RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘35mm’

Review: The Handevision Iberit 35mm F2.4 is a budget option for Leica users

18 Jan

Handevision Iberit 35mm F2.4 (Leica M-mount)
$ 640 (~$ 600 in Fujifilm X / Sony E-mount)
www.handevision.com

I’ve been curious about Handevision’s small range of Iberit primes since Dan and I saw them in person at last year’s CP+ show in Yokohama. Street prices for the lenses range between $ 640-800 for 24mm, 35mm, 75mm, and 90mm primes in Leica M-mount, and a little less for Fujifilm X and Sony E-mount versions, making them relatively affordable by the standards of all three systems.

Designed in Germany and made in China (‘Handevision’ is a portmanteau term – ‘Han’ signifies ‘China’ in Mandarin, while the following two letters ‘De’ represent the first two letters of ‘Deutschland’) the Iberit line is intended to be a low-cost alternative to ‘own-brand’ lenses and established third-party primes, for photographers dipping their toes into manual focus photography.

Key specifications:

  • Focal length: 35mm
  • Format: Full-frame (Leica M, Fujifilm X, Sony E-mount)
  • Manual focus
  • Aperture range: F2.4-16 (In 1/2 stops)
  • Filter thread: 49mm
  • Close focus: 0.7m (0.35m for E/X-mount versions)
  • Hood: Included, bayonet
  • Length / Diameter: 35 / 58mm (1.4 / 2.3in)
  • Weight: 220g (7.7oz)
  • Optical construction: 6 elements in 6 groups

Since I tend to shoot mostly at 35mm, I was most interested in the Iberit 35mm F2.4. So when I found a used copy in Leica M mount in my local camera store recently I decided to take a chance and buy it, mostly out of curiosity. If it turned out to be really good, maybe it would find a place in my permanent camera kit. If it ended up being a dud, I had 30 days to return it for a refund.

Design and handling

Of course, when it comes to lenses, things aren’t that simple. Most lenses shine in some situations and fail in others. Few are stunning at every aperture at every focal distance, and even fewer can shine in every environment in which they could possibly be used – lens design, after all, is an exercise in compromise. And while I was very curious about the Iberit 35mm F2.4 after handling the roughly-machined prototypes at CP+ last year, I will admit that my expectations were modest.

The Iberit 35mm F2.4 can be 6-bit coded to be read as whatever lens you like, with the addition of some dabs of black and white paint into the pre-engraved spaces on the lens mount.

It’s up to you how (or if) you choose to code the Iberit but the Leica Summarit 35mm F2.5 is closest in terms of specification. The 6-bit code is 101011 (1 = black, 0 = white) when the code is positioned at 12 o’clock.

Here I’ve filled in the black spots with craft paint, as an example. The chrome of the lens mount stands in for white because I’m lazy.

Cosmetically, the Iberit 35mm F2.4 (or my copy, at least) is a lot better than those early prototypes. The focus helicoid operates with an impressive smoothness – not quite up there with a new Leica or Zeiss prime but nicely-damped and with no wobble. An integrated focus tab is a welcome addition to the M-mount version of the lens.

The Iberit’s aperture dial is a little dry and could use stiffer detents at its 1/2 stop settings, but it moves between apertures positively enough that I can tell what I’m doing when operating it with my eye to the viewfinder. The lens coatings are bright and even, and nothing rattles when the lens is shaken.

This image shows the view through the Leica M10’s finder with the Iberit at its close focus position. As you can see, it intrudes considerably on the lower-right of the scene, even without a hood.

As you can also see, Carey is a man who enjoys his lunch.

Considering its relatively modest maximum aperture this is a big lens though, (especially by the standards of M-mount primes) and while nicely balanced on an M10, it does block a portion of the camera’s viewfinder – even without the hood attached. Obviously this won’t be a problem with the mirrorless versions.

I didn’t experience any problems with focus accuracy or focus shift – at least none that I can blame on the lens

Despite its low cost and fairly light (220g) weight, there is some brass inside the 35mm. This is most visually obvious in the focusing cam, which communicates focus distance mechanically to the camera’s rangefinder. My sample of the Iberit is perfectly calibrated on our M10 (ie., the camera’s rangefinder and lens’s markings agree at infinity). Throughout my shooting with this lens, I didn’t experience any problems with focus accuracy or focus shift – at least none that I can blame on the lens.

