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Viñeteo / Vignetting / interesantes conceptos producidos por los lentes #Fotografia #Photography #HDSLR

People who arrived on this page through wikipedia, or otherwise wonder about the unorthodox terminology ... the terms "natural", "optical", "artificial", and "mechanical" vignetting, as well as the "cat's eye effect" have all been adopted from Ref. [1].
A photograph or drawing whose edges gradually fade into the surrounding paper is called a vignette. The art of creating such an illustration is a deliberate one. Yet the word vignetting is also used to indicate an unintended darkening of the image corners in a photographic image. There are three different mechanisms which may be responsible. Natural and optical vignetting are inherent to each lens design, while mechanical vignetting is due to the use of improper attachments to the lens. Natural and optical vignetting lead to a gradual transition from a brighter image center to darker corners. At large apertures both phenomena are present and the combined effect is often designated by the term "illumination falloff". Mechanical vignetting can also give rise to gradual falloff, although the usual connotation is one where it causes an abrupt transition with entirely black image corners.

Optical vignetting

Most photographic lenses exhibit optical vignetting to some degree. The effect is strongest when the lens is used wide open and will disappear when the lens is stopped down by a few stops. Together with natural vignetting, optical vignetting causes a gradual darkening of the image towards the corners. This illumination falloff often goes unnoticed but it may become disturbing when the subject has large faces with an even color or brightness. The contrast of the recording medium also plays a role: the higher the contrast, the more pronounced the effect. Figure 1 illustrates optical vignetting for a Carl Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 with an ever exciting subject like a brick wall. At full aperture the image reveals a 'hot spot': a brighter center and a darkening towards the corners (left photograph). When the lens is closed down to f/5.6, the light falloff has disappeared and an evenly illuminated wall remains (right photograph).

Figure 1. Optical vignetting with a 50/1.4 lens. Left: f/1.4. Right: f/5.6.

Optical vignetting is also known as artificial vignetting. Its origin relates to the simple fact that a lens has a length. Obliquely incident light is confronted with a smaller lens opening than light approaching the lens head-on. In Fig. 2 the lens used to photograph the wall in Fig. 1 is shown at two apertures and from two viewpoints. The white openings in the top illustrations denote the entrance pupil, which is the image of the aperture stop seen through all lens elements in front of it and from a position on the optical axis. The entrance pupil is the clear aperture for light that approaches the lens from the front and ends up in the image center.

Figure 2. The Planar 50/1.4 at f/1.4 (left) and f/5.6 (right) seen from the optical axis (top) and from the semifield angle (bottom).

The bottom illustrations show the lens from the semifield angle. Here, the white openings correspond to the clear aperture for light that is heading for the image corner. At f/1.4 the clear aperture is markedly reduced compared to the on-axis case: the entrance pupil is partially shielded by the lens barrel. More precisely, the aperture is delimited by the rims surrounding the front and rear elements. A smaller aperture implies that the lens collects less light for off-axis points than for on-axis points and hence that the image corners will be darker than the image center. At f/5.6 the entrance pupil is much smaller and no longer shielded by the lens barrel. Consequently, obliquely incident light sees the same aperture as normally incident light and there is no optical vignetting.

Cat's eye effect

The consequences of optical vignetting for a subject that is in focus (cf. Fig. 1) is merely a reduced brightness towards the image corners. However, optical vignetting can also have a pronounced effect on out-of-focus parts of the image. Because the shape of an out-of-focus highlight (OOFH) mimics the shape of the clear aperture, the bottom left situation of Fig. 2 leads to the so-called cat's eye effect [1]. Figure 3 evidences the resemblance between the appearance of OOFHs and the aperture shape. With an increasing distance from the optical axis the shape of the OOFH progressively narrows and starts to resemble a cat's eye. The larger the distance from the image center, the narrower the cat's eye becomes.

Figure 3. The cat's eye effect. The rectangular area indicated by the dotted white line is shown enlarged at the bottom. (Photograph by Peter Boehmer.)

The cat's eye effect is readily observed in an SLR viewfinder. Just inspect distant street lights with the lens set at close-focus. By judging the narrowness of the cat's eye with an OOFH in the image corner it is possible to estimate the amount of optical vignetting. If the lens is stopped down the aperture where optical vignetting disappears may also be visually found. For instance, the Planar 50/1.4 is almost completely cured at f/2.8.
Optical vignetting tends to be stronger in wideangle lenses and large aperture lenses, but the effect can be noticed with most photographic lenses. Zoom lenses are often saddled with a fair amount of optical vignetting. Oversized front or rear elements help to reduce this type of vignetting and are frequently applied in wideangle lens designs. At any rate, the given speed of a lens always refers to the on-axis case; the full aperture for off-axis objects is smaller.

Natural vignetting

Natural vignetting, more properly termed natural light falloff, is inherent to each lens design and becomes more troublesome for wideangle lenses. It is associated with the famous cos⁴ law of illumination falloff. Contrary to popular belief, the argument for this law is not measured in object space but in image space. It is measured at the rear end of the lens as the angle at which the light impinges upon the film.
To illustrate natural vignetting and to point out differences between lens designs at the same time, I consider two examples. While rangefinder wideangle lenses tend to be better corrected than their retrofocus competitors, in particular for curvilinear distortion and lateral color, they also have the disadvantage of persistent light fall-off. Two contemporary wideangle designs are shown in Fig. 4: the Carl Zeiss Distagon 21/2.8 and the Carl Zeiss Biogon 21/2.8. The top design is an asymmetrical retrofocus lens for Contax SLR cameras (and all that to give way to the mirror!), the bottom lens is a symmetrical design for use on the Contax G rangefinder cameras. The black bars indicate the actual position of the variable leaf diaphragm (the aperture stop), the red bars indicate the exit pupil, which is the image of the aperture stop that an observer sees when he looks into the lens from the rear. The exit pupil serves to illuminate the film and delineates the light cone received by a point on the film (Fig. 5).

Figure 4. Image illumination in relation to the position of the exit pupil for two 21/2.8 lenses. Top: the retrofocus Distagon 21/2.8 design. Bottom: the Biogon 21/2.8 rangefinder design. The angle b differs between the designs.

Whereas the exit pupil of the rangefinder lens is separated from the film by approximately its focal length, the exit pupil of the retrofocus design is pushed away from the film with the glass. Thus, from the yellow cones illuminating the film, the angle b is significantly larger for the Biogon than for the Distagon. It is this angle that is most important for the cos⁴ law. An enlargement of the Biogon rear end is found in Fig. 5. Two cones are indicated, one to illuminate a point on the optical axis (image center) and one to illuminate an off-axis point (image corner). Compared with the image center, the corner illumination is less for three reasons. First, there is a cos²(b) factor due to the inverse square law: the light has a longer way to travel to the image corner. Second, the pupil seen by the off-axis point is not round but elliptical and has a smaller area than the round pupil seen by the image center. This yields another cos(b) factor. Note however that this cosine factor is approximate. It needs refinement when the pupil diameter is not small compared to its distance from the film [2]. Third, while the light hits the image center at normal incidence, it strikes the image corner at the angle b. This yields another cos(b) factor. The last effect relates to Lambert's law and can be compared with a late afternoon sun which heats the earth less than the sun at noon because the same beam of sunlight is spread over a larger area. The combined effect of all cosine factors is a cos⁴ illumination falloff towards the image corners.
It is remarked that the cos⁴ law is not truly a law but rather a combination of cosine factors which may or may not be all present in a given situation.
Although the cos⁴ law is indeed better applied to image space than object space, for many (but not all) lenses good agreement between theory and practice is actually found by taking one cosine in object space and three cosines in image space. The single cosine in object space then accounts for the amount of light collected by the lens. If one presumes that all collected light is also projected on the film (conservation of energy), this one cosine replaces the second of the abovementioned factors. The resulting cos⁴ law then reads cos(a)*cos³(b), where a denotes the angle in object space. Significant departures from this law arise when lens designers use the Slyusarev effect [1] to increase the apparent size of one or both pupils for off-axis points. This may result in a dramatic improvement of the image illumination.
The angle a is the same for both 21-mm lenses, but since the angle b differs between the Distagon and the Biogon it is expected that the image illumination will differ between the two lenses. Indeed, there is a considerable difference: Fig. 6.

