Review

Sigma 24-105mm f4 Global Vision Lens Delivers the Goods in our Field Test

by David Cardinal

There is no question that Sigma has really upped its game with its new family of Global Vision lenses. I love the GV-version of the , and continue to feel it is the world’s . This month I’ve had the pleasure of shooting with its new on both a and a . The short version is that the lens lives up to the Global Vision brand, but read on to see whether it might be the right mid-range zoom for you:


It’s not heavy, it’s my Nikon D4S

With apologies to various rock legends for ripping off their song title, that’s how I felt after shooting a concert yesterday with a review . I wanted to stress the low-light shooting capability of the camera, so I deliberately brought a slower zoom (my really handy ). That allowed me to be a little more maneuverable in the crowd, but forced me to bump my ISO way up. I picked ISO 25600 (I probably could have survived with half that, but I wanted to really push the envelope). In any case, the delivered in three really major ways:

Lightroom goes mobile: Hands-on with Lightroom for the iPad

Lightroom mobile displays each of your albums in a pleasing grid that you can use to select an image to work withAdobe has taken Lightroom mobile, announcing a highly simplified version for the iPad that syncs seamlessly with your main computer’s Lightroom collections. It is well-designed and a joy to use. I’ve been working with it for the last week, and have posted my . Frankly, the tablet I carry every day isn’t an iPad (it’s a Samsung Note 10.1 2014 Edition), but Lightroom mobile is one of the first apps that’s tempted me to bring an iPad along as well. It’s free to get started for anyone with a Creative Cloud or Photographer Program subscription from Adobe (you will need one of those, unfortunately for folks who’ve been buying Lightroom a la carte).

New Nikon 1 V3: Will you pay for a full-featured, full-priced, small-sensor camera?

Nikon’s compact interchangeable lens camera line, Nikon 1, has met with decidedly mixed success. Its small-size, extensive features, and reasonable pricing have made it a popular backup or “pocket-size” alternative to a full-size DSLR. However, Nikon’s choice of a relatively-small 1” sensor in the cameras has reduced their image quality to that of a high-end point and shoot (like the Sony RX-100, that features the same size sensor). Now Nikon has decided to push its luck a little further, with the same small sensor packaged into the new, feature-rich


Tylt Tunz: Handy portable speaker & charger for photographers

Like many photographers, I rely on my portable speaker when I travel. When giving slideshows, it adds punch to the soundtrack compared to my laptop – and I can place it someplace more central instead of where I happen to be standing. When I’m in the field, there are times when we also use bird calls (only on private ranches, in a very limited way, with non-threatened species!), and having a remote speaker is a must. Recently, I’ve been working with a cool, new one from Tylt – the – that also combines a battery pack you can use to recharge your phone…

Sony NEX-3N: Pushing APS-C mirrorless pricing to $350 with lens

Sony Alpha NEX-3N Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Black)As if point and shoot cameras weren’t having enough trouble, Sony is now selling a mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor for $350 with a 16-50mm lens. The features a 16MP sensor and BIONZ image processor. You can jack the ISO up to 16000 (although with noise of course) and it shoots 60 fps video at 1080i.  

Sony DSC-QX100 ‘Smart Lens’: Product in search of a purpose

Sony DSC-QX100 Digital Camera Module for SmartphonesFeaturing an excellent 1” sensor and Zeiss f/1.8 zoom lens packed into a solidly-made black metal cylinder, the is a nice piece of hardware. Unfortunately awkward ergonomics and seriously deficient software leave it adrift as more of a curiosity or a niche product than any type of segment-defining breakthrough. Let’s look at what it does right, and wrong, and whether it still might be in your future…

Hands-on with Photoshop’s new Perspective Warp: For when you can’t fit a ladder in your pocket

Sometimes you just can’t be where you want to get the right angle on a shot. Or maybe you thought you were, but later you need to use the photo in a different way and want to move your perspective around. Photoshop has always offered some tools to do that, but today Adobe added a powerful new one – Perspective Warp. Using it you can shift the apparent point of view of an image around, even creating combinations of perspectives that could never have been captured in a single photo…

Hands-on with the retro Nikon Df DSLR: Great fun in an awkward package

Nikon Df DSLR Camera with 50mm f/1.8 Lens (Silver)I’ve been shooting almost exclusively with the DSLR for the last month. When I crouch behind the retro-styled body and snap off shots that will be captured on the excellent D4 sensor, I feel like it could be the ultimate street photography camera. It is quick enough (5.5 fps), has world-class image quality, and is about half the size and weight of a . Besides, I figure it looks cool, and I certainly get some odd glances as if to say “is that a film camera you’re using?” My euphoria lasts until I need to change a setting. That’s where the retro design gets in the way. Read on and I’ll help you decide if the needs to be in your camera bag or in your collection…

ThinkTank Retrospective 7: Finally a field-worthy modern camera bag that doesn't look like a camera bag

Think Tank Photo Retrospective 7 Shoulder Bag (Pinestone)Happy 2014, everyone. I wanted to start the year off right, so for our first review I’m covering a really slick camera bag I had the pleasure of using for nearly a month on my Southeast Asia photo tour. (If you’re in Las Vegas, you’ll see me with it at CES next week too). It is the new , although many of the points in the review apply equally well to its siblings like the , or the

DxO Optics Pro 9: Does it have the best image noise reduction ever?

In the bad old days of early DSLRs, noise reduction was a vital piece of every workflow. With modern DSLRs, and even many smaller cameras, low-noise is the norm for most sensors in most conditions. But no matter what camera you have, there comes a time when you have to push its limits and bump up the ISO until you get visible noise. That’s when a high-quality noise reduction tool is a must.

Creating pro-quality slideshows on the go with Proshow Web

As regular readers know, I’ve been putting together the pieces of a easy-to-travel-with “digital darkroom” based on a tablet and software. I’ve written about how a tablet with Photoshop Touch can do a , but was still missing a good solution for creating awesome slideshows without a computer. Fortunately, Photodex, makeers of my favorite desktop slideshow software , has been hard at work at an excellent version you can use over the web.

Weye-Feye: Performance wireless camera control at a reasonable price

As a Nikon shooter, I’ve been both tantalized and frustrated for nearly a decade with Nikon’s on-again, off-again approach to WiFi connectivity for its DSLRs. The original WT-1A was an expensive boat anchor in practice. Four generations later, the is a huge improvement, but it is $570 and only works with the $6K . Those with lesser cameras like the or benefit from the incredibly small, inexpensive . It’s fun for remote shooting, but is crippled – deliberately or just because of its limited hardware – in not offering remote focusing or camera setting adjustments. Fortunately there is now a middle ground…

Sony a7R: World-class image quality in a small package rivals Nikon D800

For the last year, the (and especially the ) have reigned as the highest-scoring camera in DxO’s extensive and widely-cited tests. For those willing to carry the moderately large 2.2 pound camera, and shell out $3K to buy one, you get massively sharp, colorful 36MP images. However, the is threatening to knock the off its pedestal…

Nikon Df: Retro design DSLR packed with performance

Nikon’s poorly kept secret of its classicly-lined Df photo-only DSLR is finally out in the open. The , harkening back to Nikon’s flagship “F"-Series” pro SLRs is now available for pre-order, and the specs are head-turning. It isn’t for everyone, but serious street photographers, classic photojournalists, collectors, and hobbyists should take a look.

. If you decide to buy, you can pre-order in either or for $2750, or in or for $3000 from B&H. 

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