Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Tokina Expands its Full Frame Lineup with the atx-m 85mm F/1.8 FE Lens
Jan212020
Tokina has released a new lens for Sony E-mount cameras: the Tokina atx-m 85mm F/1.8 FE. This latest addition to the Tokina lineup covers Full-Frame sensors. Let’s take a closer look at this perfect portrait lens for photographers and filmmakers!
Image credit: Tokina
Tokina atx-m Lineup
The Tokina ATX line of lenses is out for a couple of years now, and the most famous one is probably the AT-X 11-16mm F/2.8 wide-angle zoom lens for Super35 cameras. Today, Tokina has just announced the launch of a new lineup of lenses for mirrorless cameras with the Tokina atx-m 85mm F/1.8 FE. According to Tokina, the atx-m series of glasses will be available in various mounts – probably Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts – and new lenses will be announced this year.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Is Fuji About to Release the X-T4 and Two Other New Cameras?
Jan152020
It appears that Fuji may have a busy couple of months coming up, with rumors that the X-T4, X100V, and X-T200 may be announced as soon as February 4. Is Fuji beginning to match Sony’s aggressive release schedule? Will we see some major changes to the successor of the incredibly popular X-T3?
FujiAddict reports that the X-T4 will be ⅓ of an inch thicker and up to 5 oz heavier than its predecessor, also touting 6K 60p with 10-bit internal recording and a fully articulating screen. The larger size would make sense, as the smart money is betting on the X-T4 having in-body image stabilization, one of the few features that videographers felt was missing from the X-T3. It would also accommodate a larger battery, which will be greatly welcomed by Fuji shooters used to carrying a handful of NP-W126S batteries with them, a model that’s been used across a wide range of Fuji bodies for several years now.
Cinematography, Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Two New Canon Mirrorless Cameras Are Likely Coming in the Next Few Months
Jan152020
Canon’s mirrorless lenses have been quite successful for the company, offering impressive optical quality that sets the bar quite high. However, Canon fans are still waiting for a stronger mirrorless body that pushes the boundaries a bit more from the company. The good news is that it seems that will be changing soon, as the company is likely to release two new mirrorless cameras in the coming months.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Canon Unveils the G1X: A Large Sensor Compact Answer to the Mirrorless Craze
Jan092020
Unlike Nikon, which jumped headfirst into the interchangeable lens mirrorless game last year, Canon appears to be content with simply upping the sensor size in its existing compact cameras. Today the company announces the G1X, a new camera into the G-series line that offers a sensor large enough to compete with existing mirrorless camera systems.
Back in mid-2017, I was tasked with reviewing Sigma’s first 24-70mm lens, the 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM IF Art lens, and I was extremely disappointed. You can read my whole review here, but in summary, I found it to be sadly inconsistent with its sharpness. Most notably, I found that edge sharpness was really quite bad.
There is one photo I took that pretty well shows my problems with the lens, and it’s this one:
Photo by Jaron Schneider, taken with the Canon 1DX Mark II w/ Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Art
Taken from a helicopter over Los Angeles, I really like the composition of the image and was looking forward to printing it. When I got it back to my edit station, however, I was very much let down with how soft anything other than the middle of the frame was. I was so disappointed that I put this photo in a digital folder and hadn’t looked at it again until I started writing this story.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Leaked Photo Shows Canon 1D X Mark III with Silver-and-Black Color Scheme
Dec202019
A low-res leaked photo published by Canon Rumors today purports to show a Canon 1D X Mark III… but it doesn’t look like any 1D camera we’ve seen in recent years. The color scheme looks more like a film SLR from years past.
The photo has been modified by CR to cut out the photographer holding the camera, but otherwise this is a real photo of a real Canon camera being used in the wild. The question is what exactly are we looking at? Either Canon is planning to differentiate the 1D Series by adding another color option to the mix with the 1D X Mark III—which is currently only shown in black at online retailers—or this is just an unpainted prototype currently being tested in the wild.
