My Commute / John Gough / Sony a6300
I am delighted that the BBC have just used this image in their England Big Picture Series
My Commute
Is the Canon EOS R a Rip Off?
Canon EOS R
We were not invited to a luxury hotel in Hawaii to see the launch presentation of the new full frame mirrorless camera from Canon, the Canon EOS R. However, what struck me from the limited specs and pictures we have seen, is just how big the new camera and the new RF lenses seem to be.
This is the Canon EOS R with the 50mm RF lens.
Canon EOS R
The Canon EOS R is Big
There were only ever two real benefits of mirrorless over DSLR’s. That is size and weight. Taking out the mirror mechanism enabled the camera to lose weight and become less bulky. An example is the Sony a6500, which is just one-third of the bulk of the equivalent APS-C sensor, Canon 7D Mark 2. It also weighs around half as much as the Canon.
Canon is not alone, both Sony and Nikon full frame mirrorless cameras have become bigger, as these manufacturers grapple with including bigger batteries to illuminate their power hungry electronic viewfinders.
Canon, however, seems to have lost the mirrorless ethos. Compared with their own similar spec DSLR, the Canon 6D Mark II. The mirrorless Canon EOS R, is 94% of the size and 87% of the weight. The question we have to ask ourselves is. Is this a mirrorless camera or is this a DSLR without a mirror?
Incidentally, this beefy shell has been achieved without a quantum leap in battery performance. Which is 330 shots, so spare batteries or a grip are essential.
The Canon RF lenses are Huge.
Moving on to lenses, the Canon RF lenses which go with the Canon EOS R, are massive. Admittedly the RF 24-105mm f4L is similar in size and weight to the DSLR equivalent the EF 24-105mm f4L. However, the RF 50mm f1.2L is over 70% larger than the equivalent EF lens and 60% heavier. This new lens costs £2349 and does not even have stabilisation and neither does the camera!
The new fat RF 28-70 f2L weighs in at a gigantic 3lbs. That’s a lot to carry around with you on your next mountain trip. Plus there is no stabilisation so add a tripod.
Conclusion
This big camera and huge lenses change the mirrorless paradigm. No longer are these cameras fun, lightweight, and portable. They have returned to being Canon and sensible, like wearing a tie with shiny shoes.
Canon Full Frame Mirrorless Rumours
Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Thanks to Canon Rumours for this information but it seems that Canon is poised to launch a Canon full frame mirrorless camera anytime soon. We wrote recently that Sony was so far ahead in terms mirrorless technology and glass, that the likes of Nikon and Canon could never catch up. However, the latest rumours from Canon may just change all that.
Nikon Z Series
Since then Nikon has announced the full frame Nikon Z6 and Z7. Please note that Nikon is insisting that Nikon is pronounced like nitrogen rather than knickers, and Z should rhyme with pee. These cameras have not been reviewed yet, but have had mixed first impressions following carefully controlled hands-on sessions for journos and bloggers. To get a feel. This is the review from Tony & Chelsea.
The big hold that Canon and Nikon have on the market is lenses. Photographers have scrimped and saved to put together a portfolio of glassware and are reluctant to trade it in and start again. Nikon have only three lenses for the Z series. There is a promise of an adaptor and a road map for new Z lenses into the 2020’s. This is a further drawback for the Nikon Z which rhymes with tea.
Canon Full Frame Mirrorless
We thought this is the way the market would play out. With a ‘me too’ launched by the big players that did not quite match Sony. However, there are rumours that the new Canon full frame mirrorless camera will have a mount that will accommodate EF lenses. This would indeed be a game changer.
It is rumoured the Canon full frame mirrorless is called the Canon EOS R, with new design RF lenses. The rumoured specifications are similar to the Sony a7III, and are listed by Canon Watch.
Launching a camera that can use legacy lenses would be a significant achievement. It would seem that the only way that Canon may have got around the flange distance problem. That is the difference between DSLR EF lenses and the new RF lenses. Might be to allow these lenses to protrude into the body of the camera. Who knows?
It is a tantalising prospect that Canon may have solved the lens dilemma without needing to resort to a separate adaptor like Nikon. If that is the case, then it is game on between Canon and Sony in the full frame mirrorless battle to come.
Sony a7000 Rumours
Sony a6300
We thought it would be the a6700 that would replace the Sony a6500, but the latest rumours are that a new model, the Sony a7000 will be released. This camera will be a small APS-C camera, like the a6500, but not necessarily a successor to it.
As we said when we talked about the rumoured a6700. Sony has to do things with this camera over and above just extending the existing features of the a6500.
Why the Sony a7000 is Important
Firstly, we know that Sony is going for dominance of the mirrorless market. This means chipping away at the territory that is very well defended by Fujifilm. We know that there is an XT-3 on the horizon, which will supplant the massively popular Fujifilm X-T2. This will be the camera that the a7000 will have to go up against and win.
