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Cosina has announced the release of its Voigtlander Color-Skopar 28mm F2.8 SL II S Aspherical lens for Nikon F-mount camera systems. The lens, which is fully manual and constructed entirely of metal and glass, consists of seven elements in six groups, including a double-sided aspherical element. Cosina says the lens was designed ‘with nostalgia and functionality’ in mind as a tribute to lenses released in the mid-to-late 1960s. The all-metal helicoid focusing unit inside the lens enables a short minimum focusing distance of just 15cm (6“). Cosina has also included a build-in chip and...
Introduction Not your average viewfinder, this. As expected, the Canon EOS R3 is chock-full of some of the latest and greatest camera technology that we’ve ever seen. Much of this is due to an all-new, super-fast sensor, redesigned processor and a machine learning-trained autofocus system that readily detects humans, animals and race cars. As such, Canon is quick to point out that there is much more to the EOS R3 than just Eye Control AF – but Eye Control AF is a novel feature, despite debuting decades ago, and frankly, it’s something I thought was just going to be a gimmick. So...
Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published an an article claiming Facebook has knowingly ignored its own research that shows just how toxic Instagram is for the mental health of younger people, particularly teen girls. Facebook has since published a response, suggesting the research and Facebook’s subsequent actions pertaining to the research, were taken out of context by The Wall Street Journal. In an article titled ‘Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,’ The Wall Street Journal writers Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz and Deepa Seetharaman spend nearly...
Nikon Instruments recently announced the winners and finalists for its 47th annual Small World Photomicrography competition. Thousands of images were submitted from around the world. A panel of judges including Hank Green, Dr. Nsikan Akpan of New York Public Radio, and Dr. Hesper Rego from Yale School of Medicine selected the pool of 100 winners and honorable mentions. The First Place prize was awarded to Jason Kirk. Kirk captured around 200 images of a southern live oak leaf’s trichromes using a custom-made microscope system that combines color filtered transmitted light with diffused...
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has announced the 11T and 11T Pro, the first two devices in a new lineup from the company that sits just below its Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro devices in both price and features. Xiaomi 11T Pro The new Xiaomi 11T Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, compared to the 888+ used in the Mi 11 Pro. The front features 6.67” flat 120Hz AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 pixels) that’s capable of 1,000 nits peak brightness and can display HDR10+ content. The device runs on MIUI 12.5, which is based on Android 11. On the rear of the camera is a triple camera array,...
Smartphone manufacturer Oppo has had a busy 2021. In March, Oppo launched the Find X3 Pro smartphone, its flagship Android device. In August, Oppo unveiled its next-generation under-screen camera and showed off its new RGBW image sensor, OIS zoom camera module and 5-axis OIS technology for future smartphones. Returning to Oppo’s big March announcement, the Find X3 Pro phone. Oppo is poised to launch a special edition of the phone in partnership with iconic camera brand, Kodak. GSM Arena writes that following Oppo and Kodak announcing a partnership this month, the first new product to...
The Canon EOS R3 is here! After years in development and months in testing with selected photojournalists around the world, we’ve been able to spend some time with a late pre-production sample of Canon’s newest high-end ILC. Click through for more information about the Canon EOS R3, our thoughts on how it handles, and a breakdown of its major features.
Published Sep 15, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV recently published their first impressions review of the Canon EOS R3 with eye-controlled focus. Check out their sample gallery, which includes sports photos, to see how the images look. View the Canon EOS R3 pre-production sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story Pre-order now Released on Nov 30, 2021 We had the opportunity recently to shoot with pre-production samples of the Canon EOS R3, including a long session at a soccer practice, and a trip to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Check out what this...
Apple has just announced its iPhone 13 lineup, and one of the stand out features is the new ‘Cinematic Mode’. On the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models, Cinematic Mode allows you to adjust the aperture, or f-stop, to change the depth-of-field after you’ve shot your video. It also allows you change what’s in focus, or rack focus from one subject to another, after-the-fact. Remember the Lytro Cinema camera the size of a small car that promised the same thing? Think that… but in your pocket. With the iPhone 13/mini and iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max, you can adjust...
[embedded content] For those who don’t need all of the fancy features of the new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models, Apple also announced its iPhone 13, the base-level device for those wanting solid performance without breaking the bank. Apple also shared the details of two new iPad models, including a significantly redesigned iPad Mini. iPhone 13 The new iPhone 13 brings a slew of new improvements over its predecessor, including plenty of features and hardware that’s trickled down from Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max models revealed last year. At the heart of...
[embedded content] Apple has lifted the veil on its latest flagship mobile devices, the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. These new devices offer new features to get the most from the new hardware, which includes a new A15 Bionic chip, a triple-camera array and an updated ProMotion display—the first ever in an iPhone. iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max Apple saved the best for last during its keynotes, showing off its new and improved iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max right before the conclusion of the event. Both models feature slightly altered designs, highlighted by a new triple-camera array on...
Canon just announced its highest-end mirrorless camera ever, the $6000 EOS R3 (shipping November). The R3 has a 24 megapixel stacked BSI sensor and is capable of capturing blackout-free 30 FPS with full autofocus and auto exposure. Perhaps the most exciting feature is the eye-sensing autofocus that positions the initial focusing point wherever the photographer looks. There was a time when DSLRs had unambiguously better performance for sports and wildlife photography than mirrorless cameras, especially for autofocus tracking on fast-moving subjects. But in recent years – beginning with the...
Today, alongside the big EOS R3 announcement, Canon announced two new lenses for their RF mirrorless mount: a 16mm f/2.8 and a 100-400mm f/5.6-8. Both aim to be lightweight and portable (at least for their type of lens) and pretty inexpensive at $300 and $650 apiece. They ship in October. Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM The first of the two lenses announced today is an ultra-wide, full-frame 16mm f/2.8 that Canon says is aimed at everything from architectural interiors to usage as a webcam. But the biggest market is certain to be landscape photography, particularly among photographers who want a...
Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff Canon has announced a pair of ‘budget friendly’ lenses – one telephoto and one wide – for its RF mount. The RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM is similar in spirit to the RF 600mm F11 and RF 800mm F11 in that it’s very affordable and quite portable given its focal length range, with a slow maximum aperture being the main tradeoff. The 100-400 measures just 165 x 80mm (6.5 x 3.1 in.) in size and weighs 630 g (22.4 oz.). The lens’ built-in optical stabilization can reduce shake by up to 5.5 stops (per CIPA standard) and this increases by...
Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff After several months of drip-fed details, Canon has announced the EOS R3 – the company’s new flagship mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The 24MP R3 is based around a Stacked CMOS sensor, designed and manufactured by Canon, and featuring the company’s Dual Pixel AF technology. It also sees the revival of Canon’s Eye Control, a feature that lets you choose an AF target by simply looking at it through the viewfinder. This fast readout sensor allows shooting at up to 30 frames per second, with no viewfinder blackout and very...
Previous 1 Canon EOS R3 2 Next All product photography by DPReview The Canon EOS R3 is the company’s first high-end mirrorless camera designed for sports, wildlife and photojournalism. It’s a full-frame 24MP camera built around the ‘RF’ lens mount, and in many respects, it appears to be a flagship camera other than the lack of ‘1’ in its name. The EOS R3 is built around a Stacked CMOS sensor, which delivers fast readout for rapid shooting, responsive autofocus and low rolling-shutter video, but it also includes a host of innovative features, including the...
Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan have been using a pre-production copy of the new EOS R3. Find out what they think of it after a day of shooting sports and wildlife, including the return of Canon’s eye-controlled focus. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Full resolution Canon EOS R3 sample photos from this episode Gear in this story Canon EOS R3 Body $5,999.00 Shop now Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit, Mirrorless 4K Vlogging Camera Kit Includes EF-M 15-45mm Lens, Tripod Grip, Stereo...
Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff Canon’s EOS R3 is a truly impressive piece of kit. From its all-new 24MP stacked-CMOS sensor to Eye Control AF, there’s a lot for us to unpack here when we get full-production cameras for a full review. But in the meantime, we’ve been shooting with some pre-production units to get a feel for the camera’s potential. Check out how the Canon EOS R3 performs for peak action and some more quiet, under-the-sea moments around Seattle and Tacoma in our sample gallery. View our gallery of samples from the Canon EOS R3 Note: All images in...
We’ve done our best to provide all the detail we can about the EOS R3, but if there’s anything else you want to ask, we’ll be answering questions over on Reddit. We’ll be starting an AMA thread on Reddit’s /r/Photography forum at 4PM UTC / 12PM ET / 9AM PT. So if there are any specific details we’ve not already included in our coverage, please just ask. Click here to join in with the discussion on Reddit Gear in this story Canon EOS R3 Body $5,999.00 Shop now Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit, Mirrorless 4K Vlogging Camera Kit Includes EF-M 15-45mm...
A few months after announcing its development in June, today Nikon formally announced the compact Z-series 40mm f/2 lens and revealed its full specifications. The lens will go on sale “later this fall” according to Nikon, with a suggested retail price of $300. Here are the lens’s full specifications: Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount Focal Length: 40mm Angle of View (DX): 57° Angle of View (FX): 39° Maximum Aperture: f/2 Minimum Aperture: f/16 Aperture Blades: 9 Filter Size: 52mm Lens Elements: 6 Lens Groups: 4 Special Elements: 2 aspherical ARNEO Coating: No Nano Crystal Coating: No Super...
Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff After confirming in June that it would be available in 2021, Nikon has officially announced the Nikkor 40mm F2, a compact, affordable prime lens for the mirrorless Z-mount. Weighing only 170 g (~6 oz) the Z 40mm F2 promises to be an ideal walkaround lens for full-frame and APS-C Z-mount shooters. Optical construction comprises 6 elements in 4 groups, with a 9-bladed aperture promising ‘fantastic’ bokeh. Minimum focus is a respectable 29cm (11.4″) and the Z 40mm F2 will accept conventional 52mm screw-in filters. A rubber seal helps...
Photos Members Group Since What Does This Mean? D.O. Garcia says: Many groups, including this one, have this statement, “This group will count toward the photo’s limit (60 for Pro members, 30 for free members)” Can someone explain how this works? I really don’t understand it. Thanks, David 7:37PM, 13 September 2021 PDT (permalink) N808PV says: You are a “Pro” and can post any image to max 60 groups with such restriction. Others have a limit of max 30 groups. Any group admin would have to decide if such rule is fine but he can also opt out. 21 hours ago...
The South Australian Museum recently announced the winners and finalists for the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2021 competition. Over 2,200 images were submitted from photographers around the country. An image of a leafy seadragon hiding in shallow reefs located in the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, was declared the Overall Winner. ‘The nation-wide lockdown was declared and we were stuck for six weeks at a small campground in the Fleurieu Peninsula. This ended up being a blessing in disguise,’ winning photographer Scott Portelli explained....
100ASA is coming for Instagram. As Facebook-owned Instagram continues its shift toward video, as we wrote about in July, 100ASA believes there’s room for fresh competition and that photographers will soon be on the hunt for a photographer-focused alternative to the social media giant that is Instagram. If there’s a gap, 100ASA wants to fill it. Martech Series writes, ‘100ASA, an online community with over 10,000 photographers worldwide, has launched an app with the promise to compete directly with Instagram. Through it, photographers can showcase their work to anyone with a...
Apple has published a new support document on its website warning users that cameras on their iPhone devices can be damaged when attached to high-powered motorcycles due to the ‘high amplitude vibrations’ of their engines. In the document, Apple specifically points to the optical image stabilization (OIS) and closed-loop autofocus (AF) technologies inside its latest iPhone device and notes both of these are susceptible to performance degradation over time when exposed to the ‘extended high-amplitude vibrations,’ such as those put through the device when it’s attached, via a mount, to a...
The first Apple Silicon-powered Macs have made a big impression, but it’s safe to say that after more than a year, professional users are still waiting for something a bit more powerful. The current M1 Macs churn through most photo and video editing tasks with ease, but they’re limited to 16GB of RAM, can only support a few ports, and the M1 chip is designed to prioritize efficiency rather than performance. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like we’ll have to wait much longer to see what the M1 “unleashed” really looks like. According to the latest rumors from...
Published Sep 13, 2021 | dpreview staff We’ve been shooting with the new Fujifilm GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR for some time, on both the newly announced GFX 50S II and the 100MP GFX 100S. Check out our gallery of sample images to see what it can do in a range of different shooting situations. Our impressions so far? It’s one of the best ‘kit lenses’ we’ve ever seen. Take a look for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments. Check out samples from the Fujifilm GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR Gear in this story Pre-order now The Fujifilm GFX 50S II and its kit...
When you’re assembling a set of lenses, it can be tempting to try to cover all the important focal lengths without any gaps between them. A kit of 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm lenses is a popular one. So are sets with overlap, like a 16-35mm, 24-105mm, and 70-200mm. These are great lenses most of the time, and it’s easy to add other lenses like a 50mm f/1.4 prime or a supertelephoto to make them even more versatile. But just because those particular kits don’t have any gaps between focal lengths doesn’t mean that’s a necessary feature of a good lens set. In practice, there’s no great need...
This image, shared with permission from photographer Reuben Wu, is part of his ‘Field of Infinity’ project. It was converted into a video piece and sold on SuperRare for over 27 ETH last week. NFT sales free him up for more personal work which, in turn, attracts more paying clients. By now, you’ve likely heard of Mike Winkelmann – the artist best known as Beeple. This past March, he cemented his place ‘among the top three most valuable living artists’ after his collage of JPEGs, ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days,’ sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) at...
To commemorate the attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, EarthCam has released an incredible timelapse that spans 20 years and is made up of more than 13.3 million photographs. The six-minute video spends the first sixty seconds showing a stream of short timelapses as they were captured in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center, colloquially referred to as 9/11, as well as the recovery and demolition efforts, which spanned more than eight months. The video then switches to the start of construction of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center as...
Published Sep 11, 2021 | dpreview staff The Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 may not be technically perfect, but it’s a unique lens with a lot of character. Check out Chris and Jordan’s sample gallery from DPReview TV to get a sense of the images it can create. View the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of affordable tripods and...
Published Sep 11, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan review the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95, available in E-mount, Z-mount, and RF-mount. Find out why Chris concludes, “there’s nothing else like this lens on the market.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Full resolution sample photos from this episode Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the...
Vimeo and Dolby announced that Vimeo is the first to market to allow users to host, share and play iPhone videos shot in Dolby Vision within the Apple ecosystem. Vimeo writes, ‘Starting today, millions of Apple device users can now use Vimeo to unlock the same professional-quality video technology embraced by the world’s top storytellers.’ Dolby Vision promises to deliver rich video quality with ‘incredible brightness, contrast, color and detail.’ Dolby Vision promises highlights up to 40x brighter and blacks that are 10x darker than traditional SDR content....
Venus Optics has announced the release of the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95, the world’s fastest 35mm lens for full-frame cameras. The manual focus lens is constructed of 14 elements in nine groups, including one aspherical element, one extra-low dispersion element and four ultra-high-refractive elements. It features a fifteen blade aperture diaphragm, an aperture range of F0.95 through F16, has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (19.7”) and uses a 72mm front filter thread. Following in line with other Laowa lenses released lately, the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 features an aperture ring click switch...
After over six years serving as DJI’s VP of Policy and Legal Affairs, Brendan Schulman is parting ways with the world’s largest drone manufacturer. Image shared with permission from Haye Kesteloo of DroneXL. After serving as DJI’s Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs for over six years, Brendan Schulman is parting ways with the world’s largest drone manufacturer. He announced his exit in an email to colleagues and friends, including DroneXL’s Haye Kesteloo. Schulman will also leave the drone industry, altogether, as he starts a new job as Vice President of...
Chinese smartphone manufacturer vivo has announced the global launch of its X70 Series smartphones: the X70, X70 Pro and X70 Pro+. As with its X60 generation, the X70 generation puts a massive emphasis on photography, headlined by vivo’s ongoing partnership with Zeiss in their ‘joint pursuit of creating the ultimate mobile photography experience.’ X70 Pro+ At the top of the line is vivo’s flagship X70 Pro+, designed to offer a no-compromise experience with an impressive array of camera technology. The X70 Pro+ features the same 32MP front-facing camera module found on all X70 devices, but on...
The Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN C and Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN C are the latest additions to the company’s I series of compact, mid-paced primes. The ‘C’ indicates that they’re part of Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ range, which offers a more accessible balance between price, size and performance. The DN part of the name signifies that these lenses are ‘digital native’ designs, which is Sigma’s term for lenses designed from scratch for mirrorless cameras. Initially, both lenses will be available for Sony’s E mount and the L mount used by the...
Madeleina Schwantes, writing for 35MMC, has written a review of the Voigtlander Bessamatic Deluxe, a German-made leaf-shuttered SLR camera released in 1962. The Bessamatic Deluxe was a successor to the original Bessamatic, released three years earlier, and added a few new features to improve the user experience, including the ability to view the lens’ settings from directly inside the viewfinder. The solid, two-pound SLR uses a Voigtländer’s F. Deckel DKL lens mount and lacks a ‘quick-release’ mirror, meaning the mirror had to be lowered down by winding the film before each shot. The camera...
Leica has announced the release of its Q2 007 Edition camera system. Only 250 units of the limited-edition camera will be made to coincide with the release of ‘No Time to Die,’ the latest James Bond film, which itself has been delayed for more a year due to complications surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic. The new Leica Q2 007 Edition camera is made to celebrate the release of the 25th Bond film, which is likely the inspiration for limiting the model to just 250 units. As is usually the case for Leica’s limited-edition cameras, the internals of this version remain unchanged from the...
Lens manufacturer Irix has filled the gap between its 15mm T2.6 and 45mm T1.5 cine lenses with a moderately wide 30mm T1.5 to bring the total number of options in the range to five. This new lens joins the existing set—which includes the 11mm T4.3 and 150mm T3 models—made to cover sensors as wide as 43.3mm. The 30mm T1.5 lens will be available in mounts for cameras that record using full frame, Super35, MFT and 16mm sensors or crops. [embedded content] Irix claims the optical design produces only 0.95% distortion and two High Refractive elements are used to keep the whole thing as compact as...
Skylum has announced the next version of its Luminar photo editing software, Luminar Neo. The upcoming photo editor utilizes AI to power many of its photo editing tools, but is built upon a new image editing engine, promising improved performance. ‘As the latest member of the Luminar family, we designed Luminar Neo to allow artists to take on more challenging image creation work and achieve results which often seem unattainable,’ said Dima Sytnik, Skylum co-founder and CPO. In terms of new photo editing features, Luminar Neo includes new image relighting options. The software...
M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO (Attached to the OM-D E-M5 Mark III) OM Digital Solutions has announced it’s developing two new Micro Four Thirds lenses, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40–150mm F4.0 PRO. In addition to the development announcement, OM Digital Solutions also unveiled a detailed lens roadmap that highlights what’s to come from the Olympus brand under new ownership. M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO (Attached to the OM-D E-M5 Mark III) As their names suggests, both of these lenses will join the M.Zuiko PRO series, Olympus’ flagship lens...
Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan have a special treat for this episode: reviews of the new Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN and its 90mm F2 sibling. See how they perform and whether they should end up in your camera bag. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN sample photos from this episode Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN sample photos from this episode Gear in this story Sigma has introduced a pair of lenses in its I-series of premium primes: the 24mm F2 DG DN and 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’. The...
Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff We’ve been shooting with the Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ on a Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R for the last week and, so far, the results are impressive. It’s nice and sharp at the center, with little softness in the corners. Chromatic aberrations are well-controlled and sun stars are pleasant, though you’ll notice some ghosting in places. We’ll be adding more photos to this gallery over the next several days, so keep your eyes on the homepage for those. View our Sigma 24mm F2 sample gallery Gear in this story The GFX...
Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV just reviewed the new Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens. Check out the sample photos they shot along the way to judge image quality for yourself. If you missed their review you can watch it here. View the Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the best-known names in...
Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff Sigma has announced a pair of lenses in its ‘I-series’ of premium compact primes: the 24mm F2 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ and 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’. The lenses, designed for E- and L-mount bodies, are all-metal and feature aperture rings and weather-sealing. Both will be available later this month for $639. The 24mm F2 DG DN has 13 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical elements. One FLD (‘F’ low dispersion, similar in low dispersion and low refractive index characteristics to fluorite glass)...
The latest Fujifilm X Summit was packed with exciting announcements. From updated cameras to new lenses for the GFX and X-Series systems, there’s quite a lot to unpack. This doesn’t just include product announcements but also updated lens roadmaps and other teasers of their future plans. In total, Fujifilm talked about 8 new lenses: 4 for the X-Series and 4 for GFX. A handful of those are going to be available this year, with more to come in 2022 and beyond. As for cameras, the most anticipated announcement was that of the upcoming GFX 50s II, to be released at the end of this month. To...
Have you ever looked into your camera bag, saw numerous rear lens caps, and wondered which lens was which? Canadian company Field Made Co. hopes to make this a problem of the past with its lens identification stickers. Field Made Co. offers stickers for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Sigma and Sony lenses. For example, the Canon RF sticker set comes with 20 stickers for various RF lenses, including popular optics like the 24-70mm F2.8L IS, 50mm F1.2 L, 100mm F2.8L IS Macro and many more. Canon RF and EF lens indicator labels The indicator labels are designed to let photographers instantly identify...
Ricoh Imaging has quietly announced the GR IIIx, a new compact camera based on the popular GR III, that features a 40mm (full-frame equiv.) F2.8 lens and other improvements. At the heart of the GR IIIx is a 24.24-megapixel APS-C image sensor (6,000 x 4,000 pixels) with sensor-shift three-axis image stabilization (rated for four stops) and an updated GR Engine 6 image processor. The sensor is capable of 14-bit Raw image capture, offers a maximum sensitivity of 102,400 ISO and features an anti-aliasing filter simulator with ‘Off,’ ‘Low’ and ‘High’ settings. For video, you’re looking at Full HD...
DJI has released the latest device in their OM series of 3-axis gimbals for smartphones. Compact, lightweight, and roughly one-third smaller in size than its predecessor, the OM 5 also boasts a new ShotGuides feature, an upgrade to Active Track 4.0, a built-in extension rod, and upgraded phone clamp. It comes in two colors: Athens Gray and Sunset White. DJI says their 3-axis stabilization technology helps users create steady footage, plus some unique effects, with a few taps. A newly designed smartphone clamp fits more models compared to the OM 4. A new 215mm extension rod helps users create...
The Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM is a compact, medium-aperture wideangle zoom lens for the company’s mirrorless RF mount. Offering an advanced optical makeup, and high build quality despite its lightweight build, the 14-35mm slots in beneath the pricier – and brighter – 15-35mm F2.8 in Canon’s lineup. So how does it perform? We’ve been shooting with a production sample for a few days, and you can view our gallery from the links above and below. Our initial impressions are positive, and while it’s clear that the lens benefits from distortion correction at...
ON1 has announced an all-new version of ON1 Photo RAW. With many new features, including Sky Swap AI and NoNoise AI, ON1 Photo RAW 2022 promises to be a significant update over previous iterations. ON1 Photo RAW 2022 is made to be an all-in-one photo editing application, like prior iterations of Photo RAW. The software is a photo organizer, raw processor, layer editor and photo effects app. New to Photo RAW 2022, the application can now host Photoshop plugins. ON1 writes, ‘With a considerable amount of new features and new AI-based technologies, version 2022 will offer photographers...
[embedded content] It looks like September 14, 2021 is going to be a busy day. First, Apple announced it will be hosting a livestream event. Now, Canon has announced that it too will be hosting a livestreamed event on YouTube at 12pm CEST (+2 UTC). Canon doesn’t say what we can expect to see at the event, but the animated graphic in the teaser video shows an illustration of an RF camera mount. Make of that what you will. You can click through on the video to set a reminder on YouTube to be notified when the event goes live. The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image...
Apple has sent out invitations for its annual fall event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 1pm EDT. The event is returning to its usual September timeframe after it was pushed back into October in 2020, presumably due to issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Click to enlarge. Apple doesn’t specifically reference any products in the announcement, but the Cupertino company has historically shown off its latest iPhone devices during its autumn presentations. Rumors are aplenty, as usual, but some of the most reliable come from Mark Gurman, Bloomberg, who reported...
If you thought the megapixel wars were over, you might want to gear up once again. Samsung has revealed plans to release a 576-megapixel smartphone sensor by 2025. At the SEMI Europe Summit, which took place back on September 1, 2021, Samsung’s Senior Vice President and Head of Automotive Sensors, Haechang Lee, presented a slide showing the history of the company’s image sensor technology. As visible in the graphic below, and first reported on by Image Sensors World, the timeline highlight’s the company’s ambitions to have a 576MP smartphone sensor available within the next four years. Click...
The Fujifilm GFX 50S II and its kit lens, the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6, have just landed! If you follow the digital camera industry, the 50S II will no doubt look pretty familiar: it’s essentially the same camera body as Fujifilm’s existing GFX 100S model. But if you’re newer to the world of Fujifilm digital medium format cameras, well, then join us in a tour of the 50S II, followed by its new kit lens, and find out what’s...
