So I have created yet another website.  This site allows me to combine my passions for writing, the news, and photography.  Photo Journalism is by far my favorite kind of photography.  If I could only do one type of photography for the rest of my life I would be a photojournalist.

It is a hyperlocal site, but you can check it out at NorthKernNews.com.

New Website

I have a new website that I will hopefully be updating regularly it is at VincentMartinez.squarespace.com.  I recently switched from a wordpress site to squarespace, hopefully I can spend less time on site design and more time on creating content about photography.

Canon 5D Mark IV Rumors

The rumor mill is ramping up again about the much anticipated Canon 5D Mark IV thanks to a post by Northlight.  According to Northlight, the EOS 5D Mark IV is going to be announced until fall 2015 at the earliest.  Furthermore the 5D Mark IV won't be announced until the 5DS and 5DR are shipping in "reasonable numbers".

According to various websites the sources inside Canon have mentioned that sales of the 5D Mark III are still very good.  I suspect 5D Mark III sales were boosted once the 5DS/5DR were announced because many photographers, myself included realized the 5DS/5DR is not a good camera system for general use.  I personally had been holding off on buying a new full frame camera waiting for something new from Canon, but finally bit the bullet and just bought a 5D Mark III.

The sources are also say the 5D Mark IV may not come until after the announcement of the 1DX Mark II.

Rumored specs for the 5D Mark IV:

28 megapixel sensor:

9fps

4K video

Improved external flash control

Sony Announces New FE Lenses

All of us bloggers guessed wrong last month.  We expected Sony to announce a series of FE Lenses at CP+ and it took us by surprise when they didn't.  But Sony came through today announcing four new full-frame lenses for its E-Mount camera's.  Sony now has 11 FE lenses in its lineup.  The new lenses are: the 28mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4, 90mm f/2.8 macro, and 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3.

Sony is fulfill its promise to rapidly expand its lineup.  The main complaint (and a big reason many pros have not endorsed Sony's E-Mount camera system) is a lack of lens selection.  But Sony has promised to continue “the rapid expansion of [its] popular mirrorless camera system.”

So here are the new lenses and a brief description of each:

The 28mm f/2 is a wide angle prime lens that features a bright maximum aperture that’s great for landscape photography and handheld shooting, especially in low light.

Features include a high-grade aluminum finish, a light and compact design, “whisper-quiet” autofocusing, a 9-blade circular aperture, 3 aspherical lens elements, a length that remains constant during focusing, and multi-coating to suppress flare and ghosting.

Nikon D7200 Rumors and More

Lately it has been a back and forth between Canon and Nikon.  One releases a camera body and the other tries to match it.  It seems that trend is going to continue for a while.  According to a translation of the site mobile01.com, when Nikon was asked about a new flagship camera, they responded they will soon be announcing a direct competitor to the Canon 7D Mark ii.

The rumors about the D7200 are picking up and an announcement is expected by mid March.  Here are the rumored specs for the camera:

New 24MP APS-C sensor

Nikon D750 styled body with a tilting screen

Expeed 4 processor

MultiCAM 3500DX2 autofocus system

51 AF points

Built-in Wi-Fi

6fps

Buffer: 16 RAW+JPG

Video: 1080p @60 and 720p @120 (not sure about 4k)

Video aperture will be adjustable during live view

At the same time as the D7200 is announced, Nikon is expected to announce a 1 J5 mirrorless camera with 4K video.  Nikon is also expect to announce a new Cool Pix camera at the same time.

Canon 4k C300 Mark ii Rumors

Another month and a another series of rumors are starting to float around about more new products coming from Canon and Nikon.  This time the rumor is Canon will announce and new 4k Cinema EOS C300 Mark ii at NAB in Las Vegas.  The show will take place in April.

This is what Canon Rumors is saying about what they have heard regarding the new camera:

• Color rendition a top priority
• Future proof mandate, great dynamic range, codec and usability
• Canon does not see the FS7 as a competitor, as they expect their camera to be better in every way.
• New motor zoom lens for C-series coming
• Shoulder mount system for EOS C300 Mark II coming
• No more on pricing at this time

Nikon 1 J5 Mirrorless Camera to Have 4K

According to the latest rumors online, it appears the upcoming Nikon 1 J5 will have 4K video capabilities.  If the rumors are true it will be the first Nikon camera to have 4K.  According to Nikon Rumors the Nikon 1 sensor is capable of both 2k and 4k video recoding.

