Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 17 December 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 17 December 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 540th Digital Photography Review newsletter. As December wears on (and at this point in the year 'wears' feels like an apposite term) we're tying up loose ends here, still working on reviews and on a handful more updates to our seasonal gift and buying guide content. 2015 is just around the corner, and with it the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next month, followed quickly by CP+ in Japan, in February. But that's the future - let's take a look at some recently published content. Take two: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Review Canon's EOS 7D Mark II was a long time coming. It arrived in time for Photokina 2014, combining a pro-grade AF module with a 20MP APS-C CMOS sensor using Dual-Pixel AF. The 7D II also provides 10 fps continuous shooting, a 150,000 RGB +IR pixel metering sensor and 1080/60p video recording. Our full review takes an in-depth look at its performance. Read our full review of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II Have your say in our 2014 Readers' Polls 2014 was an impressive year for camera and lens launches. We've shared our thoughts on many of them, from high-quality high-end DSLRs to some very enticing enthusiast compacts. Now it's your turn - our 2014 Readers' Polls are open! Cast your vote in four categories: Best High-end ILC, Best Lens, Best Consumer ILC and Best High-end Compact Camera. Have your say about the standout products of 2014 in our end of year readers' polls Seattle PI.com showcases its 'pictures of the year' Seattle PI.com, formerly the Seattle Post Intelligencer, was the first major metropolitan newspaper in the USA to go online-only. Since then, the website has gained a reputation for high-quality photojournalism, covering events in Seattle and throughout Washington State. Remarkably, the PI only employs two full-time staff photographers, who between them in 2014 covered everything from the Superbowl to the tragic shooting at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Click here to view a selection of the Seattle PI's images of 2014 Lytro software update introduces Focus Spread feature Lytro's processing software just received a significant update. Lytro Desktop 4.1 provides some additional features for users of the Illum light field camera, including Focus Spread, which allows photographers to pick beginning and ending points for depth of focus. Click here to read more about Lytro's new Focus Spread feature What's coming up? We're finishing up reviews of the Nikon D750 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 and we're also hoping to publish more on the Samsung NX1 before the end of the year. We also have another real-world video review on the way - this time featuring the Fujifilm X-T1. Keep an eye on our homepage! Barney
News updates ProGearX announces new line of GoPro accessories Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 10:27:55 PM GMT ProGearX has announced the availability of several new accessories for mounting GoPro action cameras to a variety of surfaces. Among the new accessories is an extendable pole, body mounts, and a kit for mounting the action cam on different sports boards. The accessories are available now, and ProGearX will be showcasing them during CES 2015 next month. Read more Read full story → Enthusiast compact camera roundup (2014) Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 7:47:00 PM GMT Which capable compact, with plenty of control, should I buy? Read full story → Mid-range Mirrorless camera roundup (2014) Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 7:38:00 PM GMT A roundup of 2014's mid-range mirrorless digital cameras. Read full story → Enthusiast DSLR camera roundup (2014) Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 7:35:00 PM GMT As a keen, enthusiast photographer, what camera should I buy? Read full story → Huawei Honor 6 Plus offers three 8MP cameras Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 6:04:00 PM GMT Huawei has announced the Honor 6 Plus with not one, not two, but three 8MP cameras. One serves as a selfie-capture unit at the front while the other two are lined up side-by-side on the rear of the device. As on the HTC One M8 the dual lens setup allows for refocusing of already captured images. Read more Read full story → Have your say: Best High-end Compact Camera of 2014 Published on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 8:59:00 AM GMT This year saw a number of new cameras released in the high-end compact category, and as well as updated versions of earlier cameras, we also saw brand new products, and - increasingly - a shift to larger sensors as a major differentiator. 2014 was the year that Canon moved to the 1-inch sensor format, and Panasonic even managed to fit a Micro Four Thirds sensor into its LX100. Click through for a reminder of the high-end compacts released in 2014, and a chance to cast your vote for the best.  