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Escura Instant 60s is a retro-inspired instant camera that doesn’t need batteries

04 Nov

Battery-free instant cameras and printers appear to be all the rage right now. So, naturally, another company is tossing its hat in the ring. Hong Kong-based CARBON, a brand under the Graphic Guides Design Company, has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Escura Instant 60s, a hand-crank Instant camera that uses the ubiquitous Instax film.

The camera, which is built with a retro 60s-inspired design, features a 60mm equivalent lens, two aperture options — F8 and F11 — and a shutter speed of roughly 1/100th of a second. There’s also a bulb shutter mode when using the optional spring shutter release cable. It’s also possible to capture multiple exposures on a single Instax print.

As with past battery-free cameras and printers we’ve seen, the process is as simple as turning the winding mechanism after capturing a shot. As you turn it, the print runs through the rollers and is fed out the top, ready to sit and be developed over the course of 90 seconds or so.

CARBON has also developed an external flash designed to be used with the Escura Instant 60s. It features the same retro design and is automatically synchronized with the shutter release.

The Escura Instant 60s is expected to ship in February 2019. Pledges start at roughly $ 55 (converted from HK$ ) for a single camera and go up as more cameras and add-ons are included. To find out more information and to secure your pledge, head on over to the Kickstarter campaign.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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5 Mindset Shifts You Need to Be Successful in Photography

09 Oct

You love photography. You live it, you breathe it, and it’s all you can ever think of doing in your life. And you’re good – better than some of the other people you know who also love photography.

But despite all this you feel… stuck. You’re not booking jobs, getting clients or making money. And when you post your best work on social media all you hear are crickets.

So what’s the problem? Well, it may surprise you to hear it may not be a technical issue at all but rather an issue with your subconscious. Karthika Gupta Photography - mindset shifts to be successful in photography

Today I want to talk about how you can totally transform your life, your relationships and your work. It isn’t a course you can take or a YouTube video you can watch. It’s something that’s free, powerful, and completely within your control.

Changing your mindset.

Thinking differently can have a profound effect on your entire life. But here are five mindset shifts you need to be successful in photography.

1. Practice Makes Perfect

There really are no two ways about this. The best way to get better at something is to do it over and over again. The more you get out there and photograph, the more you’ll understand what you like, what makes you happy and what areas you need to improve in. Want to understand light and how it affects photos? Go out and photograph in different kinds of light. Want to photograph people? Set up shoots and practice photographing people. The more you do, the more you create and the better you become.

Karthika Gupta Photography - mindset shifts to be successful in photography 7

This was my client’s favorite photo from her photoshoot. It showcased her artwork in a unique way. The more you practice, the more you’ll start telling stories in your unique way.

One of the easiest ways to practice photography is to sign up for a 365 series, which is a commitment to create one photo every day for 365 days. You can use a DSLR, a point-and-shoot camera, or even a smartphone.

You can even take it a step further by joining one of the many online groups available. They’re created solely to encourage you to photograph and post a single photo every day for 365 days straight. They even provide photo prompts to help you stay on track so you’re constantly thinking of what to photograph.

Karthika Gupta Photography - mindset shifts to be successful in photography

Practice also makes you more confident. Now when I see a story play out, I’m not afraid to ask my clients or strangers to be actors in the story. A pub became a scene for some unique wedding photos for my clients.

One of my goals is to learn film photography. I have an old 35mm Canon AE-1, and I have run several rolls of film to try and get images that I love. The first time I used that camera, I didn’t even wind the film correctly. So I ended up sending a blank roll of film to be processed. That was $ 20 well spent.

2. Overnight Success is a Myth

This ties to the first point. You must be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort to get your work seen and acknowledged. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll be an overnight success with lots of clients and potential work lining up. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but the probability is quite low. So instead of leaving your career to chance, why not take matters into your own hands and have a plan to do the work consistently? Learn all there is to learn about what you want to focus on in your photography and consistently put out good work.

It’s taken me several years and thousands of photos to train my brain to recognize light and create a story before I even click the shutter. This is one of my favorite photos that I call ‘Light and shadow: Ride and rider’. To me it shows the symbiosis between these two pairs.

3. Healthy Competition is a Good Thing

In any given industry there’s always competition. Sometimes the competition plays fair, and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone or anything. I’m just stating the obvious.

Most people who picks up a camera intent on becoming a photographer do it for the money, the fame, or some combination of the two. Learn to play well with your competition. What sets you apart isn’t your skills or technique. Anyone can learn to do something if they put their mind and effort into it. What sets you apart is you. Your style, your aesthetic and the way you view something is unique. There will be clients who love what you do because of the way you do it, and there will be those who’d rather go with the other guy. That’s just part of the game. Accept it, and make friends with your competitors. It’s better to have friends in the industry you’re playing in than enemies.

I’d heard of double exposure before, but I never understood it until a friend and fellow photographer sat down with me and explained it step by step. Now it’s one of my favorite ways of creative photography, and my clients love it.

4. Go With the flow

I wish someone told me this when I first started my business. I was caught up in perfection – the perfect logo, the perfect website, the perfect portfolio, a printing vendor, business cards, etc. I spent so much time making sure all my ducks were in a row that I stalled the process more than I helped it along. Having a vision of what I wanted to do was getting lost in actually doing the project.

Sometimes it’s good to take a step back, figure out what the big picture is, and then keep moving along to achieving it. Perfection is a myth. Nothing is perfect, and it’s much better to get something done and accomplished than to wait until everything falls into place. Just keep moving along towards your goal.

Things always work out exactly how they’re meant to be in the end.

5. Have a Positive Attitude

Our life is a reflection of our attitude. Without even noticing, it’s easy to become negative and bitter towards the world and the photography industry. Why are some people more successful than us? Why do some photographers get all the jobs? Why can’t I book more clients? The questions can go on forever.

Not only does a negative attitude stop you from enjoying your life, it can also have a significant impact on your work and your craft. After all, you love this art form. That’s why you’re here, right? You want to learn, engage, and get better at it. The energy a person brings with them is contagious. We all have bad days, no matter how people portray themselves. Every time I feel angry or jealous of someone else’s success, I remind myself that just because I can see what they’ve accomplished doesn’t mean I know what they’ve gone through and sacrificed to get there. One of the best things you can do for your passion for photography is to have a positive attitude.

You’ll find that happy medium of working with people who really appreciate what you do and love your work. They are your ideal clients.

I hope some of these mindset shifts help you navigate the choppy photography waters. Remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch! Success in any shape or form takes a lot of time and hard work. Roll up your sleeves, work your hardest, and you will get there.

The post 5 Mindset Shifts You Need to Be Successful in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Features You Need To Know Before Buying Camcorders under $500

04 Oct

When choosing the right camcorder for your needs, you need to have a general understanding of all the important camcorder features. Knowing about these features as well as how to control them will make your video making process easier and quicker.You can also be confident that you’ll be able to handle any situation you’ll face that might prevent you from Continue Reading

The post Features You Need To Know Before Buying Camcorders under $ 500 appeared first on Photodoto.

