PetaPixel: Photographer Calls Parabolic Softboxes a ‘Load of Marketing Bulls**t’

Photographer and educator Karl Taylor believes that parabolic softboxes are nothing more than marketing and that any conventional softbox can achieve the same results. In this 10.5-minute video, he proves it.

“It never ceases to amaze me how certain products are created purely for marketing reasons,” Taylor says. “When in fact they have no physical or practical advantage whatsoever over existing products.”

He says that parabolic softboxes are a perfect example of this.

“They hijacked the word ‘parabolic’ from parabolic reflectors and merged it with the word softbox to make a mockery of the laws of physics. They take up three times more space in your studio than necessary, are much heavier and more cumbersome, and they don’t deliver anything different.”

At first, Taylor thought that there must be some advantage of the parabolic softbox design that he wasn’t seeing that would make it different from a standard octagonal softbox. He performed a couple of tests with each light modifier, with the front and middle diffusor on, with only the middle diffusor on, and finally a bare bulb.

Taylor laments the size and weight of the parabolic and seems genuinely angry at the existence of the device. His results show that with any diffusion in front of the bulb, there is virtually no difference between the two light shaping tools.

There is a slight difference between the bare bulb shots, though. Given the shape and materials the two boxes are made of, this is an expected result:

In the rest of the video, Taylor shows how you can get the same look provided by the bare bulb parabolic above with a lot less cumbersome equipment.

It is important to note that Taylor does not dislike the idea of a parabolic reflector, but the parabolic softbox. A true parabolic reflector has the light facing inwards, towards the back of the dome, and is on a rod to allow you to adjust the focusing of the light. These parabolic softboxes do not have that feature, and when diffusing the light out like is most common, there is no reason for them to exist when the octobox achieves the same result more easily and, often, for less money.

Do you agree with Taylor’s stance? Let us know in the comments. For more from Karl Taylor, subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

(via ISO 1200)

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PetaPixel: Adobe Apps Not Officially Supported on Apple Silicon Running Rosetta 2

As part of its announcement of new Mac computers earlier this week, Apple mentioned that Adobe plans to release versions of its software that are compatible with Apple’s new M1 chip. That’s good news it turns out, since the company isn’t able to officially support emulation via Rosetta 2 on those devices.

Rosetta 2 is an included operating system emulation tool available in macOS Big Sur that runs apps compiled for the Intel chipset on Macs powered by Apple silicon.

On Adobe’s Compatibility page, the company states definitively that while Apple has made it clear many apps will continue to run on Rosetta 2 emulation on the M1 chip – even saying that some apps may even run better than they would on native Intel chips – Adobe Lightroom Classic is not considered compatible with this method.

Caution: Running Adobe apps under Rosetta 2 emulation mode on Apple devices with Apple Silicon M1 processors is not officially supported. Native support is planned.

Even with this warning, Adobe additionally says that there are no known issues specific to running Lightroom Classic 10 under Rosetta 2 emulation on Apple devices with M1 processors running macOS BigSur (version 11). So while it’s a process the company can’t officially support, it’s still likely possible to continue using Lightroom and Photoshop via Rosetta 2 for the time being.

In a comment to PetaPixel after the Apple presentation, Adobe confirmed that native support is coming for Apple M1.

“We’re excited to bring CC apps to Apple Silicon devices, including native support for Lightroom next month and Photoshop in early 2021,” an Adobe representative said. “Regarding Lightroom Classic, the team is working on a native version of Lightroom Classic for Apple Silicon, and it will be released next year. We’re also committed to continuing support for Intel-based Macs.”

No specific timeline for new Adobe apps designed for the M1 chip has been provided.

It should also be noted that Adobe states that legacy versions of Adobe Lightroom are not compatible with macOS Big Sur:

Unsupported versions of Lightroom Classic were not designed or tested to work on macOS Big Sur (version 11). Older versions use 32-bit licensing components and installers and will not be able to be installed, uninstalled, or activated after upgrading to macOS Big Sur. If you have already upgraded to macOS Big Sur, use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to uninstall older versions.

As it stands, current Creative Cloud subscribers are unlikely to run into problems on any of the three new Apple Macs, though the software company is clear they should do so with caution. Adobe was not likely able to fully test all possible scenarios with its software and Apple hardware, and while they cannot currently report any known issues, some may arise.

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PetaPixel: Apple ProRAW Photos Will Be 12-Bit DNGs with 14-Stops of Dynamic Range

Yesterday, the developer beta for iOS 14.3 – which contains the upcoming ProRAW photo feature – became available. Though the exact date of the consumer beta or final release of the software has yet to be announced, we now know some facts about how ProRAW will work.