Secondly, the Sony gamechanger in the full frame arena, the Sony a7III has been selling furiously because of its amazing price point of £2000 / $2000. If the a7000 has a similar spec but is not a lot cheaper. Then consumers may as well just spend a bit more and trade up to a7III. Sony will want a price point at around £1600 to match the Fujifilm X-T3, which will have to come in under the X-H1 which currently retails for £1700.
So the Sony a7000 has to be special.
Suspected Features of the Sony a7000
We should not put it past Sony to introduce a gamechanger into the APS-C space, as it has done with the A7III in the full frame market. Already this new camera is being rumoured to be a mini A9, the Sony full frame flagship.
- The size is likely to increase to accommodate the new Z type battery. This could mean just a bigger grip, but would likely look odd if the remaining dimensions remain the same.
- Sony has been doing a lot of work on improving rolling shutters so that images do not appear elongated when shot at insanely high fps. We know that Sony has patents for a global shutter. The difference is explained here
- Talking of fps, 20 fps is rumoured vs 10 fps on the A7III and 20fps on the A9.
- Fully articulating screen, a must for v-bloggers.
- Improved IBIS. Better than 5 stops?
- Updated sensor. Possibly a stacked CMOS sensor similar to the A9, which would mean that it could read focus and exposure data at an amazing 60 times per second, to enable faultless tracking and autofocus.
- 4K 60p video as is rumoured on the X-T3
Concern Over Rumoured Sony a7000
A niggling concern is that Sony may be trying to create a premium APS-C camera like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R MKII compact camera. In the compact camera market where the average price is around £500, this camera costs £3000. A great camera, but just too pricey.
What would delight us a6xxx shooters would be if the a7000 heralded a new genesis, which like the a6000 went on to create a line of great cameras.
Rule of Thirds
Crossed Lines / John Gough / Sony a6300
In photography why bother following the rules to be really creative? Why not just throw away the rule book and create beautiful images?
However, breaking up is just so hard to do, and the Rule of Thirds is just so useful that you will never want to dispose of it. It is the first composition rule that most photographers learn, and the one they will use forever.
The Rule of Thirds has been used for centuries. By Leonardo da Vinci for example.
Rule of Thirds
Once you aware of the rule you will notice it countless times each day in photography, film and TV. Rarely does the subject of a photograph happily sit slap bang in the centre. Instead, it is usually more pleasing to place it one third in from the left or the right. Similarly with a horizon. In the centre would just split the image in two, a third from the top or bottom makes the image far more interesting.
Why does it work? It just does. The Rule of Thirds is one of the rules of nature.
Rachel across at Photography Talk has created a great guide on how to make it work in your photography. Check it out.
Mirrorless Full Frame Cameras. The Race is On.
Start / John Gough / Sony a6300
A couple of YouTube videos have described the state of the interchangeable lens camera market as ‘Mirrorless Wars’. However, this is a misnomer it is not a war but a race, and the big players have yet to start.
The Race
To recap. The Sony launch of the Sony a7III was a gamechanger. A mirrorless full frame camera for £2000 packed with technology. It has been hailed as stunning by all who reviewed it. At a time when sales of DSLR’s are steadily declining, the a7III is now the best selling camera in the United States. Sony has taken on the goliaths of the pro/enthusiast market: Nikon and Canon and made deep inroads into a territory, they thought was theirs by divine right.
Sony is throwing down the gauntlet, challenging both Nikon and Canon to have a go. Nikon has responded. This week they will announce two mirrorless full frame cameras to challenge Sony. Commentators think a war will break out, with creaky old Nikon pulling a fast one and suddenly bettering the Sony offer.
What we have is no war, it is not even a battle, a fight or a skirmish. It is a race. If it were a Grand Prix, Sony would be laps ahead with a range of brilliant mirrorless full frame cameras and lenses. Nikon would have a car that is ready to go, but must be sensationally fast to beat the best. We will see on Thursday. Canon is meanwhile working in the pits, but no one knows on what. Olympus and Fujifilm are chatting in the stands, keeping a safe distance, waiting and hoping that their loyal supporters will stick with their micro four thirds, and APS-C offerings. Click here to make sense of that statement.
Talking Flanges
Continuing on this racing analogy, beware I am now going to talk flanges because this is the handicap, that both Nikon and Canon must overcome.
In a DSLR camera, there has to be room for the mirror mechanism. In mirrorless cameras, there is obviously no mirror. This means that the camera can be a lot less heavy and less bulky. The result is that the lens is now much closer to the sensor. Consequently, the flange distance has changed which means that a new mount is required. The last time Nikon introduced a new mount was in 1959!
