Sigma has announced the 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens for APS-C DSLRs - the world's first constant F1.8 zoom. The lens covers a 27-52.5mm equivalent range, and will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts. As yet there is no announcement of a recommended price. The lens will offer the depth-of-field equivalent of a constant F2.7 on full-frame, and allow the use of lower ISO settings in low light, which may under-cut the need for some photographers to change formats.

Dutch designer Ruben van der Vleuten was curious to know how many people and steps were involved between mailing and receiving a parcel, so he decided to find out. He installed a tiny 3MP camera in a parcel, built a timer circuit using Arduino (a simple single-board microcontroller designed to control devices) and shipped it to himself. The timer of the circuit was set to make a 3 second video every minute and make longer videos while the box was moving. Click through to watch the results.

Apple has added Raw support to its OS-X operating system for Fujifilm's X-Trans sensors. The latest update adds support for the four X-Trans cameras - the X20, X100S, X-E1 and X-Pro1. To install the Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update v4.05, users require Aperture v3.4 or later and iPhoto version 9.4 or later. Click through for the download link.

DPReview Connect contributor Lauren Crabbe was among those taking photos with her smartphone at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. Following the explosion of two bombs in the area just over an hour after she left, her snapshots took on a new meaning when the FBI asked spectators to submit their images as evidence in the ongoing investigation. Read her first-person account today on connect.dpreview.com.

Sensor maker Aptina has announced a 14MP 1"-type sensor for use in mirrorless and video cameras. The AR1411HS enters the range alongside the existing 10MP model and offers even faster shooting capabilities. The 14MP chip can shoot full-resolution images at up to 80 fps and can shoot either 4K or Quad HD (allowing high quality 4:2:2 color) at up to 60 fps. The company suggests the 1" format (actually 13.2 x 8.8mm) offers an effective balance of image quality, price and capabilities to make a sensible middle ground between the tiny 1/2.3" sensors in most compacts and the APS-C sensors used in many mirrorless models and DSLRs. 

Just posted: Our hands-on preview of the Ricoh GR. The GR is the spiritual successor to the GR Digital series and features a 16MP APS-C sensor behind its 28mm equivalent, F2.8 lens. It's the first product to show signs of post-merger integration at Pentax-Ricoh, gaining the Pentax TAv exposure mode but retaining a host of traditional Ricoh features. We've been shooting with a production GR alongside the Nikon Coolpix A, click to find out more.

Just posted: Our hands-on preview of Fujifilm's latest telephoto zoom lens, the Fujinon 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS. Designed for the company's X-system mirrorless cameras, it offers an 83-300mm equivalent angle of view, and a relatively fast maximum aperture. It also includes optical image stabilisation and two linear stepper motors for quiet focusing. Click through to read our detailed preview for more information. 

Pentax-Ricoh has announced the much rumored and leaked Ricoh GR, a 16.2MP APS-C sensor enthusiast compact camera. The GR continues on from Ricoh's GR Digital series of high-end, fixed-lens models, gaining a much larger sensor but continuing to offer a 28mm equivalent field of view, now with an F2.8 maximum aperture. It also retains the GRD IV's high-res 1.2m dot LCD and a range of photographer friendly functions. Despite a sensor nearly nine times as big, the recommend price increase by just $200 over the GRD IV, to $799.

Fujifilm has officially announced the Fujinon XF 55-200mm F3.5-F4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom for its X system of mirrorless cameras. Headline features include optical image stabilisation with a claimed 4.5 stops benefit, dual linear stepper motors for focusing, all-metal barrel construction, and premium optics. The lens also features an aperture ring like that on the company's XF 18-55mm zoom. Fujifilm has also updated its roadmap of upcoming lenses to include the XF 56mm F1.2 R, which is scheduled for release in January 2014. Finally the company is promising firmware updates to improve the autofocus speed of both the X-Pro1 and X-E1, which will be available to download in July.

