Sony got a lot of attention when it released a pair of cameras which clip onto a smartphone last fall. They're really going to raise a lot of eyebrows now, with their QX1, which features an APS-C sensor and E-mount. Yep, an Alpha on your phone. Take a tour of the QX1 and the superzoom QX30 cameras right here.
September 3
Sony has announced the QX1 and QX30, expanding its line of 'lens-style' cameras ready to be paired with a smartphone. The QX1 is an interchangeable lens model, containing a 20MP APS-C sensor and a Sony E-mount for use with lenses designed for Sony's mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. More like the existing QX10 and QX100, the QX30 is single unit containing a sensor and lens, providing a 20MP 1/2.3"-type sensor and a longer 30x optical zoom. Read more
September 2
Canon US has confirmed multiple price drops across its range of lenses, including several L-series models. According to Canon the price reductions are in honor of reaching a milestone - the production of 100 million EF lenses. Price drops range from a modest $40 up to $1000 off the original retail price, depending on the lens. Read more
German optical manufacturer Zeiss has announced a new range of lenses called Loxia, designed for full frame cameras using the Sony E mount – essentially the Sony Alpha 7 series at the moment. The Loxia 2/35 and Loxia 2/50 are based on the company's existing 35mm f/2 Biogon and 50mm f/2 Planar lenses from the ZM range. Read more
In the build-up to Photokina, Canon is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The seed was planted in 1934 when a company called Seiki-Kogaku Kenkyusho placed an advert for a camera called the Kwanon in the Asahi Camera magazine. The company, whose name translates as Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, was formed to develop the first Japanese 35mm rangefinder camera in a world where European brands, such as Leica and Contax, dominated. Read more
The Fujfilm X30 offers a 2/3" X-Trans II CMOS sensor and a 28-112mm equivalent F2.0-2.8 lens - both of which are retained from the X20 that precedes it. New features include a larger, tilting 3" LCD, an XGA OLED electronic viewfinder, a control wheel around the lens, and greatly improved battery life. We've had access to a pre-production camera for a few days now, and we've been given permission to post some images. Click through for a link to our gallery.
September 1
Ten years after the end of WWII, Germany was rebuilding. Cities like Berlin, which had been severely damaged during the war were emerging from the rubble as the 'Wirtschaftswunder' or 'economic miracle' transformed West Germany. In the immediate post-war period hundreds of thousands of allied troops were stationed in the divided country, many of them with cameras. Found recently at a flea market, the images in this article date from 1956-7 and were taken by a US Serviceman in Berlin. Click through to take a look.
August 31
While it's easy to get swept up in the stream of product announcements at this time of year, it's also a good idea to remember why we buy that gear - to make great photos. What better way to do it than to showcase the excellent work of our own community? This week we asked users of our Black and White Photography forum to submit their favorite shots for inclusion in our Readers' Showcase. As usual, the photos submitted were of a very high quality. See gallery
August 30
Nikon has issued a firmware update for the D4S. The long list of improvements included in this firmware version are mostly minor bug fixes and tweaks to menus and camera operation. See the full details and get a link to download the latest D4S firmware version. Read more
August 29
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 is a video powerhouse, and Sony is now giving it the same XAVC S codec found on its RX100 III and a5100 models via firmware update v.2. This allows for 1080p/60/30/24 and 720p/120 resolutions at a bit rate of 50Mbps. Aside from the new firmware, a SDXC card is the only other thing you'll need to get started. Update: the firmware is now available in the US, as is a Mac version. Find out how to get it.
It's been a busy week and as we head into a long weekend here in the US, it seemed like a good time to take a look back at everything that's happened in the past seven(ish) days. With new products from Fujifilm, Olympus and Ricoh, Photokina fever is definitely taking hold. And the week wasn't without an oddball moment or two, including the emergence of Sony's Asia-only 'perfume bottle selfie camera.' Relive the highs, the lows, the weird and the wonderful with us, in this slideshow.
Lens adapter manufacturer Metabones has launched a pair of long-awaited Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds lens adapters. The first adapter is the Smart Mount version which allows electronic control of the aperture in a Canon lens from a Micro Four Thirds camera, as well as correct recording of EXIF information and activation of Image Stabilization where present. Also debuting is an EF to Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster. Read more
In June Adobe announced Photoshop Mix, an image organization and manipulation app for the Apple iPad which can sync with Photoshop CC for desktop computers and Lightroom Mobile via Adobe's Creative Cloud.Today the software maker has released Photoshop Mix 1.1, the first major upgrade to the new app. Improvements include support for large panoramic images and PNG fields as well as the option to open files directly from Dropbox. Read more at connect.dpreview.com.
