A round-up of bits and pieces from the local and international photo industry: Can’t fix stupid…35 new webcams from Sony…A tripod called Bucky…EISA shares the love around…
‘Can’t fix stupid’
The word ‘unprecedented’ has been getting a bit of a workout of late, but the bollocking Eastman Kodak management received from White House trade advisor Pete ‘Make Kodak Great Again’ Navarro surely qualifies.
He was speaking on a CNBC public affairs program earlier this week.
In reference to the mess which ensued following the announcement of a $1 billion loan to the struggling US icon to kick start local generic drugs manufacture, the clearly exasperated Navarro sheeted the blame home to ‘probably the dumbest decisions made by executives in corporate history’.
‘Based on what I’m seeing, what happened at Kodak was probably the dumbest decisions made by executives in corporate history,’ he said. ‘We don’t know why that happened or what they did, let the investigation happen….I mean… it’s hard to be that… you can’t fix stupid, Joe, you just can’t.
‘You can’t even anticipate that degree of stupidity.’
The corporate affairs office at Eastman Kodak is reported to have issued a press release on the loan a day before the official announcement without any sort of embargo, which goes some way to explaining the run on Kodak shares. But that show of incompetence, along with other issues around executive share purchases and a large share transfer by another executive, could well see what we described at the time as ‘one of the most miraculous reversals of fortune in modern corporate history’ reversed once again.
‘What we have with this project and Kodak may be one of the greatest second acts in American industrial history,’ the aformentioned Pete Navarro said about three weeks ago when announcing the loan. Looks more like vaudeville now.
Here’s the CNBC footage:
Sony announces 35 new webcams
Sony has announced Imaging Edge Webcam, desktop computer software that turns a range of the latest Sony cameras into high quality web cameras via USB connection.
Imaging Edge Webcam allows users to live stream and video conference with a camera that also offers precise and responsive autofocus and other advanced camera features, not least of which being superior image quality.
‘Given the growing demand for live streaming and video communication, we’re excited to share a new application that offers loyal Sony customers the ability to quickly and easily transform their camera into a highly effective webcam for live streaming, video calls and so much more,’ said Jun Yoon, head of Digital Imaging Sony ANZ.
At launch, ‘Imaging Edge Webcam’ is compatible with 35 Sony camera models including: Alpha 9 II, Alpha 9, Alpha 7R IV, Alpha 7R III, Alpha 7R II, Alpha 7S II, Alpha 7S, Alpha 7 III, Alpha 7 II, Alpha 6600, Alpha 6400, Alpha 6100, RX100 VII, RX100 VI, RX0 II, RX0, vlog camera ZV-1, along with the newly announced Alpha 7S III.
The new ‘Imaging Edge Webcam’ desktop application is available to download here.
A tripod called Bucky
Tripod specialist, 3 Legged Thing, has added two new models, ‘Ray’ and ‘Bucky’ to its Legends range of professional standard photo/video tripods.
Ray is an ultra-compact travel tripod and Bucky, a more elaborate versatile tripod offering users an impressive working range. (Not sure ‘Bucky’ is a great name for a tripod though…)
Ray can support up to 30kg of camera equipment. It weighs just 1.27 kilograms (or 1.62 kg with the AirHed VU head), and folds down to an overall length of 34.2cm with five-section legs and a dual-section centre column to make packing easy.
Bucky features 3 Legged Thing’s five-section leg/three-section column design. With a kit weight of 1.87 kilograms and a maximum height of 1.892 metres, it ‘has the highest working range of any current travel tripod.’
Both tripods can be converted into monopods or used as table-top and low-level tripods.
They are both available in bronze or grey versions. Ray has an RRP of $663 or $863 with the bundled AirHed VU. Bucky is $793 or $993 with the AirHed VU.
EISA shares the love around
With 10 Best camera categories, and 11 Best lenses, we are spoilt for choice by the annual EISA (Expert – formerly European – Imaging and Sound Association) Awards, chosen by a panel of magazine editors.
Winners are as follows:
Best Camera of the Year: Fujifilm X-T4
Best Buy Camera: Nikon Z 50
Best APS-C Camera: Canon EOS 90D
Best Full Frame Camera: Nikon D780
Best Advanced Full Frame Camera: Sony Alpha 7R IV
Best Professional Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Best Photo/Video Camera: Panasonic Lumix DC-1SH
Best Compact Camera: Fujifilm X100V
Best Vlogging Camera: Sony Vlog Camera ZV-1
Best Camera Innovation: Canon EOS R5
Best Lens of the Year: Canon RF 2.8/70-200mm L IS USM
Best Wide-angle Zoom Lens: Sigma 2.8/14-24mm DG DN Art
Best Standard Zoom Lens: Canon RF 2.8/24-70mm L IS USM
Best Telephoto Zoom Lens: Tamron 2.8/70-180mm DI III VXD
Best Travel Zoom Lens: Tamron 2.8-5.6/28-200mm DI III VXD
Best Super Telephoto Zoom Lens: Sony FE 5.6-6.3/200-600mm G OSS
Best Professional Telephoto Zoom Lens: Nikon 2.8/120-300 E ED SR VR
Best Wide-Angle Lens: Sony FE 1.8/20mm G
Best Portrait Lens: Nikon Nikkor Z 1.8/85mm S
Best Lens Innovation: Canon RF 600mm f/11 & RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lenses
Best Camera Drone: DJI Mavic Air2
Best Photo Software: DxO Nik Collection 3
Best Monitor: Eizo ColorEdge CS2740
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