Here Are Your Highlights From The Photography World

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

HARDWARE & GEAR

Cinema Lenses Exposed

As a person with a passion for the engineering behind the quality, a love watching videos like this one. The guys from ZY Productions have a small segment titled “why it's expensive”, and that is just a trigger for me. I'm sure that while surfing for lenses you've stumbled into this odd category that is quite expensive and even has different aperture values (true aperture values as they call them).

In the short term, the three major reasons why these lenses are so expensive is because they are optimized for motion picture, they are designed and built to be totally reliable and, due to economies of scale. Now stop reading this and go watch that awesome video!

New Lens on the fifth X100?

Well, that is the rumor. The main reason why is because the current lens has problems keeping it up with the sensor, so maybe that will be a significant change. I really hope that they stick to the 35mm equivalency because that is just perfect for street photography. After all, you can always achieve 28mm and 50mm via their lens converters.

New 35mm Voigtlander Lens for Leica

These folks shared a rumor thread they found that frankly, is a bit brief and dry, so let's stick to what they have to say. This is the second version of the current Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm F1.4 lens, and it will cost nearly $680. The main reason why I think it is essential to pinpoint this lens is that it could be a really nice solution for those dreaming about Leica or longing for a 35mm with their current setup. Voigtlander has an undoubted legacy, and having such a powerful lens for that price is intriguing, to say the least.

Another Canon DSLR folks…

Alright, that was biased, but these folks really need to detach from DSLRs. According to John Aldred, Canon is planning on releasing an n32 Megapixel DSLR camera, some say that it will be a 90D and some others a 7D Mk III, who knows.

On The Reason Behind Why Canon 200mm f/1.8 Was Expensive

Alright, I know that I'm getting a little bit too taken by these videos, but I really enjoy them. I had the chance of holding the “successor” of this monster, and it felt incredible to handle. I was really excited, and it is nice to know that I had something like this in my hands.

Omnicharge

I have always wondered why they haven't made an AC/DC power bank, and apparently, it wasn't that easy to develop. I recently stumbled into this brand, Omnicharge, and oh jeez… They feature some impressive solutions, especially for people that are always roaming or on the go. These products are basically the ultimate battery packs. It is essential to keep an eye on them.

Accessories You Don't Want To Be Cheap With

Suzi Pratt wrote a pretty insightful and accurate column on 5 camera accessories that you don't want to be cheap. These are Camera straps, a reliable tripod, batteries, cards and external hard drives. Give it a read to know why you should kick in some extra bucks when it comes to these 5 accessories.

New 50mm f/1.8 for Fuji but not from Fuji

Clearly inspired by Leica's design, this beautifully crafted 50mm f/1.8 lens is quite a jewel, an accessible one, like those diamonds crushed down in labs. This $89 tiny fellow has been built by 7artisans and is quite a nice-to-play-with portrait lens. When attached to Fuji's APS-C bodies, it will give you a 75mm equivalent. Of course, you get what you pay for, but it is an excellent solution for photographers out there just reaching out into the Fuji world.

The Mirrorless Endgame is Official Now!

These guys have some serious informants, as you can see in these lousy quality photos of a leak from inside Fujifilm rooms. They even managed to get this PDF file with all the technicalities from the GFX100's sensor. Here you can see everything they know about the new camera killer.

Tired Of Hassling With Two Monitors?

What kind of question is that? Once you go to two displays, there is no way of going back! Unless of course, there appears a single ultra-wide screen that manages to keep everything elegantly crunched into one uninterrupted place. That is what this LG screen is all about. Here you can see Doug from B&H (it seems legit) playing around with it, and it does seem to be the logical setup for any photographer working hours behind a screen. This bad boy is quite pricey, so do the numbers before deciding if it actually is going to mean earnings for you rather than just a huge expense.

1TB MicroSDXC Card

This is just insane, 1TB packed in something smaller than a fingernail is just out of this world, but is true now. You can get this huge (well not really huge of course) capacity card that can stick in your phone for $449.00. Good advice here, never rely on a single card for making photos or video, especially photos. A tragedy can always happen when relying on a single source of data.

Zenfone 6 from Asus

In this smartphone overflooded world, it is quite refreshing to see other companies making phones. This isn't, of course, the first one from Asus (techies won't find the brand as something new, but regular customers might just be learning about it now), but it is a very innovative one. Here is the promotional video, and the easiest to spot feature is the rotating 48mp camera that gives a cleaner screen experience and considerably detailed front camera. Get more specs here.

