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#1176. Week Links of Photography (5 Mar 2022)
By pascaljappy | News
The news this week is bleak. Ideology and stupidity have once again pitched brothers against one another to the likely ruin of both, if not the whole world. In this period of easy doomscrolling, I decided to relaunch the Week Links of Photography series to provide alternative content for those who enjoy photography as a creative pursuit. May you all read this at home, safe from illness, evil predators and evil thoughts.
Above is a leaked photograph of the (now more and more likely) Hasselblad X2D. For some of us, it is good news. The X1D never got the reception it deserved. It truly is a uniquely good camera, with some flaws and quantitative shortcomings that steered most of the market away from it. Whether the X2D will be able to correct this while not squandering the qualitative goodness remains to be seen, but I’m very happy just to know that Hassy haven’t given up the fight just yet 🙂
If DS readership is any measure, women are very underrepresented in the photo world. And that’s a great shame as the two who do grace our pages most frequently, Lany and Nancee, are remarquable photographers and persons. I’d love to hear more about female readers and photographers. If you’re reading this, say Hi 🙂
That’s it for this week. Please leave a comment to let me know which topics you enjoyed most and help me tailor this newsletter to you 🙂
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Many interesting topics, Pascal.
But if I may, please stay away from the awful anti-Russians propaganda. Being involved in geopolitics since 25 years (my main activity, in fact), with connections all over the world, I can tell you that all the phenomenal lies spread in the mainstream press is giving nausea to those who know a bit more… and innocent people corpses pile up while we swallow all this…
For those who would like to learn more about this, there are literally hundreds of honest sources.
And for those who consider giving 20 minutes of their time to hear « something else », just read this: https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2022/02/25/experts-warned-for-years-that-nato-expansion-would-lead-to-this/?fbclid=IwAR10zLmlcyf3xeW88pDhH62PWCWW_kv-vhlrad3dULJs0TEV9EceL3V71j0
It’s a «ordinary citizen » writing… way more impressive sources are available, including some even from US top brass when they get enough of it, from former US diplomats, etc etc… just search « The Manufacturing of Consent » as a starter. I stop here, never expected to be writing this in DS…
Hi Pascal, I struggle to find a single word of anti-Russian propaganda in this post!
Hi Pascal, it was not in your post, but within the link you provided… pure propaganda with « our » Ukrainians painted as victims… while since the Maiden events, aided by neo-nazis, the US has spent 5 billions to arm the pseudo-governement they installed as puppets, and murdered dozens of thousands of Russian-spoken Eastern Ukrainians… but of couse, tight lip about that 🙁
The « war » was occulted all that time, while the day Russians say « stop », then suddenly it « is » war… pathetic, even if the reaction, dully provoked, is as bad as the provocation. Arm dealers in the US are celebrating, always the « winners »…
The post isn’t about that. You are the one bringing politics into it. I linked to an article showing how Ukrainian photographers depict the war, which is of utmost importance. No one says this view is impartial, it can’t be.
Ok, we clearly don’t read it the same; I’ll leave it there, I was so hesitant to react first, let’s get back to photography 🙂
Bonjour Pascal,
I like it! Thank you.
I think it’s always interesting to see pieces of information gleaned here and there with different perspectives. I’ll try and contribute behind the scenes if I see something worthwhile.
By the way, what is the name of that little Tuscan town?? And details on the sunset, pretty please (You must have seen that one coming …)?
Thanks again, Pascal, take care.
P.S. just this once, prems before Pete!!
Thank you Pascal.
The sunset was made from the church next to the Leonardo museum in Vinci. There were even better possibilities just underneath me from a little passage way with arches. By the time we got there, I had run out of battery, so only made the shot with my phone, drat.
Prems indeed! Well done.
The little town is Lucca, but you probably haven’t heard of it 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉
Luca!
I thought I recognized that hillside and sunset. In 2012 we were visiting Italy and experienced the most beautiful sunset driving back from Sienna. We stopped along the side of the road, just outside Luca, to enjoy it. We have always wanted to go back.
