Metabones Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x M43

Metabones and Caldwell Photographic have launched a new Speed Booster ULTRA series of "focal lens reducing" adapters designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras. Like the original Metabones Speed Booster announced in January 2013, the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 has a magnification of 0.71x, and so it effectively reduces the crop factor of mirrorless Micro Four Thirds mount cameras from 2.0x to 1.4x, and is almost perfectly corrected for use with all 35mm full-frame SLR lenses. The Speed Booster ULTRA for Micro Four Thirds is available for $649 (Canon EF mount) and $479  (Nikon F mount plus shipping and applicable taxes and duties).

Metabones Press Release

Metabones Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x M43 with Autofocus

Caldwell Photographic Inc. and Metabones® are pleased to announce a new Speed Booster ULTRA series of focal reducing adapters designed for Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras.  Like the ULTRA series for Sony E-mount, the new Speed Booster ULTRA m43 uses an advanced 5-element 4-group optical design incorporating ultra-high index tantalum-based optical glass.  However, the new design is specifically optimized for the Micro Four Thirds sensor and filter stack, and as a result achieves an astonishing level of performance that sets a new standard for focal reducers.

Like the revolutionary original Metabones Speed Booster® announced in January 2013, the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 has a magnification of 0.71x, and so it effectively reduces the crop factor of mirrorless Micro Four Thirds mount cameras from 2.0x to 1.4x.  However, the new ULTRA design makes very effective use of exotic materials at the furthest limit of glassmaking technology, and as a result is almost perfectly corrected for use with all fullframe SLR lenses regardless of aperture.  The Speed Booster ULTRA m43 will also work extremely well with many DX and APS-C format lenses provided the image circle of the lens is large enough.  Optical performance of the new Speed Boosters is so good that the MTF of any lens attached to it will be improved.  Even the latest generation of ultra-high performance SLR lenses such as the Zeiss Otus series can be improved by adding a Speed Booster ULTRA m43.

At the maximum aperture of f/0.90 (i.e., with an f/1.2 master lens) the sharpness and contrast are extraordinary across the entire image circle.  At just one-third stop down to f/1.0 the performance is equal to or better than the best photographic lenses used at their optimum apertures.  An additional stop down to f/2.0 yields performance that is rarely encountered in photographic optics.  In practice, what all of this means is that the new Speed Boosters will always enhance and never degrade the performance of the attached master lens.

And other aspects of optical performance haven't been sacrificed in order to obtain high MTF, either.  Figure 5 shows that there is less than 1 stop of corner illumination falloff even wide-open at f/0.9. There is no vignetting at all after the output aperture reaches f/2.82.  Figure 6 shows that rectilinear distortion added by the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 is negligible at less than 0.7%. The charts shown in Figures 2 through 6 below show the optical performance of the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 when mounted behind an ideal "perfect" lens.

Like all Metabones Speed Boosters, the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 is optimized to correctly account for the camera's filter stack located near the sensor surface3.  This is especially critical at the extremely large apertures made possible by Speed Booster technology.  As a result of this careful optimization, an enormous range of full-frame optics, ranging from vintage film lenses to the latest digital designs, will function flawlessly when adapted to Micro Four Thirds camera bodies.

The Speed Booster ULTRA for Micro Four Thirds will be available starting in July 2015 from the Metabones website and its worldwide dealer network for US $649 (Canon EF mount) and US $479  (Nikon F/G mount), plus shipping and applicable taxes and duties.  Additional lens mounts are being developed and will be released in the near future.

Autofocus with an Optimum Balance of Accuracy, Speed, Consistency and Reliability

New in Speed Booster ULTRA for Canon EF Mount to Micro Four Thirds is autofocus on Panasonic camera bodies, subject to certain limitations (see specifications for details). We are pleased to report that Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera bodies are capable of autofocusing accurately even if the maximum aperture of the Speed Booster and the lens combined is in the sub-f/1.0 range. Although our first and foremost priority is accuracy, we are able to make great strides in autofocus speed as well, which is significantly faster than a DSLR Four Thirds lens on a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds camera (with adapter), or our E-mount offerings on Sony cameras prior to Alpha 7R II. For existing Metabones patrons with any previously released Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds mount Speed Boosters and Smart Adapters, a firmware update (Windows/Mac) to add autofocus is available for download on Metabones' web site.

Measured MTF Using a 55mm Zeiss Otus as the Master Lens:

The MTF curve in Figure 3 indicates that the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 has truly phenomenal performance at f/1.0, which is the output aperture you will get when the master lens is set to f/1.4.  Extremely low levels of aberration in the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 combined with the aberration-reducing tendency inherent in focal reducers means that even extremely high performing lenses such as the renowned Zeiss Otus series can actually be improved!  This is illustrated in the pair of measured MTF graphs below in Figure 7.

The 55mm f/1.4 Zeiss Otus is widely recognized as perhaps the finest large aperture photographic lens ever produced, and yet the Speed Booster ULTRA m43 transforms it into a 39mm f/1.0 lens with even higher MTF.  In fact, the resulting combination is likely the highest-performing f/1.0-class photographic lens available to the public.

Metabones Speed Booster ULTRA m43 Specifications:

Model Code:  MB_SPEF-m43-BT4 (Canon EF mount), MB_SPNFG-m43-BM3 (Nikon F/G mount)

Color: Black Satin exterior; Black Matte interior

Magnification:  0.71x

Crop Factor for Full Micro Four Thirds format:  1.42x

Crop Factor with GH4 in Cinema 4k (4096 x 2160) Video Mode:  1.66x

Maximum Output Aperture:  f/0.90 (with f/1.2 lens attached)

Rectilinear Distortion:  < 0.7%

Lens Elements/Groups:  5/4

Length Reduction:  5.5 mm

Camera Mount:  Micro Four Thirds

Compatibility:  All Micro Four Thirds cameras are supported

Image Format:  17.3 mm x 13.0 mm (full Micro Four Thirds format)

Lens Mounts:  Canon EF and Nikon F/G at release; other mounts to follow in the near future

Lens Compatibility:  Any full-frame (36 mm x 24 mm format) SLR lens with the appropriate mount can be used.  DX format lenses can be mounted but may result in vignetting when the full Micro Four Thirds format is used, depending on the lens.  DX lenses are fully supported when used on the Panasonic GH4 in Cinema 4k mode, and will function without abnormal vignetting.  Canon EF-S lenses are not supported, but third-party EF-mount APS-C lenses can be mounted and will have full electronic functionality.

Autofocus supported for Canon EF version subject to the following known limitations:

Contrast-detect autofocus support on Panasonic cameras only.AFC (continuous AF) and AFF (flexible AF) modes are not supported.Video AF may hunt more than a native lens.Autofocus is not supported with previous generation Tamron VC lenses and Contax N lenses modified to EF mount by Conurus Canada. (Newer Tamron lenses such as the 24-70/2.8 VC A007 and 70-200/2.8 VC A009 work fine.)Switching from manual focus or full-time manual focus (FTM) to autofocus may occasionally result in focus failing to lock or inaccurate focus. Activating autofocus for a second time will resolve this issue.AF accuracy is lens-dependent.

Special Features:  Long-throw clickless aperture ring on Nikon F/G version; IS lens support, IBIS camera support, auto-exposure and in-camera aperture selection with Canon EF version.

Dimensions: 25 x 76 x 72mm for Canon EF version

Weight: 161 grams for Canon EF version

Tripod Mount:  Robust removable type with Arca Swiss compatibility

Price:  From USD $449 to $649 depending on lens mount.