Chinese lens manufacturer Zhong Yi Optics has announced the Mitakon 135mm F2.5. A fast, manual telephoto portrait lens for full-frame DSLR and mirrorless camera systems. The lens is constructed of nine elements in seven groups, including two extra-low dispersion and two ultra-high refraction elements. It has a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, an aperture range of F2.5 through F22, a minimum focusing distance of 100cm (4′) and uses a 67mm front filter thread. Despite offering a 135mm focal length, the lens is rather compact at just 137mm (5.4″) long by 79mm (3.1″) in diameter...
I had no idea, when I boarded the Boeing 787 at Heathrow in May 2019, that I wouldn’t see my friends, much of my family, or my homeland, for over two years. This inability to return has, with time, started to rub. Not to the point of becoming unbearable, but enough that it keeps catching my attention: ‘much of what you care about is a long way away, and there’s nothing you can do about that.’ Not that the past eighteen-or-so months have been much fun for anybody, but this was a distinct component of the emotional white noise that I recognized I was finding harder and harder to tune-out....
Published Sep 5, 2021 | dpreview staff It’s not a new lens, but the Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 STM still sets the standard for optics in Canon’s mirrorless EF-M range. We’ve been shooting with, and enjoying the 32mm F1.4 for some time, and with summer starting (finally) to fade here in Seattle, we’ve taken this opportunity to update our previously-published gallery with some samples from Canon’s 32MP EOS M6 Mark II. Click to view our gallery of samples from the Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 STM Gear in this story The EF-M 32mm F1.4 is a welcome addition to Canon’s APS-C...
Finalists across six categories, including Collective Portfolio, Youth Photographer of the Year, and Conservation have been announced for the second annual Ocean Photography Awards. Public voting to decide the winners is currently open. Winners will be announced in a series of videos that will air September 10th – 16th. An open-air exhibition will be available to the public on September 17th alone the River Thames, close to Tower Bridge. ‘As a keen scuba diver and underwater photographer, I appreciate what it takes to capture extraordinary photographs of the ocean: passion, skill and...
Fujifilm’s XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR is the latest in a series of primes from the company that offer modern alternatives to some of the first optics in the X-mount system. I say ‘offer alternatives’ rather than replace, because the company says the 33mm won’t replace the nine-year-old XF 35mm F1.4 R and instead both will be available alongside one another. Although Fujifilm also announced a 23mm F1.4 sister lens alongside the 33mm, it’s the longer lens that will become available first. It’s expected to arrive later this month at a price of...
Published Sep 4, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan analyze all the announcements from Fujifilm’s recent X Summit: GFX 50S II, X-T30 II, new X-mount lenses, new GF-mount lenses, and a teaser for a stacked CMOS sensor and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Fujifilm has announced the GFX 50S II, a 50 Megapixel medium-format...
Published Sep 4, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV just reviewed the Fujifilm GFX 50S II. Check out their sample gallery to judge image quality for yourself – and to see some sweet interpretive dance moves by Jordan. View the Fujifilm GFX 50S II sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Fujifilm has announced the GFX 50S II, a 50 Megapixel medium-format camera that will cost just $4000. It...
Many new photographers find that while shutter speed, aperture, and ISO make sense in theory, it is hard to know where to start in practice. Even if you understand basic camera settings, getting high quality photographs – especially indoors – is not always an easy task. In other words, maybe you have a basic understanding of the exposure triangle… but now what? How do you actually take a good photograph in low light or bad lighting conditions, like those often found indoors? That’s what I’m going to cover today. However, instead of a list of tips, I’m going to go through some common problems...
Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, whose photos we’ve featured before, recently captured photos of the Aurora Australis, otherwise known as the southern lights (the counterpart to northern lights for the southern hemisphere). While photographing the brilliant night sky spectacle from Earth is interesting enough, to do so from outer space is even cooler. Further distinguishing Pesquet’s image is the blue color of the southern lights, a rare hue for the phenomenon. Blue Aurora Australis only occurs with specific, unusual geomagnetic conditions. It’s typical to see a green or pink...
Published Sep 3, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] In this review Chris and Jordan explain why they’re pretty impressed with Fujifilm’s new XF 33mm F1.4 prime lens. They also provide a head-to-head comparison against Fujifilm’s older 35mm F1.4 lens to see how they differ. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Full resolution sample photos from this episode Gear in this story Pre-order now The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price...
Published Sep 3, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan have been busy this week! This gallery features full resolution sample images from their review of the new Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 prime. Take a trip to Canada’s Maritime provinces and enjoy the tail end of summer. View the Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story Pre-order now The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of...
[embedded content] Stephen Dowling, founder of Kosmo Foto, has published the its inaugural camera overview video to its YouTube channel. And to kick things off, the Kosmo Foto team has gone with a rather quirky camera—the KMZ Start. This interesting little camera was developed back in the 1950s by one of the Soviet Union’s largest camera manufacturers, KMZ. The camera was only in production for half a decade, and barely known in the west, but as Dowling explains in the video, it actually beat the Nikon F to market, a camera often thought of as the first professional SLR camera. The...
[embedded content] Just a month after announcing its new 150–600mm F5–6.3 DG DN OS ‘Sports’ lens for E and L mounts, Sigma is back with a teaser for another announcement on September 9, 2021. In a video premiere posted to YouTube, Sigma says it has a ‘New Products Presentation’ planned for 12:00 PM UTC on Thursday, September 9, 2021. As has been the case for past teasers, no information has been shared at this time regarding what kind of products we can expect to see. Whatever the case is, you might want to mark your calendars and set a reminder via YouTube so you don’t miss out. The GFX 50S...
Asus has announced a pair of new laptops designed for visual artists, including photographers. The new ProArt Studiobook and Vivobook Pro models join the existing Zenbook Pro series to offer customers more options at different performance, feature and price levels. The newly-formed trio of notebooks includes 4K OLED HDR displays. The displays are VESA DisplayHDR 600 True Black certified. To meet Pantone Validated standards, the displays are calibrated at the factory before being shipped to consumers. The new ProArt Studiobook adds Calman Verified status, promising 100% coverage of the DCI-P3...
Winners of the 2021 Bird Photographer of the Year awards were announced today. Over 22,000 images were submitted from around the globe. Mexican photographer Alejandro Prieto took home the £5,000 grand prize for his image of a roadrunner standing next to the 3,000km-long US–Mexico border. ‘The border wall crosses deserts, mountains, and even mangroves. It is not just desert, and is in fact very biodiverse with more than 1,500 animal and plants species threatened by the wall,’ says Prieto. ‘I have watched many different animals reach the wall before turning around and heading...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has announced the 51 Megapixel GFX 50S II camera that – at $4000 – is the cheapest medium-format digital camera that’s ever been released. The 50S II is largely similar to the GFX 100S, but with a lower resolution sensor and a lack of 4K video capability. Relatively compact in size, the GFX 50S II offers in-body stabilization, with up to 6.5 stops of shake reduction. (The IBIS system can also be used to create ultra-high-res 205MB images.) The camera has a substantial grip and has plenty of room on the top plate for dials and an OLED info...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan tell us what they think of Fujifilm’s new GFX 50S II medium format camera. They also compare it to the GFX 100S, revealing some important differences that go beyond resolution. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Fujifilm GFX 50S II sample gallery from this episode Gear in this story Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of affordable tripods and supports, but not necessarily for the best of reasons. With the LM-364C, Leofoto appears to offer some...
We’ve been shooting a pre-production copy of Fujifilm’s new XF 33mm F1.4 prime lens. We’re pretty impressed, but check out our sample gallery to see the results for yourself. View the Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 pre-production sample gallery Gear in this story Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of affordable tripods and supports, but not necessarily for the best of reasons. With the LM-364C, Leofoto appears to offer some innovation and high value – so how does it perform? The 2021 ASUS Zephyrus G14 offers a phenomenal combination of performance, power efficiency,...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm quietly announced upgrades to two X-series models. The X-T30 II is the same as its predecessor, except for its higher-resolution LCD (1.68M-dot versus 1.04M-dot) and additional memory. The latter allows it to perform as robustly as the X-T4. The X-T30 II does not include a battery charger and will come in silver and black. It will be priced at $899 body-only, $999 when paired with the XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom and $1299 with the 18-55mm F2.8-4 lens. There’s also a ‘new’ X-T3, known as the X-T3 WW (worldwide). This is the...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has announced two new prime lenses for its APS-C format X-mount – the XF 23mm F1.4 R LM WR and XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR, covering equivalent focal lengths of 35mm and 50mm respectively. The lenses are nominally similar in terms of construction, each comprising 15 elements in ten groups, with two aspherical and three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements. The aspherical elements help maintain cross-frame consistency at wide apertures, while the ED elements significantly reduce chromatic aberrations relative to previous, similar designs. Both...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has just announced the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR zoom lens for their GFX line of medium-format digital cameras. Offering a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 28-55mm, it’s intended as a lightweight, everyday walkaround zoom lens that doesn’t compromise on image sharpness or build quality. When ‘collapsed’, the lens is just 74mm (2.9″) long. The GF 35-70mm has 11 lens elements in nine groups, including one aspherical element and two extra-low dispersion (ED) elements. It also features a close-focusing distance of 35cm...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has unveiled its latest development roadmap for X and GF-series lenses, for the company’s APS-C and medium-format mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, respectively. A total of 17 lenses are on the roadmap, now including a GF 55mm F1.7 – a standard prime equivalent to 44mm in full-frame terms – and a wide-angle zoom, the GF 20-35mm (equivalent to 16-28mm). Fujifilm has also teased the development of an upcoming tilt-shift lens in the GF line, but we’re still waiting for details of focal length and aperture. Click to enlarge...
Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff When combined with the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 lens, the GFX 50S II makes for a pretty solid travel photography package. Sure, this combo isn’t the most compact option out there, but it’s also not appreciably larger than most of the full-frame DSLR kits that many of us trekked along with on vacations of years past. So peruse our gallery and get a feel for how the GFX 50S II and its kit lens perform on holiday, and while you’re at it, you might even get a bit of a feel for the English countryside as well. Gear in this story Leofoto is one...
The Fujifilm GFX 50S II is the company’s third 50 Megapixel medium format mirrorless camera, and the first to feature in-camera stabilization. In almost every respect, the 50S II is a lower-res version of the GFX 100S, sharing more with its high pixel-count sibling than it does with the original GFX 50S. The means it benefits from all the refinements Fujifilm has introduced in the five years since the first GFX 50S was launched but also sees some features pared back. It’s also Fujifilm’s least expensive medium format camera to date, making the 44 x 33mm format more...
Fujifilm has used its latest X Summit event to announce the GFX 50S II. The event, taking place in Japan and live-streamed on YouTube can be viewed below. GFX 50S II The GFX 50S II uses the same 50MP sensor as its existing cameras, and adds image stabilization and the same ‘X Processor 4’ chip used in the GFX 100S. The new chip improves AF speed and face/eye detection performance, the company says. The in-body image stabilization system is also used to offer a 200MP, 16-shot high resolution mode. The new camera offers 19 Film Simulations, and there are over 100 new features and...
[embedded content] RED Digital Cinema has announced the V-RAPTOR ST, its latest flagship 8K cinema camera that can record REDCODE RAW video at up to 120fps. The $24,5000 cinema camera, which features a Canon RF lens mount, is the first in RED’s new DSMC3 generation of cameras and manages to pack a lot of features in a relatively compact form factor. At the heart of the V-RAPTOR ST is an 8K VV 35.4-megapixel CMOS sensor (8192 x 4320 pixels) that measures 40.96mm (1.61”) x 21.60mm (.85”) and is capable of capturing over 17 stops of dynamic range. In front of the sensor is a Canon RF lens mount...
The original Canon EOS-1D is coming up on its 20th birthday this November. The DSLR, which is quite large by today’s standards, was Canon’s first foray into the professional digital camera market. The EOS 1D series itself survives to this day, with 2020’s EOS-1D X Mark III continuing to see heavy use among professional photographers in the face of mirrorless alternatives from Canon itself and competing brands. What’s it like shooting with a 20-year-old camera? Does the Canon EOS-1D hold up, even today? Photographer Eduardo Pavez Goye wanted to answer this question in...
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has announced the finalists for its 2021 competition, showcasing hilarious photos of a ‘laughing’ vine snake, a ‘waving’ dragonfly and a monkey that looks like he regrets not wearing groin protection. ‘The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards was co-founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Johnson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, who wanted to create a competition that focused on the lighter side of wildlife photography and help promote wildlife conservation through humour,’ reads the competition’s press release. ‘This year, the competition is...
Mt. St. Helens abstract, winter. Super resolution of this Canon 5D Mark III image from 2013 yields an 88.5 MP file ripe for a super large canvas print. Photo: Rishi Sanyal Back in March, Senior Principal Scientist Eric ‘I like to mess around with pixels’ Chan published a blog post on Adobe.com outlining the strides he and his team had made at Adobe using machine learning to make your photos better. Along with collaborators Michaël Gharbi and Richard Zhang of Adobe Research, Eric and the team produced a tool that extracts more detail from your photos without the typically...
Photos Members Group Since Margaret Magpie’s Snaps says: disappointed that you rejected my photo of my King Parrot but accepted one of a Kagaroo Paw flower taken in bunnings?? Do not mind being rejected but….. 10:22PM, 31 August 2021 PDT (permalink) Would you like to comment? Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you’re already a...
Published Sep 1, 2021 | dpreview staff Panasonic has announced its Lumix S 24mm F1.8 lens for L-mount. This lightweight lens features 12 elements in 11 groups, including three aspherical lenses. Three extra-low dispersion and one ultra extra-low dispersion elements help suppress chromatic aberrations. It uses a linear motor to drive the focus group for swift and silent autofocus, and Panasonic says that the lens has been designed to minimize focus breathing. The minimum focus distance of the 24mm F1.8 is 24cm (9.5″) and the maximum magnification is 0.15x. The 24mm F1.8 is designed to...
Published Sep 1, 2021 | dpreview staff We’ve been using Panasonic’s new Lumix S 24mm F1.8 L-mount lens for the last few days, and generally we like what we’ve seen so far. The only negative we’ve found in our initial shooting is occasional flare – check out the results for yourself, in our sample gallery. View our Panasonic Lumix S 24mm F1.8 gallery Gear in this story Panasonic LUMIX S Series Camera Lens, 24mm F1.8 L-Mount Interchangeable Lens for Mirrorless Full Frame Digital Cameras, S-S24 $899.99 Shop now Panasonic LUMIX Professional 8-18mm Camera Lens, G...
[embedded content] Late last night, Jarred Land, the CEO and Co-Owner of RED Digital Cinema, has shared a teaser on Instagram that appears to show off a new camera capable of recording 8K video at up to 120 frames per second (fps). Alongside Land’s teaser, the RED Digital Cinema YouTube channel also listed premiere, embedded above, for an event that will take place tomorrow, September 1, 2021, at 1pm EDT. Land’s Instagram post doesn’t divulge any details in the text, which only reads ‘2 more sleeps.’ However, the image he shared shows the menu screen of an unreleased camera that reveals a...
Polaroid has announced the Polaroid Now+, a new i-Type instant camera that offers a unique feature set via Bluetooth connectivity. The Polaroid Now+ looks similar to nearly all of its One Step-style predecessors. But inside, it packs a slew of new shooting modes that are controlled with Polaroid’s free mobile application (Android, iOS). Specifically, the Now+ features special modes: Aperture Priority, Double Exposure, Light Painting, Manual Mode and Tripod Mode. Aperture Priority mode lets users manually control the aperture, from F11 to F32. This isn’t going to give you the usual full-frame...
Nowadays, it’s easy to take autofocusing lenses for granted. However, in the grand scheme of photography’s history, autofocus is a relatively recent innovation. In Canon’s rich photographic history, the EF mount introduced in 1987 likely stands out as the beginning of autofocus for the company. However, Canon’s previous FD mount had a special lens among its manual focus optics, the Canon FD 35-70mm F4 AF, which was originally released back in 1981. In a new video from Kai W, he goes hands-on with the Canon FD 35-70mm F4 AF adapted to a Sony A1 mirrorless camera....
As part of the process of our review of the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II, we’ve just shot and processed the studio scene images, to see how it compares with its predecessor. At base ISO there’s no appreciable difference between the GH5 II and the original version. There’s a slight improvement in apparent sharpness, but this is likely to be due to the use of a more expensive lens on the newer model. As with the original GH5 there are hints of moiré, which makes sense, given the absence of an anti-aliasing low-pass filter. At very high ISOs there appears to be a slight ISO...
If you’re looking for good weekend reads in photography – enjoyable books that also serve as education and inspiration – this list is for you. The books I cover below are all memoirs by photographers detailing their creative, photographic, and artistic journeys. Some read like novels and others are crash courses in living a creative life. All of them are exceptionally inspiring for photographers and photo enthusiasts. Table of Contents If you have ever wondered what it’s like to work as a photojournalist covering some of the largest military operations and conflicts in modern history, or if...
LEGO Ideas user Pandis Pandus has submitted an idea to LEGO that is sure to excite photographers and Leica fans, in particular, a LEGO Ur-Leica camera from 1914. If the idea garners enough support, it may become a real LEGO product that you could buy in stores one day. If you’re unfamiliar with the LEGO Ideas program, it’s an online place for creative LEGO enthusiasts to submit concept LEGO set ideas, like those you can purchase in stores. It takes a while for an idea to become a fully-fledged consumer product, of course, but it’s still a viable way for fresh ideas to make...
The fully extended Leofoto LM-364C with a compact (non-Leofoto) gimbal, full-frame camera, and 500mm prime lens. Leofoto is a brand of Laitu Photographic, a manufacturer that has been making tripods, heads and accessories since 2014, both under their own name and for other brands. The early products from the Leofoto brand were clearly ‘inspired’ by the designs and appearances of successful products from other companies. However, they have recently developed some of their own innovative gear, as well as a broad catalog of photographic accessories; from plates and clamps to straps...
The International Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) has announced the results for its inaugural IGPOTY National Trust Calke Abbey special photo competition, ‘Captured at Calke.’ What’s unique about this free-to-enter photo competition is that all images were captured at Calke Abbey, a country house estate near Ticknall, Derbyshirt, England. Calke Abbey is believed to have been founded as an Augustinian priory by Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester sometime between 1115 and 1120. Over the centuries, it exchanged hands multiple times, with each new owner adding their own touch to the...
Cascaded generation of unconditional 1024×1024 faces. Thanks to CSI, as well as plenty of other crime dramas, the phrase ‘Enhance’ has taken on a life of its own as a tongue-in-cheek way of attempting to digitally extract extra information from low-resolution images that simply isn’t feasible in real-world situations. Or is it? A new blog post on the Google AI Blog showcases a new technology its developed to upscale low-resolution images with incredible results. The blog post, titled ‘High Fidelity Image Generation Using Diffusion Models,’ explains how Google researchers have developed...
Published Aug 28, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan are taking a well-deserved break this week, so we’re re-posting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. In this humorous video they discuss the right way – and the wrong way – to clean a lens. Beware of broken glass! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. The Nikon Z fc is a midrange ILC with the same eye-catching design as the company’s classic film cameras. It’s not just a good-looking camera, though: it’s quite capable. Read our review to...
The ASUS Zephyrus G14 is a new breed of powerful, portable laptop made possible by the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs. All product photography by DL Cade. When it comes to lightweight laptops for creatives, Apple pretty much cornered the market with the release of the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro. The price-to-performance of these laptops is better than anything we’ve seen from Cupertino in a long time, and the Apple Silicon M1 punches well above its weight given its ‘entry-level’ designation. But what if you’re not a Mac fan? What if 16GB of unified memory isn’t...
Zeiss has announced it will be increasing the price of its lenses in the United States starting October 1, 2021. According to a graphic, embedded below and shared by Leica Rumors, lenses in the Batis and Loxia lines will increase by $50 per unit, while the Milvus (ZE & ZF.2) and ZM lenses will increase by $75 and $100 per unit, respectively. Zeiss’ T* UIV and POL filters will increase by 10% each. If you’re already in the market for one, you might want to pick one up within the next month. Otherwise, count on shelling out a little more cash to get your hands on the Zeiss lens of your...
Zeiss has announced it will be increasing the price of several of its lines of lenses in the United States starting October 1, 2021. According to a graphic, embedded below and shared by Leica Rumors, lenses in the Batis and Loxia lines will increase by $50 per unit, while the Milvus (ZE & ZF.2) and ZM lenses will increase by $75 and $100 per unit, respectively. Zeiss’ T* UIV and POL filters will increase by 10% each. If you’re already in the market for one, you might want to pick one up within the next month. Otherwise, count on shelling out a little more cash to get your hands on the...
Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optics has announced that seven of its specialist Laowa lenses are now available in additional mirrorless camera system mounts. The lenses concerned are the 9mm T2.9, 12mm T2.9 and 15mm T2.1 cine lenses, the famous 24mm macro probe lens, 4mm and 9mm fisheyes and the Argus 33mm F0.95 CF APO. The new mounts will allow these lenses to work with L, Nikon Z, Canon RF and Canon EOS-M cameras, but none of the lenses will come in all the mounts, as seen in the chart below: The new mounts are available to purchase now. For more information see the Laowa website. Venus...
Lighting manufacturer and research company Prolycht has introduced a six-color LED version of its Orion 300 spotlight that it says produces a much wider gamut of colors and is more able to accurately emulate ambient light sources than regular RGB models. The new Orion 300 FS (Full Spectrum) adds Amber, Lime and Cyan LEDs to the standard Red, Green and Blue mix to produce a much more flexible light. Prolycht’s founder, Anqing Lui, says the new light outputs parts of the blue/yellow and green spectrum that other lights can’t, while also offering a white balance range from 2000-20,000 kelvin –...
Two different approaches to external Thunderbolt storage, fast or flexible If you’re looking for fast portable external drives, and your PC or Mac has the right port, then Thunderbolt is the way to go. However, choosing the right drive can be tough. For a start there are multiple generations of Thunderbolt and it can be confusing. Here I’m looking at solutions using Thunderbolt 3, which looks like a USB Type-C socket but has a lightning flash icon next to it, to indicate its compatibility with the Thunderbolt protocol. Thunderbolt 3 can, theoretically, support data transfer...
[embedded content] HBO’s series ‘Hard Knocks, The Dallas Cowboys’ has a special section in episode 3. A drone gives a first-person view of the 91-acre campus, including the surrounding facilities. The exhilarating 3-minute clip was the result of a collaborative effort between NFL Films and Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Sky Candy Studios. For three minutes, viewers take in the entirety of the football field, get behind-the-scenes access to the locker room, and even get a tour of the surrounding restaurants. According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports, the team had three hours...
Have you ever been frustrated when trying to restore your photo library following a computer crash or when setting up a new computer? If so, ON1’s upcoming feature should alleviate the issue and save you a lot of time. ON1 is teasing a new back-up and restore feature. ON1 Photo RAW has always been a photo browser at its core. Everything you do within the software gets saved as a sidecar file along with each photo. However, while it’s easy to transfer your images with edits from computer to computer or to restore after a crash, it’s more challenging to transfer your albums,...
Nikon’s Z fc is an APS-C mirrorless camera that combines Nikon’s new Z lens mount with looks and controls that recall the company’s classic FM and FE-series film SLRs. The Z fc is the second crop-sensor Nikon camera to use the company’s Z-mount and is built around the same 20.9MP sensor as the Nikon Z50, but it gains dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation to go with its throwback styling. Nikon says it’s aiming the camera at a younger, style-conscious audience. Key specifications 20.9MP CMOS sensor Burst shooting up to 11 fps with full...
The Nikon Z series lenses are very expensive. Ok, you can use the adaptor to Nikon F Mount, but for what do you wanna buy Z series body without Z lenses? If there’s no limitation for your bucks ok. Otherwise it’s better to buy F Mount like D750/D780 or D810.
Sigma has released the latest version of its Sigma Optimization Pro 1.7.0 software, bringing with it new features for both the macOS and Windows version, as well as native support for Apple silicon. Sigma’s USB Dock that’s used to update firmware on Sigma Art, Contemporary and Sport lenses. Sigma Optimization Pro is a free program used to update firmware and tweak the settings of Sigma’s lenses, speedlights and mount converters using its USB docks. Version 1.7.0 of the program is rather minor, but is notable in that it brings native support to Apple’s M1 computers, which should...
Tamron has announced the forthcoming release of its latest all-in-one APS-C zoom lens for Sony E-mount camera systems, the 18–300mm F3.5–6.3 Di III-A VC VXD. The lens, which is roughly a 27–450mm full-frame equivalent, is constructed of 19 elements in 15 groups, including three hybrid aspherical elements and four low dispersion (LD) elements. It features a maximum aperture range of F3.5 through F6.3, a minimum aperture range of F22 through F40, uses a seven-blade circular aperture diaphragm and has a 67mm front filter thread. Optical construction diagram of the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di...
