More direct controls, better autofocus, and in many cases 4K video capture – they’re a step above ‘budget,’ but cameras in this category provide a whole lot of bang for your buck. Here are our top picks in the range.
Category: Uncategorized
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Gear of the Year 2017 – Richard’s choice: Sony NP-FZ100
I wrote, two years ago, that I thought the distinction between DSLRs and mirrorless cameras would disappear. Not that mirrorless would eclipse DSLRs, more that the differences would reduce to the point that the presence or absence of a mirror becomes the least relevant part of a discussion of two cameras.
As I was writing a comparison of the Sony a7R III and Nikon D850 today, I was suddenly struck by the realization that it might have already happened. I think there are a lot of interesting differences between the two cameras but very few of them have anything to do with the way we’d tend to categorize them.
With this in mind, my gear of the year is the Sony NP-FZ100. Or, to those of you not obsessed with product codes, the a9 and a7R III’s battery. The simple reason for this is the role it plays in rendering the difference between mirror-less and mirror-full cameras moot.
Good enough: the threshold beyond which any further excess is superfluousIt all comes down to the idea of ‘good enough.’ And please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not talking about accepting the mediocre or tolerating the barely sufficient. Instead I’m referring to the threshold beyond which any further excess is, if not excessive, then at least superfluous: it offers no practical benefit.
Once I have enough battery life to get me through a demanding day of shooting, then any extra left in the tank is all very nice, but not exactly necessary. I recently spent a morning shooting both stills and video of a cyclocross race with the a7R III. Shooting a mixture of JPEGs, uncompressed Raws and 4K video, I comfortably churned out more than the 64GB capacity of my memory card and had to switch to a second. What I didn’t come close to doing was running the battery out. At the end of the racing, I still had more than 27% charge left, despite the sub-10°C temperatures.
The move to the ‘Z-Type’ battery on the right is the difference between me having to worry about charging and carrying spare batteries and me never having to think about it. This suddenly eliminates the constant battery anxiety I’ve always felt with previous Sony mirrorless cameras (and that’s without including the RX1R II, an otherwise fabulous camera whose butterfly-like lifespan prompts even its proponents joke “it’s like shooting film: you need to think about what you’re going to do with your 36 exposures”). Because when I’m shooting, I don’t ever want to be worrying about whether I’ve brought enough batteries, and which ones are charged. I don’t even want to have to think about it.
In fairness Panasonic got here first, having put a big battery in its GH models as far back as the GH3, but I didn’t notice it to the same extent because I was primarily shooting video with those models.
This eliminates the constant battery anxiety I’ve previously felt with many mirrorless camerasMore demanding shooters, be they photojournalists or longer-form filmmakers, can always attach a battery grip for longer duration, but for me, the FZ100 means the a7R III is able to surpass my ‘good enough’ threshold. So, while the D850 can boast a very impressive 1840 shots per charge, for me and my photography, that’s well into the territory of overkill.
So, as a technology that allows mirrorless cameras (hopefully of all brands) to offer the same practical benefits as their DSLR rivals, my gear of the year is a battery. Because it makes the a9 and a7R III into significantly better cameras, not just because it pulls another leg out from under all those tired ‘mirrorless vs DSLR’ arguments.
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Pixelmator reveals Pixelmator Pro, an Adobe competitor for Mac users
Pixelmator’s new high-end Mac photo editor Pixelmator Pro, which the company partially revealed back in September, is officially live and available to purchase through the Mac App Store.
In case you’ve forgotten, Pixelmator Pro is a nondestructive single-window application with some editing features powered by machine learning, GPU-based image editing tools, and what the company describes as “an incredibly intuitive and accessible design.” Users get a fully native Mac experience, says Pixelmator, which designed Pixelmator Pro with a look inspired by macOS.
Thanks to Core ML framework, Pixelmator Pro also features integrated machine learning to power features like automatic horizon detection and layer naming, intelligent quick selection, and realistic object removal.
Ultimately, the company is hoping that Pixelmator Pro will represent the perfect marriage between pro-tier features and accessible design.
Other notable features include full Mac integration, including support for iCloud, compatibility with Adobe Photoshop, support for raw images and multiple raw layers, HEIF compatibility, and vector tools, among many other things. And if you feel that a major feature is missing, you’ll be happy to know that multiple free updates bringing major new features are already in the pipeline for release in the near future.
