News | Fixation

Jonny Helm News November 11, 2020October 3, 2023 0 Comments

Canon RF lens range update

Canon has added the RF 70-200mm f4L IS and RF 50mm f1.8 STM lenses to their growing RF lens range. These two popular lenses pair lightweight portability with the exceptional lens making craft we expect from the manufacturer.

The Canon RF lens range already covers these focal lengths with an f/2.8 70-200mm zoom and an f/1.2 50mm prime however the new releases are significantly smaller and lighter due to their reduced maximum aperture. The DSLR compatible EF 70-200mm f4L IS has been praised by our Canon technicians as an exceptionally sharp lens, and the reputation of the 50mm f/1.8 the “nifty-fifty” is also well established. Canon has improved both lenses optically for their Mirrorless cameras in both their construction and ergonomics thanks to technology available with the wider RF lens mount. These smaller aperture lenses will also be lighter on the wallet compared with their larger counterparts in the RF lens range.

To place an order, contact our sales team on 0207 582 3294 or email us at sales@fixationuk.com

Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM

Designed to allow photographers to capture with comfort, the RF 50mm F1.8 STM introduces a novel combined focus and lens control ring. If you are focusing manually the focus ring drives the brand new optical system within the lens. If you are using autofocus the focus ring can be configured to control another camera setting like the custom control ring found on a variety of RF lenses and the EOS-R to EF control ring mount adaptor.

Focus closer with a minimum focus distance of 30cm, a 5cm improvement on the EF 50mm f1.8. The 7 blade rounded aperture is the same as used in the EF version so you can expect to see the same smooth background blur and bokeh from out of focus highlights.

Canon RF 50mm f1.8 STM Key Features:

STM Motor
Wide f/1.8 aperture
Aspheric lens element
RF mount
Super Spectra Coating
Focus / lens control ring

Canon RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM

The RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM features a retractable design like its f/2.8 RF counterpart. This is the most compact and lightweight canon 70-200mm lens to date, and the design re-affirms the manufacturer’s commitment to offer full creative potential with a lighter weight kitbag. The image below shows the lens with the hood removed, proportion more often seen on 24-70mm lenses!

Canon has added 5-stop optical image stabilization to keep your shots steady with the EOS R, Ra and RP. If used with the new EOS R5 and EOS R6 camera bodies then the in-body image stabilization and the lens’ optical IS combine to provide 7.5 stop stabilisation. Expect rock-steady sharpness when shooting handheld. At the very front of the lens is a new lens control ring, programmable to let you change settings without moving your hand from a shooting position. In the RF 70-200mm f4L IS the lens control ring is separate to the focus and zoom rings for independent control of three settings.

Canon RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM lens without hood.

Canon RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM key features

f/4 constant maximum aperture
Dual Nano USM focusing motor
L-series lens
UD elements and ASC element coatings
5-stop Optical Image Stabilizer (7.5-stop combination IS when used with the EOS R5 and EOS R6)
Dust and water-resistant seals
Lens Control Ring

To place an order, contact our sales team on 0207 582 3294 or email us at sales@fixationuk.com

Jonny Helm News October 14, 2020October 3, 2023 2 Comments

Nikon Z6II versus Nikon Z7II

The Z6 II and Z7 II digital camera bodies are the next generation of flagship full-frame mirrorless cameras from Nikon. Both cameras deliver high speed, high resolution, superb image quality, and high build standards for professional use in harsh environments.

But which model is going to best suit your needs?

Let’s compare them after a quick look at the Z System itself.

The Nikon Z System

The Z system from Nikon is built around the Z mount, the new larger and shallower lens mount for Nikon mirrorless digital cameras. The Z mount supports a growing range of Nikkor ‘Z series’ Nikkor lenses. These cameras can be adapted to work with Nikon AF-S lenses with the Nikon FTZ mount adaptor.

There are, however, benefits to using the native Z lenses which we explore in our complete guide to Nikon Z lenses.

