We’ve seen several rumors about the next iPhone generation coming with a dual-lens camera setup. Now it seems that, like image stabilization, this premium imaging feature will be available only in a larger model. Read more
Category: Uncategorized
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New York Public Library launches interactive Photographers’ Identities Catalog
The New York Public Library has launched a new online tool called Photographers’ Identities Catalog (PIC), an interactive map with biographical data on more than 115,000 photographers, as well as photography dealers, studios and manufacturers. Users are able to filter the data based on several categories, such as region and format, to search for results throughout the entire history of photography.
Each PIC result appears as a colored-coded dot on an interactive globe, and each dot marks a specific individual or entity. Biographical data on photographers includes name, nationality, any relevant locations or dates, and the source of the NYPL’s data. Information on businesses includes addresses and years of operation. In addition to filters, users can zoom in on a specific region to explore its results.
Because of the wide variety of filters, users can perform very specific searches. As one example presented by the NYPL, someone can locate female photographers who worked with specific studios in certain countries. The library advises that some data could be incorrect, however, and those who spot an error can report it for correction. Historians and scholars with relevant data are encouraged to contact the NYPL to help expand the catalog, as well.
Via: New York Public Library
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Power Zoom: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100/TZ100 Review
Key Features
- 20.1MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor
- F2.8-5.9, 25-250mm equiv. lens
- Depth from Defocus AF
- 4K/UHD video capture
- 3″ touchscreen LCD
- 1.2M-dot equiv. EVF
- Post Focus / 4K Photo functions
- Wi-Fi
As the 1″-type enthusiast compact market has grown over the last 2 years, there has been a noticeable gap in the market. There were small, standard zoom (24-70mm) models and long zooms (24-600mm), but nothing in-between for those who want a longer lens without sacrificing body size.
Enter Panasonic, a company with a long history of making travel zoom cameras. In fact, the company made what many would consider the first one: the DMC-TZ1, way back in 2006. Panasonic entered the 1″-type market in 2014 with its DMC-FZ1000, a camera we liked enough to give it a Gold award.
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company announced the DMC-ZS100 (TZ100 outside of North America), which took the guts of the FZ1000 and shrank the body down to the roughly the size of a Sony RX100 IV. Naturally, you can’t stuff a fast 25-400mm lens into a compact body, but the ZS100’s 25-250mm equiv. F2.8-5.9 lens is nothing to sneeze at, either. The camera uses the same 20.1MP sensor as the FZ1000 which is more than likely the same as the one in the Sony RX100 II and III.
The ZS100 is chock full of features, most notably its Depth from Defocus autofocus system, 4K video capture and electronic viewfinder. It also has a 3″, touch-sensitive LCD, Wi-Fi (but, unlike most Panasonic products, no NFC) and useful 4K Photo and Post Focus features.
Why Pay More?
Imagine you’re shopping for a compact travel zoom camera, and you’re viewing the selection at a Big Box retailer. You reach the Panasonic section and see the DMC-ZS60, which offers a 30X zoom and costs $ 450, next to the ZS100 which ‘only’ has a 10X zoom but costs $ 250 more. It’s not a stretch to imagine a camera buyer asking themselves why they should pay more for what seems like less.
While the ZS60 does indeed have a longer lens than the ZS100, there is a trade-off:
Above is a graph showing equivalent aperture vs equivalent focal length, which is described in detail here. The yellow line at the top is the ZS60 (1/2.3″ sensor), while the ZS100 (1″ sensor) is in blue below it. In terms of equivalent aperture (which takes into account sensor size), the ZS60 is effectively around 2 stops ‘slower’ than the ZS100.
This means several things. For one, the ZS100 can capture roughly four times the total light at every focal length, if you keep the aperture open and use the same shutter speed. Since the sensor is gathering more light, you get a better signal-to-noise ratio, which in turn leads to higher image quality. This will be especially noticeable in low light, when the ISO needs to go up.
There’s another benefit to having a 1″ sensor rather than the 1/2.3″ one. The lenses used on larger sensors tend to offer more control over depth-of-field, allowing you for blurrier backgrounds in portraits.
The one area in which the ZS60 bests the ZS100 is in terms of zoom, as you can see by how much further the yellow line extends.
