Show Notes
Greetings, you’re listening to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 436 for Thursday January 9th, 2025. Today we take a look at some of the best stores for this past week in the world of photography.
DJI’s new Matrice 4 Series drones incorporate advanced technology and multiple sensors to improve performance and versatility for a wide range of enterprise users.
Unlike recent drones like the DJI Neo, the DJI Matrice 4 Series are built for industrial customers like safety inspectors, law enforcement, search and rescue, and agricultural observation. But that doesn’t mean DJI isn’t concerned with bringing improved ease of use to its industrial Matrice drones. To that end, the DJI Matrice 4T and Matrice 4E are more compact, easier to use, and more versatile in terms of imaging capabilities.
With the Matrice 4 Series, DJI is ushering in a new era of intelligent aerial operations. In equipping our industry-leading enterprise drones with AI, search and rescue teams can save lives faster,” says Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI.
“Moreover, the intelligent features in the Matrice 4 Series will be raised to a new level, enabling enterprise drones to better address the escalating operational demands in different complex scenarios.”
One way the Matrice 4T and 4E can handle more complex scenarios is through the use of multiple image sensors. Both drones feature medium telephoto and telephoto cameras with 48-megapixel sensors. The medium-tele camera has a 70mm equivalent f/2.8 lens and a Type 1/1.3 CMOS image sensor. The telephoto module has a much longer 168mm equivalent f/2.8 lens and a Type 1/1.5 sensor that DJI says can capture details from up to 250 meters (820 feet) away. Further, it has a laser rangefinder that can measure distances from up to 1,800 meters (5,905 feet).
The Matrice 4T is designed for things like emergency response, public safety, and resource management, so it also has an infrared thermal camera that captures images up to 1,280 by 1,024 pixels. An included NIR auxiliary light can illuminate objects up to 100 meters (328 feet) away. It also has a 24mm wide-angle lens (48-megapixel Type 1/1.3 sensor) and an IR-cut filter.
The DJI Matrice 4E is built for surveying, mapping, construction, and inspection applications, where resolution is paramount. It supports high-speed surveying work with a 24mm wide-angle lens, a 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds image sensor, and a mechanical shutter. This camera can shoot in orthophoto and oblique photography modes with mapping flight speeds up to 21 meters per second. An included Smart 3D Capture mode enables the drone to create rough models and precise mapping routes on a connected remote control, allowing users to measure irregular buildings. Per DJI, it can also display virtual space routes and waypoint photos, improving surveillance workflows.
Both new Matrice 4 Series drones include new software for diverse applications. The drones can perform surveillance and searches using a cruise control mode. When paired with the DJI Pilot 2 app, it’s possible to visualize on a map precisely where the Matrice 4 drone has already searched, making it easier to map out an efficient and timely route during time-sensitive operations. DJI also provides an SDK for drones so people can create tools specific to their needs. Both drones also feature new artificial intelligence-based subject detection, allowing users to quickly identify objects like vehicles and animals.
Since work doesn’t always stop when the Sun sets, the Matrice 4 drones feature extensive improvements to night mode. The 4T and 4E promise improved nighttime performance thanks to larger apertures and better low-light capabilities. They also both feature six high-definition low-light fisheye lenses that enhance visual low-light positioning, meaning that obstacle avoidance, rerouting, and return-to-home performance are better in the dark than before. When visibility is poor due to fog, haze, or humidity, a new Electronic Dehazing feature can improve image clarity, like the Dehaze slider in Adobe Lightroom.
DJI also unveiled new accessories, including a DJI AL1 SpotLight to illuminate objects from a distance and a DJI AS1 Speaker that can send audio up to 300 meters (984 feet) away. A new D-RTK 3 Multifunctional Station improves positioning accuracy and image transmission at high altitudes and in areas without cellular networks. The D-RTK 3 can also mark ground control points for the drone.
DJI says it is improving user controls over data. To that end, US-based users can no longer sync their flight logs with DJI servers, a move that secures data and likely serves to address increasing concerns in the United States over Chinese companies.
“Any personal data shared for account registration is further secured with AES-256 encryption. Operators can easily delete any data they have shared through their DJI account or by contacting DJI Support. Since 2017, we have regularly submitted our products for third-party security audits and certification, including Booz Allen Hamilton, FTI Consulting, and Kivu Consulting,” DJI explains.
