More photo education in today's podcast, but first recent photo news!

A drone pilot managed to capture some amazing videos of a tornado in Oklahoma that even impressed meteorologists!  DJI has partnered with RMUS to provide drone training in the US. If you are a Mac user and still use Aperture, be aware that Aperture will no longer work after upgrading the OS to Mojave. B&H circumvents online sales tax collection with it's new PayBoo credit card.  Adobe may raise the monthly fee for the Creative Cloud Photo Bundle (Photoshop and Lightroom) to $20 and include 1TB of cloud storage. DJI is introducing an Osmo action camera to compete with GoPro!

If you are still shooting JPG, then please pay attention to today's photo lesson!  RAW gives you more control over your final image and has lots of advantages over JPG and you needn't be afraid of processing the images on your computer.  There are even many free software solutions out there, so cost is not an excuse to using RAW capture.  There are more photo lessons on The Fotobug YouTube channel and we would appreciate if you would subscribe to our channel!  More goodness to come!  Please leave your thoughts or comments on RAW vs JPG capture!

Welcome to The Fotobug Podcast number 233!  In recent news, the first ever photograph of a black hole was released after more than a year of analyzing and processing.  Parrot has released an updated Anafi drone with FLIR thermal imaging capabilities.  A recent patent application from Canon suggests they may put LEDs in future pop-up flashes.  Multi Turret is working on a 3 turret attachment for Sony cameras.  World wide camera sales are falling and CareerCast suggests professional photographers are in the lowest 25% of worst career options.  China has banned the word "Leica" on social media due to the latest Leica ad which features the standoff at Tienamen Square.

Jim just returned from an extended trip to Australia and New Zealand and caught up with one of the Fotobug fans who took him around to some of his favorite photographic spots.  We appreciate his enthusiasm and thank Anu again for taking his time to escort Jim around his city!

Lots of news since the previous podcast!  Yashica has announced a 35mm ISO 400 negative film stock, CIPA released a report that camera sales are continuing to fall. Lexar is releasing new SSD drives that will fit into a pocket and Rode is releasing a new tiny wireless microphone system.  Skydio is in trouble for falsely geotagging a promo video on Instagram. Sharp is joining the Four Thirds system  CixxFive filed suit against Getty Images for selling images in the public domain.  More detail and more news in the podcast!

Jim recently returned from an extended trip to Australia and New Zealand where he taped extensively with the GoPro Hero 7 Black camera.  So, the Fotobug guys decided to finally review the camera and point out the positives and few negatives.  In addition, Jim shows off and discusses some interesting accessories for the GoPro.

Links to the items mentioned in the review:

GoPro HERO7 Black — Waterproof Digital Action Camera with Touch Screen 4K HD Video 12MP Photos Live Streaming Stabilization

TELESIN 6''Dome Port Camera Lens Transparent Cover for GoPro Hero 7 Black, Hero 6 Hero 5 Black Hero 2018, with Waterproof Housing Case Pistol Trigger Floating Hand Grip, Underwater Diving Accessories

Litra LitraTorch LED Video Light (2 Pack) with Triple Bracket Mount + Battery Hand Grip + Flex Tripod + Kit

GoPole Reach - 14-40" Extension Pole for GoPro Cameras (36-101cm)

Jim is currently traveling in New Zealand and Australia, and it has been awhile since The Fotobug presented a How-to - so for this podcast, Jim and Fred share a video from their new photography lesson series currently on The Fotobug YouTube Channel.  We hope you will check out the other videos and consider subscribing to The Fotobug Youtube channel!  

Tune in for the next podcast for more interviews, reviews and how-tos!!  Please subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube Channel!

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.