Nature photography is an activity with strong therapeutic potential. With few exceptions, it requires walking, which might be the healthiest sport ever. Most of the time you are breathing fresh air. And the sounds of nature, especially birdsong, have been proven to have therapeutic effects. What about the negative effects of going to bed late or getting up early? This can be easily solved by hanging your hammock next to your tripod, as I did in the case of this photo from northern Bohemia. How about you, do you like sleeping under the stars? If you’re reading this in the morning, I may not be able to offer you coffee, but I can at least offer you fresh news from the world of photography.
Recent Announcements
- Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD: Originally for Sony E, now also for Nikon Z mount. For Nikon users, it offers a lighter (1,180 g vs. 1,435 g), slimmer (88.5 x 185.8 mm vs. 98 x 222 mm), cheaper ($1,299 vs. $2,697) and slightly slower (f/6.3 vs. f/5.6) alternative to the original Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. On the practical side, besides its wider range, its most interesting feature is its minimum focusing distance of 24.9 cm, which gives a maximum magnification of 0.5x (1:2) – albeit only at 50mm and it goes down to 0.2x at 400mm. An Arca-Swiss compatible tripod mount ($129) is available as an optional accessory for the lens. Available September 19. Read more in our announcement article.
- Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II: Second-generation of wide-aperture portrait lens. Compared to its predecessor, it has lost 13% of its volume, 20% of its weight, and – according to Sony – has tripled the AF speed for still images and improved its subject tracking performance substantially. Three new elements have been added to the optical design (now 14 elements in 11 groups), which now have improved Nano AR Coating II. A programmable function button and an iris lock switch have been added. The price remains at the original $1,798. Available in fall 2024. Read more in our announcement post.
- Manfrotto EN-EL15c MKII: Third party alternative to the original Nikon EN-EL15c batteries from the traditional Italian manufacturer of photographic accessories. It differs from the Nikon original by 5% higher capacity (2400 mAh), a red color that will be easier to find in your backpack, and especially the shock-absorbing construction with with injected silicone for extremely tough environments (drop proof up to 9ft). The battery is capable of over 500 charge/discharge cycles. The price is the same as the Nikon original, $60.
The Rumor Mill
Will we finally see a decent successor to the Nikon D500?
I asked myself this question before opening an article discussing rumored specifications of the Nikon Z50 II. Here is my brief summary and analysis. If you’re fainthearted, I’ll preface this by reminding you that these are just rumors and that the final specifications of the camera may be different.
First the good stuff. The camera is supposed to get a new design, so I expect a smaller version of the Z6 III, including button layout, flippy screen and overall great ergonomics. The processor should be the proven Expeed 7 (what it’s capable of in the Z9 is pointless to describe today), allowing for faster and more capable autofocus. Now for the less pleasant predictions. The Nikon D500 used to have the same batteries as the D850, which was very convenient. Unfortunately, the Nikon Z50 II is said to use the same EN-EL25 batteries as the Z50 or Zfc. Also, the expected 20.9MP resolution would be rather disappointing. The competition today can do 40MP, which makes much more sense to me. Well, what are your expectations for the Z50 successor? And is the APS-C format still a viable complement to full-frame for you? I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments.
Via Nikon Rumors
Leica Q3 with 43mm lens
The Leica Q is a compact, full-frame camera with a classic design and a fixed prime lens with a focal length of 28 mm and an aperture of f/1.7. The high-resolution 60-megapixel sensor allows for significant compositional changes through cropping. But since the Leica Q doesn’t allow lens changing, there’s no choice but to make a variant with a longer lens, right? Rumors suggest this should be a 43mm f/2 APO lens or another “very close to 40mm” lens. What about those hoping for a Leica Q3 Monochrom? In that regard, the source doesn’t seem to have good news.
Via Leica Rumors
Good Deals and New Sales
This week brought an interesting discount on the photo editing software Capture One Pro. You can now download a license for the current version of this program (not a subscription) for $179 (was $299).
Two terabytes of capacity on a memory card is a guarantee that you won’t run out of space in even the most megadiverse wildlife hotspot on the planet. At the same time, 2TB cards tend to be quite expensive. Even the ProGrade Digital 2TB CFexpress 2.0 Type B Gold cards aren’t cheap (1 normally for $800, and a 2-pack for $1440). But the discounted prices of $400 if you buy one, and $750 if you buy two, are really interesting. This is one of B&H’s “deal zone” sales and only lasts for another twelve hours, so get it soon if you like the deal.
SSDs are great for making backups on the go. But for backing up photos and videos at home, a good, time-tested external hard drive is still a good option. It may not be as fast as an SSD, but the price/capacity ratio is very nice. Plus, if you don’t drop it on the floor or subject it to any other form of physical torture, it can serve you well for many years. B&H Photo Video is now running a short-term special on the Glyph Technologies 16TB Blackbox PRO (was $450, now $290).
Other Pages of Interest
The most prestigious wildlife photography competition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, has been running for 60 years. Although we’ll have to wait a while for the winners to be announced, you can already see a selection of fifteen photos from the latest edition.
An unprecedented dose of creative inspiration can be found on the Wild Art Photographer of the Year contest website. Sure, there are all the amazing photos that won one of the eight categories, but that’s not all. In fact, each category also offers a selection of the top 100 photos. This is really interesting because it gives you a peek under the hood of the judges’ work, and it’s quite possible that you might have picked a different winner. Finally, each category includes a link to a YouTube channel where the judges and the authors of the winning photos discuss their images.
For some time now, I have been toying with the idea of using a DSLR camera trap for my photo hunts. In fact, we have already discussed this topic on Photography Life with an expert in this photographic genre, Vladimir Cech Jr. Do you like wildlife photography where the environment in which the animal lives plays an important role in addition to the animal itself? Then take a look at the Camtraptions website for some inspiration.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #65
Last week’s theme was mountains, and you can see the submissions in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is mist, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, September 7, 2024!
Week #64 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “mountains” theme, starting with florin’s photo:
A classic mountain, which almost invites a climb with those beautiful warm rays of sun.
Next, let’s see vidmarko’s photo:
Now, we have something a bit darker and colder. It’s a different sort of beauty that looks a bit more challenging to climb!
Finally, let’s see dave’s shot:
I really like this more abstract mountain, showing a tiny and more intimate slice of the rocky environment.
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the mist theme.