In the world of mirrorless cameras, Sony has knocked it outta the park. APS-C has a way of doing that
The NEX 5N was the first superstar, and then the 6N and 7N came in to fill the gaps with features, and unfortunately, larger size.
There is even a 5R for built in wi-fi.
Now what shooters really want is: built in optical viewfinder, ability to use a generic hot shoe for flash, and a full range of lenses.
Sure we slap a Summicron 2.0 onto a 5N. Adaptors will let you do that. And the zebra focusing of the NEX series help make using manual lenses, just a hair easier. Although do prefer a split screen focus.
OK, the pros know that reducing the weight, and maintaining high quality, is a good thing.
But how do you really indoctrinate the casual user into the fold?
Bring out a simplified, smaller, easy to use mirrorless option, with the features that are easy to include, leave out the pricier, size determining, options, and volia!
you have the Sony NEX 3N.

One interesting feature is the ability to reframe your shot so it creates what the camera considers a better composition. Is this a trend?
Or are the camera manufacturers tired of seeing all of the bad photos made with their cameras and want to guarantee a better photo experience?
Wall-E of the eyes. look it up.

Smaller than the others in the line, the kit lens has a ok range, to short, and a bit slow.
But for $500. you’re in.
Can’t really comment on the more til we see it/use it.

But now you know about it.

Here’s the official word:
Continue Reading »

It has been a stalwart in my photographic life.
The masters celebrated, the true heirs to the throne, the risk takers, the visionaries.
Aperture magazine has always been there it seems, with the finest quality printing, Succinct,scholarly, yet accessible articles, and some of the finest books we are lucky enough to have in our community (and on my bookshelf).

The magazine has taken on many shapes and sizes in it’s lifetime, but high quality was always bound into every issue.

When they recently went digital, I jumped aboard that train as there was a huge stack of beautiful mags sitting in the office. Just sitting.

I figured if a quality pub like Aperture goes to the iPad, it’s got to be great. And it is.

New people join the organization and see opportunity. Design opportunity.

And just to get back to the initial title of this article, we need curators. Perhaps the most important entities today. With the deluge of images, coming down like an avalanche, we need a trusted eye to help us sift through it all. An eye that can point out the things we miss.
An eye that opens our mind, ignites our passion, and inspires.

Welcome to the new format of Aperture magazine.

Larger, perfect bound, sassier, and with the same exploration we’ve come to expect.

Split into 2 sections; Words deep dives into it’s topic and is prmarily printed on a matte paper stock. The Pictures section reles in the new size and you can feel the ink on the paper.
Yum.
A fave words article is one on the state of Photo Eduction. Coming from that world at the beginning of my career, this was a good check in.
In Pictures, the coming Winogrand exhibit tour shared unseen images from the photographers posthumous collection of images.
Plus the exploration of Phil Chang, who doesn’t fix his prints, so they fade with exhibition.
Brilliant.
(oh, for those that haven’t wet printed, fixing a print is the last step in the chemical process, done under a safelight. It does just what it says: “fixes the image” so it’ll remain after exposure to light.
Even the design of the ads are created along a similar spec.
Oh, you won’t see B&H ads here. No Paul Buff lighting deals.
Plenty of pubs for that.
If you have a love for photography, the power and meaning of the still image, and just need to know there are higher levels of the medium, than what we see and perhaps make daily, you have to get this magazine.
It is the standard bearer of quality, taste and thankfully, not mired in any time frame.
It’s now.
Here is how to subscribe.
Slightly higher than before but you also get the digital edition.

Pick up an issue and see what you think. I’m in love. just saying.
Let’s see how the next issue goes.

cheers,
damon webster

The insanely popular Nikon D7000 finally gets an upgrade.
Today Nikon announced the new D7100, DX format DSLR.
It’s that perfect step-up from the starter DSLR with features borrowed from the Nikon flagship D4.
We love when that happens.
So here’s what you get:
24.1 mp, a brand new sensor designed for this camera, ExSpeed3 processor the same as the D4.

Nikon has become known for superior auto focus and the D7100 has 51 focus points! And here’s a nice trick feature: go to the 1.3 and the focus points go edge to edge on the frame, and like all Nikon DSLR’s, you pick your specific point. One of our favorite features.
And it’s fast:
You can go 6FPS at full NEF, Nikon’s RAW.

Another new feature is the spot color balance.
Yep, pick a point in your shot, and white balance it. Very cool when you are shooting vid with a long lens and can’t get a white card or color chart to your subject.

Uses 2 SD cards, OLED data readout in the viewfinder, ISO up to 25,600.
For the video folks, you get the same umcompressed video out, so you can use the LCD and an outboard monitor while you shoot. Or go right to a storage drive while you shoot.
The HDMI is the smaller output plug size.
You do get a headphone jack to monitor your audio.There is a built in stereo mic but you know we feel about those: good for a guide track only!!!
Record with outboard digital only. You’ll be glad you did.

Sidenote: we’re looking at Final Cut Pro X, and it has built software to sync your external sound files to the picture, much like Plural Eyes. Sweet feature.

Brand new info button, gives you live view with an easy to read grid of your exposure settings. Great feature to keep track as you run and gun.

In the hands, it has about the same size as the D7000, but with more heft.
That’s due to a brand new, TOTALLY WEATHER SEALED, magnesium alloy body.

And Nikon intros a brand new remote control system, WR-1 Transceiver, which we couldn’t see in operation. It will operate a single camera or a bank of theme so it will grow with you.
With the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter, allowing you to share images to mobile devices, it now seems that a modular set of controls add-ons , which can go from camera to camera, is the goal here.
Both modules promise to allow your control of the camera, off camera.

