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The Hollywood Distagon at f/2: A Single Daffodil and the Contax Zeiss 28mm on the Sony A7RV
April 28, 2026
Brian Smith Mizzou Commencement Address
Unlike the inspiring words Brian Smith has on offer later in, the beginning of this recorded “Live Stream” video is blank for nearly the first hour. We are sorry for the inconvenience of having to ask you to do it, but please move the play head forward on the video manually to 55:00 where the Brian Smith segment begins. You won’t be sorry you did, his address is excellent! I’m sorry for the inconvenience of having to ask you to do it. Technology is never perfect. I won’t spoil the magic of your seeing Brian deliver his address, so I’m not providing any spoilers here. I will say
Read moreGatsby VFX
Most big budget movies made today all seem to have a pretty extensive budget for VFX production. It has sort of become second nature to use VFX in place of very expensive mechanical action or dangerous stunts for actors to perform. Much better to do with a computer… But what parts of the movie was real (as real as anything can get in a movie) and what parts of it were computer generated? Here is a great look behind the VFX scenes, so to speak, at how the huge hit “Gatsby” was created. See anything that surprised you? I sure
Read moreLeica Monochrom Type 246 DNG Files Incompatible With Apple Photos App
From “the truth is stranger than fiction Leica saga,” an unbelievable problem surfaces with the new Leica Monochrom Type 246 – this time even before it begins to ship. Today Leica Camera has issued a notice regarding a compatibility issue with DNG files from new and soon to be shipping Monochrom (Typ 246) and Apple’s replacement for iPhoto & Aperture, the new “Photos” App that Apple has been making so much promotion noise about. This from Leica on the subject: Leica Camera would like to inform you that the Leica Monochrom Type 246 DNG files are currently incompatible with Apple’s ‘Photos’ App in
Read moreLife is Art : David Alan Harvey
My friend and mentor David Alan Harvey begins his talk at TEDxVerona with the observation that photography is now the only universal language, a common thread understood around the world without need for translation. He goes on to observe we are now all visual storytellers, thanks to the incredible proliferation of cell phone cameras and inexpensive small, pocket size cameras. David’s career has been a long and colorful one. What I along with many others would call a dream life is art adventure for a photographer. An American professional photographer by trade, David is a man who sets and reaches his personal
Read moreDJI Inspire 1 At Six Months
My original article, written when the DJI Inspire 1 was announced in November, 2014 is here:https://thecameraforum.com/dji-inspire-1/ If you haven’t read it already, you may want to go back and do so, as in it I cover the features, options and functions the new Inspire 1 brought to market. But like every camera made, the DJI Inspire 1 does take time to use and grow accustomed to the operation before you can expect to get the best production output. My question at the time was how will the DJI Inspire 1 work for professional client jobs? Is it more than a flying toy camera
Read moreWhat Makes A Compelling Story Different?
Nothing is as strong a sales persuader as a compelling story. Two time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof has a new book out (co-authored by his wife and fellow Big Think expert Sheryl WuDunn) called A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity. Kristof describes it as a sort of “how to” for making a lasting impact on the world. I read it as an instruction manual on how to tell a compelling story. In their new book, one of Kristof and WuDunn’s main focuses was on the connections between individuals that make people want to contribute to a cause. The elements that make a story personal,
Read moreSetting Up A Sony A7S For Hybrid Storytelling With Video And Stills
Phillip Bloom is certainly a known brand in photography circles, and for good reason. Phillip is one of the hardest working professionals I follow regularly. I find his information always spot on, with great reasoning behind his choices. Much like the rest of us, Phillip is a picky perfectionist in selecting his personal gear. Phillip thinks the Sony A7S is an amazing little camera for what it does well, high ISO, and quite a good camera for most everything else when setup the right way. Initially setting up a Sony A7S the right way for your own use is the
Read moreLomo LC-A MINITAR-1 Art Lens 2.8/32 M
Showcasing “exceptional handmade craftsmanship and premium Russian optics,” Lomography has introduced the Lomo LC-A Minitar-1 Art Lens as “the very heart of the LC-A legacy.” The lens will be sold in a Leica M-mount, and is available for pre-order now, with anticipated initial shipments going out in July, 2015. Premium Optics The glass used to make the optics for the Minitar-1 Lens is multicoated to minimize internal reflections and maximize color and contrast. Its 32mm wide angle view captures a healthy chunk of the view in front of you and its reasonably bright f/2.8 maximum aperture allows all of that natural, ambient
Read moreDiffraction, Or Overcoming My f /11 Entekaphobia
