Week in Review: From our full reviews of the HTC One and Sony Xperia Z cameras, to a do-it-yourself smartphone stand/tripod-mount/lens-mount case to an assortment of image-centric apps, we’ve rounded up a week’s worth of can’t-miss stories for mobile photography enthusiasts. Click through to connect.dpreview.com to catch up.
We’ve just posted the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series of short videos aimed at the novice photographer. In this first segment our hosts Jordan and Mark compare the results from a smartphone and an entry-level digital SLR in everyday shooting conditions such as low light, moving subjects and the challenge of capturing a flattering informal portrait. In future spots we’ll be covering more practical shooting advice and diving into creative techniques in an effort to help beginners choose the right gear. Click on the thumbnail to watch the video right here on the homepage.
Nikon, Olympus and Sigma have released firmware updates for the 1 System cameras, the Stylus XZ-2 and DP Merrill-series APS-C compact cameras. Nikon’s 1 System cameras have been updated to add support for the new 32mm F1.2 kens and continuous AF with the Nikon mount adapter FT1 and AF-S lenses, among other refinements. The Olympus Stylus XZ-2 has been updated for support with the new VF-4 electronic finder, and Sigma’s DP Merrill-series benefit from several performance and stability improvements. Click through for details.
Sigma has announced its 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens for APS-C DSLRs – the world’s first constant F1.8 zoom -will be available from July at a cost of around $ 799. The lens covers a 27-52.5mm equivalent range, and will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts. The lens will offer the depth-of-field equivalent of a constant F2.7 on full-frame, and allow the use of lower ISO settings in low light, which may under-cut the need for some photographers to change formats.
Fotodiox has announced the new DY-200 LED-based Fresnel Light for film work and studio photography. The lamps use very little power, are cool to the touch, and are flicker-free. They can be controlled via a built-in LED display, wireless remote, or with a DMX-compatible lighting control system. The DY-200 is available in daylight or ‘W’ tungsten versions, and is now available for $ 1199.95.
Now that he has his own copies of the new Zeiss Touit lenses, Roger Cicala of Lensrentals decided to crack into the Planar 32mm F1.8 lens and see if the renowned build quality of Zeiss optics was compromised to make the lenses more affordable. His primary concerns were about the Touit’s polymer construction and its use of a DC motor.
As if the plethora of blurry cat photos flooding social photo sharing sites weren’t enough, a new app promises to deliver even more by helping furry felines capture their own self-portraits. You just have to laugh, and for a few more giggles, click over to connect.dpreview.com to see how Snapcat works.
The Berlin Foto Festival is again highlighting mobile photography at this year’s show. A new exhibition, Berlinstagram, features the work of Berlin smartphone photographer and prolific Instagrammer Michael Schulz. Schulz uses a smartphone to capture both the street scenes and architectural structure of Germany’s capital city. See more of his striking photos on connect.dpreview.com.
Samyang has announced two manual focus lenses for cameras with APS-C or Four Thirds type sensors, a 16mm f/2.0 wideangle for SLRs and mirrorless, and a 300mm f/6.3 for mirrorless. The 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS offers a 24mm-equivalent angle of view with an unusually bright maximum aperture, and comes in a wide range of mounts to fit almost every brand of camera. Its RRP is €395, or €435 for the Nikon mount ‘AE’ version. Meanwhile the Reflex 300mm f/6.3 ED UMC CS is a compact catadioptric or ‘mirror’ lens to fit Micro Four Thirds, Canon, Sony and Fujifilm models, and comes in a choice of silver or black for €259. Both will be available in July.
We’ve just deployed an update to the forums that adds tabbed filtering by thread type and a new ‘photo post’ option, designed for users wanting to share images. We’ve also added filtering by product (to the product forums) and a swanky new ‘grid view’ for browsing forums by images (rather than thread titles). Finally we’ve fine-tuned the ‘classic’ skin and deployed some fixes and enhancements to the text editor.