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THE IMAGING RESOURCE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER
===================================================== Volume 16, Number 4 - 28 February 2014
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Copyright 2014, The Imaging Resource. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to the 381th edition of The Imaging Resource Newsletter!
In this edition, we've stuffed it full of reviews, news and everything in between! We start things off with the third Shooter's Report installment from Eamon Hickey on the Nikon Df, as well as bringing you the complete Panasonic GM1 review -- the first camera we reviewed under our new multi-stage review process. Be sure to check out our final conclusion on this tiny little camera!
On the feature side, we have another in-depth Q & A interview from the CP+ expo in Japan. This time around Dave Etchells sits down with executives from Canon, Inc to discuss the future of their EOS mirrorless plans and the nitty gritty of their Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology (plus we have a separate in-depth explanation delving further into Dual Pixel CMOS AF from Canon's Chuck Westfall further down).
In more camera news, since our last newsletter, we've welcomed another new camera onto the scene! After being officially announced as "in development" during CES 2014, the flagship Nikon D4S was finally unveiled this past week, aiming for more speed and even better high ISO performance.
Finally, we share some of the most popular news stories from this past week, including the Nikon D5300 Image Quality Analysis, another in-depth article from LensRental's Roger Cicala and some very cool insights about Olympic sports photographers and their workflow.
Happy reading!
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Camera Review: Nikon DF Shooter's Report, Part III Feature: Canon Q&A: The future of EOS mirrorless and the challenges of on-sensor AF, by Dave Etchells Just Announced: Nikon D4S Quick Hits: Panasonic GM1 Complete Review; Olympus 25mm f/1.8 Lens Review; Nikon D5300 IQ Analysis; Canon's Chuck Westfall reveals secrets of Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF Popular News Next Issue
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Camera Review: Nikon DF Shooter's Report, Part III -- Icy Rivers and Skating Rinks
by Eamon Hickey
Viewfinder and LCD. All current full-frame DSLRs that I'm aware of provide nice, big viewfinder images. The Nikon Df is no exception. It's one of the pleasures of these cameras, especially because you benefit from it on every shot. The Df doesn't skimp on the viewfinder, which is sharp and bright. The top professional full-frame cameras might be slightly better, but I didn't have one to directly compare, and it would be splitting hairs anyway. On two different days in mid-January, I took the camera out along the Hudson River at dusk to shoot landscapes, and the roomy viewfinder made precise decisions about composition easy despite the waning light. It was equally enjoyable on my night walk up Fifth Avenue.
The Nikon Df's LCD is among the best I've seen, providing a large, very sharp image. It does seem to have a somewhat warm color cast, though, something I didn't notice until I shot some comparisons with another camera one day. That said, color casts in camera LCDs are almost universal. We're in the middle of a long, cold winter in New York, so I almost never had the camera out on a sunny day, but I noticed nothing unusual about the LCD in bright light, compared to other high-end displays.
Shooting action. Nikon is marketing the Df as a tool for a more classical, contemplative style of photography, so I didn't expect it to be optimized for action shooting. In that sense, I can't really criticize the company's choice to use their second-tier autofocus system on the Nikon Df. Still, the camera can shoot at 5.5 frames per second, and does so for 25 raw frames or more without stalling (depending on bit depth and compression). While I wouldn't recommend it for full-time sports shooters, it certainly merits consideration as an all-around, shoot-anything DSLR.
With that in mind, on one Sunday I grabbed the Nikon Df and headed for the ice rink at Bryant Park. It was snowing lightly for most of the time shooting, but I was confident the camera's weather sealing would be up to the task.
At the rink, I set up at the end of the longest straightaway and shot a few dozen bursts of the fastest skaters I could find. I tried both single-area AF and the 9-point dynamic AF modes, and shot at f/2.8 or wider so that depth-of-field would not hide focus errors. The results were about what I expected: adequate but not spectacular. The Df had a hit rate above 50%, but noticeably behind the best-focusing sports cameras from Nikon and its rivals.
That said, on my subway ride over to the rink, I shot some quick street-style images of my fellow riders on the trains and in the stations. The Nikon Df focused very decisively and accurately in these low-light conditions, just as it did at night on Fifth Avenue, during the stroll that I wrote about in part two of my Shooter's Report.
Throughout the time I spent with the Nikon Df, I found its autofocus, control, shutter response to be more than fine for most shooting environments, and I never got close to stalling its generous buffer.
Lens. In the general city shooting I've already mentioned in this report, I found myself liking the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G (Special Edition) lens. Using it to shoot street images in Central Park and along Fifth Avenue, I was pleased with its near-silent operation and quick focus response. Although it's not a premium-quality optic, it still feels solidly built and has a reasonably well-dampened manual focus ring. I also like its slightly retro look.
Early in the year, I got a chance to shoot some landscapes along the banks of the half-frozen Hudson River near Kingston, New York under a cold, dark gray late afternoon sky. When I came across a fallen tree, I decided to shoot it wide open at f/1.8, hoping to cause the background to fade into a blur and evoke the quiet, almost melancholy feel of the day. I was really pleased with the way the lens rendered that scene and other landscapes I shot the same way. Although I'm generally skeptical of subjective impressions, I'll break my rule and say this optic has an unusually nice look to it with very pleasing bokeh when shot at wide apertures.
My images from the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G (Special Edition) were also quite sharp and low in distortion. I did notice fairly significant light falloff at wider apertures, although the Nikon Df (and other Nikon DSLRs) can automatically compensate for that.
