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Posts Tagged ‘dpreview’

CP+ 2016: DPReview behind-the-scenes

08 Mar

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

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

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

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Happy Holidays from dpreview!

25 Dec

As we celebrate our seventeenth anniversary (the site officially launched December 25th, 1998, when some of our staff were still in elementary school) I’d like to wish each and every one of our visitors a very Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Season’s Greetings/Merry Festivus* (*delete as required). It’s been a busy year here at DPReview, with our first live event, PIX 2015, which brought an amazing collection of photographers together in Seattle for two days of inspiring talks and demos, whilst also giving us a new appreciation for the sheer amount of work that goes into putting on an expo. You watch all the videos from the show – onstage and off – at the PIX2015.com/videos.

I’m incredibly proud of the work the team did this year. 2015 was the year we went big on video content, sending Barney off on adventures that took him from the Arctic Circle to Mexico for our new field tests (which he assures me was nowhere near as glamorous as it sounds). If you’ve not had chance to watch them I’d definitely recommend you head over to our YouTube channel to check them out. It’s not like there’s much else to do over the next few days, right?

Behind the scenes we’ve been working hard to update the aging content management system that runs dpreview, something that will finally allow us to start work on the site redesign that’s been sort-of-planned now for about 5 years. We hope to be able to share some of the changes with you early in the year (and get your feedback), and to start rolling out the new design towards the end of 2016. And don’t worry – if you like your DPReview just the way it is, you’ll be able to keep it (right now the most common complaint from new users is the black background / white text, but we know there’s enough of you who like it fine the way it is that we’ll offer the option to switch back to the old style). We plan to overhaul user galleries and Challenges too, but that probably won’t happen until 2017. Or 2018. Certainly before we hit our 20th anniversary. 

Our other big priority for 2016 is to improve our reviewing processes so we can produce more camera, lens and accessory reviews. The camera market has seen significant changes over the last couple of years, with the death of the point and shoot market forcing manufacturers to concentrate on their high-end enthusiast products. This is great news for photographers, but has resulted in our in-depth reviews taking longer and longer as we devise new tests and dive even deeper to fully assess the performance of what can only be described as the most advanced and capable photographic tools ever developed for the enthusiast and professional.

I’m convinced we’re doing the best, most comprehensive, most photographically relevant camera reviews we’ve ever done, but we hear your feedback – you want more reviews, more quickly. And that means we need to fundamentally overhaul the process. We’ve already started, and I sincerely hope you’ll notice a significant increase in the volume of reviews we publish once we’ve implemented all our plans. Who knows, maybe we’ll beat 2015’s record three positive feedback messages (vs several thousand telling us exactly where we should stick our website/review/forum ban)…

And so, since my family is getting tired of waiting for me to stop working and drink some egg-nog I will leave you to enjoy the holidays, take some great pictures and maybe take a break between courses to visit our comments section and tell us how wrong we are about everything 🙂

Merry Christmas!

Simon

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview recommends: Best Cameras for Kids 2015

23 Dec

If they’re young enough, your kids have always known a world in which smartphones are the most popular devices for taking photos. That’s too bad. To ensure that the next wave of young photographers understand the performance and ergonomic advantages of using a real camera, you’ll need to get one into their hands as soon as possible.

But wait! Before you sneak a Nikon D810 into your baby’s basket of toys, you’ll need to consider choking hazards and the fact that some children are a lot more careful than others when it comes to handling expensive electronics. If you want to buy a camera specifically for your child – or a camera that your entire family can share without worrying too much – durability and ease of use are just as important, if not more, as image quality and features.

And, of course, much of that depends on the age and maturity level of your child. We wouldn’t trust any toddler or the vast majority of 10-year-old boys with an advanced point-and-shoot, but for a teenager or pre-teen that’s wise beyond their years and genuinely interested in photography, a compact with a lot of zoom and manual controls to grow into might be a great fit.

So here’s a selection of some of what we think are the best camera options for your kids. Most of these models aren’t specifically for kids, and all of the obvious caveats apply. Batteries aren’t edible, memory cards are choke hazards, cameras can hurt when they’re thrown at people, etc. All prices are approximate street prices, correct at time of publication, and if you think we’ve missed a model that deserves consideration, let us know in the comments!

Younger Kids

If you’re shopping for kids 6 and under, you probably don’t want to spend a lot of money, and durability is likely to be important. You want something lightweight that won’t break the first time it gets dropped, and the simpler the operation the better.

Vtech Kidizoom Connect ($ 48)

1.3MP sensor | 4X digital zoom | 1.8″ LCD | 320 x 240 video | 128MB built-in memory | uses AA batteries

Baby’s first piece of kit should be tough and inexpensive, and the VTech KidiZoom fits the bill. This durable 1.3-megapixel camera/toy comes has a fixed lens with 4X digital zoom, 128MB of internal memory (with an option for MicroSD memory card expansion), a 1.8″ LCD and 320 x 240 video. There are even three photo-related games to keep your kids entertained.

Nikon Coolpix S33 ($ 99)

13.2MP CMOS sensor | 30-90mm equiv. lens | Waterproof to 32ft | Shockproof from 5ft | Full HD video

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more 

Cameras do get bumped and dropped (or worse), making Nikon’s inexpensive waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof Coolpix S33 worth a look. It features an easy-to-use interface and dedicated one-touch buttons for simple shooting. Although it’s 13.2 megapixel CMOS sensor is roughly the size of what’s in your smartphone, it can capture decent quality images. Its lens has a focal range of of 30-90mm – adequate for most purposes. A dedicated movie record button allows users to quickly shoot Full HD video clips. The S33 offers sixteen creative styles and effects options (including Underwater Face Detection) and an option to shoot videos with a miniature effect.

Fujifilm instax mini 8 ($ 80)

Makes card-sized instant prints | 60mm equiv. fixed lens | Uses AA batteries | Comes in several colors

Now your kids can relive the days of instant prints with the Fujifilm instax mini 8, one of several models available from the company. It’s definitely not rugged, but the thrill of getting a 2.4 x 1.8 inch print in about 2-3 minutes will excite both kids and adults alike. The mini 8 is a very basic camera, with a small optical viewfinder (and no LCD), dial-in exposure, and a flash that always fires. One important thing to know is that instax cameras are a bit of a money pit, with a ten pack of film priced at around $ 8.50, so your little photographers will need to be pretty selective before pressing that shutter release button.  

Viddy Pinhole Camera kit ($ 57)

DIY pinhole camera | Accepts 35mm or medium-format film | Available in four colors

For the creative kid with a do-it-yourself attitude, the VIDDY is a pinhole camera kit made from tough, durable recycled cardboard in four colors: green, black, blue or red. It accepts both medium format and 35mm film. Bonus: it’s a perfect project between parent and child. Pop out VIDDY’s screen printed parts and assemble in 30 minutes.

