Check Out the Impressive Winning Photos of the 2019 APA Awards

Get inspired by the winners of this year’s APA Awards, led by Best of Show winner Rebecca Moseman.

If you’re in need of some outstanding photography to inspire your own, we bring some of the best you’ll see this year from the American Photographic Artists. The leading national organization recently announced the deserving winners of this year’s APA National Awards, chosen by some of the most talented industry experts. The APA National Awards is an annual competition open to photographers from around the world of all levels, and is just one of the contests and exhibits held by the organization. This year, the APA Awards Committee gathered agency producers, art buyers, curators, and creative directors, consultants, photography directors, and other industry experts to judge the competition. They picked a total of 42 winners in 14 categories, with Rebecca Moseman bagging Best of Show. Her winning image (above) will grace the cover of the Awards book set to be printed by A&I Fine Art + Photography this fall.

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Sekonic Still Exists, and They’ve Got New Firmware for a Light Meter

Sekonic C-800-u light meter

It’s not every day you see new firmware for a light meter.

Well, file this piece of news under something you don’t see every day. Sekonic just announced that they have been hard at work bringing improvements to a light meter in their line up. The Sekonic Spectromaster C-800-U light meter will have some new features added to it, which will make it even more useful to those who own it. You rarely think about a light meter as a device that can receive a firmware update, but oh what a time we live in. The Digital Age is great for new firmware versions alone. Light meters aren’t exactly cheap (in fact, this one is $1,599) so one would hope that support is there after the sale, but that’s not always the case. It’s great to see companies like Sekonic continuing to improve the performance of their items after the purchase has been made final.

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Street Photographer Beaten and Bloodied at Notting Hill Carnival

In the UK, August Bank Holiday is a vibrant sign-off to the British summer. However, it would become a dark day for this street photographer.

On Monday 26th August, Swansea based street photographer, Math Roberts, was shooting at Nottinghill Carnival. It was the final day of one of the world’s most talked about public events. At around 10:30 pm on Moscow Road, while talking a photo of a couple embracing each other, Math found himself in a violent altercation.

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New X-Rite i1Display Screen Calibrators Make Getting Better Colors Easy

If you plan on printing your images and want to make sure your colors are accurate, you might want to check out the new X-Rite i1Display calibration tools.

X-Rite has been helping photographers, and videographers get their colors right for many years. X-Rite ColorChecker Passports have been an essential tool for many, and now X-Rite is looking to take things further by introducing the X-Rite i1Display screen calibration tools. Join us after the break to find out more about the New Xrite i1Display tools. Continue reading…

LaCie’s New Rugged SSDs Are Tough Enough to be Used in Any Location

If you’re tough on your gear or work in demanding environments, you might want to check out these new LaCie Rugged SSDs.

In the past, taking hard drives out into the field was always a little scary: they generally do not like to be bumped around. But SSDs have solved this problem. Today, LaCie has announced a new line of SSDs that are ready for drops, water, dust, and just about any abuse you can throw at them. The new LaCie Rugged SSDs come in three flavors; the Rugged SSD Pro, The Rugged SSD, and the Rugged BOSS SSD. Join us after the break for all the details. Continue reading…

The Fujifilm X-A7 Is Small in Size, Big on Features

Fujifilm X-A7

The new Fujifilm X-A7 is perfect for those who need lots of power but want to travel light.

Fans of compact cameras will be pleased to hear that Fujifilm has announced a new camera in their X-A series; the Fujifilm X-A7. This small, lightweight, feature-packed camera promises to be great for both photographers and videographers who like to travel light, but who still want the power of an APS-C sensor. We had a feeling that Fujifilm would be announcing a new camera in their X-A series a short while ago. Low and behold, here we are with the new Fujifilm X-A7. This new camera is quite similar to the X-A5 that came before it, but there are a few upgrades that should make potential buyers quite happy.

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Think Tank’s Retrospective Camera Bag Series Finally Comes in Black

retrospective camera bag

Photographers who like the traditional color of black on camera bags will be pleased with this news about Think Tank’s Retrospective camera bag series.

Think Tanks Retrospective camera bag series has been a big hit for the company. However, for quite some time they have only been available in a color that Think Tank likes to call Pinestone. The color is lovely and has no doubt been a hit with photographers who enjoy earth tones, but there are those out there who like the more traditional shade of black. Think Tank announced today that they will finally start selling their Retrospective camera bag series in black. So, for those of you who have been wanting this, your wish has come true. Check out all the details after the break. Continue reading…

The 150 Megapixel Phase One XT Camera Travels Well for $56,900

The Phase One XT promises to take landscape photography to new heights.

