This is The Digital Story Podcast #817, Nov. 16, 2021. Today's theme is "So, How Did It Go?" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

When you've been away from them for a while, it's easy to forget the joy of an in-person workshop. That is, until you're all gathered there in a parking lot at a beautiful location getting your gear together for a short hike and a shoot. Then it all comes roaring back. This week we're going to look at the adjustments required, and the resulting rewards, of a physical workshop. And look ahead to 2022. I hope you enjoy the show.

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So, How Did it Go?

I rolled in to Florence Oregon about 5 pm the night before our event began. I had the VW packed with food for breakfasts and lunches for the first two days, plus my outdoor gear and cameras.

Our headquarters had a great kitchen with a large island that we used to prepare and pack our lunches each day before heading out to a beautiful location.

In order to keep everyone as safe as possible, we had to wear masks when entering HQ and working in the kitchen. The first order of business was to wash hands every time you entered. If you were closer than 6' to another indoors, masks were required, including for all car rides.

I know it sounds like a lot, but it was easy, especially compared to what we got to do together. We shared breakfast every morning at HQ, ate our sack lunches in the field during our shoots, and even had a dinner bash on Thursday night with food provided by Mo's Seafood and Chowder there in Florence. And yes, the chowder was delicious.

We had rain everyday. But we were totally prepared for it and the result was dramatic photography that we shared with one another during the final presentations.

For vehicles, we had a Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, and the VW ID.4. We took turns riding in the different cars.

After it was over, I gathered a couple of our Inner Circle Members, Dave and Michael, plus a few new folks, Cindy and Bill, to join Scott and me for a quick recap. Here's what they had to say.

Insert voice snippet from charging stop here.

On our TDS Facebook page, Kim added: "It was an awesome workshop, awesome fellowship, and awesome to be 'tested by the elements'!"

The thing that really jumped out at me was, how much I miss working with others in person. And now that we've got one under our belts, I'm ready to move forward with more in 2022.

So here's a preview of what I'm working on. I should have the schedule finalized by early December.

Humboldt Redwoods in April 2022 is a go.

Lassen Volcanic Park in July is going to be replaced with another physical event due to the extensive fire damage to the area.

Oregon Coast in October/November 2022 is a likely go at the moment. I'll know more about that in the coming weeks.

Patreon Members, stay tuned for an opportunity to suggest a location to replace the July workshop and possibly for a fourth event during the year.

We're also going to maintain a full slate of online events in 2022. That schedule will also be updated in December with new events added to our existing popular ones.

I am very excited about the prospects for the coming year for our photography community.

Nikon's new firmware updates for its Z50, Z5, Z6 and Z7 cameras improve AF performance

You can read the entire article on DP Review

Nikon has released minor firmware updates for nearly its entire Z mount mirrorless camera lineup. The Nikon Z6 and Z7 receive firmware version 3.40 while the Z5 and Z50 receive firmware versions 1.20 and 2.20, respectively.

All of the firmware updates also add support for Nikon's new FTZ II mount adapter and NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens. The updates are available to download today for their respective cameras.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 46 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #816, Nov. 9, 2021. Today's theme is "Can Electric Vehicles Cut It for Photo Road Trips?" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Those of you who have been following the story about my transition from the VW Vanagon to the EV ID.4 for our official workshop transport, this is the week where the rubber hits the road. Is it too early to switch from ICE to EV? Tune in to this week's TDS Podcast to find out. I hope you enjoy the show.

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Can Electric Vehicles Cut It for Photo Road Trips?

It is 561 miles from Santa Rosa, CA to Florence, Oregon, the location of our Oregon Coast Photography Workshop that begins Tuesday morning. Adding in travel to destinations during the workshop itself, total mileage for the week will be more than 1,300 miles.

In the Audi A3, that would work out to around 54 gallons of gas. That car requires premium, which is over $5 a gallon throughout California. The bill for fuel alone would be at least $270, and probably more if I had to fill out in remote locations.

Using my free account with Electrify America for the long hauls, I will only have to top off in Florence, which I can do for $4 a session at the public utility. That should mean a $12 fuel bill for the entire trip.

Now the question is: will the car make it? And if so, how long will it take?

Going back to the Audi and gas, the estimated driving time for the trip is 9 hours, plus two 30 minute stops for refueling, bathroom, and leg stretching. 10 hours total if everything goes well.

Let's tackle the second question first. Based on my recent 900 mile road trip to Southern CA and back, I estimate I have to add an additional 15 percent for time with the ID.4 if things go as planned. My best guess is that it will extend my journey to around 12 hours.

As for the first question, will the car make it? Absolutely yes. Thanks to its room cabin, comfortable seats with massage, and advanced travel assist technologies, road tripping as more comfortable than ever. The car literally drives itself.

So it all comes down to recharging. Let's tune in to a refuel stop.

As for the viability during the week itself? I'll get some comments from workshop participants and share those in next week's show.

But on paper, here's what I'm looking at. 30 cubic feet of storage space in the back while seating 5 passengers. There's no floor hump, so the back floor is perfectly flat for the person sitting in the middle.

There are dual charging ports in the back as well as the front, providing a total of 4 USB-C outlets for passengers. Side door storage for everyone, plus dual pockets on the backs of the front seats. There's 38" of leg room and head room in the back, and even more of both in the front.

And finally, there is a full length panorama glass room on top with power sunshade if necessary. I think this will be a wonderful transport vehicle for participants.

Wish me luck. More on how it went next week.

OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO Lens

Olympus just announced the OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm f/1.4 PRO Lens for $799 due to be released in December.

