Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Welcome to the 470th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Sony launches SLT-A57 updated Rebel competitor Sony has continued to update its A-mount lineup with the arrival of the SLT-A57. It's an amalgam of things we've seen before, sprinkled with a few we haven't to give what looks like a pretty competitive package. So you get the now-familiar 16MP sensor combined with the processor from the NEX-5N, crammed into the A65's body. This means a DSLR-sized body (the A55 was smaller), capable of shooting 1080p60 video and including a decent battery pack so that you don't need to constantly worry about recharging. It can do both the A55's 10 frame-per-second full res shooting or 12 frames-per-second 8.4MP cropped mode. There are also the processing filters and multi-shot image modes that you might expect but there's also one you won't: an Auto Portrait Framing mode that re-crops your image in accordance with the rule-of-thirds. We tried a selection of these modes and included examples in our hands-on preview. Have a read. Using the Nikon D4 - our first impressions Moving beyond our preview, which looked at the specifications and handling of the Nikon's pro-grade camera, we've now had a chance to spend some time shooting with it. How does it feel in the hands of a former professional D3S shooter? What has Nikon got right and where might they have gone wrong? Click here to find out what we thought. Olympus E-M5 low-light sample images We've just laid our hands on a near-production Olympus OM-D E-M5 that we've been told we can publish images from. From this we've shot an ISO sequence, using a range of noise-reduction settings, to give an idea of what Olympus has managed to wring-out of the 16MP sensor. Take a closer look. Nikon defends decision to stop supplying parts to independent service centres There's been a lot of discussion and the creation of an online petition over the suggestion that Nikon USA will stop selling spare parts to companies outside its authorised service network. We spoke to Nikon, which confirmed the move and put forward its explanation. However, we also spoke to an independent service company, which seemed less than convinced. Click here and make up your own mind. Fujifilm developing new sensor for X10 Fujifilm has issued a statement giving more details of the white-orb blooming issue that can effect its X10 and X-S1 high-end compacts. Although it doesn't spell-out exactly how it'll affect existing customers, the statement does make clear that an improved sensor is being developed and suggests owners should get in touch their local service centres. Richard

News updates Just Posted: First Impressions - Using the Nikon D4 Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 12:16:15 AM GMT We've been using Nikon's D4 full frame professional DSLR continuously since a factory-fresh production version arrived in our office last week. Barnaby Britton, who previously shot professionally with a D3S, explains what it's like to use, and includes real world samples and videos. What's improved over the D3S, what has Nikon got right and has it got anything wrong? Click through to find out. Read full story → Adobe releases Camera Raw v6.7 release candidate Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 2:14:25 AM GMT Alongside Lightroom 4, Adobe has release the latest release candidate of Adobe Camera Raw. This not-quite finalized version of ACR v6.7 brings all the cameras and lenses supported in Lightroom 4 to users of Photoshop CS5, plus the Canon EOS 5D Mark III as something of a bonus feature. As usual, it is being released on Adobe's Labs site to allow feedback before its final launch. Read full story → dpreview.com gets mobile Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 2:14:54 AM GMT We've just added a mobile version of dpreview, to make it easier to get to our content from your cellular, mobile or generally portable devices. In this first iteration we've made it easy browse reviews, news stories, articles and previews. Forums and commenting support will come in later versions. However, although we think m.dpreview will make it easier to enjoy the site, we've placed small links at the bottom of every page to swap between the mobile and desktop versions. Read full story → Nokia 808 won't come to North America; 41MP PureView tech probably will Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 2:16:44 AM GMT Nokia's developer website is showing the 41MP 808 PureView as being available globally, with the exception of North America. However, Windows Phone website WPCentral is reporting that the company will bring its PureView technology to a phone running Windows Mobile - something likely that become truly global product. Meanwhile, Nokia has published a blog post about the 808's Carl Zeiss lens and how its molded plastic design allows it to out-perform some pro-grade DSLR glass. Read full story → Apple launches third-generation iPad with hi-res screen, and iPhoto for iOS Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 7:54:17 PM GMT Apple has unveiled the latest iPad with its highest-ever resolution screen, alongside an iOS app of the iPhoto image processing and management tool. The third-generation iPad will feature a 2048 x 1536 pixel 'Retina' display along with a quad-core graphics processor to power it. It also gains a 5MP back-lit CMOS camera with a five-element f/2.4 lens (a similar spec to the unit in front of the iPhone 4S's 8MP camera). There's also a $5 iPhoto app that allows a series of simple image corrections and sorting options to easily find your best images and get the best out of them. Read full story → Article: Composition Basics in Macro Photography Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 11:00:00 PM GMT One of the challenges in macro photography is balancing technical details with