Though I really feel rather more snug behind the viewfinder of a digicam than in entrance of the lens, I lately made an exception. It was whereas capturing one of many episodes of our upcoming On-line Workshop with photographer Vladimír Čech Junior. Within the picture under, I’m taking part in the position of a European Lynx (Lynx lynx) and technically serving as a reside help to arrange the flashes, movement sensor, and lens focus. I admit that the flexibleness and magnificence of the cat’s physique, in addition to the predator’s expression, is one thing I’ll should work on. Come to consider it, perhaps this must be my decision for 2025.
Current Bulletins
- Yongnuo 23mm f/1.4 Professional: An AF lens accessible for Fuji X, Nikon Z, and Sony E mount APS-C cameras. This lens bridges the hole between the present 11mm f/1.8 and 33mm f/1.4 (the upcoming 56mm lens will full the lineup quickly). The optical building consists of 11 parts in 9 teams. The minimal focusing distance is 0.3m. The lens has a built-in 2.4GHz wi-fi module, which may be paired with the Yongnuo BR-L1 distant management to focus the lens remotely. Among the many controls, the lens is supplied with an aperture ring and a perform button. The worth is $269.
- Godox RS60Bi and RS60R: A pair of comparatively compact (303 gram / 10.7 oz) fixed lights designed for pictures and video. The RS60Bi affords a coloration temperature of 2800-6500K (CRI 97) with an output of 17,400 lux. Its sibling, the RS60R, affords higher variability in coloration temperature settings within the vary of 1800-10,000K (CRI 95) with a barely much less highly effective output of 11,000 lux. The Godox Mild App lets you alter lighting settings and set up firmware updates. The lights may be powered by their very own battery or an exterior energy provide, and are available provided with a reflector and a mount. You should buy quite a lot of completely different gentle modifiers as equipment. The lights themselves price $199 (RS60Bi) and $259 (RS60R).
- Godox iM20/iM22, iM30 and iA32: These flashes are of a very completely different nature than the fixed lights above. They supply an affordable, compact flashes for cameras outfitted with a scorching shoe. The smallest, the iM20/iM22 pair, has 5 adjustable energy ranges and a chargeable battery able to as much as 440 full-power flashes. The marginally bigger iM30 affords extra energy (a information variety of 15), finer energy scaling (1/64 to 1/1), and energy from two AAA batteries that may ship as much as 230 flashes on a single cost. The most important of the trio differs primarily within the skill to tilt the flash head from -7° to 90° and the addition of computerized (non-TTL) mode. Two AA batteries present as much as 490 flashes at full energy. Costs are $34 (iM20/iM22), $35 (iM30) and $50 (iA32).
- CineMon App: This app turns your iPad or Mac into knowledgeable cinema monitor. Highlights embody Picture-Based mostly Spot Metering, which might present precise scene luminance values relative to center grey. Model v1.0 helps log profiles from Blackmagic Design, ARRI, Sony, Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, and RED. Different options embody focus help, zebras, composition guides, scopes, LUTs, picture changes, coloration key preview, picture transforms, customizable false coloration and picture overlay. The app is at present in beta testing, and you’ll enroll for that as properly.
The Rumor Mill
New portrait and road lenses more likely to be introduced
Two rumored lenses out of China must be launched quickly by the businesses Brightin Star and Viltrox. Brightin Star is predicted to announce a full-frame 85mm f/1.8 lens as early as this week. Rumors say it is going to be an AF lens with an STM motor, aperture ring, and prime quality optical glass from Hoya with coatings from Optorun. The upcoming Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 (37mm full-frame equal) must be the subsequent APS-C lens of their Air collection. It is going to be appropriate with Fuji X, Nikon Z and Sony E mounts, is predicted to supply autofocus, and can seemingly price round $100.
Through Photograph Rumors and Pergear
Canon RF 100-500mm with inside zoom?
