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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.

Lightroom CC and Lightroom 6 users should see the update automatically when they do an Update check. Adobe has fixed a slew of bugs that it introduced in LR6.2, as well as adding support for about a half-dozen new cameras, and several dozen lenses (including the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus). The pre-LR6.2 Import experience has also been restored, as the updated version wasn’t exactly a hit. As usual, the update is free to those with a current license or subscription.

This has been an amazing year for long-lens shooters. For those who don’t want to break the bank and their backs with the Nikon or Canon 200-400mm models, there are now four exciting new options (three of which are available to both Nikon and Canon shooters):

• Tamron 150-600mm lens (which we reviewed earlier this year) (about $1,070)
• Sigma 150-600mm Sports (about $2,000)
• Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary (about $1,100)
• Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 (about $1,400)

Before we dig into some of the details, having shot with these lenses, they are all pretty amazing for what they provide at this relatively low price point. They are all head-and-shoulders above the older generation super-telephoto zooms from these companies. However, they are also bigger and heavier than the classic 120-400mm and 150-500mm designs they largely supercede. Which lens is right for you will depend on your specific budget and needs, but I can easily recommend all of them as quality products that provide good value.

Sigma continues to roll out very-high-quality, professional-grade, lenses in its Art family. These lenses are super-fast, super-sharp, and reasonably priced for their features and image quality. The new, full-frame-ready, Sigma 20mm f/1.4 lens is available for pre-order on the B&H site for $900. It uses both “F-type” low dispersion glass and other low-dispersion glass technologies in its 15-element construction. Advanced lens coatings are also used. It has a hypersonic focus motor, and a minimum focusing distance of 10.9”. Like other lenses in the family, it can be tweaked using Sigma’s USB dock and software. A 9-bladed aperture helps ensure a smooth-looking bokeh. It will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F, and Sigma SA mounts.

Using a unique combination of computational imaging to combine images from 16 small sensors, and lenses that use mirrors to achieve long focal lengths in a thin package, startup Light has announced and demonstrated a 52MP camera about the size of a smartphone that features a 35mm-150mm optical zoom. You can read more details about it in the story I wrote for Extremetech.com, and I’m eagerly awaiting the point in the process where there are real units for review. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts about whether you’re likely to buy one of these, either at the pre-order price of $1300 or the retail price of $1700 when it ships in late summer 2016. Will you miss the zoom and focus rings on your DSLR, or the optical viewfinder, or be so glad to get rid of the weight and bulk that you’ll gladly trade them for a touchscreen?

For those have followed the ground-breaking Sony RX100 since it became one of the first and best cameras to fit a 1-inch sensor into a compact form factor, each new version is eagerly anticipated. The good news is that Sony has steadily improved the camera's features with each updated model.

Regular readers will know that I’m a fan of Think Tank’s now-discontinued Sling-O-Matic easy-access field pack. I love the way I can get at my camera and lenses in any situation without putting the bag down. That’s critical in many nature photography situations, including when in marshes or even in crowded public places. Fortunately, Think Tank has come up with a new bag that gives me much of this same freedom, while adding the versatility of being a true backpack – The Think Tank Trifecta 8 and Think Tank Trifecta 10. I field-tested a Trifecta 10 on my Alaska bear photo safaris this year, and was quite pleased…

 

I had so much fun with my DxO ONE in Africa, that I brought it half-way around the world with me to Alaska to use as my “grabshot” camera on my Brown Bear photo safaris. We had a cooperative mother bear with two cubs in a beautiful setting, that my big telephoto was never going to capture all in the same frame. So I quickly snapped this image, using only the DxO ONE. It was processed using my default “travel photo” preset and cropped & rotated to square up the horizon, and then downsized to 1920 pixels so I could upload it over our satellite link:

UK tripod maker 3 Legged Thing (3LT) has been around for awhile, but hasn’t attracted as much attention as some of its high-end competitors like Gitzo. I’ve been using 3LT’s Eddie Evolution Carbon Fiber model for a few weeks, including on safari in Africa, and have been very impressed. Not only is the build quality as good or better than any Gitzo I have used, but the feature set is remarkable. A single device can be a tripod or monopod, and the reversible center column make the Eddie very versatile. As with most travel tripods, the small carrying size relies on having a head that can fit between the legs of the tripod when they are folded back on themselves. My Eddie came with 3LT’s own AirHed 2 in a bundle. The head was as solid and usable as you can expect from such a small unit…

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…