Instagrammers are sucking the life and soul out of travel

TheGuardian posted an interesting analysis of the Instagram influence on travel:

– The Instagrammability of a destination is apparently now the number one motivation for booking a holiday for millennials.
– These Instagrammers are collectively sucking the joy and spontaneity out of travel photography
– The centering of the self to such an extent is new too, and at the expense of knowledge, exploration and adventure.
– When most travel photographs on Instagram begin to look like fashion editorials you have to wonder whether anyone is learning anything.

At the end this is the worrisome effect of being an Instagrammer:

You might think social media would diversify the range of images we see, yet the most popular users operate according to a strict schema that takes full advantage of the relevant algorithms (creative, fascinating accounts are still there, but said algorithms make them harder to find). And it’s not just travel – it’s interiors, fashion, weddings, food, children. Social media encourages the memeification of human experience. Instead of diversity we see homogeneity. It’s extremely boring.

I couldn’t agree more.

My friend and professional swedish Fashion Photographer Jockum Klenell commented on this:

It has so many negative sides for photography as a communicative medium and its killing our curiosity as travellers. I have no need of going to Bali because it feels, digitally, as if half of the world population with a smartphone and insta account has been there. This is a massive dark philosophical void which is very depressing to think about.
Luckily, and this is what I hang on to, all those people that the article is about, will never see or photograph what we will or what we look for in our images. That keeps us different from those masses who all do the same thing.
It only encourages me to step further away from the mass production of selfies at well known sites.

First leaked pictures of the new Mavic Air

Dronedj leaked the first pictures of the new Mavic Air that will be announced tomorrow. These are the specs:

  • A 32-megapixel camera with panorama mode
  • 1/2.3 CMOS sensor and new ISP (Image Signal Processor)
  • 4K video spec @ 60fps
  • 3-way gimbal (upgrade from 2-way on Spark)
  • Four foldable legs like the current Mavic Pro
  • Obstacle-avoidance sensors in the front, bottom, and back
  • Equipped with a VPS – Visual Positioning System for better control, hovering and indoor flying
  • Gesture control
  • 21-minute flight time
  • It will be available in different matte colors: white, black and red we’ve seen so far
  • Compatible with DJI Goggles

New Schacht Travegon 50mm f/2.5 for Leica, Fuji and Sony mirrorless cameras

Everything that is (or sounds) German seems to turn out as gold on Kickstarter. The brand “Schacht” has now been revived and the Travegon 50mm f/2.5 lens for Leica, Fuji and Sony mirrorless cameras has been launched on Kickstarter.

The Travegon 50mm f: 2.5 is the fascinating combination of a close to perfect optical system, designed for mirrorless cameras in a compact lens housing. The ultimate goal when designing this lens was to create an outstanding image, optical and mechanical quality at an attractive price so that the increasing popularity of manual photography would meet the appropriate modern lens which allows to take full advantage of the technological innovations of modern mirrorless camera bodies. All lenses will be handmade in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, to ensure the highest quality but sourcing of materials will be done internationally to enable an attractive price point. This is a unique combination taking full advantage of globalized supply chains and German know how to the advantage of the backer.

The Travegon 50 was developed with the uncompromised goal to meet the most stringent quality demands for analog and digital photography. The Travegon 50 shows outstanding performance when it comes to contrast, resolution, structure and tonal depth.

The Travegon is a lens for people who want the extraordinary but do not want to spend extra. It is for photographers who see the bigger picture, who look beyond the obvious, question the average and recognize the significant in everyday things. They want to enlarge their own horizons but not to empty their pockets. All of this calls for the Travegon – a lens that goes beyond the undistinguished but is affordable for all.

Hasselblad announces the new H6D-400c which captures 400MP images in multi-shot mode

Hasselblad just announced the new H6D-400c which you can preorder for a crazy $47,000 on BHphoto now.

I know I know folks. This isn’t a mirrorless camera! But still it’s worth to be mentioned here that this new toy can take 400MP images in multi-shot mode. That sets a new bar for the competition. The day is coming closer we will have 1 GIGABYTE photos :)

Press text via Dpreview:

Hasselblad Introduces the H6D-400c MS, a 400 Megapixel Multi-Shot Camera

Building on a vast experience of developing exceptional, high-quality single and multi-shot cameras, Hasselblad once again has raised the bar for image quality captured with medium format system.

Multi-Shot capture has become an industry standard in the field of art reproduction and cultural heritage for the documentation of paintings, sculptures, and artwork. As the only professional medium format system to feature multi-shot technology, Hasselblad continues to be the leading choice for institutions, organizations, and museums worldwide to record historic treasures in the highest image quality possible.

With over 10 years of digital imaging expertise, the latest Multi-Shot digital camera combines the H6D’s unrivalled ease of use with a completely new frontier of image quality and detail. This new camera encompasses all of the technological functions of Hasselblad’s H6D single shot camera, and adds to that the resolution and colour fidelity leaps that only Multi-Shot photography can bring to image capture.

With an effective resolution of 400MP via 6 shot image capture, or 100MP resolution in either 4 shot Multi-Shot capture or single shot mode, the Multi-Shot capture requires the sensor and its mount to be moved at a high-precision of 1 or ½ a pixel at a time via a piezo unit. To capture Multi-Shot images the camera must be tethered to a PC or MAC.

In 400MP Multi-Shot mode, 6 images are captured, the first 4 involve moving the sensor by one pixel at a time to achieve real colour data (GRGB- see 4 shot diagrams below), this cycle then returns the sensor to its starting point. A further two exposures are made moving the sensor by ½ a pixel horizontally and then ½ a pixel vertically (see 6 shot diagram on next page). These 6 captures are then merged to give the equivalent of a single 400MP image, delivered as a 2.3GB 16-bit TIFF (23200 x 17400 pixels), for those seeking the utmost in image quality and resolving power.

The H6D-400c MS encompasses all the features and functionality of Hasselblad’s standard single shot cameras:

  • USB 3.0 type c connection for tethered shooting, high speed data transfers & 30FPS live view
  • Dual media card slots: CFast 2.0 and SD card
  • 3.0-inch touch rear display
  • Smartphone style user interface
  • HD & UHD video
  • Modular system with improved back removal process
  • Technical camera connectivity (single shot)
  • Wi-Fi
  • HDMI & Audio I/O
  • True Focus II

The H6D-400c MS will begin shipping March 2018 with a MSRP of € 39,999 / $ 47,995 / £ 36,250 / RMB 319,999 / JPY 5,391,380 excl. VAT.
Pre-orders can start to be taken January 16th

The H6D-400c MS will also be available to rent through your local Hasselblad sales representative. The rental fee is approx. €399/day for short term loans, but you can save up to 50% of that cost if you rent for a longer period.