Digital Photography Review Newsletter: Wednesday, 12 March 2014

	Digital Photography Review Newsletter Wednesday, 12 March 2014 The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 300,000 subscribers
Welcome to the 500th Digital Photography Review newsletter! Despite last week's numerical mix-up (80s... 90s... who remembers?) this is indeed the 500th dpreview newsletter! I would have baked a cake, but I forgot. Which is a shame, because I quite like cake. Not that I feel much like celebrating - I lost a friend yesterday. RIP, Clicky. Anyway, moving on -let's take a look at what's been happening here at dpreview.com over the past few days. Nikon D610 review The D610 is almost the exact same camera as the D600 but with a new shutter mechanism that boosts continuous shooting and adds a 'Quiet Continuous' mode. The only other upgrade is an improved auto white balance system. Although the D610 lacks some of the frills that are becoming more common in enthusiast-focused DSLRs like built-in Wi-Fi, GPS or an articulated LCD, it's still a lot of camera for the money. Do the slight updates still make the D610 a compelling option in a growing full-frame market? Find out in our review. Click here to read our in-depth review of the Nikon D610 Nikon D3300 real-world samples gallery The Nikon D3300 continues on the path of its entry-level DSLR predecessors, with plenty of built-in shooting and retouch modes, a small footprint, and beginner-friendly user interface. It has a 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter, as well as an Expeed 4 image processor. The camera's ISO range tops out at 25,600 and with continuous shooting up to 5 fps. We've been out and about with the D3300, shooting everyday situations and family life. Click here to view our gallery of real-world samples shot on the Nikon D3300 Wireless K-3 control: Pentax FluCard review The Pentax O-FC1 FluCard offers quite a bit more than just Wi-Fi image sharing and transfers, but not quite as much as some wired tethering applications. This makes it a mixed bag as a general camera tool, but one that has been entirely out of reach for Pentax for quite some time.. In light of this, is it worth the $99 price tag? Find out in our review Click here to read our review of the Pentax FluCard Mobile tools for wedding photographers As photographers struggle with the slumping economy and an ever-increasingly competitive landscape, wedding photography seems to be one of the industry's steadier income streams. People continue to get married and most hire photographers to capture their special day. And there are a handful of helpful mobile tools to help you run your business more effectively. Click here to read our article about mobile tools for wedding photographers CP+ 2014 interviews: What we learned Regular site visitors will have seen a series of interviews on dpreview over the past couple of weeks, during and after the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan. It's always interesting to speak to the people in charge of the companies that make the products we love and this year, what was most telling was the consistency of the themes that came out of our conversations. Click through for a distillation of the major themes that emerged from our CP+ interviews. Click here to read our roundup of lessons learned from our CP+ interviews What's coming up? Our reviews of the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 and the Pentax K-3, are underway and I'm hoping to edit our full review of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 in the next day or so ahead of publication next week. We've also got some interesting technical content coming too, which I'll tell you about in a forthcoming newsletter. Oh - in case you missed it, we made some changes to two of our most popular pages, our lens and camera feature search tools. We've refreshed the design and updated some of the fields, hopefully making everything more useful. Take a look and tell us what you think. Right, I'm off to get a new Apple Extended Keyboard II. But it won't be the same.... Oh well. Until next week... Barney WTD #1454 Check out What The Duck in our Link Directory GearShop update - a message from Laura GearShop update - a message from Laura Pre-order now: Panasonic has released pricing and availability for the recently announced GH4 mirrorless camera, a professional-level ILC capable of capturing 4K cinema-quality video. Get in line early for the camera and interface unit. This week's best deals: We're offering big discounts on X-Rite ColorMunki and i1 Display monitor calibrators and ColorChecker Passport color management software when purchased with select system cameras. Watch for the green deals buttons while camera shopping to find these promotions (and more)! Now through March 29th, save up to $200 on select Canon L-series lenses after mail-in rebate. Save $50 on the gold-award-winning and extremely tiny mirrorless Panasonic GM-1 camera kit. Save $170 on Sigma's 150-500mm telephoto zoom, a great solution for outdoor sports and wildlife photographers on a budget. Until next week - Laura and the GearShop Team
