[embedded content] Moving Stills de Behnam Attar from ANI on Vimeo. A lot has changed over the last 50 years in photography, and if you need evidence of that, check out this rather fascinating short film about photographer David Buett. At the time, he was working for Contact Press Images doing documentary photography and also wearing some very era-appropriate robes when hanging around the house. In the film, Buett takes an assignment to document some cowboys moving a herd of cattle in the American southwest. It’s full of absolutely fascinating little bits of information. We get to hear him talk about putting some of the costs for the trip on a credit card in order to defer the cost. We get to see the process of selecting images and then looking at them once they have been published. We also get to see some of the images, which rounds the whole thing out nicely. Thanks to Reddit for

Not everyone is on-board with the semi-recent rise in software subscription plans, and Corel is emphasizing that fact with the release of its new PaintShop Pro X9 and X9 Ultimate photo editing software. There is a handful of new features in PaintShop Pro X9, all of which will likely appeal to specific sets of users. The new Project Templates make it easier to create design projects such as greeting cards and collages using photos and text. A new Screenshot feature is meant for capturing and aotating things that appear on the computer screen. The new Interactive Gradient Fill is designed to give more control when doing local adjustments on an image. And the software now supports Windows Real Time Stylus in case you’re working on a device such as the Surface or SurfaceBook. (The software is compatible only with the Microsoft operating system, not with Apple’s OS.) There’s als

The new Sony Wireless Radio flash trigger system hasn’t started shipping just yet—it’s slated for early September—but Sony is getting its flagship full-frame camera, the A7R II ready with a new firmware update. V3.30 of the Sony firmware brings full compatibility with the new flash trigger system, which I got to use briefly in concert with the new Sony lenses out in San Diego. In addition to the trigger compatibility, the update also includes overall stability and “improves stability in picture shooting mode (optimizing temperature control, effect is different according to temperature).” Even if you haven’t been having issues or you won’t be using the new flash triggers, it’s good to keep your camera up to date with the latest updates so you don’t get too far behind. You can download the appropriate firmware here. The A6300 recently got a firmware update as well if

Every year, we throw one big contest to give photographers a chance to show off their absolute best recent work. We receive thousands of entries and the selection process gets tougher every year and we're expecting this year to be no different. There are Six categories in total: * Objects and Still Life People Action and Sports Cities and Architecture Animals Nature and Landscapes Each category wier will win $250 and the Grand Prize wier will get $1,000. The wiing images will also be featured in a future issue of Popular Photography and the finalists will appear in a gallery on PopPhoto.com. You have until December 31st at midnight EST to enter, so choose your images wisely. Each image costs $10 to submit. If you're looking for some inspiration, check out this fantastic gallery of last year's wier's and finalists. When you're ready to enter your own images, click here

[embedded content] THE LIGHT COLLECTOR from Dheerankur Upasak on Vimeo. Gear Acquisition Sydrome is something that gets talked about a lot online as a way to describe the overwhelming compulsion many photo enthusiasts feel to constantly buy camera gear. For Dilish Parekh, the urge isn't about the latest and greatest, but rather building a huge archive of classic cameras he keeps as a collection. His hobby started decades ago, and since then he has put together an arsenal of more than 4,500 cameras—and the collection keeps growing. Many of his cameras are cheap and obscure, but from the looks of the video, there are also some true gems to be found in there, including the Leica 250, which can fetch tens of thousands of dollars on its own depending on condition and type. Camera collecting is often a highly personal thing with tons of sub-genres and niches. I personally love old SLRs and

Pro-grade DSLRs like the Nikon D5 or the Canon 1D X Mark II (or standard DSLRs with grips attached) require a big bag. The problem is that the bags typically don’t get smaller when the gear is removed, so you have that Ninja Turtle look even when you’re actively shooting. The Think Tank Shape Shifter bags, however, compress down to just 3-inches deep when there’s no gear inside. Then, the bag can re-expand to carry those big camera bodies home. There are three different models of the new Shape Shifter V2.0, across two different sizes. The Shape Shifter 15 holds a 15-inch laptop, while the Shape Shifter 17 holds a 17-inch laptop. There’s also a “Naked” version of the Shape Shifter 17, which uses Skin Pouches or Lens Changers instead of traditional padding to make it more customizable. In terms of other specs, the bags seem like they’re everything we have come to expect fr

