November 2013 news and reviews

The holidays are a great time to take pictures — and they're a great time to get a camera for yourself or for a loved one. With more than 50 cameras going through the hands of the DPReview team over the year, we've seen it all (or so we think). Based on our collective knowledge we hope this guide will help you make an informed decision on which camera will fit your needs. In this final part, we look at entry-level mirrorless cameras

What point-and-shootable mirrorless camera should I buy?

A lot of equipment passes through our Seattle and London offices, everything from high-end cameras to inexpensive accessories. A lot of it gets reviewed, but we can't cover everything. In this series of short articles, DPReview staff will be highlighting their personal standout products of the year. In part 3, Andy Westlake talks about his personal favorite - the Olympus OM-D E-M1.

When you buy into a camera system, it can be tempting to only consider lenses of the same make as your camera. But companies such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina offer some excellent options too. In this article, we're highlighting our pick of stand-out third party lenses. We've chosen them based on their ability to offer something different to the camera manufacturers' own, in terms of either focal length range, maximum aperture, image quality or value. Click through to read all about them.

A new app for iOS aims to motivate and inspire photographers by merging assignment-based photography with an optional social media element, all in the palm of your hand. OKDOTHIS offers a wide array of categories, including those created by users, with photo assignments that anyone can participate in. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com.

Fujifilm has announced forthcoming firmware updates for its X-Pro1, X-E2 and X-E1 mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, and for the X100S fixed-lens large sensor compact. Features promised include customizable Auto ISO, exposure preview in manual exposure mode, improved workflow for in-camera Raw conversion, and the ability to edit filenames in-camera. The update for the X-Pro1 will be available on 5th December; those for the X-E1, X-E2 and X100S on 19th December. Click through for full details.

Having spent a little more time with a full production unit, we've updated our Nikon Df coverage with images from our studio test scene and some more handling impressions. Nikon's thoroughly retro full-frame Df uses the same 16MP chip first seen in the D4, and provides an unprecedented level of support for legacy lenses. The new scene shows its performance in both daylight and low light, with downloadable image files. As always, you can compare the Df to the increasing number of cameras in our test scene.

There's a big world out there, just waiting for you to explore it. In our opinion, a camera is one of the best traveling companions you can have. Depending on where you're going, you might have specific priorities. Maybe you're heading to the mountains? Or perhaps you're exploring a city? Or maybe you're doing a round the world tour. Here are our top five recommendations.

Tokina has announced that its highly-regarded AT-X PRO 11-16mm f/2.8 DX II fast wideangle zoom for APS-C SLRs will be available in Sony Alpha mount from the start of next year. The 'type II' version adds improved coatings compared to the previous model of the lens. The design is otherwise unchanged, with the same optics and useful 'one touch' focus clutch mechanism. Click through for full details.

The holidays are a great time to take pictures — and they're a great time to get a camera for yourself or for a loved one. With more than 50 cameras going through the hands of the DPReview team over the year, we've seen it all (or so we think). Based on our collective knowledge we hope this guide will help you make an informed decision on which camera will fit your needs. In this penultimate part, we look at consumer-level DSLRs.

To improve my general purpose and family photography, which camera should I choose?

Most cameras are delicate objects, and the last thing you want to do is drop them or subject them to wet or freezing conditions. But there are cameras which are specifically designed to handle rough treatment. In this list, we've chosen our top five recommendations for tough cameras. Every model in this list can be dropped, soaked, frozen and, in some cases, crushed. Our recommendations cover the entire class, from stylish compacts that can handle the occasional accident to high-end rugged cameras capable of serious image quality.

It's that time of year when thoughts turn to gift-giving, and photography is more popular than ever before. Choosing a first camera is extremely important. If you've got a friend or a family member who's taking his or her first steps into the world of photography, we've prepared some recommendations for you, from best cameras for absolute novices, up to models more suitable for a student or budding enthusiast. This is the first in a series of articles giving our current recommendations for various different people and scenarios. Click through to read more.

The holidays are a great time to take pictures — and they're a great time to get a camera for yourself or for a loved one. With more than 50 cameras going through the hands of the DPReview team over the year, we've seen it all (or so we think). Based on our collective knowledge we hope this guide will help you make an informed decision on which camera will fit your needs. In part 4, we look at high-end pocketable compacts.