Highlight features include:

• 40mm (35mm Equivalent)
• Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16
• 11 Elements in 10 Groups
• 1 Super ED, 3 ED, 2 Super HR Elements
• 2 Aspherical Elements
• ZERO Zuiko Extra-Low Reflection Coating
• Movie & Still Compatible AF System
• Weather-Sealed Construction
• Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm
• Includes lens hood and lens wrap cloth

One feature that it's missing, that would push me closer to purchase is the snap focus option that allows the photographer to pull back the focusing ring to reveal a traditional distance scale with hard-stop infinity. This lens would be perfect for that, and why it's missing befuddles me.

If you don't already own the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, this is a lens to consider.

Why I'm Not Packing Olympus in Oregon

After last week's podcast, some listeners asked me why I wasn't taking my Olympus kit to Florence. Here's the back story on that.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 46 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #815, Nov. 2, 2021. Today's theme is "Preparing for an Inclement Photo Shoot." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

In just a few days I leave for the Oregon Coast to co-lead a weeklong workshop. There are preparations on many fronts including travel route, photo gear, and apparel. As part of that process, I've noted that the long range weather forecast predicts plenty of precipitation. This definitely has an impact on my packing, and today I'm going to discuss how I prepare for a wet-weather photo shoot. I hope you enjoy the show.

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Preparing for an Inclement Photo Shoot

When I first started thinking about this workshop, I was leaning toward an entirely different backpack full of gear. But now that I see that rain is in the forecast, I've rethought all of my initial plans. Here are my priorities now.

Scale Back - Bad weather makes me want to travel even lighter than in good conditions. I want fewer moving parts a and smaller bag. As a result I'm taking much less.

Weather Resistant is King for the Backpack - Everything has to be able to take the rain. I'm starting with the relatively compact Lowepro ProTactic BP 350 AW that is weather resistant to begin with, plus has a built-in rain cover if conditions worsen. There is fast access on both sides and top so I don't have to open the entire bag to retrieve a camera or lens. So I can grab one thing and everything else stays dry.

Going with my Toughest Camera - My best bad weather camera is the Pentax KP with a handful of weather resistant lenses. I don't like working with rain covers and prefer just to have the camera in my hands, even in the rain. Pentax cameras are amazingly tough and reliable, as are their WR lenses. I put protection filters on everything so I can wipe them off quickly and often.

Absorbent Cloths and Big Microfibers - One of the most important things I learned shooting in Iceland was that you need extra cloths to wipe down your gear. Everything gets soaked fairly fast, so backups are required over the course of the day.

Appropriate Clothing - Start from the bottom up with shoes that provide great footing and are water friendly. I'll be sporting a pair of Merrell Men's CHOPROCK Sieve Water Shoes that have Vibram MegaGrip rubber outsoles with water-friendly mesh and woven uppers. Working upwards with rain repellant pants and layered uppers with an Eddie Bauer rain jacket with hood and ventilated sleeves.

Pack an Extra Baseball Cap - I wear one cap so that the hood doesn't go down over my eyes, then a second baseball cap in my bag to put over my camera when it's sitting on the tripod. Of all the covers I've tested over the years, a simple baseball cap is easiest to use.

Start a Week Ahead of Time - Over the course of time, you'll continue to remember little things that you want to add to your bag, such as a small first aid kit, rubber bands, headlight (with night-vision red), for example. Allow yourself the time to remember these.

Trekking Sticks to Help Maintain Balance - You want to feel confident to explore areas where great images may be waiting for you. In addition to proper shoes, I recommend a trekking stick that will help you maintain balance and can serve as a monopod if you get one with a camera mount. A nice one, for example, is the Cascade Mountain Tech Trekking Pole - Carbon Fiber Monopod Walking or Hiking Stick with Accessories Mount and Adjustable Quick Locks for $39.

One of my favorite sayings is: "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing," by Alfred Wainwright. So true for photographers! Starting getting your gear together and get out there in the rain to make some wonderful images.

Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Printer

Live life WIDE The exciting INSTAX LINK WIDE Smartphone Printer has landed. Creating the largest prints in the INSTAX product line-up, this wide-format Smartphone Printer is overflowing with 'must-have' features to make sure nothing is lost.

Connect your Smartphone to the printer wirelessly via Bluetooth, and you're able to add text to your photos, resize, apply a filter, play with the contrast - the options are endless. Swipe up on your Smartphone photo and print. Select your image preference. You can choose between two image color modes - INSTAX-Rich mode for rich colors and INSTAX-Natural mode for a natural image quality.

Personalize your photo and choose from over 30 editable templates to create greeting cards, invitations and much more. Apply a QR code to your photo to link to a URL, hear sounds you recorded and view secret messages and locations - just by scanning the QR code with your Smartphone. And that's not all! Be creative with the Sketch, edit & print feature to import text and sketches as you customize your photos. With the Collage Print feature, add multiple images together to create fun collages. Also, choose from over 1,600 "stickers" in the app to apply to your photo! Available in Ash White and Mocha Gray. Live life Wide

Note: The Link Wide printer is also compatible with Fujifilm's X-S10 mirrorless camera from last year, allowing you to print directly without a phone. Of course, you can print photos taken with other cameras by uploading them to your phone and then to the Instax Link app.

The Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Printer that prints 3"x5" photos is available now for $149.

Nikon and the Z9 Are the Photo Industry's Comeback Story of the Decade

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com.

When the Sony Alpha 1 was announced, I remember being really impressed but not surprised. Sony had been the brand to beat and had been continuously pushing the envelope. What Sony did was impressive, but not shocking. The Nikon Z9 has shocked me.

Nikon, the company that had been in third place behind Sony and Canon in the full-frame mirrorless market (and it wasn't a close third place), has not only caught back up but has outright passed them technologically by a considerable margin. My expectations for the Z9 were to at least compete, to just bring Nikon back up to par. That would have been good enough.

