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  • Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    Panasonic has just announced the Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 Leica DG Vario-Elmar lens for its LUMIX G range of Micro Four Thirds System cameras. We’ve gone hands-on with the high-end, super-telephoto zoom that sports the longest focal length available for the MFT system. 

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    With a whopping 35mm-equivalent focal length range of 200-800mm, the Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm affords the longest focal length available for the MFT system. This should make it a boon for photographing birds, wildlife, and landscapes – without breaking your back due to weight and size.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    In fact, as you can see here, the 100-400mm Leica lens is quite hand-holdable, which is remarkable for the 800mm equivalent reach the lens provides. Naturally, the small size and weight do come at a cost: with an equivalent maximum aperture of F8 and F12.6 on the 200mm and 800mm equivalent ends, respectively, subject isolation and noise performance on a MFT camera won’t be the same as what you might get with a full-frame 800mm F5.6 lens. Which, by the way, would run you $ 13k and weigh your pack down an extra 10 pounds. This lens weighs a modest 985g, or ~2.2 lbs in ‘Merican.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    Can you spot the difference from the last image? It’s subtle, but in this shot we’ve extended the integrated shift-away lens hood that reduces sun glare. The hood just snaps back and forth, which makes it quite convenient – no need to take the hood off, flip it around, and reattach it.

    Additionally pictured here is the Unlock <–> Lock ring which allows you to lock the zoom, so the barrel doesn’t extend inadvertently.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    Here’s the lens at its shortest, zoomed out to 100mm. Focal length demarcations are provided for 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400mm.

    There’s a focus range limiter which allows you to limit focus to subjects only beyond 5m. A direct AF/MF switch allows you to shut off AF, and a Power O.I.S. switch allows you to engage or disengage the the image stabilization system. If you’re using a DMC-GX8 you can use both the optical image stabilization in the lens and the built-in sensor-shift stabilization to provide incredibly effective vibration reduction.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    Here we’ve extended the lens to its maximum telephoto setting: 400mm. While the lens extends quite a bit at this setting, it still remains very hand-holdable. Impressively, the lens sports a durable, gapless construction so unwanted dust or light rain shouldn’t damage it. As such, the lens is described as weather sealed.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    A convenient, two-part tripod mount is integrated into the lens. It’s a rotatable mount that allows for quick and easy swapping between landscape and portrait orientations. Unlock the tripod mount screw with your left hand and…

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    … speedily turn the mount 90º for portrait orientation shooting.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    Under the hood, this lens packs some impressive features. Among them: a 9-blade aperture for smooth out-of-focus highlights, and a 240 fps drive AF linear motor with high speed and precision for fast focus. With the correct lens profiles, we hope Panasonic cameras with Depth from Defocus (DFD) technology will be able to focus this lens quickly for fast-paced shooting.

    Focus is also silent, which means you can use autofocus during filming without the focus drive ruining your soundtrack.

    Hands-on with the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4-6.3 lens

    And that’s not all. The lens is constructed of 20 elements in 13 groups, with one aspherical and a number of extra low dispersion elements to ensure minimal flaring and other optical artifacts. The lens also boasts an impressive minimum focus distance of 1.3m, yielding 0.25x magnification (0.5x equivalent).

    The lens, which is made in Japan, will be available in mid-April for $ 1799.99.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Nikon’s New D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    CES 2016 saw the announcement of two important DSLRs from Nikon, including an update to its flagship line, as well as an almost mythical product many had given up hope of ever seeing: a true D300 replacement.

    The newly announced D5 is Nikon’s top-of-the-line professional DSLR, with a 20.8MP full frame sensor capable of shooting at up to 12fps with AF and 14fps without (with the mirror locked up). The headline feature, though, is arguably the new 153 point AF system with 99 cross-sensors. AF tracking with this new system will also benefit from the doubling in resolution of the RGB metering sensor used for scene analysis, and the D5 is the first Nikon camera capable of 4K video.

    The biggest news though may be the long-awaited replacement of the D300S. The 20.9MP APS-C D500 is Nikon’s ‘best enthusiast DX offering’, and the term ‘enthusiast’ might be an understatement. With continuous shooting speeds of 10 fps and a 200 shot buffer for Raw images, the camera is aimed squarely at action and fast-paced photographers who don’t mind the smaller sensor, or even benefit from its extra reach. It features the same 153-point AF system and 180k-pixel RGB metering sensor of the D5, along with the EXPEED 5 processor. It can also capture 4K/UHD video and also features ‘SnapBridge’, a constant connection to a smartphone using Bluetooth.

    Join us as we take a closer look at the technologies inside these cameras.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Let’s start with the AF module, which is shared between both the D5 and D500. Here is the Multi-Cam 20K in all its glory. It’s a major step up from the Multi-Cam 3500FX module, variants of which were found in the D4s, D810, and D750. Up from 51 total AF points with 15 central cross-sensors, the module in the D5 and D500 offers 153 phase-detect points with 99 cross-sensors spread across much of the frame. 

    The improvements don’t stop there though: the module has its own dedicated processor, to deal with the computationally intensive information coming from 153 AF points cross-referenced with the scene analysis system (more on that later). The center AF point is now sensitive down to -4 EV. All 152 other points are sensitive down to -3 EV, much like the D750 and D7200, albeit now with an even wider spread of points.

