Olympus TG-850 Winner

So the winner has been chosen. Both myself and the Olympus UK team went through all the amazing #TG850MAY photo entries and unanimously agreed on the winner. The theme for May was to post 'action' or 'tough' themed photos and this one from Joseph Choi really captured so much action in the boy doing an awesome flip. The emotion in the face is epic too. Congratulations go out to Joseph who has won an Olympus Stylus Tough TG-850 camera. Thank you to everyone else who took part, keep checking back for more photography competitions coming soon. 

@pauljyyang

jchoi717's photo on Instagram

Think Tank Photo’s “About A Photograph™”

About A Photograph : Saul Loeb from thinkTank Photo on Vimeo.

Santa Rosa, Calif. – Think Tank Photo today launched “About A Photograph™,” a free video series that features some of the world’s leading photographers recounting the stories behind their images that captured global attention.  Narrated by the actual photographers who took the photos, each short video focuses on the forces that led up to that perfect moment in time when subject, story, setting, equipment, and photographer converged.  

The series can be found at http://blog.thinktankphoto.com/about-a-photograph/

The first video in the series features Agence France-Presse photographer Saul Loeb.  In it he narrates the events that led him to capturing the iconic “Presidential Hug” image from the 2012 United States presidential campaign.  His photo captures a Florida pizza shop owner lifting and bear-hugging a surprised President Obama.  At that moment Loeb felt, “This could end up being the defining photo of the campaign season.”

“About A Photograph” is being produced by Kurt Rogers and Deanne Fitzmaurice, Think Tank Photo’s co-founders and award-winning photojournalists.   The video series will feature current as well as classic and historic photographs that span a range of styles, including documentary/photojournalistic, fine art, nature/environment, sports, and politics.

“When we photojournalists go out on assignment we never know what awaits us,” said Rogers.  “It is through our training as experts in sensing when and where events will unfold that we are able to capture images that best convey the story.  ‘About A Photograph’ allows photographers, students, teachers, historians, and others to get inside the heads of these expert photographers at that fleeting moment of creation.

“The images being featured range from the beautiful to the tragic, from the humorous to the informative,” said Rogers.  “The one trait they share is that all are memorable and capture the essence of visual storytelling.” 

Think Tank Photo will release new “About A Photograph” videos every three weeks. 

About Think Tank Photo

Think Tank Photo is a group of designers and professional photographers focused on studying how photographers work, and developing inventive new carrying solutions to meet their needs. By focusing on “speed” and “accessibility,” we prepare photographers to Be Ready “Before The Moment,” allowing them to document those historic moments that reflect their personal visions and artistic talents. We design products that help photographers travel easier, take pictures faster, and organize their gear more efficiently.

Instagram Hits 100 Million Active Monthly Users

Instagram is feeling no ill effects following its terms of service nightmare from last year. Instead of seeing a “max exodus,” the company is actually still growing, on Tuesday announcing the app sees 100 million monthly active users—10 million more than last month. TechnoBuffalo added to that tally.

On Instagram’s blog, co-founder Kevin Systrom reminisces about the company’s humble beginnings, and the amazing community that has shaped the app’s success. “It’s easy to see this as an accomplishment for a company, but I think the truth is that it’s an accomplishment for our community,” Systrom said.

It’s quite the accomplishment for a company that still has such a small team, and shows the community is an integral part—you, me, friends, family. Instagram has never been about the filters, but the sharing. And it seems more and more people each month are finding what a joy it is to share their experiences from around the globe.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Jessops closes for good, 1,370 jobs lost

Sad news: Jessops is to close its doors, leaving 1,370 employees out of a job. Just one day after Jessops went into administration, administrators PriceWaterhouseCoopers announced that all 187 stores would close.

Shops will begin shutting today. 1,370 jobs will go in stores, with more job losses to follow at the company's head office in Leicester. PWC blames a lack of support from suppliers, without which the chain cannot continue to trade, for the death of the 77-year-old company.

The Jessops website is still showing cameras and other products, complete with prices, but you can't buy them. You also can't return goods bought from Jessops. If you do have a problem with a camera or other kit bought from Jessops, try contacting the manufacturer; Nikon told me today that you can return faulty kit for free.

Nikon says it's working on completing outstanding repairs to kit being fixed under Jessops Photo+ extended warranty, and will contact affected customers directly.

The Jessops photo service is still available.

Jessops is the first high-street casualty of 2013, following a raft of closures last year. The biggest gadget shop to go under is Comet, which crashed to Earth leaving a £50m unpaid redundancy bill to be footed by the taxpayer.