Source: Metabones Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x M43

Camera choices for enthusiasts

The Samsung NX1000. PHOTO | COURTESY 

Photography is like music; either you have a knack for it or you don't. Sounds a little harsh? Well, with a lot of patience and resolve you can learn. All you need is passion and mastery of a few basic rules to start clicking away.

You'll learn the rest as you go along. "What camera do I buy? I'm just a hobbyist?" Like any other photographer, I get asked that a lot. Naturally, I will ask, "which camera can you afford?" Or "what's your budget?" This usually gives us an indication on how serious the person is, given the photography fad in Nairobi.

For a beginner, Nikon D3000, Nikon 5500, Pentax K-50 or K-S1, Sony Alpha A8, Canon 1000D, Canon Rebel T6i. For an enthusiast, try Canon 70D, Panasonic GX7, Samsung NX 1000 should do.

Then comes the next question, Nikon or Canon?

If primarily for taking pictures, it depends on the type of pictures you will be taking. If landscape, nature or coloured, Nikon is good with colour. Canon can be a little pale sometimes, but not with the new professional gadgets. Again, do you know your settings? You will need to bond with your camera over a considerable period of time to be able to get this right. 

Something worth noting, Canon cameras are starting to get more focused on DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) video-making than their Nikon counterparts.

Canon tends to have more options to choose from. The brand releases more bodies than Nikon. Here is where I confess I am pro-Canon so if my biases seep through, forgive me.

When you go to the shop, you may encounter the new kids on the block; mirrorless cameras like the Samsung or Panasonic I mentioned. They are fancy-looking, yes, but I still think DSLR cameras are the way to go.

Now, how much will this cost you?

Budget for roughly between $500-$1,000 (Sh50,000 to Sh100,000). This will include accessories such as a battery, a memory card and a charger.

When buying a camera body, you might sometimes stumble on a great deal that affords you multiple lenses. It is important to note you can't always walk before crawl, so be patient. Start with the simpler lenses as you slowly grow into using the bigger, more complex ones. It is important to learn about focus, composition and white balance.

To become an expert, shoot away and explore until you get it right. Like musicians say, it's not the violin, it's the violinist. Similarly, it's not the camera, it's you.

dngila@ke.nationmedia.com

Source: Camera choices for enthusiasts

Leaked Photos Show the Upcoming Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

Back in January 2014, Olympus expanded its OM-D mirrorless camera lineup by introducing the affordable E-M10, touted as "the OM-D for all." By eschewing weather-sealing and some other features, Olympus was able to shave hundreds of dollars off the price tag. Now, as the original E-M10 nears its 2nd birthday, Olympus is ready to announce its successor, the E-M10 Mark II.Digicam-info just published the first leaked photos of the upcoming camera. It will reportedly also be available in silver and black, and will feature a redesigned physical interface and grip.

Here's a comparison between the E-M10 Mark II with its predecessor:

Front view of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

Front view of the Olympus OM-D E-M10

We see that the dials on the top of the camera will be thicker and chrome colored. The angle on the grip is also slightly different.

Top view of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

Top view of the Olympus OM-D E-M10

Olympus is moving all three dials on the top of the camera to the right side and replacing the one on the left with an on/off switch and what appears to be a function button.

No word yet on the specs of the new camera, but the price should be much lower than the $1,100 it costs to buy the new OM-D E-M5 Mark II.

Source: Leaked Photos Show the Upcoming Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

Panasonic Unveils 3D Scanning Booth in Japan Featuring 120 Lumix Cameras

It's certainly no surprise to see 3D printing and all that encompasses it picking up momentum in Japan, as it allows for their versatile culture to see further innovation in every sector from 3D printed medical models to 3D printed style and fashion accessories to Manga character figurines.

As mega entities like Panasonic make their entry into the 3D printing world, innovation should continue to explode there–especially in a country that loves characters, figurines, and many exciting new forms of entertainment. Now, as Panasonic, headquartered in Osaka, unveils their 3D scanning booth in the same city–those characters and figurines can be personalized.

The Panasonic Center will be home to their spectacular new display of technology that allows for curious, technologically savvy shoppers to explore the latest from the electronics giant hailing from their home country. This isn't just the latest in magically turning 2D selfies into generic 3D figurines perched atop a limited number of body choices. Panasonic's technology defines state-of-the-art in itself. How so? With a world of cameras seemingly gone wild–in the form of 120 Lumix GH4 cameras all working as a team.

In quite the fascinating process, all triggering at the same time, the mirrorless cameras fire within a stunning 1/1,000,000th of a second, featuring an output with over 2 billion pixels of imag120e data. What makes this imaging scenario different from others is that the system does not employ a central scanner, but instead uses the multitude of very expensive cameras, so this isn't something you will see in anyone's home in the near future. Each camera itself weighs in at about $1,500, with a total of $180,000 in inventory being housed at the Panasonic Center.

What ultimately makes the experience truly different is that with this particular setup, the cameras can actually capture individuals moving in the circular room. After the data is captured, it's loaded into special software allowing for a total 3D viewing. For $450, the data is turned into 3D model keepsakes. The precision and accuracy in the technology are apparent in the details of not only the face but its expression, as well as the pose of the body, which can even be realistically depicted holding items.

It remains to be seen how popular the booths will be, while it was with great interest that last year we reported on the Lumix camera as well as Panasonic worked with Materialise to produce 3D printed camera covers to allow for personalization. It should be exciting to see what progresses from here, as well as what greater affordability is produced in the future as both Panasonic and Japan eagerly work to grab a foothold in the 3D printing market.

Discuss your thoughts on this new technology in the Panasonic 3D Scanning Booth forum thread over at 3DPB.com. Below is a Japanese-language video in which you can see the impressive detail of the 3D models.

Source: Panasonic Unveils 3D Scanning Booth in Japan Featuring 120 Lumix Cameras

A Shutter Sound Comparison Between the Sony a7R II and Original a7R

Sony's new flagship a7R II is a mirrorless camera designed to rule them all. In addition to packing the world's first backside-illuminated 42.4MP full-frame sensor and 4K video recording, the camera is also designed to be more stealthy than its predecessor.

The a7R II has a Silent Shooting mode that uses an all-electronic shutter to cut down on both the noise of picture-taking and vibrations on the sensor. The video above by the Japanese website Call-t shows how the new silent shutter compares to the original a7R shutter, which some photographers felt was too loud. The new shutter should be much more suitable for wedding and press photographers.

(via Call-t via Mirrorless Rumors)

Source: A Shutter Sound Comparison Between the Sony a7R II and Original a7R

Gizmodo Photo Guide: Tips For Shooting The Night Sky

Want to get outside and snap some amazing photographs of the night sky, of some stunning moonlit landscapes and time-lapse starlight trails? Here are six key tips you need to know.

Gizmodo's Guide to Better Photography is brought to you by the Sony Mirrorless Alpha Range. Photography has evolved, and Sony mirrorless cameras have made the DSLR obsolete. Find out which Mirrorless camera is right for you.

Get A Tripod

This is the big one. At night, there's less light for your camera to pick up and funnel down the lens and turn into little digital ones and zeros. And that means your camera has to boost the digital gain of its image sensor — creating unwanted noise — or slow down its shutter speed, potentially causing unwanted image blur, or open up its aperture — meaning less of the image is in sharp focus. The easy solution to that is to use a sturdy tripod for your camera, to hold it steady to capture light no matter how slow its shutter speed is and how long it has to take to capture any given photograph.

