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The Digital Photography Review Newsletter
The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 400,000 subscribers
Thursday, November 12, 2020

Welcome to the 836th DPReview Newsletter!

How is it the middle of November already? As we hunker down for winter here in the northern hemisphere, this is a great time to take stock, clear out some clutter (suggestion: I recently donated my enormous accidental collection of accumulated camera straps, and it felt very liberating) and start to look ahead to new (indoor) projects. Forget spring cleaning - this is bonfire season, after all.*

If you're in the mood for a refresh of your camera gear, we have just what you need in the form of our collection of camera and lens buying guides, covering all major product classes and price-points. And look out for our annual DPReview Awards, where we recognize this year's standout products, coming soon.

Until then, as always, thanks for reading.

Barney

* The bonfire is metaphorical - please dispose of your old camera straps responsibly.


Leica Q2 Monochrom initial review

The Leica Q2 Monochrom is a version of the Gold Award-winning Q2 that only shoots images in black and white. It's a niche (and pricey) product to be sure, but so far we've found it to be well-designed and capable of delivering outstanding results.

Read our initial review of the Leica Monochrom Q2

What you need to know about Canon's new RF 70-200mm F4 and 50mm F1.8

Canon has just taken the wraps off two new lenses for its mirrorless RF system: The RF 50mm F1.8 STM and RF 70-200mm F4 L IS USM. Click through for a closer look.

Learn more about Canon's new 70-200mm and 50mm lenses

Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 sample gallery

The Panasonic 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 is a compact zoom for L-mount cameras. It's a great kit lens for those who like shooting wide and is well-suited for video work.

Check out our samples gallery

Roger Cicala: the difference between sample variation and a 'bad copy' (Part 2)

Roger Cicala delves back into the murky waters of sample variation among lenses and explains how – depending on how you define your standards – you might end up getting multiple 'bad copies'.

Read Roger Cicala's latest opinion piece

News updates
Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 10:35:00 PM GMT

Projected President-elect Joe Biden and his running-make Kamala Harris addressed the world on Saturday, with speeches that concluded with a drone light show. Here's how it came together.

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 8:28:00 PM GMT

Google has announced that it will be ending its unlimited free photo and video storage through Google Photos. The popular service will be moving to a 15 GB cap on free storage beginning in June 2021.

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 6:49:00 PM GMT

Nathan Myhrvold designed a custom camera built around a 100MP medium format image sensor to capture beautiful, detailed microscopic images of snowflakes. You've seen snow, but perhaps not quite like this.

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 6:01:00 PM GMT

Google has asked its users for help improving Google Photos before, but a new participation option for Android users pushes this idea even further. You can now volunteer to label a group of images to help improve Google's machine learning algorithms.

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 3:18:00 PM GMT

The $299 adapter makes it possible to mount Profoto's line of OCF light shaping tools to its A-series line of round-head speedlights.

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

Take a black and white journey through southern Alberta with the Leica Q2 Monochrom, courtesy of our team at DPReview TV. We knew Canada was cold, but penguins?

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

The Canon EOS R6 is the most well-rounded camera in its class, and it's our top pick if you're looking to spend around $2000. For a budget-friendlier option, the also-excellent Fujifilm X-T4 is our recommendation.

Published Wednesday, November 11, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

Roger Cicala delves back into the murky waters of sample variation among lenses and explains how – depending on how you define your standards – you might end up getting multiple 'bad copies'.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 9:35:00 PM GMT

This little lens attachment takes the glass orb photo trend and packs it into a more compact form facter that will fit on the end of nearly any lens.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 8:00:00 PM GMT

The Q2 Monochrom is a stealthy, niche camera aimed at black and white enthusiasts, and we've had one in our hands for a few days. Click through to read more.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 7:19:00 PM GMT

At its 'One more thing' virtual keynote, Apple showed off its M1 SoC, the company's first chipset designed specifically for its Mac lineup, which is at the heart of its new MacBook Air, Mac Mini and 13" MacBook Pro computers.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 5:39:00 PM GMT

The lens is fully-manual, works out to a full-frame equivalent of 18mm on most APS-C systems and is available to purchase for $165 for Fujifilm X mount, Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount, Nikon Z mount and Sony E-mount camera systems.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

The Leica Q2 Monochrom is a version of the Gold Award-winning Q2 that only shoots images in black and white. It's a niche (and pricey) product to be sure, but so far we find it to be well-designed and capable of outstanding results.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

Our team at DPReview TV wanted a monochrome version of the Leica Q2 and they got it. Is this a case of 'be careful what you wish for'? Nope. As Chris explains in our hands-on review, the Q2 might just be his new favorite camera.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

What better time to test out an all-black-and-white camera than late autumn? We used a pre-production Leica Q2 Monochrom to capture some of the moody scenes of the season.

