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2017 in review: a look back at April

23 Dec

Ahh, April: the beginning of Spring. The sun starts to come out after a long winter, flowers are blooming and bears come out of hibernation. Who am I kidding, this is Seattle – winter ends in July.

April was a pretty busy month for camera announcements, including some real blockbusters. First out of the gate was the Nikon D7500, the company’s midrange APS-C digital SLR and in many ways a mini D500. We created a ton of content around that launch, including comparisons against the D7200 and aforementioned D500.

Probably the most significant launch in April was Sony’s a9, which was a tour-de-force of new technology when it was announced. With its full-frame, 24MP stacked CMOS sensor and hybrid AF system, the a9 is capable of lengthy 20 fps bursts with continuous autofocus. The a9 also has in-body image stabilization, a huge, high-res viewfinder, dual media card slots and a weather-sealed body. We took a close look at many aspects of the a9, including its image quality and AF performance, and how much it would cost a photographer to switch to Sony’s full-frame system.

The most significant launch in April was Sony’s a9, which was a tour-de-force of new technology when it was announced.

There were a ton of lenses announced in April as well, ranging from Micro Four Thirds to medium format. Some of the more interesting lenses include the Panasonic Leica 8-18mm F2.8-4 super-wide, the Sony FE 100-400 F4.5-5.6 GM, Fujifilm’s medium format 23mm and 110mm lenses and Canon’s EF-S 35mm F2.8 Macro, which has a built-in ring light.

We published a number of reviews in April, including those for the medium format Fujifilm GFX 50S, Panasonic’s video-centric DC-GH5 and Canon’s ‘high-end entry-level’ EOS 77D.

The DPR staff managed to get out of the office once or twice, including for a field trip to the University of Washington to photograph the famous cherry blossoms.

Come back tomorrow to see what happened in May!

Click here to see all April 2017 content

Sony announces a9 full-frame mirrorless camera

Sony went ‘all in’ with its flagship full-frame mirrorless camera, the a9. Highlights include a 24MP stacked CMOS sensor, a 693-point hybrid AF system, in-body 5-axis image stabilization, 4K video and much, much more.

View our Sony a9 launch coverage

Drone sales doubled in 2016

Photo by Halftermeyer

Features like autopilot and follow-you modes helped double drone sales in 2016, according to NPD. While entry and midrange models were projected to continue to drive the market in 2017, NPD says that new form factors and technology will keep the premium models selling, as well.

Read the full article

Midrange Nikon D7500 DSLR arrives

Those who had been waiting for a replacement to the venerable Nikon D7200 need wait no longer: the D7500 is here. This $ 1250 DSLR features the same 20.9MP sensor and Expeed 5 image processor as the D500, a tilting touchscreen display, 8 fps burst shooting and 4K video capture.

View our complete Nikon D7500 coverage

National Parks Service shows us America from space

National Parks Week took place back in April, and the National Park Service worked with NASA to capture some of America’s most beautiful spots from space.

Read the
full article

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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2017 in review: a look back at March

22 Dec
Among the many things reported on in March of 2017 was this probably-not-delicious, plump-breasted pigeon. With a camera. The pigeon is probably not named Speckled Jim.

We’re looking back on the photographic world in 2017, and we kicked off March with a look at the CP+ trade show that had taken place the previous month in Yokohama, Japan. One of my favorite snippets of show coverage was a cameo made by the Michel Pigeon Camera. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like, and no, it (and the pigeon) thankfully wasn’t included in a late-February roundup of things we’d found at CP+ that had been cut in half.

Overall camera news was a little on the slow side, as we’d expect for the month following a major photography trade show. Olympus finally drove the nails into the coffin of the legacy Four Thirds system, and CIPA – the standards organization behind claims that your camera’s battery doesn’t last long enough – reported that compact digital camera sales were lower than ever before.

The industry said a solemn goodbye to Popular Photography magazine and PopPhoto.com

And of course, the industry also said a solemn goodbye to Popular Photography magazine and PopPhoto.com, an institution that was shuttered after eighty years in the business. One of our own, Dan Bracagalia, got his career started at the publication, so the announcement hit very close to home for all of us at DPReview.

