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The Latest News:
Cosina’s New Voigtländer Lenses
credits: Cosina
Cosina has officially announced silver versions of two of its Voigtländer lenses for Fujifilm X Mount, the Nokton 23mm f/1.2 Aspherical and Nokton 35mm f/1.2. These are not new optical designs, the black versions originally arrived in 2022 and 2021, but they are the first additions to Voigtländer’s Fujifilm lineup since the Colour-Skopar 18mm f/2.8 in early 2024. Both are compact, fully manual-focus primes with fast f/1.2 apertures and electronic communication with compatible Fujifilm cameras. The 23mm gives roughly a 35mm full-frame equivalent field of view, while the 35mm works out to about 52.5mm equivalent.
The Nokton 23mm f/1.2 uses 10 elements in six groups and has a 12-blade aperture, with the aperture ring clicking in 1/3-stop increments. Minimum focusing distance is a pretty close 0.18m, giving a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:4.9. It is also small for an f/1.2 prime, measuring 43.8mm long and weighing 219g. The 35mm is even smaller and lighter at 39.8mm and 196g. Its optical design uses eight elements in six groups in a traditional double-Gauss arrangement, again paired with a 12-blade aperture. Minimum focus comes in at 0.3m, with a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:6.7. Both use all-metal focusing mechanisms, with Cosina putting quite a bit of emphasis on the feel and resistance of the manual focus rings.
One thing worth checking before buying either lens is camera compatibility. While both have electronic contacts, full electronic communication is not available with every Fujifilm X body, particularly some older models. Cameras from around the X-T2 generation onward generally fare better, while models such as the original X-T1 do not get full communication. The Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Silver is expected to ship in September, followed by the 23mm f/1.2 Silver in October. Worldwide pricing has not been confirmed yet, but Japanese prices are ¥81,000 for the 35mm and ¥93,000 for the 23mm, currently equivalent to roughly $509 and $584, respectively.
Nikon Delays Nearly All Products
credits: Nikon
Nikon’s upcoming product schedule may have hit a bit of a roadblock, with multiple sources now claiming that almost all of the company’s new products are facing delays. And apparently this does not just affect cameras either, new lenses and firmware updates have reportedly been pushed back as well. That is disappointing considering the past few months of rumours had been pointing toward a fairly busy autumn for Nikon. Among the cameras being discussed were a compact full-frame model in the same general category as the Sony A7C II and a new APS-C flagship commonly referred to as the Nikon Z70, a name that even briefly appeared on an official Apple support page.
The timing makes the situation particularly unusual because Nikon has not announced a single new camera so far in 2026. On the lens side, we have seen the Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S II and Z 24-105mm f/4-7.1, while the Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S has already been confirmed as coming later. Historically, though, Nikon going through an entire calendar year without introducing a new camera would be extremely unusual. Over the past two decades, the company has averaged roughly 3.3 new cameras and 7.4 new lenses per year, so 2026 has been noticeably quiet by comparison.
Exactly how long these reported delays will last is not clear, and there is currently no explanation for what is causing them. It would still be surprising to see Nikon finish 2026 without at least one new camera announcement, particularly with the important Christmas shopping period approaching. Nikon’s latest annual report also points toward strong sales expectations over Christmas and into spring 2027. Whether one of the previously rumoured cameras can still squeeze into the end of this year or Nikon’s bigger launches will now slip into 2027 remains to be seen.
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Weekly Photo Technique Exploration
Welcome to a new section of the magazine where every week we will explore a new photography technique from across various photography genres.
This week’s technique: Low-Key Lighting Photography
Skylum
Arem Medina
Skylum
Skylum
What is Low Key Lighting?
If I remember correctly, a couple months ago I introduced you guys to high key lighting. Today, let’s talk about the opposite → low key lighting. Low key lighting is using minimal light to highlight just the parts of your subject that matter, everything else fades into shadows/darkness. It creates deep blacks and rich contrast. You have probably seen low key lighting in film noir, dramatic portraits (classic use-case), fashion editorials, and even some still life or product shots before.
When does it work well?
Low key lighting is perfect when you want your photo to feel mysterious, intense, elegant (big one), serious, moody, artistic or focused (like all attention is on one thing → texture of water drops on skin for example (as seen in the last photo above))
Again, it is especially great for things like portraits, black & white street photos, nude or body-form photography, product photos and even concert or performance shots.
How to Shoot Low Key (in a controlled environment)
You really do not need a lot, pretty much just a light source you can control and a dark background or general environment. Here is (step by step) what you want to do:
1. Cut the ambient light
The less stray light in your space, the better. Turn off overheads, cover windows, shoot at night → whatever it takes to get a darker environment.
2. Use one main light source
One light is often enough. Could be a strobe, a continuous LED, or even a window with the blinds cracked. Keep the light directional (coming from the side, above, or behind) so it carves out shapes and shadows.
3. Position your subject in the shadows
Only light what you want the viewer to see. Everything else? → You want to let it fade into black. That might mean lighting just half the face or letting most of the body fall into shadow.
4. Dark background, dark wardrobe etc.
Make sure the background is not picking up stray light. A black curtain, dark wall, or even shooting into an unlit space works. And if your subject wears black or deep tones, they will blend in nicely, letting the light really pop where you want it (the hands for example).
5. Camera settings
Keep your ISO low to avoid noise in those dark areas.
Use a fast shutter speed to avoid ambient light creeping in.
Aperture depends on the look you want → f/2.8 for shallow depth, f/8 if you want more sharpness.
Meter for the highlights, really let the shadows go dark.
Doing It Outdoors
Yes, you can do low key outdoors too.
Here is how:
Wait for blue hour or nighttime (best).
Find a single light source, like a streetlamp, a light up shop sign, car’s headlights etc. (pretty much the same spiel as before)
Again expose for the light, not the shadows. Let everything else drop off into blackness.
Shoot in an alleyway or a spot with heavy directional shadows (you can see an example in the second photo above).
Creating Low Key in Post
If your photo is not quite dark or contrasty enough out of camera (when shooting outside, that will probably be the case), editing can help you get there, of course ;)
Drop the exposure or black point overall.
Increase contrast and deepen shadows.
Use brushes or masks to selectively darken parts of the photo.
Desaturate or go all black & white.
Optionally add vignette or burn the edges to guide the viewer’s eye.
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