News / Reviews & Previews

We've just published a review of Panasonic's flagship super-zoom camera, the Lumix DMC-FZ200. The FZ200 goes back to its roots, offering a constant-aperture zoom range, like the FZs of old, but in most other respects it's similar to its well-regarded predecessor the FZ150. Features include a 12MP MOS sensor with a maximum ISO sensitivity of 6400, Raw shooting, and automatic panorama and HDR modes. We collaborated with Jeff Keller of the Digital Camera Resource Page to bring you this review of the FZ200 - click through to find out what we thought. 

We've just published our 23-page, in-depth review of the Nikon D600. Aimed at enthusiasts, the Nikon D600 offers a 24MP full-frame CMOS sensor and a 39-point AF system adapted from the D7000. In many other respects, it owes a lot to its considerably more expensive cousin, the 36MP D800. When we previewed the D600 we were impressed by its image quality and how many features it offers for the money. So how does it fare when put through our rigorous studio and real-world testing? Click through to find out.

The Kata Revolver-8 photo backpack's unique selling point is its roulette-style revolving lens compartment, which is designed to let you get access to your glassware in seconds, during a busy shoot. This backpack sits at the more expensive end of the camera backpack spectrum, so does its unique revolving design justify the price premium? Read our review to find out.  

Just Posted: Nikon D5200 in-hand preview. We've been able to spend some time with Nikon's latest mass-market DSLR - the 24MP D5200. At first glance it's nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor, the D5100, but beyond the sensor, it also gains the 39-point AF system and 2,016 pixel metering sensor from the D7000. This represents a significant step up for this class of DSLR. It also has the option to join the 'connected camera' set, with the option of a clip-on Wi-Fi unit. Is this enough to keep the D5200 relevant amongst its smaller mirrorless rivals?

We've had our hands on Canon's latest zoom, the EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM, for a couple of hours and prepared a quick preview. It's clearly designed primarily as a 'kit' lens for the EOS 6D, but of course will work just as well on Canon's other full frame bodies such as the EOS 5D Mark III, as well as APS-C cameras on which it will offer a 38-112mm-equivalent range. In our preview you can read more about the lens and its features, including its unusual macro function, and see how it compares in size to Canon's other L series standard zooms. 

Carbon fiber is recognizable by its distinctive 'woven' appearance and useful because of its impressive strength-to-weight ratio. This makes it a great choice for structures and products that need to be light and portable, but capable of supporting a lot of weight. For this reason, carbon fiber is all the rage in the high-performance world of motorcycles, cars, boats and also photography. Manfrotto's 290 Series is aimed at photographers on a budget. Should the Manfrotto 294 CF be on your shopping list? Find out in our review.

Just posted: Our review of Nikon's latest superzoom for its DX format SLRs, the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. In the first of our series of lens reviews produced in partnership with DxOMark, we take a look at the longest-range zoom currently made for any interchangeable lens camera system. By current standards it's large and heavy for its class, and expensive too, but does its imaging performance make this all worthwhile? Read our review to find out.

Just Posted: Our review of the Pentax K-30 16MP DSLR. The K-30 continues a Pentax tradition of building cameras around a strong photographer-friendly feature set. It may be less expensive than the much-loved K-5 but it gives up very little in terms of specification - it has a 100% viewfinder and a level of weather sealing unique at this point in the market. Nor does it skimp on software features, including intervalometer, distortion correction and image processing filters. So do these features add up to the perfect mid-level DSLR? Read our review to find out.

Updated: We've just added our resolution and menu pages to our hands-on preview of the Nikon D600. These latest pages have been added to the preview as we work towards the full review. Our final analysis of the D600's image quality will come later, but for now, click through to see for yourself how Nikon's newest 24MP DSLR performs against our resolution chart in both JPEG and Raw modes. 

Just Posted: Our Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 review. The latest of our collaborative reviews with Jeff Keller of The Digital Camera Resource Page is of Panasonic's enthusiast compact. The LX7 retains the bright lens and small body that have become the hallmarks of the series but adds more direct control than its forebears, including a dedicated aperture ring. Underpinning it all is a new 10MP CMOS sensor - moving on from the CCDs used in the LX5 and 3. Do all these changes help restore the Lumix to the top of the enthusiast compact pile? Read our review to find out.

