Jonathan Barkey Archives | Popular Photography

2010 American Photo Editors’ Choice

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:42:35 +0000

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

The winners of this year’s Editor’s Choice Awards had to meet the highest standard ever: For American Photo’s editorial team to choose them, they had to qualify as “game-changing”—to have transformed, or have the potential to transform, the very way photographers work. To be fair to all the other great photo products that came to market this year, that’s a tough standard to meet in a field in which progress is largely incremental. But the rigor we brought to bear on the task challenged our preconceptions and helped us transcend our usual category-based thinking. Of our dozen winners some are obvious breathroughs, such as FujiFilm’s FinePix W3, a point-and-shoot that brings 3D image creation out of Hollywood and into the home, or Sony’s Alpha A55, which represents a new camera genre combining DSLR and EVF traits. Others push the envelope in an established category, such as Sigma’s 8-16mm zoom, the widest ever for APS-C-format DSLRs, or Leica’s M9, the world’s first full-frame digital rangefinder, a camera that manages to merge tradition and high technology. Many of our winners are exemplars of larger trends in the industry. Sony’s NEX system joins the burgeoning ILC (Interchangeable-Lens Compact) phenomenon, significantly advancing the convergence of still and video capture. Likewise, we include Nikon’s D7000 DSLR because it is the first DSLR to provide continuous autofocus in video capture mode, challenging ILC dominance in that arena. The application of consumer technologies to high-end products is yet another common thread, one that makes both the Pentax 645D and Einstein Monolight more capable and/or affordable than their competitors—and thus deserving of our recognition. The “wow factor” influenced us too, with products originating in the space program (GigaPan’s EPIC Pro) and the computer industry (Apple’s iPad) empowering photographers to create and communicate in exciting new ways. Yet for winners like the Canon PowerShot S95 and Induro PHQ Panhead, it was human engineering that made them compelling choices. After all, photographers are only human—and, as always, the best photography products recognize that truth. Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Focus Phenom: Nikon D7000
Continuous autofocus finally comes to DSLR video, allowing photographers to shoot moving subjects without the need to follow-focus manually. Nikon started the video-DSLR revolution with its trendsetting 12.3-mega-pixel D90, but it and all the DSLRs that followed suffer from the same flaw: their inability to continuously autofocus when you’re shooting video. This has limited DSLR video shooting to photographers willing to manually adjust focus—particularly difficult with a moving subject and when the photographer wants to get closer to or farther from a subject. Now comes the 16.2-megapixel Nikon D7000, which can follow-focus automatically in its HD video mode—giving photojournalists, sports photographers and others much more shooting freedom. The new DSLR accomplishes this feat with full-time contrast-detection autofocus similar to that in ILC cameras. Called AF-F, this Nikon-exclusive system can be used in four live-view/ movie AF modes, and it works best with a fast-aperture ultrasonic AF-S lens. What’s more, the D7000’s video is Full-HD 1080p at 24fps, in AVCHD format, with manual audio levels and full exposure control. Other serious features include 100-percent viewfinder coverage, ISO 25,600 maximum sensitivity, dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots, 6fps capture and a weather-sealed magnesium-alloy body. _About $1,200; nikonusa.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Coming of Age: Leica M9
The digital rangefinder returns to its full-frame roots with a 35mm-sized image sensor optimized for Leica’s extraordinary lenses. Having pioneered the 35mm still camera nearly a century ago, Leica comes full circle with the first digital rangefinder to incorporate a 35mm-sized image sensor—a design its engineers had deemed impossible because of the steep, light-sapping angle at which the outer rays from its short back-focus lenses would strike the sensor’s surface. But the M9’s 18-megapixel CCD brilliantly proves otherwise with an innovative light-balancing microlens overlay that works with image processing that automatically adjusts to suit the optical characteristics of the lens in use. Because there is no anti-aliasing filter in front of the image sensor, the camera actually equals or betters the resolution of full-frame DSLRs in the 21-to 25-megapixel range. As you’d expect, the M9’s magnesium and brass body feels both bulletproof and supremely comfortable. Shooting with it is direct, instinctive and discreet—manual focus notwithstanding. But it’s still digital, saving Adobe DNG or JPEG files to an SD card. Above all, the M9 excels at pure image quality, thanks to Leica’s incomparable M-series optics._About $7,000; en.leica-camera.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Another Dimension: FujiFilm FinePix Real 3D W3
This amazing, affordable digital stereo camera records both stills and movies in totally compelling 3-D. And you can watch them without special glasses. In a year that saw the first 3-D Hollywood blockbuster and the mainstreaming of 3-D home entertainment, it’s fitting that ordinary consumers can now create their own 3-D digital content with this breakthrough system from Fujifilm. The FinePix W3, which succeeds the W1 camera originally marketed in Japan, uses twin 10.17-megapixel CCD sensors to capture stereo MPO stills and stereo AVI videos at 720p HD resolution. Offering entry-level, mostly automated features, the comfortably contoured W3 is slightly wider and thicker than a conventional point-and-shoot. Sliding open its front cover reveals identical lenses (each with 3X internal, optical zooming) spaced three inches apart, which creates the parallax disparity needed for stereo imaging. In back, the W3 features a spectacular 3.5-inch, 1.15-million-dot widescreen LCD with a lenticular-style overlay that eliminates the need for special glasses to see in 3-D. The image pairs are ghosted at first, but focusing aligns them for comfortable viewing. We achieved the best results by including both fore- ground and background elements while keeping our main subject about four to six feet away. When it works right, the depth effect is almost hallucinatory, and 3-D videos taken with the camera are truly immersive. That’s especially so on a bigger screen—any HDMI-connected 3-D HDTV (though you’ll need spe- cial glasses). FinePix W3 shooters can order 3-D prints from SeeHere.com. _About $500; fujifilmusa.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Fastest Flash: Paul C. Buff Einstein 640 Monolight