Gear, Mirrorless, NewsComments Off on The First Half of 2020 Will Brings Lots of Mirrorless Announcements From Canon
Nov152019
Canon is slowly filling out its mirrorless line, but there are still some cameras and lenses that photographers are waiting to complete their kits or to justify switching. The good news is that Canon seems to be planning a lot of releases for their mirrorless line in the first half of 2020.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Leica SL2 – 47MP Full-Frame Sensor with 5K/30P and 4K/60P 10-Bit Video Internally
Nov072019
Leica has announced its new L-Mount full-frame mirrorless camera. The Leica SL2 features a 47MP full-frame CMOS sensor with 5-axis image stabilization. It is capable of recording 5K video at up to 30fps, 4K video at up to 60fps, and FullHD video at up to 180fps, all in 10-bit H.264. The camera features a high-resolution EVF, full-size HDMI port, two 3.5mm jack ports for headphones and microphone, and an all-metal magnesium body. It will be available from November 21st, 2019 for $5,995.
It has already been four years since the German premium brand introduced its Leica SL full-frame mirrorless camera. Our Leica SL review and Lab test articles from 2015 are a good reminder of its video capabilities. The newly announced Leica SL2 promises to bring even more video-oriented features. Let’s take a look!
Leica SL2 – 47MP Full-Frame Stabilized Sensor
The new Leica SL2 features a 47.3MP 3:2 full-frame CMOS sensor and Maestro III image processor, which enables up to 20 fps continuous stills shooting with an electronic shutter, 10 fps with a mechanical shutter, and 6 fps with a mechanical shutter and AF-C, for up to 78 consecutive DNG files with a color depth of 14 bits per RGB channel. The sensor features a 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization system, which minimizes the appearance of camera shakes when shooting handheld.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on A First Look at the Fujifilm X-Pro3 Camera
Oct292019
The X-Pro3 is the latest camera from Fujifilm in their highly lauded X Series, and with it comes a highly interesting design with lots of features and power to spare. Is this unique camera the right one for you? This excellent first look video will give you a pretty comprehensive overview that should help you decide.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Panasonic S1H Lab Test – Dynamic Range and Rolling Shutter Results
Oct292019
Finally, we were able to put the Panasonic S1H to the test in our cinema5D lab. Looking at the various frame rates and resolutions, as well as the full frame and Super 35 modes of this camera, this turned out to be quite an endeavour. Ready for a lab marathon? Read on…
I have long waited for the day to come when I would be able to put the Panasonic S1H through our lab test procedures. I sold my Sony a7S II a while ago expecting a successor to be announced soon, now finding myself impatient in the waiting position for my next camera purchase … will this cam be it?
Spoiler alert: lab results are very impressive – the Panasonic S1H is the first camera in our tests, that shows nearly identical dynamic range results for the two ISO settings of the dual gain sensor! I will share most of the results in detail with you, so this is going to be a long read. Sorry about that…
As described by my colleagues Nino, Jeff, and Johnnie in detail here, the Panasonic S1H is designed with a “video first” mindset by Panasonic and ticks a lot of my personal boxes. I was even hoping for an internal ProRes recording option, but dream on my friends (just to be clear, Panasonic and Atomos are working together in delivering 5.9K ProRes RAW data output to Atomos Ninja V recorder. More info can be found here).
Cinematography, Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Panasonic S1H Review – Is it the Best Full Frame Mirrorless Camera for Filmmakers yet?
Oct242019
The Panasonic S1H is now finally available for purchasing and we took it for a spin in order to put it through its paces. If you are in a rush and have no time to continue reading, here is my conclusion first: Currently it is the best mirrorless camera that can shoot video in the market. Of course, no filming device is perfect, but any manufacturer who would like to produce something even better will have to work harder to achieve this. Ready to dive into details? Keep on reading.
