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The Digital Photography Review Newsletter
The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 400,000 subscribers
Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Welcome to the 689th Digital Photography Review newsletter.

Despite it being December we've been forecast almost a week of sun in Seattle, which should mean sample galleries in the offing. Though primarily galleries of cameras and lenses that are easily operated with gloves. But we've found plenty of stuff to cover from the warmth of our office:

Readers' Choice Awards 2017

We're well into annual roundup territory and that means it's time for you, out there in our community, to have your say. What piece of kit have you been most impressed by this year? We've broken the announcements down into seven categories, in which you can vote for what you think have been the best cameras, lenses and smartphones.

Vote in our Readers' Choice Awards

Battle of the behemoths

The Nikon D850 redefined what we thought a 40+ megapixel camera could do, only for the Sony a7R III to step up to challenge it. Now we've reviewed both, the question we're regularly seeing is 'which is better?' Let us break it down for you.

See how the D850 and a7R III compare, from autofocus to video

Best cameras you can buy right now

It should be no surprise that cameras, being technology-based, get better over time. But there are some right corkers out there, at the moment. We walk through fourteen of our favourites: cameras for every pocket and use-case.

See the cameras that we'd recommend

The Milky Way over the Dolomites

Photographer Michael Shainblum gave us some of the background story of his shot of the Milky Way emerging from behind the tre cime di lavaredo in the Dolomites mountain range of northeast Italy.

Click here to see the photo and read Michael's experience of shooting it

As ever, more to come. Including sample galleries of wintry sunshine, I suspect.

Richard

News updates
Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 7:50:00 PM GMT

Lifeprint's new model can still print Apple Live Photos and video stills you can view in full via augmented reality, only now they're 3 by 4.5 inches in size, compared to the original version's 2 by 3-inch prints.

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 7:06:00 PM GMT

As Lytro completes its pivot into the professional video market, the Lytro desktop app is now the only tool for interacting with Lytro's light field images off-camera. Bye bye social media support.

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 6:50:00 PM GMT

The Pinhole Pro S comes in two flavors. The S11 is an 11mm lens with a 120 degree FOV designed for mirrorless cameras, while the S36 is a 37mm lens with a 60 degree FOV designed for DSLRs.

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 5:42:00 PM GMT

These backpacks come with all sorts of built-in tech: from LED strips soldered into the straps, to a built-in power bank for charging your cameras (or other devices) on-the-go.

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 4:49:00 PM GMT

Researchers have developed a new Neural Network called Deep Image Prior that can restore damaged images and enhance low-resolution ones, using only the original image itself as a guide.

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 3:23:00 PM GMT

Lensrentals and LensProToGo have joined forces, forming a strategic partnership "to create the strongest photo and video equipment rental company in United States."

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 3:00:00 PM GMT

If you come to Idaho looking for incredible landscapes to photograph, you won't leave disappointed. We spent a few days with Resource Travel Editor and Idaho resident Michael Bonocore road tripping through his amazing state – and capturing the journey with the Canon EOS 6D Mark II.

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Nikon D850 appeared destined to tower over the camera world like some colossus until the Sony a7R III emerged like some rival kaiju. Now we've had a chance to shoot both cameras in a variety of situations, which wins the battle of the behemoths?

Published Tuesday, December 5, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

The very best digital cameras on the market will cost you at least $2000. That's a lot of money, but generally speaking these cameras offer serious enthusiasts and working pros the highest resolution, best build quality and most advanced video specs out there. Here are our picks in the group.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 9:00:00 PM GMT

This new Philips 32-inch Quad HD display with 99% Adobe RGB coverage is seriously tempting for photographers, especially once you look at the price tag.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 8:08:00 PM GMT

Sigma's 14mm F1.8 Art lens has been called the astrophotographer's dream lens. Ultra-wide and ultra-fast, watch how this lens actually makes it possible to capture a hand-held shot of the Milky Way!

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 7:13:00 PM GMT

According to the latest CIPA figures, in October, overall digital camera shipments stayed disappointingly flat, while mirrorless camera shipments increased by 12 percent year-over-year.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 6:06:00 PM GMT

Director of Photography Dustin Farrell drove over 20,000 miles with his Phantom Flex4K camera in 2017 to capture this incredible reel of storm chasing footage. Put your headphones on, turn down the lights, and be sure to set the resolution to 4K.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 5:35:00 PM GMT

DJI has just added the option to voluntarily broadcast your drone ID and flight info, so concerned authorities using the company's AeroScope system can see what you're up to without tracking you down first.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 5:25:00 PM GMT

CamFi has revealed a souped up version of its wireless remote controller, the CamFi Pro. Dubbed "the fastest wireless camera controller in the world," it will be able to transfer photos at 10Mbps.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 3:00:00 PM GMT

Continuing our testing of the Panasonic G9, we've shot our studio test scene with the camera. Now you can compare its image quality with that of its peers.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 2:00:00 PM GMT

It's time: make your voice heard and vote for your favorite photography products of the year. Polls are currently open in all seven categories but don't deliberate too long – they close December 18th.

Published Monday, December 4, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

As you approach the $2000 price point you'll find flagship APS-C and Four Thirds cameras, built for speed and durability. You'll also find a handful of full-frame ILCs and DSLRs, with their own unique selling points. Find out which cameras are best-in-class in this price range.

Published Sunday, December 3, 2017 2:00:00 PM GMT

The winners of our "best for..." and price-based buying guides, all in one place. Simply put, these cameras are the cream of the crop right now.