Understanding the math behind all of this is a bit confusing, but the end result is the same: the ZS100 will produce better quality images and can produce more background blur than the ZS60, though you’ll have to sacrifice both zoom power and money in order to get it.
Compared to its peers
Using what we’ve learned from above, let’s take a look at how the ZS100 fits among its 1″ sensor peers:
In this group, which includes cameras from Sony, Canon and Panasonic, you’ll notice that the benefit of shorter, faster lenses: their equivalent apertures start low, and stay low. For example, Canon’s G7 X I and II, which have focal ranges of 24-100mm equiv., are 2 stops faster than the ZS100.
The Sony RX10 I/II reaches out to 200mm (not far from the 250mm on the ZS100), but since it has a fixed F2.8 lens, its equivalent aperture is over 2 stop faster than the ZS100 at full zoom. That said, the RX10 I and II are also much larger and heavier cameras. The FZ1000 isn’t quite as large as the RX10s and even with its F2.8-4 aperture range, it still has a 1+ stop advantage over the ZS100 for much of its zoom range.
So what can you conclude from this chart?
- Smaller cameras sacrifice focal range to keep size down but can offer fast apertures
- Long zoom cameras sacrifice size for focal range. This is especially the case with the RX10s. Canon’s G3 X strays from the group, with its slower F2.8-5.6 lens.
- In order to have a 25-250mm equiv. lens in a body that fits in your jacket pocket, Panasonic had to make some compromises. Its lens isn’t as long as the large-zoom cameras or as fast as those of the small cameras – instead it’s a blend of the two. If the ZS100 had a faster lens like, say, the FZ1000, you’d be looking at a camera nearly as large, which would make the ZS a lot less desirable.
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Sony Cyber-shot RX10 III 4K sample footage and shooting summary
4K Video Sample Reel
All video was shot in Sony’s XAVC 4K codec, at 4K/24p (except for the high-frame rate samples). Shutter speed was locked at 1/50 sec, aperture was manually selected on the lens and the camera was left in Auto ISO. Both manual focus and continuous autofocus were used.
Carey’s shooting impressions
The Sony Cyber-shot RX10 III is a conventional product for Sony. That might sound slightly negative at first, but really it means that the RX10 III is built well, attractively designed, packed with great technology and is capable of capturing excellent images. Unfortunately, it also means that there’s some usual Sony foibles at work; the menu system is horrid, there’s no touch screen, there’s some operational weirdness carried through from the rest of the Cyber-shot line, and some of the ergonomics could use some work.
The standout feature on the RX10 III is its lens. As you can plainly see from our samples gallery, the 24-600mm F2.4-4 lens is stellar. What’s more, while the camera is somewhat hefty for a ‘compact,’ it doesn’t feel unbalanced in your hand. When you combine that stable hand-holdability with the RX10 III’s optical stabilization, the average user will be able to get smooth telephoto video and sharp telephoto photos with ease. The XAVC 4K codec also means video will be crisp and detailed, the flat S-Log2 Gamma control (which was not used in the sample video above) and audio in / out ports indicate that the RX10 III will appeal to aspiring videographers as well.
What about downsides? Well, even if you’ve come from another Sony camera, you’ll need to spend some time figuring out where your menu options are. As mentioned in our RX1R II review, even the video and audio recording settings are spread not just across multiple pages, but also multiple sections of the menu. We also wish Sony would add things like video capture resolution and frame rate to the ‘Function’ menu in movie mode. And though it’s to be expected with such a wide zoom range, some users will be turned off by the amount of time it takes to zoom that impressive lens in and out. Unlike Sony’s a7 cameras, you cannot half-press the shutter to acquire focus in movie mode. It’s either continuous AF or manual focus. My last major gripe is that, like on other Sony cameras, the C1 and C2 buttons require a contorting of the hand to operate.
Overall, though, once you get used to some workarounds and get familiar with the camera, the RX10 III represents one of the most versatile and capable all-rounders I’ve ever used.
