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Coronavirus bursts Big Tech’s bubble

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During RSA’s second day, the City of San Francisco declared a State of Emergency. By day three, California confirmed its first Coronavirus case of unknown origin, sending the world outside RSA into a tailspin.

Needless to say, this was not one of the viruses 40,000 infosec professionals were looking for. However, RSA is a security event where everyone says they’re threat experts and sales staff push products that detect and defend against infections (of the digital variety). So people did what they could to prepare under the looming shadow of what feels like the biggest threat this industry may ever face: a very real, fast-moving, and abstruse virus.

It’s not like anyone coming to RSA could ignore being at an epicenter for news about this specific Novel Coronavirus, aka COVID-19. “Michael Sentonas, the CTO of CrowdStrike” told TechRepublic that he tried to buy hand sanitizer upon landing in San Francisco, “but it was sold out everywhere.” As of this writing, it still is.

The City’s alarming State of Emergency announcement came right as RSA’s Expo Hall opened for business.

“While the majority of cases and deaths have taken place in China, the epicenter of the illness, the virus has now spread to about 30 countries, including the United States,” stated the Mayor’s office. “Currently, there are 53 confirmed cases in this country, including 10 in California. While San Francisco has no confirmed cases in city residents, three COVID-19 patients from other counties have been treated in San Francisco hospitals. Given the global patterns that are being seen, there is a growing likelihood of cases in San Francisco.”

Like the rest of us, RSA’s organizers found themselves in nightmare territory with a bunch of very old maps. How RSA proceeded from there, is interesting.

Long before the conference, RSA set up a Novel Coronavirus Update page clarifying its incident response, linking to resources and introducing additional safety measures for the event. These included daily carpet sanitization, hand sanitizers everywhere, “electrostatic sprayers to disinfect high-traffic areas,” and, noticed by everyone, “Frequent wipe downs of all common touch areas each day including door knobs, lecterns, microphones, escalator handrails, trash receptacles, elevator buttons, water stations, registration tables and in and around the bathroom areas.”

That’s all in addition to increased medical staff, discouraging handshakes, “disinfecting registration counters and floors continuously throughout the day,” and wiping down shuttle buses four times a day.

“On Wednesday morning,” reported press, “new signs popped up with a list of tips: clean your hands with soap and water, don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth; if you feel ill, go to our First Aid Office. During the day, Moscone Center employees wiped down door handles frequently with sanitizers.” Still, the mood remained surprisingly light.

San Francisco is my hometown and I can tell you for a fact that it has never been this clean.

Infosec is my beat, so you can also take it from me that the sector suffers from having a significant number of people, who think the rules don’t apply to them, creating serious blind spots about the damage they sometimes do to people around them. So I guess we’ll find out in about two weeks — the Novel Coronavirus incubation period — how the world’s top threat experts fared against real-life viruses when the tipping point into pandemic occurred.

There was speculation that RSA would (or should) cancel — as has Mobile World Congress, Facebook’s F8, and its Global Marketing Summit. “The total number of exhibitors,” stated RSAC, “including Verizon, that have canceled their participation as a sponsor or exhibitor is fourteen, including six from China; seven from the U.S.A.; and one from Canada.”

Those cancelations were huge, even though RSA downplayed the impact. They included Verizon (Gold Sponsor), IBM (Platinum Sponsor), and AT&T (Gold Sponsor). “Since our last update, the number of individuals, including those from AT&T Cybersecurity, who have canceled their registration is approximately 1.2 percent of the total number of expected attendees. We also feel that it is important to communicate an update regarding the nine companies from China signed up to exhibit at RSA Conference 2020. Of those nine companies, six have canceled due to travel restrictions.”

Other tech conferences are watching big companies dropping out left and right; many are giving the whole “let’s all hang out and try not to get the plague thing” a big oh hell no.

Big Tech goes on lockdown

Spain Mobile World Congress

Mobile World Congress, at 100,000 visitors, is the world’s largest trade show for the smartphone industry. It was canceled for the first time in 30 years “over coronavirus-related concerns,” Engadget reported earlier this month. The announcement came after several major companies (including Amazon, LG, Sony and NVIDIA) dropped out.

Yesterday Microsoft joined Sony, Facebook, and other companies in dropping out of Game Developers Conference 2020, set to take place in San Francisco. That same day, Facebook canceled its huge developer conference F8, though as we reported, “the company is planning locally-hosted events and livestreamed content to try and make up for skipping the main part of the conference.”

Facebook had previously canceled its big annual marketing conference, reported Business Insider. “The Global Marketing Summit was expected to bring 5,000 people to San Francisco.” Another article stated, “Black Hat Asia, a Singapore cybersecurity conference that was to begin in late March, has been postponed until the fall.”

Meanwhile RSA SF grappled with opening its Expo Hall just as the City of San Francisco declared a state of emergency. CNBC then reported that enterprise software vendor Workday canceled its giant conference in Florida, while “Facebook and Sony also pulled out of March’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.”

