Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 18 February 2015

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 18 February 2015 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 548th Digital Photography Review newsletter. It's been a busy week for camera gear, with the increasingly important CP+ show in Japan being the forum for the launch of new models and the sketching-out of product roadmaps. Probably the most significant announcement was Ricoh's confirmation of a full frame Pentax DSLR - long wished for, rumoured about and hinted at but now finally appearing in mockup form. Plenty of other brands had things to show, too, and out intrepid team in Yokohama got hands-on time with all the major announcements and prepared samples galleries where possible. We'll be following up on those products and publishing manufacturer interviews in the coming weeks. But for now... CP+ 2015 coverage Whether you shoot DSLR, mirrorless or compact, there was probably something of interest to you announced or shown at the CP+ 2015 show in Japan. Whether it was Fujifilm's retro-styled 35mm F2 prototype or Canon's forthcoming G3 X, there were plenty of intriguing new and future products to be seen. We did our best to cover them all and went out to shoot with products such as Sigma's latest Art-series lens: the 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art. Click here to explore our CP+ 2015 coverage. Galaxy Camera 2 Review It's well understood that the success of smartphones as photographic devices has had a devastating effect on traditional camera sales, so it's no surprise to see lots of manufacturers trying to span the gap between the two. It should be equally unsurprising that Samsung, a brand with considerable experience in both fields should be one of the most enterprising. Unlike the original Galaxy Camera, which was available with cellular connectivity, the Galaxy Camera 2 is a Wi-Fi only camera but, to distinguish it from the plethora of connected cameras, it retains a vast smartphone screen and the user-experience of the Android OS. The key difference, then, is its ability to run apps and allow sophisticated image processing before you share your pictures. Does this trickery let it trump the traditional travel zoom? Read our Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 review Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 samples gallery Fujifilm continues its campaign to make the X series into a fully-rounded enthusiast system with the launch of a weather-sealed 24-83mm equivalent F2.8 zoom. The XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR is intended as a premium, constant-aperture alternative to the company's 18-55mm F2.8-4 OIS. We got a chance to go shooting with it and have put together a gallery showing the lens in a variety of situations. Click here to see our Fujifilm 16-55mm F2.8 samples gallery.   Shooting surfing with the Sony a6000 In our latest of real-world test videos, photographer Chris Burkard joins us in sunny California to help test out the Sony a6000's autofocus on some surfers. I'm told it was all pretty gnarly, but I had to watch the video to be sure what that meant.   Click here to watch Chris Burkard shooting with the Sony a6000   What else is coming up? We have several camera reviews in the works, as well as some insightful manufacturer interviews from CP+. Oh, then there are some videos about some of the latest products... A whole load of stuff, basically. You definitely shouldn't miss it. Richard
News updates Real-world test: the Sony a6000 goes surfing with Chris Burkard Published on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 10:52:00 PM GMT Chris Burkard is a well-established adventure and surf photographer. His landscapes and cold weather surf photos have earned worldwide attention and plenty of high-profile clients. Chris joined us recently in California to take Sony's a6000 for a spin to try out its hybrid AF system on - what else? - sun, sand and surf. See how the a6000 keeps up in our latest real-world test. See video Read full story → Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM real-world samples gallery posted Published on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 7:29:20 PM GMT Fujifilm's XF 16-55mm F2.8 is a weather-sealed zoom covering a 24-83mm equivalent range. With a fast F2.8 constant aperture, manual aperture control and a new Nano-GI coating to reduce flare, it's a high-end lens to be sure. Take a look at how it performs in the real world. See gallery Read full story → Russian gay rights story wins World Press Photo contest for Danish photographer Published on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 1:30:00 AM GMT A photograph that highlights the difficulties facing sexual minorities in Russia has won the World Press Photo contest's top prize. 