We've been able to get our hands on the highly anticipated full-frame Sony Alpha 7R again, and have posted a gallery of real-world samples using a final production camera. We've put together a preliminary gallery using the Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA and FE 55mm F1.8 ZA primes. Follow the link for some shots taken in the Volunteer State: Tennessee.
Up until recently, the only 'real' premium superzoom camera was the Panasonic DMC-FZ200. Two weeks ago Sony made a big splash with their pricey Cyber-shot RX10, which features a 1"-type sensor. The Olympus Stylus 1 slots in nicely somewhere between the two, offering a 1/1.7"-type sensor and constant F2.8, 28-300mm equivalent lens in an OM-D-style body. If that sounds appealing, then follow the link to read our First Impressions Review of the Stylus 1.
The Stylus 1 is Olympus's latest high-end compact camera. With 'mini-DSLR' styling and a constant-aperture F2.8 28-300mm (equivalent) zoom lens, the 12MP Stylus 1 has a lot to offer the amateur and enthusiast photographer. While our Seattle and London teams were busy preparing a detailed preview, editor Barnaby Britton got his hands on the new model at last week's Photo Plus Expo show in New York. Click through for a gallery of hands-on pictures and his initial impressions.
Google is reaching out to photographers once again by announcing a bevy of forthcoming features on its social networking site Google+ that will be a boon to photographers: full-resolution photo backups for iOS users, improved search through advanced photo recognition software, and better image editing tools. See what else is new on connect.dpreview.com.
Olympus has thrown its hat into the premium superzoom ring with the Stylus 1. It combines a larger-than-average 1/1.7"-type BSI-CMOS sensor with a 28-300mm equivalent, F2.8 zoom lens, high resolution EVF, 'hybrid' control ring, and Wi-Fi - and packs it all into a compact body that strongly resembles the OM-D EM-5. Other notable features include a built-in ND filter, tilting touchscreen LCD, in-camera Raw processing, and 1080p movie recording.
With a rugged, weather-sealed body, hybrid AF system, 5-axis image stabilization, Wi-Fi, and seemingly endless customizable controls, the Olympus E-M1 is arguably the most enthusiast-friendly Micro Four Thirds camera on the market. We've put Olympus' latest OM-D through our usual battery of tests - follow the link to see if the 'Pro' Micro Four Thirds camera has finally arrived.
Darren Pearson is a 'light painter', who creates photographs and videos featuring elements that are 'painted' with light during long exposures. Most photographers have probably tried painting with light at least once, but Pearson takes it to a new level in his video 'Light Goes On', which features a skeleton (one of his common characters) drawn with light, skateboarding through various locations. Click through to watch the appropriately halloween-themed video.
Photography education resource creativeLIVE has announced a sale on all of its online photography workshops from now until the end of this month, plus a free three-day 'Autumn Photo Critique' evaluating submissions in three categories: wedding and family, commercial and fine art and portraiture. Click through for more details of the promotion.
Nokia's 'Pureview' technology is still making headlines along with the announcement of the manufacturer's first 'phablet', the Lumia 1520. We felt the timing was perfect for taking a closer look at Pureview by testing the original Nokia 808 in our newly revamped studio test scene, and putting it up against this year's version of the tech found in the 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020. See how the two compare on connect.dpreview.com.
Dutch photographer and urban exploration specialist Niki Feijen goes behind "do not enter" signs on dilapidated houses to document furniture, clothes, and other ornaments left behind by their former owners. His eerie HDR images reveal remnants of life in rooms across western Europe that are now left to decay. Frozen in time, it's hard not to imagine the people that once occupied the spaces. See gallery
Of all the major camera manufacturers, Sony has the most new products on show at the Photo Plus Expo in New York, after the flurry of new Alpha and RX-series cameras released in the past couple of months. We had a fascinating (and fun) interview this morning with Kimio Maki, the brains behind the A7 and RX lines which we'll be writing up soon, but in the meantime, click through for a quick tour of the new cameras.
We're still working on our review of the Nikon D610, but recently shot some real-world samples to see if the most recent update still retains the same top-notch photo quality found in last year's D600. Click through for a link to our real-world gallery taken in a range of different environments and our test scene images.
