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Blue Earth Alliance presents Collaborations for Cause 2016

31 Mar

Are you in Seattle in April? Come down to the Seattle Downtown Public Library, on Friday April 15th and Saturday April 16th 9 AM-4 PM, and join our friends the Blue Earth Alliance for Collaborations for Cause 2016.

This year’s Collaborations for Cause theme is “Innovations in Visual Storytelling for Impact.” It’s a rare opportunity for visual storytellers, writers, funders, non-profits, corporations and public agencies to join together as peers: to learn new strategies, tools and ideas to leverage the power of story and effect social change. As well as talks and seminars from photographers, filmmakers and activists, attendees can also pay for three one-on-one portfolio review sessions, at the show. Reserve your tickets from the link below.

Learn more about Collaborations for Cause 2016

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2016: Nikon interview – ‘the D500 is the D300S replacement that customers wanted’

28 Mar

DPReview was in Yokohma, Japan last month for the annual CP+ photography show. As well as reporting from the show floor, and getting our hands on the latest cameras and lenses, we also made time to sit down with senior executives from several of the major manufacturers, including Nikon. We spoke to Nikon about the company’s new DL-series compact cameras, the D500 and D5 and the future of the 1 System.

Let’s start with the new DL series. Why did you choose to make three cameras?

We wanted to satisfy most of our customers, all at once. And with this DL concept we wanted DL users – who we believe will be DSLR users – to choose whichever camera in this DL series as if they were choosing an interchangeable lens. And the second aim is reflected in the cameras’ naming. DL. ‘D’ means ‘Digital Camera’ and ‘L’ means ‘Lens’. Again, we want consumers to choose these cameras as if they were choosing from interchangeable lenses, and this is why we named them 18-50, 24-85 and 24-500.

Nikon intends buyers of its new DL-series compact cameras to shop for the right camera as they might a lens. That’s the logic behind the new cameras’ naming. DL18-50 (shown here), DL24-85 and DL24-500. The numbers correspond to the effective focal lengths covered by the cameras’ lenses.

With the ability to choose these three different cameras with their three different lenses, how is the DL series differentiated from the 1-series, or from Coolpix?

Our target with the DL series is high-end users who would use Nikon DSLRs. So the series has to be suitable for DSLR users who want a premium compact camera. Coolpix is for the mass consumer, it’s very easy to use in terms of operation. But the DL series in terms of operability and the variety of lenses is much closer to a single lens reflex camera. This makes it different to other compact cameras such as Coolpix.

As for the value that the DL series provides, it is different from DSLR cameras, although the customer may be the same. The value that is provided is different in the sense that the focal length of – say – 24-500mm doesn’t exist in DSLR. A wide range all the way from wideangle to super telephoto. These things are unique to the DL series.

Can we expect to see much further development of lenses for the 1-series, or is your focus on DL?

We will continue to watch the needs of our customers and market trends to decide what new products will be appropriate – we cannot reveal future plans yet.

How important is pricing in this market segment, and who is your most important competitor?

We acknowledge that the premium compact camera market is very ‘hot’ right now. There are a lot of competitors. But all of these competitors, although they’re all in the same market, their aims are very different. For example some of our competitors want to provide high-performance cameras with the aim of ease of use. Ours is not like that. Our aim for the DL series is for our users to use the cameras as much as they like, and to enjoy shooting with them.

The ‘bridge’ style DL24-500 is the largest camera of the three, and the only one to offer an electronic viewfinder. The larger form factor allows it to pack in by far the most ambitious zoom lens of its sister models.

Are the target audience of the DL series and 1-series different?

Nikon 1 cameras are system cameras so you can customize the cameras as you like depending on the shooting situation. The strength of Nikon 1 is the super telephoto that you can use for example, at 800mm equivalent. And another benefit is interchangeable lenses, so you can switch from long lenses to shot lenses, so system adaptation is one of the strengths of Nikon 1.

But for DL we can provide all the way from very wide to super telephoto with good portability.

One of the things that we like about the 1 series it that the performance of the cameras’ hybrid autofocus is very good. Can we expect the same performance from the DL line?

Yes.

Will we see a professional level mirrorless camera from Nikon?

We are willing to cater to the needs of customers by developing what is required by the market. We’re observing market trends very carefully, and while the DLSR market is in decline, we observe that the mirrorless market is not declining in the same way, so we’ll continue to watch the trends and cater to whatever needs we hear from our customers.

Do you see the DL series co-existing with Coolpix cameras in the future?

Yes. Coolpix will continue to be developed. We recently announced four new Coolpix cameras.

Is the D500 intended to be a replacement model to the D300S?

Yes it is. It’s a DX flagship after 7 years of the D300S in the market.

The D300S was on the market for seven years, before finally being replaced this year by the D500. But not before Nikon tried to replace it with the D7000-series. It was (we’re told) only the consistent demands from high-end APS-C fans that lead to a true replacement for the still-popular D300S.

Nikon now has truly modern solutions for professional users in the DX and FX formats, how would you characterize those two types of customers?

D5 is our flagship camera and we believe that professional sports photographers that have enjoyed using the D3 and D4-series series will enjoy the D5. With the D500 the user can enjoy some of the high-end functions used in the D5, such as its AF system. But they can also enjoy the agility of the [smaller] size so we hope that not only professionals but also advanced amateurs will enjoy the D500.

Was the D7000-series ever meant to replace the D300-series?

We were hoping that the D7000 series would cover a portion of the customer base that used the D300S, but the customers continued to say that they wanted a replacement for that model, so that’s why we made the D500.

Now that the D500 has been launched, will we see continued development of professional DX-format lenses?

Yes we have plans for more lenses, if necessary after analyzing the needs of the market.

The D500 and D5 represent flagship cameras in Nikon’s APS-C and full-frame lineups, respectively. A lot of core functionality is shared between the two cameras, including the same highly advanced autofocus system.

Why did you select 20MP for both cameras?

We believe that 20MP is the best resolution when it comes to balancing image quality and handling – i.e. speed – which professional sports photographers value most. Also we’ve had 12 and 16MP models, and some users wanted more, so we think that 20MP is the minimum to achieve this balance. 20MP is the best resolution at this point in time. In the future if we can increase speed and increase resolution, we may choose a different resolution. But right now 20MP represents the best balance.

It’s good to hear that Nikon is continuing to develop the DX lineup. Do you believe that D500 will mostly be using the camera with DX, or FX lenses?

If we were to make a recommendation on the basis of [versatility], we’d recommend a DX lens with the D500, because it’s a DX camera.

When you develop professional products like these, how does your process differ compared to developing non-pro cameras?

Our question is how do we cater to the users’ needs? One example is memory card slots. If we’re designing a camera for a professional, we’ll include two card slots for identical types of cards. For higher-level amateurs like D500 owners, we’ll include two different card slots, one SD, and one XQD. It’s different user needs.

What was the thinking behind making two versions of the D5, one with CF and one with XQD?

the highest priority for card slots in the D5 is to provide two slots of the same type. CF or XQD. We chose XQD for the D5 because it can support the highest performance that the camera is capable of [in stills and video modes]. We added a model that uses CF cards because users of the D3 and D4 series are familiar with these cards, and have them already. The response has been good to both variants.

