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Hands-on with the Sony a6400

17 Jan

Hands-on with the Sony a6400

The Sony a6400 is a refresh of the company’s midrange APS-C mirrorless camera. Sony has taken the design of the a6300, retooled the LCD so it can now flip up 180° (for vlogging and selfies) and say it’s made the body a bit more durable.

If that doesn’t sound exciting, it’s because we haven’t told you about the a6400’s most notable feature: its state-of-the-art autofocus system. But more on that – and a lot more – in the slides that follow.

But first, pricing. The a6400 will have an MSRP of $ 900/€1050 body only, $ 1000/€1150 with the 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ lens and $ 1300/€1450 with an 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 lens.

Design

If you’ve used a Sony a6xxx series camera then you’ll feel right at home with the a6400, since nearly everything is in the same place. While they have the same height and width, the a6400 is deeper than the a6300 due to the parts required to tilt the LCD all the way up. Something that serious vloggers may not like is that the LCD will be completely blocked by an external mic (or recorder). Even without those, the screen is slightly blocked by the top plate and EVF eye cup.

The a6400 has a magnesium alloy body and is sealed against dust and moisture. Sony says that the build has been ‘upgraded,’ but doesn’t say exactly how.

LCD and EVF

Look familiar? The a6400 has the usual rear thumb wheel / directional controller, a few buttons, and a button whose function can toggle between AF/MF and AE-Lock at the flip of a lever. The camera has eight customizable buttons and dials and the ‘My Menu’ can store up to 30 of your favorite settings.

The 3″, 921k-dot LCD on the camera still has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is great for video, but results in black bars on either side of the image when shooting stills. Unlike the a63000, the screen is touch-enabled which allows you to tap-to-focus, shoot and track a subject. You can also use the screen as a touchpad to adjust the position of the focus point with your eye to the finder. The display can tilt down to nearly 90° and all the way up to 180°.

The a6400 uses the familiar 2.36M-dot / 0.7x magnification (equiv.) OLED EVF as the a6300 and a6500.

In-N-Out

There are a total of three I/O ports on the a6400: micro-HDMI, USB 2.0 and mic-in. There’s also a ‘Multi Interface Shoe’, which is a hot shoe with electronic contacts for using an external mic, flash or XLR adapter. There’s no way to connect headphones to monitor audio, though.

For those looking to transfer their photos onto a smartphone, you can use Sony’s brand new ‘Imaging Edge’ app. The app, which replaces PlayMemories Mobile, offers a new UI, 4K video transfer and remote control. In theory it should support auto image transfer (at 2MP), but Sony currently lists the a9 as the only camera compatible with that feature.

In addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the a6400 also offers NFC, for quick pairing with compatible Android devices. Again, not much has changed over the a6300.

Memory card / Battery

In case you were wondering where Sony put the memory card slot, it’s on the bottom, next to the battery (as usual). The a6400 supports SD cards (with UHS-I support) as well as yes-they-still-make-it Memory Stick Duo media.

We were a bit disappointed to see that the a6400 hasn’t received a battery upgrade, instead relying on the old NP-FW50 for power. The official CIPA ratings for battery life are 410 shots with the LCD and 360 shots with the EVF, which are still respectable (you’ll often get more than the rated number of shots). The battery can be charged over USB or with an external charger (not included).

Sensor

Sony confirms the 24.2 effective Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor on the a6400 is the same as the one in the a6300. And that’s not a bad thing, as we found the image quality on that camera to be near the top of its class.

The a6400 incorporates the latest version of Sony’s Bionz X processor, which allows for a wider ISO range. The native range is 100-32000, which can expand up to 102,800. Sony says that skin tones and ‘plant colors’ have been improved over previous models.

The a6400 has a fully electronic shutter option, allowing for silent shooting. The burst rate drops from 11 to 8 fps when using it, though that’s still more than enough for most photography. Speaking of shutters, Sony rates the shutter life at 200,000 cycles: double that of the a6300.

Something that we really hoping for was sensor-shift image stabilization, like on Sony’s a6500 and current full-frame models. Unfortunately, you won’t find IBIS on the a6400, so you’ll need to spend the additional money ($ 200 at the time of writing) if that feature is important to you.

Autofocus

We could write a thesis paper about the autofocus system on the a6400, but we’ll keep it brief to preserve your sanity.

First, the basics: the a6400 has a hybrid AF system, combining 425 phase-detect points with a traditional 165-point contrast-detect system. Those phase-detect points cover 84% of the image area. So far, so familiar.

Now, the fun part. The a6400’s AF system is based largely on the sports-oriented a9: at least after it receives a pair of firmware updates this Spring and Summer. Besides a speed boost compared to the a6300, the camera can take advantage of Sony’s Real-time Eye AF and Real-time Tracking features.

Real-time Tracking claims to use ‘Speed X AI’, with the AI portion really being an umbrella for a host of predictive and recognition algorithms, as well as machine learning trained face and eye detection. This allows for fast subject recognition and tracking. Users can specify the subject on which to focus by placing it under the AF point, then initiate AF and have the camera track the subject no matter where it moves to in the frame. If the subject is a face, the camera will automatically perform face and eye detection on that subject. But even if your subject looks away, the camera continues to track it by automatically reverting to the more generic ‘Real-time tracking’ mode, ready for the decisive moment you want. If your subject looks back at the camera, it will automatically switch to Eye AF. And this tracking works well for nearly any subject: a human, a dog, a soccer ball. Its performance and usability means it may be the only AF mode you ever need. After an update this summer, the a6400’s Eye AF will be expanded to work for pets and wildlife.

Real-time Tracking uses all kinds of data – color, depth, pattern recognition – to recognize and track subjects at up to 11 fps, and we’ve been impressed by what we’ve seen of it so far. This video from Sony does a great job at demonstrating the two new real-time AF features.

Video

The video features, mostly shared with the a6300, are pretty good for a $ 900 camera. It captures oversampled 4K UHD footage (30, 25 or 24p) at bit rates of up to 100Mbps using the XAVC S codec. If it’s slow motion video you’re after, a 1080/120p option is available. As on existing models the 30p 4K capture is taken from a cropped region of the sensor.

One concern we have about video quality is with regards to rolling shutter. The a6300 had a lot of it, particularly at 24p and, since the a6400 appears to use the same sensor, we’re not optimistic.

Video users do get many of the benefits of the new AF system though, with fast speeds, Touch Tracking and adjustable sensitivity, rather than the unreliable ‘Lock-On AF’ system in older models. Capture tools include focus peaking, zebra patterns, time code, clean HDMI output, proxy movie recording, and more. The a6400 is Sony’s first APS-C camera to offer an 8-bit version of the HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) picture profile, which sits alongside S-Log2/3.

