Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 30 April 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 30 April 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 507th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Hello from a lovely day here in Seattle. I spent part of this morning out shooting with Fujifilm's new TCL X100 teleconverter for the X100/S, which increases the effective focal length of its 23mm lens to 50mm (equivalent). Also in my pocket was the new Samsung NX mini - look out for sample galleries on both products in the next few days. Now let's take a look at some recent highlights... Leica T (typ 701) First Impressions Review Leica's new T (Typ 701) is the company's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with autofocus. While its 'guts' aren't much different than other cameras in its class, the hand-built body is all Leica. We've been able to spend some quality time with the German manufacturer's latest baby, and have put together our first impressions of it. Find out what we think of it so far. Click here to read our first-impressions review of the Leica T (typ 701) Updated: Sony a6000 First-impressions Review The Sony a6000 features a 24MP APS-C sensor that includes phase detection AF points across 92% of the frame and 11 fps continuous shooting with subject-tracking. It's the first E-mount camera of its style not to be branded 'NEX'. As we work toward a full review, read our shooting experience report and check out our real-world samples gallery to find out if the a6000 is more than a refreshed NEX-6 by another name. Read our first-impressions review (now including shooting report) View our gallery of real-world samples 1939: England in Color Color photography has been around in one form or another for a very long time, but has only been the norm for around forty years. Their relative rarity makes the discovery of older color images perennially fascinating. After all, early color offers us a view of the past in the colors and tones of our own experience and memories. Which brings us to a box that I found recently in my Grandmother's attic. Click through to see photos and read more of the story. Read our article '1939: England in Color'   Sony patent hints at RX compact with even greater pocket power Sony has patented the design of a series of bright zoom lenses, including a roughly F1.8-2.8 lens that would give 26-100mm equivalent coverage on a 1"-type sensor. The designs suggest the company intends to further develop its RX range of compacts. Such a lens would allow for a camera that made better use of its comparatively large sensor, even at the long end of the zoom. Click here to read about Sony's new patent, and why it might be significant ThinkTank StreetWalker HardDrive backpack review A good photography backpack is capable of stowing essential elements like a full-size camera body, small family of lenses, laptop, tripod, and all necessary accessories. A truly great backpack can carry all of that while being carry-on friendly and providing a high level of comfort and adjustability. The minds at ThinkTank strove to bring that full package with the StreetWalker HardDrive photo backpack. But does it provide enough bang to justify its $229.75 price tag? Find out in our review Click here to read our review of the ThinkTank StreetWalker HardDrive What's coming up? We're getting very close to the end of the process of reviewing Samsung's flagship NX30 and Canon's latest high-end compact the PowerShot G1 X Mark II. We're also doing some work on the Nikon D4S, with the aim of publishing more test data in the next couple of days. I'll also be publishing the second part of my 2-part story about the recent discovery of a collection of color slides from 1939 in my late grandmother's attic, so if you liked part 1, keep an eye on our homepage this Friday! Barney WTD #1300 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura This week's best deals: Save up to $300 on select Canon lenses with Canon's just announced mail-in rebates. You can also save $200 on the Gold Award winning Canon EOS 5D Mark III via mail-in rebate. Get ready for summer adventures with one of our waterproof cameras. Save $20 on the Olympus TG-850, or pre-order the Canon D30 or Olympus TG-3. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates NYC Department of Records archives showcase city's history Published on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT You don’t have to be a New Yorker to appreciate the 900,000 plus images available online through the NYC Department of Records archives. Some are photographs of well-known icons like the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, while others are Wee Gee-esque in their grit or as mundane as photos documenting local school buildings. Many of the images date back to the late 1800s. Learn more Read full story → Drone films SpaceX rocket launch and landing Published on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT These days shots from a flying drone are a dime a dozen - when engagement shoots are being covered from a hovering photographic robot you know that the technology is ubiquitous. It's getting increasingly hard to impress someone with images or video from drones. So it's lucky that privately-owned SpaceX happens to own its own rockets because it gives them the ability to capture stunning video, like this launch and landing test of its Falcon 9 Reusable rocket. See video Read full story → SmugMug Films: Master of illusions Published on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 3:30:00 PM GMT We've been following