Read any of the stories published on this site, and they should surprise you in some way. They should raise questions as you read. Read ”Death by Scrabble”, ”The Woman Under the Thames”, or ”Death Comes for Simon.” These stories lack predictability. They feel fresh and a bit surprising.

Publishable creative writing submissions are well crafted. From the beginning the stories implant a question in the reader’s mind that gives him or her a reason to keep reading. The traditional way to accomplish this is by giving the character an overriding need or goal. When readers know that the character needs or wants something, they will want to know if the character succeeds. They become invested in the outcome. The stronger the goal, the better the story. Throughout the middle of the story, the character normally pursues this goal while facing complications that prevent immediate gratification.

These setbacks, however subtle, cause readers to unconsciously root for the character. This identification with the character’s need makes the story interesting. The story ends when the character either succeeds or fails to get what he or she so badly wanted, again as a result of something readers could not have predicted.

Publishable creative writing submissions are well edited. Ideally, the story has been tightened so that not a single word can be removed without hurting the meaning. When you finish a story, try cutting the story by one-half. That’s right, remove 50% of the words. Most inexperienced writers think this is impossible. But challenge yourself. If you don’t like the result, you still have the original, but you will be surprised at how much you can shrink the work, and at how much the deletions improve the final product. Look for:

1. Lazy or Passive verb constructions (it is, there was, was done, etc.)
2. “Is going to” (use will)
3. Word repetition
4. Unnecessary words (sit down, stand up, thought to himself, mumbled quietly, etc.
5. Excessive adjectives, particularly in “strings” such as “the bulky, red, warm parka” Divide adjectives into separate sentences. E.g. The bulky parka left him feeling too warm. His face had gotten as red as the parka’s nylon shell.

For more examples of what to remove, see: Creative Writing Tips

What Will Hinder Publication

If you want your creative writing submissions to see print, read the publisher’s guidelines.

Read the stories already published. You can learn a lot about an editor’s preferences by reading what has already been published. Are the stories easy to read, or highly intellectual? Is humour acceptable? What type of humour? What length are the successful stories? What is the tone of the narrative —intellectual, tongue-in-cheek, personal, confessional? You’ll find patterns in the most eclectic mix, if you look for them.

Do not make contact with a publisher after you submit. Publishers almost always make it clear when you will hear back from them about your creative writing submissions. Read the guidelines!

Do not contact a publisher after you have been rejected. Publishers wish they had time to explain to every hopeful writer what would improve rejected work, but of course they can’t. To contact the publisher and ask why your creative writing submissions were rejected is unprofessional and marks you as an amateur. It puts the publisher in an uncomfortable position, and makes you someone to avoid in the future. If you want to know if your work has problems, consult a writing mentor, a writer-in-residence, or a writing group.

Do not complain to the publisher that your rejected creative writing submissions are better than the stories the publisher chose. This makes you memorable in the wrong way, and you will destroy any chance of working with the editor in the future, at this magazine or at any other.

Do not read too much into a rejection. Publishers choose stories according to their taste, which is not universal, and they reject stories for many, many reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the writing. They may have overshot their budget for the month. They may have received such high quality submissions that yours took a backseat despite its publishable quality. The publisher may have a backlog of submissions or may have published a similar story not long ago.

Review a rejected story with a fresh eye, improve it if you can, and send it out again, over and over, until it finds a home.

If there is one constant in the ever-changing online search environment, it is Google’s continual charge to test and innovate the search engine experience. With each feature update to the leading search engine, the way users interact with Google search results changes. Online marketers must understand how these changes to search results relate to their industry—whether it is financial services or consumer products and retail—and ensure their paid search and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies remain relevant and forward-looking. It is for this reason, to continually inform strategy and test the status quo, that Rosetta’s Search & Media Innovation Lab Team conducted an google eye tracking study, which evaluated how search behavior evolves with various iterations of Google’s changes.

Utilizing Rosetta’s advanced, in-house Usability Lab, Rosetta performed a qualitative eye tracking test over a 2-day period, aimed at evaluating how users interact with a set of recent Google search updates. The study revealed the following key insights:

• Search behavior is minimally influenced by Google Instant
• The Preview Pane feature increases importance of post-click experience
• Images and videos in search engine results attract user attention
• Local Search plays a significant role in search queries lower in the purchase funnel
• The Google Autocomplete feature is widely used by searchers

Findings

Search Behavior is minimally influenced by Google Instant

Background: Google Instant launched in September of 2010, promising a faster and more user-friendly search experience. The feature provides results instantly as users enter their search query.

Findings: A significant majority of testers did not engage with Google Instant while entering their desired search query. The eye tracking results showed users either focused primarily on the search bar or did not engage with the screen at all by looking down at the keyboard. The minority of users who leveraged the Instant results seemed to do so when they could not recall the brand name they were searching for.

Impact & Implications: When Instant launched, a variety of predictions were made on how the new feature would impact SEO and paid search. In some instances it was predicted that a user may not complete a search query, if what the user was searching for appeared on the search engine results page (SERP) before the query was complete. For paid search, some were concerned about the impact on impressions, quality score and ultimately cost-per-click. Rosetta’s test demonstrated that the lack of user engagement in the changing results neither shortens search queries nor threatens the budget of paid search campaigns. Based on these findings, Search Marketers’ SEO and PPC strategies are not impacted by Instant. However, it should be noted one user did leverage the Instant results when he had trouble recalling the specific brand he was searching for. This emphasizes the importance of ranking well for brand and brand modifier terms/keywords in both organic and paid listings.

The above gaze plot image demonstrates how a tester interacted with Google Instant as they entered their search query. The larger the circle, the greater the amount of time the tester’s eyes spent on that particular portion of the page. Lines between circles show how the eyes scanned the page.

The Preview Pane feature increases importance of post-click experience

Background*: In April 2011, Google launched Google Instant Preview. This feature shows a visual preview of search results. Users can now click on a magnifying glass – which appears next to each search result – to see a preview of the landing page of that particular result.

Findings: None of the users tested had used the Preview Pane before. A majority of users said they would use this feature now that they knew about it. A minority of users still did not fully understand what the Preview Pane did even after using it.

Impact & Implications: The results demonstrated that while feature adoption rate is still low, the benefit of the feature resonates with users. The findings reinforce the notion that a website must have a quality post-click experience to entice the user to stay and engage with the site. Previously, users only had the results position in organic search, the URL, and a few lines of text to determine if they should click. Now users have insight into the post-click experience, pre-click. Additionally, these results confirm the need for integration between SEO and user experience in website design to create an engaging experience for the user.

*Note: Since the completion of the Rosetta test, Google has since updated the Preview Pane feature to automatically pop up as users mouse over the results. This increases the importance of having a relevant landing page, so as not to lose users before they click.

The above gaze plot shows how a user engages with the Preview Pane. This particular image shows how a user engages with the preview of the post-click landing page and the importance of having an optimized and well-designed page for the post-click experience.

Images and videos in search engine results attract user attention

Background: As Google has continued to update the search engine results page (SERP), it has introduced video, images, products and news, among other feeds, to its search results page. This creates opportunities for companies to appear on the results page in a variety of ways. The introduction of these elements is commonly referred to as Universal Search Results.

Findings: Users reported that they prefer looking at results pages that include images, particularly those that appear in the shopping results portion of the results page. Although some of these users did not ultimately click on the image or shopping results, product image results did grab and hold the visual attention of the user.

Impact & Implications: With the advent of universal search results, companies have greater opportunities for related queries, as well as opportunities for taking up a larger portion of the search engine results page. These opportunities make it imperative to ensure strategic optimization efforts are implemented for all paid, earned, and owned marketing tactics (e.g.,  videos, images, and product feeds). While users in this study did not always click on the image results, the visual results still attracted significant attention. Additionally, not optimizing digital assets leaves room for competitors to occupy additional real estate on the results page. Retailers especially need to make product feed optimization a priority. Brand identification with product image through the shopping results image feeds creates an opportunity to both increase awareness as well as strengthen it.

The white area of the above focus map shows where users focused during the eye tracking test. Areas where users did not look are in black. The eye tracking test shows universal results are attracting users’ attention even though they do not always click on them.

