News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Digital Photography Review, Latest digital camera news, camera reviews, galleries, technology and comparisons.

Toshiba to introduce world's fastest SDHC UHS-I cards (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:21:31 GMT)

Toshiba has announced what it claims will be the world's fastest SDHC UHS-I and the world's first microSDHC UHS-I compliant memory cards. To be available in 32GB, 16GB and 8GB capacities, the SDHC cards will offer read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 80MB/s respectively. The microSDHC cards will be available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities with read and write speeds of up to 45MB/s and 20MB/s. The company says mass production of the SDHC UHS-I cards and sample shipments of the new microSDHC UHS-I cards will begin from November 2010.

Just posted! Sony SLT-A33 Sample Gallery (Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:42:13 GMT)

Just posted! Our Sony SLT-A33 preview samples gallery. We've already treated the A33's bigger brother, the SLT-A55, to an in-depth review. No we've had a chance to get out and shoot with the slightly lower-spec A33 as well. It lacks the GPS module of the A55 and comes with a slightly lower sensor resolution but is otherwise almost identical to Sony's top-of-the-range translucent mirror model. Have a look through our gallery and see for yourself what the Sony SLT-A33 has to offer in terms of image quality.

Datacolor announces SpyderLensCal focus calibrator (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:09:13 GMT)

Datacolor has announced the SpyderLensCal focus calibrator. The device allows photographers to measure the AF performance of their camera/lens combinations. On DSLRs with a micro-adjustment feature, this tool can be used to help determine the best values to set in the camera's custom settings menu to correct front or back focus. SpyderLensCal will be available from September 6, 2010 at a suggested retail price of $59.

Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3 to support Tamron Lens Correction (Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:03:13 GMT)

Tamron has announced that it has cooperated with Adobe in the creation of profiles for the Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3's Lens Correction feature. The latest version of the image-editing software will automatically fix distortion, chromatic aberration and vignetting for all currently available Tamron lenses (no word yet on the latest 70-300mm F4-5.6 VC USD though).

Kodak releases ESP 9250 all-in-one printer (Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:51:13 GMT)

Kodak has announced the ESP 9250 Wi-fi-enabled all-in-one inkjet printer with print, copy, scan and fax capability. It includes the company's proprietary fade-resistant inks with what it claims the lowest total ink replacement cost in the industry. The printer features a 2.4-inch LCD, built-in templates and supports various memory card formats. The printer is now available at $249.99.

Sony releases S-Frame digital photo frames (Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:33:13 GMT)

Sony has introduced the S-Frame range of digital photo frames. Top of the line are the XR100 and VR100 that offer 10.2 inch screens and AVCHD video playback with stereo sound. The XR100 also includes TruBlack technology for better playback quality. The rest of the models come with screen sizes ranging from 7" up to 10.2" and offer a number of slideshow modes, clock and calendar views plus smart orientation sensors that flip images for correct viewing of portrait or landscape images.

Sony announces Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20K pocket camcorder (Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:33:13 GMT)

Sony has announced the Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20K pocket camcorder. It is built around the company's 1/2.5" Exmor CMOS sensor, records Full HD video in MP4 format and captures 12.8Mp still images. It offers a 3 inch touchscreen LCD, 32mm F2.8 lens and a flip-out USB connecter that also charges the camera’s battery. It includes a 360 degree panorama lens adapter. Priced at $199.99, it will be available in pink, silver and black.

Panasonic releases 8GB & 16GB UHS-I SDHC cards (Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:57:13 GMT)

Panasonic has released 8GB and 16GB SDHC cards adhering to the SD association's latest UHS-I specification. Both memory cards have maximum read speeds of up to 60MB/s and Class 10 speed specification complementing 3D and full HD video recording features of recently released cameras. Like the company's 'Gold' line of memory cards, it features protection against power failures and a Super Intelligent Controller that cleans up errors preventing data damage. The memory cards will be available from November 2010.

Carl Zeiss introduces Distagon T* 1,4/35 for Canon & Nikon (Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:39:07 GMT)

Carl Zeiss has introduced the Distagon T* 1,4/35 wide-angle lens in Canon EF (ZE) and Nikon F (ZF.2) mounts. This manual focus lens, with its large f/1.4 aperture, is made up of 11 elements in 9 groups. With an equivalent focal length of 50mm on APS-C cameras, it can be used on both digital and analog SLRs. Priced at €1385.71, the lens will be available in the first quarter of 2011.

Canon develops world's largest CMOS sensor (Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:57:07 GMT)

Canon has announced it has developed the world's largest CMOS sensor measuring 202 x 205mm. Approximately 40 times the size of Canon's largest commercial CMOS sensor, it captures images with 1/100th the amount of light required by an SLR camera. Its advanced circuitry allows video recording at 60 frames per second with 0.3 lux illumination that according to the company is roughly one-half the brightness of a moonlit night. There is currently no information about the sensor's resolution. This follows last week's development announcement of Canon's 120 megapixel 29.2 x 20.2mm APS-H CMOS sensor.