Summing it up. Over the course of my six weeks with the Nikon Df, I shot a lot of different subjects, from frozen rivers to giant soap bubbles; nieces to novelists. The camera did a pretty good job with all of them, and a couple of the images are downright gorgeous.
Through all that shooting -- more than 1,000 images, all told -- the Nikon Df churned away with unassailable competence and exceptional flexibility, capturing picture after picture quickly and decisively. If you need the absolute best high ISO capability, you'd probably have to spend twice as much to match the Df, and that is perhaps this camera's biggest advantage.
And yet, in physical terms I don't really think the Df is a successful design. Other than the frustrating ISO dial, there's nothing terribly wrong with the design; it's just that it doesn't feel especially right, either. Trying to intelligently accommodate new and old aperture control regimes -- lens rings vs. body control dials -- has implications that ripple through the design, and it turns out to have been too big a hurdle for Nikon's design team this time around.
For me, what it comes down to in the end is that all the nice things I said about the Nikon Df's responsiveness are at least as true of other (in some cases, cheaper) full-frame DSLRs with more modern control setups, which make them faster and easier to use. There's just no real benefit to the Df's throwback controls. The blend, like a mediocre coffee, may be perfectly drinkable, but it's not deliciously tasty.
This, then, is a camera that leaves me conflicted. I'm not satisfied with it ergonomically-speaking, but there's no question that it can shoot great photos, and handles low-light shooting with aplomb. Is it right for you? The answer to that question may depend in large part on what you consider most important: the shooting experience, or the final result of your labor.
Mr. Go Tokura
Group Executive,
ICP Group 2,
Image Communications Products Operations,
Canon Inc.
During the CP+ photography tradeshow in Japan, Imaging Resource publisher and editor-in-chief Dave Etchells met for interviews with executives from some of the best-known brands in the camera business. Since the show ended somewhat prematurely due to extreme weather, Dave traveled around Japan for more meetings and tours of facilities around the country, and continued with the interviews en route.
Now that he's back on home turf, the mammoth task of transcribing all these great interviews is well and truly under way. To follow the\A0Nikon interview\A0published a fortnight ago, we have a two-parter with the company's long-time rival. Dave sat down with executives from Canon Inc. for a frank discussion about the company's EOS mirrorless plans, their groundbreaking Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, the future of video capture in interchangeable-lens cameras, and plenty more besides.
Taking part in the interview were Tokyo-based Mr. Go Tokura, Group Executive, ICP Group 2, Image Communications Products Operations, Canon, Inc, and his colleague Mr Naoya Kaneda, Senior General Manager, ICP Development Center 1, Image Communications Products Operations, Canon, Inc., who's based out of the company's Optics R&D Center in Tochigi, Japan. Both gentlemen spoke through and interpreter, and subsequent to the interview, Dave followed up with further questions that were deftly fielded by Chuck Westfall, Advisor, Technical Information at Canon USA Inc. (You can find the information courtesy of Chuck, which focuses on Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology further down in the newsletter.)
Without any further ado, let the interview commence!
Dave Etchells/Imaging Resource: What can you say about the future of the EOS M system? The original EOS M has been discontinued, and the EOS M2 didn't come to the U.S. at all. Will we eventually see the M2 in the U.S., or will you wait until the next generation? Or will there be a next generation?
[Mr. Tokura initially replied in the affirmative here, but as he says below, whether to import or not is a decision made by each sales group, and Canon USA subsequently told us that the M2 won't be coming to the US after all.]
GT:\A0However, having said that, I should make clear that that's the decision that is led by the sales groups in each division, so they are the ones who are holding the decision-making responsibility on that.
The Canon EOS M2 uses a newer-generation Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor that's said to focus 2.3 times faster than the previous generation Hybrid CMOS AF chip of the original EOS M.
DE: I understand. We saw a great-looking\A0EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM\A0super-wide zoom\A0announced last summer, but that still leaves the EOS M system with only three lenses. We've seen a fairly broad range of lenses apparently intended for the EOS M system appear in patent filings, but there have been no public announcements as yet. Can you speak at all about a lens roadmap for the EOS M system? A firm roadmap would do a lot to assure our readers that Canon fully intends to support it going forward.
GT:\A0I can assure you that we do have plans to roll out some lenses in the future. As far as speaking concretely about a roadmap, I'm afraid that based on our company policy, we can't make any concrete statements about that. When the time comes, we will make an announcement about that accordingly.
The Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens hasn't yet been announced for the US market.
DE: I'm curious: Are you finding that the primary market for the EOS M is people who are already Canon EOS users, and that they're mainly interested in using their existing EF-mount lenses on it? (This describes the two members of the Imaging Resource team who bought the EOS M for their own personal use.)
GT:\A0The consumers that are purchasing the EOS M are not always existing EOS users. A lot of the purchasers take to the fact that it's a compact-sized camera, and they'd like -- if at all possible -- to avoid the size and weight of DSLR cameras. The ones that place an emphasis on that, we found, are purchasing the M series. Of course, part of the benefit is that they can make use of EF lenses.
The EOS M-series cameras can accept EF-mount lenses via an optional adapter.
DE: The EOS M is a fantastic deal at the $300 price that it sold for in the U.S. over the holiday season, and at the $350 that it's selling for now. Our impression is that sales really picked up once that price change happened -- in fact, two of our own staff went out and bought one for themselves. Would a price point like that be sustainable for the EOS M going forward, as opposed to being just a clearance price?
