The Weekly Wrap-up compiles interesting articles published this week on Photofocus. This week, we dove into the new Olympus OM-D E-M1X, learned about the aperture setting and how it affects exposure, checked out five awesome photo accessories, learned about the new Lume Cube Air and explored Shutter Priority mode.
Understanding exposure: The aperture setting - Exposure is the process of choosing the correct settings on your camera to produce a picture that “looks right;” not too bright, not too dark, and sharp where it should be. While your camera will figure all of this out for you, it’s good to know how to take control away from your camera, and make sure it’s making the right choices in each situation. In this series, you will learn what each setting means, how they affect the way your images look, and how they work together to create an image that matches your creative ideas. The process of exposing an image, simplified The correct exposure is the amount of light controlled by the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. This is called the exposure triangle. For every photo you take, there’s a correct amount of light that must make it down the barrel of your lens on to your sensor (or film) to make the photo look the way you want it to. When you point your camera at something, light is passing down your lens, either emitted from a light source or reflected off the objects in front of you. There are three settings which control how much of this light is allowed to hit your sensor and how that sensor reacts to the light: Aperture Inside every lens is a mechanism to control the size of an opening, known as an aperture. This controls the amount of light allowed to pass through the lens to your camera’s sensor. AKA: F-stop, usually a number like 2.8, 5.6, 8.0, 16, etc. As you change this number, the size of the hole is changed. Shutter Speed A shutter is a like a door in front of your sensor (or film) inside your camera. Press the button on your camera to take a picture, the shutter opens and lets light hit the sensor (or film). How long it’s open is called the shutter speed. ISO ISO is how sensitive your sensor or film is to light. In terms of the numbers, the higher the ISO number, the more sensitive the sensor, so the less light it takes to make the same exposure. When we photograph something, we are capturing light from the scene in front of us for a moment. Let’s say you see something you want capture a photo of, so you press the shutter button. The shutter opens for a split second. Light traveling through your lens now hits your sensor. After a moment, the shutter closes. The camera saves a file that contains the data on the characteristics of the light hitting the surface of the sensor during the time the shutter was open. That’s it, you just exposed an image! Sure, that’s a simplified outline, and there’s a lot going on in the actual process of creating a properly exposed image. But, the process itself is the same regardless of camera make, model or species. What is an aperture? Inside most lenses is a mechanism called a diaphragm, which blocks light from continuing down the lens to your camera’s sensor or film. This is where the term “stop” comes from, as it “stops” light from traveling through and “exposing” the sensor to light. Also, known as an “iris diaphragm,” like the iris in your eye, this is a complex part of your lens consisting of an array of small opaque blades that close on a central point. By opening or closing these blades, a hole of varying size is made at the center of this diaphragm. In photography, aperture is the name for the hole the diaphragm, or iris, forms — specifically the size of that opening. Aperture isn’t the name for the diaphragm, but for the opening it creates that allows light to pass through it. It’s with the aperture setting that we can change the size of this hole to let more or less light in, making an image brighter or darker. The best example to compare this to is your own eyes. The iris (colored part) is the diaphragm, the pupil (black spot in the middle of your iris) is the aperture, a hole allowing light into your eye. Your iris expands or shrinks your pupil to control how much light is entering your eye and hitting your “sensor,” the retina at the back of your eyeball. When the eye doctor “dilates your pupils,” what they are doing is causing your iris to open your pupil wider to allow more light into your eye. By changing the aperture in your camera you are telling it to open or close the iris diaphragm and increase or decrease the amount of light hitting your camera’s sensor. The next time you have an eye doctor appointment, and