Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 21 November 2012

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 21 November 2012 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 453rd Digital Photography Review newsletter. Nikon D600 analysed The process of converting our Photokina-period previews into full reviews continues with the publication of one of the most talked-about cameras of the show - the Nikon D600. Nikon's most affordable full-frame camera yet is essentially a full-frame D7000 - bringing huge gobs of D800 technology to an enthusiast-friendly format. With its 24MP and 39-point autofocus system, this is no corner-cutting piece of price-point targetting, but a capable camera in its own right. But what's it like to use and to live with? Click here to read our full review to find out. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 assessed It's not just the latest enthusiast compacts that have benefitted from faster lenses in the most recent round of model refreshes - Panasonic has looked back to the beginnings of its long zoom FZ series for lens of its latest model. The result is the FZ200 - a model that looks a lot like the existing FZs but with its 25-600mm equivalent lens maintaining an impressive F2.8 across its entire range. This should give benefits in terms of low light shooting, control over depth-of-field and in maintaining fast shutter speeds when working at the long end of that zoom. So how does it perform? Read our full review - prepared in collaboration with the Digital Camera Resource page. Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM reviewed The second of our re-launched lens reviews is our look at the Sigma 18-250mm Macro OS - the latest designed-for-APS-C stabilized superzoom lens from Sigma. It's smaller and lighter than its predecessor, putting it squarely into competition with Tamron's 18-270mm VC. We've included the DxOMark test data for the Tamron and a series of the Sigma's other competitors to show where it sits in the marketplace. Click here to read the review. More samples from the studio and beyond The gap between the camera's announcement and its still unconfirmed public release has caused some frustration amonst would-be buyers of the Canon EOS 6D. We've still not seen a production-standard camera, but have borrowed one that's near enough to finished spec that we've been allowed to go out shooting with it and have posted a gallery of real-world images. Click here to see our Canon EOS 6D samples gallery. As well as the EOS 6D, we've also got out to shoot with the Tamron 18-270mm VC and Leica's X2. The lens gallery makes it easier to compare with the Sigma we've just reviewed, while the X2 gallery makes a useful reference point for the forthcoming review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 - a camera that matches the Leica's 35mm equivalent point of view, while offering a larger sensor and wider maximum aperture. Click here to see what the Tamron has to offer, and click here to see how the Leica X2 performs. Connect competition winners announced Over on connect.dpreview.com we announced the winner of the site's photo competition. The theme of the competition was simply 'connect' - a theme we saw explored in a number of ways. Having carefully sifted through the thousands of entries, our judging panel settled on Sudeep Mehta's striking image. Click here to see the winners and some of the other top entries from our 'connect' competition. Richard
News updates Richard Franiec creates add-on grip for Sigma DP1 and 2 Merrill Published on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 10:34:28 PM GMT Accessory grip maker Richard Franiec has created a custom grip for the Sigma DP1 Merrill and DP2 Merrill. As usual, the grip is made from anodized aluminium alloy and attached to the front of the camera using high-strength 3M double-sided tape. The grip attaches securely but can be removed if necessary. It will be available from December 2012 at a cost of $36.95 plus shipping. Read full story → Olympus US gives $500 price and December date for 17mm f/1.8 Published on Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:00:00 AM GMT Olympus USA has announced its M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 for Micro Four Thirds will be available in December for around $500. The lens features the same premium build quality and snap-focus manual focus mode as the company's 12mm f/2.0. The snap-focus mode is engaged by pulling the focus ring on the lens back, which reveals a distance scale and engages end-stops on the focus travel, applies firmer damping and switches the camera to manual focus mode. Olympus UK, meanwhile, has announced a price of £449.99. Read full story → Corbis buys 'citizen journalism' agency Demotix Published on Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:36:03 PM GMT Demotix, the photo agency created to distribute and sell newsworthy images from members of the public, has been bought by image giant Corbis. London-based Demotix, which has smartphone apps to make it easier to submit images, has a community of around 6,500 freelancers and semi-pro photographers and videographers submitting work. By contrast, Seattle-based Corbis' collection of 100 million images tends to come from professionals and it more tightly curated. Read full story → VII Photo Agency director praises mobile photography Published on Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:47:53 PM GMT Wired.com has published an interview with Stephen Mayes, director of the VII photo agency, about the importance of mobile photography in the digital age. According to Mayes, smartphone photography represents a 'pivotal moment' in photography, and calls cell phones 'a pretty pure implementation of the digital phenomenon'. Click through for more excepts from the interview and a link to the full article at wired.com Read full story → Connect: Review of Photo Editor by Aviary app Published on Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:54:00 PM GMT We've reviewed the multi-platform mobile app Photo Editor by Aviary. Even if you're not familiar with this app, you've likely seen Aviary in effect in other mobile applications as the photo editor is available to other app developers as a software development kit (SDK) for Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7, and there's a Web Widget too. We take a look at Aviary's version, optimized for both phone and tablet screens, on Connect. Read full story → Lytro adds 'perspective shift' and 'living filters' to light field captures Published on Friday, November 16, 2012 12:32:59 AM GMT Lytro has announced two extra features for users of its Light Field Cameras - perspective shift and