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What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

26 Sep

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

Fujifilm’s latest digital medium-format camera is the GFX 50R, a rangefinder-styled interpretation of the GFX 50S that was announced at Photokina 2016.

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to some of Fujifilm’s medium-format film rangefinders, the GFX 50R is 145g (0.32lb) lighter than the 50S, and is 25mm (0.98″) thinner. The smaller size and redesigned controls serve to make the 50R handle very differently from its elder sibling.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

But before we get into the handling, let’s take a quick look over what isn’t new on the GFX 50R. Compared to the 50S, we have the same sensor, processor, battery, film simulations and viewfinder panel (though EVF magnification takes a dip, at 0.77x compared to 0.85x).

This means that you’re getting the same impressive image quality as the 50S in a smaller, lighter package and for less money – $ 4500 USD, to be precise. So while the hardware itself isn’t the most exciting, the 50R does represent a new low price of entry to the world of medium-format digital imaging. There’s still a question as to the advantages of this larger format over existing full-frame cameras, but there’s some silver lining in that the 50R grants you access to Fujifilm’s excellent lineup of sharp, well-built GF lenses.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

As you can see, the GFX 50R slots in nicely between Fujifilm’s X-E3 and an old Fuji GW690 III from the 1990s in terms of size. Though the 50R approaches the Hasselblad X1D for compactness and is much smaller than the Pentax 645Z, it’s still a substantial camera. The 50R’s rangefinder styling necessitates a smaller grip than the GFX 50S, and as a result, the 50R is best used with two hands.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

Here, you can more clearly see the resemblance in controls between the GFX 50R and the X-E3. Both come with AF selection joysticks and a similar array of buttons, and both eschew a ‘standard’ four-way controller in favor of using directional swipes on the touchscreen. Despite our fears of Fujifilm’s touchscreen interface mis-reading those directional swipes, they work just as they do on the X-E3, which is to say, rather well.

This layout, which places most of the direct controls within reach of your right thumb, isn’t as convenient on the 50R as on the X-E3. With a suitably compact lens, the X-E3 can be easily operated one-handed. The extra heft of the 50R, regardless of which lens is attached, means you’ll likely be supporting the camera with your left hand and manipulating controls with your right.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

Along the bottom of the camera are a few other changes. The battery slots in here, rather on the side like the GFX 50S. There are also ports for AC power and USB-C behind a rubberized door. The GFX 50R does not support USB charging, but it does allow for tethered shooting and is fully compatible with Capture One.

Fujifilm has confirmed that there won’t be a battery grip option for the GFX 50R, and as such, there are no connectors for one on the camera.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

The top-plate controls on the GFX 50R are likewise similar to the X-E3. There’s no dedicated ISO dial, but the front dial that surrounds the shutter button can be configured to serve that purpose. By default the rear dial biases the shutter speed in 1/3-stop increments above and below the chosen whole-stop value on the dedicated shutter speed dial. There are also plenty of physical customizable buttons, though they’re not always easy to find with your eye to the finder – they’re small, and sit nearly flush with the body.

As a staff, our views are mixed regarding the On/Off switch. In truth, no one is really a fan of it, but some of us are more indifferent than others. Whichever side of the fence you’re on, there’s no denying that it’s on the small side and a little awkward to reach.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

Getting back to the inside of the camera, we should note that because the GFX 50R has the same processor as the 50S, the camera exhibits some slight lagginess not present on the likes of the X-T3. This is particularly noticeable when enabling the Color Chrome effect, as an example.

But as we said at the start, the processor / sensor combo in the GFX 50R is capable of really stunning image quality, and the camera remains overall quite responsive.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

So at its core, the GFX 50R is a smaller, cheaper 50S. But to make your GFX 50R kit as compact as possible, you’ll want to pick up the GF 50mm F3.5 pancake prime when it’s released in 2019. It’s one of three lenses from Fujifilm’s updated roadmap, and should pair well with the 50R.

Pictured above, the GF 50mm F3.5 is extremely compact, and offers a field-of-view equivalent to 40mm and a depth-of-field equivalent to roughly F2.8 on a full-frame 35mm sensor.

What you need to know about the Fujifilm GFX 50R

Our full GFX 50R review is already underway, so stay tuned for updates to our sample gallery as well as further studio testing in the coming weeks. You can get your very own GFX 50R when shipping begins in November.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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iPhone XS, XS Max and XR cameras: what you need to know

16 Sep

Introduction

On Wednesday Apple launched its new iPhone models for 2018, the XS, XS Max and XR. The two XS devices come with OLED HDR displays, that offer a 60% improvement in dynamic range compared to the iPhone X. On the iPhone XS the screen measures 5.8″, on the Max variant it is 6.5″. Both devices come with a dual-camera setup that combines a wide-angle main camera with a 2x tele module.

The iPhone XR is a more affordable model and has to make do with a 6.1″ LCD display and a single-camera setup. The iPhone XS and XS Max will be available first, shipping September 21st in 64GB, 256GB and 512GB configurations. The XS starts at $ 999; the XS Max starts at $ 1099. The iPhone XR will ship October 26th starting at $ 749 with 64GB, 128GB and 256GB configurations.

At first sight the new cameras aren’t much different from last year’s iPhone X but improvements have been made in terms of hardware, software and features. On the following pages we take a closer look.

Camera hardware

The iPhone XS and its larger sibling XS Max share the same dual-camera setup. On paper the specifications look pretty much identical to last year’s iPhone X but there is an important change: the 12MP sensor in the wide-angle camera now comes with larger pixels (1.4 µm, up from 1.22 µm) for improved low light capabilities and dynamic range.

The F1.8 aperture on the 6-element wide-angle remains unchanged and the 12MP tele-module with F2.4 aperture is the same as before as well. The tele comes with six elements as well and both lenses are optically stabilized.

The most affordable of the new devices, the iPhone XR, comes with the same wide-angle camera as the XS and XS Max but has to make do without a tele-lens.

New Neural Engine and ISP

The new iPhone’s A12 Bionic processor has been upgraded in several areas compared to its A11 Bionic predecessor. It comes with faster and more efficient processing cores and a more powerful GPU. More importantly, though, the 8-core Neural Engine is now more directly involved in image capture and processing and strongly linked with the image signal processor (ISP).

For example, the Neural Engine helps improve facial recognition and image segmentation. The latter helps distinguish the subject from the background and plays an important role in Apple’s bokeh mode portrait images.

The processor’s additional speed also allows for more image information to be captured and processed. This has enabled the Apple engineers to create the new Smart HDR feature, which they claim is faster and more accurate than the HDR mode of previous iPhone generations. The company says that the device is capable of performing one trillion operations on each image that is captured.

Bokeh-effect in Portrait mode

A background-blurring bokeh effect has been available in the iPhone’s Portrait Mode for some time now. In the new models the feature has been refined, however, and now offers adjustment of depth-of-field for stills in the native camera app.

At launch, this will only work in post-processing after the photo has been taken, but a software update this fall will enable a real-time preview at the point of capture. You can set the aperture on a virtual slider on your screen from F1.4 to F16 and see the results instantly, allowing for easy optimization of that portrait look.

