Getty Images is bringing nearly a million dollars in cameras, lenses to the Rio Olympics

By Gannon Burgett July 27, 2016

getty images camera lenses equipment insane canon olympic games cameras — Getty Images/Twitter

There’s just a little more than a week to go until the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Competing in the Olympics will be the greatest athletes from around the world – more than 10,000 in all. Each of these athletes will compete in at least one of the 306 events that will take place across 28 different sports.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that it takes a lot of manpower – and even more camera power – to capture each and every one of the athletes throughout their respective events. As it is for the athletes, the Olympics are one of the largest stages in the world for photojournalists from around the globe to flex their creative muscles.

Related Videos

To achieve this, it takes a lot of gear, especially if you’re one of the largest photo agencies in the world, Getty Images.

The company showed off a collection of cameras and lenses that will be making its way to Rio. And it is a feast – especially if you’re a Canon shooter.

A photo posted by Getty Images (@gettyimages) on Jul 25, 2016 at 6:25am PDT

Getty Images exclusively uses Canon equipment, and from the looks of it, a lot of it. As seen in the above photo, the camera body of choice for this year’s Olympics is the Canon EOS 1DX Mark II, a full-frame monster designed with demanding photojournalism in mind, as well as some 50.6-megapixel EOS 5DS R models.

As for lenses, it’s hard to tell exactly what Getty brought to South America from the images alone. But it’s safe to say photographers will be hard-pressed to find a piece of glass that isn’t available to shoot with.

A photo posted by Michael Heiman (@heiman225) on Jul 23, 2016 at 7:50am PDT

A few curious Redditors did some back-of-the-napkin math to figure out the approximate value of the equipment shown. The general consensus is that there’s at least $200,000 worth of camera bodies and more than twice that in lenses in the first photo released by Getty. By my own math, the second image has at least another quarter of a million dollars in lenses.

Photography isn’t cheap. Especially when it comes to the biggest sporting event in the world. Keep an eye on the sidelines during the Olympics and see what fun cameras and lenses you can spy.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Photography

The Insta360 Sphere is a virtual invisibility cloak for drones

Graphic rendering of the Insta360 Sphere drone camera attachment.

On paper, drones and 360 cameras go together like pineapple and pizza, that is to say, they are an excellent if rather niche combination. However, the problem has always been when filming with a camera that sees everything, that the view also includes whatever the camera is attached to. This means that filming with a 360 camera on a drone feels more like riding a speeder on Endor than flying unsupported through the sky. The Insta360 Sphere solves this issue by turning the drone invisible, thus fully immersing you in the experience of flight.

The Sphere accomplishes this by placing one lens on top of the drone and one beneath. The Sphere then uses software to stitch the footage from each half together so that the drone vanishes from the video, creating a seamless sphere. It’s exclusively compatible with the Mavic Air 2 and Air 2S drones from DJI and has been designed so that it doesn’t interfere with the structural integrity or various wireless systems on the drone, such as GPS. The Sphere clamps on securely around the middle of the drone in such a way that vital sensors aren’t obscured.

Photography

Watch DJI’s video featuring Mini 3 Pro drone footage

The DJI Mini 3 Pro in flight over the ocean.

As expected, DJI unveiled the latest iteration of its smallest drone on Tuesday.

With its compact design and abundance of features, DJI’s Mini 3 Pro is an exciting new machine that looks set to attract a new wave of enthusiasts to drone photography -- and may even prompt some folks with larger Mavic machines to switch to the new Mini copter.

Photography

GoPro Hero 10 Black vs DJI Action 2 vs. Insta360 One RS: Clash of the action cameras

The Insta360 One RS with the 360 lens mod, DJI Action 2, and GoPro Hero 10 Black in a snow bank.

Some circumstances call for a camera that can survive whatever the world can throw at it, and for such situations, the clear choice is an action camera. While a DSLR or smartphone may shatter when dropped, or fizzle out and die when dunked in the briny deep, an action camera will endure all but the most extreme catastrophes. GoPro is by far the best known and most established action camera company -- so much so that you most likely identify action cameras as "GoPros."

However, there are more options available to consumers, with DJI and Insta360 throwing their hats in the ring with cameras that rival GoPro for the action camera crown. It’s a shockingly even match, and more a matter of which is right for you than which is best. I've spent the past year extensively testing the GoPro Hero 10 Black, DJI Action 2, and Insta360 One RS so that I can help you pick the ideal action camera.
Usability
With action cameras, an important factor to consider is how easy they are to use in the field. It’s important to be able to start and stop recording quickly and easily in adverse conditions. In this regard, the Hero 10 Black is the clear winner for a couple of reasons. Primarily, that great big record button on top is by far the easiest to find by feel, even with thick ski gloves on. The other two are fine in this regard, but I was never as sure of whether I had actually activated or ended recording with them.