Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 28 May 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 28 May 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 511th Digital Photography Review newsletter. It's a short week in the USA and the UK, thanks to a rare (and much-needed) public holiday in both countries. As we try to remember which day it is, we're working hard on plenty of content, including a full review of Sony's new Cyber-shot RX100 III (we're expecting a camera any day) and a roundup of this year's waterproof compact cameras. For now, here's what we've been up to over the past few days: Lens review: Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' is a fast normal prime for full frame cameras, with an unusually complex optical design. However at $950 / £850 it's substantially more expensive than either its predecessor, or Canon and Nikon's 50mm F1.4 lenses. We've already published lab test data showing that its optically excellent, but what does this mean in real-world use? Read our detailed review to find out. Click here to read our in-depth review of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A NX big thing: Samsung's flagship NX30 reviewed and rated The NX30 uses the same 20MP, Samsung-designed CMOS sensor and Hybrid AF system as the more compact NX300, but puts it into an SLR-style body with a pull-out, tilting electronic viewfinder and generous hand grip. Add in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity options, a 3" AMOLED display and 1080/60p video, and the NX30 is arguably Samsung's most enthusiast-oriented camera yet. But does it offer anything to standout from other high-performing cameras in its class? Find out in our review! Read our in-depth review of the Samsung NX30 DPReview is hiring! DPReview is hiring! We're looking for a writer to join our growing editorial team based in Seattle, WA. Responsibilities will include testing and producing reviews of digital system cameras, compact cameras, smart phone cameras, lenses and other photographic equipment. Successful applicants will have have a store of solid practical knowledge about the theory and practice of photography, and a strong understanding of dpreview, our principles and our community. Click here to read more about our vacant position HTC One M8 camera review The HTC One M8 is HTC's latest flagship smartphone and competes with the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, Nokia Lumia 930, LG G2 and Apple' iPhone 5s. While HTC has stuck with the design language of the original One, the new model is slightly larger and comes with a faster processor, more RAM, bigger screen and new software functions. Images are captured on a 1/3-inch 4MP CMOS sensor but with the assistance of a secondary chip that records depth information. Read our review to find out how it performs. Click here to read our review of the HTC One M8's camera What's coming up? Our reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III and Nikon D4S are in progress, and work progresses on Samsung's pocketable NX Mini and Nikon's flagship mirrorless camera, the 1 V3. I've already mentioned the waterproof compact camera roundup that we're working on, and Richard is hurrying to get our review of the very nice Sony s6000 completed in the next few days as well. A reminder that we're hiring right now (see link above) so if you think you've got what it takes to join our Seattle-based team, please do get in touch. We're also looking for freelance news and features writers to help out our in-house team - click here for more information! See you next week! Barney WTD #4114 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura This week's best deals: Save $50 on the Sony a5000 mirrorless camera kit, plus save an additional $200 when you bundle with a 55-210mm or $100 with a 50mm F1.8 OSS lens. Time is running out on the popular Olympus camera and lens bundle deal. Now through 5/31, choose from select micro four thirds camera bodies and up to 18 different lens options to build your kit at a great price. Nikon is offering instant savings on up to 7 different lenses when purchased with select DSLRs, and $100 off the Coolpix P530 superzoom. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Filmmaker links 50 Lumia 1020s to create 'bullet time' effect Published on Saturday, May 24, 2014 7:35:00 AM GMT Filmmaker Paul Trillo has teamed up with Microsoft to build an apparatus which they call the 'Lumia Arc of Wonder'. It consists of 50 Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphones fixed to a custom-built metal arc on casters, some networking equipment and external power sources. Click through to read more, and see the results on connect.dpreview.com Read full story → Street photography tips with Zack Arias Published on Saturday, May 24, 2014 12:00:00 PM GMT Photographer Zack Arias is particularly known for is his street work, and in a new video he shares some street photography tips while shooting with a Fuji X-T1 in Marrakech, Morocco. Even though the video is clearly sponsored by Fujifilm, it’s more than just a video tour of a new camera system. Arias talks about subjects and framing, composition and timing, and shows the resulting images after each technique. Learn more Read full story → National Park Foundation 2013 photo contest winners announced Published on Sunday, May 25, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT The National Park Foundation, a charitable organization partnered with the National Park Service, has announced the 2013 winners of its annual 'Share the Experience' photo contest. Open to U.S. residents, amateur photographers are invited to submit their photos taken within National Parks to compete for a top prize of $10,000. Take a look at the winning photographs from 2013 and submit your photos for this year's competition. Learn more Read full story → Touch Ground: Massimo Cristaldi documents cost of migration Published on Sunday, May 25, 2014 10:00:00 AM GMT Photographer and dpreview.com member Massimo Cristaldi has spent the past five years documenting illegal migration from North Africa into Europe through Sicily and its islands. Last year alone more than 40,000 desperate migrants made the journey, which many did not survive. In 'Touch Ground' Cristaldi focuses not on them directly, but on the places where they came to shore - tired, hungry, and in many cases dead. Click through to learn more and see a selection of images. Read full story → Leica M Monochrom now available in grayscale (sort of) Published on Monday, May 26, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT Have you been lusting after a Leica Monochrom but anxiously hoping for its release in a new body finish? Well your long, nightmarish wait is over. Leica has announced that its M Monochrom, first announced in 2012, is now available in a new limited silver chrome 'color version'. Click through for (not much) more information, or just to take part in the inevitable comments debate about whether chrome and /or black really count as 'color' options.  