June 25
Fujifilm 80mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review. The XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR is a modest telephoto macro lens with a lot of acronyms in its name. XF is the Fujifilm APS-C mount. R indicates the lens has an aperture ring. LM means the lens has a linear motor. OIS is Optical Image Stabilization. Finally, WR means that it has a weather resistant design. Article on sansmirror.com
June 24
What Constitutes Pro? A legitimate question is starting to appear now that full frame mirrorless is starting to flesh out: what is it that constitutes "pro gear"? Article on sansmirror.com
About Lens Reviews. It seems that my review of the 14-30mm f/4 S Nikkor for the Z mount set off a wave of questions and comments. In particular, many pointed to my seemingly contradictory statement that landscape shooters might very well like it but I wasn't unequivocally recommending it. Article on sansmirror.com
Added Hasselblad X1DII and 35-75mm f/3.5-4.5 lens to the databases.
I've completed the 2nd Edition of the Complete Guide to the Nikon Z6 and Z7. New purchasers can already get it. It'll take me a few days this week to sort out the updating process for previous purchasers, as it's gotten a bit complicated using my current server. Be sure to check you Spam/Junk folder at the end of the week if you don't see an email message from me.
June 17
Is Disinformation a Problem? Have you ever thought about whether or not misinformation might be harming the photography market? Article on dslrbodies.com
How Do You Make the Mirrorless/DSLR Choice? It seems that despite my repeated efforts to try to put things into perspective, a number of people are still asking the same questions, typically along the lines of "should I buy a D750 or Z6"? Article on dslrbodies.com
June 10
Is Landscape Photography Done? A long-term recently wrote to me about how they had stalled when it came to shooting landscapes. Some of it was due to restrictions on where he could be (e.g. no off-trail shooting in some areas he visited now), but much of his reaction was due to a sense of "having seen it all." We all hit plateaus like that if we do something long enough. But is it a summit or a plateau? Too many think that it's a summit and get depressed that there isn't any further to go. This leads to thoughts like the one in the headline: landscape photography is done. Article on dslrbodies.com
Frustration Versus Reality. I've been encountering a lot of very frustrated—and in some cases, angry—folk lately. Moreover, the press sometimes seems to pile on without actually doing much in the way of fact checking or logical analysis. Article on dslrbodies.com
Cameras Shouldn't Dictate Self-Esteem. One thing that becomes obvious very quickly when reading various comments across the Internet (or in my In Box), is that there's a very large proportion of active participants that have linked their self-esteem to their camera brand (or model, or type). Article on dslrbodies.comJune 7
The final comments in Your Z Questions Answered article were made. Hope you enjoyed Z Week.
June 6
Nikon 14-30mm f/4 S Lens Review. The 14-30mm f/4 S is the first wide-angle zoom for the Z series bodies (a 14-24mm f/2.8 S will follow in 2020). Unlike most wide-angle zooms, the Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 S is smallish and doesn't have a bulbous front element that precludes filters. So it's immediately intriguing to the Nikon Z6 and Z7 owner looking for wide angle options. Article on sansmirror.com
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 S Lens Review. The 24-70mm f/2.8 S, while the fifth lens to sport the S badge, is really the start of something new in the Z lens lineup: truly professional caliber lenses, with high performance and extra features. Article on sansmirror.com
June 5
The Your Z Questions Answered article was updated again.
June 4
What did Apple Just Do? Apple's 2019 World Wide Developer Conference—what seasoned veterans call dub dub—had a keynote with some things of interest to photographers. Here's a quick analysis. Article on dslrbodies.com
June 3
Nikon Z6 Camera Review. The Nikon Z6 is Nikon's thirteenth mirrorless camera. For those of you whose mouth just dropped, you're forgetting that Nikon began making mirrorless cameras in 2011 with the Nikon 1 (J1 and V1 models). Article on sansmirror.com
About the Z6/Z7 Guide. My policy on ebooks has to been to do error correction for free in periodic light updates, and to charge a small update fee for major "edition" changes (and to update for free any purchase made within 30 days of the edition changeover). Article on sansmirror.com
Z Week: Your Questions Answered. I asked for your questions about the Nikon Z6 and Z7 to answer during Z Week, and you responded with some excellent ones. This is a "live" article (at least this week), and I'll add to it as I get more questions. (And yes, I'll be doing "weeks" for other brands coming up, generally centered around reviews as I get to them.) Article on sansmirror.com
June 2
Panasonic Reveals Cinema-Oriented S1H. Panasonic today pulled a Sony, beginning to coordinate their still and video product lines via a unified lens mount (E in Sony's case, L in Panasonic's). The camera was pre-announced at Cinegear, and won't be available until fall. Article on sansmirror.com