Συλλέκτης ροής

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has a 7.5-billion-dollar price tag

Gizmag news -

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or GPGP for short, isn't exactly what you might have heard. It's not a floating garbage land-mass twice the size of Texas that you can settle, even though it kind of already has its own currency (called Debris), a flag, and passports made of recycled plastic ... and citizens?

Continue Reading

Category: Environment, Science

Tags: , , , ,

On this day 2008: Canon launches EOS 5D II, the filmmakers' DSLR

Digital Photography Review news -

The EOS 5D Mark II was also one of the first mass-market cameras to use the ‘Mark II’ naming system. In an era of R5 IIs, K-3 IIIs and a7RVs, this has become the norm, but it wasn't standard practice at the time.

Just five days after the arrival of first Mirrorless camera, and 16 years ago today, Canon revealed a camera that would help define the final years of DSLR dominance: the EOS 5D II.

This was no simple upgrade to the original EOS 5D, though in a move from 12.8MP to a better performing 21MP CMOS sensor, the addition of an improved viewfinder and the gain of features such as liveview, it was that, too.

What famously set the 5D Mark II apart was its ability to capture Full HD video, the first DSLR to do so. The Nikon D90 had added 720p HD capture about two weeks before but it was the Canon that caught the world’s imagination.

This was helped by the option to download the Cinestyle color preset developed by film processing company Technicolor and a successful PR stunt that involved an entire episode of the TV show ‘House’ being filmed using the camera.

In hindsight, the 5D II is a relatively basic filmmaking tool: all is footage is 8-bit, so has limited grading latitude (an official Canon Log option wouldn't arrive until the Mk IV), there were no tools such as focus peaking to help with focus and to monitor your sound you needed all manner of adapters to get at the audio feed from the A/V socket. It didn't even gain full manual exposure control in video mode until a post-launch firmware update.

The 5D II became a popular video camera at colleges and schools around the world

But the 5D II became a popular video camera at colleges and schools around the world, putting the flexibility and ‘look’ of a full-frame sensor in the hands of budding film makers and letting them use relatively affordable EF lenses.

Beyond this, the Magic Lantern open source software project created an extensive array of video support tools to boost the 5D II's capabilities way beyond those that Canon had developed for it, including focus peaking, false color and control over the A/V output level.

There are plenty of people that used the 5D II solely as a stills camera, and it certainly represented a major step forward, compared with its predecessor: it had a larger, higher resolution screen, a sensor happier to shoot at higher ISOs and could shoot 30% faster than the Mark 1, despite the much higher pixel count. It also gained features that we take for granted, such as Auto ISO.

The newer sensor in the 5D II allowed a maximum expanded ISO of 25,600: three stops higher than on its predecessor.

Image: Don Wan

Its top speed of 3.9fps looks disappointing once you've got used to the option to capture the 30fps burst that its spiritual successor, the EOS R5 II can manage. But, even though 4K and 8K modes have become commonplace in the sixteen years since the 5D II’s launch, a well lit, well-exposed and interesting video shot with the 5D II still looks pretty great, even on a big TV.

In the original review we referred to its video capabilities as its ‘party trick.’ Well it proved to be quite the trick, and over a decade and a half later, we’re all still at that party.

Here's Shogun's cinematographers on their Emmy-winning process

Digital Photography Review news -

Image: FX

Shogun, the FX show set in feudal era Japan, has broken the record for the most Emmys won by a show in a single year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show won 18 awards, including the one for 'Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (One Hour).'

The cinematography nod is particularly interesting, especially for cinematography and camera nerds. Even if you've only watched the trailer, it's clear that Shogun has a distinct visual style. The show is shot on anamorphic lenses with lots of character; in many shots, the frame is filled with aberrations, the background has a strong swirling look (fans of vintage lenses will be familiar with the effect), and the edges of the frame are blurry or even downright vignetted.

The show uses a lot of shallow depth of field and interesting bokeh.

Image: FX

Thankfully, the show's creators have gone into a lot of detail about the how and (perhaps more importantly) why of the aesthetic decisions that impressed the Television Academy. FX's website even has a page dedicated to the show's cinematography, which mainly focuses on the choices made around lighting a show set before the advent of electricity.

American Cinematographer provides a deeper look into the technical aspects of how they shot the show. According to the feature, the cinematographers relied heavily on the Sony Venice and FX3, outfitted with several varieties of Hawk anamorphic lenses. The article also goes into even more lensing and lighting choices and contains a plethora of interesting details. For example, the show was apparently shot at 6K but cropped to 4K to meet FX's delivery standards while maintaining a 2.0:1 aspect ratio.

The American Society of Cinematographers also had Sam McCurdy, who shot five episodes of the show, on its interview series. During the conversation, he talks about the lightning and grip setups (complete with diagrams), 'butchering' light bulbs to get a convincing simulation of firelight, and how the story informed the show's aesthetic, down to which aperture was used for certain shots.

