Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Thursday, 20 October 2011

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Thursday, 20 October 2011 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 461st Digital Photography Review newsletter. Canon's new flagship in the offing Canon has unveiled its top-of-the-range professional DSLR, the EOS-1D X, an 18MP full-frame camera that will replace both its high-resolution 1DS studio camera and the high-speed 1D sports shooting model. Despite the physically larger sensor, the camera is able to shoot images at 14 frames per second (12fps with autofocus). The camera doesn't arrive until March so we haven't been able to conduct a hands-on preview, but we did get a chance to speak to Canon USA Technical Advisor Chuck Westfall to talk us through the cameras and its features. Click here to find out more. Lytro unveils Light Field Camera And, while Canon has demonstrated the effects of evolution, Silicon Valley startup Lytro has revolution in mind. Just four months after announcing its plans to build a consumer-level camera that produces refocusable/'explorable' images, it has unveiled the Lytro Light Field Camera. It looks (and behaves) unlike any camera we've seen before and we think people will enjoy the experience. It's telling that on both occasions he's spoken to us, Founder and CEO Ren Ng has likened the technology to Polaroid - something that created a new niche for instant, sharable photography when first launched. Now the camera is public, Dr. Ng showed it to us and talked us through the process of shooting and sharing the light field images (here's a clue - don't think about printing). Click here to read our camera overview with Ren Ng. Sony NEX-7 video preview We're busy working on a review of Sony's enthusiast-targeted mirrorless camera, the NEX-7. But first we took a moment to prepare a video preview of the camera, showing some of its features, including AF speed and tracking performance. It's a Full HD presentation, so if you do click here to view it, do consider viewing it fullscreen and selecting the 1080 version from the bottom right of your window. Floods in Thailand cause chaos for camera industry Severe flooding in Thailand has forced Nikon, Sony and Canon to stop production at their factories in the country. Both Nikon and Sony build cameras in the country and have seen their factories flooded, while the global nature of supply chains means other manufacturers are likely to be hit by component shortages. It's too early to develop a clear picture of the impact the floods will have on the industry or when production can re-start, but we'll report on it as soon as it becomes clear. Sony A77 review coming soon We like our newsletter readers to feel they get a bit of insider information as a result of subscribing. With this in mind, consider yourself one of the first people outside the dpreview office to know that our review of Sony's high-end semi-transparent mirrored DSLR, the SLT-A77 is coming very soon. In the meantime, you could reacquaint yourself with the preview, which will redirect to the review, as soon as it goes live. Richard
News updates Fujifilm unveils X-S1 high-end superzoom and confirms Mirrorless intentions Published on 05 October 2011 17:33:06 GMT Fujifilm has announced the X-S1 high-end superzoom and confirmed its intention to build a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The X-S1 is an addition to the company’s X-series and is built around the same 2/3” EXR CMOS sensor as the recently announced X10. Meanwhile, company president and CEO Shigetaka Komori said it will create a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera built around a larger sensor with ‘resolution and low noise [that] will surpass the 35mm full size sensor.’ We’re not taking this to mean it will be a full-frame camera. More details will be announced nearer the Spring 2012 launch. The X-S1 features a 26x, 24-624mm equivalent F2.8-5.3 zoom and will be available from early 2012. (via DCWatch) Updated Read full story → Article: How Smartphones are Changing Digital Photography Published on 05 October 2011 18:15:20 GMT What does the rise of the smartphones mean for the camera market? Smartphones are becoming increasingly popular and, in combination with processing apps, this is encouranging more people to turn to their phones to take and share photographs. Joanne Carter of TheAppWhisperer.com takes a look at what this means for 'conventional' photography. Read full story → Roger Cicala looks at lens, camera and autofocus variation Published on 05 October 2011 20:00:19 GMT Roger Cicala