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OWC USB-C Travel Dock review: Great addition for MacBook Pro power users
If you’re a photographer, and perhaps an occasional videographer, using a modern MacBook Pro with USB-C ports, you’re likely in the market for a compatible SD card reader or a dock, such as the OWC USB-C Travel Dock. Few photographers will not have heard of OWC’s multi-port docks; they are well known, but these are desktop models, and while excellent, they’re relatively pricey. I have this model, which is outstanding, as well as the Travel Dock, and it greatly simplifies my desktop. Fortunately, as a forward-looking company, OWC introduced a small Travel Dock version, which is not only purposefully small but also relatively affordable. There are now two versions, the…
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Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S announced
Nikon has announced the Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S, a short fixed focal length prime lens for its full-frame mirrorless Z system. Nikon claims that the new fast portrait lens stands out for its “edge-to-edge sharpness” and “natural-looking bokeh”. Focus breathing “is all but eliminated,” Nikon add. Compared to the existing AF-S Nikkor 85mm F1.8G the new lens has the same minimum focus, and filter thread size, and weighs 70g more. The new lens is also 19mm longer, though it’s smaller in diameter by 2mm. Nikon currently advertises the AF-S lens with a list of £499. The new lens will go on sale in September 2019 at a list price…
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DXOMark compares Dynamic Range between Nikon Z7 II, Sony A7R IV and Canon EOS R5
DXOMark has just published the results for the Nikon Z7 II and compared them with the Canon EOS R5 and the Sony A7R IV, which are all fine cameras with excellent image quality. Most readers will be interested in the dynamic range, as it has a more meaningful effect on image quality at all ISOs than noise levels, especially low ISOs. However, as DR is reported at the measured ISO by DXOMark it can be difficult to decipher from the graphs what it is at the manufacturer settings – they are after all what you set on the camera. That said, using the measured ISO to present the sensor data…
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Canon announces the development of the EOS R3 and three tele lenses
Canon has announced three new lenses today for the EOS R system, including the RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM, RF 600mm F4L IS USM and one I had the pleasure to be asked to write the intro for on the Canon PRO web site, the RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM. The macro lens is intriguing for its maximum 1.4x magnification and spherical aberration control, so it can do double duty for portraiture. Also interesting is that it features a mechanism to reduce focus breathing, so it will appeal not only to the video crowd but also for hardcore macro users who use focus stacking. Canon also announced the development…
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Capture One Pro 21: Should you buy a perpetual license or a subscription?
Update: this article was written for Capture One Pro 21 and prices may have changed for Capture One Pro 22/23, therefore please check before committing to any purchase. Please consider buying a licence or subscription if you found this feature useful through our links. Capture One can be purchased from a retailer if you prefer (licence and/or subscription): WEX (UK) B&H Photo (US) Adorama (US) Capture One Pro is the most fully-featured alternative to Lightroom and there’s a lot to like about it, from the unique dual management options of Catalogs and Sessions to the implementation of Layers and colour reproduction and more. Also unlike Lightroom, you can either…
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Sony silently launches A7R IVA with new higher res LCD screen
Sony has silently launched the Sony A7R IVA (ILCE-7RM4A). The new model differs by the rear LCD screen resolution, which is now 2,359,296 dots, up from 1,440,000 dots in the original. Also upgraded is the USB-C port that supports USB 3.2 (SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps). Although the increase in resolution is welcome, existing owners are likely to be perplexed by the new model. At this time it’s not known if any other improvements have been made – there has been no official announcement. The new camera is listed for sale on the Sony US and Sony UK sites and appears to replace the existing model. Curiously, the A7R III has seen a…
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Low pricing on SanDisk SDXC Extreme Pro UHS-I memory cards
As the proliferation of new memory card types continues, there are several good deals to be had on SDXC SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I type cards, especially via UK retailer PicStop [affiliate link]. These cards are fine for most stills and lower-bit-rate video. I no longer consider anything under 64GB and UHS-II is preferred (especially with video and when high burst rates are required – look for V90 rather than V60 minimum sustained write speeds). That said, for UHS-I cards with 170MB/s read, and 90MB/s write speed (V30 min sustained write speed of 30MB/s) you can’t beat such a low price £14.99 for 64GB cards or £27.99 for 128GB for SanDisk…
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Grab a free filter ring when buying a Lee 100 Holder
Lee Filters, the manufacturer of the popular Lee 100 filter system is offering a free filter ring when buying a Lee 100 Holder [affliate link]. You can choose either a standard ring fitting 49-82mm filter threads or the usually more expensive wide angle type over 43-82mm. As most of the new pro-grade lenses, such as the Canon RF 50/85mm and the ‘zoom trinity’ have 82mm filter threads, it’s a good opportunity to get an 82mm WA ring for free. The offer closes on the 31st March.
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Stock Notice: Canon EOS R5
One of the most difficult to find cameras, the Canon EOS R5, is now in-stock available via Amazon UK [affiliate link]
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DXOMARK benchmarks Sony a7S III sensor
DXOMARK has tested the sensor performance in the Sony a7S III. You can read the full review, here. Check prices: WEX UK B&H US
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