Large format photography is a fascinating process here in the digital age. It’s slow, wonderful, beautiful, frustrating, and perhaps most importantly, really expensive. Photographer Jay L. Clendenin has been shooting large-format portraits of Olympic athletes in Rio, but he has been skipping the typical negatives and directly exposing photo paper, which is then developed into a paper negative that can be scaed and reversed in post. It's still not as cheap as 35mm film—let alone digital—

[embedded content] Lost in Light from Sriram Murali on Vimeo. If you tried to capture the recent meteor shower, you may have found things more difficult than expected. One common culprit for ruining epic night sky photography is light pollution from cities. Heavily populated areas throw so much light into the sky that it can almost totally wipe out the ability to capture celestial bodies effectively with long exposures. this clever video from Sriram Murali shows the effects of light pollution in a very nice time-lapse format. Obviously, the areas with less light pollution provide more spectacular views of space. So, next time you’re thinking about getting out into the dark for some impressive views of space, make sure you take the time to get far, far away from the bright lights of the big (or even small) city. If you want to find dark sky near where you live, there are several apps a

Color accuracy is often one of the most neglected aspects of photography, and it can be costly once you get into things like printing. Datacolor has released a new bundle including three of its popular calibration products in one case for a single lower price. The Spyder5 Capture Pro bundle includes the SpyderCheckr and SpyderCube tools meant to be used during a shoot. Both offer reference points that can later be used when editing to get consistent and accurate color. The Spyder5Elite is a display calibration system that helps monitors display accurate colors that will match printed photos. The SpyderLenscal is actually meant to calibrate lenses with specific cameras using inteal micro-adjustments to help ensure sharp images. The retail on all of the products checks in around $369, but it will be available for $269 until 9/30/16, so it’s a pretty good deal if you’re looking to

Last we checked in on Eye-Fi the company was taking some serious flack for aouncing that its cards sold before 2015 would no longer be supported and lose functionality because of changes to the software. Now, the company has released a new Mac utility called Eye-Fi X2 Utility to keep OS X users in operation, at least for a while. According to the aouncement, the software will transfer images to a computer using “an Infrastructure or Direct network coection.” So, it won’t have the full capabilities users are used to, but the cards will still be viable for some usages. There are more caveats, as well. Right now, the company says it’s considering a Windows version but can’t commit to it. The release is also said to be a one-time release, so no updates are plaed for the future. It's good to see that the old cards won’t be totally obsolete for all users, but many photographers will still be totally out of luck. It will be interesting to see how Eye-Fi users react to th

[embedded content] Robot camera has been in full-effect at the Summer Olympics since the 2012 games, but the tech is continuously evolving and CNN Money got a look at the underwater robot camera currently operated by Getty Images in Rio. As you might expect from a general interest news network, there’s not a ton of nerdy information available in the video, but historically a company called Camera Corps from the U.K. has been involved in a lot of these initiatives. I actually got to use one of the robotic cameras back at Photokina 2012. Cruising around the Getty site, there are some pretty impressive underwater shots of the swimmers with a fisheye-style lens, including this one from iconic sports photographer, Al Bello. I haven’t seen as much 360 VR coverage from the Games as I would expect so far, but then we saw a whole bunch of 3D coverage from the 2012 games and we all know how that worked out, so maybe it’s good that the tech isn’t trying for too much too fast. Let's blo

[embedded content] Getting started with off-camera lighting can be a bit overwhelming. You have triggers, modifiers, models, reflectors, power settings, and a million other things to think about. The best way to start, however, is by keeping it simple. This well-done video tutorial (with help from Elinchrom, who didn’t pay for this post in any way shape or form) shows the process of creating a nice one-light portrait from start to finish. Here, you’ll find the editing process. This is a great weekend project because it’s something that’s easy to set up, doesn’t take a lot of gear or space, and allows for tons of tweaking. The final product in this case is actually a little too "dramatic" for my taste in this case, but that's one of the great things about a technique like this, you can tweak it endlessly until you get what you want. [embedded content]

Say what you will about mirrorless cameras, but when it comes to professional photography in challenging situations, most pros still use high-end DSLRs to get the job done. Nikon’s latest, the D5 ($6,497, street, body only), builds on the capabilities of its predecessor, the D4s, to reach new heights for Nikon in terms of speed, noise control, autofocus, and video capture.

