Photography News: This budget brand is developing a 4G mirrorless camera

Afraid of missing out on the latest photo industry news while you’re out, well, actually taking pictures? Photography News of the Week is all the news you might have missed this week, published on the weekends. Alongside the biggest stories of the week, like Flickr’s big changes, Panasonic’s organic sensor camera, and a one-handed Photoshop and Lightroom editing console, find briefs on the latest in accessories and photography news from this week.

Budget brand Yongnuo has a “4G” mirrorless camera under development

Yongnuo, the China-based budget lens and flash brand, appears to be developing a new mirrorless camera. The company launched a naming contest, displaying an image of what looks to be a slim interchangeable lens camera with a smartphone-like interface at the back. And if the image isn’t enough evidence, the two names Yongnuo suggests fans should vote on are the 4G Camera and Smart Camera — that or submitting an entirely new suggestion.

The company says that the official name will be announced in January, along with giving away 100 YN50mm f/1.8C/N lenses with the naming contest. While the company hasn’t shared details about the camera, the suggestions for Smart Camera and 4G camera offer a pretty good hint.

Olympus rewraps lens technology into high-end binoculars

The latest product from Olympus isn’t a camera but it does incorporate the company’s lens technology. This week, Olympus launched the new 8 x 42 PRO and 10 x 42 Pro binoculars, designed for nature and sporting enthusiasts as well as assisting wildlife photographers in finding their subject.

The binoculars use the Zukio Extra-Low Reflection Optical anti-reflection coating used on M.Zukio Premium and Pro lenses to reduce ghosting along with helping to protect the surface of the lens. The binoculars also incorporate the Extra-Low Dispersion glass to reduce chromatic aberration or colored fringing. The binoculars are both housed in an ergonomic, weatherproof design with fog resistance. The binoculars list for $470 and $570 and include a case, strap, and caps.

IGTV gets Stories sharing

Now you can share your favorite IGTV videos to your story. Tap the paper airplane at the bottom of the video you want to share. When friends see your story, they can tap the preview to watch the whole video in IGTV. pic.twitter.com/oaatUoOqZY

— Instagram (@instagram) November 1, 2018

Instagram’s stand-alone vertical video platform now has one more integration with Instagram itself: Stories. IGTV users can now also share videos inside Stories. The feature is accessed by tapping the send or paper airplane icon and selecting the new option to add to Stories.

Because IGTV videos can be longer than the typical Stories format, sharing in Stories doesn’t use the entire video. Instead, users see a thumbnail preview of the video with the title and length of the video. Previously, an option to share IGTV to Stories was only part of business accounts.

These copper cameras are set to take a 1,000-year exposure to document environmental change

How much changes over the course of 1,000 years? Experimental photographer Jonathon Keats hopes to find out — by creating a long exposure image that won’t be finished until 3018. The photographer recently placed four Millennium Cameras (a design he’s shared in the past for extreme long exposures) around the Lake Tahoe Basin as part of a project called Tahoe Timescape.

The cameras use a tiny pinhole from a plate of 24-karat gold to expose the image inside a copper camera body. Keats’ hope is that the cameras will document environmental change in the area in a single image, though the photographer admits that those same changes could potentially damage the camera or the image inside. He’s already arranged to exhibit the images in 3018 for future generations to see at Sierra Nevada College.