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CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

24 Feb

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Voigtländer announced three new lenses at this year’s CP+ show in Yokohama, for the Sony E Mount. We’re at the show, and we made our way to the Voigtländer booth earlier to take a closer look at the Nokton classic 35mm F1.4, Nokton 40mm F1.2, and Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm F2 (pictured above).

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

This is the Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm F2, which like all Voigtländer primes, is finished to a very high standard. A physical aperture ring with well-placed 1/3EV detents is positioned – rangefinder style – at the far end of the lens, and a broad, knurled focusing ring further back, towards the camera. The red, green and blue flashes are a nod to the older and much sought-after 125/2.5 APO-Lanthar.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Electrical contacts communicate EXIF to the camera body, which is a big advantage in manual lenses.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

At its minimum focusing distance, the 62mm can achieve a maximum magnification of 1:2. Not quite ‘true’ macro, but not bad. As you can see though, despite its modest focal length, the lens extends considerable when in its near-macro focus range.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

At infinity on the other hand, it’s a pleasantly compact short telephoto prime.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

The Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm F2 Aspherical was announced at Photokina 2016 as a concept, but is now moving towards production. Pricing and availability has yet to be confirmed.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Here is the Nokton 40mm F1.2 Aspherical – a fast, ‘normal’ prime lens for the Sony E mount. Cosmetically similar to the 65mm macro, the 40mm is more compact, obviously much brighter lens.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

The fastest 40mm ever made for full frame (in case you’ve been waiting for one) the 40mm Nokton is based on an older VM (Leica M) mount lens, but has been ‘optimized’ for Sony E mount.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Again, electrical contacts ensure that EXIF information is recorded to the camera. According to Voigtländer’s (slightly imprecisely translated) press release, the 40mm Nokton features a ‘weak aperture stop click release mechanism’ for smooth, clickless aperture progression in video shooting. Full disclosure – we couldn’t figure out how to engage it, but it’s been a very long day.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

A close focusing distance of 40cm isn’t amazing, but that’s one of the tradeoffs of such a fast maximum aperture. Again, pricing and availability of the 40mm Nokton has yet to be confirmed, but we’ll update this story if and when the information becomes available.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Another design adapted from an older lens, the Nokton classic 35mm F1.4 is an E-mount version of the M-mount Nokton that Voigtländer has been selling for some time. This lens was only on show under glass, so we didn’t get to handle it. We’d expect it to be built to the same high standard as the older M-mount version though.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Another view of the Nokton 35mm, showing off its minimalist design.

CP+ 2017: Hands-on with new Voigtländer E-mount primes

Again, in the rangefinder style, the Nokton classic features a slim aperture ring positioned at the front of the lens. A broad focusing ring makes up most of the lens’s length.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

24 Feb

CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

Ricoh has added two prime lenses to its full-frame lens roadmap for the Pentax K-1: the forthcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.4. Although details are scant, we did sneak a peek at the 50mm, which was showcased in a plexiglass box on the show floor.

Here it is – the forthcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4 ‘reference lens’.

CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

If you look closely at the gold ring on the lens barrel, a strip of tape has been used to cover up some lettering, after the lens name. We wonder whether it conceals ‘WR’. We’d expect flagship primes to be weather-sealed, but it’s possible that this aspect of the specification has yet to be finalized.

CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

Although this appears to be a cosmetically (more or less) final lens, it stayed firmly under plexiglass. We asked really nicely, but this was as close as we could get.

CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

Designed to cover a full-frame imaging circle, the 50mm and 85mm primes will, according to Ricoh, deliver ‘high-contrast images and [a] beautiful bokeh (defocus) effect’.

CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

The FA* denotes flagship, reference lenses, which should represent the pinnacle of image quality for the K-mount when they are eventually released.

CP+ 2017: Ricoh teases upcoming D FA* 50mm F1.4

We’ll add more details (and images) if we can persuade someone to lift up the box and show us the lens at close quarters, but for now, here’s a picture of a Pentax KP that’s been cut in half, just to tide you over.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CP+ 2017: You want a Fujifilm GFX 50S (and we have the shots to prove it)

24 Feb

The Fujifilm GFX 50S is one of the most talked-about recent camera launches, and for good reason. Announced at Photokina last year, it’s Fujifilm’s first medium-format camera since the days of film.