Read full story → Portfolio: Photography student Luke Evans Published on Monday, May 26, 2014 9:00:00 AM GMT Luke Evans is a student, just coming to the end of a three-year course in graphic design and photography at London's University of Westminster. Since starting the course Luke has received attention from media across the globe for his unusually fresh approach to the challenges of the course. Luke's work is imaginative, technically innovative and thought-provoking, and we spoke to him as he was preparing his final year show. Click through to read our interview and see some of his work. Read full story → Wanted: Freelance news / features writers! Published on Monday, May 26, 2014 11:11:00 AM GMT We're on the lookout for freelance writers to contribute news and short feature content for our homepage. If you're an experienced writer with great editorial instincts who loves ferreting out interesting and unusual photo-related content, we want to hear from you. Click through for more details. Read full story → Leica T (Typ 701) gains updated firmware version 1.1 Published on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 10:29:00 AM GMT Leica has updated the firmware for its T (Typ 701) mirrorless camera to Version 1.1. In one of the stranger descriptions we've seen, Leica hasn't given any specific details of what's changed, saying instead that "you will get the complete scope of functions and performance as described in the manual of your camera". The firmware is available to download now - click through for the link. Read full story → Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 Real-world Samples Gallery Published on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 5:10:00 PM GMT The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 (TZ60 outside of North America) is a compact travel zoom camera with a 30X, 24-720mm equiv. lens and 18.1 megapixel 'high sensitivity' MOS sensor. The ZS40 features both a 3-inch (920k dot) LCD as well as an electronic viewfinder (200k dot). The camera has full manual controls, Raw support, focus peaking, plus a control ring. We've been out shooting with it, ahead of publishing a short review. Click through below to take a look at our real-world samples. Read full story → Lomography seeks crowdfunding for Lomo'Instant Camera Published on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 5:14:00 PM GMT Lomography has announced a new Kickstarter campaign, looking to fund the production of the Lomo'Instant camera. This is the company's first fully instant camera, featuring a 27mm equivalent lens with 0.4m close focusing distance, a built-in flash, tripod mount, fisheye and portrait lens attachments and included color gels. It accepts Fujifilm Instax Mini film, and is estimated to become available in late 2014. Learn more Read full story → LG releases G3 with QHD screen and laser-AF Published on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 10:02:00 PM GMT LG has announced the G3, succeeding last year's G2 as the Korean manufacturer's flagship smartphone. The new model's headline feature is its screen. The 5.5-inch True HD-IPS+ display comes with a 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution which, at 534 ppi, makes it one of the pixel-densest current displays. Additionally, the G3 uses a new laser-AF system that is capable of measuring the subject-to-camera distance. Read more Read full story →
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Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 21 May 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 21 May 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 510th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Hello again from sunny Seattle. It's been a busy few days here, as always. I spent a pleasant but extremely wet weekend in Portland, shooting some sample images on Panasonic's latest travel-zoom, the ZS40, so look out for a short review of that camera on our homepage pretty soon. We've been doing a lot of work on Sony's very lovely new Cyber-shot RX100 III ahead of receiving a final production-quality camera, and we're also working hard on some behind the scenes improvements to user experience, including an all new notifications system. Watch this space for more details... For now, here's what we've been up to over the past few days: Faster glass: Sony RX100 III First Impressions Review Few compact cameras have garnered as much attention as the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 and RX100 II. Sony had managed to squeeze a much bigger sensor into cameras only a little larger than the Canon S-series enthusiast compacts. The RX100 III continues the tradition by adding a wider, faster 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens and a built-in, pop-up EVF. Along with a 20MP 1"-type sensor, does the RX100 III remain the ultimate compact for enthusiasts? Learn more in our First Impressions Review Click here to read our first-impressions review of the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 III Light field cameras: Focusing on the future Lytro's new Illum camera packs in a few tricks that will appeal to some still photographers, but its aim is really to introduce a new type of imagery. Time will tell if that medium succeeds. Technology writer Liam McCabe spoke with a few players in the light field camera industry to get a sense of where this technology is headed in the next