But the Z9 reads like a camera where "good enough" was not good enough. No, Nikon wanted to send a statement with the Z9 and that message has been received.

It's hard to fathom how Nikon did this, given how slow it was to shift from DSLRs to mirrorless all while Sony was dedicating huge resources to developing its own expectation-shattering cameras. It felt like Sony was driving an F1 and Nikon a Honda Civic, and Sony got to have a head start as well. That kind of gap is monumentally difficult to make up ground on, let alone surpass, and yet here we are.

Nikon and the Z9 are without question the comeback story of the decade in the camera industry. There is a new top dog, and for Nikon, it's a return to a seat that the company has not occupied for some time. Canon and Sony will see what Nikon has done and have to work just that much harder. Sony won't just sit idly by as Nikon surpasses them, and neither will Canon. The race is back on, and I could not be more excited.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 46 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #814, Oct. 26, 2021. Today's theme is "Inside a Live Photo Critique." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Have you ever wondered what actually goes on when a bunch of photographers critique the work of their peers? This week, you'll have that chance. I'm going to share a conversation from our recent class presentation for the Infrared Photography Workshop. Plus, I'm going to talk about Instagram and my favorite iPhone accessory. All of that, and more, on today's TDS Photography Podcast.

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Inside a Live Photo Critique

This show was recorded inside my VW ID.4 on a rainy day in Southern California using a Zoom portable recorder and my iPad mini on a steering wheel tray.

The class presentation is the highlight of any TDS workshop, online or physical. The segment I'm going to play for you now is from our recent Infrared Photography Workshop. I think you'll find it entertaining and illuminating.

Instagram Now Allows Photo Upload from Desktop

I just posted my first IG image uploaded from the desktop of my Mac. The workflow isn't bad at all.

I started by going to my IG page via the Safari web browser. I then clicked on the new "+" icon that appears in the toolbar.

Once I selected the image I wanted, I had basic cropping options, some filters, and a few adjustments as well. I could add location and description too.

The upload went well, and the shot looks great on all my devices. A welcome addition to the Instagram workflow.

The Moment Multi-Threaded Mount - My Favorite iPhone Accessory Ever

You can read the entire article on The Digital Story.

I'm surprised at how often I want to connect an iPhone to some sort of tripod. Yes, it's a mobile device, but it's so good at so many things.

And if you're a photographer who appreciates the imaging athleticism of the iPhone 12 and 13, then you realize that their capabilities can stretch into areas that we traditionally used a tripod for, such as time-lapse, video interviews, panoramas, and night photography.

The problem was, until a week ago for me, that I hadn't discovered a satisfactory way to connect my iPhone 12 Pro Max to any type of 3-legged beast, large or small. That is, until I found the Moment Multi-Threaded Mount for MagSafe (best deal: $29.95).

This machined disc that feels like a slim hockey puck has a powerful magnet on one side that attaches to the MagSafe connector on the back of an iPhone 12 (or later), and an array of 3/8" and 1/4" female threads on the other. Now I can attach my iPhone to practically anything.

I can use the adapter with a MagSafe compatible case on, or just on the phone itself, making it the simplest and most versatile mobile photo accessory that I've to date. Just pop it on and it stays put.

In addition to attaching the phone to a tripod, I can also use the adapter to connect flash adapters, microphone holders, magic arms, and anything else that uses a 1/4" thread. I can even hitch the iPhone to a camera.

If you're serious about iPhone photography, then you'll want one of these on your pocket tripod.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 46 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #813, Oct. 19, 2021. Today's theme is "The New M1 MacBook Pro for Photographers." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Apple showed off its next generation of Apple Silicon processors for two new laptops, and they are impressive. Not only the speed bumps, but the actual designs of the computers are improved as well, especially for photographers. And that's our lead story for today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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The New M1 MacBook Pro for Photographers

Apple hardware presentations are usually interesting to watch. But today's unveiling of the new 14" and 16" MacBook Pros with M1 Pro processors was truly impressive. Let's take a look at the notable features for the 14" models, which I think is ideal for most photographers.

• Battery Life - 17 hours video playback, 11 hours of wireless web browsing.
• SSD Speed - Up to 7.4GB/s or two times the previous generation speed. Can open thousands of RAW photos at once. The base SSD is now 512 GB with an options for 1, 2, 4, or 8 TBs.
• Display - Liquid Retina XDR with Extreme Dynamic Range and ProMotion with refresh rates of up to 120Hz. The resolution for the 14.2" is 3024x1964, 5.9 million pixels at 254 ppi (1 billion colors).
• Video Conferencing - 1080p camera with three studio quality mics using directional beamforming to ensure a loud and clear voice. BTW: A 6-speaker sound system with spatial audio is also part of this setup.
• Ports and Connections - SDXC card reader, direct HDMI output, a 3.5 mm headphone jack that detects and automatically adjusts for high‑impedance headphones, 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports, and they brought back the MagSafe port (and you still can charge via Thunderbolt as well, includes a USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable). You can connect up to two Pro Display XDRs with M1 Pro.
• Improved Keyboard - Magic Keyboard brings a full‑height function key row to MacBook Pro -- with the tactile feel of mechanical keys that pros love. It includes new keyboard shortcuts for Spotlight, Siri, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb. And Touch ID has a new, tactile ring that guides your finger for a fast, easy, secure way to unlock your Mac.
• Processor - Apple M1 Pro chip with 8-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores, 14-core GPU.
• Media Engine - Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, Video decode engine, Video encode engine, and ProRes encode and decode engine.
• Price - 14" M1 Pro with 16 GB Unified Memory and 512 GB SSD is $1,999 or $2,499 for the 1 TB model with 10-Core CPU ad 16-Core GPU.

Bottom line: this is an incredible laptop for photographers.

