Now we are ready for 500 megapixel cameras and 8K video :)

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The SD Association announced today the SD 8.0 Specification for SD Express memory cards receives even faster transfer speeds by using the popular PCI Express^® (PCIe^®) 4.0 specification delivering a maximum of nearly 4 gigabytes per second (GB/s) data transfer rate. These full sized cards continue to use the NVMe Express™ (NVMe™) upper layer protocol enabling advanced memory access mechanism. As always SD Express memory cards using SD 8.0 specification maintain backward compatibility.

“SD Express’ use of even faster PCIe and NVMe architectures to deliver faster transfer speeds creates more opportunities for devices to use SD memory cards,” said Mats Larsson, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource. “This combination of trusted and well-known technologies makes it easier for future product designs to leverage the benefits of removable storage in new ways.”

SD Express gigabyte speeds bring new storage opportunities for devices with demanding performance levels, across a variety of industries. The cards can move large amounts of data generated by data-intense wireless or wired communication, super-slow motion video, RAW continuous burst mode and 8K video capture and playback, 360 degree cameras/videos, speed hungry applications running on cards and mobile computing devices, ever evolving gaming systems, multi-channel IoT devices and automotive to name a few. SD Express will be offered on SDHC, SDXC and SDUC memory cards.

“By dramatically increasing the speeds for SD Express we’re giving device manufacturers and system developers more storage choices,” said Hiroyuki Sakamoto, SDA president. “SD 8.0 may open even more opportunities for extra high performance solutions using removable memory cards.”

“PCI-SIG^® is pleased to see that SDA is continuing to adopt even faster PCIe technology configurations using PCIe 4.0 interface and dual lanes for one of the top leading removable memory cards – SD,” said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG president and chairman. “PCIe specification conformance tests are available today by major test vendors, offering a significant advantage for any new PCIe technology adopter.”

“NVMe is the industry-recognized performance SSD interface from the client to the datacenter, shipping in millions of units,” said Amber Huffman, NVM Express™ Inc. president. “Consumers will benefit by SD Association continuing the adoption of the NVMe base specification for their latest SD Express cards.”

SD Express uses the well-known PCIe 4.0 specification and the latest NVMe specification (up to version 1.4) defined by PCI-SIG and NVM Express, respectively. SD 8.0 specification provides two transfer speed options for SD Express memory cards. The two transfer speeds are accomplished by supporting either PCIe 3.0 x2 or PCIe 4.0 x1 architectures with up to ~2GB/s and with PCIe 4.0 x2 technology with up to 4GB/s. SD Express cards offering PCIe 4.0 x1 architecture use the same form factor as defined for SD 7.0 specification cards with a second row of pins to deliver transfer speeds up to 2 GB/s. SD Express cards supporting dual PCIe lanes (PCIe 3.0 x2 or PCIe 4.0 x2 technologies) have three rows of pins.

The SDA makes adoption of SD Express easy allowing companies to use existing test equipment and saving in product development costs. The SD 8.0 specification continues giving system developers access to PCIe and NVMe technologies, such as Bus Mastering, Multi Queue (without locking mechanism) and Host Memory Buffer.

Two revised white papers, “SD Express Cards with PCIe and NVMe Interfaces,” and “SD Express and microSD Express Memory Cards: The Best Choice for Your Future Product Designs” provide an in-depth look at the opportunities created by SD Express. More information is available on our website.

Visit the SDA Virtual Tradeshow to learn more about SD Express solutions offered by our members.

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Samsung Introduces 1.2μm 50Mp ISOCELL GN1 with Faster Auto-focusing and Brighter Images

Dual Pixel technology creates 100-million phase-detecting photodiodes for snappy auto-focusing and light information that can be translated up to 100 megapixels
Tetracell technology enables light-sensitive 2.4μm pixels for ultimate low-light photography

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced Samsung ISOCELL GN1, a new 50-megapixel (Mp) image sensor with large 1.2μm-sized pixels. The ISOCELL GN1 is Samsung’s first image sensor to offer both Dual Pixel and Tetracell technologies. Thanks to the relatively larger pixel size, the GN1 brings image sensor performance to a new level with a combination of elevated light sensitivity for stellar low-light photos and DSLR-level auto-focus speeds, optimized for more dynamic picture-taking experiences.

“With innovative pixel technologies, Samsung has been at the forefront of offering high-performance image sensors that closely cater to increasingly diversifying market needs. The ISOCELL GN1 is part of that commitment to deliver stunning images to consumers in any environment,” said Yongin Park, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to introduce image sensor solutions at the cutting-edge that will lead the next trends in mobile photography.”

Creating desirable images is an indispensable element for today’s smartphone users who are well accustomed to visually grasping and cherishing special moments, wherever they are. To address various imaging preferences of the users, some smartphone makers put more emphasis on extremely detailed images with ultra-high resolutions, while some choose bigger pixels for bright results in low-light environments. The new Samsung ISOCELL GN1 fulfills these multiple needs at once with Dual Pixel and Tetracell technologies.

