Photography News: M4 MacBook Pro Sales, Is Zeiss Back?

The Gray Wagtail is a charming bird quite commonly found along streams and rivers. Its constant tail wagging has inspired similar names in many languages. This week, the Czech Ornithological Society named it Bird of the Year. They pointed out the bird’s relationship to important natural waterways, many of which have reduced in size dramatically, making it harder for the environment to retain water. In just a month, the wagtails will be returning from their wintering grounds. I can’t wait to wade into the cool waters of the streams again and watch their interesting lives.

Recent Announcements

• Nikon Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ: This is the first Z-mount lens designed specifically for professional video, featuring a power zoom lever, geared focus and zoom rings, and optical features aimed at videography. Zooming can be controlled in multiple ways: via the lever (with 11 selectable zoom speeds), programmable buttons on the camera body, a traditional zoom ring, or remotely through Nikon’s mobile and desktop software. To combat ghosting and flare, Nikon has applied its best anti-reflection coating – the Meso Amorphous Coat. You can read more in our announcement article. The lens is available for pre-order at $2,600.
• RED V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO [X] for Z-Mount: A new fruit of Nikon’s acquisition of RED is here. The cameras as such are not new, but now they add an option to purchase them with a Z Mount. The V-RAPTOR [X] ($29,995) is a beast with full-frame (40.96 x 21.6 mm) sensor with global shutter, 17+ stops of dynamic range, and high frame rates like 8K 120p. The more affordable and compact KOMODO-X ($6,995) has a smaller Super-35 (27.03 x 14.26 mm) sensor that also has a global shutter and shoots up to 6K 80p or 4K 120p. In addition to the ability to use RED cameras with Nikon lenses, RED also announced a new Z to PL adapter ($3,500) with an electronic ND filter. When enabled, its density can be set in a range of 2 to 7 stops.
• Tokina 11-18mm f/2.8 ATX-M: This lens has been available for quite some time for Sony users (and is currently discounted from $599 to $399). However, starting in mid-March, Fuji shooters will also be able to purchase this lens for $599. For them, this lens is particularly interesting since Fujifilm doesn’t offer a native alternative that covers a similar focal length range (full-frame equivalent of 16.5-27mm) with a constant f/2.8 aperture. The optical construction consists of 13 elements in 11 groups. It has a 67mm filter thread and weighs 318g.
• Seagate Ultra Compact SSD: A drive for situations where every ounce and every bit of saved space in your backpack matters (I immediately thought of Spencer and his trek in the Chilean Andes)! With dimensions of 70mm × 20.40mm × 12.50mm and a weight of just 24g, it’s extremely portable. Yet 1TB and 2TB capacities can store a lot of photos or videos. Seagate’s 3-meter drop protection and IP54 dust and water resistance suggest that this SSD can endure in tough conditions. Transfer speeds reach up to 1,000MB/s via the integrated USB-C. Pricing is set at $100 for the 1TB version and $180 for the 2TB version.

The Rumor Mill

ZEISS plans a comeback to the photo lens business

It has been six years since Zeiss last introduced a photo-oriented lens. Now, two intriguing posts have appeared on its Instagram profile. Both feature owls. The first shows an adult owl with the text “Landing soon,” while the second displays two juvenile owls alongside the date “02.25.2025.”

Zeiss famously names its lens lineups after birds, such as the Otus (Scops-owls), a genus with over 50 species. Could this be a teaser for a new Otus series of lenses? The first teaser image was even taken with an Otus 85mm f/1.4. It seems like we’ll find out soon.

Via Zeiss Camera Lenses

Lumix S1R II won’t be a budget twin of Leica SL3

At least, that’s the case according to a source from L-Rumors. Until now, it was widely expected that Panasonic’s long-awaited release would feature the same 60MP sensor as Leica’s current SL-series flagship.

Will Panasonic stick to the 47.3 MP resolution of the S1R instead? Or will it have the 60MP sensor but differences in other areas? That could be revealed later this month at the CP+ trade show.

Via L-Rumors

Good Deals and New Sales

You can save up to $300 on some of the newest MacBook Pro models with the M4 chip at B&H Photo until February 21, 2025. The deal applies to the following high-end laptops:

• Apple 16″ Macbook Pro, M4 Max 16-Core Chip, 48GB Unified RAM, 1TB SSD was $4,000, now $3,800
• Apple 16″ Macbook Pro, M4 Pro 14-Core Chip, 48GB Unified RAM, 1TB SSD was $3,100, now $2,800
• Apple 14″ Macbook Pro, M4 Pro 14-Core Chip, 48GB Unified RAM, 1TB SSD was $2,800, now $2,500
• Apple 14″ Macbook Pro, M4 Pro 14-Core Chip, 24GB Unified RAM, 1TB SSD was $2,400, now $2,150

And since we’re already on the computing wave, here’s my selection of high-quality SSDs currently available at good prices. To make comparisons easier, all selected drives have the same capacity of 2TB. The speed, durability, and other feature sets do have some differences.

• LaCie 2TB Rugged SSD PRO Thunderbolt 3 was $350, now $275
• Samsung 2TB T9 was $260, now $180
• Seagate 2TB One Touch USB 3.2 Gen 2 was $310, now $150
• Samsung 2TB T7 Shield was $250, now $150
• Samsung 2TB T7 was $220, now $140

Other Pages of Interest

Small, remotely controlled quadcopters have found numerous applications in recent years. Let’s set aside their usage in warfare and focus on their peaceful uses. Beyond capturing stunning aerial footage, drones can also be used for conservation activities such as monitoring endangered animal populations. In the article Follow that Bird! How Drones Are Helping Scientists Track Wildlife, you’ll learn how a drone equipped with an infrared camera and a radio signal receiver followed a radio-tagged Sharp-tailed Grouse.

If you’re interested in journalistic and documentary photography, you should take a look at the winning photographs from Czech Press Photo 2024. As expected, many prizes were won by works documenting current events in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. However, in a surprising twist, the main prize went to a sports photo from last year’s Olympic Games in Paris. My personal favorite, though, is the black and white portrait series A Clown’s Life, which won in the portrait category.

In the vibrant gallery of the sixth annual Close-up Photographer of the Year 2024, you’ll find 100 of the best images, selected from over 11,000 submissions by photographers from 61 countries. Grab a magnifying glass – or at least your reading glasses – because you’re about to enter a world of some very tiny creatures. Although, you’ll also find subjects of a significantly bigger nature, such as a bear or a giant sequoia, among the winners. You can also download a 27-page catalog with detailed information about the winning images. You can pair it with some of the best insect photos, as selected by the Royal Entomological Society.

Photo Theme Challenge, Week #89

Last week’s theme was winter, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is breaking rules, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, February 22, 2024!

Week #88 Results

Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “winter” theme, starting with Nightjar’s photo:

I wouldn’t have expected to see a Heron in the snow, and this one is framed very nicely, almost as an extension to the tree!

Next, we have AndrewGusew’s photo:

Here, the signs of winter are subtle, but the steam and quality of the light gives it away!

Finally, we have Mark Fulton’s submission:

I remember seeing this photo in our monthly photo critique session on the Member Page! My first thought was how the background is just the right amount of out-of-focus to provide some interesting context to the scene, without drawing the viewer’s eye away from the subject.

Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the breaking rules theme.