GT:\A0First, as far as background information, the price in local markets is also determined by the sales companies. That's not something that Canon Inc., the headquarters, is able to control -- just so you know, as background information. Another factor is the exchange rate; that fluctuates, and the exchange rate will have an impact on the price as well. We also take into account what our competitors are doing, and their pricing. In light of all those factors and those conditions, we try to find the most suitable price for our products.
DE: Initially, the EOS M's autofocus system was very slow, but a firmware update made a significant improvement. In our tests, it took about a half a second off the full autofocus cycle. Can you describe the nature of that change? What was done in the firmware to make that improvement?
GT:\A0One of the factors that we placed a lot of emphasis on was that the autofocus should be able adapt to various types of subjects, and also would be operating optimally across a variety of different scenes or conditions. That's where we placed the strong emphasis. In the early version of the AF system, what we were trying to do was ensure that autofocus would operate even in very harsh conditions, in very unusual or difficult circumstances. We placed so much emphasis on it being able to adapt to those situations that it kind of hung in there more than we would have liked it to.\A0[Apparently, it was taking a very slow, conservative approach to AF, taking pains it didn't need to when conditions were more favorable.]\A0In very basic, simple scenes, it wasn't adapting as well as we would have liked.
To date, only two lenses are available for the Canon EOS M in the United States.
DE: So it was a very conservative design, in other words.
GT:\A0Yes. So, to improve it, we tried to place more emphasis on the ideal balance, and we also listened to what our users told us, and based on that information, we adjusted the balance so that it would be better adapted to basic scenes as well as sort of challenging environments.
DE: Even after the firmware update, the EOS M's autofocus times are still slow compared to off-chip systems, and also even to many contrast detection systems. This is also true of the 70D's on-chip phase detection, at about a half second for a full autofocus cycle. The 70D is noticeably faster than that of the EOS M, but still quite a bit slower than even consumer level phase detection systems using a separate sensor. What prospect is there for further increasing the AF speed in future sensor designs?
GT:\A0As far as improving autofocus, that's a never-ending thing. That's something we will constantly be battling and working to improve. But also, there needs to be an adjustment with lenses in accordance with the AF as well. It's in these areas that we'll work to improve AF speed in the future. Through the firmware update, we were able to improve the autofocusing performance for the EOS M, but as far as the M2 goes, there were some changes made to the hardware -- on the hardware side of things -- so it's with changes like that as well that we're working to improve autofocusing speed.
This video, courtesy of Canon Asia, provides a side-by-side demonstration of the EOS M's improved autofocus performance after the firmware version 2.0.2 update. (If the video doesn't appear in the iFrame above, click here to view it directly on YouTube.)
DE: I see. This is a general question relative to on-chip phase detection: We've seen some fairly fast autofocus performance from other manufacturers with the on-chip phase detection, and have been told that that's because they use the the PDAF to fully determine the focus, whereas Canon uses PDAF to approximate, and then fine tunes with contrast detect. Is that the case, and if so, what are the obstacles or contrary reasons for letting the on-chip phase detection do all the work?
GT:\A0The final question being..?
DE: The final question is, what are the reasons that cause you to switch to contrast detection, rather than letting phase detection do all the work?
GT:\A0By letting the contrast AF handle the final phase of focusing, that enables a higher level of precision in focusing.
DE: So just using phase detection by itself perhaps wouldn't be sufficiently accurate?
GT:\A0In most scenes, it will not prove as accurate to the degree of accuracy that we would like, which is why we hand it over to the contrast detection AF to ensure proper accuracy and precision. This also relates to the Dual Pixel CMOS AF that's incorporated in the 70D, and that uses contrast detection to ensure proper accuracy.
This video, courtesy of Canon Asia, gives an overview of how Dual Pixel CMOS AF works. (If the video doesn't appear in the iFrame above, click here to view it directly on YouTube.)
DE: Ah, I see. How did the extraordinary on-chip phase detection system in the 70D come about, the Dual Pixel CMOS AF? What were the challenges that had to be overcome to enable it?
GT:\A0Dual Pixel CMOS AF ties in with the fabrication of the actual sensors themselves, and it required a higher level of precision in the fabrication of the sensors. That was a primary challenge that we had to overcome -- we had to be able to do that before we could realize the technology behind Dual Pixel CMOS AF.
DE: I see, so it was the precision of alignment between layers on the chip?
GT:\A0It was miniaturization of the circuit patterns that are exposed on the chips themselves.
DE: Ah -- the minimum feature size?
GT:\A0The minimum feature size, yes. There were also issues having to do with electric signal processing that needed to be taken care of as well; algorithms, etc. It's kind of hard to say it was just one challenge that had to be met, because there were so many aspects that needed to be addressed to realize this system. It wasn't just a single technological challenge.
Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology debuted in the EOS 70D digital SLR.
DE: With Dual Pixel CMOS AF, is it the case that every pixel on this entire sensor can be read out in two halves? That's one half of a question; the other is, are the two halves combined together on-chip for image data readout, or are they read out, and then combined in a later stage of processing?
GT:\A0Each pixel has two full readouts, so every pixel on the sensor can be read as two halves.
DE: So every pixel.
GT:\A0That's the first question. And the second part...
