Instagram Weekly Winners - Balance
/The Challenge was Balance. Thank you to everyone that took the time to shoot and tag their images. The challenge for the next week is My Town, which is to say you should capture something that represents your town. Tag your shots on Instagram with #PRTV_mytown. <a href="http://photorec.tv/PRTV" target="_blank">More info about the weekly Instagram challenge</a>.Toby’s winnerhttps://instagram.com/p/5hjnNai02w/Honorable Mentions https://instagram.com/p/5fsloSjT-O/https://instagram.com/p/5mZ8i6Nrq_/Christina’s Winnerhttps://instagram.com/p/5pMQKhR6XF/Honorable Mentionshttps://instagram.com/p/5r4GOsjcE6/https://instagram.com/p/3TxRjON10O/See all the entries https://instagram.com/explore/tags/prtv_balance/See the current challenge
A trait shared by mirrorless camera systems, regardless of if they are micro 4/3rds, APS-C, or full frame, is that the flange distance, or distance from the mount to the sensor, is short in comparison to film cameras and DSLRs. This allows for the adaptation of lenses from other systems, including legacy glass. Adapters for almost any systems can be found, and are often extremely inexpensive*.*Higher quality adapters are available that can cost hundreds of dollars, but add features. Inexpensive adapters simply allow you to mount the lens from one system to another.When adapting lenses to your camera there are several considerationsOptical quality- New lenses have superior optical formulas and coatings to reduce aberrations and provide sharpness that stands up to modern, high megapixel sensors. Optical quality of and performance on modern sensors will vary.Adapter size- Depending on the system that you are adapting lenses from, the adaptor will add size and weight to your system. Leica mount lenses (M & M39 screw mount will be smaller in size. R mount Leica lenses use a larger, more traditionally sized adapter).Aperture control- Legacy/vintage lenses often have an aperture control ring on the lens. This allows you to use a cheap “dumb” adaptor and still have control of aperture. When adapting lenses such as Canon EOS or Nikon G lenses special, more expensive, adapters must be purchased that provides aperture control through electron connections.Focusing- Vintage lenses, for the vast majority, were manual focus to begin with and the technologies built in to the modern mirrorless bodies such as focus peaking and magnification make manual focusing an enjoyable experience (granted manual focus may not be an appealing option if you enjoy photographing moving subjects). Lenses with autofocusing abilities paired with adaptors with electronic autofocusing capabilities will provide limited usefulness. However focusing systems within mirrorless cameras continue to improve as does the technology in the adapters. Autofocusing capabilities will only get better (as promised in the A7rII).Exif Data- As inexpensive adaptors contain no electronic connections, no Exif data will be embedded in the files (focal length and aperture, ISO and shutter speed will be recorded as they are controlled by the camera).Cost- The cost of vintage glass will vary greatly. Many lenses are available in good condition for very little money on sites such as eBay. As adapting vintage lenses continues to increase in popularity, the secondary market for these pieces of glass continues to raise prices. Certain lenses are now being marketed as “rare," "hard to find," or "one of a kind" and the prices reflect that. Also, lenses made by Leica and Zeiss tend to reflect their higher initial MSRPs.Specialty adaptorso Speed boosters – Reduce the crop factor and increases the maximum apertureo Built in iris control – Adapter effectively has built in aperture controlo Helicoid adaptor – Allows you to reduce the minimum focus distance of the lensPersonal ExperienceI adapt a 
*I have read several articles that discuss using wide angle M mount lenses on digital sensors results in softening of the corners and vignetting filled with color fringing, but have no personal experience.With both the Fuji X-E2 and the Sony A7II, I utilize the combination of focus peaking and magnification to achieve focus. I use focus peaking to get my focus close and then use magnification to ensure critical focus. I will warn against relying too heavily on focusing peaking since it shows the entire focus plan rather than critical focus. For my uses, I do not miss autofocus provided with the focus assist aids built into the mirrorless cameras that I am using it with.
Closing ThoughtsAs someone who thoroughly enjoys experimenting with new gear, the experience of adapting lenses is a positive one. Having to manually focus helps me to slow down and think more about the photographic process. Adapting lenses is not a solution to all shooting situations or all photographers using mirrorless cameras, but it provides an opportunity for many to use great 
The f1/.8 II version was notoriously loud in focusing and this became even more apparent when using it in live view with the Canon cameras offering continuous AF in live view. The new model offers STM technology which provides smoother, faster and MUCH quieter focusing. It is not silent like the STM kit lenses, it does still makes an audible sound that will be recorded by the on camera mic in quieter environments which is similar in performance to the 24 and 40mm STM primes.https://instagram.com/p/2_2uCENMOa/?taken-by=photorectobyClose focusing distance has been improved slightly which is a nice but again the difference is slight and still not as close as the 24 and 40.[unitegallery CloseFocusing50stm2]Image Quality remains about the same - at times the new STM version looks to be a tiny bit sharper, especially as you stop down from f/1.8 but if you have the original and you are only looking to get sharper images - I do not recommend upgrading to the new lens.