Local Search plays a significant role in search queries lower in the purchase funnel

Background: Since its beta launch in 2004, Google Local has impacted the way users search. Users can now find information on local businesses within the search results instead of needing to leverage a phone book, Yellow Pages, or another source. Local listings are included as part of the universal search results but their impact is worthwhile to discuss separately.

Findings: During the test, when users entered search queries that triggered search engine results pages (SERPs) with local listings, rarely did they click on the location links in the primary SERPs even though the links corresponded to their placement in the map. However, most users stated that they do interact with the map when looking for a specific place. Participants are likely to use this feature when looking for a nearby store or branch of their bank close to their home. When asked to search for a new bank, several users mentioned they leverage the map to identify a bank that is local and accessible.

Impact & Implications: Local search results allow users to search for a business within their geographic region. Businesses can edit, create and manage their local business listings. For retailers, a strong local search presence allows their business to be accessible online and easily found when a customer is ready to find a store and make a purchase. Not having correct information, or simply not having a local presence, may prompt the customer to look elsewhere, potentially to a competing brand.
For a financial business, ensuring a bank’s local branches are properly optimized creates the opportunity to be found by current customers as well as potential new-to-bank customers looking for a local, accessible bank.

The heat map above shows users’ engagement with local results. Areas of dark red and orange represent sections of greater focus.

The Google Autocomplete feature is widely used by searchers

Background:  Google Autocomplete, an update to Google Suggest, was introduced in October of 2010. This feature automatically offers search query recommendations that align to the query being typed by the user in the search box.

Findings: Of the features tested, Google Autocomplete was most widely used by all participants. Users leveraged this feature to correct misspellings as well as to hone in on a specific search query. Some users mentioned that Google suggests more relevant search terms than those the users created on their own.

Impact & Implications: At this time, companies are not able to impact key terms that appear in Autocomplete. It is important for companies to understand that customers are using this feature and to have insight into what terms are appearing in the Autocomplete to address potential relationship management concerns and identify keyword opportunities. The suggested queries should be used to help inform keyword research components of both paid search and SEO strategies by offering suggestions to broad or header terms not initially assumed or found in preliminary research.  Keyword strategies should also be revisited frequently, given the influence Autocomplete has on consumers, and the ability for both consumers and Google to change preferences without notice.

The heat map above shows how intensely a user is looking at the suggestions in Autocomplete. Areas of dark red and orange represent sections of greater focus.

Test Methodology

The qualitative eye tracking test involved 11 participants—with 9 providing eye tracking results, and ranging in age from 19 to 55—who use the Internet on a daily basis and have previously made online purchases. Participants were asked to complete three primary tasks:

1. Find a new bank
2. Look for a new article of clothing to buy
3. Search for any item the user desired to purchase in the near-term

Users were then also given static images of predetermined search results to gauge a baseline of the impact of new features in the search engine results page. Results were analyzed using eye gaze videos, heat maps, and focus maps. The testing structure was formulated to analyze results against a series of hypotheses, mapped to a set of Google Search features.

In fact, over the past decade, the Ricoh GR DIGITAL series is quite high reputation enthusiast digital cameras, in addition to the large size of the sensor was mounted outside, and even have a dedicated interchangeable lens module, at the time already with some of the large format digital camera and a single electric single micro-features, impressive.

With Ricoh’s acquisition of Pentax’s camera business in the U.S. and European markets got better marketing channels, which makes the Ricoh GR more competitive. More importantly, the use of aluminum-magnesium alloy body Ricoh GR in the design draws on the GR GR DIGITAL series and film cameras, rather retro feel; while the new APS-C image sensor and an F2.8 aperture, focal length 28mm high the quality of the lens, it also has good imaging foundation. Also compared to competing models, Ricoh GR body size significantly more advantages, more surprising and $ 800 (about 4938 yuan) lower pricing. Here’s a look at this high-end digital cameras upstart overall usage.

Ricoh GR main parameter information:

Core components: 16,200,000 pixels APS-C size (23.7 × 15.7mm) CMOS sensor

Lens configuration: the equivalent focal length 28mm (actual focal length of 18mm), 7 elements in 5 groups structure, including two aspherical lenses, the maximum aperture of F2.8

Screen: 3 inches 1.23 million pixel LCD screen (non-touch screen)

AF mode: Contrast Detect (sensor), multi-zone, the menu point can be a single point, continuous, Live View (using viewfinder)

Exposure Modes: Auto, Program Auto, Aperture, shutter priority, full manual, Bulb mode, time mode, movie mode, custom mode

Scalability: Built-in flash, or an external flash via hot shoe viewfinder

Video performance: up to 1920 × 1080/30fps resolution, 720P up to 60fps

Sensitivity: ISO 100-25600 (native)

Shutter speed :300-1/4000 seconds

Storage solution: Supports SD / SDHC / SDXC card, body built 54MB storage space

Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI, Eye-Fi wireless connection

Battery Capacity: 1500mAh lithium battery (DB65), about 290 photos

Reference price and the Listing Date: $ 800 (about 4938 yuan), May 2013 listed

Designs: Classic GR series retro style design elements into the Pentax

In the current market, there have been a small part of manufacturers introduced a fixed large sensor fixed lens digital camera, including Sigma’s DP series, Leica, Fuji and Nikon and other models. Relatively speaking, the APS-C levels, Ricoh DR provides a most compact body design, body size of only 117 × 61 × 35 mm and weighs 245 grams, even compared to the previous small format products GR DIGITAL IV not much greater. Body and by the following schematic comparison of competing models with a variety of forms, you can intuitively understand the Ricoh GR advantages in terms of portability.

Ricoh GR Dimensions

Ricoh GR with other similar models, size, weight and price comparison

Obviously, the Ricoh GR body design is very advantageous, it is not only in similar models smallest, lightest weight. In contrast, the recently launched Nikon Coolpix A with similar specifications. Both cameras have the same size sensor and the lens is very similar specifications, but Ricoh lens structure is more complex, with a group of seven 5-type structure, which includes two aspherical lenses and 9 aperture blades.

Ricoh GR fuselage with the Nikon Coolpix A Comparison

Other parts of the Ricoh GR also has a brighter RGBW LCD display, most likely manufactured by Sony WhiteMagic panel with a resolution should be higher than the Nikon Coolpix A common RGB arrangement panel. In addition, Ricoh GR also offers a wider range of shutter speeds and virtually unlimited JPEG continuous shooting mode, and also supports 720P/60fps high frame rate camera, this is better than the Nikon Coolpix A part. Considerable part of both battery life, Ricoh GR have more photo shoot ability, and you can shoot Nikon Coolpix A longer video. The contrast between the two parts picture quality in a later part of the test to experience.

Ricoh GR fuselage with the Nikon Coolpix A Comparison

Ricoh GR side of the fuselage with the Nikon Coolpix A Comparison

Fuselage design, the Ricoh GR impression with the previous GR DIGITAL series is very similar, but the button layout on a new design. Similar to the previous product is the kind of overall retro style, while operating more comfortable, almost all of the keys and then with one hand while shooting can be easily achieved. Of course, the body size and weight of the product is increased compared to before, but it is not obvious, the width and height of the base body and the GR DIGITAL similar, but increase in the length of about 8.4 mm, but the size of the sensor is APS-C right 1/1.7 inches, so this growth rate is very reasonable.

Ricoh GR very comfortable sense of control

As mentioned above, the Ricoh GR compact and lightweight body, and the Nikon Coolpix A compared to other models, the body thickness smaller. Of course, if the body weight can be reduced by 20%, may be more suitable on the shirt pocket. We love the slightly protruding handle design, the use of rubber-coated has a leather texture and groove design along the right edge of the finger can bring more space and very comfortable.

Observe the fuselage, you will find the Ricoh GR and GRD IV’s a little different from that of the former is not between the lens and the handle of a small window, which is actually used to implement the hybrid auto-focus function. This would mean, Ricoh GR still use the traditional contrast detection AF system, it is somewhat disappointing, focusing performance as Fuji X100s. However, despite this evaluation Ricoh GR firmware part in beta, but the focus speed seems to be faster than expected. In addition, you can see both sides of the lens shutter accessories designed two small mouth, a stereo pair of microphones, recording sound better; lens section has adjustable ring design, and support the hood, lens accessories or 43mm diameter UV mirror.

