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Archive for May, 2018

Nisi shares more details on its full-frame cine lenses and launches Mist filter range

19 May

In a bid to clear up online speculation, surprise entrant to the full-frame cinema lens market Nisi has answered some questions about its relationship with brands marketing lenses very similar to its own recently-announced F3 series.

NiSi F3 Cinema Lenses

The company says that it owns the designs of its own lenses as it ‘took ownership’ of them from the ‘now dead’ Bokkeh Bokkelux project. Nisi also claims that it has made changes to the original optical and mechanical designs of the series to make the lenses more reliable, the assembly more accurate, and to reduce their overall weight. Nisi goes on to explain that it is a partner of cinema equipment company Kinefinity, and that it manufactures the brand’s Mavo Prime range of full-frame lenses.

The release doesn’t say it directly, but this is clearly a move that aims to end claims that Nisi is just copying existing lenses and marketing them under a different name.

Further details of the lenses have also been released, including that the five officially announced will be joined by 18mm and 135mm focal lengths in the second half of 2018. We should also expect a ‘new and innovative design for an optical accessory’ in the near future.

As the lenses will cover 46.5mm sensors, the F3 series will be compatible with ARRI Alexia LF, Red Monstro VV, Panavision DXL2, SONY Venice and Canon C700FF cameras (as well as ‘future’ models). Service centers are being established in Europe, USA and South Asia.

Allure Mist Filters

Nisi has also introduced a new series of filters to its cinema range. The Allure Mist filters will come in white and black versions and are designed to soften contrast in movie footage. The white version pulls back highlights and reduces the appearance of skin blemishes, while the black version diminishes the effect of flare and creates a misty atmosphere.

They will be available in 4×5.65in and 6.6×6.6in sizes and can be pre-ordered now

A comparison of the effects of the Allure Mist filters, with the Black Mist on the left and the White Mist on the right. Click to enlarge the view

And here’s a demo of the filters in ‘action’:

For more information visit the Nisi website.

Press Releases:

Five Fundamental Facts about the NiSI F3 Range of Full-Frame Prime Cine Lenses (and other news)

Since the announcement of the NiSi F3 range of full-frame lenses, NiSi’s headquarters have been inundated with questions and queries. In order to address some of these, we have compiled a list of answers around five key subjects. Read on for more, and to discover news in our announcement of the new NiSi Allure Mist Black/White Filters

1. Where does the name F3 come from?

The ‘F’ in F3 stands for ‘Full-Frame’. The lenses are all designed for full frame cameras and are extremely versatile, coming complete with PL, Canon EF and Sony E-Mounts. Mounts for other systems will need to be purchased separately, although NiSi will provide shims to ensure consistent filmmaking.

The number ‘3’ simply means ‘third generation’ and also refers to the range’s three key design characteristics, i.e. high resolution, low dispersion and retro flare.

2. What exactly is the relationship between the NiSi F3 range and Bokkelux?

Let’s be clear; the F3 prime lenses belong solely to NiSi since the company took ownership from Bokkelux. Since this time, NiSi are pleased to report that numerous improvements have been made and, being based on the original Bokkelux design, NiSi’s optical and mechanical design engineering experts have re-optimised some key elements to deliver the excellent new range.

These include:

Improved accuracy with assembly and improved supply chain for the optical elements
Improved physical attributes, i.e. the weight and calibre of the lenses have been improved with reliability and user assurance being of primary importance
Along with these significant improvements, NiSi has developed a new and innovative design for an optical accessory for F3 range. Once this is completed, we will release information, but you can be assured that it will meet the unique needs for many filmmakers.

3. OK, so what about the relationship between the NiSi F3, Kinefinity and Mavo Prime?

That’s simple, really. Kinefinity is partner of NiSi. Our specialist engineers have modified the industrial design for the Mavo Prime while retaining the same performance and quality. The new F3 range and Mavo Primes are manufactured exclusively by NiSi.

4. Will the NiSi F3 Primes come with both imperial and metric markings?

Absolutely. Markings will be in feet and metres.

5. What are the details for the F3 sales warranty policy and can we expect additions to the focal lengths this year?

NiSi is currently in the process of setting up special service centres, specifically for sales warranties. Bases will be in Europe, North America and in South Asia. We will make further announcements about the details of the certified sales warranty suppliers after the third quarter. You can expect to see 18mm and 135mm primes coming to light in the second half of this year.

