Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Friday, 24 May 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Friday, 24 May 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello from sunny Seattle! And welcome to the 459th Digital Photography Review newsletter. It's been a while, so there's lots to catch up on. The spring is always a busy time for us, as we finish off the remaining major reviews of products announced last autumn and earlier in the year, and look forward to the next crop of new releases. Hopefully you're a regular visitor to the site, but just in case you missed anything, here are some highlights from our recently-published content. Nikon D7100 and D5200 reviews Nikon has been busy in recent months, unveiling the midrange D5200 late last year and the semi-pro D7100 earlier this spring. Both boast 24MP CMOS sensors and impressive video specifications, but the D7100 is a slightly more serious upgrade from its predecessor the D7000 than the D5200 is over the D5100. The D7100 features a 51-point AF system adapted from Nikon's flagship FX-format DSLRs, and its sensor lacks an AA filter, which results in slightly better detail resolution than the more conventional D5200 can manage. If you're on a budget though, and you don't need the fancy AF system or tougher construction, the D5200 is a pretty impressive camera for the money, and gives up very little ground to its bigger brother in terms of image quality. We've reviewed both DSLRs in the past few weeks. Click here to read our review of the Nikon D5200 and here for our review of the D7100. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 review Panasonic's most serious G-series camera yet, the GH3 packs some impressive specifications and it's a lot of fun to use, too. Although the GH-series has traditionally been geared towards videographers, stills photographers will find much to like including a 16MP sensor inherited from the GH2, capable of shooting at a maximum ISO of 25,600, a 1.7 million-dot equivalent OLED rear screen and 6fps continuous shooting. And of course, there's full HD 60p/50p video mode with a maximum bitrate of 72Mbps for those of you that prefer your pictures to move. Click here to read our full review. Tamron SP 24-70mm F2.8 Di VC USD review As well as cameras, we also review lenses, and the Tamron SP 24-70mm F2.8 Di VC USD (take a breath) is among the best zooms we've covered for a while. With this lens Tamron has created what we've been told by some manufacturers is impossible - a high-quality, fast constant-aperture, optically stabilized standard zoom which doesn't cost a fortune. We work closely with DxO Labs and their test results - as well as our own experience - show that this lens is in almost all respects at least a match for its more expensive, non-stabilized Canon and Nikon peers. In the words of our expert lens reviewer Andy Westlake (a man known for being careful with his praise) it's 'very good indeed'. Click here to read our in-depth review. Olympus PEN E-P5 Preview Although it was widely leaked, the E-P5 was still mighty impressive when it was finally (officially) announced. Arguably the best-looking PEN yet, the E-P5 has plenty of substance behind all that style, including the same 16MP sensor that we've come to like so much in the OM-D EM-5, a large 3.2in, 1.04 million-dot tiltable rear LCD and built-in Wi-Fi for remote shooting and image transfer to smartphones and tablets. We got hold of one a little ahead of time and prepared a detailed 8-page preview. Click here to read our first impressions. What's coming up? I'm glad you asked. We've got lots of things in the pipeline for the next few weeks, including reviews of the new Canon Rebel T5i/EOS 700D (we're playing 'spot the difference' with that one) and the ultra-slim Rebel SL1/EOS 100D. We're also finishing up a review of Pentax's flagship DSLR the K-5II (and we'll be looking at the K-5II S as well, which lacks an AA filter) and in the next couple of days we'll be posting a 2-way test of the Canon PowerShot G15 and Nikon Coolpix P7700 to find out which of these two high-end compact cameras offers you the best value. We're also getting started on a roundup of this year's crop of waterproof tough cameras, which should be fun. The office is already flooded, there's sand in my keyboard and the lifeguard we hired will NOT stop screaming. Anyone want to chip in to send us to Hawaii? Donations gratefully received. For those of you in the USA and UK, we hope you enjoy your long weekend (take lots of pictures). Until next week, thanks for reading! Barney WTD #1390 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory
News updates In-depth look at Google+ Photo Update with the Team that Designed it Published on Friday, May 17, 2013 9:20:18 PM GMT At its I/O developers conference a couple of days ago Google introduced various updates to its Google+ social networking platform, many of which will be of interest to photographers. As well as changes to layout, images can be 'auto-enhanced', made into panoramas and animations, and the system can also select the best facial expressions in group shots. Click through for more details on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → 10 Photo Editing Programs (that aren't Photoshop) Published on Friday, May 17, 2013 9:30:16 PM GMT Adobe Photoshop has become ubiquitous since its introduction more than 20 years ago, but it isn't the only game in town. In this article, we've selected 10 photo editing programs that aren't all as well-known as Photoshop, but which are well worth investigating if you're looking for other options. Click through for a link to the full article.  Read full story → Introducing... What The Duck on dpreview.com Published on Friday, May 17, 2013 11:29:27 PM GMT We've been fans of Aaron Johnson's comic strip 'What the Duck' for years. 'WTD' is one of the best satirical comic strips in the world, and we're pleased to announce that we'll be publishing it weekly on dpreview.com, starting today. Click through for the first in what we hope will be a long series! Read full story → Just posted: Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD lens review Published on Monday, May 20, 2013 4:23:01 PM GMT Just posted: Our review of the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD. In our latest lens review produced in collaboration with DxOMark, we look at Tamron's fast standard zoom for full frame cameras - the first in its class to include optical stabilisation. With its Ultrasonic Drive focus motor and drip-proof construction, it looks like a very tempting option for full frame shooters, especially as it costs rather less than its counterparts from Canon, Nikon or Sony. But is this all too good to be true? Click through to read our review and find out. Read full story → DxOMark investigates lenses for the Nikon D600 Published on Monday, May 20, 2013 5:40:46 PM GMT Our friends and collaborators over at DxOMark have recently been looking into how lenses score on specific cameras, and the latest model they've examined is the Nikon D600. In a three-part article published at the end of last week, they investigate how 70 lenses from Carl Zeiss, Nikon, Samyang, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina measure up on the D600's 24MP sensor.  The article also compares how given lenses score on the D600 compared to the 36MP D800 and 24MP D3X. Click through for links to the three parts of the article.     Read full story → Book Review: Shooting in Sh*tty Light Published on Monday, May 20, 2013 8:46:58 PM GMT Lindsay Adler and Erik Valind, both working professionals and educators, have written a beginner’s guide to photographic lighting with an unusual conceit at its core. By structuring a book around a list of common challenges - what they call the 'top ten worst situations' - they've created a digestible, useful 'lighting 101' guide. In this short review, Adam Koplan takes a look at their book 'Shooting in Sh**ty Light: The Top Ten Worst Photography Lighting Situations and How to Conquer Them'. Read full story → Google releases more photocentric Google+ app for Android Published on Monday, May 20, 2013 9:16:07 PM GMT At last week's I/O developer conference Google announced a number of upgrades to the photo section of its Google+ social network, including features such as 'Auto-Highlight', 'Auto-Enhance' and 'Auto'-Awesome'. To make the same experience available on its mobile platform the search giant has released an upgraded Google+ app for Android. Click through to Connect to find out more. Read full story → New York Times details photo editing policy for fashion magazine Published on Monday, May 20, 2013 10:40:09 PM GMT A cover image in the latest issue of the New York Times' monthly style magazine, T, has led to an interesting discussion about the newspaper's policy on photo retouching. While editors forbid any image manipulation beyond, 'minor color-toning and brightness' in news stories, retouches and removal of blemishes are allowed in the style magazine's fashion photography. Does a newspaper risk credibility by allowing retouching on editorially-branded content? Click to read more and share your thoughts. Read full story → All-new Flickr comes with free terabyte - and ads Published on Monday, May 20, 2013 11:21:14 PM GMT Flickr fans may find the lure of a free terabyte attractive, but they might be put off by the accompanying advertisements that support Flickr's new free account model. A major update to the photo sharing service has completely revamped the look of accounts and restructured the way users may pay for Flickr in the future. We take a look at the changes on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → When disaster strikes, photo editors can help save memories Published on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 7:35:00 PM GMT When homes are damaged, often the most important items cannot be replaced. For victims of fire, floods and other natural disasters, family photos are among the worst things to lose. Operation Photo Rescue brings together victims with professional photo editors to turn damaged images back into clear memories. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Just Posted: Olympus E-PM2 Review Published on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:29:14 PM GMT We've just posted our review of the The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2. The E-PM2 is an entry-level Micro Four Thirds system camera, with a 16MP CMOS sensor and full 1080 HD video. It's one of the smallest mirrorless cameras on the market and boasts 8 frames per second continuous shooting. This second generation 'Mini' is effectively the image quality 'guts' of the OM-D in a compact, lightweight, novice-friendly form. Click through to find out what we think of it. Read full story → GIF creator receives honor, still chafes at mispronunciation Published on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 5:56:52 PM GMT If you've ever wondered who to thank (or blame) for those 8-bit animated graphics that remain prelevant even on today's high-bandwidth Internet, Steve Wilhite is your man. He was honored for that achievement at this year's Webby Awards and took the opportunity to once again remind us how 'GIF' should be pronounced. (via New York Times) Read full story → Gifty concept camera produces instant flipbooks Published on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 6:41:47 PM GMT Animated flipbooks have been around for nearly 145 years. With just a little thumb action, these books allowed you to view a few seconds worth of animation. Now, a new concept camera known as the Gifty allows you to record video and print a flipbook instantly. The only problem: you can't buy one yet.  Read full story → Flickr: Yahoo CEO sorry for 'no such thing as pro photographers' comment, Pro accounts live on Published on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 7:46:39 PM GMT Much of the fallout surrounding Flickr's massive updates this Monday continues to center around the legacy 'Pro' accounts and a contentious statement from Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer: 'There’s no such thing as Flickr Pro today because [...] there’s really no such thing as professional photographers anymore.' She apologized today for her 'misstatement', and it appears that existing Flickr Pro account holders will still be able to take advantage of unlimited storage. Read all about it at connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Studio scene comparison pages added to Pentax MX-1 preview Published on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 10:14:20 PM GMT We've just added three studio comparison pages to our previously-published preview of the Pentax MX-1. The MX-1 is Pentax's flagship compact camera, and something of a departure for the manufacturer, offering a fast F1.8-2.5 zoom lens, full manual control and a high-class, metal body, to compete with more established peers like Panasonic's LX7. Click through to go to the new pages in our preview, and see for yourself how the MX-1 compares to its rivals.   Read full story → DxOMark Mobile Report: Samsung Galaxy S4 Published on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 10:19:17 PM GMT We just published the DxOMark Mobile Report for Samsung's new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 on connect.dpreview.com. DxO's imaging experts have analyzed 14 aspects of mobile imaging including detailed image quality assessment, flash performance, autofocus reliability and more to calculate a final score. This report will be integrated into our full review once it is finished but for now click through to find out how the Samsung Galaxy S4's camera performed in the DxOMark lab tests. Read full story → Fujifilm updates X-Pro1 and X-E1 to improve AF with 55-200mm lens Published on Thursday, May 23, 2013 5:00:00 AM GMT Fujifilm has updated the firmware for its X-Pro1 and X-E1 mirrorless cameras, to improve the autofocus speed with the recently-launched XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom lens. Versions 1.05 for the X-E1 and 2.04 for the X-Pro1 are available to download from the Fujifilm website. Click through for the links. Read full story → Leica teases 'Mini M' for 11th June release Published on Thursday, May 23, 2013 4:32:57 PM GMT Leica has placed a teaser on its Facebook page for a new 'Mini M' camera to be launched on June 11th, that apparently will slot into its range between the M rangefinder and the X2 fixed-lens compact. It's given no other details, but we think it could make sense for the company to produce a full-time live view version of the M Typ 240, using the same sensor but with the expensive rangefinder assembly removed. This would result in a 24MP full frame mirrorless camera that would be able to use almost any manual focus SLR or rangefinder lens ever made, without a field-of-view crop.  Read full story → Photographer captures concert with DSLR-mounted GoPro Published on Thursday, May 23, 2013 6:20:14 PM GMT If you've never had the chance to stand in the front row and shoot a live concert, Montreal-based photographer Pierre Bourgault has the next best thing. He attached a GoPro camera to the top of his Canon DSLR and recorded a seven-minute video of his shooting experience at a Dead to Me concert. He then overlaid the actual photos taken at the show, which you can view after the break. Read full story → Canon still pursuing Foveon-style multi-layer sensor design Published on Thursday, May 23, 2013 6:32:03 PM GMT Canon has patented a color-sensitive multi-layered sensor design, showing the company is still pursuing the technology. Like Sigma's Foveon chips, the multi-layered design allows each of the sensor's pixels to capture color information without the need for colored filters. The patent, discovered by the Japanese Engineering Accomplishment blog, suggests a system to promote resonance within the sensor, in an attempt to make the lower layers of the sensor more sensitive. (from Egami blog) Read full story →
How to unsubscribe To unsubscribe from the Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) weekly newsletter, visit the newsletter homepage (http://www.dpreview.com/news/newsletter/), enter your email address into the Your email address box, then click on Unsubscribe.