In recent photography news, William Optics from Taiwan has posted a Kickstarter project to make a flatfield Petzval lens which claims to be the world's sharpest 250mm lens.  Cough up $648 to get in on the campaign!  The FAA has announced that as of February 25th, all consumer drones must have the registration number posted on the outside of the drone.  Camera Rescue, a Finnish company, has preserved 46,000 analog cameras and intends to save 100,000 for future generations.  Kosmo Foto has announced the release and are taking pre-orders for a new mono 120 B&W film.

Jim recently returned from a trip to the western Florida Everglades with the Pinellas Friends of Florida Master Naturalists, which Jim is the Vice-President.  The group toured many locations which are not only off the beaten path, but are not necessarily open to the public.  If you are interested in more information about the Florida Master Naturalist program - check out the following website: http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/

In recent Photograph news, DJI is implementing a Geospatial Environment Online 2.0 system as a safety zone replacement for airports. ProGrade Digital has expanded beyond hardware with a digital recovery program. Three legged Thing is releasing a new L-bracket called "Ellie". A photographer found a Fujifilm digital camera that was dropped from Angels Landing in Zion National Park 4 years ago and is looking for the owner to return the SD card.  Watch the podcast for more details!

Sometimes even the digital professionals make serious errors when manipulating images with Photoshop.  Fred and Jim have found a few and share them on this episode of The Fotobug!  We hope none of our viewers make these obvious mistakes!  If you find any glaring errors in published images, please send them to us!

Please subscribe to the new Fotobug Youtube channel!!

Jim and Fred check out the Yuneec Mantis Q drone.

But first, the latest photography news!

Bowens is back! Aurelius has purchased the brand which went into liquidation after 94 years in business.  If you have the free Flickr account - only 1000 images are allowed and the rest will be removed! Trend Micro claims 29 camera apps were removed from Google Play for malicious ads and storing customer's images without permission. Some Macbook users have complained that the update to Adobe Premiere has caused serious issues with their speakers.  A working USB thumb drive was found frozen in seal poop!  Check the podcast for more details!

 Fred recently picked up a Yuneec Mantis Q and shares his experience.  Fred had some issues when applying the latest firmware - it kept failing. Yuneec couldn't figure out a solution by phone, so Fred sent the Mantis to New York and waited.  New York couldn't get it to update and ended up sending it to their California repair office.  Fred waited some more - after a few weeks, he received notice that the Mantis was repaired and he would be getting it back.  He did - without the firmware upgrade and it still won't upgrade.  He re-opened the support ticket and is still waiting for a reply.  Needless to say, the Fotobug guys are NOT impressed with Yuneec customer support.  Check out the podcast for a complete review!

Fred and Jim have an interesting interview with a professional photographer in the current podcast!

In recent photography news, DJI announces that a group of employees banded together to overcharge the company 20% for parts costing the company $147 million dollars.  Sony is forming a subsidiary in Amsterdam to avoid issues as a result of Brexit. Newark airport was shut down when 2 pilots spotted what they believe were drones flying at 3500 feet, 9 miles from the airport.  A rare contact sheet of Marilyn Monroe is up for sale at eBay - currently at $195,000. WikiShootme is a website that allows photographers to contribute photos based upon their location that may be needed for Wikipedia.  Irix Edge Light Pollution Filter is a new filter to remove the yellow mercury vapor light from city photos at night.  Listen to the podcast for more!

The Fotobug guest is Glenn Nielsen, a professional portrait photographer based in Tampa who specializes in newborn photos.  He explains why it is important to have a marketing niche and the importance of treating professional photography as a business.  To see more of Glenn's images, check out his website at www.TampaBeginnings.com   If you have questions or comments please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments section and please check out he new Fotobug YouTube channel!

