Weekly Photo News (Feb 5th - Feb 11th)
Thanks for stopping by my fellow photography enthusiasts! I'm settling in to this Monday slot a lot more, Sundays just don't seem to be a productive day for me when it comes to scheduling. I get stuff done, but I don't like to have a set 'Sunday' schedule, it feels more like a 'just go with it' kind of day! Anyway, without further ado let's get onto this weeks Photo News roundup! As always, you are actively encouraged to call me out/correct me on anything, I'd also love to hear your points of view on any of the stories!
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Art Unveiled
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This is an interesting one for me as Sigma already offer a 12-24mm f/4 lens that directly competes with both Canon and Nikon’s 12-24mm f/4 lenses. I suppose it’s similar to Canons split approach with the 16-35 f/2.8 and 17-40 f/4 lenses, a line further divided by recent additions of the 16-35mm f/4. Sigma’s Art series lenses have been doing really well with pro’s for a while now, with many claiming the 35, 50 and 85mm perform better than their more expensive Canon/Nikon counterparts. Personally I’ve found Sigma’s to be a bit more hit and miss with the focussing, confirmed for me when I contacted Sigma regarding a soft 24mm last year. They will correct the lens to the camera body and there is actually a special adapter that will help do this for you, but my issue has always been that you just shouldn’t have to do this with a new lens!
That said the Art range is incredible when it works, and an extra stop of light at the expense of 2mm on the wide end seems like a fair trade to me, although pricing – TBA – may well impact my opinion of this particular lens. On paper it’s a fantastic lens for photojournalism, landscapes and not to mention astrophotography. I can’t see this being a stupidly expensive lens either, although I may be proved wrong there!
Google Alter’s Image Search Feature
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This one popped up the other day on Petapixel and is about Getty Images complaint over the ease in which high res stock images can be searched and downloaded through Google Images. The complaint has now been resolved and Google have removed the option to ‘view image’ with the button now linking straight to the corresponding Getty page where licences can be purchased.
It’s not a lot, and it doesn’t really affect anyone not shooting stock, but it’s a step in the right direction at least. I think really we’re so far down the line when it comes to image copyright online that I honestly struggle to see how this one can ever be fully addressed. Unfortunately we’re in a world where each day MILLIONS of images are posted online and fade into oblivion. How many of those misappropriated by those who wish to use them for their own purposes is unknown, but I’m guessing pretty huge. Just judging by the number of photographers in my industry who come across their images being used it’s a massive problem not just for the photographers but to the people being duped by the image thieves. Be that potential clients, or potential employers.
This might not be a big step, but at least it’s a step in the right direction! Even the Steem platform has it’s problems when it comes to image copyright. I tend to downsize mine to 1200px for that exact reason! Incidentally there was a rather amusing article on image theft HERE
Come on dudes, watch out for Scams!
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Not news so much as another interesting Petapixel article that caught my eye. I won’t relay the story blow by blow, better to check out the original HERE but essentially ‘Venmo’ (Whatever that is!) looks like a pretty crappy way to sell your gear!
Peter Lik is [still] full of sh-
You may well have seen Peter Lik’s new photograph entitled ‘Moonlit Dreams’. If you’ve not heard of Peter Lik he is, by all accounts one of the most successful photographers of all time. The problem is that so many of his figures are totally unverified other than by the man himself and the sales staff. What Mr Lik has done is some incredible marketing over the years. His prints, which sell in runs of 1000 are sold on a rather unique pricing method whereby the print goes up in price as more sell. He has his own galleries to sell the prints and has always sold the images as being single shot images. There are articles galore on this, and the morals behind selling images in this way. Most of his work can be picked up second hand at prices that massively undercut his own galleries (still selling on the basis of the prints being ‘investments’). One thing’s for sure though, the dude knows his marketing and while people like me might sit here and spout out judgements, the guy has made some serious cash – even if his figure of $6.5 million for a single print is absolute bull!
Fstoppers published an awesome video on why the image is fake (HERE), but I mean really…..just look at it! I’m pretty sure every photographer in the world took one look and sussed that it was a composite. Since the Fstoppers article there has been a lot of uproar in the industry and he has since removed the image from sale on his website. Petapixel quoted one of their users who had managed to make contact with Lik’s studios who stated ‘Moonlit Dreams is in fact a composite. We have been open and transparent regarding this topic since before the photograph was released’.
I have no idea if this whole thing was just a publicity stunt or if it was genuinely something they hoped people wouldn’t pick up on. Either way no press is bad press right?
Fuji X-H1 Images and Specs leaked
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Over at FujiRumours we saw the specs for the Fuji X-H1 leaked. Images of the upcoming camera had been swirling around for a while and the official announcement is scheduled for February 15th, so not long to wait.
I’m not sure what it is with 2018 but it seems to be the year of Video announcements so far. FujiRumours have done a more thorough list of the differences between the X-H1 and X-T2 (Source) but to summarise it seems to be; X-T2 = Photographers, X-H1 = Videographers. The X-H1 gains In Body Image Stabilisation as well as a beefed up EVF pixel count, although the magnification is down to 0.75x from the X-T2’s 0.77x. Personally I’d put this lack of magnification down to the fact that most people buying this camera will likely use some kind of external monitor.
If nothing else it looks good, and it will no doubt be a great camera, but we’re not going to see any improvements from a photography point of view. Still, it will be a nice chance to see a drop in the price of the X-T2, even if it’s just the 2nd hand value. You know you don’t need an excuse to spend those hard earned SBDs!