are asked if you want your pupils dilated, tell them, “Heck no, I want you to open up my aperture.” The awkward silence following is sure to be from their being struck speechless by your clever wit and optical knowledge. The aperture setting Also known as an f-stop, or f/number, on your camera aperture appears as a number like 2.8, 5.6, 8.0, 16, etc. Where many budding photographers, and a few experienced ones, get confused is in understanding what increasing or decreasing this number actually does. As you move up this scale from smaller numbers to larger numbers you are actually shrinking the size of this opening and letting less light in. The reason for this is the aperture number is actually a ratio, comparing the size of the opening to the focal length of the lens. For those of you who like equations and the physics of light, here is a great article explaining in depth the science and math behind the settings. For those who are less inclined to study that, the affect is a wide or open aperture allows more light to pass through the diaphragm, a small or narrow aperture allows less light to pass through. To change the aperture on most cameras you must be
An in-depth look at the Olympus OM-D E-M1X - Early this morning, Olympus revealed its new flagship camera — the OM-D E-M1X. There’s quite a bit of hype over what this camera can do, and I was lucky enough to have a pre-release copy that I used for about five weeks. Being that several camera manufacturers introduced mirrorless cameras last year, many expected Olympus to embrace the full-frame mirrorless market. But as I discussed with them at the PhotoPlus Expo back in October, Olympus is 100% committed to the micro four-thirds mirrorless realm. The E-M1X shows how Olympus has invested its time, preparing the company for the future and bringing photographers features that have never been seen before. What is the E-M1X? If you haven’t read my announcement story from earlier today, check out what the E-M1X is all about. It has a similar body style to the E-M1 Mark II, but has a built-in vertical battery grip and some pretty cool features like Handheld High Res Shot and Live ND modes. It’s also geared to sports and wildlife shooters, with Intelligent Subject Detection Autofocus and improved continuous autofocus tracking capabilities. With the improvements and new features in the camera, it’s clear that the E-M1X is geared toward the working professional. “Since the E-M1 Mark II launched, we received lots of feedback from the market,” said Katsuhisha Kawaguchi, a Deputy General Manager on Olympus’ Imaging System Development team. “We answered most of the requests from the professional with this camera.” “Our goal is to provide ultimate reliability with this camera to the professional photographer. Thanks to the double engine we could develop the various functions and enhance the speed and autofocus features,” said Eiji Shirota, General Manager of Olympus’ Imaging Product Planning Department. The E-M1X retails for $2999.99 (U.S.) and $3399.99 (CAD), and will begin shipping in late February. Get your pre-order in today! First take When I first pick up this camera, it immediately reminds me of my E-M1 Mark II with a battery grip on it. The ergonomics are some of the best I’ve had in a camera. Compared to the E-M1 Mark II, though, the vertical grip is more natural, and much more comfortable. Little things like adding a multi-selector to the vertical grip portion and having a dedicated ISO button will please professionals. There are also four custom function buttons on the front, instead of two from the E-M1 Mark II, allowing for better customizability. While this camera is certainly larger than the E-M1 Mark II due to the built-in vertical grip, it still is comfortable and not overly heavy. In terms of other enhancements, the custom menu area in the software’s menu system is a huge deal. Olympus’ menu system can be somewhat cumbersome because of all the options, so having the ability to add custom menu items will definitely speed up workflows. New features Handheld High Res Shot One of the most anticipated features of the E-M1X is Handheld High Res Shot. This takes the Handheld High Res Shot for tripods, which is on the E-M1 Mark II, and makes it easy to create a similar result while shooting handheld. Handheld High Res Shot takes 16 frames and then combines it into a single 50MP image, and is available in both RAW and JPEG formats. The aperture can be set to a maximum of f/8 and up to ISO 6400. Working in this mode was very easy. You frame your shot like anything else and then click. It takes about a second for it to work, and then