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The Latest News:

Rollei’s First Lens - A 85mm f/1.8 Prime

Rollei just released its very first lens — the Rollei AF 85mm f/1.8 STM. It’s a full-frame portrait lens coming in Sony E and Nikon Z-mounts and set to ship next month. This marks a pretty major shift for Rollei, which has been around since 1920 and is best known for its iconic Rolleiflex TLR cameras. Now, with this lens, they’re calling it “the beginning of a new era.”

The lens has a vintage vibe with a chunky textured grip, all-black finish, and a bold orange accent ring around the front. Specs-wise, the 85mm f/1.8 features 10 elements in 7 groups, including two ED (extra-low dispersion) and two HR (high-refractive) elements to reduce chromatic aberration and boost sharpness. It’s also got an 11-blade aperture for smooth bokeh and a quiet STM motor for autofocus, which should make it great for both portraits and video work. Rollei claims it delivers sharp results with minimal flare or ghosting, even wide open.

Interestingly, there are a few similarities to existing lenses, especially the 7Artisans 85mm f/1.8 and Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8. All three lenses share some optical and mechanical DNA, including STM motors and very close magnification ratios. Rollei has worked with Viltrox in the past, so it’s possible there's some collaboration happening here again, though the design and finish of the Rollei lens set it apart visually. The new Rollei lens is available to preorder at 299€ (roughly $340).

You can see full details on Rollei’s website here

Manfrotto’s New ONE Hybrid Tripod

A lot of new tripods are hitting the market lately and manfrotto just unveiled their contribution: The New ONE Hybrid Tripod, a do-it-all support system designed for creators who shoot both photo and video. There’s no pricing or release date yet, but it’s clearly aimed at creators who want flexibility.

The tripod is built in Italy and available in carbon fibre or aluminium. It’s designed to handle everything from stills to smooth video work, without forcing you to choose one over the other. Manfrotto also ditched the usual round legs for a flatter shape (kind of like the Peak Design Travel Tripod) which boosts stability and makes panning smoother. There’s also a new XTEND system that lets you deploy all the legs in one go, and a clever center column that can tilt for overhead shots or be removed for low angles.

What really stands out, though, is the new XCHANGE quick release system. You can instantly swap tripod heads, sliders, or accessories without tools, perfect for switching between photo and video setups mid-shoot. And if you opt for the version with the Manfrotto 500X Fluid Head, you’ll get smooth pan/tilt movement and a counterbalance optimized for mirrorless cameras.

You can see a full details on Manfrotto’s website here

Something Worth Checking Out

AI is something that most photographers/creatives see critically, and for absolutely good reason. HOWEVER the fact at the end of the day is that there sadly is no stopping AI, so the best thing you can do is learn how to use AI to your own advantage, whether that be with helping you with daily tasks, writing, editing, your day-job etc.

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Photo Analysis

Welcome to a new addition to the magazine: the photo analysis, where I will analyse a photo and talk about the composition, lighting what’s positive, what’s negative etc. so that you can learn and better your own photography from it ;)

This week’s photo by: Joao M.

You can find him on Instagram as: @lx_wanderer

Let’s Analyse this Image:

Composition

What works well:

• The centered perspective works great here. That rail running straight down the middle just pulls your eyes in and guides you all the way to the person in the distance, it’s super effective.

• The vertical crop really helps emphasize how tight and steep the alley is. Everything feels a bit squeezed in, which adds some nice tension (and just overall ‘‘funnels’’ the viewers eyes down to our subject).

• Having that tiny person right at the end of the alley gives the shot a clear focal point. They’re small, but they anchor the whole thing and add character/story to the shot.

What could be better:

• The person doesn’t separate super well from the background. It’s not terrible, but they do blend in a bit with the lighter wall behind them, which makes them slightly harder to notice at first (quick) glance. A simple way to fix this would be to darken the background just a touch with a radial or linear mask, or selectively lift the shadows and clarity on the person to make them pop more.

Framing & Perspective

What works well:

• The straight-on view gives the image structure. Everything feels deliberate and locked in place, super clean.

• The perspective does a good job exaggerating the depth, you can feel how long and narrow this street is.

What could be better:

• Framing feels a little tight at the top. It would be nice to see just a bit more of the rooftops or the upper windows.

• If the photographer had gotten even lower to the ground, that leading line from the rail could’ve been even stronger—and it might have made the buildings feel more towering and dramatic.

• Another option could be a slight diagonal composition—just enough to make it feel a bit more dynamic without losing those clean lines.

Light & Atmosphere

What works well:

• The lighting is very nice — clean, natural and calm.

• There’s some really nice detail caught through the light (on the walls, in the laundry etc.) it gives the scene life without overdoing it.

• The shadows act like a natural vignette, keeping the focus centered.

What could be better:

• The shadows on the left side of the frame are quite a bit heavier than on the right, which throws off the symmetry just a little. Since the image is clearly aiming for that “perfect” balanced/symmetrical vibe, this imbalance can feel slightly distracting. Brightening the left wall selectively or pulling up the shadows could help restore that visual balance without compromising the overall mood. Interestingly thought (I only noticed after a while) since the laundry is hanging on the right side only (that is where the sun is shining of course) it does add visual weight to the top right of the image. Now does this help balance it out better? Yes! Is it enough though? In my opinion no (while it does get better) for me personally the shadows are still too ‘‘heavy’’.

• Also: lifting the shadows just a bit could help bring back some of the detail without losing the atmosphere.

Color & Tone

What works well:

• The colors are really natural. The soft tones on the walls, hints of colour in the laundry, but also the colourful buildings themselves, all work together nicely without clashing.

• That warmth from the buildings keeps the scene feeling inviting, even with the deep shadows.

• It has a subtle, almost film-like look, nothing over-edited.

What could be better:

• Some of the textures in the darker areas get a bit muddy. Pulling up the blacks just a notch or adding some local contrast (like through a tone curve or selective dodge and burn) would bring those areas back to life without breaking the atmosphere.

• A little more tonal separation between the warm foreground and the cool background could make the photo feel even richer.

• While the look is very subtle and not "over-edited" at all (which is good), trying to increase overall saturation a bit and making the colors pop more (especially the painted walls) could give the scene more energy, uniqueness and character. And in my opinion those beautiful walls deserve it!

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