Nelson Tan

The launch of the Fujifilm X-T2 had many photographers excited, with the successor to the wildly popular X-T1 promising higher image quality, 4K video recording and faster autofocus. With its new release, Fujifilm hopes to convert more photographers to the X-system with the DSLR-like handling of the X-T2.

We had the privilege of interviewing wedding photographer Benny Ang on his first impressions of the new X-T2, which Fujifilm provided him prior to the launch.

We know the maxim: the best camera is the one you have with you. We do not carry our cameras everywhere all the time, and when we come across something we want to capture, we reach for the only image capture device we have with us—the phone camera.

It’d be easy to dismiss the new Canon 5DS and 5DS R as 5D Mark III DSLRs with 50 megapixel sensors, but that’s exactly what they are.

But there are some minor, and yet fundamental, differences that separate the three versions of the 5D, to position each model for different photographers. I’ve had the opportunity to handle pre-production units of the two new models to compare with my 5D Markk III to see how well they perform…

Well known photographer and blogger Scott Kelby recently pointed to the 18-55mm kit lens as a reason why beginners find it difficult to take good shots -- it is neither wide nor long enough to create visual impact, he wrote. I'd like to respectfully disagree.

It's precisely because the 18-55mm kit lens is cheap and common that I relish the challenge of capturing great images with it. I just love the “You shot that with a kit lens?” wide-eyed reaction when people realize how learning to read the scene and lighting makes more difference than splurging on an expensive lens upgrade.

Canon seems to be playing the numbers game against its arch-rival Nikon. Its new 50MP EOS 5DS and R-variant allowed Canon to leapfrog past Nikon’s D810’s 36MP in resolution. And with this new EF 11-24mm f/4L USM, Canon users can sneer at Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8G with “only” 14mm focal length.

But one shouldn’t forget that Nikon photographers have been enjoying 36MP for the past 3 years, and shooting gorgeous 14mm wide-angle images for more than 8 years. Canon is just catching up, but will this ultra wide-angle zoom lens be good enough to justify its retail price of $2,999?

Canon perceived premium compact users to want a bright powerful zoom lens with relatively large sensor and a viewfinder in the PowerShot G1X Mk II and G16, but Sony proved astutely there was a huge demand for a quality compact that could slip into a pocket.

When Canon was busy building old-school destroyers, Sony designed a sleek modern frigate in the form of the RX100 with a 1” sensor. It took Canon two years to respond, but they finally launched a compact with but one purpose – to regain the throne of best compact from Sony.

Once you've been shooting for a while (and becoming good at it) someone will inevitably ask you if you are interested in shooting something for a fee, either for a commercial or editorial job (but for the sake of discussion I am labeling any paid shoot as a commercial shoot).

Your first paid assignment will certainly be very exciting, but there are a few things you should know before saying yes.

In the Iron Man movies, billionaire Tony Stark developed exoskeleton suits to gain superhero prowess, and refined every generation of his armor with slight upgrades. Up to Mk 7 of his suit, the changes had always been slight and incremental, and in many ways it is the same story with the Canon EOS 70D – the Mk 7 of a successful and evolving EOS DSLR line from the billion-dollar business.

So how does the new tech compare against the EOS 60D? Looking at the brochure it is like another version of the Volkswagen Golf – every generation gains more buttons and dials, more screens, more features, more efficiency and more speed.

The third EF-M lens – finally! The Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is an important lens for Canon. Since the launch of the EOS M, Canon has been trying to quell the dissatisfaction of consumers who lament about the lens selection, which until recently has been limited to the EF-M 18-55mm and EF-M 22mm.

“Monochrome is the new color” The world was introduced to color photography when Kodak introduced the revolutionary Kodachrome film in 1935. But fast forward to 2012, Leica decided that “monochrome is the new color”, and wants to turn back the clock with a digital rangefinder that shoots only black-and-white for $7,995. At this point, I can hear you screaming, “That’s the silliest way of spending eight grand!”

How should I describe the Leica X Vario? It's as if Leica engineers met at the cafeteria and decided Fuji wasn’t kicking their a** hard enough with the X100/X100s. “Hey, let’s challenge the Fuji XE-1 with a new camera. We will up the ante this time… let’s be double the price of Fuji, AND we will not have interchangeable lens!” Guffaws exploded across the cafeteria as the engineers outlined more specifications to make life living hell for the Leica sales team.

If camera manufacturers were high school boys, building super telephoto zooms would be their equivalent of a pissing contest to see who can shoot the farthest or most accurately. Sports photographers would arrive at the stadium packing the biggest lens to win bragging rights, acting like Arnold Schwarzenegger slinging his Gatling gun in Terminator. But Canon’s super telephoto zoom, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, is getting long in the tooth, and it’s time to say, “hasta la vista, baby” to that lens.

This is a “first look” preview of a pre-production unit of the Ricoh GR, which I have been fortunate enough to get my hands on -- for a day. My time with it is limited to the half-day of shooting I had, and I am only sharing my initial impressions of it.

The images are selected to demonstrate the fast response of the Ricoh GR, and not the noise performance because it will not be fair to make any judgment based on a pre-production unit. Most of the images are in monochrome because I prefer black-and-white in street photography. None of the images have been cropped, to demonstrate the focal length effect of the Ricoh GR.