April 4th 2013: As you may have noticed, dpreview.com has been experiencing periodic outages in the past few hours, of varying duration. Issues have included site unavailability, slow page loading times, and temporary unavailability of our forums. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. We've been working hard to return everything to normal, but some of these issues may persist over the coming hours as we shuffle the zeros and ones back into line. As always, if you experience performance or functionality problems with any area of the site, we encourage you to send feedback via the link at the bottom of this page.

Celebrated American photographer William Eggleston won a legal victory when a US District Court judge dismissed a claim of fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation brought by collector Jonathan Sobel. Sobel, an avid Eggleston collector, argued that by creating a new set of large format inkjet prints beyond the 30-year old dye transfer print limited edition of the same image, Eggleston was diluting the value of the earlier prints, one of which Sobel owned. Read on for more details. (via ARTINFO)

Nikon has come under fire from animal welfare groups and some wildlife photographers over its new 'Monarch' line of rifle scopes, designed for game hunting. Marketed as being 'Engineered for Safari' Nikon's Sport Optics division claims that the new Monarch-series scopes are created 'for those seeking dangerous game adventure on the Dark Continent' - an archaic term for Africa. Nikon has manufactured scopes like this for many years, and is not alone (so does Pentax, Leica and others) but the marketing behind its newest Monarch line has caused a degree of anger. Click through for more details. 

NAB 2013: Canon has announced the development of a 35mm prime lens in its Cinema EOS range. It is designed to be used on movie cameras with image sensors up to 35mm full frame in size, and includes a range of features optimized for movie shooting. The company has not finalized its specifications and pricing, but says it will release further details in due course. However as the Cinema EOS primes offer T-stops that correlate closely with existing L-series primes, it seems likely the 35mm will be approximately T1.5, and of course use the EF mount.

Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4. These are final versions of updates that were originally posted as 'release candidates'. Both versions add Raw support for 25 additional cameras, including the Nikon D7100, Canon EOS 100D, Fujifilm X100s and Sony SLT-A58. Corrections to the demosaicing algorithms for previously supported Fujifilm X-Trans and EXR sensor cameras are also included along with several new lens profiles. Click through for a full list of supported cameras, lenses and bug fixes.

Just posted: Our review of the Fujinon XF 14mm 1:2.8 R lens. Fujifilm has been steadily building up its X-system of rangefinder-inspired mirrorless cameras since its launch in January last year, and the 14mm F2.8 is the fifth lens in the family. It's a 21mm-equivalent ultra-wide prime that's designed to match the full field of view offered by the X-Pro1's optical viewfinder. Like the other XF primes it has an aperture ring on the lens barrel, but it also includes an improved manual focus ring with distance and depth of field scales. Fujifilm makes some grand claims for its optical performance; click through to see if it lives up to them in our detailed review.

Pentax has announced a wide range of new colors options for its K-30 weather-sealed mid-level DSLR. Available in either a shiny 'Crystal' or matte 'Silky' finish, the 16MP DSLR now comes in dramatic tones like orange, yellow and blue. The cameras are available for pre-order at a retail price of $799.95, including the 18-55 kit lens. Click through to see a complete list of available color options.

Photographer Nick Laham found himself in a tight spot as he squeezed into a locker room bathroom stall to take portraits of the New York Yankees during a spring training session earlier this year. He used both his DSLR and his smartphone to take the photos, but it was his iPhone-captured and Instagram-processed images that earned the attention of the New York Times, which ran Laham's portrait of baseball great Alex Rodriguez on the front page of the Sunday edition. Read more at connect.dpreview.com.

Benjamin Von Wong posted photos and a video from his impressive Paris photoshoot that combined fire, fireworks, and models into some dramatic imagery. 'Since we were messing around with consumable effects,' said VonWong in his blog, 'each time we started a burn I had to be ready to constantly change up my camera settings to be able to compensate for the lighting conditions.' (via FStoppers)

Nikon has posted firmware updates for a number of its DSLRs. Updates for the D600, D800, D4, D3s, D3x, D3, D7000 and D3200 include support for the AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR lens. The D600 and D800 see an improvement to the subject tracking performance in continuous autofocus mode when shooting using the optical viewfinder. And the D600 can now deliver 100% video scene coverage via HDMI output. The updates are available for immediate download from Nikon's website. Click through for a full list of feature updates, bug fixes and download links.

