In addition to launching the A6600 flagship earlier this week, Sony also introduced the entry-level A6100 as well, essentially a refresh of the highly popular A6000 which is now a five-year-old camera. The Sony A6100 shares the same 24.2 Megapixel APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor and blazing-fast 0.02 second 425 point Fast Hybrid AF system found in the higher end A6400 and A6600 models. With a MSRP of US $750 for the camera body alone, the A6100 is now the most affordable camera in Sony’s mirrorless lineup with Real-time Eye AF for both human and animal subjects as well as Real-time Tracking. To keep costs down, the A6100 utilizes a plastic housing that lacks weather-resistance as opposed to the more robust and weather-resistant magnesium alloy housing used in the flagship A6600. The A6100 also eschews the 5-axis in-camera image stabilization found in the flagship model. Additional cost-saving measures include the A6100 using a lower resolution OLED Electronic Viewfinder than the one found in higher-end Sony mirrorless APS-C cameras (1,440k-dot resolution in the A6100 versus a much higher 2,345k-dot resolution in the A6400/A6600) along with the continued use of the aging NP-FW50 battery as opposed to the newer and longer-lasting NP-FZ100 model that the A6600 is adopting, leading to significantly shorter runtimes. Shortcomings aside, the Sony A6100 is an interesting value proposition that shares much of the performance of the higher tier APS-C models, albeit at almost half the price of the A6600 flagship. We spent some time shooting with a pre-production A6100 unit during the launch event in New York City, you can read all about our first impressions after the jump.
Lighting is one of the most important but also challenging stuff to master for studio portrait work. Apart from setting the mood, feel, and emphasis of a portrait, it also opens up photographers to various creative techniques. If you’re really serious about being a well-rounded portrait photographer, you’ll have to learn how to light at some point in your practice. It may seem daunting at first, but with resources like today’s photography cheat sheet, you’ll be working with essential pro lighting setups in no time!
Diversity is a wonderful thing. Different cultures, attitudes and values make the world spin round. It’s because of our varied approaches to life that street photography is able to flourish. So much compelling content can be created because of the fact there’s so much to learn about the world. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many nations and almost all of them have provided me with their own unique experience. Some extremely inspiring, and some, not so much. But whilst there’s a conversation to be had about uneventful cities, I want to share with you some of the best!
There are some sweet deals around for photographers this Labor Day. Tamron has decided to join in on the fun by announcing that you can save up to $200 on some of their best lenses between September 2nd and November 3rd. Looking for a sweet deal on a 45mm f1.8? If so you need to check out the Tamron 45mm f1.8 which you can now pick up for just $399! Tamron’s workhorse 24-70mm f2.8 is a bargain at only $1,199, and so is their versatile 70-200mm f2.8 G2 which has come down to $1,199 as well. If you’re looking for something with a little reach, the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 G2 is down to just $1,299. Join us after the break to see all of the excellent savings on Tamron lenses.
Looking for creative approaches to portrait photography to inspire you? We’re sure this featured series deserves a spot in your bookmarks and moodboards. Our spotlight is back on Ukranian photographer Marta Syrko, whose clever fashion portraits we’ve previously featured. In a new series, she explores the idea of narcissism as inspired by Greek Mythology and creative use of the fluid visual effects of water and glass.
If you have one of those busted LCD TVs or monitors lying around, you can still give it a second chance at life. You can actually repurpose it into a DIY light panel to give your photo and video projects some realistic daylight illumination. There’s some tricky dismantling involved, of course, but we’re sure you’ll want to give it a try anyway. Studio lighting can be expensive for beginners, so this can be a cheap but effective option for you.
Over the last few years, drones have become increasingly popular in not only the videography world but in the photography world as well. These 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. Dron fans will be pleased to hear that 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. Join us after the break for more details about the Parrot ANAFI FPV drone.
Tom B Asks: In May of this year, Hasselblad silently discontinued their leading Hasselblad Flextight scanners as future Mac updates will be incompatible with their color software. I’m not sure they really had competitors for quality (other than ancient, cumbersome and fiddly drum scanners), and it makes me wonder where this leaves the high end scanning …
By pointing cameras to the night sky, photographers open themselves up to the wonders of the stars and other heavenly bodies. As with any kind of photography, it requires some camera settings to make sure you get the shot at the best results possible. If this sounds like something you need help with, today’s photography cheat sheet is definitely for you.
When portrait photographers pick up the Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM, they’ll start to realize the absolute magic that it’s capable of when rendering a portrait subject. I’ve realized that Canon’s lenses haven’t always been about scoring high on DXOMark tests, but that they’re instead designed for the character. Canon’s RF 50mm f1.2 L USM delivers an almost medium format look that’s only possible with an 80mm f2 on a 645 body. And the Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM isn’t anything different. Even when shooting wide open with a flash, the look that you get is far unlike anything else that you’ll get. That’s not at all to say that everything else isn’t capable of delivering beautiful images. But a long focal length at f1.2 is something to really behold.