Continuing the move toward cameras without optical low-pass filters, Pentax last year released two versions of its flagship digital SLR, the K-5 II and K-5 II S, the latter with no OLPF. Both cameras retain the same body and 16MP resolution, but get an upgraded autofocus sensor and a new air-gapless LCD. We've started our review, but wanted to put up a quick look exploring whether there's a difference between the two in terms of image quality. 

Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, claims that the popular mobile operating system was originally designed for digital cameras, not phones. In an interview published by PC World, Rubin said that the original concept, as pitched to investors back in 2004, was for 'a camera platform with a cloud portion for storing images online'. By the time Google acquired Android in 2005, however, the plan had changed and Android was developed for mobile handsets. Click through for more details and a link to the full story at PCWorld.com.

As Google Glass beta testers - so-called 'Explorers' - prepare to receive the first round of the wearable augmented reality tech, Google is also bracing the rest of us for what's to come. The company is pushing the Glass announcements this week with the release of its MyGlass app in the Google Play store and a developer preview of the Mirror API, along with the most revealing tech specs we've seen yet. Click through to check out the detailed specs and more at connect.dpreview.com.

Benro has announced a new 'Cool Walker' line of camera bags through its UK distributor, Kenro. According to the press release, the Cool Walker line is aimed at travel and sports photographers, and includes thirteen variants of backpacks, shoulder and zoom bags. The smallest bag in the line can carry one SLR and a lens, while the largest is designed to carry two SLRs, eight lenses, two flashguns and a 15" laptop. Click through for the press release from Kenro.

Just Posted: Our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 review. The GH3 is the latest model in Panasonic's range-topping series of Micro Four Thirds cameras that aims to offer a tool as suited to keen film makers as enthusiast photographers. The GH3 has added a host of video industry-requested features as well as promising the best-yet stills image quality from a GH camera. However, the last year or so has seen other camera makers take an interest in movie shooting, so has Panasonic done enough to stay ahead? Read our review to find out.

Adobe has released a public beta version of its Photoshop Lightroom 5 workflow and image editing software and we've had some time to look at its latest features. Available immediately for free download from Adobe Labs, the beta introduces a more advanced healing/cloning tool, automatic image leveling and perspective correction, a new selective editing tool and the ability to edit files that are offline. Click here for all you need to know to begin exploring this new release on your own.

Columbia University has announced the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winners for photography. The prize for Breaking News Photography was awarded to jointly to Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen of the Associated Press, for their coverage of the conflict in Syria. The winner in the Feature Photography category is Javier Manzano, a freelance photograher, for his 'extraordinary picture' of two Syrian rebel soldiers illuminated by beams of light streaming through bullet holes. The annual awards include a cash prize of US$10,000. Click through for more information. 

Nikon has filed a patent covering the idea of a password-based security system for lenses. The patent lists the high value of lenses as a reason for the innovation - the camera would refuse to shoot with a lens unless the correct password was entered. This is an attempt by the the company to prevent resale of stolen gear. (via Nikon Rumors)

Timelapse photography can be mesmerizing with the right subject. We chose the new lighting system brightening San Francisco's Bay Bridge for our timelapse app experiments using an iPhone 5. The bridge is lit by 25,000 LEDs to create eye-catching displays controlled by several Mac Minis mounted inside the structure. As mobile phone cameras grow in quality and the storage capacity of these devices increase, it's possible to make a decent sequence with just what's in your pocket, plus a small tripod. Learn which apps we liked best at connect.dpreview.com.

Metabones has announced the schedule for the Micro Four Thirds version of its innovative 'Speed Booster' lens adapter has slipped to the second half of 2013. Like the existing version for mounting Canon EF lenses on Sony NEX cameras, the forthcoming version will allow the use of full-frame lenses, reducing the focal length by a factor of 0.71x and increases the maximum aperture by 1 stop. The Micro Four Thirds version will give a 1.4x overall 'crop' - giving a similar field of view to APS-C stills cameras and the Super35mm video format.(via 43rumors)

Sigma UK has announced its new USB dock for lenses will be available from May 2013 at a retail price of £39.99 (including VAT). The company has also announced the 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM lens will start shipping in Canon and Sigma mounts around the same time but has not confirmed the price. Launched at Photokina 2012, the USB dock enables users to easily update lens firmware and fine-tune focus parameters, while the 120-300mm F2.8 lens comes with a button to adjust the focus speed and the focus limiter.