Rishi’s shooting impressions
Pros
The standout feature of Sony’s new RX10 III is, without a doubt, its lens. It’s got incredible reach, and with a maximum aperture of F2.4-4, remains relatively bright throughout its zoom range. Brighter max apertures help keep noise (and ISO) levels low, and afford relatively good depth-of-field control (or background blur). A look at our equivalent aperture diagram indicates the RX10 III is well ahead of its nearest competitor, the Canon G3 X (lower equivalent aperture is better for any given focal length). The RX10 III’s lens is also far brighter than Nikon’s 24-500 DL, which ranges from a max aperture of F2.8 on its wide end to F5.6 on its tele end. That said, if you really don’t have much of a need beyond 200mm equivalent, the RX10 II retains a brighter aperture for most of its zoom range, save for on the wide end where the RX10 III is slightly ahead (F2.4 vs F2.8).
The lens appears sharp edge-to-edge even wide open at 24mm equivalent, at 70mm, 200mm, and 600mm. Granted, these are JPEGs we’re looking at, which are sharpened (with a class-leading sharpening engine, no less), so we’ll have to reserve final judgement for when we’ve been able to analyze the Raws, but, suffice it to say we’re thoroughly impressed by the performance of the lens so far. Good performance wide open is important on smaller sensor formats: it means you don’t have to stop down too much and deprive the smaller sensor of more light, which also helps combat diffraction-induced softness (which starts at earlier F numbers with smaller sensor formats, as diffraction is correlated with equivalent aperture).
Sony’s recent improvements in its JPEG engine also mean very high detail retention through smart sharpening and noise reduction that very effectively reduces noise while maintaining detail at high ISOs. This 220mm shot has plenty of detail despite being shot at the tele end of the zoom, and at ISO 320, which is approximately ISO 2500 equivalent on full-frame, assuming equivalent sensor efficiency and performance. Impressive.
Pair that lens and JPEG engine with a stacked 1″-type high dynamic range, high sensitivity CMOS sensor, and you’ve got a very impressive camera. The stacked sensor design marries a separate chip for memory and signal processing circuitry to the image sensor itself, which allows all that data to be read off the image sensor faster. The faster readout offers a number of benefits: faster autofocus, and fast frame rate video, as well as oversampled 4K video generated from 6K readout.
Cons
How about downsides? There are plenty, ergonomically. The Cyber-shot philosophy is starting to make less and less sense with such high-end offerings, and we wish Sony would instead essentially brand this as an Alpha camera, conferring upon it the advantages of the Alpha line and a consistent user-experience across all their cameras. For example, it doesn’t make sense that the ‘Focus Settings’ option can’t be assigned to the center dial back button on a Cyber-shot, yet can on an Alpha – it’s one of my favorite ways to make that button have dual function: click it to use the 4-way dial to move the AF point in any Flexible Spot mode, or click it and turn the dial to change AF area. As it is, on any Cyber-shot, you can’t assign this option, instead requiring you to leave the button assigned to ‘Focus Standard’ – lest you wish to lose control over focus point placement. That means you’ll have to waste yet another custom button for AF area mode.
Thankfully, pressing that back dial’s center button now toggles the camera into AF point selection mode (like the a6300), which means you don’t always have to first press it to the move the AF point, but this isn’t ideal: I’d also like access to whatever custom functions I’ve assigned left, right, and down to on that 4-way dial. I don’t understand why Sony doesn’t simply include an AF point selection joystick, or add a touchscreen for that matter.
It’s high time to marry state-of-the-art technology with an incredible user experience.Particularly problematic across all Sony cameras is the menu system. As I wrote in our a7R II review: ’22 AF options are split across 11 different submenu pages under two different main menu headers,’ and things aren’t any better for the RX10 III either. The lack of organization is inexplicable, but what makes it even worse is the lack of a customizable ‘My Menu’. Furthermore, now that these cameras are both stills and video powerhouses, there need to be separate customizations for each. Currently, if I assign a button to ‘Focus Magnifier’ to get around the fact that the camera doesn’t automatically magnify focus as I turn the focus ring in any video mode, that button becomes entirely redundant in stills mode, where the camera does do so.
There are countless other examples of button customizations that are relevant to video, but entirely useless in stills – for a camera body with rather limited customizable buttons and dials, there really shouldn’t be any assigned physical controls that are only useful in one shooting mode. And as Carey mentioned, there also remain the customizations (like movie frame rate or codec) that remain unassignable to the Fn menu, requiring a menu dive, which should be avoided at all costs considering the disorienting, unorganized menu system.