DE: The second part was whether the signals from the two halves of each pixel are combined on the sensor chip for data image readout, or if they're read out separately and then later combined in the processor? Are the signals mixed or added on-chip, as opposed to...
GT:\A0Unfortunately, when the photo diodes receive the light and how they send out the signals, we're not able to tell you.
DE: Oh, you can't talk about that. Okay.
GT:\A0The light energy that is sent out from the photo diodes, they can be sent to the autofocus processing, and they can also be sent for image processing.
DE: They can go two directions.
GT:\A0Yes, they can serve double roles.
Dual Pixel CMOS AF also operates for movie capture. This Canon Asia video compares performance with the earlier Hybrid CMOS AF II system. (If the video doesn't appear in the iFrame above, click here to view it directly on YouTube.)
DE: That actually answers my next question, which was that we had heard the dual pixels can be read out separately and together at the same time, like when recording video. I was wondering if I understood that correctly, or if it's a matter of having pixels on one row operate in AF mode, and the next row operate in full pixel image readout.
GT:\A0In general, your understanding that they readout together at the same time is true, but actually, during the processing, where exactly they're combined is...
DE: Proprietary information.
GT:\A0Yes, we can't really tell you exactly what happens with it.
DE: But generally, that's what happens.
GT:\A0Yes, your understanding is correct.
DE: I'm curious, with every pixel on the array being available for phase detection, can or does the camera form autofocus points at arbitrary locations, depending on where it finds the subject? In other words, a traditional autofocus sensor has fixed points, but here, conceptually, any appropriately-positioned group of pixels can be made into an autofocus element. I'm wondering -- can the 70D put an AF point here, or here, or here (gesturing), wherever it wants to?
GT:\A0Yes, it's possible that you could have an AF point anywhere you like.
DE: Does the camera actually do that?
GT:\A0Yes.
DE: Ah, very good.
[This was a point I'd heard in our original briefing on the Canon 70D, but I wanted to confirm it because it's so significant. While it's not clear just to what extent the 70D dynamically forms AF points in response to subject detection and movement, the fact that it can and does at all is a pretty big deal.
The reason high-end AF systems have so many AF points is because the camera can only detect subject distance at those specific locations. As a consequence, accurate focus tracking needs a lot of points covering a large area of the frame, so subject distance and position can be handed off from one to the next, providing a more or less continuous history of its motion. With the 70D, though, the camera can theoretically create and move an AF point or group of AF points to precisely follow the subject as it moves across the frame.
While the speed of the on-chip PDAF system isn't (yet) high enough for sports-type still-photography applications, it's entirely adequate for video AF. On the other hand, the DFD (distance from defocus) technology just announced by Panasonic claims to give the GH4's AF system a similar ability to determine at least changes in subject distance anywhere in the frame]
GT:\A0However, it's not for the entire imaging area -- it's for the 80% coverage for which phase detection is possible within that.
In the example image above, the area inside the green line indicates that which on the Canon 70D will be available for phase-detect autofocus during movie capture and Live View.
DE: Yes, and that has to do with the lens and the light paths. Can -- and does -- the camera use extremely long phase detection baselines at very large apertures to improve accuracy? Conventional phase detection f/5.6 is like this, but f/2.8 longer [gesturing to indicate a narrower baseline at f/5.6, but a wider one at f/2.8], but that's as far as it goes -- can Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, at f/1.2, maybe go wider still?
[There followed a long and somewhat confusing section here, trying to communicate technical details across the language barrier. Unfortunately, I burned up quite a bit of the limited interview time with this, and ultimately ended up checking back with Chuck Westfall of Canon USA Inc. for clarification. Ultimately, that's where I should have started, given Chuck's deep technical understanding and ability to communicate with Canon Inc's technical people over time. Given that his response was so insightful, I've posted Chuck's answer as a\A0separate article about Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF system.]
DE: What are the trade-offs associated with Dual Pixel CMOS AF? Is there any trade-off in terms of noise, perhaps because there's a smaller light-gathering area with the extra circuitry?
GT:\A0We have yet to find any negatives or demerits.
DE: Does Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology increase manufacturing costs compared to a conventional sensor -- perhaps through lower yields? The point of my question is whether the cost structure of Dual Pixel CMOS AF is amenable to making its way down to consumer-level models.
GT:\A0To tell the truth, it's quite expensive. Maybe that's one of the -- you asked about negatives -- that's a drawback. *laughs* However, of course, the more we make, the more the cost will come down. In that regard, we are looking to deploy it or to expand it into lower-model cameras.
DE: Over time, you'll drive the cost down.
GT:\A0Compared to Dual Pixel CMOS AF, the Hybrid CMOS AF is cheaper. We have plans to use both of those sensors going forward.
Canon's Cinema EOS system is beyond the reach of most consumers and enthusiasts, but as competition heats up, even affordable cameras are becoming increasingly movie-capable.
DE: This is a little bit of a strategy question. DSLR video has been a huge strong point for Canon, a huge win. You've since developed the Cinema EOS system as an extension of that, but in the conventional interchangeable-lens market, other manufacturers are starting to challenge more, particularly Panasonic with their just-announced\A0Lumix DMC-GH4. Obviously, Canon has the technical ability to address that, but I'm wondering , strategically -- is your main focus going to be on the more expensive Cinema EOS system to deliver those kinds of features? Or can we expect to see capabilities similar to the GH4 appear in the next generation of Canon DSLRs?