    If Nikon’s claims are true, we can expect formidable AF performance in low light from the D5 and D500 – possibly the best from any DSLR. Although we’ve previously found Sony’s a7S to focus in at nearly -5 EV, its contrast-detect AF, and associated hunting, made it quite slow in practice. -4 EV phase-detect AF on a DSLR should be seriously impressive because it will likely be far more decisive than mirrorless, contrast-based systems. Additionally, cross-type sensors tend to perform better in low light and with low contrast subjects: cross-sensors are able to make focus measurements from subjects containing both horizontal and vertical detail (or, at least, detail that has either a horizontal or vertical component to it). In low light or backlit situations, where lowered contrast already makes it difficult to distinguish subject detail, sensors looking along multiple axes for detail to ‘lock on’ to simply have a higher chance of success than sensors that can only ‘see’ detail with a, say, horizontal component.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Here’s the spread of AF points across the frame in the D5. The new AF module appears to provide more AF coverage across the frame than any previous Nikon full-frame camera (and likely any full-frame DSLR), though not quite as much coverage of phase-detect points as Sony’s recent Alpha 7R II mirrorless full-frame.

    55 of the points are user-selectable, indicated by squares. The AF points indicated by dots are essentially assist points, used by the camera if your subject moves to or simply happens to fall in between the user-selectable points. We’ll get to why these assist points are still incredibly useful in a bit. 35 of these 55 points are cross-type: the outermost two sections of 10 points each as well as the central section of 15. This is more clearly demarcated in the next slide.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Here’s what you get by putting the designed-for-full-frame Multi-Cam 20000 module inside the APS-C D500. The AF points stretch out to the literal edges of the frame. Red points indicate cross-sensors. While Canon’s nearest competitor, the 7D Mark II, comes quite close to this level of coverage – with all cross-sensors to boot – it doesn’t quite match it.

    But it’s not even these headline features that excite us the most. It’s details such as the addition of an automated system for applying AF fine tune that have really caught our eyes. We’ve written before about how mirrorless cameras, with their direct measurement of focus (rather than a secondary sensor, acting as a proxy) tends to be more accurate when it comes to fine-focusing, especially when using fast lenses. However, we’re not alone in proposing the idea of using DSLR’s often slow, but highly precise live view autofocus to help make it easier to correct for the cumulative errors that can undermine dedicated sensor phase detection systems. Patents have been issued yet this is the first time we’ve seen it implemented in a final product. Automating the process means far more photographers may actually calibrate their lenses for more accurate focus. Furthermore, the reality of DSLR AF is that the optimal calibration values can depend on lighting, environmental factors, wide or tele end of zoom, and subject distance; hence, automating the process will realistically allow users to calibrate more often for any given scenario. Sadly, there’s no indication that calibration values can be saved for different focal lengths or subject distances (a la Sigma lenses via their USB dock), nor is there any mention of higher precision central points that give the latest Canon cameras’ central AF point nearly mirrorless-levels of precision.

    We’ve not yet had a chance to use the D5/500’s automated AF fine tune but you can be sure it’ll be one of the first things we try when one gets into our studio.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Remember that ‘scene analysis system’ the AF system cross-references with information from the 153 AF points? It’s enabled by essentially a whole separate image sensor in the DSLR whose sole job is to analyze the scene to understand how to expose and focus it. Now with 180,000 pixels in the D5 and D500, this sensor has doubled in resolution compared to the D4s, D810, and D750.

    Confused by how this works? Let’s break this down. Your smartphone or mirrorless camera projects light from the lens directly onto the imaging sensor, which can ‘see’ the scene to focus and expose it properly, even find faces or other subjects and track them no matter where they move to in the frame. DSLRs have it much tougher – all the light entering the lens is being diverted either upward to the optical viewfinder, or downward to a dedicated AF module with its phase-detect sensors that understand only distance. Some of that light going to the viewfinder is itself diverted to a metering sensor, which determines appropriate exposure. Some time back, DSLR manufacturers replaced this rudimentary metering sensor with an actual RGB 2D array or, essentially, an image sensor.

    While years ago this image sensor started at a measly 1,005 pixels in the D300, it did enable rudimentary subject tracking (‘3D tracking’ in Nikon terms), since the sensor provided some color and spatial information about the subject underneath any AF point, which the camera could combine with an understanding of subject distance from the phase-detect AF sensors to understand where your subject of interest is at any given moment. Today, cameras like the D750 and D810 provide uncanny subject tracking with their 91,000-pixel metering sensors – able in many cases to track even objects as specific as a human eye. Nikon DSLRs are the only DSLRs we’ve tested to-date that are capable of the level of class-leading tracking precision you see in the videos linked above (Canon’s newer DSLRs do well with distant subjects well isolated with respect to depth, but lag behind in more demanding applications requiring higher precision). Hence, a doubling in resolution of the metering sensor is likely to further Nikon’s lead in this arena. Furthermore, metering applications also benefit from the increased resolution: as the flowchart above indicates, numerous features like face exposure, fill-flash, Active D-Lighting, and highlight-weighted metering will experience increased accuracy. 

