Don’t think, just shoot! is Lomography’s motto. It is both a company and a photography movement which has grown a very large following through the usage of film, saturated colours, vignetting and the idea that a camera must become an extension of yourself in every moment of your life. Recently, they released their very first products for digital photography, the Experimental Lens Kit for Micro Four Thirds cameras. But what is Lomography exactly?
Reviews
The Panasonic GX7 & Leica 45mm f/2.8 Macro: An excellent combo!
On Sunday I had the chance to use the Panasonic Lumix GX7 along with the Panasonic Leica 45mm f/2.8 macro lens when a friend, who had rented it for the weekend, told me that he wasn’t planning on using it for the afternoon. Contrary to my expectations, I really fell in love with this little lens. Heather will tell you that I am anything but a macro photography fan (while she is!) so I had never really paid much attention to macro lenses up until then. But since I never refuse the opportunity to try something new, I took it out for a spin and found myself really enjoying it!
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Testing out the new Fujifilm XQ1 & X-A1 in Cossato, Italy
At the Italian Fuji X Day in Cossato, we had originally hoped to spend some time with the new Fujifilm X-E2 but it turned out that it had somewhere else to be – most likely in the hands of a journalist or an X photographer! Despite our disappointment, we were compensated by the presence of the XQ1, Fujifilm’s newest compact, the X-A1 or the X-M1’s twin sans X-Trans technology and the highly-anticipated Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 (hands-on review coming soon but you can see a preview in this article as most of the product shots were taken with that lens).
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When Low-End Doesn’t Mean Low Quality: A Fujifilm X-M1 Review
The release of the Fujifilm X-M1 marks an important step in the X line for the Japanese firm. Up until now, Fuji has concentrated its efforts on high-end interchangeable lens models such as the X-Pro 1 and high-end compact cameras such as the X100/s and X10/20 line. With the X-M1, Fujifilm has expanded its product line to include low-end mirrorless cameras and puts itself in direct competition with products like the Sony Nex-5/6 series or the Samsung NX300.
At the time of writing this article, the X-A1, Fujifilm’s newest entry level model, has just been announced and the QX1 (same sensor as the X20) is also on the way. Some have criticised Fujifilm for spending more time on cheaper cameras instead of updating their high-end models, but that is going to change soon with the imminent announcement of the X-E2. Also, while the release of all these new models may lead us to think that Fujifilm wants to imitate other brands and saturate the market, in my opinion it is a simple consequence of a company wanting to increase its earnings. Actually, if you think about it, Fuji started the opposite way: the first models were for professionals and advanced enthusiasts and it has now turned its attention to the rest of the market, which of course cannot be ignored.
Simply, what Fujifilm is doing is filling new low-end cameras with technology that has been tried, tested and approved by professionals. I won’t dig more into Fuji’s marketing strategy because it isn’t my domain, but if we are to take anything away from this discussion, it is that the X-M1 may seem like a compromise for many things but not the most important aspect, image quality.
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The best compact & professional telephoto zoom for MFT: A Lumix 35-100mm f/2.8 review
When you switch from one system to another, it is necessary to consider not only the camera body and sensor, but also the lenses. Actually, lenses have always been more important to me than anything else because they represent the primary tool that will produce a visible change in your pictures – more than pixels, noise or dynamic range. They are also the tools that will determine my composition and how I approach a work session. [Read more…] about The best compact & professional telephoto zoom for MFT: A Lumix 35-100mm f/2.8 review