The mongoose in the picture below is not wild, but was taken in the Prague Zoo. I didn’t even take it with any new, interesting equipment. So what makes this photo so valuable to me? It’s the first photo I took after a three-week photographic absence enforced by six broken ribs. It proves that I will be able to hold a camera in a week when I visit Ecuador. Hooray! I’ll have more stories for you soon, straight from the tropics. For now, here’s the latest photography news from the temperate zone.
Recent Announcements
- Panasonic Lumix S9: The Lumix S9 is a full-frame camera for the L-Mount system, based around a stabilized 24.2 megapixel sensor. Despite the sensor size, the camera is very compact (12.6 x 7.39 x 4.67 cm) and lightweight (486 g with battery and memory card). While this is not really a wildlife camera – it doesn’t have a viewfinder or extensive dials/buttons – it still allows up to 30 FPS continuous photography, pre-burst shooting, and hybrid AF that can detect people, animals, cars, and motorcycles. The camera’s main focus is for on-the-go videography; it can capture up to 6K video from the full width of the sensor, and there’s even a dedicated lookup table (LUT) button on the back of the camera. The price is $1,498.
- Panasonic Lumix S 26mm f/8: This pancake wide-angle lens was announced alongside the Lumix S9. Together, they make a truly pocketable full-frame combo for traveling and videography on the go. The compromise that comes from the flat design (only 18 mm / 0.71 inches long) and light weight (58 g / 0.13 lbs) is the lack of autofocus and the maximum – and only – aperture of f/8. The price is $198.
- Leica D-Lux 8: The eighth generation of Leica’s compact camera is based on a 21MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor and a built-in Leica 10.9-34mm f/1.7-2.8 lens. The lens doesn’t cover the entire sensor area, so the resulting resolution is 17MP, and the lens is equivalent to a 24-75mm on full-frame. Although the full specs are not yet known, a look at the top of the camera suggests that the D-Lux 8 has lost the 1/4000s shutter speed and also the “T” (for long exposures), which is definitely a downgrade. A feature that may not be appreciated by the typical point-and-shoot photographer, but which I personally consider a major improvement over previous generations, is the ability to shoot in DNG (RAW). The price is set at $1,595.
The Rumor Mill
Pentax returns to its roots
I’ve already informed you several times in my weekly news that Pentax is developing a brand new 35mm film camera. At first, I expected some kind of reincarnation of a previously popular model like the K1000, Super A, or even the LX. According to the latest information and a new teaser that appeared on RICOH’s YouTube channel, that likely will not be the case.
The new camera is said to have a fixed lens, manual film rewind and, most surprisingly, it will shoot in half-frame format. The number 17, which appears at the end of the teaser and some short shots, likely refers to the half-frame size of 17 x 24mm, which is roughly equivalent to an APS-C sensor in area (23.5 x 15.7mm). The advantage is obvious; you can fit twice as many photos per roll of film. But half-frame cameras were not particularly popular back in the day, and they are less standard than traditional 35mm film. We’ll find out how Pentax’s “new-old” camera will look soon, perhaps as early as this summer.
Canon is like a volcano about to erupt
Over the past few weeks, the crater has begun to smoke heavily, the first pyroclasts have erupted in the form of the EOS R1 development announcement, and the first lava has begun to leak from the cracks on the side of the volcano in the form of rumored specifications for the EOS R5 Mark II. As this lava solidifies, new facts are crystallizing.
The EOS R5 Mark II is said to have a 30% improvement in rolling shutter compared to the EOS R3. In practice, this would mean that there wouldn’t be much reason to use a mechanical shutter (12 FPS) when a silent electronic shutter can go up to 30 FPS. The Mark II will not have the company’s touch-sensitive Smart Controller button (found on the EOS R3 and 1DX Mark III). However, it most likely will have Eye-Controlled AF. What about the flagship EOS R1? It was spotted being tested at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend.
Panasonic updated its Lumix S lens roadmap
I just told you about the 26mm pancake lens that Panasonic just announced for the S9. It will soon be followed by another compact lens, this time with a variable focal length – the 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3. Panasonic’s updated roadmap also revealed plans for a standard zoom lens and a supertelephoto zoom lens.
Good Deals and New Sales
If your primary interest is making videos, watch out. After a massive $1,020 discount, the Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera 6K (now $1,575) is an excellent deal today. This full-frame camera can shoot internal 6K Blackmagic RAW video. The camera is compatible with L-mount lenses.
