Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 24 September 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 24 September 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 528th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Hello once more from Seattle, after the madness of Photokina has (almost) subsided. This year was my fourth Photokina, which means I've been doing this for... eight years. Good heavens. Much has changed in that time. Technological fads have come and gone (ahem - 3D...) and an entire segment of the camera market - the inexpensive point and shoot compact - has virtually faded away. This year marks the first time that a smartphone was announced at Photokina, in the form of Panasonic's DMC-CM1, and pro video company RED stunned a lot of attendees with 19MP Raw files from 6K video footage. The shape of things to come? Maybe. Certainly food for thought. And speaking of food, I'm never eating Schweinshaxe again. Moving on... Photokina 2014 coverage As always, Photokina was a great show for us here at DPReview, proving access to representatives and major new products from all of the main camera and lens manufacturers in the industry. Always the busiest event in our calendar, this biennial show is a focal point for the entire camera industry. This year saw major new releases from Canon, Nikon, Samsung and Panasonic among several others. We put out a huge amount of content before and during Photokina, and there's more to come, including several interviews with senior executives. Follow the link below to see it all. Click here to explore our coverage of the show and its announcements. Fujifilm X100T (beta) real-world samples Fujifilm's new X100T is the latest evolution of its popular X-series of enthusiast compacts. Introduced with this model is an updated Hybrid Viewfinder that includes a new electronic rangefinder feature and automatic brightness controls. The X100T carries over the 16MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor seen in its predecessor as well as a fixed 23mm (35mm equiv) F2 lens. We've had access to a pre-production model for a few days - just time for me to prepare a small gallery of samples. It's a fun camera to shoot with it, and I hope you like the pictures. Click here to view our gallery of samples from a beta, pre-production Fujifilm X100T Photokina 2014: Nikon interview - 'large-sensor mirrorless could be a solution' When we visited Photokina last week in Germany we made time to sit down with senior executives from several camera manufacturers. Among them was Toshiaki Akagi, Department Manager in Nikon's 1st Designing Department. In our conversation we spoke about reaction to the D750, the legacy of the D600 oil problem and the potential for a large-sensor mirrorless camera from Nikon in the future. Click here to read the full interview Behind the Shot: Spot the Shark Nature photographer Erez Marom shares the story of his image 'Spot the Shark', taken at Breiðamerkursandur - 'the ice beach' in Iceland. In this article he explains how he set up and took the picture, and the post-processing steps required to get to the final result. Click here to read Erez Marom's article 'Behind the shot: Spot the Shark' DxO Mobile Report ranks iPhone 6 on top DxOMark has put Apple's latest through its mobile imaging tests and published its findings. This assessment put the iPhone 6 (and its iPhone 6 Plus sibling) at the top of its mobile rankings, pushing the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z3 to positions three and four, respectively. See how the iPhone 6 performed in DxOMark's testing and find out how it compares to its peers. Click here to read more about how the iPhone 6 performed in DxOMark's testing What's coming up? More interviews from Photokina, more sample images from the products released at the show and more review content, very soon! Barney GearShop update - a message from the team One of the most popular cameras being discussed right now is the Canon PowerShot GX 7 – a compact camera featuring a 1" sensor in a metal body, with manual controls, and touchscreen interface, and a fast and bright 1.8-2.8 lens. It's currently available for preorder. Also coming down the pike, slated for mid- October release, is the Samsung NX1 mirrorless system camera. Featuring a hybrid autofocus system for focusing in extremely low light, a 28.2 megapixel sensor and the ability to shoot at up to 15fps, this is one model that's worth standing in line for. Preorder now. Until next week - the GearShop Team