Related - 
The lightweight (2.8 lb) and tiny (10.29” x 10.29” x 3.22”) drone is the perfect size to throw in a bag without needing a lot of extra equipment. Waterproof up to a meter it can handle the weather just fine including taking off on water and salt water exposure. The Lily gets 20 minutes of flight time on one charge and only requires two hours to charge. Due to waterproofing the battery is internal and unfortunately cannot be switched out for more flight time. Lily has a 100’ maximum range but can keep up with the action up to 25mph and handle 15mph winds. Due to the size constraints and waterproofing unfortunately the Lily does not support mounting for a camera gimbal.
Sporting a 12MP wide angle camera comparable to a GoPro Hero 3 you can get decent photos for a low price. In terms of focal length a 94 degree field of view is not to the fisheye levels of the GoPro with the trade off of a reduction in the lens distortion. It includes 1080p video as well at 60fps for smooth action without any motion blur. Being your selfie wingman Lily can leverage its feature detection to automatically switch between shooting videos and still shots. For sports and action it can switch to 120fps slow motion (at 720p) with built in feature detection automatically when you're hitting a snowboard jump for example. While the drone itself has a built in microphone they've thought ahead and included one also in the tracker capturing your audio which can be combined back with the video in post.
In terms of use the drone is fully autonomous although you can change settings such as flight behavior, framing, and camera controls through its smartphone app (IOS and Android). Through the app you can also view a low resolution live stream from the Lily’s onboard camera. While it doesn't have the functionality of the smartphone app the tracking device also doubles as a basic remote for taking photos and video as well as a emergency stop.
In order to gain a few extra centimeters of height – useful for tall photographers – without having to rely on a fully extended telescopic Center Column, FEISOL engineers created the new CT-3441T Rapid model which is a fusion of the time-proven CT-3441S main-frame with the taller CT-3442 legs, and equipped the CT-3441T with a one-section Center Column which further increases stability.In spite of its one-section Center Column, the 3441T delivers a maximum extended height of 68.10" (173 cm), is incredibly compact, folding down to a length of just 18.90" (48 cm), and startlingly light, weighing just 2.56 lb (1.16 kg) – truly a winning combination.
The lightweight, ergonomic Capture® Camera Clip is our entry-level camera holstering solution for all photographers. Carry your camera on any backpack strap, belt or bag. Aluminum and glass-reinforced nylon construction.
Clutch™ is the only quick-connecting, quick-adjusting camera hand strap ever made. Clutch™ gives you security when you need it, but also allows instant access to your camera's controls. Made from premium durable materials and hardware inspired by high end climbing gear. Comes with 2 Anchors and 1 Standard Plate for attachment.
The photos come from your smart phone or photos uploaded to your Google Photos account with location data embedded in the photo. Again, if you want to know how to add location data 
Removing photos does not delete the original, just removes it from the story. You can remove locations too.Here is an example of a story built from several cameras - still some gaps in locations, I am not sure why. The goodnews, it automatically picked most of my favorite images from the trip and built a lovely look at our recent travels out to the Olympic Peninsula.
Those have you been watching my videos know that at times I haven’t always gotten the audio perfect - one of my issues was not having decent headphones to monitor the audio coming in and not using high quality headphones while editing. These Senal SMH-1000 closed back studio headphones have made a huge difference in my ability to monitor the audio and check the quality while editing. These are professional grade studio monitor headphones and the feel professional in the hand and I can attest to their comfort wearing for long periods of time. The harp and ear cups are nicely padded for comfort.
Despite their professional looking size they actually fold up nicely and come with two interchangeable and locking cords - you can use a 3’ straight cord or a coiled 10’ cord and a 1/4” gold plated adapter.
I don't consider myself an audiophile but it is easy to hear a huge difference between the SMH-1000 and the USB audio headset I was using. The tonal range is wider and the difference in clarity is significant the reviews on B&H support my opinion.You can also 
Amazon has made news with their Unlimited Photos option for Prime subscribers and they have now upped their offering and $59.99 a year (after free three month trial) gets you unlimited storage of ALL FILES. This is extremely competitive offering that moves Amazon ahead of Mozy, Backblaze, CrashPlan and other popular backup/online storage services.The downside - Amazon's desktop app used for file transfer is extremely limited- with drag and drop of folder(s) and a single option- Cancel- once upload has begun. Mozy, Backblaze, CrashPlan provide controls for limiting the amount of bandwidth used, pause/resume capabilities and automatic syncing of designated folders or drives.
Professional Photographers, proceed with caution, Amazon's TOS states the following: You may use the Service only to store, retrieve, manage, and access Your Files for personal, non-commercial purposes using the features and functionality we make available. You may not use the Service to store, transfer or distribute content of or on behalf of third parties, to operate your own file storage application or service, to operate a photography business or other commercial service I'd still like to use this as a backup solution for my personal files but with the current simplistic upload system it isn't feasible. Will it work for you? Who/where do you backup your files? Let me know in the comments. 
More About the Canon 5DS and 5DS ROne my of my viewers Got his hand on the 5DSR at this weekend's UK Photo show and had this to share