Given how responsive the D5’s AF system is in terms of subject tracking, do you think that DSLRs will always have an advantage in this respect, compared to mirrorless?

Yes. We believe that there is an AF advantage, especially when it comes to tracking moving subjects at high speed.

Here’s a simulated image of the D5’s AF array, placed over a representation of the ‘scene’ as it would be recognized by any one color channel of the camera’s 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor. This sensor works in concert with the AF system to recognize and track subjects across the frame and in depth. Our initial impressions are that it works exceptionally well.

We understand that the color filter array on the D5 sensor has been changed to improve low light performance. Can you comment on this?

It’s very difficult to explain exactly how we achieved this, but the basic concept is that we improved light-gathering ability. And by doing that we reduced noise and increased sensitivity.

AF precision is becoming increasingly crucial in high-resolution DSLRs. We’ve seen various solutions, from AF fine tuning to manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron making ‘docks’ to program their lenses. How should this problem be solved?

The D810 has 36MP and the D5 has 20MP. Autofocus precision is at the same level. We’ve had an autofocus fine-tuning system for some time, because although autofocus precision has improved, some photographers want to precisely control autofocus for their specific needs. The struggle for users is in using this system, through trial and error.

We introduced automatic adjustment [in the D500 and D5] to make the process easier for them. We expect that now, some of our customers who previously thought that AF adjustment was a hassle in the past and didn’t do it, will start to use automatic adjustment, and will come to us with additional requirements. We will proactively reflect this [feedback] in our future development.

Editors’ notes

Rishi Sanyal and Barney Britton

The reason we didn’t identify specific interlocutors in this interview is that Nikon sent about 20 people to speak to us in Yokohama (only some of whom are pictured above), plus an interpreter. While we suspect that – as usual – the comments beneath this interview will be packed with people criticizing us for not asking harder questions, and Nikon for not really answering some of the ones that we did ask, Nikon takes us – and you – very seriously. The gentlemen we spoke to didn’t quite say it, but let’s be honest – the D500 is a camera for DPReview readers. All those who complained for years that the D300S didn’t have a proper replacement can take pleasure in the fact that it was your complaints that lead directly to the creation of the D500, a level above the D7000-series that was, we learned, intended to replace the D300S.

And what a replacement the D500 has turned out to be. Our main worry about Nikon’s high-end APS-C DSLR lineup isn’t actually about the cameras at all, but lenses. It was good to hear a kind-of, sort-of acknowledgement that some new high-end DX-format lenses are on the way. Maybe at Photokina this September?

Speaking of lenses, it was interesting to hear Nikon executives speak about the new DL lineup (which is definitively not related to Coolpix, no way, no sir), which has been designed around the concept of ‘camera as lens’, offering (effectively) three different focal lengths built around the same 20MP 1-inch sensor, at fairly accessible price points. If what we’ve been told about AF performance proves true (and it should be) the DL compacts might offer among the best autofocus of any camera currently in this market segment. We’re very excited by the DL18-50 and DL24-85 in particular. Finally, along with Canon’s PowerShot G7 X Mark II and Panasonic’s ZS100, Sony’s Cyber-shot RX-series has some real competition.

Speaking of autofocus, Nikon 1 was arguably one of the first mirrorless series to portend the convergence of on- and off-sensor phase-detect AF performance. There are still differences, though, and we asked Nikon if it thought there would always be an advantage to DSLR when it came to subject tracking during bursts. Subject tracking, or the ability of a camera to follow a subject around the frame, is increasingly becoming so good in some cameras as to warrant relinquishing control over your exact AF point to the camera – which in some cases can be far better than any human at switching AF points to stick to your subject. The D5/D500 in particular are industry leading at this. Although mirrorless cameras have the ability to subject track very well – they constantly assess the scene with their image sensor, after all – we’ve tended to note a drop in performance during bursts. We wondered how much this had to do with the dual-purposing of the image sensor in mirrorless cameras both for AF tracking and image recording. DSLRs are approaching the subject tracking problem by essentially incorporating an additional image (RGB metering) sensor into the light path to the optical finder, and dedicating it to subject analysis and tracking (and face detection).

Nikon’s response was that there is still an advantage to this separate sensor approach, and we largely agree – for now. Given the relatively low resolution of these metering sensors and the fast readouts possible due to the relatively low pixel count, as well as the incredibly short mirror blackouts of cameras like the D5/D500, it may be that a secondary sensor for subject tracking will remain an advantage for high-end DSLRs for years to come.

But we do wonder whether efforts at increasing the readout speeds of main imaging sensors (the ones that produce our photographs) – perhaps to the point where there is no blackout during shooting at all – might allow mirrorless designs to catch up to, or exceed, DSLR performance in this regard.

And if they do, there will be one less thing to worry about: AF calibration and adjustment. We asked Nikon whether we could ever expect its new automatic AF fine-tuning solution to take into account multiple focus points, focal lengths, and subject distances. Every time we mention this sort of a solution to anyone, there’s typically a chuckle in the room – I think a nervous one, acknowledging the complexity of such a solution.

And it is complex. The optimal Fine Tune (or microadjustment) value can vary from AF point to AF point, and with lens focal length and subject distance. Not to mention aperture as well, when there’s substantial focus shift. Camera and lens firmware already contains complicated tables dedicated to such adjustments – it’s just that there’s no guarantee they’re right for your particular lens + body combination. Automating the creation of a matrix to correct for all the variables that lead to inaccurate focus would be welcome, but at what point does it make more sense to ditch the DSLR approach altogether and proceed with a mirrorless platform that is less susceptible to these issues in the first place?

As usual for the on-record portions of an interview of this kind (i.e., the portion that you just finished reading) the most interesting insights can be found between the lines. The line that interests us most came up as we discussed Nikon’s mirrorless strategy. It is notable that in their response, Nikon’s executives noted on-record the decline in the DSLR industry relative to the more buoyant mirrorless market. It seems pretty much inevitable at this point that Nikon will make a more serious move into mirrorless, and my money would be on that happening relatively soon, possibly even this year. Two things seem pretty certain – whatever product eventually emerges, it won’t be a member of the 1-series, and it certainly won’t be a Coolpix.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2016: DPReview behind-the-scenes

08 Mar

Between all of our hands-on features, video stand reports, Instagraming, press-room snacking and bemused wandering, we shot a lot of extra footage this year at CP+ 2016 in Yokohama.

Sure, much of it is a little shaky (hot cans of coffee from a vending machine will change your life). And the sensor might have been a bit dusty. And most of it was just silly, fueled by jet-lag induced delirium. But we assembled some clips anyway and figured it’d give you a little more insight to all of the chaos associated with covering a trade show like this. Enjoy!

