Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 18 September 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 18 September 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 475th Digital Photography Review newsletter. I was out of the office for much of last week, with family visiting from England and then a charity bike ride on Saturday, so that's what I've been up to, but enough about me - there was plenty going on here at dpreview in my absence. In the past few days we've published a full review of Fujifilm's XM-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, an update to our lengthy first impressions review of the Olympus OM-D E-M1, and plenty more besides. The (virtual) ink had barely dried on our X-M1 review when Fujifilm released the widely-leaked X-A1 alongside a new telephoto zoom, so we wrote about that, and we also published a thorough review of the very smart Vanguard Up-Rise 33 camera bag. Let's take a look at what you might have missed if you haven't seen the site for a few days: Fujifilm X-M1 Review We've just published our review of the Fujifilm X-M1, which is the company's lowest-priced X-Trans-based mirrorless camera. It takes the sensor from the X-E1 and X-Pro1 and puts it in a simpler, more portable body. Fujifilm also added a tilting 3-inch LCD and Wi-Fi, which puts the X-M1 on much the same level as mirrorless cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GF6 and Sony NEX-5T. We really like the X-M1 and for a detailed look at how the camera performed, click the links below. Click here to read our review of the Fujifilm X-M1 Olympus OM-D E-M1 First Impressions Review updated! We've had more time to shoot with the Olympus E-M1 since we published our initial first impressions last week, and specifically we've extended our coverage of its AF performance. In addition to incorporating real-world Continuous Autofocus examples and commentary, we've also spent more time shooting with it alongside an E-5, to see exactly how the two compare, and amended our impressions accordingly. Click here to read our updated First Impressions Review of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Fujifilm announces X-A1: Budget mirrorless with conventional sensor It might look like the X-M1 that we reviewed this week but it's not - well, not quite. The X-A1 is Fujifilm's most basic X-mount mirrorless camera yet and although it shares a body with the X-M1 it is based around a 16MP sensor with a conventional, Bayer color filter array, rather than the X-Trans design used in the other X-series models. The X-A1 retains the 920k-dot tilting LCD and Wi-Fi offered by the X-M1, and is being launched with an MSRP of $599 with the XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens - $200 cheaper than the X-M1 cost at its launch. Click the links to read more, and see full specifications. Click here to read our announcement coverage of the Fujifilm X-A1 Vanguard Up-rise 33 bag review With a smart look and clean design, the Vanguard Up-Rise 33 stands out from the pack. Capable of holding a small to medium DSLR, the Up-Rise 33 also expands to allow room for a 13-inch notebook computer, or contracts if you have less to carry. It has served as a good commuter companion for one of our reviewers for about eight months. Read our review to find out how it fared after lengthy and intensive use. Click here to read our review of the Vanguard Up-rise 33 IFA roundup: What's new in mobile photography tech Following the major mobile technology exhibition IFA in Berlin this week, we've got a roundup of some the most interesting photocentric tech we tested during the show. From the newest version of Samsung's Galaxy Note III to an innovative camera phone from Acer with an actual ring flash, manufacturers are paying special attention to the imaging abilities of mobile devices. Take a look at what caught our eye at IFA on connect.dpreview.com. Click here to read our roundup of IFA 2013 What's coming up? Hopefully we can finish some reviews, assuming manufacturers stop throwing new products at us! All being well we should have our reviews of the Olympus E-P5 sorted out soon, as well as our in-depth look at Sony's Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II and my first impressions of using the Canon PowerShot G16 after a few weeks of shooting. Our review of the Canon EOS 70D proceeds apace, and we're continuing to work on the very impressive Olympus OM-D E-M1. Sad to say, summer appears to be over here in the Pacific Northwest, but we'll try to bring you more samples galleries from new and upcoming products over the next few weeks as well. Thanks for reading! Until next time... Barney WTD #1435 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura We've just added nearly fifty new videos to GearShop to help you decide on your next camera or lens. The goal of our DPReview-produced video overviews is to get past the marketing fluff, and present an honest hands-on run-down of each product's most important features. As you browse the store, you'll find the videos embedded right on the product page, or you can click around on our YouTube page to see them all at once. Looking to get into a mirrorless system without spending a fortune? Check out Fujifilm's new X-A1. Fujifilm also announced a new telephoto 50-230mm zoom lens to complement it, or any other X-mount-compatible camera in its lineup. Both are available for pre-order now. This week's best deals: Nikon is offering $200 off its high-quality optical viewfinders when you buy one with the Coolpix A. Did you know you can add fisheye and telephoto conversion lenses to the Olympus TG-2 without compromising its durability or waterproofing? Save $20 instantly on both lenses now. Now shipping: Sony's NEX-5T is in stock now, and can be combined with the purchase of Sony's 20mm F2.8 or 55-210mm E-mount lenses to save $100 instantly. Canon's consumer compact travel zoom cameras are now available – check out the SX170 IS and SX510 HS now. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Fujifilm X-M1 real-world samples gallery Published on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 7:00:00 AM GMT The X-M1 may be the cheapest model in Fujifilm's X-mount lineup, yet it retains the same 16 megapixel X-Trans CMOS sensor as its more expensive siblings. We were impressed with the image quality from the X-Pro1 and X-E1, and if you want to see if the X-M1 fared just as well, click below to head to our 37-shot real world photo gallery. Read full story → Photo project documents rivers of the interior U.S. Published on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 10:00:00 AM GMT Jeff Rich's photo project started at the French Broad river outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Since then, 'Watershed Project' has taken him to the Tennessee River and now the Mississippi in an effort to document and raise awareness of the safekeeping of these rivers. To create some boundaries for the project, he's limited the scope to capturing the stewardship, pollution and control of the rivers. Click through and check out some of his images. Read full story → PhotoSmith app for iPad offers image organization, syncs with Lightroom Published on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 9:29:06 PM GMT The PhotoSmith app for iPad lets photographers catalog and filter their photos on the move. There are no editing capabilities, but users can add ratings, labels, keywords and other metadata, and group photos into collections. It can export to Facebook, Flickr, Dropbox and iPad Albums, but its party trick is the ability to sync tags and ratings with Lightroom. Read more in our full review on our sister site, connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Canon EOS 70D review gains test scene samples Published on Thursday, September 12, 2013 7:50:00 AM GMT We're working towards completing our review of the Canon EOS 70D and have been shooting our test scene with a production camera. We've published the test shots, including downloadable Raw files of both the daylight and low light scene. The EOS 70D review will also be one of the few chances to see our outgoing test scene and our new, more challenging, more informative scene alongside one another. Click through to see how it performs. Read full story → Weye Feye connects your DSLR and smartphone Published on Thursday, September 12, 2013 3:00:00 PM GMT The Weye Feye connects Nikon and Canon DSLRs without built-in Wi-Fi capabilities to a smartphone for remote controlling and image transfer. Some more recent DSLR models come with built-in Wi-Fi functions, but for those that don't the Weye Feye looks like an interesting option. We take a closer look on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Smarter cameras may help bring autonomy to space robots Published on Thursday, September 12, 2013 4:12:46 PM GMT Space robots, including the Curiosity rover currently roaming Mars, have been great at following orders. Now, scientists are looking for ways to put more decision making power within the grasp of the rover itself. A team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing a camera system called TextureCam to do just that. They've developed an algorithm to allow the rover to analyze 3D images and determine whether an object in front of it deserves further investigation. Click through to read more. Read full story → SanDisk offers 'world's first' 256GB CompactFlash card Published on Thursday, September 12, 2013 6:39:03 PM GMT SanDisk has introduced a high capacity CompactFlash card with 256GB of storage. The card boasts write speeds of 65MB/s and transfer speeds up to 160MB/s. It's also rated with a VPG-65 Video Performance Guarantee, promising adequate speed for 4K video capture. As is the case with SanDisk's other Extreme Pro cards, it's designed to withstand shock, vibration and extreme temperatures. Click through for all of the details. Read full story → Olympus OM-D E-M1 - Review extended with more AF insights Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 12:38:12 AM GMT We've had more time to shoot with the Olympus E-M1 and have extended our coverage of its AF performance. In addition to incorporating real-world Continuous Autofocus examples and commentary, we've also spent more time shooting with it alongside an E-5, to see exactly how the two compare, and amended our impressions accordingly. Read full story → Apple adds support for Olympus E-P5 in latest Raw compatibility update Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 3:14:17 AM GMT Apple has released version 4.09 of its Raw Compatibility software for Aperture and iPhoto '11. This update adds support for the Olympus PEN E-P5, and also restores lens correction to the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. There's an additional fix related to white balance for images from Nikon cameras that have been edited in third party software. Read full story → SanDisk introduces first CFast 2.0 memory card Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 1:36:27 PM GMT Cementing its commitment to the 'CFast' standard, SanDisk has introduced the Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 memory card, the first of its kind. The card boasts read speeds of up to 450MB/s and write speeds of up to 350MB/s, and will be sold with 60 or 120GB of storage. As a competitor to the Nikon-backed XQD standard, this first CFast 2.0 card is introduced alongside with an ARRI AMIRA documentary-style camera that records to internal CFast 2.0 cards. Click through for more details and full press release. Read full story → Canon releases sample video from high-sensitivity full frame CMOS sensor Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 5:38:53 PM GMT Canon has released a short video produced with a unique full frame CMOS sensor. Announced in March, it's a sensor dedicated to extreme low light video recording with unusually large pixels. The test subject? A group of Yaeyama-hime fireflies on Japan's Ishigaki Island. Click through to read more. Read full story → What The Duck #1435 Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 10:03:23 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.  