You can now get SSDs from Samsung for very interesting prices. Definitely the best price/capacity ratio has the largest 4TB variant (was $500, now $300). However, it is better not to put all your eggs in one basket. For a monthly expedition with a high-resolution camera (like the Nikon Z7/8/9), I recommend two 2TB drives (was $285, now $200). If you shoot with a 24 MP camera and don’t do much video, a pair of 1TB SSDs (was $120, now $170) should be enough for any trip.
Nikon has discounted a number of its lenses, including some of their F-mount glass. The biggest price reduction is seen in the telephoto lenses, where you can save up to $500. Here they are:
- Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR (was $3,597, now $3,297)
- Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR (was $1,397, now $1,057)
- Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S (was $6,497, now $5,997)
- Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S (was $4,797, now $4,297)
- Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S (was $2,697, now $2,297)
- Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S (was $3,247, now $2,997)
- Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S (was $2,697, now $2,497)
Other Pages of Interest
ESA’s Euclid mission was launched on July 1 last year. Its purpose is to create a three-dimensional map of the universe that will include about two billion galaxies, representing about one-third of the sky. With this map, experts hope to detect traces of dark matter and dark energy, the most mysterious components of the universe. Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, which has a narrower field of view and longer range, Euclid was built to capture vast scenes in a single image. In this article, you can see five stunning images from the new telescope and read interesting details about them.
This week, I watched the first episode of an interesting documentary called Endangered Amazonia by Jan Dungel. It was great to see familiar places that I will be visiting with my camera in a week. But even more interesting is the author of this documentary. Jan Dungel is not only a photographer, but first of all a painter. He paints the objects of his interest directly in the field, based on the real wildlife in front of him. On his website you can see what pictures of birds can look like when a brush and paints are used instead of a camera.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #51
Last week’s theme was smooth, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is rocks, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, June 1, 2024!
Week #50 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “smooth” theme, starting with Tom Pazol’s photo:
Sometimes when there is smoothness, like in the distant reflection here, you need some texture to contrast it. I think it’s done very nicely in this photo.
Next, let’s see Cory B’s take on the theme:
I love the smoothness of the water and the rocks here – it’s a very peaceful and compelling scene.
Finally, we have Darin Marcus’s shot:
I love the different approach here on making something smooth, very literal this time!
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week in the rocks theme!
My Leica D-Lux 7 Type 109 shoots RAW…
Oops, thanks for the heads-up, Lawrence.
I saw the discussion on AI below, and I was wondering – do you use AI/machine-learning-based noise reduction (e.g. Topaz or now in Lightroom as well) or sharpening?
I do not.
(Except for technical evaluation in reviews. But I do not in my own photography.)
Though, I would say too that “AI noise reduction” is really more of a classical style machine learning rather than the newer generation of image generation products that produce new content from scratch.
AI is such an advancing and complex constellation of technologies that, while using AI can be a useful starting point for discussion, one must consider the nature of each individual one due to the imprecise nature of the term.
Thank you for your nuanced answer. Yes, indeed, de-noising or sharpening is not the same as generative AI that creates pictures from scratch or allows heavy manipulation (e.g. the new generative AI removal tool in Adobe products).
Personally, I use DxO PureRaw in my workflow. As long as the software only does non-creative work that fixes the technical flaws of another device, I have no problem with it. This is exactly what removing noise or optical aberrations of the lens falls into. So-called generative AI software that steals from other artists and invents “its own” content is a no-go area for me.
Thanks! I have dabbled with de-noising as well, and at my humble skill level, it is a game changer for things such as aviation photography (allowing for higher shutter speeds/ISOs to compensate for subpar panning abilities :D).
Libor makes a good point here. In the case of PureRaw, the noise removal is basically what you would get if the light is 2-3x more intense (at least for mildly noisy photos). It doesn’t change the lighting style or composition or make any “creative” decisions like generative AI so there’s a big difference there.
It basically mimics what you would get with better equipment (sharper lens, better high-ISO performance) – rather than what you would get with a different (or imaginary) subject. ;)
“Machine learning (ML) is a field of study in artificial intelligence concerned with the development and study of statistical algorithms that can learn from data and generalize to unseen data, and thus perform tasks without explicit instructions.”
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/…e_learning
That, is content creation.
Ouch, six… I remember only having two ribs broken and it was already quite painful … (and I was only 27 at that time). Recover well Libor.
Thank you so much for your support. Broken ribs are uncomfortable at any age and in any number. Three broken ribs nine years ago was not much better than the current six. In any case, camera therapy is the best way to rebuild broken physical integrity.