Finally, the a6400 has an interval shooting mode (about time) which can be edited into a time-lapse movie on the camera or via Sony’s Imaging Edge desktop application.

Wrap-up

On the surface it might appear that not much has changed since the a6300, with the addition of a flip-up touchscreen and an HLG option for high dynamic range video not seeming to signal a major update. But then there’s the stills and video autofocus.

To say that the autofocus system got an overhaul would be an understatement. We’ll be spending plenty of time photographing bikes, running children and who knows what else in the next few days, but our early impressions of the Real-time Eye AF and Tracking features are extremely positive.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Video: Zeiss shows hands-on footage of its ZX1 camera with Lightroom integration

24 Dec

In September 2018, Zeiss announced the ZX1, a fixed-lens, full-frame camera that has onboard Adobe Lightroom CC integration. Yesterday, Zeiss shared a two minute video that gives the world its first hands-on look at the ZX1 and its onboard editing abilities.

Throughout the video, portrait photographer and photojournalist Sabrina Weniger walks around the streets of Little Tokyo in Düsseldorf narrating her experience with the ZX1 and the features she most enjoys about it. Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t hit on the negatives.

In addition to her overall positive thoughts on the camera, Zeiss shares a glimpse of the camera itself, including the 35mm F2 lens and the massive 4.3-inch touchscreen display that’s used to compose, view and edit photos using the onboard Lightroom. The video also details the onboard version of Lightroom CC in action, as she edits a portrait captured inside a small shop right on the rear display of the camera.

Nothing new is necessarily learned from the video, but it’s the first time Zeiss has shown off the camera in action before its yet-to-be-determined launch date said to be in the first part of 2019.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review

02 Dec

The post The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

Focus is one of the most important concepts for a photographer. It can make or break an image. Whether you’re a pixel peeper like me who always looks for technical critical focus or an image maker who uses specific focus points to tell a story, how the camera focuses is everything.

That’s why the newest addition to the Sony Alpha series is so conversation-worthy. With the 399 focus points on the Sony a7R III, and its ability to track focus like no other, the company touts it’s hard to get a shot that’s out of focus. This camera is like an artificially intelligent robot – it can predict and figure out exactly what you want in focus on.

With the thumb joystick on the back of the camera, you can quickly and easily change your focus point. And its AI Servo is out of this world. It could figure out the entire outline of a subject and hold on to it for dear life.

I take varying images – shooting animal action sports, live concerts, and everything in between. So I took all the boasting I’ve heard about this camera and put it to the ultimate test.

About the Sony a7R III

The a7R III is one of Sony’s newest and flashiest addition to its impressive mirrorless line of cameras. According to its website, the Sony a7R III sports the following drool-worthy perks:

42.4 MP 35mm full-frame Exmor R CMOS and enhanced processing system
Standard ISO 100-32000 range (upper limit expandable to 1024005, with a lower limit of 50)
Fast Hybrid AF with 399-point focal-plane phase-detection AF and 425-point contrast-detection AF. The focus modes include:
- AF-A (Automatic AF)
- AF-S (Single-shot AF)
- AF-C ( Continuous AF)
- DMF (Direct Manual Focus)
- Manual Focus
Face detection, with Modes:
- Face Priority in AF (On/Off)
- Face Priority in Multi Metering (On/Off)
- Regist. Faces Priority (On/Off)
- Face registration (max. number detectable: 8)
High-speed continuous shooting of up to 10fps (12fps with AF/AE tracking)
5-axis image stabilization with 5.5-stop exposure advantage
4K video recording
Dual card slots with simultaneous or consecutive recording
Silent Shooting Mode

The camera is compatible solely with Sony E-mount lenses, including G-Master and Zeiss lenses (sought after in the Sony world). The aspect ratio is 3:2, and the camera can record still images in JPEG, (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.31, MPF Baseline compliant) and RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format). The images are quite large: a 35mm full-frame image is 42MP (7,952 x 5,304 pixels), which in uncompressed RAW format takes up about 80MB of storage.

The camera also has built-in noise reduction software you can turn on or off as needed.

But what really set this camera apart (and why I fell in love with it) is the autofocus.

The Sony a7R III Autofocus Features

The a7R III allows for silent shooting at up to 10fps with AF/AE tracking – great for those who do wildlife photography. Shooting at 10 FPS yields up to 76 images at a time (when shooting JPEG).

Its phase-detect points cover around 47% of the sensor area. When you combine that with the contrast-detect sensor areas, the total AF coverage is nearly 68% of the frame.

Advanced algorithms provide high AF precision down to light levels as low as -3 EV for more reliable autofocus in dark scenes. The enhanced Fast Hybrid AF speeds up AF approximately two times faster under dim lighting conditions. The camera’s infrared technology allows it to autofocus even in extremely low or difficult lighting situations.

The camera also has an ‘eye autofocus’ setting. You read that right: it can find eyes on your subject and lock focus on them with the push of a button. This is photographic witchcraft and I love it. The a7R III’s Eye AF evolves with twice the effective eye detection and tracking, even when shooting a moving portrait subject. It’s touted by the company to work when:

the subject’s face is partially hidden
the subject is looking down or wearing glasses
the subject is backlit
the lighting is dim or low
the subject is far away.

The a7R III includes a touchscreen that provides touch AF, focus point dragging and focus racking features. The AF-C (continuous autofocus) option feature is extraordinary. The camera can keep tracking the subject even if it’s changing direction erratically or an object gets in the way.

Tip: The ‘Expand Flexible Spot’ mode is a good one to start from, and works well with the AF joystick for quick adjustments to the preferred focus area.

Real Life Use

This camera is fast and accurate. With my DSLRs, I usually have to refocus multiple times. But I didn’t have to do it once on the Sony a7R III. I think mirrorless cameras really outshine most DSLRs in the autofocus department.

Here’s how it did in various scenarios:

Action and Sports

I photograph a lot of action, and when I first bought this camera I took it to a Frisbee dog competition to test it out. I was absolutely blown away by the autofocus. The camera even recognized a dog’s face with its facial tracking autofocus and maintained focus on the dog’s face throughout its trick-induced performance. When the dog moved further away the focus changed to the animal’s entire body, which I appreciated.

Regardless of how spontaneously the dog moved, the focus remained locked.