Figure 6. Illumination charts for the Distagon 21/2.8 and the Biogon 21/2.8 (Zeiss data).

In an illumination chart the curves are given relative to the image center. I.e, the image center illuminance is 1.0 and the illuminance at other points is given as a fraction relative to the image center. At full aperture both designs have a corner illuminance of 0.2, which means that the image center receives five times the amount of light the image corner receives. This will certainly be noticed in photographs which include a blue sky or the brick wall of Fig. 1. Upon stopping down the lenses, the Distagon image illumination improves drastically. At f/11 the corner is only 0.8 stops darker than the center. The Biogon illumination however does not improve that much, the corner illumination remaining 1.8 stops behind the center. A full-stop difference remains between the corner illuminations of the two designs. The difference is that the Distagon suffers mostly from optical vignetting at full aperture and benefits from a smaller aperture. The Biogon on the other hand suffers primarily from natural vignetting, which is not cured by a smaller aperture. Figure 6 also shows the cos⁴ curves for both designs. There is an excellent match for the Distagon at small apertures. By contrast, the Biogon illuminance is close to its cos⁴ curve at all apertures.

Mechanical vignetting

When mechanical extensions to a lens protrude into its field of view, the image corners receive less light than they would in the absence of the extension and vignetting occurs. The extension can be too long a lens hood, stacked filters, or a combination. The hood and/or filters obscure the entrance pupil from obliquely incident light and the remedy is obvious: use proper accessories. A single, thick filter can already vignette a wideangle lens so it pays to check on vignetting behavior before filters and lens hoods are purchased.

Figure 7. A typical case of mechanical vignetting. (Distagon 28/2 @ f/11 + Contax metal hood #3)

Figure 7 illustrates a typical case of mechanical vignetting. The image was taken with the Distagon 28/2 equipped with Contax metal hood #3, which is simply too long for this lens. A graphical explanation is given in Fig. 8. With the Distagon used at f/11 and infinity, an image corner relies for its illumination on the orange ray pencil, which comes from infinity heading towards the entrance pupil (in red). The angle with the optical axis is the semifield angle, which amounts to 37 degrees. In the absence of a hood the oblique ray pencil has full access to the entrance pupil, but in the presence of the hood the entrance pupil is invisible to this pencil. The pupil is eclipsed by the hood and the image corner receives no light at all. A comprehensive discussion on mechanical vignetting is found on the lens hood page.

Figure 8. The Distagon 28/2 without and with Contax metal hood #3. The oblique ray pencil is blocked when the hood is attached.

Note that Fig. 8 does not show refraction of the pencils. For mechanical vignetting it suffices to consider the entrance pupil and obstructions in front of the lens. Refraction is indirectly taken into account by the position and size of the entrance pupil (Zeiss data). However, the pencils are drawn correctly outside the lens.

Remedies

Three causes of dark image corners have passed in review. Optical vignetting is due to the dimensions of the lens: off-axis object points are confronted with a smaller aperture than a point on the optical axis. The remedy is to stop down the lens. The darkening noticed at full aperture already improves greatly when the lens opening is decreased by one stop. A complete cure often requires two or three stops—depending on the design. The darkening that remains at small apertures is due to natural vignetting. Natural vignetting is not cured by stopping down the lens. Lenses which strongly suffer from natural vignetting benefit from a gradual gray filter which is dark in the center and brighter towards the corner. Finally, mechanical vignetting is due to extensions attached to a lens. The image corners may become completely black and the photographer can only blame himself as he should use proper accessories.
All types of vignetting are at their worst with the lens focussed at infinity. At close focus the field of view decreases and the size of the image circle increases. The vignetted area is pushed outward with the image circle and when the focus is close enough the optical or mechanical vignetting will be outside the film frame (or digital sensor). As a matter of fact, it is optical vignetting that determines the size of the image circle in the first place. Natural vignetting improves too, since the exit pupil moves away from the film (at least, with most lens designs).
It should be mentioned that vignetting is not always a bad thing. A lens designer can deliberately introduce vignetting in favor of a better control of aberrations, sacrificing field coverage for overall contrast and sharpness. Moreover, the vignetting effect can be used artistically to draw the attention away from the image periphery and to emphasize the subject.
© Paul van Walree 2002–2010

References

[1]	Sidney F. Ray, Applied photographic optics, 3rd ed., Focal Press (2002).
[2]	Warren J. Smith, Modern optical engineering, 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill (2000).

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White Background Photography

I want you to take a look at the picture below. Look at it for at least 10 seconds. Don't just look at it. Observe it. Analyze it. Ok?. Go!.

Now tell me:
1)Is the image a whirlwind of ideas and words-turned-image?

2)Did anything catch your attention? What is it?

The answers will most probably be:

1. No, it's a normal picture
2. Yes. The girl with fishnets on her arms and a flowery dress over a black dress, whose sight is directed at a point in the higher right corner of the screen... What the...? How did I get all those details???

That is the power of the white background. All your attention is directed to the colored subject in the center of the photograph. The white background is used by almost all kinds of photographers, to bring out textures, contrast, and to center attention on the subject of the photograph. Even underwater photographers use it to get pictures of tiny, colored specimens like camouflaged octopuses, angel fish, and a whole troupe of crustaceans.

The trick to isolate your subject on a totally white background is, theoretically, simple: you put more light on the background than on the subject, usually done by pointing two lights directly at the background. Example: You measure the suggested exposure on your subject. It calls for an f4 aperture. You must then light the background so that it calls for an f8 exposure. When you photograph the model using f4, the white background will be overexposed, and it'll come out extremely white. Being perfectionist pays here: you must eliminate anything between your lights and the background that can wash it, because if you don't, you'll get a bunch of hazy shadows on the background.

Other useful tips:

Use reflective material. Not necesarily white, but definitely, something that makes light bounce off effectively.

Leave a distance between your subject and your background, around 2 metres, so the light hits the backgound in an angle greater than 45°.

Don't forget to light the subject correctly. Even though the white background is important, it will be of no use if your subject appears like a black hole in a white wall.

Thank you all!

High Speed Photography (Part 1)

High Speed Photography is the discpline, or science, of taking exposures of extremely fugaceous moments, like a traveling bullet, or an explosion.

The first application of High Speed Photography was in 1878, when English photographer 

Eadweard Muybridge was hired by Leland Stanford, a Californian businessman and owner of several race-horses to prove a higly-controversial question of the time: whether all four horse's left the ground at a certain point during a gallop. Mr. Muybridge used a combination of mechanical and chemical means to take pictures of one thousandth of a second on 12 cameras set 2o inches apart, to cover the whole 20 feet a horse transits in a horse stride. Muybridge proved that all 4 horse's hooves do actually leave the ground when the legs are tucked beneath the horse.

See you Monday!

Photography: What to take on a trip?

When you have a whole arsenal of lenses for your SLR, the task of choosing the right lenses to take for a field outing is an extenuating and painful one. Leaving that beautiful 50mm F-1.7 lens seems inhuman, but what use could it have when you're going hiking alone?

Take my case as an example. I usually spend 20 minutes preparing my backpack to go downtown (yes, I take a backpack. Don't judge me!). Of those 20 minutes, at least 15 were taken trying to choose the right photo equipment for the job: Should I take a tripod? (stupid question: of course you should take the tripod, you ass!!) Should I take 5 lenses? Should I bring a bigger bag? etc.

For those of you who've found themselves in my case, Fear no more! I've made a list of all the essentials to take on those short (and not-so-short) trips to the outer world!!

1. A spare camera. Semi-Pro and Pro cameras are sturdy equipment. But that doesn't mean they're indestructible. If, by any chance, your camera were to, let's say, break down, you should always take a spare.
   
   
2. Lenses. We all love our lenses. We take care of them, put them in hard cases to keep them nice and protected, brush the dust off, use relatively-cheap filters to protect them. It's expected that parting ways with them is a hard step. But a necessary one.
   
   You should always take a wide-angle, for shots of Churches, Mountains, Big Fat Tourists, etc.
   
   A portrait lens is always a requirement. Trips are always filled with chances to take people sleeping in the subway, a guy with a beard that may have it's own fauna, or even your loyal companion. Make sure it's nice and long (75 to 135mm, ideally) and with both a big aperture (2.8 and bigger) and also a small one (16 and lower). And a telephoto lens, for nice closeups of birds, drifting gondolas, and people, perhaps some mountain views.
   
