This landscape was one of the first things I photographed with my new Nikon Z 24-120 mm f/4 S lens. A really great lens for traveling, by the way. Can you tell what volcano is in the photo? I’ll give you a hint! The horses grazing so idyllically around the lake serve as food for the endangered Andean Condors after their death. And another hint: Although the peak is covered in snow and ice, it is less than a hundred kilometers south of the equator.
Now let’s take a look at this week’s news.
Recent Announcements
- GoPro Hero 11 Black: 11th generation GoPro. Compared to its predecessors, this one has a physically larger sensor (6.40 x 5.60mm) and more resolution (27MP). It can record 5.3K, 10-bit video at up to 60 fps. New formats from 8:7 to 16:9. There’s also a significantly more powerful battery compared to its predecessor (allows recording up to 38% longer). Available for $499.99.
- DJI Osmo Action 3: GoPro Hero 11 Black competitor. Offers 4K/120p video capture mode, electronic image stabilization, 160-minute battery, and fast charging via USB-C (100% in 50 minutes). Coming soon for $329.
- Tokina atx-m 11-18mm F2.8 E: Lens designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras (Sony E-mount only for now). Full-frame equivalent of 17-27mm. The 11-16mm f/2.8 DSLR version was always a hit, so maybe this one will be, too! Available for $599.
- Two Voigtlander lenses for the Nikon Z: the Voigtlander NOKTON 40mm f/1.2 and the MACRO APO-ULTRON D 35mm f/2 are both MF lenses. The NOKTON is for full-frame cameras, while the MACRO APO-ULTRON is for APS-C ones. The price hasn’t been announced yet, but we can expect it to be similar to the Fuji and Sony mount versions (around $849).
- Topaz Photo AI: A package of three useful programs in one box. You can first DeNoise your photo, then Sharpen it, and finally increase the Gigapixel count. Until October 7th with a discount of $40 (for $159).
- Radiant Imaging: Standalone or Lr/Ps plugin that uses AI scene recognition to give you a one-click starting point for post-processing.
The Rumor Mill
I saw the FX30
Well, at least that’s how the post on Sony Alpha Rumors begins. This rumor involves the anticipated FX30 model from Sony – an APS-C camera equipped with a 26MP sensor. Video specs are expected to be the same or very similar to those of the FX3; it should record video at 4K resolution and 120 fps. An announcement is expected at the end of September.
Nikon Lenses to Be Announced Soon
According to Nikon Rumors, this week Nikon will announce at least one new lens, specifically a rebranded Tamron wide-angle zoom. The Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 seems the most likely, but a DX 11-20mm f/2.8 would be welcome for Nikon Z DX users. It’s also possible that Nikon will announce other new lenses from its quickly-shrinking roadmap on the same day. Let’s wait and see.
Photo Contest Corner
SemiAnnual NW TN Photography Club Photo Contest
- Topic: Architecture, sports, wildlife
- Fees: $10 for the first photograph and $7 for each additional one.
- Prize: $100, $75, & $50 for top three photos in each category
- Deadline: September 22
- Topic: Photojournalism, portrait, nude, architecture, landscape, wildlife, abstraction, experimental, street photography, still life, artistic photography, or alternative processes.
- Fees: €30 (3 images) to €60 (12 images)
- Prize: Cash prize for the winner and publication in the annual Color Awards book
- Deadline: September 30
Good Deals and New Sales
There is a great opportunity at B&H Photo to sell off your unused ILC camera or lens, get a bonus of up to $200, and get another discount of up to $200 on Nikon lenses. Check out the details of the Nikon September Trade-In Event. Offer ends October 2nd.
Sometimes the ambient light is against us, and that’s when it’s handy to have one or even several flashes on hand. A good flash has wireless capabilities, high power, fast sync speeds, quick recycle times, and a high battery capacity. The Godox VING V860IIC flash ticks those boxes and is currently on sale for $129.00 (was $179.00).
Where are the days when I had a 2TB hard drive and considered it bottomless? If you don’t know where to put your terabytes of photos and videos, the Seagate 18TB Expansion Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive – discounted by $180.00 to its current $319.99 – may be a good choice.
Other Pages of Interest
- Do you sometimes wonder if you will ever experience this or that again in your life? Or even better, photograph it? Gerald Rhemann doesn’t have to wonder that, at least when it comes to his photo of Comet Leonard that won the main prize in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022 competition. Because this comet will never be seen from Earth again.
- On the other end of the scale – microscopic, not telescopic – are the winning videos of Nikon Small World 2022. No, it’s not science fiction, it’s reality.