You know what’s behind every successful man, and despite what’s been said, there doesn’t need to be an entourage of equipment and preparation behind every amazing iPhone photo shoot. The best camera in the world is the one you have on you, but the right lighting equipment or accessories aren’t always on hand.

Luckily, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are amazing devices and must-haves for any budding or seasoned photographers and videographers looking to shoot at any time, without the need for any additional lighting or sound equipment. With the Lunar New Year rolling around the corner, there’s no better time to upgrade your photo and videography game with some tips to get the most out of your iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

We got the help of some cool folks from the region – Vietnam-based Minh (Photographer), Quy (Director/Filmmaker),  Malaysian-based Jason Goh (YouTuber / Content Creator) and Singapore-based yk (Photographer / Content Creator) who have great tips on using the iPhone to its full potential

We met up in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City to capture the vibe of Tết Nguyên Đán while learning tips and habits to get the best workflow for our shots possible. Again, everything was shot entirely on the iPhone 15 Pro.

Studio Portrait Photography (by Minh & yk)

Portrait photography comes naturally to yk and Minh, having three different outfits and models dressed fittingly for Tết. In order to retain the details and color accuracy, learn to shoot in 48MP or Apple ProRAW as it allows you to capture the most amount of detail possible, with crisp images even after crops and edits. This way you get images popping with color and brimming with fine detail of all your Lunar New Year fits and fare.

“48MP is great for duplicating the images and re-cropping it. Essentially, you are doing a small little hack by multiplying the images and repurposing the frame, for your social media and also for magazines and editorial shoots.” says yk.

To enable 48MP on your iPhone:

• Go to Settings > Camera and choose Formats.
• Tap the toggle next to ProRAW & Resolution Control.
• Tap Pro Default and Choose ProRAW Max or HEIF Max if you’re trying to save on space. ProRAW Max files can go from 75MB and above while HEIF Max starts around 5MB and up.
• Open up the Camera app and tap on RAW Max. Ensure it is not crossed out and start shooting! You can also switch formats on the fly by tapping and holding HEIF Max or ProRAW Max.
• You need to keep to the default 1x focal length, changing that will switch the format back to 12MP.

Varying the lens options opens up fresh creative possibilities for different styles and approaches to taking your subject. Using the 0.5x focal length is all the rage these days, with top down no-look shots but there is so much more to it than taking shots of large groups or landscapes.

“I also love to use the Ultra Wide lens to go up close to the subject in the tunnel to create an extreme angle, to elongate her fingers and create a foreground to lead up to her face and background” shares yk.

Next-generation Portraits allow you to do amazing things in the editing phase of your workflow. 

The iPhone captures a whole bunch of information that allows for greater flexibility in choosing the focus of your subjects after the shoot. 

“Next-generation Portraits are so amazing because you can switch the focus in post, which means you can concentrate on the moment when capturing photos,” says Minh.

Want to raise the lighting of your subject without overexposing the background? You can enhance your portrait shots by editing the portrait light effects and choose from 6 different lighting options. On top of that, you can also change the background blur by hitting the “f” icon at the top of the screen and adjusting the depth control slider to get the right amount of blur you need.

“With next-generation Portraits, I also like shooting with Portrait Lighting. It is great because it can detect faces, cats and dogs when editing on-device. Of all the effects, my favourite is Contour Light.” mentions Minh.

Dance Video (by Quy and Jason Goh)

The iPhone 15’s incredible stabilizers make it an amazing tool to shoot everything from your school projects to entire music videos. Vietnam’s tlinh’s “don’t make it complicated” was entirely shot on iPhone 15 and we got to experience shooting a dance video using nothing but the iPhone 15 Pro. With the ability to shoot high resolution video of up to 4K , any filmmaker on the go would appreciate high quality footage.

“When it comes to videography, I love to shoot in 4K because with the high resolution, I can always crop during editing to focus on certain scenes or subjects.” says Jason.

Stability is the name of the game when shooting objects in motion and is exactly what the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max has on offer with its Action Mode that can be used with all the lenses available.

“The best thing from iPhone 15 Pro’s camera is Action mode across all lenses (0.5x – 5x). I love the way iPhone removes the shakes when we are in action. No mater how you move, you always get the perfect shot. And it’s available on all lenses, offering more flexibility and versatility for everyone. Especially when you’re in limited space, Action mode is still able to support. It’s so good to have this feature in iPhone and I really want everyone to try it,” shares Quy.