few years and beyond. Read Liam McCabe's article about Lytro's light field camera technology DPReview is hiring! DPReview is hiring! We're looking for a writer to join our growing editorial team based in Seattle, WA. Responsibilities will include testing and producing reviews of digital system cameras, compact cameras, smart phone cameras, lenses and other photographic equipment. Successful applicants will have have a store of solid practical knowledge about the theory and practice of photography, and a strong understanding of dpreview, our principles and our community. Click here to read more about our vacant position Does the new Olympus PEN E-P5 firmware reduce image shake? A year on from the camera's announcement, Olympus has issued a significant firmware update for its PEN E-P5. The update not only adds a trigger-only 'cable release' mode to its Wi-Fi functions, it also provides a feature to combat the biggest problem with the camera. The new '0 sec Anti-Shock' option provides a work-around for the image shake that held the E-P5 back in our original review. Is the new firmware enough to elevate the E-P5 to the select company of Gold award winners? Find out in our update to the E-P5 review. Click here to read our investigation into the new firmware for the Olympus PEN E-P5 What's coming up? News, reviews, shooting pictures, and a handful of exciting secrets. The usual, really. Specifically, we're almost done with the Samsung NX30, and our review of the Sony a6000 is nearly finished too. It's almost holiday season, so we've also been working on our traditional summer review of the year's best waterproof/rugged cameras. We're hoping to publish that soon after Memorial Day (May 26th, for non-US visitors). A reminder that we're hiring right now (see link above) so if you think you've got what it takes to join our Seattle-based team,, please do get in touch. See you next week! Barney WTD #999 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura Recently announced: The ever-popular Sony Cyber-shot RX100-series has expanded with the introduction of the RX100 III. Shipping next month, the RX100 III has a fast 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens and revolutionary pop-up EVF. Sony also revealed pricing and availability for the a7S full frame mirrorless camera, capable of shooting 4K video with impressively low-noise. Pre-order now for delivery in July. Nikon has released a batch of new entry-level 1-series mirrorless cameras with announcement of the J4 and S2. For sports and wildlife photographers, they've also introduced a newly updated AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E VR lens and 1.4x teleconverter. All are available for pre-order now. This week's best deals: Save $100 on the Panasonic Lumix GX7 body or the Lumix FZ70 compact camera with 60x optical zoom. If you're looking for a bigger sensor in your mirrorless camera, you can also save $200 on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and Sony a7. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Melt: Portrait of an Iceberg Published on Sunday, May 18, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Inspired by the Titanic ship sinking, photographer Simon Harsent's book, Melt: Portrait of an Iceberg, explores how these huge chunks of ice change over time. Often photographs of icebergs are saturated with color and bright light - looking like postcards - but Harsent took a different approach. The result is a series of images that have a timeless, abstract feel, with a focus on texture and shape. See gallery Read full story → Never forget a Photoshop or Lightroom shortcut again Published on Monday, May 19, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Even longtime Photoshop and Lightroom users sometimes forget the myriad of keyboard shortcuts used to trigger the program’s powerful features. Now web developer Waldo Bronchart has made a web application called 'Application Shortcut Manager' to help you remember. It's an interactive website that displays all the keyboard shortcuts for Photoshop, Lightroom and Blender. Learn more Read full story → Stream your photos... via backpack? Published on Monday, May 19, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT It’s not that uncommon for a photographer to create a new photographic backpack. But it's unusual for a photographer to put a high-tech photo streaming studio into one, creating a mobile photo transmission solution that shaves precious time off of submitting images to editors. But that's just what New York Times staff photographer Josh Haner did. Learn more Read full story → Apple Raw update adds support for Canon G1 X Mark II and Nikon D4S Published on Monday, May 19, 2014 5:26:16 PM GMT Apple recently released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility 5.02 for Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11. The update adds Raw image support for the following four cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T5, Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II, Nikon D4S and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. Get the update Read full story → Sony RX100 III: A look at the operation and controls Published on Monday, May 19, 2014 8:13:00 PM GMT As we've been spending more time with the Sony RX100 III, we've published some of our initial thoughts on the Operation and Controls of this highly intriguing camera and expanded our impressions of the pop-up electronic viewfinder. We also shot a short video showing what's new so you can get a first-hand look at the 20MP compact with 1"-type sensor and faster, wider 24-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens. Learn more and see video Read full story → Centr captures 360-degree video at 4K resolution Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT We've seen a few interesting panoramic camera projects over the past few months but none of them capture panoramic video. Centr, which was launched by former Apple engineers and currently in the Kickstarter stage, is aiming to fill this gap. The camera is a doughnut-shaped device that records 360-degree video at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. Learn more Read full story → Walmart sues photographer's