Polaroid Cube ($ 99)

6MP sensor | 35mm lens w/124° angle-of-view | Weatherproof | Full HD video | Numerous mounts available

The latest HD action camera from Polaroid combines a 6MP sensor with a lens with an impressive 124° field-of-view and puts it into a weatherproof body measuring just 35mm on each side. The camera has can record Full HD video onto an optional microSD card, and a 90 minute battery allows extended recording for every bike ride and beach adventure. Just like more expensive GoPros, there are numerous mounts available for the Cube, plus an underwater housing. And a magnet in the camera’s base opens up even more potentially interesting vantage points.

For those seeking Wi-Fi capabilities, the Cube+ offers that for $ 149.

Older Kids

Durability may be less important in a camera for this age group, but it really depends on the child. In our selection we’re assuming that you’re buying for a kid who’s learned not to throw precious things around, and most of the models we’ve chosen offer a little room for your child to grow away from the strictly auto-everything snap-shooting if they get more confident.

Olympus Tough TG-4 ($ 349)

16MP BSI CMOS sensor | 25-100mm equiv. lens | Waterproof to 50ft | Full HD video | Wi-Fi + GPS

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

For kids that are on the go – or have the tendency to drop expensive pieces of electronics, the Olympus TG-4 is a good choice. It’s well built, responsive, full-featured and produces excellent quality images for a small-sensor camera. It offers automatic shooting modes but opens up the world of manual exposure for older children ready to get their feet wet (no pun intended) in more serious photography. Other features include numerous ‘art filters’, Full HD video recording, and support for fisheye and telephoto conversion lenses. It has very good battery life as well, so it can make it through the day with ease.

The TG-4 is waterproof to 50ft, shockproof from 7ft, crushproof to 220lbf and freeze proof to +14F, so it can take a beating. Wi-Fi is built-in for easy photo sharing, and the GPS receiver will let young photographers check a map to see where a photo was taken.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 ($ 250)

12MP BSI CMOS sensor | 24-720mm equiv. lens | Electronic viewfinder | Full HD video | Wi-Fi

For the child you trust with more fragile cameras, might we suggest the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. It’s a great camera to take on vacation, thanks to its long 24-720mm (30X) zoom lens and ultra-compact body. It offers speedy focusing and continuous shooting, and photos can be composed on either a 3″ LCD or a small (but still useful) electronic viewfinder. The camera can record Full HD video with ‘hybrid’ image stabilization to reduce severe camera shake. 

The ZS50 offers more advanced manual controls than the TG-4 above, so if you want to teach your budding photographer about aperture and shutter speed or how to manual focus, the ZS50 is a camera which can do it.

Apple iPod Touch ($ 199 and up)

Full-featured smart device | 8MP BSI CMOS sensor | F2.4, 29mm equiv. lens | 4″ Retina display | Full HD video

While it may be too early in their lives to buy your kids an iPhone, you might as well prepare for the inevitable by picking up an iPod Touch (2015). It’s essentially an iPhone without the phone, meaning that you get access to hundreds of thousands of apps, many photo-related, easy photo sharing over Wi-Fi, and all of the other things that have made iPhones a smash hit.

On the photo side, the iPod Touch sports a 8MP BSI CMOS sensor and an F2.4, 29mm equivalent lens, plus a lower resolution front-facing camera for selfies. It has the usual features you’d expect to see on a ‘regular’ camera, plus impressive Auto HDR and panorama features. The iPod Touch can also record Full HD video, with slo-mo and time-lapse options. You couldn’t ask for a better screen on which to compose photos, either, as the 4″ Retina display truly shines. You can even add extra lenses from companies like Olloclip for more flexibility.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview Recommends: Best compact cameras for travel 2015

23 Dec

Whether you’re traveling the world or the next town over, having the right camera at your side makes all the difference. We’ve picked out our best picks for the photographer who wants to keep things simple by carrying a compact camera rather than one with interchangeable lenses. If you fall into that category, we’ve got great news for you – there are more high quality cameras with attached lenses than ever before, brimming with features tailored to your needs. 

Fujifilm X100T

$ 1099 | 16MP APS-C sensor | 35mm equiv F2 lens | Hybrid electronic / optical viewfinder | 3″ LCD

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

Few cameras in recent history have attracted as much of a cult following as Fujifilm’s X100 series. They’re the photographer’s darling – not just a good-looking camera, but a beautifully effective machine. The X100T is small and light, and won’t burden a weary traveler, and its low-profile lends itself to street shooting. If you don’t mind zooming with your feet, its 35mm F2 equivalent lens and 16MP X-Trans APS-C sensor will serve you well.

In addition to its travel-friendly size, the X100T offers a hybrid viewfinder with optical and digital views. That’s especially handy when the sun is high in the sky and the 1.04M-dot 3″ LCD becomes harder to see. Having been on the market over a year (at time of publication), its 16 megapixels are starting to feel quite low in comparison to some of its peers, but it also means that the price has dropped slightly since its launch. It is worth noting though that its movie mode, which was far from class-leading at launch, is now well behind the competition in terms of quality and 4K support.

With obviously classic design cues, the X100T’s controls and handling are timeless. Though it doesn’t offer the cutting-edge modern features of its newer peers, it won’t go out of style anytime soon. 

Also consider…

Ricoh GR II
Not a revolutionary update to the original by any means, but the Ricoh GR II’s 16MP APS-C sensor and 28mm F2.8 make the camera one of the best bargains on the market for under $ 600.

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000

$ 750 | 20MP 1″-type sensor | 4K video | 25-400mm equiv. focal range | XGA OLED viewfinder

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

You can zoom with your feet all day long, but some situations and shooting styles call for real zoom. The Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 doesn’t top its class in terms of massive zoom reach, but its 25-400mm equivalent zoom opens up plenty of options, and an F2.8-4.0 aperture is brighter than most of its peers. With a 1″-type 20.1MP CMOS sensor, it borrows some tech from the GH4 including 4K video recording at 30 fps. Its DSLR-style build includes a fully articulated 921k-dot 3″ LCD and a 2.4M-dot OLED viewfinder.

Also consider… 

Nikon Coolpix P900 
On the seventh day, the Nikon Coolpix P900 was created. And there was much zoom. An incredible 24-2000mm equivalent range, in fact. The P900 uses a considerably smaller 16MP sensor than the FZ1000, but its lens is impressive considering what it has to do, the image stabilization is amazing, and the built-in GPS won’t let you forget where you’ve been.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

$ 950 | 20MP 1″-type sensor | F1.8-2.8 24-70mm equiv. lens | Pop-up EVF | 4K video

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

It’s hard not to recommend the Sony RX100 IV to anyone buying a compact. It’s by no means a budget-friendly option, but it’s among the most capable pocket-sized cameras we’ve ever tested. Sony’s excellent 20MP 1″-type sensor is bigger than your garden-variety compact camera sensor with lots of dynamic range, and a 24-70mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens is much brighter than most of its competition. The camera’s tiny pop-up EVF is higher resolution than that of it predecessor and comes in very handy in bright outdoor light.

