Photography News: New Leica Camera, Shimoda Backpack Sale

It’s the end of September, which means it’s the perfect time to head out and photograph the deer rut, now in full swing. But if the idea of misty, chilly mornings in temperate forests doesn’t appeal to you, hop on a plane to the tropics. I’ve chosen one tropical animal as a teaser for an upcoming article, and at the same time, as a biological puzzle. Can you identify the bird hiding its head under its wing? If not, don’t worry, you’ll find out soon. In the meantime, enjoy your regular dose of weekly photography news.

Recent Announcements

• Leica Q3 43: The original Q3 with 28mm lens got a sibling. If 28mm was too wide for you, Leica has equipped its new compact camera with a longer APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 ASPH. lens. For those unfamiliar with the Leica Q series, it is a full-frame camera with a fixed lens. Both Q3 cameras have a 60MP BSI CMOS sensor (same as in the Leica M11), hybrid AF system with subject tracking, Hi-Res EVF, 8K video, image stabilization, weather sealing, and other advanced features. Along with the focal length, the price has also been extended, now costing $6,895. (The original Q3 with a 28mm lens costs $6,295).
• Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Macro: A macro lens for Nikon Z and Sony E users with a classic 90mm focal length and a minimum focusing distance of 23.1cm (9.1″) at 1:1 magnification. This results in a working distance of 12 cm between the front of the lens and your subject (compared to 13.4 cm for the Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 S). Sticking with the comparison to Nikon’s macro lens, the Tamron is 30g lighter (600g), but most importantly, is $348 cheaper. Its price is $699.
• 7Artisans 60mm F2.8 Full Frame 2X Magnification Macro: The name of this lens tells you the most important details – the focal length and the extreme 2x magnification. I will add that the lens is manually focused and is available for Sony E, Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts. The working distance at maximum magnification is 4.3cm. The weight of the lens is 550 grams, and the filter size is 67mm. Price is $335.
• TTArtisan 75mm F1.5: A manual focus lens with a design reminiscent of the sixties. Even the M42 lens mount is like the old days, although there are adapters available for almost all current mirrorless cameras. The characteristic optical feature is said to be “swirly bokeh,” which can lead to interesting results when combined with a fast f/1.5 aperture. The manufacturer notes that the lens is not F-mount compatible. Price is $269.
• Logitech MX Creative Console: A pair of devices – the MX Creative Keypad and the MX Creative Dialpad – whose main purpose is to simplify and streamline your photo editing work. The keypad buttons (there are 9 in total) are backlit with small displays. This gives the user visual control over which function is assigned to which button. The MX Creative Console is compatible with Adobe’s suite of applications out of the box. However, plug-ins for a number of other programs can be downloaded from Logitech’s Plugin Marketplace, including for Capture One. The price is $200.

The Rumor Mill

Fujifilm X cameras could get a supertelephoto lens

In May of this year, we discussed the future of large sensors for photographing wild animals in the article “Is medium format now viable for wildlife photography?” I wrote that article because of Fujifilm’s new (at the time) 500mm f/5.6 telephoto lens for medium format cameras. Even then, it was leaked that a very similar, if not identical, lens would soon be released for X-mount APS-C cameras. Now the rumors are heating up even more. The new lens is said to have the same optics, but a center of gravity closer to the camera. Other differences include a minimum aperture of f/22 instead of f/32, and the fact that the lens will come in white.

Via Fuji Rumors

Rain of third-party lenses

These days, it is difficult to keep up with the flood of new third-party, mostly Chinese lenses. Hardly a week goes by without at least one new lens hitting the market. So what can we expect next? 7Artisans is expected announce an 85mm f/1.8 AF lens for the Nikon Z mount. This lens already exists in a version for Sony E-mount, so it is not such a novelty. There should also be an upcoming autofocus Viltrox 28mm f/4.5 pancake lens for full-frame Sony E and Nikon Z cameras.

Via Photo Rumors and Sony Alpha Rumors

Good Deals and New Sales

Last week, I pointed out the ongoing massive discount on Nikon F-mount telephoto lenses. It’s still going on, and there’s even a Nikon AF-S 600mm f/4E FL ED VR (was $12,297, now $8,697) back in stock. If one of these exotic big lenses caught your eye, you may be wondering how to carry it. The answer might be the following backpacks from Shimoda, which are currently on sale at much better prices than usual.

• Shimoda Designs Action X70 Backpack Starter Kit with X-Large DV Core Unit (was $500, now $299)
• Shimoda Designs Action X70 HD Backpack (was $380, now $279)
• Shimoda Designs Action X50 V2 Starter Kit (was $430, now $329)
• Shimoda Designs Explore v2 30 Backpack Photo Starter Kit (was $410, now $299)
• Shimoda Designs Action X25 V2 Starter Kit (was $363, now $269)
• Shimoda Designs Explore 60 Backpack (was $320, now $199)

Let’s get back to Nikon lenses. Although new Z-mount lenses often outperform their F-mount counterparts, there are exceptions, such as the Nikon 28mm f/1.4E ED. I’ll quote from Nasim’s review: “Based on my tests and experience in the field, I would not hesitate to say that the 28mm f/1.4E is the finest wide-angle prime lens Nikon has ever made.” At f/2.8 in the center, it still holds the record for the sharpest single measurement in our lab (4162 LW/PH). This optical marvel is now available for $1,397, down from a price of $1,997.

Other Pages of Interest

The Bird Photographer of the Year competition, one of the most prestigious in its field, has released its winning images. Photographs such as the mating call of the Black Grouse in the backlight, the Gannet in its underwater element, or the magically beautiful “birdscape” from Antarctica will take your breath away. Very powerful photos can be found in the Bird Behavior category. In the Video category, you can dive into the icy waters of the Yukon River with the American Dipper. The top prize goes to a photo that is visually strong, but more importantly, has a strong message. An estimated 1.3 billion birds die each year in North America alone from collisions with glass barriers. Patricia Homonylo’s photo shows 4,000 of them (and here’s an interview with the winner).

Not to end on such a sad note, the Nikon Comedy Wildlife website will show you the final selection from which the jury will announce the winner on December 10, 2024. One of the prizes will be the People’s Choice Award, which you can vote for until October 31st. Have fun, and may the smile on your face last all week.

Photo Theme Challenge, Week #69

Last week’s theme was September, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is contrasting colors, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, October 5, 2024!

Week #68 Results

Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “September” theme, for the best photo you took in September, starting with Ircut’s photo:

This beautiful fox is framed very nicely with beautiful orange and green tones, and gives a very nice impression of the coming autumn.

Next, let’s check out andyfrog’s photo:

There is so much to think about here, and I wonder – does a person taking a picture of painted monkeys painting a toucan on a wall say something about the human psyche?

PRG Lagarde’s sent us this shot:

I love the way the successive lines almost gives the impression of propelling the swallows, a concept made clear by the one in flight!

Finally, we have a submission from new member Mauro70:

The composition is very clear, and the fuzzy plant is a nice contrast to the bold shape of the mating damselflies.

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