The Snow Keeps Coming
The Snow Keeps Coming
Here in Yorkshire we are getting a lot of snow. The bulk of it fell overnight.
Schools closed buses not running, seems lessons are never learned.
It always seems to catch everybody out even when they have been forewarned well in advance.
Snow Queen
It seems the forecast now is for milder weather later in the week, leading to rain, hope flooding is
not the next big problem yet again.!!!!
As for now it is still -1c and still snowing..
So for now the snow keeps coming.
Morning Walk
Morning Walk
Early Morning Walk
This image of a woman taking an early morning walk or is it at dusk?, on a rural road is a stock image
of mine which can be licensed through RedEdge Images.
This is one of many images I have now taken with my Nikon D800E. I am really getting to like this camera.
The images it is capable of producing are excellent in both sharpness and colour.
The light in this particular image was faithfully reproduced in camera, creating the almost painting like look of the old masters style.
The shine on the road was also faithfully reproduced
The frost on the lean to roof and the smoke coming from the country cottage chimney are exactly as they looked when I pressed the shutter.
This particular day I had accidentally left the settings in the camera at jpg fine, which I normally never do as I like to edit my images from raw files.
The white balance was in auto, also something I usually never do, I prefer a manual white balance.
I was pleasantly surprised at the results.
Maybe the jpg settings should be used more often !!
Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2013
Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2013
Kingfisher
The Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2013 opens it’s doors for entries soon.
Start taking your wildlife entries for this competition.
Not much time to enter from opening to close dates.
The competition opens for entries from 7 January to 25 February 2013.
From 7 January to 25 February 2013 amateur and professional photographers alike are able to submit images for 18 categories, with three categories specifically for those aged 17 and under. Last year, the competition received a record 48,000 entries from photographers across 98 countries.
all of whom were wanting to win one of two coveted grand titles, also a share of the £30,000 prize, critical acclaim in the international media and the opportunity for their image to be viewed by millions in an exhibition that debuts at London’s Natural History Museum before touring around the world.
About the competition
Wildlife Photographer of the Year harnesses the power of photography to promote the discovery, understanding, and responsible enjoyment of the natural world.
Now in its 49th year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition provides a global showcase of the very best nature photography. The competition is co-owned by two UK institutions that pride themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth – the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
Being shortlisted in this competition is something to which photographers across the world aspire. Every year emerging talents compete with established names for a chance to be hailed Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Reasons to enter
- Compete for one of 2 coveted grand winner titles, plus a share of the £30,000 prize fund.
- Win a trip to London to attend the exclusive awards night at the Natural History Museum.
- Be showcased in the world-renowned exhibition and delight millions in venues across 6 continents.
- Revel in the critical acclaim of the global media spotlight.
- Be published in a limited-edition hardcover portfolio book
This Years Jury
| Ingo Arndt, wildlife photographer (Germany) Sophie Boulet-Gercourt, executive, Biosphoto (France) Luciano Candisani, wildlife photojournalist (Brazil) Tui De Roy, naturalist, wildlife photographer (New Zealand) Richard Eccleston, Art Editor, BBC Wildlife magazine (UK) Ruth Eichhorn, Director of Photography, GEO magazine (Germany) Lisa Lytton, Director, Paraculture Books, Director of Digital Editions, National Geographic Magazine (US) Koji Nakamura, underwater photographer, President, Japan Underwater Films (Japan) Elio Lello Piazza, natural history picture editor (Italy) Anna Sever, director, picture editor, ASA Agency (Spain) Igor Shpilenok, wildlife photographer (Russia) Hans Strand, landscape photographer (Sweden) Jan Vermeer, wildlife photographer (The Netherlands) Steve Winter, wildlife photojournalist and Director of Media, Panthera (US)Find out more about the 2013 jury |
| Calling all photographers! |
| The 2013 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is now open for entries.
