FroKnowsPhoto RAWtalk 214:Develop Your Film At Home, 50 Trillion Pixel Image + Nikon Cancels Cameras

Welcome back to another episode of the show, we hope you had a good two weeks. This week, we start off the show with a rally clap and hope you joined in.

Photo news brings us information about a 50-trillion pixel image, a way to develop your own film at home which I think seems pretty cool, four new SIGMA lenses and a whole lot more.

Gear of the Week brings us a NEW 24-inch teleprompter from the promoter people. We go FLYING SOLO before spinning the wheel and wrap the show up with memes and hashtags.

We hope you enjoy the show and as always, thank you for your continued support.

Here’s the memes we couldn’t post in the video so we posted them on Vimeo below:

00:00:16 Rally Clap!!!
00:07:49 My Gear Vault Update
00:10:18 Photo News
00:10:25 50 Trillion Pixel Image
00:12:28 Abstract: The Heart of Design
00:14:42 RANT: Cropping
00:17:25 The New Max Max Fugi Cameras
00:22:06 Develop Your Film At Home
00:25:51 Sigma Releases 3 New Art Lenses…and a 100-400mm
00:28:11 Press Photo of the Year
00:31:48 Canon Releases T7i and 77D
00:34:50 Canon M6
00:38:31 Drinking Straw Camera?
00:41:25 Nikon Cancels Camera Series
00:46:15 Gear of the Week
00:50:52 Flying Solo
01:18:52 Wheel of Fro
01:25:54 Memes of the Week
01:32:50 Hashtags of the Week

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

New Satellite Company Aims to Take 50 Terapixel Photos of Earth Daily

A new satellite startup company called Planet aims to take 50 one-terapixel images of Earth daily—that’s a 50-trillion pixel image once stitched together, every.single.day. The company already has 60 small “Cubesat” satellites orbiting around the world, but earlier this month they more than doubled that number, launching 88 more satellites. The new “Dove” satellites should be fully operational come this Summer, sending back the giant images daily. Google has also handed over its fleet of seven Terra Bella high-res satellites for Planet to run. As part of that deal, Planet will give Google access to its growing archive of imagery for at least the next few years. Google Earth is about to get even more detailed. (via TA)

New Netflix Series Focused on 8 Different Creatives Including Photographer Platon

There’s a new creative Netflix original series called “Abstract: The Part of Design”. The new 8-episode series helps viewers appreciate the arts a little more, focusing on the details of “eight of the most creative thinkers and imaginative minds working in the world of art and design today.” ‘Abstract’ includes a photographer, graphic designer, illustrator, a Nike shoe designer, automative designer, architect, interior designer and a stage designer. Specifically related to RAWtalk, one of the episodes showcases the work of photographer Platon, Check out the full trailer below and watch it now via Netflix.

Maxmax Offering Modified Monochrome Versions of Fuji Cameras

Camera conversion company Maxmax modified the Fuji X-Pro1 and X100s and created a monochrome version, similar to Leica’s M Monochrom, but for a fraction of the price. President Dan Llewellyn says, “To convert a camera to monochrome, we take the camera apart, remove the sensor, remove the sensor coverglass which is epoxied to the ceramic package then use special equipment to remove about 5 microns from the surface of the sensor removing the microlenses and the Color Filter Array. This exposes the bare photodiodes so that all the pixels see the same light.” In short, they removed the color filter… The resulting images should be sharper and more sensitive to light than your standard color-filtered camera. The new cameras can be purchased for a third of the price of the Leica M Monochrom ($7,450), coming in at $2,425 for the X-Pro1-M and $2,600 for the X100s. Check out sample images here if you’re interested. (via FS)

LAB-BOX Lets You Develop Your Film Anywhere, Even in Broad Daylight

A new Kickstarter called LAB-BOX lets you develop your film right at home. Calling it a new “multi-format daylight-loading film tank”—it lets you do just that, develop film just about anywhere, even in broad daylight. The new LAB-BOX allows users to process both 120 and 35mm film. it has a modular design so one format can be swapped out for the other. iIt’s very compact too, users can easily fit it in their bag, purse or backpack. Here’s how it works, you basically open the box, attach the film to the reel, close the box and begin to transfer the film on the spool. Then, you simply pour the chemicals in and agitate for about 10 seconds every minute. Easy, right? With its initial goal of $74,000, its already well surpassed that at $425,000 at the time of writing this article. For an early bird pledge of $84, you’ll get one LAB-BOX and one module, or for $116, you’ll get both modules. The campaign still has one full month to go. In the meantime, check out their full Kickstarter promo video below: (via PP)

Sigma Announces 3 New Art Lenses

Sigma has once again impressed the industry with three new Art lenses this past week: introducing the Sigma 14mm f/.8, 135mm f/1.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8. All of the lenses feature their Hyper Sonic Motor and the 24-70 features OS which is always a plus. The lenses will equal out to a total of 7 prime lenses in their Art lineup. Sigma notes that the 14mm is perfect for astrophotography, while the 135mm will be great for portraits and the 24-70mm will be an all-around workhorse. The trio of lenses will be available in full frame mounts for Canon, Nikon and Sigma bodies. Unfortunately no price or availability has been announced just yet.