SmugMug Films' ongoing behind-the-lens series and have found the clips to be an interesting look at people who follow their passions in photography. The latest installment features Joel Grimes. He's been a commercial advertising photographer for more than 30 years and is most known for his composite portraits. Grimes considers himself more than a photographer - an artist and illusionist, creating images that are larger than life. See video and read Q&A Read full story → OnePlus launches 13MP, 4K video smartphone at bargain price Published on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 5:46:00 PM GMT OnePlus is a new smartphone maker based in China founded by a former Oppo executive. Today the company has released its first high-end smartphone, which is simply called the One. With its 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC, 5.5-inch 1080p screen, 3GB of RAM and a 13MP camera, the One's specifications are on a similar level as other flagship devices released this year. Learn more Read full story → Sony a6000 shooting experience and samples gallery Published on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 6:05:00 PM GMT The Sony a6000 features a 24MP APS-C sensor that includes phase detection AF points across 92% of the frame and 11 fps continuous shooting with subject-tracking. It's the first E-mount camera of its style not to be branded 'NEX'. As we work toward a full review, read our shooting experience report and check out our real-world samples gallery to find out if the a6000 is more than a refreshed NEX-6 by another name. Learn more and see gallery Read full story → Behind the photo: Sports Illustrated's 'Boston Strong' cover Published on Thursday, April 24, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT About a week prior to Monday’s running of the Boston Marathon, and a year after the bombing at the 2013 marathon, photographer Gregory Heisler addressed a crowd of thousands gathered at the finish line. The group included runners, first responders and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, all ready to pose for Sports Illustrated's 'Boston Strong' cover photo. Directing the crowd through a megaphone and standing on a raised platform, Heisler captured a portrait of 3,000 proud, resilient Bostonians. Take a peek behind the scenes of this large scale photo shoot. Learn more Read full story → Lensbaby adds Android option for its selective focus lens Published on Thursday, April 24, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT When Lensbaby launched the  Kickstarter project for its 'Sweet Spot' selective focus lens at the beginning of April it was initially iPhone only. Now the company has added a pledge level for Android users, too. For $50 you can pre-order the Sweet Spot lens and the Android application for your device. Delivery is expected in October. Learn more Read full story → Updated: Creating the Leica T Published on Thursday, April 24, 2014 1:00:00 PM GMT No one will deny that Leica cameras are expensive. But there's more to the cost than just that red dot on the front. Each of the company's new 'T' mirrorless cameras are built by hand in Germany with incredible precision. View the transformation from aluminum brick to finished product. We've just updated this slideshow with some insights from Leica's head of product management, Stefan Daniel. Click through to see (and read) more.  Read full story → All teed up: Leica T First Impressions Review Published on Thursday, April 24, 2014 1:00:00 PM GMT Leica's new T (Typ 701) is the company's first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with autofocus. While its 'guts' aren't much different than other cameras in its class, the hand-built body is all Leica. We've been able to spend some quality time with the German manufacturer's latest baby, and have put together our first impressions of it. Find out what we think of it thus far. Read full story → Leica T and lenses herald arrival of mirrorless T-system Published on Thursday, April 24, 2014 1:00:00 PM GMT Leica has announced the T-System, a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera system with autofocus. The first camera in the system, the Leica T, features a 16MP APS-C sensor. Two lenses - an 18-56mm F3.5-5.6 and a 23mm F2 prime have been announced alongside the camera, with the promise of an 11-23mm F3.5-4.5 wide-angle zoom and 55-135mm F3.5-4.5 telezoom to follow. The camera is milled from a solid billet of aluminum and features a touchscreen that the company says uses a user-friendly operating concept. An optional electronic viewfinder provides an alternative to the 3.7" LCD. Read full story → Lost 1960s moon photos recovered from analog tapes Published on Friday, April 25, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT More than 50 years after the satellites that captured the first high-res images of the moon plunged to the surface and were destroyed, a Wired article tells the story of a group of people that found the tapes after they ended up in storage in California. Re-engineering the old drives capable of reading the tapes, they've recovered these historically significant images. Learn more Read full story → Famatic connects generations through digital picture frame Published on Friday, April 25, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT A new Kickstarter project is aiming to make digital images more accessible to those without social media accounts. Famatic is a digital picture frame that connects to Facebook and Instagram - or you can email pictures as well. The idea is to place Famatic on your parents' or