“Nikon pulls plug on SLR camera development in shift to mirrorless”
Japanese camera maker Nikon will withdraw from the development of single-lens reflex cameras and shift toward digital offerings amid intensifying competition from smartphone cameras, Nikkei has learned.
An earlier version of this article said that Canon was also stopping DSLR development, but that was removed in a later update; still, it’s inevitable that they will follow suit.
The article attributes the change to “smartphone cameras”, and while those have certainly changed the face of the camera market more than anything else in decades, this change is likely more due to mirrorless formats taking over the professional market, as the title suggests. Mirrorless cameras—especially now that Nikon (and Canon) have finally put in full-throated efforts—have advanced to the point where their benefits to pros outweigh the few remaining cons.
“The 2022 13-Inch MacBook Air”
John Gruber, writing at Daring Fireball:
The M2 13-inch MacBook Air should not be thought of as version 2 of an Apple silicon MacBook Air. It’s more like version — I don’t know — 40 of what Apple thinks a standard Mac laptop should be. Apple silicon is what’s been missing — no-compromise chips that enable Apple to make the laptops they’ve always wanted to make. It’s taken decades of iterative refinement to get to this point: a nearly perfect laptop for nearly everyone.
As an owner of the M1 Macbook Air (I’m writing this on it), I can only say that if the new M2 version weren’t out, this would be the “nearly perfect laptop for nearly everyone”, so I have no problem believing this about the M2. The Verge in particular, has been making hay of minor quibbles, throwing doubt on the amazing achievement these laptops represent.
If I were to make the MBA a better laptop for me, I’d upgrade the screen to the excellent one on the new MacBook Pros and give an option for built-in, always-on 5G, both things that keep me using an iPad as frequently as I do. As Gruber notes, the 12.9" iPad Pro with the excellent screen is quite chunky compared to the MacBook Air, so I’m always choosing which to use while on the go, and I tend towards the iPad Pro. I’d love for the MacBook Air to be that complete machine instead.
“Facebook is Changing its Algorithm to Take on TikTok, Leaked Memo Reveals”
Alex Castro, writing at The Verge:
…rather than prioritize posts from accounts people follow, Facebook’s main feed will, like TikTok, start heavily recommending posts regardless of where they come from.
This is the exact opposite of what I want from social platforms. I’m interested in what my friends and groups centered around my interests are posting about. I couldn’t care less about the latest memes or what some influencers are saying. This change is as unwelcome as was moving away from reverse chronological order to an algorithmic feed, based on engagement.
I’m still a user of an RSS reader, and would encourage anyone who hates these kinds of changes as much as I do to use applications like a reader to control your consumption, rather than be subject to the whims of platforms like these.
“From The Pro’s Closet: Juli Furtado’s World Championship Yeti C-26—A Glued Together ‘Stud Mufin’”
Mike Wilk & John Watson at The Radavist have a fantastic account of the Yeti C-26 and the early days of mountain bike racing.
“The Colorful History of Haribo Goldbears, the World’s First Gummy Bears”
Haribo gummy bears have been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. Smithsonian Magazine has an article with more than you ever needed to know about the candy and the brand.
On Converting Raw Photos to DNG
Scott Kelby, writing on Lightroom Killer Tips, has an article titled “Why I Don’t Convert My Raw Images To DNG”.
In my case, I’d mostly stopped converting raw images to DNG, after a short time of converting everything. However, I have been converting Sony images to DNG recently, mostly for the storage size benefits. I’m not worried about losing the ability to use first-party converters/editors, as I don’t use them in my workflow, but the lack of losslessly compressed raw files for Sony means that converting to DNG can be a big space saver, on the order of 20%. When you’re talking about hundreds of gigabytes, it can add up quickly, and there’s not really much of a downside from my perspective.
“After roasting Apple about headphone jacks, Google quietly dumps it from Pixel 6A”
Once again, Google has parodied Apple only to become a parody itself the following year.
Inevitable.
We’ve asked Google why it is dropping the headphone jack for the Pixel 6A. But it’s possible the company wants to make a more convincing case to sell you wireless headphones — and wouldn’t you know it, Google revealed the new Pixel Buds Pro at Google I/O as well.
“Young Justice: Targets Mini-Series Coming June 2022 from DC Comics”
Written by Young Justice: Phantoms showrunner Greg Weisman with art by storyboard artist Christopher Jones, Young Justice: Targets will be available in comic shops on July 26. DC UNIVERSE INFINITE subscribers will have early access to the digital first comic, as Young Justice: Targets #1 will debut on the premium digital subscription service on June 14. Plus, each issue includes a bonus story detailing previously unseen adventures from past seasons of Young Justice!
Nice to see some new Young Justice comics that are official canon with the animated series.
“1Password 8 for Mac: An upgrade, after all”
Jason Snell, at Six Colors:
My judgment is: It’s a good app. In redesigning 1Password, AgileBits has made it feel lighter and more modern. It feels more like a modern Mac app than the old version did.
I was one of the people who thought that making 1Password a Catalyst app was a bad idea, but they appear to have pulled it off. I agree with the article that the “Quick Access” functionality introduced in 1Password 8 is nice, as is its integration with macOS’s Accessibility.
Overall, I’d say that 1Password 8 is a good Mac app, even though it’s not what we have traditionally considered a native one.