News updates DxO Mobile Report ranks iPhone 6 on top Published on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 6:46:00 PM GMT DxOMark has put Apple's latest through its mobile imaging tests and published its findings. This assessment put the iPhone 6 (and its iPhone 6 Plus sibling) at the top of its mobile rankings, pushing the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z3 to positions three and four, respectively. See how the iPhone 6 performed in DxOMark's testing and find out how it compares to its peers. Read more Read full story → Photokina 2014: Nikon interview - 'large-sensor mirrorless could be a solution' Published on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 4:24:00 PM GMT When we visited Photokina last week in Germany we made time to sit down with senior executives from several camera manufacturers. Among them was Toshiaki Akagi, Department Manager in Nikon's 1st Designing Department. In our conversation we spoke about reaction to the D750, the legacy of the D600 oil problem and the potential for a large-sensor mirrorless camera from Nikon in the future. Click through to read the full interview Read full story → Twice as good? What you need to know about the Canon EOS 7D Mark II Published on Monday, September 22, 2014 9:14:00 PM GMT Five years is a long time in the camera world, but that's how long Canon's EOS 7D was on the market - buoyed by a midlife firmware update that kept it impressively competitive against APS-C offerings from other manufacturers. Canon has not been idle in the past few years, it seems, and the new EOS 7D Mark II is a huge upgrade over the original 7D, offering improvements to every aspect of its feature set. We got hands-on with a pre-production sample recently. Click through to see more.   Read full story → Fujifilm X100T (beta) real-world samples Published on Monday, September 22, 2014 5:11:32 PM GMT Fujifilm's new X100T is the latest evolution of its popular X-series of enthusiast compacts. Introduced with this model is an updated Hybrid Viewfinder that includes a new electronic rangefinder feature and automatic brightness controls. The X100T carries over the 16MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor seen in its predecessor as well as a fixed 23mm (35mm equiv) F2 lens. We've had access to a pre-production model for a few days - just time to prepare a small gallery of samples. Read full story → DxOMark Mobile report: Sony Xperia Z3 ties for first Published on Sunday, September 21, 2014 12:00:00 PM GMT The Sony Xperia Z3 is Sony's latest waterproof flagship smartphone, picking up where the Z2 left off. Like that phone it's 4K capable and also offers an atypically-large 1/2.3"-type sensor. Just like the Z2, that's a 20.7MP Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor nestling behind a 27mm equivalent F2.0 lens. All this has encouraged Sony to offer ISO 12,800, which it says is the highest of any smartphone. Learn more about how it performs Read full story → Behind the Shot: Spot the Shark Published on Sunday, September 21, 2014 7:29:00 AM GMT Nature photographer Erez Marom shares the story of his image 'Spot the Shark', taken at Breiðamerkursandur - 'the ice beach' in Iceland. In this article he explains how he set up and took the picture, and the post-processing steps required to get to the final result. Click through for the full story. Read full story → Hands-on with Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 Published on Saturday, September 20, 2014 3:00:00 PM GMT When Panasonic came to see us recently in our Seattle offices we were expecting the much-rumored LX8. That didn't happen, but what we saw was quite a surprise. The LX100 is one of Panasonic's most ambitious cameras yet, marrying a Four Thirds sensor with a 24-75mm (equivalent) F1.7-2.8 lens, in a body not much bigger than that of the LX7. Full manual control, a built-in EVF and 4K video round-out the specification sheet nicely. Click through for a hands-on tour of the new camera. Read full story → Opinion: Bring on the 70-200mm equivalents Published on Saturday, September 20, 2014 12:00:00 PM GMT One swallow does not a summer make, said Aristotle, suggesting the dangers of looking for trends based on single examples. Even with this in mind, I'm pleased to see two manufacturers introduce 70-200mm equivalent zooms for APS-C cameras at this year's Photokina. First Fujifilm introduced its 50-140mm F2.8 R, and then Samsung followed suit with its 50-150mm F2.8 S. I think these lenses make more sense than actual 70-200mms; let me explain why... Read full story → Photokina 2014 Video: The Canon G7 X Published on Friday, September 19, 2014 10:59:00 AM GMT One of the exciting new cameras here at Photokina is the Canon Powershot G7 X, a pocketable compact camera with a large 1"-type sensor. We caught up with Canon's Chuck Westfall who gave us an overview of the G7 X and let us know when it should be available. See video Read full story → Photokina 2014 Video: The Samsung NX1 Published on Friday, September 19, 2014 9:15:00 AM GMT With the introduction of the NX1 mirrorless camera, Samsung has put a stake in the ground of the photography market. We stop by the Samsung booth to learn more about the NX1, a new 50-150mm F2.8 image stabilized lens, and also get a peek at the company's "technology demonstration" 300mm F2.8 lens. See video Read full story → Opinion: Why the death of the point and shoot benefits photographers Published on Friday, September 19, 2014 1:48:00 AM GMT The death of the point-and-shoot compact has been disastrous for all