From all of us at Photofocus, we wish you a very Happy New Year! To get you started with 2020, be sure to check out some of our New Year-centric pieces:
Our favorite products of 2019 - With the New Year officially starting Wednesday, we wanted to bring you some of our favorite products released in the past year. What are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below! Lume Cube 2.0 Read our first look | Get yours from Lume Cube Lume Cubes have become a favorite lighting accessory for several Photofocus authors, and it’s easy to see why. These small LED lights pack quite the punch, and are perfect for lighting video interviews, still life photographs and more. Excire Search Pro 2 Get yours from Excire Just recently released, Excire Search Pro 2 brings intelligent search to Lightroom Classic. Version 2 of the plugin adds a unique “Search for People” feature, more relevant keywords, better analyzing of faces and more. MagMod MagBox Read our review | Get yours from B&H First announced in mid-2018, the MagBox is a 24-inch octabox made by MagMod, the makers of several lighting accessories that involve — you guessed it — magnets. The MagBox is the first magnetic softbox made and is the first to feature to diffusers and an integrated gel system. Best yet? The MagBox is compatible with virtually any type of lights, thanks to its MagShoe accessory and various speedring adapters. Apple Mac Pro Get yours from B&H Apple’s previous-generation Mac Pro was becoming a bit long in the tooth. When the new Mac Pro was finally unveiled in summer 2019, professional creatives finally were able to sing from the rooftops, knowing the machine would stand the test of time. Insta360 Go Get yours from B&H This incredibly small camera is wearable and produces great immersive video for behind the scenes. If you need to capture your workflow for blogging or a YouTube channel, its amazing. Plus the camera can download 4K footage right to your phone and the app uses AI to quickly cut together videos. This little camera is perfect for documenting your life or adventures and can be easily worn or mounted for many creative angles. Luminar 4 Check out our Guide to Luminar 4 | Get your copy from Skylum Skylum focused heavily on its flagship Luminar software throughout 2019, releasing the new Luminar 4 to the public in the fall. This update includes a reworked interface and several machine-learning technologies, including the world’s first automated sky replacement tool. Profoto B10 Plus Get yours from B&H The battery-powered B10 Plus is perfect for the photographer looking for a compact, yet full power off-camera flash system. The 250Ws light has a 10-stop variable power range and recycle times as quick as 0.05 seconds. With TTL technology, the light takes advantage of your camera’s flash auto-exposure system, shortening the setup time. Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Read our review | Get yours from B&H Olympus came out with two new cameras in 2019 — the flagship E-M1X (in February) and the E-M5 Mark III (in November). The E-M5 Mark III is the perfect choice for both enthusiasts and traveling professionals. Packing several pro-like features like Pro Capture, Live Composite and a fast frame rate, the E-M5 Mark III offers a small camera body that was lightweight, but still had state-of-the-art weather sealing and an improved grip. CamRanger 2 Get yours from CamRanger Think of the CamRanger2 as the ultimate tethering solution. Not only can you transfer images wirelessly, you can control your camera from a computer phone or tablet. And when say control I mean it’s like a whole new operating system. Advanced HDR, time-lapse, focus stacking, as well as full control over video and camera settings. This tech is game-chining and opens up all sorts of new shooting styles. Fuji X-T3 Watch for our review soon! | Get yours from B&H Fuji’s versatile X-T3 mirrorless APS-C camera has proved to be popular since its release. Featuring a brand-new image sensor and processor, the camera features a back-illuminated design, a 2.16m-point phase-detection autofocus system and up to 30fps shooting with the electronic shutter. Luxli Viola 2 5″ On-Camera RGBAW LED Light Get yours from B&H The updated Viola 2 joins the Luxli orchestra of RGBAW LED lights for stills and video. The Viola 2 now has all of the special effects that came with the 10” Cello and the 1’ by 1’ Timpani that includes all of the Lee gel colors, lightning, police visibar, explosions and more. Canon EOS RP Get yours from B&H The new EOS R technology from Canon is fantastic. Canon shooters get the benefits or mirrorless but don’t need to abandon their existing lenses. The burst rate and autofocus abilities of this camera are very appealing. The new EOS R native lenses are also a great addition and take full advantage of the platforms benefits. WANDRD Camera Cubes Read our review | Get yours from B&H WANDRD refreshed its Camera Cubes in the fall of 2019, featuring better protection and padding, as well as more customization options. Perfect for its PRVKE backpacks, the Camera Cubes hold everything from small prime lenses to hefty telephotos safely and securely. Sony Alpha a7R IV Get yours from B&H The latest upgrade to the Sony a7 lineup packs a huge 61MP full-frame sensor, 567-point phase-detect autofocus system, 10fps shooting, UHD 4K30 video and more. With a much-needed improved grip, the full-frame mirrorless camera is quite the upgrade for Sony shooters. Lead photo by Danil Aksenov on Unsplash
Make your resolution to improve your photography - I’d like to take a moment and provide you with some simple wisdom. With the New Year around the corner, your resolution can be improving your photography. Watch this video and learn how to do just that. Feature Photo by Fidel Fernando on Unsplash