This all came to pass as tech stocks took a dive, dragging the market down with them into a fresh new panic zone. It’s hard to conjure sadness for rich, stock-humping techies facing the possibility that their lives might become a bit more like the rest of ours. But a close look at what’s going on with tech’s stock implosions might clarify what the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases was trying to tell us at the beginning of this week.

The CIRD’s Dr. Nancy Messonnier cautioned we were past “if” and into “when” — and that we should start making infection plans and stock up on things like masks. She also said, “We want to prepare Americans for the possibility that their lives will be disrupted.”

What might that mean? Probably not just high prices on everything made in China, like oogy rubber sex toys and sketchy internet-connected surveillance cameras. Anyway, look at Apple right now.

Apple did not mince words in a statement about missing its revenue guidance. Basically, plants closed, reopening is not going well, retail stores are closed, and there is no one to shop in them. Apple stated, “worldwide iPhone supply will be temporarily constrained … [and] demand for our products within China has been affected. All of our stores in China and many of our partner stores have been closed. Additionally, stores that are open have been operating at reduced hours and with very low customer traffic.”

Nintendo’s Switch is also facing coronavirus-related production and shipment delays in Japan. Meanwhile, Google confirmed to press it closed all offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China for the time being. Google, Facebook, and Apple have restricted employees from going to China, and workers who have gone to China recently can’t come back into the office for “up to two weeks,” wrote Vox.

Bye-bye tech bubble

Make no mistake: putting China and Southeast Asia on pause is costly. And a tech sector in tailspin will take everyone with it. In an eloquent analysis, Economist writer Ryan Avent said, “we have very little idea how this is likely to play out.”

Avent explained:

In terms of the nature of what we’re facing, well, it’s a supply shock: a reduction in the capacity of the economy to produce goods and services, as opposed to a drop in people’s willingness to spend. Shuttered factories, canceled events: those all represent obstacles to the creation of GDP.

… The world has never experienced a supply shock with this disruptive potential in the era of hyperglobalization. We don’t know how large-scale supply disruptions will cascade across the supply chains that have grown up over the past few decades.

There’s more, but one of Avent’s final cautions has been stuck in my head for days: “I would say though — keeping in mind that there is huge uncertainty about all of this — that if indeed we are now facing a pandemic there is a good chance that the global economy will contract in the first half of 2020.”

Well. I guess one upside is that the videoconference business is booming.

So we can hope that RSAC 2020 San Francisco was a safe experience for attendees and, well, everyone around them in the coming weeks. We can stock up on masks, argue about lethality and the flu, we can also be really really angry about all the missed chances to contain the Coronavirus known as COVID-19.

Yet I think that, just like with security and privacy issues in tech, we’d be wise to consider the effects of the virus and the underlying picture — so we know the risks we face and can take steps to reduce the harm. No one’s going to ride in and save us but ourselves, and each other. To smack aside divisive forces and help one another.

We’re on our own, and that’s not new. After surviving the AIDS crisis in San Francisco (we were abandoned by the federal government to die), I know we have the strength, the smarts, and the power to handle it — together.

Image: AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti (MWC)



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FCC proposes token fines for carriers that sold phone location data

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The networks followed a similar pattern, according to the FCC. They sold location access to aggregators that themselves resold access to service providers, with each carrier relying largely on “contract-based assurances” that they’d get permission from customers before accessing that info. As you might have guessed, that didn’t always happen — one Missouri Sheriff, Cory Hutcheson, got access to “hundreds” of customers’ data without permission between 2014 and 2017.

There were no mentions of allegations that carriers continued to sell location data despite assurances they would stop. The FCC stressed that the accusations and proposed penalties weren’t final, however.

It won’t surprise you to hear that there’s opposition to the fines. A T-Mobile spokesperson claimed to Engadget that the carrier “took quick action” and was the first carrier to stop selling location data, but that it “fully intend[s] to dispute” the FCC’s proposal. We’ve asked AT&T, Sprint and Verizon for comment as well.

Any fines won’t do lasting financial damage to these networks when they frequently earn more money than this in a single day, but that’s not entirely the point. The FCC ultimately wants the companies to do a better job of locking down data, including verifying permission directly with customers. That could force them to institute stricter policies, and might reduce the allure of selling data when it can’t be used to track people without their consent.

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Google may add free trials and YouTube streaming to Stadia soon

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The code 9to5 examined indicates Google is working on a new interface flow that would allow you to create a Stadia account without first inputting a code. At the moment, the fact a code is required to sign up means you need to either spend on $129 on the Stadia Premiere Edition or get a Buddy Pass from a friend who bought a Founder’s Edition bundle at launch.