GT:\A0It's not that we're only going in the direction of Cinema EOS.
DE: It's not an A or B kind of thing, you're saying?
GT:\A0It's not black and white like that. Having said that, I would like you to understand that the video capture capabilities within DSLRs are a very important function that we will continue to focus on. Of course, video capture performance is going to be an important factor, and of course, the higher up the series that you go, you're going to find very high-performance video features. However, it will be necessary to bring those down to the middle level and entry level models as well, in the future.
Mr. Naoya Kaneda
Senior General Manager,
ICP Development Center 1,
Image Communications Products Operations,
Canon Inc.
DE: A question for Kaneda-san: It's no secret that ever-shrinking pixel sizes have put a lot of pressure on lens designers to develop sharper lenses. Is that the greatest challenge in lens development currently? If not, what is the greatest challenge?
Naoya Kaneda/Canon Inc. (via translator):\A0That is an important challenge, an important thing that we need to overcome, but it's not\A0the\A0most important -- it's one of them. As pixel size -- the actual pixel dimensions -- get smaller, the more you close the aperture, the more you get image degradation. The challenge becomes that as pixel sizes get smaller, we have to create brighter lenses with better resolving power.
DE: Ah, yes. Better resolving at larger apertures.
[The point here is that the smaller pixels become, the lower the diffraction limit becomes as well. The diffraction limit is the point at which, as you stop down the lens, the image becomes less sharp due to optical diffraction effects. With larger pixels, the diffraction limit may not be reached until f/5.6 or f/8, whereas for very small pixels, diffraction could limit resolution beginning at f/4 or even lower. So as pixels become smaller, it's important that lenses can be at their sharpest at wider apertures than previously, in order to take full advantage of the resolution of the sensor.]
NK:\A0For example, in the last few years, a couple of lenses that we've released -- the\A0EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM\A0and the\A0EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM\A0-- those are examples of lenses where we've tried to combine those two factors, to make them brighter and also have higher resolving power. At the beginning of my response to your question, I said that it's one important factor, but not the only important factor or challenge that needs to be overcome. Another is that, with the shift to digital photography, the number of pictures that users are taking has greatly increased, which puts demands on the durability of lenses. We need to make lenses that hold up
better and are more rugged, in response to this increased use. Another is the growth of video capture; we need lenses that perform more smoothly\A0[meaning in both focus and aperture adjustments], so they're not exclusively for still images anymore. So those are other equally important challenges.
DE: That's very interesting, I hadn't thought about that. Professional lenses have always needed to be rugged, but now consumers are taking so many pictures and using the lenses more, even consumer-level lenses need to be more durable. Very, very interesting.\A0Well, I see that we're unfortunately out of time; thanks very much for making this time available to me, and for all the information you shared. I'm sure our readers will be very interested in all you've told me!
JUST ANNOUNCED: Faster, more powerful Nikon D4S ships next week
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Back at the start of January, Nikon put professional photographers on notice -- it was time to get excited, because the company's latest flagship DSLR was in development. Now, the\A0Nikon D4S\A0is here -- or to be more precise, it\A0will\A0be here in just a week's time. And while it shares much with its immediate predecessor, the D4S has plenty of upgrades throughout that may persuade you to get your wallet out.
The changes start with a brand-new 16.2-megapixel image sensor and latest-generation EXPEED 4 image processor that together shoot both faster and at higher sensitivity. Although resolution is unchanged, the D4S is now capable of shooting at an impressive 11 frames per second, complete with autofocus and autoexposure between frames. ISO sensitivity ranges to as high as ISO 409,600 equivalent with ISO expansion enabled, or ISO 25,600 without.
Nikon has also tweaked the ergonomics, reworked its autofocus algorithms, tweaked exposure for interval shooting and movies, and reduced the viewfinder blackout time And if you want more -- well, there's an uprated movie mode that allows 1080p50/60 capture, added support for simultaneous uncompressed HDMI output and H.264 storage to flash, a significant increase in battery life, a faster wired Ethernet connection, and a new reduced-resolution raw mode.
Want to know more about the latest Nikon professional DSLR flagship? Read our\A0Nikon D4S preview\A0for the full story! Just want to get in queue to buy yours? Place your pre-order now at the links below:
Place your pre-order with a trusted Imaging Resource affiliate now:
We've just published our\A0Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens review, and this lens is the latest addition\A0to Olympus' high quality, budget-friendly fast prime lens family. Olympus shooters who've been craving a fast, 50mm-equivalent prime lens have their wishes granted with this new lens. It's fast, affordable and produces excellent images. The straightforward design with 9 elements in 7 groups, including 2 aspherical elements, as well as a 7-bladed rounded aperture makes for high-quality images, all in a small, lightweight and solid package.
With outstanding sharpness, even wide-open, as well as minimal CA, vignetting and distortion, the new 25mm f/1.8 is a very solid performer that produces excellent images. It feels solid and well-balanced on big and small Micro Four Thirds cameras alike, and its compact size and minimal weight make it an excellent everyday, go-anywhere fast prime for portraits and low-light shooting. Like other Olympus Micro 4/3 lenses, this new lens also has super-fast (and near-silent)\A0AF performance making it great for things like street shooting and other fast-moving subjects, as well as video recording.
