Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Digital Photography Review Newsletter for Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Digital Photography Review Newsletter The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 400,000 subscribers Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Welcome to the 578th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Somehow another week has passed, and another busy week it's been. We've been trying to grab the last of the good weather to pit a couple of the cameras we're reviewing against one another, to make sure our studio testing reflects real-world experience, but we've also been buffeted by the unrelenting news cycle. Sony has released another a7 series camera, DJI has announced a Micro Four Thirds aerial camera capable of Raw 4K shooting and then Sony has said it'll add an 'uncompressed Raw' option to some of its cameras: which is not bad for a traditionally quiet part of the year. Despite all this, our testing continues, as do our preparations for PIX2015. Busy, busy, busy. Just in case you missed it: Shoorting sports: how much of an all-rounder is the RX10 II? While we go about reviewing Sony's RX10 II, we've been struck by just how flexible it is: its 28-200mm equiv F2.8 zoom has seen it perform well for both stills and video and in situations such as low-light gig photography. 'Is there anything this camera can't do?' we wondered. To find out, we decided to force it out of its considerable comfort zoom and out onto the touchline of a soccer game. Read all about how it performed when lined-up against a similarly-priced DSLR setup. Find out the limits of the RX10 II's all-round capabilities in our real-world AF challenge. The view from the sidelines: an interview with sports photographer Otto Greule The (American) football season has just begun and we used this as an excuse to speak to professional sports shooter Otto Greule. He talked to use about how he got his start in the industry, what kit goes with him to a game, how the industry is changing and what advice he'd give to someone hoping to follow in his footsteps. Click here to find out what Greule has to say, and see some of his excellent photography Photo Week at Creative Live As we prepare for PIX, our friends over at Creative Live are gearing up for their own event: Photo Week. It's five days of photo education and classes, featuring world class photographers who'll guide you through a range of different photographic styles and challenges. As usual, the events can be watched live, for free, with an option to pay for on-demand access. Click here to find out more about Creative Live's Photo Week Nikon D7200 field test The latest in our Field Test series of videos sees Barnaby Britton join film maker and photographer Gabe Bienczycki for a sunset shoot in the desert, to see just what Nikon's enthusiast targeted D7200 can do. The camera's focus tracking and video capabilities are put through their paces in a challenging dusk shoot of dancers in the desert. Click to watch the Nikon D7200 Field Test Canon EOS M3 gallery It's been out for a while in Europe, but Canon's EOS M3 is new to North America. It's the third generation of Canon's mirrorless EF-M mount camera, and gains a slightly more enthusiast-friendly interface, with the addition of an exposure compensation dial. We took it out with a range of lenses, to see how it performs. Browse our real-world Canon EOS M3 gallery Sony announces uncompressed Raw in response to user feedback Anyone who's bought, or is planning to buy, a Sony a7R II is likely to be heartened to hear that Sony has addressed the concerns we detailed about the company's Raw compression system. Responding to user feedback, the company has said the a7S II will offer an uncompressed Raw option, while also promising to extend the option to other models (though no details have been given about which). Read Sony's statement on uncompressed Raw. There are plenty of things still to come before PIX kicks off: including a major update about the a7R II (including a look at uncompressed Raw), some real-world experiences we've had shooting with the DxO ONE. All sorts of stuff. Please stay tuned. Richard

News updates Olympus announces details of major firmware updates for E-M1 and E-M5 II coming November Published Tuesday, September 15, 2015 11:25:00 PM GMT Olympus unveiled the details of two fairly significant firmware updates, both of which will be available for download, for free, come November. The flagship Olympus OM-D E-M1 will receive firmware version 4.0. while the not even one-year-old OM-D E-M5 II will receive firmware version 2.0. Read more Canon's new Connect Station will feature wireless charging, support 4k video Published Tuesday, September 15, 2015 7:41:00 PM GMT Canon unveiled its next generation Connection Station this week at Canon Expo 2015 in New York. The new model is similar to the original CS100, first introduced at CES earlier this year, but with the addition of two new big features: wireless charging and support for 4K