Photo Review Reviews section

Pentax K-50

The Pentax K-50 was announced in June 2013 as a replacement for the popular K-30, which we reviewed in August 2012. It has a similar, weather-sealed, dust-resistant body but improved versions of the 16.3-megapixel APS-C sensor and PRIME M processor, which have been tweaked to reduce noise and minimise aliasing (‘jaggies’). New features include an extension of sensitivity to ISO 512,000 and support for Eye-Fi SD cards to enable users to share images and movie clips wirelessly.

FIRST LOOK: Olympus OM-D E-M1

The long-awaited sibling for the popular OM-D EM-5 has been announced today. The new OM-D E-M1 comes with some significant changes to both the body design and the interior components. In most cases, these will create a genuine stir among enthusiast photographers, many of whom have invested in Olympus bodies and lenses because of their small size, light weight and superior optical performance. However, owners of the E-M5 may have some reservations about the changes to the user interface.

Sigma DP2 Merrill

Although Sigma released the DP2 Merrill in early February 2012, we weren’t offered a review unit and ended up purchasing one after reviewing its ‘sister’ model the DP3 Merrill in June 2013. We were confident enough in Sigma’s consistent product quality and the imaging performance of the Foveon sensor and image processor (which are the same in all three DPx Merrill models) to acquire the DP2 Merrill with the objective of using it for landscape photography, capturing images in RAW+JPEG format and using and editing the X3F.RAW files for printing.

Canon PIXMA Pro-10

The PIXMA Pro-10 sits in the middle of three A3+ printers that were initially announced by Canon at Photokina 2012. Designed primarily for photo enthusiasts, it uses the same Lucia inks as the higher-specified PIXMA Pro-1, which we reviewed in January 2012, but with one grey tank instead of the Pro-1’s three grey inks.

Olympus PEN E-P5

This review supplements the detailed ‘First Look’ at the PEN E-P5, which we published in the May issue of Photo Review Magazine. Equipped with the same 16-megapixel sensor and TruePic VI image processing engine as the OM-D E-M5, the E-P5 is targeted at photographers who want high image quality, the convenience of interchangeable lenses and integrated Wi-Fi for sending images and movie clips from the camera to smart-phones and/or tablet PCs.

Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens

The EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is the latest addition to Canon’s two dedicated EF-M mount lenses for the EOS M, which launched with the company’s first compact system camera in July 2012. Unfortunately for our North American readers, it seems this lens will have a limited release and won’t be offered in the USA, where the EOS M hasn’t sold as well as expected (in line with other compact system cameras in that market).

Samsung NX300

Samsung’s NX300 was announced at CES at the beginning of January but wasn’t officially launched in Australia until 15 May and it took a while after that to reach retail stores. While physically this model resembles the NX200 of 2011 (which we didn’t review), it comes with a new Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) system and the ability to shoot 3D photos and movies with Samsung’s new 45mm f/1.8 2D/3D lens.