F3 Lens Range Highlights – (a recap):

Covers Full-Frame Format
PL Mount/Canon EF Mount/Sony E-Mount
T2.0-T22 Click-less Aperture Range
Ultra Low Dispersion
High Resolution
Retro Cinema Style Housing
12-Blade Iris
Same physical attributes across the lens range
Geared Focus and Iris Control Rings
Pure Performance in Film

Launching in 25mm T2.1, 35mm T2.0, 50mm T2.0, 75mm T2.0 and 100mm CF T2.0 formats, the new range of premium lenses from NiSi debuted during NAB 2018, which took place between the 7th -12th April in Las Vegas.

Compatibility

The new F3 prime lenses cover full-frame format which is compatible with ARRI Alexia LF, Red Monstro VV, Panavision DXL2, SONY Venice and Canon C700FF, along with ‘future-proofing’ for other cameras that we will see arriving in the future. They cover 46.5mm format sensors, allowing filmmakers full creative control, opening up a wide range of cinematic possibilities.

Pure Performance in Film

The new F3 lenses offer filmmakers advanced resolution and perfect dispersion control, image contrast and flare; all optimised by their stylish, retro housing.

The entire F3 series of lenses share the same physical attributes, allowing for the simple and time-efficient fitting of lens accessories, along with the native ‘Sensed presence’ technology, which provides users with the ability to shoot with a beautiful bokeh. The native apochromatic optical design results in excellent ratio/axial dispersion performance, giving a pure and natural colour, with almost no purple/green fringing within focus and in bokeh.

NEW: NiSi Announces Allure Mist Black/White Filters

Allure Mist White – Highlights:

* Reduces highlights and lowers contrast* Softens wrinkles and blemishes

Allure Mist Black – Highlights:

* Reduces overall flare and contrast* Produces mist effect

To coincide with the exciting launch of F3 full-frame prime cine lenses, NiSi has also released Allure Mist White/Black and anamorphic filters; adding to their already burgeoning range of cinema filters.

Available in sizes 4×5.65”, 6.6×6.6”, the new filters will further assist filmmakers to capture their intended artistic expression with every shoot.

Preorders for individual filters available from May 7th 2018

Special kit launch

Along with individual lenses, NiSi has announced that all lenses will be available as a specially designed F3 kit, which will include a complete set of lenses, from 25-100mm, along with a NiSi 4×5.65 Allure Mist white 1/4 filter, a NiSi 4×5.65 Allure Mist Black 1/4 filter and a NiSi 4×5.65 Polarizer, all packaged in a tough NiSi hardshell case.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Make a Composite Wine Bottle Image using Photoshop Layers

19 May

A wine bottle is always a tricky subject to photograph. The highly reflective nature of the glass makes it hard to use frontal lighting, while backlighting will not reach the label.

In short, the perfect light for the glass will usually not work for the label and vice-versa, often leading to the capture of various images that are later on composited in post-production, creating the final image in this manner.

Photograph wine bottle composite

In this article, I will show you step-by-step, how this image was photographed and composited using Photoshop.

Image capture

This image was photographed with a full frame DSLR, a 100mm macro lens, and two speedlights.

wine bottle photograph seen in the camera - How to Make a Composite Wine Bottle Image using Photoshop

One of the speedlights was fitted with a yellow filter, this provided the background light. The other speedlight was fitted on a stripbox and provided the light on the bottle in different positions for different shots.

Light areas

Planning ahead and deciding which areas to light are key factors for the success of the final image composite.
In this particular image, the areas that were lit for each image were as follows:

The label
Gold logo
The embossed letters
Light side light
The background

Photograph wine bottle composite 03

None of these images look good by themselves, but each adds its own contribution for the final result.

Raw image development

This is the stage where the Raw images are processed and the basic adjustments are applied. I start by adjusting the “background” image which will be the base for the composite.

Even though the yellow filter used on the speedlight created a nice warm tone on the image background, I decided to make that tone even warmer, adjusting the yellow and green hue to orange, giving it a vintage ambiance.

Photograph wine bottle composite 04

The compositing process

After developing the RAW images, it’s now time to start merging all of the different images.

