Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Tuesday, 4 February 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Tuesday, 4 February 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Hello! And welcome to the 495th Digital Photography Review newsletter. So - how about them Seahawks, eh? I missed the Super Bowl this weekend, as I imagine many of you did as well, but it was nice to see Seattle in the news for something other than the rain. Speaking of which (marvel at the ease with which I segue here) the weather was beautiful here on Sunday, and while most Seattleites were safely ensconced in front of the TV, faces painted green and blue, with a fridge full of beers and giant foam hands (I imagine) I was walking and cycling around town taking pictures with the new Fujifilm X-T1. I'll never see the roads so empty ever again... I posted the resulting gallery of sample images yesterday and we're working on our initial studio testing this week. In other Fujifilm news, my colleague Richard has been shooting with the X-E2 since Christmas, and has put together a short 'shooting experience' section for our previously-published first-impressions review. You'll find links to both pieces of content below. OK, let's take a look at some recent highlights! Fujifilm X-E2 shooting experience As part of our forthcoming review, we've been shooting extensively with the Fujifilm X-E2. Reviews Editor Richard Butler used the camera on his recent vacation and has written about his experience living with it during that time. The X-E2's headline specifications are all solid enough, but it's the attention-to-detail and the implementation of some under-appreciated features that caught his eye. The X-E2 is a small camera that offers a high level of direct control, but does that make it the perfect traveling companion? Click here to read about our experience of shooting with the Fujifilm X-E2 Fujifilm X-T1 real-world sample images A factory-fresh Fujifilm X-T1 arrived in our office last week, and editor Barnaby Britton spent the weekend trying it out, taking a range of sample images in different environments, with several lenses. Highlights of the X-T1's specification include a 16MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor with on-chip phase detection, high-resolution EVF and 8 fps continuous shooting with AF tracking. Click the links below to view our gallery and detailed first-impressions review. Click here to view our gallery of sample images from the Fujifilm X-T1 Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lab test report The Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* is one of the first lenses for Sony's fledgling full frame mirrorless system, and designed as a fast 'normal' prime to complement the Sony Alpha 7 and 7R. However at around $999 / £900, it costs several times as much as the 50mm F1.4 options for DSLR systems. So what exactly are you paying for? Read our lab test report to find out. Read our lab test report on the Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lab test report Sony a7R teardown! Roger Cicala gets his hands dirty When it comes to the (literal) nuts and bolts of cameras and lenses, Roger Cicala at Lens Rentals is the man to ask. This week he's been busy disassembling Sony's flagship mirrorless camera, the Alpha 7R. We're in the middle of our review right now, and we must admit - some of the pictures of his detailed tear-down make us wince. But we can't... look... away. Click through for an edited selection of images from the whole gory process. Click here to see Roger Cicala's teardown of the Sony a7R Readers' Choice: Best Gear of 2013 Awards Before Christmas, we asked you to vote for your favorite cameras and lenses in five categories. We announced the category winners earlier this year and created a final poll to find what - in your opinion - was the single standout product of 2013. Click through for a reminder of the category winners and to find out which of the winning products was your choice for 2013 product of the year! Click here to see the results of our 2013 readers' choice polls What's coming up? We're putting the finishing touches on our review of the Sony a7R (honest we are!) and reviews of Nikon's D5300, the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 and the Pentax K-3 are underway. CP+, a trade show held every year in Japan is just around the corner so - hint hint - there might be some interesting new cameras released in the next few days as well... I'll be at CP+, reporting on the show and conducting interviews with senior executives at several large companies. Thanks for reading - see you next week! Barney GearShop update - a message from Laura GearShop update - a message from Laura New at GearShop: The shop now features a selection of our favorite Samsung NX mirrorless cameras, lenses, and compacts. We have the newest products for pre-order, including the NX300M, which is about to be released to the US for the first time next month. This week's best deals: You chose the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II as the best enthusiast zoom camera of the year, and it's $50 off right now. The original RX100 is also $50 off for a limited time. Speaking of great deals on enthusiast compacts, Olympus just dropped the prices of the XZ-2 and XZ-10 to only $299 and $199 respectively. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Fujifilm X-T1 First Impressions Review Published on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 4:30:00 AM GMT The Fujifilm X-T1 has a lot in common with its X-series siblings - bearing an important distinction: it's weatherproof. It does in fact offer many of the same inner workings as the X-E2, including its 16MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor with on-chip phase detection. On top of that it adds a revamped EVF, an OLED panel boasting a claimed lag time of 0.005 seconds. Consider also that it shoots 8 fps with subject tracking and it all adds up to a very well specified package. Read our first impressions review Read full story → Fujifilm X-T1 offers weather-resistant body and improved EVF Published on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 4:30:00 AM GMT Following its first appearance in a teaser ad last week (and a comprehensive leak), the Fujifilm X-T1 makes its official debut. It's a weather-resistant, SLR-styled mirrorless camera bearing a 16MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor, a chip it borrows from its X-E2 sibling. What really separates it from the X-E2 is the X-T1's giant electronic viewfinder and triple control dials on its top plate. The X-T1 also has Wi-Fi built-in, and supports remote control from a smartphone. Read full story → Apple's magnetic solution for expanding capabilities of iPhone camera Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 2:45:57 AM GMT Two patents, discovered by AppleInsider, show how Apple might allow users to expand the photographic capabilities of their iPhones. One describes a removable 'back panel' which contains different camera options, and another (slightly more plausible in the near-term) details how users might be able to attach 'modules' to their phones' camera lenses to provide different lens options. Click through to learn more at Connect. Read full story → OM-D on a budget: Olympus E-M10 First Impressions Review Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT The Olympus E-M10 wraps much of the E-M5's feature set into a smaller, more compact body. It retains core OM-D features like twin dials, a built-in EVF and a 16 megapixel Four Thirds sensor, but manages to fit them into a body that's more Stylus 1 than ILC. It sits below its E-M5 and E-M1 siblings in terms of both price and specifications, but with features borrowed from two very strong predecessors it's potentially a very impressive camera in its own right. Take a look at our first impressions and sample gallery. Read full story → Olympus OM-D E-M10 brings E-M5 down to size Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT Olympus unveils the OM-D E-M10, a smaller and budget-friendly Micro Four Thirds 'Digital OM' with many parts borrowed from the E-M5 - including its 16 megapixel sensor. It also manages to snag a few features from the flagship E-M1, like a TruePic VII processor and built-in Wi-Fi for image transfer and remote control. It falls short of its siblings with '3-axis' image stabilization rather than the '5-axis' system in the E-M5 and E-M1, and doesn't provide an accessory port, but these concessions help nudge the E-M10 to its attractive $699/£529 body-only price point. Read full story → Olympus reveals 25mm F1.8, compact 14-42mm, and 9mm F8 Fish-Eye Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT Alongside the OM-D E-M10, Olympus has also announced three lenses. First up is the M.Zuiko Digital 25mm F1.8, a relatively inexpensive fast normal prime, that looks specifically designed to complement the much-loved 45mm F1.8. Second is the 9mm F8 Fish-Eye Body Cap Lens (which Olympus technically considers an 'accessory'); this offers a 140° angle of view in a tiny plastic body. Finally there's a new 'pancake' kit zoom for the E-M10, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ, which features an electronic zoom. Learn more Read full story → Olympus announces Stylus SP-100 superzoom with dot-sight Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT Olympus has introduced the Stylus SP-100 superzoom, a camera with built-in dot-sight technology that enables you to easily track moving subjects while the lens is zoomed in. The dot-sight pops up just above the high-resolution electronic viewfinder.  Users can also choose the focus range used by the camera via a focus limit function. The SP-100 combines a 16MP BSI CMOS sensor with a 24-1200mm 50x optical zoom that captures 1080/60p HD video. Learn more Read full story → Olympus launches Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS underwater camera Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT Olympus has announced the Stylus Tough TG-850 iHS, the next generation of the company's mid-range waterproof camera. The TG-850 has a super wide-angle 21-105mm 5x optical zoom lens and now includes a LCD screen that flips upward 180°. It's waterproof down to 33 feet (10m) and the 16-megapixel back-lit CMOS sensor can shoot 1080/60p HD video. Learn more  Read full story → Olympus releases OM-D E-M5 firmware version 2.0 Published on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 8:33:20 AM GMT Olympus has issued a firmware update for the OM-D E-M5, adding two new features that owners should welcome: an extended 'Low' ISO setting and smaller AF points. The ISO 100-equivalent setting promises lower noise, and enables shooting of fast primes at closer to maximum aperture in daylight, but comes at the cost of earlier highlight clipping. Also being added to the E-M5 is the ability to select smaller AF target points for more accurate focusing. Get the update Read full story → Ricoh and Google team up to get Theta spherical pictures on Google Maps Published on Thursday, January 30, 2014 8:00:03 AM GMT Ricoh has updated the suite of apps provided with the Theta spherical image camera, to allow users to post images from the Theta to Google Maps and Google+. According to Ricoh, these new abilities are a result of collaboration with Google to make the Theta's images compatible with Photo Sphere XMP, Google's standard for panoramic images. Click through for more details.  Read full story → Sony a7R teardown! Roger Cicala gets his hands dirty Published on Thursday, January 30, 2014 9:00:24 AM GMT When it comes to the (literal) nuts and bolts of cameras and lenses, Roger Cicala at Lens Rentals is the man to ask. This week he's been busy disassembling Sony's flagship mirrorless camera, the Alpha 7R. We're in the middle of our review right now, and we must admit - some of the pictures of his detailed tear-down make us wince. But we can't... look... away. Click through for an edited selection of images from the whole gory process.  