The mirrorless versions doesn’t need the complicated and precisely-calibrated mechanical focus cam mechanism, which probably explains their slightly lower cost.

Image quality

Optically, the Iberit 35mm F2.4 pleasantly surprised me. At F5.6 and F8, this lens is at least as sharp as anything else I regularly shoot with on the M10. There is some very modest vignetting at F2.4-2.8 but it’s barely noticeable in normal photography, even with no lens profile assigned. Barrel distortion can be found if you go looking for it, but it’s unlikely to trouble you except in close-up images of flat planes (i.e., test charts).

The M10’s built-in 35mm F2 (pre-ASPH) profile applies little or no noticeable distortion correction, so this image (shot at F4) is essentially ‘uncorrected’. As you can see, with a medium-distance subject, there’s virtually no distortion to correct.

For the sake of convenience, I manually assigned a 35mm F2 pre-aspherical profile in-camera (the v4 ‘bokeh king’ to be specific), so I could organize my files more easily in Lightroom, but if you want to, you can paint in whatever 6-bit code you like (see the table above for how to do that).

Barrel distortion is trivial to correct manually in Photoshop or Lightroom

The closest lens to the Iberit’s specification in Leica’s current lineup is the Summarit 35mm F2.5 and painting in this 6-bit code leads to effective correction of the Iberit’s close-range barrel distortion when the M10’s lens profiling setting is left on ‘Auto’. If you don’t want to go that route (and I would probably recommend you don’t, given the lack of distortion at normal subject distances), the barreling is trivial to correct manually in Photoshop or Lightroom.

Handevision Iberit 35mm F2.4: Sample Images

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_1780724125″,”galleryId”:”1780724125″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Central sharpness at infinity is decent at F2.4, and good by F2.8, becoming more even at F4, before reaching its full potential at F5.6, with good consistency across the frame and more than enough resolving power to create moiré in fine textures. Wide open though, there’s a significant dip in sharpness about two-thirds of the way across the frame, which suggests either complex field curvature or significant astigmatism in that region. At close focusing distances of less than ~1m the Iberit is still capable of resolving plenty of detail wide open, but contrast drops. If you’ve ever shot arm’s length portraits on a Fujifilm X100-series camera you’ll be familiar with the effect.

Shot almost straight into the sun without a hood at F5.6, this image demonstrates the Iberit’s impressive resistance to flare. The lens’s simple 6-bladed aperture creates pretty boring specular highlights (take a look at the sunlight sparkling on the water in the foreground) but CA and fringing are practically non-existent.

Flare is well-controlled, and bokeh wide open is reasonably smooth in the center, although things can get pretty busy and distracting depending on what’s in the background, especially towards the edges of the frame. The Iberit’s simple 6-bladed aperture is more or less circular until around F3.5 before becoming more angular when stopped down. Sunstars are (unsurprisingly given there are only six aperture blades) not among the lens’ strengths.

Conclusion

In summary, the Handevision Iberit 35mm F2.4 is a good lens, which offers solid performance on the Leica M10. It’s relatively sharp in the middle and at the edges of the frame wide open, but not to the point you’d expect from even cheap modern lenses with even faster apertures like the Nikon full-frame 35mm F1.8G. Modern lens design has moved optics forward, naturally. But the Iberit is still a pleasant surprise for non bokeh-fanatics.

It’s very sharp across the frame by F5.6. Vignetting is negligible, distortion is simple and easy to deal with, and I can’t see lateral CA anywhere in my test shots, even with all profiling turned off. There’s a tiny bit of longitudinal CA that shows up as green and purple fringing wide open, but it’s never distracting. Flare was a non-issue in my shooting, which made me happy, because I don’t much like the Iberit’s bulky bayonet-mount hood.