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Click on the button at the upper right of the image to view this entire slideshow in fullscreen for a better view.

    So what exactly does this 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor ‘see’ such that it can aid the camera in finding faces and tracking subjects? We’ve taken the liberty of doing some guesswork to simulate a ‘worst case’ representation of how a 180k-pixel sensor might ‘see’ a typical scene being photographed.

    If we assume that the 180k figure refers to the total number of red, green and blue pixels, then we can surmise that there’s only, at best, 60k pixels of true spatial information for any given color. For a 3:2 aspect ratio, that’s about 300×200 pixels. So we’ve taken an image and reduced it to 300×200, then blown it back up for ease of viewing. That’s what you see above.

    In reality, the metering sensor is likely to ‘see’ a bit more resolution, since the above only represents the spatial resolution of any one color channel (or 3 R, G, and B pixels combined). Even still, you can get an idea of how the sensor can detect faces, and even understand what was underneath your selected AF point when you initiated focus in order to track it even if it moves to a position underneath a different AF point. With such increases in resolution of the scene analysis system, we wouldn’t be surprised if DSLRs one day were capable of eye detection.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Click on the button at the upper right of the image to view this entire slideshow in fullscreen for a better view.

    Compare the last image to this one (use the left/right keys on your keyboard for ease): a 213×142 pixel representation of the same image that simulates the spatial resolution of any one color channel for the 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor in previous full-frame Nikon DSLRs. It’s not hard to imagine how even with this level of understanding of a scene, previous Nikon full-frames were able to track quite well. But every bit of resolution helps increase precision of tracking, so while the image above isn’t a huge step down from the last image representing what the new 180k-pixel sensor sees, there’s still a significant difference.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Click on the button at the upper right of the image to view this entire slideshow in fullscreen for a better view.

    The 180k-pixel metering sensor is a huge step up from previous DX offerings from Nikon, which only featured – at best – a 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor. The 90-fold increase in metering sensor resolution should bring a level of subject tracking to the DX format never before seen.

    Above is a 55×37 pixel representation of our previous image – and this time that’s a sort of ‘best case’ representation of what cameras like the D7200’s scene analysis system ‘saw’. Instead of showing you what any one color channel sees, we’ve decided to show you what 2k pixels in total looks like, as one-third of this resolution is a pixelated, unintelligible mess. In other words, this image represents only a 30x drop in resolution compared to our previous 180k-pixel representation, and so likely underestimates the increased performance the scene analysis system in the D500 is likely to exhibit compared to previous DX offerings (which still performed surprisingly well for their low resolution metering sensors).

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Another feature enabled by the RGB metering sensor is flicker reduction. While this is only available in video on the D5, the D500 is capable of waiting until the right moment to fire the shutter under flickering light, so as to achieve and maintain proper exposure. Although Canon has been offering this since the 7D Mark II, it’s the first time we’re seeing this feature in a Nikon camera.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    It’s worth emphasizing here something Nikon clearly emphasized in their press conference: one of the true advantages of a DSLR over current mirrorless cameras is the lack of viewfinder lag and the true view of the scene – at least in between mirror blackouts – compared to the typical stop-motion sequence of last-shot images most mirrorless cameras exhibit during fast bursts. This simply makes it easier to follow action with an optical viewfinder than with a mirrorless camera, which is why in the video screenshot above, the photographer was able to maintain the center AF point over his subject with the D5, while missing the subject with the ‘mirror-less’ camera example on the left. It’s worth noting though that Nikon’s own 1-series cameras provide a live feed even during continuous shooting, which actually circumvents this shortcoming of mirrorless (hint: that’s how mirrorless cameras will undoubtedly address this issue in the future).

    DSLRs have also been optimized to make quick phase-detect AF measurements in between those quick mirror blackouts, allowing cameras like the D5 and Canon’s 1D X to acquire AF almost instantaneously even during 12 and 11 fps bursts. Impressive to say the least. That’s not to say mirrorless cameras aren’t catching up – in good light, Samsung’s NX1 can often successfully continuously refocus at 15 fps. Which means, yes, we do have to call out Nikon for suggesting that all mirrorless cameras have ‘soft and slow AF’: we can’t help but wonder if in that particular video sequence, the Sony Alpha series camera were left in AF-S, as cameras like the a7R II can, in fact, successfully refocus on approaching subjects (and when it can’t, the box doesn’t remain green as it does in the out-of-focus example in the Nikon press conference video – unless the focus mode is left in AF-S).

    Regardless, though, with mirrorless cameras you’re still left with the issue of difficulty in following the subject without a live view during bursts.

    Video: Matt Granger

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Another feature that really helps fast-paced photography is direct access to AF point selection. The D500 is the first DX-format Nikon to sport a dedicated AF-selection joystick, pictured right below and to the left of the AF-ON button. In fact, short of the D4/D5-series of cameras, it’s the only Nikon camera to feature this joystick. Cameras like the D750 and D810 dedicate their D-pads (pictured here above the ‘info’ button) to AF point selection, which works well, but never felt as fast as Canon’s dedicated AF-selection joystick. So the joystick is a welcome addition.

