The Lightroom comeptition Luminar 3 is now available for download with extra $10 discount!

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The newly launched Luminar 3 with Libraries (Click here) is now available for full download! You have still 24 hours time to get the full bonus package and $10 discount using our code “SAR“.

Luminar 3 includes the highly anticipated Library module that will make it work similar to Lightroom.

Pricing:
● New users can purchase Luminar for US$59 ( US$49 with coupon code “SAR“).
● Current users of Luminar 2017 can upgrade for US$49 ( US$39 with coupon code “SAR“).
Note that the price after the Luminar 3 with Libraries release will be US$69.

Bonuses:
● US$20 gift card to Manfrotto & Gitzo
● 3 video tutorials by Dan Kordan
● 3-month ViewBug membership
● 2-month KelbyOne membership
● Free eBook from Rocky Nook
● US$300 OFF Iceland Photo Tours

Here is the full Press text:

Major upgrade to Luminar includes eagerly anticipated ability to organize and edit an image library

The new library panel turns the acclaimed photo editor into a one-stop imaging solution, allowing amateur and pro photographers to intuitively import, organize, edit and publish images with unprecedented ease and efficiency.

BELLEVUE, WA – December 6, 2018 — Today, Skylum Software announced the availability of the next version of Luminar, their award-winning photo editor. Luminar 3 will start shipping to customers on December 18 and adds the ability to organize and edit multiple images simultaneously with the new Library panel. This addition transforms the photo editing software into a comprehensive, all-in-one imaging package.

Luminar 3 is a sophisticated image editor and library, which uses artificial intelligence to allow anybody, working with digital images to make better photos with intuitive and time-saving workflows. Luminar 3 makes processing, managing and editing photographs quicker and easier than with conventional software packages.

“This has been a long-anticipated update as our users were keen on a fast library function that works with their existing folders. We never replicate what’s already on the market, but look for new approaches to make our app as fast and easy to use as possible. And this is only the first of many far-reaching updates, so stay tuned.” says Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum.

The new Library panel is the result of years’ of research, analysis and interviews with a wide range of photographers. Skylum optimized the Library panel for speed and efficiency, responding to long-standing complaints by photographers that existing library options were cumbersome, cluttered, or impractical.

The Luminar library is a highly customizable image catalog that makes browsing, rating, and organizing a joy. Users can easily see a beautiful image wall that works with existing folders on their hard drive, connected devices, and synced cloud storage. There’s no need to re-import images, simply selecting a folder adds it to Luminar where pictures can be viewed, color labelled, rated and edited. 43rumors.com

Photographs are also automatically organized by capture date— all features that make it quick and efficient to find and sort images. Changes are made in real time in the original folder, keeping files and the hard drive organized as effortlessly as possible.

Luminar 3 also allows photographers to sync their editing adjustments. Any change made to a single image can easily be applied to a selection of files, which is useful for photos taken in similar settings or when a uniform style is desired.

Syncing works extremely well thanks to Skylum’s unique Accent AI and AI Sky Enhancer filters which use artificial intelligence to analyze and fix image problems. With these features, a number of images can be adjusted simultaneously, saving the photographer time and effort.

The new Luminar 3 will be available as a free update for all the users of Luminar 2018 and will include multiple free updates as we built out a fuller set of photo management tools and more time saving artificial intelligence features. More information about future update is available at https://skylum.com/luminar/roadmap.

About Luminar
Skylum is the company behind the pioneering Luminar software. With over 1,5 million downloads, the company is rapidly establishing itself as a major player in the photo industry.

Luminar’s intuitive interface and affordable cost, has put high-end RAW processing and image editing tools, driven by artificial intelligence, at the fingertips of busy professional and enthusiast photographers alike. The software allows users to edit images by using traditional tools, such as curves, clarity, and dehaze as well as via adaptive Luminar Looks or unique AI-powered tools.

