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Adobe Lightroom CC Update Has Critical Crash Bugs

Update on 10/9/15: Adobe has released a Lightroom update that fixes this bug.

If you've been frustrated with Lightroom crashing on you after upgrading to the latest version through Creative Cloud, don't worry: it's not just you. Adobe announced yesterday that the company is aware of critical performance and crasher bugs that are current afflicting some photographers.

This SmugMug Glitch May Be Quietly Damaging Your Photo Business

Editor's update: It appears that SmugMug has identified and fixed the issue described in this article.

I recently discovered a glitch with SmugMug that's now causing me a massive headache. If you use SmugMug, this may be negatively impacting your business as well, so this article is a heads up for any photographer on SmugMug that may be affected.

Yikes: Leica Monochrom DNG Bug Can Wipe Out Your Apple Photos Library

Leica has discovered a serious bug that owners of the new Monochrom (Typ 246) need to be aware of. The camera's DNG files have been found to be incompatible with Apple's new Photos app. It's not just that they can't be opened: the files could corrupt your library and cause you to lose your entire photo collection.

Some Canon T6 DSLRs May Have a Sensor Issue

Every once in a while my gear rental company notices something, because of the large quantities of cameras and lenses we buy, that we think people should be aware of. This particular issue won't affect our renters; we've sent the affected cameras back. It may not affect very many people at all, since this is from a relatively small sample size. But I still think it worth mentioning.

The Nikon D750 is Disappearing From Stores Shelves. A Quiet Recall is Underway

It appears that the Nikon's response to the D750 flare issue is much more than an offer for a free repair. The camera is currently disappearing from stores, both online ones and brick-and-mortar ones, suggesting that some kind of recall or delay has been implemented while Nikon fixes the defect. [Update: We have confirmed that there is a recall.]

Nikon D750 Owners Reporting a Dark Band Problem That Causes Ugly Lens Flares

The Nikon D750 full frame DSLR has been receiving fantastic marks from reviewers so far, but now an issue has popped up that threatens to damage the camera's reputation. Photographers around the world are reporting a problem with their lens flares. At certain angles, an ugly dark band shows up across the top, separating lens flares from the edge of the frame.

Getty Embed Tool Already Subverted: You Can Crop Out the Credit Line

Update: It looks like it's already been fixed. Kudos to Getty for the quick response.

Getty's embed tool has been live for less than 24 hours and ALREADY somebody has figured out how it can be taken advantage of. It turns out that all it takes is some extremely simple code to remove attribution entirely.

Photography’s Old White Guy Problem

Photographer Daniel Shea recently penned an op/ed on sexism in editorial photography that generated an important discussion about women in photography. It is a topic that I've thought about for a while now, especially as it relates to the diversity (or lack thereof) of the photographers who are most often promoted by the industry at large, whether by the photo media or the companies that produce the equipment and gear that we all use.

Thou Shalt Not Steal: There’s a Plagiarism Epidemic in the Photography Industry

Thou shalt not steal.

It's one of the first things we learn as kids: don't take something that doesn't belong to you. And it's a hard lesson to learn, for as children, we feel the entire world belongs to us. I learned this lesson the hard way. No, I didn't shoplift...I stole little metal ashtrays from a Burger King in Panama City, Florida. I did it. I admit it.

Facebook Tries Out Google’s WebP Image Format, Upsets Users in the Process

In an attempt to speed up its sizable network and lower costs, Facebook recently decided to begin using Google's WebP image format. The format was designed by Google as a space-saving alternative for PNGs and JPEGs. WebP provides lossless and lossy compression, support for an alpha channel, support for animation and more -- all at much smaller sizes and almost identical image quality.

But all of these advantages come at a price, support for the WebP image format outside of your browser is far from universal. Google set it up as a Web format that, for now, is not supported by any of the major operating systems natively. And so, after the switch, when Facebook users tried to download a funny photo or the vacation pics their friends decided to share through Facebook, they wound up with un-viewable WebP files.

Nikon’s Service Center Can “Change” the Green Tint on Your D800

Back in April, there was a small hoopla amongst Nikonians who purchased the Nikon D4 or D800 and discovered that the LCD screen had a greenish tint when compared to the D3s and D700. Nikon denied that anything was wrong with the new cameras, and stated that it was actually the older models that were too cool. A couple of months later, it was rumored that a soon-to-arrive firmware update would address the issue. That update has yet to arrive.

There's now some good news for those of you looking for a fix "change". Photographer Noah Bershatsky is reporting that Nikon's service center will actually do the correction "change".

Some Nikon D600 DSLRs Not Closing to the Apertures They’re Supposed To

A little earlier today, we reported on how Sohail Mamdani of BorrowLenses had discovered that one particular Nikon D600 he was testing was consistently overexposing photographs by two stops. After searching long and hard for the cause, he stumbled upon the culprit: the D600 wasn't closing the aperture blades to the correct opening size.