Google may give people who sign up for new accounts one month of Stadia Pro for free. We’ve known since the company announced Stadia at GDC 2019 that it plans to make Stadia more widely available, but it looks like not everyone who wants to try Stadia may be able to do right away. The APK indicates Google may limit new account signups to maintain a certain level of quality and performance for existing subscribers. One line of code points to a message that says, “Sorry, Stadia is full in your area.” But it’s not clear what “area” means in Stadia’s context.

It also appears two features Google didn’t ship at launch, Family Sharing and YouTube Live streaming, are close to making their way to Stadia users. In the case of the former, 9to5 found evidence only one person in a family will be able to play a game at any one time. If two want to play the same title simultaneously, your family will need to buy a second copy. When it comes to YouTube streaming, the website saw code snippets that indicate Stadia will allow you to control things like whether your stream is visible on YouTube, and if there’s a viewer count for others to see.

The one major caveat to all of this is that the existence of certain code is not confirmation that a feature will eventually make its way to the final product. Google may change its plans, altering or completely scrapping certain features along the way. That said, since most of the features detailed above are ones the company has already talked about in the past, there’s a good chance they won’t get lost in the shuffle.

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‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ has more customization options than ever

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Kicks the Skunk, a villager that owns a shoe store, now sells accessories like bags, clothing and other accessories. This will help players customize their characters more than previous Animal Crossing entries, which have been somewhat lacking in that department. Demo players have also spotted more fish and snapping turtles that they can catch and display at the island’s museum. A small feature that may make a big impact on long-time Animal Crossing players allows the camera to switch to a top-down perspective similar to that of the original Nintendo 64 / GameCube version of the game. (The first Animal Crossing was first released on N64 in Japan as Dobutsu no Mori.)

As more players get their hands on the demo at PAX East, more features are likely to turn up. Luckily for fans that can’t make it to Boston this weekend, the game will be out in less than a month. Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be out on March 20th, while accessories and a special edition Switch console will be out on March 13th.

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Amazon is the latest to pull out of GDC over coronavirus fears

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On top of this, Amazon has also begun restricting “non-essential” employee travel in the US after doing the same in China in January.

The internet giant joins Facebook, Sony, EA, Epic Games, Microsoft, Kojima Productions and Unity Technologies among the major brands exiting GDC. This won’t necessarily lead to GDC shutting down, as there are still numerous developers (including larger ones like Google) committed to the event. A GDC spokesperson recently told The Verge that the event would move “forward as planned.” However, it’s safe to say the event will take on a very different tone than it has in recent years, assuming it goes ahead — the focus will be more on indies.

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Etsy’s new ad policy could force more fees on merchants

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At first glance, a system in which creators only have to pay for successful ads doesn’t seem bad, but it’s how Etsy plans to implement the service that has some sellers worried. When the company puts the new policy in place in April, it will automatically enroll merchants who make more than $10,000 in sales annually, charging them a 12 percent advertising fee. Critically, these sellers won’t have the option to opt-out of the service. Meanwhile, merchants who generate less than $10,000 in sales per year won’t have to take part. However, Etsy still plans to enroll them automatically, and they’ll have to pay a higher 15 percent fee.

For most sellers, Esty estimates one in 10 of their sales will come courtesy of offsite ads. By the company’s math, someone who sells $10,000 in products annually will pay $120 in advertising costs. What Esty’s example doesn’t acknowledge are the other fees the company charges sellers. On its own, $120 for advertising isn’t a lot, but it’s yet another fee merchants need to pay on top of expenses like materials and, in some cases, shipping — plus not to mention Etsy’s existing listing fees. Moreover, not every product sold on Esty costs the same amount of money to make. For some merchants, an extra 12 to 15 percent fee top of other expenses could be the difference between profitability and breaking even.

Predictably, there are plenty of people who aren’t happy about the new policy. While some say aspects of the new service are an improvement over the current one, the fact Esty plans to force some merchants to participate, whether they want to or not, is a significant point of contention.

In a statement to Gizmodo, a spokesperson for Etsy acknowledged those concerns but said the company believes merchants will see the benefits of the service once they use it. “Many sellers asked us for marketing products that give them more control with less risk, and we’re excited to evolve our advertising services to directly address this feedback,” the spokesperson said. “Offsite Ads will help sellers reach tens of millions of potential buyers off of Etsy, without having to pay any fees unless they make a successful sale. While we understand that changes like these can be an initial cause of concern, we’re confident that once Offsite Ads launches sellers will see the benefits of this powerful new marketing tool.”

Etsy has made several controversial moves in the past couple of years. Most recently, its decision to push creators to absorb the cost of shipping products outraged sellers. Then as now, people are threatening to leave the marketplace, saying they’re upset about the upcoming changes.

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Professional ‘League of Legends’ is trying to work around the coronavirus

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The move makes a lot of sense: while the spread of the coronavirus appears to be slowing in China, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The change in format will be dramatic, though. The LPL is one of the few esports leagues with multiple home team venues dotted around the country. Match attendance is usually high — dramatically higher than domestic League of Legends leagues in North America (LCS) and Europe (LEC) — and the inevitable chants and cheers create a lively atmosphere for the players on stage and everyone watching at home. With an online-only setup, viewers will have to make do with the in-game audio and ‘shoutcast’ commentary.

