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Snapchat adds Challenges feature with user-created lenses
Just in time for the holiday season and those lazy evenings where you're trying to figure out something fun to try with your family, Snapchat has launched a feature that lets you create and take part in lens-based challenges with others. With Lens Challenges, you can dare others to take on tasks such as singing along to Gwen Stefani's rendition of "Jingle Bells" or using a camera trick to make it seem as though you vanish in a "Disappear" challenge.
Researchers find a way to fix the purple halo effect in images
While cameras and cutting-edge microscopes have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, the optical technology these kind of products use hasn't really changed since the mid-1700s. Even the highest spec gear relies on compound lenses, which were invented around 1730. Their main function is to bring together different wavelengths of light that otherwise focus in different spots. This corrects what's called "chromatic aberrations," or in other words, the purple halo that appears in images when the wavelengths are focused at different points. The problem is, these lenses are bulky, expensive and not as effective as they could be. But researchers at Harvard have found a solution with its newly-developed "metacorrector".
Canon EOS R review: Brilliant mount, but flawed 4K video
Canon has a lot riding on its first-ever full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R. Not only is it an important camera on its own, but it's the ambassador for Canon's all-new RF mount system. It isn't just competing against Sony's heavily entrenched and popular A7 series, like it was two months ago. Now, archrival Nikon has its own full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Z6 and Z7, also with an all-new system called Z-Mount. When I first saw the EOS R in Maui, I fell in love with the big mount and the potential it represented for sharper, faster and more compact lenses. But living with a camera is different from having a crush on one. After using it for nearly two months, I feel it has a lot going for it, like the world-beating Dual Pixel autofocus system, great color science, excellent lenses and a solid build. Given the price, however, it has incredibly steep competition from Nikon, Fujifilm and especially Sony. But if my issues with video and handling are anything to go by, you might want to think again before laying down $2,300 for the EOS R.
How to pick a lens for your mirrorless camera or DSLR
When buying a mirrorless or DSLR camera, there's an equally crucial side question: What lenses do I need for this thing? The glass you place in front of that sensor plays a key role in how your photos or videos look and what kind of shooting you can do. It's a complex decision too. You need to consider factors like sharpness, distortion, speed, prime or zoom, and most importantly, price. In this guide, I'll touch on all that and look at some of the best lenses for Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Micro Four Thirds cameras.
Snap is bringing augmented reality Lenses to the desktop
Fresh off its Q3 2018 earnings report, in which it broke a revenue record, Snap Inc. is making another major announcement. Meet Snap Camera, a standalone application that will bring the company's popular augmented reality filters, aka Lenses, to the desktop. Interestingly enough, the new app won't require a Snapchat login, a move Snap says is part of its vision to expand the Lens ecosystem beyond mobile.
Sony is working on 12 new lenses for its Alpha mirrorless cameras
Now that Canon and Nikon are eager to get a piece of the mirrorless camera market, Sony is letting it be known that it isn't slowing down its efforts in the space anytime soon. The company announced at Photokina 2018 that it has 12 new E-Mount lenses in its roadmap, which will increase the number of native glass for its Alpha shooters from 48 to 60. Just last week, Sony introduced the FE 24mm f/1.4 GM, a full-frame format lens priced at $1,400.
Olloclip's new clasp fits fancy lenses to any smartphone
Olloclip first started making special camera lenses for smartphones seven years ago, and an initial kit for the iPhone 4 snowballed into a whole business. Many new lenses and photography accessories have followed, typically in tandem with a new iPhone. But even when Olloclip ventured outside the Apple bubble, its products have always been device-specific. That changes with the newly announced and catchily named "Multi-Device Clip," which on its own is a simple mount you can clasp around any phone, Apple or otherwise. It's into this mount that you insert any of the company's "Connect X" lenses, originally developed specifically for the iPhone X.
Snapchat's new Lenses respond to your voice not your face
Today, Snapchat announced that it is rolling out a new set of Lenses that will respond to your voice. There's no need to make a facial gesture, like an eyebrow raise or sticking your tongue out, to activate these. Simply say one of the recognized English words, like "Hi," "Love" or "Wow," and the Lenses will animate. These Lenses will begin appearing today in a global rollout.
Light's multi-lens camera tech is coming to a phone
A couple of years ago, Light launched its L16 camera, a "multi-aperture computational camera" that features 16 lenses. Ten or more of them capture an image simultaneously but at different focal lengths and the camera then combines those separate images into a single 52-megapixel photo. Now, the Washington Post reports that the company is working on bringing that idea to a phone.
Snapchat's latest AR trick turns Lenses into games
Snapchat's augmented reality Lenses are clever, but not particularly engaging. You probably won't use them outside of the occasional moment when they help express what you're feeling. Snap may have a clever way to keep you coming back, though: add a game-like element. It's unveiling Snappables, or Lenses that let you play AR games (and other interactive experiences) with friends. You can fight aliens, blow up virtual bubble gum, or jump into a world like a nightclub. You'll even get a score in some of these experiences, in case you want to challenge a friend.