The DJI Matrice 4E starts at $4,799 while the 4T starts at $7,299. Both are available to reserve now through the DJI Store.
Apple’s redesigned M4 Mac mini is great. It even won PetaPixel‘s award for Computer of the Year. But it can be better, and consumer electronics company Satechi hopes to help with a new Mac mini hub.
The Satechi Mac mini M4 Stand and Hub with SSD Enclosure is the first hub designed specifically for the redesigned M4 Mac mini, although if history is anything to go by, it probably won’t be the last. The new hub sits comfortably beneath the new Mac mini and features a sleek aluminum design that matches Apple’s computer in terms of appearance and materials.
The Stand and Hub expands the Mac mini’s impressive array of ports with additional expansion, including an SD 4.0 card reader, two 10Gbps USB-A ports (the Mac mini itself has none, instead featuring five USB-C ports, three of which are Thunderbolt 4 or 5 depending on the computer’s configuration), and one USB 2.0 port for peripheral connections. Satechi’s new Mac mini hub also has an SSD slot that supports 4TB SSDs in many sizes, including M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280. The Satechi Hub connects to the Mac mini via a single built-in USB-C cable that is just long enough to connect the hub to the Mac mini without placing undue stress on the connector itself.
Beyond expanding the Mac mini’s available ports, the Satechi Mac mini Hub also solves the new Mac mini’s most glaring and probably only notable design fault: its atrocious power button location. Thanks to the hub’s notch, users no longer need to lift the Mac mini off their desk to access the power button on the bottom of the computer. Satechi promises its hub will not disrupt airflow or impact the Mac mini’s wireless signal performance.
The redesigned M4 Mac mini is already proving to be a popular computer for creatives. As PetaPixel describes, “You will not find a better blend of power and performance in any personal computer on the market, period.”
The Satechi Mac mini Stand and Hub costs $99 and will begin shipping with limited availability in mid-February. Satechi expects wider availability in March and invites users to sign up to be notified when it is available to order on the company’s dedicated CES 2025 website.
Texas Police Seize Sally Mann Photos
Police have reportedly seized Sally Mann photographs from an exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, after a complaint was made about her images.
Mann is one of the most famous photographers of her generation. Her work revolves around family and she is best known for her intimate photos of children which receive both acclaim and criticism.
It is these images of children that have sparked the controversy in Fort Worth after some of them were reported to local police. According to a report in The Dallas Express, a warrant has been issued and executed with the images taken away from public display and secured as evidence. PetaPixel has reached out to the museum and Forth Worth police but neither responded as of publication.
Mann’s work is part of a wider exhibit titled Diaries of Home which, according to the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth’s website, “features works by women and nonbinary artists, who explore the multilayered concepts of family, community, and home.” The exhibit hosts 13 documentary photographers including Mann whose work the museum describes as “intimate and compelling.”
However, after a reporter from The Dallas Express visited the exhibit and accused the museum of “promoting child porn”, authorities have begun attacking Mann and the museum. The online newspaper shared photos of Mann’s work displayed at the museum that show a naked girl jumping on a table and a boy with his genitals exposed and liquid running down his body.
“There are images on display at this museum that are grossly inappropriate at best. They should be taken down immediately and investigated by law enforcement for any and all potential criminal violations. Children must be protected, and decency must prevail,” Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare previously tells The Dallas Express.
Other Tarrant County residents tell The Dallas Express that “pedophilia is not art” and that “every adult that approves this, from the board to the staff, should be held accountable.”
“If this ‘artwork’ were on my phone, I would be arrested,” Tarrant County resident Kenya Alu tells The Dallas Express. “Normalizing this is sick, and I want it to stop.”
Mann is no stranger to controversy. In 2015, The New York Times ran a piece called “The Disturbing Photography of Sally Mann” in which the photographer revealed that a federal prosecutor warned her that eight of her photos she selected for an exhibit could subject her to arrest.
But Mann defended herself: writing in an article that “all too often, nudity, even that of children, is mistaken for sexuality, and images are mistaken for actions.”