According to the LPL, all players will have to complete a 14-day monitored quarantine period and meet “all local health requirements” before they can participate in the new format. And, to make sure every game is fair, the league will be sending referees to each team’s headquarters. “This new 2020 LPL format will be the first time a professional League of Legends league is done online,” the organisers said on Twitter. “There will likely be some unforeseen technical difficulties, but we will try our best to deal with them in a timely fashion. We expect to continue to bring everyone the exciting and action-packed gameplay that the LPL has been known for.”

The timing of the coronavirus outbreak is unfortunate. Two new teams, SinoDragon Gaming (SDG) and Victory Five (V5), joined the LPL this year, bringing the total number of squads up to 16. This split is also the first time that every team has been allowed to wear its new Nike-supplied uniforms, which include custom jerseys, LPL-branded joggers and Nike sneakers.

For now, the domestic league in Korea, the LCK, is still playing matches inside an arena. Spectators are barred, however, which has created a similarly safe but tepid atmosphere for players and viewers watching online. The LCS and LEC, meanwhile, are carrying on with live audiences.

It’s hoped, of course, that the coronavirus will soon peter out and everything will return to normal. Until that happens, Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, needs a back-up plan for its annual Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) tournament. The prestigious competition, which takes place after the Spring Split, features the best team from every major region including the LPL and LCK. Right now, Riot doesn’t know what, if any travel restrictions will be in place during the tournament, and whether there’s a host city that would be easier for everyone to reach.

Earlier this week, John Needham, Global Head of Esports at Riot Games, admitted that the company has had to adjust its plans and delay the announcement of when and where MSI will be held. “While we remain committed to making the event happen, the health and safety of players and fans comes first and foremost, with the integrity of the competition a close second,” he said in a statement. Riot’s position is completely understandable. Still, the lack of information has frustrated some fans who are keen to book their own travel and accommodation for the event.

It’s possible that MSI will be held without representation from one or many of the major regions, including the LPL. That would arguably defeat the point of the competition, though, and make any victory a shallow one. Some fans have suggested that the tournament be held online, similar to the LPL, or scrapped entirely given the unusual circumstances. It wouldn’t be the first, or likely the last international event to be cancelled this year.



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Facebook’s 3D photos no longer require portrait mode

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Facebook 3D image gif

Facebook isn’t the first to do this — Google has used a similar technique for portrait mode with its Pixel phones — but Facebook’s version also allows you to convert photos long after you’ve snapped them. The company says it can make 3D pics out of everything from recent selfies to “decades-old” shots stored on your phone.

Eventually, Facebook says it hopes to also apply the research to video, which could open up some interesting possibilities for its AR and VR efforts.

There is a catch, though: not all devices will be able to support it, according to Facebook. Though any device can view 3D photos in News Feed, the ability to post a 3D photo in Facebook’s app is limited to the iPhone 7 and newer, as well as a handful of “midrange or better” Android phones, including Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and Note 9, as well as the entire Pixel lineup (minus last year’s budget-friendly Pixel 3A).

The feature is rolling out now to Facebook’s app. Unfortunately, the company wasn’t able to provide a full list of compatible devices, so if you don’t have one of the phones already mentioned, you’ll likely need to wait and see if your device supports the feature in the next few days.

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How to buy a mirrorless camera lens in 2020

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What are you shooting?

Your camera likely came with a cheap kit lens, probably a zoom in the 24-70mm (35mm equivalent) range. However, most kit lenses are useless in low light and have mediocre image and build quality. So you should strongly consider supplementing it with at least one or two additional lenses.

What to buy depends largely on what you’ll be shooting. For most photographers, a versatile, wide focal-range zoom will be your best bet. Portrait photographers will need a 50-85mm fixed (prime) lens that best flatters your subject.

Product photographers might consider a macro lens; architectural and landscape photographers need wide-angle zoom or fixed lenses and wildlife and sports shooters will be drawn to large, relatively fast telephoto (tele) fixed or zoom lenses. If you shoot a lot in low light, you’ll need a fast lens (f/2.8 or lower) with stabilization, and video shooters will need to consider things like focus breathing, manual focus and parfocal qualities (more on those shortly).

Lens basics

Focal length and angle of view. The key feature of a lens is its focal length in millimeters. (Angle of view is much the same but takes into account the sensor size.) We often express focal length as a 35mm film camera equivalent so we can understand the relative angle of view for any camera. By that metric, lenses under 24mm are ultra-wide angle (or fish-eye, if there’s significant distortion), wide are between 24-35mm, standard are 35mm-70mm and telephoto lenses come in above that. Macro lenses, which capture very close subjects, are usually in the 35-100mm range.