500px has redesigned its online photo portfolio feature, offering photographers more customization tools and advanced options for interacting with followers and customers. The new portfolio UX is expected to roll out by May and will allow for store integration so visitors can purchase photos directly from a portfolio, and blog integration and even full CSS customization. Learn more about the upcoming changes at connect.dpreview.com.

Macro photography can be extremely challenging, but very rewarding if you get it right. In this article - the latest in a series - Erez Marom explains how to use focus stacking to achieve deep depth of field for capturing tiny subjects with a macro lens. Click through for a link to the article 'Focus Stacking in Macro Photography'.

Samsung has announced the broader US availability of its 20MP NX1100 Wi-Fi mirrorless camera, which was initially announced by B&H. Priced at $599.99, the camera is available now in black or white and comes with a copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. In common with its predecessor, the NX1000, it includes 8fps continuous shooting, a 3-inch/921k-dot rear display and Full HD video recording. The only significant change is the Autoshare feature that automatically sends full resolution images and videos to mobile devices over Wi-Fi. There is currently no information about a European release.

Street photography isn't everyone's cup of tea, and for every Cartier Bresson, watching from a distance, there's a Weegee, pushing a camera into the faces of their bemused subjects without asking permission. Los Angeles-based photographer Johnny Tergo has taken this approach to a new level, rigging up his truck with a camera and bright studio strobes in order to 'bring the studio lighting aspect to everyday real life on the streets'. Click through for the full story, and images (via wired.com)

Citizen Finetech Miyota has developed an LCD panel for electronic viewfinders of digital cameras its claiming is the highest resolution available. It offers a 1280x960 pixel display (equivalent to 3.69 million dots). This exceeds the 2.36m dot (1024 x 768 pixel) resolution of the current Sony OLED and Epson LCD units. It uses a field-sequential design, showing red, green and blue information in sequence rather than being able to show them all at the same time, but the panels 120Hz design should avoid color breakup (tearing) the company says. The panel will enter mass produced in summer 2013.

Canon has posted a firmware update for its EOS 6D Wi-Fi capable full frame digital SLR for enthusiast photographers. Version 1.1.3 of the firmware fixes a bug related to date and time settings of the camera. The firmware is available for immediate download from Canon's support website. Click through for the download link.

Samsung has announced two 'phablet'-sized additions to its line of smartphones, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 and Galaxy Mega 5.8. At 6.3 and 5.8 inches respectively, the large-display phablets push far beyond Samsung's 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II, and the larger of the two sets a new industry-record for smartphone size. Learn more about when and where the devices will be available, and what the camera specs will be at connect.dpreview.com.

Just posted: Our Canon EOS 100D (Rebel SL1) preview samples gallery. We've been lucky enough to get our hands on a pre-production sample of Canon's latest miniaturised SLR, and have assembled a quick samples gallery to give an idea of how it performs. We've shot using the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lenses, and aimed to cover a variety of subjects and lighting conditions. The pre-production camera used offers 'Beta' standard image quality, so may not fully reflect the final image quality (although it's unlikely to be radically different).   

Online user experience company Teehan + Lax has created a free tool for creating 'hyperlapse' videos using Google Street View. The term 'hyperlapse' describes timelapse videos which incorporate camera movement - something that is typically extremely difficult and time-consuming to perfect. The team at Teehan + Lax began experimenting with Google Street View as a guide for choosing locations, but realised that it could be used as source material. Click through for more details. 

Manfrotto has launched the StilePlus line of camera bags aimed at fashion-conscious photographers. Intended to appeal to shutterbugs who want a practical but stylish camera bag, the company offers this range in three varieties: the  Diva 15 Tote Bag, Bravo 50 Backpack and Amica 10 shoulder bag. The bags are available in a variety of colors and sizes. UK prices start from £39.95, £69.95, £19.95, respectively. U.S. prices have yet to be confirmed.