Published Sunday, December 3, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

If you're getting serious about photography and don't mind spending a bit more money, you'll find some amazing cameras in the $1000-1500 price range. In this buying guide, we've rounded up our recommendations for the category.

Published Saturday, December 2, 2017 3:00:00 PM GMT

Michael Shainblum shares the story behind this stunning photograph of the Milky Way rising over Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Dolomites.

Published Saturday, December 2, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

More direct controls, better autofocus, and in many cases 4K video capture – they're a step above 'budget,' but cameras in this category provide a whole lot of bang for your buck. Here are our top picks in the range.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 9:40:00 PM GMT

Leica Camera AG has grown its revenue by 6 percent in 2017/2018, bucking the downward trend that has plagued the camera market in general.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 9:25:00 PM GMT

A rarity in the world of phones, the new high-end Samsung flip phone can switch between an F1.5 and F2.4 aperture to capture more of the background when it senses there's enough light.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 7:16:00 PM GMT

NatureTTL's Matthew Saville compares three of the most popular ultra-wide astrophotography prime lenses out there: The Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.8, the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.4, and the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 5:41:00 PM GMT

Following in the footsteps of its popular full-sized DSLR plate, CAMS just launched two new camera plates designed to work with smaller DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. The plates feature some really nifty features: like space to store an SD card and hex key.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 4:53:00 PM GMT

Photographer Conner Turmon has put together a useful video tutorial that will get you up to speed on using the RGB tone curves to post-process your photos in either Lightroom or Photoshop.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 2:00:00 PM GMT

2017 has been a pretty good year for lenses, but the one that had the biggest impact for editor Dale Baskin was the Sigma 14mm F1.8 prime, a lens that lets him capture big sky and magic light.

Published Friday, December 1, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

Whether you're looking for a compact camera with image quality exceeding that of your smartphone or just want an inexpensive second camera, there are some impressive options that won't bust your wallet.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 7:04:00 PM GMT

A newly leaked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo claims the company may be spying on the US on behalf of the Chinese government. For its part, DJI claims the allegations are 'profoundly wrong.'

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 5:30:00 PM GMT

Meet Isolite, an intriguing set of 'intelligent' lighting modifiers that claim to let you adjust the lighting in your image after you've taken it. Well, assuming they raise enough money on Kickstarter...

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 4:45:00 PM GMT

Leica has released yet another lens this week. This time, it's a special 'LHSA' edition of the APO-Summicron-M 50mm F2 ASPH that merges the styling of the 1954 Summicron 50mm F2 with the optics of the modern lens released in 2012.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 4:14:00 PM GMT

The Sony a9 is the brand's first truly refined mirrorless camera, in this writer's opinion.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 3:40:00 PM GMT

The new online 'Hasselblad Store' is officially live for residents of the USA, China, UK, Germany and France, allowing customers around the world to skip the third-party vendors and buy their next medium format camera straight from the manufacturer.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 3:29:00 PM GMT

Watch out Adobe. Phase One just released Capture One 11, a major update that makes the Raw conversion and image editing software even more powerful and layer-centric than it was before.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

Those shooting portraits and weddings need a camera with a decent autofocus system that won't give up in low light, good image quality at medium/high ISO and great colors straight out of the camera. Read on to see which cameras are best suited to those tasks.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 4:01:00 AM GMT

Snapbridge Version 2.0 has been redesigned with a 'more intuitive' and 'easier to use' interface, as well as a few nifty new feature like support for multiple cameras and the full manual control of select Nikon DSLRs.

Published Thursday, November 30, 2017 3:15:00 AM GMT

First teased back at Photokina, Fujifilm has released its X Raw Studio software, which uses the processor inside select X and GFX series cameras to convert Raws on your Mac or PC. In addition, firmware updates for the GFX 50S, X-T2 and X-T20 are now available.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 10:16:00 PM GMT

Instagram may soon add a Regram button, GIF support, the ability to follow hashtags, and a whole lot more. All of these features are currently being tested with small batches of users.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 9:24:00 PM GMT

The new HDMI 2.1 specification and Ultra High Speed Cable standard have been released, and they can handle some crazy data rates. We're talking 10K video, uncompressed 8K HDR, and 4K at 120fps kind of crazy.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 8:34:00 PM GMT

Lytro just released a new version of their insane Immerge light-field camera system for professional VR productions. The Immerge 2.0 features higher quality, a wider field of view, and much more... not that any of us mere mortals will ever touch one.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 8:13:00 PM GMT

First teased back in September, Pixelmator Pro has officially arrived. The powerful non-destructive photo editor was built from the ground up for the Apple ecosystem, offering Mac users a tempting alternative to Adobe's offerings.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 4:19:00 PM GMT

Until now, HEIF images could only be read and edited on Apple hardware. Zoner brings the format to the Windows platform.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 2:45:00 PM GMT

Leica's Noctilux family just got a new member! Meet the Noctilux-M 75mm F1.25 ASPH: a lens that promises 'impeccable speed', 'exceptional imaging performance', and 'hair-thin depth of focus.'

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 2:00:00 PM GMT

Even though (or perhaps because) 2017 has seen the release of some of the most impressive cameras he's ever used, Richard has ducked the difficult decisions and made an unexpected choice for his Gear of the Year. But, as always, he's going to argue his point.

Published Wednesday, November 29, 2017 12:00:00 PM GMT

If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.