Prime vs. zoom. Zooms are more versatile and make it easier to frame your subjects without moving while primes generally offer better optics and low-light performance (speed) for the same price. That’s because there are optical compromises in zoom lenses that don’t exist with primes.

Mount. Lenses are usually designed for specific brands (Nikon, Sony) and sensor sizes (full-frame, APS-C or Micro Four Thirds). Generally, lenses are a lot more expensive for full-frame cameras because there’s just more glass. Full-frame lenses for Canon, Sony and Nikon work just fine on their APS-C models, but you’ll be spending more money and using only a part of the lens. You can also stick APS-C lenses on full-frame Nikon and Sony cameras, but the image will be cropped and zoomed in. Generally, it’s best to buy lenses made specifically for your camera.

F-stop or aperture. Faster lenses with wider apertures (openings) have lower f-stop numbers, (f/2.8 instead of f/4.0, for instance), indicating that they take in more light. They also let you create more bokeh, or blur, in the background to isolate the subject. As a rule, they cost a lot more than slower models. Cheaper kit lenses often have variable apertures, which change depending on the zoom level. For instance, Sony’s slowish full-frame FE 28-70mm OSS kit lens has a variable f-stop range of f/3.5-f/5.6 and costs just $400, the Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS model is $800 and the fixed-aperture FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens will set you back $2,200.

Autofocus (AF). If you buy an extremely fast camera, like Sony’s A9 II, you’ll want a lens that focuses just as quickly. Again, money helps here, as costly Canon RF, Fujinon, Nikon Z and Sony GM glass mostly offer great AF performance. That said, many cheap kit and prime lenses, like Nikon’s 35mm f/1.8 Z-mount, also pack solid autofocus systems. Cheaper lenses can have noisy autofocus, which is something that video shooters, especially vloggers who rely on AF, should keep in mind.

Stabilization. Stabilization reduces hand and other camera movements (though not subject movement, obviously), letting you shoot with less light than you normally could. If you have certain mirrorless cameras like Nikon’s Z6 or Sony’s A7 III, they already have built-in stabilization (IBS). That means any lens you use, even manual focus models, will benefit from stabilization.

For other models, like the Canon EOS R or Fujifilm X-T3, though, you’ll need to get that feature from the lens. The key metric is how much extra speed you get (in f-stops) compared to having no stabilization. Many manufacturers claim as much as 7.5 stops of improvement (the Olympus O-MD E-M1 Mark III), but keep in mind that it won’t help on every shot. Even if your camera has IBS, you’ll still benefit from a lens that has it, as most IBS systems work in concert with the camera.

Optical quality, bokeh and distortion. Most modern lenses, including kit models, are sharp enough for the average user. Better lenses, however, will remain sharp at wide-open apertures and toward the corners of the image with less vignetting or dark corners.

Higher-end models will also have better quality, softer-looking bokeh in the blurred parts of the image. As for distortion, it’s mostly an issue with zoom lenses, not primes, and modern mirrorless cameras will automatically remove it. Zoom lenses, especially cheaper models, are also more susceptible to chromatic aberration (CA), which causes blue or pink tones at the edges of objects in a photo.

Handling, manual focus and other factors. Expensive zoom and prime lenses can be heavy, cramping your style for street or tourist photography. If you want to travel light, then, a pancake, light prime or a lightweight kit zoom lens will do the job best.

Though most photographers don’t need manual focus, it’s still important for videographers who rack (change focus) from one subject to another. Video pros will also want a lens with a lot of focus-ring travel for finer control and models that don’t breathe, or zoom, when you change focus. (Purpose-built cinematography lenses don’t breathe, but are expensive.) For zooms, videographers might need parfocal lenses that stay in focus when zooming — again, these tend to be costly.

Best budget standard prime lenses

If you already have a kit zoom lens with your camera, the next step is to get at least one prime. Why? It will let you shoot sharp, distortion-free portraits or take street and travel shots with nice bokeh. You’ll also be able to shoot in bars, concerts and other low-light situations without cranking up the ISO and creating noisy images.

Luckily, this is fairly easy: Every brand has a cheap, fast, “nifty-fifty” prime that will take surprisingly nice shots. Sure, they’re plasticky and not as durable as higher-priced primes, but they’re also lighter, and thanks to modern manufacturing techniques, the optics are great.

Sony APS-C mirrorless (E-mount)

Sony’s own basic 50mm prime, the E 50mm F1.8 OSS, is easy to recommend, even though, at $350, it costs a bit more than other basic primes . For that sum, however, you get a 75mm equivalent focal length, optical stabilization, great bokeh and decent build quality, though autofocus is a bit slow. For a wider field of view, another interesting option is the $275 E 30mm f/3.5 Macro. It offers the 35mm equivalent of a 45mm focal length, and you can do macro photography with stellar bokeh to boot.

