ACJC.S
Arte e Vino
Don’t scoff at the humble wheelbarrow because even Lamborghini had its roots in industrial tractors!
This colorful and whimsical display is a lovely touch using common field tools, really caught my eye!
Recent interesting gear launches that caught my eye, in particular the Panasonic S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 and the Fujifilm X-S10;
1) Panasonic S5 (714gms) and S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 (350gms) launched 2 Sept 2020, in kit the lens is a mere $300 extra. The S5 uses the same 24mp sensor on the S1 which appears to perform a bit better (⅓ stop) at base ISO compared to the 24mp BSI sensor on the Nikon Z6. The S 20-60mm lens is probably the only FF standard zoom lens that extends into the ultra-wide angle range (wider than 24mm) and it also appears to be optimized at the wide end. This should be a great match with Panasonic’s upcoming S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6, just add a Sigma 85mm f1.4 DN for a 3 lens kit and perhaps the excellent Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 Art DN if one needs a UWA lens. Sigma DN lenses are 1st party since Sigma is part of the L mount consortium and their lens mount should also be changeable to Sony E mount if one decides to switch.
2) The newly launched Nikon Z5 however used the old 24mp non-BSI chip similar to the 8 years old Nikon D600. The Nikon Z5 is sold with a new kit lens Z 24-50mm f4-6.3 which seems to prioritize compactness over useful range and it’s also priced as an extra $300 even though it’s both slower and shorter at either ends of the focal length compared to Panasonic above. Nikon essentially re-released a mirrorless D750 in the Z5 and a DSLR Z6 in the D780 (sans IBIS).
[Update: the Z5 appears to be plagued by sluggish AF from early adopters’ experience, as usual the so called professional reviews made no mention of this issue.]
3) Nikon Z 50mm f1.2 S is a lens I’ve been looking out for since the announcement of the Z system but it’s significantly bigger (39% longer at 150cm vs 108mm) and heavier than Canon's version (1,090gms vs 950gms), even bigger and heavier than my old Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 G! Bigger than the Sigma 35mm f1.2 DN Art as well! It’s not difficult to make high resolving lenses if size is not a constraint as evidenced by Sigma’s massive “Art” lenses but even Sigma has started to turn the page with their most recent 85mm f1.4 DN Art lens. “The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art pairs large-aperture, professional-caliber optical performance with a lightweight, sturdy, and compact body, a combination which has long been difficult to achieve”, per Sigma.
4) Sony a7C, this is probably for those who prioritize form over function, kinda pointless personally. While smaller, it’s nowhere small enough to be pocketable like a Ricoh GR which is a truly go anywhere camera, albeit APS-C instead of FF.
5) I’ve never used Fuji cameras but the new X-S10 appears to be a heck of a camera for just $1,000 with IBIS rated at 6EV and uses the same new sensor, same processor and same AF as the 8 months older flagship Fuji X-T4 ($1,700), plus it even has a built-in flash which is a rarity these days! The Fuji X-S10 has arguably the best APS-C sensor (26mp) currently with ½ a stop better DR than the one in Nikon’s new mirrorless APS-C Z50 (20mp). The main weakness of the X-S10 is its buffer, while it’s capable of 20fps, its buffer is only 11 frames with RAW+JPEG, cripple hammer at work since it used the same processor as X-T4. Something has to give at this price but it’s not an issue for stills shooters. Comparatively the E-M1 Mk3 is $1,400 (down from $1,800) and the X-S10 is even lighter at a mere 465gms! For completeness, Z50 is $860, has no IBIS and used a similar BSI sensor (20mp) as the D500, it is however weather-sealed while the X-S10 is not. For proper context the Sony a6400 (sans IBIS) is $900 while the a6600 is $1,400, a $500 premium mainly just for IBIS. X-T4=>X-S10 release is similar to the Panasonic S1=>S5, both quite apt in the era of the pandemic, offer a slightly lower specced camera at a really attractive price to draw new users to the system, the X-S10 looks to be a winner.