By the standards of lenses made natively for the Leica M mount, the Iberit is something of a bargain

In terms of performance, by the standards of lenses made natively for the Leica M mount, the Iberit is something of a bargain, provided you can live with its size. This is my only serious complaint. For a rangefinder lens, the Iberit is big, with a large 49mm threaded filter ring. In fact while markedly lighter, it’s not that much smaller than Leica’s 35mm F1.4 Summilux ASPH FLE and only about a filter’s height shorter than the 28mm F2 ASPH. Considering it can be picked up new for a fraction of those lens’ MSRP though, I can live with it.

Shot from about 1m away, wide-open, this image demonstrates the Iberit’s rather busy bokeh. Specular highlights get progressively less circular, further away from the center of the image.

The value proposition on mirrorless is rather different. $ 600 is a lot to pay for a manual focus lens from a fairly obscure third-party manufacturer, when so many other options for X-mount and E-mount exist. Canon’s 35mm F2 IS, for example, is easily adaptable to Sony E-mount without significant penalty, and actually costs a little less than the Iberit (not including the cost of a smart adapter, of course…). Sony also makes an FE 35mm F2.8 that will set you back $ 599 and an E 35mm F1.8 OSS for $ 450, while Fujifilm’s 35mm F2 is available for under $ 400.

Ultimately, for photographers putting together an M-mount lens collection on a film or digital rangefinder body, the Iberit 35mm F2.4 is worth a serious look. I found mine used and in good condition for less than $ 300. It’s hard to find any (functional) M-mount glass for that price, even second-hand. For mirrorless ILC photographers though, better value options exist.

What we like:

  • Good standard of construction
  • Pre-milled 6-bit coding pattern
  • Decent central sharpness wide open (becoming excellent across the frame at F5.6-8)
  • Practically no vignetting and CA, minimal distortion at normal subject distances
  • Resistant to flare

What we don’t

  • Large (for an M-mount 35mm lens): partially blocks M10’s viewfinder
  • Soft off-axis wide open (before sharpening up again towards the edges)
  • Busy bokeh at wide apertures (especially towards the edges of the frame)
  • Distortion at close distances
  • Slight softness at close distances

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Review: The Handevision Iberit 35mm F2.4 is a budget option for Leica users

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Rokinon AF 35mm F1.4 FE: sample gallery and impressions

21 Dec

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_3328296116″,”galleryId”:”3328296116″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

The Rokinon/Samyang AF 35mm F1.4 FE ($ 800) is a lens that delivers a lot of speed at budget price, and is significantly less expensive than Sony’s similar lens, the Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA, which retails for $ 1499. At that budget price, the Rokinon comes with a few compromises – but not as many as you might think.

Side-by-side, the Rokinon and Sony lenses are almost exactly the same size, and of similar cosmetic design. Whether or not this is intentional, it makes the lens feel somewhat Sony-esque. It has a 67mm filter ring, compared to 72mm on the Sony, and is just slightly heavier (645g vs. 630g). Subjectively speaking, it feels very solid in your hand.

Optical performance exceeded my expectations for a lens at this price point. It’s surprisingly sharp wide open, though stopping it down does sharpen things up. The lens does exhibit longitudinal chromatic aberration (magenta and green fringing in front of and behind the focus plane, respectively), but even when looking at 42MP images from the a7R III you might need to look pretty close to see it. However, it can be distracting around high contrast edges, such as the specular highlights in the lower left corner of this shot at the beach. Lateral chromatic aberration is generally well controlled.

Optical performance exceeded my expectations for a lens at this price point

The lens has some issues with bokeh as well. You can see examples of onion ring patterns in the out of focus Christmas lights at the Pike Place Market. However, this was more the exception than the rule across the photos I took. Interestingly, neither of these aberrations are as bad as what we saw with the Rokinon 50mm F1.4.

Autofocus is neither as quick nor as decisive as on the native Sony lens (which is very fast, thanks to Direct Drive SSM). If you’re used to quick focusing lenses, the Rokinon can feel slow, though I didn’t find it sluggish enough that I would consider it unusable, and most of the time it slides into focus without much trouble. It performs better in this respect than Rokinon’s AF 50mm F1.4 lens, which hunts noticeably.

