The Facebook-owned mobile imaging platform Instagram has launched a revamped version of its Android app. There aren’t any new filters, frames or editing options though. The most obvious changes have been made to the design of the user interface. It has adopted the ‘flattened’ look of the latest Android versions and some OEM software. Learn more
We’ve come to the end of another week here at dpreview, and as our thoughts drift to weekend shooting opportunities, it’s time to take things a little less seriously. Aaron Johnson’s comic strip ‘What the Duck’ is just the thing, taking a gently satirical look through the lens of a photographically inclined waterfowl. You can find it published here (and in our newsletter) every week; we hope you enjoy it, and your weekend.
We’ve revamped two of our most popular site tools – our camera and lens feature search pages. We didn’t want to completely reinvent the wheel, and changes mostly relate to design and user experience. The tools now look friendlier (we think), search options should be a little more logical and the process of narrowing down searches should be less confusing. We’ve also added a few new fields here and there while removing some outdated ones. Click through for links.
HTC was expected to launch the successor to last year’s flagship HTC One smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona but it never appeared. Now it seems that the new model will finally see the light of day at an event on the 25th of March, and rumors point to a ‘Duo Camera’ that will allow users to ‘choose where to focus, highlight what you love, soften backgrounds and add 3D effects’. Click through for more information on connect.dpreview.com.
The Tokyo District Court has ruled in favor of Nikon in a patent infringement case brought against Sigma. The lawsuit, filed in 2011 and settled last month alleged that six of Sigma’s interchangeable lenses infringed on certain Nikon patents relating to VR (vibration reduction) technology. Click through for more details.
Nikon has announced a new series of instructional videos featuring a lineup of pro photographers. Joe McNally, Corey Rich and Tamara Lackey offer pointers on lighting, action shooting and portraits among other topics throughout the series. In the first segment, launched today on Nikon’s Google+ page, Joe McNally explains some of the fundamentals of using available light and on-camera flash to shoot a portrait. There are more videos in the pipeline, set to launch at regular intervals throughout this spring and summer. Take a look at the full schedule
As photographers struggle with the slumping economy and an ever-increasingly competitive landscape, wedding photography seems to be one of the industry’s steadier income streams. People continue to get married and most hire photographers to capture their special day. And there are a handful of helpful mobile tools to help you run your business more effectively. Learn more
Sigma’s 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM | C is the latest version of its popular stabilized superzoom lens for APS-C / DX format SLRs. It’s smaller and lighter than the previous model (the 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM from 2011), but offers an updated optical design with improved close-focusing abilities. Sigma shipped us a sample a few days ago so we could try it out and we’ve been running around (in typically unpredictable Seattle weather) getting some real-world samples. Click through to see the shots.
Apple has released its first major update to iOS 7. iOS 7.1 brings a host of bug fixes and refinements, including support for Apple’s CarPlay, interface and design improvements and a new Auto HDR mode to the flagship iPhone 5S. Click through to read more at connect.dpreview.com.
Getty is back in the news, announcing in an email to contributors that its near 6-year partnership with Flickr has has ended, and will not be renewed. In the letter, Getty stresses the fact that the partnership has been terminated does not affect existing contributors’ contracts, and the Flickr Collection will form the the basis of a new ‘house collection’ on Getty’s site called ‘Moment’. Click through for more details.