the major camera manufacturers, but it's not all bad news. Manufacturers  are clambering over themselves to offer the most attractive features to the last group of people willing to pay for a good camera, spurring the kind of innovation we've not seen in a long time. Find out why we think photographers are reaping the greatest benefits from the decline of the point-and-shoot. Read more Read full story → Photokina 2014 Video: The Fujifilm X100T Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 5:10:00 PM GMT In our latest from-the-show-floor video, we visit the Fujifilm booth at Photokina 2014 to learn more about the Fujifilm X100T, the newest member of the company's ultra-premium compact camera family. See video Read full story → Photokina 2014: Ricoh stand report Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 3:02:00 PM GMT Behind Nikon's Photokina 2014 stand is the Ricoh booth, the most colorful we've seen thus far. It's not the design of the booth that's colorful. Rather, it's the dozens of color combinations available for the company's DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. The waterfall in front was pretty cool, too. Take the tour. Read full story → Photokina 2014: Hands on with new Tamron lenses - including 15-30mm F2.8 Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:57:00 PM GMT We caught up with Tamron at Photokina 2014 to get a peek at the new 15-30mm F2.8 ultra-wide angle zoom. It's designed to cover a full frame sensor and was shown to us in a late prototype form, though its official launch date is unconfirmed. We also got some hands-on time with the manufacturer's latest all-in-one zoom lenses as well as the always-impressively-huge 150-600mm F5-6.3. Read more Read full story → Photokina 2014: Hands on with Sigma's new 150-600mm telezooms Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 1:52:00 PM GMT The stars of Sigma's booth at this years Photokina were two new telezoom lenses - 'C' and 'S' versions of a 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM aimed at enthusiasts and sports / wildlife professionals, respectively. The company was also showing off its new 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM 'C' for APS-C DSLRs. We headed to the company's stand on our final day at the show, and got our hands on the new gear (except the stuff behind glass). Click through to see more. Read full story → Photokina 2014: Polaroid Socialmatic combines camera, printer and Android OS Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 1:12:28 PM GMT The Polaroid Socialmatic was first announced a while ago but is still in development and expected to ship sometime later this year. However, at the Polaroid stand in Hall 5.2 Photokina visitors can already get their hands on a few prototypes and play with the unique device. The Socialmatic combines a 14MP camera, an Android smart device and a Polaroid Zero Ink technology printer. Click through to read more. Read full story → Photokina 2014: Sneak peek at upcoming Fujifilm XF lenses Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 11:31:00 AM GMT Fujifilm announced two cameras on the runup to Photokina - the X100T and X30. But the company is also showing off mockups of several new lenses, slated for release next year. We sat down with senior executives from Fujifilm earlier today, and got our hands on the samples. Click through to take a look at what's in store. Read full story → Photokina 2014: Olympus stand report Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 8:51:00 AM GMT The Olympus booth was relatively quiet compared to the madhouses at Nikon and Canons' stands, which made it easier to get up close and personal with the company's new lenses. We also took a look at some of their recent cameras, and have a few cutaways, as well. Read more. Read full story → Photokina 2014 interview: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 8:31:17 AM GMT In this video from Photokina, Panasonic's Matt Frazer walks us through the features of the new Lumix DMC-LX100 compact camera. Matt also explains Panasonic's use of a multi-aspect four thirds sensor, discusses lens design and manufacture, and explains the camera's 4K video capabilities. See video Read full story → Photokina 2014: Nikon stand report (updated) Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 8:18:00 AM GMT We swung by Nikon's Photokina 2014 stand to see the new D750 in action and investigate what else the company has in store for show attendees. The booth itself is a bit less flashy than some of the competitions, and distinctly lacking in cars and ladies wearing sequins, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't make an impression. Click through to read more.  Read full story → Photokina 2014: Hands-on with RED's Epic Dragon Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014 7:26:00 AM GMT How does the idea of capturing 100 19MP Raw files per second sound? That's what RED's latest camera, the RED Dragon can do, courtesy of its 6K video capture mode. Fully modular, the RED Dragon can be adapted to accept a multitude of lens mounts, and although intended for professional movie shooting, its still image quality is seriously impressive too. We got a quick tour of RED's latest magic machines at the company's stand.  