On Why Is the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 III So Expensive

Alright, these videos have turned into being some sort of guilty pleasure, but I just can't avoid them. I have a background in the world of quality and manufacturing, and this dark side of the optics kind of thing is always alluring to me. Today I'm sharing with you a video on why the 16-35L is so expensive, $2,200.

What About a Monochrome Sensor Camera from Fujifilm?

It is a fact that Fuji reads Fujirumors daily. Here they have raised a poll to see if their audience actually would like a monochrome camera, just like the Leica M Monochrom or the Phase One XF IQ3. You can participate in their poll here.

GFX100 is Finally Here

After a long wait since it was announced in the last Photokina, Fuji's GFX100 is finally here! The camera appears at B&H, and it comes with an easy to remember price tag, $10K. Just like the previous GFX 50S and GFX 50R, the GFX100 is a game changer. It is evident that Fuji has no interest in full-frame, and they are willing to make Medium Format the new standard. This is their third medium format camera, and you can get all the specs here.

Also, you can see a size comparison published earlier last week by the awesome folks over at Fuji Rumors, and as you can see, it is just like having a Canon 1D or a Nikon D5 but way better. Why better? Simple, consider that the GFX100 has a sensor that is 70% larger than the aforementioned DSLRs. They compare it with other cameras, but personally speaking, I think that the revealing size comparison is the one done with the DSLRs. You can see some first-hand shots published by Barney Britton here, and for the connoisseurs, you need to watch this video by the one and only, the highly controversial (and a personal favorite) Ken Wheeler.

What We Needed, a $24K Leica…

So, after learning that Lenny Kravitz is still a thing, I dug deeper into this camera that has all the looks that any serious street photographer would avoid at all costs. This is the opposite of being inconspicuous, and you can watch the promotional video here.

New Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII

Petzval lenses from our time bring the aesthetic of Joseph Petzval optics from the late nineteenth century, and they are highly acclaimed by Lomography photographers. Recently they announced a new 55mm f/1.7 lens, and as a matter of taste, I would say that I'm glad they made some black ones. These lenses have a uniquely iconic steam-punk aesthetic, and they will start shipping them out on August 2019. The prices vary between $399.00 and $499.00, and they are designed for Sony E, Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts, sorry Fuji.

Stuff You Need To Know About EVF

After moving to “mirrorless” (dunno if the X100T counts as pure mirrorless), I noticed that the electronic viewfinder was pretty accurate. However, since it is a hybrid system I've always have the idea that it might be very prone to mechanical stress and wear. But after reading this article shared by Nando Harmsen, I must say, I do understand EVFs better beyond my prejudices.

More on Drone Regulations and Safety

Since DJI started buffing up, it became more and more aware of safety, maybe after being a little bit “inspired” by the FAA regulations of course. New drones will have ADS-B technology, which is just a technicality for a system that allows drone pilots to avoid conventional aircraft, the ones with people inside them. They call it DJI AirSense, and basically, they are setting up a new drone industry standard for safety and reliability by giving pilots the needed tools to understand the skies around them to make better calls for flying safely as well. You can read more about it here, and you can also watch their video about AirSafe here.

Extensive and Honest Review on Manfrotto BeFree

Jason Row shared a very transparent review on one of the most popular tripods for serious photography in our days, the Manfrotto BeFree. Read it if you are still not sure if this might be the right tripod for you. Paying for a good tripod that fits within your workflow is essential for some photographers, and it should be seen as a secure investment.

Counterfeit on Nikon EN-EL15b Batteries

Since I've started being more aware of power management, I've also started seeing third-party batteries with a little bit of concern. But since they usually cost like 1/5th of the original, I'm also drawn to them. But when odd things happen with the original product, things really get ugly. Nikon confirmed that some of their EN-EL-15b batteries have some issues and you can read more here.

12mm f/2.8 for Fujifilm

Kipon has developed a new ultra wide angle lens for Fujifilm X mount cameras. There isn't much information about it in their official site yet but stay tuned if you are interested in this lens that will also allow you to get pretty close to your subjects (100mm).

For the Leica Cravers

If you are still into getting a Leica, you can always turn out to this little fellow.