Following the recent release of Photosynth for Windows Phone 8, Microsoft held a contest to find the 10 best Photosynth images. Now that the feature is compatible with latest generation devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920, HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ Odyssey, we should be seeing more and more stunning 360-degree panoramas created with the software. Check out some of the top Photosynths selected at connect.dpreview.com.

Lenovo Japan has announced the ThinkVision LT3053p Wide, a 30" WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution AH-IPS LCD monitor designed for color-critical applications like photo editing. The latest flagship model promises 99% coverage of the AdobeRGB color space and 100% of sRGB. It includes features such as Picture In Picture (PIP) allowing input from multiple devices and an adjustable stand for ergonomic viewing. The monitor will start shipping from April 11, 2013 at a retail price of $1599 in the US.

Action sports video production company Teton Gravity Research (TGR) has posted the first video shot with the GSS C520, a five-axis gyro-stabilized 4K cinema system by GSS (Gyro-Stabilized Systems). The C520 is compatible with the RED Epic, Arri Alexa M and Sony F55/HDC-2500 video cameras. For this video, the system was fitted with a RED Epic video camera and mounted on a helicopter to capture 4K stabilized footage of San Francisco, California. (via FStoppers)

Since the quest for the perfect camera bag will likely never end, we continue ours with a look at the Tamrac Evolution 9, a larger bag that can be used as a backpack or slingpack. Capable of holding a pro digital SLR with a long zoom, a 17-inch notebook, plus several lenses and accessories, the Evolution 9 seemed durable and well designed. Click through for our review to learn how it held up in the field.

With its new flagship smartphone, the HTC One, the Taiwanese manufacturer is aiming to improve image quality over its rivals by using using fewer but larger pixels on a sensor that's the same size as the higher-resolution competition. However, the HTC One's advantages are not all about pixels -- the phone's camera also features optical image stabilization and a fast F2.0 lens. We have shot a range of samples in varying conditions and are having a closer look at the HTC's image quality on connect.dpreview.com.

While the privacy and permissions surrounding Facebook-shared photographs have always seemed like a bit of a gray area, a new service is pushing the envelope further. Photos At My Door lets users log in with their Facebook account and access photos of friends. You can then order prints of those photos or even print them on coffee mugs, mouse pads and iPhone cases. Read more about the service and our take on it at connect.dpreview.com.

Sony has released two new apps on its PlayMemories App Store for owners of their Wi-Fi-equipped NEX-5R and NEX-6 cameras. The apps, Light Shaft and Motion Shot, are priced at $4.99 each. If you've been yearning to add fake lens flare effects to your photos, then read on.

Studio Lighting accessories maker Phottix has announced the 16-inch Multi Boom, with a tiltable bracket for umbrella softboxes. Priced at $69.99, it can hold up to two flashguns, and allows compatible softboxes to be tilted up to 180 degrees. According to the company, umbrella softboxes from Phottix and other manufacturers are easy to set-up, but almost impossible to tilt on traditional light stands. This can be resolved by attaching the Multi Boom bracket.

Soon after being drafted into the Vietnam War as a rifleman in 1967, photography enthusiast Charlie Haughey was taking photos of his unit for Army and US publications. Upon returning home his negatives sat untouched in boxes. In 2012 Haughey viewed these images for the first time in 45 years and began the emotionally charged process of captioning them for public display. The images are available on Flickr and digital prints will be on exhibit at the ADX gallery in Portland, Oregon on April 5. Click through to view some of the photos and read more. (via The Boston Globe)

Panasonic has posted the promised firmware updates for its movie-focused Lumix DMC-GH3 mirrorless camera, the 14-42mm and 45-175mm power zooms and the 45-150mm lens. The GH3 update adds the ability to shoot 1080p60 footage in MP4 format and lets users connect to a computer via Wi-Fi by entering the computer name (NetBIOS names for Mac). Meanwhile the lens updates promise improved autofocus performance in AF Continuous mode when mounted on the GH3.

