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Monday, October 1, 2018

The Z7 is Nikon's first foray into the brave new world of full-frame mirrorless cameras, and what an entry it is. Boasting 45.7 megapixels, 4K video recording, built-in image stabilsation, a 3.6-million dot EVF and a 2.1-million dot tilting screen, can the exciting new Nikon Z7 give market-leader Sony a run for its money? Find out by reading our in-depth Nikon Z7 review, complete with full size JPEGs, Raw files and movies...

Friday, September 28, 2018

As the sun sets on Photokina 2018 (for us at least - the show is still open tomorrow), we look back at all of the new products that have been launched at the show. And my - there's certainly been a lot of them! I can't remember a show during the last 15 years of Photography Blog that has been quite so vibrant and busy, which is a shame given the rumours that next year's Photokina will be a much smaller affair.

So here, in no particular order, is a quick roundup of everything that we've covered in the last 4 days...

As the sun sets on Photokina 2018 (for us at least - the show is still open tomorrow), we look back at all of the new products that have been launched at the show. And my - there's certainly been a lot of them! I can't remember a show during…

The Kipon Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 is one of the fastest lenses in the world, and it's also now available in shocking pink!

Available in a range of mounts for Micro Four Thirds, Sony E and Fujifilm X mirrorless camera, this update of the four-year-old manual-focus original has a new optical design that is claimed to be "distortion free".

The pink version is sadly limited to 100 units worldwide, so get your order in quick...

The Kipon Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 is one of the fastest lenses in the world, and it's also now available in shocking pink! Available in a range of mounts for Micro Four Thirds, Sony E and Fujifilm X mirrorless camera, this update of the four-year-old manual-focus original has a new optical…

Gitzo don't tend to do things by halves, and their new Mini Traveller tripod is certainly evidence of that.

Essentially a scaled down version of their top-of-the-range full sized tripod, the Gitzo Mini Traveller is the most compact and lightweight professional carbon fibre tripod on the market, but priced at around £199, also the most eye-wateringly expensive.

Expect to find this stocked in your nearest up-market department store, rather than your local camera shop...

Gitzo don't tend to do things by halves, and their new Mini Traveller tripod is certainly evidence of that. Essentially a scaled down version of their top-of-the-range full sized tripod, the Gitzo Mini Traveller is the most compact and lightweight professional carbon fibre tripod on the market, but priced at…

Voigtländer are showing three new concept lenses at Photokina, including two different versions of the Nokton 50mm F1.2 Asph. for Sony E-mount.

The Voigtlander rep told us that they're not sure which version to put into production - the black with a declickable aperture ring, or classic silver without.

They also showed us concept versions of two Leica M-mount lenses, the Color-Skopar 21mm f/3.5 and the Ultron 35mm f/2.

Voigtländer are showing three new concept lenses at Photokina, including two different versions of the Nokton 50mm F1.2 Asph. for Sony E-mount. The Voigtlander rep told us that they're not sure which version to put into production - the black with a declickable aperture ring, or classic silver without. They…

Want to see exactly what the new Kodak 3D Pixpro Pivot camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Kodak 3D Pixpro Pivot camera.

This is a VR180, VR360 and 3D all-in-one 20 megapixel action camera that is waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof and offers built-in Wifi and NFC connectivity. It's due to go on sale "sometime in 2019".

Want to see exactly what the new Kodak 3D Pixpro Pivot camera looks like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Kodak 3D Pixpro Pivot camera.This is a VR180, VR360 and 3D all-in-one 20 megapixel action camera that is waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof and offers…

The Rolleiflex Instant Kamera, "an instant camera with the legendary twin lens design and modern features", is alive and well and on display at Photokina 2018. Announced back in April, 671 backers pledged a whopping HK$ 2,326,388 to help bring the project to life, far surpassing its HK$ 200,000 goal.

The Rolleiflex Instant Kamera, "an instant camera with the legendary twin lens design and modern features", is alive and well and on display at Photokina 2018. Announced back in April, 671 backers pledged a whopping HK$ 2,326,388 to help bring the project to life, far surpassing its HK$ 200,000 goal.

The Reflex 40mm f1.8 is a manual focus lens originally conceived for the Reflex manual 35mm SLR camera, which Reflex has decided to launch for lots of other lens mounts too.

There are three versions on the Reflex booth at Photokina 2018 - Sony E-mount, Canon EF mount, and the native Reflex AR-i. Check our our hands-on gallery below to see all three versions.

The Kickstarter campaign for the Reflex 40mm f1.8 lens will go live in November 2018, with delivery expected in early 2019.

The Reflex 40mm f1.8 is a manual focus lens originally conceived for the Reflex manual 35mm SLR camera, which Reflex has decided to launch for lots of other lens mounts too.There are three versions on the Reflex booth at Photokina 2018 - Sony E-mount, Canon EF mount, and the native…

Laowa have launched no less than eight new lenses at Photokina 2018. Want to see exactly what they all look like in the flesh?

Then check our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of all the new Laowa lenses launched at the show.


Laowa have launched no less than eight new lenses at Photokina 2018. Want to see exactly what they all look like in the flesh? Then check our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of all the new Laowa lenses launched at the show.

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma 28mm, 40mm, 56mm, 70-200mm and 60-600mm lenses looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma 28mm, 40mm, 56mm, 70-200mm and 60-600mm lenses.

As a reminder, here are the full names:

  • 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art – January 2019
  • 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art – October 2018
  • 56mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary – November 2018
  • 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports – October 2018 (£1899.99)
  • 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports – December 2018

Oh, and Sigma told us that the new 40mm f/1.4 is the sharpest Art lens that they've ever released...

