If we needed any more evidence that the megapixel wars had shifted from DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to phones, then this is it. According to GizChina, Samsung is developing a 150-megapixel 1″ sensor for smartphones. Yes, a sensor similar in size to that found in cameras like the Sony RX100 series is going into a smartphone. Specifically, a Xiaomi smartphone and it’ll happen before the end of this year....

Sharpening is one of those parts of digital photography on which everybody has their own opinion. How much, when in the process to do it, using what method, selective vs global, and even whether to apply sharpening at all. Whichever method you choose (or don’t), it’s always good to know multiple methods. When your chosen technique isn’t working, knowing another way can save the day. In this video, Colin Smith from Photoshop Cafe shows us a sharpening technique using Photoshop’s High Pass Filter....

B-roll can add value and interest to your videos and make them more dynamic. And sometimes, you’ll need to soot your B-roll content as a one-man-band, being both the subject and the person behind the camera. In this video, Matti Haapoja gives you eight great tips for nailing the shots even when you do everything on your own. 1. Put your camera down and set it up to film you Don’t be afraid to put your camera down, set everything up and jump into the shot....

Most of the landscape photography we see these days is made to a fairly standard formula. Throw a wide-angle lens on the camera, find a rock or something for foreground interest, and try to create some depth with a midground and background. It can make for some cool dramatic imagery, but most of it starts to look a little samey, and it can be troublesome because the details can get lost in the overall scene....

It has no name, right now, other than “8K Video Camera”, but this 8K Micro Four Thirds camera from electronics giant Sharp is currently on display in prototype form at CES 2019. It was spotted by Dave Altizer at Kinotika discovered wandering through the CES show floor. And he decided to make a short video to tell us all about it. Sharp is no stranger to video cameras, having dealt with the more professional end of the market for quite a few years....

Regular readers here on DIYP will know how much we like seeing Mathieu Stern’s videos. He’s shown us some great old and weird lenses working with modern cameras and shared a few cool stories. Now, he’s teamed up with fellow French photographer Serge Ramelli to talk about portraits. More specifically, they’re portraits with vintage lenses. In these two videos, Mathieu introduces Serge to vintage lenses, and the pair also offer up a challenge....

I very often have this strong negative reaction when a newsletter arrives in my inbox or I see an online article where the heading, for instance, reads: “5 rules to follow when composing an image” — or something to that effect. I would have been far more positive if the heading read: “10 approaches to consider when composing a landscape image”. I have plenty of personal preferences when it comes to photography....

Sony’s recent Sony A7R IV announcement was pretty surprising, especially when most people have been expecting an A7S III announcement for far too long already. But the announcement came nonetheless. The 42.4-megapixels of the 2-year-old A7R III had been upgraded to 61-megapixels, improved autofocus, bigger buffer, dual UHS-II slots, and a bunch more. But is it really worth upgrading? This 20-minute video from photographer Dustin Abbott provides a detailed overview comparing the Sony A7R IV with its predecessor, the A7R III....

Photography and video have some similarities, yet plenty of differences. If you’re a photographer who wants to switch to video, in this video from B&H, you’ll hear six essential tips that will make this transition easier. Photographer David Flores talks about the things that every photographer should take into consideration before they start shooting video. 1. Frame rate (frames per second) When shooting photos, one still image is one frame....

Two years after launching Sony a7R II, the new upgrade has arrived. Sony has launched their a7R III, a pretty impressive full-frame mirrorless camera packed in a compact body. While it features lots of the same features as its predecessor, there are some improvements involved, such as two times faster continuous shooting. What stays unchanged is the price: it’s $3,200, like the a7R II when it was first announced....

Sony has now officially announced their new Airpeak S1 drone, hailing it as “the world’s smallest drone that can be equipped with an Alpha mirrorless camera”. I wonder if that comes with similar caveats as the “world’s smallest full-frame mirrorless camera” claim of the A7c? Still, it’s certainly smaller than the DJI Matrice 600 and boasts an impressive set of specs. The new Sony drone features proprietary motors with 17″ blades for a top speed of 55mph – significantly quicker than much of the competition – wind resistance in wind speeds up to 44....

