Sigma's short, fat bag and a small Ricoh – Photo news of the week 34/2025

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New photographic equipment has been somewhat scarce in recent weeks, but now the new products from Japan are back in the news channels. Both small and rather large items are on the agenda this week – The world of photography is once again really colorful when it comes to hardware.

As described last week, the Fotonews columnist has a particular soft spot for concert photography. And special equipment is very often useful here, for which there is otherwise hardly any photographic use. We're not talking about fast superteles as in sports photography, but what some call "short, thick bags". Sigma has now introduced such a lens in the form of the weather-resistant 200mm F2 DG OS Sports. Instead of the 70-200 millimeter zooms with f/2.8 that are omnipresent at concerts and other events, you have twice the light yield in your hand. Among other things, this can be used for shorter exposure times and finer cropping of subjects.

Sigma's f/2.0 telephoto lens not just for sports

And actually in the hand, not on a monopod as is often the case with sports. Tripods of any kind are generally prohibited at concerts because they could be misused as a striking tool by wild fans. And in the photo pit itself, the risk of injury from black poles in the dark is simply too great. It is therefore particularly relevant for the Sigma that the heavy lenses are motor-stabilized; the stabilizer is supposed to compensate for up to 6.5 f-stops. The 1.8 kilogram weight also helps, and before you order such a lens online, you should probably try it out in a specialist shop: It takes practice to hold so much mass, perhaps just under a kilo for the body, in front of your face for a long time.

Many observers criticized the supposedly high price of 3500 euros after the Sigma was presented. But even the standard telephoto lenses with 70-200 millimeters are often well over 2000 euros from the original manufacturers and over 1000 euros from third-party suppliers. And the really long sports fixed focal lengths with 300 millimeters and more are quickly in the five-digit range. Of course, Sigma is paying particularly well for the fact that there is still no other newly developed 200 millimeter lens with f/2.0 for mirrorless systems. Experience has shown that the street price drops quickly compared to the RRP. The lens will be available from September and pre-orders are already possible. It is initially available for the L-mount and Sony's E bayonet.

Fast APS-C wide-angle lens

At the same time, Sigma presented a fast APS-C lens, the 12mm F1.4 DC Contemporary. Unlike many lenses in the Contemporary series, it is protected against dust and splash water. On paper, high speed seems to be the biggest plus in combination with the strong wide angle. With a crop factor of 1.5, a focal length equivalent to 18 millimetres remains on APS-C sensors, i.e. a medium wide angle, but with a very large aperture. How sharp the Sigma really is at open aperture remains to be seen in extensive tests, but at 600 euros RRP you can expect a lot here. Sigma has already negotiated the licenses more extensively here; lenses for E-, X- and also Canon's RF mount should be available from September.

Ricoh GR IV as an expensive APS-C compact

APS-C is now also supported by Ricoh, albeit only in a compact camera with a fixed lens. And not in another of the currently trendy high-end compacts, but in the Ricoh GR IV, the successor to the Model III, which was launched at the beginning of 2019. 1350 euros seems cheap today in view of the many expensive pocket cameras, but: The GR III came onto the market a good six years ago for 900 euros. According to the data sheet, Ricoh has primarily revised the sensor and image stabilizer. The latter is said to work with five instead of three axes and compensate for six f-stops. The resolution has been increased to just under 26 megapixels instead of 24, and the APS-C sensor is now back-illuminated.

The little Ricoh is still not completely weatherproof, but it should be able to keep out more dust, says Ricoh. Perhaps the biggest limitation today: there is no AI autofocus, and filming is still only possible in Full HD, although the sensor would offer 4K. The lens remains at 28 millimetres with f/2.8. This gives the impression that a camera is once again only being moderately updated and sold at a higher price, mainly because of the USB-C port for charging, which is now mandatory in the EU. The fact that Ricoh, like all Japanese companies, has to earn more money in other markets due to the punitive tariffs imposed by the USA may also play a role.

Eight demands of the Photo Council on AI

We managed to avoid the topic of generative AI in Fotonews for a few weeks, but now it's due again. This is because the next stage of the European Union's AI Act came into force on August 2. And this week, following a position paper from 2023, the German Photography Council has once again made demands for the regulation of artificial intelligence. In eight simple points, which perhaps politicians can also understand, it summarizes how photographers envision the protection of their work. The fact that they retain control over the use of their images for AI training seems self-evident – even if it is obviously being ignored everywhere. The same goes for the fact that authors should be remunerated.

However, the eight points are anything but a rejection of AI in general, as the Photo Council also calls for regulation at EU level to be "transparent and democratic". It is not about a lobby association wanting to protect the work opportunities of its members, but rather about the already legally clear protection of copyright and usage rights. This is why the two links above to the first position paper and the newly formulated eight key points of the Fotorat are also our recommendations for a long read at the weekend. They form a good basis for discussion about the role of real photos versus AI fakes.

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