Assassination Photo Wins Press Photo of the Year

The infamous assassination photo taken by AP photographer Burhan Ozbilici of an assassin holding a gun over top of Russian ambassador Andrey G. Karlov’s body has been awarded the Press Photo of the Year. There’s been much criticism surrounding the decision as well, as it’s quite a graphic image. Jury member Mary F. Calvert says, “It was a very very difficult decision, but in the end we felt that the picture of the Year was an explosive image that really spoke to the hatred of our times.” On the flip side, Stuart Franklin—the jury’s chairman—says he did not vote for the image, because he was afraid it somehow “amplif[ied] a terrorist message.” Check out the photo here along with a bio of the photographer and his camera settings used for the image. (via PP)

Photo via Burhan Ozbilici

Canon Announces the Rebel T7i and 77D

Canon has announced a trio of entry-level cameras: the Rebel T7i, 77D and new EOS M6. Spec wise, the T7i and 77D are nearly identical on the inside, and only really differ with some physical buttons on the outside. Notable specs include the same 24.2MP APS-C sensor that Canon has been toying with for the past year, however they upgraded these with the DIGIC 7 processor and they now shoot 6fps. ISO finally has a massive bump in their Rebel series too, ranging from 100-25600 natively now. Also, a big leap in the AF system: both cameras now feature 45 AF points—all cross-type. That’s more cross-type sensors than the recently released 5D Mark IV (although it has a much more superior AF system. The cameras have also been upgraded with their Dual Pixel AF system, which we all love here at FKP. Some minor differences: the 77D offers the same metering system as the 80D along with Canon’s Anti Flicker mode, which the T7i doesn’t offer. It also houses a top LCD screen that nobody uses and back-button focus, which could cause many people to jump to this specific one. The 77D has a jog dial wheel where the T7i just has a d-pad control. Is this enough to jump ship for an extra $150? The T7i comes in at $750 for the body only with the 77D priced at $900, with both being released in April.

Introducing the Canon EOS M6, a Replacement for the M3

Meanwhile, Canon also introduced the EOS M6, which is essentially an M5 without the EVF. The tilting screen flips up now as well, where the M5’s EVF made it only possible for the screen to tilt down. A few things to note about the M6: this is a direct replacement for the M3, Canon has changed up the naming scheme to match their DSLR number lineup. So where there is the 7D, 5D and 1D, there will now be the M6 and the M5—the lower the number the higher quality the camera is. Is this Canon hinting that there’s room for a full frame mirrorless camera coming? Hmm… Price wise, it’ll cost $780, which is about $200 cheaper than the M5. However, if you purchase the optional EVF, that will run you more than the cost of the M5 with the built-in EVF. In the end, no, this will not replace the M5.

This Camera is Made Up of 32,000 Drinking Straws

There’s a new experimental camera that was created using 32,000 drinking straws. Cleverly called the Straw Camera, it’s basically a wooden box with a ton of straws crammed in it. The homemade camera was designed by photographers Michael Farrell and Cliff Haynes, and works by simply letting light pass through thousands of 10-inch straws that each serve as an individual “lens.” The lenses combined provide the camera with a theoretical f/127 aperture—talk about deep DoF! The light then hits photosensitive paper behind them and exposes it, similar to a pinhole setup. However, Haynes says “There is very little in common between the pinhole camera and a straw camera. The pinhole gives an entire image from a single point perspective. The Straw Camera produces a multipoint perspective from an array.” The resulting images basically look like what a fly’s perspective would be of the world. The duo also made a 2nd version of the camera made out of black plastic protective floor sheeting instead of straws, since the straws tended to shift each time, creating their own unique signature in each photo, with the “pixels” appearing to move. (via PP)

Nikon Cancels DL Lineup, Stock Drops 15%, Announces “Extraordinary Loss”

Nikon have officially canceled their DL series—their compact 1-inch cameras that were announced last year, but never made it to market after several delays. Nikon says, “Everyone involved has worked very hard to develop products with which our customers will be satisfied. However, it has been decided that sales of the DL series will be canceled due to concerns regarding their profitability considering the increase in development costs, and the drop in the number of expected sales due to the slow-down of the market.” The camera giant also announced to shareholders the “Recognition of Extraordinary Loss” due to restructuring expenses (about $260 Million in total). 1,000 workers are also being let go via a voluntary retirement plan. Since the announcement, the companies stock dropped 15% the following day. Is this the end of Nikon, or just the beginning of a second life?