Ricoh GR fuselage design

Top of the fuselage design has not changed much, relatively speaking, you can see the built-in pop-up flash, hot shoe interface, power switch, shutter and a mode dial. Among them, the built-in flash can realize the scope of work as far as 5.4 m (ISO 100 sensitivities), and has a slow sync mode (sync speed of 1/2000 seconds).

It is worth noting here has some of the elements of Pentax digital cameras, in addition to using the power button “ON / OFF” the words, the mode dial has also been using the new Pentax-style logo. Among them, the new model is known as TAV, which is representative of the Pentax camera functions: it is also similar to the manual mode that allows you to simultaneously adjust the shutter speed and aperture, but ISO sensitivity is controlled automatically by the camera. In addition, also added a video capture mode. Similar to the earlier GR cameras, Ricoh GR mode dial has a lock button, which means you have to hold it to turn the dial, this design is clearly mixed, good part is that you can dial to prevent misuse, not convenient is you may need both hands to operate it.

Ricoh GR top of the fuselage design

Perhaps you have been accustomed to GDR series mode of operation, but Ricoh DR, you need to re-learn some of the rules of operation. You can see, the fuselage was redesigned buttons, the overall feeling is more concise, and are accompanied by clear text logo. Which, AEL / AFL and C-AF lever is new design, you can lock the exposure and focus, or to achieve continuous autofocus. Play button has also been moved to the right, while the top is the zoom lever. However, the Ricoh GR and no optical zoom, this lever is used only in the playback picture zoom operation; while in shooting mode, the lever is to control the exposure compensation function. Other minor changes have been given five-dimensional direction key shortcut functions, including white balance, macro, flash a custom form and FN function keys below the Delete button in some shooting modes can also be used as another one from defined function keys. Generally speaking, the Pentax camera into the design concept, the Ricoh GR key layout is more reasonable.

Ricoh GR fuselage design

Side of the fuselage, you can see the Ricoh GR key to open the pop-up flash, plus a new “filter” button, you can achieve the dual operation: Hold it, will open the DOF (depth of field) preview, you can shoot When narrowing the aperture value. By default, there will be a short press filter effects option that provides black and white, sepia and other filter effects.

Ricoh GR fuselage side interface and button design

In addition, you will find an exciting little retro design, that is above and below the fuselage right grip designed two lacing holes left fuselage also has a drawstring holes, meaning interspersed with two straps form In addition to traditional horizontal, you can also set the camera vertically hung on the chest, quite 80′s nostalgia. In addition, the bottom of the handle also hidden a rubber bezel, built-in HDMI and USB / AV output interface. In the bottom of the fuselage, with memory card and battery compartment, battery life probably can shoot 290 pictures, the performance is not very good.

Ricoh GR bottom of the fuselage design

Sensor and image processing engine: no low-pass filter design built-in correction mode

Ricoh GR equipped with APS-C format sensor, than in the past GR DIGITAL series 1/1.7 inch sensor -1/1.8 eight times larger, than the CCD and CMOS material is also an advantage, to achieve maximum image size output is 4928×3264 pixels. In addition, Ricoh gave up the optical low-pass filter design, each pixel can increase the clarity, detail brings a quality improvement. Of course, no low-pass filter may occur in some scenarios moiré, but Ricoh is set in the camera color moire correction function, which is quite interesting.

Ricoh GR image sensor and processing engine

Image processing engine parts, the new GR Engine V adequate for non-CMOS low-pass filter has been optimized to provide better color and white balance, as well as the noise performance at higher sensitivities. Meanwhile, compared to before the GR DIGITAL IV 1.54 per second burst mode shooting speed, Ricoh GR 4 frames per second can be achieved now in JPEG or RAW shooting speed boost. In addition, GR startup speed in about a second, autofocus speeds up to about 0.2 seconds.

ISO sensitivity: ISO 25600 supports up to native range can be customized noise

Ricoh GR has the lowest sensitivity range of ISO 100-25600, slightly higher than the minimum sensitivity GR series models ISO 64-80, but the native maximum sensitivity is ISO 25600 series models can not be achieved. The machine has an Auto ISO function, by default, a maximum of ISO 800. However, you can choose a custom mode, which allows you to specify automatic sensitivity limit. You can also specify a shutter speed when shooting Ricoh GR sensitivity is automatically selected.

Ricoh GR sensitivity setting function

Ricoh GR also features built-in noise reduction, High ISO noise reduction supports automatic and manual adjustment mode. You can choose three levels of low high school, and can be used with high, and can be set in a range of open ISO noise reduction (for example, you can specify the following turn off noise reduction at ISO 6400, or from ISO 800 to 1600 to achieve low noise, basically can achieve anything you want combinations.)

Lens Features: 28mm/F2.8 35mm aperture can shoot photos

Ricoh GR lens design continues the series of consistent style, using a bright 28mm equivalent focal length wide angle lens. However, the relative GR DIGITAL III and IV F1.9 large aperture speaking, GR slightly less than the maximum aperture of F2.8, it does not lose the other competitors. Lens uses five groups seven structures, including two double-sided aspherical lens, and a new 9 aperture blades. Aperture range from F2.8 to F16, and has a built-2EV neutral density filter. Another ND filter can be controlled manually, or use the Intelligent Auto mode to get a reasonable exposure.

Ricoh GR has cut the equivalent focal length of 35mm photo features

Although this is a fixed focus lens, but Ricoh GR built a “cut to 35mm” function, you can easily achieve the best effect of gold focal lengths. In addition, this function can even be used in RAW mode, storage for medium sized DNG files. Note that, Ricoh GR did not provide optical and digital image stabilization feature, but the wide-angle lens focal length and relatively large aperture, as well as native high ISO sensitivity range, it can be considered a kind of compensation for image stabilization feature.

Via an optional adapter, you can use the Ricoh GR 43mm UV lens or lens hood. However, the front of the lens adjustment ring must be removed before using the adapter.

Focusing performance: the lack of support for free mixed focus point AF

Compared to some high-end cameras, Ricoh GR, one drawback is that does not support the popular hybrid auto-focus function, only through the traditional contrast detection to achieve. GR lens provides 30 cm infinity focus and macro mode focusing capability recent 10 cm. Single and Continuous AF can be used in the form of photo shoot, you can come through the back of the fuselage lever to adjust, but unfortunately, C-AF Continuous AF mode can not be used in video shooting.

By default, the Ricoh GR autofocus system is nine districts mode, you can also select the center focus, tracking auto focus mode. In automatic mode, there is a can identify ten faces facial focus function. In addition, the machine also supports free point-focus function. In low light conditions, the AF-assist lamp helps to lock the focus object.

Ricoh GR-focus function

As for focusing speed, under normal circumstances is not bad, but when you are very close to the focused object, often require a longer time. In comparison to normal shooting distance range, I found that a single point of focus speed than the default multi-area AF faster, it may be because it takes time multi-zone AF need to find the best focus position, it will be slower.

If you set the camera away from a focus position nearer, may be a “bellows” type of situation, you need to take some time to focus; And if you have in the same position to focus on the subject again focus speed will soon, generally speaking, still in line contrast detection AF characteristics, the overall speed is still less have a mixed phase focusing enabled digital camera.

White Balance: You can customize the color temperature

Ricoh GR provides a very comprehensive white balance modes, including two automatic modes, automatic and composite AWB, which is suitable for use in a scene with multiple light sources use. It also has 10 preset options: outdoor, shade, cloudy, incandescent, incandescent lamp 2, daylight neutral white fluorescent, fluorescent, cool white fluorescent, warm white fluorescent lamps. Finally, the “Details” option allows you to directly select the color card range 2500-10000.

Ricoh GR white balance adjustment function

Creative features: Built-in Multiple Exposure and rich filter effects

Ricoh DR built a wealth of creative shooting features, including multiple exposure may retain the RAW function in 5-second increments up to one hour interval shooting mode, and the amendments to the shadows and highlights the dynamic range correction. Filters, it can choose to include black and white, high contrast black and white, positive and negative thrust, movies, bleaching, retro, mini, and many other effects.

