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November 2019

19 Nov

Posted at 07:24h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

Lenses. You need 'em and Sigma have 'em. And you could be forgiven for being overwhelmed sometimes when you stand in front of the Sigma cabinets in Murray Street or Stirling Street and start to imagine which one you need. Not surprising - Sigma has made their lenses to fit Nikon, Canon, Sony for years. They made their own mount - the SA mount for their own DSLR cameras, and you can get plenty of these still. And now they make lenses that could appear on Olympus and Panasonic cameras - the micro 4/3 mount. Not slowing down, they are supplying the new L mount as well, and this is where the camera taste buds started to throb - I spotted a new L mount lens in the cabinet. This 45mm f:2.8 lens - the left hand one in the picture - is dedicated to the new FP camera - as well as to other L mount cameras. It's marked as a " Contemporary " lens on the little silver side plate but that sounds like PR flak. Any lens you buy is...

18 Nov

Posted at 07:26h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

Well, it seemed like that last Friday when I set up to review new gear and old ideas in Stirling Street. I had just resigned myself to the thought that there was nothing new under the sun when I turned around and saw the Sigma FP body sitting there...

12 Nov

Posted at 07:26h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

Or How I Learned to Love Our Helvetic Overlords. You rarely think of the Swiss as an imperial nation - stuck as they are behind Alpine passes guarded by glaciers and barriers of chocolate. If you give them a thought it is of Heidi and her goats and/or skiers swooshing down mountains. Yet Switzerland does have a dark ambition...

08 Nov

Posted at 07:50h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

I wouldn't like this to get out to the fans of other camera makers but we need to talk. There are new cameras in the offing and we don't yet know what they are going to be like. We need to be prepared. I say " we " because I am one of " us ". I used to be one of " them " but " they " complained and I had to run for it. In any case, I currently have 5 Fujifilm cameras sharing 7 lenses and can claim at least a passing acquaintance with the brand. And that means I know what they do when no-one is looking. They use up their batteries. It was sort of sad with the Fujifilm X-10  - those slim little batteries the size of Halloween chocolate bars. You could do wonders with the camera but you needed 3 charged batteries every time you left the house. Then the X-100 and a slightly larger battery...

07 Nov

Posted at 08:05h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

We often show the instant cameras that are popular with analog photographers - Impossible Project ones or Leica ones or Fujifilm ones - we've even had Lomo instant cameras. But we rarely feature the most important part of their makeup - the film packs. The question of film for Polaroid Cameras - either original or revamped - is a more complex one than that for the Fujifilm Instax systems. So let's look at what was on the rack at Stirling Street. Eight Squares in colour for $ 30 but beware that it fits the new cameras: And here's the monochrome version for the same price. Should you have a Polaroid Pop camera with the inkless thermal technology you shoot more pictures for less money. But going away from the Polaroid-centric supplies, here are the various choices for the Fujifilm Instax System. Not all cameras are represented here but be assured that the Leica film is, indeed, Instax. The joy of Instax for Fujifilm is that it sells by the trainload. It is one of the major earners for their photo division in Japan and I'll bet...

06 Nov

Posted at 09:02h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

The tripod and headstand at Camera Electronic are currently playing host to some of the final components of the Cullman Titan and Concept systems. These are particularly suited to people doing videos who wish to add the stability of a pan/tilt head to their productions. The heads are excellent and their prices even more so. The big daddy is the TW 99 two-way head. Able to hold the largest of consumer or semi-pro cameras, it will smoothly pan and tilt on top of any large pair of legs. It will also provide pro panoramas on the top turntable. Attachment is for the Arca-Swiss system. Note that the price is halved from the original. It comes in a padded carry bag. If you're dealing with lighter cameras and smaller Cullmann legs, consider the convertible Concept One OH 4.5 V. It has a two-way locking mechanism that can convert the still ball head to a pan/tilt head for video work. It comes complete with Concept quick release plate and video handle. A very good choice if you are wrangling a long lens on a mirrorless camera....