News updates Distinctly evolved: Fujifilm X-E2 review Published on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 6:53:00 PM GMT Fujifilm's idea of a mid-range camera is a remarkably photographer-friendly affair, and the X-E2 is the latest example of that. It's superficially similar to its predecessor, the X-E1, but adds the X-Trans CMOS II sensor that includes on-chip phase detection elements to allow continuous autofocus. It also has a nicer rear screen and built-in Wi-Fi, along with a host of small operational and feature tweaks. Is the X-E2 a photographic tool that lives up to the promise of its classic looks and control layout? Find out in our full review Read full story → Mobile World Congress 2014: the highlights Published on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 11:45:00 PM GMT 2014 is still young but the largest show for mobile devices and technology - the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona - has just shut its doors. MWC is an annual showcase of all that's new and trending in mobile technology, and we've been covering the big announcements at connect.dpreview.com. Now that the show is over, we've prepared a short article covering the highlights. Click through to read more.  Read full story → Getty to allow embedding for 'non-commercial use' of images Published on Thursday, March 6, 2014 5:24:00 AM GMT Getty Images has taken a major step towards addressing unauthorized image use by allowing low resolution embedding of images for no charge, with no watermark, on non-commercial 'blogs and social media'. Admitting that combatting widespread unauthorized image use by the world's Internet users is impractical, Getty is pitching the new embedding service, which is available for more than 35 million photographs as a legal alternative to image theft. Click through to learn more. Read full story → CP+ 2014 interviews: What we learned Published on Thursday, March 6, 2014 8:01:00 AM GMT Regular site visitors will have seen a series of interviews on dpreview over the past couple of weeks, during and after the CP+ show in Yokohama Japan. It's always interesting to speak to the people in charge of the companies that make the products we love and this year, what was most telling was the consistency of the themes that came out of our conversations. Click through for a distillation of the major themes that emerged from our CP+ interviews. Read full story → Fujifilm UK X Signature service officially launched Published on Thursday, March 6, 2014 6:58:00 PM GMT Update: Fujifilm UK has officially announced a service allowing certain X-series cameras to be customized with a range of different colors and body textures. The company showed customized cameras at The Photography Show earlier this week in Birmingham, UK, and partially functional pages for an 'X Signature' went up on its website, but the service is now live. Click through for more information. Read full story → Lowepro expands 'Passport Series' line of camera bags Published on Thursday, March 6, 2014 8:30:00 PM GMT Lowepro has announced a new 'Passport Series' of camera bags. In addition to the existing Passport Sling bag, the line now includes a backpack and messenger-style camera bag. Each bag has a removable and customizable camera compartment, internal zipped pockets and storage for a laptop or tablet. Learn more Read full story → The Photography Show 2014 - tidbits from the show floor Published on Thursday, March 6, 2014 9:30:00 PM GMT This week saw the successful launch of a new photography trade show in the UK. Called simply 'The Photography Show' and run by Future Publishing, the event ran from 1st to 4th March at the NEC in Birmingham. We spent a day there, talking to exhibitors and getting hands-on with the latest products. Click through for a selection of things we saw.   Read full story → Adobe releases Revel for Android Published on Thursday, March 6, 2014 11:58:00 PM GMT Adobe has released an Android version of its Revel app. Previously the service had only been available on mobile devices running Apple's iOS operating system. Revel is a cloud-based image and video management service that allows you to set up group libraries that are shared between friends or family members. Revel focuses on privacy, and you have full control over who can see the contents of your library. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com Read full story → EyeEm to sell user images in partnership with Getty Images Published on Friday, March 7, 2014 2:01:00 AM GMT Two weeks ago the makers of the photo app EyeEm started sending out email invitations to their users, offering to pre-register for the EyeEm Market in order to sell user images. Today EyeEm has announced on its blog that it will run the EyeEm Market in partnership with stock image giant Getty Images. Click through for more details. Read full story → Wireless K-3 control: Pentax FluCard review Published on Friday, March 7, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT The Pentax O-FC1 FluCard offers quite a bit more than just Wi-Fi image sharing and transfers, but not quite as much as some wired tethering applications. This makes it a mixed bag as a general camera tool, but one that has been entirely out of reach for Pentax for quite some time.. In light of this, is it worth the $99 price tag? Find out in our review Read full story → Giotto's launches 'Air' range of lightweight tripods Published on Friday, March 7, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT Giotto's has announced four new lightweight and compact tripods designed for travel. Coming in both aluminum and carbon fiber models, they all feature four-section legs for portability, a Y-shaped center column and include a carrying case. The new 'Air' tripods will retail from £180-£334 ($301-$559). Learn more Read full story → Sony plans March firmware update for Alpha 7 and 7R Published on Friday, March 7, 2014 6:38:00 PM GMT Sony has announced an upcoming firmware update for its Alpha 7 and 7R full-frame mirrorless cameras. Due on March 19th, the update promises faster startup speeds, improved image quality (in what respect is not clear), a pair of new downloadable apps, and 'smoother' transitions in time-lapse mode. The firmware will also add support for Fast AF (Hybrid in the case of the A7) and the focus hold buttons on the 70-200 F4 FE lens. Read full story → 500px Prime goes live, photographers now get 70% not 30% Published on Saturday, March 8, 2014 1:24:00 AM GMT A few weeks ago we reported on the announcement of 500px 'Prime' a licensing service built into the popular photography website that was designed to allow users to make some cash from their images. Originally, the service was set to offer photographers a 30% cut of image sales at a minimum price per image of $250. A lot of photographers weren't happy with the 70/30 split but now Prime is live, the terms have changed and photographers are being offered 70%, with new 'flat rate $250 pricing. Click through for more details.  Read full story → Engineering a Dream: Benjamin Von Wong profile, part 1 Published on Saturday, March 8, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT Benjamin Von Wong describes himself as a combination photographer, producer, artist, visual engineer and, perhaps more than anything, a storyteller. Few of the stories the Montreal-based shooter has to tell are as fantastic as the one that describes his own ascent to fame in the photo world. In part 1, we talk to Ben about his rapid rise to fame and how he transitioned from his day job to a full-time photography career. Learn more Read full story → What The Duck #1454 Published on Saturday, March 8, 2014 8:06:00 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 → Kickstarter project seeks funding for 'Stubilizer' GoPro mount Published on Sunday, March 9, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT When you're an inventor, you get to put your name on whatever it is you invent. That's the rule. Hence, the RockSolid Stubilizer. Dreamed up by extreme sports junkie Stuart Smith, the Stubilizer - a GoPro-compatible, plug-and-play image stabilizer - is currently seeking funding through Kickstarter to reach production. The Stubilizer uses brushless motor gimbal technology to minimize shake on up to three axis. Learn more Read full story → Nikon D3300 real-world samples gallery Published on Monday, March 10, 2014 7:01:00 AM GMT The Nikon D3300 continues on the path of its entry-level DSLR predecessors, with plenty of built-in shooting and retouch modes, a small footprint, and beginner-friendly user interface. It has a 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter, as well as an Expeed 4 image processor. The camera's ISO range tops out at 25,600 and with continuous shooting up to 5 fps. We've been out and about with the D3300, shooting everyday situations and family life. See gallery Read full story → Panasonic announces price and availability for Lumix DMC-GH4 Published on Monday, March 10, 2014 12:26:00 PM GMT Panasonic has announced pricing and availability for its flagship 4K video-recording mirrorless camera, the Lumix DMC-GH4. It'll go on sale in the UK on 5th May for £1299.99 body only, £1749.99 with 14-140mm zoom, or £2499.99 with the specialist DMW-YAGHE video interface unit. Meanwhile in the US the camera body will cost $1699.99, and the video interface unit will be $1999.99.  