   
3. Miscellaneous: polarizing filters, lens brush, air syringe, lens tissue, your cameras instruction booklet, spare caps, hard cases.
   
   

May this list help you in the difficult task of choosing your equipment. Of course, we didn't include the tripod in the list because IT'S OBVIOUS you should take it! But you know that already, right?

Until next time!

When Should I Use A Tripod?

Question: When Should I Use A Tripod?

Answer: WHENEVER POSSIBLE. There. Said it. From this moment on, no matter what, you must remember to use a tripod on nearly every possible situation.

The tripod is indispensable to any photographer (pro or amateur) who respects itself. People who don't use tripods often use the following excuses to justify themselves:

1- They are Heavy/Bulky/Unpractical.

2- They are expensive

3- I don't need them

If you've used any of the above, you are horribly wrong. Here are counterpoints for those excuses:

1-Pro tripods ARE sometimes bulky, and heavy, but this has a basic reason: The more bulky a tripod is, the lose movement it'll have. Weight creates stability. Few things can move a bulky tripod. But that's only on Pro tripods. Amateur (or perhaps "Semi-Pro") tripods can be quite the light equipment, some of them being just 1 pound. And then of course, there's mini-pods, like the Gorillapod, a magnificent piece of equipment that, literally, can wrap its legs around any surface. Minipods are not Pro-Equipment, but for soccer-parent photography, it's a really good product.

Mind you, tripods are not, and shall never be, unpractical. The results achieved when using a tripod will prove this to you

2- It's true: good tripods are expensive. But good tripods, when used properly and taken care of, last forever. If you buy a good tripod today, you will be able to use it 20 years from now.

Good tripods are like good pictures: 20 years from now, you'll be glad to have them with you.

3- "Why use a tripod, when I can squeeze my body pretty tight, and obtain the maximum stability?" "I don't need a tripod, I've ISO 3200"

It doesn't matter! Even if you have ISO 3200, or if you normally shoot at 1/500 of a second, the tripod shall give you sharp images, almost 100% guaranteed. Of course, tripods are not magical. You need to make sure all screws are tightened up. But the next time you say "I don't feel like taking out my tripod", take it out. Then take 2 pictures, one with the tripod, one handheld. Then, check the pictures on your computer. Close up on a point, any point, and you'll see why cool people use tripods.

Of course, there's the tripod's cousin, the Monopod/Unipod. A Monopod may weigh only about a pound, occupies about a tenth of the space of the tripod, and provides good stabilization. And they make for amazing walking sticks. But consider it as an alternative, for use on hiking trips, and crowded stadiums. A Monopod lacks the stabilization of a good tripod, and althought it will make for good, sharp pictures, tripods are still tripods.

Instant Photography a History of Magic with Light and Chemistry

Anyone who's ever worked with film roll to take pictures, and doesn't have his own dark room, knows about the terrible combination of frustration, expectation and fear one has when the roll is sent to a photo-lab to be developed. Some common expressions are:

"Was it a good picture?"

"I should have used a tripod. Do you think I should have used a tripod?"

"Damn you Nascar!! Can't they slow down just for a second???!!"

"I think I left the lens cap on..."

"It might have been overexposed..."

It's all this, mixed with the fact that everyone wants to look at the pictures of little Susan jumping into the pool for the first, that makes the developing process a loooooong one. We're talking about memories and jobs here, people!

You might remember from A (Very) Brief History of Photography, Part 1, about an early photographic development process called the Collodion process. The collodion process had many variations, although it was mainly made on glass. One of this variations was known as tintype, or ferrotype. It involved using a thin metal plate instead of glass, were the exposure would develop. Since the size of normal ferrotypes were rather "small", compared to other types of exposures, the development process was quicker. An experienced operator could finish developing the image in a few minutes. They were cheap to make, and also fast. So, one might call the ferrotype the first "instant" photograph.

True instant photography started back in 1947, when Edwin Herbert Land presented the Polaroid Land Camera to the world.  Named Model 95, it would use the peel-apart instant photography system. 

The exposure would be made on a negative material, which would then automatically be pressed down against a positive material. In between both, there was a small pod containing the developing agent, which would burst when both materials were pressed against each other and passed through two rollers. Original instant photographs would be sepia. In the 50's, this was upgraded to standard B&W, and in 1963, Polaroid released Polacolor, which used a process involving dye diffusion.  After being developed, both halves were peeled apart.

In 1972, the Integral film was introduced. Integral  film is the instant photgraphs everybody knows and loves: a gray image would come out of the camera, and it would gradually develop, right in front of you. Integral film would use a vanishing opacifier (the gray image that appears intially in the exposure, and then disappears, revealing the image) and the same development agent pod, mixed with a gelatin mixture, among other chemicals.

As well as being extremely practical, instant cameras had applications in the arts and experimentation:

In peel-apart exposure, emulsion-transfer and emulsion-lift are the two most popular techniques of modifying the exposure.

Emulsion transfer consisted on peeling the still developing image apart, and then, the negative image is rubbed on another support, while emulsion lift was made by separating the image from the print, and placed on another material, typically, watercolour paper.

In Integral films, one can manipulate the image by simply applying pressure on the still developing image. This way, one can achieve many effects done in Adobe Photoshop with his bare hands.

By rubbing the image, one can achieve a blurry effect, or even a melting effect, like the one in Peter Gabriel's third album

Supreme Instants: The Photography of Edward Weston

How to Make Better Polaroid Instant Pictures.

The Magic of Instant Photography

 

 

INSTANT FILM PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

SUPREME INSTANTS: PHOTOGRAPHY OF EDWARD WESTON

 

Instant film photography: A creative handbook for Polaroid, instant film, and convertible cameras


Polaroid Black and White Land Films: A Guide : Polaroid Instant Photography

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1 Megapixels Full HD

The Canon 5D MkII has been announced, it is a DSLR camera with a full-frame, 21.1-megapixel sensor, the first to shoot full HD video, and with Digic 4 processor, Canon low-light performance on par with that of Nikon's D3 & D700 an ISO range from 100 to 6400, extendable up to 12,800 and 25,600. Add high speeds and first-in-class video capabilities

•14-bit conversion
•3.9FPS unlimited burst rate with JPEG using UDMA CF card, or 14 RAW (standard CF card is 78 JPEG, 13 RAW
•Four-channel readout that's 2.2x faster than the 5D
•Lens peripheral illumination correction
•15-point auto-focus
•Creative auto mode, also like 50D
•Auto-lighting optimizer
•Three levels of noise reduction that kicks in above ISO800•RAW, sRAW1 (10MP), sRAW2 (5MP)
•Three-inch, 920,000 dot-screen•New and improved battery (incompatible with old one) that delivers 850 shots or 1.5 hours of video•150,000 cycle shutter
•Magnesium alloy body
•NO built-in flash

CANON U.S.A. INTRODUCES THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATEDEOS 5D MARK II DSLR CAMERA FEATURING FULL-FRAME HD VIDEO CAPTURE

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Escalates Full-Frame Digital SLR Photography to the Next Level withHD Movie Recording Capabilities, DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, and 21.1 Megapixel Resolution

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., September 17, 2008 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today introduced the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera, the long-awaited successor to Canon’s highly popular EOS 5D, introduced in 2005.

Building upon the qualities that made the EOS 5D camera so successful, Canon has coupled the creative power of a full-frame CMOS sensor in a relatively compact and affordable camera body, together with groundbreaking HD video capture that opens the door to a much wider range of imaging possibilities for photographers.

Along with the ability to capture full HD video clips at 1920 x 1080 resolution, Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera features a 21.1-megapixel full frame 24 x 36mm CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 imaging processor and significantly lower noise, with an expanded sensitivity range from ISO 50 to ISO 25,600.

“The anticipation surrounding the launch of this camera model has exceeded our greatest expectations, and we believe our loyal customers will be awed by the level of innovation and features built into the new EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR. Once they have the chance to experience the camera, we believe they will agree that it was worth the wait,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

Among the many advancements in Canon’s new EOS 5D Mark II camera is the Company’s proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor that powers the camera’s fast 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion for smooth color tones and exceptional gradation. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR offers a full-frame 24 x 36mm, 21.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and continuous shooting at 3.9 frames per second (fps) for an unlimited number of full-resolution JPEGs to the capacity of the memory card or up to 14 RAW images in a single burst when using a UDMA CF card.