The rumors of Nikon creating a stripped-down, film-era-style camera are exciting because it's something people have been calling for, for years. Nikon Rumors has been reporting possible specifications all week. Adding fuel to the flame, Nikon recently released a short teaser video and ad campaign for a "pure photography" camera. Watch the video
We're at Photo Plus Expo in New York, having meetings and learning about all the new products that have recently been announced (and some which are still under wraps). Panasonic's new GM1 is one of the hottest new cameras at this year's show, inheriting a lot of technology from the GX7, and yesterday afternoon we stopped by the stand to get our hands on the gear. Click through for a quick tour of three of Panasonic's latest cameras.
Buried among all of the cameras announced last week was a new 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM lens from Sigma. The company has announced pricing and availability for this full-frame 'Art lens', which will be available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, and Sony mounts (in that order). You'll be able to pick one up for yourself starting next month at a retail price of $899. In the UK, the recommended retail price will be £849.99.
One of the busiest stands at this year's Photo Plus Expo belongs to Fujifilm, which is showing off its new XQ1 and X-E2 cameras, as well as this year's other key products, the X20 and X100S. We're running around the show having meetings and trying out all the latest gear, and we made sure to stop by and say hi to Fujifilm. Click through for a quick hands-on look at the latest products.
We're at the Photo Plus Expo in New York, and this morning we got an opportunity to look at Manfrotto's new 190-series tripods. The 190 series has been among Manfrotto's most popular products for a long time, and the recently announced updates take up less space when folded, and add some interesting and well-thought-out improvements to the design. Click through for a quick hands-on with the new Manfrotto 190-series.
Dubble, a new community-based photography app takes the concept of double exposures — either a trick or a mistake in which photographers expose a roll of film twice, thereby layering two images in a single frame — and applies it to your smartphone, with a crowdsourcing twist. We take a closer look at Dubble on connect.dpreview.com.
Just in time for the holiday season, Leica has announced a 'Silver Edition' of its D-Lux 6 premium compact camera, with a high-gloss black body and silver lens barrel. The camera also gets a new accessory: the Leica Soft Pouch in lambskin nappa leather, which the company says features a 'fascinating wrap-around design'. The camera is otherwise the same as the standard D-Lux 6 (and by extension, very similar to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7).
Voigtlander has announced the VM-E Close Focus adapter, which will allow the use of M-mount lenses on Sony E-mount cameras such as the recently-announced full frame A7 and A7R. Unlike most similar adapters, though, Voigtlander's latest includes a focusing helicoid for close-up work, with 4mm travel. This overcomes a limitation of many rangefinder lenses, which tend to have longer minimum focus distances than similar SLR lenses. It's set to be available in December for €289.
While not the major update that many users had been hoping for, Apple did sneak in an update to its Aperture software amongst yesterday's iPad madness. New features include iCloud Photo Sharing, integration with SmugMug, and support for iOS 7 camera filters. In addition, Aperture 3.5 now uses Apple Maps for its 'Places' feature (we're not sure if that's a good thing), and numerous bugs were squashed. Follow the link for the full change log.
DxO Labs has released Optics Pro 9.0, a major update to its RAW conversion and image correction software. It offers improved highlight recovery, adds creative visual presets known as 'Atmospheres', and includes all-new 'PRIME' noise reduction technology that claims to offer significant image quality gains at high ISOs. The software is available to download now, with a special introductory price to November 20th. Click through for full details.
Olympus UK has teamed up with exhibtr.com to launch a competition for student photographers, and in the process teased an upcoming 'premium compact' as one of the prizes. The Student Photography Competition 2013/14 has a theme of 'People & Portraits', and the overall winner will receive an OM-D E-M5 12-50mm lens kit, while two runners-up will receive the soon-to-be-announced camera. UK-based photographers will be able to get an 'exclusive preview' of the new model at London's Covent Garden from November 2nd to 9th. Click through for more details.
DxOMark has recently tested the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, which in some markets will be sold as a 'kit' zoom with the latest D5300 SLR. As part of our ongoing collaboration, we've added the test data to our lens widget, so you can compare it with Nikon's other current DX standard zooms. We've included test data on both the D7000 and D7100 - the latter should be a good indicator of its performance on the D5300. Click through for the data and analysis.
In the latest "Behind the Shot" article, landscape photographer Erez Marom walks through how he got this Aurora Borealis image in the Mývatn district of northern Iceland. Marom talks about his equipment choice and exposure settings. He also gives a step-by-step look at his post-processing technique. Click through for the full article.
