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The Digital Photography Review Newsletter
The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 400,000 subscribers
Thursday, August 20, 2020

Welcome to the 824th DPReview Newsletter

This week we've been shooting with three of this year's best lenses - the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8E FL ED SR VR, and two premium portrait primes - the Pentax-D FA* 85mm F1.4 and the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art. We also finished our full review of Sony's flagship sports and action camera, the a9 Mark II. You'll find links to everything below.

Thanks for reading!

Barney


Sony a9 II review

The Sony a9 II didn't make a huge splash in the industry when it launched, but it's certainly left an impression on us. Read our full review to see why it's got the best autofocus system we've ever seen.

Read our in-depth review of the a9 II

DPReview TV: Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art review

Sigma has been cranking out some fantastic lenses lately, and the new 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art joins the club. Find out why we like this fast, compact lens. (Includes updated sample gallery.)

Watch the new episode of DPRTV

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8E FL ED SR VR sample gallery

The Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8 has all the trappings of a pro-grade lens: it's unapologetically heavy, offers weather sealing and sports an alphabet soup of special lens elements and coatings in its name. Take a look at our samples.

Check out our samples from the Nikon 120-300mm F2.8

Pentax-D FA* 85mm F1.4 sample gallery

The Pentax 85mm F1.4 is Ricoh's latest premium prime lens for Pentax full-frame and crop-sensor DSLRs. We've been shooting with a final copy to see how it looks for everything from portraits to street photography and landscapes.

View samples from the Pentax-D FA* 85mm F1.4

News updates
Published Wednesday, August 19, 2020 7:22:00 PM GMT

The lens is the first of three in Vazen's new 'LF' (large format) lineup, which will be rounded out later this year by 55mm and 105mm cine lenses.

Published Wednesday, August 19, 2020 5:04:00 PM GMT

The camera module, which has an 85mm through 135mm full-frame-equivalent focal length range, also features an updated version of Oppo's 'Hybrid Zoom' technology that results in clearer images.

Published Wednesday, August 19, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

Panasonic's new Lumix S5 full-frame camera system will be revealed via a livestreamed event on September 2, 2020.

Published Wednesday, August 19, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Sony a9 II didn't make a huge splash in the industry when it launched, but it's certainly left an impression on us. Read our full review to see why it's got the best autofocus system we've ever seen.

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020 6:29:00 PM GMT

After we've seen prototype designs from Xiaomi and Oppo, rival ZTE is now the first manufacturer to launch a device featuring the new technology.

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020 5:37:00 PM GMT

On Sunday night, witnesses on board Air Force One spotted a drone. The White House has launched an investigation into the near collision.

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020 3:14:00 PM GMT

The new lens from Venus Optics is the world's first 2x macro lens for Micro Four Thirds camera systems.

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020 2:41:00 PM GMT

Google plans to make it easier for those using Google Images to access licencing information - and for photographers to get paid for their work - with a new display feature this summer

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020 1:43:00 PM GMT

How much does image quality differ between 7Artisans' $430 35mm F1.4 lens and Leica's $5,895 Summilux-M 35mm F1.4? Leica Rumors decided to put the two lenses to a test in a blind comparison.

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

Introduced alongside 20mm and 35mm siblings, the Tamron 24mm F2.8 is a lightweight and low-cost option for full-frame Sony shooters. It offers moisture-resistant construction and 1:2 macro reproduction – all for less than $400.

Published Monday, August 17, 2020 7:38:00 PM GMT

The map uses the NYC Municipal Archive's digitized collection of historical photos captured by the NYC Tax Department.

Published Monday, August 17, 2020 6:26:00 PM GMT

Back in April, award-winning photographer George Steinmetz had his drone confiscated for documenting mass burials on Hart Island. Charges have since been dropped and his drone has been returned.

Published Monday, August 17, 2020 4:11:00 PM GMT

Olympus Europe has partnered with photographer Fernando Marmolejo to create a video guide on how to keep your cameras and lenses clean and disinfected.

Published Monday, August 17, 2020 2:27:00 PM GMT

More than 250 speakers will take part in the event, including Annie Leibovitz, Tyler the Creator, Ava DuVernay, Keanu Reeves and others. The conference is scheduled for October 19-21.

Published Monday, August 17, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

Join filmmaker Andy Maser and drone pilot Alex Emberlin as they use the new DJI Mavic Air 2 to explore the beautiful Alvord Desert in Oregon.

Published Monday, August 17, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8 has all the trappings of a pro-grade lens: it's unapologetically heavy, offers weather sealing and sports an alphabet soup of special lens elements and coatings in its name. Take a look at our samples.

Published Sunday, August 16, 2020 7:07:00 PM GMT

The organizers of the 2020 Comedy Pet Photo Awards have released the ‘Best Images Entered So Far,’ showing off laughing horses, goofy dogs and sluggish cats. There's still time to enter before the finalists are selected though if you have a funny photo of your pet(s)!

Published Sunday, August 16, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Pentax 85mm F1.4 is Ricoh's latest premium prime lens for Pentax full-frame and crop-sensor DSLRs. We've been shooting with a final copy to see how it looks for everything from portraits to street photography and landscapes.

Published Saturday, August 15, 2020 7:00:00 AM GMT

Sigma has been cranking out some fantastic lenses lately, and the new 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art joins the club. Find out why we like this fast, compact lens. (Includes updated sample gallery.)

Published Friday, August 14, 2020 8:37:00 PM GMT

Phocus Mobile 2 has allowed Hasselblad mirrorless photographers to remotely control, process and share their images on iPad for over a year. With the latest update to Phocus Mobile 2, photographers can now perform many of these same functions on an iPhone.

Published Friday, August 14, 2020 5:02:00 PM GMT

Kyle Roper decided to turn the front door of his West Hollywood bungalow into a large-format analog camera and create a photo series, Door Frames. Inspired by photographers like Dorothea Lange and Francesca Woodman, Roper wanted a safe way to capture portraits reflective of the challenging times we are living in.

Published Friday, August 14, 2020 2:27:00 PM GMT

Meike's been on a roll with its budget-friendly lenses and its new 25mm F1.8 manual lens for Nikon Z-mount cameras is yet another prime that won't break the bank.

Published Friday, August 14, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

Take a trip back in time to an era of rock and roll when venues didn't restrict cameras, tickets cost no more than $6, ISO 200 film was considered 'fast' and standing ten feet away from David Bowie's thrusting hips was an ordinary Saturday night affair.

Published Thursday, August 13, 2020 9:15:00 PM GMT

Earlier this week, DJI updated the firmware for its Mavic Air 2. The new features include 4x Zoom, the ability to record 4K Hyperlapse, and more.

Published Thursday, August 13, 2020 5:40:00 PM GMT

The new Pro Pronto AF adapter from Fotodiox brings AF-S and AF-C autofocus capabilities to Leica M-mount lenses used with Fujifilm X series cameras.

Published Thursday, August 13, 2020 3:07:00 PM GMT

Kirsch is credited with being the inventor of the pixel, after capturing the first digital image in 1957. He passed away in his Portland, Oregon home August 11, 2020.

Published Thursday, August 13, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

Have you ever been approached through social media, or even your own website, by a business or corporation asking for permission to use one of your photos... for free? Here's why that's wrong and how to figure out what to charge.