'Jon and Alex', from a project called 'Homophobia in Russia', shows an 'intimate moment' between a gay couple from St. Petersburg and won Danish photographer Mads Nissen the Contempory Issues category of the competition, as well as the first prize for a single image, netting him 11,500 Euro and Canon DSLR equipment. See winners Read full story → Ten Hasselblad cameras up for grabs in 2016 Masters competition Published on Monday, February 16, 2015 10:14:00 PM GMT Swedish medium format camera manufacturer Hasselblad has launched its 2016 Hasselblad Masters competition, and will be giving away a total of ten cameras as prizes to winners. Open to 'active professionals' using film or digital cameras that have at least 16MP, the competition features 10 categories including a new street/urban section that seems angled at more positive images of city life. A category called Project//21 is open to all photographers under the age of 21. Learn more Read full story → Opinion: Canon EOS 750D and 760D Published on Monday, February 16, 2015 2:00:00 PM GMT In the new EOS Digital Rebel T6s and T6i (EOS 760D and EOS 750D in Europe) Canon has produced beginner and enthusiast versions of what is essentially the same camera. Is this really necessary, why has the company done it and who will notice the difference? Damien Demolder gives his opinion. Read more Read full story → On point: Steve Vaccariello's dance photography Published on Sunday, February 15, 2015 10:46:32 PM GMT 'I do not touch my dance work with Photoshop. Never!' says portrait photographer Steve Vaccariello - a bold statement in the digital age. But he's no luddite. His extended portfolio of commercial, celebrity and beauty work has certainly seen its share of image enhancement. When working with dancers, Vaccariello likes to use reductionist lighting designed to stay out of the way of the movements of the performers. See his work and find out more about him. See gallery Read full story → More things we found cut in half (CP+ 2015 edition) Published on Sunday, February 15, 2015 5:09:00 AM GMT Every year the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan is a hive of activity and innovation, as hoards of Japanese and western camera enthusiasts flood the Pacifico Yokohama conference center to get their hands on the latest camera gear. But that's not the only fun to be had - alongside the ranks of shiny new cameras and lenses, displays and presentation stages can be found a lot of things which have been cut in half. Seriously - loads. Click through to see for yourself Read full story → CP+ 2015: Sony shows off new technology Published on Sunday, February 15, 2015 3:04:00 AM GMT We swung by the Sony booth at CP+ 2015 in Yokohama, Japan, where they had displays of the latest technologies in their cameras and lenses, as well as an elaborate diorama of a bird in flight over a fabricated landscape, amongst other things. We even sat down with a couple of engineers at Sony to talk about the Alpha 7 lineup. Check out some of the interesting things we learned during our time here with Sony Read full story → CP+ 2015: Tokina reveals new 24-70mm F2.8 and 11-20mm F2.8 zooms Published on Sunday, February 15, 2015 2:44:00 AM GMT Tokina might not have the same presence at CP+ as Sigma and Tamron but its small booth is pretty busy, thanks to a brand new 24-70mm F2.8 for Nikon full-frame, and an 11-20mm F2.8 wideangle for APS-C. Just from first impressions, they seem impressively well-built, as we'd expect from Tokina. Click through for some images Read full story → CP+ 2015: Ricoh gets serious with new Pentax full-frame zooms Published on Sunday, February 15, 2015 2:12:00 AM GMT We're at CP+ in Yokohama Japan, where Ricoh is showing off two new Pentax lenses designed for full-frame imaging. Although the company's upcoming full-frame DSLR is still in the mockup stage, the D FA* 70-200mm F2.8ED DC AW and D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6 ED DC AW are very real indeed. We snuck into the show early this morning before the crowds arrived, to take a look. Click through for more details and images.  