At its hotly anticipated press event today in San Francisco, Apple announced two new iPads. The iPad Air is Apple's thinnest yet, while the iPad mini with Retina display offers faster computing and a better display in Apple's tiny tablet. See what else Apple had to share today on connect.dpreview.com.
In addition to announcing a trio of new mobile devices today, Nokia is also making headlines by offering Raw photo support for one of those Lumia models, the new 1520 'phablet.' The oversized smartphone will have the option to save uncompressed Digital Negative (DNG) files. The feature will also come to the 41MP Lumia 1020 early next year. Learn more about the new devices and new Raw support on connect.dpreview.com.
Canon has announced upcoming firmware updates for its top-of-the-range SLRs, the EOS-1D X and video-optimised EOS-1D C. Version 2 for the EOS-1D X adds a range of additional autofocus settings, along with substantially improved Auto ISO options. It'll be available to download in January 2014. Meanwhile the EOS-1D C gains improved audio recording, and support for aberration corrections with cinema EOS lenses. The update will be available from November, and requires the camera to be sent to an authorized Canon Factory Service Center.
Ricoh has announced a 'Limited Edition' GR camera, which features a 'high-end' design plus bonus accessories. The Limited Edition GR's magnesium-alloy body comes in a 'metallic vintage green wave-tone finish' and features a 'marbleized ebony grip patterned in burl wood'. To sweeten the deal, Ricoh is including a lens hood as well as a leather case and strap, all of which complement the camera's color scheme. Click through for a closer look.
Last week was incredibly busy here at dpreview, with major new cameras from Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm and Panasonic as well as new lenses from Samyang, Sony and Sigma. It was a week of late nights and early mornings, and now that the dust has settled and we've had some time to breathe, we've prepared a quick look back to last week for some highlights of what what you might have missed. Click through for a recap.
Triggertrap, maker of several camera triggering tools, is seeking support via Kickstarter for another product aimed at trigger-happy photographers. Redsnap is a modular triggering system that starts with the Redsnap base block to which you can add sensor blocks, each designed for a different kind of photography. Four sensor blocks are currently in the works, including a high-speed laser sensor, high-speed sound sensor, high-speed light sensor and a Passive Infrared Sensor. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com.
Forget the Zeiss Otus 55mm F1.4, Sony Alpha 7R and RX10, Nikon 58mm F1.4 or the tiny Panasonic GM1 - last week's real news was Lomography's introduction of an 'Experimental Lens Kit' for Micro Four Thirds. Comprising a 24mm F8 standard lens, a 12mm F8 wideangle and a 160° F8 fisheye, the kit costs £79 / €89. Each of the lenses even has a built-in shutter with speeds of 1/100sec and Bulb, allowing in-camera multiple exposures, plus a T mode to hold the shutter open for normal live view. In addition all three have a slot for colour gel filters. Click through for full details.
Can cheap filters damage your expensive lenses? LensRentals' Roger Cicala decided to look into the possibility, after seeing a number of lenses returned with odd circular scratches on the front element. His investigations provide a cautionary tale against skimping on buying a new protective filter after buying an expensive lens. Click through for a link to his full article.
Nearly everyone has seen photographer Steve McCurry’s striking 1985 National Geographic cover portrait of Afghan refugee Sharbat Gula, but it was nearly left on the cutting room floor. He revels the story behind the picture in his new book, "Untold: The Stories Behind the Photographs." McCurry only took a handful of frames before the young girl got up. Editors at National Geographic came close to picking a different image for their cover, but made a change at the last minute.
Gypsies are not just a thing of the past. Photographer Iain McKell followed a group of modern-day travelers in the English countryside for more than 10 years. His images are an intimate and insightful look at people who seek simplicity in living in horse-drawn caravans, yet still use modern technology such as Facebook. His photographs make real and raw the often-romanticized lifestyle of these modern nomads. Click through for a look at his images.
What is 'hipster photography'? Photographer Marco Bohr has written a blog post in which he attempts to define 'a new genre of photography which is apparently produced, promoted and disseminated by trend conscious people who are in contemporary visual culture referred to as hipsters'. In his post, Bohr argues there is a distinction between a photograph of hipsters and a photograph by hipsters. He aims to deconstruct these images, and see beyond the thick black-framed glasses, quirky haircuts, and geeky watches. Click through for more details.
