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Images: Swiss Rig, Peak Design, Apple |
The camera slow season is hopefully winding down, but app developers and accessory makers are still around to drop interesting bits of news throughout the week. This weekend, we’re rounding up a few of the things that caught our eyes recently.
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| Image: Peak Design |
Peak Design’s brown bags
You’re in luck if you liked the coyote-color straps Peak Design released earlier this year. The company has just announced that many of its bags – including the photographer favorite Everyday Backpack – will now be available in the same tan shade.
The color change comes with a change in material as well. Most of Peak Design’s bags are made of a nylon canvas treated with durable water repellent (DWR) and poly-coated for water resistance. The tan ones, however, are made of a laminated fabric called X-Pac. While the packs made of X-Pac should be just as weather resistant, they will have a different look and texture; laminated fabrics are generally smooth compared to woven ones. (Peak Design describes the ‘handfeel’ of its coyote packs as ‘crisp.’) Peak Design says the version of X-Pac it’s using is 100% made of recycled fishing nets.
The coyote color also has a diamond pattern, versus the heather look that most of its other bags have. To my eyes, that gives the coyote bags a bit more of a technical look if that’s your sort of thing.
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These two detailed shots of the Everyday Backpack do a good job of illustrating the differences between the fabrics. Images: Peak Design |
The coyote products come at a price premium and aren’t available for all sizes. For larger bags like the Everyday Backpack, Travel Backpack, and Travel Duffel, you’ll pay anywhere from $15-25 more for the X Pac version. Coyote versions of smaller bags like the sling, tech pouch, and wash pouch are $5 extra.
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Everyday Backpack 20L in Coyote
Everyday Backpack 30L in Coyote
Raw video on iPhone
Developer Swiss Rig has released an iPhone app called sr RAW, which gives you manual exposure and focus controls for video and records files as Raw DNGs. The company says the format will let you get videos that don’t have noise reduction, image sharpening, or white balance baked-in, offering more flexibility than even Apple’s ProRes Log format, which is available on certain Pro iPhones.
There are a few caveats. First, you can only record at up to 480p in the free version and 1080p in the paid ‘Plus’ one, and only at 24 or 25 frames per second in either resolution. The paid version is also a subscription, which costs $4.99 a month or $19.99 a year, and there’s no one-time purchase option. According to PetaPixel, that pricing is for the initial launch period, so it may go up in the future. There’s also reportedly a ‘Pro’ version coming that’ll enable 4K, though there’s no word on pricing for that yet.
The company also says the app “requires a USB-C iPhone that supports at a minimum USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds.” Currently, that’s just the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Sirui’s new ‘Rapid System’ tripod
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| Image: Sirui |
Sirui has announced a new entry in its ‘Rapid System one-step height adjustment’ tripod line. The model, catchily named the SQ75+VHS10, features two-stage carbon fiber legs and includes a ground spreader and an Arri-mount strap that should make it easier to carry.
Calling the SQ75 legs ‘one-step’ feels a bit generous; technically, you have to open three flip locks before you can extend it, but once you do, you should be able to extend the tripod to whatever height you need. At its lowest setting, the tripod will be 485 mm (19″) high; at its tallest, it’ll tower at 1650 mm (65″).
The kit also includes the VHS10 fluid head, which mounts with a 75mm half bowl. Together, the tripod and head weigh 5.9 kg (13 lbs) and can hold up to 10 kg (22 lbs) of gear. By themselves, the legs can support up to 18 kg (40 lbs).
The tripod will be released on August 26th and will cost $499, according to PetaPixel.
A big update to Davinci Resolve
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Resolve is the Swiss Army knife of editing software; it’s a non-linear editor, audio workstation, color-grading suite, and compositor in one package. Image: Blackmagic Design |
Blackmagic Design has announced it’s releasing version 19 of its Davinci Resolve and Resolve Studio editing software. The list of features included in the release is almost book-length, but some standouts are the film look creator that grains up your image, multi-source editing, and the ability to display keyframes and markers.
Like pretty much any software release in 2024 (with some notable exceptions), Resolve 19 includes a heaping of ‘AI’ features. There’s AI-powered tracking, smart reframing, a dead pixel fixer, and text transcription for audio tracks, along with a lot more features that the company says are powered by its ‘Neural Engine.’
Davinci Resolve is free, and Resolve Studio costs $295.
Remote control pencil
Finally, there’s the Apple Pencil, a tool that’s usually more useful to digital artists than photographers. But thanks to a new app called Pencilera, you can now use it as a remote trigger for your iPad’s camera (via The Verge). It’s free and makes use of the double-tap detection on the Pencil 2 and squeeze detection on the Pencil Pro. The only downside is that, at the end of the day, you’re still taking pictures with an iPad. Maybe someday, Apple will follow after Samsung and make its Pencil compatible with its phones, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for that. Using a smartwatch as a remote for your phone is probably a better experience, anyway.