News entries for January, 2014

 

 

As we work to finalize our Pentax K-3 review -- part two of our Shooter's Report is under way and coming soon -- we just ticked another checkbox on the road to completion. If you've been anxiously awaiting our detailed Pentax K-3 test results, the wait is over: Our lab work is all done, the numbers have been...

 

 

After last week's generous selection of APS-C camera updates, things are quieter on the update front this Firmware Friday, at least for still cameras. We have one update to report on for the Olympus E-M5, and three updates for Canon camcorders -- but that Olympus update will surely be welcome news for E-M5...

 

 

Last week, a gigapixel image of Seattle popped up online called Gigapixel ArtZoom. What seperated it from any other run-of-the-mill 20 gigapixel image of a major city was that scattered throughout the image were Seattle performers and artists, showing off their skills and their works. Dozens of different people,...

 

 

The Miggo Kickstarter is an interesting concept—it takes two of the most common camera accessories, and manages to combine them into one design that serves double duty. It's a combined camera strap and camera case, which, when you're done using it to attach your camera to your body, can be used to wrap your device...

 

 

Facebook has freshly announced a new app for browsing through your news feed. Dubbed Paper, it looks to be a very different way of interacting with the things that people post on the social network. And a big part of that is that it'll take photos from being small thumbs to large, expansive, and interactive...

 

 

When we first found out about Chinese manufacturer Seagull Digital, it didn't take us long to realize that there was something very familiar about the company's CK20 and CF100. Have you figured out what you're looking at? That's right, it's the Panasonic FZ200 and LX7 respectively, but with a new set of labels...

 

 

Take one physics professor. Add a Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR, and a modified Canon EOS 450D (also known as a Rebel XSi in the US market). Throw in a pinch of Sigma 50-500mm APO zoom lens, Canon Extender EF 2x teleconverter, and Meade LX80 telescope with alt-azimuth mount. Stir together with one...

 

 

There are, say the folks behind the Silencer, an electronic follow-focus system that just entered crowdfunding on Kickstarter, two types of follow-focus systems on the market. Their system aims to take the best of both worlds.

Each current system has its drawbacks. With some you can control focus yourself...

 

 

Last fall, semiconductor manufacturer Renesas Electronics announced plans to shutter a wafer fabrication plant in Tsuruoka, Japan. The plant, used to manufacture chips for struggling video game maker Nintendo, was apparently surplus to requirements thanks to sales of the Wii U and 3DS consoles failing to meet...

 

Image by Jon Burgerman

Artist Jon Burgerman has taken a very different approach to critiquing the vast number of subway advertisements featuring people with weapons. In a brief series of photos called "Head Shots", Burgerman shows himself being killed by the weapons brandished by the protagonists of numerous TV and...

 

 

Zeiss has added another offering to its line of high-end primes designed specifically for APS-C ILCs. The new Touit 2.8/50M will bring a high quality (and high price) macro to Sony E-mount and Fuji X-mount shooters, with a 50mm focal length and 1:1 magnification.

As with most of Zeiss' lenses, the 50mm Touit...

 

 

Ricoh's $400 Theta is an innovative gadget that allows you to capture 360° spherical panoramas with just a single click of a button. Now Ricoh has teamed up with Google to allow you to actually do something with those panoramas—put them up on Google Maps and Google+.

This new feature comes through Ricoh making...

 

Image by Jessica Ambats

SmugMug has continued its interesting series of interviews with prominent photographers, this time profiling the mind-blowing work of aerial photographer Jessica Ambats. Ambats specializes in air-to-air photography, shooting planes while in one herself. A trained pilot, she has managed to...

 

 

Good morning, folks! As we thaw out a bit here at IRHQ, let's have another camera deals roundup. Up today are a couple Canon DSLR bundle deals as well as a nice discount on a full-frame Nikon DSLR kit. There's also an excellent deal on a Sony RX100, as well as discount on the RX100 Mark II. On the lens front, there...

 

 

Ever since we here at LensRentals first tested the Sony A7R, we were dying to take a look under the hood. Say what you will about Sony as a company, but they create some of the most elegantly-engineered camera bodies we've seen. Plus, the A7R is something of a groundbreaking camera, and we wanted to see how...

 

 

Earlier this week, the Daily Show saw Jon Stewart talking with actor Jeff Garlin, who stars in the sitcom "the Goldbergs". But surprisingly, Garlin came on with a rather photocentric note, busting out a Leica M Monochrom, and mentioning his work on a documentary on Vivian Maier.

In usual Daily Show style, the...

 

 

Let's face it, if you take photos with your tablet, you look pretty ridiculous (regardless of what Apple thinks). But strapping a big lens to the front of your Galaxy Tab? That's just going to make things worse. And while the QX10 and QX100 may come with built-in clamps for attaching them to your smartphone, buying...

 

 

Amidst the huge array of Olympus announcements today (including the rather exciting sounding OM-D E-M10), it seems that Olympus Japan has managed to quietly announce a special, limited edition kit of the OM-D E-M5, which will come bundled with the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro M.Zuiko Digital ED lens.

Unlike some...

 

 

It's not often you get the chance to shoot a panorama that captures the entire magnificence of the Milky Way in a single image—but that's exactly what photographer Nicholas Buer did in a breath-taking panorama that stretches from the Northern to Southern Cross.

Shot on the 6th of October, 2013, at the...