Read full story → Soon, 40MP without the tripod: A conversation with Setsuya Kataoka from Olympus Published on Saturday, February 14, 2015 2:00:00 PM GMT According to Setsuya Kataoka, future OM-D cameras will create their multi-shot high resolution images in such a short time that photographers will be able to use the feature handheld. Mr Kataoka, General Manager of Olympus’s product and marketing planning division and the man behind the R&D of the OM film cameras and the E system, spoke to DPReview in the Czech Republic during a European event to demonstrate the features of the new OM-D E-M5 ll. Learn more Read full story → CP+ 2015: Olympus shares new OM-D E-M5 II, 'Air' and upcoming lenses Published on Saturday, February 14, 2015 8:55:00 AM GMT We're at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan, where Olympus is showing its new OM-D E-M5 enthusiast mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, and the 'Air' - a modular camera concept aimed at keen DIY enthusiasts and 'hackers'. As well as the two cameras, Olympus is also showing off two upcoming M43 lenses. Click through for more information, and images Read full story → CP+ 2015: Canon shows off new EOS 5DS and 5DS R Published on Saturday, February 14, 2015 5:45:00 AM GMT By far the biggest lines at this year's CP+ show in Yokohama are at the Canon booth, and they're made up almost entirely of people eager to see just two cameras - the new EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R. Canon's highest resolution DSLRs by far, both cameras offer an incredible 50MP pixel count, and almost identical ergonomics to the EOS 5D III. Click through for some hands-on pictures Read full story → CP+ 2015: Fujifilm shows prototype roadmap lenses Published on Saturday, February 14, 2015 4:07:00 AM GMT We're at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan where Fujifilm is showing off several forthcoming lenses, previously mentioned on the company's 2015 and 2016 roadmap. We spoke to Fujifilm at the show, and got our hands on some prototypes - some working, some not - to get a sense of how they feel and operate. Click through for some images Read full story → CP+ 2015: Hands-on with Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Published on Saturday, February 14, 2015 12:13:00 AM GMT We were intrigued by Tamron's stabilized SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD when we first saw it in prototype form at Photokina in September last year. In tbe meantime, Tamron has confirmed pricing and availability for this fast ultra-wideangle zoom and is showing off the new lens at Japan's CP+ show in Yokohama. We're there, and headed straight to Tamron's booth on Saturday to get our hands on the new zoom. Click through for some images Read full story → The Droid you're looking for? Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 review posted Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 6:30:25 PM GMT The Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 is the second iteration of that manufacturer's ultra-connected camera running full Android OS. It's a 16MP camera with a 23-483mm equivalent lens that also happens to run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, though it lacks the 3G/4G connectivity of its predecessor and offers only Wi-Fi. Is this hybrid the best of both worlds, or does it come up short in the imaging department? Read review Read full story → [UPDATED] CP+ 2015: First samples from the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 9:33:00 AM GMT UPDATED: We're at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan, where Sigma is showing its brand new 24mm f1.4 full-frame prime lens. The latest in the company's 'Art' series of fast primes, we have high hopes for the new lens based on our extremely positive impressions of the 35mm and 50mm lenses which have come before it. Sigma very kindly let us shoot some sample images on a late pre-production lens and it does indeed look very, very nice. Click through to take a look. Read full story → CP+ 2015: Sony's new FE lenses almost ready for prime-time Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 9:04:00 AM GMT At the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas last month, we got our hands on some mockups of Sony's upcoming FE-mount lenses. Originally promised to start shipping this month, Sony has yet to announce final pricing and availability but it is showing working pre-production samples of the lenses at CP+ in Yokohama, Japan. We're there, and we wasted no time getting our hands on the new lenses - now complete with glass inside them, which is welcome change from the last time we saw them. Click through to see for yourselves Read full story → CP+ 2015: Hands on with Sigma's new 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 9:02:00 AM GMT One of the most interesting lenses at CP+ for enthusiast photographers is Sigma's new 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art. We made a beeline for the Sigma stand as soon as we arrived on the show floor and got our hands on this intriguing new prime. Click through for some photos and our initial impressions of its build and image quality, based on some initial sample images.  