A friend of mine, a great photographer and scientist, returned from Madagascar a few weeks ago. Alongside a stunning photograph of the endangered Scaly Ground-Roller, he also brought back the knowledge that only tiny fragments of this paradise remain. Soon there may be nothing left to protect.
You may have thought about this too. You’ve wanted to go on a photography trip to an exotic destination, but you’ve been worried about the carbon footprint you’ll leave behind. You will, it’s true, but you’ll also leave your money behind in the destination country. That might ease your conscience. After all, ecotourism is one of the most effective ways to protect nature. When a tree is more valuable to local people as a source of tourism than a source of hardwood, it will be a great victory for the world.
Recent Announcements
- TTArtisan APS-C 35mm F0.95: A manual focus prime lens with a super wide aperture of f/0.95 for APS-C cameras. The barrel of the approximately 250-gram lens is made of aviation aluminum. Its retro look makes the lens a nice match for Fuji or Nikon Zfc cameras (but it’s available for Sony E, Fuji X, Canon EOS-M and RF, Nikon Z, and Leica L mounts). Price of $199.
- Pergear 35mm F1.4: A full-frame manual focus lens (this focal length is really enjoying a renaissance). All-metal, 245-gram construction. There’s a retro-style, 10-blade diaphragm for smoother bokeh, and a minimum focusing distance of 30 cm (11.8″). Compatible with Sony E, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Leica L mounts. Available for a mere $129.
- The DJI O3 Air Unit: For a third-party drones. With 20GB of built-in storage, the camera features a 1/1.7″ 48MP sensor and a 155° super wide-angle lens. It can shoot 4K/60 fps. Works with DJI Goggles 2. Max Video Transmission Range up to 10 km. Available for $229.
- Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 External SSD: Transfer speeds of up to 1,500 MB/s (capable of smooth 8K video recording), capacities of up to 4TB, weight of 54 grams, durable aluminium casing, and truly tiny dimensions. Perfect for travel. The 2TB version costs $200.
The Rumor Mill
What will the Canon EOS R5 Mark II be like?
The successor to the highly successful Canon EOS R5 is still shrouded in mystery. But according to a fairly reliable source on Canon Rumors, some information is leaking out after all. For starters, the EOS R5 Mark II announcement could take place in Q2 2023. And what could the key specs be? Rumors suggest a new 61MP CMOS BSI sensor and Dual DIGIC X processor. There could also be a high-resolution sensor-shift mode, similar to what we’ve seen from a few other brands. Naturally, there’s rumored to be an increased resistance to overheating when recording 8K video. For a deeper look into the crystal ball, you can check out the Canon Rumors directly.
How many new cameras will Canon roll out next year?
As recently as last week, it looked like Canon was only going to have one new camera for next year – the Canon R50. In a previous newsletter, I hinted that we might be seeing a second generation of the EOS R5, making two cameras in total. But now, according to rumors on Digital Camera World, it looks like Canon might surprise us with an additional two camera bodies on top of that. Specifically, the EOS R7C and EOS R5S. The former should expand the EOS Cinema lineup with a compact camera with an APS-C sensor based on the existing R7. It should thus be Canon’s smallest body designed for video recording. We know almost nothing about the R5S. There are rumors that it could be a camera with an extremely high resolution sensor of around 100MP. In other words, harkening to the 50.6MP Canon EOS 5DS R DSLR.
New 105mm medium format tilt-shift macro lens from AstrHori
Chinese manufacturer AstrHori will soon launch two lenses. In addition to the 85mm f/1.8, there’s expected to be an unusual macro lens with a tilt-shift function. The maximum aperture will be the traditional f/2.8. Less traditional is that the lens will be compatible with the Fuji GFX mount – in other words, it covers medium format. Most photographers and potential buyers of this lens, however, will want to mount the lens on one of the more common mounts, such as the Nikon Z, Sony E, Canon RF, or Leica L mount. Another interesting feature is the 2x magnification. It seems that some Chinese lens manufacturers are good at finding gaps in the lens market and targeting those. For that they deserve an applause.
Via Photo Rumors
Photo Contest Corner
Metal Structures & Architecture
- Topic: Metal Structures and Architecture
- Fees: Free
- Prize: 9 photographs will be selected for an exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia
- Deadline: December 5
Silhouettes is the theme for this months competition
- Topic: Silhouettes
- Fees: 1 to 6 entries ($12 to $36)
- Prize: Cash Awards up to $10,000 to the top three photographers. A free copy of ON1 PHOTO RAW and Pixel Pocket Rocket for the winner.
- Deadline: December 7
Bird Photographer of the Year 2023
- Topic: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, Comedy Bird Photo, Conservation, Portfolio Award, Conservation Award, Young Bird Photographer of the Year
- Fees: 1 to 50 entries (£6 to £60)
- Prize: The Grand Prize (winner across categories) is £5,000 cash. Individual category winners will receive £750 cash prize. Other prizes for second and third place winners as well as the junior category.
- Deadline: December 11
Good Deals and New Sales
Black Friday may be over, but there are still a few things at Black Friday prices left on the shelves. One of these is my favorite travel tripod, the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod, which is available until Monday night at a discounted price of $552 (was $650). An aluminum version of the same tripod is also currently available for $57 off. That one now costs $323.
However, having tasted the benefits of carbon on my tripods, I wouldn’t want to go back to aluminum. If you’re interested in a carbon fiber tripod but find $552 too high, take a look at Leofoto. Their LS-324C Ranger Series Tripod and LH-40 ball head kit is now 10% cheaper (at $359).
For the interesting price of $400 (was $500) is the GoPro HERO 11 Black. Tim Laman proves that it doesn’t have to be just a sports camera with his winning photo of an orangutan.
Last week, I heard several scary stories that had one thing in common – data loss. A friend lost ten years of work that way! Nice subject for a horror movie with a photography plot. It has led me to order another disk to back up my photos after I finish this article. A high-end professional solution might be the G-RAID Shuttle 4 72TB 4-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array from SanDisk (now discounted from $4800 to $4,200). A less sophisticated but effective solution might be to buy two drives. You can keep one at home and put the other in your grandmother’s attic, for example. One more reason to visit your grandparents! Until midnight Monday, you can buy, for example, a WD 20TB Elements Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive for $350 (was $450). Smaller than 20 TB options are also on sale at the same link.
If none of that hit your tastes, there’s a massive Cyber Monday sale going on right now at B&H Photo where you can pick from almost any manufacturer and type of product.
Other Pages of Interest
A month ago, I informed you in Photography News about the rediscovery of Táchira Antpitta, a species that was thought to be lost. A similar story with a happy ending is that of the Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon (Otidiphaps insularis). This species of pigeon was first – and, until recently, last – seen in the impenetrable mountains of Papua New Guinea in 1882! Scientists were very happy when they discovered that 140 years after its discovery, a photo trap had recorded it again.
Another rarity, literally out of this world, is a photograph showing Neil Armstrong on the Moon. If you don’t count Armstrong’s reflection in the visor of his colleague Buzz Aldrin, this is his only photograph on the surface of the moon. So it’s no surprise that at next week’s auction, the price of the photo is expected to hit the $30,000 mark.
Finally, one more rarity, this time of a completely different nature. Leica is a brand whose basic products are already expensive – let alone a unique piece from their factory, such as the prototype of the Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1.2 lens. This lens went into production in 1966 and remained that way for ten years. Yet only 1,800 were produced. The lens is expected to sell for $500,000 at the Leitz Photographica Auction! Compared to that, even a lens such as the Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC is a complete bargain.
Whether you shoot with a Leica, a pinhole camera, or something in between, I wish you good light this week.