Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Tuesday, 25 June 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Tuesday, 25 June 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 463rd Digital Photography Review newsletter. Well that'll teach me to tempt fate - minutes after sending last week's email celebrating the fact that it hadn't rained for a week it started pouring down. Fortunately, there's been so much going on here for the past few days that we haven't had much time to care about the weather. Since last Monday we've published two reviews, two in-depth previews, a roundup of the best cameras to buy your kids, a very exciting and a lot more besides. Let's take a look at what you might have missed! Fujifilm X-M1 In-depth Preview We're very excited about the Fujifilm X-M1, and indeed about Fujifilm's growing X-series range of cameras in general. Fujifilm's latest miniaturized mirrorless model represents something of a design departure from its previous X-system offerings, eschewing the traditional control dials seen on the X-E1 and X-Pro1 for a more contemporary control layout. It also forgoes an eye-level viewfinder, making do with a tilting rear screen instead. Is this a betrayal of everything Fujifilm owners have grown to love about their cameras, or is there more to the little X-M1 than meets the eye? Read our preview to find out. Click here to read our in-depth preview of the Fujifilm X-M1 Ricoh GR Review Ricoh's fixed-lens GR boasts a 28mm equivalent lens with a maximum aperture of F2.8, in front of a 16MP CMOS sensor. If this sounds familiar it might be because the more expensive Nikon Coolpix A offers similar baseline specifications. This is effectively the second half of what we've called a 'comparitive review', covering the relative strengths and weaknesses of both cameras in detail. We've also included test data courtesy of DxO labs, with whom we collaborate on our in-depth lens reviews. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but the GR is pretty impressive... Click here to read our review of the Ricoh GR Samsung Galaxy NX hands-on preview Apparently firm believers in the 'more is more' approach to product design, Samsung's engineers have basically packed all of their most advanced mobile and photography technology into a single device, and called it the Galaxy NX. We spent an enjoyable few hours with a pre-production unit last week, and prepared a preview for you with our first impressions. In very broad terms, the Galaxy NX may be thought of as an NX300 with almost all of the buttons and dials shorn off, and an EVF and massive LCD screen grafted on. Oh, and it runs the Android open-source operating system. The final result is certainly curious, but we have to take our hats off to Samsung for innovating, and for yet again proving that cameras don't have to all look and operate in the same way. And in case you were curious - I made the amazing Photoshop composite image you can see below. You're welcome. Click here for our hands-on preview of the Samsung Galaxy NX Roundup: Best digital cameras for kids If they're young enough, your kids may have only ever known a world in which smartphones and cameras are the same thing. That's too bad. To ensure that the next wave of young photographers understand the performance and ergonomic advantages of using a real camera, you'll need to get one into their hands as soon as possible. In this roundup article we've highlighted a range of digital cameras to suit aspiring young photographers of all ages from under-10s to teenagers but as always. if there's anything you think we've missed, leave your suggestion in the comments! Click to read our roundup of the best digital cameras for kids Canon PowerShot D20 review The Canon PowerShot D20's curvy design appears to have been be inspired by tropical fish, and it offers a host of improvements over its predecessor that include a 5X zoom lens (versus 3X), larger/sharper LCD, built-in GPS, and 1080p video recording. While the D20 can be submerged as deep as its predecessor underwater (10 meters), it's slightly more shock resistant and able to take a slightly higher drop than the older D10 (1.5 versus 1.2 meters). But is it any good? Find out in our short review. Click here to read our review of the Canon PowerShot D20 What's coming up? There's lots still to come in the next few days, including a review of Pentax's flagship compact camera, the 12MP MX-1 and a review of the Canon EF 200-400mm F4L IS USM Extender 1.4x. We're also working on our group test of waterproof cameras, and there's a roundup of bargain DSLRs/ILCs in the pipeline too, alongside the usual variety of news items and articles. And maybe (just maybe) the Fujifilm X-M1 isn't the only major new camera being announced this week... I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you. And I've been told I'm not allowed to do that. As always, thanks for reading, see you next week! Barney WTD #1407 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory
News updates Adobe releases subscription-only Photoshop CC Published on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 1:02:09 PM GMT Adobe has released the latest version of Photoshop: CC for 'Creative Cloud'. It's the first to be made available solely though the company's controversial subscription-only model, that requires users to pay an ongoing monthly charge of £17.58 / $19.99 for access to the software. New features include a revised 'Smart Sharpen' function, a 'Camera Shake Reduction' filter, and the ability to apply Camera Raw edits as layers. The latest versions of other Creative Cloud apps such the video editor Premiere Pro are also now available to download. Read full story → Lens reviews update: DxOMark data for Nikon-fit full frame wideangles Published on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 1:15:00 PM GMT DxOMark has just reviewed Nikon's latest budget full