News / Reviews & Previews

Just Posted: Our in-depth review of the Canon EOS 6D. Announced last autumn, the 20MP EOS 6D is Canon's newest full-frame camera, offering a cut-down feature set compared to its big brother the 5D Mark III, but at a more affordable price. The 6D has some unique tricks up its sleeve though, including built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, as well as a super-sensitive central AF point capable of focusing in extremely low light. Is the 6D the budget-friendly full-frame DSLR that Canon enthusiasts have been waiting for? Click through to read our full 25-page review. 

CP+ 2013: The show was a bit short on high-end camera launches, but the Olympus Stylus XZ-10 - a small-sensor camera with a good degree of manual control - generated a lot of interest. We got a chance to get our hands on a pre-production unit and were talked-through its Photo Story feature, as well as having a good dig through the menus to see what it's capable of. Click here to read our first impressions.

We've just posted our review of the Nikon Coolpix S800c, in collaboration with Jeff Keller of The Digital Camera Resource Page. The S800c was the first compact camera from a major manufacturer to openly use the Android mobile operating system when it was released last year. On one side it's a 16MP BSI-CMOS compact camera with a 10x, 25-250mm lens built in, on the other it's a 3.5" OLED touchscreen device running Android 2.3. Click through for a link to the full review. 

Just Posted: an extensive update to our Sony NEX-6 preview. The NEX-6 is an enthusiast level mirrorless camera that features the high-resolution OLED viewfinder we first saw on the NEX-7 and builds on the capabilities that appeared on the recent NEX-5R. Click through for a link to the expanded preview, including six new pages of test data. We'll be adding more pages as we work towards the publication of our full review. 

We've just posted an extra six pages to our Canon EOS 6D coverage including data and analysis from all our key tests. We're working towards completing our review and wanted to publish this information as we know a lot of readers are interested in this camera. We've had the camera in the office for a couple of weeks and have used this time to expand our impressions of the camera. This will be the last update before the full review is published very soon.

Just Posted: Our review of the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Canon's latest superzoom, the SX50, features a 24-1200mm (equivalent) lens and a feature set that compares well to its competition, in what is now one of the most competitive segments of the compact camera market. Specifications include a 12MP CMOS sensor, 2.8" fully-articulated LCD screen, Raw capture and full manual control. Is this the travel camera enthusiasts have been waiting for? Read our review - created in collaboration with Jeff Keller of The Digital Camera Resource Page - to find out. 

CES 2013: We got a chance to get our hands on a near-to-production example of Fujifilm's X100S, to fill-in the details we couldn't cover in our preview. The button layout of the camera is now finalized and the camera's focus and manual focus systems are fully working (and rather impressive), so read our hands-on article to find out how big a difference that little 'S' makes.

Just posted: Our hands-on first look at the Fujifilm X100S. Fujifilm's update of its large sensor, fixed lens X100 adds significant upgrades, including a 16MP X-Trans CMOS sensor with on-chip phase detection AF, a higher resolution LCD display in its unique Hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, and the company's latest user interface. But there's a whole host of smaller improvements too, which promise to iron out many of the X100's particular quirks. In our first look preview, we take a detailed look through what's changed compared to its predecessor.

Just posted: Our hands-on preview of Fujifilm's updated enthusiast zoom compact, the X20. Using the same basic design as X10, including its fast 28-112mm equivalent F2-2.8 zoom lens, the X20 uses a completely new sensor, a 2/3"-type version of the X-Trans CMOS design used in the company's X-system cameras, but with added on-chip phase detection AF. It also gains an 'Advanced Optical Viewfinder' that's capable of displaying overlaid exposure information, and a couple of design tweaks to take better advantage of this. In our preview we take a closer look at what the X20 has to offer the enthusiast photographer.   

Just Posted: Our hands-on preview of the Pentax MX-1. The enthusiast sector has become so vibrant that our pre-Christmas roundup included nine cameras. Not wanting to be left out of the action, Pentax-Ricoh has launched its own 12MP camera with a 1/1.7" sensor - the MX-1. As well as a slightly familiar-looking 28-112mm equivalent, F1.8-2.5 zoom lens, the MX-1 takes the unusual step of including brass top- and base-plates - meaning its classic looks should become even more pronounced as it ages. Read on to find out more.