Although the Rokinon AF 35mm F1.4 FE isn’t a particularly fast focusing lens, it does focus in low light, allowing you to shoot reliably in dim settings.
35mm | ISO 800 | F2.8 | 1/250 sec.
Photo by Dale Baskin

Autofocus works reasonably well in video, but the autofocus motor is audible during operation. The good news is that it makes a lot less noise than its 50mm F1.4 sibling, which can be heard several feet away. It’s unlikely to be noticed by anyone other than the photographer except in very quiet settings, but it’s certainly loud enough to be picked up by on-camera microphones if you’re recording video. The lens also supports Sony’s Eye AF, and it generally worked reliably for me.

For the price, it delivers a lot of bang for your buck and could be a viable alternative if you’re on a budget

If you’re looking for a fast 35mm F1.4 lens to use with an E-mount camera, the Rokinon is definitely worth considering. Optical performance is good (in some cases, as good as the Sony), though it’s still not in the same league as the Canon 35mm F1.4L II USM, which can be used on E-mount with an adapter. For the price, however, it delivers a lot of bang for your buck and could be a viable alternative if you’re on a budget.

See our Rokinon AF 35mm F1.4 FE gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Rokinon AF 35mm F1.4 FE: sample gallery and impressions

Posted in Uncategorized

 

The Voigtländer Nokton classic 35mm F1.4 for E-Mount ships in February, will cost $750

20 Dec
The Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm F1.4 FE at CP+ last February. Photo by Barney Britton

Sony shooters will have a new manual-focus lens to play with soon. After announcing the lens as ‘in-development’ way back in February, Cosina Japan has revealed pricing and availability for the E-Mount Voigtlander Nokton classic 35mm F1.4 lens. According to the translated webpage, the lens is scheduled to ship in February of 2018, at a price of ¥ 85,000, or approximately $ 750 USD.

This, just a couple of weeks after announcing pricing and availability for another E-Mount Nokton that was “in-development” in February: the Nokton 40mm F1.2.

The Nokton classic 35mm F1.4 is an E-mount version of the M-mount Nokton that Voigtländer has been selling for many years, and we actually got to see this lens in person at CP+ last February. Unfortunately, the 35mm was the only lens under glass that day, so we couldn’t get a true ‘hands-on,’ but we expect it to be built to the same high standard as the older M-mount version.

Another photo from our through-the-glass ‘hands on’ at CP+. Photo by Barney Britton

To learn more about this lens, head over to the Cosina website, read the translated Cosina Japan page, or check out our ‘hands-on’ impressions from last February.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on The Voigtländer Nokton classic 35mm F1.4 for E-Mount ships in February, will cost $750

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Kodak reveals how and when it’s bringing back 35mm Ektachrome film

17 Nov
Photo: Kodak

Kodak first announced the rebirth of Ektachrome way back in January at CES. Along with Kodak Alaris—who will distribute the 35mm Kodak Professional Ektachrome film for stills shooters—the company said it would bring back Ektachrome by the end of 2017… and then promptly stopped talking about it.

But if you were worried that Kodak had given up on the idea, fear not: in a new episode of the Kodakery podcast, a few of Kodak’s higher ups (including Marketing and Product Manager Diane Carroll-Yacoby) updated the world on the progress of the Ektachrome reboot, how they’re making it, and what testing still stand between your hands and a fresh 36-shot roll of the stuff.

You can listen to the entire Kodakery podcast update below:

The first half of the podcast is mostly a photography and history lesson: discussing the origins of Ektachrome, its ‘characteristics’ (read: limitations), and how Kodak has managed to bring it back to life after discontinuing it in 2013. But if you want to get into the “how and when” of the matter, you’ll want to skip to the 22 minute mark.

That’s where we get to learn about how difficult it is to bring back a film like Ektachrome—which is made up of 80 ingredients, some of them no longer available to purchase—and how Kodak is making the economics of Ektachrome work by creating it in smaller, more sustainable batches.