Frankly, Sony would benefit from hiring a firm dedicated to UI to re-design the physical controls, menus and button/dial interface completely from scratch. It pains me to see such refined technological achievement placed into hands of photographers, only to hear ‘I wouldn’t shoot it because I’m constantly fighting the ergonomics’ or ‘it just isn’t a pleasure to use’. An ergonomic overhaul would go a large way to addressing such complaints.
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Bird’s eye view: Photographing Cherry Blossoms with the DJI Phantom 4
The cherry blossoms at the University of Washington are a hugely popular attraction every spring in Seattle. Weekends during the peak of the blossom bring in crowds of people to the Quad, all hoping to capture the blooms with everything from professional cameras to tablets and selfie sticks. Rather than trying to avoid the mass of people, photographer and DPR reader Dale Johnson embraced the scene and found a new perspective by shooting from above. Find out how he’s adopted aerial photography and what went into capturing this shot.
By Dale Johnson
Trying to find unique perspectives of familiar places is becoming harder and harder, as everyone and their mother has a camera (mostly built into their phones) and hundreds of thousands of images are uploaded to social media every day. A camera attached to an aerial platform is a fairly new concept, but it’s a category that’s growing rapidly. Adding a drone to my photography kit has provided opportunities to find new ways to see things. In addition to the new perspective, I’m finding that I love to have the element of movement in the scene, which the video and smooth and stable platform allows.
I started experimenting with drone photography last summer with the DJI Phantom 3 Professional. I’m not much of an early adopter, tending to wait until the technology has matured before jumping in. I have been following the development of drones for some time since I bought one of the early remote helicopters several years ago. I tried to learn how to fly it around my living room, though not very well I must say. The Phantom 3 is a joy to fly and incredibly simple to control. I have loved flying it around Seattle.
Having purchased the new DJI Phantom 4 quadcopter the day it was released, I’d been on the lookout for a place to fly it. The cold, wet, grey days of our Seattle winter have been slowly improving into a beautiful spring and I was eager to get it in the air. I was a student at the University of Washington many years ago, and remember how the ‘quad’, with all its cherry trees, would explode in full bloom each spring. It seemed like the perfect place to fly and get a shot that I had not seen before.
I first went to the quad just after sunrise on Friday morning to catch the warm light with fewer people around. I was able to get a few decent shots, but the sunlight blew out the highlights a bit and even though I was shooting in Raw, the small sensor on the built in camera didn’t give me the latitude for corrections that my DSLR would. I decided to go back on Saturday afternoon as it was mostly overcast with more even contrast. This time the quad was buzzing. The symmetry of the scene made for an easy composition with the cherry trees framed by the buildings, and the crisscrossing red brick paths added diagonal elements to the image. I also like how all the people give the image a sense of scale and contrast.
A quick word about drones and flying within the city. There are a lot of negative feelings out there about drones and people concerned about privacy issues, or collisions with airplanes. The FAA (in the US) has a new requirement to have drone operators register with the FAA (which I have) and some rules for flying. I followed all the FAA requirements during this flight and found after a quick check with the University of Washington Police that there are no restrictions for flying on campus, except over stadium events.
This new vantage point of the world looking down from above has inspired me all over again to look for unique views on familiar places.
DPReview encourages responsible, legal and safe use of drones. Check local regulations before flying any unmanned aerial vehicle.
See our Readers’ Showcase Q&A with Dale Johnson
Dale Johnson has been taking pictures for over 30 years after receiving a Nikon camera as a graduation present from high school. He now has a day job that has him traveling the world, giving him the opportunity to see and experience people and cultures that he would not otherwise visit (56 countries and counting!). Travel photography has become his new passion. You can see more of Dale’s work at:
500px: https://500px.com/drjhnsn
SmugMug: https://dalejohnson.smugmug.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalejohnsonphoto/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/dalejohnsonphoto
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Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
The setting sun backlights the blowing sand during a sandstorm in Death Valley National Park, California. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
Travel and photography have a close relationship. Photographers are often keen travelers, and in turn traveling can inspire non-photographers to pick up a camera for the first time. Nikhil Shahi falls into the latter category. His travels with the Merchant Marines inspired him to learn photography, cultivating a portfolio of rich landscapes and portraits. See some of his work and learn more about him in our Q&A.
