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Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | C sample gallery

12 Dec

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The Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary is a welcome addition to the Micro Four Thirds and Sony E-mount lens lineups, combining a sensible sub-$ 500 price tag and excellent performance. On Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras it offers an 85mm equivalent view, a favorite for portraits. Take a look at what it can do.

See our Sigma 56mm F1.4 sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe Camera Raw update brings support for latest mobile devices, Nikon Z6 and more

12 Dec

Adobe has released the December update for its Camera Raw plug-in that allows you to edit and import Raw image files in Adobe applications, such as Photoshop, Lightroom Classic CC, Lightroom CC, Photoshop Elements, After Effects, and Bridge.

The list of newly supported cameras is heavily populated with smartphones and mobile devices. Apple latest iPhones XS, XS Max and XR are on the list as well as the company’s 2018 iPad Pro models. In addition you’ll now also be able to use Camera Raw with Raw files from Google’s Pixel 3 models, the Huawei P9 Lite, LG G7 ThinQ and the Samsung models Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S6/S6 Edge.

Camera models include Nikon’s Z6 mirrorless camera and D3500 DSLR as well the Leica M10-D and P, in addition to a bunch of compact cameras. For a full list of supported cameras head to the Adobe Support Website.

If you have an older version of an Adobe application that is not compatible with the latest version of Camera Raw you can still get Raw support for your camera through the free Adobe DNG converter.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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VSCO will retire desktop film emulation presets early next year

12 Dec

Image software company VSCO has announced plans to become a fully mobile company. This process will involve retiring its existing desktop presets on March 1, 2019, VSCO revealed on its website, leaving users with the VSCO mobile app, mobile tools and presets, and the annual $ 19.99 membership.

VSCO first launched in 2012 to offer film emulation presets on desktop. Soon after, the company launched a mobile app offering the film presets, which ultimately proved popular. VSCO has continued to offer both desktop and mobile products since then, but that will change early next year.

‘While we honor our origins at VSCO, we’re also always moving forward,’ the company says on its website. VSCO’s desktop presets remain available for purchase for now. A total of eight film emulation packs are available, including ‘Eclectic Films,’ ‘Instant Films,’ and ‘Modern Films.’ Each preset pack costs $ 59 USD and is available for Adobe Lightroom CC, Classic CC, 6, 5, and 4, as well as ACR for PS CS6 and CC.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon Museum exhibition showcases 60 rare prototype interchangeable lenses

12 Dec
A Reflex-Nikkor 1000mm f/11 prototype is mounted on the Nikon Z 7 via the Mount Adapter FTZ

Nikon Museum is showcasing prototype interchangeable lenses from the 1950s to the 1980s in a special exhibition called “Prototype Lenses — Fascinating Images Captured by the Nikon Z 7 Mirrorless Camera.” The exhibition opened on October 2 and includes around 60 prototype lenses created for SLR cameras, as well as images captured with 10 of the lenses and the Nikon Z7 camera.

These prototype lenses were created to test and verify new lens designs, according to Nikon, and many were destroyed once testing was completed. For that reason, “there have been few opportunities to exhibit them to the general public,” Nikon explains on its website, calling this a “very rare exhibition.”

According to Japanese website DC Watch, showcased lenses include the unreleased Nikkor-Q Auto 5cm F2.5, 1967 Fisheye-Nikkor Auto 6.3mm F2.8, 1961 Nikkor-S Auto 5cm F1.4 and 1958 Auto Nikkor Telephoto Zoom 85-250mm F4 lenses, among others. Some featured prototype lenses never entered mass production.

The exhibition will run through December 27th, 2018 at the Nikon Museum in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The Nikon Museum is also able to be toured via Google Street View, but this particular image is not the one shown in the particular image set Google uses.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung and Huawei introduce the ‘hole-punch’ front camera in their latest smartphones

12 Dec

Smartphone manufacturers are facing a dilemma these days. Consumers want a display that covers as much of the front of the device and has bezels that are as thin as possible. On the other hand some components, for example the front camera, proximity and light sensors or the earpiece have to be placed onto the front of the device as well to work efficiently, taking away some of the available real estate from the display.

This has resulted in the much-dreaded display-“notch” as it was first popularized by the iPhone X and since then has appeared on most other high-end phones as well.