See all of our canned-coffee-fueled coverage from CP+ 2016

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the Nikon D5/D500

03 Mar

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

Nikon is starting off the year strong with the announcement of the D5 and D500, the KeyMission 360, and the DL compacts announced for CP+ 2016. We got our hands on the D5 and D500 and have been very impressed by our initial, informal testing. AF is much improved, as are ergonomics. We’re working on a video to demonstrate what we consider to be ground-breaking AF performance, but in the meantime we thought we’d also put together a slideshow highlighting some new things we found while digging through the D5 and D500 menus, and give you an idea of the extensive customization options available.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

First off is the autofocus menu, where you’ll note a couple of new features. You can now turn face detection on and off during viewfinder AF-C shooting, with the ‘3D-tracking face-detection’ option. Helpfully, Nikon’s new 180k-pixel RGB metering sensor is more than capable of discerning a face – even the eye of a face.

3D-tracking gains a ‘3D-tracking watch area’ customization, with options for a ‘Normal’ or ‘Wide’ watch area. We believe this affects how wide of a search region the camera should look over when tracking a subject around the frame. Frankly, the default setting has always worked so remarkably well that we’re not sure what switching it from its default (‘Normal’) will do, but we’re curious to put it to the test soon.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

‘Focus tracking with lock-on’ gains some new customization. Previously, this option just had a setting of 1 to 5, with higher numbers biasing toward ‘sticking’ to a subject rather than being distracted by a different object that passes in front of it. Nikon has now broken this setting down to allow you to separately customize how long the camera should wait before refocusing to a subject that passes in front of your initially acquired subject, and how erratic the movement of your subject is.

It’s unclear if ‘Subject motion’ refers to how erratic an object switches between approaching and receding motion, vs. how erratic the subject is in terms of X-Y movement around the frame. We’ll investigate this once we have one in for testing, but the tailoring should help the user adapt the camera to a wider range of shooting scenarios.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

While this isn’t new, we though it worth pointing out that Nikon tends to offer four different settings for release vs. focus priority in AF-C (continuous).

Release prioritizes ‘taking the shot’ over focus, while ‘focus’ prioritizes acquiring focus before releasing the shutter. Focus+release prioritizes focus for the 1st shot, prioritizing release for later frames, while release+focus prioritizes firing the shutter for the 1st shot, but requiring focus before release for subsequent shots.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

The D500 can illuminate the focus screen red, but you can turn this off if you so desire. Unfortunately, the camera can only flash the point(s) red when either selecting them, activating an AF point, or when focus is acquired. It cannot keep focus points lit red as you track a subject or fire a burst. That’s reserved for Nikon’s flagship…

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

… the D5 (and its recent predecessors). Unlike the D500, the D5 can continuously keep AF points lit red, which helps you see the active point as the camera follows a subject around the frame in, say, 3D-tracking mode.

You can even adjust the level of bright red they glow, in 4 steps. Seeing one red AF point stick to your subject like glue even as it moves around in your composition is, frankly, somewhat magical. Stay tuned for a video of it in action.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

With all the complex AF modes and customizable buttons on the D5, it’s helpful that Nikon has finally adopted a visual way to assign button function. And the number of customizable functions per button is impressive. The D5 allows you to customize the Pv, Fn1, and Fn2 buttons on the front of the camera where your right hand fingers rest, an additional vertical Fn button right behind the shutter button on the vertical grip, and finally a Fn3 button to the left of the LCD screen.

The Pv, Fn1, Fn2, and Fn3 buttons are highly customizable in that they can be assigned to any one of 24 or so different functions, or any of a number of functions (6, if we counted correctly) that have different levels of granularity that you can adjust by holding the custom button while turning a dial. The Fn3 button is a bit more limited, and the AF-ON button is reserved for AF and AE functions. We’ll spell out all the assignable options for these buttons in the D500 slides to follow, as they’re largely the same (save for features unique to the D5, like LAN, or 14 fps lockup). One significant difference, though, is that the joystick on the D5 is not customizable, while on the D500 you can assign exactly what pressing this joystick (called the ‘sub-selector’) down does.

Helpfully, you can change the behavior of these buttons during movie recording by customizing their functions specifically for movie shooting.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

The D500’s custom control assignment is a bit less complex than the D5’s, because it has fewer customizable buttons. On the other hand, unlike the D5, its ‘sub-selector’ AF joystick is customizable (we’ve set it to change image area in conjunction with a dial, as you see highlighted in yellow above), so it’s no slouch when it comes to customizability.

The Pv and Fn1 buttons are on the front of the camera, for easy access with your right hand as it grips the camera. The Pv button is up top and can generally be activated easily by your middle finger, with the Fn1 button accessible by your ring or pinky finger. Given their ease of access, and ability to be used in conjunction with the rear thumb dial, these two buttons are highly customizable. The new sub-selector retains all customization options of the Pv and Fn1 buttons as well, while adding two more. The Fn2 button, to the left of the LCD screen, is less customizable, likely because it’s less used during shooting. The AF-ON button is reserved for AF/AE functions.

Before we dive deep into all the customization options available for these buttons, for those prone to accidentally or inadvertently changing settings, you always have the option to assign a button to ‘None’, essentially deactivating it.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

With all this button customization, you’re probably wondering what you can or cannot assign to various buttons. Let’s start off with the AF-ON button, because it has a particular feature that might just be game-changing if you love Nikon’s ‘3D tracking’ as much as we do.

AF-ON can be assigned to any of the options shown above, as well as ‘AE lock (Hold)’ and ‘AF lock only’ (on the 2nd page of this menu, not shown). But here’s what we’re most excited about: the ability to assign the AF-ON button to ‘AF-area mode’ or ‘AF-area mode + AF-ON’. It’s a quick way to instantaneously switch between your selected AF-area mode (Single, d25, d72, d153, Group-area, Auto-area, 3D) by momentarily holding down the AF-ON button.

The option to couple the AF-area switch with AF-ON means the following: a half-depress of the shutter engages AF with your typical AF-area mode, say 3D-tracking. But let’s say you’re now faced with a situation where things are happening so fast that you don’t even have the time to place your selected AF point over your intended subject to start tracking it. Instead, you just want the camera to find, say, the nearest bird or human face by itself and track it. What do you do? Click next…

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

Assign the AF-ON button to ‘AF-area mode + AF-ON’ and select ‘Auto-area AF’ within this sub-menu. That way, when you hold down the AF-ON button, the camera will switch to ‘Auto-area’ as long as you have it held down, focusing on the nearest object or detected face and tracking it. This makes for versatile switching between your two most-used AF-area modes.

I actually found it most useful to assign AF-ON to ‘AF-area mode + AF-ON’ with Single-point AF, highlighted above. That way, I keep 3D-tracking engaged as the default AF mode (in AF-C), always defining my subject by initiating AF on it. The camera then tracks it as it moves or as I recompose, but if I ever want the camera to stop moving AF points automatically to track, and instead just freeze the AF point while still continuously focusing on the subject if it approaches or recedes, I just hold down the AF-ON button (while keeping the shutter button half-depressed). Want the camera to continue tracking the subject exactly where it left off? Just let go of the AF-ON button while keeping the shutter half-depressed, and the camera starts tracking the subject around the frame again.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

The camera remembers your subject, such as this gentleman’s eye at the Nikon booth at CP+ (please excuse the low, through-the-viewfinder, iPhone video screenshot). The camera tracked his eye until I wanted it to stop moving the AF point – but only momentarily – re-engaging the tracking of his eye when I laid off the AF-ON button.