Thanks to the updated Neural Engine, Portrait mode is now also better at distinguishing subject and background. Advanced depth segmentation allows for a more realistic bokeh effect with fewer artifacts.

In the iPhones XS and XS Max the camera can also make use of the secondary tele lens to for subject segmentation. The iPhone XR has to make do with a single-camera setup but is still capable of generating a convincing portrait look.

On the XR the camera uses the sensor’s focus pixels for parallax and then segmentation masking. Thanks to the device’s processing power, the depth effect is still visible in real time but currently only works with faces.

Smart HDR

Smart HDR is another new camera feature made possible by the new iPhones’ beefier processor and updated Neural Engine. Smart HDR is quite similar to Google’s approach to HDR on its Pixel devices and continuously captures a four-frame buffer while the camera app is open. This means when the shutter is pressed the image is captured instantly, with zero shutter lag.

In addition, Smart HDR captures several interframes at different exposures and a long exposure for added shadow detail and intelligently combines all frames of the same scene. The system picks and blends the best parts of each frame in order to create the final image. This helps reduce ghosting artifacts on moving subjects and create a well-balanced HDR look with good detail in both highlight and shadow areas.

Video

The new model also come with improvements in the video department. As before, the new models can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second and 1080p Full-HD at up to 240fps, allowing for smooth slow-motion footage with good detail.

When limiting the frame rate to 30 fps, the camera can extend dynamic range which will be specifically noticeable on the HDR10 enabled displays of the XS and XS Max. Thanks to the larger sensor in the main camera and increased processing power, low light performance has been improved as well, with lower noise levels and brighter exposures in very low light. In addition all cameras come with an all-new video stabilization system.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Fujifilm X-T3: what you need to know

06 Sep

The Fujifilm X-T3

The X-T3 is Fujifilm’s newest X-series camera, and potentially represents the largest jump in features and performance that we’ve seen in a new Fujifilm camera in quite some time. It boasts a new sensor, faster processor, a significantly improved autofocus system, and video specs that move it close to best-in-class territory.

In short, Fujifilm seems to have taken a no-holds-barred approach to designing this camera, and what the company has delivered is impressive both on paper and in your hands. Let’s take a look at some of the headline features worth knowing about.

Body and Controls

The X-T3 is visually similar to its predecessor, the X-T2, though it has a slightly redesigned handgrip. The top plate has the usual Fujifilm dials for ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation, and the rear features a tilting touchscreen.

The body includes both a microphone and a headphone jack, along with USB-C and micro HDMI-out ports. The door over these plugs can be completely removed when using the camera with attached cables so that it doesn’t get in the way or break, a nice nod to videographers who may want to use the camera rigged with microphones, headphones, or an external recorder.

On the opposite side of the camera are dual-SD card slots that support UHS-II and V60/V90 cards.

New X-Trans Sensor

The X-T3 uses a new 26.1MP X-Trans backside illuminated CMOS sensor. Although not significantly different in terms of resolution compared to the X-T2’s 24MP sensor, this appears to be a sensor we haven’t seen in other cameras, so we’re looking forward to our testing in order to learn more about its performance.

The new sensor now has a base ISO of 160, compared to 200 on previous Fujifilm models.

Fujifilm tells us that this new sensor has 10x faster readout than its original X-Trans sensor, which is particularly important for some of the camera’s new capabilities.

X-Processor 4

In addition to a new sensor, the camera includes a new quad core CPU, called the X-Processor 4. Fujifilm claims it’s 20x faster than the original X-Processor in the X-Pro1 and 3x faster then the X-Processor Pro found in the more recent X-H1.

The improved speed is apparent when using the camera as it’s quite responsive. Between the new sensor and the new processor, the camera is able to offer significant performance over its predecessors in both photo and video modes.

Autofocus

Fujifilm cameras don’t have a reputation for class-leading autofocus performance, but the X-T3 may be the camera that challenges that perception.

It has 425 phase detect autofocus points that provide 99% vertical and horizontal coverage when using single-point AF. Zone and wide tracking modes provide a slightly smaller 91% horizontal x 94.5% vertical footprint, but that’s still pretty impressive. AF points are split into 240 regions, and the system looks at regions both horizontally and independently (for textures). Phase detect AF works down to -3EV (lens not specified), which is two stops better than the X-T2’s -1EV.

In our initial use of the camera we’ve been been very impressed with the new autofocus system

Fujifilm says that improved processing speed, along with an entirely new focusing algorithm, allow the camera to focus 1.5x faster than the X-T2, enabling accurate autofocus even when photographing subjects that change speed or move erratically across the frame. It also claims to have improved face detection, supports eye-detection in AF-C mode, and says that new face/eye detection algorithms are 2x faster. Face detection is also available when shooting video. However, if there are multiple faces in a scene there doesn’t seem to be a way to tell the camera which specific face you want to track.

In our initial use of the camera we’ve been been very impressed with the new autofocus system, finding it to be fast and very effective at tracking subjects – in some ways very similar to the 3D tracking on Nikon’s DSLRs. We’ll have to do a lot more testing before we can provide a definitive analysis, but it’s fair to say that it’s a clear step up from the AF system on previous Fujifilm bodies.

Photos

At 26.1MP, the X-T3 has only a bit more resolution than its predecessor, though it’s not enough that you’ll notice a significant difference in image quality from that change alone. However, Fujifilm has made other improvements for still photography that are worth noting.

The camera continues to support all of Fujifilm’s excellent film simulation modes, but now includes the company’s Color Chrome effect. This was first introduced on the GFX 50S, and is designed to provide improved color gradation in shadow areas that can be difficult to reproduce – on vivid flowers with shadows, for example. There’s also a monochrome adjustment option that lets you apply a warm or cool tone to your black and white photos, with nine levels of adjustment in each direction.

The X-T3 continues to use Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor technology, as opposed to the more common Bayer pattern color filter arrays

Now that ISO 160 is part of the standard ISO range (on previous Fujifilm cameras it was available only as an extended setting) it’s also possible to capture photos using the DR400% mode for improved dynamic range at ISO 640 instead of ISO 800.

Also new, Raw files now have medium sized (13MP) JPEG previews embedded instead of small JPEG previews, which should make it easier for Raw shooters to review photo details in-camera.

The X-T3 continues to use Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensor technology, as opposed to the more common Bayer pattern color filter arrays found on most cameras. Suffice it to say, if you like X-Trans you’ll probably still like it on this camera as well. (Or vice versa.)

Video

Video is arguably the area where the X-T3 makes its most significant advances, with features and specifications that have the potential to put it into class-leading territory alongside models like the Panasonic GH5.

To start, the camera supports 4K/60p recording, including both DCI (4096×2160) and UHD (3840×2160) standards. Video can be captured at 4K/60p in 4:2:2 10-bit color via HDMI out, and in 4:2:0 10-bit color when recording internally. You also have the choice of using either H.264 or the newer H.265/HEVC codec, with data rates up to 400Mbps, and can choose between All-Intra or Long-GOP recording settings. Shooting video at 400Mbps will require cards that meet the V60 standard.

