Photo News: Lots of prizes and an iPhone as professional monitor

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Spring – even if it is barely visible this weekend – is the time for the big awards for the past year in the photography industry. Competitions such as the "World Press Photo Award" (WPPA) are strictly based on the calendar year, and it is not until January that the deadlines expire and the evaluation begins. The same applies to the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), which honors devices rather than content.

And because this is so much easier with hardware than with the usually difficult subjects of press photography, we are starting with the TIPA Award. Unsurprisingly, because it has often been the camera of the year elsewhere, the best body for professionals with a full-frame sensor is Nikon's Z 8. Sony's A9 III, which has just been launched in 2023, is the best hybrid camera, which seems a little strange as it is not specifically designed for filming. But brand parity, so that everyone gets a prize, is a tradition at the TIPA. However, some things stand out, such as the prize for sharpening black and white photos, which was won by the German print service provider WhiteWall.

However, the general parity at the TIPA explains why the Canon R100 is the best APS-C camera for beginners, as Canon did not introduce any other new camera in 2023. And the R1, which has now been announced for over a year, is still a long time coming. And because Canon has become somewhat sluggish, Fujifilm, Nikon and Sony currently dominate the list of all excellent devices. Also unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the best smartphone for photography in the opinion of the jury. Although it is not clearly ahead of the competition in terms of image quality in our detailed test of the top smartphones despite its 1-inch sensor, the camera kit with grip makes taking photos much more convenient.

The World Press Photo comes from Gaza

The World Press Photo Foundation (WPPF) probably also felt it was almost imperative to choose a picture from the war in the Gaza Strip as the press photo of the year. A year ago, it was a scene from the war in Ukraine. The award-winning, depressing scene shows a Palestinian woman with her face covered, holding the dead body of her 5-year-old niece wrapped in the traditional shroud. We describe the scene because the jury's comment is an important reason for choosing it as Photo of the Year.

"The image is a symbol of the consequences of conflict and makes it clear that all wars are pointless." The jury recognized that this photographer was awarded for the same subject almost a decade ago, highlighting the ongoing struggle for recognition of such a pressing issue. So the WPPF explicitly does not want to take a side in this war by awarding Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem's image. Rather, it also seems to be about the continuity of photographic reporting. Salem's motif, which won second place for "Spot News, Singles" in 2010, shows a completely different scene, but also from the Gaza Strip.

Incidentally, because the C2PA seal of authenticity didn't really take off in 2023 either, the WPPF checks shortlisted images thoroughly by hand. They do not rely on AI or anything similar. The list of criteria is extensive: image series, raw files and documentation must be submitted. Photos from a smartphone are only accepted if they are sent directly from the phone by email. And of course, multiple exposures and composite images are not permitted, at most a gentle cropping that does not change the context. Even then, however, the original must be attached. A press photo should not be a staged image, but should show an event as it happened.

Sony expensive and good wide angle

For press photographers, a fast wide-angle zoom, for example for interiors or scenes on the street, is standard equipment. Unfortunately, such lenses are always quite heavy and expensive, and Sony's new FE 16-25mm F2.8 G is no exception. 1,400 euros may be too much for the small zoom range for some, but the features, including three rings for focus, focal length and aperture, as well as the weather resistance, justify this. Such constructions are mechanically complex. Fast mechanics and software are also required to keep up with the 120 fps and autofocus of an A9 III, as the G lens is also built for this camera.

The Australian company Atomos also plays in the professional league with its external HDMI recorders. Within just a few years, they have become synonymous with the function: An Atomos is there just to take the image from a camera via HDMI and save it in a professional format such as Apple's ProRes. However, the so-called rigs built around system cameras require an even better monitor than the tiny one on the camera itself. So what could be more obvious than using the large and now excellent displays of a smartphone instead?

Atomos for iPhone only with Full HD

The reason is that this alone is not much use and makes the cable clutter, including for the power supply, even worse. The new "Ninja Phone" therefore serves as a kind of cell phone case with extended connections and power bank for Apple's iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max. This turns it into a recorder as well as a display. The signal flow is as follows: The camera, regardless of the manufacturer, outputs the uncompressed image via HDMI, even with HDR. The Ninja Phone receives this, compresses it as ProRes or H.265 and plays it back to the iPhone via USB-C, where the video is saved or streamed. This only costs around 460 euros, including the special case, and should be available from June 2024.

With this comparatively low price, there has to be a catch, of course, and that is the resolution because Full HD and 60 fps is the limit, 4K or even more is not available. Atomos emphasizes that this is probably also because the appeal of the product lies in the use of the iPhone display with OLED and HDR up to 1,600 nits brightness. If the camera can already record internally in a reasonable format, the Ninja Phone is unlikely to replace one of Atomos' large 4K encoders. It is more of a monitor adapter and a backup recorder if you already have an iPhone. However, the solution is particularly interesting for long streaming sessions, as the device and the iPhone itself can be powered by plugged-in rechargeable batteries without the need for large cables.

And since we're already complaining, the recommendation for a long watch at the weekend is also a good way of confirming our own experiences: In their new video, the Petapixel team settles the score with the software included with the cameras. Unsurprisingly, none of the manufacturers' software is really any good.

(nie)