Download the Sony A7rIV brochure

You can now download the full Sony A7rIV brochure (Click here).

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, BuyDig, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.

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

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.

Here are the six new next Sony Full Frame sensors. One of them has Quad Bayer Structure!

Sony has registered six new Full Frame sensors. Below you can find the full spec sheets. What’s particular is that the sensor named IMX521 uses the Quad Bayer Structure. Sony writes:

HDR function is available by dividing exposure time in the 4 same color pixels into long exposure pixels and short exposure pixels. or dividing conversion gain in the 4 same color pixels into LCG pixels and HCG pixels.
Quad Bayer RAW function makes it possible to readout 4 same color pixels without addition.
When normal operation. 4 same color pixels are added and made 1 pixel, and output as bayer pixel array. In addition, a group of divided 4 same color pixels is defined as 1 pixel unit in this product specification.

Here are the short sensor specs:
IMX311: 48,9MP (45° deg. square pix array)
IMX313: 48,9MP (16bit A/D, stacked 3:2, 30p at 16:9 FULL 8k readout. 60p at 6k with crop.)
IMX409: 55MP
IMX410: 24.6MP (24mpix, 19fps for photography. 6k 40fps, 4k crop 100fps.)
IMX521: 15MP with Quad Array
IMX554: 30MP

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This week SAR readers photos selection


Alex Phan
Female Peregrine Falcon attacks Pelican for flying too close to her nest.
A9 + 400GM + 1.4x TC
iso: 640 , 1/2500 , f/5.6 @560mm
#sonyalphagallery

1) You can submit one single picture per week only.
2) To submit your picture for the weekly readers roundup post you can choose one of the following three options:
Instagram: Follow @sonyalphagallery and tag us on your picture to give us the permission to repost your image on the instagram gallery and on SAR (we will credit you)
Facebook: Submit your picture on our group: facebook.com/groups/sonyalphacamera. Please add the hashtag “#sonyalphagallery ” to grant the permission for reposting on SAR. Without the hashtag we will not add your picture!
Forum: Submit your picture on the SonyAlphaForum image section and add the hashtag “#sonyalphagallery
3) Like and comment the pictures from other readers here: instagram.com/sonyalphagallery, facebook.com/groups/sonyalphacamera and on SonyAlphaForum.
4) A selection of most liked pictures by the community and by me SAR admin will be posted weekly on SAR.

Note: When sending a pic feel free to also add a link to your site to promote yourself! And please do share one single picture per week only. Do not spam :)

 

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Press Release: Aurora Aperture introduces a new filter system: adapter mount format filters for mirrorless mount adapters

Aurora Aperture introduced a new filter system which you can preorder on Kickstarter (Click here).

Press Text:

Aurora Aperture introduces a revolutionary filter system: adapter mount format filters for mirrorless mount adapters

Irvine, California, July 15th, 2019 – Aurora Aperture Inc. today has introduced a revolutionary filter system, the Aurora Aperture Adapter Mount Format (AMF) filter for mirrorless mount adapters.

The AMF filters drop into mirrorless camera mount adapters such as the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, the Nikon FTZ, the Sigma MC-11 for Sony E, and the Sigma MC-21 for the L mount.

“In 2017 we introduced a rear mount filter system for the Canon EF 11-24mm F4L USM: The Aurora CR format, an industry-first rear mount glass filter,” said Jeff Chen, founder and CEO of Aurora Aperture Inc. “The Aurora Aperture CR format filters solves the problem of needing a huge filter adapter and massive filters for lenses that have protruding front elements. Due to the recent pivot of mirrorless camera development and releases from Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, and others: We’ve invented the Adapter Mount Format for the mirrorless mount adapters which enables mirrorless camera users to use a single set of filters for all their DSLR lenses regardless of the filter thread size.”

One Mount One Filter

Designed in California, the Aurora Aperture AMF drop-in filters offer many advantages over traditional front–mounted lens filters. Since a drop-in filter goes inside a mount adapter, users only need one set of filters per adapter instead of specific thread sizes for each lens. It not only saves users from having to buy multiple sets of filters or large diameter filters – but it also means awkward to use step-up rings are no longer necessary.

The drop-in filters are very compact and lightweight, meaning that they’re easily carried. They cost much less than traditional front mount filters, especially in comparison to large filter thread sizes.

Any DSLR lens that can be mounted on the four supported mirrorless mount adapters can be used with these drop-in filters, whether the lens has a front filter thread or not. This is especially beneficial for ultra wide-angle lenses without a front filter thread which would otherwise require massive filters on a bulky adapter.

Available Filters

  1. PowerUV™, a sensor protector filter to shield the camera sensor from contamination
  2. PowerND™, neutral density (ND) filters of light reduction strength in ND4 (2 stops), ND16 (4 stops), ND64 (6 stops), ND256 (8 stops), ND4000 (12 stops), and ND65000 (16 stops)
  3. PowerGND™, soft graduated neutral density (GND) filters of light reduction strength in ND3 (1.5 stops), ND6 (2.5 stops), and ND12 (3.5 stops)
  4. PowerDusk™, a light pollution reduction filter for astrophotography and for cityscape photography in blue hours by reducing artificial light pollution.

Schott B270® glass is used as the foundation of filters except for the PowerDusk which is based on neodymium glass. Multi-layer nano-coatings are used for light reduction so the filters are able to meet high-resolution demands of 4k/8k video and the high pixel density of modern-day sensors.

A PFPE based nano-coating is applied to both optical surfaces, ensuring the protection of filter against water, oil, dust, and dirt. This coating allows the filter to be easily cleaned as substances do not adhere as easily and are removed with little effort. The PFPE based nano coating has a 110-degree static contact angle, one of the best in the industry.

Aerospace-grade 7051 aluminum alloy is used for the filter frame. This material is practically twice as strong as 6000 series aluminum alloy used in conventional lens filters.

Availability and Pricing

The AMF Filters will be available through a kickstarter.com crowdfunding campaign starting in July 2019. The general public and dealer availability starts in October 2019. The price will start from $44 and goes up to $83 per filter, depending on the type of filter.