Until then, you can pick up Pixelmator Pro 1.0 is through the Mac App Store for $ 60 USD.
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The new HDMI 2.1 specification (and cable) adds support for 10K, 8K HDR, and 4K at 120fps
Originally announced back in January and slated for a mid-year release, the HDMI 2.1 specification is just now making its debut on the world stage. Announced by the HDMI forum yesterday, the new specification offers users the ability to deal with 10K video resolution, as well as other data-intensive formats such as Dynamic HDR, uncompressed 8K HDR video, and 4K at 120fps.
A new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable standard has also been announced that carries up to 48Gbps, and which is said to have ‘exceptionally low electro-magnetic interference’ to avoid conflict with other devices in the vicinity.
HDMI 2.1 is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the standard, as is the new high speed cable. For more information, visit the HDMI forum website.
Press Release
HDMI FORUM RELEASES VERSION 2.1 OF THE HDMI SPECIFICATION
A Huge Leap Forward Supports Resolutions Up to 10K and Dynamic HDR and Introduces New Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable
SAN JOSE, California – November 28, 2017 – HDMI Forum, Inc. today announced the release of Version 2.1 of the HDMI® Specification which is now available to all HDMI 2.0 adopters. This latest HDMI Specification supports a range of higher video resolutions and refresh rates including 8K60 and 4K120, and resolutions up to 10K. Dynamic HDR formats are also supported, and bandwidth capability is increased up to 48Gbps.
Supporting the 48Gbps bandwidth is the new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable. The cable ensures high-bandwidth dependent features are delivered including uncompressed 8K video with HDR. It features exceptionally low EMI (electro-magnetic interference) which reduces interference with nearby wireless devices. The cable is backwards compatible and can be used with the existing installed base of HDMI devices.
Version 2.1 of the HDMI Specification is backward compatible with earlier versions of the specification, and was developed by the HDMI Forum’s Technical Working Group whose members represent some of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, personal computers, mobile devices, cables and components.
“The HDMI Forum’s mission is to develop specifications meeting market needs, growing demands for higher performance, and to enable future product opportunities,” said Robert Blanchard of Sony Electronics, president of the HDMI Forum.
HDMI Specification 2.1 Features Include:
- Higher video resolutions support a range of high resolutions and faster refresh rates including 8K60Hz and 4K120Hz for immersive viewing and smooth fast-action detail. Resolutions up to 10K are also supported for commercial AV, and industrial and specialty usages.
- Dynamic HDR support ensures every moment of a video is displayed at its ideal values for depth, detail, brightness, contrast and wider color gamuts—on a scene-by-scene or even a frame-by-frame basis.
- The Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable supports the 48G bandwidth for uncompressed HDMI 2.1 feature support. The cable also features very low EMI emission and is backwards compatible with earlier versions of the HDMI Specification and can be used with existing HDMI devices.
- eARC simplifies connectivity, provides greater ease of use, and supports the most advanced audio formats and highest audio quality. It ensures full compatibility between audio devices and upcoming HDMI 2.1 products.
- Enhanced refresh rate features ensure an added level of smooth and seamless motion and transitions for gaming, movies and video. They include:
- Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) reduces or eliminates lag, stutter and frame tearing for more fluid and better detailed gameplay.
- Quick Media Switching (QMS) for movies and video eliminates the delay that can result in blank screens before content is displayed.
- Quick Frame Transport (QFT) reduces latency for smoother no-lag gaming, and real-time interactive virtual reality.
- Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) allows the ideal latency setting to automatically be set allowing for smooth, lag-free and uninterrupted viewing and interactivity.
The HDMI 2.1 Compliance Test Specification (CTS) will be published in stages during Q1-Q3 2018, and HDMI adopters will be notified when it is available.
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Video: Using the RGB tone curves in Photoshop, a crash course
Photographer Conner Turmon has put together a quick video tutorial that will get you up to speed on using the RGB tone curves to post-process your photos in either Lightroom or Photoshop (although this info will work with any photo editing program that gives you access to the tone curve).