I recently published an article about the best lenses for the Nikon Z7 and Z7 II, but the list expands a bit for lower resolution sensors. In this article, I’ll go through every Nikon Z lens plus some F-mount lenses to see how they perform on the Z5, Z6, and Z6 II. First, I want to clarify something. Bad lenses do not get any sharper or better on a low-resolution sensor. What happens instead is that the gap between good versus great lenses gets narrower when you don’t have as many pixels; you’re not able to see minor differences or flaws in the lenses as easily. The result is that the list...
Godox has announced the V860 III speedlight, which is an updated version of the existing V860 II. The new model includes all the features of its predecessor, plus several new features, such as a front-facing modeling light. The V860 III, also known as the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL at Adorama, offers improved battery life and performance, a hot-shoe quick-release lock and a ‘quick switch’ for better control of the speedlight. Using the ‘quick switch,’ you can swap between manual and TTL modes. Godox V860 III The 2W LED modeling light, which is a key new feature,...
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3. It’s been discovered Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone will automatically disable the cameras on the device if you unlock the bootloader in an attempt to root the device. For those unfamiliar with the terms, a bootloader is a security checkpoint of sorts that runs upon turning the mobile device on and tells is where to load the operating system from on the device and checks to ensure the Android version its loading is authentic. All Android phones ship with a locked bootloader as a security measure, but for those who want to install a custom ROM to get...
Keeping your gear safe can be a tricky – and expensive – proposition. A longtime favorite for traveling and professional photographers and videographers are hard cases. With custom-fitted padded inserts, a hard case is a great way to store and protect your gear. Over at CineD, they’ve written about ready-made hard cases for a wide variety of camera brands and models. The cases are made by HPRC, whose name stands for High Performance Resin Cases. We’re sure that some of you have heard of HPRC. But, for those who haven’t, the company offers numerous case and storage...
Canon’s RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM is billed as a more affordable, lightweight alternative to the flagship wide-angle zoom for RF mount, the RF 15-35mm F2.8. We’ve been shooting with it for a few days (watch this space for a full gallery of samples soon) and so far, our impressions of this compact ultrawide are very positive. Click through this article for a closer look at its features, specifications and handling...
Photos Members Group Since Upgrade to D7100 North for Short says: What would you consider an upgrade to a D7100. There is a limited budget of £750 and I could part ex my old camera body. I was looking at a D810 and D750. Over to you guys. 1:46PM, 24 August 2021 PDT (permalink) Would you like to comment? Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you’re already a...
For their 19th competition, All About Photo (AAP) Magazine asked entrants to submit images that reveal the elements that abstract light, texture, shape and shadow. 25 winners from 13 countries were selected. The 3 winners split a cash prize of $1,000. All winning images, with links to their respective series, can be viewed on AAP’s site. They’ll also be published in the magazine’s print...
The Reflex modular 35mm SLR system was announced way back in 2017. It was the first newly-designed manual 35mm SLR system to be announced in more than 25 years. The modular camera promised personalization and customization through its ability to use different film backs and lens mounts. However, per PetaPixel, the Reflex SLR project is experiencing major issues in developing a prototype. The project raised more than £131,000 on Kickstarter in 2017. Since then, issues developing a prototype have resulted in the Reflex team burning through the money it raised from backers, with no prototype to...
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recently explored Mount Sharp. The mountain is 8km (5 mi) tall and is within the 154km-wide (96 mi) basin of Mars’s Gale Crater. Curiosity captured a new 360-degree panorama at Mount Sharp, revealing its diverse terrain and shedding light on the area’s ancient environment. NASA writes, ‘Images of knobbly rocks and rounded hills are delighting scientists as NASA’s Curiosity rover climbs Mount Sharp, a 5-mile-tall (8-kilometer-tall) mountain within the 96-mile-wide (154-kilometer-wide) basin of Mars’ Gale Crater. The rover’s...
Capture One has announced a development update, confirming it will bring two of its most-requested features to its photo editing applications in December 2021: HDR and panorama merging. The new features, which will be released alongside Capture One 22 later this year, will allow users to merge multiple photographs to create high dynamic range (HDR) images and panorama images. The addition of these features should help simplify the workflow of photographers who rely on these features and have previously had to use other programs, such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, to merge their HDR...
Published Aug 24, 2021 | dpreview staff The Pentax K-3 Mark III is Ricoh’s latest flagship APS-C DSLR, and sports a new 26MP sensor, updated autofocus and refined ergonomics and features. With our full review only days away, we took the opportunity to update our previously-published gallery of sample images with several new shots taken in and around the Seattle area. Click here to view our updated gallery of samples from the Pentax K-3 III Gear in this story Surely you’ve already watched our video review on the Pentax K-3 Mark III. Now it’s time to take a closer look at...
The largest national news agency in the United Kingdom and Ireland, PA (formerly known as the Press Association), has announced a deal with Sony to have its photographers shoot with Sony cameras and lenses. PA was founded 153 years ago, in 1868, and its parent company is PA Media Group Limited. PA Media Group Limited is a private company owned by 26 shareholders that are primarily UK-based newspapers, like the Daily Mail. PA has over 90 staff photographers and video journalists working in the UK and Ireland, and the process of switching them all over to Sony’s full-frame Alpha...
[embedded content] When it comes to film photography, the development process tends to have two extremes: it’s either done by hand in small batches or with large, expensive machines. FilmNeverDie, an Melbourne-based film photography company, is hoping to change that though with a new product they call the Compact Processor 800, which is currently being funded on Kickstarter. The main CP800 unit, without the tank section attached. This machine, nicknamed the CP800, is the company’s latest fully-automated rotary drum film processor. It can process up to eight rolls of 35mm film or four rolls...
[embedded content] Lens accessory manufacturer Megadap has announced the ETZ11, the first automatic adapter for mounting Sony E mount lenses on both full-frame and APS-C Nikon Z mirrorless camera systems. The ETZ11 supports a ‘wide variety’ of both first- and third-party Sony E mount lenses. Specifically, Megadap says it’s tested both automatic and manual shooting with Samyang (Rokinon), Sigma, Sony, Tamron, Voigtlander and Zeiss lenses. The adapter supports both AF-S and AF-C autofocus capabilities as well as aperture control and in-body image stabilization (IBIS), even with non-chipped...
Enter the Showman In my last article, we discussed the first image makers, up until the late 1820s when Niepce had actually been able to make images using a camera obscura and silver plates coated with Bitumen of Judea. On his way to England, Niepce had been introduced to a most interesting man, Louis Daguerre, by Charles Chevalier, the lensmaker they both used. Daugerre was in almost every way the opposite of Niepce. Unlike the landed Niepce, Daguerre was the son of a clerk. Because of Louis’ artistic talent his father had apprenticed him to an architect hoping that he would make something...
Upsampling is a tool in most post-processing software that allows you to increase an image’s resolution after taking it. Upsampling lets you boost, say, a 24 megapixel image to 48 megapixels, 96 megapixels, or 240 megapixels! But doing so doesn’t mean you’re actually capturing more detail. This article covers everything you need to know about upsampling, including the best upsampling software today and my recommendation for how much to upsample a photo. Table of Contents What Is Upsampling? Upsampling is a tool in post-production software to increase resolution. It’s most common in...
Published Aug 21, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan review six popular camera shoulder bags, including models from Peak Design, Lowepro, Think Tank, Wotancraft, Vanguard and Manfrotto. Find out what they like about each, and which ones they picked for their own use. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. ProMediaGear is well-known within the photography industry for their long-lens gimbals and flash brackets , but with the Pro-Stix TR344, this family-run company is making a play for the premium ‘systematic’ tripod...
Qualcomm technology was involved in developing the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, for the first powered flight on another planet four months ago. Now they’re back to focusing on this planet. Recently, Qualcomm announced the first-ever commercial drone platform that’s enabled with 5G connectivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The chipmaker’s Flight RB5 5G Platform enables both technologies making this drone suitable for a multitude of industries including mapping, photography, film, inspections, and emergency response. It can also perform safer beyond-visual-line-of-sight...
Zenfolio has launched a new all-in-one business solution for professional photographers, Zenfolio ProSuite. It’s the third new plan that Zenfolio has launched since revamping earlier this year, in addition to the previously announced Portfolio and Portfolio Plus plans. While Portfolio and Portfolio Plus were designed for photographers of any skill level, particularly aspiring and part-time photographers, ProSuite is aimed squarely at advanced professional photographers. Where Portfolio offers 15GB of storage and Portfolio Plus includes 100GB, ProSuite has 1TB of storage. ProSuite...
Blackmagic Design has announced a major price reduction for its URSA Mini Pro 12K camera. The new price is $5,995, a 40% discount from its previous $9,995 MSRP. Blackmagic has also announced a new version of DaVinci Resolve, bringing the version to 17.3, adding native Apple Silicon support and more. The URSA Mini Pro 12K has a 12,288 x 6480 12K Super 35 image sensor with 14 stops of dynamic range with a native ISO of 800. The 80MP image sensor works with new color science and records Blackmagic RAW files. Blackmagic writes, ‘Oversampling from 12K gives you the best 8K and 4K images...
In this week’s edition of Film Friday, photographer Matt Wright, writing for 35MMC, breaks down everything you should consider before picking a film stock to shoot with. His in-depth guide starts on the technical side of things, wherein he explains the intricacies involved with digitizing negatives and provides examples that highlight how important the scanning hardware and post-processing workflow can be towards getting the best scan. From there, he breaks down the different characteristics of film stocks and explains how each may — or may not — affect the look you’re going for. Wright...
[embedded content] Recently, we covered Parrot’s new Anafi AI drone – the first to use 4G connectivity as its main data link between the drone and remote. It effectively guaranteed to do away with any and all transmission limitations, especially with obstacles involved. Now the stakes have been raised. Drone Racing League (DRL) and T-Mobile partnered to create a 5G racing drone that was able to capture footage on the same field where the movie Field of Dreams took place. The Magenta 5G, one of the first unmanned aerial racing vehicles in the world to be equipped with 5G connectivity,...
Watchmaker TACS has unveiled a new camera-inspired watch, the TACS ATL. The watch features a design based on the classic twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera, and ATL stands for Automatic Twin Lens. The new ATL watch joins the company’s Lens Series, (https://tacs-image.com/lens-series/) which also includes the Nato – Lens, Vintage Lens, and AVL II watches, all photography-themed. [embedded content] The TLR-inspired ATL watch packs a lot of neat detail into its 46.5mm watch face. A twin-lens reflex camera includes a pair of objective lenses with the same focal length. One of the lenses is used...
Today, at its ‘Future Imaging Technology Launch Event,’ Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo revealed a collection of new and improved technologies it plans to bring to its devices in the future. Amongst the new technologies is a new RGBW sensor, a continuous 85–200mm optical zoom camera module, a five-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) camera module and a ‘next generation’ under-screen camera solution. New RGBW sensor The first new technology is its next-generation RGBW sensor, which Oppo claims can capture 60% more light than previous-generation sensors while offering a 35% reduction...
Nikon recently announced the Z fc, its newest APS-C offering with a design reminiscent of the company’s film cameras like the FM2. While we’re working on our full review, we thought we’d present our studio test scene results here for your perusal. Below is our standard studio scene comparison tool, offering a look at the camera’s image quality performance in both daylight and low illumination (tungsten) lighting at a variety of ISOs. The scene was shot using the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S lens. You can toggle the comparison tool above between JPEG and Raw modes by selecting...
It seems we may know a little more about the ‘accessory shoe’ Canon has confirmed will be onboard its forthcoming EOS R3 mirrorless camera. Earlier today, Canon unveiled its new XF605 professional camcorder. This is the first device to feature the company’s new ‘accessory shoe,’ likely the very same one we can expect to see in the EOS R3. While Canon hasn’t directly confirmed the multi-function shoe onboard the XF605 is the same we’ll see on the EOS R3, a new development announcement from audio company Tascam seems to all but confirm as much. It remains unknown what else the accessory shoe...
Atomos has announced a firmware update for its Ninja V+ monitor/recorder enabling 8K output from the Canon EOS R5 to be encoded as ProRes RAW. The upgrade allows the camera’s Raw video stream to be recorded for extended periods (typically up to the capacity of the Ninja V+’s media or the battery life of the camera), in an industry-standard format that reduces the need for import plugins. The Raw footage allows control over both ‘ISO’ and White Balance, in software such as Final Cut Pro. The ProRes RAW captured should contain the full Raw data that the camera can...
Les Wright of the YouTube channel Les’ Lab has figured out how to remove the Bayer filter from a Raspberry Pi camera. By doing so, Les expanded the sensitivity of the CCD image sensor for use in a Raspberry Pi-based spectrometer. A spectrometer is an instrument used to analyze the property of light as a function of its wavelength or frequency. A Bayer array, or Bayer filter, is an array of many tiny color filters that cover an image sensor to allow it to render color information. Without this filter, an image sensor captures more wavelengths of light but cannot accurately render the...
There are many reasons why Photoshop has so far managed to hold its ground as the undisputed king of the image processing world. One of the primary reasons is that it keeps evolving every year, as it has for thirty-one years. It stays up to date in two main ways. First, it improves upon existing features like selection and healing tools. And second, it keeps coming out with new features every year or two. One of the key new features this year – and also one of the most anticipated – is a sky replacement option. Let me demonstrate in this article how to use the new sky replacement...
Canon has unveiled a new professional 4K camcorder and a new 8K-suitable pro BCTV zoom lens. The Canon XF605 is a ‘compact’ 4K camcorder designed for solo shooters. The XF605 is 10% smaller and 600g lighter than the Canon XF705. The new lens is the 10×16 KAS S, an addition to Canon’s 1.25″ 8K broadcast camera lens lineup that includes 10x optical zoom from 16mm to 160mm. Looking first at the XF605 camcorder, it includes a 1″-type CMOS image sensor paired with Canon’s DIGIC DV7 processor. The camera records 4K UHD video at up to 60p. The XF605 records...
More than a year after first showing off its concept, camera accessory manufacturer Tilta now has its Cooling Cage for Canon’s EOS R5 and R6 mirrorless cameras available to purchase. As the concept laid out, the Tilta Cooling Cage is effectively a fan that you attach to the rear of a Canon EOS R5 to help keep the camera cool while recording video. While many joked about attaching fans to the back of Canon’s EOS R5 mirrorless camera in light of overheating issues, Tilta sought to make it a reality. The final version is nearly identical to the rendering concept Tilta had shown off last year....
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 5x ‘zoom’ camera (65mm full-frame equiv.), the longest yet used in an iPhone. To quote Ricky Bobby’s father, ‘If you’re not first, you’re last.’ While poignant, that mantra has never seemed to bother Apple, who has historically held off on newer technologies to ensure they’re ready for prime-time use by the masses. The latest example of this is a new patent from Apple that details the schematics for a periscope camera module that we may one day see inside new iPhone models. Periscope cameras, also referred to as folded optics, reduce the...
Published Aug 18, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan just reviewed the Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S, the wide angle zoom in Nikon’s ‘holy trinity’ of lenses. Check out this gallery to see full resolution sample images from their review. View the Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and other products came through our doors. Now, as the year winds down, we’re highlighting some of our standout products of the year. Check out the winners of the 2020...
Published Aug 18, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] The Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S is an update to a Nikon classic, but one that’s smaller, lighter and better than its F-mount predecessor. Learn about its design, performance and how it handles the bamboo wall of doom in this episode of DPReview TV. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample images from this video Gear in this story This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and other products came through our doors. Now, as the...
The Rokinon / Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE is a fast-aperture, wide-angle autofocus prime lens for Sony’s E-mount mirrorless cameras. We’ve tested it on a 61MP Sony a7R IV, but it’s also compatible with the company’s APS-C mirrorless cameras as well. From the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the Northwest Washington Fair near the Canadian border, we’ve put this new lens to the test, including aperture runs looking at both sharpness and bokeh quality, positioned at the end of the gallery. Take a peek to see just what it can do. Check out our gallery of samples on...
[embedded content] Swiss-based remote pilot Ellis van Jason has spent thousands of hours practicing his FPV flight skills. It paid off on a recent trip to Venezuela, where he was able to produce a video depicting a ‘birds-eye’ perspective of a deep dive down Angel Falls – the tallest waterfall in the world. FPV drones are paired with goggles that give the pilot a live transmission feed and a sense of being in a virtual driver’s seat. Their maneuverability coupled with enhanced speed allows the aircraft to capture dynamic, close-up footage that can’t be obtained with...
[embedded content] Getting into filmmaking isn’t cheap. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive either. To highlight how you can get decent gear on a budget, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has shared a helpful video showcasing 20 pieces of filmmaking equipment that costs less than $20. The 12-minute video is part buying guide and part mini-review, with Pike sharing anecdotes about his experience using each piece of equipment he features. Lighting, mounting, power, protection and more, Pike hits on some of the most-used accessories you’ll find yourself needing on set. Pike includes...
[embedded content] Getting into filmmaking isn’t cheap. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive either. To highlight how you can get decent gear on a budget, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has shared a helpful video showcasing 20 pieces of filmmaking equipment that costs less than $20. The 12-minute video is part buying guide and part mini-review, with Pike sharing anecdotes about his experience using each piece of equipment he features. Lighting, mounting, power, protection and more, Pike hits on some of the most-used accessories you’ll find yourself needing on set. Pike includes...
Two years after first introducing its ‘Night Mode’ image captures, Apple has made it possible to turn off the feature permanently. In 2019, when Apple first introduced its then-new iPhone 11 smartphone lineup, the Cupertino company showed off a new low-light image capture method it dubbed ‘Night Mode.’ While this feature does help to improve the image quality in low-light environments, there are times when it can interfere with iPhone users intentionally trying to capture a low-key photograph. Until now, turning off Night Mode was a slow and temporary one. If you were planning to shoot a...
Cosina has revealed the release date and specifications for its new Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm F1.5 lens for its VM mount. The lens’ optical design consists of six elements in three groups. Cosina says the lens, which has a single coating, has been specifically designed to showcase ‘classical reflections that are not found in modern lenses and dares to express various aberrations.’ It features an aperture range of F1.5 through F16, uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm and has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (20″), despite the on-lens focus markings only going down to 70cm...
Adobe Photoshop for iPad and Desktop have received a pair of updates, bringing new and improved features to Adobe’s image editing program. Adobe Photoshop for iPad now has the Healing Brush tool. Just as you can with the desktop version, the Healing Brush tool in Photoshop for iPad will help to correct imperfections in images by intelligently sampling pixels from elsewhere in the scene. This can be done with your finger as well as with a connected Apple Pencil. Adobe has also brought its Magic Wand tool to Photoshop for iPad. Using Adobe Sensei technology, Photoshop for iPad can now quickly...
ProMediaGear’s TR344 ‘Pro-Stix’ tripod with their Katana Pro Gimbal supporting a full-frame camera and 500mm prime at lacrosse practice. ProMediaGear Pro-Stix TR344Promediagear.com | $1030 ProMediaGear was founded in 2009 by three brothers that combined their engineering degrees, a full-service machine shop, and a passion for photography. Initially, they developed innovative flash brackets out of personal need, producing them at their facility in suburban Chicago. Today they design and manufacture world-class gimbal heads and video sliders, along with ball heads, plates,...
Last week, Google released its fourth Android 12 beta for Pixel devices, bringing with it a new version of the Android Accessibility Suite. This updated version adds a new accessibility feature Google is calling ‘Camera Switches.’ As the feature name implies, Camera Switches is a new way to interact with an Android device using facial gestures detected with a device’s front-facing camera. As detailed by XDA Developers, the new featured is buried quite deep in the Android Accessiblity Suite app’s ‘Switch Access’ submenu. When turned on, the feature lets you map six face gestures (Open Mouth,...
Registration for the Adobe MAX 2021 conference has opened. As with last year, the event, scheduled to take place online from October 26–28, 2021, will be free for everyone. Adobe says ‘the world’s largest creativity conference’ will feature ‘Notable creative luminaries and celebrity speakers’ across eleven different creative fields: graphic design, illustration and digital painting, video, photography, UI/UX, 3D and AR, social media, creativity and design in business, collaboration and productivity, education and a special ‘Meet the Teams’ component dedicated to featuring the people behind...
Items 120a and 120b in the illustration are a pair of touch-sensitive strips positioned at a 45-degree angle. Click to enlarge. Canon has filed a patent application for what has to be one of the most interesting camera designs we’ve ever seen. Japanese patent application number 2020–009307 details the schematics for a camera system that has a cutout through the middle to provide better grip, particularly for when switching between horizontal and vertical shooting. Click to enlarge. According to the patent text, the purpose of this novel cutaway design is to ‘ensure good gripping performance...
Earlier this year Sony announced a set of three compact full-frame E-mount prime lenses: the 24mm F2.8 G, the 40mm F2.5 G, and the 50mm F2.5 G. Their small, lightweight design makes them convenient for casual and on-the-move photographers, and their nearly identical sizes and weights make them ideal for gimbal movie shooters requiring the versatility of a few different focal lengths. All three lenses weigh roughly 170g, offer 49mm filter threads and come in at an MSRP of $599 USD. We wanted to take a look at how they perform optically. But first, let’s start with the optical designs:...
Chinese anamorphic lens manufacturer Sirui has introduced a new set of lenses bases on its existing four models. The Sirui MARS lenses are designed to offer better handling for rigged cameras, and come with built-in mod gears for both aperture and focus rings. The apertures have also been reclassified as T-stops and the focus throw of each of the models has been significantly extended to make accurate focus adjustments easier with follow focus equipment. While the standard 1.33x anamorphic lenses from Sirui come in a range of mounts, the MARS set is offered only for the Micro Four Thirds...
Ever since that dark day when Adobe made the shift from the perpetual licensing model of the Creative Suite to the subscription-based Creative Cloud, many photographers have been searching for a viable alternative to Adobe Lightroom. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of contenders: from open-source alternatives like Darktable, to Mac-only options like Pixelmator, to universal options like On1 Photo RAW. But one app has emerged as the de-facto alternative that’s better, or at least more widely adopted, than the rest: Capture One Pro. While nobody has yet managed to unseat...
Most of the time, when you see a good photo, you’ll get a sense that the photographer took it deliberately. But how can you tell that? What subtle things about the photo make it appear deliberate rather than random? That’s what I’ll cover today. Table of Contents Getting the Technical Things Right The first and most obvious way to make a photo feel intentional is to get as much of the technical side of photography correct as possible. This usually means that your subject is sharp, your depth of field is acceptable, your exposure is accurate, and there isn’t too much image noise. However,...
Published Aug 14, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] A common belief in the camera world is that lower resolution cameras – and larger pixels – perform better in low light. In this video we illustrate why you should question that bit of conventional wisdom. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Panasonic’s Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH is a fast zoom lens aimed at photographers and filmmakers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. Read our review to find out how it performs. The Really Right Stuff Versa TVC-34 Mk.2 is a...
Hold your spuds. The organizers behind the second edition of the world’s only international potato photography competition have announced the winning photograph (and runner ups) of the 2021 Potato Photographer of the Year photo competition. Inspired by Kevin Abosch’s Potato #345 (2010), an image of a potato which sold for $1M in 2016, the Potato Photographer of the Year photo competition also serves as a means to help fund The Trussell Trust, an charity that helps support a network of more than 1,200 food banks. After a successful 2020 competition, the organizers said they ‘once again called...
TTartisan has announced its 11mm F2.8 Fisheye lens is now available for Fujifilm GFX camera systems. The lens features the same basic specifications as its full-frame counterparts, but offers a larger lens mount for Fujifilm’s medium format camera system. [embedded content] The fully-manual lens is constructed of 11 elements in seven groups and uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm—the same setup found in the Canon RF, Leica L, Leica M, Nikon Z and Sony E mount versions. It has a minimum focusing distance of 17cm (6.7”) and has an aperture range of F2.8 through F16. The only change with the...
Nothing makes us happier than hearing about a cool new analog film stock coming to market. And while No Color Studio‘s No.5 film isn’t actually new – the emulsion was produced by Kodak in the 1980s and intended for use with specialized archiving machines – it’s probably new to the average analog geek. No Color Studio is essentially breathing new life into a long-forgotten/ignored stock. As the name suggests, this is a super-slow ISO 5 film and promises to offer a punchy, high contrast B&W look, with very little visible grain. We imagine it’d be a great choice for...
Last week, Sony joined the list of exhibitors expected to be at the 2021 Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Trade Show (WPPI) expo, which is scheduled to take place from August 15–19 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas Nevada. Now, Sony has announced it won’t be attending this year, ‘As a result of the unprecedented and unexpected circumstances,’ surrounding the rise in cases of the COVID-19 Delta Variant. PetaPixel reports Sony will be ‘withdrawing from WPPI and all tradeshows for the foreseeable future in order to protect the health and safety of its staff.’ DPReview was able to...
Finland-based company Bonfoton has announced the BonfotonUP kit, a product you can use to turn any room into a right-side-up camera obscura. Bonfoton originally released a camera obscura lens in 2017, although the Bonfoton Camera Obscura Room Lens projected the image upside down, like a traditional camera obscura. When that product was announced in 2017, the husband and wife team, Tommi and Annika, talked about starting Bonfoton, ‘We founded the Bonfoton store after we saw what the Camera Obscura room does to people emotionally when they see the effect for the first time,”...
