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New Nikkor Z series lens to arrive in September
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, filter thread size, and weighs 70g more. The new lens is also 19mm longer, though it’s smaller in diameter by 2mm. Nikon currently advertise the AF-S lens with a list of £499. The new lens will go on sale in September, 2019 at a list price of…
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Importing Images into Capture One
If you’re new to Capture One, either as a beginner or more experienced photographer coming from Lightroom, then there are a few concepts that you need to know about the process that will help you when importing images. Capture One (for Sony or Fujifilm) employs a Catalog-based only image management system, whereas Capture One Pro features an additional Session-based workflow. Sessions work a little differently to Catalogs. They don’t require all the images to be indexed when importing, so they can be a better solution in some circumstances. Sessions tend to be used by professionals (but are just as useful for amateurs) when working on a job-by-job or subject-by-subject basis.…
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Sony Introduce High-Resolution Alpha 7R IV Camera with World’s First 61.0 MP Back-illuminated Full-frame Image Sensor
Sony today announced the latest addition to its acclaimed Alpha™ 7R series full-frame mirrorless camera line-up; the extremely versatile, powerful Alpha 7R IV (model ILCE-7RM4).
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Sigma fp announced: The world’s smallest full-frame camera
Sigma has announced the world’s smallest full-frame camera, the ‘fp’. Despite owning the Fovean sensor design company, the new fp model features a 24.6MP BSI-CMOS Bayer design. The body is highly compact, measuring just 113 x 70 x 45mm and weighs just 370g. However, it is intended as a modular camera – there will be a range of grips, a flash bracket and a viewfinder eyepiece available. In order to retain its compact dimensions, the new fp camera adopts only an electronic shutter – there is no mechanical shutter – a first for this type of camera. Naturally, the camera features an L-mount and the lenses announced earlier by Sigma…
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Sigma to add 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art of full-frame mirrorless
Sigma is adding a new ultra-wide 14-24mm F2.8 lens to its Art series for full-frame mirrorless cameras. the 14-24mm DG DN Art. It will be available in Sony E-mount and Leica/Panasonic L-mount versions. The optical design is similar to the existing 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM Art for DSLRs, but it’s not identical. That model uses a 17-element design with three FLD (fluorite-like) elements and two SLD-type elements. The new 18-element design utilises five SLD and one FLD and three aspherical including the large diameter first element. The position of the remaining two has not yet been disclosed. The new lens is sealed and features a rear filter holder. It weighs…
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Sigma adds 45mm F2.8 DG DN for full-frame mirrorless cameras
In addition to the new 35mm F1.2 DG GN Art series, Sigma has announced a lightweight, moderate-speed prime lens for their Contemporary series for both Sony E-mount and L-mount mirrorless models. The new 45mm F2.8 DG GN weighs just 215g (7.5 ounces). The new eight-element lens has a 24cm (9.4″) minimum focus distance and includes an aperture ring on both mount versions. The lens will ship later this month (July) and will be priced at £549.99 (inc VAT) or $599 USD. More information can be found at Sigma’s Global Vision site. The new lens can be pre-ordered from the following stores: B&H Photo (US) WEX Photo (UK) Read our review…
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Sigma announces 35mm F1.2 Art series lens for mirrorless cameras
Sigma’s new 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art is the first full-frame Art series lens with an F1.2 maximum aperture intended for Sony E-mount and L-mount bodies. According to Sigma, the new 17-element lens has high optical correction with only distortion and vignetting correction applied in-camera. Both mount types will come with an aperture ring that can be de-clicked for video capture. It will be available in July, 2019 with an SRP of £1,459.99 (inc VAT), $1499. More information can be found at Sigma’s Global Vision site. The new lens can be pre-ordered form the following stores: B&H Photo (US) WEX Photo (UK) Press release (edited for clarity): Take…
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Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S lens review: Nikon’s best 24-70mm to date
What is it? The Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S [advertiser link] is the first pro-oriented lens for Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless Z series cameras, currently the 24MP Z 6 and the high-resolution Z 7. Naturally, it’s a constant-aperture, high-speed standard zoom and has several features not found on the earlier consumer grade Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4 S [concise review]. Besides the larger initial aperture the new lens features 17 elements in total, two of which are ED glass to lower color fringing and four are aspherical to reduce distortion and spherical aberration. Like others in the S-series, it has Nikon Integrated coatings while fluorine coatings are used to help keep the front…
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DxOMark Measures Canon RF 28-70mm F2.0L USM
DxOMark has published the results of their findings on the optical performance of the Canon RF 28-70mm F2.0 L USM, the data can be found at the DxOMark site. In addition to the performance data, as one of the editors I have written the lens review. This can be found on a different page on the DxOMark site here. It’s a high-speed zoom with a constant F2.0 aperture and it has impressive optical performance overall, but be warned it’s not cheap. The review talks only of the optical properties, there is no comment on handling, build quality, AF or other subjective areas. It’s an idea to look past the overall score –…
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Phase One Adds Automated Frame Averaging to IQ4 series Digital Backs
Phase One has announced that it will be adding ‘Automated Frame Averaging’ to its newly introduced Full-Frame 645 MF (54 x 40mm) Phase One IQ4 series digital backs next week. Automated Frame Averaging was mentioned during the original announcement of the IQ4 series and is said to reduce shadow noise and protect highlights from clipping. The new feature leverages the electronic shutter in the new IQ4 DBs (as well as the increased RAM and upgraded processor) to capture multiple frames in rapid succession, often with no significant time between them which may otherwise lead to moving elements appearing as blurred artefacts. The series of frames are merged generating a single RAW…