You’ll want to listen to the discussion to really get the details of how the film is made, but here are a few of the most interesting tidbits about the revival process (for us anyway):

  • Kodak has managed to either find or manufacture all 80 ingredients required to make Ektachrome.
  • Much of the process so far has involved retooling the formula so it will work on the machines available to them, because they no longer have all of the equipment they had when Ektachrome was being developed previously.
  • They’ve already produced some ‘pilot coatings’ that they are testing to ensure they’re ready to mass produce Ektachrome that’s up to snuff.
  • When they’re ready to go, they will be making rolls using a coater that produces the film on sheets that are 4 feet wide and 6,000 feet long. The first of these ‘wide’ rolls will be produced before the end of 2017, and will be used for internal testing.
  • Kodak will be making a single (4ft x 6,000ft) roll for the first production run, so they don’t have to hold on to too much inventory at one time.
  • Kodak Ektachrome’s market release is planned for 2018.

Eastman Kodak itself will produce all of the film and plans to distribute the Super 8 cinema version of Ektachrome, while Kodak Alaris will distribute the 35mm slide film for stills shooters. For now, we still don’t know exactly when Ektachrome is coming back in 2018, but as soon as we do, we’ll let you know so you can mark your calendars.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Kodak reveals how and when it’s bringing back 35mm Ektachrome film

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Reflex modular SLR unveiled: The first new manual 35mm SLR design in decades

08 Nov

Reflex has just launched the Reflex I: the first newly-designed manual 35mm SLR system to see the light of day in more than 25 years. The camera pairs a classic look with a modular design that enables personalization, including an interchangeable film back and lens mount. Reflex I supports legacy lenses, as well as both personally designed 3D-printed components and third-party accessories.

To help fuel the customization options, Reflex plans to freely release most of the camera’s electronic and hardware designs once the camera officially hits shelves. Notable among the modular design is Reflex’s I-Plate and included universal M42 lens mount; the company says buyers can also use alternative mounts compatible with Nikon F, Olympus OM, Canon FD, and Pentax PK lenses.

Loading film, meanwhile, has been simplified via the modular I-Back, an interchangeable back piece that enables photographers to pre-load film for rapidly swapping to a different film during a shoot. Other modern features hope to join these two modular components, though their inclusion will partly depend on how successful the Reflex’s Kickstarter funding campaign is.

The Reflex I features an integrated flash and continuous LED light source, a first for analog cameras, according to the company. Photographers can select between three different LED intensities, plus the flash.

Assuming the Kickstarter campaign reaches at least £150k in funding, the company plans to integrate the Reflex I with a companion mobile app that will log the settings for each film and shot, enabling photographers to note the settings used to capture their favorite photos.

Reflex is offering the Reflex I camera body early bird units to backers who pledge at least £350 / $ 458 on Kickstarter. Deliveries to those backers are estimated to begin in August 2018. The Kickstarter campaign also offers other rewards for different backing tiers, such as a bundle with just the I-Back and I-Mount, a prime lens, “Analogue Pack,” and more.

Check out the campaign page for more details.

Camera Specifications:

  • Type: Single Lens Reflex Camera
  • Format: 135 film, 35mm/FF
  • System: Reflex RM
  • Lens Mount: Reflex I-Plate (in M42, Nikon F, Canon FD, Olympus OM, Pentax PK)
  • Focus: Manual
  • Film Loading: Reflex I-Back
  • Film Advance/Rewind: Manual
  • Exposure: Manual – Aperture Priority (+ 4 stops EV)
  • DOF inverted preview
  • Shutter Speeds: 1s – 1/4000th, Time and Bulb
  • Metering: AV + Spot + 4 stops EV
  • ISO: 25-6400
  • Controller: Arduino based modular design
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth (BLE) enabled
  • Body: Magnesium Alloy
  • Weight: 490g
  • Dimensions: 134mm x 74.5mm x 34mm
  • Electronic system: 5v Ion Lithium rechargeable via USB-C
  • Resolution: Zero Megapixels

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Reflex modular SLR unveiled: The first new manual 35mm SLR design in decades

Posted in Uncategorized

 

DJI launches Zenmuse X7 Super 35mm camera module with Raw video capture

12 Oct

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_8541344997″,”galleryId”:”8541344997″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

DJI has launched the Zenmuse X7, a Raw video capable Super 35 camera module. The camera/gimbal system which mounts to the company’s drones features a new, proprietary lens mount.

The camera can shoot 6K CinemaDNG Raw or 5.2K Apple ProRes footage at up to 30p or 3.9K CinemaDNG and 2.7K ProRes at up to 59.94p. The company claims 14 stops of dynamic range but, like all video manufacturers, doesn’t specify how this is assessed.