I just realized that I’ve been doing photography seriously for ten years (plus some change). So, I’d like to take this chance to look back and share ten of the most important things I’ve learned along the way, in chronological order. Table of Contents 2012: JPEG Has Consequences The first trip I took with a “serious” camera (the Nikon D5100) was to Oregon and the Pacific Coast in the Northwest United States. I daresay that most of my photos were awful, but I was having fun, and a couple of them didn’t turn out so bad. Unfortunately, I shot all but a handful of the photos during the trip with...
The results are in for the 15th Macro Art photo competition from the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY). Claire Carter, England, took first prize for their delightfully airy macro image of the delicate patterns of leaves. Petar Sabol and Brian Lee rounded out second and third place for their photographs ‘Butterfly Dance’ and ‘In the Spotlight,’ respectively. For winning first place, Claire received £250 and her photograph will be displayed at IGPOTY galleries in the future. You can view all of the single entry award winners for Macro Art 15 on IGPOTY’s...
[embedded content] Photographer and YouTuber Peter McKinnon was recently sent a pair of Canon EOS R3 cameras to play around with. While he hasn’t had much time yet to put it to the test, he has shared a new hands-on video wherein he shares his initial thoughts on the EOS R3 and shows off plenty of up-close shots of Canon’s forthcoming mirrorless camera. McKinnon starts off by acknowledging that at the time of filming, he had only spent an hour or so using the camera and getting familiarized with the new features. Canon isn’t allowing McKinnon to share any photos or videos captured with the...
Introduction Panasonic’s Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH is a bright zoom lens aimed at photographers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. With a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 50 to 100mm, the 25-50mm F1.7 could make for an attractive – if somewhat unusual – portrait lens for still photographers. But it’s clearly been designed first and foremost for video capture, where it makes a really great companion for Panasonic’s existing 10-25mm F1.7 lens. Available from August 2021, list pricing is set at $1799.99. All images edited in Adobe Camera Raw 13 with...
Published Aug 12, 2021 | dpreview staff The Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L is a big brick of a lens, but that fast F2 aperture allows it to do things other standard zooms can’t. Check out this sample gallery shot by our team at DPReview TV. View the Canon RF 28-70 F2 L sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story Canon launched the mirrorless full-frame RF-mount with a handful of impressive lenses including the versatile, fast 28-70mm F2 L. Though it feels a tad oversized for the EOS R, we’re impressed with the results. For the past few weeks, our readers have been voting on their...
Samsung has announced a pair of new foldable smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Fold 3. The Flip 3 is a clamshell design, harkening back to a classic flip phone design. The Flip 3 is compact when not in use and gets taller when you flip it open. The Fold 3, on the other hand, has a more typical smartphone footprint, and then it unfolds like a book to offer a massive display. Let’s look at each of Samsung’s new folding phones in turn. Samsung Z Galaxy Flip 3 When folded, the Flip 3 is 106.7mm (4.2″) diagonally. It’s nearly square and has rounded...
Elinchrom has announced its first battery-powered monolight, the Elinchrom One. The off-camera light has long been requested by Elinchrom users and includes an integrated battery. The battery provides 725 full-power flashes per charge. In terms of flash features, the Elinchrom One is a 131 watt-second light and offers high-speed sync up to 1/7,000s in ‘Action’ mode. In normal mode, flash duration at minimum power is 1/1530s and 1/155s at maximum power. Flash modes include manual, TTL and HSS (with Transmitter Pro). The flash color at max power is 5600K in normal mode and 5900K in...
Published Aug 11, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] The Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM is a high-end standard zoom lens for the company’s full-frame mirrorless system. Chris and Jordan take an in-depth look at how this $3000 lens performs in the latest episode of DPReview TV. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Canon RF 28-70mm F2 sample images from this video Gear in this story Canon launched the mirrorless full-frame RF-mount with a handful of impressive lenses including the versatile, fast 28-70mm F2 L. Though it feels a tad oversized...
Xiaomi has revealed the Mix 4, the latest smartphone in its Mi Mix lineup. The Mix 4, which will be avaialble only in China for the time being, marks the first device from Xiaomi’s Mi Mix series in nearly three years and brings with it new technology, including Xiaomi’s first under-display selfie camera. Xiaomi says its Camera Under Panel (CUP) technology, which it first showed off back in 2019, is the culmination of ‘three major generations, five years, sixty patents, a $77 million investment and hundreds of engineers.’ Xiaomi claims the 20MP camera is ‘virtually invisible’ and says it uses...
Published Aug 11, 2021 | dpreview staff We recently got our hands on a final production Nikon Z fc, and we wasted no time taking the retro-styled camera out and about around the Seattle area. Given that it uses the sensor from the Z50, we expected solid image quality, and the Z fc delivers. The collapsable 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 lens isn’t fast, but it’s decently sharp, and only adds about $140 to the price of the body-only kit. We’re still waiting for Raw support for Z fc files in Adobe Camera Raw, so many images in this gallery were processed from .NEF files in-camera. Once ACR...
At 1:2 I was thinking this would be useful as a macro lens. Has anyone any thoughts or feelings about this lens? Would certainly like to know your opinions. At only $199.00 new it would be an incredibly low price for a macro lens. I am thinking about giving it as a gift to a fellow flower shooter who uses a Sony. Thanks for your input. ( I mistakenly have posted this to to wrong group, and should have posted it to a Sony group. I apologize for my error. I don’t seem to be able to delete this topic.) At 1:2 I was thinking this would be useful as a macro lens. Has anyone any thoughts or...
Photos Members Group Since Tamron 24mm F2.8 Di lll OSD M 1:2 lens My Photo-stream says: At 1:2 I was thinking this would be useful as a macro lens. Has anyone any thoughts or feelings about this lens? Would certainly like to know your opinions. At only $199.00 new it would be an incredibly low price for a macro lens. I am thinking about giving it as a gift to a fellow flower shooter who uses a Sony. Thanks for your input. ( I mistakenly have posted this to to wrong group, and should have posted it to a Sony group. I apologize for my error. I don’t seem to be able to delete this topic.)...
Following a leak in June, DJI’s sub-250-gram entry-level drone, the DJI Mini SE, is now available in the United States. At $300, the Mini SE is DJI’s most affordable drone. As noted by Drone DJ, the DJI Mini SE is essentially a cheaper version of DJI’s original Mini. In our review of the Mini in 2019, we called it ‘the perfect drone for beginners.’ In 2020, the DJI Mini 2 came out. In our DJI Mini 2 review, we remarked that the Mini 2 built upon the excellent concept of the original Mini and included significant improvements. The Mini 2 launched at $450, $150...
Really Right Stuff’s Versa TVC-34 in the field with a 500mm lens, 50MP camera, and a suitably large and capable gimbal. Really Right Stuff Versa TVC-34 Mk.2Reallyrightstuff.com | $1100 What sets Really Right Stuff apart from most other brands is their attention to detail and focus on quality over quantity. This US-based manufacturer of camera support systems and accessories has consistently set the pace with high-end, custom-designed solutions for demanding photographers. Their recent ultra-compact travel tripod is an example of this commitment to innovation for those who need it, and...
Bryan Adams is not only a Canadian rock icon, but he’s also a talented photographer, and he’s photographing the 2022 Pirelli Calendar. Adams has been working as a photographer for more than a decade. Shooting the annual Pirelli calendar is a prestigious addition to Adams’s impressive résumé, joining the likes of Annie Leibovitz and Peter Lindbergh. His lengthy career as a big-time musician makes it easier for Adams to connect with celebrity subjects, especially fellow musicians. Adams tells CNN, ‘There’s an almost instant understanding when we meet each other,...
Canon USA has launched a new microsite designed to raise awareness of counterfeit Canon equipment. ‘With the surge of online shopping, the availability of counterfeits for many brands has persisted and grown, leaving consumers unaware about counterfeits and unable to make informed purchasing decisions,’ says Canon its its press release. ‘The Canon anti-counterfeit consumer education microsite includes updated tips on how to spot counterfeits that unlawfully bear the Canon logo as well as a discussion about the difference between gray market and counterfeit goods for consumers who may not...
Photographer Markus Hofstaetter specializes in large format photography, including film and wet plate processes. We’ve featured his wet plate collodion photography before, including this article about shooting wet plate collodion exposures handheld and another one about capturing spooky Halloween wet plate portraits. If you’ve wanted to try wet plate photography for yourself, you may have been put off by a high barrier to entry. If the cost has kept you away, Hofstaetter’s new video about shooting with an affordable large format camera may be of particular interest. For the...
Japanese financial publication Nikkei has published (soft-paywalled behind a free account) the results of its 2020 ‘Major Product and Service Share Survey,’ wherein it details the market share of the top five digital camera manufacturers and top five sensor manufacturers. Nikkei’s data shows the digital camera market (measured by units shipped) as a whole dropped roughly 40% in 2020, due to the shrinking market combined with the economic impact of COVID-19. Nikkei reports 8.85 million units shipped, the same quantity the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) reported as well for...
The Venus Optics Laowa ‘Argus’ 33mm F0.95 CF APO is an ultra-fast manual focus lens for APS-C mirrorless bodies, available for Sony E, Canon RF, Fujifilm X and Nikon Z mount cameras ($500, available now). We tried out the Fujifilm version and found the lens a tad unwieldy to use for still photography due to its heft (590g / 1.31lbs) and the fact there’s no electronic communication between lens and camera body, meaning no manual focus assist (at least when mounted on Fujifilm bodies). Still, zooming into 100% proved adequate enough to nail focus for the majority of our...
If you close your eyes, point your camera in any direction, and take a picture, I’m willing the bet the photo won’t be a success. Unless you’re doing some artsy “blindfolded photography” project, it completely lacks intent or any engagement with the scene in front of you. Level 0: The blindfolded photographer It’s not like that’s a common thing photographers do, but I wanted to mention it as the most extreme example of not perceiving things in photography. It’s hardly more personal than a security camera or a photo you took by accident. But it’s something we can build from. The obvious step...
[embedded content] TTArtisan has revealed its new $235 50mm F1.4 lens for full-frame mirrorless camera systems. The new TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 ASPH lens is entirely manual and, according to TTArtisan, able to be used with sensors up to 60MP. The optical construction consists of ten elements in eight groups, including a low-dispersion element and aspherical element. It uses a 12-blade aperture diaphragm, has an aperture range of F1.4 through F16, offers a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (19.7”) and uses a 49mm front filter thread. As with TTArtisan’s recent lenses, this one follows a clearly...
OK, I lied a bit. I said the second chapter would be more fun than the first, but it’s not more fun. It’s kind of sad, actually. This one focuses (yes, pun intended) on Joseph Nicephore Niepce. You may know him as the man who took the first photograph. But back in his day people knew him as . . . . . actually they didn’t know of him at all, really. After Wedgwood’s efforts around 1800, there was a gap where people weren’t working on making images. There was too much other stuff going on. Most of the world was at war for the first 20 years of the new century. The U. S....
Published Aug 7, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] What if you were swimming in gold and could buy any camera that you wanted? Chris and Jordan sat down to talk about what cameras they would buy if money was no object. Some special guests chime-in to share what they’d pick, as well. What’s your dream camera? Tell us in the comments below. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 Pro is a compact, high-end lens designed for photographers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. Does it live up...
This article is a bird’s eye view of all Nikon Z-Series products available at the moment, including cameras, lenses, and official accessories. My hope is that photographers considering a Nikon Z camera will find this a helpful guide to figure out what equipment is out there. While this article only covers Nikon-brand products for the Z system, there are numerous compatible third-party lenses which I will cover in a future article. I’ll be updating this guide as new products are announced for the Z system so that it always remains as current as possible. Table of Contents Nikon Z Cameras...
Serif has announced the 1.10 update to its creative suite of applications, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher. The update promises’ superpowered performance’ thanks to a major re-engineering of the software’s underlying architecture. Affinity Photo is a photo editing application available for macOS, Windows and iPadOS. The app offers many high-end features, including RAW editing, HDR merge, panorama stitching, focus stacking, batch processing, .PSD file editing, 360° image editing, a non-destructive layers-based workflow, smart object support...
Chinese optics manufacturer 7Artisans is set to release a new 50mm F0.95 APS-C lens for EOS-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds (MFT), Nikon Z and Sony E mount camera systems. The fully-manual lens is expected to retail for around $200. It will feature a metal build and its optical design consists of seven elements in five groups, including two ultra-low dispersion elements. It’ll have a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7”), offer a de-clicked aperture, use a 13-blade aperture diaphragm, and have a 62mm front filter thread. The lens will measure 67.5mm (2.7″) long and weigh 416g...
Once you start shooting film, it won’t be long before you hear the siren song of medium and large format. What are medium and large format film photography, and are they right for you? This Absolute beginner’s guide to film aims to point you in the right direction. What are medium and large format film photography? As with digital, medium and large format photography use physically larger film formats than 35mm (full-frame). Because the size of the crystals that make up the photo-sensitive emulsion is the same regardless of film format, a larger negative will show more detail and less...
NASA has published a stunning image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope that shows a ‘three-way gravitational tug-of-war between interacting galaxies.’ The galaxies in the show are in system Arp 195, a system featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list of the ‘weirder and more wonderful galaxies in the universe.’ Arp 195, otherwise known as UGC 4653, is a galaxy with material ejected from nuclei. It’s one of 15 Arp-numbered galaxies with this characteristic. All but one of these galaxies are interacting or have recently interacted with other celestial...
NASA has published a stunning image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope that shows a ‘three-way gravitational tug-of-war among interacting galaxies.’ The galaxies in the show are in system Arp 195, a system featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list of the ‘weirder and more wonderful galaxies in the universe.’ Arp 195, otherwise known as UGC 4653, is a galaxy with material ejected from nuclei. It’s one of 15 Arp-numbered galaxies with this characteristic. All but one of these galaxies are interacting or have recently interacted with other celestial...
We’ve seen under-display cameras before. About a year ago, Xiaomi introduced its third-generation under-display camera technology. Its first two generations were never mass-produced, but the Chinese company continues to push the tech forward and hopes it will be a critical part of its smartphone lineup soon. In December 2019, another Chinese smartphone maker, Oppo, announced a prototype device with an under-display front camera. Oppo is back with its next-generation under-display camera, and it looks highly promising. While its 2019 effort was also impressive, Oppo has come a long way...
Nikon has shared its financial results for the first quarter of its 2022 fiscal year (Q1 FY2022), which ends March 2022 and spans from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. 1st quarter of the year ending March 31, 2022: Financial Highlights by Segment. Click to enlarge. Nikon’s Imaging Products Business shows revenue of 50 billion yen ($457 million) and an operating profit of 9.2 billion yen ($84 million). That’s up 24.9 billion yen ($228 million) and 17.5 billion yen ($160 million), respectively, compared to the same quarter last year (Q1 FY2021). Nikon says the increase in revenue is ‘due in...
Introduction The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 Pro is a compact, high-end lens designed for photographers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. Covering a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 16-50mm and boasting surprisingly good macro performance, it shows great promise as a versatile, single-carry lens for landscape, street and travel photography. Available now, list pricing is set at $1099.99. All images edited in Adobe Camera Raw 13 with adjustments limited to white balance, exposure, highlights, shadows, white and black levels. Sharpening and noise reduction at ACR defaults....
Published Aug 5, 2021 | dpreview staff The Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS ‘Sports’ lens is impressively sharp throughout its range. Check out this gallery captured by Chris and Jordan while filming their review for DPReview TV. View the Sigma 150-600mm sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Sport is an all-new, designed-for-mirrorless update to Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ offering for DSLRs. Our first impressions of its optical quality are positive – click through to learn more about it. Once we got our hands on...
Published Aug 5, 2021 | dpreview staff Tamron is working on a 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD lens for full-frame Sony E-mount bodies. Details are a bit thin at this point, but the lens features a versatile, travel-friendly focal range and will use the company’s ‘VXD’ linear focus motor for swift autofocus speeds (according to Tamron). With one notable exception, the lens offers similar ergonomics to the company’s just-announced 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2, with focus and zoom rings that are well demarcated from the lens barrel thanks to their slightly greater diameter....
Published Aug 5, 2021 | dpreview staff Tamron has announced the development of the 2nd-generation version of its well-regarded 28-75mm F2.8 lens for full-frame Sony mirrorless bodies: the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2. The lens will have a new optical construction and will use the company’s VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear focus motor technology, which we’ve found enables very swift focus speeds in Tamron’s recent lens offerings. The minimum focus distance has dropped slightly to 18cm (7.1″), with the max magnification rising to 0.37x. The lens will also...
Cosina unveils a $600 Voigtlander 28mm F2.8 Aspherical lens for Nikon F mount camera systems
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Sep, 2021 |
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Cosina has announced the release of its Voigtlander Color-Skopar 28mm F2.8 SL II S Aspherical lens for Nikon F-mount camera systems. The lens, which is fully manual and constructed entirely of metal and glass, consists of seven elements in six groups, including a double-sided aspherical element. Cosina says the lens was designed ‘with nostalgia and functionality’ in mind as a tribute to lenses released in the mid-to-late 1960s. The all-metal helicoid focusing unit inside the lens enables a short minimum focusing distance of just 15cm (6“). Cosina has also included a build-in chip and...
Is the Canon EOS R3’s Eye Control AF good enough for sports shooting?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Sep, 2021 |
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Introduction Not your average viewfinder, this. As expected, the Canon EOS R3 is chock-full of some of the latest and greatest camera technology that we’ve ever seen. Much of this is due to an all-new, super-fast sensor, redesigned processor and a machine learning-trained autofocus system that readily detects humans, animals and race cars. As such, Canon is quick to point out that there is much more to the EOS R3 than just Eye Control AF – but Eye Control AF is a novel feature, despite debuting decades ago, and frankly, it’s something I thought was just going to be a gimmick. So...
Facebook responds to WSJ report stating it’s aware of the harmful influence Instagram has on teens
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Sep, 2021 |
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Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published an an article claiming Facebook has knowingly ignored its own research that shows just how toxic Instagram is for the mental health of younger people, particularly teen girls. Facebook has since published a response, suggesting the research and Facebook’s subsequent actions pertaining to the research, were taken out of context by The Wall Street Journal. In an article titled ‘Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,’ The Wall Street Journal writers Georgia Wells, Jeff Horwitz and Deepa Seetharaman spend nearly...
Slideshow: Winners of Nikon’s 47th annual Small World Photomicrography competition
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Sep, 2021 |
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Nikon Instruments recently announced the winners and finalists for its 47th annual Small World Photomicrography competition. Thousands of images were submitted from around the world. A panel of judges including Hank Green, Dr. Nsikan Akpan of New York Public Radio, and Dr. Hesper Rego from Yale School of Medicine selected the pool of 100 winners and honorable mentions. The First Place prize was awarded to Jason Kirk. Kirk captured around 200 images of a southern live oak leaf’s trichromes using a custom-made microscope system that combines color filtered transmitted light with diffused...
Xiaomi’s new 11T Pro offers 120W charging, 108MP camera module and more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Sep, 2021 |
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Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has announced the 11T and 11T Pro, the first two devices in a new lineup from the company that sits just below its Mi 11 and Mi 11 Pro devices in both price and features. Xiaomi 11T Pro The new Xiaomi 11T Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, compared to the 888+ used in the Mi 11 Pro. The front features 6.67” flat 120Hz AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 pixels) that’s capable of 1,000 nits peak brightness and can display HDR10+ content. The device runs on MIUI 12.5, which is based on Android 11. On the rear of the camera is a triple camera array,...
Oppo to launch Kodak-branded Find X3 Pro Photographer Edition smartphone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Sep, 2021 |
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Smartphone manufacturer Oppo has had a busy 2021. In March, Oppo launched the Find X3 Pro smartphone, its flagship Android device. In August, Oppo unveiled its next-generation under-screen camera and showed off its new RGBW image sensor, OIS zoom camera module and 5-axis OIS technology for future smartphones. Returning to Oppo’s big March announcement, the Find X3 Pro phone. Oppo is poised to launch a special edition of the phone in partnership with iconic camera brand, Kodak. GSM Arena writes that following Oppo and Kodak announcing a partnership this month, the first new product to...
What you need to know about the new Canon EOS R3
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Sep, 2021 |
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The Canon EOS R3 is here! After years in development and months in testing with selected photojournalists around the world, we’ve been able to spend some time with a late pre-production sample of Canon’s newest high-end ILC. Click through for more information about the Canon EOS R3, our thoughts on how it handles, and a breakdown of its major features.
Canon EOS R3 pre-production sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 15, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV recently published their first impressions review of the Canon EOS R3 with eye-controlled focus. Check out their sample gallery, which includes sports photos, to see how the images look. View the Canon EOS R3 pre-production sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story Pre-order now Released on Nov 30, 2021 We had the opportunity recently to shoot with pre-production samples of the Canon EOS R3, including a long session at a soccer practice, and a trip to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Check out what this...
Did Apple’s iPhone 13 ‘Cinematic Mode’ just revolutionize mobile cinematography?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Apple has just announced its iPhone 13 lineup, and one of the stand out features is the new ‘Cinematic Mode’. On the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models, Cinematic Mode allows you to adjust the aperture, or f-stop, to change the depth-of-field after you’ve shot your video. It also allows you change what’s in focus, or rack focus from one subject to another, after-the-fact. Remember the Lytro Cinema camera the size of a small car that promised the same thing? Think that… but in your pocket. With the iPhone 13/mini and iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max, you can adjust...
Apple shows off the iPhone 13 and two updated iPad models
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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[embedded content] For those who don’t need all of the fancy features of the new iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max models, Apple also announced its iPhone 13, the base-level device for those wanting solid performance without breaking the bank. Apple also shared the details of two new iPad models, including a significantly redesigned iPad Mini. iPhone 13 The new iPhone 13 brings a slew of new improvements over its predecessor, including plenty of features and hardware that’s trickled down from Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max models revealed last year. At the heart of...
iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max: A15 Bionic chipset, new triple-camera array, ProMotion display and more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Apple has lifted the veil on its latest flagship mobile devices, the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. These new devices offer new features to get the most from the new hardware, which includes a new A15 Bionic chip, a triple-camera array and an updated ProMotion display—the first ever in an iPhone. iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max Apple saved the best for last during its keynotes, showing off its new and improved iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max right before the conclusion of the event. Both models feature slightly altered designs, highlighted by a new triple-camera array on...
Canon EOS R3 Announcement
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Canon just announced its highest-end mirrorless camera ever, the $6000 EOS R3 (shipping November). The R3 has a 24 megapixel stacked BSI sensor and is capable of capturing blackout-free 30 FPS with full autofocus and auto exposure. Perhaps the most exciting feature is the eye-sensing autofocus that positions the initial focusing point wherever the photographer looks. There was a time when DSLRs had unambiguously better performance for sports and wildlife photography than mirrorless cameras, especially for autofocus tracking on fast-moving subjects. But in recent years – beginning with the...
Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 and 100-400mm f/5.6-8 Announcements
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Today, alongside the big EOS R3 announcement, Canon announced two new lenses for their RF mirrorless mount: a 16mm f/2.8 and a 100-400mm f/5.6-8. Both aim to be lightweight and portable (at least for their type of lens) and pretty inexpensive at $300 and $650 apiece. They ship in October. Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM The first of the two lenses announced today is an ultra-wide, full-frame 16mm f/2.8 that Canon says is aimed at everything from architectural interiors to usage as a webcam. But the biggest market is certain to be landscape photography, particularly among photographers who want a...
Canon goes far and wide with new RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 and 16mm F2.8 lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff Canon has announced a pair of ‘budget friendly’ lenses – one telephoto and one wide – for its RF mount. The RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM is similar in spirit to the RF 600mm F11 and RF 800mm F11 in that it’s very affordable and quite portable given its focal length range, with a slow maximum aperture being the main tradeoff. The 100-400 measures just 165 x 80mm (6.5 x 3.1 in.) in size and weighs 630 g (22.4 oz.). The lens’ built-in optical stabilization can reduce shake by up to 5.5 stops (per CIPA standard) and this increases by...
Canon launches EOS R3, a pro mirrorless camera with 30 fps, eye control and advanced AF
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff After several months of drip-fed details, Canon has announced the EOS R3 – the company’s new flagship mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The 24MP R3 is based around a Stacked CMOS sensor, designed and manufactured by Canon, and featuring the company’s Dual Pixel AF technology. It also sees the revival of Canon’s Eye Control, a feature that lets you choose an AF target by simply looking at it through the viewfinder. This fast readout sensor allows shooting at up to 30 frames per second, with no viewfinder blackout and very...
Canon EOS R3 Initial Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Previous 1 Canon EOS R3 2 Next All product photography by DPReview The Canon EOS R3 is the company’s first high-end mirrorless camera designed for sports, wildlife and photojournalism. It’s a full-frame 24MP camera built around the ‘RF’ lens mount, and in many respects, it appears to be a flagship camera other than the lack of ‘1’ in its name. The EOS R3 is built around a Stacked CMOS sensor, which delivers fast readout for rapid shooting, responsive autofocus and low rolling-shutter video, but it also includes a host of innovative features, including the...