Enter online at www.wildlifephotographeroftheyear.com and take part in one of the world’s most prestigious photography events. Compete for the coveted titles of Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year and: • receive a share of the £30,000 prize pot, including £10,000 for the adult overall winner. Don’t leave it until the last minute – find out how to take part Closing date: 25 February 2013 |
Capture One Pro 7.01 Released
Capture One Pro 7.01 released
The new Capture One Pro 7.01 fixes a number of bugs and stability issues, reduces memory usage and adds support for several new cameras and lenses.
Sony Cyber-shot RX1
Sony RX1
Sony Cyber-shot RX1
Features
- Shoots like a DSLR - Get pro-quality pictures with a Full Frame 35mm Exmor® CMOS sensor that takes high quality 24.3 megapixel photos
- A sharper window to the world - With a F2.0 aperture, the bright Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lens reduces lens flare and ghost images
- Power behind your photos - A powerful BIONZ processor ensures clear, detailed, low-noise images and quick, responsive shooting
- Find the right setting fast - A DSLR style control wheel lets you easily access common shooting modes, or your own custom settings
- Make the picture your own - With different picture modes you can give your photos a poster effect, soft focus, a miniature look and more
- A clearer view at speed - A high-speed burst of five frames creates a single low-noise image to minimise blur
- Movies at the touch of a button - Shoot high quality AVHCD video with every frame at Full HD 1080resolution. Choose cinematic 24p, for clips with a movie look
- Make a HD connection - Send a HD signal to your TV, laptop or other HDMI® enabled device for High Definition viewing
- Low light? No problem - Lens and sensor work together in the RX1 to deliver a particularly high ISO level – right up to ISO 102400 in Multi Frame NR mode, for crisper images in low light
- Six becomes one - For when light is low, Multi Frame NR (noise reduction) mode creates a single bright photo from six images shot continuously
- A clean, pure digital image - The RX1 ensures a clean, signal in two stages – once at the analogue signal stage and again at the digital conversion stage
- Ready for your close-up? - Macro mode shortens the minimum focus distance to 20cm and sets the magnification ratio to 0.26 for close-up photography
- Check settings at a glance - Activate Quick Navi, to see and change settings instantly without having to scroll through menus
- Your favourite settings remembered - With memory recall mode, you can remember up to three groups of settings – ready at the push of a button when you need them
- Line up your shots - Looking for the perfect composition? See grid lines on the LCD screen in diagonal and square patterns to check roll and pitch
- Add your own extras - With a multi interface shoe you can add an external flash, viewfinder, thumb grip, or extra LCD monitor
- See every shade and tone - Experience the full range of tonal gradations with the Intelligent Auto HDR (high dynamic range) setting
- Get an even wider view - Sweep Panorama stitches together a burst of images to create extra-wide panoramic landscapes, city scenes and more
- A flash of inspiration - A built-in flash pops up when you need it, with four different modes for every occasion
- Get in focus - With single shot as well as direct and full manual focus, you can lock-on to your subject fast
The Sony Cyber-shot RX1 Digital Camera is the world’s first digital compact camera to have a 35mm full-frame sensor in a form factor that can sit in the palm of your hand. This pocket-sized camera is equipped with a 24.3 MP Exmor CMOS sensor, a BIONZ image processor and a newly developed Carl Zeiss 35mm f2.0 prime lens. Together, the above technologies should ensure that images and full HD movies are sharp and colourful even in low light.
The Sony RX1 is a highly advanced compact with full manual controls, an ISO range from ISO 100-102400, a built-in flash, a minimum focusing distance of 20cm, high speed shooting at up to 5fps and full HD 24p/60i/60p video with manual control and audio input. Smaller and lighter than any full-frame DSLR currently on the market, the Sony RX1 offers exceptional image quality and performance,which compares to that usually found in a high-end digital SLR.
UK pricing seems to be around the £2,500 mark so not a purchase to be taken lightly, but it is going to have a lot of appeal to street shooters and many professional’s that want a smaller form factor high megapixel camera for ease of use,when not wishing to carry a heavy DSLR around. Time to start saving up again !!!
