Camera Body

Almost every photographer I know wishes their camera was smaller and lighter. But of course they don’t want to give up speed or features. This is particularly true with those of us clinging to our DSLRs, but constantly eyeing the mirrorless category for new models, as they creep up on our larger cameras in capability. With the launch of its Sony a6300, yet another set of barriers to moving to mirrorless have come down. I’ve been shooting with one since its launch and while I’ll be doing a more-detailed review, I wanted to get my preliminary thoughts out.

If you really need a 30x zoom (roughly 24mm-720mm in full-frame equivalent terms) that will fit in your shirt pocket, the Sony HX80 might fit the bill. It has the usual nicely-speced Sony electronics, backing up its relatively-small 18MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support Adobe RGB, and it doesn’t support RAW, so it’s not likely to be the right solution for you. If you don’t need the 30x zoom, you’re also better off getting a similar-sized model that does have those features, like the Canon G9 X (for a similar price). You can pre-order the Sony HX80 now from B&H for $350, and it is expected to ship in mid-April.

We’ve written a lot before about the best of the best in point and shoots – typically a tight race between models like the Sony RX100 IV, Canon G5 X, and Lumix LX100. Now, Nikon wants a piece of the action. Today it introduced a new family of cameras – DL for Digital Lens – that offer a range of zoom options to meet a variety of needs. You can read more about the Nikon DL18-50, Nikon DL24-85, and Nikon DL24-500 in my article on Extremetech.com. You can pre-order the cameras from B&H at $846.95 for the Nikon DL18-50, $646.95 for the Nikon DL24-85, and $996 for the Nikon DL24-500 – although B&H doesn’t expect them to be available until late June.

If you asked me to write down by dream specs for a mirrorless camera, they’d look a lot like those of the newly announced Sony a6300. It surpasses not just all similar Sony models, but all other compact-size mirrorless cameras on the market – in many cases by leaps and bounds. Let’s go over its breakthroughs…

Up until now, the choice for best point and shoot was tricky – none of the three leading cameras had everything. The Canon G7 X got top marks for image quality and has a good zoom range, but no viewfinder. The Sony RX100 IV sort-of-has a viewfinder (it is a small pop-up), but has a limited zoom range and is a little lower-scoring on image quality. The somewhat older Lumix LX100 is also a worthy competitor, but its larger size isn’t justified by image quality or features. Canon has finally broken the logjam with its new Canon G5 X. This new model adds an excellent Electronic ViewFinder (EVF) and a hot shoe for an add-on flash. There are also some other, smaller, updates to video recording formats and other features, but the EVF and hot shoe are clearly the headline here.

I got to shoot with both the new Nikon D5 and Nikon D500 at CES, and they are each amazing in their own way. For no-holds-barred shooting performance the Nikon D5’s 14fps (12fps for up to 200 frames of RAW) and borderline-insane 3,000,000 ISO capability can’t be beat. But at over $6K and 3 pounds, with “only” 21MP of resolution, it certainly won’t be for everyone. It’s certainly the camera of choice for big-budget (and big backpack) wildlife and sports photographers, along with photojournalists who can deal with the size in exchange for unheard of low-light performance.

As regular readers know, I’ve been having a lot of fun shooting with a DxO ONE alongside my more-traditional DSLR and compact cameras over the last few months. Until now, the software and firmware have been pre-release versions, so I haven’t been able to take you through them in as much detail as I would have liked, or post sample RAW and SuperRAW images. Now that the ONE is starting to ship that’s all changed, so here’s a more thorough look at the camera and its companion software. More importantly, here are some of the first real RAW and SuperRAW images that are available for you to evaluate on your own. #dxoone

For the last couple months I’ve been traveling with both a DxO ONE (that fits in my shirt pocket) and a Sony RX100 IV (that barely fits in a cargo pocket). I’ve had a lot of fun with both cameras. While they have very similar sensors, they are different in almost every other way. Since they are both likely to be popular choices for image lovers looking for the ultimate compact camera, here are my thoughts on the very new ONE (you can read my review of the Sony online), and how it contrasts with a traditional high-end point-and-shoot… #dxoone

No segment of the camera market has improved as quickly as the superzoom point and shoots. Originally more of a gimmick than a real tool, these tiny models are now quite capable of producing very usable images. However, to get their massive zoom ranges crammed into a few-ounce body means using a fairly small sensor. Likewise, electronics are limted by their weight and low price, so exposure, focus, and the EVF also suffer. To see what the new models are capable of, I brought along the new Lumix ZS50 with me to Africa on safari to field test (in addition to my primary Nikon D810 DSLR of course). For the most part I was pleasantly surprised with the results, but it certainly had some drawbacks as well…