Here in the Czech Republic, across the Atlantic, I could almost smell the enticing aroma of Thanksgiving turkeys this week. To give this Weekly News a bit of a multicultural twist, I took the photo below of a different meal being roasted in Ecuador – can you guess what she was cooking? From a photographic point of view, you may be interested to know that I took this picture with the new Tamron 50-400mm lens, a review of which you will soon be able to read here on Photography Life.
Recent Announcements
- DJI Mic Mini: The versatile omnidirectional wireless microphone DJI Mic 2 just got a “Mini” brother. It costs less than half and weighs about a third as much (10g), but offers more than twice the operating time (up to 48h), incredible transmission distance (up to 400m), and two levels of ambient noise cancellation. It also has a direct connection to DJI cameras like the Osmo. The price for the Mic Mini and receiver set is $89. An “Interview” combo, which includes an additional microphone and a charging case with built-in batteries costs $169.
- Tamron 11-20mm F/2.8 Di III-A RXD for CANON RF mount: With this wide-angle APS-C zoom, Tamron is cautiously entering the previously forbidden waters of the Canon RF mount. The release date is scheduled for December 12, 2024. The lens itself is not new at all. It premiered in June 2021 with the Sony E-mount and two years later also Fuji users could mount it on their cameras. For both mounts, the lens is currently available for $699.
- Radiant Photo 2: A second-generation photo editor aimed primarily at users who consider photo editing a necessary evil. AI algorithms analyze your photo and let the app do all the editing with one click. If you don’t like the result, you can manually tweak it to your liking. However, the AI is used in a non-generative way and is only applied to enhance the existing content of your photo. The app can be purchased as a standalone, plug-in (Photoshop, Lightroom and Paintshop Pro), mobile or bundle starting at $129.
The Rumor Mill
Canon works on mid-range telephoto lenses
I have been very impressed by recent Canon gear like the EOS R6 Mark II and EOS R5 Mark II. But when it comes to telephoto lenses, there are a few gaps in the lineup. Photographers either need to dig deep into their pockets for one of Canon’s famed exotic lenses, or settle for an aperture of f/7.1 on a 500mm lens (at best).
A new patent application (2024-163673) suggests that Canon is well aware of this and, better yet, may be working on a solution. So, what lenses might we see in Canon’s lineup in the future? The patent covers the following models: 400mm f/4.0, 500mm f/5.6, 600mm f/5.6, 600mm f/6.3 and 800mm f/6.3. Do these specifications look familiar? They certainly seem inspired by some Nikon lenses to me. And that’s not a bad thing considering Nikon’s comprehensive mirrorless telephoto options.
Via Canon Rumors
Medium Format “compact” from Fuji Coming in Q1 2025
Fujifilm makes cameras that often go against the mainstream, skipping out on full-frame entirely and going with a combination of APS-C and medium format instead. That said, Fuji’s medium format sensors are so-called “cropped medium format” with a sensor size of 43.8 x 32.9mm (crop factor 0.79 relative to full frame).
Given this sensor size, it is still possible to make a relatively compact medium format camera – even more so if it has a fixed lens. A Fuji rumor site recently posted an article claiming: “The fixed-lens Fujifilm GFX camera will come within the end of this Japanese fiscal year.”
By the way, you can already buy a fixed-lens, 150-megapixel medium format camera right now. It’s called the Phase One XC 23 or XC 40 (depending on your lens choice), and it’ll cost you $62,490. Here’s hoping that if this new Fuji exists, it will be quite a bit cheaper than that!
Via Fuji Rumors
Good Deals and New Sales
The biggest sale event of the year, Black Friday, has arrived, bringing a flood of discounts with it. For a comprehensive list of the most interesting deals, check out our article The Best Black Friday Sales for Photographers. And while Black Friday prices have slowly returned to normal levels for some items, others remain pleasantly low thanks to Cyber Monday. Below, let’s take a look at the most interesting ones – at least from my perspective.
Nikon lenses
- Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S was $627, now $427
- Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S was $2,697, now $2,197
- Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S was $847, now $597
- Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S was $1,347, now $1,047
- Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S was $2,497, now $1,997
- Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S was $2,097, now $1,797
- Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S was $4,797, now $3,997
Nikon Cameras
- Nikon Z9 was $5,497, now $4,997
- Nikon Z6 III was $2,497, now $2,197
- Nikon D7500 was $997, now $697
Canon lenses
- Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM was $2,899, now $2,599
- Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM was $2,399, now $2,099
- Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM was $3,099, now $2,799
- Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM was $2,399, now $2,099
Canon Cameras
- Canon EOS R3 was $4,999, now $4,499
- Canon EOS R5 was $3,399, now $2,799
- Canon EOS R6 Mark II was $2,499, now $1,999
- Canon EOS R7 was $1,499, now $1,299
Tripods (all selected models are made of carbon fiber)
- Gitzo GT4543LS Systematic Series 4 was $1,280, now $1,000
- Gitzo GT3543LS Systematic Series 3 was $1,172, now $940
- Gitzo GT2543L Mountaineer Series 2 was $1,273, now $973
- Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 was $600, now $350
- Manfrotto MT190CXPRO3 was $475, now $275
- Leofoto LN-404C and DC-404C center column kit was $700, now $560
- Leofoto LS-364CX was $329, now $263
- Peak Design Travel Tripod was $600, now $480
Other Pages of Interest
Tamron has released a firmware update for its 70-180mm f/2.8 lens that, when used with the Sony a9 III, allows for an impressive 120 fps. This is certainly a welcome accommodation of the super capabilities of Sony’s fastest camera. However, it’s still one step away from perfection. Tamron (like Sigma) only achieves this speed in AF-S, DMF or MF focusing mode. Interestingly, the Nikon Z9, which is capable of the same frame rate (unfortunately only in JPEG Small), has no limitations in this respect, even with third-party lenses.
Let’s jump to the world of photo competitions. The ColorPro Awards photography contest, organized by display company ViewSonic, brought together some fascinating images in its fifth edition. The theme this year was “Momentum,” and photographers from more than 100 countries submitted more than 10,000 images. The winner of this year’s contest is the stunning underwater photo Wormhole by Benjamin Yavar from Chile. The image captures a free diver seemingly being swallowed by the gaping “maw” of a swirling school of fish.
I was very interested by this video of the production process of Sigma’s 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. It is rather amazing to see how much human skill is still required to produce such precise and complex devices as today’s modern lenses.
Finally, Leitz, the German manufacturer of (not only) Leica cameras, has achieved record profits this year. No wonder, their cameras and lenses are not exactly cheap, yet they sell like hotcakes. But what I want to point out today is the recent Leitz Photographica auction, where the rarest piece, a Leica M prototype, sold for a staggering €2,040,000. Is it exciting or depressing that cameras are selling for so much? I would rather see new records for photograph sales instead, but at least there is some interest in photography’s history.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #78
Last week’s theme was purple, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is emptiness, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, December 7, 2024!
Week #77 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “purple” theme. Each of the three photos here has a different color scheme, starting with Mauro70’s photo:
Mauro70’s photo shows a rich purple made even more vibrant by the inclusion of the complementary color of green.
Next, let’s look at Bhoward’s photo:
Instead of complementary colors here, we have analogous blues in the Orion nebula that give the purple hues a much subtler and gentler look.
Finally, we’ve got AndrewGusew’s shot:
Still a new color scheme, with a color triad of yellow and purple, with a hint of blue in the art in the columns.
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the emptiness theme.