This portable pro flash unit offers uniquely short bursts and ultrafast recycling, enabling rapid-fire, action-stopping photography at an unbeatable price. High-output AC-powered strobes, useful for many assignments, are less suited to fast-paced subjects because their flash duration is too long to consistently freeze motion and their recycle time is often insufficiently fast for rapid-fire frames. In contrast, the affordable yet sophisticated Einstein 640 Monolight is uniquely capable of super-short flash durations. It accomplishes this with special circuits that quench its flash tube very quickly—a technology common to hotshoe flashes but not studio strobes. This is especially valuable when you reduce recycle time by lowering out- put to keep pace with the framing rate of a high-speed DSLR. Set to Action mode, the Einstein delivers bursts as short as 1/13,500 second, syncing with a camera shooting up to 10fps. For portraits and other critical work, you switch to Constant Color mode, which maintains 5,600 degrees Kelvin (+/- 50 degrees) at all power levels. Other specs are equally impressive, among them a 250-watt modeling light with brightness proportional to flash output and a microSD slot for upgrading firmware. _About $500; paulcbuff.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Going Wider: Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM
This ultrawide zoom delivers the widest rectilinear coverage available for APS-C-format DSLRs, not to mention superior optical quality and great handling. Sigma’s current 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 is the widest non-fisheye you can get for a full-frame DSLR. The all-new 8-16mm DC is functionally equivalent to it but designed specifically for APS-C-format cameras—offering the same mind- blowing maximum angle of view and the surreal, exaggerated perspective that comes from shooting so close. At 3.0×4.2 inches and 19.6 ounces, it’s slightly smaller and lighter than Sigma’s full-frame version, and it focuses 1.6 inches closer, to 9.4 inches. The lens’s Hyper Sonic Motor AF is fast and silent. The new lens’s exotic design consists of 15 elements in 11 groups, including four fluorite-like low-dispersion elements plus one hybrid aspherical and two molded glass elements. The result is superior sharpness compared with others in this class (though no competitor is as wide), with mild chromatic aberration only at longer zoom settings. We found vignetting moderate except at 8mm with the lens wide open. Barrel distortion is apparent at the widest setting and pin- cushion at the longest, but both are correctable in software. Available in Nikon, Canon, Sony, Sigma and Pentax mounts. _About $700; sigmaphoto.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Optical Exchange: Sony Nex-5 and Nex-VG10
The world’s tiniest ILC and the first interchangeable-lens consumer camcorder have a lot in common—including optics. As the world’s smallest, lightest interchangeable-lens compact, Sony’s unorthodox NEX-5 stakes different turf than its Micro Four Thirds competitors. In essence, it’s a super-stylish point-and-shoot that takes interchangeable lenses (Sony E-type) rather than a diminutive DSLR substitute. Yet its 14.2-megapixel image sensor is bigger than the chip in Micro Four Thirds models—the same APS-C size, in fact, as those in most DSLRs. The NEX-5’s other assets are estimable, too. They include a rugged magnesium-alloy body, sensitive 14.2-megapixel APS sensor and 921,000-dot, 3-inch tilt-screen. It also has super-swift AF and LCD response, 7fps shooting speed, HDR and Sweep Panorama mode—and Full-HD 60i AVCHD video, a rarity in this class. It even shoots in RAW format. Maybe more unusual, though, is the NEX-5’s fraternal twin, a camcorder called the NEX-VG10. It incorporates the same sensor, lens mount and LCD screen as the NEX-5, not to mention most other features, including still capture. That’s huge news, because it’s the first of its kind with an APS-C-sized chip and silent-focusing inter- changeable optics, thereby offering filmlike shallow focus, low-light prowess and better video handling than any DSLR. And it costs a fraction of any professional equivalent. _About $650 (NEX-5, with 16mm f/2.8); $2,000 (NEX-VG10, with stabilized 18-200mm); sony.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Infinite Detail: GigaPan Epic Pro
This NASA-derived robotic camera mount finally accepts large DSLRs and lenses, advancing multi-frame gigapixel imaging to a new level. Once only a fiction in the movies, the concept of a digital image with practically infinite detail has become a reality, courtesy of Giga-Pan motorized camera mounts. Derived from NASA imaging technology, these systems precisely automate the process of shooting dozens or even hundreds of separate frames that, when stitched together in software, create gigapixel-size (1000-megapixel-plus) images. The first models supported only smaller, less advanced cameras, but the new GigaPan EPIC Pro holds 10 pounds, enough for full-frame 25-megapixel DSLRs and bigger lenses, significantly extending its microcosmic reach. The battery-powered gimbaled mount has a simple LCD menu and four-way motion controller, which you use first to measure your camera’s vertical angle of view, then to establish the top left and bottom right corners of your planned image. Press “OK” and the GigaPan goes to work, tripping the shutter via electronic cable while repositioning itself for each new frame. The number of shots depends on the angle covered, focal length, memory card size, computer power—and your patience while GigaPan’s software renders these gargantuan files. _About $900; gigapansystems.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

