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The Digital Photography Review Newsletter
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Thursday, November 7, 2019

Welcome to the 784th DPReview Newsletter

Even as 2019 draws to a close, the year still holds some surprises. This week saw major launches from all three members of the L-mount Alliance: new lenses from Panasonic and Sigma, and a new flagship mirrorless camera from Leica. You can read all about them via the links below.

Rather more quietly, Canon also launched a new camera this week - the EOS Ra is a variant of the EOS R specifically designed for astrophotography.


Hands-on: What you need to know about the new Leica SL2

It's been four years since the launch of the SL - Leica's first full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. The new SL2 updates its predecessor in every important way.

Read more about the Leica SL2

Canon unveils the EOS Ra, a full-frame mirrorless astrophotography camera

Updated: In a somewhat confusing turn of events, Canon has officially announced the EOS Ra, a version of its full-frame EOS R fine-tuned specifically for astrophotography.

Read about the Canon EOS Ra

All-new Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art coming to E and L-mount

Sigma has created an all-new 24-70mm F2.8 'Art' lens for owners of full-frame Sony and Panasonic/Leica/Sigma bodies.

Lean about Sigma's newest zoom lens

Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm F4 will debut in January for $1500

Panasonic is adding a constant-aperture wide-angle zoom to its L-mount lineup, touting the lens' lightweight build and compact size.

Check out Panasonic's new full-frame wide zoom

The Sony a6600 is (almost) a great camera for event photographers

Sony's a6600 has a lot going for it, but there's one big reason we wouldn't use it for events.

Read the full article

News updates
Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 7:57:00 PM GMT

As of the latest firmware updates for Panasonic's LUMIX S1R, S1, GH5, GH5S and G9 cameras, Profoto Connect and Profoto Air Remote TTL devices can now be used to remotely trigger various Profoto flash units.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 7:31:00 PM GMT

The HG-SCL6 battery grip adds a vertical shutter, dial controls and a second battery slot for doubling the battery life of the SL2.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 6:10:00 PM GMT

The latest version of the Google Camera app now includes astrophotography support for Google Pixel 2 and series devices.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 5:05:00 PM GMT

Xiaomi's latest flagship smartphone comes with impressive camera hardware specifications.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 3:33:00 PM GMT

By reverse-engineering drivers for more than 6,000 older devices, VueScan has ensured scanners around the world will continue to work despite macOS Catalina killing off 32-bit support.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

It's been four years since the launch of Leica's first full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, and the new SL2 updates its predecessor in every important way.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

We got our hands on Leica's new full frame SL2 prior to launch and we've been out and about in downtown Seattle, to bring you some first sample images.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

Chris and Jordan are off to Germany to try the new Leica SL2 at Leica headquarters. Will Chris get to keep a camera for his birthday? Will Jordan declare it the best Leica ever for video? Tune in to to get the answers to this and more.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

Leica's SL2 full-frame mirrorless camera is a big leap over the original SL, now offering a 47MP sensor, in-body image stabilization, 20 fps burst shooting and 4K video capture.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 7:00:00 AM GMT

Sigma has created an all-new 24-70mm F2.8 'Art' lens for owners of full-frame Sony and Panasonic/Leica/Sigma bodies. The lens has numerous special elements, an 18cm (7.1") minimum focus distance and weather-sealing.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 6:00:00 AM GMT

Panasonic's L-mount 70-200mm F2.8 pro-level zoom lens includes built-in stabilization for up to 7 stops of shake reduction. It will be available early next year for $2600.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 6:00:00 AM GMT

Panasonic is adding a constant-aperture wide-angle zoom to its L-mount lineup, touting the lens' lightweight build and compact size.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 6:00:00 AM GMT

Panasonic has announced a series of firmware updates for its S1, S1R, GH5, GH5S and G9. Perhaps the most significant being that the G9 gains most of the GH5's video capabilities.

Published Wednesday, November 6, 2019 4:20:00 AM GMT

Updated: In a somewhat confusing turn of events, Canon has officially announced the EOS Ra, a version of its full-frame EOS R fine-tuned specifically for astrophotography.

Published Tuesday, November 5, 2019 7:34:00 PM GMT

This first release candidate is the first time the public can play around with the latest version of Darktable, which brings with it new and improved features, as well as new camera support and plenty of bug fixes.

Published Tuesday, November 5, 2019 5:22:00 PM GMT

The lens is the latest in Irix's growing lineup of Cine lenses. No pricing or availability information is given, but considering the price of other lenses in the Irix Cine lineup, it's likely to retail for $1,300 or so.

Published Tuesday, November 5, 2019 3:11:00 PM GMT

Dropbox Transfer enables anyone to share files up to 100GB in size with optional password protection and expiration dates.