As Google Glass and other wearable cameras look to become the latest tech trend, some futurists are raising the red flag of caution. If everyone is wearing a constantly recording, super subtle camera, what are the implications for personal privacy, the law and our own safety? We look at some interesting implications of this new technology and the ways it could change our society at connect.dpreview.com.

An 83-year-old Turkish tailor has become photographer Zoe Spawton's muse for her blog 'What Ali Wore.' The Tumblr blog, styled after the popular fashion photograhy blog, The Sartorialist, features just Ali and his impeccable taste in clothes. In an interview with German website Spiegel.de, the photographer explains how Ali caught her eye as he passed by the cafe where she works wearing a new ensemble every day. Her daily snapshots of his ever-alternating outfits evolved into a full-blown photo project. Click through to see the photos and a link to Zoe's blog. (via Spiegel.de)

Transcend has released a 64GB microSDXC Ultra-High Speed Class 1 (UHS-I) memory card. The card offers data transfer speeds of up to 45MB/s (300x), and an ability to store more than 10,000 hi-res JPEG images (6MB file size) or 16 hours of 1080p HD videos. It also includes a free copy of the company's RecoveRx software to recover deleted or lost files. The memory card is available for $109. Click through for the press release.

If you strive for postcard-perfect images to document your travels, Picfari may pique your interest. Available via a website or as a free iOS app for mobile devices, Picfari offers photo maps of various tourist attractions around the world with easy access to EXIF data to help inform your take on the perfect shot of the landmarks. Users can pick from a curated Picfari photo tour featuring geotagged Flickr photos, or build their own tour using Picfari's library of images along with their own uploaded photos. Read more about the app at connect.dpreview.com.

We've just added three pages of studio test data to our preview of the Fujifilm X100S, following the publication of a gallery of real-world samples, last week. The X100S is the successor to the popular X100, and offers a fixed 35mm (equiv.) F2 lens, and a version of Fujifilm's APS-C format X-Trans sensor with hybrid phase-detection AF. A host of other, smaller improvements should make the X100S a considerably more appealing camera than its predecessor. Click through for a link to the updated preview to see for yourself how it compares to its peers in our studio. 

Sigma has announced a delay in the shipping of its new USB dock for lenses and 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM lens for Canon that was expected to retail this month. According to the company, this delay is due to supply issues of the parts. Announced 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. Sigma has not given details about when it will start shipping the products.

SLR Magic has announced its Monster Lens II spotting scope for Micro Four Thirds cameras. The optic mounts directly on the camera body, allowing users to shoot distant images, commonly referred to as 'digiscoping'. The 12-36x50 ED lens gives an equivalent optical zoom range of 840-2,520mm and aims to keep image quality high with extra-low dispersion optics and multi-coated glass elements. It will be available from June 2013 at a suggested retail price of $799. Click through to to read more.

Bruce Livingstone, founder of iStockphoto (which has since been acquired by Getty Images), has launched Stocksy, an artist-owned stock photography co-operative. Under its licensing terms, photographers receive 50% of each royalty transaction. Each photographer also receives equity and is entitled to a share of the co-operative's annual profits. This launch comes hot on the heels of a recent and controversial deal between Getty Images and Google, in which Google Drive's image vault gives public access to over 5000 Getty images with very little compensation to the photographers.

We've just posted our review of Sony's NEX-6 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The NEX-6 brings a much-requested mode dial and ISO standard hot shoe to Sony's mirrorless lineup, and also adds a Hybrid AF system, Wi-Fi, and downloadable 'apps'. The NEX-6 also features a 16MP CMOS sensor, articulating LCD, XGA OLED electronic viewfinder, and fun point-and-shoot features like Sweep Panorama and various automatic modes. Click through to read our full review of what may be the most rounded NEX yet.

Samsung has announced that its NX300 mirrorless camera will be available in both US and European markets by the end of this month as a kit with the 20-50mm lens for $749.99 and £599 respectively. The 3D-capable camera is built around a 20MP sensor, 3.3" OLED screen and built-in Wi-Fi. The kit will also include a free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 editing software. The company has also announced that the 45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens will be available at the same time for $499.99. There is currently no information about its European price.