Read full story → Size matters: Hands-on with Canon PowerShot G7 X Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 11:01:00 PM GMT Canon has been busy - its latest high-end compact, the PowerShot G7 X slots in beneath the G1 X Mark II, and offers a 20MP 1'-type sensor, 24-100mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 zoom lens and a host of other enthusiast-friendly features. We spoke to Canon recently and got access to a pre-production G7 X. Click through for a hands-on tour of the new camera.  Read full story → Interview: Canon's Chuck Westfall Discusses the 7D Mark II Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 10:15:00 PM GMT Join us for a video interview with Canon's Chuck Westfall, Technical Advisor at Canon U.S.A.'s Professional Engineering and Solutions Division, in which he talks us through some of the features of the new EOS 7D Mark II DSLR, introduced this week at Photokina.  Read full story → Relonch brings APS-C image sensor to the iPhone Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 8:50:00 PM GMT The Relonch camera combines an APS-C sensor with an extremely simple UI and attaches to your iPhone, using your phone for display, image processing, storage, and sharing. A bright F2.0 lens ensures low-light performance. At an output resolution of only 1MP, it's a niche product, but the concept is exciting. Click through to learn more. Read full story → Canon EOS 7D Mark II beta image samples Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 5:30:34 PM GMT We got a chance to shoot with a pre-release beta of Canon's EOS 7D Mark II, so we grabbed it. We have prepared a 23 image gallery from a Canon event running at the Photokina show in Cologne. Although the image quality hasn't been entirely finalized, this should give some first impressions of what that camera can do. We've included a sequence of 10fps shooting. Click through for more details. Read full story → Photokina 2014: Samsung stand report Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 4:16:00 PM GMT Samsung's hall is a far cry from the over-the-top extravaganza that is its CES booth. There are big tables for every camera it produces, usually paired with smartphones. In fact, it felt like their stand was as much about mobile devices as it was with cameras. The camera that everyone was playing with was the NX1, and we took a look at that as well as a 300mm telephoto prime concept. Click through to read more. Read full story → Creative Live hosts six days of free online photography classes Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 3:23:20 PM GMT Creative Live is currently hosting Photo Week - six days of free photography classes. The event is ongoing through September 20th, and the interactive classes will be taught by professionals from various parts of the industry on a range of topics such as light painting, wedding and GoPro photography. Read more Read full story → Photokina 2014: Hands on with Leica's S & M (it's not what you think) Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 12:44:00 PM GMT Leica announced two new M-series rangefinders at this year's Photokina, in addition to the Digital M-P released last month. The German company also unveiled a new medium-format S, which as well as high-resolution stills can capture 4K video. Naturally, we headed over to the Leica booth to get our grubby hands all over the new cameras. Click through to see more.  Read full story → Photokina 2014: Sony stand report Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 12:05:00 PM GMT It's the second day of the photography industry's biggest tradeshow and we paid a visit to the Sony booth. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the Alpha QX1 'lens-style camera' paired with a gigantic 70-200mm lens, Sony did not disappoint us. We also got our hands on a pair of new lenses. Take a look around Sony's Photokina 2014 stand with us. Read more Read full story → Photokina 2014: Hands-on with Leica X and X-E Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 11:24:00 AM GMT Leica released two new X-series cameras at Photokina this year - the X and X-E. The X-E is an update to the X-2, and the 'X' is the flagship model. The Leica X features a 35mm equivalent F1.7 lens - answering the long-standing request from X-1 and X-2 owners for a faster lens. Click through to see (and learn) more.   Read full story → Photokina 2014: Panasonic stand report Published on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 11:22:00 AM GMT Panasonic announced some exciting products at Photokina, including the DMC-LX100 premium compact, tiny DMC-GM5 Micro Four Thirds ILC, and top secret CM1 smartphone/camera hybrid. Let's take a walk through the Panasonic booth. Click to read more. Read full story →
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