    And if we understand correctly, the D500’s touchscreen LCD can also be used to directly access AF point selection. We first saw this on the D5500, where in OVF shooting you could dedicate the right half of the touchscreen to AF point selection. This made it really easy to use your thumb to instantly jump over to any AF point instantaneously, without your eye ever leaving the viewfinder. It’s actually faster than using a dedicated joystick, and we’re hoping to see similar functionality in the D500. The D5 does not retain this functionality with its touchscreen, though.

    Speaking of fast AF point selection, those fond of the ‘focus and recompose’ technique should take note: turn on Nikon’s ‘3D tracking’ in AF-C, place your selected AF point over your subject, half-press and hold the shutter button, then recompose. This is probably the fastest way to select a different AF point: by having your camera do it automatically using Nikon’s industry leading subject tracking. If your subject falls outside of the AF area, just let the camera track it all the way out to the nearest AF point, then hold down the AF joystick (‘sub-selector’) to lock AF, and continue recomposing.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Speaking of ergonomic improvements, notice anything different near the shutter button? That’s right, you no longer have to re-assign the movie button to ISO, because there’s now a dedicated ISO button! This is a boon for one-handed shooting: previously, I’d always reassign the movie record button to ISO so I could change ISO setting during one-handed shooting (since the ISO button is usually on the left side of Nikon DSLRs).

    It’s also worth pointing out the button next to the ISO button: the dedicated exposure compensation (EC) button. Common to most higher-end Nikons, this button is really not to be overlooked. It means easy, consistent access to exposure compensation no matter what shooting mode you’re in, including M mode with Auto ISO. Certain competitors without dedicated EC dials or buttons make it it quite difficult to bias brightness in M mode with Auto ISO engaged (looking at you: 1D X, which will make you sacrifice the SET button for EC or make you pull your eye away from the viewfinder to use the Q menu to adjust EC in M mode).

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Not to be overlooked is the new SB-5000 Speedlight: the company’s new flagship flash. Its standout feature is its ability to operate and trigger via radio frequency, a first for Nikon’s line of portable flashes. This brings the Nikon system in-line with what Canon has offered for some time now, and also obviates the need for 3rd party accessories.

    Nikon claims that when the flash is paired with the WR-R10 Wireless Remote Adapter set and a D5 or D500, the flash will operate without a direct line of sight at a range of up to approximately 98 feet (30 meters). With that same combination, the flash will be able to control up to six groups or 18 Speedlights. We expect Nikon CLS features like TTL, Manual power, Groups, and Flash Exposure Compensation settings will be accessible via the camera menu system. 

    This is a significant addition to Nikon’s flash line-up, not only for the radio-triggered control it brings during applications where line-of-sight isn’t feasible or practical, but also because pairing flashes to the WR-R10 is arguably preferable to pairing to the outdated SU-800 commander (which is so dated that it attaching it to your camera disables Auto ISO). 

    Also new for the SB-5000 is a redesigned cooling system promising improved consecutive firing times before cool-downs, and 120 continuous shots at 5-second intervals. Controls are updated with an ‘i’ button for frequently used settings, and the flash head maintains tilt-and-rotate capability.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    The D5 and D500 are Nikon’s first 4K capable cameras, but 4K comes with some severe limitations. On the D5, recording is only available for 3 minutes at a time (29:59 for the D500), and both cameras record 4K UHD (no DCI 4K) with a heavy crop factor. It’s nearly a 1.5x crop factor (nearly Super 35) on the full-frame D5, while the D500 experiences an even larger crop factor for 4K, pictured in red above (the yellow rectangle outlines the DX/Super 35 area on the D500, compatible with Full HD).

    All in all – and perhaps we’re being a bit cynical – we’re not terribly excited about the inclusion of 4K on the two cameras. Yes 4K can be a pretty handy thing to have (and the uses for it will only increase as more people buy 4K capable displays), but there are numerous hints that these cameras aren’t making the most of it. Aside from the heavy crop factors above, lack of oversampling and almost certain presence of rolling shutter will likely limit the usefulness of 4K video from these cameras. Furthermore, the continued absence of focus peaking to aid manual focus or zebra warnings to help set exposure are starting to look like major oversights. And, although we’d love to be surprised, we’re concerned that Nikon’s continued adherence to the less efficient 8-bit H.264 compression system and its reluctance to publicize bitrates means the in-camera capture won’t be as exciting as the headline specs suggest. That said, there’s always the option to output 4K over HDMI to an external recorder, so it might find some use for more dedicated video shooters – if a good signal is sent over HDMI.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    On a more positive note, there are some solid additions to video on these cameras, like Active D-Lighting (ADL). We’ve always found Nikon’s ADL to be quite effective at reducing exposure to retain highlights, while boosting deeper tones to retain shadows. And ADL does a nice job of this global contrast reduction while attempting to preserve local contrast using its advanced tone-mapping algorithms.

    This can be computationally intensive though, so has not been available previously in video. With the new EXPEED 5 image-processing engine, though, ADL is available in movies at resolutions up to 1080p.

    For incredibly high contrast scenes, when ADL’s highest setting may not be enough to tame the scene’s extreme contrast, you can use the Flat picture profile and grade your footage later.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    On the D500, the EXPEED 5 processor even enables electronic vibration reduction (VR) in videos up to 1080p. Electronic VR can correct for horizontal and vertical movement, as well as rotation. This helps stabilize video footage, particularly when combined with optical VR in lenses.