Strange Exposure Differences Between the Nikon D600 and Other DSLRs

Gear reviewer Sohail Mamdani over at BorrowLenses was testing the Canon 6D and Nikon D600 last week by shooting nighttime photos of San Francisco Bay, when he discovered something strange: the DSLRs exposed the scene differently even when all the settings were identical in full manual. The photograph above was captured using the D600 at f/8, 30s, and ISO 100 (in JPEG mode).

Rumor: Canon 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x Delay Caused by Design Flaw and Redesign

Way back in February 2011, Canon announced that it is developing a new EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x super-telephoto lens. Since then, there hasn't been much news on when we might finally see the lens on store shelves, and Canon has issued a couple of press releases stating that it has been delayed. Rumors are now emerging that Canon had to go back to the drawing board with the lens in order to resolve a design flaw that had been reported during tests.

The Nikon D600 Has Sensor Dust Issues

We tend not to get too excited about sensor dust problems at LensRentals; we clean sensors on every camera after every rental, so it’s just routine. When we started carrying the Nikon D600, they all arrived with a fair amount of dust, but that’s pretty routine, too. Manufacturing and shipping can be a dusty experience.

It’s Not Just Rebels: Canon Warns Some Wireless File Transmitters Flake Too

Have you been getting rashes on your skin, or redness and irritation in your eyes? Do you own a Canon WFT-E7A Wireless File Transmitter? Those two things might be related. If you remember, a couple of months ago, Canon recalled tens of thousands of Rebel T4i/650D DSLRs due to an issue with their rubber grips that caused allergic reactions. The rubber had been overloaded with too much of certain ingredients, leading to an unexpected chemical reaction that caused white flaking. It turns out the faulty rubber was used beyond the Rebel: Canon has just released a product advisory warning that its file transmitter may have the same flaw.

Apple: iPhone 5 Purple Flaring Is Normal, You’re Just Holding it Wrong

Remember this photograph tweeted last week by @weaksauce12? It shows the strange purple flaring reported by many iPhone 5 users, which is being called everything from "purple haze", to "the Hendrix effect", to "Purplegate". Fingers were pointed at everything from the phone's new sapphire lens to the infrared filter -- or supposed lack of -- inside.

If you were patently waiting for a fix, you'll be disappointed to know that there doesn't appear to be one on the horizon: Apple is saying that the excessive purple flaring behavior is "normal".

DSLR Acting Strange? Try Changing the Internal Clock Battery

If your DSLR ever dies in your arms or starts acting funny, here's a simple thing to check before shelling out money to have it examined by professionals: the camera's internal clock battery. Redditor Aero93 writes,

So my camera died out of nowhere. No matter what I did and tested, it wouldn't turn on. Canon quoted $400 to check the cam + labor parts. Independent repair guy was around $250. It was too much for me. I decided to tackle the problem on my own. I got the manual online. Started taking the camera apart. I got stuck on one thing.

After that, I started asking around on a forum. Somebody suggested I check the internal clock battery, I didn't even now it existed and its right next to the regular battery. I went out and bought a new one. Boom, camera fired right up.

The internal clock battery is the one that keeps the clock in your camera running even when the main battery is removed. They usually cost about a buck each.

Zombie Photos No More: Facebook Now Actually Removing Deleted Images

Remember Facebook's "zombie photo" problem? Photos that users deleted on the website actually remained very much alive on Facebook's servers, available to anyone who held on to the images' URLs. Earlier this year Facebook acknowledged the issue and promised changes that would ensure permanent deletion within 45 days.

Now, it appears that Facebook has honored its word. The company tells Ars Technica that deleted photographs are now vaporized from the web within 30 days -- a claim that Ars has confirmed through tests.

Canon Confirms “Light Leak” Issue in the 5D Mark III

Earlier this month, reports started emerging that Canon's new 5D Mark III DSLR has a "light leak" issue. Photographers found that turning on the LCD backlight in a dark room directly affects the camera's metering system (as seen in the video above). Canon published a product advisory today acknowledging the issue, saying,

In extremely dark environments, if the LCD panel illuminates, the displayed exposure value may change as a result of the AE sensor’s detection of light from the LCD panel.

The phenomenon [...] has been confirmed when using the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera. Canon is now examining the countermeasures and once the countermeasures are decided, we will post the information on our Web site.

Problem is, the issue isn't limited to the LCD's backlight in a dark room. Apparently any light (e.g. sunlight) shining onto the LCD screen can affect exposure.

White iPhone 4 Delay Reportedly Due to Light Leaks with the Camera

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 4, they also showed off a white version that would be available alongside the black one. Since then, however, the company repeatedly pushed back the launch date for the white version, claiming that the white one was, "more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected".

Sony Pellicle Mirror DSLR Sensors Overheat, Limiting Video

Sony has issued an "important notice" that shooting HD video for semi-long periods of time with the A33 and A55 may cause the sensor to overheat, shutting off the camera. How long the camera lasts depends on ambient temperature and image stabilization is enabled. If it's 30° C (~86° F) the A55 can only go 6 minutes with IS turned on.