of LensRentals has written an article about lens and camera sample variation. The latest article builds on the several excellent pieces he's already written by subjecting a series of lenses to studio testing. As one of the few independent people in a position to test and assess sample variation with a reasonable sample size, it's well worth a read. As with all his posts, it does a good job of explaining and demonstrating the inherent variability and inconsistencies in lens behavior. It also addresses the reasonable desire (and sometimes unreasonable behavior) of photographers to get a 'good copy' of a lens. Read full story → Article: Digital split ND filters versus HDR Published on 06 October 2011 17:15:14 GMT Ellen Anon looks at the various techniques used to overcome dynamic range limitations.The dynamic range of a scene often exceeds the capturing capabilities of our cameras. Ellen explains how we we can use digital graduated neutral density filters and single image HDR Toning, as well as multi image HDR processing, to effectively even out the exposure within images. Read full story → JVC launches GC-PX10 hybrid 12MP stills/1080p video camera in US Published on 06 October 2011 22:15:17 GMT JVC has announced the GC-PX10, a 12 megapixel/1080p60 hybrid stills/video camera with 10x optical zoom. The model, which combines a 1/2.3" back-illuminated CMOS sensor can shoot 1080p60 video at bitrates of up to 36Mbps, full-resolution images at 30fps or 8.3MB images at 60fps. The camera, which appears to be a US version of the previously-announced, Japan-only GC-PX1, can also capture slow-motion video at 300fps. It includes 32GB of built-in memory, as well as accepting SDXC, SDHC and SD cards. Read full story → Sigma reveals 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM with 'FLD' glass Published on 07 October 2011 00:06:13 GMT Sigma has released version II of its 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM superzoom lens. The latest version adds Sigma's FLD glass, the 'fluorite-like' glass co-developed with Hoya and features a revised design (it now features a narrower body and 18 elements in 14 groups, rather than the 13 groups of its predecessor). The lens will be available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Pentax and Sony systems (without optical stabilization on the last two mounts). MSRP will be $720. Read full story → Book review: 500 Poses for Photographing Women Published on 07 October 2011 18:21:22 GMT How well your subjects are posed can make the difference between a photoshoot that looks professional, and one that looks amateurish. Richly illustrated, Michelle Perkins' book '500 Poses for Photographing Women: A Visual Sourcebook for Portrait Photographers' provides hundreds of examples of female portraits. Click through to read Adam Koplan's review. Read full story → Fujifilm announces pricing and availability of the X10 enthusiast compact Published on 07 October 2011 22:42:13 GMT Fujifilm has announced its X10 enthusiast compact will start shipping from November 2011 at a recommended retail price of $599.95. Announced last month, the retro-styled camera features a bright F2.0-2.8, 28-112mm-equivalent lens and is built around the company's 12MP 2/3" (6.6 x 8.8mm) EXR CMOS sensor. Read full story → Article: Editorial Lighting - The Minimalist Way Published on 09 October 2011 13:00:17 GMT Thomas Park is a fashion and fine art photographer based in Seattle, Washington. In this article he demonstrates how you can turn a spot in a grungy alley into a photo studio, using only minimal lighting and post processing. Read full story → Article: Stranger on the Port Townsend Ferry Published on 10 October 2011 18:34:21 GMT While searching through his archive for some pictures to print, dpreview.com Reviews Editor Barnaby Britton uncovered a twilight portrait from 2008 that stirred a few memories. In this article he explains how he approached creating and editing this photograph, of a lone nighttime traveller in the Pacific Northwest.  