Camera
Collection of photographs by William Henry Fox Talbot, among the world’s first, sells for nearly $2M
As part of its celebration of 50 years of photography auctions, Sotheby’s recently sold a set of very early photographs by William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877). Despite a pre-auction estimate of $300,000-500,000, the final sale price was a staggering $1,956,000, setting a new auction record for Talbot.
The lot of Talbot images was one of 25 lots sold earlier this week as part of Sotheby’s ’50 Masterworks to Celebrate 50 Years of Sotheby’s Photographs’ celebration. The auction included work by famous photographers like Ansel Adams, Robert Frank, Cindy Sherman, Irving Penn, William Eggleston, and many more. The collection of Talbot prints sold for the highest amount, although the sale of some lots has yet to be finalized.
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| Horatia with harp, 1843. |
Sotheby’s writes, ‘The extraordinary collection offered here of albums and photographs by Talbot comes originally from Henrietta Horatia Maria Gaisford (née Feilding), the photographer’s half-sister, and has remained with family for more than 170 years. Its scope – replete with loose photographs, personal albums, fascicles of ‘The Pencil of Nature,’ a complete ‘Sun Pictures in Scotland,’ and Horatia’s own early sketchbook – is unlike anything that has previously come to market.’‘
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| Thomas Moore; Horatia Feilding; Ela Theresa, Rosamond Constance, and Matilda Caroline Talbot, 1844 |
Talbot is well-known for his role as a pioneer of photography. A scientist and inventor, Talbot invented the salted paper and calotype photographic processes, setting the stage for further advancement in photographic technology in the later 19th century and 20th century. While Talbot invented a photographic process to create permanent photographs, his process was not the first invented or announced. Following Louis Daguerre’s invention of the daguerreotype in 1839, Talbot claimed that he had beaten the Frenchmen to the punch. Talbot had begun experimentation in 1834 and captured paper photographs in 1835. Talbot, at this point already a well-established member of the Royal Society in England, and Daguerre differed in their photographic techniques. There remains some controversy over which of the two was truly the first.
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Talbot’s early salt photograph process included bathing paper in a solution of sodium chloride, drying the paper and brushing it with a solution of silver nitrate. The light-sensitive paper was then able to capture images projected by a lens. What set Talbot’s work apart from earlier efforts by others was that Talbot had figured out how to make his prints insensitive, relatively speaking, to further light exposure. His negatives could then be used to create a positive.
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In 1841, Talbot made significant progress with the development of the calotype photographic process. Using silver iodide instead of silver chloride and incorporating a developing agent, calotypes required only a minute or two of exposure time in sunlight, rather than more than an hour, making it a significantly more practical and refined process.
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Of the sale of Talbot’s work, Sotheby’s Head of Photographs in New York, Emily Bierman, said, ‘This record-shattering sale is a true celebration of the birth of photography – the most inventive and beautiful artistic medium of our time. The fierce competition between bidders in Europe, America, and Asia demonstrates the enormous appetite among a broad base of collectors.’ PetaPixel writes that the bidding war included six online bidders, who continued to one-up each other until reaching the nearly $2M final sale price.
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It’s an incredible collection of photographs and a beautiful piece of photographic history. Without people like William Henry Fox Talbot, it’s difficult to know where exactly photography would be today. You can view more images from the collection by
| Photo: Leica |
With its latest announcement, Leica is furthering its focus on mobile photography, adding a new accessory to its lineup. The company designed the Leica Lux Grip specifically for iPhones, following up on the June release of the Leica Lux iPhone app. The grip is strictly for Leica lovers, as it will only work with Leica’s iPhone app; controls will not transfer to the default iPhone camera app or any other third-party options.
Leica says the Lux Grip is “similar to a classic Leica camera in terms of its handling and feel.” It goes even further and explains that all of the grip’s “physical controls consistently express Leica’s design philosophy and conjure up the familiar experience of using a professional camera.” Any grip will make for a more camera-like experience and make taking photographs with a phone a bit more ergonomic, so users who focus on mobile photography could certainly benefit from it.
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| Photo: Leica |
The grip relies on a magnetic MagSafe connection rather than a case-like design, which is typical in other phone grips. The magnetic attachment makes switching between portrait and landscape orientations easy while maintaining a comfortable grip with easy controls. Plus, removing the grip when it’s not needed and returning to a traditional phone form factor is straightforward. That also means that when users purchase a new iPhone, there’s no need to buy an entirely new grip specific to that phone.
The Lux Grip uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity to communicate with a phone’s camera, allowing users to control camera functionality without digging into phone menus. That includes a two-stage shutter release that, like cameras, uses light pressure to focus and a full press to take a photo. There’s also a button to switch between shooting modes, two customizable buttons and a dial for adjusting settings.
