Latest Giveaway: Aputure VS-1 FineHD 1920x1200 7" Field Monitor

From the department of the Crassly Commercial comes our latest giveaway: a new (used only for review purposes) Aputure VS-1 FineHD HDMI display.

It's perfect for many mirrorless cameras because they'll already have the focus and exposure assists that you can then send to this eye-popping display (a6300, a7R II or a7S II anyone?).

All you have to do to enter is subscribe to this blog and/or our Three Blind Men and an Elephant YouTube channel. I pick up shipping if in the U.S., but it's on you anywhere else. I'll announce a winner on April 1st.

Good luck!

Canon Announces 80D... Controlled Descent?

At a moment in time where camera unit sales are in free fall, the 80D feels like an effort at controlling descent rather than lighting up the after-burners.

The specs had leaked a couple of days before the official announcement, and they turned out to be pretty much right. Here are the updates verbatim from Canon’s press release: 

·      New 45-point all cross-type AF system

·      Intelligent Viewfinder with approximately 100% viewfinder coverage

·      Newly Developed 24.2 Megapixel (APS-C) CMOS sensor

·      DIGIC 6 image processor for enhanced image quality

·      Improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF for smooth, fast and accurate autofocus with video and stills

·      Built-in Wi-Fi®2 and NFCTM2 capability for easy transfer of images and movies to compatible mobile devices

·      1080/60p Full HD video to capture brilliant results in MP4 format for easy movie sharing on select social networking sites

·      Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD II monitor enables flexible positioning and clear viewing even outdoors

After you finish reading them, you may be wondering: who is this camera designed to satisfy?

Is the 80D Competitive?

Don’t get me wrong: the 80D has Canon quality and ergos (some of the best in the business), and provides access to Canon’s vast array of glass (arguably the biggest and best overall). The improvements over the 70D  are real. There is even a new 18-135mm zoom designed specifically for a power zoom adapter and a new directional mic that slips into the 80D’s hot shoe.

But here’s the thing: none of these items appear to substantively address the shortcomings which placed its predecessor in the lower half of the pack (see, for example, dpreview or DxOMark), especially when it comes to video.

I mean: no 4K, limited dynamic range, limited low-light performance, no focus- or exposure-assists, no in-body image stabilization.

Will the 80D be a compelling alternative to the heretofore comparably priced Panasonic GX8 (originally $1,198 but now reduced by $200 to $997 plus $100 gift card at B&H) or Olympus OM-D E-M5 II (formerly $1,099 now also reduced by $200 to $899 at B&H) for video?

Panasonic Lumix GX8

olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk II

Remember, the GX8 records 4K internally, has a tilting EVF (as well as LCD) and dual image stabilization -- while the Oly has 5-axis IBIS and 40mp high res stills mode (when used on a tripod).

Will the 80D be a compelling alternative to Sony’s a6000 (currently $498 after $50 instant savings at B&H) or its just-announced and soon-to-be-released $998 a6300?

Sony a6000

Sony a6300

Remember, the a6000 had -- until the announcement of the 6300 – arguably the world’s fastest autofocus, along with focus and exposure assists and a 24mp sensor superior to the sensor of the 70D and 7D Mk II. The a6300 not only records 4K internally but shoots up to 120fps in full HD with minimal crop, offers 14 stops of dynamic range with S-Log3 and improved low light sensitivity with a new sensor, and has what Sony is calling the world’s fastest autofocus. Sony’s UWP D11 wireless mic + SMAD-3 Multi-Interface Shoe Adapter not only connects directly without cables but offers a headphone jack, obviating the need for either (the a6000 has neither, while a6300 has a mic jack; even so, both send audio as well as video out through their micro HDMI port, allowing one to monitor sound through a variety of external means). Their $498 XLR-K2M uses that same smart hot shoe connection to add multiple XLR inputs and Sony’s own shotgun mic to the mix.

Then again, the 80D has built-in mic and headphone jacks. 

