Adam Ottke

Staff Writer, Gear News http://www.adamottke.com +Adam OttkeFacebook
Hey, everyone! I'm Adam. I'm 21, in school, and shoot every day. And I'm from 'all over California.' What do I shoot? Well...people. They're interesting, never the same, and there's a never-ending supply of them. I haven't ignored digital by any means, but in the digital age that we live in, I still find time to shoot film quite a bit. I just don't think anything beats it -- still (ok: camera + photoshop...but it's not the same). That said, there is some VERY exciting stuff happening in the new age of digital photography, and that's why it's so awesome to be here on Fstoppers doing what I do.I cover virtually any photo-related gear that comes out or that's being used in cool ways. If you ever have a question of any kind, don't hesitate to email me. I'm young, but I also have a lot of energy to research things I don't have the answer for right away -- so ask away! And if you want to see something on Fstoppers that you've seen or done yourself, go ahead and send it in. I'd love to see it!

What Chernobyl Looks Like Almost Three Decades Later…

Photographer Sergei Gaschak photographed an area deemed uninhabitable to humans: the Chernobyl disaster’s ‘fallout zone.’ While a few people do still choose to live there, animals are more known to have inhabited the area, unaware, obviously, of the radiation that they expose themselves to. Still, few abnormalities seem to form in these animals, apparently, despite the few examples of albino spots and some more serious effects on various swallows. [more]

Lomography: News and Product Updates

Lomography has been around for a while now, known and loved for its crazy light leaks and cool hipster style that Instagram has tried tried to emulate for years for mobile digital imaging networkers (smartphone users). They have great stuff not only for the hipster society, but also for anyone starting out in photography, as their cameras are extremely affordable. A new Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner and the Peacock 110 X-Pro film are among the newest products Lomography has to offer… [more]

Kodak-Branded PixPro S1 Camera: Will It Help?

Kodak struck a deal to allow the use of its name with the production of a camera by JK Imaging that will be known as the Kodak PixPro S1 — a micro four-thirds mirrorless camera. Additionally, JK Imaging will also release future compact and superzoom cameras using the Kodak name. Is it just me, or does this seem cheap to anyone? Is this something that will help Kodak with its financial difficulties, or do you think it’s a poor product? [more]

Benjamin Von Wong: Craziest Photo Challenge Ever

Von Wong, who you should all know by now — if not from us, then from the million and one places he scurries around the world and online — was given a challenge by a friend, Sebastien Roignant: “To shoot and edit an insane image involving two orcs, a witch king, warrior, villager and a cinema theatre…all in 4 hours without having any information ahead of time.” Von Wong is also up for a [Framed] award for best conceptual photographer this year. Vote for him here. [more]

More Info on Sigma’s SM Dock

In an interesting development, four months ago, Sigma announced a dock that allows you to connect your Sigma lens to your computer and adjust custom settings, but we have today we have more information, expanding on what we already posted then. You can adjust setting like a new minimum focus distance, autofocus speed, optical stabilization parameters and more. It’ll even let you update the lens firmware. This is pretty neat, I think, and the first such product of its kind to my knowledge. [more]

Lexar Announces New XQD and 256GB SDXC Cards

Until now, Sony has been the only XQD card manufacturer (you know, for those crazy fast, kind of small, and weird format cards that go into your Nikon D4). Finally, Lexar has announced their own 32GB ($299.99) and 64GB ($579.99) versions along with a USB 3.0 XQD card reader. The cards feature read speeds of up to 168MB/s (1100x) and slower write speeds that aren’t yet stated. A 256GB SDXC 600x card was also announced, holding the high-end for both capacity and speed of Lexar’s SD card lineup. [more]

Affordable Nikon D800 Grip Option Now Going Pro Route with Magnesium

Phottix has had their BG-D800 grip for the Nikon D800/D800E on the market for a while now. However, a new BG-D800M is now available, featuring a higher-quality magnesium build. While the BG-D800M is currently listed on their site for $200, the BG-D800 (the regular one) is listed for $150, but can be had for $90 on Amazon. The BG-D800M isn’t yet available on Amazon, but this post will be updated as soon as it is. [more]

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