Reminder: You can now preorder the new Luminar 4 with the world’s first automatic Sky Replacement technology

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Reminder: Skylum announce the new Luminar 4 software (info here). It’s available for preorder now and it will be available this fall. Among the many new features it also will have the world’s first Sky Replacement technology.

There are two bundle offers:

1. Luminar 4 + Signature Looks bundle for US$59 instead of US$138
2. Luminar 4 + Signature Looks + Luminar 3 bundle for US$89instead of US$207

Current Luminar 3 owners pay $49 only:

Full press text:

Sky’s the limit: Luminar 4 introduces the first automatic Sky Replacement technology

Utilizing the proprietary technology based on machine learning, Luminar 4 will be the first photo editor to have a fully automated Sky Replacement tool to save the artists hours of editing.

BELLEVUE, WA – July 23, 2019 — Today, Skylum announces the upcoming release of Luminar 4, set to ship this fall. Skylum continues to push innovations forward through machine learning tools. In addition to the new AI Sky Replacement tool, Luminar users can expect to see more machine learning present in Luminar 4. With its easy-to-use interface and sensible workflows, Luminar 4 is a great choice for creatives looking to move their photography forward.

“With Luminar 4 we continue to empower everyone who loves photography to make incredible images faster and easier,” said Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum. “No one needs a “simply another photo editor” these days. That’s why with every Luminar update we bring photographers something truly meaningful, something that will really level up their creative skills.

In Luminar 2018, Skylum introduced the AI Sky Enhancer filter, helping to add depth and color back into flat or blown-out skies. Earlier this year, Skylum added the Accent AI 2.0 filter to Luminar 3, a powerful content aware filter powered by machine learning to automatically enhance images. Now, with Luminar 4, AI Sky Replacement offers the first automatic tool for replacing skies. Machine learning tools like these are the foundation of the Luminar platform, helping to save photographers hours of manual labor so they can achieve their creative dreams.

Why AI Sky Replacement?
Sky replacement methods have become popular in recent years with landscape photographers, in order for them to truly showcase their creative vision. Up until now, photographers have spent minutes or even hours manually replacing skies, through tools like Smart Selection, Luminosity Masking, Overlaying, Layers, Masking, Smart Brush, Color Range and more. And even with all those tools, it was hard to get a perfect sky.

While development of AI Sky Replacement has been equally challenging, Skylum’s machine learning technology means that photographers can apply a realistic sky to their photograph in mere seconds, freeing up time to be more creative.

How does it work?
AI Sky Replacement works by automatically detecting not only the sky, but also objects in a photograph’s scene. This helps make sure the photo ends up being as realistic as possible once you insert a new sky. It removes things like halos, artifacts and edges of transitions, problems that often were present in existing sky replacement techniques. With the AI Sky Replacement you will also be able to adjust the sky to fit the rest of an image — things like depth of field, tone, exposure and color — making it great for not only landscapes, but also portraits.

When working on an image, the AI Sky Replacement technology automatically creates a mask for the sky, taking a step that would oftentimes take minutes or even hours, and boiling it down to mere seconds with just the click of a mouse. But that’s not all it does — AI Sky Replacement also correctly detects the horizon line and the orientation of the sky to replace so that it looks as realistic as possible.

Furthermore, with the scene relight technology, you’ll see the rest of your photo change in terms of light and color when you select your sky of choice. This makes sure that an image and sky match so they appear they were taken during the same conditions. Because of the toning that AI Sky Replacement does to an image, it looks as natural and smooth as possible.

The new AI Sky Replacement filter is the perfect tool for recreating that special moment that you might not otherwise be able to revisit. It’s great to bring life into vacation photos where the weather wasn’t perfect, or surprise moments where you couldn’t plan for the perfect conditions. And best of all, it’s available through a simple, easy-to-use tool in the Luminar 4 interface.

Now, with AI Sky Replacement, it’s easier and faster than ever for photographers to achieve their goals, and focus on what they enjoy most — photography.

Pricing and availability
Luminar 4 is set to be released this fall. Pre-orders are now available on skylum.com.
Pricing will be announced at a later time, and upgrade pricing will be available for current users.

About Skylum Software
Skylum is a global imaging technology company with offices in Bellevue, USA; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Tokyo, Japan. Skylum allows millions of photographers to make incredible images faster. We automate photo editing with the power of Artificial Intelligence yet leave all the creative control in the hands of the artist. The Skylum Team has won the Red Dot Award, Apple’s Best of the Year, and other top industry awards. To learn more about Skylum, visit http://skylum.com.