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You can buy a huge variety of tripods — tall, short, heavy, light, carbon fibre, aluminium, plastic — but what's most important is that it holds your camera well and won't shake or topple at an inopportune moment. A heavy tripod can be an inconvenience if you're planning to take it travelling or if you like moving around a lot while taking your night-time photographs, but at the same time it's an easy solution to eliminate photo blur from shaking. Usually, the more expensive a tripod is, the better a job it will do — this is why exotic materials like carbon fibre are pricier, because they combine that prized duo of portable/light and stable enough to make your photos clean and clear of unwanted blur.

Set A Manual Shutter Speed

Setting your camera's shutter speed is just about the most important thing you can do for capturing a night-time photograph. The reason for this is that your camera — whether it's a compact or whether it's a more powerful mirrorless camera or digital SLR — will only go so far in its automatic settings, especially since those are optimised for handheld shooting. Whenever you're on a tripod, it's a great idea to switch to entirely manual camera settings, but at the very least a customised shutter speed will give you majority control over the images that your digital camera produces.

A manual shutter speed gives you control over a huge number of variables just by switching one knob or twiddling one dial. A slow shutter speed lets you blur motion — like the walking of pedestrians, the motion of cars or the waves in an ocean landscape at the beach — while a fast shutter speed will freeze things in place. Obviously the faster your camera's shutter is set, the less light it will let in, so you'll either need to be snapping a photo of a relatively bright scene or need to be carrying around a powerful flash to give your camera a bit of a leg up.

Lower Your ISO

Camera image sensors have one big caveat — the less light they have available to them, the more they struggle with picking up colour and brightness information from the outside world and converting it into a digital signal. You might have heard of a camera's ISO rating — think of it as the volume control but for an image sensor, with the caveat that the higher the volume goes, the more background noise and interference starts to appear. This appears as grain and purple-green dots on your image. For that reason, you want to keep your camera's ISO setting as low as possible to make images as clean and free of digital interference and noise as they can be.

If you switch your camera's ISO to a relatively low setting — that is, an ISO of around 400 or lower for most cameras, and generally as low as possible is advisable — then your night-time images will look clean of any digital noise and won't look like they were captured with a $10 smartphone camera. Of course, your camera's ISO directly affects the shutter speed and aperture of your camera, meaning the shutter will have to stay open longer to let in the same amount of light — and that's why if you're shooting at night, you really should invest in a high quality tripod and use it whenever you want to capture beautiful images of the night sky.

Choose A Custom White Balance

Cameras generally aren't the best at picking the correct white balance from a night-time scene, unfortunately, and especially if you're not already shooting in RAW mode then an incorrect white balance can ruin what would be an otherwise good night sky photograph, usually making it look far too blue or far too yellow. Setting a custom white balance in your camera's photography settings menu, or even pre-selecting one of the more moderate presets like a cloudy or a daylight mode, will make a huge — and easily noticeable — difference to the colours within your photos, and will also prevent differences between individual images in a series.

If you're shooting a scene that has artificial lighting. As our cities move towards LED lighting in public spaces this is becoming less of a problem, but if your images are coming out with an especially orange or yellow hue for artificial lights then setting your camera's white balance to an incandescent or tungsten white balance can be an instant solution to the problem. Try your camera's auto white balance setting first, of course, to see the results that it produces, but then don't be afraid to jump to a custom or forced preset white balance if you think that might solve the problems that your images are having.

Shoot In RAW

Shooting in RAW is the big one for shooting clear night-time photographs, since a RAW photo file contains a lot more behind-the-scenes camera and exposure and colour information than its ready-to-view JPEG equivalent. A RAW photo therefore has a lot more leeway for you to get a photo wrong and still produce a high quality image, or if you get the settings right a RAW photo can be adjusted to produce a more stunning photo than any in-camera JPEG can produce. If you plan to print your photos off and frame them or show them off for public viewing, the extra quality hidden away within a RAW is almost a mandatory prerequisite for night shooting.

As skilled as you might be at capturing a night-time photograph, even if you think you set the exposure correctly and used a low ISO and long shutter speed setting, capturing in RAW is still a good idea Most good cameras can also capture in RAW+JPEG to allow you to share a file straight after capturing while still maintaining a much higher quality file to adjust on your PC later on and tweak to your heart's content. This method does chew up storage space quickly though, so make sure you have an additional SD card handy or invest in a large capacity card early on.

Get A Wireless Shutter Release

Picking up a wireless shutter release means you can set your camera to fire remotely without touching it, and that removes one of the most annoying — and easily avoidable — causes of blur in night-time photographs. Combine a wireless shutter release with a tripod and the right settings in-camera, and you'll end up with photos that look just as good as pin-sharp day-time ones. A good wireless shutter release will also have a bulb setting, where you'll be able to hold the shutter open as long as you want to capture extra-long exposures, and the best can be rigged to fire multiple shots that you'll later be able to combine.

If you don't want to pick up a wireless shutter release or your camera isn't compatible, you can fire your camera's shutter remotely through another couple of methods. You might be able to hook your camera up to your smartphone over Wi-Fi, and use a companion app to change settings and start photographing without touching it or shaking the tripod around, for example. If nothing else, any half-decent camera should have a built-in timer that'll let you fire the shutter and then wait a couple of seconds before capturing a photo to reduce any unwanted camera shake and lens blur.

Republished from our cousins at Gizmodo Australia. Check it out for all of your other-side-of-the-equator tech news.

Source: Gizmodo Photo Guide: Tips For Shooting The Night Sky

Firmware Friday: Metabones adds autofocus support for Canon EF lenses on Panasonic cameras!

Great news, Micro Four Thirds fans: You can now autofocus Canon EF-mount lenses on your Panasonic mirrorless camera, courtesy of new firmware for several Metabones Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster models! That's makes our Firmware Friday roundup this week quite a doozy, even if there's no new camera firmware since our last update.

The new Metabones version 1.7 firmware update is available immediately on both Windows and Mac OS platforms, and supports four different Metabones adapter models. These include the Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster Adapter (model MB_SPEF-M43-BM1), Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster S Adapter (model MB_SPEF-M43-BM2), Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds T Speed Booster XL 0.64x Adapter (model MB_SPEF-M43-BT3) and Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds T Speed Booster  ULTRA 0.71x Adapter (model MB_SPEF-M43-BT4).

As well as the new autofocus function, the firmware also resolves a lens recognition issue with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, and also fixes a problem that could cause Panasonic cameras to lock up after double-tapping on the touch-screen.

The Canon EF Lens to Micro Four Thirds T Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x is one of four Metabones adapters that now support autofocus on Panasonic Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras.

We've not got a Metabones adapter handy to test the new autofocus function ourselves, but Jaron Schneider over at Resource Magazine has already done so, and he reports that autofocus is both reliable and reasonably swift, if not as fast as a native Micro Four Thirds lens. (His setup paired the Panasonic GH4, Speed Booster S adapter and Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens. Read more in his article here.)

Want to update your Metabones adapter(s) to the latest firmware, and gain the ability to autofocus Canon EF-mount lenses, as well as fixes for the aforementioned bugs? Grab the firmware at the links below, depending on your chosen operating system:

(Camera parts image courtesy of Kelly Hofer / Flickr; used under a Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0 license. Image has been modified from the original.)

Source: Firmware Friday: Metabones adds autofocus support for Canon EF lenses on Panasonic cameras!

CEA Introduces New Terminology for Digital Imaging Sector

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Source: CEA Introduces New Terminology for Digital Imaging Sector

Daily Deals: Nikon 1 S2, Logitech speaker system, 240GB Kingston SSD

Online deal highlights for July 22, 2015

Welcome to Daily Deals, the post where the staff of MacNN searches online retailers for offers, bundles, sales, and discounts on hardware, software, games, and gadgets for you, the discerning reader. All the old deals have been ruthlessly exterminated and are removed from the list, with the new collection including a refurbished 2.1-channel Logitech speaker system for $25, a 240GB Kingston SSD, and the Nikon 1 S2 mirrorless camera.

MacNN Recommends

BundleCult's July Mac Bundle is a collection of ten apps to make your use of OS X easier. The collection includes Screens VNC, Remote Mapper, Sparkle, Scrutiny 5, Web Snapper, Path Finder 7, Folder Tidy, Super Tab, Caboodle, and MyPhotostream. Collectively valued at $335, the package is on sale for just $30.

New Deals

Increase the available storage on your NAS or desktop computer, with the Hitachi 2TB 3.5-inch Hard Drive. While you get it without normal consumer packaging, as it is actually what usually arrives as part of a bulk order for businesses, it is still a brand new drive with a 32MB buffer and a 7,200RPM speed. Amazon is listing it for $57, including free shipping.

Want even more storage for backing up your files? TigerDirect has the Seagate Expansion 3TB USB 3.0 External Drive for $106, saving $24. There's also a rebate available until July 26 which knocks another $10 off the price, making the drive $96.

Need an i Phone 6 or 6 Plus, and are in the US or Canada? Best Buy is reducing the up-front cost on a traditional contract through either Verizon or Sprint by $100, making an entry-level 16GB iPhone 6 just $100, while a 16GB iPhone 6 Plus would be $200. The deal applies to the other capacities of 64GB and 128GB as well. Speaking of Best Buy, it's also having a sale on the iPad mini 3, offering the Wi-Fi only 128GB model for $450, a savings of $150.

If you have ever tried using a USB thumbdrive and felt it to be a bit small, solve that with the PNY 128GB Turbo Attache 2 USB 3.0 Flash Drive. TigerDirect is offering it for $30, which is half price, and a steal for that capacity.

Newegg.com's shell shocker deal of the day today is on the Dell 23-inch LCD Display. It carries a retail price of $210, but has been reduced to $115, making this the lowest price by $25.

Adorama through Amazon is offering a bundle that includes the Sennheiser HD650 On-Ear Headphones with Apogee's Groove USB D/A converter and headphone amplifier for $550, a savings of $206 over buying the items separately (though it should be said that great amplified headphones can be found cheaper).

Lower the number of remote controls in your living room down to one, with the Logitech Harmony Ultimate One Remote from Daily Steals. This remote can be used with a wide array of devices, and includes a touchscreen that can be configured to trigger multiple different settings on a collection of devices at the same time, such as switching a TV's source and turning on a Blu-ray player to watch a movie. Normally $250, it's on sale for $120, less than half the list price.

Need to play music in public? Tanga is offering the Urge Basics Soundbrick Bluetooth Speaker for $18 (this price includes the US shipping charge of $3), a savings of $59 from the previous price. The speaker has NFC as well for pairing to Android devices, and a battery rated for eight hours.

One of today's daily deal sla shers from TigerDirect.com is on the HP Scanjet Professional 1000 Mobile Scanner. It was priced at $250, but has been reduced to $120, making this around $80 less than the lowest price seen anywhere else.

Zagg has the first discount on its unique iPhone 6 Combo Battery and Speaker Case. The case offers protection, a rechargeable 1,800mAh battery, and a removable Bluetooth speaker and mic. Normally $100, Zagg has discounted the case to $60.

Give your notebook or desktop a bit of a boost, by installing an SSD. The Kingston V300 240GB SSD on Buy's eBay store is on sale for $70, saving $92 from the list price.

Dell is offering a large number of discounts on computers and monitors as part of its Days of Deals Sale. New offers are being added every day, with today's coupons including 25%ALIENWR giving 25 percent off any Dell Outlet Alienware notebook, 32 percent off Dell Outlet Inspiron 17 notebooks with code INSP32%, and a saving of 35 percent on any Dell Outlet monitor with the coupon code MON35%.

Daily Steals has the (recertified) Logitech Z313 Speaker System including subwoofer and control pod for $25, a discount of 81 percent from the $129 original price.

Get yourself a second television for elsewhere in the home, with a discount of $150 on the Sceptre 40-inch LED 1080p HDTV at Walmart. Normally $400, the television is on sale now for $250.

At Amazon today, take advantage of a 50 percent price cut on the MEElectronics Air-Fi Rumble Enhanced Bass Bluetooth Headphones with headset functionality. The list price is $80, but they have been discounted to $40 with free shipping, making this the best price available by $20.

Add a Blu-ray player to your home cinema, via Quick Ship's eBay store. The Refurbished Sony 3D Blu-ray DVD Player can handle 3D content, and includes Wi-Fi and the ability to stream Netflix. Pick up the player for a mere $40, with the sale ending in four days.

Adorama on eBay is offering the Manufactur er-Refurbished Toshiba Radius 15-inch 2-in-1 Notebook for $480. Alongside its 1080p touchscreen that can be folded behind the keyboard, the notebook includes a 3.10GHz Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, 1TB of hard disk space, Harmon Kardon speakers with DTS processing, a HD webcam, and three USB 3.0 ports.

Today at BestBuy.com, save $35 on the Logitech K830 Illuminated Wireless Living Room Keyboard. It is regularly priced at $95, but has been dropped to $60, making this around $16 less than the lowest price we have seen anywhere else.

Upgrade your photography with a mirrorless camera. BuyDig has the Nikon 1 S2 with an 11-27.5mm lens and a 14.2-megapixel sensor for $250, saving almost $200 from the list price. Use promo code DIG500PX to bring the price down to $199 with free shipping.

Netgear has a decent deal for you if you want a new router. If you buy the Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band Wireless Gigabit Router for $200 and use promo code EMCAVNK57, you will also receive a free Netgear CM500 cable modem as part of your order.

Still Active Deals

If you want to get started in podcasting and want a decent microphone for a cheap price, it's hard to go wrong with the popular Blue Snowball on Newegg Flash. Normally $100, Newegg is selling it for just $40.

Until the end of today at Newegg.com, get the 23-inch LG widescreen monitor with LED backlight on sale for $149, which is already $50 off the list price of $199. Save an additional $30 when promo code "'EMCAVKT44" is used at checkout, dropping the price further to $119.

If you want a headset that will work with consoles as well as desktops, the Sennheiser U320 Multi-Platform Gaming Headset is also available at Woot. You have two days or until there is no more stock to pick them up for $80, down from $170.

Amazon has the Bose SoundTouch Portable Series II Wi-Fi music system in black for $269, or white for $280. The speakers can be paired for greater stereo range, or s et up for zones around the house using different sources. They are controlled using apps for either computers or mobile devices.

The HooToo HT-IP211HDP Megapixel HD 1280 x 720p H.264 Wireless/Wired Pan/Tilt IP Camera is already a good deal, priced at$69 instead of $200. Use promo code 86J2WSK3 at checkout to save another $20.

Newegg is offering the Dell U2415 24.1-inch 1920x1200 Monitor for $280, saving $120 off the regular price. Use promo code EMCAVNK23 by July 27 to save an extra $40.

If you want better sound when out and about, grab the UE MINI BOOM Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - Orange, currently on sale from Amazon for $55. Normally, the speaker sells for $100.

Do you have an office or a major need to print large quantities of documents? The Lexmark MS315DN Monochrome Laser Printer, capable of 37 pages per minute, is on sale at Newegg for $200, saving $100. If you pick up 50F1000 toner at the same time, you can save $25 off the purchase of both items.

If you want a really cheap battery pack for your mobile devices, check out the Refurbished Digital2 Metallic Blue 4,400mAh Portable Battery at Newegg. While it is on sale for $11, saving $9 already, there is a mail-in rebate card that knocks the price down to zero, leaving you paying only $2 for delivery.

If the impending launch of Windows 10 is intriguing you, Newegg has the Refurbished Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with Intel Core i5 1.9GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage for $740, saving $160. There's a rebate card bringing the price down to $690.

Modern notebooks do not have DVD drives anymore, forcing users to pick up external versions. If you are in the market for one, why not go for the Plextor USB 2.0 6X Blu-ray Combo Drive for $60, or $30 if you use promo code EMCAVNK225 by July 27.

Would you like to add a 4K television to your living room? The Sceptre U500CV-UMK 49-inch Ultra HD TV is down to $430 at Walmart, down from $900. This makes the 4K TV less than half price.

Add more range to your home wireless network, by grabbing the TP-LINK TL-WPA4220KIT Universal WiFi Range Extender, Repeater, AV500 Powerline Edition from Amazon. Originally $80, it's now down to just $34.

Upgrade your router by getting the Trendnet AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Router from Newegg. Originally $90, it has been cut to $52, but use promo code EMCAVKR49 by tonight to bring the overall price to $20.

Get yourself some spare USB to Micro USB cables from Amazon. The Aukey 5-pack USB 2.0 Micro USB Cables is $10, but use coupon code WQTXKHSB at checkout to make the pack $6.

If games themed around World War II interest you, Bundle Stars is offering the Hearts of Iron III Complete Bundle pretty cheaply. While the bundle is marked as being for Windows for most of it, the core game is available to play on OS X as well.

Do you want to catch up on the Halo franchise? On eBay, the Microsoft Xbox One Halo: The Master Chief Collection Bun dle combines the 500GB version of the console console with the game collection, taking you through the important parts of Master Chief's journey. It is currently being offered at a $100 discount, priced at $300.

by MacNN Staff

Source: Daily Deals: Nikon 1 S2, Logitech speaker system, 240GB Kingston SSD

Panasonic introduces 20.3-Megapixel LUMIX DMC-GX8 with Dual I.S. (Image Stabilizer)

Panasonic LUMIX G Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera DMC-GX8

Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF) has introduced the new LUMIX G Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Camera DMC-GX8 featuring a host of advanced functions packed in a splash/dust-proof rugged design.

"The DMC-GX8 integrates a variety of new functions, such as a brand new 20Megapixel sensor, New and larger tillable OLED View finder, Splash and Dust proof from its magnesium Alloy Body, lightning Fast AF (0.07seconds), 1/16,000 shutter speed and 8fps burst shooting mode and 4K Photo. All this combined with its retro looks, and manual dials, I am sure the GX8 will satisfy the needs of high amateurs as well as Professionals", says Hitesh Ojha, Deputy General Manager, Digital Imaging and Audio Video.

1. The Dual I.S.(Image Stabilizer) – Innovative Handshake Correction System

The LUMIX GX8 integrates Dual I.S.(Image Stabilizer)* to gain more powerful handshake correction. Conventionally, image stabilizer in the camera (Body I.S.) and the interchangeable lens(Lens I.S.) can be switched. However, with the new Dual I.S., both Body I.S. and Lens I.S. work at the same time to take maximum advantages of both stabilizer. With max.3.5x wider correction angle at wide end, you can get clear handheld shot even in low-lit situations where shutter speeds tends to be slower. Panasonic LUMIX G DSLM (Digital Single Lens Mirrorless) Cameras offers a wide variety of digital interchangeable lenses and most of them are going to comply with Dual I.S. in LUMIX GX8*.

For video recording, 5-Axis HYBRID O.I.S.+(Optical Image Stabilizer Plus)*2 which has been fostered in the Panasonic's long-time professional video camera development, corrects complex movement for stable imagery.

2. Unprecedentedly High Picture Quality in the History of LUMIX Cameras

The new 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor excels both in response, sensitivity and dynamic range. Integrating superior noise reduction systems, DMC-GX8 enables shooting at max.ISO25600. Sensitivity, gradation performance, resolution and color reproduction are dramatically improved to achieve even higher picture quality. It is also capable of high speed burst shooting at 8 fps (AFS) / 6 fps (AFC) not to miss the fleeting photo opportunities.

3. 4K Capability Bringing the Evolution in Videography/Photography

The DMC-GX8 is capable of recording smooth, high-resolution QFHD 4K video in 3840x2160 at 30p (60Hz) / 25p (50Hz) or 24p in MP4. Taking advantage of 4K video recording performance, users can capture the fleeting photo opportunities at 30 fps in 8-megapixel equivalent resolution to save it as a 4K photo. It is easy to get 4K photos with three 4K Photo modes- 4K Burst Shooting, 4K Burst S/S (Start/Stop) and 4K Pre-burst.

4. Stunning Mobility Supported by Mechanical Advancements

The DMC-GX8 boasts large, tiltable LVF with highest ever magnification ratio of approx.1.54x / 0.77x (35mm camera equiv.) in the history of LUMIX G digital cameras. It also features 2,360K-dot high resolution and 100% field of view. High-precision, high-speed dual OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays are adopted for both LVF and rear monitor, achieving high speed response with minimum time lag of less than 0.01 sec as well as 10,000:1 high contrast.

5. The Top Level of AF Performance among Conventional DSLRs and Mirrorless Cameras

A variety of extensive AF functions including Face/Eye Detection AF, Pinpoint AF, One-shot AF and advanced Low Light AF enhance usability to comply with wide-ranging shooting situations.

6. Other features

Thanks to the connectivity of Wi-Fi® with NFC(Near Field Communication), users can connect the camera to their smartphone / tablet to expand the flexibility in shooting/storing/sharing images. Packing the best-possible technologies for the camera to capture the subject in the most ideal way, the DMC-GX8 will surely satisfy the high amateur or even professional users. 

Source: Panasonic introduces 20.3-Megapixel LUMIX DMC-GX8 with Dual I.S. (Image Stabilizer)

The world’s smallest interchangeable lens 4K camera is like a GoPro for pros

If you're a video hobbyist or even a pro filmmaker, imagine the scenario: You want to shoot aerial footage from a drone, record a wedding from overhead, or shoot a short film in a tight spot. You want something that's flexible and more powerful than a tiny action cam, but a movie camcorder, DSLR, or mirrorless camera is too big and heavy. That's the spot a startup camera company, called Z Camera, is trying to fill with its new E1, which is being called the world's smallest 4K interchangeable lens camera.

The E1, two years in the making, is currently running a Kickstarter campaign not to raise funds for manufacturing, but to promote the company, as it is still an unknown startup. The company launched the campaign in advance of its official announcement, and has already shattered its $42,000 goal (as of this writing, it's currently at more than $147,000). And unlike many Kickstarter projects, the E1 is real and we've played with one; its engineer and creator, Jason Zhang, told us that manufacturing has already started and first deliveries are scheduled for later this year.

Zhang was a former engineer with Ambarella, the chipset maker that supplies hardware to GoPro. After branching out on his own, Zhang and a few colleagues saw an "opportunity gap" for a camera that fits between an action cam and a DSLR – small and light enough to fit onto a drone, but more powerful and flexible than an action cam. Built around an Ambarella 4K-capable A9 chipset, Zhang went with a Micro Four Thirds sensor (made by Panasonic) for the E1 because it's the only open standard option in interchangeable lenses, Zhang says.

The E1's mount works with most lenses from Olympus and Panasonic, as well as some third-party makers like Sigma. The camera doesn't have any built-in image stabilization, but you could use one of Panasonic's O.I.S. lenses. The E1 will autofocus any attached lens, however.

The A9 chipset handles 4K at 30 frames per second (UHD/3,840 x 2,160) or 24 fps (cinema/4,096 x 2,160), but can shoot Full HD 1080 at 120 fps; it captures photos at 16 megapixels. Also onboard are Wi-Fi and low-energy Bluetooth (the former works with a smartphone app for remote operation, while the latter allows for remote on/off while in standby – similar to how GoPro cameras work). When shooting 4K, the battery will last an hour, or 45 minutes with Wi-Fi enabled; longer productions can use a direct power source.

Related: Turn your phone into a legit camera with the Olympus Air

According to Zhang, the camera has exceptional low-light performance, ideal for documentary filming. Advanced noise filtering allows the camera to reach ISOs as high as 102,400 – with the highest quality around 6,400 (Zhang says its noise reduction is better than Panasonic's) – and reduce ghosting and flaring. The E1 also lets you customize settings, including white balance and coloring. You can adjust the coloring in-camera to save time on post-processing, Zhang says. The camera can shoot time-lapse videos (an algorithm helps adjust exposure automatically during a long time-lapse), capture images in RAW (DNG), and work simultaneously with multiple E1 cameras (to capture different perspectives or possibly for creating virtual-reality content).

The boxy camera is made out of die-cast magnesium alloy that helps to dissipate heat. It's not weatherproof, but the company is working on a waterproof housing. The camera's design is simple: Besides a lens mount release and shutter and power buttons, there's a small mono status LCD and a rear, non-touch color LCD (320 x 240) for framing. There's a mic jack but none for headphones, however an I/O port allows third-party developers to use it for remote control, such as syncing it with a drone; it also has a clean HDMI output. It records onto Micro SD cards, and a standard tripod screw mount is on the bottom.

To better control the camera and adjust the settings, you'll need to use the companion app for iOS or Android, which is already available in the respective app stores. In a demo of the camera's super-low latency, the app operated smoothly without any noticeable lag.

Related: GoPro just shrunk its action cam in half, but it still packs a punch

It's obvious the E1 draws inspiration from the GoPro (it looks like a bigger Hero camera with swappable lenses). It allows videographers to place the camera in places where a traditional camera wouldn't fit, but gives them the power that action cams aren't able to deliver. We also see the E1 as an affordable 4K camera (Zhang says it will retail for $699, body only) that'd be attractive to pro filmmakers (Zhang said he received a lot of interest from video professionals during the recent NAB show). Although the company is a startup, it's using proven technology (Ambarella and Panasonic). We weren't able to record any video of our own during the brief demo, but if it looks as good as the 4K video the company showed us, it has potential.

Source: The world's smallest interchangeable lens 4K camera is like a GoPro for pros

E1: The World’s Smallest Micro Four Thirds 4K Camera

It's not every day that a startup company launches a new camera to challenge the likes of heavyweights like GoPro and Panasonic, but that's what the Las Vegas-based company Z Camera is doing. It just unveiled the 4K-capable E1, the world's smallest Micro Four Thirds camera that combines the size of GoPro with the interchangeable lenses of mirrorless cameras.

Specs and features in the E1 are impressive, given its petite size. It can shoot cinema-quality 4K 4096×2160 video at 24 frames per second or ultra high-def video at 3840×2160 and 30fps.

The 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor at the camera's core has "incredible" low-light performance, Z says, and can shoot at 102,400 while maintaining good image quality, thanks in part to 3D noise filtering technologies.

A special companion app, available for iOS and Android, allow users to compose shots and control the camera using their smartphones.

Other features of the E1 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a magnesium camera body, continuous autofocus in both photos and video, a 45-minute battery life for 4K recording, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen on the back.

Here are some sample photos captured with the E1 from this sample shot gallery on Z Camera's website (you can also find a sample 4K video here):

Z's goal is to give the industry a compact, flexible, high-quality 4K camera that doesn't break the bank. The company is planning to sell the E1 for a relatively low price of $699 if/when it hits store shelves.

First, the company is running a fundraising campaign to launch the camera, over on Kickstarter. Z is looking for $42,000 in funding, and early contributions of $449 and up will be rewarded with an E1 camera when it starts shipping in December 2015 (if all goes according to plan).

Source: E1: The World's Smallest Micro Four Thirds 4K Camera

Camera Review: Fujifilm X-A2

Camera Review: Fujifilm X-A2

JULY 17, 2015

By Greg Scoblete

Fujifilm has turned heads with the retro styling of its X-series, but not everyone needs—or can afford—an X100T or X-T1. With the X-A2, Fuji is courting a broader user base, delivering a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with a 16–55mm kit lens to market for just $550. We teamed up with New Jersey-based photographer David Patiño to see how low the X-series can go without losing its appeal.

Features

The X-A2 sports a 16.3-megapixel APS-C-sized image sensor. You'll enjoy a native sensitivity range of ISO 100–6400 that can be extended up to ISO 25,600.

You'll find the full complement of Fujifilm's coveted film emulation modes, including the new Classic Chrome. While the X-A2 bills itself as a budget shooter, it's actually rather well-apportioned in the features department. You can tweak your image with tools for sharpness, highlight and shadow tone and noise reduction. There are specialized AF modes for identifying eyes (the better for selfie framing) and for switching to macro focus, which is quite useful since the bundled XC 16–50mm f.3.5–5.6 kit lens offers remarkably close focusing at just 5.9 inches.

Shutter speeds max out at 1/4000 sec, with the option for a 60-minute exposure in bulb mode. For street photography or other quiet occasions, you can drop the camera into Silent mode to shoot unnoticed. There's also built-in Wi-Fi for sharing images but not, sadly, for controlling the camera.

The feature set dwindles dramatically when you switch to video. You can record 1920x1080p30 video, but there's no 24-fps option for a more cinematic look, and no 60-fps mode to compensate for faster moving subjects. Also, there's no ability to adjust exposure on-the-fly during recording. On the plus side, you can record videos using Fujifilm's film modes.

Design

The X-A2 feels every bit the entry-level interchangeable lens camera. It's very light and insubstantial and, not surprisingly, lacks the premium feel of other cameras in the X series. It's great for travel purposes, but we doubt it will stand up to too many hard knocks. That goes double for the lenses we tested—the XC 16–50mm f/3.5–5.6 and the 50–230mm f/4.5–6.7. They were shockingly light. 

The X-A2 is unremarkable from an ergonomics standpoint. There's not much of a contoured grip or hand rest, though it's not uncomfortable to shoot with. There are external controls for adjusting shutter/exposure compensation, shooting mode and aperture. Esthetically, the X-A2 channels the sharp retro look of other X-series models, which we like. 

The rear 3-inch LCD flips up and can be angled up to 175 degrees for framing selfies and difficult shots. This hinge, unlike the rest of the build, is reassuringly sturdy. There's no viewfinder, but there is a pop-up flash. The memory card slot is wedged next to the battery bay at the bottom of the camera, and getting cards out proved rather awkward.

Image Quality

The images from the X-A2s were quite good at low ISOs, but the camera can't be pushed past ISO 6400 with much success. Patiño described the image quality as decent for a budget-minded mirrorless camera, and especially liked that the JPEGs weren't over-saturated. 

Unsurprisingly, the kit lenses constrain your ability to achieve a shallow depth of field, as the aperture narrows as you zoom out. Still, with the 50–230mm lens attached, we were very pleasantly surprised by how little camera shake we experienced at 230mm. Stills and video didn't suffer from the over-sensitivity to hand vibrations that would otherwise mar images at this focal length. AF responsiveness trails off significantly, however, as you zoom.

One gripe Patiño highlighted was the camera's inability to accurately preview your exposure on the display past a certain shutter speed. While the camera will give a real-time exposure preview on the display, it will only kick on with a half-press of the shutter and not dynamically (read: more usefully) as you're making settings changes. 

Performance

The X-A2 clocks in at 5.6 fps, which is definitely on the slower side for cameras in this price range. The buffer of 10 RAW frames is also middle-of-the-road. And autofocus locks on the first frame, so tracking a moving subject is going to be tougher for the X-A2. 

Battery life is rated for a very solid 410 shots per charge (per CIPA standards), beating out Panasonic's GF7 and Sony's A6000 in the endurance department. 

Bottom Line

There are many capable mirrorless cameras selling for about what the X-A2 is asking, and there's no unambiguous winner. Sony's A6000, for instance, offers a higher-resolution sensor, twice-as-fast continuous shooting and more versatile video capabilities for about the same price. For Fujifilm fans in the market for a low cost model that delivers some of the same aesthetic appeal—if not the durability—of the XT series in a body that's super light, the X-A2 shouldn't disappoint.

Fujifilm X-A2

PROS: Good battery life; tilting display; video recording in Fuji film modes; close focusing with kit lens.

CONS: Insubstantial build; memory card difficult to dislodge; continuous shooting slower than comparable models.

PRICE: $550 (with XC 16–55mm f/3.5–5.6 II)

Related: Fujifilm Sets AF Benchmark with New X-Series Compact 

Fujifilm Announces New X-series Compact System Camera And Lens 

Camera Review: Fujifilm X-T1

Camera Review: Fujifilm X-E1

Camera Review: Fujifilm X100T

Source: Camera Review: Fujifilm X-A2

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX8 with Mirrorless Lens, Dual Stabilizers and 4K Video

Panasonic has come out with a new flagship – a monster snapper with 4K mirrorless lens called the LUMIX DMC-GX8.

A 20.3-megapixel beauty with Digital Live MOS Sensor, the GX8 is dust and waterproof, but that is only a minor attraction. The main thing is, this beast is a digital single lens mirrorless (DSLM) camera that can shoot 8 frames per second (fps) continuously on single autofocus and 6 fps in continuous autofocus; the ISO tops out at a massive 25,600. A Contrast AF type combines with Depth Defocus technology to give AF speeds of 0.07 seconds.

Then there is the fact that it boasts 4K video recording at 3,840 x 2,160 resolutions (QFHD 4K) at 30p or 24p. How's that for HD?! Oh and did we mention you could get 8MP still photos from the video footage? The lens is interchangeable. Under the hood it runs a Venus Engine image processor and a quad-core processor for super-fast speeds.

A dual stabilization gives it an added advantage meaning it has both body and lens stabilization for crisp hand-held pictures without the shakiness and this includes Panasonic's 5-axis Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization. A 3-inch OLED touchscreen gives you a superb view when you are not using the viewfinder, which by the way, has one of the highest magnification ratios; it can even rotate 180-degrees up and tilt 250-degrees up for capturing aerial and ground shots.

You can also tweak the RAW data – color space, contrast, exposure, etc – without plugging into a computer. The camera comes with Wi-Fi and NFC capabilities for connecting to any smartphone or tablet to extract your photos without the hassle of wires.

The company has announced mid-August as the availability date and a price of $1200 for the body only camera. The reinforced magnesium alloy full die cast body is available in black and silver variants for that pure, classic look.

Source: Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX8 with Mirrorless Lens, Dual Stabilizers and 4K Video

Homage à DSLR: 6 Reasons Why Digital SLRs Are (And Will Be) Cool

Digital SLRs don't get a lot of love these days. Challenged by mirrorless cameras, smartphones, and occasionally even tablets, DSLRs have almost become the embodiment of old, uncool technology. They, for obvious reasons, are still the undisputed go-to choice for most professional photographers, as mirrorless cameras and point-and-shoots are currently the hottest alternative for enthusiasts, and iPhones have become the perfect fit for the clueless average Joe.It needs to be noted that this gross generalization on my part only refers to each camera type as the primary device for every group, as many top professional photographers use their iPhones not only for vacation Instagramming, but also for serious work – as evidenced by Time Magazine, which turned to Instagram to cover the Hurricane Sandy crisis in 2012; the New York Times, which used a picture created with an iPhone on their bespoke front page; or even World Press Photo, arguably the most prestigious photojournalism comp etition on the planet, where a panel of experts gave an award to a picture shot on an iPhone.

This blog post is not a statement of the obvious, that pro photographers should stick to their DSLRs. Neither does it attempt to question the validity of the aforementioned new camera formats for the masses, nor is it a comparative study of those. It is a homage to a system that has been around for decades, in its core hasn't changed, and while still not there, is nearing perfection.

I have been using the Nikon D300s for nearly five years now. This semi-pro camera has been on the market since mid-2009, and since its introduction was generally warmly received, with DPReview dubbing it "an absolutely excellent product". And while this is the only camera I ever owned for more than one year, I've used at least one model of just about every DSLR category that is out there, from the Nikon D4s to the Canon 700D.

And as the number of cameras I've had a chance to try out grew, I that realized every single one of them seemed to be a fantastic product for its price category. Which, in technology, is something unheard of. And it got me thinking why that was. So without a further ado, here's the result of my thinking. 6 reasons why I love digital SLR cameras.

#1: Reliability

Hands down the most important feature for any sensible person making their living, even partially, as a photographer. Luckily enough, the engineers in Tokyo, where all relevant DSLR manufacturers are based, have got us covered. I know there is a couple of you who have had problems with your cameras, but that does not change the fact that technical faults in DSLRs are nowhere near as common as they are with personal electronics.

This is even more obvious considering most cameras' fairly long lifespan. Being an Apple user for nearly a decade, you can imagine I am not exactly fed up with the reliability of my digital arsenal. My MacBooks, iPhones and WD MyPassports have all been performing really well, which I'm most thankful for. But every now and then, there is gimmicks to be fixed – no audio during FaceTime calls, a (very rare) Safari crash, or the Mail app constantly asking for a password. These do happen, but most of the time can be fixed with nothing more than a simple update.

But there's none of that with my D300s. I have set up my camera when I bought it six years ago, and I hardly ever needed to go into the settings menu to carry out troubleshooting, let alone call a repair service center. And that's extremely important to me. Perhaps I'm just lucky, but I highly doubt it. Being at risk of sounding a bit cliché, technology should serve us, not the other way around. And to me, that has been the case ever since I picked up a DSLR.

#2: Familiarity

While seemingly not as important as reliability, DSLRs' uniform look is one of the little things that, at the end of the day, does make a difference. There will always be those debates between users of Canon and Nikon where each party explains why the other system is utterly idiotic. But let's put that aside. We rarely really mean that.

Both the button layout and display UI are pretty much the same. Aperture or shutter speed dial wheels, AF mode selector, a few mode dials, and picture settings buttons. There's a good chance that if you know how to operate one given DSLR, it wouldn't take you more than 5 minutes to be totally comfortable with the other brand's equivalent. And in full honesty, that has saved my butt on several occasions.

Being a freelance photographer working on a wide array of assignments, I have to borrow equipment quite often. Sometimes I get my hands on the camera I have to use literally five minutes before the shoot begins. And if I weren't familiar with the equipment I am to use, I'd be asking for serious trouble with potentially catastrophic consequences. But that's not the case with DSLRs.

I've been a Nikon guy all my life, and if you asked me right now how to change any specific setting on a Canon DSLR camera, there's a good chance I'd be able to answer correctly. I am sometimes asked to do jobs with Canon cameras, and I know that that will be absolutely no issue for me. And that makes my life much easier.

After being a photographer for several years, which still is really not much, DSLRs are like an extension of my hand, which lets me think why and how some settings need to be changed, and not how to actually physically do the change at all.

#3: Speed

Quite naturally, it's a little more difficult to avoid comparisons in this one. I know some of you will argue that point-and-shoots and mirrorless systems are new to the game, that they are making massive leaps every day, that they will eventually get there, but the reality is that DSLRs are already there.

No startup time is offered even by the entry-level DSLR category, shutter lag is more or less immeasurable, AF is crazy-fast and crazy accurate (yes, that's above a certain price tag), shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second is standard even for enthusiast range of DSLRs. And with burst rate of 11 fps at full quality, resolution and AF accuracy, we have reached a point where technology is in no way a limiting factor regardless of how quick or unpredictable the scene is.

I understand that there are whole genres of photography in which speed plays virtually no role whatsoever, but for a good portion of professional photographers who work outside of a studio, it is absolutely crucial that technology this advanced exists, and is available at relatively affordable prices. And I'd argue that it is currently only available with DSLRs.

Again, I am not going to deny that some mirrorless cameras are catching up, to say the least. They do offer frame rate nearly twice the speed of pro-level DSLRs, or ISO objectively superior to $7,000 DSLRs, but the overall speed's usability and versatility is still, I believe, only effectively harnessed with DSLRs.

#4: Durability

Although DSLRs are just computers with a hole in the front and a mirror and sensor inside, they are not typical fragile computers that require careful handling and in the case that there is even a minor accident, they give up. They take serious beatings day in and day out, without ever complaining. They really are tough little suckers.

I have had shoots in heavy rain or sub-zero temperatures, and my D300s, technically still only an enthusiast-level camera, never had any issues. And perhaps even more importantly, DSRLs are pretty impact resistant. It happens to the best of us, and it catches us when we are the least prepared: the dreaded full camera drop. It only happened to me once, but that's all it takes. Luckily enough, my D300s survived with no damage whatsoever.

So take this, Nikon, as a massive thank you. I could have been a couple hundred (or maybe thousand) dollars lighter, and you saved me. I don't know how you build your cameras (and lenses), but you do a great job. And I promise that it won't ever happen again.

#5: Lens Compatibility

Lenses may first appear to be kind of a pain in the keister. Building up a lens portfolio is an expense comparable with putting a child through college, the long-end can get extremely bulky to a point when it's almost impossible to carry or transport, and on top of that, they are the most fragile part of the whole DSLR ecosystem. But there is a very good reason for all of this, as they are incredibly complicated pieces of equipment. They give a unique perspective, they bring you closer, they either show the whole scene, or just the tiniest detail of almost microscopic proportions. In other words, they are no pain in the ass – they are your best friend.

Virtually anything is possible to photograph today, and that's mostly thanks to the vast selection of lenses we have. Nikon's standard lens mount has remained largely unchanged for more than half a century, which means that professionals needing a very specialized lens or enthusiasts purchasing obscure lenses at photo flea markets can use tons and tons of lenses totally hassle free, with no additional investment that may affect optical quality of the multi thousand body-lens combo. Hence the famous F-mount and its backwards compatibility is often, and for a good reason, a deciding factor for people deciding which DSLR brand to take up.

It is very likely that the folks at Nikon realize this, which is why chances of an end to this continuity are next to nonexistent. Professional photographers need to be 100% adaptable to circumstances while also being totally dependable. That sometimes means using a kit that contains a combination of one's own equipment, as well as borrowed stuff. And things such as the F-mount make the pressure a little more bearable. No compatibility checks, no adapters for every decade of lens manufacturing. It just works.

Non-DSLR systems, on the other hand, are more prone to change, as they are widely considered to be technology products, as opposed to imaging or optical ones. Not being an expert in this area, I don't know whether sticking to the F-mount religiously is a limiting factor, and we could have had more advanced cameras if Nikon sacrificed the backwards compatibility. But I hope they don't. Lenses are an investment, and they should last. And the fact is that with changes in lens mount technology occurring every 10 years, they simply wouldn't.

#6: Accessories Selection

And last but not least, the almost incomprehensible size of accessories selection means that there is literally nothing you cannot do with a DSLR. I strongly believe that in the past few years, technology has completely 'disappeared', and whatever a photographer can imagine, he or she can do it. Vision is the most important thing in photography, there is little debate about that. But execution of that vision is a technical matter.

Sometimes to tell a story with pictures effectively, it is vital that the camera mounted to a drone is absolutely stable, the kick-light is not 5200k but 5400k, or that the tripod head underneath a camera rotates exactly 5 degrees every two seconds. If you try to think of similar, and very particular, requirements, I guarantee you that more often than not, there is a ready-to-go solution on the market.

A good showcase of what is possible in today's photojournalism is sports photography, and especially coverage of the Olympics. High profile agency photographers often operate up to five cameras hooked up through PocketWizards, have custom-made rigs for pictures from previously unseen angles, and operate infrastructure able to publish peak action images within seconds. This is simply not possible with other systems.

Technology is often beyond frustrating, and it is exactly the sheer vastness of available accessories that prevents it to stand in our way. In other words, you can do just about anything, and if you can't, there's an adapter for it. But unlike consumer electronics, photography accessories are very often not proprietary, and work with all major camera systems. Just take a typical scene from a studio lighting stall at any photography trade show in the world: a makeshift studio with a model, and dozens of eager enthusiasts firing two shots every second. Each.

There is a good chance that the (let's say Elinchrom) lights are triggered by PocketWizards, which are sitting on top of Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras. What that means is products from five, maybe more, brands have to work together. And they do, often with no setting up whatsoever. Now imagine trying to hook up five consumer electronics products of different brands. Good luck with that.

Conclusion

I believe in giving credit where credit is due. And that is exactly the case here. Well done, Nikon (and others). Digital SLRs of all brands are, in a way, the pinnacle of consumer technology. My D300s is one of the most amazing pieces of gear I've ever owned. One day, hopefully not anytime soon (but it is a when, not an if), the day will come when my camera gives up. But I'm beyond certain my next Nikon DSLR will be at least just as good as my current one. So here is my wish, Nikon: Please, prove me right.

About the author: Martin Cervenansky is a freelance photographer based between London, UK, and Bratislava, Slovakia. He has worked on a wide range of projects that range from covering top sporting events to documenting life in impoverished communities. His work has been published by a number of major media outlets in Slovakia. You can find his work and connect with him through his website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Image credits: Camera photographs by Wilson Hui, Kārlis Dambrāns, Henry Söderlund, David D, Martin Garcia, and Richard Melanson

Source: Homage à DSLR: 6 Reasons Why Digital SLRs Are (And Will Be) Cool