Introducing Astro - a single axis motion control device
The Astro is a fairly simple and compact intervalometer and single axis motion control device for time-lapse and panorama photography.The unit is powered by 2 AA batteries. The unit can be positioned in one of two orientations, horizontal for rotational panning and vertical for tilt panning. Rotation can be in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. It is rated to support unto 22 pounds of camera gear when properly mounted and balanced on the central pivot point in the horizontal pan mode and 6.5 pounds in tilt mode. It has a maximum speed of 6° per second in panorama mode or 360° in 55 seconds. It is rated for operating temperatures of 32° to 104° F or 0° to 40° CThe device can be ordered with cables specific to the camera you use. A 2.5mm jack connects the Astro cable to you camera. A cable with 2.5 mm jacks on either end is provided to connect your iPhone or Android phone for additional functionality. The IOS and Android applications are under development and not available as of the writing of this book.
Programming the astro is very easy. The unit has three rings stacked one above the other and a status LED that also serves as a marker.
- The uppermost ring controls the “Duration” where you set the total duration of the time-lapse from 15 min to 12 hrs.
- The middle ring controls the “Rotation” that is the total rotational angle from the start of the sequence to the end.
- The lowest ring sets the triggering “Interval” in seconds.
You mount a plate that matches yourtripod head to the bottom of the Astro. Mount a ball-head on the top or mount your camera directly to the to 1/4 20mm screw. Connect the cable to the Astro and your camera. Program the Astro in three steps and press one of the directional start buttons. The unit will turn on, follow a move, settle shoot cycles to the end of the sequence.Depressing either of the two start buttons during a sequence will terminate the sequence.The Status LED provides the following information:Single Green: Indicates each movement.Rapid Orange: Smartphone Mode. The unit is waiting for a smartphone program transfer.Rapid Red: Indicates an error in starting the program.Continuous Red: Indicated a canceled program.Rapid Red: Indicates a low battery.Two Astro units can be coupled using “L Brackets” to achieve 2 axis motion, panning and simultaneous tilting.
For testing 2 Eneloop Rechargeable AA batteries were used. The Astro was fitted with a 1/4 20 to 3/8 adapter and a Feisol CB-50DC bullhead on top. A Really Right Stuff plate was attached to the base. This combination was mounted on top of a Gitzo tripod and the Really Right Stuff BH55 bullhead. I first tested the Astro with a Canon 7D and a 16 - 35 mm f/2.8 L series II lens in pan mode and the the unit's performance was effortless and accurate through the duration of the time-lapse sequences. To take it up a notch, the Astro was mounted with the 7D and a 70 - 200 f/2.8 L series lens. The lens foot plate was used to balance the camera lens combination on the Astro. This is about as heavy as you would use to do a time-lapse sequence. Once again the performance was very good. I did notice a slight backlash in the last frame. This is easily solved by eliminating the frame before assembling the final sequence.Since the L brackets are not yet available the Astro was mounted in a vertical orientation by dropping the Tripod's ball head 90 degrees. For this test the camera body was a Canon 5D MkIII and a the 16 - 35 mm f/2.8 L series II lens.You can get the Astro now by clicking on the button below. The pre order price is $249 and the retail price will be $280.
thinkTANK - announces two new products
Think Tank just announced the release of new products aimed at enhancing your workflow and increased mobility.Also look out for my update on the thinkTank Airport International V 2.0 and a new post on the Retrospective Shoulder Bag. 
Think Tank Photo’s new Modular Pixel Pocket Rocket (PPR) is belt-mountable, which enables you to easily whip out CF and SD cards and to keep them securely and conveniently at hand when shooting. The Modular PPR is easily secured by a sturdy hook-and-loop panel to any Think Tank Photo modular belt or to any belt. It holds six CF cards and three SD cards, as well as other small accessories, such as a smart phone or lens cloth.Click here for the Modular Pixel Pocket Rocket (PPR) 
The App House 8 and the App House 10 are two hybrid bags for quick access to a small or standard-size Apple tablets and can be used either as shoulder bags or mounted on belts. Streamlined and secure, their small size, removable shoulder strap, and double-lock belt-mount make it practically effortless for you to carry and access your tablet and stay connected around town or when traveling. Key features include: Dedicated pockets for carrying a smart phone, device accessories, plus other small items; a dedicated, easily accessible smart phone pocket with soft liner; and an internal organizer with elastic and zippered pockets for connection cables, card readers, power cables, portable charger, pens, or other personal items.Click here for the App House 8Click here for the App House 10 For all other thinkTANK products CLICK HEREAll orders over $50 entitle you to a free gift. In case you are wondering what your choices are see the screenshot below:
Elinchrome D-LiTE-RX4 - Review
Elinchrom’s new D-Lite-RX 2/4 200/400 ws strobes are excellent low sync speed semi portable studio worthy strobes. The ”it” designation is for Intelligent Triggering.