sound compostion. Nature photographer Erez Marom continues his photo technique series with a discussion of compositional principles for macro photography. Learn to incorporate these fundamental concepts into your own work for more professional results. Read full story → DxO Labs pushes FilmPack 3.2 film simulation software to 64-bit processing Published on Wednesday, March 07, 2012 11:57:02 PM GMT DxO Labs has updated its FilmPack film simulation software to v3.2, adding 64 bit support and plugin versions for Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture. The move of both the Essentials and Expert versions to 64 bit means they are almost twice as fast at processing as v3.1. There are improvements to the user interface to make it easier to preview the grain effects offered by the different film effects. Both Mac and PC versions are available, with a free 30-day trail downloadable from the company's website. Read full story → Elliott Erwitt looks for fun in photo sequences Published on Thursday, March 08, 2012 8:36:12 PM GMT The BBC has an interesting short interview with Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt, in which he talks about looking for sequences of shots, rather than one-off photos. The video coincides with the launch of his book 'Sequentially Yours' and looks at how a series of photos can sometimes tell more of a story than a single shot in isolation. Read full story → Sigma announces details of support program for full-price SD1 buyers Published on Friday, March 09, 2012 2:04:28 AM GMT Sigma has announced details of the promised support scheme for customers who bought the company's SD1 DSLR prior to the price cut. Buyers of the SD1 at the original price of $6,899 can claim 40 'points' that can be redeemed against other Sigma products. The points are worth up to around ¥400,000 (roughly $4800) when used against Sigma products at their MSRP on the day the SD1 price cut was announced. Customers have until May 31st to register for the offer. Read full story → Olympus OM-D E-M5 low light high ISO sample series Published on Friday, March 09, 2012 5:44:28 PM GMT We've just received an Olympus OM-D E-M5 that we can use to publish sample images and have shot an ISO sequence. We aim to bring you a real-world samples gallery in a few days time, but to whet your appetite we've prepared a quick series of studio-based shots showing how the camera behaves under the challenge of low-level tungsten lighting at all ISOs. Olympus describes our sample as 'initial production' and it's running firmware version 1.0, so these should give a pretty good idea of what you'll be able to expect from the camera when it hits the shops. Read full story → App Review: Adobe Photoshop Touch for iOS Published on Sunday, March 11, 2012 6:27:20 AM GMT First released for Android, Adobe recently unveiled an iPad-targeted version of Photoshop Touch for Apple's iOS. Boasting support for layers and featuring familiar Photoshop effects and filters, Photoshop Touch is one of the best-specified image manipulation apps available, but does it live up to its promise on the world's most popular tablet? Joanne Carter of theappwhisperer.com puts it through its paces. Read full story → Fujifilm developing modified sensor to fix X10 and X-S1 white orbs Published on Monday, March 12, 2012 8:00:00 PM GMT Fujifilm has released a statement explaining the causes of the 'white disc' blooming issue that affects certain images shot with the X10 high-end compact. The statement says the company is developing a modified sensor in response to the problem, that can also affect the X-S1 premium superzoom. It encourages X10 and X-S1 owners experiencing 'the white disc phenomenon' to contact their local Fujifilm service center. Read full story → Nikon defends decision to stop supplying spares to independent repairers Published on Monday, March 12, 2012 11:16:23 PM GMT Nikon USA has defended its decision to stop supplying spare parts to companies outside its authorized service network. Its intention is to deliver 'the best service experience to the customer,' says David Dentry, General Manager of Customer Relations at Nikon Inc, explaining that the complexity of modern cameras and the need for specialist analysis and calibration tools meant that repair attempts by ill-equipped retail or unauthorized repair shops could end up causing delays, increase the cost and risk voiding the camera's warranty. However, an independent service center we spoke to said its statements misrepresented the situation and is likely to mean small repairs take longer. Read full story → Just Posted: Sony SLT-A57 preview with real-world and studio sample images Published on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 4:00:00 AM GMT We've been able to borrow a pre-production Sony A57 and have prepared a preview that includes both real-world and studio sample images. Many of the camera's features - 16MP sensor, 1.44m dot LCD viewfinder are familiar but they all come wrapped in a larger, more comfortable body, powered by a larger battery. We've shot samples in a series of the A57's modes, including its Auto Portrait Selection Framing mode - in which the camera crops an image with a face in, in-accordance with the rule-of-thirds. Read full story → Sony announces SLT-A57 and HVL-LE1 LED panel for movie lighting Published on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 4:00:00 AM GMT Sony has announced the SLT-A57, a replacement for the original A55 fixed-mirror, electronic viewfinder DSLR. The A57 still features a 16MP sensor and LCD viewfinder but incorporates them into essentially the same body as the more expensive A65. Use of the latest Bionz processor means the A57 offers a wider-than-ever selection of photographic features and image processing modes. Updated with more information about the optional HVL-LE1 video-lighting LED panel. Read full story →