Modern mirrorless cameras do not feature an optical viewfinder or separate AF sensor. Both of these require a bulky mirror box found in all DSLR cameras. The result is more responsive and less cumbersome camera with a faster and more accurate AF system.

Next Generation Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras

Nikon has updated its original mirrorless bodies to the new Z6 II and Z7 II models. Both updates feature dual memory card slots which carry UHS-II SD cards and either XQD or CF Express cards.

The image flow, from pressing the shutter to safely stored on the memory card, has been improved with Dual EXPEED 6 processing engines. An improvement to the image buffers making them deeper and faster for un-interrupted continuous burst shooting.

Nikon Z7 II

The Z7 II builds on the success of the award-winning Nikon Z7. The updated Nikon Z7 II features a 45.7-megapixel sensor and has an improved dynamic range at all ISO levels. The processing power from dual EXPEED 6 processors along with an improved buffer enable continuous shooting at up to 10 frames per second. The Nikon Z7 II can shoot a continuous burst of 200 full resolution jpeg images, or 77 12-bit uncompressed RAW files before reaching the buffer limit.

High resolution – 45.7 megapixels plus 4K/60p video
Reliable fast media – shoot to both UHS-II SD and XQD / CF-Express cards
Fast and sharp AF – selected focus point saved when waking from standby
Continuous shooting – high resolution RAW files at 10 fps
Tough – fully sealed body for harsh shooting environments

[gdlr_divider type=”solid” size=”50%” ]

Nikon Z6 II

The Z6 II is the evolution of the original Z6. The camera is robust and easy to use. The Nikon Z6 II combines powerful performance for both photography and video. With the ability to record professional 4K or Full HD video in both full-frame FX and cropped DX movie formats, the Z6 II impresses.

The 24.5-megapixel sensor is supported by AF improvements to Eye Detection and Animal Detection for reliable subject tracking. The improved AF capabilities benefit video and filmmakers as well delivering smooth focus tracking.

Low light performance – focus at -6 EV
Faster – record up to 124 RAW files at 14 frames per second
Power boost – twin EXPEED 6 processors for faster everything
For photography and video – combine 4K video footage with 24.5 megapixel stills
Eye AF and Animal-detection AF – available to enhance stills and video

Which is the best model for me?

Both models gain from equivalent boosts in processing speed thanks to the new dual EXPEED 6 processors, as well as improvements to image buffering.

Fair enough, so what’s the biggest difference?

The simplest answer is sensor resolution.

The Z6 II sensor is 24.5-megapixels, which should be more than enough resolution for most. If you want to level up, consider that the Z7 II has nearly double that at 45.7-megapixels, which is a sizeable jump.

If lower memory usage is important, you may decide the Z6 II is a better fit for you. The reduced megapixels will help maintain all-important card space. The Z7 II’s high-res usage comes at a memory card space premium.

The Z6 II makes a standout choice for video and as a brilliant general-purpose camera for stills. the Z7 II is a specialised model, likely better suited to those that really require high-resolution imagery in their field of choice.

A final consideration is whether or not you need professional-grade durability for tough conditions. If so you would be wise to invest in the Z7 II for that full seal. Is that worth the difference in price though?

The Z6 II itself is a robust camera, so unless you are really hard on your equipment or regularly use your camera in harsh environments, it should more than suffice. It also has slightly better autofocus and continuous shooting specifications that makes it a very enticing prospect indeed.

Upgrade to the Z7 II if you need those extra megapixels at your fingertips.

