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Spekular LEDs are like a Swiss army knife for lighting

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Just when you think you’ve seen all LED lighting panels that the world can have, here comes a new LED light that makes you open your wallet again. Spekular is an all-in-one lighting panel that in addition to being a “panel” can also be a ring, a strip, an octa and even a star (how do you like them catch-lights?).

The idea is quite simple and will probably be familiar to anyone that likes playing with LEDs. Each kit holds four super-bright sections that can be connected and manipulated into various shapes.

These are the 8 most essential video tips for DIY filmmakers

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As a DIY Filmaker, one’s budget is often quite tight. You’ve spent a bunch of money on your cameras lenses and lights, but now the pot is close to empty. There are so many other little things that we need to buy, and they all add up.

To help ease the wallet a little, Dave Knop (aka Knoptop) comes to the rescue. Dave has put together his list of the 8 of what he believes to be the most useful video tutorials for DIY Filmmakers. And it’s all thanks to the magic of (a broken) television!

The new Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III adds 4K video and 121 point AF system

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The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II was pretty much everything anybody could want in an entry level mirrorless camera. It’s fairly inexpensive, small, feels like quality in your hands, offers a great feature set, and produces great images. While the newly announced Mark III might not seem that different, it has received a couple of pretty significant upgrades.

For a start, it now shoots 4K video at up to 30 frames per second. 1080p HD is available at up to 60 frames per second. The autofocus has also shifted from the 81 points found in the Mark II to 121. Interestingly, though, its stills resolution remains at 16MP.

How to fake realistic background blur in Photoshop in 3 simple steps

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Shooting with 200mm f/2, 135mm f/1.8 and 105mm f/1.4 lenses is the dream of many portrait photographers. But such lenses are not inexpensive. We may only have a kit zoom that will never give us the look we really want. But, there are other options. Stop down for sharpness, then simulate that shallow depth of field in post. It won’t look quite the same as doing it optically, but it’ll can get you pretty close with a little effort.

In this video, Unmesh Dinda from Piximperfect shows us an easy way to simulate a shallow depth of field in Photoshop. The technique involves using a depth map. This tells various plugins how far away something is. This allows us to get that blur falling off as we get further from the camera. It allows you to get that soft blurry background in just three simple steps.

Sports reporter thinks his iPhone calculator app is a light meter and gives out readings on air

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It’s said that the truth is often stranger than fiction. I’m not entirely sure about that, although it can be far more hilarious. In this example of a man who’s confident in his words, we have a sports reporter talking about the light levels on the cricket field. It can become difficult see the red ball when it starts to get dark. So, light meters are often used to measure the light levels. If it’s below a certain amount, the game is called.

To illustrate his point, he pulls out his “light meter” to take a reading and show the viewer. Unfortunately, his “meter” was an iPhone running the calculator app. It showed a “reading” of 6.5, which indicated that it was getting rather dark.

The first fully analogue Instax camera is coming but it’s not made by Fuji

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Thanks to companies like Fujifilm and Impossible, instant photos are well and truly back, and they’re here to stay. While the Polaroid concept has always been quite popular, Fuji’s range of Instax cameras & films have proven to be extremely successful. Many photographers I know have one. For behind the scenes snaps, or just fun shots while doing things with friends, they love them.

Now, Lomography want in on some of that action. They’ve just announced the new LomoInstant. A fully analogue instant camera designed specifically for use with Fuji Instax instant film. The first fully analogue camera of its type that accepts Instax film.

How to turn smoke into low lying fog for your next spooky photo shoot

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Low lying fog can be fantastic for those creepy photo shoots, especially out on location. Or, perhaps you’re trying to recreate the look of a particular 80s pop music TV show. Whatever your reason, low lying fog often works much better than a more elevated smoke-filled atmosphere choking your subject.

In this video from Jay P Morgan for The Slanted Lens, we see how to make a smoke machine produce low lying fog. And all you need is a cooler and a big block of ice.

DJI offer $30,000 bounty to hack its products and find security threats

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Well, I guess now we know why the US Army pulled all of its DJI products from service. DJI have removed the JPush plugin from the DJI Go and DJI Go 4 apps. It turns out that it had been collecting user data without its knowledge. Not without the user’s knowledge, without DJI’s knowledge. DJI blame the third party developer who created the JPush plugin.

The Verge reports that JPush wouldn’t have needed to collect a lot of  data to do its job. But DJI say the app actually collected personal information, including a list of apps installed on the user’s Android device. In addition to this update, they’ve also announced a bug bounty programme rewarding up to $30,000 for those who can find exploits in their systems.

The first review of the Godox A1 mobile phone flash trigger is out, and it looks quite good

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The Godox A1 has been much talked about since it was announced not too long ago. A flash trigger that could fire speedlights and real strobes… on your phone? They even did a fancy iPhone studio shoot to show off its capabilities. Then it went on pre-order. Many people thought “What’s the point? Why spend so much money on lights to use your phone?”.

They’re right, of course, but for me the big draw is behind the scenes photos. If my lights are already set up at a shoot, it takes no time at all to whip out my phone and grab a shot for Instagram. Some hate the idea of the A1, some love it. But how well does it really perform? This review from photographer Rob Hall goes pretty in depth into the Godox A1 feature set as well as some of its drawbacks.

Canon finally unleashes 85mm f/1.4L IS, EOS M100 mirrorless, and three new tilt-shift macro lenses

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A bunch of new gear announcements from Canon today. First up, the EOS M100 mirrorless camera with an APS-C sized 24.2MP sensor and EF-M lens mount. There’s three new tilt shift macro lenses at 50mm, 90mm and 135mm. A new MT-26EX-RT twin macro flash is also being launched along with the new glass. But the biggest piece of news is the long awaited 85mm f/1.4L IS USM.

Many will see the 85mm f/1.4L as simply an update to the 85mm f/1.2L, but in many ways it’s a very different lens. Losing that third of a stop of light has resulted in a new optical design as well as built in image stabilisation. It’s also supposed to be able to focus much faster with full time manual focus override.

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