Canon 5D "Mark II"

A bunch of websites are claiming that Canon Germany confirmed that a successor to the EOS 5D will be announced at Photokina in Cologne during the last week of September. Since all these websites have predicted such a successor for quite a while, there's no reason to believe them now...or is there?

As far as I know, no one has published verifiable information as to what Canon is working on at this time, but my gut feel is that Canon will not allow Nikon take the lead with its recent products, including the D90 with its video capability.

While there are rumors that the 5D successor will be a 21.1 MP full-frame 5 frames per second machine, with LiveView and a 3.2" High Resolution Screen (LCD). However, I suspect that 21.1 MP is not reasonable as it would take away a very large chunk of market share from Canon's $8000 1Ds MkIII. I also happen to think that Canon may also feature a camera with video capability.

The Nikon D90's feature of recording cinematic-quality movie clips at up to 720p HD (1280 x 720 pixels) is an immense step in the right direction, and opens up all sorts of opportunities.

The merging of still and motion photography is what most photojournalists need to meet the industry's current challenges...and Canon will not let its supremacy slip away.

Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

Matt Wright-Steel: Texas Mountain Trail

Photograph Matt Wright-Steel-All Rights Reserved
I ought to post on more domestic photo essays and galleries, and Matt Wright-Steel's new portfolio titled Texas Mountain Trail allows me to do just that...beautifully composed (and large) images of typical Texan landscapes by a very versatile photojournalist. I particularly liked the photograph of the rusty crucifix in the old cemetery. I wonder whether Matt used Lightroom to enhance the images?

Matt uses large images to showcase all of his galleries, joining the ranks of photographers and photography websites that do not shy away from using this format to provide us with a better visual experience.

Matt Wright-Steel is a documentary photographer focused on culture and the human experience, and attended the recent Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Mexico City.

Digital Photo Pro Mag: Jeff Hutchens

Photograph Jeff Hutchens-All Rights Reserved
Digital Photo Pro magazine has published an interesting 3 page interview with globetrotter photographer Jeff Hutchens titled The Frozen Mood.

At a time when travel photographers are facing a diminution in work assignments and gigs, and existentialistic navel-gazing questions such as "is travel photography dead?", it's refreshing to see an in-depth article and interview with a young but well-established travel photographer.

Hutchens traveled to more than 40 nations in his 29 years and has had plenty of adventures and misadventures. He moved with his family to northeastern China when he was four, after his father was hired to teach English to Chinese students. He and his brother attended a Chinese preschool and learned Mandarin.

I liked what he said on his China photographs: “I always experience China the same way: the cacophony of Mandarin tones; blurring bicycles and black slacks; the barrage of reds turned oddly luminescent by the haze of the polluted sky.”

Jeff Hutchens' website