This fast, solid-feeling and very compact prime lens is currently available for pre-order in either black or silver at a very budget-friendly $399.99 at\A0Amazon,\A0Adorama, and B&H (black,\A0silver), and inc
ludes front and rear lens caps, a bayonet-mount lens hood, as well as a decorative ring to cover the lens hood threads. By purchasing this lens, or any other product, at one of our trusted affiliates, you help keep these reviews coming!
In the meantime, check out some sample photos Rob, our lens technician, and I shot with this lens, plus download the full-resolution files, over at our Flickr page.
We've just taken the wraps off our complete\A0Panasonic GM1 review. This camera was the first of ours to be reviewed in our new multi-stage Shooter's Report installments, so many of you already may have perused the Shooter's Report section. With the complete review now, though, we have all the nitty gritty details, including hands-on experience with the Wi-Fi features, the new Handheld Nite Shot mode, and finally our full conclusion on this little pocket rocket of a camera.\A0
The little GM1 really blew us away. The tiny interchangeable lens camera is, for the most part, a\A0Panasonic GX7\A0crammed into a tiny all-magnesium body. Panasonic has really done some innovative engineering to pack all that power into such a small and pocketable camera.\A0It shares the same 16MP sensor (minus sensor-shift IS), Venus Engine image processor and fast contrast-detect AF capabilities as the GX7, which we gave\A0high praise. The same goes for the little GM1: excellent performance and image quality plus the flexibility of interchangeable lenses with the full Micro Four Thirds standard all in a camera that can easily fit in your jacket or cargo-pants poc
ket. However, a camera as small as this one is not without its compromises, and there were a few issues and downsides, although none of them were show-stoppers by any means.
So, does the Panasonic GM1 deserve to join your stable of cameras? Are you a GX7 owner or other Micro Four Thirds shooter looking to add a smaller, compact, go-anywhere camera but want the image quality and flexibility of the Four Thirds system? Or perhaps you're just stepping up to an interchangeable lens camera system, and the GM1 could be an excellent starting point -- small size like a point-and-shoot, but with a vast array of advanced features to take your photography to the next level.
Head on over to our full\A0Panasonic GM1 review\A0for all the details, image quality comparisons and our final conclusion!
[Special editor's note from Dave: Out of eight(!) cameras I brought with me on my recent trip to Japan, the GM1 was my hands-down, go-to choice for carrying with me. It has really excellent image quality, the kit lens is surprisingly good, and it's quite literally pocket-sized. As William suggests above, check out our full \A0Panasonic GM1 review, but then go find a store that has one at the counter: Photos just really don't do it justice; you won't believe how small it really is. One other tip: Check the link in our review for Richard Franiec's excellent accessory grip for the camera, I consider it a must-have accessory!]
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News: Nikon D600 dust problem solved; owners get the repair they've been waiting for.
There's huge news today for owners of the Nikon D600 digital SLR -- and the news couldn't be much better, either! Through a just-issued technical service advisory, Nikon USA has announced plans to fix the camera's much-discussed sensor dust woes, regardless of warranty status.\A0(UPDATE: And overseas Nikon branches are also making similar announcements; links can be found at the end of this article.)
First uncovered just weeks after the\A0camera was announced, the Nikon D600 dust problem is typically most prevalent early in the camera's life. Testing by the likes of\A0LensRentals' Roger Cicala\A0and\A0Toronto photographer Kyle Clements\A0suggested that the shutter mechanism in the D600 was shedding dust and/or oil, which then adhered to the surface of the sensor assembly, especially on the left hand side. And while their tests also suggested that the\A0problem largely\A0resolved itself\A0after the first\A0several thousand shots, these debris splatters could be very difficult to remove with the typical sensor cleaning techniques available to photographers. (Suggesting that oil, vs dust was the most likely source of the problem, as oil would resist the aqueous cleaning solutions available to most photographers.)
The affordable, full-frame Nikon D600 had an Achilles heel -- dust spots in its images.
Until now,\A0Nikon's only advice for photographers facing the issue\A0has been to return cameras for cleaning under its warranty program. For obvious reasons, that wasn't wholly satisfactory -- either you had to return your camera multiple times, or wait for new dust to stop appearing before requesting service. And to the best of our knowledge, while not every D600 was necessarily affected, there was no cutoff point in production after which the problem could be said to have been resolved either. (Or at least, that cutoff came only with the introduction of the follow-up Nikon D610.)
Now, the company is stepping up to bat with a more satisfying (and hopefully, permanent)\A0solution for D600 owners. According to the service advisory, D600 owners facing the problem will be able to return their cameras to Nikon at the company's expense, simply by supplying their serial number and printing a return label. As well as cleaning the sensor cover glass to remove dust and oil spots, Nikon will also be replacing the shutter assembly as needed -- and we're speculating here, but most likely the replacement assembly will be the same as that used in the D610, which\A0seems not to suffer the same issue.
Sensor assembly from the Nikon D600 digital SLR.
It's important to note that this isn't a recall, per se, but rather an optional service program. Not every D600 necessarily has the problem, and even if your camera was affected initially, once the problem has abated there's no reason to spend time without it. (At least, not if you've been able to clean the dust spots yourself, or had it done by Nikon already). So not everyone who has a D600 will necessarily need or want to ship it in. And that's doubly true because Nikon may very well get flooded with returns in the early days of the service program, as a rush of photographers return their gear at once.