The reason I draw these particular comparisons is because with the addition of:

• a power zoom adapter;
• relocated on-board mics;
• a new, optional shoe-mounted mic;
• 60fps in HD (up from 30);
• mic and headphone jacks; and
•  a new zoom lens with new motor

most of the updates seem to revolve around video (oddly, the tag line for the camera from Canon is “focus with precision” – speaking of which, whatever happened to the Eye-Control technology of the EOS 3, introduced on that model in 1998? And how many lenses in the Canon line-up can actually take advantage of dual pixel autofocus? HINT: it’s fewer than you think).

So: Who is It For, Really?

Maybe the answer to some of these questions will turn out to be “yes,” especially if you’re already committed to Canon lenses, prefer Canon ergonomics, or really, really like touch screens.

Which is fine.

Maybe you're looking to move up from a point & shoot or a high-end smartphone, and it's easy to go with the market leader or the 80D just feels right in your hand.

And again, that's fine.

Still, given the 80D’s modestly updated specs in such a hotly-contested market segment, it seems to me that the 80D is ultimately designed more for Canon’s shareholders than videographers. Call it the minimum functional update required to move people contemplating  the 70D (now reduced from $1,199 to $999 at B&H) to pony up an extra $200 for the 80D -- or into the much higher-spec'd and priced Cinema EOS line starting with the newly-reduced $4,499 C100 Mk II (though it will cost you a minimum of $5,999 to get into 4K Canon hybrid stills/video camera, the just announced 1D X Mark II.

Gotta protect those margins.

Which, for the last time, is fine. If I were Canon, I might do the same thing.

Then again, maybe I wouldn't.

At a moment in time when camera unit sales are in free fall and smartphones are getting crazy good, the 80D feels like an effort at controlling descent rather than lighting up the after-burners.

If you want after-burners, start by checking out the Sony a6300.

Sony a7R II + Wooden Quick Cage = FS5?

Well, not quite: the a7R II [B&H|Amazon] offers neither the 10-bit 4:2:2 HD nor 120 fps slow motion on offer with the FS5. But attach the exceptionally minimalist yet strong and clever Wooden Quick Cage for Small DSLRs to the a7R II, and you have a superior low light, hybrid video/stills platform to which you can mount just about anything.

I contacted Wooden after discovering that my favorite hybrid, Sony’s a6000 [B&H|Amazon], suffered from flex when working with a follow focus and a geared cine lens. There are many cages out there, but I’d seen the Wooden Quick Cage for Small DSLRs [B&H|Amazon] before and its diminutive, spare design seemed ideally suited to the a6000.

Unfortunately, nothing could help the a6000’s flex except some additional engineering by Sony, and it appears Sony may have done just that by strengthening the lens mount in the a6300. We’ll see.

But I’d also just finished a review of the a6300 [B&H|Amazon]  after returning from Sony’s global press event, and even compared the little guy to its big brother the a7R II and even bigger brother the FS5. You can check out that review here.

Bottom line? If the a6300 is ultimately about price, the a7R II is about that 42mp BSI sensor, and the FS5 is about being a pure – rather than hybrid -- video platform.

That’s where Wooden’s Quick Cage comes in: when you mount it to the a7R II, all of a sudden you’ve got a hybrid which is just as robust a platform for hanging on batteries, monitors, mics and more – even as you can quickly detach it and go hand-held for video or stills, superior to the FS5 when shooting in low light or needing to shoot stills.

Even so, the FS5 is a superior video machine for 1080p with 10-bit 4:2:2 output (via SDI only, not HDMI!), 120fps, built in XLR... you get the idea.

The Quick Cage for Small DSLRs itself costs $399 – eminently reasonable – but is very modular and expandable. Wooden offers kits beginning at $789 running all the way up to the Pro Kit at $2,225. The Pro kit begins with the Quick Cage and adds a quick release NATO handle, a pair of rods, an XLR adapter allowing a pair of XLR mics to feed directly into the a7R II’s mic jack, an EVF/LCD mount, a dovetail clamp, battery slide, and other bits and bobs to truly challenge the FS5 as a platform.

