The most important images information this week was undoubtedly the announcement of Nikon’s latest full-frame digicam – the Z5 II. Due to the kindness of Nikon’s Czech department, I received my palms on the nation’s very first copy simply hours after it landed of their workplace. Extra importantly, the subsequent morning earlier than dawn, I used to be already within the woods with the digicam, testing it on my favourite topics. For the sake of authenticity, I’ll use a photograph of the very first chicken that landed on the Z5 II’s sensor because the illustration for this weekly roundup.
Latest Bulletins
You may learn our protection of the Nikon Z5 II announcement and a comparability between the Z5 II, Zf, and Z6 III already on Images Life. What else did this week convey us in bulletins?
- SmallRig 9 in 1 CFexpress Images Docking Station: There are many totally different hubs on the market, however only a few embrace a CFexpress card slot. Nearly a yr in the past, we examined one from Dockcase. Now, SmallRig has entered the sport with a extra reasonably priced possibility. This dock incorporates a 10Gbps CFexpress slot (your alternative of Sort A or Sort B), together with one UHS-II SD 4.0 slot, one microSD 4.0 slot, one 10Gbps USB-C port, two 5Gbps USB-A ports, one 4K@30Hz HDMI port, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and one 100W PD-IN port. All that for simply $90.
- Viltrox AF 50mm f/2.0 Air: Possibly not as gentle as air, however at 220g, this full-frame lens remains to be very moveable. By comparability, the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 weighs 415g. If gentle weight, compact measurement and affordability are your priorities, this could possibly be the lens for you. By way of development, it consists of 13 parts in 9 teams (together with 3 ED lenses, 4 high-refractive parts, and 1 aspherical ingredient with HD nano-coating). The minimal focusing distance is 0.51m, and the autofocus is pushed by a silent STM motor. The filter thread is 58mm. The lens is out there for Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount for $199.
- 7Artisans AF 35mm f/1.4: A 50mm full-frame equal lens, this time for Fujifilm APS-C cameras. Due to a mixture of metallic mount and polymer barrel, the burden is saved low, at solely 184g. The optical development consists of 8 parts in 5 teams. A silent STM motor focuses the lens from 0.35m. The entrance ingredient has a water-proof and anti-dust coating. The filter thread diameter is 62mm, and firmware updates will be executed by way of a USB-C port. Not a nasty set of specs for the worth of $169.
The Rumor Mill
Quick fifty SongRaw
This isn’t the title of a brand new punk band, it’s a short description of an upcoming lens from a brand new Chinese language firm. Though the article I’m referring to was printed on April 1, it’s supposedly not an April Idiot’s joke. SongRaw is predicted to launch their first lens quickly: a 50mm f/1.2. The lens is alleged to characteristic autofocus, a de-clickable aperture ring, and each Sony E and Nikon Z compatibility. The value is predicted to be round $860. However the story doesn’t finish right here. SongRaw has additionally patented a brand new 85mm f/1.2 AF FE lens. If the optical efficiency is sweet sufficient, it could possibly be intriguing for these unwilling to spend greater than $2000 for a Sony or Nikon.
By way of Sony Alpha Rumors
Laowa’s “lengthy nostril” lens sequence is predicted to develop
The extremely specialised 2x Macro Probe lens from Venus Optics Laowa might appear to be a medical endoscope to some, however romantic souls may even see the proboscis of a butterfly as a substitute. To date, it has been out there in a 24mm focal size model with a most aperture (in T-stops relatively than F-stops) of T8. On the upcoming NAB present, Laowa is predicted to supply a pair of zoom lenses with an analogous type issue! The primary ought to have the specs of 15-24mm T8, and the second 15-35mm T12. Each are anticipated to be supplied in three configurations: direct view, 35 diploma view, and periscope view.
What will be photographed or filmed with such lenses? Mainly something the place a conventional lens can be tough to make use of, together with a couple of inches underwater due to the waterproof barrel. I keep in mind an analogous lens being utilized by BBC filmmakers to movie a hummingbird feeding on nectar. What was outstanding was that the lens was pointed via the again of the flower, offering an uncommon view of a feeding hummingbird from a never-before-seen perspective. It was like placing a digicam inside your personal fridge.
