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Shooting with a 50+ year old Russian lens on a Sony A7RII

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The Helios 44-2 is one of my favourite old lenses. This, along with the Jupiter-9 are my two most used manual focus lenses for stills and video. The Helios 44 line started in 1958. Its initial design is a copy of the Carl Zeiss Biotar 58mm f/2, and was produced by KMZ for the M42 mount. Since that first version, it’s been through several iterations as technology has advanced.

In this video from Manny Ortiz, we see the Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 lens in action on a Sony A7RII. When you see the looks that can be achieved by this lens it’s easy to see why this quickly becomes a favourite of all who own one. The fact that they can be picked up for as low as $10 just makes it one that should be in everybody’s bag.

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Apple’s new MacBook Pro features a second touchscreen retina display

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Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s new Surface Studio, Apple have announced the new MacBook Pro. What is their thinnest and lightest unit ever, the new MacBook Pro features a brand new “Retina-quality Multi-Touch Display” called the Touch Bar. Essentially it’s a secondary interactive display to complement whatever app you happen to be running.

The Touch Bar may sound like a bit of a gimmick at first, but I really don’t think it is. It’s akin to having a second monitor that just relays important or useful information about your current app. Except, this one’s touchscreen, so more than a simple visual reference. Being able to put valuable interactive feedback and tools from each of your applications onto a secondary display is a big deal for productivity.

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Freelance Isn’t Free Act passes in NYC to protect freelancers from non-payment

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This has been a long battle, one that freelancers throughout the world can relate to. Late and non-payment from clients. The Freelancers Union estimates that there are around 55 million Americans freelancing across the country, that’s around a fifth of the adult workforce. New York City presents an even higher ratio. It is said that 38% of NYC workers are freelance with each losing $6,000 a year on average to delinquent clients. That adds up to a whole lot of money. As much as $4.7 billion.

Today, the first major victory in this battle has been won. the Freelance Isn’t Free Act has passed in NYC with a unanimous 51-0 votes. In short, what this means is tougher penalties for clients who pay late or don’t pay at all. There’s also more legal recourse for freelancers trying to recover payment. This is huge news, not just for NYC, but the whole country as other locations push for similar laws.

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This is what 10Bit 4:2:2 video actually means

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The new Panasonic Lumix GH5 will record 10Bit 4:2:2 video internally, but what exactly does that mean? how will it benefit you? Isn’t video just video? Why is this such a big deal? No, video isn’t just video, and it means quite a great deal.

Fortunately for us, Filmmaker Griffin Hammond is here to explain. In short, it offers more tone in colours with less risk of banding in gradients. It makes it easier to chroma key or green screen your footage. It also makes it easier to correct and grade your footage with minimal loss.

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How Nikkor optical glass is made

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The Philosophy of Nikkor is a series of videos which Nikon started to release in April of last year. Every so often a new video is released containing insight into the creation of their Nikkor lenses. There are interviews with everybody from the designers and product managers right down to those making the individual components.

In the latest video, Volume 6 released recently, we hear from those who make the optical glass. As part of the Nikon Group, Hikari Glass produces the optical glass that will eventually go into the Nikkor lenses you mount to your camera. The current Hikari Glass plant was built in 1975 in Akita, Japan. It’s a fascinating look at how our lenses begin their life.

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Google acknowledges lens flare on Pixel camera, plans software fix for hardware problem

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It may be DXOMark’s highest scoring mobile device camera ever, but the Google Pixel is not without its photographic flaws. Quite a few users have reported getting flare or “halo effect” issues with their camera when it’s not even in the shot. The thing with lens flare, though, is that it’s a physical hardware issue. This is why DSLR and mirrorless lenses come with hoods. They block the light from entering the lens and reflecting inside the optics causing flare.

While Google acknowledge that the problem exists, and will be addressing it, they are combating this hardware problem with a software solution. The general idea will be that some algorithm will recognise the flare, and then mathematically subtract it from the image. So, it’s not really eliminating the flare, just faking its removal in software.

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Not falling on your crotch is more important than having a nice wedding video

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Your wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. The photos of it document the momentous occasion to remember and enjoy it for the rest of your life. For this couple, however, it may be a day they want to forget. During a wedding photo session, the bride was walking along a 4ft high metal railing. Then, she slipped and landed right on her crotch.

Instantly shrieking in pain and begging for her new husband to help her, she is lifted off the railing. It’s really not funny, but, schadenfreude does seem to be the foundation on which the modern Internet is built.

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Fly first class with a 24k gold plated DJI Phantom 4 for only $24.5K

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If you’re a recent DJI Phantom 4 owner that was upset by the price drop after the announcement of the Mavic Pro, then you’re going to love this one. British drone retailer Drones Direct are offering a 24 carat gold plated DJI Phantom 4 for sale. This too, has had its price reduced, dropping from £21,999 (around $27k) to a more reasonable £19,999 (about $24.5k).

It offers all the same features as the original Phantom 4, but with bling. Drones Direct calls it “the world’s most lavish drone”, and they’re probably not wrong. Unfortunately, the gold plating does not extend to the controller, but the drone itself will definitely stand out in the air.

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Microsoft’s new Surface Studio wants to kill both the iMac and Wacom Cintiq

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Looking at the advert for Microsoft’s new Surface Studio they’re taking a square aim at two very distinct products. Obviously they want to take a big chunk out of the Apple iMac’s share of the designer desktop computer market. It also seems, though, that they want to try and replace the Wacom Cintiq, too. As desktop PCs go, the new Surface Studio has an extremely elegant design, and is probably one of the most versatile units to hit the market.

Of course, it still runs Windows, which will put many users off right away. The vast majority of Windows issues I’ve seen over the years seem to be down to the hardware choices made by OEMs and PC builders, though. That Microsoft are able to specify exactly what hardware goes into the unit should result a much smoother and more stable system (in theory).

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DJI’s new Zenmuse Z30 drone camera has 30x optical zoom

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After recently introducing their first drone camera with optical zoom, the Zenmuse Z3, DJI have now announced the Zenmuse Z30. This camera features a 30x optical zoom, a major improvement over the 3.5x optical zoom of the Z3. Designed primarily for commercial applications, DJI see this camera being used for inspecting wind turbines and cell towers.

DJI is taking a square aim at commercial drone market rather than hobbyists or filmmakers. To scout difficult locations for firefighters or search & rescue at long range it’s an ideal camera. It will also aid in things like building inspection and surveying of locations impossible to reach after a major disasters.

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