CES is wrapping up which usually present news items and 2019 is no exception!  Wacom has announced a new Cintiq graphics tablet with more pressure sensitivity  and HD screen for $649.  DJI has unveiled a smart controller for Occusync 2.0 drones with a built in extra bright 5.5" screen also for $649.  The Nemeio keyboard can be customized for different apps and will automatically switch between them. Longsys has released a 1TB SDXC card under the Lexar brand name.  Indemnis Nexus has released a parachute system for DJI drones and the FAA has approved it to allow commercial use of drones over crowds of people. Also, the transportation Secretary has introduced a proposal to make it easier for commercial drone operators to fly at night above crowds.

The special feature on this podcast is from the new Fotobug Youtube channel Photo Course.  This video covers exposure compensation - what it is and how and when to use it!  Please check out the other course videos and please consider subscribing to The Fotobug YouTube Channel!

Welcome to 2019!

Bad news for one of our sponsors, the Hunts Photo store in  Manchester, New Hampshire was broken into just before Christmas and the thieves made off with $50,000 worth of camera gear.  This was the second break-in in four months.  Hopefully the thieves will be captured soon. The open source program Darktable, which is a Lightroom like program, has been recently upgraded.  Darktable is a free download for Mac, Windows and Linux.  A recent study in the Journalism and Mass Communications Journal highlights how photographs taken by non-professionals leave viewers less engaged.

The Fotobug guys review the new gimbal from DJI, the Ronin-S.  Gimbals are becoming more important and more prevalent for video makers wanting to improve their videos by capturing smooth Hollywoodesque moves.  The Ronin-s is an affordable 3-axis option from DJI, which has moved into professional gimbals in a big way.  The Ronin-s currently supports a number of cameras to control focus triggering the camera on and off - more cameras are being added all the time.  A number of accessories are also available including third party accessories.  The unique design of the gimbal with the 45 degree rotating motor which allows the LCD view screen to be seen while operating the gimbal in normal or flashlight mode.  DJI has also released an app which can control the gimbal including timelapse, tracking and panorama modes.  Priced at $749, it went on sale over the holiday for $549.

Jim and Fred are eager to review the new Mavic Phantom 2 Zoom, but first, recent photo news!

The Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board is now asking visitors not to geotag specific locations when visiting Wyoming's National Parks to keep everyone from going to the same spots.  The Colorado Tripod Company has released the first titanium tripod system. The hollow ball and tripod are now on Kickstarter for a support price of $399.  GoPro has announced it may be bringing its production back the the United States due to the tariff concerns. A drone may have struck a 737 and damaged the nose of the plane.  In addition, a number of drones flying near an England airport caused the airport to be shut down.  At least two people have been arrested.  DJI has also announced a new Mavic Enterprise drone with twin cameras - one is an Infrared camera - release price is $2699,  For these stories and more, tune in to the podcast!

DJI is now the leading manufacturer of drones for consumers.  Jim and Fred review the latest version of the Mavic 2, which comes in two models - The Zoom and the Pro.  This review covers the Zoom model.  Both drones are identical except for the cameras.  The Zoom features a 1/2.3" sensor but the camera is fitted with a 2x optical zoom.  The Pro model has a Hasselblad branded camera with a 1" sensor and a variable aperture, but no zoom.  Both models features 360 Obstacle avoidance in some flight modes, 31 minute flight time, low-noise props, 44 mph in sport mode, and Occusync 2.0 Wifi for sending HD video to the transmitter from up to 5 miles away.  The Mavic 2 Zoom has a MSRP of $1249 and the Mavic 2 Pro is listed at $1499.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to our new Fotobug YouTube channel featuring a free Photo course!

Jim and Fred have some suggestions for holiday shoppers for photographers, but first, the news!

The FAA has granted Vantage Robotic's 4K camera drone Snap a certification to allow it to be flown over crowds of people for commercial and non-commercial purpose.  Underwater camera housing manufacturer Nauticam has released a housing for the Nikon mirrorless camera.  DJI has released a new Osmo gimbal called the Osmo Pocket.  Tumblr has announced all adult content will be removed from the site by December 17th. Photokina 2019 has been cancelled and will become an annual event beginning 2020.