In an interview last week with Apple, we already gleaned a lot of information about the advantages of the coming file type. The company created a new imaging pipeline that combines computational photography techniques with the power of RAW files, allowing photographers for the first time to gain access to both features simultaneously. You can read that story here.

What was unknown at the time was how the process of capturing a ProRAW would work, what kind of RAW we would see produced, and what options photographers would have with the file.

We now know that a ProRAW file will be a 12-bit RAW DNG with 14-stops of dynamic range. That file will give you access to the standard options like white balance, tone mapping, exposure, and black point, but Apple will also be providing more information inside the RAW file that includes tone mapping and pigmentation maps for skin and skies.

The file will be written to the DNG, or digital negative, file format. The native Photos app as well as certain third-party apps – like Darkroom – will be able to gain full access to a wealth of digital image data right off the bat. Programs like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop as well as Capture One will also be able to read the file, but those initial renderings will improve once those companies update their profiles to include the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max.

You will be able to enable ProRAW by toggling a switch in the Settings app, after which the Camera app will have a button that can be tapped to turn the feature on and off. If you take a ProRAW photo and view it in the Photos app, you’ll see a “RAW” badge on it just like you already do for an HDR image or Live Photo.

However, what you will be seeing is the rendered photo, not the raw itself. This means the phone essentially is capturing in JPEG and RAW automatically. If you choose to edit the image you’ll then be shown the RAW image which you can save non-destructively.

You can also choose to export the DNG into an editing app on your phone or to your computer for editing in any program that is compatible with DNGs.

Only the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will have access to ProRAW, which leaves the standard iPhone 12 and the 12 Mini out. That said, any camera on either of those models will be able to capture images in ProRAW, including the front-facing camera.

As far as how much to expect from those 14-stops of dynamic range when it comes to real-world photography is yet to be seen. PetaPixel is intending on performing a full review of the new RAW format when it becomes available.

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PetaPixel: These Are the Highest Resolution Photos of Snowflakes Ever Captured

Photographer Nathan Myhrvold has captured the most detailed images of snowflakes thanks to a custom-built high-resolution cooled camera he made to specifically deal with the numerous challenges of photographing the delicate ice crystals.

As you can probably imagine, there are numerous challenges to overcome if you want to photograph snowflakes. Those challenges were what led Myhrvold to try and do it, as he felt compelled to tackle the subject matter. Only a few millimeters across, snow crystals present a challenge due to their size and fragility.

The images captured were shot on location in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Some of the best snowflakes Myhrvold found were at temperatures between –15 and –20 degrees Fahrenheit (–26 to –29 Celcius).

Snowflakes both melt and sublimate, causing the sharp features of the crystal structure to degrade over a short period of time. When building his method, Myhrvold had to carefully consider time, temperature, weather conditions, and equipment.

According to his representation Modernist Cuisine, Myhrvold spent about 18 months designing and building a custom snowflake camera so that he could photograph snow crystals with this degree of detail and clarity. Calling it “the highest-resolution snowflake camera in the world,” it uses a Phase One sensor (100MP) adapted to a microscope objective. Myhrvold developed an optical path to fill a medium-format digital back, allowing him to obtain a  larger, sharper image than most microscopic photographs. 

To deal with the problem of melting, the microscope had a cooling stage that kept the snowflakes from vaporizing too quickly, giving Myhrvold more time to capture and focus-stack images.   

The camera was paired with short-pulse, high-speed LED lights, typically used for industrial purposes, to reduce the heat they put out and increase the speed he was able to capture images. With this innovation, the camera has a minimum shutter speed of 500 microseconds.

You can see more of Myhrvold’s work at his Modernist Cuisine gallery.

(via DP Review)

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Image credits: Nathan Myhrvold of Modernist Cuisine Gallery and shared with permission.

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PetaPixel: Five Products That New Photographers Should Never Buy

Portrait photographer Miquel Quiles says he has seen new photographers make a lot of mistakes as they get started with their new hobby, one of which is where they choose to spend their money. In this 10-minute video, Quiles highlights five items he says new photographers should never buy.

Number one: Don’t buy a UV Filter. “UV filters don’t work any better towards protecting your lens than something like your lens hood that comes packaged in the box,” Quiles says. “It makes no sense to me why anyone would want to put a cheap piece of plastic or glass in front of their expensive lenses. They simply don’t do what the salespeople are telling you they do.”

