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Hands-on: What you need to know about the new Leica SL2

07 Nov

Hands-on with the new Leica SL2

It’s been four years since the launch of the SL – Leica’s first full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (no, we’re not counting the M9). The new SL2 updates its predecessor in every important way.

We’ve been using one for a little while, and in this article we’ll give you a rundown of the most important features. Click through to learn all about the new Leica SL2.

New 47.3MP full-frame sensor and processor

The SL2 features a new 47MP full-frame sensor, and ‘Maestro III’ processor. One of the SL’s original selling points was a special microlens array, tweaked to deliver optimal image quality when shooting with adapted M-series lenses. The SL2’s sensor follows suit, making it potentially very appealing to M-series shooters looking for a practical mirrorless solution – especially for wide-angle lenses, which can vignette heavily when adapted to other systems.

Leica claims that the new sensor in the SL2 will feature 14 stops of Raw dynamic range. Assuming that performance will be similar to the sensor in the previously-tested Q2, this should mean that the SL2 is highly competitive with its full-frame peers, but around 1EV behind the absolute best of them. We certainly don’t have any complaints after our initial shooting, but we’ll be testing IQ in full once we receive a reviewable camera.

5-Axis in-body stabilization

As well as more pixels and those fancy microlenses, the SL2’s sensor is also mechanically stabilized – a first for the SL line. Leica claims a benefit of up to 5.5 stops (CIPA) which should greatly increase the SL2’s versatility in some shooting situations, particularly in poor light. This is in line with the figures quoted for Panasonic Lumix S1R, which it’s probably safe to assume features both a closely related sensor and suspension stabilization mechanism.

Redesigned body and ergonomics

The SL was a camera that probably looked great in a design program on someone’s computer screen, but which a lot of photographers found rather uncomfortable to shoot with, thanks to its preponderance of bare metal surfaces, its heavy weight and a lot of sharp edges. The SL2 looks enough like its predecessor not to represent a complete departure (and it’s not substantially smaller or lighter) but its an altogether more rounded, more comfortable camera, with a much nicer grip.

Leica has also refreshed the control logic of the SL2, to bring it closer to the Q2 and M10-series. As such, even though Leica has added several new customization options, the SL2 is a simpler camera to pick up and use straight out of the box. With an IP54 certification, it’s somewhat tougher than the original SL, too – at least on paper.

5.76M-dot EVF

Like its close cousin the Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R, the SL2 offers a high-resolution 5.76M-dot OLED viewfinder and a binoculars-style diopter control around the eyepiece. The EVF offers around a 25% linear resolution improvement over the 3.69M-dot panels used by most of its rivals, and in use it’s superb: bright, contrasty and very crisp.

3.2″ rear touchscreen

Another major upgrade compared to the original SL is the rear LCD, which has been increased in size and resolution. With a 3.2″ diagonal and an effective resolution of 2.1MP, the panel is a significant step up in terms of usability compared to the screen on the back of the original SL. Touch-sensitivity has also been improved over the SL, providing a fast and convenient means of adjusting settings during LCD shooting. During EVF shooting, you can quickly change your desired AF point using the small joystick at upper right.

Just like the SL, the SL2’s rear screen is fixed, something which is becoming increasingly rare among full-frame cameras, and which may bother some potential customers (especially videographers).

Twin UHS-II slots

The SL2 has two card slots, both of which support the UHS-II standard. As we’d expect, you can tell the camera to treat the second slot as overflow, backup, or split file types between the cards, recording stills on one and video files on the other.

Multishot mode

Leica has made use of that suspended sensor to add a ‘Multishot’ mode, which combines multiple exposures (up to eight) to create DNG files of up to 187MP. This feature will be added next year via a forthcoming firmware update.

In this picture you can see the small 1.3″, 128 x 128 pixel LCD status panel on the SL2’s top plate, which shows key shooting settings.

Continuous shooting and ‘Leica Object Detection’ AF

We’re not used to saying this about Leica’s cameras, but the SL2 is fast. While it probably won’t give the Sony a9 II or Canon EOS-1D X Mark III a run for their money, the SL2’s maximum continuous shooting rate of 20 fps in electronic shutter mode is very respectable, and 10 fps in mechanical shutter mode isn’t too shabby either. There are a couple of catches though: we’d expect image quality to take a hit in e-shutter mode under certain lighting conditions (specifically under some types of artificial lighting), and focus is locked in both 10 and 20 fps shooting. Autofocus tracking is available at 6 fps.