German camera brand Leica is set to launch a new portrait lens for its professional S system that features a super-fast maximum aperture of F2. The Summicron-S 100mm F2 ASPH will sit between the company’s existing Summarit-S 70mm F2.5 ASPH and the APO-Macro-Summarit-S 120mm F2.5, both of which are also popular choices for portrait photographers using the S cameras. Click through for more details.
GoPro's in-house production team travel the globe with some of the world's best athletes and produce videos like the Hero 3+ launch, with over 16 million views on YouTube. This week GoPro and its production team released a new tutorial series called the GoPro Field Guide, a set of videos designed to delve a little deeper into some of the more complex functions of their action camera lineup. Read more
This week Corel has unveiled PaintShop Pro X7 and PaintShop Pro X7 Ultimate, two new versions of its image editing software for Windows. This update features extensive changes to the user interface as well as a claimed 30 percent improvement in brush performance, including the Paint Brush, Airbrush and various retouching tools. Speed improvements have allowed for new instant previews of effects before they are applied to images and the 64-bit architecture allows fast performance with larger or multiple images. Read more
August 28
Casio is set to launch a new action cam in September, featuring a wireless camera unit that is detatchable from the main body. The Casio Exilim EX-FR10, which will initially be only available in the Japanese market, uses a Bluetooth connection with a range of up to 10m between the body and the camera so images can be recorded remotely and monitored on the 2-inch 230,400-dot touch screen. Read more
At first glance the Olympus PEN E-PL7 looks like yet another compact, selfie-friendly mirrorless camera -- but looks can be deceiving. The innards of the camera come largely from the excellent OM-D E-M10, and Olympus touts the E-PL7's autofocus system as its best yet. For all the details on the latest PEN, check out our First Impressions Review.
Olympus has announced the PEN E-PL7, refreshing its entry-level mirrorless line. It offers a 16MP CMOS sensor, 3-axis image stabilization system borrowed from the OM-D E-M10, 8 fps continuous shooting and built-in Wi-Fi. Not forgetting the self-portrait-obsessed masses, the E-PL7 provides an articulated 3" touch LCD capable of flipping downward by 180°. Along with the E-PL7, Olympus has also announced an update to its OI.Share app as well as a black version of its 12mm F2.0 prime. Read more
CreativeLIVE is hosting a three-day course on wildlife photography presented by Ian Shive. The course is free to watch live, and runs through August 29th. Shive will demonstrate techniques and give advice during three days of shooting, live from the Mt Rainier and Olympic National Parks in Washington State. Click through for a link to the course at creativeLIVE.
August 27
The Pentax K-S1 is a unique-looking DSLR, with pulsing LED lights on the front and a backlit mode dial on the back. There's more to the K-S1 than just its looks, including a new sensor, image processor, and even a new font in the menus. As always, all of the features one would expect to see on a Pentax DSLR are here too. Learn more in our slideshow.
Ricoh and its Pentax brand have never been afraid of a little color, and the introduction of the K-S1 DSLR reaffirms that. The K-S1 offers a 20.1MP APS-C sensor, an AA filter simulator (as seen on the Pentax K-3) and burst shooting at 5.4 fps, but none of that is quite as attention-grabbing as its headline body specification - a set of green LEDs on the front of the camera's grip and around the power switch. Read more
Korean lens brand Samyang has announced that it will use the Photokina show next month to introduce a new 50mm f/1.4 lens for stills photographers and the same lens designed for videographers using DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Both the Samyang 50mm f/1.4 AS UMC and 50mm T1.5 AS UMC are designed to cover a full frame sensor and will each come in 10 mounts. Read more
August 26
Our comparative review of the Panasonic GH4 and Sony Alpha 7S started with a look at their designs, handling and video spec. They've set new benchmarks for the sophistication of their video capabilities, but they're both potentially very capable stills cameras as well. That brings us to part two of our review, which adds six pages including analysis of image quality and dynamic range. We've also expanded our look at the video modes on each camera. Read more
Last week Microsoft announced development of a technology that turns shaky first-person video into smooth, stabilized hyperlapse videos. Now it appears that Instagram has beaten them to market with a similar product. They've announced Hyperlapse, an app that converts videos of up to 45 minutes into smooth and stable time-lapses with a speed of up to 12x faster than the original. Read more
With the camera industry moved on somewhat since the birth of the Fuji X series compact, is there still room for a 12 million pixel compact in a less-than compact body? In this opinion piece, senior contributing writer Damien Demolder ponders the very existence of Fujifim's newest X-series camera. Read more
Fujifilm's new X30 premium compact is an intriguing piece of kit, with a larger-than-average sensor and reasonably fast lens. While not a revolutionary upgrade to the X20, it still provides some nice improvements. After some play time, we've put together a First Impressions Review that spells out what's new and what's not.