The camera includes a 15-point Autofocus (AF) sensor with nine selectable AF points plus six additional Assist AF points (three center AF points sensitive to f/2.8 lenses) with enhanced light source detection and AF microadjustment for greater autofocus performance.

The EOS 5D Mark II camera also features a large, clear 3.0-inch Clear View LCD screen with 920,000 dot/VGA resolution, four times the pixel count of the EOS 5D camera’s 2.5-inch screen, for enhanced clarity and color when viewing images.

The new camera is equipped with a high-performance, high-magnification optical viewfinder providing 98 percent coverage, giving a new dimension to the saying, “what you see is what you get.” Professional photographers will also appreciate the enhanced 150,000-cycle shutter durability of the EOS 5D Mark II camera.

Canon, the first company to introduce a full-frame digital camera, has improved the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera’s newly developed full-frame CMOS image sensor.

Utilizing proprietary Canon technology, the Company has reduced noise and expanded the sensitivity of the CMOS sensor up to ISO 25600, which is three full stops higher than the ISO 3200 limit of the original EOS 5D camera.

Although the individual pixel dimensions of the EOS 5D Mark II camera are the same as the 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor used in the EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR, the new sensor incorporates an improved output amplifier and a more advanced color filter that improves light transmission while retaining excellent color reproduction.

By applying the same kind of advancements in sensor design and image processing technology as the recently introduced EOS 50D camera, but at higher resolution and with larger pixels, the EOS 5D Mark II achieves the highest level of image quality of any EOS Digital SLR released to date.

With the combination of its improved CMOS image sensor and the powerful new DIGIC 4 image processor, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera provides ISO speeds from ISO 100 up to ISO 6400 in 1/3-stop increments, along with two high-speed settings – H1 and H2 – of ISO 12800 and ISO 25600, respectively, as well as a low-speed setting of ISO 50. The full-frame sensor maximizes the performance of Canon EF lenses, the world’s largest selection of autofocus lenses.

HD and SD Video CaptureCanon has taken its expertise in imaging, photography and video capture technology to a new level with the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR.

Answering the question of where SLR technology is going next, the EOS 5D Mark II features 16:9 Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 fps as well as 4:3 standard TV quality (SD) video capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps, both capabilities appearing for the first time in a Canon SLR camera.

Video capture is part of the camera’s Live View function, using the Picture Style that has been set for Live View still image shooting.

This allows skilled photographers and cinematographers to adjust image sharpness, contrast, color saturation and white balance, and have those settings apply to the movie image.

When recording video, the camera’s rear LCD screen can be letter-boxed by a semi-transparent border to match the aspect ratio of the movie recording size. Moreover, the EOS 5D Mark II camera’s HD video capability enables new levels of creative expression through its unfettered access to the complete line of more than 60 Canon EF lenses, which provide an incredible variety of visual effects including everything from ultra-wide-angle and fish-eye to macro and super-telephoto, including many large-aperture L-series professional lenses that can keep the main subject in razor-sharp focus while blurring the background beyond recognition.

The EOS 5D Mark II will record video up to 4GB per clip or a maximum continuous movie capture time of 29 minutes and 59 seconds, whichever comes first.

Depending on the level of detail in the scene, a 4GB memory card can record approximately 12 minutes of video at full HD resolution or approximately 24 minutes in standard definition.[i]camera includes an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output to display crisp, clear images on a High-Definition TV. Video clips are recorded in .MOV format using an MPEG-4 video compression and sound is recorded using linear PCM[ii] without compression.

The new camera features an input terminal for external stereo microphones as well as a built-in monaural microphone for convenience. To help show off those fantastic movies as well as still photos, the EOS 5D Mark II

Live View Shooting

For both still images and video, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera features Live View, one of the most sought after features in digital SLRs today. The 5D Mark II features three Live View AF modes – Quick, Live and Face Detection Live mode – for capturing either still photos or video, each with its own attributes. Quick mode automatically sets One-Shot AF using the camera’s phase detection AF system. It also allows users to select the AF point, even while the Live View image is displayed. Although the camera’s reflex mirror must be lowered briefly to take an AF measurement in Quick mode, it is the fastest way to set focus automatically when the 5D Mark II camera is set for Live View.

Live mode uses contrast-detection AF with the image sensor and here, as with Quick mode, users can change the AF point using the Multi-controller. Face Detection Live mode uses contrast AF to recognize human faces. When multiple faces are detected, the largest face closest to the center of the frame is targeted as the AF point. While Live View is engaged users can still change settings including the AF mode (Quick, Live, Face Detection Live mode), drive mode, ISO speed, Picture style, White Balance, and more.

Peripheral Illumination CorrectionThe Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera automatically conducts peripheral illumination correction when shooting JPEG images, a function that previously could only be accomplished through post-image processing using software such as Canon’s Digital Photo Professional, which Canon supplies at no extra charge. Peripheral illumination correction evens brightness across the image field, making an image of a blue sky even toned throughout and reducing light fall-off at image edges. This new feature essentially eliminates one of the limitations of previous full-frame digital SLRs.

Auto Lighting OptimizerCanon’s enhanced Auto Lighting Optimizer technology helps ensure each picture’s subject is clearly visible by analyzing image brightness and automatically adjusting dark areas in images so that they appear brighter.

This function is ideal in high-contrast situations such as urban landscapes captured on sunny days, where the tops of buildings are brightly lit while street level details are obscured by heavy shadows. In this type of scene, the 5D Mark II camera’s Auto Lighting Optimizer technology preserves accurate exposure of the highlights while opening up the shadow areas for a more pleasing tonal rendition.

Canon’s New Creative Auto ModeRecently introduced with the new EOS 50D, Canon’s “CA” Creative Full Auto setting can also be found on the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera’s mode dial. This setting allows users to make image adjustments such as aperture or shutter speed through an easy-to-understand navigation screen on the camera’s LCD menu, allowing them to “blur the background” or “lighten or darken the image.” These easy-to-understand image options allow photographers to experiment with image options while still shooting in an automatic mode.

Two Small RAW Formats

For photographers seeking the flexibility and creative possibilities of shooting RAW format images, without the large file size, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera offers two more manageable file size options with sRAW1 and sRAW2 recording formats. At the sRAW1 setting, resolution is 10.0-megapixels with a file size that is approximately 25 percent smaller than a standard 21.1-megapixel RAW image. With the sRAW2 setting, resolution is 5.2 megapixels at less than half the file size of a standard RAW image, retaining all of the flexibility and creative possibilities associated with full-size, conventional RAW images. Wedding and portrait photographers, in particular, will appreciate the options of variable resolution and file size which allow them to fine-tune the 5D Mark II’s operation for their specific needs.

Silent Shooting in Live ViewCanon has equipped the EOS 5D Mark II with two Silent Shooting modes in Live View which will prove particularly helpful to law enforcement officials, and for behind-the-scenes shooting on movie sets. In Mode 1, the camera will shoot with the mechanical shutter open at the beginning of the exposure, using the electronic 1st-curtain function of the CMOS sensor and a reduced shutter-cocking noise, allowing multiple shots to be taken with minimal noise. In Mode 2, to minimize shutter noise during single frame photography, shutter cocking does not occur until the shutter button returns to the half-way position after shooting.

EOS Integrated Cleaning SystemWith the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark II camera, the entire Canon EOS system is now equipped with the highly acclaimed EOS Integrated Cleaning System. The Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been upgraded with a fluorine coating on the low-pass filter for better dust resistance.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera is compatible with Canon EF lenses and is scheduled for delivery by the end of November. The EOS 5D Mark II will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $2,699[iii].

It will additionally be offered in a kit version with Canon’s EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $3,499[iv].

New EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM LensThe new EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens is the successor to Canon’s EF 24mm f/1.4L USM professional wide-angle lens released in 1997.

Targeting professional photographers, the new EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens has been introduced to address the advancements high-resolution digital SLR cameras with re-designed optics and use of a new anti-reflection lens coating called SWC (Sub-Wavelength Structure Coating) to minimize ghosting and flare. Features such as dustproof and waterproof construction that have been adopted make this a high-performance lens with specifications that respond to the demands of professional users.