Meanwhile, HMV has launched a major sale to raise fast cash as it too struggles to meet debt obligations. It seems unlikely that Jessops will hold a sale.

[Souce: CNET]

Facebook adds drag-and-drop photos, trials simplified Timeline and delivers new privacy controls

Anyone who's returned from an event with a virtual armful of photos may have been frustrated with Facebook's upload interface, which until now has involved a less-than-intuitive file browser. The company is quietly solving that problem: an update pushing out to individual users lets them drag-and-drop photos into a new post, like we've seen on other social networks, and to a newly streamlined Messages format that's rolling out at the same time. A much smaller circle is seeing a second update. Facebook has confirmed to ABC News that it's conducting limited trials of an updated Timeline that moves the news feed to a single column, replaces the thumbnail navigation with simpler-looking tabs and makes all profile page information available through scrolling. A spokesperson wouldn't say if or when the new Timeline would reach the wider public, but history points to "when" being more likely. They did however mention that the new privacy shortcuts, activity log and untagging tool would be going live for all users starting tonight, and we've already seen them pop up on some of our accounts.

[Source: Engadget]

Nikon patents digital sensor back for old-school 35mm film cameras

Can't let go of that aging 35mm SLR accustomed to a strict film-only diet? Nikon seems to be toying with the idea of feeding its older models digits instead, judging by a Japanese patent application published last week. It was filed just last year and shows a digital back designed to be swapped out easily, complete with a screw adjustment to fine-tune the all-important focal distance. The patent was scoped by prolific Japanese blogger Egami, who pointed out that a different design would be required for each of Nikon's film SLR models, which all have different backs -- but an actual product coming to market seems quite a stretch anyway, at this point. Such devices are commonplace on medium format cameras though, and Leica even offered one for its R8 and R9 35mm SLR cameras as recently as 2007. Still, a pure digital version of our classic F2? Yes please.

[Source: Engadget]

Flickr for iOS gets a major overhaul

Just like Marissa Mayer promised, Yahoo has revamped its Flickr app for iOS to bring it back in line with the oh-so-social modern era. Whereas the Android app was updated back in August, the iPhone version has had only minor improvements over the last few years and was starting to look seriously dusty compared to the competition. In terms of individual features, the new app doesn't do much that various other third-party apps can't do already, but it does bunch them all into one polished package that is happy to work across multiple networks. In addition to Flickr, for instance, you can readily share your snaps with Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. You might also dig the camera app, which separates exposure and focus points to give you more creative control over your images -- and yes, there are the obligatory filters too. The app is live on the App Store right now.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram officially kills photo integration within Twitter, leaves no trace behind

If you've taken to Twitter today, it's likely that you noticed all your Instagram photos that were stored as gallery Cards are gone. Unfortunately, this isn't a temporary glitch: as of today, the photo-sharing service has officially killed all photo integration on Twitter. So, although links to your photos will function like normal, there is no way to preview them within Twitter anymore. If you'll recall, it was merely a few days ago that Instagram pulled Card support from Twitter, which made any filtered snapshots display in wonky fashions within the micro-blogging network. While today's move by Instagram isn't totally shocking -- it would rather you view pictures on its new browser-accesible profiles, after all -- it's a shame that the contents of many Twitter galleries have vanished in a flash.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram Badges are now available, because your web profile deserves the love

It's a minor move, but the app that never even acknowledged the desktop world until recently is taking its first notable step to promote Web Profiles. Instagramhas today launched Badges, which are intended to help users "link to and promote one's Instagram web profile." Sure, designers with the right skill set have been able to do similar for some time, but now it's easy. Just surf over to your web profile, hit your username and select 'Badges' from the drop down menu. And just like that, you'll be on your way to adding yet another little icon to your About.me page -- not like things weren't crowded enough with Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Google+, Tumblr, Formspring and Foursquare already.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram rolling out web profiles, sepia toning the world's browsers one account at a time

Instagram is getting ready to open up its collection of filtered images to the web. The photosharing service announced via blog post that it's going to be rolling out web profiles over the next few days, bringing profile photos, bios and shared images to easily navigable URLs at instagram.com/[username]. If you have photos set to private, you'll still get a profile, but those images won't be shared with the web at large. The site also notes that web uploading isn't currently enabled, seeing as how it's always been focused on mobile devices. If you don't have a page yet, you should be good to go within the week. In the meantime, you can check out other profiles in Instagram at the source link below.

