This is the eye-like mosaic on the wings of the Owl Butterfly (genus Caligo). How long did such an adaption take to occur? And what did it cost? Over countless generations, unfathomably many butterflies were eaten by predators before the pattern you see below arose. Maybe it feels like you’ve been waiting eons for cameras like the Canon R1 or Nikon Z6 III to appear, but it’s nothing by comparison. While we wait, let’s see what has evolved in the photography ecosystem over the past week.
Recent Announcements
- Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8: A full-frame autofocus lens for Nikon Z-mount and Sony E-mount cameras. It’s a really interesting addition especially for Nikon users, since it’s a lens with no Nikon equivalent so far (the widest Nikon Z prime lens is the 20mm f/1.8 S). Inside the metal construction there are 15 elements (3 aspherical, 4 ED) in 12 groups. The lens is equipped with a color display, two function buttons, and two switches (AF/MF and stepless aperture ON/OFF). It weighs 565 g / 1.24 pounds and is weather sealed. The price is $549.
- Apple iPad Pro M4 Chip: The new iPad pro with Apple’s M4 9-Core CPU and 10-Core GPU comes in two sizes (11″ and 13″). In addition to a new, reportedly up to 1.5x faster chip (compared to M2), it comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. New is the OLED Ultra Retina XDR display with 2752 x 2064 resolution. The 13″ version is also only 5.1mm thin, making it the thinnest iPad to date. The base price is $999 (11″) or $1,299 (13″) and can go up to $2,299 for the top 13″ version.
- SanDisk 8TB Desk Drive SSD USB-C 3.2 Gen 2: An external desktop SSD with a modern design, awarded by Reddot 2024. It comes in two capacities (4TB or 8TB) and achieves read speeds up to 1000 MB/s. The SSD also comes with an AC power adapter and Acronis True Image software for data backup and recovery, including backing up entire operating systems. Pricing is $380 for the 4TB and $700 for the 8TB version.
- Delkin Devices BLACK 4.0 CFexpress Type B: Delkin Black gets even darker with the move to the CFexpress 4.0 standard. In (future) compatible cameras, it should reach speeds of up to 3530 MB/s (read) and 3250 MB/s (write). When connected to a computer and a compatible card reader, you can already enjoy very fast data transfer. The manufacturer promises resistance to water, shock, X-rays, and extreme temperatures, with a lifetime guarantee. The card is available in capacities ranging from 256GB to 1.3TB, with prices starting at $180.
The Rumor Mill
Fuji: days before the announcement
At the upcoming X Summit on May 16th, several new products will be unveiled. In addition to the X-T50 APS-C camera, which we informed you about last week, there is other news waiting behind the curtain. We can expect an XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 lens to replace the aging XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS. Big things are in the air for medium format, with a new camera and lens to be announced. The camera is expected to be the second-generation GFX 100S. A new lens will be the relatively compact and lightweight GF 500mm f/5.6 (395mm full-frame equivalent). Combined with Fuji’s medium format cameras, which already have a bird’s eye detection, this could be an interesting wildlife combo for detail fanatics.
Via Fujirumors
Will the Leica M12 leave the traditional design path?
Leica is, in some ways, a slow company to change. This is particularly true when it comes to the external design of their M-series rangefinder cameras. However, according to early rumors, the new M12 could be quite the rebel. For many, it would be almost sacrilegious for the M-series to lose its proven rangefinder. But it might just happen. Rumours say that a “new hybrid viewfinder like the Fuji X100 or maybe even a 100% electronic viewfinder” is in play. The ISO dial on the top left is also said to be removed or moved somewhere within thumb reach. Perhaps even the trio of buttons on the back of the camera will disappear altogether. In their place will be a large 3.9″ display. However, these are just the first rumors, so it’s possible that the M12’s final form will be much more traditional.
Via Leica Rumors
Waiting for the Nikon Z6 III
If you were expecting the Nikon Z6 III to be announced within the next two weeks, you will probably be disappointed. At least, that’s what a post on Nikon Rumors tells us. Among some reasons for the delay include additional testing that Nikon is doing with the camera in order to ensure it doesn’t need to be recalled. So the question is, when will it finally appear? Probably not before the end of June.
Good Deals and New Sales
The big Nikon discounts we told you about last week are still going on. You can still save up to $1,000 on almost the entire range of current Nikon cameras (except the Zf and Z9). Just a reminder:
- Nikon Z8 (was $3,997, now $3,497)
- Nikon Z7 II (was $2,997, now $1,997)
- Nikon Z6 II (was $1,997, now $1,497)
- Nikon Z5 (was $1,397, now $997)
- Nikon Zfc (was $957, now $857)
- Nikon Z50 (was $857, now $757)
- Nikon Z30 (was $707, now $607)
Canon hasn’t been left behind either, and you can now buy their cameras for significantly less than they cost at launch.
