It was a freezing morning. The snow in a small clearing in the middle of the forest crunched under my feet. Suddenly, I lifted off the ground and slowly began to gain altitude. The rays of the rising sun, which only a moment before had been shyly making their way through the branches of the dense young spruce trees, suddenly hit me in all their fresh golden glory. I gained altitude, and above the crowns of the towering spruces I made my way over the snow-covered meadow, from which the rising sun was just stripping the shadows of the trees like a sort of frayed blue tablecloth. I was enjoying the unearthly beauty… when the display of my controller announced a low battery. A minute later, I landed my drone back at home, lit the stove, brewed a hot cup of coffee, and wrote this Photography News for you.
Recent Announcements
- Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S: The last blank spot on Nikon’s roadmap has been filled. A classic reportage focal length with the widest aperture in Nikon’s current 35mm lineup: f/1.8, f/1.4, and now f/1.2. This lens is far from compact, weighing 1060g, measuring 150mm in length, and featuring an 82mm filter thread. Its optical design consists of 17 elements in 15 groups (3 ED, 1 ASPH ED). Nikon has incorporated its best coatings, including Meso Amorphous Coat, Nano Crystal Coat and ARNEO. The cost is a hefty $2,797.
- Nikon COOLPIX P1100: The familiar Nikon P1000 with a few minor updates. In short, the P1100 is a relatively compact camera that offers a huge 125x zoom range: 24-3000mm equivalent. Various minor changes include a Fireworks option, updated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols, and a USB-C port. The camera is available for pre-order at $1,097.
- OM SYSTEM OM-3: Imagine the specifications of the OM-1 Mark II (except for viewfinder resolution and magnification) wrapped in a retro design. The result is the OM-3. Of course, I’m simplifying things a bit. You can read a more detailed analysis in Jason’s article here. But essentially, this is a camera you buy with your heart, not your head. For the same price, the OM-1 Mark II offers better ergonomics (especially for larger lenses) and dual SD card slots. At $2,000, the OM-3 will have some serious competition among other cameras as well, including various APS-C and full-frame cameras.
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS II, Digital 17mm f/1.8 II, Digital 25mm f/1.8 II: This trio of lenses has received a generational upgrade. While the optical design remains unchanged, the improvements are not insignificant – especially for the 100-400mm, whose image stabilization now works in conjunction with the in-body image stabilization (Sync-IS) to achieve up to 7 stops of performance. All three lenses now feature improved weather sealing, certified to IPX1 standards. The lenses are available for pre-order at $1,500 (100-400mm), $550 (17mm) and $500 (25mm).
The Rumor Mill
Another 35mm f/1.2 for Nikon on the horizon
The snowball is rolling downhill, and it looks like it might trigger an avalanche. A new Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens for Sony E and Nikon Z cameras is expected to be unveiled at CP+ in Yokohama at the end of the month. Compared to Nikon’s version, the Viltrox lens should be lighter in both weight and price. In fact, it’s expected to cost around $700, which is less than a quarter of the Nikon! If its optical quality is on par with the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 LAB we tested, it would be a great value.
Via Photo Rumors
Telephoto Lens “That Has Never Existed Before”
Remember these words from Sigma’s CEO Kazuto Yamaki in a recent interview, when he spoke with a mysterious smile about an upcoming telephoto lens? Well, this next rumored lens may not be the one, but there are whispers of an upcoming 800mm f/6.3. Such a lens does exist for Nikon, but it would certainly be great news for those waiting for something similar within the L-Mount Alliance and Sony systems.
By the way, a 1/3 EV faster 800mm from Sigma, with a native Nikon F-mount, is currently available used on B&H Photo for $2,500.
Via L Rumors
Nikon Z9 II first rumors
The Z9 remains a highly capable camera, but time is relentless. While Nikon has done an excellent job of keeping its flagship fresh through continuous updates, firmware alone isn’t an elixir of eternal life. According to early rumors, the changes from the original Z9 won’t be dramatic – somewhere in the D5 to D6 range.
Namely, the first-generation sensor is expected to remain, while new features should include the electronic viewfinder from the Z6 III, RED video capabilities, and content credentials. Personally, I’m hoping Nikon will add RAW shooting in Pre-release Capture mode. However, we’ll probably have to wait a while for the new Z9 to be unveiled. The most likely date is the next Olympics in 2026.
Via Nikon Rumors
Good Deals and New Sales
Much of this week’s news revolves around the small Micro Four Thirds format. Let’s let those recent announcements set the tone here as well, and take a look at some interesting cameras and lenses currently available at attractive prices this week.