While Luminar offers standard professional options like layers, masks, and blending modes, they also bring unique technology to the desktop. For more than a decade, Skylum has pioneered innovation in digital imaging, spearheading the development of the following features:

• Luminar ‘Workspaces’ streamline editing by offering recommended filters that are ideal for a chosen genre, including landscapes, portraits, aerial and portrait photography.
• Luminar developed ‘Luminar Looks’ – the next generation of adaptive styles to include LUTs, textures and AI-powered filters. With one-click a new style is applied, but simple and advanced controls make it possible for nuanced adjustments.
• Luminar perfected over 50 filters, including its revolutionary AI Sky Enhancer, which uses artificial intelligence to select the sky automatically for precise adjustment. With just one slider the perfect look can be achieved. Other innovative filters are Accent AI and the Sunrays filter, which can be used to add sunshine selectively.

Pricing:
Mixed-computer households can share the same product key for Mac and PC which can be activated on 5 devices.
• 30-day trial and 60-day money back guarantee;

Skylum product owners of Aurora HDR, Photolemur and legacy products may upgrade at a special price of $49/€49/£44 (until December 18)
New users can preorder Luminar 3 at a special price of $59/€59/£53

The retail price for Luminar 3 with Libraries after December 18 will be: • $69/€69/£64 for all new users

About Skylum Software
Skylum Software (formerly Macphun) is a photo software developer with the mission to make complex photo editing simple and user-friendly. Thanks to its innovative approach and high-end proprietary technologies, Skylum products have won dozens of prestigious awards, including “Best of the Year” awards by Apple for six straight years. Aurora HDR was selected as the “Best Mac App of 2017” by Apple. Luminar was honored with the “Best Imaging Software 2017”

award by TIPA and “Best Software Plugin” in October 2017 by the Lucie Technical Awards. To learn more about Skylum, please visit http://skylum.com/.

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Amazon offers the Samyang 35mm pancake for $199 and 35mm f/1.4 for $399

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If you are an Amazon Credit Card holder, you get 20% cash back on those two lenses:
Samyang 35mm f/2.8 FE autofocus lens for $199 with 20% cashback deducted.
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 FE autofocus lens for $399 with 20% cashback deducted.

Also still running is the 10% discount on the new Sony TOUGH SD cards at Amazon, Adorama, FocusCamera and BHphoto.

Holiday deals:

Up to $225 off on Zeiss Batis-Loxia-Touit E-mount lenses (full list here at BHphoto):
$300 off on the Zeiss Batis 135mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$180 off on the Zeiss Batis 85mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Batis 25mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Batis 18mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$210 off on the Zeiss Loxia 85mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Loxia 21mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$140 off on the Zeiss Loxia 50mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.

Still running: $1,000 rebates on Sony gear at BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera and Adorama.

Capture One 12 officially released. It adds a ton of new features and if you want to buy it (Click here) you get additional 10% off using our code “AMBSAR“.

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Sony Tidbits…

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Sony Alpha | Steven Irby – We Are Alpha

Sony EYE-AF – how to set and use it on your camera (Alin Popescu).
Zeiss Batis 85mm f1.8 review (CameraLabs).
Nikon Z6/Z7 vs Canon EOS R vs Sony A7III/A7RIII (Lightpoint).
Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master Field Test: The Polar Bears Of Churchill (Alphauniverse).
Rolling Review: Voigtlander 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar (Phillip Reeve).
Tenba Launches New Fulton Collection of Rolltop Backpacks (Explora).

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

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10% off on the new Sony TOUGH SD cards sold by Amazon, Adorama and BHphoto!

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The new world’s most resistant SD cards have a limited time deal with 10% discount at Amazon, Adorama, FocusCamera and BHphoto.

Holiday deals:

Up to $225 off on Zeiss Batis-Loxia-Touit E-mount lenses (full list here at BHphoto):
$300 off on the Zeiss Batis 135mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$180 off on the Zeiss Batis 85mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Batis 25mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Batis 18mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$210 off on the Zeiss Loxia 85mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Loxia 21mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$140 off on the Zeiss Loxia 50mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.

