Preorders:
In USA: BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama.
In Europe: FotoErhardt, Fotokoch, Calumet, WexUK.

Reviews:
Article on Explora. SonyAlphaBlog. TheDigitalPicture.

Comparison with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4:

• New lens has 40cm close focus instead of 45cm close focus of the f/1.4
• New lens has 17 elements in 12 groups instead of the 14 elements in 11 groups
• 13 aperture blades instead of the 11 blades
• 81mm width compared to 78.2mm
• 108.8mm height instead of 111.5mm
• 745g instead of 670g
• $1399 instead of $849

Youtube reviews:

Today the Chinese company announce the development of new lenses. Some of them are quite exciting:

Four new “LAB” series lenses (Full Frame autofocus lenses for Sony E and Nikon Z):

• AF35mm F1.2 LAB
• AF50mm F1.2 LAB
• AF85mm F1.2 LAB
• AF135mm F1.8 LAB

One new PRO APS-C lens (Sony E, Nikon Z, Fuji X):

• Focal length not discloses but it will be a f/1.2 prime like the already existing 27mm f/1.2 and 75mm f/1.2

Three new PRO FF lenses (Sony E, Nikon Z):

• AF35mm F1.4 Pro,
• AF50mm F1.4 Pro,
• AF85mm F1.4 Pro

Full Frame Cine lens::

• Vitrox LUNA 30-300mm T4.0 10X

Lense already announced that are coming soon:

• Viltrox AF16mm F1.8 Nikon Z full frame.
• Viltrox AF56mm F1.7 APS-C Nikon Z/Sony E/Fuji X,
• Viltrox AF40mm F2.5 Nikon Z/Sony E full frame

What do you think about those lenses?

Reminder: Save 8% using our checkout code “RUMOR” on the international Viltrox store (Click here).

via Weibo

In the video below (from minute 12) a french Leica manager confirmed the new mirrorless system camera will be announced within two years. Current Leica medium format S lenses will be compatible using an adapter. I am pretty sure this means it will use the same kind of sensor size and Sony sensor resolution of the current Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad X cameras.

We are used to get full info about the camera sales on the Japanese market. But we rarely get some info from the rest of the world. So it’s curious to see what CameraBeta posted today: They shared the list of the most used gear from Bird Photographers. As I don’t speak chinese I didn’t fully understand how the data was collected. Would appreciate if some of our Chinese readers can send me additional info…thanks!

So here is the list:

Most used cameras for bird photography:

1. Canon EOS R5
2. Canon EOS-1Dx Mark II
3. Sony a1
4. Canon EOS R3
5. Nikon Z 9
6. Canon EOS-1Dx Mark III
7. Nikon D500
8. Sony a9
9. Canon EOS R7
10. Nikon D5

Most used lenses for bird photography:

1. Sony 200-600mm FE
2. Canon 600mm f/4.0
3. Canon 100-500mm
4. Sony 600mm f/4.0
5. Nikkor 500mm PF
6. Canon 600mm f/4.0
7. Canon 400mm f/2.8
8. Nikon 600mm f/4.0
9. Sigma 150-600mm
10. Canon 200-400mm f/4.0

Both were already spotted on the FCC page: RS 4 (2ANDR-P14C23) and the RS 4 Pro (2ANDR-P04P23). Latest rumor says they will be announced in April.

Preorders:
Leica SL3 at BHphoto. Adorama. Amazon. Calumet. Fotokoch. WexUK.

Reviews and Hands-on:
Explora. Dpreview. Hands-On Review from Leitz-Park. Photographyblog.

Youtube videos:

No, this is not an early April fools joke nor a crazy rumor! Nikon did indeed acquire 100% of RED! The question is….what benefits does this bring to Nikon and RED?

For Nikon:

• Maybe some Nikon cameras will get the REDCODE RAW recording feature
• Access to some amazing sensor tech

For RED:

• Maybe future RED camera will have Z-mount instead of the current Canon RF mount
• Red could have access to Nikon glass

What do you think about this news?

Official press text:

Nikon to Acquire US Cinema Camera Manufacturer RED.com, LLC

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation (Nikon) hereby announces its entry into an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding membership interests of RED.com, LLC (RED) whereby RED will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikon, pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Mr. James Jannard, its founder, and Mr. Jarred Land, its current President, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions thereunder.

Since its establishment in 2005, RED has been at the forefront of digital cinema cameras, introducing industry-defining products such as the original RED ONE 4K to the cutting-edge V-RAPTOR [X] with its proprietary RAW compression technology. RED’s contributions to the film industry have not only earned it an Academy Award but have also made it the camera of choice for numerous Hollywood productions, celebrated by directors and cinematographers worldwide for its commitment to innovation and image quality optimized for the highest levels of filmmaking and video production.

This agreement was reached as a result of the mutual desires of Nikon and RED to meet the customers’ needs and offer exceptional user experiences that exceed expectations, merging the strengths of both companies. Nikon’s expertise in product development, exceptional reliability, and know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface along with RED’s knowledge in cinema cameras, including unique image compression technology and color science, will enable the development of distinctive products in the professional digital cinema camera market.

Nikon will leverage this acquisition to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market, building on both companies’ business foundations and networks, promising an exciting future of product development that will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in film and video production.