widow Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT In an article on the PPA website, the organization claims Walmart is 'bullying' a small Arkansas photographic studio. The Walton family wants intellectual property rights to photographs a small photography studio took of the family before Walmart grew into one of the biggest retailers in world. The defense argues the photographer's family owns copyrights to all the images. Learn more Read full story → EyeEm announces festival and photo competition Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The mobile imaging platform, community and stock image marketplace EyeEm has announced the 2014 EyeEm Festival & Awards. The festival takes place in September in Berlin and the world-wide photo competition is now accepting submissions. Contributions are not limited to mobile photography and the awards are open to professionals and amateurs alike. Learn more Read full story → DPReview exclusive: Lytro Illum in the hands of five leading photographers Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 4:40:00 PM GMT In conjunction with the announcement of what Lytro is calling its 'professional-grade light field camera', the Illum, the company put its new product in the hands of five leading photographers. Today, Lytro has exclusively released a promotional video to DPReview that takes us behind the scenes as five 'creative pioneers' discover what they can do with this innovative new technology. See the video Read full story → Microsoft unveils Surface Pro 3 tablet to replace laptops Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 9:22:54 PM GMT Microsoft has announced the latest member of its Surface tablet family, the Surface 3 Pro, at a press event in New York. According to Microsoft, the new model is designed to be a replacement for both your iPad and laptop. With 5MP front and rear cameras, the Pro 3 doesn't look like a particularly competent capture device but its specifications make it look like a decent option for image editing on the go. Learn more Read full story →
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Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 14 May 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 14 May 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 509th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Spring is a time to make decisions, cast some light into dark corners of your life that might have been bothering you, and get rid of unneeded baggage. It's also a time for new beginnings, new projects and for making plans. Summer is on the way, life is good (hopefully), and the world is once again filled with photographic potential. I might be speaking specifically about our mindset up here in the rainy Pacific North West, but I think the general sentiment holds true wherever you are in the world. With that in mind, we're firmly focused on the future. More details at the end of this newsletter... For now, here's what we've been up to over the past few days: Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Review The Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II is an ambitious product that addresses some of the shortcomings of its predecessor by adding a 24-120mm F2.0-3.9 lens, faster AF system, tilting LCD, and 5.2 fps continuous shooting. Its 1.5"-type CMOS sensor also allows for image quality that should rival consumer or midrange interchangeable lens cameras. But do these improvements make the G1 X Mark II the large-sensor compact for enthusiasts? Click here to read our review of the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Nikon D4S dynamic range and tone curve measurements We've updated our first impressions review of the Nikon D4S with our JPEG Tone Curve and Dynamic Range measurements. Included are real-world examples of Nikon's Active D-Lighting modes, which can significantly help in dealing with scenes containing challenging ranges of (dark to bright) tones. Have a look and, as always, you can compare the D4S to any other camera in our database. Read our updated first-impressions review (now including an analysis of dynamic range) DPReview is hiring! DPReview is hiring! We're looking for a writer to join our growing editorial team based in Seattle, WA. Responsibilities will include testing and producing reviews of digital system cameras, compact cameras, smart phone cameras, lenses and other photographic equipment. Successful applicants will have have a store of solid practical knowledge about the theory and practice of photography, and a strong understanding of dpreview, our principles and our community. Read more details about our open position, and apply! (if you want to) Photographer takes Panasonic GH4 on test shoot around Seattle The headline feature of the Panasonic GH4 is that it's a Micro Four Thirds camera that can shoot 4K video for under $2000, capturing either Quad HD (3840 x 2160) at up to 29.97p or 'Cinema 4K' (4096 x 2160) at up to 24p. Seattle-based photographer Erik Hecht recently took the new Panasonic GH4 for a spin to test the dynamic range and to see how well it takes color correction. Click here to see Erik Hecht's footage from the 4K Panasonic GH4 Journey to the center of the Earth with Robbie Shone British adventure and cave photographer Robbie Shone travels into the earth to get stunning images of the world beneath our feet. He's been suspended 200m above the floor of the world's deepest natural shaft, explored the far ends of a 189 km long cave system and spent nearly four days underground on one shoot. His images take us to places few of us will go and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Click here to read more about (and see more of) Robbie Shone's cave photography What's coming up? I mentioned earlier that we're in planning mode, and looking towards the future. As well as clearing the backlog of major products still unreviewed, we're working on ways of improving our process for reviewing products. We're reaching out to more external writers to cover smaller things like accessories, and bolster our creative, technique and opinion content. We're also hiring for a full-time position here in Seattle for an editorial (reviews) writer. So if you think you've got what it takes