Best overall		DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro		SEE IT	Despite its advanced camera, this drone only weighs 249 grams so it doesn’t require registration with the FAA.
Best for pros		DJI Mavic 3		SEE IT	A very robust camera system and advanced all-around object avoidance make this drone worthy of pro work.
Best for photos		Parrot Anafi		SEE IT	A unique camera system captures 4K footage and provides a view unlike the rest of its competition.

Travel drones aren’t just for professional creatives anymore. In the last few years, these pint-sized crafts have become widely accessible thanks to compact and budget-friendly options hitting the market. A travel drone is a great way to capture photos and footage with unique perspectives while you are on the road. It’s a great tool for travel vloggers, filmmakers, or families looking for a way to keep kids entertained on vacation. While you can go seriously Hollywood with your purchase, we think the best drone options are either so compact that they don’t even need to be registered with the FAA or feature a foldable design that makes them easy to slide into a camera backpack. Price can vary widely depending on what types of advanced features that drone might include and the manufacturer. A higher-end consumer drone will typically cost about $2K, while budget options can be as low as $100. In this buying guide, you will find the best travel drones that fit various budgets and use cases.

• Best overall: DJI Mini 3 Pro
• Best value: Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone
• Best for professionals: DJI Mavic 3
• Best for beginners: Ryze Tech Tello Mini Drone
• Best for photos: Parrot Anafi

How we chose the best travel drones 

When selecting the products in this buying guide, it was important to select a combination of compact travel drones (that don’t need to be registered with the FAA) and a few full-sized drones aimed at a professional user. We selected products that would fit a range of budgets and skill levels and represented different brands currently on the market. When selecting the drones in this buying guide, we also considered flight time, video capture capability, and advanced features that make specific models stand out in the field. Camera quality and functionality play a key role in our selections. The products that appear in this guide were selected through a combination of hands-on experience, editorial reviews, and user feedback.

The best travel drones: Reviews & Recommendations 

While we offer specific recommendations depending on your usage, many of the drones on this list will work for several kinds of pilots. Be sure to check out the entire list before making a purchase to make sure you’re getting what you need out of your new flying machine.

Best overall: DJI Mini 3 Pro

Mason Marsh

SEE IT

Specs

• Weight: Under 249 grams
• Flight Time: 38 minutes 
• Video: 4K 

Pros

• No need to register with FAA
• Small and compact 
• Vertical shooting capabilities
• Dedicated controller
• Wind resistant up to 38kph winds

Cons

• Expensive for size 
• Visibility in air could be improved 

The DJI Mini Pro 3 claims our spot as best overall travel drone due to its compact size, substantial flight time, and advanced features like 3-way obstacle avoidance. And because this particular drone is under 249 grams, there’s no need to register it with the FAA before you take to the skies. The impressive 38-minute battery life can be extended to 51 minutes when used with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus—a flight time unheard of for most compact drones on the market. It can shoot 4K/60fps video and capture 48-megapixel RAW images; it also features vertical shooting—ideal for capturing social videos for TikTok or Instagram stories. A variety of QuickShot modes make it easy to capture panoramas and pre-programmed dynamic flight patterns. It has a fast F/1.7 lens, which means it will perform well at sunset or on overcast days, plus it features wind resistance up to 38kph so that it can withstand a bit of turbulence. The DJI Mini Pro 3’s all-in-one RC-N1 controller has a nicely sized 5-inch screen, eliminating the need to use your smartphone while flying. The DJI Mini Pro packs pro-level features into a super compact package that can easily fit into a camera backpack. Although it’s on the pricey side for its size, we think the advanced features make it a worthy investment for taking on your next adventure. 

Read our full review: DJI Mini Pro 3

Best value: Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone

Holy Stone

SEE IT

Specs

• Weight: 149 grams
• Flight Time: 20 minutes
• Video: 1080p 

Pros

• Affordable price point
• Easy-to-use controller
• Compact size 
• No need to register with FAA
• In air flip mode 

Cons

• No wind resistance 
• Limited flight time 

The Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone is a great option if you are looking for a travel drone that won’t break the bank. At under $100, this is one of the most affordable compact drones on the market. Its compact size also means it doesn’t require registration with the FAA—making it a nice choice for care-free flying.  The Holy Stone has a 120-degree “first-person view” camera and can shoot 1080p video. Flight time is shorter than other compact drones, and this drone lacks wind resistance, but this is to be expected, given the super low price point. The Holy Stone does include fun pre-programmed flight patterns like in-air flips, and features like altitude hold and landing assists. Intuitive in-app features allow users to control the drone through gestures or draw a flight path for the drone to follow. This is a great travel drone if you aren’t looking to spend a fortune to capture your out-of-town adventures. 

Best for professionals: DJI Mavic 3

Dan Bracaglia

SEE IT

Specs

• Weight: 895 grams
• Flight Time: 46 minutes
• Video: 5.1K

Pros

• 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera 
• Advanced Omnidirectional Object sensing 
• 15-kilometer transmission range 
• Smart return to home feature 
• Folding design 

Cons

• Expensive, over 2K 
• Requires registration with FAA 

If you are looking for a travel drone with all the pro-level features, look no further. The DJI Mavic 3 is the priciest option on our list, and because of its larger size must be registered with the FAA, but its foldable design still makes it an excellent option for travel. The DJI Mavic 3 is equipped with a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and a sensor that provides 12.8 stops of dynamic range—making for footage that has a lot more detail in both the highlights and the shadows. It can shoot 5.1K video up to 50fps, 4K video up to 120fps, and capture 20-megapixel 12-bit RAW stills. It has an impressive flight time of 46 minutes, a 15-kilometer transmission range, and advanced features like omnidirectional object sensing, with improved range—giving users way more time to react and prevent crashing into a tree while flying. Other pro-level features include Advanced Return To Home, which will automatically bring your drone back to you using the most energy-efficient route. Although the DJI Mavic 3 is expensive, the top-level features and impressive camera make it well worth the price point. 

Read our full review: DJI Mavic 3

Best for beginners: Ryze Tech Tello Mini Drone

Ryze Tech

SEE IT

Specs

• Weight: 79.9 grams 
• Flight Time: 13 minutes
• Video: 720p 

Pros

• Lightweight build 
• DJI-powered flight controller 
• Good for kids 
• No need to register with FAA

Cons

• Very short flight time 
• No wind resistance 
• Only capable of shooting 720p video

Ryze Tech Tello Mini Drone Quadcopter is a great choice for the novice drone pilot. Although its flight time is much shorter than some of the other drones in this buying guide and video is limited to 720p, it’s extremely easy to operate. It also happens to have a DJI-powered flight controller for performing in-air tricks. The drone’s mobile programming app supports Scratch, which allows users to program corresponding movements using coding blocks. It can shoot 5-megapixel photos, and pre-programmed modes like Circle-360 and Up & Away make it easy to capture short clips even if you don’t know how to fly. Overall, this is a great starter drone for kids and adults who want to capture an aerial perspective while traveling. 

Best for photos: Parrot Anafi

Parrot

SEE IT

Specs

• Weight: 707 grams
• Flight Time: 25 minutes 
• Video: 4K 

Pros

• Capable of capturing 21-megapixel images 
• Features timer and burst mode shooting options
• Folding design 
• Built around a Sony CMOS sensor

Cons

• Limited flight time 
• Not great in low light 
• No wind resistance 

If you primarily want to capture photos with your drone, the Parrot Anafi is a great choice. It can shoot 4K video at 60fps, but it really shines as a tool for photographers. The Parrot Anafi is built around a Sony CMOS sensor with a unique camera that offers a vertical 180-degree field of view. It has a vertical folding design that makes it easy to slide into a backpack with other gear—making it an ideal choice for travel. The navigation app is intuitive and easy to use. The price point falls right in the middle of the pack, making this an appealing option for a wide variety of budgets. 

What to consider when choosing a travel drone

When shopping for a travel drone, you should consider your budget and how you will be using the drone first and foremost.

Camera

We live in a 4K world at the moment, but camera tech doesn’t necessarily stop there. Some higher-end drones can capture 5K and beyond, allowing oversampled 4K footage with more detail or simply a bigger frame so you can crop in later while maintaining a full-res picture. Ideally, you’ll get 4K footage at 60fps with a reasonable megapixel count for photos. Of course, you’ll want to think about how you will use that footage later on. You may not need 4K at a high framerate if you’re trying to make a simple travel blog. In fact, it may hinder your editing process. Find a balance between easy edibility and high quality, then stick with it.

Weight

You’re traveling with these machines, so you want them to be as light as possible. Most only weigh a few pounds at most. But be sure to note the 250g threshold. A drone weighing 250 grams or more requires registration with the FAA before you can fly. Conveniently, our top pick on this list weighs 249 grams for this exact reason.

Obstacle avoidance

While drones have gotten easier to fly in recent years, you still have to navigate the learning curve. Unfortunately, tons of trees, houses, and power lines are littering that learning curve. Higher-end drones offer dedicated object avoidance systems that automatically stop a craft from smacking into something it shouldn’t. Top-tier models offer object avoidance in almost every direction, but more consumer models typically only see in front of them and sometimes to the side. It’s a nice touch if you’re learning and want to minimize possible damage.

Range

Some high-end drones can go nearly 20 miles away from their pilots, but local regulations and practical considerations make that unlikely for most users. If you’re considering two drones and opting toward one because it has a longer range, just be sure you will need that range. If all you plan is to fly it up into your neighborhood or over the lake, you don’t need a massive flight area.

Flight time

Drone batteries are small, and the juice inside can fade fast if conditions are less than perfect. Every gust of wind or fancy maneuver requires more power to execute. Our top pick, the DJI Mini 3 Pro, promises “up to 34 minutes” of flight time, but that “up to” is doing a lot of work. Add wind or complex movements, and that will drop quickly. You also couldn’t stay fully airborne for 34 minutes unless you’re cool with the craft falling out of the sky once the battery is exhausted.

Should you buy the Fly More combo?

DJI typically offers its drones on their own or as part of a Fly More combo, which includes a carrying case, extra rotors, and (most importantly) extra batteries. The Fly More combos typically offer a better deal than buying all the products together. And since you’re definitely going to want extra batteries (and a dedicated charger that can handle more than one cell at once), we recommend you invest upfront.

FAQs

Final thoughts on the best travel drones 

• Best overall: DJI Mini 3 Pro
• Best value: Holy Stone HS110D FPV RC Drone
• Best for professionals: DJI Mavic 3
• Best for beginners: Ryze Tech Tello Mini Drone
• Best for photos: Parrot Anafi

A travel drone is a great way to capture unique aerial perspectives with ease and is a worthy investment for travel vloggers, filmmakers, or families looking for a fun way to document their vacation. The DJI Mini 3 Pro takes the cake for being the best overall travel drone thanks to its impressive flight time, compact size, and video and photo capabilities. Although it’s small enough that you don’t need to register it with the FAA before you fly, it still manages to pack many pro-level features into its tiny body. If you are interested in a travel drone to capture your adventures, we recommend checking out any of these top options.  

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.

The post The best travel drones for 2023 appeared first on Popular Science.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Best high-end		Apple 32-inch Pro Display XDR		SEE IT	Extremely bright and with amazing high contrast, this Retina 6K panel displays, and costs, that extra 1K or three.
Best overall		BenQ PD3220U Thunderbolt 3 Monitor		SEE IT	Selectable viewing modes make this monitor an ideal tool for visual creatives working in multiple mediums.
Best budget		LG 27UL550-W 27 Inch 4K UHD IPS LED HDR Monitor		SEE IT	It only weighs 9.7 lbs, making it a great option for bringing to onsite editing jobs.

Monitors for editing photos offer a few specific features you won’t find in a typical (cheap) display. A quality photo editing monitor is as critical a tool as a nice camera and lens—something that every level of photographer can benefit from. It’s not unusual to see photographers in studio spaces shooting to monitors so clients can view work as it’s shot. Professional editors often bring their monitors to on-site jobs to ensure the images they’re processing look top-notch before they are uploaded to wire services or servers. 

Ultimately a dedicated monitor for photo editing allows you to view your images at larger sizes to make precise edits to your images without having to squint at a small laptop screen. Having an external monitor helps ensure accurate colors in a wide color space. Plus, the extra real estate makes tasks like retouching or color correcting much more comfortable. The best monitors for editing photos will make your images look exactly how you want them.  

• Best overall: BenQ PD3220U Thunderbolt 3 Monitor
• Best value: ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV 27” 4K HDR UHD
• Best high-end:  Apple 32-inch Pro Display XDR with Retina 6K Display
• Best ultrawide: Samsung 49″ ViewFinity S9 
• Best budget: LG 27UL550-W 27 Inch 4K UHD IPS LED HDR Monitor

How we chose the best monitors for editing photos

When selecting the products that appear in this buying guide, it was important to select photo editing monitors that would fit a wide variety of budgets while still providing excellent displays while covering a large percentage of the color spectrum. We also selected products that were created by a wide variety of companies. Most of the professional editors we’ve spoken to prefer a 4K screen for their editing jobs, and we considered that when making our recommendations. The products in this buying guide were selected through a combination of hands-on experience, editorial reviews, and user feedback.

The best monitors for editing photos: Reviews & Recommendations

While we have some specific models we typically recommend for different types of users, it’s worth looking through the entire list because there’s often overlap between the models and their features. You want a monitor that fits your space, budget, and editing style. These picks will treat you well no matter what kind of photography nerd you are.

Best overall: BenQ PD3220U Thunderbolt 3 Monitor

BenQ

SEE IT

Specs

• Screen size: 32” 
• 4K resolution
• Pantone Validated and Calman verified color accurate technology, 95% P3 and 100% sRGB color coverage with Delta E ≤ 3
• IPS panel 

Pros

• ICC Sync Compatible, simplifies color mapping process
• Thunderbolt 3 ports for easy syncing and charging 
• LCD display
• Also excellent for editing video or design projects 

Cons

• Expensive: over 1K for a monitor 

The BenQ PD3220U Thunderbolt 3 Monitor was designed with visual creatives in mind. It features Pantone Validated and Calman-verified color accuracy tech and covers 95 percent P3 and 100 percent sRGB color spaces. That’s more than most photographers will ever really need. Its 4K resolution makes it ideal for complicated retouching jobs because it accommodates a large preview, as well as on-screen toolbars.

In addition to Thunderbolt 3 ports, it has  USB-C, USB-B, USB 3.1, HDMI 2, Hotkey Puck, DP1.4 ports. Its swiveling stand lets you view it in a horizontal or vertical orientation, while a blue light filter and anti-glare screen mean you can edit for hours without eye strain.

The monitor has multiple viewing modes such as Professional Mode, M-book Mode, Darkroom Mode, Animation Mode, and CAD/CAM Mode—making it an ideal tool for visual creatives working in multiple mediums (like computer-aided design or color grading). Although it’s more expensive than some of the models in this buying guide, this BenQ monitor delivers in a huge way, making it our best overall choice for photo editing.  

Best value: ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV 27” 4K HDR UHD

Asus

SEE IT

Specs

• Screen Size: 27”
• 4K resolution 
• Calman verified color accurate technology 
• IPS panel 

Pros

• USB-C, HDMI, Display Port 1.4, USB hub ports
• Ergonomic stand with pivoting screen for versatile use
• ASUS Flicker-Free Tech makes it easy on the eyes 
• Affordable price point

Cons

• Using it with a Mac M1 may require a firmware update
• Limited coverage in AdobeRGB color space

The reasonably priced ASUS ProArt Display is one of the most affordable monitors aimed at visual creatives—and it keeps its price point low without skimping on features. It features 100 percent sRGB color space, has a 4K resolution, and Calman-verified color accurate technology. That comes in handy when you’re trying to match output devices like printers and you don’t want to waste money and ink with trial and error.

The “flicker- free” IPS panel makes it easy to edit on for long periods of time without straining your eyes. Its adjustable stand makes it easy to view the monitor in either a vertical or horizontal orientation. Although the monitor falls short in the DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB color spaces, if you are editing photos that will primarily be seen in a digital setting, the ASUS ProArt monitor is an excellent choice—especially when you consider the price. 

Best high-end: Apple 32-inch Pro Display XDR with Retina 6K Display

Apple

SEE IT

Specs

• Screen Size: 32”
• 6K resolution 
• P3 wide color gamut and 10-bit color depth
• IPS panel 

Pros

• One Thunderbolt 3 port and three USB-C ports
• Up to 1600 nits of brightness
• Unique XDR display reduces screen blooming
• Super-wide viewing angle looks great when viewed off-axis

Cons

• Very expensive
• Adjustable Pro stand is sold separately 

Apple’s Pro Display XDR monitor is a pro-level photo editing tool packed with flagship tech. This extremely expensive monitor certainly isn’t going to be for everyone, but for professional editors at the top of their industry (or with deep pockets), it’s an impressive machine. The 6K screen offers an extremely detailed view, making it an excellent choice for editors working on high-res images. The display is bright (1600 nits) and has beautiful 1,000,000:1 high contrast thanks to the XDR tech.

The display covers 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color space and 97 percent of AdobeRGB—making it a great tool for editors whose images will ultimately be seen in print. Those also come in handy for high-end video editing. Although there is a lot to love about this beautiful monitor, it does come with a few caveats. It only covers about 95 percent of the sRGB space—so if you are primarily working on images that will appear online, there are much better deals to be had. The Pro Stand is sold separately—and you’ll need to pay 1K if you want this big beautiful monitor to be able to tilt or swivel while editing. But if you’re investing in a commercial-grade Mac Studio, why not go all the way on your professional workstation?

Best ultrawide: Samsung 49″ ViewFinity S9 

Samsung

SEE IT

Specs

• Screen Size: 49”
• DQHD resolution 
• DCI-P3 95% color gamut 
• QLED display

Pros

• Superwide, curved screen adds extra real estate when editing
• Eye-saver mode minimizes blue light
• USB-C and Lan ports 
• KVM switch allows users to switch between multiple sources 

Cons

• Display doesn’t autowake 
• Mac volume and brightness controls won’t be compatible
• Expensive price point

Although we wouldn’t recommend this superwide monitor for a traveling edit job, its massive curved display would be a nice fit for an office or studio space. The Samsung 49” ViewFinity S9 has a huge 49” display and covers 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. The curved screen design and eye-saver mode will cut down on eye strain during long edit sessions, and there are plenty of ports for connecting a variety of devices. There’s also a KVM switch that allows users to switch between multiple sources on the same screen. It’s not compact or inexpensive, but it’s a decent option for the photo editor who needs a lot of screen space when working. 

Best budget: LG 27UL550-W 27 Inch 4K UHD IPS LED HDR Monitor

LG

SEE IT

Specs

• Screen Size: 27”
• 4K resolution 
• sRGB 98% Color gamut
• IPS panel 

Pros

• Adjustable ergonomic stand 
• HDMI ports and display port
• Affordable price point

Cons

• Smaller screen size 

This budget-friendly IPS photo editing monitor has a 4K screen and covers 98 percent of the sRGB color gamut—making it an excellent tool for photographers whose work will primarily be viewed online. It only weighs 9.7 lbs, making it a great option for bringing to onsite editing jobs where a larger screen might come in handy. At the same time, its ergonomic stand allows you to view it in a horizontal or vertical orientation. Although it lacks some of the higher-end features of some of the other photo editing monitors in this buying guide, the affordable price point makes it an appealing option that still manages to cover the basics. 

What to consider before buying a photo editing monitor 

While we love the monitors we’ve suggested with our specific picks, it’s worth knowing about some key variables when you’re perusing the different models. Here are some essential things to consider when you’re shopping for a photo editing monitor.

Color spaces

Monitors can only replicate so many colors with the technology they have onboard. That selection of colors makes up what’s called a colorspace and support varies from model to model. You’ll often find high-end models referring to the P3 color space, which is great, but also probably a bit overkill specifically for photo editors. When you’re looking for a monitor, you want it to cover as much of the sRGB and AdobeRGB colorspaces as possible so they can accurately show your images how they were meant to be seen. That will also help if you’re sending images out to clients or to print.

Price

The most important thing to consider when buying a monitor for photo editing is your budget. Monitors can range in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and so having a ballpark idea of how much you would like to spend is an enormous help. While you’ll find some great deals out there, you probably still won’t get great performance out of anything in the sub-$200 range. At the same time, unless you’re doing a ton of high-end printing and you need absolute color accuracy, you don’t need to spend $1,500 or more.

IPS or OLED?

Most photographers and photo editors prefer an IPS monitor to an OLED display. While OLED screens offer excellent contrast and beautiful image quality, an IPS monitor can get much brighter and represent colors more loyally, offering a more comfortable and accurate photo editing experience. OLED is becoming more common in TVs but is still in its relative infancy when it comes to monitors, however, so they’re getting better all the time.

Connectivity

Consider what types of devices you will be plugging into the back of your monitor, and make sure it has ample ports to support all of those things. A powered USB-C port can be very handy for connecting your laptop to charge while transmitting the on-screen image data. That equals one fewer cord on your desk. Most USB-A ports on monitors don’t offer much in the way of power or transfer speeds, so they’re best used for simple peripherals like mice and keyboards rather than disk drives.

Size and resolution

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to monitors. Your space and usage really dictate how big your monitor should be. For instance, some video editors prefer to work with a pair of 27-inch monitors rather than one big one because then they can keep their preview on one in full screen and their workspace on the other. I know photographers who work the same way. If you’re planning to work all on one screen, we recommend moving up to a 4K display since that will leave you more room for a large image preview with the editing software toolbars visible at the same time.