Michael Paul Smith's photos look like snapshots of classic cars. In reality, they're clever creations that use forced perspective to combine miniatures and real-world backdrops in an utterly convincing final product. His miniatures live in a fictional U.S. town called Elgin Park, a place populated with vintage cars and the trappings of everyday life in the 1950's and 1960's. See gallery

The holidays are a great time to take pictures — and they're a great time to get a camera for yourself or for a loved one. With more than 50 cameras going through the hands of the DPReview team over the year, we've seen it all (or so we think). Based on our collective knowledge we hope this guide will help you make an informed decision on which camera will fit your needs. In part 3, we look at enthusiast compact cameras.

The holidays are a great time to take pictures — and they're a great time to get a camera for yourself or for a loved one. With more than 50 cameras going through the hands of the DPReview team over the year, we've seen it all (or so we think). Based on our collective knowledge we hope this guide will help you make an informed decision on which camera will fit your needs. In part 1, we look at enthusiast interchangeable lens cameras.

'Tis the season for holiday gift guides, including for the mobile photography fanatic in your life. We've got gifts for the Instagram enthusiast, serial smartphone documentary photographer and the DSLR-turned-mobile photography convert. See our extensive smartphone photography gift guide on connect.dpreview.com.

We've updated our first impressions review of the Sony Alpha 7 with our studio test scene showing image quality for both JPEG and Raw files, making it easier to see the differences between it and its sister model, the Alpha 7R. The new scene also offers downloadable Raw samples of both daylight and low light scenes. As always, you can compare the A7 to the increasing number of cameras in our test scene.

When Adobe announced a version of Creative Cloud for photographers in September, there was a catch -- you had to already own Photoshop CS3 or later to qualify for the special pricing. Now Adobe is lifting that requirement for a limited time. Through December 2, 2013, the $9.99 (£8.78/€12,29) per month subscription (for the first year) is available to everyone. Learn more 

A lot of equipment passes through our Seattle and London offices, everything from high-end cameras to inexpensive accessories. A lot of it gets reviewed, but we can't cover everything. In this series of short articles, DPReview staff will be highlighting their personal standout products of the year. In part 2, Allison Johnson comments on her personal favorite - the Panasonic Lumix GM1.

Sigma has posted a statement on its website regarding incompatibilities between its lenses and the Nikon D5300. Lenses with built-in focus motors may not autofocus correctly in Live View mode, and Optical Stabilisation (OS) may not work correctly. The company says it will provide a free firmware update for affected lenses to fix the issue, but this may not be possible with discontinued models. Click through for full details.

Leica has announced the 2014 Leica Oskar Barnack Award international photography competition will be open for entries starting December 15, 2013. The winner of the main category of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award will win a cash prize of €10,000 (~ $13,500) in addition to a Leica M camera and lens, valued at an additional €10,000. Learn more

At a time when the journalism industry is struggling to stay in business, photojournalists have been hit especially hard. Earlier this year, the Chicago Sun-Times laid-off its entire staff in favor of giving reporters iPhones. The French newspaper Libération showed its support for photographers by publishing its November 14th issue with all the images removed. See the spread

The National Maritime Museum in London recently acquired a dramatic shipwreck photo collection from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. John Gibson started a family photography business in the 1860s and took his first photograph of a shipwreck in 1869. His family has created some of the most evocative images of misadventure at sea over the last 125 years. See gallery

The G2 follows the Optimus G/G Pro as LG's flagship smartphone, with plenty of tech spec to warrant a second look. From its huge 5.2-inch IPS LCD display to its 13MP CMOS sensor with optical image stabilization system, there's a lot here for mobile photography fanatics. We tested out the smartphone's camera capabilities as only Dpreview can: check out our in-depth 10-page review on connect.dpreview.com.

We've been shooting with Sony's Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R over the past few weeks to get insight into how the compact full-frame cameras behave. While the two models are twins, they're by no means identical, with each sibling very quickly showing its own, distinct personality. We'll be publishing more in the coming weeks as we move towards completing our review, but we wanted to share our perspective now that we've had some experience to inform our opinion.

We've updated our first impressions review of the Sony Alpha 7R with our studio test scene showing image quality for both JPEG and Raw files. The new scene also offers downloadable Raw samples of both daylight and low light scenes. As always, you can compare the A7R to the increasing number of cameras in our test scene.