Nikon Release D4 Firmware Upgrade
Nikon Release D4 Firmware Upgrade
Nikon has released a firmware upgrade for the Nikon D4.
Modifications enabled with A firmware Ver. 1.03 / B firmware Ver. 1.02
Focus accuracy when a lens and teleconverter with a combined maximum aperture of f/8 is used has been increased.
The firmware can be downloaded here
Nikon 70-200mm F4 Lens
Nikon 70-200mm F4 ED VR
Nikon Imaging has announced a new 70-200mm lens with a constant F4 aperture
Nikon 70-200mm F4 ED VR Lens has been announced and will go on sale on 29/11/2012.
“High-performance telephoto zoom lens for use with FX-format SLRs.
Boasting a strong combination of constant f/4 aperture and versatile 70–200mm focal range, this lens is ideal for events, travel, wildlife, and even sports.
Nikon’s Vibration Reduction system lets you shoot at shutter speeds up to five stops slower for exceptionally sharp, steady images when shooting handheld. The superior optical design delivers outstanding resolution and contrast in diverse conditions.”
Key Features
FX-format telephoto zoom lens with 70–200mm focal range (105–300mm when used with a Nikon DX-format SLR).
Constant f/4 aperture throughout the zoom range.
Vibration Reduction (VR) system: minimizes camera shake and lets you shoot at shutter speeds up to five stops slower.
Nano Crystal Coat greatly reduces ghosting and flare.
SWM (Silent Wave Motor) enables quiet and accurate autofocus.
Two focus modes: A/M (autofocus with manual override, AF priority) and M (manual focus).
Minimum focus distance: 1 m.
Lightweight body for a telephoto zoom lens.
RT-1 tripod collar ring (optional accessory): enables the lens to be rotated freely for smooth transition between vertical and horizontal orientation.
Specifications
| Type | Type G AF-S lens with built-in CPU and F mount |
| Focal length | 70-200 mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/4 |
| Minimum aperture | f/32 |
| Lens construction | 20 elements in 14 groups (including 3 ED lens elements, one HRI lens element, and lens elements with Nano-Crystal coatings) |
| Angle of view | Nikon film SLR and FX-format D-SLR cameras: 34° 20′ – 12° 20′ Nikon DX-format D-SLR cameras: 22° 50′ – 8° |
| Focusing | Nikon Internal Focusing (IF) System with autofocus controlled by Silent Wave Motor and separate focus ring for manual focus |
| Minimum focus distance | 1 m (3.28 ft) from focal plane at all zoom positions |
| Maximum reproduction ratio | Approx. 0.274x |
| No. of diaphragm blades | 9 (rounded diaphragm opening) |
| Diaphragm | Fully automatic |
| Filter-attachment size | 67 mm |
| Dimensions | Approx. 78 mm maximum diameter x 178.5 mm (distance from camera lens mount flange) |
| Weight | Approx. 850 g (30.0 oz) |
the Nikon 70-200mm F4 Lens is a long awaited lens in the Nikon line up and is sure to be a good seller.. the recommended retail price at launch is
Capture One Pro 7
Capture One Pro 7
PhaseOne have updated CaptureOne 6.4 to version 7. I for one am a bit bummed by this payed upgrade as I only bought the software in August. Apparently if you purchased version 6 less than a month ago it is a free upgrade. If not it is a €99.0 upgrade.
It seems the cut of date for the free upgrade to version 7 is 26/Sept/2012, so I expect there will be quite a few put out by this.
I tried version 7 as a trial and found quite a few initial problems, on my machine if I open a folder full of .NEF files it only displays about a 1/3 rd of the folder images, leaving the rest as blank squares with no information about the image showing. I haven’t gone into it any further than that and removed it from my machine.