Using “Cinematic Mode” to create a depth of field and between the subject and background makes it easy for anyone to get in touch with their inner filmmaker. They can adjust the focus of subjects later on if needed. “For a more cinematic look, I would use Cinematic mode to focus on objects and faces so foreground and background is blurred, mimicking videos shot using cameras with portrait lenses. Another great thing is we can also adjust the focus later. iPhone is something that we can always rely on when speaking about shooting.” Jason commented 

Putting all of these features into play, we shot a whole dance choreography on two separate sets and edited everything on Final Cut Pro. A tip for editing music videos is to match the peaks in the audio waves in your clips with the music used in your timeline as it is a lot more precise than listening by ear.

Hopefully this article has given you some fresh ideas on how to make the best of your iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max in your content creation workflow. Happy shooting!

Zinho De Costa

Abandon Reason Know Only War! Zinho is a shooter fanatic still waiting for direct sequels to Black (2006) and Star Wars: Republic Commandos. He also truly believes that the Warhammer 40K universe can take on any franchise and destroy them. To think any different is heresy and punishable by Exterminatus.

The post Shoot On iPhone 15 With Ease Using These Photo & Video Tips appeared first on Geek Culture.

Xiaomi and Oppo have both come a long way from their humble beginnings as budget-friendly offerings. Now, both brands are hosts to a camera system co-engineered by two of the most established brands in the field: Leica and Hasselblad.

Comparison video done by Bobby Tonelli.

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Oppo Find X6 Pro are the latest flagship models to join their respective lineup. The former — armed with four 50MP rear cameras, including one with a one-inch type sensor and a variable aperture — shows how Xiaomi is pulling out all the photography stops, while the latter holds its own with three 50MP rear cameras, of which the main camera has a one-inch sensor.

But there can only be one victor in the quest to be the best. Pitting the two smartphones against each other yielded a close fight, which is a strong justification for the Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s price tag. The phone is retailing for S$1,899, making it the company’s most expensive release to date.

Check out the above video for a deep-dive into their respective photography prowess, in which the Xiaomi Ultra 13 and Oppo Find X6 Pro were taken out for a spin to the streets, and tested on their portrait mode, skin tone, and still life photography capabilities.

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Flagship Camera Shoot-out: Xiaomi 13 Ultra Vs Oppo Find X6 Pro appeared first on Geek Culture.

Oppo has always had camera and imaging technologies as its key focus, and nothing shows dedication like a core imaging team of over 1,000 professionals working with an annual R&D budget of over US$140 million, to develop the Oppo Find X6 Pro.

With a main 50MP wide camera, as part of a triple-lens rear camera system, the imaging prowess is further supported by an industry-leading 1-inch sensor, which is the largest sensor ever on a smartphone. It’s so revolutionary that there are only two devices in the market using it at the moment (the other is the recent Xiaomi 13 Ultra). This allows the camera lenses to capture more light, which results in sharper image quality in low-light conditions. In comparison, its photosensitivity is 1.75 times that of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The companion 50MP ultrawide camera and 50MP periscope telephoto camera also come with large 1/1.56-inch sensors, accompanied by the 32MP front camera that is no slouch when it comes to taking beautiful selfies. 

And in case you’re curious, the Find X6 Pro is no slouch in the general hardware department, with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display supported by a 120Hz refresh rate, and powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Still, hardware can only go so far, and there’s still much to be done on the software front to produce incredible images and the Oppo Find X6 Pro uses AI-powered image processing to further enhance image quality, and this includes features like HDR, noise reduction, and Portrait Mode. This results in very impressive images, producing photos that are sharp, detailed, and well-exposed. In addition, Oppo’s use of its proprietary Photon Matrix Technology restores the natural light, shadow contrasts and tones more accurately, to represent photos as true to what the eyes see.

Having spent a week with the phone, there is no doubt that the Find X6 Pro has one of the best camera phones in the market. Leveraging on natural colour calibration with Hasselblad, it takes stunning photos in both low-light and bright conditions. The phone’s Portrait Mode is especially impressive, creating some truly beautiful bokeh effects by delivering on DSLR-level depth-of-field. Oppo has even managed to tweak it such that its Portrait Mode can support subjects up to 7 metres away from the camera, which is where its 3x zoom comes into play.

To make it easier to capture professional-looking photos using its telephoto lens, Oppo has also incorporated 3x and 6x zoom presets, which are focal lengths most frequently used by professional photographers. This enables users to focus better on capturing the moments that matter without the need around too much – just point, focus, and shoot.