A New Breed: Sony SLT Alpha a55
A revolutionary translucent mirror design finally brings the speed of DSLR autofocus to the small size and optical advantages of an electronic-viewfinder camera. Though it physically resembles other Alpha APS-C-format DSLRs, the SLT A55 is actually a live-view camera with a large, exceptionally clear 1.44-million pixel electronic viewfinder instead of a conventional pentaprism and focusing screen. The SLT (Single Lens Translucent) design replaces the DSLR’s instant-return reflex mirror with a fixed semi-silvered mirror, which allows most of the light from its lens to pass through to its new, high-sensitivity 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor. The rest is diverted to its 15-point autofocus module, which uses a DSLR-type phase-shift detection system that’s superior to the contrast-detection AF in other live-view cameras. This ingenious system significantly reduces the A55’s size and weight compared with conventional Alpha models. And with no interruption in autofocus, it can continuously track moving subjects during exposure. Plus it can shoot at an astounding 10fps—until now possible only with pricey pro models. The A55 is also the first Alpha that records video (Full HD). About $750; _sony.com___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

A happy medium: Pentax645D
Designed like a consumer DSLR, the 645D drops medium-format digital to less than half the price of its competitors— yet still offers awesome resolution and a huge existing lens selection. Pentax’s first medium-format digital camera is a bombshell, delivering 40-megapixel image quality for radically less money than comparable medium-format systems. How does it do this? By borrowing core technologies from the APS-C-format Pentax K-7 DSLR. In fact, it will seem instantly familiar to any Pentax DSLR owner. That said, the 645D’s gigantic 44×33-millimeter Kodak CCD boasts two-thirds more pixels than a full-frame 24-megapixel DSLR and produces 23×30-inch native image size at 240dpi, ideal for big prints. The body itself offers superb balance and ergonomics, a light but tough magnesium-steel alloy frame with extensive weather sealing, and automatic sensor-dust cleaning, a first in a medium-format digital camera. It also features built-in automatic correction for a given Pentax 645 lens’s optical characteristics. It shoots in RAW (Pentax PEF or Adobe DNG) or JPEG format and saves to dual SD cards. _Under $10,000 (limited availability); pentax.jp/English__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