The X-T3 uses the full width of its sensor to record oversampled 4K video at frame rates up to 30p

Most of these settings can be mixed and matched, creating an impressive array of possible configurations, but there are some restrictions. (For example, 10-bit recording requires use of the H.265 codec.) It’s possible to record 4K/60p internally at up to 200Mbps while simultaneously recording externally over HDMI.

The camera uses the full width of its sensor to record oversampled 4K video at frame rates up to 30p. There’s a slight 1.18 crop when shooting 4K/60p, which Fujifilm tells us is done in order to maintain the fast scan rate on the sensor.

For slow motion work it can shoot up to 1080/120p, though this comes with a 1.29x crop of the sensor. This feature was also available on the recent Fujifilm X-H1, but that camera needed to upscale the image a bit in order to do so. In contrast, the X-T3 doesn’t have to upscale, but Fujifilm needed to use a slight crop of the sensor to avoid doing so.

According to to Fujifilm there’s also a new noise reduction algorithm, including 4K inter-frame noise reduction, and it claims the camera can capture up to 12 stops of dynamic range when shooting video.

Video

In addition to an impressive array of resolutions, data rates, and other options, the X-T3 offers a number of tools and features that should be popular among videographers.

The camera includes Fujifilm’s F-Log gamma profile, which can be used either via HDMI or for internal recording, as well as the very pleasing Eterna film profile, which we’ve found makes a great starting point for color grading if you don’t need to use F-Log. Since the X-T3 has a base ISO of 160, the minimum sensitivity for shooting F-Log has also been lowered to ISO 640, compared with ISO 800 on previous Fujifilm cameras.

Movie mode also includes the Silent Control feature found on the X-H1

Fujifilm says the sensor’s scan rate is a very quick 17ms, which should provide very good rolling shutter performance and puts the camera into similar territory as the impressive Panasonic GH5 (13ms).

Movie mode also includes the Silent Control feature found on the X-H1, which makes it easy to access video settings using the touchscreen, and also provides a method to retain separate settings for shooting stills and video.

The X-T3 does not include support for Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) at launch, however Fujifilm says this will come in the form of a firmware update by the end of the year.

Electronic Viewfinder

The X-T3’s electronic viewfinder is built around a 3.69 million-dot OLED with 0.75x magnification. This is slightly lower than the 0.77x magnification found on the X-T2, but Fujifilm says they needed to drop the magnification a tiny bit because the new EVF panel is physically larger and requires slightly different optics.

The EVF has a native 60fps refresh rate, but can increase to 100fps in Boost mode without a battery grip attached, unlike the X-T2 which required a battery grip for full Boost mode. It has a 23mm eye-point, the same as the X-H1, and the diopter correction knob must now be pulled out in order to turn it, making it unlikely that it will be inadvertently moved by rubbing against something.

Metering and Focusing

The X-T3 is able to meter and focus at the same time by separating the phase detect AF measurements from the camera’s exposure control.

Different lines on the sensor are used to perform autofocus and exposure measurements, reading out at different rates and processing both sets of information in parallel without affecting one another. This gets around the need to switch back and forth between focusing and metering functions, which in certain cases can result in noticeable effects.

For example, when focusing in low light, many mirrorless cameras will briefly show an overexposed image while acquiring focus because they’re using the same pixels for AF and exposure measurements and need to increase sensor gain in order to acquire focus. In contrast, the X-T3 has no need to make this temporary adjustment as it’s using different pixels for each function.

We were able to see this in action through an informal test of the camera. We set the exposure low enough that the viewfinder was completely black, but the camera was still able to lock focus on a subject in the frame without any change in the viewfinder. This implementation contributes to a very pleasing user experience.

Sports Finder Mode

The X-T3 also has a Sports Finder mode, which can be useful when shooting things for which performance is a priority, such as sports or wildlife. A 1.25x crop effectively turns the X-T3 into a 16MP camera and the EVF provides clear frame lines to see the cropped area. You can still see outside the cropped area, however, and this can be very helpful as you’re able to see things that are slightly out of frame and anticipate their entry into the scene.

Sports Finder mode can be very useful for burst shooting and supports 10, 20, and 30fps burst modes, recording up to 33 Raw images or 60 JPEG images at 30fps, with an EVF blackout of 90ms. A pre-burst mode can also start shooting images as soon as the shutter button is half-pressed.

Performance

Fujifilm claims the X-T3 has the ‘highest performance in the history of the X-series’. In continuous shooting mode it can capture 11fps with continuous AF using the mechanical shutter, up to 36 frames, or 20fps using the electronic shutter, up to 34 frames. Neither requires the use of an additional battery grip.

Unlike the X-T2, it’s not necessary to have a battery grip attached to fully utilize Boost mode, which increases autofocus speed and increases the EVF frame rate to 100fps.

The X-T3 uses the same NP-W126S battery as other recent Fujifilm models and has a CIPA rating of 390 images, though as with most cameras we expect to get more in practice.

Battery Grip

A new battery grip, the VG-XT3, can be paired with the camera for those who want additional controls for vertical shooting or need additional battery power. It holds two additional batteries to increase the maximum number of shots to 1,100.

The vertical grip includes a shutter release button, focus lever, AE-L button, AF-L button, front and rear command dials, Q button and Fn button so that you have all standard controls available when shooting vertically. It’s dust and weather resistant and is rated to operate in temperatures as low as -10C/14F.

Additionally, there’s also a new metal hand grip which is designed to make the camera more comfortable to hold when using larger lenses. It’s designed so that you can replace both the battery and SD cards without removing it, and the base can be used as a quick release shoe when using a dovetail mount on a tripod.

Night Vision Mode

A new Night Vision mode shifts the display from its standard appearance to a predominantly red mode that’s easier on your eyes in low light conditions. It’s a bit of a specialized feature, but one that will likely be appreciated by those who shoot frequently in low light.

Pricing and Availability

The Fujifilm X-T3 is launched with an MSRP of $ 1499 body only, or $ 1899 with the included Fujifilm 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS kit lens, and will ship on September 20.

We’ve already started testing the camera and look forward to bringing you our full in-depth review soon. Until then, we encourage you to read our Fujifilm X-T3 First Impressions Review to see what we think so far.

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What you need to know about Nikon’s new entry-level D3500

31 Aug

Everything you need to know about the Nikon D3500

Let’s face it: Entry-level DSLRs aren’t the most exciting cameras out there. That said, Nikon’s D3000-series have traditionally been very easy to use, very affordable and offered excellent image quality. Despite not having the latest and greatest technology, cameras like Nikon’s newest model, the D3500, serve a variety of purposes quite well.

Before we get into what’s new, here’s what’s not. The D3500 uses the same 24MP DX-format (APS-C) CMOS sensor as the previous-generation D3400 (and several other Nikon models) which has excellent resolution and Raw dynamic range. Its Expeed 4 processor allows for a top ISO of 25,600 and 5 fps burst shooting. The 11-point autofocus system is pretty dated, though it does offer Nikon’s 3D Tracking system. Just don’t expect D500-style performance.