Read full story → Leica M9 comparison shots added to dpreview database Published on 11 October 2011 22:12:12 GMT We've just added Leica M9 studio shots to our comparison tool. As part of our forthcoming review of the Sigma SD1, we'll be comparing it to a range of large-sensor, high-resolution cameras, which meant including the Leica M9. The shots, actually taken with an M9-P, should not be seen as a signal of a full review of the camera but do help put its image quality in context against its peers. Read full story → Sigma Germany announces SD1 Wood Edition with burl veneer Published on 12 October 2011 17:57:12 GMT Sigma Germany has announced a wood-veneered version of its SD1 high-end DSLR. The 'Wood Edition' emphasizes the camera's premium appeal by adding a casing made from Amboyna Burl, an expensive and decorative veneer taken from complex growths on a Southeast Asian tree. The case takes around 60 hours to cut, mill and polish. Ten examples of the special edition will be available, body-only, for a recommended selling price of €9,999. (From PhotoScala) Read full story → Article: Auroral photography - A guide to capturing the Northern Lights Published on 12 October 2011 19:09:14 GMT Wilderness photographer Ben Hattenbach advises on how to capture images of the Northern Lights. In this article he explains how to find an aurora and how to equip yourself to photograph it. He also gives advice on camera settings and composition. Read full story → Sony posts firmware updates for SLT-A77 and SLT-A65 Published on 13 October 2011 20:45:07 GMT Sony has released firmware v1.03 for its SLT-A77 and A65 cameras. Currently only available via the company's Asia site (the first region in which the cameras are widely available), the upgrade promises to improve the responsiveness of the control dials and function buttons, along with the speed of switching between EVF and LCD modes. It also adds support for the HVL-MT24AM macro flash accessory. Read full story → Panasonic updates firmware for DMC-G3 and DMC-GF3 Published on 13 October 2011 21:33:07 GMT A week after posting a firmware update for its G-system cameras, Panasonic has announced firmware updates for its DMC-G3 and GF3 Micro Four Thirds cameras. Version 1.2 improves compatibility of both cameras with Four Thirds lenses when mounted via the DMW-MA1 adapter. The updates are available for immediate download from Panasonic's website. Read full story → Apple releases Aperture v3.2 Published on 13 October 2011 22:26:37 GMT Apple has released an updated version of its Aperture Raw-conversion and photo management software. Version 3.2 adds compatibility with the company's iCloud online storage functionality and the latest iOS 5 operating system. The update also resolves minor bugs and adds miscellaneous improvements. It is available for immediate download from Apple's website. Read full story → Just Posted: Our Epson Stylus Photo R3000 review Published on 14 October 2011 18:03:53 GMT We've just published our review of the Epson Stylus Photo R3000. The R3000 is the top of Epson's non-Pro photo inkjet lineup. It's a 13" / A3+ format printer with nine pigment-based inks that can handle a variety of media, including roll-fed paper and CD/DVDs as well as board up to 1.3mm thick. As with our multi-function printer group test, this review was produced in collaboration with Vincent Oliver of Photo-i.co.uk. Read full story → Just Posted: Sony NEX-7 Hands-on Video Preview Published on 14 October 2011 20:04:34 GMT Just Posted: Our hands-on video preview of the Sony NEX-7. The NEX-7 is Sony's enthusiast mirrorless camera, combining a 24MP CMOS sensor with a 2.4M dot OLED electronic viewfinder and more physical controls than on any of the previous NEX cameras. There's been a lot of interest in camera, so we've prepared a hands-on preview video to show what it can do. There will be a more extensive written preview published next week, as part of the process of writing a full review but, in the meantime, we hope this video helps give you an idea of what to expect. Read full story → Site updates: Gear List, forum articles and more Published on 14 October 2011 22:00:10 GMT We've recently introduced a few small but, we hope, welcome improvements for dpreview members. You may have stumbled across them whilst browsing, but we thought it would make sense to bring them to everyone's attention. In brief: you can now edit comments you've made on news stories, articles and previews, we've introduced a 'Gear List' to your profile, and you can now feature your articles in your chosen forum(s). To find out more check out the full story after the link. Read full story → Nikon V1 comparison shots added to dpreview database Published on 15 October 2011 01:15:19 GMT We've just posted studio test samples from the Nikon V1 - the Japanese manufacturer's enthusiast-targeted small sensor mirrorless camera which is built around what the company is calling a 'CX' format 10MP CMOS sensor. In the process of working on the forthcoming in-depth review of the V1, we have shot our standard studio test scene. To allow easy comparison with its peers, we have now added these shots - both out of camera JPEGs and processed RAW files (with Adobe ACR 6.6 Beta) - to our