grandparents' mantelpiece and send them images of their grandkids and family events straight to the frame. Learn more Read full story → 1939: England in Color (part 1) Published on Friday, April 25, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT Color photography has been around in one form or another for a very long time, but has only been the norm for around forty years. Their relative rarity makes the discovery of older color images perennially fascinating. After all, early color offers us a view of the past in the colors and tones of our own experience and memories. Which brings us to a box that editor Barnaby Britton found recently in his Grandmother's attic. See photos and read more of the story Read full story → ThinkTank StreetWalker HardDrive backpack review Published on Friday, April 25, 2014 4:00:00 PM GMT A good photography backpack is capable of stowing essential elements like a full-size camera body, small family of lenses, laptop, tripod, and all necessary accessories. A truly great backpack can carry all of that while being carry-on friendly and providing a high level of comfort and adjustability. The minds at ThinkTank strove to bring that full package with the StreetWalker HardDrive photo backpack. But does it provide enough bang to justify its $229.75 price tag? Find out in our review Read full story → What The Duck #1300 Published on Friday, April 25, 2014 10:02:51 PM GMT We've come to the end of another week here at dpreview, and as our thoughts drift to weekend shooting opportunities, it's time to take things a little less seriously. Aaron Johnson's comic strip ‘What the Duck’ is just the thing, taking a gently satirical look through the lens of a photographically inclined waterfowl. You can find it published here (and in our newsletter) every week; we hope you enjoy it, and your weekend. Read full story → 12 stunning images from Smithsonian's photography contest Published on Saturday, April 26, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Smithsonian.com has announced 60 finalists for its 11th annual photo contest. More than 50,000 photographs were submitted by photographers from 132 different countries. Ten images were selected from each of six categories: The Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, Altered Images and Mobile. See gallery Read full story → 'City of Samba': Rio Carnival in tilt-shift Published on Sunday, April 27, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The breathtaking 'City of Samba' video chronicles the festival of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro through a creative mashup of stop-motion and tilt-shift photography. The world of Carnival is even more impressive when it feels like an immersive model, a cartoon come to life. Captured from a vantage point above the fray, the 'City of Samba' shows the hectic celebration as a crazy animated dance. See video Read full story → Getty Images now lets you hang iconic photos on your wall Published on Monday, April 28, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT In March, stock photography house Getty Images rocked the industry when it announced it would allow people to embed images for free on websites and other electronic uses. Clearly looking to monetize the vast collection of images currently gathering digital dust in its archives, it has launched Photos.com by Getty Images to sell prints directly to customers. Learn more Read full story → Apple patents 3D interactive hologram display system Published on Monday, April 28, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT AppleInsider has discovered another interesting Apple patent. This time the technology giant has patented a 3D-display system that projects digital images into a medium such as a non-linear crystal, using infrared lasers or similar technologies and accepts user input in the form of gestures. Learn more Read full story → Get more accurate color with camera calibration Published on Monday, April 28, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT One of the ways in which you can minimize the amount of work you need to do in post-processing is to calibrate your camera. Many digital photographers are familiar with calibrating their computer monitor to help them get accurate results when adjusting images. But few think of calibrating their camera. Professional travel photographer Steve Davey explains why and how to set up a custom profile. Learn more Read full story → Samyang announces 'AE' 35mm F1.4 for Canon, and 300mm F6.3 for DSLRs Published on Monday, April 28, 2014 6:52:00 PM GMT Samyang has announced five new manual focus lenses, including a revised 'AE' version of its Canon-mount 35mm F1.4 which allows electronic aperture setting from the camera body. Meanwhile the Reflex 300mm F6.3 UMC CS is a mirror lens designed for APS-C SLRs, which will be available in Canon, Nikon, Sony Alpha and Four Thirds mounts. Finally there are three cinema versions of existing photo lenses - a 10mm T3.1  for APS-C SLRs, a 12mm T2.2 for mirrorless cameras, and a 7.5mm T3.8 fisheye for Micro Four Thirds.   