Leica Object Detection AF appears to be closely related to Panasonic’s face / eye / body-detection, and detects human subjects starting with their body shape, before narrowing down (if it can) to faces and eyes. There are a total of 225 autofocus points, and like previous Leica cameras (and the Panasonic S1-series), AF is contrast-detection.

Video

The Leica SL2 has a very respectable suite of video features, with a headline resolution of 4k/60p, captured from virtually the full width of its sensor. An even higher-resolution 5K/30p mode is available from a cropped region, but we’re still waiting for full details on exactly how much of a crop is employed.

Video can be shot in 8 or 10-bit modes straight to the memory card, or output as a 10-bit stream via the full-sized HDMI port. Three video gamma profiles are available: Rec. 709, L-Log Rec. 2020 and HLG Rec. 2020.

Meanwhile, the SL2 can of course also capture HD video, at up to 180fps. A new ‘Cine mode’ essentially switches the SL2 into fully manual operation (including focus) and translates key exposure settings into video-appropriate language: shutter angle, ASA and T-stop.

Ports, connectivity and battery

Alongside a full-size HDMI port, the SL2 also features a headphone socket and mic jack (both 3.5mm) as well as a USB-C 3.1 port. The SL2 can be charged over USB but cannot be powered solely by it.

Battery life from the included BP-SCL4 is a stated 370 images (CIPA) which is pretty standard for this class of camera (it’s actually a little better than the stated battery life of the Nikon Z7), but as usual we’d expect you’ll get a lot more shots per charge than that in normal shooting.

Pricing and availability

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity are also built-in and Leica has updated its Fotos app, which also now comes in a ‘Made for iPad’ version. This offers Lightroom integration and extra pro features available for $ 50 per year.

The Leica SL2 will be available in Leica stores and Boutiques starting on November 21st for $ 5,995. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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What the Z50 tells us about Nikon’s APS-C strategy

13 Oct

APS-C is a strange sensor format. Derived from the dimensions of the short-lived Advanced Photo System film negative, it emerged as the dominant format in the early days of the DSLR revolution largely because for many years, full-frame digital sensors weren’t a practical option in consumer-level cameras. Canon used the even more obscure APS-H format for a few generations of its sports-oriented EOS-1D series, but by 2012, full-frame was solidly (re)established as the ‘professional’ format for both of two biggest D/SLR manufacturers.

Given the inherent messiness of adapting film-era platforms to digital, it’s no surprise that the respective APS-C strategies of the major D/SLR manufacturers have seemed a little confused at times over the past couple of decades. Now though, with every one of them (except Pentax/Ricoh) either defunct or offering at least one mirrorless lens mount, we are officially, finally, in a post-film era. As such, you’d hope that the battle lines in the so-called ‘format war’ might have become a little clearer.

So what does the Z50 tell us about Nikon’s APS-C strategy?

Well, the first thing it tells us is that there actually is a strategy. Nikon clearly believes that right now, and for the foreseeable future, a market exists for cameras which do not contain full-frame sensors.

Here’s Naoki Kitaoka, Department Manager of the UX Planning Department in the Marketing Sector of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, in conversation with me back in March.

“Since we launched the Z series, our DX format DSLR users have been asking us to apply mirrorless technology to the DX format as well. If we employ APS-C sensors [in mirrorless] maybe the system can be made even smaller”

Boiled down, this translates to ‘our customers have been asking for mirrorless APS-C, and we may take that opportunity to create even smaller cameras’. These hints, plus the steady flow of rumors over the past few months, made the Z50 (or something like it) inevitable.

To dismiss DX format Z-mount at this stage is like deciding a TV show will never be good because you don’t like the pilot

My colleagues Richard and Carey probably speak for a lot of our readers when they say that on the face of it, the Z50 feels a little underwhelming, and I tend to agree with them. But we all know that one camera and a couple of kit lenses alone do not represent a fully executed plan. It would be silly to dismiss DX format Z-mount development at this stage – it’s rather like deciding a TV show will never be any good just because you don’t like the pilot.

The Z50 (L) shares a lot of its DNA with the full-frame Z6 (R), including a generous grip and twin-dial ergonomics. Its main differentiators compared to Nikon’s FX line are size, weight, accessibility and cost.

What future for enthusiast APS-C?

