My Togging Life

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And I am @BobCartPhoto on Twitter

Thursday, 14 December 2017

What's News 3

It’s Thursday, so its news day (for now... keep reading)!

Because I missed last week’s news post I’ve gone back a bit further in order to bring you the news of interest.

Nikon SnapBridge News

First up, from the distant past (30^th November), Nikon announced the release of SnapBridge 2.0 (Does that mean Warren gets hit twice, Lok?). Nikon’s proprietary app that connects Nikon cameras to smart phones and tablets via Bluetooth has received a fairly comprehensive upgrade. The new version comes with a new interface, step-by-step instructions on how to connect cameras to phones to make the process easier, lower power consumption and a more stable connection platform.

But the big change is to the phone-to-camera interface. This latest version of SnapBridge now allows users to adjust the exposure mode of the camera (Program, Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, Manual), change your shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, ISO and white balance. Basically, the new SnapBridge turns your phone or tablet into a remote for your camera. If the new app works the way they say, SnapBridge 2.0 is going to be great! I just wish I had a Bluetooth-enabled camera to test it out. If there are any readers out there who give it a try I’d love to hear your thoughts.

New Samyang Auto-Focus Lens

Samyang Optics announced the new 35mm F/1.4 FE prime lens for the Sony E-mount mirrorless camera system. This new lens has 11 elements in 9 groups and uses 2 aspherical elements, 2 high-refractive elements and Samyang’s Ultra Multi Coating (whatever that is – seriously, I can’t find a description anywhere!) to minimise lens aberrations and “deliver outstanding resolution”. We won’t know for sure whether this claim proves true or not until we get a hands-on review.

This is the latest in Samyang’s line of auto-focusing lenses, using the companies Linear Supersonic Motor (LSM) to provide, according to Samyang, precise and silent auto-focus. Again, we need a test to know just how quiet it will prove to be.

At f/1.4, this is an impressively fast lens. The demonstration photo on the Samyang website (AF 35mm press release) shows how the 9 round aperture blades provide lovely round bokeh balls, but a slightly closer look will show you a little bit of ‘onion ring’ effect. It’s up to you to decide if it’s a problem; for me it wasn’t immediately noticeable.

The lens weighs in at 705 grams, is 115mm long and takes 67mm filters.

I’d love it if Samyang would send me a unit for review so I could give you my own opinion on this potentially-exciting glass. What do you say, Mr. Hwang – can I borrow a lens?

Canon Quickie

Canon has put out some firmware updates for their pro video range:

· EOS C300 update with an upgrade to Auto-focus performance

· EOS C300 mk II

· EOS C100 update also get the AF upgrade; and finally-

· ME200S-SH

· ME20F-SH

If anyone reading this is into video and has these cameras, check out your Canon support page (Canon Australia Support is here).

Editorial (i.e. RANT)

This isn’t going to be a big rant, really. Just something that annoyed me on today’s news hunt. And it’s just my personal honest opinion, so take it as you will.

You see, I went to my usual news sources and didn’t find anything that really grabbed me so I decided to check out some of the rumour sites. Gee, ain’t I glad I did that!

I’m sorry, but any site that believes “A guy from a place next to a joint that has a tenuous connection with something to do with cameras says get ready for a new Sony” is solid and publishable information is a waste of bandwidth!

It reminded me of the shite I used to hear during lunch in high school. You know, things like “Mary heard from Tommy who heard from Jane who heard from Chen who heard from the dog across the road that Gordon was pregnant!” I mean, you couldn’t believe that shite in high school, so why would you believe the same kind of shite from a website. I honestly think that adding ‘rumour’ (properly-spelled or not) to the name of your site is the same as saying ‘don’t believe me’.