A welcome complement to the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens is scheduled to be in stores this December at an estimated retail price of $1,699[v].

New Sony Alpha 900 Full Frame 24.6 Megapixels

SONY UNVEILS FIRST FULL-FRAME ALPHA DSLR MODEL
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 9, 2008 — Sony is introducing its full-frame α (alpha) DSLR-A900 camera, aimed at serious photo enthusiasts looking for traditional SLR performance with the added benefits of digital photography.
It is designed to deliver ultra-fine picture quality with the world’s highest resolution, 24.6-megapixel, 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and fast image processing with a new dual BIONZ® processing engines. The camera is also the first to have a body-integrated image stabilization system for a full-frame sensor with Sony’s SteadyShot® Inside anti-shake system.
One look at the camera’s distinctive pentaprism and nostalgic body design will evoke its full-frame optical performance. It features a bright, clear optical viewfinder with 100% field of view coverage that would impress even film photography loyalists.
“The α (alpha) DSLR-A900 introduction solidifies Sony’s position as a leading camera manufacturer that can meet the demands of serious enthusiasts,” said Phil Lubell, director of digital camera marketing at Sony Electronics. “It represents the best in sensor and image processing technologies and offers enhanced functions, performance and reliability so photographers can push their creativity to the limit.”
Ultra-Fine Images As The Human Eye Perceives Them
The camera’s Exmor™ CMOS sensor delivers the photographic expressive power of wide angles and perspective that only a 35 mm full-frame sensor can offer, and is designed to take advantage of the resolving power of high-precision α (alpha) lenses. Its high pixel count and large size provide enhanced image detail and a wider dynamic range for natural color reproduction and subtle tonal gradations.
The sensor is produced using proprietary Sony planarization technologies to ensure an ultra-flat surface across the entire imaging area. Instead of a single analog/digital convertor, the sensor uses over 6,000 on-chip, column-parallel A/D converters to convert analog signals to noise-resistant digital signals at the earliest possible stage. The result is reduced noise and high-speed transfer of data.
Image processing gets a boost in speed and power from the application of two BIONZ image processing engines. Large amounts of data captured by the 24.6-megapixel sensor can be quickly processed to achieve a fast shooting response. Additionally, this dual BIONZ processing system applies advanced noise reduction algorithms producing images of exceptional quality and detail, especially at high ISO sensitivities.
World’s First Anti-Shake System for a Full-Frame Sensor
The camera’s newly-developed, body-integrated SteadyShot Inside unit achieves an anti-shake effect equivalent to shutter speeds faster by 2.5 to 4 stops. This new unit provides stabilization for Sony, Minolta and Konica-Minolta wide angle, large-aperture lenses, which is difficult for lens-integrated systems.
State-of-the Art Optical Performance and Responsiveness
The ultra-bright viewfinder with 100% field of view coverage and 0.74x magnification enables accurate framing and preview. It features a high-power condenser lens, an eyepiece with high reflective-index glass, and a multi-layer, anti-reflective coating on every optical surface to deliver its extraordinarily bright and accurate view.
Additionally, the focusing screen is user-replaceable, with additional L-type (grid pattern) and M-type (super spherical acute matte) screens sold separately.
The camera’s newly-developed autofocus system consists of nine wide-area sensors with 10 assist points for improved tracking of moving subjects. A center dual cross sensor comprised of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors as well as a dedicated f/2.8 sensor are included to achieve greater precision, especially when using fast-aperture lenses.
It also offers high-speed continuous shooting of 24.6 megapixel images at five frames per second. A newly-designed mirror box features a unique parallel-link mirror mechanism that moves on two horizontal axes to accommodate both 100% viewfinder coverage and the body-integrated image stabilization system without increasing the camera’s size. The mirror box also has a new moving magnet actuator, a high-powered coreless motor for a faster shutter charge, and a magnet catcher to minimize mirror bounce and light refraction within the box.
Versatility to Unleash Creative Possibilities
The model’s innovative intelligent preview function takes the guesswork out of setting up a shot and the hassle of taking multiple shots to achieve a desired effect.
After pressing the depth of field preview button, the camera “grabs” a RAW preview image which is processed and displayed on the LCD screen. You can then fine tune white balance, determine the best level and effect of dynamic range optimization, adjust exposure compensation and check histogram data, all before you actually take the picture. Preview images are not recorded on the camera’s memory card, thus saving capacity.
Other key features aimed to expand creative options include the Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) with five levels of user-selectable correction as well as DRO bracketing for enhanced scene analysis and graduation optimization. EV bracketing with ±2EV range makes it easy to create high dynamic range composite images.
Thirteen creative styles can be selected to enhance images and then fine-tuned by customizing contrast, sharpness, zone matching and other parameters, while 3 user-programmable memories provide instant access to as many as 26 different mode settings.
Powerful RAW file processing control is put in the photographer’s hands with the included Image Data Converter SR3 software that delivers faster file processing speeds, easy adjustment of image parameters, Dynamic Range Optimization and a new Peripheral Illumination function that compensates for corner light fall off.
With the camera’s HDMI output and Photo TV HD mode, your creative output can be enjoyed on a compatible HD television. This mode brings the look of actual printed photography to the television, by fine-tuning such image parameters as sharpness, gradation and color.
Comfort in Your Hands
Its construction features rugged, lightweight magnesium alloy with moisture-resistant, rubber seals for buttons and dials, an anti-static coating to prevent dust adherence to the imager, and a high-endurance shutter rated for more than 100,000 release cycles.
It has a 3-inch, Xtra Fine LCD screen (921K) makes it possible to check focus and image quality with accuracy. It incorporates an easy-to-see display with a quick navigation menu to easily access common functions without interrupting your creative flow. A backlit LCD panel sits on top of the camera and displays key settings.
System Expansion with New Accessories
The A900 camera will be accompanied with an array of accessories like the recently-announced Sony HVL-F58AM flash unit with its innovative Quick Shift Bounce system, powerful performance with a guide number of 58, and wireless auto flash ratio control.
The Sony® VG-C90AM vertical grip offers the same ease of operation when shooting vertically as horizontally, with its button layout and low-position shutter-release button. It also houses two InfoLITHIUM® batteries (sold separately) for longer shooting and playback.
The DSLR-A900 body will be available in November for about $3,000 along with related accessories. All will be available at authorized dealers, at military base exchanges, Sony Style retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail) and at sonystyle.com. Online pre-orders begin online on Sept. 10.

Editor's Notes:
Camera performance is measured using Camera Imaging Product Association (CIPA) standards. The viewable area of LCD displays is measured diagonally. The camera requires a Sony HD component cable or Sony HD Cyber-shot? cradle for viewing on an HDTV set (both sold separately). Available storage capacity of Memory Stick Duo? and CompactFlash? media may vary. A portion of the memory is used for data management functions. For additional information about Sony products, your readers can call toll-free (888) 222-SONY or visit Sony's web site at: http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/digital_imaging/digital_cameras/dslr/release/37187.html?www.sonystyle.com?. Press releases and digital images are available for the news media at the Sony Electronics news and information web site at: www.sony.com/news.

How Lenses work (part 1)

Whenever you see through your SLR's viewfinder, or on your digital point-and-shoot's LCD screen, you are using one of humanity's oldest inventions: the lens.

This last week, we've been very busy, focusing on photography and it's history, as well as the functioning of a typical SLR. We're now closing with the unknown basics of photography: how lenses work.

A lens is an optical device that transmits, refracts, and concentrates light, as well as having axial simmetry, that is, it is symmetric around an axis, so if you were to rotate the object based on that axis, the appearance and form of the object would result unchanged. Lenses are divided into two categories: Simple lenses and Compound Lenses.

A simple lens is formed by a single optical element, while a complex lens is formed by many different optical elements put together.

The oldest lens in the world, the Nimrud lens, is over three thousand years old, and comes from Iraq (formerly Persia, formerly Assyria). It was simply a piece of rock crystal which may have been used as a magnifying glass, or as a burning lens.

Lenses are regularly a portion of a sphere, with surfaces being convex, concave or planar.

When a lens has two convex surfaces, it is called a biconvex lens. A surface with a planar and a convex surface is named plano-convex. A lens with two concave surfaces is called biconcave, and a lens with a concave and a planar surface is called a plano-concave lens. There's also meniscus lens, which feature a convex and a concave surface.

