RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘January’

Sony to Announce “the One Never Seen” on January 26th

25 Jan

The post Sony to Announce “the One Never Seen” on January 26th appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Sony a9 model

Last week, Sony offered a mysterious announcement, displaying only the words, “The one never seen,” as well as a date, January 26th, 2021, 10 AM EST.

The title of the YouTube countdown reads, “New product announcement on January 26th, 2021.” And the caption simply states to “be ready for the announcement of the new Alpha.”

In other words:

We should have a new Sony Alpha mirrorless model – and our first compelling camera reveal of 2021 – before the week is out. 

But what camera is this new Alpha, the “one never seen”? What model is Sony teasing?

Unfortunately, we have no official knowledge, and Sony will undoubtedly stay silent until 10 AM on January 26th. But the internet has been abuzz with speculation, and plenty of suggestions have been thrown around regarding the identity of the new camera, including:

  • A Sony a9 III
  • A Sony a7 IV
  • A medium format camera

According to SonyAlphaRumors, the new kit is most likely the A9 III, which will potentially offer 8K/30p – hence the “one never seen” designation, because up until this point, Sony has restricted their Alpha models to 4K (with even the video-centric Sony a7S III maxing out at 4K/120p). 

8K capabilities do come with significant resolution requirements. The Canon EOS R5, for instance, sits at 45 MP, and the Sony a9 III may overshoot this by a few megapixels (SonyAlphaRumors suggests a possible 50 MP sensor).

The Sony a9 and a9 II are action photography cameras through and through, offering blazing-fast autofocus and exceptional continuous shooting speeds, but at the cost of resolution. Both cameras sit at an “average” 24 megapixels, so a jump to 8K might even call for a doubling of the current resolution count.

Regardless, a 50-megapixel camera with professional-level action chops will certainly satisfy some photographers, assuming they can afford the (likely exorbitant) price. 

So make sure you check out Sony’s announcement on January 26th at 10 EST. Whatever Sony unveils, it’s bound to be exciting – and only the start of a thrilling 2021!

Now over to you:

What do you think about Sony’s announcement? What camera will the company reveal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Sony to Announce “the One Never Seen” on January 26th appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Sony to Announce “the One Never Seen” on January 26th

Posted in Photography

 

Kodak will shut down its Kodakit on-demand photography service in January

16 Dec

On December 12, Eastman Kodak announced that it is ending Kodakit, its service for connecting photographers with new gigs. In the announcement posted on the Kodakit website, Kodak says that it will wrap up the service’s operations by the end of January 2020. The company will terminate its Photographer Agreement effective after January 31, but it will continue to make outstanding payments as established by the agreement.

A notice about the end of operations appears on the Kodakit website when photographers attempt to sign up for the service. The same notice isn’t live on the Kodakit main page nor does it appear to have been announced on any of the service’s social media pages. The company doesn’t explain why it has decided to end the service, though heavy criticism from photographers may play a role.

The notice warns photographers that they will need to stop using any mention of Kodakit as part of their services after January 2020 and that they must continue to honor any confidentiality agreements. As well, photographers are told to deliver any outstanding work they have through Kodakit.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Kodak will shut down its Kodakit on-demand photography service in January

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4 debuts in January for $1500

06 Nov

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_1297199380″,”galleryId”:”1297199380″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Panasonic has announced the Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4, a compact wide-angle zoom for its full-frame L-mount system. The lens will go on sale early next year for $ 1500.

Optically, the 16-35mm F4 is made up of 12 elements in nine groups and includes one ED, one UHR and three aspherical elements. The 16-35 weighs 500g (17.6oz) with an overall length of about 100mm (3.9″), and offers dust and splash-resistance. Its minimum focus distance is 0.25m (9.8″), and the lens accepts 77mm filters.

The Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4 will arrive in January 2020 alongside the also-announced 70-200mm F2.8.

