Save 30% on Capture One Products
Update; December 02: Phase One has extended the Black Friday event on all Capture One products to Cyber Monday. Please enter the code CYBER-MONDAY-19 during checkout to receive 30% discount. Starting today through 01 December, you can get a 30% discount when you buy any Capture One product such as a license or subscription (including Sony/Fujifilm versions), upgrade (from 9,10 and 11) and styles! Plus, you’ll also get a free upgrade to Capture One 20 (that applies to buying a license only). The Black Friday 30% off is only applicable when you buy via the official Capture One store. During checkout, click on Enter Promotional Code and enter the code:…
Nikon Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct: Initial Impressions
The Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct is one of Nikon’s showcase lenses – a sort of throwback to the early days of Nikon’s interest in optical research. It’s certainly a lens that splits opinions – I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about it – though there’s no denying it’s a beautifully made lens that’s capable of extremely high image quality in all its nuances. You can read additional opinion on this lens here. Build Like other Nikon exotics, it’s delivered in a massively oversized cardboard box, but inside it contains a large Pelican-type case, instead of the more usual soft-padded type. I didn’t weigh the case but…
Sigma Black Friday Promotion Details
Sigma US have outlined their Black Friday promotion, with up to $250 off their High-Performance Sigma Art Prime Lenses. It is, however, limited to just three models and the MC-11 converter for Canon EF mount lenses on the Sony a7/9 bodies. 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art: (MSRP $899 USD; $649 with promotional savings) – Sigma’s first and best-selling Art series lens. Excellent image quality at a relatively affordable price. B&H Photo | Amazon US 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art: (MSRP $949 USD; $829 with promotional savings) – One of the best normal focal length lenses available with high sharpness and attractive rendering. B&H Photo | Amazon US 85mm F1.4 DG…
Leica SL2 Announced
Leica has announced the long-leaked and long-expected update to the full-frame mirrorless SL, the appropriately named SL2. It brings several expected and significant updates to the original Leica SL, including a sensor upgrade from the old 24.2MP unit to a 47MP sensor, similar but not identical in pixel count to that in the Leica Q and that of their technology partner Panasonic and their Lumix DC-S1R camera. Although often overlooked, it’s no secret that the original SL electronics and many of its internal components are made by Panasonic and it’s not difficult to see that the SL2 shares much of its DNA with the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R. Although the imaging…
Sony FE 85mm F1.8 lens review: Excellent image quality at a reasonable price
Overview Announced in early 2017, the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 is a short-tele designed for the company’s mirrorless full-frame a9/a7 models. It will of course, also serve double duty on the APS-C a6000 series, where it’s more or less a 135mm equivalent. Although not a premium G-master model like the F1.4 version announced the year before, it’s a lot smaller and lighter and still has some features that might be considered “premium.” This includes ED glass, a near-silent, twin-focus drive system (using a stepping motor), a focus-hold button that can be customised, weather sealing and a nine-blade circular aperture. It’s also quite nicely made, with a mainly metal exterior and…
Capture One Deals Explained
Update (December 07, 2019): Phase One has announced Capture One Pro 20 (version 13). There aren’t any special prices now, but you can still buy a license and bundle some styles together for impressive savings. Please add the promo code ‘DJP’ during checkout (you can make sure it’s recognized as a penny/cent is removed from the price) as a show of support for this site. I’ll earn some small commission payments which will help towards maintaining the site. Update (November 05, 2019): There are no discounts available for purchasing Capture One Pro 12 now, but there are still some savings to be had if you buy their styles with a…
Nikon to launch new Noct-Nikkor end of October
Update: Nikon UK kindly sent me one to review for a leading UK photo magazine – you can see my first impressions here. Nikon’s previously announced Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct is set to ship at the end of the month (31st October) for a shade under $8,000 in the US, and around £8,299 (in VAT) in UK. The ultra-high speed Z-mount lens takes the Noct moniker from the AI/AIS 58mm F1.2 from the 70’s and early 80’s (first production was 1977) respectively. That lens was originally designed for low-light reportage and featured a single large diameter, hand-ground aspherical element in its optical design, where the brighter…
Save 10% on Capture One during October
From today through to 31st October, you can save 10% on any Capture One Pro product (perpetual licenses, subscriptions and styles) purchased through the official Capture One store. During checkout, please add the promo code: OCT-AF-VAG. 1 Go to the official Capture One store, and select the product you want. Then click on Enter Promotional Code and add the OCT-AF-VAG in the dialog box that opens. Click Apply, and verify the 10% discount has been applied before adding your details. If you click on the checkout basket, top left, you’ll see two items have been added. The licence and a $20 gift card (offer extended through October) to spend on…
Sony a9 II announced with new improved body design and enhanced connectivity features
Introduced today, the new Sony a9 II follows a familiar body design to its predecessor but includes some design cues from the Sony a7R IV, including a larger grip and improved button design, refined (larger) joystick design and a lock button for the exposure compensation dial. Other refinements include an upgraded Bionz x processor, improved IBIS up to 5.5-stops (from 5-stops), upgraded weatherproofing, a shutter mechanism tested in excess of 500k cycles (in line with Nikon and Canon pro-models) and an improvement in the burst rate to 10 fps when used mechanically, up from around 5 fps. Continuous shooting with the electronic shutter remains at 20 fps, however, the dual…
Leica Summicron-SL 90mm F2