FAQs

Final thoughts on photo editing monitors

• Best overall: BenQ PD3220U Thunderbolt 3 Monitor
• Best value: ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV 27” 4K HDR UHD
• Best high-end:  Apple 32-inch Pro Display XDR with Retina 6K Display
• Best ultrawide: Samsung 49″ ViewFinity S9
• Best budget: LG 27UL550-W 27 Inch 4K UHD IPS LED HDR Monitor

The best photo editing monitors will enhance the editing process and result in better images. Color accuracy and a high-resolution screen are two of the most important features to consider when shopping for a new monitor for photo editing—we’d recommend looking at displays that cover at least 90 percent of the sRGB color space. And remember you don’t always need to get the most expensive high-end monitor to get the job done. 

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video games to cameras and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.

The post The best monitors for editing photos in 2023 appeared first on Popular Science.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Best overall		Sony FX30		SEE IT	This compact and relatively affordable camera is ready for serious filmmaking.
Best compact		DJI Pocket 2		SEE IT	Despite its small size, this camera shoots super-smooth 4K video.
Best for vlogging		Sony ZV-1		SEE IT	This compact camera offers just about everything you need to get started.

Having a quality video camera will upgrade the production value of whatever you may be shooting. Whether working on a short film, a YouTube channel, or video content for social media, having more than your phone to capture your footage will ultimately make your final product look more professional. Although most modern cameras can shoot 4K video, when selecting a video camera, you should also consider specs like resolution, frame rate capabilities, sensor size, and bit-depth. The video cameras in this buying guide should appeal to a diverse group of videographers and fit various budgets. Of course, you can spend Michael Bay money and get true cinema rigs, but those fall outside the scope of this article because of their cost and complexity. Keep reading to learn more about the best video cameras currently available.

• Best overall: Sony FX30
• Best for filmmaking: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
• Best for photo and video: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
• Best for vlogging: Sony ZV-1
• Best compact: DJI Pocket 2

How we chose the best video cameras

When selecting the cameras that appear in this buying guide, we considered video cameras that fit a variety of budgets, experience levels, but also a variety of needs based on the kinds of videos that might get created. We evaluated cameras that would be a good fit for filming documentary films, capturing events, and for YouTube creators. The cameras in this buying guide were selected through hands-on experience, user feedback, and trusted editorial reviews.

The best video cameras: Reviews & Recommendations

Your phone has a video camera baked into it, but these dedicated cameras all offer something the device in your pocket can’t. Here are our specific picks to meet your cinematic (or social media) needs.

Best overall: Sony FX30

Sony

SEE IT

Why it made the cut: This 4K APS-C sensor camera is optimized for video and offers a wide variety of capture formats, making it our pick for best overall video camera.  

Specs

• APS-C sensor 
• 10-bit 4:2:2 S-Log3 capture
• Shoots oversampled 4K up to 60p

Pros 

• In-body image stabilization 
• S-Log3 capabilities with uploadable custom LUTs and S-Cinetone color profiles
• Rig-ready body 

Cons 

• No mechanical shutter 

The compact Sony FX30 was built with small-scale filmmakers in mind. The 4K APS-C camera features excellent in-body image stabilization, five thread holes for attaching mounts, and three command dials for straightforward operation. The FX30 can shoot oversampled 4K up to 60p, features the same Log shooting modes found inside Sony’s high-end cinema cameras, and can upload customized LUTs (Look Up Tables, which work like visual styles you can apply to footage) to judge what final image quality will look like. Although it can technically shoot stills, the lack of a mechanical shutter doesn’t make it the ideal camera for the job because moving subjects can look distorted due to sensor readout. However, since it’s a camera designed with filmmakers in mind, we wouldn’t count that as a drawback. 

Best for filmmaking: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro

Blackmagic

SEE IT

Why it made the cut: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera combines a high dynamic range, excellent low light performance, and a massive sensor to offer Hollywood-style production value at a fraction of the price. 

Specs

• Super 35 sensor
• 13 stops of dynamic range
• Records in 12-Bit Blackmagic RAW 

Pros 

• Built in ND filters
• External controls make it easy to adjust settings while rolling
• USB-C port allows you to record to external drives
• EF lens mount makes it compatible with Canon lenses

Cons

• Have to build out with accessories 

The Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera makes it easy to capture Hollywood-style video thanks to its high dynamic range capabilities and ability to record in 12-bit  Black Magic Raw. Although it’s pricey compared to many of the 4K and 6K mirrorless cameras currently on the market, it’s a much more affordable option than the ARRI and Red rigs typically found on big-budget film sets. You can shoot 50 fps at 6K and 120 fps at 2.8K. USB-C expansion ports allow you to record directly to external drives. The external controls make it easy to change settings while rolling, plus it has an extremely intuitive interface for easy operation. 

The integrated Canon EF mount gives the camera native access to Canon’s DSLR lenses. Since Canon is phasing out cameras with that mount, there are a ton of great deals out there on the secondary market for extremely high-end lenses.

Best for photo and video: Canon EOS R6 Mark II

Abby Ferguson

SEE IT

Why it made the cut: This second-generation Canon EOS R6 is an excellent choice for shooting stills and video, thanks in part to a design that keeps video and still settings clearly separated from one another. 

Specs

• Full-frame 24-megapixel CMOS sensor 
• Shoots oversampled 4K up to 60p
• 10-bit C-Log3 

Pros 

• Supports ProRes RAW workflow with an Atomos recorder
• Dedicated switch for stills and video settings
• Offers false color displays

 Cons 

• Unreliable AF in video mode
• Histogram unavailable when recording video 

The Canon EOS R6 II made some substantial improvements to video features compared to the original, which is why it’s our pick for best hybrid camera. It’s built around a 24-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, a comfortable hand grip, and an intuitive control system that keeps video and photo settings separate. It can shoot oversampled 4K video up to 60p and has an improved system for thermal management—meaning it won’t overheat while shooting. Although the autofocus isn’t always reliable when shooting in video mode, this is still an excellent option for the creator looking for something that can shoot both video and stills.

Best for vlogging: Sony ZV-1

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Why it made the cut: A compact camera designed specifically with vloggers in mind, the SV-1 has excellent autofocus and a simple touchscreen interface that makes it easy to control while doing a walk and talk. 

Specs

• 20-megapixel 1” BSI CMOS sensor
• Shoots 4K up to 30p
• 8-bit Log and ‘HLG’ shooting modes

Pros 

• Has a directional 3-capsule mic for audio 
• Supports HLG and S-Log2/3 for easy color grading
• Real-time Eye AF 

Cons 

• No headphone jack for audio monitoring
• Limited zoom range

The ZV-1 is a compact, easy-to-use camera that makes it easy to start vlogging without much technical know-how. It has a clever directional three-capsule mic that makes it easy to capture quality audio while recording. It can shoot 4K up to 30p and Full HD video up to 120fps. There is a giant record button on the top of the camera and a simple touchscreen interface that makes operating the ZV-1 extremely intuitive. 

Its autofocus is fast and accurate, and settings like background de-focus and product-showcase mode are aimed specifically at content creators. If you are looking for an easy-to-use, compact camera with 4K capabilities, the ZV-1 has much to offer. 

Best compact: DJI Pocket 2

DJI

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Why it made the cut: This pocket-sized all-in-one gimbal and 4K camera is great for capturing stabilized footage. 

Specs

• 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor 
• Shoots 4K video at 60fps
• Built-in 3-axis gimbal for smooth, stabilized footage

Pros 

• Pocket-sized and easy to travel with
• Offers 140 minutes of recording time on a fully charged battery
• Fast f/1.8 lens 

Cons 

• Difficult to operate when attached to smartphone
• Subpar zoom quality 

This clever all-in-one gimbal and camera makes it easy to capture 4K stabilized footage. As the name suggests, the DJI Pocket 2 is compact enough to fit inside a pocket easily. The Pocket 2 features four mics with directional audio and a feature called soundtracking. The Pocket 2 is great as a secondary camera on a shoot or for capturing BTS footage from the day. Ultimately the Pocket offers an extremely easy way to grab some stabilized footage while shooting video.

Things to consider before buying a video camera 

Before purchasing a camera, it’s important to consider what your goals are and what kind of videos you are trying to create. You should also consider where your final video will be displayed. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu have specific requirements for video specs that often require shooting on higher-end cameras. If you want to create video content primarily displayed on YouTube or other social media platforms, a mid-range video camera might be a more appropriate choice. Ultimately a person working on a full-length film or a short documentary will have very different needs than someone creating video for a YouTube channel. 

Camera types

One of the most important things to understand before buying a video camera is the different types of cameras available on the market. At the high-end, there are cine-cameras. Cine-cameras are some of the most expensive and largest cameras on the market because they often have the largest sensor, can shoot at very high resolutions, and allow for more flexibility when color grading. 

There are currently several mirrorless cameras aimed at videographers who don’t necessarily need a high-end cine camera. These cameras are great for creating videos that will primarily live on YouTube, making them a nice choice for vloggers, event videographers, and content creators. The nice thing about this set of cameras is that they also can shoot high-quality stills. 

Resolution

You’ll likely want to export 4K footage when you’re done editing, and you’ll need at least 4K capture for that. That’s table stakes at this point. Some cameras offer higher-res shooting which allows creatives to shoot over-sampled 4K footage to provide more detail.

Lens mount

If the camera doesn’t have an integrated lens, you’re going to have to provide some glass, and that plays a huge part in how your productions look. Camera manufacturers (like Sony and Canon) typically offer their first-party lenses to go with their bodies. Other manufacturers like Blackmagic equip their cameras with mounts that can accept lenses from a third party. Many filmmakers also use vintage manual focus lenses on their video cameras because they provide a unique look, and they typically cost a lot less than their modern high-end counterparts.

Heat management

True cinema cameras offer robust cooling because the electronics inside can get very hot as they pull in high-res footage. Dedicated video cameras are better equipped to deal with these issues than most hybrid-oriented mirrorless cameras. Manufacturers often indicate in the specs how long you can expect a camera to go before it runs into heat issues. It’s also worth noting that some modes heat things much more quickly than others. If you’re maxing out resolution and framerate while capturing a data-hungry format, things will get toasty a lot faster than if you’re shooting basic 4K footage.

FAQs

Final thoughts on the best video cameras

• Best overall: Sony FX30
• Best for filmmaking: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
• Best for photo and video: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
• Best for vlogging: Sony ZV-1
• Best compact: DJI Pocket 2

Choosing the best video camera ultimately depends greatly on what you are shooting and where the final video will end up. It’s not unusual for videographers to shoot on various gear, depending on what a project calls for. When selecting the best video camera, you should always consider what type of gear is the best for getting the job done. 

Why trust us

Popular Science started writing about technology more than 150 years ago. There was no such thing as “gadget writing” when we published our first issue in 1872, but if there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for everyday readers means we would have been all over it. Here in the present, PopSci is fully committed to helping readers navigate the increasingly intimidating array of devices on the market right now.

Our writers and editors have combined decades of experience covering and reviewing consumer electronics. We each have our own obsessive specialties—from high-end audio, to video games, to cameras, and beyond—but when we’re reviewing devices outside of our immediate wheelhouses, we do our best to seek out trustworthy voices and opinions to help guide people to the very best recommendations. We know we don’t know everything, but we’re excited to live through the analysis paralysis that internet shopping can spur so readers don’t have to.

The post The best video cameras for 2023 as chosen by experts appeared first on Popular Science.

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This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com.

The annual Perseids meteor shower reached its peak over the weekend providing stargazers and astro photographers with a spectacular show. Thanks to the waxing crescent moon, dark skies created ideal conditions for meteor viewing and shooting.

During today’s early morning hours observers could see approximately 60-70 meteors per hour. Unlike the eclipse earlier this year, the spectacular show was visible on both sides of the equator. The dark skies made this year’s shower one of the brightest ever.

The star show will continue through August 24, although the number of visible shooting stars will diminish. You don’t need a telescope to see the showers, but you should try to head somewhere rural with minimal light pollution for ideal viewing and shooting conditions. The next large meteor shower is the Orionids, which is expected to peak on October 21.

Here are some of our favorite images captured over the weekend during this celestial event.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Spruce Knob, West Virginia

Pierre-Percee, France

Einsiedl, Germany

Fussen, Germany

Hong Kong, China

Inegol, Turkey

Crimea

Yatskovichy, Belarus

Tannourine, Lebanon

Jean, Nevada

This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com.

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The new year is a great time to get experimental with your photography and try out some new things. For many photographer’s it can be a slow time that offers a moment to get your backups, your books, and your goals for the next year in order. All that time also makes it a great place to try your hand at photography normally outside your wheelhouse. These are some of our favorite projects to help you flex those creative muscles in the new year.

Use a reflector to make a subject’s eyes pop

A reflector is one of the simplest lighting tools that a photographer can have in their kit—we think everyone should have one. It can work wonders when lighting conditions are just so-so. A basic white reflector can fill in shadows on a sunny day, a gold reflector will warm a subject up, while silver creates a bright and neutral fill on an overcast day. Aiming a silver reflector at your subjects eyes will give them a dramatic pop without ever having to touch Photoshop. Enlist a friend to help you hold the reflector.

Abstract architecture

If you live in an urban area there are plenty of architectural structures waiting for you. Photographing buildings may seem like a bore, but this is a great way to experiment with your camera. Buildings don’t move, they can look wildly different depending on the time of day that you are shooting, and most buildings have tiny hidden details that can be easy to miss. If you are just getting started with architecture photography, try to focus on one building and the smaller shapes within the structure. Focus on capturing the way that the negative and positive spaces interact with each other.

Smoke bomb portraits

Adding a bit of colorful smoke to your next portrait session is a simple way to add a whimsical feeling to your frames. Although the effect is certainly cool, if you are going to be working with smoke bombs be careful. Make sure you are shooting outdoors in a well-ventilated area far away from anything that might catch on fire. You’ll also want to make sure that you have water handy so you can safely extinguish the smoke bombs at the end of the shoot.

Treat your dog to a studio shoot

Dogs make for great photographic subjects and with a little bit of lighting gear you can easily create an intriguing action shot of your pet at play. Check out Christian Vieler’s ongoing series of dogs catching treats to get inspired. Although Vieler chooses to stick to high-speed flash inside the controlled walls of a studio, there is no reason you can’t bring your lighting gear outside and capture your furry friend in a more natural environment.

Make a milk bath portrait

Milk bath portraits have long been popular for maternity and boudoir shoots, and although the technique has a very specific feel to it, it’s pretty straightforward to execute. You’ll need a bathtub, some milk, pretty props to place on top of the milk, and a subject to place in the bath. If you are just getting started it’s probably best to work with an adult subject rather than a baby.

Boudoir photography

Boudoir photography can be extremely intimidating if you are just getting started, but it doesn’t have to be. Like most forms of portrait photography they key to having a successful shoot comes down to good communication between the photographer and the model—of course things always feel a little more awkward when you remove clothing from the equation. The level of comfort and trust between the photographer and the subject is will often be readily evident in the final images.

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Ethan Moses of Cameradactyl loves a wacky camera—he has been building his own for years now. Thanks to the accessibility of 3D printing, his creations include foldable 4×5 field cameras, a 4×5 hand camera, a medium format shooter, and a number of plastic 3D printed photographic accessories like grips and film holders. His most recent creation is a 35mm panoramic camera that he is calling the Brancopan. The project is currently raising funds on Kickstarter. Panoramic cameras, like the Hasselblad XPan or the Widelux are rare and typically prohibitively pricy on the second hand market, they are also really expensive to fix. Creating a 3D printed plastic camera solves both of these problems.

Although Moses has successfully raised funds on Kickstarter for his brightly colored cameras in the past, for the Brancopan he wanted to do things a bit differently. Instead of giving his Kickstarter backers a physical product at the end of the campaign he plans to release the STL files that he uses to 3D print the cameras. Campaign backers who donate any amount of money to his campaign will receive these files. Anyone who has access to a 3D printer, approximately $40 worth of printing supplies, and some free time will have the tools to create their very own panoramic film camera that will work with a Mamiya Press lens

“Selling physical objects is how I have paid for my research and development in the past, but selling physical objects is getting to the point of getting in the way of some of the research and development I would like to be doing,” Moses explains.

A single Brancopan takes between 60-70 hours to print and 6 to 8 hours to assemble, if Moses were to recoup the time he needs to put in to create a single camera at a minimum of $650—way too much for something that is built from plastic. For Moses, rewarding his Kickstarter backers with the files to print the camera and teaching them how to assemble and use it, just made a whole lot more sense.

If he meets his goal, he plans to create a series of videos instructing backers how to print the files, how to assemble the camera, and how to use it out in the world. Moses is raising funds for the camera through January 10th.

“I think that my skills and talents are probably best used developing new products, and teaching people how to build them on simple machinery, rather than spending 5 hours out of every day printing, assembling and shipping already tested and proven designs,” he explains.

Any backers who pay $1 or more will receive the files if the campaign successfully raises $12,000 by January 10. Backers who donate over $50 to the campaign will receive the STL files and one laser cut frame counter dial that they can attach to their 3D printed camera. Backers who donate over $100 will receive the STL files and three of those laser cut frame counter dials. Ultimately though Moses is hoping that a large number of people will donate small amounts to the campaign so that more people can begin 3D printing their own cameras.

The camera has two cold shoes, a ratchet film advance, and a frame counter with a lockout mechanism to give each frame even spacing. Other features include a spring loaded film door, a tripod mount, and strap lugs. Moses says he has shot over 100 rolls of film through his plastic Brancopan camera and has been very happy with the results.

“It’s plastic, but it’s oversized and super tough,” he says.

The post Cameradactyl is a 35mm panoramic camera you can build yourself appeared first on Popular Science.

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Photographers can be notoriously difficult to shop for. We’re picky about our gear, tend to already own a lot of it, and the crucial pieces of our kits are prohibitively pricey. But there are plenty of practical gifts to get for the photographer in your life that isn’t a cheesy coffee mug shaped like a camera lens. (You’re photography-inclined loved ones probably has a few of these from holiday seasons of yore.)

We’ve handpicked gifts that are budget-friendly and that almost any photographer would find useful.

Amazon

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Every photographer needs a good tripod in their kit, and the Joby GorillaPod is a top-notch, compact option for anyone (though it’s particularly great for those dabbling in video). This compact ball-head tripod has legs that wrap around anything—tree branches! wire fences! ceiling beams!—and can be rotated 360 degrees. It’s made of anodized aluminum and can hold a camera that weighs up to 11 pounds.

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Adding a shine of color with a gel—see how it looks here—is an easy way to enhance your flash photography or compensate for crummy lighting. The thin sheets of colored plastic fit any speedlight and have a clever band to keep them in place. The whole package includes 20 color options, all of which fit nicely into a secure carrying case, which will help keep your gear bag organized.

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Photographers always need more storage options, but a hard drive is not as fun to purchase as a new lens or a set of gels. While a portable external drive might not be the sexiest of gifts, your photographer friend will be happy you got it for them. The Western Digital drives come in a variety of colors, boast a USB 3.0 port, and offer automatic backup. Don’t think you need something more sentimental; practical gifts rule.

Nikon’s D850 is an established powerhouse in the competitive world of high-resolution DSLRs. The camera allows photographers to capture fast action in 45.7 megapixels of brilliant resolution. With remarkable advancements across the board—sensor design, autofocus, dynamic range, sensitivity, speedlight control, battery life, shutter, and mirror drive mechanisms, Silent Photography in Live-View mode, focus shift capability and more—this remains quite possibly the most impressive, well-rounded DSLR yet.

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Gaff tape is a magical product that can fix a variety of photography-related problems quickly. It can tape up camera logos, fix a broken strap, secure power cables, hang a lightweight backdrop—the list goes on and on. These mini rolls fit easily into an accessory bag, lens pouch, or pocket. And unlike duct tape, when you pull it off at the end of your shoot, you won’t leave behind a sticky residue.

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Sony’s new memory cards are dustproof and waterproof to help protect the precious images stored inside. These cards have a new design that eliminates both the finicky lock switch and the fragile plastic ribs over the connectors, both of which have a tendency to break. They’re also the first SD card to use a totally sealed monolithic structure (conventional SD cards are made of three pieces) to help keep the data safe.

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A flash won’t do you much good if it doesn’t have enough battery power to fire. Ripping through your bag to find your fresh batteries is stressful when you’re on a job. This nifty, compact battery holder from Think Tank helps alleviate that problem. It stores eight (the perfect number needed for a speedlight and a set of radio triggers like PocketWizards) and will keep you from losing track of pricy rechargeable batteries.

Amazon

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Adobe’s Creative Cloud is an integral part of many photographer’s professional lives. A year-long subscription to the service is a great way to save your photography-inclined loved ones some cash in the upcoming year. This package deal comes with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC, and 20 GB of cloud storage for image access anywhere.

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Every photographer can benefit from a fresh burst of knowledge and inspiration. The Photographer’s Playbook offers 307 strange assignments and ideas to spark creativity and engage with their art in a new way. The book features anecdotes and ideas from photographers like John Baldessari, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Jim Goldberg, Susan Meiselas, Alec Soth, and Roger Ballen.

Ama

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This lens pouch from Peak Design keeps a low profile and attaches to your belt loop, making it easy to access a second lens or a speedlight when out on a shoot. It’s padded to keep your glass safe and comes in three sizes to accommodate different pieces of gear.

