This Dr. literally CUT my eyes out: RAWtalk 143 an interview with my Eye Dr.

Eyes, they are so very integral to every day life and even more so when your business revolves around seeing the world and capturing it. Many people don’t know that I was born with an eye condition that causes my eyes to shake which in turn hurts my vision.

I have been seeing one of the best eye doctors in the world named Harold P. Koller since I was a small child. In fact he did surgery on me that involved cutting the muscles in my eyes and relocating them into another position.

I’ve always wanted to sit down with Dr. Koller for a discussion because I know he can pass along some fantastic information. This interview isn’t just about my eyes, it’s about how you should be taking care of yours. What are the warning signs to look out for to determine if there may be an eye issue and what to do if that happens. Check out the interview at 51:58 to hear out entire discussion.

This weeks episode is brought to you by TOKINA. Tokina is a lens manufacture with deep roots into lens manufacturing. They make consumer glass, professional glass as well as super high end optics for the movie industry. I got to hold onto one of their cinematic lenses at NAB this year and all I can say is WOW what a fantastic hunk of glass. They may not have the largest lineup of lenses but the ones they do have are worth a peak. They just released a 24-70 2.8 lens that if you’re tight on cash and need a killer full frame lens this one could be for you. Check it out right here.

Stephen brings us the weeks “Photo NEWS” each episode where he takes the largest stories around and shares them. Todd is back this week with his commentary and we continue to test out the GoPro Hero4 Session on his angle.

Gear of the week this weeks brings us the Tilta by Ikan which is an affordable rig if you are in the market for one. It’s not the cheapest and it’s not the most expensive, it falls right in the middle and may be the right fit for you. BorrowLenses was kind enough to send me out a Canon XC10 to test out, so we discuss that and a few more things.

Wheel Of FRO got spun but I honestly didn’t have a name prepared which means I will pick two people for next weeks episode. One will spin the wheel FRESH and the other will win the LEXAR prize from this week.

Thanks to everyone out there who continues to support the show including the sponsors on the Wheel of FRO. See below for the table of contents from this show.

Show Intro – 00:00:16
Photo News – 00:11:12
Update – 00:42:25
Dr. Harold P. Koller Interview – 00:51:58
Gear of the Week: 01:23:24
Wheel of Fro: 01:32:53

Here’s all of Stephen’s photo news stories in detail:

Google+ Photos Officially Shutting Down

Google’s Google+ Photos service is officially shutting down. The company says they’re taking it down “in an effort to ensure everyone has the best photos experience.” Google+ Photos will start shutting down on Aug. 1, 2015. The Android app will be the first to go, followed by the online service and iOS app. The apps and websites may be going away, but your photos and videos will still be available through their new service that just launched in May, Google Photos. The good news is that if you don’t want your images on Google Photos, the company says that you can export all your content from the service using Google Takeout. If you’re confused as to what the difference between the two services are, this may help: Google bought Picasa in 2004 and renamed it to Google+ Photos years later. Then, they launched Google Photos a few months ago which comes with unlimited storage. Two completely separate services.

Iconic Kodak Film Manufacturing Plant Demolished

Another death in the photo family, Kodak’s 92-yr-old film manufacturing building was demolished last week. 100 lbs of dynamite took down the historic Building 53 at Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York. The 250,000-square-foot plant came down in just 20 seconds and was all caught on video which you can view below. Since 2003, Kodak has spent $200 million in demolishing around 45 buildings. (via TWCN)

FAA Investigating Weaponized Quadcopter

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a teenager who WEAPONIZED a quadcopter. Earlier this month, a YouTube video named “Flying Gun” was uploaded which showcases a makeshift quadcopter carrying a LOADED handgun. In the video, the gun is remotely triggered and fires numerous shots while the quadcopter is still in the air. The copter was built by an 18-year-old Connecticut mechanical engineering student named Austin Haughwout. According to local reports, Connecticut police say no state laws were broken here. However, the FAA says they will investigate the operation to determine if any Federal Aviation Regulations were violated. Austin’s father says, “he’s a mechanical engineering student. He builds all different kind of things.” He adds that, “the proper name for this is an RC quadcopter. The media keeps using the inappropriate word because it helps you to generate fear.” If you haven’t seen the viral video yet, then take a look below: (via Gizmodo)