Each strobe head is made from a rugged impact resistant plastic that has a rubberized top handle with a holder for a spare fuse.with many new exciting features. The kit contains two strobes, power cables, two Portalite square soft boxes, with bayonet mounts. Included is one reflector.
Each head has a built-in Skyport” receiver and a four channel Skyport transmitter is included with the kit.The transmitter is an optional item for single units. All heads are fan cooled when needed. The kit includes a pair of Manfrotto light stands and all carrying cases.
The heads are available in 200 and 400 Watt versions. My units are 400 Watts. The control panel is well configured as shown in the image below.
Specifications:
The power switch is illuminated when the head is powered on. A two position LED indicates the power setting, with two buttons to increase or decrease the power in 1/10 increments. Another button allows you to set the modeling light at full power, minimum power, proportional power or off. There is a strobe trigger button called the Eye-Cell and is programmable for Auto, Manual or Pre-Flash modes. This is very useful when using a hot-shoe flash to trigger the D-Lites. Finally there is a button to turn on or off the audible beep. The units have a decent recycling rate recharging in .35 to 1.6 seconds based on the power output setting. A great feature is "Auto Dumping". When you lower the power output the nut will automatically dump the excess charge and indicates it is ready with a beep.
Set-up
Assembling the Portalite soft boxes takes up most of the time. There is one addition I would like, a secondary diffusion panel inside the Portalite Softbox. The rest is easy. The units come preconfigured to work with the Skyport set on the Frequency Channel 1 and Group 1. Changing channels and groups is easy and accomplished pressing the power up and down buttons together, then toggling the function using the modeling lamp mode button and using the individual power up or down buttons to
select the following:
- Groups 1 through 4
- Channels 1 through 8
At any time you can do a Master Reset to factory defaults switching off the unit, holding the power up and down buttons and switching on the unit again.
The unit has two umbrella mounts. one is a centered tube that will accept 7mm diameter umbrella shafts that are on the Elinchrome EL umbrellas. If you do not have EL umbrellas you can mount an off centered umbrella in the secondary mount near the tilt handle.
For most of the work I do in studio I find these to be an excellent choice. The units work flawlessly. I have two sets in my studio and for the past 8 months these have never missed a beat. The power output and color temperature are consistent and the supplied cases are ideal for transportation to allocation shoots.
I highly recommend these units to anyone looking for an excellent high quality starter system. My preference is for the 400W units.
These can be purchased for $949 for the 400WS heads and $849 for the 200WS heads. Individual heads are also available but the best price breaks are when you purchase a kit.
Time-Lapse Imagery - interactive PDF version available
The interactive PDF version of my e-book Time-Lapse Imagery is now available and can be downloaded. You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat reader for your computer in order to read this book.Download the interactive PDF by clicking on Add to CartThe iBook version can be downloaded from the iBook store
Adobe Acrobat can be downloaded and installed using this link: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
Syrp Newsletter and NAB 2014 discount information
My friends from New Zealand and makers of the Genie Time-Lapse Motion Control Device publish a wonderful newsletter. This issue includes my book and that deserves a big thank you. Also a passcode for a $150 savings at NAB 2014.Here is a link to the latest issue and you might just want to subscribe to it.Syrp News 23rd february
thinkTANK Airport International™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag
Just got my thinkTANK Airport International Camera bag and am in the process of configuring it for Iceland. At this point I have two DSLR's, a 70 - 200 f/2.8 IS, a 16-35, 50mm Zeiss, 40 mm pancake, 24 - 70 f2.8, GoPro Hero 3 Black, batteries, intervalometers, and a compliment of ND filters. and more in the bag. I will be including a third Panasonic GH body and two Panasonic lenses.First impressions - the bag is built like a tank and has great depth so I can really pack in a lot. The zippers lock, using a combination lock system and a rear security cable can be used to secure the bag to any immovable object while traveling.I will include a few images showing the contents when the bag is fully configured.If you are looking for thinkTANK bags and accessories use this link. For a purchase of $50 or more ThinkTank will send you a special gift free.