On the lighter side, we had our first chance to shoot with the Fujifilm GFX 50S since it was announced at Photokina the previous autumn, and by-and-large, we were very impressed with what it’s capable of. We tagged along with a couple of photojournalists with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and we also went into some detail on the concept of subject tracking with autofocus systems, why it matters to us, and why it should matter to you.

Last, and almost certainly least, there was the announcement of a miniature drone called the AirSelfie. Because you can do absolutely spectacular, breathtaking, magnificent things with drones, and of course, that should include taking selfies.

Tune in tomorrow to see how April of 2017 shaped up.

Click here to see all March 2017 content

Photo Gear News tells you how to pronounce ‘Bokeh’

Finally, we know.

Farewell to Popular Photography

Popular Photography magazine will be very sorely missed. The magazine was heavily focused on photographic technique, and helped make the craft more accessible to the public. Our own Dan Bracaglia got his start there, and we deeply lament the loss of another publication in our industry.

Read the full article here

Walking the streets of Japan with the Fujifilm GFX 50S

Dan was fortunate enough to get access to a Fujifilm GFX 50S and accompanying 63mm F2.8 lens after the conclusion of the CP+ show. He shared some of his first impressions, as well as some really lovely images.

Click to read our writeup

Go behind the scenes with Seattle photojournalists

Get a glimpse into the world of professional local photojournalism with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Grant Hindsley and Genna Martin.

Read the full article

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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2017 in review: a look back at January

22 Dec
Perhaps the biggest product to be launched in January was the Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5, which offered amazing 4K video capabilities and a solid stills photography feature set.

A lot of things happened this year, both in the photography industry and the world in general. And like every year, 2017 seems to have flown by. As December draws to a close, we wanted to take stock. Over the next 12 days, we’ll be looking back at the major product launches and photography events which took place in each month of the year, starting today with January.

2017 kicked off with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Traditionally a showcase for new consumer audio/visual technologies, in recent years CES has also seen the launch of several major cameras. This year, the biggest announcements were the Fujifilm X100F and Panasonic’s flagship ‘hybrid’ camera, the Lumix DC-GH5.

Meanwhile, Ricoh released the Pentax KP, which inherited a lot of features from the flagship K-1, in a smaller-format body. Leica’s M10 – also released in January – was a flagship of a very different kind.

The USA got a new president in January and Pete Souza, the outgoing White House photographer, was there to capture Obama’s last day

In local news, the USA got a new president in January (not sure if you heard). Pete Souza, the outgoing White House photographer, was there to capture Obama’s last day. Cue much wailing and gnashing of hashtags. On the other side of the (same) country, a bunch of Canadian filmmakers pleaded guilty to trampling all over Grand Prismatic spring in the Yellowstone National Park. Silly billies.

In even more local news, and speaking of silly billies, our writer Carey Rose took one of our favorite lenses of 2016, the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.2 Pro to Thailand, to see what it would be like to shoot his entire trip at a single focal length.

Tomorrow – February! Because that’s how this is going to work.

See all January 2017 content

CES 2017: Full show coverage

The CES show in Las Vegas back in January 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 all over it.

Complete CES 2017 show report content

Ultimate travel kit – Thailand with Olympus’ E-M1 II & 25mm prime lens

Thailand has incredible landscapes, delicious food and warm and friendly locals. DPR staffer Carey Rose came to realize that documenting a trip like this equipped with only a 50mm equivalent lens was a lot more difficult than he anticipated.

Read the full article

Filmmakers who walked on Grand Prismatic in Yellowstone get jail time and fines

Last year, four Canadian filmmakers were arrested after photos and a video were published showing them walking on off-limits geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park. Three of them pleaded guilty and will receive fines, community service and a little jail time.

Read the full article

Pete Souza captures Obama’s last day in the White House

Pete Souza, the official photographer for President Obama, posted a series of photos on his Instagram account showing the Obamas’ final departure from The White House.