The GN1 brings best-in-class auto-focusing with 100 million phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) agents. Samsung’s Dual Pixel technology places two photodiodes side-by-side within a single pixel that can receive light from different angles for phase detection. With all of the sensor’s active pixels working as auto-focusing agents, the GN1 can detect and focus onto a desired still or moving object from every corner in an instant, even in low-light conditions. When capturing images, a single pixel output is created by merging the outputs from the two photodiodes within the pixel. Samsung also provides a software algorithm that takes light information from each photodiode to produce image resolutions comparable to 100Mp.

For ultimate low-light photography, the GN1 adopts Tetracell technology, a pixel-merging technique that improves the pixels’ capacity to capture and process more light. By binning four pixel signals into one, Tetracell doubles the image sensor’s pixel size to 2.4μm and quadruples the light sensitivity to take brighter 12.5Mp photographs. With improved light sensitivity combined with a powerful auto-focusing solution, the GN1 is able to focus on an object quickly even in extreme low-light environment to deliver both brighter and sharper results.

In addition to Dual Pixel and Tetracell technologies, the GN1 comes with Smart-ISO that intelligently selects the optimal ISO, real-time HDR that captures the scene in multiple exposures simultaneously, and gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) that takes sharp images and video even when in motion. For premium video quality, the image sensor supports video recording at up to 8K resolution at 30 frames-per-second (fps).

Samsung ISOCELL GN1 started mass production this month.

Today Capture One released the new 13.1.0 update and also a new redesigned website (Click here). And it looks like they also believe the “mythical” Zeiss ZX1 camera will one day come! They officially support the model :)

You can buy the new software here or download a free trial here.

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Capture One Launches a new update to Capture One 20
Bringing new features, new capabilities, a new product, and a new look, Capture One is providing better solutions for more people, and breaking new ground.  

COPENHAGEN, May 18th, 2020: Capture One, the premiere name in photo editing software, delivers a suite of announcements that highlight new product offerings, expanded capabilities, and a new direction; revealing the company’s continuing evolution and support for creatives.
The development of Capture One 20 remains driven by an evolving roadmap rooted in user feedback from both the Capture One community and creative community overall.  The latest update brings brand new heal and clone tools that reduce the need for external retouching applications while increasing efficiency, and a new Before & After Tool that gives new ways to check your editing progress and to compare your edits.
With user experience in mind, Capture One has also developed a new activation flow with new dialogues, sample images, and interface guidance that make it faster and easier than ever to become a Capture One user. In addition, the company has advanced its Lightroom Catalog importer, and together it not only makes it easier to start using Capture One, but easier to migrate without missing a step.
Beyond that, when it comes to Capture One, users have choice. There are currently a number of Capture One variants such as Capture One Fujifilm and Capture One (for Sony), and now the company is proud to deliver Capture One for Nikon. Similar to the other branded versions, Capture One for Nikon brings the full feature-set of Capture One Pro at a reduced cost to Nikon users.
“We want to enable creatives to achieve their best images as effortlessly as possible, and that is why we drew heavily on feedback from our community to develop Capture One 20,” says Jan Hyldebrandt-Larsen, VP Software Business at Capture One. “It is our commitment to support them by providing a seamless photo editing experience defined by developing the features they ask for and need, as well as the ones they didn’t know they wanted. Capture One 20 is an exciting moment for us as we happily put even more focus and resources behind that goal.”
Learn what’s new in Capture One 20 at: www.captureone.com/20 
Learn more about Capture One at: www.captureone.com 

New features and tools in Capture One 20 

New Heal & Clone Tools

New dedicated brushes for Heal and Clone will automatically create the correct layer when used 
Fast workflow with automatic source-point generation 
Limitless number of heal-zones per layer (previously only 1 p/layer) 
Most flexible healing workflow of any RAW converter 
Moveable source points, and transformable heal zones 
Fast performance and high-quality rendering 

New Before & After Tool

A new dedicated tool placed in the Toolbar with easy keyboard shortcuts 
‘Y’ will toggle before/after on and off 
‘Shift + Y’ will toggle between the two modes:  
Full View and Split View Slider (draggable) 
Fast performing and works on multiple photos in the viewer 
Full View available in all products 
The Split View Slider is not available in Capture One Express variations 

New Lightroom Catalog Import

Improved Lightroom Importer with better descriptions
Allows import of ‘offline files’ (files located on disconnected storage devices).
Capture One automatically imports files once the correct hard drive has been plugged in
Provides a report after the import with information about unsupported files
Basic image adjustments and Catalog structure will be replicated in Capture One

BCNretail published some dramatic stats about the camera sales in Japan. In April sales dropped by 75% compared to April 2019. In terms of market share Olympus leads with a small advantage over Sony. But this is pretty meaningless because of the very low sales.

Tony & Chelsea talk about Nikon’s reported financial losses, what it means for the future of Nikon cameras, and what they think Nikon could do to turn losses into profits.