I start by opening the “Background” image and giving it some basic corrections, like completing the right edge reflection with the clone stamp.

Photograph wine bottle composite 05

Next, I load the “Embossed Letters” image as a new layer that will stay on top of the “Background” layer and start the compositing process. For this process to work, it is imperative that all the images have the same framing and neither the camera or the object is displaced between shots.

Layers and masking

Even though there are many ways to create a composite in Adobe Photoshop, my favorite, and the one that allows more control, is the layer mask function.

This masking process hides parts of the image while revealing the information that exists on the underlying layer. Just click on the layer mask icon in the layer panel, and a mask will be added to the selected layer. It might look complicated but it is, in fact, a simple process.

White areas of the mask show what is on that layer, black areas show what is on the underlying layer (think of it as a hole you look through to see the layer below).

Photograph wine bottle composite 06

In this particular case, it is easier to invert the mask from white to black (Image>Adjustments>Invert) and paint in the areas you want to reveal from that layer by using a white brush.

The exact same process was applied to the “label” and “gold Logo” layers. The “Left Side Light” layer was used to create just a fine rim light on the left edge of the bottle and give it a better separation from the background.

Photograph wine bottle composite 07

Refinements

Now that it all starts to look much better, with all the bits and pieces that were used from each layer to form the composited image. So it is time to pay attention to the small details like small imperfections on the bottle, smudges or dust specs that may need to be fixed.

Photograph wine bottle composite 08

A higher zoom (100% or 1:1) will likely reveal problems that need to be solved.

The icing on the cake

Even though I could consider the image editing process finished by now, there is still a small but really important detail in my opinion – the table’s smooth wooden texture was not the right fit for the look I was trying to achieve.

So, the right thing to do was to photograph an old beat up piece of wood that would fit the look of the overall image and replace the existing tabletop.

Photograph wine bottle composite 09

Now I load it as a layer on the final image and use the perspective command (Edit>Transform>Perspective) to adjust the flat wood image to match the perspective of the tabletop.

Photograph wine bottle composite 10

And for the final touch, I changed the blending mode of the “Wood” layer to darken, in order to make it blend smoothly with rest of the scene.

Photograph wine bottle composite 11

Final thoughts

Even though I always try to get things as right as possible during the photography process, and leave as little as possible for the post-processing phase, the truth is that this compositing technique amazes me every time I try it. It is incredible the amount of detail control it offers.

Give it a try, I am sure you will be amazed too.

The post How to Make a Composite Wine Bottle Image using Photoshop Layers appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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This is why Google’s impressive object removal tool was never released

19 May

At its 2018 I/O developer conference Google presented a number of improvements to its Photos app, but there was no talk about an exciting feature that was demoed the previous year: an object removal tool that automatically removes obstructions like fences, window panes from your photos.

The feature caused quite a buzz when it was demoed in early 2017, and people have been waiting on it ever since… so why has it disappeared? The answer is simpler than you might think. According to an interview with the Google Photos team on XDA, object removal was simply de-prioritized in the development queue, giving way to other AI-powered features in Google Lens.

In the interview, Google team members said that the technology exists and could be deployed, but that Google prioritizes products based on what is most important for people, and other machine learning applications were prioritized over object removal. This means the technology might eventually be implemented into Google Photos or another Google app if the company changes its mind (and development queue), but we probably should not hold our breath.

When it was first demoed, object removal looked impressive and exceedingly useful. As you can see in the video above, the feature was shown as 100 percent automatic, without the need for any manual editing. Sure, professional photographers might want a bit more control over their cloning, but the vast majority of Google Photos users probably don’t know what the Clone Stamp tool or Content Aware Fill even is.

If you’ve been waiting for object removal to finally make an appearance on your smartphone, knowing the source code is still stored on some hard drive at Google HQ might not be much of a consolation… but least we know the reason why it has never been released.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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This 12K NYC flyover video was captured with three 8K RED Weapon Monstro VV cameras

19 May

LA-based director and cinematographer Phil Holland of PHFX recently joined forces with Gotham Film Works to create something out-of-this-world. Using the first Shotover K1 Hammerhead Aerial Camera Array, Holland shot a flyover of New York City using not one, not two, but three 8K RED Weapon Monstro VistaVision cameras.

