MasHD Blog

Nokia (under HMD) has announced their cheapest Android powered handset - the Nokia 2 . The new phone , powered by a 5" 720p display , Android 7 (with Oreo set to arrive soon)  Snapdragon 212 processor and 1GB of RAM  is said to offer 2 days of battery life(used averagely for 5 hours a day) thanks to the low powered hardware and a massive 4100 mAh battery  .  The rest of the specs include a 8 mp rear camera and a 2 mp front module and a 8GB storage option with MicroSD expansion . Pricing for the phone is said to be EUR99 . via - Gsmarena

If you are in the market for an affordable manual speedlight then Phottix has a solution for you . The new Phottix Juno , a speedlight designed to take on similar products from Godox and Yongnuo (plus many others) brings a long list of features for shooters for an affordable  $130. The Manual flash features a  built in Transmitter/receiver for Slaving your flash , a Canon CX power input port to connect to your external battery packs , a PC sync port , a large LCD display port and scroll wheel to set the power + features makes this sound like music to many ears ,but do keep in mind that the flash will not serve those who want to TTL . The Phottix Juno is set to be compatible with their Ares II and Stratus II line of flash triggers . The unit , which features the ability to shoot upto 1/250 shutter is good enough for most portrait sessions or events , but it does not feature HSS (A feature found on some rival products at the price) The flash can be set up on its default 1/3 increme

Tamron has officially announced their 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 super-telephoto lens for Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras . The new lens , aimed at sports and wildlife shooters is a cost effective option as it costs $800 . The lens , which features  Tamron's eBAND nanocoating for reducing lens flaring and ghosting consists of   17 elements in 11 groups also features 3 LD(low dispersion) elements and a 9 bladed aperture diaphragm . Weighing in at 1115g (1.1Kg or 39.3oz) the lens is somewhat lighter than some competing lenses of the same range as it uses magnesium parts in key areas of the lens . There is also a metallic lens foot with an Arca swiss style mount and this is an optional accessory for this lens . Also listed as optional accessories for this lens are 1.4x and 2x teleconverters and a Model TAP-01 console to update and customize the lens firmware . The lens is dust and moisture resistant . Shipping for this $800 lens starts on the 16th of November . Written by Rakitha

Ricoh has officially announced two new lenses for Pentax SLR cameras . The HD Pentax DA*11-28mm f2.8 lens is designed for APSC Pentax K3 , K70 and KP bodies and due to the crop factor , the lens ends up being 17-27.5mm (35mm eqv) . The lens a part of the Pentax Star series lineup is said to be available early next year . Also announced is the Pentax FA* 50mm f1.4 , this , designed mostly with full frame cameras in mind (K1) is weather sealed for all your outdoor activities .The lens also features a  new ring SDM (Supersonic direct drive motor) Autofocus motor which provides silent AF operation , the minimum focusing distance of the lens is 0.4m Pentax is yet to announce pricing and availability details of this lens . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - ricoh

Olympus has officially announced 2 premium lenses for the Micro 4/3 system . The new M.Zuiko 17mm and 45mm  are both f1.2 aperture lenses and are designed to offer resistance against the elements , good bokeh and image quality . The 17mm f1.2  - which equals to about a 35mm in full frame terms features a Extra low dispersion ED-DSA element and features 15 elements in 11 groups with 2 aspherical elements . The lens features a 9 bladed aperture diaphragm and a focus by wire AF system which can be disengaged and controlled in full time manual focus by pulling the ring backwards . The lens , which has a weight of 310g is light enough for most work and thanks to IBIS - in body image stabilization on Olympus (and some Panasonic) bodies , the stabilization can be compensated internally . The 45mm f1.2 follows on the same advanced features of the 17mm lens (eg- snap back focusing into manual ) and has 14 elements in 10 groups in order to give a 90mm (full frame equivalent) look on a M

Sigma has officially announced their latest lens for mirrorless cameras . The new 16mm DC DN for Sony E mount and Micro four thirds is a f1.4 aperture lens designed to take advantage of the crop factor on the Sony and Micro 4/3 camera systems and therefore the 16mm lens offers a (Full frame) equivalent - 32mm field of view on Panasonic , Olympus and other Micro 4/3 cameras and 24mm on Sony E APS-C cameras with a 1.5x crop . The lens is equipped with 16 elements in 13 groups and has a 9 bladed aperture ring .The lens has a 67mm filter size and features a stepper motor for silent autofocus . Pricing and availability details are yet to be revealed by Sigma . Written by Rakitha for MasHD. A new solution for mirrorless camera users Via Press Release - Sigmaphoto The second in a series combining F1.4 brightness and a compact body Introducing a new high-performance, large-diameter wide-angle lens: 1 A new system for mirrorless cameras 2 Bright prime fu

Sony has officially announced their latest iteration (3rd generation ) of the high resolution Sony A7 R line . The new camera , which is named as the A7RIII (or in its unofficial moniker - A7R mk3) brings major improvements to the camera series with some features borrowed from the A9 , including an excellent AF system , double the battery life , pixel shift technology,  advanced EVF and a full pixel readout for video . Thus , the A7R III is probably the most well spec'd mirrorless camera to date . Related - Sony G 24-105mm f4 and 400mm f2.8 development plans announced Features Design wise ,the new Sony A7RIII features a more ergonomical design with the grip and layout based on the Sony A9's specifications .  The addition of a tilt able touchscreen also makes it a joy to use in conditions where a joystick is not convenient. The new camera also features support for Dual SD card slots - a much needed feature as none of the previous A7 series had them (One is UHS2 an

