January 28
The Canon Doomsday Proclamation. I swore to myself I wasn't going to write any more about the business of photography until the CP+ show, which is about the point in the year where we have enough data to fully understand the past year. Article on dslrbodies.com
January 24
Olympus Introduces Pro E-M1x Camera. Olympus today broadened their camera lineup with the introduction of the E-M1X, a pro-grade camera with a lot of technology features built into a weatherproof body rated at IPX1, and which has an integrated vertical grip. Article on sansmirror.com Camera data page
January 22
Why Autofocus is Contentious. Let me start off with a straw man: static scene autofocus with mirrorless cameras is more accurate and more consistent than with DSLRs. Article on sansmirror.com
Simplify Your Way to Better Photography. Most of you reading this are using high-end cameras, typically at the D7500 level and up (in Canon speak, 80D and up; in Sony speak, A6000 and up). What you don't know is that your camera is probably more than half your problem in terms of getting better. Article on dslrbodies.com
The 35, 50, 70 Game. There's something to be said for history. Historically, photography had a long stretch where the go-to lenses were 35mm, 50mm, and 70mm (eventually that latter focal length pretty much became anything modestly telephoto out to 85mm or 90mm). One thing about these focal lengths is that they produced smallish and simple optical designs that are quite decent. Article on dslrbodies.com Article on sansmirror.com
January 15
Sony Introduces the A6400. After over a two-year break, Sony has finally got back to putting out a new APS-C sensor mirrorless camera, this time the A6400. Article on sansmiror.com. A6400 Data Page.
January 14
Review of the Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF Lens. The 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is the second lens from Nikon using Phase Fresnel optical design (thus the PF in its name). The first was the 300mm f/4E, which turned out to be a real winner of a lens and is one of my favorites for travel. Now we have a longer version. How good is it? Article on dslrbodies.com
Sub-note: I've updated the links on the Lens Reviews page on this site, which was a bit outdated.
Do You Buy DSLR Lenses Still? The latest trend in my In box hasn't been about cameras. It's concern about lenses (again). This time the concern is about full frame lenses (but see comment at end for crop sensor). Article on dslrbodies.com
January 9
The Need for DSLR Clarity. Both Canon and Nikon have made a number of comments lately about their continued "commitment" to DSLRs. Let's first point out why they're doing that. Article on dslrbodies.com
January 8
Nikon News from CES. Nikon today announced the 14-30mm f/4 S lens, to be available in Spring for US$1300. The big news here is that this is a rather small, light lens that allows 82mm filters up front. Nikon claims it is the first full frame 14mm lens to allow filters. In addition, Nikon announced a new Filmmaker's Kit, this time with the Z6. Article on sansmirror.com. 14-30mm lens data page
Panasonic News from CES. I'm going to do this short-hand, as there's a lot coming down the pike today, and Panasonic didn't really say much new. Article on sansmirror.com
January 7
Know Thy Camera. Over the holidays I spent a fair amount of time responding to detailed requests that came in over email during the past month or two. I can't always spend a lot of time answering emails, so often my answers are brief. But what I discovered in making more detailed responses during this holiday period was simple: I was answering the same question, even though it was being expressed differently. Article on sansmirror.com
What Nikon's Lens Choices Say About Mirrorless DX (APS-C). I noted this to myself when Nikon first posted their Road Map for Z lenses: it won't take a lot to fill in some DX (APS-C) lens gaps. Article on sansmirror.com
A Style Note. Nikon's marketing style book says that the Z series cameras are named Z 6 and Z 7 (space in between the letter and number). They're not always consistent about that themselves, and for good reason: Z6 and Z 6 present different search results! Article on sansmirror.com
The Sound of Silence. I’ve read in several places now about calls that mirror-slapping DSLRs should be banned from events. We already have the “never before ball is struck ban” in golf, but I keep hearing people saying that only silent cameras should be used to shoot press conferences and other public events. Be careful what you wish for. Article on sansmirror.com
As with all Januaries, the News/Views articles on my two major sites all archive down into folders for the passing year while a new folder is started for the current year. Hard to believe, but sansmirror.com now has 10 years with thousands of news articles and dslrbodies has 16 and many thousands more (I didn't start the yearly process until 2003 or it would be an even higher number).
January 1
Where Mirrorless is Headed in 2019. We've come to the end of another year—an important year for mirrorless—and as we kick off the new year it's a good time for some reflection on the market. Article on sansmirror.com
The 2019 Mirrorless To Do List. In my other article today I outline many of my thoughts about what the camera companies are likely to do in 2019. You'd think with all the press and hype and new mirrorless products of 2018 that all the camera companies would be basking in their successes. Thing is, every last camera company has serious challenges in the coming year. Article on sansmirror.com
Everything Canikon DSLR in 2018. One question I keep getting is “are DSLRs dead?” Well, one thing you can do is an audit. So let’s look at everything that was introduced DSLR-wise for Canon and Nikon in 2018. Article on dslrbodies.com