Apple iPhone XR with display notch

Samsung and Huawei are now going down a different route, however, with their new A8s and Honor View20 models, respectively. Both new smartphones feature a so-called ‘hole-punch’ front camera which is designed to be less obtrusive than a ‘notch.’

In this design the camera is hidden behind the display which comes with a small circular hole for the lens to peek through. It’s worth noting however, that unlike many current high-end models neither the A8s nor the View20 come with any face recognition features that would require additional sensors at the front. Both new devices are placed in the mid-range bracket of the market which makes them more suitable for the new design.

Samsung Galaxy A8s with “hole-punch” front camera

The View20’s main camera also comes with a promising specification. The camera features the same 1/2″ Sony sensor with 48MP resolution that we are also expecting to see in an upcoming Xiaomi device. The sensor’s high pixel count is used for high-quality digital zooming and computational frame-stacking methods, though, so don’t expect any medium-format resolution out of your smartphone any time soon.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Nikon Z6 First Impressions Review

11 Dec

The Nikon Z6 is one of two full-frame mirrorless cameras that Nikon introduced in August of 2018. It’s very similar to its big brother, the Z7, with the main differences being the sensor (24MP vs 46MP) and the decrease in resolution that comes along with it. The Z6 also has fewer phase-detect autofocus points (273 vs 493) due to the lower-res sensor. Otherwise, you’re getting the same rugged body, the same (mostly) familiar controls and access to a small but soon-to-grow collection of Z-mount lenses.

Specs aside, the Z6 is for a very different audience than the Z7. The latter is for those seeking ultra-high resolution and would also be considering cameras like the Sony a7R III and Nikon D850. The Z6, on the other hand, is intended to be be more appealing to those looking to upgrade from crop-sensor cameras or previous-generation full-frame DSLRs.

The Z6 will ultimately be compared to its DSLR sibling, the D750 (which is getting on in years, but still very capable). While the two cameras have different designs, they operate similarly, with autofocus modes and video being the the most significant differences.

Key specifications:

  • 24.5MP full-frame BSI-CMOS sensor
  • Hybrid autofocus system w/273 phase-detect points
  • Up to 12 fps burst shooting (Raw + JPEG)
  • 3.69M-dot OLED viewfinder
  • 2.1M-dot tilting touch LCD
  • OLED top plate display
  • Single XQD card slot
  • UHD 4K capture up to 30p
  • 10-bit 4:2:2 N-Log output over HDMI
  • Up to 100Mbps H.264 8-bit internal video capture
  • SnapBridge Wi-Fi system with Bluetooth
Out of camera JPEG | ISO 7200 | 1/250 sec | F1.8 | Nikkor Z 50mm lens
Photo by Dan Bracaglia

If those specs look familiar, it’s because they’re almost identical to that of the Z7, with resolution and the number of AF points being the main differences. You do reap the benefits of the lower resolution sensor when shooting bursts, with a top frame rate of 12 fps (versus 9) and the ability to capture more photos per burst. Otherwise, you’re getting the same design and innovations found the Z6’s big brother, which is significantly more expensive.

The Z6 is sold body-only for $ 1999 or with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4 S lens for $ 2599. If you buy the $ 249 FTZ (F-to-Z mount) adapter at the same time, Nikon will knock $ 100 off of the price.

What’s new and how it compares

The Z6 uses the all-new Z-mount along with a full-frame 24MP sensor with 5-axis image stabilization built in, along with a hybrid AF system and oversampled 4K video.

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Body and handling

The Z6 has excellent build quality, familiar controls and a lot of customizability, though some favorites from Nikon DSLRs didn’t make the cut.

Read more

Operation and controls

The Z6 can be customized in numerous ways, and we appreciate its ability to have separate settings for stills and video.

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Image quality

The Z6’s 24MP sensor has excellent resolution and high ISO performance, though on rare occasions you may see banding if shadow areas are brightened.

Read more

Sample Gallery

See how the Z6’s photos look in our extensive sample gallery.

Read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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GoPro moving production of U.S.-bound action cameras out of China, cites concerns over tariffs

11 Dec

GoPro announced today it will be moving camera production out of China for cameras destined for the U.S. market.

In a press release shared this morning, GoPro stated that while its cameras bound for the international market will continue to be made in China, gear destined for the United States will be moved elsewhere by summer 2019, citing concern over the recent tariffs put in place as a part of the trade war that’s been brewing between the U.S. and China.