DPReview TV: Canon EOS R3 first impressions review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan have been using a pre-production copy of the new EOS R3. Find out what they think of it after a day of shooting sports and wildlife, including the return of Canon’s eye-controlled focus. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Full resolution Canon EOS R3 sample photos from this episode Gear in this story Canon EOS R3 Body $5,999.00 Shop now Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit, Mirrorless 4K Vlogging Camera Kit Includes EF-M 15-45mm Lens, Tripod Grip, Stereo...
Surf and turf: Canon EOS R3 pre-production sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff Canon’s EOS R3 is a truly impressive piece of kit. From its all-new 24MP stacked-CMOS sensor to Eye Control AF, there’s a lot for us to unpack here when we get full-production cameras for a full review. But in the meantime, we’ve been shooting with some pre-production units to get a feel for the camera’s potential. Check out how the Canon EOS R3 performs for peak action and some more quiet, under-the-sea moments around Seattle and Tacoma in our sample gallery. View our gallery of samples from the Canon EOS R3 Note: All images in...
Want to know more about the Canon EOS R3? Ask us anything on Reddit
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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We’ve done our best to provide all the detail we can about the EOS R3, but if there’s anything else you want to ask, we’ll be answering questions over on Reddit. We’ll be starting an AMA thread on Reddit’s /r/Photography forum at 4PM UTC / 12PM ET / 9AM PT. So if there are any specific details we’ve not already included in our coverage, please just ask. Click here to join in with the discussion on Reddit Gear in this story Canon EOS R3 Body $5,999.00 Shop now Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit, Mirrorless 4K Vlogging Camera Kit Includes EF-M 15-45mm...
Nikon Z 40mm f/2 Formally Announced + Pre-Order Links
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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A few months after announcing its development in June, today Nikon formally announced the compact Z-series 40mm f/2 lens and revealed its full specifications. The lens will go on sale “later this fall” according to Nikon, with a suggested retail price of $300. Here are the lens’s full specifications: Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount Focal Length: 40mm Angle of View (DX): 57° Angle of View (FX): 39° Maximum Aperture: f/2 Minimum Aperture: f/16 Aperture Blades: 9 Filter Size: 52mm Lens Elements: 6 Lens Groups: 4 Special Elements: 2 aspherical ARNEO Coating: No Nano Crystal Coating: No Super...
Nikon officially announces the Nikkor Z 40mm F2 compact prime
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 14, 2021 | dpreview staff After confirming in June that it would be available in 2021, Nikon has officially announced the Nikkor 40mm F2, a compact, affordable prime lens for the mirrorless Z-mount. Weighing only 170 g (~6 oz) the Z 40mm F2 promises to be an ideal walkaround lens for full-frame and APS-C Z-mount shooters. Optical construction comprises 6 elements in 4 groups, with a 9-bladed aperture promising ‘fantastic’ bokeh. Minimum focus is a respectable 29cm (11.4″) and the Z 40mm F2 will accept conventional 52mm screw-in filters. A rubber seal helps...
What Does This Mean?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Sep, 2021 |
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Photos Members Group Since What Does This Mean? D.O. Garcia says: Many groups, including this one, have this statement, “This group will count toward the photo’s limit (60 for Pro members, 30 for free members)” Can someone explain how this works? I really don’t understand it. Thanks, David 7:37PM, 13 September 2021 PDT (permalink) N808PV says: You are a “Pro” and can post any image to max 60 groups with such restriction. Others have a limit of max 30 groups. Any group admin would have to decide if such rule is fine but he can also opt out. 21 hours ago...
Slideshow: Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2021 winners and finalists
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Sep, 2021 |
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The South Australian Museum recently announced the winners and finalists for the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2021 competition. Over 2,200 images were submitted from photographers around the country. An image of a leafy seadragon hiding in shallow reefs located in the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, was declared the Overall Winner. ‘The nation-wide lockdown was declared and we were stuck for six weeks at a small campground in the Fleurieu Peninsula. This ended up being a blessing in disguise,’ winning photographer Scott Portelli explained....
100ASA aims to best Instagram through community-based content curation
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Sep, 2021 |
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100ASA is coming for Instagram. As Facebook-owned Instagram continues its shift toward video, as we wrote about in July, 100ASA believes there’s room for fresh competition and that photographers will soon be on the hunt for a photographer-focused alternative to the social media giant that is Instagram. If there’s a gap, 100ASA wants to fill it. Martech Series writes, ‘100ASA, an online community with over 10,000 photographers worldwide, has launched an app with the promise to compete directly with Instagram. Through it, photographers can showcase their work to anyone with a...
PSA: Apple warns that high-powered motorcycles can damage autofocus, image stabilization in iPhones
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Sep, 2021 |
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Apple has published a new support document on its website warning users that cameras on their iPhone devices can be damaged when attached to high-powered motorcycles due to the ‘high amplitude vibrations’ of their engines. In the document, Apple specifically points to the optical image stabilization (OIS) and closed-loop autofocus (AF) technologies inside its latest iPhone device and notes both of these are susceptible to performance degradation over time when exposed to the ‘extended high-amplitude vibrations,’ such as those put through the device when it’s attached, via a mount, to a...
5 big improvements (probably) coming to Apple’s next MacBook Pro
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Sep, 2021 |
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The first Apple Silicon-powered Macs have made a big impression, but it’s safe to say that after more than a year, professional users are still waiting for something a bit more powerful. The current M1 Macs churn through most photo and video editing tasks with ease, but they’re limited to 16GB of RAM, can only support a few ports, and the M1 chip is designed to prioritize efficiency rather than performance. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like we’ll have to wait much longer to see what the M1 “unleashed” really looks like. According to the latest rumors from...
Fujifilm GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 13, 2021 | dpreview staff We’ve been shooting with the new Fujifilm GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR for some time, on both the newly announced GFX 50S II and the 100MP GFX 100S. Check out our gallery of sample images to see what it can do in a range of different shooting situations. Our impressions so far? It’s one of the best ‘kit lenses’ we’ve ever seen. Take a look for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments. Check out samples from the Fujifilm GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR Gear in this story Pre-order now The Fujifilm GFX 50S II and its kit...
How Much of a Gap Between Focal Lengths Is Too Much?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Sep, 2021 |
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When you’re assembling a set of lenses, it can be tempting to try to cover all the important focal lengths without any gaps between them. A kit of 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm lenses is a popular one. So are sets with overlap, like a 16-35mm, 24-105mm, and 70-200mm. These are great lenses most of the time, and it’s easy to add other lenses like a 50mm f/1.4 prime or a supertelephoto to make them even more versatile. But just because those particular kits don’t have any gaps between focal lengths doesn’t mean that’s a necessary feature of a good lens set. In practice, there’s no great need...
NFTs: What they are and how they will impact photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Sep, 2021 |
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This image, shared with permission from photographer Reuben Wu, is part of his ‘Field of Infinity’ project. It was converted into a video piece and sold on SuperRare for over 27 ETH last week. NFT sales free him up for more personal work which, in turn, attracts more paying clients. By now, you’ve likely heard of Mike Winkelmann – the artist best known as Beeple. This past March, he cemented his place ‘among the top three most valuable living artists’ after his collage of JPEGs, ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days,’ sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) at...
EarthCam shares 20-year 9/11 Anniversary timelapse video, ‘Never Forgotten’
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Sep, 2021 |
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To commemorate the attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, EarthCam has released an incredible timelapse that spans 20 years and is made up of more than 13.3 million photographs. The six-minute video spends the first sixty seconds showing a stream of short timelapses as they were captured in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center, colloquially referred to as 9/11, as well as the recovery and demolition efforts, which spanned more than eight months. The video then switches to the start of construction of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center as...
Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 11, 2021 | dpreview staff The Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 may not be technically perfect, but it’s a unique lens with a lot of character. Check out Chris and Jordan’s sample gallery from DPReview TV to get a sense of the images it can create. View the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of affordable tripods and...
DPReview TV: The Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 is a crazy fast lens for full-frame
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 11, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan review the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95, available in E-mount, Z-mount, and RF-mount. Find out why Chris concludes, “there’s nothing else like this lens on the market.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Full resolution sample photos from this episode Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the...
Vimeo brings Dolby Vision HDR playback to millions of Apple devices
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Sep, 2021 |
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Vimeo and Dolby announced that Vimeo is the first to market to allow users to host, share and play iPhone videos shot in Dolby Vision within the Apple ecosystem. Vimeo writes, ‘Starting today, millions of Apple device users can now use Vimeo to unlock the same professional-quality video technology embraced by the world’s top storytellers.’ Dolby Vision promises to deliver rich video quality with ‘incredible brightness, contrast, color and detail.’ Dolby Vision promises highlights up to 40x brighter and blacks that are 10x darker than traditional SDR content....
Venus Optics unveils $899 Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95, the world’s fastest full-frame 35mm lens
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Sep, 2021 |
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Venus Optics has announced the release of the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95, the world’s fastest 35mm lens for full-frame cameras. The manual focus lens is constructed of 14 elements in nine groups, including one aspherical element, one extra-low dispersion element and four ultra-high-refractive elements. It features a fifteen blade aperture diaphragm, an aperture range of F0.95 through F16, has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (19.7”) and uses a 72mm front filter thread. Following in line with other Laowa lenses released lately, the Laowa Argus 35mm F0.95 features an aperture ring click switch...
Brendan Schulman, DJI’s VP of Policy & Legal Affairs, leaves DJI
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Sep, 2021 |
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After over six years serving as DJI’s VP of Policy and Legal Affairs, Brendan Schulman is parting ways with the world’s largest drone manufacturer. Image shared with permission from Haye Kesteloo of DroneXL. After serving as DJI’s Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs for over six years, Brendan Schulman is parting ways with the world’s largest drone manufacturer. He announced his exit in an email to colleagues and friends, including DroneXL’s Haye Kesteloo. Schulman will also leave the drone industry, altogether, as he starts a new job as Vice President of...
vivo announces global launch of its X70 Pro+, a photo powerhouse with Qi charging, improved cameras and more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Sep, 2021 |
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Chinese smartphone manufacturer vivo has announced the global launch of its X70 Series smartphones: the X70, X70 Pro and X70 Pro+. As with its X60 generation, the X70 generation puts a massive emphasis on photography, headlined by vivo’s ongoing partnership with Zeiss in their ‘joint pursuit of creating the ultimate mobile photography experience.’ X70 Pro+ At the top of the line is vivo’s flagship X70 Pro+, designed to offer a no-compromise experience with an impressive array of camera technology. The X70 Pro+ features the same 32MP front-facing camera module found on all X70 devices, but on...
Hands-on with the new Sigma 24mm F2 and 90mm F2.8 Contemporary I Series
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Sep, 2021 |
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The Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN C and Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN C are the latest additions to the company’s I series of compact, mid-paced primes. The ‘C’ indicates that they’re part of Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ range, which offers a more accessible balance between price, size and performance. The DN part of the name signifies that these lenses are ‘digital native’ designs, which is Sigma’s term for lenses designed from scratch for mirrorless cameras. Initially, both lenses will be available for Sony’s E mount and the L mount used by the...
Film Friday: Reviewing the 60-year-old Voigtlander Bessamatic Deluxe
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Sep, 2021 |
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Madeleina Schwantes, writing for 35MMC, has written a review of the Voigtlander Bessamatic Deluxe, a German-made leaf-shuttered SLR camera released in 1962. The Bessamatic Deluxe was a successor to the original Bessamatic, released three years earlier, and added a few new features to improve the user experience, including the ability to view the lens’ settings from directly inside the viewfinder. The solid, two-pound SLR uses a Voigtländer’s F. Deckel DKL lens mount and lacks a ‘quick-release’ mirror, meaning the mirror had to be lowered down by winding the film before each shot. The camera...
Leica’s Q2 ‘007 Edition’ camera celebrates ‘No Time to Die,’ the 25th Bond film
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Leica has announced the release of its Q2 007 Edition camera system. Only 250 units of the limited-edition camera will be made to coincide with the release of ‘No Time to Die,’ the latest James Bond film, which itself has been delayed for more a year due to complications surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic. The new Leica Q2 007 Edition camera is made to celebrate the release of the 25th Bond film, which is likely the inspiration for limiting the model to just 250 units. As is usually the case for Leica’s limited-edition cameras, the internals of this version remain unchanged from the...
Irix adds 30mm T1.5 lens to full frame cine line-up
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Lens manufacturer Irix has filled the gap between its 15mm T2.6 and 45mm T1.5 cine lenses with a moderately wide 30mm T1.5 to bring the total number of options in the range to five. This new lens joins the existing set—which includes the 11mm T4.3 and 150mm T3 models—made to cover sensors as wide as 43.3mm. The 30mm T1.5 lens will be available in mounts for cameras that record using full frame, Super35, MFT and 16mm sensors or crops. [embedded content] Irix claims the optical design produces only 0.95% distortion and two High Refractive elements are used to keep the whole thing as compact as...
Skylum announces new AI-driven photo editor, Luminar Neo
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Skylum has announced the next version of its Luminar photo editing software, Luminar Neo. The upcoming photo editor utilizes AI to power many of its photo editing tools, but is built upon a new image editing engine, promising improved performance. ‘As the latest member of the Luminar family, we designed Luminar Neo to allow artists to take on more challenging image creation work and achieve results which often seem unattainable,’ said Dima Sytnik, Skylum co-founder and CPO. In terms of new photo editing features, Luminar Neo includes new image relighting options. The software...
OM Digital Solutions announces development of 20mm F1.4 and 40-150mm F4.0 PRO lenses, updates lens roadmap
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO (Attached to the OM-D E-M5 Mark III) OM Digital Solutions has announced it’s developing two new Micro Four Thirds lenses, the M.Zuiko Digital ED 20mm F1.4 PRO and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40–150mm F4.0 PRO. In addition to the development announcement, OM Digital Solutions also unveiled a detailed lens roadmap that highlights what’s to come from the Olympus brand under new ownership. M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4.0 PRO (Attached to the OM-D E-M5 Mark III) As their names suggests, both of these lenses will join the M.Zuiko PRO series, Olympus’ flagship lens...
DPReview TV: Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN & 90mm F2.8 DG DN Quick Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan have a special treat for this episode: reviews of the new Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN and its 90mm F2 sibling. See how they perform and whether they should end up in your camera bag. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN sample photos from this episode Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN sample photos from this episode Gear in this story Sigma has introduced a pair of lenses in its I-series of premium primes: the 24mm F2 DG DN and 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’. The...
Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ initial sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff We’ve been shooting with the Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ on a Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R for the last week and, so far, the results are impressive. It’s nice and sharp at the center, with little softness in the corners. Chromatic aberrations are well-controlled and sun stars are pleasant, though you’ll notice some ghosting in places. We’ll be adding more photos to this gallery over the next several days, so keep your eyes on the homepage for those. View our Sigma 24mm F2 sample gallery Gear in this story The GFX...
Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV just reviewed the new Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens. Check out the sample photos they shot along the way to judge image quality for yourself. If you missed their review you can watch it here. View the Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the best-known names in...
Sigma introduces 24mm F2 and 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 9, 2021 | dpreview staff Sigma has announced a pair of lenses in its ‘I-series’ of premium compact primes: the 24mm F2 DG DN ‘Contemporary’ and 90mm F2.8 DG DN ‘Contemporary’. The lenses, designed for E- and L-mount bodies, are all-metal and feature aperture rings and weather-sealing. Both will be available later this month for $639. The 24mm F2 DG DN has 13 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical elements. One FLD (‘F’ low dispersion, similar in low dispersion and low refractive index characteristics to fluorite glass)...
Key Takeaways from the Fuji X Summit
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Sep, 2021 |
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The latest Fujifilm X Summit was packed with exciting announcements. From updated cameras to new lenses for the GFX and X-Series systems, there’s quite a lot to unpack. This doesn’t just include product announcements but also updated lens roadmaps and other teasers of their future plans. In total, Fujifilm talked about 8 new lenses: 4 for the X-Series and 4 for GFX. A handful of those are going to be available this year, with more to come in 2022 and beyond. As for cameras, the most anticipated announcement was that of the upcoming GFX 50s II, to be released at the end of this month. To...
These stylish labels make it easier to identify your lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Sep, 2021 |
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Have you ever looked into your camera bag, saw numerous rear lens caps, and wondered which lens was which? Canadian company Field Made Co. hopes to make this a problem of the past with its lens identification stickers. Field Made Co. offers stickers for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Sigma and Sony lenses. For example, the Canon RF sticker set comes with 20 stickers for various RF lenses, including popular optics like the 24-70mm F2.8L IS, 50mm F1.2 L, 100mm F2.8L IS Macro and many more. Canon RF and EF lens indicator labels The indicator labels are designed to let photographers instantly identify...
Ricoh’s new GR IIIx camera features a new 40mm equiv. lens, improved image processor and more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Sep, 2021 |
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Ricoh Imaging has quietly announced the GR IIIx, a new compact camera based on the popular GR III, that features a 40mm (full-frame equiv.) F2.8 lens and other improvements. At the heart of the GR IIIx is a 24.24-megapixel APS-C image sensor (6,000 x 4,000 pixels) with sensor-shift three-axis image stabilization (rated for four stops) and an updated GR Engine 6 image processor. The sensor is capable of 14-bit Raw image capture, offers a maximum sensitivity of 102,400 ISO and features an anti-aliasing filter simulator with ‘Off,’ ‘Low’ and ‘High’ settings. For video, you’re looking at Full HD...
DJI releases the OM 5, a portable and lightweight 3-axis gimbal for smartphones
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Sep, 2021 |
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DJI has released the latest device in their OM series of 3-axis gimbals for smartphones. Compact, lightweight, and roughly one-third smaller in size than its predecessor, the OM 5 also boasts a new ShotGuides feature, an upgrade to Active Track 4.0, a built-in extension rod, and upgraded phone clamp. It comes in two colors: Athens Gray and Sunset White. DJI says their 3-axis stabilization technology helps users create steady footage, plus some unique effects, with a few taps. A newly designed smartphone clamp fits more models compared to the OM 4. A new 215mm extension rod helps users create...
Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Sep, 2021 |
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The Canon RF 14-35mm F4L IS USM is a compact, medium-aperture wideangle zoom lens for the company’s mirrorless RF mount. Offering an advanced optical makeup, and high build quality despite its lightweight build, the 14-35mm slots in beneath the pricier – and brighter – 15-35mm F2.8 in Canon’s lineup. So how does it perform? We’ve been shooting with a production sample for a few days, and you can view our gallery from the links above and below. Our initial impressions are positive, and while it’s clear that the lens benefits from distortion correction at...
ON1 announces Photo RAW 2022: Sky Swap AI, Time-Lapse Creation, NoNoise AI & more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Sep, 2021 |
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ON1 has announced an all-new version of ON1 Photo RAW. With many new features, including Sky Swap AI and NoNoise AI, ON1 Photo RAW 2022 promises to be a significant update over previous iterations. ON1 Photo RAW 2022 is made to be an all-in-one photo editing application, like prior iterations of Photo RAW. The software is a photo organizer, raw processor, layer editor and photo effects app. New to Photo RAW 2022, the application can now host Photoshop plugins. ON1 writes, ‘With a considerable amount of new features and new AI-based technologies, version 2022 will offer photographers...
Canon teases September 14 launch event, calls is ‘the most exciting announcement of the year’
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Sep, 2021 |
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[embedded content] It looks like September 14, 2021 is going to be a busy day. First, Apple announced it will be hosting a livestream event. Now, Canon has announced that it too will be hosting a livestreamed event on YouTube at 12pm CEST (+2 UTC). Canon doesn’t say what we can expect to see at the event, but the animated graphic in the teaser video shows an illustration of an RF camera mount. Make of that what you will. You can click through on the video to set a reminder on YouTube to be notified when the event goes live. The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image...
Apple announces September 14 livestream event, expected to unveil its latest iPhone models
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Sep, 2021 |
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Apple has sent out invitations for its annual fall event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 1pm EDT. The event is returning to its usual September timeframe after it was pushed back into October in 2020, presumably due to issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Click to enlarge. Apple doesn’t specifically reference any products in the announcement, but the Cupertino company has historically shown off its latest iPhone devices during its autumn presentations. Rumors are aplenty, as usual, but some of the most reliable come from Mark Gurman, Bloomberg, who reported...
Samsung reveals plans to develop 576MP smartphone sensor by 2025
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Sep, 2021 |
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If you thought the megapixel wars were over, you might want to gear up once again. Samsung has revealed plans to release a 576-megapixel smartphone sensor by 2025. At the SEMI Europe Summit, which took place back on September 1, 2021, Samsung’s Senior Vice President and Head of Automotive Sensors, Haechang Lee, presented a slide showing the history of the company’s image sensor technology. As visible in the graphic below, and first reported on by Image Sensors World, the timeline highlight’s the company’s ambitions to have a 576MP smartphone sensor available within the next four years. Click...
Hands-on with the Fujifilm GFX 50S II and GF 35-70mm lens
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Sep, 2021 |
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The Fujifilm GFX 50S II and its kit lens, the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6, have just landed! If you follow the digital camera industry, the 50S II will no doubt look pretty familiar: it’s essentially the same camera body as Fujifilm’s existing GFX 100S model. But if you’re newer to the world of Fujifilm digital medium format cameras, well, then join us in a tour of the 50S II, followed by its new kit lens, and find out what’s...
Zhong Yi Optics releases $299 135mm F2.5 lens for full-frame DSLR, mirrorless camera systems
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Sep, 2021 |
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Chinese lens manufacturer Zhong Yi Optics has announced the Mitakon 135mm F2.5. A fast, manual telephoto portrait lens for full-frame DSLR and mirrorless camera systems. The lens is constructed of nine elements in seven groups, including two extra-low dispersion and two ultra-high refraction elements. It has a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, an aperture range of F2.5 through F22, a minimum focusing distance of 100cm (4′) and uses a 67mm front filter thread. Despite offering a 135mm focal length, the lens is rather compact at just 137mm (5.4″) long by 79mm (3.1″) in diameter...
Home at last: a travelogue with the GFX 50S II
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Sep, 2021 |
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I had no idea, when I boarded the Boeing 787 at Heathrow in May 2019, that I wouldn’t see my friends, much of my family, or my homeland, for over two years. This inability to return has, with time, started to rub. Not to the point of becoming unbearable, but enough that it keeps catching my attention: ‘much of what you care about is a long way away, and there’s nothing you can do about that.’ Not that the past eighteen-or-so months have been much fun for anybody, but this was a distinct component of the emotional white noise that I recognized I was finding harder and harder to tune-out....
Updated: Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 STM sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 5, 2021 | dpreview staff It’s not a new lens, but the Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 STM still sets the standard for optics in Canon’s mirrorless EF-M range. We’ve been shooting with, and enjoying the 32mm F1.4 for some time, and with summer starting (finally) to fade here in Seattle, we’ve taken this opportunity to update our previously-published gallery with some samples from Canon’s 32MP EOS M6 Mark II. Click to view our gallery of samples from the Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 STM Gear in this story The EF-M 32mm F1.4 is a welcome addition to Canon’s APS-C...
Slideshow: Ocean Photography Awards 2021 finalists
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Sep, 2021 |
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Finalists across six categories, including Collective Portfolio, Youth Photographer of the Year, and Conservation have been announced for the second annual Ocean Photography Awards. Public voting to decide the winners is currently open. Winners will be announced in a series of videos that will air September 10th – 16th. An open-air exhibition will be available to the public on September 17th alone the River Thames, close to Tower Bridge. ‘As a keen scuba diver and underwater photographer, I appreciate what it takes to capture extraordinary photographs of the ocean: passion, skill and...
Hands-on with the new Fujifilm XF33mm F1.4 R LM WR
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Sep, 2021 |
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Fujifilm’s XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR is the latest in a series of primes from the company that offer modern alternatives to some of the first optics in the X-mount system. I say ‘offer alternatives’ rather than replace, because the company says the 33mm won’t replace the nine-year-old XF 35mm F1.4 R and instead both will be available alongside one another. Although Fujifilm also announced a 23mm F1.4 sister lens alongside the 33mm, it’s the longer lens that will become available first. It’s expected to arrive later this month at a price of...
DPReview TV: Our thoughts on Fujifilm’s X Summit announcements
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 4, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan analyze all the announcements from Fujifilm’s recent X Summit: GFX 50S II, X-T30 II, new X-mount lenses, new GF-mount lenses, and a teaser for a stacked CMOS sensor and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Fujifilm has announced the GFX 50S II, a 50 Megapixel medium-format...
Fujifilm GFX 50S II sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 4, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan from DPReview TV just reviewed the Fujifilm GFX 50S II. Check out their sample gallery to judge image quality for yourself – and to see some sweet interpretive dance moves by Jordan. View the Fujifilm GFX 50S II sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Fujifilm has announced the GFX 50S II, a 50 Megapixel medium-format camera that will cost just $4000. It...
How to Take Better Photographs Indoors
Posted by Chris Roubis on 4th, Sep, 2021 |
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Many new photographers find that while shutter speed, aperture, and ISO make sense in theory, it is hard to know where to start in practice. Even if you understand basic camera settings, getting high quality photographs – especially indoors – is not always an easy task. In other words, maybe you have a basic understanding of the exposure triangle… but now what? How do you actually take a good photograph in low light or bad lighting conditions, like those often found indoors? That’s what I’m going to cover today. However, instead of a list of tips, I’m going to go through some common problems...