comparison tool, found in our existing reviews. The V1 can now be selected from the pull-down list within any review or in our standalone comparison tool. Read full story → Adobe publishes video of proposed image deblur function Published on 17 October 2011 18:12:19 GMT Adobe has released videos from its AdobeMAX event, including coverage of the image deblur feature for removing camera shake that has generated so much excitement. The company's video shows feature in much better detail than the audience-shot version currently on the web. Shown as a prototype of a technology that is being considered for future versions of Photoshop, the function analyses the movement of the camera during an exposure and then corrects for it. Videos are also available for the other projects demonstrated at the show, but it's the image deblur clip that is likely to really interest photographers. Read full story → Just Posted: Nikon V1 + 1 Nikkor 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 VR Preview Samples Published on 17 October 2011 23:30:21 GMT Just Posted: Still and video samples from the Nikon V1 with 1 Nikkor 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 VR lens. We've had a Nikon V1 in the office for a few days now, and we've spent that time shooting with, and getting to know the camera. To whet your appetite ahead of a detailed preview and full review, we've published a 30-image samples gallery from the V1 with the unusual 10-100mm power zoom lens, as well as three video samples shot using the same combination. Read full story → Canon EOS-1D X professional DSLR announcement and overview Published on 18 October 2011 05:00:57 GMT Canon has announced the launch of the EOS-1D X, its latest flagship professional DSLR. The 18MP camera is built around a full-frame sensor capable of shooting at up to 14 frames per second (12fps with AF), allowing it to replace both the 1D Mark IV and 1DS Mark III in Canon's lineup. Despite looking like previous 1D cameras, it's been extensively reworked (it includes more professional video features than any other Canon DSLR), so we took the opportunity to talk to Canon USA's Technical Advisor, Chuck Westfall about the camera and its features. Read full story → Canon launches Pixma MG4120, MG3120 and MG2120 all-in-one printers Published on 18 October 2011 17:57:19 GMT Canon has unveiled the Pixma MG4120, MG3120 and MG2120 photo printers. The wireless MG4120 and MG3120 printers offer 4800 x 1200dpi 4-ink printing at rates of up to 9ipm for black and white text documents, and 6 and 5ipm for color documents respectively. Both can be operated wirelessly with the latest version of the company's Easy-PhotoPrint App for iOS or Android smartphones and feature Auto Duplex (double-sided) printing capabilities. The MG2120 leaves out Wi-Fi and prints documents at 4ipm color (8ipm mono). All three printers will be available at an estimated retail price of $129.99, $79.99 and $69.99 respectively. Read full story → Olympus shares suffer as former CEO goes on the attack Published on 18 October 2011 20:44:37 GMT Former Olympus CEO Michael Woodford has launched a scathing attack on the company, following his removal from his post. Olympus had said Woodford was removed from his post over a difference in strategic direction between him and the rest of the Board of Directors. In a frank interview with the Financial Times, Woodford calls this 'utter nonsense' and states his belief that his removal relates to an investigation he had commissioned, into unusual payments and his suggestion that the board's Chairman and Vice Chairman should stand down over the issue. In response to suggestions that Olympus may try to prosecute him for disclosing this information, Woodford says: 'Bring it on.' Read full story → Adobe admits using 'synthetic blur' image in deblur demo Published on 18 October 2011 22:00:44 GMT Adobe has admitted an image used in its 'image deblur' presentation was artificially blurred for the purposes of the demonstration. The company said the blur on the image was 'more complicated than anything we can simulate using Photoshop's blur capabilities.' It described the move as 'common practice in research' and defended the use of the image because 'we wanted it to be entertaining and relevant to the audience.' The other images shown were the result of camera shake, it said. Read full story → Samsung and Google unveil Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 Published on 19 October 2011 16:38:41 GMT Google and Samsung have announced the Galaxy Nexus smartphone - the first to use the latest version of the Android operating system. Android 