Still running: $1,000 rebates on Sony gear at BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera and Adorama.

Capture One 12 officially released. It adds a ton of new features and if you want to buy it (Click here) you get additional 10% off using our code “AMBSAR“.

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(SR5) Sony is finalising its new H.265 based professional codec – XEVC 8K. Is it coming on the A7sIII?

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The reliable Sony sensor source also sent me this new info that could be for interest for future Sony A7sIII owners:

Got some new info, a break from all the sensor talk :-)

So Sony is finalising its new H.265 based professional codec – XEVC, the successor of XAVC. XEVC is CRF based which is superior to Canon’s ABR based XF-HEVC.

XEVC supports:
12Bit YCrCb 4:4:4
12Bit Lossless
12Bit Bayer
12Bit YCrCb 4:2:2 for broadcast delivery
10Bit YCrCb 4:2:2
10Bit YCrCb 4:2:0 for proxy recording

Expect to see other variants of XEVC (XEVC-S) in A7S III and future Sony prosumer cameras.

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Dpreview thinks the Sony A7III is still ahead of the Nikon Z6 and Canon EOS-R competition

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Dpreview compared the Sony A7III, Nikon Z6 and the Canon EOS-R. The conclusion:

Even without thinking about lenses, it’s clear that Nikon and Canon still have some work to do to catch up with Sony’s half-decade headstart. It’s not an insurmountable difference, though and both brands have brought their extensive experience of ergonomics and user interfaces, which Sony should probably be worried about.

All three cameras can produce excellent images but the Sony more readily adapts to a wider range of situations. The Nikon acquits itself well for certain types of photography, while also doing unexpectedly well at video, but the Z6 has the least dependable AF system of the trio, which counts against it. Canon has tried to make an easy-to-use camera, rather than simply mimicking its DSLRs, but, while we’re not fully convinced by the results of this first attempt, it’s still a very able camera.

Ultimately, though, the decision is likely to come down to what lenses you own, which lenses you plan to buy and how much faith you have in each company to produce camera bodies to match your needs, several years down the road. Because, if you’re trying to avoid major costs later, the camera body you choose now is likely to commit you to a new lens system for the foreseeable future.

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New Laowa 10-18mm lens reviewed by Phillip Reeve

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You can get the new Laowa 10-18mm FE at BHphoto and at VenusOptics online store.

Phillip Reeve (Click here) tested the new Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 FE C-Dreamer lens:

The main selling points of this lens are the compact size and the widest focal length of 10mm. Laowa managed to produce a zoom lens that starts at 10mm – and at 10mm the resolution and vignetting figures look quite comparable to that of the Voigtlander 10mm prime – yet it is only slightly bigger and heavier (+120g) and you can zoom in all the way up to 18mm.
Laowa decided to do some things differently here compared to Sony with their latest UWA zooms: the emphasize is not on resolution but on giving you the widest possible lens in a small package, sunstars and usability with filters. Whether these main points appeal to you or not depends on your personal preferences.
If you are interested in a lens starting at 10mm but want something more flexible than a 10mm prime this lens might be for you.
If on the other hand you think you get a smaller and wider Sony FE 12-24mm f/4.0 G in a smaller package you will be disappointed, the 10-18mm won’t match it in the overlapping focal length range in terms of resolution and contrast.
The lack of exif data is quite a nuisance in a lens where electronic corrections (distortion and color cast) are necessary in many shots. I was using the lens mostly at fixed values of 10, 14 and 18mm to make post production a bit easier.
The biggest disadvantage for me is the flare resistance. With the sun in the frame I encountered ghosting and other artifacts quite regularly. Whether this bothers you depends a lot on what you shoot, but if this is something that bothers you I recommend to stick to the Voigtlander and Zeiss prime lenses.

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