Sony full-frame FE

Sony’s FE lenses are costly, so scale your expectations accordingly. I wouldn’t recommend Sony’s $200 FE 50mm F/1.8 lens, as it has bad, noisy autofocus and mediocre build quality. That leaves just two options under $500. For $450, Sony’s FE 28mm F/2.0 lens is sharp and fast for a wide-angle lens (I own one) and has good bokeh. The other is the $500 FE 50mm f/2.8 Macro, which provides good image quality and close focusing, with the main drawback being slow autofocus. For one step further up, Sony’s $550 FE 85mm f/1.8 lens is a superb portrait performer for the price.

Canon full-frame mirrorless

This is still a short list that hasn’t changed since last year, as Canon only makes one relatively inexpensive prime lens. At $500, the RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is a good, relatively fast lens with the added bonus of close Macro focusing.

Beyond that, you’ll need to get one of the three EF-EOS R adapters that start at $100. All work well, but the $200 control-ring adapter adds the same control ring available on native lenses, and the $400 drop-in filter-mount adapter gives you the added bonus of a variable ND filter — very cool, especially for videographers.

If you have one of those installed, I’d recommend Canon’s 50mm f/1.8 STM for $125. It’s the best-selling lens in the world and has great optics and fast and nearly silent autofocus, making it good for light video duty. If you have the need for more speed, consider the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, which provides fantastic bokeh and good night-shooting capability for a relatively paltry $350. If you’re OK buying secondhand, there’s a vibrant market in Canon EF lenses as well. You can often find excellent prime and zoom lenses at half the price of a new one.

Canon APS-C mirrorless

Over the last year, the lens availability for Canon’s EF-M system has improved fairly dramatically. As before, there are two relatively cheap options. The $250 EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM is a good wide lens for close-ups and street photography while the $230 EF-M 22mm f/2 STM gives you more speed and an even wider field of view.

However, since our 2019 lens guide, Canon has unveiled the EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens, giving you a fast portrait option for $480. And better still, late last year Sigma unveiled three EF-M primes: the 16mm f/1.4 EF-M for $449, $330 30mm f/1.4 and $480 56mm f/1.4. This gives you great choices in the wide, normal and portrait categories. The 30mm f/1.4 model is a particularly good buy at $140 less than Canon’s native lens.

Nikon Z-mount (FX full-frame)

There’s still only one relatively cheap native prime in Nikon’s full-frame FX Z-mount lineup, the $600 Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S. While still a bit expensive, it’s incredibly sharp and free of chromatic aberration and other artifacts. The good news is that Nikon has launched some more premium Z-mount primes, but more on those shortly.

You’re not stuck with just the Z-mount lenses. Using the FTZ lens adapter, which costs $250 but is currently shipping for free with Z6 and Z7 cameras, you can use any of Nikon’s DSLR lenses. As with Z-mount APS-C, I’d highly recommend the $200 AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G as a must-have cheap prime lens.

Nikon Z-mount (DX APS-C)

There have been some big changes in Nikon’s full-frame Z-mount lineup. The biggest one is the addition of the APS-C mirrorless DX Z-mount system with the introduction of the Z50 camera. Unlike with Canon’s completely separate EF-M APS-C and full-frame RF mounts, you can put DX Z-mount APS-C lenses on FX Z-mount full-frame cameras and vice versa.

Since the DX Z-mount system is all new, there are only two lenses available so far, and both are zooms. As such, if you want a prime, you’ll need to get the FTZ lens adapter and use either DX or FX lenses. The best budget option in that case is Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G (53mm equivalent), available for about $180. In the portrait lens category, I’d choose Nikon’s famous $200 “nifty-fifty” AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G (FX mount) lens. It’s sharp and focuses quickly and silently. The drawback is the build quality, which is plasticky and not too durable.

Panasonic L-Mount (full-frame)

Panasonic is the latest company to tackle the full-frame camera market, so it has yet to catch up with rivals in terms of lens launches. As it stands now, there are three zooms and just a single prime available, though luckily, Sigma (part of the L-Mount alliance) has some lenses, too.

As a “starter” lens, you could consider the $1,300 Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro OIS or the $1,500 Lumix S Pro 16-35mm f/4 for a wider-angle model. If you can afford it, though, the lens to get is the Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/2.8 OIS model, which delivers speed, sharpness and versatility for $2,600. On the wide angle side, I’d recommend Sigma’s $1,400 14-24mm f/2.8 DN Art, which is fast and has beautiful optics, while being exceptionally light compared to similar DSLR lenses.

There’s just a single Panasonic option on the prime side: the Lumix S Pro 50mm f/1.4 lens. I found it to be incredibly sharp while using the S1R, and it also delivers dreamy full-frame bokeh. The downsides are the $2,300 price tag and massive weight. If that’s too rich, Sigma’s 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens for Leica L also delivers those things, but at a considerably cheaper $950. The drawback is an autofocus system that’s a bit slow and noisy. Meanwhile, for maximum speed, Sigma also built the $1,500 35mm f/1.2 Art lens ideal for portraits and videography, thanks to an aperture de-click switch and defocus button. Just keep in mind that it’s very heavy. If you need a lighter (and cheaper) 35mm lens, Sigma also offers the 35mm f/1.4 Art DG HSM lens for $700.