4.0 (also known as Ice Cream Sandwich) features a series of enhancements for photographers, including support for what the companies are claiming is a 'zero shutter lag exposure.' The camera app included in the software also supports digitally stabilized zoom, single-motion panorama shooting and the ability to take HD snapshots as video is being shot. Ice Cream Sandwich also features a redesigned album layout and a photo editor, allowing cropping, rotation and simple image corrections. The Galaxy Nexus handset has a 1280x720 screen and 5MP camera capable of using Android 4.0's 'zero shutter lag' feature. Read full story → Lytro announces Light Field Camera Published on 19 October 2011 18:54:25 GMT Plenoptic camera maker Lytro has unveiled its first product - the Lytro Light Field Camera. Available in early 2012, the camera will come in 8Gb and 16Gb versions, costing $399 and $499, and capable of storing 350 and 750 images respectively in their internal memory. The cameras feature a 35-280mm equivalent, constant F2 lens with what the company is calling an 11 megaray sensor, that captures photos that can be refocused after shooting. Company Founder and CEO Ren Ng showed us the camera and talked us through the shooting experience. Read full story → Lytro camera overview and discussion with CEO Ren Ng Published on 19 October 2011 21:15:21 GMT Lytro Founder and CEO Ren Ng showed us the Light Field Camera and talked us through some of what it can do. Having played with the camera, we've written an overview in which he discusses the shooting and sharing experience, gives some more details about using Light Field images and tells us about 'Camera 3.0.' Read full story → Article: Macro shooting - point-of-view and capturing the moment Published on 19 October 2011 21:34:26 GMT In Part Four of his series on creating compelling macro photographs, Erez Marom talks about composition and timing. Taking photographs from a similar point-of-view to that of the subject gives a more natural image, he argues. He also considers the importance of capturing not just an interesting subject, but an interesting moment, to create a captivating image. Read full story →

Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 5 October 2011

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 5 October 2011 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 460th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Sony NEX-5N reviewed It's been another busy week at dpreview, with the usual selection of news and articles. This time they're topped-off with a review of the Sony NEX-5N. It's the second step up in Sony's range of E-mount mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras and represents a much bigger advance over the original NEX-5 than its near-identical looks would suggest. It gains a touch screen, 16MP sensor and the ability to shoot 1080p60 movies, along with the ability to accept an optional 2.4M dot OLED electronic viewfinder. These changes, combined with improved customisation options, make this a very different prospect from the slightly under-cooked state of the original NEX cameras when they were launched. So what did we think of the NEX-5N? Click here to read our review. Olympus E-PM1 previewed Now the most recent surge of launches has abated, we found a moment to write a full preview of the Olympus E-PM1. The PEN Mini is the least expensive and one of the smallest mirrorless cameras on the market, so we took a closer look. In addition to our written preview, we've also included our second hands-on video to help show some of the camera's details. Click here to both read and hear about the Olympus PEN Mini. User-generated articles It's unusual for a site's content management system to make any perceptible difference for site users, but the system introduced to make it easier for external contributors to write for the site is now available to all members. Do you have a technique you want to share, or do you have a particular insight into an aspect of digital photography? You can now share them with the world via our community articles feature. There's no one forcing you to, of course, we just wanted the people who contribute so much useful information to the forums to have somewhere a little more prominent and permanent to post it. Click here to find out more. Win a Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 VC In the first of what we hope will be a series of sponsored challenges, Tamron is offering dpreview's members the chance to win an SP 17-50mm F/2.8 Di II XR VC LD Aspherical (IF) in Canon or Nikon mount. All you have to do is submit an image to the Tamron Prize Challenge: Travel and Nature and wait to see who the public vote as the winner. Click here to see the entries so far. Richard