Astronaut captures images of stunning blue auroral display from space
Posted by Chris Roubis on 3rd, Sep, 2021 |
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Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, whose photos we’ve featured before, recently captured photos of the Aurora Australis, otherwise known as the southern lights (the counterpart to northern lights for the southern hemisphere). While photographing the brilliant night sky spectacle from Earth is interesting enough, to do so from outer space is even cooler. Further distinguishing Pesquet’s image is the blue color of the southern lights, a rare hue for the phenomenon. Blue Aurora Australis only occurs with specific, unusual geomagnetic conditions. It’s typical to see a green or pink...
DPReview TV: Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 3rd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 3, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] In this review Chris and Jordan explain why they’re pretty impressed with Fujifilm’s new XF 33mm F1.4 prime lens. They also provide a head-to-head comparison against Fujifilm’s older 35mm F1.4 lens to see how they differ. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Full resolution sample photos from this episode Gear in this story Pre-order now The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price...
Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 3rd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 3, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan have been busy this week! This gallery features full resolution sample images from their review of the new Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 prime. Take a trip to Canada’s Maritime provinces and enjoy the tail end of summer. View the Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story Pre-order now The GFX 50S II takes a familiar sensor and adds the image stabilization and body design of the GFX 100S. Does this, and a lowest-ever price deliver a winning combination? Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of...
Film Friday: A look at one of the Soviet Union’s first SLR cameras, the KMZ Start
Posted by Chris Roubis on 3rd, Sep, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Stephen Dowling, founder of Kosmo Foto, has published the its inaugural camera overview video to its YouTube channel. And to kick things off, the Kosmo Foto team has gone with a rather quirky camera—the KMZ Start. This interesting little camera was developed back in the 1950s by one of the Soviet Union’s largest camera manufacturers, KMZ. The camera was only in production for half a decade, and barely known in the west, but as Dowling explains in the video, it actually beat the Nikon F to market, a camera often thought of as the first professional SLR camera. The...
Sigma will announce new products on September 9
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Just a month after announcing its new 150–600mm F5–6.3 DG DN OS ‘Sports’ lens for E and L mounts, Sigma is back with a teaser for another announcement on September 9, 2021. In a video premiere posted to YouTube, Sigma says it has a ‘New Products Presentation’ planned for 12:00 PM UTC on Thursday, September 9, 2021. As has been the case for past teasers, no information has been shared at this time regarding what kind of products we can expect to see. Whatever the case is, you might want to mark your calendars and set a reminder via YouTube so you don’t miss out. The GFX 50S...
Asus announces ProArt Studiobook and Vivobook Pro notebooks for visual artists
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Asus has announced a pair of new laptops designed for visual artists, including photographers. The new ProArt Studiobook and Vivobook Pro models join the existing Zenbook Pro series to offer customers more options at different performance, feature and price levels. The newly-formed trio of notebooks includes 4K OLED HDR displays. The displays are VESA DisplayHDR 600 True Black certified. To meet Pantone Validated standards, the displays are calibrated at the factory before being shipped to consumers. The new ProArt Studiobook adds Calman Verified status, promising 100% coverage of the DCI-P3...
Slideshow: A bewildered roadrunner at the US—Mexico border took home the grand prize in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Winners of the 2021 Bird Photographer of the Year awards were announced today. Over 22,000 images were submitted from around the globe. Mexican photographer Alejandro Prieto took home the £5,000 grand prize for his image of a roadrunner standing next to the 3,000km-long US–Mexico border. ‘The border wall crosses deserts, mountains, and even mangroves. It is not just desert, and is in fact very biodiverse with more than 1,500 animal and plants species threatened by the wall,’ says Prieto. ‘I have watched many different animals reach the wall before turning around and heading...
The Fujifilm GFX 50S II is the least expensive medium-format digital camera ever
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has announced the 51 Megapixel GFX 50S II camera that – at $4000 – is the cheapest medium-format digital camera that’s ever been released. The 50S II is largely similar to the GFX 100S, but with a lower resolution sensor and a lack of 4K video capability. Relatively compact in size, the GFX 50S II offers in-body stabilization, with up to 6.5 stops of shake reduction. (The IBIS system can also be used to create ultra-high-res 205MB images.) The camera has a substantial grip and has plenty of room on the top plate for dials and an OLED info...
DPReview TV: Fujifilm GFX 50S II review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan tell us what they think of Fujifilm’s new GFX 50S II medium format camera. They also compare it to the GFX 100S, revealing some important differences that go beyond resolution. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Fujifilm GFX 50S II sample gallery from this episode Gear in this story Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of affordable tripods and supports, but not necessarily for the best of reasons. With the LM-364C, Leofoto appears to offer some...
Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 pre-production sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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We’ve been shooting a pre-production copy of Fujifilm’s new XF 33mm F1.4 prime lens. We’re pretty impressed, but check out our sample gallery to see the results for yourself. View the Fujifilm XF 33mm F1.4 pre-production sample gallery Gear in this story Leofoto is one of the best-known names in the world of affordable tripods and supports, but not necessarily for the best of reasons. With the LM-364C, Leofoto appears to offer some innovation and high value – so how does it perform? The 2021 ASUS Zephyrus G14 offers a phenomenal combination of performance, power efficiency,...
Fujifilm X-T30 II offers higher-res LCD and improved performance
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm quietly announced upgrades to two X-series models. The X-T30 II is the same as its predecessor, except for its higher-resolution LCD (1.68M-dot versus 1.04M-dot) and additional memory. The latter allows it to perform as robustly as the X-T4. The X-T30 II does not include a battery charger and will come in silver and black. It will be priced at $899 body-only, $999 when paired with the XC 15-45mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom and $1299 with the 18-55mm F2.8-4 lens. There’s also a ‘new’ X-T3, known as the X-T3 WW (worldwide). This is the...
Fujifilm announces XF 23mm and 33mm F1.4 R LM WR prime lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has announced two new prime lenses for its APS-C format X-mount – the XF 23mm F1.4 R LM WR and XF 33mm F1.4 R LM WR, covering equivalent focal lengths of 35mm and 50mm respectively. The lenses are nominally similar in terms of construction, each comprising 15 elements in ten groups, with two aspherical and three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements. The aspherical elements help maintain cross-frame consistency at wide apertures, while the ED elements significantly reduce chromatic aberrations relative to previous, similar designs. Both...
Fujifilm releases compact GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR medium-format lens
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has just announced the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 WR zoom lens for their GFX line of medium-format digital cameras. Offering a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 28-55mm, it’s intended as a lightweight, everyday walkaround zoom lens that doesn’t compromise on image sharpness or build quality. When ‘collapsed’, the lens is just 74mm (2.9″) long. The GF 35-70mm has 11 lens elements in nine groups, including one aspherical element and two extra-low dispersion (ED) elements. It also features a close-focusing distance of 35cm...
Fujifilm announces updated roadmap for X- and GF-series lenses, including tilt-shift
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff Fujifilm has unveiled its latest development roadmap for X and GF-series lenses, for the company’s APS-C and medium-format mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, respectively. A total of 17 lenses are on the roadmap, now including a GF 55mm F1.7 – a standard prime equivalent to 44mm in full-frame terms – and a wide-angle zoom, the GF 20-35mm (equivalent to 16-28mm). Fujifilm has also teased the development of an upcoming tilt-shift lens in the GF line, but we’re still waiting for details of focal length and aperture. Click to enlarge...
Fujifilm GFX 50S II sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 2, 2021 | dpreview staff When combined with the GF 35-70mm F4.5-5.6 lens, the GFX 50S II makes for a pretty solid travel photography package. Sure, this combo isn’t the most compact option out there, but it’s also not appreciably larger than most of the full-frame DSLR kits that many of us trekked along with on vacations of years past. So peruse our gallery and get a feel for how the GFX 50S II and its kit lens perform on holiday, and while you’re at it, you might even get a bit of a feel for the English countryside as well. Gear in this story Leofoto is one...
Fujifilm GFX 50S II review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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The Fujifilm GFX 50S II is the company’s third 50 Megapixel medium format mirrorless camera, and the first to feature in-camera stabilization. In almost every respect, the 50S II is a lower-res version of the GFX 100S, sharing more with its high pixel-count sibling than it does with the original GFX 50S. The means it benefits from all the refinements Fujifilm has introduced in the five years since the first GFX 50S was launched but also sees some features pared back. It’s also Fujifilm’s least expensive medium format camera to date, making the 44 x 33mm format more...
Fujifilm announces GFX 50S II, 35-70mm 4.5-5.6 WR and forthcoming lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 2nd, Sep, 2021 |
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Fujifilm has used its latest X Summit event to announce the GFX 50S II. The event, taking place in Japan and live-streamed on YouTube can be viewed below. GFX 50S II The GFX 50S II uses the same 50MP sensor as its existing cameras, and adds image stabilization and the same ‘X Processor 4’ chip used in the GFX 100S. The new chip improves AF speed and face/eye detection performance, the company says. The in-body image stabilization system is also used to offer a 200MP, 16-shot high resolution mode. The new camera offers 19 Film Simulations, and there are over 100 new features and...
The RED V-RAPTOR ST is a $25K cinema camera capable of 8K 120fps 16-bit Raw video capture
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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[embedded content] RED Digital Cinema has announced the V-RAPTOR ST, its latest flagship 8K cinema camera that can record REDCODE RAW video at up to 120fps. The $24,5000 cinema camera, which features a Canon RF lens mount, is the first in RED’s new DSMC3 generation of cameras and manages to pack a lot of features in a relatively compact form factor. At the heart of the V-RAPTOR ST is an 8K VV 35.4-megapixel CMOS sensor (8192 x 4320 pixels) that measures 40.96mm (1.61”) x 21.60mm (.85”) and is capable of capturing over 17 stops of dynamic range. In front of the sensor is a Canon RF lens mount...
Video: How do images from Canon’s EOS-1D look nearly 20 years after its release?
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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The original Canon EOS-1D is coming up on its 20th birthday this November. The DSLR, which is quite large by today’s standards, was Canon’s first foray into the professional digital camera market. The EOS 1D series itself survives to this day, with 2020’s EOS-1D X Mark III continuing to see heavy use among professional photographers in the face of mirrorless alternatives from Canon itself and competing brands. What’s it like shooting with a 20-year-old camera? Does the Canon EOS-1D hold up, even today? Photographer Eduardo Pavez Goye wanted to answer this question in...
Slideshow: 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards Finalists
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has announced the finalists for its 2021 competition, showcasing hilarious photos of a ‘laughing’ vine snake, a ‘waving’ dragonfly and a monkey that looks like he regrets not wearing groin protection. ‘The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards was co-founded in 2015 by professional photographers Paul Johnson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam, who wanted to create a competition that focused on the lighter side of wildlife photography and help promote wildlife conservation through humour,’ reads the competition’s press release. ‘This year, the competition is...
We applied Adobe’s ‘Super Resolution’ to our favorite old photos and the results may shock you
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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Mt. St. Helens abstract, winter. Super resolution of this Canon 5D Mark III image from 2013 yields an 88.5 MP file ripe for a super large canvas print. Photo: Rishi Sanyal Back in March, Senior Principal Scientist Eric ‘I like to mess around with pixels’ Chan published a blog post on Adobe.com outlining the strides he and his team had made at Adobe using machine learning to make your photos better. Along with collaborators Michaël Gharbi and Richard Zhang of Adobe Research, Eric and the team produced a tool that extracts more detail from your photos without the typically...
Margaret
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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Photos Members Group Since Margaret Magpie’s Snaps says: disappointed that you rejected my photo of my King Parrot but accepted one of a Kagaroo Paw flower taken in bunnings?? Do not mind being rejected but….. 10:22PM, 31 August 2021 PDT (permalink) Would you like to comment? Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you’re already a...
Panasonic Lumix S 24mm F1.8 L-mount lens to ship in October
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 1, 2021 | dpreview staff Panasonic has announced its Lumix S 24mm F1.8 lens for L-mount. This lightweight lens features 12 elements in 11 groups, including three aspherical lenses. Three extra-low dispersion and one ultra extra-low dispersion elements help suppress chromatic aberrations. It uses a linear motor to drive the focus group for swift and silent autofocus, and Panasonic says that the lens has been designed to minimize focus breathing. The minimum focus distance of the 24mm F1.8 is 24cm (9.5″) and the maximum magnification is 0.15x. The 24mm F1.8 is designed to...
Panasonic Lumix S 24mm F1.8 sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 1st, Sep, 2021 |
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Published Sep 1, 2021 | dpreview staff We’ve been using Panasonic’s new Lumix S 24mm F1.8 L-mount lens for the last few days, and generally we like what we’ve seen so far. The only negative we’ve found in our initial shooting is occasional flare – check out the results for yourself, in our sample gallery. View our Panasonic Lumix S 24mm F1.8 gallery Gear in this story Panasonic LUMIX S Series Camera Lens, 24mm F1.8 L-Mount Interchangeable Lens for Mirrorless Full Frame Digital Cameras, S-S24 $899.99 Shop now Panasonic LUMIX Professional 8-18mm Camera Lens, G...
RED teases new cinema camera that appears to record 8K video at 120fps
Posted by Chris Roubis on 31st, Aug, 2021 |
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Polaroid’s new Now+ instant camera uses your smartphone to unlock specialized capture modes
Posted by Chris Roubis on 31st, Aug, 2021 |
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Polaroid has announced the Polaroid Now+, a new i-Type instant camera that offers a unique feature set via Bluetooth connectivity. The Polaroid Now+ looks similar to nearly all of its One Step-style predecessors. But inside, it packs a slew of new shooting modes that are controlled with Polaroid’s free mobile application (Android, iOS). Specifically, the Now+ features special modes: Aperture Priority, Double Exposure, Light Painting, Manual Mode and Tripod Mode. Aperture Priority mode lets users manually control the aperture, from F11 to F32. This isn’t going to give you the usual full-frame...
Video: A look at Canon’s 40-year-old AF lens, the FD 35-70mm F4 AF
Posted by Chris Roubis on 31st, Aug, 2021 |
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Nowadays, it’s easy to take autofocusing lenses for granted. However, in the grand scheme of photography’s history, autofocus is a relatively recent innovation. In Canon’s rich photographic history, the EF mount introduced in 1987 likely stands out as the beginning of autofocus for the company. However, Canon’s previous FD mount had a special lens among its manual focus optics, the Canon FD 35-70mm F4 AF, which was originally released back in 1981. In a new video from Kai W, he goes hands-on with the Canon FD 35-70mm F4 AF adapted to a Sony A1 mirrorless camera....
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II added to studio test scene
Posted by Chris Roubis on 31st, Aug, 2021 |
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As part of the process of our review of the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 II, we’ve just shot and processed the studio scene images, to see how it compares with its predecessor. At base ISO there’s no appreciable difference between the GH5 II and the original version. There’s a slight improvement in apparent sharpness, but this is likely to be due to the use of a more expensive lens on the newer model. As with the original GH5 there are hints of moiré, which makes sense, given the absence of an anti-aliasing low-pass filter. At very high ISOs there appears to be a slight ISO...
Best Photography Memoirs
Posted by Chris Roubis on 31st, Aug, 2021 |
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If you’re looking for good weekend reads in photography – enjoyable books that also serve as education and inspiration – this list is for you. The books I cover below are all memoirs by photographers detailing their creative, photographic, and artistic journeys. Some read like novels and others are crash courses in living a creative life. All of them are exceptionally inspiring for photographers and photo enthusiasts. Table of Contents If you have ever wondered what it’s like to work as a photojournalist covering some of the largest military operations and conflicts in modern history, or if...
Iconic 1914 Ur-Leica camera recreated as LEGO could become an actual set
Posted by Chris Roubis on 30th, Aug, 2021 |
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LEGO Ideas user Pandis Pandus has submitted an idea to LEGO that is sure to excite photographers and Leica fans, in particular, a LEGO Ur-Leica camera from 1914. If the idea garners enough support, it may become a real LEGO product that you could buy in stores one day. If you’re unfamiliar with the LEGO Ideas program, it’s an online place for creative LEGO enthusiasts to submit concept LEGO set ideas, like those you can purchase in stores. It takes a while for an idea to become a fully-fledged consumer product, of course, but it’s still a viable way for fresh ideas to make...
In-depth tripod review: Leofoto ‘Summit’ LM-364C
Posted by Chris Roubis on 30th, Aug, 2021 |
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The fully extended Leofoto LM-364C with a compact (non-Leofoto) gimbal, full-frame camera, and 500mm prime lens. Leofoto is a brand of Laitu Photographic, a manufacturer that has been making tripods, heads and accessories since 2014, both under their own name and for other brands. The early products from the Leofoto brand were clearly ‘inspired’ by the designs and appearances of successful products from other companies. However, they have recently developed some of their own innovative gear, as well as a broad catalog of photographic accessories; from plates and clamps to straps...
Slideshow: Winning photographs from the inaugural ‘Captured at Calke’ photo competition
Posted by Chris Roubis on 30th, Aug, 2021 |
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The International Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) has announced the results for its inaugural IGPOTY National Trust Calke Abbey special photo competition, ‘Captured at Calke.’ What’s unique about this free-to-enter photo competition is that all images were captured at Calke Abbey, a country house estate near Ticknall, Derbyshirt, England. Calke Abbey is believed to have been founded as an Augustinian priory by Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester sometime between 1115 and 1120. Over the centuries, it exchanged hands multiple times, with each new owner adding their own touch to the...
Enhance! Google researchers detail new method for upscaling low-resolution images with impressive results
Posted by Chris Roubis on 30th, Aug, 2021 |
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Cascaded generation of unconditional 1024×1024 faces. Thanks to CSI, as well as plenty of other crime dramas, the phrase ‘Enhance’ has taken on a life of its own as a tongue-in-cheek way of attempting to digitally extract extra information from low-resolution images that simply isn’t feasible in real-world situations. Or is it? A new blog post on the Google AI Blog showcases a new technology its developed to upscale low-resolution images with incredible results. The blog post, titled ‘High Fidelity Image Generation Using Diffusion Models,’ explains how Google researchers have developed...
DPReview TV classics: Best (and worst) ways to clean camera lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 28th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 28, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan are taking a well-deserved break this week, so we’re re-posting one of our favorite episodes from the archives. In this humorous video they discuss the right way – and the wrong way – to clean a lens. Beware of broken glass! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. The Nikon Z fc is a midrange ILC with the same eye-catching design as the company’s classic film cameras. It’s not just a good-looking camera, though: it’s quite capable. Read our review to...
ASUS Zephyrus G14 (2021) Review: The M1 MacBook Pro killer
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Aug, 2021 |
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The ASUS Zephyrus G14 is a new breed of powerful, portable laptop made possible by the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs. All product photography by DL Cade. When it comes to lightweight laptops for creatives, Apple pretty much cornered the market with the release of the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro. The price-to-performance of these laptops is better than anything we’ve seen from Cupertino in a long time, and the Apple Silicon M1 punches well above its weight given its ‘entry-level’ designation. But what if you’re not a Mac fan? What if 16GB of unified memory isn’t...
Zeiss will raise the prices of all its lenses in the US on October 1
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Aug, 2021 |
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Zeiss has announced it will be increasing the price of its lenses in the United States starting October 1, 2021. According to a graphic, embedded below and shared by Leica Rumors, lenses in the Batis and Loxia lines will increase by $50 per unit, while the Milvus (ZE & ZF.2) and ZM lenses will increase by $75 and $100 per unit, respectively. Zeiss’ T* UIV and POL filters will increase by 10% each. If you’re already in the market for one, you might want to pick one up within the next month. Otherwise, count on shelling out a little more cash to get your hands on the Zeiss lens of your...
Zeiss will raise the prices of some lenses in the US on October 1
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Aug, 2021 |
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Zeiss has announced it will be increasing the price of several of its lines of lenses in the United States starting October 1, 2021. According to a graphic, embedded below and shared by Leica Rumors, lenses in the Batis and Loxia lines will increase by $50 per unit, while the Milvus (ZE & ZF.2) and ZM lenses will increase by $75 and $100 per unit, respectively. Zeiss’ T* UIV and POL filters will increase by 10% each. If you’re already in the market for one, you might want to pick one up within the next month. Otherwise, count on shelling out a little more cash to get your hands on the...
Venus Optics adds new mount options for seven of its most popular Laowa lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Aug, 2021 |
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Chinese lens manufacturer Venus Optics has announced that seven of its specialist Laowa lenses are now available in additional mirrorless camera system mounts. The lenses concerned are the 9mm T2.9, 12mm T2.9 and 15mm T2.1 cine lenses, the famous 24mm macro probe lens, 4mm and 9mm fisheyes and the Argus 33mm F0.95 CF APO. The new mounts will allow these lenses to work with L, Nikon Z, Canon RF and Canon EOS-M cameras, but none of the lenses will come in all the mounts, as seen in the chart below: The new mounts are available to purchase now. For more information see the Laowa website. Venus...
Prolycht’s Orion 300 FS is a relatively affordable six-color LED studio light
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Aug, 2021 |
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Lighting manufacturer and research company Prolycht has introduced a six-color LED version of its Orion 300 spotlight that it says produces a much wider gamut of colors and is more able to accurately emulate ambient light sources than regular RGB models. The new Orion 300 FS (Full Spectrum) adds Amber, Lime and Cyan LEDs to the standard Red, Green and Blue mix to produce a much more flexible light. Prolycht’s founder, Anqing Lui, says the new light outputs parts of the blue/yellow and green spectrum that other lights can’t, while also offering a white balance range from 2000-20,000 kelvin –...
Thunderbolt Drives compared: Samsung X5 vs. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus
Posted by Chris Roubis on 27th, Aug, 2021 |
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Two different approaches to external Thunderbolt storage, fast or flexible If you’re looking for fast portable external drives, and your PC or Mac has the right port, then Thunderbolt is the way to go. However, choosing the right drive can be tough. For a start there are multiple generations of Thunderbolt and it can be confusing. Here I’m looking at solutions using Thunderbolt 3, which looks like a USB Type-C socket but has a lightning flash icon next to it, to indicate its compatibility with the Thunderbolt protocol. Thunderbolt 3 can, theoretically, support data transfer...
HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ features incredible FPV drone footage of the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] HBO’s series ‘Hard Knocks, The Dallas Cowboys’ has a special section in episode 3. A drone gives a first-person view of the 91-acre campus, including the surrounding facilities. The exhilarating 3-minute clip was the result of a collaborative effort between NFL Films and Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Sky Candy Studios. For three minutes, viewers take in the entirety of the football field, get behind-the-scenes access to the locker room, and even get a tour of the surrounding restaurants. According to Peter Schrager of Fox Sports, the team had three hours...
ON1 teases back-up and restore features coming soon to Photo RAW
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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Have you ever been frustrated when trying to restore your photo library following a computer crash or when setting up a new computer? If so, ON1’s upcoming feature should alleviate the issue and save you a lot of time. ON1 is teasing a new back-up and restore feature. ON1 Photo RAW has always been a photo browser at its core. Everything you do within the software gets saved as a sidecar file along with each photo. However, while it’s easy to transfer your images with edits from computer to computer or to restore after a crash, it’s more challenging to transfer your albums,...
Nikon Z fc Review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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Nikon’s Z fc is an APS-C mirrorless camera that combines Nikon’s new Z lens mount with looks and controls that recall the company’s classic FM and FE-series film SLRs. The Z fc is the second crop-sensor Nikon camera to use the company’s Z-mount and is built around the same 20.9MP sensor as the Nikon Z50, but it gains dedicated dials for ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation to go with its throwback styling. Nikon says it’s aiming the camera at a younger, style-conscious audience. Key specifications 20.9MP CMOS sensor Burst shooting up to 11 fps with full...
Reply to Upgrade to D7100
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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The Nikon Z series lenses are very expensive. Ok, you can use the adaptor to Nikon F Mount, but for what do you wanna buy Z series body without Z lenses? If there’s no limitation for your bucks ok. Otherwise it’s better to buy F Mount like D750/D780 or D810.
Sigma’s Optimization Pro software now has native support for Apple Silicon
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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Sigma has released the latest version of its Sigma Optimization Pro 1.7.0 software, bringing with it new features for both the macOS and Windows version, as well as native support for Apple silicon. Sigma’s USB Dock that’s used to update firmware on Sigma Art, Contemporary and Sport lenses. Sigma Optimization Pro is a free program used to update firmware and tweak the settings of Sigma’s lenses, speedlights and mount converters using its USB docks. Version 1.7.0 of the program is rather minor, but is notable in that it brings native support to Apple’s M1 computers, which should...