to contribute to dpreview, or even work alongside us, please do get in touch. You'll see the link to our open role above, and for anything else, including suggestions, send us an email. See you next week! Barney WTD #1464 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura Just announced: Canon has announced two new wide angle lenses for EOS DSLRs, available for pre-order now. The 10-18mm F4-5.6 IS STM is an affordable ultra-wide for APS-C cameras, and the 16-35mm F4 L IS USM offers an alternative to the 16-35mm F2.8 L and the 17-40mm F4 L for full frame (or cropped) Canon cameras. Most of Canon's lens lineup is still on sale, with mail-in and instant rebates. This week's best deals: Buy a new Sony a6000 or a5000 mirrorless camera with a 50mm f/1.8 OSS or 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 and save up to $200. If you're looking for a good deal on a full-featured compact with a fast lens, the Olympus Stylus XZ-2 is only $299 for a limited time. Now shipping: Summer is fast-approaching! Canon's latest underwater compact, the PowerShot D30 is now in stock. We're happy to say that Fujifilm X-T1's are finally back in stock. (..but they are selling super-fast! We're doing our best to keep up with demand.) Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Journey to the center of the Earth with Robbie Shone Published on Sunday, May 11, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT British adventure and cave photographer Robbie Shone travels into the earth to get stunning images of the world beneath our feet. He's been suspended 200m above the floor of the world’s deepest natural shaft, explored the far ends of a 189 km long cave system and spent nearly four days underground on one shoot. His images take us to places few of us will go and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. See gallery Read full story → Wildlife photographer Florian Schulz offers shooting tips Published on Monday, May 12, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Known for his conservation projects such as Freedom to Roam, a photographic project designed to encourage the creation of wildlife corridors, photographer Florian Schulz offers some tips and advice for shooting landscapes and wildlife in this six minute video. Learn more Read full story → Seene 3D photo app makers preview 360-degree scanning Published on Monday, May 12, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Seene is a free app for iOS that lets you capture and share interactive and three dimensional images, just like Instagram and Vine do for 2D-images and videos respectively. The makers of the app, Obvious Engineering, are now showing off a preview of a forthcoming feature. Soon Seene will be capable of capturing a full 360-degree model of an object and export it for printing on a 3D-printer. Learn more Read full story → Software update speeds up Samsung Galaxy S5 camera Published on Monday, May 12, 2014 8:08:28 PM GMT Samsung has released a software update for the international version of its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone. The new software is promising speedier camera and gallery app startup, plus more responsive fingerprint recognition. Apart from the faster camera startup, the update also brings improved general performance and better RAM management. Learn more Read full story → Rumors hint at pair of new Canon lenses Published on Monday, May 12, 2014 10:39:00 PM GMT Rumors have been flying around the Internet in the last week about a pair of new Canon lenses. The first rumored lens is an EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM model, which could be a cheaper version of the existing F2.8 lens, or a replacement for the 17-40 F4L. The other speculated lens is an EF-S 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 IS STM which, according to the rumor mill, should be fairly inexpensive. The word on the street is that these lenses will be announced soon, so we'll keep our fingers on the keyboard just in case. Read full story → Parrot launches drone with 14MP camera and 180-degree fisheye lens Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 3:00:00 AM GMT Parrot, the maker of the popular AR Drone 2.0, has launched a new model, the AR Drone 3.0. It also flies under the name Bebop. The Bebop is essentially a flying camera with four rotors. The camera comes with an F2.2 fisheye lens with a 180-degree field of view and a 14MP sensor. Learn more Read full story → How to build a photo brand: Tips from photographer Art Wolfe Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 3:00:00 AM GMT Branding is critical for a successful photography business regardless of the genre, and photographer Art Wolfe has built perhaps one of the strongest brands in his field. Wolfe has been shooting nature and wildlife images professionally for more than 30 years all over the world. This story on Photoshelter's blog gives some insight on how he built his photography business. Learn more Read full story → Canon announces 16-35mm F4L and 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 lenses Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 4:10:00 AM GMT Canon has officially announced a pair of new lenses. First is the EF 16-35mm F4L IS USM, an image-stabilised wideangle zoom for full frame SLRs. There's also an EF-S 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 IS STM wideangle zoom for APS-C SLRs, which gives a 16-29mm equivalent range. The two lenses will be available next month for $1199 / £1,199 and $299 / £299, respectively. Read full story → Canon USA brings white EOS Rebel SL1 to America Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 4:43:59 AM GMT After being introduced in Japan and Europe, the white Canon EOS Rebel SL1 (EOS 100D) has made it to American shores. To avoid color clash, Canon also includes a matching EF-S 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 STM lens along with this compact DSLR. The white EOS Rebel SL1 will be available in June for $749. Read full story → Photographer takes Panasonic GH4 on test shoot around Seattle Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 5:00:00 PM GMT The headline feature of the Panasonic GH4 is that it's a Micro Four Thirds camera that can shoot 4K video for under $2000, capturing either Quad HD (3840 x 2160) at up to 29.97p or 'Cinema 4K' (4096 x 2160) at up to 24p. Seattle-based photographer Erik Hecht recently took the new Panasonic GH4 for a spin to test the dynamic range and to see how well it takes color correction. See video Read full story → Nikon issues firmware update for D800/D800E Published on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 10:42:53 PM GMT Nikon has released firmware version 1.10 for its full-frame D800/D800E camera. This update includes support for CompactFlash memory cards greater than 128 GB, a host of feature adjustments and other bug fixes. Nikon also updated firmware for the UT-1 communication unit, two Coolpix models and Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras. Learn more Read full story →
