the gear issue spring / summer 2019 - photo life · 18 canon eos m50 20 canon eos r 22 fujifilm gfx...

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THE GEAR ISSUE SPRING / SUMMER 2019

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CONTENTS06 INTRODUCTION

10 CHOOSING A CAMERA

18 CAMERA REVIEWS 18 CANON EOS M50 20 CANON EOS R 22 FUJIFILM GFX 50R 24 FUJIFILM X-T3 26 FUJIFILM X-T100 28 LEICA M10-P 30 NIKON Z 7 32 NIKON Z 6 34 OLYMPUS OMD-E M1X 36 PANASONIC DC-LX100 II 38 PANASONIC LUMIX DC-GH5S 40 PANASONIC S SERIES 42 SONY ALPHA 7 MARK III 44 SONY RX100 MARK VI

46 CHOOSING LENSES

54 YOUR THOUGHTS ON GEAR

56 AROUND OUR CAMERAS

64 GEAR REVIEWS 64 DATACOLOR’S SPYDER X PRO AND SPYDER X ELITE 66 KITE OPTICS VIATO

THE TEAMEDITORIALContributing EditorsPatrick La RoqueJean-François LandryGuy Langevin

Assistant EditorJenny Montgomery

Graphic DesignerCatherine Robitaille

ADMINISTRATIONPublisher & Marketing DirectorValérie Racine

Accounting & CirculationEmmanuelle Champagne

Strategic AdvisorJany Turcotte

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Despite the care taken in reviewing editorial content, Apex Publications (2017) Inc. cannot guarantee that all written information is complete and accurate. Consequently, Apex Publications (2017) Inc. assumes no responsibility concerning any error and/or omission.

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WELCOME

• Do we have to change right now? It’s often tempting to follow our impulses, but it’s usually much more beneficial to spend time on research and make an informed purchase.

• Have we considered how we actually use gear? If we look at our work over the past two years, is there a trend? Do we repeatedly use certain focal lengths more than others? Do we spend most of our time in the studio or in the field? These are all clues we can use to guide our decisions. That crazy expensive 500-mm f/4 may look great...but if there’s little chance we’ll use it, we can better spend our money elsewhere and get a lot more bang for the buck.

Of course, once we get the itch—regardless of reason or common sense—chances are we’ll act on it. So consider this special issue our way to help out. We’ve included reviews on several cameras but also thoughts about current trends and guides to try to better understand what to look for in gear and why it matters.

There are profound changes ahead: it wouldn’t surprise us to suddenly find ourselves examining AI and machine learning in the near future. All of this remains in constant flux, and the only thing we can realistically offer is a fleeting snapshot, an assemblage of facts likely to become quaint in the blink of an eye. This is our world now, and there’s no escaping it. But the core—the directives and the principles—will always remain.

Long live the geeks... but also long live the photog rapher. Let’s shoot!

The Photo Life Lab Team

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Photo Life Lab! Wait...a new magazine in 2019? Yes, because we eat, drink and breathe photography. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished with Photo Life, but its structure sometimes makes it difficult to follow other avenues without losing a certain level of coherence. Hence, the concept of a new platform—Photo Life Lab—which provides us the freedom to pursue side projects or long-term endeavours. Through it, we’ll be able to go deeper and create an entire issue around a single unifying theme. There’s no schedule set in stone, no restrictions...just an initial idea to spark our creative juices. If it ends up leading somewhere interesting, we publish the results. So here we are. And we’ve decided to begin with gear.

Yes, it’s obvious. And yes, at Photo Life, we do, in fact, strongly believe in the vision of a photographer above and beyond any equipment. That goes without saying. But still...we all suffer from gear lust. We all get that thrill in the pit of our stomachs when reading about something new and exciting, picturing ourselves heroically brandishing that one gadget to rule them all. So why not have a bit of fun, allow ourselves to salivate a little and release our inner geek? As much as we enjoy diving into the philosophical and inspirational aspects of the craft, the fact remains that it all begins with the right tool in our hands, however simple or advanced. And with changes coming at us fast and furious, it’s never a bad idea to pause and evaluate what’s out there.

When is it time to upgrade our system? What factors should we take into consideration? It’s always a very personal decision, but there are some basic questions we can ask ourselves:• Is our current gear still up to the task? Do we

really need 47 MP?

The Visual Technology People

Canon’s EOS line of cameras evolves into a whole new system. The EOS R mirrorless camera

is designed to take today’s visual storytellers into tomorrow.

The compact EOS R features a 30.3 MP full-frame sensor that produces stunning results

with incredible detail and clarity, even in low light.

The R Revolution also includes four new RF lenses that are designed to bring unparalleled

performance to Canon’s new full-frame mirrorless camera system.

For legacy owners, there’s more good news. The R comes with game-changing RF lens

mount adapters to ensure you can continue using your EF and EF-S lenses.

Be the Revolution. Get your very own EOS R at Vistek.

