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The Loupedeck Photo Editing Console makes editing easy

Whenever I go on a photo shoot whether it is a professional event, a “people” shoot or my own getaway seeking amazing nature shots, I always come back home with hundreds if not thousands of photos. Many of them are multiple shots of the same subject with maybe some difference in the lighting, or movement or angle. Once I get back to my home studio, I am usually faced with the daunting task of going through the pictures in Adobe Lightroom one by one, to rate the shots, and to find the best ones to edit to ultimately produce the best final photographs. The actual task of editing the photos with precision and accuracy using a mouse is even more daunting.

For many years, I have experimented with reprogramming midi audio boards to create an effective and efficient electronic hardware control board, to manipulate the software sliders, knobs, and controls in Lightroom. While I have been somewhat successful, I was never adequately satisfied with the result.

A few months ago, I was able to buy the Loupedeck Photo Editing Console for Lightroom, which was designed specifically to do what I was trying to with my reprogrammed midi boards. The Loupedeck works amazingly well with Lightroom, and rating and editing of photos are done with ease and accuracy. It has dedicated dials, wheels and keys, programmable preset buttons, and specifically assigned buttons, for the most common editing tasks. It allows me to adjust each characteristic with great precision, and to ultimately produce simply amazing pictures. And, since it connects and is powered via its USB cable, it is very portable.

Once you download the installation software form the Loupedeck website, installation is a breeze, and overall is it a very professional, fun, and reliable photo editing solution.

You can purchase the Loupedeck at B&H Photo Video for $259.

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The Loupedeck Photo Editing Console makes editing easy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 3, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup!

Whenever I go on a photography shoot, I always feel uneasy only having one camera with me. While it makes a lot of sense to have a backup camera, it is also very important to have a camera that is lighter, smaller, very capable in features, and otherwise not lagging very far behind my larger professional series DSLR. As a Canon fan, I have looked at their line of cameras to find one that would closely meet my requirements, but so far, they have fallen short in several ways.

This past week, Canon announced the EOS M50 Mirrorless Digital Camera and I immediately got excited. The M50 prominently features a new Raw format, a new DIGIC 8 processor which is a first for Canon, an OLED electronic viewfinder, a shooting rate of 10 fps and yes!!, 4K video.

Canon has chosen to use a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and they have included the options for Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth. They also feature Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization, but it seems that the Dual Pixel Autofocus is not available when shooting 4K video. (I will confirm this when I get one in my hands!). The inclusion of their eTTL flash system makes it easy to swap my flash from my professional EOS DSLR and the M50, and just keep going.

This combination of features makes this camera very appealing as a “go to” backup camera, especially since it weighs less that one pound with the battery and memory card installed.

The M50 is expected to be released in March 2018, and can be pre-ordered as a body only, or with a couple of options for kit lens.

You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order at a starting price of $779.00.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup!

Whenever I go on a photography shoot, I always feel uneasy only having one camera with me. While it makes a lot of sense to have a backup camera, it is also very important to have a camera that is lighter, smaller, very capable in features, and otherwise not lagging very far behind my larger professional series DSLR. As a Canon fan, I have looked at their line of cameras to find one that would closely meet my requirements, but so far, they have fallen short in several ways.

This past week, Canon announced the EOS M50 Mirrorless Digital Camera and I immediately got excited. The M50 prominently features a new Raw format, a new DIGIC 8 processor which is a first for Canon, an OLED electronic viewfinder, a shooting rate of 10 fps and yes!!, 4K video.

Canon has chosen to use a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and they have included the options for Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth. They also feature Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization, but it seems that the Dual Pixel Autofocus is not available when shooting 4K video. (I will confirm this when I get one in my hands!). The inclusion of their eTTL flash system makes it easy to swap my flash from my professional EOS DSLR and the M50, and just keep going.

This combination of features makes this camera very appealing as a “go to” backup camera, especially since it weighs less that one pound with the battery and memory card installed.

The M50 is expected to be released in March 2018, and can be pre-ordered as a body only, or with a couple of options for kit lens.

You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order at a starting price of $779.00.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Canon’s new 470EX-AI flash may be just the right solution

I have been a photographer for many years, and like many photographers, on any given day I will grab my camera, my “go to” lens, a professional flash, and head to some place for the opportunity to get great shots. In many cases when I have to travel light and when the opportunity is an event that allows for pictures of people, one of the many challenges is being able to position the flash head to take one or two relatively quick vertical and horizontal shots, and being able to set the correct “bounce” angle to get that nearly perfect smooth, wide and filling light that is most flattering to the subject. Since pointing a flash directly at a subject usually results in harsh light with distracting shadows, the technique of “bouncing” light is used. It is done by estimating the distance between the camera lens and the subject, and the lens and the ceiling, and “bouncing” the light produced by the flash off the ceiling. In some cases, other surfaces in the room are used to have the light from the flash “bounce” off of, to provide the desired effect.

A few days ago, Canon announced the 470EX-AI flash that does the work for you. The “AI” stands for Artificial Intelligence and the flash has three modes: manual, semi-automatic and automatic.

