Nikon introduces Z f camera; Tamron announces next generation 70-180mm lens; Tamron photo contest

Here are three items of recent photo news that caught my attention, and will be of interest to Nikon and Sony camera users, and Tamron lens users.

Nikon introduces the Z f full frame camera

The full frame 24.5 megapixel Z f mirrorless camera by Nikon is a fun new entry aimed at serious content creators who want ease of use and impressive performance but don't need a full-featured (and full-priced) pro action camera. A few key features of this camera seem particularly interesting:

Sophisticated autofocus system: The Z f has advanced subject tracking coupled with effective low-light performance.

Black and white with the flip of a switch. A dedicated switch on the camera allows you to go from color photography to black and white instantly, so yo can see the conversion in real-time through the viewfinder.

Pixel Shift Shooting: This feature allows you to create higher resolution, low noise still images. NX Studio is required to combine a 32-image sequence into one 96MP image.

Low light performance: The Z f has an ISO range from 100 to 64,000 for stills, with low noise across the entire range.

Unrelated to its image capture capabilities, the Z f has a retro design and comes in a variety of expressive colors. The price of the Nikon Z f is $1999. Click here to purchase.

Tamron announces 70-180mm f/2.8 G2 zoom lens

This is a compact and lightweight telephoto zoom for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras (it will also work on APS-C cameras). Leading the list of improvements of the new second generation of this lens is the incorporation of Tamron’s VC (Vibration Compensation). The optical design has been improved and achieves high image quality across the entire zoom range.

I had the pleasure of using a prototype version of this lens recently while in Indonesia (supplied by my sponsor Tamron), here is a gallery of some of my favorite photos taken with the new 70-180mm zoom:

My first reaction when seeing this lens was to ask: why not a more traditional 70-200mm focal range? Well, the answer is obvious when you start using the lens: a 70-180mm f/2.8 lens is lighter and smaller than a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. I typically didn't feel that I was missing much not having those extra 20mm of zoom, and I appreciated the portability, quality, and flexibility of this remarkable lens.

The new Tamron 70-180mm lens will be available for purchase starting on October 12 for $1299.

Tamron Photo Contest

Tamron is running a photo contest for Tamron users in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Submit your best images and/or videos shot with a Tamron lens for your chance to win $500 and your choice of a select Tamron lens! The contest is now open; the deadline to enter is Oct 31, 2023, 11:59pm ET. For more information, click here.