Have Camera Will Travel Update: April 9, 2025
Cherry blossoms / hot-take mini reviews / a new fast SD card / new camera firmware / & new gear.
At this time of year, I spend a lot of time out shooting Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms. It’s always a fun challenge to try to get something a little different each day, regardless of what the weather throws at you. In the next newsletter, I’ll include some more out-there shots where I’ve used colored gels on multiple speedlights to create some cherry blossom photos that are quite different, but for today’s photos, these are all from the past couple of weeks.
// Gear & Stuff
Used camera gear specialist KEH is running a sale with 10% off overstocked gear. Use promo code OS25. But you'll have to be quick—it ends at midnight on April 9. [KEH]
A new fast SD card that made it into the Top 10 in my speed tests. I'm most familiar with OWC (standing for Other World Computing) for their Mac flash memory and storage upgrades. But it seems they're now branching out into memory cards, including SD cards and CFExpress cards. This OWC UHS-II V90 SDXC card is quick, and its sequential write speed actually tested a good deal faster than its rated speed of 250 MB/s.
Nikon has launched a much-upgraded Z5 II, which is basically their entry model in their full-frame lineup. It packs some serious specs, though. B&H Photo has a good rundown.
ThinkTank Photo have launched a couple of new tactical backpacks that have caught my eye. Do I really need *another* camera bag? Probably not. But I'm particularly intrigued by the narrow DarkLight 14L because it can handle long telephotos much better than my usual Retrospective shoulder bags. There's also a 20L version, which is laid out like a more traditionally proportioned camera backpack. [B&H Photo / ThinkTank Photo]
// Hot-take mini reviews
I’m currently testing out:
Viltrox AF 25mm ƒ/1.7 for Nikon Z. Viltrox, a Chinese manufacturer, has been making some really interesting lenses lately at extremely attractive prices. It’s definitely inexpensive, but labeling it “cheap” would be a mistake. It’s an APS-C lens, and I’ve been using the Nikon Z mount version.
Likes: I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the optical quality. And it’s small and compact, not far off from a classic nifty-fifty.
Less fussed: The autofocus is a bit slow.
Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR. I’ve had a Sigma 150-600mm Sports lens for years, which is an F-mount lens. But I’m likely to replace it with this (some more testing to do first, though). So far, the Nikon is working great, and it’s at a very attractive price point.
Likes: Good optics, quick autofocus, surprisingly light, competitively priced.
Less fussed: Well, who wouldn’t want a faster lens if money were no object? But I’m not about to drop 15K on a super-telephoto when it’s not a core part of my paid shooting.
// Firmware updates
Canon has released new firmware for the EOS R5 Mark II and EOS R1. Highlights include improved focus accuracy and temperature management. [Canon]
There's new firmware (v.2.00) for the Nikon Zf. It includes a *lot* of updates. [Nikon]
// Other stuff
An interesting essay (both photos and words) by DC-based photographer Louie Palu on something I never knew existed: death metal Caribbean cruises. [Washington Post]
Could this be the silver gelatin print of the future? Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic makes its case [Digital Camera World]
Wrestling with bad AI crawler bots that won't respect robots.txt on your website? You're not alone, and there are some useful and fun ways to deal with it. [TechCrunch]
Google has rolled out a new multimodal update for its AI search for a visual search that can interpret within images and provide information about what's in the photo. In the short term, it could be useful for image keywording. In the long term, it could make image keywording entirely obsolete. [The Verge]
Why can’t cameras keep time???
For all the wonderful things that modern cameras do, why do they all seem to have so much trouble keeping accurate time? Every time I head out for a trip, I have to manually sync my cameras because their internal clocks always seem to slip. Fifty-year-old Casio digital watches seem to be able to do a better job.
Some more cherry blossom photos . . .
