Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

Big Discounts on the Samsung NX1 and NX500

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Samsung NX1

This may very well be the beginning of the end for Samsung; however, if 4K video and 28MP stills interest you, B&H has some solid deals on the NX1 and NX500 cameras and kits right now.

The NX500 with a 16-50mm kit lens is $499 (reg. $799) with 4% rewards. Check it out here at B&H Photo.

The Samsung NX1 body is $1099 (reg. $1499) – also with 4% rewards. The NX1 with the standard 16-50mm kit lens is $1299 (reg. $1699). Additionally, the NX1 with 16-50mm f/2-2.8 lens is $2199 (reg. $2799). Check out all of these options for the NX1 here at B&H Photo.

If Samsung really is at its end, when these cameras are gone, they will be gone for good. Right now though, both the NX500 and NX1 are pretty close to state of the art for mirrorless APS-C cameras.

Fuji X-Pro2 Release Delayed

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Fuji X-Pro2

Fuji has bumped the release date of its new X-Pro2 from February 18 to early March. Fuji’s brief notice about the release date slip only cites a delay in production. Hopefully, this is only a couple weeks more waiting for the eager Fuji shooters out there.

The Fuji X70 and X-E2S, which were announced alongside the X-Pro2, are still slated for shipping next Monday, February 15, according to B&H’s website.

Atomos Drops Price on 4K Ninja Assassin Recorder to Under $1K

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Atomos Ninja Assassin

Prices on external video recorders are dropping like crazy. Last summer, we saw the Atomos Ninja 2 drop to $295 and the Ninja Blade drop to $495. Last month, Convergent Design dropped the price of its impressive 4K Oddyssey7Q+ to $1795.

Now, Atomos has done it again and dropped the price of its popular Ninja Assassin 4K HDMI recorder to $995, which previously was priced at $1295.

Additionally, the Atomos Shogun 4K HDMI and SDI recorder received a $500 price drop down to $1495, which helps it now undercut the Oddyssey7Q+.

Samyang Unveils XEEN 14mm T3.1 and 35mm T1.5 Cinema Lenses

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XEEN-14mm-and-35mm-Lenses

Samyang has added a pair of new wide angle lenses to its XEEN series of cinema lenses. A new XEEN 14mm T3.1 and 35mm T1.5 join the XEEN 24mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 and 85mm T1.5 lenses.

All XEEN cinema lenses cover up to a full frame image circle in five different mounts – PL, Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E and Micro Four Thirds. Samyang touts their optical performance as capable of supporting 4K+ resolutions. The are available with metric or imperial units on the focus scale and feature standard gearing for aperture and focus rings.

The new 14mm T3.1 and 35mm T1.5 retail for $2495 and will be available in March 2016. The current line of XEEN lenses sell for $2145 each. Check them out here at B&H Photo.

Understanding Medium Format Crop Factors

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Understanding-Medium-Format-Crop-Factors

Anyone that’s shot a DSLR in a remotely serious manner is aware of the crop factor for APS-C format cameras when compared to their full frame cousins. Nikon and Sony APS-C cameras yield a 1.5x crop factor, while Canon APS-C cameras have a 1.6x crop factor.

And, invariably, if you use the phrase “crop factor,” someone is going to yell at you and tell you that you aren’t cropping anything. However, the term is ubiquitous in identifying the altered field of view caused by using smaller sensors in cameras along with full frame lenses.

We also commonly use the phrase “equivalent focal length” to describe the change in the field of view as captured by an APS-C sensor. For instance, the popular Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lenses have an 80mm equivalent focal length when used with a Canon Rebel series camera. Of course, most of us understand that this is a misnomer and that the 50mm lens does not change at all to become an 80mm lens when used on a different camera. It is simply that the 50mm lens has a narrower field of view on the Canon Rebel DSLR thanks to the smaller sensor.

Crop Factors on Medium Format Cameras

For those coming from a digital world to test the film waters with medium format cameras, the 35mm crop factor for medium format lenses and film types can be confusing when a 50mm lens can be ultra-wide and a 90mm lens is considered a normal lens. [Read more…]