playback. Read more Sony brings uncompressed Raw to a7S II, a7R II and... Published Tuesday, September 15, 2015 4:02:00 PM GMT Sony has announced an uncompressed Raw option for its forthcoming a7S II model and will offer firmware updates for some existing models, starting with the a7R II. Up to now, Sony's cameras have only recorded compressed Raw files that can have a visual impact on some images. The company says the move comes in response to feedback from its users. National Portrait Gallery announces shortlist for Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize Published Tuesday, September 15, 2015 1:00:00 PM GMT The four images in the running for the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize have been revealed by Great Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. The often-controversial award is again set to spark some debate as one of the shortlisted images features a naked boy that many media outlets will have to think twice about reproducing. Read more   Long and short of it: Tamron 16-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Macro review Published Tuesday, September 15, 2015 8:00:00 AM GMT Tamron's 16-300mm F3.5-6.3 takes the superzoom concept it made famous a few steps forward. It offers a significant increase in telephoto range, and also goes wider to bring real wide-angle capability to the superzoom category for the first time. It's also earned a 'Macro' designation with its close focusing ability. Is it truly a super zoom? Take a look at our analysis. Read more  Could the future of photo viewing be virtual reality? Flickr thinks so Published Monday, September 14, 2015 9:35:52 PM GMT This past weekend Flickr demonstrated an early preview of a 'virtual reality experience' designed for viewing 360-degree panoramic photos. The demonstration used the Oculus DK 2 headset connected to a computer, and allowed wearers to completely immerse themselves within the panorama. Read more Recipients of Getty Images Instagram Grant announced Published Monday, September 14, 2015 6:53:00 PM GMT Three winners were announced for the inaugural grant, meant to to reward photographers who use Instagram as a means to document stories from underrepresented communities around the world. Read more   SmugMug Films: Renee Robyn's digital domain Published Monday, September 14, 2015 5:30:00 PM GMT The latest of SmugMug's series of feature videos profiles photographer and digital artist Renee Robyn. While recovering from a serious motorcycle accident, she fell in love with an art form that was within her physical capabilities at the time - making digital composite images. Read more Road Trip: The wildlife and nature photography of Dave Welling Published Sunday, September 13, 2015 12:00:00 PM GMT Based out of southern California, nature photographer Dave Welling has been volunteer and Director to the Wildlife Waystation hospice center since 1987. This has given him an intimate understanding of wildlife, and he often spends weeks at a time photographing the colorful landscapes and rare specimens that populate his portfolio. Take a look at his work and find out more about him. Read more Behind the Shot: Crystalline Published Saturday, September 12, 2015 12:00:00 PM GMT Nature photographer Erez Marom explains the process of creating his image 'Crystalline'. Originally shot in January 2014, the addition of new Photoshop processing tools lead him to revisit it and process it in a different way. Find out what he did and see the results. Read more F0.95 Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm compact lens announced for Micro Four Thirds system Published Saturday, September 12, 2015 12:27:17 AM GMT Chinese optics company Shenyang Zhongyi Optical and Electronic has announced that it is adding a super-fast standard lens to its range designed for the Micro Four Thirds system. The new 25mm lens features a maximum aperture of F0.95 but has a very small and lightweight body. Read more Sony Alpha 7S II records 4K internally, shoots up to ISO 409,600 Published Friday, September 11, 2015 3:47:00 PM GMT Sony has introduced the Alpha 7S II, a second iteration of its video-centric Alpha 7S. The a7S II adds a wealth of videography features, including the ability to record 4K footage internally with full pixel read-out. Read more Meet Milvus: Hands-on with Zeiss's Milvus lenses Published Friday, September 11, 2015 2:00:00 PM GMT What's the plural of Milvus? Milvi? We're not sure, but one thing we do know: Zeiss's new lens family has arrived in a big way. The German manufacturer announced six new manual focus lenses this week bearing the Milvus name. Take a look these mighty new lenses. Read more PIX 2015 re:FRAME single day passes on sale, speaker schedule posted Published Friday, September 11, 2015 12:00:00 PM GMT The days are ticking down to PIX 2015, our interactive photo expo on October 6 & 7. We're excited to announce some new speakers have been added to our re:FRAME lineup and that single day passes are now on sale. Now's the time to make your PIX plans! Join us