Photography News: Schneider 14-24mm f/2.8, Czech Nature Contest Winners

Last Tuesday, April 22, was Earth Day – an event that’s been reminding us to take care of our home planet for the past fifty-five years. Considering the current state of the Earth, though, there really wasn’t much to celebrate. This thought came to me this week while watching Minamata, a movie in which Johnny Depp portrays legendary photographer W. Eugene Smith. If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it.

Aside from the seriousness of the story it tells, the movie made me want to mix up a batch of developer and lock myself in a darkroom. There’s something magical about watching an image slowly emerge under your fingers. Instead, I ended up “developing” the first of many RAWs of Griffons that I shot a few weeks ago from a high rock in central Spain. Watching these magnificent creatures circling above me was a truly uplifting experience.

Recent Announcements

• Schneider-Kreuznach x LK SAMYANG AF 14-24mm f/2.8 FE: This autofocus lens is the result of a collaboration between Schneider and Samyang, previously teased at CP+, was officially announced this week. It’s a relatively lightweight (445g) and compact (88.8mm long) ultra-wide full-frame lens. The optical design consists of 15 elements in 11 groups (including 3 aspherical, 5 high-refractive, and 3 ED elements). The minimum focusing distance is 0.18m (0.59ft), delivering a magnification of 0.17x at the wide end up to 0.26x at 24mm. The lens accepts standard 77mm screw-on filters. It’s weather-sealed and includes a USB-C port for firmware updates. For now, it’s available only for Sony. The price is set at €1,186 (around $1,350).
• Insta360 X5 360° 8K: A camera designed for content creators and videographers that captures a full 360° view (we tested the third generation here). Compared to its predecessor X4 (now discounted to $425), the X5 gets a faster AI processor and a significantly larger 1/1.28″-Type CMOS sensor (up from 1/2″). It can record 360-degree video at up to 8K/30p, though when shooting with a single lens (not covering the full 360°), it tops out at 4K/60p. The X5 also captures 72MP RAW (DNG) stills. The manufacturer promises better durability than before, with replaceable lenses and improved waterproofing — now rated for dives up to 15 meters. Battery life has jumped from 2.2 to 3 hours. Pricing starts at $550 for the camera alone or $660 for the Essentials Bundle.

The Rumor Mill

Tamron likely soon to announce an APS-C superzoom for Canon and Nikon

Specifically, I am talking about the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens. Does this lens sound familiar? No wonder. If you shoot with Sony or Fujifilm, you might already have had it in your camera bag since 2021. Nikon and Canon APS-C users have needed to wait long four years for their turn.

For Nikon APS-C cameras, the full-frame equivalent focal length will be 27-450mm, while for Canon it will be the slightly longer 29-480mm. With a relatively decent aperture, the lens will cover most of the commonly used focal lengths for both landscape and wildlife. As is typical for Tamron, the lens has respectable “macro” capabilities. Specifically, it can focus from 15cm at the wide end, allowing a magnification of 1:2.

If you find the lens too long at the wide end, you can opt for the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary. Unfortunately, this is only available for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Sony E and L-Mount, not for Nikon Z-Mount.

Via Nikon Rumors and Canon Rumors

Fujifilm Half the Size, Twice the Story

Under this headline at B&H Photo, you can check out the silhouette of the anticipated Fujifilm camera I mentioned in this section last week. The teaser video ends with the words “See you soon”. The word “soon” seems to take on a more concrete shape. According to the latest rumors, it can be translated as “May 22”. The new camera, expected to be called the Fujifilm X-Half, is expected to feature the classic (retro) design that Fujifilm is known for, a style that just earned them another set of Red Dot design awards this year. The most notable spec? A vertically oriented sensor, likely from Sony (and either 1/2 frame or 1″-type in size).

Via Fuji Rumors

On safari with a Leica M camera?

Leica M cameras are not really intended as a tool for wildlife photographers. But that doesn’t mean that these classic rangefinder cameras only belong in the urban jungle. Some of the color variations are also perfect for natural environments, where they blend in perfectly with their surroundings. Such as the soon-to-be-announced Leica M11-P Safari Edition. I wouldn’t choose it for classic safari photography, but to cover the fight between conservationists and poachers, for example, I would.

Via Leica Rumors

Good Deals and New Sales

B&H Photo is currently running its “Terrific Trade-In Event” for Canon gear (event ends May 4, 2025). As usual, the idea is that B&H Photo will buy back your old, working camera or lens (for the trade-in value) plus a trade-in bonus. The trade-in bonus ranges from $100 to $500. Some items are currently discounted. The prices in parentheses show the original price and the final price after the discount and trade-in bonus, not counting the additional price that B&H pays for your used gear. Here’s a look at the highlights on offer:

Cameras:

• Canon EOS R1 (was $6,300, now $5,800)
• Canon EOS R5 Mark II (was $4,300, now $3,800)
• Canon EOS R7 (was $1,500, now $1,300)
• Canon EOS R10 (was $980, now $780)
• Canon EOS C80 6K Full-Frame Cinema Camera (was $5,500, now $5,200)

Lenses:

• Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM (was $3,100, now $2,700)
• Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM (was $2,300, now $2,100)
• Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM (was $2,400, now $2,200)
• Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM (was $2,800, now $2,600)
• Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM (was $2,400, now $2,000)
• Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM (was $2,100, now $1,700)
• Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM (was $2,900, now $2,500)
• Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (was $2,800, now $2,400)

Other Pages of Interest

About a month ago, I presented you the nominated photos for the contest Czech Nature Photo 2025. At that time, I invited you to play the jury and guess the winner. Now that the winners have been decided, you can check whether you were correct. By the way, all three of the instructors from my Online Workshop, and one more photographer who I interviewed here in the past, did very well in the competition: four second places and one win in their categories! Congratulations to them and all the winners. If you make your way to Prague, I recommend visiting the exhibition, which this year is being held for the first time in the beautiful grounds of Prague Castle.

Last week, the results of the TIPA World Awards 2025 were announced. For those unfamiliar, this is a competition founded back in 1991, where a panel of editors from photography magazines selects the best photography equipment of the past year. So, who took home the trophies? The award for Best Full Frame Expert Camera and Best APS-C Enthusiast Camera went to the Nikon Z6 III and Nikon Z50 II. The title of Best Full Frame Professional Camera was claimed by the Sony Alpha 1 II. Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II received the award for Best Full Frame Hybrid Camera. And from the range of lens categories, I’ve picked the award for Best Professional Telephoto Lens, which went to the Sigma 300-600mm F4 DG OS | Sports. You can check out the full list of winners on the competition’s official website.

I don’t really watch reality TV shows. Not only do I not own a TV, but I don’t know why I should be interested in peeking into someone’s kitchen, living room, or even bedroom. But sometimes I make an exception for birds. A few stork nests here in the Czech Republic are equipped with webcams, so you can follow the nesting season from the arrival of the parents from the wintering grounds to the moment the chicks leave the nest. Of course, I don’t have time to watch them all the time, but when a headline appeared in the morning news saying “Rough attack on chimney in Ronov nad Doubravou: A sleeping stork was carried away by an eagle-owl“, I couldn’t resist. I won’t spoil how the drama ended.

Photo Theme Challenge, Week #99

Last week’s theme was intersections, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is repeating patterns, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, May 3, 2024!

Week #98 Results

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

The many intersections here demonstrate the complexity of the scene.

PRG Lagarde’s photo:

The intersection of the sign with the background gives a controlled chaos of abstract shapes in a concrete setting!

Mauro70’s photo:

The intersection of the person with the horse provides a little context while keeping the attention on the horse. Nice!

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