Ricoh GR built-in filter effects-rich

Video function: can shoot 60fps video but do not support the continuous focus

Although the mode dial on the design of separate video mode, but no built-in Ricoh GR popular independent video shutter, which means you still need to turn the dial, and then press the shutter to capture the video. Ricoh GR provides a full HD (1920 × 1080), HD (1280 × 720), VGA (640 × 480) resolution, etc., a frame rate of 30, 25 or 24 frames per second. In addition, 60 and 50 fps frame rate is only applicable to 720P resolution.

Unfortunately, the video shooting automatic continuous focus function can not be achieved, which means that the conversion may occur when shooting scenes out of focus. To compensate for this deficiency, the Ricoh GR machine set up video editing functions, you will merge video clips, remove unsatisfactory parts.

Accessories: Supports an optical viewfinder and a wide conversion lens

Ricoh GR series before you can use part of accessories, also has some new content. Which can be connected via hot shoe GV-1 or GV-2 optical viewfinder. Both are different in several ways: GV-1′s perspective can cover 21mm to 28mm focal lengths, which means you can also use it with a wide conversion lens GW-3 use. GV-2 perspective of only 28mm, but it has 0.5 times higher magnification (GV-1 was 0.42 times). In addition, Ricoh GR can also support an external flash, shutter, lens hood, leather soft bag and seat and other accessories.

Ricoh GR some parts

Quality Test: excellent high ISO detail status is difficult to avoid moire

Let’s look through the ISO test Ricoh GR quality performance. We were in the same environment used to shoot from ISO 100 to 25600, and cut the same part of the 100% of the original for comparison, the specific effect is as follows:

Original Ricoh GR ISO test

ISO 100-200

ISO 400-800

ISO 1600-3200

ISO 6400-12800

ISO 25600

You can see that in the low ISO range, the Ricoh GR has a very good detail, very sharp corners. However, because of the lack of a low-pass filter, the color may be some part of moiré, but has little effect on the good detail. In addition, the noise reduction function seems a bit too, will affect the details of the order, on the high saturation red noise reduction algorithms are also some problems. In ISO 12800-25600, noise, although very obvious but still clear outline of objects in the corners can still get some of the details; using the default noise reduction will improve the noise, but the contrast is low. In addition, RAW DNG raw model output also have good quality performance.

Let us look at the Ricoh GR picture quality with the Nikon Coolpix A comparison between the two sensor size, pixel, lens focal length and maximum aperture exactly the same. The first is to shoot at F2.8 maximum aperture, the interception of 100% of the details to observe, we can clearly see the Ricoh GR better detail, graphics are very sharp edge; while the Nikon Coolpix A not only blurred, contrast is also very low.

Ricoh GR F2.8 aperture Samples

Nikon Coolpix A F2.8 aperture Samples

Next is the moire test, we can see the effect of two camera lens but lacks sharp low-pass filter, so have produced a wide range of moiré.

Nikon Coolpix A moiré test

Nikon Coolpix A moiré test

In the final comparison, we use the F5.0 aperture shooting using the camera calibration feature, you can see that the two cameras are slightly improved moiré situation. And contrary to the case when a large aperture, the Nikon Coolpix A within the scope of this aperture sharpness and detail is better than the Ricoh GR.

Ricoh GR F5.0 aperture Samples

Nikon Coolpix A F5.0 aperture Samples

Sample analysis: Imaging is more saturated colors excellent details of the reduction

Even at maximum aperture, outdoor shooting without a trace of color, very sharp corners (aperture F2.8, focal length 18 mm, exposure time 1/1000 sec, ISO 100)

Strong contrast difference shooting sky, and no flares, but the color bias saturation (Aperture F8, focal length 18 mm, exposure time 1/1250 seconds, ISO 100)

Shooting in macro mode, can form more natural shallow depth of field (the aperture F2.8, focal length 18 mm, exposure time 1/500 sec, ISO 320)

Indoor shooting, white balance accuracy, excellent detail (Aperture F4, focal length 18 mm, exposure time 1/60 sec, ISO 400)

Wide excellent results that can accommodate a broad landscape, clouds and dark detail transitional nature (aperture F6.3, focal length 18 mm, exposure time 1/350 seconds, ISO 100)

Left slightly overexposed phenomenon, but still has a better right leaves the details (aperture F2.8, focal length 18 mm, exposure time 1/500 sec, ISO 320)

Review summary: excellent handling good quality higher cost

Content can be seen through the above evaluation, the Ricoh GR can be said that a large frame sensor digital camera a dark horse, very impressed with the overall quality. First, from the body design, not only retro fine, in similar models are also more lightweight, good handling is also commendable. Imaging, although part of the scene under the color saturation, but this may be more intense feeling of appeal to the average consumer, of course, you can adjust itself to better meet their taste effect. In addition, the lens quality is good and high ISO sensitivity detail preservation is also very good, the focus part is slightly pulled down overall performance of a sorry part.

Ricoh GR

Finally, and most important part of the Ricoh GR’s price is the lowest of similar products, or about 5000 yuan less than the price spike configuration is basically similar to the Nikon Coolpix A; although the overall performance as Fuji X100s, but more than 3000 yuan the difference will no doubt attract more entry-level street shooting enthusiasts. It can be said, the Ricoh after the acquisition of Pentax, come up with a very satisfactory answer, Ricoh GR market this year, will also become the most competitive large format sensor digital camera.

Benefits:

· Refined magnesium alloy body, size is relatively small

· Button layout is reasonable, good workability

· LCD screen display fine

· Good quality and high sense of superior detail

· Affordable

Disadvantages:

• There is no built-in viewfinder

· Does not support mixed-focus system, focusing performance in general

· No low-pass filter design will produce moiré

· Battery performance in general

Sigma 200-500, Canon 600 f / 4 L IS (with hood) and Sigma 2x teleconverter

Sigma 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG Reviews

Evaluation

• Focal length range :200-500mm
• Filter Size: 72mm
• Lens construction: 13 17
• Maximum aperture: F2.8
• Minimum Aperture: F22
• Closest focusing distance: 1.5m
• Angle range :12.3-5 degrees
• Lens Type: Zoom
• Lens diameter: 236.5mm
• Lens length: 726mm
• The lens weight: 15700g

Central image quality, without teleconverter

Central quality 2X teleconverter

Edge of the image quality, without teleconverter

Edge quality 2X teleconverter

Photos Samples

ZOOM zoom to 100% contrast (Click picture to enlarge)

“The Canon 1Ds MarkIII, by the distance to 1000mm end, Sigma 2.0x teleconverter, 1/160 f/5.6, iso 400

“The Canon 1Ds MarkIII, by the distance to 1000mm end, Sigma 2.0x teleconverter, 1/400 f/5.6, iso 400

The Canon 1Ds MarkIII, 500mm side, 1/400 f/2.8, iso 400

The following two pictures can download the original image – ZOOM – ZOOM 2

Slimming success

When SLR limited to congenital mirror structure, thin body design “very limited”, but this Canon is clearly the intention of the above “law” challenge, launched the lightest known as the smallest DSLR EOS 100D. 100D volume of only 117 x 91 x 69 mm Weight with battery only 407g, significantly thinner than the 650D a yard. Of course, the body has built-in mirror room, the thickness will not have with anti-same breath, but the SLR has been a change in the SLR in the past must be more cumbersome impression (difficult to come by optical viewfinder 0.87x even greater than the 700D magnification 0.85x larger). Under the substantial downsizing, 100D feel it is inevitable there will be some sacrifice camera for users of hand held machine may be nowhere to put the little finger, but fortunately the body remains handle design, lightweight Kit lens is attached, the overall balance is still bad.

Reasonable function

Main lightweight 100D function, though not outstanding, but as an entry-they are definitely saw that the people, the camera AF using 9-point AF system (central cross sensor), while supporting 4fps continuous shooting, the camera back 3-inch fixed LCD (104 points) and will provide the touch of a design, corresponding to the Touch AF and Touch Shutter shooting.

