We’ve just posted a selection of real-world samples shot with the Nikon Coolpix A. The Coolpix A offers a 16MP APS-C sensor in a genuinely compact body, mated to a 28mm equivalent F2.8 retractable lens. We’ve put together a 21-image gallery of images shot in a variety of situations and at a range of apertures. Click through to see how it performed.
Celebrated American photographer William Eggleston won a legal victory when a US District Court judge dismissed a claim of fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation brought by collector Jonathan Sobel. Sobel, an avid Eggleston collector, argued that by creating a new set of large format inkjet prints beyond the 30-year old dye transfer print limited edition of the same image, Eggleston was diluting the value of the earlier prints, one of which Sobel owned. Read on for more details. (via ARTINFO)
Nikon has come under fire from animal welfare groups and some wildlife photographers over its new ‘Monarch’ line of rifle scopes, designed for game hunting. Marketed as being ‘Engineered for Safari’ Nikon claims that the new Monarch-series scopes are created ‘for those seeking dangerous game adventure on the Dark Continent’ – an archaic term for Africa. Nikon has manufactured ‘sports optics’ for many years, and is not alone (so does Pentax) but the marketing behind its newest Monarch line of scopes has caused a degree of anger. Click through for more details.
NAB 2013: Canon has announced the development of a 35mm prime lens in its Cinema EOS range. It is designed to be used on movie cameras with image sensors up to 35mm full frame in size, and includes a range of features optimized for movie shooting. The company has not finalized its specifications and pricing, but says it will release further details in due course. However as the Cinema EOS primes offer T-stops that correlate closely with existing L-series primes, it seems likely the 35mm will be approximately T1.5, and of course use the EF mount.
Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4. These are final versions of updates that were originally posted as ‘release candidates’. Both versions add Raw support for 25 additional cameras, including the Nikon D7100, Canon EOS 100D, Fujifilm X100s and Sony SLT-A58. Corrections to the demosaicing algorithms for previously supported Fujifilm X-Trans and EXR sensor cameras are also included along with several new lens profiles. Click through for a full list of supported cameras, lenses and bug fixes.
Pentax has announced a wide range of new colors options for its K-30 weather-sealed mid-level DSLR. Available in either a shiny ‘Crystal’ or matte ‘Silky’ finish, the 16MP DSLR now comes in dramatic tones like orange, yellow and blue. The cameras are available for pre-order at a retail price of $ 799.95, including the 18-55 kit lens. Click through to see a complete list of available color options.
Benjamin Von Wong posted photos and a video from his impressive Paris photoshoot that combined fire, fireworks, and models into some dramatic imagery. ‘Since we were messing around with consumable effects,’ said VonWong in his blog, ‘each time we started a burn I had to be ready to constantly change up my camera settings to be able to compensate for the lighting conditions.’ (via FStoppers)
Photographer Nick Laham found himself in a tight spot as he squeezed into a locker room bathroom stall to take portraits of the New York Yankees during a spring training session earlier this year. He used both his DSLR and his smartphone to take the photos, but it was his iPhone-captured and Instagram-processed images that earned the attention of the New York Times, which ran Laham’s portrait of baseball great Alex Rodriguez on the front page of the Sunday edition. Read more at connect.dpreview.com.
Nikon has posted firmware updates for a number of its DSLRs. Updates for the D600, D800, D4, D3s, D3x, D3, D7000 and D3200 include support for the AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR lens. The D600 and D800 see an improvement to the subject tracking performance in continuous autofocus mode when shooting using the optical viewfinder. And the D600 can now deliver 100% scene coverage via HDMI output. The updates are available for immediate download from Nikon’s website. Click through for a full list of feature updates, bug fixes and download links.
Following the recent release of Photosynth for Windows Phone 8, Microsoft held a contest to find the 10 best Photosynth images. Now that the feature is compatible with latest generation devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ Odyssey, we should be seeing more and more stunning 360-degree panoramas created with the software. Check out some of the top Photosynths selected at connect.dpreview.com.