If I had to summarize the newly announced Fuji X-T10 camera in one sentence, I’d say it’s Fujifilm’s answer to the Olympus OM-D E-M10: a full-featured, affordable camera in a serious, high-quality body for people who are ready to start getting serious about photography.

The X-T10 has the same X-Trans APS-C sensor as Fuji’s top-shelf camera, the X-T1, so IQ should be stellar. It also has a full array of dedicated manual controls and the new AF modes that were just introduced in the X-T1’s 4.0 firmware update, as well as an electronic shutter than can go up to 1/32,000th of a second.

I’m intrigued. On paper, the new X-T10 gives the X-T1 a heck of a run for its money. With such a compelling feature set, solid body and a relatively affordable entry price, it could very well grow to become Fuji’s next big hit and the most popular X-series camera.

The Fuji X-T10 will start at $799 body only and will be released in June 2015. It is currently available for preorder on Amazon.

Well, it definitely looks… interesting:

I’m of the opinion that, even when his movies are terrible, Michael Fassbender as an actor can do no wrong. That said, I keep struggling to picture him as Steve Jobs, and this teaser has done little to erase my doubts. I just don’t quite see it yet.

This will probably be one of the most challenging roles in Fassbender’s career and considering his history, that’s saying a lot. Given the fiasco that was the first Steve Jobs movie I’m not overly optimistic, but I can’t wait for him to prove me wrong.

Which, time and time again, somehow and against all odds, he invariably does.

Fascinating piece by Lindsey Gilpin over at The Atlantic:

Women are credited with the invention of beer around 4,000 B.C., when they fermented barley to make the beverage. Egyptian women, Peruvian women, Dutch women—they were all brewmasters with their own particular, popular recipes. Maria Hebraea, an alchemist who was first written about in the fourth century, has been credited with building an early distilling apparatus. That device, the alembic still, is still used in some parts of Europe for making brandy or whiskey, and is a model for stills used today in the foothills of Appalachia, where people continue to make moonshine.

Sam Bailey, writing for The Daily Mail Australia:

General manager of Vivien’s Models Catherine McGill told Daily Mail Australia that they launched an ’influencers’ section two months ago because of the growing need to accommodate client demand for social media numbers.

‘Our bookers were giving me feedback that clients wanted models who might be blonde, beachy and had a high social media following,’ she said.

‘Now when we’re booking talent, in negotiation process, we talk about the girls numbers.’ McGill says the average expectation of clients will range anywhere between 10,000 - 300,000 followers.

‘It’s not hard and fast number, but 10,000 is the minimum number clients are asking for,’ she said.

This is the ugly side of the social media-driven world we’ve created.

MirrorLessons continues their series of reviews of the spectacular Voigtlander primes for the Micro Four Thirds system. This time around it’s the 42.5mm f/0.95 and by the looks of it, it didn’t disappoint.

On one hand, I loved the purely mechanical build of the Voigtlander 42.5mm f/0.95 and the accuracy of the manual focus ring. The 0.95 aperture makes subject isolation a breeze and the bokeh is as creamy as custard. On the other, I’d be reluctant to give up autofocus completely. And with offerings like the M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 and Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 on the market, it is possible to have a very fast aperture, beautiful bokeh and that razor-like sharpness that is so desirable from a portrait lens.

One thing to keep in mind when considering these specialty lenses is that they’re not about technical perfection, but about character. Clinically sharp lenses can actually have a detrimental effect on certain types of photography, and portraiture is probably the best example of that. Once a lens is so sharp that it starts revealing imperfections, the overall effect may stop being pleasant and cross the line into unflattering territory.

Yes, the Panasonic Nocticron is sharper, especially in the corners, but it’s so clinically perfect that in some cases its images can look a bit artificial. The same thing has been said about the Olympus 75mm f/1.8.

Those lenses may be technically better, and they’re definitely amazing, but none of them can match the character and unique look of the Voigtlander primes.¹ Much like in life certain flaws can add to a person’s character, in photography perfection is rarely what makes for an interesting photograph.

The Lily Camera is a drone that will follow you shooting HD video while you do all sort of crazy things. On the specs side, the Lily is a pretty decent camera that can shoot 1080p video at 60 fps, 720p video at 120 fps and 12 MP stills, but its coolest feature is that you simply need to throw it in the air to start recording a new video. Check it out:

I’m not really into drones — or even old-fashioned GoPros, for that matter — but even I have to admit it looks pretty awesome.

Tom Fucoloro of Seattle Bike Blog calls Representative Ed Orcutt out on his incredibly obtuse thinking when it comes to cycling:

Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama) does not think bicycling is environmentally friendly because the activity causes cyclists to have “an increased heart rate and respiration.”

You can’t make this stuff up. Also:

“You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car,” he said. However, he said he had not “done any analysis” of the difference in CO2 from a person on a bike compared to the engine of a car (others have).

“You can’t just say that there’s no pollution as a result of riding a bicycle.”

Similarly, you can’t just say Representative Orcutt is not a moron as a result of these comments.

Luckily, he later apologized via email and recognized how ridiculous his argument was.

Still, an apology is certainly better than nothing, but that shouldn’t be the end of it. This story clearly demonstrates the lengths many politicians will go to in order to further their political agenda. The fact that elected State Representatives like Mr. Orcutt can make outrageously ignorant comments and then shrug them off as if nothing happened just goes to show how little respect they have for their voters.

Via Joseph Rooks.

Beautiful obituary by Tony Russell over at The Guardian:

BB King, who has died aged 89, was the most influential blues musician of his generation and the music’s most potent symbol. He represented the blues as Louis Armstrong once represented jazz, a single performer who could nevertheless stand, and speak, for the whole genre.

So sad.

Another excellent lens comparison by Matthew Gore over at Light & Matter, as usual. In this case, the Sigma lens practically wipes the floor with the Canon. Unless you absolutely need the shallowest depth of field possible, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art appears to be best normal lens you can buy today.

Randall Munroe, writing on the xkcd blog:

Today, I’m excited to announce that I’m publishing a collection of large-format (9″x13″) Up Goer Five-style blueprints. The book is full of detailed diagrams of interesting objects, along with explanations of what all the parts are and how they work.

The titles, labels, and descriptions are all written using only the thousand most common English words. Since this book explains things, I’ve called it Thing Explainer.

I love these schematic drawings. The book will be released before the end of the year, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.