Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Friday, 7 November 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Friday, 7 November 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 534th Digital Photography Review newsletter Hello again, and welcome. We returned from the Photo Plus Expo on Sunday after a busy two days in New York. PPE is one of our favorite shows, and although it doesn't tend to generate much content (especially in Photokina years) it's a good opportunity to visit manufacturers, try out new gear and scope some interesting accessories. It's also a rare opportunity for us to meet camera users and see what they're most interested in. A personal highlight for me was getting my hands on prototypes of two new 'PRO' lenses from Olympus, and there'll be more bits and pieces we gleaned from the show in the coming days. Most of the team are working away on reviews of the cameras from Photokina, which will be published as soon as they're ready, but there's still been plenty going on this week: Two takes on the Leica X Any new Leica is both buoyed-up and weighed-down by the significance that the red dot on its front plate brings. The company's heritage is clear to be seen in its latest X model, the type 113. Like the X1 and X2, it features a 35mm equivalent lens but now one with an F1.7 maximum aperture. We handed the X to two photographers to spend some time with, and see whether it lived up to its revered name. Click here to find out what they thought. . Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 real-world samples published One of the cameras we're working on at the moment is the Panasonic DMC-GM5. It's a more advanced version of the small, stylish GM1 but with the addition of an electronic viewfinder and rear command dial. We'll be writing more about the camera soon but wanted to show what one of the most pocketable mirrorless cameras on the market was capable of. Click here to see our real-world samples. We're putting finishing touches to our reviews of the Nikon D810 and Canon PowerShot G7X, and we're also working on the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, the Panasonic LX100 and its big/little brother the GM5. In addition, I picked up a production Samsung NX1 in New York, so I'm shooting with it this week. Expect a sample gallery when I get back to Seattle over the weekend. Barney GearShop update - a message from the team With all the Micro 4/3 system cameras on the market, GearShop wants to bring you some good deals on compatible lenses. This week we have 2 great lenses to help build your kit. First, the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7-14mm F4 ASPH lens is on sale at $230 off, providing great image quality in a small package. Also, we have the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II lens at $100 off, which is a good way to get a far-reaching zoom into your kit. Of course, free 2-day shipping is always part of the GearShop buying experience. Until next week - the GearShop Team
News updates Lytro's new Develop Kit opens platform to NASA and more Published on Thursday, November 6, 2014 8:34:21 PM GMT Lytro has opened its doors to outside companies with a Lytro Development Kit (LDK), giving the likes of NASA and the Department of Defense - two of its first customers - access to its light field technology hardware and software. This is part of its Lytro Platform, and it starts at $20,000 USD. Read more Read full story → Portrait Salon 'rejects' exhibition opens in London Published on Thursday, November 6, 2014 3:00:00 AM GMT An exhibition of images that were rejected by the UK's National Portrait Gallery is about to go on show in London, organized by Portrait Salon. In its fourth year, the organization will display 70 portraits from a submission of 1184 photographs, all of which have failed to make the shortlist for the 2014 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize - a global portrait competition hosted by the National Portrait Gallery. Read more Read full story → Drift Stealth 2 action camera is maker's smallest yet Published on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 10:09:43 PM GMT Drift, maker of the Ghost-S and HD Ghost action cameras, has introduced its smallest model to date - the Stealth 2. Its diminutive size is the Stealth 2's most notable feature; the 3.42 ounce camera is half the size of its bigger sibling and weighs 40% less. Read more Read full story → Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 real-world samples gallery posted Published on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 3:57:22 PM GMT The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 joins the Lumix DMC-GM1 in that company's line of extremely small interchangeable lens cameras. They use the same 16MP Four Thirds sensor in a compact camera-like body, but the GM5 adds enthusiast touches like an EVF and rear control dial that the beginner-focused GM1 doesn't have. We've taken it for a spin and put together a collection of real-world samples. See gallery Read full story → DxOMark Mobile Report added to our Amazon Fire Phone review Published on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 8:06:28 PM GMT We just updated our full review of the Amazon Fire Phone's camera capabilities with data from DxOMark's mobile analysis. With an overall score of 69, the Fire Phone lands at 18th on DxO's mobile rankings, tied with the HTC One M8 and coming in well behind flagship phones from Apple, Samsung and