Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Tuesday, 9 July 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Tuesday, 9 July 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 465th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Hello again! Last week was a short week for (most of) us because of the July 4th holiday here in the USA. Obviously, for the British transplants among us it was a day of mourning for lost empire, but there were barbecues and the weather was nice, so we can't complain too much. Despite the holiday, we still published a lot of content last week - here are some recent highlights. Nikon Coolpix AW100 Review In the third in our series of underwater/rugged camera reviews, we're looking at the Nikon Coolpix AW110. This camera is loaded with features, including a GPS system with maps and landmarks, plus Wi-Fi that gives the ability to control the camera from your smartphone. Click the link to read the review, and don't forget that we'll be publishing a roundup of everything we've reviewed in the near future. Click here to read our review of the Nikon Coolpix AW110 Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II real-world samples gallery The RX100 II does not replace the original RX100, but sits above it as Sony's new flagship zoom compact, offering a 20MP BSI-CMOS sensor (the largest of this type that we've ever seen) and a tiltable rear LCD, among other refinements. When we previewed the the new RX100 II a couple of weeks ago we only had a few hours to take a gallery of pictures, and the weather was predictably poor during our brief window of opportunity. We've spent the past few days taking a load more images with Sony's new flagship compact, and we've added 20 of them to our gallery, making 50 images in total for you to examine at your leisure. It's looking pretty good! Click here to view our updated gallery of real-world samples from the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II Click here to read our in-depth preview of the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II Pentax Q7 real-world samples gallery Taking pictures in the summertime is a positive pleasure, and as we progress through a full review of the new Pentax Q7 we wanted to share some of our samples with you. We've been putting the Pentax Q7 through its paces, both in the studio and out in the real-world, and hopefully this collection of images, taken in a range of different conditions, should give you an idea of how the tiny 12MP interchangeable lens camera performs. A more serious proposition than its predecessors, we can see the Q7 becoming a cult favorite. Look out for the full review soon. Click here for gallery of real-world samples from the Pentax Q7 Noise and Dynamic-range test pages added to Sony RX1R Preview We're working on Sony's flagship compact camera, the 24MP RX1R, and as part of our usual testing we've updated our preview with noise and noise-reduction analysis, and our standard page looking at dynamic range. This is in addition to our studio comparison scene pages, and a real-world samples gallery showing just what the RX1R - which lacks an AA filter - can do. Click here to check out our expanded preview of the Sony RX1R Lens reviews update: DxOMark data for Sony NEX primes DxOMark has been busy testing lenses for the Sony NEX system, and has just published an article detailing which lenses score best on the NEX-7. As part of our ongoing collaboration, we've added the test data for most of Sony's own E-mount primes to our lens widget, which you can use to assess their performance and compare them against each other. We'll be adding Sony's zoom lenses and third-party primes very soon, but for now you can explore the test data for the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* E 24mm F1.8 ZA, E 20mm F2.8, E 30mm F3.5 Macro, E 35mm F1.8 OSS and E 50mm F1.8 OSS. Click here to read more about the new DxO test data for Sony NEX Primes What's coming up? Coming up we've got more content on Canon's tiny EOS Rebel SL1/100D, a gallery of sample images from the very nice Olympus PEN E-P5, more studio work on the Pentax Q7 (and hopefully the Sony RX100 II as well), and the next in our series of reviews of this year's class of waterproof/rugged compact cameras. Should be fun. As always, thanks for reading! Barney WTD #1408 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory
News updates Amateur filmmaker builds 'bullet time' rig for less than $100 Published on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 2:05:14 AM GMT Ever wanted to add a little spice to your video creations, perhaps your next Matrix fan-fiction video, by adding a little slow-motion bullet-time effect? Jeremiah Warren did just that, employing a ceiling fan, a GoPro 3 video camera, and a handful of bits of wood, effectively side-stepping thousands of dollars worth of individual cameras and rigging, not to mention computer-controlled timing equipment. Click through for more details and to see the results. Read full story → Just posted: Our Canon EOS 70D hands-on preview Published on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 4:00:00 AM GMT Just posted: Our hands-on preview of Canon's latest mid-range SLR, the EOS 70D. From the outside it looks very similar to the EOS 60D, but on the inside it sports a brand-new 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF' sensor that promises much-improved focusing in live view and movie mode. It also borrows most of the best bits of Canon's existing SLRs, including the AF module from the EOS 7D, the articulated touchscreen from the EOS 700D, and built-in Wi-Fi from the EOS 6D. In our detailed preview we take a closer look, and try to get to grips with its innovative sensor technology. Click through to read all about it. Read full story → Canon announces EOS 