However, the fact that Nikon is pushing APS-C as ‘smaller’, and the fact that the Z50 isn’t launching with a fast prime lens or two is a pretty clear signal that – for now – the company would prefer enthusiasts and professionals to focus on its full-frame Z cameras. That doesn’t mean we won’t see (for example) a DX 23mm F1.4 at some point. I just think it’s unlikely to happen any time soon, and as per Nikon’s roadmap, definitely not in the next couple of years. If I were a betting man, I’d put money on Nikon’s next DX Z camera being a slimmed-down, cheaper version of the Z50.

In effect then, it looks like Nikon is doing with the Z mount what it has been doing with the F mount for the past ten years: Making APS-C products for beginners and hobbyists, and full-frame cameras for advanced enthusiasts and professionals. 1 For APS-C users that want to expand their creative horizons with additional, more serious lenses, they’ll have to invest in the FX lens lineup, and accept a 1.5X increase in effective focal length. Or, better yet, jump in with both feet and upgrade to a full-frame camera.

Exhibit A: Nikon’s spotty record when it comes to DX lens development for its F-mount DSLRs, which has seen only one dedicated DX prime (the Micro Nikkor 40mm 2.8) released in the past ten years.

Given the size and weight advantages bestowed by APS-C, manufacturers see more potential for entry-level users

Why this lack of dedicated DX lenses? The brutal fact is that most APS-C cameras that are sold are bundled with one lens – the kit zoom – and the majority of the people that buy them never add another lens to their collection. 2

There’s an argument to be made that this is a self-fulfilling prophesy – Nikon’s APS-C customers can’t very well buy lenses that don’t exist, can they? But look at the market as a whole – with a handful of honorable exceptions, there are very few high-quality lens options available for APS-C anywhere, including from third-parties.

The only manufacturer currently marketing a really convincing range of ‘professional’ APS-C products is Fujifilm. Skipping full-frame entirely, Fujifilm has focused on the strengths of the smaller format when it comes to speed and mobility, while its high-resolution medium format GF lineup caters to landscape and portrait professionals.

That doesn’t mean that enthusiast-focused APS-C systems are impossible (just look at Fujifilm) but it does help explain why the big hitters of the D/SLR era remain wary about spending a lot of money developing lenses optimized for this format.

Given the undeniable size and weight advantages bestowed by APS-C, manufacturers understandably see more potential here for attracting entry-level users, perhaps even first-time camera buyers upgrading from smartphones. Witness the Z50: A small stills/video camera, packed with Instagram-friendly filter effects, but versatile enough, and with a deep enough ergonomics to allow for creative growth.

What about Canon?

This is an article about Nikon, but I would like to briefly touch on Canon’s APS-C strategy. Here’s Canon, also speaking to us back in March, when we visited the CP+ tradeshow in Yokohama:

“We wanted to develop RF to its full potential, so we wanted the latest specifications, state-of-the art technology and design. In the process of developing a no-compromise system, it became apparent that this wouldn’t be compatible with EF-M.”

In short – when developing the RF system, Canon determined that any attempt to incorporate compatibility with EF-M would result in unacceptable compromises. Very likely, in other words, RF is full-frame only, now and forever.

Canon really doesn’t want you mounting an RF lens on an EOS M body, or putting an EF-S lens on a full-frame EOS DSLR

Whereas Nikon is now supporting, in effect, four lens lineups: Full-frame (FX) and APS-C (DX) for two systems, Canon’s four mounts (EF, EF-S, EF-M and RF) span three systems. Of those four flavors of lenses, only EF lenses can be used on all three mounts. An EF-S lens won’t go on a full-frame EOS body, an EF-M lens won’t go on a full-frame EOS or RF body, and an RF lens won’t go on an EOS or EOS M body.

On the face of it, that’s a muddle. Nikon’s approach, whereby DX and FX lenses are interchangeable on either format, but force either a crop or a focal length increase, appears more logical. But this cross-system incompatibility is probably very deliberate on Canon’s part. Even if it were mechanically possible, Canon wouldn’t want you mounting an RF lens on an EOS M body, or putting an EF-S lens on a full-frame EOS DSLR, because they don’t want you to cross the streams.

Canon’s EOS M6 II is the company’s most ‘serious’ EOS M camera to date, and operationally it’s quite similar to Nikon’s Z50. Both cameras are aimed at beginner and casual photographers, but both offer enough creative control to allow for growth (and differentiate themselves from smartphones).

Canon wants to keep the channels clear, by making one set of products for its APS-C customers, and another for the full-framers, with no cross-talk to confuse the signal.

Unlike Nikon (whose adventures in the 1-inch sensor format could be the subject for a whole other article) Canon has been testing the waters of large-sensor mirrorless for a while with the APS-C EOS M lineup, which debuted in 2012. Significantly, the M-mount was, is, and always will be an APS-C mount, for engineering reasons.