Read the full article

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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2017 in review: a look back at February

21 Dec
Nikon announced the demise of its DL compacts on the eve of Valentine’s Day, because love is pain.

We learned a lot of fun facts in February: people don’t really like looking at selfies, it’s possible to make a camera out of drinking straws, and Google’s AI-powered image detail enhancement technology is getting creepy good.

February is also when we tend to see winners revealed from year-end photo competitions. True to form, we were not disappointed by the top images in SkyPixel’s aerial photo competition and the 2017 Underwater Photographer of the year. But one photo will probably be remembered before all others – the photo of a slain Russian ambassador was announced as the winner of the 60th World Press Photo award.

Their impressive spec sheets got our hearts all a-flutter, but thanks to unexpectedly high production costs, they were never to be

In gear news, Nikon fans woke up to the equivalent of a break-up text the day before Valentine’s Day – the company was ditching its previously-announced-but-never-realized DL compact cameras. The DLs were meant to be a series of enticing-looking 1″ sensor compacts. Their impressive spec sheets got our hearts all a-flutter, but thanks to unexpectedly high production costs, they were never to be.

It wasn’t all bad news though – CP+ would cheer us all up later in the month with announcements of lovely new lenses like the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art. It was also the first opportunity for us to do some shooting with the Fujifilm GFX 50S, which was announced at Photokina in late 2016.

See all February content

2016 Challenge of Challenges winners announced

In February, we announced the winner of our annual Challenge of Challenges competition. DPR member cand1d’s image of a glowing sunset in Bagan, Myanmar took top honors in the 2016 Challenge of Challenges competition. The photo is one of almost 1000 challenge-winning entries from the year, which we whittled down to a more manageable shortlist of 25 before DPReview readers voted on a final winner.

See the 2016 Challenge of Challenges Winners

Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art samples

The Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM Art made its debut at CP+, and it got the low light shooters on our staff all excited. We jumped all over the chance to take a pre-production version of the lens out for a spin in Yokohama during the show, and later updated our gallery with many more samples from a production-ready unit.

See our Sigma 14mm F1.8 sample gallery

Things we found at CP+ 2017 which had been cut in half

It’s not a photo tradeshow until you’ve seen a lot of things cut in half, and CP+ 2017 was no exception. Take a look at what’s going on inside of some very nice gear.

See all of the things we found at CP+ which had been cut in half

CP+ 2017: Full show coverage

DPReview was at the CP+ show in February, over in Yokohama Japan. As usual, it was a great show for new gear, weird sights, and plenty of hot vending machine coffee.

Read our full CP+ coverage

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kodak reveals how and when it’s bringing back 35mm Ektachrome film

17 Nov
Photo: Kodak

Kodak first announced the rebirth of Ektachrome way back in January at CES. Along with Kodak Alaris—who will distribute the 35mm Kodak Professional Ektachrome film for stills shooters—the company said it would bring back Ektachrome by the end of 2017… and then promptly stopped talking about it.

But if you were worried that Kodak had given up on the idea, fear not: in a new episode of the Kodakery podcast, a few of Kodak’s higher ups (including Marketing and Product Manager Diane Carroll-Yacoby) updated the world on the progress of the Ektachrome reboot, how they’re making it, and what testing still stand between your hands and a fresh 36-shot roll of the stuff.

You can listen to the entire Kodakery podcast update below:

The first half of the podcast is mostly a photography and history lesson: discussing the origins of Ektachrome, its ‘characteristics’ (read: limitations), and how Kodak has managed to bring it back to life after discontinuing it in 2013. But if you want to get into the “how and when” of the matter, you’ll want to skip to the 22 minute mark.

That’s where we get to learn about how difficult it is to bring back a film like Ektachrome—which is made up of 80 ingredients, some of them no longer available to purchase—and how Kodak is making the economics of Ektachrome work by creating it in smaller, more sustainable batches.