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The best camera is the one in your pocket, and for many people that means a smartphone. Help your loved one enhance their smartphone photography with this wide lens from Moment. This lens works with the brand’s phone case (sold separately) and offers an expanded view (about 0.63x magnification) for a fresh perspective of any scene. The lens comes with a cap and a microfiber bag to keep it safe when its not attached to your phone.

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When it comes to editing, faster is always better, and this tiny drive is big on speed. This portable SSD has read speeds of up to 550MB/s, capacities up to 2TB, and an IP55 ruggedness rating (meaning it can handle a bit of moisture). It’s 0.35 inches thick and weighs just 0.086 pounds, so it’s a great way to quickly back up your files or transfer them to a client.

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A leather camera strap is always in style, and this one from Heavy Leather an absolute favorite. The handmade strap is two-inches wide, making it super comfortable to wear on your shoulder or around your neck. Its sturdy quick-release clasps won’t give out and send your camera tumbling to the floor. It’s an excellent choice for shooters looking for something understated.

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A simple, portable light shaping tool is an incredible way for photographers to enhance their flash photography. Gary Fong’s collapsible lightsphere gives photographers a soft omni-directional light. This modifier works with any large speedlight and collapses down to 1.5 inches, making it great for travel.

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Fujifilm’s analog instant camera have been a hit with all types of photographers. The SQ6 in particular gives shooters the ability to shoot Instax square frames in a true analog format. The instant camera can shoot in double-exposure mode, macro mode, landscape mode, and selfie mode and comes with gels to add pops of colors to your film photos.

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This afternoon Fujifilm announced the fifth generation of its popular premium compact camera, the X100V. The camera features a redesigned, fixed 23mm f/2.0 lens and the same sensor and processor combination found inside Fujifilm’s mirrorless cameras like the X-Pro3 and the X-T3—meaning the tech inside has come a long way since the last X100 was released.

We had a chance to check the camera out prior to its announcement during a photowalk in New York City. These are our first impressions of this new premium compact.

Design and feel

The Fujifilm X100V is designed to be lightweight and compact, and—like the cameras that have come before it—the X100V delivers here. The camera only weighs 1.05 lbs with the memory card and battery. The top and bottom plates are milled from single pieces of aluminum, which gives the camera an impeccably clean edge. The control dials on the top of the dial have been reorganized into a simplified configuration, the grip and the lens barrel also feature subtle ergonomic changes. There is a new two-way tilted touchscreen LCD on the back of the camera as well.

The camera feels great in your hands: it’s very compact, but the aluminum top and bottom plates give it heft. Hanging it around your neck, slinging it over your shoulder, or wrapping the strap around your wrist are all comfortable ways to carry and shoot with this camera. The camera’s controls are placed intuitively making it easy to change settings on the fly. The redesigned 23mm lens is an unexpected treat as well—it features a control ring that allows you to change settings like film simulation, while the ring for changing aperture feels much more substantial than the lenses found on earlier versions of the camera.

Shooting experience

Although our time with the X100V was brief, it was enjoyable. The 23mm lens has the same field of view as a 35mm lens—making this a great camera for street shooting or everyday candids. The camera’s small size gives it a discrete footprint as well. It’s really not that much bigger than your phone, but will provide images with much better image quality. Plus, the intuitive touch controls on the LCD screen make this an easy jump for anyone who is used to shooting with their smartphone. The fixed lens also means that you can take the X100V into places where interchangeable-lens-cameras are typically not allowed, like large concerts and major sporting events. The focal length won’t be ideal for far-away shots, but if you are sitting close to the action, we suspect that this camera would deliver some quality results.

During our time with the X100V we appreciated that although the camera is quite small, it doesn’t feel cheap. It feels substantial and seems as if it would be a fun camera for a day of exploring a new city. The hybrid viewfinder makes it easy to switch between the 0.52x magnified optical viewfinder or the 3.69M dot OLED viewfinder. The camera’s EVF gives shooters a real-time look at the images they are recording.

Check out additional sample images from the X100V below.

The post Fujifilm’s X100V improves on one of the best all-around compact cameras appeared first on Popular Science.

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On July 20th Hasselblad celebrates its fiftieth anniversary as the maker of the camera that documented the historic moon landing. NASA and Hasselblad began working together in 1962 during the Mercury program, seven years before the moon mission, to ensure that the cameras would function properly in the intense cold temperatures and decreased gravity in space.

Project Mercury astronaut Walter Schirra actually owned a Hasselblad 500C and suggested that NASA and Hasselblad work together to document the missions to space. To prepare the cameras for the journey, Hasselblad had to remove a number of elements to reduce the overall weight of the camera, including the leather covering, auxiliary shutter, reflex mirror, and the viewfinder. The custom film magazine held enough film for 70 frames instead of the normal 12. The cameras were then painted matte black to minimize reflections from the window of the orbiter. The camera first accompanied astronauts into space on Mercury 8 in October 1962.

The cameras that captured the first frames from the moon in 1969 was a Hasselblad Data Camera (HDC) with a Zeiss Biogon 60mm f/5.6 lens and a 70mm film magazine, and a Hasselblad Electric Camera (HEC) with a Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8 lens. The HDC included a Réseau plate, which imprinted the fixed cross-marks on the negatives and allowed for photogrammetric measurements to be made from the images. It was painted silver to regulate its performance as it moved from the temperatures that ranged from -85° F to 248° F. Armstrong shot all of the photos from the moon landing with the HDC attached to the chest of his space suit.

After the film magazines were successfully removed from the cameras, the astronauts had to leave the cameras and lenses behind—the weight requirements to successfully return to Earth were very strict and so any ancillary objects had to be tossed. The “garbage heap” left behind was worth about 1 million dollars according to a 1969 press release about the successful mission. Cameras and lenses were discarded after all of the Apollo missions, meaning that there are still 12 Hasselblad bodies and lenses on the surface of the moon. The photos captured on this mission remain some of the most iconic. Check out some of the historic frames from the Apollo 11 mission in the photos, below.

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This story originally published on Popphoto.com.

Fujifilm’s Instax Mini LiPlay is a super compact Instax camera that incorporates digital and analog tech into a single place. The Instax Mini LiPlay features a 2.7 inch LCD screen, has integrated digital filters and frames, remote shooting options, smartphone printing, and sound recording.

The camera essentially combines the tech of the Instax printers and the Instax cameras into a single device. The LCD screen on the Instax doubles as a viewfinder, making for more predictable framing while shooting compared to the offset rangefinder on most typical instant film cameras.

Fujifilm started dropping hints about the new camera through its Twitter account at the end of May.

Here is what we know about it:

• 1.5in CMOS sensor
• 2560 x 1920 effective pixels
• 2.7 inch LCD monitor with 230K dots
• Built in memory for approximately 45 files, takes micro SD cards for increased storage
• 28mm fixed focal length with a F/2.0 lens
• Self timer
• Voice recording up to 10 seconds, clips are played back by scanning a QR code on the print
• Weighs 255g, making it the lightest Instax ever
• Micro USB charging

The camera is available in three colors (Stone White, Elegant Black, and Blush Gold) and will be available on June 14 for $160. We’re looking forward to getting some hands on time with this one.

The post The Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay is an instant film camera that records sound appeared first on Popular Science.

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Early this morning Leica announced the SL2, a full frame mirrorless camera built around a 47-megapixel CMOS sensor. It brings improved ergonomics and a simplified three-button layout compared to the original SL, which came out in 2015. Mirrorless camera technology has obviously come along way since Leica first introduced the SL, and while other camera companies seem to release a new mirrorless camera at least once a year, Leica’s process works a little bit differently.

Prior to the camera’s announcement we had a chance to visit the Leica headquarters in Wetzler, Germany, tour the facilities where these cameras are produced, and be some of the very first in the world to get hands on time with this forthcoming camera. Read on to learn more about our shooting experience with the SL2.

Design and feel

The ergonomics of the SL2 have gotten an overhaul compared to the original SL. The camera has a full-metal housing made of anodized aluminum and machined magnesium and has an IP54 rating, which gives it a rugged and substantial feeling. As with all Leica cameras the SL2 feels like it is built to last for a long time. Hand-applied leatherette wraps around the body of the camera. The grip has been redesigned for a more comfortable shooting experience and the button layout on the back of the camera has been simplified to match what is found on Leica Q and M cameras. On the back of the camera to the left of the 3.2 inch touchscreen you will find buttons for “Play” “FN” and “Menu”. An On/Off switch sits to the left of the 5.76 megapixel OLED viewfinder with a comfortable rounded eyecup. To the right of the eyecup you find joystick and back dial. The top of the camera has two customizable buttons, a substantial top dial, and the shutter. The simplified design is intuitive and easy to operate without taking the camera away from your eye.

The user interface of the SL2’s menus also take a less-is-more approach. Photo and video functions get dedicated menus that are also color coded: photo options appear with white text on a black background, while the video menu feature black text on a white background. Major settings can be accessed via touch by pressing the back menu button: like shutter speed, ISO, file format and AF choices. Deeper menu options can be accessed using the joystick, but don’t expect to be overwhelmed with options, the SL2’s menu is only six pages long without many nested settings. It’s design is intuitive and things are easy to find, meaning you get to spend more time making pictures and less time fiddling with settings.

Shooting experience

Leica’s simplified design philosophy translates into a camera that’s fun to shoot in a wide variety of situations. It can work for journalists, portraits, or street photography. During our time with it we were pleased with the results that it got in the studio, on the streets, and even photographing New York City nightlife.

When shooting with the SL lenses the Autofocus inside the camera was speedy and accurate. The camera features face and object detection, and although the SL2 doesn’t feature the eye-AF boxes found in so many other mirrorless cameras, it did a nice job grabbing focus on our subjects eyes. There did seem to be occasionally lag in the time between shooting a picture and being able to review it on the camera’s LCD screen, but the version we were shooting with was running pre-production firmware, we suspect this issue will be fixed in the cameras that will hit stores at the end of this month.

One of the biggest appeals of the SL2 is the ability to shoot with any of Leica’s excellent M mount lenses. During our time with the SL2 we honestly spent the bulk of our time using an M mount adapter and manual focus M lenses. Nailing focus a manual focus lens can take a bit of getting used to, but we found that the in-camera 5-axis stabilization did an excellent job at minimizing shake when shooting with these lenses.

The SL2 has an ISO sensitivity up to 50,000, and although we didn’t have to boost that high, we found that the camera did a great job in dimly lit situations too.

Ultimately the SL2 has an intuitive design that lets photographers focus on the art of making pictures. This isn’t going to be a must-have for every type of photographer, but the camera’s autofocus capabilities, fast processor and that new 47 megapixel sensor, all make it very appealing—especially if you already have a nice stash of Leica M glass sitting on a shelf at home.

The SL2 will be available just before the holidays on November 21 for $5,995.

The post First shots with Leica’s 47-megapixel SL2 mirrorless camera appeared first on Popular Science.

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Fujifilm just announced the arrival of the X-T4, a camera with a 26.1 megapixel back-side illuminated CMOS sensor, a larger battery than its predecessors, a redesigned body, and an overhauled in-body image stabilization system. The mechanical shutter can shoot 15 fps, making it the fastest camera in the X series. I got a chance to check out and shoot with a pre-production version of this compact mirrorless powerhouse a few days before its release.

Design and feel

The X-T4 has a more robust feel than the X series cameras that have come before it. The hand grip is more substantial, the dials on the top have been slightly reorganized, and the dual memory card slots now sit side by side. The larger battery motivates most of these ergonomic changes since it demands more space inside the body.. Although it’s bigger than the X series that have come before it, it’s still compact and the design changes in the handgrip make for a very comfortable shooting experience. The dials on the top of the camera have a bit more space around them and the simple switch for photo and video modes under the shutter speed dial is very convenient.

Like the X series cameras that have come before it though it the controls on the top remain very tactile and are reminiscent of what you might find on an old film camera. If you’ve used previous Fujifilm cameras navigating the X-T4 will be a breeze.

Shooting experience

The autofocus and the in-body image stabilization performed quite well during my brief time with this camera. Although I didn’t have a chance to test it out in any really dark settings where I’m usually shooting with an X-T2, the camera did an impressive job in the darker corners of Grand Central Station even at slower shutter speeds. I loved the new Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation as it provided a cinematic and somewhat moody look—the perfect aesthetic for city shooting.

Although I didn’t have a chance to put the longer battery life to the test, during my time with the camera the percentage didn’t seem to drop at all—impressive considering how quickly the old style of Fujifilm battery seemed to lose power.

The 47-megapixel RAW files that the camera produces gave me plenty of leeway in post-processing, although the Fujifilm presets are pretty enough that there wasn’t really much to do.

Overall this is a very capable compact mirrorless that we think will be able to handle a wide variety of photo and video jobs. Scroll down to see more sample images from the X-T4.

The post First shots with Fujifilm’s X-T4 Mirrorless camera appeared first on Popular Science.

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Summertime is here and that means that photographers who specialize in event coverage schedules are starting to fill up. The coming months will be filled with graduations, weddings, music festivals, parades, sporting events, and every other kind of photogenic event you can imagine.

While shooting in the summer has its benefits, it’s not always a picnic. All that sunshine will provide some awesome contrast for your photographs, but it also means long hours outside on your feet lugging large amounts of gear. Although a solid camera body and a few good lenses are obvious must-haves for covering summer events, there are a number of other accessories that will make photographing events a seamless experience.

Holdfast

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A comfy camera strap is key for a long day of shooting and the HoldFast MoneyMaker is one of our favorites. This classy leather strap come in a variety of finishes and the company recently started making a vegan-friendly version out of cotton canvas. The original MoneyMaker fits on your body like a vest and allows you to comfortably carry two cameras at once—a must have shooters that like to quickly have a 24-70 and a 70-200 at their disposal, or don’t want to risk changing lenses in the midst of a shoot.

The company recently released a new version of the MoneyMaker designed to carry a single camera. The Money Maker Solo is a cross body strap with a stabilizer connector that clips under your armpit and a belt anchor that keeps the strap and your camera body from sliding around to much during a shoot. The straps also feature d-rings for securing additional accessories to the strap that you might need access to during the day.

Lume Cube

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Lighting conditions during an event can be unpredictable and cranking your ISO can’t always solve the problem, even with a high-end camera. Having a small light available to shine on a subject can make a huge difference in the quality of the final images. Lume Cube is a powerful pocket-sized LED light that you can control with your phone. The light has a 5700K daylight balanced color temperature, a 60-degree beam angle, and is waterproof up to 30 feet. There are also a ton of miniature modifiers available for the lights like barndoors, snoots, colored gels, and grids that can be used to shape the light.

Peak Design

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The Peak Design pouches come to two styles and we’ve found both to be game changers for events.

The smaller pouch has a low-profile design that attaches to your belt loop and makes it easy to access a second lens or a speedlight while you are shooting.

The pouches come in three different sizes, and employ folding pads that allow you to stack multiple pieces of equipment in a single pouch, without them clanging together.

The larger field pouch is like an advanced fanny pack or a tiny sling bag that’s great for stashing extra batteries, SD cards, or your lenses. It has a roll-top design which makes it easy to expand its capacity. The bag is made of weatherproof nylon canvas and comes in four different colors.

Sony

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Outdoor concerts, sporting events, parades, and festivals can make for great photo opportunities, but the conditions can be brutal. These locations are often hot, dusty, and, can turn into a sloppy wet mess during summer rainstorms. In times like that you definitely don’t want to lose the precious data on your memory cards.

Sony’s Tough cards are dustproof and waterproof and have a design that eliminates the finicky lock switch and fragile plastic ribs over the connectors. This all means they are way less likely to break off inside your camera or become damaged once you remove them.

Pelican

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Even if you are shooting with a Tough Card storing them in some kind of housing is a better bet then shoving them in a pocket or letting them float around loose in your bag. This metal Pelican case holds up to 12 SD cards and has a shockproof and waterproof design. It’s also a great way to keep your clean cards and your full cards separate from one another so you can grab one in a hurry.

Think Tank

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A speedlite won’t do you much good with dead batteries. And often there isn’t the option to run to the corner store and pick up a fresh set in the midst of an event shoot. This compact battery holder from Think Tank will keep a set of 8 AA organized inside your bag and makes them easier to access than ripping into a fresh pack. The battery holder stores eight. Keep the nub facing up on the fresh ones and put the dead ones back in with the flat side showing so you’ll always know which cells still have juice without having to try them out.

Mophie

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A fully charged phone battery dies quickly during a fast-paced event. Mophie’s power packs are a great way to keep your smartphone juiced throughout the day. Mophie’s integrated portable batteries work with a variety of smartphones and other USB-C rechargeable devices. They recently released a small pocket-sized version called the Powerstation Keychain that clips onto a set of keys or a belt loop and is compatible with any device that takes USB-C cables. Even if you don’t use them to charge your camera, it could keep your phone running during the day to help you communicate with clients or assistants.

Sony

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When it comes to editing and file transfer, faster is better, and this tiny Sony drive is big on speed. The external SSD has read speeds up to 540MB/s and write speeds up to 520MB/s. The drive is roughly the side of a credit card, weighs 1.8 oz, and has a wave surface so it is easy to find in a bag. The drive comes in 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities. It’s a great way to quickly transfer files off a card at the end of a shoot or do a backup. Because the drive reads and writes so quickly, you can edit directly off of it without the bottleneck of a spinning hard drive slowing you down.

Gaffer Power

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We can’t get enough of gaff tape. It’s that seemingly magical product that can fix a number of problems quickly: taping up camera logos, fixing a broken strap, a substitute band-aid—the list goes on and on. It’s versatile and incredibly strong, it also won’t leave that gross sticky residue like duct tape. We like these mini rolls because they are easy to slide into an accessory bag or a pocket.

The post The best gear for event photographers appeared first on Popular Science.

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Jeanette D. Moses

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Sony’s new a7R IV flagship camera is a monster on paper. It’s new 61 megapixel sensor pumps out uncompressed RAW files that are 123.2 MB and Extra Fine JPEGs that are nearly 40MB, and it can do it at 10 fps with autofocus. It has eye-tracking in video mode, 547 AF points, and promises 15 stops of dynamic range, which is beyond what many high-end medium format systems with five-digit price tags promise. But, the spec sheet can only tell so much. We had an early chance to shoot with Sony’s new top dog camera. Here are some sample images and initial impressions.

Design and feel

At first glance the a7R IV looks identical to the a7R iii, but once you pick it up you start to notice some of the subtle ergonomic differences. The a7R IV features a chunkier grip and some additional weather sealing around the doors that hide the dual UHS-II card slots and battery. The rear dial on top of the camera has been redesigned, the AF-On button is larger, and there is a textured rear joystick. The camera also features a lock on top of the exposure comp dial on the top of the camera, which will prevent shooters from accidentally changing that setting while the camera is in a bag or slung over your shoulder.

The larger grip makes the camera a bit beefier than earlier models, especially when you are shooting with Sony’s high-end G-Master lenses, but it’s still quite comfortable to hold. The tacky joystick on the camera’s back is a nice addition for changing focus points while shooting, although we didn’t love the texture of the redesigned rear dial. The top lock on that exposure comp dial is very welcome. Overall, don’t expect any huge surprises if you’re already familiar with other cameras in the line.

Shooting experience

The 5.76M-dot finder gives the camera a higher-resolution image and it’s one of the first things that I noticed when using the new camera. The display offers Standard or High settings. In “High” mode, the resolution is 1.6 times greater than the QVGA OLED Tru-Finder on the a7R iii. The camera has more AF points than the a7R iii and the tracking modes have been updated too.

The a7R IV can track subjects when the shutter is half-pressed in both still and video shooting. Like some of Sony’s other pro-grade cameras the a7R IV can detect both human and animal subjects eyes. The AF point now appears as red or white box, rather than the grey found on earlier versions of the camera. A new mode called ‘Focus Priority’ allows the camera to focus with a wide open aperture—good for shooting in low light conditions.

The sensor update is the line’s first since back in 2015. Although the cameras we were shooting with were production level models and producing final image quality, we were told that there may be some additional upgrades to the Firmware before the camera hits the market in September.

The post First impressions and sample images from Sony’s new 61-megapixel mirrorless camera appeared first on Popular Science.

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The Photo Plus Expo kicked off today New York City with three days of talks, workshops, portfolio reviews, and, of course, new camera gear and accessories. This annual show is an excellent opportunity for photographers to check out new products in-person. We’ve spent the afternoon scouring the showroom floor for the best new products available to photographers. Here’s what we’ve loved so far.

Jeanette D. Moses

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Prototypes of the forthcoming 1DX Mark III lived under glass in New York City. While we still don’t know when the new flagship will be available to the public, the development announcement did include some exciting tech specs. The camera will have a brand new CMOS sensor and DIGIC processor, the ability to capture 10-bit stills using HEIF, an enhanced autofocus system with improved tracking and an autofocus sensor with approximately 28 times the resolution of the 1DX Mark II. Expect to see them abound at the 2020 Olympics.

Jeanette D. Moses

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The Fujifilm X-Pro3 is a digital camera that will make you think a bit more like a film shooter. The new camera essentially has the guts of the DSLR-shaped X-T3, but a hidden LCD screen encourages users to slow down and compose through the viewfinder. We got some nice hands-on time with Fujifilm’s new X-Pro3 earlier this week, but the company had some samples of the two new colors on the showroom floor in New York City. This Duratect Silver version reminds us of an old Contax camera, which is a very good thing.

