We’ve just updated our DSLR and lens buying guides to cover recent developments in both product segments. Our buyers’ guides are intended to provide a helping hand when it comes to deciding what to buy, and include summaries of some of the main things to look for, and explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of various options as well as common terminology. Click through for links to our updated versions of both articles.
A New York tabloid newspaper has caused controversy by publishing an image of a man about to be killed by a subway train on its front cover, along with a dramatic headline. The image shows a subway train bearing down on a man who’d been pushed into its path. The paper’s handling of the story has been widely criticized and it raises a range of issues over the actions of all the parties involved. Journalism school The Poynter Institute has an interesting summary, separating the different aspects about a controversy that brings a lot of difficult questions about photojournalism and news reporting. What do you think?
We’ve just posted a gallery of shots from Sigma’s new 35mm F1.4 DG HSM prime lens, showing off its capabilities in a range of different environments, across its aperture range. We were very excited to start using this lens, and so far, it doesn’t disappoint. Our gallery contains 26 photographs taken using the Canon EOS-1D X and 5D Mark III, and includes several images converted from Raw. A full review is on its way before the end of the year, but for now, we hope you enjoy our gallery of initial images. Click through for a link to the gallery.
Canon has added three wireless Pixma photo printers and a CanoScan photo scanner to its imaging products range. The Pixma MG6320 (MG6350 in Europe) and MG5420 (MG5450 in Europe) are wireless photo all-in-ones (combined scanner/printers)while the Pixma iP7220 (iP7250) is a standalone wireless photo printer. The MG5420 and iP7220 are five ink printers (CMYK plus pigment black), while the MG6320 adds a grey ink. All three printers can be used to print wirelessly from Canon’s latest Wi-Fi models such as the PowerShot S110 and EOS 6D. The CanonScan 9000F Mark II is a standalone scanner with film adapter, allowing film to be scanned at up to 9600 x 9600dpi.
MindShift Gear, a bag brand co-founded by Think Tank Photo, has announced a project to fund its first bag – the Rotation180° – on crowd-funding website Kickstarter. The Rotation180° appears to build on Think Tank’s Rotation360° concept, giving access to your camera without having to take the bag off, but adds outdoor-friendly features such as a pocket for a hydration pack and full weather cover. The project requires a $ 389 pledge to receive the Rotation180° bag, with another $ 100 bringing more accessories.
Fujifilm has announced it is delaying the introduction of its XF 14mm F2.8 prime lens by a month so it can concentrate production on the XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS. The 14mm (21mm equivalent) prime lens is the first in the X-mount lineup to feature a pull-back focus ring that engages manual focus and reveals distance markings to allow use of its depth-of-field scale. It will now start to become available from late January 2013. Meanwhile we’ve been shooting with the 18-55mm zoom and will include a gallery of images along was an expanded XE-1 preview later this week.
Just Posted: Our review of the Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD, prepared in partnership with DxOMark. In the last of our recent mini-series examining superzoom lenses for SLRs, we take a look at how Tamron’s contender compares to its Sigma and Nikon counterparts that we reviewed recently. This type of all-in-one travel and ‘walkaround’ lens is enduringly popular, but how does this two-year-old design stand up against its brand-new competitors?
Smartphones aren’t just about catching grab-shots and applying heavy processing filters to cover up any flaws. As the cameras get better, processing to get the best out of those images becomes increasingly important. Perfectly Clear, a processing app for iOS devices, provides a host of tools to fine-tune your mobile photography (or edit any photos when away from your computer). It even has a tool to correct the iPhone 5’s notorious purple flare. Click here to see what we thought.
It’s holiday season, which means it’s time to start buying presents for friends and loved ones. Photography is an expensive hobby, and finding the right gift for the photographer in your life can be tough, but not everything costs thousands of dollars. In this quick guide we’ve tried to provide some inspiration by rounding up 14 potential gifts that we’d be pleased to find under our trees (virtual or actual) on Christmas morning. We hope you enjoy it!
Apple has issued Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 4.02, adding support for 8 cameras to Aperture 3 and iPhoto ’11. The update includes support for many recently-announced cameras including the Sony Alpha SLT-A99, NEX-6, Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3, but does not yet support recent high-end Fujifilm models.