‘Today’s geopolitical business environment requires agility, and we’re proactively addressing tariff concerns by moving most of our US-bound camera production out of China,’ says Brian McGee, executive vice president and CFO of GoPro in the press release. ‘We believe this diversified approach to production can benefit our business regardless of tariff implications.’

McGee assured consumers and investors alike the move will have little impact on GoPro’s financials, saying ‘It’s important to note that we own our own production equipment while our manufacturing partner provides the facilities, so we expect to make this move at a relatively low cost.’

As of writing this article at 10:10am on Monday, December 10th, 2018, GoPro is priced at $ 4.82 USD per share, down 2.82% on the day on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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AirMap announces real-time geofencing alerts on Android, iOS for DJI drones

11 Dec

Airspace management company AirMap announced the release of real-time geofencing alerts in its AirMap for Drones mobile app available for iOS and Android devices.

The new feature alerts pilots visually and/or verbally when their drone is approaching airspace that is unsafe or areas where drone flying is not permitted. AirMap uses data from organizations such as civil aviation authorities, air navigation service providers and local authorities to build its databases and airspace maps.

AirMap says real-time geofencing will soon get the ability to prevent drones from entering unsafe operating area or leaving its flight path, instead of just sending out alerts. Pilots will have to opt in to activate this function.

In addition to implementing real-time geofencing alerts in its own app, AirMap is also making the feature available to other developers and OEMs as a mobile SDK for iOS and Android, allowing them to ‘to build services enhancing flight safety, compliance and overall experience for their users.’

Real-time geofencing alerts are currently only available for users of DJI drones when operating in the AirMap for Drones fly mode. More information can be found on the AirMap website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kipon announces five ‘Elegant’ F2.4 prime lenses for Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts

11 Dec

Lens and lens adapter manufacturer Kipon has announced a new series of lenses for the latest Canon and Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras.

The Elegant series, as it’s called, consists of five prime lenses in the following focal lengths and apertures: 24mm F2.4, 35mm F2.4, 50mm F2.4, 75mm F2.4 and 90mm F2.4. Each lens comes in both Nikon Z and Canon RF mount options and is entirely manual. The lenses features a focus ring, a physical aperture dial, and focus guide markings. The exact optical construction of each lens remains unknown, as the press release is vague and short on details.

The lenses will be available by the end of December 2018 with the following pricing:

• 24mm F2.4 — $ 499 USD
• 35mm F2.4 — $ 468 USD
• 50mm F2.4 — $ 325 USD
• 75mm F2.4 — $ 355 USD
• 90mm F2.4 — $ 386 USD

Although not currently available for purchase, the lenses will be listed on Kipon’s Adorama and eBay shop when they become hit shelves later this month.

Update (12/10/2018 247pm EST): As pointed out by diligent readers, these five lenses are effectively rebranded and re-mounted versions of the IBE-Optics HandeVision IBERIT 24, 35, 50, 75 and 90mm f/2.4 lenses available for Fujifilm X, Leica L, Leica M and Sony E mounts.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DxO PhotoLab 2.1 update brings file indexing feature to macOS, better search for Windows

11 Dec

DxO launched its PhotoLab 2 in late October, and now it is back with an update to version 2.1. The updated photo editing software brings the file indexing feature to macOS that was previously only available to Windows users. As well, the Windows version of PhotoLab 2.1 now includes a more detailed search history, including one-click access to past image searches when in a new session.

DxO PhotoLab 2.1 features an optimized database architecture that improves the editor’s image management system, the end result being “significantly faster searches,” according to the company.

In addition to the new features and improvements, PhotoLab 2.1 adds support for the DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone, Fujifilm X-A5, and Nikon Z7, as well as the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm F4 S and the NIKKOR F FX lens. DxO plans to add support for the NIKKOR Z 35mm F1.8 S and NIKKOR Z 50mm F1.8 S early next year.

The company is working on adding support for the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom drone, Nikon Z6, Canon EOS R, Canon EOS M50, Fujifilm GFX 50s, and Fujifilm GFX 50r cameras, as well.

DxO PhotoLab 2 Essential and Elite editions are currently discounted to $ 99.99 (£79.99) and $ 149.99 (£119.99), respectively, until December 25. Existing PhotoLab 2 software owners can download the version 2.1 update for free.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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