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Chroma has launched their new 679 modular medium format camera

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You might remember Chroma from a couple of years ago when they launched the Chroma 4×5 large format camera through Kickstarter. It’s since grown into a family that includes a 4×5 handheld camera and now the new 679 modular medium format camera. It’s designed to allow photographers to shoot medium format film using a camera tailored to their own needs.

Although it’s a completely new design, the Chroma 679 inherits a number of features from its large-format siblings, including a removable lens board and a pinhole lens board. The main body of the camera is 3D printed, available in any depth you wish to account for flange distance and it’s available with four different film back mounting options.

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Kodak is releasing a ’70s-inspired metal film case in six colours

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Well, if you’re gonna go retro with some old film cameras, might as well have matching cases for your rolls of film, too, right? That’s what the folks at RETO Production Ltd (RetoPro) thought. RetoPro is also the company that brought us the RETO3D triple-lens point & shoot film camera last year.

Now they’ve reinvented an old classic, the Kodak metal film canisters. And they’ve managed to license it under the Kodak brand, too. There’s not much to them – just a metal tin with a plastic insert to keep your rolls from falling over – and they’re more of a fashion statement than anything else, but they’re one that’s quite useful if you shoot film.

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This underwater drone can live stream video at up to 574 feet below the surface

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When we think of drones, we usually think of ones that can fly, but there are quite a few out there that don’t quite fit this description. One such drone is the T1 Pro from underwater robotics company, Geninnoi. Equipped with a 12-megapixel 1/2.3″ Sony CMOS sensor, this underwater drone can dive to a depth of up to 574 feet.

Although it features a fairly capable camera, it’s not really designed for photography and video. Its main purpose seems to be scientific and data gathering, with the ability to attach a sonar scanner, water quality detector, laser scaler and various other devices. It’s also not inexpensive, coming in just shy of $3,000.

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Sony’s full-frame FX6 is finally here and offers 15+ stops of dynamic range

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Teased in September, Sony’s successor to the FS5 Mark II, the Sony FX6 has now officially been announced. As expected, the Super 35mm sensor of the FS5 Mark II has been upgraded to a new 4K 10.2-megapixel full-frame BSI CMOS Exmore R sensor. It offers “Ultra-high sensitivity” with an ISO expandable up to 409,600 for low light and offers 15+ stops of dynamic range.

The camera weighs in at a mere 890g and looks a lot like the FX9 in style and layout, only significantly smaller and around half the weight. The price tag is also a little lighter, too, with the FX6 coming in at $5,998.

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The digitalfoto Thanos Pro II is a low budget almost-all-in-one alternative to the Arri Trinity

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The Arri Trinity made a big impression a few months ago when Potato Jet got to go try one out in person. But it’s a $50,000 stabilisation system. It’s a bit out of the budget of most people. A lot of people have mashed a bunch of random gear together to try to make their own – to varying degrees of success.

But now, digitalfoto has announced its (almost) all-in-one low-budget Arri Trinity alternative, the Thanos Pro II – which includes the support vest, arm and carbon fibre monopod sled. I say almost all-in-one because you’ll still need to add your motorised gimbal. Fortunately, it supports plenty.

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Atomos has finally released their long overdue Neon HDR monitor-recorders

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Atomos first announced their Neon Series production monitors almost 18 months ago. They were announced at Cine Gear 2019 and were true 10-Bit display. Not only were they monitors, but they were recorders, too, which at the time potentially offered 8K resolution 60p in 12-Bit ProRes RAW. Although right now, they offer 4K DCI 60p.

We’ve not really heard much about them since then, but now, Atomos has announced that the official launch of the Neon 17 and Neon 24 displays, with shipping beginning this month. These are just the first two models in the series, and we’ve heard nothing of the 32″ and 55″ models yet, but it’s a start.

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Manfrotto’s new 1.7GB/sec CFexpress Type B cards are built for extreme shooting conditions

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Manfrotto is breaking into the CFexpress market with two new CFexpress Type B memory cards. Initially being offered in two capacities of 128GB and 256GB, the cards offer speeds of up to 1,730MB/sec, and allow you to record 4K, 6K and 8K video footage at high frame rates, not to mention fast buffer clearing for RAW stills.

Manfrotto says they offer “industrial strength and reliability with unparalleled performance” for use in temperatures from -25°C all the way up to 70°C, so whether you’re shooting in the sub-zero arctic temperatures or the hot Arizona sunshine, they should stand up to the task just fine.

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Profoto has launched a $300 light stand bracket for its $1,100 speedlight

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When Profoto first announced the original $1,000 A1 speedlight, I thought they were just having a laugh. But it turns out that it wasn’t April 1st and no, they weren’t kidding. To its credit, the Profoto A1 ended up being a pretty solid speedlight. Still a little overpriced for many, but decent with the obvious perk of doubling up as a backup flash trigger for existing Profoto users.

Then they brought out the A1X and most recently the $1,100 A10. And if you didn’t think these prices were high enough already, Profoto has just announced the new Profoto OCF adapter to go with them. It’s $300. Yup. Three hundred bucks.

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Viltrox completes its fast autofocus prime lineup with the 56mm f/1.4 for Canon EF-M

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Viltrox has now released the third lens in its fast prime autofocus lens series for the Canon EOS M APS-C mirrorless lineup. Adding to the 23mm f/1.4 STM and 33mm f/1.4 STM announced last month, the new Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 maintains the look and feel of the two existing lenses while retaining their small, lightweight stature.

With a focal length primarily thought of as a portrait lens, offering a field of view equivalent to that of about 90mm on full-frame bodies, the new lens rounds out the trio quite nicely.

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The axiiio nano is a complete compact, modular and expandable motion control system

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It looks like there’s a new player in the world of motion control. The axiiio nano has today launched on Kickstarter with a new modular system that offers a lot of flexibility. Rather than just being a single device, it’s a range of components that allow you to build up only the system you need. And it’s designed for both photographers as well as filmmakers.

The goal of axiiio was to have the system be as lightweight and versatile as possible. So, it’s made from carbon fibre composites and aircraft-grade aluminium. But it’s also designed to be small, allowing you to use the same motors to control both the focus as well as move a camera along a slider.

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