Photography News: Rumored DSLR Flagship, Last F-mount Exotics on Sale

Libor Vaicenbacher

Do you know what a significant event took place on September 16, 1824? On that day, two important events took place in France: King Louis XVIII of France died, and photography was born. With all due respect to the French king, I consider the second event to be more important over time. It was the talented inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who we consider the father of our hobby 200 years ago. We’ll probably never know what his first photograph looked like, but if you want to see his first surviving photograph – from 1827, titled View from the Window at Le Gras – you can visit the Gernsheim Collection at the University of Texas at Austin. How far back do your photographic beginnings go?

Digitizing with DSLR_Black and White Negative
My roommate Roman at the time of my photographic beginnings during my studies at the University of Olomouc. Long after Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, but still a part of my personal history. Pentax Super A @ Tokina 28mm f/2.8, Ilford PAN400

Recent Announcements

The Rumor Mill

Will Pentax announce a new flagship DSLR?

The development of a Pentax K1 Mark III has been talked about since last year. Considering that Ricoh recently registered a new camera with the product code R07010, it’s quite possible that the top line of Pentax DSLRs will soon see a third generation. What will make it special, and what should convince potential customers? First of all, the sensor. It is said to be a 61MP, backside illuminated CMOS from Sony. This would make it the world’s highest-resolution DSLR.

The most interesting rumored feature of the K1 Mark III is the Astrotracer. This, combined with a built-in GPS module and stabilized sensor, should be able to track celestial objects. As a result, stars will not appear as blurry smudges during long exposures, but as points (though the earth itself will be blurred)! Pentax is also said to be improving autofocus capabilities, thanks to the a new SAFOX 14 autofocus system. Other rumored features include button illumination, two CF Express memory card slots, a joystick, and a very fast shutter speed. As they say, variety is the spice of life, so I wish Pentax good luck in the DSLR segment.

Via Pentax & Ricoh Rumors

Tamron could announce a 20x zoom lens

Superzooms have a nice feature: They can be glued to the camera almost permanently. That is, unless you’re a fan of shallow depth of field and uncompromising image quality. If you’re willing to make those compromises, you’ll get a lens for just about anything life throws at you. That said, most ultra-zooms start at 24mm or 28mm. Tamron may want to break these long-standing rules according to a new rumor, which says they’re working on a superzoom that starts at 20mm. And all this without sacrificing reach at the long end, rumored to be 400mm. The maximum aperture for such a zoom is said to be f/4-7.1, which wouldn’t be bad at all. Even the rumored weight seems acceptable at about 1 kg (2.2 pounds). If all this is true, it would be quite a surprise, but it remains to be seen if this is a real lens or just dust in the wind.

Via Photo Rumors

Good Deals and New Sales

We’ve already covered how to back up your photos on the go. An important, but relatively expensive component of the entire backup workflow is a reliable and durable SSD. However, their prices are dropping over time. Here is a selection of those that are currently available at interesting discounts.

B&H Photo is still running a sale on exotic Nikon telephoto lenses at exceptionally good prices. High-end telephoto lenses have never been this affordable, and this is likely closing out Nikon’s last new stock of these lenses. Even on mirrorless, but especially on DSLRs, the latest generation of F-mount telephoto lenses has a lot to offer.

Other Pages of Interest

If you think of Viltrox as a third-party manufacturer of relatively affordable photo lenses, you are quite right. However, Viltrox also makes cine lenses, and they often cost significantly more. Even more so when they are such optical monsters as the LUNA 42-420mm T5.6 ZOOM 10X Cine Lens. Its price is expected to be around $100,000. If you want to take a look at the lens and didn’t manage to do so at the 2024 IBC show in Amsterdam, you can do so at the Viltrox website.

“The rare New Britain Goshawk (Accipiter princeps) has been photographed for the first time in history.” So begins an article on WWF that tells the story of a lucky photographer who managed to capture an extremely rare species of raptor from Papua New Guinea. The last confirmed record of this bird of prey dates back to 1969! This is what I love about the tropics. The excitement of knowing that behind every tree, every rock, every bend in the river, there could be something unique waiting for you.

Mid-September has been extremely fruitful for photo contest results. If you haven’t already done so, make yourself a cup of coffee or other favorite beverage, find a comfortable seat, put on some nice music, and get inspired:

Photo Theme Challenge, Week #68

Last week’s theme was long exposure, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is September, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, September 28, 2024!

Week #67 Results

Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “long exposure” theme, starting with new member fdantzer’s photo:

This long exposure shot of the moon produced quite a painterly effect, don’t you think?

Another use of long exposure is light painting in PRG Lagarde’s photo:

This creative effect looks a lot like the classic effects from earlier horror movies!

Next we have dave’s seascape photo:

I find it very interesting how the long exposure effect is much more apparent in the foreground. It gives a sense of two different environments close together, one dynamic and one a bit more peaceful!

Finally, we have AndrewGusew’s photo:

A classic long exposure of water gives a great abstract!

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

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