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.
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.