Cinematography, Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Tamron Expands Their Sony Mirrorless Lens Line-Up with 4 New Lenses
Oct242019
Tamron really has their focus on the Sony mirrorless camera users. The existing Tamron lenses for Sony mirrorless, the 28-75mm f/2.8 and 17-28mm f/2.8 have been quite successful due to their superb quality and competitive pricing. That is why many users have been awaiting the lens that would complete this zoom lens trinity, a fast telephoto lens, certainly.
Today, Tamron announced the development of the Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD. However, aside from that, a lot are still yet to be revealed by the third-party lens brand. In addition, however, they finally revealed the 3 new prime lenses for the Sony mirrorless line-up. The 20mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 (Model F050), 24mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 (Model F051), and 35mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 (Model F053). The 24mm and 35mm lenses will be available on November 20th and the 20mm will be available in January 2020. All three prime lenses share the same price tag of $349.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Sony a9 II Announced – More Speed for Pro Photographers, Same Video Specs
Oct072019
Sony just announced the a9 II full-frame E-mount mirrorless camera. Aimed at professional sports photographers and photojournalistst, the Sony a9 II is all about speed. It has the same 24.2 MP CMOS sensor as the original a9. The camera is capable of 20fps continous blackout-free stills shooting with AF and AE tracking with electronic shutter (up to 10fps with mechanical shutter). The new a9 II also features better in-body image stabilization, weather resistance, and gigabit ethernet port for high speed communication. Available in October for $4,500 (€5,400).
Sony a9 sits on top of the alpha series of mirrorless cameras. It is aimed at professional photographers, who does not require the maximum possible resolution (for those Sony has the a7R series), but who require speed and other useful features (for example sports photographers and photojournalists). The first generation Sony a9 was presented during NAB 2017, so it has been more than two years. Today Sony announced the a9 II. What are its specs and innovations?
As I mentioned above, the a9 series is all about speed. Sony a9 II (full model name: ILCE-9M2) features blackout-free continuous shooting at up to 20 frames per second (with electronic shutter) with Auto Focus and Auto Exposure tracking, 60 times per second AF/AE calculations. This applies for 1/125 sec. or higher shutter speed. In AF-C mode the maximum continuous frame rate will depend on the shooting mode and lens used. The number of AF calculations will depend on the lens used. A software update may be required for some lenses.
The high speed shooting can last for up to 361 JPEG images or 239 compressed RAW images (in “Hi” continuous shooting mode with UHS-II memory card), with no viewfinder blackout, allowing the photographer to follow the subject and action with no interruption to the EVF during picture taking. For times when mechanical shutter is preferred or required, the new A9 II has been improved to shoot at up to 10 fps, about 2x the speed of the A9.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Z CAM E2 S6, F6, and F8 Cameras – Shipping Soon with Optional Electronic ND Filter
Sep232019
Z CAM E2 flagship cameras will be shipping next month. The S6 (6K super 35), F6 (6K full frame), and F8 (8K full frame) will come in EF-mount and PL-mount versions (user interchangeable). All versions will support the optional electronic ND filter unit. Z CAM E2 S6 will additionally come in M4/3 mount version without the electronic ND filter support.
Cinematography, MirrorlessComments Off on Nikon to Release Z50 Mirrorless APS-C Camera and Two Lenses Soon: Report
Sep232019
It looks like Nikon is preparing to enter the mirrorless APS-C market and take on Sony’s a6000 series cameras. According to a breaking report from this morning, Nikon is planning to release the “Z50” APS-C mirrorless camera and two lightweight DX-format mirrorless lenses “soon.”