Infrared Photography Showcase from Our Recent Workshop

For the past month, our workshop photographers have been learning and practicing techniques for producing infrared images. Our class presentation was on Saturday, and I wanted to share a sample of the wonderful work they produced.

You can see the gallery here.

During the class presentation, each photographer talked about his or her images, shared the processes they used to create them, and discussed their plans for future work.

And because these are online events, we have participants from all over the world, ranging from England, to the U.S. east coast, the midwest, and California. So not only do they bring their unique artistic visions, but also a sense of where they live and what life is like there.

If you want to learn more about our online classes, visit The Nimble Photographer Workshops page. Among the other events, our next infrared photography workshop is scheduled for May 2022.

Apple's Most Tricked-Out M1 Max-Powered MacBook Pro Costs $6,099

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com.

The most tricked-out 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max will cost $6,099 which is significantly more than the max price of $2,300 for the first M1 13-inch MacBook Pro announced last year.

While Apple said that the 16-inch M1 Max-powered machine starts at $3,500, it's not hard to almost double that. Jumping from 32GB of unified memory up to 64GB of unified memory adds $400, and moving to 8TB of SSD storage capacity up from 1TB adds a whopping $2,200. Together, that brings the final price to $6,099.

Luckily, most won't need that much internal storage thanks to the abundance of Thunderbolt ports that support blazing fast external storage. If the base 1TB SSD isn't touched, the most powerful MacBook Pro Apple has ever made costs a much more approachable $3,900. That's not anything close to cheap, but if Apple is to be believed, this computer is set to make the M1, which already roasted much of the competition, look slow by comparison.

Sony teases the Sony a7 IV, confirms October 21 announcement

You can read the entire article on DP Review.

Sony has announced the forthcoming premiere for a new Alpha camera set to debut in just three days, at 10am EDT / 15:00 BST / 22:00 SGT on October 21.

As tends to be the case with many of these YouTube premiere teasers, Sony doesn't reveal any details about the camera in the video's description or in the placeholder image. That is, aside from the confirmation it will be a Sony Alpha camera system and its announcement date.

October 21 should prove to be an exciting day for Sony full-frame mirrorless camera fans.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! (And welcome to our new members.)

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 46 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #812, Oct. 12, 2021. Today's theme is "If There Ever Was a Time to Stand Pat." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I have become very familiar with the term, Request Stock Alert. As I compare recent camera announcements with availability, I see there is a fairly wide gap. You can receive shipment on some items, but they may not be the exact thing that you're hoping for. And this got me thinking, maybe this is a good time to simply appreciate the equipment that I have, and leave it at that. I explore this topic on today's TDS Photography Podcast (and lots more!). I hope you enjoy the show.

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If There Ever Was a Time to Stand Pat

Let's start with the story of my studio refrigerator.

When it comes to cameras, we're seeing a similar situation. Here's the latest Stock Requests on B&H:

Fujifilm XT-4, Fujifilm X100V, Fujifilm X-E4, Fujifilm X-T30II, Canon EOS R5, Canon EOS R3 (preorder), Canon EOS R6 (body only), Canon EOS M50 Mark II,Nikon Z7 II, Nikon Z fc (body only or with 28mm), Ricoh GR III X (not in US at all except through an Amazon channel), Sony Alpha a7S III (body only), Sony Alpha 1 (body only), and Sony ZV-E10 (body only).

Pentax, Panasonic, and Olympus had good stock numbers and could ship immediately.

With prices on the rise and availability spotty at best, it might be time to stand pat with your current gear. And maybe this is something we should be doing anyway.

Our Inner Circle Winner of Ben Long's New Book

Congratulations to John Pemberton who wrote:

"There are a number of things I liked that resonated, such as it's ok to shoot cliches, or that not every shot has to be the best ever, some are simply meant to be supporting images for others or practice for the future.

"But the insight I am going to use first and foremost is taking the practice of looking at other photographer's work to my photo club and pitch the idea of a "photo book of the quarter" that many of us get, review and then share with others who do the same. Then for one of our meetings we discuss an image that we each liked the most and why."

John, please send me your mailing address!

Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements 2022 announced with new Sensei-powered technology

You can read the entire article on DP Review.

Adobe has announced the 2022 versions of its Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements software. The applications are designed to make creative photo and video editing accessible and fun.

To that end, Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements include what Adobe calls 'Guided Edits.' These are step-by-step interactive tutorials you can use on your photos and videos to achieve specific editing tasks. The new applications add four new Guided Edits, bringing the total to 87.

The four new Guided Edits include a couple in Photoshop Elements, and the other two are in Premiere Elements. In Photoshop Elements, you can use a new Guided Edit to edit pet photos and extend photo backgrounds. For pet photos, you can adjust color and lighting, select and refine detailed edges like fur, remove collars and leashes and more. In the Guided Edit for extending photo backgrounds, you can use Content-Aware Fill technology to extend your image beyond its original crop, either to change an aspect ratio or just change up the framing.

Looking now at just Photoshop Elements 2022, the new software uses more Adobe Sensei AI technology than last year's release. You can use Adobe Sensei to transform your photographs into painting-inspired images. You can select from different artistic effects inspired by famous artwork and other popular styles.

Another Sensei-powered feature is the ability to warp photos to fit any shape. You can place one photo inside another by wrapping it around an object, like a mug, or fit the image into shapes, like the sunglasses example above.

Within Photoshop Elements 2022, you can combine still and motion photography with animated frames. You can place different moving overlays like snowflakes, hearts and sparkles to your still photos and then export the motion image as an .MP4 to share on social media.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2022 also includes new slideshow styles, a revised Organizer that lets you view GIFs in motion, and automatic software updates.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2022 and Premiere Elements 2022 are available now. The applications are available for macOS and Windows and can be purchased standalone or in a bundle. Standalone versions are $99.99 for new users and $79.99 to upgrade. The bundle is $149.99 or $119.99 for eligible upgrades. Education pricing is also available.