At the end of the day, we’ll leave you to judge image quality for yourselves with a gallery of photos taken on a recent trip to Bali. Through a guided two-day tour of the island, we were able to experience the Find X6 Pro’s capabilities for ourselves and thanks to its hefty 5,000 mAh battery, the phone could easily last power through a full day of photography and videography. One thing to note is that all photos taken here have not been edited outside of the phone – they were simply shot on auto mode and lifted straight out of the phone.

Even though the Oppo Find X6 Pro isn’t officially released outside of China, it is easily attainable online via Amazon, Shopee and Lazada. The only caveat is that the phone will come pre-installed with a bunch of China-based apps, with no Google Play Store access. The good news is that it is very easy to install Google Play Store on your own, to get things up and running with all your favourite Android apps. If you intend to buy the Oppo Find X6 Pro, be sure to check out our step-by-step guide on how to install the Google Play Store onto the phone. Given the popularity of the Oppo Find X6 Pro, it’s unfortunate that there isn’t a global release. Hopefully, the company will opt to launch the 2024 flagship outside of China, and with more advancements.

Thank you Oppo, for enabling everyone to discover and pursue their love of photography, without the need to break the bank.

Yonk

Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.

The post Everyone Can Be A Pro Photographer With The Oppo Find X6 Pro appeared first on Geek Culture.

When the first Sony ZV-1 was released back in May 2020, consumers regarded it as a good but not quite great camera. Yet, it managed to carve out a niche that Sony continued to explore and with the upgraded Sony ZV-1 Mark II, the company is looking to address all the concerns consumers had back then, in a refreshed and superior offering.

A few key highlights that potential vloggers will be looking forward to would be a wider lens compared to before, as the Sony ZV-1 Mark II has a 18-50mm lens, which means that users would not have to extend their arms too far out, to capture both themselves and the environment behind them.

Having that flexibility goes even further with the implementation of an intelligent 3-capsule microphone. By default, the camera will recognize a human in the frame and change the microphone’s audio focus accordingly. Otherwise, users also have greater flexibility to toggle the mic to sound focus on the front, or on the rear, and on the fly as well, so audio still comes off crisp, just the way you want it.

With the hardware getting tweaks as well, the new cinematic vlog settings on the camera help users go from content capture to content creation easily. With a myriad of colour profile settings, these presents help users achieve their desired look with minimum fuss.

Given that the camera will be used mostly for travel, the Sony ZV-1 Mark II has its charging port upgraded to USB-C so that users will have to juggle with fewer cables while on the go. It’s a much needed quality-of-life upgrade and goes a long way considering that the dated micro-USB connection had major shortcomings. With the new iteration, shooting on the go while powering up the camera is very much a possibility when connected to a power bank.

The Sony ZV-1 Mark II’s release and price will be announced at a later date.

Bobby Tonelli

Bobby is an actor, host, photographer and tech geek who always wanted to be Batman, but settled as a Jedi in training.

The post Sony ZV-1 Mark II Camera Packs Essential Features For Vlog Creators To Express Creativity appeared first on Geek Culture.

It’s the three-way, mid-range smartphone Mexican standoff with the Google Pixel 7a, Samsung A54 and POCO Pro F5. We pit all three devices in a camera battle royale in the streets of Chinatown to determine which Android phone will rule the night.

The standoff was conducted with a series of video and photo tests with each device’s front-facing and rear camera, in low light and portrait mode. Watch the video below to find out which is the clear winner!

Bobby Tonelli

Bobby is an actor, host, photographer and tech geek who always wanted to be Batman, but settled as a Jedi in training.

The post Android Camera Battle: Google Pixel 7a vs Samsung A54 vs POCO F5 Pro appeared first on Geek Culture.

How do you improve on a well loved mirrorless camera? If you’re Nikon, you make it smaller still. The new Z8 is a smaller and lighter version of its popular Z9 model, packed with the same features and functionality, including 8.3k video and 12-bit ProRes 4K, 6K, and 4K 120, but in a body that is 30% smaller and significantly lighter, weighing just 990 grams.

While there were expectations for a 60MP (megapixel) sensor, the Z8 offers a smaller 45MP one that still impresses as performance here is nearly identical to 2018’s Z7, with the exception of some recording limits based on battery power. Despite this minor drawback, the Z8 is a phenomenal system with no significant flaws.

With a rear display that articulates the same as that on the Z9, the Z8 also comes with the brightest EVF on the market, going up to 3,000 lumens, making it perfect for low-light photography and video. The autofocus system has also been improved and can now detect planes and cockpits.

We took a unit out for a spin, and as you can see, this camera has everything you need to capture high-quality images and footage.

Pricing for the unit has not been released. Watch our full review above.

Bobby Tonelli

Bobby is an actor, host, photographer and tech geek who always wanted to be Batman, but settled as a Jedi in training.

The post Geek Review: Nikon Z8 appeared first on Geek Culture.

The dawn of Instagram filters and the iPhone have proven to users that the answer to taking great monochromatic photos lies in their pockets. Meanwhile, Leica has proven that full-frame cameras are still capable of breaking new ground and producing high-quality, high-fidelity photos in black and white.

This time, the industry giant is back with a new member of its Monochrom family. Meet the Leica M11 Monochrom Rangefinder, the fourth-generation successor to the camera that introduced the world’s first dedicated black-and-white sensor.

The Leica M11 Monochrom Rangefinder focuses on perfecting the basic building blocks of photography: light and shadow. Its multi-resolution full-format sensor produces stellar greyscale images, pulling in an ISO range of 125 to 200,000, giving you a wide field of creative freedom even in low light conditions.

The new camera also has 256GB of internal memory capable of storing RAWs in DNG or JPEG with resolutions of 60, 36 or 18 megapixels. It also sports Bluetooth capabilities and a USB-C port for quick file transfers. The sensor is a certified “Made for iPhone and iPad” Apple accessory that allows you to use the Leica FOTOS app when paired with the Leica FOTOS cable, allowing you to assess photos taken with the app and camera through tethered preview.

The Leica M11 Monochrom Rangefinder has a sophisticated all-metal body, wrapped in a solid leather covering and a black, scratch-resistant paint finish. The snapper retails for S$13,470, and is now available at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store, and authorised dealers.

Joey Leong

Crack open a cold one with Joey, because the moment you approach him, he will start talking about film and video games for days. He spends his waking moments during the weekends meditating on how the latest movie he’s watched or game he’s played has impacted his worldview.

The post Leica’s 60MP M11 Monochrom Rangefinder Offers Modern Black White Photography For S$13,470 appeared first on Geek Culture.

With the recent launch of the yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, there’s no better time to up your social media game with some photography and videography tips, especially with Ramadan season in full swing this time of the year.

We enlisted the help from four experts in the region – Malaysia-based Zarnizar (Photographer / Content Creator), Annice Lyn (Photographer) and Jason Goh (YouTuber / Content Creator), as well as Singapore-based yk (Photographer / Content Creator) to provide some useful tips on getting the best out of their iPhones and one thing is clear – all of these can be done with only the iPhone. Having an iPad or MacBook helps but if you’re traveling or don’t want to carry along too much hardware, the iPhone 14 is all you need.

We came together recently for a quick getaway in Langkawi to capture a bunch of ‘Balik Kampung’ themed moments, while learning from each others’ craft and best practices, and yes, everything you see here was shot entirely on the iPhone.

Food Photography (by Zarnizar)

For the craft of food photography, Zarniar strongly recommends turning on the “grid” feature on the iPhone’s camera and it will not only help you frame your shots effectively, but also comes in handy with aligning your flat lay shots. With the grid enabled, a stationary and moving cross appears on the screen when you place your iPhone facing downwards Ensuring that both crosses overlap means you have achieved that perfect 90 degrees alignment. The art of flat lays is a game of balance, and making use of the straight lines on the table will help guide your frame.

“Be experimental and try different styles until you find your own,” shares Zarnizar.

“Try to show depth in your photos. Most photos look better when they convey a sense of depth. Creating depth helps draw the viewer’s eye into the scene.”

There’s also nothing like taking Slow-mo or Burst mode shots for that added “wow” cooking moment, and in this example, the best way to capture the flames from a live satay cooking session.

Here’s a gallery of photos we captured, thanks to Zarnizar’s tips and guidance, shot on the iPhone 14 Plus. A mixture of wide angle, portrait mode and flay lay techniques were used to achieve the shots, with minor edits made via the iPhone’s built in photo editing tools. Notice how the shots bring out the vibrant green and blue colours of the dishes, along with the effective use of shadows cast from the trees above, in an outdoor setting.