18 million CMOS, new Hybrid CMOS AF II Focus

Like the earlier 700D, 100D APS-C sensor resolution of 18 million, with the DIGIC 5 processor under the highest sensitivity expandable to ISO 25600. Under the initial real shot, found 100D and 700D phase quality performance is also very similar to ISO 800 or less, of course, perform well, pushed to ISO 1600 is still a reasonable degree of detail, APS-C-format, had discharged satisfactory. Live View focusing reaction, 100D sensor and for the first time the introduction of the Hybrid CMOS AF II, compared to the 650D, EOS M, such as phase detection (Phase Detection) are concentrated in the central, the 100D will be Phase Detection of sense measurement range increase the share accounting for about 8 percent of the screen, so that the Live View shooting or filming more effective than central focus tracking.

Under the Live View video recording with the new generation of Kit lens EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and found that the subject is off-center, the camera’s AF-reaction indeed than the 650D and other models in improvements, but more central focus response , then it is not significantly speed up the feeling, but overall, the Live View focusing availability has improved to some extent.

A lot of functions, suitable for trend players

100D as an SLR, the selling point, of course, is not just good quality than DC function can also cater to girls or fashion players. For novice users, the camera scene mode new children, food and candlelight three options (6) In addition, the Creative Auto Creative Auto features new screen slider control adjust the depth of field effect convenience do not yet know the aperture and focusing distance novices, the depth of field effects can also be easily shoot “Qing to deceive” effect.

To increase pondering, 100D In addition to the built-in variety of filters film this has also brought more changes, Full HD outside and joined the model effect lapse movie mode, 5/10/20 speed. 10-speed shooting one minute, for example, the actual playing time of six seconds of high-speed, with the model results, simple theme, such as traffic has become more interesting.

Canon EOS 100D on sale on April 25, with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM package priced at HK $ 6,480 (approximately equivalent to $ 5,160).

The output of the built-in flash GN9.4

Although lightweight, the EOS 100D is still metal mirror ring

The body does not feel cheap workmanship

The grip non-slip design

Optical viewfinder 0.87x magnification greater than 700D 0.85x Hot Shoe location has Eye Sensor

Set-top mode dial and fast runner

The rear has a cross direction keys

Menu and information display button is located on the back of the other side

A concept of the depth-of-field preview button

Top with Hot Shoe

SD memory card, and LP-E12 Lithium-Ion battery

Support for external radio

Body made in Taiwan

Set Kit lens for the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

100D body than the 5D Mark III is fine for more than one code

With PowerShot N of the comparison

The main tea single

ISO sensitivity test

Model the effect of time-lapse video (10x)

Live View AF reaction test

Test photo

ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/100s

ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/60s

ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/60s

ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/80s

ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/100s

It was only a matter of time before 24MP resolution became standard across Nikon’s entire range of DX-format APS-C DSLRs, and lo and behold – the 24MP D7100 is the latest in the series, but this isn’t just the sensor from a D5200 packaged a newer body. In fact, this would be a fundamental misunderstanding of the new camera.

The critical thing here is that despite the fact that the D7100 is Nikon’s third DX-format 24MP DSLR, its sensor is new, and unique in Nikon’s stable. In a first for Nikon, the D7100′s sensor lacks an optical low-pass filter (OLPF). The D800E, Nikon’s highest-resolution DSLR has the effect of its OLPF ‘cancelled out’, but the D7100, like the Pentax K-5 IIs, omits it altogether. The result should be higher resolution than is possible from the conventional 24MP sensors in the D5200 and D3200, and Nikon clearly feels comfortable with the associated higher risk of moiré in fine patterns – one of the few black marks against the 36MP D800E when we tested it last year.

The D7100′s 24.1MP CMOS sensor does not include an optical low-pass filter (OLPF). This is the first time Nikon has taken this approach – the high-end D800E has the effect of its OLPF ‘cancelled out’ for better resolution, but in theory, doing away with it altogether should give even better detail.

Compared to its predecessor the D7000, the D7100 doesn’t just offer an upgraded sensor with a higher pixel-count. It also features a significantly upgraded AF system, with 51 AF points (15 cross type) as opposed to 39 in the older model. It shares these specifications, and the Multi-Cam 3500DX designation with the D300S, but Nikon promises the autofocus algorithms from the D4 which could, in part, explain the extended sensitivity range (with the D7100 able to focus in light as low as -2EV, according to its specifications).

The AF points cover a wider proportion of the D7100′s frame, as well as offering greater definition within this area which, combined with those D4-derived algorithms should make the D7100 a more versatile camera when faced with capturing sports or fast action. The D7100′s processing should also live up to the D4′s standards – offering better color reproduction and improved noise reduction – helping earn it the Expeed 3 name.

The improvements aren’t limited to still image capture – the D7100 also offers a nicely upgraded movie mode compared to the D7000. It gains 1080p30 shooting, rather than 24p, a built-in stereo microphones and an optional 1.3X crop mode, giving an effective focal length increase of 2X (making a 50mm lens behave like a 100mm). In this crop mode 50/60i movie recording is available, which suggests it comes from 50/60p, rather than being 25/30p capture which is then segmented, but Nikon is not clear on the distinction. Certainly the cropped mode allows faster frame-rates, since stills capture (now at 15MP) increases a touch, to 7fps.

The D7100 also supports Nikon’s WU-1a Wi-Fi unit, which plugs into the camera’s accessory terminal and allows images to be transmitted wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet for uploading to social networks. The device can also be used as a remote control for the camera, complete with Live View, which is potentially a neat way of setting up self-portraits or group shots. If flash is your thing, the D7100′s built-in flash can be used either as the sole source of illumination or as a commander for a group of Speedlites.

A logical and welcome improvement to the D7100 compared to the D7000 is the addition of the same improved Auto ISO program that we first saw on the D800, and latterly the D5200. This adds the ability to set the minimum shutter speed automatically based on the focal length of the lens in use, with a choice of five settings that bias towards faster or slower speeds. This fixes one of our biggest criticisms of older Nikon DSLRs, and makes Auto ISO more suitable for use with zoom lenses.

New in the D7100 is a ‘spot white balance’ feature, which allows you to set white balance when shooting in live view mode quickly and easy, by simply selecting an area of the scene from which to take the reading. This promises to be much easier than the conventional Nikon approach to setting custom white balance, which is far from intuitive, to say the least…

Nikon D7100 key features

• 24.1MP DX format CMOS sensor, with no OLPF
• EXPEED 3 processing
• ISO 100-6400 standard, up to 25600 expanded
• Max 6 fps continuous shooting in DX mode, 7fps in 1.3X crop mode
• 51 point AF system, 15 sensors cross type
• 2016 pixel RGB metering sensor
• Spot white balance in live view mode
• 1080 60i/30p video recording, built-in stereo mic, mic jack and audio monitoring jack
• Pentaprism with 100% coverage and 0.94X magnification
• 3.2″, 1.2m-dot LCD screen (640 x 480 X RGBW)
• Front and rear IR receivers
• Equivalent water and dust resistance to D800/D300S

Compared to the Nikon D7000

Physically, the D7100 is very similar to its predecessor. In fact, you’d have to look twice at the new model to really tell it apart from the older D7000. With the exception of the new movie button on the top-plate the key controls are basically the same, and fall in basically the same places. The majority of the interesting stuff is hidden away inside the D7100′s magnesium-alloy and polycarbonate shell. Here’s how the major specifications of the two cameras compare.

If you’re new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

Nikon D7100 specifications

Body & Design

Moving on to the differences though – the ISO button might still be in the same place compared to the D7000 but the magnification buttons on the rear of the D7100 are in the opposite position, with the plus (zoom in) button now being above the minus (zoom out) button. This will almost certainly cause frustration in image review mode for anyone used to the D7000 (but D600 users will already be familiar with this layout).

Also, the D7000′s distinctive sprung ‘trigger’ switch for live view has gone, to be replaced by the same two-position still and movie mode live view switch that features on all Nikon’s more expensive models. Movie recording is initiated with a dedicated button on the top-plate – again, different to the D7000 but in common with other recent Nikon DSLRs.