Convex type lenses focus the light in a spot. Concave type lenses diverge light around an area. Meniscus lenses can be either positive or negative, depending on the thickness of the lens, and the difference of curvature between both lenses.

How an SLR works (Part 2)

Many people cite SLRs as bulky, noisy and complicated. The latter is not true, at least for anyone who reads the manual enclosed with the camera. The second point might just be true: SLRs are noisy. In fact, I rejoice in the noisiness older cameras. This post is all about the noisiness of SLRs, and why we love it!

You now know about the mirror found between the film and the lens. But I didn't tell you about the focal plane shutter. The FPS is a photographic shutter that stops light from making contact with the focal plane (film or sensor) of the camera.

Almost all SLRs feature horizontal double-curtain shutters. In slow shutter speeds, the opening curtain moves to the left, and after the necessary amount of time has passed, the second curtain (which has remained static) moves to the left side, thus, closing the focal plane again. When the shutter is recocked, both curtains move back to their starting positions, ready to be released again.

In faster shutter speeds, the second curtain starts to close before the first curtain has fully opened. This creates a slit between both curtains through which light passes. As the speed of the shutter rises, the size of the slit becomes narrower and narrower, which allows some cameras to reach shutter speeds of up to 1/8000 of a second.

The Double-Leaf shutter consists in 2 blades that are usually between or behind the lens. This system is used in the Kodak Retina Reflex series of cameras. This type of shutter synchronized with flash at most shutter speeds, and it became the favourite of studio photographers.

All this brings us back to out first point: noisiness. The SLR has to do at least 6 things when the shutter is released: first, the mirror rises, shortly afterwards, the first curtain opens the shutter, and then the second curtain closes the shutter. All this motor moving and closing and opening rattle is what makes an SLR take neat exposures.

A (Very) Brief History of Photography (Part 4)

0101000001101000011011110111010001101111011001110111001001100001011100000110100001111001

The above is binary code. If you were a computer, you'd find out the number spells out the word "Photography". That's what this post is all about: digital photography. Assuming that you live in this hi-tech world, in which we use the internet and read Multimedia blogs on Google-owned Blogger.com, then you must know what the definition of digital photography is. Nonetheless, I'll tell you that Digital Photography is a method of photography which uses numerous electronic devices to record and store an image in the form of binary data.

The story of digital photography can be traced all the way back to the first scanners, to the late 1950's. In 1957, a team, working for US National Bureau of Standards and led by Russell Kirsch, developed the first Drum Scanner. Drum Scanners use a PMT (photomultiplier tube), a vacuum tube that captures light, transforms it into electrical energy, and then amplifies it.

Then, in 1969, the Charge-Coupled Device (also known as CCD) was invented by Willard Boyle and George Smith. A CCD is a shift register, a device that transports analog signals in the form of electric charges through various capacitators. In a broad sense, a CCD is not an image sensor, but the way the sensor's information is transformed into digital information. CCD's first planned use was as a form of memory storage device in computers. However, shortly after it was invented, it was learned that CCD's could receive charge via the photoelectric effect.

In 1981, the Sony Corporation introduced the Mavica, a still camera which featured two-CCD's, and stored the images in a two-inch floppy disk. One of the CCD's captured light information, while the other captured chromatic information.

In 1986, Kodak scientists invented the world's first megapixel sensor, capable of recording 1.4 million pixels that could produce a 5x7-inch digital photo-quality print. In 1987, Kodak released seven products for recording, storing, manipulating, transmitting and printing electronic still video images.

A (Very) Brief History of Photography (Part 3)

World War II had cost Japan millions of lives, and most of its industry and infrastructure was destroyed. Japan adopted a pacifist constitution with emphasis on liberal and democratic practices. In 1952, the allied occupation in Japan and in 1956, Japan was granted admission in the UN. This became the starting point for an spectacular economic growth in Japan for the next four decades. This is how Japanese SLRs came to be
Japan had been doing optics for some time then. Pentax (or Asahi, as it was then known) had military contracts for optical instruments during WWII. At the end of the war, the company was disbanded for three years, when in 1948 it was allowed to re-form.

In 1952, Asahi released the Asahiflex I, the first Japanese 35mm SLR. In 1954, the Asahiflex IIB became the first Japanese SLR with a return mirror.
By the end of the 1950’s, the SLR design was homogenized.

In May 1959, Canon introduced the Canonflex. The Canonflex featured a quick return mirror and an automatic diaphragm ("with Automatic Springback Diaphragm and Mirror"-1959 Canon Brochure). It was also the first camera to have Canon’s breech lock FD mount. In theory, the system made any mount a secure one. You only had to tighten the breech. When in practice, though, this turned out to be unpractical, since more time had to be devoted to attaching or removing the lenses. The Canon FD mount was used until 1987, when Canon introduced the EF lens mount, to be used with the Canon EOS cameras.

The Nikon F, releasedin March 1959, became enormously successful, and became the camera that demonstrated Japanese camera manufacturer’s superiority. The F featured Nikon’s 3-lug bayonet F mount, still used today with slight modifications to keep with the times. The F also featured many other elements that added up to its success:
1- An interchangeable prism and focusing screen system.
2- Mirror lockup, which reduced vibration, by making the mirror flip out of the light’s path just before the shutter opened.
3- A solid design, making it resistant to damage.
4- 100% viewfinder
5- It was released with a wide variety of lenses, ranging from 21mm to 1000 mm focal length.

Minolta released the SR-2 to global market the same the Canonflex and the F, although the SR-2 had been on sale in Japan since 1958. The SR-2 featured Minolta’s MD mount (still used today) along with a semi-automatic diaphragm.

Photography

A (Very) Brief History of Photography (Part 2)

Photography could only be made via the Daguerreotype and Collodion process exposure systems, both of which were unpractical, and required the photographer to carry a box full of toxic or potentially flammable substances around, along with the plates on which the photography was to be taken. In 1884, George Eastman created the first photographic film with nitrocellulose coated with a dry gel emulsion of silver halide salts.

In 1888, Eastman introduced his Kodak Camera, along with the famous slogan “You press the button, we do the rest”. This was true: the roll of film meant anyone could take a picture, without having to develop the picture almost immediately. In fact, the whole development process could be made by someone else. In 1901, Kodak introduced the famous “Brownie” (Henri Cartier-Bresson’s childhood favorite). The first Brownie was a simple box camera, made of cardboard, and with an initial price of $1 dollar.

In 1913, the 35 mm film format was introduced for still photography. The format was created by Thomas Alva Edison as a way to feed film into a camera through sprocket holes, when all other cameras used friction feed. Edison patented his invention, forcing his competitors to use friction feed until 1902, when a court ruling invalidated Edison’s claim, allowing any producer or distributor to use the film design without a license. The new film format was practical and smaller than other film designs, but wasn’t popular until Leica Camera introduced the Leica I, or Leica A, a precision miniature camera.
The 35 mm snapshot camera design introduced by Leica has not changed much in more than 80 years. But the next great milestone in photography came in 1936.

Single lens reflex cameras were invented 1861 by Thomas Sutton. The sole design of the SLR had been around for more than two centuries before photography was born: Artists would use Camara Obscura fitted with a mirror placed in a 45° angle, which would reflect the image into a ground glass, allowing the artist to make a realistic drawing by simply tracing over the glass.
Early SLRs were large format cameras, and not as popular as the standard View Cameras of the time. They had waist-level viewfinders, and the mirror, most often than not, had to be raised manually before the picture was taken.

In 1936, Dresden-based Company Ihagee released the Kine-Exakta, the first 35mm SLR.

Between 1936 and 1937, Zeiss started working on a 35 mm SLR. The camera used an eye level pentaprism, which allowed the image to be seen in a correct left-to-right orientation, since waist level cameras showed a reversed image. Additionally, a Fresnel lens was placed in between the ground glass and the pentaprism, thus brightening the image. This design became the conventional SLR design used today. The camera wasn’t introduced until 1949 as the Contax S, mainly because all production halted when World War II intervened.

Photography

A (Very) Brief History of Photography (Part 1)

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
And light was used by all: to frighten and to encourage, to blind and to lead, to destroy, and to create. And light was used to write…
The word photography comes from the Greek words phos (light) and graphis (brush). And that’s exactly what photography is all about: Drawing with light.
Photography is a complex art, being the result of a series of technical discoveries from several different disciplines. Photography involves math, physics and chemistry.