Published Tuesday, November 5, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

Sony's a6600, its high-end APS-C mirrorless camera, has a lot going for it: fast burst speeds, in-body stabilization and a huge battery. But there's one big reason we wouldn't use it for events, and it's something you just won't find in the spec sheet.

Published Monday, November 4, 2019 10:03:00 PM GMT

The UltraSharp 27 4K PremierColor Monitor has dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, a built-in colorimeter, 100-percent Adobe RGB coverage and enough USB ports for all of your peripherals.

Published Monday, November 4, 2019 8:01:00 PM GMT

Hoya's new Starscape filter helps to reduce the glare produced by the mercury and sodium vapor lights commonly found in cities.

Published Monday, November 4, 2019 7:37:00 PM GMT

In addition to a new mobile app and the release of Photoshop on iPad, Adobe also announced a number of new and improved features coming to Lightroom Classic CC Lightroom CC and Lightroom Mobile.

Published Monday, November 4, 2019 5:49:00 PM GMT

Adobe said Photoshop on iPad would be here by the end of the year and it is. Yes, there are a few details missing that will be added in the future, but by and large, this is the desktop version of Photoshop made for the touch- and gesture-based interface of iPads.

Published Monday, November 4, 2019 3:12:00 PM GMT

The app uses Adobe's Sensei AI technology to detect the subject matter in an image and intelligently select various filters (called lenses) that will apply artist-made edits to the photograph.

Published Monday, November 4, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

Lomography's forthcoming Metropolis film stock may not have been the right choice for a dog costume contest, but it works well for cityscapes.

Published Sunday, November 3, 2019 9:32:00 PM GMT

The patent application shows how active cooling would keep the flash head and LED lights inside a hybrid speedlight cool during intense operation.

Published Sunday, November 3, 2019 3:00:00 PM GMT

The 200mm F2 is a fast telephoto lens for Fujifilm's APS-C cameras. We took it out to photograph the US Navy's Blue Angels and hydroplanes screaming across the water at over 300 km/h.

Published Saturday, November 2, 2019 1:00:00 PM GMT

Can the Sony a7R IV persuade a staunch DSLR shooter to switch to mirrorless? Chris and Jordan pay a visit to friend and studio photographer Rene Michaud to test the camera out on some portraiture.

Published Friday, November 1, 2019 7:54:00 PM GMT

Roger and Aaron of Lens Rentals decided to test some of their gear for paranormal activity. Spoiler alert: Sennheiser gear is haunted, coffee machines are full of good vibes and Aaron is possessed. Oh, and the detection equipment is far from conclusive.

Published Friday, November 1, 2019 6:49:00 PM GMT

A leaked image of EXIF data appears to show the Leica M10 might soon come in a new Monochrom variation.

Published Friday, November 1, 2019 5:31:00 PM GMT

The Mi Note 10 will likely be the first penta-camera smartphone to market. It's expected to be officially introduced on November 14, 2019.

Published Friday, November 1, 2019 3:32:00 PM GMT

With close to 60,000 images submitted from around the globe, Red Bull Illume is the world's largest adventure and action sports imagery contest. Here are a few semi-finalist highlights.

Published Friday, November 1, 2019 1:00:00 PM GMT

The Epson V600 is a reasonably priced scanner aimed at analog film shooters. It's fairly easy to operate and capable of decent image quality, but still easily bested by scans from our local photo lab.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 7:12:00 PM GMT

Sure, it's not overly elegant, but it's convenient and makes the most of the iPad's new functionality.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 7:02:00 PM GMT

Sometimes practical effects can yield the best results. Here are a few to get you started and hopefully inspire you to come up with a few more.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 4:42:00 PM GMT

Samsung's out-of-this-world Galaxy promo stunt comes crashing down to Earth after only three solar days, sucking #Spaceselfie campaign stars into an embarrassing black hole.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

Tamron claims that its SP 35mm F1.4 lens is the finest it has ever produced. This week, Chris and Jordan put it to the test to see how it performs.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 2:00:00 PM GMT

The Tamron SP 35mm F1.4 can produce excellent images. But don't take our word for it – check out the sample photos from this week's episode of DPReview TV and judge for yourself.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 1:46:00 PM GMT

Nikon Japan says 58mm F0.95 S Noct lens pre-orders have exceeded expectations and as a result, it is ceasing pre-orders until production can catch up.

Published Thursday, October 31, 2019 1:21:00 PM GMT

As Canon promised earlier this month, the EOS RP now has a new firmware update that adds support for 24fps recording (and adds support for Canon's impending RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS lens.