The D7100 does feature one entirely new button, for those who get excited about such things – the lowermost button to the left of the LCD display on the rear of the camera is a new ‘i’ control which brings up a customizable settings screen. This removes the necessity to quit live view and enter the camera’s menu system to make function changes.

	A new ‘i’ button gives ‘one press’ access to onscreen controls for commonly used functions. For normal viewfinder shooting it directly enters Nikon’s familiar active control panel to change settings.New to the D7100, it also offers direct access to commonly used settings in Live View and Playback modes (much like Canon’s ‘Q’ button).

Apart from these little changes, the D7100 is a DSLR cast firmly in Nikon’s current mold. It also offers a full array of connectors – along with the usual HDMI and USB/AV out, there’s a stereo microphone input for movie recording, and a multi-function port that accepts both Nikon’s optional GP-1 GPS unit, and the MC-DC2 electronic cable release. The camera also has also front and rear receivers for the ML-L3 wireless remote. New compared to the D7000 is a headphone socket for monitoring sound during movie recording.

The ports on the D7100 are arranged behind three hinged doors. The separation means you only have to leave a narrow door open if you choose to attach the WU-1a Wi-Fi module – the least awkward implementation we’ve seen on a Nikon so far.

A small feature, but one we’re very pleased to see on the D7100, is the ability to customise the rear ‘OK’ button to be a one-click magnifier in playback mode. This is a huge time-saver that we’ve come to really appreciate when reviewing images taken with the D800 and D4, but is frustratingly absent from the D600.

Top of camera

There’s nothing much new here, apart from the stereo microphones just in front of the hotshoe on the D7100′s pentaprism. Apart from that, the D7100′s top-plate is pretty well identical to that of the D600, but this isn’t a bad thing. The top-plate hosts most of the main shooting controls. On the far left you’ll see the D7100′s lockable exposure mode dial, now featuring ‘EFFECTS’ modes and on the right, the remaining shooting controls.

The D7100′s on/off switch is concentric with the shutter button, with the exposure compensation and red movie-record buttons immediately behind. The latter is only active in movie live view mode, which is entered by pushing the live view button on the D7100′s rear (after you’ve selected movie mode from the stills/movie live view switch).

In your hand

The D7100 is a very solid camera that feels like an ever-so-slightly slimmed-down D600. The body shell is predominantly magnesium alloy, and thick rubber coats the hand grip, giving a real sense of a solid, well put-together camera. As with all high-end Nikon DSLRs, the D7100 has two rubberized control dials, one on the front above the hand-grip and one on the rear, for operation with the right thumb.

Viewfinder/screen

One figure hidden away in every SLR’s spec is the size of the viewfinder (often in a format that makes comparison between competing models impossible). The size of the viewfinder is a key factor in the usability of an SLR – the bigger it is, the easier it is to frame and focus your shots, and the more enjoyable and involving process it is.

Because of the way viewfinders are measured (using a fixed lens, rather than a lens of equivalent magnification), you also need to take the sensor size into account, so the numbers in the diagram below are the manufacturer’s specified magnifications divided by the respective ‘crop factors’. The D7100 has an excellent viewfinder for its class – offering 100% coverage and a magnification of 0.94x – the same as its predecessor the D7000.

Interestingly, the D7100′s viewfinder no longer features an LCD display for key shooting settings, but has been updated to an OLED, which offers noticeably better clarity. It’s a small addition to the feature set but it really does make a positive difference.

The D7100′s AF system comprises 51 AF points, 15 of which are cross-type and sensitive to both vertical and horizontal detail. These occupy the central three columns of the array.This simulated image shows the view through the finder, with all possible information overlaid, including the 1.3X crop area.

The D7100′s rear screen has also been updated. It’s now a 3.2″ screen (rather than 3.0″) and, while it’s still shows 640 x 480 pixels-worth of information, it gains a white dot at every position. This allows the screen to either offer greater brightness than the existing screen or lower battery consumption for the same brightness. Having not had a chance to use the D7100 and D7000 side-by-side, we can’t be sure how Nikon is using the screen, but we’ve been impressed with these Sony WhiteMagic displays where we’ve encountered them in other cameras.

Body Elements

	The D7100′s viewfinder offers 100% coverage and is framed with a rectangular eyecup, like the D600 and D300S.There’s a diopter adjustment wheel at upper-right for wearers of glasses. Inside the viewfinder you’ll see a new OLED display for shooting and exposure information, which offers excellent clarity.
	The D7100 has a built-in flash which has a guide number of 12 meters at ISO 100 and it can also act as a wireless ‘commander’ for up to two groups of Nikon Speedlight flashguns.
	The flash is is released using the uppermost button in this image. Below the flash button is BKT, which is used to set automatic exposure bracketing.Also visible in this view is the front IR window, one of two on the D7100 (the other is on the rear) which allows the camera to be triggered with an infra-red remote release.
	There’s a bright LED autofocus illuminator, that the camera will automatically activate when the light is too low to focus. It can be disabled in the menus, if you prefer.Switching the camera to its ‘Quiet’ shutter mode will also temporarily disable the AF illuminator, along with the focus confirmation beep.
	The D7100′s exposure mode dial gives access to the camera’s exposure modes, including PSAM, Auto, and two programmable ‘User’ positions for quick switching between sets of shooting parameters. At the base of this dial is the drive mode dial, where you’ll find the continuous and quiet release modes, self-timer and mirror lock-up.Both dials have locks to prevent accidental rotation.
	Easy to miss, this tiny screw is the business end of an in-camera AF motor which drives the autofocus in non-AF-S lenses. This makes the D7100 significantly more compatible with Nikon and third-party legacy optics than DSLRs further down Nikon’s lineup.
	The D7100 inherits Nikon’s simpler ‘new style’ combined AF/MF switch and AF mode control. This switch has two positions – MF and AF, with AF mode and AF Area mode options selected by holding in the button at its hub and rotating the D7100′s control dials.
	The D7100′s live view control is exactly the same as it is on the D600 and D800, and comprises a live view activation button with a collar-type switch to move between still and movie live view modes. In movie mode the view on the LCD is cropped to preview the field of view captured during video shooting.
	The D7100 has a video capture mode, and just like other recent Nikon DSLRs, it offers a direct movie shooting button on its top-plate for quick and easy movie capture once you’re in video live view mode.
	Two small grills in front of the hot shoe conceal the stereo microphones. The hotshoe can be used to add a variety of accessories, including flashguns (obviously) and the new WR-1 wireless transceiver.
	An accessory grip is available for the D7100, providing vertical controls and the option to power the camera using AA batteries. The MB-D15 grip will cost £279 in the UK – US pricing TBC.
	The D7100 features dual slots for SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. If two cards are installed, it is possible to set the secondary card as overflow storage, backup, or to store exclusively a single file type (e.g. RAW or movie files).

Resolution Chart Comparison (JPEG and Raw)

Images on this page are of our standard resolution chart which provides for measurement of resolution up to 4000 LPH (Lines Per Picture Height). A value of 20 equates to 2000 lines per picture height. For each camera we use the relevant prime lens (the same one we use for all the other tests in a particular review). The chart is shot at a full range of apertures and the sharpest image selected. Studio light, cameras set to aperture priority (optimum aperture selected), image parameters default. Exposure compensation is set to deliver approximately 80% luminance in the white areas.

In order to eliminate any potential sources of vibration from adversely affecting the results, we illuminate the scene using flash, which provides an effective shutter speed many times faster than the camera’s own shutter speed would allow.

What we want to show here is how well the camera is able to resolve the detail in our standard test chart compared to the theoretical maximum resolution of the sensor, which for the charts we shoot is easy to work out – it’s simply the number of vertical pixels (the chart shows the number of single lines per picture height, the theoretical limit is 1 line per pixel). Beyond this limit (which when talking about line pairs is usually referred to as the Nyquist frequency) the sensor cannot faithfully record image detail and aliasing occurs.