The X30, Fujifilm's latest enthusiast compact camera, offers the same 12MP sensor and 28-112mm (equivalent) lens as the X20 but improves on its predecessor with updated ergonomics. Changes include a new electronic viewfinder, a tilting screen, and Wi-Fi. We've had access to a prototype X30 for a few days - click through for a hands-on tour of the new camera.
Fujfilm has introduced its X30 enthusiast compact, which offers a 2/3" X-Trans II CMOS sensor and a 28-112mm equivalent F2.0-2.8 lens - both of which are retained from the X20 that precedes it. New features include a larger, tilting 3" LCD, an XGA OLED electronic viewfinder, a control wheel around the lens, and greatly improved battery life. A new 'Classic Chrome' film simulation mode has also been added, as has Wi-Fi. Read more
August 25
With top-notch hardware and plenty of imaging features, the HTC One M8 presents a lot to like as a mobile photography tool. Unfortunately, its 4 megapixel camera just can't keep up with other flagship phones and we were underwhelmed by its image quality when we reviewed it. Our collaborators at DxO have put the One M8 through their usual round of mobile imaging tests. See how it scored
We've updated two of our 2013 camera roundups, bringing the enthusiast compact and consumer DSLR categories up to date with the latest models. These guides are designed to help give a comprehensive look at each camera class. We'll be addressing the remaining four roundups in the coming weeks. Read more
The Fujifilm XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 is a weather-resistant lens designed as a companion to the weather-resistant Fujifilm X-T1. Covering a 27-200mm equivalent range, it claims to offer the world's most advanced image stabilization system, using gyro sensors for a gain of up to five stops. Is it the ideal pair for the X-T1? We took it out for a spin. See gallery
August 24
Todd Bretl says he asks himself 'Would I hang this on my wall?' when he's composing his photos of marine life. Challenging himself with this question has helped him produce some stunning works of art. Some of his images call to mind glass sculpture, while others capture the wildness that thrives below the water's surface. He answered our questions about his process and gear - take a look at some of his work and find out more about how it's created. See gallery
UK-based photographer Martin Kimbell doesn't put his camera down when the sun goes in. His series of 'light paintings' add a surreal twist to long-exposure night pictures. In his images, tunnels, spirals and discs of light create sculptural forms in the landscape. We spoke to him about his work, and how he creates it. Click through to view his images and read our Q&A.
August 23
'What's in your bag?' is a question we ask a lot of photographers, because, well, we're nosy that way. Asking the very same question, photographer Thom Atkinson posed it (figuratively) to centuries of British soldiers. He's assembled what would have been the belongings and clothing of a dozen combatants, ranging from medieval to modern-day soldiers. Take a look and learn how it all came together in our Q&A. See gallery
While it’s easy to get swept up in the stream of announcements over the next few weeks, it’s also a good idea to remember why we buy that gear - to make great photos. What better way to do it than to showcase the excellent work of our own community? This week we asked users of our Macro and Still Life Photography forum to submit their favorite macro shots for inclusion in our Readers' Showcase. Unsurprisingly, we saw a lot of great work. See gallery
August 22
Hasselblad has taken another step towards the total switch to CMOS sensors with the introduction of new multi-shot versions of the company’s H5D 50c, including a model that outputs images of up to 200 million pixels. The H5D-50c MS and H5D-200c MS are 4-shot and 6-shot bodies that use pixel shifting to create higher resolution images than their 50-million-pixel sensors could in a single shot. Click through for more information.
