Sony Tidbits…


I converted my 36mp Sony A7r to full spectrum for Infrared photography!

Samyang / Rokinon 85mm F1.4 AF sample gallery (Dpreview).
SONY FE 200–600 mm F5,6–6,3 G OSS test by Michael Schaake
FeiyuTech AK2000 full review using Sony a6400 in 4K (David Oastler).
How to Travel On an Airplane with Camera Gear (Explora).
Sony Announces FE 35mm f/1.8 Prime for Full-Frame Mirrorless (Explora).
There will be no Panasonic nor Canon nor Nikon nor Sony 8K mirrorless system camera this year nor in 2020 (MirrorlessRumors).

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

Sony Tidbits…


Sony 135mm F1.8 GM Lens Review | John Sison

My Favorite Lens – The Sony 100-400mm G-Master Lens (Kevin Raber).
Searchable Database of E-mount lenses at Lightpoint.info.
Canon Rebel SL3 (250D), Sony a6400 and Fujifilm X-T30 buying guides updated (Dpreview).
Mini I.S. Shootout: Nikon Z7 vs. Panasonic GH5 vs. Sony A7 III (MirrorlessRumors).
15 Tips for Better Train and Railway Photos (Explora).
PDMovie Remote Air Pro 2 Wireless Follow Focus System (Personal View).
How to Shoot Engagement Sessions (Enthusiastphotoblog).
Sigma 105mm f1.4 Sony Final Review (David Oastler).

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

Sony Tidbits…


3 Reasons Why I Bought The Sony A7iii

Godox Introduces Round-Head V1 On-Camera Flash (Explora).
SmallRig Sony A6500/A6300/A6000 Cage & Handles review by Marc Alhadeff.
Sony announces Simple Live Streaming for HXR-NX80 & PXW-Z90 camcorders (Newsshooter).
A6400 video review by Haegreendal
Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 FE review at Enthusiastphotoblog.
Sony A9 new firmware update review by SLRclub.
DPReview TV Short: Deity Connect Wireless Microphone Review

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

Sony Q1 financial report: Less sales and focus on integrating AI on sensors

Sony published the Q1 financial results. And as you can see from the tabel below sales in Q1 were about 20% lower than the Q1 in 2018. Nothing really to worry about if you consider last year Sony has launched the very successful A7III and this year they had really nothing a part of the not so exciting A6400. I am sure the new A7rIV and future E-mount cameras that will be announced soon will make a great impact on the next quarters:

Sony currently is the number 2 in terms of system camera market share:

It is number 1 in the mirrorless world:

 

The future in the imaging sensor business is clear: Implement AI directlly on the sensor:

Sony Tidbits…


Approach & photograph wildlife (best camera settings!)

Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE Sample Images (Photographyblog).
Tiny Lenses Will Enable Design of Miniature Optical Devices (Scientificamerican).
Canon EOS R vs Sony A7 iii: Which One Should You Buy?! (TheSlantedLens).
Sony a6400 BETTER CAMERA than Sony a7III? (Sidney Diongzon).
LENS CAP CHALLENGE!! *AKA Kicking the Lens Cap off a $500 Lens!* (Dave Maze).
Building Seven Creative Studio Photography Sets on a Budget (Explora).
Review: Tokina FiRIN 100mm F2.8 FE Macro (Phillip Reeve).

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

We have our own Facebook camera groups and pages you can join to discuss the upcoming new cameras in detail:
Sony A9 group and Sony A9 page.
Sony A7rIII group and Sony A7rIII page
Sony A7sIII group and Sony A7sIII page
Sony A7III group and Sony A7III page
Note: In groups you can post your own stuff like images, news and questions. While on pages you will read the specific camera news from SAR.

Reminder: You can now preorder the new Luminar 4 with the world’s first automatic Sky Replacement technology

Reminder: Skylum announce the new Luminar 4 software (info here). It’s available for preorder now and it will be available this fall. Among the many new features it also will have the world’s first Sky Replacement technology.

There are two bundle offers:

1. Luminar 4 + Signature Looks bundle for US$59 instead of US$138
2. Luminar 4 + Signature Looks + Luminar 3 bundle for US$89instead of US$207

Current Luminar 3 owners pay $49 only:

Full press text:

Sky’s the limit: Luminar 4 introduces the first automatic Sky Replacement technology

Utilizing the proprietary technology based on machine learning, Luminar 4 will be the first photo editor to have a fully automated Sky Replacement tool to save the artists hours of editing.