Cameras
- OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II was $2,400, now $2,000
- Panasonic Lumix GH7 was $2,198, now $1,998
- Panasonic Lumix G9 II was $1,898, now $1,598
- Panasonic Lumix GH5 II was $1,498, now $1,198
- OM SYSTEM OM-5 was $1,200, now $1,000
Lenses
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5-6.3 IS was $2,700, now $2,000
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS was $1,500, now $1,000
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO was $1,500, now $1,200
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 ASPH. was $1,798, now $1,498
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO was $1,500, now $1,200
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO was $3,000, now $2,700
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm f/1.7 ASPH. was $1,798, now $1,498
- Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. was $1,598, now $1,298
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 II ASPH. POWER O.I.S. was $1,598, now $1,398
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 17mm f/1.2 PRO was $1,400, now $1,200
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 was $900, now $700
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II was $1,000, now $800
- Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 35-100mm f/2.8 was $1,148, now $948
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro was $550, now $400
- Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 ASPH was $498, now $448
Other Pages of Interest
It’s said that birdsong has healing effects, and I couldn’t agree more. Don’t believe me? Then listen to a selection of the best birdsong recordings that birders in 2024 have uploaded to the Macaulay Library archive. There’s even a recording and photo of the world’s loudest bird – the White Bellbird. Be sure to adjust your volume before listening! Its 125 decibels far exceed the usual chirping of a sparrow. To put it in perspective, that’s about as loud as a chainsaw.
A record-breaking 76,000 people voted for a humorous badger photo to win the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 60 People’s Choice Award. The photo, taken by Ian Wood on the south coast of England, shows a badger looking at a graffiti image of a “badger gunslinger.” Wood noticed that food left out for foxes by residents of St. Leonards-on-Sea also attracted a small population of badgers. From a small hide on the edge of the road, he waited for the perfect moment, and under the glow of a street lamp, he captured this brilliant image.
The World Photography Organization, which runs one of the most prestigious competitions, the Sony World Photography Awards, has unveiled the national and regional winners and shortlist. This year, regional judges selected from more than 419,000 images submitted by photographers from over 200 countries. You can now browse a selection of the sixty best photos from the Open Competition on the contest website.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #88
Last week’s theme was mountains, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is winter, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, February 15, 2024!
Week #87 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “mountains” theme, starting with vidmarko’s photo sequence:
It’s three points in time of a sunset, and I particularly like how the distant horizon is aligned in all three slices!
Next we have florin’s photo:
I like the picture in picture approach!
Allan369 sent us this one:
It’s a great contrast between the moon and the mountain, both in brightness and in color.
Finally, we have a first from vanaf141414 taken in Chile:
It’s a very picturesque place. I’d love to go there!
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we look forward to seeing more next week in the winter theme.
Given Nikon’s purchase of RED and its big investments in Video, I’m guessing that Video will be an important part of the Z9II. Greater prosr power is speculated so president I think will come in favor of sports and Willie filmmakers what resolution I can not speculate on but 8K would of course be mumma for integration in large productions, but 6K is much more likely. Another one I know many people miss when nikon in connection with 28-135 4 PZ talks about hybrid shooters would also be the possibility of still images, with shorter shutter speed desirable during video shooting, probably only JPG possible but only dream can be done. Digital ND given and this will have such data capacity that RAW perception styling will work fine. Yes, that’s my speculation after the latest Nikon release. More PZ lenses I expect with both a wide angle (14-30 4?) And a telezome (135-400 4?) So the Z9II could be the main choice for hybrid shooters
Great roundup! Always interesting to see the latest in the photography world. Any particular announcement that stood out to you this week?
Thanks, for me definitely the Nikon 35/1.2. I’ve been waiting for this lens for a long time and honestly I’m looking forward to trying it out. Although for what I mostly shoot, I can hardly justify buying it.
With about 99% probability, I can say that using only one current 7th generation processor, shooting in RAW format in pre-capture mode cannot be realized.
You either have to wait for a new processor to appear or for a new coprocessor to appear.
Considering that the 7th version of the processor began to be installed on the budget Z50ii, we can expect a new 8th version in the near future.
With it, you can also increase the burst shooting speed by 2-3 times in RAW mode. And further development of computational photography.
So, I personally would expect either a special version for shooting videos or a new processor in the new Z9ii. The matrix is already great. Moreover, if you implement noise reduction in RAW, then the dynamic range figures can also be improved.