Drones Preventing California Firefighters From Putting Out Fires

A California wildfire crossed a freeway this past week and set a few cars on fire that were in the way. Authorities are saying firefighters could have done more to save the cars and surrounding homes but multiple drones got in the way of their firefighting operations. At least FIVE drones were spotted over the fire, which caused all five firefighting air units to return to the airport. What’s worse? Two of the drones even chased the air units, which ended up delaying the firefighters even more. The fire resulted in more than a dozen cars destroyed along with five homes, which officials say could have been saved. John Miller of the U.S. Forest Service says, “[Drones] can kill our firefighters in the air. They can strike one of these things and one of our aircraft could go down, killing the firefighters in the air. This is serious to us. It is a serious, not only life threat(ening), not only to our firefighters in the air, but when we look at the vehicles that were overrun by fire, it was definitely a life-safety threat to the motorists.” The U.S. Forest Service later put out a poster that warns drone pilots to stay out of the air during wildfires. The poster, which you can view below, reads “if you fly, we can’t.” (via NBC SC)

California Lawmakers Propose Bill To Allow Firefighters To Knock Out Drones From the Sky

Lawmakers are taking action to deal with the California drone problem. An upcoming California bill aims to give firefighters permission to knock camera drones out of the sky in order to safely do their job. Senator Ted Gaines announced that he will be introducing a new bill, Senate Bill 168, to help protect firefighters from camera drones. Gaines says that it, “grants immunity to any emergency responder who damages an unmanned aircraft in the course of firefighting, air ambulance, or search-and-rescue operations.” He says, “this bill will help make sure the skies are clear of drones and that the brave men and women fighting these fires can do their job of protecting the public without worrying about frivolous lawsuits.” He also proposed another similar bill (SB-167) that introduces even harsher punishments for drone pilots that are caught interfering — penalties such as a fine of up to $5,000 and 6 months in jail; whoa. Gaines says, “private drones don’t belong around these emergencies. That is the first message I want to get out, but if one gets damaged or destroyed because it’s in the way then that can’t lead to financial penalty for the people trying to save lives and property.” He adds that, “it’s unfortunate, but that’s all it is. People can replace drones, but we can’t replace a life.” (via Engadget)

Firmware Update to Bring Still Mode To RED Cameras

After a recent firmware update, the RED Epic and Scarlet now have a Still Photo mode. Why would you use a RED for stills you ask? Well, the sensor offers 16.5 stops of dynamic range at nearly 20 megapixels. RED says, “6K 3:2 resolution translates to over 19 MP, packing the same detail you expect from your DSLR into a cinema camera. When you can capture up to 100 frames per second at full resolution, you get 100 chances per second to capture the perfect picture. Every still is raw and Adobe Photoshop compatible.” In the newly updated “S” mode, when you press the camera’s record button it will capture a single or multiple frames rather than capturing video. One of the main issues here is that they do not offer flash triggers, so you can only use continuous light for your subjects. Check out a video from RED demonstrating the new mode and how to get into the still menu and options below: (via FS)

NASA Snaps 1st Photo of Earth from 1 Million Miles Away

NASA has captured a photo of the Earth with a camera that’s one MILLION miles away for the first time. Their new Deep Space Climate Observatory Satellite (DSCOVR) shot the image with its Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC). The EPIC has a b&w four-megapixel CCD sensor and an 11.8-inch telescope lens. NASA says, “the color images of Earth from NASA’s EPIC are generated by combining three separate images to create a photographic-quality image. The camera takes a series of 10 images using different narrowband filters — from ultraviolet to near infrared — to produce a variety of science products. The red, green and blue channel images are used in these Earth images.” The crazy part is that every picture captured by DSCOVR actually shows what happened on Earth FIVE seconds in the past, because that’s how long it takes light to travel from Earth to the camera. For reference, the iconic Blue Marble photo captured by the crew of the Apollo 17 in 1972 was just 28,000 miles away. Once all systems are up and running, DSCOVR will be taking photos of Earth every two hours. Starting in September 2015, the photos will be regularly posted to an online gallery dedicated to the shots. As always, you can download this image in all of its full-res glory for free here. (via PP)

