Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Thursday, 31 July 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Thursday, 31 July 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 520th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Sorry this comes to you a day late, but I wanted to finish off my shooting report on the Nikon D810, based on my experience of using it over the past few days. It's not exhaustive, by any means but I've tried to provide a decent overview of what the D810 is like to use, the quality of it images and a rundown of some of the new features. You'll find links below. This week also saw the second part of our very popular look at tripods, featuring 5 of the best carbon fiber models for traveling. The reaction to part 1 was very encouraging, and I hope you enjoy part 2 just as much. Here are a few content highlights from the past few days: Nikon D810 Shooting experience The Nikon D810 represents a consolidation of its two predecessors, the D800 and D800E. The 36MP full frame DSLR lacks an anti-aliasing filter to make the absolute most of its high resolution sensor and provides a number of meaningful updates over the previous generation. After some extensive shooting in the field we've updated our First Impressions Review with a shooting experience. Click here to read our updated first-impressions review of the Nikon D810 Travel tripods: Comparing 5 carbon fiber kits What makes a tripod a good travel companion? We test out five carbon fiber 'travel' tripods that while compact and light, are also comfortably tall and capable of supporting a reasonable amount of gear. This review covers five models, examining their features, functions and ergonomics in use both in the studio and out in the field. Read our roundup of carbon fiber tripod kits Readers' showcase: Landscape photography In all the talk about new gear, and which brands are best it's easy to overlook the end result of our shared passion - the pursuit of stunning images. Among our large community there are some incredibly talented photographers who share their work in our forums, galleries and photo challenges. From time to time we like to showcase some of the best work on our homepage. This week we challenged users of the landscape photography forum to submit their strongest shots, and the results were impressive. Click here to view this week's readers' showcase Real-world samples added to Sony SLT-A77 II First Impressions The Sony SLT-A77 II is that company's latest DSLR using translucent mirror technology. With a 24MP CMOS sensor, it has a newly-designed 79-point AF system and offers 12fps continuous shooting with autofocus. That's all very impressive on paper, but what's it like in the real world? We've pulled together a sample gallery and added it to our a77 II First Impressions Review. Click here to view our gallery of samples from the Sony A7 ii What's coming up? We're almost done with the first installment of a comparison review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4, and Sony Aa7s, and we're continuing to shoot with Fujifilm's new high-end standard zoom for the X-series, the XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR. Work continues too on the D810 and Sony SLT-A77 ii. See you next week! Barney WTD #1285   GearShop update - a message from the team The new full-frame DSLR from Nikon has been released and is available for order now with free 2-day shipping. Nikon has designed the D810 to produce sharper results than either of its predecessors. By removing the optical low pass filter entirely, and redesigning the mirror and shutter assembly for lower vibration, the D810 is capable of capturing more fine detail than ever before. Increased battery life and more frames-per-second are just some of the many improvements found in this impressive new body. Until next week - the GearShop Team
News updates With greater clarity: Nikon D810 Shooting Experience Published on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 7:32:48 PM GMT The Nikon D810 represents a consolidation of its two predecessors, the D800 and D800E. The 36MP full frame DSLR lacks an anti-aliasing filter to make the absolute most of its high resolution sensor and provides a number of meaningful updates over the previous generation. After some extensive shooting in the field we've updated our First Impressions Review with a shooting experience. Read more Read full story → Real-world samples added to Sony SLT-A77 II First Impressions Published on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 4:42:00 PM GMT The Sony SLT-A77 II is that company's latest DSLR using translucent mirror technology. With a 24MP CMOS sensor, it has a newly-designed 79-point AF system and offers 12fps continuous shooting with autofocus. That's all very impressive