PaulB
It is a wonderful city and was recommended to me by Pascal Ollier (hence my joking in my reply to his comment) We spent a wonderful couple of days there a couple of weeks ago and it seems immune to the notion of mass tourism and golbalisation. Just wonderful. The mountain in the background is Mount Amiata and it can be seen in the distance from a great many places in Tuscany. What a backdrop, hey!
Pascal, I spoke too soon. I relooked at my itinerary in Tuscany and we did not go to Lucca. We stopped for the sunset outside a small town between Siena and Greve in Chianti. Though, there is very little like a sunset in Tuscany, and your image very mush reminded me of ours.
We are hoping to return to Tuscany in a year or two. We will put Lucca on the list, since we are thinking of going to that part of Tuscany.
Greve in Chianti was also a wonderful little town that escaped the tourist crowds that flock to the big cities like Florence; which we really liked when the crowds were back on the cruise ships.
PaulB
Yes, we stopped in Greve too. It was a sort of pilgrimage for me as it is where I stayed quite a bit as a boy. Very nice place.
Great post Pascal, interesting things happening in the photo world. If Leica would make a Q2 with a 50 ah that would be good. I won’t hold my breath. Take cate
Thanks Dallas. Indeed very tempting in a higher resolution. Leica probably doesn’t want to steal sales from the M range ? But we may yet see an SL3 and a Q3 with the M11 sensor, who knows 🙂 Take care too!
STARS & COMETS – hang on – didn’t someone on this site suggest a while back that nobody could come up with something “new”, it’d all been done already?
FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH – and the damage continues. We’ve just been told that (believe it or not!) someone’s just discovered a fantastic rain forest in Tasmania, the island state of the south eastern corner of Australia – with trees growing there that date from two or three thousand years ago. And some asshole wants approval to open a bloody tin mine in the middle of it! The forest HAS to be “world heritage”. He can stick his tin somewhere that really hurts, as far as I’m concerned!
WEIBO – mea culpa, mea culpa – my chinese is inadequate for this one.
SHOOTING MILLIONS OF FRAMES PER SECOND? – I’m not going to live long enough to post process & print all those photos! This has to be a specialist cam, for scientific research purposes.
JAMES WEBB – now, this is DEFINITELY for scientific purposes. And I don’t have a billion dollars to spend on gear anyway.
SIGMA – with all the doom and gloom in the camera/lens industry, companies like SIGMA and Tamron don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. SIGMA has been teasing me (and others!) for several years, with their “intention” to release a full-frame Foveon-sensor digital cam. This is just a stalling tactic – make these lenses instead, make them all wait for the Foveon! I have a confession – before the 55mm Otus, I bought a SIGMA 50mm f/1.4 ART. And although the Otus is “better”, I have taken some epic shots with the 50mm ART. So I still have it!
FILM CAMERAS? – naah! – had ’em for half a century, now I am devoted to digi. Something new to explore – and very satisfying it is, too. The people I know who are off to “go” film are people who started in the digi era and now want something “different”. So did/do I. The question is simply “different to what?”
NICK DABAS – your URL didn’t work – here’s where I found the article:
https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2022/03/04/video-filmmaker-nick-dabas-goes-hands-on-with-the-new-leica-m11#:~:text=New%20York%20City%2Dbased%20filmmaker,60MP%2C%2036MP%20and%2018MP%20images.
I do understand why so many fall all over Leica – it’s not my turf (that’s a long & boring story) but it certainly is “quality” and I’ve seen mind blowing prints from Leicas.
RICOH – good – glad to hear it.
BAD WEATHER – yes – well I quite agree – but I’m happy to let someone else do it, and keep my glass under glass while it’s all happening. I’ve already lost a very expensive 135mm tele due to weather conditions, and I’m in no mad rush for a repeat experience. I’d rather appreciate “their” photos of it instead.
ATMOSPHERE IN LANDSCAPE – this is not “absolutely” essential – but it works, and enhances something like 99% of all the landscape photographs I’ve ever seen. Works in street as weel, but perhaps not quite 99% of the time.
