Sony announced, today, a broadened and deepened lineup of 4K-capable equipment that will simplify the creation of a wide variety of 4K productions. In addition to a newly-developed open format XAVC recording format, Sony is also launching two new CineAlta™ cameras, the PMW-F55 and the PMW-F5, as well as a new 4K 30-inch LCD monitor, the PVM-X300. Further upgrades to the F65 as well as a 4K RAW recording interface unit for the NEX-FS700 with the AXS-R5 cameras have also been announced.

XAVC Recording Format

Sony’s new XAVC open format will make 4K/60P production accessible for consumers, while also serving the needs of professionals. XAVC has been designed to provide a future-proof codec that can meet the shifting requirements of the fast developing 4K content production and HD120P high frame rate shooting. Appropriate for a variety of content such as movies, commercials, TV dramas, documentaries and more,  XAVC uses the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 compression codec, and supports HD as well as 4K.

Built with the principles of workflow efficiency, evolution and optimised image quality at its heart, Sony’s XAVC can support the following content formats:

• 4K (4096 x 2160 and 3840 x 2160), HD and proxy resolution
• MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video compression
• 12, 10 and 8 bit colour depth
• Up to 60fps
• MXF wrapping format can be used
• 4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0 colour sampling

>> Read about Sony’s  Large Sensor Camera Family Expansion 

As you are aware, a huge tropical hurricane is making its way northeast toward the GTA, resulting in hundreds of flights being cancelled or delayed across the U.S. east coast. At present there are no flights out of the NYC area and, as a result, Albert Watson has no means of transport to Toronto.

As such, we have rescheduled our Evening with Albert Watson to Friday, Nov. 2 at the same location (the Berkeley Church) at the same time (7:30pm).

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and we hope to see you all Friday!

What: An evening with Albert Watson
When: Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 | 7:30pm
Where: The Berkeley Church (315 Queen St. E)

Have you ever wondered how to get that great photo of your pet? Have you visited the zoo and wanted to capture what was behind the fence without the fence itself? Jen Hammer will help you choose the best tools to use for the right situation. Learn great techniques, tips and tricks to capturing those perfect moments.

What: Animal Photography
Where: Vistek Edmonton | 10569 109th Street NW
When: Saturday, Nov. 10 | 1pm
Cost: $50
REGISTER TODAY

In the spirit of Halloween (which is less than a week away!) we thought we share with you some delightfully creepy and appropriately fun delights!

Photo Fabulousness ——

Eye Stare by Valentino Antonio

Online Awesomeness/Bloggy Goodness ——

Still stymied about your costume this year? The folks over at Petapixel have put together the ultimate collection of ideas for photographers and fans of photography… why not dress as your favourite camera!

Not feeling the Polaroid love? Check out the rest and marvel in some pretty spectacular creativity!

Video Virtuosity ——

The Green Ruby Pumpkin from miguel ortega on Vimeo.

Phase One announced, today, the release of Capture One Pro 7 the newest edition of its advanced digital imaging software for professional photographers.

Capture One Pro 7 is a major release built on a new processing engine with new and advanced professional tools that dramatically boost out-of-the-box image quality, offering exquisite detail and color rendition. Powerful digital asset management functionality, derived from years of technical expertise built into the Media Pro catalog system, has been added to offer more options to select, search and organize image files.

KEY FEATURES:

• Raw processing: The unique raw processing engine ensures the best results from your raw files with natural colors and great detail out-of-the-box.
• Tailor-made camera profiles. Each camera is tested by our image quality experts to create a tailor-made and optimized profile to bring out the very best in your camera.
• World-class noise reduction. Shoot with higher ISO more confidently than ever before, and Capture One Pro 7 will produce a crisp and noise-free image.
• Catalogs. Select and organize your images using catalogs, with comprehensive digital asset management and powerful virtual organization. Open several at once, shared them or take them with you.
• Instant tethered capture. Shoot directly into the application, instantly apply styles, speed up image composition and lighting with Live View, and let your clients follow the shoot remotely with Capture Pilot.
• Customizable interface. Capture One Pro 7 never restricts you to a set workflow. Customize your workspace to make your personal workflow more efficient and experience a leap in productivity.

>>Read the press release

Capture One Pro 7 is available now.

Nikon announced, today,  the Nikon 1 V2  –  the latest addition to the Nikon 1 advanced camera with interchangeable lens system.

Designed for the creative user who seeks stunning images and sharp Full HD (1080p) videos, the Nikon 1 V2 incorporates myriad new features aimed at improving the shooting experience including a new textured grip, a built-in flash, and the addition of a Command Dial to provide easy access to features and controls when shooting still images and HD videos.

Also announced were: the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR telephoto zoom lens (which provides a popular and versatile focal length and a constant f/4 aperture for full frame FX-format photographers) and the SB-N7 speedlight (with its flash head that tilts up to 90° and rotates horizontally 180°).

