With all the talk about new equipment at this time of year it's worth remembering 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 Documentary And Street photography forum to submit their favorite shots for inclusion in our Readers' Showcase. Click through to take a look at our favorites
October 19
Nature photographer Erez Marom captures a wide range of subjects, from macro shots of insects to some of the world's most dramatic landscapes. In this article, he shares images from a very unusual location - the ghost town of Kolmanskop, in Namibia. Abandoned over fifty years ago, Kolmanskop was a diamond-mining town, and is currently being reclaimed by the desert. Click through to take a look at Erez Marom's images and learn about his process
October 18
Sony's NEX and Alpha range of E and FE-mount cameras have a lot going for them, but some users have reported a 'wiggle' in the lensmount, especially when heavier lenses, or third-party optics via adapters are used. Fotodiox thinks it has the answer with its new 'Tough E-Mount' - literally a replacement lensmount for E and FE-mount cameras. With a single metal ring replacing the two (one metal, one plastic) originally attached to the camera, the Tough E-Mount should (according to the manufacturer) eliminate any movement between camera and lens. Click through for more details
British filter manufacturer Lee Filters has announced a new polarising filter that features a built-in warm-up effect that it says is aimed at landscape photographers. The 105mm Landscape Polariser has been designed with a shallow mount and with a 105mm diameter so that it will be useful for wide angle views, with the company suggesting it will be compatible with focal lengths as wide as 16mm on full frame SLRs. Read more
October 17
Delkin has introduced a new trio of rugged SD cards suitable for photographers who shoot in harsh environments, reducing the odds of losing photographs because of card damage. Delkin's new 'Black' SD cards are designed to handle extreme temperatures, as well as exposure to dust, water, and crushing forces. Read more
Earlier this year, storage manufacturer LaCie launched an upgraded version of its Rugged hard drive that features improved damage resistance and a built-in Thunderbolt cable. The new Rugged Thunderbolt drive is available with either a hard disk or an SSD, and also has a USB 3.0 port for universal connectivity. Is it a good storage option for photographers who need something that can handle the bumps in the road? Read more
Canon has taken the wraps off its new 50-1000mm CN20x 50 IAS H E1/P1 cinema lens, expanding its cine-servo offerings with what the maker says is the first-ever lens boasting a combined 20x magnification, integrated 1.5x extender, and a removable servo drive. The lens is targeted specifically at nature and sports television productions, as evidenced by its far from enthusiast-friendly $78K price-tag. Click through for more details
October 16
After unveiling its new iPhone models last month, Apple announced two new tablets today - the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3. The iPad Air 2 features a new Apple A8X chipset which Apple claims is 40% faster at the CPU level than the processor used in its predecessor. The iPad Air 2's cameras have been upgraded too, and both new tablets also gains the TouchID fingerprint sensor. Meanwhile Apple also announced a new version of its 27in iMac desktop computer with a 5120 x 2880 screen resolution. Click through to read more
Alongside the new Motorola-made Nexus 6 smartphone Google has also launched a new Nexus tablet, the 8.9-inch Nexus 9. The Nexus 9 is the first HTC-made Nexus device since the original Nexus One in 2010. Despite the different manufacturers the Nexus 9 specifications are equally high-end as those of its smartphone cousin. The new tablet comes with an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display that offers a 2,048 x 1,440 resolution and top-of-the-line interior components. Click through to read more
Following Apple's decision to cease development of Aperture, Adobe has released a plugin for Lightroom that enables erstwhile Aperture users to easily port their old libraries into Adobe's ecosystem once and for all. 'Aperture Importer' is a Lightroom add-on that allows users of Aperture and iPhoto to import their libraries into Lightroom complete with associated data ranging from flagging, GPS information and keywords to star ratings. Click through for a link
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 puts together a solid stills shooting feature set, including a 16MP Four Thirds sensor, 2.36m dot viewfinder, fully articulating 3-inch LCD and 12 fps continuous shooting. But its headline specs are in the video category - Cinema 4K recording and a host of tools for video shooters like focus peaking and zebra settings. We put its capabilities in stills and video to the test. Read review