The winter of 2013 - 2014
I can't remember a winter like this one. Days and days of freezing cold. The heating bills going through the roof and no end in sight. Another storm tonight. This started with 10 to 12 inches of snow and now just and inch - but of course it is a storm so has a name "TITAN". Oh well if it is an inch the Titan is not so mighty.
The image was captured two weeks ago in New Hampshire along the Kankamagus Highway in New Hampshire. (click on the image to enlarge). This is the Swift River - mostly frozen. I loved the interplay of light and shadow and the awesome textures. The image was further enhanced with Macphun Software - Focus 2 Pro. (See my previous blogpost for details)
Macphun releases Focus 2 Pro
Focus 2 Pro launched today! The software is a substantial upgrade from the standard version that many of you already use. Focus 2 Pro lets photographers of all skill levels easily add creative focus, blur, tilt-shift effects, motion blur, and other enhancements to images. It’s FAR easier to use than Photoshop or other labor-intensive techniques, at an affordable price.
Here is a quick summary of key points:• Plug-in support for host applications Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Apple Aperture• 3 New Types of Blur: Zoom, Radial and Linear Motion Blur• RAW image support, up to a 16-bit depth• Advanced Brightness, Contrast and Saturation fine-tuning for blur areas• Advanced Detail, Clarity and Vividness fine-tuning for areas in focus• Improvements to Bokeh simulation algorithms• Price: MSRP $39.99, upgrades $19.99Click Here to orderSee simple images in the gallery.TWiP - 348
The production version of TWIP 348 is on line. It was a pleasure and honor to be a co-host on TWiP. It truly was a great session with Frederick and Syl. The great news is that my book "Time-Lapse Imagery" is in the Apple iBook store as of this morning. I am thrilled.Check it out hereIf you are not subscribed, please do so in iTunes for the audio podcast.More on Frederic Van Johnson at http://frederickvan.com and http://mediabytes.comMore on Syl Arena at his blog http://pixsylated.com/blog/ and his work at http://sylarena.comDon't miss out the interview with Blunty. Frederick sat down for a chat with YouTube star Blunty about cameras, photography and life! Check out Blunty at http://www.blunty.tv
Time-Lapse Imagery - Published
I am so thrilled. My book is finished and is available in the Apple Store. It is an interactive iBook/e-Book that can be viewed using iBooks on a Mac or on an iPad.I am working on an interactive PDF version for all non Mac and iPad users. This should be ready in a week or so.
Topaz Simplify - 50% Discount
Effective now through the end of February you can get Topaz Simplify at a 50% discount. Topaz Simplify allows you to turn your photos into watercolors, paintings, and other fine art.Click Here to purchase and get your discount.
Another Cold Night in Boston
Spent last evening in Boston doing some night time time-lapse sequences. This was taken from the 29th floor of Harbor Towers about 9:15.
Tamron's new 16 to 300 mm f/3.5 - 6.3 lens and less than 4 inches long.
This from the February 6, 2014, Tamron Press Release: Tamron Co., Ltd. has announced the development of an advanced new all-in-oneTM zoom lens exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C size image sensors that provides an amazing 18.8X zoom ratio. The lens sample will be on display at the Tamron booth at the CP+ 2014, which will be held from February 13 to 16 in Yokohama, Japan.Responding to consumers’ demand for expanded focal lengths both at the wide-angle end of the zoom range and the telephoto end, Tamron has begun developing a completely new all-in-oneTM zoom lens design that provides an impressive focal length range extending from 16mm true wide-angle to 300mm super-telephoto.
Product Highlights
- With a minimum focal length of 16mm (35mm film equivalent: 24.8mm) at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, and a maximum focal length of 300mm (35mm film equivalent: 465mm), this remarkable new lens provides a zoom ratio of approximately 18.8X.
- Superior, reliable image quality with a universal lens. The lens construction features 16 elements in 12 groups.
- A minimum focusing distance of just 0.39 meters supports an extensive range of macro photography capabilities.
- PZD (Piezo Drive) delivers faster, quieter autofocus action.