After a slow start, EOS M has evolved into a really nice little system. The EOS M6 II is terrific, there’s (finally) a decent fast prime in the EF-M lineup, and Sigma’s recent announcement that its popular DC DN lenses will be available for the system is good news, too. 3

For all that, it’s still a system which is ostensibly aimed at beginners and hobbyist photographers. The implied message is that if you want to take advantage of the best technology (especially optical technology) that the company has to offer, you’ll need to step up to full-frame. And that means RF.

Summing up

On a strategic level, then, Canon and Nikon’s APS-C plans appears to be pretty much the same: Differentiate the format from full-frame by aiming at the entry-level and hobbyist demographic, and hope that those customers eventually step up to the larger sensor format.

The difference is that with Nikon, if want to you go from DX to FX (or back the other way) you don’t necessarily need to invest in a whole new set of lenses to do so. One downside of Nikon’s approach is that by putting a small APS-C sensor into a large full-frame mount, Nikon has placed a hard limit on the compactness of any resultant DX Z-mount cameras.

With Nikon, if you go from DX to FX you don’t need to invest in a whole new set of lenses

In the end, then, Nikon’s approach to APS-C and full-frame development is very Nikon: Focus on one mount, develop your best lenses for the common sensor format (FX) and get the most out it by allowing for cross-compatibility of DX and FX optics. And Canon’s strategy is very Canon: Give crossover customers a dedicated (and genuinely compact) crossover system, in the form of EOS M, and take the opportunity presented by a major new technology platform (full-frame mirrorless) to optimize optical development around a dedicated new mount (RF).

If the market for enthusiast APS-C products ever looks like growing, both manufacturers can meet that requirement with their mirrorless platforms. 4 But while Canon has opted to draw a clear, uncrossable line between APS-C and full-frame, Nikon would like us to believe that one – really wide – mount can accommodate more than one kind of photographer.

1: The exception to this general rule being the D500, which was in effect a companion camera to the D5 with a built-in 1.5X teleconverter when used with FX lenses (which, make no mistake, were the lenses Nikon wanted professional D500 users to shoot with).

2: This is one of the reasons that third-party lens manufacturers tell us that they don’t see much of a future in the wider APS-C market right now.

3: Of course the Sigma announcement can be read in two ways – as a vote of confidence in M from an influential third-party lens manufacturer, or possibly as an indicator that following the launch of its RF mount, Canon may have reassessed the cost/benefit calculation of keeping EF-M lens development to itself, versus licensing it to third-parties. In truth, it may be a bit of both.

4: Meanwhile we’ll probably continue to see both companies selling increasingly iterative budget APS-C DSLRs for a few more years. At the risk of mixing metaphors, that cash cow still has some milk left in it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Leaked photos of the a9 II and details about Sony’s event a mere block from PhotoPlus

28 Sep

Earlier this month, we caught our first glimpse of what might be Sony’s next flagship full-frame camera, the ‘a9 II.’ Now, a new photo has been leaked showing the mystery camera out in the wild yet again.

The leaked photo, seen below and shared by Sony Alpha Rumors, features what could be an a9 II attached to a taped-up battery grip and a Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS lens. The button placement and overall look is identical to the header image, which was leaked earlier this month.

As noted when the first image emerged, one noticeable change is the lack of the Focus Mode dial lock release button found on the a9. Aside from that, the externals of the camera appear largely unchanged from its predecessor.

As for internals, we don’t know much. Sony Alpha Rumors is reporting the camera will feature a 36-megapixel sensor, but that rumor has yet to be confirmed.

PhotoPlus 2019 is being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center roughly a block away from the Creative Space NYC location where Sony is hosting its event.

If it’s indeed real, we’ll no doubt find out soon enough. Sony has shared the details for an event at ’Creative Space NYC,’ that will take place just around the corner from the convention center where PhotoPlus 2019 is going on. The ‘Creators’ Playground,’ as Sony is calling it, will be open from October 24 through the 26.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Everything You Need to Know About Photographing Cars

06 Sep

Car photography is every bit as exciting as photographing people. Each car is unique and has its own beautiful traits that translate perfectly into a photo. Whether you are taking photographs of vehicles on an F1 circuit or a full-on photoshoot of the most beautiful antique cars at an exhibition, your ultimate goal is to portray the personality and uniqueness Continue Reading

The post Everything You Need to Know About Photographing Cars appeared first on Photodoto.