It’s based around a familiar 51.4MP sensor, uses a new G-mount and offers weather sealing. With its late February launch imminent, we’ve just taken delivery of a production camera, in Yokohama. Take a look at some of the first images from this potentially groundbreaking new system.

See our Fujifilm GFX 50S sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year: winning photos announced

19 Feb

2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year

‘Dancing Octopus’ Gabriel Barathieu/UPY 2017

The winners of the 2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year compeition have been announced, and the photos are absolutely spectacular. The overall winner was Gabriel Barathieu with his image of an Octopus taken in the Lagoon of Mayotte on Mayotte Island.

He says, ‘In the lagoon of Mayotte, during spring low tides, there is very little water on the flats. Only 30 cm in fact. That’s when I took this picture. I had to get as close as possible to the dome to create this effect. The 14mm is an ultra wide angle lens with very good close focus which gives this effect of great size. The octopus appears larger, and the height of water also. Also, I didn’t need flash because I had lots of natural light.’

2017 British Underwater Photographer of the Year

‘Out of the Blue’ Nick Blake/UPY 2017

Kukulkan Cenote, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Kukulkan Cenote on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula forms part of the Chac Mool system and is noted for the spectacular light effects as the sun penetrates the darkness. I left my strobes behind for the natural light shot I wanted and positioned myself in the shadows of the cavern. Moving my eye around the viewfinder, I could see that the rock outline of the cavern around me made for a pleasing symmetry and I adjusted my position to balance the frame. The light show flickered on and off as the sun was periodically covered by cloud and as it reappeared, I beckoned to my buddy and dive guide, Andrea Costanza of ProDive, to edge into the illumination of some of the stronger beams, completing the composition. My journey from diver to underwater photographer has brought many amazing photographic opportunities and I feel humbled and privileged that this image has achieved such recognition.

2017 Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year

‘Oceanic in the Sky’ Horacio Martinez/UPY 2017

The Brothers, Egypt

This was my first Red Sea experience, and my first live-aboard-based photo workshop, so everything was interesting… but arduous. We were on the last dive of the day and I ventured a tad deeper to get closer portraits of the Oceanic White Tips, when I noticed this shark patrolling in the distance. I took a few shots to expose for the sun beams and the surface, and was pleased by the dreamlike effect. Oceanics are great subjects for close ups as they are anything but shy. Yet, every now and then it is great to try and capture their apparent loneliness, their wandering, and their independence in the big blue.

2017 Most Promising British Underwater Photographer

‘Orca Pod’ Nicholai Georgiou/UPY 2017

Tromso, Norway

Orcas are easily the most beautiful, intelligent and confident animals I’ve ever had the honor of spending time with. This photo was taken during an amazing week freediving with wild Orca in Norway. The days are quite short in winter and the water was around 5 degrees but we wore a thick wetsuit and of course with Orca around, the cold was quickly forgotten. The light had a really nice colour from the setting sun as this graceful pod of Orca swam by nice and close. It was a moment which will be hard to top and I’m glad to have this image to share it.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Frozen Hunting’ Fabrice Guerin/UPY 2017

Andenes, Norway

Judge’s comments:

A stunning behavioral image of a humpback in shallow water scattering herring taken in very tough conditions. The photographer did very well in very dark waters to record this breath-taking scene sharply.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Finally Whalesharks’ Patrick Neumann/UPY 2017

Gorontalo, Indonesia, Central Sulawesi

Although I have been diving for more than 30 years with over 3000 dives, I had never saw a Whaleshark before. When I was working on a liveaboard in Thailand twice the whole boat saw one but not me and my group. Among my friends it was already a running gag. If you want to see Whalesharks don`t dive with Patrick. On our latest trip through Indonesia a friend told me that recently there are some around the Gorontalo area so we changed our plans and went there to end my whaleshark dilemma. We drove out to the divesite and everything was perfect. Very good visibility, no waves and a bright sunny day. Now only the big guy had to be there to make it really happen. When we entered the water there was not one Whaleshark… but 6 of them! You can imagine my happiness.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Views at Dawn’ Pasquale Vassallo/UPY 2017

