Which words spring to mind when you think about 70-200mm zoom lenses – solid and dependable or fragile and unreliable? Lenrentals’ Roger Cicala has just published an analysis of the failure rates of the 12,000 lenses he rents out, and the results may surprise you. Even having taken into account popularity and accidental damage, five 70-200s turn up in his highest failure rate table – including the latest models from Canon and Nikon.
Rumors continue to fly about a Sony lens/sensor combo in the works for Android and iOS devices. Now, more images have emerged of the rumored accessories, apparently designed to attach magnetically to your existing smartphone. It’s speculated that one of these models bears the same 1-inch sensor as the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II, and both models reportedly boast NFC and WiFi connectivity. Click through for the most recent images and details at connect.dpreview.com.
Lytro CEO Jason Rosenthal has acknowledged that the company made a ‘small number’ of layoffs earlier this year and that there are some ‘kinks’ to be worked out with its unique ‘light field’ camera. Meanwhile, according to an article by tech blog SFGate, industry sources report that the Lytro camera ‘isn’t selling well so far’, due to its price and lack of appeal to professional photographers. Rosenthal is, however, bullish on the future of the company, promising ‘multiple […] breakthrough products’ in 2014. More details are available after the link.
Sigma has been doing lots of good things recently, and one of its most interesting recent products is the USB Dock. This device connects a lens to a computer and, in concert with Sigma’s Optimization Pro software, allows the user to do such things as update the firmware and configure detailed autofocus microadjustment settings. In our quick review we take a close look at how it works and what it can do. Click through to find out more.
New York Times writer Nick Bilton recently wrote an article about his experience with Leica cameras and lenses, and was surprised when this was met by an aggressive influx of ‘vehement messages from all kinds of photographers and camera fans’. Not only did Canon and Nikon fans attack him for not writing a similar piece about their favorite brands, but according to Bilton many Leica fans were also critical of his article, as well as his selection of ‘experts’. Click through for more on this surprising development.
New printer concepts from Samsung look to lower-cost and sustainable materials as a way to reduce prices and environmental impact. Receiving recognition at the 2013 International Design Excellence Awards, these three designs take a page from Ikea’s flat-pack, assemble-it-yourself playbook, using materials like corrugated cardboard and Polyethylene plastic to create printers with exteriors that are easier to manufacture. Will your next printer come with a cardboard shell? Click through and take a look at the concepts.
Olivier Morin, photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) managed to capture champion runner Usain ‘lightning’ Bolt crossing the finishing line at the same time as an actual lightning bolt lit up the sky behind him. The image, captured at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, was taken using a remote-controlled camera, one of five that Morin had set up by the side of the track to cover the finishing line. Click through for more details, and a closer look at the ‘double lightning’ shot.
Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 smartphone packs some impressive features, most notably a 41MP imaging sensor capable of high-resolution stills and video. A new Nokia advert goes deep (literally) into this aspect of the phone’s hardware with a virtual look inside the imaging pipeline of the 1020, showing the entire process of image capture from the shutter opening and light coming through the lens to the creation of a digital image. The result is pretty stunning. Click through to see for yourself.
Walker Evans’ iconic images of American life in the early 20th century helped elevate photography to the status of fine art. His 1938 book ‘Walker Evans: American Photographs’ celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and the Museum of Modern Art is commemorating this milestone by bringing it back into print with an accompanying exhibition of his work. Click through and take a look at some of Walker’s captivating images of American society in last century.
What’s the safest way to get close up photos of lions on the Serengeti? Send in a robot. And an aerial drone. That’s what photographer Michael Nichols and his team did, producing incredible images for a National Geographic feature. From a nearby car, Nichols and crew directed a small remote-controlled robot outfitted with a Canon camera toward lion prides as they hunted, slept and well, do everything lions do. And we do mean everything.