You’ll want to listen to the discussion to really get the details of how the film is made, but here are a few of the most interesting tidbits about the revival process (for us anyway):

  • Kodak has managed to either find or manufacture all 80 ingredients required to make Ektachrome.
  • Much of the process so far has involved retooling the formula so it will work on the machines available to them, because they no longer have all of the equipment they had when Ektachrome was being developed previously.
  • They’ve already produced some ‘pilot coatings’ that they are testing to ensure they’re ready to mass produce Ektachrome that’s up to snuff.
  • When they’re ready to go, they will be making rolls using a coater that produces the film on sheets that are 4 feet wide and 6,000 feet long. The first of these ‘wide’ rolls will be produced before the end of 2017, and will be used for internal testing.
  • Kodak will be making a single (4ft x 6,000ft) roll for the first production run, so they don’t have to hold on to too much inventory at one time.
  • Kodak Ektachrome’s market release is planned for 2018.

Eastman Kodak itself will produce all of the film and plans to distribute the Super 8 cinema version of Ektachrome, while Kodak Alaris will distribute the 35mm slide film for stills shooters. For now, we still don’t know exactly when Ektachrome is coming back in 2018, but as soon as we do, we’ll let you know so you can mark your calendars.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Polaroid is back! Unveils OneStep 2 instant camera and i-Type film

14 Sep

Remember those intriguing teasers Polaroid was scrolling through on its main website last week. Well, yesterday night was when that countdown ended, and it ended with a huge announcement that has the photo industry buzzing. In short: the old Polaroid you knew and loved is back from the dead with a new analog instant camera and a new type of instant film!

Announced on the 80th anniversary of the Polaroid brand, both products are being unveiled as part of a new brand called Polaroid Originals, which merges the Polaroid of old with years worth of work done by Impossible Project to keep that old Polaroid alive. In fact, the Impossible brand is being replaced altogether.

In addition to the new film and camera, you’ll now be able to purchase restored vintage Polaroid cameras and traditional Polaroid instant film in a variety of formats straight from the Polaroid Originals website. But first, let’s dive into that sweet new camera!

The Polaroid OneStep 2

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The Polaroid OneStep 2 is exactly what it sounds like: the spiritual (and in some ways literal) successor to the famous Polaroid OneStep—you know, the camera Instagram stole its original logo from.

Inspired by the original OneStep, Polaroid says they’ve updated the OneStep 2 “to create a simple, easy-to-use instant camera that works straight out of the box.” It sports a ‘high quality lens’ that can focus from 2ft to infinity, a ‘powerful’ flash, a rechargeable battery that allegedly lasts 60 days on a charge, a self-timer function, and it’s compatible with both the new i-Type instant film and the old 600 series film.

The camera is available in white and graphite, and you can already pre-order yours through the Polaroid Originals website for $ 100.

Polaroid i-Type Instant Film

Speaking of film, Polaroid Originals also debuted a new film format that will look familiar but is actually a bit different. It’s called i-Type, and it joins Polaroid’s vintage films (SX-70, 600, 8×10, etc.) as the newest kid on the block.

The “i” stands for “Incredible” … which is really irrelevant. The important bits is that this film is optimized for the OneStep 2—and, we hope, future Polaroid Originals cameras—is battery-free, and comes in Black and White and Color varieties for $ 16 per 8-pack or $ 45 for two 8-packs of color film and one 8-pack of black and white.

Keep in mind, because this is a battery-free film, it will not work in 600 cameras. That film has its own battery in the film, while the new i-Type OneStep 2 boasts a rechargeable battery of its own.

To learn more about this film or purchase a pack or two of your own, click here.

Vintage Polaroid Cameras and Film

Finally, since the Impossible Project brand is now a thing of the past, the Polaroid Originals website won’t just be a place to buy the new OneStep 2 and i-Type film. You’ll also be able to pick up all of the restored vintage Polaroid cameras and older film formats that Impossible kept going all of these years.

The old Polaroid 600 cameras start at $ 120, the famed SX-70 foldable model starts at $ 380, and Spectra camera models can be had for $ 120 and up. All of them are available on this product page.

And if you need film for those old cameras, you can pick up SX-70 film, 600 film, Spectra film, and even 8×10 sheet film here.