    The combination of electronic (or ‘digital’) and optical VR or IS (image stabilization) is something we tend to see more of in mirrorless cameras, like Olympus’ E-M5 II or the latest 1″-type sensor compacts from Canon and Sony. It’s great to see in a DSLR form-factor.

    There’s no mention of this feature in the D5, though.

    Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

    Then there’s that continuously-connected wireless system. Snapbridge sounds very impressive – making use of the low-energy Bluetooth standard to maintain a connection between the cameras and a smart device so that images can be transferred without having to constantly re-establish connections. Our experiences suggest that the easier a feature is to use, the more likely we are to use it and the more likely we are to appreciate its benfits (something that often crosses our minds when DSLR shooters tell us they don’t use video on their camera). 

    And in our connected age, there’s no excuse for camera manufacturers to not facilitate ease of image management and sharing. DSLRs have it a little tough in this regard: they’re not running the full-blown OS smartphone cameras have access to, which means that apps and ecosystems are limited in scope. But we’ve seen smartphone connectivity evolving in DSLRs, and we’re all for it. We’ll be curious to test out how SnapBridge functions on the D500.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Sony introduces new XQD and SD cards

    Sony has announced new XQD and SDXC UHS-II memory cards at CES. This comes on the heels of Nikon’s announcement of the D5 and D500, both of which can utilize the relatively recent XQD format. The XQD-M series offers read speeds up to 440MB/sec and write speeds up to 150MB/s, and is available in 32, 64 and 128GB capacities. The new SF-M series of SD cards support up to 260MB/sec read and 100MB/sec write speeds. Sony also offers a new XQD/SD combination card reader. No pricing or availability is given yet.

    Press release:

    Sony Enhances Ultra High-Speed Media Offerings with New XQD & SD Cards, Ideal for High-End DSLR Cameras, and World’s First XQD/SD Card Reader

    Fast and Reliable, New High-Performance Media Options Provide More Flexibility and Convenience for the Changing Demands of Today’s Professional Photographers and Videographers

    Park Ridge, N.J., January 6, 2016 – Sony is expanding its lineup of memory card options for professionals to include newer and faster XQD and SD media, as well as card readers for the XQD and SD formats, and an XQD USB adapter, all designed to support the latest high-performance DSLR cameras like Nikon D5 or D500.

    Sony’s XQD-M series provides users ultra-high data transfer speeds of up to 440MB/s (read) and 150MB/s (write) for stable burst shooting, and the ability to backup 64GB of data in approximately 3 minutes, when using Sony’s newest card reader technology. The XQD format’s unique and robust structure, featuring card thickness and pin protection, and a tough, reinforced outer case is made for reliable use.

    In addition, Sony’s newest SD cards, SF-M series, are UHS-II supported cards optimized for digital imaging devices including professional, DSLR and mirrorless cameras.  With high-speeds up to 260MB/s (read) and 100MB/s (write), SF-M series contributes quick data transfer to and from a PC with Sony’s new UHS-II supporting card reader, which maximizes SF-M series’ performance.

    Both new media offerings are extremely dependable and durable, dust-proof, X-Ray proof, anti-static and magnet proof to protect the most sensitive photo and video content.  Downloadable File Rescue Software aids in the recovery of photos and videos that may have been deleted, including RAW images, MOV files and 4K XAVC-S video files.

    “As digital imaging cameras become more advanced, capturing larger high resolution files, the demand increases for faster and more efficient ways to manage photo and video data, giving shooters peace of mind they’ll never miss a critical shot,” said Darin Scott, President of Sony’s AMEG, Americas Media and Energy Group.  “These latest media options allow files to be transferred and backed up even more seamlessly and efficiently, offering users the flexibility and convenience to embrace workflows that frequently require the need for content in real-time.”

    In conjunction with the new card options, Sony is introducing the world’s first XQD/SD card reader, model MRW-E90, which supports reliable, ultra-high speed data transfer to a PC from all XQD series and UHS-II SD cards, eliminating the need for multiple adapters and readers.  The new card reader also supports SuperSpeed USB (USB3.1 Gen. 1). Sony developed the E90 together with Sony’s XQD and SD cards, which optimizes reliability and ensures the cards will be well matched, offering professionals the best performance.

    QDA-SB1 is a USB XQD adapter compatible with the M and G Series XQD cards. The adapter is streamlined to occupy only one USB port, and comes with an extension USB cable.

    In addition to the new XQD-M series,  Sony offers XQD-G series which is able to record up to 200 frames in continuous burst shooting with the latest high-speed cameras including models like Nikon’s D5*.

    *(FX format 14bit lossless compressed RAW mode. For details, visit http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/index.htm)

    Thus, Sony continues enhancing its memory cards ideal for high-performance digital imaging devices to fulfill the wider variety of need from customers.

    Planned availability and pricing for the new media technologies for professional use is to be determined.