Read full story → Samsung Galaxy S5 hands-on video shows camera features Published on Monday, March 10, 2014 6:11:00 PM GMT The new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone offers a lot to mobile photographers with a 1/2.6-inch 16MP sensor, video with up to UHD (4K) resolution and a F2.2 lens. Samsung has recently released a Galaxy S5 hands-on video that talks about the camera and shows some of the new imaging features. See video Read full story → iOS 7.1 brings auto HDR mode to iPhone 5S Published on Monday, March 10, 2014 9:36:45 PM GMT Apple has released its first major update to iOS 7. iOS 7.1 brings a host of bug fixes and refinements, including support for Apple's CarPlay, interface and design improvements and a new Auto HDR mode to the flagship iPhone 5S. Click through to read more at connect.dpreview.com. Read full story → Stunning 360-degree view from One World Trade Center Published on Monday, March 10, 2014 10:08:00 PM GMT When an astonishing Gigapan image shot atop the Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center hit the Internet recently, few probably realized the massive undertaking that was required to capture this suddenly iconic image. In a remarkable making-of video Time's Senior Editor of Photo & Interactive, Jonathan D. Woods explains how it started with sketches on bar napkins. Learn more Read full story → Getty and Flickr to cease partnership Published on Monday, March 10, 2014 10:55:00 PM GMT Getty is back in the news, announcing in an email to contributors that its near 6-year partnership with Flickr has has ended, and will not be renewed. In the letter, Getty stresses the fact that the partnership has been terminated does not affect existing contributors' contracts, and the Flickr Collection will form the the basis of a new 'house collection' on Getty's site called 'Moment'. Click through for more details.  Read full story → Mobile tools for the wedding photographer Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 8:00:00 AM GMT As photographers struggle with the slumping economy and an ever-increasingly competitive landscape, wedding photography seems to be one of the industry’s steadier income streams. People continue to get married and most hire photographers to capture their special day. And there are a handful of helpful mobile tools to help you run your business more effectively. Learn more Read full story → Revamped camera and lens feature search now live! Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 8:36:00 AM GMT We've revamped two of our most popular site tools - our camera and lens feature search pages. We didn't want to completely reinvent the wheel, and changes mostly relate to design and user experience. The tools now look friendlier (we think), search options should be a little more logical and the process of narrowing down searches should be less confusing. We've also added a few new fields here and there while removing some outdated ones. Click through for links. Read full story → Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM | C samples gallery Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 9:00:00 AM GMT Sigma's 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM | C is the latest version of its popular stabilized superzoom lens for APS-C / DX format SLRs. It's smaller and lighter than the previous model (the 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM from 2011), but offers an updated optical design with improved close-focusing abilities. Sigma shipped us a sample a few days ago so we could try it out and we've been running around (in typically unpredictable Seattle weather) getting some real-world samples. Click through to see the shots. Read full story → Nikon launches new series of instructional videos Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 7:05:00 PM GMT Nikon has announced a new series of instructional videos featuring a lineup of pro photographers. Joe McNally, Corey Rich and Tamara Lackey offer pointers on lighting, action shooting and portraits among other topics throughout the series. In the first segment, launched today on Nikon's Google+ page, Joe McNally explains some of the fundamentals of using available light and on-camera flash to shoot a portrait. There are more videos in the pipeline, set to launch at regular intervals throughout this spring and summer. Take a look at the full schedule Read full story → Sigma to pay Nikon $14.5 million for VR patent infringement Published on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 10:07:00 PM GMT The Tokyo District Court has ruled in favor of Nikon in a patent infringement case brought against Sigma. The lawsuit, filed in 2011 and settled last month alleged that six of Sigma's interchangeable lenses infringed on certain Nikon patents relating to VR (vibration reduction) technology. Click through for more details.  Read full story →
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