You can see Nikhil’s complete portfolio at his website. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook to see more of his work. Interested in having your work featured in an upcoming Readers’ Showcase? Let us know! Include your DPR user name a link to your online portfolio.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
Twilight shot of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
Where are you from and what’s your history with photography?
I am originally from Northern India, but have been traveling and living across the world since graduating from high school. After high school I joined the Merchant Marines which gave me the opportunity to see a lot of countries while sailing on behemoth ships. Sailing across the world and encountering natural beauty inspired me to take up photography. My first camera was a Minolta Maxxum 7000 and I essentially learned the basics of photography on that camera. I initially focused on portraits, but then got heavily into landscapes.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
I wanted to get a different perspective of ‘Grauman’s Chinese Theater’ in Hollywood, California. I took this shot with my 16mm fisheye lens late one night, when the tourist traffic was ebbing. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
What do you shoot with now?
I currently shoot with a Nikon D800E and an assortment of Nikon lenses (14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200 VR2, 200 Micro, 16mm FE, 85mm 1.4G). My favorite lens is the 14-24mm as it was initially really hard to create effective compositions using an ultra-wide angle lens, but the challenge was exciting and it taught me to look at things with a new perspective.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
This is one of my favorite shots of my maternal grandmother. While traveling by train, I noticed her lost deep in thought, staring out of the window and captured this moment. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
Do you currently shoot all digital, or do you shoot film occasionally as well?
I, like a few of my friends, was resistant to shooting digital for the longest time. We all thought that digital was inferior to film and so stuck with film cameras. It was only with the release of the Nikon D700, that I decided to finally switch to digital and wasn’t disappointed. I have been shooting digital since then and haven’t felt the desire to re-visit film anymore. We are fortunate to live in an age where sensor and camera technology has evolved to an extent that one is able to get great results from even entry level cameras.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
On a trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya, our convoy stopped at a village. While walking through the village, I noticed this person peeping through the window of a hut. I was able to take one shot with my F5 before he moved away. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
Your portfolio shows a healthy variety of portraits, landscapes and wildlife. Are there certain subjects you’re drawn to more than others?
My first love has always been landscapes as it gives me a chance to travel to serene places and be one with nature. One of the biggest advantages of living in California, is the close proximity to the National and State parks like Yosemite, Sequoia, Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego. Weekends often find me loading my camping gear into my car and taking off on road trips to one of these locations.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
This 10 second exposure is one of my favorite shots of Downtown Los Angeles. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
Is there any particular project or subject you’d like to shoot that you haven’t yet?
I would really like to shoot the Northern Lights in Iceland. Visiting Iceland has been on my bucket list for a while, and I hope to visit that country either this year or early next year.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
Every year, in the month of February, the sun’s angle is such that it lights up Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park as if it were on fire. It truly is a spectacular experience and one that I have been fortunate to see on multiple ocassions. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
Tell us about the experience of shooting ‘Firefall’ at Horsetail Falls in Yosemite.
I am lucky to live relatively close to Yosemite National Park, given that it’s only a 5 hour drive from Los Angeles. I first visited “Horsetail Fall” in 2010. The fall had not garnered much media attention and so was not well known at that time. I remember that I arrived approximately an hour before sunset and witnessed around 10 to 15 other photographers waiting to shoot that event.
Fast forward to 2016 – after 4 years of drought and the fall running dry, the promise of a decent flow and clear skies, along with a boatload of media coverage, had garnered a lot of interest among the masses. I had heard chatter, that there would be substantial crowds and so decided to get there early enough to get a good spot. I left LA around midnight and arrived at Yosemite around 6 AM, and after a quick breakfast, I headed to my spot. I was the first one there, although within a few minutes of my arrival, a couple of other photographers showed up with their chairs and coolers.
By 5 PM, there were at least 300 people lined up to shoot photos of the fall – I have never seen anything like it before. It was definitely a fun experience as one got a sense of camaraderie, and I could sense the excitement in the air, especially at sunset.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
What advice would you give another photographer trying to capture it?