Read full story → Sony patent hints at RX compact with even greater pocket power Published on Monday, April 28, 2014 7:51:00 PM GMT Sony has patented the design of a series of bright zoom lenses, including a roughly F1.8-2.8 lens that would give 26-100mm equivalent coverage on a 1"-type sensor. The designs suggest the company intends to further develop its RX range of compacts. Such a lens would allow for a camera that made better use of its comparatively large sensor, even at the long end of the zoom. Learn more Read full story → MIT algorithm predicts photo popularity Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Ask the average social media user what makes a photo popular online and they'll probably answer 'cats' or 'pretty women'. That gut feeling has now been confirmed by MIT PhD candidate Aditya Khosla who has analyzed more than 2.3 million images hosted on Flickr to answer the question 'what makes an image popular'? Learn more  Read full story → Alien Skin Software announces Exposure 6 plugin Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 12:00:00 PM GMT Alien Skin Software has announced the latest version of its flagship photography effects software. Exposure 6 now includes a 'Bokeh' focus and lens-simulation feature, an updated image processing engine for instant previews, enhanced user interface for quick workflow, and unlimited creative texture control. The analog film emulation and creative effects software integrates with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, and Aperture or can be launched as a stand-alone program. Learn more Read full story → Some Samsung Galaxy S5 units shipped with defective camera Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 4:09:48 PM GMT The S5's camera module keeps causing trouble. First there were concerns about problems in the manufacturing process of the S5's new 6-element lens, now Samsung has confirmed that an unspecified number of the flagship phones have shipped with defective cameras. Learn more Read full story → Samsung launches Galaxy K Zoom with 10x optical zoom Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 4:19:41 PM GMT Smartphone imaging components have improved a lot in recent years but the lack of an optical zoom is still a major disadvantage compared to traditional compact cameras. Now Samsung is aiming to make its hybrid model more attractive to consumers and has launched the second generation of the Galaxy Zoom series. Learn more Read full story →
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Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Tuesday, 22 April 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Tuesday, 22 April 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 506th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Spring has definitely sprung here in Seattle. The temperature is swinging all over the place, it's raining one minute and sunny the next and no-one knows quite what to wear on leaving the house in the morning. We've been taking advantage of the sunny spells to shoot plenty of stills and video, and the rainy intervals have allowed us to focus on writing and studio testing. Let's take a look at some recent content highlights... Nikon D3300 review Nikon's introduction of the D3300 at this year's CES didn't exactly shake up the industry, but it was still a noteworthy launch. The entry-level 3000 series have been popular with consumers looking to making a first step into more advanced photography, and the 24 megapixel D3300 is the latest generation in that popular line. With 1080/60p HD video capture, 5 fps burst shooting and 700-shot battery life it provides a beginner with some useful tools to experiment with. Is it a clear winner in the entry-level class? Read our full review to find out. Click here to read our review of the Nikon D3300 Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' lab test report and samples The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' is a fast normal prime for full frame cameras, with an unusually complex optical design. Its premium price tag of $950 / £850 makes it substantially more expensive than either its predecessor, or Canon and Nikon's 50mm F1.4 lenses. However Sigma's recent high-end offerings such as the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM and 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM have been truly excellent, so how does the new 50mm measure up? See the lens test data and our analysis View our gallery of real-world samples New Lytro Ilium, announced and interview with CEO Lytro has unveiled the Illum light field camera, its first new hardware since the original Lytro launched more than two years ago. Like its predecessor, the Illum captures information about the angle from which light has arrived, allowing it to calculate images with different perspective and focus. The biggest change is the use of a much larger sensor: now a 1" type, rather than 1/3" type usually found in smartphones. Click through to read more about the Lytro Ilium light field camera Read our interview with Lytro's CEO and founder   Nikon Coolpix P340 real-world samples gallery The Coolpix P340 is Nikon's latest pocket enthusiast camera, featuring a large 1/1.7", 12.2-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, full manual controls (P, S, A, M) and Raw image capture. The P340 has a versatile 5x (24-120mm equivalent) wide-angle to telephoto zoom range plus 10x Dynamic Fine Zoom and a fast F1.8 maximum aperture lens with Lens Shift VR image stabilization. We've spent a few days shooting with it to see if these specs add up to impressive performance. Click here to view our gallery of real-world samples from the Nikon Coolpix P340 In photos: Paris in the springtime 'Paris in the Springtime' is a new photography exhibition at the Beetles+Huxley gallery in London featuring notable photographers such as André Kertész, Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Willy Ronis and Elliott Erwitt. These classic black and white images are some of the scenes that have defined Paris' romantic street life cliché found in modern pop culture. The