Rhinos Being Equipped with Camera Implants to Catch Poachers

Rhinos are being equipped with camera implants in their horns now to help catch poachers. The new system, called Real-time Anti-Poaching Intelligence Device (RAPID), includes the camera implant, GPS tagging and heart rate monitors. Here’s how it works: the rhino has the gear embedded in its skin and horn, which they say doesn’t cause any pain or harm to the animal. If a rhino is ever chased and attacked by poachers, its rapidly-changing heart rate will alert operators at a control center, who then turn on the camera. Park authorities can then be sent to the animal’s aid in a matter of minutes using the transmitted GPS coordinates. An estimated 1,200+ rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa last year, which is about one killing every eight hours. Check out a POV video from the rapid camera attached to a rhino below: (via TV)

Forever 21 Is Recreating Your Instagram Photos with Spools of Thread

Forever 21 is recreating your Instagram images with spools of thread for free on their new interactive billboard. The prototype agency Breakfast has created a new type of billboard made entirely of spools of thread (6,400 to be exact). There’s 200 modules, each made up of 32 spools. Each spool is wrapped with fabric containing 36 colors and can mechanically recreate any image sent to the billboards processor. If you use the hashtag #f21threadscreen, Forever 21 will build and display any image on your Instagram account in full 60 x 60 pixels (equivalent to a 5-bit image) live for the whole world to see. Over six miles of total thread is being used on this billboard which features more than 600,000 parts. Breakfast co-founder, Andrew Zolty, says “Forever 21 was looking to experiment with something quite different than what they’ve done in the past. They gave us a rather open brief, and from the start we knew we wanted to build a web-connected experience that anyone could try from anywhere in the world. We focused on thread, with it being the most basic element of fashion and quite versatile. We also focused on Instagram, as it’s the most artistic/creative of social networks, and Forever 21 has a massive following on there. [With 7.5 million followers, it’s 45th most followed account.] The idea developed from there.” You can head over to the official live “Thread Screen” page, where you can watch the billboard get threaded live as new hashtagged Instagram images come in. The campaign will be running from now until July 28, so you have until then to use the hashtag and get your picture shown. (via FS)

Taylor Swift Updates Photo Contract In Photographer’s Favor

Taylor Swift’s photo contract has been updated to be more photographer-friendly. The revised copy addresses concerns that were raised in her previous contract which we talked about a few weeks back. Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel of the NPPA (National Press Photographer’s Association), helped draft the new photo release. It’s designed to address photographers’ and publishers’ concerns while still being satisfactory to Swift’s representatives. The new contract says that photographers who violate the agreement “may be asked to delete those images,” rather than saying Taylor’s crew “may confiscate and/or destroy the technology or devices that contain” the photos. Photographers and publications will also be allowed to publish photos more than once, as long as it’s for news/editorial purposes and not for commercial usage. Osterreicher says, “Ms. Swift should be commended for showing by example her concern not only for the rights of musicians but for the rights of the photographers and organizations that cover her concerts.” He adds that, “after taking the time to hear our concerns regarding her world tour photography guidelines agreement, the news and professional associations and Taylor’s team are very pleased to have been able to work together for a revised agreement that is fair to everyone involved.” (via PP)

Is This The New GoPro Killer?

Introducing the E1, the world’s smallest Micro-Four Thirds 4K camera. Z Camera, the Vegas startup company behind it unveiled the tiny but powerful camera via a new Kickstarter campaign. Spec wise, it’s the size of a GoPro but offers the interchangeable lens option of a mirrorless camera. The 16MP sensor can shoot RAW DNG and JPG stills, 4K at 24FPS, ultra high-def video which is 3840×2160 resolution at 30FPS, or 1080P at 60FPS (they say 120FPS at 720P is in the works too). The company says it has “incredible” low-light performance, and can shoot at 102,400 ISO while maintaining good image quality, thanks to 3D noise filtering technologies. They recommend not going higher than 6400 though. It has a remote companion app just like the GoPro for both iOS and Android. Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, takes a MicroSD card, continuous autofocus in both photo and video mode, a 45-minute battery life for 4K recording but it is replaceable, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen on the back (unfortunately it’s only 320 x 240 resolution). It will pair with a wide range of AF (auto-focus) lenses too, available from brands such as Olympus, Panasonic Lumix, Leica and Sigma. Also, they say they’re working on a waterproof housing for it. Price wise, it’s going for $699 when it hits stores but early adopters can get it for $449 if they contribute to the campaign, which bundles with a 14mm f2.5 Panasonic lens. It’ll start shipping in December of 2015. It already surpassed its goal of $42,000 and has raised over $222,000 at the time of writing this article. Check out the Kickstarter video below which has sample footage; could this be a GoPro killer?