Here are some useful tips to try:

• Go to Settings > Camera and turn on “Grid” under “Composition”.
• Turn off “Live Photo” mode by default by heading to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings and enable the “Live Photo” option. This will help preserve your last Live Photo setting, instead of defaulting back to being on each time you open up your Camera. Now open up your Camera app, and tap on the top-right icon to ensure Live Photo mode is off.
• When you tap to auto focus on a subject, hold your finger down and slide down to lower the photo’s exposure slightly, especially during outdoor shoots. This will help retain the details of your shots, which you can adjust later when editing the shot on your phone. If the shot is too overexposed, you won’t have the image information to tweak afterwards.

Not many know this, but there is an easy way to do “Burst” mode simply by sliding your finger left (after holding down on the shutter button). See the animation below to see how it’s done. Sliding your finger right will record a video instead, which will be handy if you want to make an instant switch to video for some reason. Alternatively, you can also hold down the volume up button for Burst mode and volume down button for a quick video recording.

Outdoor & Indoor Portrait Photography (by Annice Lyn)

Annice Lyn is a photojournalist who has done work for National Geographic and Time magazine, so she knows a thing or two about telling stories through her pictures. 

So what’s the key to working with people or talents? 

“Build a rapport with them, because capturing special moments takes more than just an iPhone to point and shoot. The process of creation is beyond that and how you interact with your subject matters,” shares Annice.

Building that rapport involves chatting with the people and talents, getting them comfortable with each other and being in front of the camera. The chemistry between the photographer and subjects will then come naturally, which helps with directing particular shots and capturing of human emotions.

Here’s a photo gallery of photos of a Malay family in festive outfits. A mix of wide angle and portrait shots were used, with natural outdoor lighting. All photos were unedited and taken straight out of the iPhone 14 Plus.

Here are some useful tips to try:

• Further enhance your portrait shots by directly editing the portrait light effects, and you can choose from 6 different lighting effects and adjust the intensity accordingly. In case you didn’t know, you can also adjust the level of background blur in your portrait shots by tapping the “f” icon at the top of the screen and sliding Depth Control slider to achieve the desired background blur effect.
• The iPhone has very powerful built-in editing tools for you to achieve that perfect shot composition. But if you have painstakingly edited a particular shot and want to apply the same settings across a series of other photos, simply hit the 3 dots at the top-right corner of the screen, apply them to all photos with a few taps. Simply select “Copy Edits” and then head to your Album, and the photos you want to apply the same edits for. Hit the 3 dots on the bottom-right corner this time and “Paste Edits” to see the same edits applied. This works for videos as well and don’t worry – you can easily opt to “Revert to Original” at anytime, by using the same steps.
• Plenty of fun can be had with “Subject Lift”. All you have to do is to open up a photo of a subject, touch and briefly hold the subject in the photo and when it is magically outlined, either Copy and Paste it as a new image, or simply drag it and use your other finger to go back to the Photo Album and drop it there to create a new photo of it with it’s background transparency retained. Once you have lifted a bunch of subjects, you get creative with forming any photo collage with apps like iOS16’s new Freeform app. A quick example of what can be achieved in a matter of minutes can be seen below. All the objects were subject lifted on-the-fly with individual shots taken of each item (hat, plate, cup, fan, Birds of Paradise plant).

Short Form Vertical Video (by yk)

Creating short form 15 to 30 second vertical videos is all the rage, no thanks to video sharing platforms like TikTok. Even Instagram has followed suit with IG Reels, and Facebook with FB Reels, and YouTube with YouTube Shorts. Photographer and content creator yk (Yik Keat) has grown a massive following on Instagram and TikTok, thanks to his endlessly creative “How To” videos on how you can create your own amazing, yet simple video transitions between scenes.

“After learning how to piece the clips together, be sure now to take note of how transitions happen and ensure videos are satisfactory and workable for the edit – one pro tip is to piece it on the spot to roughly check,” shares yk. He also stresses that video continuity is important for the general flow of the video, so one must ensure subjects are in similar positions, and movement is natural. So if you are panning left to right, the next video should ideally be panning left to right as well to maintain a smooth flow.

In order to put into practice some of the techniques shared by yk, we shot a few clips of traditional “Chapteh” action between two individuals. All the clips were captured over a span of 15 minutes and stitched together on the spot with the Clips app, which took another 15 minutes. The clips were made with a mixed use of “Cinematic” and “Action” modes, shot and edited entirely on the iPhone 14 Plus.