collection of mid-twentieth century photos are on display from April 7 - May 3. Click here to read (and see) more What's coming up? There's plenty in the pipeline, and despite being a traditionally fairly fallow period for new releases, from the rumors we're hearing this spring and summer might still hold some surprises. In the meantime we're focused on delivering reviews and sample images on those cameras that have been released in the past few weeks, including Sony's a6000 and Canon's powerful new PowerShot the G1 X Mark II. Towards the end of this week I'm also hoping to be able to show you something very special that I found in my grandmother's attic... and as soon as I wrote that, I realised how creepy it must have sounded. You'll love it, I promise! Barney WTD #1324 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura Now shipping: The gold award winning OM-D E-M10 is back in stock, but selling fast! Get one while the getting's good. Also available now is the Canon G1 X Mark II, which DPR users having given great reviews and DPR editors have recently spent some time with. Another hot new seller is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 travel zoom, a Raw-shooter with 30x zoom, Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS. On sale now: Canon PowerShots for all of your different photographic needs have instant savings. Models on sale include the (first generation) G1 X, G16, D20, and more. And for a few more days you can save $100 on the Panasonic Lumix G6 kit. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Ricoh announces medium-format Pentax 645Z Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 1:00:00 AM GMT Ricoh has launched the Pentax 645Z, a medium-format camera with a 51.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. Boasting an articulated 3.2-inch LCD, top ISO of 204,800, 3 fps continuous shooting, and 1080/60i video, the 645Z is cold-resistant, dustproof and weather-resistant with 76 weather-seals. It's also compatible with the Pentax FluCard, offering wireless remote control and image sharing from the camera to a smartphone, tablet or computer. Read full story → Hands on with the Pentax 645Z Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 1:55:00 AM GMT It's hard to resist the opportunity to play with a new medium format DSLR, so we quickly took up Ricoh's offer to try out its 645Z. While it may look intimidating, the 645Z is surprisingly accessible, with an experience that feels strangely familiar to those who have handled Pentax cameras like the K-3. It's also a bargain by medium format standards, and not a huge step up from full-frame. Learn more about the 645Z. Read full story → Pulitzer Prize 2014 winners announced for photography Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Two New York Times photographers are honored with Pulitzer Prizes in photojournalism this year. Tyler Hicks takes the award for Breaking News Photography for his work documenting a terrorist attack at a mall in Kenya, and Josh Haner's photos of a Boston Marathon bombing survivor take the top award in Feature Photography. Five finalists also receive recognition for their contributions to photojournalism in 2014. Read more Read full story → Compact smartphone shootout: Sony vs HTC vs Samsung Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 3:06:22 PM GMT Most manufacturers of Android devices have designed smaller versions of their flagship smartphones to cater to those user who prefer more pocketable devices. In this shootout we pit three of those models against each other: the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, HTC One Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. Learn more Read full story → Never lose your lens cap again with HACkxTACK Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2014 9:00:00 PM GMT We all know the situation just too well. You're out shooting with your DSLR or mirrorless camera when you decide to swap lenses and have no idea where you've put the lens cap for the lens that's mounted on your camera body. Usually it's in the very last place you look for it. In the worst case scenario you never find it at all. Two Canadian designers have a solution to this problem. Learn more Read full story → Sony releases update for QX10 and QX100 lens modules Published on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 1:00:00 AM GMT Sony has released a firmware update for its QX10 and QX100 camera modules that bring a couple of improvements. The shutter button can now be used to pre-focus with a half-press which allows you to focus and recompose with the QX modules just like you would do with any digital camera. Learn more Read full story → Google applies for contact lens camera patent Published on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 2:00:00 AM GMT If you are the kind of person who gets uncomfortable at the thought of somebody recording you on Google Glass, the search company's latest patent application will probably make you feel even more uneasy. In January Google announced its smart contact lens project and now has filed a patent application for a micro camera module to go with the smart lenses. Learn more Read full story → Fujifilm announces 1.4x teleconverter for X100/X100S Published on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 5:00:00 AM GMT Fujifilm has formally announced the TCL-X100, a 1.4x teleconverter for the X100 and X100S that was first shown at CP+ back in February. The converter brings the focal length up to 33mm (50mm equiv.) and features an HT-EBC coating to reduce flare. Owners of the X100 