Leica has unveiled the Q2 Reporter, which takes the original Leica Q2 and envelopes it in a ‘body armor’ made of Kevlar. With a 47.3 megapixel full-frame sensor and a fixed 28mm F1.7 lens, it’s a perfect camera for reportage photography. We then have a ring box for photographers, a giant phantom jellyfish, and much more. Here’s the best news I’ve selected for “The Photography News Show”!

CAMERA NEWS

Leica Unveils Q2 Reporter with Kevlar Body Armor

Leica has unveiled the Q2 Reporter, a camera specifically made, as the name suggests, for reportage and press photography. It takes the original Leica Q2, and it envelopes it in a ‘body armor” made of Kevlar, which as you might know already, is an incredibly resistant material that has many applications, from protective clothing to snowboards, up to phone cases, and much more. Besides being capable of basically taking a bullet, this Kevlar body armor also offers great grip while being resistant to chemical and thermal hazards.

With a past as a product designer, I love seeing the implementation of innovative materials, and something cool to note is that over time the natural UV rays will change the fabric’s color until it matches the same dark green of the camera body, making it even sleeker.

Talking about specs, we’re in front of a camera made for purists, so it comes with a fixed lens specifically made for reportage, the Summilux 28mm f/1.7. And thanks to the 47.3-megapixel full-frame sensor you will have quite some versatility to crop your shots in post to match other focal lengths.

And in case you haven’t noticed, the Q2 Reporter is missing the typical red Leica logo on the front, to further help go unnoticed. So basically, only a few camera fanatics will know what you’re shooting with.

It’s available for $5,995 (here), while a Monochrome Edition is expected for March 2022.

Nikon Z9 Will Soon Get 8K 60p RAW Videos

When the Nikon Z9 was launched, it came with an 8K 30p video recording capability, and during its presentation, it was mentioned that with a future firmware upgrade the 8K framerate would have been doubled at 60p. This week we have more info on that, as the company intoPIX has successfully integrated the TicoRAW codec into the Nikon Z9. It’s a 12bit RAW that offers different levels of compression. For example, with a 12:1 compression, you will be able to fit 54min of 8K footage in a 1TB SSD, while if you want the lossless version the 1TB SSD will be full after 11min.

Chip Shortage Affects Sony ZV-E10 & a7IV

After having paused the production for the A7II series and the a6400, this week Sony also suspended the orders for the ZV-E10, while the A7IV production will be slowed down. I guess Santa will have some issues this year.

ACCESSORY NEWS

Ring Box Made for Photography Lovers

Your partner might not be into photography as you are, but to demonstrate your love for photography and well, your partner, I’ve just found the perfect ring box in case your proposal is around the corner.

It’s a sleek ring box that opens like the iris of a lens, and it’s hand-assembled in Canada by Kelo Designs. Pretty cool, right?

SMARTPHONE NEWS

Oppo Teases Retractable Camera

Smartphones cameras are always improving, but they’re also getting bigger, creating a pretty annoying camera bump in the back. Oppo, which is the 3rd smartphone manufacturer in the world, has shared a preview of a retractable camera, that seems to be water and shock-resistant.

Will this be a solution implemented also by other manufacturers in the future? Let’s wait and see!

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Giant Phantom Jellyfish

In this segment, I feature the most interesting pictures I’ve seen on the web!

This week I have for you a Giant Phantom Jellyfish filmed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute with its remotely operated vehicle. It’s very rare to spot this animal as it lives in the darkness of the ocean’s midnight zone and it can reach a depth of 21,900ft. But once you spot it, it’s clearly visible as it can be more than 3.3ft across and 33ft long.

We still know very little about it, which is a great reminder of how much we still have to discover about our planet.