Kevin Ames kicked things off by reviewing the new flagship Canon 1Dx Mark III camera. Then, Andrew Ford presented seven tips to help you take better video on your smartphone.

Erin Holmstead and her son, Rock, showed the basics of using an iPad camera. We found out some details about the upcoming LuminarAI software, and finally, Mark Morrow discussed the world of tethering.

New flagship camera review: Canon 1Dx Mark III Does Canon’s new 1Dx Mark III flagship live up to the hype? - I have been using Canon professional digital cameras since the 1Ds Mark II. Every time Canon has provided a new version, I have upgraded and been very happy. I saw a prototype of the 1Dx Mark III at PHOTOPLUS in 2019 and got my hands on one at WPPI 2020. It was love at first shutter press. When B&H sent me the Mark III for this review, it didn’t take long for me to sell my 1Dx and 1Dx Mark II and purchase the newcomer outright. Here’s why … Results first Before I jump into all of the updated and new features in the 1Dx Mark III, I want to show some results. After all, features are nothing without high-quality photographs. The shot below was made recently with LED lights. The camera and the new Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 Sports lens were mounted on a studio stand. In a post like this, the detail and noise handling from the 1Dx Mark III is impossible to see without moving in closer. Below are two full-resolution sections showing the model’s face and the other that gives an idea of an area that is outside the zone of focus. Click on each of these pictures to see the actual size. Thanks to the way the Mark III handles noise at high ISOs, I am working more and more with continuous lights. Knowing I can keep upping the sensitivity of the Mark III gives me the freedom to experiment with shooting in low light even in the studio. Autofocus The 1Dx Mark III has a 191-point autofocus grid provided by Canon’s newly developed high-resolution AF sensor for viewfinder shoots. Live view shooting is super smooth thanks to wide-area AF from a dual pixel CMOS AF that parcels the screen into 525 areas. The big news for manual autofocus point setting is the optical Smart Controller. The two joysticks — one for horizontal use, the other for vertical shooting — do not move. Instead, moving a thumb positions the focus point in the viewfinder. Pressing the controller centers the focus point. It also serves as an AF-On button. The 1Dx Mark III has eye and head tracking for autofocus, a gift to sports shooters and fashion photographers like me. Thank you, Canon! AF presets The previous camera, the 1Dx Mark II had six autofocus presets. In the Mark III, the presets are down to four plus a “program autofocus mode” named Case A. Let’s take a closer look at them. Case 1: This preset is perfect for autofocusing sports or moving subjects accurately. Case 2: This one is for subjects moving quickly away from the AF point or when a subject gets momentarily blocked by something so the camera keeps focusing on the subject not slipping to the background. Case 3: This choice is for moving subjects that come into the focus point. Cars coming around a corner or toward the camera will move into and out of the point of focus. This preset keeps that point active as the subject move into and away from it. It works great with continuous shooting. Case 4: Focus track on subjects that go faster or slower. This one is great for sports where there is a lot of running and stopping — think basketball and soccer. AF program With Case A, tracking automatically adapts to subject movement by analyzing the scene and setting the right tracking sensitivity and subject acceleration/deceleration tracking settings. This works in hazy situations or scenes where the subject is moving away from the camera quickly. This just scratches the surface of what the Mark III’s autofocus can do. Download a 128-page white paper explaining it in detail. Full touch screen interface — finally! Other Canon cameras have this feature and have had it for quite a while now. Canon has finally promoted it into its flagship DSLR. The touch screen controls include menu selection, image playback and Quick Control menu options for stills. In Live View, the screen offers Quick Controller choices, AF method, drive speed white balance and many more. Like I said, it’s a full touch screen interface. One very nice feature of the touch screen during image playback is choosing a photo from a grid of four thumbnails with the tap of a finger then expanding or pinching to zoom in or out to check focus. Sadly, the screen is still stuck on the back with zero articulation. Apparently, pros only shoot Live View from eye level. Sigh. Fast and even faster frames per second The 1Dx Mark III has a completely re-engineered mirror drive system that has a stronger frame and linkage for the mirror and sub-mirrors. Both are motor controlled completely coordinated with each other rather than relying on spring power as in previous versions. The result is faster than ever viewfinder frame rates. The viewfinder frame rates