Hasselblad firmware update 1.20 adds X-Pan mode and EVF preview to X1D

Press text via Dpreview:

Hasselblad continues to push the development of their systems further with new features in the 1.20 Firmware update.

Hasselblad continues to expand on the capabilities of its highly unique and renowned camera systems with the latest firmware update. The 1.20 Firmware brings exciting new updates and functionality to the X and H Systems that allow photographers and artists help capture their creative vision.

These new features include Instant Preview and Imaging Browsing through the X1D EVF, a beneficial utility that many photographers rely on. Firmware 1.20 also offers creative Selectable Crop Modes including the popular X-Pan Ratio (65:24), 1:1, 7:6, 5:4, 3:2, 16:9, 2:1, A4, US Letter and more.

“Hasselblad is a company that designs and creates tools for photographers. We have released many firmware updates in the past year. It shows our dedication to our customers and that we are listening to their feedback on how to improve.” said Ove Bengtsson, Product Manager.

Hasselblad is pleased to also announce contrast autofocus compatibility using the XH lens adapter with a select group of HC/HCD lenses. A full list of updates for the X and H Systems can be found below along with compatible lenses for the XH lens adapter.

https://www.hasselblad.com/x1d/firmware/
https://www.hasselblad.com/h6d/firmware/

X1D: v1.20.0

  • Instant preview and image browsing in EVF
  • Selectable crop modes
  • Back-up to secondary card
  • Added EXIF tag: Lens Model
  • Spirit level overlay: More info added (Exposure time, Aperture value, ISO)
  • Touchpad: Pan in zoomed-in EVF live view
  • Touchpad; Move focus point with HDMI attached screen
  • Contrast auto focus with XH adapter*
    *works now with following lenses:
    HCD 4/28mm
    HC 3,5/35mm
    HC 3,5/50 mm
    HC 3,5/50 mm II
    HC 2,8/80 mm
    HC 2,2/100mm

The lenses need to be upgraded to lens firmware version 19.0.2
More info here: https://www.hasselblad.com/x1d/firmware/

H6D: v1.20.0

  • Selectable crop modes in Live View
  • Back-up to secondary card
  • Added EXIF tag: Lens Model
  • Spirit level overlay: More info added (Exposure time, Aperture value, ISO

Flickr reports uploaded photos from DSLR increased while mirrorless stalled

 

Flickr just released some interesting data about the photos uploaded in 2017:

Smartphones accounted for 50% of the photos uploaded to Flickr, up from 48% in 2016.
DSLR was 33%, up from 25% in 2016, and point and shoot was 12%, down from 21% in 2016.
Mirrorless remained at 4% of total uploads for the third year in a row.

When it comes to brands, Apple iPhones remained the dominant camera models, with 54% of the top 100 devices being named iPhone and an almost clean sweep of the top 10 Devices of 2017, accounting for 9 our of the top 10 devices. The Canon 5D Mark III placed 9th in the Top 10 Devices on Flickr of 2017. The iPhone6, iPhone6s, and iPhone5s were the most popular iPhone cameras respectively. Canon was the second largest brand used by photographers on Flickr, responsible for 23% of the top 100 devices. Nikon was the third most popular brand of 2017, with 18%.

 

 

The growth of DSLR images and stall of Mirrorless goes against the recent reports from CIPA. Those data suggest mirrorless camera shipments are still growing while DSLR is not. Dpreview analyzed that CIPA data and wrote:

Compared to October 2016, only 78 percent of DSLRs were shipped globally, but 112 percent for mirrorless, indicating that mirrorless is continuing its rise while simultaneously cannibalizing market share from its DSLR cousins. Most of the mirrorless shipments are going to the Asia region, though, which still accounts for more than 50 percent of all mirrorless cameras shipped. Globally, mirrorless is now 36 percent of the total market for ILC.

A possible explanation is that mirrorless is very popular in Asia. And Flickrs is mostly a place for the so-called “western countries”. But that’s just my guess.

 

Meyer Optik Goerlitz announced today that it is developing the next generation of the Primoplan 75/1.9

Meyer Optik Goerlitz is launching a new version of their Primoplan 75/1.9 lens. It will have improved bokeh and also work on Hasselblad and Fujimedium format cameras.

Press text:
—

Meyer Optik Returns a Lost Treasure

New Primoplan 75 Sets Bar Even Higher for Versatility, Optical Performance

Meyer Optik Goerlitz announced today that it is developing the next generation of the Primoplan 75/1.9, its premier portrait lens known for its versatile bokeh that spans from dreamy and swirly to circular, along with melting colors and smooth transitions from sharpness to soft blurs.

The company is calling the new version of the Primoplan 75 the P75 II, and is launching a campaign for the lens today on Indiegogo. Backers can be the first in line to get the lens for as low as $629 during the first 24 hours of the campaign. The upcoming P75 II maintains the special character of the original Primoplan 75, but the new lens follows an innovative optical design making use of Schott and OHARA glass and coatings.

In its new P75 II, Meyer Optik has reduced the lens’ minimum focal distance by almost 30% to just 55cm or 1.8 ft. The company is also offering a specially designed achromat front lens as a possible add on by which the minimum focusing distance can be reduced to 25 cm or less than a foot. The designers have also enlarged the image or frame size so that image contrast and resolution in the P75 II are dramatically improved, making the lens idea for black and white photography, as well as the perfect tool for portrait and nature photography. Furthermore, the lens can now cover mirrorless medium format cameras, such as the Hasselblad XD 1 or Fuji’s GFX 50s

The new optical innovations for the P75 II are an advancement of the Primoplan 75, which had been last produced in the 1950s in East Germany. The lens was originally developed in the 1930s by legendary German designer Paul Schaefter for Meyer Optik Goerlitz.