She continued, “The image of the child is especially subject to that kind of perceptual dislocation; children are not just the innocents that we expect them to be… But in a culture so deeply invested in a cult of childhood innocence, we are understandably reluctant to acknowledge these discordant aspects or, as I found out, even fictionalized depictions of them.”
Back in 2023, Jamie Lee Curtis sparked uproar after sharing a picture of her home in which a print by American photographer Betsy Schneider was visible. The photo showed Schneider’s daughter in a small plastic box filled with water but social media users condemned the actress’s taste in art as “creepy” and “sick”.
“I’m in the midst of it right now,” said veteran fire photographer David Swanson Wednesday morning from the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California.
“It’s no joke the worst I’ve seen… wind driven crazy.”
Los Angeles-based Swanson — on assignment for AFP January 7 and Reuters January 8 — texted these brief messages that included eerie photos with a spartan caption: “This is daylight.”
Midday on Wednesday (California time), Swanson sent this image which illustrates the destruction and the emotional impact.
Earlier on Wednesday, California’s fire agency known as Cal Fire posted this sobering summary of the Eaton Fire, noting zero containment at that time:
As of midday on January 8, 2025, Cal Fire said that the Eaton Fire had already burned 10,600 acres in Los Angeles county. KTLA reports that the acreage is up to more than 11,800 and that two civilians have been killed by the fire.
Swanson is a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who documents California wildfires for a global audience. On September 23, 2024, PetaPixel published Swanson’s insights on documenting wildfires.
Standard gear, Swanson said, includes a helmet, goggles, fire boots, and fire-resistant Nomex clothing (Nomex is a heat and flame-resistant fiber developed by DuPont that won’t melt or support combustion).
California Code allows journalists to enter areas that have been evacuated.
Swanson moved to Los Angeles in 2019 after a 33-year career at The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Inquirer, including Swanson, won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its series on violence in city schools. Swanson graduated from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication in 1988.
Active on Instagram, Swanson has posted recent wildfire images from Southern California.
Tilta announced an improved version of its Khronos ecosystem for iPhone filmmakers. Designed for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, the revised system combines a protective case, modular design, and enhanced physical controls.
As new iPhone models like the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max deliver even better photo and video features and become full-fledged professional image capture devices, companies like Tilta have developed products that make the iPhone easier to use and more versatile within a professional workflow.
The original version of the Khronos launched last May for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and Tilta says that its newest version for Apple’s latest flagship smartphones incorporates feedback from users while also adapting to iPhone 16-specific features like the new Camera Control button via a button pass-through a capacitive touch button, rather than the cutout some case manufacturers have employed for the iPhone 16 family.
The Tilta Khronos system features a protective case, which comes in three new colors. This case is the backbone upon which users can attach various accessories, like grips, mic mounts, lights, Arca Swiss plates, port expansions, filters, USB-C hubs, and more. The Tilta Khronos case includes integrated circuitry to deliver power to accessories, and with select add-ons, users can control focus, zoom, and other camera adjustments using dedicated physical controls.
Compared to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max version, the new Tilta Khronos case is 15 percent lighter. This brings the weight down to 58.5 grams (2.06 ounces) for the iPhone 16 Pro version and 67 grams (2.36 ounces) for the Pro Max case. While 15 percent is not a massive weight reduction, every little bit counts.
What is more evident from the outside are the new color options. While last year’s model shipped in just space gray and titanium white colorways, the latest case is also available in forest green, orange, and black varieties. Regardless of color choice, the Khronos protective case features a patented anti-slip quick-release system and is installable in seconds without any tools. The case’s frame is made of aluminum alloy and has a built-in kickstand and finger strap.
The Khronos iPhone 16 Pro case starts at $129, although it is currently 10% off to celebrate the launch, bringing the price down to $116. The Tilta Khronos also comes in different kits with included accessories, such as a handheld kit with a grip for $269 and an ultimate kit with a USB-C hub, wooden knob, and mini LED panel for $449.
Khronos lens adapters, cooling systems, Arca adapter, SSD holder, cold shoe quick release adapter, wireless receiver, filters, and more are available through Tilta’s store.