Sony has launched two new microphones for use with Sony cameras. The ECM-W2BT, a Multi Interface Shoe compatible wireless microphone and the ECM-LV1 compact stereo lavalier microphone. These allow you to get good audio away from your camera without having to deal with any cables (even between the receiver and the camera), but with the option to lav up when needed. ECM-W2BT Wireless Microphone The ECM-W2BT microphone has two parts, a receiver that connects to the camera’s Multi Interface Shoe and the transmitter, which features a built-in microphone allowing for a signal straight into the camera without the need for any separate cables....

Rumours of a new “Mini A9” APS-C Sony camera seem to be popping up more and more as we get closer to Photokina. But a new announcement today may offer some insight into what may be announced in a couple of weeks. Sony has today announced a new 31MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor with a global shutter. 31MP is slightly larger than 6K, and while 6K isn’t unheard of, it’s possible that the new Sony IMX342LQA isn’t destined for a video camera, but a stills camera....

Sony has announced the new Sony FR7, a motorised remote control pan-tilt-zoom camera that features a full-frame CMOS sensor and Sony E mount. The FR7 represents the world’s first full-frame PTZ camera with interchangeable lenses and opens up a lot of potential options for studio use, live production and even filmmaking. It features a 10.3MP BSI sensor with 15+ stops of dynamic range with ISOs up to 409,600. PTZ cameras have traditionally been more in the realm of security cameras, allowing you to keep an eye on people on your premises doing things that they shouldn’t be....

Last week, the above image leaked of the upcoming Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 ASPH Micro Four Thirds lens, first mentioned during the Panasonic GH6 development announcement. Now, Nokishita (who else?) has leaked some of the specs for the new lens, which is expected to “probably” be announced sometime this week. Whether or not we’ll actually hear an official announcement this week remains to be seen, but it certainly is an attractive looking lens....

The Polaroid camera remains a popular favourite since analogue photography started making its big comeback a few years ago. And what better way to pay homage to the format than to have one right next to you while seated on your throne? Oh yes, that’s right, this is a 3D printed Polaroid toilet roll holder, sure to add a bit of instant spark to any photographer’s bathroom. It was designed by the user Christoferespinozat on Cults3D, where it’s available to download....

This year, fall kinda caught me off guard. I was in a light summer dress, chilling by the river, and all of a sudden: it’s October! I have to wear a jacket and boots, and days have become shorter and colder. It’s often rainy, cloudy and dull, and for many of us, taking photos is not the first thing that comes to mind in this weather. But there’s a way to spice up your photography even when the colorful leaves and the rare sunny days aren’t on your side....

It’s funny. These days, most people associate an image that’s cropped as a square as something that’s being done as a compromise for the benefit of social media – particularly Instagram. For the longest time, a square was the best format to use on Instagram because it’s all it would display, and it still is the most common crop today. On other social media, square became popular because it has the same dimensions whether the viewer holds their phone vertically or horizontally....

One of the big issues with motorised 3-axis gimbals is that you have to balance them. And if you’re regularly changing lenses while you shoot, that means you could rebalancing them a whole lot during the course of your day. Zac Miller at Stabilens thinks he’s figured out a solution to this problem. We caught up with Zac at PhotoPlus 2019 to see his solution. The Stabilens is essentially a weighted ring that goes around your lens, acting as a counterbalance so that you can get the same centre of gravity with multiple setups....

Instagram is notorious for destroying the quality of videos posted to your feed. You spend all this time editing a video in Premiere Pro, Resolve or whatever only to have it destroyed by recompression algorithms. It actually puts many people off posting videos to the platform at all. But all is not lost. Filmmaker and YouTuber Daniel Schiffer believes he’s cracked the problem. And looking at his Instagram, it seems that he may have done just that....