As I write this opening paragraph, I’m sitting on a train, looking out at the flooded landscape around the tracks. Just a few dozen kilometers further north, floodwater is rushing through the towns and villages. Streets have become raging rivers, houses have become islands. How helpless and vulnerable we humans are when we try to resist the force of a mighty current. Yet, what is an extremely inhospitable environment for us is home to the Torrent Duck. This duck can face the roaring current with ease and grace. If only we humans could do the same. Today I wish you good luck navigating any troubled waters you experience, and I’ll bring you some recent photography news to start off your week.
Recent Announcements
- Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM: Standard zooms with a constant f/2.8 aperture have traditionally been massive journalistic lenses designed for the roughest treatment. This new lens from Canon has much more delicate proportions. Even with a slightly longer focal length at the wide end, it weighs a pleasant 495g, 70g less than a similar lens from Nikon. As with that lens, the optical design has converged to 15 elements in 12 groups and a filter thread diameter to 67mm. The minimum focusing distance is 24cm (mag. 0.24x). Price $1,099.
- Leica M11-D: The manufacturer claims that this camera has a “Digital Heart. Analogue Soul.” Only the absence of a film rewind lever tells the experienced eye that this is not your grandfather’s old camera. The M11-D has no rear display, meaning that you may inspire sympathy and envy in equal amounts from other photographers. The rest is the pure essence of classic photography – no display, no Leica logo, just the ISO and shutter speed dials. Image quality promises to be very impressive with a base ISO of 64 and a 60-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. Raw photos (DNG) are recorded on 256GB of internal memory. The camera weighs a mere 540 grams but costs a whopping $9,395.
- Canon EOS C80: Cameras like the R5 Mark II are powerful multimedia devices, but the new C80 is a dedicated video tool. For this purpose, it has fine-tuned ergonomics, connectivity and, of course, a variety of video-oriented features. Compared to its 4-year-old predecessor, the C70, there have been big changes in the sensor. It is now a BSI stacked CMOS with 26.7MP resolution and allows shooting up to 6K30 in Canon Cinema RAW. The camera also features triple base ISOs 800, 3200, 12,800. There’s also a much improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus with subject detection. Expected availability is in November for $5,499.
- Lexar Armor Gold + Silver Pro and 8.0 SD Cards: Lexar had a problem with the mechanical durability of some of their cards a few years ago. The new Armor line should be able to withstand a lot of abuse. In fact, they are the first cards made of stainless steel and are said to be both bend resistant and IP68 certified. Their speed is not particularly impressive (read: 280 MB/s, write: up to 205 MB/s). However, they also introduced an 8.0 SD card with some exceptionally fast claimed speeds: read of 1700 MB/s and write of 1000 MB/s. This is about three times faster than the best current SD cards, and it is unlikely that you’ll find a camera or card reader to take full advantage of it.
- Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 Lens: Brighter than the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S, and nowhere near as chunky or expensive as the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2. No, it may not end up being as optically perfect as those two lenses, but it should still perform well. You can read more in our announcement post here. The price is $497.
The Rumor Mill
New 35mm f/1.2 for Nikon? Maybe from China, and maybe for DX
The last remaining silhouette on Nikon’s roadmap belongs to what is widely assumed to be a Nikon Z 35mm f/1.2 S. When Nikon recently released a fast 35mm prime lens, however, it was a much smaller and less expensive f/1.4. While we will still likely see a Z 35mm f/1.2 S one day, in the meantime, the gap could be filled by the Chinese company Viltrox. However, if their upcoming Air line lens is indeed a 35mm f/1.2, it will be for APS-C cameras. So the wait goes on.
Via Photo Rumors
Sony prepares a new superzoom
Not everyone wants a camera backpack filled with prime lenses, each one like a piece of chocolate in a fine box. Sometimes it’s better to have all the focal lengths in one lens and not have to deal with swapping between them. Like when traveling, where every extra gram counts. For these purposes, Sony is rumored to soon announce a new superzoom for the APS-C format that outperforms the current 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 at both ends of its range. It is expected to be 16mm (24mm equivalent) at the wide end and 300mm (450mm equivalent) at the long end. This range will also surpass that of the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3. However, the maximum aperture is expected to be a dim f/3.5-8. Zoom range or lens speed? That’s an eternal dilemma.
Via Sony Addict
Good Deals and New Sales
Bigger is better, right? Well, after a few dozen kilometers in the mountains, you start to reevaluate some things. Like the size of the camera sensor you brought along. If you’re wishing you had something from the Micro Four Thirds line for a lightweight, carry-everywhere camera, you may be interested in some discounts this week from both OM System and Panasonic.
Cameras
- OM System OM-1 Mark II (was $2,400, now $2,100)
- Panasonic Lumix G9 II (was $1,898, now $1,798)
- Panasonic Lumix GH5 II (was $1,498, now $1,198)
Lenses
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5-6.3 IS (was $2,700, now $2,300)
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS (was $1,500, now $1,200)
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm f/4 IS PRO (was $3,000, now $2,700)
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO (was $1,500, now $1,200)
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/4 PRO (was $900, now $600)
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO (was $1,500, now $1,200)
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II (was $1,000, now $800)
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm f/4 PRO (was $1,100, now $700)
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.2 PRO (was $1,400, now $900)
- OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO (was $1,400, now $900)
- Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2 (was $800, now $350)
Other Pages of Interest
Since Nikon announced the acquisition of RED in March, it has been speculated when and how this would be reflected in Nikon products. Previous statements from Nikon representatives suggested that the first fruits of the collaboration would be more of a software nature, which has just been confirmed. For your mirrorless or DSLR camera, you can now download four popular LUTs from the RED ecosystem and use them to convert your Nikon N-Log footage. These are the Film Bias, Film Bias Bleach Bypass, Film Bias Offset and Achromic LUTs. You can check the Nikon website to see if your camera is compatible with the new LUTs.
This week, Nikon announced limited edition versions of the Nikon Zfc, designed in collaboration with artists from HERALBONY. If you found all seven color variations of this camera too sedentary, now you’ll definitely have something to choose from. Nikon selected four works of art from over 2,000 pieces to make the Zfc design shine. You can see the result of this collaboration on Nikon website.
For more than 50 years, Martin Parr has been a star in the photo-documentary sky. His images are characterized by a strong sense of color, depth of field, perspective, and above all, a great sense of humor. I think it’s definitely worth reading his ten rules for emerging photographers, which can be found on WePresent’s Manifesto page. Encouraging, for example, is rule number seven: “Acknowledge you will mainly take failures” or two lines later: “Don’t wish you could be a famous photographer.”
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #67
Last week’s theme was sun, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is long exposure, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, September 21, 2024!
Week #66 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “sun” theme, starting with Tom Pazol’s photo:
A beautiful low-sun shot, with a spectrum of colors from blue to red. It’s quite interesting that the sun is not only roughly in the center of the shot, but also unique in having its red color.
Next, let’s check out Dave’s photo:
What a nice, calming landscape! Whereas the previous photo stood out in color, this one stands out in contrast and matching tones. Very nice.
rjbfoto send us this photo:
This is a great simple monochromatic idea with very distinct shapes, with the sun casting everything in silhouette.
Finally, we have Allan369’s first photo featured in the forum challenge:
This one looks almost illustrated, with very low contrast between ground and sky. It gives a nice atmosphere to the image and feels almost cinematic.
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the long exposure theme!