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Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 7 May 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 7 May 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 508th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Well last week seemed to go by in a flash, partly I'm sure because of the unseasonable warmth. It's always amazing to me how quickly a city changes during the first few days of summer. People get friendlier, problems seem less serious than they did before, and whatever it is in your kitchen that didn't smell yesterday certainly smells now. And then, if you're in Seattle, no sooner has the sun come out than it starts raining again. Oh well. Enough about the weather - let's look at some recent content highlights! Sony SLT-A77 II First Impressions Review It may look the same as its predecessor, but the Sony SLT-A77 II's insides are quite a bit different. Featuring a new 24MP CMOS sensor and image processor, along with a dramatically improved AF system, this SLT could be one of the best subject-tracking cameras out there. While we've yet to test its performance, we did spend some time with the a77 II and have put together our first impressions. Click here to read our first-impressions review of the Sony SLT-A77 II Leica T lenses: Correcting some distortions During pre-launch briefings for the T, Leica was very keen to stress the optical quality of the new lenses. Most interestingly, we were told they relied on optical corrections, rather than software to project the best possible image onto the sensor. So with this in mind, when processing some images from the Leica T, we were surprised by a notification that Adobe Camera Raw gave us... Read our updated first-impressions review (now including an analysis of in-camera optical corrections) 1939: England in Color (Part 2) 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. This is the second of 2 articles, and contains some images of pre-war London. Read our article '1939: England in Color Part 2'   Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R real-world samples gallery We've been shooting with the Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R - the fast 85mm equivalent prime lens for Fujifilm's X mount mirrorless cameras. Its F1.2 aperture means it gives similarly shallow depth-of-field to an 85mm F1.8 lens on a full frame body, making it an useful portrait or low light lens. We also spent time using the X-E2 with an advance version of firmware v2.0 while putting this gallery together. Click here to see the gallery and read about our experience with the X-E2 update Behind the shot: Shredded In the latest of his series of 'Behind the Shot' articles, landscape photographer Erez Marom shows us how he captured a dramatic image of Kirkjufell mountain, overlooking a frozen lake in Iceland. Marom talks about his equipment choice and exposure settings, and also gives a step-by-step look at the post-processing required to achieve the final result. Click here to read Erez Marom's article 'Behind the Shot: Shredded' What's coming up? We're hours away (fingers crossed) from posting a full review of Canon's PowerShot G1X Mark II, and we're tantalizingly close also to finishing up our review of Samsung's flagship interchangeable lens camera the NX30. We're also working on a review of Sigma's latest (and very lovely) prime, the 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A and we're continuing to add pages to our review coverage of the Nikon D4S. See you next week! Barney WTD #1300 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura New this week: Sony's latest DSLR with translucent mirror technology is now available for pre-order. The SLT-A77 II features a new 24.3MP CMOS sensor and an enhanced 79-point phase detect autofocus system, and ships in early June. This week's best deals: Purchase the gold-award-winning Fujifilm X-M1 kit with a XC 50-230mm F4.5-6.7 lens and save $250 at checkout. The Fujifilm XF 18mm F2 and X-Pro 1 have serious savings too. Select Panasonic Lumix compact and mirrorless cameras are up to $150 off. The popular and well-reviewed models on sale now include the FZ200, LX7, GF6, and FZ70. Plus, Olympus bundle deals are still in effect, or you can pick from lenses that have standalone instant rebates if you're already covered on the camera front. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates DxO launches upgrade for Optics Pro, now supports Nokia Lumia 1020 Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 3:00:00 AM GMT DxO has launched an upgrade of its Optics Pro Raw conversion software. Version 9.1.5 now offers support for the Nokia Lumia 1020's DNG Raw files. The Canon EOS 1200D (EOS Rebel T5), Olympus E-M10 and Stylus 1, and the Nikon Coolpix P340 are now supported as well. An upgraded version (2.1.5) is also available for ViewPoint, DxO's software and plugin for geometric corrections. Learn more Read full story → Call for entries: Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor documentary prize Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 4:00:00 AM GMT The Center for Documentary Studies is now accepting submissions for the 2014 Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize. For nearly twenty-five years this competition has provided money to 'encourage collaboration between documentary writers and photographers in the tradition of