CES 2013: Canon's PowerShot N, with its 'either way up' design and Creative Shot processing filters, is one of the most unusual cameras we've seen for some time. Canon's talking about it as a companion to a smartphone, and to this end it includes Wi-Fi connectivity and the ability to upload photos and videos to social media. We've had the chance to handle one briefly, and have prepared a quick first impressions article to give an idea of how it works.

The Kata Digital Rucksack 467-DL is the flagship model in the company's new D-Lite backpack range, which is geared towards the 'on-the-go amateur' photographer. It packs in a lot of features, including space for a full DSLR kit and 17in laptop at a reasonable price. If you're in the market for a backpack that will get you through most shoots without breaking the bank, then the 467-DL might be for you. Read our review for more details. 

Earlier this year Sigma outlined a new vision for its product line-up, with lenses to be split into three categories: Contemporary, Sports and Art. The 35mm F1.4 DG HSM is the first release in the latter, and is designed to offer a relatively affordable alternative to the camera manufacturers' equivalents. It works on both full frame and APS-C cameras, and will be available in mounts for all major brands. In our latest review in partnership with DxOMark, we take a detailed look at how it performs, including test data from all of its closest competitors to see how it measures up. Click through to find out what we thought.

The holiday season is upon us once again and with all the sales and special deals around at the moment, this is a great time to start thinking about getting a new camera. Maybe for a loved one, maybe just as a treat to yourself. In this article, we'll be looking at the current field of enthusiast zoom compact cameras, and examining their relative strengths and weaknesses to help you make your buying decision. Click through for a link to our 12-page article.

Just Posted: Our review of the Sony Alpha SLT-A99. The A99 is Sony's flagship SLT camera - featuring a 24MP full-frame sensor and dual AF system, along with the level of build and direct control you'd expect from a range-topping model. We've put the A99 through its paces in a variety of situations, including an investigation of how its AF depth control performs in challenging shooting conditions. We've also looked at the advantages the SLT system and articulated screen bring to a camera at this level, as well as looking at their downsides. Click here to find out what we concluded.

Just Posted: an extensive update to our Fujifilm X-E1 preview. With a sensor and imaging pipeline that is identical to the X-Pro1's the X-E1 promises much of the X-Pro1's fun in a more compact and affordable package. We've been working with a production sample X-E1 for a couple of weeks and we've been working towards a full review, which we hope to publish early in the new year. In the meantime we've added seven pages to the preview, including our studio test shots and a sample gallery. Click through for a link to the expanded preview, including our 49-image real-world sample gallery. 

Just Posted: Our review of the Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD, prepared in partnership with DxOMark. In the last of our mini-series examining superzoom lenses for SLRs, we take a look at how Tamron's contender compares to its Sigma and Nikon counterparts that we reviewed recently. This type of all-in-one travel and 'walkaround' lens is enduringly popular, but how does this two-year-old design stand up against its brand-new competitors?

Just Posted: an extensive update to our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1 preview. We've been working away towards a review of the RX1 that we received recently. With its full frame sensor and 35mm F2 lens, it's a camera that's generated a lot of excitement amongst photographers, so we wanted to publish more detail of its performance and behavior. We've added eight pages to the preview, including more detail about its handling and interface as well as our studio test shots, a sample gallery from the production camera and our first impressions of shooting with it.

Just Posted: Our Canon PowerShot G15 review. The G15 is one of the latest wave of updated enthusiast compact cameras and it follows this season's trend of gaining a brighter lens and CMOS sensor in the process. It still offers a 28-140mm equivalent lens range but its maximum aperture range has been pushed to F1.8-2.8 - a whole stop faster, throughout its range, than the older G12. It's lost that camera's flip-out screen but has lost bulk in the process and has retained that rarest of things - an optical viewfinder. Will this makeover of the G-series formula be enough to win back its place at the top of the heap? Read our review to find out.

Just Posted: Our review of the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM. The latest version of Sigma's stabilized superzoom is smaller and lighter than the existing non-macro version, yet is able to add improved close-focus performance, helping it compete with the similarly-sized Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 VC PZD. These long-range all-rounders are a popular choice, so we've had a look at how Sigma's latest performs. We've also added DxOMark's test data for a selection of its competitors, to give a sense of context.