DPReview: Digital Photography Review DPReview on Facebook DPReview on Twitter DPReview on Google Plus
The Digital Photography Review Newsletter
The most popular weekly photography newsletter, with over 400,000 subscribers
Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Welcome to the 729th DPReview Newsletter

Well, Photokina ended up being a little more exciting that we'd expected. Despite Canon and Nikon showing their hands before the event, there was still time for the announcement of three new full-frame cameras for the L-mount, the promise of a 100MP medium format body with all the trimmings and then interesting fixed-lens compacts from Ricoh and Zeiss.

But, even though our roving reporters haven't yet made it back from Germany, there's still stuff to shoot with, test and review.

Zeiss announces Android-based 37MP full-frame fixed-lens compact

Well that's something you don't see every day: lens maker Zeiss promising a 37MP full-frame compact that can run Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC (the cloud-based image organiser/processor). Personally I love a camera with a fixed 35mm equiv lens, so I'm looking forward to finding out how it performs.

Nikon Z7 review update

We published our test images from the Nikon Z7 and, as expected, found it generally performs a lot like the D850 (ie: extremely well). We found some unexpected oddities too, though.

Sigma 40mm F1.4 A samples

Photokina saw Sigma announce another two prime lenses in its Art series of pro-grade optics. We got a chance to wander out into Cologne with the 40mm F1.4, to show you the city and the performance of Sigma's latest lens.

Hands on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

Tokina has been promising a new 50mm F1.4 as the first in its premium 'Opera' range of lenses. Photokina gave us a chance to finally get our hands on it.




Obviously we'll be pressing on with our reviews of the Nikon Z7, Canon EOS R and Fujifilm X-T3 but there'll also be coverage of the likes of the Panasonic LX100 Mk II and Nikon P1000 coming in the next few weeks.

And you wouldn't want to miss that now, would you?

Richard

News updates
Published Tuesday, October 2, 2018 6:33:00 PM GMT

Skylum has shared three new videos teasing the new digital asset manager (DAM) module for its photo editing app, Luminar.

Published Tuesday, October 2, 2018 6:03:00 PM GMT

The developer of the Halide camera app, Sebastiaan de With, has taken a closer look at how new iPhone XS and XS Max handle image processing.

Published Tuesday, October 2, 2018 4:30:00 PM GMT

Following in the footsteps of its first Kickstarter, NYA-EVO is back at it again, this time with the Fjord 60-C expandable camera backpack.

Published Tuesday, October 2, 2018 1:00:00 PM GMT

Venus Optics launched eight new lenses under the Laowa brand name at the Photokina show this year. We paid a visit to the stand to get a closer look.

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 8:05:00 PM GMT

Street photographer Eric Kim has built a new online platform designed to act as an online hub for constructive, anonymous image critiques.

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 6:45:00 PM GMT

More than $200,000 in camera gear was stolen from Ffordes camera shop located in northern Scotland. Ffordes is asking anyone with information to come forward in an effort to retrieve the stolen equipment.

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 4:30:00 PM GMT

Analyst firm IHS Markit estimates the total bill of material for the iPhone XS and Xs Max comes out to $390. The camera components alone are estimate to add up to $51.10.

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 2:00:00 PM GMT

Users of Apple's new iPhone Xs and Xs Max report over-aggressive "beautification" and skin smoothing on front camera portraits.

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 1:00:00 PM GMT

Sigma debuted a number of lenses at this year's Photokina, including two Art lenses. We got our hands on a beta sample of the 40mm F1.4 Art – take a look at some initial images taken around Cologne.

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 11:00:00 AM GMT

Testing and real-world shooting show slight banding and striping patterns in Nikon Z7 images, undermining its otherwise excellent dynamic range. We demonstrate when you'll encounter the effect so you can assess its importance for your photography.

Published Sunday, September 30, 2018 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Opera designation is reserved for Tokina's most premium lenses, built for high resolution full-frame DSLRs. The 50mm F1.4 is the first in this lineup to come into production – take a closer look.

Published Sunday, September 30, 2018 12:00:00 PM GMT

Google has started adding copyright information in image search results, and will work to improve guidelines for photographers on including relevant metadata with their images.

Published Saturday, September 29, 2018 1:00:00 PM GMT

We saw new gear from Lowepro, Think Tank, Peak Design, ONA, Tamrac and more. Perhaps it's about time you upgraded your pack?