The report, published by Nikon Rumors this morning, claims that the Nikon Z50 will feature a 20MP APS-C image sensor, 3-inch “pivoted” LCD, and the ability to shoot bursts up to 11fps. If accurate, it seems Nikon is adopting a Z”XX” naming convention for APS-C mirrorless, and Z”X” scheme for full-frame mirrorless.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Sony a7R IV is Still a ‘Star Eater’ After a Certain Shutter Speed: Report
Sep162019
If you were hoping that Sony had finally completely removed the long-exposure noise reduction that causes its high-resolution a7R cameras to “eat stars,” you’re going to be disappointed. According to Jim Kasson, the Sony a7R IV eats stars to about the same degree as the a7R III.
Over on his blog, Kasson posted dark field spectra results for the Sony a7R IV at 1/8000 of a second, 2.5 seconds, and 3.2 seconds. The dark field spectra for each color “plane” at 1/8000 and 2.5 seconds look mostly flat: in other words, the way they’re supposed to.
But once you hit 3.2 seconds, as Kasson puts it, “all hell breaks loose” in every channel, and it’s particularly bad in the blue channel. You can see all the charts over on Kasson’s blog.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Why I Bought the Sony a7R IV for Wildlife Photography
Sep132019
Before today’s launch of the Sony a7R IV in the U.S., I had the opportunity to use the new 61-megapixel camera on a few occasions. Ultimately, these hands-on experiences led me to purchasing it for animal photography and in this article I list a few reasons behind the decision.
First, a quick disclaimer. What I write below is not in defiance against any other camera system. Every major camera brand has absolutely killer options for bird and wildlife photography. My list consists of some features and specs I identified wanting in priority over other nice things to have in a camera, and everybody’s own personal requirements will be different.
Sony a7R IV, FE 200-600mm G, 1/1000 s at f/6.3, ISO 200. Crop mode active.
Megapixels
Hey, don’t laugh. I didn’t think a million megapixels would be a defining factor either. Yet here we are.
As all the headlines are quick to point out, the a7R IV has a 61 megapixel sensor. For some genres of photography, this is surely overkill. For me, I crop just about every single photo of wildlife I shoot to enlarge the animal in the frame. With the a7R IV, I’m never cropping down into the “danger zone” territory where the final resolution is pretty much only good for Instagram sharing.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Fujifilm Unveils the X-A7, Its New $700 Entry-Level X Series Mirrorless
Sep122019
Fujifilm has announced the new X-A7 mirrorless camera, a $700 entry-level mirrorless X Series camera that replaces the X-A5.
“The X-A7’s compact, lightweight form factor, outstanding image quality, and multitude of new and enhanced features position it as an ideal and timely entry into Fujifilm’s popular family of X Series mirrorless cameras,” Fujifilm says.
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Sony a7/a7R III Firmware v3 Adds Real Time Eye AF, Animal Eye AF, Timelapse
Apr152019
Sony has just released firmware version 3.0 for the Sony a7R III and a7 III mirrorless cameras. It’s a major update that adds Real-Time Eye AF, Animal Eye AF, and Time Lapse features to the cameras.
Real-Time Eye AF
In v3.0, the existing Eye AF technology has been upgraded further
with an AI-powered eye-detection system that keeps focus on the eye,
even in difficult situations.
“Through machine learning, Sony has created a system that can
detect—and focus on—the human eye even if the subject is looking down,
partially blocked in the frame, turning or backlit,” Sony says. “This
feature is available in AF-C mode with a simple half-press of the
shutter button.”
Gear, MirrorlessComments Off on Here’s the Best Photo Gear of 2019 According to the TIPA Awards
Apr032019
The Technical Imaging Press Association (TIPA) has announced the winners of its 2019 awards honoring the best products in the photography industry in 2019.
Founded in 1991, TIPA consists of 28 prominent photo industry publications
based around the world. TIPA members meet at least once a year at the
General Assembly to discuss photography and the industry, and one of the
activities during the meeting is also to vote on the best photo
products of the year — the winners are chosen by majority vote.
Editors from the magazines met in Bangkok, Thailand on March 17th and picked the winning products across 40 different categories. Here are some of the best products, as selected by TIPA members, in the more prominent categories (with TIPA’s description of each):