Previously, 3D-tracking – though class-leading in terms of subject tracking – was somewhat limited by the following: when I got the composition I wanted, and there was no more subject movement, I’d often want the camera to stop tracking in the X-Y plane, but continue tracking in depth (refocusing if the subject or photographer approaches or recedes). I couldn’t do that – if I wanted the AF point to momentarily stop moving while in 3D tracking, I’d have to engage AF-Lock, which’d mean the camera would stop focusing entirely. Now, though, I can use the AF-ON button to momentarily stop only the X-Y tracking. There isn’t a camera in the world, save for the D5 and D500, that can provide this robust functionality.

There is still no way to assign a button to instantly switch between AF-S and AF-C, but with the reliability of Nikon’s 3D tracking, I would leave this cameras in AF-C pretty much permanently, assigning one of the customizable buttons to ‘AF lock’ in the rare instances I don’t want the camera to focus (for example, recomposing such that the subject is outside of the AF area).

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

You’re probably tired of hearing about AF by now. Let’s look at the other customizations possible with the Fn1, Pv, and sub-selector buttons. This and the next 3 slides show all the available customizations on the D500 for these three buttons, with the sub-selector also assignable to ‘select center focus point’ (a quick way to reset to center) and ‘highlight active focus point’ (red). For reasons that are obvious, Nikon is expecting you to assign the sub-selector to AF point-related functionality.

Oops, I thought I was going to stop talking about AF… As Barney often says, I’m absolutely irrepressible.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

This is the 2nd page of assignable options to the Fn1, Pv, and sub-selector buttons.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

This is the 3rd page of assignable options to the Fn1, Pv, and sub-selector buttons.

We think it’s very cool that you can momentarily trip the camera into a different metering mode – though this is nothing new for Nikon. It’s helpful that Nikon’s spot-metering is linked to the selected AF point on nearly every one of their cameras, and highlight-weighted metering allows one to expose for the highlights and recover shadows in post-processing (given the extensive latitude most Nikon cameras have). And on a related note – remember that you can permanently bias any of the metering modes +/- 1 EV, in 1/6 EV increments on most Nikon DSLRs (it’s an option under the metering menu).

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

… and the final and fourth page of assignable options to the Fn1, Pv, and sub-selector buttons. Well, not exactly, since the 5th page has a ‘None’ option, and all of these options are a bit shifted for the sub-selector button because it has two additional functions listed on the 1st page. But now I’m just being pedantic.

A very useful assignment is ‘Access top item in MY MENU’. It’s a quick way to access one of your most used menu items after you assign to the top of MY MENU. Again, available on previous Nikons, but worth reiterating. This is how I, for example, quickly bias the minimum shutter speed the camera will use in Auto ISO mode.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

Here is a list of 6 out of 7 functions you can assign to the Fn1 button if you desire to operate it in conjunction with a dial (the 7th, on the next menu page, being ‘Photo shooting menu bank’. The same list of options is available if you with to operate the Pv button with a dial. Note that if you do this, you can’t assign any of the previous actions in the past 4 slides. You either use the Fn1 and Pv (and sub-selector) buttons as single button press actions, or as actions triggered in combination with a dial. The latter is more limited, for obvious reasons.

The sub-selector button has three fewer options when used in conjunction with the dial…

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

… when using the sub-selector (pressing it downward centrally) in combination with a dial, you don’t get ‘1 step spd/aperture’ (which adjust shutter speed and aperture in 1 EV increments, instead of 1/3 EV) or ‘Active D-Lighting’ or ‘Exposure delay mode’.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

As we’d mentioned earlier, the Fn2 button to the left of the LCD screen is less customizable, probably because it’s less ergonomically useful during shooting. The Fn3 button in a similar position on the D5 has a few more features because of things like LAN connectivity on the D5.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

Now that you have a good idea of the extensive customization available on the D5 and D500, as well as some of the new features that enhance AF ergonomics and functionality, we turn to one last feature that shooters may find useful: an electronic front-curtain shutter (EFCS). This was first introduced on the Nikon D810, and we’re happy to see it continue in Nikon’s lineup.

EFCS initiates exposure electronically, foregoing the mechanical shutter, which ensures no camera-induced shake during an exposure. The exposure is ended mechanically, ensuring that rolling shutter is not an issue.

EFCS is limited though: above certain shutter speeds (we’d guess around 1/1000 or 1/2000 or so), EFCS becomes unreliable, if not outright unavailable. Furthermore, Nikon continues to offer this as a mirror-up only mode, which is a shame. It means you have to switch the camera’s drive mode to mirror-up, press the shutter button once to lock up the mirror and shutter, and press the button again to initiate the exposure electronically. That means you can’t really use it in typical shooting scenarios. Especially when you consider that the 2nd button press can induce motion, which means you may wish to introduce an exposure delay…

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

… and unfortunately, the same exposure delay options are available as before. We would’ve loved to see the introduction of 1/2s, 1/4s, and 1/8s which, when coupled with EFCS, would automatically trigger the electronic shutter after the pre-specified delay.

In other words, EFCS should’ve been implemented like this: press the shutter button to lift up the mirror and shutter, then after the pre-specified delay time – say 1/2s – the camera would automatically start the exposure electronically. As it is, just like on the D810, you’ll have to press the shutter button once, then press it again to initiate the delay, after which the exposure is started. With a long lens, your entire composition will have shifted by now. And this method is often required in conjunction with certain VR lenses to ensure no mirror/shutter-induced shake is present in a certain range of shutter speeds (typically 1/60s – 1/125s).

That said, these roughly ~21MP cameras are unlikely to be as sensitive to mirror induced shake as the higher resolution D810, so users probably don’t have to worry much about these issues at all. Still, best practices are best practices, and we hope Nikon is listening.

CP+ 2016: Features you need to know about on the D5/D500

Introduced on the D810, but now with its own menu option, is ‘Monitor color balance’. This allows you to tune the color of the LCD on your camera’s screen. Some pros might find this useful in their workflow, to ensure the screen is a better judge of output color. But as long we’re seeing this sort of tailoring for color – might we expect true ICC color management in future camera displays? We certainly hope so.

We hope you’ve learned a few things about the new features available on the D5 and D500. The extensive feature-set and customization will prove invaluable for working pros and enthusiasts alike. We weren’t able to get a look at automated AF Fine Tune, unfortunately, but it’ll be the first thing we look at when we get our hands back on these cameras. Suffice it to say we’ve walked away incredibly impressed by these cameras, particularly by what they offer both in terms of AF capability and ergonomics. These cameras are likely to be second to none in their ability to track moving subjects and focus on them, even during 10-12 fps bursts. But don’t take our word for it – we’ve tried it, and will be releasing a video soon showing it in action.

Stay tuned.

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CP+ 2016: shooting the Pentax K-1 in Yokohama

03 Mar

Introduction

Yes, we have already posted a fair amount about the full-frame Pentax K-1, and no, this does not mean that we are in Ricoh’s pocket. But what Ricoh did offer us was a pre-production K-1 at CP+ 2016 in Yokohama, and the freedom to do whatever we wanted to with it (except post full-resolution images, for now). How could we not take advantage of that?