What about the 7th generation processor would be insufficient for RAW pre-capture? The frames are stored in the buffer (which is plenty large) and then written out once the shutter is pressed. I am not sure how this is so much different compared to continuous shooting with a (partially) filled buffer.
It’s not that simple) Next is my vision.
Camera processors have hardware modules. Who do the main work. And that’s why Sony installed a coprocessor to improve autofocus performance. It’s easier and cheaper than making a new processor.
I repeat. Next comes my reasoning.
The processor uses the compressed image received by the hardware module to display information in the viewfinder (histogram) and to operate autofocus. At the same time, compressed information is used to reduce the load on the processor and to reduce the amount of internal memory. Sony’s A9iii has 120 frames per second RAW with compression and loss.
Only specialized hardware modules provide high energy consumption/performance.
But sometimes they don’t have enough power either. For this reason, on the Z9 and Z8, 120 frames are only in jpg with a strong crop.
In order for the two processes to run in parallel, it is necessary to change the hardware and increase the computing power. If it was physically possible to implement pre-recording in RAW in the 7th generation of the processor, it would have been implemented long ago. Nikon has already done a lot of things over the years)
In Canon’s R6ii, pre-recording was implemented with crutches, through recording RAW video into a buffer. With the subsequent selection of the desired image. But they have a matrix with 24 megapixels, that is, the processor load is much lower and, as it seems to me, it is combined with a more productive processor. Since he knows how to suppress noise in RAW images.
bg’s argument still seems to hold, though. For example, shooting in 20fps Raw stores images to the buffer, while the buffer is continually written to the memory card as fast as possible.
For pre-release Raw, we would just have to modify the function: images are stored to the buffer, but the writing is not activated. Instead, a delete function just starts deleting the topmost queue element from the buffer stack and keeps the buffer at 20/30 images but DOESN’T write anything to the memory card.
I mean, the function to delete the next queue element is literally already in the camera and made to be fast: because in continuous burst mode the function is literally a combination of write-to-memory-card + delete/drop element; they would just have to omit the “write-to-memory-card” function, which would actually even make the process faster!
Only when the shutter is fully depressed does the writing start and the mode switch to the previous mode.
Moreover, the Raw data from the sensor must be processed and encoded into a JPEG during pre-release JPEG mode, so just dumping the Raw data directly in their existing process should even require *LESS* computations. So, I think from a programming perspective, your argument just doesn’t hold.
I think it makes much more sense that Nikon offered the Z8 and Z9 at very reasonable prices, maybe slightly lower than the competition (especially with the Z8), but at the same time held a few features back like pre-capture Raw for the Z9 II because these high-end cameras unfortunately don’t have high volume sales and they need to sell their next camera somehow.
Unfortunately, I feel exactly the same way, Jason. On the one hand we’ve gotten a lot of improvements via firmware during the Z8/9’s existence, on the other hand Nikon needs to keep some ace up their sleeve for the second generation. To my displeasure, I’ve accepted that one of those Z9II selling points will be pre-shooting RAW.
You have several misconceptions.
The information received from the matrix by the processor is not a RAW file. In other words, the processor needs to do some serious work for the conversion. Should I remind you how Pentax’s shooting speed dropped if you turned on chromatic aberration correction?
Or how are the new Sony and Canon cameras now suppressing the noise in the RAW file? Or, as in many cameras, at high ISO values, noise in RAW files is suppressed.
The next moment. If the camera processor does not have a hardware-implemented preview mode, then in most cameras, information does not come to the processor from the entire sensor. Simply look at the refresh rate of the viewfinder and the reading speed of the matrix. And if the reading speed does not allow you to get the image at the right frequency, skips occur. And the settings of the technical “frames” do not match the settings that you set in the camera itself. So, you can’t even get a Jpg out of it just like that. See. For Sony, the resolution of the viewfinder decreases with high-speed shooting.
That is, a camera without a hardware-implemented pre-RAW recording module starts writing RAW files to the buffer only after you press the shutter. Before that, there are no RAW files in the buffer. Otherwise, Canon’s R6ii didn’t suffer from bullshit. And in general, if it was so easy to do – just don’t erase the RAW in the buffer, then the possibility of realising the preliminary shooting in RAW could be implemented on all cameras.
Even if it’s not a Raw file, what is stored in the buffer then? It’s not a Raw file yet, either? (Genuinely curious if you know…)
I repeat. If everything was as simple as you described, then all the cameras had the function of pre-recording RAW))
Do you know these things (e.g. what’s in the buffer is not a RAW or RAW-like file) for a fact or is this speculation?