The X-E2 represents the start of Fujifilm's refresh of its X-series mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. It features a 16MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor that gains on-sensor phase detection over the one used in previous models. This and a 1.04m dot LCD are the major hardware changes - the X-E2 is mainly about handling and operations tweaks. We've got to grips with the camera's handling to see how it's changed, compared to the X-E1. Click through to find out more.
The Fujifilm XQ1 - the follow up to the stylish XF1 - is the company's latest attempt to make a splash in the high-end compact camera segment. The big change on the XQ1 is its use of the X-Trans II sensor with on-chip phase detection, which promises higher photo quality and snappy focusing. If that sounds intriguing, then read our initial thoughts in our first impressions review of the Fuji XQ1.
Following recent updates to the X-Pro1 and X-E1, Fujifilm has released a major upgrade to the X100, the original (now-discontinued) X-series model, which was announced back in 2010. Since its release, the X100 has benefitted from a series of major firmware improvements, and the latest - likely to be the last - offers faster startup time, and improvements to automatic and manual focus. Firmware v2.0 is available for download today. Click through for our opinion on this announcement, and the official press release.
Fujifilm has announced the X-E2 - its latest mid-range mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The X-E2 gains many of the upgrades seen in the X100S, including on-sensor-phase-detection that underpins the company's unique digital-split-image focus aid. Beyond this the 16MP X-Trans camera has received a series of hardware adjustments and revisions in response to feedback about the X-E1.
Fujifilm's new XQ1 enthusiast compact takes the fast lens and slim design from last year's XF1 and adds a 12 megapixel 2/3" X-Trans II CMOS sensor with hybrid AF. The XQ1 features a 25-100mm (equiv.) F1.8-4.9 lens with optical image stabilization and claimed focus times as fast as 0.06 seconds. Other features include a 3-inch LCD, lens control ring, focus peaking, Raw support, 1080/60p video, and Wi-Fi. You'll be able to pick one up for yourself this month for under $500.
Panasonic quietly announced the development of a Leica DG SUMMILUX 15mm (30mm equiv.) F1.7 lens, which the company says will be an ideal companion to the DMC-GM1 also released today. Details are scarce at this point, but the lens will have a manual aperture ring and will ship sometime next year. Also coming in 2014 are a Leica DG NOCTICRON 42.5mm F1.2 lens, as well as a budget-friendly Lumix G 35-100mm.
Various rumor sites are today reporting Hasselblad is poised to release a $10,000 camera called the 'Hasselblad Solar,' a rebadge of the Sony A7 that was announced just yesterday. Some even report it as if it's a real product. Even just a cursory glance at the image suggests it's a quick Photoshop job to add a wood grip and lighten the tint of the body. The serial number on the lens suspiciously matches the product shots Sony released yesterday as well. What do you think?
One of the remaining arms of the Kodak legacy, Kodak Alaris, is working to remain relevant by focusing its efforts on moving photos from smartphone to print, via one of its 105,000 photo printing kiosks worldwide. The company recently released its API to lure developers into adding Kodak kiosk printing capabilities directly into their mobile photography apps. Learn more at connect.dpreview.com.
It's not every day when you see a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that can fit in the palm of your hand. That's why we jumped at the chance to take a look at Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-GM1, which offers many of the features of its larger siblings, in a much smaller package. Read our first impressions review after the link.
Nikon's latest consumer DSLR, the D5300, evolves the design of its predecessor but raises the feature bar, bringing it closer to the D7100. In fact, it's likely that the 24MP D5300 even uses the sensor of its big brother since it also lacks an AA filter. The D5300's larger LCD and viewfinder serve to further close the gap, while built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, and 1080/60p video recording go beyond what the D7100 offers. We've had some time with a pre-production D5300, and you can click through to read our first impressions review.
One of the original promises of the Micro Four Thirds system was to permit the design of small mirrorless cameras. Today Panasonic released its Lumix DMC-GM1, a tiny camera which can literally fit in the palm of your hand. Don't be fooled, though: it shares the same 16 megapixel sensor as the GX7 and also offers silent shooting at shutter speeds as high as 1/16000 sec, Wi-Fi, and 1080/60i video recording. It's bundled with a new 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 lens (also available separately) that rivals a pancake lens for compactness when 'collapsed'.
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