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Woah! See the insane zoom range of the Nikon P900 in this video
You’ve got to check out this really cool little video of somebody demoing the ridiculous zoom range on the Nikon P900. It’s not really anything that would make me want to buy the camera, but it’s a very impressive video. I believe it’s about a 24-2000mm range. That’s crazy. Watch the video and see for yourself.
Google Maps in Yosemite
Google maps has done a virtual scaling of the “El Capitan” with their Google Maps app. It’s not really a climb and checkout anything you want kind of experience, it’s more of a click to get to an area of the rock face and you can pan the camera around. It looks very much like a virtual reality type stunt. Something pretty cool to keep our eyes on.
Bonus: Skybox Imaging shows HD video from outer space!
Amazing photo shows Yosemite’s Half Dome on fire
A 20-year-old photographer currently working the summer at Glacier National Park in Montana took a photo of what appears to be a massive fire rising from the Half Dome in Yosemite. Without a doubt, it looks like the mountain is burning up, but it’s actually an orange/yellow cloud, which was probably caused by a setting sun. Check out the photographer’s Instagram here »
Faster computers, coming soon, as graphics chip answers the call to action
At one time speed and performance upgrades seemed to be almost taken for granted as large computer companies seemed to release newer and more powerful technology several times a year, but eventually all that performance driving goodness was consuming so much power and producing so much heat that things had to be slowed down a little.
Now, both Apple and Microsoft, will be releasing software which will be much more efficient in dealing with your typical chip hardware in a computer which promises to boost graphical performance yet again. We can expect this in the software of Windows 10 and Apple’s El Capitan OS in the coming months. Check out info and details on CNET.
Microsoft says “Developers will be able to create bigger maps, improved performance and graphics, and bigger multiplayer environments stretching across devices,”. Programmers will also be able to take advantage of the new capabilities to add more depth and “stuff” to the programs they create, or scale things back and make them more compact to preserve battery life on devices that primarily run with a battery.
How to ‘unsend’ a sent email from your Gmail account
Several years ago, Google released a beta feature that allowed a user to “unsend” emails. This feature has now rolled out to all Gmail users. In actuality, this feature doesn’t let you ‘take back’ and email you may have sent, but it allows a user to halt sending one, based on their preference. Within Gmail settings, a user can choose 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds. Once the send button is hit, the user has that amount of time to halt the email from delivering.
US Government hack bigger than we expected
The government hack that initially looked like only a few million victims has now spiraled into a much bigger deal. Over 18 million at risk of having their very personal information exposed. This includes humiliating polygraph tests, past abuses, debts, sexual fetishes, etc. Information going back to even 30 years of someone’s life.
One worker received an email that basically stated: “this was discovered while aggressively upgrading our systems to best protect you”.
The Chinese are currently being blamed, but nothing has been confirmed.
Lenovo unveils $130 PC on a stick
In the world of micro-computing, Lenovo has promised a small computer stick that should arrive sometime in July 2015 which features an HDMI port that allows you to connect to virtually any HDMI-compatible screen and run this computer through it.
The mini-PC is only 3.94 inches wide, 1.5 inches deep and .59 inches high, so it’s not much larger than your average USB stick.
To quote CNET “Powered by an Intel Atom processor, the Ideacentre Stick 300 carries up to 2 gigabytes of memory and up to 32GB of onboard storage. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 are also included for wireless connectivity. One HDMI port, one MicroUSB 2.0 port and one SD card reader come along for the ride, along with a small speaker.
The stick comes with Windows 8.1, but will be eligible to upgrade to Windows 10 when Microsoft releases its new operating system on July 29. A three-month trial of Microsoft Office is also part of the package. The only items you’ll need to add to use the stick are a wireless keyboard and mouse.”
Microsoft Apps Free on Android!
Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Office will be free on Android smartphones. Much like they have been for both Android tablets and for devices running Apple’s iOS, they will be completely free.
It would appear that Microsoft is hoping that users purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription which enables full cloud-based computing and file sharing with these apps. Microsoft is also partnering with multiple device manufacturing companies to have Office and Skype preinstalled on the devices.
The Lexus Hoverboard
Lexus has come out with a video that teases what they’re calling a fully functioning hoverboard, like the one in Back to the Future. The design is absolutely gorgeous, and shows the board floating above what looks to be a concrete surface, but cuts out right as it’s about to be stepped on. This leads to the question: Is this the real deal? Lexus is apparently going to be revealing more details on October 21st, 2015, which interestingly is the date that Doc, Marty, and his girlfriend travel to in Back to the Future. The Verge has something to say about it here.
Family Threatened After Photo Shoot on Train Tracks
They just wanted to capture some dramatic photos of a pair of super heros freeing mom as she lay, tied to some railroad tracks. WAIT! Did you say railroad tracks!?!? Time to send death-threats!
A Wisconsin family says that’s exactly what they’re receiving after a photo shoot that took place on some railroad tracks that showed her young son taking part in a dramatic rescue of a woman stuck on the railroad tracks. There have been a number of stories lately of folks having fatal accidents on railroad tracks while taking part in shoots on tracks that folks thought were abandoned or not in use any longer.
The photos aren’t terrible, not really my style, but from a picture standpoint, I don’t think they’re bad. Petapixel reports ”The critics argue that the parents put themselves and their baby in harms way for their photos, and that the viral photographs promote the dangerous and illegal idea.
The family says they were never aware of how dangerous the idea was, and that they’re not planning to do any more photo shoots on train tracks.”
New 20MP Sensor w/ 4K Video Rumored for Nikon D5
Rumors appear to indicate that the Nikon D5, it’s flagship camera, the top of the line, will be the first of the Nikon DSLR cameras to have 4k video. Here are some specs from what I can see:
20MP FX Sensor
ISO up to 102,400 (native)
173 Autofocus points
15 fps still photo shooting
It’s expected to be release late 2015 or early 2016.
Samsung NX Mini 2 Leaked
Last year, Samsung unveiled their NX Mini, which was the thinnest and lightest mirrorless camera on the market with interchangeable lenses. A report was just released that Samsung is getting ready to release their next version, the Samsung NX Mini 2, the big feature being 4K video support at 24FPS. Other features will include a 9mm f3.5 lens with the same 20.5-megapixel sensor as last year’s model, and swappable front plates for customization. While the 4K support seems nice, the battery will apparently shrink, which makes us wonder how long a user can record 4K footage for.
While nothing official has been announced, the Samsung NX Mini 2 is expected to sell for around $500 USD.
The Taylor Swift Rant Against Apple Music and What Photographers Think About It
On June 30th, Apple is set to release Apple Music to the world, and will be offering 3 months of free streaming, but not everyone was happy about this. Taylor Swift released a blog post on Tumblr calling out Apple for not paying artists during the 3 free months. This set off a wildfire on the Internet, and after just a few hours, Apple responded that they ‘hear Taylor and indie artists’, and will indeed be paying artists during the trial period.
In response to Taylor Swift’s rant, photographers turned the tables to call out the contract they’re forced to sign if they wish to shoot her concerts. The photographers state that the contract transfers all rights away from the photographer, and even goes as far to claim that her management is legally allowed to destroy a photographer’s equipment if they break contract, no questions asked.
Timeline of events:
Taylor Swift’s “Open Letter” came out (Tumblr).
Apple relented and agreed to pay artists for trial period.
UK photographer, Jason Sheldon pens open letter in response.
Joel Goodman also sends out a copy of the newer T. Swift contract.
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