WHAT’S NEW
Canon continues to tease us with more juicy specs from its soon-to-be-released EOS R5 mirrorless system flagship which is due any time now. DJI’s new Mavic Air 2 camera drone offers 4k/60p video and much more advanced photo modes. Samyang has upgraded two of its most popular manual focus lenses to include weather sealing and more. There’s a new L mount zoom from Panasonic – the lightest in the full-frame mirrorless system yet. And Hasselblad’s firmware upgrade for the X1D II adds video and a bunch of new features.
You won’t be surprised to learn that the camera industry has taken a big hit economically as a result of the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. It may not be suffering as badly as, say, travel and tourism, but sales are down significantly, resulting in some ugly-looking losses for the first half of this year. It’s difficult to predict whether there will be any major casualties in the longer term, but events like this will always expose the cracks and exacerbate any underlying financial issues.
Even in isolation there’s still been things to do photographically – still life, portraiture and macro, for example – so we’ve still been buying new stuff (online sales have been pretty healthy), but I reckon we can do more. I’m suggesting that now is as good a time as any for all of us with an interchangeable lens camera system to buy a new lens. Look, I suspect many of you will already have a wish list of additional lenses you’d like to buy… in my book you can never have too many lenses (well, you probably can, but you know what I mean).
The beauty of my plan for a lens-led economic recovery is that it benefits everybody. The retailers make sales – tick. The camera makers shift more lenses – tick. Independent lens makers shift more stock – tick. And you? Well, you don’t just get a nice new lens, you also gain access to a new field of photography and the potential to learn new skills. An ultra-wide opens up a whole new world of expansive views (and you could really go nuts by buying a fish-eye) while a telephoto is not just about going long, but also learning about tighter cropping and the perspective-related effects of foreshortening. What about a fast prime… say a 50mm or an 85mm? There aren't just lowlight opportunities afforded by f/1.2 or f/1.4, but also experiments with shallow depth of field and selective focusing. A true macro (i.e. one capable of 1:1 reproduction)? You’ll be surprised at just how exciting – and challenging – this area of photography can be, and it’s not just about insects either. Maybe it’s just time to upgrade. For example, a 70200mm f/2.8 rather than the slower lens you’re using now. Or maybe go retro with manual focus and a really classical external design. The traditional prime lens is definitely back in fashion.
The really good news is that we’ve never had it so good when it comes to what’s available right now in accessory lenses. There’s a bunch of new brands on the market, many of them coming out of China and most of them making really interesting products often at pretty reasonable prices. Additionally, the more established ‘independents’ are all busy making new lenses for the mirrorless mounts while the camera makers in this space are also putting a lot of effort into pumping up their lens systems. Of course, the mirrorless camera configuration is enabling a lot more freedom in lens design – as well as optimising optical performance – so there are now plenty of tasty choices from all the brands.
As the COVID-19 restrictions start to relax, there are now more opportunities to get out and about, so it’s really the perfect time to buy a new lens and try something new in your photography. I’m going to put my money where my mouth is (find out next issue what I end up buying… can’t make up my mind right now), and I suspect a lot of you were just waiting for a good excuse anyway. Go on, you know you want to. Paul Burrows, Editor.