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This 17-minute video takes a geeky deep-dive into film camera communication and automation

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One of my favourite channels to watch on YouTube is Technology Connections. In each video, our host takes us on a journey through the histories of different technologies, explaining where they came from and how they work. It covers all kinds of technologies, but occasionally, the topic becomes somewhat related to photography or video. We’ve featured the channel here on DIYP before, to explain why cameras and our eyes see in RGB.

Now, he’s back to explain film. But it’s not a complete overview of how film is made, how it captures an image, how you can develop it or turn it into a print. Oh no, this super geeky video goes in-depth into one very specific aspect of 35mm film and that’s DX encoding – Or Digital IndeX). What is it? Why does it even exist? What does it do? And does it really matter?

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How to shoot & edit your woodland photos to give them a glowy, dreamlike, painterly look

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The real world, especially the natural real world, is filled with wonderful sights for us to capture with our cameras. The problem is, our cameras rarely capture the world exactly as we see it and particularly not how we feel it to be. That’s where editing comes in. It’s why we have tools like Lightroom and Photoshop to help us get our images where we want them to be. In the case of woodlands, that often means a dreamy painterly style.

Woodlands, particularly, are well suited to this style. It brings out those magical and mystical vibes many of us feel when we think of woodlands and the idyllic images we see in our heads. In this video, Nigel Danson walks us through his editing process in Lightroom Classic to give his woodland photos that soft and dreamy painterly feel. But this isn’t just a basic 5-minute tutorial. It’s almost half an hour long going into a lot of detail on the whole process.

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Call yourself a cookie addict? Well, here’s some Oreo lens and body caps you can 3D print

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3D printing offers us some wonderfully creative options for developing, prototyping, and ultimately making excellent practical tools to help us with our photography and filmmaking. It also allows us to be as silly as we want to be, too. Sometimes, the best of both worlds can be combined into something practical, yet also hilarious. As is the case with this particular design.

If you’re a Canon shooter with a 3D printer and a cookie addiction, this model uploaded by FloridaMan999 (what a name!) will really float your boat. It’s a set of Canon RF body and lens caps that look like Oreo cookies. There are also a couple of sets of Canon EF designs as well as a Nikon F body cap (no lens cap), although he says he hasn’t tested them yet.

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Canon has killed off its legendary MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens

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This is a day that many will mourn. While the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro is by far the more popular lens, the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro is certainly the more unique and more revered amongst many macro photographers. Offering up to 5x magnification, it certainly stood out amongst the others on the market – for any camera system. Well now, it appears that Canon has finally discontinued it, accordin to the Canon Japan website.

Unlike the 100mm f/2.8 macro, though, it looks like there may not be an RF Mount replacement for this one. There have been no announcements or hints from Canon, nor even any rumours. It was added to the Canon EF lens lineup in 1999 and I’ve had a play with one myself over the years. Even today, there is nothing else out there that really replaces it, with most “extreme” macro lenses topping out at 2x.

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AstrHori releases pictures and specs of upcoming 105mm f/2.8 tilt-shift macro lens

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105mm (and 100mm) f/2.8 macro lenses are pretty common. They’ve been the go-to macro lens for many Nikon and Canon shooters in the past and there are also equivalents available for Sony and L mount, along with a whole bunch of third-party options. One thing I’ve not seen before, though, is a macro of this focal length that’s also got tilt-shift capability. Well, it looks like Astr\hori’s about to release one!

The company has released images and basics specs for the lens, although there’s no word on an official announcement date or a price yet. It’s going to be available in Sony E, Canon RF, Leica L and Fuji GFX mounts, so it’s designed specifically for mirrorless. Naturally, for GFX, it won’t have as much range in the shift, due to the larger sensor. I’m a little surprised there’s no Nikon Z version coming, though.

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Panasonic confirms shifting away from compacts and low end cameras towards mirrorless video cameras

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It’s probably not much of a surprise, really, but as Newswitch reports, Panasonic Entertainment and Communication president, Akira Toyoshima, has stated in a press conference that Panasonic is essentially done dealing with lower-end and compact cameras. They’re not giving up on cameras completely, however, saying that they are going to be focusing on, amongst other things, “video mirrorless cameras”.

This essentially confirms the August rumour that Panasonic was planning to dump low-end gear – an idea that seemed to be backed up last month by the discontinuation of the Lumix LX100 Mark II. Getting rid of the compact point and shoots and cameras primarily designed for shooting photography rather than video. The move definitely makes a lot of sense in a world of smartphones – and all the other camera manufacturers have done it.

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Fujifilm apologises for colour negative and slide 35mm film shortage – and it may not end soon

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Fujifilm has posted a notification on its website apologising for the lack of availability of its 35mm colour negative and reversal (slide) film. They expect that things will be pretty tight for a while due to the availability of raw materials. Fuji cites some specific films in its apology and says they’re currently taking measures to help “ensure a stable supply of products” as quickly as they can.

The cynic in me wants to say that this is a prelude to discontinuation. Fuji has a habit of doing that, even when there aren’t global shortages of raw materials. Something becomes difficult to get and then they just decide “well, the market’s too small anyway” and then just discontinue the product. I hope this isn’t how it turns out, but this is Fuji we’re talking about.

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Square crop compositions – They’re not just for Instagram

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It’s funny. These days, most people associate an image that’s cropped as a square as something that’s being done as a compromise for the benefit of social media – particularly Instagram. For the longest time, a square was the best format to use on Instagram because it’s all it would display, and it still is the most common crop today. On other social media, square became popular because it has the same dimensions whether the viewer holds their phone vertically or horizontally.

But square images have been around since long before Instagram or social media. In fact, they were around long before the Internet existed at all. And it has a very different psychological effect on the viewer than a vertical or horizontal orientation image. In this video, Mark Denney walks us through the square crop, how and why to use it and how you might want to use it to get better compositions.

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A non-pro version of the DJI Mini 3 has shown up in the FCC database

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It looks like there might be a lower-level DJI Mini 3 coming as a new listing for a non-pro model has shown up in the FCC database. Exactly what compromises might be made compared to the DJI Mini 3 Pro announced in May are unknown. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility, especially with the recent release of the cut-down DJI Mavic 3 Classic just three weeks ago.

According to DroneDJ, there isn’t a lot of information in the filing. It does mention that the DJI Mini 3 will be powered by a 2S 7.38v battery, although the capacity is not mentioned. We don’t know what the camera will be like, either. Will the non-Pro mini even carry the obstacle avoidance that brought DJI back in line with the likes of the Autel Evo Nano (review here)? Only time will really tell.

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Zhiyun expands its lighting range with the new Fiveray F100 and M40 LED lights

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Zhiyun has announced a couple of new lights today. One is the Fiveray F100, which is essentially a much brighter upgraded version of the Zhiyun Fiveray FR100C released earlier in the year (which is currently on sale for Black Friday, btw). It boasts a higher LED brightness, with a peak output of 20,708 lux in MAX mode. Like the FR100C, the F100 sports cooling fans to prevent overheating and offers a CRI>=96 and TLCI>=97.

The Fiveray M40 is a little smaller, but still plenty bright. It’s a pocket-sized 40 Watt ultrabright bicolour LED panel boasting 14,000 lux at max output. You only get half an hour’s use from it while running off its internal battery, but it can be charged quickly over USB-PD and you can also use it at maximum brightness while it’s charging.

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