DxO Labs has released version 8.1.5 of its DxO Optics Pro software. Both the Elite and Standard versions gain Nikon D7100 support. The update also adds 131 lens and cameras combinations for Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina users. These modules join the existing list of over 11,000 combinations. Click through for the download link.

Just Posted: Our hands-on Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 preview. The GF6 expands the capabilities of Panasonic's GF series away from the point-and-shoot focus that it had increasingly pursued. The latest model adds a more sophisticated touch-screen and additional control points that will benefit a range of users but it's the NFC-mediated Wi-Fi system that we found really interesting. Add this on top of the 16MP sensor from the GX1 and you have a compelling combination of features. Click through to find out more.

We have added DxOMark's Mobile Report to our camera review of the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The report includes DxO Lab's usual industrial-quality scientific measurements and analyzes 14 aspects of mobile imaging including detailed image quality assessment, flash performance, autofocus reliability and more to calculate a final score. Click through to read our Samsung Galaxy Note II review and go to page 6 for the DxO Mark mobile report.

Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GF6 - a 16MP entry-level mirrorless camera with Wi-Fi. Like many of its competitors it has a capacitive touchscreen, that can tilt both downwards and upwards to face forwards for self-portraits. It gains a compact-camera style zoom lever around the shutter release that can alternatively be used to set exposure compensation, and an exposure mode dial on the top plate. It's also the first interchangeable lens camera with Near Field Communication (NFC) that allows setup of Wi-Fi connections with compatible smartphones and tablets, simply by tapping the devices together. Movie recording is available at 1080p30 in either MP4 or AVCHD format.

Photographer Finn Beales primarily uses his Canon EOS 5D Mark III when shooting for major brands as well as media outlets, but he also uses his smartphone to capture poignant moments like this image of his son floating in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, which recently won the children's category in the annual Mobile Photography Awards. Learn more about Beales' work on connect.dpreview.com.

High speed camera maker Vision Research has put together its first footage with the forthcoming Phantom Flex4K video camera. Capable of capturing up to 1000 fps at 4K resolution, the Flex4K features a 10MP Super-35 sensor, records either RAW or compressed footage and will come in PL, Canon EF and Nikon F/G mounts. For this video, NYC-based cinematographer Greg Wilson and director Brendan Bellomo captured the Hebron and Glastonbury Connecticut Fire Departments in action, highlighting the camera's slow motion capabilities. Click through to watch the video.

We've just updated our preview of the Nikon Coolpix A with a full set of studio shots, showing image quality in both JPEG and RAW capture modes. This is in addition to a gallery of real-world samples, and first impressions of our initial findings from shooting with the camera both in and out of the studio. The Nikon Coolpix A features a 16MP CMOS sensor, and a fixed, 28mm equivalent F2.8 lens. Click through for a link to our preview, which now includes our studio comparison pages. 

We've just posted our review of the HTC 8X on connect.dpreview.com. The 8X is HTC's current Windows Phone flagship device and comes with a 4.3-inch 720p screen and an 8MP camera with a fast F2.0 lens. Can the HTC rival the Android and iOS competition and is it good enough to grab some of Nokia's Windows Phone market share? We put the 8X through our usual review process to find out. Click through to go to the full review.

Digital video site www.newsshooter.com is at this year's NAB show in Las Vegas, and has been taking a look at the Pocket Cinema Camera from Blackmagic. The Pocket Cinema Camera is a small, 1080 video camera with a Micro Four Thirds lensmount and an eye-opening MSRP of $995. Click through to see newsshooter's video, straight from the floor at NAB. 

Blackmagic Design has announced a pocket-sized 1080p movie camera capable of 422 ProRes capture with promises of lossless CinemaDNG to be added via firmware. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera uses a Super 16 imaging area (around 12.5 x 7.4mm - slightly smaller than a 1" sensor), and an 'active' Micro Four Thirds lens mount, giving full aperture control of native lenses. The camera can capture footage in Apple's 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes format Blackmagic promising to add the open, lossless CinemaDNG Raw standard later. The company has said this will cost just $995 and be available from July.