This limit is rarely attained, because the majority of sensors are fitted with anti-aliasing filters. Anti-aliasing filters are designed to reduce unpleasant moiré effects, but in doing so, they also reduce resolution (the relative strength and quality of these filters varies from camera to camera). In theory though, a sensor without an AA filter, when coupled with a ‘perfect’ lens, will deliver resolution equal to its Nyquist limit. Therefore, even though it may be effectively unattainable with normal equipment in normal shooting situations, an understanding of a sensor’s theoretical limit provides a useful benchmark for best possibleperformance.

On this page we’re looking at both JPEG and Raw resolution. For a (more) level playing field we convert the latter using Adobe Camera Raw. Because Adobe Camera Raw applies different levels of sharpening to different cameras (this confirmed) we use the following workflow for these conversions:

• Load raw file into Adobe Camera Raw (Auto mode disabled)
• Set Sharpness to 0 (all other settings default)
• Open file to Photoshop
• Apply an Unsharp mask tuned to the camera, in this case Amount 150%, Radius 0.6, Threshold 0
• Save as a TIFF (for cropping) and as a JPEG quality 11 for download

JPEG (6000 x 4000)	Raw (6000 x 4000)

Vertical resolution

JPEG 100% crop
Raw 100% crop

Horizontal resolution

JPEG 100% crop	Raw 100% crop

Based on pixel count alone, the 24MP D7100 ranks among the highest resolution DSLRs of any class, falling shy only of the 36MP full frame Nikon D800. Add to that the fact that the D7100 has no OLPF filter and you’d expect nothing less than impressive performance on our resolution chart. As you can see, the D7100 doesn’t disappoint. JPEG output is very good, retaining fine detail arguably close to 3000LPH, which is a bit beyond what we’ve seen from the best 24MP sensors that use an OLPF filter. Impressively, it does this without introducing the sharpening-inducing halos that we’ve observed in APS-C rivals like the 24MP Sony SLT-A77.

Raw files can resolve a bit more detail here and can tolerate slightly more aggressive than usual low-radius sharpening for output that again places it atop its peers. One tradeoff for the removal of the OLPF filter is an increased presence of moire patterning on our resolution chart compared to 24MP APS-C models which employ the filter, like the Nikon D5200. And if you look carefully along the edges of the numerals in the chart, you can make out some jagged edges which appear smooth in the JPEG rendering.

OLPF filter omission

When Nikon’s reps briefed us on the D7100, they were keen to stress that this ‘flagship APS-C DSLR’ did away with an optical low pass filter (OLPF); a move we’ve seen Pentax make with the 16MP K-5 IIs, but a first for Nikon. We were of course curious to discover what potential advantages or disadvantages this offered, however, in a 24MP APS-C sensor.

In principle, removing the image-softening OLPF will result in greater resolution, albeit with a potential increase in intensity of moiré patterning. To investigate this we chose to compare the D7100 with Nikon’s D5200, which also has a 24MP APS-C sensor but includes an OLPF. Based on our experience with a similarOLPF-effect comparison we conducted in our earlier Nikon D800/800E review, we suspected that to see any differences would require top-quality optics and we would need to pay very careful attention to camera settings. This was borne out in our testing.

Studio scene comparison

In evaluating our familiar studio test scene (shown below) in a very controlled shooting environment using the excellent AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens, we determined that visible differences between the D7100 and the less expensive OLPF-enabled D5200, were only apparent within a narrow range of apertures. The samples below were shot at an aperture of F3.5. In repeated tests with the 50/1.4 optic, this gave the greatest amount of center sharpness on the D7100. At apertures wider than F3.5 and narrower than F5, we struggled to see any relevant differences in output.

Nikon D7100: ISO 100, ACR 7.4, Nikkor 50/1.4G @F3.5	Nikon D5200: ISO 100, ACR 7.4, Nikkor 50/1.4G @F3.5
100% crop	100% crop
100% crop	100% crop

The samples above are raw file conversations made with ACR sharpening turned off and identical amounts of USM applied in Photoshop. Looking carefully, you can see that the D7100 delivers a more crisp file, with some areas of extremely fine detail rendered with greater clarity. Let’s be clear though. These distinctions – apparent only at a 100% view – are very, very minor. Its also worth repeating that achieving even this result required shooting at F3.5, which obviously limits the depth of field. And it’s hardly an aperture that you’d find yourself using in real world scenarios where edge to edge sharpness was a primary concern.

Real world kit zoom comparison

In real world shooting with the D7100, it’s not unreasonable to assume a significant number of owners will be shooting with an affordable zoom like the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR kit lens at a more commonly used aperture like F8. So here we’ve shot the same scene using the D7100 and D5200 with the same 18-105mm kit zoom at an 18mm focal length.

Nikkor 18-105mm kit zoom @18mm, F8, ISO 100
Nikon D7100: ACR 7.4 100% crop	Nikon D5200: ACR 7.4 100% crop
100% crop	100% crop

In comparing the images above, we’re hard-pressed to find any differences in sharpness or edge detail among the two cameras. In essence, the optical shortcomings of the kit zoom have an image-softening effect that easily outweighs any advantage to be gained by removing the OLPF in the D7100. You can clearly see, for example that even towards the center of the image at F8, there’s no meaningful difference between the two cameras and towards the edges, smeared detail and extreme chromatic aberration is a far greater determinant of image quality.

Real world with the 50mm/1.4 lens

What we’ve learned so far is that eeking out even minor benefits of the D7100′s no-OLPF approach requires great glass shot using careful technique at an aperture range between F3.5 and F5. Here’s what this can look like in a real world scene. On this bright cloudless day we mounted the D7100 on a sturdy tripod, and enabled both mirror lockup and a 2 second shutter release. We shot several takes of the scene below with our second copy of the 50/1.4 lens and found that we got our sharpest result at F4.5

Nikon D7100: Nikkor 50mm/1.4 @F4.5
100% crop	100% crop

Here you’re looking at an ACR raw file conversion with no sharpening applied in the converter and a fairly conservative USM amount of 150% with a radius of 0.6. The level of detail and clarity on offer here are quite impressive for any DSLR short of the Nikon D800.

We shot this and several other scenes with the D5200 using the same lens and settings. Our conclusion after viewing dozens of comparisons was that outside the controlled environment of our studio, even extremely minor shifts in focus or (potentially) sensor alignment could trump the absence of an OLPF in accounting for any visible differences between the D7100 and D5200.

In short, even if you were willing to put the best glass available on the D7100 and shoot at a wide aperture, you’re not likely, even with a lot of effort, to leverage visible benefits of the OLPF removal. While this may be a bit of a disappointment for some, the very good news is that to date we’ve seen no practical downside to the filter’s removal for still photography. It is essentially neutral with regard to image quality.

The D5100 has a very similar 16.2MP CMOS sensor to the excellent one seen in the D7000 but, understandably, loses out on that camera’s high-end build and feature-set. So there’s no wireless flash control, magnesium alloy build or 39-point AF system but the underlying image quality is all but identical.

As has become standard for a Nikon at this price point, the D5100 offers a single control dial, pentamirror viewfinder and no built-in autofocus motor. However, it gains 1080p video capability (at 30, 25 or 24fps), saved using the efficient H.264/AVC codec, and a 920,000 dot fully articulated LCD panel to help shoot it. These are both significant gains over its predecessor the D5000, and the improvements extend to the D5100 having smaller, neater construction and a more conventional side-mounted hinge for that LCD.

These changes resolve two rather awkward aspects of Nikon’s existing lineup: if the D5100 and D7000 end up being neighboring models it will avoid the inelegant overlap that existed between the D5000 and D90. It also ensures a more elegant appearance to the models themselves (the D5000 was many things, but pretty wasn’t one of them).

Although the D5100 is listed as having an Expeed 2 processor, it’s worth remembering that Nikon doesn’t use this naming system to denote any specific components, so the actual chunks of silicon and capabilities aren’t necessarily the same as those in the D3100 or D7000. However, in addition to a similarly specced 16.2MP sensor, the D5100 offers the same ISO settings as its big brother – extending up to an equivalent of ISO 25,600. It also inherits 14-bit Raw shooting – one of the factors that helps give the D7000 its impressive dynamic range – which is something Nikon used to offer only on its more expensive models.