Press release:

Panasonic Launches Two New L-Mount Interchangeable Lenses for the LUMIX S Series Full-frame Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera

Newark, NJ (November 6, 2019) – Panasonic is proud to introduce two new interchangeable lenses based on the L-Mount system for the LUMIX S Series Full-frame Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Cameras. Designed for professional use, the LUMIX S Series offers uncompromising photographic expression with its high-quality cameras and lenses.

The LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. (S-E70200) is a large-aperture telephoto zoom lens that boasts high descriptive performance across the entire zoom range. The LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 (S-R1635) is a versatile wide zoom lens that provides high resolution images and a beautiful bokeh despite its compact, light-weight profile. Both high-performing LUMIX S PRO lenses achieve LEICA’s stringent standards.

LUMIX S PRO/S Lens Lineup as of November 2019

  • LUMIX S PRO 50mm F1.4 (S-X50)
  • [NEW] LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 (S-R1635)
  • LUMIX S PRO 24-70mm F2.8 (S-E2470)
  • LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. (S-R24105)
  • [NEW] LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. (S-E70200)
  • LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F4 O.I.S. (S-R70200)

In addition to Panasonic’s existing portfolio of first-class lenses for the LUMIX S series family of cameras, the company is committed to designing and developing 11 or more lenses with the emphasis on the “LUMIX S PRO” class by March 2021. Currently, more than 46 interchangeable L-Mount lenses are available or will be available from Panasonic, Leica Camera AG and Sigma, opening up a virtually limitless spectrum of new creative possibilities.

LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. (S-E70200)

Designed and developed for professional field shooting, the LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. (S-E70200) uses 2 UED (Ultra Extra-low Dispersion) lenses, 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses and optimum alignment comprising 22 elements in 17 groups, effectively suppressing both axial chromatic aberration and chromatic aberration of magnification. Astigmatism is also corrected with an aspherical lens, achieving high resolving performance. Adoption of a double focus system suppresses fluctuation of aberration even at close distances, which results in high descriptive performance from the center to the corners over the entire zoom range despite its large aperture.

Covering from 70mm to 200mm, the use of a Teleconverter allows a maximum 280mm (1.4x, with DMW-STC14) and 400mm (2x, with DMW-STC20) super telephoto shooting*1, with maximum 480 fps focus control for high-speed, high-precision auto focus. The O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) in the lens complies with the camera’s Body I.S. and the 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2*2 makes it possible to use a 7-stop slower shutter speed*3. Adoption of a focus clutch mechanism enables instant AF/MF switching and accurate manual focusing.

The constant F2.8 large aperture provides smooth defocus gradation from the focus peak to the neighboring area of the image to achieve a beautiful bokeh effect as well as a rich perspective. The LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. also excels in video recording performance with a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing, which was a fatal problem in all interchangeable lenses designed for still image photography.

The rugged, dust/splash-resistant*4 design withstands use under harsh conditions even at 10 degrees below zero for high mobility. The filter size is 82 mm, with an 11-blade circular aperture diaphragm.

LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 (S-R1635)

The LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 (S-R1635) is a versatile wide zoom lens boasts high descriptive performance in both photo shooting and video recording.

Comprising 12 elements in 9 groups, the use of 3 aspherical lenses, an ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lens and a UHR (Ultra-High Refractive Index) lens and the optimum alignment achieves high MTF performance despite its compact size and light weight. It boasts stunningly high resolution toward the corners even at wide open as well as a beautiful bokeh, suppressing double line bokeh and vignetting.

A double-magnet linear motor is integrated for the AF actuator, featuring high power despite its small size, achieving a maximum 480 fps high-speed sensor drive. This realizes fast, high-precision AF to ensure that photo opportunities are never missed. Like the 70-200mm F2.8 O.I.S. (S-E70200), the 16-35mm F4 (S-R1635) adopts a focus clutch mechanism, enabling instant AF/MF switching and accurate manual focusing, as well as excels in video recording performance thanks to a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing.