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Instagram says viral meme about new content ‘rule’ is a hoax

22 Aug

Instagram has dismissed another viral spam image that is circulating on its platform, this one claiming that, starting tomorrow, all user content will be made public (including deleted messages) and that the company will be able to use images against users in court. Instagram brand communications manager Stephanie Otway told WWD, ‘There’s no truth to this post.’

The image has gone viral thanks to, in part, accounts with large numbers of followers that reshared the claim, including ones belonging to musicians, actors and politicians. The image tells viewers that they must reshare the meme to prevent Instagram from using their images and other account details, but doing so is pointless and only helps surface the spam content.

This isn’t the first time claims related to user content have gone viral on social media. Facebook was forced to address similar claims in 2012 and again in 2015, for example. Instagram details the information it gathers on users and how it utilizes that information on its official Data Policy.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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6 Great Lightroom Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know About

18 Jul

The post 6 Great Lightroom Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know About appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

Adobe Lightroom is an essential tool for any photographer. Whether you are a professional or amateur, Lightroom can make your workflow faster and more efficient. But there are also a whole host of editing tools available. Some of which you may not even know existed. So here are 6 great lightroom tricks that you probably didn’t know about.

Crop overlay options

Cropping your photos can sometimes mean the difference between a good photo and a great one. You can access the Lightroom crop tool by pressing R on your keyboard in the Develop module. Perhaps you already knew that, but what you may not have known is that when your cropping tool is open, you can change the overlay that shows on your image.

By pressing “O,” you will be able to get a whole host of different overlays on the image to help you crop effectively. Everything from the “Rule of Thirds” to the “Fibonacci Rule” can be accessed to help turn an okay photo into a great one.

Lights Off Mode

Sometimes when you are editing a photo, it is easy to get distracted by all of the side panels and options available. A great way to really see your photo is by looking at it in the “Lights Out” mode. By pressing the “L” key once on your keyboard, everything dims except your image. Pressing it one more time, you will see just the image on a black background without the distracting side panels. Press it a third time to make the side panels re-appear.

Great-Lightroom-Tricks-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-2

Full-Screen Mode

Another useful trick, especially when working on smaller screens such as laptops, is to view your image at full screen. Because of the screen size, naturally the actual photo you are working on looks pretty small on a laptop screen.

To get a better view hit “F” on your keyboard and you’ll get to see the image as big as possible on the screen.

To come out of full-screen mode press Esc on your keyboard.

Know if your image is clipped

One of the key elements of taking a photo or post-processing it is to ensure that your highlights and shadows are not overexposed or underexposed to the point where there is no detail in those areas. This is a term that is known as clipping.

It can be difficult to judge by eye if any areas of your photo suffer from this. Thankfully, Lightroom’s clever tool can make it much easier to see where this occurs.

Click the little triangles on the corners of your histogram, and if there are clipped areas in your photo, they will show in red for highlights and blue for shadows. You can then tweak the different sliders to correct these issues. You can also access the clipping highlights by pressing “J” whilst in the Develop module.

Great-Lightroom-Tricks-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-3

Please note that on older versions of Lightroom these sliders might be different.

Pick and organise

I have over 100,000 photos in my collection. They are for a variety of assignments and clients, and they need organizing in a way that makes it easy for me to access them. One of the most useful aspects of Lightroom is being able to organize and flag your photos effectively. The three easy ways to organize your photos are 1) flagging them (i.e., putting a flag on the ones you want to), 2) adding 1 to 5 stars, 3) color-coding them in red, yellow, green, blue and purple.

You can access these by using the following shortcuts:

“P” flags a photo (to unflag a photo press “U”). You can also reject a photo by pressing “X”
Add stars by using the relevant number key between 1 – 5 (press zero to remove stars)
Color code your image by pressing 6 – 9

How you use these ultimately depends on your workflow. However, for example, you may decide to utilize the colors like a traffic light system (i.e., Green for the ones that you love, yellow for the okay ones and red for rejects). Alternatively, you may simply star the ones you really like with 5 stars. The choice is yours.

Speed up your editing

Often whenever you are at a location, you will take multiple photos. Sometimes you may even take a set of photos from the same scene. When it comes to editing them, it wouldn’t be very efficient to edit each one individually as the light and conditions won’t change much in a few seconds. Lightroom has a couple of great options to help.

Whilst in the Develop module, if you click on the “Previous” button (at the bottom of the right-hand panel), Lightroom pastes the same settings as the last image you were on to the selected image.