To say this is an exciting announcement for the analog photography world is to undersell this by far. The merging of Polaroid and Impossible project as Polaroid Originals would be big news itself, but add to that a new analog instant film camera and a new type of instant film and you’ve got hipsters, instant photography buffs, and nostalgic shutterbugs like tripping over themselves to support this resurrection.

To learn more about Polaroid Originals or any of the products mentioned above, head over to the brand’s new website here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Kodak will bring back Ektachrome film this year, start selling it in 2018

13 Sep

Kodak first announced its plans to bring Ektachrome 35mm film back from the dead in January at CES. But if you were worried that the announcement was just a lot of marketing hype, you have nothing to fear: it seems the resurrection of Ektachrome is proceeding apace, with full production scheduled for 2018.

This news broke over Twitter, of all places, thanks to an inquisitive Kodak fan named Karen Wink. She asked Kodak what the ETA on the Ektachrome comeback was, to which Kodak replied:

If you’re a fan of the old film, it won’t be long before you can get your hands on a fresh roll of 36 exposures in the 35mm format.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Phase One unveils IQ3 100MP Trichromatic digital back, promises unmatched color quality

13 Sep

Phase One unveiled its newest IQ3 model today. A 100MP digital back designed in partnership with Sony, it’s called the Trichromatic because of its focus on exceptional color reproduction that supposedly matches the capacity of the human eye. In many ways the photographic foil of the Achromatic digital back, the Trichromatic is the “brain child” of Phase One’s long standing collaboration with Sony.

Not to put too fine a point on it, Phase One promises the Trichromatic will bring “unsurpassed color quality to the hands of the finest photographers across the globe.” No big deal… just unsurpassed color quality.

Here’s a quick video introduction to the new camera, and a hands-on look/ad by fine art photographer Tony Hewitt:

The Trichromatic achieves these color feats thanks to new Bayer color filter technology that has been implemented on the ultra-high res 100MP CMOS sensor. This technology is allegedly “exclusive” to Phase One, and “transforms digital color capabilities to render color more authentically than ever.”

Phase One also claims that the Trichromatic’s sensor design offers the “absolute lowest digital noise” of any medium format CMOS camera on the market thanks to a new base ISO level of just ISO 35.

Here are a few high res sample photos courtesy of Phase One:

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The IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back is available today at a wallet-shrinking suggested retail price of $ 44,990. Or, if you have an extra five grand and want to get a slightly better deal, you can pick up the Trichromatic alongside an XF camera body, a prime lens of your choice from the Schneider Kreuznach Blue Ring lineup, and a 5-year warranty for $ 49,990.

To learn more, head over to the Phase One website or read the full press release below.

Press Release

Introducing the Phase One IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back

The art of expression. The science of color.

COPENHAGEN, September 13, 2017 – Phase One today announced the Phase One IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back, based on a new CMOS sensor designed to capture color as perceived by the human eye. The new sensor technology in the IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back is the brainchild of a longstanding collaboration between Sony and Phase One. The result is astonishing color definition – with which champions of photography are able to create and express their artistic visions more accurately than ever before.

In this way, Phase One’s latest product brings unsurpassed color quality to the hands of the finest photographers across the globe.

The 100MP CMOS sensor in the IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back incorporates new Bayer Filter color technology, the result of Phase One’s close working relationship with Sony. Available exclusively through Phase One, this new technology transforms digital color capabilities to render color more authentically than ever – giving the world’s foremost photographers 101-megapixels of unprecedented creativity.

Click on the following link to learn more about the Phase One IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back: www.phaseone.com/trichromatic

“As a photographer, one of the things that excites me the most is having the opportunity to use color to evoke emotion. The Trichromatic Camera System itself becomes a true extension of my vision, and what my eye sees and what my eye wants to express – the camera delivers.” – Tony Hewitt, Fine Art Photographer

This pioneering sensor design has also established the lowest and therefore cleanest base ISO of any medium format CMOS sensor. At an impressive ISO 35, the results of the IQ3 100MP Trichromatic are crisp and clean, providing the absolute lowest digital noise for any CMOS system of its size.