A photographer has been reunited with her Canon PowerShot camera, six years after losing it in the ocean off Hawaii. The camera, which was in a waterproof housing, drifted for thousands of miles to the coast of Taiwan, where it was picked up by an employee of China Airlines. The airline identified its owner, Lindsay Scallan of Georgia, USA from photos on the memory card. Click through for pictures and more details (Hawaii News Now via Petapixel)

Russian photographer Vitaly Raskalov, known on the web for his 'skywalking' exploits in which he scales man-made structures (without authorization) has added Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza to his list of conquests. And, as is his custom he has posted photos taken atop of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Raskalov and his companions managed to hide from armed guards and climb the pyramid undetected at night. Climbing the Great Pyramid is illegal of course but you can click through to see the images Raskalov captured. (via Daily Mail)

A rare set of photos taken by an amateur photographer of the Beatles' 1965 concert at the Shea Stadium, New York have been sold at an auction for £30000 (~ $47000). Photographer Marc Weinstein used a fake press pass to get a spot next to the stage. According to Weinsten, the only other photographer present at the show ran out of film during the concert. Weinstein's 61 pictures fetched £30,680, compared with a pre-sale estimate of £15,000-£20,000. Click through for some pictures and links to the full story on the BBC, and an Examiner.com interview from 2009.

We've just received a reviewable Nikon D7100, and have been lucky enough to get access to pre-release raw support from Adobe, which has allowed us to add Nikon's newest 24MP DSLR to our studio comparison database. We've also taken advantage of our first opportunity to shoot 'real world' images with the D7100 and its 18-105 kit lens at a range of ISO sensitivities. Click through for links to both the studio comparisons and real-world samples gallery. 

Canon Singapore has launched a 'Try and Buy' lens scheme allowing customers to borrow more than seventy of the company's EF and EF-S lenses at a fee for 48 hours. While a similar service is currently available globally to Canon Professional Services (CPS) members, Canon Singapore has opened this up for non-members as well. The service will start from March 28, 2013.

Google has announced the Nik Collection, a bundle of all six of Nik software's imaging plugins for $149, or 70% off the original price. Consisting of Dfine 2.0, Viveza 2, HDR Efex Pro 2, Color Efex Pro 4 Complete Edition, Silver Efex Pro 2, and Sharpener Pro 3.0, the collection uses a single installer which is compatible with Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom, and Apple Aperture. It's available now as a download from the Nik Software site for $149, with a 15-day free trial available. Google is also offering existing users of any Nik plugin the entire collection for free. Click through for more details on Connect.

Google has updated its Google+ social media app for both Android and iOS. The latest version of the iOS app adds some of the company's Snapseed app features including basic editing tools and a limited selection of filters. While the Android version doesn't offer the Snapseed features yet, like the iOS app it offers the ability to share location, and improves the way one can see images and interact through posts. Click through to read more about the updates at connect.dpreview.com.

DxO Labs has released version 8.1.4 of its DxO Optics Pro software. Both the Elite and Standard versions gain Nikon Coolpix P7700, Nikon 1 J3, Olympus XZ-2 iHS, and Panasonic DMC-GH3 support. The update also adds more than 200 lens and cameras combinations for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Sigma, Tokina, and Zeiss users. These modules join the existing list of over 11,000 combinations. Click through for the download link.

We've just posted our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note II on connect.dpreview.com. The Note II comes with a large 5.5-inch screen but is it just a phone for users who like it big or can it offer advantages over its smaller-sized siblings in the mobile imaging context? We did some finger stretches and then put the Note II to work as both an image capture and editing tool. Click through to go to the full review.

As part of our ongoing effort to make dpreview more useful, we've moved user reviews into the forum system. There are more than 40,000 user reviews on the site, and now you can create, post, view and comment on them directly from the forums. More after the jump...