It uses the new “DJI Cinema Color System” based around a D-Log Curve and D-Gamut RGB color space.

The camera includes two exposure modes, one that varies amplification gain and an “EI” mode that always uses minimal amplification (~base ISO) with metadata tags to denote the intended final brightness, to preserve DR. This is increasingly common practice in the video sphere but has yet to make its way across to stills photography.

The previous model (the Zenmuse X5) was based around a Micro Four Thirds mount and came with a distinctly Panasonic-like 15mm F1.7 lens. Instead the Zenmuse X7 is based around the company’s own ‘DL’ mount.

Alongside the camera, the company is releasing 16mm, 24mm, 35mm and 50mm F2.8 lenses, the longest three of which will include mechanical shutters. The carbon fiber bodied lenses will cost $ 1,299 each, with the exception of the 50mm, which is $ 100 cheaper, though a camera bundled with all four lenses will cost just $ 4,299.

The camera on its own will cost around $ 2699 and will be available from November.

Press Release:

DJI Reveals Zenmuse X7, The World’s First Super 35 Digital Film Camera Optimized for Professional Aerial Cinematography

Superior Image Quality, Interchangeable Lenses, and a New Color System Deliver Complete Creative Freedom

October 11, 2017 – DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today introduced the Zenmuse X7, the world’s first Super 35 digital film camera optimized for professional aerial cinematography. Designed to work seamlessly with the DJI Inspire 2 drone, the Zenmuse X7 delivers superior image quality, interchangeable lenses, and a new DJI Cinema Color System for post-production to give film and video professionals more creative freedom.

“The Zenmuse X7 offers everything professional content creators need to make their aerial footage as stunning and vivid as they demand,” said Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager at DJI. “From the large Super 35 sensor to a new mount, lenses, and color system, the Zenmuse X7 gives cinematographers and professional photographers an unmatched set of tools that work seamlessly with the DJI Inspire 2 drone to capture high-quality footage that is easily integrated into projects shot with industry-leading handheld cameras.”

Greater Expressive Freedom

The Zenmuse X7 is equipped with a Super 35 video sensor featuring 14 stops of dynamic range for more detail in low-light conditions. Its low-noise image capture enhances grading flexibility by preserving details in both highlight and dark areas while enabling a shallow cinematic depth of field.

To meet the rigorous requirements of filmmakers and television production professionals, the Zenmuse X7 captures the highest image resolutions ever for an integrated drone camera. It is capable of shooting 6K CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30 FPS, as well as 3.9K CinemaDNG RAW or 2.7K ProRes at up to 59.94 FPS to integrate seamlessly into industry-standard post-production workflows.

Enhanced Imaging Potential

The Zenmuse X7 uses a dedicated aerial mount system, the DJI DL-Mount, featuring an ultra-short flange focal distance to carry prime lenses optimally. Available with focal lengths of 16 mm, 24 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm, each lens has a maximum aperture of F/2.8 and is crafted out of carbon fiber, making them durable and lightweight for high-performance aerial cinematography with the DJI Inspire 2 drone.

To allow for advanced setting adjustment and fine-tuning, the 16mm lens is equipped with a built-in ND 4 filter, and the 24 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm lenses feature a mechanical shutter.

Higher Flexibility in Post-Production

DJI has also introduced a new DJI Cinema Color System (DCCS) making the Zenmuse X7 an asset on every film set for movies, TV series, commercials, documentaries, and more.

“For the Zenmuse X7, we took our color science to the next level,” continued Pan. “We consulted the world leading authorities in color science, Technicolor. With their guidance, our engineers developed an optimized gamma curve for the X7 allowing more latitude without sacrificing image quality.”

DCCS features a new D-Log Curve and D-Gamut RGB color space to give more flexibility and color options during the post-production process. The D-Log further extends the dynamic range, while the D-Gamut RGB color space preserves more color information to support the most demanding filmmaking scenarios, providing accurate color for quick and easy post-processing.

The new EI Mode mimics the way a film camera works to help cinematographers capture as much information as possible in every scene while balancing the dynamic range and noise with different log curves for more flexibility during the post-production process.