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma 28mm, 40mm, 56mm, 70-200mm and 60-600mm lenses looks like in the flesh? Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma 28mm, 40mm, 56mm, 70-200mm and 60-600mm lenses. As a reminder, here are the full names: 28mm F1.4 DG HSM…

Sony did introduce a new product at Photokina after all. Hidden away and shown under glass in an unloved corner of the huge Sony Photokina 2018 stand was this Terminator-esque, stripped-down Sony A9 and FE 400mm f/2.8 magnesium alloy chassis combination, showcasing the intricate level of detail that goes into manufacturing £13,000 worth of camera kit. Impressive huh?

Sony did introduce a new product at Photokina after all. Hidden away and shown under glass in an unloved corner of the huge Sony Photokina 2018 stand was this Terminator-esque, stripped-down Sony A9 and FE 400mm f/2.8 magnesium alloy chassis combination, showcasing the intricate level of detail that goes into…

Want to see exactly what the new Sony Cyber-shot HX99 travel-zoom compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony Cyber-shot HX99 travel-zoom compact camera, which wasn't even on show on the Sony Photokina stand (the Sony rep had to find one from behind the customer desk).

Want to see exactly what the new Sony Cyber-shot HX99 travel-zoom compact camera looks like in the flesh? Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Sony Cyber-shot HX99 travel-zoom compact camera, which wasn't even on show on the Sony Photokina stand (the Sony rep had to find…

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Want to see exactly what the innovative new Zeiss ZX1 35mm full-frame mirrorless camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Zeiss ZX1 camera.

Want to see exactly what the innovative new Zeiss ZX1 35mm full-frame mirrorless camera looks like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Zeiss ZX1 camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens.

Want to see exactly what the new Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens looks like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens.

I've just arrived at the last press event at Photokina 2018. What have Carl Zeiss got up their sleeves? New lenses? A new camera?! Let's find out...

More than 300 people are attending "a very special occasion" - press, photographers, dealers and distributors.

Zeiss are truly committed to photography, and to their distributors. So first announcement of the evening - the Zeiss Distributor Award of the Year 2018! And the winner is...LStream from Russia!

Some really exciting new about Batis is coming...

There are four current Batis lenses in the range, two wide-angle and two telephoto, but there's something missing in the middle.

So Zeiss have officially announced the much-rumoured Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens for Sony Alpha cameras, which uses a Distagon optical design. The lens has a shortest shooting distance of 24cm, focus limiter switch, 67mm filter diameter, and 1:3.3 magnification.

The big announcement of the night, though, is the...wait for it...

Zeiss are launching an exiting new device that combines the image quality of a Zeiss lens with a smartphone. Shoot. Edit. Share. All on the same device.

Introducing the Zeiss ZX1. A 35mm, 37.4 megapixel full-frame mirrorless camera with a superb quality, newly developed 35mm f/2 lens that has no distortion even what shooting in RAW. The sensor is made by Zeiss in Germany. There's an EVF, a massive 4.3 inch touchscreen display, intuitive user interace, 512Gb SSD internal memory, and a slight bend to the aluminium body on the right-hand side for better ergonomics.

Zeiss are the first manufacturer to integrate Lightroom Mobile CC directly into a camera for ease of editing. That's right - onboard RAW editing via Adobe!

Sharing is the third element that Zeiss are addressing. You can instantly share on services like Flickr and Dropbox and update firmware over the air, so the camera is always up to date.

The Zeiss ZX1 will be available in early 2019. Price to be announced.

And that's a wrap. Time for the hands-on experience...

I've just arrived at the last press event at Photokina 2018. What have Carl Zeiss got up their sleeves? New lenses? A new camera?! Let's find out... More than 300 people are attending "a very special occasion" - press, photographers, dealers and distributors. Zeiss are truly committed to photography, and…

The Zeiss Batis 2/40 CF (Close Focus) is a new lens for mirrorless full-frame cameras from Sony that bridges the gap in the ZEISS Batis family lineup. This standard lens in the ZEISS Batis family features a quick autofocus and an extremely short minimum focus distance.

Delivery of the Zeiss Batis 2/40 CF will start in November 2018 priced at £1129.99 / $1299.99 / €1,299.

The Zeiss Batis 2/40 CF (Close Focus) is a new lens for mirrorless full-frame cameras from Sony that bridges the gap in the ZEISS Batis family lineup. This standard lens in the ZEISS Batis family features a quick autofocus and an extremely short minimum focus distance. Delivery of the Zeiss…

Want to see exactly what the new Fujifilm Instax Square SQ20 hybrid instax/digital camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ20. Oh, and not forgetting the Taylor Swift tie-in too...

Want to see exactly what the new Fujifilm Instax Square SQ20 hybrid instax/digital camera looks like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ20. Oh, and not forgetting the Taylor Swift tie-in too...

Want to see exactly what the new Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Want to see exactly what the new Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens looks like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Irix 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Want to see exactly what the new Zenit M full-frame rangefinder camera look like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Zenit M full-frame rangefinder camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Zenit M full-frame rangefinder camera look like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Zenit M full-frame rangefinder camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Samyang 10mm f/3.5 lens for full-frame DSLR cameras looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Samyang 10mm f/3.5 lens for full-frame DSLR cameras, which is the World's widest-angle lens for full-frame cameras.

Apparently this lens will be released "in 2019" (nothing more specific than that) for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

Want to see exactly what the new Samyang 10mm f/3.5 lens for full-frame DSLR cameras looks like in the flesh? Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Samyang 10mm f/3.5 lens for full-frame DSLR cameras, which is the World's widest-angle lens for full-frame cameras. Apparently this lens will…