Lens Rentals Most Rented Gear of 2024
lensrentals.com has released their most rented gear list for 2024 and Canon has the top 7 as well as 12 of the 20 most rented items overall, showing that they are still the King in photography world. Here is the list in order:
The creators of Bird Buddy unveiled a new series of products under new “Wonder” branding, including an AI-powered nature camera, Petal, that mimics a flower to get close-up shots of nectar-loving birds and insects.
Petal is a new circular “biomorphic” camera that can wrap around branches — like a vine — or attach a flexible stem to be placed in a flower pot or garden. A solar panel similar in shape to a leaf powers the Petal camera. Beyond standing upright in a garden or flower pot and wrapping around things like branches, another attachment allows people to hang their Petal camera off a tree or pole to shoot straight down onto a terrarium or plant, perfect for watching bugs crawling around.
Alongside the Wonder Petal, Bird Buddy announced Wonder Blocks, a modular set of blocks and products to help attract photographic subjects like butterflies. Beyond the pots is a dedicated Butterfly Feeder to provide butterflies a place to “rest and recharge,” a terrarium, a bee hotel, a seed tray, and a bug hotel.
The Petal sports a 12-megapixel camera that records 4K video, up from the 5-megapixel sensor on the most recent Bird Buddy that records up to 2K resolution video.
The Petal also has a unique trick up its sleeve, though: swappable lenses. Users can swap between wide-angle and telephoto lenses depending on the photos and videos they want to capture. The different modules screw onto the Petal, making changing focal lengths a breeze.
Like the Bird Buddy, the Petal will include AI features and connect to a smartphone app. Users can monitor the Petal camera live from their phones and remotely capture photos and videos to share with friends.
The app can keep track of birds and insects seen by the camera, help users identify the species, and even has an AI chatbot that provides information about animals, insects, and the person’s garden.
“With our new products under a different brand name, Wonder, we are able to go beyond birds to reveal the marvelous secret life of nature hiding in plain sight,” says Franci Zidar, CEO of Wonder. “Through Petal and Wonder Blocks we can use creative technology to spark curiosity and the joy of discovery, inviting people to connect and experience the natural world as it truly is, a place that is buzzing and enchanting.”
The Wonder Petal and Wonder Blocks will be available first on Kickstarter this spring. Pricing has not yet been announced.
ProGrade Digital announced the PG20 Pro Thunderbolt 4 Hub, a new hub capable of speeds up to 40 Gb/s that is designed to work alongside ProGrade’s various magnetic peripherals, including card readers.
The PG20 Pro Hub includes one Thunderbolt 4/USB4 85-watt charging upstream port, three Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 15-watt downstream ports, and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A USB port.
Looking at the top of the hub, there’s a raised edge all the way around, which creates a perfectly sized magnetic cradle for ProGrade’s various card readers. The PG20 also fits seamlessly with ProGrade’s PG10.5 and Pro Mini SSD. The Pro Hub itself features a magnetic base and ships with an adhesive metal plate to enable users to mount it on any work surface.
“We are extremely excited to be announcing our entry into the complementary category of Thunderbolt hubs to our line of professional workflow solutions,” says Wes Brewer, Founder and CEO of ProGrade Digital Inc.
“While the marketplace of Thunderbolt 4 based hubs is fairly crowded, we have spent the time to think about how professionals work with our card readers and what they need to maintain a clean workspace in designing our new PG20 Pro Hub. Utilizing our patented magnetic base, we have enabled the customization of how professionals can mix and match their card readers while also enabling a very clean workspace. With the three downstream Thunderbolt 4/USB 4.0 ports, the hub can support two of our USB readers while still having one port available for attaching other peripherals like our PG10 Professional SSD.”
The ProGrade PG20 Pro Hub ships with one of the company’s excellent Thunderbolt 4-certified high-speed cables and works alongside ProGrade’s custom-designed six-inch short cables, which are sold separately.
The ProGrade PG20 Pro Thunderbolt 4 Hub is shipping now and costs $169.99. The device includes a Thunderbolt 4-certified cable and external power source. The company’s PG20 press materials also referenced PG10.5 and PG30 products, which PetaPixel will report on as soon as information becomes available.
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You can find my work @ https://www.liamphotography.net and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @liamphotoatl. If you like abandoned buildings and history, you can find my project @ http://www.forgottenpiecesofgeorgia.com. and http://www.forgottenpiecesofpennsylvania.com.
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