Read full story → IFA roundup: What's new in mobile photography tech Published on Saturday, September 14, 2013 6:10:13 PM GMT Following the major mobile technology exhibition IFA in Berlin this week, we've got a roundup of some the most interesting photocentric tech we tested during the show. From the newest version of Samsung's Galaxy Note III to an innovative camera phone from Acer with an actual ring flash, manufacturers are paying special attention to the imaging abilities of mobile devices. Take a look at what caught our eye at IFA on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Accessory review: Vanguard Up-Rise 33 Published on Sunday, September 15, 2013 10:50:14 PM GMT With a smart look and clean design, the Vanguard Up-Rise 33 stands out from the pack. Capable of holding a small to medium DSLR, the Up-Rise 33 also expands to allow room for a 13-inch notebook computer, or contracts if you have less to carry. It has served as a good commuter companion for one of our reviewers for about eight months. Read how it performed in his review. Read full story → These impressive photos will trick you into thinking they're paintings Published on Monday, September 16, 2013 1:41:17 AM GMT Photography, as an art form, can be quite elastic. It can be used to capture the 'decisive moment' or a once-in-a-lifetime split-second shot. Or, the form expands into more studied, careful, fine art approaches. These photos fall into the second category. Their use of color and lines, artificial lighting and repetition give them a lot in common with paintings - so much so that they might just trick you at first glance.  Read full story → Photographers Bruce Weber and David Bailey try the Nokia Lumia 1020 Published on Monday, September 16, 2013 7:01:32 AM GMT Nokia is working hard to promote the imaging abilities of its 41-megapixel smartphone, the Lumia 1020, most recently by sending two famous photographers on a shoot with the device in Harlem, New York. David Bailey and Bruce Weber used Nokia's flagship phone during the 24-hour shoot this July, which was Weber's first time using any kind of digital camera. Sixty of their images are now available to view online and also at an exhibition in London. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → CreativeLive to broadcast six days of free photography workshops Published on Monday, September 16, 2013 10:36:19 PM GMT The folks behind CreativeLive, an online resource for photographers co-founded by Chase Jarvis, have kicked off Photo Week: six days of educational workshops streamed live online for free. Workshops will be broadcast over three channels with topics including wedding, family and portrait photography. It begins today - click through for more details. Read full story → Fujifilm unveils X-A1: an entry-level mirrorless with a conventional sensor Published on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 5:00:00 AM GMT Fujifilm has announced the X-A1, its most basic X-mount mirrorless camera yet. The X-A1 shares a body with the X-M1 but is based around a 16MP sensor with a conventional, Bayer color filter array, rather than the X-Trans design used in the other X-series models. The X-A1 retains the 920k-dot tilting LCD and Wi-Fi offered by the X-M1, and is being launched with an MSRP of $599 with the XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS zoom lens - $200 cheaper than the X-M1 cost at its launch. The company has also announced the Fujinon XC 50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS - a relatively small, lightweight telezoom that would pair well with either the X-A1 or X-M1. Read full story → Our Fujifilm X-M1 review: big photo quality in a small package? Published on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 11:58:33 AM GMT We've completed our review of the Fujifilm X-M1, which is the company's lowest-priced X-Trans-based mirrorless camera. It takes the sensor from the X-E1 and X-Pro1 and puts it in a simpler, more portable body. Fujifilm also added a tilting 3-inch LCD and Wi-Fi, which puts the X-M1 on much the same level as mirrorless cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GF6 and Sony NEX-5T. For a detailed look at the X-M1, follow the link. Read full story → Adobe releases Camera Raw 8.2 and Lightroom 5.2 Published on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 3:12:37 PM GMT Adobe has released Camera Raw 8.2 and Lightroom 5.2, as final versions of updates that were originally posted as 'release candidates'. ACR 8.2 is designed to work with Photoshop CC but, as promised, is also compatible with Photoshop CS6. It brings support for 16 additional cameras, including the Canon EOS 70D, Fujifilm X-M1, and Sony RX100 II, along with new lens profiles and bug fixes. For users of older Photoshop versions, Adobe DNG Converter 8.2 is also now available. Click through for more details and how to download. Read full story → Phase One makes Capture One 7.1.4 available Published on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 6:13:09 PM GMT Phase One has released the latest version of its Raw processing software, Capture One 7.1.4. This update offers support for more cameras and lenses, and also promises improved performance when working with large numbers of photos. With this version, Capture One 7 now supports the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II, Fujifilm X-M1 and Olympus E-P5 among others, and adds 32 new lens profiles. Click through for the full press release. Read full story →
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