TORONTO • MISSISSAUGA • OTTAWA • CALGARY • EDMONTON VISTEK.CA

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Technology is relentless. Every year we get a new set of buzzwords, benchmarks

and features touted as the new, essential and unavoidable baseline. But as enticing as these may appear individually, the truth today is that we are blessed: there are no bad cameras, period. In most respects, the field is relatively levelled—even our phones now outperform many cameras from a decade ago. Still, the camera is our foundation, our partner in crime: it remains the cornerstone of our kit. Everything else is ancillary.

In 2019, the reasons to go with a traditional DSLR camera (as opposed to a mirrorless system) are now mostly financial: entry- to mid-level bodies have become extremely affordable. But at this point, it’s hard not to consider a DSLR purchase as a short-term investment in legacy hardware. With Nikon and Canon finally entering the mirrorless fray with serious offerings, along with a continued push from Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic, the days of heavier, fully mechanical cameras do seem to be numbered. In most metrics, the performance gap has now been closed, and technological advances are coming from the mirrorless side of the fence. There are still exceptions at the very high end of the spectrum, but, at this point, the overall direction is more than clear. So while everything in this article will just as easily apply to all types of cameras, you should know we’re looking ahead.

That said, in the end, the choice of a camera really boils down to the way we intend to use it. Are we international travellers? Are we shooting

our kids running around in the backyard? Are we hiking through national parks searching for an epic mountain masterpiece? Do we plan to print our work large enough to fill a wall? All these questions matter more today than ever, precisely because of how good most products on the market have become. Ergonomics, control, and, yes, even the look and feel of a camera should all be part of our decision process because tools must perform—of course—but they should also inspire us and perfectly fit our approach to shooting.

So how do we decide? Well, we thought of something to help streamline the process by zeroing in on a few core questions: H.W.W—or how, where and why.

HOWThis is a big one right out of the gate, but there’s a reason. The way we interact with a camera is as elementary as it gets. If we constantly struggle with a tool, chances are that our experience will suffer and we may quickly become frustrated and potentially give up altogether. So the way we expect to use a camera is important: for instance, do we prefer to frame a shot using a viewfinder, an LCD or both? Our shooting experience, body position and point of view will all be vastly different just from this very basic feature. Do we want to interact via touchscreen or physical dials? These fundamental requirements immediately filter out some of the choices available to us. But beyond ergonomics, there is the much deeper notion of control to consider because, while most cameras may look similar at first glance, some differences are much more than skin deep.

CHOOSINGA CAMERA


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NIKONZ 7

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In 2011, Nikon announced the Nikon 1 series—the company’s tentative steps into the world of mirrorless cameras. But while it had its fans, the reaction remained lukewarm, and the line was discontinued in July 2018. It didn’t die in a vacuum, however. With the release of the full-frame Z series, Nikon is clearly moving on to an entirely new level.

The Nikon Z 7 is a 45.7-MP full-frame mirrorless camera that uses a variant of the BSI-CMOS sensor found on the Nikon D850, adding on-sensor phase-detection AF as well as mechanical stabilization (IBIS). And although its DSLR relatives are certainly no slouches, tests of the Z 7 show better performance on several important fronts. Dynamic range is remarkable throughout (topping at 9.3 f-stops), but the camera even manages an impressive 7.5 f-stops at ISO 12 800, with only a small decline to 7.0 f-stops at ISO 25 600. Texture reproduction shows consistently better results than the D850 as well, effectively crushing the camera in terms of detail in areas of low contrast.

Of course, the body is noticeably slimmer than other high-end Nikons (goodbye, mirror), but the deep grip and addition of textured rubber make for comfortable and secure handling. The camera features two wheels, a standard D-pad and a small joystick—dubbed “sub-selector”—that allows for a rapid selection of focus points but, sadly, isn’t active during menu navigation. The screen tilts horizontally and is touch-enabled for both capture and menu access.

The Z 7 is equally adept at both stills and video: it features full-frame and APS-C crop 4K capture, and it also includes an 8K time-lapse mode that

produces images that can later be combined as footage in post-production. With 8K TVs announced recently, we’re likely to see this becoming quite popular.

All is not perfect, though. Autofocus, especially when tracking subjects, is slower in low-light situations and tends to hunt. Face detection isn’t as reliable as other offerings on the market, battery life suffers a bit from having to power that new EVF, and there’s a single XQD card slot. This is a high-end format that offers much faster read/write speeds than even the fastest SD cards—making them that much more expensive. Adding a second SD-compatible slot would’ve allowed photographers not only to keep their storage investment but also to have redundancy when needed.

But, in the end, the Z series isn’t simply about moving to mirrorless. Nikon has taken this opportunity to redefine its roadmap and lay the groundwork for the future. With this new system, they’ve also introduced a brand-new lens mount as well as a new series of lenses. This isn’t change for change’s sake: for one, the larger mount will allow them to produce lenses with much wider apertures. And the short flange distance means thinner bodies as well as the ability to adapt different types of lenses without image degradation. Nikon already offers the FTZ mount adapter for compatibility with their own stable of legacy lenses.