    For more information on Sony’s media lineup, please visit www.sony.com/promedia.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • CameraLends Peer-to-Peer equipment sharing service launches iPhone app

    CameraLends.com, a peer-to-peer camera gear sharing service that was established in 2013, has just launched a mobile app. The service allows for private rental of cameras, lenses and accessories of all types. Read more

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Far-reaching: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 / TZ100 hands-on preview

    Panasonic Lumix DSC-ZS100 / TZ100 basic specs

    Panasonic is using CES 2016 to announce the latest two models in its series of travel zoom cameras (known as the TZ series in most of the world or ZS in North America). While one of them is a logical replacement for the existing models, the TZ100/ZS100 is a genuinely more advanced thing altogether, squeezing a 1″-type sensor into a body only slightly larger than we’ve become used to from cameras in this category.

    Traditionally travel zooms have used small sensors (~29mm2) to allow the inclusion of long lenses in a small overall package. Impressively, the ZS100 fits a much larger sensor (~116mm2) while still offering a useful zoom range and sensibly-sized form factor. The larger sensor offers better image quality, which has prompted Panasonic to offer a maximum ISO of 12800 on the ZS100, with an extended setting of 25600.

    ZS100 / TZ100 Lens

    The ZS100 has a 10X zoom, offering a 25-250mm equivalent reach – just enough range to classify it as a proper superzoom. And, in all honesty, probably enough for most applications for many people: we suspect the push beyond 80x zooms has as much to do with being able to boast a bigger number on the store shelves than because contemporary consumers find themselves needing so much more zoom than they used to.

    The ZS100’s lens starts out as a very respectable F2.8 maximum aperture but very quickly slides towards the F5.9 that you’re limited to at full zoom. By 50mm equivalent it’s already dropped to F4 (F11 equiv., given the crop factor), and it’s at F5.1 (F13.9 equiv.) by the time you get to 100mm equivalent – this isn’t about to offer you shallow depth-of-field portraits. The camera does use Panasonic’s Depth-from-Defocus system that interprets subject distances based on an understanding of its lens characteristics – we’ve found this system to support surprisingly effective at subject tracking on previous cameras.

    Viewfinder specs

    The ZS100 has a 1.166M-dot equivalent viewfinder. That word ‘equivalent’ makes clear that the finder features a field-sequential design, updating red, green and blue information one after the other, rather than including separate color elements at each ‘pixel’ position. The 0.2″ finder is pretty small which the optics don’t do much to rescue. On the plus side it does include an eye sensor to allow automatic switching when you come to use it.

    Using the viewfinder pulls the battery life down to 240 shots per charge from the otherwise pretty typical 300 shots per charge.

    Higher-end ambitions

    It’s not just the sensor that suggests the ZS100 is the most serious travel zoom in the series so far. It features two full control dials, a full-sized dial on the top plate of the camera as well as a ring around the outside of the lens. It also gets a touchscreen (something even the flagship LX100 doesn’t have) that can be used either just to point-and-shoot or to reposition the the AF point while shooting through the viewfinder.

    In addition, the ZS100 has four customizable buttons, along with five touchscreen slots that can be customized for more fast access.

    One thing that detracts from its higher-end ambitions is the camera’s construction: the camera feels rather lightweight an insubstantial. This is only an impression, of course: we have no way of knowing how durable the build quality is at this point. What’s certain, though, is that it doesn’t have the reassuring heft that we usually encounter in cameras costing this much.

    4K capabilities for both movies and stills

    As you’d expect from Panasonic, the ZS100 offers 4K video recording and a host of features based around it. As well as the video recording itself: UHD capture at up to 30p (25p for the TZ version), the camera offers a range of photo features derived from the video feed. 

    There’s the now-familiar 4K Photo mode of course, which records short clips of video so that you can grab individual frames from it, including an option that captures the 30 frames before and after you hit the shutter. Then there’s post-shot focus, which shoots video while racking focus from the nearest to the further object it can find in the scene, so that you can choose the perfectly focused shot. The ZS100 is the first Panasonic camera to have a dedicated button for the mode.

    4K Live Cropping

    New to the ZS100 are two as-you-shoot video options that benefit from the camera’s 4K capabilities. The first is the option to crop a 1920 x 1080 region from 4K video then produce a stabilized pan across the rest of the 4K frame. The other gets the camera to zoom in on a 1920 x 1080 region of the frame, as the video runs (akin to the ‘Ken Burns effect’). These effects are easily achieved in most high-end editing software but their inclusion in the ZS100 means they can be generated in-camera and incorporated into video clips cut together using less expensive or free software.

    Wi-Fi

    Just to top it all off, the the ZS100 includes Wi-Fi and in-camera Raw conversion, allowing images to be fine-tuned before passing them off to your smart device. Panasonic’s ‘Image App’ allows remote control of the device and all the other things you’d expect of a contemporary connected camera.

    The only thing that’s missing is an NFC antenna – between the cost of the hardware and the fact that Apple won’t let iOS owners utilize NFC for anything so frivolous as camera connection, Panasonic chose to use on-screen QR codes to communicate the necessary connection credentials to other devices.

    A more conventional offering

    Alongside the ZS100/TZ100, Panasonic has also announced the ZS60, which will be known as the TZ80 outside North America. This model is much more in keeping with the travel zoom models Panasonic has built before (a subset of the market it pioneered).