Update
I tried Capture One Pro 7 again and found that by turning of OpenCL the thumbnails all loaded and also that the program was more responsive on my machine. After comparing the costs of buying say PhotoNinja from PictureCode versus the latest C1 Pro, that I was better of upgrading. The Picturcode purchasing model is for a yearly subscription of $99.00 to continue with updates after a year. I purchased my C1 pro upgrade for €69.00. I have to say that Capture One Pro 7‘s new conversion engine is very good.
So decision made.
I will be using Capture One Pro 7 extensively over the next few weeks and trying out the new features the program offers, not least of which is cataloguing of images
Update 2
It seems there is a Beta version designated 7.02 being tested at the moment offering excellent raw conversion for the Fuji X-Trans sensor. This will be very good news for those with the alleged water-colour effect seen in images coming from Adobe Lightroom and Silkypix to some degree.
Reikan FoCal
FoCal Screenshot
Reikan FoCal
This software from Reikan is an AF microadjustment calibrator and lens performance testing software.
I heard about Reikan FoCal on forums around the web when it was in it’s early stages of production.
When I actually bought the software and tried to calibrate two of my lenses to my Nikon D3 I found it to be less than stellar.
It went through all the testing and after a while came up with an optimum setting for AFMA (Auto Focusing Micro Adjustment). I found that after making the adjustments recommended by FoCal
that my real world shots just didn’t match what the software had decided was the best setting.
I thought to myself no problem this is early stage software maybe later versions would improve the algorithm used and maybe modified test charts would be released, so I wasn’t too worried.
I have used all the updates released so far and never found it to be of any real use, unless you just like photographing test charts and seeing the results on a computer screen.
I stuck with it though and hoped things would change with the next update.
The latest update for the plus version of the software is 1.6 so I upgraded to the said version to try yet again and see what could be achieved.
Unluckily for me it wouldn’t run at all, nothing,nada,zilch. So I un-installed the program completely and re-installed it hoping that would cure whatever was stopping the program running, in short it didn’t.
As the program relies on the Microsoft .Net 4 framework to run I thought that maybe this was where the problem may lay, so I uninstalled the .Net 4 and FoCal then re-installed both Focal and .Net 4.
Still I had the same problem so I decided to email Reikan maybe they could help. I sent the email asking if there was a known problem, my reply was from a new helpdesk where a ticket was opened, I was sent login details to see how my help ticket was progressing.
I received a reply asking what was happening (splash screen showing,program opening then quitting?)
I replied and stated that nothing was happening no start up and no response from the program at all.
The reply from the helpdesk was slow in coming back and stated that my ticket was now closed and they hoped my problem was resolved!!! what?
I logged in and re-opened the ticket as I had not received any help at all, so my ticket was re-opened.
Two days later I received another email stating the same thing my ticket was closed
“Your Ticket #150 – {Problem with FoCal} – Will Not Run - has been closed.
We hope that the ticket was resolved to your satisfaction. If you feel that the ticket should not be closed or if the ticket has not been resolved, please reply to this email.
Sincerely,
Reikan Technology Support Team”
So not only am I un-impressed with the actual program, but also their help desk it seems leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t bothered replying and will just have to put my cost of entry to FoCal down to a loss and move on.
If you want to buy into the FoCal way of fine tuning your autofocus system go here.
As for me I have removed the software from my computer and do not expect to hear from them again even though I paid good money for the software.
RedEdge Images
Two images from my small collection at RedEdge Images
RedEdge Images
RedEdge Images now represent a new collection of my images for creative stock specifically for book covers.
I have now submitted images and been accepted as a contributor at RedEdge Images
My as yet small collection can be seen at this url
Red Edge images is a boutique image library which evolved from The Gailans Collection to supply high quality images to publishers worldwide, mainly for fiction book covers.
I am looking forward to working with RedEdge images in the future and building a good and saleable collection of book cover images.
“At Red Edge, we don’t like ‘stock photography’. What we like is original photography with a commissioned feel to most of the images. We love atmospheric, evocative, eye-catching, creative photography. But that should come as no surprise since both the partners are photographers with many years experience of photography for publishing and advertising.”