After a couple weeks off, we are jumping right back into the action with a solid week of announcements. Hasselblad is releasing its widest V-series mirrorless lens yet with the XCD 25mm f/2.5 V Lens, which is equivalent to that of a 20mm on a full-frame camera. Profoto is targeting demanding high-volume photography applications with the Pro-D3 Monolight. Apple “let loose" with a special event this week where it unveiled iPad Pros with OLED screens and the M4 chip, new sizes for the now upgraded iPad Air, and the Apple Pencil Pro.
Hasselblad XCD 25mm is the widest V-Series prime for the X System
Looking wide, Hasselblad is adding to it X System with the XCD 25mm f/2.5 V Lens. This is now the widest current lens for the medium format mirrorless system with a field of view equivalent to that of a 20mm lens on full-frame. This combination of focal length and aperture make it a great option for architecture, landscapes, astrophotography, and even low-light shooting.
Hasselblad has a couple series of lenses for their X System and the V Series has proven to be among the more popular picks. The V (for “Versatile”) design harkens back to the classic V system and has some practical conveniences with physical control and focus rings. The focus ring is of note as it can be slid back and forth to switch from manual and auto.
For many this lens is going to be a great addition to their kit and provide a much-needed wide perspective.
Profoto Pro-D3 blends convenience of monolight with power of a pack
Profoto makes lights for professional photographers. Right now, Profoto's offerings have been fairly split between the high-end heavy-duty power pack solution meant for demanding commercial applications and the more portable OCF monolight picks that are perfectly at home traveling between events and studios with their battery power and compact designs. The Pro-D3 Monolight is aiming to split the difference by blending the reliability of a power pack with the convenience of a monolight.
Designed to be a workhorse light, the Pro-D3 is built like a tank. It also comes in higher power variants than their OCF line with 750Ws and 1250Ws options. Less exciting but very important features of the Pro-D3 are a design optimized to maximize lifetime of all the components. An Eco mode can extend life of the components by nearly double. This means less downtime and more efficient shooting which is ideal for high-volume shooting.
The light is powerful and feature rich. It has Profoto’s AirX wireless system, Freeze and Boost modes, and fast flash durations and recycle times. A new LED modeling light is powerful—equivalent to that of a 400W halogen lamp—and only uses about 15% of the power.
It’s a great addition to Profoto’s lineup and I’m sure many photographers and studios will be excited to add the Pro-D3 to their setup.
Apple unleashes updated iPad Pro and iPad Air with big improvements
Apple's May event was all about iPad and it was one of the biggest news days for iPad in a long time. The company showed off next-gen iPad Pros, equipped with OLED displays and the M4 chip, updated iPad Airs, which now come in both 11" and the larger 13" sizes, and an Apple Pencil Pro with tons of new tech packed inside.
The iPad Pro has always been a surprisingly powerful device and this year’s release gives it a processor a generation ahead of any other Apple product. The M4 chip allowed Apple to make the iPad Pro the thinnest product they have ever made—thinner than even the iPod nano—while still making it the most powerful tablet they have ever released with all-day battery life and a brand-new Tandem OLED display that uses two OLED panels to achieve HDR levels of brightness.
With the M4 chip the iPad Pro can offer faster performance, improved graphics performance, including hardware-accelerated raytracing, and improved AI applications with the even better Neural Engine. There’s a lot we could dive into here, but the quick summary of the iPad Pro is it is the one to get if you want maximum power and portability.
Not quite as flashy is the revamped iPad Air. This model comes with the M2 chip and makes some other tweaks that should serve as worthwhile quality-of-life improvements for many users, such as a landscape-orientation front-facing camera. It also will now be available in both 11” and 13” sizes for the first time.
Accessories help make the most of the iPad lineup and this set of releases is no exception. An updated Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro has aluminum in the palm rest and a function row that provide an experience closer to that of a MacBook than ever before. The real star of this section is the Apple Pencil Pro. This stylus brings new features, including squeeze, barrel roll, and haptic feedback that should provide an improved experience for artists hoping to replace their pen and paper with a digital solution.
Good software is necessary to make the most of powerful hardware and to solve that issue Apple has released major revisions of their Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro iPad apps. There are tons of new features to check out, but one of the more interesting is a new Final Cut Camera app that is coming out (for free!). This puts the more advanced controls at your fingertips. A Live Multicam setting can also help make streams a simpler affair with multiple iPads and iPhones being able to sync up and be quickly switched between during a stream.
Are you going to pick up one of the new iPads? I know I’m curious about the M4 chip and impressive-looking OLED screen in the iPad Pro.
In other news…
-
Lexar has some rugged SSDs on the way with the official release of the ARMOR 700 series which was first shown off at CES.
-
SSDs are having a good week as SanDisk also showed off their Desk Drive. This compact drive is meant to offer good speeds and high capacities at more modest prices. We went hands on with it.
-
Everyone is looking wide these days and we have a hands-on review video about the exceptionally wide Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF Lens from Venus Optics.
-
An NAB-week reveal, the Sony Portable Data Transmitter is now available for those looking for extreme wireless file transfer capabilities.
-
Bose is going to be our last bit of extra news this week with their SoundLink Max Portable Speaker.
See you next week! If you are looking for something more exciting to check out we have a live event coming up in partnership with Fujifilm for their X Summit Experience that will be very worthwhile.
0 Comments