Even more compact

The D3400 was already a small DSLR and the D3500 is even more compact. That’s because it uses almost the same body shell as the D5600, which is 6mm (0.24″) thinner than the D3400. We like the D5600’s design because it doesn’t sacrifice a decent hand grip as a trade-off for being small, which is the case with some of its peers. With the bundled AF-P 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens, the D3500 is almost as portable as the smallest Micro Four Thirds cameras.

While we’re looking at this view of the camera, it’s worth mentioning that the D3500 no longer supports the ML-L3 wireless remote, since there’s no infrared receiver. You can, however, use your smartphone for the same purpose.

Buttons for everything

One area in which the D3500’s design differs from that of the D5600 is the LCD. Where the D5600 has a larger, fully articulating touchscreen, the D3500 uses the same fixed 921k-dot non-touch display as the D3400.

The D3400 had five buttons that sat to the left of its display (playback, menu, zoom in, zoom out, i), and those have all been relocated to the opposite side. The D3500’s rear control layout is a little cluttered as a result, but everything you need is close at hand. Being an entry-level camera, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that there’s only one control dial.

The optical viewfinder on the D3500 is unchanged. It still offer 95% coverage and a magnification of 0.57x equiv., which is actually a bit larger than the D5600’s OVF.

Improved battery life

Despite using the same sensor, processor and display as its predecessor, the D3500’s battery life has increased by 30% (CIPA) compared to the model that it replaces. With a CIPA rating of a whopping 1550 shots, you should be able to go for days without replacing the battery. Nikon includes an external charger for keeping a spare topped up. The camera doesn’t support USB charging, unfortunately.

SnapBridge

The D3500 continues to offer a Bluetooth-only version of Nikon’s SnapBridge wireless system. With it, the camera can automatically transfer 2 Megapixel versions of photos to your smartphone as they are taken (since there’s no Wi-Fi there is no option for transmitting full resolution images.)

New to the D3500 is the ability to use the SnapBridge app as a remote shutter release.

Guide mode

Something that makes the D3500 one of the easiest-to-use cameras on the market is its Guide Mode, which is accessed via the mode dial. Guide Mode gives you basic options – essentially scene modes – and ‘advanced operations,’ where you can adjust shutter speed, aperture, white balance and exposure compensation without having to know what any of those are.

In ‘easy operation’ mode, you can select something like ‘moving subjects’ and the camera will do the rest. In ‘advanced operation’ mode you can, for example, choose from freeze motion (people), freeze motion (vehicles) and show water flowing. Once you’ve picked one, the camera will let you adjust the shutter speed, but with a detailed explanation of what the effects are. Once you’re happy just choose from shooting through the viewfinder or live view and off you go.

Truly advanced settings (by D3500 standards,) such as ISO sensitivity and Picture Controls are still available in Guide Mode, should you wish to access them.

Wrap-up

The Nikon D3400 was our favorite entry-level DSLR and the D3500 looks like it might supplant the older model in our affections. Unlike some of its competitors, it’s small, light, and very easy to use, without sacrificing ergonomics or image quality. The D3500’s 24MP sensor isn’t new, but it’s still one of the best APS-C sensors around.

The D3500 is a camera that beginners who pick it up from a big box store can take home and use immediately, simply by turning on Guide Mode and choosing something like ‘Moving Subjects’. When they want to dip their toes into manual controls they can use the ‘Advanced Operation’ half of the Guide Mode, which allows them to adjust the shutter speed with a helping hand. And, when these users are ready to take full control over the camera, the D3500 has everything the casual shooter needs.

The D3500’s 24MP sensor isn’t new, but it’s still one of the best APS-C sensors around

Nikon will be selling the D3500 in two kits: one with the collapsable AF-P 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR lens ($ 499) and another with that lens plus the un-stabilized AF-P 70-300 F4.5-6.3 tele-zoom ($ 849, though current street prices are below $ 600). As mentioned about, the D3500 is almost certain to appear in places like Costco during the holiday season, usually with a bag, extra battery and memory card thrown in.

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The Nikon Z is a big step for Nikon but they need to keep being brave

26 Aug

The Nikon Z is a brave and important step for Nikon and, while it might not have got everything right first time, it shows enough promise to encourage existing users to commit themselves to the system. However, to deliver the system’s full potential, Nikon needs to continue being brave.

A brave new lens mount…

It may sound odd but I think the most significant thing about the Nikon Z cameras isn’t that they’re mirrorless: it’s that they use a new lens mount. This may sound like the same thing, but I think it’s informative to separate the two ideas.

A mirrorless design lets the body be a bit smaller and allows a more consistent experience between stills and video shooting, but that’s not that radical. Casting off the existing limitations of your mount and looking to the future: that’s a big step.

Nikon is a company with a long history and a proud 100 year tradition of making excellent products. Whether it’s the Nikon F, F3, FM, D3, D500 or D850, it’s produced some genuinely superb cameras. And then, of course, there are the lenses: it’s 59 years since the company introduced the F-mount and the majority of those lenses can still be used, to various extents, on its latest models.

Moving to a new lens mount, even if you do everything you can to respect history by maintaining backwards compatibility, is a huge step. Canon’s reputation took a knock when it took the decision to abandon its existing FD lenses and move to the EF mount. It was a big move but one that’s been vindicated by how future-proof a large, all electronic mount has proven to be. Sony, conversely, made the decision to squeeze a full frame sensor into its E-mount, rather than try to add a third mount to its lineup.

Nikon showed a series of mockup lenses when it launched the 1 System, but the decision to spell-out its plans for the Z mount represents an unusual degree of candor for the company.

The move to mirrorless was, then, the perfect chance to design a new lens mount and Nikon has clearly gone out of its way to make something flexible. If you asked a team of engineers who’d spent their entire careers working with the restrictions of a narrow-throated, film-era mount to design something new, the vast, adaptable Z-mount is probably what they’d come up with.

And this is promising for the future: it provides plenty of scope for making a wide range of lenses without having to worry about sending light to the corners of the sensor at hard-to-capture oblique angles.

The Z mount compared to the F mount.

…a little shortsightedness?

But, while I commend Nikon for making a break with its past, I worry a little that it’s decided not to share the details of this mount with third party makers.

It’s understandable that, having sold 100 million lenses for your existing mount, you might feel you don’t need anyone else’s help. However, for photographers without any F-mount lenses, the initial lack of third-party support (in terms both of adaptors and native lenses) will look like a weak point.

The dimensions of Sony’s E mount may look somewhat restrictive when compared with the Nikon Z’s but even if you think solely in terms of full frame, it has a four and a half year headstart and native support from both Sigma and Tamron. This gives it a huge advantage in terms of native lens availability and one that it’s likely to maintain if Nikon won’t let anyone else play in its sandpit.

Wouldn’t it be better to open up the mount and make the whole system look more attractive to would-be buyers? After all, you shouldn’t have to artificially protect your own lens sales if you’re confident that yours are better quality or better value than those of third parties.

