My analysis of Nikon's October 2019 launches

After merely announcing the development of the D6 flagship DSLR and a 120-300mm f/2.8 F-mount lens a month ago, Nikon had finally released multiple products on October 10th just in time for the holiday season. I find the timing as well as the way they did it and what they said very interesting, so here's some of my opinions on each product and at the end I will summarize what it all means in the grand scheme of things.

Influencers are leaving Sony Alpha ambassador program

It's been a rough year for Sony Alpha in my opinion. A little over a year ago Sony silently removed Jason Lanier as one of their ambassadors after a model alleged improper behavior and sexual harassment. At that time (in May-June 2018) there were just rumors, but nobody knew for sure why he was ditched, and Lanier never addressed this issue when his followers asked him about it. He was one of Sony Alpha's most prolific ambassadors in the early days of the brand's foray into the full frame mirrorless market (2013-2017). The whole scandal blew up this summer when several women came out and shared their negative experiences with Lanier, and alleged several instances of abuse. As a consequence, Rotolight, Lanier second biggest sponsor after Sony, suspended cooperation with him as well.

Manny Ortiz, 'The biggest Sony shill on Youtube' decides to become 'honest'

"Hi, My name is Manny Ortiz, and I am the biggest Sony shill on Youtube" is the beginning of the latest video by photography Youtuber and now former Sony Ambassador Manny Ortiz. In a very frank video he explains why he's leaft the Sony Ambassador program, that uses popular photography Youtubers and other influencers to market their cameras and/or try to taint the reputation of other brands. Sony was pioneer in this regard. When they launched their A7 and A7R series of full frame mirrorless cameras in October 2013, they went aggressively into the (at that time) very nascent community of online influencers. In 2013 Youtube was far from being as big as it is today. The biggest channel on the platform at that time had something over 10 million subscribers. In 2019 there are over 400 channels with over 10 million subscribers. Instagram had 150 million active monthly users in 2013. In 2018 they surpassed a billion. The times have changed a lot, also in the photography gear influencer community.