A New Direction: Induro PHQ Panhead
The world’s first five-way tripod panhead combines speed, flexibility and precision with unique features for panoramic and 3-D photography. This well-made, cleverly designed product is the first of its kind to combine the best attributes of a conventional panhead (precise and repeatable framing) with those of a ballhead (speed, simplicity and a wide range of movement). In fact, the “quintaxial” Induro PHQ offers precision adjustments in five separate directions. Its range of movement actually exceeds that of some very expensive geared heads, but it’s a lot faster to operate. The PHQ’s two rotating handles control vertical and horizontal tilt (+90/-15 and +90/-45 degrees), and conveniently fold for easier transport. Both its base plate (attached to the tripod) and its top plate (attached to the camera) independently rotate 360 degrees. This allows leveled panning at any tripod angle, eliminating distortion in stitched panoramas. It also means you can level the head on uneven terrain without endless tripod-leg adjustment. Finally, the bidirectional Arca-Swiss- compatible quick release conveniently slides up to 20mm left and right. This is useful for weight balancing and creating stereo pairs for 3-D photography. The same ability allows precise alignment of image pairs taken with a perspective-control lens for stitching purposes. _Available in two versions: PHQ1 (to 25 pounds; $315) and PHQ3 (35 pounds; $395); indurogear.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

The New View: Apple iPad
This one-of-a-kind touchscreen tablet is the classiest, most intuitive digital photo album you can get—and it’s ideal for sharing images with a client. Apple’s much-hyped iPad is the first entry in a transformative new category of personal, Web-enabled multimedia devices. The sheer size and stunning detail of its 9.7-inch LED- backlit display practically clinches its appeal for photographers. It’s also a wonderfully compact tool for offloading, managing, viewing and sharing photos on the road (though its internal memory is somewhat limited) as well as an elegant way for pro photographers to bring pictures or videos to a meeting. With 1024×768 resolution, the iPad’s screen is also great for playing HD movies. And its incredibly responsive Multi-Touch interface lets you show off your images with intuitive finger gestures. At only a half-inch thick, this Apple is exquisitely crafted, in brushed aluminum and tempered glass. It’s not a full-function computer, but it does include Wi-Fi and optional 3G, add-on connectors for SD cards and digital cameras, a virtual QWERTY keypad and touch-enabled software such as Safari, iWork, iBook and YouTube. Photos, its elegant viewer and organizer, sorts pictures using Events, Faces and Places metadata and plays slideshows with music from iTunes. You can now download more than 400 third-party iPad-compatible photo apps. These include filters and effects, online photo services, editing tools and Eye-Fi card wireless file transfer straight from your camera. _Available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of flash memory; about $500 to $830; apple.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

Custom Compact: Canon PowerShot S95
The world’s smallest RAW- and HD-video-capable “professional” compact features a unique click-stopped lens ring for customizable control. Compact cameras good enough for serious photography are rare—and this stylish gem is the smallest and lightest one yet. The sturdy, metal-clad S95 is just half the size and weight of Canon’s top compact, the PowerShot G12. Yet it incorporates that model’s 1/1.7-inch CCD image sensor, which is among the biggest in its class. Because the S95 only has to squeeze 10 megapixels of resolution into that chip, it delivers remarkable quality at higher ISOs, aided by advanced DIGIC 4 image processing. What’s more, like the G12, the S95 can shoot in RAW mode, recording more tonal and color data and permitting much greater control in post-processing. Though it sheds the G12’s vari-angle LCD, hotshoe and optical viewfinder, the S95 is actually better in some ways. It has a bigger screen (a 3-inch, 461,000-dot LCD), a faster 28-105mm (equivalent) zoom and 24fps, 720p HD video with stereo sound. But the S95’s unique programmable Control Ring is its true innovation. Surrounding the lens and click-stopped like a traditional aperture ring, it can be assigned any of nine separate functions, including ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, manual focus and aspect ratio. _About $400 (with Canon’s professional RAW software); usa.canon.com__.___ Jon Whittle/Michael Kraus