Editors Note: With the rumor mill alive with speculation about a soon to be announced Sony A7R Mark II with a whopping 59MP of resolution, a discussion immediately came up with some of my professional photographer friends about where is the actual diffraction limit going to be with a Sony 59MP full frame sensor? The limit being the point where you stop a lens down any further and you actually degrade the image due to diffraction, not improve the sharpness. I can bear out what Roger’s findings are in his article, though i can not nearly match his elegance in presentation nor the persuasiveness
Read moreRollin’ With Rollei Lenses On A Sony A7S
Rollei 40mm Carl Zeiss Distagon F4 HFT, Rollei 80mm Planar F2.8, Rollei Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 180mm F2.8, Sony A7S
Rollei lenses on a Sony A7S? Is this possible? Yep, Rollei lenses on a Sony A7S, and the results may surprise you as much as they did me. Not only is the video superb, the still images are every bit as magical as their medium format counterparts. Rollei lenses on a Sony A7S for me? You better believe it. Bring ’em on! Franke & Heidecke was, up until quite recently manufacturing lenses designed and licensed by Schneider-Kreuznach and Carl Zeiss, in Rollei’s Braunschweig, Germany, production plant. Production at that plant has now ceased, and the plant has been liquidated in the Franke & Heidecke bankruptcy. Schneider-Kreuznach
Read moreEnhancing Light
In this episode of “The Complete Picture,” Julieanne Kost demonstrates enhancing light in Adobe Lightroom’s Develop module to enhance your photographs using color and tonality to change the mood and atmosphere of an image. We all know that the goal is to capture the best photograph in camera, not enhancing light using post processing tricks, but when you shooting in the field you can’t always control the lighting. It is not simply what happens when we aren’t at the right place at the right time of day either. As mirrorless cameras and DSLR’s both advance towards higher and higher possibilities in
Read moreFour New Sony E Mount Lenses
Sony FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS, Sony FE 28mm F2, Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS, Sony ZEISS® Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA
Sony has announced several new α E-mount lenses and converters, building upon the rapid expansion of their popular mirrorless camera system. The new introductions are highlighted by 4 new ‘FE’ full-frame E-mount lenses designed to complement the acclaimed α7 camera lineup. These include a ZEISS® Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA wide angle lens, an FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS lens, an FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS hi-magnification zoom lens and an FE 28mm F2 wide angle prime lens. In addition, two sets of new ultra-wide and fisheye converters have been announced, one set exclusive for the new full-frame FE
Read moreWALLEY POS-86
WALLEY POS-86 Promo Video from Walley Films on Vimeo. On the lighter side today for those who haven’t seen it yet, Walley POS-86 is a short promo video that parodies the endless production and marketing of prosumer video cameras. Filmmakers Mark and Angela Walley have created a camera that is both a reverse trend in consumer electronics and “the most advanced camera ever built.” Creation to Consumption Statement: “Filmmakers Mark and Angela Walley dive into the worlds of video camera invention and commercial marketing for their upcoming exhibition Creation to Consumption at Sala Diaz. The gallery space will be transformed into a
Read moreCOSPLAY – Hollywood Style SuperHero Dress-Up!
[aesop_image imgwidth=”930″ img=”https://thecameraforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DSC04251.jpg” align=”left” lightbox=”off” captionposition=”left”] Cosplay is literally a contraction/combination of the two words “Costume” and “Play.” Cosplay can mean dressing up and pretending to be a fictional character (usually a sci-fi, comic book, or anime character). Or it can be used to describe the costume itself. Noun: Making that cosplay only took me 5 hours. Verb: I like to cosplay. There are already anime cosplay conventions around the world, and this hobby continues to grow. [aesop_gallery_pop id=”50565″ width=”350px” align=”right”] Halloween aside, I got my first real chance to directly experience cosplay with mostly adults for myself last Saturday, when Suzanne
Read moreIntroducing Zeiss Batis Lenses For Sony E Mount
The new ZEISS Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85 lenses are the first full-frame autofocus lenses with an OLED display for the mirrorless Sony αlpha series and therefore the pioneers of a new era. As professional tools, Zeiss claim they enable outstanding outcomes with optimal image performance, impressive contrast and maximum resolution down to the very last detail. Those are some big claims, but this is Zeiss we’re talking about here so I am inclined more to give them credit at this point for doing these two necessary focal lengths for the E mount, rather than critique. I’m a likely target buyer
Read moreOWC Envoy Pro Mini
Whether you’re involved in photo capture, filmmaking or video production moving content safely, and securely is a huge challenge. OWC unveiled a solution no camera person may soon be without – a thumb drive sized desktop class SSD for working in the field and in the office. The OWC Envoy Pro mini is now available, and promises Desktop-Class SSD performance in the size of a thumb drive! OWC announces availability of the award-winning Envoy Pro mini, the ultra-portable 433 MB/s storage solution for everyone, everywhere. NAB 2015, LAS VEGAS, NV – April 14, 2015 – Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero-emissions Mac and
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