and X100S will need to update their firmware in order to take advantage of the TCL-X100. The teleconverter will be available this May in your choice of black or silver for $349.99. Read full story → Fuji adds grips, grip strap, and extended eye-cup accessories for X-T1 Published on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 5:09:00 AM GMT Fujifilm UK has announced a host of accessories for its X-T1 mirrorless cameras. These include two extra accessory grips for the X-T1, which build on the features offered by the MHG-style grips already available for the X-series cameras. The MHG-XT Small and Large offer a choice grip sizes and include integrated Arca-Swiss compatible flanges, as well as full-time access to the battery port. Other accessories include a deeper viewfinder eye-cup and a handgrip-style strap that's compatible across the X-mount range. Pricing and availability dates have not yet been announced. Read full story → Canon G1 X Mark II First Impressions Review Published on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 7:30:00 PM GMT Canon's PowerShot G1 X Mark II is an intriguing update. It keeps the 1.5"-type sensor from its predecessor, but adds a faster processor, longer and brighter lens, tilting LCD, dual control rings and has Wi-Fi with NFC. The big change for 2014 is no more optical viewfinder. Our first impressions review covers the usual aspects of the camera (Controls, Body and Design, etc.), but also has our Shooting Experience report where we talk about it handles in the real-world. Learn more Read full story → Call for entries: Getty Images grants Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Getty Images has announced a call for entries for its Getty Grants, a series of photographic grants for editorial and portrait photographers totaling $130,000 (~£77,737). To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its grant program, Getty Images is offering six prizes for editorial photography, three creative grants for non-profits and individual photographers, and one for portrait photographers. Learn more Read full story → Behind the scenes: Small lighting, big results with Joe McNally Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT Nikon's latest in a series of behind the scenes videos features photographer Joe McNally. An off-camera lighting wizard, McNally shares some useful tips from three different flash scenarios. No diffusion panel? No worries, McNally explains you can get the same results by placing a bed sheet between the flash and the subject. And as natural light began flowing through his studio, like any good photographer, McNally moved his model to make some pictures — without flash, this time. See video Read full story → Eyefi announces photo sharing cloud service Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 9:01:00 AM GMT The maker of popular Wi-Fi SD cards has launched Eyefi Cloud, a private photo-centric cloud service that makes photos instantly available on a smartphone, tablet, PC or smart TV. Once users send images from their camera to mobile device using the Eyefi Mobi SD memory card and updated iOS and Android Eyefi apps, images can now be transferred to Eyefi Cloud for viewing on any browser-enabled device. Learn more Read full story → Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' lab test report Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 3:00:00 PM GMT The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' is a fast normal prime for full frame cameras, with an unusually complex optical design. Its premium price tag of $950 / £850 makes it substantially more expensive than either its predecessor, or Canon and Nikon's 50mm F1.4 lenses. However Sigma's recent high-end offerings such as the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM and 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM have been truly excellent, so how does the new 50mm measure up? See the lens test data and our analysis Read full story → Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' real-world samples gallery Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 3:00:00 PM GMT The 50mm F1.4 DG HSM is Sigma's latest fast normal prime for full-frame cameras, and one of the most hotly-anticipated lenses of the year. But how does it perform in real-world use?  We've been using the lens for a couple of days, and put together a gallery of samples. We've concentrated on large-aperture shots to show sharpness and bokeh, but have also included several taken at smaller apertures. See photos Read full story → 1991 Nikon-Kodak hack was first DSLR in space Published on Thursday, April 17, 2014 9:35:00 PM GMT What was the first digital camera in space? It turns out in 1991 NASA sent a modified Nikon F3 with small Kodak CCD sensor and external processing unit on a shuttle mission. Called the Hawkeye II, this system used a RS-232 serial port to connect to its external gear. Kodak would use this platform as the basis for the DCS system, the first commercially available digital camera. Learn more Read full story → Google Camera app now on Kitkat and adds Lytro-like effect Published on Friday, April 18, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT So far Google's in-house camera app has only been available on Nexus devices but now a new version of the app is available to anyone in the Google Play Store. The app only works on devices running Android Kitkat 4.4 but Google is planning to make it work on older versions too. It comes with a minimalist design and a brand new feature called Lens Blur to simulate shallow depth-of-field. Learn more Read full