Shogun's look has its detractors, with some commenters going as far as saying it made them think something was wrong with their TVs. But even those who didn't like it would likely agree that it's great to live in a time when we can get such an in-depth look at the creative process behind such a critically acclaimed show. Television hasn't always gotten the behind-the-scenes treatment that movies have, but fans of the medium or even people looking to get a job in the industry now have great resources available from the people out there making it.

Surgery-free Neuralink rival enables thought-controlled smart home

Gizmag news -

Neurotech company Synchron has been making massive strides over the past couple of years. It's just announced that a trial participant has used its brain-computer interface (BCI) to turn on the lights in his home, see who is at the door, and choose what to watch on the TV – hands-free and without even a voice command.

Continue Reading

Category: Technology

Tags: , , , ,

Sunlight turns CO2 and methane into valuable gases for fuel and industry

Gizmag news -

Taking a leaf out of the book of plants, scientists have used a photosynthesis blueprint to harness the power of sunlight and turn two of the most destructive greenhouse gases into useful, prized chemicals that can be then used for the production of fuels and play a vital role in manufacturing.

Continue Reading

Category: Energy, Science

Tags: , , , , ,

The Volkswagen Bus is back, and more capable than ever

Gizmag news -

OK, the Volkswagen Transporter (aka Microbus, aka Bulli, aka Type 2, aka Kombi ...) didn't actually go anywhere, but the T6.1 has felt like a lame duck for a while now, especially following the big split-off of the new Multivan. All that changes today at IAA Transportation 2024 in Hanover, Germany. By far the most notable debut of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles' hometown multi-product offensive, the new 7th-gen Transporter looks a little softer than its predecessor but packs more cargo space, more payload and more towing capacity, readying it for jobs of all sizes.

Continue Reading

Category: Automotive, Transport

Tags: , , , ,

Halide can now almost completely replace your iPhone's stock camera app

Digital Photography Review news -

Image: Halide

It's now even easier to replace your iPhone's default camera app with Halide, a third-party option that offers advanced camera features, such as manual shutter speed and ISO control, histograms and even a mode that claims to strip away almost all of Apple's AI image processing. Halide's 2.16 update, out today, lets you add it as a control on your lock screen, which means you can use it to take pictures without unlocking your phone.

Previously, Apple's default camera app was the only one you could use without entering your passcode or using biometric authentication such as FaceID or TouchID. That gave it a speed advantage over third-party options.

Apple used to add an extra step if you wanted to use a third-party camera app

Halide and apps like it could provide lock screen widgets that live under the clock, but unlike the shortcuts at the bottom of the screen, those would only work after you'd unlocked your phone. The tiny bit of extra time and friction could be the difference between getting the shot and missing it, and that's the problem Halide's latest update lets you sidestep.

The one catch is that you'll have to update to the brand-new iOS 18 to get this functionality. Once you're running the latest OS and have downloaded the new Halide update, you can long-press on your lock screen, then press the 'Customize' button. From there, tap your lock screen again, then tap the remove button on whichever shortcut you'd like to replace with Halide. (Camera and Flashlight are the default shortcuts.) It should now be a blank '+' button that you can tap to bring up the Controls selector, which you can use to select Halide from the Capture section.

Selecting Halide from the Capture section will let you launch it straight from the lock screen.

After doing this, you'll be able to jump straight to Halide from the lock screen without having to authenticate with your passcode or biometrics (though you'll still have to unlock your phone if you want to do anything else with it). You can also still access the default camera app from the lock screen by swiping left from the right edge of the screen.

If Halide isn't your preferred camera app, fear not; other developers should also be able to implement this feature, providing they update their apps for iOS 18.

While the lock screen shortcut is the fastest way to access the camera on Apple's current phones, that will change with the upcoming iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, which include a dedicated 'Camera Control' that will launch the camera. While Apple has said that you'll be able to use the button's touch sensitivity in third-party apps to adjust various settings, it's currently unclear whether you'll be able to launch those apps with it as well. If Apple only allows you to launch its app with the control, it would put the stock app back on top, at least in terms of how fast you can open it.

You can download Halide via the App Store. It costs $19.99 a year, or $2.99 a month, and is also available as a $59.99 one-time purchase.

Extra-wide tiny house provides spacious apartment-like living on wheels

Gizmag news -

The Mondo is the latest model created in-house by online marketplace Tiny House Listings. Featuring a spacious and open interior that includes a downstairs bedroom and lots of storage, the tiny house would be a good fit for a couple wanting to downsize but still live in comfort.

Continue Reading

Category: Tiny Houses, Lifestyle

Tags: , , , ,

Unbreakable cups contain four iconic Pacific Northwest mountains inside

Gizmag news -

You don't need to have caught sight of these four stunning mountains that line the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to know what a unique set of cups this is – but if you have, you'll appreciate what a well-crafted tribute they are to one of the most beautiful corners of the US.

Continue Reading

Category: Outdoors, Lifestyle

Tags: , , , , ,

Σελίδες

Subscribe to ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΚΗ συλλέκτης