Miseno, Gulf of Naples, Italy

Over the past few months, my photographic work has focused primarily on the large presence of species of jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo, in the Gulf of Naples. In this picture a couple of crabs, Liocarcinus vernalis species, are its tenants.
When the jellyfish rub the sandy seabed, the crabs jump on it and get carried to different areas.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Humpback whale feeding on krill’ Jean Tresfon/UPY 2017

A few miles offshore from Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

Every summer hundreds of humpback whales gather off the Cape Town coast in a massive feeding aggregation. Working as part of a film crew I was privileged to have a chance to photograph this phenomenon. Although the water visibility was really good, inside the krill patch it was much reduced. Without warning the whales appeared just metres away with their pleats distended as they surfaced with huge mouthfuls of krill. Realising that they must be feeding deeper down I descended into the darker water to find the thickest concentration of krill. Suddenly a humpback appeared right in front of me, its huge mouth wide open as it sieved the water for the tiny crustaceans. I took several images before it disappeared into the gloom and then I was surrounded by a multitude of massive bodies as the rest of the pod took its turn to feed. Not a little intimidating!

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Big Red’ Guglielmo Cicerchia/UPY 2017

Giannutri Island, Italy

During the dive I found a fishing net in which many fish were trapped still alive. They were struggling to get free. Using a slow shutter speed and zooming during the exposure I wanted to emphasize the attempt to break free from the fishing net.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Imp of darkness’ Damien Mauric/UPY 2017

Isla Fernandina, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

On his visit to the Galapagos islands, Charles Darwin was revolted by the animals’ appearance, writing: “The black Lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large, disgusting clumsy Lizards. They are as black as the porous rocks over which they crawl & seek their prey from the Sea. I call them ‘imps of darkness’. They assuredly well-become the land they inhabit.” The marine iguana are all but monsters. Endemic to the Galapagos, it’s a rare privilege to share a moment underwater with this animal now considered as an endangered species.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Green Turtles in the rays’ Greg Lecoeur/UPY 2017

Tenerife, Spain

During a diving trip to Tenerife, I came across these green turtles. It was early morning and the sunbeams pierced the surface. I adjusted the setting of my camera and I waited for the turtles to come close enough to trigger my camera. After a little while, the turtles were circling around us and it was a great opportunity to photograph them.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Clownfish Swirl’ Katherine Lu/UPY 2017

Semakau, Singapore

I shot this photo in the local waters of Singapore where the visibility is 3m on average. Scuba divers I know are always surprised that I dive there and most don’t even know there is great macro right off our shores. I wanted to do something different and turn a nudibranch commonly found in our waters into a piece of art. I have always been fascinated by bubbles and the inspiration for this photo came about when I was reading about aquatic plants that produce oxygen bubbles from photosynthesis. The images of the bubbles sticking to the green leaves had an abstract quality and hence came the idea to create Nudibranch Art.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Prey?’ So Yat Wai/UPY 2017

Anilao, Phillipines

This photo was shot during a blackwater dive in Anilao. Even though the larvae mantis shrimp (left) is very small, it still a predator which uses its raptorial appendages to hunt. Has it spotted the prey and is ready to pounce?

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Competition’ Richard Shucksmith/UPY 2017

Shetland Isles, United Kingdom

I was out off the coast making images for SCOTLAND: The Big Picture – a project about re-wilding that produces images to amplify the case for a wilder Scotland. Hundreds of gannets were circling the boat looking for the fish that were being thrown over the side. Suddenly a single bird dives and the others seeing it as an indicator and 20, 30, 40 birds are diving at once. Because of this behaviour competition between gannets is always going occur creating several gannets diving for the same fish. I could hear the birds as they hit the water right above my head just before they appeared in front of the camera. A great experience.

2017 Underwater Photography Awards

‘Capturing History’ Tanya Houppermans/UPY 2017

Wreck of the U-352, North Carolina, US

An underwater photographer lines up a shot of the conning tower of the wreck of the U-352 off the coast of North Carolina, USA. During WWII, German U-boats patrolled the waters just off the east coast of the U.S. In May 1942 the U-352 fired upon the USCGC Icarus but missed. The Icarus retaliated, and sunk the U-352 in 120ft of water 26 miles southeast of Beaufort Inlet. During this particular dive the visibility was especially good, so my goal was to capture wide angle images with as much of the wreck in the frame as I could get. As I was lining up the shot, a fellow photographer was focusing on the conning tower, so I decided to include him in the image to give a sense of scale to the wreck.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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The people and the sights of WPPI 2017

11 Feb

The people and the sights of WPPI 2017

This year’s Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) conference took place in Las Vegas from February 6th through the 9th, and DPReview was there. While we did see a few surprise announcements at this show, WPPI is chiefly an opportunity for industry leading photographers to showcase their work, provide workshops and information sessions, and for visitors take in a wide array of accessories that you never knew you needed and now can’t live without (and, of course, many that you probably can).