Read full story → BPG image format aims to replace JPEGs Published on Monday, December 15, 2014 10:47:00 PM GMT There's no doubt that JPEG is the web's go-to image format, offering both widespread compatibility and small file sizes, but it's far from perfect. Alternative image formats have been developed that provide higher-quality compression, but nothing yet has come close to toppling JPEG thanks to its ubiquity. BPG is the latest new format to challenge it. Read more Read full story → Have your say in our 2014 Readers' Polls Published on Monday, December 15, 2014 7:00:00 PM GMT 2014 was an impressive year for camera and lens launches. We've shared our thoughts on many of them, from high-quality high-end DSLRs to some very enticing enthusiast compacts. Now it's your turn - our 2014 Readers' Polls are open! Cast your vote in four categories: Best High-end ILC, Best Lens, Best Consumer ILC and Best High-end Compact Camera. Read more Read full story → Have your say: Best High-end ILC of 2014 Published on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:35:00 PM GMT 2014 was a good year for enthusiast photographers, and saw a range of extremely high-quality DSLRs and mirrorless cameras released from all of the major manufacturers. As well as iterative upgrades to existing cameras, we also saw brand new products from Fujifilm and Samsung, and 4K video made its first appearance in this product class. Click through for a reminder of what was released this year, and cast your vote for the best high-end ILCs of 2014. Read full story → Have your say: Best Lens of 2014 Published on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:35:00 PM GMT A lot more lenses are released every year than cameras, and while we can't use all of them, we know that you - our readers - are avid lens buyers, and have your own opinions about which of the many models released every year are the best. For this poll, we've selected what we think are the standout lenses of 2014 for enthusiast DSLR and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. Click through for a chance to vote for your choice of best lens released in 2014. Read full story → Have your say: Best Consumer ILC of 2014 Published on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:35:00 PM GMT Plenty of cameras were released in 2014, among them some very attractive consumer-level interchangeable lens cameras. Among the mirrorless and DSLR models in this class released in 2014 were a new Panasonic GM - the almost impossibly-small DMC-GM5, the very highly-specc'd Nikon D3300 and the awfully flashy (literally) Pentax K-S1. Click through for a reminder of what was released in this class this year, and for a chance to cast your vote for your favorite products.  Read full story → Seattle PI.com showcases its 'pictures of the year' Published on Sunday, December 14, 2014 1:10:00 PM GMT Seattle PI.com, formerly the Seattle Post Intelligencer, was the first major metropolitan newspaper in the USA to go online-only. Since then, the website has gained a reputation for high-quality photojournalism, covering events in Seattle and throughout Washington State. Remarkably, the PI only employs two full-time staff photographers, who between them in 2014 covered everything from the Superbowl to the tragic shooting at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Click through for a small selection of the PI's 'pictures of the year' Read full story → Sony World Photography Awards 2015: Standout submissions Published on Sunday, December 14, 2014 1:00:00 PM GMT Submissions are still being accepted for the Sony World Photographer Awards, but with competition deadlines fast approaching the organization has just released a selection of preliminary 'submission highlights' for a little inspiration. See gallery Read full story → Sony Alpha 77 II firmware update improves AF speed Published on Saturday, December 13, 2014 1:51:43 AM GMT Sony has released a firmware update for the SLT-a77 II, its 24MP semi-pro APS-C camera. Firmware 2.00 claims improved autofocus speed in all light conditions, but notably a 2.5x improvement in low light. Support for XAVC-S full HD video recording is also added. Read more Read full story → Adobe to acquire Fotolia for $800 million cash Published on Friday, December 12, 2014 11:14:18 PM GMT Adobe has announced plans to acquire stock photography service Fotolia. Once the acquisition is complete, Fotolia will be offered to Adobe users as a 'single Creative Cloud marketplace experience', as well as a standalone service to others. Read more Read full story → Camera FV-5 update brings DNG Raw capture to Android Published on Friday, December 12, 2014 7:11:00 PM GMT The latest update for Camera FV-5, a third-party camera app, makes Android the second mobile OS to allow capture of Raw image files. The app has been rewritten to take advantage of the improved camera support under the latest Android version, 5.0 Lollipop, now offering an option to save a DNG file with your JPEG image. Read more Read full story → Adobe releases Camera Raw 8.7.1 with Sony a7 II support Published on Thursday, December 11, 2014 10:40:34 PM GMT Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter 8.7.1 final releases are now available, adding support for the Sony Alpha 7 II and a handful of lens profiles. A bug related to chromatic aberration with the Samsung NX1 has also been addressed in this update. Read more Read full story → Take two: Canon EOS 7D Mark II Review Published on Thursday, December 11, 2014 8:42:00 PM GMT Canon's EOS 7D Mark II was a long time coming. It arrived in time for Photokina 2014, combining a pro-grade AF module with a 20MP APS-C CMOS sensor using Dual-Pixel AF. The 7D II also provides 10 fps continuous shooting, a 150,000 RGB +IR pixel metering sensor and 1080/60p video recording. Our full review takes an in-depth look at its performance. Read review Read full story → Peter Lik's 'Phantom' photograph breaks world record with $6.5 million sale Published on Thursday, December 11, 2014 7:43:35 PM GMT The world's most expensive photograph has sold for $6.5 million to a private collector. The photograph 'Phantom' was taken by fine art photographer Peter Lik, and was joined by sales of his "Eternal Moods" for $1.1 million and "Illusion" for $2.4 million for a total of $10 million. Read more Read full story → ShareGrid offers peer-to-peer gear rental Published on Thursday, December 11, 2014 7:35:00 PM GMT Renting gear from professional camera rental services has served as a vital resource for many photographers borrowing expensive or niche equipment for a shoot. Now, a new challenger has arrived, and the Los Angeles startup aims to create a peer-to-peer alternative to online rental services – enter, ShareGrid. Read more Read full story → ACDSee Ultimate 8 introduces layer-based editing Published on Thursday, December 11, 2014 1:00:00 PM GMT ACD Systems has announced ACDSee Ultimate 8, bringing for the first time layer-based editing to its Digital Asset Management and image manipulation software. It offers the same image adjustment capabilities provided by ACDSee Pro 8 with the added ability to create and manipulate layers, as well as support for 32-bit and 64-bit transparency. Read more Read full story → Lytro software update introduces Focus Spread feature Published on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 11:21:00 PM GMT Lytro's processing software just received a significant update. Lytro Desktop 4.1 provides some additional features for users of the Illum light field camera, including Focus Spread, which allows photographers to pick beginning and ending points for depth of focus. Learn more Read full story → Alien Skin offers Exposure 7 with Raw support Published on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 8:42:59 PM GMT Alien Skin software has announced Exposure 7, a new version of its flagship film emulation software. This iteration introduces non-destructive Raw editing, supporting files from a number of Canon and Nikon cameras as well as a handful of mirrorless models from Fujifilm, Olympus and Sony. Read more Read full story → Sony World Photography Awards judges revealed as deadline for entries nears Published on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 8:18:48 PM GMT The World Photography Organization has announced its judges for the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards. Photo editors from major publications around the world make up the judging committee. The competition is open to youth, amateurs and pros alike and is accepting entries until early January. The organization has also released a selection of standout submissions. Read more Read full story → Relio is a powerful LED light in your pocket Published on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 6:54:30 PM GMT It seems ultra-portable LED-based external light sources are the flavor of the season. Last month brought the Lume Cube, and today there is Relio. Relio is a 35mm small aluminum cube that uses a USB connection as power source for its LED light. It can be mounted on tripods and other camera supports using a 1/4-inch standard thread. Read more Read full story → Leica M9 users report sensor corrosion issue Published on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 6:10:00 PM GMT Update: Leica has issued an official statement addressing the reports of sensor corrosion. A growing number of Leica users are reporting white spots appearing on images taken with M9, M9-P, M Monochrom and M-E cameras. The common element in all of these models is their 18MP full frame Kodak CCD sensor which is protected by a piece of Schott S8612 glass. Read more Read full story → Adorama launches exclusive Aries Blackbird X10 quadcopter Published on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 12:53:55 AM GMT Adorama has announced the Aries Blackbird X10 quadcopter. The Blackbird X10 features an integrated 16MP camera with 1/2.3-inch type sensor able to record up to 1080p video at 30fps. Feature-wise the drone is decidedly mid-tier, falling between the lower-end Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 and the higher-end DJI Inspire 1 drones, for example, while retaining a moderate $799 price. Read more Read full story →
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