Afraid of missing out on the latest photo industry news while you’re out, well, actually taking pictures? Photography News of the Week is all the news you might have missed this week, published on the weekends. Alongside the biggest stories of the week, like Canon’s new RF lens and the latest Wacom tablet, find briefs on the latest in accessories and photography news from this week.
Polaroid’s special edition OneStep 2 is upside-down in celebration of Stranger Things
Something strange is going on with Polaroid’s latest Instant camera. This week, Polaroid launched the Stranger Things special edition OneStep 2. The special edition prints the usual Polaroid design upside down while incorporating the red and blue colors from the show.
With the special edition camera, Polaroid also launched special edition film which has 16 different designs on that traditionally white frame, also with a nod to the Netflix hit. The new releases are part of Polaroid’s throwback campaign, simultaneously celebrating the upcoming third season of the Netflix series that re-imagines the 1980s.
The camera is available for about $110, while the film sells for $18 for a pack of eight.
Photo storage app Ever slammed for slyly using customer photos to train surveillance A.I.
Photo storage app Ever is taking heat for discretely using the images customers stored on the platform to train artificial intelligence systems used in surveillance and other tasks. According to a report by NBC News, the app adds user photos to a training database for A.I. programs, only informing users of the use through one line in the company’s privacy policy: “Your files may be used to help improve and train our products and these technologies.”
While Ever allows users to automatically create albums based on facial recognition, those images were also used to help improve A.I. designed for recognizing faces. Ever then sells that technology to private security companies.
The company says that names and identifying information is not associated with any of the photos and has since adjusted the privacy policy and added a pop-up in the app.
Nikon DSLRs get firmware refresh with real Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi on several Nikon DSLRs initially worked exclusively with Snapbridge, but with the latest firmware updates, photographers can use third-party apps to control the cameras. Nikon recently launched new firmware for the D850, D500, D7500, and D5600.
All four cameras gain direct Wi-Fi along with a handful of bug fixes. The D850 and D500, for example, get a fix for an issue that could cause trouble focusing on the edges of the image. All the firmware updates are available directly from Nikon.
Got a great action or adventure shot? Red Bull Illume photo contest is now open
Red Bull Illume, a photography contest focused on action and adventure, is now open for entries. The contest highlights the best action and adventure photography of the year over 11 categories, which includes the new categories for Best of Instagram and Moving Image.
A group of 50 judges will choose category winners and one overall winner in November, handing out more than $100,000 worth of prizes, including the Sony a7 II with a 24-105mm lens. Submissions are open through July 31 at Red Bull Illume.