The Holidays are right around the corner, and the Fotobug guys have some suggestions for the photographer in your life (or maybe even for yourself!).  Links to many of the suggestions in the podcast are listed below.  If you have suggestions or comments, please leave them below and we wish you all the best of the Season!

Coming up: a review of the DJI Ronin-S and the new Mavic Zoom drone.

 *****

Product links mentioned in Podcast:

Drone Tablet Stent - https://goo.gl/nZv31S

Neewer ND Filters - Mavic - https://goo.gl/ToHE7k

PolarPro ND Filters - Mavic - https://goo.gl/6Dt4Mn

USB Card Reader - https://goo.gl/WPjeLt

Carson LED Sensor Loupe - https://goo.gl/EXxduF

Lens Pen - https://goo.gl/wJVj5W

AA Battery Caddy - https://goo.gl/5CCF5n

Camera Rain Sleeve - https://goo.gl/JrezuT

BlackRapid Camera Strap - single - https://goo.gl/sKvf5r

BlackRapid Camera Strap - double - https://goo.gl/4pqMqR

Rogue Safari Popup Flash extender - https://goo.gl/23Y24c

Hoodman Loupe - https://goo.gl/rNeaGP

Redhead Glomitt Gloves - Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops - $19.95

Jim has returned from his trip from Iceland and shares highlights in today's podcast!

In recent photo news, Benro has launched a new 3-axis gimbal that has a convertible handle and gimbal manufacturer Zhiyun-Tech has introduced zoom control as well as focus control for its new flagship model, the Crane 3 Lab. Can't afford Photoshop? Photopea is a free Photoshop alternative that works directly in the browser and offers advanced features including spot removal, clone tool, layers, filters, and masks.  Interested in buying or selling used photo gear? Gear Offer is an online marketplace for selling and buying used camera gear with fees lower than both Amazon and eBay. DxO announces the latest update to Nik Collection (version 1.1) that brings better compatibility, fewer bugs to the plugin suite.  A number of Kansas City metro hotspots are putting up "No Trespassing" signs that specifically state 'No Photographers,'.

Iceland is a treasure and popular place for photography and is becoming more popular all the time.  Jim has now led photo tours to Iceland for the fifth time and shares highlights from the most recent trip.  We were fortunate to once again get the northern lights and even visited an 'ice cave', although the large cave was flooded and we had to settle for a glacier crevasse. All in all, great friends and we enjoyed traveling once again with Magnus who led Jim's previous trip.

Coming up: reviews of the LitraPro, Ronin-S gimbal, DJI Mavic 2 Zoom as well as suggestions for stocking stuffers and a review of The Fotobug 2018 predictions along with predictions for 2019.  Stay tuned and please check out and subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel!

In recent news, Fotolia will be shutting down their service by November of 2019 and transferred to Adobe Stock.  Hong Kong based CARBON launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce a hand-cranked instant film camera using Instax film. Also on Kickstarter, ONDU is running a campaign to produce more pinhole cameras. The latest update of Luminar contains and AI based sky enhancer. DJI drones in the UK have been falling out of the sky due to bad battery cells. Also, DJI has released a new Mavic Pro Enterprise for first responders.   Epson has released a new textured ink-jet printer under the Legacy range of papers.  For more news and more details, watch the podcast!

At the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup in September, Fred and Jim met a young man who was traveling throughout the country - 50 states in 50 days and invited Daniel Seddiqui to appear on the current podcast.  Daniel carefully planned out his venture and wanted to visit and participate in iconic events in all 50 states - 1 state per day!  Daniel also taped his venture and segments are currently appearing on The Weather Channel.  We urged Daniel to create a YouTube channel and we will share the link once he has it established.

Stay tuned for upcoming episodes featuring Jim's trip to Iceland, review of the Ronin-S gimbal and the new LitraPro LED light.