…and some opportunities missed

Beyond the lens mount, Nikon has struck a similar balance of respecting history and seizing new opportunities: copying much of its widely-admired ergonomics and UI directly across while also making much greater use of the touchscreen than would have made sense on a DSLR.

But the job’s not done. In designing the Z 7, Nikon seems to have used a continuation of its live view AF system (the one no one uses), rather than see the move to mirrorless as an opportunity to re-think how AF would be controlled, given a blank piece of paper.

Nikon has instead opted for a clumsier system adapted from its live view AF tracking system. This requires you to press ‘OK’ or tap on a subject before it’ll start tracking

Initially this will present a hurdle for Nikon DSLR users moving across but that in itself shouldn’t be the deal-breaking argument: these cameras need to attract new users, too. The more compelling argument for more closely mimicking its DSLRs’ through-the-viewfinder AF behavior is that it’s the best in the industry. And it should be: Nikon’s literally spent decades refining it, to the point it’s used by news, action and sports journalists the world over.

Nikon’s 3D Tracking system, where you position an AF point and it tracks whatever was under that point when you initiate AF is brilliant. No matter which system we’ve each come from, there’s consensus in the DPReview office that 3D Tracking represents best practice. There’s a reason why Sony’s mirrorless cameras seem to more closely copy its behavior with every generation (though if they could also take note of Nikon’s system working without the need for an infinite number of AF area modes, that’d be good, too).

Unfortunately, Nikon has instead opted for a clumsier system adapted from its live view AF tracking system. This requires you to press ‘OK’ or tap on a subject before it’ll start tracking, rather than simply tracking based on your pre-selected AF point. Worse still, it requires that you disengage tracking (either by pressing ‘OK’ again or by tapping onto a different subject), rather than simply reverting to your chosen point when you release the shutter button.

This might not sound like much of an inconvenience, but it’s the difference between being able to switch subjects in-the-moment, rather than having to stop shooting, make a change and start all over again. It’s a loss of precisely the immediacy and simplicity that makes 3D Tracking so good in the first place.

To be clear, I’m not criticizing the AF algorithms themselves: we’ve not fully tested it yet but the Z 7’s tracking seems incredibly sticky: my concern is solely about the user interface

Act now, before things become set in stone

As I say, Nikon’s through-the-viewfinder behavior is so good that it would be worth Nikon trying to mimic it in the Z system’s interface. And yes, there’ll be the added bonus that it’ll be behavior that existing users expect. But they need to do it now, before the new, less refined behavior becomes ossified as ‘the behavior our existing users expect.’

So, having made a break with the past to adopt a radical, future-proof lens mount, I call on Nikon to be brave again and redesign its AF behavior. And maybe have a think about whether third-party lenses are a threat or a benefit.

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What you need to know about DJI’s new Mavic 2 series drones

26 Aug

Two new Mavics

DJI’s orignial Mavic Pro became tremendously popular thanks to an impressive set of features shoehorned into a foldable drone that seemed almost purpose-built for travel. However, two of the most frequent requests from Mavic Pro users have been to upgrade the camera with a larger 1″ sensor, similar to the one found on the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced twins, and to make a model with a zoom lens.

It appears that DJI was listening to its customers, offering its new Mavic 2 model in two versions: the Mavic 2 Pro includes a camera with a 1″-type sensor and the Mavic 2 Zoom ships with a 2x optical (4x digital) zoom lens, effectively delivering on both requests. Physically, the two models are identical except for the camera module and as a nice touch both include 8GB of internal storage: perfect for that time when you’ll eventually forget to bring a memory card with you.

On the following pages, we’ll take a look at what sets these two models apart, along with some of the headline features that they have in common.

Mavic 2 Pro

The Mavic 2 Pro will appeal to those who want a portable drone, but who have been waiting for a camera with a larger sensor. Its camera is built around a 20MP 1″-type sensor, similar to the one found on the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced models. It uses a 28mm equiv. lens (compared to 24mm on the P4 Pro and 26mm on the Mavic Pro) with a F2.8-F11 aperture range.

This is the first DJI consumer drone to feature a Hasselblad-branded camera, which the company says was “co-engineered in partnership with Hasselblad.” (Though it’s not the first time DJI as put a Hasselblad on one of its aircraft.) We’re not sure to what degree Hasselblad was actually involved in the camera’s design, however we’re optimistic that the Hasselblad name means that DJI has set a high bar for image quality. DJI says it’s using Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS) technology to ensure good color accuracy.

The Mavic 2 Pro also has a couple features not found on the zoom model: 10-bit Dlog-M color profile and 4K 10-bit HDR support using hybrid log gamma (HLG) for use on HDR TVs and displays.

Mavic 2 Zoom

The Mavic 2 Zoom uses a 12MP, 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor similar to the original Mavic Pro, but adds a 2x optical zoom lens with an equivalent range of 24-48mm. If you need to zoom further, a 2x digital zoom extends the range to 96mm, though video is limited to HD resolution when it’s used.

DJI says that improvements in its hybrid AF system (phase detect + contrast detect) allow this model to focus up to 40% faster than previous models while still benefiting from improved focus accuracy.

The Mavic 2 Zoom’s lens also enables a couple features not found on the Mavic 2 Pro: Dolly Zoom mode and Super Resolution mode. We’ll take a look at those next.

Dolly Zoom

A dolly zoom is a camera technique you’ve probably seen in films before, and was popularized by directors like Alfred Hitchcock. It’s performed by physically moving the camera away from your subject while using the lens to zoom in at a rate that exactly offsets the camera’s movement. (Or vice versa.) It results in a shot in which the perspective shifts around an apparently unmoving subject.

The Mavic 2 Zoom includes a Dolly Zoom mode that coordinates the movement of the camera and zoom lens to automate dolly zoom moves, opening the door to produce some very creative shots.

Super Resolution

Above: Super Resolution image of New York City captured by the Mavic 2 Zoom. Courtesy of DJI

In addition to 12MP still photos, the Mavic 2 Zoom can also create ‘Super Resolution’ images. Using its optical zoom lens, the drone will automatically shoot 9 overlapping photos which it automatically stitches together to create a much more detailed 48MP image.

Of course, it’s possible to create your own Super Resolution images from any camera using a series of images and some post processing, but the extra telephoto reach from the zoom lens should allow the Mavic 2 Zoom to capture a bit more fine detail of distant subjects, while automating a process many users might not bother to do manually. We look forward to seeing how well this feature works.

Video

Despite having very different cameras, both Mavic 2 models share very similar video specifications. Both can capture UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) up to 30p, 2.7K up to 60p, and HD up to 120p, and video can be recorded using either H.264 or H.265 codecs at up to 100Mbps.

Noticeably absent is support for 4K/60p recording, which is available on the older Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced twins, as well as support for cinema DCI 4K (4096 x 2160), found on both the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced and the original Mavic Pro.

As mentioned previously, the Mavic 2 Pro also includes a 10-bit Dlog-M color profile and supports 4K 10-bit hybrid log gamma. The Mavic 2 Zoom includes DJI’s D-Cinelike color mode.

