by Thanksgiving is behind us and it’s time to get going on Christmas gifts and, this year, we think you should consider giving yourself a nice gift. We have some suggestions for you. We also take a look at two interesting cameras, one of which is a first hand field test at the edge of the European continent. Then, we take a look at some impressive winning contest images and a collection of the most influential images of all time. Let’s get going!
What You Want For Christmas
You’ve been putting it off long enough. This Christmas, you need to up the quality of your images with a great walking around zoom that delivers professional quality. You’ve been good this year and taken care of your responsibilities so we’ve collected reviews that will give you the info you need to make the gift request or, at least, buy one for yourself. Here are representative reviews for zooms by five top manufacturers.
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM
Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO
Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM II Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens
Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 LM WR
How To Get That Blurry, Action Background
You’ve seen those photos. You know, the ones with the blurred background and a sharp auto or such that convey lots of speed. How do they do that? You know that too; slow shutter speed and panning. But, it can get more complicated than that and here’s a nice article that will give you the tips needed to pull of that shot on a more regular basis.
Get the tips HERE
Leica M10 In The Wild
This is for all of you who live vicariously from time to time when dreaming about photo equipment. The Leica M10 goes for around $6500 and just one Summicron lens adds another $3K to $4K to the kit ($7k if you want the APO-Summicaron-M 50mm f2). If you’re interested in the M10 you’ve probably read a few technical reviews already. This review of the camera is different. It’s written in the voice of a real user who spent a week of quality time with his camera near the edge of known civilization in the northwest corner of Scotland.
Read about it HERE.
Image Of Determined 16-year-old Migrant Wins Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize
As the planet continues to warm and the Sahara grows south to steal agricultural land necessary for survival, a constant flow of young men makes it way up the west African coast and on through Libya to the Mediterranean. From there they take their chances on a sea crossing to Europe and what writer Tom Friedman calls “the world of order”. These conditions are the story behind the haunting winning photograph that won the Taylor Wessing portrait prize. The winning photographs and those chosen for inclusion in the annual Taylor Wessing exhibition were chosen from 5,717 submissions entered by 2,423 photographers from 66 countries. This was the first year in which digital entries were allowed for the initial sift.
See the haunting image, larger HERE.
VUK Landscape Photographer Of The Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year was founded in 2006 by Charlie Waite and the competition has steadily risen in stature. The total prize purse is over $25000 and entries are welcome from everyone, whether resident in Britain or simply visiting. Awards are presented to both the adult and young Landscape Photographer of the Year and there are four main categories that have both adult and youth sections, with additional prizes offered within each category. </p>
We highlighted the competition in HDR News last year and this year’s collection of photographs impresses. They inspire you in a contemplative way because you can mentally jump inside most of the winning images. It also inspires you to run outside with your camera a capture the world in a new way.
See the winners HERE.
Sony a7R III – 42mp At 10fps In A Light, Mirrorless Camera
Sony is on a roll with it’s pro-sports targeted a9 and now it’s upgrade to the a7RII, the a7RIII. The most impressive feature of the camera to us was the autofocus’ uncanny ability to “tenaciously” track the forward eye of your subject as it moves around the frame. The autofocus system resists the tendency to jump to another person in your frame as your primary subject continues to move. Add a 42 megapixel sensor, high burst rates and excellent image quality to the mix and you may have the camera that will push you to go mirrorless.
Check out the dpReview HERE.
In Case You Missed It: The 100 Most Influential Images Of All Time
If you’re a serious photographeryou’re likely to draw inspiration from the great photographs of the past. Indeed, there are likely a few photos that are imprinted in your mind whichoften guide you in your photography efforts. We believe the most influential photos are the ones that influence <i>you</i>. Time magazine compiled a wonderful set of 100 images which you can explore as a homage to the great photographers that have come before. Dive into the article as there are compelling descriptions and supplementary photos and videos that embellish the featured photograph.
Explore the collection HERE.