Like many other photographers out there, I have multiple lenses in my camera bag that are all suitable for various jobs and genres of photography. While it’s nice to be able to pick and choose from a long list of prime lenses, sometime it’s just really nice to use wide to telephoto lenses that can do-it-all, and 24-105mm lenses are just about the perfect do it all lens. One second you can be shooting a wide angle environmental portrait or a landscape, and the next you can be shooting a tight close up shot of an object or person. The versatility of these wide to telephoto lenses is unmatched, and this is what makes them the best jack of all trades lenses available.
If you think you missed out on some of the most amazing camera deals of the year think again! Some of the hottest camera deals are still active, but if you want to take advantage of the savings, you’ll have to act fast. The incredible 42 Megapixel Full Frame Sony A7R II can be yours for just $1,598, the Full Frame A7 II with 28-70mm lens is still only $998, and the a6000 with two lenses can be yours for just $598!. Sony not your thing, don’t worry! The Canon 6D Mk II with battery grip is still only $1,299, and the Canon M50 with two lenses is just $829 (saving you over $400). There are plenty of other amazing deals on lenses, presets, guides, and accessories too!
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I’ve made a conscious effort in the past few years to move away from Adobe Lightroom Classic CC in every way possible; and with today’s release of Capture One 12 I can say with certainty that it does most of what Lightroom does even better. There is a big emphasis on most–but the truth is that for most photographers, Capture One 12 will do everything better than Lightroom does. In that previous sentence there is a HUGE emphasis on everything. With today’s announcement integrating into Capture One 12 the addition of plugins, a variety of masks, and the long awaited Fujifilm Film Simulation additions, there are lots of major reasons why Capture One 12 is the best one yet.
Earlier today, Phase One announced the release of Capture One 12, a major version update to the company’s RAW conversion, image editing, and asset management software. With the release of version 12, Capture One’s user interface has been completely overhauled while maintaining the program’s high degree of customizability, including a brand new menu system as well as a keyboard shortcut manager. Additionally, Capture One 12 also introduces three new masking tools for added creative possibilities when processing RAW files: Luma Range (Luminosity) Masking, Linear Gradient Masking, and Radial Gradient Masking. Another enhancement introduced with Capture One 12 is a new Capture One Plugins ecosystem, allowing third party developers to expand the functionalities of Capture One. Fujifilm support was first introduced with Capture One 11.3, and with Capture One 12, Fujifilm support is further enhanced with the introduction of Fujifilm Film Simulations support.
When Nikon first announced that they were finally entering the Full Frame Interchangeable Lens Mirrorless camera market with the Z6 and Z7 back in August of this year, only the 45.7MP Z7 was initially available. From a business standpoint, it certainly made sense that Nikon would want to release the top end Z7 first as demand for the brand new camera system would surely skyrocket, especially since Nikon was playing catchup when it comes to Mirrorless. Fast forward to today, three months after initial announcement, the Z6 is finally available. With a more modest resolution of 24.5MP and a lower autofocus point count of 273, but boasting faster frame rates (12 FPS in the Z6 vs 9 FPS in the Z7) and double the ISO sensitivity (a maximum of 51,200, expandable to 204,800 in the Z6 vs a maximum of 25,600, expandable to 102,400 in the Z7), pricing for the Nikon Z6 is also much more reasonable, coming in at only US $1995.95 compared to the Z7’s US $3,399.95. Nikon recently invited us down to Florida to test out the brand new Nikon Z6 in a variety of different conditions, and our experiences so far have been fairly positive. Despite having a lower resolution and autofocus points, the Z6 may actually be the Mirrorless camera that will suit the needs of more photographers when compared to the Z7, especially if you’ve already got a good selection of F mount lenses and are looking to stay with Nikon while moving into the Mirrorless world.
Samsung aims to make the storage capacity vs performance tradeoff a non-issue with their new affordable & high capacity Samsung 860 QVO series of SSDs.
With the Holdfast Gear Money Maker Solo, photographers are getting the closest thing that the company will ever make to a BlackRapid strap. Like many of the company’s other products, it oozes with quality and well made materials. With the Money Maker Solo originally designed for the photographers who bring two big cameras with them, the Holdfast Gear Money Maker Solo is more so designed with a single camera in mind. But in terms of implementation, it sometimes falls short. In fact, I genuinely think that if Holdfast fused their Maven and the Holdfast Gear Money Maker Solo together, they’d create a strap that it pretty much unbeatable.
As a former Canon DSLR owner, I’ve always had a complicated relationship with lenses like the Canon RF 24-105mm f4 L IS USM; but this latest version has proven itself to be useful in many situations. The first version of this lens for their DSLRs had a slew of problems that were improved on with the second version. And with this version for their RF lineup of cameras, photographers are treated to some fantastic image stabilization and an industry standard size. For those that want a walkaround lens, it’s hard to beat this one and it even comes close to Sony’s in terms of sharpness and image rendition. And when the situation calls for it, the image stabilization is what I’d call class leading.
How do you make a bold statement or support a cause close to your heart through your photography or art? Looks like Hamburg-based photographer and director Simon Puschmann figured out one of the most effective ways to do this: by crafting a powerful analogy to guide your visual message. He executes this idea gracefully in a series called Assaulted Flowers.