The post 2010 American Photo Editors’ Choice appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Hands On: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:58:58 +0000

Photo By Jonathan Barkey

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Lucky us — we got to try Lightroom 1.0 just before its official debut. This milestone for Adobe radically rearranges key Photoshop functions within a super-streamlined virtual workspace designed for organizing and processing large groups of images. Lightroom 1.0 should be familiar to the many people who’ve been using the free Public Beta. The commercial version has been further augmented and refined, and it’s available for both Windows and Mac OS (available for purchase February 19 for $199). The new program combines a broad range of functions — viewing, cataloguing, image editing, multimedia output and advanced printing — in a single package.

Although it’s called Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, the software diverges from Photoshop in three important respects: features, interface and image processing. For starters, Lightroom dispenses with most of Photoshop’s graphic-arts features and concentrates on essential organizing, post-production, display and output tools for digital photographers. Also, unlike Photoshop’s deep layers of menus and dialogs, Lightroom’s simpler interface keeps most functions immediately at hand or easily accessible.

|| |—| | What’s Hot • Non-destructive editing preserves original picture data. • Works with RAW, TIFF, JPEG and PSD files. • Supports both Windows and Mac OS. What’s Not • Version 1.0 lacks image layers, dodging and burning, filter effects, and other standard Photoshop features. • No discounted bundling with Photoshop, but early adopters get a price break. • Lightroom Beta users will finally have to pay up. Bottom Line • Amazingly full-featured, all-in-one imaging solution for serious shooters. • “Virtual” processing technology points way toward further software advances. Related • Adobe press release. • Apple Aperture Review | Most significantly, everything that happens inside Lightroom is virtual, not physical. That means that the photos you “import” into Lightroom’s Library don’t actually reside there but are represented by Lightroom-generated preview images and associated metadata. Since the software alters instruction sets instead of actual pixels, all visual edits (color, tone, cropping, sharpening, etc.) are non-destructive. So your actual images remain untouched, whether you’re working with RAW, JPEG, TIFF or PSD files. This also means you can view changes in real time, batch-edit large groups of photos very quickly, maintain permanent edit histories, and create numerous virtual file versions instead of space-consuming physical duplicates. To share with others, you can export copies (never the originals) as single images or batches — in whatever size, quality and file format they need.

Based on our experience with the Lightroom Beta, we’re happy that Version 1.0 looks and feels remains pretty much the same. It’s a single window (showing one or multiple images), with a Filmstrip on the bottom and info/tool Panels keyed to whichever processing Module you’ve selected: Library is for managing your image folders and collections, including compare/select, keywording, captioning, metadata searching and basic image adjustments. Develop has a full suite of color and tonal controls, as well as cropping, sharpening, noise reduction and other fine-tunable settings. Slideshow, Web and Print each has its own layout, text and design options, including preset templates.

Of the new features in Lightroom 1.0, two really useful ones provide different kinds of image versioning. With Snapshots, we were able to preserve multiple History states for a given file, which we could recall at any time. And, with Create Virtual Copy, we could save different edited versions of the same file, no extra disk space required. (The “copies” behave just like the “originals”.) Also new are Stacks, which let us group similar images (including Virtual Copies and real copies edited in Photoshop) together as one, or Auto-stack a sequence based on capture time.

Next on our “Way Cool” list is the Targeted Adjustment feature, which acts as if Photoshop’s Color Picker were connected to its Selective Color controls. With it, we could click on any area in our photo and then, by adjusting Tone Curve, Hue/Saturation/Luminance or Grayscale Mix, selectively affect just the chosen color. Two modest but very useful tools: Red Eye removal, whose natural-looking results easily best those of Lightroom’s only competitor, Apple’s Aperture ($270, street); and Spot Removal, equivalent to Photoshop’s Clone Stamp and Healing Brush. We used it to erase a large dust spot on one image, and then batch-applied the same retouching to all similar shots. Of course, like everything else Lightroom does, these effects are non-destructive and always reversible.

Many of Lightroom’s new assets are of the meat and potatoes variety: not flashy but valuable for serious work. Prime example: when importing your images from a memory card, you can specify primary and secondary download locations, as well as automatic developing presets. Others: batch export processing using Photoshop Actions, and the ability to create separate libraries. We were also impressed that Lightroom 1.0 let us create physical folders and move actual image files via drag-and-drop, just like a conventional picture browser.

Also new are preview image settings tailored to monitor size; image zoom up to 11x; a “pick or reject” flagging system; drag-and-drop Keyword Tags and a Keyword Stamp; metadata searches by camera and lens used; drag-and-drop Collections; Survey View, for comparing more than two images; and new file format options for editing images in Photoshop. Three features we would like to see Adobe add in subsequent versions: the ability to save Histories when swapping Lightroom-edited files with other Lightroom users; being able to FTP image files to another recipient from within Lightroom; and the ability to set sharpening based on output size. (Adobe says they’re working on these.)

In discussions with Adobe this reviewer asked about Lightroom’s compatibility with Photoshop and its integral Adobe Bridge media browser. First, they said that the next generation of Adobe Camera Raw would share the same tools as Lightroom and produce identical results. They noted that Lightroom borrows Bridge’s five-color image tags and that Bridge can read Lightroom-generated XMP metadata, such as captions and keywords. They also said that, depending on settings, Lightroom could import images faster than Bridge can generate previews. Translation: the new way beats the old way.

Which leads us to our final thought: will Lightroom be a Photoshop competitor or companion, or a bit of both? Our guess it that it depends on who’s using it and how. See for yourself starting February 19, when Lightroom 1.0 becomes available for purchase ($199 through April 30 and $299 thereafter) or as a free 30-day trial download.

The post Hands On: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Editor’s Choice: 10MP DSLRs

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:20:33 +0000

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Nikon D80

Hard on the heels of Nikon’s advanced-level D200, this newcomer costs $700 less — yet gives you identical image quality and many of the same assets, in a package made smaller in part by the switch to SD memory cards. These include its 10-megapixel CCD image sensor; a large, bright viewfinder; and a 2.5-inch LCD. The D80 also offers speeds from ISO 100 to 3200, wireless flash control, and D-Lighting processing (which does in camera what the Shadow/Highlight tool does in Photoshop). Though its files are bigger than those of the six-megapixel Nikon D70s, the D80 doubles that model’s continuous-burst rate to 23 Large/Fine JPEGs. About $1,000.

Pentax K10D

The first ten-megapixel D-SLR from Pentax, this camera features trendsetting 22-bit analog-to-digital conversion and image processing that’s two-and- a-half times faster than in outgoing *ist D models. Its sculpted body is bigger and heavier than the six-megapixel K100D and K110D, and unlike those models is weatherized. While its K-series siblings run on AA cells, the K10D takes a dedicated Li-ion battery good for 730 shots per charge. Standout K10D features also include the biggest, highest-magnification viewfinder in its class; interchangeable focusing screens; and sensor-shifting Shake Reduction. All for about $900.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

From the front it’s a dead ringer for the eight-megapixel EOS Digital Rebel XT. But in back, Canon’s third-generation entry-level D-SLR distinguishes itself with a high-res, wide-view 2.5-inch LCD that doubles its predecessor’s area. (The screen also serves as a huge alphanumeric display.) Still petite, the XTi is the first Canon to be fitted with the company’s own 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, which we’re anxious to test against the 10-megapixel Sony CCDs used by competitors. Also first in a Canon body, the new chip is “dusted off” with the shake of a piezo motor. About $800.

The post Editor’s Choice: 10MP DSLRs appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Exclusive Hands-On Preview: Pentax K10D

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:59:10 +0000

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Based on our test drive of a late-stage K10D prototype, we’d say Pentax has graduated from D-SLR underdog to serious contender.

Priced at $899 to compete with other mid-level 10MP models, the K10D is more advanced in many ways and debuts technology found nowhere else.

This all-new camera is bigger, heavier and stronger than previous Pentax models, as well as comfortably shaped and clad in ample grippy rubber. It feels even better with its new (optional) vertical grip; both it and the camera use a single Li-Ion rechargeable instead of AAs; combined, they give you twice the juice. Impressively, unlike any competing D-SLR — and several others that cost hundreds more — the K10D is weather-proofed with 72 rubber seals. (The same number as in Canon pro models, according to our Pentax host.)

|| |—| | Podcast: Pentax Product Manager John Carlson discusses the features found on the K10D.| It also has an incredibly large and bright viewfinder — much bigger than the one on the (more expensive) Canon EOS 30D we used for comparison. We found its manual focusing super — a good thing, since the K10D is compatible with dozens of older Pentax K mount optics. And no matter what lens you use, body integral SR (Shake Reduction) gives you up to four shutter speeds more hand-holding. (The Pentax rep told us it’s better than the one in the older K100D and trumps Sony’s similar Anti Shake system.)

We also challenged the wide-area 11-point AF system with some off-center subjects and found its focus-tracking super-fast and accurate. (Three recently announced wide-aperture DA* zooms — the first lenses from Pentax with ultrasonic motors — promise even better AF.) The camera also shoots fast — at 3fps — and can capture unlimited continuous JPEGs or up to nine consecutive RAW frames — in either the Pentax PEF format or Adobe’s DNG.

Though we weren’t shown samples, Pentax says that the K10D’s exclusive 22-bit analog-to-digital converter, along with a powerful new image processing engine, will deliver superior color and detail. This technology also makes possible some amazing in-camera tricks we were able to see. Number one: an on-screen color temperature control that shows actual hue changes on a preview image. Number two: the ability to save individual RAW files (after shooting) to JPEG, complete with any combination of image parameters you choose. There are numerous other nice touches, like the dedicated button for instantly switching to RAW mode that show the effort Pentax has invested in this camera.

We’ll see how it all adds up when we get a full production model.

The post Exclusive Hands-On Preview: Pentax K10D appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

FinePix S5 Pro: Nikon Gets Fuji Brain Transplant

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:19:58 +0000

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

On Tuesday at Photokina Fuji announced that they would be putting the sensor from their current Nikon N80-based FinePix S3 Pro into a Nikon D200 and selling it as the S5 Pro sometime early next year. Actually, they didn’t say it in quite that way, but it’s true, and combining Fuji’s unique extended-dynamic range technology with the D200’s best-of-class camera body is a very good thing.

The S5’s sensor, like the one in the current S3 Pro, uniquely employs two separate pixels at each of six million locations on the chip. The standard size S-pixels record a normal brightness scale, while the smaller R-pixels capture highlight information that otherwise would be lost. (In RAW mode, you can save images overexposed by at least three f-stops, something impossible with a conventional camera.)

According to the Fuji rep we spoke with, the S5’s latest generation image processing circuitry will enhance shadow detail and potentially make the camera “the most-noise-free in its class.” Plus, a new low-pass filter will minimize moiré. Add the Nikon D200’s rugged weather-sealed body, superb ergonomics, big viewfinder, and sophisticated AF and metering, and you get quite a package.

The rep said that many of the S5’s specs are still uncertain, like whether it will have an integrated vertical grip or an add-on. But he predicted that it’ll shoot faster than the S3’s 2fps and have a bigger image buffer, a sore point with S3. Also new: RAW+JPEG capture, CompactFlash but no more xD-Picture Card, and Li-Ion rechargeable batteries instead of AAs.

It’ll also add a full-color option to the S3’s 30-second monochrome live-view LCD mode, as well as an optional wireless file transmitter, possibly provided by Nikon. The neatest wrinkle: automatic “Face Detection” zooming in playback, which shows whether your subject’s eyes are open or closed. Seriously!

The post FinePix S5 Pro: Nikon Gets Fuji Brain Transplant appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Exclusive Hands On With the Canon PowerShot G7

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:59:09 +0000

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

Serious shooters have prized Canon’s compact G series digicams for their pro-grade features and ability to pinch-hit for their big D-SLRs. The all-new G7, which we tried at Photokina prior to the public opening, reflects that dynamic yet changes it too.

We really liked the G7’s stylish makeover, with its stealthy black finish and retro control dials. The body is very solid and has great “hand feel.” We also found it much lighter and more pocketable than the G6 thanks to its smaller grip and more fully retracting zoom. The latter offers more range (6x versus 4x) but a slower maximum aperture, though it gains a very useful optical IS (image stabilization) system.

Resolution has been boosted modestly from the G6’s seven megapixels to the G7’s ten. More significant is its all-new DIGIC III image processor, which speeds startup (by our measure, just over one second), maintains burst shooting even with larger files (we got 10 consecutive frames at full resolution), and boosts ISO sensitivity.

However, based on viewing zoomed image details, we’d recommend against ISO 3200 (which also reduces output size), but judge 1600 as just usable and 800, pretty decent.

The two biggest changes Canon made: replacing the G6’s flip-out, swiveling LCD (which we prized for street shooting and funny angles) with a fixed screen, and dropping RAW mode altogether. The latter is something many of us can’t live without, but the new display wins points for being bigger, sharper, and viewable from oblique angles.

We’ll have a full field test once Canon sends us a review unit.

The post Exclusive Hands On With the Canon PowerShot G7 appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

First Look: Olympus E-400

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:19:55 +0000

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

The world’s smallest, lightest D-SLR is NOT coming to a store near you. The recently-unveiled Olympus E-400, an instant hit among those visiting the company’s Photokina booth, is available exclusively in Europe — but not in the U.S. or Asia — and unlikely to cross the Atlantic in its present form. That’s a pity, because we found it beautiful to behold, a pleasure to handle, and a delight to stuff in our jacket pocket.

How small is the E-400? How about 5.1×3.6×2.1 inches and 13 ounces? For comparison, that’s a half-inch thinner than Canon’s EOS Digital Rebel XTi and 25 percent lighter. Nevertheless, the E-400 is astonishingly full-featured for its size, with a 10 megapixel CCD (a first for Olympus), a SuperSonic Wave Filter for automatic dust removal, a 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD, 3fps shooting, fast AF, decent burst rate (5 continuous RAW frames, 10 JPEG), 31 shooting modes, and even a CompactFlash memory card slot. (One downside, a very small viewfinder.) Plus there are two new matching lenses that give you a 35mm equivalent range of 28-300mm yet weigh only slightly more than the body itself.

In short, it’s the perfect D-SLR for anyone who hates carrying a D-SLR. The Olympus America representatives we spoke with were coy about the E-400’s Europe-only status, although they speculated that a different camera of similar size MIGHT arrive on our shores in the future. The only clue we could find of a technical issue was in the E-400’s official specs: “Warning message at ISO 800-1600.” Translation: “Cramming 10 megapixels into a Four Thirds size sensor could cause high-sensitivity noise.” But the test pictures we shot were pretty good: ISO 400 was very nice; 800 grainer but usable; 1600, mean shadows but OK in a pinch. Is that a small price to pay for something this cool? We think so!

The post First Look: Olympus E-400 appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Eight Is Enough

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:59:18 +0000

Download our
HP Photosmart 7960 Printer test
-requires Adobe Acrobat Reader

The post Eight Is Enough appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Editor’s Choice 2007: Digital Storage and Display

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 15:33:51 +0000

Editor's Choice 2007: Digital Storage and Display.

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

image

The post Editor’s Choice 2007: Digital Storage and Display appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Capturing the Big Cat

Jonathan Barkey — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:36:24 +0000

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-A-dress-rehearsal-with-Stei

A dress rehearsal with Steinmetz as stand-in.

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-A-shot-of-an-interloping-ba

A shot of an interloping barn owl.

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-The-final-image-shot-with

The final image, shot with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and an EF 17-35mm f/2.8L lens, at ISO 1600 in RAW mode, with an exposure of 30 seconds at f/2.8 and off-camera flash.

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-Steinmetz-tests-a-second-ca

Steinmetz tests a second camera trap location, on a path near the watering hole.

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-Steinmetz-and-a-mountain-li

Steinmetz and a mountain lion trade places at the second camera trap location.

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-A-mountain-lion-at-the-seco

A mountain lion at the second camera trap location.

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-The-National-Geographic-Soc

The National Geographic Society’s own Wildlife Motion Detection Camera

Capturing-the-Big-Cat-The-photographer-s-diagram

The photographer’s diagram of his shooting setup.

The post Capturing the Big Cat appeared first on Popular Photography.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.