frame wideangle lens, the AF-S Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED. As part of our ongoing collaboration we've added the test results to our lens comparison widget, along with other Nikon-fit full frame wide zooms. You can compare it to its predecessor, the AF Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF ED, the AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR, the legendary AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, and the Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX. Click through to see the comparisons in our lens widget, and for the full data on DxOMark. Read full story → Olympus UK serves up free Pancakes with PEN Lite and Mini Published on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 1:48:22 PM GMT Olympus UK is offering a free M. Zuiko Digital 17mm 1:2.8 Pancake lens to anyone who buys a PEN E-PL5 or PEN E-PM2 from an authorised UK stockist. The lens can be claimed though the the company's website, and the promotion runs until 15th September 2013. Read full story → Awards celebrate the best of iPhone photography Published on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 6:46:43 PM GMT The 6th Annual iPhone Photography Awards has announced its winners, celebrating smartphone images across 16 categories of mobile photography. The top three winners of the Photographer of the Year category each received an iPad Mini while the top entry from each category won a gold bar. We take a look at the award winners on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Just posted: Our Canon PowerShot D20 underwater camera review Published on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 11:17:52 PM GMT We've posted the first in a series of six reviews of rugged/waterproof compact cameras. First up is the Canon PowerShot D20, whose fish-inspired design can go for swim, get dropped on the floor, and shoot in freezing temperatures. Once we've completed our reviews of all six cameras, we'll put together a comparison, so you can find out which is best-in-class. Follow the link to see how the PowerShot D20 performed in our tests. Read full story → Lytro unlocks Wi-Fi with firmware update, introduces iOS app Published on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 9:37:19 PM GMT Lytro has released a firmware update that enables the Wi-Fi chips inside its 8GB and 16GB light field cameras. The San Fransisco-based company has also announced a new iOS companion app called Lytro Mobile, which allows you to browse images from the camera on an iOS smartphone or iPod Touch. Replicating some of the functionality of Lytro's existing desktop app, the mobile app allows you to refocus and change the perspective of your images and share the 'living pictures' via social media. Click through for more details.  Read full story → Leica announces $1300 special edition 'G-Star RAW' D-Lux 6 Published on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 10:11:46 PM GMT Leica has announced a special edition of its D-lux 6 high-end compact camera, in collaboration with clothing manufacturer G-Star RAW. The special D-Lux 6 (itself arguably a 'special edition' Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7) will be available from Leica Stores and Boutiques worldwide, and is expected to cost around $1300. What do you get for your money? Well, 'a new dot structure on the leather body trim' and a leather case with 'exclusive carrying strap'. Excited? Click through for more details.  Read full story → Cosina says Voigtländer Nokton 42.5mm F0.95 will be available in August Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 11:34:09 AM GMT Cosina has announced that its Voigtländer Nokton 42.5mm F0.95 will be available in August, and will be priced at ¥123,900 in Japan. This ultra-fast short telephoto 'portrait' lens is for Micro Four Thirds cameras only, and will offer similar photographic characteristics to an 85mm F1.9 lens on full frame in terms of angle of view, depth of field control, and background blur. It has a 10-bladed diaphragm, and features manual focus and aperture operation - the latter can be made clickless for movie recording.   Read full story → Just Posted: Ricoh GR Review Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 3:01:20 PM GMT Just Posted: Our review of the Ricoh GR, compared with the Nikon Coolpix A. We've already reviewed the conceptually similar Nikon Coolpix A and concluded that in some respects it was it out-gunned by the Ricoh, so what does that mean for the GR? We've delved into the Ricoh's menus to get to grips with what it's capable of and explored a range of its interesting features. Read our comparative review to see how it performs. Read full story → Samsung releases significant firmware update for NX300 Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 6:42:39 PM GMT Samsung has released firmware version 1.2 for its NX300 interchangeable lens camera. The biggest claimed improvement is to autofocus, though Samsung has not disclosed what kind of improvement to expect. The update also adds new touchscreen features, a microphone sensitivity adjustment feature, auto image rotation, and a minimum shutter speed for Auto ISO. Several bugs are also fixed. For the complete list and a link to download the update, follow the link. Read full story → Aviary 3.0 for Android launched with updated UI and editing tools Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 6:48:48 PM GMT Aviary has announced a significant update to its Android photo editing app. Version 3.0 of Photo Editor by Aviary introduces a sleeker interface, modifications to some existing editing tools and availability of new filters previously only on the iOS version of the app. Click through for more details.  