The result, once processed, is a 100MP motion picture made up of images “with a sensor size of approximately 645 medium format film.” Put another way, the 12K by 8K footage above is 48.5 times the resolution of 1080p.

Holland explains how the rig was used and the footage captured in a short behind the scenes blog post, where he also shared some BTS images that he is kindly allowing us to repost for you here:

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Holland’s BTS post covers camera and lens selection, before moving on to explain what it takes to rig something like this up.

“On a technical level there’s a lot that needs to happen in terms of proper spacing, finding the zero parallax point, lens selection, determining your overlap, rigging, payload balancing, etc.” writes Holland. “Every RED Weapon 8K VV Monstro has a JETPACK SDI Module attached to sync genlock, provide power, control the camera, etc. This is actually one of the first times I’ve ever seen this bad boy used to maximum intent. WIthout this module something like this would be very difficult to pull off.”

All of this allowed Holland to control the rig from a single “brain” and create “a quality stitch with pixel and frame accuracy.”

Check out the final video up top to see the stunning results for yourself, and then head over to Holland’s blog for even more details about how this beautiful creation was captured.

All photographs ©Phil Holland/PHFX and used with permission.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Weekly Photography Challenge: Trees – With Prizes from ViewBug

19 May

Over the last two weeks, you’ve done images of spring in general, and then flowers last week. So for this week’s photography challenge, let’s see if you can see the forest for all the trees!

Image by Adam Welch, dPS writer.

Need some help? Here are some tips:

Tips for Better Forest Photography
How to Create a Dream Forest in Adobe Photoshop
4 Tips for Taking Better Photographs of Trees
Tips for Doing Nature Photography at Your Local Parks

Weekly Photography Challenge – Trees

Joshua Tree National Park, California, by Anne McKinnell

Image by Anne McKinnell, dPS writer.

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

Win Prizes from ViewBug

We’re excited to introduce a sponsor and prizes for this week’s challenge. ViewBug is the World’s biggest photo contest community with over 70 contests always open for submissions. Win prizes, exposure, and the bragging rights. It’s FREE to join! This week, ViewBug will be awarding three winners prizes!

One Challenge winner will receive 1 year of ViewBug PRO ($ 139 value) plus a free photography logo bundle ($ 59 value). Two Runners Up will receive a 1 year of ViewBug Premium ($ 59 value) plus a free photography logo bundle ($ 59 value).

To Enter

Participate in the challenge as you normally would (as described above) by posting your photo. To be considered for a prize you just need to complete the entry form below (or via this link) and submit your photo.

The Contest is open continuously from 05:00am Australian Eastern Standard Time (“AEST”) on May 19, 2018 (03:00pm United States Eastern Daylight Time (“EDT”) on May 18, 2018), through May 26 2018, 04:59am AEST (May 25, 2018, 02:59pm EDT) (the “Contest Promotion Period”).

Full Terms and Conditions Digital Photography School Weekly Challenge Trees – ViewBug T&C.

Winners are announced on the Weekly Challenge Winners page on 2nd of June.

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The post Weekly Photography Challenge: Trees – With Prizes from ViewBug appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Fujifilm EU accidentally leaks full specs of upcoming X-T100 camera

19 May

The leaked X-T100 is basically an X-A5 with an EVF, 3-way tilting touchscreen, and a deeper buffer.

Fujifilm EU accidentally leaked a complete specs page for an upcoming camera: the Fuji X-T100. The page was discovered by Nokishita and saved for posterity before it was removed, and though none of the sample images or photos of the camera survived, we basically got a rundown of what looks to be a Fuji X-A5 with a few extra features.

Nokishita is a reliable source of leaks, typically publishing accurate specs and even product images a few days to a week before a product is announced.

Taking a look at the full X-T100 specs (here), the leak seems legitimate to us here at DPReview. The camera shares most of its specs with the X-A5. The 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor (with a bayer array) is the same, as is the max video resolution (4K/15p max), the touchscreen resolution (3-inch 1.04M dot), and the continuous shooting speed max of 6fps.

Unlike the X-A5 shown above, the X-T100 touchscreen will reportedly tilt three ways.

Where the X-T100 distinguishes itself is with a deeper buffer (thanks to “newly equipped powerful memory”), 3-way adjustable touchscreen, and a built-in EVF.