If you select multiple images on the film strip in the Develop module, you’ll notice that the “Previous” button changes to “Sync.” Press this and whichever image is selected will be used as a basis to paste the adjustment from to all images you’ve selected.

Once you have clicked on “Sync,” you’ll get a pop up where you can select which settings you want to add. This is a great option when, for example, you shot a scene in burst mode where all the conditions are similar from one photo to the next. You can always make further adjustments to a photo if needed.

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Conclusion

These are just some of the simple yet effective editing tools that you may not have known about in Lightroom. There is so much more Lightroom can do. If you learn how to use it, it will become an invaluable software in your workflow.

Don’t forget to let us know your great Lightroom tricks below.

The post 6 Great Lightroom Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know About appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.

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Xiaomi provides more information about under-screen front camera technology

05 Jun

Earlier this week smartphone manufacturers OPPO and Xiaomi both teased under-screen front-cameras that would allow for the design of ‘notch-less’ devices with uninterrupted edge-to-edge displays.

Xiaomi Senior VP followed up with several tweeted slides that provided some additional information about the technology. According to the slides the display area covering the front camera is capable of turning transparent when the camera is activated, allowing for light to pass and hit the lens and sensor, but looks and works normally when the front shooter is not in use.

To achieve this, Xiaomi is using a using ‘special-low-reflective glass with high transmittance’. The company claims the technology can capture better images than the pinhole solutions we have seen previously although OPPO VP Brian Shen stated that the technology was still new and ‘there’s bound to be some loss in optical quality.’

Xiaomi’s Under-Display Camera Technology could be the ultimate solution for a Full Screen Display coexisting with a front camera! RT if you love it. #InnovationForEveryone pic.twitter.com/8e7EdEBn8J

— Wang Xiang (@XiangW_) June 3, 2019

The slides also hint at a 20MP camera hidden under the display but at this point we don’t know which new model the technology could be implemented in. Given the current buzz around the subject it likely won’t be too long before we find out, however.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Choosing a camera Part 1: should I worry about pixel size?

17 Apr

Pixels are the fundamental building blocks of digital photography: they are the individual elements that capture the light to make up your image. Higher pixel-count cameras promise better resolution but it’s often said that their smaller pixels result in noisier, less-clean images.

So does this mean you should look for fewer, bigger pixels when you buy your next camera?

Probably not. That’s because the idea that small pixels are noisier is only really true when you examine your images at pixel level. We’ve long passed the point where you only had enough pixels to fill your monitor. And even people making large prints will find that a 24MP camera provides far more resolution than needed for printing at A3 (11.7 x 16.3″).

Looking at the bigger picture

At which point, taking a more holistic, whole-image-level perspective on picture quality probably makes at least as much sense as worrying about the noisiness of your individual pixels.

Smaller pixels each receive less light than large ones, so will always individually be noisier (because for most photography, most of the noise comes from the amount of light you sample). But as soon as we have to scale our images to view or print them, this difference becomes much less significant or disappears entirely.

Key takeaways:

Larger pixels get more light during any given exposure, so are less noisy when viewed 1:1
Combining multiple small pixels cancels out most (or all) of this difference when viewed at the same size
For most applications you’ll end up downsizing your images, so there’s usually a resolution advantage but little (if any) downside to having more pixels

The effect of pixel size:

The Nikon D850 and the Sony a7S are both relatively modern full frame sensors, but they have very different pixel counts. Because they have the same sized sensor, this means the individual pixels on the 12MP a7S are much larger than the D850, which has a sensor made up of 48 million pixels.

The a7S is often described as being great in low light, but this is only true if you pixel peep.

Let’s see how they compare when scaled to the same size:


ISO 6400
D850 Full size [Raw File]	a7S [Raw File]	D850 (resized: 12MP) [Raw File]
ISO 12800
D850 Full size [Raw File]	a7S [Raw File]	D850 (resized: 12MP) [Raw File]
ISO 25600
D850 Full size [Raw File]	a7S [Raw File]	D850 (resized: 12MP) [Raw File]
ISO 51200
D850 Full size [Raw File]	a7S [Raw File]	D850 (resized: 12MP) [Raw File]

At the pixel level the a7S is much less noisy, as you’d expect with its larger pixels. But, at all but the very highest ISO settings, that advantage disappears when you compare them both at the same scale. The difference is that you usually retain some of the additional detail that the D850 captured.