“The ability to capture an image that reflects exactly what you see the moment you press the shutter button, with little interpretation or conjecture, is a fantastic leap for photography and more importantly, for the integrity of image quality,” said Niels Knudsen, Phase One Image Quality Professor.

Availability and Pricing:

The IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back is available now through Phase One Partners: www.phaseone.com/partners. Contact your local Phase One Partner to arrange a demo.

The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for the IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Digital Back is $ 44,990 USD.

The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for the XF IQ3 100MP Trichromatic Camera System, including XF Camera Body, free Prime Lens choice and a 5-year warranty is $ 49,990 USD.

All Phase One XF IQ3 Camera Systems are supplied with a free lens of choice from the Schneider Kreuznach Blue Ring Prime Lens range, valued up to $ 6,990 USD.

Phase One also announced their Feature Update #4 today, which is available immediately for downloaded free of charge for all XF Camera System owners at www.phaseone.com/Feature-Update-4

For more details, please go to: http://www.phaseone.com or book a demo on: www.phaseone.com/DemoSignup

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Lensrentals shares photos of destroyed camera gear they got back after the eclipse

02 Sep

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Our friends over at Lensrentals shared an entertaining-if-a-bit-depressing post today: rental camera gear destroyed during the solar eclipse of 2017. It seems that, despite plenty of warnings from other websites and Lensrentals itself leading up to the incredible celestial phenomenon, not everybody got the message that you always need to use a solar filter to shoot the eclipse.

As such, Lenrentals got back everything from melted aperture systems, to burned shutters, to a fried mirror—ostensibly because people were shooting in live view.

LR is careful to specify that they actually got very few damaged units back given just how much gear they rented ahead of the eclipse, and that this post is meant to entertain not criticize:

“Please keep in mind, this post is for your entertainment, and not to be critical of our fantastic customer base,” writes Zach Sutton. “With this being the first solar eclipse for Lensrentals, we didn’t know what to expect and were surprised with how little of our gear came back damaged.”

So, entertain away. You can see a few of the images in the gallery above, or visit the full Lensrentals blog post for more pictures and descriptions of the damage the sun can do to expensive camera gear when you’re not properly equipped to shoot it.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The Lily Drone is back: Gets a makeover, better features and a new parent company

01 Sep

The Ill-fated Lily Drone has returned from the grave courtesy of Mota Group, a company that acquired the Lily Drone assets after its original company, Lily Robotics, announced back in January that it was shutting down and then promptly got sued. The new version of Lily drone sports a different design and several new features versus the original model, including quick charging, 4K video recording, support for geo-fences, and the ability to ‘smart hover.’

Lily drone’s initial launch under startup Lily Robotics had caught consumer attention due to its autonomous technology, which supposedly enabled it to follow its operator while recording video after being thrown into the air. Though that type of feature is no longer atypical among camera drones (the autonomous following, that is), it was enough of a novelty at the time that it earned the company millions in investment dollars and pre-order sales.

By the time Lily Robotics closed up shop earlier this year, it was being sued by the San Francisco district attorney over claims that it had faked its promotional video for the drone. The company’s assets were sold off at auction and ultimately acquired by Mota Group for $ 750,000.

That brings us up to today and the launch of ‘Lily Next-Gen,’ an updated version of the Lily Drone that increases the original’s 1080p recording resolution to 4K, its still picture resolution from 12MP to 13MP, and trims its weight down from more than a kilogram to 385 grams/0.8lbs.

Some sacrifices were made to the drone, at least in comparison to what the original was purported to offer. It is no longer waterproof, and its flight time is now 18 minutes instead of 20 minutes. However, Lily Next-Gen supports an external battery, making it possible to increase that time to 36 minutes and content is stored on an included 16GB memory card.

Mota Group is currently offering two different bundles for its Lily drone via its online store: the Standard Package for $ 500 USD and the Fully Loaded Package for $ 800 USD. Shipping is available globally.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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