We spoke to some of those leading photographers about what their chief takeaways were from WPPI this year, as well as took in some of the sights as we traversed the show floor in the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center.

Sights of WPPI 2017: Print competition

First up, it’s important to note that big parts of WPPI are the print and album competitions, with literally hundreds of stunning prints on display for all to see. They run the gamut from contrasty staged portraits to black and white wedding photojournalism, with a good amount of abstracts thrown in for good measure. It’s a fantastic (and easy) way to kill a couple of hours on the show floor.

People of WPPI 2017: Peter Hurley, with hair

He’ll never look the same. Well, at least not for a very long time. Here seen showing off his trademark ‘squinch,’ Peter Hurley actually shaved and donated his hair to Locks of Love on the final day of the show, after this photo was taken.

When asked what stood out to him about this year’s conference, Hurley said, “we have fifty people here as part of the headshot crew, and after starting it just five years ago, it’s been amazing to see how the community has grown.”

Sights of WPPI 2017: Fresh lenses

In case you missed it, we saw some announcements for lenses from both Sony and Tamron at the show this year. Tamron announced new ‘G2’ versions of two zooms, their 70-200mm F2.8 and 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 lenses, which will retail for $ 1299 and $ 499, respectively, when they arrive this Spring.

Sony also had some surprise announcements, including an FE 100mm F2.8 STF G Master that promises to have some exceedingly smooth out-of-focus characteristics, as well as an FE 85mm F1.8 that brings an affordable 85mm option to the lineup. They will retail for $ 1500 and $ 600, respectively, and are expected to arrive come March.

People of WPPI: Cliff Mautner

Cliff Mautner is a wedding photographer who serves both Philadelphia and New York and has a background in photojournalism at the Philadelphia Inquirer. We got a chance to catch up with him at this, his fourteenth time attending WPPI.

For Mautner, WPPI is “all about community…this is worldwide recognition. What comes out of this convention generally sets a tone for the wedding and portrait industry globally.”

Sights of WPPI: Furry animals

Given the wide variety of styles and conventions for portrait photography, there was an abundance of themed backgrounds, knit outfits and hats for toddlers, and of course, stuffed animal props guaranteed to up the ‘cuteness’ factor of your newborn and children’s photography.

We found ourselves particularly drawn to a small assortment of imitation chicks, all holding differing poses poses and mimicking varying activities to suit whatever your creative cuteness needs may be.

People of WPPI: Brian Smith

Brian Smith is a portrait photographer specializing in celebrities, athletes and executives, and despite an extensive and impressive list of such clients, he is approachable, unassuming and professional. Smith’s favorite part of WPPI is the general attitudes of the attendees, which are chiefly of expanding creative expression and overall improvement. He enjoys being a presenter and giving attendees tools to make their photographs even better.

Sights of WPPI: Printing products before your eyes

3D printing has been around for a while, but we DPReview editors still felt we got a little dose of science fiction when we stopped by the 3D Flex Flash booth. Their products, designed to act as light modifiers for professional flash guns, are flexible (and therefore easily packable), and are created entirely via 3D printing, as they were demonstrating throughout the show. They offer the Wyng, a bounce diffuser (or flag if you get it in black) as well as the Nest, which is a sort of mini softbox and has optional grid attachments.

People of WPPI: Kenna Klosterman

Kenna Klosterman is a Seattle-based photographer and tour guide specializing on photo tours in Cuba, though she’s traveled to over 40 countries in total. She’s also a Host + Community Connector at CreativeLive, and finds that what she likes most about WPPI is getting to interact with people in the portrait and wedding photography industry in person. “So much of what we do is online,” Klosterman says. “It’s not so much the products for me [at this show], it’s all about the people.”