We see this same pattern across almost all cameras. The only times we have seen any disadvantage to small pixels is in the very smallest pixels used in smartphones (and those often use multi-shot modes to overcome this) or in sensors that use unconventional sensor technologies.

The thing that’s much more likely to make a difference to your image quality is sensor size. We’ll look at this in the next part of this article series…

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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What you need to know about Canon’s EOS Rebel SL3 (250D)

10 Apr

Introduction

The Canon EOS SL2 (also known as the 200D and Kiss X9) is one of the company’s most best-selling DSLRs. And it’s not surprising, as the SL2 was a low-priced, competent camera that you could slip into a purse or small bag.

The new SL3 (250D, Kiss X10) isn’t a dramatic departure from the SL2: it’s still small. inexpensive and mostly up-to-date in terms of features. It borrows many features from Canon’s EOS M50 mirrorless camera, including the DIGIC 8 processor and rather disappointing 4K video capabilities. But more on that later.

The Rebel SL3 will be available at the end of April for $ 599 body-only or $ 749 bundled with the EF-S 18-55mm F4-5.6mm IS STM lens. We’re featuring the white version in this article, because we think it looks snazzy.

Just a bit lighter

The SL3 is the same size and nearly the same weight as the SL2 (above right). Canon managed to shave 4 grams off of the weight (though only 2g off of the black one), so you won’t have to buy a new camera bag.

As you can see, changes to the design are very subtle. There’s a bit of an indent under the Canon logo on the SL3, and the often-irritating redeye reduction lamp (which also serves as a visual countdown for the self-timer) has been removed. Unlike its predecessor, the SL3 can’t use its flash as an AF-assist lamp, though it can use the infrared target if you buy an external flash.

The SL3 uses the same 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor and elderly 9-point autofocus system as the SL2 (when shooting through the viewfinder). In live view, the SL3 also has Dual Pixel AF, covering 88% of the frame horizontally and 100% vertically. The SL3 is Canon’s first DSLR to feature Eye AF in live view, as well.

Up top

There are a couple of cosmetic and feature differences between the SL3 and its predecessor on its top plate. The main differences are the removal of the Wi-Fi button and a reduction in the number of items on the mode dial.

Like the EOS M50, the SL3 has a Scene Intelligent Auto mode that will pick a scene mode for you, and provide easy-to-understand visual guides to adjusting things like aperture (‘background blur’), exposure compensation (‘brightness’) and white balance (‘color tone’). A feature guide offers brief description of each and every menu item when it’s selected.

Rear view

No need to show the SL3 and SL2 side-by-side here, as they look exactly the same.

The SL3 has a fully articulating touchscreen display with 1.04 million dots and a well-designed UI. The optical viewfinder is, as you’d expect, quite small, with an unremarkable magnification of 0.54x (in 35mm terms). You can see about 95% of the scene when looking through it, which isn’t ideal for precise composition.

For those wondering, that’s not a dial around the Q/Set button – it’s just a 4-way directional pad. The SL3 has one control dial and it’s on the top.

Selfies, of course

Sure, the SL3’s fully articulating LCD is great for video and waist-level/overhead shooting, but let’s face it: on the SL3, it’s mostly for selfies. If you need further evidence, look no further than the new ‘Smooth Skin’ setting, which gives you five levels of skin smoothness to choose from.

On the port side…

First, isn’t that silver kit lens a nice match for the white SL3? It’s worth pointing out that this is the F4-5.6 version of the 18-55mm lens, not the F3.5-5.6, so you’re losing about 1/3-stop of light compared to Canon’s older, larger kit zoom.

Under the gray plastic cover are sockets for a 3.5mm external mic – a nice touch on a cheaper camera – and the RC-6 wired remote. The SL3 is also compatible with the BR-E1 wireless Bluetooth remote.

And on your right…

On the opposite side of the SL3 are the other two ports, for HDMI and USB 2.0. As far as we know, the camera cannot be charged over USB, but we’ll double-check that as soon as we can.

The gray patch at the bottom is a rubber cover. It conceals a channel through which you feed the cable for the optional DR-E18 DC coupler which, when attached to the required AC adapter, will set you back $ 150. (Much cheaper third-party options exist if you want to operate the camera using wall power.)

Speaking of batteries, Canon pulled off some tricks to increase the CIPA-rated battery life from 650 shots on the SL2 to 1070 on the SL3. Live view battery life is in the middling 300 shot-per-charge range.

4K, with a catch

The good news is that the EOS Rebel SL3 can capture 4K video at 23.98p (or 25p in PAL regions) with a maximum bit rate of 120Mbps.