To see the Indiegogo campaign, go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/return-the-lost-treasure-create-the-p-75-ii-f1-9-camera-photography#/

To see product and sample images, go to https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s25nuqmemkrwqnu/AABPMLgH7cQtlXRB2h1BTRYea?dl=0

About Meyer-Optik Görlitz

A brand with a proud tradition and reputation for exceptional products, Meyer-Optik-Görlitz started manufacturing innovative, high-quality lenses in Germany in 1896.  In 2014, net SE revived the traditional spirit of the lenses once known throughout the world and started developing new lenses under the Meyer-Optik-Görlitz brand in Germany. Manufacturing handmade lenses started in 2015 with first generation prototypes.  Serial production began in early 2016.

In May 2015, net SE created a new subsidiary, Meyer-Optik USA Inc. headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Meyer-Optik USA is online at http://www.meyer-optik-goerlitz.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

New DxO PhotoLab 1.1 released


The RAW processing software DxO PhotoLab 1.1 keeps improving its local adjustment tools featuring U Point technology

With its easier-to-use design, ability to interface with Adobe Lightroom CC Classic, and improved brush tool, DxO PhotoLab (formerly DxO OpticsPro) now offers the most complete RAW development and processing solution on the market.

Special discounts on all DxO software through December 25, 2017

PARIS — DxO, a pioneer in digital imaging technologies, has announced the immediate release of version 1.1. of DxO PhotoLab (formerly DxO OpticsPro), the first update to its RAW conversion software for Mac and PC. DxO PhotoLab 1.1 offers easier-to-use local adjustment tools that feature U Point technology, as well as a more versatile Brush tool that now lets users adjust their flow and opacity settings. In addition to these new features, the software is now compatible with Adobe Lightroom CC Classic, as well as with new cameras and drones.

DxO PhotoLab delivers a comprehensive RAW and JPEG processing solution featuring optical corrections that are based on mathematical models developed in its laboratories, as well as such exclusive tools as PRIME denoising technology and DxO Smart Lighting’s exposure calibration. To allow photographers to apply local edits, DxO purchased Nik Software’s U Point technology from Google and incorporated it into DxO PhotoLab. This local editing technology lets users perform complex selections, which used to require a significant amount of time and painstaking manual brush work, in just a few clicks. In fact, DxO PhotoLab is the only software to fully integrate U Point technology within a non-destructive RAW workflow.

An easier-to-use design and new settings options for the Brush tool

DxO PhotoLab 1.1 offers an improved photo comparison mode to better display local adjustment settings. Photographers using the Windows version of the program can now view their image with and without local adjustments.

The Brush tool has also been updated with two new settings options, Flow and Opacity, which allow users to apply more nuanced masks and manage transitions more naturally.

Compatibility with Adobe Lightroom CC Classic

DxO PhotoLab includes a photo transfer feature that lets users process RAW files in Adobe Lightroom in a fully integrated and non-destructive workflow. Users can simply transfer their images from the Adobe Lightroom catalog to DxO PhotoLab, edit them, then send them back to Adobe Lightroom in .DNG format for further processing as needed—all in just a few clicks. This double-layered, non-destructive workflow gives users maximum flexibility right up until they’re done applying their very last adjustments. Now available through Adobe Lightroom CC Classic, this workflow gives Adobe software users access to DxO PhotoLab’s powerful automatic corrections and local adjustment options.

New camera and drone compatibility

DxO PhotoLab 1.1 can now support photos taken with the Canon EOS M100, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III and Tough TG-5, the Sony RX10 IV, and the DJI Mavic PRO and Phantom 4 PRO drones. Thanks to DxO PhotoLab’s advanced RAW conversion technology, which is based on calibrations made for each sensor in DxO’s laboratories, photos taken with any of these cameras will be automatically corrected to account for any defects in their lenses. Images now look better than ever, thanks to DxO PhotoLab’s revised lens sharpness correction feature, which delivers a high level of detail in photos taken with medium ISO settings while still controlling noise.

Prices and availability

The ESSENTIAL and ELITE versions of DxO PhotoLab for PC and Mac can be downloaded from the DxO website (shop.dxo.com) and from specialized retailers for a discounted price through December 25, 2017:

DxO PhotoLab ESSENTIAL Edition: $99 instead of $129
DxO PhotoLab ELITE Edition: $149 instead of $199
(Suggested retail prices, including tax)

Photographers with a license for an earlier version of DxO OpticsPro can purchase a discounted upgrade license for DxO PhotoLab by signing into their customer accounts at www.dxo.com.

Photographers who purchased or updated a DxO OpticsPro license on or after September 1, 2017, can upgrade their software for free.

A fully-functional, one-month trial version of DxO PhotoLab is available on the DxO website: http://www.dxo.com/us/photography/download.

 

Bad news: October worldwide camera shipment was worst ever

CIPA released the October worldwide shipment data and its bad news only: This was the worst October ever. This is surprising because last year we had the big sensor shortage because of the Kumamoto Sony sensor fab damage. Dpreview writes:

Compared to October 2016, only 78 percent of DSLRs were shipped globally, but 112 percent for mirrorless, indicating that mirrorless is continuing its rise while simultaneously cannibalizing market share from its DSLR cousins. Most of the mirrorless shipments are going to the Asia region, though, which still accounts for more than 50 percent of all mirrorless cameras shipped. Globally, mirrorless is now 36 percent of the total market for ILC.