The first “photographic” device known to humanity is the Camara Obscura. Although the Camara Obscura had already been around for a while, it was Ibn al-Haytham, an Arab philosopher, who described it thoroughly in his Book of Optics (circa 1000 a.D). It was simply a box, with a tiny hole in it. The hole would let a small portion of light into the box, and strike a specific part of the back wall, usually a piece of paper, on which the artist would copy the image. As the hole got smaller, the image also became sharper, but more light would be needed (depth of field).

Then, Silver Nitrate and Silver Chloride were discovered in the 12th and 16th century, respectively. Silver Nitrate is the precursor to other silver salts, and Silver Chloride is the “magical” substance from which photographic film is made, since it turns from white to metallic- black/gray via photoreduction. Finally, in the mid-1820’s, Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor, created the first “photograph”, and 8-hour exposition from a window in Le Gras. He named this new process “Heliographie” or “drawing with the sun”.

Shortly afterward, the term Photographie was used by Hercules Florence, a French artist, to name a process similar to Niépce’s. Meanwhile, William Fox Talbot, an English inventor, had discovered yet another process to create images from a silver salt-based process. Upon reading about Niépce’s invention, Talbot made some adjustments to his process to take faster expositions to be able to photograph people. John Herschel, another English inventor refined Talbot’s negative image process (called calotype) and created the cyanotype, or blueprints. He discovered sodium thiosulphate solution to be a solvent of silver halides in 1819, and informed Talbot of his discovery in 1839 that it could be used to make pictures permanent.

In 1851, an article, written by Frederick Scott Archer, appeared on “The Chemist”. The article reported Scott’s findings on the Collodion wet plate process. Collodion is a nitrocellulose solution in ether, which happens to be also toxic and extremely flammable (another name applied to Nitrocellulose is the word “Guncotton”, because it can be used as a projectile driver, with 6 times the gas generation of black powder (in his book From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne’s mega cannon Columbiad uses guncotton to propel a cylindroconical projectile to the Moon)). The discovery of the Collodion process disposed of the albumen process on glass plates, and made the time of exposure shorter. The new process required the projection surface (glass) to be cleaned extremely well. Then, the glass would be flowed with salted Collodion, after which, the glass would be immersed in a silver nitrate solution for about 5 minutes. The plate was then ready to be exposed, and the developed in an iron-based developer. The plate was then fixed with the exposure, and varnished with a mixture of gum sandarac, alcohol and lavender. This process had to be done within minutes of each other, which meant a photographer carried the chemicals wherever he went. It is quite extraordinary there are no reports of a photographer dying in a guncotton related explosion, or from silver nitrate-related poisoning.

Then, in the late 1880’s, the dry collodion plate was introduced to replace the wet plate. By 1884, the film process was created, but it was years before it was adopted as the standard exposure process.

Photography

Nueva Cámara Canon SLR Digital New Canon XS

CANON'S NEW EOS REBEL XS CAMERA LOOKS TO INSPIRE A NEW GENERATION OF DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Photographers Looking for the Next Step Up From Their Point-and-Shoot Camera Will Enjoy the High-End Features and Fun-to-Use SLR Technology of Canon's Newest Rebel Camera


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 8, 2008 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced the introduction of the EOS Rebel XS, a new entry-level digital camera that affordably puts Canon SLR technology such as an Optical Imaged Stabilized lens and easy-to-use professional features into the hands of emerging photographers. Consumers looking to take their photography a step further and begin shooting with an SLR will find the transition easier than ever with Canon's new Rebel XS digital SLR camera. From the parent photographing a little league game, to the tourist shooting a wondrous new city, the Canon Rebel XS camera makes photography easy for everyone. Canon has also introduced the latest model in the EX series of Speedlite flashes: the Canon Speedlite 430EX II.


Ideal for a wide range of photographers from first-time digital SLR users to veteran photo enthusiasts, the new Canon EOS Rebel XS camera was designed to embody what customers have come to expect from the EOS Rebel series – a fast, non-intimidating, lightweight, easy-to-use camera that produces excellent images and starts emerging photographers off on the right foot. Immediately, photographers will take notice of the camera's Optical Image Stabilized kit lens for crisp focus, compensating for camera shake from unsteady hands or a moving vehicle. The new Rebel model also incorporates Canon's DIGIC III image processor, 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, Live View, Auto Lighting Optimizer, 7-point wide-area autofocus (AF) sensor and 3.0 frames per second continuous JPEG burst rate where the number of consecutive shots in a burst is only limited by the capacity of the flash memory card in the camerai.

"We are proud to introduce the new EOS Rebel XS camera at a very exciting time in digital imaging. As consumers have fully embraced digital photography, with many consumers purchasing their second or third digital camera models, we see the Rebel XS as the bridge to help photographers cross over from the world of point-and-shoot cameras to digital SLR technology," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

A first in Canon's EOS line-up, the Rebel XS camera's continuous JPEG burst rate allows users to continuously shoot a scene until the memory card is at capacity. This will be particularly helpful for new photographers looking to capture that perfect image of a moving subject.

The Live View function allows users to frame and shoot images in real time via the camera's 2.5 inch LCD screen, a great feature for users accustomed to framing shots via LCD monitors on point-and-shoot digital cameras. The Camera's Auto Lighting Optimizer detects dark areas of an image and automatically adjusts brightness and contrast to ensure optimal image results. The Canon Rebel XS allows greater ease of use through large control buttons and easy-to-see operating panel indications such as ISO settings visible through the viewfinder and Canon Speedlite controls through the camera LCD menu.

The Rebel XS incorporates an APS-C size (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS sensor with 10.1 million pixel images and Canon's exclusive high-performance DIGIC III image processor to help deliver high levels of imaging performance and responsiveness. It also has Canon's exclusive EOS Integrated Cleaning System, which features both hardware and software-based dust removal technology. Additionally, weighing less than 1 lb./450 grams, this camera is the lightest body in the EOS digital series camera lineup.

The EOS Rebel XS camera is compatible with Canon's extensive lineup of more than 60 EF and EF-S lenses, including the Image Stabilizer-equipped EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, which is included in the camera's standard zoom lens kit package. The Canon Rebel XS will be available in black or silver colored body variations.

Canon Speedlite 430EX II
The new Canon Speedlite 430EX II, which succeeds the 430EX, realizes an approximately 20 percent reduction in recycling time compared with its predecessor. Like the 580EX II, the 430EX II allows users to control flash functions and input settings using the camera's LCD monitorii, and also offers a quick-lock attachment system and a metal mounting foot for improved contact reliability and durability. The new Canon Speedlite 430EX II will carry an estimated retail price of $329.99.

In the Box
Expected to ship in August 2008 the Canon Rebel XS camera is available in a zoom lens kit version, which includes the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens, a rechargeable battery pack and charger, USB and video cables, a neckstrap, an EOS Solutions Disk CD, and a 1-year Canon U.S.A., Inc. limited warranty. The new camera's estimated retail price is $699.99.

Though standard in the EOS Rebel XS kit, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is also available as a stand-alone purchase and carries an estimated retail price of $199.99.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2007†, with global revenues of $39.3 billion, is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2007 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/pressroom.



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† IFI Patent Intelligence Press Release, January 2008

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Availability, prices, and specifications of all products are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.

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i Based on Canon testing using a 2GB SD memory card when shooting JPEG images.
ii When using the EOS-1Ds Mark III, EOS-1D Mark III, EOS 40D, EOS Rebel XSi, EOS Rebel XS, PowerShot G9 or PowerShot S5 IS.

