Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 11 December 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 11 December 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 487th Digital Photography Review newsletter. The year is quickly running out (note to self: do some Christmas shopping...) but we're still putting plenty of content out, and there's more on the way. This week we've published a main 'hub' page for all of our buying guide, roundup and recommendations articles, and we've been taking advantage of some sunny (but extremely cold) weather over the past few days to gather a large samples gallery using the Nikon Df, which we published yesterday. Let's take a look at some recent content highlights: Camera and Lens Buying Guides Buying a new camera or lens can be fraught with difficulty. Finding the right gear is hard, and depends on a lot of different factors – what sort of photography you enjoy doing, what kind of size and weight you're comfortable with, and of course how much you're prepared to spend. On this page you'll find links to our extensive buying guide content, which span everything from seasonal product roundups to advice about what gear is best for what kind of shooting situation. You'll also find link sot the most popular cameras and lenses on dpreview, and to our interactive camera chooser, which lets you quickly compare different models to find the right one for you. Click here to visit our main hub for all camera and lens buying guide content Nikon Df: Real-world Samples Gallery and Updated First Impressions As we work on our full review of the Nikon Df, we've been shooting with it extensively and have put together a gallery of real-world samples. We've tried to use a selection of lenses, including older Nikon glass as well as the recently-launched AF-S Nikkor 58mm f/1.4 G. Here are 40 images shot at a range of ISOs to show how the camera performs. We've also updated our first impressions of the camera's handling and performance Click here to view our gallery of real-world samples from the Nikon Df Click here to read our updated first-impressions of the Df's handling and performance DPReview Gear of the Year Part 4: Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 HSM A lot of equipment passes through our Seattle and London offices, everything from high-end cameras to inexpensive accessories. A lot of it gets reviewed, but we can't cover everything. In this series of short articles, DPReview staff will be highlighting their personal standout products of the year. In part 4, Richard Butler talks about his personal favorite - the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM. Click here to read all about why the 18-35mm F1.8 is Richard's favorite product of the year Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R real-world samples gallery We've been shooting for a while with Fujifilm's latest X-system lens, the XF 23mm F1.4R, and have prepared a gallery of real-world samples. They cover variety of subjects and lighting conditions, and were all shot on the X-E2. We've also quickly summarised our impressions of the lens's handling and image quality. Click here to read our impressions of the XF 23mm F1.4 and see our gallery of real-world samples DPReview Recommends: Best Interchangeable Lens Cameras for under $1000 A few years ago, the idea of a DSLR under $1000 was just a distant dream, but these days the financial bar to entry is much lower than it was in the past. And DSLRs aren't the only game in town anymore either - mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are maturing quickly, and there are plenty of affordable options on the market. Here's our list of the top five interchangeable lens cameras that we'd currently recommend for under $1000 - including a kit zoom lens. Click here to read our recommendations of top five interchangeable lens cameras for under $1000 DPReview Recommends: Best Compact Cameras for Enthusiasts There's a long tradition of high-quality compact cameras going back more than a hundred years, and even now, in the days of digital, there are some incredibly capable compact cameras on the market. Shop carefully and you can get excellent image quality, full manual control and plenty of other bells and whistles, provided you don't mind paying a little more than you might for the average point and shoot. Top-notch lenses, great sensors and plenty of control are the hallmarks of every one of our top five recommended compact cameras for enthusiasts. Click here to read our recommendations of top five compact cameras for enthusiasts What's coming up? We're still working hard on the new Nikon Df, we're almost done with our full review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 and we're also aiming to get a decent chunk of content published about the Sony a7 and a7R before the end of the year. In addition, we'll have more 'gear of the year' and we're hoping to be able to publish the archived video from last week's 'dpreviewLIVE' broadcast day in the next day or so as well. Keep an eye on the site next week because we'll also be asking for your opinions on what you think are the standout products of 2013, so watch this space! Thanks for reading, until next time... Barney WTD #1146 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura GearShop update - a message from Laura On sale now: Holiday deals are in full swing! Big savings can be found on our deals page, but to highlight a few… Save big on select Sony DSLRs—specifically the DPReview Silver Award-winning A77 ($300 off), as well as the A58 (only $449.99, 18-55mm kit lens included). Also, these select Fujifilm cameras are up to $200 off. Meanwhile, some of the most aggressive deals available are on Nikon DSLRs; the D5200 is eligible for savings of up to $450, while the D610 is $300 off—not to mention there are instant rebates that will save you up to $300 more per additional lens you buy, with 20+ models to choose from (on these cameras’ product pages, just click the green “bundle deals” buttons to see all the options). New videos: Be sure to check out the first episodes of our original video series through which pros will demystify photographic techniques, terminology, and technology for both novice and advanced-amateur photographers! Looking for a lens to replace the kit zoom that came with your DSLR? In this video, pro photographer Ryan Phillips uses Nikon DSLRs and lenses to explore some things you should keep in mind as you weigh your alternatives. In a second video, Ryan demonstrates street photography and portrait techniques—including how to engage your subject—using Fujifilm gear. Finally, in this segment, a second pro—Ernie Sapiro—shoots with Sigma equipment in exploring the ins-and-outs of depth of field. When you’re done watching, feel free to head over to the GearShop forum on DPReview to let us know what you think so we can make future episodes even better! Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Canon announces EOS M2 in Japan Published on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 12:29:59 PM GMT Canon has announced the EOS M2 in Japan. An updated version of its EOS M mirrorless camera, the new model promises faster autofocus due to the use of a Hybrid CMOS II sensor, as seen in the EOS 100D / SL1. It also has built-in Wi-Fi and a slightly revised body design. It will be sold either body-only or in kits with one, two, or all three EF-M lenses, and be available in either black or white. Read full story → Sigma issues advisory on lens compatibility with Nikon Df Published on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 3:21:55 PM GMT Sigma has posted a statement on its website regarding incompatibilities between its lenses and the Nikon Df. As with the D5300, both autofocus and image stabilisation may not work correctly; however lenses without built-in focus motors are also affected when used on the Df. The company says it will provide free lens firmware updates to fix the issue, but this may not be possible with discontinued models. Click through for full details. Read full story → Metabones now available for Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Published on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 5:57:42 PM GMT Metabones has introduced two new versions of its Nikon-F to Micro Four Thirds mount Speed Booster adapters. This time they are designed specifically for the Blackmagic Cinema and Pocket Cinema cameras. The new 0.64x Speed Booster reduces the full-frame crop factor of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera from 2.39x to 1.53x. The 0.58x Speed Booster reduces the crop factor of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera from 2.88x to 1.75x. Learn more Read full story → Accessory review: SanDisk Connect wireless media drives Published on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 8:00:00 AM GMT Looking for an easy way to share your photos with nearby smartphone and tablet users? There are plenty of options, and SanDisk has a couple of their own in a new line of flash memory storage devices with built-in wireless that you can access from any device. We evaluate the devices from a photographer's perspective on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Anamorphic adapter lens makes for widescreen iPhone photos Published on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT A new Kickstarter project from Moondog Labs hopes to bring a wider view when shooting with the iPhone 5 and 5s. With Moondog Labs' 1.33x Anamorphic Adapter lens, a video shot on the iPhone in the standard 16:9 aspect ratio gains about 33% more width. Still images shot in 4:3 are expanded to 16:9. Learn more at connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → DPReview Gear of the Year Part 4: Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Published on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 6:51:59 PM GMT A lot of equipment passes through our Seattle and London offices, everything from high-end cameras to inexpensive accessories. A lot of it gets reviewed, but we can't cover everything. In this series of short articles, DPReview staff will be highlighting their personal standout products of the year. In part 4, Richard Butler discusses the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM and what it means for APS-C shooters. Read full story → Swimming with the Nikon 1 AW1 Published on Thursday, December 5, 2013 8:00:00 AM GMT One of the most interesting cameras of the year is the Nikon 1 AW1, which is the first rugged mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The AW1 offers the same 1" sensor as Nikon's other 1 System cameras, but adds the ability to go underwater or survive a 2 meter drop. We spent some time with the AW1 in Hawaii, both above and under the sea, to test if it was up to task. Find out if it passed Read full story → Foldio: A foldable, portable lightbox for product photography Published on Thursday, December 5, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT A new product is Kickstarting its way into entry-level product photography. The Foldio lightbox aims to help inexperienced photographers on a budget capture their items in the best light possible. Folding down flat enough to fit in a briefcase, the Foldio easily props up with the use of magnets. Learn more at connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → DPReview Recommends: Interchangeable Lens Cameras for Under $1000 Published on Thursday, December 5, 2013 9:00:30 AM GMT A few years ago, the idea of a DSLR under $1000 was just a distant dream, but these days the financial bar to entry is much lower than it was in the past. And DSLRs aren't the only game in town anymore either - mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are maturing quickly, and there are plenty of affordable options on the market. Here's our list of the top five interchangeable lens cameras that we'd currently recommend for under $1000 - including a kit zoom lens. Read full story → Samyang announces 10mm F2.8 manual focus wide-angle prime Published on Friday, December 6, 2013 12:45:17 AM GMT Samyang has announced the 10mm F2.8 ED AS NCS SC, a wide-angle manual focus prime for APS-C format cameras. It's the company's first lens to feature nano crystal coating for increased light transmission and reduced internal reflections. With a 15mm equivalent angle of view (20mm equivalent on Micro Four Thirds), it'll be made in mounts for all current SLR and mirrorless systems. It'll go on sale at the end of January 2014 at an RRP of £469.99 for Nikon AE mount, or £429.99 for all other versions. Read full story → DPReview Recommends: Best Compact Cameras for Enthusiasts Published on Friday, December 6, 2013 9:08:13 AM GMT There's a long tradition of high-quality compact cameras going back more than a hundred years, and even now, in the days of digital, there are some incredibly capable compact cameras on the market. Shop carefully and you can get excellent image quality, full manual control and plenty of other bells and whistles, provided you don't mind paying a little more than you might for the average point and shoot. Top-notch lenses, great sensors and plenty of control are the hallmarks of every one of our top five recommended compact cameras for enthusiasts. Read full story → Nokia test scene shootout: Lumia 920 vs 925 vs 928 vs 1020 Published on Friday, December 6, 2013 10:00:00 AM GMT We put all four of Nokia's newest smartphones, the Lumia 920, 925, 928, and 1020, through our studio test scene. You can use the image comparison tool to draw your own conclusions about how the devices perform. As usual you can compare how the phones perform under both bright and low light conditions, either at full resolution, or resized for print or web sharing. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com Read full story → There can be only 1: Polaroid licensee withdraws Nikon-like camera Published on Friday, December 6, 2013 7:32:32 PM GMT Sakar International, which makes cameras under the Polaroid brand name, has agreed to stop selling the model at the center of a patent and trade dress dispute with Nikon. A New York court issued an injunction stopping Sakar from making, selling or advertising the Android-powered iM1836, based on an agreement reached by the two companies. Nikon claims the interchangeable lens iM1836 infringed design patents and 'trade dress' (appearance) of its 1 System. Read full story → What The Duck #1146 Published on Friday, December 6, 2013 8:32:38 PM GMT We've come to the end of another week here at dpreview, and as our thoughts drift to weekend shooting opportunities, it's time to take things a little less seriously. Aaron Johnson's comic strip ‘What the Duck’ is just the thing, taking a gently satirical look through the lens of a photographically inclined waterfowl. You can find it published here (and in our newsletter) every week; we hope you enjoy it, and your weekend. Read full story → TIME's top photos of the year Published on Saturday, December 7, 2013 1:00:00 AM GMT Each year TIME picks 10 images from 10 photographers to represent some of top news stories of the year. From the massacre at the Westgate Mall in Kenya, the Boston Marathon bombings, to the recent typhoon in the Philippines, the collection highlights the work of seasoned photojournalists. Learn more Read full story → DxO releases FilmPack 4.5 Published on Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:00:00 AM GMT DxO has announced an update to its FilmPack 4 software, with version 4.5 adding two new 'film renderings' - Agfa Scala 200x and Kodak Ektar 100. FilmPack aims to simulate the look of classic film emulsions and can operate either as a standalone program or as a plugin for Adobe, Apple and DxO software. Click through for more details. Read full story → DxO releases Optics Pro 9.1 Published on Sunday, December 8, 2013 6:00:00 AM GMT DxO has announced updates to its recently-announced Optics Pro 9 software, bringing speed enhancements and additional camera support. Optics Pro 9 is the latest version of DxO's long-running Optics Pro Raw conversion and optical correction software. It brings greatly improved 'denoising' (noise reduction) technology for enhanced high ISO image quality. Click through for more details. Read full story → Motrr Galileo puts new spin on iPhone panorama photography Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 6:00:00 AM GMT The Motrr Galileo works in combination with the Sphere iOS app to automate the panorama capturing process with much more precision than handheld shooting allows. This speeds the entire process up considerably and should, at least in theory, lead to better image results. We put it to the test on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → DPReview is hiring! Senior UX Designer wanted! Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT DPReview is hiring! We're looking for a Senior UX designer to shape the next generation of content and community tools for our large and passionate audience of photographers and camera enthusiasts. Candidates will have the rare ability to influence the product at all levels and to create a new user experience for a top 1000 website. Click through for more details.  Read full story → Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R real-world samples gallery Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 11:33:41 AM GMT We've been shooting for a while with Fujifilm's latest X-system lens, the XF 23mm F1.4R, and have prepared a gallery of real-world samples. They cover variety of subjects and lighting conditions, and were all shot on the X-E2. We've also quickly summarised our impressions of the lens's handling and image quality. Click through to find out more. Read full story → Nikon firmware update breaks support for third-party batteries Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 11:01:13 PM GMT Owners of some of Nikon's entry and mid-range DSLRs are reporting that a recent firmware update broke support for their third-party batteries. The firmware update for the Nikon D3200, D3100, D5100, D5200 and CoolPix P7700 cameras claimed to report remaining charge more accurately for the EN-EL14a lithium-ion battery. However, on installing the update, some owners found their third-party batteries suddenly incompatible. Read full story → Nikon Df real-world samples gallery Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 1:07:00 AM GMT As we work on our full review of the Nikon Df, we've been shooting with it extensively and have put together a gallery of real-world samples. We've tried to use a selection of lenses, including older Nikon glass as well as the recently-launched AF-S Nikkor 58mm f/1.4 G. Here are 40 images shot at a range of ISOs to show how the camera performs. See gallery Read full story → Make your own Google Street View virtual tours Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 9:17:26 PM GMT Google is reaching out to photographers to help capture and record the planet's most hard-to-reach places using Android's Photo Sphere feature. A new tool lets users upload and connect their 360-degree photo spheres to create virtual tours that can be shared in Google's Street View. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story →
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