The Nikon 1 cameras were seen as an opening salvo—but it’s now clear they were merely a flare, sent out as a faint signal in the dark. With the Z series, the company is planting its flag, claiming its ground...and seriously ready for battle.


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CHOOSINGLENSES

Glass: fast or slow, prime or zoom... There’s an undeniable jargon to lenses—a science that often feels overwhelming to newcomers. Why is f/16 a smaller aperture than f/2, for instance? What’s the point of a fixed lens when we can instead get a zoom with the choice of multiple focal lengths? And why should we even bother? Didn’t our camera already come bundled with one?

The truth is many of us tend to have a blind spot. In our quest for that perfect tool, we all too easily overlook the importance of lenses and their ultimate impact on our photography. These are, after all, the eyes through which we will interpret the world—lenses define our visual possibilities much more than any camera will. But, in order to choose, we first need to understand what they bring to the table and what all those numbers and letters actually stand for.

THE BASICSLet’s keep the eye metaphor to get a better understanding of two crucial elements: focal length and aperture.

MMFocal length is the very first set of numbers we encounter on any lens description page: “18-55 mm” or “85 mm,” for example. This value defines its field of view or, in simpler terms, what we see when we look through it. As reference, we usually consider 50 mm (in 35-mm full-frame equivalence—see sidebar on p.50) to be closest

to the human eye—which is why 50-mm lenses are typically called “normal” lenses. Above 50 mm, we start extending how far away we can see, hence the term “telephoto.” Below 50 mm, the field of view becomes increasingly wider and lenses get labeled “wide” or “super wide.” It’s not very original, but it does have the benefit of being clear.

F-STOPSThe second set of numbers is always the maximum aperture a lens can achieve: f/1.8, for instance (as in 85 mm f/1.8). These are called f-stops. In human-biology terms, the aperture is like our iris. When our iris opens and gets bigger (the way it does at night), more light gets in. As it closes down and becomes smaller (when we’re in bright sunlight), the reverse is true. So the maximum size of the lens’ aperture—how big or open it can actually get—controls the top amount of light a lens will allow in. But aperture also mimics another aspect of our vision: as it closes, it also becomes more precise, resulting in added depth of field (the area that’s in focus from foreground to background). Think of squinting your eyes to see more clearly.

DECIPHERING THE NUMBERSThere are two general types of lenses: zooms, which allow for a range of varying focal lengths, and primes, which have fixed focal lengths. Let’s look at how this affects the numbers we see.


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There’s an old 1980s movie called The Money Pit, in which Tom Hanks and Shelley Long star as a young couple buying their dream home. The picturesque house turns out to be nothing but a shiny facade. Everything breaks down and the more they try to fix it, the worse it gets. In a famous scene, their bathtub just drops straight through the floor and smashes to smithereens, as Hanks starts to laugh hysterically, framed by the gaping hole in the ceiling. A classic.

There’s a metaphor here about shiny objects in which we might place way too much faith, about accumulation in the hope of being transformed...and the traps this may lead to. The truth is if we step away for a minute and forget our ingrained consumer impulses, we may realize we already own all we need to express ourselves. A good camera, a few good lenses—even just one great lens for that matter; the reality of our craft doesn’t need to be overly complex. Ultimately, it all depends on the vision behind the work and whatever technical requirements this implies: lighting for studio work, a wide lens and tripod for landscapes, a comfortable camera bag to shoot street. So we hope this article doesn’t come off as an enticement to buy more gear because nothing could be further from our minds. We’re just taking a quick glance at the most likely items we might add to our kits. There’s a big wide

AROUNDOUR CAMERAS

world of peripherals out there—the trick is to find what fits and to strike the right balance.

Accessories tend to fall into one of two main categories: those that expand our options and those that enhance our experience. In both cases, it’s important to be aware of what we’re actually getting. With product information always a few clicks away, it’s easier than ever to get caught up in marketing lingo, but the upshot is the amount of information we can also gather with minimal effort. If we do our homework, gone are the days of salespeople driving us to the most expensive solutions, regardless of our actual needs. Let’s look a few common add-ons.

TRIPODSMost photographers will need a tripod at one point or another, but how crucial it is to our photography should be the main factor in any purchase decision. Expensive tripods don’t necessarily offer more stability or features: higher prices can simply be due to the type of material they use—generally either aluminum (heavier) or carbon fibre (lighter). The price also depends on the amount of weight a tripod can handle, the maximum height, the type of head, etc. It comes down to what we shoot: if we spend our weekends hiking with a tripod and a heavy telephoto lens, then, yes, carbon fibre will be


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the gear issue spring / summer 2019 - photo life · 18 canon eos m50 20 canon eos r 22 fujifilm gfx...

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