The Zenmuse X7 gimbal system weighs just 631 grams with the 16 mm lens. The DJI Inspire 2 has a flight time of up to 23 minutes with the Zenmuse X7. For more info about the Zenmuse X7, visit www.dji.com/zenmuse-x7.

Price and Availability

The Zenmuse X7 camera is priced at $ 2,699 USD. The 16 mm, 24 mm and 35 mm lenses will be available for $ 1,299 each, and the 50 mm for $ 1,199. Customers can purchase the Zenmuse X7 prime lens combo including all 4 lenses for $ 4,299. The Zenmuse X7 will start shipping in early November 2017 from store.dji.com, in DJI Flagship Stores and through DJI Authorized Dealers worldwide.

DJI Care Refresh will be available for the Zenmuse X7 camera gimbal system as well as for the Inspire 2 drone. For more info, visit www.dji.com/service/djicare-refresh.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DJI launches Zenmuse X7 Super 35mm camera module with Raw video capture

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Samyang unveils 35mm F1.4 autofocus lens for Sony full-frame mirrorless

10 Oct

Samyang has officially unveiled its fourth autofocus lens for Sony FE mount cameras: the long-rumored Samyang AF 35mm F1.4 FE. The new 35mm joins Samyang’s three other AF lenses—the AF 14mm f/2.8 FE, AF 35mm f/2.8 FE and AF 50mm f/1.4 FE—and offers Sony full-frame mirrorless shooters yet another affordable (and fast) prime to shoot with.

As with all previous Samyang autofocus FE lenses, the company claims that they offer exceptional image quality across the whole image field.

This particular lens features 11 lens elements in 9 groups, including 2 aspherical lenses and 2 high-refractive lenses. At its core is a 9 (circular) blade aperture that opens up all the way to F1.4, and a Linear Super Sonic Motor promises “fast, precise and quiet autofocus performance.”

The lens is scheduled to ship in November at a suggested retail price of £600 and €650, which should put US pricing around $ 750. To learn more about the new lens, head over to the Samyang website.

Press Release

Samyang Announces the Fourth Autofocus Lens – AF 35mm F1.4 FE

October 10th, 2017, Seoul, South Korea – Global optics brand, Samyang Optics (http://www.samyanglensglobal.com) is pleased to announce the release of their fourth autofocus lens: AF 35mm F1.4 FE. The bright F1.4 aperture and absolute resolution turn every moment into artwork. This lens now expands Samyang’s autofocus lens line-up to four which includes three existing autofocus lenses, AF 14mm F2.8 FE, AF 35mm F2.8 FE and AF 50mm F1.4 FE.

Aim High, Create Artwork

This new AF 35mm F1.4 FE works in harmony with full frame mirrorless cameras in Sony E mount such as Sony ?7 or ?9 series. It is designed to appeal to enthusiasts and professionals who are ready to take the next step up in photography. It is the excellent companion to create artworks from everyday moments, while the tiny AF 35mm F2.8 FE released in June of this year is the perfect partner for everyday photographers.

High Performance beyond Expectation

Absolute resolution across the entire image field is the key feature of Samyang AF 35mm F1.4 FE. The lens includes 11 elements in 9 groups and features 2 aspherical lenses and 2 high-refractive lenses, plus Ultra Multi Coating. The optical design minimises various aberrations and unnecessary light dispersion to deliver outstanding resolution. Fast, precise and quiet autofocus performance meets Samyang’s exceptional optical technology to capture any moments clearly. The bright F1.4 secures fast shutter speed and creates shallow depth of focus images in wide-standard angle of view. The new 35mm F1.4 lens is ideal for professional photography including low-light events, landscapes and portraits with expressive characteristics.

Available from November 2017

Samyang AF 35mm F1.4 FE, a lens for photographers aiming high in photography, will be available globally from November and will carry a suggested retail price of EUR 649.

To celebrate launching, Samyang Optics will hold various consumer events on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/samyanglensglobal) and Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/samyanglensglobal). For more information on product, visit Samyang Optics official website (http://www.samyanglensglobal.com/).