Final Thoughts

I’m going to make a couple of adjustments to my approach to my blog. I’m always thinking about how I can make this better for my readers (there’s not a lot of you so I want to look after ya!) and this is what I’ve come up with. First, I’m going to move my personal blog posts from Wednesdays to Mondays. This will allow me to put my weekly news blog in on Wednesdays because I have a new idea for Fridays. You’ll find out about my Friday idea tomorrow cos’, you know, Friday. And finally, I will spend Wednesdays doing the usual weekly news trawl but I’ve decided that, if I get news in my inbox, I’m going to do a ‘news-in-brief’ piece to get the story out there. I mean, if I finish and publish this post now, and while I’m having a celebratory coffee and a sandwich I get an email from Nikon announcing the new D760 with a 200 megabyte chip, I don’t want to wait a week to get it out there, do I?

I get that this might make it a bit tricky to keep up to date with my blog, but there is that little ‘Follow’ button. Over there on the right. And there’s a ‘Follow by email’ window thingy, too. Make use of them and problem solved!

Yay for us!

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read and I could use some website and social love!

Please check out my portfolio at:

You can also find me at:

And I am @BobCartPhoto on Twitter

Thursday, 30 November 2017

What's News 2

It’s Thursday, so it’s news day for My Togging Life.

First a quick heads up from Olympus; apparently Olympus users may find that their autofocus system may not work if they are using the new Panasonic Leica DG Elmarit 200mm f/2.8 Power O.I.S. Luckily Olympus have announced the release of a firmware update that shook fix this problem. The update will be available starting February next year and will be released as follows:

• E-M1 Mark II / E-M5 Mark II / PEN-F - February 2018

• E-M1 / E-M10 Mark III / E-M10 Mark II / E-PL8 / E-PL7 - Spring 2018 (For the rest of the world we can assume this means from the start of March to the end of May)

• E-M5 / E-M10 / E-P5 / E-P3 / E-P2 / E-P1 / E-PL6 / E-PL5 / E-PL3 / E-PL2 / E-PL1s / E-PL1 / E-PM2 / E-PM1 / A01 - 2018 (so sometime in the next 390 or so days…)

This isn’t really unusual. I mean, new tech needs new solutions to new problems. I do find myself wondering about the time frame, though. Do firmware fixes usually take this long? Anyone out there who can give me an answer to that one gets a gold star! I mean, why wouldn't you be ready to roll when you announce the fix?

Anyway...

Next, There Legged Thing are excited about a great, sensational, fantastic new thing they are doing with the Punks range of tripods. Yep, 3LT have unleashed Punks Anarchy! Yeah! Woo! Anarchy!

Slice your way through the ‘ad-speak’ and the hype and… they now come in black.

So...

Finally, I am going to editorialise a bit here, express my views on the latest (read never-ending) debate in the photography community. Basically I'm gonna have a rant.

The JPEG vs RAW debate has gotten more air time with Tony Northrup releasing a video explaining his views on who should use each file format and why. Jared Polin, vocal advocate of the RAW file format, then released a video expressing his opinion that Northrup’s views were confusing. Northrup retorted in another video, etc, etc.

Then Wasim Ahmad from Fstoppers chimed in with his view that, and I am paraphrasing here, everything Polin thinks is wrong and that Northrup is the way and the light. If that wasn’t your intention, Wasim, then I apologyise for my misinterpretation. But read over your article with an objective eye and you’ll see why people might think the way I do.

Now, seeing as Wasim felt free to chime in with his ten cents worth, i’m going to chuck in a buck fifty and see where it leads. Here goes:

WHO CARES!!!!

Seriously, people. Is it really all that important what format you shoot in? “Beginners should do this. Beginners should do that. If you are a pro, do this. If you are a pro, do that.” Yes, Jared, you are 100% correct. Yes, Tony, you are 100% correct. And no, you are both 100% wrong. Why? Because what you are expressing are opinions. They are right or wrong depending on who is reading them, when, where and in what context. But, and this is the thing that everyone needs to take away from this, it doesn’t matter (Okay, sure, if you are a photojournalist you will probably be required to shoot in jpeg. Then it matters. Granted).