The pixel count rises to 20.8MP from 16.2MP. Standard sensitivity now spans ISO 100–102,400 and can be expanded to cover ISO 50–3,276,800, though in its specs Nikon rounds off the top end to 3,280,000. The burst speed steps up to 12 frames per second with a massive buffer capacity of up to 200 JPEGs, 102 14-bit RAW, or 92 TIFF files. Lock the mirror up and you’ll get 14 fps.

The new 153-point AF system works with the 180,000-pixel metering system for 3D subject tracking. The LCD screen steps up to 2,359,000-dot resolution with touch controls during playback, but not while shooting. Video has been bumped up to include 4K capture at up to 30 fps. While the D4s had one CompactFlash and one XQD slot for memory cards, you’ll have to choose a model with either two CF or two XQD slots. (Our test unit used XQD.)

Given all of these improvements, we were eager to see how the D5 would stand up in the Popular Photography Test Lab and in the field.

In the Test Lab

Our overall image quality rating balances resolving power, noise, and color accuracy to assess the image capture of a camera. The Nikon D5 eaed an Excellent rating in image quality from its lowest sensitivity of ISO 50 all the way through ISO 12,800. In contrast, the D4s managed to hold its Excellent rating only up to ISO 800. The difference here comes down to the D5’s extra 4.6 megapixels, which let it maintain Excellent-level resolution even at ISO 25,600.

At ISO 50, the D5 captured 2625 lines per picture height. That’s not even a hundred lines more than the D4s’s 2550. But, while the D4s fell below our cutoff of 2500 for an Excellent rating above ISO 800, the D5 could nab 2510 lines even at ISO 25,600. As sensitivity rose further, resolution began to drop rapidly: to 2410 lines at ISO 51,200; 2160 at ISO 204,800; and 1525 at ISO 819,200.

At the camera’s top sensitivity of ISO 3,276,800 everything becomes blanketed in a sea of snowy noise under which about only 990 lines per picture height could be seen. It’s hard to imagine when someone might make practical use of the images the D5 makes at that sensitivity. But with the benefits to the images at lower ISOs, we won’t complain too much.

In our color accuracy test, the D5 easily gaered an Excellent rating with an average Delta E of 5.3. That essentially matches what we saw in the D4s, which scored 5.4 in this test in which lower scores are better.

While we usually use the software that comes with the camera to convert RAW files to uncompressed TIFFs for evaluation, with the D5 we instead used Adobe Camera Raw for conversion. Back when we tested the D4s, Nikon’s View NX 2 software varied the amount of default noise reduction applied according to ISO used. The new version, View NX-I, appears to apply the same level of noise reduction to all images. So, as we do with some other cameras, we applied 0-, 25-, 50-, 75-, and 90-percent luminance noise reduction with ACR and then looked at how noise and resolution were affected, selecting the best balance of both for the final test results. In this case, we applied 25 percent from ISO 50 through 1600, 50 percent at ISO 3200, and then 75 percent from ISO 6400 through 3,276,800. At the highest sensitivity settings, even this much noise reduction ended up a blurry mess, but the settings used followed closely what Nikon had chosen to do with its default settings on the D4s’s images.

At these settings, the D5 achieved a noise rating of Low or better all the way up to ISO 12,800 with an Extremely Low rating from ISO 50 through 400. It reached an Unacceptable rating for noise at ISO 51,200 and higher. The D4s also had a Low or better rating through ISO 12,800, though it didn’t reach Unacceptable until ISO 102,400.