Olympus announces special edition kits for the E-P2 camera in black (Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:00:07 GMT)

Olympus has announced two special edition all-black kits for its E-P2 Micro Four Thirds camera. Both kits come with a black version of the M.Zuiko Digital 17mm 1:2.8 pancake lens and either the VF-2 electronic viewfinder or FL-14 external flash. The kits also include a retro-styled lens cap imprinted with the company's Pen F series logo which can also be purchased separately. The black EVF edition will be available for €1,079 while the black flash edition will be available for €1,049 from October 2010.

Olympus introduces M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm lens (Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:00:07 GMT)

Olympus has announced the addition of the M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm 1:4.0-5.6 zoom lens to its Micro Four Thirds lens series. Similar to the 75-300mm lens announced today, the lens promises fast and quieter focusing optimized for video shooting. It will come supplied along with the 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 in the Pen Double Zoom Kit. The lens will be available in black and silver for €329 from end of October 2010.

Olympus releases M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm lens (Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:00:07 GMT)

Olympus has announced what it calls the world’s smallest and lightest 600mm equivalent telephoto lens in the shape of M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75-300mm 1:4.8-6.7. Weighing 430 grams, the Micro Four Thirds system lens' 18 element, 13 group design utilizes two Extraordinary Dispersion (ED) and 3 High Refractive (HR) glass elements to reduce chromatic aberration. It promises fast and silent focusing for recording movies. The lens will be available in black and silver from December 2010 for €899.

Adobe releases Lightroom 3.2, ACR 6.2 & DNG Converter 6.2 (Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:45:07 GMT)

Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 3.2, Camera Raw 6.2 and DNG Converter 6.2. These are final versions of updates that were originally posted as 'release candidates' on the Adobe Labs site, and are now available for immediate download. The latest versions provide final RAW support for sixteen recent cameras, including the Canon EOS 60D and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The updates also add more than 120 lens profiles and fix a number of bugs.

Sigma releases 70-200mm F2.8 OS for Nikon (Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:45:13 GMT)

Sigma has announced its 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM image-stabilised fast telezoom is now available in Nikon F mount. Previously available in Canon EF mount, the Nikon version is priced at $2,470. The lens features a new optical design that uses two elements made of the company's recently developed 'FLD' glass plus three SLD glass elements to reduce aberrations, a 9-blade circular aperture, and features full-time manual focus override. It also comes with an adapter for APS-C users.

Canon updates EOS E1 video plug-in (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has announced an updated version of its EOS E1 plug-in for Apple's Final Cut Pro video-editing software extending support to the EOS 60D DSLR. Already compatible with the company's EOS-1D Mark IV, 7D and 5D Mark II, the plug-in converts recorded footage into Apple's ProRes 422 compression format at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s standard conversion and allows users to log and mark videos with timecode, reel names and metadata.

Canon announces EF Extender 1.4x III and EF Extender 2x III (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has updated its 1.4x and 2x 'Extender' teleconverters, to version III. The EF Extender 1.4x III and EF Extender 2x III both offer completely new optical designs, weather resistant construction, Fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements, and promise higher AF accuracy than the previous versions. They also include redesigned lens release mechanisms and integrated processors for improved communication between the camera and lens.

Canon develops 500mm F/4L IS II USM and the 600mm F/4L IS II USM (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has announced it is developing updated versions of its 500mm and 600mm f/4L IS USM professional lenses. Similar to the 300mm and 400mm lenses announced today, the EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and the EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM will feature new optical designs, lighter-weight construction and water-repellant Fluorine coatings.

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS II USM and EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has introduced updated versions of two of its professional telephoto lenses, in the shape of the EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. Both feature completely new optical designs, along with lighter weight construction employing magnesium alloy and titanium. Sub Wavelength Structure coatings are employed to minimize flare, plus water-repellant Fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. A new IS mode has been added that activates stabilization only during exposure, alongside a 'Power Focus' mode for video shooting. The upgrades are rounded off by the addition of repositionable AF stop buttons and a choice of tripod mounts.

Canon releases EF 8-15mm f/4 L USM fisheye zoom lens (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has announced the EF 8-15mm f/4 L USM, the world's first fisheye zoom lens to offer both circular and full frame images. This replacement for the EF 15mm F2.8 fisheye will produce circular images with a 180 degree angle of view when used at its widest setting on 35mm-format cameras such as the EOS 5D Mark II, and images which cover the full sensor area at 15mm. It also incorporates marks at intermediate zoom positions denoting the widest settings which can be used on APS-C and APS-H format cameras to give full frame images without vignetting. The lens features weatherproof construction, including water-repellant Fluorine coating on the front and rear elements, and Canon's 'Sub-Wavelength Structure Coating' to minimize flare and ghosting.