Here are some useful tips to try:

• By default, the video stabilization is somehow most stable in wide-angle mode (0.5x). So definitely use the wide-angle mode whenever possible, especially when you’re walking while capturing video.
• If you are moving around a lot while shooting a video, especially when running, always remember to toggle the “Action” mode via the top-left of your camera app. However, Action mode also works best when there is plenty of light and if the environment is too dark, the Camera will show a “More light required” notification. There is a workaround for this by heading to Settings > Camera > Record Video and turning on “Action Mode Lower Light”. This will decrease the stabilisation but helps to optimise the camera for darker scenes.
• The key tip for creating seamless transitions between scenes, like the ones yk is so good at, is to ensure that the object or subject in your ending and starting frame fills up the phone screen fully, and to move the camera as close to the textured surface as you can, so that it is either dark or blurry. And where possible, ensure that surface textures and colour tones are somewhat similar.

Long Form Video Reel (by Jason Goh)

There are always situations that call for creating longer form video content in the usual 16:9 aspect ratio. YouTuber and Content Creator Jason Goh (aka smashpop) offers up his expertise in the field.

“Keep the videos short, within a few seconds for each scene. By doing this, you get more specific angles and keep the audience fresh with new perspectives.”

Depending on the type of scene being shot, it is always good to use a mix of the different modes and lenses on the iPhone. The Ultra-wide lens (0.5x) is best for tight spaces, or if you want to set the scene and let the audiences know the lay of the land. The “Cinematic” mode is best suited when there are human subjects, which can help create a cinematic depth of field effect. And for achieving an extra stable shot when running or in motion, always use the ultra-wide lens with “Action” mode on.

Putting all these tips into practice, a bunch of sequences were captured within 30 minutes, and stitched together in just under 10 minutes with the iMovie app. One important tip when editing and stitching each of the scenes together is to always start the clip when the subject is already moving, and not when the subject is about to move.

So there you have it. Here’s hoping this article has helped inspire or taught you a thing or two about how easy it is to create better photo and video content, along with a dash of creativity. The easiest way is to go out there and get lots of practice.

Yonk

Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.

The post Elevate Your Social Game With These iPhone 14 Photo & Video Tips During The Festive Season appeared first on Geek Culture.

Leica is joining the list of Disney100 collaborations with its utterly adorable special limited-edition Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder”.

For over 100 years, the high-end camera manufacturer has been revolutionising the world of imaging with precise optical instruments. This makes them the perfect collaboration partner for Walt Disney, who, 100 years ago, did the same to animated filmmaking with his vision and passion.

Many might not be aware that Disney and Leica have an extensive history with each other. Since its early days, the mass media giant has used Leica (then known as Leitz) cameras and projectors to create sophisticated cartoon storyboards. 

Leica was also responsible for the dramatic change in Disney’s animated filmmaking techniques– one so significant that the term “Leica Reel” was coined during the shift. “Leica Reels” are made from animated stills run on 35mm film projections– aligning the preliminary artwork with a soundtrack with combined techniques to get a precise sense of the pace of a sequence.

The camera’s design goes way back to 1937– based on a model sheet courtesy of Walt Disney Studio’s noted animator Don Towsley. A Mickey Mouse print adorns the camera’s top plate with the body adorned with a special material reminiscent of the tracing paper that Disney’s creators used to bring your favourite characters to life.

Protection for such a work of art is a must, and the Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder” camera will come with a matching original Disney graphics dust bag and unique rope strap. 

Disney fans and camera collectors better lock 27 April into their calendars as the Leica Q2 | Disney “100 Years of Wonder” edition is limited to 500 sets worldwide.

It will retail at S$8,968.40 and be available at Leica Stores, the Leica Online Store, and authorised Leica dealers.

Sasha Nair

Sasha has been a lover of all things geek since before she could read, having driven her mother up the wall in providing geek material as fast as her daughter could get through them. While Fantasy has been her greatest love, Sasha won’t say no to anything Horror, Action-Packed, or Sci-Fi!

The post Leica Celebrates Disney100 With Special Edition Mickey Mouse Q2 Camera appeared first on Geek Culture.

Who’s your favourite Prime? Or rather, what’s your favourite Prime Lens? And what if you can have them both?

Unboxing by Bobby Tonelli

In a partnership that’s much More Than Meets The Eye, Transformers brand owner Takara Tomy and leading Japanese professional camera maker Canon have combined their forces to design and create the most name-accurate Prime – Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobot that can transform into the Canon R5 DSLR! Enter the Transformers x Canon Optimus Prime R5.

