by July 2019 – Welcome again to HDR News. If you haven’t already, make sure you you get your free v3.5 upgrade of HDR Expose, HDR Express and 32 Float. The upgrade has increased OS and camera RAW compatibility, native support for Apple Retina displays and more. Best of all it’s a FREE upgrade. You can download them here by clicking on the Trial/SW Update button. In HDR News this month we have nice image collections featuring wildlife and man’s/woman’s best friend. There’s a look at camera intros, memory cards, a feature on a new and affordable landscape lens and some inside rumors on the future of DSLRs. Let’s dive in!
Brilliant Nature Photos – 2019 Audubon Awards
The Audubon Society received over 8,000 entries for the 10th Annual Audubon Photography Awards. So many photo competitions these days can be merely a business that runs on competitor’s entry fees. The Audubon Photography contest is all about nature and fine photographs. The winning images are presented large and are nicely described by the photographer. Best of all, these images are really good.
See the fantastic images HERE.
Is An f1.4 Lens A Better Choice Than An f1.8
Depth of field? Bokeh? Well, when talking about fast lenses shallow depth of field and bokeh (quality of out of focus areas) are the topics that are thrown about. Usually those pontificating about fast lenses would be hard pressed to identify an image produced by an f1.8 lens or an f1.4 lens. Here at Pinnacle we think that observation extends to f2 lenses as well but that’s just our issue. The price differential for jumping to a faster lens can be astronomical. For example, a Nikon 85mm f1.8, an excellent lens, is priced at about $425. The Nikon 85mm f1.4 is priced at about $1,445: over a thousand dollars more! If you want to dive deeper into the controversy check out this article.
Make your own decision HERE.
The “Best” Memory Cards For Photographers
When we were all shooting film our choice of film stock was a serious artistic matter. Our decision points were the film’s grain structure, color bias, saturation and contrast. For memory cards in today’s digital world you could narrow down the criteria to just two non-artistic criteria, reliability and speed. Some would argue that reliability is the only factor that matters. Photographers equate brand with reliability. If you’ve been using a SanDisk, Lexar or other card for years without a lost image, you’ll be buying that brand continually until… you lose an image. Check out this article to see what Popular Photography thinks are the “best” memory cards.
Get up to speed on memory cards HERE.
Nikon Set To Drop 1/3 Of DSLR Lineup In Shift To Mirrorless
It’s tough to turn a profit in the camera business. Margins are thin and new products must constantly be introduced to meet the competition’s relentless pursuit of your customer base. Now that mirrorless cameras are the bright lights of the industry the choices in DSLRs will be reduced. This rumor article may not be completely correct but it surely will pique you if you’re a DSLR advocate.
Catch up on the rumors HERE.
Kennel Club Dog Photographer Of The Year Contest Winners
74 percent of people like dogs according to a 2010 Associated Press poll. Today’s political environment probably has you second guessing any poll. But, let’s just say a lot of people like dogs. So, you may be interested in the photos created for the Kennel Club’s Dog Photographer Of The Year competition. This year’s competition drew over 7,000 images from over 70 different countries to compete in ten categories. You may be asking yourself “why would I be interested in dog photos?” The answer is; the photos are good! They’re good enough that you may want to see if you can recreating one or two of the winners. You probably have a dog lying around to give you a hand!
Check out the winning photos HERE.
Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 Di OSD Samples
For all, but especially landscape photographers the Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 lens is a big, BIG deal. It’s got everything a pro photographer requires in a lens. It’s very sharp, well built and affordable. Plus, distortion is nicely controlled. The Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 sells for around $600 while the equivalent Nikon 17-35 f2.8D IF ED sells for over $1,300 more. dpReview has posted a gallery update for the Tamron lens which you should check out if you’re in the market for a great landscape lens.
See the samples HERE.
Preview Of New Sony a7R IV
Sony’s flagship mirrorless camera, The a7R IV, was recently announced in Japan. It’s specs will get your attention. It sports a 61mp sensor and produces near-flawless images at very high ISOs; like in the ISO 12,800 range. Really? A 61 megapixel sensor? That’s a lot of pixels. And, let’s not forget Sony’s incredible autofocus with real time tracking and near flawless eye tracking. I could go into the video specs here but it’s best you jump right into the video with dpReview’s Jordan of Chris and Jordan (Chris was fishing while Jordan went to the NYC intro).
Get a first look HERE.
Photographer Shoots Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary
Shooting a wedding may be your dream job or most avoidable chore but the idea of shooting your own grandparent’s wedding has to be compelling. Pro photographer Abigail Lydick revived the wedding day of her grandparents to celebrate their 60th anniversary. George and Ginger Brown were married in June 1959 a year after a chance meeting in a restaurant. This story is about the captured emotions, not the photographic technique. Seeing the heart-generated smiles on the couple captured by Lydick will lift you. There is one particular image that is bursting with happiness.
Read the heart-warming account of the shoot HERE.