What's new in HDR Imaging?
Releases, tech demos, rumours, papers.
Cool Cameras for HDR Photography
January 24, 2008Jack Howard, the HDR buff at PopPhoto.com, has put together an excellent article about the best cameras for HDR photography. I agree 100% to Jack's recommendations, which are:
I'd like to add the new Samsung GX-20, which is the "separated birth" twin of the Pentax K20D - just a little cheaper and with a different menu and buttons. Check out the spec sheet and a brief hands-on review on dpreview.com.
Also an interesting read is our very own forum thread on this topic.
- Pentax K20D
- Canon EOS 1D Mark III
- Nikon D3
I'd like to add the new Samsung GX-20, which is the "separated birth" twin of the Pentax K20D - just a little cheaper and with a different menu and buttons. Check out the spec sheet and a brief hands-on review on dpreview.com.
Also an interesting read is our very own forum thread on this topic.
Comments
The HDRI Handbook goes international!
January 24, 2008First of all, sorry for the slack!
Lately this news blog wasn't getting the attention it deserves, partly because I took some well-deserved time off during the Holiday season, partly because I was busy with other things.
The German version of The HDRI Handbook was one of these things we were cooking. An army of professional translators was working on it, but since I speak German pretty well myself, they had to deal with my supervision and nit-picky notes.
Well, they survived, and today "Das HDRI-Handbuch" goes to press. I dare to say it takes about a month to print, so the first books can probably be expected to show up by the end of February. Given my track record of wrong estimations, it might come later. Or earlier. Who knows.
"Das HDRI-Handbuch" is published by the dpunkt verlag, and you can already pre-order from Amazon.de.
Lately this news blog wasn't getting the attention it deserves, partly because I took some well-deserved time off during the Holiday season, partly because I was busy with other things.
The German version of The HDRI Handbook was one of these things we were cooking. An army of professional translators was working on it, but since I speak German pretty well myself, they had to deal with my supervision and nit-picky notes.
Well, they survived, and today "Das HDRI-Handbuch" goes to press. I dare to say it takes about a month to print, so the first books can probably be expected to show up by the end of February. Given my track record of wrong estimations, it might come later. Or earlier. Who knows.
"Das HDRI-Handbuch" is published by the dpunkt verlag, and you can already pre-order from Amazon.de.
Sigma 4.5mm F2.8 EX DC Circular Fisheye
November 16, 2007Great news for Panographers!
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Sigma just anounced a full circular fisheye specifically designed for cropped-frame DSLRs.
Downside was, that you would need a full-frame camera for that to work. Entry point used to be the Canon 5D & Sigma 8mm fisheye, which clearly is a big budget decision.
The Sigma 4.5mm opens the door to skydomes/quick panoramas for the rest of us. Now any camera with cropped frame sensors will do. The lens is expected to be $1000, but that's still better than getting a new camera all together.
Check out dpreview.com for the full stats!
( tipped by forum member jeansebc )
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title="Click to enlarge" />Why is it such a big deal?
If you read the book all the way to chapter 6.5, you will see that the full 180 degree circle is the prerequisite for shooting a skydome fast and easy. And a full 360/180 panorama is done with as little as 2 or 3 shots (check the Companion DVD for some example shots, like the one below).Downside was, that you would need a full-frame camera for that to work. Entry point used to be the Canon 5D & Sigma 8mm fisheye, which clearly is a big budget decision.
The Sigma 4.5mm opens the door to skydomes/quick panoramas for the rest of us. Now any camera with cropped frame sensors will do. The lens is expected to be $1000, but that's still better than getting a new camera all together.
Check out dpreview.com for the full stats!
Update:
Looks like Amazon lets you already preorders this lens for $899.( tipped by forum member jeansebc )
Introducing LightBitch
November 14, 2007Yet another application that was cooked right here in the HDR Labs!
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LightBitch a plugin for LightWave3D, that turns an HDR image into a dome of lights. It's fully integrated and fully interactive.
For the first time ever you have a drag-n-drop interface for sampling light colors from an image. It also includes a Median Cut engine, that will place the lights automatically in an optimized pattern. So it's really up to you how much you want to drive the lights yourself, or how much you want to leave to science...
Release note: LightBitch is bookware, means it is bundled with my book. It's fully functional in demo mode, but you will need the HDRI Handbook to disable some annoying nag requesters.
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title="Click to enlarge" />For the first time ever you have a drag-n-drop interface for sampling light colors from an image. It also includes a Median Cut engine, that will place the lights automatically in an optimized pattern. So it's really up to you how much you want to drive the lights yourself, or how much you want to leave to science...
Other feature highlights are:
- Realtime Normalizing of Light intensities.
- Creates the popular "spinning light" rig.
- Leaves nothing behind but a regular scene: fully FPrime- and farm-proof.
- Autodetects a previous light rig and lets you tweak it
Release note: LightBitch is bookware, means it is bundled with my book. It's fully functional in demo mode, but you will need the HDRI Handbook to disable some annoying nag requesters.
The truth about this website
November 11, 2007Assuming by now you're holding your copy of the HDRI Handbook in your hand, I think you are ready for the truth:
The whole package consists of 3 parts. It was laid out like that from the start, with each part riding on the specific advantages of it's medium. And this is how it works:
So that is the scoop. Read the book. Play with the DVD content. Make your own HDR experiences. And the come back here and get involved in the HDRI community!
By the way - I am constantly working on improvements to this site. The latest feature is automatic Google translation via the flag icons in the upper right corner of each page. This might not be the best quality of translation, but people who really can't read English are not left out anymore...
I am also keeping this website an ad-free zone. You won't see Google-ads or anything alike here, simply because I hate that stuff myself. The site is a service for my readers, and so every link you see here is purposely put there and can be trusted.
Happy browsing!
Christian Bloch
HDRLabs.com is the official Companion Website to the book.
The whole package consists of 3 parts. It was laid out like that from the start, with each part riding on the specific advantages of it's medium. And this is how it works:
1. The Book
- 340 pages hold the majority of textbook information.
- Filled with high resolution, full color images.
- Quick to browse offline; convenient offline reference.
- Looks great on your shelf and makes you look smart.
2. The Companion DVD
- 4.3 GByte (filled up to the max).
- HDR images, bracketed exposures, tutorial files.
- All material royalty-free, under the CC license.
- Essential HDR software to get you started.
3. The Companion Website
- Always up-to-date: news (right here) and link directory of HDR software.
- A community forum: feedback channel and community hub.
- Permanent home for all new software and projects that premiere with the book.
So that is the scoop. Read the book. Play with the DVD content. Make your own HDR experiences. And the come back here and get involved in the HDRI community!
By the way - I am constantly working on improvements to this site. The latest feature is automatic Google translation via the flag icons in the upper right corner of each page. This might not be the best quality of translation, but people who really can't read English are not left out anymore...
I am also keeping this website an ad-free zone. You won't see Google-ads or anything alike here, simply because I hate that stuff myself. The site is a service for my readers, and so every link you see here is purposely put there and can be trusted.
Happy browsing!
Christian Bloch