The video will only take up eight minutes of your time, so definitely give it a go if you want to see tone curve editing in action, but the key takeaways can be summarized in two points:
1. Know your color wheel. This way, you understand what tones you’re ‘adding’ and ‘subtracting’ when you pull or push any particular combination of Red, Blue and Green.
and
2. Focus only on the area you’re editing. If you’re editing in the shadows, look only at the shadows while you’re doing it; if you’re editing the highlights, same thing, look only at the highlights.
As far as how you should approach each individual photo, Turmon shared a solid tip on Reddit:
I find it super helpful to either do complementary colors (e.g., Purple-Yellow, Red-Green, Blue-Orange) or emulate a film type that you like! For example, Fuji is notorious for green shadows and blue highlights (at least I think).
Another good tip: download photographs you like (tone-wise), pull them into Photoshop, and use the eye dropper tool to inspect the shadows, midtones, and highlights to see how they’ve been edited. This will give you a better idea of how you might approach editing your own work.
But before you do any of that, check out the video above to get a quick breakdown of how RGB curves work; and if you like what you see, check out Turmon’s website, Instagram, and YouTube channel for more.
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Astrophotography lens shootout: Samyang 14mm F2.4 vs Sigma 14mm F1.8
If you’re thinking of picking up a great ultra-wide astrophotography lens, chances are good you’ve looked at the three 14mm primes featured in this video. The old Samyang 14mm F2.8 is a classic and affordable choice; the updated Samyang 14mm F2.4 is faster, higher quality, and not prohibitively expensive; and the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art is a lens astrophotographers have been drooling over ever since it was announced in February.
So which do you pick, and why?
NatureTTL’s Matthew Saville took all three lenses into the middle of the desert to shoot some nightscapes and compare the performance of these extremely popular choices.
You’ll definitely want to check out the full video if you’re deeply uncertain about which to choose—there are some great side-by-side sharpness comparisons that should satisfy the pixel peepers out there—but Saville manages to break the trio down into a very neat categories:
The Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art is your choice if you absolutely need the extra light over the F2.4 and don’t mind spending a bunch more money to get it. It’s extremely sharp, and will deliver exceptional results… even wide open… even in the corners.
The Samyang 14mm F2.4 is hard to beat as an overall choice when you look at performance-to-price ratio. To his eye, it’s a tiny bit sharper in the corners wide open than the Sigma—even when you stop the Sigma down to F2.4—and it’ll cost you half as much. You are, of course, sacrificing AutoFocus over the Sigma, but many nightscape and night sky photographers shoot in manual focus all the time anyway.
The Samyang 14mm F2.8 is by far the most affordable of the bunch. This classic lens will cost you as little as $ 250 on sale, making it less than half as much as the Samyang 14mm F2.4, which was already half the price of the Sigma 14mm. But that drop in price comes with a significant drop in performance. Saville labels it a great choice for those just getting into nightscape photography, as a time-lapse lens if you’ll be displaying your footage in 1080p, or as a solid backup that is so cheap it would be silly not to own one.
Check out the full video up top to hear all of Saville’s thoughts on these three popular 14mm primes. And if you want to find out more about why the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art lens just might be worth spending that bundle of money on, click on the big blue button below to read about why DPReview’s Dale Baskin named it his Gear of the Year 2017.
Gear of the Year 2017 – Dale’s choice: Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art
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Samsung’s new W2018 flip phone features a variable aperture F1.5-F2.4 lens
Samsung just announced something that looks like it belongs in the mid-2000s… but looks can be deceiving. Meet Samsung’s new flip phone: the W2018. Announced earlier today at an event in Xiamen, China, the followup to the W2017 is an Android-powered flip phone that boasts smartphone-caliber specs. In fact, the 12-megapixel rear camera is nearly identical to the one found in the Galaxy S8, featuring dual pixel autofocus, optical image stabilization and 1.4?m pixels.
It does differ in one very interesting way though.
Not only does the W2018 boast an F1.5 aperture—the brightest you’ll find on a phone—that aperture is actually variable, switching between F1.5 and F2.4 when it senses there’s enough light around. In this way, the phone automatically captures as much of the background as possible.
You can see the trick in this close-up video uploaded to Weibo by Jason Wang:
Rumors have been floating around that the Galaxy S9 will feature a variable aperture F1.5 lens; as you might expect, the appearance of the selfsame lens in another Samsung phone makes us pretty confident that will, indeed, be the case. As to whether or not you ever really need to ‘stop down’ a smartphone camera lens… that’s another topic entirely.