acclaimed photographer Dorothea Lange and writer and social scientist Paul Taylor'. Learn more Read full story → Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R real-world samples gallery Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 5:45:00 AM GMT We've been shooting with the Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R - the fast 85mm equivalent prime lens for Fujifilm's X mount mirrorless cameras. Its F1.2 aperture means it gives similarly shallow depth-of-field to an 85mm F1.8 lens on a full frame body, making it an useful portrait or low light lens. We also spent time using the X-E2 with an advance version of firmware v2.0 while putting this gallery together. See gallery and read about our experience with the update Read full story → Fujifilm firmware brings swifter viewfinder and sundry features to X-E2 Published on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 5:45:00 AM GMT Fujifilm has released a firmware update for its X-E2 mirrorless camera, bringing its viewfinder performance up to the standard set by the X-T1. Firmware 2.0 also adds a choice over the color of focus peaking and the ability to apply Face Detection and EVF/LCD Setting to one of the customizable buttons. A 'Suppressed Flash' option has also been added. The viewfinder now operates at 200Hz, meaning a lag of just 0.005 seconds. The firmware is available for download from the company's website. Read full story → Pressy gives your Android phone an extra button Published on Thursday, May 1, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The power button and volume rocker are typically the only physical controls you'll find on a smartphone as almost all functions are accessed via soft-buttons on the touchscreen these days. The Pressy button is a new accessory that adds an additional programmable hard button to your Android device. It slots into your smartphone's headphone socket and once inserted is hardly visible. Learn more Read full story → A newfound focus: Sony SLT-A77 II First Impressions Review Published on Thursday, May 1, 2014 9:00:00 AM GMT It may look the same as its predecessor, but the Sony SLT-A77 II's insides are quite a bit different. Featuring a new 24MP CMOS sensor and image processor, along with a dramatically improved AF system, this SLT could be one of the best subject-tracking cameras out there. While we've yet to test its performance, we did spend some brief time with the a77 II and have put together our first impressions. Read full story → Sony announces SLT-A77 II high-end APS-C A-mount fixed-mirror DSLR Published on Thursday, May 1, 2014 9:00:00 AM GMT Sony has announced the SLT-A77 II - its latest enthusiast-grade, APS-C fixed-mirror DSLR. The Mark II features the same pixel count as its three-year-old forebear, but delivers it using a new 24MP sensor. The camera also gains a 79-point autofocus sensor, which it combines with the most sophisticated autofocus system on a Sony camera yet. Other upgrades include the customizable 'Quick Navi Pro' function menu but the biggest change is the improved autofocus, which combines with the ability to shoot up to 60 JPEGs at 12 frames per second. The SLT-A77 II will be available this June for $1199 body only. Read full story → Create your own DSLR external battery pack Published on Thursday, May 1, 2014 11:00:00 PM GMT Anyone shooting HD video on a DSLR knows how quickly the battery can drain. You can get AC power adapters for some cameras, but where there’s video, there’s not always an outlet. In this tutorial on DIYPhotography.com, camera hacker Chris Winter shows you how to make an external battery pack system with about nine times the runtime using a $40 battery pack, DC coupler, hot-shoe plate and some Velcro. Learn more Read full story → Fujifilm TCL-X100 teleconverter for X100/S samples gallery Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The Fujifilm TCL-X100 is a screw-in teleconverter for the X100 and X100S which increases the effective focal length of their 23mm F2 lens to 50mm. We've been shooting with the TCL-X100 for a few days now, in a range of different situations and light levels to see how it performs in everyday use. Click through to read our first impressions, and see our sample images. Read full story → Photographic treasure trove stored in former limestone mine Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Where do you store your image archive? A file cabinet? Drawer? A documentary called 'The Invisible Photograph' created by the Hillman Photography Institute of the Carnegie Museum of Art explores an old limestone mine where Corbis Images keeps its Bettmann Archive, a collection of more than 11 million historical images. Learn more Read full story → Massive 3,000 square foot pinhole photo on display Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is already home to some of the most impressive aviation and astronomical technology in the modern wold, but it has also become the home of one of the most impressive photographs ever taken as well. On display now is a 107 feet wide 'camera-obscura' image of a decommissioned Marine Corps air station. Learn more Read full story → C&A Marketing acquires Calumet, some services to be restored Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 5:27:00 PM GMT Less than two months after Calumet Photographic abruptly closed its U.S. retail stores, C&A Marketing Inc. announced it has acquired most of the company’s U.S. assets. C&A, which also licenses Polaroid instant imaging products has recently acquired four Cardinal Camera stores and is also expanding RitzPix.com, plans to 'incorporate the Calumet assets' into its Ritz portfolio. Learn more Read full story → Leica T lenses: Correcting some distortions Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 6:41:00 PM GMT During pre-launch briefings for the T, Leica was very keen to stress the optical quality of the new lenses. Most interestingly, we were told they relied on optical corrections, rather than software to project the best possible image onto the sensor. So with this in mind, when processing some images from the Leica T, we were surprised by a notification that Adobe Camera Raw gave us. See our results Read full story → What The Duck #1000 Published on