Have Camera Will Travel Update: July 2, 2025
Laowa goes ultra-wide, Ricoh teases the GR IV, and film stocks still exist.
All of today’s photos were taken with the ultra-wide full-frame Laowa 10mm ƒ/2.8 on a Nikon Z8. I have many more examples here.
Photography Gear
New lens reviews. I've posted some new reviews and sample images recently:
Ricoh GR IV is finally (!!) coming. There have been rumors of a new Ricoh GR IV for years. Literally. The GR III was released in 2019, and the GR IIIx was less an upgrade than just a different lens. It seems that it’s finally happening this fall. As much as I love my GR III, a new sensor is long overdue, and I’ll be right at the front of the queue for it.
Nikon Z8 firmware update. Nikon has released a major firmware update for the Z8. It’s a very long list of updates and improvements.
OM System OM-5 II. OM System (used to be Olympus) has launched an updated version of the OM-5. The original was good; this refines the concept. OM System pitches their OM range as "adventure-ready," focusing on compact mirrorless bodies that are weather-proofed and utilize a Micro Four Thirds sensor, along with a solid range of high-quality lenses. The original OM-5 was a hit; I expect this one to be as well. Priced at $1199 for body only; also available bundled with 12-45mm Æ’/4 or 14-150mm Æ’/4.5-5.6 lenses.
Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC. Sigma has launched another new fast zoom. It's for APS-C sensors, and so far there are versions for Canon RF, Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Leica L mounts (no Nikon (yet!)).
Fujifilm is moving production of some of its most popular cameras from China to Japan to mitigate the effects of tariffs on the US market.
Laowa 8-15mm ƒ/2.8. Laowa has released a new fisheye zoom for Nikon Z (also other mounts). Manual focus. Priced at $699. You bet it’s on my to-do list to try out. [Nikon Z Full-Frame Lens Options]
Viltrox AF 85mm F1.4. Viltrox has released a new fast portrait prime in their Pro series for Sony E-mount full-frame. Their Pro lenses have higher-quality optics but also manage to keep their prices very affordable (at least compared to the big-name manufacturers) at $598.
Hot Take Mini Reviews
Viltrox 16mm f1.8. I've had a lot of fun shooting with this lens. Very wide, and fast. And optics are great. Just a fun lens to use. [More]
Plustek OpticFilm 8200i film scanner. I’m in the middle of a long-term project of finally (!) scanning my many thousands of negs and slides to free up some space. Now that I’ve done the strips, I’m moving on to the mounted slides. And for that, after using a bunch of different film scanners over the years, I’ve settled on this scanner. There’s no automatic feeder for it, so the process is slow and tedious, but the quality results are very good, and it doesn’t jam up like some other scanners I know!
Viltrox 50mm ƒ/1.8. Can’t recommend this one. The autofocus is painfully slow, and the AF disengages completely every time the camera (Nikon Z8) goes into sleep mode.
Other Stuff
Flash sync at 1/80,000 sec. Profoto and Sony have been working together to build compatibility with global shutters, such as those used in the Sony a8 III. The practical outcome is that TLL flash synchronization is now possible up to an astonishing 1/80,000 of a second. Yes, you read that right—not a measly 1/8,000 like current flashes. That means none of the downsides of high-speed sync. [Profoto]
Updated Getty Images AI guidelines. With pretty much every image editing app now having some form of AI tool for retouching photos, Getty Images has updated their guidelines for retouching and modifications to stock images to make it clearer when and how it's acceptable (and when it's not) to use the new AI retouching tools in image editors. I particularly recommend their visual examples, which are really helpful (you might need to log in to see them). And their guidelines seem reasonable and sensible to me. And they're actually a little looser than I would have expected in terms of removing distracting elements, IP, and people (but this is for stock imagery, not photojournalism). [Getty Images]
We're going to need a bigger screen. "Earth's Largest Camera Takes 3 Billion-Pixel Images of the Night Sky" [NY Times]
The film stocks you can currently get. If you shoot with film or want to get back to it/into it, The Darkroom lab has an excellent guide to the various film stocks that are currently available. Includes color negative, B&W, and E6 positive (slide). [The Darkroom]
Real photos vs generative AI. Columbia Journalism Review has launched a slick initiative to help human readers separate real photos from AI. One of the statistics they cite from a study published last year: 76% of US consumers are unable to spot AI-generated images. That’s only going higher.
Adobe Creative Cloud prices are going up. Adobe is increasing its Creative Cloud prices to
ram more AI down our throatssupport more AI features. [Ars Technica]Humans to the back of the line. Swarms of AI bots seeking training data are knocking libraries, archives, and museums offline. [404 Media / Washington Post]
Kodak is cool again! [NY Times]
Photos & Photographers
Some fun photographs by Derek Ridgers of Cannes back in the days before camera phones. But still lots of paparazzi. They've been put together in his new photo book. [CNN]
The new edition of Black & White magazine is out, and it's a bumper issue of 2025 contest winners. It's packed with beautiful monochrome shots. [Black & White]
Some interesting photography from Emirati photographer Hussain AlMoosawi playing with the striking geometric patterns of architecture in the United Arab Emirates. [CNN]