Micro Four Thirds

By a fairly wide consensus, Panasonic’s $150 Lumix G 25mm F1.7 ASPH is the best budget standard prime you can get for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras. With a 50mm equivalent focal length, it’s not only faster than most nifty-fifty lenses but also sharper. As with most lenses in this category, it’s a bit fragile, though. For a bit more money (and speed), Sigma’s 30mm f/1.4 DC DN lens costs just $290. If you want to go wider, check out the $400 Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 lens. It’s small, light, sharp and well built, with the main drawback being some vignetting at f/1.8.

Fujifilm X Series

Fujifilm has arguably the most consistent lens lineup in terms of quality, but it doesn’t have any super-cheap models. The least expensive prime is the $400 Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR. That’s a lot for a nifty fifty (53mm equivalent), but the optical quality is excellent, and it’s built like a tank. For a bit more ($450), Fujifilm’s portrait 50mm f/2 R WR lens is well regarded for edge-to-edge sharpness.

Step-up zoom and prime lenses

If you have more cash to burn, it’s time to step up from your kit lens to a better zoom. For most folks, the best way to go is to get a fixed-aperture zoom with a range somewhere between 24mm and 105mm. Another option is to go more extreme, with telephoto or wide-angle range zooms or models that can cover the entire gamut. Let’s look at the best of those.

If you’re into portraits or high-end video work, you might also need something more than a cheap prime. Assuming you’ve got the budget (some of these lenses are up there in price) these models could help you take your photography to another level.

Sony

Sony’s full-frame FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM zoom is highly desirable, but it’s sure expensive at $2,200. Instead, why not consider Sony’s new 24-105mm f/4.0 G OSS zoom, which costs $1,200? While a stop slower, it’s lighter, smaller, has better range and is weather-proof to boot. Sony APS-C users, meanwhile, should look at the 18-105mm f/4 OSS model for $600. For a more extreme zoom, consider the Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 ($950) full-frame lens or the (27-300mm equivalent) 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS ($750) model for E-mount.

Sony (and finally, other brands) have some stunning step-up primes for both full-frame FE and APS-C E-mount, too. Sony’s Zeiss Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA lens costs a lot at $1,400, but has beautiful bokeh and is extremely sharp in the corners, even wide open. If you’re looking for an APS-C E-mount lens, your best option might come from another brand: Sigma. Its $650 35mm f/1.4 Art DG HSM lens has a 50mm equivalent focal length and delivers speeds, great bokeh and very sharp photos.

Canon

Again, your choices are a bit limited here, but if you’re not cash poor, they’re all excellent. Canon’s RF 28-70mm f/2L USM is one of the best and fastest normal zooms on the market, with incredible sharpness and color reproduction, even wide open. The only drawbacks are the weight, lack of stabilization and breathtaking $3,000 price tag. On the prime side, Canon’s RF 50mm f/1.2L USM and all new 85mm f/1.2L USM are incredibly sharp lenses with speed and great bokeh for $2,300 and $2,700, respectively. If you’re looking for a wider zoom range, the RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM delivers excellent speed for $2,300, while the all-new $2,700 RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM does the same for telephoto.

If you’d rather use an F-mount lens with an adapter, I’d recommend the more expensive 24-70mm f/2.8 L II lens over the 24-105mm f/4.0 L II lens. Sure, at $1,600, it’s a good $500 more than the f/4.0 model. But it’s sharper and more contrasty than nearly any other midrange zoom, and it has fast and accurate autofocus. The Canon 70-200mm f/4L II ($1,300) offers a nice blend of reach and speed for sports and wildlife photography.

Nikon

Nikon has drastically boosted its range of Nikkor Z-mount lenses and while they’re not as fast as Canon’s models, they’re certainly more affordable. Your best zoom option for speed and quality is the new $2,600 Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens, which is now available on pre-order. If that’s a bit too rich, Nikon also offers the $2,300 Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S without built-in stabilization. Nikon also recently launched the $1,300 Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S wide angle, which looks like a must-have for landscape and architectural Z6 or Z7 owners. If you’re looking for something more in the budget range, the $900 Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4.-6.3 VR lens isn’t as fast, but it’s cheaper and has a wider zoom range. Rounding out the list is the 24-70mm f/4 S zoom, essentially Nikon’s Z-mount kit lens, which costs $1,000.

For DX Z-mount APS-C cameras, Nikon has two options: the $350 Nikkor DX 50-250 f/4.5-6.3 lens and the tiny $300 Nikkor DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom. Neither of those lenses is what I’d call step-up, but they’re all you’ve got for now.