Like any travel photographer, David Julian is happy to carry less gear whenever possible on his trips. With a photo expedition to Alaska on the horizon, he agreed to take the Canon G1 X Mark II for a spin and try it out from a travel photographer's perspective. No doubt it's easy to carry on a long journey, but is it versatile enough to be a traveler's primary camera? Read more
Google has launched the Nexus 6, its latest showcase phone that comes with a brand new version of Android, 5.0 'Lollipop', and an interesting-looking camera specification. The device comes with the same dual-LED ring flash as the Moto X and a 13MP imaging sensor. However, it adds a slightly faster F2.0 aperture and an optical image stabilization system into the mix. Read more
October 15
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is the long-awaited replacement to the 7D, which was launched in 2009. It features a 20.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 6 image processors. It has a new 65-point, all cross-type autofocus system as well as an updated version of Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF system. We've just been provided with an early build of ACR 8.7 and we've taken the opportunity to add seven Raw conversions to our previously-published gallery of real-world samples. Click through to take a look
Instagram's straightforward user interface is geared for posting and viewing photos, but if you've got an eye on growing or managing a large following, you'll soon run into the app's limitations. Iconosquare aims to give Instagram users basic metrics about their content and help manage large groups of followers. We tried the service out to see how it works and how useful it is. Read more
We've just added a trio of cameras to our studio comparison tool: the Canon PowerShot G7 X, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 and the Sony Alpha a5100. The Canon G7 X and Panasonic LX100 were two of the most talked-about cameras to emerge from Photokina 2014, both managing to squeeze large sensors into compact camera bodies. Read more
Nikon has released updated versions of its image processing software, bumping its Capture NX-D software to version 1.0.3 and View NX software to version 2.10.2. Both updates introduce a number of bug fixes for Windows and Macintosh platforms. Learn more
October 14
Flickr has introduced a new service for US users who want to order physical prints of their photographs. Called Flickr Wall Art, the printing feature caters specifically to those looking for high-quality pieces for mounting on walls, with two different options currently being available to registered users. Read more
The DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ is the company's newest flagship consumer drone, outfitted with a 3-axis gimbal, Adobe DNG RAW capture in addition to HD video recording, and operated by the DJI Vision smartphone application. It's capable of producing 14MP JPEGs and Raw images, and could be an ideal tool for a real estate photographer or independent filmmaker looking for b-roll. Does it rise to the occasion? Read our review
Lens manufacturer Sigma has issued an update to the firmware of its USB dock to make it compatible with the new 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3 DG OS HSM S and 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3DC Macro OS HSM lenses. Although these lenses are available in Sigma, Canon and Nikon mounts, the update for the USB dock does not yet cover these lenses in the Nikon fit, and Sigma hasn't indicated when it will. Read more
October 13
PhotoShelter has introduced a new project it has been working on called Lattice, which allows the service's users to browse images that have been aggregated into boards. The way the service works is similar to Pinterest and will be rolling out in phases, the first of which is now available to the public. Read more
Italian film and camera brand Ferrania is set to come back to life after a Kickstarter fundraising project reached its target with over two weeks left to run. A company called FILM Ferrania will use the money raised to re-commission and redesign existing machinery from closed sections of the Ferrania factory to begin the manufacture of film. Initial production will be for 35mm and 120 roll formats for stills, and Super 8 and 16mm movie film. Learn more
October 12
Nicolas Marino has been to 56 countries in his lifetime and has his sights set on the other 140. He's traveling around the world with his camera and he's not taking the easy way, crossing deserts, jungles and everything in between by bicycle. Why? In his words, 'With a bicycle and a humble attitude you can travel to the heart of a culture.' See gallery
October 11
Britain's Natural History Museum has disclosed four of the winning images from the shortlist of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. With a judging panel chaired by Jim Brandenburg, the competition attracted almost 42000 entries from 96 countries this year, and 100 of the best images will form a touring exhibition that the museum says will visit six continents. See gallery
October 10