Canon launches EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has released the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, aimed at being an affordable 'L'-grade telephoto lens. It offers a ring-type ultrasonic autofocus motor, weatherproof construction, claimed four-stop image stabilization and a minimum focus distance of 1.2m, all in a package about the same size as the existing EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Additional features include an 8-bladed circular aperture, full-time manual focus override, and an optional tripod mount ring.

Cosina joins Micro Four Thirds system (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:18:10 GMT)

Cosina has announced it is joining the Micro Four Thirds system standard with Olympus and Panasonic. Users will now be able to use an extended choice of Cosina and Voigtländer-branded lenses with their Micro Four Thirds cameras without the need for adapters. To coincide with this announcement, Cosina has announced the availability of its Nokton 25mm F0.95 lens compliant with the standard. Priced at ¥95,000 (~ US $1125) it will be available from October 2010.

Canon EOS 60D DSLR announced and previewed (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:15 GMT)

Canon has unveiled the EOS 60D mid-level DSLR, replacing the EOS 50D. However, following the launch of the EOS 7D, the 60D has been repositioned in the market, so isn't a simple upgrade to its predecessor. Instead the 60D is a smaller camera featuring an articulated screen and plastic body shell and utilizing SD memory cards. It combines the 18MP CMOS sensor and 1040k dot 3.0" LCD from the EOS 550D (Rebel T2i) with the AF system from the 50D. Meanwhile it gains the 7D's HD movie capability. We've had a chance to use a pre-production 60D so have prepared a hands-on preview, including sample images and movies.

Complete our survey for the chance to win an iPad (Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:16:21 GMT)

US photographic trade body PMA and dpreview.com are conducting a survey looking for the views of dedicated amateur photographers. The five ten minute survey asks about your photographic use, the features you'd like to see in cameras and your use and experience of photo sharing sites and printing services (as well as helping us make dpreview a better place). It aims to get a clearer understanding of what committed non-professional photographers want from their cameras and related services and may even result in those things getting a bit better. Responses will be discussed at the forthcoming 6Sight conference. As a reward one lucky respondent will be sent a shiny new Apple iPad. Update: The survey will close 12:00 midnight Pacific time on Tuesday August 31st, so if you'd like your chance to win, time is running out!

Adobe applies app-based approach to Photoshop.com (Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:42:17 GMT)

Adobe has developed a set of three online tools as the primary way of interacting with its Photoshop.com online storage and editing site. The Photoshop Express Editor, Organizer and Uploader have been optimized to integrate with the company's recently released Photoshop Express apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android devices and promise faster and 'more intuitive' uploading, editing, and organizing abilities.

Nik Software releases HDR Efex Pro Software (Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:00:15 GMT)

Nik Software has announced HDR Efex Pro, an HDR processing plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Apple Aperture compatible with both Windows and Mac. Based around its proprietary tone mapping technology, it offers number of presets and tools for selective fine-tuning, ghost removal and shadow/highlight recovery for both multiple and single images. The software installs as a 32-bit or 64-bit plug-in compatible with the applications as far back as Photoshop CS3, Lightroom 2.3 and Apple Aperture 2.1. HDR Efex Pro will be available from Autumn 2010 at a suggested retail price of $159.95.

Canon develops world's first 120 megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor (Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:16 GMT)

Canon has announced it has developed a 120 megapixel 29.2 x 20.2mm APS-H CMOS sensor - the same size used in its EOS-1D series of professional DSLRs. The sensor, for which Canon has announced no production plans, has a pixel count nearly 7.5 times larger than the company's highest pixel count commercially available sensor. It offers full HD recording (using 1/60th of its surface area) and can deliver 9.5fps continuous shooting. This follows a 50 million pixel sensor of similar format the company developed in 2007.

Sony US announces 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 lenses (Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:00:28 GMT)

Along with the latest SLTs and DSLRs, Sony has also announced the 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 Alpha lenses in the US. Announced a month ago in the European market, the 24mm and 85mm lenses will start shipping from late September at retail prices of $1,250 and $250 respectively, followed by the 35mm which will be available from mid-October at a retail price of $200.

Carl Zeiss to announce accessories in Photokina 2010 (Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:21:16 GMT)

In a press release announcing its attendance in Photokina 2010, Carl Zeiss has announced it will be launching accessories for the first time along with new lenses.

Sony releases DSLR-A580 and DSLR-A560 (Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:00:28 GMT)

Sony has announced the addition of the A580 and A560 to its consumer-level DSLR range. Both the 16.2MP A580 and 14.2MP A560 are based around the company's Exmor APS HD CMOS sensors and enhanced Bionz processors. Both cameras can record 1080p full HD movies and deliver 7 fps in continuous shooting mode. They also include Sony's two-mode live view system with a 15-point phase-detection AF or a Manual Focus Check mode. Other features shared by both cameras include 3.0" fold-out LCDs, an enhanced Auto HDR mode, sensitivity of up to ISO 25,600 and 3D Sweep Panorama mode. Priced at €900 and €800 respectively, the A580 will be available from October 2010, while and the A560 will arrive in the first quarter of 2011.