The bad news is that, like the EOS M50 with which it shares so much, the SL3 has an enormous 2.64x crop, relative to full frame, so the wide end of your 18-55mm is equivalent to 47mm in full-frame terms. So much for wide-angle shooting! In addition, Dual Pixel AF is not available in movie mode, leaving you with regular contrast detection.

Both of these limitations are a shame, given that the small body and fully articulating LCD on the SL3 should make a nice camera for vlogging.

That’s all for our brief tour of the EOS Rebel SL3 / 250D / Kiss X10. We should be getting our hands on one soon, so look for sample photos and impressions in the not-too-distant future.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Thinking about the Panasonic Lumix DC-G95 for video? Read this first

06 Apr

The G95 is being promoted as a video and stills camera, yet its video is more heavily cropped than the G85’s was.

Thanks to its groundbreaking GH series of cameras, Panasonic has developed a reputation for being one of the strongest brands for consumer video. But the release of the Lumix DC-G95 (known as the G90 outside North America) just draws attention to the fact that brand perception doesn’t necessarily convey those qualities across the lineup.

We’ve got used to Panasonic cameras delivering 4K capture from crops of their sensors but it’s beginning to look especially egregious on the G95 for a number of reasons. For a start, we know that Panasonic can do better: the G9 proves that the company is able to provide full-width video. Secondly, Panasonic is explicitly pitching this camera for video as well as stills (the addition of headphone socket and V-LogL speak just as loudly as the press release, in this respect).

But, most pressingly, the standard of the competition has risen: the Fujifilm X-T30 can shoot 4K/30p from a much larger sensor region with no crop (and none of the rolling shutter that holds back Sony’s offering in the class).

The challenges/balances of 4K video

This isn’t easy, of course. Every manufacturer faces a series of challenges (mainly in terms of processing power, battery consumption, heat generation and rolling shutter), and there are various solutions to this problem.

We’ve tried to summarize the trade-offs that each possible solution brings:

	Detail level	Noise performance	Angle of view	Processing demand
Full-width Oversampling	High	High	Minimal crop	Highest
Pixel Binning	Moderate	High	Minimal crop	Moderate
Line Skipping	Low (risks moiré)	Low	Minimal crop	Low
Cropped Oversampling	High	Moderate	Some crop	High
1:1 Capture	Moderate	Low	Some crop	Low

The G95 essentially takes the fifth option here: using a central chunk of its sensor to capture roughly the number of pixels required to produce its 3840 x 2160 video. This isn’t very demanding in terms of processing, so its rolling shutter performance is good and you’ll very rarely need to worry about overheating. But there are significant drawbacks, too.

The G95 / G90 already has a sensor that’s smaller than its APS-C peers, using less than half of it in 4K video mode (area indicated in blue) puts it at a further disadvantage.

The first is angle of view. The roughly 4100 x 2300 pixel region of its 20MP sensor that is used for 4K is pretty small: imposing a significant 1.25x crop. This means that the 12mm ‘wide’ end of the kit zoom ends up giving an angle of view closer to a 30mm lens on full frame, rather than the usefully wide 24mm equiv. it’ll give you in stills mode. That’s likely to be a major creative restriction.

Worse still is the effect on image quality and noise performance. Only using a crop of a sensor is, in essence, the same as using a smaller-sensored camera. The G95 uses a sensor region nearer that of a 1″-type sensor, which means you get noise performance comparable to a smaller (and probably cheaper) camera.

Reality ? reputation

Panasonic is far from alone in offering cameras with disappointing video, despite being well thought-of in this regard. Canon built a reputation for video with its EOS 5D II, but appears to have struggled to live up to it (in its consumer cameras at least). Even Sony, which was first to provide video features such as Log capture seems stuck with 8-bit capture at a time when other brands are providing 10-bit and is still introducing cameras with significant rolling shutter. And, though Fujifilm is beginning to build a reputation for great video, it’s still happy to promote some models as having ‘4K’ when they can only shoot a pitiful 15 frame per second.

Why is this suddenly a big deal?

There are still plenty of people who are adamant that they don’t want video, and perhaps there’s something inherently unfair about expecting every aspect of a new model to exceed the best performance we’ve seen in its class (rather than just showing strengths and weaknesses relative to each specific rival). But to our eyes, the increased crop of the G95’s video doesn’t fit with our expectations of a contemporary camera being pitched as a stills / video tool. Especially not compared to a camera it nominally sits above, and from a company that trades to a degree on its video expertise.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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