More From The World Of Photography

Photo by Brandi Redd
Photo by Brandi Redd

Keeping it up with all the ton of photography related news is hard; but don't worry, we are doing the hard work for you! Welcome to your weekly highlights from the fantastic world of Photography.

HARDWARE & GEAR

Tamron Just Got Serious

Last week we saw on Tamron's website that they'll be developing three new powerful lenses. Two of them are designed for full-frame DSLRs and the other one for mirrorless cameras. The three lenses that you could expect in the short term are (mid 2019's):

  • 35-150mm F/2.8-4 Di VC OSD
  • 35mm F/1.4 Di USD
  • 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD

New Lomography Lens

Lomography has a high level of enthusiasts and detractors in almost equal sums. The Lomogon 2.5/32 Art Lens started as a Kickstarter project and it is expected to start delivering in November 2019. This is a handcrafted lens made with a street mindset so you can expect an excellent combination of high quality with creative freedom from this lens. Take a look at this video to listen to some of the experiences people around the world have had with the lens.

Extremely Wide Lens

Watch this post by Roger Cicala from Lensrentals in which they show us how they manage to assembly the C-4 Optics 4.9mm f3.5 Hyperfisheye Prototype. Technically speaking, this is the widest lens ever (there is a 4.5mm Sigma lens but is designed for APS-C sensors, so no Sigma, you aren't the widest). If you're a fan of “How (Something) is Made” videos, then you'll love this post. This lens reminded me of the extremely wide-angle 6mm lens from Nikon.

Ricoh GR III Will Finally See the Light

This has been a longly awaited camera since they announced last year. It is expected to be shipping in March, so is just a couple of days from now. This camera won't be cheap ($899), so we hope it is worth every dime. This camera will be combining a new 24mp sensor with an 18.3mm f/2.8 lens. You can get more specs here. But wait, there is more (jeez, I sounded like one of those infomercials), they have also announced two extremely rugged cameras, which honestly I think they could be used under various circumstances beyond “hard-working” environments. These are the wg-6 and the g900.

What about another 50mm f/0.95?

The Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 is an accessible option if you want to experience such a fast aperture. US$899 is a pretty reasonable price if you compare it with the USD $11,295.00 of the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH Lens. This Mitakon is available for Sony E-Mount Full-frame cameras. Get a better look at the lens specs on this pdf.

Do You Wanted A Seamless Canon and Nikon Crossover?

Now you can, with the Canikon autofocus adapter from Kipon. It is expected to be presented at now CP+ 2019. We have very little information yet about this adapter, but it's description is pretty straightforward.

f/1.8 135mm Lens

That is enough to get anyone intrigued. Sony has announced its newest beast, a 135mm f/1.8 G Master prime (of course) lens for their full-frame E-mounts. And as you could have imagined, it will be pricey (USD $1,898.00). You can watch the official product feature here.

SOFTWARE & APPS

DigiKam: an interesting Open Source Photo Management Software

This is an advanced open-source digital photo management application that runs on Linux, Windows, and MacOS. The application provides a comprehensive set of tools for importing, managing, editing, and sharing photos and raw files. The great thing about digiKam is that it can develop raw files directly from your camera without any conversion step. It manages this task (which even Lightroom has trouble with some times) thanks to this amazing library for decoding raw files.

SOME STORIES

World Press Photo 2019

The Highly Acclaimed photojournalism award announced their nominees last week for all their categories, including the photo of the year and a new category, the Digital Storytelling. The winners will be announced in April, but the nominees' photos and selections have started making some noise. Stay tuned.

Best Cinematographers Ever

Oh, you gotta take a look at this video made by Burger Fiction, it shows us every single cinematography winner since 1929. This is a very important list that every serious photographer should look. The video is short and substantial, it shows us every single cinematography Oscar winner since 1929. You can find the list here as well.

Beware of “Kodak”

Kodakit is a subsidiary that came up with an interesting business model that was apparently on the side of photographers, but recent evidence has confirmed otherwise. It came up as the Uber for photographers, the big problem is that they are asking photographers to give away not only copyrights but also moral rights (which are in theory non-renounceable) and photographers are even at risk of not being paid if the clients “don't like the photos”. You can have a further reading on Photo District News pulse section.

PHOTO-CHEMICALS

Film Ain't Dead But Is Getting Expensive

Fujifilm will be rising their film and paper line due to complexities on supply and logistics, and well, it is a shame but it is necessary in order to keep film and paper alive without cannibalizing other business lines. The minimum increase is expected to 30%, and the films that will increase in price are:

  • Color Negative Film
  • Color Reversal Film
  • Quick Snap
  • Control Strips

THE BOOKSHELF

A Russian Journal

What about a chronicle lecture of Steinbeck traveling through the Soviet Union during the early years of the Cold War accompanied by Robert Capa himself? Well, that is what A Russian Journal is all about, and when I heard about this book, I had to buy it immediately. I received it on Monday (20190225) so I hope I get a good reading out of it. This literary and photographic social document under Stalin's regime is a valuable historical record indeed.

IN THE CROWD-SOURCING WORLD

World's Sharpest 250mm Lens

That is what James Yang promises with the Redcat 250mm f/4.9 lens. If you are a lens geek, then this kickstarter project deserves some attention. I'm no fan of the highly-conspicuous red color, but the lens does look nice, and the MTF chart can't be lying…

Film is Alive, and Here is a Timer

Keeping track of time is perhaps one of the trickiest parts of film developing, especially if you are not used to using a stopwatch. You can use your phone while developing film on a tank, but you can't use it while printing your shots. This one got backed really easy.