Blackmagic Design has announced the Production Camera 4K, a Super-35 format, 4K-capable camera with global shutter for smooth panning and image motion. The company says it will cost $3995. It can capture footage in Apple ProRes 422 HQ or losslessly compressed CinemaDNG Raw - promising 12-stops of dynamic range. The camera is built around a Canon EF mount and an internal SSD recorder to cope with the data rates. Blackmagic says it will be available from July 2013.

Imaging Resource has published an interesting article by Steve Meltzer, which examines the mystery of the so-called 'Mexican suitcase' - a long-lost collection of images taken by the late Robert Capa. Before escaping Europe ahead of the Nazi invasion of France, Capa entrusted a large number of negatives to a friend for safekeeping. The collection went missing, and was presumed lost for decades until being identified in Mexico in 1995. Robert Capa's brother, Cornell Capa, finally got to see the long-lost negatives in 1997 - forty three years after his brother's death. Click through for a link to the full story.

Following the recent public release of Adobe Camera Raw 7.4, we've updated our studio comparison database with new raw conversions of files from the Fujifilm X-Pro 1, X-E1 and X100S. We've been using the release candidate version of ACR 7.4 for some time, which contained significant improvements to Adobe's treatment of files from Fujifilm's X-Trans sensors. The official public release version of ACR 7.4 brings some further (very minor) tweaks. Click through for links to the studio comparison pages in our X-Pro 1 and X-E1 reviews, and X100S preview, now with ACR 7.4 raw conversions. 

With the announcement of Facebook Home, a launcher or 'skin' that can be installed on top of the Android operating system of your mobile phone, the social networking giant has instantly transformed the role and importance of images in social media, bringing them to the forefront in a way that not even its desktop Timeline feature could. We are having a closer look at what Facebook Home is and what it means for image sharing.

Accessory maker LockCircle has announced Prime Circle XE lenses in a Canon EF mount with a wireless controller that can can change aperture remotely at distances of up to 300 feet. Ranging between focal lengths of 15mm to 135mm, the lenses feature Carl Zeiss optics in a housing designed specifically for cinematographers with large focus scales and a common 95mm front mount across the range of lenses. There is currently no information about the XE series' price and availability.

In the course of preparing our in-depth review of the Nikon D7100, we're exploring the potential image quality advantages of Nikon's decision to forgo an optical low pass filter (OLPF). As part of this process, we compared the D7100 alongside the Nikon D5200, which also uses a 24MP APS-C sensor, but includes an OLPF and have just added the results to our hands-on preview. Does the D7100's lack of OLPF really make a difference? Click through to read what we've found.

We've just posted a selection of real-world samples shot with the Nikon Coolpix A. The Coolpix A offers a 16MP APS-C sensor in a genuinely compact body, mated to a 28mm equivalent F2.8 retractable lens. We've put together a 21-image gallery of images shot in a variety of situations and at a range of apertures. Click through to see how it performed.

Samsung US has announced the Wi-Fi version of its Galaxy Camera will be available from the end of this month at a retail price $449.99 - $50 less than the version with both 3G/4G and Wi-Fi. Announced in February 2013, the Wi-Fi model shares the same feature-set as the 3G and 4G versions, including a 21x, 23-481mmm equivalent zoom lens on the front with a 4.8" touchscreen on the back. It runs Android 4.1 (known as Jelly Bean), the latest version of the operating system. Click through to read more at connect.dpreview.com

DxO Labs has tested 85 lenses on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and analysed the results, looking at its two proprietary measures: 'Perceptual Megapixels' for lens sharpness, and the overall DxOMark score. In the first section of a multi-part series, it makes comparisons against both the EOS 5D Mark II and the Nikon D800, with results that may be surprising. Click through for a link to the full article.

Aerial photographer Neal Rantoul has written an article for The Luminous Landscape, explaining how he got started in air-to-ground photography, and sharing some interesting advice. Click through for extracts from the article, in which Rantoul explains his artistic approach, methodology and equipment. We've also gathered a small selection of Neal's impressive abstract aerial landscapes, and provided a link to the original article at The Luminous Landscape.