Sights of WPPI: Coffee faces

I mean, it wouldn’t be a photography show if you couldn’t get your headshot printed into a latte, would it? They’re whipped up in a special Sony lounge section of the show floor. Simply show your Sony camera (our own Wenmei Hill was toting an RX100 V in her purse) to get a caffeinated consumable of your likeness for your very own.

People of WPPI: Dixie Dixon

We ran into Dixie Dixon this year at WPPI’s Nikon booth before the hit the stage for a talk on ‘Bringing the Soul of Fashion to Life.’ Dixon is a commercial fashion photographer whose work takes her around the world. Dixie’s first camera was a Nikon FG which got her into photography at the age of twelve, and she’s become one of the original sixteen Nikon Ambassadors of the US.

Sights of WPPI: Touch the future of photo booths

Foto Master is hoping to bring some ease to the photo booth business. The Mirror Me Booth hides a touchscreen and digital camera behind one-way glass, making for a polished (pun intended) and intuitive photo booth experience. You simply tap to initiate the process, and can later input your printing or delivery preferences, as well as sign your group selfies.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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2017 Oskar Barnack award offers €80,000 prize fund

11 Jan

The Unbearable, the Sadness and the Rest
Clémentine Schneidermann
Winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award Newcomer 2016

Leica has announced that entries for its 2017 Oskar Barnack award will be accepted from 1st March and that the winner will receive €25,000 in cash and €10,000 worth of M-system equipment comprising a body and lenses. The theme for this year is ‘the interaction between people and their environment’ and entrants are expected to submit a series of between ten and twelve images that were all or mostly shot during 2016-17.

In addition to the main prize, there will be a Newcomer Award for 25s and under that will consist of €10,000 of cash and €10,000’s worth of M-system camera and lenses. Ten other photographers will receive a prize of €2,500 for being in the shortlist.

The competition is open to professional and, in the case of the Newcomer Award, prospective professional photographers and there is only one entry per person. Images do not have to have been shot on Leica equipment.

Entry closes on April 10th and the winners will be awarded their prizes at a ceremony in Berlin. For more information and to see the winners from previous years visit the Leica Oskar Barnack Award website.

Press release

Leica announces Oskar Barnack Award 2017

Dates confirmed for prestigious annual Leica Camera AG photographic competition

Now in its 37th year, Leica has announced the opening dates for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2017. Those wishing to enter the renowned international competition for professional photographers, in addition to the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award’ (for up-and coming photographers under the age of 25), can submit their entries between 1 March and 10 April 2017.

The competition calls for the submission of a self-contained series of between ten and twelve images, in which the photographer perceives and documents the interaction between people and their environment in a creative and ground-breaking style. Eligible for submission are portfolios of photographs captured in 2016 and 2017, or work from long-term projects including at least some images taken within this period. From 1 March 2017, entry forms and the terms and conditions of entry, will be available on the competition website at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com.

As in the previous year, the presentation of the awards to the winners in both categories will take place at a gala ceremony in Berlin. Oskar Barnack, the inventor of the revolutionary and iconic ‘Ur-Leica’ 35mm camera, began his career in the German capital. Indeed, in 1959, close to the Giesensdorfer Schule in Berlin – attended by Barnack as a child, and where children are still taught today – a street was named ‘Barnackufer’ to commemorate the school’s most famous pupil.

With prizes amounting to a total cash value of 80,000 euros, the ‘Leica Oskar Barnack Award’ is one of the industry’s most prestigious photographic competitions. The winner in the main category will be honoured with a cash prize of 25,000 euros and Leica M-System equipment (a camera and lens) valued at an additional 10,000 euros. The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive a cash prize of 10,000 euros and will also receive a Leica rangefinder camera and lens. In addition to the two main categories, a further ten submissions to the competition will each be honoured with prizes of 2,500 euros. The portfolios entered by all finalists will be published on the www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com website and in a magazine published specially for the competition.

Further details will be announced during the year.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CES 2017 show highlights: from the weird to the (kind of) wonderful

10 Jan

CES 2017: Show highlights

This year’s consumer electronics extravaganza in Las Vegas was the usual combination of the weird and wonderful, showcasing everything from a fish-finding underwater drone to Panasonic’s flagship DC-GH5. DPReview was there – click through the slides above to see what we found.