Sony has officially launched their 24-105mm f4 OSS General zoom lens and 400mm f2.8 lens development plans today . The two new lenses , announced along side the new  A7 RIII , brings two much needed lens options for E mount users who may have been waiting for their announcement for a while . The new 24-105mm f4  , a general purpose lens , is sure to woo in many potential converts from other platforms as this lens (or this zoom range) is preferred by over the 24-70 in many situations as it gives you extra reach - ideal for event and travel photography . The new lens ,a member of the Sony G series  , comes with the model ID - SEL24105G features Sony's excellent image stabilization - OSS and DDSSM - Direct Drive SSM silent motor for autofocus . The lens , protected against the elements thanks to a dust and moisture resistance , complements its general purpose design and the Nano AR coating minimizes lens flaring , ghosting and chromatic aberrations .The lens weighs 663g and is

Press Release Canon Announces the Next Evolution of its Popular G-Series Camera – The PowerShot G1 X Mark III The New Flagship G1 X Mark III PowerShot Camera Features the Largest Imaging Sensor Ever in a Canon Point-and-Shoot Camera MELVILLE, N.Y., October 16, 2017 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced a new flagship addition to its acclaimed G-series of premium compact cameras, the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III. Lightweight and portable without sacrificing the very best in Canon digital imaging technologies, the new G-series flagship features a 24.3- megapixel* APS-C CMOS sensor and Canon’s revolutionary Dual Pixel CMOS AF (Auto-Focus) technology, both firsts for a Canon point-and shoot compact camera offering. “As we continue to evolve the popular Canon PowerShot G-series line, we remain committed to incorporating both our latest innovations and the features photographers are looking for in an advanced, compact camera,” said Yuichi

DJI has officially announced their Zenmuse X7 gimbal . The system , designed for Aerial cinematography is set around a custom DL mount and a super 35 sensor unlike the X5 variants that use Micro four thirds sensor . The X7 features 14 stops of Dynamic range . The sensor , boasting recording capabilities unto 6K in CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30fps can also do 3.9K CinemaDNG RAW or 2.7K ProRes at up to 59.94 as well . The camera , which features DJI's own custom LOG format - D - Log curve and D Log gamut are both part of DJI's latest DCCS - DJI cinema color system . The stabilized camera , launched as a gimbal attachment for the Inspire drone system also features 4 custom made DJI prime lenses made out of carbon fiber . The DJI DL mount lens lineup includes a 16mm , 24mm , 35mm and a 50mm kit with each lens having a f2.8 aperture . The 16mm lens features a Built in ND filter - ND4 . Pricing for the Zenmuse X7 is said to be $2699 for the body(Gimbal)

Element Carbon Large Manfrotto has unveiled a new affordable line of carbon fiber tripods . The new Element carbon series , designed for adventurous photographers , comes in either 4kg payload versions or 8kg versions . The tripods legs are all carbon fiber and feature twist locks to adjust the height . The 8kg version also has a central detachable leg which can be used as a monopod if need be . The top assembly (including the ball head and the Arca-Swiss detachment plate ) are all made of aluminum . The 4kg version extends to a maximum of 143cm/56.3in and weigh 1050g/2.3lb . The 8kg version extends to 164cm/64.57in and weighs 1400g/3.08lb . Pricing details list the 4kg version at GBP175 and the 8kg version at GBP200 . Element Carbon Small Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - Dpreview Manfrotto

Revolcam is probably the best smartphone lens project yet. The project , a Kickstarter founded by Shiftcam focuses on giving mobile devices the ability to shoot photos or video on either a wide angle , fisheye or macro lens with a simple twist of the rotating  wheel (similar to old wind up film cameras of yesteryear ) . The exact field of view of each lens is not given yet , but the handy feature of having 3 different shooting styles does open up creative ideas for users who want to take photos on their phone (without hassle of carrying multiple attachments separately . The rotating mount also features another hidden gem - a small but useful LED ringlight with a diffusing panel and a small mirror .The light assembly is detachable so you can use it for a fill light if need be . The kickstarter project is expected to hit its shipping goal in November 2017 . The unit is expected cost $29. Written by Rakitha for MasHD Link to Kickstarter Via Petapixel

RED has officially announced a new sensor upgrade to the RED Weapon 8K series of cinema cameras . The new sensor , dubbed the Monstro 8K VV , promises an insane 14 stops of dynamic range from its 35.4 MP APS-H size sensor . The new sensor , capable of shooting 8K in 60fps , 4K in 30fps and 2K in 120fps in REDCODE Raw ,PRO res , Avid DNxHD/HR and is capable of 300 MB/s .RED is also said to be including their RED enhanced image processing pipeline (IPP2) upgrade which would greatly enhance the workflow , better highlight rolloffs and enhancements overall (Available for all previous Monstro and Helium sensor equipped models as well) . A RED Weapon 8K (BRAIN) with the Monstro 8k VV sensor is said to be $79,500  with upgrades available for Carbon fiber RED Weapon customers at $29,500 . Customers who will place  orders for a new Weapon 8K (and those who have placed orders already) will receive the new sensor in their camera when it ships to customers in early 2018 . Written by Rakith

Google has officially announced the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphone . The two phones , designed around Google's idea of refining the Pixel line as a high end rival to current flagship phones is packed with features and probably the best camera in the industry at the moment .  Although the two phones are identical with similar features(Google made a point on not to skip features on both model s)  , the XL is probably going to be the more sought after device as its display is much better than the Pixel 2 ,but if the display is not a priority , users can expect a almost similar Stock Android Oreo experience on both . Google Pixel 2 XL *6" 2880x1440p Resolution display , 538 PPI ,P OLED with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection ,95% DCI P3 coverage, HDR10 *Aluminum unibody 157.9x76.7x7.9mm , 149g, IP67 ingress protection , glass insert on rear with rear fingerprint reader . USB C 3.1 for charging and headphone input * Snapdragon 835 MSM8998 ,64bit Octacor