BELLEVUE, WA – July 23, 2019 — Today, Skylum announces the upcoming release of Luminar 4, set to ship this fall. Skylum continues to push innovations forward through machine learning tools. In addition to the new AI Sky Replacement tool, Luminar users can expect to see more machine learning present in Luminar 4. With its easy-to-use interface and sensible workflows, Luminar 4 is a great choice for creatives looking to move their photography forward.

“With Luminar 4 we continue to empower everyone who loves photography to make incredible images faster and easier,” said Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum. “No one needs a “simply another photo editor” these days. That’s why with every Luminar update we bring photographers something truly meaningful, something that will really level up their creative skills.

In Luminar 2018, Skylum introduced the AI Sky Enhancer filter, helping to add depth and color back into flat or blown-out skies. Earlier this year, Skylum added the Accent AI 2.0 filter to Luminar 3, a powerful content aware filter powered by machine learning to automatically enhance images. Now, with Luminar 4, AI Sky Replacement offers the first automatic tool for replacing skies. Machine learning tools like these are the foundation of the Luminar platform, helping to save photographers hours of manual labor so they can achieve their creative dreams.

Why AI Sky Replacement?
Sky replacement methods have become popular in recent years with landscape photographers, in order for them to truly showcase their creative vision. Up until now, photographers have spent minutes or even hours manually replacing skies, through tools like Smart Selection, Luminosity Masking, Overlaying, Layers, Masking, Smart Brush, Color Range and more. And even with all those tools, it was hard to get a perfect sky.

While development of AI Sky Replacement has been equally challenging, Skylum’s machine learning technology means that photographers can apply a realistic sky to their photograph in mere seconds, freeing up time to be more creative.

How does it work?
AI Sky Replacement works by automatically detecting not only the sky, but also objects in a photograph’s scene. This helps make sure the photo ends up being as realistic as possible once you insert a new sky. It removes things like halos, artifacts and edges of transitions, problems that often were present in existing sky replacement techniques. With the AI Sky Replacement you will also be able to adjust the sky to fit the rest of an image — things like depth of field, tone, exposure and color — making it great for not only landscapes, but also portraits.

When working on an image, the AI Sky Replacement technology automatically creates a mask for the sky, taking a step that would oftentimes take minutes or even hours, and boiling it down to mere seconds with just the click of a mouse. But that’s not all it does — AI Sky Replacement also correctly detects the horizon line and the orientation of the sky to replace so that it looks as realistic as possible.

Furthermore, with the scene relight technology, you’ll see the rest of your photo change in terms of light and color when you select your sky of choice. This makes sure that an image and sky match so they appear they were taken during the same conditions. Because of the toning that AI Sky Replacement does to an image, it looks as natural and smooth as possible.

The new AI Sky Replacement filter is the perfect tool for recreating that special moment that you might not otherwise be able to revisit. It’s great to bring life into vacation photos where the weather wasn’t perfect, or surprise moments where you couldn’t plan for the perfect conditions. And best of all, it’s available through a simple, easy-to-use tool in the Luminar 4 interface.

Now, with AI Sky Replacement, it’s easier and faster than ever for photographers to achieve their goals, and focus on what they enjoy most — photography.

Pricing and availability
Luminar 4 is set to be released this fall. Pre-orders are now available on skylum.com.
Pricing will be announced at a later time, and upgrade pricing will be available for current users.

About Skylum Software
Skylum is a global imaging technology company with offices in Bellevue, USA; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Tokyo, Japan. Skylum allows millions of photographers to make incredible images faster. We automate photo editing with the power of Artificial Intelligence yet leave all the creative control in the hands of the artist. The Skylum Team has won the Red Dot Award, Apple’s Best of the Year, and other top industry awards. To learn more about Skylum, visit http://skylum.com.

New firmware update for the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 FE lens

Samyang released a new firmware update for their 14mm FE lens.

Links to all Samyang/Rokinon FF E-mount AF lenses:
14mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
24mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
35mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
35mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
45mm f/1.8 at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
50mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
85mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.