APS-C shooters will tell you just how difficult it can be to find good ultra-wide lenses to shoot with. Tokina knows this, and they have been making wide lenses for crop cameras for some time now. According to Tokina, the new Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 is one of their best ultra-wides yet. Designed with landscape, architecture, documentary, and astrophotographers in mind, this Tokina lens for Canon and Nikon APS-C DSLR’s might be the one you’ve been waiting for. Join us after the break for technical specs, images, and release information.
Earlier today, Olympus announced their new OMD EM5 Mk III camera with a fair amount of new tech. There’s also some recycled tech inside that comes from their higher-end cameras. There are some of you out there that will deny Olympus and Micro Four Thirds their rights to the camera market, but I’d disagree with you. They’re often tied with Fujifilm for having some of the best ergonomics and I simply think that the way that you approach shooting them is completely different. In the same way that you think about a Leica M or the Leica SL’s use in a different wavelength than you do with other camera makers you should do the same with Olympus. While our entire industry embraces the philosophy of always shooting in RAW and editing later, I’ve gone against that philosophy for a while. Instead, I opted to get it right in-camera as much as possible. We shouldn’t be using post-production as a crutch. To that end, embracing the unique tech inside of Olympus cameras I think is worthwhile. Finally, all of this could have been better emphasized with a beautiful, revamped Olympus Pen F camera.
It’s been more than four and a half years since Olympus first introduced the OM-D E-M5 Mark II. Fans of the Micro Four Thirds Mirrorless camera have been waiting with baited breaths ever since for an eventual successor to be released. With much of the industry shifting its focus towards Full Frame Mirrorless cameras, it felt as though that day may never come. If you’re still holding out hope for an E-M5 successor though, you can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief because Olympus is officially announcing the release of the OM-D E-M5 Mark III today. Inheriting the 20 Megapixel Live MOS sensor and the TruePic VIII Image Processor that was first introduced in Olympus’s top tier E-M1 Mark II, the OM-D E-M5 Mark III is a lightweight, compact, and weather-sealed mid-tier M43 option for photographers looking for the right balance between performance and pocketability. With the introduction of the OM-D E-M5 Mark III (and the E-M1X before it back in January of this year), Olympus is making a definitive declaration that they remain dedicated to the Micro Four Thirds ecosystem. We got to spend some time in the literal wild shooting with the OM-D E-M5 Mark III last week in Moab, Utah. Was the E-M5 Mark III worth the long wait? Find out after the jump.
Working on set can be challenging in a multitude of ways – from prestigious or demanding clients and having high-profile talent on set/in front of the camera, to tech and equipment doing undesirable or frustrating things. We sometimes also forget that navigating how and what we can discuss on set can be just as difficult, detrimental, and divisive. Frequently we’re thrown together in a mishmash of folks we barely know, whether producers, other assistants, or the photographers themselves. We’re stuck contending with how to work closely together while hardly knowing each other. So we try to collaborate, create conversation, find ways to connect with each other in the span of a few hours. It’s a delicate dance without context or insight into another person. It can often feel like walking through a minefield, unsure if what you’re saying will land well or poorly. If you’ve been in this game long enough, you learn the art of the quick connection, or how to thicken skin and work insulated, unaffected by this social quicksand.
Few companies in the world of third-party lenses have done what Sigma has done for photographers. Sigma, over the last few years, has become one of the leading producers of world-class optics. While their build quality and image quality have reached new heights, their prices remain incredibly low compared to first-party offerings. Over the years, the staff at The Phoblographer have worked hard to review almost all Sigma prime lenses that have hit the market. Our Sigma prime lenses guide was already one of the most complete on the web, but our recent update makes it even better. Join us after the break to find out more.
Everything retro and nostalgic remains a popular aesthetic for various creative fields, and of course, photography is no exception. Fashion editorials, in particular, do a lot of retro styling and editing and looks like we’re still going to see a lot of that. We’re not really complaining, especially if we’re seeing a lot of colorful and experimental approaches to this ongoing trend. Today’s featured series by Budapest-based Eszter Sarah is yet another fine example of that, although leaning more towards a beautifully minimalist style.
Thanks to the recent update to the new iPadOS, users of Apple’s iPad Pro series, and even users of regular iPad’s have seen some dramatic changes to their tablets. The latest update added a whole host of new features, including support for external storage, mouse and trackpad support, and full file management. As you can imagine, many users now see the iPad Pros as a viable alternative to carrying around a full-blown laptop. Companies like DoBox Ltd are now making accessories that might make that even more feasible. Their new DoBox Pro is aimed at iPad Pro power users, and it will bring a lot of connectivity options to the platform. Join us after the break for all the details.
As photographers, the issue of where to store our images has been an age-old challenge that goes back to the analog days of prints and negatives. While the shift to digital meant that most of our images now exist virtually, we live in an age where everyone has a camera in their pockets, and the ever-increasing megapixel count has resulted in the continued growth of raw file sizes. Earlier this summer, we were introduced to a new NAS (network-attached storage) device called Amber from Silicon Valley-based startup LatticeWork. As the company’s cheeky marketing claims, Amber is not just “another pain in the NAS,” and aims to be a simple to set up and easy to manage hybrid cloud storage solution that leverages Artificial Intelligence to help keep everything organized. There are two versions of Amber are available. Amber One comes equipped with a pair of 1 TB hard drives, while Amber Plus doubles the capacity of the included hard drives. Storage capacity aside, Amber One and Amber Plus are functionally identical. LatticeWork was kind enough to send over an Amber One for us to review. Curious to see how it fared under real-world conditions? Read on to find out.
Mastering camera controls can be intimidating for beginners, especially for those who are upgrading from a smartphone camera. But, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Today’s photography cheat sheet will certainly help anyone who wants to have a better understanding of the three basic camera settings: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
Street photography is a polarizing craft. Peaking into the world of others – albeit in a public space – is rejected by many. Street photographers are often mistaken for aggressive, disrespectful, voyeuristic oddballs by those who are unable to accept the practice. But alongside this mentality, are people that don’t bat an eyelid when a photographer is hard at work. They’re intrigued by the process. But love it or hate it, street photography is fair game in most developed countries, and you don’t break laws by practicing it. But even if you’re in line with the legalities, there are ethics that you need to uphold. Not to be safe from the authorities, but for the good and longevity of the genre.