Take this idea on, people; it is called photography. It is not called RAWgraphy, neither is it called JAPEGraphy. So it doesn’t matter if you get a RAW file or a JPEG file, it only matters if you get a f—-ing photo!

This has got to be one of the stupidest wastes of time in the photography world today. Right up there with Canon vs Nikon and mirrorless vs DSLR.

Let me see if I can’t annoy everyone. At the moment I shoot Nikon, and for most of my images I shoot RAW. But in the New Year I am hoping to start vlogging, at which time I will be getting into a mirrorless system. I am seriously considering the Canon EOS M6 or the Panasonic G7. whichever kit I get, I plan on using my mirrorless kit as my holiday photo kit, and on holidays I shoot JPEG.

BECAUSE I DON’T CARE!

I hope you got a little something out of this. If you did, and you don’t want to lynch me, check me out at:

You can also find me at:

https://www.dji.com/newsroom/news/dji-introduces-racing-edition-goggles

And I am @BobCartPhoto on Twitter

Thanks!

Thursday, 23 November 2017

What's News

Thursdays are news day from now on, folks! I’ll go through the news of the week, pick my top stories and give you my spin. One story each week I’ll go into with a little more depth, giving my views or cutting through the crap, depending on the story. Now let’s get into it!

Sigma have released the 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens for Micro 4/3 and Sony E-mount cameras. According to Sigma this lens, second in a line of lenses that began with the 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary, is the first lens for the Sony APS-C line of cameras that offers an equivalent 24mm focal length with an f1.4 aperture, and from a quick browse through lenses on offer for Sony E-mount cameras this would seem to be the case (if you know something I don’t, let me know!).

The lens is constructed of 16 elements in 13 groups, made of “the finest materials” (I find myself wondering what “finest materials” actually are... Oh well!). This design includes 3 FLD glass elements, 2 SLD glass elements and 2 moulded glass aspherical elements, the combination of which reputedly minimises optical aberrations such as coma, flare, ghosting and onion ring Bokeh. The result of all this is a lens offering “superb resolution”. Unfortunately, the announcement does not offer a definition for “superb”, so it is up to you to make your own determination.

Honestly, I think this looks like an interesting lens and I would love to get a hold of one to take for a test drive. Maybe I could figure out what “superb” means. I’ll put the link to the announcement at the bottom of this post so you can have a closer read if you so desire!

It’s selling in Australia at the moment for around A $548.

DJI have also announced and interesting piece of gear this week, particularly if you are into drone racing!

The DJI Goggles RE (Racing Edition) come in a new metallic matte black colour with red leather padding on the head band, apparently offering a more comfortable wearing experience. These new goggles are reported to give the wearer access to full flight data, flight setting adjustments and control over the camera gimbal.

These goggles are being released in conjunction with the new OcuSync Air Unit. This camera module has been designed to be attached to any drone or, indeed, any other remote controlled vehicle. The OcuSync unit synchronises with the DJI Goggles RE to give the user a real-time first person view from their remote controlled vehicle.

Shipping at the end of November, the DJI Goggles RE are going to sell for around US $549, or you can drop US $859 for the DJI Goggles RE Combo. That will get you the goggles, one of the OcuSync Air Units and a DJI Goggles Carry More Backpack. The link to the story is at the end of this post.

Finally, I was going to take a look at the ‘Sony Star-Eating’ story as it seems to be gaining some traction this week. The problems is the story only seems to be gaining traction because there’s not really anything else going on. It looks like a case of recycling the old to pad out a boring week.

The link to this announcement from DJI is:

And the Sigma lens article link is:

https://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/contemporary/c_16_14/

Have a look, have a read and share your thoughts!

If you like what I do here, please comment. If you don’t like what I do here, please comment. Tell me what you like and what you don’t and I’ll do my best to give you what you’re wanting.

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