CES 2017: Show highlights

One of the first booths we stopped at was Canon’s. Here, the company was showing off a range of technologies, including the 250MP APS-H format sensor that they’ve been wheeling out at various trade shows over the past year or so. Here you can see an 800mm lens attached to the sensor housing.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Just around the corner is another technology demo, but this one is a shipping product. The ME20F-SH was announced back in 2015, and made headlines for its ability to capture HD footage at equivalent ISO sensitivities up to 4 million, but it is now in the hands of filmmakers. At CES, Canon was showing off full-color sample footage of the African savannah shot in collaboration with a National Geographic filmcrew, and captured in almost complete darkness.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Back to consumer digital imaging, and Canon was also showcasing its newest compact camera, the PowerShot G9 X Mark II. Externally almost indistinguishable from its predeCESsor, the pocketable G9 X Mark II is much faster, especially in Raw mode.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Meanwhile, just across the hall, Nikon was entertaining attendees with the return of ‘Project Helix’. Now featuring 72 simultaneously-triggered Nikon D750 full-frame DSLRs and one KeyMission 360, Helix creates an interactive 360-degree image of whoever steps into the ring.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Here are some of the 72 Nikon D750s, and their companion 14-24mm F2.8 lenses. That’s roughly a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of gear, right there.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Considerably less expensive is the new Nikon D5600, launched last year in Europe and Asia, and officially announced in the USA at this year’s CES. Boasting a 24MP sensor, 39-point AF system an redesigned body, the D5600 is an attractive beginners’ DSLR.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Over to the Ricoh booth, where this show floor demo Pentax K-1 has had its magnesium alloy swapped for clear polycarbonate, to show off the camera’s inner workings.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Also on the Ricoh booth was an interesting technology demo showing what happens when the Theta 360 is hooked up to a Pentax K-1. While the 360 takes care of a low-resolution 360-degree image, the K-1 can capture a high-resolution image of a portion of the scene. The resulting multi-image file can be explored in the same way as a conventional Theta 360-image, with the addition of higher-resolution inserts.

Currently only a technology demonstration, We can imagine this being particularly useful for businesses, and real-estate photography.

CES 2017: Show highlights

This is Kodak’s Super 8 video camera, which offers a hybrid of very old technology (super 8 film) with modern digital display and audio. The Super 8 camera features a digital live view display (albeit not a very good one) and digital audio recording, in a stylish body.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Much more modern is Panasonic’s Lumix DC-GH5. Definitely the highest-profile camera release of CES 2017, the GH5 is a flagship Micro Four Thirds 4K stills/video camera which also incorporates a ‘6K photo’ mode and a range of advanced stills photography features.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Not exactly new, but a new look at least – this is the just-unveiled ‘Graphite’ edition of Fujifilm’s X-Pro2, shipping soon with its matching 23mm F2 lens.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Ambarella may not be a brand name that rolls off your tongue, but chances are pretty good you own their products since the company makes the cameras and SOCs that power some of the industry’s most popular devices. We were really impressed by the Yi 4K action cam, which uses the company’s new H2 SOC to deliver stunning 4K/60p video.

CES 2017: Show highlights

What happens when you arrange 128 Canon Rebels in a sphere? If you’re Solidiphy, you sync them up, stitch the photos together, and send the results to a 3D printer. We gave it a try and will report back when we receive our Barney and Dale action figures.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Along with vinyl records, slide film, and 1980s video game consoles, instant prints are doing their part to drive the retro revolution. The Polaroid Pop brings back the classic 3.5 x 4.25″ instant print format using ZINK Zero Ink printing technology. A representative told us the Pop should be available ‘later in 2017.’

CES 2017: Show highlights

Speaking of retro… If you’ve been saying to yourself “Gee whiz, I sure do wish I had an old fashioned console TV on which to view my photos,” your day has arrived thanks to Broksonic. It’s actually a flat screen mounted in a console, but the analog spirit is there. If we get a review unit we’ll order up a bunch of frozen TV dinners to give it a spin.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Sony didn’t have any new gear to show off at CES 2017, but this tech was keeping himself busy repairing a6000-series bodies as part of Sony’s Pro Support program.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Touch it. Touch the future.