Like the W2017 before it, this phone will first be released in China, comes with a bunch of “VIP” perks like free tech support, and will probably cost upwards of $ 3,000… no, we didn’t add another zero.
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Leica Camera reports ‘strong revenue growth’ for 2016/2017 fiscal year
In recent years, financial reports from major camera manufacturers haven’t typically made for overly positive news stories; however, Leica Camera AG is bucking this trend with the announcement of its results for the 2016/2017 financial year ending March 31st. Apparently, the German camera maker has been able to grow revenue by 6 percent, despite the global camera market declining by around 10 percent over the same period.
Leica cites systematic realignment of the company over recent years as the main driver of the positive development.
At the heart of this realignment lies the establishment of an in-house retail distribution division that now controls a network of 90 monobrand stores around the globe. The company says this move has been vital in promoting the brand, and the retail network is set to expand even further in the near future. China is currently Leica’s number one growth market, and 20 to 30 new stores are planned in the country alone.
Other important initiatives include the Leica Akademie brand—which aims to increase brand awareness among younger target groups—and the company’s collaboration with Chinese smartphone maker Huawei on the cameras in their latest high-end devices.
The upward trend has reportedly continued into the 2017/2018 financial year, leading CEO of Leica Camera AG, Matthias Harsch, to predict record-breaking growth for this coming year.
Its important to note, however, that at least part of Leica’s future growth will have nothing to do with photography. In 2017, the company entered into the eyewear segment under the Leica Eyecare brand, which Leica says will “systematically tap into this global market in conjunction with its technology partner Novacel.”
Press Release
Leica Camera AG Records Strong Revenue Growth for the 2016/2017 Financial Year and Bucks the Downward Trend in the Camera Market
The Leica Camera Group achieved revenue of almost 400 million euros in the past financial year 2016/2017 (31 March 2017) and can therefore look back very positively on the previous twelve-month period. With strong revenue growth of more than six per cent, Leica bucked the overall downward trend in the global camera market, which declined by around 10 per cent in the same period.
In the first few months of the current financial year 2017/2018, cumulative growth stands at 15 per cent, thus underscoring the positive global performance of Leica Camera AG. Despite a market environment that remains challenging, the CEO of Leica Camera AG, Matthias Harsch, once again expects a record-breaking result for the 2017/2018 financial year. As a result, the revenue of Leica Camera AG has increased more than fourfold since anchor investor and majority shareholder Dr Andreas Kaufmann came on board in 2004.
The main driver of growth is the systematic realignment of the company that has taken place in recent years. In particular, the setting up of an in-house Retail Distribution division has made a major contribution to revenue growth. Leica now has 90 monobrand stores around the world, which are vital in terms of promoting brand experience in the context of photography. ‘China is our number-one growth market,’ says Matthias Harsch, who is planning 20 to 30 new stores in the country alone. The Group is now strengthening its presence in the service sector with the Leica Akademie brand in order to boost the appeal of photography amongst younger target groups.
The extremely successful technology and brand partnership with Chinese company Huawei in the field of mobile phone photography makes Leica one of the world’s leading providers of smartphone lens applications, a burgeoning technology segment that serves as a global basis for new product ideas and applications in photography.
The entry of Leica into the eyewear segment (glasses) – a move that was completed in 2017 – offers further potential for strong revenue growth in the years ahead. Operating under the name of Leica Eyecare, the company will systematically tap into this global market in conjunction with its technology partner Novacel.
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CAMS unveils new camera plates for small DSLRs and mirrorless cameras
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Following in the footsteps of its successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the Pro Camera plate system, accessory manufacturer CAMS is looking to the crowdfunding platform once more to create scaled down plates for smaller DSLR and CSC bodies. The company hopes to raise $ 20,000 to fund a project that it says brings a host of new features to the plate and sling strap system.
The new CAMS standard and Mini Plates are designed to fit smaller camera systems while still allowing access to the battery compartment door so batteries can be changed without having to remove the plate. The plates also have their own storage slots for a spare SD card and to hold the hex key that fits the plate to the camera.
Those using Arca-Swiss type tripod heads will be able to mount the plate directly onto their tripod, while a further thread in the base allows the plates to attach to a standard 1/4in-20 tripod screw.