Sensor Comparison	Nikon Z7 II	Nikon Z6 II
Sensor Size	Full Frame	Full Frame
BSI-CMOS Sensor Resolution	46 MP	25 MP
Anti Aliasing AA filter	No	Yes
Continuous shooting rate	10 fps	14 fps
ISO Range	64 – 25600	100 – 51200
Expanded ISO Range	32 – 102400	50 – 204800
Image Stabilisation	Yes – IBIS	Yes – IBIS
Number of autofocus AF Points	493	273
Video Resolution	4k (UHD) 3840 x 2160	4k (UHD) 3840 x 2160
Connectivity	Nikon Z7 II	Nikon Z6 II
Memory Cards	UHS II SD and CF Express / XQD	UHS II SD and CF Express / XQD
Built in WiFi	Yes	Yes
Body & Dimensions	Nikon Z7 II	Nikon Z6 II
Weight	705g	705g
Dimensions W x H x D mm	134 x 101 x 70	134 x 101 x 70
Battery Life	420 Shots	410 Shots
Weather Sealing	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	3690k dot EVF	3690k dot EVF
LCD Monitor	3.2inch tilting screen	3.2inch tilting screen

Contact our sales team on 020 7582 3294 or email us at sales@fixationuk.com

Jonny Helm News September 2, 2020October 4, 2023 0 Comments

Panasonic LUMIX S5

The LUMIX S5 from Panasonic is a versatile 24.2 megapixel full-frame mirrorless digital camera body for photographers and videographers alike. The Panasonic LUMIX S5 is built around the full frame L-mount and is compatible with lenses from Panasonic, Sigma and Leica.

LUMIX S5 headline features

CMOS Sensor 24.2 megapixels and more

A 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor delivers perfectly usable photographs with exceptional low light sensitivity (see Dual Native ISO below) in RAW and JPEG. For photographers who want more, a high resolution mode is available that shoots eight consecutive still images and combines them to create a 96-megapixel equivalent image (12,000 x 8000 pixels) for blistering detail. For ideal results high-resolution mode. your scene and subject must be static.

Panaosonic LUMIX S5 body with 20-60mm kit lens

High bit-rate 4K video

The LUMIX S5 can record up to 4K 60p/50p 4:2:0 10-bit and 4K 30p/25p 4:2:2 10-bit video with internal recording to SD cards for up to 30 minutes. For use with an external recorder the Lumix S5 can can output 4K 60p/50p 4:2:2 10-bit footage via HDMI. If you want to record a really long take to the internal SD card you can, at a lower bit-rate: There is no record time limit for internal recording of 4K 30p/25p 4:2:0 8-bit footage thanks to exceptional heat dispersion technology developed by Panasonic for stable, continuous video recording.

Dual Native ISO

What is Dual Native ISO?
Normally when you push your ISO up in-camera the sensor is receiving the same amount of light, it runs through the same circuit for ISO 100 or ISO 3200, and then Gain is applied to the electronic signal. Like turning the volume up on your speakers you get more volume but that can come with more hiss (in photography: noise).
With dual native ISO there are two circuit sets, one for lower ISO levels and one for higher, optimised to get the best signal possible from the light available and leave the noise behind.
The native ISO levels for the Lumix S5 are 640 ISO and 4000 ISO.

5-Axis image stabilisation

In body image stabilisation provides 5 stops of steadying power allowing you to shoot handheld with slower shutter speeds. When paired with a compatible lens that features optic stabilisation the benefit is boosted up to 6.5 stops.

Size & build

The LUMIX S5 is the fourth and smallest camera body in the LUMIX S series. The previous LUMIX S series cameras, LUMIX S1, LUMIX S1R and LUMIX S1H were mirrorless bodies built around a large chassis. The bulky build was similar to DSLR camera construction and offered a comfortable grip, plus good balance with longer lenses. However many photographers and filmmakers moving to mirrorless were looking to take some weight out of their kit while keeping a full-frame sensor. With the LUMIX S5, Panasonic has packed the benefits of S Series mirrorless into a more compact and lightweight body.