70D mid-range SLR with 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF' Published on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 4:00:00 AM GMT Canon has announced the EOS 70D, a mid-range SLR for enthusiast photographers. Its headline feature is a brand-new 20.2MP 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF' sensor which splits every single pixel into two photodiodes for on-chip phase detection, promising vastly improved autofocus performance in live view and movie mode. It also gains the 19-point AF module from the EOS 7D for viewfinder shooting, touchscreen control via its fully articulated 3" LCD, and built-in Wi-Fi for image sharing and remote camera control from your smartphone or tablet. Click through for more details, including full specifications. Read full story → Pentax Ricoh changes name and reveals branding strategy Published on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 11:25:56 AM GMT Hot on the heels of Carl Zeiss's decision to become simply Zeiss, Pentax Ricoh has decided that from August 1st it will be known simply as Ricoh. It's not all bad news for Pentax fans though - the brand name will continue to be used on the company's SLRs and interchangeable lens cameras. Meanwhile the Ricoh name will be used for compact cameras and, cryptically, 'new technological innovations'. Read full story → 'Liking Isn't Helping' - ad campaign uses jarring press photos to spur action Published on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 12:48:36 AM GMT It's all very well 'liking' a charitable cause on Facebook, but what difference does it make? Crisis Relief Singapore is running an ad campaign called 'Liking Isn't Helping' which uses photos showing victims of war and natural disasters to encourage volunteerism - with an ironic twist. The images are composites of real press photos and Facebook-style thumbs ups, accompanied by the message that 'Liking isn't helping'. Click through for more details. Read full story → DxOMark looks into lenses for the Sony SLT-A99 Published on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT Our friends and collaborators over at DxOMark have been looking into how lenses score on specific cameras, and their latest round-up takes a look at Sony's 24MP full frame flagship, the SLT-A99. The article covers 22 lenses, including both current models from the likes of Sony, Sigma and Zeiss, and some older Konica Minolta optics. They've published a number of reviews of new Sony-mount lenses alongside, including the 300mm F2.8 G II SSM telephoto and the Tamron SP 24-70mm F2.8 Di USD, plus the ZEISS Touits for NEX cameras. Click through for the links.     Read full story → Just Posted: Pentax Q7 Real-world Samples Gallery Published on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 7:06:54 PM GMT Just posted: Our real-world samples gallery shot with the Pentax Q7. The latest in Pentax's series of tiny interchangeable lens cameras, the Q7 is the first to offer a larger 1/1.7 inch 12MP BSI CMOS sensor. We're working on a full review, and as part of the process we've been out and about taking plenty of sample pictures on the Q7 in a range of different situations, to see how it performs. Click through for a link to the our gallery. Read full story → Sigma blog posts tips for photographing 4th of July fireworks Published on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 7:31:03 PM GMT Sigma has posted an informative article on its blog by photographer Jack Howard, sharing tips on how to photograph fireworks. The article comes just in time for the 4th of July celebrations in the USA, but is equally relevant to various festivals, year-wide, all over the world. Tips include obvious pointers like making sure you have a good, sturdy tripod, but also more detailed advice about how to set up your camera's exposure and focus modes, as well as how to trigger exposures. Click through for a link to the article at blog.sigmaphoto.com. Read full story → Canon videos showcase 70D's innovative AF system Published on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 7:56:16 PM GMT Canon's new 70D features a ground-breaking 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF' sensor which splits every single pixel into two photodiodes for on-chip phase detection autofocus, promising greatly improved AF performance in live view and movie mode. Canon has created a sample video, called 'Handmade', shot with the 70D, which showcases the new AF technology, alongside another short video feature going behind the scenes. Click through to watch the videos.  Read full story → Pentax unveils blue and white K-01 in Japan Published on Thursday, July 4, 2013 9:46:06 AM GMT Pentax Japan has unveiled a new colour variation of its Marc Newson-designed K-01 mirrorless camera, with a white body shell, blue grip covering, and black accents. There are no spec changes or updates compared to the existing K-01, which was announced early in 2012 and available in black, silver, or yellow. So the camera sports a 16MP APS-C CMOS sensor, in-body image stabilisation, 3" 921k dot LCD, and the same K-mount as the company's SLRs. It comes with the ultra-slim smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 XS pancake lens, and will go on sale in late July. Read full story → Metabones introduces Nikon F Speed Booster for NEX and Micro Four Thirds Published on Thursday, July 4, 2013 10:53:54 AM GMT Metabones has introduced Nikon G-type versions of its Speed Booster lens adapter for Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX cameras, which include a control ring for aperture setting with lenses that don't have aperture rings of their own. The Speed Booster itself is a lens adapter that that reduces the focal length by a factor of 0.71x, and increases the maximum aperture by 1 stop, effectively allowing lenses to give very similar angle of view and depth of field control on APS-C mirrorless cameras as they do on full frame. The Nikon G-type adapters are available to buy now for $429 from Metabones' website.  