How to create dramatic black & white photos with Lightroom presets

This is a very good tutorial by Serge Ramelli on YouTube about how to create impressive black and white photos with Adobe Lightroom. Ramelli starts with the basic adjustments for B&W images. After that you will see how to use gradient filters and how to break the gradient by using radial gradient filters. All the tricks shown can then be saved as a preset for future editing tasks. The tutorial is for both experienced Lightroom users as well as for beginners.

[via Fstoppers via ISO1200]

Canon patent for EF 24-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens for full-frame DSLR

24-300mm f/3.5-5.6

Canon patent for a EF 24-300mm f/3.5-5.6 USM lens for full-frame sensors. The patent description doesn’t mention image stabilisation (IS), so it’s unlikely this will be the replacement for the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS (announced 2001).

As usual, a filed patent doesn’t mean the described gear will necessarily hit the market. On the other hand, this may just be a patent on the way to the replacement for the 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6, and we could soon see another patent for a similar optical formula and with added IS.

  • Patent Publication No. 2015-215438
    • Published 2015.12.3
    • Filing date 2014.5.9
  • Example
    • Focal length 24.70 101.33 292.01
    • Fno 3.50 4.59 5.87
    • ω (degrees) 41.22 12.05 4.24
    • Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64
    • Overall length of the lens 202.71 232.50 288.71
    • BF 38.78 43.69 75.66

Untitled

[via Egami]

Canon working on a 360-degree spherical imagery camera (Ricoh Theta competitor)? [CW3]

Ricoh Theta S
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I’ve been told (thanks) that Canon is working on the development of a camera that has similar features as the Ricoh Theta S camera (announced September 2015).

The Ricoh Theta S is a camera device with two lenses (one on each side) that allows to capture full 360-degree spherical imagery with different levels of exposure on each side. The Ricoh Theta S has the following features:

  • Record 360° Spherical Photos/Videos
  • 2 x 12MP 1/2.3″ Sensors, 14.4MP Output
  • Twin Lens System, f/2 Maximum Aperture
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 30 fps
  • Live Streaming via USB or HDMI
  • Auto, Shutter Speed & ISO Priority Modes
  • ISO 1600 & Manual Exposure up to 1 Min.
  • Built-In Wi-Fi for Live View and Control
  • 8GB Internal Memory
  • Google Maps/Street View Compatible

While this might sound a bit gadget-like to someone, it is also a cool camera concept that will appeal to many people, and that maybe will play a big role in the future of photography (think GoPro and the huge commercial success it had). Camera concepts like the Ricoh Theta may well become a best seller and who wouldn’t want to have a best-selling camera in their catalog? These are also times when DSLR sales figures are going down and I am sure all the big manufacturers are looking out for new ideas.

It’s not surprising to me to hear that Canon might work on such a camera. Canon is the biggest camera and lens manufacturer out there but camera concepts like the Ricoh Theta are not on offer by Canon. To get a better idea what such a camera can do have a look at the video below, released by Ricoh for the announcement of the Ricoh Theta S.

I rate the rumor CW3 because of the source. However, a grain of salt is appropriate here.

Lots of refurbished gear deals at Canon Direct Store (EOS 6D $999, 7D2 $1,099, 5D3 $1,899, and much more)

Eos 6d Mark Ii
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The Canon Direct Store stocked up again their listing of refurbished gear. And there are some pretty good deals. Just to make three examples: you can grab the Canon EOS 6D for just $999, the EOS 7D Mark II for $1,099, the EOS 5D Mark III for $1,899.

There really a lot of excellent deals, look out for your favorite camera or lens or other Canon gear following the links below: