A common laxative may do more than aid digestion: it could sharpen memory and attention in people with a history of depression.
Category: Mental Health, Brain Health, Body and Mind
Tags: laxative, brain-fog, Depression, Memory, University of Birmingham, University of Oxford
Often attributed to Albert Einstein, the quote by science-fiction writer Ray Cummings still serves as the most succinct explanation for one of the most fundamental features of our universe.
Tags: Time, Big Bang Theory, Quantum Mechanics, Bose-Einstein condensate, Albert Einstein, Newton, University of Birmingham
“Man overboard!” The dreaded call that starts a race against time and the often treacherous sea. Sadly, the sea often wins, mainly due to reaction times. Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) are now developing an onboard drone that aids rescues without human intervention.
Category: Drones, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Rescue, Technical University of Denmark, Ocean, Accidents
Running is often promoted as one of the simplest sports to pick up – put on a pair of running shoes and head out. In reality, running also comes with a list of safety considerations. As a woman, every time I go for a run alone, I make sure to stick to busy streets, carry pepper spray and my phone, and let my partner know which route I’m taking. Running after dark brings safety concerns to another level for runners of any gender: wearing reflective clothes, watching for traffic, and staying on well-lit streets become essential.
Category: Sports, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Kickstarter, xxKickbooster, Running, Safety, Protection, Crime, Radar, GPS
VSCO has long been an app photographers turn to for film-inspired presets, but now the company is making a pivot toward something far more ambitious. This week, it announced two interconnected products that aim to serve photographers far more broadly: Studio Pro, a dedicated professional batch-editing app, and VSCO One, an all-in-one platform launching later this month that bundles editing, client galleries, booking and more.
Studio Pro is the more immediate piece of VSCO's new platform. At launch, Studio Pro is fairly limited in features, with a primary focus on editing colors and making minor tweaks to JPEGs. VSCO says it's intentionally shipping the first version now so that it can gather feedback before rolling out additional features. It says it plans to regularly release improvements and new features "based on real-world professional workflows."
Image: VSCOTo start, one of its primary features is batch editing, allowing photographers to apply VSCO's film presets and adjustments like HSL, grain, exposure, contrast and white balance on up to 100 images at once with one tap. The tool is aimed at portrait, wedding, sport and event photographers who need to be able to quickly edit larger sets of images.
Studio Pro also offers Style Match, which analyzes a previously edited reference image and replicates its color and tonal character across new images. The tool promises to make it easier to achieve a consistent look across image sets, allowing photographers to develop a distinct style. Lastly, the app will allow photographers to post images to VSCO Galleries, making it easier to share finished work with clients.
Image: VSCORaw file support, something most professional photographers would consider a must-have, is listed as a planned future feature, not something available immediately. Likewise, manual culling with star ratings, custom crop tools, tethering and advanced export options such as file renaming and resolution control are all slated for the product roadmap. There's also a macOS desktop version planned for later this year.
Studio Pro enters a crowded and competitive field that includes Lightroom Mobile, Darkroom and Halide, apps with more mature feature sets and, in Lightroom's case, years of well-established professional workflows behind them. Whether photographers find enough in Studio Pro's current iteration to trial it depends largely on how central VSCO's preset aesthetic already is to their work. For shooters already living in the VSCO ecosystem, the batch workflow could be a meaningful upgrade. For everyone else, it may be worth revisiting when Raw support arrives.
For everyone else, it may be worth revisiting when Raw support arrives.What could be enticing to photographers, though, is the promise of a more complete ecosystem under one umbrella. Historically, photographers have had to stitch together various tools from different companies to manage all aspects of the business. That could mean Lightroom for editing, Pixieset for gallery delivery, HoneyBook for contracts and invoices, Squarespace for websites, and the list goes on, with each carrying its own subscription. VSCO puts the costs at $800 to $3200 annually.
Image: VSCOVSCO's upcoming ecosystem, VSCO One, aims to ease those costs and the pain points of dealing with multiple subscriptions with what it's calling the "Connected System for Photographers." The platform is designed to cover the complete photography workflow, from creative to business needs, and it bundles the company's existing offerings under one subscription that costs $500 a year.
VSCO One isn't launching until the end of June, but it will include two editing programs (Studio Pro and AI Lab), galleries for client delivery and sharing, portfolio websites, client collaboration and creative planning tools, a camera app and community.
Additionally, the subscription will include VSCO Workspace, a tool for client management, booking, scheduling, invoicing, contracts and studio operations. It will also provide access to The Freelance Photographer, a business education and mentorship platform that VSCO acquired last year.
VSCO's new Studio Pro is available for free on iOS now, though you will need a subscription for some features, such as the company's full preset library. VSCO One will be available at the end of the month.
For more than a decade, Bosch built its dominance in the European ebike market betting that mid-drive motors – where power flows through the chain and cranks – were the smarter choice for urban riders and mountain bikers alike. Hub motors, which spin the wheel directly from inside the rear axle, were for someone else. Today, that position just changed.
Tags: Bosch, ebikes, Motor, Hub Motors
A semi-submersible aquaculture platform that holds more than 14 million gallons (64,000 cubic meters) of water – around 20 Olympic swimming pools' worth – has begun operating in the waters off the Chinese city of Sanya, Hainan Province. It's expected to produce more than 4,000 tonnes of ocean-farmed fish in the first year.
Tags: Aquaculture, Farming, Engineering, Fish, Production, China, Marine Innovations, Ocean
Canon EOS-1D X | EF 70–200mm F2.8L IS II USM | F2.8 | 1/200 sec | ISO 640
Photo: Brian Ach
Brian Ach, known as Achman in the wider community, loves to cover raving stadium shows and gain backstage access at major cultural events for clients like Getty and AP. In contrast, his personal work takes things down a notch in speed and seriousness. Street, travel and fine art photography give Brian room to go back to when he first learned photography: shooting film in New York City on his daily commute with a 35mm camera.
"After I was a couple of blocks from the WTC on 9/11, I decided life was short and graphic design wasn't for me. I left the full-time job and became a freelance photographer."
This story is part of our What's in your bag? community spotlight series. The series showcases the diverse gear and photography of our community, and shares their stories of how that gear helped them to capture the perfect shot.
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"Venice Beach; California. For me, there is nothing better than exploring the world with TriX."Canon F1 | Canon FD 35mm F2 | Tri X ISO 400
Photo: Brian Ach
Home base: United States
Favorite camera: "It's not related to my work or these photographs, but I’ve had my original Yashicamat for 30 years – it’s more than just a camera to me, it feels like a friend."
Photo: Brian Ach
Cameras for work: Canon R5 ("two of them, actually")
Cameras for play: Yashica Mat, Canon VI-L and a Canon F1
"Taylor Swift; NYC, 2010. Sometimes you have minutes to make a portrait; here I had 15 seconds."
Canon EOS-1D X | EF 85mm F1.2L II USM | F2.8 | 1/250 sec | ISO 1600
Photo: Brian Ach
"My work is pretty divided into work and play."
"For work, I shoot for Getty, AP, and editorial and commercial clients. I've been around the world on these jobs, working as Prince's European tour photographer alongside other major names like Jay-Z and Journey. And also big brands and events from Jaguar/Land Rover to Samsung to New York Fashion Week and the MTV VMA awards. I like to say I've shot everything and everyone."
"Film forces me to really shoot with intention, to dissolve into the process and be deliberate about what I'm doing.""For play, I like street, travel and fine art. I started in film, and it is still what really gets me going. Film forces me to really shoot with intention, to dissolve into the process and be deliberate about what I'm doing. I started learning by shooting street in NYC with a rangefinder and a 35mm lens on the way to and from work every day. It trained my eyes to be soft and let the image find its way to my shutter. This early work informed my process to this day, even in my professional work."
Have you taken any particularly memorable trips?I visited 12 countries in 24 days quite a few years ago, and recently visited 9 countries in less time, including India and Japan. I'm a travel junkie. Many times, I only took the film cameras out, and it was just great. Sometimes you would see a shot you wanted to get, but you weren't able to because of what you had, and it was good to be able to let go of that, because professionally, I can't.
"Shadow Dancer; Chelsea Flea Market, NYC, 2002. Yashicamat, TriX. I was born on this street."Photo: Brian Ach
"Shooting for clients all the time has definitely made me shoot less for fun. Carrying a lot of gear to a job often means no room for a fun camera, even if it is small. I just don't want to carry another thing. So, it's a sad but true thing that I shoot less of the 'fun' stuff. It does make it more special when I choose to do it, though."
"When I started out professionally, I was concerned about creating a certain 'look'. Something people would know is from me. I quickly started shooting like my heroes, Callahan, Mary Ellen Mark and learned from each of them. But if I could tell myself how it really works, I would say: 'Learn and move on.' Your style will become clear after years of shooting. Don't get hung up on that."
"Learn and move on. Your style will become clear after years of shooting.""My shooting has improved for simple reasons – experience has taught me to understand what the shot I'm seeking really is, and when to take it. I shoot fewer frames than ever because I am not searching as much. With clients, I've probably thought more about their shoot than they have by go time, and it makes it easier."
You clearly have a distinct shooting method. What's your secret?"I think through the job or the trip multiple times, pack everything I want to take, and then take stuff out of the bag or case depending on what conclusions I come up with."
"I teach my method, which I call 'Content meets Context', in workshops. I use this every time I shoot to create 'intentional' photographs. Content is nothing without context, especially nowadays. An example would be Prince performing at the Stade de France. A picture of him on stage performing would be great, but there is no context – nothing to indicate it is in the iconic arena. I went and shot him wide, from behind (thanks, all access) as he turned around, so you can have the context of the arena in the shot."
"Prince; Stade de France, Paris 2011; This was the first show on the European Tour, the first time I had photographed him in concert."Canon EOS-1D X | EF 17–40mm F4L USM | F4 | 1/320 sec | ISO 2000
Photo: Brian Ach
"For all photographers: shoot more, be open to criticism and learn how to self-critique. Like a musician who knows their keys and scales by rote, you need to know your cameras the same way. Practice, refine, grow and get the work out there. Happy shooting!"
Brian really enjoyed participating in this spotlight article and would be grateful for you to join him in discussion in the forums. You can also visit his work at brianach.com.
Thanks, Brian, for being featured!
If you'd like to share your photography, tell us about your main camera, lens choices, key settings and strategies. Your photos and story could be featured in the next article!
Editor's note: This article continues a series, 'What's in your bag?', highlighting DPReview community members, their photography and the gear they depend on. Would you like to be featured in a future installment? Tell us a bit about yourself and your photography by filling out this form. If you're selected for a feature, we'll be in touch with next steps.
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The Felicia is a compact and easily towable tiny house that focuses on freedom and simplicity. The home can optionally run off-grid, making it well suited to life away from campsites and trailer parks.
Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors
Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home
One day, far in the future, a leaf will turn brown and crumble to dust, representing the end of all plants on Earth. Without a crystal ball, nobody knows for certain when that day will come.
Category: Environment, Science
Tags: Plants, Extinction, Photosynthesis, Earth, Sun
One for the "why hasn't this been done before?" department: Norway has greenlit construction of the world's first ocean ship tunnel. If the final budget receives parliamentary approval, work on the Stad Ship Tunnel will begin on the country's west coast.
Tags: Ships, Tunnel, Norway, Construction, Building and Construction
We might be on the verge of a breakthrough treatment for pattern hair loss following clinical testing of a new oral medication called VDPHL01.
Category: Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind
Tags: minoxidil, Hair, clinical trials, FDA, Baldness
We might be on the verge of a breakthrough treatment for pattern hair loss following clinical testing of a new oral medication called VDPHL01.
Category: Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and Mind
Tags: minoxidil, Hair, clinical trials, FDA, Baldness
Colorectal cancer (CRC) has long been linked to a microbial imbalance in the gut, a phenomenon scientists call dysbiosis. But a new study from the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital points to this dynamic being more complicated than initially thought, with not just bacteria behind it but the viruses living inside them.
Category: Cancer, Illnesses and conditions, Body and Mind
Tags: Colorectal cancer, Gut Bacteria, Viruses and Bacteria, Cancer
Jodie Raybould & Daniel Waldeck, Coventry University/ The Conversation
Category: Mental Health, Brain Health, Body and Mind
Tags: Pets, Cats, Stress, mental health, Anxiety
Cotton may be nice and soft and warm, but we're told not to wear it for sporting activities because it traps moisture, becoming wet and ultimately drawing heat away from the body. Well, scientists have created a synthetic fabric that is claimed to repel moisture while still replicating the coziness of cotton.
Category: Materials, Engineering
Tags: American Chemical Society, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Cotton, Phase change material, Hydrophobic, Heating, Aerogels
Navee – a Chinese mobility brand that's probably best known for e-scooters like the ST3 Pro and UT5 Ultra X and electric dirt bikes such as the Storm X Pro, but also has golf carts and exoskeletons in its ecosystem – just adapted one of the Cold War's strangest engineering ideas into a personal watercraft that is part aircraft, part boat. The Suzhou-based company unveiled its WaveFly 5X at Lake Taihu on June 5, calling it the world's first wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicle for everyday consumers.
Tags: Ground Effect Vehicle, Marine Innovations, Transport, Consumers, Personal Powered Transport
Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.
Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.Shooting in Raw at its base ISO, the L10 captures a good amount of detail, on par with the Sony and Canon, and slightly more than the LX100 II. Despite using the same amount of sensor area as the LX100 II, it provides an image that's 1EV cleaner thanks to its ability to gather more light by shooting at ISO 100 instead of 200. Likewise, it produces slightly less noise than its Type-1 peers, thanks to its 66% increase in sensor area.
This advantage continues through to higher ISOs, though if you find yourself shooting in the dark often, it's worth considering the noise advantage that APS-C compacts like the Ricoh GR IV or Fujifilm X100VI provide, at the cost of less versatility thanks to their prime lenses. The L10's JPEG engine does a decent job of retaining details while reducing noise, though the older cameras that act as its competition are decent in this regard, too.
Standard Color Profile L.Classic Neo L.Classic L.Classic Gold The L10 has pleasing colors in its standard color mode, and a variety of other profiles, with the option to experiment further, through the use of uploadable LUT files.Where Panasonic's processing has improved is when it comes to its JPEG colors. Overall, they're pleasing and more punchy, and we've enjoyed them in the pictures we've taken with it outside of the studio. And if you don't enjoy the colors in its built-in modes, it's almost infinitely customizable thanks to the L10's Real Time LUT system.
Dynamic RangeThe L10 provides plenty of latitude to shoot to preserve highlights, then brighten in post.
Panasonic L10 | 75mm equiv. | F2.8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100 | Edited to taste in Adobe Camera Raw
Photo: Mitchell Clark
The sensor used in the L10 has been shown to have great dynamic range in the other cameras we've tested that use it, and we're happy to say the L10 is no exception. While its deepest shadows aren't quite as clean as those of the cameras that use the sensor's entire area, you still have plenty of room to exploit them. There's perhaps not as much difference as we might expect from a camera that can combine high and low gain readout in a 16-bit space, vs the 12-bit, single-read approach from the LX100 II, but they should still be pretty flexible.
Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance
Likewise, the sensor has very little read noise, giving you the option to choose an exposure, then lower your ISO to preserve highlights without having to worry about a ton of additional noise showing up in post when you raise the shadows. Shots at ISO 100 pushed 4EV will show a little more noise than shooting at ISO 1600 in the first place, but even by ISO 200 the difference isn't particularly distinguishable.
Lens performance Image ComparisonThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.When we reviewed the LX100 II in 2018, we said that camera's 17MP sensor was showing the limits of the lens. With the L10 essentially using the same optics, paired with a higher-resolution sensor, that's even more true today, with noticeable softness in the corners even when stopped down to F4 or 5.6 (though doing so provides noticeable improvement versus faster apertures like F2.8).
The bright, complex, foldable lenses on compacts are quite susceptible to sample variation, and we aren't able to test multiple copies of the camera. Putting it in the studio scene also pits it against extremely high-quality primes, many of which are larger and heavier than the L10 in its entirety, and holds it to a higher standard than most would expect from their real-world shooting. In the process of shooting our sample gallery, we haven't come across many situations where the lens felt inadequate for what we were trying to capture.
Announced earlier this month at Computex, the Asus ZenScreen Color ePaper display brings a 13.3-inch color ePaper touchscreen to the portable monitor space, with eye comfort as its main draw.
Category: Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Asus, Monitor, Screens, Display, E-Ink, ePaper, Colors
Positioned on a mountain over 3,000 m (9,840 ft) above sea level, the Titlis Tower began life as a telecommunications antenna, but following an ambitious renovation the utilitarian structure has been transformed into a dramatic visitor destination.
Category: Architecture, Engineering
Tags: Building and Construction, Skyscrapers, Mountain, Switzerland, Herzog & De Meuron