- Sharper images with VC (Vibration Compensation)
- Moisture-resistant construction for worry-free outdoor shooting.
| Specifications: | |
| Model | A010 |
| Focal Length | 28-300mm |
| Maximum Aperture | F/3.5-6.3 |
| Angle of view (diagonal) | 75°23’ - 8°15’ (for full-frame format)52°58’ - 5°20’ (for APS-C format) |
| Lens Construction | 19 elements in 15 groups |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 19.3 in (0.49m) |
| Maximum Magnification Ratio | 1:3.5 (at f=300mm: MFD 19.3 in) |
| Filter Size | Ø67mm |
| Maximum Diameter | Ø74.4mm |
| Length (5) | 3.8 in (96mm) |
| Weight | 19 oz (540g) |
| No. of Diaphragm Blades | 7 (circular diaphragm) |
| Minimum Aperture | F/22-40 |
| Standard Accessories | Flower-shaped Lens hood |
5 Day Special Pricing on Wacom Tablets
Hunts of Melrose is offering a 5 day special on Wacom Intuos Tablets for my subscribers.
Small tablethttp://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?ProductID=PTH451&sp=9ZtAQMedium tablethttp://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?ProductID=pth651&sp=9ZtAQLarge tablethttp://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?ProductID=PTH851&sp=9ZtAQ
Winter Storm Nika Forces Indoor Photography
We have about 10 inches of snow, but with the rain the snow is is getting packed down and getting heavier by the minute. It's just not conducive for any outdoor winter photography so decided to play with some water drops. Using a TriggerTrap V1 hooked up to a Nissen 866 flash head, Rogue gels, a dropper and a pan of water. Flash set at 1/64 power backlighting the water drop through an acrylic panel. Camera at ISO 100, aperture f/10 in Bulb mode.
Promote Control Version 3 - firmware upgrade.
Promote Systems has just announced a major firmware update for Promote Control that brings Video control, significant improvements in Time-Lapse and Bulb Ramping and support for Sigma SD1/SD1 Merrill cameras!Click here to get the firmware update.Click here to read more and see some video demonstrations.
Iceland Photo Tour and Workshop - September 12 -20, 2014
REGISTER EARLY - these workshops fill up in a few days.
Iceland – The Land of Fire and Ice – is an experience for non-photographers and photographers alike. The country provides the opportunities to capture mighty glaciers, waterfalls and spouting geysers. Majestic mountains, magnificent coastlines and smoking volcanoes. September is the beginning of the awe-inspiring Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights.Click Here for DetailsIceland is by far the most ideal destination for viewing the Aurora Borealis. Its modern infrastructure and excellent location, midway between Europe and the United States and with direct flights makes it ideal for sighting of the Northern Lights.In late summer Iceland is truly magical. As this workshop is scheduled for September and solar activity permitting we should have some opportunities for seeing and photographing the Aurora Borealis.On this tour we will take you to the very best photography locations Iceland has to offer. We will visit the many rugged volcanic landscapes, the iconic giant waterfalls, glacier lagoon and the black volcanic coastlineDeborah Sandidge is a professional photographer specializing in travel and freelance work. She is the author of Digital Infrared Photography, published by Wiley. Deborah teaches online courses including Long Exposure Creativity, Infrared Photography, and Artistic Imagery. You can’t get a better instructor for Long exposure, IR and creative photography than Deborah.Deborah has collaborated with the Nikon Learn and Explore site demonstrating star and star trail photography, along with long exposure photography. Deborah’s images have been used by Nikon in brochures, product guides, and for three years, the Nikon World calendar. http://www.deborahsandidge.comOlgeir Andresson was born in Reykjavik and now lives on the Reykjanes peninsular in the town of Reykjanesbaer.. He has concentrated on the art and capture of the aurora and this has become his trade mark. His images grace the 4 Icelandic Postage Stamps depicting the Aurora Borealis. He won the highest honor of photographer of the year in the Danish Zoom Magazine and his work has been shown in Times Square in New York sponsored by Kodak. You will not get a more experienced Northern Lights’ photographer. http://www.olgeir.comShiv Verma is a professional photographer and educator. Chairman of the Photographic Society of America’s International Exhibition, Vice President of the New England Camera Club Council and a member of multiple photographic associations. He conducts photo workshops worldwide.Click Here for DetailsREGISTRATION FORMS
REGISTER EARLY AS WE FILL UP VERY FAST.