another few seconds to process the photo. The quality is super sharp, and absolutely stunning. I can definitely see portrait photographers loving this capability. Live ND I tried Live ND mode when I was up at my parent’s over Christmas, and I must say this is the feature I’m personally most excited about. While you won’t be able to completely put away your Neutral Density filters in storage, I found that Live ND mode worked really well for some of the shorter long exposures I like to do during the day. If you travel often, having Live ND mode really is a perfect solution. Live ND mode offers up to a five-stop ND “filter” (ND 32). The really cool part? You can see the effect right through the viewfinder or back screen, so you know exactly what you’re getting. I tried Live ND mode at a beach in Traverse City, MI, capturing some branches that were covered in ice. I was able to freeze the water just like I would had I used my ND filters, with the ND 32 setting. The wind created some movement in the trees. Had I wanted a sharper image, I would’ve easily been able to just boost up the shutter speed. Speaking of shutter speed, depending on the “filter” you use, you can shoot up to 1/30s (with ND 2). You can also go up to ISO 800. The darker the “filter” you go with, the slower your shutter speed is forced to be. I didn’t find this to be a problem at all though. Now if only Olympus could combine Live ND mode with High Res Shot … Intelligent Subject Detection Autofocus Sports and action shooters are going to love this feature. While the E-M1X has some impressive technology when it comes to C-AF Tracking mode, Olympus has upped the ante by creating Intelligent Subject Detection Autofocus. This mode allows you to tell the camera what type of subject you’re photographing, and it’ll use AI technology to keep the tracking even more accurate. I tried this out at the Daytona Raceway down in Florida, and was amazed at the sharpness I got when panning the cars on the track. Especially because, as the background changes are other objects were brought into the scene, it never jumped focus points. For now, there are only three subjects as a part of this — motor sports, trains and aircrafts — but Olympus engineers confirmed they are working on more options.
First look: Lume Cube Air VC for Smartphones & Tablets - These days, regular people find themselves spending a lot more time in front of a camera. Whether it’s video conferencing apps to stay in touch, live streaming on social media, or participating in webinars, cameras are critical. It’s all about the light Of course, any good photographer will tell you, the key to a great looking image is light. And let’s face it, the web camera on your computer or mobile device is just not that good. In most situations, I look downright scary, and practically nobody looks as good as they do in real life. Fortunately, the folks at Lume Cube have a reasonable solution. I got my hands on the brand new Lume Cube Air VC. It’s a drop-dead simple kit that makes folks look great on camera. What is a Lume Cube Air? The Lume Cube Air is an easy-to-use light. It’s the little sibling to the original Lume Cube which has been a secret tool that photographers, video pros and social media creators have used for years. The Lume Cube Air is a small light that easily fits in the palm of your hand (1.6″ x 1.6″ x 1″ and weighs only 2 oz.). It’s got a magnet to mount it as well as a tripod thread mount. There are lots of cool features too for photography liking pairing to a phone and being waterproof, but let’s stick to this cool new use case. In the box: One Lume Cube AIR One Suction Cup Mount One White Silicone Softening Diffuser One Warming Silicone Diffuser One Micro USB Charging Cable How it works I love it when setting up a new piece of gear takes 90 seconds. From unboxing to use this was pure simplicity and joy. Step 1: Open the box. There are no awkward packaging and no scissors needed. Just lift a flap and tear along a perforated line. Step 2: Attach the mount. Screw the suction cup mount onto the light. Step 3: Pick your spot. I mounted the light onto both a laptop and a smartphone. For the smartphone be sure to but the light to the side and not over the top. This keeps the adjusting knob away from the back facing camera. Step 4: Add diffusion. Two supple silicone diffusion sleeves are included. One is soft white and the other is a great amber to warm the skin tones. Both soften the lift nicely to minimize reflections, open up shadows and soften bags under the eyes and (bonus) smoothing skin. Step 5: Power it up. Press the power button to turn the light on. You can tap the power