Hey Libor, what happened?
Once, in an amateur football match, I got a missile ball on my side… I was not able to laugh freely afterwards!
I wish you a comfortable recovery, then happy shooting again :-)
Thank you so much for your support. Also in my case, football is to blame. The football gate at Lago di Garda fell down with me. Next time I’ll focus exclusively on safe rock climbing :-)
Ouch, Libor – I wish you a fast recovery!
Thanks Darin, I’ve been working on it day and night. Especially at night…
Glad you are healing Libor. Be safe out there!!
Thank you very much, David, I hope a “few” broken bones won’t stop me. Plus, my experience is that in the field, all health problems usually disappear. Wildlife photography is a healthy activity with a tremendous therapeutic effect :-)
If you don’t ask for the raw files, then there is no way to know if these were created with AI or not.
I disagree with that. There are other ways to tell with a high degree of certainty. For example, the first photo is a view of the Chicago skyline, which I think was taken from somewhere around Northerly Island. All the buildings are in exactly the right places. There are no “hallucinated” buildings that don’t actually exist in Chicago – no AI generator today could do that accurately, to the best of my knowledge.
In the second photo, the photographer said it was taken at The Basin in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Googling that location, this is exactly what it looks like, again with zero hallucinations that don’t match the reality of the scene. Plus the photographer stated it was taken at f/18, and I see a couple of small dust specks in the photo that exactly match what you would expect at f/18 – never seen an AI do anything like that.
The last photo may be on the edge of what’s possible to generate with AI today, but I would be shocked if it was taken that way. The photographer said it was taken at Mount Vernon and also shared other photos from their trip. The subject of the photo is wearing the same clothing that is typical from re-enactors at Mount Vernon (see e.g. Photo #5 here alexandrialivingmagazine.com/lifes…nt-vernon/) and none of the man’s tools look illogical in the way that you would expect AI-generated out-of-focus tools to look.
I’d eat my hat if any of these three photos are AI-generated. Not to mention that our community is probably the most anti-AI photography community online, and we have no prizes or other incentives for anyone to fake these photos anyway.
I agree that these do not look like AI generated. However, I would have a requirement across the board that RAWs are required for any competitive situation just to eliminate any doubt. AI will only get better and pretty soon, you will only be able to tell if you have the unaltered RAW files. Also, this year, the 2024 ICON awards required RAW files in categories where no composites or other major editing were allowed.
I’m with Photography Life in that I’m totally anti – AI. That’s why I changed from Adobe products to Capture One. How can someone support a company that promotes fake content (generative AI) and is working to put photographers out of business by typing into a prompt to create a photos.
If we ever do a serious contest or anything with prizes, raw images will be required. This weekly challenge is just a way for people to show or take some photos on a particular theme if they want. And I agree with you, it’s ridiculous that Adobe is pushing AI so heavily.
You’re right that generative AI will get better over time. It will become, as in all such cases, a bit of an arms race. In the last Czech Nature Photo I was one of the jury members and it was a matter of course to carefully examine the RAW files of the top candidates. Not only for AI, but also to judge the level of editing. Fortunately, no one tried to enter with AI-generated content, but some photos had to be disqualified due to too much editing. In the case of our challenge, there is little reason to cheat. Also, I feel like we are a community based on mutual trust. It’s a bit like birdwatching. There is usually no proof of sightings, and everything is based on trust and honesty. I wish the whole world worked like that. Lawyers would lose their jobs.
Unfortunately, that is only a stopgap measure. It isn’t long before AI will be able to generate Raw photos. Combine that with a pretty-much inevitable C2PA crack and there will be less and less ways to tell, except for the obvious — looks like AI.
We will need:
– GPS data
– bts footage & gopro pov videos
– multiple angles of the shot
– Edited photo + RAW and JPG file from camera
– a witness statement
– notary signed police report of being present on location
– a selfie made on an Android & an iPhone simultaneously
– an oath on every single holy script
for competitions then.
In my opinion, it is not AI that is the real problem, as much as I hate AI. It is the fact that modern society is isolating and community-destroying, which in turn encourages the already existing tendency for deception in human beings.
Personally, I think it’s better not to participate in contests.
Concordo
Hello Spencer – thank you for taking the time to research the context of my photo.
There is indeed no AI-generated content in it, and in any of the photos I post in the forum. I will start soon a thread in the Samples section with photos I took over the years at various historical sites & events in Virginia and Maryland.