Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Tuesday, 17 December 2013

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Tuesday, 17 December 2013 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 488th Digital Photography Review newsletter. Hmm... somehow or other it's mid-December, how terrifying... this year certainly has whipped past very quickly, and one of the things that the entire team here realized as we were putting together our recent buying guide content was just how many new products came out in 2013. There's a link to all of that content below (stop me if you've read any of it before) and I'm currently putting the final touches on a series of polls to let you, our loyal readers have your say about the best cameras and lenses of the year. OK, without further ado 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 links to 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 DPReview Gear of the Year Part 5: Canon Rebel SL1 / EOS 100D 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 5, Shawn Barnett talks about his personal favorite - the Canon Rebel SL1 / EOS 100D. Click here to read all about why the Rebel SL1 is Shawn's favorite product of the year Accessory Review: Manfrotto 190 Carbon Fiber Tripod Lauded as a compact semi-professional model and constructed of cross-woven carbon fiber, the new 190 ($409.88 body only) would be an eye-catching addition to any camera kit. Manfrotto made several updates to the new model, but do they place it far enough beyond the old 190, which cost $259.95, to justify the price hike? Find out in our review Click here to read our review of the Manfrotto 190 Carbon Fiber Tripod Just added: DxO test data for the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM DxOMark has just reviewed the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM, a general-purpose zoom for full frame SLRs. As part of our ongoing collaboration we've added the test data to our lens widget, and looked to see how it compares to the Canon equivalent. We've also added test data for the Nikon mount version of Zeiss's stellar Apo Sonnar T* 2/135. Click through for our full analysis, and a link to DxOMark's own reviews. Click here to see the DxO test data from Sigma's new 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM What's coming up? Although we haven't stopped working, the situation today is much the same as it was this time last week. 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. We're really hoping to be able to publish the archived video from last week's 'dpreviewLIVE' broadcast day as well, once some technical snags have been ironed out. Thanks for reading, until next time... Barney WTD #1196 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura GearShop update - a message from Laura Rewards are back! Buy almost any system camera or lens we sell, and automatically earn 2% back to spend on anything in the store. Look for on graphic on the product page telling you the item is eligible, or read the fine print. This week's best deals: Buy any Olympus mirrorless camera and save $200 off your choice of select pro-quality Olympus lenses, including the new 12-40mm F2.8. Save up to 40% on select Kata backpacks and sling bags, while supplies last! Now shipping: Sony a7R and Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4 R lens are in stock now! Don't forget: We have free 2-day shipping on everything in the store, with orders for in stock items arriving in time for Christmas, as long as you order by December 22nd. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates 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 → DPReview Gear of the Year Part 5: Canon Rebel SL1/100D Published on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 5:00:00 AM 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 5, Shawn Barnett talks about his personal favorite - the Canon Rebel SL1/100D. Read full story → Enter the 2014 World Press Photo contest Published on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT One of the premier photojournalism competitions, the 2014 World Press Photo contest, is now open for entries to professional photographers. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2014 and the winners will be announced on February 14, 2014. The top award, the World Press Photo of the Year, carries a cash prize of €10,000 (~$13,764). Learn more Read full story → Adobe releases final versions of Camera Raw 8.3 and Lightroom 5.3 Published on Thursday, December 12, 2013 5:41:25 AM GMT Adobe has announced the final versions of Camera Raw and DNG Converter 8.3, along with Lightroom 5.3. Different versions for ACR 8.3 are available for Photoshop CC and Photoshop CS6 - both from Adobe.com and through the update mechanisms in the software. DNG Converter is available for free for users of older versions of Photoshop. The latest versions brings support for 20 cameras, including the Nikon Df and Nokia Lumia 1020 that weren't in the release candidate versions. Read full story → What the Android 4.4.1 update means for Google's Nexus 5 shooters Published on Thursday, December 12, 2013 6:00:00 AM GMT A major software update promises to fix the bevy of camera issues Nexus 5 users started complaining about as soon as they got Google's newest smartphones in hand. So does the Android update make for a more responsive camera? We put our refreshed Nexus 5 through its photographic