Hello, fellow photographers! After a few weeks of exciting releases, things have quieted down a bit, at least in terms of cameras. Fortunately, it hasn’t been crickets; the past week still brought a welcome mix of new gear.
Just after last week’s newsletter went out, Nikon announced the Z5IIC. This week, Viltrox, 7Artisans, Laowa and Lomography introduced several lenses, LK Samyang teased an upcoming lens, and Polaroid unveiled a new instant camera with on-body creative controls. And there were plenty of accessories, which you can read about below.
What stood out this week was the number of relatively affordable options for creatives. Nikon’s new camera is one of the most accessible full-frame models on the market, and the new third-party lenses are reasonably priced, too. A broader range of budget-conscious gear can make full-frame shooting, specialty lenses, and other creative approaches more attainable to a broader range of photographers, which we always love to see.
Now, let’s dive in.
— Abby Ferguson, Features Editor
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Review Spotlight
Last week, Nikon announced the Z5IIC, an entry-level full-frame camera that shares many features and specs with the Z5II, albeit in a smaller body that lacks a viewfinder. Our own Mitchell Clark and Richard Butler spent time with it and were impressed by how much the camera offers at its $1400 price point. A price that makes it one of the top three cheapest full-frame digital cameras ever launched. You can read our initial review at the link below and check out our first-look video above. Plus, the team recently discussed the release, which you can check out here.
Posts That Stopped the Scroll
Photographer Andrew McCarthy built a stacked three-camera rig, combining a solar telescope, a camera with a solar filter and and unfiltered camera, to capture some striking rocket-launch composite photos. The video below gives a brief look at the setup, but you can check out the caption in another post for more details and see more of the resulting images there as well.
This video also shows a wild setup, though this time a very impractical one meant to just be silly. Photographer Max Adams connected what he describes as about a 1000mm of extension tubes, plus 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters and a 400m lens, all to photograph a tiny flower on a table about 7 feet away.
Accessory Roundup
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Photo by SmallRig
SmallRig has released 28mm and 35mm external optical viewfinders that it says recreate a “classic film shooting experience.” The viewfinders mount to a camera’s hot shoe via cold shoe mounts, so they have no electrical connections. Each features built-in 3:2 frame lines and five groups of precision optical glass with 93% light transmission. They’re available now for $47.
Photo by SmallRig
SmallRig also teamed up with CineD on the OrBrella FM 60B, a two-in-one umbrella light that folds into a compact, 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) package and sets up in 15 seconds. It delivers 60W of output through the umbrella and detachable LED panels on its eight folding arms, with green/magenta adjustment for skin-tone correction. SmallRig is crowdfunding the light through its website but says it will ship in January regardless of whether the campaign reaches its goal and all backers are guaranteed a unit. It’s available for $170 until November 8, when the price will increase to $200.
If you frequently shoot with a tripod, especially in locations where you may not want your gear on the ground or need gear safe but easily accessible, Tether Tool’s recently released Tripod Hammocks could be quite useful. The Multi-Pro version serves as a fully contained bag, offering three removable pouches, removable padded dividers, zip-top storage and exterior quick access pockets.
The Sport Hammock is more basic, lacking the lid or interior organization, but it features external zippered pockets and packs down into a tiny size. Both connect to your tripod’s legs with a magnetic quick-connect system, taking advantage of space beneath your tripod where it’s more likely to be safe and undisturbed.
Image by PolarPro
Lastly, PolarPro released three Radial Gradient Filters, which aim to add a stylized look in-camera instead of relying on editing effects. They come in blue, red and orange, and, as radial gradients, the color is more intense on the edges with minimal color shift in the middle. They are available in 49mm, 67mm, 77mm, and 82mm sizes, along with a variant for the PolarPro Helix filter system. Pricing starts at $180 for the 49mm size of the three filters. They are available for pre-order now and will begin shipping on October 7.
Firmware Updates
It was a quiet week for firmware, with only one release that we saw. See any we missed? Send them our way so we can include them next week!
Fujifilm X half (version 2.00): Fujifilm’s update adds a Soft Glow filter, 12- and 24-exposure options in Film Camera mode, and faster startup, autofocus and shooting response.
Behind the Scenes
Photo by Dale Baskin
Dale Baskin has been putting the new iPhone 18 Pro through a range of tests, including some in low light to see what difference the slightly faster aperture makes and how the variable aperture stacks up against different ILCs. He’ll be sharing his results soon, so be sure to keep an eye on the site.