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Samyang unveils 35mm F1.4 autofocus lens for Sony full-frame mirrorless

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Japan Camera Hunter is designing a 35mm ‘premium compact’ camera

30 Sep

During last week’s Save Analog Cameras live broadcast, it was announced that Bellamy Hunt of Japan Camera Hunter (JCH) is working on a new 35mm compact camera project, according to Kosmo Foto. This revelation follows Hunt’s recent launch of the JCH StreetPan 120 B&W film, which itself followed JCH’s first film launch about a year and a half ago.

Hunt reportedly didn’t reveal much about the planned 35mm camera, though he did refer to it as a ‘premium compact,’ indicating what potential future buyers can expect. The project aims to fill a growing void in the camera market, giving analog enthusiasts a modern compact 35mm option, although it could be many months before the camera actually launches.

Kosmo Foto reports that the camera may be ready for testing some time next year, though they didn’t mention whether they got that information directly from Hunt or elsewhere. Hunt discussed the topic of compact film camera scarcity in a blog post earlier this year, saying, among other things:

I would dearly love to make a compact camera, and I know what I want too … A simply [sic] point and shoot with a decent 28mm or 35mm lens, flash, iso selector and manual override. As simple as possible and made from metal for durability. The less electronic components the better, so that it can be easily serviceable and less prone to breaking down.

Whether the camera discussed last week will follow these design principles is yet to be seen, but we’ll definitely be keeping a eye out for Hunt’s creation.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Japan Camera Hunter is designing a 35mm ‘premium compact’ camera

Posted in Uncategorized

 

FOQUS Type-D 200 is a new 35mm black-and-white film from Russia

30 Aug

The team behind Russian company FOQUS has launched FOQUS 200, a new 35mm panchromatic black-and-white film described as having a fine grain, strong contrast, and
“pretty good tone range.” The film’s release was made possible by photography enthusiasts in Moscow, according to FOQUS, though it will ship anywhere with orders already available online.

FOQUS explains that Type-D is made entirely in Russia, and is not a repackaged product from Europe. In a blog post, the team explained that photographers may occasionally experience the presence of small ‘dots’ on their developed prints, something they don’t consider a big problem but hope to address in time. They also explain that Type-D isn’t very forgiving, and so photographers should “know what [they’re] doing” when they use it.

If you do know what you’re doing, you can get results like this:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_5758076413″,”galleryId”:”5758076413″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”standalone”:false,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”startInCommentsView”:false,”isMobile”:false}) });

Because the film is entirely produced within Russia, the price is low for international buyers: at only 230 rubles / $ 4 USD / 3.30 Euro / 3 GBP per roll. Probably as a result, the FOQUS website currently lists the film as out of stock.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on FOQUS Type-D 200 is a new 35mm black-and-white film from Russia

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Nikon patents 35mm F2.0 lens for camera with curved full frame sensor

23 Jul
Nikon’s never-released DL18-50. Did Nikon abandon this series of 1-inch sensor compacts in order to focus on creating a full-frame mirrorless camera?

A new Nikon lens patent is causing quite a stir in the photo world today, but it’s not because of the lens itself. Instead, the patent has people excited because it describes a lens that is made for a curved full-frame sensor, possibly inside a mirrorless camera.

The latter bit is pure speculation—as Nikon Rumors points out, “the patent does not provide sufficient technical information to determine if this is a mirrorless or a DSLR lens,” especially since Nikon has patented curved sensors in the past—but the 35mm F2.0 lens described is definitely made to work with a full-frame curved sensor.

It’s possible this camera could be a fixed-lens system, bypassing the need to design multiple lenses or figure out how to make zoom lenses work on a curved sensor. For that matter, it’s also possible this design never makes it to market. But the fact that Nikon is dabbling in patents here, spending R&D time and money on some real innovation, is at least mildly heartening.

With multiple curved sensor patents and prototypes out in the wild, the correct question now seems to be “when” rather than “if” this technology will make it to the general public. Well, “when” and “who will get there first?”

You can see more diagrams from this patent here: P2017-125904A. And, of course, feel free to speculate your heart out in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Nikon patents 35mm F2.0 lens for camera with curved full frame sensor

Posted in Uncategorized

 
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »