This Polaroid Camera Was Converted to Shoot Large Format

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All images by David McKay. Used with permission.

When it comes to conversion projects, one of the most common ones that we all see are transforming a camera into a Polaroid shooting version. But photographer David McKay did the opposite and instead converted a Polaroid camera to shoot 4×5 images. Inspired by the work of previously featured Lucus Landers, David was originally put off at purchasing a large format camera but when he heard about the DIY approach, he decided to give it a shot.

The results so far haven’t disappointed us.

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Sigma’s 18-35mm f1.8 Gets Converted Into a Cine Lens

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The Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 hasn’t even been out for six months yet and a company has already converted it into a cinema lens with full manual aperture control. The conversion was done by GL Optics, who is a China based company that specializes in optic conversion. The lens is still for APS-C sensor cameras–though it has been known to work on full frame cameras but with vignetting.

The killer is the price. Sigma’s 18-35mm f1.8 is under $1,000 but the GL Optics conversion will run you $3,500.

We reviewed the 18-35mm f1.8 and rated it an Editor’s Choice, and DxOMark believes so as well. The interview about the lens by DSLR News Shooter and the sample video are after the jump.

Also, don’t clean it with vodka.

Via DSLR News Shooter

Thanks for the tip Peter!


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How to Do Black-and-White Conversions From RAW Files

Felix Esser The Phoblographer Lightroom 5 Black and White Conversion

Black-and-white conversions from color pictures are easy–just convert to greyscale in the photo editing software of your choice, and you’re there. But is it really that simple? You may have already guessed where this is going: of course it’s not that simple. For a proper black-and-white conversion, you don’t start off with an already processed image, and you don’t just convert it to grayscale. To do it properly, you make the conversion from a RAW file, because that way you’ll have much more latitude for tweaking the colors. The colors, you ask? What colors? I thought we were doing black-and-white? Of course we are, but since we’re starting out with a color file, why not use the colors that are there to optimize the appearance of the monochrome image? How we do that? Read on past the break to find out.

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The Impossible Project Launches Its Instant Lab

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The Impossible Project announced an Instant Lab a while back that allows the user to take a digital photo and impress it onto some instant film–then it gets printed out. The company took to Kickstarter to get the project going, and it’s now a reality. We had some hands on time with it back around Photokina. According to their press release,

“As with an instant camera, the image is exposed ‘naturally’. Simply select an image on your phone, place the iPhone in the cradle and slide open the shutter on the base. A signal tells you when the exposure is finished. Close the shutter, push the button and the Instant Lab ejects the instant film, ready to develop in the palm of your hand. The Instant Lab is the first device to convert digital images into real analog instant photographs.”

To compliment the hardware, the Impossible Project App for iOS is also being announced. Besides aiding with the digital to analog converstion with the Instant Lab, the app also helps with scanning, uploading and sharing those analog instant photos via social media.

It’ll set you back EUR 249 or US$ 299. Want to see how it works? Check out our video after the jump and also be sure to peep the tech specs.


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