By way of Photograph Rumors
Wildlife images by cellphone? These occasions will come
And so they might even be knocking on the door. Whereas searching the information on Kiskstarter, I got here throughout a product from Martvsen: the Tele-30X telephoto lens. On condition that their objective of elevating $2,500 has been met 741% thus far, their product ought to turn into a actuality, however I’m placing it as a rumor as a result of not all Kickstarter tasks pan out. This extender simulates a 400mm lens but weighs simply 130 grams. Personally, although, I’ll be protecting my 3,100 gram behemoth for a while to return.
By way of Kickstarter
Good Offers and New Gross sales
Final Monday occurred to be World Backup Day. As if destiny wished to remind me, my reminiscence card failed that very day. Proper when a hoopoe stood in entrance of my digicam, its crest raised and backlit by the setting solar. After a couple of annoying hours, I managed to recuperate each the pictures and presumably the cardboard itself. I now totally perceive that having two card slots within the digicam is not only for enjoyable, however a necessity for essential work. This little incident satisfied me as soon as and for all.
An equally helpful behavior is to again up your photographs to an exterior onerous drive each day. For journey, that normally means an SSD. Listed here are a couple of tried-and-true choices at affordable costs this week:
Together with backing up your photographs to a tough drive, it is usually potential to backup your RAW photographs on-line, even utilizing web sites which are historically “public-facing,” i.e., an internet site on your portfolio. This week, SmugMug is having an incredible sale for those who don’t but have a images web site to name your personal. The 25% low cost is hidden from the general public and might solely be accessed via affiliate hyperlinks like this one: 25% off a brand new SmugMug membership. The sale works even for those who begin with a free trial.
Different Pages of Curiosity
The ninth annual Czech Nature Photograph contest might not have its winners but, however that solely makes it extra thrilling for us photographers. In every class, the jury has revealed three nominated images with out rating them. So, why not take a guess? Which picture will win its class, and which can take the grand prize of the whole competitors? Images Life readers might acknowledge that every one three photographers I interviewed for our Secrets and techniques of Skilled Wildlife Photographers On-line Workshop made it to this stage of the competitors: Vladimír Čech Jr., Petr Bambousek, and Jiří Hřebíček. This yr, the jury was chaired by the distinctive Spanish photographer Javier Aznar González de Rueda, whose work is unquestionably price testing, too.
For those who love wildlife images and would additionally prefer to assist conservation efforts, you would possibly need to save a spot in your bookshelf for the upcoming ebook 10 Years of Remembering Wildlife. That is the tenth ebook within the Remembering sequence, that includes a choice of the perfect photographs from earlier editions, every devoted to a single animal species. This particular compilation additionally features a new part on pangolins and their conservation. To date, over 54,000 copies have been offered worldwide, elevating greater than $1.55 million for tasks centered on defending the featured species.
“A brand new compact fixed-lens digicam from Nikon can be a pleasant shock.” That’s the title of a brief article on Nikon Rumors, and I couldn’t agree extra. Given the present demand for compact cameras with fastened lenses, this looks like an incredible concept and a logical step. Personally, I’d like to see one thing much like the Coolpix A, however with a full-frame sensor and a 28mm or 35mm f/2.8 lens. And Nikon, for those who’re listening, please embrace a viewfinder this time. Thanks!
Photograph Theme Problem, Week #96
Final week’s theme was movement blur, and you may see the outcomes on this thread. Thanks to everybody on your submissions! This week’s theme is movement blur, and you may submit your outcomes on this thread by Saturday, April 12, 2024.
Week #94 Outcomes
Let’s take a look at among the photographs we obtained for the “movement blur” theme, beginning with Mauro70’s picture:
A superb use of movement blur to indicate the motion of the dancers!
vidmarko’s picture:
The movement of the performer and the spectators convey this scene alive!
Tom Pazol’s picture:
Movement blur right here is used to provide a relaxed scene an additional summary high quality!
Thanks everybody for submitting their images within the problem, and we hope to see extra subsequent week within the evening theme.