In automatic mode, the flash automatically measures the room that you are working in, the distance between the subject and the lens and the ceiling and the lens, and automatically tilts and rotates the flash head to produce the best lighting ability. In semi-automatic mode, you can set the starting position of the flash head towards the surface that you want the light to “bounce” from and then once again, the flash remembers that position, measures the distance between the lens and the subject and rotates as necessary for that optimal shot.

The 470EX-AI also includes Canon’s E-TTL/E-TTL-II technology which when used with compatible Canon DSLR cameras, automatically calculates the light metering between the lens and the light it produces for each shot.

This AI flash is an amazing tool for both professional, beginner and enthusiast photographers, that will make their flash photography that much better and easier.
You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order the 470EX-AI flash for $399. Its current release date is May 1st, 2018.

SANDMARC iPhone X camera lenses review

SANDMARC offers camera products for GoPro, DJI drones, the iPhone 7, 8 (both standard and plus models), and the iPhone X.  The lenses I will be talking about are the iPhone X versions.

What is it?

The SANDMARC Lenses for iPhone are easily attachable lenses, each serving a specific purpose for the kind of photograph you are wanting to take.  Installation is quick and easy and the lenses produce a high-quality image that takes your photos to the next level through the use of the macro, fisheye or wide lenses.  Later in the review, I will show you some photos taken with and without the SANDMARC lenses to show the difference that they make.

Hardware specs

Lets first talk about attachment to your phone.  Each lens comes with its own iPhone case that allows for simple attachment of your lens.  when not using a lens, the case will work to protect your phone but is not the most rugged case out there, but that’s not the intended purpose.  The attachment point on the case protrudes quite a bit from the body of the phone so if you don’t plan on using the lens(es) often, you might find the clip attachment an easier solution.  Also included with each lens is a clip that attaches to the lens and clips onto your phone, whether or not you are using another kind of iPhone case.  This flexibility is a really nice feature to of these products.  If I was going to be spending a day shooting pictures I would just use the case provided for quick attachment of whichever lens I needed.  For the one off occasions I use the clip so I don’t have to remove my regular iPhone case.

Picture below was taken without a SANDMARC Lens

Wide lens: this lens gives you 2 times more field of view; 16mm lens; 0.56X magnification; 71g; 24.2 mm height and 42 mm diameter.  This is a great lens for action shots, outdoor/landscape photography and travel.

The picture below is the same shot as above using the wide lens.

Fisheye lens: this lens gives you 5 times more field of view; 10 mm lens; 55 g, 23 mm height; 38 mm diameter.  This lens is perfect for large landscape shots, sporting events and anything else that a very wide field of view would make for a more stunning photograph.

The picture below is the same shot using the fisheye lens

Macro lens: designed to capture details not seen by the naked eye you will be very impressed by the vivid details that are uncovered with this lens.  Ideal for photographing small objects at very close range the macro lens is ideal for photographing flowers, insects, snowflakes and other detailed still subjects that we don’t often get to see the details of.  25 mm lens; 10X magnification; 25.4 g; 15 mm height; 38 mm diameter.

What’s in the box?

Each lens comes packaged with an iPhone case, a clip on attachment, lens covers, a soft carrying pouch and a microfiber cloth.

Designs and features

The thoughtful design of how these lenses seem to be a natural extension of the iPhone makes for a very easy and enjoyable user experience.  If it was a pain or a process to attach them I don’t think I would be using them as much as I am.  When you use the clip to attach it to the phone, it is easy to line it up with the lens on the phone because you can easily see the placement and alignment on the screen.  The weight of the lenses are definitely noticeable and make your phone feel a lot more like a regular camera.  You won’t likely be slipping your phone with the lens attached into your pocket because to produce the effects you get with each lens, they are not small but that is to be expected.

Positives

High quality and sturdy lenses and housings that feel like high grade camera equipment; stunning images that elevate the already great camera on the iPhone X to the next level; cases and clips that are designed to work interchangeably if you own more than one of their lenses; available for iPhones models 7 and up; can be purchased individually or as a set including all three lenses I have discussed.

Negatives

The case probably isn’t something you would want to use as your everyday iPhone case but to be fair, I’m not sure that is the intent of it.  Honestly, I haven’t found a real negative concerning this set of lenses.

Final thoughts

I have always been intrigued by the lens attachments for mobile phones that I have seen over the past couple of years.  To say that I was skeptical about the functionality, quality and difference they would make would be putting it mildly.  Recently I was sent a set of lenses from SANDMARC (wide angle, macro and fisheye) and after quickly attaching them to my phone and snapping some photos, I was thoroughly impressed.  The design of the lenses and how they attach/clip to your phone is very well thought out.  I really enjoyed using the included iPhone case for quick installation of a lens or changing them when needed but I have found myself using the clip on function even more as I quickly grab a lens to take a shot.  Each case is the same so if you buy multiple lenses, you can use one case to attach all the lenses, which makes for a very convenient platform to elevate your photography by quickly snapping in a new lens.

After using these for the last few weeks I couldn’t be happier with them and have been really impressed with the difference they have made with my photographs.  If you enjoy taking high quality pictures and going beyond what your phone is capable of, I wholeheartedly recommend checking these lenses out.

Price: Macro: $69.99, Wide angle: $89.99, Fisheye: $79.99, Set of all 3: $189.99
Where to buy: SANDMARC
Source: The samples for this review were provided by SANDMARC.