Looking across DSLR brands, that’s very similar to what we saw in testing Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III, which remains one of the best performing cameras in terms of noise. Canon’s 1D X got a Low or better rating only up to ISO 3200 and reached Unacceptable at ISO 12,800 and above. However, we have yet to test the 1D X Mark II (it’s slated for our next issue) and we wouldn’t be surprised if it shows a marked improvement over its predecessor.

Normally, we’d start talking about autofocus here. But, we’ve decided to shelve that lab test, originally designed for film SLRs in the late 1980s. All the DSLRs we’ve tested in recent years have very fast AF when measuring how quickly the camera focuses and captures an image—even in very dim conditions they lock on and capture in less than a second. Going forward, we’ll speak about the versatility of AF systems and provide observations from our field testing.

In the Field

Designed to be used every day in extreme conditions and for long stretches of time, the D5 feels very comfortable in the hand, despite its size and heft. The grip is expertly sculpted and the control system versatile and well thought out.

A small joystick on the camera back lets you reposition your AF point at a whim, while dedicated buttons for ISO, bracketing, drive mode, image quality, metering, and shooting mode make changing any of the most commonly changed settings simple. Dual command wheels make manual shooting easier, and you can even use the extra command wheel for direct access to exposure compensation when shooting in aperture- or shutter-priority mode. Meanwhile, a bevy of options to customize buttons and dials let you tailor the D5’s controls to your preferences.

The autofocus system lets you select from 55 of the camera’s 153 total focusing points, 99 of which are cross-type. All the AF points are sensitive to at least f/5.6, while the center 15 are sensitive to f/8. This can be a real boon if you like to use long lenses with teleconverters, which cut the amount of light coming through to the sensor. The system lets you group focus points or set the camera to use 25 or 75 points during continuous AF rather than the full 153. In our tests it did a wonderful job of tracking subjects, even through challenging, erratic movements.

Burst shooters should be pleased with 12 fps continuous drive with full autofocus and exposure metering between shots. Plus, if you want to get even faster capture and can deal with locked AF and AE, you can lock the mirror up and shoot at 14 fps.

At 12 fps, you can capture up to 200 JPEGs or 102 RAW frames before the buffer fills. That’s well ahead of the buffer capacity of the original Canon new 1D X, which also shot at 12 fps or 14 fps with the mirror up. However, the 1D X II touts a 14 fps continuous drive (16 fps with the mirror up) and shoots JPEGs until the memory card fills or up to 170 RAW files before the buffer fills when using a CFast 2.0 card (the rival to the XQD format).

Video shooters should be pleased with the footage from the D5. It’s as good as we’ve seen from any DSLR in either 4K or Full HD mode. There’s a slight hint of rolling shutter (AKA jello effect), but it’s quite minimal and, absent a full-frame CMOS sensor with a sensor-based global shutter option (something that doesn’t exist in any consumer-grade cameras yet), this is about as good as one can expect. Canon’s 1D X II can capture 4K at up to 60 fps, while the D5 tops out at 30 fps, but that’s likely not going to push someone to switch systems. The Canon does include its Dual Pixel CMOS AF, though, which can allow for a better continuous AF experience if it ends up behaving the way we’ve seen that system do recently with the 80D.

We don’t usually talk much about batteries, but the D5 uses the same one as its predecessor and can get up to 3,780 shots per charge. So, if you currently own a D4s, your charger and any extra batteries you have will work with the D5.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to really high-end DSLRs, photographers tend to be well entrenched in a particular system. So, we have to ask if any particular camera is enough to make someone switch or compel you to step up from the body you currently use.

Nikon D4s shooters will have to weigh a few things: One, is the addition of 4K capture something you think you absolutely need? Also, will capturing an extra frame per second and the promise of a deeper buffer make a huge difference to your shooting? If you already have a solid experience with the D4s’s AF system, then the D5’s improvements might not make a huge difference, though it is rated to function all the way down to the darkness of EV –4 while the D4s was rated down to EV –3. Again, it’ll depend on what you shoot.

Canon shooters seem like they’ll have a worthy follow up to the 1D X, and we’ll put that to the test next issue. If the 1D X II lives up to the hype, then it doesn’t seem like Canonites would have reason to flock to the D5.

