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Have you ever stopped to wonder why DSLR’s with large sized sensors are called Full-Frame? I must admit that up until now I hadn’t really questioned it, but while technology and in particular digital cameras can include a bunch of somewhat confusing terms and descriptions, often there is a reason for them. In an interesting new video, Dave McKeegan explains all about the history of 35mm film and why we have ended up with the term “Full Frame”.
Around two years ago I decided that it was time for a change. I’d been shooting with various Nikon cameras (D40, D3200, D5300, D7100) over the years, alongside shooting film. I’d also had hands on with many other camera makes and different sensor sizes from micro four-thirds Panasonic cameras through to Nikon, Sony and Canon full-frame cameras. Running a large photography group has also meant I’ve accumulated knowledge of many different cameras, their output and so much more over the years through images and hands-on experience.
I wanted to find a system that would serve me well for years to come, cut down on size and weight and produce exceptional results in all conditions, with the ability to give me all the tools I need to get the images I need. As a sometime semi-professional photographer (I sell my services and images when needed, or when requested, but recently do a lot of educational work for free, helping other photographers), I needed something that the competition just couldn’t supply me.
You don’t need a medium format camera to shoot medium format photos anymore. Well, sort of. FotodioX RhinoCam Vertex adapter lets you shoot digital medium format photos with your full-frame camera. Mathieu Stern tried this $300 gadget, and it seems to do the trick pretty well.
Initially launched at the end of 2019 for Leica M mount, TTArtisan has now released two new mount versions of its 21mm f/1.5 full-frame wide-angle lens. No longer do you need to use adapters to fit the Leica M mount lens onto your Sony or Nikon mirrorless camera. It’s now available in both Sony E and Nikon Z mount variety.
Like its Leica M version, the two new Sony E and Nikon Z versions are both full-frame manual focus lenses, containing 13 elements in 11 groups and a 10-blade diaphragm offering a wide f/1.5 aperture. Unlike the Leica M version, though, these both come in at a little under $250, whereas the Leica version is still $429.
Viltrox is reportedly due to announce a pretty affordable 85mm f/1.8 AF lens for Nikon Z today. However, the lens has already been in stock, retailing at $399 – half the price of the Nikon’s version.
There wasn’t really much left for Panasonic to announce about their new Panasonic S5 mirrorless camera, except to confirm the price. The specs were leaked a couple of weeks ago, and the product photos leaked a few days ago. Even a price was sort-of leaked but not confirmed. But, now, announced it Panasonic has and it’s $1,997.99.
The Panasonic S5 is pretty much as we expected. It’s a 24.2-megapixel L mount camera that shoots 4K UHD video at up to 60fps, Full HD 1080p video at up to 180fps and it has a flippy out LCD, aiming it squarely at vloggers and content creators.
Equivalency is one of those topics that not only confuses a lot of people but also turns into some pretty heated arguments. It’s why people think that a lens of one focal length “turns” into another when you put it on a camera with a differently sized sensor. It’s why your depth of field both does and doesn’t change at the same time.
The video above was made as a follow-up to a video recently published by The Slanted Lens to ask does size really matter?. Naturally, when comparing medium format, full-frame, APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras, each with their own unique sensor sizes, it raises a lot of questions. And it did. So, this video is designed to answer them.
Viltrox has posted their updated lens roadmap to Weibo and it shows nine new lenses coming between now and next year. Viltrox is traditionally known more for (relatively) inexpensive lens adapters and various accessories, but they’ve actually been making lenses for a couple of years now for various mirrorless systems including Sony, Fuji, Nikon and L mount.
The new lens roadmap shows Viltrox’s existing 9 lenses along with 9 new ones, expected to come out over the next year or so. There is a mix of Micro Four Thirds, APS-C and full-frame lenses coming and while they don’t mention the mounts for the APS-C and full-frame lenses, I think some can be fairly safe bets.
Laowa announced back in January that a new series of super-fast f/0.95 “Argus” lenses would be coming at some point, although there were no real clues as to what they might be. At first it was thought that they would be available for different mirrorless and DSLR systems, both full-frame and APS-C.
Fuji Addict suggested that the first might fall somewhere between 20-35mm. We still don’t know what the focal length might be, but now Sony Alpha Rumours reports that there will be six lenses coming for full-frame Sony E mount, although the first probably won’t be available until 2021.
With CP+ cancelled, the next show of any real size is The Photography Show in the UK next month. We’ve already heard that the Nikon D6 will be making its debut there, but now it seems that Canon’s EOS R5 is coming way ahead of when everybody thought and will also make its own grand entrance at TPS between March 14-17th, 2020.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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