HyperLapse Mode

Creating cinematic camera moves with a drone can be challenging without a lot of practice, which is why intelligent flight modes can be so useful. The Mavic 2 drones introduce a new HyperLapse feature designed to show the passage of time, and includes four different ways to direct the motion of the drone.

‘Circle’ mode automatically flies the drone in a circular pattern around your subject, ‘Course Lock’ keeps the camera fixed on a subject as the drone flies in a straight line, and ‘Waypoint’ allows you to plan a flight path using both GPS coordinates and altitudes to set up complex shots. Finally, there’s a ‘Free’ mode in which the pilot can fly the drone manually while it takes photos.

DJI says HyperLapse shots can be shared immediately to social media, but the drone also saves the JPEG and Raw files in case you want to do your own processing later.

ActiveTrack 2.0

The Mavic 2 series also benefits from DJI’s ActiveTrack 2.0, the newest version of its autonomous subject tracking system, which works in conjunction with the obstacle avoidance system to prevent collisions.

ActiveTrack 2.0 uses the main camera and front dual vision cameras to create a 3D map of the area in front of the aircraft, and it analyzes motion to predict the path of a subject up to three seconds in advance, which should improve tracking accuracy. DJI claims the system will even continue to follow your subject if it’s temporarily blocked from view by something else in the frame.

Smarter flying

The Mavic 2 models have an updated version of DJI’s FlightAutonomy system that uses 10 sensors around the drone which combine to detect obstacles in any direction, and an improved version of DJI’s APAS (Advanced Pilot Assistance System) analyzes the environment surrounding the aircraft so that it can fly without stopping. This should allow users to focus more on the creative process, such as framing a shot, without the drone drifting into something.

There’s also a new bottom auxiliary light that activates automatically when landing in low light situations, such as dawn or dusk, to ensure safe landings under such conditions.

OcuSync 2.0

DJI has also updated its OcuSync video transmission system to version 2.0. According to DJI, OcuSync 2.0 is more effective at resisting interference, supports both 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands, and includes auto-switching capability. It can even use the different frequencies to separate uplink and downlink data streams.

OcuSync 2.0 allows the Mavic 2 to transmit live 1080p video up to a claimed distance of 8km, and thanks to this improved transmission users will have immediate access to full HD video clips from the cache in the DJI app. It’s also possible to save original resolution JPEG files directly to your mobile device for immediate sharing, without needing to transfer image files from the aircraft.

Hardware and performance

Above: The Mavic 2 (left) next to the Mavic Air (right).

The original Mavic Pro became popular thanks to its compact size and weight. The new Mavic 2 models weigh in higher than the original (907g/2lb vs. 734g/1.6lb). However, DJI says that the new design also reduces body drag by up to 19% compared to the Mavic Pro. In fact, despite being slightly larger, the Mavic 2s have a respectable flight time of 31 minutes.

Both models can fly up to 72 kph (44 mph) in sport mode, making them useful for following some quickly moving subjects, though maybe not that Ferrari you’ve been meaning to shoot.

DJI claims that the Mavic 2s also use a more efficient, quieter propulsion system and noise reducing propellers to keep noise to a minimum. This is good news, especially since noise has been a bit of a sore point for some users of DJI’s recently released Mavic Air.

Price and availability

The Mavic 2 Pro retails for $ 1499, while the Mavic 2 Zoom is $ 1199. That’s still more than the current prices for the older Mavic Pro ($ 999) and smaller Mavic Air ($ 799), and more in line with the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 ($ 1499) and Phantom 4 Advanced ($ 1199), both of which have 1-inch type sensors, but lack the compact foldability of the Mavic 2s.

Assuming you need some additional accessories, it’s probably worth considering DJI’s ‘Fly More’ kit, which includes two additional batteries, a multi-battery charging hub, a car charger, a battery to power bank adapter, extra props, and a case for $ 319. Extra batteries on their own will cost you $ 119 each.

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Nikon Z 7: what you need to know about Nikon’s first mirrorless full-frame ILC

25 Aug

Nikon Z 7: what you need to know about Nikon’s first mirrorless full-frame ILC

The Nikon Z 7 is a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera built around a 46MP full-frame sensor – likely very similar to the sensor inside the D850. In fact, despite a 26% weight difference, the Z 7 and the D850 have quite a lot in common.

But the differences run deeper that the removal of the mirror. The Z 7 is a camera designed from the ground-up to always work in live view mode. So what does that mean for the camera as a whole?

Body and design

Nikon will probably hate me saying this, but the Z 7 looks a lot like the Sony a9, with the grip from a D850 glued onto the side of it. And that’s not a bad thing, to be honest. The Z 7 is very comfortable to hold, and generally speaking it works in much the same way as the D850 from its twin control dials down to its near-identical menu system.

Nikon claims that the Z 7 offers the same durability as the D850, which should reassure its loyal user-base, and while we don’t have specific details we’d expect it to be sealed against dust and moisture incursion at all major seams and control points. The Z 7 certainly feels well-built, and while more angular than Nikon’s current DSLRs, it should feel pretty familiar to any seasoned Nikon DSLR user. The Z 7 even has a nice high-contrast OLED top-plate information display.

Unfamiliar to some Nikon DSLR users will be the Z 7’s card format. Nikon is breaking from the past and only including a single XQD card slot in the Z 7, with support for next-generation CF Express media (which shares the same form factor) coming later, via a firmware update.

Body and design

It is clear that Nikon has made every effort not to alienate its existing DSLR userbase with the Z 7, even down to the battery that the new camera uses. The Z 7 ships with an EN-EL15b battery, which is the same basic shape as the EN-EL15a that’s used in the D850 and D7500. As such, the same batteries can be swapped between all three cameras (and any other EN-EL15-compatible DSLR) although in-camera USB charging is only available with the new EN-EL15b.

To make it easier to tell between the batteries, the ‘b’ version is more angular than the previous versions. The general rule is that the ‘a’ and ‘b’ versions, with grey cases will work well in the the recent cameras, but the original version in the black case may not.

The Z 7’s CIPA rating is a middling 330 shots per charge, but as usual this is likely to prove extremely conservative in normal use. On a recent video shoot, we managed more than 1600 images and several 4K video clips on the Z 7 with a single EN-EL15b before the battery started blinking red, so it’ll depend to a large extent on how you shoot.

Sensor

At the heart of the Z 7 is a 45.7MP BSI-CMOS sensor, based on the sensor used in Nikon’s popular D850. As such, it’s most likely fabricated by Sony Semiconductor from a Nikon design. ISO sensitivities range from 64-25,600 and at ISO 64 we’re expecting the Z 7 to offer the same class-leading detail and dynamic range as its DSLR cousin. For JPEG shooters, the Z 7 offers a grand total of six sharpening levels for fine-tuning sharpness, plus a new ‘mid-range sharpening’ setting for even finer control.

One major difference between the Z 7 and D850’s sensors is of course the addition of on-sensor phase-detection autofocus pixels in the mirrorless camera. These give the camera an understanding of subject distance that a DSLR would gain from its dedicated autofocus module. They underpin the camera’s ability to assess distance changes and also allow it to drive adapted F-mount lenses in the same manner as a DSLR would.