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| Photo: Leica |
For those who want to go all out, Leica also released a leather case designed just for the Lux Grip, which features an AirTag holder.
The Leica Lux Grip is available for $329 on Leica’s website and B&H. The purchase includes a year of the Leica LUX Pro subscription.
Buy now:
Leica Camera AG is launching the Leica LUX Grip for the iPhone today.
The camera grip impresses with its intuitive operation and high-quality manufacturing while, at the same time, setting new standards for photographic precision using a smartphone. The Leica LUX Grip is similar to a classic Leica camera in terms of its handling and feel. Its clear design, sophisticated operating concept and easy attachment – guaranteed by secure magnetic MagSafe technology – improve the ergonomics and functionality of smartphone photography, taking it to a new level. The LUX Grip and iPhone communicate via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and are perfectly complemented by the Leica LUX app.
All of the LUX Grip’s physical controls consistently express Leica’s design philosophy and conjure up the familiar experience of using a professional camera. The 2-stage shutter release focusses with light pressure and starts shooting when fully pressed down. A button allows you to quickly switch between shooting modes. Two control elements can be individually assigned and customised via the Leica LUX app. While one button provides quick access to frequently used functions, the easy-to-grip control dial enables the precise selection of camera settings – such as zoom, aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation. This means that photographers have all the essential aspects of image composition in their own hands, even when using a smartphone.
The Leica LUX app rounds off the photographic experience by adding the unmistakable image and colour aesthetics of legendary Leica lenses. The bokeh effect of the Summilux-M or Noctilux-M can be used to deliberately emphasise features while retaining full control over exposure, ISO and shutter speed. Unique Leica Looks – from Vivid to classic Black&White – expand the artistic palette, lending digital photography an analogue character. The Leica LUX app forms a perfect symbiosis with the LUX Grip. The full version of the app is included for one year with every Grip product registration.
The LUX Grip also sets the tone when it comes to sustainability. Thanks to its modular design, the Grip can be easily reused with all electronic components every time you change your iPhone. Only the MagSafe base plate has to be replaced. Weighing just 130 grams, the Leica LUX Grip is comfortable to hold and is equally suitable for left- and right-handed users. Its powerful battery lets you take up to 1,000 shots and will be ready for use again in a flash with a charging time of 2 hours via USB-C.
The Leica LUX Grip is now available in selected Leica Stores, in the Leica Online Store and from specialist retailers. The recommended retail price is EUR 300 incl. VAT.
| Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm F1.2 pre-production | F1.2 | 1/125 sec | ISO 64 |
Earlier this week, Nikon announced the Nikkor Z 35mm F1.2 S, a wide-angle lens with a fast aperture. We were able to spend a few hours on the streets of Seattle with a pre-production model, and got some shots that should give you an idea of what this lens is about.
A few caveats to keep in mind – given that the photos were shot with a pre-production lens, they may not be exactly indicative of how a production model would perform. Our standard lens gallery procedure also involves processing the images through Capture One, giving us precise control over what corrections are and are not applied. However, the images in this sample gallery are straight out of camera JPEGs, and thus may have corrections that wouldn’t usually be applied to images in our sample galleries.
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This image depicts the Sony E-mount version of the AF 28mm F4.5 lens, though the size is nearly identical.
Photo: Viltrox |
After a playful bit of marketing, Viltrox announced a new flavor of its ultra-thin AF 28mm F4.5 lens. It first made the lens available for Sony E-mount cameras last fall, and now it will also be available for X-mount cameras.
Viltrox calls this teeny offering a chip lens. That nickname is in reference to how thin it is, drawing similarities with potato chips, and does not pertain to any sort of technology inside the lens. To stay on theme, the company’s teaser for the announcement featured a bag of chips with AF 28mm F4.5 XF above it, much like the Lays potato chip flavor announcements.
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| Image: Viltrox |
The Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 is a unique lens because of its diminutive size. It weighs a measly 60g (2.1oz) and is only 15.3mm (0.6in) thick. To keep the size so minuscule, there are some compromises. Most notably, it uses a constant F4.5 aperture. That means no adjusting the aperture based on lighting conditions. Additionally, it lacks a manual focus ring, so you’ll be stuck entirely with autofocus. It also isn’t compatible with filters.
The optical design is made up of six elements in six groups, including two ED and two aspherical elements. Voltrox says it will deliver “sharp images, vibrant colors, and stunning starburst effects.” It uses a VCM for autofocus, which Viltrox promises will be “fast, precise, and silent.” Additionally, the lens features an integrated lens cap with a slide for opening and closing the cover and a USB-C port for firmware updates.
The AF 28mm F4.5 XF is available in black and white colorways for $99.
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