But Nikon photographers who are looking to step up to this level of camera for the first time should hop to it. The D5 is a wonderful DSLR and, as long as you don’t need the mega-resolution of the D810, you will likely be overjoyed with all you can do with the D5.

SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGING: 20.8MP effective, full-frame (FX format) CMOS sensor captures images at 5568x3712 pixels with 14 bits/color in RAW mode STORAGE: Dual CompactFlash or Dual XQD; stores TIFF, JPEG, NEF RAW, or RAW + JPEG files VIDEO: Records up to 3840x2160 pixels at 30 fps in MPEG-4 H.264 format for up to 3 min, 1920x1080p60 for up to 10 min at highest quality, 1920x1080p30 for up to 29min 59 sec; built-in stereo microphone; stereo microphone input; continuous AF available; uncompressed video output through HDMI BURST RATE: Full-sized JPEGs (Fine mode), up to 200 shots at 12 fps; RAW, up to 102 shots at 12 fps (14-bit uncompressed); TIFF, up to 92 shots at 12 fps AF SYSTEM: TTL phase-detection with 153 illuminated focus points (99 cross-type sensitive to f/5.6, 15 sensitive to f/8) total, 55 (35 cross-type and 9 sensitive to f/8) are selectable; single-shot, continuous, 3D Focus tracking; tested sensitivity down to EV –2 (at ISO 100, f/1.4), rated to –4 EV; AF points are grouped and selected by area live view: Full-time contrast detection SHUTTER SPEEDS: 1/8000 to 30 sec, plus B (1/3-, 1/2-, or 1-EV increments); shutter life rated to 400,000 cycles; flash sync to 1/250 sec METERING: TTL metering using 180,000-pixel RGB sensor; Matrix (evaluative), centerweighted (75% weight given to 4.5% circle in center of frame), and spot (approx. 1.5% of finder at center); range, –3 to 20 EV (at ISO 100) ISO RANGE: ISO 100–102,400 (in 1- or 1/3-EV steps), expandable to ISO 50–3,276,800 VIEWFINDER: Fixed eye-level pentaprism LCD: Fixed 3.2-in. TFT with 2,359,000-dot resolution, five-step brightness adjustment, touchscreen for playback only OUTPUT: Micro USB 3.0, mini-HDMI video, stereo headphone minijack, Gigabit Etheet BATTERY: Rechargeable EN-EL18a Li-ion; CIPA rating, 3,780 shots with optical viewfinder SIZE/WEIGHT: 6.3x6.3x3.7 in., 3.1 lb with two XQD cards and battery STREET PRICE: $6,497, body only INFO: nikonusa.com

The idea of capturing images of colorful reefs and shadowy shipwrecks is alluring to any scuba diver. While waterproof compact cameras may take you part way to bringing back interesting photos from your dive adventures, you’ll get much better control over your images with a more substantial camera encased in an underwater housing.

But choosing the right underwater housing can—and should—be an involved and carefully-considered process. There are plenty of options and you want to be sure you’re getting a rig that best suits your needs (and your budget). Here are the key aspects to consider when shopping for your new housing.

Depth Rating

One of the most critical specifications for an underwater housing is its depth rating--the maximum depth (and pressure) at which the housing is designed to function. At sea level, air pressure is 14.7 psi (pounds per square inch) but increases by 14.7 psi for each additional 33 feet (or atmosphere) below the surface. Exceed the recommended depth rating and controls may not function, the housing may leak or, worst case scenario, implode.

Choose a housing that meets or, better yet, exceeds how deep you plan to dive. PADI --Professional Association of Diving Instructors--the largest scuba certifying agency in the world, sets the depth limit for certified begier divers at 12 metres/40 feet; the maximum depth for advanced open water divers/recreational scuba diving is 40 meters/130 feet. It’s no surprise, then, that camera manufacturers’ housings, such as those from Olympus and Canon, are generally capped at 130-150 feet. Third party DSLR/mirrorless housings are often rated to 200-300 feet.

Plastic or Aluminum?