paces on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Eye-Fi's Mobi card will transfer directly to desktop Published on Thursday, December 12, 2013 3:56:03 PM GMT Eye-Fi is beta testing a new desktop receiver for Windows that will allow for direct transfer from the Eye-Fi Mobi card to the desktop. Launched earlier this year, the Eye-Fi Mobi card uses Wi-Fi to wirelessly send images to your mobile device via an iOS, Android or Kindle app — and now straight to your desktop. Download the new software for free on connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Adobe adds color profiles for Olympus cameras to ACR and Lightroom Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 1:26:42 AM GMT Adobe's latest versions of Camera Raw and Lightroom contained a pleasant surprise for Olympus owners - color profiles for image conversion. The company says the addition is a response to 'a long standing customer request.' We've re-processed one of the images from our Olympus OM-D E-M1 sample gallery to see how closely the profiles match the camera's 'Natural' setting. Read full story → Accessory Review: Manfrotto 190 Carbon Fiber Tripod Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 6:00:00 AM GMT Lauded as a compact semi-professional model and constructed of cross-woven carbon fiber, the new 190 ($409.88 body only) would be an eye-catching addition to any camera kit. Manfrotto made several updates to the new model, but do they place it far enough beyond the old 190, which cost $259.95, to justify the price hike? Find out in our review Read full story → SLR Magic announces 17mm T1.6 lens for Micro Four Thirds Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 11:19:12 AM GMT Hong Kong-based lens maker SLR Magic has announced an addition to its family of video-oriented manual focus fast primes for Micro Four Thirds. The 17mm T1.6 offers an angle of view equivalent to 34mm on full frame, and has geared focus and aperture rings. It will be available at the end of December 2013. Read full story → Lomography offers pre-order package for Petzval 85mm F2.2 SLR lens Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 12:23:35 PM GMT Lomography has announced that its Kickstarter-funded Petzval portrait lens is now available for pre-order in Canon and Nikon mounts. Based on a 19th century optical design, the 85mm F2.2 lens has a brass lens barrel, a 'gear rack' manual focusing mechanism using a knob on the side of the barrel, and a set of drop-in 'Waterhouse stops' to change the aperture. The pre-order package costs $599 from Lomography's website, with a current delivery estimate of May 2014.   Read full story → What The Duck #1196 Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 6:46:33 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 → Want to remember something? Don't take a photo Published on Saturday, December 14, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT Nowadays we snap photos of every detail of our lives — the food we eat, what our cat is doing, the quirky things we see, the places we go — and we do this in an effort document and remember those experiences. But a new study, published in Psychological Science, suggests it's possible that the act of taking pictures may actually lessen our ability to recall details of a subject. Learn more Read full story → Backstory of Phantom Flex4K video shot at 1,000 FPS Published on Sunday, December 15, 2013 9:00:00 AM GMT Filming fire has come a long way since the 1991 movie Backdraft. Emerging Director Brendan Bellomo and DP Greg Wilson shot a slow motion short using the Phantom Flex4K camera, which shoots 1,000 FPS in full 4K resolution. The results are riveting. See video Read full story → Art of Building contest: Vote for your favorite photo Published on Monday, December 16, 2013 7:00:00 AM GMT An eerie view from Alcatraz, the use of child labor in India and a symbol of the Soviet Union’s past industrial rush are some of the finalists in this year's international Art of Building photography competition run by the Chartered Institute of Building. A panel of judges shortlisted 15 images. Now the contest turns to you to decide the winner. Learn more Read full story → Tamron announces availability of 150-600mm F/5-6.3 telephoto zoom Published on Monday, December 16, 2013 11:15:48 AM GMT Tamron has announced that its SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD telephoto zoom will go on sale on December 19th in Japan, and 17th January 2014 in the USA. The lens will feature optical image stabilization and an Ultrasonic Silent Drive autofocus motor, and be compatible with both full frame and APS-C SLRs. It will be available first in Canon mount, with Nikon and Sony versions to follow. Pricing is still to be confirmed. Read full story → Lens reviews update: test data for the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Published on Monday, December 16, 2013 5:07:47 PM GMT DxOMark has just reviewed the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM, a general-purpose zoom for full frame SLRs. As part of our ongoing collaboration we've added the test data to our lens widget, and looked to see how it compares to the Canon equivalent. We've also added test data for the Nikon mount version of Zeiss's stellar Apo Sonnar T* 2/135. Click through for our full analysis, and a link to DxOMark's own reviews. 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.