Here’s a quick intro to the new plates from the Kickstarter campaign:
A sling strap comes as an optional accessory and connects to the plate via a quick-opening attachment, while a hand strap can be used with the smaller lug close to the camera’s handgrip. In addition to the usual neoprene strap, the company is now offering Minima webbing strap and a Pelle leather version.
Prices start from $ 50 for either plate with no strap or $ 65 with a Minima strap. For more details, visit the CAMS Kickstarter campaign page or the CAMS website.
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Gear of the Year 2017 – Dale’s choice: Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art
Sigma’s 14mm F1.8 Art lens makes it easier to get shots like this.
ISO 5000 | 2 seconds | F1.8 | 14mmOver the past couple years I’ve developed a strong interest in wide-field astrophotography. Specifically, I’ve become passionate about photographing the aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights.
The aurora is Mother Nature’s own special effects show, and it’s one of those things that makes you stop to just appreciate the magic of the universe. No photo, IMAX screen, or VR headset will ever replicate the experience of standing under the sky when she flips on the light switch, but maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to aurora photography in the first place: it requires me to go to where I can experience the magic in person.
There are a lot of good lenses out there for this purpose, and I’ve used quite a few of them including the legendary Nikon 14-24mm F2.8, the Rokinon 14mm F2.8, the Venus Optics Laowa 15mm F2, various 16-35mm F2.8 variants, and even Sigma’s own 20mm F1.4 Art, but once I tried the Sigma 14mm F1.8 it was game over. I knew I had found the one.
ISO 1600 | 3.2 seconds | F1.8 | 14mm One thing you learn quickly when shooting aurora is that you need fast, wide lenses. Fast because you’re shooting at night (duh). Wide because the aurora typically covers a large portion of the sky. It also makes it easier to include some landscape to provide a sense of place. This is where the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art lens comes in.
What makes this lens so special is the fast F1.8 aperture. That’s 1.3 EV faster than an F2.8 lens. Put another way, wide open the Sigma 14mm has a 2.5x light gathering advantage over F2.8 lenses. That’s huge.
One challenge when photographing the aurora is that it can dance around surprisingly fast at times. Even at high ISO values an exposure may be on the order of several seconds, making it difficult to capture the intricate structure you often see in person. That’s part of the reason time-lapse sequences never look as good as the real thing.
ISO 3200 | 5 seconds | F12.8 | 14mm Using the Sigma 14mm, however, I can cut my exposure time significantly. Where the Nikon 14-24mm F2.8 might require a 6 second exposure, the Sigma lets me get away with 2.5 seconds. Still not enough to freeze the action, but enough to reduce the degree to which patterns and structure in the aurora get averaged out.
Conversely, there are times when the aurora moves slowly and I’m not too concerned about shutter speed. In that case, I can lower my ISO significantly, say from 6400 to 2500, in order to get higher quality images.
But wait, there’s more! This lens even makes it easier to focus in the dark. I typically use live view to focus on a bright star. Sounds easy, but sometimes it’s not. The extra light at F1.8 makes this easier, making shooting more fun.
Blah, blah, blah… That all means squat if the photos don’t look good. Thankfully, this lens has great image quality.
ISO 6400 | 1.3 seconds | F1.8 | 14mm Wide open there’s some comatic aberration, which causes point sources of light near the edge of the frame to look distorted, but unless your viewer is pixel-peeping they probably won’t see it. I suppose if I were an astro purist, and the stars were the main subject of my photos, I might get a bit persnickety about this, but I’m not, so I don’t.
There’s also noticeable vignetting wide open, but it’s a smooth transition to the edges, and I’ve generally been able to correct for it effectively in Lightroom. Again, astro purists will probably cringe at this, but for aurora photos it works great.
If there’s any significant downside to this lens, it’s that it’s both big and heavy. This is one place where Sigma’s ‘Make the best optic possible and size be damned’ design approach is visible. Put a couple of these in your pack and you’re going to feel it. (Then again, some of those other lenses I mentioned above are pretty big as well.)
I’m looking forward to doing a lot more aurora photography in the future, and I’ll be doing much of it with this lens. It’s going to take a lot to displace it from my camera, which is why it’s my 2017 gear of the year.
Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art sample galleries
Sample gallery
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Astrophotography sample gallery
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)