There are still no APS-C primes for Nikon’s Z-mount, so we’ll focus on full-frame for this category. Last year, all Nikon had was the $850 Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens, a smallish, tack-sharp model that’s good for street and tourism photography. Since then, Nikon has added no less than five new primes. Those include the Z 20mm f/1.8 S ($1,050 on pre-order) for landscapes and architectural work, the $1,000 24mm f/1.8 S ideal for landscapes and video, the $800 85mm f/1.8 portrait lens and the $600 50mm f/1.8 S normal wide. Oh, and let’s not forget the borderline ludicrous 58mm f/0.95 S Noct, a manual focus lens with “bokeh beyond belief” that costs a cool $8,000.

If you’d rather use the adapter, Nikon’s $1,450 24-70mm f/2.8G lens is your best pick. It’s sharp and solidly built, and it’s much less expensive than the $1,900 24-70mm f/2.8E model. It’s missing vibration reduction (stabilization) and has a steep price, but that’s not an issue for the Z6 and Z7, which have in-body stabilization. For something more extreme, consider the $850 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G lens, a great option for fledgling sports photographers.

Fujifilm X Series

If you’re on a budget, the Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS ($700) has great optics, is lightweight and features image stabilization. If you have the budget and don’t want to compromise, however, choose the 16-55mm f/2.8 ($1,200) model with even better optics, weather sealing and great bokeh. As for a good travel lens with a wide zoom range, consider the Fujinon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS ($900) for its versatility and awesome, weather-sealed build. However, if you want a constant aperture zoom with slightly less telephoto range, Fujifilm’s brand-new XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR lens is a good deal at $800. If you want something more extreme, Fujifilm’s Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6R LM OIS has superb optics and a long reach for $1,900.

If you need a standard wide prime with a bit more speed, Fujifilm’s XF 23mm f/1.4 R lens gives you the same focal range as the X100V, but with a lot more speed for $900. In the standard wide and portrait categories, you’ll need to spend $600 for the XF 35mm f/1.4 and $1,000 for the XF 56mm f/1.2, both of which are optically excellent.

To go even wider, Fujifilm has the XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR lens for $1,000. If you need the fastest telephoto possible, Fujifilm also recently launched the XF 200mm f/2 R LM OIS WR lens that you can get with a 1.4x teleconverter for $6,000.

Micro Four Thirds

I used the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens when I tested Panasonic’s GH5s, and dang, is it good. For $850, you get a midrange 24-80mm equivalent zoom with outstanding sharpness, speed and build quality. Need more range? Consider Panasonic’s $900 Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm f/2.8 II POWER O.I.S., which gives you speed, excellent image quality and a solid build, all in a relatively small and lightweight body.

For a good prime lens, take a look at Panasonic’s Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH. It’s a normal range lens that’s fast and sharp, but costs just $630. If you really want to up your game, though, try the $1,150 Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.2 PRO portrait lens with dreamy bokeh and speed to burn for low-light situations.

Wrap-up

Since Panasonic, Canon and Nikon have all launched new cameras of late, they’re starting to hit their stride when it comes to lenses, too. That makes for a lot of new models to explore, and we’ve just touched on a fraction of them here. The key is to figure out what you want to shoot and buy the best lens you can afford to do that.

For more information and detailed tests, check out Switchback Travel, which offers detailed lens reviews and great roundup lists. Ken Rockwell’s site is also worth a look, thanks to the detailed and up-to-date reviews of nearly every lens on the market. Other good lens-review sites include Digital Photography Review, DxOMark and The Digital Picture. Finally, if you still can’t decide, rent the lens you’re thinking of buying from a site like Lensrentals.com.

Images: Brett Putman/Steve Dent for Engadget

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Twitter verified a fake congressional candidate created by a teenager

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The student, who is a minor and therefore must remain anonymous, submitted Andrew Walz’s information to a website called Ballotpedia, a non-profit that keeps track of American political candidates. Twitter partnered with the site last year to identify the official Twitter accounts of candidates and their campaigns. Once Ballotpedia passed Andrew Walz’s information on to Twitter, the company reached out to verify the account, despite the fact that it only had 10 followers as of February 26th. (The student says that he didn’t promote the account at all — he simply wanted to test Twitter’s verification system, rather than deceive the public.) When CNN Business reached out to Twitter for comment, the company terminated the account.

The blue verification badge is meant to assure the public that an account is legitimate and that Twitter has done its due diligence in vetting the account’s owner. Twitter even touts its verification system as a way to help users find reliable information during the election season. However, the student says that the company didn’t ask for any form of identification — it’s only stipulation was that he added a header image to the account. Both Ballotpedia and Twitter have said that they will improve their vetting processes after this slip-up. But with foreign countries actively interfering in US elections — and with US politicians oddly blocking election security measures — users should do their own research and make sure that the accounts they follow are legitimate.

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