As you might know, different copies of the same lens can vary in quality, and some people go as far as to purchase multiple copies to pick the sharpest one before returning the others. Roger Cicala over at LensRentals wanted to quantify exactly how much variation actually exists between copies of the same lens, so he subjected some to Imatest quality tests: …
Here's a fascinating video in which Italian photographer Ruben Salvadori demonstrates how dishonest many conflict photographs are. Salvadori spent a significant amount of time in East Jerusalem, studying the role photojournalists play in what the world sees. By turning his camera on the photographers themselves, he shows how photojournalists often influence the events they're supposed to document objectively, and how photographers are often pushed to seek and create drama even in situations …
Nice Photography Magazine editor Zeke Kamm has come up with a new product called "The Nice Clip" that acts as both a universal clip for lens caps, and also a cord catcher to keep your desk organized. The clip uses a strong 3M VHB adhesive to stick to your lens cap, which can then be clipped to your camera strap, belt, bag, etc... Attach the clip to the side of your desk, and it can help you keep your cables from falling to the floor when they're not plugged in.
A couple days ago 60 Minutes aired a piece on Alex Honnold, a climber who scales insane cliffs with only a pair of climbing shoes and some chalk. To capture footage of Honnold doing a death-defying climb, they attached GoPro cameras to various points on the cliff and had photographers hanging nearby with Canon 5D Mark II DSLRs. The result is an amazing glimpse into an activity that only a handful of people on earth would even think about attempting.
If printing your film photos with the usual chemicals isn't old school enough for your taste, you should try your hand at making a salt print.
Focus stacking is a technique for creating photos with a large depth of field by combining multiple photos with shallow depth of fields. One of the applications is in macro photography, where the technique is often used to make sharp images of tiny insects. Oleg over at Circuits@Home wanted an easier way to focus stack while shooting in the field, so he build a focus stacking assistant using Arduino. Given two focal points, the tool automatically takes a sequence of photographs, moving the …
Apple has just announced its new iPhone 4S, and the new camera found on the phone is pretty impressive. It packs an 8MP (3264x2448) CMOS sensor that's backside-illuminated, allowing it to gather 73% more light and capture images 33% faster. The lens is now an f/2.4 lens that contains 5 separate elements, which provide 30% more sharpness. Snapping a first shot now takes 1.1 seconds, and subsequent shots require only an addition .5 seconds each.
Instagram released a new update today in response to user complaints regarding the filter differences in Version 2.0. Version 2.0.1 features rewritten Earlybird and Branna filters that act much more like their Version 1 counterparts (they were "accidentally altered" in V2). The company also acknowledges that other filters were intentionally changed, but that they're working hard to bridge the gap between the new and old versions. Other improvements in the update include a smoother tilt-shift …
Having cameras passed from person to person around the world isn't a new idea, but FOCUSED is a project that takes it a step further by using entire SLR camera kits. Five of the kits will be sent out in early November to photojournalists, with each kit containing a vintage 35mm SLR preloaded with ISO 200 film, a manual focus lens (24mm, 35mm, or 50mm), a small notebook, an emergency roll of film, and a camera strap.
"Men-ups!" is a humorous project by photographer Rion Sabean featuring men doing pin-up-style poses. It's interesting how much more absurd some poses instantly look when they're being done by men.