The EVF will be the big selling point, but the deeper buffer—30 JPEG frames at 6fps or unlimited at 3fps for the X-T100, compared to only 10 frames at 6fps and 50 at 3fps for the X-A5—and adjustable touchscreen are definitely nice additions as well. Finally, while video resolution hasn’t been improved, maximum recording time has. 4K15p and 1080/60p can both be recorded up to “approximately 30 minutes.” For comparison, the X-A5 maxes out at 5 minutes of 4K15p and 14 minutes of 1080/60p.

Of course, it’s not all good news. The battery life has suffered a bit—dropping to 430 from the X-A5’s 450 while using the same NP-W126S battery pack—and the whole thing weighs almost 100g more than the X-A5. Trade-offs no doubt necessary in order to add that “powerful memory” and the EVF hardware.

According to Fuji Rumors, the X-T100 is scheduled for official announcement on Thursday May 24th. If that’s indeed the case, you can be sure we’ll bring you detailed announcement coverage next week. In the meantime, you can find the (translated) Nokishita leak here with links to the cached spec sheet and product page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Use Ordinary Items to Make DIY Photo Filters

18 May

In photography, you can use filters in many ways to alter and/or enhance your images. But what if you don’t have any filters, or can’t afford the high prices to the top of the line ones? Time to rummage around the house for some things to make DIY photo filters!

8 DIY photo filters you can make at home

In this first video from COOPH, see how you can use some everyday things you likely have around the house to make some fun and interesting DIY photo filters.

Keep in mind that you may not get top-quality images or award-worthy ones this way, but the point is to experiment and have some fun and see what you like. Then you can decide if you like a certain technique and will use it whether or not it’s worth investing in a more expensive filter.

Make your own photo filters

Next up is a video from CNET with a few more ideas for DIY photo filters.

Get some colored cellophane, a wine glass, some plastic wrap and a bit of Vaseline and you’re ready to give this a go.

6 Creative photography tricks

This last one isn’t so much about filters as it is things you can put in front of your lens (that’s kind of like a filter right?) to alter the image. Again, it’s about being creative, thinking outside the box and asking the question, “What if?”

How creative can you get? What other easy to find items have you used to make DIY photo filters or create other image effects? Please share in the comments below.

The post How to Use Ordinary Items to Make DIY Photo Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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This 7.3-gigapixel panorama ‘timelapse’ of London is made from 6,240 D850 pictures

18 May

Photographer Henry Stuart has created a 24-hour panoramic timelapse image of London that combines 6,240 raw photographs to form a picture that contains over 7 billion pixels.

Captured through a Nikon D850 and AF-S Nikkor 300mm F2.8 lens using a robotic mount by Nikon-owned robotics company Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), the 155° view presents the city in an incredible amount of detail, with Nikon claiming that you can read signs up to 5 miles away from where the image was captured.

The full frame

A fully zoomed-in frame from the center of the picture above

The Twenty Four Hour London project was taken on by Visualise—a company of virtual reality filmmakers—in partnership with Nikon UK and MRMC. The camera was supported and moved by MRMC’s Ulti-Head robotic camera mount, which allowed Stuart to repeat the exact shooting position—to pixel level, according to the release —for 260 shots per hour over the course of the 24-hour sequence.

Once processed and stitched together, the resulting image allows viewers to pick the time of day and to zoom into the image to see the details of distant buildings—and even people relaxing inside their apartments!

The concept was a commission for Lenstore, a UK vision-care company, to promote eye health. To see the full 7 gigapixel ‘timelapse’ for yourself, and explore London in all its glory, head over to the 24 Hour London website.

Press Release

World’s first 24-hour Gigapixel time-lapse panorama, captured with the Nikon D850 and MRMC’s robotic Ulti-Head

24 Hour London is a unique collaboration between Lenstore, Nikon, Visualise and the Nikon-owned robotics company MRMC. Together they have created the biggest ever time-lapse of London’s skyline, taken from the roof of Canary Wharf’s One Canada Square.

In total, over 6,240 photos were taken across a 155-degree view over 24 hours, and subsequently stitched together to create an incredibly detailed panorama, and the first gigapixel timelapse of London. This level of detail was achieved by combining a Nikon D850 and AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 lens with MRMC’s robotic Ulti-Head to precisely repeat the same pattern of detailed photos 260 times an hour for 24 hours. The finished product allows you to see London change colours across the hours, from sunrise to sunset, with all the shades the capital has to offer in between.

