Photo news: Retro fever and remote production
Fuji has production at "Canon" and Yashica is also reinventing the film lever – The world of photography is turning at a nostalgic speed.
(Image: Yashica)
Photography is currently experiencing a renaissance of the analog in the digital, and this week provides several examples of how manufacturers are trying to translate the magic of classic cameras into modern technology – with surprising production methods.
Fuji X-Half: Produced by "Canon", but not the Canon
The recently unveiled Fujifilm X-Half is causing confusion in the photography scene: it is not produced by Fujifilm itself, but by a company that actually goes by the name of "Canon" in China. However, the Japanese camera giant Canon has nothing to do with it.
On closer inspection, it is the Taiwanese company "Ability Enterprise Co., Ltd.", which used to act as Canon's sales representative in Taiwan and has the Chinese name 佳能股份有限公司 – which actually translates as "Canon". This company now belongs to the contract manufacturer Pegatron, which also produces iPhones, among other things.
Outsourcing production has long been commonplace in the consumer goods industry, even for premium brands. For Fujifilm, it brings two decisive advantages: Cost savings and flexible adjustment of production capacities. Unlike the X100VI, for which customers have to wait months, the X-Half could be available more quickly thanks to outsourced production.
For us photographers, the decisive factor remains: as long as the quality is right, it doesn't matter who assembles the body. After all, the camera itself was developed by Fujifilm – and that's what counts.
Yashica FX-D: The film lever returns (without film)
While Fujifilm has already caused a stir with the X-Half, the revived Yashica brand is also going for retro charm. The new Yashica FX-D is a purely digital camera that is nevertheless equipped with a "Film Advance Lever" – i.e. a film transport lever. Similar to Fuji's X-Half, this mechanical lever is designed to encourage photographers to shoot more consciously and think about every shot.
The FX-D, which is based on the historic FX-3 35mm SLR, comes in two variants: the FX-D 300 with a 50-megapixel sensor and optical image stabilizer and the FX-D 100 with the smaller 13-megapixel Sony IMX458 sensor. Both models offer six film simulations with sonorous names such as "Ruby 60s" or "Golden 80s".
As is so often the case with new Yashica editions, they are being sold via Kickstarter. With a price of 339 dollars for the FX-D 300 and 239 dollars for the FX-D 100, the cameras are surprisingly affordable. Whether they deliver what they promise remains to be seen – Delivery is planned for August.
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David Lynch's camera collection under the hammer
Collectors and fans of the recently deceased director David Lynch have a rare opportunity: his personal collection is being auctioned off. From a 16mm Canon Scoopic (currently valued at 3,500 dollars) to a Sony a7R/a7S combination (2,500 dollars) to a Hasselblad H3D-39 (1,250 dollars) – Lynch owned an impressive and eclectic collection.
Particularly curious: a snakeskin-covered Montanus Montana camera from the 1950s, which has already been bid for 2,250 dollars. The auction will take place on June 18 in Los Angeles and online bidding is already open.
Farewell to Sebastião Salgado
The world of photography mourns the loss of one of its greatest masters: Sebastião Salgado passed away in Paris on May 23 at the age of 81. The Brazilian photographer, who was originally an economist, left behind a monumental body of work that documents humanity in all its facets.
His iconic black and white images of workers, migrants and untouched nature ("Genesis") have had a lasting impact on photography. In addition to his artistic work, Salgado, together with his wife Lélia, was committed to environmental protection and planted over three million trees on his family's devastated estate.
In Salgado, photography has lost not only one of its greatest artists, but also a passionate humanist whose images show us the beauty and wounds of our world. His legacy will inspire generations of photographers.
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Photographic time travel and outlook
This week shows once again how photography oscillates between nostalgia and innovation. While new cameras such as the X-Half and the Yashica FX-D transfer the aesthetics and feel of analog photography to the digital world, the loss of Sebastio Salgado reminds us that ultimately it is not the technology that matters. It is the photographer's eye.
The outsourcing of production at Fujifilm may come as a surprise to some, but it is a sign of how global the photography industry is today. The main thing is that the cameras end up in the hands of photographers – and hopefully, they take pictures that touch and move us, in the spirit of Sebastião Salgado.
Whether with a film lever or without, with their own or a third-party production site –, in the end it's the image that counts.
(tho)
