This is the first lens announced by Kase - a company known for manufacturing filters. For now, the lens is available only for Z/E/X - other mounts will be released later. Additional information on the new lens can be found here:
27mm focal length is suitable for portraits, landscapes, street photography and macro photography
Five groups of six pieces of optical structure, high-precision optical glass and advanced nano-coating technology to ensure image quality and color accuracy
F2.8 large aperture can easily cope with low-light environments
The STM stepper motor responds quickly, high focusing accuracy, and supports eye recognition.
0.3m minimum focusing distance
Supports USB Type C upgrade interface, you can download the latest firmware for upgrade by yourself
The Ricoh teaser from yesterday is for a new Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome limited edition camera with HD PENTAX-DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4ED Limited DC WR lens that will be announced very soon (this week most likely):
"Let's start by talking about the name: Rollei 35AF. The "AF" in the name stands for AUTO FOCUS, a feature that takes this legendary camera to new heights.
We believe that classics are meant to be cherished, and our mission is to preserve the essence of this iconic camera while incorporating new features that enhance its capabilities without compromising its unique charm. With the added AF and other features, capturing stunning analog film pictures becomes effortless, quick, and incredibly precise.
Of course, the Rollei 35AF retains the beloved features that have made it a favorite among photography enthusiasts. It comes with a full metal body, 5-element all glass lens with coating on every side, and exposure controls.
But that's not all.
We've also included a built-in light meter and AUTO modes, allowing you to focus entirely on the things in front of you, the composition before your eyes, and concentrate on deciding what to capture on a rectangular 35mm film canvas while seizing that split-second decisive moment that leaves viewers impressed."
Sample photos taken with the Rollei 35AF film camera:
Additional pictures of the upcoming Rollei 35AF film camera:
Profoto is expected to announce a new flash on May 7th - here is a screenshot of the event invitation:
And the the Google translation (thanks P!):
Tuesday 7 MAY
Milan
STUDIO SANTAVERONICA
(Corso C. Colombo 11 - MM Porta Genova)
From 10.00 to 13.00 and from 14.30 to 18.00 set with the photographer DARIO BOLOGNA and the new Profoto flash to try!
Free entry
Nikkei Japan published an article "Digital camera market grows for the first time in 13 years, halting shrinkage with smartphone replacement". Here is the article recap digicame-info:
Research firm GfK Japan announced on the 18th that the domestic digital camera market in 2023 will turn positive for the first time in 13 years. Sales volume was 1.2 million units, an increase of 7% from the previous year. This was driven by products such as interchangeable lens cameras. The decline had continued due to the spread of smartphones, but this appears to have come to a halt. The digital camera market had been in decline since peaking at 10.4 million units in 2010.
Looking at unit sales in 2023 by type, interchangeable lens cameras increased by 9%, and compact cameras increased by 6%. Interchangeable lenses also grew by 4%.
This is the second consecutive year of positive growth for interchangeable lens cameras. The number of products over 100,000 yen increased, and the proportion of products in the 100,000 to 200,000 yen price range was 46%, an increase of 7 points from the previous year. The average price (excluding tax) rose 4% from the previous year to 172,000 yen.
Latest Adobe Firefly Image Model: The new Adobe Firefly Image Model yields better people generation, photographic quality, colors, and dynamic range. It's also better at understanding and following your prompts and supports negative prompts, so you can bring your vision to life in Photoshop with more control and confidence in the results.
Text to Image (Generate Image in UI): Generate entire images or scenes from scratch using text prompts and additional creative controls with the new Text to Image (labeled “Generate Image” in Ps product UI) feature. You can generate complex, custom images and composites without leaving Photoshop, or combine multiple generated images on a canvas to ideate and refine ideas more efficiently
Generate Background: Generate Background allows you to replace your background with generated content that matches the lighting, shadows, and perspective of the subject in just a few steps. Rather than manually selecting the background and using Generative Fill, with Generate Background, you can simplify workflows and save time with a streamlined experience in the Contextual Task Bar.
Apply OR and NOT operations for increased precision when searching with the Find by Keyword tool
Select, copy, and paste subsets of keywords
Use drag-and-drop functionality when assigning keywords to photos
Take advantage of automatic copying of keywords to the clipboard when performing keyword copy-paste operations
Access an all-new duplicate statistics dialog that allows for quick flagging of duplicate files
Choose to exclude photo sequences from the Find Duplicates search
Select the first photo of each duplicate-search-result cluster to save time when cleaning up folders
New high-level filters to sort and locate images more effectively (including an option to identify files that have not yet been analyzed by the program)
Extension of the text-search feature to metadata so users can locate images from the file path, file description, file headline, etc.
The option to change the loading behavior for lens model metadata
An “Invert selection” menu option
Keyword tree multiselection
A “Manage profiles” option in the “Renaming Profiles” dialog
We must be getting close to the official announcement of the previously reported Laowa FFII 15mm f/5 Cookie full-frame lens for M/E/R/Z/L - the lens by Venus Optics is already listed for sale at an Australian retailer:
Drawing inspiration from the design and function of vintage Graflex 3 Cell flashguns, this Lux Master Retro Camera Flash from Godox brings modern wireless triggering and a touchscreen interface to a powerful, bracket-mounted strobe. The flash has a guide number of 82' at ISO 100 and can be further adjusted in 0.1-step increments from 2.0 or 1/256 at the low end and 10.0 or 1/1 at full power. Featuring manual, automatic, optical, high-speed sync, and multiflash modes, it can deliver TTL Auto when used with a compatible wireless trigger. Toggle through the modes and settings using the intuitive touchscreen interface. Its built-in 2.4G wireless receiver works with the Godox XPROII, the X2T, and the X3 for remote triggering.
Widely compatible with major camera brands, including Canon, Nikon, FUJIFILM, Olympus, Sony, Leica, and Pentax, the flash comes with a triggering cable and a mounting bracket for use with almost any camera. The fan-style reflector is detachable for convenient storage, and a cover is included to protect the flash bulb. The built-in battery charges in approximately two hours with the included cable and is good for 460 full-power flashes. The flash also comes with a bag for convenient storage and transport.