While a few housings are manufactured of both polycarbonate (high strength plastic) and aluminum, most are constructed of one material or the other. Plastic housings are more affordable than their aluminum counterparts—often by a thousand dollars or more—but require some compromises. They’re usually somewhat bulkier and less durable over the long run. The latter shouldn’t affect those who dive on vacation several times a year but if you’re hard core and spend your weekends exploring reefs and shipwrecks, you may want to invest in an aluminum housing.

Most aluminum housings start at around $2,000 (without a port) and go up from there. But they’re more rugged than plastic models and can withstand heavy use. Additionally, aluminum housings are more finely machined, providing smoother operation of controls.

However, since housings are generally camera specific, your options may be limited to one material or the other depending on your camera model. Most housings for fixed lens or advanced compact cameras are plastic, while DSLR and mirrorless camera housings generally offer more of a choice.

Ease of Operation

Key to ease of operation is access to controls. Check the housing (or the manual, if available) to ensure that there are sufficient buttons/levers/dials/knobs to focus and adjust settings such as ISO, aperture, shutter speed, EV, etc.

Additionally, look at the control layout to see whether you can operate the camera while maintaining a sturdy grip on the housing. And, if you’re a cold water diver, be sure the controls are large enough to manipulate while wearing mitts or gloves.

Look at the tray and handles, which may be optional but configurable, to gauge the comfort of holding the camera. If you plan to add strobes, video lights and other accessories such as an exteal monitor, be sure the housing offers sufficient and appropriate coectors.

Lens Ports

Think of a lens port as the “window” on the front of the housing that the lens shoots through. Some waterproof cases—usually those designed for compact cameras—are equipped with a permanently attached port. You may be able to purchase an optional “wet lens” that mounts to the outside of the port to add wide angle and macro capabilities.

For DSLR/mirrorless camera housings, you need to purchase one or more ports to match the lens(es) you’ll be using so be sure to build that expense into your budget. Wide-angle lenses are the mainstay of most underwater photographers and require a dome (curved) port to maintain the lens’ field-of-view and avoid vignetting. Also, you may need a port extension—a small add-on that fits between the port and the housing—to adjust the lens-to-port distance for different optics. While you can take close up images with wide-angle lenses, for the best macro shots you’ll need a macro lens and flat port. In addition to Backscatter.com, a retailer that specializes in underwater photo gear, manufacturer sites (see resources sidebar) offer guidance for configuring the perfect lens/port combination, as well as what focusing gear(s) you’ll need.

Ports are available in either glass or acrylic. The former is heavier and more expensive but offers better resistance against scratches and may provide improved optical performance (sharpness, color reproduction, etc.). Acrylic/plastic ports are somewhat lighter, cost less but are prone to scratches. Because of their curvature, dome ports are particularly susceptible to scratching but minor scratches on the outside of the port are generally not noticeable because the water essentially fills them in. Major scratches can be polished out with specially designed “sandpaper” such as the Micro Mesh dome port restoring kit, which can be purchased online or at retailers that support underwater photography.

Lighting and Accessories

Given the density of water (800 times that of air) and the absorption of light waves, strobes or constant video lighting are needed to provide bright, colorful underwater photos. As sunlight enters the water, each wavelength is absorbed at varying depths. Red disappears at about 15-20 feet, followed by orange and yellow, leaving you with heavy blue or green casts. The only way to bring back color is to add artificial lighting.

Regardless of the type of lighting (strobe or continuous), power needs to be adjustable to suit the shooting conditions. For macro shots, a single, low power exteal strobe will usually suffice given the short strobe-to-subject distance.

Wide-angle shots, however, require broader and more powerful coverage. For the best results, consider high power, dual strobes, each positioned on either side of the camera.

To attach the strobe(s), you’ll need adjustable arms to position the strobes for the best coverage and to avoid backscatter—white speckles caused by light bouncing off tiny particulates in the water and then reflecting back into the lens.

If you’re shooting video or want better visibility than the camera’s viewfinder or in Live View on the camera’s LCD, consider an exteal waterproof monitor. Be sure it’s waterproof to the same or better depth as your housing. If your camera requires an exteal recorder to capture 4K video, at least one company (Nauticam.com) offers a housing for the Atomos Shogun.