I recently picked up a very important addition to my photography equipment, and I can’t wait to try it out tomorrow. I wore out my old one last year, and since then, it has been very difficult to photograph water birds. What essential piece of equipment am I talking about? Waders, of course! Tomorrow, I’ll be wading into the cool waters to test a rather unique Nikon lens – and maybe even film myself in front of the camera instead of standing behind it. Perhaps that’s enough info for you to guess which lens I’m talking about… anyway, let’s move on to a roundup of photography news from the past week.
Recent Announcements
- Canon RF 75-300mm f/4-5.6: With this lens, Canon is targeting primarily novice photographers – or simply those who want a lightweight telephoto at the lowest possible price. How did they achieve this? By taking a 26-year-old optical design (including its coatings and AF motor) and giving it a fresh look with the current RF mount. Weighing in at 507g and measuring 146.1mm in length, the lens can focus as close as 1.5 meters. European pricing has been set at £289, while US pricing and availability have yet to be announced. I wouldn’t expect optical perfection with this one.
- TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Dual Bokeh Cine Lens: The manufacturer’s slogan is “One lens, two dreamy bokeh”. This unusual feature works via a switch on the lens body, letting you toggle between a “soft” and a “bubble” bokeh effect. Judging by the sample images, the difference between the two settings is quite noticeable. The lens itself has a classic cinema-style form factor with a diameter of 88.5mm (0.8 mod gear pitch). Inside its metal barrel, you’ll find 10 elements in 7 groups. It can focus as close as 0.28m in soft mode and from 0.55m when switched to bubble mode. Available mounts include E, X, Z, RF and L, with a price tag of $380.
- Viltrox Vintage Z1 Retro On-camera Flash: A compact flash weighing just 116g, designed to complement classically styled (retro) cameras. It offers a guide number of 12 (ISO 100) with a 28mm coverage. Depending on the selected output, its recycle time ranges from 0.2 to 3.5 seconds. Flash power is set manually in seven steps. The flash features a built-in battery charged via USB-C, with a 50-minute charging time and up to 10,000 flashes on a full charge. A small diffuser is included in the package. Available for $50.
The Rumor Mill
Safer skies ahead with rumored DJIs
A quality drone isn’t exactly a cheap purchase. And a mid-air collision can cause a lot more damage than “just” to the drone itself. That’s why DJI equips its drones with obstacle avoidance cameras. From my experience, these obstacle avoidance cameras do work quite well – unless it’s too dark.
In those conditions, traditional optical sensors could soon get a helping hand from forward-facing LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), which uses laser beams to measure the distance to anything surrounding the drone. At the moment, this technology can be found in the DJI Air 3S, and according to leaked images, it’s expected to make its way into the upcoming DJI Mini 5 and DJI Mavic 4 – maybe as early as this summer.
Via Drone XL
Rumored Sigma 200mm f/2.0 SPORT
This fast mid-range telephoto lens was once part of the DSLR lineup for both Canon and Nikon. With a wide f/2 aperture and 200mm focal length, it was the perfect tool for shooting concerts, theater performances, and similar events. Unfortunately, there is no such lens for mirrorless cameras, but now it seems that Sigma is stepping in to fill that gap. The first units are expected to arrive sometime early this summer. However, it will most likely only be for Sony FE and L-mount users.
The first full-frame “PRO” lens from Viltrox will be a 50mm f/1.4
In Viltrox’s lineup, the “PRO” series sits just below their top-of-the-line “LAB” series. And now the company plans to introduce three new full-frame prime lenses under the PRO label. All of them are expected to feature a fast f/1.4 aperture, a de-clickable aperture ring, and a programmable function button. Of the anticipated 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm options, the 50mm is expected to be announced first. Supported mounts should include Sony E and Nikon Z.
Via Photo Rumors
Good Deals and New Sales
You can only properly edit color photos on a monitor that displays colors accurately. To ensure that’s really the case, it’s a good idea to calibrate your monitor from time to time. That’s where devices called colorimeters come in – they “read” the colors on your screen and compare them to what the monitor should display. Any discrepancies are then corrected by calibration software. Colorimeters tend to be a bit pricey, though, which is why a recent deal on the Calibrite Display Pro HL caught my eye (now $199, was $279).
Sirui lenses offer a solid price/performance ratio even at full price. But when they’re discounted by up to 25%, that ratio gets even better. So if you’re looking to save some money, B&H Photo currently has a number of fast Sirui primes on sale at really tempting prices.
Other Pages of Interest
Leica rangefinder cameras are celebrating their 100th anniversary, and you can be part of it. How? Well, Leica might hope that your answer is to pick up one of the very limited Leica M11 “100 Years of Leica” cameras. There will be six country-specific designs, each limited to 100 units and priced at $10,695. If you can’t get your hands on one, a less expensive way to celebrate the anniversary is to visit a Leica gallery. In Conversation: A Photographic Dialogue Between Yesterday and Today fosters a conversation between contemporary photographers and Leica Hall of Fame award winners. It’s currently in Munich, opening in New York on May 20, followed by Milan, Taipei, Melbourne… a perfect opportunity to pack your bags.
My next travel tip is valid until August 24, 2025. That’s when a major retrospective of the excellent photographer Tono Stano closes at the Prague City Gallery. His most striking works are his portraits and nudes, but he also blends painting and photographic techniques. In addition to his iconic images, the exhibition features several previously unpublished pieces. If you’re in town, it’s definitely worth a visit.
If you prefer fresh air to gallery walls, mark your calendar for May 10. That’s the date of the Global Big Day. Birders already know what it is, but for everyone else, Global Big Day is an annual event organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where birders from around the world join forces to record as many bird species as possible in 24 hours. It’s not only fun and a bit of friendly competition, it’s also an important source of data that helps us understand bird populations. For the record, Colombia topped the list last year with an incredible 1,564 species spotted. Still, some countries seem to be under-observed. I refuse to believe that there are no birds in Afghanistan, North Korea, or Yemen. And if you happen to photograph birds, knowing where to find them is by far the most important part of wildlife photography.
And to wrap things up, something delicious. The World Food Photography Awards 2025 has just announced its shortlist, and it’s a real visual feast. The images go far beyond what you’d typically think of as food photography. A thousand tastes, a thousand aromas, and pure eye candy. Definitely worth a look.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #100
Last week’s theme was repeating patterns, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is low key, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, May 10, 2025!
Week #99 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “repeating patterns” theme, starting with
Mauro70’s photo:
A classic and beautifully captured geometric pattern.
Allan369’s photo:
Allan gives us a natural variation from Death Valley!
Jason’s photo:
An interesting take on Paddington Station in london, focusing just on the repeating pattern. Nice!
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the low key theme.
Canon’s approach of repurposing old designs is… not very inspiring.