I typically use my Canon 7D Mark II for animal sports photography due to its speed and the fact the body is intended for action. But I now prefer the a7R III due to its superb tracking. The 7D tends to get lost when there isn’t much contrast between the subject and the other objects in the frame, such as photographing in the fog. (Many of these dog sporting events happen around 7am when the fog rolls onto the field.)

The Sony mirrorless clearly identified the subject despite the lack of contrast. It can even refocus on dogs running at me without needing any prompting or additional technique.

Portraits

Portraits are an absolute breeze with this camera. From face tracking to eye tracking, it’s almost impossible to take an out-of-focus image unless you have your settings wrong. As I mentioned earlier, the eye tracking feature is said to work in problematic scenarios (the face is partially hidden, the subject is looking down, etc.)

Well, I can confirm that what Sony promises is true. It works in all of those scenarios. Even when I shot a model wearing unnatural contacts and bright glittery makeup, the camera had no issue.

Dimly-Lit and Golden Hour Portraits

Much like the camera’s success with well-lit portraits, the Sony a7R III can focus on portraits in dim light as if they were lit to perfection. I’m happy to say there was absolutely no difference between the two. Night portraits were a breeze.

The golden hour portraits were just as easy (not to mention exquisite). My other cameras have focusing issues when the sun is low and hitting the lens at an angle. But the a7R III breezed through and held focus on the subject no matter how the sun was hitting the lens glass.

Live Concerts

Dogs may wake me up in the mornings, but it’s the rock stars who keep me awake at night. In the evenings you’ll probably find me shooting a live concert with an arsenal of camera equipment to get me through the job.

Live concerts are extremely difficult focusing situations. In fact, they’re like a low-light sports situation. For the most part, you’ll have limited lighting, and have to deal with colored bulbs that can paint the subject with a very saturated color (such as the dreaded red hue).

Live concerts are also high-energy and filled with action as the guitarists swing their guitars and the drummer pounds away. You may not always have enough contrast to work with, and plenty of annoying obstacles to get in the way of whatever musicians you’re photographing.

Much like I found success in dog sports photography, the Sony a7R III does mighty well at maintaining focus on the subject despite erratic movement or instruments getting in the way. If the light is low but even, the camera does a splendid job of finding the subject thanks to its Advanced AF algorithms.

Unfortunately, live concerts are also where we hit a bit of a snag. As venue goers know, most music venues (especially small indie ones) don’t have consistent lighting on the stage. It can be uneven, sporadic, and wild. Some genres of music (e.g. metal and rock) really love using strobe lights on the stage as well.

And this is where the Sony a7R III flops terribly.

The moment strobes are used, the camera completely loses its ability to focus or find the subject. It’s a negative I haven’t seen covered in other reviews and one that keeps me from bringing this camera to a live concert (after having a particularly bad experience at a recent show).

When strobes were involved, none of the autofocus settings or adjustments worked. The camera began to hunt and then failed to focus at all. This happened with other native and non-native lenses. My guess is the infrared technology is affected by the strobing effects, but that’s just an assumption.

Non-Native Lens with an Adapter

As an avid 16-year Canon user with an army of L lenses, I have no plans on switching brands anytime soon. When I added the Sony a7R III to my kit, I immediately looked for ways to adapt my L glass to the Sony camera. (That way I’d need to buy only buy one native lens for the Sony and use the rest of my existing kit.)

After testing out several adapters I found that the Metabones Smart Adapter worked best.

Now it was time to test the autofocus on a non-native lens.

Although some of the autofocus features (e.g. eye-tracking) are disabled on non-native lenses, the facial recognition and AF-C (continuous autofocus) features worked like a charm. Once I’d calibrated the adapter to my lenses I didn’t experience any lag, searching or loss of focus. And despite certain features being unavailable, the camera was just as fast with non-native lenses as it was with native ones – even in low light. (I took this set up out for a spin during a club event.)

But the strobing issue was still there, which is why I’m convinced it’s a camera issue rather than a lens issue.

Final Thoughts

I have no regrets investing top dollar in this mirrorless camera. I find myself using it as much as my DSLRs, and I have three of them. I’ll often pick the mirrorless for more complex shoots simply because of its exquisite face tracking with autofocus.

Have I got you salivating? Think the Sony a7R III might be your next camera? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

The post The (Almost) Perfect Autofocus of the Sony a7R III: a Hands-On Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

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Insta360 One X hands-on review

14 Nov

The One X is Insta360’s latest consumer 360-degree cam and is controlled via an iPhone or Android smartphone, and retails for $ 400. The big news on the new model is the 5.7K resolution which means you can reframe the spherical footage and extract a standard 16:9 video with good resolution after capture. During recording you don’t have to worry where the camera is pointed at.

5.7K video is recorded at 30 frames per second. For smooth motion in action videos or slow-motion effects you can also opt to record 4K footage at 50fps or 3K video at 100fps. In photo mode the camera captures 18MP still images.

The One X also comes with an improved version of Insta360’s FlowState stabilization and a new TimeShift feature that lets users adjust the speed of different parts of a clip to put the focus on key moments, using either slow-motion or hyperlapse effects. The “Bullet-time” special effect was already available on the predecessor Insta360 One.

We’ve had the chance to play a few days with the new Insta360 One X. Read this article and find out how we got on.

Key specifications:

18 MP still image resolution
5760 x 2880 @30fps, 3840 x 1920 @50fps, 3008 x 1504 @100fps video resolutions
Built-in 6-axis gyroscopic stabilization
Live-streaming
Exposure compensation and manual control over shutter speed and ISO
Weight with battery: 115g
Dimensions: 115mm x 48mm x 28mm
MicroSD card slot up to 128GB
1200mAh battery, 60 mins run time shooting 5.7K @30FPS or 4K@50FPS video

Operation

The One X only has two buttons, making stand-alone operation very straightforward. The small button is the power button and also used to cycle through shooting modes and settings. The larger button is the shutter and also used for confirmation when navigating the menus which are displayed on a small circular OLED display.

Camera settings are shown on a small circular display.

The display isn’t always easy to view in bright light but you can enable a QuickCapture mode that powers the camera up and immediately starts recording when you long-press the shutter. This is a useful feature for shooting while riding a bike or doing any other activity that demands your full attention.

At the bottom of the device is a standard tripod mount which allows you to attach the camera to all sorts of supports and selfie-sticks. With an adapter, you can use the One X with a GoPro-style mount, and if you don’t have any other means of support, the flat base allows you to place the camera on any flat surface.

The One X connects to mobile devices via WiFi, or, for better transfer speeds, via a supplied USB-cable. Via the same connection you can also trigger and control the camera from the dedicated mobile app. Parameters such as ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, and shutter speed are user adjustable.