I am not much of a video guy, but I know a few people who are and they can't wait to get for some options to get on the market with 4k.  If the Nikon 1 J5 really does have 4k I am sure it will be a huge success.  

The official announcement is expected within a few weeks.

Canon 5D Mark iii Grey Market Price Drop

The Canon 5D Mark iii popped up online this week selling for only $1999.  This is most likely a grey market camera, but it is still interesting to see the popular camera show up from GetItDigital which has a 99.5% approval rating, at such a low price.  This is the lowest advertised price I have ever found for the full frame camera.

Near the end of 2014 Canon USA began offering huge rebates to boost regional sales because grey market cameras were being sold for far less than at authorized retailers.  It will be interesting to see if Canon USA fights back with another rebate program.

Canon also issued a "grey market" warning around the time of the rebate program.  Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining my thoughts on why Canon issued the warning.

Canon Announces It Will Gold Sponsor Olympics

TOKYO, February 18, 2015 – Canon Inc. and Canon Marketing Japan Inc. announced today that the Company will support the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) as a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner in the category of Still Cameras and Desktop Reprographic Hardware which include desktop printers.

Canon has entered an agreement with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, making the Company a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner. In this capacity, Canon will contribute to the delivery of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which will be held in 2020 in Tokyo, and in addition, will provide support to the Japanese national Olympic and Paralympic teams competing from 2016 to 2020.

Tokyo 2020 Gold Partners are positioned as the highest tier of the Tokyo 2020 domestic Sponsorship Programme. As a sponsor of Tokyo 2020, Canon products and services in the still cameras and desktop reprographic hardware categories, which include desktop printers, will be designated as Official Products of the Games.

Canon will provide behind-the-scenes support to members of the press covering the Games, including camera and lens maintenance services and product loans. Drawing from the Company’s experience and know-how cultivated to date, Canon will improve on-site media support for cameras during Tokyo 2020, including on-site camera service and support centers to assist the numerous journalists and sports photographers from various countries and regions across the world.

Canon will continue contributing to the advancement of sports through the use of Canon still cameras and desktop reprographic hardware which include desktop printers.

Canon Releases HD Broadcast Lens

London, UK, 18 February 2015 – Canon today unveils a new addition to its HD broadcast lens range – the HJ24ex7.5B. A successor to the hugely popular HJ22ex7.6B, the lens has been updated using customer feedback and includes a number of new features, including a wider and longer focal range with enhanced image quality, as well as an improved design and user handling. A truly versatile lens, the HJ24ex7.5B is perfect for a diverse range of broadcast environments, including studio sets, live production and news gathering, thanks to the unique combination of a high quality 24x zoom – the longest zoom in this class available today¹ – an impressive 7.5-180mm wide-angle view and a lightweight, portable design.

Advanced optical performance, both wide and far
Created specifically for the world of TV production, the HJ24ex7.5B’s enhanced optical design allows broadcasters and producers to go both wider and closer on their shoots, with the new 24x zoom giving added freedom whilst on set or on location. Demonstrating Canon’s expertise in optical design, the lens’ 7.5-180mm focal range surpasses that of its predecessor and removes the hassle of mounting different lenses, enabling users to switch seamlessly between long distance, fast action shots, to close ups. The HJ24ex7.5B’s revised optics also produce a sharper, more refined image throughout the entire zoom range, with the quality and clarity that’s required for HD productions.

Exceptional portability and professional performance in one
An enhanced ergonomic design and revised optical structure ensures operators can quickly and comfortably shoot on the go. The weight of the lens has been reduced down to just 1.78kg, allowing shooters to freely move around sets and locations, as well as easily keep pace with subjects. The lens has been engineered to be both lighter and better balanced than its predecessor, with an improved centre of gravity – thanks to the weight reduction and optimisation of the optical layout and body structure. The lens can also be easily handled when shoulder mounted, with access to settings easily accessible in the palm of the hand, ensuring operators don’t have to move away from the camera’s viewfinder.