Read full story → Zeiss announces Touit 50mm F2.8 Macro for Sony and Fujifilm mirrorless Published on Thursday, January 30, 2014 12:26:37 PM GMT Zeiss has announced an addition to its Touit family of lenses, in the shape of a 50mm F2.8 Macro. The Touit 2.8/50M is designed for mirrorless cameras with APS-C sensors, and will come in Sony E and Fujifilm X mounts. With an angle of view equivalent to 75mm on full frame, it offers 1:1 magnification for close-up shooting. Like the other Touit lenses it includes autofocus, but no image stabilisation. It will go on sale in March 2014 with a recommended price of EUR 755 (excl. VAT.) or US$ 999 (excl. VAT). Read full story → Nikon issues statement on rumored D600 / D610 swap-outs Published on Friday, January 31, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT Reports have been surfacing that Nikon is issuing new D610 cameras to customers who send in their D600s for service. It's hard to substantiate, but Nikon Rumors has been collating reports from Europe and the US which seem to show that some customers who send their D600s in for service related to the now notorious dust accumulation issue have been receiving brand new D610s in exchange. Read Nikon's statement on the matter Read full story → Iconic photographer Don McCullin on war and landscapes Published on Friday, January 31, 2014 6:00:00 AM GMT Many have seen Don McCullin's haunting pictures of conflict, but few have heard his own thoughts on his acclaimed career. Created by photographer David Sims for the Dunhill 'Voices' campaign, for three minutes and twenty seconds we are taken into the mind of one this generation's most iconic photographers. 'The majority of the last 50 years of my life has been wasted photographing wars. What good have I done showing these pictures of suffering', McCullin says. See video Read full story → Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* lab test report Published on Friday, January 31, 2014 3:48:22 PM GMT The Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* is one of the first lenses for Sony's fledgling full frame mirrorless system, and designed as a fast 'normal' prime to complement the Sony Alpha 7 and 7R. However at around $999 / £900, it costs several times as much as the 50mm F1.4 options for DSLR systems. So what exactly are you paying for? Click through for the lens test data and our analysis. Read full story → Sony releases firmware update for QX10 and QX100 Published on Saturday, February 1, 2014 2:00:00 PM GMT Originally announced in December 2013, Sony has now made available firmware updates for the QX10 and QX100 cameras that clip on to the front of your smartphone. Version 2.0 adds full HD movie recording and expands ISO settings on both cameras. The QX100 also gains an extra Shutter Priority mode. Get the update Read full story → Exposure: Chef April Bloomfield on smartphone food photography Published on Saturday, February 1, 2014 2:00:00 PM GMT Chef April Bloomfield is an avid smartphone photographer who has made something of an art posting largely behind-the-scenes shots of the work done in her kitchens. Rather than express horror at the low quality of food photographs swirling out on the Internet, Bloomfield embraces the medium, advising potential culinary photographers to hold out for good lighting or hold off altogether. Click through for a sample of her images on Connect. Read full story → SmugMug Films: Pulse-pounding aerial photography Published on Sunday, February 2, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT SmugMug, the online photo storage and sharing site, has an all-new video series that gives a glimpse into the lives of pro photographers and their work. It's a behind-the-lens look at people who follow their passions in photography. SmugMug aims to highlight a different photographer every two weeks for the rest of 2014. Learn more Read full story → Readers' Choice: Best Gear of 2013 Awards Published on Monday, February 3, 2014 8:05:00 AM GMT Before Christmas, we asked you to vote for your favorite cameras and lenses in five categories. We announced the category winners earlier this year and created a final poll to find what - in your opinion - was the single standout product of 2013. Click through for a reminder of the category winners and to find out which of the winning products was your choice for 2013 product of the year! Read full story → Hasselblad HV is restyled Sony SLT-A99 with 'tough as nails' construction Published on Monday, February 3, 2014 4:26:55 PM GMT Weeks after replacing its CEO and announcing a new 50MP CMOS-equipped medium format DSLR, Hasselblad has us scratching our heads yet again. The just-announced Hasselblad HV joins the Lunar and Stellar as a restyled Sony SLT-A99 that offers identical specifications but has a complete aesthetic overhaul and 'tough as nails' PVD-coated aluminum and titanium construction. And we thought those days were over...  Learn more Read full story → Fujifilm X-T1 real-world samples gallery Published on Monday, February 3, 2014 6:52:17 PM GMT A factory-fresh Fujifilm X-T1 arrived in our office last week, and editor Barnaby Britton spent the weekend trying it out, taking a range of sample images in different environments, with several lenses. Highlights of the X-T1's specification include a 16MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor with on-chip phase detection, high-resolution EVF and 8 fps continuous shooting with AF tracking. See our gallery and detailed first-impressions review Read full story → Challenge of Challenges 2013: the results are in Published on Monday, February 3, 2014 11:59:37 PM GMT After 4 weeks of voting the results of our annual Challenge of Challenges photo contest are in, and although it was a close contest there was a clear winner. Click here to jump straight to the results in full and to once again be impressed by the amazing photographic skills and vision of our Challenges community. Read full story →
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