BBF - Back Button Focusing
This week I saw a post on Facebook where a friend was talking about seriously starting to use Back Button Focusing. I know there are lots of opinions and articles on this topic but one more will not hurt. Please note, this has nothing to do with back focusing. Before we go to far into the BBF stuff let’s get familiar with camera focusing. Most modern DSLR Cameras have the ability to manually focus on your subject or automatically focus. Some lenses do limit you to manual focusing as they have no motors and electronics to drive the focusing elements.Automatic or Auto Focus has a few modes, One Shot, AI Focus and AI Servo in Canon speak and AF-S and AF-C in Nikon speak. There really should be some ISO standards for this kind of stuff.One Shot and AF-S basically means the camera will trigger the lens to auto focus on the subject, lock the focus for you to capture the image.AI- Servo and AF-C means the camera will trigger the lens to auto focus on the subject and then do its best to keep the focus on the subject while the subject is in motion.Canon has AI-Focus which is supposed to intelligently detect motion and trigger the appropriate auto focus mode, one shot of AI-Servo. This can be problematic so let’s leave it out of this article.No lets understand how we get this to work. By default your camera is set to focus and read the exposure when you half press the shutter button. Fully depressing the shutter button takes the picture. Not a bad way to do your photography.So what is the problem? If you have a static subject, and use center auto focusing point (it is the most sensitive AF sensor) you would half depress the shutter button. This action will initiate the auto-focus and then you will see or hear focus confirmation, now you can depress the shutter all the way and capture your image. Optionally, keeping the shutter button half depressed you can recompose and then press the shutter button all the way and take your image. This system works great for static subjects. Now you are trying to photograph moving subjects. You can’t half depress the shutter and lock focus and then take the shot because your subject will have moved and no longer in focus.You switch your camera to AI-Servo (canon) or AF-C (Nikon). You are capturing great action images and you notice a great subject that is static. You point your camera, focus and recompose – Oh! NO! you lost focus and more Oh! No! the opportunity is gone. What could you have done? You could have switched the camera back to One-Shot or AF-S or switched your lens to manual focus after getting focus and then pressing the shutter to grab the shot. This would definitely be too late.To overcome this issue you need to separate the focus initiation from your shutter release. Now you need to assign focusing to some other button. Typically this is one of the buttons on the back of your camera and hence the term Back Button Focusing or BBF.Using your custom functions or menu functions set your shutter to meter only, assign the AF-On button to initiate focus. Now you will use your thumb to depress the AF-On button to initiate focus and then use the shutter button to capture the image. There are two steps but well worth it.One of the greatest benefits is when you want to lock focus, you simply release the AF-On button. The lens will not refocus till you depress the AF-On button again. So for any action photography you can be ready for any motion and yet be in a position to lock focus when you need to.A huge benefit, you can leave your camera in AI-Servo or AF-C mode and never have to switch to One Shot or AI-S mode. When you use BBF, as long as the AF-on button is depressed the focusing system will remain active in follow focus mode tracking your subject (AI-Servo or AF-C), release the button and focus stays locked. So for stationary subjects, all you need to do is to tap the AF-ON button and focus system will focus and lock. Remember to release the AF-On or the camera will continue to try and refocus.Now once you set BBF you need to be aware that this will take some getting used to. Your fingers and brain need a major reset. You will miss a few good shots but once you are used to this system you will wonder why you have been wasting so may good opportunities.Warning for Nikon users: The back button focusing button AF-ON will not trigger the lens vibration reduction “VR”. The shutter button must be half depressed to trigger VR.
A single leaf
If poetry comes not as naturally as leaves to a tree it had better not come at all.John Keats
Even a maple leaf past seems to feel this New England cold.
So looking forward to Spring
This image was treated with Macphun Intensify Pro
Google updates the NiK Plug-in suite.
Google has released Version 1.110 of the NiK Plug-in suite. Updates are installed automatically so you don't have to do anything.On a personal note, I wish they would upgrade Define and Sharpener Pro - the software is so outdated.
- Fixed crashes and other issues with Intel GMA GPUs on Windows and Mac OS
- Fixed an issue with the progress bar causing our software's window to appear on top of other windows
- Improved launch speed
- Fixed an issue with preset tool tips that occurred after a preset was renamed
- Several updates to translated text
- Silver Efex Pro 2: Reset the default Compare "before" image to the default black and white image in Side-by-Side and Split View modes. Users who want to compare to the original colored image need to adjust the comparison state in the History browser
- Color Efex Pro 4: Fixed the functionality of the Cool Ice method in Photo Stylizer.
- Sharpener Pro 3: Fixed an issue that occurred when working with multiple images in Aperture and using “Color Ranges” for selective sharpening that set the three custom colors to grey instead of to red/orange/blue for the second image or later