It is also rugged dust/splash-resistant,*4 withstanding harsh conditions even at 10 degrees below zero for high mobility. The filter size is 77 mm, with a 9-blade circular aperture diaphragm.

Both lenses will be at retail in January. The LUMIX S PRO 16-35mm F4 will available for $ 1,499 and the LUMIX S PRO 70-200mm F2.8 is $ 2,599.

*1 Use of the tele converter reduces the effective aperture by one f/stop (DMW-STC14) or two f/stops DMW-STC20)
*2 5-Axis Dual I.S. 2 can be used with the camera LUMIX S1R, S1 and S1H, as of November 6, 2019.
*3 Based on the CIPA standard [Yaw/Pitch direction: focusing distance f=200mm, when
LUMIX S1R/S1/S1H is used.]
*4 Dust and Splash Resistant does not guarantee that damage will not occur if this lens is subjected to
direct contact with dust and water.

Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4 specifications

Principal specifications
Lens type Zoom lens
Max Format size 35mm FF
Focal length 16–35 mm
Image stabilization No
Lens mount Leica SL
Aperture
Maximum aperture F4
Minimum aperture F22
Aperture ring No
Number of diaphragm blades 9
Optics
Elements 12
Groups 9
Special elements / coatings 1 ED + 1 UHR + 3 aspherical elements
Focus
Minimum focus 0.25 m (9.84)
Maximum magnification 0.23×
Autofocus Yes
Motor type Linear Motor
Full time manual Yes
Focus method Internal
Distance scale Yes
Physical
Weight 500 g (1.10 lb)
Diameter 85 mm (3.35)
Length 100 mm (3.94)
Sealing Yes
Colour Black
Zoom method Rotary (extending)
Power zoom No
Zoom lock No
Filter thread 77 mm
Hood supplied Yes
Tripod collar No

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4 debuts in January for $1500

Posted in Uncategorized

 

K&F Concept Nikon Z lens adapters start shipping on January 22nd

19 Jan

If you own a Nikon Z camera and still have a bunch of older lenses from other brands sitting around, K&F Concept’s new line of Nikon Z lens adapters, which will start shipping on January 22, could be worth a look. They could give your old lenses a new lease on life.

In total ten different Z-mount adapters will be available:

  • KF-FDZ for Canon FD mount
  • KF-EFZ for Canon EF mount
  • KF-PKZ for Pentax K mount
  • KF-NGZ for Nikon F mount (G-type)
  • KF-NFZ for Nikon F mount
  • KF-CYZ for Yashica-Contax mount
  • KF-OMZ for Olympus OM mount
  • KF-AAZ for Sony/Minolta A mount
  • KF-SRZ for Minolta MD mount
  • KF-42Z for M42 mount
  • KF-LMZ for Leica M

The adapters are made of brass and aluminum and manually operated. They’re also pretty affordable, with prices ranging from $ 30 to just over $ 60. You can find an overview of all adapters with more detail on the K&F website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on K&F Concept Nikon Z lens adapters start shipping on January 22nd

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Olympus teases new enthusiast mirrorless camera due in January

03 Jan

Olympus has posted a teaser video for a high-end mirrorless camera that the company plans to launch on January 24th. The video is short – under 20 seconds – and highlights the camera being used at sporting events. It also features everyone’s favorite: a shadowy camera silhouette. Wouldn’t be a teaser video without one, would it?

Scenes in the video suggest that the camera will be rugged enough to stand up to some tricky conditions like a sand volleyball match, a point that’s driven home as the clip closes on the OM-D logo. Take a look for yourself at the video above and let the speculation begin.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Olympus teases new enthusiast mirrorless camera due in January

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Samyang announces 35mm F1.2 ‘XPert’ lens for EF mount cameras, due out in January

29 Nov
Product photo provided by Samyang

Third-party lens manufacturer Samyang has discreetly announced its new XP 35mm F1.2 manual focus lens for Canon EF mount cameras.

