Petapixel tells us about A NASA Astronaut Taking Beautiful and Creative Photos Onboard the ISS.
Stunning and unique pictures.
Category: Links
Link: Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras…
Reuters: Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras. Now, it can’t keep up with demand
After it sold out last year, the company increased production in China to double the launch volume for the VI that debuted in March,
The X100 VI is still not available anywhere as I’m pondering a Fujifilm upgrade. They claim to have manufactured even more.
But the long waitlists and steep prices may drive customers to competitors, such as Canon’s G7X
Pardon? Can someone tell me where the G7X MkIII is available? I can’t find it anywhere from B&H to my local camera stores. And don’t mention the scalpers on Amazon.
Anyway good on Fujifilm with their success. I love my X series not everybody like Sony.
Link: why i love hong kong
Winnie Lim: why i love hong kong
I have only seen Hong Kong through the lens of other, a lot because of the Kai and Lok era of Digital Rev TV. It feel like a very photogenic place, probably because of its contrast of style and urbanism.
Link: Pentax film renaissance
DPReview has an interview with the team behind Pentax upcoming film camera:
Everything analog is suddenly cool again, and photography is no exception: There’s an incredible renaissance happening in film photography, led by a generation who grew up never knowing anything other than digital cameras.
Yes. There is room for a few new film cameras that produce quality images (that’s a stab a Lomography). While things are moving in the world of film supplies, not always to the taste of aficionados, the stock of used film camera is just getting older. And older mean breakage, difficult to repair.
The first announcement came in December 2022, but in April 2024, the publication date of the interview, we have a bit more detail. It will be a half frame 35mm camera, vertical, in a compact format. But every other details remain elusive, including exposure modes.
To be continued…
Link: Epson R-D1 — the world’s first digital rangefinder camera
Macfilos remembers Epson R-D1 — the world’s first digital rangefinder camera:
The Epson R-D1 is definitely a ground-breaking camera. The world’s first digital rangefinder camera with M-Mount and an APS-C CCD sensor with 6.1 Megapixel resolution was released in 2004.
It was before Leica did even release the M8. And much less expensive.
Link: Two-Thirds of the Limited Edition X100VI Sales in the U.S. Were Fraudulent
Petapixel reports Two-Thirds of the Limited Edition X100VI Sales in the U.S. Were Fraudulent.
Scalpers are enabled by ebay and Amazon. But then I see no purpose of “limited edition” items either. Such a camera is meant to be used.
To be fair, I’d like a Fujifilm X100VI, but the regular one, as it will take the same images than the limited edition but definitely cost less.
Link: A Brief History of Polaroid
Analog Cafe retells A Brief History of Polaroid.
The original Polaroid has been out of business for a while, and after some brand necrophilia, the current Polaroid owns the part that aimed at resurrecting Polaroid flagship product: instant film.
Hasselblad X-Pan
Beau Photo tells us Hasselblad “The Holy Grail” XPan – Is it worth it?:
I’ve shot with the XPan numerous times, and each time I would put my clown mask on and tell myself that this camera will be mine someday. After a year of using this camera, I believe the XPan is worth it.
I remember more than 20 years ago hearing about the Hasselblad XPan, or its Japanese original, the Fujifilm TX-1 (the Hasselblad is actually just a rebadged Fujifilm). It was expensive, its lenses were expensive.
But what is it? It is a rangefinder film camera that could shoot in panoramic format, 24x65mm on a 35mm film (135) as well as the standard 24x36mm. It was pretty much the only option for panoramic photography without using a rotating lens like the Horizon or Widelux cameras, or without getting an expensive Mamiya 7 with the adapter to use 135 film instead of the 6×7 120 film frames.
I remember reading an article where the photographer used the XPan to cover a bicycle race. And vertically framed pictures showed us how unique this camera could be.
Too bad it is even more expensive now.
The end of Polaroid Spectra film
This is not the first time Polaroid Spectra film becomes discontinued. The first time was when Polaroid went under and the remaining stock depleted. DPReview now reports that Polaroid Originals is stopping the production of Spectra film because the remaining cameras are now aging, unrepairable, and there is nothing they can do about it.
This is a bigger problem with film photography in general that I wrote about previously: the whole production supply chain, from cameras to film processors and scanners is in danger. Nobody develops new hardware, because it requires a lot of R&D and the old one is becoming harder and harder to repair, non withstanding for processors and scanner where the software is antique and only runs on obsolete systems.
Instagram selfies are destructive
The Huffington Post Canada has an article about Self(ie) destruction. They put it bluntly:
Destruction has become its own genre of self-portraiture. We break things, harass lounging and peaceful animals, and ruin the fun for everyone. Our faces, apparently, are that important.
When you think you are more important than the environment surrounding you… There are ways to take selfies responsibly, but destruction is not one of them.
There are other example of people falling to their death for the sake of a selfie.