The RX100 IV really shines when you set the mode dial to movie mode. 4K/UHD recording is available, and at lower resolutions (upscaled to 1080p) high frame rates of 240, 480 and 960 fps can be used. Slow motion video is an awful lot of fun.

If you want to take control over your settings, shoot high quality video and make the most of your vacation Raw files, the RX100 IV is a solid choice. Of course, if you can live without 4K and high frame rates, the RX100 III will save you a couple hundred dollars and get you much of the same excellent image quality. Neither will get you a lot of zoom if that’s what you’re after, but their image quality is at the top of their class.

Also consider…

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 
Before there were fancy Sony point-and-shoots with 1″ sensors, Panasonic had the market cornered on premium zoom compacts for travelers. While its 12MP 1/2.3″ sensor looks a bit pedestrian in comparison, there’s something to be said for a 24-720mm equiv. zoom that just about fits in your pocket. And for under $ 300, it’s pretty much a steal for full manual controls, Raw support and Wi-Fi with NFC.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

$ 700 | 13MP Four Thirds sensor | 24-75mm equiv. F1.7-2.8 lens | Electronic viewfinder | 4K video

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

Why stop at a 1″-type sensor? That’s the question Panasonic engineers must have asked themselves, and lo and behold, the Lumix LX100 was born. It uses a cropped 13MP Four Thirds sensor coupled with a very fast 24-75mm equiv. F1.7-2.8 lens and offers great ergonomics and handling for the kind of photographer who wants quick access to exposure settings. It’s not as pocket-friendly as the RX100 IV, but its solid handgrip gives it a steady feel and its responsive user experience is one of the best we’ve encountered in a compact.

In addition to recording 4K video, the LX100 also offers a useful 4K Photo Mode, which lets you extract a high quality 8MB still from your clip. Its time-lapse and stop motion animation modes are also a lot of fun. Its zoom is certainly on the shorter side, and for someone who plans to stay in Auto mode the camera’s controls and customization will verge on overkill. But for the seasoned photographer wanting to give her shoulders a break from the big camera, the LX100 is a joy to carry and shoot with.

Also consider…

Canon PowerShot G5 X 
If you want just a bit more zoom (100mm at the top end) and a more traditional SLR-style body you may want to consider the Canon PowerShot G5 X. It sports a 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor (likely the same as in the RX100 III) and a 24-100mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens, along with a fully articulating LCD, high resolution EVF, and full set of manual controls. It’s not great for action shooting and it lacks 4K video, but the G5 X is still worth a look.

Olympus Tough TG-4

$ 350 | 16MP 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor | 25-100mm equiv. F2.0-4.9 lens | Everything-proof

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

Nothing spoils a vacation like spilling a Mai Tai on your fancy new camera. The Olympus TG-4 isn’t just sealed against spills, its fully waterproof to 15m/50ft, as well as shockproof from 2.1m/7ft, crushproof to 100kg/220lbf and freezeproof to -10C/14F. Wherever your travels may take you, the TG-4 is up to the challenge.

Outside of its rugged specs, we like the TG-4’s ability to shoot Raw, making it possible to get very nice image quality with a little time invested in post-processing. Its moderate 25-100mm equiv. zoom, which is fast at its wide end, will get you a little closer to the action, and optional accessories like a macro LED ring light and waterproof fisheye lens open up more possibilities. It also provides the peace of mind of knowing your camera will survive just about anything your vacation throws at it.

Also consider…

Olympus Tough TG-860
The Stylus TG-860 is the TG-4’s more casual sibling, lacking buttoned-up features like Raw capture and Aperture priority mode, but provides identical rugged specifications with a flip-up selfie-friendly LCD. If you don’t anticipate doing extensive editing to your snapshots, the TG-860 is good, clean fun for a significantly cheaper price.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview Gear of the Year Part 6: Richard’s choice – Fujinon 56mm F1.2R APD

23 Dec

My Gear of the Year isn’t a product launched in 2015. Nor is it necessarily the absolute best option available. However, it is the product that I’ve grabbed whenever I wasn’t committed to something else we’ve been testing, and it’s a product I’ve really enjoyed.

What I love

  • Classic portrait focal length 85mm equivalent field-of-view
  • Bright maximum aperture for shallow depth-of-field or low light work
  • Apodization filter to ensure smoother bokeh
  • Well built solid-feeling without being too heavy

I’ve always liked the idea of classic 85-135mm equivalent portrait lenses but they’ve tended to be somewhat thin on the ground for the APS-C cameras I seem to end up testing. So I’m delighted to see Fujifilm go the extra mile and create a fast 85mm equivalent.

Better still, the APD version of the lens is specifically designed to offer pleasant bokeh. None of this ‘X rounded blades to give pleasing bokeh’ nonsense, the APD version actually has a radial gradient neutral density filter to smooth off the bright edges of the out-of-focus rendering. I’ve taken the availability of this very specialized tool as encouragement to practice and improve my portraiture.

A quick re-process in camera and there’s a JPEG ready to send to my patient volunteer.

Fujinon 56mm F1.2R APD
F1.2, 1/35sec, ISO 800 

The Fujifilm 56 isn’t the only tool I could have used: the Zeiss Batis 85mm F1.8 would give very similar depth of field and, mounted on a Sony a7 series camera, would result in a fairly similarly sized package. However, although both have been present in the DPReview offices, it’s been hard to justify taking them out of the hands of the people reviewing and testing them, just to experiment. So it just happens to have ended up that I’ve spent more time enjoying the Fujinon.

Beyond the lens’s inherent properties, there’s another reason I’ve tended to grab the 56 and it relates to winning my subjects over and helping them feel comfortable with being photographed. 

While shooting, I’ve been using Fujifilm’s Wi-Fi system to send my favorite shot along to my subjects’ phones, letting them see the results and ensuring they have an image to walk away with. Lots of modern cameras have Wi-Fi of course, but it’s the combination of in-camera Raw processing and one of my favorite JPEG engines that makes it particularly useful. It’s relatively easy to choose the most appropriate Film Simulation mode, fine-tune the white balance and tone curve and arrive at a file I can comfortably share before I get a home to Lightroom. That ability to put the images quickly into the hands of my subjects has helped maintain their enthusiasm for standing around and being photographed.

The 56mm F1.2 APD is sharp where you want it and pleasantly smooth where you don’t. The X series cameras can place the focus with a good degree of accuracy, too.