The full-frame Pentax K-1 has been years in the making, and they’ve made it pretty darn good.

I am not a Pentaxian, just to get that out of the way. In fact, I’m not really a ‘fanboi’ of any particular brand, though I do continue to own, use and abuse Nikons of the not-so-distant past. That said, I’ve spent a lot of time with the K-3 II and 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited lens, and the feature set combined with value for money make that camera pretty cream-of-the-crop. I loved the fast continuous shooting speed, large (for APS-C) optical finder, comfy grip, in-body image stabilization, and the confidence of shooting with a truly weather-sealed camera and lens in your typical Seattle downpours.

But it just didn’t click with me. Maybe it was the shutter sound. Maybe it was the inconsistencies I experienced with the autofocus. Regardless of any quirks, and regardless of how technically great a camera might be, I admit that I find little photographic inspiration through using a device I don’t truly love and enjoy. I’m always searching for cameras that I connect with on some intangible level that makes me want to go out shooting, and unfortunately, the K-3 II didn’t fit that bill. Back onto the gear shelf it went.

And then, on the last day of CP+, Barney handed me a Pentax K-1 and told me I had until the end of the day to shoot with it. So I did. I didn’t come away with my greatest work ever, which I’ll blame more on the jet lag than the camera. No, more importantly, I liked the K-1, I had fun with it, and it made me want to keep wandering and keep shooting, even as I approached my end-of-day deadline and crossed the 10-mile mark on my phone’s sketchy pedometer.

Pentax digital, all grown up

That firmware version is why we aren’t allowed to publish any full-res samples from the camera.

It’s true at this point that a great many mirrorless cameras are highly capable, represent fantastic value, and are home to some pretty impressive tech. Despite this, for a lot of my more serious work, I keep coming back to the good old-fashioned DSLR. That’s something that Pentax excels at, and it shines through with the K-1.

I will try to keep from repeating too much information that’s already been well-covered in our Pentax K-1 First Impressions review, but a little repetition is necessary, if only for context. The body feels extremely well-built and sealed. The grip is excellent and makes holding this heavy camera a breeze. The control system is customizable, but even without much customization, everything is sensibly laid out. It reminds me of a mix of some of the best bits of both Canon and Nikon thrown onto a single camera body. If that sounds a bit confusing, it can be. But after some time with the camera, it comes together nicely.

The colors from the Pentax K-1, particularly reds, are very nice indeed. Watch for white balance that strays to the cool side, though, which has been corrected here. Photo by Carey Rose. Taken on an old Pentax SMC 24mm F2.8 lens, processed to taste from Raw. F4 | 1/200 | ISO 100

The actual shutter might be bigger than previous Pentax DSLR’s, but it isn’t appreciably louder – in fact, it’s soft but not silent, though still with some of that Pentax-ness from APS-C models thrown in. It’s nice in that you get an affirmative, audible signal that you’ve taken a photograph, but you don’t have to deal with a loud ‘clack’ that you get from many other high-end full-frame bodies (though admittedly, many of those have a ‘quiet’ mode that sometimes helps).

What’s new, what stands out and what actually matters

So, we’re only allowed to show you VGA samples, but let’s see what we can do with that.

Dynamic range

First of all, as to be expected, dynamic range from this sensor is excellent. For the image below, I used a base ISO of 100 and exposed for the sky, pulled the overall exposure up over two-and-a-half stops, lowered the highlights back down, and raised the shadows even more. Though there is some grain in the shadow areas, it isn’t obtrusive, and there is no banding of any kind. (Ignore that pretty heavy vignetting from the non-spec hood on the old manual Pentax 24mm F2.8 I was using).

I could have gone even more overboard with the HDR look by not pulling those blacks so far down, but this way of processing is a personal preference. I find that adding some contrast back in can partially negate the flatness that can occur with heavy shadow pushing.


Original, out-of-camera JPEG. F8 \| 1/640 \| ISO 100	Processed through Adobe Camera Raw, with the following adjustments: exposure +2.65, highlights -100, shadows +85, whites +15, blacks -67.

That weird screen

The tilting screen may seem gimmicky, and it kind of is. But it still works really well.

After watching Barney dangle the K-1 from its screen on the trade show floor (Ricoh said I could do it! – Ed.), I had a little more confidence in the design of Pentax’s new screen articulation mechanism. After pulling it around, slamming it back in, and treating it more or less like the tilting and articulating screens on any other DSLR, I’ve got to say that it’s really no more or less fiddly than a screen that fully articulates out to the side. In certain situations, such as having the camera on a low tripod and at an odd angle for astrophotography, I could see how it could be an advantage over more traditional mechanisms. Still, for a camera as sealed as the Pentax K-1 is purported to be, I’d be a little wary of getting too much moisture, dirt or mud behind there, if for no other reason than what some well-placed grit might do to the tiny ball joints. But overall durability over time still remains to be seen.

The articulating screen allowed me to get a lower angle in portrait mode without forcing me to crane my neck like an OVF or traditional tilting screen would. Photo by Carey Rose. Cropped and resized out-of-camera JPEG, taken on the Pentax 28-105 F3.5-5.6. F5.6 | 1/500 | ISO 200

Focusing

There’s not really much point in showing you samples at VGA resolution of autofocus tracking from a slow-aperture kit zoom. So I won’t. But I will say that for me, it worked better than or on par with previous Pentaxeses, with a high degree of accuracy. This isn’t a sports camera and it won’t keep up with fast action or erratic subjects, but tracking, say, individuals walking down the street works just fine.

In what will go down as the worst product photo of all time, you can see the lenses I was able to use with the K-1 around Yokohama. I’m not a particularly big fan of kit zooms, but this one was sharp and felt better-built than I’m used to. It goes without saying that the all-metal primes felt great, even if I had to stop them down a bit for optimal performance.

One thing to note – the autofocus points are somewhat few for today’s market (33), and the spread is a little strange. With the camera in landscape orientation, there’s more than enough flexibility across the horizontal axis, but the vertical spread seemed limiting to me. Your mileage may vary.

Single-AF works quickly and accurately as well. For this, I pre-focused on the railing and fired off a quick burst. 4.4fps is a bit faster than you might think, but if you’re used to the blazing speed of the K-3 II, you might be a bit disappointed. Taken on the Pentax 28-105 F3.5-5.6 lens. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. F5.6 | 1/640 | ISO 100

So, then, let’s talk about what it’s like to use some old manual-focus primes on this 36MP digital beast. In two words, it’s pretty good.

Manual-focusing using only the viewfinder and confirmation light works fairly well, if not as well as using an actual split prism, or maybe live-view focus with peaking. Of course, the K-1 has live view with peaking, but since I had such limited time with the camera, I opted to use a method Pentax users are quite proud of. It’s called ‘catch-in-focus.’

This method, enabled through a custom menu function, allows you to hold down the shutter release as you rack the lens through the range where the image would be in focus. Make sure you’re in continuous shooting mode, and the camera will fire a burst when it detects you’ve reached the ‘in-focus’ range, and assuming a high enough shutter speed and moderate enough focus-racking speed, this method works very well, even for candids.