Read full story → Pentax releases new firmware for Q and Q10 Published on Thursday, July 4, 2013 5:30:53 PM GMT Pentax has announced firmware updates to two of its tiny Q-series interchangeable lens cameras, the original Q and last year's Q10. Firmware version 1.13 for the Q and 1.02 for the Q10 add support for the PENTAX-07 Mount Shield Lens, and bring 'improved stability for general performance'. Click through for links to download the new firmware.  Read full story → Dynamic range and Noise pages added to Sony RX1R Preview Published on Thursday, July 4, 2013 8:00:25 PM GMT We're working on Sony's flagship compact camera, the 24MP RX1R, and as part of our usual testing we've updated our preview with noise and noise-reduction analysis, and our standard page looking at dynamic range. This is in addition to our studio comparison scene pages, and a real-world samples gallery showing just what the RX1R - which lacks an AA filter - can do. Click through for a link to our updated preview.  Read full story → Lens reviews update: DxOMark data for Sony NEX primes Published on Friday, July 5, 2013 11:04:56 AM GMT DxOMark has been busy testing lenses for the Sony NEX system, and has just published an article detailing which lenses score best on the NEX-7. As part of our ongoing collaboration, we've added the test data for most of Sony's own E-mount primes to our lens widget, which you can use to assess their performance and compare them against each other. We'll be adding Sony's zoom lenses and third-party primes very soon, but for now you can explore the test data for the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* E 24mm F1.8 ZA, E 20mm F2.8, E 30mm F3.5 Macro, E 35mm F1.8 OSS and E 50mm F1.8 OSS. Click through for the links.  Read full story → Just posted: Nikon Coolpix AW110 Review Published on Friday, July 5, 2013 7:31:29 PM GMT We've completed the third in our series of underwater/rugged camera reviews, this time covering the Nikon Coolpix AW110. This camera is loaded with features, including a GPS system with maps and landmarks, plus Wi-Fi that gives the ability to control the camera from your smartphone. Click the link to read the review, and don't forget that we'll be comparing all six cameras in a few weeks. Read full story → What The Duck #1408 Published on Friday, July 5, 2013 10:00:42 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 it's published here every week, as well as being included in our weekly newsletter. Barbed, topical and always amusing, we hope you enjoy WTD as much as we do. Click through for this week's strip. Read full story → Olympus executives sentenced, avoid jail time Published on Friday, July 5, 2013 10:35:05 PM GMT More than a year after their arrest in February 2012 for hiding massive corporate losses dating back to the 1990s, three former Olympus executives received suspended jail terms for crimes they admitted committing. In a story marked as one of the largest frauds in Japanese history, the executives conspired to cover up approximately $1.5 billion in investment losses. Olympus itself was fined ¥700 million (about $7 million) for the actions of Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, former chairman, Hideo Yamada, former auditor, and Hisashi Mori, former executive vice president. Read full story → Just Posted: Update to Sony RX100 II Samples Gallery Published on Monday, July 8, 2013 5:38:05 PM GMT We've just posted an update to our samples gallery taken with the new 20MP Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II. Now that we've had a little more time with the camera we've concentrated on getting a wider range of real-world shots, highlighting the potential of the camera's fast wideangle lens setting, and its improved low-light performance. Click through to see our expanded gallery of real-world samples.  Read full story → Nikon looks beyond cameras as compact sales continue to slide Published on Monday, July 8, 2013 6:14:23 PM GMT Nikon President Makoto Kimura says the company could make a non-camera consumer product, prompting speculation that it's eyeing the smartphone market in response to falling compact camera sales. With compact camera sales down by around 25% across the industry, Kimura says he expects the company's DSLR sales to support the loss of compact sales for 'several more years' until it can produce 'a product that will change the concept of digital cameras.' Read more over at connect.dpreview.com Read full story → Gallery: Photographers capture the spirit of summer Published on Monday, July 8, 2013 6:47:19 PM GMT Photographers around the world are sharing their favorite photos of summer (and winter, for those in the Southern hemisphere) across various social photography sharing sites. We scoured the web for some of the best shots of the season and are sharing them on connect.dpreview.com. Click through to see our selection, and remember that you can share your own photos on our busy Forums, and via our Galleries system.  Read full story → French student creates SLR using 3D printer Published on Monday, July 8, 2013 7:43:15 PM GMT We normally don't cover film cameras on DPReview, but this one's too cool to pass up. Twenty-four year old Léo Marius has created a 35mm film SLR using a 3D printer, complete with a viewfinder and compatibility for any lens mount (once the appropriate mount is created and attached, of course). The camera isn't available for sale, but Marius provides instructions for creating your own. Click through for more details, and pictures of the homemade camera.  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.