New Photos Nikon Camera NIKON D700 FX-FORMAT D-SLR CAMERA

THE AGILE NEW NIKON D700 FX-FORMAT D-SLR CAMERA DELIVERS PERFORMANCE INSPIRED BY THE NIKON D3 IN A SMALLER, LIGHTER DESIGN
Nikon’s Second FX-Format Camera Delivers Peak Pro Performance in a Versatile Form-Factor
MELVILLE, N.Y. (July 1, 2008) – Nikon, Inc. today introduced the new D700 digital SLR camera featuring a 12.1-effective megapixel Nikon FX-format sensor that measures 23.9 x 36mm, which is nearly identical to the size of 35mm film. Benefiting from Nikon’s legacy of imaging technology innovation, the D700 offers both advanced and professional photographers stunning image quality, accurate color reproduction and revolutionary low light performance.
Building on the immense success of the Nikon D3 professional D-SLR camera, the D700 offers pro-level performance and an extensive array of features and innovations in a comfortably nimble platform. In addition to the Nikon-original FX-format CMOS sensor, the D700 incorporates Nikon's EXPEED Image Processing System, Nikon’s renowned 51-point auto focus system with 3D Focus Tracking and two Live View shooting modes that allow photographers to frame a shot using the camera's three-inch high-resolution LCD monitor. The D700 also features Nikon’s sophisticated Scene Recognition System and a new active dust reduction system.
Nikon’s flagship FX and DX-format cameras, the D3 and D300 respectively, established new benchmarks for digital image quality, speed, and unmatched ISO performance. The D700 maintains this new measure with exceptional overall image quality, broad tonal range and depth, and extremely low noise throughout its native ISO range of 200 to 6400.
“Nikon FX-format cameras have teamed with our strong lineup of DX-format models to offer photographers unprecedented advancements in performance and versatility along with the freedom to choose the format that best serves their needs. Today’s introduction of the D700 offers an important new option to photographers who need the overall performance and imaging perspective Nikon FX-format cameras offer,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR System Products at Nikon, Inc. “Nikon has developed a host of innovative technologies such as the Scene Recognition System and Picture Control, incorporating them into both FX and DX-format digital SLRs to ensure that photographers can leverage the advantages of both formats seamlessly, and achieve the end-results that best fulfill their photographic vision.”
The legendary Nikon FX-Format CMOS sensor
The D700’s 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS image sensor provides exceptional image quality throughout its remarkable ISO sensitivity range. A large pixel size of 8.45 µm allows for an extremely low signal-to-noise ratio and a wide dynamic range. The 12-channel readout enables accelerated information transfer, allowing the D700 to shoot at speeds of up to eight frames per second at full resolution (using the optional MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack) and quickly write image data onto the CompactFlash™ card.
The D700 offers a versatile base ISO range from 200-6400 but can be expanded to range from ISO 100 (Lo-1) to 25,600 (Hi-2) affording photographers the new-found confidence to shoot in the widest variety of lighting conditions from the brightest midday sun to dim interiors. Images previously thought to be impossible to create without complex lighting set-ups or lengthy post-processing are now captured easily and faithfully with the D700, unleashing new and diverse shooting possibilities.
Also new to the D700 is Nikon’s first self-cleaning system designed for the FX-format sensor. Utilizing four distinct vibration frequencies, the D700 frees image degrading dust particles from the sensor’s optical low-pass filter at start-up, shut-down or on demand. As an added benefit, the mirror box and entire shutter mechanism are constructed of materials that resist creating debris that can affect image purity.
Fastest speed and autofocus in its class
The D700 starts up in a mere 0.12 seconds and has a nearly imperceptible shutter-lag response time of 0.40 milliseconds, making this an extraordinarily responsive tool for the demanding photographer. The D700 can record full-resolution JPEG images at an astounding five frames per second (fps), or eight fps with the optional MB-D10 battery pack for up to 100 images, or up to 17 lossless 14-bit Nikon NEF (RAW) files. To write images efficiently, the Nikon D700 is also compliant with the next-generation of high-speed UDMA CompactFlash™ cards that will enable recording speeds up to 35 megabytes/second.
The D700 offers one of the fastest and most accurate advanced AF systems on the market today. Nikon’s Multi-CAM 3500FX autofocus sensor module features 51 AF points and the ability to use 3D tracking to focus and lock-on a moving subject. The 15 cross-type sensors and 36 horizontal sensors can be used individually or in groups, with the option for Single Area AF mode and Dynamic AF modes using groups of either 9, 21 or all 51 focus points. The system also features 3D Focus Tracking with automatic focus point switching that takes advantage of all 51 AF points as it uses scene color content and light information to accurately track the subject.
Intelligent features for sophisticated performance
The D700 relies on a wealth of innovative Nikon technologies to help photographers create superb images. Nikon’s Scene Recognition System analyzes information from the 1,005-pixel RGB light sensor for use in auto exposure, auto white balance and autofocus calculations. The Scene Recognition System also assists autofocus by tracking subject position and automatically shifts the AF points used to match the subject’s movement within the frame. This system also contributes to higher accuracy of auto exposure and auto white balance detection, resulting in sharp landscapes, flattering portraits and engaging action shots.
Photographers also have the option to enhance their pictures during or after capture with the Picture Control System and Active D-Lighting. Nikon’s Picture Control System enables users to adjust their images to pre-set parameters such as Standard, Neutral, Vivid and Monochrome that apply tweaks to image sharpening, tone compensation, brightness, overall tone and saturation. D-Lighting uses localized tone control technology to further optimize highlight and shadow detail while also maintaining natural contrast, giving photographers the ability to capture more perfectly exposed images, even in unusual lighting conditions. Active D-Lighting lets photographers choose from various intensities during capture, while a new Automatic mode also applies varying levels of D-Lighting as, and when needed, to enhance photos while shooting.
Enhanced Live View modes and viewfinder
Ideal for studio, remote applications and more, Nikon’s Live View allows the photographer to compose the subject on the bright three-inch, TFT LCD monitor. In Handheld mode, the user is able to recompose the frame prior to actual shooting; familiar TTL phase-detection AF is activated, using all 51 AF points. Tripod mode is designed for precise focus accuracy with still subjects and tripod stabilization. It enables focal-plane contrast-detect AF on a desired point within a specific area. Remote view, focusing and shooting can also be controlled from a PC (via connection or wireless) using the optional Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 software. Additionally, the Virtual Horizon feature on the D700 can now be superimposed over the Live View monitor image to aid composition.
While using Live View to compose or review images and settings, users will appreciate the ultra-high resolution 920,000-dot VGA, three-inch TFT LCD monitor with tempered glass that provides a wide 170-degree viewing angle. The large monitor is remarkably effective when confirming the focus with enlarged playback images. The camera also outputs a video signal to an HD television using the new smaller HDMI-C standard, which is an excellent solution for workshop demonstrations or shooting tethered for clients.
Photographers will also be able to compose images easily using the wide and bright viewfinder that features an eye-level pentaprism with high refraction index and provides a 95 percent frame coverage with 0.72x magnification. Each of the 51 AF points, as well as a framing grid, can also be superimposed on the finder screen to suit the photographer’s personal preferences.
Rugged construction and durability
High-strength magnesium alloy is used for the construction of the camera body, rear body and mirror box to create a precision platform, reduce weight and provide rugged durability. The camera is tested to stand up to the rigors of the globetrotting photographer and is weather sealed using precision O-rings where connections are made to effectively combat dust and moisture.
The shutter unit employs an assembly made of a new composite carbon fiber and Kevlar hybrid material. Tested on fully assembled cameras, the D700’s shutter unit has been proven through 150,000 cycles under demanding conditions. The self-diagnostic shutter constantly monitors and maintains shutter precision to ensure peak performance.
Price and availability
The new FX-format Nikon D700 D-SLR camera will be available late July 2008, and will have an estimated selling price of $2,999.95 (body only).*
About NikonNikon, At the Heart of the Image™. Nikon Inc. is the world leader in digital imaging, precision optics and photo imaging technology and is globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance for its award-winning consumer and professional photographic equipment. Nikon Inc. distributes consumer and professional digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR optics, Speedlights and system accessories; Nikon COOLPIX® compact digital cameras; COOLSCAN® digital film scanners; 35mm film SLR cameras; Nikon software products and Nikon sports and recreational optics. Nikon D Series digital SLR cameras are recognized as “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with digital SLR cameras,” according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates 2007 digital Camera Satisfaction Study. Nikon Corporation, the parent company of Nikon Inc., recently celebrated its 90th anniversary and announced the production of over 40 million NIKKOR SLR interchangeable lenses. For more information, dial (800) NIKON-UX or visit http://www.nikonusa.com, which links all levels of photographers to the Web's most comprehensive photo learning and sharing communities.
For J.D. Power and Associates award information go to jdpower.com* Estimated selling price listed is only an estimate. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.

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