22 Jul 2009

New Canon Hybrid IS world’s first image stabilizer to compensate for two types of camera shake

by | posted in: Photo Gear | 0

TOKYO, July 22, 2009—Canon Inc. announced today the development of Hybrid Image Stabilizer (IS), the world’s first* optical image stabilization technology that compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. The technology will be featured in interchangeable single lens reflex (SLR) camera lens planned for commercial release before the end of 2009.

Several different preventative methods and corrective procedures have been introduced to compensate for errors caused by camera shake, which occurs when a camera moves while its shutter is open and its image sensor is exposed to light.

Canon began researching methods to compensate for camera shake in the 1980s, and in 1995 launched the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the world’s first interchangeable SLR camera lens to feature a mechanism that compensates for optical camera shake. Since then, the company has continued to produce a variety of interchangeable lenses with image stabilization capabilities, and boasts a total of 21 such lenses in its current product lineup.

Canon’s newly developed Hybrid IS technology optimally compensates for angle and shift camera shake. Sudden changes in camera angle can significantly alter images taken during standard shooting, whereas shift-based shaking, which occurs when a camera moves parallel to the imaging scene, is more pronounced in macro photography and other close-range shooting.

The new Hybrid IS technology incorporates an angular velocity sensor that detects the extent of angle-based shaking and is found in all previous optical image stabilizer mechanisms, as well as a new acceleration sensor that determines the amount of shift-based camera shake. Hybrid IS also employs a newly developed algorithm that synthesizes information from the two sensors to make optimal adjustments, thereby dramatically enhancing the effects of image stabilization during shooting, including macro shooting, which had proven difficult for conventional image stabilization technologies.

Canon is actively engaged in ongoing research and development of interchangeable SLR camera lenses incorporating Hybrid IS technology, and is aiming for the early commercialization and inclusion of the lenses in a wide range of products.


29 Jun 2009

Kermit Ruffins @ Second Line in New Orleans to honor Michael Jackson (open edition photo prints)

by | posted in: Event Photography, Photography, Prints for Sale | 0

Click Image

The Second line to honor Michael Jackson, held on Sunday, June 28, in New Orleans (St. Bernard Ave.), and sponsored by the Revolution Social Aid & Pleasure Club was so packed, not like anything I ever seen before! It was a lot of fun; and, although the heat was horrible, they were people dancing every freaking where! Dancing from top of cars to high billboards and bus stops! New Orleans own Kermit Ruffins was there too. Click here to see the Second Line in New Orleans. All images taken with Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM I figured as hot at it was and since I had to walk a lot the most important thing was to be light! I didn’t regret that decision at all BTW.

If you’d like to purchase an open edition high quality photo print of Kermit Ruffins or of the Michael Jackson Second Line please click here.  Available in 8″x12″, 10″x15″, 16″x24″, and 20″x30″! To see  more New Orleans photography and purchase high quality prints please visit www.nolaPIC.com

28 Jun 2009

New Orleans Lake Lawn Cemetery Photography

by | posted in: Photography, Prints for Sale | 0

Click Image

Did a run for a few hours yesterday at the Lake Lawn Cemetery, it was incredibly HOT, but I managed to get a few killer pictures before I had to run away from the heat! I need to go back soon in the morning since they open at 7 am.

The images can be viewed and purchased here Open edition high quality photo prints, in 5 sizes to choose from and/or framed.

Getting ready now to go to New Orleans for the Michael Jackson Second Line celebration, please come back tomorrow to see some photos!

High quality open edition prints of the New Orleans cemetery Lake Lawn (and others) are now available at my e-commerce enabled site www.nolaPIC.com

To see  more New Orleans photography and purchase high quality prints please visit www.nolaPIC.com

26 Jun 2009

22nd Annual Spillway Classic Trail Run (Pray for rain!)

by | posted in: Event Photography | 1

UPDATE!

I have uploaded ALL  images from the 22nd Annual Spillway Classic Trail Run… in total over 1200 pictures! Please click this direct link to the  www.nolaPIC.com gallery where you can see and purchase the current photos.

The files are 29mb each so you can order huge and high quality prints of your images!!! 🙂

===============================================================

 

The 22nd Annual Spillway Classic Trail Run is coming up on July 19 2009 at 8AM at the Bonnet Carret Spillway, in Norco, LA.

The 2nd largest “Trail Run” in the nation offers a scenic and demanding cross country course and is  a lot of fun to do AND watch. Field limited to the first 2000 entrants (new). Awards to the top 500 finishers!

Please “pray for rain” !!! I will be shooting the event and I will be posting prints for sale at this link (where images from previous years are still available).

The first 1-1/4 miles is atop the spillway levee. The course turns down the levee into the spillway and proceeds thru the “gauntlet”. This section of the course generally provides the most water, mud and fun, perhaps at the expense of ones shoes  ( suggestion…do not wear new shoes!) As the course makes a sharp left turn onto the main trail you continue on the pathway parallel to the canal back towards the finish line. Along the way you may expect sharp turns, log jumps, muddy/slippery sections, low limbs and a wooden bridge. Beautiful dense forest canopy provides great shade along the way. Enjoy the primitive beauty and please be careful so that you have a fun and exciting experience and return again next year.

Click Image

Thanks to NOMAMBO (New Orleans Area Mountain Bike Organization) and to the many NOTC volunteers for their work in building and maintaining the course. Course difficulty depends on pre-race rainfall. We need lots of rain 2 weeks prior to the race date!

For more info please visit: RunNotc.org.

See ya in the mud!