Friday, May 2, 2014 11:27:33 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 → 1939: England in Color (part 2) Published on Saturday, May 3, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Color photography has been around in one form or another for a very long time, but has only been the norm for about forty years. Their relative rarity makes the discovery of older color images perennially fascinating. Editor Barnaby Britton found a large collection of 75-year-old color slides recently in his grandmother's attic. We showed you the first set last week. See part 2 of 'England in Color' Read full story → Winners of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards, part 2 Published on Sunday, May 4, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The World Photography Organization has announced the winners of its 14 Professional categories. American photographer Sara Naomi Lewkowicz was named as 2014's L'Iris d'Or/Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year. Selected from 140,000 entries from 166 countries, Lewkowicz's story is a a stark and intimate look at domestic violence. See gallery of winners Read full story → Samsung NX Mini real-world samples gallery Published on Monday, May 5, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Samsung's NX Mini is the slimmest and lightest interchangeable lens camera on the market. It packs a 1"-type, 20MP CMOS sensor into its body, along with Wi-Fi with NFC and 1080/30p video. With the NX Mini, Samsung also introduced a new NX-M lens mount. We've been shooting with the 9mm F3.5 (24.3mm equivalent) prime on the camera and having some fun with the Mini's flip up LCD for the occasional 'selfie'. See gallery Read full story → American Museum of Natural History photo archive now online Published on Monday, May 5, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT The American Museum of Natural History Research Library announced it has digitized and made available online its entire collection of more than 7,000 historical photographs. This massive archive was previously difficult to access, especially for those not in proximity to New York City. According to the Museum, its goal was to create digital representatives of the original photographs that maintained their integrity. They scanned the negatives whenever possible and scanned prints only when there were no negatives. Learn more Read full story → Behind the Shot: Shredded Published on Monday, May 5, 2014 6:00:00 PM GMT In the latest of his series of 'Behind the Shot' articles, landscape photographer Erez Marom shows us how he captured a dramatic image of Kirkjufell mountain, overlooking a frozen lake in Iceland. Marom talks about his equipment choice and exposure settings, and also gives a step-by-step look at the post-processing required to achieve the final result. Learn more Read full story → onOne Software's Perfect Effects 8 available for free Published on Monday, May 5, 2014 9:00:00 PM GMT onOne Software is offering its Perfect Effects 8 Premium Edition plugin for free for a limited time. It gives you hundreds of creative presets, fully customizable filters and ability to combine effects. Perfect Effects 8 works as a standalone application (Windows or Mac) or integrates with Adobe Lightroom, Aperture and Photoshop. Go to the onOne Software site to get this fully licensed version - worth $99.95 - for free. Learn more Read full story → 'Why We Create' featuring photographer Nick Fancher Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT Nick Fancher is a portrait photographer who has shot for clients like EPSN Magazine, Ohio State University and JackThreads - and is also the subject of an inspiring video by director and cinematographer Andy Newman. Fancher talks about opted out of becoming a wedding photographer and has instead focused on the process of picture-making, honing his lighting techniques and trying to find his identity as a photographer. See video Read full story → National Park Service bans drones in Yosemite Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 7:00:00 AM GMT More bad news for photographers looking to use unmanned aircraft for photography - at least those hoping to use drones in Yosemite National Park. The National Park Service has issued a statement that makes it clear these devices are banned in the park under any circumstances. Learn more Read full story → Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 is an ultra-fast prime for Sony Alpha 7 Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 6:19:00 PM GMT The Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 is an ultra-fast prime for Sony E mount cameras, with manual focus and a clickless manual aperture mechanism. It offers full frame coverage, meaning it will work on the Alpha 7, 7R and 7S triplets, opening up intriguing low light options on the latter in particular. It will also work on APS-C E-mount models, offering a 75mm equivalent short telephoto angle of view. The lens is made in China by Shenyang Optical Electronics Ltd, and is available for pre-order now for $799. Learn more Read full story → Did Amazon just patent the seamless background setup? Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 9:06:00 PM GMT On March 18th the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted a patent to Amazon covering a specific method to achieve the common photographic technique of capturing an image of a subject against a plain white background. Patent No.US 8,676,045 B1 describes a setup using multiple lights and a white backdrop which results in images that require no post-process retouching to remove shadows. Learn more Read full story → Nikon D4S dynamic range and tone curve measurements Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 10:00:00 PM GMT We've updated our first impressions review of the Nikon D4S with our JPEG Tone Curve and Dynamic Range measurements. Included are real-world examples of Nikon's Active D-Lighting modes, which can significantly help in dealing with scenes containing challenging ranges of (dark to bright) tones. Have a look and, as always, you can compare the D4S to any other camera in our database. Learn more Read full story →
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