Phase One is known for creating super high Megapixel Medium Format cameras that are designed to be used in studios. You can, of course, take the previous Phase One Medium Formant cameras into the great outdoors too, but the new 150 Megapixel Phase One XT is small enough to be carried by those who don’t lift weights regularly. You may not need to be strong to use the XT, but your wallet needs to be ready for some heavy lifting. The new Phase One XT is being billed as a travel-ready, digitally integrated field camera that will bring landscape photography to a whole new level. With a 150 Megapixel Full Frame (645) Medium Format sensor onboard, it’s hard to see how this won’t be the case.

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Why Cheap Lenses Will Always Cost You More in The Long Run

Cheap lenses offer an excellent way for photographers to build up a collection, but in the long run, you’ll pay for them in more ways than one.

At the beginning of your photographic journey, it’s easy to drop a few hundred bucks on a cheap lens that you’re sure will lead you to greatness. Continue to do this, and you will amass a collection of cheap lenses that you believe are doing an excellent job for you. Mark these words, though, as there will come a time when you progress in your abilities, and you will start to see the shortcomings of your cheap lenses. You’ll also realize just how much money you now have tied up in lenses that just don’t cut it. 7Artisans announced new 35mm f1.4 lens which sounds excellent, but this makes us wonder whether cheaper lenses always cost you more in the long run. Let’s talk about this after the break. Continue reading…

What The Sony A9 II Needs to Take The Gold at The 2020 Olympics

The Sony a9 proved to be a great camera, but if Sony wants to be in first place at the 2020 Olympics, the A9 II will need to be quite extraordinary.

Most people have been expecting an update to the Sony a9, and given that next year is an Olympic year, we may see an a9 II here shortly. The original a9 was groundbreaking in many ways. While its specs made it look like a Nikon D5 and Canon 1DX Mk II killer, it didn’t gain the traction that Sony had hoped for among pro sports photographers. If there is going to be a Sony a9 II, it will need to score a perfect 10 if it wants to take home gold at the Olympics next year. Let’s take a quick look at what we think the Sony a9 II will need to be crowned champion. Continue reading…

One of Western Digital’s New SanDisk Cards Can Hold 1TB of Photos

Western Digital recently unveiled the latest additions to its consumer storage products, including the world’s fastest UHS-I SD card, and a refreshed sleek design for the My Passport line of portable drives.

The IFA 2019 saw Western Digital showcase its newest consumer storage products aimed at gamers, photographers, and consumers with growing data storage needs. The new offerings include the latest additions to the SanDisk brand of memory cards, as well as updates to the award-winning My Passport portable drives. If you’re looking to upgrade your storage solutions, these new offerings are among your options.

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Could One of the Big Camera Companies Die in the Next Two Years?

gear doesn't matter

Canon continues to claim that the camera market is going to nosedive to depths the industry hasn’t seen in many years.

Earlier this year, Canon stated that the declining camera market had forced them to change their entire business strategy because of the rise of smartphone photography. Other manufacturers such as Fujifilm said they didn’t see a market decline at all. Ever since that statement from Canon, there has been speculation about the current state of the camera market and where it will end up. Canon, it seems, is still planning for doomsday, but are the others? Will the declining camera market force one or more of the big players out of business in the next two years? Let’s talk about it. Continue reading…

New Sony Xperia 5 Android Smartphone Comes Loaded with Camera Tech

The Sony Xperia 5 is a more pocket-friendly version of the Xperia 1 and sports the same advanced Digital Imaging tech found in Alpha cameras.

Today in the IFA 2019, Sony announced their next 5G Android smartphone: the Sony Xperia 5. Like the Sony Xperia 1 launched earlier this year at MWC Barcelona, the Xperia 5 incorporates many of Sony’s innovative Digital Imaging technologies, this time in a sleeker, more pocket-friendly package. Like the larger Xperia 1, the Sony Xperia 5 utilizes an OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, albeit measuring 6.1″ diagonally this time around and packing a slightly lower 2520 x 1080 resolution due to the Xperia 5’s smaller dimensions.

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What Do You Think Fujifilm Has Up Their Sleeve? The Fujifilm X Pro 3?

The newly registered FF190001 Fujifilm camera is causing quite the stir.

Another day, another camera being registered by a major camera company. This time it’s Fujifilm stepping up to the plate with a yet-to-be-announced new camera. What could it possibly be? The filing, which was discovered this week, has caused quite a tizzy in the camerasphere. With Fujifilm recently heavily discounting the excellent Fujifilm X-H1 down to $999 with the grip, one would assume this new Fujifilm camera could be the X-H2. Not so fast there buddy! Hold your horses! We don’t think it’s that. Join us after the break to see what we believe this new Fujifilm camera might be. Continue reading…

Here’s Why We’re Sure We’ll See the Nikon D6 Before the 2020 Olympics

The Nikon D6 is in development according to the company, and it’s bound to be the company’s last great DSLR.