As far as metering with primes pre-dating even the SMC-A lenses, you place the camera in manual, dial in your desired aperture, and hit the green button on the rear of the camera. It will stop down and meter a shutter speed for you. Of course, you’ll still need to remember your apertures – it doesn’t record them in the Raw file. But, as I said, these are really old primes. Later SMC-A lenses may (and probably will) offer more functionality. One other downside of older primes, as we’ve mentioned before, is that they might not seem as amazing on 36MP as they did on film. But you can always downsize your files, stop the lens down, or do what I did: ignore it and get on with shooting.

For the ‘catch-in-focus’ feature, I held down the shutter button, and racked focus on the old manual-focus 24mm F2.8 lens until the camera detected focus and fired off this candid portrait. Because I was mistakenly only in single-shot mode, the resulting shot was very slightly front-focused. But for 36MP paired with a lens older than I am, I found it more than acceptable. Photo by Carey Rose and processed to taste from Raw. F2.8 | 1/125 | ISO 200

The moving sensor

The Pentax K-1 isn’t the first full-frame camera to have a moveable sensor for stabilization, but it is the first to offer a mode that Ricoh calls Pixel Shift Resolution. As we’ve explained before, this mode works by taking four offset shots that increase color resolution by shooting the scene with a different colored capture pixel for each shot. The end result should be that you end up with better resolution, and potentially less noise at medium/high ISO sensitivities.

The video below gives you an idea of how long the whole process takes – and thus why it may work with things like rustling leaves, but not larger movements such as cars driving through your scene. It also shows a noticeable increase in fine detail.

As for stabilization, it works, as expected, rather well. And it’s not just for stabilizing telephoto shots: stopping down (a lot), I was able to pull off a 1/30 exposure in daytime for some blur on the carnival ride, while maintaining details elsewhere in the frame. Of course, shooting at F29 will rob you of some overall sharpness. I should have remembered some ND filters.

Slight motion blur on the ride while maintaining detail elsewhere courtesy of a stabilized sensor and slower-than-normal shutter speed. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. 1/30 | F29 | ISO 200

The wrap

As so often happens with these shooting experience pieces, it comes down to two fairly simple questions. Who is this camera for, and will they buy it? It seems there’s a bit of variety here.

Old-school lenses and old-school motorcycles have a lot in common. Yes, they’re often imperfect and idiosyncratic. But they’re also charming, with character that can be hard to find in the modern age. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. Taken on the SMC Pentax 50mm F1.7. F-something (forgot this one) | 1/400 | ISO 100

Pentax has said that the K-1 is primarily targeted at existing Pentax owners. But then they priced it at an MSRP of $ 1,799. At that price, it seems to me they might be targeting just about anyone.

Whether you need a full-frame camera is a matter of personal choice, and needs. Many people don’t, and that is totally fine. In fact, for a good number of photographers, the increase in depth-of-field control is as much a disadvantage as it is an advantage.

But for Pentaxians especially, who may have a good number of lenses that are inherently limited by the crop factor of the company’s APS-C DSLR cameras, the K-1 is a godsend. It represents a return to glory for all those Pentax primes. And for those of us on the sidelines who perhaps shoot different systems, the Pentax K-1 represents a great many things.

It represents an increase in competition, which always bodes well for the consumer. It offers some features, such as sensor-shift capability for increased color resolution, Astrotracer, and its uniquely articulating rear screen, that no other manufacturer can meet in any form.

If you’re a Pentaxian, time to pop that cork – the K-1 is the camera you’ve been waiting for, and then some. Photo by Carey Rose. Taken on the SMC Pentax 24mm F2.8, processed to taste from Raw. F4 | 1/125 | ISO 200

And Pentax has a few decent modern prime lenses and a growing number of professional-grade zoom lenses to help make the K-1 even more relevant. Hell, given a Pentax K-1 and a 43mm F1.9 Limited, your average prime-lens shooter (this photographer included) would have a killer combination for just about anything.

From what I’ve seen from its files, the Pentax K-1 has earned its position as a flagship camera for the Pentax brand (excluding the 645Z of course). Not so long ago, if you were an advanced amateur photographer and looking to break into the ‘full frame’ DSLR market, I would have told you to go put your hands on a Canon 6D or Nikon D610 and pick what feels best. Now, for a very similar price, I’m comfortable adding the Pentax K-1 to that list as well.

Until next time, Yokohama. Thanks for hosting us. Photo by Carey Rose, processed to taste from Raw. F5.6 | 1/500 | ISO 200

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CP+ 2016: Sigma MC-11 adapter allows DSLR Sigma lenses full range of AF modes on Sony bodies

02 Mar

While photographing and filming our way through Sigma’s booth this year at CP+ 2016 in Yokohama, one rather understated product may have just stolen the show for a number of Sony shooters, as well as our Technical Editor Rishi Sanyal.

Put simply, the Sigma MC-11 adapter allows the use of Sigma-mount and Canon-mount Sigma lenses, such as the excellent Sigma Art 35mm F1.4, to be adapted to Sony bodies with no autofocus compromises whatsoever. That means Sigma is the first brand of DSLR lenses to support Eye AF and Lock-On AF modes on Sony cameras, as well as smooth phase-detection in video. What’s more, they work really well.

Don’t believe us? We didn’t believe it at first either. Watch the video and see for yourself why this is a huge step forward in realizing truly hybrid camera systems: where you can pair the best lens with the best camera body – for you – without severe compromises.

Pricing and availability of the Sigma MC-11 adapter has yet to be announced.

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CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

29 Feb

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

‘I don’t know, Rishi’, I said in the press room, over warm coffee from a warm can. ‘I don’t know if I should do another ‘things we found that had been cut in half’ slideshow.’ Rishi was silent. I went on: ‘Is it even funny? And there aren’t that many things at the show this year which have been cut in half. Mostly I’ve just seen things which are whole. I don’t know whether I should do it’.

Rishi looked up. There was pain in his eyes. Confusion. The confusion of a child who’s starting to suspect that Santa doesn’t exist but isn’t ready to believe it.

His normally whisper-quiet voice rose slightly. ‘You have to do it’ he said, almost pleading. His voice became louder still – ‘You have to do it. Not because it’s funny – Barney, listen to me. It’s not funny. It has never been funny. But that’s not why you do it. You do it because it’s tradition.’

‘Dammit, Rishi’ I said, straightening in my chair and in the same motion, banging my knees against the oddly low desk, ‘You’re right. And stop yelling, you’re freaking me out’.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Could you disappoint this face? I couldn’t.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

So, without further ado, here’s a selection of things we found at CP+ which had been cut in half. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride*

First up is Nikon’s brand new flagship D5. Capable of taking pictures very quickly of things moving even more quickly, the D5 is as tough as week-old sushi and entirely sealed against dust and moisture incursion. Not this one though – why not? Because this one has been cut in half. Water and dust can get right in, all over the place.