button to cycle the power from 25% – 50% – 75% – 100%. Step 6: Want more control? The free Lume Cube app is awesome. With the light powered on, I launched the app. It immediately picks up the light via Bluetooth and proximity. Click OK, and it’s paired. Now you can dial in the strength between 0-100%. You’ll also find advanced controls for photography. The built-in battery will last for a long while (4-5 hours at 25% intensity). This was plenty of light because it’s so close to the subject. Plus it charges via USB so you can leave it plugged into your iPhone, iPad or computer for extended use or to charge. The results Let me cut to the chase. Damn! This thing works well. From out of the box to finished setup this thing was a breeze. The results using the Lume Cube Air VC simply look amazing. My hotel room’s harsh overhead lighting was solved by using this light. Walking and talking for a FaceTime call home looked great. I Skyped with a client about an upcoming job. I also used it for Facebook Live. This thing works. A lot of folks think you only need lights in lowlight situations. The truth is even in brightly lit scenarios the light fills in shadows on your face with beautiful, soft light. Plus the additional benefits for extra light on set for photo and video projects make this a no-brainer. I already keep four Lume Cubes in my camera bag, plus two in the car, and two more in my SCUBA bag. We’ve got a bunch of articles here for photo workflows here to inspire you. If you use a web camera or mobile device for any type of capture, especially streaming or video conferencing, you need this tool. Notes: We reviewed an advance release model of the kit. Availability is limited right now but try here to get one. The specs Size: 1.6” x 1.6” x 1.1” Weight: 2oz LUX: 400 @ 1M LED Temp: 5600K Daylight CRI: 90 +/- Beam Angle: 60º Waterproof: 10M / 30Ft Wireless Bluetooth Controls via Lume-X App Battery: Internal Non-Replaceable Lith-Ion Polymer Charge: Micro USB Run Time: 2.5+ Hours @ 50% Brightness (30-45min @ 100%)
Five incredibly useful photography gadgets - As photographers, we often find ourselves faced with endless choices of gadgets and gizmos that could aid in our artwork. Today I want to share a few items that you could find useful in your camera bag, closet or drawer. These items might not be useful on a regular basis, but when you need it, having them could be a project saver. Hero Clip The first product gadget I want to share is the Hero Clip. It’s a carabiner unlike any you’ve used before. It’s a carabiner with a hook. Yes, that simple! Having these around the studio have proved handy and having one in my camera bag while with other photographers has also proved useful like when photographers have a tripod with no center column hook for holding their bag. Sensor and lens wipes Don’t be scared of cleaning your camera’s sensor and always keep your lens glass clean. Use professional solutions and never, ever, use canned air. I’ve always used a Delkin Sensor Scope and its solution. But I was recently introduced to the new system from Aurora Camera Care, and I’m extremely impressed! Holster As someone who deals with daily back pain, I cannot stress the importance of a quality system for your camera. That’s why I use the Spider Holster system for all my cameras. In fact, I use a Really Right Stuff L Bracket on both my DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Having the Spider Pro Clamp alongside my Spider Holster makes it easy and fast to go from waist to tripod in seconds. The new SpiderPro plate and the lens collar doubles as Arca Swiss mounts, which make it easy mounting on most tripods within their system. It’s a win-win. The quality holding of cameras and your back and neck will thank you. Accent lights Every photo studio needs accent lights, whether small strobes or LED lights. These compact, magnetizable and waterproof lights from CAT are sold at Costco for under $20 (for a two-pack). Background light stands One of the challenges I have by having a home studio for my photography is space. My studio is in our finished basement, with low drop ceilings. So I cannot have lighting up high and am limited to the space I have available. That’s why I recommend using background light stands when needing to illuminate your backgrounds. Their extremely small, and low to the ground. They stay out of the way and can be weighted down for stability. So many brands make these, are their quite affordable. Your turn What is a go-to gadget or gizmo you recommend photographers think about picking up for their travels, studios or just to have around the house? Let me know in the comments below!