Fujinon 56mm F1.2 APD
F1.2, 1/550sec, ISO 400

Furthermore, the relatively small size of an X-T10 with the 56mm mounted to it isn’t quite so intimidating as a full frame DSLR and has the advantage that I can continue to shoot when I’ve taken the camera away from my eye, to talk to my subject.

It’s not all dreamy bokeh and pretending to be David Hemmings*, of course.

The 56mm F1.2 APD is an expensive lens. For a start, it’s a rather specialized lens, meaning fewer buyers to share the development costs across. But equally, it’s likely that Fujifilm understands the mystique conveyed by the idea of a bokeh-smoothing filter and being able to etch the numbers 1:1.2 into the front of the lens, allowing them to charge a substantial premium.

Autofocus is also rather slow. The design appears to have a lot of glass to shift around when focusing, which slows things down, as does the loss of on-sensor phase detection, which would be confused by the lens’s internal filter. However, so long as the subject doesn’t move too fast or unpredictably (which is a reasonable expectation in semi-posed portraits), this isn’t a fatal drawback and is at least partially made up for by the accuracy and consistency of the focus.

It’s not just for close-up head shots, of course.

Fujinon 56mm F1.2 APD
F1.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 200

So why, when I know the 56mm is far from perfect, is it my Gear of the Year? On a technical level, it’s very good: it’s impressively sharp where it’s in focus and pleasantly smooth where it’s not, but the reason it’s my Gear of the Year is because I’ve enjoyed shooting with it and it’s encouraged me to go out and take photos.

I’m certainly not even going to claim the 56mm F1.2 APD has magically made me a great portrait photographer, but it’s certainly increased the number of my friends using my images to represent them on social media. And knowing the lens will take lovely images has left me able to concentrate on developing the soft skills for relaxing and posing the people I’m shooting. Now, where’s my reflector?

*I very seldom pretend to be David Hemmings.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview Gear of the Year part 5: Barney’s choice – Sony RX1R II

21 Dec
The Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II is a 42MP full-frame compact camera, with one of the best AF systems of any non-DSLR camera on the market. And I want one. 

Photo: Sam Spencer.

I’m a sucker for 35mm. I reckon that 90% of the pictures I like to take could be (or are) taken at this focal length. That’s why I have a Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art almost permanently attached to my DSLR, and why when I’m not shooting with that, I can probably be seen out and about using my old Fujifilm X100S. In fact it was the X100S that I wrote about for my last ‘Gear of the Year’ article, way back in 2013 (no offense, noble cameras of 2014. I guess I was just really busy this time last year. I’ll call you). 

It’s because I love 35mm that I really wanted to love the original Sony Cyber-shot RX1 and R. On paper they were perfect: a high-quality 24MP full-frame sensor (without an AA filter, in the case of the RX1R), 35mm F2 lens, with full manual control and the option to add a high resolution external EVF, in a compact body. What’s not to like?

I had a love / hate relationship when shooting with the original RX1R. In low-ish light, the camera’s AF system would routinely fail to accurately acquire focus. Both this image (and the one below) were shot in manual focus mode.  

Sony RX1R, ISO 640, F2.5, 1/80sec 

Quite a lot, as it turns out. Despite high hopes (and to be fair – after taking some pictures that I quite liked) I just didn’t get on with those cameras at all. The external viewfinder was almost essential, but clunky, and made a compact camera into a not-at-all-compact camera the minute it was attached. Battery life was fairly pitiful, and autofocus – dear God the autofocus… Fussy in bright light, unreliable in moderate light and downright unavailable in low light.

Until I tried to take nighttime shots with the RX1R I didn’t believe it was possible for an inanimate object to shrug, but I swear that’s what the damned thing did whenever I half-pressed the shutter button.

Taken by the light of a campfire, this image shows the strength of the original RX1R’s 24MP sensor, but like the previous image I had to resort to manual focus to get a sharp result (focused on the little girl’s face). 

Sony RX1R, ISO 6400, F2, 1/80sec

The original RX1 and RX1R were on the market for a long time, and just when I was beginning to give up hope of ever seeing an improved replacement, along came the RX1R II. 

Compared to the original RX1R, the Mark II version is a breath of fresh air. Inheriting the same 42MP BSI-CMOS full frame sensor (but with an all-new switchable anti-aliasing filter) and 399 phase-detection AF system from the Sony a7R II, the RX1R II is a significant step up.

What I love

  • Excellent resolution
  • High-resolution built-in EVF
  • Very accurate, flexible AF system
  • Compact, relatively lightweight form-factor
  • Large manual controls

Gone is the clumsy add-on FDA-EVM1K, replaced by a built-in, retractable 2.3 million dot OLED finder. I shoot with my eye to the viewfinder almost exclusively, so when Sony representatives first showed us the camera, I nabbed one of the new lockable rubber viewfinder hoods they brought along. The hood prevents the finder from being retracted, but after resorting – twice – to using needle-nosed pliers to loosen the locking screw* I decided just to leave it permanently attached.

With 42MP and a new BSI design, the sensor in the RX1R II is significantly more advanced than the already very good 24MP sensor in the older RX1R. Like all current Sony full-frame sensors it offers extraordinary dynamic range, allowing me to expose just shy of highlight clipping for this ISO 100 shot, and pull up the shadows very significantly in Photoshop. The final result shows a very wide dynamic range from bright to dark without feeling too ‘HDR’. 

Sony RX1R II, ISO 100, F6.3, 1/400sec

Just aesthetically, I really like the RX1R II, and it’s a camera that tends to attract admiring glances when I’m out shooting. Like the Fujifilm X100S, more than a few people have commented to me that it looks like a film camera, but the semi-retro styling doesn’t come at the expense of usability (keep walking, Nikon Df…). 

Cosmetics aside, the RX1R II also produces great images, exactly as we’d expect from a camera using such a high-quality sensor. Like recent a7-series cameras, Sony has included an uncompressed Raw option in the RX1R II.This gives maximum quality but at the expense of very large file sizes – roughly 80MB each, to be precise, compared to JPEGs which are typically less than ten. This slows the camera down, and eats through memory cards with frightening rapidity. 

While I didn’t much care for the original RX1/R overall but I did enjoy that 35mm F2 Zeiss lens. And although it was designed for a 24MP resolution it successfully keeps up with the much higher pixel density of the new sensor in the RX1R II. Sadly though, neither the sensor nor the lens is stabilized so with 42MP in play, even though sometimes I’ve gotten away with 1/30sec, I’m in the habit of treating 1/125sec as my safe ‘slowest’ shutter speed when hand-holding.

After dark, the RX1R II’s focus system is far superior to that of its predecessor. This shot was hand-held after dark, and shot wide open at F2.

Sony RX1R II, ISO 400, F2, 1/50sec

Alright, so the sensor is great, the AF system is transformed, and the built-in viewfinder is lovely. What about my one remaining major criticism of the original RX1R? – Battery life. 