*It won’t be.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

With pro-level DSLRs being cut in half left right and center in previous years, I think Ricoh has been feeling a bit left out. In fact, I suspect that this is one reason for the much anticipated release of a proper Pentax full-frame camera, the K-1.

The K-1 is a 36MP full-frame camera with a host of solid core photographic features including in-camera stabilization, a revamped AF system, support for legacy Pentax K-mount lenses and little LED lights hidden in clever places all over the camera body. The rear LCD is articulated, using an innovative and unusual strut and hinge design, and the shifting sensor can be used to create full-color resolution exposures, correct wonky horizons and even track stars for night shots.

This K-1 can’t do any of that though, because it’s been cut in half. This one is literally useless.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

An early prototype of the K-1, before Ricoh’s engineers realised that using clear plastic would cause serious light-leak issues.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Here’s a blast from the past – a Nikon F from the early 1960s, cut in half good and proper. A period of huge social change, the 1960s saw revolutions on several fronts – sexual, social, political and photographic. This was the decade of TTL metering, removable prisms, wideangle lenses and motor-drives. Before the 1960s, the idea that a professional camera could be displayed like this – bisected, with its delicate parts exposed to public view – would have been unthinkable.

How much has changed. Yet how much remains the same.

This Nikon F could be yours for only ¥248,000 (~$ 2200). Superglue not included.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

In many ways a more innovative camera than the Nikon F, Canon’s F1 (which came along a little later) proved itself a solid, reliable workhorse for Canon FD photographers in the 1970s. With TTL metering built in (not via an optional metering head, as with the Nikon F) an optional (and insanely noisy) 3.5fps motordrive and a faster maximum shutter speed, the F1 was popular among sports and action photographers.

There’s no way this one is being used to photography any sports or action though. Not only are the mercury cells that powered the F1 unavailable these days, this camera has been cut in half. It’d just fall sideways off the tripod.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Sony had a big booth at this year’s CP+ show, and as well as a new camera, the 24MP a6300, the company was also showing off three new ‘G Master’ lenses. Designed to cover the full-frame imaging area of the company’s a7-series mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, the new 24-70mm F2.8, 70-200mm F2.8 and 85mm F1.4 are the most convincing pro-level optics yet released for Sony’s FE mount.

Here’s the new FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS. Comprised of a remarkable 32 elements in 18 groups, elements include one double-side aspherical and one extreme aspherical element, plus ‘Nano AR’ coating. This particular lens is even more complex, being made up of 46 elements in 36 groups. Because it’s been cut in half. Bonkers!

Read more about Sony’s new G Master lenses

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Oooh, look at all that lovely glass. This is the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM portrait prime, sliced wide open for all to see. This lens comprises 11 elements in 8 groups, and features a new XA (extreme aspherical) element which has been rendered even more aspherical in this lens by being cut in half.

Read more about Sony’s new G Master lenses

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

The third lens in Sony’s new G Master trio is the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM, which is intended as a standard zoom for Sony’s flagship a7R II. Our intial impressions of image quality from this lens are very encouraging, but it’s the Direct Drive SSM autofocus motor which has us most impressed.

When paired with an a7R II this lens acquires focus – and can continue to focus on moving subjects – extremely quickly. We didn’t get the chance to try out the performance of this particular sample, but we’re pretty confident that it won’t be great. After all, it’s been cut in half.

Read more about Sony’s new G Master lenses

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Sensors come in all manner of shapes and sizes – actually no, that’s not really true, but they come in all manner of sizes at least. From full-frame on the Sony booth to Micro Four Thirds at Panasonic, here’s the company’s new Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm F4.0-6.3 ASPH Power OIS. Optically much simpler than Sony’s 70-200mm, the Leica 100-400mm is equivalent to a 200-800mm lens when attached to a Micro Four Thirds body.

It has has one aspherical, one UED, and two ‘regular’ ED elements, as well as a nine-bladed circular aperture. Or it would, if it hadn’t been cut in half. We didn’t get the chance to shoot with this sample yet but we’re pretty sure it’s going to give some very ugly bokeh.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Here’s the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 300mm F4 IS Pro, which offers an equivalent focal length of 600mm in full-frame terms. This lens has impressed us with its sharpness, durability and relatively light weight. This one is even lighter than normal, but much less resistant to the elements. It’s been cut in half, you see. Very silly.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

When it comes to cutting things in half, Zeiss is one of the best companies out there. And as usual, the Zeiss stand was a positive orgy of bisected primes, split zooms and half-naked wide-angles. Here’s the company’s Zeiss Milvus 21mm F2.8, which retails for almost $ 2000 normally. This one isn’t worth even half of that amount though. Off-center performance (on one side only) is terrible, because it’s been cut in half.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Hey, remember the tiny, cute little Voigtländer VM 40mm F2.8 Heliar we wrote about last year?

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

It looks even tinier and cuter when it’s been cut in half.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

Less small but still pretty cute is Tamron’s new SP 90mm F2.8 Di VC USD 1:1 Macro, the latest version in a line of very well-regarded 90mm macro lenses from Tamron stretching back decades. Weather-sealed with a built-in vibration correction stabilization system we’re really looking forward to seeing how this new macro prime performs. Not even Vibration Correction will get sharp results out of this one though though – this one has been cut in half.

CP+ 2016: Things we found that had been cut in half

An etymological diagram of the human brain, cut in half. These are the literal translations of latin terms for the various brain regions. After 4 days at CP+, Rishi and I are mostly creating content from our ‘Little Brain’ area, although my Slime Gland has been giving me trouble. It’s probably just the jet-lag.

We’ve got more content lined up for you over the next few days, including some more technical analysis of Nikon’s D5 and D500, and interviews with senior executives from Canon, Nikon, Ricoh and more. Thanks for reading and goodbye (for now) from Yokohama.

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CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

29 Feb

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Attendance is up at this year’s CP+ show in Yokohama Japan, and that’s partly thanks to new products from some of the biggest camera manufacturers, including Nikon. We’re at the show, where large crowds are gathering around Nikon’s booth to get their hands on the new DL-series compacts, and two new DSLRs, the D5 and D500.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Here’s the new D5, Nikon’s new flagship FX format DSLR. Built around a new 20.8MP full-frame CMOS sensor, Nikon claims the D5 to offer leading high ISO performance due to color filter array tweaks that allow the sensor to capture more light than before. The D5 also features a newly-developed EXPEED 5 image processor. This powerful processor is necessary to provide continuous shooting at 14fps and 4K video capture.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

The D5 features a new autofocus system with 153 AF points, 99 of which are cross-type. All points focus down to -3EV. Only 55 points are user-selectable, but that’s OK: in AF-C, Nikon’s trustworthy 3D tracking system will automatically select the right point for you as it tracks your initially selected subject. And it’s more reliable than you might think.

Here’s why: the camera’s metering sensor has doubled in resolution compared to the 91k-pixel sensor in the D4s, to 180k. The increased resolution makes a big difference in the camera’s ability to identify and follow a subject you initiate focus on. It even means that face detection now prioritizes eyes during viewfinder shooting (you’ll literally see the camera automatically select an AF point over a person’s eye in Auto Area mode), and continues to follow them no matter where they move to within the frame – even at 12 fps.