Well, that is not exactly a convincing argument. All cameras could also have completely customizable buttons as well, but they don’t. That’s not because it’s not possible with their current hardware, but because that’s a pro feature.
Whether a feature makes it into a camera depends both on whether it is possible and the final niche of the product as well. For example, many cameras can shoot Raw, but don’t — phones for example, some of which gained such an ability only after installing an aftermarket app. And older Canon cameras can gain many new features after installing Magic Lantern.
Not saying that you are wrong, but your argument that a camera would have a feature if it could is invalid. Ingenious programmers have done amazing things with hardware using careful optimization and clever tricks, and it is extremely common in the camera industry for a camera NOT to have a software feature simply because it’s an entry-level model.
In the early days of CD players, some manufacturers produced three models having identical hardware.
The lowest price model had a simple remote control with few features. The highest price model had the most complex fully featured remote control — all of its features worked on the lowest price model😀
Marketing 101.
I am not sure why you are referencing 120 fps shooting. Nobody is asking for 120 fps pre-capture RAW. Most people would be happy (judging from online posts) with 10 or even 5 fps pre-capture RAW. Which is far below the bandwidth of the hardware in the Z8/Z9.
Scroll down to the DUAL‑STREAM TECHNOLOGY diagram of the Z 9.
www.nikon.com/compa…ories/z_9/
I know about this technology))
You know so much about it that you claimed:
“With about 99% probability, I can say that using only one current 7th generation processor, shooting in RAW format in pre-capture mode cannot be realized.”
That’s sheer genius, or abject bullshit.
That’s how history will judge us)
As bg5931 wrote to you, those who want Nikon’s Pre-Release Capture in raw format
ARE NOT ASKING FOR IT AT 120 fps.
It is entirely within the capabilities of the Expeed 7 to provide it, at least, at the same rate as it provides post-release burst capture, obviously.
Your statement “shooting in RAW format in pre-capture mode cannot be realized” is indeed abject bullshit.
NB, the difference between bullshit and lies:
• the former is not concerned with the truth;
• the latter is concerned with hiding the truth.
A Z9II, if it comes without a significantly revised image processor SoC, will – if nothing else – likely have some people pillory Nikon for not giving it CFexpress 4.0 support, whether what is already there is enough or not, in terms of buffer depth, raw pre-capture, and raw video etc.
By my best guess, that is not trivial to implement. Or is it?
Though I do wonder, since the current Z9 could already do 20FPS RAW free of blackout, would anything prevent Nikon from putting it into pre-capture, besides maybe power and thermal limitations?
Noise reduction in RAW is a big “no, thank you” from my inner astrophotographer. Even LENR and hot pixel suppression can already do unpleasant things. It would merely remove low SNR details with the noise, to my understanding.
The R6ii uses 12 bits when using RAW pre-recording.
My position. The value of the pre-recording feature is greatly exaggerated. Is there such a function? Great. No? It’s not scary.
First. The cost of storing 1 gigabyte of information has dropped dramatically. Plus, there is already software that allows you to find duplicates and delete them.
Second. An increase in battery discharge. By default, in cameras where pre-shooting in RAW is possible, as far as I know, this mode is disabled.
The third. The buffer. It will have to be increased to maintain the length of the serial shooting. This will negatively affect the cost of the camera.
It seems to me that it is much more valuable to develop the possibility of the “Auto-shooting” mode. You point at the object and the mode is selected. For example, you can shoot during flight or takeoff, and the camera itself will take a picture or pictures (how to set it up).
I think. That if automation can do something more accurately and faster than a human, then a human should not do it.
For example. I set up the “Auto-shoot” mode so that it takes a picture when the focus point location changes by more than 5%. I turned on the “Auto-shooting” mode. I focused on the bird. More precisely, on her eye. That’s it. Next, the automation itself takes a picture after the bird starts to move))
Developing a new processor and testing its manufacture to a low-scrap state is a difficult task. The Z50ii has lost a lot of autonomy compared to the Z50, largely due to the 7 processor version.
There are several ways to increase the processor’s energy efficiency:
Using a more “subtle” technical process. This means that a new mask (template) is needed. At first, this will increase the cost.
Increase the number of specialized hardware and computing modules. By increasing the size of the crystal, or will require switching to several separate crystals on the same substrate. This is an inevitable increase in the cost of the processor.
Accordingly, a new processor can be expected in the potential Z9ii. But the price of the camera will inevitably rise.
Sony and Canon started using a coprocessor. The solution is simple and easy, and therefore creates problems and difficulties))