In the app you can view images and videos that are stored on the camera or your mobile device.	Photo editing options include filters and stickers.

The dedicated One X app lets you transfer, view, edit and share both 360-degree videos and still images.

Videos

The One X can record 5.7K 360-degree video which allows you to reframe on your phone and extract a 16:9 1080p standard video at very good quality. The easiest way to achieve this in the app is through the Viewfinder feature.

In Viewfinder mode the 360-degree video is played back on your device. You can then move the phone just as if you were recording a video in real-time. Whatever is visible on the display of your device will be “re-shot” and saved as a new video.


You can use the Viewfinder, Pivot Points or Smart Tracking to frame your video	In Viewfinder mode you press and hold the red shutter while moving the phone as you would during recording of a standard video.

The video below is totally uncut to give you a better idea of what’s going on. After starting to record I hand the camera to my buddy who then simply rides along with the camera in his hand, not worrying about where the lenses are pointing.

Back home I “re-shot” the video using the Viewfinder function and aiming to keep myself in the frame. With a conventional action camera this type of video would have been a lot more difficult to shoot, especially from a bike.

Viewfinder also allows you to “recycle” your 360-degree footage and re-shoot several versions of the same footage. The sample clip below was recorded from the same 360-degree footage as the one above, but this time with different framing, creating more of a typical rider point-of-view video you would get with a conventional action cam in a chest or handlebar mount.

For this third version of the same video I applied a Tiny Planet effect to the 360-degree footage. The feature won’t particularly useful to more serious video makers but makes for a nice party trick.

As you can see in the video samples above, the camera is capable of capturing decent detail, even when using only a portion of the full 360-degree footage. With the sun always visible somewhere in the frame, there is inevitably some clipping in the brightest areas of the sky but overall dynamic range is pretty good and, although occasionally visible, stitching artifacts are well under control.

The real highlight is Insta360’s FlowState stabilization, though. Footage is very smooth and almost looks like it was shot from a gimbal, despite the hand-held capture.

Footage is very smooth and almost looks like it was shot from a gimbal

The sample below was recorded with the Insta360 selfie-stick to give a perspective from higher up than usual. Camera movement was created using Insta360’s pivot points instead of Viewfinder mode. You can set as many pivot points as you like in a video and the app creates smooth transitions between them. Pivot points are a good alternative to Viewfinder mode if you prefer a more automated solution.

The app also offers a subject tracking option for controlling camera movement during editing. This works generally well but will stop tracking if the subject is momentarily obscured by another object, so depending on your footage it’s not always the best solution.

Below is the same video in 360-degree format as a reference. If you pan the video to see myself you can see that the Insta360 app is doing quite an impressive job at making the selfie-stick disappear from the footage.

In lower light, like the indoor scenes below, the camera is still capable of producing good detail and noise-free footage. When light conditions get really dim the otherwise excellent FlowState stabilization loses some of its efficiency. However, you have the option to sacrifice some image detail for faster frame rates which allow for a very similar stabilization performance as in good light.

I’ve also created a “Bullet-time” video using the optional Bullet-time handle that allows you to swing the selfie-stick over your head in a circle. In bullet time mode the camera records at 100 frames per second, allowing for a slight slow-motion effect in playback. The feature is fun to play with and with some more practice more impressive results than mine should be easily possible.

Still images

The Insta360 One X will likely be most attractive to video shooters but the camera is also capable of capturing 18MP spherical still images. In still image mode you can activate HDR mode, configure interval shooting and capture in Raw format. A self-timer is on board as well.

In the app you can view and export images in several formats including full 360-degree fisheye, tiny planet and crystal ball formats. Below you can see a few samples, in original 360-degree format and Tiny Planet or Fish-eye variations.


Full 360-degree image	Full 360-degree image

Tiny Planet	Fish-eye

The camera is capable of producing good quality 360-degree image output that in terms of detail, noise, color and dynamic range is roughly on the level of a good smartphone camera. While in some video clips some stitching artifacts are just about noticeable, they are as good as invisible in most still images, making the camera an interesting and affordable option for professional users, such as property agents or wedding photographers.


Full 360-degree image	Full 360-degree image

Tiny Planet	Fish-eye

Conclusion

I’ve used a couple of Insta360’s earlier models before, for example the Insta 360 Air. Those older consumer cameras were easy and fun to use but had one important limitation: the video resolution would not allow for the extraction of standard video at a sufficiently high resolution. The cameras were fun to play with but ultimately not of much use to anyone serious about video.

At a retail price of $ 400 the One X now makes high-resolution 360-degree footage available to the masses, allowing for the creation of Full HD video from the camera’s 5.7K 360-degree output. During recording this means it doesn’t matter where you are pointing the camera because you can select the final frames in post-production in the app.

This makes the camera extremely useful for use on a bike, while hiking or running or doing any other kind of physical activity during which you don’t really want to think about where to point your camera.

At $ 400 the One X makes high-resolution 360 footage available to the masses, allowing for Full HD standard video from the camera’s 5.7K 360-degree output.

I’ve never been a big fan of using GoPro-style action cams on a bike for example. If you mount it to the handlebars or your chest, the footage gets quite boring quite quickly. But if you hold it in your hands and try to frame an interesting video, you dramatically increase the risk of crashing. The One X makes shooting interesting video on a bike so much easier, which is why I have been carrying it on every single bike ride since I received the camera for testing.

Both video and still image quality are on the level of a decent smartphone camera, all editing can be done on a mobile device and the dedicated app is intuitive and straightforward to use, making the Insta360 One X an easy recommendation to anyone who has a use case for 360-degree video and still images but a limited budget.

If you find the features of the One X appealing, you may also want to read our reviews of the Rylo Camera and the GoPro Fusion, two other 360-degree cameras that we liked and which include similar feature sets.

What we like:

Ability to “reframe” 360-degree footage to create Full-HD standard video
Intuitive app control, very easy to use Viewfinder reframing function
Very good video stabilization in most conditions
Price

What we don’t like:

Occasional stitching artifacts in video footage
Strong wind noise in some outdoor videos

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Hands-on with the Red Hydrogen One

02 Nov

Red Hydrogen One hands-on

The story of a flagship smartphone launch in 2018 typically goes like this: “This is a phone. It’s the same as the phone that came before it, only it has a new processor and bigger screen. It’s screenier. Also, the camera hardware is mostly the same but software improvements give it a better Portrait Mode and HDR capabilities. Something something artificial intelligence. Oh, and it costs about $ 1000.”