New Canon Lenses

Canon’s two new RF lenses, the RF 85mm f/1.2 and the 70-200mm f/2.8, were also on view at the Canon booth. These are the ninth and tenth lenses for Canon’s mirrorless system, and both are impressive in their own right. The 70-200mm f/2.8 is one of the world’s shortest telephoto lenses—it’s compact size is even more evident when you see it compared to Canon’s other telephoto glass. The RF 85mm f/1.2 features a new DS coating, that gradually decreases the transmittance of light in the image to create beautifully blurred backgrounds. We weren’t able to actually shoot with the version that was on the showroom floor, since it was a pre-production model, but looking through the massive piece of glass gave us better insight into its nearly $3000 price tag.

Jeanette D. Moses

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Nikon’s very pricey and very niche lens, the 58mm F/0.95 Noct was available for some in-booth shooting for the first time ever. The $8,000 manual focus lens is one of the fastest the company has ever made, and although it’s specifically made for niche subjects like astrophotography, it can give shooters some pretty interesting results with portraits as well. The lens has 17 elements in 10 groups, and, while it’s a bit of a monster when attached to the Z camera, the bokeh is really impressive.

Jeanette D. Moses

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Sigma’s super compact full-frame fp camera was on display in New York City. We learned about this camera over the summer, but this was the first time we got a sample in our hands. It’s tiny, but solid. The camera uses Leica’s L lens mount and is built around a 24.6MP BSI-CMSO Bayer sensor—a departure from the Foveon sensors you might expect in a Sigma camera.

Jeanette D. Moses

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Sandisk’s new Extreme Pro Portable SSD has a read speed of up to 1050MB/s and comes in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB versions. It has a forged aluminum body that protects the SSD core and helps keep it cool. This rugged little drive has an IP55 rating for dust and water and higher impact resistance compared to its predecessor. It connects with USB Type-C and Type A, and it’s small size makes it perfect for a photographer on the go.

Lexar Multi Card Reader

Lexar’s compact professional 3-in-1 USB 3.1 Type-C Reader is compatible with SD, microSD and CompactFlash cards. It supports transfer speeds up to 312MB/s for SD and microSD and 160MB/s for CompactFlash cards. And the triangular shape makes it a little more compact than the traditional rectangular versions.

HEX Bags

We’ve been using and loving HEX’s camera backpacks for a while now, and although they are great for travel, they can be a little bulky for everyday use. That’s changing though—in part, they say, because of the feedback from women who have been using the bags. This December the company will be releasing scaled down versions of the backpack and sling bag. The new compact designs come in all three colors: black, blue camo, and green camo.

Ilford’s new film and analog accessories

Ilford had an array of exciting new products on the showroom floor at Photo Plus. First up there is a brand new film called Ortho Plus that comes in 120 and 35 formats. It’s an orthochromatic black and white film that is rated at ISO 80 and isn’t sensitive to red tones and has a fine grain and sharpness.

Ilford also announced the fifth generation of its best-selling Multigrade RC darkroom printing papers—the last update came 25 years ago. According to the company the new emulsion on the paper has been in development for the last eight years. The new version has a slightly warmer base tint, deeper blacks and offer a more consistent contrast throughout the tonal range.

Finally, Ilford is launching a really clever starter kit for film developing. The box includes pre-measured chemicals for developing two rolls of film, two reels, a Paterson 2-reel Universal Film Development Tank, graduated cylinders, a thermometer, a stirrer, and film clips. It’s everything that you need to get started developing film.

Lensbaby OMNI Creative Filter System Color Expansion Pack

Lensbaby had a new pack of colored accessories for its OMNI Filter System on view on the showroom floor. These multi-colored crystals, films and gels attach to the front of the specially designed Lensbaby lens filter using magnets and allow photographers to inject a range of colored tones into their scene. Unlike other Lensbaby products the OMNI Creative system works with standard zoom and prime lenses.

Tamron Lenses

Tamron announced a trio of wide F/2.8 prime lenses for Sony shooters at the show: a 20mm, a 24mm, and a 35mm and a 70-180mm telephoto zoom lens. The lenses all have the same 67mm filter size, moisture-resistant construction, and a fluorine coating on the front element to prevent fingerprint smudges. The lenses support Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF features in Sony cameras, plus they are a lot more affordable than Sony’s native lenses.

The post The best new camera gear at the PhotoPlus 2019 trade show appeared first on Popular Science.

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Peak Design is well-known for its practical everyday camera bags and camera straps, but now the company is diving into another camera accessory category. This morning Peak Design launched its ninth Kickstarter campaign to fund a new product called the Travel Tripod.

Although there are plenty of options already on the market, Peak Design wanted to make something that was more compact and had a quicker setup time than the gear that is currently out there. We had a chance to checkout a pre-production model prior to launch and so far we’ve been impressed by these two aspects.

To cut down on bulk the engineering team eliminated the dead space between the tripods legs, so the legs nest snugly in with the center column. When the tripod is collapsed, it has a diameter of just 3.25 inches—making it very comfortable to slide into the side pocket of a backpack. Simplifying tripod setup was also key. The Travel Tripod has non-inverted legs that are set up with four locking cam levers. Each tripod leg can be fully deployed with a single hand movement, making for a much quicker setup than a traditional travel tripod, which requires you to loosen multiple collars going down each leg.

Here is what else we know about it:

• Height of 58.5 inches when fully deployed
• 3.25 inch diameter when packed down
• Fluid ball head tripod
• Adjustment ring replaces traditional knobs
• Utilizes the quick-release plates found on Peak Design’s Capture Clip
• Universal phone mount
• Omnidirectional bubble-level
• A hook for counterweights
• 20lb weight capacity
• 5 leg sections
• Available in carbon fiber or aluminum

The Kickstarter campaign for the Travel Tripod launches today and if you pledge early you will end up saving some money. During the campaign you can snag an aluminum version of the Travel Tripod for $289 or a carbon fiber version for $479. Once the tripods hit the market prices go up, the aluminum version of the tripod will be $349.95 while the carbon fiber model will be $599.95. Kickstarter backers can expect to receive tripods by Dec 2019.

The post Peak Design is reimagining the travel tripod appeared first on Popular Science.

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When photographers are shopping for a new camera bag they usually want to know how much gear it can comfortably hold. Some shoots call for a huge backpack that can hold two bodies, a variety of lenses, accessories, and enough trail mix to make it through a week in the woods. But, sometimes less is more. In those cases, you’ll want a bag that holds a single body and maybe an extra lens. As the mirrorless market has grown and bodies have gotten smaller, we have seen an influx of bags designed with a minimalistic photographer in mind. These are some of our favorites.

Jeanette D. Moses

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The Peak Design Sling comes in two sizes, 10L and 5L, and I’ve found it to be a great quick-access bag for a day of casual shooting when I don’t need to lug a laptop or portable hard drive. The sling has a low-profile design, an easy to access loading compartment, flex fold dividers, two stretchy organizational pockets on the inside, and an additional zippered pocket with color coded pockets for items like memory cards. The 5L version that I’ve been using comfortably fits a mirrorless or APS-C body with extra lens with a little space left over for a compact film camera.

A slim back pocket holds a tablet (perfect for on-the-go editing) and a small pocket on the front for stashing personal items.The flex fold dividers are all customizable and the bag can be set up to hold a DJI Mavic drone, the DJI Spark, or even a full-frame DSLR. The bag is made of the same waterproof canvas and zips as the other bags in the Peak Design line.

The straps on the bag are totally adjustable. The Peak Design Everyday Sling arrives oriented for your left shoulder, I found this set up to be really uncomfortable and found the fit much better after a flip. The extra length on the straps tuck into a back pocket on the bag. A third metal adjuster known as the “low-profile adjuster” allows you to readjust the tightness of the bag while it is on your body—great for grabbing your gear while on the go. He 5L sling is technically small enough that it can also be worn around your waist—although I found this set up to be a little bulky for my frame.

The bag comes in black, ash, and sage for $99.95.

Jeanette D. Moses

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The ISM Classic Leather Bag isn’t a camera bag per-say, but the minute I saw this sleek looking backpack I was intrigued. I love a bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag, and if I’m in a situation where I need a limited amount of kit it’s highly likely that I just end up using a padded insert like the Topo Camera Cube inside of a normal backpack.

The ISM was designed for simplicity. You won’t find endless small organizational pockets inside this one, but you will find everything that you need. The Classic version of the bag has a dedicated 15” laptop sleeve in the back and a 12″ W x 17″ H x 5″ D separate pocket in the front: a perfect size for my Camera Cube. The ISM is made of Full-Grain Leather, has a water-resistant nylon exterior, full-grain leather details, EVA foam and mesh padded straps and YKK zippers and hardware. There is a seperate front zip pocket for personal items or small accessories.

The ISM is a sharp looking bag that I’ve found to be ideal for bringing to client meetings or fancy post-work events where a typical camera backpack looks out of place. The bag comfortably holds a laptop, a full-frame body, with extra lens, an external drive, and some personal items without feeling overstuffed. If you are using the bag with a mirrorless setup the bag becomes roomier. It’s comfortable to carry around for an entire day and the classy, understated design makes it fit in anywhere.

The bag isn’t cheap—the all black version costs $225 while the version with gold accents is $235. When you consider the materials that were used to make it though the price tag makes sense. It also comes with a lifetime warranty and a thirty day money back guarantee if you find that the ISM isn’t a good fit for you.

RELATED: First shots with Sony’s new 135mm portrait lens that’s built for bokeh

Jeanette D. Moses

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This Norwegian based bag company is poorly named. I covered the bags logo up with a patch almost immediately—sorry Douchebags. If you can get over the bad branding though, the products that this company makes are quite good. The bag company was founded by Swedish Pro Skier Jon Olsson, so these bags have plenty of technical aspects found in gear designed for skiers, snowboarders, and skaters.

The Backpack has a 21 liter volume, can hold a 15” Macbook in a separate back sleeve, and is compatible with the companies CIA camera insert. The bag has a Polyester 600D exterior and a Polyester 200D lining. It features a stretchy water bottle pocket, tripod straps, a separate top compartment, and six individual mesh pockets for your odds and ends.

The CIA camera insert that is compatible with the bag is sold separately for $79. The insert can hold 8 liters of gear and is compatible a mirrorless or DSLR setup. The insert has a fully foldable lid making it easy to see what is inside when The Backpack is fully unzipped.

It’s a sportier and more rugged style, but has a relatively narrow frame for the amount of gear it can pack inside.

The backpack comes in black, grey, red or a special black and red version and costs $179.

The post These compact camera bags carry just the right amount of gear appeared first on Popular Science.

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This story originally published on Popphoto.com.

Early this morning, Canon released news about a ton of forthcoming products, among them was the Canon EOS 90D, a new EF-mount camera with a 32.5 megapixel APS-C sensor that is powered by a DIGIC 8 processor. The camera has an optical viewfinder (as you’d expect with a DSLR), enhanced dial controls, and a 45-point all cross-type autofocus system with 5,481 manually selectable AF positions in live view. ISO settings range from 100 to 25600, it is capable of shooting 10 fps, 120p/100p Full HD video, 4K video at 30p/25p, and features Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Ultimately its a DSLR that is aimed at advanced amateur shooters, that features some of the controls found in Canon’s top of the line DSLRs.

We got a chance to shoot with the new camera prior to its announcement. This is what we thought of it.

Canon EOS 90D DSLR design and feel

If you’ve shot with any of Canon’s APS-C DSLRs before, the 90D is going to immediately feel comfortable in your hands. The camera has a dust-proof and drip-proof build and a stand-alone multi-controller. That added joystick helps mimic the experience of shooting with a higher-end DSLR from the line, while still maintaining some of the design features more common with the APS-C cameras. The 90D has a 3 inch vari-angle LCD touch screen and a pop-up flash. Integrated WiFi and Bluetooth connections allow users to connect multiple devices to multiple cameras through the Canon app without having to cancel previous pairings.

The major design changes have happened on the inside. The new camera features a revamped menu system, notably the WiFi connectivity menu gets its own page. There is also an option to send images to your smartphone as you are shooting rather than selecting one by one. There have also been updates to the AF thanks to the Dual Pixel CMOS. Face and Eye Tracking AF and Single-point Spot AF are both available in Live View shooting in the new camera. Eye AF is supported when shooting video as well.

Although there are quite a few customizable settings for the camera, it only has a single SD card, no surprise there, since it is after all a camera aimed at advanced amateurs and not top level users.

Shooting experience with the Canon EOS 90D

During our brief time with the Canon 90D we were shooting race cars and spent a bit of time working with some models in natural light. Shooting cars at a race track obviously requires a camera that has fast AF and the ability to shoot a lot of fps without any lag time. The 90D performed exceptionally well in both regards,considering its place in the lineup. The camera did a good job grabbing onto the car, holding focus as it drifted by, and had no issues keeping up with the action.

There was nothing out of the ordinary of shooting portraits with the 90D. It did exactly what we wanted it to—we suspect that the ability to precisely select an AF point will be a welcome feature for a lot of APS-C shooters.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to test out any of the upgraded WiFi features just yet, but will once the 90D launches.

Ultimately working with the camera was as we expected it to be, no quirks or surprises to be found here. This one will likely be a good option for amateur photographers looking to upgrade from a Canon Rebel or early-career pros looking for an inexpensive second body.

The post Hands on with the 32.5-megapixel Canon EOS 90D DSLR appeared first on Popular Science.

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Polaroid Originals reverting back to its classic name: Polaroid. To celebrate, the company has announced its new Polaroid Now instant film camera. It’s an autofocus body that shoots both i-Type and 600 film. For a limited time the new camera will be available in red, orange, yellow, green, and blue alongside the classic black and white bodies. The camera is available starting today for $100.

Compared to the Polaroid OneStep and the OneStep+ the Polaroid Now is slightly smaller, has a less boxy shape and fewer buttons. The lens on the camera automatically switches between portrait and distance modes and there is only one flash mode.

Shooting with the Polaroid Now involves a simple, familiar process: Load it with film, turn it on, and fire away. During our time with the camera we found that the new auto flash and lens combo did a good job in both indoor and outdoor situations. Our sample images were consistently well exposed and more or less in focus—especially important when you consider the pricier i-Type and 600 Polaroid film that the camera takes.

In addition to the new camera Polaroid is also launching a special edition instant film called Color Wave that will have colored frames and introducing Black Frame Editions as a permanent fixture. Both films are available starting today for $17 a pack.

The post Hands-on with the Polaroid Now instant film camera appeared first on Popular Science.

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This post originally appeared on our sibling site, PopPhoto.com.

Images can endure for centuries, but they need some care and upkeep if the physical object of the photograph is going to last. The Art Institute of Chicago houses one of the world’s largest photography collections with more than 24,000 pieces, and you better believe that there is a talented team of preservationists keeping works from photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Walker Evans in tip-top shape.

A new PBS NewsHour segment explores the process that goes into preserving these pieces of work for the next generation. It’s equal parts hard science and artistry.

According to Sylvie Penichon, head of the Photo Conservation Department at the museum, there is a misconception that unlike an old painting or sculpture if something happens with a photograph you can simply print another one. But this is incorrect. Analog prints are unique objects because every version has subtle differences.

The segment gives viewers a behind the scenes look at the Institute’s cold storage facilities and the delicate work that goes into repairing a damaged photograph. An Andre Kertesz print with a damaged corner took weeks to repair.

“We had to pick a paper that had the same thickness of this photograph, and then build layers, so that the sheen, the surface texture of the photograph, would be mimicked,” Penichon explains.

Only then could the team begin repainting the previously missing area.

An exhibition highlighting the work done by the conservation team is on view at the museum through April 28.

The post How restoration specialists protect vintage photographs from the ravages of time appeared first on Popular Science.

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A new G-master lens is on its way from Sony. The FE 135mm F1.8 GM lens for E-mount cameras (like the a7 series) is a full-frame, fast aperture, telephoto prime that offers impressive bokeh. It’s a versatile lens length for indoor-sports, weddings, and of course, portraits. Here is a top level look at the technical aspects of this lens.

• 13 elements in 10 groups
• XA (extreme aspherical) element and a Super ED glass to minimize aberrations common with telephoto lenses and onion-ring bokeh
• Four XD linear motors in the front and back make AF that is fast, precise and quiet
• Floating focus mechanism
• 11 blade circular aperture
• Maximum magnification of 0.25x
• Minimum focusing distance of 2.3ft.
• magnesium alloy construction
• Fluorine coating minimizes smudges on the front element
• Dust and moisture resistant design
• 5 inches high, 3.5 inches wide
• Weighs 33.5 oz
• Two customizable Focus hold buttons on the lens barrel
• Focus range limiter
• Linear response MF
• Aperture ring with a click on/off switch
• Available late April for $1900

We had the chance to spend some time shooting with this lens prior to its release with a Sony a9 that equipped with a stripped down version of the firmware that will be coming to the camera this summer.

RELATED: Sony is selling more full-frame cameras in the U.S. than Canon, Nikon, and everyone else

The AF capabilities of this lens, coupled with the circular bokeh were really impressive. These two aspects are going to make this a coveted lens for portrait shooters. The lens performed fairly well when shooting faster moving subjects like basketball players, although to get the most out of Sony’s subject tracking you will need to stop down the lens from F1.8. No one who knows anything about lens design expects a 135mm prime to be lightweight with a low profile, Sony did a good job keeping this one as small as possible. The lens balanced the a9 body and during our time shooting with it we didn’t notice any wrist or shoulder fatigue.

Ultimately though, it’s the image quality that matters and we are very happy with how those turned out. Portraits were consistently sharp with beautiful focus fall-off when shooting wide open. This lens does an amazing job of separating subjects from the background to emphasize expressions in a flattering way. Check out more of our sample images in the gallery below.

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Last night Canon announced the arrival of the Canon EOS RP, the second full-frame mirrorless camera in the new R line. It’s ultra-lightweight (only 17.29 ounces) and cost efficient full-frame camera aimed at shooters who are looking to upgrade to from an APS-C setup. A top level overview of the specs on the new camera can be found in the announcement post.

The EOS RP features the same RF mount with a 54mm internal diameter and short 20mm flange distance as the EOS R. This means any of the existing RF lenses developed for the EOS R will work with the RP, although some of them might make this lightweight camera feel a bit unbalanced.

The camera is build around a 26.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and has an ISO range of 100-25,600 with an expandable up to ISO 102,400. There are 5,655 manually selectable AF points.

Prior to the announcement we spent a day shooting with the new camera. During my time with the EOS RP I shot with the extension grip, a RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM, RF 28-70mm F2 L USM, a 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM, and a EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM with adapter.

Design and Feel

The EOS RP is essentially a more lightweight version of the EOS R. Because of its small size Canon is selling the camera with an option extension grip. The camera feels fine in hand without it, especially if you are shooting with a 35mm prime lens, but during my time with the EOS RP I found the add on to be quite useful, especially when shooting with some larger pieces of glass like the RF 28-70mm F2 L USM.

RELATED: Canon EOS R first impressions review and sample images

The rear and front dials on the camera are well positioned and easy to access while shooting.

The finicky M-Fn bar from the EOS R is notably missing from the EOS RP, and we aren’t complaining about that.

Shooting Experience

The EOS RP is aimed at entry level shooters and the experience of shooting with it was on par with that. A fun walking around camera for casual shots, but not something you’d want to rely on in professional situations.

The autofocus on the EOS RP is a fine match to the EOS R, it’s quite speedy, especially if you are shooting with RF lenses. Face and eye detection AF now works in continuous shooting mode and single shot mode. It gives you the option of which eye to focus on and once its engaged it works quite well. We’re guessing this function will get a lot of use for shooters who are using this camera to photograph their families. Subject tracking in the camera is also quite good.

The touch screen on the EOS RP is easy to use and accurate. It is fairly sensitive though. During my time with the EOS RP there were a number of times where the camera was turned on, slung over my shoulder, and would activate shutter release mode with the touchscreen. A setting that is not nearly as useful as touch focus.

A new mode called focus bracketing is useful for close up and macro photography. The function lets you shoot between 1-999 images and specify the increments that will be applied to every image in the series. It may sound complicated, but the function is very simple to use. You simply select the focal point closest to the lens in the frame, release the shutter, and the camera will do the rest. Images can then be merged in Canon’s DPP software. You will obviously want to have the camera on a tripod when using this function.

The EOS RP uses the same LP-E17 batteries as the Rebel, and its lifespan isn’t great. After approximately a half day of shooting the battery in the camera was down to a single bar. For a really casual shooter this might not be a problem, but if you have a full day outing planned you will certainly want to bring along some fully charged spares.

Conclusion

Although the senor in the EOS RP isn’t as good as what’s found in the EOS R, and some shooters will gawk at the camera’s ability to only shoot 4fps, you really can’t beat the price point on this one. The EOS RP body will be selling for $1299, the most inexpensive full-frame mirrorless camera to date, and if you purchase before March 30 will come with a free extension grip and lens adapter for EF lenses.

We dug the simplified body controls and the compact size. And were impressed by the images that the camera produced—which really at the end of the day, is the most important aspect.

For APS-C shooters looking to upgrade to their first full-frame mirrorless camera or even folks looking to buy their first camera, we think the EOS RP will be a great option. Check out more of our sample images from the camera below.

The post First shots with Canon’s EOS RP affordable full-frame mirrorless camera appeared first on Popular Science.