move from 14 frames per second (1Dx Mark II) to 16 fps in the Mark III. Shooting this camera in Live View provide an astonishing 20 fps RAW or RAW plus JPEG rate. Even better, the Mark III can keep this up for over 1000 photos. The Mark II could shoot 170 or so RAW files or 81 RAW plus JPEG before buffering out. The Mark III can capture at top speed for over a minute! That’s a lot of frames at 20MB each. New card slots The 1Dx Mark II had two card slots — one for CF memory cards and one for CFast cards. Both card formats have been abandoned in the 1Dx Mark III. It still has two card slots but these take high-speed, high capacity CFexpress cards. The new cards also handle the massive data generated by the 1Dx Mark III in 5.5K RAW video recording mode. Some words of caution printed on the card compartment door warn that the cards can become very hot after shooting lots of pictures at high frame rates or when shooting log or RAW video. A brand-new CMOS sensor Canon has
Kids on Pics, episode 1: Getting started with your iPad camera - With kids being required to use technology more and more each day, whether it be for a class, turning in an assignment or just entertainment. I feel like it’s becoming harder and harder to teach kids that photography is an art form. And a powerful one at that. Through photography, kids can connect to their creativity, learn valuable life skills, build their confidence and find a way to express themselves all at the click of a button. I feel it’s my responsibility as a parent and an artist to not only share my work with my kids but also the work of other photographers. Technology is literally in the palm of our hands 24/7 and with my kid’s love for it, it has become easier than ever to introduce them to photography. Especially if you have access to an iPad or other electronic device with a camera. So come join us as we explore how to teach kids the art of photography in this multi-part video series! In this first episode, Rock will teach your kids how to get started with their iPad cameras. He’ll show how to focus, change exposure and take a picture. Special thanks to B&H Photo for providing the iPad, and for sponsoring this series.
LuminarAI looks to reinvent the world of photo editing - This morning, Skylum announced its next-generation photo editor — LuminarAI. Unlike traditional photo editors that focus on process, LuminarAI focuses on getting you to the finish line. Built from the ground up, LuminarAI includes several unique tools powered by artificial intelligence. It’s designed so photographers of any skillset — as well as bloggers, educators, business owners, marketers and more — can easily create great, expressive images. “LuminarAI will bring an entirely new, non-conventional approach to the world of photo editing, focusing on the results instead of the process,” said Dima Sytnik, CPO of Skylum. “We’ve designed LuminarA​I ​from the ground up to change how people interact with their images. We’re really excited to see what Luminar​AI​ can do for creatives everywhere.” AI-centric tools to ease your editing process Whether you’re editing a portrait or a landscape, LuminarAI has some fantastic tools that we’re excited to try out. On the portrait side, tools like BodyAI and FaceAI help to gently sculpt and refine a portrait. Eyes can come to life with IrisAI, and blemishes and imperfections can be removed with SkinAI. Landscape photography gets some love too, with AtmosphereAI adding depth and detail to your scenes. It lets you generate fog and mist into your photographs. SkyAI and Sky Enhancer is there too, to transform the skies in your photographs. Golden Hour can bring warmth to your photos, where Sunrays can create a realistic sunny scene. And for all photos, tools like AccentAI, StructureAI and CompositionAI help you to fix exposure, color, detail and crop. Templates to get you moving When you open a photo in LuminarAI, you’ll have the option to choose from several pre-made templates, designed by professional photographers. These are recommended to you based on the contents of your image, and help to speed up the editing process. Templates can be applied and refined through the Edit panel, giving you complete control over your finished output. You can save your own templates, too. Pricing and availability For a limited time, Skylum is offering early bird pricing of $69 for new users. Those who already have copies of Luminar or Aurora HDR can get a $10 loyalty discount, too. As an early bird you also gain access to the LuminarAI Insiders community, where the company will share tips and tricks to get you ready for the big launch. You’ll also get to let your feedback be known, and talk with Skylum representatives and other users. Finally, you also get LuminarAI before anyone else. LuminarAI will be released this holiday season as a standalone application and a plug-in for Lightroom Classic, Photoshop and Photos for Mac. It will be available for both Mac and Windows. Ready to reserve your copy of LuminarAI and get exclusive access to the LuminarAI Insiders community? Click here!