Read full story → CP+ 2015: Canon shows off prototype 120MP CMOS sensor Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 9:00:00 AM GMT We're at CP+ in Yokohama, Japan, where Canon is showing off a prototype ultra high-resolution 120MP CMOS sensor. Canon is claiming it has a pixel count equivalent to the number of photoreceptors in a human eye. Its surface area is halfway between APS-C and full-frame, and it appears to be mostly directed at video applications, capable of recording at approximately 60x the resolution of Full HD. Click through to have a look Read full story → CP+ 2015: A closer look at Canon's forthcoming PowerShot G3X Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 3:08:00 AM GMT Alongside new DSLRs and the EOS M3, Canon quietly announced a new high-end PowerShot last week. The G3 X hasn't been released yet, but we're at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan, where a prototype (displayed under glass) offers some clues to its specification and ergonomics. Click through for some images and a little informed guesswork.  Read full story → Ricoh's newest lens roadmaps show four upcoming K-mount lenses Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 1:00:00 AM GMT Ricoh has released its lens roadmaps for the new year (and potentially beyond), and in the works are seven lenses spanning a wide range of types and focal lengths. The highest number of additions will come in the Pentax K-Mount lineup, which is set to get four new lenses this year or next. Read more Read full story → CP+ 2015: Canon shows 11-24mm in cross-section Published on Friday, February 13, 2015 12:37:00 AM GMT Canon's new 11-24mm F4 is attracting a lot of attention at this year's CP+ show in Yokohama, but away from the crows of keen enthusiasts waiting to get their hands on samples, we found a very much non-working example, cut in half showing its internal construction. Click through to take a look at what this complex lens is made of - literally.  Read full story → CP+ 2015: Hands-on with new Pentax K-S2 Published on Thursday, February 12, 2015 2:12:00 PM GMT The Pentax K-S2 doesn't replace the K-S1, but sits above it in Ricoh's Pentax lineup. And quite right too - it's a considerably more serious camera, even if we do miss the shiny disco lights on the handgrip. We're at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan, where Ricoh is showing off its new 20MP APS-C DLSR, in all manner of color combinations. Click through for some hands-on images Read full story → CP+ 2015: Up close and personal with Ricoh's full-frame Pentax mockup Published on Thursday, February 12, 2015 1:31:00 PM GMT After announcing the development of a full-frame DSLR recently, Ricoh is showing a very early mockup at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan. Although details are extremely limited (limited, in fact, to the words 'Full-frame' in the press release and 'Pentax' written on the front) Ricoh's mockup does give some clues as to the camera's specification. Kind of. Click through for images and some - frankly - rampant speculation.  Read full story → CP+ 2015: Nikon shows off new D810A Published on Thursday, February 12, 2015 4:23:00 AM GMT We're at the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan, where Nikon is showing off its new D810A - a specialist version of the D810 which has been modified specifically for astrophotography. The world's first full-frame camera of its type, the D810A is essentially a Nikon D810 with a modified IR-cut filter to ensure the camera can capture light emitted by nebulae and additional features to support long exposure photography. We got our hands on the camera as soon as we could. Click through to take a look   Read full story → Sigma announces pricing for 24mm Art and 150-600mm Contemporary lenses Published on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 6:36:00 PM GMT Sigma has attached prices to its very recently announced 24mm F1.4 Art lens, as well as the 150-600mm F5-6.3 super telephoto that appeared at Photokina. The full frame 24mm lens, which supports Canon, Nikon, and Sigma mounts, will be available next month at a price of $849. The 150-600mm - also designed for full frame bodies - will be priced at $1089 and will ship next month for Canon and Nikon mounts. Read more Read full story → Opinion: Does the arrival of the EOS M3 mean Canon is finally taking mirrorless seriously? Published on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 1:00:00 PM GMT The Canon EOS M3 has 24 million pixels, an APS-C sensor, DSLR features and it looks like a camera. So, does this mean Canon is now taking the mirrorless market seriously? Senior DPR contributor Damien Demolder weighs in. Read more Read full story →
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