February 26
Firmware Announcements Versus Shipments. You may have noticed that I have not commented on "future firmware updates." Not from Fujifilm, not from Nikon, not from Olympus, not from Panasonic, and not from Sony, all of which have put out press releases or held conferences on future firmware recently. Article on sansmirror.com
Also note that I've been adding data pages for new lenses as they pop up, for example the Sony 135mm f/1.8. As I note above, I'll have a WPPI/CP+ wrap-up article next week that goes into commentary.
February 25
The One-Bag Photographic World Traveler. I've known a few people who are serious photographers who've decided to spend a year or more just wandering the world. One of the big issues they face is just how to winnow down their camera and computer gear to the point where it doesn't impact their ability to go anywhere, any time for any length, and in any manner of travel (plane, train, auto, boat, walking). Article on bythom.com
Establish Your Own Standards, but... "My current 50mm 1.8 works just fine and is very sharp, so what can this new lens offer?" I get this sort of message fairly often. If you're happy with the performance of your current 50mm, then any improvement from a new optic would probably be useless to you. Be happy that your standards are met with what you have. But... Article on dslrbodies.com
February 19
Time to Step on the GAS? GAS stands for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Over the years, photographers have been on and off again with their gear buying patterns. Sometimes the foot is on the GAS pedal, sometimes it's on the credit card brakes. Article on dslrbodies.com
Did the Camera Makers Follow the Trends? At this point you can find the basic claim I first made back in 2007/8 all over the place in the media: smartphones are cannibalizing the camera market. Or have cannibalized the dedicated camera market. Or continue to cannibalize the camera market. Basically, smartphones are cannibals, apparently. Article on dslrbodies.com
February 14
Canon's New Entry Full Frame Mirrorless. Canon today introduced the RP, a 26.2mp entry model for their R full frame mirrorless camera lineup. Article on sansmirror.com. Camera data page.
The Strange Canon Mismatch. The Canon RP is clearly an entry camera positioned to be affordable. It's a lowest-common denominator product set up to be sold to folk who can't stretch very far on price above the crop sensor products. The RP is truly a consumer product. Meanwhile, look at the RF lenses we know about so far. Article on sansmirror.com
Fujifilm's New Offerings. Fujifilm today announced the well-leaked X-T30 camera, an update to the junior model in their lineup. The X-T30 is to the X-T3 as the X-T20 was to the X-T2. In other words, most of the features and electronics of the senior model, but in a a body that is less robust and a less expensive to build. Article on sansmirror.com. Camera data page. 16mm lens data page.
Nikon introduced the 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens.
February 13
Olympus introduced the 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for m4/3.
I updated my Complete Guide to the Z6 and Z7 to version 1.01. Owners of the previous version should have received an email from the automated server with the new link (check your spam/junk folder).
February 11
The Sweet Spot Scenario. There's still a lot of discussion about sensor size going on, and with it, body size. That's because of the E-M1X and S1/S1R announcements. In both cases, we have Olympus and Panasonic going up-size and up-weight in bodies, and that's being met with varying degrees of push back. Here's how I look at it. Article on sansmirror.com
Pro Services Update. With the addition of Panasonic to the full frame mirrorless crowd, they've also announced the expansion of their Lumix PRO Services program to a few areas outside of Japan (e.g. US, UK, Spain, France, and Germany, with Ireland and Austria to follow). Article on sansmirror.com
The Flood and the Trickle. I've commented about this before on my DSLRbodies site, but we're now seeing the same Nikon behavior in mirrorless that we've seen from them before. Nikon's generally good at prioritizing building bodies, and to a lesser degree, basic lenses. In the case of the Z6 and Z7, we have plentiful bodies available to purchase, and have had extra stock available since pretty much day one. Likewise, the first three Z S-line lenses all seem in good supply. Look beyond that, though, and Nikon is pretty much a total failure at delivering. Article on sansmirror.com
February 7
The DSLR Decline. Canon and Nikon have both now reported their sales for the holiday quarter (Q4, 2019). As I've been noting a lot lately, we're in a transition period, and that transition is definitely showing up on the bottom line of both companies. Article on dslrbodies.com
February 4
New Nikkor Lens Rebates. Nikon's latest lens rebates are now active. As I always do, I try to give you a perspective on whether you should be thinking about any of these lenses at these prices. Article on dslrbodies.com
Review of the Nikon 19mm f/4 PC-E Lens. The 19mm f/4 PC-E is the most recent tilt-shift lens in Nikon's lineup, and the widest angle one. Unlike previous PC-E lenses, the 19mm can be tilted and shifted independently of axis, removing one of the major complaints of Nikon's previous tilt/shift lenses. Article on dslrbodies.com
The Inevitable Full Frame War. With five of the six known players having released their full frame mirrorless cameras into the wild—okay, Panasonic is still in the process of processing their goodies to let them into the wild—it's probably a good time to summarize where we are and what's happening. Article on sansmirror.com
February 1
Panasonic Officially Launches Full Frame. Panasonic today officially released the full details of the full frame S system they previewed at Photokina last year, including availability and pricing. At launch, there are two cameras and three lenses (plus other L-mount lenses from the alliance are available). Article on sansmirror.com. S1 data page. S1R data page. New S lenses data pages.