As photographic equipment becomes more sophisticated, it’s only a matter of time before something breaks. And, naturally, it will tend to break at the worst possible time. This happened to me while I was in the field recently. Fortunately, I was able to work around it and continue documenting a bird species I really like. I’ll write about it more soon. In the meantime, check out the latest news from the world of photography.
Recent Announcements
- TTArtisan AF 35mm F1.8: Autofocus-capable prime lens for Sony E APS-C cameras. This follows a version for Fuji cameras that was introduced last year. The lens barrel and mount are made of aviation aluminum. The weight is about 200g. But the biggest reason to buy this lens is its price of $149, which is three times lower than the competing Sony.
- Viltrox AF 56mm F1.7: Lightweight (approx. 180g) and compact APS-C portrait lens, also with autofocus capabilities. Compatible with Fujifilm X and Nikon Z mounts. Lens features optical design with 11 elements in 9 groups (including 4 ED and 3 high refractive index lenses). The price of the lens is a mere $139.
- NiSi Athena: Last week, three more lenses were added to NiSi’s “Athena” line of full-frame cine lenses – namely a 18mm T2.2, 40mm T1.9, and 135mm T2.2. For seamless swapping on cinema cameras, all lenses share the same physical dimensions, including the filter thread (77mm). The only exception is the 135mm lens, which is longer than the others but, crucially, its gearing positions are the same as the other Athenas. The lenses can be purchased individually starting at $1,198 or more conveniently in various sets. A complete set of all eight lenses sells for $8,999.
The Rumor Mill
New super-fast prime lens for APS-C cameras
The almost unknown Chinese company, SG-Image, is about to release a new lens. After their debut lens with pretty standard specs (a 25mm f/1.8), it’s getting wilder. Apparently their next lens will be a 35mm f/0.95 and will be compatible with a wide range of APS-C cameras: Sony E, Nikon Z, Fuji X, Canon EOS-M, Canon R, MFT and L mount. For a newcomer to the industry, a lens this fast is certainly a bold move.
Via Photorumors
Nikon Z tilt-shift lenses?
It seems that Nikon’s F-Mount tilt-shift 19mm f/4E ED has left the production line. What lens will replace it? According to Nikon Rumors, there are two possibilities – either an 18mm or (less likely) a 20mm tilt-shift lens. A replacement for Nikon’s 85mm tilt-shift macro lens is also said to be on the horizon. Will we see a surprise in the form of an autofocus tilt-shift lens? Canon is rumored to be working on such a thing; perhaps Nikon is, too.
Good Deals and New Sales
Having a good memory is certainly a great thing. It doesn’t matter whether we hide it inside our skull in a mysterious tangle of neurons or in a sturdy aluminum case in the form of digital circuits. Although between the two, it’s certainly easier to improve the quality of the latter. The super-fast SanDisk Professional 4TB PRO-G40 Thunderbolt 3 portable SSD now sells for half its original price, $400. (I’d pay twice that if I could expand my brain capacity by 4TB.)
Nikon Zf users may be wondering how to make the most of their camera’s MicroSD card slot. Some such cards from SanDisk are currently on sale at really attractive prices:
When speed matters
- SanDisk 1TB Extreme UHS-I microSDXC (was $250, now $90)
- SanDisk 512GB Extreme UHS-I microSDXC (was $130, now $50)
When capacity is more important than speed
- SanDisk 1.5TB Ultra UHS-I microSDXC (was $241, now $100)
- SanDisk 512GB Ultra UHS-I microSDXC (was $60, now $26)
Other Pages of Interest
The tropical Andes still hold many surprises. The extremely difficult terrain and the challenging fieldwork mean that it is ripe for scientific discovery, including of new species. And I’m not just talking about insects. Recently, a new species of deer, apparently endemic to Peru, was added to the list! Pudella carlae, which is its scientific name, is about the size of a medium-sized dog. The original article appeared in the Journal of Mammalogy. The first photo and video of Pudella can be seen at Sci News.
After two decades of work, scientists and engineers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and their collaborators have completed a camera that will be used to observe the southern sky from the Atacama Observatory in Chile. The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is a truly remarkable camera. Its resolution is 3,200 megapixels! The size of the camera is about that of a small car. The front lens is over five feet in diameter, making it the largest lens ever made for this purpose. The camera is capable of resolving an object the size of a golf ball at a distance of 15 miles. Impressive specs indeed, what do you think?
The renowned World Press Photo photojournalism competition has announced its regional winners. On the contest’s website, you can view their best images sorted by the continent where they were taken.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #44
Last week’s theme was yellow, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is forest, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, April 13, 2024!
Week #43 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “yellow” theme, starting with Darin Marcus’s photo:
Not only is this a cool shot, it shows off yellow in a neat brick texture.
Next let’s look at Robert’s photo:
I wasn’t surprised that someone chose leaves! The yellow leaves of fall are some of my favourites, even if the reds are sometimes more flashy.
Finally, let’s look at Ronald’s photo:
Here, I really do like the isolated yellow. The small space it takes actually seems to state the color extra strongly!
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more of your great work next week.