Cinamatic, Hipstamatic's iOS app for capturing short video clips, has been updated to implement manual control over focus, exposure, white balance, shutter speed and ISO. This has been made possible by changes to the camera API in iOS 8. After the launch of the new OS manual control had been implemented in several still photography apps very quickly but Cinamatic is now the first video app to come with the additional controls. Read more
October 9
Smartphone maker HTC has introduced its first stand-alone camera in the shape of the HTC RE. With no viewfinder, screen or controls other than a shutter release button, the RE is designed to be used either as an independent still and video camera, or as a connected device controlled via a smartphone. Housing a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that features 16 million pixels, the RE uses a fixed-focus f/2.8 lens that HTC says has a 146 degree angle of view - equivalent to a 6.5mm focal length on a full frame body. Read more
Graham Rowan of Hertfordshire, UK has created a small camera dubbed the "fps1000", and as its name suggests, it is designed solely to record high-frame-rate videos. The goal is to open up high-speed shooting to a wider market by offering a relatively inexpensive product that is highly portable. Learn more
This Thursday and Friday October 9-10th, DPReview is teaming up once again with CreativeLive on a live streaming broadcast. We'll be talking with industry experts and pros about current technological advancements and what they mean to photographers. Additionally, we'll have on hand plenty of new gear announced at Photokina and DPReview editorial staff will discuss the highlights and trends seen at the show. Learn more
October 8
Ricoh has announced the WG-30W and WG-30, expanding its rugged compact camera lineup. The WG-30W provides Wi-Fi connectivity while the WG-30 doesn't, but outside of that the two cameras are identical. Offering a 16MP BSI CMOS sensor, the WG-30W is waterproof to a depth of 40ft / 12m, shockproof to 5ft / 1.5m, crushproof to 220lbf/100kgf and coldproof down to +14F/-10C. Read more
Nikon's newest full frame camera, the D750, made its debut at Photokina this year. It borrows features from the D810 and combines them with a 24MP sensor, boasting a comprehensive video and still photo feature set. We've had access to a full production unit long enough to put together a gallery of real world sample images. See gallery
October 7
UPDATED: When Canon's countdown clock reached zero this morning, the big surprise turned out to be... a 'marketing initiative.' Canon wants to remind consumers that its products can help them 'see impossible,' and it is doing so with an interactive website. The campaign will also include efforts in print, digital and live events. If you were waiting for the next big thing in imaging, it looks like you can keep on waiting.
There's a lot of excitement surrounding Canon's recently announced PowerShot G7 X. This compact camera features a 1" BSI-CMOS sensor and fast 24-100mm F1.8-2.8 lens. We've been using a production G7 X for a few days and ahead of our usual round of studio tests and hands-on assessment, we've created a quick gallery of real-world photos. See gallery
Digital storage company Connected Data has introduced a version of its Drobo Mini that will come kitted with 8TB worth of hard drives. Small enough to be portable and used by photographers and videographers on location, the Drobo Mini 8TB Bundle will be packaged with four Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB drives for the four 2.5-inch memory bays of the device. Read more
October 6
Adobe has announced updates to several of its mobile and desktop software applications, just in time to kick off the company's Adobe Max conference. While Photoshop itself only receives a couple of minor updates, such as more 3D printing profiles, there are some interesting new features added to the Adobe ecosystem. Among them is a new Libraries feature, making it possible to save layers and graphic elements for use across apps and platforms. Read more
UPDATED: The Panasonic Lumix LX100 topped our reader poll as the most interesting product to come out of Photokina 2014. Indeed, the LX100's combination of a Four Thirds sensor and 24-75mm equivalent F1.7-2.8 lens is big news. We've been testing out this intrepid compact for the past few days; take a look at a gallery of real-world samples and see what it can do. See gallery
October 3
We're planning some post-Photokina content and wanted to understand what you're thinking. We've created two polls, both looking for your take on the products and trends of Photokina. Let your voice be heard. Cast your vote
U.S.-based LensRentals has announced an expansion to its photo equipment rental service that allows photographers to purchase the gear they've borrowed. This gives renters a try-before-you-buy option and lets those who have become enamored with their rental equipment keep it forever. Learn more