living filters. Perspective shift allows the viewer to re-render the light field as if captured from a slightly different position - moving this viewing position around shows off the depth information captured by the camera. Meanwhile the 'living filters' are depth-aware versions of the processing filter modes that have become near-ubiquitous in cameras in recent years. And, because the Light Field Cameras download all the light field data to your computer, these effects will be available with all existing captures. Read full story → The 'in the moment' merits of camera phones - despite just 1.3MP Published on Friday, November 16, 2012 7:11:25 PM GMT Smartphone photography is taking increasingly seriously as a medium, but this isn't because the devices have reached a certain standard. In an interview from 2009, actor and photography Joel Grey discusses the work he's done using a 1.3MP phone camera. He discusses the snobbery surrounding cameraphones (including his own), and points our that 'pictures are pictures...the subject, light and framing is everything.' Read full story → Images from the 'Skyfall island' - Michael Gakuran goes urban exploring Published on Friday, November 16, 2012 8:55:53 PM GMT Skyfall, the latest James Bond film, is topping the box office charts around the world and wowing audiences with its cinematography. It includes a sequence set on a deserted island - modeled on Hashima, an abandoned former coal-mining island off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan. Dpreview member Michael Gakuran has written a blog post about his experiences on the island - filming for a Discovery Channel documentary and, earlier, being smuggled onto the island under cover of darkness to perform a little urban exploration (Urbex). Read full story → Just Posted: Leica X2 real-world sample gallery Published on Friday, November 16, 2012 10:38:07 PM GMT Just Posted: Our real world samples gallery from the Leica X2. Following the Sigma DP series, Leica was one of the first companies to offer a large sensor in a compact-bodied camera with its X1. The X2 retains its predecessor's 36mm equivalent F2.8 lens but adds a 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor. We've been shooting the X2 in a variety of lighting situations and at a range of apertures to give a taste for what the camera can do. The 49-image gallery includes a selection of Adobe Camera Raw conversions as well as out-of-camera JPEGs. Read full story → Just Posted: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Review Published on Saturday, November 17, 2012 12:05:50 AM GMT We've just published a review of Panasonic's flagship super-zoom camera, the Lumix DMC-FZ200. The FZ200 goes back to its roots, offering a constant-aperture zoom range, like the FZs of old, but in most other respects it's similar to its well-regarded predecessor the FZ150. Features include a 12MP MOS sensor with a maximum ISO sensitivity of 6400, Raw shooting, and automatic panorama and HDR modes. We collaborated with Jeff Keller of the Digital Camera Resource Page to bring you this review of the FZ200 - click through to find out what we thought.  Read full story → Just Posted: Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD samples gallery Published on Sunday, November 18, 2012 10:00:00 AM GMT Just Posted: Our samples gallery from the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD. The company's latest fast maximum aperture, stabilized standard zoom was announced back in February, but really comes into its own with the recent announcements of more affordable full-frame bodies from Canon and Nikon. We've put together a gallery of images shot in a variety of situations with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III to give a taste for what it can do. Read full story → USA gets Holiday deals on smartphones and accessories Published on Monday, November 19, 2012 9:22:19 PM GMT Over at Connect we're assembling a list of Holiday deals - with the first smartphone and accessory deals listed today. We'll be highlighting more interesting offers as they come to our attention. The period around the Thanksgiving holiday is particularly prominent for shopping in the USA, with the Friday afterwards (known as Black Friday) and the subsequent Monday (dubbed 'Cyber Monday') being a focus of in-store and internet deals respectively. A recent survey suggests that smartphone usage could see Thanksgiving itself become 'Mobile Thursday' as people shop from their 'phones. Read full story → Canon EOS 6D sample images added to hands-on preview Published on Monday, November 19, 2012 11:22:39 PM GMT We've added a gallery of real-world and studio images to our Canon EOS 6D preview. The EOS 6D won't be available until at least December but we've been able to borrow a pre-production model for which we've been allowed to post samples. We've shot with the camera in a series of lighting conditions, using a variety of lenses, including the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM and the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM. We've also shot an ISO sequence under challenging low-color-temperature artificial light. Click here to see how Canon's latest full-frame challenger performs. Read full story → Just Posted: Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Published on Tuesday, November 20, 2012 7:26:03 PM GMT Just Posted: Our review of the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM. The latest version of Sigma's stabilized superzoom is smaller and lighter than the existing non-macro version, yet is able to add improved close-focus performance, helping it compete with the similarly-sized Tamron 18-270mm VC. These long-range all-rounders are a popular choice, so we've had a look at how Sigma's latest performs. We've also added DxOMark's test data for a selection of its competitors, to give a sense of context. Read full story → Hands-on with Android 4.2's Photo Sphere Published on Tuesday, November 20, 2012 7:44:14 PM GMT While most smartphones still lag behind dedicated cameras in image quality they come with a lot more processing power and the ability to install apps. This allows you to do things on the move which, when done with a digital camera, would require a computer, a piece of software and some serious screen time. Android's Photo Sphere feature is a good example - it allows you to stitch individual images into a 360° Photos Sphere and immerse yourself in a scene. Photo Sphere is part of the camera app of Android 4.2 - the latest version, as featured on the Nexus 4 smartphone. We've taken it out and had a play with it, click through to see how we got on. Read full story →
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