on paper, but what's it like in the real world? We've pulled together a sample gallery and added it to our a77 II First Impressions Review. See gallery Read full story → Flickr launches image marketplace initiative Published on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 10:21:00 PM GMT Flickr has announced that it is expanding its photo licensing opportunities for users. Alongside its partnership with Getty Images, Flickr will now allow users to opt in to an 'image curation' initiative called Marketplace. Participating members may have their images featured across Yahoo's network of sites along with other media outlets including the New York Times and the BBC. Read more Read full story → Canon EF-S 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 sample gallery Published on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 10:00:00 AM GMT We've been out taking advantage of Seattle's sunny July days and have just published a gallery of real-world samples from Canon's new 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 IS STM lens. Smaller, lighter and cheaper than the 10-22mm zoom that precedes it in Canon's lineup, the 10-18mm gives a 16-29mm equivalent range on the APS-C bodies it's designed for. See gallery Read full story → Canon introduces inexpensive PowerShot SX400 IS and SX520 HS superzooms Published on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 4:48:00 AM GMT Canon has introduced a pair of budget-friendly superzooms: the PowerShot SX400 IS and SX520 HS. These cameras have 24-720mm and 24-1008mm equivalent lenses, respectively. The SX400 sports a 16MP CCD and 720p video, while the SX520 uses a CMOS sensor (likely BSI) that can produce Full HD movies. Canon claims that autofocus performance has been improved on both models compared with their predecessors. You'll be able to pick up the SX400 IS in August for $249.99, with the SX520 HS following in September for $399.99.  Read full story → Pelican Imaging releases light field photos from its mobile imaging array Published on Monday, July 28, 2014 6:47:00 PM GMT Pelican Imaging has released a set of re-focusable pictures taken with its light field camera for smartphones. Instead of placing an array of microlenses between the sensor and the main lens, Pelican uses an array of main lenses - each with a sensor behind it. Pelican's offering is more suitable for smartphones, and their sample images allow for re-focusing, changing DOF, and shifting perspective. Click through for more details and links to the images. Read full story → In pictures: Restoration of Boeing's first 747 'jumbo jet' Published on Monday, July 28, 2014 8:03:00 AM GMT The Boeing 747 - or the 'jumbo jet' as it is commonly known, changed the world. The 747 first flew in 1969, and transformed modern air travel with its ability to carry more people - and more cargo - across the globe than any previous airliner, shrinking it in the process. Seattle's Museum of Flight houses RA001 - the very first 747, which flew as a test airframe from its inaugural liftoff in 1969 through until the early 1990s. The museum is currently restoring RA001 both inside and out. Click through for pictures.  Read full story → Travel tripods: 5 carbon fiber kits reviewed Published on Monday, July 28, 2014 7:10:00 AM GMT What makes a tripod a good travel companion? We test out five carbon fiber 'travel' tripods that while compact and light, are also comfortably tall and capable of supporting a reasonable amount of gear. This review covers five models, examining their features, functions and ergonomics in use both in the studio and out in the field. Click through to read the roundup. Read full story → Readers' showcase: Landscape photography Published on Sunday, July 27, 2014 8:09:00 AM GMT In all the talk about new gear, and which brands are best it's easy to overlook the end result of our shared passion - the pursuit of stunning images. Among our large community there are some incredibly talented photographers who share their work in our forums, galleries and photo challenges. From time to time we like to showcase some of the best work on our homepage. This week we challenged users of the landscape photography forum to submit their strongest shots, and the results were impressive. Click through to see more. Read full story → Photographer hits #1 on Reddit with Mt Fuji picture, and quickly regrets it Published on Saturday, July 26, 2014 7:37:00 AM GMT British photographer Kris Boorman summited Mount Fuji in 2012 and took a photograph from the top, showing the shadow cast by the giant mountain at sunrise. The image has since been used as a background for the Bing search engine and last year won a competition held by Gettty Images. A couple of days ago he posted the photo at low resolution on Reddit, and within a few hours it had garnered more than 6000 upvotes. Although this might sound like good news, Boorman quickly came to regret posting the picture. Click through to learn why.  