Toshiba expanded its lineup up of Wi-Fi enabled SD memory cards with a high capacity 32GB FlashAir II model. The new 32GB card boasts Class 10 speed compared to the previous model's Class 6 speed. The FlashAir II card features a new 'Internet pass thru mode' that enables users to access the card and Internet simultaneously – enabling the ability to upload images in real-time. Learn more

Nikon has posted firmware updates for the following cameras: D3100, D3200, D5100, D5200, and P7700. More accurate detection of the remaining charge for the EN-EL14a rechargeable li-ion battery is the only fix. Get the update

Apple recently released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility 5.01 for Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11. The update adds Raw image support for the following 10 cameras: Canon PowerShot G16, Canon PowerShot S120, Fujifilm X-A1, Nikon COOLPIX P7800, Nikon D610, Olympus PEN Lite E-PL6, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX7, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LF1, Sony Alpha ILCE-3000, and the Sony Alpha NEX-5T. Get the update

DxOMark has recently reviewed Nikon's AF-S Nikkor 58mm f/1.4G, a high-end (and very expensive) standard prime for full frame SLRs. As a taster for our upcoming review we've added the test data to our lens widget; as usual you can compare it to similar lenses, including the Nikon and Sigma 50mm F1.4s. Click through for more details and analysis, and a link to DxOMark's own review of the Nikon 58mm F1.4.

Nikon has released Capture NX 2.4.5 and ViewNX 2.8.2 updates with Raw image support for the new D5300 and Df DSLR cameras. Also added to Capture NX 2.4.5 are menu updates and separate intensity and sharpness adjustments for both luminance and color. 

Blackmagic Design has announced its Camera 1.5 software update which adds new 12-bit Log CinemaDNG RAW recording to the Pocket Cinema Camera. The CinemaDNG Raw lossless compression works like a ZIP file where the Raw files are compressed during 1080p recording without the loss of any part of the image. This allows videographers to capture files with wider dynamic range for increased flexibility during color correction. 

We take a closer look at Samsung's latest Android camera: the Galaxy NX. It's a rather bold experiment that integrates a high-end Android smartphone OS with an interchangeable lens camera. With a 20.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, Samsung NX lens mount, and a tried-and-true mobile operating system, the Galaxy NX offers plenty of intriguing promise. See how we got on at connect.dpreview.com.

A lot of equipment passes through our Seattle and London offices, everything from high-end cameras to inexpensive accessories. A lot of it gets reviewed, but we can't cover everything. In this series of short articles, DPReview staff will be highlighting their personal standout products of the year. In part 1, editor Barnaby Britton takes us through his personal favorite - the Fujifilm X100S.

An owl in mid-flight, a polar bear peering from under icy waters, to a monkey being blasted by snow are some of the winning images from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Elephants surrounding a watering hole in Botswana by South African photographer Greg du Toit was the overall winner. See gallery 

As of now there are not many consumer products, aside from a from a few smartphones (and the GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition), that can shoot 4k video. However the SD Association's announcement of new Ultra High Speed Class 3 (U3) card labeling anticipates it becoming more common. The U3 designation guarantees a 30 MB/s constant minimum write speed, making it easier for buyers to know which cards are '4k ready.'

We could hardly wait to get our hands on LG's newest G2 smartphone to try shooting with its 13MP Optical Image Stabilization camera and huge 5.2-inch IPS LCD display. There's plenty of exciting specs, but how does it translate to photographs? See our first sample gallery of images on connect.dpreview.com.

A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying an unlit Olympic torch and three astronauts blasted off to the International Space Station on Thursday ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. On Saturday the ISS crew will take the torch made for the Sochi games on a historic spacewalk. NASA photographer Bill Ingalls was there to document the launch. See gallery

Lensrentals' Roger Cicala has beaten us to testing the Nikon D610 for oil and dust accumulation - concluding it's 'certainly no worse than other cameras.' Cicala has had an initial look at 25 D610s and a further look after the first ten of them came back from being rented-out, making him uniquely well-placed to comment on the phenomenon. Click through for a link to his article.

Tamron has announced the development of a 150-600mm F5-6.3 zoom lens for full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras. It will feature 20 elements in 13 groups and have a minimum focus distance of 2.7m. Tamron will also include VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization and USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) technologies. The lens will be developed for Canon, Nikon, and Sony mounts. 

We've just posted our full review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7. With a 16 megapixel Four Thirds sensor, in-body image stabilization, and built-in articulated EVF, the GX7 boasts a lot of refinements to tempt enthusiasts away from similar Olympus and Sony offerings. Panasonic engineers have thrown just about everything they've got into this mid-range mirrorless camera, will it find a loyal audience the way its GF1 predecessor did? Click through and read our review.

Ricoh has announced the PENTAX-08 WIDE ZOOM lens for Q-mount interchangeable lens cameras. The F3.7-4 ultra-wide-angle compact provides a focal length of 3.8-5.9mm (when mounted to the Pentax Q7 it provides a 35mm equivalent of 17.5-27mm). The lens is equipped with its own shutter and also comes with a built-in neutral density filter. Click through for the full press release and details.