The XP 35mm F1.2 lens joins Samyang’s XP 14mm F2.4, XP 50mm F1.2 and XP 85mm F1.2 lenses to round out its ‘XPert’ lens lineup.

Samyang claims it’s built with 50 megapixel photos and 8K video in mind. It’s constructed of 12 elements in 10 groups and includes one extra-low dispersion, two aspherical and three high refractive elements.

The lens offers an aperture range of F1.2 to F16 and features a nine-blade aperture diaphragm. The front filter thread measures in at 86mm and the minimum focusing distance is 0.34m/1.115ft. The lens weighs 1,106g/2.2lbs.

The Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 lens for Canon EF mount lens is set to ship in January 2019 with a suggested retail price of $ 999 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Samyang announces 35mm F1.2 ‘XPert’ lens for EF mount cameras, due out in January

Posted in Uncategorized

 

DJI teases new folding drone announcement for January 23rd

18 Jan

DJI is getting ready to unveil a new… something… on January 23rd. We know this because the Chinese drone maker (and camera company) just released a teaser video that hints at a live product announcement that morning. The tagline, Adventure Unfolds, implying that it might be a new folding drone, possibly a replacement for the Mavic Pro that only recently got some real competition.

The video is made up mostly of stock video footage with epic music playing in the background, but DJI does offer a few tantalizing closeups of a sleek looking new drone (we assume… at least). The photos don’t reveal anything at all, really, but here are a couple of screenshots just in case you want to get speculating:

The description of the video reads, “Your next great journey begins at 10 am EST on Jan 23, 2018,” and it looks like DJI will be streaming the announcement live at this link.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DJI teases new folding drone announcement for January 23rd

Posted in Uncategorized

 

2018 Shoot & Share Photo Contest opens for entries on January 8th

30 Dec

Wanna pit your skills against tens of thousands of other photographers… for free? You’ll soon have your chance. The 2018 Photo Contest by Shoot & Share—which bills itself as the world’s only free & fair photo contest—will start accepting entries on January 8th.

What sets this particular contest apart is the voting process. No hoity-toity group of judges sifting through your entries, the whole system is democratic.

Every entrant is allowed to submit up to 50 photos in a total of 25 categories, and those photos are voted on by everyone else (including you). Photos are shown to you at random, and you vote for your favorites. As Shoot & Share explains it, “No one knows who took the photos, but everyone votes for the winners. The photos with the most votes win!”

Here’s a fun intro video Shoot & Share put together:

The democratic draw of this contest as summed up best, perhaps, by DPReview Editorial Manager Wenmei Hill:

“It’s huge, it’s free, and it’s a big ego boost (or destroyer, depending on how good a photographer you are) for tons of photographers.”

Prizes for the 2018 contest haven’t been revealed yet, but all 25 categories will have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, in addition to a Grand Prize Winner for the contest as a whole. According to the contest site, “Last year, there was over $ 1,200,000 in free memberships, software, credit, gifts, workshops, and more,” given away.

Not bad for a totally free and extremely democratic contest.

To learn more about the 2018 Photo Contest or see last year’s winners, head over to the contest website. And if you plan to participate, you have just over a week to curate your best shots for submission.


UPDATE: Several readers have expressed concern about some of Shoot & Share’s terms and conditions for this contest: specifically, the part that says you allow them to use your images with photo credit.

To clear up any misconceptions, we reached out to Heather Keys, the company’s head of Marketing and Business Development, to ask how contestants’ photos have been used in the past. Here’s what she said:

In the past, the photos from the contest have been used to promote various community activities as well as used to promote future contests (always with photo credit included).

