Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 4 September 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 4 September 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 473rd Digital Photography Review newsletter. In total contrast to last week's failed experiment with the energy drink from hell (just say no, kids) I'm relatively alert this evening, thanks in part to a long weekend here in Seattle, for Labor Day. A rare treat indeed, in the land of the Protestant Work Ethic. But despite the 3-day weekend we kept the site nice and busy, and as well as the usual news and industry announcements we published a lens review yesterday, the second part of our feature on unusual cameras from the old (ish) days and plenty more besides. Let's take a look at what you might have missed! Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Review Sigma's 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM has generated a lot of excitement since its announcement in April, as the fastest zoom ever made for SLRs. Designed for use on APS-C / DX format cameras, it offers a 28-54mm equivalent zoom range, and promises similar depth of field control to an F2.8 zoom on full frame. But can an F1.8 zoom really work? And given its modest sub-$1000 price point, can it live up to expectations? Read our detailed review to find out. Click here to read our review of the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Back to the future: ten one-of-a-kind cameras from the 21st century At the turn of the 21st century, consumer digital cameras really took off. Technology was evolving at an incredible pace, and camera makers came up with features that we now take for granted, most notably live view on DSLRs. There were plenty of unique ideas going around, as well. Some were genuinely useful, while others may leave you scratching your head. In this article, we take a look at ten cameras that have stood out over the last thirteen years. Click here to read our article 'Back to the future: ten one-of-a-kind cameras from the 21st century' Battle of the Wi-Fi Cards: Eye-Fi and Transcend SDHC cards reviewed When capturing a high volume of images on a photo shoot, being able to wirelessly connect your camera to a smartphone, computer or to 'the cloud' has a lot of appeal. Wi-Fi can expedite workflow by allowing you to transfer image files remotely while on location and also negate the need for card readers or cables. It's easy to forget that your camera doesn't have to have Wi-Fi built-in to benefit from the advantages of connectivity. Wi-Fi capable SD memory cards have been around for a number of years, and they remain popular. In this article, we pit Eye-Fi's 16GB Pro X2 Wi-Fi SDHC card against the cheaper, higher-capacity Transcend 32GB Wi-Fi card and see which comes out on top. Click here to view our article 'Battle of the Wi-Fi Cards: Eye-Fi and Transcend SDHC cards reviewed' Pentax K-500 Real-world Samples Gallery The Pentax K-500 is a stripped-down version of the K-50, lacking the weather-sealed body and electronic level of that model, but offering the same 16MP sensor and basic ergonomics. It's an attractive entry-level option, and as soon as a production-quality sample arrived in our office we started shooting with it. Click through for a link to our gallery of real-world samples taken in a range of different environments. Click here to view out gallery of real-world sample images from the Pentax K-500 Sharp thinking: Nikon creates selectable strength low-pass filter Nikon has patented a technology that can adjust a camera's low-pass (AA) filter based on the situation. By using an electronically controlled liquid crystal panel, the AA filter can either be turned on and off, or set to 'normal' or 'high' intensity. The first design would allow for a D800 that become a D800E at the push of a button. The second design would have a mild anti-aliasing effect for stills, and a stronger effect to reduce moiré in movies. More details on this exciting development after the link. Click here to read about Nikon's patented adaptive AA filter What's coming up? Our full review of the Olympus E-P5, is nearing completion and we've also got reviews in-progress on the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II and Fujifilm X-M1. I'm using the Canon PowerShot G16 at the moment, hoping to publish a short article soon and we're also starting to plan some roundups and buyers' guides for later this autumn. We suspect too that there are still some major new products coming in the next few days and weeks and if that should prove to be the case, rest assured that we'll be working hard to provide you in-depth coverage as we move into the final quarter of the year. Thanks for reading! Until next time... Barney WTD #1433 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura Have you noticed our original product overviews on GearShop? We've got quite a few of them up (and more in the works), located in the video section of a product's page in the shop. We recently created a spot on YouTube for you to check them all out in one place. We think they're pretty handy if you want to see sample images, size, and ergonomics while getting an honest look at a camera or lens. This week's best deals: The silver award-winning compact Panasonic Lumix LX7 camera is now $50 off. Get a fast lens and lots of manual control for the price of a much less capable camera. The prices of a few Canon products have dropped too. The popular EF-S 10-22mm and EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lenses are notably cheaper, as well as the Powershot SX280 HS compact camera with 20x optical zoom. Now shipping: Customers who pre-ordered Canon's EOS 70D should see it on their doorsteps very soon! It's in stock right now for those who weren't ready to pre-order, but going quickly. Nikon's newest versatile DX zoom, the 18-140mm VR lens, is in stock too. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Bleak and surreal: Photographer turns satellite images into open-source art Published on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 7:20:00 AM GMT From the air, the landscape of Texas' vast feedlots and oil fields is by turns bleak and surreal. Photographer Mishka Henner aimed to capture the contrasts and intense colors of these landscapes in a collection of work titled 'Feedlots.' By stitching together hundreds of satellite images, he created large, detailed prints documenting the dynamism of these locations - earth tones clashing with the violent greens and reds of feedlot waste. Click through to see more of his stirring work. Read full story → Pentax K-500 Real-world Samples Gallery Published on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 9:14:32 AM GMT The Pentax K-500 is a stripped-down version of the K-50, lacking the weather-sealed body and electronic level of that model, but offering the same 16MP sensor and basic ergonomics. It's an attractive entry-level option, and as soon as a production-quality sample arrived in our office we started shooting with it. Click through for a link to our gallery of real-world samples taken in a range of different environments.  Read full story → Man breaks own World Record, now owns 4,425 antique cameras Published on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 6:47:05 PM GMT Mumbai-based photo journalist and camera collector Dilish Parekh has been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for the second time. The previous record holder? Parekh himself. His collection has now grown to 4,425 antique cameras, ranging from Leica to Voigtlander. Learn more about his stockpile of cameras after the link. Read full story → Ricoh announces HZ15 Europe-only compact superzoom Published on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 10:53:09 PM GMT Ricoh has announced the Ricoh HZ15, a 15x compact superzoom that will only be sold in Europe. Though it isn't sold under the Pentax name, it bears a striking resemblance to Optio compacts of recent years. It features a 16 megapixel CCD sensor, 24-360mm equivalent zoom lens, 720p HD video and sensor-shift 'SR' shake reduction (terminology definitely borrowed from Pentax cameras). Click through for more details. Read full story → Battle of the Wi-Fi Cards: Eye-Fi and Transcend SDHC cards reviewed Published on Thursday, August 29, 2013 4:34:55 AM GMT Being able to wirelessly connect your camera to a smartphone, computer or to 'the cloud' has a lot of appeal. Wi-Fi can expedite workflow by allowing you to transfer image files remotely while on location and also negate the need for card readers or cables. It's easy to forget that your camera doesn't have to have Wi-Fi built-in to benefit from the advantages of connectivity. In this article, we pit Eye-Fi's 16GB Pro X2 Wi-Fi SDHC card against the cheaper, higher-capacity Transcend 32GB Wi-Fi card and see which comes out on top.  Read full story → Did Sigma design the Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8? Published on Thursday, August 29, 2013 10:00:34 AM GMT It's an open secret that many compact cameras are produced by OEMs - companies that produce large numbers of products that are then sold under other brand names. There are also consumer-grade zooms from big name manufacturers that look much alike (we know for a fact that third-party makers commonly create lenses for the bigger brands). But we were still surprised to read about Sigma's latest patent for a 75mm F1.8 prime lens... Read full story → Samsung announces pricing for Android-based Galaxy NX camera Published on Thursday, August 29, 2013 1:00:00 PM GMT As the first hybrid smartphone and interchangeable lens camera, the Samsung Galaxy NX certainly cut a unique profile when we first looked at it in June. The Galaxy NX merges the features of Samsung smartphones, including a huge 4.8-inch touch LCD and 3G/4G/Wi-Fi connectivity, with a NX-mount ILC with a 20.3MP APS-C sensor, hybrid AF system, and 8.6 fps burst mode. At long last, the Galaxy NX has been given a price: $1,599.99 body only, or $1,699.99 bundled with an 18-55mm lens.  Read full story → Flickr improves capture and editing tools in latest iOS app update Published on Thursday, August 29, 2013 4:58:07 PM GMT As part of its effort to 'make Flickr awesome again', parent company Yahoo has released a hefty update to its Flickr app for iOS. Improved capture tools include the ability to lock separate focus and exposure points on the capture screen with a two finger tap. In addition, users can view the filters 'live'. When you are ready to edit, you can customize the exposure using the new Levels adjustment, correct color balance, sharpen, brighten, crop, straighten, or even add vignetting to your image. Click through for more details at connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → National Geographic photog shoots the Southwest US with Nokia 1020 Published on Thursday, August 29, 2013 11:24:03 PM GMT National Geographic sent photographer Stephen Alvarez to the beautiful American Southwest equipped with Nokia's flagship Lumia 1020 smartphone. The results from the 1020's 41 megapixel camera are pretty impressive - at least by mobile phone standards. You can evaluate the photos with your own eyes on our mobile photography site, connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Sharp thinking: Nikon creates selectable strength low-pass filter Published on Friday, August 30, 2013 8:00:00 AM GMT Nikon has patented a technology that can adjust a camera's low-pass (AA) filter based on the situation. By using an electronically controlled liquid crystal panel, the AA filter can either be turned on and off, or set to 'normal' or 'high' intensity. The first design would allow for a D800 that become a D800E at the push of a button. The second design would have a mild anti-aliasing effect for stills, and a stronger effect to reduce moiré in movies. More details on this exciting development after the link. Read full story → Watch the trailer for ski movie shot with gyro-stabilized 4K rig Published on Friday, August 30, 2013 8:01:56 AM GMT Back in April we posted about the GSS C520 - a five-axis gyro stabilized 4K cinema system being used by Teton Gravity Research to shoot a feature film about skiing. If the preview footage is any indication, it'll be pretty intense, putting the 4K rig to work in some impressive locations. The trailer is available online now - click through to see the preview footage in all its high-definition glory.  