Arte e Vino
Don’t scoff at the humble wheelbarrow because even Lamborghini had its roots in industrial tractors!
This colorful and whimsical display is a lovely touch using common field tools, really caught my eye!
Recent interesting gear launches that caught my eye, in particular the Panasonic S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 and the Fujifilm X-S10;
1) Panasonic S5 (714gms) and S 20-60mm f3.5-5.6 (350gms) launched 2 Sept 2020, in kit the lens is a mere $300 extra. The S5 uses the same 24mp sensor on the S1 which appears to perform a bit better (⅓ stop) at base ISO compared to the 24mp BSI sensor on the Nikon Z6. The S 20-60mm lens is probably the only FF standard zoom lens that extends into the ultra-wide angle range (wider than 24mm) and it also appears to be optimized at the wide end. This should be a great match with Panasonic’s upcoming S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6, just add a Sigma 85mm f1.4 DN for a 3 lens kit and perhaps the excellent Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 Art DN if one needs a UWA lens. Sigma DN lenses are 1st party since Sigma is part of the L mount consortium and their lens mount should also be changeable to Sony E mount if one decides to switch.
2) The newly launched Nikon Z5 however used the old 24mp non-BSI chip similar to the 8 years old Nikon D600. The Nikon Z5 is sold with a new kit lens Z 24-50mm f4-6.3 which seems to prioritize compactness over useful range and it’s also priced as an extra $300 even though it’s both slower and shorter at either ends of the focal length compared to Panasonic above. Nikon essentially re-released a mirrorless D750 in the Z5 and a DSLR Z6 in the D780 (sans IBIS).
[Update: the Z5 appears to be plagued by sluggish AF from early adopters’ experience, as usual the so called professional reviews made no mention of this issue.]
3) Nikon Z 50mm f1.2 S is a lens I’ve been looking out for since the announcement of the Z system but it’s significantly bigger (39% longer at 150cm vs 108mm) and heavier than Canon's version (1,090gms vs 950gms), even bigger and heavier than my old Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f2.8 G! Bigger than the Sigma 35mm f1.2 DN Art as well! It’s not difficult to make high resolving lenses if size is not a constraint as evidenced by Sigma’s massive “Art” lenses but even Sigma has started to turn the page with their most recent 85mm f1.4 DN Art lens. “The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art pairs large-aperture, professional-caliber optical performance with a lightweight, sturdy, and compact body, a combination which has long been difficult to achieve”, per Sigma.
4) Sony a7C, this is probably for those who prioritize form over function, kinda pointless personally. While smaller, it’s nowhere small enough to be pocketable like a Ricoh GR which is a truly go anywhere camera, albeit APS-C instead of FF.
5) I’ve never used Fuji cameras but the new X-S10 appears to be a heck of a camera for just $1,000 with IBIS rated at 6EV and uses the same new sensor, same processor and same AF as the 8 months older flagship Fuji X-T4 ($1,700), plus it even has a built-in flash which is a rarity these days! The Fuji X-S10 has arguably the best APS-C sensor (26mp) currently with ½ a stop better DR than the one in Nikon’s new mirrorless APS-C Z50 (20mp). The main weakness of the X-S10 is its buffer, while it’s capable of 20fps, its buffer is only 11 frames with RAW+JPEG, cripple hammer at work since it used the same processor as X-T4. Something has to give at this price but it’s not an issue for stills shooters. Comparatively the E-M1 Mk3 is $1,400 (down from $1,800) and the X-S10 is even lighter at a mere 465gms! For completeness, Z50 is $860, has no IBIS and used a similar BSI sensor (20mp) as the D500, it is however weather-sealed while the X-S10 is not. For proper context the Sony a6400 (sans IBIS) is $900 while the a6600 is $1,400, a $500 premium mainly just for IBIS. X-T4=>X-S10 release is similar to the Panasonic S1=>S5, both quite apt in the era of the pandemic, offer a slightly lower specced camera at a really attractive price to draw new users to the system, the X-S10 looks to be a winner.