Profoto reveals glimpse of new light
While manufacturers usually go out of their way to avoid leaks of new product, Profoto – the maker of high-end studio and on-location flash has started a campaign of their own doing just that. I guess, if you can’t beat them… and all that. If you register an account with them (name and email is all that’s required), you’ll be directed to a short-clip where you can catch a glimpse of the new light. It’s hard to say at this time whether it’s a mains-powered mono-bloc type light or a generator powered model. Nevertheless, you can check for yourself at the link to the Stockholm, Sweden-based company’s website, below. The…
Canon announces new mirrorless full-frame EOS R system
After images and detailed specifications leaked over the weekend, Canon has today confirmed the existence of its first full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R. Adopting a new wider 44mm diameter RF mount than the current EF mount along with a short 20mm register, the introduction of the camera heralds a brand new system for Canon. Four new lenses; RF 50mm F1.2L USM, RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM, and ultra-high speed RF 28-70mm F2L USM, a stabilized RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM, and a trio of RF-EF adapters have also been announced. With a 30.3-MP Dual Pixel CMOS, presumed to be related to the EOS 5D Mark IV sensor,…
Nikon Z 7 mirrorless camera: Promising addition to range
The new 45.7MP Nikon Z 7 (not Z7, according to the maker’s marketing department) appears to offer a lot to photographers looking for a mirrorless ‘solution’. Existing Nikon users seem well catered for with the FTZ adapter offering wide-ranging support for their existing lenses, providing it’s made to exact tolerances. At $250 it looks reasonably priced. The Nikon Z 7 also looks promising if trying to attract users from other high-end systems. The Leica SL is a good example of how a mirrorless camera should be but detractors are likely to cite the high price, low-ish 24-MP resolution sensor and lack of in-camera stabilization as barriers to entry. A Leica…
Phase One announces IQ4 digital backs with JPEG processing
Phase One has announced the latest series of IQ4 digital backs for the Phase One XF camera. As the top-tier range, all three versions feature a full-frame 54 x 40 mm CMOS that’s 2.5x the size of a 35mm ‘full-frame’ sensor. Two of the three new backs feature a 150MP CMOS sensor with back-side illuminated (BSI) architecture for improved sensitivity, despite the smaller sensel size (now 3.76 μ). The IQ4 150MP digital back has a standard RGB array with a sensitivity of ISO 50 – 25,600, while the ‘Achromatic’ version is san filter array for monochrome (black and white) capture only. The IQ4 150MP Achromatic digital back has a higher…
Nikon FTZ adapter compatibility with Nikon F mount lenses
When Nikon announced the stabilized 45.7MP Nikon Z 7 and 24-MP Nikon Z 6 yesterday, they made it clear that they’re targeting Sony’s stabilized 42MP A7R III and the 24-MP Sony A7 III. However, I expect this move isn’t only to counter Sony’s increasing market share which was widely reported on the Internet recently, but also to try to stem the loss of valuable lens sales to makers such as Sigma and Zeiss. The success of Simga’s Art series has taken even Sigma by surprise. With contractual obligations as an OEM supplier, they were initially unable to devote the required capacity to manufacture them in volume but even so, the…
Nikon announces AF-S NIKKOR 500mm F5.6E PF ED VR
After the expected announcement of the new Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 mirrorless cameras, Nikon has also announced a new super-telephoto lens for the existing Nikon F mount based DSLRs. The new lens is also compatible with the new Z series cameras using the new FTZ mount. The new super-telephoto adopts Phase Fresnel (PF) tech’ seen in the earlier 300mm F4 PF to reduce both the size and weight. It measures just 237mm in length. With one PF element and three ED glass elements – there are no fluorite elements – it weighs just 1460g, almost half the weight of the existing AF-S 500mm F4E ED VR. A lighter…
Nikon announces new Z 6, Z 7 mirrorless cameras and three lenses
Nikon today has announced two new mirrorless models as the first step of creating a new full-frame camera system, based on a new, larger Z-mount. Besides allowing faster lenses like the 58mm F0.95 Noct-Nikkor (shown above), the new larger 55mm diameter mount will, theoretically, allow Nikon to produce lenses with higher image quality, particularly at the edges and corners of the frame. Both models are the first full-frame cameras from Nikon to feature 5-axes in-body stabilization or Vibration Reduction (VR) as Nikon call it. The company claim that it offers up to the equivalent of an increase in shutter speed of up to 5 stops. Three new lenses have been…
Rumor sites leak Nikon mirrorless Z6, Z7 and lenses
Nikon’s intention to enter the full-frame mirrorless segment hasn’t exactly been kept secret, we’ve seen mention of it in the mainstream press (admittedly where the publisher has a camera title in its portfolio). However, on the eve of the official announcement, several of the Japan-based rumor sites have published images of the 24-MP Z6 and identical-looking 45-MP Z7 cameras. They’re also confirmed three new lenses, two primes; 35mm F1.8 S, 50mm F1.8 S and one zoom; 24-70mm F4 S and an F-mount adapter. All will be revealed tomorrow but here are few musings based on what little we know so far. Firstly, the camera looks very similar to the Sony…
Leica announces Leica M10-P: The quietest M
Leica Camera AG, the company behind the Leica M series rangefinder cameras, has announced an P-version of the current Leica M10. The “P” moniker was first used on the Leica MP in 1956. It resurfaced commercially with the introduction of the Leica M4-P in 1980, as the successor to the M4-2, to denote the new model was intended for “Professional” use. At least that was the inference. As then, updates to the current M10 are relatively minor, mainly cosmetic. However, Leica claim the M10-P has the quietest shutter of all M-series models to date. This is no mean feat, considering the film models used a horizontal-running, rubberized-cloth type shutter. Today’s…
Leica APO Summicron-SL 90mm F2 ASPH lens review: The best money can buy
All modern lenses perform well, especially short-tele primes like the Leica APO Summicron-SL 90mm F2 ASPH, but the sizes over the last couple of years have become enormous. Admittedly, this is due to the makers’ preoccupation with ultra-high-speed lenses but independents like Sigma and Zeiss aren’t holding back. It seems that size is no longer a barrier, but that’s strangely at odds with the trend in smaller mirrorless cameras. Even Leica, the maker of the original compact primes for the M-series, succumbed to that mindset with the first lenses for the Leica SL models Both the Summilux-SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH and the Vario-Elmarit 24-90mm F2.8-3.5 ASPH are optically outstanding. If you need lenses…
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Leica APO Summicron-SL 50mm F2 ASPH lens review
