In a recent interview, Canon’s president Fujio Mitarai expressed not-so-optimistic predictions for the future of the camera business. He admitted that Canon’s sales have declined by around 10% in the past couple of years, and he believes that it will get even worse. According to Mitarai, the digital cameras market could shrink by as much as 50% within the next two years.
This device from the 1990s bridged the gap between film and digital
The 90s was a strange time for photography. It began with a lot of new and advanced film camera technology and ended on the cusp of the digital revolution. In between, though, various companies attempted to bridge the gap, dragging film kicking and screaming into the digital age.
One such product was the APS film format. Slightly smaller than 35mm, it held a lot of promise and potential for photography, especially more casual photographers. And you could even put your film rolls into the Fujifilm AP-1 photo player and see a digital slideshow on your TV screen. In this video, YouTuber Techmoan takes a look at this technology and his struggles with it.
The world’s first single shot 8×10 large format digital camera can be yours for a mere $106,000
Large format digital cameras aren’t an entirely new idea. They’ve been around for a little while now, and a number of people have built their own. But they’ve had one big drawback. Because it’s difficult and expensive to make sensors so large, they typically use scanning backs. In the case of DIY options, it’s often the internals of a flatbed scanner.
Now, though, an 8×10 large format camera which uses a 9×11 inch monochrome CMOS sensor to record a single shot all at once is available to buy. Created by Bill Charbonnet, who left his “real job” in 2014 to start LargeSense LLC, the LargeSense LS911 can be yours for only $106,000. Oh, and yes, it shoots 4K video, too.
Remember 1995 digital cameras? Here’s what shooting with them was like
In 2018, we are talking about a camera able to produce 400 MP photos. It’s a great thing to follow the progress of technology and be a part of it. But sometimes it’s also great to travel back in time, just for fun. Lazy Game Reviews takes you back to the past and shoots with Epson PhotoPC, the first consumer digital camera from Epson. There’s the full experience, from unboxing, through shooting, to transferring and editing the photos. And if you had one of the digital cameras from the ‘90s, this will certainly bring back some memories.
This guy actually made a digital back for his 35mm Nikons out of a Sony NEX camera
I’ve been following the “digital film” saga for years. There’s been at least 4 failed attempts to get one working, and one hoax. Nikon even filed a patent for one of their own at one point. But besides those early digital film hybrid cameras, none have ever really made it. At one time I thought this was an amazing idea that was bound to happen at some point. Now, I’ve pretty much given up on that ever happening.
There’s a multitude of problems with the whole idea, and no ideal solutions to most of them. But a photographer by the name of Robin Guymer actually seems to have cracked things to find a way that works for him. He’s repurposed an old Sony NEX camera into a digital back for his 35mm Nikon FE.
This is what the medium format Fuji GFX shutter sounds like
There’s something about the sound of a camera’s shutter that speaks differently to different people. I know people who’ve even refused to use certain cameras because they hate the way it sounded when they fired a shot. For some, it’s practical reasons. If you’re shooting a wedding or other event, you usually want it to be as quiet as possible. You don’t want your camera to distract people from the main event.
Thanks to this video from a hands on review by dc.watch (translation), we now know what Fuji’s new GFX medium format mirrorless camera shutter sounds like.
Shooting a 300MP photo of a Hotrod – full frame digital vs large format film
Recently, I was tasked with shooting a hotrod. It was exciting from the beginning, because these kinds of cars are pretty rare here. The owner also wanted his dog sitting on the fender. When you hear that (from a photographer’s point of view), it does not sound that difficult to do. But the picture also has to be huge – 100 megapixel are too few.
Three times of that is the minimum requirement for the print. A digital medium format camera gives you 100 Megapixel, maximum 200 in one shot. These are not that easy to rent and they are very expensive too.
My solution was to do a stitched panorama digitally with Canon 5D mkIII, Canon 100mm Macro and the Nodal ninja. Additionally, I shot with my large format camera, a Linhof Mastertechnika with a Kodak Portra 160 VC sheet film.
The never ending debate of Film vs Digital; Top DPs discuss the differences and evolution
It’s the debate that just won’t go away. Whether photography or cinema, film vs digital is a constant source of both controversy and amusement. In this video from Cooke Optics, we hear some insights from a different perspective. Heavyweight DPs such as Phil Meheux (Casino Royale), Sean Bobbitt (12 Years a Slave), John Mathieson (X-Men: First Class) and many others offer their insights.
While some of their opinions are of a technical nature, a lot of it boils down to personal preference and workflow. Some prefer the look and character of film. Others prefer the efficiency of shooting digitally.
PSEUDO Film Canister plans to succeed where others failed, bringing digital sensors to 35mm bodies
I’d love nothing more than to be able to slap a digital sensor into my old mechanical film bodies and wander off doing some street photography. So, I’m trying really really hard to get excited about this one, but the lessons of the past have taught us to not get our hopes up.
The PSEUDO Film Canister plans to succeed where the previous attempts have failed and finally allow us to shoot digitally with our 35mm film bodies.
Television series ‘The Middle’ shows why making prints of your photographs is important
Two years ago, we asked whether or not you keep printed photographs anymore. Surprisingly, a great deal of you did, with 64% of readers responding that they do indeed print out and keep physical copies of their photographs on hand.
While it’s becoming ever-cheaper to purchase extra hard drives and cloud storage, many people feel as though the safest way to preserve their work is to get it physically printed out.
This is something the fictional Heck family of the television series The Middle learned all too unfortunately when their sister Sue attempted to upload photos from her camera to the computer and somehow managed to erase every image ever saved on their computer.[Read More…]