At times, we have reached out to those photographers that submitted images during the contest to request to use certain submitted photos in promotion of some of the products we offer (PASS.us and Agree.com ). With that said, we’ve always requested permission and offered compensation if we ever used submitted photos for promotion of our software tools.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on 2018 Shoot & Share Photo Contest opens for entries on January 8th

Posted in Uncategorized

 

2017 in review: a look back at January

22 Dec
Perhaps the biggest product to be launched in January was the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5, which offered amazing 4K video capabilities and a solid stills photography feature set.

A lot of things happened this year, both in the photography industry and the world in general. And like every year, 2017 seems to have flown by. As December draws to a close, we wanted to take stock. Over the next 12 days, we’ll be looking back at the major product launches and photography events which took place in each month of the year, starting today with January.

2017 kicked off with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Traditionally a showcase for new consumer audio/visual technologies, in recent years CES has also seen the launch of several major cameras. This year, the biggest announcements were the Fujifilm X100F and Panasonic’s flagship ‘hybrid’ camera, the Lumix DC-GH5.

Meanwhile, Ricoh released the Pentax KP, which inherited a lot of features from the flagship K-1, in a smaller-format body. Leica’s M10 – also released in January – was a flagship of a very different kind.

The USA got a new president in January and Pete Souza, the outgoing White House photographer, was there to capture Obama’s last day

In local news, the USA got a new president in January (not sure if you heard). Pete Souza, the outgoing White House photographer, was there to capture Obama’s last day. Cue much wailing and gnashing of hashtags. On the other side of the (same) country, a bunch of Canadian filmmakers pleaded guilty to trampling all over Grand Prismatic spring in the Yellowstone National Park. Silly billies.

In even more local news, and speaking of silly billies, our writer Carey Rose took one of our favorite lenses of 2016, the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 Pro to Thailand, to see what it would be like to shoot his entire trip at a single focal length.

Tomorrow – February! Because that’s how this is going to work.

See all January 2017 content


CES 2017: Full show coverage

The CES show in Las Vegas back in January was the usual combination of the weird and wonderful, showcasing everything from a fish-finding underwater drone to Panasonic’s flagship DC-GH5. DPReview was all over it.

Complete CES 2017 show report content

Ultimate travel kit – Thailand with Olympus’ E-M1 II & 25mm prime lens

Thailand has incredible landscapes, delicious food and warm and friendly locals. DPR staffer Carey Rose came to realize that documenting a trip like this equipped with only a 50mm equivalent lens was a lot more difficult than he anticipated.

Read the full article

Filmmakers who walked on Grand Prismatic in Yellowstone get jail time and fines

Last year, four Canadian filmmakers were arrested after photos and a video were published showing them walking on off-limits geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park. Three of them pleaded guilty and will receive fines, community service and a little jail time.

Read the full article

Pete Souza captures Obama’s last day in the White House

Pete Souza, the official photographer for President Obama, posted a series of photos on his Instagram account showing the Obamas’ final departure from The White House.

Read the full article

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on 2017 in review: a look back at January

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Tokina FiRIN 20mm F2 FE MF lens to begin shipping January 27

13 Dec

Tokina launched the FíRIN 20mm F2 FE MF lens for Sony E mount just prior to Photokina this year, and has announced that the lens will go on sale at the end of January. The wide-angle lens features three super-low dispersion elements alongside a pair of aspherical elements, an F2 to F22 aperture range, and a nine-blade diaphragm. In addition to full-frame Sony E mount cameras, this lens can also be used with APS-C models.

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_2569809841″,”galleryId”:”2569809841″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

According to Tokina, its new FiRIN lens supports in-camera assist functions, and includes both manual focus up to a minimum 11-inch distance and aperture control. The lens sports a multi-layer coating for minimizing ghosting and lens flare, as well as printed distance and depth of field scales on the lens barrel.

The lens is slated for release on January 27 with a retail price of ¥108,000. Pre-orders are available through B&H Photo for $ 799.

Via: Tokina

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Tokina FiRIN 20mm F2 FE MF lens to begin shipping January 27

Posted in Uncategorized