Category: Technology

  • Top Drones for Aerial Real Estate Photography this 2018

    Top Drones for Aerial Real Estate Photography this 2018

    The real estate industry is one of the top users of drones around the world. A third of the drones are sold to real estate brokers or to real estate photographers. Drones are effective in taking aerial photos of a property, be it commercial or residential. In listings, this can be a great addition to your photos so potential buyers can see a better view of the entire property. The drone is a proper investment that can make a difference in your business. This helps in selling properties way faster while also giving amazing photos for clients to use in their listings.

    If you are looking into purchasing a drone for your business, here are the top drones that you can use for real estate:

    • DJI Inspire 2

    The first DJI Inspire was the drone that made a difference in the filmmaking industry. The new Inspire 2 came with a new imaging system that can record 5.2K in cinemaDNG, 4K at 60fps, or other file formats at 30fps. The drone can go from 0 to 50 mph in less than five seconds. It can fly up to 58 mph. The Inspire 2 comes with a dual battery system that helps in lengthening the flight time to 27 minutes. It also works great in low temperatures so you will encounter less issues with the weather. The DJI Inspire 2 is a professional drone so it is a bit pricey. The accessories can even cost you more.

     

    • DJI Phantom 4 Pro

    DJI Phantom 4 Pro

    This is one of the most popular drones in the market today. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro has a 20 MP camera and a 4K video feature at 60 fps. It also comes with a mechanical shutter and a one-inch sensor. What’s interesting about this drone is that it can automatically evade obstacles, track subjects, and travel to a designated point. It’s also easy to use the Phantom 4 Pro with its preset cinematic modes. Use it with the DJI GO 4 app for adjustments in the camera settings, image transmission, and video content downloading.

     

    • Yuneec H920 Tornado

    Yuneec H920 Tornado

    This is another pricey yet heavy-duty hexacopter, or a six-rotor drone, that comes with different safety mechanisms. It also has an advanced flight system that will provide ease to the user. This Yuneec drone has carbon fiber frame for extra durability. The H920 Tornado is made to fly Panasonic’s mirrorless GH4 camera to shoot stills and footages. This camera is great for capturing high-quality images and videos with its 16.05-megapixel sensor. What’s great about this drone is that it has auto-landing and return-to-home features.

     

    • DJI Mavic Pro

    DJI Mavic Pro

    For real estate, having both interior and exterior photos are also essential. With the DJI Mavic Pro, shooting interiors has become easier. It’s a compact drone that’s versatile and durable. It shoots 4K videos at 60 fps. It can fly up to 40 mph for 27 minutes. It’s ideal to use it for high-ceiling properties with mezzanines or those with large interiors. The drone also has an optical avoidance systems that steers it clear from any obstacles.

     

    • Walkera QR X800

     

    video credit Sergei Pachtchenko
    This drone is designed to carry bulky DSLRs and action cameras. I is portable and compact and can be easily brought to any locations for flying. It can operate up to 60 minutes in the air because of its battery capacity. This makes it the perfect companion for longer shoots and aerial videos. The QR X800 is made of strong carbon which makes it a sturdy drone.

     

    • Yuneec Typhoon H

    Yuneec Typhoon H

    This drone comes with unique features that are quite useful for real estate. For its price, the Typhoon H is packed with robust capabilities. It’s a hexacopter that can be used for rugged purposes. It comes with a fail-safe mechanism and a collision prevention system. It has eight smart flight options, automatic landing, take-off and flying, and GPS Stabilization. Using this drone requires little to no effort. It has a 12-megapixel camera that can take 4K videos.

  • Top 5 Best Cameras for Real Estate Photography

    Top 5 Best Cameras for Real Estate Photography

    When it comes to real estate photography, having the right gear is indispensable to creating really good images. Although having a good eye and knowing composition are necessary skills, investing in superb gear will be a game-changer for your work.

    If you’re in the market for the best cameras in your field, here are Phixer.net’s top choices for you:

     

    Canon M3 EOS

    Canon M3 EOS
    photo credit usa.canon.com

    This point-and-shoot compact camera is super easy to use. This is a budget-friendly camera that is great for those who are just starting with real estate photography. It comes with the 15-45mm wide-angle lens that fits perfectly with shooting properties and interiors. Even if it’s considered a beginner’s camera, you can always shoot it like a professional. Make sure that you have the right accessories to accompany your Canon M3. Shoot with a tripod and an external flash or some lights. Having the bases covered ensures that you can start shooting with a simple camera and still create amazing photos for your clients.

    Sony Alpha a7R III

    Sony Alpha a7R III
    photo credit sonyrumors.co

    This camera is best for low-light and interiors. It’s a full-frame mirrorless camera that can be used with interchangeable lenses. It has a resolution of 42 megapixels and an ISO range of 100 to 3200. The camera is powered by an EXMOR R BSI CMOS sensor and BIONZ X processor. It creates amazing photos with a size of 7952 x 5304 pixels. Sony has installed the five-axis sensor shift for shake compensation.

    Nikon D5

    Nikon D5
    photo credit Nikon USA

    It’s an all-around great camera that you can shoot anything with. It has 20.8 megapixels and full-frame CMOS sensor. The camera has an ISO range of 100 to 102400. It also has 12-bit RAW S and 14-bit RAW format support. Since it has a large sensor and a smaller resolution, it creates lower noise on images and has a better dynamic range in low-light situations.

    Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

    photo credit usa.canon.com

    This is one of the top DSLRs today. It has a 30-megapixel CMOS sensor and it comes with a digital lens optimizer. The camera captures amazing photos with a great amount of detail. Its smart optimizer technology reduces the optical defects. If you’re going to shoot real estate video, this camera allows you to capture 4K videos, as well.

    Panasonic Lumix GH5

    Panasonic Lumix GH5
    photo credit CNET

    This is an excellent camera for shooting 4k video. It has a 20.3-megapixel sensor that’s great for high-quality videos and for photos. This comes with a large OLED viewfinder and an advanced autofocus system. Its image stabilization allows you to create steadier shots while reducing the motion blur. It’s also designed well and is comfortable to use.

    With a good camera for your business, you also need to invest in accessories. External flash, tripod, extra batteries and charger, UV filter and lighting are necessary for supplementing your camera. This allows you have a good setup every time you’re out for a project. You’re also assured that you have all the bases covered when it comes to gears so that you’re primed to capture the best images for your clients.

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    Featured photo credit: https://www.nyip.edu/

  • Top 6 Coolest HDR Software Programs

    Top 6 Coolest HDR Software Programs

    HDR (high dynamic range) is a staple when it comes to real estate photography. It is an old photography technique that requires you to capture a wide range of light stops from lightest to darkest and then combine all those images. This creates a wider dynamic range than a photo with a single exposure.

    Although cameras and smartphones already carry the HDR feature, this might not be effective for professional real estate photography. The usual issue with this kind of system is that you have no control over the output. The best solution is to use your DSLR and shoot with RAW while using the auto exposure bracketing. Once you have the images with the different exposures, you can edit them to create the desired result.

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    HDR Software Options

    There are different HDR software options that you can use in order to create the perfect image that you need for real estate. Different real estate photographers have different preferences.

    Here are the top six HDR software programs that photographers use:

    1. Photomatix Pro

    This software is the top HDR programs for many photographers. Photomatix is developed by HDRSoft and is one of the oldest around.The great thing about the Photomatix is there are four tone mapping methods that can be used to make creative looks. Photomatix is a great all around HDR software and that is not just limited to real estate photography use. When you used right, you get the most amazing photos.

    2. Aurora HDR

    This is another HDR software that many professional photographers swear by. Developed by StuckinCustoms and MacPhun, this only works for Mac users. This is one of the easiest HDR software platforms out in the market today. It has a ton of different features that can be used to create different looks for your images. It’s close to being an all-in-one software that it has its own spot healing brush. Its HDR Tone Mapping feature is powerful and one of the best among all the software options.

    3. Nik’s HDR Efex Pro

    The company has always been at the forefront of producing presets and filters for Photoshop. With the HDR Efex Pro, the software is created to act like a plugin to your photo editing software. This software is great for people who don’t want to move back and forth across different software. The HDR Efex Pro creates a different workflow than that of the usual HDR software.