Sadly, the RX1R II’s battery is the same NP-BX1 found in the first generation RX1R and all of Sony’s RX100 series compacts. Even just physically, the BX1 is comically small. Like, lose-it-in-your-pocket small. And while it’s rated for a modest 200 shots, in cold weather I’ve come to expect far less. 

In temperatures around freezing, I quickly fell into the habit of holding the battery slipped into a glove, and placing it in the camera only when needed. You know – like we had to do in the 1990s. Fortunately, Sony is shipping the RX1R II with a handy USB-powered charger, which means you don’t need to plug the camera in to charge the battery, as with other RX-series Sony compacts. So that’s one step forward, at least. 

Face detection worked well for this shot in one sense – it resulted in a nicely-balanced exposure, in a situation where my subject could easily be backlit. I should have activated Eye-AF though, because focus has fallen slightly short of my subject’s eyes.

Sony RX1R II, ISO 100, F4, 1/125sec

I’ve been using the RX1R II for a while now and I keep on having to remind myself that despite its high price-tag it is still a Cyber-shot camera, with a lot of the same quirks of much cheaper compact cameras in Sony’s lineup. In fact, it’s impossible to ignore. There’s the same lengthy startup time, the same lag – before – you – can – zoom – in to the images you’ve captured, the same confusing, rather passive aggressive error messages when you try to do something before the camera is ready or when it’s in the wrong mode, and the same somewhat confusingly-named array of AF modes.

Exposed to retain the very delicate warmth in the sky just above the horizon, this ISO 320 shot was converted from a Raw file, and the shadows lifted in Adobe Camera Raw. I performed some very slight noise reduction, but could still smooth out the midtones a lot more if I wanted to. 

Sony RX1R II, ISO 320, F2, 1/60sec

There are a couple of outright bugs, too. For example, despite not offering any form of SteadyShot image stabilization in still capture, the RX1R II will still blink a reminder at slow shutter speeds that this non-existent feature is turned off.

After shooting thousands of frames with the RX1R II, I’ve learned to live with these minor annoyances but I do with Sony had sprung for a couple of extra components. A more powerful processor would make a huge difference to the overall handling experience (especially in uncompressed Raw mode) and I wish it had a touchscreen. I’ve come to really value touch-sensitive screens over the past couple of years, mostly for AF placement when shooting from low angles.

This grabshot was taken on a tabletop, using live view. The RX1R II’s flip-out screen is very handy for pictures like this, but even handier would be a touch-sensitive screen, which would have allowed me to position the autofocus point precisely, by touch. 

Sony RX1R II, ISO 12800, F2, 1/60

All this being said, after a lot of thought, I picked the RX1R II as my personal choice for gear of the year. And I did that because it’s one of those cameras – like my Fujifilm X100S – that is capable of such good results that I am prepared to work around its quirks and largely forgive its faults. I should give an honorary mention to the Leica Q, though. In some ways the Q is a more pleasant camera to use but its sensor isn’t as advanced, I don’t love 28mm as much as 35mm, and my Christmas bonus* wasn’t generous enough to justify its higher cost.

Not that the RX1R II is cheap, of course. But if I have to move into a tent for a couple of months to save up enough to buy one, I’m willing to consider it. Once it’s stopped raining.

* Pliers were resorted to only after I broke a nail trying to do it with my fingers. Yeah, I know. Shut up.  
** Ha ha ha ha ha. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview Gear of the Year part 4: Barney’s choice – Sony RX1R II

21 Dec
The Sony Cyber-shot RX1R II is a 42MP full-frame compact camera, with one of the best AF systems of any non-DSLR camera on the market. And I want one. 

Photo: Sam Spencer.

I’m a sucker for 35mm. I reckon that 90% of the pictures I like to take could be (or are) taken at this focal length. That’s why I have a Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art almost permanently attached to my DSLR, and why when I’m not shooting with that, I can probably be seen out and about using my old Fujifilm X100S. In fact it was the X100S that I wrote about for my last ‘Gear of the Year’ article, way back in 2013 (no offense, noble cameras of 2014. I guess I was just really busy this time last year. I’ll call you). 

It’s because I love 35mm that I really wanted to love the original Sony Cyber-shot RX1 and R. On paper they were perfect: a high-quality 24MP full-frame sensor (without an AA filter, in the case of the RX1R), 35mm F2 lens, with full manual control and the option to add a high resolution external EVF, in a compact body. What’s not to like?

I had a love / hate relationship when shooting with the original RX1R. In low-ish light, the camera’s AF system would routinely fail to accurately acquire focus. Both this image (and the one below) were shot in manual focus mode.  

Sony RX1R, ISO 640, F2.5, 1/80sec 

Quite a lot, as it turns out. Despite high hopes (and to be fair – after taking some pictures that I quite liked) I just didn’t get on with those cameras at all. The external viewfinder was almost essential, but clunky, and made a compact camera into a not-at-all-compact camera the minute it was attached. Battery life was fairly pitiful, and autofocus – dear God the autofocus… Fussy in bright light, unreliable in moderate light and downright unavailable in low light.

Until I tried to take nighttime shots with the RX1R I didn’t believe it was possible for an inanimate object to shrug, but I swear that’s what the damned thing did whenever I half-pressed the shutter button.

Taken by the light of a campfire, this image shows the strength of the original RX1R’s 24MP sensor, but like the previous image I had to resort to manual focus to get a sharp result (focused on the little girl’s face). 

Sony RX1R, ISO 6400, F2, 1/80sec

The original RX1 and RX1R were on the market for a long time, and just when I was beginning to give up hope of ever seeing an improved replacement, along came the RX1R II. 

Compared to the original RX1R, the Mark II version is a breath of fresh air. Inheriting the same 42MP BSI-CMOS full frame sensor (but with an all-new switchable anti-aliasing filter) and 399 phase-detection AF system from the Sony a7R II, the RX1R II is a significant step up.

What I love

  • Excellent resolution
  • High-resolution built-in EVF
  • Very accurate, flexible AF system
  • Compact, relatively lightweight form-factor
  • Large manual controls

Gone is the clumsy add-on FDA-EVM1K, replaced by a built-in, retractable 2.3 million dot OLED finder. I shoot with my eye to the viewfinder almost exclusively, so when Sony representatives first showed us the camera, I nabbed one of the new lockable rubber viewfinder hoods they brought along. The hood prevents the finder from being retracted, but after resorting – twice – to using needle-nosed pliers to loosen the locking screw* I decided just to leave it permanently attached.

With 42MP and a new BSI design, the sensor in the RX1R II is significantly more advanced than the already very good 24MP sensor in the older RX1R. Like all current Sony full-frame sensors it offers extraordinary dynamic range, allowing me to expose just shy of highlight clipping for this ISO 100 shot, and pull up the shadows very significantly in Photoshop. The final result shows a very wide dynamic range from bright to dark without feeling too ‘HDR’. 

