Among Berlin’s world-famous museums, the Museum für Fotografie remains a bit in the background. One more reason for a visit and an encounter with one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
What does USB-C mean to you? Convenience, fewer cables, lower cost, in-camera charging? The latest connector, which is now virtually universal, is all these things. But in the photographic world there is still controversy. It seems the new standard has encouraged manufacturers to concentrate on in-camera charging and remove external charging options. Not everyone welcomes this.
It’s the perennial puzzle for travelling photographers: what gear should I take on my next trip? On this occasion, I had no problem selecting a kit for a visit to a photographer’s dream location. I was off to the Monterey Peninsula, one of the most scenic locations in a spectacularly scenic state – California. And, it seemed the perfect opportunity to put my developing rangefinder photography skills to the test. So, off I went, with a Leica-M kit and no safety net.
In a surprise move, Leica today announced the acquisition of Fjorden Electra SA, the Norwegian iPhone developer. Simultaneously, Leica launched a new Leica Lux application in the Apple App Store. This represents the first product of the new partnership. Fjorden was founded by Dr Victor Henning in Oslo in 2020 with the aim of developing iPhone apps and accessories for the global market. In 2022, the company’s innovative Fjorden Grip for the iPhone won the iF Design Award. Fjorden has sold 15,000 grips since the launch.
The new flagship Lumix GH7 is claimed to deliver outstanding video performance with a wide dynamic range, a newly developed 25.2MP BSI CMOS sensor. It also includes phase-detect autofocus, which has previously been seen on the company’s S5II full-frame cameras. Panasonic has an enviable reputation among videographers, and this camera is designed to support the efficient workflow required in professional production environments. It is equipped with Apple ProRes RAW internal recording and the world’s first 32-bit float recording, which eliminates the need to adjust sound recording levels during shooting.
If you own an interchangeable-lens camera, chances are you own a few ‘third-party lenses’. They can often deliver high optical performance at a much lower cost than a comparable one from your camera’s manufacturer. This week, we have a few stories from the world of third-party lenses. We learn something of Sigma’s lens-design philosophy, and a new entrant to the L-Mount ecosystem. And for you M-shooters out there, we have news of a nifty device for 6-bit coding your third-party M-lenses. OK, time to focus.
The new Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN | Art is claimed to be the first full-frame zoom lens with a constant maximum aperture of f/1.8. Sigma says that this fast zoom delivers sharpness and clarity comparable to that of a prime lens throughout the range. Sigma has already pioneered fast zooms with the 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM and the 25-35 f/2 DG HSM. The DN (digital native) 28-45mm f/1.8 adds to this impressive line up to join the latest lenses designed expressly for mirrorless cameras.
The debate rages on. Which camera is the killer street photography tool? Is it the unobtrusive Ricoh GRIII, the unobtainable Fuji XR100VI, or for many, the unaffordable Leica Q3? My choice also wears the Leica red dot. It (almost) shares the 28mm field of view of the Q3 and Ricoh, and an APS-C sensor like the Fuji. But, it’s cooler than all of them. It’s a Leica TL2.
What do you think about Chinese-manufactured lenses? At Macfilos we find ourselves paying more attention to M-Mount variants from China. New ones are appearing at quite a clip, some even tempting die-hard Leica and Voigländer fans. And speaking of temptation, if you are hankering after a return to film photography, there might be some new camera options coming your way. Back in the digital world, surely we are not still talking about the Panasonic Lumix S9, are we? Moving on from new camera and lens options, we also have some news about older Sony and Nikon cameras you might find interesting.
Marvel, my ginger cat, was delighted. She welcomed Virgin Australia’s announcement that domestic animals could accompany their owners and travel in the passenger cabin with an enthusiastic purr. She could not wait to climb aboard a Virgin 737. So when she heard that we were off to Tasmania a few weeks ago and travelling with Virgin, it was a no-brainer for her. Here she is comfortably seated in her business class seat and CATching up on the news.
It has been an interesting few days on the compact camera front, with two vastly different additions from Leica and Panasonic. As usual, the Macfilos team have quite different perspectives on these two new entrants to a hot area of the camera market. So, we asked a couple of them for their first impressions. It’s Leica versus Panasonic. Don’t hold back, lads….
…both for Leica, and for me personally.
The first time I saw a picture of the Leica M9 (I think it was on Luminous Landscape) I couldn’t believe this was a contemporary digital device. It matched the common design concept of the Far Eastern competition in the same way that a Jaguar E-Type matches a VW Golf. I decided then and there that I would never be able to do anything with this thing.
Leica has announced the forthcoming launch of the D-Lux 8 camera. As the name indicates, it is the eighth generation of the model, which was first introduced in 2003. The company has drawn on the success of its Q-series cameras to reimagine this latest version, which is likely to be exclusive to Leica.
Panasonic has unveiled the LUMIX S9, the latest addition to the LUMIX S-series cameras. It’s accompanied by an unusual, 26mm fixed-aperture, f/8 pancake lens. Panasonic are aiming both camera, and camera-lens combination, at a new generation of ‘content creators’.
Have you ever wondered what the sensor resolution of the human eye is – measured in megapixels? We might have the answer for you. And if you fancy your chances in a photography competition, Fuji has just the opportunity for you to show everyone ‘Life as you see it’. Talking of Fuji, the company has a lot to celebrate: stellar financial results and a brand-new store in London’s Covent Garden. For those of you who enjoy reminiscing about your first digital camera, you are in good company: the experts share their favourites.