The two articles on women & photography. Maybe I need to spend more time in pubs, struggling to drink beer with all the other males there, and discussing such fascinating topics as cricket and Aussie rules “foot” ball. Instead of chasing after the fair sex all the time. But my experience of women with cameras has been that even the most basic “newbie” grabs a camera and takes REAL “photos” – “pictures”, not just snapshots. And I have been frequently amazed at the results they turn in. They also seem to “see” things that other people don’t, adding further interest to their ;photographs.
UKRAINE – war – the idiocy of the human animal – this stuff tears me apart, Pascal, I can’t deal with it.
Hi Pete, hold tight, that Foveon may yet come to be. See this link sent to me by Dallas Thomas : https://petapixel.com/2022/02/22/sigma-is-in-the-second-stage-of-prototyping-a-new-foveon-sensor/
The idiocy of the human animal, indeed. Not everyone, thankfully. Mainly the egotistical ones, those dominated by fear.
Film is indeed a hassle. But there still isn’t a digital camera available – at any price – that looks as good as large format film. If only I wasn’t so lazy …
Cheers
“Looks as good”? And yet – just for laughs, I have the Nikon retro Zfc, and couple of Z-lenses so I can play with it. And WOW – the first couple of shots, which are purely experimental – not even snaps, let alone “photos” – or “pictures” – are fascinating. There’s detail there, that you couldn’t possibly see with the naked eye.
There’s no one medium that’s “the best”. They’re pretty much all “different”. You and your Hassy can do somethings smaller digis can’t possibly – to the point you emulate some of that “film”. Film does things digi can’t. Heriot-Watt’s camera can shoot millions of frames a second. SIGMA’s Foveons are another world. 4×5 also takes you into a different world – digi OR film.
And while most of it is far more expensive than an iPhone, it’s also far more interesting – in what we can do with it.
How about the X2D, then? You can continue being so lazy and still produce magnificent images!
Exactly! Gotta lov a company that lets you be lazy!
We all hope for that non-bayer Foveon.
And now that QD are available everywhere in flat panels, the next step, even if distant (we might be too old then :D), is Quantum Dots in photography:
https://www.dpreview.com/news/8983257089/researchers-use-quantum-dots-to-create-high-resolution-three-layer-sensor
A square sensor, 36mm x 36mm (my dream since forever) would be 72MP, 64MP would be fine, and run 8K natively… oh well, dreams dreams… 🙂
Well, as one of the two fairer sex contributors, I for one scrolled right past the tech and zeroed in on the pretty pictures of inclement weather (I agree, they make the best images), looking down (maybe cause I’m closer to the ground than most).
I personally do enjoy these kind of articles where I either find inspiration or affirmation. Or am extremely miffed when somebody is doing the same thing I’m working on….there is really no original thought and we are all connected. Whether we want to or not.
Regarding the women and photography? Why should that be different than any other industry? It is platforms like DS that do give us a louder voice even though we’re not allowed to scream too loud. I can say a whole lot more about that but maybe I should table that for a whole separate discussion 🙂
Keep these articles coming, Mr P!
I might even, one of these days, read something technical and get as excited as seeing an image that evokes a strong emotion in me. We live in hope!
Lani
(Oh and the name phonetically is maybe easier to remember: Lah-knee 😉
Hi Lah-knee 😉 😉 So sorry about the superfluous y. Why the y, I wonder.
Shout as loud as you want on DS. This sure is a place where no limits will be placed on that.
I too was mesmerised by the images looking down and find it less easy to get as excited about tech stuff, unless it has a direct influence on image aesthetics, as is the case with film.
Thank you for the thumbs up, it will boost my motivation to be more regular at this 😉
Cheers, Pascal (you are allowed to writed Paskal for a month in punishment and retribution 😉 😉 )
Too funny, Paskal :-))
Would that be because you are knee high to a grasshopper young lady ? 😉
Thanks for the shout out, Pascal! And for spelling my name correctly, which has been an issue my entire life
Anyway, back to your post: like Lani, I zoomed past the gear and technical stuff and thoroughly enjoyed all the bits on creativity, weather, and your wonderful images. Hopefully DS can attract more female photographers!