Sony RX1R II, ISO 100, F6.3, 1/400sec

Just aesthetically, I really like the RX1R II, and it’s a camera that tends to attract admiring glances when I’m out shooting. Like the Fujifilm X100S, more than a few people have commented to me that it looks like a film camera, but the semi-retro styling doesn’t come at the expense of usability (keep walking, Nikon Df…). 

Cosmetics aside, the RX1R II also produces great images, exactly as we’d expect from a camera using such a high-quality sensor. Like recent a7-series cameras, Sony has included an uncompressed Raw option in the RX1R II.This gives maximum quality but at the expense of very large file sizes – roughly 80MB each, to be precise, compared to JPEGs which are typically less than ten. This slows the camera down, and eats through memory cards with frightening rapidity. 

While I didn’t much care for the original RX1/R overall but I did enjoy that 35mm F2 Zeiss lens. And although it was designed for a 24MP resolution it successfully keeps up with the much higher pixel density of the new sensor in the RX1R II. Sadly though, neither the sensor nor the lens is stabilized so with 42MP in play, even though sometimes I’ve gotten away with 1/30sec, I’m in the habit of treating 1/125sec as my safe ‘slowest’ shutter speed when hand-holding.

After dark, the RX1R II’s focus system is far superior to that of its predecessor. This shot was hand-held after dark, and shot wide open at F2.

Sony RX1R II, ISO 400, F2, 1/50sec

Alright, so the sensor is great, the AF system is transformed, and the built-in viewfinder is lovely. What about my one remaining major criticism of the original RX1R? – Battery life. 

Sadly, the RX1R II’s battery is the same NP-BX1 found in the first generation RX1R and all of Sony’s RX100 series compacts. Even just physically, the BX1 is comically small. Like, lose-it-in-your-pocket small. And while it’s rated for a modest 200 shots, in cold weather I’ve come to expect far less. 

In temperatures around freezing, I quickly fell into the habit of holding the battery slipped into a glove, and placing it in the camera only when needed. You know – like we had to do in the 1990s. Fortunately, Sony is shipping the RX1R II with a handy USB-powered charger, which means you don’t need to plug the camera in to charge the battery, as with other RX-series Sony compacts. So that’s one step forward, at least. 

Face detection worked well for this shot in one sense – it resulted in a nicely-balanced exposure, in a situation where my subject could easily be backlit. I should have activated Eye-AF though, because focus has fallen slightly short of my subject’s eyes.

Sony RX1R II, ISO 100, F4, 1/125sec

I’ve been using the RX1R II for a while now and I keep on having to remind myself that despite its high price-tag it is still a Cyber-shot camera, with a lot of the same quirks of much cheaper compact cameras in Sony’s lineup. In fact, it’s impossible to ignore. There’s the same lengthy startup time, the same lag – before – you – can – zoom – in to the images you’ve captured, the same confusing, rather passive aggressive error messages when you try to do something before the camera is ready or when it’s in the wrong mode, and the same somewhat confusingly-named array of AF modes.

Exposed to retain the very delicate warmth in the sky just above the horizon, this ISO 320 shot was converted from a Raw file, and the shadows lifted in Adobe Camera Raw. I performed some very slight noise reduction, but could still smooth out the midtones a lot more if I wanted to. 

Sony RX1R II, ISO 320, F2, 1/60sec

There are a couple of outright bugs, too. For example, despite not offering any form of SteadyShot image stabilization in still capture, the RX1R II will still blink a reminder at slow shutter speeds that this non-existent feature is turned off.

After shooting thousands of frames with the RX1R II, I’ve learned to live with these minor annoyances but I do with Sony had sprung for a couple of extra components. A more powerful processor would make a huge difference to the overall handling experience (especially in uncompressed Raw mode) and I wish it had a touchscreen. I’ve come to really value touch-sensitive screens over the past couple of years, mostly for AF placement when shooting from low angles.

This grabshot was taken on a tabletop, using live view. The RX1R II’s flip-out screen is very handy for pictures like this, but even handier would be a touch-sensitive screen, which would have allowed me to position the autofocus point precisely, by touch. 

Sony RX1R II, ISO 12800, F2, 1/60

All this being said, after a lot of thought, I picked the RX1R II as my personal choice for gear of the year. And I did that because it’s one of those cameras – like my Fujifilm X100S – that is capable of such good results that I am prepared to work around its quirks and largely forgive its faults. I should give an honorary mention to the Leica Q, though. In some ways the Q is a more pleasant camera to use but its sensor isn’t as advanced, I don’t love 28mm as much as 35mm, and my Christmas bonus* wasn’t generous enough to justify its higher cost.

Not that the RX1R II is cheap, of course. But if I have to move into a tent for a couple of months to save up enough to buy one, I’m willing to consider it. Once it’s stopped raining.

* Pliers were resorted to only after I broke a nail trying to do it with my fingers. Yeah, I know. Shut up.  
** Ha ha ha ha ha. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview Recommends: Best compact cameras for travel 2015

18 Dec

Whether you’re traveling the world or the next town over, having the right camera at your side makes all the difference. We’ve picked out our best picks for the photographer who wants to keep things simple by carrying a compact camera rather than one with interchangeable lenses. If you fall into that category, we’ve got great news for you – there are more high quality cameras with attached lenses than ever before, brimming with features tailored to your needs. 

Fujifilm X100T

$ 1099 | 16MP APS-C sensor | 35mm equiv F2 lens | Hybrid electronic / optical viewfinder | 3″ LCD

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

Few cameras in recent history have attracted as much of a cult following as Fujifilm’s X100 series. They’re the photographer’s darling – not just a good-looking camera, but a beautifully effective machine. The X100T is small and light, and won’t burden a weary traveler, and its low-profile lends itself to street shooting. If you don’t mind zooming with your feet, its 35mm F2 equivalent lens and 16MP X-Trans APS-C sensor will serve you well.

In addition to its travel-friendly size, the X100T offers a hybrid viewfinder with optical and digital views. That’s especially handy when the sun is high in the sky and the 1.04M-dot 3″ LCD becomes harder to see. Having been on the market over a year (at time of publication), its 16 megapixels are starting to feel quite low in comparison to some of its peers, but it also means that the price has dropped slightly since its launch. It is worth noting though that its movie mode, which was far from class-leading at launch, is now well behind the competition in terms of quality and 4K support.

With obviously classic design cues, the X100T’s controls and handling are timeless. Though it doesn’t offer the cutting-edge modern features of its newer peers, it won’t go out of style anytime soon. 