The Smithsonian Magazine is calling on readers to vote in its 10th annual Reader's Choice Award. Voters can select their favorite photo from among 50 finalists. This year's contest received 37,600 entries from 112 countries. The Magazine's editors will also select winners for five additional categories - Altered Images, American Experience, Natural World, People and Travel. Voting is open through March 29, 2013. Click through for the link and to view some of the finalist's images.

Fujifilm has announced the Wi-Fi-enabled S8400W superzoom camera with 44x (24-1056mm equiv.) optical zoom lens. It features a 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor, 3 inch 460K dot LCD and an electronic viewfinder. The S8400W records 1080i60 video alongside stereo audio, and offers 10 fps continuous shooting speeds, 0.3 second auto-focus speed and manual exposure modes. Users can share images wirelessly via the 'Fujifilm Camera Application' app for iOS and Android devices. The camera will start shipping from May 2013 at a suggested retail price of $349.95.

Fujifilm has launched the XP200 rugged compact camera with built-in Wi-Fi. It is waterproof to a depth of 15m, shockproof for drops of up to 2m, freezeproof to -10°C and dust/sand proof. It is based around a 16MP CMOS sensor and 28-140mm equivalent lens. The camera's Wi-Fi capability allows users to share photos via the 'Fujifilm Camera Application' app for iOS and Android devices. The XP200 will be available in black, yellow, blue and red from May 2013 at a suggested retail price of $299.95 / £229.99.

Frustrated by size limitations when uploading images to Google+, photographer Trey Ratcliff discovered a way to get around the limitations, and upload original full-resolution photos. In a blog post, he has put together a step-by-step guide on how to do it, which involves using Google Drive - Google's cloud storage service - and sharing images directly from there to Google+. Click through to read about how - and why - he did it. (via Reddit)

We've just posted a hands-on preview of the Canon EOS 100D/Rebel SL1. Distinguished by its impressively small form factor, the 100D's 18MP CMOS sensor, 3" touchscreen LCD and 1080p30 video resolution will be familiar to followers of the Rebel series. Canon's hybrid phase/contrast detect AF system has been tweaked, however, to provide much greater scene coverage. Has Canon managed to maintain its customary handling experience in the smallest DSLR it has ever made? Click through to read our preview and find out.

We've just posted a hands-on preview of the Canon EOS 700D/Rebel T5i. Remarkably similar to its predecessor, the Canon 700D's new model number seems intended more to showcase the new 18-55mm STM lens than to highlight the new camera's few minor changes. Does the 700D remain a good choice for first-time SLR buyers? Click through to read our hands-on preview.

Canon has announced the EOS 100D/Rebel SL1, the world's smallest, lightest DSLR. It shares the 18MP resolution, DIGIC 5 processor, 3" touchscreen and 1080p30 video capability of the mirrorless EOS M. The camera does introduce much wider scene coverage of Canon's Hybrid AF system and shoots at up to 4 fps. The 100D has a recommended price of $799.99/£799 with the co-announced EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens.

Canon has moved early to replace last year's 650D/Rebel T4i with the 700D/T5i. Like its predecessor, the new camera has an 18MP APS-C Hybrid CMOS sensor with built-in phase-detection autofocus, a DIGIC 5 processor, a 9-point cross-type AF system, and Full HD movie mode. Among only a few minor changes, the Canon 700D is bundled with a new 18-55mm STM lens, which should offer better movie AF at a recommended price of $899.99/£849.

Nikon has said it will spend around ¥600m (around $6.3m) to establish a factory in Laos. The factory will conduct part of the production process for the company's entry- and mid-level DSLRs, with final assembly still taking part in the existing Ayutthaya plant in Thailand. The move aims to increase production capacity and help reduce costs, the company says. The announcement suggests all mass-market Nikons will still pass through Ayutthaya, where all production was halted for several months following a devastating flood in October 2011.

Canon has launched two SX series compact superzooms, the PowerShot SX280 HS and SX270 HS. The difference between the two is that the SX280 HS includes Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS, whereas the SX270 HS, which is not being announced by Canon USA, does not. Beyond that, both are 20x compact superzooms with 25-500mm equivalent image-stabilized lenses and 3 inch 460k dot LCD screens. Both feature 12MP back-lit CMOS sensors and the company's latest Digic 6 processor.