Tamron reveals $699 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 APS-C lens for Sony E mount cameras, X-mount version due out ‘this fall’
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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Tamron has announced the forthcoming release of its latest all-in-one APS-C zoom lens for Sony E-mount camera systems, the 18–300mm F3.5–6.3 Di III-A VC VXD. The lens, which is roughly a 27–450mm full-frame equivalent, is constructed of 19 elements in 15 groups, including three hybrid aspherical elements and four low dispersion (LD) elements. It features a maximum aperture range of F3.5 through F6.3, a minimum aperture range of F22 through F40, uses a seven-blade circular aperture diaphragm and has a 67mm front filter thread. Optical construction diagram of the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di...
Best Lenses for the Nikon Z5 / Z6 / Z6 II
Posted by Chris Roubis on 26th, Aug, 2021 |
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I recently published an article about the best lenses for the Nikon Z7 and Z7 II, but the list expands a bit for lower resolution sensors. In this article, I’ll go through every Nikon Z lens plus some F-mount lenses to see how they perform on the Z5, Z6, and Z6 II. First, I want to clarify something. Bad lenses do not get any sharper or better on a low-resolution sensor. What happens instead is that the gap between good versus great lenses gets narrower when you don’t have as many pixels; you’re not able to see minor differences or flaws in the lenses as easily. The result is that the list...
Godox announces V860 III speedlight with modeling light, improved battery and more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Aug, 2021 |
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Godox has announced the V860 III speedlight, which is an updated version of the existing V860 II. The new model includes all the features of its predecessor, plus several new features, such as a front-facing modeling light. The V860 III, also known as the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL at Adorama, offers improved battery life and performance, a hot-shoe quick-release lock and a ‘quick switch’ for better control of the speedlight. Using the ‘quick switch,’ you can swap between manual and TTL modes. Godox V860 III The 2W LED modeling light, which is a key new feature,...
Samsung disables the cameras on its new $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone if you unlock the bootloader
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Aug, 2021 |
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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3. It’s been discovered Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 3 smartphone will automatically disable the cameras on the device if you unlock the bootloader in an attempt to root the device. For those unfamiliar with the terms, a bootloader is a security checkpoint of sorts that runs upon turning the mobile device on and tells is where to load the operating system from on the device and checks to ensure the Android version its loading is authentic. All Android phones ship with a locked bootloader as a security measure, but for those who want to install a custom ROM to get...
These custom-built hard cases protect camera rigs for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Sony and others
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Aug, 2021 |
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Keeping your gear safe can be a tricky – and expensive – proposition. A longtime favorite for traveling and professional photographers and videographers are hard cases. With custom-fitted padded inserts, a hard case is a great way to store and protect your gear. Over at CineD, they’ve written about ready-made hard cases for a wide variety of camera brands and models. The cases are made by HPRC, whose name stands for High Performance Resin Cases. We’re sure that some of you have heard of HPRC. But, for those who haven’t, the company offers numerous case and storage...
Hands-on with the Canon RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM
Posted by Chris Roubis on 25th, Aug, 2021 |
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Canon’s RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM is billed as a more affordable, lightweight alternative to the flagship wide-angle zoom for RF mount, the RF 15-35mm F2.8. We’ve been shooting with it for a few days (watch this space for a full gallery of samples soon) and so far, our impressions of this compact ultrawide are very positive. Click through this article for a closer look at its features, specifications and handling...
Upgrade to D7100
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Aug, 2021 |
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Photos Members Group Since Upgrade to D7100 North for Short says: What would you consider an upgrade to a D7100. There is a limited budget of £750 and I could part ex my old camera body. I was looking at a D810 and D750. Over to you guys. 1:46PM, 24 August 2021 PDT (permalink) Would you like to comment? Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you’re already a...
Slideshow: Winners and finalists of AAP Magazine’s #19 SHAPES competition
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Aug, 2021 |
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For their 19th competition, All About Photo (AAP) Magazine asked entrants to submit images that reveal the elements that abstract light, texture, shape and shadow. 25 winners from 13 countries were selected. The 3 winners split a cash prize of $1,000. All winning images, with links to their respective series, can be viewed on AAP’s site. They’ll also be published in the magazine’s print...
Production issues, lack of funds have brought the Reflex SLR project to a halt
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Aug, 2021 |
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The Reflex modular 35mm SLR system was announced way back in 2017. It was the first newly-designed manual 35mm SLR system to be announced in more than 25 years. The modular camera promised personalization and customization through its ability to use different film backs and lens mounts. However, per PetaPixel, the Reflex SLR project is experiencing major issues in developing a prototype. The project raised more than £131,000 on Kickstarter in 2017. Since then, issues developing a prototype have resulted in the Reflex team burning through the money it raised from backers, with no prototype to...
Video: Curiosity rover captures 360-degree panorama of Mount Sharp on Mars, showing changing landscape
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Aug, 2021 |
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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recently explored Mount Sharp. The mountain is 8km (5 mi) tall and is within the 154km-wide (96 mi) basin of Mars’s Gale Crater. Curiosity captured a new 360-degree panorama at Mount Sharp, revealing its diverse terrain and shedding light on the area’s ancient environment. NASA writes, ‘Images of knobbly rocks and rounded hills are delighting scientists as NASA’s Curiosity rover climbs Mount Sharp, a 5-mile-tall (8-kilometer-tall) mountain within the 96-mile-wide (154-kilometer-wide) basin of Mars’ Gale Crater. The rover’s...
You will soon be able to merge HDR, panoramic photographs in Capture One
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Aug, 2021 |
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Capture One has announced a development update, confirming it will bring two of its most-requested features to its photo editing applications in December 2021: HDR and panorama merging. The new features, which will be released alongside Capture One 22 later this year, will allow users to merge multiple photographs to create high dynamic range (HDR) images and panorama images. The addition of these features should help simplify the workflow of photographers who rely on these features and have previously had to use other programs, such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, to merge their HDR...
Updated: Pentax K-3 Mark III sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 24th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 24, 2021 | dpreview staff The Pentax K-3 Mark III is Ricoh’s latest flagship APS-C DSLR, and sports a new 26MP sensor, updated autofocus and refined ergonomics and features. With our full review only days away, we took the opportunity to update our previously-published gallery of sample images with several new shots taken in and around the Seattle area. Click here to view our updated gallery of samples from the Pentax K-3 III Gear in this story Surely you’ve already watched our video review on the Pentax K-3 Mark III. Now it’s time to take a closer look at...
The UK’s largest news agency announces partnership with Sony
Posted by Chris Roubis on 23rd, Aug, 2021 |
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The largest national news agency in the United Kingdom and Ireland, PA (formerly known as the Press Association), has announced a deal with Sony to have its photographers shoot with Sony cameras and lenses. PA was founded 153 years ago, in 1868, and its parent company is PA Media Group Limited. PA Media Group Limited is a private company owned by 26 shareholders that are primarily UK-based newspapers, like the Daily Mail. PA has over 90 staff photographers and video journalists working in the UK and Ireland, and the process of switching them all over to Sony’s full-frame Alpha...
The CP800 is a modular, all-in-one film processing machine from FilmNeverDie
Posted by Chris Roubis on 23rd, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] When it comes to film photography, the development process tends to have two extremes: it’s either done by hand in small batches or with large, expensive machines. FilmNeverDie, an Melbourne-based film photography company, is hoping to change that though with a new product they call the Compact Processor 800, which is currently being funded on Kickstarter. The main CP800 unit, without the tank section attached. This machine, nicknamed the CP800, is the company’s latest fully-automated rotary drum film processor. It can process up to eight rolls of 35mm film or four rolls...
Megadap’s ETZ11 adapter brings AF, aperture and IBIS to E mount lenses on Nikon Z cameras
Posted by Chris Roubis on 23rd, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Lens accessory manufacturer Megadap has announced the ETZ11, the first automatic adapter for mounting Sony E mount lenses on both full-frame and APS-C Nikon Z mirrorless camera systems. The ETZ11 supports a ‘wide variety’ of both first- and third-party Sony E mount lenses. Specifically, Megadap says it’s tested both automatic and manual shooting with Samyang (Rokinon), Sigma, Sony, Tamron, Voigtlander and Zeiss lenses. The adapter supports both AF-S and AF-C autofocus capabilities as well as aperture control and in-body image stabilization (IBIS), even with non-chipped...
Roger Cicala: Imaging Before Photography, Part III — The Showman and the Sheriff
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Aug, 2021 |
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Enter the Showman In my last article, we discussed the first image makers, up until the late 1820s when Niepce had actually been able to make images using a camera obscura and silver plates coated with Bitumen of Judea. On his way to England, Niepce had been introduced to a most interesting man, Louis Daguerre, by Charles Chevalier, the lensmaker they both used. Daugerre was in almost every way the opposite of Niepce. Unlike the landed Niepce, Daguerre was the son of a clerk. Because of Louis’ artistic talent his father had apprenticed him to an architect hoping that he would make something...
When and How to Upsample an Image
Posted by Chris Roubis on 22nd, Aug, 2021 |
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Upsampling is a tool in most post-processing software that allows you to increase an image’s resolution after taking it. Upsampling lets you boost, say, a 24 megapixel image to 48 megapixels, 96 megapixels, or 240 megapixels! But doing so doesn’t mean you’re actually capturing more detail. This article covers everything you need to know about upsampling, including the best upsampling software today and my recommendation for how much to upsample a photo. Table of Contents What Is Upsampling? Upsampling is a tool in post-production software to increase resolution. It’s most common in...
The DPReview TV camera shoulder bag roundup extravaganza
Posted by Chris Roubis on 21st, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 21, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] Chris and Jordan review six popular camera shoulder bags, including models from Peak Design, Lowepro, Think Tank, Wotancraft, Vanguard and Manfrotto. Find out what they like about each, and which ones they picked for their own use. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. ProMediaGear is well-known within the photography industry for their long-lens gimbals and flash brackets , but with the Pro-Stix TR344, this family-run company is making a play for the premium ‘systematic’ tripod...
Qualcomm releases the first-ever 5G, AI-enabled drone platform
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Aug, 2021 |
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Qualcomm technology was involved in developing the Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, for the first powered flight on another planet four months ago. Now they’re back to focusing on this planet. Recently, Qualcomm announced the first-ever commercial drone platform that’s enabled with 5G connectivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The chipmaker’s Flight RB5 5G Platform enables both technologies making this drone suitable for a multitude of industries including mapping, photography, film, inspections, and emergency response. It can also perform safer beyond-visual-line-of-sight...
Zenfolio launches ProSuite plan offering all-in-one solution for professionals
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Aug, 2021 |
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Zenfolio has launched a new all-in-one business solution for professional photographers, Zenfolio ProSuite. It’s the third new plan that Zenfolio has launched since revamping earlier this year, in addition to the previously announced Portfolio and Portfolio Plus plans. While Portfolio and Portfolio Plus were designed for photographers of any skill level, particularly aspiring and part-time photographers, ProSuite is aimed squarely at advanced professional photographers. Where Portfolio offers 15GB of storage and Portfolio Plus includes 100GB, ProSuite has 1TB of storage. ProSuite...
Blackmagic announces 40% price reduction for URSA Mini Pro 12K camera, plus DaVinci Resolve 17.3
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Aug, 2021 |
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Blackmagic Design has announced a major price reduction for its URSA Mini Pro 12K camera. The new price is $5,995, a 40% discount from its previous $9,995 MSRP. Blackmagic has also announced a new version of DaVinci Resolve, bringing the version to 17.3, adding native Apple Silicon support and more. The URSA Mini Pro 12K has a 12,288 x 6480 12K Super 35 image sensor with 14 stops of dynamic range with a native ISO of 800. The 80MP image sensor works with new color science and records Blackmagic RAW files. Blackmagic writes, ‘Oversampling from 12K gives you the best 8K and 4K images...
Film Friday: An alternative approach to picking your color negative film stock
Posted by Chris Roubis on 20th, Aug, 2021 |
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In this week’s edition of Film Friday, photographer Matt Wright, writing for 35MMC, breaks down everything you should consider before picking a film stock to shoot with. His in-depth guide starts on the technical side of things, wherein he explains the intricacies involved with digitizing negatives and provides examples that highlight how important the scanning hardware and post-processing workflow can be towards getting the best scan. From there, he breaks down the different characteristics of film stocks and explains how each may — or may not — affect the look you’re going for. Wright...
5G-enabled drone captures elaborate footage from the MLB’s ‘Field of Dreams’ game
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Aug, 2021 |
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This $579 watch was inspired by the twin-lens reflex cameras of yesteryear
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Aug, 2021 |
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Watchmaker TACS has unveiled a new camera-inspired watch, the TACS ATL. The watch features a design based on the classic twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera, and ATL stands for Automatic Twin Lens. The new ATL watch joins the company’s Lens Series, (https://tacs-image.com/lens-series/) which also includes the Nato – Lens, Vintage Lens, and AVL II watches, all photography-themed. [embedded content] The TLR-inspired ATL watch packs a lot of neat detail into its 46.5mm watch face. A twin-lens reflex camera includes a pair of objective lenses with the same focal length. One of the lenses is used...
Oppo shows off new RGBW sensor, 85–200mm OIS zoom camera module, 5-axis OIS module and more for future smartphones
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Aug, 2021 |
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Today, at its ‘Future Imaging Technology Launch Event,’ Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo revealed a collection of new and improved technologies it plans to bring to its devices in the future. Amongst the new technologies is a new RGBW sensor, a continuous 85–200mm optical zoom camera module, a five-axis optical image stabilization (OIS) camera module and a ‘next generation’ under-screen camera solution. New RGBW sensor The first new technology is its next-generation RGBW sensor, which Oppo claims can capture 60% more light than previous-generation sensors while offering a 35% reduction...
Nikon Z fc added to studio test scene
Posted by Chris Roubis on 19th, Aug, 2021 |
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Nikon recently announced the Z fc, its newest APS-C offering with a design reminiscent of the company’s film cameras like the FM2. While we’re working on our full review, we thought we’d present our studio test scene results here for your perusal. Below is our standard studio scene comparison tool, offering a look at the camera’s image quality performance in both daylight and low illumination (tungsten) lighting at a variety of ISOs. The scene was shot using the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.8 S lens. You can toggle the comparison tool above between JPEG and Raw modes by selecting...
We now know a little more about the ‘accessory shoe’ on Canon’s forthcoming EOS R3 camera system
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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It seems we may know a little more about the ‘accessory shoe’ Canon has confirmed will be onboard its forthcoming EOS R3 mirrorless camera. Earlier today, Canon unveiled its new XF605 professional camcorder. This is the first device to feature the company’s new ‘accessory shoe,’ likely the very same one we can expect to see in the EOS R3. While Canon hasn’t directly confirmed the multi-function shoe onboard the XF605 is the same we’ll see on the EOS R3, a new development announcement from audio company Tascam seems to all but confirm as much. It remains unknown what else the accessory shoe...
Atomos brings EOS R5 8K ProRes RAW to its NinjaV+
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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Atomos has announced a firmware update for its Ninja V+ monitor/recorder enabling 8K output from the Canon EOS R5 to be encoded as ProRes RAW. The upgrade allows the camera’s Raw video stream to be recorded for extended periods (typically up to the capacity of the Ninja V+’s media or the battery life of the camera), in an industry-standard format that reduces the need for import plugins. The Raw footage allows control over both ‘ISO’ and White Balance, in software such as Final Cut Pro. The ProRes RAW captured should contain the full Raw data that the camera can...
Video: Blasting away a sensor’s Bayer array with a laser and building a DIY Raspberry Pi spectrometer
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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Les Wright of the YouTube channel Les’ Lab has figured out how to remove the Bayer filter from a Raspberry Pi camera. By doing so, Les expanded the sensitivity of the CCD image sensor for use in a Raspberry Pi-based spectrometer. A spectrometer is an instrument used to analyze the property of light as a function of its wavelength or frequency. A Bayer array, or Bayer filter, is an array of many tiny color filters that cover an image sensor to allow it to render color information. Without this filter, an image sensor captures more wavelengths of light but cannot accurately render the...
Photoshop 2021’s Sky Replacement Explained
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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There are many reasons why Photoshop has so far managed to hold its ground as the undisputed king of the image processing world. One of the primary reasons is that it keeps evolving every year, as it has for thirty-one years. It stays up to date in two main ways. First, it improves upon existing features like selection and healing tools. And second, it keeps coming out with new features every year or two. One of the key new features this year – and also one of the most anticipated – is a sky replacement option. Let me demonstrate in this article how to use the new sky replacement...
Canon XF605 professional 4K camcorder and new 8K broadcast lens announced
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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Canon has unveiled a new professional 4K camcorder and a new 8K-suitable pro BCTV zoom lens. The Canon XF605 is a ‘compact’ 4K camcorder designed for solo shooters. The XF605 is 10% smaller and 600g lighter than the Canon XF705. The new lens is the 10×16 KAS S, an addition to Canon’s 1.25″ 8K broadcast camera lens lineup that includes 10x optical zoom from 16mm to 160mm. Looking first at the XF605 camcorder, it includes a 1″-type CMOS image sensor paired with Canon’s DIGIC DV7 processor. The camera records 4K UHD video at up to 60p. The XF605 records...
You can now buy Tilta’s Canon EOS R5, R6 cooling fan for $165
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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More than a year after first showing off its concept, camera accessory manufacturer Tilta now has its Cooling Cage for Canon’s EOS R5 and R6 mirrorless cameras available to purchase. As the concept laid out, the Tilta Cooling Cage is effectively a fan that you attach to the rear of a Canon EOS R5 to help keep the camera cool while recording video. While many joked about attaching fans to the back of Canon’s EOS R5 mirrorless camera in light of overheating issues, Tilta sought to make it a reality. The final version is nearly identical to the rendering concept Tilta had shown off last year....
Apple patent shows yet another design for an optically-stabilized periscope camera module.
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 5x ‘zoom’ camera (65mm full-frame equiv.), the longest yet used in an iPhone. To quote Ricky Bobby’s father, ‘If you’re not first, you’re last.’ While poignant, that mantra has never seemed to bother Apple, who has historically held off on newer technologies to ensure they’re ready for prime-time use by the masses. The latest example of this is a new patent from Apple that details the schematics for a periscope camera module that we may one day see inside new iPhone models. Periscope cameras, also referred to as folded optics, reduce the...
Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 18, 2021 | dpreview staff Chris and Jordan just reviewed the Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S, the wide angle zoom in Nikon’s ‘holy trinity’ of lenses. Check out this gallery to see full resolution sample images from their review. View the Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and other products came through our doors. Now, as the year winds down, we’re highlighting some of our standout products of the year. Check out the winners of the 2020...
DPReview TV: Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 18, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] The Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S is an update to a Nikon classic, but one that’s smaller, lighter and better than its F-mount predecessor. Learn about its design, performance and how it handles the bamboo wall of doom in this episode of DPReview TV. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Nikon Z 14-24mm F2.8 S sample images from this video Gear in this story This year, despite the disruption, plenty of amazing cameras, lenses, accessories and other products came through our doors. Now, as the...
Rokinon / Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 18th, Aug, 2021 |
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The Rokinon / Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE is a fast-aperture, wide-angle autofocus prime lens for Sony’s E-mount mirrorless cameras. We’ve tested it on a 61MP Sony a7R IV, but it’s also compatible with the company’s APS-C mirrorless cameras as well. From the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the Northwest Washington Fair near the Canadian border, we’ve put this new lens to the test, including aperture runs looking at both sharpness and bokeh quality, positioned at the end of the gallery. Take a peek to see just what it can do. Check out our gallery of samples on...
Video: FPV drone takes a deep dive down world’s tallest waterfall
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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Video: 20 pieces of video gear that costs less than $20
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Getting into filmmaking isn’t cheap. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive either. To highlight how you can get decent gear on a budget, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has shared a helpful video showcasing 20 pieces of filmmaking equipment that costs less than $20. The 12-minute video is part buying guide and part mini-review, with Pike sharing anecdotes about his experience using each piece of equipment he features. Lighting, mounting, power, protection and more, Pike hits on some of the most-used accessories you’ll find yourself needing on set. Pike includes...
Video: 20 pieces of video gear that cost less than $20
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Getting into filmmaking isn’t cheap. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive either. To highlight how you can get decent gear on a budget, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter has shared a helpful video showcasing 20 pieces of filmmaking equipment that costs less than $20. The 12-minute video is part buying guide and part mini-review, with Pike sharing anecdotes about his experience using each piece of equipment he features. Lighting, mounting, power, protection and more, Pike hits on some of the most-used accessories you’ll find yourself needing on set. Pike includes...
Apple now lets you permanently turn off Night Mode for iPhone 11, iPhone 12 devices
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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Two years after first introducing its ‘Night Mode’ image captures, Apple has made it possible to turn off the feature permanently. In 2019, when Apple first introduced its then-new iPhone 11 smartphone lineup, the Cupertino company showed off a new low-light image capture method it dubbed ‘Night Mode.’ While this feature does help to improve the image quality in low-light environments, there are times when it can interfere with iPhone users intentionally trying to capture a low-key photograph. Until now, turning off Night Mode was a slow and temporary one. If you were planning to shoot a...
Cosina announces $825 Voigtlander Classic 50mm F1.5 lens, will be available in September
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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Cosina has revealed the release date and specifications for its new Voigtlander Heliar Classic 50mm F1.5 lens for its VM mount. The lens’ optical design consists of six elements in three groups. Cosina says the lens, which has a single coating, has been specifically designed to showcase ‘classical reflections that are not found in modern lenses and dares to express various aberrations.’ It features an aperture range of F1.5 through F16, uses a ten-blade aperture diaphragm and has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (20″), despite the on-lens focus markings only going down to 70cm...
Adobe brings Healing Brush, Magic Wand to Photoshop for iPad, updates Photoshop for Desktop
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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Adobe Photoshop for iPad and Desktop have received a pair of updates, bringing new and improved features to Adobe’s image editing program. Adobe Photoshop for iPad now has the Healing Brush tool. Just as you can with the desktop version, the Healing Brush tool in Photoshop for iPad will help to correct imperfections in images by intelligently sampling pixels from elsewhere in the scene. This can be done with your finger as well as with a connected Apple Pencil. Adobe has also brought its Magic Wand tool to Photoshop for iPad. Using Adobe Sensei technology, Photoshop for iPad can now quickly...
In-depth tripod review: ProMediaGear Pro-Stix TR344
Posted by Chris Roubis on 17th, Aug, 2021 |
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ProMediaGear’s TR344 ‘Pro-Stix’ tripod with their Katana Pro Gimbal supporting a full-frame camera and 500mm prime at lacrosse practice. ProMediaGear Pro-Stix TR344Promediagear.com | $1030 ProMediaGear was founded in 2009 by three brothers that combined their engineering degrees, a full-service machine shop, and a passion for photography. Initially, they developed innovative flash brackets out of personal need, producing them at their facility in suburban Chicago. Today they design and manufacture world-class gimbal heads and video sliders, along with ball heads, plates,...
Android 12 now lets you use front-facing cameras, facial expressions to navigate your phone
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Aug, 2021 |
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Last week, Google released its fourth Android 12 beta for Pixel devices, bringing with it a new version of the Android Accessibility Suite. This updated version adds a new accessibility feature Google is calling ‘Camera Switches.’ As the feature name implies, Camera Switches is a new way to interact with an Android device using facial gestures detected with a device’s front-facing camera. As detailed by XDA Developers, the new featured is buried quite deep in the Android Accessiblity Suite app’s ‘Switch Access’ submenu. When turned on, the feature lets you map six face gestures (Open Mouth,...
Adobe MAX 2021 to take place online from October 26-28, is once again free to ‘attend’
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Aug, 2021 |
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Registration for the Adobe MAX 2021 conference has opened. As with last year, the event, scheduled to take place online from October 26–28, 2021, will be free for everyone. Adobe says ‘the world’s largest creativity conference’ will feature ‘Notable creative luminaries and celebrity speakers’ across eleven different creative fields: graphic design, illustration and digital painting, video, photography, UI/UX, 3D and AR, social media, creativity and design in business, collaboration and productivity, education and a special ‘Meet the Teams’ component dedicated to featuring the people behind...
Canon patent application shows off unique camera design with a hole in the middle
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Aug, 2021 |
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Items 120a and 120b in the illustration are a pair of touch-sensitive strips positioned at a 45-degree angle. Click to enlarge. Canon has filed a patent application for what has to be one of the most interesting camera designs we’ve ever seen. Japanese patent application number 2020–009307 details the schematics for a camera system that has a cutout through the middle to provide better grip, particularly for when switching between horizontal and vertical shooting. Click to enlarge. According to the patent text, the purpose of this novel cutaway design is to ‘ensure good gripping performance...
Tested: Sony’s trio of compact 24mm, 40mm and 50mm G prime lenses
Posted by Chris Roubis on 16th, Aug, 2021 |
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Earlier this year Sony announced a set of three compact full-frame E-mount prime lenses: the 24mm F2.8 G, the 40mm F2.5 G, and the 50mm F2.5 G. Their small, lightweight design makes them convenient for casual and on-the-move photographers, and their nearly identical sizes and weights make them ideal for gimbal movie shooters requiring the versatility of a few different focal lengths. All three lenses weigh roughly 170g, offer 49mm filter threads and come in at an MSRP of $599 USD. We wanted to take a look at how they perform optically. But first, let’s start with the optical designs:...
