Okay, I Like This Guy

A lot of Fujifilm X-Pro1 hands on videos are out there, but I like this guy.

The Bell Tolls

Several websites are reporting that the wonderful Zeiss Ikon film rangefinder is being discontinued.  Read the sad news on Cosina's website here.  Sorry about the Japanese.

Lightroom 4

Lightroom 4 from Adobe is available tomorrow.  I have been a user since it was called "Lightroom" and it is a "must have".  I have been beta testing Lightroom 4 for a a bit over a month and it is a MAJOR upgrade.  Best of all the price has been reduced.  Read more at dpreview here.

The Good Ole Days

Keith W. Jones

Shot on a Graflex D with Super-XX film and flash.

The “Lens” blog on The New York Times has a nice piece with images on Kodak’s early days here.

Boxing

As expected, the heavyweights are duking it out this year.  Hot on the heels of Nikon’s 36 megapixel D800, Canon has released the 22 megapixel 5D MkIII.  Specs on both cameras can be found here and here and BobAtkins.com has a nice comparison here.  

From what I have read, there are many reasons to sit on the sidelines.  First of all, both cameras are pretty expensive.  It seems that both companies have priced them out of the “enthusiast” range.  Second, both the D700 and 5D MkII will remain available for the foreseeable future.  Thom Hogan has even speculated that there might be a direct descendent of the D700 in the offing.  Third, do you really need 36 megapixels of resolution?  The 5D MkIII is not that different from the MkII, however, the pixels could be better in terms of noise and dynamic range.

 

All I can say I that I am glad I was able to snag my D700 when I did.  Maybe you should consider doing the same depending upon which system you use.  I am sure there will be some attractive prices out there.  

P.S.  Psssst, can anyone say "mirrorless"?

Fujifilm X-Pro1 Takes Oz

   

Will It Never End??

According to this article on the British Journal of Photography website, Kodak is discontinuing three Ektachrome color reversal films.  The films are the Kodak Professional Ektachrome E100G, Kodak Professional Ektachrome E100VS Film and Kodak Professional Elite Chrome Extra Color 100.  Somewhere my dear departed father is weeping.  He lived by Ekta.  I member a refrigerator filled with it at the studio.  Sigh.

Olmpus OM-D In-Body Optical Stabilization

I haven’t written much about the first generation Olympus OM-D because I think its way too early, but something did catch my eye a day ago that’s pretty exciting, for me at least.  I and the other members of my family were born with an essential tremor.  As we age, that tremor gets worse.  Consequently, I find it very hard to hold things steady.  That includes cameras.  For critical shots I will use a tripod which solves the problem, but takes away from the spontaneity.  I have also used in-lens image stabilization systems with mixed success.  With the OM-D, however, Olympus has announced a new in-body stabilization system described as 5-axis image stabilization (yaw/pitch/vertical shift/horizontal shift/rolling).  The diagram below shows the new system.

If this system works as well as the video below seems to indicate, this could be a godsend for people like me.  Shaky fingers crossed. 

Fujifilm X-Pro1 Review

Add To Cart

According to B&H's website, the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 will be available on March 20th.  Pre-order here or, better yet through my B&H link on the right.  Costs you nothing and next year you'll get a Valentine.