Another round of news and articles, this time a little late as I was pretty knocked out for more than a week sind last week, and have only just really recovered.
Noktor is dead! Long live Noktor!
Remember Noktor, a couple of chaps, operating from a shed somewhere in the U.S., retrofitting and rebranding Japanese CCTV lenses for Micro Four Thirds? They made quite a stir last year when they announced a 50mm f/0.95 high-speed lens with native m4/3 mount, but it turned out to be low quality and overpriced. Just recently, Noktor announced their death, just to announce their rebirth a couple of days later. As it seems, they have merged with SLR magic. We’ll see what that is going to bring to the Micro Four Thirds world!
How diffraction limits resolution …
… and what this means for technical implementation as well as actual photography. If you’re fluent in German, here’s an interesting article on the topic by photoscala.
How do instant cameras work?
Ever wondered about the magic behind your dad’s old Polaroid? Well, here’s a simple, easy to grasp explanation of how the Polaroid instant pictures work. Simple and effective, yet fascinating nonetheless!
The Sigma SD1’s Foven sensor analyzed
Here’s another interesting technical article, this time about the new 15 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor of Sigma’s latest DSLR flagship, the SD1. (Which, by the way, will shortly be available!)
Fujifilm X100 giveaway by PhotoRumors and Adorama
Do you want a Fujifilm X100, but don’t have the money to buy one? Well, here’s your chance to get one FOR FREE! Fantastic, isn’t it?
Fujifilm X100 vs. Leica X1
Steve Huff has put both the Leica X1 as well as the Fujifilm X100 through their respective paces, and has now taken the additional effort to compare the two in terms of looks, build quality, usability, fun-factor and — chief of all — image quality.
The challenge of the 24mms
And another one for those fluent in German  Photoscala has put together (or is putting together) a big challenge of high-speed 24mm lenses for various systems. The series has only just begun, but in the coming weeks the following lenses will undergo meticulous tests and will be compared to each other:
AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 G ED (for Nikon)
Sigma 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Macro (for Nikon)
Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L (for Canon)
Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm f/2 SSM (for Sony)
Leica Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH. (for Leica)
That’s it for today!
Another beautiful sunday morning, and another roundup of the latest news and articles, gathered from aroung the interwebs four your enjoyment!
Panasonic DMC-G3
In case you missed it (you probably haven’t — it’s been all around the web), Panasonic have just announced their latest Micro Four Thirds model, the G3, featuring a slightly smaller body, new 16 megapixel sensor, and less buttons and more touch operation (a bit like the GF2 in fact). 43rumors, as always, have a complete list of announcements, previews, reviews and opinions on the new G3.
Particulary interesting, though, is this article at PhotographyBLOG, in which the website interviews to Panasonic officials about the new G3 and other (upcoming) Panasonic products. During the interview, it is noted that the new 25mm f/1.4 Micro Four Thirds lens that was announced earlier, will indeed — just like its Four Thirds predecessor — be Leica branded.
Fujifilm X100 vs. Leica X1
This was just clear, wasn’t it? All around the web, people are discussing which is the better camera, the old X1, or the new X100? To stir up the heat a bit, Leica Rumors have posted their one (quite elaborate) comparison of the two, both in technical as well as user-based terms.
Win a(nother) Leica M9!
You may remember that a couple months ago, Seal gave away his M9 in a contest on Steve Huff’s website. For those who didn’t make it then, here’s another chance at getting a free M9! This time, it even is a special edition with a chrome Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH. lens. All you have to do is buy the next couple issues of the Amateur Photographer, collect six tokens printed in the magazine, send them in and … with a bit of luck, you’re the soon-to-be owner of a new M9!
Is there an upgraded M9-P coming in June?
As we’re at the topic of a new M9 — it may well be possible that Leica will present us an upgraded M9-P in June. This has been rumored in several internet forums, and now aforementioned Seal has been spotted with a camera that looks like a hybrid of an M9 and an MP: no decorations on the top plate, but missing battery compartment and film rewind lever. If we are to believe in the rumors, the M9-P will also featured a new LCD cover. Will it be sapphire glass? We’ll know soon enough!
That’s it for today — have a nice remaining weekend!
It’s saturday, and it’s time for another roundup of interesting articles! (Btw, I think I’m going to make this a weekly recurring post, instead of writing about single articles every other day.)
Photography, reloaded — Beck & Burg’s animated photos
Photographer Jamie Beck and graphics artist Kevin Burg went one step further, and combined photography and motion picture. In order to tell a story beyond what is possible in a single picture, the artists created a new kind of animated photographs, compiled in a internet-ready GIF file. Pretty impressive stuff. Here’s their regularly updated tumblr.
Manufacturing the Voigtländer Nokton 25/0.95
This video shows how the already legendary Voigtländer Nokton 25/0.95 for Micro Four Thirds is being manufactured by Cosina in Japan. Very interesting!
Ongoing Fujifilm camera reviews
Two Fujifilm cameras are currently getting ongoing user-reviews. One is about the F550EXR, a compact superzoon featuring the latest-generation, backlit-CMOS EXR sensor. The other one concentrates on the new X100, a fixed-focal-length-lens large-sensor rangefinder-like retro-style digital camera for the professional as well as the serious amateur.
The Fujifilm F550EXR is reviewed by Kim Letkeman.
The Fujifilm X100 is reviewed by SoundImagePlus.
It’s Easter Monday and there’s not much going on — the kid is playing in the garden, the wife is enjoying the sun, and the in-laws are preparing lunch. So I thought I’d take the opportunity and give you a short update on some interesting articles I found around the interwebs recently.
The New Yorker — “Candid Camera” — by Anthony Lane
An older, seven-page article from 2007, focusing on the history and mystery of the Leica brand and their famous cameras. Very interesting, and a must-read for any Leiac fan.
DC Watch — Fixed-lens compact camera comparison
The guys from DC Watch took the effort to make an in-depth comparison between four current fixed-lens large-sensor compact camera models: The modular Ricoh GXR, the Foveon-equipped Sigma DP1x, the Leica X1 and the just-released Fuji X100. In addition to comparing design, build and specs, there’s also a huge number of identical sample pictures to compare.
ePHOTOzine — How to use a toy camera
The title says it — this article focus on so-called “toy cameras”, explains what defines them, how they work and what you can do with them.
Have fun reading!
On a quick note, the guys from DigitalRev have posted their video review of the Fujifilm X100 to YouTube. Kai is raving about the camera quite a bit, and in his opinion it’s the ideal tool for street photography, combining the best of two worlds: rangefinder style with an optical viewfinder and all-manual control, and autofocus for convenience.
You can find their video review of the X100 here.
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May 26th, 2011, 12:38 pm | 