Non-working of course. This collaboration by Canon and Takara Tomy certainly took us by surprise, by bringing us the best of both worlds into one wild and hard-to-get exclusive that’s only available in Japan!

Thanks to a Space Bridge and before we can even declare that all exclusives are the right of Transformers fans around the world, we got our hands on this Matrix of Leader….. we mean this Transformers x Canon Optimus Prime R5 for review and found it pretty niffy, but it left us wanting more!

Sadly, it’s not a 1:1 scale creation but it’s close and of all the licensed Optimus Primes out there, some of which are weird (we’re looking at you Pepsi), this is one of the strangest that actually makes sense. Optimus Prime and Prime Lens – Till All Are One!

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?

The post Unboxing Takara Tomy’s Transformers x Canon Optimus Prime R5 appeared first on Geek Culture.

When Samsung announced its new Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra ultimately stole the show.

With a whopping 200MP main camera, the S23 Ultra camera is also now further enhanced with the brand’s new Advanced Vision Booster tech that automatically adjusts and enhances colours and contrast in the photos. Noise Reduction Technology has also been added so that night portraits and videos appear more detailed and less grainy.

Aside from the 200MP main camera, the S23 Ultra also comes with a 50MP Wide camera, 10MP Telephoto camera and 12MP Front camera.

Camera test video by Bobby Tonelli.

Of course, having gotten our hands on the brand-new device, we took to the streets of Singapore to test out the camera, utilising the ‘Nightography’ feature that Samsung has prided itself on in both this year’s and last year’s S22 Ultra. We also made comparisons against its rival, the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so we’ll let the photos speak for themselves. For more, check out our video.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be available with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB of storage for S$1,828, S$2,098 and S$2,458 respectively. The S23 Ultra will also come in four colours: Phantom black, Green, Cream and Lavender. Online exclusive colours are: Graphite, Lime, Sky Blue and Red.

All three models in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series will be available in Singapore from 17 February 2023 on Samsung’s official Shopee and Lazada store, and their main online store.

A'bidah Zaid

Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.

The post Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Camera Test: Low Light ‘Nightography’ appeared first on Geek Culture.

Canon has unveiled two new cameras perfect for content creators: the R8 for budding photographers and videographers and of course, the R50 for vloggers and streamers.

Impressions video by Bobby Tonelli.

Coming in black and white, the Canon EOS R50 hosts new intelligent creative features and functions like Advanced A+ which allows for better night and backlit portraits, Creative Bracket which generates multiple versions of a shot with different filters and Subject Blur Guide which helps the user practice panning.

Most excitingly for vloggers and streamers though, is that the R50 is equipped with Image Stabilisation optimised for handheld vlogging and allows users to conduct high-quality livestreams with just one USB cable. Transferring from camera to smartphone is also made easier and fuss-free so videos can go up to social media quickly and easily too.

During our hands-on session with Canon, we were most impressed by just how easy it is to vlog with the R50, especially when you’re trying to show off a product or an item on camera. The camera automatically and quickly switches focus to the subject closest to the camera in one smooth take and was able to detect and track people moving in the frame. Check out our hands-on video for more.

The Canon EOS R50 will be available sometime in end March.

A'bidah Zaid

Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.

The post First Impressions: Canon EOS R50 Is A Must-Have Starter Camera For Vloggers And Streamers appeared first on Geek Culture.

If you’re a new content creator, then the Canon EOS R8 may just be what you need.

Impressions video by Bobby Tonelli.

Canon is building up its lower-end lineup with cameras suitable for budding photographers and videographers without having to break the bank. After playing around with the brand’s new camera at a hands-on session, our first impression is that the R8 is reminiscent of the R6 Mark II, with enough similar features and specs one would look for in a camera. Simply put, the R8 is the R6 Mark II’s little sister.

For starters, the R8 has a Digic X image processor and features a newly developed 24.2-megapixel CMOS image sensor. It also performs relatively well in low light thanks to the camera’s high native ISO speed ranges of up to ISO 102,400 (still shooting) and ISO 25,600 (video shooting).

The R8 is also touted as the lightest full-frame camera on the market, weighing just 461 grams.

For our hands-on session, we shot a chef preparing lunch and find that the camera is certainly worth checking out if you’re a starting videographer or content creator. If you’re a content creator who has been shooting on a phone and would like to take your content quality to the next level with a camera, then the R8 is for you.