Designed to provide the best possible performance for broadcasters, the HJ24ex7.5B features the same Digital Drive Unit found in the latest HD High-end ENG lens line-up, which enables camera operators to select repeatable zoom positions and speeds, as well as focus and iris settings as they wish. An absolute value encoder, built into the Digital Drive unit, also allows operators to quickly commence shooting without any initialisation, ideal in news gathering and sports environments. Also suited to virtual applications, the absolute value encoder improves the lens’s power consumption, helping operators to shoot for longer, as well as enabling the lens to automatically detect lens positions so the chromatic aberration compensation function on cameras works instantly.

The HJ24ex7.5B will be available from May 2015.

Canon Dominates World Press Photo Contest

Last week the World Press Photo contest announced its winning photos for 2014.  Spanish website Quesabesde broke down EXIF data for the 38 (out of 45) images that contained camera information and determined Canon was by far the most popular camera brand used to capture the images.

Of the 38 winning photos, 23 were taken with Canon cameras.  Seven of the images were shot with Nikon cameras.  Olympus was used for two shots, then all the others were tied at one, including the iPhone.

When you break it down even further, the 5D Mark iii was the clear leader, being used to capture 11 of the images.  Canon's flagship 1DX was next capturing six images.  Canon's old but trusty 5D Mark ii captured four of the pictures and all of the other camera bodies on the list only captured one image each.

While some people are jumping on this kind of information to say Canon is clearly the better camera manufacture, I think it is simply the fact that Canon has more camera out their being used.  I am a Canon shooter, but I can't say Canon is far superior to other cameras on the market right now.  But I will definitely use this information to give my Nikon shooting friends a hard time.

No New Sony Lenses

Much to everyones surprise, Sony did not announce any new FE Lenses at CP+.  This came as a big shock given that Sony has previously said it would be introducing several new lenses this year.  Most people expect those lens to be on the market by March, but now everyone is scratching their heads.

Sony was the only major photography company to not make any announcements around CP+ (except for some new action cameras).

Further creating some confusion among Sony shooters was the fact that Sigma discontinued its 150-600mm Contemporary lens before it was even released.  As it stands right now, we have no idea why Sigma backed out on the lens.

VR Issues Reported with Nikkor 300mm f/4

Nikon has had a series of problems with its last several camera bodies upon release.  Well now their is some talk beginning to pop up on the forums that people are have problems with the VR on the Nikkor 300mm f/4.

The complaint is that the users are unable to get sharp images using a shutter speed of 1/160 to 1/200 of a second.

The complaint is not wide spread enough to say it is a problem with the lens and not the user.  Perhaps it could also simply be a few lenses that are defective.  But given that users are complaining about the same exact problem on more than one forum, leads me to believe at least some of these lenses have an issue.  In addition this is not a cheap beginners lens, I am assuming most of its users have some experience in photography, so their complaints merit at least some concern.

Let's hope this is an isolated problem.  We will keep you posted as we learn more.

Here a the links to two forums I have found discussing the problem click and click.

1DX Replacement Not Coming in 2015

From the sounds of things on the Internet the update to the 1DX may not being coming until 2016.  Last year the rumors were flying the update would come out in 2015, but we have heard very little about that update the last few months.  All the talk seems to be about the 5D Mark IV without any mention of a 1DX update.

According to CanonRumors.com the most likely won't come in 2015.  However, according the site we may see an update at the end of the year, but Canon is waiting to see what Nikon does with the D5.

I suspect Canon is working on making the new version of the 1DX a major upgrade and not an incremental step up.  Next year is an Olympic year and Canon likes to have new technology out to the masses for the Olympics.

Sony to Announce Several New FE Lenses Today

Sony is set to officially announce several new FE lenses today (Friday) at CP+.  This comes as no surprises as Sony said a Photokina they would have new lenses ready to ship in March.  The big question on everyones mind is with the lens announcement coming now, will Sony actually make good on the promise and start shipping the lenses by March.  Usually, it takes a while between the official announcement of new gear and the actually release.

Several images of the new lenses and converters popped up on a French website, focus-numerique.com yesterday.  The lenses to be announced are the 24-240mm,90mm f/2.8 macro, 28mm f/2.0.  Here are the images of what Sony is expected to announce today.