Read full story → Vanguard releases new Alta CA tripod kits with pistol-grip head Published on Saturday, July 26, 2014 5:00:00 AM GMT Tripod and bag manufacturer Vanguard has launched a new range of tripods that are fitted with the company’s latest pistol grip style GH-30 head. The aluminium Alta CA leg-set comes in three or four-section options to achieve maximum heights of either 1565mm (61.6in) or 1550mm (61in) though both models are designed to carry a payload of up to 11lbs (5kg). Click through for more information. Read full story → What The Duck #1285 Published on Saturday, July 26, 2014 1:25:00 AM 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 → Lastolite 'Out of Focus' backgrounds bring beautiful bokeh to your home studio Published on Friday, July 25, 2014 6:46:00 PM GMT Everyone loves the look of a nice out of focus background, but it's hard to achieve in a home studio. Accessory manufacturer Lastolite believes it might have the solution, with two new reversible backgrounds printed with out of focus images of the ocean / autumn foliage and summer foliage / city lights. Measuring 1.5 x 1.2m, the backgrounds are big enough for almost full-length portraits of most adults, and weigh in at 3kg (6.6lb) each. Click through for more details. Read full story → Hasselblad launches 50MP CFV-50c back for legacy V system Published on Friday, July 25, 2014 3:39:00 PM GMT Hasselblad has launched a new digital back for its V System camera bodies that it claims brings modern digital image quality to users of vintage film-era Hasselblad camera bodies. The Hasselblad CFV-50c back features a 43.8 x 32.9mm CMOS sensor that outputs images at a resolution of up to 8272 x 6200 pixels, and operates within an ISO range of 100-6400. Click through for more details. Read full story → CASE Remote is a smartphone remote for your DSLR Published on Friday, July 25, 2014 7:34:00 AM GMT Many modern digital cameras can be remote controlled via dedicated apps on your smartphone and a Wi-Fi link. Unfortunately this option is not available on older or lower spec models that come without a built-in Wi-Fi module. CASE Remote, currently available for pre-order on indiegogo.com, is compatible with a large number of Nikon and Canon models and slots into your camera's hotshoe. Click through to read more at connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → 500px now supporting Lytro 'Living Pictures', offering users $250 rebate on Illum Published on Thursday, July 24, 2014 8:23:00 PM GMT Photo sharing site 500px has announced that it is now supporting images uploaded in Lytro's unique 'Living Pictures' format, and is offering its customers a $250 discount on the purchase of Lytro's Illum camera (MSRP $1599). The Illum is available now for pre-order and is expected to start shipping within the next couple of weeks. Click through for more information. Read full story → Cactus launches $70 radio trigger for multiple TTL flash systems Published on Thursday, July 24, 2014 7:01:00 AM GMT Hong Kong-based manufacturer Cactus has launched a wireless flash trigger that it claims will work with any hotshoe or PC sync socket-equipped camera and can control the power output from Canon, Nikon and Pentax-compatible flash units all at the same time. According to the manufacturer, even photographers working with multiple flashguns designed for different TTL systems will be able to link them via the wireless trigger. Click through for more information. Read full story → Fujifilm updates X-mount lens roadmap through end of 2015 Published on Thursday, July 24, 2014 5:00:00 AM GMT Fujifilm has updated the roadmap for its X-mount lenses up to the end of 2015. One extra lens has been added, while a second lens previously included has been formally named. The release order of three others has changed. The new models are the XF 90mm F2 R and XF 16mm F1.4 R, both of which are due by mid-2015. Read on to see the full roadmap and see the new release dates for the other upcoming lenses. Read full story → Ricoh announces Pentax K-3 Prestige Edition Published on Thursday, July 24, 2014 12:11:00 AM GMT Ricoh has announced a new 'Prestige' version of its Pentax K-3 DSLR. This special edition camera, which 'commemorates the many awards bestowed upon the K-3' (including from this website), comes in a special gunmetal gray color. The Prestige edition includes a matching battery grip, two batteries, and an 'exclusive' camera strap. If you want your K-3 to stand out from the crowd you'd better hurry, as only 2,000 kits will be sold worldwide.  Read full story →
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