Adobe has announced the availability of Camera Raw 8.7 and DNG Converter 8.7 release candidates. This version adds support for the Nikon D750, Fujifilm X30 and the Sony a5100 among other camera models. A number of lens profiles are also added. Camera Raw and DNG Converter 8.7 release candidates are available for download now from Adobe. Read more
Since the launch of iOS 8, manual camera apps for iPhone photographers have been in the news. Now it seems the makers of Camera51, a new camera app for Google's Android OS, are going the opposite way. The new app not only sets exposure and white balance automatically, but also aims to optimize how your shot is framed. Read more
October 2
Netflix is looking to hire a trio of photographers who will travel the country snapping photos and posting them to the entertainment company's Instagram account. The three Instagram users selected for the roles will travel with expenses paid for two weeks, taking pictures of iconic movie and TV locations. Learn more
The American Air Museum, which is part of Britain's Imperial War Museum, has launched a new wiki-style website designed to allow members of the public to help identify the service men and women depicted in the site's online galleries. Based on 15,000 prints from The Roger Freeman Collection documenting the lives of the US Army Air Forces personnel who served in England during the Second World War, the site records the thoughts and memories of the local population who worked and lived alongside them. Learn more
October 1
A proposed directive from the U.S. Forest Service that aims to protect federal wilderness from commercial exploitation may end up restraining photographers as well. Under the proposed restrictions, any individual or entity poised to reap commercial gain from photographing or filming federal lands in the U.S. will need a permit. Read more
What's so special about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100? It uses the same sensor as the GX7 but is at a distinct disadvantage not being part of an interchangeable lens system. So why would anyone choose the Lumix LX100 with its expensive body over the flexibility of the only-slightly-bigger Lumix DMC-GX7? Has Panasonic shot itself in the foot? Click through to read more
September 30
Canon's Digital Photo Professional software, commonly referred to as DPP, has just received updates to versions 4.0.2 and 3.14.41. Both of these were joined by updates to a roster of the company's other photography-centric software, including the EOS Utility, EOS MOVIE Utility, and Picture Style Editor. Read more
Camera modules in smartphones have rapidly improved over the past few years, but on the whole their lack of optical zoom is still a major limitation. Traditional zoom lens designs are generally too bulky for increasingly slim mobile devices, so tech startup DynaOptics is introducing something a bit different. Read more
It appears that Google's Chromebook laptops are finally getting Photoshop, at least in limited beta at first - starting with US-based Adobe education customers. According to a blogpost on the Google Chrome blog, Adobe Photoshop is now available in a limited beta release for Chromebook. U.S.-based Adobe education customers with a paid Creative Cloud account can apply for access to the program, which provides a streaming version of Photoshop to Chromebook users. Learn more
With the release of Apple's latest mobile OS version, developers have been scrambling to take advantage of newly unlocked camera controls. In the wake of this development new apps have emerged, including Manual Cam, one of the best implementations of manual control on the iPhone we've seen so far. Read more
September 29
Ricoh Imaging has released new firmware for its Pentax 645Z medium format camera to make it compatible with the latest version of the company's IMAGE Transmitter software. Firmware version 1.10, which is available to download by users via the Ricoh website, allows Pentax’s second digital medium format camera to be controlled when tethered to a PC via USB cable, so images can be saved directly from the camera into a chosen folder as they are taken. Read more
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is the long-awaited replacement to the 7D, which was launched in 2009. It features a 20.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 6 image processors. It has a new 65-point, all cross-type autofocus system as well as an updated version of Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF system that provides continuous phase detect focusing during video recording. We've been using a pre-production camera for a couple of days - just long enough to prepare a quick sample gallery. Click through to take a look
GoPro has announced its new lineup of Hero cameras. The Hero4 Black is a new flagship model capable of 4K video at 30 fps, and will allow for extraction of 8.3MP still images from 4K footage. The Hero4 Silver offers a touch sensitive display and records 2.7K at 30 fps, 1080 at 60 fps and 720 at 120 fps. Both models will be available October 5. Learn more
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