Busy gear week in the camera industry

So finally the rumors ended and Sony delivered! The resulting A7 and A7R are truly landmarks in the history of digital cameras. For the first time we have a small full frame (35mm) auto focusing system camera without a mirror. Does this mean that the DSLR as we know it is dead? My answer is: no, but the market will start to segregate into more specific types of cameras. DSLRs will still be around, at least another ten years or so, they still have the advantage in action sport and wildlife photography, sure the compact systems are getting closer every day, but they are not there yet.

Panasonic also revealed the new GM1, a micro 4/3 camera that is similar in size as the Pentax Q system. Mount a 20/1.7 lens onto this camera and it could be an interesting set up for street shooting, I would miss the viewfinder though, but there is an approach for street photography with small cameras lacking a viewfinder that I find interesting, and this includes hip shots and low angle shots.

And then finally Fujifilm had to show some muscles. The X-E2 has now been presented along with a new compact XQ1. The X-E2 continues the tradition of the X-E1 with a few improvements, such as a new sensor X-Trans CMOS II (the same as in X100s), along with the new image processor (EXR II). The focus speed is now vastly improved (according to Fujifilm) and they even claim the title “world’s fastest auto focus speed of 0.08 sec”, well we just have to wait and see. Moving forward to the XQ1 compact; this is a neat gem, something I can see replacing my Canon S100 in the near future. It sports the same sensor and technology as the X20 using the 2/3” X-Trans CMOS II sensor and a very fast auto focus with a hybrid contrast AF and phase detection AF. 

I wish you all a very nice weekend, and don't forget to go out on the streets and shoot!

Say hello to Mr Q (The Q experiment, part 1)

I have decided to challenge myself in my street photography (as if it wasn’t hard enough). For the next month (November) I will only do street shooting with my Pentax Q together with the Pentax-01 standard prime, which is a 8.5 mm, f/1.9 lens. In 35mm equivalent terms this is translated to about 47,6 mm (5,6x crop factor). So in terms of aperture equivalent, this translates to about f/10.6 (f/1.9x5.6) which means there are plenty of resources in the depth of field department. This is a good thing as the lens peak performance is at f/2.8, and this is the aperture I will be at most of the time when I am using Mr Q. The Pentax Q is equipped with a 12 Mpixel (4000x3000 px) sensor-shift stabilized 1/2.3” back illuminated sensor.

    The Pentax Q on top of the Fujifilm X100.

The Pentax Q is the world’s smallest and lightest system camera and it weighs only 180 grams; add to that the 01 standard prime lens at 36 grams and this combo weighs in at only 216 grams. This is less than half the weight of my Fuji X100. The Q is a fantastic build, sturdy and tough, with a magnesium alloy body and separate battery and SD-card slots on each site of the camera (not the cheap way Fuji has chosen where the card sits together with the battery on the bottom of the camera). This camera is built like a professional tool, you notice that the instant you pick it up and hold it in your hand. The rubberized grip is surprisingly good for a camera of this size.

The 36 grams light Pentax 01 standard prime (8,5mm f/1.9) In 35mm equivalent terms about 47 mm.

The camera lacks a viewfinder but sports a quite good 3 inch LCD screen. The ISO ranges from 125 to 6400, but ISO above 1600 is not really usable. I rarely go above ISO 400 with this camera, but this should be enough for daytime street shooting, considering that I can shoot at f/1.9-2.8.

Here are some street photos from the last weeks.

Moulin rouge

[untitled]

Red walkers

B&W or colour in street photograpy?

My Internet connection has been dead for the last two weeks (due to a cable fire here in Stockholm) but here is finally a post. I will try to be more frequent in my updates of the blog from now on. The last year has been kind of busy and I will be in a bit of transition the coming six months or so, but I will do my best to update the blog every week.

There are many opinions about black and white vs colour in street photography. My current opinion and my personal editing style is that each photo is unique and deserves a solitary decision if the photo should end up as b&w or in colour. There are street photographers that seriously mean that a “real street photograph” should be in black and white and shot with film. The film vs digital discussion I will leave for a later post, but I will strongly argue against the first statement. Real street photography is not defined by b&w or colour that is just nonsense. Some “purists” (that of course shoots with a vintage Leica loaded with Kodak Tri-X 400 speed film) mean that because some guys that “defined” street photography back in the 40’s and 50’s were using b&w film for creating their street photos, it must be the norm in this style of photography. For starters, street photography is not defined by some old street shooters of the past, it’s not static, it’s alive and kicking, still developing and the definition is still open for interpretation. Nothing is carved in stone when it comes to street photography. Find your style, find your way and find the gear that works for you, don’t limit yourself if you don’t want to be limited.

I tend to bring most of my street photos into black and white, but not because it has to be that way, most of my work just feels right in black and white. But some 20-25% of my work will end up in colour. If the colour adds to the feeling or the interpretation of the photograph I will leave it in colour, but if it just distracts and don’t fill a function I will go for b&w.