Google is giving a sweet treat to photographers in its new KitKat operating system. Android 4.4 will be shipping with a non-destructive photo editing feature in the native Gallery app. From what we've seen of the software so far, it appears to offer a huge collection of some of the most advanced editing tools available on any mobile photography app. Learn more on connect.dpreview.com.

Fujifilm has updated the firmware for many of its X-system lenses to offer full compatibility with the recently-announced X-E2. The upgrades allow the lenses to work properly with the camera's phase detection AF and, for XF optics, its Lens Modulation Optimizer function. They apply to the 14mm F2.8, 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OIS, 35mm F1.4, 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 OIS, 60mm F2.4 Macro, and XC 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 OIS lenses. Click through for the download link

Canon is offering owners of its Cinema EOS C100 the chance to add Dual Pixel AF to this video-centric camera. This will enable continuous autofocus during recording with all Canon EF lenses, and double one-shot AF speed with 104 fully-supported lenses. Interestingly the upgrade doesn't involve a change of sensor, but instead enables a hitherto-unused hardware capability. However it will require the camera to be sent to a Canon service centre, and isn't free (in the US it will cost $500). 

The widely rumored and much-leaked Nikon Df is here. The Df is a 16MP, full-frame DSLR with the sensor from the flagship D4 and the 39-point AF system from the D610 packaged in a body inspired by film cameras from the 1970s. The Nikon Df can't shoot video, but it will accept 50 year-old non-Ai lenses. A lot of Nikon users have been asking for a 'digital FM2' for years. Is the Df that camera? Click through for our first-impressions.

We've had a chance to spend some time with Nikon's retro Df digital SLR. This full-frame camera, which is designed to resemble Nikon's classic manual focus film SLRs, is loaded with dials for virtually every function imaginable, and is backward compatible with nearly every Nikon F-mount lens ever made. If you want to see the Df from every possible angle, then click to view our hands-on gallery.

Nikon has announced the Df, which combines the design and controls from its classic film cameras with the modern technology of a digital SLR. The Df's body resembles that of Nikon's F-series 35mm cameras, complete with dials for shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation. Inside, the Df borrows the full-frame CMOS sensor from the D4 and the AF system from the D610. One thing you won't find on the Df is a movie mode. Click the link for the press release, product photos, and pricing.

We've just updated our first impressions review of the Panasonic Lumix GM1 with a gallery of real-world sample images. Panasonic's latest G-series camera underscores the 'Micro' in Micro Four Thirds as one of the smallest interchangeable lens cameras ever brought to market. Despite its size, it still offers a 16 megapixel Four Thirds sensor, 3.0-inch touch screen, and full suite of manual exposure controls. Does its image quality in the field measure up? Click through and see for yourself.

The rumored retro-styled full frame camera from Nikon looks to be coming. The latest teaser video from Nikon offers the clearest view of what the camera will look like, with close-up shots of the camera's side, back, and top-plate (including traditional shutter speed dial). The fifth of November looks like it could be memorable for more than just our UK audience. Watch video, see screen shots

The Sony Xperia Z1 offers a 1/2.3-inch sensor — the same size found in most consumer compact cameras and significantly larger than the 1/3-inch sensors common in smartphones. The comparatively large sensor is combined with a high pixel count of 20.7MP, a fast F2.0 lens and a physical shutter button. We put the Xperia Z1 through our rigorous testing regimen. Read our review on connect.dpreview.com.

Roger Cicala of LensRentals is man after our own hearts, never happier than when tinkering with lenses and writing about what he finds, however obscure it may turn out to be. And in celebration of this, he's launched what we'd like to think of as the ultimate photo competition: The First Annual Photogeek Geek Photo Contest. Full of entertaining categories, and with at least one hugely desirable prize on offer, it's open for entries until November 15th. It's Roger's competiton so we're not going to reveal too much here; head over to LensRentals and have a look. If nothing else, it should make you laugh.

Korean lens maker Samyang has announced that it will be offering a series of kits aimed at professional filmmakers, enthusiasts and film schools, consisting of a selection of its videography lenses housed in a protective hard case. Four kits will be available: wide-angle and standard three-lens kits for 35mm and Super 35mm cameras, a general-purpose three-lens kit for APS-C sensor camera, and a wide-ranging five-lens kit for 35mm and Super 35mm lens kits. Prices are yet to be announced. Click through for full details.

A close up of a corkscrew-shaped plankton, a look into a weaver spider's abdomen, and a microscopic view of a mouse's spine are among the winners of this year's Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. Dutch photographer Wim van Egmond took top prize for his Chaetoceros debilis (marine diatom) image. See gallery