Hence if you've not noticed a problem it makes sense to just go on shooting -- and even if you are\A0affected, it may actually make sense to wait a little while before requesting service. That way, you won't be without your D600 for an extended period. (We're sure Nikon's going to do everything they can to turn cameras around quickly, but if even a fraction of the D600s they've shipped show up on their doorstep all at once next week, we can't imagine there not being delays -- possibly lengthy ones. Big kudos to them if not, but you might be well-served to wait and see how things go in the early going.)
LensRentals' Roger Cicala created this image, summarizing dust across twenty D600 sensors.
(Contrast and exposure tweaked to emphasize dust; image courtesy Roger Cicala)
It may be tempting to believe that the service program has been prompted by\A0recent news of a class action lawsuit\A0against Nikon, but that's almost certainly not the case. Note that although news of the lawsuit surfaced only a week ago, Nikon is starting to accept returns immediately. Before it could begin taking cameras back for repair, though, the company will have needed to set up a service program able to handle the large number of D600s out in the market -- and that's something which takes time. Not only does the manpower need to be found to undertake a relatively complex, time-consuming (and we're guessing, rather expensive) repair that requires service technicians to dismantle and reassemble much of each camera they receive, but a supply of replacement pa
rts must be procured -- and quite likely, manufactured, given that the shutter maker likely wasn't anticipating sudden extra demand.
And that brings up another point. It's quite likely that some negotiation was needed between Nikon and its supplier as to where the responsibility for this fault would lie. (And hence, which company would bear the cost.) We don't know with certainty which company is supplying the shutter in the D600, but it's very common for camera makers to rely on outside expertise for this complex part.
Roger Cicala also checked the Nikon D610, and found a much more typical level of dust.
(Image courtesy of Roger Cicala)
In fact, in an age where so much expertise is needed due to the complexity of modern cameras, relying on third parties is simply par for the course -- and when multiple companies are involved, it can take some time to determine liability when a problem does rear its head. For the proof of this, one need look no further than the\A0problems faced by a dozen different camera makers\A0almost a decade ago, when incorrect settings on a wire-bonding system led to mass failures of Sony-produced CCD image sensors. That problem, like this one, took some time to resolve -- but the important thing was that a resolution was eventually reached.
The identity of the company that might bear responsibility for the D600's issues is a point of which we can't be certain. While there have been a number of D600 teardowns, none has identified a specific shutter maker -- or at least, not as a matter of public knowledge. As of 2009, shutter maker Copal was\A0said to be supplying 90% of mechanical shutters\A0globally, but there are\A0certainly other suppliers out there. As of this writing,\A0the company itself claimed a 70% market share, in a Thai job posting. And we know the company\A0has a long history with Nikon, going back at least as far as the 1970s. All we can say for sure is that it's fairly unlikely that it's an in-house part -- and so Nikon itself could to some extent be seen as a victim of the problem, too.
It's also worth noting that this service program is a really great example of why you don't want to buy gray-market products. While the advisory doesn't speak to this point, we'd be very,\A0very surprised if Nikon doesn't require cameras to be serviced in their country of origin, as determined by their serial numbers. Reputable dealers like Adorama and B&H will sometimes sell gray-market products if the customers specifically want them, but they always disclose what customers will be getting upfront. Some unscrupulous dealers, though, will sell gray-market cameras without first notifying customers. And once that happens, you're quite likely saddled with the cost of returning your camera to the country from which it was imported. (Or arguing with the reseller; good luck with that...)
With its dust issues hopefully now resolved, Nikon D600 owners can stop worrying about their sensors, and get back to shooting awesome photos -- and that's great news!
Be all this as it may, we're just glad to see some definitive action being taken to bring satisfaction to D600 shooters. We found much to like in\A0our review\A0of this relatively affordable, full-frame shooter, as well as\A0that of its follow-up. Ever since the arrival of the D610, though, we've felt for D600 owners who suddenly saw their cameras superseded by a near-identical model -- and that can't have been a nice feeling if you were among those faced with problems. With the launch of the service program, you now have a definitive solution -- and you can get back to enjoying shooting with what's otherwise been a very commendable camera.
While it took a little while to get here, we'll give Nikon a thumbs-up on this one, given that there was almost certainly another company involved, fighting tooth and nail to minimize their own expense in the matter -- and particularly given that Nikon is offering to repair cameras whether or not each camera's warranty is officially still in force or not. Some will say "well, of course, that's the right thing to do", but companies sadly don't always\A0do\A0the right thing in practice. Happily Nikon did here.
And we, hopefully, can stop reporting on a problem that we've covered so many times over the last couple of years. Good news all around, we think you'll agree!
News: Canon Dual Pixel CMOS AF: Autofocus secrets of the Canon 70D explained
Autofocus precision with Canon's groundbreaking Dual-Pixel CMOS AF technology (as found in the\A0Canon EOS 70D) is a somewhat different beast than with the conventional phase-detect systems used in DSLRs.
In\A0my recent interview\A0with Mr. Go Tokura and Mr. Naoya Kaneda of Canon Inc., the company's Japanese headquarters organization, I asked some technical questions about Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus that turned out to be too difficult to get across the language barrier, despite the excellent translation to which we had access. So I did what I should have done in the first place: checked with Chuck Westfall, Advisor, Technical Information, Canon U.S.A., Inc.
As usual, Chuck delivered the goods, in the form of an exceptionally clear description of how autofocus precision compared between Canon's Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology and the conventional separate-sensor phase-detect AF system, which Canon calls Thru-the-Lens Secondary Image Registration (or TTL-SIR) AF. There's some very interesting information here; see the remarks below Chuck's writing for a few of my thoughts on the matter.