That’s not the story of the Red Hydrogen One – the long anticipated smartphone debut from the highly regarded cinema camera maker. From the first teasers in July 2017 the device’s marquee feature was clear: a holographic ‘4V’ display that would be able to show 3D photos and video (no special glasses required) as well as traditional 2D content. Several delays later, the Hydrogen One is officially here and thanks to our friends at Glazer’s Camera in Seattle, we’ve had a chance to check out this display we’ve heard so much about.

Display

It’s a 5.7″ 1440 x 2560 screen bordered on the top and bottom by a significant bezel. It’s a perfectly nice, bright screen for viewing 2D content, but any old phone can do that. So what of its signature feature? Well, we don’t have a lot of great things to say about it. Neither does the rest of the internet.

A Content Experience

The 3D effect when viewing photos and videos ranges from passable to downright bad. Images pre-loaded onto the device and the photos on Holopix, Red’s version of Instagram for 3D images, so far look decent. But even when it’s good, the 3D effect looks more gimmicky (remember Magic Eye? Like that) than photo-realistic and is a distraction unto itself. When it’s bad, as it has been in many of the photos we’ve taken ourselves, it’s actually sort of nauseating.

Three-dimensional elements jump around on the screen as you tilt the display, and the device struggles with complex subjects like dog fur – some random bits seem “sunken” into the background that shouldn’t be. Worse, 3D content appears a bit fuzzy. It’s just… not good.

Rear camera

The Hydrogen One uses two rear-facing cameras but they’re not a dual camera system like we’re used to seeing on an iPhone or Samsung device. Red’s phone uses the same two 12MP F1.8 cameras in order to create the stereoscopic effect in photos and video. They also need to be side-by-side horizontally, meaning you can only capture 3D images with the rear cameras in landscape orientation (likewise the front-facing cameras must be used in portrait orientation).

Camera app

The Red camera app offers a Manual shooting mode with access to ISO and shutter speed, and despite the unorthodox dual-camera there’s still a Portrait Mode available (and it’s not half bad in our limited use). There’s a small, red button that acts as a physical shutter release.

When shooting in 2D mode the screen brightens momentarily to indicate when you’ve taken a photo, but there’s no such feedback when you take a 3D photo aside from the small gallery thumbnail image refreshing, which is a disconcerting experience. That is, unless you leave the comically exaggerated shutter sound on, and if that’s the case, just know that you’re a monster.

Front-facing camera

Two 8.3 megapixel cameras are on the front side of the device, meaning you can take 3D selfies (again, only in portrait orientation). I find the very concept of a 3D selfie horrifying, but one of my colleagues took one wearing her Halloween costume and it really is one of the better examples of the 3D effect in all of our time using the phone.

General handling

The Hydrogen One doesn’t adhere to the minimalist design principles of most modern smartphones. It’s unapologetically big, heavy, and rugged as heck (though not actually water-resistant). It says MEDIA MACHINE on the back plate around the logo. The edges feature curved indentations for fingers to grip, but I found these made the phone more awkward to handle. Plus, volume and power buttons are nestled into those indentations and I’ve lost count of how many times I accidentally pressed a button.

System potential

It’s probably evident by now that we aren’t big fans of the Hydrogen One, at least in its current state. But setting the disappointing 3D effects aside, there are good reasons why the phone could be genuinely useful to filmmakers. For example, Red has indicated that the Hydrogen One will interface with the company’s line of professional video cameras, and chances are good it will provide a unique level of utility to users of the company’s cameras.

What’s potentially more interesting, however, is the future of the Hydrogen One as part of a cinema camera system. Red has touted an upcoming module with a sensor and interchangeable lens mounts (connecting via the pins pictured above), and has even suggested that image quality would only be surpassed by Red’s bigger cameras. That’s a big claim, and if Red delivers we’ll be impressed.

A new hope

In the same way that smartphone companies have transformed the photo industry by turning the camera in your pocket into something even a pro would use, we’d like to believe that Red may be on the verge of doing the same for cinema cameras. As a standalone device the Hydrogen One is pretty disappointing, but there’s hope in the expansion of the system.

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Photokina 2018: hands-on with the Leica S3

12 Oct

Hands-on: Leica S3 medium format camera

With all the excitement surrounding full-frame system announcements at Photokina recently, it’s easy to forget the new arrivals in the medium format digital arena. While Fujifilm announced the GFX 50R – the second medium format digital camera in the GFX line – Leica unveiled the S3, an update to the Leica S2 launched in 2008.

A full spec sheet has yet to be released, but we do know the S3 will launch in Spring 2019 and have a 64MP sensor, 3 fps burst rate and 4K video capture using the full width of the sensor. And if its predecessor’s pricing is an indication, it will likely cost somewhere in the vicinity of $ 20k.

Despite the lack of specification details, we did get our hands on an early working version of the camera. Here’s how it handled.

Hands-on: Leica S3 medium format camera

The first thing I noticed when picking up the S3 is that for a medium format digital camera, it really isn’t that large. In fact it feels similar in hand to a Nikon D5 or Canon EOS 1DX II – I had to remind myself it has a larger sensor than both.

It is also quite pleasant to hold. The shutter release is located on the front of the camera and is easy to access. An indentation below the shutter release provides a comfortable place for your other fingers, and also makes the camera feel secure in hand.

As you might expect for a five-figure-camera, the S3 handles like it’s built to last – the magnesium alloy body feels like it could be used to drive a spike into the earth. The rubber material covering much of the exterior is thick and grippy, giving the whole camera a rugged quality.

Hands-on: Leica S3 medium format camera

The second thing I noticed about the S3 is the big beautiful optical finder, among the loveliest I can ever recall looking through. For reference, the S2’s finder has .86x magnification and the S3’s is likely similar.

The back of the camera looks essentially identical to the original Leica S2 as well as the more recent Leica SL. The four buttons surrounding the 3″ LCD are programmable. There’s also a programmable button on the front of the camera near the mount.

Like the S2, the S3 has two different shutters which can be engaged via a three-way controller on the back of the camera: ‘FPS’ stands for focal plane shutter and ‘CS’ stands for center shutter or leaf shutter (available with compatible lenses). I tried both and the leaf shutter is a good bit quieter.

Hands-on: Leica S3 medium format camera

Operationally, the camera felt fast. It was quick to start up and load menus. I also found the idea of dual top plate info LCDs to be kind of cool and definitely unique.

