Scott J. Waldron

20 years!

3 days ago | [YT] | 7

Scott J. Waldron

The Nikon Z5ii was announced. Thoughts?
‪@nikonusa‬ if you've got some sort of loaner program, I'd be interested in trying it out! The first image is my Nikon Z5 playlist on here. Not quite as much reach as I would have expected, but still a fair amount.

I've started to compile notes from videos of people that had access to it as well as specifications. Not sure I'll bother making a video about it, but considering I've used the original Z5 since 2021, I am very curious about the Z5ii.

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3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 3

Scott J. Waldron

Camera equipment in the USA could get noticeably more expensive. At least 10% higher for literally everything imported, both finished products and materials. Or more importantly it could be 24% for Japanese products (Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc), 25% for Korean products (Samyang, Rokinon), and 34% for Chinese products (7Artisans, Viltrox, Yongnuo, Godox, etc). Chinese made lenses have been stepping up their quality a lot while keeping prices lower, so they might not have a huge issue with everything else rising in cost too.

The potential increase from Japanese products could result in photography being an even more expensive hobby for everyone. Assuming prices increase 1 to 1, the recently announced FUJIFILM GFX100RF would go from $4899 to ~$6075. Or a more popular camera like the Canon EOS R6 II. That's currently $1999 on B&H. It would end up around $2479. If they decided to calculate it from MSRP then add an extra $200.

That is assuming we didn't already have some form of tariffs on camera gear from countries that produce it.

I don't know of a single camera or lens product that's 100% locally produced. Maybe some niche camera straps and lighting gear? Even if it is made here, as far as I understand it, the component materials also need to be produced here to avoid the tariffs completely.

GoPro? They probably make everything outside of the USA.

Red? If they still have local production capacity, they make specialized video gear in small quantities. Assuming Nikon hasn't transitioned their manufacturing elsewhere. Maybe just maybe Nikon would see an opportunity to use them as a starting point to produce some cameras in the USA. Seems extremely unlikely, but who knows. Foreign car makers use this strategy of manufacturing some models in the USA.

Maybe I'm not understanding how this will all work in practice, but I guess we will see one way or another if the new tariffs stay in place. I highly doubt camera and lens makers will eat the cost entirely.

I am curious how possible it would be to construct a completely USA sourced camera. I think Tower Semiconductor makes camera sensors in California. And they are now owned by Intel, apparently. Are there circuit board and IC producers here to offer components at scale? Then there are all of the extra components like buttons, dials, panels, EVFs, LCD screens, etc. I do wonder how viable it could be.

3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 2

Scott J. Waldron

Check out ‪@GrantUchida‬'s channel! He's moved toward video and photography production of pageants and such. I've known him through YouTube for many years. We both have an interest in cosplay photography, which I think is how one of us found the other person's channel.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

Scott J. Waldron

Do you use instant cameras? For what type of photography? I posted a video about Polaroid's compact version of their instant camera. It was pretty fun to use but the image quality is rough. https://youtu.be/tQQpxdhS9EY

1 month ago | [YT] | 4

Scott J. Waldron

Nikon marketing is out of touch. I like Nikon cameras overall, but the Z30 was designed to overheat in 4k after around 25 minutes even just outputting 4k through HDMI to a recorder in a temperature controlled room. I finally traded it in to MPB. #nikon #z30

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Scott J. Waldron

www.acdsee.com/en/spotlight-contest/
Acdsee is running a contest called the "Photographer Spotlight" until April 9th 2025. The winner gets a 5-day trip to Vancouver Island, BC in Canada. Travel and accommodations for two are covered along with $1,500 spending money. You will be featured on their website and get a copy of the video produced for your own marketing.

See my latest video on their software:
https://youtu.be/BJpLFQLZE28

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1 month ago | [YT] | 3

Scott J. Waldron

Thoughts on the Sigma BF? As usual with Sigma's camera division, quite a few good aspects but also a number of confusing design and function based choices. I wouldn't mind trying one out.

1 month ago | [YT] | 6

Scott J. Waldron

Affinity Photo was updated to 2.6 along with the two companion apps. Looks like they are adding AI, but in a reasonable way. Ugh, the color picker system still has an odd confusing design. Details on the AI addition: "Please note that the two new features which use Machine Learning models (Object Selection Tool and Select Subject) are optional and require downloading of the relevant models for them to work. These are installed as pre-trained models and they do not use any of your own data for further training. Furthermore, these operations all work ‘on device’ meaning none of your data leaves your device at any time."

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1 month ago | [YT] | 3

Scott J. Waldron

www.atomos.com/product-support/
There is a new Atomos Ninja recorder firmware. I have the original Ninja V and installed it. The main interface is changed considerably. It looks good! Props to ‪@AtomosChannel‬ for supporting their older recorders. With the h.265 encoder add-on this device has been a huge help to me for video work. I use it mostly at the lowest quality setting of 8-bit 4:2:0 to save on space and it works great because it's so much more efficient than any internal recordings of cameras that I have. My only gripe is the loud fan design.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1