Published Saturday, September 29, 2018 12:00:00 PM GMT

Phottix has launched a new operating system for its portable flash systems that it says automatically switches between different manufacturer’s TTL systems as it detects their presence from an on-camera flash unit or on-camera transmitter. We went hands-on at Photokina.

Published Friday, September 28, 2018 6:29:00 PM GMT

Sigma has issued a statement confirming that its current lenses operate without any issues when mounted on the Nikon Z7 via FTZ adapter.

Published Friday, September 28, 2018 5:16:00 PM GMT

LG has "pre-announced" its new flagship smartphone V40 ThinQ and confirmed a triple camera array featuring super-wide, standard wide and telephoto lenses.

Published Friday, September 28, 2018 3:31:00 PM GMT

Gitzo has shared the details of its upcoming compact tripod, the Gitzo Mini Traveler. The pocket-sized tripod features Gitzo's patent-pending 'Pull & Fix' leg angle selector and is capable of holding up to 3kg/6.6lbs on its aluminum tripod head.

Published Friday, September 28, 2018 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Nikon Z7 has a sensor that's closely related to the one in the company's D850 DSLR. Take a look at how it performs next to the competition in our studio test scene.

Published Friday, September 28, 2018 11:26:00 AM GMT

Voigtländer is one of the oldest names in photography. These days licensed by Japanese lensmaker Cosina, the Voigtländer brand is still going strong. We're at Photokina, where we got our hands on the company's newest lenses.

Published Thursday, September 27, 2018 7:11:00 PM GMT

Zeiss has announced the Batis 40mm F2 CF, bridging the sizable gap between their 25mm F2 and 85mm F1.8 offerings. As with other Batis offerings, the 40mm F2 has autofocus and is compatible with full-frame Sony E-mount cameras.

Published Thursday, September 27, 2018 6:20:00 PM GMT

The ZX1 is Zeiss' first ever digital camera, featuring a 37.4MP full-frame sensor and a fixed, 35mm F2 Zeiss Distagon lens. In a first for any camera, Zeiss has teamed up with Adobe to offer Lightroom CC functionality in the camera itself, utilizing its large 4.3" touchscreen.

Published Thursday, September 27, 2018 3:20:00 PM GMT

Camera bag manufacturer and Bellamy Hunt of Japan Camera Hunter have teamed up to design a messenger-style camera bag specifically for film photographers.

Published Thursday, September 27, 2018 11:16:00 AM GMT

One of the most interesting announcements at this year's Photokina show in Germany was the Panasonic / Leica / Sigma L-mount partnership. Earlier today we were lucky enough to get access to a prototype Panasonic S1R. Click through for a closer look.

Published Thursday, September 27, 2018 11:00:00 AM GMT

The rangefinder-styled Fujifilm GFX 50R has arrived, and we've taken our pre-production model to the mountains and back to see just what it can do.

Published Thursday, September 27, 2018 8:00:00 AM GMT

A dramatic flurry of lenses has emerged from independent manufacturer Laowa at Photokina as the company shows a total of eight new models in a wide range of mounts.

Published Wednesday, September 26, 2018 3:14:00 PM GMT

Leica is clearly in the mood for partnerships: A day after the company announced it was teaming up with Panasonic and Sigma on the L mount, Zenit took the wraps off the 'M', a Zenit-designed, Leica manufactured rangefinder. Click through to learn more.

Published Wednesday, September 26, 2018 3:10:00 PM GMT

Tamron's 2nd-generation full-frame wide-angle zoom features new coatings, faster AF speeds and improved vibration control. We got some hands on time with it, here's what we thought.

Published Wednesday, September 26, 2018 1:00:00 PM GMT

Much of the Fujifilm GFX 50R is very familiar, but its smaller size and redesigned controls serve to make the 50R handle very differently from its elder sibling. Here's a detailed look at what's different – and what isn't.

Published Wednesday, September 26, 2018 12:12:00 PM GMT

Sigma took the wraps off five new lenses at Photokina this year, and we were there to see (and handle) them for ourselves. Click through for more information, and some early first impressions.

Published Wednesday, September 26, 2018 11:02:00 AM GMT

Ricoh has announced the development of a third model in its popular GR lineup: The forthcoming GR III will feature an updated sensor and redesigned lens. We're at Photokina, where we took a quick look earlier at an early sample, behind glass.

Published Wednesday, September 26, 2018 11:00:00 AM GMT

Day one of Photokina 2018 was a busy old day for news: it's not often you get promised three full-frame cameras by different brands and still have a debate about whether they're the most interesting announcements. We've condensed the day's news down into an easy-to-swallow digest.