[Source: Engadget]

The Canon EOS M Mirrorless is Here (almost)

Canon has announced their entry into the mirrorless camera market with the EOS M, due to be available around October 2012.

"An 18-megapixel interchangeable-lens compact system camera small enough to take anywhere. Enjoy simple creative controls and superb low-light performance for stunning images."

It sports a nice compact body and a large APS-C sized sensor. From what I have seen online, it does look like a bit too much plastic and not enough metal has been used, so I just hope the build quality is as good as the camera actually looks… which is very sexy.

"The EOS M keeps performing at its best, even when light levels get low. Hybrid autofocus ensures pin-sharp photographs and evaluative exposure metering picks the most appropriate shutter speed and aperture. Shoot hand-held pictures in low-light conditions without using flash or a tripod, thanks to a maximum sensitivity of ISO 12,800 (expandable to ISO 25,600)."

Alongside there are also two lenses, a 22mm and an 18-55mm, both of which are dedicated to the EOS-M line, but also use the recently introduced STM (stepper motor) which uses the new phase detect AF for improved focus during video use. There is also a new dedicated flash and an EF/EF-S lens adapter, so you can use your existing canon lenses.

Keep an eye on Geekanoids for the full review when this becomes available.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 8th June 2012 – Canon UK & Ireland today unveils two new compact, lightweight lenses - the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM. Showcasing a number of new features, including continuous autofocus in Movie mode, both models offer superior image quality and enhanced flexibility to enable photographers of all skill levels to capture both stills and movies of practically any subject.

Fast, accurate autofocus for film-makers and photographers 
As well as offering full-time manual focus controls when shooting stills, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM are both also ideal for aspiring movie makers, allowing them to focus more accurately during shooting. The perfect companion lenses to the new EOS 650D, both models feature new stepper motor technology (STM), enabling fast, continuous focus when recording moving subjects - ensuring movies will be smoother and clearer than ever before.

Offering enhanced AF performance with high-speed, high-precision focusing, the two new lenses make it easy for photographers to capture more spontaneous shots, with exceptional detail and clarity. This is particularly useful for documentary, action or travel photography. With a minimum focusing distance of 0.39m and 0.3m respectively, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM allow you to get even closer to the action whilst keeping the subject in perfect focus.

EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM – versatile, high-performance zoom

Offering a focal range of 18–135mm, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM has been created to offer photographers a compact, versatile zoom lens which can be used to capture a variety of subjects, from portraits to landscapes and action shots. Ensuring high-quality stills at slow shutter speeds, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM features an intelligent optical Image Stabilizer which offers a 4-stop advantage over non-IS models. The lens will also sense whether the photographer is shooting normally or panning, engaging the most appropriate IS mode to capture the best possible image. When shooting movies, Dynamic IS automatically engages, countering any shake caused by the videographer’s movement to produce smooth, stable footage. 

For subtle background blur when exploring shallow depths of field in stills and movies, the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM features a circular aperture with an Electro Magnetic Diaphragm (EMD) which permits highly-accurate control over aperture settings. High image quality is also assured throughout the zoom range thanks to four groups of lens elements including one Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) and one Precision Molded Optics (PMo) element to counter chromatic aberration. Canon’s optimised Super spectra coatings on each lens element also reduce ghosting and flare, ensuring images require minimal post-processing.

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM – super-slim, high image quality

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is Canon’s first EF pancake lens with a fixed focal length of 40mm and wide f/2.8 aperture, making it ideal for photographers who want a versatile, compact and lightweight lens for portrait, reportage, travel or landscape situations. Precision control over the circular, seven-blade aperture is enabled by the EMD, producing a beautiful bokeh effect and an aspheric lens with Super spectra coatings ensures optimal image quality from the centre of the lens to the periphery for stunning shots of practically any subject.

EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM – key features

• Versatile 18-135mm zoom range – perfect for travel 
• Smooth, quiet STM focusing when shooting movies on compatible cameras 
• Dynamic Image Stabilizer for smooth movie footage 
• Fast autofocus with full-time manual override 
• Minimum focusing distance of 0.39m 

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM – key features

• Portable pancake design 
• Smooth, quiet STM focusing when shooting movies on compatible cameras 
• Fast f/2.8 maximum aperture for low-light shooting 
• Close focus to 0.3m 
• Fast, quiet AF for pin-sharp results 
• Great image quality right across the frame 

Pricing and Availability

The EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is available from July 2012, priced at £479.99/€569.99 RRP incl. VAT. 

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is available from 15th June 2012, priced at £229.99/€279.99 RRP incl. VAT.