I didn’t get to shoot much with the S3 but I did get to spend a little bit of time focusing around the room with my eye to the finder. Overall, despite being a non-final product, AF acquisition speeds felt surprisingly quick. On the other hand, using the 5-way AF joystick to actually move points felt a tad sluggish.

Hands-on: Leica S3 medium format camera

I mentioned that the S3 will be able to do 4K video with full-sensor readout. To further expand video capabilities the S3 offers audio in/out and HDMI as well as LEMO style ports for USB and remote trigger/flash connectivity. All these connection points have thick rubber covers to protect them from the elements and grime.

Hands-on: Leica S3 medium format camera

Overall, the Leica S3 feels like a utilitarian tool, built for working professionals. It may have the price tag of an expensive museum piece, but it does not handle like one.

Of course, this is a camera that will most likely be purchased by agencies, studios and perhaps some very high-end pros – not every day shooters – making the high price tag seem less cringe-worthy. More importantly, my brief time with the Leica S3 has raised the bar for just how much I can lust over a new digital camera. Nice work, Leica.

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Hands-on with the new Laowa lens collection

02 Oct

Hands-on with Venus Optics’ new Laowa lenses

As we reported last week, lens manufacturer Venus Optics launched a total of eight Laowa lenses at the Photokina trade show this year. Or more accurately, nearly launched eight as some of the cine lenses were plastic dummies behind glass – but we went to the stand to see those on display to get a taste of what they’re like.

Venus Optics has produced some really excellent lenses in the past, and seems to specialize in lenses that other manufacturers aren’t making – such as the unusual 24mm probe macro lens recently released. The company’s Zero-D range has also gained a very good reputation as a series of extreme wide angles that display hardly any curvilinear distortion – hence the Zero-D name.

Above you’ll see the 17mm F4 GFX Zero-D – an interesting lens and the first Laowa lens for Fujifilm’s GFX system. Its 17mm focal length delivers the angle of view we’d expect from a 13mm lens on a full frame system, and as such it’s the widest lens available in the G-Mount.

Laowa 17mm F4 GFX Zero-D

It is pretty big, but well-made and solid in the hand. Some of the 829g/1.8lb weight comes from the 21 elements inside the barrel, but the rest comes from the shell-case metal construction. Its size will make it look at home perhaps on the GFX 50S but it may look odd on the new 50R rangefinder style model.

Laowa 17mm F4 GFX Zero-D

The lens measures 77×124.5mm and takes an 86mm threaded filter. It can focus to 20cm, offering a maximum magnification of 0.28x. The iris uses seven blades while Fujifilm’s own GF 23mmF4 R LM WR uses nine. The smallest aperture is F22 and the angle of view is 115°. The aperture ring offers clicks only in full stops and only closes down to F22.

Laowa 12mm F1.8 MFT

This is a tiny lens considering the focal length and the maximum aperture, making it best suited to the smaller of the Micro Four Thirds cameras – on which it will behave as a 24mm would on a full frame system. The lens hood is detachable and 46mm filters can be used.

Laowa 12mm F1.8 MFT

The example on show was very much pre-production, but the focus movements felt very nice. This is another 5-bladed iris lens, for the sunstar fans, and it can focus down to just 14cm/5.5in. The lens weighs 165g/0.4lbs, and measures just 5cm/2in long.

Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine Lightweight Zoom

This might be a lightweight cine zoom, but it is still a pretty big piece of kit. Venus Optics was showing the lens on the front of a Kinfinity 6K Terra, the company’s smallest camera – a combination designed to emphasize the compact nature of the package. The lens has three geared rings, for the iris, the zoom and the focus, all of which turn smoothly and with a pleasant resistance.

Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine Lightweight Zoom

The lens has a constant maximum aperture of T2.9 across the zoom range, and Laowa maintains that focus is retained during zooming as well. The company says that while some other brands convert a stills lens for video this Laowa Ooom was designed for cinema from the off.

Laowa OOOM 25-100mm T2.9 Cine Lightweight Zoom

Focus, aperture and focal length markings are repeated on each side of the barrel, and are controlled with some rugged looking gears. The lens will be available in PL mounts, as well as Canon EF and Sony E. It has a covering circle sufficient for Super 35mm sensors.

Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom

This is an intriguing little lens that shows what can be achieved when one of your goals isn’t a wide aperture. The tiny dimensions defy the extreme wide angles and the fact that it is designed for full frame cameras – Sony FE. That it will most likely be used closed down means the 5-bladed iris probably won’t show in highlights, and Laowa claims it will make lovely sunstars when aimed at bright point sources.

Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom

The rear of the lens offers a 37mm filter thread for hiding an ND, or similar, away from the flare of the front of the barrel when filming. Laowa is also working on a front mounted system for 100mm filters that will work with some sort of clamp mechanism. It offers clicked and unclicked apertures via a switch on the side of the barrel.

Laowa 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 FE Zoom

Amazingly the tiny barrel contains 14 elements in 10 groups. The length of the lens is 90.09mm and it weighs just 496g. Laowa claims it is the widest zoom available for Sony FF users, and that it is ideal for travel, landscapes and architecture.

Laowa 17mm F1.8 MFT

This is a very neat little lens that comes with a plastic hood and is designed to be an everyday 35mm-type focal length for the small cameras of the Micro Four Thirds system. It is quite small for the size of the maximum aperture, and weighs only 160g/0.36lbs.

Laowa 17mm F1.8 MFT

It feels very well made, and the construction is the sort of solid you get from a most-metal lens. It features 9 elements in 7 groups, and the company boasts it only has a 5-bladed iris – which it says makes the lens excellent at producing clean sunstars.

Laowa 17mm F1.8 MFT

Shown on an Olympus Pen the lens looks very much at home and in proportion. Its solidity makes a nice balance with the small camera, and the smooth focusing ring makes it feel like a quality lens.

Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye MFT

This is a seriously nice wide lens. I’m not usually a fan of circular fisheyes but this might change my mind. It is really well made and produces a 210° angle of view, in a delightfully small form, and is designed for the MTF system.

Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye MFT

The front element is really bulbous and the reflections in it give some idea about what it can see. The focus ring is fitted with a small handle to make working with just a finger easier. The aperture range covers F2.8 to F16, and inside there are seven elements in six groups controlling the light path. It doesn’t take filters!

Laowa 4mm F2.8 Fisheye MFT

Mounting it on my Lumix G9 I could immediately see why Laowa was displaying it on a flat-fronted Olympus Pen, as my fingers and the grip of the camera were clearly visible at the edge of the frame – as well as my stomach at the bottom of the picture! It is a fun lens that is very well made, but it will be difficult to use.

Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Why there aren’t more macro lenses that allow magnifications greater than 1:1 I don’t know, but Laowa is making the most of the gap in the market with its second model. The 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO is quite a beast compared to the other miniature lenses on the stand, but remains quite lightweight as a lot of the barrel is empty space. It will be available for Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Canon users, and focuses from 24.7cm to infinity.

Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

The front element drops about halfway down the barrel when focused at infinity, and extends right to the top for close working. The 67mm filter thread is actually on the barrel itself rather than attached to the front element housing, so it will remain still the whole time – just sometimes closer to the lens than at other times.

Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

The rear of the lens reveals something Laowa is excited about – contact pins that allow the lens to work with Canon cameras while retaining aperture controls. This also allows aperture coupling in Nikon F cameras which makes life a lot easier.

Laowa 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO

Mr. Li Dayong, the General Manager and lens designer at Laowa, says the lens has APO corrections and is suggested for portraiture as well as macro. He also says that the variation in the number of aperture blades between the different mounts is accounted for in the design differences he had to make when creating the automatic iris mechanisms.

Laowa 9mm F2.8 Zero-D MFT

Laowa has introduced two new 9mm F2.8 Zero-D lenses – one for Micro Four Thirds and the other for the DJI DL mount. It will be the widest option for DJI Inspire 2 drone owners with the Zenmuse x7 gimbal, and the imaging circle is enough to cover Super35 sensors.

Laowa 9mm F2.8 Zero-D MFT

The lens weighs only 215g and is very small indeed. It has the standard Laowa finish and offers a detachable hood. This is the same lens that the company already produces in the Fuji X, Sony E and EOS-M mounts.

Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine

This 12mm cine lens is part of the Zero-D range and is designed for full frame cameras. It will come fitted with either a PL or Canon EF mount, and is a cine version of the existing lens aimed at stills photographers. Of course it has stepless apertures and uses 0.8 gears, as do all these cine lenses, and has had the rotation of its focus ring extended to 270° to make life easier for focus pulling during recording. It has a closest focus of 0.6ft/18cm and weighs 650g/1.4lbs.

Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine

There wasn’t too much to see here as the lens is clearly some way from being finished. It looks nice though! The lens will be available for MFT and weighs 180g/0.4lb, it uses 13 elements in 9 groups and has a 46mm filter thread.

For more information on these lenses see the Venus Optics Laowa website.

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Photokina 2018: Hands-on with Tokina’s Opera 50mm F1.4 premium full-frame lens

30 Sep

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

We first saw a prototype of Tokina’s new 50mm F1.4 Opera lens at the CP+ show in Japan earlier this year. After waiting all summer, we finally gotten hands-on time with a working model at this year’s Photokina in Germany. The Opera series is Tokina’s high-end lens lineup – the equivalent to Sigma’s Art line – and the 50mm F1.4 is the first lens in the series to come into production.

Available in both Nikon and Canon full-frame DSLR mount, the lens is specifically meant to be paired with high-resolution cameras like the Nikon D850 and Canon EOS 5DS R. Set to ship around the end of October, it is priced at $ 950.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

The build quality of this Opera lens is superb. Weighing 33.5oz / 950g it’s about 4.8oz / 135g heavier than the Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art, but handles well on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. It doesn’t feel front heavy.

The large rubberized focus ring matches the directional turn of the mount it’s meant for – turning the ring to the right achieves minimum focus on a Canon and infinity on a Nikon. And the ring continues to turn beyond its minimum and infinity point.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

The Opera 50mm F1.4 is made of 15 elements arranged in 9 groups. 3 of those elements are super low dispersion elements to compact chromatic aberration – there’s also one aspherical element in the rear focus group. To deal with flaring, the lens is coated with Tokina’s Extremely Low Reflection coating. The front element has a 72mm filter size, smaller than the 77mm filter size of the Sigma’s front element.

Minimum focus distance for this lens is 0.4m / 1.3ft, the same as the Sigma.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

Autofocus is achieved using an ultrasonic ring-shaped AF motor which is very quiet in operation. There’s also a manual focus decouple switch on the side of the lens barrel.

The lens has 9 rounded aperture blades which we hope will result in very nice bokeh. And this is the first Tokina lens ever to include an electronic diaphragm (specifically for the Nikon version).

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

There are a total of 8 weather sealing points in the construction of the Opera, which should keep water and grime out of the internal construction. There is also a rubber gasket around the lens mount to keep nastiness out of your camera body.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

Overall we’re excited to get Tokina’s first Opera series lens in and start shooting with it. It’s priced exactly the same as the Sigma Art version and seems to be built to a similar level of physical and optical excellence. Seeing as Sigma’s version is one of our favorite 50mm F1.4s out there, we have high hopes for the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4. Stay tuned for a sample gallery.

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Photokina 2018: Hands-on with new Voigtländer M and E-mount prime lenses

30 Sep

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Voigtländer is one of the oldest names in photography. These days licensed by Japanese lensmaker Cosina, the Voigtländer brand is still going strong. We’re at Photokina, where we got our hands on the company’s newest lenses.

First up is a lens that was quietly released earlier this year for Leica M-mount. The Nokton 50mm F1.2 Asph is a fast standard prime lens designed for high-resolution digital imaging on modern Leica rangefinder cameras.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

While at 1,099 Euros ($ 999) it’s not exactly cheap, it’s a good deal more affordable than Leica’s 50mm F0.95 Noctilux. The all-metal Voigtländer doesn’t have quite the same high-quality feel as the Leica, but it’s very nicely built. The focus and aperture dials rotate with a lovely smoothness and crisp clickiness (respectively) that set this lens apart from most of today’s polycarbonate lenses.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Unlike Leica’s own lenses, the Voigtländer doesn’t offer 6-bit coding for Leica’s digital rangefinder bodies.

The Nokton 50mm F1.2 is priced at 1,099 Euros ($ 1,059) and is available now. A companion lens, the medium-wide Nokton 35mm F1.2 Asph II is also available now, for 1,299 Euros ($ 999).

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

In addition to M-mount lenses, Voigtländer was also showing off its new primes for the Sony E-mount. This is the new 110mm Macro APO-Lanthar, also first announced earlier this year at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

The 110mm offers 1:1 macro capability and a closest focusing distance of 35cm (13.7 in). It uses three floating lens groups for focusing to ensure optimal quality at all distances – according the Cosina – and apochromatic correction to satisfy the resolution requirements of 40MP+ sensors.