- Canon EOS R3 (was $4,999, now $4,499)
- Canon EOS R5 (was $3,399, now $2,899)
- Canon EOS R6 Mark II (was $2,499, now $1,999)
- Canon EOS R8 (was $1,499, now $1,199)
- Canon EOS RP (was $999, now $899)
- Canon EOS R7 (was $1,499, now $1,399)
- Canon EOS R10 (was $979, now $879)
- Canon EOS R50 (was $679, now $549)
- Canon EOS R100 (was $479, now $379)
Other Pages of Interest
A few weeks ago, you had the chance to see the winning images from the latest World Press Photo awards. This week, the winners of the most prestigious journalism award – the Pulitzer Prizes – were announced. The 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography went to Reuters for its “raw and urgent photographs documenting the October 7th deadly attack in Israel by Hamas and the first weeks of Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza.” The Associated Press won in the Feature Photography category for its “poignant photographs chronicling unprecedented masses of migrants and their arduous journey north from Colombia to the border of the United States”.
Calling your photographs “shots” makes perfect sense with a camera like the E. Leitz New York Leica Gun RIFLE. This unique hybrid – rifle, Leica IIIb camera, and Telyt 5/40cm lens – could soon be yours for an estimated €240,000-300,000. Leitz Photographica Auction 44 will take place on June 8th, 2024 at the Leitz-Park in Wetzlar, Germany. This curiosity from 1938 will be one of many items up for auction.
Winning a photography competition doesn’t have to be just about the satisfaction of receiving an award. The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has increased its prize pool to one million US dollars. If you have some good photographs in your portfolio that would fit into one of the five categories (Sustainability, Sports Photography, Portfolio (Story-Telling), General (Color and Black & White), Short Videos) then consider entering. It could well pay off.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #49
Last week’s theme was square, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is clouds, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, May 18, 2024!
Week #48 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “square” theme, starting with Bhoward’s photo:
I thought the square aspect ratio of the photo went well with the central composition here, creating a very serene composition.
Next, let’s see Tom Pazol’s photo:
The perfect square surrounds the hundreds of rectangles in this photo, creating conflict and contrast between equal and unequal dimensions.
Finally, we’ve got Ronald’s photo:
Now, we return to serenity: the perfect right angles of a square surround the simple but powerful breaking of symmetry through a few abstract shapes.
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the clouds theme.
Libor, good photo and discussion as usual.
Regarding the probability of the”eye” trick on the butterfly: Shouldn’t we be open to consider a change-generator other than pure chance genetic combinations? The probability of even one such example is, to say the least, overwhelmingly negative.
Thank you Art for the inspiring question. I think if there was a top five of scientific questions, this one would probably be at the top. Ever since Darwin (and Wallace) came up with his explanation of the mechanism of evolution, and Mendel clarified its genetic basis, there has been a great effort to find some alternative mechanism. Perhaps no scientific theory has faced such persistent pressure to reject it. The result is that every day more and more arguments are added to support its validity. Anti-predatory or mate-gaining strategies are a great battleground for evolutionary change. Nature is quite uncompromising in this regard. Like the hand of the breeder, which strictly controls what phenotype (and therefore genotype) it sends to the next generation. In small and isolated populations, changes can then take place quite quickly. This is a great subject to talk about. If you’re interested in this topic, I recommend any of the books by Richard Dawkins or Matt Ridley. Have a nice day.
Sure, but a bit of story, whether probable or not, can briefly lift us out of the facts and figures to contemplate deeper meaning.
So the top of the line, everything option 13inch iPad Pro M4 is actually an astronomically high price of $2599 plus taxes. Which is truly insane to me, but I’ve never been a fan of the iPad. They’re just too awkward to hold and use properly for most of what I do, and I absolutely prefer a laptop or desktop. My iPhone Pro Max does everything I need it to and the screen and even the speakers are great. I bought a new 16inch (late 2023) M2Pro MacBook and absolutely love it. I also got the Pro Display and I use that screen in conjunction with my MacBook Pro. For $2600 I’d certainly rather have the new black M3 MacBook Pro over an iPad. Unless you use the pencil and or are a graphic designer or digital artist, I can’t see why anyone would spend nearly $3k with taxes for a tablet. Just ludicrous to me.
Personally, I feel the same way. I’m part of the “button generation”, so for me a laptop is a compromise between portability and convenience. However, I can see how a powerful tablet (like today’s iPad) with a keyboard and mouse could be a great option for travelling. For photographers on the go who are open to change, this is already a legitimate alternative to consider. And the price will certainly drop over time.
Oh My Libor, how I miss my D850’s (re: your very nice Owl Butterfly photo). I have bought, sold, and traded 3 D850s since it was released in 2017 – just got tired of the weight with longer lenses incl. the 105. Illogically, I just bought a used D810 – totally by emotion from when I owned one of the first. Each of these bodies recall a phase of my past!! Thanks for the deja vu!
That’s funny, I’ve done the same with both the D850 and D500. I’ve literally have had 3 different D850’s and was one of the first NPS priority people to get one in 2017. I actually sold it six months later for a few hundred profit, when nobody could find a new copy in stores/online. I loved the D5/D500 combo for awhile, and then thought, no I should now get another D850 and sell my D500. I did a few times, back and forth. However my main bodies were D5’s and now D6’s. I eventually sold my last D850 and got a Z7 II, which I liked, especially with the 24–120mm f/4 S. However I didn’t like the EVF or the battery life and I didn’t like the vertical grip. So now after also selling a Z9, which I had early on…I’m back to a DSLR only kit. Two D6’s and a D500 with grip, they share EN-EL18c/d batteries and share cards. It’s nice to be able to take CFexpress Type B cards out of my D500 and put them in my D6’s.
Mainly because I use the WT-6A wireless transmitters and the D6 can instantly transfer files, I can just flick up with a swipe of my finger and send the files to my devices. The range is incredible at around 650ft distance. I started using the WT-5A with the D4/D4s and I’ve not once had a failure to connect or send file. Not once in 10 years has the wireless capability utilizing ShutterSnitch failed me. It works anywhere as well, even when I have no cell signal, such as when I’m covering a wildfire or MLB game, etc.! So long story short, the Z8 and Z9 both don’t have a port for the WT-6 transmitters and the built in wireless sucks in comparison. Short range and sometimes issues, and it’s just not as fast or reliable. That along with the poor high ISO noise performance with the Z9 and Lightroom when I had it, was enough for me to sell it.
I got another new/open box D6 instead for even less money than the Z9, despite the $1,000 price difference. Long story, but I’m extremely satisfied with the D6’s and I love my trusty D500. Funny thing is I once also sold a D850 and bought a D810, haha! The D810 in my opinion has maybe the best of at least my favorite image quality/sensor output. There’s just something about the colors, the rich blacks and whatever. I felt a similar type of way with the sensors in the D700, D4/Df and D4s. Whenever I look back at old photos from the D800E/D810 or D4/D4s I’m reminded of why I loved those cameras, or mainly the sensors in them.
Honestly I wish Nikon will eventually release a true D6 replacement! Maybe something between 24-36mp with 120fps RAW, Made In Japan and higher quality/larger EVF, more battery life, etc.! I’ll pay $6500 if need be! The Z9 isn’t made poorly or anything. It just sorta felt like a D850 and D6 were combined. Having tested the Z9 directly against my D6, I was able to feel and tell the D6 was made slightly better or tougher. Just as a D850 feels slightly better made than the Z8. I know a lot of people get upset at anyone saying bad things about their favorite camera or the one they love. However
I’m a 25 plus years user of Nikon and I’m a photojournalist. So I have a niche use case and I just prefer my tried and true “Made in Japan” gear. I’ve only needed one repair/replacement with Nikon in over 25 years. It was just recently and it was an accidental drop, not a failure. So it was paid for by my insurance. So despite putting over 800,000 clicks on D4’s and D5’s…I’ve never needed any repairs, replacements or anything. Whereas everyone who I know who has a Z8 and or Z9…has had to send it into or visit Nikon for various issues/recalls. Some colleagues have had to send in Z8/Z9’s multiple times.
Patrick – I have had nearly every DSLR and Z since the D100 (which I still use for fun). I was also among the first to employ the Nikon F versions in Viet Nam in 1967-8. That said – I never upgraded from a D5 to D6 once the Z9 was released – but have to say the D4 & D5 were among my favorite cameras while working in Alaska. Yes, now that you mentioned the amalgam of the D6 + 850 (D5 in my case) – the do sort of shoot and feel like the Z9. As I aged I just felt like the D5 was just to heavy for long photographic treks (Camino, Norway, etc.).
Dear Ralph, I think this is exactly why cameras like the Nikon Zf or Fuji X100VI are booming today. People want some emotion in addition to great function, which (it seems) these cameras can provide. And sometimes, when shooting with an ageing camera, all we need is a warming reminder of the good old days when the grass was greener, the birds more colourful and the water cleaner. Humans are just very emotional creatures. Although, leaving sentiment aside, great AF and silent shutter are a powerful counterbalance to the emotional aspect.
I hardly think that people who prefer shooting with DSLR cameras enjoy being told that they are using an ageing camera because of an emotional yearning for the good old days. For shame, Libor. Both of the people above said that they tried Z cameras and didn’t like them. Furthermore, when you share your pictures with us in your articles, I’ve noticed that the best ones are always the ones you shot with your DSLR’s.
I like to use aging DSLRs too, Elaine. Whether it’s because I like to hear the sound of the shutter and mirror slapping from time to time, or because the FTZ adapter gets water in it and I have to use my good (old) D500. Viewed by today’s standards, current mirrorless cameras are better cameras than DSLRs. That doesn’t mean that DSLRs are inferior. As always, there is plenty of room for subjective evaluation, which includes an emotional component. And I completely understand that some people simply don’t like the digital viewfinder, the autofocus of the Z6/7, or the different button layout…whatever. And as for the quality rating of my photos? It may well be that my older photos are better than the new ones. But the question is whether it’s fair to attribute that to the camera. That correlation can be misleading. It’s like claiming that wearing a swimsuit increases the risk of drowning based on the fact that most of the people who drowned were wearing swimsuits. It would be fair to say old photos are better because they have the XY property, which can clearly be attributed to the DSLR.
AAAH, the sound!!! I do turn that on on my Z’s, ha.
What a shame the Z9 didn’t get the shutter sound of a cat meow in the end. It could have been an interesting cacophony when shooting continuously :)
Yes, and I must say the embarrassment of that “rapid” reflex mirror sound while photographing wedding vows I won’t miss!
All I am saying, Libor, is stop putting down DSLRs. Don’t call them aging cameras. Call them cameras. Nobody asked Nikon to abandon their DSLR line. That was their stupid decision. We should have several new camera lines in DSLR by now, and lots of new lenses. Even if Nikon rendered all of us DSLR users obsolete, the least PL authors can do is show some respect and stop harping on Z vs DSLR. Just talk about cameras. Just include us in the discussions. Stop acting like the Z cameras are the be all and end all. Bring PL back to what its title says it is supposed to be, about photography, not just about gear.
I am fighting the tide here. You just don’t get it, and neither does Spencer. Half your readership has been cut adrift because of the stupid emphasis on Z cameras.
Elaine, you’re absolutely right that a lot of our readers continue to shoot with DSLRs (or F-Mount lenses on mirrorless). We definitely need to write more articles with DSLR sample photos geared toward those folks.
Admittedly, most of our news-type posts and reviews are going to cover mirrorless equipment from here on out, just because 99% of new cameras and lenses in the last five years have been mirrorless. And we’ve already reviewed almost all modern Nikon F equipment (I could go back and review manual focus F-mount glass or Canon EF lenses if there’s interest from our readers in me doing so). But we do need to do a better job of non-review articles that are not solely focused on mirrorless. It’s an issue of time, not lack of interest on our end, and as we get more time, it will improve.
I guess the obvious answer is to review less gear. If you try to keep up with everything that’s out there, then you will do nothing but review gear. You might as well move into your lab and never come out. What a waste of your talent to spend all your time reviewing gear. I get that the gearheads have an insatiable desire to comment on gear. I can see that most of your clicks come from the review articles. But presumably these guys are going to grow up sometime. Meanwhile, the rest of us are bored silly. Perhaps pick one other brand to review and stick to that along with Nikon. There are other websites for all the others. Then you will have time for photography. We’d all like to become better at being photographers, and would appreciate reading about technique and method and experience. It is boring to have to wait for 10 gear articles to go by before one (usually short) content article shows up to read. But I already know I am fighting the tide, so nobody has to jump on me for this comment.
Elaine – I see no opposing tide at all. I think PL has to stay in the present – and yes, the present requires gear reviews – particularly camera body reviews – I think most of us readers very much appreciate and depend on that. My guess is that every PL reviewer has emotional ties to their DSLR’s. I use my D810 and D200 at least monthly. I love them all – truly.
Ironically, I’m doing more photography than ever right now since the reviews demand a high volume of photos, but I’m writing fewer articles about it! I’ll aim to write at least one creative article per week in addition to the one lens review per week.