PRINTING

Now You Can Shop Duggal Visual Solutions

Duggal Visual Solutions has expanded into an online storefront called Shop Duggal. Duggal is a well-known leader in photographic printing and they've been around for more than 50 years – so definitely worth a look. 

SOFTWARE & APPS

New Texture slider in Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic and ACR

So far it is impossible to get a sharp image out of a misfocused shot, although software developers in hand with camera manufacturers and optical engineers have made some pretty noticeable efforts about solving this. The long used clarity tool and sharpening panels have a new friend to play with, and it is called “texture”. As you can read here in a post shared Britanny Hillen, Adobe have included a new texture slider to use while dealing with “presence” during the development stage of a photograph's workflow.

Retouching Toolkit 3.1

They claim that this will be the only Photoshop Extension that you will ever need, a pretty bold statement to say if you ask me, but it really seems to be true. The retouching toolkit gets their 3.1 version, and it comes with some exciting goodies like the Panel and the Add-ons. Get a better grasp of the configurator's interface here. The Toolkit starts at $129.00, so expect some robust solutions for fine retouching.

SOME STORIES

A Lens Hood Can Be More Protective Than You Think

Mads Peter Iversen shared with us a short story on how the hell he's paying just 1% of his gear price to get everything back to normal. He had an accident, an accident that is quite common in the world of serious landscape photography, and he managed to keep his $4500 gear mostly intact after smashing his lens to the ground. Thankfully for him, the only thing that was wrecked was the easy-to-replace $50 hood.

Beware of Certain Contests

Dunja Djudjic shared with us a story of a recently found scam. The interesting thing about this article is the back-engineering process used to spot the said scam. I think we all should need to be aware of particular stuff that comes through our inbox beyond keeping this name in our heads.

You Should Put a Bit of Effort on LinkedIn

According to Clinton Lofthouse, you should definitely start taking LinkedIn more seriously as a photographer. As a non-Facebook user, this is quite easy for me, but some others could have a hard time detaching from the old-timer. LinkedIn is not an innovative platform, of course, but it is dedicated to professionals among professionals, so it covers a different niche entirely.

Hi There You Fake Accounts

Oh boy, please schedule 50 minutes of your valuable time and deep dive into this documentary. Here in “Follow Me” Nicolaas Veul explore the dark world behind what you think is real, all the ephemeral content you watch every day on Instagram. Here he answers questions about why Instagram is dominated by fake accounts, and even dig deep into stating that likes and followers are almost like a currency. This is just insane…

Selfie Taking Tourists Again…

Dunja Djudjic shared with us a story about a pretty annoying fact, people are seriously dumb. Rapa Nui stone heads from the Easter Island are being threatened by people climbing and even picking the noses of the stone heads for selfie-purposes.

Can You Handle the Truth?

In this documentary conducted by VPRO, Nicolaas Veul follows some leads and finds some pretty nasty things about the reality that lies behind Instagram. I think it is essential that we are at least aware of the fake reality that these ego-metric centered apps are based on. From “influencers” to scary dealers, this documentary will open your eyes for sure.

We Need More Fellows Like These Ones

Aircraft photography has been a very serious thing since quite a long time. Just browse Airliners to notice that I'm not joking about it. Many places ban photographers, but Canadians are making things better for us. As shared by Dunja Djudjic, they have started cutting of holes in their fences so photographers can work properly (and safely) while capturing aircraft with their might lenses.

Bye Bye Nikon

As explained by John Aldred, Sony has taken away Nikon's former market ILC position. They are number 1 in DSC and number two in ILC. Here is the full report from Sony, and you can skip to the last page to watch the slide I'm talking about.

FILM & PHOTOCHEMICALS

Rising Prices on Film

It is happening, film is getting more and more expensive. Companies main goal is to make money, and they won't keep unsustainable products alive just for the sake of romance. Here is a note on the latest (another) price rise announcement from Fujifilm.

 IN IMAGES

The Venezuelan Exodus Through Colombia's Highlands

This series was first pinpointed by Lenscutlrue while reviewing their Portrait Awards. Here we can see a series of portraits made by Felipe Jacome featuring migrants while fleeing from Venezuela's current regime. It is really hard not to feel moved by these photographs.

A Taste of Paris

I've been a little bit detached from the world of Valérie Jardin, but it is always lovely to catch up with her stuff. This last week she shared a post with photos taken in Paris from January to March.