Also consider…

Ricoh GR II
Not a revolutionary update to the original by any means, but the Ricoh GR II’s 16MP APS-C sensor and 28mm F2.8 make the camera one of the best bargains on the market for under $ 600.

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000

$ 750 | 20MP 1″-type sensor | 4K video | 25-400mm equiv. focal range | XGA OLED viewfinder

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

You can zoom with your feet all day long, but some situations and shooting styles call for real zoom. The Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 doesn’t top its class in terms of massive zoom reach, but its 25-400mm equivalent zoom opens up plenty of options, and an F2.8-4.0 aperture is brighter than most of its peers. With a 1″-type 20.1MP CMOS sensor, it borrows some tech from the GH4 including 4K video recording at 30 fps. Its DSLR-style build includes a fully articulated 921k-dot 3″ LCD and a 2.4M-dot OLED viewfinder.

Also consider… 

Nikon Coolpix P900 
On the seventh day, the Nikon Coolpix P900 was created. And there was much zoom. An incredible 24-2000mm equivalent range, in fact. The P900 uses a considerably smaller 16MP sensor than the FZ1000, but its lens is impressive considering what it has to do, the image stabilization is amazing, and the built-in GPS won’t let you forget where you’ve been.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

$ 950 | 20MP 1″-type sensor | F1.8-2.8 24-70mm equiv. lens | Pop-up EVF | 4K video

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

It’s hard not to recommend the Sony RX100 IV to anyone buying a compact. It’s by no means a budget-friendly option, but it’s among the most capable pocket-sized cameras we’ve ever tested. Sony’s excellent 20MP 1″-type sensor is bigger than your garden-variety compact camera sensor with lots of dynamic range, and a 24-70mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens is much brighter than most of its competition. The camera’s tiny pop-up EVF is higher resolution than that of it predecessor and comes in very handy in bright outdoor light.

The RX100 IV really shines when you set the mode dial to movie mode. 4K/UHD recording is available, and at lower resolutions (upscaled to 1080p) high frame rates of 240, 480 and 960 fps can be used. Slow motion video is an awful lot of fun.

If you want to take control over your settings, shoot high quality video and make the most of your vacation Raw files, the RX100 IV is a solid choice. Of course, if you can live without 4K and high frame rates, the RX100 III will save you a couple hundred dollars and get you much of the same excellent image quality. Neither will get you a lot of zoom if that’s what you’re after, but their image quality is at the top of their class.

Also consider…

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 
Before there were fancy Sony point-and-shoots with 1″ sensors, Panasonic had the market cornered on premium zoom compacts for travelers. While its 12MP 1/2.3″ sensor looks a bit pedestrian in comparison, there’s something to be said for a 24-720mm equiv. zoom that just about fits in your pocket. And for under $ 300, it’s pretty much a steal for full manual controls, Raw support and Wi-Fi with NFC.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

$ 700 | 13MP Four Thirds sensor | 24-75mm equiv. F1.7-2.8 lens | Electronic viewfinder | 4K video

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

Why stop at a 1″-type sensor? That’s the question Panasonic engineers must have asked themselves, and lo and behold, the Lumix LX100 was born. It uses a cropped 13MP Four Thirds sensor coupled with a very fast 24-75mm equiv. F1.7-2.8 lens and offers great ergonomics and handling for the kind of photographer who wants quick access to exposure settings. It’s not as pocket-friendly as the RX100 IV, but its solid handgrip gives it a steady feel and its responsive user experience is one of the best we’ve encountered in a compact.

In addition to recording 4K video, the LX100 also offers a useful 4K Photo Mode, which lets you extract a high quality 8MB still from your clip. Its time-lapse and stop motion animation modes are also a lot of fun. Its zoom is certainly on the shorter side, and for someone who plans to stay in Auto mode the camera’s controls and customization will verge on overkill. But for the seasoned photographer wanting to give her shoulders a break from the big camera, the LX100 is a joy to carry and shoot with.

Also consider…

Canon PowerShot G5 X 
If you want just a bit more zoom (100mm at the top end) and a more traditional SLR-style body you may want to consider the Canon PowerShot G5 X. It sports a 20MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensor (likely the same as in the RX100 III) and a 24-100mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens, along with a fully articulating LCD, high resolution EVF, and full set of manual controls. It’s not great for action shooting and it lacks 4K video, but the G5 X is still worth a look.

Olympus Tough TG-4

$ 350 | 16MP 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor | 25-100mm equiv. F2.0-4.9 lens | Everything-proof

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

Nothing spoils a vacation like spilling a Mai Tai on your fancy new camera. The Olympus TG-4 isn’t just sealed against spills, its fully waterproof to 15m/50ft, as well as shockproof from 2.1m/7ft, crushproof to 100kg/220lbf and freezeproof to -10C/14F. Wherever your travels may take you, the TG-4 is up to the challenge.

Outside of its rugged specs, we like the TG-4’s ability to shoot Raw, making it possible to get very nice image quality with a little time invested in post-processing. Its moderate 25-100mm equiv. zoom, which is fast at its wide end, will get you a little closer to the action, and optional accessories like a macro LED ring light and waterproof fisheye lens open up more possibilities. It also provides the peace of mind of knowing your camera will survive just about anything your vacation throws at it.

Also consider…

Olympus Tough TG-860
The Stylus TG-860 is the TG-4’s more casual sibling, lacking buttoned-up features like Raw capture and Aperture priority mode, but provides identical rugged specifications with a flip-up selfie-friendly LCD. If you don’t anticipate doing extensive editing to your snapshots, the TG-860 is good, clean fun for a significantly cheaper price.

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Cast your vote: DPReview Readers’ Choice Awards 2015

17 Dec

It was a quiet year for some manufacturers, and a year of milestones for others. We’ve tested loads of equipment, both in our studio and out, and have voiced our opinions on many of the year’s notable cameras and lenses. Now it’s your turn! Vote for your favorite gear of the past year in four categories, and stay tuned for the final showdown between the winners in each category.

Vote now! 2015 DPReview Readers’ Choice Awards

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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DPReview recommends: Best Cameras for Kids 2015

16 Dec

If they’re young enough, your kids have always known a world in which smartphones are the most popular devices for taking photos. That’s too bad. To ensure that the next wave of young photographers understand the performance and ergonomic advantages of using a real camera, you’ll need to get one into their hands as soon as possible.

But wait! Before you sneak a Nikon D810 into your baby’s basket of toys, you’ll need to consider choking hazards and the fact that some children are a lot more careful than others when it comes to handling expensive electronics. If you want to buy a camera specifically for your child – or a camera that your entire family can share without worrying too much – durability and ease of use are just as important, if not more, as image quality and features.

And, of course, much of that depends on the age and maturity level of your child. We wouldn’t trust any toddler or the vast majority of 10-year-old boys with an advanced point-and-shoot, but for a teenager or pre-teen that’s wise beyond their years and genuinely interested in photography, a compact with a lot of zoom and manual controls to grow into might be a great fit.

