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Nikon’s flagship APS-C line got a long-awaited update in the D500. And as far as updates go, it’s an impressive one: its 20.9MP sensor, 10 fps continuous shooting, 153-point AF system and 4K video shooting make it something of a DX-format D5. Our initial studio test results have been very encouraging, so we were eager to follow them up with plenty of real-world shooting.
Nikon D500 real-world sample gallery
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| Photo by Jeff Keller |
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 / GX80 takes just about everything we like about the GX8 and crams it into a body size that’s a lot more in line with the older GX7. In the shrinking process, you lose the high-res tilting viewfinder, the new 20MP sensor and weather sealing. But don’t think you’re getting a bad deal; you gain Panasonic’s Dual-IS feature while recording 4K video (the first camera to do so), you get an updated 16MP chip that now lacks an anti-aliasing filter, and there’s a new JPEG mode dubbed L. Monochrome.
We’ve taken a pre-production GX85 with us around the Puget Sound region with a variety of lenses to see how it measures up.
Click to see our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 / GX80 pre-production samples gallery
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We had our first opportunity to shoot with the Sigma 30mm F1.4 Contemporary at CP+, spending some time with a pre-production lens taking in Japan’s freshly snow-coated landscapes. With a full-production lens in hand and good weather in the air, we’ve put the Sigma 30mm through its paces a little closer to home. Designed for Micro Four Thirds and Sony E-mount cameras, the featherweight prime is at home on Sony’s a6300 and a6000. Take a look at what this combo can do.
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN | C real-world sample gallery
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Tamron’s venerable 90mm F2.8 Macro is re-born. This iteration, announced in February of this year, offers stabilization, 1:1 magnification and focusing as close as 13.9cm/5.5in. And as far as full-frame primes go, it’s on the less-expensive side at $ 650. Spring is definitely springing in Seattle, and an abundance of tulips (we’re really not kidding, there are tons of them) provided a great starting point for our real-world Tamron 90mm F2.8 sample gallery.
Tamron SP 90mm F2.8 DI Macro 1:1 VC USD real-world sample gallery
With a newly designed 20MP full-frame sensor, an advanced autofocus system with 153 phase-detect points, a robust build with full weather sealing and 12 action-freezing frames per second, the Nikon D5 has been getting plenty of attention around the DPReview office over the past couple of weeks. It’s a purpose-built machine: we don’t think there’s a camera in the world that can keep erratically moving subjects in focus during fast bursts like the D5 can. But it’s good at a lot else as well.
We’ve toted it to tennis matches, a rugby match, up and over the Cascade mountains, along the Puget Sound waterfront and even a styled wedding shoot. After all, though the D5’s specs may indicate it’s geared toward the discerning sports shooter, that doesn’t mean Nikon’s new flagship wouldn’t make a great (though hefty) all-rounder for photographers shooting all day, every day.
See our Nikon D5 real world samples gallery
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With Springtime finally kicking in to high gear on the West Coast, we took advantage of the change in weather and brought the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens along with us on a couple of trips. From razor-clamming in Long Beach, WA to pounding the streets (and stairs) of San Francisco, the 24-70 G Master continued to impress us in terms of sharpness, out-of-focus rendering and overall build quality. This class of lens is a staple in many professionals’ and advanced amateurs’ kits; to see if it’s worthy of earning a spot in yours, take a look through our updated samples gallery below.
See our updated Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM real world samples gallery
Note: all additional images in the sample gallery feature both out-of-camera JPEGs and JPEGs processed from Raw. Both will have the original, uncompressed Raw file associated with them for download.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter / magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing, we do so in good faith, please don’t abuse it.
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With access to Adobe Camera Raw support for the Sony a6300’s .ARW files, we re-visited our real-world sample-gallery and have added a number of Raw conversions to the existing out-of-camera JPEG files. You can check out our conversions in the updated gallery, or you can download the Raw files and see what you can do with them yourself – you just need to download the latest ACR update.
See our updated Sony a6300 real-world sample gallery
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Among all its releases at CP+ 2016, Sigma’s 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens is the smallest in size, but its wide aperture should help it pack an image quality punch. Designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras and Sony E-Mount, the Sigma 30mm F1.4 uses a stepping motor for quiet autofocus, weighs in at a feathery 265g (9.3oz), and will retail for $ 339 when it’s released later this month.
During a visit to the Sigma factory in Aizu, Japan, we had a chance to test it out in a snowy winter wonderland. The lens is a pre-production sample, and the images were shot on a Sony a7R II in crop mode. We’ve included JPEGs processed from Raw using Adobe Camera Raw (some with and without manual distortion correction), and original Raw files as well, for your viewing pleasure. Check them out and see how the lens stacks up.
See our Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary real-world sample gallery
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The Panasonic Lumix ZS100 made its debut in early January, offering a sizable 25-250mm equivalent zoom range to complement its 1″-type sensor. With a built-in viewfinder it certainly looks to be travel-ready, so we’ve taken it across land and sea to gather some initial sample images. While Adobe Camera Raw support isn’t available yet, we’ve made a few in-camera Raw conversions and will update this gallery when support arrives.
See our Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 / TZ100 real-world sample gallery
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After being introduced to the long-awaited Pentax K-1, staff contributors Jordan Stead and Sam Spencer took a quick stroll with the K-1 and a handful of lenses: the recently announced 15-30mm, the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm. As an added bonus, and to our delight, we found the 70mm F2.4’s image circle covers full-frame, so we snapped some samples with it as well. Take a look to see what this pre-production 36MP contender is capable of.
Take a look at our Pentax K-1 pre-production real-world sample gallery