Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
This summer, astrophotographers and astronomy enthusiasts are up for a real treat. If you point your camera up to the sky before the sunrise, you’ll find five planets of our solar system lined up. Add the moon to the equation, and there’s an opportunity for some stunning photos.
One of those photos was kindly shared today with DIYP. Photographers from Italian astronomical society Gruppo Astrofili Palidoro took it, and they have shared some details and the photo with us.
HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) is the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet. So, not surprisingly, it has shot some of the most stunning images of Mars we’ve ever seen. Scientists have recently shared a HiRISE image of a crater on the Red Planet. Thanks to Seán Doran, we get to see it in color, 8K resolution, and explore nearly every little detail of it.
With some data issues occurring, NASA has decided to slowly start shutting down the Voyager probes after 45 years in operation. It started with heaters and other nonessential components, and the record-breaking spacecraft will remain operable until around 2030 when their journey will end.
This program is remarkable and groundbreaking for so many reasons, starting with the very lifespan of the spacecraft. So, to celebrate them and their contribution, we’re sharing some of the epic photos they took over their long career.
How often can we see, with our naked eye, five planets of our solar system lined up in the sky at the same time? And what’s more, see them lined up in order of their distance from the sun? You’re right – it’s pretty rare. But this unique opportunity is now ahead of us!
Starting today and for the next few weeks, we’ll be able to see Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Venus, and Mercury lined up in the night sky, along with the Moon. If you’re into astrophotography, don’t miss this opportunity to take some amazing shots, and I’ll share some info and tips to hopefully help you on this mission.
NASA has just released an interesting timelapse video of the main body of the Europa Clipper arriving at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. The spacecraft’s body was designed by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
In the video below, you can see the main body encased in a protective casing, being unloaded and unpacked, almost like an early Christmas present. The spacecraft is currently undergoing final assembly before being tested for its launch in 2024. Then it will be sent to explore Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa.
The popularity of classic photography lenses for video has seen a massive increase in the last few years. And it’s no surprise. Some of those old lenses have a fantastic look about them and produce footage that would be difficult or impossible to shoot with modern glass without a lot of post-processing effects to simulate it. And even then, it wouldn’t look 100% the same.
But vintage photography lenses aren’t exactly built for video use. They’re designed to be operated by hand, twisting the focus and aperture rings manually, not with a follow focus unit or a gimbal motor. But Fusion 360 wizard, Edward Park has created a bunch of 3D printable housings to convert them and made them freely available to download.
We’ve seen some stunning work from filmmaker Seán Doran before. This time, he made a stunning 4K timelapse video of the sun using available NASA images: nearly 80,000 of them. As a result, he created a video of the sun and its movement and activity over the course of one month, and yes – it’s as amazing as it sounds.
ZY Optics has announced its new Zhongyi Lens Turbo II. It’s a 0.72x speed booster for Nikon Z mount APS-C cameras. There are three versions available that let you use full-frame M42, Canon EF and Nikon F mount lenses on the new system with a wider field of view than you’d otherwise get on an APS-C body. It also gives you an extra stop of light and brings back some of that shallow depth of field.
It’s not an autofocus adapter, like the Nikon FTZ and this is reflected in the price, but it does mean that when you’re shooting video, you’ll get to use some of those classic lenses that people have been using with their other cameras for years.
Vintage lenses have become really popular over the last few years, mostly amongst the video shooters but also with photographers. And these days, everybody seems to be on the lookout for those great bargains that offer a unique look at a very low cost. Filmmaker and YouTuber Yuval Aloni thinks he’s found something. It’s the Industar 50-2 and it seems quite commonly available on big online auction sites for around $10.
This is by no means high-end glass, even by the standards set during the time in which this lens was made. But for what you can find them for, it offers excellent value that produces a wonderfully retro look. It’s not super sharp, although it’s sharp enough where it needs to be and it blooms a bit in contrasty areas, but in a very pleasing way.
Astronomy Photographer of the Year is one of the contests I always look forward to. It has just announced its 2021, and just as always – I’m definitely not disappointed. The winning image is a striking photo of the last year’s annular solar eclipse, but there are many more photos that will make your jaw drop. So, without further ado, let’s check them out!
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