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The Latest News:
cc: Laowa
Laowa just launched a tiny, ultra-portable 15mm f/5 “cookie” lens for full-frame cameras, and it’s light as a feather at 158 grams (5.6 ounces). This little pancake-style lens offers a wide 110-degree field of view and is designed to be your go-to, carry-everywhere option for unique angles and close-ups that feel like you're right there in the shot.
Visually, the 15mm f/5 follows the same style as Laowa’s previous “cookie” lens (the 10mm f/4 for APS-C), with a compact, rangefinder-inspired design. Depending on your camera mount, the lens look and features can vary: Sony E and Nikon Z get auto-aperture, while Canon RF, L Mount, and Leica M versions are manual.
With a minimum focusing distance of just 12 cm (4.7 inches), it’s great for creative close-ups. It performs best at f/5 in well-lit scenes and thrives with higher ISOs for stills. For video, it captures a natural POV feel at 15mm on full-frame—great for creators looking for realistic perspectives without extreme distortion. The 15mm f/5 Cookie FF is available in silver or black for $400, compatible with a range of lens mounts.
Sony Teases Alpha 1 II
Sony is dropping its new flagship, the Alpha 1 II, on November 19 at 9 AM EST, and the photography world is buzzing. They’re keeping the details under wraps, but everyone’s expecting big upgrades in speed, detail, and overall usability—especially since the original Alpha 1 set such a high standard for all-around performance.
Recent Alpha models have added game-changing features like an AI-driven autofocus that’s perfect for action shots, a simpler, more intuitive interface, and improved ergonomics inspired by the Alpha 9 III, making long shoots easier on the hands. The Alpha 1 II is likely to keep up this trend, catering to pros who need speed, precision, and flexibility. For those ready to lock one down, B&H already has a preorder page live (no specs yet, though). All eyes are on Sony to see what this powerhouse will deliver!
A review from my side will definitely follow in a big Sunday magazine issue, so stay tuned for that ;)
AI Replacing Creative Staff
AI generated
Off Radio Krakow in Poland made headlines recently by firing all its human hosts and replacing them with AI-driven Gen Z personalities. The goal? To draw in younger listeners. But things took a strange turn when the AI hosts "interviewed" the late Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, who died in 2012. Former host Lucasz Zaleski, one of those laid off, was stunned, saying, “I went to her funeral, so I know for sure that she is dead.”
The move did draw in thousands of listeners — but mostly from people outraged by the stunt. Critics slammed the station for swapping real conversations for AI-generated fluff, calling it a soulless “sacrifice of humans on the altar of technology.” Even though the station’s editor tried to defend the decision as an attempt to “modernize,” the backlash was intense enough to end the experiment quickly.
This incident has stirred up a big debate in Poland about the ethical use of AI in media, with one parliamentarian warning that AI should be used “for people, not against them.” As for Zaleski, he says he’s angry that meaningful, real discussions were replaced by “something totally fake.”
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