22 Jun 2009

New Canon 5D Mark II Magic Lantern Firmware!

by | posted in: Photo Gear | 0

From the Magic Lantern site

Magic Lantern is an open platform for developing enhancements to the amazing Canon 5D Mark II full frame digital SLR. This camera is a “game changer” for independent film makers:

  • It allows the use of a wide range of lenses (anything that can be adapted to the EF mount).
  • The 35mm full-frame sensor is larger than the RED ONE’s sensor, Super 35 film. It is approximately the size of VistaVision. This means shallower native depth-of-field than anything on the market, except for the Phantom 65.
  • The dynamic range and latitude are close to the capabilities of high-end HD cameras.
  • The low-light performance is currently unrivaled, even by the RED ONE.

But, the software in video mode has limitations, even after the recent 1.1.0 upgrade from Canon that fixed the most glaring manual exposure “bug”.

That’s where Magic Lantern comes in — it turns your 5D Mark II into a 5D Mark Free. We’ve written extensions and widgets that fix many of the annoyances in working with the 5D Mark II on a film or video set. Our first set of fixes are targeted at the audio limitations of the camera, but there are some video enhancements included, too:

  • On-screen audio meters
  • Disabled AGC
  • Manual gain control
  • Zebra stripes (video peaking)
  • Crop marks for 16:9, 2.35:1 and 4:3

Magic Lantern firmware introduction from Trammell Hudson on Vimeo.

22 Jun 2009

Kodak today announced they’ll retire KODACHROME Film after a 74 year run!

by | posted in: Photo Gear | 0
From the Kodak site:

June 22, 2009
A Tribute to KODACHROME: A Photography Icon
They say all good things in life come to an end. Today we announced that Kodak will retire KODACHROME Film, concluding its 74-year run.

It was a difficult decision, given its rich history. At the end of the day, photographers have told us and showed us they’ve moved on to newer other Kodak films and/or digital. KODACHROME Film currently represents a fraction of one percent of our film sales. We at Kodak want to celebrate with you the rich history of this storied film. Feel free to share with us your fondest memories of Kodachrome.

“Before digital, Kodak was already shifting gears–moving away from the boundaries of KODACHROME (long lab times, fewer labs, a more environmentally friendly, as well as constrained, chemistry)” said Meola. “E100SW and E100VS were a natural evolution of the KODACHROME look, and made my life a lot easier. And they kept all the great things about KODACHROME –long latitude, fine grain, great color–and made it easier for me to get processed anywhere. In some ways, those films were natural predecessors to the digital age.”

Steve McCurry, whose picture of a young Afghan girl captured the hearts of millions of people around the world as she peered hauntingly from the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985, offered these words:

“The early part of my career was dominated by KODACHROME, and I reached for that film to shoot some of my most memorable images,” said McCurry. “While KODACHROME Film was very good to me, I have since moved on to other films and digital to create my images. In fact, when I returned to shoot the ‘Afghan Girl’ 17 years later, I used Kodak’s E100VS film to create that image, rather than KODACHROME Film as with the original.”

End of an era, BUT for most it ended quite a long time ago with digital, heck for me even before with Fujichrome Velvia.

7 Jun 2009

Testing Canon 5DMII

by | posted in: Photo Gear, Photo Tips | 0

PS: I just installed the Canon Eg-S Focusing Screen and it does help with manual focusing…BIG time!

I finally got in the Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 2 mega fast prime lenses, Smudge is the first model to pose for it. The bokeh on this fast prime lens wide open (Canon 24mm 1.4) it’s unreal…click the thumbnail to see a larger image. Stay tuned for a lot more shots with Canon 24mm 1.2 and Canon 85mm 1.2.
I still have to install the Canon precision screen EG-S which should help a lot to focus with lenses 2.8 and brighter. I can’t wait to do some aerial photography with the Canon 5D Mark II, the files are a whopping 60+MB and have lots of details! I got me the Sandisk 32GB Extreme III which will let me shoot about 1200 shots!

“Chuck Westfall:
That said, it is true that most standard focusing screens for modern SLRs such as the EOS 5D are designed to provide a reasonable balance between viewfinder brightness and manual focusing capability. The Ee-A standard focusing screen for the EOS 5D is bright enough (and accurate enough) for manual focusing under most lighting conditions with virtually any EF lens regardless of maximum aperture. However, because of the design of the microlenses on the surface of the Ee-A, the depth of field shown through the viewfinder never appears be shallower than approximately f/2.8. Therefore, when using a lens faster than f/2.8, the depth of field in the resulting photograph may be shallower than what’s shown in the viewfinder if a working aperture larger than f/2.8 is selected. This effect can be readily seen when comparing the viewfinder image to the LCD screen during replay, if you take time to look for it.”

“If this is an issue for you, Canon offers an optional focusing screen called the Ee-S Super ( Eg-S for Canon 5DMII ) Precision Matte Screen. This focusing screen uses more powerful microlenses than the standard Ee-A screen, with the result that out-of-focus areas in the viewfinder are more accurate to the actual depth of field in the resulting image. This has the effect of making it easier to determine the exact point of focus during manual focusing, especially with high-speed lenses like the EF50mm f/1.4 USM or EF50mm f/1.2L USM. However, it also has the effect of making the Ee-S focusing screen noticeably darker than the Ee-A screen when using lenses with maximum apertures smaller than f/2.8. (No free lunch!) “

7 Jun 2009

MUTEMATH back in New Orleans this summer!

by | posted in: Event Photography | 0

Paul MeanyThere are rumors the MUTEMATH we’ll be back in New Orleans sometimes this summer, possibly in August! Image gallery on my other site nolaPIC.com/MUTEMATH. The pics in the gallery were taken at Voodoo Fest in New Orleans. Don’t miss the concert whenever they’ll come, they are freaking awesome and beside their music the show really rocks!
This new Spotlight video it’s unreal too, inside a Ford Econoline van, total shoot time: just a little over 3 minutes
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry6GAwDCI2I