online or in Seattle for two days of hands-on photography activities, inspirational talks and practical demonstrations. Read more To the skies! DJI launches Zenmuse X5 and X5R 4K Micro Four Thirds aerial cameras Published Friday, September 11, 2015 1:10:24 AM GMT Drone maker DJI has announced a pair of Micro Four Thirds aerial cameras including a model that can shoot lossless 4K Raw footage. The Zenmuse X5 and X5R are built around 16MP Four Thirds sensors, are compatible with a handful of small Micro Four Thirds lenses and can be flown on the company's Inspire 1 drones. Read more Zeiss introduces high-resolution Milvus SLR lens family with six focal lengths for Canon and Nikon cameras Published Thursday, September 10, 2015 8:15:00 PM GMT German optics manufacturer Zeiss has announced it has created a new range of lenses specifically for high-resolution DSLRs. The Zeiss Milvus family will comprise six lenses fitted for Canon EF and Nikon F cameras. Read more Camera Restricta concept blocks photos of over-photographed subjects Published Thursday, September 10, 2015 7:32:35 PM GMT Photographer and designer Philipp Schmitt has created a concept camera called 'Camera Restricta' with a unique feature: it won't allow the user to take a picture in an area where too many other photos have been taken. Read more Canon EOS M3 real-world samples Published Thursday, September 10, 2015 7:10:00 PM GMT The Canon EOS M3 has been available in European and Asian markets for some time, but it's making its debut on US store shelves next month. The M3 is Canon's most serious mirrorless camera yet, offering a 24.2MP APS-C sensor, twin control dials, 3" tilting LCD and built-in Wi-Fi with NFC. Welcoming it to our shores, we took the M3 out during some of our last long days of summer. Read more Think Tank unveils Retrospective Leather and Mirrorless Mover 25i bags Published Thursday, September 10, 2015 10:00:00 AM GMT Think Tank has expanded its Retrospective photography bag lineup with leather versions of its bags - the Retrospective Leather 5, Leather 7, and Leather 30. The company describes these as 'upscale, rugged shoulder bags' with a new Dual Cross buckle on the front flap, Sound Silencers that eliminate front flap noise, YKK zippers, removable padded dividers, and a removable carrying handle. Read more G-Technology updates Evolution range with adapters, readers and portable storage Published Thursday, September 10, 2015 4:00:00 AM GMT Data storage manufacturer G-Technology has revamped products within its Evolution series and has added adapters to make its family of docks and drives more flexible. Read more iPhone 6s and 6s Plus come with 12MP camera and 4K video Published Wednesday, September 9, 2015 9:08:10 PM GMT Along with the iPad Pro Apple has announced today the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with a number of improvements under the hood including in the camera department. Sensor resolution has been upped to 12MP and the number of phase detection sensors on the chip has been increased by 50% as well. The camera is also now capable of recording 4K video. Read more Apple touts photo-editing capabilities of 12.9-inch iPad Pro Published Wednesday, September 9, 2015 8:25:34 PM GMT Apple has launched the long-rumored iPad Pro today. With its 12.9-inch Retina screen offering 2732 x 2048 resolution the new model is the largest in the iPad line-up. In its presentation, Apple showcased a range of new software applications that take advantage of the iPad Pro's features including Photoshop Fix, which lets you edit images of up to 50MP size using the new Apple Pencil. Read more Canon EOS 7D Mark II firmware improves AF with EF 16-35mm F2.8L and EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 lenses Published Wednesday, September 9, 2015 7:40:34 PM GMT Canon has released firmware version 1.0.5 for the EOS 7D Mark II. This update fixes a couple of bugs and claims to improve AF accuracy when the camera is used with the EF 16-35MM F2.8L USM or EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM lens. Read more Nikon D7200 Field Test: Desert dance photo shoot Published Wednesday, September 9, 2015 6:51:58 PM GMT Nikon's flagship APS-C DSLR is a real workhorse. Offering a 24.2MP CMOS sensor, the D7200 provides a 51-point AF system sensitive to -3EV, an increased buffer depth with 6 fps continuous shooting and 1080 HD video at 60p. We tagged along with pro photographer Gabe Bienczycki on a desert photo shoot to push the D7200 to its limits. Read more Canon plans high-res future with 120MP DSLR and 8K Cinema EOS in development Published Wednesday, September 9, 2015 5:31:49 PM GMT Canon is clearly in a forward-looking frame of mind: announcing more development projects that it has under way. These include a 120MP DSLR and a Cinema EOS camera that can shoot 8K video. Although it adds caveats that specifications can change, the press release suggest both projects are planned for commercial, rather than research purposes. Read more

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