This is key to understanding the dilemma Nikon and Canon are in. They have for years made money on lenses developed in the past and sold today. It is their biggest profit stream, and it is going to slowly fade away. They will no doubt create adaptors so that old lenses can be used on these new cameras, but they will not work as well as a lens designed for a mirrorless camera. That is because DSLRs use phase detection autofocus vs contrast detection in mirrorless. This means that lenses have to be capable of micro movements, which enables the clever technology around focus tracking and eye detection, which makes the Sony mirrorless full frame camera so versatile.
On the Starting Grid
So Nikon and Canon have a lot of catching up to do, which means that what they offer in this marketplace will have to be truly amazing. This is a race, in which we the consumers are the winners.
The Mirrorless War Video
From Kevin Raber at Luminous Landscape
Where I Buy
I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.
This Image was Taken on a Sony
Nikon Full Frame Mirrorless Announcement
An intriguing video has just been posted on the Nikon Europe website. It is a teaser about the new Nikon Full Fram Mirrorless Camera we covered a week or so ago.
Nikon Full Frame Mirrorless Camera
At least we now have a hint of what the camera will look like. Nikon Rumours have gone further and produced a paper mock up.
Is the Nikon Mirrorless Full Frame Camera?
Nikon Announcement
There seems to be a date for an announcement. 23rd August 5am UK time there will be a livestream event from Nikon Japan
Photographing Dorset
Old Hary Rocks / John Gough / Canon 6D
Yes, you could take the well worn path to Durdle Door and take the photograph that every other landscape photographer has taken. Or you could look for a different location. If you are photographing Dorset, then a similar scene with a different perspective can be found at Old Harry Rocks.
Photographing Dorset – Studland Bay
Head to Studland Bay, a terrific location for photographing Dorset and park at the South Beach car park. The path is signposted to Old Harry Rocks
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There is then a gorgeous walk out to the headland. This has photo opportunities all along the path until you emerge on the coastline. The vista is just magnificent. These pictures were taken in June this year, and I was so lucky with cloud formations which complemented both the sea and the sky.
Paddling in Dorset / John Gough / Canon 6D
Photographing Dorset: Reference
I used this book for my jaunt photographing Dorset, it was very useful giving precise details of how to access many locations. If you don’t know the area and have limited time a book like this is essential. I have used similar books for most of my location visits.
Where I Buy
I buy my equipment from Wex. I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.
This Image was Taken on a Canon
Street Photography Standing Still
End of the Pier Show / John Gough / Sony a6300
Norfolk is a photography location with beautiful beaches, wonderful seascapes, the Norfolk Broads and seaside resorts. However, I headed for Great Yarmouth with street photography in mind.
Street Photography
I went there to add to my Square Nation portfolio. This is street photography in Great Yarmouth with my Sony a6300.
Usually, I stride about a location looking for scenes to photograph. However, I am learning that rather than walking about looking for opportunities, find a location, stop wait and let the opportunities come to you. This is street photography standing still. It is all about some planning in advance and exploring the space around you. Finding a location where the action is, and having enough confidence to stay put even though you may think it is kicking off somewhere else.
Standing Still
Being stationary does not draw attention like going up to a stranger and poking a camera in their face. The photograph above, I love because it is natural, and up close. I would normally never dare to invade space so intrusively. However, I sat on the pier at Great Yarmouth and tried to blend into the background. This is ambush photography. I have seen wildlife photographers do the same, but they sit in a hide on the banks of a watering hole in the Serengeti, waiting for a crocodile to lunge forward and grab a wildebeest. Street photography standing still is less dramatic but requires the same stealthy skills.
I was on a workshop with Matt Hart earlier in the summer. Matt was on a frenetic search moving quickly through the streets of London, and this approach worked well, we found some terrific situations. However, I wonder whether Martin Parr’s Last Resort included some street photography standing still because there is in his photography, that sense of our inclusion in the scene.
I am excited and off to try this technique again. Watch this space.
Where I Buy
I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.
This Image was Taken on a Sony
Kathy Brown’s Garden: Photography Location
Red Flower / John Gough / Canon 6D
Yesterday I attended a flower photography workshop at Kathy Brown’s Garden in north Bedfordshire. The garden is gorgeous especially this time of year, with endless blooms to photograph. We were led by Sue Bishop, author, renowned photographer and founder of Light and Land.
Flower Photography
Sue demonstrated how she would set up a flower shot. What impressed me, was that she usually spent twenty minutes looking for the ideal bloom. She used a 100mm macro lens mounted on a Nikon DSLR on a Gitzo (I think) tripod and triggered the exposure with a remote.
She recommended:
- Focussing on either the front edge petals or the stamens of the flower.
- Approaching the flower from the side rather than flat and head on.
- A big aperture to create a dreamy out of focus background.
- Watch the background for highlights and colours that would detract from the subject.
It was a windy day and that is my excuse, but thank you to Bruce Deacon for setting up the day.
Where I Buy
I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.