News updates Book review: The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers Published on 28 September 2011 18:27:33 GMT For many photographers Scott Kelby's Photoshop 'how-to' books are the standard by which others are judged. As Adobe releases new versions of Photoshop, Scott Kelby rewrites his manual to the program to address relevant changes and upgrades. Click through to read Adam Koplan's review of the latest edition of this popular book which covers Photoshop CS5. Read full story → Create your own articles - public beta launched today Published on 28 September 2011 21:00:14 GMT A few weeks ago we launched our articles section and we promised that you'd soon be able to create your own articles, photo blogs and other personal content using our newly-developed browser-based editor and content manager. We're excited to announce that today we've opened up access to this cool new tool for all registered members. Find out more after the link... Read full story → Adobe releases Lightroom 3.5 and ACR 6.5 Published on 29 September 2011 10:06:11 GMT Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 3.5 and Camera Raw 6.5. These are final versions of updates that were originally posted as 'release candidates' on the Adobe Labs site, and are available for immediate download. The latest versions provide final RAW support for 15 additional cameras including the Olympus E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1, Panasonic G3 and GF3, Pentax Q, and Sony NEX-C3, NEX-5N, SLT-A35, SLT-A65 and SLT-A77. A number of digital backs from Leaf and Phase One are also now supported. Read full story → Article: Using a DMCA takedown notice to fight copyright infringement Published on 29 September 2011 19:27:10 GMT Carolyn E. Wright is an attorney who specializes in the legal needs of photographers. In this article she explains how the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) can help to get your images removed from websites that display them without your permission (Please note that the DMCA is US legislation. While this law is not available in other jurisdictions, copyright law is similar in countries that are signatories to the Berne convention). Read full story → Flickr offers Android app including image processing Published on 29 September 2011 23:57:58 GMT Photo sharing site Flickr has launched an Android app for uploading, browsing and processing images. The image processing - which allows the application of ten filters and effects - is one of a number of features not included in the equivalent iOS app. These features put it squarely into competition with the popular, iOS-only 'Instagram' processing and sharing service. Flickr says an iOS version will follow 'in the coming months.' Read full story → Flickr adds 'Photo Session' feature for real-time sharing and discussion Published on 29 September 2011 23:57:58 GMT Yahoo has reiterated its commitment to Flickr, adding a 'Photo Session' feature to the photo sharing website. Photo Session allows the user to invite friends and family to join-in real-time slideshow/presentations, during which participants can chat about and even sketch on the images being show. Read full story → Redrock Micro creates Canon EF to MFT adapter with aperture control Published on 30 September 2011 00:54:14 GMT DSLR video accessory specialist Redrock Micro has created a Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds lens adapter. The LiveLens MFT adds the electronics required to control the aperture on the mounted EOS lenses. A 9V battery and a touch-panel allows the adapter to specify the lens aperture in 1/3EV steps. The adapter costs $442.50 and is available directly from the manufacturer's website. (Via Photography Blog) Read full story → Sony SLT-A77 studio comparison samples updated with ACR 6.5 Published on 30 September 2011 22:20:15 GMT Updated Sony SLT A-77 studio comparison RAW shots. We've just re-processed our A-77 shots of the standard studio test scene with the latest version of Adobe Camera RAW - ACR 6.5. (we had originally used a beta version of ACR 6.5). The differences are fairly minimal but the updated shots are are now available in the comparison tool. Read full story → Article: How to shoot creative canine photographs Published on 02 October 2011 13:00:20 GMT Professional animal photographer Andy Sheng tells us how to shoot creative canine photography. In this first part of his series he demonstrates how to capture the natural beauty and