Read full story → Asteroid research company will take your portrait in space for $25 Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 6:54:46 PM GMT Kickstarter backers contributing $25 or more to the launch of a space telescope will get to have their photos taken in space. Planetary Resources, a company devoted to asteroid research, will thank its donors for their support by displaying their images in space and photographing them with the Earth in the background. Once launched, students and researchers will have access to the telescope so they can take their own pictures of the planet from space. Click through for more details. Read full story → Samsung announces Android-powered Galaxy NX 20MP mirrorless camera Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 7:00:00 PM GMT Samsung has announced the Galaxy NX: the world's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera running the Android operating system. The Galaxy NX takes a 20.3 megapixel, SLR-style mirrorless camera and adds 3G, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi, connectivity and Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). The camera sports a gigantic 4.8" HD LCD touchscreen - with which you'll control nearly all camera functions. The Galaxy NX will be available sometime this summer for an undisclosed price. Read full story → Just Posted: Samsung Galaxy NX Hands-on Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 7:57:23 PM GMT Just posted: Our Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy NX. We were given the chance to play with Samsung's latest phone/camera hybrid - the Android-powered Galaxy NX. It combines a 20MP DSLR-style mirrorless camera body with the vast touchscreen and connectivity of a smartphone, giving a high-IQ camera with 3G, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity as well as GPS and GLONASS-compatible positioning. What's it like to use, though? Read our Hands-on article to find out. Read full story → Instagram adds video functionality with image-stabilization Published on Thursday, June 20, 2013 10:00:36 PM GMT Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram, announced today that the app has been updated to include video capture, including a digital image-stabilization feature. While video clips are limited to only 15 seconds in total, multiple clips can be captured by pressing and holding the record icon, releasing the icon to pause and then recording additional scenes until the 15 second limit has been reached. Click through for more details on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Capture One Pro 7 update extends raw support to multiple new cameras Published on Friday, June 21, 2013 5:26:41 PM GMT Phase One has released 7.1.3 of its Capture One Pro software, which includes extended raw support for a number of new cameras, including the Canon EOS-1D C and mirrorless models from Nikon, Panasonic and Sony. It also includes a beta version of a new catalog importer. Click through for a full list of newly supported cameras. Read full story → What The Duck #1407 Published on Friday, June 21, 2013 10:33:43 PM GMT We've been fans of Aaron Johnson's comic strip 'What the Duck' for years. 'WTD' is one of the best satirical comic strips in the world, and it's published here every week, as well as being included in our weekly newsletter. Barbed, topical and always amusing, we hope you enjoy WTD as much as we do. Click through for this week's strip. Read full story → Roundup: Digital Cameras for Kids Published on Friday, June 21, 2013 11:26:26 PM GMT If they’re young enough, your kids may have only ever known a world in which smartphones are the most-popular devices for taking photos. That’s too bad. In this article we've rounded up a selection of cameras that will suit aspiring young photographers of all ages from under-10s to teenagers. Click through for a link.  Read full story → Eyeist serves up portfolio reviews digitally Published on Friday, June 21, 2013 11:47:52 PM GMT Posting your images online for critique is a common practice in DPReview forums as well as on Flickr and other sites. But you usually have to go to a photo festival, or travel to have your portfolio reviewed by a professional curator. One of those curators created Eyeist.com, a service to connect photographers with creative professionals who can help them focus their selection for projects of many types, from books to websites to presentations. Click through for our review of Eyeist. Read full story → CNET Australia shares tips on photographing the Supermoon Published on Friday, June 21, 2013 11:55:49 PM GMT This Sunday, June 23rd, the moon will be closer to earth than at any point during the year. It just so happens that on Sunday the moon will be full, too, creating what is commonly known as a 'Supermoon' which if there are no clouds in the way, will appear larger and brighter than normal. A great opportunity for some backyward astrophotography, in other words. CNET Australia has published a short article containing tips for capturing this Sunday's Supermoon in all its glory. Click through for extracts and a link to the full article.  Read full story → Forum update: polls added Published on Monday, June 24, 2013 6:02:39 PM GMT Forums update: We've just added a new 'create a poll' option for forum threads. Head over to the forums to try it out for yourself. We've also created a test poll here where you can see how it works and give us feedback at the same time! Read full story → Lowepro introduces Transit AW series bags for urbanites Published on Monday, June 24, 2013 11:46:45 PM GMT Lowepro's new Transit Sling 250 AW and Transit Backpack 350 AW aim to help photographers keep a low profile in the heart of the city. The smaller Sling 250 has only one strap and will comfortably house a mirrorless camera or compact DSLR with a couple of lenses, while the Backpack 350, with two straps, provides a bit more room for a standard DSLR, larger lenses and a laptop. Click through for details and pricing. Read full story →
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