Nikon D750 Back in Stock

After being named by many as the camera of the year, the Nikon D750 was silently recalled by Nikon to fix a lens flare issue.  Well much to the delight of just about everyone, Nikon has begun to ship the D750's back with the problem corrected.

The camera is also listed as being in stock on all the major photo gear websites.

Tokina to Announce 24-70 f/2.8 Lens

Tokina just officially released their AT-X 24-70mm f/2.8 PRO FX lens DSLR cameras (Aspherical, IF, full frame).   The lens is listed over and B&H Photo as coming soon.  However, I have been unable to locate a press release on the lens just yet.  But it was rumored Tokina was going to announce the lens today at CP+.

Pricing and shipping date is still unknown at this time.  Here are the specs for the lens:

• Focal length: 24-70mm
• Open F value: f/2.8
• Lens construction: 15 elements in 11 groups
• Angle of view: 84.20° ~ 34.49°
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.38m
• Macro maximum magnification: 1: 4.73
• Maximum diameter × total length: φ89.6 × 107.5mm
• Weight: approximately 1,000g (Nikon version is rumored to weigh 900g)

Sigma 150-600 Contemporary Now Available for Pre-Order

B&H is now taking pre-orders for the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary Lens.  The lens is priced at $1089.  The Sport version of this lens has received some pretty decent reviews (if you can get your hands on one).  The Sport version is also more than double the price.

I am not sure how the contemporary version will perform optically.  But it does give you an incredible focal range for not a lot of money.  While I am a big fan of Sigma products, I don't know I will run out and buy this lens anytime soon.  

For me, as a Canon shooter, the new 100-400mm lens seems to be optically superior, even if you don't get that extra reach.  But it will be interesting to see how this lens performs.

Sigma Announces 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens

As expected Sigma announced its all new 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens at CP+.  Sigma's Art series has been well received by photographers and this one shouldn't disappoint.  I am a big fan of Sigma's products.  My first 70-200mm lens was a Sigma and I now use the 120-300mm Sport lens for most of sports photography.  I have had the opportunity to use some of the Art lens, but I have yet to buy one.  Not because of the performance, but because other gear was more pressing.  But I plan on buying this one as soon as it is released.

Here is the full announcement from Sigma:

Sigma Corporation of America Introduces New 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens at CP+ Imaging Show

Latest Global Vision Art lens offers highest-quality optical performance in its class

YOKOHAMA, Japan — February 10, 2015 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced the new Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens, the ninth Global Vision lens to join the company’s iconic Art line-up. The announcement comes at the start of the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2015, which begins on Feb. 12 in Yokohama, Japan.

The much anticipated 24mm F1.4 Art wide angle lens is designed for full-frame DSLRs, and when used on digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor, it effectively becomes a 38mm. The lens is ideal for capturing a variety of photography subjects, including cityscapes, mountain ranges, astrophotography and weddings and is great for videography work as well. The 24mm also excels at indoor photography in low illumination thanks to the combination of exceptional focal plane sharpness, and gorgeous bokeh rendered by nine rounded aperture blades. The lens achieves a maximum magnification of 1:5.3 with a minimum focusing distance of 9.8 inches. The 24mm incorporates both “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass and Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass in a design of 15 elements in 11 groups to minimize chromatic aberration of magnification especially in the edge of the image field. Moreover, the optimized power layout includes aspherical elements that are positioned in the rear of the lens for improved wide open performance. This helps to ensure minimal distortion through the correction of axial chromatic aberration and sagittal coma flare. The new lens element design also delivers excellent peripheral brightness.

Canon 5DS and 5DR S Specs and Expectations

Tony Northrup has made a video on YouTube that goes into great detail about what to expect from the all new 5DS and 5DS R camera.  Tony is very smart, and very technical when it comes to understanding and explaining camera gear.  In the video Tony uses some math and common sense to discuss what to expect in terms of performance from the world's highest megapixel camera.

Among the many topics Tony covers in the video is what to expect in terms of actual resolution depending on the lens you select.  The video is a little dry and long, but for those of us camera geeks out there it is worth watching.