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Rumor recap: Two new RX(?) cameras, A7sIII and future 100mm and 500mm FE lenses

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Time for a rumor recap:

Sony Cameras:
FACT: At this time Sony has already registered two new “entry-mid” level cameras in Asia. RUMOR: They could be the RX100VIIA (24-70mm lens version) and the RX10V (article here).
FACT: Sony confirms professional APS-C cameras are on their roadmap and said an enthusiast model is on the way (article here and article here).
FACT: Sony confirms new APS-C E-mount gear will be announced in 2019 and “exceed” expecations (article here).
FACT: Sony said the A7sIII will have more than people expect (article here).
FACT: Sony said A6500 successor is on the roadmap (article here).
RUMOR: Sony A7sIII is going to be announced this fall and feature a completely new kind of sensor (70% reliable – article here)
RUMOR: Sony A9II to be announced in time for the Tokyo Olympics (which means well before that)
RUMOR: Sony 8k sensors and new codec specification (90% reliable – article here).
RUMOR: Quad Bayer FF sensors from Sony (90% reliable – article here).
RUMOR: Sony A6500 successor has similar form factor and FZ1000 battery.

Sony Lenses:
FACT: Sony said f/1.2 FE lenses are a possibility (article here).
PATENT: Sony patented new 100mm f/1.4 and 500mm f/4.0 lenses (article here and article here).

Third party lenses:
FACT: Tamron said a new FE zoom lens will be announced as next (rumored to be a 70-200mm f/2.8 FE – article here).
FACT: Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 E-mount lens to be announced soon (article here).
RUMOR: Yongnuo will also announce new 35mm f/1.8, 35mm f/2.0 and one 24-70mm FE lens this year! (90% reliable – article here)
RUMOR: New 50mm f/1.0 FE lens being developed by a chinese manufacturer (90% reliable – article here)

One more thing:
PATENT: Sony patented a new drone camera (article here).

For potential SOURCES:
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New Tamron 17-28mm FE review by Marc Alhadeff: “excellent Price/Quality ratio, Highly recommended”

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Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 FE preorders:
In the USA at BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig and Adorama.
In Europe it’s available at Amazon DE, Calumet DE, WexUK, Park UK, Amazon IT, Amazon FR, Amazon ES, CameraTools NL.

Marc Alhadeff tested the new 17-28mm FE lens and writes:

The Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD (1000 euros) is an excellent complement to the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD, it offers very good/excellent performances at 2,5 times less the price of the Sony FE 16-35 mm F2.8 GM (2700 euros)
Obviously the focal range is smaller , but if you have the Tamron 28-75 it complements it without any overlap (like a 16-35 GM is overlapping with the 24-70GM)
Bokeh and color rendition are very good and similar to the 16-35 GM
Sharpness is very good to excellent and similar to the 16-35GM. The Sony 16-35mm is however better at 24/28mm at F2.8 in the corners (only visible on 42 / 61 Mpix )
If you do a blind test on a 24Mpix camera like the A7III you won’t see any difference This is excellent for a lens at 1000 euros i.o. 2700 euros !
Compared to the Sony 16-35 F4 Zeiss Vario Tessar (1100 euros), the Tamron delivers better performances
Globally an excellent Price/Quality ratio, Highly recommended

Pros
Price

Lightweight and small
Very Good to excellent sharpness
Very good AF
Limited distorsion and vignetting
No CA
Very good blurry background and Bokeh
Very good color rendition

Cons
Limited range : no 16mm, need to switch lens to 28-75 to reach 35mm
24/28mm corners performances wide open are a little bit lower than the rest of the range

More new 17-28mm FE tests:
Comparison with Tamron 17-28mm and Sony 16-35mm f/4 at Admiringlight.
Image samples shot with the new A7rIV by ThePhoBlographer.
Japanese tests at Asobinet and DC.watch.

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New firmware update for the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 FE lens

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Samyang released a new firmware update for their 14mm FE lens.

Links to all Samyang/Rokinon FF E-mount AF lenses:
14mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
24mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
35mm f/2.8 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
35mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama. Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
45mm f/1.8 at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
50mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.
85mm f/1.4 at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon. Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.

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New Sony 135mm GM tested by ePhotozine: “very impressive lens”

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ePhotozine published their full 135mm GM review. The conclusion:

The Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 G Master is indeed a very impressive lens. In terms of design, ergonomics and performance it cannot be faulted. It is expensive, and that is really the only downside to a lens that will produce the goods and offers the potential of a very long service life.

A superb choice for Sony FE mount full frame users and as such Highly Recommended.

The real one big issues with this lens is that it’s not in Stock anywhere :)

Preorders: Sony 135mm GM at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama and FocusCamera. EU at ParkCameras, WexUK and Calumet DE.

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Re-watch the full Sony A7rIV presentation. For the last 20 months it has been number 1 in the USA Full Frame camera market

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Below you can find the full Sony A7rIV presentation video. Small side note: Sony claims that for the last 20 months it has been number 1 in the USA Full Frame camera market:

Sony A7rIV and new accessories:
Sony A7rIV in USA/CA at BHphoto, Adorama, FocusCamera, Amazon, BuyDig, Henrys.
Sony A7rIV in EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK, Calumet NL.
Sony A7rIV in Asia at Sony Japan. Sony Australia.
Sony VG-C4EM grip in USA at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, ParkUK, WexUK.
ECM-B1M Digital Audio Shotgun Microphone at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.
XLR-K3M Mic at BHphoto, Adorama, Amazon, FocusCamera, BuyDig, Park UK.

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