Other features

Dual SD card slot: 1 standard, 1 UHS II
Bluetooth and Wifi for camera control and image transfer
Electronic viewfinder with OLED display and 20mm eyepoint for glasses wearers
3 inch vari-angle rear LCD display

To place an order or to find out more contact our sales team on 02075823294 or email us at sales@fixationuk.com

Graham Gordon News July 28, 2020October 3, 2023 0 Comments

Sony A7S III Digital Camera

The long awaited Sony A7S III Digital Camera Body was announced five years after the launch of the immensely popular A7S II. It is equipped with a newly designed BIONZ XR Processing engine which provides up to an 8x faster performance over previous models. It has an AF system with an incredible 759 on-sensor phase decision points which is capable of real-time eye tracking of both humans and animals when shooting both video, and stills. This camera demonstrates Sony’s ability to deliver stunning imaging quality and professional performance in one body.

Recording Capabilities

The Sony A7s III is designed for complete video flexibility and it is packed with features that allow for this. The camera is capable of capturing 4k video without any crop, All-I, up to 120p with 4:2:2 10-Bit codec in H.264. The HD 1080p video is just as impressive, recording up to 240fps internally. The camera is capable of 16 Bit RAW transfer via HDMI for use with external recorders. Sony has introduced new colour science: S-Log Fx9 colour matching, as well as new codecs including XAVC S, H264(AVC), nXAVC HS and H265(HEVC). These features allow you to capture and produce extremely high-quality and professional-grade footage.

For photography the improved colour reproduction and support for HEIF still format further increases the creative scope of this camera. HEIF support, however, does require software/a working environment that supports HEIF for display and editing.

BSI Sensor and BINOZ XR Processor

Two key components that the Sony A7s III possesses must be discussed. These are the newly developed BINOZ XR Image Processor and the 12MP BSI Exmor R Imaging Sensor.

The BINOZ XR processing engine provides approximately 8x faster performance than previous models for fast, efficient video and still image recording. The 8x faster processing combined with the 2x faster sensor read-out speed makes recording 4K video at such high quality possible.

12MP BSI Exmor R Imaging Sensor

The goal of the A7S series is to demonstrate Sony’s mastery of sensitivity. The sensor is a 12 megapixel full-frame back-illuminated sensor.
Twelve megapixels on a full frame sensor is not, by 2020 standards, a super-high resolution sensor. However each pixel takes up space on a sensor so a 12 megapixel camera can have a larger surface area per pixel for more light-gathering potential.

Back-illumination is a sensor construction technology that puts the wiring of each pixel behind the pixels so that the front surface can gather light with no obstructions. It may seem counter-intuitive but a lot of CMOS sensors have their (microscopic) wiring on the face of the sensor which obstructs some of the light, removing this wiring from the sensor surface dramatically improves light gathering power of a sensor.

In the A7S III the sensor has an incredible ISO range from 80 to 102400, expandable from 40 to 409600. This is a huge range and allows for comfortable shooting of a vast range of lighting conditions. The camera also has an impressive 15-Stop Dynamic range. The new sensor unit has a 2x faster readout speed, provides impressively fast and responsive operation.

All-Improved AF

Fast Hybrid Autofocus the Sony A7S III, is a first for the Sony A7S Series of cameras. It is available in all recording formats and works with over 50 native Sony E-Mount lenses. The AF system also boasts Real-time Eye and Tracking AF. Real-time eye tracking has a 30% recognition improvement for noticeably improved eye tracking. The vari angle LCD screen enables useful touch-tracking.

The improved AF system provides 92% AF coverage across the sensor thanks to 759 phase-detection points and 425 contrast-detection points when shooting still images (shooting mode dependant). To compliment the excellent low-light performance of this camera, the EV performance of the autofocus has been improved to allows effective AF down to EV-6. Another upgrade, is the ability to capture 10fps continuous burst capture with accurate tracking (AF-C) and AF-S focus.

Stable Shooting

To accompany the improvements to autofocus and recording spec of the Sony A7S III, Sony has incorporated a 5-Axis optical in-body image stabilisation system providing up to 5.5 stops of stabilisation. In addition users can enable the electronic stabilisation within the camera’s intelligent active mode for additional digital stabilisation, this mode runs with a x1.1 crop.