Snapchat's new Lens Studio tools make AR creation easier
Snap has teamed up with a handful of partners to create new Lenses and new tools for the Lens Studio, which can make designing AR effects a simpler process. One of its new partners is StudioMDHR, developer of popular run and gun indie video game Cuphead. The companies created a special Lens that pits you against Cuphead and Mugman (the game's main characters drawn in 1930's style cartoons) in your snaps -- or, more accurately, they shoot you until it's game over.
Nikon goes after video pros with the D850 Filmmaker's Kit
Until recently, Nikon had been wasting an opportunity to make its cameras more appealing to filmmakers. It doesn't have a pro video camera lineup to cannibalize, unlike Canon and others, so by adding 4K and other video features to DSLRs, it could have made taken sales away from rivals. Thankfully it started to catch up with the D850, which features 4K with no cropping and 1080p,120fps slow motion. Now, Nikon has made its clearest pitch for videographers yet with the Filmmaker's Kit.
Snapchat will feature creator-made AR Lenses in its carousel
Snapchat plans to give its AR Lens offerings a boost by feature submissions from its users. In late March, you'll start seeing Lenses with their creators' names underneath their titles mixed with Snapchat's own and sponsored options. According to Mashable, Snapchat will feature some of the Lenses people created using the company's Lens Studio tool. It's unclear what qualities will make Snap choose a particular Lens -- at the very least, it most likely has to look good and well-made -- but interested creators will have to opt into Snap's "Creator Boost" program if they want the company to consider their submissions.
Snapchat lets you create personalized Lenses for parties
If you post to Snapchat without a dancing hotdog or puppy face, did you even Snapchat? The platform already offers a baffling range of filters and AR novelties to play with, and now it's getting even more. From today, users will be able to create their very own personalized face lenses for events and celebrations, and have access to a whole bunch of new caption styles.
Snapchat has cute AR foam fingers for you to wave at NBA games
With its 2017-2018 season getting ready to tip off tomorrow, the NBA's been quite busy making tech announcements ahead of it. Not only did it reveal an augmented reality app for the iPhone yesterday, but now it's teaming up with Snap Inc. on a brand new Lens experience for Snapchat. Fans who are at or near an NBA arena this coming year will get access to special Lenses, which let you place a digital foam finger in a physical area around you. As you can see above, the cute character wears team jerseys and can show different emotions that you can share when you send snaps to your friends.
Snapchat's new filters make your photo backgrounds look surreal
Snapchat is rolling out some new filters today that go beyond your face. Now, any time the app detects a sky in your picture, "Sky Filters" will show up in the filter carousel. They'll allow you to switch the real sky out for something entirely different including a starry night, a sunset, one with a brewing storm or a sky with rainbows. The filter options will rotate daily.
Snapchat adds augmented reality emoji to your videos
Snapchat has offered a variety of silly, weird (and sometimes racist) filters for a while now. Today, though, Snap is rolling out a few new "world lenses" that have a new trick. You can now place a small group of 3D objects right in your scene and move around them as if they're real-life objects. This expands on the world lenses that the company first revealed back in the fall last year.
Snap's newest Lenses could make any surface a billboard
The next evolution of Snapchat's Lenses could add more than just a flower crown to your selfies. According to a new report from The Information, Snap Inc. is working on a smarter version of its cartoonish filters and world lenses that could overlay images -- and advertisements -- onto a variety of real-world objects.
Prescription lenses for Snapchat's Spectacles just got cheaper
While Snapchat's Spectacles are pretty neat, they're not ideal for those who need prescription lenses. A couple weeks ago, however, Rochester Optical announced that it would offer corrective lenses for the video-recording glasses for only $99. That sounds pretty good, right? Well, GlassesUSA announced today that it would offer the same thing starting at only $29 for single vision lenses. The catch here is that you'll need to have your very own pair of Snapchat Spectacles to start with. That's because you're only ordering the lenses themselves. Simply enter in your prescription and then you can choose from a variety of lenses such as reflective lenses, tinted sunglasses, transition lenses, computer "digital block" lenses" and more. Once you receive the lenses through the mail, you'll be able to "snap" those lenses in place yourself by following a how-to tutorial. There's no need to send the Specs to a specialty retailer. It all seems pretty easy enough, though the trick is getting those Snapchat Spectacles in the first place. Better head on over to New York City to get your pair now.
Olloclip's new lenses attach quickly to your iPhone 7
Now that there are new iPhones with revised cameras, many smartphone photographers are going to want new Olloclip lenses. Thankfully, they've arrived... and Olloclip didn't just tweak the connectors and call it a day. Its new Core, Active and Macro Pro lens sets not only have improved optics ("premium multi-element coated glass," Olloclip says), but an improved interchangeable lens system. Called Connect, it separates the frame on your phone from the lens housings. This lets them quickly attach to and align with your iPhone's camera, even if you have a screen protector. You should spend less time swapping lenses and more time shooting, in other words.