Read full story → Do you need 41 megapixels? Our Nokia Lumia 1020 camera review Published on Friday, August 30, 2013 5:14:00 PM GMT The 41-megapixel Lumia 1020 melds technology first debuted on the Pureview 808 with a relevant operating system and the optical image stabilization introduced in Nokia’s Lumia 920 that allows significantly better image quality in low light. But do these great ideas translate into a great photographic experience? Our sister site, connect.dpreview.com has put the Lumia 1020 through its picture-making paces to find out how well its impressive imaging technology works in the real world.   Read full story → What The Duck #1433 Published on Friday, August 30, 2013 10:19:57 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.  Read full story → Winners of Red Bull Illume 2013 contest announced Published on Sunday, September 1, 2013 1:00:22 AM GMT Back in July we highlighted some of the finalists in the 2013 Red Bull Illume action and adventure sports photo competition, and now the winners have been announced in each of the contest's 10 categories. This year's overall winner was Lorenz Holder who also triumphed in the Playground and Experimental categories. Click through to see his winning shot as well as the work of this year's other winners.  Read full story → Billboards offer tourists a glimpse of smog-free Hong Kong Published on Sunday, September 1, 2013 3:01:50 AM GMT With worsening air quality spoiling the view, authorities in Hong Kong have come up with a novel solution for snap-happy tourists - giant panoramic billboards showing what the city would look like if there weren't so much pollution, for them to take pictures of. The initiative follows what has been dubbed China's 'Airpocalypse', earlier this year where pollution hit levels 25 times those considered safe in the USA. Read full story → Black-and-white images capture the power of summer storms Published on Monday, September 2, 2013 1:00:06 AM GMT Summer in North America means severe weather for much of the continent. Powerful storms are accompanied by unusual cloud formations, signs of the violent atmospheric conditions that spawn turbulent weather. Photographer Mitch Dobrowner and guide Roger Hill have spent the past few summers traveling the US chasing storms, and creating stunning black-and-white images in the process. Click through to see some of these gorgeous photos of some ugly weather. Read full story → Goldfish all gone? Turn that empty tank into an underwater housing Published on Monday, September 2, 2013 2:00:00 AM GMT If you have a digital SLR and don't want to blow two grand on an underwater housing, check out the alternative the folks at Digital Camera World came up with. Just put your camera into a clean fish tank, attach a remote shutter release cable, lower the tank into the water, and fire away. Naturally, this only works in calm water, so don't take it into the ocean unless you fancy buying a new camera. Details and a photo after the link. Read full story → Ilford opens US lab to meet demand for black and white film development Published on Monday, September 2, 2013 4:00:00 AM GMT While digital has truly swamped film for most common purposes, demand for black and white film development and printing is sufficient that ILFORD has expanded its processing and printing service to include a mail-order lab in San Clemente, California. Unlike most local labs, ILFORD's service offers black and white printing on silver gelatin photo paper. Read full story → Need the speed? Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM in-depth review Published on Monday, September 2, 2013 1:33:15 PM GMT Sigma's 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM has generated a lot of excitement since its announcement in April, as the fastest zoom ever made for SLRs. Designed for use on APS-C / DX format cameras, it offers a 28-54mm equivalent zoom range, and promises similar depth of field control to an F2.8 zoom on full frame. But can an F1.8 zoom really work? Read our detailed review to find out.   Read full story → Back to the future: ten one-of-a-kind cameras from the 21st century Published on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 9:30:00 AM GMT At the turn of the 21st century, consumer digital cameras really took off. Technology was evolving at an incredible pace, and camera makers came up with features that we now take for granted, most notably live view on DSLRs. There were plenty of unique ideas going around, as well. Some were genuinely useful, while others may leave you scratching your head. In this article, DPReview's Jeff Keller takes a look at ten cameras that have stood out over the last thirteen years. Read full story → DxOMark tests Canon EOS 70D sensor and lenses Published on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 4:41:59 PM GMT Our friends and collaborators over at DxOMark have been looking at the Canon EOS 70D, and testing out how its innovative 20.2MP 'Dual Pixel AF' image sensor measures up in terms of RAW image quality. They've also looked at how Canon's three currently-available STM lenses score on this latest mid-range SLR, as the start of a larger multi-part lens recommendation article for the camera. Click through for links to these and DxOMark's other recent reviews, including tests of the Sony Cyber-shot RX1R.  Read full story → Microsoft to acquire Nokia's smartphone business Published on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 5:55:09 PM GMT Microsoft is moving forward with a deal to purchase Nokia's Devices and Services business for $7.2bn (€5.44bn EUR). The Finnish hardware maker's mobile phone division has been struggling since the dawn of the smartphone era, recently reporting a $150 million revenue loss even after surging sales of its Lumia line of Windows Phone 8 smartphones. For Microsoft, the acquisition is an opportunity to unify its mobile brand. Click through for more details on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story →
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