    4. Adobe HDR Photo Merge in Lightroom

    If you are using Photoshop or Lightroom, you need not look further. Lightroom has its own HDR Photo Merge that lets you combine images to create an HDR photo. This extra feature has different blending options, like Auto Tone and Auto Align. Auto Tone is used for merging photos while Auto Align is used for aligning your images.

    5. Easy HDR

    This software was released in 2006 and has gone through different versions through the years. This software is also user-friendly and one of the best in the market. It’s quick and can be easily installed. Unfortunately, this software doesn’t handle RAW files quite well. Older CR2 files might need to be exported to Lightroom first in order to create better images. To get the best results with this program, try converting your images to 16-bit TIF files.

    6. HDR Projects 4

    This is one of the newer software options in the market and it’s packed with some interesting features. It’s available on both MAC and Windows and it’s easy to use. HDR Projects 4 comes with a Lightroom plugin that makes the workflow easier. Unfortunately, its presets aren’t that outstanding. But it has quite a lot of controls and options. This software can be promising when used the right way.

  • The 15 Best Laptops for Photoshop Compared

    The 15 Best Laptops for Photoshop Compared

    When it comes to Photoshop, a powerful computer setup is a must. There are specific technical requirements to run this program and since one has to be mobile most often than not, a laptop is a popular choice. You need to consider the specifications of your laptop to see if its performance meets the demands of Photoshop.

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    If you’re in the market for a laptop, here are the top 15 best laptops for Photoshop that you should check out:

    1. Apple MacBook Pro MJLQ2LL/A 15” with Retina Display

    Apple is known to produce the best laptops for photo editing and Photoshop. This laptop comes with a 2.2 GHz i7 processor but can be overclocked to 16GB RAM for a faster performance. Unfortunately, its 256 GB of SSD storage might not be enough to store all of your RAW files. You have to get an extra backup for all your files. Despite the storage issue, the main highlight of this laptop is its retina display.

    2. Apple MacBook Pro 15.4” 1TB Touch Bar Silver

    This laptop has a 2.9 GHz i7 processor. Its 15.4” retina display is best for editing raw files in high-resolution. It has a 16GB RAM with 1TB SSD drive. The touch bar on this MacBook Pro is innovative. It can input commands without you having to memorize the keyboard shortcuts. Its Touch ID sensor improves the access to the laptop. This is probably one of the best laptops out there for Photoshop use.

    3. Asus M580VD-EB76 VivoBook15.6” FHD

    This Asus laptop is powered with an i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB graphics card and a 1TB HDD. It has an internal memory of 16GB DDR4. It has a full HD resolution and supports 100% the sRGB color.

    4. Asus F556UA-AB54 NB Laptop

    This is a Windows laptop that has a 2.5 GHz Core i5 processor that’s great for photo and video editing. It has a memory of 8GB DDR4 and a built-in 256GB SSD hard drive. The great thing about this laptop is that it comes with multiple USB slots that are compatible with most devices.

    5. Lenovo 17.3” ThinkPad P71 Mobile Workstation

    It has a 3.1 GHz Intel Xeon E3-1535 M processor. Its large 17.3” display gives you three times the screen resolution as compared to the most common full HD laptops. The laptop has an internal memory of 16GB and an NVIDIA Quadro P4000M 8GB graphics card. Unfortunately, its storage is a bit small with the only 512GB worth of space.

    6. Lenovo ThinkPad P50 Mobile Workstation

    One of the major advantages of this laptop is its 4TB SSD storage. It has a powerful Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB RAM. Its graphic has a 4GB internal memory for smooth operation.

    7. Lenovo 15.6” Legion Y520 Notebook

    This laptop has a good combination of speed, affordability, and performance. It is powered by a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 processor. It has an internal memory of 8GB. This has 1TB of traditional HDD and a 128GB SSD. It has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Graphics Card.

    8. Dell 15.6” Precision M5510 Multi-Touch Mobile Workstation

    It comes with a 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor and a 8GB internal memory. It has a sharp display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. Having a dedicated graphics processor, like what this laptop has, creates a smoother performance.

    9. Dell Inspiron 15.6” Full HD Gaming Laptop

    This laptop is designed for a photographer who uses Photoshop a lot. It has a 7th generation i7 processor and an internal memory of 8GB and 1TB storage. You can also overclock the memory of the laptop up to 32GB. Its secondary 128GB SSD storage allows your system to work quickly.

    10. Dell Gaming Inspiron 17.3” FHD Laptop

    It has a full HD display that’s backlit and anti-glare so you can work even under the bright light. This laptop is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and a 16GB RAM memory. It has a storage of 2TB HDD which gives you ample of space to save your work. This has an AMD Radeon R7 M445 graphics card that has a 4GB memory for a powerful laptop.

    11. HP 15.6” Zbook 15 G3 Mobile Workstation

    It has an Intel Xeon E3 processor and an internal memory of 16GB. It has four memory slots that you can fill up so you can have a more powerful laptop. It has a 15.6” full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It powerful NVIDIA Quadro M2000 graphics card with a 4GB memory.

    12. HP ENVY TouchSmart 15.6” Touch-Screen Laptop

    This laptop proves that you don’t have to spend a lot for an efficient one. It is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and a 8GB RAM. Although it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card, it has an Intel HD Graphics 4600 that’s enough for editing projects.

    13. MSI WT72 2OL-1246 17.3”

    It’s powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with 16GB RAM. It also has an NVIDIA Quadro K4100M graphics card. The laptop has a full HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution. Its large screen allows you to have a pretty good view of your work. Although it doesn’t have a large enough resolution, its screen size makes up for it.

    14. MSI GE72 APACHE-235 17.3” Gaming Laptop

    Its large screen makes it a good laptop for editing projects. It has an Intel Core i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX960M graphics card that has 2GB memory. The laptop has 16GB dedicated memory and 1024GB HDD. Although it doesn’t have an SSD, it’s still fast enough for Photoshop.

    15. Acer Touch V3-372T Ultrabook

    This is a mid-range laptop that has an ultra-thin design. It is built with an Intel Core i7 processor that’s powerful enough to handle photo editing tasks. It has a 13.3” display that’s in full HD. The laptop comes with an 8GB DDR3 memory that can be expanded to 16GB. It has a 512GB of SSD for storing your work, but might not be enough to handle all of your RAW files.

  • 5 Ways Camera Tech Changed In 2016

    5 Ways Camera Tech Changed In 2016

    As technology speeds ahead the newest features can be mind-boggling and true game changers. Although these features can only be found on select models, it won’t be long before the good stuff becomes the industry standard. Check out what’s next!

    Ridiculously High ISO

    The new Nikon D5 features an ISO setting so high that it will capture things even the human eye can’t detect. At ISO 3,280,000 this ability to photograph more than humans can see in the dark is very intriguing and Nikon isn’t the only maker to reach such high ISOs although this is the first DSLR camera to do so. Canon’s ME20F-SH “multi-purpose camera” that shoots up to a staggering ISO 4 million.

    Automatic Media Backups via Bluetooth

    Wi-fi is power hungry. In order to preserve battery life cameras can’t keep their connection to mobile devices making automatic backups impossible. They also need to be manually connected and even this connection is doomed after a few minutes. The Nikon D500 features a low-power Bluetooth signal. This opens up the option of keeping that connection to your mobile devices and makes automatic backups possible. While a mobile device is not the ideal storage apparatus I see big potential down the road when this is inevitably paired with wireless hard drives.

    Mobile printing

    Mobile photo printing isn’t exactly new. What has changed in 2016 is that it can now be a useful tool for photo booths and quick on-site prints. The Canon SELPHY CP1200 Wireless Compact Photo Printer offers 4×6 prints and the device weighs less than two pounds and can be set up completely wireless. As this technology advances will we will start to mobile pro-level wireless printers.

    Radio Wave Flash Triggers

    These new triggers transmit their data via electromagnetic waves. They don’t require a direct line of sight, can communicate around corners, through walls, and across much further distances than light-based triggers. The Nikon SB-5000 is the company’s first flash to use radio waves.

    Small data storage

    New technology is allowing us to create better images, but file sizes are often much larger too. The Samsung 2 TB T3 SSD Drive allows you to jam 2 TB of storage in an external hard drive that’s about the size of a business card and weighs less than two ounces.