Nits?

Only one, really.

In order to allow the rear LCD to swivel up, I had to remove the small, adjustable block designed to prevent the camera body from swiveling around the ¼” 20 thread by locking it in place from th rear.  I wish Wooden would create custom blocks the way Really Right Stuff does (in this case, for the front of the body), because torque can result in a camera moving off axis.

Other than that, the Wooden Quick Cage for Small DSLR is a surprisingly affordable and rock solid way to handle even the most complicated set-up. They offer cages for a variety of cameras including Panasonic, Blackmagic, ARRI, and more.  Visit their site to learn more.

When Customers Talk, Aputure Listens

I loved the Aputure Amaran HR 672C  when it first came out, but really wished light modifiers – soft box, grid and snoot – were available for it.  I wasn’t alone, and Aputure listened. How about that?

Back in November 2014 I reviewed a small LED panel  the size of an iPad by a company I’d not heard of before: Aputure. The Amaran HR672C was great.  In fact, it was the impetus for eventually selling off my ARRI Softbank IV kit and going all-LED.

Fast forward to NAB 2015, where I connect with the Aputure guys in person. Good people.  Heck, they even asked for feedback on their products which – never one to be shy – gave them.

Fast forward a little bit more and now it’s the fall and the Aputure team is at Photo Plus Expo in New York.  They show off a prototype of a diffuser and egg crate for the HR672C. A little bit after that, I (and I imagine, a bunch of others) get a package with a beta version of the diffuser and a note asking for additional feedback.

Then there’s a Facebook group, which Aputure uses to solicit even more feedback. 

About a month ago (sorry it has taken me so long to report on it), another package arrives in the mail. This time it’s the final product, the Aputure EZ Box Softbox Kit  [B&H|Amazon]  for the 672 and 528 LED panels.

This is way cool.  It’s simple, small, inexpensive at $45 + shipping, and folds up into practically nothing.

While one might expect it to be too small (its surface area is only 1.5x the panel’s own diffuser), given the size of the LED, its price point, its intended use and its output, I think they’ve hit the nail on the head. What I can tell you is that it made a noticeable, pleasing difference when I used it as a key light in a two light set-up for my recent comparison of Sony’s new a63000  [B&H| Amazon]  to the a7R II  [B&H|Amazon] and FS5.

Which, I must confess, surprised me. I liked it.

Do I wish it were even bigger? Yes, but I’m afraid the light output would drop off too quickly. Do I wish there was an egg crate and a snoot, too? Yes, and I hope they come.

To me, the Aputure brand is about excellent value, original products, and nice people. If you own either LED panel, this is worth a close look.

Full disclosure: Aputure sends me stuff from time to time for review.  It often ends up somewhere in my bat cave under a pile of something or other, but I think I’ll leave the EZ Box on the HR672C permanently.

Sony a6300 vs. Sony a7R II vs. Sony FS5: The Goldilocks Review

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Sony global press event announcing the new a6300  [B&H|Amazon] and their G-Master lens line (FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, and FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM).

It just so happened that at the same time, I had Sony a7R II and Sony FS5 loaners back in my bat cave courtesy of B&H.

Funny thing when you have three very different cameras in hand at the same time.  You get smarter (or at least clearer) about the trade-offs.

Me? Even though each one is an incredible machine, my next camera body is likely to be the a6300. See why below.

Sony Announces New APS-C Flagship, Internal 4K-recording a6300 -- and 3 New G Master Series Lenses

Sony's a6300, the long-awaited upgrade to their outstanding a6000 features internal 4K recording, a new 24 megapixel sensor with 14 stops (!) of dynamic range, and a new 425 point phase-detect autofocus system. The even-longer awaited Sony answer to Canon’s renowned L glass – especially the 24-70/2.8 and 70-200/2.8 -- is a new lens line called G-Master. 

