Photography news & updates
Handpicked photography news, updates, and deals // New Canon lenses, new action cam from Insta360, a portable NAS for backing up shoots on the go, and Australian photojournalism awards.
// Gear & stuff
New Canon RF 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 zoom
It took me a moment to work out what was new about this lens, since a 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 has been a staple for a very long time. And the price here is eye-catching: $2,999, which is on the high end for this focal length/max aperture combination.
But it turns out that the distinctive feature here is that it has an internal zoom rather than the external zoom of the regular version. The lack of extension is good for tight spaces and maintaining critical balance when shooting on mounts like gimbals and drones. It’s available for pre-order.
New Canon RF 24mm ƒ/1.4 and 50mm ƒ/1.4 primes
These classic fast primes have been adapted for Canon’s RF mirrorless range. Both are available for preorder, with the 24mm priced at $1,499 and the 50mm priced at $1,399.
New studio monolight from Profoto
For studio shooters, Profoto a released a new 500Ws AC-powered monolight. It has 11-stop brightness controls, 0.01-0.6 second recycling, and can freeze action with a quick mode that fires in under 1/21,100 second. Available for preorder at $1995.
Insta360 has released a new action camera
The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is aimed at a similar market as the GoPro HERO13 Black and DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and has more than a few similarities. The Ace Pro 2 has some distinctive features that the others don’t, such as 8K24 video capture, a flip screen, and a Leica lens. I’m particularly interested in trying out its still image quality, an area where action cams have plenty of room for improvement but enormous potential. It’s available for preorder for $399 for the standard package.
Mobile NAS for data backup on the go
There’s a new KickStarter campaign for the UnifyDrive UT2, a portable NAS for backing up your shoots on the go. These types of products have existed before, but they’ve oddly never gotten enough market traction to stay alive, and several have since come and gone (looking at you, NextoDI and Sanho). This one looks promising.
Sony trade-in deal
Sony is offering up to $800 in bonuses when you trade in your old gear for new Sony camera and lens gear. The gear you trade in doesn’t have to be Sony, but it does have to be working interchangeable-lens digital camera body or lens. They’ll take the usual trade-in value and then add a bonus amount depending on what gear you’re trading in (up to $800). Ends 12/31. Find the online quote form at B&H here.
// Digital Darkroom
New ON1 Photo RAW 2025 special offer
ON1 Photo RAW 2025 is now out, and they’re offering a limited-time special offer for new licenses and upgrades. There are discounts for the subscription option as well as for the own-it-outright license option. You can get an overview of what’s new and the special offers here. Special offers end 10/31.
Topaz Gigapixel 8 now out
I’ve tried a bunch of methods, and Gigapixel is the app I’ve settled on when I need to upscale digital images. It’s especially useful for prepping files for large prints. The new version is now out and is better than ever.
DxO adds support for new lenses and cameras
The October updates for DxO adds support for the Leica D-LUX 9, Panasonic Lumix GH7, and a number of lenses. The updates apply across the suite of DxO products, including PhotoLab, PureRAW, and Nik Collection.
// Other items of interest
Stunning underwater photos of Mexico’s cenotes
I really enjoyed the profile of underwater photographer Martin Broen in the latest PPA magazine (there’s an online version, with different photos, here). He has a new book out showcasing some of his photography of Mexico’s magical cenotes.
Beautiful Vietnam photography
I’ve been loving the work of Hanoi-based photographer Tran Truan Viet. Beautiful work of stunning Vietnam.
David Hobby’s new travel photography book
Speaking of Vietnam and photography . . . David Hobby, who is a former Baltimore Sun photojournalist who became widely known for his (now discontinued) Strobist website on making off-camera flash more approachable, has a new(ish) book out: The Traveling Photographer’s Manifesto: A Guide to Connecting with People and Place. I have my copy sitting on my desk here right in front of me and am looking forward to diving into it.
Australian photojournalism awards
Some powerful photography in Australia’s Walkley Awards for photojournalism. Sydney Morning Herald photographer Kate Geraghty took top honors. You can see some of the photos here.
Sports photography workshop
If you’re into sports photography, Rocktown Media and Brad Deel Sports are joining forces for an all-day workshop in Florida (Tampa Bay area) in March. You might have seen their dramatic lighting school sports photos on social media. Information on the workshop here.
Apple taking a cautious approach to AI smartphone photography
Apple Software chief says they’re concerned about blurring the line between reality and AI fantasy in photos taken with their phones, so Apple is currently being cautious about adding AI-powered image editing tools. I can’t help but think that they won’t be able to hold the tsunami back for long, though.
Alamy shutting down Stockimo
Stock image agency Alamy is phasing out their Stockimo app, which was designed as a way to upload smartphone-like candid photography to the Alamy archive. That type of content is being migrated into the main archive. Oddly, for now, it works best from a laptop/desktop and isn’t yet optimized for actual use on a smartphone, but they’re working on it.
Martin Evening
I’m very late on this, but I had completely missed the news from a couple years ago that Martin Evening had passed away after battling cancer. I’ve been a big fan of his books on Photoshop and Lightroom for many years. He had a real knack for explaining complicated things in ways that made perfect sense to photographers.
Your Amazon deliveries are getting a tincy wincy bit more environmentally friendly (sort of)
Those “air pillows” you get in your Amazon boxes? They’re no more. Amazon has ditched them to help reduce plastic waste.
// About these photos
I visited the new US Army Museum at Fort Belvoir last week, and all of the photos I’ve included here today were all taken there. Like the Marine Corps Museum just a little further down I95, it really ups the game on what a military museum—or any museum, for that matter—can look like.
If you’re in the Washington DC area and get the chance, I highly recommend visiting.
// What I’m shooting with right now
While I haven’t had as much opportunity in recent weeks to get out shooting as much as I’d like, I have been testing out a combination of the GoPro HERO13 Black and DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. I’ll be adding the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 to that mix shortly. I’ll post some sample images in upcoming newsletters.
Until then . . . happy shooting.
best,
David.