    The ZS60 uses a small 18MP CMOS sensor, allowing it to pack a 24-720mm equivalent zoom into a small package. The downsides are that it’s never a terribly fast lens (F3.3-6.4, or F18-35 in equivalent terms) and it loses the ZS100’s large thumb dial on the top plate, making do with a smaller combined dial/four-way controller. Beyond this, the features it offers are broadly similar to the ZS100 (including 4K video capture), just with a lower maximum ISO setting and no electronic shutter mode. It will sell for around $ 450.

    Panasonic ZS100 / TZ100 in context

    It’s been two-and-a-half years since Sony introduced the first compact with a 1″-type sensor and redefined what is possible from a compact camera. Since then, as you might expect, the number of 1″-type compacts have continued to expand. Up until now it’s been possible to choose from pocketable cameras with short zooms or much larger cameras with more reach, what there hasn’t been is something offering a little of both. The ZS100 finally fills this gap: a small camera with a big sensor and a long zoom. The cost is that rapidly dropping aperture as you zoom, of course.

    The small, field sequential viewfinder is the other other compromise that stands out on the ZS100 but that seems more likely to hit the $ 699 price point, rather than just a size concern. To put this price in perspective, it’s the same as the launch price of Canon’s G7 X, $ 100 less than the viewfinder-touting Canon PowerShot G5 X and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Mark III, all of which have considerably shorter (but brighter) lenses.

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • CES 2016: Live from the Nikon press conference

    Update: Thats a wrap! Thanks for following along. Keep an eye on our Twitter for more updates from the show this week and follow the links below for more on these launches from Nikon.

    Learn more about the Nikon D500

    Read more about the Nikon D5

    See all CES 2016 coverage

    Aside from teasing its D5 professional DSLR last month, Nikon is keeping its latest products close to its vest. We’re in the audience at the company’s CES press event and you can follow along in real-time below. And don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of the page! 

    Tweets by @dpreview

    // Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • CES Video: Nikon’s Mark Soares talks about the D5 and D500

    Today at CES Nikon announced two new DSLR cameras: the pro-oriented D5 and the enthusiast-oriented D500, which is possibly the longest-awaited successor to any camera we can remember, replacing the D300S after almost six years.

    Just after the announcement we slipped away from the CES crowds with Nikon’s DSLR product manager, Mark Soares, to get his take on the new bodies, a rundown of some major features, and insight into why Nikon chose to break the number sequence by skipping ‘400’ and calling the new DX flagship the D500 instead.

    See more videos on our YouTube channel

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Eyes on the Skies: Ambarella brings fast 4K to drones with H2 and H12 processors

    Processor maker Ambarella has announced its two newest and most powerful chips. The H2 and H12 are 4K (UHD) capable processors, with the more powerful H2 able to compress 10-bit 4K/60p video using H.265 HEVC compression or 4K/120p with the less efficient H.264 AVC system. The company says it’s the drone market that’s now pushing the capabilities it needs to offer – way beyond what compact cameras tend to need.

    With the drone market in mind, the H2 also includes a 1.2Ghz quad core processor that allows it to handle the data required to keep a drone in the air. It can also output a low-delay Full HD video stream at the same time as compressing a 4K stream, allowing a near-immediate high res view to be sent to a remote operator.

    What we found interesting is not just that applications such as drones are so demanding (that makes sense), but that the expectations of the drone and sports camera markets are so far beyond what is being offered in the still camera market. One big difference between the two markets is that, with the continued decline of small-sensor compacts, most of the sensors used in stills photography are much larger than those used in action cams or drones, which makes heat management and data readout more challenging. Even with this difference, it’s interesting to know that 60p and 120p 4K processing is already ready for consumer devices.

    Ambarella vice president of marketing and business development Chris Day says that sales of processors for drone/flying cameras now makes up 10% of the company’s revenues, highlighting how fast-moving the sector is. ‘These things need Ultra HD video, high frame rates, great imaging, electronic stabilization and lots of CPU power. And, of course, this all needs to be with low power consumption: it’s pretty demanding but it’s a great fit for us.’ he says. Asked about the impact these technologies are likely to have on the conventional stills camera market, he points out the narrowing of boundaries between sectors: ‘companies such as DJI are starting to make their own cameras, rather than mounting conventional Sony or Micro Four Thirds cameras on there.’

    With fast, high quality, high bit-depth video likely to become more common on action cameras and flying cameras, it’ll be interesting to see how many of these capabilities start to appear on more conventional cameras in the coming months and years.

    Press Release:

    Ambarella Introduces Low Power 4K Ultra HD SoCs for Sports and Flying Cameras

    Ambarella H2 delivers 4K Ultra HD at 60 frames per second with under 2 Watts of power consumption

    SANTA CLARA, Calif.–(UNDER EMBARGO – until Jan. 6, 2016 at 8:00 AM Eastern)–Ambarella, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBA), a leading developer of low-power, HD and Ultra HD video processing semiconductors, today introduced the H2 and H12 camera System-on-Chips (SoCs) for a new generation of sports and flying cameras. H2 targets high-end camera models with 4K Ultra HD H.265/HEVC video at 60 frames per second and 4K AVC video at 120 frames per second. These high frame rates deliver smooth video during fast action shots and slow motion playback. H2 also includes 10-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) video processing to handle high contrast scenes and supports DSLR quality photography. H12 targets mainstream cameras and offers 4K Ultra HD HEVC video at 30 frames per second. Both SoCs have extremely low power consumption allowing for the design of small form factor cameras, and feature advanced 3D electronic image stabilization, potentially eliminating the need for mechanical gimbals.