Most cameras don’t have particularly good margins for resellers. Dealers make most of their money on volume when it comes to cameras and lenses. However, there is a lot more to be made in the accessories market. One reason a salesperson might try very hard to push a filter on you is that the margins of those filters are much better for them. The specific salesperson might not know this, but the Dealer they work for does and in training will likely instill the need to push products like UV filters onto their salespeople.

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The next item Quiles says not to purchase might be a bit more contentious: AI retouching programs.

“I’m not going to name names, but you’ve probably seen ads that promise to retouch your portraits, make them look ‘flawless’ by pushing a button,” he says. “Here’s the truth: the results you get from programs like that are not acceptable at a commercial level.”

Quiles makes it clear that he believes these programs are a detriment to new photographers.

“There is no artificial intelligence that exists today that can make artistic decisions the way that a skilled photographer would.”

The third item builds on the last, as Quiles says that in addition to avoiding AI retouching programs, you should also avoid presets. Quiles says that many YouTubers will sell presets with the promise that with the push of a button, you can make your photos look like theirs.

“This simply isn’t true,” Quiles says emphatically. “Unless you shot the same type of photo they did under the same lighting conditions with similar gear, similar settings, your photos aren’t going to look like the examples that are being shown to you.”

Quiles says that while presets may help give you a good starting point, new photographers generally lack the knowledge and understanding to see this and will find themselves frustrated or confused instead.

“Hold off on buying presets until you’ve gotten comfortable using Lightroom, and by that point, you may decide that you’re better off without them.”

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Don’t buy cheap memory cards. Quiles says that while you’re definitely going to need a memory card to take photos, obviously, but the allure of saving a lot of money on a cheap memory card is a bad trap to fall into.

“It didn’t make much sense to me why there was so much of [a price difference] and to be honest I didn’t care to learn, since I was saving so much money,” he says. “Here’s the thing though: not all memory cards are the same.”

Quiles says that it’s important to familiarize yourself with the numbers and symbols on memory cards and purchase the best card for the kind of work you are aiming to produce. If you do not, you may find that the card you purchase isn’t up to the task. This is especially the case if you plan to shoot any video.

The last thing Quiles says to avoid are camera bundles. “If you buy your camera from websites like Amazon, you’re guaranteed to see sellers offering these bundles that have tons of different things included for a few hundred dollars of the camera alone.”

But if you take the time to research all of the items being offered in those bundles, you’ll find that the value might not be as impressive as it first appears. A lot of the items may also end up being “cheap knockoffs” that Quiles says will very likely “end up in the garbage.”

His recommendation is to specifically just purchase the gear you actually want rather than roll the dice on bundles where you might be wasting your money on things you don’t want or need.

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What do you think of these recommendations from Quiles? Have you made any of these mistakes before and regretted it? Let us know in the comments. For more from Miguel, you can follow him on Instagram or subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

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PetaPixel: A Sony a7C Review: ‘You’re Not Losing a Whole Lot’

Youtuber and photographer Dustin Abbot has published his “definitive review” of the Sony a7C camera where he sought to determine if it was better or worse than the a7 III. In this lengthy 29-minute video, Abbott covers the IBIS, shutter and burst mode, focus system, and sensor performance.

Since the sensor in the Sony a7C is “more or less identical” to the one found on the much older Sony a7 III, this latest from Sony is its strongest when you consider its size and is specifically going to stand out to those looking to pare their kit down.

Abbot mentions that Sony does a particularly good job taking the most advantage of this sensor, with photos looking higher resolution than they actually are thanks to a lot of detail.

“Everywhere you look there is really fantastic detail,” he says. “It’s something that has really impressed me about these 24-megapixel sensors.”

Click here to view Abbot’s full gallery of Sony a7C images.

Abbot also mentions that he has really enjoyed the colors that this particular sensor produces, and says that the nice level of saturation and overall pleasantness of the images may be due to software companies getting better at interpreting Sony images as they have grown in popularity over the last several years.

“As far as the ergonomics of the camera, I definitely prefer the body and handling of the a7 III,” Abbot says. “But at the same time, if you really want to go compact you’re not losing a whole lot in terms of the functionality, in fact in many ways you may actually be gaining functionality.”

Overall, Abbott is happy with the camera but says it’s not necessarily for him.

“In a lot of ways, the a7C is a great camera for the right demographic,” Abbot concludes. “If you don’t need to go compact I think there are better options, but if that is a priority and your idea of mirrorless is small and light, and this gives you a chance to go full-frame while still keeping the body style and size of the a6000 series, the a7C might just be the camera for you.”

For more from Abbott, you can follow him on Instagram or subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

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