Shutter Priority and when to use it - Shutter Priority exposure mode is a fantastic tool for controlling how motion appears in your final image. This exposure mode allows the photographer to set the shutter speed while the camera determines the aperture. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras offer at least four different exposure modes including shutter priority, aperture priority, program mode and manual. Although I shoot the majority of my images in aperture priority, I regularly use shutter priority for subjects where I’m concerned about properly conveying motion. How to set up Shutter Priority To use Shutter Priority, set the camera’s exposure mode to “S” for Nikon, Fuji, Sony, Olympus cameras, or “Tv” for Canon cameras. Next, set the shutter speed on the camera by rotating one of the control dials. Each brand is slightly different in what dial you’ll need to rotate, but it is typically the main command dial on the back of the sub-command dial on the front that allows you to set the shutter speed. Shutter speed values are typically indicated on the camera as follows: 2000 = 1/2000s 125 = 1/125s 15 = 1/15s 1” = 1s 15” = 15s Note that a quote mark indicates shutter speeds that are longer than one send. So, 30” equals 30 seconds, not 1/30s. Shutter Priority is an auto-exposure mode, which means the camera uses its metering system to adjust for light in the scene to determine the final exposure. Basically, Shutter Priority allows the photographer to choose the shutter speed while the camera automatically chooses the aperture. Why use Shutter Priority? Shutter Priority is often the best exposure mode for photographing sports, action and wildlife. For each of these genres, you are generally trying to control how motion appears in the final image. Most photographers are either trying to freeze subject motion or deliberately showing motion blur. Fundamentally, shutter speed controls how much motion appears in your final shot. A fast shutter speed won’t allow motion blur to appear in the image while a longer shutter speed allows motion blur in the subject. So, if you want crisp shots of fast-moving activities like soccer, tennis, basketball and wildlife, then you’ll need shutter speeds of 1/1000s to 1/2000s. On the other hand, if you want to show a little bit of motion blur to indicate movement, then you’ll choose a shutter speed between 1/60s to 1/250s. For creative blur, you might want to choose a relatively long shutter speed of 1/4s to 1/15s. In these situations, you’ll want to pan the camera along with the moving subject while taking your shots. What role does ISO play in Shutter Priority mode? There are three factors that help determine your final exposure: Shutter speed, aperture and ISO. When using shutter priority exposure mode you’ll actually need to set two variables; shutter speed (e.g. 1/2000s) and ISO. ISO defines how sensitive your imaging sensor is to light. A high ISO value like 3200 means that the camera can use a faster shutter speed or a smaller aperture to expose the scene. A low ISO like 100 or 64 means the camera must use a longer shutter speed or a bigger aperture for the same exposure. So, if you are shooting action or wildlife with the goal of keeping everything sharp, I suggest setting your ISO at a higher value like 800, 1600 or 3200. These values help keep your shutter speed high and motion blur to a minimum. On the contrary, if you want to deliberately show motion blur in your image, then I suggest ISO values of 64, 100 or 200. These lower ISO settings will require longer shutter speeds which will allow motion blur in your image. Limitations of using Shutter Priority In my mind, there are two limitations to using Shutter Priority. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t use Shutter Priority for your photography, rather I want you to understand where you might run into potential problems using this mode. 1. Aperture changing for each shot Since the camera is using aperture to adjust exposure (remember you’ve set the shutter speed and ISO), you’ll find that you can get wildly varying aperture values from picture to picture if your subject moves from dark to light areas. This can result in dramatically different visual effects for the picture from changing the depth of field. For example, imagine taking a sequence of soccer images where the subject moves from shade to sun. In the shade, the camera will use a big aperture like f/2.8. This larger aperture results in a narrow depth of field with good visual separation between the subject and the background. As the soccer player moves into the sun, the camera then chooses smaller apertures like f/8 or f/11. These apertures will result in a much greater depth of field, so those images now have a different aesthetic. 2. Running out of aperture There are times when you’ve chosen a specific shutter speed and the camera just can’t provide the correct exposure because it has reached the maximum or minimum aperture for the lens. For example, if you are photographing birds on a dark overcast day, you might run into issues when trying to use fast shutter speeds. In this scenario, if you choose a shutter speed of 1/2000s, the camera will probably need an aperture of f/2.8 or f/2.0 or f/1.4. Your lens might not have apertures that large, so you run the risk of underexposing your images. The same is true on the other end of the scale. If you are photographing on a bright day and want to use longer exposures to show motion blur, your lens might not have a small enough aperture to accomplish your goals. In this case, you might need to use a neutral density filter to cut the amount of light entering your camera. Shutter Priority is a powerful exposure mode when used in the correct way. Understanding its purpose and limitations will go a long way in helping you create the images you’re after.