9.44 Million dot QXGA OLED Tru-Finder + Vari-Angle LCD

The articulating touch-screen LCD is a welcome addition which offers more flexibility when shooting handheld, for reaching over crowds or composing a low angle shot. The menu has been re-designed for easier access to video and stills settings, and is touch screen compatible for fast control changes and touch-focus tracking. The viewfinder is a 9.44 Million dot QXGA OLED Tru-Finder which offers the highest resolution EVF in the Sony Alpha camera line-up, providing crystal clear images for live shooting or checking through your footage.

High-Speed

The A7s III is fast. The camera can shoot stills at 10fps with full AF-C/AF-S operation. It can store 1000+ uncompressed RAW files, directly onto UHS II SD cards, the dual memory card slots are compatible with new CFexpress Type-A cards for even faster read and write speeds. The high speed media available indicates the true processing power of the camera. The impressive processing enables high speed image and video capture, and powers the remarkable auto focus engine.

Heat Management

Recording at such a high quality and speed can heat up camera as the systems and components are working at full capacity. The Sony A7S III, however, is equipped with a re-engineered heat management construction to enable up to hour-long 4K 60p recordings. The optimised heat dissipation structure is 5 times more effective than earlier models!

Colour Profiles

The Sony A7s III features 10 colour profiles, including 4 new options:

FL (film-like tone)
IN (Instant Camera Tone)
VV2 (Vivid & Bright Colour)
SH (Soft & Highkey)

These options are accompanied by 8 parameter image controls which include: saturation, contrast, shadow, highlight, fade, sharpness, sharpness range and clarity. The profiles and parameter controls allow for complete creative control when shooting.

To place an order, or to find out more about the kit, contact our sales team on 020 7582 3294 or email sales@fixationuk.com

Jonny Helm News July 21, 2020October 4, 2023 0 Comments

Nikon Mirrorless Z5

Nikon has announced a new camera body in its Z series Mirrorless range. The Nikon Z5 is a full frame 24.3 megapixel camera with two SD card slots for more shots or for a secure backup on important shoots. The Nikon Z5 is positioned below the Z6 and Z7 in the Z series lineup, but it is a powerful camera, and an ideal first full-frame body.

Nikon Z5

Nikon has put the most important mirrorless technologies in this small, light, but tough, camera body. The 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor has ample resolution for stills and video recording up to 4K. Here are the features in detail.

Five Axis VR CMOS Sensor

The full-frame 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor in the Nikon Z5 is mounted on a 5-axis VR system for in body image stabilisation. With any Nikkor Z lens your stills stay sharp and your video will stay steady. The sensor has an ISO range of 100-51,200 to cope with any lighting conditions, with excellent low-noise performance at higher ISO levels.

Small, Light, Solid

To keep out dust and moisture, the Z5 has a magnesium alloy body with weather sealing around seams, moving dials and buttons. The body is compact and weighs only 680g with the battery. The Nikkor Z 24-50mm f4-6.3 kit lens that comes with the camera is the smallest, lightest full frame zoom available on the market. It is admittedly not the brightest lens, however it is a handy wide to standard zoom that will perform well in good shooting conditions. The body has sensor stabilization which will help produce steadier shots at longer shutter speeds which may be needed with a smaller aperture lens.

Ultra-Sharp AF

The Z5 focus system has 273 AF points on the imaging sensor and includes Eye-Detect AF and Animal-Detect AF focus modes to lock on to a wide range of subjects. The Nikon AF algorithm will lock on to your subject quickly and track moving subjects for crisp action shots.

Dual SD card slots

Record onto fast UHS II SD memory cards and easily shoot to one with a backup saved to the second card. Or use one card for stills and a higher capacity card for video to make sure you never run out of space.

Best in class EVF

The electronic viewfinder in the Nikon Z5 has a 3690k-dot display which shows exposure, ISO and white balance settings in real-time.