Ukrainian start-up Pics.io is hoping to change your photography post-processing workflow with its new browser-based Raw editing and organization service. Using WebGL technology to harness the power of your computer’s graphics card, Pics.io is able to offer Raw image editing and management for Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus Raw files right in your web browser. Read more
Recently, Zenfolio announced its newest online venture, Photographer Central - an online directory of photographers. This website promises to bring customers in direct contact with local photographers while making the search free and easy to use. Does it live up to its claims? We took the service for a test spin. Read more
Update: A report issued by the US Copyright Office takes Wikimedia's side in a debate between a nature photographer and the organization. According to the report, the 'selfie' captured by a black crested macaque on David Slater's camera cannot by copyrighted since it was created by an animal. On a trip to Indonesia in 2011, Slater, a nature photographer was photographing the monkey when it grabbed his camera and proceeded to take hundreds of pictures of itself. Wikimedia defended a decision to keep the image in its database when Slater cried foul. Read more
August 21
Under the slogan 'Perfect understatement' Leica has quietly released a new M-series rangefinder, the M-P Digital (240). Featuring a full-frame 24MP CMOS sensor and 2GB of built-in RAM, Leica claims that the new M-P digital is 'twice as fast' as the standard M (Typ 240). The original Leica MP (no hypen) announced in 2003, took the film M-series back to its 1950s roots by featuring unflashy ergonomics inspired by the M3. The new model updates the same approach, omitting the iconic Leica red dot. Click through for more details.
Film industry accessory manufacturer Cinoflex was recently tasked with rigging up a new Sony a7S mirrorless camera for use on a Chevrolet commercial. After some testing, the Cinoflex Type SA7S Camera System was created to allow the filmmakers to attach the necessary range of auxiliary equipment needed on a high budget commercial shoot. Read more
Got a few minutes to spare? You've got enough time on your hands to help a group of researchers tackle a massive problem. Cities at Night is a project aiming to recruit help from ordinary citizens in classifying images of Earth at night taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. An effort of Universidad Complutense de Madrid staff and students, their main goal is to better understand and reduce light pollution. See how you can help
August 20
Lensbaby has announced that its LM-10 Sweet Spot lens for mobile devices is available immediately through its online store and retailers worldwide. The LM-10 concept was unveiled back in April with a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than twice the amount needed to see the lens go into production. Alongside the LM-10, Lensbaby has also announced the Sweet 50 optic. The Sweet 50, a selective-focus 50mm lens, works with Lensbaby's Optic Swap System and is also available now. Read more
Google's Photo Sphere feature for capturing 360° spheric panoramas was launched in 2012 with the camera app in Android 4.2. Since then it has only been available for devices running Google's mobile OS - until now. The Photo Sphere team at Google has just launched a version for Apple's iOS devices, dramatically increasing the potential user base of its app. Read more
The Samsung NX3000 is a rangefinder-style mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that sports a 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor, a 3" flip-up LCD, 5 fps continuous shooting, and Wi-Fi with NFC. We took delivery of an NX3000 recently and we've been out shooting with it and the 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom lens to see how it performs in the real world. Click through for a link to our gallery.
Previously introduced on its European website, Metz has announced its new flagship model the Mecablitz 64 AF-1 in the US market. It's the most powerful flash in that manufacturer's lineup with a guide number of 64 at ISO 100 and a zoom range covering 24-200mm focal lengths, and will be available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax cameras. Read more
Two years after HTC launched its Windows Phone flagship model 8X, the Taiwanese manufacturer now offers another high-end model with the Microsoft OS. Today HTC has revealed a Windows Phone version of the HTC One M8, originally launched with Google's Android OS in March this year. This means the One M8's unique Duo Cam features are now available in a Windows phone environment. Read more
August 19
Canon has announced three new Pixma All-in-One inkjet printers, the Canon Pixma MG7520, MG6620 and MG5620 (MG7550, MG6650 and MG5650 in Europe). They all offer wireless support with Apple AirPrint connectivity, as well as compatibility with Canon's Easy-PhotoPrint+ web application and Pixma Printing Solutions. Read more
Nikon has announced a service advisory for the Nikon D810, in response to reports of 'bright spots' in images taken at long shutter speeds and in 1.2X crop mode. According to an announcement on Nikon's website, affected cameras will be serviced free of charge. Apparently, the issue only affects cameras within a certain serial number range, and if you're lucky enough to have got hold of a D810 already, you can check the serial number of your camera against Nikon's database via the company's service and support pages. Click through for a link.
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