (.pdf): https://files.me.com/kylebarrow/dxsgl2 First image samples on Flickr . First Impressions of the Finepix X100 from a rangefinder shooter by Pieter Franken ( SteveHuffPhoto.com ). Those are the first unboxing pictures coming from Japan (More at dmaniax.com ). Shots with the x100 from the same person: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotois/sets/72157626059913905 The dpreview forum user “ Ncruces ” posted the patched source code to open the Quesabesdes RAW files with DCraw. Download from here: http://db.tt/jSGfK7R. The dpreview forum user “ ebrandon ” posted two links to download the “before” (unprocessed TIFF) http://db.tt/uM3tnCm and the “after” (post-processed TIFF) http://db.tt/dvXlxHS. P.S.: I am still hoping Fuji will join m43!!! . . . → Read More: The most popular camera starts worldside shipment: The Fuji X100.  Over a year passed without Olympus announcing any new Four Thirds lens. At least Samyang announced that nice 35mm f/1.4 manual focusing lens with 43-mount. There is a last minute surprise. Samyang added a red ring and an useful focusing scale to the lens. And they announced the final price which will be 389 Euro. All Samyang lenses for Olympus can be found on eBay only and under seven different brand names (Click on it to see all Four Thirds lenses from the specific brand!): Samyang Walimex Rokinon Opteka Falcon Vivitar Bower Unbelievable or not? Click the link to read the press release: “ Kraków, 4th of March 2011 r . – Delta company, the sole distributor of Samyang products for Europe proudly presents the final version of the long-waited for Samyang 35mm 1:1.4 AS UMC. Our new lens comes with utterly new design, with its distinguishing mark: a metallic red ring. A new concept version of Samyang 35mm 1:1.4 AS UMC was officially introduced during Photokina 2010 fairs held in Cologne. Since then, we have carried out intensive works to improve optical qualities of theproduct and devise its unique and exceptional design. The conducted works have allowed us to bring you the final version of the lens. Due to your recommendations we decided to add the focusing scale and diminish the overall dimension of the product. Samyang 35mm 1:1.4 AS UMC is an optically sophisticated 35mm f/1.4 wide-angle lens, which was designed for fullframe reflex camera. Nevertheless, it may be also used with APS-C/DX and Four Thirds cameras. The lens’s optical construction was based on two lenses made of the quality glass with high refraction factor, which made it possible to minimize its weight and dimensions. Moreover, we used an aspherical lens was to prevent the horizontal chromatic aberration. Owing to the high-quality, dense anti-reflexive layers, the lens produces stunningly high contrasts and perfectly reflects the natural colors. Samyang 35mm 1:1.4 AS UMC also takes advantage of the so called gliding lenses allowing to minimize the focusing distance. The lens will be available for sale with the following mounts: Canon, Four Thirds, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung NX and Sony Alfa. The recommended retail price for the microprocessor was established at EUR 379 gross. You will have a great opportunity to take a close look on the new Samyang 35mm 1:1.4 AS UMC on Sunday, during Focus on Imagining fairs in Birmingham in Great Britain. Please, don’t hesitate and visit Samyang stand located in the 10 hall, sector Q12. “ . . . → Read More: Surprise: Last minute design changes for the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 lens “ I was inspired when I saw the $195 Kipon EOS-m4/3 adapter so I decided to build my own. I salvage old parts from my father’s spoiled Hi8 video camera and fixed onto a standard EOS-m4/3 adapter. ” The Fuji X100 will be in Stock at Amazon UK on April 11 (Click here) . In US Adorama should start shipment in March (Click here) . A few X100 image samples can be found on Flick here . A few body pictures on Flickr . HDMI Capture Problem SOLVED ( DVXuser forum ). Panasonic GF2 ISO charts at tech.sina . Olympus E-5 charts at tech.sina . Dutch Panasonic GF2 hands-on at bright.nl . M.Zuiko 40-150 Tested against the Panasonic 45-200 ( Dpreview forum ). Day 3 of the Olympus EPL-2 Field Review ( ThePhoBlographer ). AG-AF105 preview at pronews.jp (japanese!) Using protective filters on lenses ( m43blogspot ). Olympus SP-800UZ review at CNET . Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Review at Steve Digicams . Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20 Review at Photographyblog . Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH Leica on a GH2 ( Image samples at 3Dkraft ). . . . → Read More: a little bit of everything…(Fuji X100 in Europe in April only)  Olympus just released the new firmware 1.1 for three cameras! Thise are the chnages for each camera: E-5 : Resolved issue of the LCD monitor color compensation being reset. E-PL2 : Changed default setting of Image Stabilizer (IS) to “On” when converter lens scene mode ([FISHEYE EFFECT], [ WIDE-ANGLE], and [ MACRO]) are selected. XZ-1 : Version 1.1 Resolved issue that occurred when the POWER button of the dedicated flash units was operated. Click here to visit the Olympus firmware download page . E-5 links to Amazon , Adorama , BHphoto , eBay . E-PL2 links to Amazon , Adorama , BHphoto , eBay . XZ-1 links to Amazon , Adorama , BHphoto , eBay . . . . → Read More: Triple new Olympus firmware for the E-5, E-PL2 and XZ-1 |
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