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Long exposure photography can distort time and transform an everyday scene into something otherworldly. For Vancouver based photographer Sharon Tenenbaum, this mystical quality is a big part of what makes the technique appealing. While normal exposures typically take just a fraction of a second, long exposures leave the camera’s shutter open for extended periods of time. The resulting photos capture objects that remain still while moving subjects turn into dreamy blur, or disappear completely.

“Long exposures change the way we that we see reality,” she says. “It eliminates the unnecessary details and creates more of an emphasis on art.”

Tenenbaum began photographing seriously in 2006 after she found herself unsatisfied with her career as a civil engineer and wanting to switch gears with her life. She brought her camera—which she had received as a gift—on a trip and quickly fell in love with the medium. She discovered a passion for photographing architectural structures and landscapes with a fine art bend. She quickly started winning awards for her work and even had an image published by National Geographic. She began experimenting with long exposures very early in her photography career.

RELATED: How to create striking abstract architectural photography

Although Tenenbaum shoots a mixture of natural landscapes and architectural structures, and her approach to the two is quite different, her love of long exposures tend to pop up in all of her work and is something she covers in the site-specific photo workshops she runs throughout the year.

We spoke with Tenenbaum to learn more about the tips and tricks for getting started with this photographic form.

Choosing gear

Tenenbaum says that it’s smart to choose the gear that you are most comfortable with—and this applies to camera bodies, lenses, and tripods.

“A lot of times people get heavy cameras and then they think twice if they should even take it out or not. They are thinking of lugging it around,” she says. “ Get gear that isn’t going to bog you down.”

Although a tripod is obviously important for long exposure shots, where the shutter is open for a long amount of time, getting the heaviest, largest one isn’t going to do you much good. She recommends a mid-level tripod for photographers just starting out.

“There is no need for something that weighs as much as you do—if the conditions are that windy you aren’t going to want to be out shooting anyway” she says. “But a travel tripod can be a bit too flimsy.”

Using Neutral Density filters

Shooting with neutral density filters reduces the amount of light hitting your camera’s sensor. Adding an ND filter allows you to extend your exposure times on bright days without blowing out highlights in an image. But ND filters also allow you to “cheat” long exposure shots. In this shot of the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver Tenenbaum was shooting in the middle of an overcast day at f/22 with a three-stop ND filter. The two-second exposure time helped create the streaks caused by car headlights.

“There are cheat sheets that you can keep in your filter bag, but there are also apps now that will do the calculations for you,” she says, in regards to getting the right exposure.

Although Tenenbaum says she prefers the old school paper cheat sheet, she notes that LExp – Long Exposure Calcs is a good digital choice.

There are also several kinds of ND filters depending on how much light you want to block. Darker filters will result in longer exposures. Variable neutral density filters allow you to tweak just how much light you block by rotating like a circular polarizing filter. They’re convenient, but often hundreds of dollars to get something of good quality.

When to shoot

Although using an ND filter gives you the option of shooting in the middle of the day, Tenenbaum still prefers an early morning shoot or right at sunset to catch the golden hour—especially if you want to capture the colors in a scene.

In terms of seasons Tenenbaum notes that Vancouver’s climate is ideal for long exposure photography. The city is located in the middle of a rainforest, which makes for lots of clouds and high elevation winds.

“The clouds are moving fast, but at higher altitudes,” she explains. “The tripod can stay sturdy on the ground not be affected by the winds.”

“I find that the transition seasons are the best, the fall and the spring,” she says. “In the winter it can be too rainy or snowy and in the summer it can be just cloudless”

Finding subjects

In many of her frames Tenenbaum says she likes to juxtapose the temporary and the permanent. “Structures will weather the test of time, they will be here for hundreds of years,” she says. “Where as clouds are coming and going.”

She says bridges are one of her favorite structures to photograph for this very reason.

“Bridges convey safe passage from one place to another,” she says. “What I love about the bridges and long exposure is it shows a bridge is so resilient.”

RELATED: These pinhole cameras are capturing 1000 year exposures of Lake Tahoe

Choosing between color or black and white

It’s often the hardest choice for a photographer, and one that Tenenbaum says she still struggles with from time to time. She admits that there are occasional frames that she will edit both ways. One thing she tries to remember when she can’t seem to decide?

“Black and white celebrates form and color conveys emotion,” she says. “You need to keep those things in mind in if you don’t want to be a one in a million Instagram type photographer. What do you want your image to convey? What is your image about?”

See more of Tenenbaum’s work and check out her upcoming workshops on her website.

The post Long exposure photography is an easy way to make your photos stand out appeared first on Popular Science.

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Early this morning Olympus introduced the OM-D E-M1X, a Micro Four-Thirds ILC with an integrated vertical grip and two battery slots that is aimed at professional sports photographers. The camera is built around a 20MP sensor, offers shooters 60 fps of high speed continuous shooting, and 121 point all-cross-type on chip Phase Detection AF sensor.

The OM-D E-M1X’s most interesting feature is the AI tech similar to that found inside high-end smartphones. The feature is called Intelligent Subject Detection AF. The AI can detect different types of subjects such as: motorcycles and automobiles, trains and airplanes and then lock onto the optimal area for subject tracking. Olympus says the focusing is so precise that it will give shooters the ability to concentrate on frame composition while shooting fast moving events.

Here is what else we know about it:

• 20.4 million effective pixels
• Dual TruePic VIII processor
• Built-in 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization
• 2.36M dot EVF
• ISO sensitivity 64-25600
• Redesigned button layout with AF multi-selector in both vertical and horizontal positions
• Magnification of 0.83x
• Dustproof, splashproof, and freezeproof body
• Super Sonic Wave Filter to remove dust and dirt
• New handheld High Res Shot mode
• Live ND
• Handheld 4K and Cinema 4K video modes
• OM-Log400 shooting
• 120 fps high speed movie recording
• Available February 2019 for $2999.99

Olympus will be rolling out a new accessories and lenses for the camera body too: the FL-700WR electronic flash, a digital 2x teleconverter, and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 150- 400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO super telephoto zoom lens. The new teleconverter will be available this summer, but the new lens won’t be out until 2020. Although at this time details are sparse we do know that it will have a built in 1.25x teleconverter, have in-lens image stabilization, and have substantial weatherproofing.

The FL-700WR electronic flash, Wireless Commander FC-WR, and Wireless Receiver FR-WR will also be available in February. It is designed to work with the OM-D system and is also splashproof, dustproof, and freezeproof. The flash has a short charging time of 1.5 seconds and the ability to shoot at 10fps. The wireless radio communication system works within 30 meters distance.

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The basement of The New York Times, lovingly known as “the morgue,” has an impressive archive of some six to eight million photographs dating back to the late 1800s. And with the help of Google Cloud, these historic images and the data, much of it hand written, will soon be digitized.

“The morgue is what makes the Times the Times,” says Jeff Roth, researcher and archival caretaker of the collection in a new video promoting the collaboration, “It’s the history of the world through the eyes of The New York Times.”

Back in 2015 the grey lady had a bit of a scare when a pipe burst and partially flooded the subterranean room where the archives are stored. The damage was minimal, but the incident forced the company to begin examining ways that the images within could be digitized.

“The morgue is a treasure trove of perishable documents that are a priceless chronicle of not just The Times’s history, but of nearly more than a century of global events that have shaped our modern world,” says Nick Rockwell, chief technology officer, The New York Times.

The photos will eventually live in an asset management system that will allow Times editors to search the archive and discover forgotten and untold stories.

The video above shows Roth digging through the massive cabinets that house the archive and the process of scanning the front and backs of each document. Scanning the backs of each image is where Google’s machine learning technology comes into play.

As you can see in the image above, its normal for many of the images in the archive to have hand written notes and headlines pasted to the back. Google’s Cloud Vision API can actually read the back on the image and add context to the documents.

Ultimately the hope is that the collaboration will make the history in The New York Times’ archives more universally accessible and useful.

The post The New York Times is using AI to help digitize millions of archival photographs appeared first on Popular Science.

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The Canon EOS R is the company’s long-awaited first full-frame mirrorless camera. It’s built around the same 30.3 MP CMOS sensor found in the 5D Mark IV, but features a newly designed RF lens mount with a 54mm internal diameter and a 20mm flange distance. According to Canon, that shorter mount means smaller and more responsive lenses. It’s an important camera for the market, especially considering it arrived almost simultaneously with Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless, but the EOS R isn’t without its quirks. Although existing Canon shooters will find some aspects of the EOS R familiar, there are some pretty radical design changes that could take some getting used to. Let’s dive in.

Key Specs:

• 30MP full frame Dual Pixel CMOS sensor
• 3.69M dot OLED viewfinder
• Fully articulated rear LCD
• DIGIC 8 processor, which enables shooting up to 8fps
• ISO range of 100-40,000 (expandable to 102,400)
• 5,655 manually selectable AF points
• UHD 4K 30p video from a 1.83x crop of the sensor
• Single UHS-II SD card slot
• USB 3.1 in-camera charging

New and Notable Features:

The biggest change to the EOS R is its redesigned RF lens mount. The new mount features a 12-pin communication system, making the performance between the new RF mount lenses and the camera body faster and more precise than the typical EF lenses it uses on its DSLRs. Canon also claims that EF lenses will work exactly as they would on a DSLR when adapted to the RF system because of its backwards compatibility.

On the body there is the addition of the M-FN bar. This is a brand new customizable bar located to the right of the viewfinder that allows for taps and swipes to control specific functions of the camera. Also new is the control ring dial found on the front of the new line of RF lenses. Together, they replace the thumb wheel typically found on the back of Canon’s other high-end cameras.

Dual Pixel AF—a system that uses split pixels on the sensor to get more accurate focusing—is now available while recording video and can internally capture C-Log footage, but there is still 1.83x crop factor on the 4K footage that it shoots.

Control layout

The main dial for controlling shutter speed is in a familiar spot on the top right of the camera, slightly below that you will find the controls for changing aperture. A dedicated ISO button is notably missing from the top of the camera: although you will find the setting to change that by clicking the M-Fn button (that’s also where you can find controls for things like your shooting modes, AWB, AF mode and exposure compensation).

The mode button lives on top of the back dial, the button to switch to begin recording video is slightly above it. You will also find controls for LCD panel illumination and Lock on the camera’s top. On the back right of the camera AF-On, AEL/FEL and your AF point selection button are all found in familiar places. Q and Set are combined into one button located between four customizable arrow keys, which approximate the functions of the dial on the back of a DSLR. The Info button, trash and image review all move to the right side of the camera body.

In the Field

The EOS R is lighter than a DSLR, but the grip is substantial and it feels like a high-end camera. The menus are intuitive, but the ergonomic changes on the body definitely took some getting used to.

After some extensive time shooting with the EOS R there are some updates here that we could have done without. The nice thing about the camera is that everything is highly customizable—so there are certainly ways to find work arounds for the things that we didn’t find to be ideal. Let’s dive into some of those.

The new M-Fn bar was easily the most frustrating aspect of this camera. Although it initially seemed like a clever feature to control a number of camera functions, but it has issues. First of all, the placement is better in theory than in practice. It sits next to the viewfinder, which means you’re likely to accidentally hit it at some point. You can set it so it requires a tap to activate, which takes extra time, or for immediate activation, which increases the chances of an accidental press. I tried customizing it to control a variety of different camera functions, but regardless of what it was set to control, or how it was set to function, I found that it slowed me down and led to missed shots. Ultimately I found I was happiest with the EOS R when the M-Fn bar was disabled completely.

The touch and drag AF interface on the EOS R was one of the handiest features as it allows you to move a focus point with your finger while looking through the viewfinder. There are other ways to select your AF point though. The default settings require you to press the AF point button and then utilize the front and rear dials to move the point across the screen. The arrow keys on the back of the camera can also handle this task. Although it was slightly less precise than using the dials or buttons, touch and drag was certainly the fastest way to select a new AF point. In low light situations the AF was quite accurate, although not nearly as speedy as the 5D Mark VI.

The customizable control ring on the new lenses are also useful. As there isn’t a dedicated ISO button (its hidden under the M-Fn button) I toggled between having the ring control that and my aperture. You’re less likely to accidentally activate it than the M-Fn bar, and the clicks that it makes while being moved provide a tactile experience while switching a setting.

The camera’s WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity seems much faster than what’s been found in other WiFi enabled Canon cameras. A fully charged battery will last you a full day of shooting. The new line of RF mount lenses designed for the camera sharp and fast. And if you are using the control ring mount adapter you can utilize your old glass. Most importantly, the images from the camera camera look really good.

Image Quality

Although the camera has its share of quirks, the images that it produces are beautiful. The new line of lenses certainly have something to do with this, but the out of camera JPGs have a pleasing contrast, a crisp look, and handled color quite well. Even in low-light situations, with ISO boosted to 8000 the quality is totally acceptable, even when viewing images up close.

The Bottom Line

The EOS R might not be quite the “mirrorless 5D” that some photographers were hoping for, but it’s still a good option for the high-end enthusiast or as a backup body. There are certainly some quirks within the design, but as we mentioned, there are work-around. As Canon has stated, this new line was never meant to replace the well-liked line of DSLR favored by the pros.

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The Photo Plus Expo kicked off yesterday morning in New York City with three days of talks, workshops, portfolio reviews, and, of course, new cameras and accessories. Although a lot of the big camera news broke last month at Photokina, this was the first opportunity for many photographers in the states to try these new products in-person. We’ve spent our day scouring the showroom floor for the best new products available to photographers. Here’s what we’ve loved so far.

Jeanette D. Moses

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Fujifilm GFX 100 Megapixel Prototype Camera

Gnarbox 2.0

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Ricoh GR iii

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Think Tank Roller Bag

Zeiss ZX1

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For 44 years Nikon has recognized the world’s finest photographs of microscopic things with its Small World Photography contest. The eye of a beetle may not look like much with your naked eye, but take a closer look and you’ll find the intricacies of the thing. The 2018 winners were announced last week on Instagram and were carefully selected from 2,500 entries from 89 countries. This year Yousef Al Habshi of Abu Dhabi was awarded for his stunning image of the eye of an Asian Red Palm weevil—a beetle found in the Philippines that is typically less that 0.43 inches in size.

Habshi photographed the weevil by using a reflected light technique and stacking together 128 micrographs. “The main challenge was to show the black body against the black background without overexposing the skin and scales,” he said of the winning image

Second place went to Rogelio Moreno of Panama for an image of a fern sorus—a clustered structure that contains and produces spores. To capture the fern sorus Moreno used a technique called autofluorescence which involves shining ultraviolet light on the subject, the vibrant colors of Moreno’s final image indicate the varied maturity stages of the sporangium within the fern sorus.

Saulius Gugis of Naperville, Illinois took third place with this image of a spittlebug nymph which was created using focus stacking. The nymph is in the midst of making its bubble house, which keeps it safe from predators and temperature fluctuations that may cause them to dry out.

Check out the other top images in the gallery below.

Related: From tapeworm heads to weevil sex, 10 big photos of tiny things

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Award-winning wildlife photographs usually feature an elk set against a backdrop of trees or a lion during golden hour. Not these. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, founded in 2015 by wildlife photographers Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks, encourage humans to celebrate the hilarious frames created in the field.

The 2018 entries didn’t disappoint—think a face-palming grizzly, a smiling lion, and some dancing Komodo dragons. The overall winner will be announced on November 15 and will be invited on a one-week safari in Maasai Mara, Kenya with Alex Walker.

Below, our favorite images shortlisted for the grand prize.

Want more? The second edition of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards book was released just last week. Here’s the listing on Amazon.

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This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com.

Sixty years ago NACA (the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) officially became NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the early days of the space race began. The Apollo program launched a few years later in 1961. It’s purpose: get a human being to the moon and bring them back home safely.

These missions to the moon meant innumerable advances for the scientific community—and also some incredible imagery. Bill Anders ‘Earthrise’ photograph, which was snapped during Apollo 8, became one of the most iconic images ever taken, but there are plenty of other awe-inspiring images that were taken during these trips.

The Project Apollo Archive collects them all in one place and features images taken during all eleven of the manned-Apollo missions. The archive is extensive and includes a lot of images that would now be considered throwaway frames. A number of them are underexposed and out of focus, but if you are willing to dig you can find some incredible vintage shots from space—like the frames where you can see modified Hasselblad cameras strapped to the chests of astronauts.

Below, our favorite frames.

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Last Friday, Hurricane Florence made landfall in Wilmington, North Carolina and began its slow move inland, causing massive flooding through the region. In the days leading up to the storm’s arrival, while everyday citizens were evacuating their homes or making the decision to shelter in place, photojournalists were plotting how they would cover the story.

Logan Cyrus, a freelancer based in Charlotte, North Carolina who often shoots for AFP, learned that he would be covering Florence on September 8. He started shooting on September 10, four days before the storm made landfall to document the preparations. His end date was ambiguous.

“You have so many variables to take into consideration when prepping for a natural disaster,” Cyrus said via email. “Other assignments you typically have an end date. With a natural disaster you could finish early or be out for weeks. Being ready for that is important.”

Some essential storm supplies are obvious: extra gas, food, water, and cash. But photojournalists have other needs: rain gear for themselves and their cameras, power banks for batteries and laptops, and a way to transmit images.

“90 percent of the time my workspace was my vehicle. My desk was pretty much my pelican case with my MacBook Air, and wifi hotspot,” Cyrus says. “I pretty much go into it with the idea that there will be no power, no wifi, and no good place to file.”

Cyrus says it helps to speak with other journalists when preparing to cover an assignment like this, everyone has a few tips that you may not have thought of.

“Many times it’s the little creature comforts you may overlook while packing that make a big difference when you are stuck in a dark hotel room with no AC,” he says. “A good example is bringing a nice bottle of bourbon for sipping and sharing after a stressful day of shooting.”

The days can certainly be long. During his time covering the storm Cyrus was typically pulling 10-14 hours, often shooting in high winds and heavy rain, taking breaks from the elements to file images to his editor three to five times per day.

Staying hydrated, remembering to eat and getting as much rest as possible during those long days is also crucial.

“The last thing myself or any other journalist covering something like this wants is to become a burden on EMS,” says Cyrus.

The locations you end up shooting in can also change in an instant during a storm like Florence—you have to be constantly monitoring road conditions to keep from getting stuck. Cyrus says he spent the bulk of his time photographing in Jacksonville, Swansboro, Sneads Ferry/Topsail Island, and New Bern, searching for images that showed the storm from a human perspective.

“The point of me being there is to show people who aren’t what’s going on. Most of the time that looks like preparations, the actual storm hitting and aftermath,” he says. “Finding any sort of humanity in those situations is crucial.”

Florence was downgraded to a tropical depression on Sunday, but the storm has still dropped record-setting rainfall on the region, the risk of flash floods is still high and photojournalists are still out there making images that document the effects of this natural disaster.

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Earlier this week Canon announced its highly anticipated mirrorless full-frame system, the EOS R, to the world and over the last few days I spent some time shooting a production model of the camera. In case you missed the announcement, here’s a top-level overview of the specs. The EOS R features a specifically-designed RF mount with a 54mm, a 20mm flange distance. The camera is built around a 30.3 MP CMOS sensor (the same sensor as the 5D Mark IV) with an ISO range of 100-40,000 with an expandable range to 102,400 ISO and 5,655 manually selectable AF points. During my time with the EOS R system I shot with a RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM, RF 50mm F1.2 L USM, RF 28-70mm F2 L USM and a few EF mount lenses thanks to the Control Ring mount adapter.

Design and feel

If you are a Canon DSLR shooter the menu layout of the new EOS R system is going to feel quite familiar, although there are some key differences on the body that might take some getting used to. In hand it feels solid, but noticeably lighter than a DSLR, even with its substantial grip. The most notable thing about the new system is that it’s highly customizable: particularly nice when it comes to features like the new M-Fn bar and the control ring dial found on the front of the new lenses and on the control ring adapter.

The main dial for controlling shutter speed is in a familiar spot on the top right of the camera, slightly below that you will find the controls for changing aperture. A dedicated ISO button is notably missing from the top of the camera: although you will find the setting to change that by clicking the M-Fn button (that’s also where you can find controls for things like your shooting modes, AWB, AF mode and exposure compensation). The mode button lives on top of the back dial, the button to switch to begin recording video is slightly above it. You will also find controls for LCD panel illumination and Lock on the camera’s top. On the back right of the camera AF-On, AEL/FEL and your AF point selection button are all found in familiar places. Q and Set are combined into one button located between four customizable arrow keys, which essentially replace the large multi dial found on the back of a DSLR. The Info button, trash and image review all move to the right side of the camera body.

The new M-Fn bar is the feature that DSLR shooters might find the most difficult to get used to. It’s located to the right of the viewfinder (a place where many people often find their thumb resting while shooting) and can be customized to control a number of features on the camera. It can be set to be activated with a tap of the finger (although you will have to wait for it to be “charged up”) or to activate it automatically (which means you run the risk of accidentally hitting it and changing a setting like ISO in the midst of a shoot).

As I said before, nearly everything on this camera can be customized depending on how you shoot, which is great, although figuring out what functions make sense to assign where may take some time to master. More on that later.

Shooting experience

My initial impressions of shooting with the EOS R camera have been very positive. The majority of the controls are located in intuitive places, the viewfinder is crisp and bright and the customization options on the camera are helpful. In the few days I had to shoot with the camera so far I found the AF very responsive. During our time with the camera I primarily shot in M mode, and for the most part found it to be comparable to the experience of shooting with a 5D system.