Commenting on the collaboration, Jeremy Gilbert, Marketing Director for Nikon Northern Europe said:

We’re thrilled to be involved with this unique project. The Nikon D850 captured London in incredible detail in challenging conditions. Finding the best combination of camera, lens and precise motion-control was essential for this project and we are proud to have been integral to its success.

The project was shot by Henry Stuart from Visualise, he had the following to say:

Shooting gigapixel photos is hard – we have been shooting them for the Olympics, the World Cup, for events and places all around the globe. Each panorama is so large it needs specially built computers to process it. In this case, we had to build a special server system and network all of the workstations in our studio to the content so that we could stitch five of the photos at a time.

To capture a photo like this you need a really capable camera – we used the Nikon D850. It has this beautiful big sensor and captures a huge range of light and dark (large dynamic range). This is so important when shooting panoramas where one part of the image is bright, such as towards the sun, and another is dark such as over the Thames. We shot everything on the camera’s ‘RAW’ setting, which keeps loads of extra information in the shots that you would usually lose.

The 24 Hour London ‘Gigalapse’

The image is 7.3 Gigapixels (7,300 Megapixels or 7bn pixels), which is over 1000x more powerful than the camera on an iPhone X.
The Nikon D850 and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 lens combination delivered phenomenal detail – you can even read signs which are up to 5 miles away in the photo!
The robotic motion control technology using the MRMC Ulti-Head used to create the pinpoint accuracy of images, leading to every single pixel of every point in the panorama being the exact same position as the photos 24 hours earlier.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Report: Canon to release new 70-200mm F4L and F2.8L lenses next month

18 May

Canon Rumors is reporting some big news if you’re in the market for a new 70-200mm lens. According to the rumor site, it’s a near certainty that Canon will be debuting two new 70-200mm lenses in early June: the Canon EF 70-200mm F4L IS II, and the Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS III.

Both of the current versions—the Mark I of the F4L and the Mark II of the F2.8L—are certainly due for an upgrade. The 70-200mm F2.8L IS II was released in 2010 and the F4L IS even farther back in 2006. Meanwhile, third-party manufacturers like Tamron and Tokina have released their own 70-200mm F2.8 and F4 lenses more recently, and Sigma confirmed to DPReview that it will release its much-anticipated 70-200mm F2.8 Art lens “not too far in the future.”

In other words, early June would be a great time for Canon to get the jump on Sigma and fight back against the Tamron 70-200mm G2 that people have been so positive about.

The good news is, this isn’t just a thin rumor. Canon Rumors says they can “100% confirm” that the 70-200mm F4L IS II is coming, and “95% confirm” that the 70-200mm F2.8L IS III will join it. Of course, as the rumor site points out, lens announcement and release dates can change at the last minute, but we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for both these announcements in the coming month.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Video: Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 FE face and eye-detect autofocus test

18 May

The Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD for Sony FE cameras made a big splash when it was first teased back in February. People were intrigued by its small size and the new Rapid eXtra-silent stepping drive (RXD) AF motor; it even came up in our CP+ interview with Tamron, and we got to see the lens in person at the show.

The lens isn’t going to be officially available for another week; however, photographer David Oastler was able to get his hands on a copy and, while he wasn’t allowed to take photos with it, he was allowed to put it through it’s autofocus paces to see how that RXD motor holds up.

What Oastler really wanted to see is how well the Eye and Face-detect autofocus from the Sony FE body would perform through this third-party lens that was, ostensibly, designed from the ground up to work on this full-frame mirrorless system. While the video isn’t the best quality (a bit of glare) you can still see, and Oastler tells you, that the lens performs exceptionally well. In fact, Oastler goes so far as to say he noticed no performance difference between the Tamron and his own Sony-native lenses.

Tamron promised as much when it released the lens, calling it “quiet, precise, and exceedingly quiet.” But it’s nice to see a real-world test confirm these claims.

We’ll be trying to get our hands on a Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD as soon as humanly possible for our own in-depth testing. But in the meantime, if you’re interested in picking up this $ 800 USD lens when it ships at the end of next week and you want to see how its AF motor performs IRL, check out Oastler’s video at the top.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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