Electronic contacts on the mount communicate the lens’s focal length, focus distance and aperture settings to Sony E-mount cameras.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

The 110mm is a beautifully-made lens, but at 771g (27 oz) it’s fairly weighty and as you can see in the previous image, it gets fairly long at its minimum focus distance, too. As well as effective macro photography, the APO-Lanthar could provide a useful portrait capability for Sony E-mount shooters.

The 110mm Macro APO-Lanthar will be available soon for 1,199 Euros ($ 1,099).

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Voigtländer’s Nokton 40mm F1.2 Asph for Sony E-mount is an E-mount version of the M-mount Nokton that Voigtländer has been selling for many years. It offers a minimum focus setting of .35m (13.7 in) in a body weighing 420g (14.8 oz).

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

The Nokton 40mm F1.2 features a 58mm filter ring, and a ten-bladed aperture.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Like the 110mm, the 40mm has electronic contacts to communicate lens settings to Sony E-mount cameras. First announced last year, it is available now for 1,099 Euros ($ 1,099).

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Voigtländer’s new 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar is another E-mount prime. The lens is constructed of nine elements, including one aspherical element and one anomalous partial dispersion element, in eight groups.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

The 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar has a minimum focusing distance of 20cm/7.87in and uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm. The lens will start shipping soon for 749 Euros (US price TBD).

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Also on show are two ‘concept’ lenses, which may or may not enter production, depending on feedback from the market. This is the first one, an ultra-compact ‘Ultron’ 35mm F2 for Leica M-mount. Finished in a classic-looking combination of black and chrome, the Ultron could be a very attractive option for users of film and digital rangefinders looking for a compact and lightweight medium-wide prime.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Next up is another 21mm F3.5 Color-Skopar, but again in Leica M-mount. Much smaller than its E-mount equivalent, this tiny prime is almost a pancake lens.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

Despite its size, the 21mm F3.5 is very nicely made. It features a large, nicely-machined aperture dial and a pegged focus ring for one-finger focusing.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

The third and final concept lens is an E-mount version of the new Nokton 50mm F1.2 Asph.

New Voigtländer lenses for M and E-mount

We believe that optical construction is the same as the M-mount version, but the addition of electronic contacts will ensure that the SteadyShot stabilization systems in Sony’s E-mount cameras work properly with this lens, as opposed to an M-mount version fitted via an adapter.

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Photokina 2018: hands-on with eight stylish new bags

29 Sep

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

Photokina 2018 was one heck of a year for new cameras and lens launches, but it also saw the launch of an impressive number of new camera backpacks and bags. We combed the tradeshow floor to get hands-on with some of the more stylish and technically sophisticated packs, from affordable to premium.

Shown above: the new Bristol DayPack 600+ from Cullman.

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

First up is Lowepro’s ProTactic AW II. As the name implies, this is the second iteration of the original ProTactic – version two adds more padding and better protection for your gear, plus more areas to attach stuff. The backpack comes in the larger 450-series, shown above and the smaller 350-series – the former fits a 15″ laptop, the later a 13″. The larger pack has room for two bodies and plenty of lenses, the smaller one should be able to also fit two bodies and a few lenses.

Both packs offer dual side access for gear, two quick straps on the front (with a ‘foot’ to carry a tripod), a waist strap with utility pouch, rain cover and a super comfortable back panel. The ProTactic line represents Lowepro’s most rugged, professional packs and as such, they don’t come at a cheap price. We’re told the 450-series will retail for about $ 270 and the 350-series $ 220.

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

Next up is ThinkTank’s new Retrospective V2.0 bags. Available in a total of six different sizes, these soft camera bags feature classic styling. They’re also coated in polyurethane to protect gear from the elements but ship with an additional rain cover just in case you find yourself in a torrential downpour.

But probably the coolest feature of these bags is the zippered opening under the main flap which offers protection from thieves and pickpockets. Prices vary by bag size, but the Retrospective 7 V2.0, shown above, retails for around $ 165. It fits a DSLR, several lenses and a 13″ laptop.

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

Cullman launched 4 new camera bag lines at Photokina including the stylish Bristol series shown here, which comes in both daypack and shoulder bag varieties. The daypack in particular caught our eye because of its classic look.

It features a side-zippered opening for quick access and an expandable top compartment. There’s also a padded laptop compartment and water bottle holder. This pack is obviously more geared to enthusiast and casual users rather than pros, but it seems as versatile for every day use as it is handsome. No word on pricing just yet.

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

Tamrac launched a new line of hip-looking shoulder packs in the Bushwhick series (yes, like in Brooklyn). They’re available in 3 sizes, with the Buswhick 6 – shown above – being the largest of them. It can hold an average sized DSLR/mirrorless camera with lens attached plus one additional lens and some accessories.

The exterior features metal buckles and weatherized coating to protect from the elements. There’s also a zippered compartment on front for other odds and ends. The Tamrac Bushwhick 6 retails for $ 150.

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

Compagnon is a relatively new bag brand. I hadn’t heard of them prior to Photokina because they are still working out US distribution, but you can find their packs sold by some US retailers. The Explorer pack, shown here, is a collaboration between Compagnon and backpack brand Deuter.

It offers an expandable roll-top section for personal items and a large lower section for camera gear with padded dividers. The bag features a side zipper for easy access, tripod straps, a water resistant construction and a padded back panel that looks extremely comfortable. It’s available in 16 L and 25 L – no word on pricing yet, but if other Compagnon packs are any indication, expect it to cost a pretty penny ($ 500+).

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

Peak Design just finished its Kickstarter campaign for the new 45L Travel backpack. We’ve previously seen a prototype of the bag, but this is the first time we’ve laid eyes on a retail-ready model and it looks very impressive.

The packs offer lots of features like a weatherproof nylon canvas shell, rugged bottom liner, luggage pass-through, rear and side access, laptop compartment, luggage handles and lots of organization pockets. It can also be expanded or contracted to fit 35L or 45L worth of stuff. The backpack is being sold alongside a line of smaller organizational ‘cubes,’ sold separately. The bag itself will be available sometime in November and retail for $ 300.

Hands-on: New camera bags from Photokina 2018

ONA makes some absolutely lovely shoulder bags. For Photokina, the company teamed up with Japan Camera Hunter to release a very limited addition bag called ONA x Japan Camera Hunter Bowery camera bag. Only 230 of which will be made, each with individual numbering on inside. The bag’s main feature is dedicated film pockets on the inside and elastic film holders on the bag strap.

You can read more about this collaborative bag here. And if you feel so inclined, you can pick one up for $ 200 on ONA’s Website.

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