How I Made a Large Wall Print from an iPhone 6S

You can read the entire article on Medium.com.

Practically every photographer has Photoshop somewhere on their computer, even if it is generations old. One of the most useful tools in that application is Image Size, and you can use it to give your 12 MP smartphone pictures a resolution bump. This is particularly handy for making 13" x 19" prints.

For example, a 2016 shot of the Golden Gate Bridge that was captured with an iPhone 6S.

The original file measured 3024 x 4032 pixels. If I printed it at 300 dpi, I could make a 10" x 13" print with no cropping at all. That's short of the 13" x 19" output we were hoping for. But using Image Size, I could get there.

In Photoshop, I went to Image > Image Size, checked the box next to Resample with the Bicubic Smoother option, and increased the Fit parameters to 150 percent. The resolution remained at 72 ppi for this step. After clicking OK, Photoshop said that I could now make a 15" x 20" print at 300 ppi from the very same image. Yay.

Pergear Reveals a 10mm f/5.6 Pancake Fisheye Lens for Multiple Mounts

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.

Pergear has announced the new 10mm f/5.6 fisheye lens for Fuji X-mount, Micro Four Thirds, and Sony E-mount. The ultra-wide manual lens provides a 172-degree angle of view, which the company says is perfect for exploring creativity through distorting and exaggerating normal perspectives.

The new fisheye lens is made of solid metal but weighs only 100 grams (0.2 pounds). The front lens has a multi-layer coating that suppresses flare and ghosting. It also adds greater contrast and color reproduction when shooting in strong lighting conditions, the company claims. The lens comes with a built-in petal-shaped lens hood to provide protection for the lens and also to prevent stray light from entering the lens and causing unwanted flare.

The new Pergear 10mm f/5.6 fisheye lens is available on Pergear's online store for $89.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! (And welcome to our new members.) And be sure to sign up for Inner Circle Annual Gathering of the Clans on Saturday, October 23.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 46 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #811, Oct. 5, 2021. Today's theme is "Ben Long Says a Photo Practice Might Not Be What You Think." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photographer/Writer Ben Long joins the show this week to explain his ideas on how to grow as a photographer, as outlined in his new book, The Practicing Photographer. In the interview, I ask him how practice can be fun. He tells me I have it all wrong. And off we go! I'm pretty sure this is a half hour that you're going to enjoy.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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You can order The Practicing Photographer here.

Inner Circle Members: Here's How to Score a Free Copy of Ben's New Book

Share your favorite moment from the podcast and why it had meaning for you. To be eligible, you have to be an active Inner Circle Member. You can learn more by visiting our Patreon site

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! (And welcome to our new members.) And be sure to sign up for Inner Circle Annual Gathering of the Clans on Saturday, October 23.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 43 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #810, Sept. 28, 2021. Today's theme is "Why I'm Still Podcasting." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

The other day, during a conversation, someone asked me, "Why, after all this time, are you still podcasting? Don't you get tired of the grind?" In the moment, I wasn't overly articulate, other than to say, "I still like it." Scintillating, right? But after some reflection I was able to put my fingers on a few key reasons, and I'm going to share those with you in today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Why, 809 Episodes Later, I'm Still Podcasting

I wrote this piece for Medium.com, and I'm going to read it for you now. I think it sums up my love of podcasting quite well.

Canon Confirms the EOS R3 Is Not a Flagship Camera

You can read the entire article on fStoppers.

The Canon EOS R3 is one of the most technologically advanced cameras that Canon has produced. Improvements to the autofocus alone put the Canon EOS R3 ahead of almost every camera that Canon has ever produced. Despite this, Canon maintains that the EOS R3 is not a 1 series flagship camera.

The Canon EOS R3 is the priciest RF mount camera to date. With a price point of almost $6,000, it sits uncomfortably close to the Canon 1D X Mark III, the current Canon flagship camera. The Canon EOS R3 includes a number of improved features, such as video quality, autofocus, and a significant jump in the number of frames it can capture per second, albeit with the electronic shutter. However, the Canon EOS R3 is still not considered a flagship camera by Canon.

In a recent discussion with Canon, it was confirmed that the EOS R3 camera does not replace the Canon 1D X Mark III to become the new flagship. The key reason it's not considered a flagship camera is that the 1D series cameras are designed to operate in far more challenging conditions. Although the EOS R3 does have similar weather-sealing when the hot shoe cap is attached, it may not be as capable in tougher environments.

Interestingly, this could end up being a challenge for Canon. If a $6,000 camera is not a flagship camera for Canon, what will an actual 1 series RF mount camera cost? Also, what kind of features could we see in a potential 1 series RF mount camera?

It is, however, important to mention that there are a few features the 1D X Mark III holds over the EOS R3. These include a larger buffer and the ability to shoot much faster using the mechanical shutter. The 1D X Mark III can manage 20 frames per second for up to 1,000 images, whereas the EOS R3 can only manage 12 frames per second with the mechanical shutter. It's also limited to a maximum of 150 images when shooting at 30 frames per second with the electronic shutter.

In general, photographers that shoot with 1 series cameras expect zero compromises. And based on what the EOS R3 can do, Canon may have something remarkable planned for its first-ever RF mount flagship camera.

Our First Writing Workshop!

Writing for Artists Who Want to Publish (or just get better)

This online workshop is designed to help photographers, and all types of creatives, improve their writing skills for online sites including publications such as Medium.com. Useful for the business environment as well because improved clarity in writing often translates into successful business interactions.

Over the course of four sessions, you'll learn how to translate your thoughts into effective articles and posts that will engage readers. We will cover online style, article construction, self-editing tips, and promotion.

You will also have access to our online workshop community, DerrickStoryOnline, where you can ask questions, share techniques, and show off your work. Your membership to our online community extends pass the workshop itself, so you can continue to share notes with those who share your particular interests.

Our weekly meetings during the workshop itself are via Zoom, with AM and PM sessions available so you can match this event to your busy schedule. Plus, we record each session and make them available to participants for future reference.

You can sign up today and reserve your spot.

How I Use Two Printers to Save Money

You can read the entire article here.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! (And welcome to our new members.) And be sure to sign up for Inner Circle Annual Gathering of the Clans on Saturday, October 23.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 43 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #809, Sept. 21, 2021. Today's theme is "Photography's Final Flurry of Summer." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Canon, Apple, and GoPro close out our sizzling rampage of announcements at the end of summer. What a wild couple of weeks it has been. Today we're going to take a look at the final fruit of the season, then turn our eyes to what autumn and the close of the year might bring. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Photography's Final Flurry of Summer

#1 - Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless Digital Camera $5,999

Among the most significant technologies in the R3 is the 24.1MP stacked sensor which affords truly fast readout speeds to help reduce rolling shutter distortion and benefit fast continuous shooting and video recording applications. This full-frame BSI CMOS sensor is also benefitted by an updated DIGIC X processor, which helps boost the overall speed for up to 30 fps continuous shooting with an electronic shutter, 6K 60p raw and 4K 120p video recording, and intelligent Dual Pixel CMOS II autofocus with Eye Control AF for intuitive focus point selection.

Key features include: 6K Raw and DCI/UHD 4K Video Recording, Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, Eye Control AF, Sensor-Shift Image Stabilizer (5-axis), 5.76m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (120-fps refresh), 3.2" vari-angle LCD (4.15m-dot resolution), Dual Memory Card Slots (Slot 1: CFexpress Type B, Slot 2: SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II), built-in GPS module, can shoot natively in HEIF, a crazy amount of connectivity, and it weighs in at about 2 pounds.

Shipping begins November 30, 2021.

#2 - Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Lens $299

Ultra-wide field of view mixed with a compact and portable design, the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is a sleek everyday wide-angle prime. Blending a compact, lightweight design with a bright maximum aperture, this rectilinear ultra-wide comes in handy when photographing interiors and architectural subjects, as well as broad landscape views and astrophotography scenes.

Other features include: One aspherical element helps control distortion and promotes a high degree of sharpness; Super Spectra Coating has been applied to minimize flare and ghosting for improved contrast and color fidelity when working in strong lighting conditions; STM stepping motor offers fast, quiet, smooth, and accurate autofocus performance that is ideal for video recording as well as still shooting.

Minimum focusing distance of 5.1", along with a maximum magnification of 0.26x, makes this a unique option for close-up shooting while retaining great depth of field.

Configurable Control Ring can be used to adjust a variety of exposure settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.

Rounded seven-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing bokeh quality.

#3 - iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max

This information is from the article iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max: A15 Bionic chipset, new triple-camera array, ProMotion display and more on DP Review.

"At the core of the new iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max is Apple's A15 Bionic chip, which should offer slight performance increases compared to last year's iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models. The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max feature new 6.1" and 6.7" Super Retina XDR Displays, respectively, which top out at 1,200 nits of brightness (for HDR stills & video) and include Apple's ProMotion technology, which intelligently adjusts the refresh rate to improve performance when you need it and conserve battery when you don't (10-120Hz). The display can hit 1,000 nits peak brightness outdoors even outside of HDR mode, a 20% increase over last year's models."

"The triple-camera array on the rear of the device features a 6x focal length range, and includes a 77mm (equiv.) focal length (3x) telephoto module, a 13mm (equiv.) F1.8 ultrawide module and a 26mm (equiv) F1.5 wide module. The ultra-wide camera gets a 92% improvement in light-gathering ability compared to the F2.4 module in previous models. The wide camera module gets larger 1.9 �m pixels, up from 1.4 and 1.7 �m on the 12 Pro and Pro Max, respectively. The main, wide camera also uses sensor-shift image stabilization like last year's Pro Max model, while the ultrawide and telephoto use 'dual optical' image stabilization. In addition to stills, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro 13 Max can record Dolby Vision HDR video at up to 4K60p."

"A new video capture feature, called Cinematic Mode, has also been added to Apple's latest devices. This new feature, limited to 1080p at 30 fps, uses AI and Apple's depth mapping technology to track subjects and rack focus automatically with the ability to change the depth of field even after shooting, just as you can with the still photo Portrait Mode. You can also refocus the video after-the-fact."

"Another new camera feature Apple showed off is 'Photographic Styles,' which seems to be a more intelligent version of Picture Styles you typically see on DSLR, mirrorless and point-and-shoot cameras. When snapping a photo, you can choose between four different presets, which you can tweak to fit your specific editing preferences. When the shutter is pressed, the iPhone will then include your personal style in its image processing pipeline to give you the best image possible straight-out-of-camera."

"Apple says the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max last 1.5 and 2.5 hours longer, respectively, than their predecessors, due to improved efficiency and updated batteries."

"iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are available to pre-order starting this Friday, September 17 starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively, and are available in four colors: Graphite, Gold, Silver and Sierra Blue. Storage options range from 128GB up to 1TB, which is the first time an iPhone has been available with 1TB of storage."

#4 - Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 Lens $297

An ideal everyday lens, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 is a versatile prime straddling wide-angle and normal fields of view and featuring a bright f/2 maximum aperture. The distinct focal length is wide enough for spontaneous shooting but still tight enough for portraiture and selective focus shooting. Additionally, the lens's compact, portable form factor makes it perfect for walkaround shooting and equally well-suited to use on FX or DX-format camera bodies.

In terms of handling, a stepping motor AF system offers quiet and smooth focusing performance that benefits both stills and video capture and a programmable control ring can also be set for intuitive adjustment over a variety of camera and exposure settings.

This lens will be shipping soon.

#5 - GoPro HERO10 Black $499

Updating their flagship action camera with a 23MP sensor and a new G2 chip design for enhanced functionality, the HERO10 Black from GoPro adds more speed, performance, touch control responsiveness, and higher frame rates, rounding out this full-featured action camera. This newest model provides high-detail 5.3K60, 4K120, and 2.7K240 video and 23MP photos with updated professional settings and practical functions from its predecessor, the HERO9.

The front display, which in the previous HERO model showed status information, is now larger at 1.4" and offers a live view, allowing you to frame shots for vlogging and similar uses. A new HyperSmooth 4.0 digital image stabilization with in-camera horizon leveling lets you produce even smoother, more stable videos without a gimbal. While still a full-on action camera, the HERO10 Black makes use of its immense feature set to also let you use it as a webcam and for 1080p Full HD live streaming, and it also automatically connect to the cloud, allowing your footage to be uploaded while you shoot when you have a GoPro subscription. It provides a comprehensive solution for all your action cam adventures and it maintains a robust design that's 33' waterproof without an external housing required. An optional dive housing can additionally be used to take the camera into much deeper waters.

The Hero10 Black is shipping now.

IKEA's Sj�m�rke Goes Under Surfaces for Invisible Wireless Charging

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.

IKEA has been adding more function and style to the ever-expanding lineup of work-from-home furniture and accessories in its arsenal. The company's new the Sj�m�rke wireless Qi charging pad will bring wireless charging to nearly any wood or plastic-based surface in a home.

According to the instruction manual, the device is designed to mount underneath surfaces for which you'd like to hide cables in order to keep the room looking neat and minimalist.

Unlike most other wireless charging stations, which require users to place their rechargeable devices on a matt or charge station, this seven-inch by three-inch charger hides beneath a table or shelf using double-sided adhesive strips (or screws should buyers want to make it permanent), creating an invisible wireless charging station.

With its 5 watts of power, it will be available in IKEA stores and online starting October 2021 with a price tag of $40.

Our First Writing Workshop!

Writing for Artists Who Want to Publish (or just get better)

This online workshop is designed to help photographers, and all types of creatives, improve their writing skills for online sites including publications such as Medium.com. Useful for the business environment as well because improved clarity in writing often translates into successful business interactions.

Over the course of four sessions, you'll learn how to translate your thoughts into effective articles and posts that will engage readers. We will cover online style, article construction, self-editing tips, and promotion.

You will also have access to our online workshop community, DerrickStoryOnline, where you can ask questions, share techniques, and show off your work. Your membership to our online community extends pass the workshop itself, so you can continue to share notes with those who share your particular interests.

Our weekly meetings during the workshop itself are via Zoom, with AM and PM sessions available so you can match this event to your busy schedule. Plus, we record each session and make them available to participants for future reference.

You can sign up today and reserve your spot.

Preorders Available for Luminar Neo

What's New in Neo?

Layers let you effortlessly combine two or more images and manipulate them to achieve your desired effect.

Portrait Background Removal AI allows you to remove an unwanted background from your portrait in seconds thanks to AI.

Relight AI is a tool for controlling the light in your photos based on image depth as determined by AI, allowing you to easily and effortlessly fix photos that need fill lighting.

Mask AI allows you to easily detect and select elements of your photo for precise control over how tools are applied.

Pricing

Starts: September, 20 (8am New York Time)
Ends: October, 18 (8am New York Time)

For artists making a new purchase:
$65 for 1-seat license for Luminar Neo
$76 for 2-seats license for Luminar Neo

$94 for 1-seat license for Luminar Neo+Luminar AI
$115 for 2-seats license for Luminar Neo+Luminar AI

Luminar Neo should be available winter 2022. You can preorder now on the Skylum website.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! (And welcome to our new members.) And a big thanks to our iPad mini winner, Kevin McNamara! His favorite repurpose is: "With a Bluetooth connected speaker I use an old iPad as a digital stereo system internet radio and Apple Music."

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 43 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #808, Sept. 14, 2021. Today's theme is "My Top 5 Recent Gear Announcements." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

My word! The camera industry has been very busy of late. And we get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. With new announcements from OM Digital, Ricoh, Fujifilm, Venus Optics and others, there's enough window shopping to dazzle our eyes like a tot set loose in a toy store. What are the picks of the litter? I'll share my 5 favorites on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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My Top 5 Recent Gear Announcements

#1 - Sigma 24mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E

I-series lens emphasizing a sleek and stylish physical design built to the same operational standards of Sigma's Cine lenses, including a mechanical aperture ring, knurled metal components, and various switches and tactile controls for intuitive operation. Wide-angle 24mm lens designed for full-frame Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, however, can also be used with APS-C models where it provides a 36mm equivalent focal length. Minimum focusing distance of 9.65" for unique close-up shooting capabilities. Rounded nine-blade diaphragm contributes to a smooth and pleasing bokeh quality. All-metal body with high-precision metal parts and a metal hood. $639 and coming soon.

#2 - Ricoh GR IIIx Compact Camera

A newly developed 26.1mm F2.8 GR lens, which harmonizes exceptional image quality with a slim design. Unlike past GR-series models which featured a 28mm wide angle of view for exaggerated perspective, this lens provides a 40mm standard angle of view in the 35mm format, delivering images with a more natural perspective and a more truthful sense of depth for a completely different type of street photography. Also features an APS-C 24 MP sensor with 14-bit RAW, 3-Axis IS with Auto Horizon Correction function to effortlessly optimize image composition, and a cool accessory GT-2 Tele Conversion Lens to extend the focal length to approx. 75mm telephoto in the 35mm format, usable in combination with the camera's auto detection and crop functions. No U.S. availability set yet, but it is listed in the U.K. and E.U.

#3 - M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO

"OM Digital Solutions Corporation is pleased to announce the development of two new lenses that conform to the Micro Four Thirds System standard: the M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO compact large-diameter single-focal- length lens, and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO compact telephoto zoom lens. Both lenses will join the M.Zuiko PRO series, featuring compact and lightweight lenses that offer excellent resolution and make the most of the unrivaled portability and image quality that is the hallmark of the Micro Four Thirds System. In conjunction with this development announcement, the M.Zuiko Digital lens roadmap has been updated. OM Digital Solutions will continue to leverage the strengths of the Micro Four Thirds System to enhance its lineup of lenses and broaden opportunities for photographic expression."

#4 - FUJIFILM X-T30 II Mirrorless Digital Camera with 15-45mm Lens

Sharing a sensor with the professional-oriented X-T3, the X-T30 II features an APS-C-format 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, which has a back-illuminated design to afford smooth tonal rendering, improved low-light performance, and a low native ISO 160 setting. Plus, the camera features X-Processor 4 quad-core CPU inside X-T30 II offers fast, accurate autofocusing, 2.36m-dot OLED electronic viewfinder, rear 3.0" 1.04m-dot LCD touchscreen, Front and rear command dials, 18 Film Simulation and Grain Effect Modes, and XF 15-45mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS lens features a 23-69mm equivalent.

Lens and camera kit should be available in late October for $999.

#5 - Venus Optics unveils $899 Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95

The manual focus lens is constructed of 14 elements in nine groups, including one aspherical element, one extra-low dispersion element and four ultra-high-refractive elements. It features a fifteen blade aperture diaphragm, an aperture range of F0.95 through F16, has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (19.7") and uses a 72mm front filter thread. Plus there's a "de-click" switch for the aperture ring.
Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 FF is available for Canon RF, Nikon Z and Sony E mount camera systems and can be purchased via Venus Optics' official website and authorized resellers for $899. The first 100 units ship with a free focus gear belt.

And Still More to Come!

Both Canon and Apple are holding special announcement events today, so we will have more gear to discuss next week as well. Wow.

Apple Issues Emergency Security Updates to Close a Spyware Flaw

You can read the entire article on NY Times.

Apple issued emergency software updates for a critical vulnerability in its products on Monday after security researchers uncovered a flaw that allows highly invasive spyware from Israel's NSO Group to infect anyone's iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac computer without so much as a click.

Apple's security team has been working around the clock to develop a fix since Tuesday, after researchers at Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog organization at the University of Toronto, discovered that a Saudi activist's iPhone had been infected with spyware from NSO Group.

The spyware, called Pegasus, used a novel method to invisibly infect an Apple device without the victim's knowledge for as long as six months. Known as a "zero click remote exploit," it is considered the Holy Grail of surveillance because it allows governments, mercenaries and criminals to secretly break into a victim's device without tipping the victim off.

Using the zero-click infection method, Pegasus can turn on a user's camera and microphone, record messages, texts, emails, calls -- even those sent via encrypted messaging and phone apps like Signal -- and send them back to NSO's clients at governments around the world.

An Apple spokesman confirmed Citizen Lab's assessment and said the company planned to add spyware barriers to its next iOS 15 software update, expected this year. NSO Group did not immediately respond to inquiries on Monday.

Our First Writing Workshop!

Writing for Artists Who Want to Publish (or just get better)

This online workshop is designed to help photographers, and all types of creatives, improve their writing skills for online sites including publications such as Medium.com. Useful for the business environment as well because improved clarity in writing often translates into successful business interactions.

Over the course of four sessions, you'll learn how to translate your thoughts into effective articles and posts that will engage readers. We will cover online style, article construction, self-editing tips, and promotion.

You will also have access to our online workshop community, DerrickStoryOnline, where you can ask questions, share techniques, and show off your work. Your membership to our online community extends pass the workshop itself, so you can continue to share notes with those who share your particular interests.

Our weekly meetings during the workshop itself are via Zoom, with AM and PM sessions available so you can match this event to your busy schedule. Plus, we record each session and make them available to participants for future reference.

You can sign up today and reserve your spot.

Canon and Panasonic Drop Out of NAB Due to COVID-19 Concerns

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.

Panasonic and Canon have announced that neither will be attending NAB this fall as previously planned, joining Sony in pulling out of trade show commitments due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

Canon informed PetaPixel that it has canceled plans to attend both the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas as well as Infocomm in Orlando, Florida. The company issued the following statement:

Due to the ongoing health and safety concerns presented by the COVID-19 Delta variant, Canon has made a carefully considered decision to withdraw from this year's NAB and InfoComm Shows. The communities that NAB and InfoComm represent are something that we will greatly miss this year, but the health and safety of our team members, customers, and potential show guests is our number one priority. Canon will continue our plans to communicate exciting new products and innovations in virtual and remote settings, and our teams all over the world will share our news and updates in the coming weeks. We are continuously monitoring the situation and we look forward to attending events in the future.

While COVID cases have been slightly declining in Las Vegas where the NAB Show is still scheduled to take place from Saturday October 9 through Wednesday the October 13, concerns over safety have now led multiple companies to adjust plans for in-person exhibitions. InfoComm, which takes place in Orlando, Florida, is still scheduled to take place in late October, but the state currently accounts for nearly a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! (And welcome to our new members.) And a big thanks to our iPad mini winner, Kevin McNamara! His favorite repurpose is: "With a Bluetooth connected speaker I use an old iPad as a digital stereo system internet radio and Apple Music."

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 42 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

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