Sony invited us to a press event scheduled just days before New York's Fashion Week 2016 in the uber-hip Meatpacking district.  The new news? Sony announced their new a6300 and the G Master lens line. With the stage properly set, Sony launched into the reveal.

Pre-production Sony a6300, Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, 70-200mm f/2.8 GM, 1.4 and 2x teleconverters 

The New Sony APS-C Flagship: a6300

Let’s cut to the chase: this is a fascinating and compelling upgrade with four key areas of enhancement – and a new $1,000 price tag.

The new sensor is still 24 megapixels and is not back side illuminated. But with changes to the wiring and enhanced circuitry, this little pup now boasts internal 4K recording (up to 30p) without pixel binning at up to 100Mbps bit rate; 120fps in full HD; a purported 14 stops of dynamic range using S-Log3; and about one stop more light sensitivity (top ISO now rated at 51200). 

The new autofocus relies on a staggering 425 phase detect AF points, resulting in what is purported to be the fastest autofocus anywhere, at .05 seconds.

The viewfinder resolution has been restored to 2.4 megapixels, but with the ability to display images up to 120fps, Sony claims they’re getting into DSLR levels of viewfinder performance. Add improved zebras and gamma assist and it’s clear (pun intended) that Sony is very, very serious about this camera.

Ergos and robustness including better dust and moisture resistance, a “reinforced lens mount structure” (yeah, baby!), a mic line in, and improved shutter release and mode dial round out top line improvements.

This looks like the camera I was waiting for. 

New G-Master Lenses: FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, FE 85mm f/1.4 GM and FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM

Many people have been waiting for Sony’s answer to Canon’s venerable 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM  and 70-200mm f/2.8L II USM . Now they have it – along with the answer to the less frequently requested Sony version of the renowned, $1,999 Canon 85mm f/1.2L II USM 

While Sony’s $2,198 FE-24-70 f/2.8 GM  is a bit pricier than the $1,799 Canon and their $1,798 FE 85mm f/1.4 GM  is a little less expensive than Canon’s 85mm f/1.2 (the FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM  is not yet priced), they’re in the pricing ball park. What’s less obvious is that Sony is aiming to knock Canon out of the ring with superior autofocus speed, silence and resolution: these lenses appear to be a generation faster and quieter than Canon’s current L glass.

This is big.

We got to play with the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 85mm f/1.4 on a Sony a7R II, along with a pre-production version of the a6300. Because the a6300 was not final release, we weren’t able to download our images and because they were tethered, I really couldn’t get a feel for it. 

What I can say is that these three are rock solid, easy in the hand -- and as heavy as I've come to expect given Sony's 90mm f/2.8 Macro. 

Disappointments? They don't have the awesome auto/manual focus of Sony's FE PZ 28-135 zoom, one of my favorite lenses of 2015. But I can live with that.

Here are selected shots we took with the a7R II and the two lenses:

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Bottom Line

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sony has the hot hand in the industry.  The speed with which they’re acting on their customers’ feedback is phenomenal, and the results are showing up in the marketplace: while DSLR sales continue to go down, Sony’s mirrorless camera and lens sales continue to rise.

With these three new lenses, Sony has mounted a serious challenge to Canon’s L glass hegemony for all but the highest end sports photographers.

And with the$1,000 a6300 (let alone the$2,998 a7S II, $3,198 a7R II, $5,599  FS5 and &7,999 FS7), how can you not look at Canon’s just announced, $5,999 1D X Mark II and ask “really?”

Smartphones Crush Traditional Players, Apple Tops on Flickr 2015

The handwriting is on the wall in bright colors: the halcyon days of point & shoots AND DSLRs for casual, social users are OVER - at least as far as Flickr is concerned.

