It’s getting cold here in the mountains, and right now, I’m warming up with a glass of red wine. Meanwhile, the photo below is as fresh as the bread I had for breakfast today – the sensor in my Nikon Z9 is still warm. And, to top it off, the news in the photography world this week is piping hot. Here’s what you need to know.
Recent Announcements
- Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50X NA0.5 Supermicro APO: Standard macro lenses provide 1x magnification. Meanwhile, the Laowa Aurogon starts at 10X and goes up to 50X magnification, which means it’s essentially a microscope! However, a regular microscope is basically useless for field photography. The full-frame Laowa Aurogon can be mounted directly on cameras with Arri PL, Canon EF, Canon RF, Sony E, Nikon F, Nikon Z, L mount and Fujifilm G mount. Priced at $1,500.
- SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary: According to Sigma, it is “the world’s smallest and lightest ultra-wide-angle f/2.8 zoom lens for APS-C cameras”. In the language of numbers, it’s 260 grams / 0.57 pounds. Equivalent to a 15-27mm full-frame lens. Available from October 26th for $599.
- Leica SOFORT 2: A hybrid camera that combines the features of a digital camera and an instant camera. You can store photos in the camera’s memory (up to about 45 photos) or on a microSD card, then print selected photos directly from the camera. The image is captured on a physically small 1/5″ CMOS sensor with a resolution of 4.9 megapixels and a 28mm equivalent lens. Available November 9 for $389.
- Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: What does the Pixel 8 offer to photographers? The phone’s IP68 protection comes in handy when shooting in wet and dusty conditions. Compared to the previous Pixel 7, the main lens of the Pixel 8 has a slightly wider maximum aperture, and the secondary camera has a wider field of view. The Pro adds a telephoto lens.
The Rumor Mill
Rumored Nikon phase-fresnel telephoto lens
It’s amazing how the range of telephoto lenses has exploded in the last decade. But today? The Nikon 180-600mm has barely hit the market, and there are already rumors that there might be a Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 PF. The expectation is that it will be announced some time this week, either October 10 or 11.
Via Nikon Rumors
Tamron may be planning a long telephoto, too
Not to be left out of the game, it looks like we may also get a Tamron supertelephoto zoom available for Nikon Z, Fujifilm X, and Sony E mounts. Specifically, it’s expected to be a 150-500mm f/5-6.7 lens.
Although the expected maximum aperture of f/6.7 at the long end is a bit much for my personal taste, the real question is price. If it’s cheap enough and performs well, it will be a possible competitor to Nikon’s 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 and 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 lenses.
Via Nikon Rumors
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 OS Sport being developed – some specs leak
In December, Sigma’s newest fast 70-200mm zoom should see the light of day for Sony and L-mount photographers. Sigma has officially announced the lens’s development, and Sigma France recently leaked some tidbits that give a better idea of the upcoming lens. 20 elements in 15 groups (3 aspherical, 6 FLD, 2 SLD) means a reduction of 4 elements compared to the current version. This should reduce the lens’s weight by about 0.5 kilos (1.1 lbs) compared to the current version. In addition, the length of the lens is expected to be reduced by a few millimeters, and the filter diameter will return to the previous standard of 77mm.
New lenses from 7artisans, TTartisan
The artisans are busy. In particular, the previously announced 7Artisans 9mm f/5.6 super wide-angle full-frame lens is expected to get a Nikon Z-mount soon. Meanwhile, TTArtisan (a totally different company) is expected to introduce a pair of lenses very soon: AF 35mm f/1.8 and AF 56mm f/1.8. These lenses should be available for Sony E, Fujifilm X and Nikon Z mount. More information (probably) next week.
Via Photo Rumors
Good Deals and New Sales
Samsung has just announced a new portable SSD called the T9. It promises read and write speeds of around 2000 MB/s. These are speeds that would make your head spin. However, your computer must have a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 port to take advantage of the drive’s maximum speed. So before you add the drive to your shopping cart, make sure you check your computer’s specifications for this “little detail.” If you instead have something like Thunderbolt 3 or 4, or USB 3.2 Gen2 (not Gen 2×2), then you’re wasting money on speed.
For most of us, it’s better to buy less expensive models with a maximum speed of around 1000 MB/s, or drives that support the super-fast Thunderbolt interface. The former will save you a lot of money, and the latter will give you the speed you paid for. Here, I’ve picked out a few portable SSDs worth considering due to current sales.
Write and read speeds of around 1000 MB/s
- Samsung 1TB T7 Shield Portable SSD (was $100, now $80)
- Samsung 2TB T7 Shield Portable SSD (was $160, now $130)
- Samsung 4TB T7 Shield Portable SSD (was $290, now $250)
External SSD with Thunderbold interface
The SanDisk Professional PRO-G40 SSDs were not affected by the data loss issue we reported earlier, and at the current price, they can be considered a really great choice.
- SanDisk Professional 1TB PRO-G40 SSD (was $300, now $170)
- SanDisk Professional 2TB PRO-G40 SSD (was $450, now $250)
- SanDisk Professional 4TB PRO-G40 SSD (was $800, now $400)
The following list contains Canon lenses with RF mount, which besides top L-class quality have one nice feature in common – $300 discount.
- Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM (was $1,499, now $1,199)
- Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM (was $2,399, now $2,099)
- 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 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (was $2,799, now $2,499)
- Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM (was $2,899, now $2,599)
- Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM (was $2,799, now $2,499)
- Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM (was $1,299, now $999)
Other Pages of Interest
It’s not just cameras that suffer from overheating, but smartphones as well. The curse doesn’t even avoid such brands as Apple. Unless you consider an overheated phone to be welcome for the upcoming winter, it’s best that you install the new update for the iPhone 15 if you have one.
There is no doubt that photography is a healthy activity. Anything that gets us out of our chairs is definitely beneficial. However, research suggests that the benefits of photography may not only be physical, but also mental. Photography can bring relief to people suffering from depression, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder by boosting self-esteem, reducing stress, and combating loneliness. As a result, Wex Photo Video is launching a program to make photography available on prescription for those struggling with mental health.
Speaking of healthy living, we have long known about the healing effects of laughter. That’s why I encourage you to visit the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards website to see the photos that made it to the finals. Does that make you feel better? If that’s not enough, another dose of positive natural energy awaits you in the form of the winning photos from the Weather Photographer of the Year 2023.
And finally, if you’ve missed our mentions of it so far, there’s going to be a solar eclipse later this week! On October 14th, the moon will block the sun across large parts of North and South America. Unlike the 2017 solar eclipse, this one is as an annular eclipse, meaning that there will be a ring of fire around the fully eclipsed sun. There’s only a narrow region where you can see the complete eclipse, but almost everyone in North and South America will be able to see at least part of the moon cover the sun, so be sure to get a safe pair of eclipse glasses. More info here.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #18
Last week’s theme was artificial light, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is overexposed, and you can submit your results in this thread by October 13!
Week #17 Results
Let’s take a look at a couple of the submissions for the artificial light theme, starting with a submission by Ronald:
The beams of car headlights must be one of the most common sources of artificial light, and Ronald did a great job here showing the mysterious effects that result from the lights’ long, low beams.
kwongphotography gave us this shot:
Finally, PRG Lagarde showed us how one can use different flash colors:
These colors give this series a retro look and it really shows how different lighting can effect the mood of a scene.
Thank you to everyone for submitting their shots, and I hope to see more next week!
Nikon are quite noticeably Bull Dozing their way through the Market at present.
When having purchased just over a year past the Z9, there was concern that the Body would be obsolete when my ideal Long lens came on offer.
Now the Z600 PF is announced, I see my ideal Lens>Body being available on a Body that will be far from obsolete.
Not most likely but maybe? a body with another substantial FW Update to be used by those that spend on long reach glass.
As always, essential news are here.
The 600 F/6.3 may be the lens that make me leave definitely AF mount (my “old” D500+500PF combo is still resisting). Just hoping I’ll be there with some money to buy all the new stuffs ;).
And thanks for the feature Libor :D
Well, I thought I had it figured out. The 180-600mm lens has been waiting for me to pick it up, and now this comes along. I’ll have to choose between the versatility of the zoom and the optical excellence of the prime. It’s going to be tough, but I’m afraid I have a favorite. On the other hand, it’s hard to make a mistake here. Have a nice day.
There is also this new light 150-500 Tamron to come. Choice is beggining to be tougher and tougher ;)
Same to you :D
Thank you again for picking one of my submissions to the photo theme challenge – I really appreciate it that you find them worth sharing in your articles 👍
The 600 f/6.3 PF will require some serious consideration! Already I am thinking that the top four lenses for bird photography will be the 400 f/2.8, 600 f/4, 600 f/6.3, and 500 f/5.6.
For me, the ideal combination will be the 800mm f/6.3 PF, 600mm f/6.3 PF and 400mm f/2.8 TC for bird photography.
With that, everything is covered. Maximum reach when I need it and size/weight isn’t critical (800mm PF), compact option for hiking and travel (600mm PF) and fast option for low-light and when working from hides/blinds (400mm TC).
For now, I have the 500mm PF as compact option, but I definitely will replace it with the new 600 PF asap. The 500mm PF works very well on the Z9, and the FTZ doesn’t really bother me, but FTZ plus TC, and keeping two sets of TC’s for the F-mount and Z-mount lenses, is really annoying. And the 100mm extra reach is nice, too.
I agree that the 500/5.6 is great even on Z bodies. Optically of course, but even the focusing isn’t bad. I would say the 600/6.3 could be a respectable replacement though. If money were not an issue, I would recommend the 600/4 for birds. Its performance with the TC1.4x is a bit better than the 800/6.3, and without it? It’s eye cutting. Plus, it’s not as heavy. However, the wallet would also be feather light if you bought this lens. But enough dreaming. f/6.3 is also a viable option.
For me personally, the 600/4 is actually the least desirable of the Nikon Z prime supertelephoto lenses. Granted, it’s an awesome lens. But for stalking photography, I prefer the 800/6.3 (smaller and lighter, while the quality difference to the 600 with TC is irrelevant for any practial applications); and for use in a hide, I’d prefer the 400/2.8, since 600mm is often too long in this case and the 2.8 apperture is a huge bonus in low-light situations.
But that’s just me and the way I work with these lenses, and I totally agree that for most bird photographers the 600/4 is probably the ultimate lens.
Surely, Spencer will review the 400/4.5, 180-600 and 600 PF so we have some nice MTF figures to ponder while we anxiously check our credit card balance? ;)
That’s the plan!
I would upvote this twice if I could. ;)
Cool! FYI the contest deadline says “October 6” but that was last week’s deadline. Thanks for putting together these contests!
Good catch, John! Fixed it.