CES 2017: Show highlights

WE TAKE IT BACK – WE DON’T LIKE THE FUTURE!

CES 2017: Show highlights

If there was one product class that dominated this year’s CES, it was drones. From the very big…

CES 2017: Show highlights

…to the very small…

CES 2017: Show highlights

…to the downright silly.

CES 2017: Show highlights

One of the most popular products of the show was a drone that doesn’t even fly. The PowerVision PowerRay is an underwater drone with integrated 4K camera – perfect for filming your tropical adventures. (Note: mermaid not included.)

CES 2017: Show highlights

Not do be outdone by their own underwater drone, PowerVision also introduced the PowerEgg. It’s a drone. Shaped like an egg. Because… eggs. Right? After all, who hasn’t said to themselves, “I love drones, I just wish they were shaped like eggs?”

CES 2017: Show highlights

And yet, it’s strangely cool and fun to fly!

And to think, we put a man on the moon…

CES 2017: Show highlights

Speaking of which, NASA was raising the average IQ of its fellow exhibitors just a short distance away, with a couple of small robots in tow. This one, called ‘Rovey’ (we’re not making that up) is a demonstrator used in schools and colleges. Loosely modeled on the Curiosity Rover, Rovey was obviously feeling the chill a little, over in the South Hall. Unfortunately, Rovey was nowhere near the BB-8 droid we saw rolling around, so chances for a robot romance were slim.

CES 2017: Show highlights

If VR is your thing, this Drone Volt aerial machine should be on your radar. It combines video from two separate GoPro Omni rigs (a total of 12 cameras) for a high quality VR experience that stitches the drone right out of the picture. Just don’t crash it…

CES 2017: Show highlights

In the future, all cars will look like this. Apparently.

CES 2017: Show highlights

Ride it. Ride the future.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CES 2017: Hands-on with the Kodak Super 8

08 Jan

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

First launched in 1965, Kodak’s Super 8 format was one of the most influential developments in amateur filmmaking. And now it’s back, with an all-new (kind of) camera. We headed to the Kodak booth earlier today to get our hands on one.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

The new Super 8 camera is truly a hybrid of the very old, and the very new. At its heart is a cartridge of 8mm film, totaling 50 feet in length. How many minutes of footage you can shoot depends on which frame-rate you select. The Super 8 camera can shoot at 18, 24, 25, or 36 fps.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

The ‘viewfinder’ is a 3.5in LCD, which provides a live view image, via a split-prism behind the attached lens. Although a large flipping, tilting screen is definitely a huge improvement over classic all-analog Super 8 cameras of the past, the live view image is hazy, grainy, and hard to use as a means of judging critical focus. In other words – pretty familiar, if you’ve ever shot Super 8 before.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

The main control on the Super 8 camera is the circular ‘wheel’, shown here on the body, facing the flipped-out screen. It works rather like a second-generation iPod. The central button brings up a menu, and the touch-sensitive wheel allows you to navigate the settings by scrolling. The screen itself is not touch-sensitive.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

Super 8 cameras will be bundled with a manual focus Ricoh 6mm F1.2 prime lens (roughly equivalent to a 40mm F7 in 35mm terms) but the C-mount is compatible with a huge number of lenses stretching back decades.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

Here’s that click wheel in action. The Super 8 is reasonably customizable. Many of the features that would have been managed with physical switches in the past (like frame rate) can be set in the camera’s menus. As a result, the camera body is impressively clean and minimalist.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

The Super 8 is a true ‘hybrid’ device. While the film takes care of the images, sound can be recorded to an SD card, via an external microphone. Cartridges must be mailed back to Kodak for development, and the price (TBC) will include film development, scanning and uploading to the cloud.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Kodak Super 8

Oh yes – and Kodak has also promised to bring back Ektachrome!

It feels a bit surreal to be covering the launch of new film products in 2017, especially from Kodak, but after using an almost production-ready sample of the Super 8 camera today we’re actually pretty impressed by how well the company has married the analog and digital sides of the product. What do you think?

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CES 2017: hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

07 Jan

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

We’re at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada where Canon has taken the wraps off a new high-end compact camera: the PowerShot G9 X Mark II. We dropped by the Canon booth to take a closer look.