Is a tethered workflow right for me? - Tethered capture, or the ability to simultaneously photograph, offload and preview capture results via a high-definition monitor, is one of the more liberating conveniences a photographer can experience. Having the ability to trigger a camera remotely is an invaluable enough luxury on its own. However, the ability to further preview and precisely dial-in the important aspects of framing, focus and lighting is an unparalleled advancement in terms of the accurate assessment of the quality and flow of our work. In fact, you may have noticed this subject cross your feed in recent months and wondered, is a tethered workflow right for me? Is it worth the time and investment for my style and work? But tethering is only for pros, right? Not in the least. Tethered capture is right for anyone who desires the absolute best result in-camera and beyond — amateur, enthusiast and pro. For portrait shooters, tethering provides a clearer perspective on position and framing, as well as a more accurate rendering of the shape and mood of your lighting. It will also go a long way in helping to place subjects at ease when they see how great they look as the images begin to flow across the screen. Product, food and stills photographers are the same. Whether amateur or pro, being able to effectively analyze and adapt is critical and a tethered view will always provide a superior window when decision time comes. The process is a simple one. In fact, it’s never been easier. All you need are the proper cable kit and capture software and you’re off. Step 1: Camera-to-computer connection The first step is to acquire the proper connection cable. The cable packaged with your particular camera body will suffice in a small setting but is likely too short to handle the required mobility of most projects. It’s important to note that camera USB cables are powered and the typical, normal-duty USB extension cable will not be able to make the data transfer without a signal boost. The solution here is to invest in a Tether Tools 15′ TetherPro cable designed specifically for your body’s connection type. For lengths over 15 feet, Tether Tools recommends using the TetherPro USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Active Extension Cable. To minimize the chance of an abrupt disconnection, I decided to drop a few extra bucks on the Jerk Stopper cable manager for added confidence as well. This ensures my cable is routed cleanly and free from accidental yanks and pulls. If need be, we can always go wireless and remove the threat completely. Widely-known for their trademark orange cable, Tether Tools produces a black version as well which I’ve grown to prefer in minimizing the potential for reflection. Step 2: Software Though most camera systems have their own proprietary software solutions for tethered capture, the current industry standards today are Lightroom Classic and Capture One. My own personal preference is a Capture One workflow, primarily for its Live View support with my Sony bodies, enabling me to verify position and framing in real-time. Lightroom Classic is an equally capable solution as well and is readily available for most photographers. I would suggest downloading and experimenting with both platforms and going with what works best for your needs. Those interested in exploring a Lightroom Classic workflow, check out “What Is Tethered Shooting & Why Do I Love It So Much?” by colleague Erin Holmstead. In this piece, she shares some valuable insight along with everything you’ll need to get your tethered workflow up and running. Whichever solution you choose, the images captured will now transfer directly to the workstation and bypass the memory card altogether. Which means no more chimping the camera back for focus. From here on out, we’re previewing in high-definition clarity. Any adjustments made along the way, such as custom white balance, curve and color enhancements, can be applied automatically to succeeding images as we go. Practical application The example above is a standard three-light setup. First, we have a backlight with a grid for background separation; then we have an edge light at the rear camera-right finished with a key light at front-left, both scrimmed and feathered away from the background along with a few strategically placed flags to help mitigate reflection and flare. These three images represent a catalog of approximately 100 images in total, each light requiring multiple tests and adjustments in terms of its position and gradient. Having the ability to quickly view the results in a large format enabled me to keep pace and make informed decisions. If I were punching in and scanning focus from the camera-back alone, not only would I still be shooting, I’d almost certainly be accepting inferior results by comparison. Taking a quality pre-process approach helped to produce a far more appealing result and saved a ton of time in post. So, is tethering right for you? For those whose interests are primarily in the landscape, street, event and perhaps wedding genres, a tethered workflow would likely be as counterproductive as it would be inconvenient. On the other hand, for those working repetitively from a somewhat fixed location, there’s no better way to go. To quickly recap: Connection cable — verify body and workstation connection sizes; Jerk Stopper cable manager is recommended for a solid connection. Lightroom Classic is excellent and available to most photographers; does not support Live View. Capture One is stand-alone with a massive arsenal of the functionality on its own; supports Live View. Software packaged with most cameras today offers equally capable solutions for tethered capture, Live View included. Hook up and don’t look back. The ability to accurately monitor image quality (or lack thereof) has been invaluable to my own growth in viewing my work more honestly. As the years roll by, I learned that I cannot trust my eyes and the camera back alone. Working tethered allows me to assess, adjust and move forward in confidence. If you want to grow as a photographer, or if you see yourself pursuing photography