Autofocus

The Z 7 offers 493 PDAF points, which cover a total of 90% of the frame both horizontally and vertically. Outside of this area (and for added precision within it), contrast-detection autofocus comes into play. With F2 and faster lenses, the Z 7’s autofocus system is rated down to -3EV, provided that you’re shooting wide open (more on that in a minute).

In briefings with DPReview, Nikon representatives have told us that autofocus performance should be broadly comparable to the D850. A direct comparison is impossible given that the Z 7 is launching wth only three native lenses, but it’s certainly true that with fast-aperture F mount lens attached via the FTZ adapter, autofocus response is impressive.

When it comes to keeping your subjects in focus, the Z 7 offers highly effective face-detection, and very ‘sticky’ object tracking. It’s a shame though that the vocabulary of the Z 7’s various AF modes is different to what we’re used to in Nikon’s DSLRs. The functionality of subject tracking is different too – unlike the 3D AF Tracking systems in Nikon’s DSLRs, the Z 7 doesn’t provide as easy a method for initiating tracking on a subject, nor changing subjects to track. There’s also no easy way to instantly activate any of the company’s other AF modes with a single button press.

The Z 7 does not offer an equivalent of the excellent Eye-AF modes that we’ve come to appreciate in Sony and Olympus ILCs

Sadly, the Z 7 does not offer an equivalent of the excellent Eye-AF modes that we’ve come to appreciate in Sony and Olympus ILCs. And like Sony’s a7-series and a9 cameras, the Z 7 follows Nikon’s old DSLR live view logic, by stopping down the lens to your shooting aperture (or F5.6 – whichever is wider) all the time. This has the advantage of always offering an accurate preview of depth of field during shooting (at least down to F5.6) but it also starves the camera’s autofocus system of light.

While perhaps not a particularly common use-case, this means that if you’re shooting stopped-down in dull conditions, you will see AF performance drop compared shooting wide-open. We’re really hoping that this is fixed in firmware, to allow the Z 7’s autofocus system to take advantage of the maximum amount of light coming through the lens, before stopping down at the point of exposure. Compounding this issue is the lack of the red-grid autofocus assist when using the company’s own on-camera flashes. The only option is a bright green LED on the front of the Z 7 itself.

In-body stabilization

In a first for Nikon, the Z 7 features in-body image stabilization, which is effective up to a claimed 5EV. With Z-mount lenses, the camera can compensate for movement in five axes (rotation in three dimensions and translational movement up/down and left/right).

With adapted lenses, this drops to three axes, with only rotational movement: pitch, yaw and roll being corrected. When a VR-equipped F-mount lens is attached via the optional FTZ adapter, the 3-axis system hands off pitch and yaw correction to the lens, with the body dealing with roll. As such, a VR-equipped F-mount lens should offer superior stabilization on the Z 7 compared to a DSLR (where roll cannot be corrected).

Our initial impressions of VR performance are very positive with the native Z lenses, in both stills and video shooting. We’ll be thoroughly testing this feature as soon as we get hold of a reviewable camera.

Viewfinder

In on and off-record conversations with Nikon over the years, one thing has always been clear – the company did not feel comfortable replacing optical viewfinders with electronic versions until it could guarantee a truly comparable shooting experience.

It’s reassuring, then, that the Z 7 offers one of the best electronic viewfinders we’ve ever seen. A Quad VGA (3.6m-dot) OLED display and 0.8X magnification (compared to 0.75X in the D850) is augmented with a complex optical assembly within the finder (which includes aspherical elements and fluorine coating). The result is a bright, crisp and extremely detailed viewfinder image, even when shooting in low light.

Unlike the other cameras we’ve seen using comparable viewfinder panels, there’s no difference in perceived resolution when in preview and playback modes or during burst shooting and focusing, suggesting the Z 7 is making better use of its display by always displaying the sensor’s full resolution.

Touch-sensitive rear LCD

Like the D850, the Z 7 has a touch-sensitive rear screen, but the Z7 makes much more extensive use of touch control than any Nikon DSLR, with AF point positioning and all menus now touch sensitive. This includes a revised and now customizable version of the camera’s ‘i‘ menu. The touch panel can also be used in playback mode to zoom in, navigate around and scroll between images.

What’s missing, though, is the ability to use the rear screen as a touchpad to position the AF point when the camera’s held to your eye. This might not sound like a big deal, since the Z7 has the same AF point joystick as the D850 but its absence becomes an issue because of the way the Z 7 handles AF tracking.

The screen itself is lower resolution: with 2.1M dots rather than the 2.36M dots of its predecessor, but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. The Z 7’s screen is 3:2, rather than the taller 4:3 aspect ratio. This allows the camera to be smaller but is also a match for the camera’s sensor. This means the Z 7 ends up giving the same 1024 x 680 pixel resolution for its live view display as the D850, it just overlays the settings on top of the preview, rather than having a stripe of settings taking up the bottom of the screen.

High-speed shooting

The Z7 isn’t being marketed as a sports and action camera, and it can’t compete with the likes of the Sony a9 for pure speed, but at a maximum burst rate of 9fps (12-bit Raw, with AE locked after the first shot) it offers decent high-speed performance.

Drop to 5.5fps and autoexposure will update between frames, and you’ll get a live preview in between shots, but the buffer depth only allows for around 23 compressed 12-bit Raw files. This isn’t terrible, but don’t go selling your D5s quite yet.

4K video

Nikon’s 4K-equipped DSLRs have a small but quite loyal fanbase among enthusiast videographers, but the Z 7 is Nikon’s first really convincing video camera. Full-width 4K video is possible at up to 30p, and in the DX crop mode (roughly equivalent to Super 35mm in filmmaking terms) full-pixel readout should offer optimal 4K quality. The ‘FX’ mode footage is produced by line-skipping, so will have a resolution and noise cost.

Unlike the D850, the Z 7 can offer focus peaking in 4K mode; we’re hopeful that this can be used at the same time as highlight warnings, but we were unable to test this on our pre-production loaner. As well as 4K, HD video capture is also an option, at up to 120fps.

In video mode, the Z 7’s in-body VR system is augmented by electronic VR, to help further smooth out vibration in hand-held footage.

Perhaps the biggest news for committed videographers is the camera’s 10-bit 4:2:2 ‘N-Log’ output over HDMI. This higher bit depth greatly increases the processing flexibility of Log footage and is a feature matched only by Panasonic’s GH5 models. This and the addition of timecode suggests Nikon is taking video pretty seriously.

Connectivity

The Z 7 comes with Nikon’s latest iteration of its SnapBridge suite of wireless features. These include 802.11ac + Bluetooth, and there’s now an option to Wi-Fi transfer images direct to a PC instead of just a smart device. The WT-7 wireless adapter can still be used.

Nikon Z 7: what you need to know about Nikon’s first mirrorless full-frame ILC

The Nikon Z 7 will be available at the end of September, body-only or in a kit with the new 24-70mm F4, for $ 3299 and $ 3999, respectively. As always, let us know what you think in the comments.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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