Frankly, we’ve never quite seen anything like it.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

CompactFlash media has been around a long time, and slowly, other formats are emerging which may ultimately replace it. Canon’s new Canon EOS-1D X Mark II features twin card slots for CF and CFast, but Nikon has chosen a different route (and different media) offering two versions of the D5, one with support for twin CF cards (shown here) and one with dual XQD cards. XQD is capable of greater data throughput but for now, the cards are pricey, and lack the familiarity (and ubiquity) of CF cards and card readers.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Nikon’s circular screw-in eyecups have been a feature of its professional SLRs for decades, but the D5 features a distinctly Canon-like removable eyepiece, which can be replaced with various forthcoming viewfinder accessories – details are currently a bit vague. One thing that we did learn, however, is that once it has been removed, this eyepiece is very difficult indeed to get back on.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and a microphone jack are just some of the D5’s many I/O ports. Few will be routinely used by the average enthusiast, but this is a camera built for the many and various needs of professional photographers in various fields.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

As such, the D5 is built like a very nicely sculpted brick. Fully weather-sealed and manufactured to the highest standard that Nikon can manage, the D5 is designed to withstand heavy professional use for many years.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Next up is perhaps the most keenly-awaited camera (at least among our readers) of recent years. The D500 is Nikon’s long-awaited replacement for the venerable D300S. We thought the day would never come, but here it is. At 20MP, the D500 offers lower resolution than the D7200, but an altogether higher quality of build and a deeper feature and performance set. It’s also the first DX camera to offer button illumination.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Key to this feature set is autofocus. The D500 uses the same AF system as the D5, but because its sensor is smaller, the AF array covers more of the frame. Almost all of it, horizontally. This – plus the 1.5X crop factor of the APS-C format sensor, makes it very attractive for sports and wildlife photography. And a maximum frame-rate of 10 fps doesn’t hurt.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

Although not quite as bulletproof-feeling as the D5, the D500 is without doubt a ‘pro’ camera and one that we suspect will find its way into many professional photographers’ hands. It’s a great second camera to a D4 or D5, but also makes an attractive ‘long lens’ body for anyone shooting a full-frame Nikon system.

Like the D5, the D500’s autofocus system seems to be spookily capable of tracking subjects around the frame (‘3D tracking’), even in our limited use of the camera up to this point. It can even do so effectively at its maximum 10 fps frame rate, no doubt aided by the faster processor and the same high-resolution 180k-pixel RGB metering sensor that’s in the D5. We’re hoping to be able to shoot with a final shipping sample in the next few weeks.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

The D5 and D500 both replace previous cameras, but the DL range is all-new. Nikon released three DL-series compacts at CP+, the DL24-85, DL18-50 and DL24-500. All three are built around 20MP 1″-type CMOS sensors (probably the same sensor used in the 1 J5), and the model names denote the equivalent lens ranges of the cameras.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

The reason behind this, Nikon explained to us, is that the company wants people to buy the cameras as if they were shopping for lenses. So someone who needs an 18-50mm lens might reach for the DL18-50, while someone looking for ultimate flexibility might reach for the DL24-500.

CP+ 2016: Nikon shows off new D5, D500 and DL compacts

The DL-series is aimed specifically at DLSR users who want a smaller second (and third, and maybe forth) camera. The question of where this leaves the slightly stagnant-looking 1 system remains open. We asked Nikon but didn’t get a definitive response. Clearly, executives are keeping future product strategy on the DL…

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

28 Feb

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Fujifilm didn’t announce any new products at CP+ this year, but the show is the first chance that a lot of Japanese enthusiast photographers have had to get their hands on the X-Pro2 and X70, which were unveiled last month.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

In an effort to get cameras into photographers’ hands, Fujifilm is running a rental service at this year’s show, where prospective X-series users can hire gear while they’re attending the show.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Here’s the camera that a lot of people at the booth have come to see – the 24MP X-Pro2. The long-awaited replacement for the X-Pro1 brings a higher resolution sensor, upgraded processor and significantly revamped autofocus system.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Ergonomically, the X-Pro2 is very similar to its predecessor but in terms of performance, it’s a totally different beast. The snappier processor, revamped ergonomics and higher-resolution viewfinder all make a welcome difference to the camera’s operation.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Less obvious are the changes that Fujifilm has made under the hood. The X-Pro2 is weather-sealed and – Fujifilm claims – more able to withstand punishment than its predecessor. This is what happens to an X-Pro2 after it has been aged in a simulated (i.e. sped up) process which appears to have involved rather a lot of sandpaper. Even with paint missing from pretty much all of its edges, the camera remained operational (we’re told).

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Apologies for the poor quality photograph, but this camera is an early mockup of an ‘X-Pro1 S’, which ultimately became the X-Pro2. Cameras often go through several design changes during the course of their development but it’s unusual to be able to see any of the rejected versions. The X-Pro1 S is a little boxier, and a little more ‘classic’ looking than the eventual X-Pro2.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

And slimmer, too. Although of course it’s impossible to say whether the camera would have stayed quite so skinny by the time it entered production. We’re pretty sure that this prototype doesn’t actually contain any working electronics.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Again, sorry about the poor quality of this image, but if you look carefully at this exploded view of the X-Pro2 you’ll see various yellow lines around the body shell on the left of the picture. These are gaskets for weather-sealing.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Fujfiilm is really pushing the X-Pro2 at CP+, and has even created a gallery space showcasing images from its newest X-series camera. We must say, these prints (which are mostly around 20 inches in size) look great.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Let’s not forget about the X-70 though, Fujifilm’s new APS-C format compact camera. Essentially the X70 takes the imaging components from the X100T, and puts them into a smaller, more compact body. Gone is the X100T’s hybrid viewfinder (an optical one – shown here – can be added if you like) but new is a 28mm equivalent F2.8 lens.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

The X70’s rear screen can tilt outwards, and up for shooting from low and high angles (and self portraits if you’re so inclined). It’s touch-sensitive, which allows for direct placement of AF point by touch, and quick swiping through images in review mode.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

A major booth at CP+ just wouldn’t be complete without some scantily-clad ladies to take pictures of, and Fujifilm has even created a nice little garden for them to stand in. How kind.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Meanwhile, photographers use Fujifilm’s new 100-400mm telezoom to snap overhead portraits of the ladies in their garden. .

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

Fujifilm isn’t focused completely on digital technology of course. The company still makes (and sells a lot of) instant film cameras. Instax had a prominent and very colorful corner of the Fujifilm booth at this year’s show.

CP+ 2016: Fujifilm gets new X-Pro2 and X70 into photographers’ hands

It looks like Rishi has found his favorite color – what’s yours?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2016: Pentax K-1 past and present

28 Feb

With CP+ 2016 in full swing, we stopped by a very crowded Ricoh booth to get our hands on the hotly anticipated Pentax K-1 full-frame DSLR. During our visit, we couldn’t help but notice something very special hiding in the back – the original Pentax full-frame DSLR prototype from Photokina 2000. Take a look, as we take a peek at Pentax full-frame – both past and present.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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