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At the latest NAB we saw a big surge of Camera Drone interest. (it was sliders three years ago, Jibs two years, Gibmbals last year and now Drones). Most of the drones (or drone upgrades) introduced were focused on providing a smooth run or more range. Lily is a new players and it is focused on making it FUN.
Lily is a camera drone aimed at extreme sports enthusiasts and as such it features some innovative features.
If a silver Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II did not ring your bell, you can now buy the same camera with a Titanium body. This is basically the same OM-D E-M5 camera camera so it features the same 16MP sensor, and the 5-axis sensor stabilization system.
But, the extra $150 (compared to the $1,049 body silver body) will get you a leather shoulder strap and a serialized owner’s card. And a leather case for the owner’s card. (only missing a leather case for the leather strap). So it is a bit more Bling if you are an Olympus fan.
Maybe more interesting is Olympus adding two new fast lenses to their overgrowing collection: an f/1.8 8mm Fisheye and an f/2.8 7-14mm lens.
Ricoh just announced the Pentax K-3 II. The camera is the successor to the popular Pentax K-3. The camera has some similarities to the prior K-3 and some new features.
The K-3 II has the same magnesium alloy casing, metal chassis as the K3, and a sensor featuring 24.35 effective megapixels.
As far as focus is concerned the camera has a 27-point AF system and it can shoot up to approximately 8.3 frames per second.
One of the raved additions to the camera is an improved 4.5EV stop shake reduction system. Ricoh claims that it will be the sharpest APC to date and also included a selectable anti-aliasing filter, which can be turned on or off to either garner the highest resolution and sharpness possible or provide enhanced protection against moiré.
We are big fans of Spiffy Gear’s Light Blaster and have seen quite a few creative uses of it over the time. From jewels photography & commercial work through light graffiti , and even a wedding proposal. But studio shooters were always complaining about the need to use hot shoe Strobes with the system.
Today, the Light Blaster gets a new add on – a Universal Studio Strobe Adapter:
Just days after industry leader DJI announced the 4K Phantom 3 drone, 3D Robotics presented its own advancements with the Solo – a ready-to-fly drone made specifically for the GoPro.
The ‘smart’ drone uses two computers in order to allow unique features and have the drone fly autonomously according to a predetermined path or pattern. This allows you to focus on operating the camera rather than have to worry about flying the drone.
The Solo will soon hit the stores and is expected to be available in 2,000 physical locations.
Usually companies try to keep their product launches secret. This may be a hard thing to do if you are putting a poster of your new product up on the wall of a major trade show, say like NAB 2015. This is just what Black Magic did, actually revealing the world with their upcoming camera: a Black magic Micro Cinema Camera, with 13 stops of DR, Super16, RAW, with features for use with drones as tweeted by Zak Forsman a few hours ago.
Ever since the motorized gimbal made it into the industry about two years ago, that market segment has been getting more accessible to low budget shooters. From the $15,000 MoVI through the $2,499 DJI Ronin and now DJI announces a smaller sub $2,000 Ronin M.
But it is not only the price that matters, DJI made a huge change where it has been getting the most feedback – the weight of the system. The Ronin M is down to 5 lbs while the previous bigger brother weighs 9.3 lb. This is almost a 50% weight decrease. Of course that with a mounted camera that difference will shrink, but it is still 4.3 lb off the load.
If I had to pick one topic that I get pitched about the most with regards to NAB, it will have to be DRONES. With a Capital D. And it does seem that they will be a hot topic during 2015.
One of the first birds to arrive is the new DJI Phantom 3 announced today from Chinese company DJI.
Unlike their GoPro line, this Drone from DJI comes with its own integrated camera. There are two versions to this new drone: The Professional version showing off golden stripes, which shoot up to 4K at 30 fps, and an Advanced version (silver striped) that shoots at 1920 x 1080 resolution at up to 60 fps.
The price tag of both will not make you drop, and range between $999 (advanced) to $1,259 (pro).
Features wise, it seems like this drone is a natural evolution from the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ with a similar 3 axis integrated gimbal.
Lensbaby is stepping up their game and their latest announcement from just a few minutes ago moves the company from the “toy lenses” market into the big guys game. Their newest Velvet 56 lens is aimed at portrait makers and is an object of desire.
This gorgeous, 9-bladed, lens just feels good, it is constructed from metal and has some details engraved into it. It comes in the most wonderful box along with instructions and some art. If you really life to feel exclusive you can get a silver edition for an extra $100.
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a max f/1.6 aperture and as other Lensbaby lenses it has a spectacular bokeh beautifully shaped with 9 aperture blades, making it an interesting creative choice for portraits. The lens also features macro capabilities at 1:2.
With retro becoming cool again, we are seeing more and more instant cameras coming into the market. The InstantFlex TL70 would have been just another camera in that pile except for the fact that it is a Twin Lens Reflex camera.
The camera is beautifully designed to look like a Rolleiflex, and it uses the same diffusion screen mechanism to frame and focus your shots.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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