The touch focus screen is a huge benefit on this camera and has been designed in a way that you can program certain sides of the screen to respond to touch—to avoid your nose bumping into it and messing with your focus points.

The number of AF points was also impressive, and in the right scenarios, the face detection mode was quite nice.

The new M-Fn bar took some getting used to, it’s a bit finicky. My initial thought was to set it to control my ISO—a function that lacks a dedicated button on the top of the camera, but also one that, in my normal shooting scenarios, I’m least likely to change drastically. The tapping to charge feature definitely has a learning curve, as most shooters are use to their cameras reacting almost instantly. I’m looking forward to exploring this feature more in the coming weeks.

Although there are certainly some new aspects of this camera system that DSLR users might initially gawk at, I found the initial shooting experience to be quite lovely. For the most part, I was able to get the camera to perform in the way that I wanted it to and produce images that didn’t disappoint.

The new lens mount and lenses

The customizable control ring dial on the new lenses and on the new lens mount was one of my favorite aspects of this camera. In the majority of shooting scenarios I set mine to control the aperture of the lens, which gave me two ways to change the setting, dependent on the shooting scenario.

I found the control ring lens mount to be very responsive and enjoyed shooting with my trusty 24-70 F2.8 lens and a 85mm F1.4.

At first glance, the new RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and RF 28-70mm F2 L USM seemed like they might be bulky and defeat the purpose of a mirrorless system. My first impression was wrong though. While these lenses are certainly a bit large, they’ve been designed in a way so that the majority of the heavy elements are towards the back of the lens closer to the sensor—this redesign actually makes them quite evenly weighted once they are mounted to the camera. They bokeh on both of them also looks amazing and either is a fine portrait lens. The RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM is a more lightweight option and does exactly what you would expect it to do.

Other observations

I was surprised to find that Canon had also opted for a single slot memory card in the EOS R system. I liked that the camera takes the standard SD card, but as someone who is use to shooting to two cards at once, would have appreciated a second slot for making real-time backups of my files.

Overall I’m incredibly impressed with the EOS R system thus far. I found the controls of the camera to be easy to learn and it feels like it will appeal to established DSLR users, but also people just getting into photography. I was happy with the image quality, impressed by the lens mount adapter (a make or break for photographers with a substantial glass collection) and the customization options seem huge. Look for our full hands-on review of this new camera system in the coming weeks.

Check out sample images from the camera in the gallery below.

See more sample images at PopPhoto.com!

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Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera

After months of rumors, Canon, one of the world’s most well-known DSLR makers, has finally announced the arrival of its pro-grade full-frame mirrorless camera system. The EOS R system is a huge step for the brand—as they were the last major DSLR maker to enter the full-frame mirrorless market. The EOS R features a newly redesigned RF mount with a 20mm flange distance and the same 54mm mount diameter as the brand’s EF mount cameras. The new mount also features a 12-pin communication system between lenses and the camera body for faster and more precise performance.

This new system isn’t meant to replace the company’s well-established line of DSLR cameras though, rather the EOS R was built to seamlessly integrate with Canon’s massive selection of EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E lenses. This is possible thanks to the introduction of three new mount adapters.

Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera

Here’s everything you need to know about the system at a glance:

Sensor:

-The EOS R uses a 30.3 MP CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 100-40,000 (expandable to 102,400).

-It’s powered by the the latest image processor, DIGIC 8, which enables shooting up to 8fps.

Design:

-The lens mount is 54mm (the same as the EF cameras) with a flange distance is 20mm. EF, EF-S, TS-E and MP-E lenses are accepted with a mount adapter.

-A single UHS-II SD card slot handles storage.

-The camera’s body is dust- and weather-resistant

-Camera charges via USB 3.1

-Built-in Bluetooth and WifFi enable easy sharing.

Autofocus:

-Dual Pixel COS AF system handles focusing.

-5,655 manually AF points are manually selectable.

-It can focus in as little as 0.05 seconds with the new 24-105mm IS USM lens.

Displays: -The eyepiece has an EVF with 3.69 million dots.

-The main display is a vari-angle touchscreen.

Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera

Lenses and Adapters:

-New lenses will use the R mount.

-Four new lenses: RF 28-70mm F2 L USM, RF 50mm F1.2 L USM, RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM and RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM.

-Three new lens mount adapters: EF-EOS R, the Control Ring mount adapter and the Drop-in Filter mount adapter.

Pricing and Availability:

-The EOS R system will be available in October for $2299 for body only or $3399 when bundled with the new RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM lens.

-The RF 50mm F1.2 L USM will be available in October for $2299.

-EF-EOS R and Control Ring mount adapter will be available in October for $99.99 and $199.99.

-RF 28-70mm F2 L USM, RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM and RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM will be available in December for $2999, $1099 and $499.99.

-Drop-in Filter mount adapter will be available in February 2019 for $399.99 with variable ND filter or $299.99 with a circular polarizing filter.

Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera

We got a bit of hands-on time with the cameras shortly after the announcement and our first impressions is that this is going to be a very nice system to shoot with and one that should give Canon uses much of what they wanted. It’s a compact design that will be fully functional with the brand’s existing lenses. The camera feels solid—a bit larger than other mirrorless systems, but certainly less bulky than a DSLR. The menu system and controls are very similar to the brand’s 5D system, with the introduction of a few new controls. The layout feels fairly ergonomic, even with a few familiar settings being shifted around.

We did find it a bit odd that there is only one SD card slot instead of a pair, since most pros prefer to shoot to a pair.

We’ll be spending some substantial time with this new system over the coming days. Look for our hands-on review and sample image galleries soon.

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Nikon has finally announced its highly-anticipated and heavily-teased line of mirrorless full-frame cameras and this morning we had an opportunity to spend some time shooting with a pre-production model of the Z7.

The Z7 is the flagship in the Z-line. It features a 45.7-megapixel full-frame sensor, has a maximum ISO of 25,600, and 493 AF points. The Z6 uses a 24.5-megapixel full-frame sensor, has a maximum ISO of 51,200, and 273 focus points. You can see the full details on both cameras here.

During our time with the Z7 we used the 35mm F/1.8 S lens, the 24-70mm f/4 S and some Nikkor F mount lenses using the new FTZ mount.

Design and feel

This camera feels very solid in your hand—very much like a smaller DSLR. The controls for aperture, shutter speed and ISO are intuitive for DSLR shooters. It uses Nikon’s familiar interface, which is easy to navigate, even if you’re coming from another system like Canon.

It also feels very durable, like it could stand up to the types of abuse that DSLR shooters regularly put their gear through. Nikon has emphasized its weather-proofing during this announcement process, largely because it’s an advantage over its primary competition, the Sony A-series.

Shooting experience

Shooting with the Z7 feels like a pro camera. The viewfinder is crisp and bright thanks to its 3.69 million dot OLED display. The AF in our pre-production model was also quite snappy—it quickly locked onto a moving hula hooper and a juggling bartender without much trouble. We tried shooting in Pinpoint AF mode, Single Point mode and Dynamic Area mode and all three were responsive. The AF pixels baked into the sensor also cover roughly 90 percent of the capture area so it’s flexible when selecting a subject.

The new lens mount

The new FTZ mount, which for many existing Nikon users would either make or break this mirrorless camera, is also quite promising. Adapters typically take a toll on focus speed and accuracy. We used the Z7 and the FTZ mount with a 105mm f/1.4, a 70-200mm f/2.8 and even a 250-560mm f/5.6 and in all cases found the lenses to be highly responsive. Because the camera has its image stabilization in the body, it actually adds functionality to older glass.

Other observations

Shooting to a single XQD card was admittedly a little strange though, in a world where we would typically expect a pair of SD card slots in a pro-grade camera. Pros and even enthusiasts typically use a pair of cards for real-time backup and that’s just not possible here. XQD is fast and the cards seem durable, but it’s an odd choice for a camera at this point in the market.

Overall, we are incredibly impressed by the Z line so far. This camera definitely feels like it will appeal to established DSLR users (especially with that FTZ mount) and people who want something more advanced than their smartphone. And, with the FTZ mount performing admirably, the upgrade path for current Nikon DSLR users looks very smooth.

Check out sample images from the camera below.

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Since the early days of space travel, it has been vital that astronauts capture images of our planet. That responsibility isn’t lost on former astronaut Chris Hadfield—who estimates he took nearly 45,000 photographs during his three space flights.

“The world is a very generous photography subject and you have the best tripod in existence,” he says in a new video from Big Think.

Hadfield says he was trained by top photographers before his missions to space and while living on the ISS he shot on Hasselblads, Linhof cameras, and IMAX cameras.

“It’s beautiful, it’s just raw, constantly changing beauty pouring by around you,” he says. “And it’s instructional, you learn so much about the world.”

Astronauts go through years of training and, according to Hadfield, when you are living on the ISS your time is meticulously scheduled. “Nowhere does it ever say go look out the window, but you just can’t help yourself,” Hadfield says.

Editing 45,000 photos down to a reasonable number is obviously no easy task. How did Hadfield go about it?

“I thought if someone was floating next to me at the window of the spaceship what would I want to show them,” he says in the video. “Trying to distill this whole planet down to 150 pictures is crazy. It’s an insult to the world, but it was the best I could do let people actually see what the world looks like.”

This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com.

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Today we’re taking you way back to 1947 for some photographic wisdom from our friend’s at Popular Science.

The world meets the Polaroid:

Edwin H. Land unveiled the world’s first instant camera in 1947, which he called the Land camera. The camera spit out black-and-white prints in 60 seconds. What’s more: light was not required for printing. Here’s what Popular Science had to say about it:

“The Land camera takes its pictures in the conventional way, but inside it, in addition to the film roll, there is a roll of positive paper with a pod of developing chemicals at the top of each frame. Turning the knob forces the exposed negative and the paper together through rollers, breaking the pod and spreading the reagents evenly between the two layers as they emerge from the rear of the camera. Clipped off, they can be peeled apart a minute later.”

The darkroom for the photographer short on space:

A product that New York City apartment dwellers of today would certainly appreciate—Walter O. Englund’s Darkroom in a Box was a plywood cabinet that measured 19 inches x 26 inches x 33 inches. It had an allocated slot for every chemical and piece of equipment needed to develop prints. Think of it as a predecessor to the storage solutions found at The Container Store.

“Open the front doors, and this is what you see. The compartment at the right will take 11 x 14 trays if the bottom shelf is removed. On the right door are hooks for film clips and a print roller, In the right end are four drawers for storage of paper.”

I can think of a few film enthusiasts that would benefit from a product like this today.

Interesting shadow backgrounds for the home studio:

Plain white backgrounds are boring. Add some drama to a simple portrait by casting shadows with a homemade “cookie” (not the kind that you eat, but one that you use for casting shadows or silhouettes to produce patterned illumination). This DIY project is simple: all you need a lighting source, some black paper or thin cardboard, and scissors.

“For pattern ideas, you need only study everyday objects. A brick wall, a flagstone walk, foliage, a picket fence, the rays of a the sun, wagon wheels, latticed windows—all suggest good designs. Precision is not necessary in cutting (a razor blade may be used as well as scissors) for the shadows will be fuzzy anyway when cast on the wall. This fuzziness, however, adds to rather than detracts from the pictorial effect.”

Once you have your pattern cut, suspend it in front of your light source at approximately a 45-degree angle so that you subject can pose in front of it. Finally, make sure to keep the lighting on the background dim, as not to blow out the shadow pattern on the wall.

This story was originally published on PopPhoto.com.

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There are few things quite exhilarating as the thrill of a very good roller coaster. The way your heart races before you hit that first drop and the laughter and/or terror screams as endorphins pulse through your body as you whip around the track for approximately a minute is either euphoric or horrifying depending on who you ask. The last crucial piece of the thrill ride experience is a stop at the photobooth to laugh at whatever ridiculous face you might have been making during the most thrilling part of the ride. “We’ve come up with a highly technical term that we call the OSP, which stands for the ‘Oh Shit Point,’” says Tony Sinkosky, CEO and President of Get the Picture Corp, a ride photography business based in Pennsylvania. “There are so many points on a roller coaster where you are going to get absolutely tremendous facial expressions or negative G-forces where people’s hair is up in the air. Essentially you want to find a place on that ride where you are going to get a real good reaction.”

Thrill Ride Photography in the 19th and 20th Century

Photography has existed almost as long as roller coasters. Both were early attractions in seaside resorts like Coney Island and Asbury Park. It’s no surprise that the two mixed.

The earliest images of roller coasters were often taken from a distance, with photographers focusing on the architectural structures of the rides rather than the expressions of the riders. The reason is likely twofold: early field cameras were too slow and bulky to bring onto the ride itself. And the coaster structures themselves were new and novel enough to make exciting subjects from a stable, comfortable viewpoint.

It wasn’t until well into the 20th century that photographers began focusing on the wild expressions of the patrons. Cameras were smaller by then and photographers working for newspapers or the amusement park’s publicity department could now bring gear along for the ride and shoot during the journey. Photos from the ‘40s and into the early ‘80s capture riders with a wide angle lens and from a perspective of just in front of the thrill seekers.

Thrill ride photography as we know it today is instantaneous Seconds after deboarding a ride, riders can see their faces on a screen and walk away with a print, keychain, or t-shirt faster than you can get a churro. This concept started with the log flume in the ‘80s.

“There was a time where you had to pay for it in advance and they would put a flag on your log,” says Tim Baldwin, Communications Director of American Coaster Enthusiasts. “When you would splash down they would take a picture of everyone who had a flag on their log. If you didn’t pay for it in advance, they wouldn’t take a picture.” Why waste film on someone who didn’t intend to buy a picture?

The Introduction of Instant Gratification

In the late ’80s amusement parks began installing ride cams on their most popular roller coasters. According to Sinkosky, who started his business Get the Picture Corp around this time, parks like Disney and Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH were some of the first places to offer the service. He recalled having helpful conversations with people in the ride photography departments at both parks before launching his company in 1987.

Sinkosky says speaking with both parks helped him understand the risks involved and the potential for profit. “[Cedar Point] told me ‘if I could afford to have this on every ride—I would,” he says.

His company’s earliest camera for ride photography was a ProMavic with a mechanical shutter that was designed to continuously fire as a ride came by. “We were grinding through these cameras at a rapid rate,” he says. The constant shooting took a toll on the mechanical parts.

Lighting was another early issue for Sinkosky. Initially he could only operate the cameras in broad daylight. “At that time there weren’t any strobes out there that could keep up,” he says.

Eventually his company installed continuous lighting on the rides with cameras and switched to video technology, which allowed them to pull frames featuring all of the individual riders. He developed proprietary software with his business partner Bob Hench to get the images from the camera to transfer instantaneously to a computer in the photobooth outside of the ride. “If we were going to survive in this business we had to become a pretty integrated shop,” he says. Printing the images still took about 3 minutes, but it was the birth of the ride photography business as we know it today.

Present Day

According to Michael Shearer, Vice President of Systems & Engineering at Get the Picture Corp, these days most thrill ride photography companies are using a combination of gigabit cameras and high speed firewire cameras. For strobes the industry standard is a product from Unilux called The Big Shot—a weather resistant inspection light that can fire every 33 milliseconds and has a recycle time of 12 seconds.

Where things tend to differ is the proprietary software that companies use to get the images from the cameras to the computers down below. “Twenty years ago we were essentially inventing everything: scavenging parts at radio shack, soldering things together, but now it has become a little more commoditized,” Shearer says. “But there is still a little bit of secret sauce in the signal processing, the interface circuits and certainly in the software.”

The cameras of today have digital shutters and according to Shearer are incredibly reliable, and often end up lasting for years at a time. “Usually the determining factor for when a camera gets replaced is when the ride is struck by lightning and we have to swap one out,” he says. “The latest system that we use is even pretty resilient to that, but back in the analog days, if there was lightning anywhere nearby you would have problems.”

On a high speed ride cameras are typically firing at about 1/4000 of a sec, on a slower water ride the camera may fire at 1/500 of sec.

Although some companies have began to dabble with offering riders video footage or animated gifs from the ride, according to Shearer, customers like to keep it simple.

“We’ve found the bread and butter of the industry is the still photograph,” he says. “There is something about it that people really love.”

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Capture iconic landscapes that look as if they were plucked from the set of Westworld this summer with a visit to a National Park. These fifteen destinations offer a variety of scenes for you to point your camera at.

Yellowstone

Established in 1872, Yellowstone is the world’s oldest National Park and spans Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The 3,500 square ft of wilderness features a variety of landscapes for photographers to capture, but its an underground supervolcano that creates some of the most well-known natural wonders of the park such as Old Faithful geyser and the Grand Prismatic Spring pictured above. At 370 feet wide it’s the third largest hot spring in the world. Its vibrant colors are a result of microbial mats which make the water appear orange and red in summer and dark green in winter.

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park was the star of many of Ansel Adams’s famous black and white landscapes, so it’s no surprise that photographers continue to flock here. Photographers should check out iconic viewpoints such as Tunnel View (made famous by Adams) where you can see El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall. Gates of the Valley offers an alternative view to this landscape.

Grand Canyon

One of the most iconic (and crowded) National Parks, there are plenty of beautiful landscapes to capture here, although even the best pictures may fail to capture its splendor. Photographing at sunrise or sunset will give you a spectacular range of color. This image, which captures the Colorado River snaking through the canyon at sunset, was taken from Desert View Point, a quarter mile hike from the Desert View parking area.

Monument Valley

Situated on the Arizona-Utah border, Monument Valley has been a popular filming location for a number of westerns. The park lies within the territory of the Navajo Nation and is known for its sandstone buttes—some of which reach up to 1,000 ft. Accessing areas such as Hunts Mesa, where this image was taken, requires a hike with a hired Navajo guide.

Arches

Home to the often-photographed Delicate Arch, this park in eastern Utah contains over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. It’s also the park where Edward Abbey wrote what would eventually become Desert Solitude. Capture it at night for a different take on the iconic Delicate Arch shot.

Joshua Tree

Only designated as a National Park in 1994, Joshua Tree is one of our nation’s younger parks and includes portions of the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. It’s naturally dark skies and twisting Joshua trees (from which the park gets its name) make it a favorite for photographers looking to capture the beauty of the night sky.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Despite its name this Southern Utah park is not actually a canyon—it’s a collection of giant amphitheaters. Geological structures called hoodoos are what make this landscape distinct. Thor’s Hammer, pictured above, is approximately 150 feet tall and one of the most well known in the area.

Redwood National and State Parks

Photographers can find some of the world’s tallest trees in this sprawling park located alongside the northern California coastline. It’s not unusual for morning fog to linger between the trees, wait for the light to cut through and backlight the trees for spectacular and moody images of the forest.

Badlands

South Dakota’s Badlands isn’t as famous as locations like Yosemite or Yellowstone, but it’s also typically less crowded. The park features 240,000 acres of wilderness including buttes, spires and pinnacles. Take the 35-mile scenic loop through the area to see some of the park’s most impressive features—there are 15 overlooks and 8 hikes that you can explore along the way.

Capitol Reef

Located in the heart of red rock country in southern Utah, Capitol Reef officially opened to the public in 1950. The park features the world’s oldest exposed monocline (a S shaped geological formation that shows off some of the oldest layers of the earth). Chimney Rock Pillar, Hickman Bridge Arch and Temple of the Sun (pictured above) are a few popular locations for capturing the area’s grandeur.

Glacier National Park

Tucked within Montana’s Rocky Mountains, this massive park has over a million acres and more than 130 lakes within its borders. Hidden Lake Overlook, featured above, requires approximately a mile of hiking to reach, but is one of the easiest in the park. Start early to beat the crowds (and maybe capture sunrise).

Great Sand Dunes

Established in 2004, Great Sand Dunes National Park in south-central Colorado, is another relatively young National Park. The area contains the largest sand dunes in North America, some of which rise to 750 feet tall, and has an otherworldly feel. When shooting the dunes consider adding a human element to the frame to show the scale.

Carlsbad Caverns

Although there are more than 100 caves in the region, Carlsbad Caverns is most famous for its limestone showcave, which can be accessed via elevator or hiked into from the natural entrance. The largest chamber of the showcave, “Big Room” is the fifth largest chamber in North America. Try a long exposure (like the one pictured above) to capture details within the various chambers of the cave.

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is home to some of the most well preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. The 52,485 acre park contains 5000 archaeological sites, many of which can be seen from overlooks and along park trails—but if you want an up close view of the dwelling you will need to take a ranger guided tour. Cliff Palace, one of the largest dwellings, can be seen and photographed from the driving loop in the park.

Grand Teton

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Astronauts get to see Earth from a rarely seen and beautiful perspective, and since the earliest days of humans traveling into space it has been important to capture images of our planet.

This responsibility isn’t lost on retired astronaut Chris Hadfield—who estimates he took nearly 45,000 photographs during the three space flights of his career.

“The world is a very generous photography subject and you have the best tripod in existence,” he says in a new video from Big Think.

Hadfield says he was trained by top photographers before his missions to space and while living on the ISS he shot on Hasselblads, Linhof cameras and IMAX cameras.

“It’s beautiful, it’s just raw, constantly changing beauty pouring by around you,” he says. “And it’s instructional, you learn so much about the world.”

Astronauts go through years of training and according to Hadfield when you are living on the ISS your time is meticulously scheduled. “But nowhere does it ever say–go look out the window, but you just can’t help yourself,” Hadfield says.

Editing 45,000 photos down to a reasonable number is obviously no easy task. How did Hadfield go about it?