Precipitous declines in Canon and Nikon use were at the hands of Apple and Samsung -- but especially Apple, as Samsung went flat in 2015. Sony was flat, but this reflects both Sony's acknowledgement that global unit volume of cameras will continue to drop -- and their strategic response of moving up-market with higher value cameras like the RX100 IV  [B&H|Amazon] , a7s II  [B&H|Amazon], a7r II  [B&H|Amazon], and RX1R II  [B&H|Amazon].

Camera phones alone exceed the share of DSLRs as "mirrorless" share grew as well -- but remember, camera phones are mirrorless too -- as are most point and shoots.

The FAA Shuts Down Every Drone Club Within 30 Miles of Washington, DC?

I'm fascinated by -- and don't quite know what to make of -- the FAA's decision to create a 30 mile no-fly zone for drones around the capital.

The FAA created the ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) around Washington, D.C. back in 2003. The DC FRZ (Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Flight Restricted Zone) is a smaller, even more restricted airspace that prohibits all but "governmental,  certain scheduled commercial and a limited set of waivered flights."

The DC FRZ radius is 15-17 miles (13-15 nautical miles), but the new FAA rule doubles that radius for drones.

Am I reading this right? The FAA is more worried about something like a DJI Phantom 3  [B&H|Amazon] weighing a couple of pounds with a 20 minute roundtrip flight time than a plane or a helicopter capable of carrying people and weapons?

What do you make of this?

Haskell Wexler, Oscar-Winning Cinematographer, Dies at 93

Did I read this obituary because it was about a successful Hollywood DP? Or did I read it because I'm getting older?

I read it because I'd never heard of him before, and I hate my own ignorance.

Curiosity and shame can be wonderfully useful tools, and this turned out to be a perfect example. Within minutes I learned (this is when the web is an amazing thing) that beyond winning an Oscar for the last black and white film that would ever win, he wrote, directed and shot MEDIUM COOL.

What makes MEDIUM COOL interesting?

It's a feature-length film written a month before -- and shot during -- the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It combines fiction and documentary filmmaking. And it challenges those of us who make films to question what our roles and ambitions ought to be.

See it.

I also suggest watching a documentary about the making of the film, LOOK OUT, HASKELL, IT'S REAL! 

Sigma CEO is a Mensch?

By all recent accounts, absolutely.

"Mensch (מענטש) a  word that means "a person of integrity." A mensch is someone who is responsible, has a sense of right and wrong and is the sort of person other people look up to."

What makes me think Sigma's CEO is a mensch?

They Make Great Glass at a Great Price Point

Earlier this month I asked an obvious question: "When will Sigma make their fast, full-frame coverage Art lenses available in native Sony E-mount?" After all, they're making stellar optics at very attractive price points (like their 50mm f/1.4 in EF mount), and Sony is really taking off (their CEO says so, too). Then again, it takes time to shift gears and do it well.

Right there: mensch-like quality. They're pricing and delivering with integrity. Or, to put it differently: seems to me they're creating and pricing their products the way they would want to be treated if they were their own customers and employees. They probably could get Sony e-mount lenses to market faster if they subbed to a Chinese manufacturer, but thus far they've chosen not to.

More about that next.

They Turned Down a Buy-Out Offer from Canon

Sigma is an independent company with a clear vision of what they want to achieve not only for their customers, but for their employees as well. It would have made sense for Canon to acquire Sigma for a number of reasons, from getting their hands on sensor technology (an area where Canon is badly lagging behind Sony) to taking out a lower-priced competitor to Canon's bread and butter lens line. But this would have come at the likely cost of shuttering their Japanese plant and moving production to China, a move that Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki explicitly rejected because of its negative impact on their employees and local community.

Mensch all the way.

Watch this interview with Mr. Yamaki by Mobile 01 and draw your own conclusions. 

Shout-out to Petapixel for the link.

http://petapixel.com/2015/12/23/sony-will-be-the-major-player-in-the-photo-industry-says-sigmas-ceo/

Another Limited Time Discount: Rotolight

Rotolights have an outstanding pedigree, and I really like their NEO. 10% off between now and the end of December.