Yes, the Nikon D6 is in development. From what the Nikon press release issued for today is saying, it’s going to be targeted to professional photographers. In fact, they’re not even telling us the pricing or the release dates. But we’ve got a great hunch that it’s going to be coming before the 2020 Olympics. Don’t agree? Well, we’re pretty confident that you’d be wrong; and here’s why.

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The Nikon Z 24mm F1.8 S Targets Starscape Photogs for Under $1,000

Photographers using the Nikon 24mm f1.8 S will love this lens for starscapes, according to Nikon’s claims.

If you’re using a Nikon Z series camera and know anything about how good the company’s Z mount lenses have been, then you should be very excited about their new Nikon Z 24mm f1.8 S. This lens has been designed for the new Z mount system the company introduced, and features 12 elements in 10 groups. There are also nine aperture blades, nanocrystal coatings, and a minimum focusing distance of under one foot. The Nikon Z 24mm f1.8 S weighs less than a pound while having a large 72mm filter thread on the front. For those of you who love to peep your pickles (I mean, pixels), you’ll be happy to know about the single ED lens element and the four aspherical elements. Like every other lens for the system thus far, the Nikon Z 24mm f1.8 S is weather resistant. You get all this for $999.95 when it hits stores in October. That’s not a bad price tag at all. More sample photos are after the jump.

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Could the New Razer Blade Stealth 13 Be a Photographer’s Next Laptop?

The new Razer Blade Stealth 13 combines Intel’s latest Quad-Core i7 processor and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics into an ultra-portable package.

Today at IFA, Razer announced their updated 13″ ultrabook – the Razer Blade Stealth 13. Powered by Intel’s latest 10th generation Core i7-1065G7 Quad-Core processor, three variants of the Razer Blade Stealth 13 will be available. All three variants of the Razer Blade Stealth 13 are housed in precision-milled unibody aluminum chassis that are just 15.3 mm thick and weigh in at roughly 3lbs, depending on the configuration. Two of the models feature discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, a first for a 13″ laptop. Those sport a black anodized finish, while the third model utilizes integrated Intel Iris Plus graphics and comes in a mercury white anodized finish. In terms of connectivity, all variants of the new Stealth 13 feature WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, and come equipped with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port, a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port, and a pair of USB 3.1 Type-A ports. The updated Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a powerful mobile solution for photographers on the go. Additional details can be found after the jump.

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The Nimble Parrot ANAFI FPV Drone Puts You Right in the Cockpit

The Parrot ANAFI FPV drone will make you feel like you’re soaring through the skies.

Over the last few years, drones have become increasingly popular in not only the videography world but in the photography world as well. Small drones enable us to get to places that would otherwise be impossible to reach, and they let us see the world from a unique point of view. Drone fans will be pleased to learn Parrot has just announced a new drone that can put you in the cockpit via their new Cockpitglasses. This unique take on drones will make you feel more immersed in your flight than ever before. Continue reading…

You Can Now Order Prints of Your Images Directly Through Flickr Prints

flickr prints

Flickr wants to become a one-stop-shop for all of your printing needs.

Flickr is going through something of a rebirth of late. After years of decline, the online photographic community was purchased by SmugMug in April 2018. Since the purchase, the once faltering photography service has found new legs, and today another new feature has been added to the online platform. Flickr announced today that a new photo printing service called Flickr Prints is now available to all members. Join us after the break for the details. Continue reading…

The Sony 16-35mm F2.8 GM vs the Tamron 17-28mm F2.8

If you have been eyeballing either of these wide lenses but can’t choose, you need to see this.

Just a few short years ago you would’ve been hard-pressed to find photographers who wanted to use third-party lenses over first-party offerings. Until Sigma and Tamron upped their game, the lenses they produced were slow, cheaply made, and couldn’t match the image quality of first-party lenses. Oh, how times have changed. Now, third-party lenses meet and sometimes even exceed the levels of performance from first-party lenses; they’re usually significantly cheaper too. If you like wide lenses and have been eyeing the Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 or the Sony 16-35mm f2.8 G Master, you need to see the video we have for you after the break. Continue reading…

The Most Popular Cameras and Lenses Our Readers Bought in August

August has been great for excellent deals on photography gear.

August is usually the hottest month of the year in many places. But this August has been even hotter than usual thanks to all the incredible photography gear deals. We’ve seen camera prices slashed and deep discounts on lenses. In this roundup, we will take a quick look at seven items that The Phoblographer’s readers have been buying. Looking at the list below, one thing is clear: we have a lot of readers who currently shoot with Sony. Fujifilm seems to be popular amongst our readership too, and for good reasons. Their cameras and lenses are stellar performers. We’re not surprised to see the Fujifilm X-H1 near the top of the items sold thanks to the latest price cut it received ($999 w/grip), and with the Nikon trade-in program in full swing, it’s no shocker that you folks have been showing more interest in the Nikon Z series of cameras either. Check out the most popular photography gear from August 2019 below.

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