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

Externally, the G9 X Mark II looks a lot like the PowerShot Mark I. In fact, the two cameras are almost impossible to tell apart. Canon even forgot to add a ‘II’ to the name. The improvements are all internal.

An upgraded Digic VII processor provides a major speed boost, enabling continuous shooting up to 8.2 fps (compared to 1fps in the original G9 X). Canon has also added Dual Sensing Image Stabilization, meaning that information from the lens and sensor is combined to offer a claimed 3.5 stops of image stabilization.

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

The G9 X Mark II uses the same 20MP 1-inch sensor as its forebear, and the same 28-82mm equiv. F2-4.9 lens. Aside from the faster continuous shooting, other additions include greater customization options, improved AF tracking, better scene recognition in auto mode and in-camera Raw conversion.

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

In terms of body size, the two cameras are identical, too, making the Mark II a highly attractive pocket compact, just like its predecessor.

This image gives a good indication of the G9 X Mark II’s slim construction. When turned off (shown here) the body is a mere 31mm thick.

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

The GX9 II gets a bit bigger when it’s powered up, but not much. Here you can also see the main control dial around the lens. This ring can be customized to serve various functions. By default, it controls the main exposure parameter (i.e., aperture, in Av mode).

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

The rear of the G9 X Mark II is dominated by a large touch-sensitive LCD, boasting 1.04 million dots. It’s fixed, which keeps the camera nice and slim, but could mean that it’s a bit harder to take selfies.

CES 2017: Hands-on with the Canon PowerShot G9 X II

A tiny flash (gn 6) can be popped up manually for fill light and social photography. The G9 X Mark II is set to ship next month in your choice of black or silver, for $ 529.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

06 Jan

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

The D5600 was originally announced in Europe and Asia late last year, but now – surprise surprise – it’s coming to the USA. The D5600 sports a slimmed-down body compared to the D5500. We got our hands on it at CES.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

In terms of specs, the D5600 offers only minor improvements over the D5500, but that’s not a bad thing. The D5500 was a very fully-featured, enjoyable camera to use. Key features include a 24MP APS-C format sensor, and 39-point phase-detection autofocus system. ISO sensitivity spans 100-25600 and the D5600 can shoot at a maximum frame-rate of 5 fps.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

The D5600 lacks a front control dial (you’ll have to save up for a 7000-series body for that) but the rear control dial is large and well-placed for operation with your thumb. Control layout is typical Nikon, with a large exposure mode dial to the right of the pentaprism hump, and a toggle-style live view selection lever.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

The built-in flash is operated with a button just above the lens release, and when the flash is popped-up, this button doubles as a flash exposure compensation control, in concert with the rear control dial. This view also shows labeling for the D5600’s built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features. The addition of Nikon’s ‘Snapbridge’ suite is one of the few additional features compared to the D5500.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

One of the major selling points of the D5000-series has always been the relatively small, lightweight camera bodies. The D5600 takes things even further in this direction, with a significantly downsized, monocoque body shell.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

It’s hard to really appreciate from looking at a picture, but the D5600 feels almost incredibly slim when compared to previous D5000-series DSLRs. The deeper grip and thinner body make a real difference to handling. I was reminded of the experience of picking up a D750 for the first time and comparing it to a D700.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

This image shows off the D5600’s deep grip to good effect. The depth of the lens throat is fixed, but the body around it has been slimmed-down considerably.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

The D5600 offers a conventional rear control layout, with most buttons arranged to the right of the large 3.2″ LCD screen. The screen itself is touch-sensitive, and offers a resolution of 1.04 million dots. The ability to quickly scrub through images by touch is a nice addition, inherited from the pro-grade D500.

CES 2017: Hands-on with Nikon D5600

The D5000-series is the only place in Nikon’s DSLR lineup where you’ll find fully-articulated rear LCD screens, as befitting their role as hybrid stills and video cameras. Although the D5600 isn’t 4K-capable, its HD video feature set is solid, and well-suited to beginners and occasional videographers. HD footage can be captured at up to 60p.

The D5600 will be sold in several kits. It will be available body-only for $ 699, with the AF-P 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens for $ 799, with the 18-140mm F3.5-5.6G lens for $ 1199, and with the AF-P 18-55 and non-VR AF-P 70-300mm F4.5-6.3G lenses for $ 1149. All of these kits will be available this month.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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