Sony. Read more Read full story → Amazon launches Prime Photos with unlimited storage for Prime members Published on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 7:29:00 PM GMT Amazon has launched a new photo storage service called Prime Photos, and is offering Prime subscribers unlimited cloud storage for their images at no extra cost. Photos can be uploaded to Amazon's Cloud Drive with iOS or Android apps or the Cloud Drive website. Read more Read full story → Think Tank launches Perception and Digital Holster bags for mirrorless systems Published on Monday, November 3, 2014 11:35:18 PM GMT USA bag brand Think Tank Photo has launched a collection of daypacks and a new holster designed specifically for mirrorless camera systems. There will be three new bags in the Perception series of small backpacks, and will be available in sizes that range from the Perception Tablet that is suitable for a body, lenses and a mini tablet, to the Perception Pro which holds a tablet, a 15-inch laptop and a large mirrorless body with a collection of lenses. Read more Read full story → High pixel-density camera displays and wide-gamut Cinema 4K panel technology on the way Published on Monday, November 3, 2014 11:03:00 PM GMT Reports from Japan's Display Innovation 2014 exhibition highlight a number of advancements and prototypes in camera LCDs. Included are a high-pixel-density 3.2" display using WhiteMagic technology, a high-resolution touch screen with in-cell touch sensors and a 31" cinema 4K wide-gamut display with 99.5% AdobeRGB coverage from LG. Learn more Read full story → Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism finalists announced Published on Sunday, November 2, 2014 11:00:00 AM GMT The 2014 Nikon-Walkley Awards finalists and the Photo of the Year winner have been announced. The Walkley Awards seek to recognize excellence in Australian media, and in partnership with Nikon, highlight outstanding work in photojournalism across a number of categories. Take a look at this year's finalists and Photo of the Year winner. See gallery Read full story → PPE 2014: Sneak peek at forthcoming Olympus 'PRO' lenses Published on Saturday, November 1, 2014 8:11:00 PM GMT When Olympus announced the high-end OM-D E-M1, it promised that it would be making a wideangle zoom and super-telephoto prime in its matching 'PRO' line of lenses. The M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm 1:2.8 PRO shares many design features with the current 12-40mm 1:2.8 PRO, while the M.Zuiko Digital ED 300mm 1:4 PRO offers a 600mm equivalent angle of view. We got our hands on some pre-production samples at this year's Photo Plus Expo in New York. Click through for pictures Read full story → FroKnowsPhoto guide to DSLR video now available Published on Saturday, November 1, 2014 2:00:00 PM GMT Our friend Jared Polin, otherwise known as the Fro behind FroKnowsPhotos, has just launched a comprehensive six-hour video guide to producing DSLR video. Aimed at both beginners and advanced photographers, the guide offers an introduction to basic concepts like selecting frame rate and shutter speed, and includes how-tos for shooting a variety of video types. Read more Read full story → Richard Franiec offers Canon PowerShot G7 X custom grip Published on Saturday, November 1, 2014 12:20:00 AM GMT Richard Franiec is now offering a Canon G7 X custom grip, joining the examples he makes for the Sony RX100 series, Panasonic Lumix GM1 and other small camera models. Like his other products, it's machined from high-grade aluminum alloy and attaches to the camera's front plate with 3M VHB transfer tape that can be safely removed without leaving residue. Read more Read full story → Kodak introduces PixPro SP360 action cam Published on Friday, October 31, 2014 7:52:58 PM GMT JK Imaging has recently introduced the Kodak PixPro SP360 action camera to its lineup of active photo equipment. The SP360 offers an extreme 360 degree viewing range thanks to its ultra-wide F2.8 lens, which is able to capture full HD video footage along with 10MP photographs. Read more Read full story → Calumet brings equipment rental service online Published on Friday, October 31, 2014 6:20:00 PM GMT C&A Marketing, the company that bought photo retailer Calumet's US operation when it closed its stores in May, has announced that Calumet Rentals is now available online. Cameras, lenses, accessories video and lighting equipment are available to rent through calumetrentals.com. Read more Read full story → Sony launches support program for pro photographers Published on Friday, October 31, 2014 12:00:00 PM GMT Sony has launched a 'Pro Support' program with the aim of offering professional photographers the levels of support available from the big DSLR makers. The move presumably comes to help persuade pros to consider switching to the company's SLT and mirrorless camera systems. The program, called Sony Imaging PRO Support, provides 'superior support' so that pros can 'ensure their Digital Imaging products are always ready'. Read more Read full story → Olympus Stylus 1s camera announced in Japan Published on Friday, October 31, 2014 3:30:00 AM GMT Olympus has announced the Japan-only release of the Stylus 1s, a successor to its Stylus 1 enthusiast compact camera. Maintaining almost all of the same hardware as the Stylus 1, the Stylus 1s offers an OM-D based design with a fixed lens and provides some software upgrades. Read more Read full story →
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