Imprecise discussions about this long-awaited telephoto zoom from Canon are turning into extra concrete rumors. At first, there have been discussions concerning the doable use of a built-in teleconverter. Later, rumors surfaced that the brand new lens wouldn’t have a most aperture of f/4, however solely f/5.6 all through the whole vary. Properly, now it appears like the utmost aperture on the lengthy finish will probably be “quicker than f/7.1” and that the size of the lens will probably be fixed when zooming. Maybe on the upcoming CP+ on the finish of February, we are going to know extra.
Through Canon Rumors
Good Offers and New Gross sales
So, did you discover what you wished most underneath the Christmas tree? Possibly some issues like inspiration, time to your interest, well being, and vitality have to be discovered elsewhere (though we at Images Life attempt to be of somewhat assist). However again to issues that may be paid for with cash. Under, I’ve picked out a couple of little issues that received’t put an excessive amount of pressure on a holiday-tested funds, however would possibly nonetheless come in useful.
Reminiscence card instances (low-cost and important for shielding your photographs whenever you journey):
Leveling bases (important when utilizing a gimbal head on unlevel floor, or else the horizon is tilted):
Additionally, I observed a sale on my favourite BlackRapid Curve Breathe digicam strap (was $130, now $100). Carrying a digicam with a heavy telephoto lens on a conventional strap is a ache. Particularly on a sweaty physique, the strap generally actively prevents you from bringing the digicam to your eye. The benefit of the BlackRapid straps is that the strap may be glued firmly to the physique and nonetheless permit the digicam to slip freely to the attention. I’ve tried it and it really works.
Different Pages of Curiosity
Outdoors the vacationer points of interest of Iceland, this nation, with a inhabitants density of 4 individuals per sq. kilometer, can really feel like you’ve the entire place to your self. Much more when you go to the tiny, abandoned island of Elliðaey south of the mainland. The one cozy lodge on the island was constructed by puffin hunters within the mid-Twentieth century (extra historical past right here). Right this moment, it’s puffin photographers who could discover it a paradise. See what it appears like on this video exhibiting inside this superbly lonely home.
This yr, we now have the chance to have a good time an necessary anniversary. Precisely 100 years in the past, a digicam was born that will affect the photographic business for a few years to return. The Leica I, launched in 1925, was the primary mass-produced 35mm movie digicam. The size of the full-frame commonplace have remained nearly unchanged since then, and are more likely to stay so for many years and even centuries to return. Even when your digicam has a unique measurement sensor (or movie), the long-lasting 24mm x 36mm measurement is one thing worthy of celebration. You may learn extra about this at Leica Rumors.
One of many explanation why individuals like to observe sports activities is that when the competitors is over, we are able to rank the perfect athletes and applaud them. In pictures, the place there are not any absolute and clearly goal measures of rating, it’s rather more tough to find out the winners. Nonetheless, it’s doable to guage which tools has offered greatest in a given yr. The favored Japanese web site Map Digicam supplies such information from their retailer. And what have been the three best-selling cameras of the yr 2024 at Map Digicam? They have been the Fujifilm X100VI, the Fujifilm X-T50, and the Sony a7C II. Among the many lenses, the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 S, the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III and the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II have been the quickest to fly off the cabinets. In the event you’re questioning which cameras and lenses took the opposite spots, take a look at the earlier hyperlinks.
Photograph Theme Problem, Week #83
Final week’s theme was fruit, and you’ll see the outcomes on this thread. Thanks to everybody to your submissions! This week’s theme is metallic, and you’ll submit your outcomes on this thread by Saturday, January 11, 2024!
Week #82 Outcomes
Let’s take a look at a few of the pictures we acquired for the “fruit” theme, beginning with rjbfoto’s picture:
That’s a tremendous bunch of bananas and exhibits what many people see far too not often: the origins of our meals.
Subsequent, we now have Steve D’s picture:
The mangosteens right here type an fascinating sample that intensify the distinction between inexperienced and purple. Good work!
Lastly, we now have Mauro70’s picture:
I questioned if somebody would submit a nonetheless life on a desk! And this one is finished very properly with moody lighting that provides emphasis to the well-arranged fruit.
Thanks everybody for submitting their photographs within the problem, and we hope to see extra subsequent week within the metallic theme.