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Laowa goes wide and close Laowa adds two lenses to its ever-growing stable
Vanguard’s new tripods Accessory specialists launches four new models and six travel ones
Starting with the wide, Laowa’s new manual focus 11mm f/4.5 FF RL is a rectilinear ultra- wide lens with an extreme 126° angle of view and weighs just 254g. It is also compact enough to take 62mm screw- fit filters. The lens has 14 elements in ten groups and includes two aspherical and three extra-low dispersion elements to keep distortion and chromatic aberrations to a minimum. With a close focusing distance of 19cm, you can get in close for powerful perspective effects Stocks are due late September and the lens costs £769 for L-Mount, Nikon Z and Sony E fits and £869 for the Leica M version. For macro shooters, Laowa has introduced a manual focus 50mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO, the first 2X macro lens
Vanguard’s VEO 3+ collection comprises four models, the VEO 3+ 263AB and 263AP are aluminium and cost £229.99, and the carbon fibre 263CB and 263CP are priced at £299.99. Highlights include a multi- angle central column that doubles as a multi-mount with the included VEO MA-1, which allows extra kit such as a light or microphone to be attached,
fast to use twist leg locks and one leg with the central column combines to make a monopod. Vanguard has also introduced VEO 3GO travel tripods with six models now available – three carbon fibre and three aluminium. Prices start from £109.99 for the aluminium 204AB to £229.99 for the carbon fibre 265HCB. vanguardworld.co.uk
Sigma redesigns a classic Sigma has announced a new 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens for mirrorless cameras. Priced at £999, this lens has been designed from the ground up for cutting-edge performance on mirrorless Sony E-mount and L-Mount cameras. sigma-imaging-uk.com
for Micro Four Thirds cameras. It is priced at £409. You get twice life-size magnification at its 13.5cm minimum focus and a full focusing range makes this lens ideal for portrait and general photography work, too. It has a 14 element in ten group construction with three extra- low dispersion glass lenses and weighs just 240g. laowalens.co.uk
Panasonic’s hybridpowerhouse The Lumix S5 is Panasonic’s latest full-frame mirrorless camera. It’s compact, attractively priced and has a feature set that will appeal to still and video shooters alike
Creativity at your fingertips Luminar AI is the first image- editing software fully powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The range of tools covers different subject areas, including Atmosphere and Sky Enhancer for landscapes and Iris, Body and Skin for portrait and beauty photography. Luminar AI costs £59 (or £52 for early bird customers) and is available for Mac OS and Windows as a standalone application and plug-in. skylum.com Amazing editing made easy PaintShop Pro 2021 and PaintShop Pro 2021 Ultimate use AI for more creative options and to save time, costing £69.99 and £89.99 respectively. New features in PaintShop Pro include AI Denoise, AI Upsampling and AI Artifact Removal, plus there’s an enhanced photography workspace that’s compatible with touch and 4K devices. paintshoppro.com
LUMIX S5 AT A GLANCE › 24.2 megapixels › 35.6x23.8mm CMOS sensor › 14EV plus dynamic range › 2.36k dots EVF › L-Mount › 3in touch monitor › ISO range 100-51,200, expansion to 50 and 204,800 › 1728 multi-zone metering pattern › Dual SD card slots, one UHS-II compatible › Contrast detect AF with face, eye, head and body detection › In-body five-axis sensor shift stabiliser › 4K 3840x2160 full-frame video › MOV and MP4 formats › Dust and splash resistant › Microphone and headphone sockets › Dimensions (wxhxd) 133x97x82mm › Body weight 714g
When Panasonic launched its full- frame Lumix S series a couple of years ago, the company made a great deal of its no-compromise approach to explain why the S1 and S1R cameras were bigger than their Canon, Nikon and Sony mirrorless rivals. Remarkably, its new Lumix S5 is a richly featured full-frame camera that’s smaller and lighter than the S1/S1R and it’s actually even more compact than the Micro Four Thirds Lumix GH5. The S5 is keenly priced, too, at £1799 for the body only or £1999.99 for the kit that includes the Lumix S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. Pre-order the S5 before 30 September and you can claim a free DMZ-XLR1 microphone adapter or a Sigma 45mm f/2.8 lens. The Lumix S5 boasts 24.2 megapixels and its sensor is claimed to handle a 14EV plus dynamic range, while its native ISO range is 100 to 51,200, which is expandable to ISO 204,800. Also featured is Dual Native ISO technology, which uses two circuits for each pixel, resulting in minimal noise shooting videos at ISO 640 and 4000. Five axis in-body image stabilisation gives up to a 5EV benefit, and fit a lens with OIS and you get Dual IS2 with up to 6.5EV benefit. The in-body stabiliser also comes into play for high-resolution shooting of static scenes where eight shots (Raws or JPEGs) can be merged in-camera to give 12,000x8000 pixel Raws. The camera’s autofocus system is contrast detect, and features a greatly
While the S5’s still shooting features are impressive, this camera is also aimed at the massive market sector of video creatives, so its movies skills are even more notable. It is capable of 4K 60p/50p 4:2:2 10-bit external recording via HDMI output and up to 30 minutes of 4K 30/25p 4:2:2 10-bit video internal recording. Shoot 4K 30/25p 4:2:0 8-bit video and there’s no time limit on internal recording thanks to the camera’s very efficient heat dispersion. Shooting modes include 4:3 4K anamorphic at 50p/29.97p/25p/23.98p, 4K/60p
improved algorithm using advanced deep-learning technology for real-time face, eye, head and body detection and tracking. The AF system is said to work well even when a subject is moving quickly or turning their head away. Low Light AF mode gives the S5 the ability to focus in light as low as -6EV. Other key features include dual SD card slots (one is UHS-II compatible), Live View Composite mode, USB charging, 6K photo burst mode at 30fps and a new high capacity battery, capable of giving 470 images.
interval shooting and 4K HDR for realistic recording of highlight and shadow areas of a scene. Plus, there’s an array of pro-oriented video shooting assist features including time coding, NTSC/PAL and zebra pattern. With its strong stills/video feature set, full-frame sensor and its price, the Lumix S5 has the potential to be a massive success. panasonic.co.uk
Issue 81 | Photography News 5
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