    “With the introduction of H2 and H12 we now provide a complete portfolio of 4K Ultra HD HEVC solutions for sports and flying cameras,” said Fermi Wang, President and CEO of Ambarella. “H2, our first 14nm chip, delivers 4Kp60 Ultra HD HEVC video with 10-bit HDR processing, as supported by the latest generation of 4K HDR televisions. H12 delivers 4Kp30 Ultra HD HEVC video for outstanding video quality at mainstream camera price points.”

    H2 features a new generation image processing pipeline which includes 10-bit HDR video processing and excellent imaging, even in challenging low-light conditions. The integration of a 1.2 GHz quad-core ARM® Cortex®-A53 CPU with floating point and NEONTM provides significant processing power for customer applications including flying camera flight control, video analytics and wireless networking. Its hardware de-warp engine supports wide-angle panoramic camera designs, while USB 3.0 connectivity provides fast upload of high resolution video. H2 supports live streaming of a second, low-delay, Full HD video stream for wireless monitoring and camera control.

    H12 supports both 4Kp30 Ultra HD HEVC and AVC video encoding. It integrates a 1GHz single-core ARM® Cortex®-A9 CPU with floating point and NEONTM to provide the processing power required for customer applications including flying camera flight control and wireless networking. Its de-warp capability allows the use of wide-angle lenses with minimal image distortion. H12 also supports the live video streaming of a second, low-delay Full HD video stream.

    Ambarella will demonstrate both H2 and H12 at a private event during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 6 – 9, 2016.

    Pricing and Availability

    For pricing and availability please contact Ambarella at www.ambarella.com/about/contact/inquiries
    The URL for this news release is: www.ambarella.com/about/news-events.html
    The URL for the related image is: www.ambarella.com/about/news-events/press-images/H2-H12-press-images.html

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Samsung launches Galaxy TabPro S Windows tablet

    Samsung has launched a new convertible tablet at CES which appears to be squarely aimed at Microsoft’s Surface Pro model. Like the Surface Pro, the Galaxy TabPro S runs Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system and can be used with a keyboard cover that attaches via a pin connector. While on the Microsoft device the keyboard cover is an optional accessory, with the TabPro S it is included in the package. Read more

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • Kodak revives Super 8 with part-digital cine camera

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    For the first time in over thirty years, Kodak has announced plans to launch a Super 8 cine camera, introducing a model that mixes analogue and digital technology. The new camera, which doesn’t appear to have a name other than Kodak Super 8 Camera, will record its movies on normal Super 8 film cartridges but will offer a digital LCD flip-out panel as viewfinder. In keep with the old slogan ‘You Press The Button, We Do The Rest’, Kodak says that cartridges will be sold with processing included and that customers will receive the film back as well as access to a scan of the film that they can download for more convenient editing. 

    The camera comes with an integrated microphone for audio recording, and while the company hasn’t said specifically, it appears that sound is stored using SD memory cards via a slot on the camera’s rear. Super 8 film no longer comes with an audio track, so this seems the most likely solution. The camera is also equipped with three communication ports that may be used for streaming content out during recording, as well as for charging the battery. 

    The camera will be capable of shooting at 9, 12, 18, 24 and 25 frames per second. It will come with either a Ricoh 6mm or 6-48mm lens, but its use of a C-Mount means it will be compatible with an enormous range of existing lenses. There appears to be two designs of the camera, one with retro squared edges, and one rounder and more modern-looking. 

    Kodak currently offers three color negative Super 8 films under the Vision3 series: a 50 ISO daylight film and two tungsten emulsions rated at ISO 500 and 200. A black and white TRI-X reversal is also available. The films come in lengths of 50 feet and the cameras fit 72 frames of footage on to each foot, giving 3600 frames per cartridge. At 24 fps users will get two and half minutes of movie, and the cartridges take just a couple of seconds to exchange. 

    The Super 8 system first went on sale in 1965 with the intention of making home movies easier to produce. The cartridge made loading the film much more convenient and less prone to jamming the camera than previous hand-threaded systems, and the cartridge could inform the camera what type of film was loaded, so amateurs made fewer mistakes. Sound recording came in 1973 when a magnetic strip was introduced, but it was phased out again in 1997 as the substance used to bond the strip to the film was hazardous. 

    With its recording strips and automated cartridges the APS film system borrowed much from the ideals of Super 8, and this half digital, half film camera might remind us of Kodak’s Advantix Preview APS camera that recorded images on film but showed a digital preview on the rear screen.

    Kodak hasn’t announced officially how much the new camera will be, but the company’s chief executive, Jeff Clarke, is quoted in the Wall Street Journal Digits blog as saying that it will arrive in fall 2016 and will cost between $ 400 and $ 750. The film should cost between $ 50 to $ 75 per cartridge, including processing. He also says a lower-cost model will emerge in 2017. 

    For more information visit the Kodak website. 

    Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)