Similarly, if you’re a professional videographer looking for something light, affordable, easy to use and yet produces great quality, the R8 makes a good secondary / B camera.

The Canon EOS R8 will be available sometime in end April.

A'bidah Zaid

Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.

The post First Impressions: Canon EOS R8 Is An Aspiring Content Creator’s Best Friend appeared first on Geek Culture.

Sennheiser has always been known for its audio prowess, and its microphones are no different. Where the MKE 600 is one of the best offerings for professional videography and content creation, the MKE 200 presents itself as a take-anywhere alternative for those with a leaner wallet.

Bring the two models together, and you’ll get versatility in a bundle, which is also what the brand is offering from now to the end of the year, with a special promotion that includes a free MKE 200 with every purchase of the MKE 600, at S$509. It’s an attractive deal for potential buyers, as the former usually comes priced at S$159.

As the higher-end model, the MKE 600 packs in a series of extra nifty features that makes for a realiable companion for demanding shoots. Its main strength is its rich sound and excellent reproduction of low frequencies which is perfect for capturing of speech and dialogue. The super-cardioid pick-up pattern reduces unwanted noise significantly, providing excellent voice intelligibility even in acoustically unfavorable environments. The microphone also boasts a switchable low-cut filter that cuts down on structure-borne and wind noise, with the option to go either phantom-powered or battery-powered.

The MKE 200, meanwhile, can be used in tandem with a camera or a smartphone, where it works to overcome the poor sound from built-in mics. Despite its small form factor, the device is built sturdy with features such as wind protection and integrated shock absorption. The MKE 200 is the perfect first step to upgrading your sound. The compact camera comes complete with a fur windshield, a TRS cable for cameras, a TRRS cable for smartphones, and a pouch.

In comparison, the MKE 600 includes a foam windshield, a camera shock-mount, an XLR3-to-TRS cable, an AA battery, and a pouch. A blimp, which can be attached to a fur windshield, and an XLR3-to-TRRS cable are also available separately.

The promotion is currently ongoing, and would make for a nice early Christmas treat for those in the videography or content creation business. With both the MKE 200 and MKE 600 on hand, users will have the right tools to capture impressive-sounding audio from every angle. Say goodbye to relying on built-in mics, and hello to quality at participating retailers, including Wailian Electronics, Cathay Photo and Alan Photo.

This article is brought to you together with Sennheiser.

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Pick Up Sennheiser’s MKE 600 Shotgun Mic & Get A MKE 200 Free For A Limited Time appeared first on Geek Culture.

Sony’s latest A7R V full-frame mirrorless camera has big shoes to fill but it stepped up to the plate and is able to deliver convincingly on all fronts.

Its predecessor, the Sony A7R IV, was the first 61-megapixel full-frame camera in the world and already included a powerful “Real-time tracking” autofocus system.

Video done by Bobby Tonelli.

The updated Sony A7R V may have the same 61-megapixel sensor as its predecessor, but its new AI autofocus system and fully-articulated rear screen on the tilt-out cradle makes it stand out.

The new A7R V is rocking a sophisticated next-generation AI-based autofocus system with real-time tracking, thanks to its new BIONZ XR Image Processing engine that marks a “turning point” for autofocus. It gives the camera 8 times more processing power compared to the A7R IV and significantly enhances subject recognition abilities.

Alongside a fantastic autofocus system, the A7R V is also equipped with a tilting cradle behind the fully-articulated rear screen. Before extending the articulating screen, you can tilt the screen forward, out of the way of the microphone and headphone ports. You can also flip the screen outward and use it as a regular tilting screen. Basically, you have the best of both worlds with the 4-axis multi-angle LCD monitor.

The A7R V is also equipped with an excellent viewfinder, with enhanced finder optics that increase the magnification to an astounding 0.9x, and the OLED display has a stunning 9.44-million dot resolution. Even if you shoot in low light conditions, the subject of your images and videos can still be captured in sharp and clear detail, significantly improving the quality of your images and videos.

The Sony A7R V full-frame high-resolution camera may be Sony’s best photo camera to date, with the new cutting-edge AI Autofocus system and a multi-use flip-with-tilt screen that is bound to give the other cameras a run for their money.

The camera costs around US$3,899, and will go on sale sometime in late November 2022.

Natalie

Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.

The post The Sony A7R V Packs An Impressive Autofocus System And Sends Other Sony Models Scrambling appeared first on Geek Culture.