personality of a dog and shows us some of his favorite images. Read full story → Article: How the iPhone changed my photography Published on 03 October 2011 18:48:13 GMT Dpreview's Barnaby Britton takes look back at how the iPhone has transformed his photography. And, with the iPhone now the most popular camera on photo-sharing site Flickr, and a multitude of photography apps available, how the device has transformed cellphone photography as a whole. Read full story → Tamron offers 17-50mm F2.8 VC prize for dpreview challenge Published on 03 October 2011 19:47:17 GMT Tamron is offering an F2.8 zoom to the winner of a Travel and Nature challenge on dpreview.com. The competition, open to any registered dpreview member, runs until October 24th. The winner will be decided by public vote over the following seven days. The winning photographer will receive a Tamron SP 17-50mm F/2.8 Di II XR VC LD Aspherical (IF) in Canon or Nikon mount (Full-frame shooters can request an unstabilized 28-75mm F2.8 instead), making this the first dpreview challenge with a competition prize. Read full story → Reviewed: Sony NEX-5N 16MP mirrorless camera Published on 04 October 2011 00:19:49 GMT Just Posted: Our review of the Sony NEX-5N. The 5N is the second generation of Sony's more enthusiast-focused mirrorless models. It offers the well-respected 16MP APS-C sensor and the option to fit an external electronic viewfinder. Although the bodywork is near indistinguishable from the original NEX-5, the latest model gains a touch-screen interface and in-camera lens correction processing as two of the most obvious of its many changes. We've spent some time getting familiar with the 5N, to see if it delivers on the NEX concept's considerable promise. Read full story → Adobe launches Photoshop Touch Android app as part of cloud strategy Published on 04 October 2011 03:12:13 GMT Adobe has expanded its range of photographic apps - including the launch of Photoshop Touch for the Android platform. The latest app offers a range of selection and editing tools, along with processing effects for images up to 1600 x 1600 pixels. It also supports layers that are retained if you move to the desktop version of Photoshop. There is also close integration with Facebook and Google (including a color and copyright-aware search option) for finding images to edit. An iOS version for the iPad 2 will follow. The app is part of a series of mobile releases that can use the company's 'Creative Cloud' internet-based sharing and storage service that will also integrate with its desktop software. Read full story → Apple announces iPhone 4S with 8MP camera and 1080p video Published on 04 October 2011 18:46:42 GMT Apple has announced its latest iPhone model, featuring an 8MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor. The iPhone 4S features faster image capture (down to 0.5s shot-to-shot time and 1.1 second 'time to first photo'), and captures more light as a result of the new sensor. It also gains 1080p video, is said to have better auto white balance performance and adds face detection for the first time. The 4S will first be available in the US, UK and five other countries on October 14th, with 22 more countries following two weeks later. Read full story → Just posted: Olympus E-PM1 (PEN Mini) preview and video Published on 04 October 2011 20:00:17 GMT Just Posted: Olympus PEN Mini preview and video. Behind the bluster of the latest announcements, the Olympus E-PM1 has started hitting the shelves. In many respects it's pretty similar to the E-PL3 (and it features most of that camera's enhancements over the previous PEN models). It's built around the familiar 12MP sensor, shoots 1080i60 HD video and features an array of Olympus' Art Filters. It stands out in one respect though - it's the least expensive mirrorless interchangeable lens camera we've yet seen (in terms of list price). We're working on a review but, in the meantime, have put together a preview article and video. Read full story → Instagram v2.0.1 adds features and corrects changed filters Published on 04 October 2011 23:30:23 GMT Instagram has updated its image effects/sharing app, adding features and adjusting two filters to look more like their version 1 equivalents. Instagram 2.0.1 offers the chance to add geotags images taken from your photo library or on your phone camera. This information is only kept on on your high-res files, not the shared version. The Earlybird and Brannan filters have also been tweaked to look more like the original versions, in response to user feedback. The update is available for download immediately. Read full story →