B&H Photo News Roundup: Week of June 4, 2023

Apple and lenses! Apple launched new Macs at WWDC, Sigma showed off a 14mm f/1.4 lens, and IRIX has a 150mm macro and 15mm on the way.

Week of June 4, 2023

Apple stole a fair bit of the news cycle this week with its annual WWDC conference. This year’s was a doozy. The brand not only released a new 15" MacBook Air, M2-equipped Mac Studios, and an Apple Silicon Mac Pro, but Apple even announced the rumored Vision Pro Headset. We also have some exciting lens news to share from the photo world. Sigma is launching an astro-ready 14mm f/1.4 Art Lens and IRIX has a pair of new primes on the way—a 150mm macro and an ultra-wide 15mm.

Traditionally not the biggest hardware show, WWDC 2023 was very much a hardware showcase. Apple launched a 15" MacBook Air, upgraded Mac Studios with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, and a Mac Pro (finally!) with M2 Ultra. Apple also announced “one more thing”—the Vision Pro “spatial computer” headset.

The big news for most people is that, for the first time ever, we are getting the slim, lightweight design and aesthetic of the MacBook Air, but with a larger 15" screen. Sometimes 13" just doesn’t cut it, and this option will likely be very appealing. It is essentially a scaled-up version of the current 13" model since it has the same Apple M2 chip with all the performance you would expect. Though just as thin as the 13", the larger size naturally comes with a slight increase in weight.

Meanwhile, creatives who wanted a serious upgrade but held off from the first-gen Mac Studio should be pleased to see that it received the M2 treatment. Again, the computer looks and feels the same in every other way―it just delivers more power. The M2 Mac Studios introduce the M2 Ultra chip, which is now the most powerful processor in Apple’s lineup. Speaking of most powerful computers in Apple’s lineup…

The Apple Silicon Mac Pro exists! Again, externally there is practically no change—it’s still a cheese grater up front. The key advantage of this design is its expandability. The Mac Pro features six PCIe slots that are perfect for those in need of additional cards, such as the Blackmagic Decklink cards or the Blackmagic Audio Accelerator, for their workflow. No more Afterburner cards, though, since the Mac Pro's new M2 Ultra chip has the same power as six(!) of those.

There’s something for everyone in this range of Mac updates.

More interesting is the introduction of Apple’s first “spatial computer,” the Vision Pro. A spatial computer is an advanced VR headset, and the Vision Pro is easily the most advanced VR headset revealed so far. It is powered by the M2 chip, along with a new R1 processor, so you are very much placing a full computer on your head.

Apple imagines a world where spatial computing is the natural evolution of PCs, with immersion with the environment around you, as you use hand gestures, your eyes, and your voice to control everything.

It’s going to be very cool to see how this plays out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’ll be in anyone’s hands until next year.

Until now, the ultra-wide 14mm was among the remaining Sigma lenses that had yet to receive a true mirrorless redesign. Sigma's new iteration is an incredibly fast 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens, available in Sony E- and Leica L- mounts. If you were thinking that this would be the perfect astrophotography lens, you'd be correct, because Sigma has specifically designed this lens for that purpose.

This Art lens breaks new ground for ultra-wide shooting by going for the fast f/1.4 aperture. Other options at 14mm have usually been around f/1.8. An extra 2/3 stop of light will help in low-light conditions and astrophotography. It is large and has a removable tripod collar to help distribute its weight.

Those big optics are well corrected, with attention paid to sagittal coma flare to ensure that stars, even toward the edges, remain crisp. Plus, it can be easy to forget that it has a great HLA AF motor. Overall, this looks like a great addition to the lens catalog and brings something new to your kit.

Sony’s E-mount is getting some more variety, thanks to IRIX's new 150mm f/2.8 Macro Dragonfly and 15mm f/2.4 Dragonfly—two lenses that couldn’t be more different. These are the first lenses IRIX developed for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras and appear to be excellent options at quite affordable price points.

While the capabilities of the lenses are dramatically different, there are still quite a few similarities. The Dragonfly line has a distinct look and durable construction. Both are fully manual lenses and cover full-frame sensors. And they both use the Neutrino coating and offer respectable maximum apertures.

If you want to get close, then the 150mm macro is a great choice. It can focus as close as 1.1' to achieve a maximum magnification ratio of 1:1 for true macro. The f/2.8 aperture gives enough control over depth of field and exposure, although the real advantage of this lens is the slightly longer focal length compared to the usual ~100mm offerings from other companies. The extra range offers a bit more space to get proper lighting or even to avoid scaring away certain subjects, such as insects.

Fitting everything in the frame at once is the domain of the 15mm f/2.4. Its ultra-wide perspective is the selling point here, and IRIX has emphasized that distortion is very well controlled for this focal length. It should be a good lens for astrophotography and architecture.

• Profoto released the Clic Fresnel and Clic Gel Holder for A-Series Flashes.

• Check out our showdown between the DJI Inspire 3 and Mini 3 Pro drones.

• Learn more about portrait photography with FUJIFILM X Creator Shotti NYC.

That’s the news for this week. Post any questions or comments below!