“I thought if someone was floating next to me at the window of the spaceship what would I want to show them,” he says. “Trying to distill this whole planet down to 150 pictures is crazy. It’s an insult to the world, but it was the best I could do let people actually see what the world looks like.”

The post What it’s like to photograph planet Earth from space appeared first on Popular Science.

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It seems these days there are few industries unchanged by 3D printing. The technology is being used to make advanced running shoes, to prototype new product designs and to make healthcare cheaper. It’s influencing the photography world, too—especially those pockets interested in analog techniques and DIY projects. There are now several cameras to excite film photographers that use elements of 3D printing. The cardboard PinBox from Hamm Camera Company incorporates 3D printed film spools. Then there’s the Goodman One, an open-source camera designed by Dora Goodman and offered for free download via her website. And of course there are Kickstarter camera projects like the Standard Camera and Cameradactyl, which are are slinging 3D printed 4×5 film cameras that are affordable and lightweight, thereby making the format more accessible.

The use of 3D printing is reinvigorating the analogue camera community. This new technology is breathing life into old camera designs for two reasons: one, 3D printing is much cheaper than injection molding and two, it allows for quick prototyping. The method makes it cheaper and easier for camera designers to tinker and for more photographers to try their hand at shooting analogue formats.

The Standard Camera, which was created by photographer Drew Nikonowicz, is a 4×5 view camera that you can make yourself. It’s available via Kickstarter for $320 (or $350 if the idea of building your own makes your head spin). Nikonowicz, an Aperture Portfolio-prize-winning photographer who primarily works in large format, began designing his 3D printed 4×5 camera while he was still in college.

“The 4×5 was born out of a genuine excitement of photography and making things,” he says. “But I was also thinking ahead to when I graduated and I wouldn’t have access to the school’s equipment anymore.”

The majority of the elements on the Standard Camera are 3D printed in Nikonowicz’s studio. “If you are looking at the camera all of the parts that are black are 3D printed,” he says.

The standard forks, which hold the body of the camera, are made of aluminum. The bellows, which allow the lens to be moved back and forth for focusing, are made of fabric and crafted in house. He plans to outsource the ground glass (where you can see the image that the camera is about to capture) for cameras purchased by Kickstarter backers. He says he plans to use the money raised from Kickstarter to buy more 3D printers so he can increase his throughput—right now he can make one camera in two days (“Unless I don’t sleep, in which case I can do it in one day.”) He would like to start being able to print at least two cameras per day.

“The entire camera to some degree is in a perpetual state of change,” he says. “There are little tweaks to be had everywhere and I’m constantly getting feedback and constantly improving the camera.”

Eventually he’d like to make his design open-source and thinks that the Standard could be used by educational institutions and in workshop settings.

“A lot of photo programs want to teach large format but they can’t afford to,” he says. “I’m really hoping to work with those universities to kit them up with as many cameras as they need.”

While Nikonowicz’s camera looks like a standard traditional camera, one of the fun elements of 3D printing is the ability to make things that are anything but traditional. Meet Cameradactyl, a 3D printed 4×5 camera created by Evan Moses, which comes in a customizable bright colors.

With a $225 pledge on Kickstarter, Cameradactyl backers will get a fully assembled camera with custom colors (it’s a bit like designing your own pair of Vans).

“I wanted to make the cheapest 4×5 and in keeping with that theme I just started buying the cheapest filament that I could find on Amazon,” says Moses. At first the cheapest filament was hot pink. When he ran out, baby blue was on sale. “It started out looking like a Barbie dream cam, then it got more green, then there was some yellow. I loved how wacky it was. I thought it was fun. It’s like a toy, but it’s a toy that you can take professional pictures with that are indistinguishable from pictures taken on a $2000 4×5, because ultimately, it looks like whatever lens you put on it.”

Moses has been into photography his entire life, building 8x10s on the cheap in college before spending about half a decade driving across the country buying and selling photographic equipment. He initially purchased a 3D printer to work on a project that involved drafting PCB boards for a temperature alarm he was designing, but as he waited for processing chips to arrive, he found himself with idle hands.

“I’ve built cameras my whole life and I just couldn’t help myself,” he says.

A few days later he was printing screws and sliders and within a month he had shelved the initial electronic project and built his first Cameradactyl camera.

“It kind of took over my life,” he says. “It is really amazing that I can make a camera for myself and there are a couple hundred people all over the world who are also interested in it. It’s maybe not a good business decision to be making cameras that were designed in the 1800s on a 3D printer, but it’s so fun.”

Moses bought more 3D printers before launching his campaign, and estimates he spent a few thousand printing hours making one full camera in every color. He also prints pieces to improve his printers.

“I buy terrible printers and then run them for 10 hours printing pieces to improve them,” he explains. “In 15-20 hours I have one printer that works pretty well. Then I’m able to make shapes that I could never make before.” Right now he says he can make about one camera’s worth of plastic in a day, and says that printing, grinding glass and building bellows in batches makes things go a bit quicker and brings down the cost.

“I’m like the miniature Henry Ford of wacky camera toys,” he jokes.

Moses says he has already had a few backers reach out and tell him that the Cameradactyl will be their first 4×5. He’d like to try to eventually make an 8×10 3D printed camera, a rangefinder, or an SLR.

“I think 3D printing and modern manufacturing technology is going to allow people to build toys and cameras that will perform just as well as a Leica or a Nikon with glass lenses and metal mechanical pieces,” Moses says.

Nikonowicz agrees, and says he typically prefers making he work with his Standard Camera over his Shen Hao field camera.

“There is less to juggle with the Standard,” he says. “I’m much more interested in photographs than cameras. I want to make a good camera, but your equipment should do its job and get out of your way.”

This article was originally featured on Popular Photography.

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Bird photography is full of small, fast-moving creatures that make challenging photo subjects—but that didn’t deter nearly 8,000 photographers who entered their work into the ninth annual Audubon Photography Awards.

“Bird photography has become so popular and stunning photos are all over the place.” says Melissa Groo, a wildlife photographer who helped judge this year’s competition. “As judges, we are looking for something really special—behavior we’ve never or rarely seen before, or a special pose that highlights the beauty or uniqueness of a bird. It doesn’t have to be an exotic bird to be exciting.”

Steve Mattheis of Jackson Hole took home the top award for his image of a gray owl about to take flight.

The increasing popularity of this genre of photography has made organizations like Audubon more important. Photographers entering the contest needed to adhere to Audubon’s Guide to Ethical Bird Photography. Groo, who helped write the Guide, says it’s not unusual for some wildlife photographers to attempt to cut corners to get a shot: encroaching on a bird’s comfort zone, cutting branches away from around a nest and baiting owls with pet store mice will get you disqualified. “Nature photography should seek to leave as little a footprint as possible and to respect the welfare of birds above all else,” she says. “Birds are under threat as never before, losing habitat all the time, and facing many other human-caused challenges.”

Ultimately, bird photography requires the same kind of time and research that other genres of photography require. “It really takes an understanding of the natural history of your subject to be able to know where to find it and what to expect,” Groo says. “It takes being prepared to put the time in, there will always be the lucky shot that didn’t require a big time investment, but the best photos come about because someone has really stuck with their subject; that’s the best way to up your chance of capturing a really special moment”

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This article was originally featured on PopPhoto.com.

Search for “Photoshop” in the iOS App Store and you’ll get a variety of results including apps like Photoshop Fix and PS Express. These programs mimic some of the functions found in the desktop version of Adobe Photoshop, but unfortunately none of them are quite as powerful. But it looks like that will soon be changing.

According to an article published by Bloomberg last week, Adobe is developing a full version of the Photoshop app for use with iPad Pro. The announcement will likely come during the Adobe MAX conference in October, where the company often announces and previews upcoming software.

Adobe’s chief product officer of Creative Cloud, Scott Belsky, confirmed that Adobe did have something in the works. “My aspiration is to get these on the market as soon as possible,” Belsky said in an interview. “There’s a lot required to take a product as sophisticated and powerful as Photoshop and make that work on a modern device like the iPad. We need to bring our products into this cloud-first collaborative era.” Belsky didn’t specify the expected timing that the app would launch.

Adobe’s other high-end image editing software, Lightroom CC, is already far ahead of Photoshop when it comes to providing a consistent experience across PCs and tablets. In fact, the latest Lightroom CC update recently added some long-awaited features including the ability to sync custom presets to the mobile version.

Once the app is available it would allow photographers using the Apple operating systems to seamlessly work between devices and edit on the fly—something that Microsoft Surface users have been able to take advantage of for years now.

The timing of the app’s availability is still loose, the project is still in its early stages, but we expect to see this hitting the app store sometime next year.

This article was originally featured on PopPhoto.com.

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This story originally appeared on PopPhoto.com.

Amazon Prime Day 2018 kicks off this afternoon, and while there aren’t a ton of promotions for photographers, anyone interested in aerial photography should check out the deals discounting some of DJI’s most appealing drones for photographers.

For 36 hours the company will be discounting new drones such as the foldable Mavic Pro and the Spark by up to $300. The Mavic Pro Fly More Combo will be on sale for $999 (typically $1299) while the mini Spark Fly More Combo will be $499 (typically $549). The Phantom 4 will come with an extra Intelligent Flight Battery and a wrap pack if its ordered during Prime Day. Once Prime Day wraps DJI will be extending the savings to many of their refurbished products.

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If you’re going to make the jump into a DJI drone, we highly recommend picking up one of the Fly More combos with the controllers (which often unlock extra features like extended range and higher top-speeds) and additional batteries of which you can never have too many. The discount on the Mavic Pro essentially gives you the kit for free, which is a solid deal.

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At $500, the Spark kit is a solid choice if you’re a more casual user who only plans to fly occasionally and can easily avoid things like strong winds.

Notably, the deals don’t hit DJI’s newest drone, the Mavic Air, which falls between the Spark and the Mavic Pro in its lineup.

DJI Prime deals can be purchased through the company’s official Amazon store.

With all our product stories, the goal is simple: more information about the stuff you’re thinking about buying. We may sometimes get a cut from a purchase, but if something shows up on one of our pages, it’s because we like it. Period.

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The European Space Agency uploaded the final images from the Rosetta mission to comet 67P earlier this week and the results are quite dazzling. Rosetta was the first spacecraft to orbit a comet and over the course of its 12 year mission, the craft captured nearly 100,000 images from space using both a narrow and wide angle camera.

During the final months of Rosetta’s journey the spacecraft shot images from approximately a mile away from the surface of the comet—documenting previously unseen details from its surface.

“The final set of images supplements the rich treasure chest of data that the scientific community are already delving into in order to really understand this comet from all perspectives – not just from images but also from the gas, dust and plasma angle – and to explore the role of comets in general in our ideas of Solar System formation,” says Matt Taylor, ESA’s Rosetta project scientist. “There are certainly plenty of mysteries, and plenty still to discover.

All images from Rosetta’s mission are all available for free through a Creative Commons lisence and are available for download through Archive Image Browser or Planetary Science Archive .

These are some of our favorite shots captured by Rosetta during its time in space.

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This was originally published on PopPhoto.com.

Last week Adobe announced a number of updates to Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC—including the ability to sync presets and profiles in Lightroom CC across devices.

Although Lightroom Mobile is helpful for editing photos on the go, the mobile apps haven’t ever quite integrated with the desktop versions of the program—the changes made to an image edited on a phone or a tablet wouldn’t transfer to photos within the catalogue at home. While the updates announced earlier this month don’t go quite that far, they seem like they might be a step in the right direction. These new updates to Lightroom CC will sync the presets built into Lightroom, third-party presets like VSCO and custom presets across all devices. Another new feature is the ability to create presets on your phone. Unfortunately these new features only apply to Lightroom CC and not the Lightroom Classic CC that is typically preferred for desktop editing.

The mobile version of Lightroom CC also adds a long-awaited a healing brush tool, a fix for chromatic aberration, a mode that allows you to capture long exposures without the use of a tripod, and expanded HDR capture support.

Lightroom Classic CC on the desktop got a few updates as well. There is a new management tool for presets and profiles that allows you to create a cleaner workspace. You can now apply colored labels to folders for faster image search, and a new tool called Autostack helps quickly stitch together panoramas or other composites.

The updates to the mobile versions of Lightroom certainly make it a powerful tool for editing on the go, but we will be holding our breath for a version that can seamlessly sync our desktop catalogues with our mobile catalogues.

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It should be no surprise that we love the images the Hubble Space Telescope captures from deep space, but did you know that those epic photos from the edges of the universe are actually all black and white? A new explainer video from Vox digs into how scientists colorize the images Hubble beams back to earth.

The video starts by explaining the basics of the visible light spectrum, the cones in our eyeballs, and how these two things work together to create color as we know it—and how we can use the same principles to colorize black and white photos.

Hubble’s main function is to measure the brightness of light reflecting off objects in space. It’s easiest to measure that in images captured in black and white. Scientists use broadband filters to separate the brightness of the light into long, medium, and short wavelengths. These wavelengths are then assigned a color based on the visible light spectrum. When the three images are combined they create a true color image— essentially what an object would look like to the human eye (if we could see as sharply as the Hubble).

RELATED: This stellar Crab Nebula image is the perfect way to celebrate Hubble’s birthday

Hubble is powerful enough to also record light in the more narrow parts of the spectrum, reflecting off elements like hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. This process is called narrow band filtering and helps create psychedelic colored photos of the Cone Nebula and the Pillars of Creation.

Check out the fascinating process in the video above.

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A good 35mm prime lens has a special place in my heart. It’s a versatile choice for a variety of shooters and sceneriors, gives you a slightly wider field of view than a nifty-fifty, and has been the focal length with which I’ve shot some of my favorite frames. This being said, I was pretty excited to get my hands on Sony’s new FE 35mm F1.8 prime lens a few days before the lens was officially announced. I used this new, fast prime with an a7RIII to shoot concerts, portraits, close up shots of blooming flowers, and even a bit of summer street photography. You can check out the specs on this lens in our announcement post. Read on to see sample images and see what my first impressions of this lens.

Although I only had a few days to shoot with the lens, the lens impressed me.

It’s incredibly light-weight compared the Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens and half the price, but still quite competent in terms of sharpness, speedy AF, and pleasing image bokeh. The lens only weighs 0.6 pounds, making it incredibly comfortable to carry in your hand or sling over your shoulder for a full day of shooting. This is the kind of prime lens that I’d have no problem permanently attaching to one of Sony’s E mount cameras. It’s short 2.8-inch length also makes it a good option for shooting in crowded spaces. The setup is very low profile.

Even when shooting wide open the lens was sharp, and we didn’t notice any ugly onion ring bokeh, which sometimes result from aspherical lens elements, during our time with the lens. The AF is fast enough to capture the action onstage in a dimly lit venue. The lens also is dust and moisture resistant—a feature that came in handy when shooting at a Fourth of July pool party.

Scroll down to see more sample images shot with the Sony FE 35mm F1.8.

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Peak Design is well-known for its practical everyday camera bags and camera straps, but now the company is diving into another camera accessory category. This morning Peak Design launched its ninth Kickstarter campaign to fund a new product called the Travel Tripod.

Although there are plenty of options already on the market, Peak Design wanted to make something that was more compact and had a quicker setup time than the gear that is currently out there. We had a chance to checkout a pre-production model prior to launch and so far we’ve been impressed by these two aspects.

To cut down on bulk the engineering team eliminated the dead space between the tripods legs, so the legs nest snugly in with the center column. When the tripod is collapsed, it has a diameter of just 3.25 inches—making it very comfortable to slide into the side pocket of a backpack. Simplifying tripod setup was also key. The Travel Tripod has non-inverted legs that are set up with four locking cam levers. Each tripod leg can be fully deployed with a single hand movement, making for a much quicker setup than a traditional travel tripod, which requires you to loosen multiple collars going down each leg.

Here is what else we know about it:

• Height of 58.5 inches when fully deployed
• 3.25 inch diameter when packed down
• Fluid ball head tripod
• Adjustment ring replaces traditional knobs
• Utilizes the quick-release plates found on Peak Design’s Capture Clip
• Universal phone mount
• Omnidirectional bubble-level
• A hook for counterweights
• 20lb weight capacity
• 5 leg sections
• Available in carbon fiber or aluminum

The Kickstarter campaign for the Travel Tripod launches today and if you pledge early you will end up saving some money. During the campaign you can snag an aluminum version of the Travel Tripod for $289 or a carbon fiber version for $479. Once the tripods hit the market prices go up, the aluminum version of the tripod will be $349.95 while the carbon fiber model will be $599.95. Kickstarter backers can expect to receive tripods by Dec 2019.

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Earlier this week Sony announced a ton of forthcoming firmware upgrades for its line of full-frame cameras and a brand new APS-C camera, the a6400.

The new camera is a mid-range mirrorless uses a similar form factor to the a6300, but has some new features typically only found in Sony’s full-frame cameras.

The a6400 has a 24.2 megapixel APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor, 11 fps continuous shooting with AF/AE up to 116 shots, 32,000 expandable to 102,400 ISO, 4K video capabilities, and WiFI.

The most notable new thing here is the cameras impressive ability to autofocus and its relatively low price. The a6400 will be available next month for $900 USD (body only), $1000 USD with a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ lens, or $1300 USD with an 18-135mm f.3,5-5.6 lens. We spent a few days shooting with the a6400 using a 18-135mm f.3,5-5.6 and a FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens.

Design and feel

If you have shot with any of the other cameras in the a6000 line you will feel instantly comfortable with the a6400. The controls on the camera body are extremely similar. The a6400 has a magnesium alloy body with weather sealing to prevent dust and moisture from getting at the electronics inside. The body is slightly bigger than the a6300 to accommodate the 180 degree articulated touch screen—designed with vloggers in mind.

The a6400 has eight customizable buttons and a 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD. The OLED EVF is the same 2.36M-dot version found in the a6300 and the a6500. The touch screen allows shooters flexibility in shooting and can help focus, shoot, or track a subject. The majority of the a6400s advancements are baked into the tech inside the camera.

Revamped autofocus

The most exciting element about the a6400 is the new autofocus technology—it’s largely similar to the system in the flagship A9.

The a6400 utilizes a hybrid AF system with 425 phase-detection points and 165-point contrast-detection system that cover 84 percent of the image. The camera also uses the Real-time Eye AF and Real-time tracking features found inside the a9. Sony says that Real-time tracking is using what they are calling ‘Speed x AI’ to identify objects and use machine learning to recognize what might be a human face or a human eye. A firmware upgrade coming in April will enable face and eye recognition to work on animals as well.

The upgrade allows object tracking, eye AF, and face tracking to work together. Once you tell the camera to lock onto a subject it will track the subject regardless of where it is in the frame by finding an eye, a face, or just part of the body to latch onto. Sony breaks down what this actually looks like in the video below.

Shooting Experience

The new AF system in the a6400 is very fast. When eye AF was turned on the camera did an excellent job of hunting for human shapes, detecting faces, and honing in on the eyes. If you’re used to shooting with a DSLR, the green boxes tracking people in your image may take a little getting used to, but the system is very adept at focusing on faces.

The new AF system seems to work best in sunny conditions, with lots of contrast and a relatively simply frame, but that’s true with most autofocus. The a6400 was great for shooting slow moving models and animals with predictable movement paths, but it won’t freeze the action of a skateboarder or basketball player quite like the a9 will. At $900 we wouldn’t expect it too, but if the sports you are shooting happen to be a little league game or recreational soccer this camera will likely be plenty capable.

The post Sony a6400 hands-on review with sample images appeared first on Popular Science.

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This morning in San Diego Sony announced a new camera and major firmware upgrades coming this spring.

The a6400 is a new APS-C camera that is packed with similar technology found in Sony’s full-frame line of cameras.

Here is what we know about it so far:

• 0.02 sec AF speed, the world’s fastest (though this stat isn’t’ necessarily representative of how the AF will perform in the real world.)
• Newly developed Real-time Tracking
• Enhanced Real-time EYE AF
• Eye AF tracking for animals
• 4K movies with Advanced AF speed and stability
• 11fps continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking
• Latest generation BIONZ X offers 24.2 MP image quality
• 4K HDR movie recording
• 180-degree articulated touch screen
• interval recording for time-lapse movie
• ISO range of 100-32000 ISO 100-32000
• Available February for $900 USD (body only)

Current a9 users will have to wait until March and Summer 2019 for the firmware upgrades to take full effect, but the upgrades look like they will be big game changers that utilize AI technology.

Here is what is on its way:

• Real-time eye tracking AF for animals
• Real-time tracking using a new subject recognition technology that also works in video

The aRii and a7iii will also see firmware upgrades coming in April 2019.

Here is what those will be:

• Real-time eye AF for animals
• Interval shooting for time-lapse movies

We’ll be spending some time shooting with the a6400 in the next few days and will be sharing our initial thoughts on this new camera very soon.

The post Sony’s a6400 is an APS-C camera packed with tons of full-frame innovations appeared first on Popular Science.

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What happens after we die? It’s a question that seems to have a million answers, and one that has perplexed humans for thousands of years. In the early days of photography some believed that the camera could be used as a tool to connect with the spirit world.

Spirit photography began in the late 19th century, around the time that the the spiritualism movement was gaining traction across the country.. The photographers who practiced it claimed that they could capture images of a portrait subjects and their deceased loved ones in a single frame. The haunted images were a big hit and spirit photographers like William H. Mummler, who charged ten dollars for a photo—which was considered a huge amount of money at the time, thrived.