In my experience, the best location to view and photograph the fall, is at South-side Drive, around a mile east of the Cathedral Rock picnic area. I would highly recommend arriving early in the day to stake a good spot. I found that I personally didn’t need a lens longer than 200mm to capture the event, as I wanted to provide a sense of the location, and too tight a shot wouldn’t fulfill that requirement. It’s important to remember that while your photograph will likely be like countless others, you would have witnessed one of nature’s most amazing phenomenons first-hand – so don’t forget to put your camera down for a minute and soak in the beauty before your eyes.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
Sunlight streaming through the Lower Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona, bathes the sandstone in a myriad of hues. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
You’ve also photographed notable landmarks around the world. Do you have any favorites that you’d like to revisit?
I would love to go back and photograph the fjords in Norway. I had visited them in 2006 after graduating from Business School when I was a poor student with no camera equipment. I remember being in awe of the the beauty of the fjords and would love to go back someday.
Readers’ Showcase: Nikhil Shahi
My friends wanted me to shoot their engagement photos. I reluctantly agreed (as I don’t like shooting wedding or engagement photos due to the pressure) with the caveat that I would like to shoot some unconventional shots. For this shot, I took them to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in the morning. I underexposed the ambient and then had the couple light each other with strobes. The couple did end up loving the quirky nature of their photos. Photo by Nikhil Shahi
What’s the best advice you’ve received as a photographer?
It’s not the equipment that makes a photo but one’s vision and creativity. I am very critical of my photos as that fuels me to improve my photography. I remember when I first got into photography, I would shoot rolls and rolls of film during any photography trip, without really thinking about composition or lighting. Now I might shoot just 20 or 30 frames during a 3 to 5 day trip, of which I might select 2 or 3 that I really like.
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Week in Review: Spring Fever
Week in Review: Spring Fever
There was excitement in the air this week around the office. Was it the unseasonably warm weather? The arrival of a new flagship DSLR? A smattering of product announcements mid-week? It’s hard to say. Whatever it was, it was a week in which Sony supersized its RX10 series, we took a peek at the Nikon D5’s ISO 3 million and learned how to make beer with stinging nettles. Catch up on everything you may have missed in the past seven days.
Week in Review: Spring Fever
The headline of the week goes to the Sony RX10 III announcement, which offers three times the zoom reach of its predecessor, covering a 24-600mm equivalent range. It packs a 20MP 1″-type sensor with 4K/UHD capability, a tilting LCD and a 2.36 million dot EVF in a dust and moisture-resistant body. All of that lens range doesn’t come cheap though – the RX10 III will sell for $ 1500, a $ 200 increase over its predecessor.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III hands-on
RX10 III Video overview & Zoom Assist first look
Week in Review: Spring Fever
On top of the updated superzoom, Sony announced two new full-frame lenses. The business end of the Sony FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 is pictured here, and along with it came a 50mm F1.8. If the $ 1000 Zeiss-branded Sony 55mm F1.8 is too rich for your blood, you’ll be thrilled to know that the 50mm F1.8 is a mere $ 250. That’s still more than you’d pay for the Nikon or Canon equivalent, but it’s something, right? Sony let us manhandle their lenses at this week’s press event. You can take a look at some hands-on photos for a closer look and check out some initial sample images.
Sony FE 50mm F1.8 samples & first impressions
Week in Review: Spring Fever
We see the words ‘I don’t care about video’ expressed fairly often in the comment section, and DPReview writer Richard Butler finds that sentiment a little disheartening. In the spirit of trying something new, the self-professed beginning videographer took the opportunity to test the Sony a6300’s video capabilities to shoot, direct and produce a mini-documentary. The subject is one that’s near and dear to our hearts – craft beer. Find out how a local brewery produces its stinging nettle beer, and see how the Sony a6300 performs.
Sony a6300 video shooting experience
Week in Review: Spring Fever
As parent company Yahoo has fallen on hard times, it looks as though Flickr may be looking for a new home. Yahoo is seeking bids for its web properties, and though it hasn’t said exactly which operations it’s looking to sell off, it would seem that Flickr fits the description. But don’t clear out your savings account just yet – there are a number of reasons why a sale may never happen.
