Easter is celebrated differently in different parts of the world. In France, they make a giant omelet out of 15,000 eggs. In Hungary or Slovakia, girls are splashed with cold water or even thrown into a stream. And in the Czech Republic, we traditionally use a decorated “Easter whip” on our loved ones (gently) which you can read about on Wikipedia. It is an ancient ritual to ensure women’s beauty and fertility. Well, different country, different customs. How did you celebrate Easter in your country? Whether you enjoyed an Easter egg, a roast lamb, or just a well-deserved coffee, I hope the latest Photography News will make the rest of the week even more enjoyable for you.
Recent Announcements
- This week brought two interesting lenses for Nikon cameras. Each of them is aimed at a completely different audience. The Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR targets photographers who want one lens for everything. However, the world’s first 28-400mm lens for a full-frame camera is not without its compromises. The most obvious one is the maximum aperture of f/8 at the long end. The philosophy of the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 is different. In its more modest focal length range, it offers a constant f/2.8 aperture, relatively compact size and weight, and an impressively short minimum focusing distance.
- Ricoh GR III HDF and Ricoh GR IIIx HDF: After the great success, bordering on hysteria, of the Fuji X100VI, here are two new digital compacts from Ricoh. Actually, it is not a complete novelty. Ricoh builds on the existing GR III and GRIIIx models, using the same basic features (a 24.2MP APS-C sensor and non-interchangeable 28mm and 40mm equivalent lenses). What does HDF stand for? It’s Highlight Diffusion Filter, which is said to deliver “mellow, softened images with diffused highlight areas”. The cameras will be available in April for $1,070 and $1,150 respectively.
- Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art: According to the manufacturer, the super-fast 50mm Art lens excels in several aspects. First, it is advertised to have high resolving power, beautiful bokeh, minimal focus breathing, and good resistance to flare and ghosting. Sigma also claims that it has the lightest lens in its class at 745 grams (1.64 pounds). For reference, the Nikon Z 50 f/1.2 weighs 1090 grams. The weather-sealed lens also has three switches, a programmable button and an aperture ring. Who is the $1,399 lens for? So far, only for Sony-E and Leica-L shooters.
The Rumor Mill
No Bird AF for Nikon Z6III?
Bird AF seems to be almost a mandatory feature for wildlife photographers these days. That’s why I was quite shocked to read on Nikon Rumors that the upcoming Z6III might not get it. Reportedly, “it could be added in future firmware updates”. I would like to believe that this particular information is not based on truth.
262MP medium format sensor from Sony
Sony has announced the development and “tentative” specs of a IMX811 back-illuminated CMOS type 4.1 image sensor. It is expected to have a massive 262MP resolution and a diagonal image size of 64.84mm. With an aspect ratio of 3:2, the resulting sensor dimensions are 54×36 mm. For comparison, the Hasselblad H6D is 53.4 x 40 mm and the Fuji GFX100 is 43.8 x 32.9 mm. So the Sony sensor is definitely one of the larger ones.
This potential medium format sensor raises several questions. The first one that may have crossed your mind is whether Sony is about to enter the elite segment of medium format cameras. The second, less wild, is in which medium format camera will the sensor appear in the future? At the moment, it seems that neither is on the agenda, as Sony is targeting this sensor for industrial use. However, it wouldn’t be the first time that an “industrial” sensor eventually appeared in a “normal” camera.
Via Sony Semicon
Good Deals and New Sales
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. If you decide to enjoy it with your camera, you might find the Tiffen Solar (18-Stop) ND Filter useful (some diameters are up to $20 discounted). Remember that looking directly at the sun can cause irreversible damage to your eyesight. One of the most popular pairs of ISO 12312-2:2015(E) certified eclipse glasses (this one) is on sale 33% off and will arrive prior to April 8th to most locations in the US. Check out NASA website for important safety guidelines and everything else you need to know to enjoy this space event.
Spring is already in full swing (at least here in Europe), so if you like birdwatching and don’t have the right binoculars, it’s high time to get a pair. Personally, I have been using Nikon Monarch 8×42 binoculars for over 15 years and have been very happy with them. Back then there was only one Monarch; today, the range is a bit more varied. Currently there are several Nikon binoculars available at interesting prices. Here I have selected a few that you definitely can’t go wrong with.
- Nikon 8×42 Monarch M5 (was $287, now $257)
- Nikon 10×42 Monarch M5 (was $297, now $267)
- Nikon 8×30 Monarch M7 (was $477, now $427)
- Nikon 10×30 Monarch M7 (was $487, now $437)
- Nikon 10×42 Monarch M7 (was $497, now $447)
Other Pages of Interest
Today’s fastest professional cameras, like the Nikon Z9, can shoot over 100 frames per second. That seems like a pretty impressive speed to me, wouldn’t you agree? But now engineers at INRS Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre in Canada have developed a camera against which any other looks desperately slow. 156.3 trillion frames per second is currently the fastest camera in the world. To give you an idea, if you were photographing the flight of a hummingbird with such a frame rate, a single wing flap would be recorded in approximately two trillion photos. It would then take you approximately 62,000 years to choose the best one, assuming you could view one photo per second and not bother with such trivialities as eating and sleeping. Of course, this extraordinary camera won’t be used for ordinary photography, but it will help reveal super-fast processes in physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.
Treasure doesn’t always have to be shiny and bright. On the contrary. Sometimes it can even look like something very ordinary. But the keen eye of PhD candidate James Tweed from the University of Queensland was not fooled by first impressions. What looked like bird droppings turned out to be a new species of beetle, named Excastra albopilosa. Up close, the beetle, barely a centimeter long, looks quite attractive.
Do you know what is the world’s most irreplaceable protected area on the planet? According to scientists, it’s the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. One reason is the very high level of endemism of this inland island. One of the unique animal species that inhabit this mountain range is the critically endangered Santa Marta Sabrewing. It is estimated that there are approximately 50 individuals left in the wild. It has only been recorded three times since the end of World War II. Here you can watch a recent video showing one of the world’s rarest birds.
Finally, a selection of the best of the photo contests. Stunning images of nature can be seen on the World Nature Photographer of the Year 2024 website. If your photographic vision of the world is reduced to shades of gray, definitely check out the winning images of the 2024 Black and White Minimalist Photography Prize. Finally, beauty can hide in places you might not expect, like concrete. The winning photographs of the Concrete in Life photography competition prove it.
Photo Theme Challenge, Week #43
Last week’s theme was distortion, and you can see the results in this thread. Thank you to everyone for your submissions! This week’s theme is yellow, and you can submit your results in this thread by Saturday, April 6, 2024!
Week #42 Results
Let’s check out some of the shots we received for the “distortion” theme, starting with Ronald’s photo:
In this case, the distortion is distortion caused by movement, which causes some very interesting patterns and colors to appear!
Next is rjbfoto’s photo:
In this photo, the distortion is caused not by the camera position or lens, but by the environment itself. Very interesting!
Finally, we’ve got a very neat one from AndrewGusew:
This one shows perspective distortion in a reflection that is set against the photographer’s shoes. I found it very interesting how there were so many different sorts of distortion showed this week. Well done everyone!
Thanks everyone for submitting their photos in the challenge, and we hope to see more next week.