“Photography was very new at the time and people didn’t really understand how it worked,” says Jolene Lupo, Manager of Manhattan’s Penumbra Tintype Studio, a nonprofit dedicated to historical forms of photography. “They knew that it could see more than the human eye could, but they didn’t understand the boundaries of the medium.”

Sometimes ghosts would appear very realistic, with their arms draped around the living portrait sitter. In other images the spirits would appear as no more than cotton-like whisps. One of Mummler’s most well known images featured first lady Mary Todd Lincoln sitting with a translucent image of her husband Abraham Lincoln—five years after he was assassinated.

“Each photographer had their own trademark,” says Lupo. The haunted frames were obviously—at least to our modern minds—a result of some kind of manipulation: chemical, in-camera or something done in the darkroom. Every photographer seemed to have a few tricks for making the ghosts appear.

Eventually spirit photographers like Mummler were exposed as frauds, although in some cases it was difficult to pinpoint what exactly had been done to create the image. People began to understand that the ghost-like figures were created by the photographer, but the practice of spirit photography continued.

“It got a little campier, people were having fun with it,” says Lupo. “Édouard Isidore Buguet got caught and started calling them anti-spirit photographs.”

At Penumbra Foundation you can still have your photo taken with a ghost. The nonprofit offers spirit photography portrait sessions and hands-on workshops on the artform. But like the spirit photographers that came before her, Lupo is tight-lipped about the techniques she uses to conjure the spirits in her frames.

“People book a session and they don’t know what is going to appear in the image,” she says. “They know that it’s probably not the ghost of a loved one, but it’s still just as exciting watching it appear for the first time.”

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a statement warning drone operators to fly over areas that have been affected by Hurricane Michael, which hit Florida yesterday afternoon. Doing so can interfere with emergency response operations and as if that wasn’t enough of a deterrent, it will also cost you—at least $20,000.

“Many aircrafts that are conducting life-saving missions and other critical response and recovery efforts are likely to be flying at low altitudes,” the statement says. “Flying a drone without authorization in or near the disaster area many unintentionally disrupt rescue operations… allow first responders to save lives and property without interference.”

The FAA does have a message for drone operators that want to lend a hand in the recovery operations. The agency encourages these people to coordinate with FAA’s System Operations Support Center and provide them with the following information:

• the unmanned aircraft type
• a PDF copy of a current FAA COA
• the pilot’s Part 107 certificate number
• details about the proposed flight (date, time, location, altitude, direction and distance to the nearest airport, and latitude/longitude)
• nature of the event (fire, law enforcement, local/national disaster, missing person) and the pilot’s qualification information.

Related: You once again have to register your drone—yes, even the little ones

Use your head and don’t become an internet meme folks.

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In August Polaroid Originals announced the arrival of the Polaroid OneStep+, an instant camera with built-in Bluetooth and a dedicated app to enable light painting and creating double exposures on the instant film. It’s the follow up camera to Polaroid’s OneStep2, debuted in 2017 when Polaroid celebrated its 80th anniversary and the company’s second new analog camera since 2003.. We’ve spent the last few weeks shooting with the OneStep+ and have found the camera to be fun and functional, read on for our full thoughts and sample images.

Camera Design

The design of the OneStep+ is very similar to the Polaroid OneStep2 that came before it, with a few small differences. On the back of the camera you will find a large viewfinder, a USB charging port, and a large on and off switch. If you haven’t used a new-style Polaroid camera, the rechargeable battery is a departure from vintage models, which housed a new battery in every pack of film.

Film packs load into the bottom of the camera. On the top you will find eight LED dots indicating the number of shots left in a pack. The lens on the camera has been redesigned to focus in portrait mode (indicated by a single person, and can be focused from only a foot away) or a group (indicated by a tree and two people).

On the front of the camera you will find the button to activate the camera’s Bluetooth—which allows it to communicate with the app, controls to override the flash and a large red shutter button.

Its body is made of plastic and the front features a large rainbow stripe—a throwback to the original OneStep camera.

App Design

Inside the OneStep+ app you will find a variety of different shooting modes, a square camera so it’s easy to capture and share your analog creations, a catalogue of the Polaroids you’ve scanned and an entire Inspiration section where you can read interviews with photographers using the Polaroid OneStep+ and get quick tips on making the most of the camera.

Once the camera’s Bluetooth is active, you can control the shutter through the app. The app will also keep track of how many frames you have left, the battery life of your camera and what focus mode you are in.

The app features a variety of shooting modes:

• Remote: Allows you to trigger the camera’s shutter from your phone. Good for group shots or self portraits.
• Self Timer: Allows the shooter to set the timer between 1 second and 12 seconds.
• Double Exposure: Takes two shots on a single Polaroid.
• Light Painting: Turns on the flashlight on your phone to use as a light painting tool and keeps track of the elapsed time on an exposure.
• Noise Trigger: Responds to sounds in a scene (a cat meowing, a party popper exploding or a child screaming).
• Manual Mode: Lets the shooter set their shutter speed (between bulb and 1/125), aperture (between F12-F64), the strength of the flash and if the Polaroid ejects right away or not. When the flash is turned off, Manual Mode also features a built-in light meter.

Performance

Instant cameras will always have some quirks, and this one isn’t immune. We had some issues with two of the five film packs we shot automatically ejecting from the camera, which led to the film count being off.

In one instance the darkslide wouldn’t eject—a known issue sometimes caused by old film packs. And in another the dark slide ejected, but the first shot in the pack wouldn’t eject. In both cases the app showed that the camera’s battery was charged (another known issue for film not ejecting from the Polaroid OneStep cameras). It was disappointing to lose a few of those frames—an eight pack of the iType film starts at $15.99—so a camera malfunction that causes you to lose a frame hurts. But when the camera worked as it should, we loved the results that it could produce.

We liked shooting with the built-in creative modes the best. Double Exposure mode was easily our favorite shooting mode. The layered instant prints looked unusual, and although the pairings weren’t always perfect, when they worked, they worked really well. Light Painting mode was another favorite, although getting a well executed final image took some additional patience and planning.

The picture quality on the prints is solid too. The pictures look really good exposure wise, which isn’t always the case with instant prints.

Who should buy it?

We loved our time with the Polaroid OneStep+ and think it would be a solid addition to the collection of pros and hobbyists alike. It’s fun to shoot with and the app gives you a bit more control over the final result. In all honesty though, even the imperfect prints have a charm to them. And a big stack of instant prints is a lot more interesting than the photos sitting on your phone’s camera roll.

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When photographing high profile celebrities or powerful CEOs, it’s almost always a time crunch. Thirty minutes is considered a luxury. “When you are dealing with celebrities and very successful people, their time is more valuable than anything,” says photographer Chris Sorensen, who regularly works for publications like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and New York Magazine. “And there is no better way to leave someone in a good mood than to have them done early.” The crushing schedule is often accompanied with makeshift locations that aren’t particularly aesthetically pleasing: a drab conference room, a corner of a union-run theater, or the corporate headquarters of the company.

These tough conditions are where Sorensen thrives. He’s photographed folks like Alton Brown, Keith Olbermann, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and John Leguizamo. And while he says he always gets the well-lit traditional editorial portrait against a plain backdrop, when time permits, he loves to think creatively and get a portrait that his client or editor might not expect.

His secret? He simply asks.

We recently caught up with Sorensen and asked him to share the stories behind some of his unexpected portraits.

Alton Brown

Sorensen shot Alton Brown for the Wall Street Journal for the House Call section, a feature that usually includes the person’s home. There was one problem. Brown doesn’t live in New York, he was just in town temporarily to do a Broadway show. Sorensen decided he’d use the Broadway as the backdrop during the 20 minutes he’d have for the shoot.

“The day before I had looked at his images and he seemed to be pretty cool,” he says. “You can sometimes tell if someone is a risk taker, he seemed like he was.”

Sorensen scouted locations around the area the day before he was scheduled to shoot. He asked a Halal stand owner if he could borrow the eatery as a backdrop for $20, found a classic looking donut shop and a few other locations.

“As we were walking down to where we were going to do the last setup, we passed the Citi bikes and he just hopped on and pretended he was biking and drinking his coffee,” Sorensen recalls. “The Halal stand was preplanned, the Citi bike was just in the moment.”

By the time 20 minutes was up Sorensen had hit five different locations and gathered a variety of unique shots.

“Wall Street Journal ended up running one of the more traditional ones, but they loved the various options,” Sorensen says. “I’ve never had anyone say, ‘don’t shoot these,’ they usually love them, sometimes they push for them, but it doesn’t always work.”

The series featuring Brown went on to win the PDN Faces competition.

Sam Wang

Sam Wang was one of the pollsters who famously misjudged the odds in the 2016 election. He said there was a 99% chance that Clinton would beat Trump, and that if he was wrong, he’d eat a bug.

Caltech’s alumni magazine hired Sorensen to shoot Wang, but realized that his idea might be a sore spot for his subject. He asked the client what their thoughts were and they liked it. He came to the shoot with some fake bugs, a cereal bowl and some milk and asked if Wang was comfortable doing something with the props.

“He was more than willing, despite the fact that it might be a bad memory. He was playful with it,” he says.

Anjali Kumar – Founding Head of Social Innovation and Founding General Counsel

These portraits were shot inside Warby Parker’s corporate Headquarters, which has a glasses store inside of it.

When he first arrived to the location he noticed that you could squeeze behind the glasses racks. He did a quick light test with his assistant before the shoot started.

After grabbing some more traditional portraits Sorensen asked Kumar if she’d mind sliding behind the rack so that the glasses on her face would look like a pair of glasses on the shelf.

“It was an ad hoc thing we discovered in the moment,” he says.

Jamie Bissonnette

Shot for Boston’s The Phoenix, Sorensen’s assignment was to follow around this James Beard Award winning chef as he did a food tour in Hong Kong. The magazine was looking for a cover.

“I was trying to come up with unique cover ideas and I’ve always loved that picture of Hitchcock holding the goose by Albert Watson,” says Sorensen.

Sorensen also knew that one of the highlights of the food tour would be Bissonnette eating peking duck. He purchased two peking ducks and went into the shoot thinking it would be a more traditional homage to the Walson image—but then inspiration struck.

“I asked if he would mind going ‘Ozzy”‘on it and biting the head off,” Sorensen says. “I love the image. It’s been one of those images that was on my site for a long time, one that people responded to, and helped get me new work.”

Matsutani Takayuki – CEO Tezuka (Astroboy) and Aaron Liu – Creative Director, Dream Capsule

This series was shot while Sorensen was living in Hong Kong for Cathay Pacific’s inflight magazine.

“We shot them in a mall, so there was really no good location,” Sorensen recalls. “It basically came down to getting the most out of them.”

Sorensen used the playful nature of the animation characters that these men created to produce something more interesting than your standard editorial portrait.

Hideki Kunugi – SVP, Americas

Sorensen’s shoot with the head of this airline company was shot inside a very cookie-cutter office building, but he went in knowing that the client was looking for something fun and non-traditional.

When they arrived Sorensen noticed the model airplanes placed around the office, he asked his assistant to grab them before they headed to the conference room to shoot.

He was happy with the results, but needed a second option to submit to the client. And the only other available location was Kunugi’s very sterile office. Rather than go with a standard editorial portrait, Sorensen folded up a paper airplane for Kunugi to use as a prop. The publication ended up running one of the shots with the paper airplane.

Keith Olbermann

This series was shot for The Washington Post a few months after Trump was elected. Sorensen had brought a stack of poster boards and a marker to the set and after shooting some traditional portraits, asked if Olbermann would be interested in writing out some messages, similar to the signs featured in Bob Dylan’s music video for “Subterranean Homesick Blues”.

Olbermann chose the phrases and wrote them across six of the poster boards. The Washington Post ended up running one of the images featuring the “RESIST” sign.

The post Chris Sorensen’s clever portraits of celebrities and CEOs appeared first on Popular Science.

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For the last decade ESPN Magazine has been convincing some of the world’s most elite athletes from a to shed their uniforms—and everything else—for its annual Body Issue. Past issues have included immaculate nude images of tennis star Serena Williams, Olympic medalist Aly Raisman and NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick. The issue has become an anticipated reveal for sports and photography fans alike. This year’s issue included portraits of 16 athletes from the Olympics, NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, golf and soccer photographed by iconic photographers including Mark Seliger, Peggy Sirota, Sophy Holland, Martin Schoeller and more. We caught up with ESPN’s Director of Photography, Karen Frank, to learn more about what it takes to pull off these shoots.

Pop Photo: When do you start planning for The Body Issue?

Karen Frank: It is pretty much a year round thing. After the issue closes we’re already looking ahead to the following year. We’re starting to figure out who the athletes are that we are going to be shooting, although we don’t usually find that out until around January. Between the end of June when the issue comes out and the beginning of the year, we’re looking at websites, talking to photographers, and trying to see who we will want to have shoot for us the following year. The shoots get going around January—it’s about a six month process.

Pop Photo: How do you decide which photographers will be paired with which athletes?

Karen Frank: When we get our roster of athletes, we take a look at what their personalities are and how we want to see them photographed. Then we start trying to figure out who we think is going to be the best match and make for the most successful shoot.

Pop Photo: What are the days on set shooting like?

Karen Frank: We get a lot of time for The Body Issue, typically when we’re doing a cover shoot for the magazine we are lucky if we get maybe an hour or two at the most. When we have a Body shoot we ask for a minimum of four hours, sometimes we get a full day and sometimes we get more than a day.

The athletes are all in and committed to it and want to make really outstanding images, and so do the photographers. I think there’s this bond that happens by the end of the day because everybody involved in this process feels like they’ve done something really special. I think there’s a kind of a closeness that you don’t always achieve on set. It’s a really unique experience.

Pop Photo: How does ESPN make sure that the sets stay secure and that images aren’t leaking before the big reveal in June?

Karen Frank: We let everybody know—both verbally and in writing— there is absolutely nothing that can go on social media. We try to keep our eyes open to make sure that people are complying with that, but you know, oftentimes the athletes or their representative or their friends might take a quick snap and then we always go up and remind them—hey don’t share this until the issue comes out. We keep a locked server for the images that we have here at ESPN, so only a handful of people can access them. And that’s true until they are sent out to the place where the issue is printed.

Pop Photo: What are some of the logistical challenges, in terms of body positioning, that photographers need to consider when shooting these very high profile —and very naked—athletes?

Karen Frank: It is a matter of fine tuning. We try to shoot most of them in active poses because we really want to showcase how they perform as athletes. Sometimes that will take a long time to achieve because you have to make those minor adjustments—I know that this is the way that you normally do it, but can you just lift your front leg a little bit higher so you’ll cover everything that we need to cover. Or can you raise your front arm and hold that. We also shoot tethered so that the athletes can actually come over to the screen and take a look and understand what it is that needs to be done.

Pop Photo: Are there any other things in terms of positioning that you are thinking about as you’re going into the shoots?

Karen Frank: We try to think about their body type and what their body’s story might be. With Karl-Anthony Towns [NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves], we played with that little moped to highlight how long his legs and torso are. With Saquon Barkley [NFL, New York Giants] we went into that shoot thinking we were going to shoot him doing drills, so you could really see him the action and how incredible his body is.

Pop Photo: Were there any shoots for the 10 year anniversary issue that were particularly memorable?

Karen Frank: Karl-Anthony Towns—he was the very last one actually and he was fun. He is a total character, kind of an overgrown kid, so we knew that we would be able to play with him. He was really up for just about everything and an incredible perfectionist. With most athletes, you keep the amount of time you ask them to do something to a minimum, because they get tired and there’s always a risk of injury. There were a bunch of shots that we were doing with him and we were like okay we got a few and he was like ‘no no no, I can keep going.’ I love that shot that we did of him on the moped.

Pop Photo: What was the Jerry Rice set like?

Karen Frank: Jerry [NFL Hall of Famer] actually drove to the set completely by himself, he got out of the car shook everybody’s hands was really happy to be there. We were at this really amazing location in Palo Alto—it was an artist residency and they have 600 acres overlooking the ocean and these rolling hills. We found this one area that we got them to mow for us, so it looked kind of like a football field, but it was a little bit rutted, there was some unevenness to the ground and we were concerned about him because we were going to be asking him to run on it. We walked him out there and said you know this is what we like to do, but please let us know, it’s a little rutted out here. He’s like ‘forget about that—I grew up in Mississippi I know what this is all about.’ He was just perfectly game for it and we had a lot of fun.

Pop Photo: How do you think the concept of The Body Issue has changed over the last decade?

Karen Frank: When it started out it was something that was brand new territory. No one really knew what it was going to be or how people were going to receive it. The mere act of getting an athlete to do it was a big deal. In the beginning I think there were a lot more images that were made in the studio with very statuesque kind of poses. We have tried to make it a much more active portfolio and also to really work with the personalities of the athletes. We try to bring some fun and lightheartedness and artistry to it. We try to travel to unexpected locations that will give us environment to play with.

Pop Photo: How has the process of approaching subjects changed over the years?

Karen Frank: I think people are much more open to it now because they know it. They see what we’ve done and they understand what we’re going for. There is nothing kinky or weird about it. It’s simply about celebrating the athletic form. The woman who actually makes most of the calls to the athletes says the day after the issue comes out is her biggest recruiting day of the year. All of a sudden she will get calls from people who want to do it the following year. People approach us. We approach people. We have a pretty high success rate now of getting the people that we want. There are still people who, for whatever reason, aren’t comfortable or don’t feel ready to do it yet. Hopefully we get them later down the line.

Pop Photo: The idea of what makes a body attractive has changed pretty drastically in the last decade. Do you think that the Body Issue has contributed to the body positivity movements?

Karen Frank: I do. I think we have made it a goal to include athletes of all shapes and sizes for that very reason—to show that they may not be what the rest of the world considers an ideal physical body, but their bodies are strong and powerful for perfect for the sport they play and have helped achieve incredible success. These are all elite athletes and their bodies are what have gotten them there.

See more from The Body Issue shoots, including BTS videos from the sets, over on ESPN.com. This article was originally featured on Popular Photography.

The post This is how ESPN’s annual Body Issue gets made appeared first on Popular Science.

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Early this morning Fujifilm announced the XPro-3, a camera that has the technical guts of an X-T3 with a body design that feels like you’re shooting with an analog camera. The XPro-3 has a hidden LCD screen, you can flip it down to review images and change settings, but the unique design is really meant to encourage photographers to do their composing through the viewfinder—like you were shooting a roll of film. We got a chance to shoot with the camera around New York City prior to its official announcement. This is what we thought.

Design and feel

The new XPro-3 has titanium top and bottom plates and comes in three different finishes: standard black, Duratect black, and Duractect silver. During our brief time with the new camera we were using a Duratect black version with a 35mm 1.4 prime lens. The titanium exterior of the camera makes it Fujifilm’s most durable camera to-date and the Duratect finish gives it a classy and timeless feel. The camera feels solid and is comfortable to shoot with one handed.

The hidden LCD touchscreen is, of course, the design feature that really sets the XPro-3 apart from the pack. With the XPro-3 Fujifilm wanted photographers to get back to the roots of using a camera: composing through the viewfinder and thinking about the frame before firing the shutter. In a way, it simulates the experience of shooting a roll of film. The hybrid OVF and EVF is bright and clear. It allows you to see outside of the frame—a perfect feature for street photographers who are waiting for action to pass through their boundaries of the image. Although the screen can flip down and used like a twin-reflex camera, it can’t flip all the way around. In its closed position there is a mini-display shows essential camera settings. The default is to show you the film simulation that you are using—a throwback to when photographers used to keep a cardboard tab in the back of their camera to remind them of what film they were using—but can also be customized to resemble the top plate of X-H1.

Fujifilm has eliminated the four-way controller and the View Mode button from the back of the camera. There is a rear control dial that can be pushed in to zoom into an image and check focus, and also scrolled. There is an 8-way joystick for AF and menu navigation.

The camera has dual card slots and the same battery used in other Fujifilm APS-C cameras.

Shooting experience

From a technology standpoint, shooting with the XPro-3 is a lot like shooting with the X-T3. What really sets this camera apart is that hidden LCD screen. Using the XPro-3 takes some getting used to, even as someone who still regularly works with film cameras. Even though I knew I didn’t have access to an LCD screen it took me a while to break the habit of reviewing images on the back of the camera. Shooting with the XPro-3 means slowing down, waiting for images and working in a more thoughtful way. It’s different than most digital cameras, but the learning curve on using it isn’t that steep.

After about twenty minutes of shooting with the XPro-3 I felt like I was using the camera as the company intends. You can set the viewfinder to preview the image that you just shot, which I found to be incredibly helpful for checking focus on my images and seeing if I was happy with my frame. While its possible to change settings with your eye to the camera, I did find this process a little cumbersome—especially if I was trying to do more than change the film simulation mode that I was working in. The lack of LCD and the design of the camera does make the XPro-3 a lot more discrete—a major plus for street photographers, photojournalists, or anyone trying to work late at night.

That hidden LCD screen isn’t going to make everyone happy, which is fine, the XPro-3 isn’t really meant to be a camera for everyone. This is a camera for people who long for an analog experience, but with some of the perks of digital photography. This is a camera that forces you to think about what you are shooting, which can be both frustrating and exciting. Our time with the XPro-3 was very brief, but we are guessing with more hands-on time this is a camera that we’d certainly fall in love with.

The post Hands on the Fujifilm XPro-3, plus sample images appeared first on Popular Science.

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