Three new lenses, to be released at a later date, are also in development:  a 32mm medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a fast maximum aperture of f/1.2 optimal for portraits exhibiting significant background blur; a vibration-reduction (VR)-equipped 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 ultra wide-angle zoom lens that is the first 1 NIKKOR lens tooffer a 100° angle-of-view; and a compact, lightweight 10x zoom lens covering a 10-100mm range of focal lengths with a maximum aperture of f/4-5.6, making it a lens convenient and portable enough to take everywhere.

In addition to a body-only option, the V2 will be available as one-lens kit (with a 10-30mm standard zoom lens) as well as a two-lens kit (the 10-30mm standard zoom + a 30-110mm lens for super-telephoto reach.)

NIKON 1 V2 KEY FEATURES:

• 14.2MP 13.2 x 8.8mm CMOS CX image sensor
• Nikon 1 lens mount
• 3.0″ LCD
• 60 fps burst shooting at full resolution
• Electronic viewfinder
• Wireless-capable
• 1920 x 1080/60i movie capture
• Advanced hybrid AF
• i-TTL hot shoe for optional speedlight

>> Read the press release

Available: late November 2012 | Body + 10-30mm kit lens MSRP: $899.95; body + 10-30mm and 30-110mm lenses MSRP: $1,099.95; AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR lens MSRP: $1,449.95
SB-N7 Speedlight available January 2013; MSRP: $179.95

Our first-ever Facebook Photo Contest: Fall in Love with Colour is now closed to submissions.

Now comes the fun part! Head on over and cast your vote for the photo(s) you think shine the brightest.

The finalists will be chosen based on votes and judged by a panel from the most popular images. And you are allowed to vote multiple times on as many entries as you like BUT you’re limited to one vote per photo per 24-hour period (we have to keep things fair!) You are allowed to come back and keep voting every day, though!

I recently got the chance to take out the Nikon D600 with the AF-S 24-85mm VR II kit lens and thought I’d give my casual first-impressions.

First off I’m a Nikon D7000 owner and, with the D600, I felt like I was using the exact same camera. It does feel just slightly bigger, which is actually better for me, so it’s a great fit. So, for D7000 fans, not only will the D600 feel just like what you’re used to – you also get the added bonus of the D600′s fantastic new full-frame viewfinder.

So what about the kit lens?  I have to say that this lens blew my mind – for real.  I shot it wide open. I shot it at F8, which is normally the sweet spot on a good zoom lens. And I shot it with VR enabled. This lens is sharp-as-a-tack. The edge sharpness is fantastic and, for the price, it just can’t be beat.

Here are a few of the sample shots taken with the D600 and the AF-S 24-85mm VR II kit lens:

Full-frame at F8

100% crop of the image above, at F-8

The same 2 images shot wide-open at F-3.5

Photo Fabulousness ——

Through the Fire by Josell Mariano

Online Awesomeness/Bloggy Goodness ——

PhotoExtremist.com is a website owned by Evan Sharboneau that gives unique tutorials and images to photographers, artists, and photo manipulators.  Check out this fab Steel Wool Photo tutorial:

Video Virtuosity ——

Combustion by Renaud Halée is a short film with fire used as a musical tool. It was also an official selection at TIFF and SXSW!
 

Combustion from Renaud Hallée on Vimeo.

The folks at Elinchrom have posted a fantastic (and detailed!) round up of all their Photokina 2012 happenings.

The launch of their products for the next year included:

• The D-Lite RX ONE  – a new compact, the ideal beginner’s unit:  reliable, easy to use and versatile.
• The third generation of D-Lite 2 and 4:  After D-Lite and D-Lite it, D-Lite gets the upgrade to D-Lite RX. All new RX units can now be controlled with the EL-Skyport Speed Transmitter, by computer with the USB Transceiver RX or by iDevices with the WiFi module.
• The Entry-professional line is also upgraded to RX.
• The Quadra Hybrid allows the choice between using either the lightweight and powerful Lithium-Ion battery (announced earlier in the year) or the weather resistant and cheaper Lead-Gel battery.
• The Square 44 cm is made of heat resistant plastic now, a change from previous iterations made of aluminum.

But the Elinchrom booth wasn’t just a display of new gear and product.  A line-up of photographers took part in an interactive shooting both as part of Elinchrom’s presence. Here’s a bit of what they had to say!

“I really felt that this was an important year. There were lots of major new products, as much in the lighting field than in the camera field. I have to admit I felt just like a kid of 10 who was left for 2 days in a big, big, big toy store!”
— Anouk Abrar

“I had a really, really great time … I think that the audience was at first surprised by seeing a guy not simply teaching photographic knowledge, but more implicating them in the game.”
— Phillipe Echaroux

“It was my third time at Photokina … The stage (at the Elinchrom booth) made a huge difference (and) also resulted in a lot more viewers, so that’s a good thing.”
— Frank Doorhof

Want to read the rest of the round up? Click on over and see what else was said about Elinchrom and Photokina 2012!