All this for about $1600, MSRP with 18-105 lens. Only $1200. body only.

It looks like what a lot of you were waiting for.

And now for the official story:
Continue Reading »

Well, they come from a very magical place, where people sometimes wear surgical garb, and are very, very, clean.

Nikon Corporation celebrates the 80th anniversary of the launch of its NIKKOR photographic lenses this year

In commemoration of NIKKOR’s 80th anniversary, Nikon hopes to strengthen and increase awareness of the historic and reliable NIKKOR brand with various promotions in 2013. The first step toward achieving this objective is the creation of a NIKKOR 80th anniversary logo that will be used in Nikon product brochures, advertisements, and various other forms of communication. The anniversary logo will embody NIKKOR’s image of taking the lead in every age based on optical technologies developed over its long history.

NIKKOR’s history began in 1932 with Nikon’s (then Nippon Kogaku K.K.) registration of the NIKKOR trademark, soon followed in 1933 with the first shipment of Aero-Nikkor aerial photographic lenses. Since then, Nikon has continued to develop lenses for both film and digital cameras. Always loaded with cutting edge optical technologies of the times, NIKKOR has grown to be a brand known for high-performance lenses.

In 1959, Nikon (then Nippon Kogaku K.K.) released its first SLR camera, the Nikon F as well as its first lens for Nikon SLR cameras, the NIKKOR-S Auto 5cm f/2. The Nikon F mount, adopted for the Nikon F, continues to be the mount used in the latest Nikon digital-SLR cameras. In addition, with the release of the new Nikon 1 series of advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses incorporating the new 1 mount, Nikon has steadily released dedicated 1 mount lenses developed with optical technologies cultivated over the years, advanced technologies, and offering the superior image quality users have come to expect since 2011. As a result, total production of NIKKOR lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses reached 75 million in November 2012.

NIKKOR lenses are not limited to use by cameras with interchangeable lenses but are also integrated into Nikon’s COOLPIX series of compact digital cameras. Thus, NIKKOR lenses have been well received by a broad range of users, from entry-level to professional photographers. Nikon’s lineup of lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses currently consists of more than 80 types of lenses, including fisheye lenses, ultra wide-angle lenses, super-telephoto lenses, zoom lenses, micro lenses, PC-E lenses, and 1 NIKKOR lenses for advanced cameras with interchangeable lenses. Nikon will continue to develop high-quality NIKKOR lenses that attract a wide variety of photographers.

One of our regular contributors, Fred Bonilla, brings perspective on his experience on the other side of the counter.

In our dealings with our clients and customers, we strive to meet or exceed expectations in delivering our products. And as a photographic equipment salesman, my job is to meet the need to get the proper gear in the customer’s hand to achieve what they want from photography. In many cases, it is work or hobby related where the customer uses the equipment to achieve a certain goal or record something for later reference. But more often than not, we see that we get cameras into our customer’s hands to record memories and events that are near and dear to their hearts and preserve them for generations to come. It is a fulfilling enterprise and frankly, it’s why I’ve invested so much of my professional and personal life in photography in the first place.

Nothing moves the human soul in such a personal way as photography does.

In my 30+ years as a camera salesman & photographer, I can name countless times when the power of photography has manifested itself as a healing and powerful force for good.

One such time was in the late 70’s in my first photo job as a manager of a Fotomat (remember them?) styled store in New York City. A middle aged woman brought in a roll of 110 color film for developing,urging me to take good care of it for they contained important pictures.

Being in my early 20’s, I gave my stock answer that it would be well taken care of, thinking to myself that of course, “to them ,they’re ALL important pictures”. Turns out that the roll was somehow exposed to light and it came back labeled “Unable To Print”.
When the woman came back and heard the news, she broke down and wept uncontrollably, then grabbed and urged me to send it back to the lab and do whatever it took to get any sort of image on paper.

Seeing her distressed state, I called the lab and asked them to print any image they could, and work any magic they can. What came back to this woman’s hand a day later was a faint picture of the woman and a young man, with a barely visible smile on both of their faces. Tears appeared again on this woman’s face, but they were joyful and bittersweet.

It happens that this young man was her son who joined the U.S. military and the photo was taken just before he went off to training. This was the last photo ever taken of him for he sadly died in a freak accident where he was stationed.

She hugged and thanked for my effort in preserving this for her (and it was of course none of my doing but the lab’s dodging, burning and other tricks) I learned then as Susan Sontag said that “To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.”

Another example comes to mind in this TED talk from last fall from Stephen Addis, the CEO of the Addis Creson strategic brand agency in San Francisco. In just over 3 minutes, he shared his unique photographic tradition he shares with his daughter and in turn unfolded another page in the power of a photograph to touch our hearts and souls.

or

And a link in case you can’t see the video here.

The photo industry has changed so radically from when I started and I hear the laments that the golden days are gone. Profit margins have shrunk, customers don’t know what quality is and demand to pay less for quality in the Instagram & Pinterest age. Digital,Digital,Digital! !But in watching the above video and the many instances of when I see the power of a photo manifest itself in someone’s life, it reminds me of the final line of the “Hokey-Pokey”, a truly hokey song whose dance I’ve never done (and will NEVER do!) . In all it’s urging to move arms & legs in & out, it then utters it’s final line.

“That’s what’s all about” Simple yet madly profound. I hope that as photographers and visual artists, we never lose sight of the joy and profound meaning a simple photograph can bring.