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How we shot the Christmas Tree Cluster from 2,500 light-years away

Most amateur Astrophotography images have a total integration time of between one and four hours. This is the total time that the shutter is open (even if with several images stacked). We decided to spend 81 hours on this picture which is our personal record.

We shot NGC 2264, a spectacular piece of space tat is mostly occupied by the Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster and a few others). Going from a four-hour “exposure” to an 81 hours exposure is not a giant leap, but a series of steps. This is how we got here.

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DIY Camera-Shy hoodie lets wearer avoid CCTV and surveillance cameras

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If you don’t like the idea of being recognized by surveillance cameras, then this latest DIY project could be for you. Of course, if you’re planning to use it for nefarious purposes, then DIYP doesn’t condone that. However, it’s an interesting experiment to see what works and what doesn’t when trying to confuse CCTV cameras.

Artist Mac Pierce invented the Adversarial Infrared Hoodie to “give the user the option to anonymize themselves within the recording of a night vision security camera,” according to his website.

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Build your own DIY Loupedeck for Lightroom

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There have been a number of DIY console projects and custom keyboards out there for people to build already, but I quite liked the look of this one. It comes from photographer and high school STEM teacher, Adam Iannazzone, to make his life easier when using Lightroom. It’s a simple design based on an Arduino, and it’s one of the few I’ve seen that actually contains dials as well as buttons!

It’s called the Lightroom Macropad, and it does what many such DIY projects do. It uses the Arduino to simulate being a keyboard. When you press a button or spin a dial n the device, it sends one or several – if you programme your own macros into the code – keystrokes to make your computer perform whatever action you’ve set that button to. And you can configure it to do pretty much whatever you want.

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Amaran releases its first ever full-colour Pixel Tube LED lights

Amaran, the entry-level sub-brand of Aputure, has announced the Amaran PT1c, PT2c and PT4c in 1ft, 2ft and 4ft lengths, respectively. These are the first full-colour RGBWW LED pixel tubes released under the Amaran brand, with USB-C charging, smooth diffusion, multiple Pixel FX, as well as remote control abilities through either DMX or the Sidus Link app on your smartphone.

The company has also refreshed its COB 60, 100 and 200 LEDs with a new S series. The new upgraded lights feature a new SSI LED design to bring higher colour accuracy. This results in increased CRI and TLCI scores for more accurate colour rendering. As before, there are both daylight and bi-colour versions available, still sporting the familiar Bowens mount, with Sidus Link remote control.

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Lighting Setup: How to build and use a DIY Scrim in the Studio

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There are quite literally thousands of lighting modifiers on the market today, but which ones are good, which ones should you avoid and… can you make some of them yourself?

In this article I want to discuss: what a scrim is, what a scrim does, and how you can make a very simple scrim for yourself if you like the look it provides.

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INFINIBAR is Aputure’s first addressable RGBWW linear LED lights

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Aputure has announced its new INFINIBAR Pixel Bar series of LED sticks. These are the company’s first RGBWW full-colour LED pixel bars that can be connected to create various shapes. They’re available in 1ft, 2ft and 4ft options, with a number of connectors to configure your shapes. Each of the three INFINIBAR models has a pixel density of 24 pixels per foot (2 per inch or about 1 every 12.7mm).

Aputure says the INFINIBAR’s “infinite blending design” and “ultra-smooth Pixel FX […] unlock new possibilities for lighting design both on and off-camera”. I’m not entirely sure how these should be used on-camera, but that’s what they say. They feature a bunch of connectivity options, including wired and wireless DMX, as well as wireless remote control from the Sidus Link app.

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Hasselblad’s new X2D 100C Lightweight Field Kit costs almost $13,000

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Hasselblad has announced a new Lightweight Field Kit bundle for its X2D 100C medium format mirrorless camera. The Hasselblad X2D 100C was released in September 2022 at the cost of $8,199 for the body only. Three new f/2.5 lenses were also announced alongside the camera, although they’re not exactly lightweight. Hasselblad’s new kit includes two f/4 lenses to minimise weight.

The Hasselblad X2D 100C Lightweight Field Kit contains the X2D 100C camera body along with the XCD 4/21 and XCD 4/45P lenses. Bought separately, the camera with those two lenses comes out to around $13,050. As a bundle, though, there’s a little bit of a saving with a price tag of $12,759. When it comes to weigh savings, though, the whole combo, Hasselblad says, weighs only 1,810g.

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Westcott FlexiGels make colouring your lights as easy as possible

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Westcott has launched a new set of FlexiGels for the Westcott FJ400 strobe. Interestingly, though, they’re not made of your typical gel material. These are an 8-pack of reusable gels made from silicone rubber. They’re designed to fit right over the bulb of the FJ400 and colour the light with red, orange, light orange (which they say is similar to a CTO), yellow, green, blue, purple or pink.

The great thing about silicone rubber “gels” is that it should make swapping them out on a whim fairly easy. It’s a great insulator of heat to prevent you burning yourself. And as it goes over the bulb, Westcott says it’s compatible with umbrellas, softboxes and whatever other modifiers you want to use. But there may be potential negatives.

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Photographer captures Rio’s Christ the Redeemer as it gets struck by lightning

Sometimes you have an image in your mind, but the chance to take it is one in a million. In times like this, you need to prepare, hope, and shoot, shoot, shoot until you get it.

Brazilian photographer Fernando Braga did this for an entire year and finally got the image of his dreams. He captured the moment when a lightning struck Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue, and his amazing image took the world by storm (pun not intended). We chatted a bit with Fernando about his photos, and he shared some details behind this incredible shot with us.

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Leica announces two new lightweight 35mm and 50mm f/2 Summicron lenses for L mount

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Leica has announced two new lightweight Summicron-SL lenses for Leica L mount at 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2. You might be wondering why Leica’s announcing two new 35mm and 50mm f/2 lenses when they already have the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2. But when you compare those to the two new lenses, the size and weight saving, not to mention the massive cost saving, make it quite obvious.

The new Leica Summicron-SL 35mm f/2 and Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 lenses are significantly smaller and lighter than their APO counterparts. In fact, both of the new lenses share identical dimensions, making it easier for video shooters to swap between them without having to rebalance gimbals, etc. They also cost less than half of the APO versions, making them a financially viable option for a lot more L mount photographers.

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