Flickr may be up for sale as Yahoo Board of Directors looks to shed web properties
Week in Review: Spring Fever
Have you ever wondered what ISO 3 million looks like? Wonder no more. Not only can you see what the Nikon D5’s highest extension ISO setting looks like in our studio, you can take a look at the full range of high ISO settings in their natural environment: a concert venue. We’ve even tested the camera’s dynamic range performance. There’s more to come from the Nikon D5, but for now you can marvel at the highest of high ISO settings.
Nikon D5 real-world low light, high ISO samples
Week in Review: Spring Fever
We sat down with some Nikon executives at CP+ recently. As these things tend to go, we couldn’t pry much information out of them about future plans on the record, but they did confirm some interesting points, including the reason why there’s a D500: you. Years of lobbying for a D300S replacement led directly to the creation of the Nikon D500. It seems that complaining can get you somewhere after all.
CP+ 2016: Nikon interview – ‘the D500 is the D300S replacement that customers wanted’
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Break it down: iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
Taking apart a camera isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’ve chosen to do so you don’t have to go alone. Our friends at iFixit publish disassembly guides to empower owners of electronic devices to make some fixes themselves. And who hasn’t wanted to see what’s underneath the plastic shell of Canon’s top-of-the-line compact camera? Take a look at what lies beneath the surface of the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II.
See the full Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II Disassembly Guide on iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
As always, the first and most important step – remove the battery from the camera.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
With the battery safely set aside, you’re free to go about the business of taking your camera apart.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
After removing the screws on the left, right and bottom of the camera, there are four more to remove under the flip-up LCD.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
Now that those pesky screws are out of the way, the back panel comes right off, though be sure to disconnect the ribbon cable attaching it to the body before pulling too hard.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
Unsurprisingly there are additional screws to remove, this time for this copper plate (possibly used to dissipate heat). Underneath that there’s yet another plate, this one silver.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
With those plates off there are three ribbon cables to remove with your trusty spudger.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
After removing a screw behind the pop-up flash and another on the front just below the Canon logo, you can ‘pop the top’ on the G1 X Mark II.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
Once you’re removed even more screws, you can spudge the left side of the camera right off.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
Finally, after much spudging of ribbon cables, you can remove the front panel of the camera. The round thing toward the right is the G1 X II’s speaker.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
Two screws must go in order to remove the metal plate surrounding the I/O ports. There are ports for HDMI and USB output as well as a wired remote.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
With the back and side plates of the camera removed, the time has come to take off the front panel…
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
… and the lens has been liberated from the rest of the camera. That’s the capacitor for the flash on the right – definitely not something you want to handle.
All images courtesy of iFixit
iFixit disassembles the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II
After the removal of countless screws and ribbon cables, here’s Canon’s flaghsip compact camera, the PowerShot G1 X Mark II, in pieces.
All images courtesy of iFixit
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New normal: Sony FE 50mm F1.8 real-world samples
Sony recently updated its FE line, which now offers 20 full-frame lenses for Sony’s E-mount Alpha cameras. Among the new lens introductions is the FE 50mm F1.8, what you might call Sony’s ‘nifty fifty’. We spent some time shooting with it in San Francisco this weekend, paired with the unforgiving 42MP of the Alpha 7R II. See how the lens holds up in our real-world samples gallery.
See our Sony FE 50mm F1.8 real-world samples gallery
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Along the coast: Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM real-world samples gallery updated
With Springtime finally kicking in to high gear on the West Coast, we took advantage of the change in weather and brought the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens along with us on a couple of trips. From razor-clamming in Long Beach, WA to pounding the streets (and stairs) of San Francisco, the 24-70 G Master continued to impress us in terms of sharpness, out-of-focus rendering and overall build quality. This class of lens is a staple in many professionals’ and advanced amateurs’ kits; to see if it’s worthy of earning a spot in yours, take a look through our updated samples gallery below.
See our updated Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM real world samples gallery
Note: all additional images in the sample gallery feature both out-of-camera JPEGs and JPEGs processed from Raw. Both will have the original, uncompressed Raw file associated with them for download.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter / magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing, we do so in good faith, please don’t abuse it.
