Sigma 105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art and 70mm F2.8 DG Macro Art get Hot One Awards from Professional Photographer

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Sigma press release:

Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG Macro Art and 105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lenses Honored with Hot One Awards from Professional Photographer

Two of Sigma’s Art lenses join this year’s buyers’ guide showcasing the year’s best and most innovative technology products for professional photographers

Ronkonkoma, New York — August 1, 2018 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading camera, DSLR lens, flash and accessories manufacturer, today announced that two of its newest Art lenses, the 70mm F2.8 DG Macro ($569; available in Canon, Sigma and Sony E mounts) and 105mm F1.4 DG HSM, the “Bokeh Master” ($1599; available in Canon, Nikon, Sigma and Sony E mounts), have been honored with Professional Photographer 2018 Hot One Awards. The annual Hot One Awards are given to innovative, exciting and inspiring technology products for photographers. Winners will appear in the August issue of Professional Photographer and also in a featured gallery beginning August 1st on the Professional Photographer website.

Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG Macro Art: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Professional Photographer is the official magazine of Professional Photographers of America, the largest international non-profit association for professional photographers. For more than 100 years, it has worked to help the pros advance their businesses and careers through editorial content that addresses the artistic, technological and business aspects of their work. This year marks the 19th Hot One Awards, and award recipients are more exciting and groundbreaking than ever before.

To see the full list of Hot One Award winners, please visit www.PPmag.com.

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Laowa 24mm f/14 Macro lens Kickstarter Campaign started, pre-orders available

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Venus Optics’ “weirdest but the most genius lens ever for creative shooting”, the Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Macro lens is now on Kickstarter (where you’ll find a huge set of sample images and videos).

The short videos below give you a good idea of what you can do with the Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe Macro lens.

Kai already tested the Laowa 24mm f/14 lens:

Press release and more videos after the break.

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New Teaser for Nikon’s upcoming Full Frame Mirrorless Camera

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Nikon posted a new teaser video for their upcoming full frame mirrorless camera. This one is about the new mount, which seems to be a big thing for Nikon.

There will be more teaser videos, one per week until the announcement on August 23, 2018.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II lens image quality breakdown (D. Abbott)

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II at a glance:

  • EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • Aperture Range: f/4 to f/32
  • One Fluorite Element and Two UD Elements
  • Super Spectra Coating
  • Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System
  • Optical Image Stabilizer
  • Internal Focus, Focus Range Limiter
  • Weather-Sealed Construction
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

Photographer and reviewer Dustin Abbott posted a 24 minutes video where he analyses the image quality of the new Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II.

Have a look also on Dustin Abbott’s first look and hands on review. The new Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II is in stock at major retailers in the US, price is $1,299: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II world-wide:

[shoplist 51369]

Canon EOS 6D Mark II best vlogging tool, T. Northrup (seriously) states

Canon eos 6d mark ii deal
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Canon EOS 6D Mark II at a glance:

  • 26.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • DIGIC 7 Image Processor
  • 45-Point All-Cross Type AF System
  • Full HD Video at 60 fps; Electronic IS
  • 3.0″ Vari-Angle Touchscreen LCD
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF and Movie Servo AF
  • Native ISO 40000, Expanded to ISO 102400
  • 6.5 fps Shooting; Time-Lapse & HDR Movie
  • Built-In GPS, Bluetooth, & Wi-Fi w/ NFC
  • Dust and Water Resistant; SD Card Slot

Tony Northrup appears to have changed his mind on the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, a camera that got a lot of undeserved bad press.

Says T. Northrup:

The Canon 6D Mark II […] really is the best vlogging camera for YouTubers who might need to film themselves at times. Canon’s Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF) simply works better than any of the competitors. The only camera that even comes close are Sony’s latest round of full-frame e-mount cameras, like the Sony a7 III. However, those cameras lack a selfie screen, and when they do focus during video, it isn’t smooth and cinematic. Besides the reliable face autofocus when recording, I’ve come to appreciate being able to use fast full-frame lenses, like the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 […], to blur the background. The 6D Mk II also has audio levels on the screen while you’re recording (as long as you have the audio levels set manually), which the APS-C Canon 77D lacks.


We never had any doubt that the EOS 6D Mark II was an excellent camera.

B&H Photo has the Canon EOS 6D Mark II bundled with the following items:

  • Watson LP-E6N Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1900mAh)
  • SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
  • Ruggard Journey 44 DSLR Shoulder Bag (Black)
  • Canon BG-E21 Battery Grip for EOS 6D Mark II

on sale for just $1,599. Compare at $1,999 for the body only without any bonus items. A killer deal in our opinion. The same bundle is available with the EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens at $1,999, and with the EF 24-105mm f/4L II lens at $2,499.

Adorama too has a set of Canon EOS 6D Mark II bundle deals on sale. All bundles get $350 mail-in rebate (instructions) and include the following items:

  • Canon PIXMA PRO-100 Professional Photo Inkjet Printer
  • Canon Plus Luster Semi-Gloss Photo Paper (13×19″), 50 Sheets
  • Shure VP83F LensHopper Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone
  • Canon BG-E20 Battery Grip for EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II bundles on offer are:

  • Canon EOS 6D Mark II body only bundled with the items listed above on sale at $1,599 after MIR
  • Canon EOS 6D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II lens and bundled with the items listed above on sale at $2,499 after MIR
  • Canon EOS 6D Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens and bundled with the items listed above on sale at $1,999 after MIR

Canon EOS 6D Mark II world wide:

[shoplist 46185]