Skylum Luminar 4 Will Be Released November 18, 2019

Skylum Luminar 4
View Post

Skylum announced the release date of Luminar 4.

Skylum Luminar 4 will be available to the masses on November 18, 2019. If you preorder now at $79 you get bonus one-year plan to SmugMug (worth US$180). Upgrading is $69. When released on November 18, the price will jump to US$89 new and US$79 for an upgrade.

Some of the AI powered features of Luminar 4 have been already been disclosed.

Skylum press release:

Image editing made extraordinarily fast through AI advancements in Luminar

Flagship software to bring innovative machine-learning tools and workflow to photographers as both a standalone application and plugin.

BELLEVUE, WA -October 15, 2019—Skylum is pleased to announce additional enhancements coming to Luminar 4 to be shipped on November 18, 2019. The release intends to change the way photographers approach photo editing, offering several tools informed by extensive machine-learning and a new streamlined interface to make photo editing more accessible than ever before.

Luminar 4 isn’t just another photo editor —it brings time-saving, creative photo processing to everyone in an easy-to-use approach. Skylum wants people to enjoy not only the taking of photos, but also the processing images which is typically where many photographers have the most frustration.

With Luminar 4, anyone can create a masterpiece.With a refreshed interface and workflow, Luminar 4 shifts from being a tool-based approach to one that is purpose-based. It shortens the learning process, helping any photographer experiment creatively and expand their vision. While the software incorporates complex tools, they’re completely customizable and easy to use, whether you’re a beginner or seasoned professional.

For example, in Luminar 4, photographers will experience the power of AI Sky Replacement —the first automated sky replacement tool in the market. AI Structure provides photographers with a tool to adjust fine details in their photographs, without destroying relevant subjects. Finally, tools like AI Skin Enhancer and Portrait Enhancer will take an everyday portrait and turn it into a masterpiece!

Click here to open the rest of the article

This Image Sensor Makes It Virtually Impossible To Blow Highlights

Image Sensor
View Post

Researchers at the German Institut für Mikroelektronik Stuttgart have developed an image sensor that makes it almost impossible to blow highlights with.

What this image sensor does, is using “self resetting pixels“, i.e. pixels that don’t clip when they get saturated but instead starts over and counts the times it has started over. From the research paper’s abstract:

Conventional CMOS image sensors with a linear transfer characteristic only have a limited dynamic range (DR) of about 60–70 dB. To extend the dynamic range considerably, the already successfully demonstrated concept of a linear self-reset pixel was employed in this work. With the self-reset concept the limit of the maximum analyzable photo generated charge (Qmax) during the exposure time is extended to a multiple of the saturation charge of the photo diode (Qsat) by asynchronous self-resets of the photo diode. Additionally, the remaining charge at the end of the exposure time is evaluated to increase the resolution of the opto-electronic conversion. Thus we achieved pixels with a DR of more than 120 dB combined with an improved low light sensitivity using a pinned photodiode.

In other words: you don’t have to worry about your exposure in order to save highlights in your image. Instead, you can set the best exposure for your subject and safely snap knowing that no highlights will be blown out.

This image sensor is a prototype and likely far from going into production. Never the less, it’s a technological innovation that sooner or later will be featured on image sensors.

The full paper “Realization and opto-electronic Characterization of linear Self-Reset Pixel Cells for a high dynamic CMOS Image Sensor” by Stefan Hirsch, Markus Strobel, Wolfram Klingler, Jan Dirk Schulze Spüntrup, Zili Yu, and Joachim N. Burghartz, is available here.

Let’s hope it’s something Canon will research too.

[via Image Sensors World]

Law And Ethics In Street Photography Explained In 20 Minutes

Street Photography
View Post

If you’re into street photography most likely you have already faced some of the ethical aspects and hopefully did not incur in any legal issues that might come along with this peculiar form of photography.

It’s not just a matter of what you should take a picture of (or not picture, the ethical question) but also a matter of what you can picture (the legal aspects). In the video below Sean Tucker interviews Nick Dunmur, a member of the legal team at the AOP (Association of Photographers) to talk about the laws that regulate street photography and taking picture of people in public. The video also offers some interesting thoughts on how to put together your own moral code of conduct for your photography.

Canon Launches Color Calibration Service For Displays

Canon Rumors Color Calibration
View Post

Canon press release:

Canon U.S.A. Launches Comprehensive Color Calibration Service For Displays

New Service for Color-Critical Environments also Includes Calibration of Non-Canon Displays

MELVILLE, NY, October 10, 2019 – As High Dynamic Range (HDR) content production continues to become more popular, the need for finely calibrated displays has become more critical. With numerous evolving HDR formats, it is only through calibration that the artistic vision can be fully enjoyed. In response to this growing demand, Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions is excited to announce it will now be offering a color calibration service for display products. The fee-based service can be performed on Canon’s lineup of reference displays as well as displays from other manufacturers. As a well-established industry leader in Service and Support, Canon’s commitment to professionals is further cemented with the introduction of this new service offering.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Latest BCN Rankings Show Canon Is Gaining Mirrorless Market Shares, Sony Still Behind

Mirrorless
View Post

Latest market figures shared by BCN show that Canon is still the camera alpha dog.

Canon’s market success is driven by the sals of the the Canon EOS M50 (KISS M in Japan). Canon’s latest APS-C mirrorless camera, the EOS M6 Mark II is already on rank 11. Sony is behind Canon and seems to struggle to keep up with Canon’s figures.

Canon Wants You To “REC” Your World With The New Canon IVY REC Clippable Camera

Canon Ivy Rec
View Post

The Canon IVY REC comes in three colors: Riptide (Blue), Avocado (Green) and Dragon Fruit (Pink) and is scheduled to be available in October 2019 at $129.99. Preorder at B&H Photo and Adorama.

Canon press release:

The World Is Your Oyster and Now You Can “REC” It With New Canon IVY REC Clippable Outdoor Camera

MELVILLE, NY, October 10, 2019 – Your activity of choice should not limit you on your quest to #RECtheWorld – from jumping on a trampoline, biking down a mountainside, screaming on a roller coaster or feeling the beat at a music festival. Down for just about anything, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is excited to announce the IVY REC Clippable Outdoor Camera. Made to go anywhere while capturing those larger-than-life moments – this new camera is made for adventure.

IVY REC Specs

Great for the outdoors, the clippable and wearable design allows users to wear it on a belt or bag and the clip doubles as a viewfinder – eliminating the potential to crack a screen. Simple to use with one click capture for both photos and videos, the IVY REC pairs with the optional Canon Mini Cam app1. When paired with a compatible mobile device2 such as a smartphone, you can keep informed about important settings including battery life of the IVY REC camera, remaining image capacity for the MicroSD card, video recording resolution (720p or 1080p)3, and image size. You can also use the app as a live viewfinder to capture photos and videos, and even use it as a remote shutter with a timer. For photos and videos, the app lets you wirelessly transfer them to your compatible mobile device to print and share. The go-anywhere camera is also waterproof4, shockproof5 and lightweight.

canon ivy rec

“We have learned a lot about the IVY customer since we launched our first IVY product over a year ago –their unique shopping habits and what’s important to them when it comes to consumer technology products,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We’ve worked tirelessly to implement this knowledge into the next generation of IVY products, the IVY REC, offering the younger generation consumer the opportunity to go where the moment takes them and capture them in an instant.”

Click here to open the rest of the article
STORIES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED TO READ