AF Precision:\A0Dual Pixel CMOS AF vs. TTL-SIR AF
By Chuck Westfall / Canon USA Inc.
February, 2014
When comparing the precision of conventional TTL-SIR (Through-the-Lens Secondary Image Registration) AF with EOS cameras to the EOS 70D's Dual Pixel CMOS AF, it is important to understand the following principles.
The EOS 70D's TTL-SIR phase detection autofocus\A0system with its 19-point AF sensor has two fixed baselines for AF precision:
All 19 AF points have a relatively short baseline for use with EF and EF-S lenses that have maximum apertures larger than or equal to f/5.6.
The center AF point has a dual-cross type AF sensor with a much longer baseline that is used with EF and EF-S lenses with maximum apertures of f/2.8 or larger.
The EOS 70D's Dual Pixel CMOS AF system uses every pixel to measure phase-detection AF with supported EF and EF-S lenses. With a supported lens, the baseline for AF measurement is proportional to the maximum aperture of the lens in use. Dual Pixel CMOS AF does not aggregate AF measurement from multiple pixels to create longer baselines for large aperture lenses. Each individual pixel is fully capable of generating AF measurement data.
Keeping these differences in mind, one of the consequences of the TTL-SIR AF system is that except for the center point, AF precision is not proportional to the maximum aperture of the lens in use. With off-center points, AF precision is not as high as the center point when the maximum aperture of the lens is larger than or equal to f/2.8, in order to allow AF with maximum apertures as small as f/5.6. It's a workable system, but it's a compromise between precision and AF compatibility. Even with the dual-cross-type center point, precision at a maximum aperture of f/2.8 is the same as it is at f/1.2. At the other end of the scale, autofocusing is not supported at all with maximum apertures smaller than f/5.6 with the 70D's TTL-SIR AF system. Finally, because AF data is measured from a secondary sensor (not the imaging sensor), there can be a need for AF Microadjustment to compensate for focusing discrepancies with individual lenses.
On the other hand, because AF precision is proportional to maximum aperture with Dual Pixel CMOS AF, it scales itself automatically and dynamically according to the supported EF or EF-S lens in use. For example, Dual Pixel CMOS AF achieves a longer baseline for AF precision with an f/4 lens compared to an f/5.6 lens, and so on all the way down the line to f/1.0. At the other end of the scale, Dual Pixel CMOS AF supports autofocusing with maximum apertures as small as f/11, a full two stops smaller than is possible with the 70D's TTL-SIR-AF system. And because the AF data is measured directly from the imaging sensor, there is no need for AF Microadjustment.
It should be noted that AF precision at f/1.2 with Dual Pixel CMOS AF is basically the same as AF precision with the Dual Cross center point of the 70D's TTL-SIR phase-detection AF system. And accordingly, AF precision at f/2.8 with Dual Pixel CMOS AF is not quite as high as AF precision at f/2.8 with the Dual Cross center point of the 70D's TTL-SIR phase-detection AF system. However, the trade-off is that Dual Pixel CMOS AF maintains its precision throughout the entire AF measurement area (approx. 80% of the width by 80% of the length of the imaging area), rather than limiting high precision to the center of the picture area.
This is very interesting information, indeed. Confirming earlier but more tentative information from our initial briefings on the camera, it is, in fact, the case that the Canon 70D's Dual Pixel CMOS AF system will set phase-detect baselines proportional to the maximum aperture of the lens in use, so its accuracy will improve at maximum apertures beyond f/2.8. What I found particularly interesting, though, is that the Dual Pixel phase detect operation is actually somewhat less accurate than the 70D's separate TTL-SIR AF system.
Note, though, that I said phase detect operation, as that's only part of the process the EOS 70D uses in live view AF, at least for still-image focusing. Part of the reason the 70D's Dual Pixel AF isn't as fast as the conventional separate-sensor approach is that the 70D only uses Dual Pixel technology to achieve rough, initial focus; it then switches to contrast-detect focusing to check focus accuracy and, if necessary, fine-tune focus. (The other part is that data most likely can be read out from the dedicated AF sensor more quickly.) This means that the slightly lesser accuracy of Dual Pixel CMOS AF doesn't affect ultimate focus accuracy, just the speed with which you achieve it.
When it comes to video focusing, though, even Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) resolution is so much lower than the 70D's 20-megapixel still image resolution that the slightly lower PDAF accuracy of the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system matters not a bit, while its ability to focus smoothly and continuously at apertures down to f/11 is a huge benefit.
Special thanks to Chuck Westfall for taking the time to write such a detailed and informative answer to my queries!
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The Imaging Resource Digital Photography Newsletter is published by Imaging Resource (http://www.imaging-resource.com) as an advertising-supported email newsletter to opt-in subscribers and simultaneously in HTML on the Web every two weeks. We bring you industry events like the Consumer Electronics Show, Photokina, and CP+ -- which we actually attend, providing live coverage on our Web site. And we report on digital cameras, storage mediums, scanners, printers, image editing software and services for digital imaging (like online photofinishing, framing and album sharing) as they are released. In addition we publish on-going tutorials designed to help you get the most out of their investment in digital imaging no matter what level of expertise you enjoy. Each newsletter will bring you excerpts from our latest tests and hands-on reviews, interesting photo-related stories, and the top news items on our site since the last issue.