Mobile Mondays: Seven sensational smartphone video tips - With so much mobile video content being produced every minute, good technique can help your video stand out. Here are some of my tips to ensure you record the best video possible on your smartphone. 1. Familiarize yourself with your phone Many people don’t take the time to learn the full capabilities of their phones. This includes the camera. There could be professional settings lurking in your camera that can affect white balance, exposure, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity and aperture. Learn what they do so you can apply them in the proper situations. Some phones have multiple slow-motion modes. Be aware of how slow they are and what types of shots look best. For example, my phone has a super slow-mo mode that is relatively useless unless the phone is perfectly still and in an ideal lighting situation. The regular slow-mo mode is much better and more forgiving. Also, remember to toggle on and off any stabilization feature your phone may have. This feature is good to have on if you are going handheld with your phone in situations such as a breezy outdoor landscape shot. But, remember to turn this feature off if you are doing subtle pans or tilts for visual interest, as the stabilization feature will override it and sometimes cause your recording to stay still and then jump. Also, if you use a moving shooting style (like the camera in “The Office” or “Modern Family”), you will want this feature off. 2. Eliminate shake Speaking of stability, shaky video is one of the biggest turnoffs to a viewer. If you can’t hold your phone steady or make nice even camera moves, then there are tools to help you. On the inexpensive side, a one or two-handed mobile rig can help you hold your phone while using a pistol-style grip. Some come with neck straps for added stability. For a little more money, three-axis gimbals run on battery power to help deliver smooth stabilized images. 3. Record horizontally As any pro video editor will tell you, the biggest mistake you can make is shooting in portrait mode (vertical) instead of landscape (horizontal). When you shoot in landscape, you will fill a typical 16:9 screen and not need black bars or fill in the empty parts of your image. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which include Instagram Stories (which only accepts vertical video), TikTok (which accepts horizontal video, but vertical is most popular) or Facebook video ads (some people prefer the vertical style to deliver a message). 4. Don’t forget about lighting Nothing upgrades your mobile video game like proper lighting. Smartphones have smaller sensors than professional cameras and often do not suitably react to changes in light. It is important to pick a good setting for your video. If your camera is shooting into bright light sources, your footage will be blown out. If you shoot in low light situations, your image will have noise and grain. Small portable battery-operated lights are abundant and reasonably priced. Proper use of them helps set the mood of your video, capture accurate skin tones and lower the chances of noise in dark areas of the video. Get a few and use them as a key and fill or to brighten up the background. 5. Audio matters Many people forget that quality audio is an important aspect of video (perhaps the most important aspect). The built-in microphones on a phone are not placed in optimal areas for video production. They are usually low quality and capture a lot of surrounding environmental noise. To fix this, small and inexpensive microphones are a necessary addition to your shoot. They have different ways to attach to your phone rig and offer optimal audio pickup patterns and quality. They can attach to your phone’s headphone jack using a TRRS cable. 6. Avoid digital zoom Most smartphones utilize digital zoom, not optical zoom. Digital zoom is a processed zoom that provides a lower quality image because it increases the size of the pixels in a section. Keep in mind, most phones are recording in MP4 codec. Although this is a good codec, it is still a compressed format. Therefore, lowering the quality of your recording with digital zoom and recording in a lossy codec is not optimal. Some phones do provide an optical zoom, but it is usually only 2X. Sometimes, focusing on interesting shot composure can overcome video that is more zoomed out than you would like. If you do need to zoom, there are two ways to do so. The first is what I call manual zoom. Just walk closer to your subject (which incidentally also helps your mic capture better audio). But if you really need to zoom, get a zoom lens that clips onto your phone to go over your camera lens. 12X lenses are quite inexpensive. 7. Be creative Static video depends heavily on the action in the scene to hold the viewer’s interest. But you can generate more interest by adding camera movement or different perspectives. Here’s an idea. Start with your camera pointing away from the subject and then quickly move it to the subject and hold for the recording. In the end, move it away fast. This is a way of making your own swish-pan. In post-production, adjust the speed and add a blur and you have something visually interesting. Or, try a different perspective. Hold your phone low to the ground and shoot up for an interesting look. Get an establishing shot from higher ground. Try different camera moves and angles with your rig. All of this adds interest and production value to your video.

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