Photofocus Rewind: 2019 in review - Before we celebrate the big ball drop tonight, I wanted to take a look back at what 2019 was like for photographers. While the year as a whole showed a downturn in camera sales — with a report by LensVid showing the market has collapsed by 84% since 2010 — camera manufacturers pressed on. And going into 2020, I’m pretty happy with the direction the industry is going, even though lower sales will surely continue in today’s smartphone era. January With every new year comes excitement about what’s next for the photography industry. Olympus took the first jump, announcing the OM-D E-M1X camera body. While it was received with mixed reviews from users due to its large size, the camera filled a hole in Olympus’ lineup and put itself up against the major camera brands. Offering a pro-level feature set, the E-M1X has since become my camera of choice. Sony also announced the a6400, with Real-time Eye autofocus, while ON1 released Photo RAW 2019.2, which added an AI Quick Mask tool. We also got our hands on the new Lume Cube Air, a small, portable LED light that could be used virtually anywhere. Levi Sim also walked us through the new Photomerge: HDR Panorama tool in Lightroom, while Michele Grenier combined Luminar 3 and Aurora HDR 2019 for a photo editing superpower! Top article: The advantage of Auto ISO, by Mike Hagen February During February, the Photofocus team took our annual trip to Las Vegas for our team retreat ant the WPPI Conference & Expo. While there, Vanelli gave us a first look at Aircam. Also in February, Adobe released a Lightroom update that brought the Enhance Details feature to the software, which let users increase the resolution of photos by up to 30 percent. LUMIX also gave a sneak peek of its upcoming full-frame S series cameras. Finally, Canon released the EOS RP, one of our top cameras for 2019. Top article: How to use the whites & blacks sliders in Lightroom, by Kevin Ames March Fuji kicked off March with the X-T30, an update to its bestselling X-T20 camera for enthusiasts. Offering a 26.1MP APS-C format, the X-T30 got positive reviews thanks to its quick and precise autofocus system. LUMIX also released its first array into the full-frame mirrorless world, with the S1 and S1R. Also in March, Skylum introduced its AirMagic software for drone and aerial photographers, and Vanelli finished up his WPPI coverage with interviews with Olympus and Fuji. I also got a first look at the Alter Rapid Filter System, one of my favorite accessories for photo and video shooters. Finally, Michael Muraz finished up his series on Facebook advertising. Top article: My move to mirrorless, by Scott Wyden Kivowitz April While there were no big camera releases in April, there was a ton of great content on Photofocus. Michele Grenier told us about her journey to mirrorless, ultimately deciding on the Sony a9. On the software side, Skylum released an update to Luminar 3 that brought a revamped Accent AI tool to the software, while ON1 introduced Photo RAW 2019.5 with some organizational and editing enhancements. EyeQ also announced it had acquired Athentech, maker of Perfectly Clear. Finally, Skylum announced Luminar Flex, a plugin that brought the powerful editing features from Luminar 3 to users who wanted to retain their current workflow of Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Aperture and Photos for Mac. Top article: Getting Samsung’s 860 QVO solid state hard drive is a no brainer, by Mykii Liu May On May 2, a lot of photographers were caught off-guard when Adobe removed the $9.99 Photography plan from its website. According to the company, the changes was due to testing on Adobe.com that limited plan items from being shown. Eventually, the plan was re-added to the website. Wacom also introduced a small version of its popular Wacom Intuos Pro tablet, while Olympus celebrated 100 years in business. Adobe also released an update to the Lightroom ecosystem, bringing the Texture slider, contextual help and tutorials to the platform. On Photofocus, Julie Powell wrote a series of articles about summer photography fun with kids, including everything from Popsicles to water balloons. You can see the entire series here. Bob Coates also walked us through hiking gear while photographing wildflowers. Top article: Did Adobe actually add multicore support for Lightroom Classic?, by Mykii Liu June Drones were a highlight in June, with Chris Anson reviewing the Autel Evo drone. Lume Cube also released its STROBE anti-collision drone lights, which can be easily attached to a drone with 3M Dual Lock technology. The Photofocus team also had a ton of fun in June, trying out different creative lenses and techniques. Levi Sim reviewed the Lensbaby Edge 35, a lens that alters the plane of focus you see. I had a ton of fun in North Carolina with the Olympus 8mm f/1.8 fisheye lens, as I went back to Duke University to photograph some of my favorite sights from my first visit in 2017. Finally, Bob Coates gave us some customization advice for our cameras. Top article: Save money; buy cheap hard drives for your backup solution, by Vanelli July We kicked off July with a bang, quite literally. Michael Muraz showed us how to combine fireworks with architecture in photography, while Mike Hagen gave us some out-of-the-box, creative techniques for capturing the big light show. We kept the excitement going, with a brand-new Photofocus website, too! Erin Holmstead also told a compelling story about how her dream client quickly became her nightmare. In terms of camera releases, Fuji’s GFX 100 certainly hit the medium format world by storm. With 100MP and uncropped 4K video, Fuji definitely upped the ante for medium format manufacturers. Finally, Sony’s new a7R IV was announced, featuring a whopping 61-megapixel sensor, making it the highest resolution full-frame camera presently on the market. Top article: Make your own extremely fast and portable SSD hard drive, by Mykii Liu August With new drone regulation laws in effect,Lead photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