So here’s a selection of some of what we think are the best camera options for your kids. Most of these models aren’t specifically for kids, and all of the obvious caveats apply. Batteries aren’t edible, memory cards are choke hazards, cameras can hurt when they’re thrown at people, etc. All prices are approximate street prices, correct at time of publication, and if you think we’ve missed a model that deserves consideration, let us know in the comments!

Younger Kids

If you’re shopping for kids 6 and under, you probably don’t want to spend a lot of money, and durability is likely to be important. You want something lightweight that won’t break the first time it gets dropped, and the simpler the operation the better.

Vtech Kidizoom Connect ($ 48)

1.3MP sensor | 4X digital zoom | 1.8″ LCD | 320 x 240 video | 128MB built-in memory | uses AA batteries

Baby’s first piece of kit should be tough and inexpensive, and the VTech KidiZoom fits the bill. This durable 1.3-megapixel camera/toy comes has a fixed lens with 4X digital zoom, 128MB of internal memory (with an option for MicroSD memory card expansion), a 1.8″ LCD and 320 x 240 video. There are even three photo-related games to keep your kids entertained.

Nikon Coolpix S33 ($ 99)

13.2MP CMOS sensor | 30-90mm equiv. lens | Waterproof to 32ft | Shockproof from 5ft | Full HD video

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more 

Cameras do get bumped and dropped (or worse), making Nikon’s inexpensive waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof Coolpix S33 worth a look. It features an easy-to-use interface and dedicated one-touch buttons for simple shooting. Although it’s 13.2 megapixel CMOS sensor is roughly the size of what’s in your smartphone, it can capture decent quality images. Its lens has a focal range of of 30-90mm – adequate for most purposes. A dedicated movie record button allows users to quickly shoot Full HD video clips. The S33 offers sixteen creative styles and effects options (including Underwater Face Detection) and an option to shoot videos with a miniature effect.

Fujifilm instax mini 8 ($ 80)

Makes card-sized instant prints | 60mm equiv. fixed lens | Uses AA batteries | Comes in several colors

Now your kids can relive the days of instant prints with the Fujifilm instax mini 8, one of several models available from the company. It’s definitely not rugged, but the thrill of getting a 2.4 x 1.8 inch print in about 2-3 minutes will excite both kids and adults alike. The mini 8 is a very basic camera, with a small optical viewfinder (and no LCD), dial-in exposure, and a flash that always fires. One important thing to know is that instax cameras are a bit of a money pit, with a ten pack of film priced at around $ 8.50, so your little photographers will need to be pretty selective before pressing that shutter release button.  

Viddy Pinhole Camera kit ($ 57)

DIY pinhole camera | Accepts 35mm or medium-format film | Available in four colors

For the creative kid with a do-it-yourself attitude, the VIDDY is a pinhole camera kit made from tough, durable recycled cardboard in four colors: green, black, blue or red. It accepts both medium format and 35mm film. Bonus: it’s a perfect project between parent and child. Pop out VIDDY’s screen printed parts and assemble in 30 minutes.

Polaroid Cube ($ 99)

6MP sensor | 35mm lens w/124° angle-of-view | Weatherproof | Full HD video | Numerous mounts available

The latest HD action camera from Polaroid combines a 6MP sensor with a lens with an impressive 124° field-of-view and puts it into a weatherproof body measuring just 35mm on each side. The camera has can record Full HD video onto an optional microSD card, and a 90 minute battery allows extended recording for every bike ride and beach adventure. Just like more expensive GoPros, there are numerous mounts available for the Cube, plus an underwater housing. And a magnet in the camera’s base opens up even more potentially interesting vantage points.

For those seeking Wi-Fi capabilities, the Cube+ offers that for $ 149.

Older Kids

Durability may be less important in a camera for this age group, but it really depends on the child. In our selection we’re assuming that you’re buying for a kid who’s learned not to throw precious things around, and most of the models we’ve chosen offer a little room for your child to grow away from the strictly auto-everything snap-shooting if they get more confident.

Olympus Tough TG-4 ($ 349)

16MP BSI CMOS sensor | 25-100mm equiv. lens | Waterproof to 50ft | Full HD video | Wi-Fi + GPS

Full specifications, sample images, user reviews and more

For kids that are on the go – or have the tendency to drop expensive pieces of electronics, the Olympus TG-4 is a good choice. It’s well built, responsive, full-featured and produces excellent quality images for a small-sensor camera. It offers automatic shooting modes but opens up the world of manual exposure for older children ready to get their feet wet (no pun intended) in more serious photography. Other features include numerous ‘art filters’, Full HD video recording, and support for fisheye and telephoto conversion lenses. It has very good battery life as well, so it can make it through the day with ease.

The TG-4 is waterproof to 50ft, shockproof from 7ft, crushproof to 220lbf and freeze proof to +14F, so it can take a beating. Wi-Fi is built-in for easy photo sharing, and the GPS receiver will let young photographers check a map to see where a photo was taken.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 ($ 250)

12MP BSI CMOS sensor | 24-720mm equiv. lens | Electronic viewfinder | Full HD video | Wi-Fi

For the child you trust with more fragile cameras, might we suggest the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. It’s a great camera to take on vacation, thanks to its long 24-720mm (30X) zoom lens and ultra-compact body. It offers speedy focusing and continuous shooting, and photos can be composed on either a 3″ LCD or a small (but still useful) electronic viewfinder. The camera can record Full HD video with ‘hybrid’ image stabilization to reduce severe camera shake. 

The ZS50 offers more advanced manual controls than the TG-4 above, so if you want to teach your budding photographer about aperture and shutter speed or how to manual focus, the ZS50 is a camera which can do it.

Apple iPod Touch ($ 199 and up)

Full-featured smart device | 8MP BSI CMOS sensor | F2.4, 29mm equiv. lens | 4″ Retina display | Full HD video

While it may be too early in their lives to buy your kids an iPhone, you might as well prepare for the inevitable by picking up an iPod Touch (2015). It’s essentially an iPhone without the phone, meaning that you get access to hundreds of thousands of apps, many photo-related, easy photo sharing over Wi-Fi, and all of the other things that have made iPhones a smash hit.

On the photo side, the iPod Touch sports a 8MP BSI CMOS sensor and an F2.4, 29mm equivalent lens, plus a lower resolution front-facing camera for selfies. It has the usual features you’d expect to see on a ‘regular’ camera, plus impressive Auto HDR and panorama features. The iPod Touch can also record Full HD video, with slo-mo and time-lapse options. You couldn’t ask for a better screen on which to compose photos, either, as the 4″ Retina display truly shines. You can even add extra lenses from companies like Olloclip for more flexibility.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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