story → Helping children one print at a time Published on Friday, April 18, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT National Geometric is a social enterprise that brings a personal touch to charitable giving. Through the sales of single-edition, 10x15 prints of a person with a specific need, National Geometric helps provide food, water, medical care, tuition for school, and other basic necessities. The cost of each photograph reflects the amount needed to help the person in the photograph. Learn more Read full story → Pixels.com licensing service promises full control of images Published on Friday, April 18, 2014 9:00:00 AM GMT Pixels.com is a new image licensing marketplace that aims to give photographers more control than competing services. Users can set their own prices for images and manage the type of licenses they want to offer. There is even an option to create custom licenses with your own terms and conditions. Learn more Read full story → Olympus Stylus SH-1 real-world samples gallery Published on Friday, April 18, 2014 10:00:00 AM GMT The Olympus Stylus SH-1 brings the manufacturer's well-regarded 5-axis image stabilization to a fixed lens compact for the first time. The SH-1 looks the part too with its Pen-inspired styling, and offers a substantial 25-600mm equivalent zoom. Who could resist taking it for a spin? That's exactly what we did, and we've come back with a gallery of real-world samples to prove it. See photos Read full story → Toshiba unveils UHS-II Class 3 microSD memory cards Published on Friday, April 18, 2014 8:00:00 PM GMT Toshiba has announced the industry's first microSD memory cards to comply with the UHS-II standard. Also being UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) enabled will allow the new cards, available in 64GB and 32GB capacities, to capture 4K video at constant minimum write speeds of 30MB/s. The 64GB cards offer a maximum read speed of 260MB/s and a maximum write speed of 240MB/s. The 32GB cards have a maximum read speed of 145MB/s and maximum write speed of 130MB/s. Learn more Read full story → What The Duck #1324 Published on Friday, April 18, 2014 10:11:57 PM GMT We've come to the end of another week here at dpreview, and as our thoughts drift to weekend shooting opportunities, it's time to take things a little less seriously. Aaron Johnson's comic strip ‘What the Duck’ is just the thing, taking a gently satirical look through the lens of a photographically inclined waterfowl. You can find it published here (and in our newsletter) every week; we hope you enjoy it, and your weekend. Read full story → Ryan Brenizer on how to shoot engagement sessions Published on Saturday, April 19, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Engagement photo sessions are not only an additional source of income for photographers but, as New York City-based wedding photographer Ryan Brenizer explains, these shoots provide the perfect opportunity to establish a relationship with the couple and learn how to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera before the big day. See video Read full story → In photos: 'Paris in the Springtime' Published on Sunday, April 20, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT 'Paris in the Springtime' is a new photography exhibition at the Beetles+Huxley gallery in London featuring notable photographers such as André Kertész, Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Willy Ronis and Elliott Erwitt. These classic black and white images are some of the scenes that have defined Paris' romantic street life cliché found in modern pop culture. The collection of mid-twentieth century photos are on display from April 7 - May 3. See gallery Read full story → National Geographic editor tells how photography changed her life Published on Monday, April 21, 2014 5:09:51 PM GMT Photographer, producer and Senior Photo Editor at National Geographic, Pamela Chen first picked up a camera at around 9 months old. Although she was pointing the camera the wrong way, as children often do, the photo that Chen shares with us in this video is a sweet remembrance. During the video, which is sponsored by Microsoft OneDrive, Chen tells the story of how capturing one blurry photograph when she was a college student changed the course of her life. See video Read full story → A travel-sized large-format 4x5 camera? Published on Monday, April 21, 2014 6:00:00 PM GMT Ever wanted to shoot with the incredible image quality of large-format 4"x5" film? Well now you can without lugging around a massive view camera. Wanderlust’s Travelwide 4x5 camera is small enough to go wherever you go. At 6.3 x 3.9 x 5 inches and 9.7 ounces it’s relatively compact and definitely lightweight. Constructed of glass-filled ABS plastic, the point-and-shoot camera features a focusing screen, focusing marks on the barrel, and a trio of cold shoe accessory mounts. Learn more Read full story → For starters: Nikon D3300 review Published on Monday, April 21, 2014 7:24:00 PM GMT Nikon's introduction of the D3300 at this year's CES didn't shake up the industry, but it was still a noteworthy launch. The entry-level 3000 series have been popular with consumers looking to making a first step into more advanced photography, and the 24 megapixel D3300 is the latest generation in that popular line. With 1080/60p HD video capture, 5 fps burst shooting and 700-shot battery life it provides a beginner with some useful tools to experiment with. Is it a clear winner in the entry-level class? Read our full review Read full story →
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