Updated: We've just added a noise and noise-reduction page to our hands-on preview of the Nikon D600. We've got a production sample D600 in the office, and over the coming weeks we'll be adding test pages to the preview as we move towards the publication of a full review. Our final analysis of the D600's image quality will come later, but for now, click through to see for yourself how Nikon's newest DSLR measures up to its competitors in terms of noise in both JPEG and Raw mode. 

The Nimbus Cloud Dome is a plastic bell-shaped light diffuser designed to allow you to capture evenly-lit images of small objects using a smartphone. Aimed at avid eBayers, online jewelry retailers, Craigslisters and macro photographers, the Cloud Dome provides a surprisingly versatile - and very compact - solution for shooting small subjects with your phone. Click through for the full review. 

Just Posted: our preview of the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm F2.8 OIS. The 35-100mm F2.8 is Panasonic's second constant aperture zoom for Micro Four Thirds and is designed to cover the classic 70-200mm equivalent range. It does so in a relatively compact lens that matches the company's existing 12-35mm F2.8 bright standard zoom. The lens we have isn't ready for the rigors of studio testing, so isn't part of the relaunch of lens reviews just yet, but is 'final' enough for us to be allowed to publish a full-resolution samples gallery.

Just Posted: A quick review of the iPhone 5's camera. Apple might not have set out to make some of the most popular cameras on the planet with its iPhone range of smartphones, but that's exactly what has happened. The iPhone 5, Apple's latest model brings a larger screen, faster processor and redesigned camera compared to its predecessor. In this 5-page article we take a look at the iPhone 5's performance as a camera, including comparisons with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 in a range of different environments, video samples and a full gallery of 'real world' shots. Click through to read (and see) more.

Just Posted: Our quick review of the Manfrotto Solo VI DSLR holster bag. The Solo VI is Manfrotto's premiere holster-style bag, and Manfrotto claims it is big enough to accomodate a full-frame DSLR with a 100-400mm lens attached. The distinctive Solo VI belongs to Manfrotto's 'Stile' range of bags, but is there substance behind the stile? Click through to find out. 

Updated: We've just added studio comparison images and a gallery of 'real world' sample shots to our hands-on preview of the Nikon D600. Nikon's latest DSLR offers 24MP resolution and an FX format (full frame) sensor, and is Nikon's most affordable full-frame model yet. As well as studio comparison images shot at all ISO sensitivity settings in both JPEG and Raw capture modes, we've also added a new gallery of real-world samples taken using the 'kit' option AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm F3.5-4.5G ED VR zoom. Click through for links to the extra content. 

Low weight, portability and ease of use are not words and phrases used to describe the average mid-size tripod, but the Tamrac ZipShot is designed to satisfy all three requirements. Unlike conventional 'telescoping' leg tripods, the ZipShot is constructed of thin, circular aluminum legs that are segmented in four places and strung together via a hefty elastic band. When the two maroon safety bands are released, the tripod's legs will fall, snapping into place in an instant. Is this lightweight, easy-to-assemble tripod the answer to a travelling photographer's prayers? Read our quick review to find out. 

Just Posted: Our hands-on preview of Canon's enthusiast-grade full frame DSLR, the EOS 6D. The 6D features a newly-developed 20.2MP CMOS sensor and a magnesium alloy body. To distinguish it from the more expensive 5D Mark III, the 6D features a simpler, 11-point AF system with a single cross-type focus sensor. It also features a smaller, 97% coverage viewfinder. What do these, and a handful of other, omissions mean for the 6D and how to it match up to Nikon's D600? Read our hands-on preview to find out.

Just Posted: Our Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 preview. The GH3 builds on the success Panasonic had with its GH2. With more rugged magnesium alloy construction and a new 16MP sensor, it offers plenty for stills photographers but it's the video specifications that make it a stand-out. Panasonic has been asking video professionals what they wanted out of a camera. Is the GH3 the camera they've been asking for? Read our hands-on preview to find out.

Just Posted: Our hands-on preview of the Olympus PEN E-PL5 and PEN E-PM2. The two baby PENs, the Lite and Mini have done a good job of offering some of the least exensive mirrorless cameras on the market but have, until now, relied on an ageing 12MP sensor. Now the OM-D's 16MP sensor makes its way into both the latest PEN Lite (the E-PL5) and the PEN Mini (the E-PM2). They also gain touch screens and a series of other updates. Read our preview to find out more, which includes a small gallery of real-world samples from the E-PL5.