Published Tuesday, November 10, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

Leica has announced the Q2 Monochrom, a black & white version of the Q2. It features a new monochrome-only 47MP sensor as well as the 28mm F1.7 lens and top-notch build quality as the regular Q2.

Published Monday, November 9, 2020 10:31:00 PM GMT

DaVinci Resolve 17 has been announced. The all-in-one video and audio editing software incorporates more than 100 new features and 200 improvements.

Published Monday, November 9, 2020 9:31:00 PM GMT

The drinks-can solargram camera now comes loaded with papers that create a tinted image - with warm, cool and duotone options to spice up your long exposures

Published Monday, November 9, 2020 2:46:00 PM GMT

The embargo has dropped for iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max reviews and while we didn't have the chance to test one out, we've rounded up a number of reviews from YouTubers and tech sites across the web to share their thoughts on the imaging capabilities of Apple's largest and most powerful iPhone 12 model.

Published Monday, November 9, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

DJI's second-generation Pocket camera includes a long list of useful upgrades including a wider, faster lens, a larger sensor, more resolution, improved audio and an optional handle that significantly improves control and supports live streaming.

Published Monday, November 9, 2020 1:13:00 PM GMT

DJI might soon have some competition. Sony Corporation has announced it's working on 'Airpeak,' a new drone brand that should see the first product released in Spring 2021.

Published Sunday, November 8, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Panasonic 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 is a compact zoom for L-mount cameras. It's a great kit lens for those who like shooting wide and is well-suited for video work.

Published Saturday, November 7, 2020 7:29:00 PM GMT

Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone magazine's first staff photographer, died on Monday at age 83 of ALS.

Published Saturday, November 7, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

The DJI Mavic Mini 2 is a versatile little machine that's easy to use, convenient to transport and full of sophisticated features in a compact package. Take a look at the image quality it's capable of producing.

Published Saturday, November 7, 2020 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Laowa 9mm F5.6 FF RL is the world's widest rectilinear lens for full frame cameras, and should appeal to anyone who needs to shoot in tight spaces. Click through to learn more, and see the results.

Published Friday, November 6, 2020 9:34:00 PM GMT

Nikon's second-quarter results for its 2021 fiscal year are out, showing higher-than-expected operating loss, but better-than-expected revenue and a plan for how to make the Imaging Products Business profitable going forward.

Published Friday, November 6, 2020 7:50:00 PM GMT

The Conda Strap, which clearly takes inspiration from the Anaconda snake, can turn from a shoulder strap into a Gorillapod-style mounting solution with the flip of a lever.

Published Friday, November 6, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

We had a chance to check out Lomography's new super low ISO black and white Kino films. Have a look!

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 9:21:00 PM GMT

UK Landscape Photographer of the Year announces winners and shortlisted photographers from the 2020 competition

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 9:12:00 PM GMT

At its annual developer conference, Xiaomi has announced new Retractable Wide-aperture Lens Technology. This breakthrough promises advancements in image quality across numerous situations, including when shooting in low light and capturing portraits.

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 6:19:00 PM GMT

Yesterday, the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels flew their last flights in their Legacy Hornet jets, which are being replaced by the newer, larger Super Hornets, due to make their first official demonstration flight in 2021.

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 3:59:00 PM GMT

Camera shop owner David Chan has been collecting and selling cameras for nearly 60 years in Hong Kong. In a new video from South China Morning Post, we learn more about Chan, his passion for vintage film cameras and his impressive collection.

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 2:00:00 PM GMT

The latest firmware significantly improves the EOS R6's response to efforts to let it cool, making it much more usable for stop/start video.

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 1:00:00 AM GMT

The new DJI Mavic Mini 2 includes several notable improvements over the original Mavic Mini, including 4K video, Raw photo capability, and DJI's robust OcuSync 2.0 transmission system.

Published Thursday, November 5, 2020 1:00:00 AM GMT

DJI has taken its sub-250g drone and made it even better with some of the most-requested features. This includes 4K/30p video capture, Raw photo capture, improved transmission with OcuSync 2.0 and more.