Sirui rehouses its 1.33x anamorphic lenses for cinema rigs and adds T-stops
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Aug, 2021 |
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Chinese anamorphic lens manufacturer Sirui has introduced a new set of lenses bases on its existing four models. The Sirui MARS lenses are designed to offer better handling for rigged cameras, and come with built-in mod gears for both aperture and focus rings. The apertures have also been reclassified as T-stops and the focus throw of each of the models has been significantly extended to make accurate focus adjustments easier with follow focus equipment. While the standard 1.33x anamorphic lenses from Sirui come in a range of mounts, the MARS set is offered only for the Micro Four Thirds...
Head to Head: Adobe Lightroom Classic vs Capture One 21
Posted by Chris Roubis on 15th, Aug, 2021 |
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Ever since that dark day when Adobe made the shift from the perpetual licensing model of the Creative Suite to the subscription-based Creative Cloud, many photographers have been searching for a viable alternative to Adobe Lightroom. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of contenders: from open-source alternatives like Darktable, to Mac-only options like Pixelmator, to universal options like On1 Photo RAW. But one app has emerged as the de-facto alternative that’s better, or at least more widely adopted, than the rest: Capture One Pro. While nobody has yet managed to unseat...
How to Make Photos Feel More Deliberate
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Aug, 2021 |
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Most of the time, when you see a good photo, you’ll get a sense that the photographer took it deliberately. But how can you tell that? What subtle things about the photo make it appear deliberate rather than random? That’s what I’ll cover today. Table of Contents Getting the Technical Things Right The first and most obvious way to make a photo feel intentional is to get as much of the technical side of photography correct as possible. This usually means that your subject is sharp, your depth of field is acceptable, your exposure is accurate, and there isn’t too much image noise. However,...
DPReview TV: Why lower resolution sensors are not better in low light
Posted by Chris Roubis on 14th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 14, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] A common belief in the camera world is that lower resolution cameras – and larger pixels – perform better in low light. In this video we illustrate why you should question that bit of conventional wisdom. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Panasonic’s Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH is a fast zoom lens aimed at photographers and filmmakers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. Read our review to find out how it performs. The Really Right Stuff Versa TVC-34 Mk.2 is a...
Gallery: 2021 Potato Photographer of the Year photo competition
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Aug, 2021 |
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Hold your spuds. The organizers behind the second edition of the world’s only international potato photography competition have announced the winning photograph (and runner ups) of the 2021 Potato Photographer of the Year photo competition. Inspired by Kevin Abosch’s Potato #345 (2010), an image of a potato which sold for $1M in 2016, the Potato Photographer of the Year photo competition also serves as a means to help fund The Trussell Trust, an charity that helps support a network of more than 1,200 food banks. After a successful 2020 competition, the organizers said they ‘once again called...
TTArtisan releases its $215 11mm F2.8 Fisheye lens for Fujifilm GFX camera systems
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Aug, 2021 |
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TTartisan has announced its 11mm F2.8 Fisheye lens is now available for Fujifilm GFX camera systems. The lens features the same basic specifications as its full-frame counterparts, but offers a larger lens mount for Fujifilm’s medium format camera system. [embedded content] The fully-manual lens is constructed of 11 elements in seven groups and uses a seven-blade aperture diaphragm—the same setup found in the Canon RF, Leica L, Leica M, Nikon Z and Sony E mount versions. It has a minimum focusing distance of 17cm (6.7”) and has an aperture range of F2.8 through F16. The only change with the...
Film Fridays: New film alert – No Color Studio launches ISO 5 B&W film
Posted by Chris Roubis on 13th, Aug, 2021 |
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Nothing makes us happier than hearing about a cool new analog film stock coming to market. And while No Color Studio‘s No.5 film isn’t actually new – the emulsion was produced by Kodak in the 1980s and intended for use with specialized archiving machines – it’s probably new to the average analog geek. No Color Studio is essentially breathing new life into a long-forgotten/ignored stock. As the name suggests, this is a super-slow ISO 5 film and promises to offer a punchy, high contrast B&W look, with very little visible grain. We imagine it’d be a great choice for...
Citing COVID-19 Delta Variant concerns, Sony confirms it won’t be attending WPPI next week
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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Last week, Sony joined the list of exhibitors expected to be at the 2021 Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Trade Show (WPPI) expo, which is scheduled to take place from August 15–19 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas Nevada. Now, Sony has announced it won’t be attending this year, ‘As a result of the unprecedented and unexpected circumstances,’ surrounding the rise in cases of the COVID-19 Delta Variant. PetaPixel reports Sony will be ‘withdrawing from WPPI and all tradeshows for the foreseeable future in order to protect the health and safety of its staff.’ DPReview was able to...
Turn any room into a right-side-up camera obscura with the BonfotonUP kit
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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Finland-based company Bonfoton has announced the BonfotonUP kit, a product you can use to turn any room into a right-side-up camera obscura. Bonfoton originally released a camera obscura lens in 2017, although the Bonfoton Camera Obscura Room Lens projected the image upside down, like a traditional camera obscura. When that product was announced in 2017, the husband and wife team, Tommi and Annika, talked about starting Bonfoton, ‘We founded the Bonfoton store after we saw what the Camera Obscura room does to people emotionally when they see the effect for the first time,”...
10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years as a Photographer
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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I just realized that I’ve been doing photography seriously for ten years (plus some change). So, I’d like to take this chance to look back and share ten of the most important things I’ve learned along the way, in chronological order. Table of Contents 2012: JPEG Has Consequences The first trip I took with a “serious” camera (the Nikon D5100) was to Oregon and the Pacific Coast in the Northwest United States. I daresay that most of my photos were awful, but I was having fun, and a couple of them didn’t turn out so bad. Unfortunately, I shot all but a handful of the photos during the trip with...
Gallery: International Garden Photographer of the Year Macro Art 15 Competition Winners
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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The results are in for the 15th Macro Art photo competition from the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY). Claire Carter, England, took first prize for their delightfully airy macro image of the delicate patterns of leaves. Petar Sabol and Brian Lee rounded out second and third place for their photographs ‘Butterfly Dance’ and ‘In the Spotlight,’ respectively. For winning first place, Claire received £250 and her photograph will be displayed at IGPOTY galleries in the future. You can view all of the single entry award winners for Macro Art 15 on IGPOTY’s...
Video: Peter McKinnon goes hands-on with a pair of Canon EOS R3 cameras
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] Photographer and YouTuber Peter McKinnon was recently sent a pair of Canon EOS R3 cameras to play around with. While he hasn’t had much time yet to put it to the test, he has shared a new hands-on video wherein he shares his initial thoughts on the EOS R3 and shows off plenty of up-close shots of Canon’s forthcoming mirrorless camera. McKinnon starts off by acknowledging that at the time of filming, he had only spent an hour or so using the camera and getting familiarized with the new features. Canon isn’t allowing McKinnon to share any photos or videos captured with the...
Panasonic Leica 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH field review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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Introduction Panasonic’s Leica DG Vario-Summilux 25-50mm F1.7 ASPH is a bright zoom lens aimed at photographers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. With a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 50 to 100mm, the 25-50mm F1.7 could make for an attractive – if somewhat unusual – portrait lens for still photographers. But it’s clearly been designed first and foremost for video capture, where it makes a really great companion for Panasonic’s existing 10-25mm F1.7 lens. Available from August 2021, list pricing is set at $1799.99. All images edited in Adobe Camera Raw 13 with...
Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 12th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 12, 2021 | dpreview staff The Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L is a big brick of a lens, but that fast F2 aperture allows it to do things other standard zooms can’t. Check out this sample gallery shot by our team at DPReview TV. View the Canon RF 28-70 F2 L sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story Canon launched the mirrorless full-frame RF-mount with a handful of impressive lenses including the versatile, fast 28-70mm F2 L. Though it feels a tad oversized for the EOS R, we’re impressed with the results. For the past few weeks, our readers have been voting on their...
Samsung’s new Galaxy Flip 3, Galaxy Fold 3 promise better performance, durability and more
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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Samsung has announced a pair of new foldable smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Fold 3. The Flip 3 is a clamshell design, harkening back to a classic flip phone design. The Flip 3 is compact when not in use and gets taller when you flip it open. The Fold 3, on the other hand, has a more typical smartphone footprint, and then it unfolds like a book to offer a massive display. Let’s look at each of Samsung’s new folding phones in turn. Samsung Z Galaxy Flip 3 When folded, the Flip 3 is 106.7mm (4.2″) diagonally. It’s nearly square and has rounded...
Elinchrom announces One, the company’s first wireless battery-powered monolight
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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Elinchrom has announced its first battery-powered monolight, the Elinchrom One. The off-camera light has long been requested by Elinchrom users and includes an integrated battery. The battery provides 725 full-power flashes per charge. In terms of flash features, the Elinchrom One is a 131 watt-second light and offers high-speed sync up to 1/7,000s in ‘Action’ mode. In normal mode, flash duration at minimum power is 1/1530s and 1/155s at maximum power. Flash modes include manual, TTL and HSS (with Transmitter Pro). The flash color at max power is 5600K in normal mode and 5900K in...
DPReview TV: Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 11, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] The Canon RF 28-70mm F2 L USM is a high-end standard zoom lens for the company’s full-frame mirrorless system. Chris and Jordan take an in-depth look at how this $3000 lens performs in the latest episode of DPReview TV. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. Canon RF 28-70mm F2 sample images from this video Gear in this story Canon launched the mirrorless full-frame RF-mount with a handful of impressive lenses including the versatile, fast 28-70mm F2 L. Though it feels a tad oversized...
Xiaomi’s new Mix 4 smartphone is its first with under-display selfie camera
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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Xiaomi has revealed the Mix 4, the latest smartphone in its Mi Mix lineup. The Mix 4, which will be avaialble only in China for the time being, marks the first device from Xiaomi’s Mi Mix series in nearly three years and brings with it new technology, including Xiaomi’s first under-display selfie camera. Xiaomi says its Camera Under Panel (CUP) technology, which it first showed off back in 2019, is the culmination of ‘three major generations, five years, sixty patents, a $77 million investment and hundreds of engineers.’ Xiaomi claims the 20MP camera is ‘virtually invisible’ and says it uses...
Sample gallery: Nikon Z fc
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 11, 2021 | dpreview staff We recently got our hands on a final production Nikon Z fc, and we wasted no time taking the retro-styled camera out and about around the Seattle area. Given that it uses the sensor from the Z50, we expected solid image quality, and the Z fc delivers. The collapsable 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 lens isn’t fast, but it’s decently sharp, and only adds about $140 to the price of the body-only kit. We’re still waiting for Raw support for Z fc files in Adobe Camera Raw, so many images in this gallery were processed from .NEF files in-camera. Once ACR...
Reply to Tamron 24mm F2.8 Di lll OSD M 1:2 lens
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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At 1:2 I was thinking this would be useful as a macro lens. Has anyone any thoughts or feelings about this lens? Would certainly like to know your opinions. At only $199.00 new it would be an incredibly low price for a macro lens. I am thinking about giving it as a gift to a fellow flower shooter who uses a Sony. Thanks for your input. ( I mistakenly have posted this to to wrong group, and should have posted it to a Sony group. I apologize for my error. I don’t seem to be able to delete this topic.) At 1:2 I was thinking this would be useful as a macro lens. Has anyone any thoughts or...
Tamron 24mm F2.8 Di lll OSD M 1:2 lens
Posted by Chris Roubis on 11th, Aug, 2021 |
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Photos Members Group Since Tamron 24mm F2.8 Di lll OSD M 1:2 lens My Photo-stream says: At 1:2 I was thinking this would be useful as a macro lens. Has anyone any thoughts or feelings about this lens? Would certainly like to know your opinions. At only $199.00 new it would be an incredibly low price for a macro lens. I am thinking about giving it as a gift to a fellow flower shooter who uses a Sony. Thanks for your input. ( I mistakenly have posted this to to wrong group, and should have posted it to a Sony group. I apologize for my error. I don’t seem to be able to delete this topic.)...
DJI’s rumored $300 Mini SE drone is available now in the US and weighs only 249 grams
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Aug, 2021 |
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Following a leak in June, DJI’s sub-250-gram entry-level drone, the DJI Mini SE, is now available in the United States. At $300, the Mini SE is DJI’s most affordable drone. As noted by Drone DJ, the DJI Mini SE is essentially a cheaper version of DJI’s original Mini. In our review of the Mini in 2019, we called it ‘the perfect drone for beginners.’ In 2020, the DJI Mini 2 came out. In our DJI Mini 2 review, we remarked that the Mini 2 built upon the excellent concept of the original Mini and included significant improvements. The Mini 2 launched at $450, $150...
In-depth tripod review: Really Right Stuff Versa TVC-34 Mk.2
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Aug, 2021 |
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Really Right Stuff’s Versa TVC-34 in the field with a 500mm lens, 50MP camera, and a suitably large and capable gimbal. Really Right Stuff Versa TVC-34 Mk.2Reallyrightstuff.com | $1100 What sets Really Right Stuff apart from most other brands is their attention to detail and focus on quality over quantity. This US-based manufacturer of camera support systems and accessories has consistently set the pace with high-end, custom-designed solutions for demanding photographers. Their recent ultra-compact travel tripod is an example of this commitment to innovation for those who need it, and...
Musician-turned-photographer Bryan Adams is photographing the 2022 Pirelli calendar
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Aug, 2021 |
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Bryan Adams is not only a Canadian rock icon, but he’s also a talented photographer, and he’s photographing the 2022 Pirelli Calendar. Adams has been working as a photographer for more than a decade. Shooting the annual Pirelli calendar is a prestigious addition to Adams’s impressive résumé, joining the likes of Annie Leibovitz and Peter Lindbergh. His lengthy career as a big-time musician makes it easier for Adams to connect with celebrity subjects, especially fellow musicians. Adams tells CNN, ‘There’s an almost instant understanding when we meet each other,...
Canon publishes microsite to bring awareness to counterfeit, gray market Canon products
Posted by Chris Roubis on 10th, Aug, 2021 |
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Canon USA has launched a new microsite designed to raise awareness of counterfeit Canon equipment. ‘With the surge of online shopping, the availability of counterfeits for many brands has persisted and grown, leaving consumers unaware about counterfeits and unable to make informed purchasing decisions,’ says Canon its its press release. ‘The Canon anti-counterfeit consumer education microsite includes updated tips on how to spot counterfeits that unlawfully bear the Canon logo as well as a discussion about the difference between gray market and counterfeit goods for consumers who may not...
Video: Shooting wet plate portraits with affordable large format camera equipment
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Aug, 2021 |
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Photographer Markus Hofstaetter specializes in large format photography, including film and wet plate processes. We’ve featured his wet plate collodion photography before, including this article about shooting wet plate collodion exposures handheld and another one about capturing spooky Halloween wet plate portraits. If you’ve wanted to try wet plate photography for yourself, you may have been put off by a high barrier to entry. If the cost has kept you away, Hofstaetter’s new video about shooting with an affordable large format camera may be of particular interest. For the...
Nikkei: Canon, Sony made up 70% of the digital camera market in 2020
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Aug, 2021 |
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Japanese financial publication Nikkei has published (soft-paywalled behind a free account) the results of its 2020 ‘Major Product and Service Share Survey,’ wherein it details the market share of the top five digital camera manufacturers and top five sensor manufacturers. Nikkei’s data shows the digital camera market (measured by units shipped) as a whole dropped roughly 40% in 2020, due to the shrinking market combined with the economic impact of COVID-19. Nikkei reports 8.85 million units shipped, the same quantity the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) reported as well for...
Venus Laowa ‘Argus’ 33mm F0.95 CF APO sample gallery
Posted by Chris Roubis on 9th, Aug, 2021 |
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The Venus Optics Laowa ‘Argus’ 33mm F0.95 CF APO is an ultra-fast manual focus lens for APS-C mirrorless bodies, available for Sony E, Canon RF, Fujifilm X and Nikon Z mount cameras ($500, available now). We tried out the Fujifilm version and found the lens a tad unwieldy to use for still photography due to its heft (590g / 1.31lbs) and the fact there’s no electronic communication between lens and camera body, meaning no manual focus assist (at least when mounted on Fujifilm bodies). Still, zooming into 100% proved adequate enough to nail focus for the majority of our...
Levels of Perception in Photography
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Aug, 2021 |
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If you close your eyes, point your camera in any direction, and take a picture, I’m willing the bet the photo won’t be a success. Unless you’re doing some artsy “blindfolded photography” project, it completely lacks intent or any engagement with the scene in front of you. Level 0: The blindfolded photographer It’s not like that’s a common thing photographers do, but I wanted to mention it as the most extreme example of not perceiving things in photography. It’s hardly more personal than a security camera or a photo you took by accident. But it’s something we can build from. The obvious step...
TTArtisan releases $235 50mm F1.4 ASPH lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Aug, 2021 |
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[embedded content] TTArtisan has revealed its new $235 50mm F1.4 lens for full-frame mirrorless camera systems. The new TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 ASPH lens is entirely manual and, according to TTArtisan, able to be used with sensors up to 60MP. The optical construction consists of ten elements in eight groups, including a low-dispersion element and aspherical element. It uses a 12-blade aperture diaphragm, has an aperture range of F1.4 through F16, offers a minimum focusing distance of 50cm (19.7”) and uses a 49mm front filter thread. As with TTArtisan’s recent lenses, this one follows a clearly...
Roger Cicala: Imaging before photography, Part II – The Aristocrat
Posted by Chris Roubis on 8th, Aug, 2021 |
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OK, I lied a bit. I said the second chapter would be more fun than the first, but it’s not more fun. It’s kind of sad, actually. This one focuses (yes, pun intended) on Joseph Nicephore Niepce. You may know him as the man who took the first photograph. But back in his day people knew him as . . . . . actually they didn’t know of him at all, really. After Wedgwood’s efforts around 1800, there was a gap where people weren’t working on making images. There was too much other stuff going on. Most of the world was at war for the first 20 years of the new century. The U. S....
DPReview TV: Chris and Jordan pick their dream camera kits
Posted by Chris Roubis on 7th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 7, 2021 | dpreview staff [embedded content] What if you were swimming in gold and could buy any camera that you wanted? Chris and Jordan sat down to talk about what cameras they would buy if money was no object. Some special guests chime-in to share what they’d pick, as well. What’s your dream camera? Tell us in the comments below. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week. The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 Pro is a compact, high-end lens designed for photographers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. Does it live up...
Current Nikon Z Cameras, Lenses, and Accessories Explained
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Aug, 2021 |
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This article is a bird’s eye view of all Nikon Z-Series products available at the moment, including cameras, lenses, and official accessories. My hope is that photographers considering a Nikon Z camera will find this a helpful guide to figure out what equipment is out there. While this article only covers Nikon-brand products for the Z system, there are numerous compatible third-party lenses which I will cover in a future article. I’ll be updating this guide as new products are announced for the Z system so that it always remains as current as possible. Table of Contents Nikon Z Cameras...
Affinity Photo 1.10 released, featuring significant performance gains across the board
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Aug, 2021 |
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Serif has announced the 1.10 update to its creative suite of applications, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher. The update promises’ superpowered performance’ thanks to a major re-engineering of the software’s underlying architecture. Affinity Photo is a photo editing application available for macOS, Windows and iPadOS. The app offers many high-end features, including RAW editing, HDR merge, panorama stitching, focus stacking, batch processing, .PSD file editing, 360° image editing, a non-destructive layers-based workflow, smart object support...
7Artisans will ‘soon’ announce a ~$200 50mm F0.95 lens for APS-C mirrorless camera systems
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Aug, 2021 |
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Chinese optics manufacturer 7Artisans is set to release a new 50mm F0.95 APS-C lens for EOS-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds (MFT), Nikon Z and Sony E mount camera systems. The fully-manual lens is expected to retail for around $200. It will feature a metal build and its optical design consists of seven elements in five groups, including two ultra-low dispersion elements. It’ll have a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7”), offer a de-clicked aperture, use a 13-blade aperture diaphragm, and have a 62mm front filter thread. The lens will measure 67.5mm (2.7″) long and weigh 416g...
The Absolute beginner’s guide to film photography: Intro to medium & large format
Posted by Chris Roubis on 6th, Aug, 2021 |
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Once you start shooting film, it won’t be long before you hear the siren song of medium and large format. What are medium and large format film photography, and are they right for you? This Absolute beginner’s guide to film aims to point you in the right direction. What are medium and large format film photography? As with digital, medium and large format photography use physically larger film formats than 35mm (full-frame). Because the size of the crystals that make up the photo-sensitive emulsion is the same regardless of film format, a larger negative will show more detail and less...
Hubble captures stunning gravitational interaction between a trio of galaxies
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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NASA has published a stunning image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope that shows a ‘three-way gravitational tug-of-war between interacting galaxies.’ The galaxies in the show are in system Arp 195, a system featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list of the ‘weirder and more wonderful galaxies in the universe.’ Arp 195, otherwise known as UGC 4653, is a galaxy with material ejected from nuclei. It’s one of 15 Arp-numbered galaxies with this characteristic. All but one of these galaxies are interacting or have recently interacted with other celestial...
Hubble captures stunning gravitational interaction among a trio of galaxies
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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NASA has published a stunning image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope that shows a ‘three-way gravitational tug-of-war among interacting galaxies.’ The galaxies in the show are in system Arp 195, a system featured in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, a list of the ‘weirder and more wonderful galaxies in the universe.’ Arp 195, otherwise known as UGC 4653, is a galaxy with material ejected from nuclei. It’s one of 15 Arp-numbered galaxies with this characteristic. All but one of these galaxies are interacting or have recently interacted with other celestial...
Oppo unveils next-generation under-screen camera, promises no compromises
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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We’ve seen under-display cameras before. About a year ago, Xiaomi introduced its third-generation under-display camera technology. Its first two generations were never mass-produced, but the Chinese company continues to push the tech forward and hopes it will be a critical part of its smartphone lineup soon. In December 2019, another Chinese smartphone maker, Oppo, announced a prototype device with an under-display front camera. Oppo is back with its next-generation under-display camera, and it looks highly promising. While its 2019 effort was also impressive, Oppo has come a long way...
Nikon’s Q1 FY2022 results: Revenue, operating profit up with 220K ILC units, 390K lens units sold
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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Nikon has shared its financial results for the first quarter of its 2022 fiscal year (Q1 FY2022), which ends March 2022 and spans from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. 1st quarter of the year ending March 31, 2022: Financial Highlights by Segment. Click to enlarge. Nikon’s Imaging Products Business shows revenue of 50 billion yen ($457 million) and an operating profit of 9.2 billion yen ($84 million). That’s up 24.9 billion yen ($228 million) and 17.5 billion yen ($160 million), respectively, compared to the same quarter last year (Q1 FY2021). Nikon says the increase in revenue is ‘due in...
Olympus M.Zuiko 8-25mm F4.0 Pro field review
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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Introduction The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 8-25mm F4.0 Pro is a compact, high-end lens designed for photographers using Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. Covering a 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 16-50mm and boasting surprisingly good macro performance, it shows great promise as a versatile, single-carry lens for landscape, street and travel photography. Available now, list pricing is set at $1099.99. All images edited in Adobe Camera Raw 13 with adjustments limited to white balance, exposure, highlights, shadows, white and black levels. Sharpening and noise reduction at ACR defaults....
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN ‘Sports’ sample gallery (DPReview TV)
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 5, 2021 | dpreview staff The Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS ‘Sports’ lens is impressively sharp throughout its range. Check out this gallery captured by Chris and Jordan while filming their review for DPReview TV. View the Sigma 150-600mm sample gallery from DPReview TV Gear in this story The Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS Sport is an all-new, designed-for-mirrorless update to Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ offering for DSLRs. Our first impressions of its optical quality are positive – click through to learn more about it. Once we got our hands on...
Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD for full-frame Sony E-mount on the way
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 5, 2021 | dpreview staff Tamron is working on a 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD lens for full-frame Sony E-mount bodies. Details are a bit thin at this point, but the lens features a versatile, travel-friendly focal range and will use the company’s ‘VXD’ linear focus motor for swift autofocus speeds (according to Tamron). With one notable exception, the lens offers similar ergonomics to the company’s just-announced 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2, with focus and zoom rings that are well demarcated from the lens barrel thanks to their slightly greater diameter....
Tamron developing redesigned 28-75mm F2.8 for full-frame Sony E-mount
Posted by Chris Roubis on 5th, Aug, 2021 |
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Published Aug 5, 2021 | dpreview staff Tamron has announced the development of the 2nd-generation version of its well-regarded 28-75mm F2.8 lens for full-frame Sony mirrorless bodies: the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2. The lens will have a new optical construction and will use the company’s VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear focus motor technology, which we’ve found enables very swift focus speeds in Tamron’s recent lens offerings. The minimum focus distance has dropped slightly to 18cm (7.1″), with the max magnification rising to 0.37x. The lens will also...
Started out doing photography at the age of 6 using an uncle's old 1940 kodak brownie box camera. At 15 years of age, I decided to buy my very own 1975 Praktica SLR camera. I now shoot with a Nikon D850. I do unpaid TFP and commercial paid work.