Side by side

The D5100 is slightly smaller than the Rebel T3i/EOS 600D – probably its nearest competitor. Both are slightly larger than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2, which is built around a smaller sensor, and of course lacks an optical viewfinder assembly (instead using a high quality electronic finder). Ergonomically, the G2 is the most ‘involved’, and has the most physical control points and a touch-sensitive LCD screen, but overall the three cameras are physically quite similar.

Nikon D5100 Key Features

• 16.2 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor
• Side-articulated 3.0″ LCD monitor (920,000 dots)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 100-6400 range (Up to 25,600 equivalent when expanded)
• HD movies (1080p, 720p or WVGA)
• 4 fps continuous shooting
• In-camera effects filters in both stills and video modes

Compared to D5000

The D5100 is a smaller and (we think) more attractive camera than its predecessor the D5000. It is less bulbous, and closer to the D3100 and D7000 in terms of styling. The most significant design difference is the addition of a side-hinging LCD screen in the D5100, as opposed to the bulkier (and more awkward) bottom-hinged LCD used in the D5000.

Key Differences

• Higher resolution sensor (16.2MP vs. 14MP)
• 1080p video mode
• Wider ISO range (100-25,600 equivalent)
• Full-time AF mode (AF-F in live view)
• Dual IR receivers (front and rear)
• Side-articulated LCD screen (as opposed to bottom-articulated)
• 921k dot LCD screen
• 14-bit NEF (Raw) mode
• Effects modes

Compared to the D3100 and D5000: major feature and specification differences

As you can see from the table below the D5100′s specification is a significant advance over its predecessor, and substantially in advance of its little brother the D3100.

	Nikon D3100	Nikon 5100	Nikon D5000
Sensor	• 14.2 million effective pixels • 23.1 x 15.4 mm CMOS (DX format)	• 16.2 million effective pixels • 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS (DX format)	• 12.3 million effective pixels • 23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS (DX format)
Image sizes	• 4608 x 3072 (14.2 MP) • 3456 x 2304 • 2304 x 1536	• 4928 x 3264 (16.2MP) • 3696 x 2448 • 2464 x 1632	• 4288 x 2848 (12 MP) • 3216 x 2136 • 2144 x 1424
Movie mode	• 1080p24 • 720p30/25/24 • 424p24	• 1080p30/25/24 • 720p30/25/24 • 424p30/24	• 720p24
Sensor cleaning	• Image Sensor Cleaning • Airflow control system • Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)	• Image Sensor Cleaning • Airflow control system • Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)	• Image Sensor Cleaning • Airflow control system • Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)
AF drive mode	• AF-A • AF-S • AF-C • MF • AF-F (Live view only)	• AF-A • AF-S • AF-C • MF • AF-F (Live view only)	• AF-A • AF-S • AF-C • MF
Sensitivity	• ISO 100 – 3200 • To ISO 12800 with boost	• ISO 100 – 6400 • To ISO 25600 with boost	• ISO 200 – 3200 • ISO 100-6400 with boost
Continuous	• 3 fps	• 4 fps • 100 / 16 frames (Fine JPEG / RAW)	• 4 fps • 63 / 11 frames (Fine JPEG / RAW)
AE bracketing	No	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder magnification	• 0.8x	• 0.78x	• 0.78x
Viewfinder Frame coverage	• Approx. 95%	• Approx. 95%	• Approx. 95%
LCD monitor	• 3.0″ TFT LCD • 230,000 pixel TFT	• 3.0″ TFT LCD • 921,000 pixel TFT • Articulated	• 2.7″ TFT LCD • 230,000 pixel TFT • Articulated
Dimensions	124 x 96 x 74.5 mm (4.9 x 3.7 x 3.0 in)	128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.0 x 3.8 x 3.1in)	127 x 104 x 80 mm (5.0 x 4.1 x 3.1 in)
Weight	• No battery: 455g (1.0 lb) • With battery: 505g (1.1 lb)	• No battery: 510g (1.1 lb) • With battery: 560g (1.2 lb.)	• No battery: 560g (1.2 lb.) • With battery: 611g (1.3 lb.)
Image processing engine	• Expeed 2 • 12 bit	• Expeed 2 • 14 bit	• Expeed • 12 bit
Active D-lighting	On/Off	Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off	Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off
In-camera retouching	• D-Lighting • Red-eye reduction • Trimming • Monochrome & filter  effects • Color balance • Small picture • Image overlay • NEF (RAW) processing • Quick retouch • Straighten • Distortion control • Fisheye • Color outline • Perspective control • Miniature effect • Edit movie	• D-Lighting • Red-eye reduction • Trimming • Monochrome & filter effects • Color balance • Image overlay • NEF (RAW) processing • Resize • Quick retouch • Straighten • Distortion control • Fisheye • Color outline • Color sketch • Perspective control • Miniature effect • Selective Color • Edit movie • Side-by-side comparison	• D-Lighting • Red-eye reduction • Trimming • Monochrome & filter effects • Color balance • Small picture • Image overlay • NEF (RAW) processing • Quick retouch • Straighten • Distortion control • Fisheye • Color outline • Perspective control

Foreword / notes

If you’re new to digital photography you may wish to read some of our Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / recommendation / ratings are based on the opinion of the author, we recommend that you read the entire review before making any decision. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of them, click to display a larger image in a new window.

To navigate this article simply use the next / previous page buttons or jump to a specific page by using the drop-down list in the navigation bar at the top of the page. You can support this site by ordering through the affiliate links shown at the bottom of each page (where available).

This article is protected by Copyright and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.

Dpreview use calibrated monitors at the PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally also A, B and C.

Nikon D5100 specifications

Price (Body only)	• US: $799.95 • UK: £669.99 • EU: €729
Price (with 18-55mm VR Lens)	• US: $899.95 • UK: £779.99 • EU: €809
Body color	Black
Sensor	• 23.6 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor • Nikon DX format (1.5x FOV crop) • 16.2 million effective pixels • RGB Color Filter Array • 14-bit A/D converter
Anti-dust measures	• Image sensor cleaning system • Airflow control system • Image dust off from reference frame (using optional Capture NX software)
Image sizes	• 4928 x 3264 (L) • 3696 x 2448 (M) • 2464 x 1632 (S)
Image quality	• NEF (14-bit compressed RAW) • JPEG fine (1:4) • JPEG normal (1:8) • JPEG basic (1:16) • NEF (RAW) + Fine JPEG
Movie sizes	• 1920 x 1080 30, 25, 24 fps • 1280 x 720 30, 25, 24 fps • 640 x 424 30, 25 fps
Movie format	• MOV (H.264/MPEG-4), mono sound recording (PCM) with internal mic, stereo mic option.
Color space	• sRGB • Adobe RGB
Lens mount	Nikon F mount (with AF contacts)
Lens compatibility	• AF-S, AF-I • Other Type G or D AF Nikkor • Other AF Nikkor/AI-P Nikkor • Type D PC Nikkor • Non-CPU • IX Nikkor/AF Nikkor for F3AF • AI-P NIKKOR - All functions supported - All functions supported except autofocus - All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II - All functions supported except some shooting modes - Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster - Cannot be used - All functions supported except 3D color matrix metering II
Autofocus	• 11 focus points (1 cross-type sensors) • Multi-CAM 1000 • AF working range: -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, normal temperature) • Contrast Detect in Live View mode • Manual focus [M], Electronic range finding supported
Lens servo	• Single-servo AF (AF-S) • Continuous-servo AF (AF-C) • Automatic AF-S/AF-C (AF-A) • Manual focus (MF)
AF Area mode	• Single Point AF • Dynamic Area AF • Auto Area AF • 3D Tracking (11 points)
Focus tracking	Predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status in continuous-servo AF
Focus area	Can be selected from 11 focus points
Focus lock	Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
AF Assist	White light lamp
Exposure mode	• Auto - Auto - Flash off • Scene Modes Portrait Landscape Child Sports Close up Night portrait Night landscape Beach/snow Sunset Dusk/dawn Pet portrait Candlelight Blossom Autumn colors Food Silhouette Food • Special effects Night Vision Color Sketch Miniature effect Selective color High key Low key Silhouette • Programmed auto (P) with flexible program • Shutter-priority auto (S) • Aperture priority auto (A) • Manual (M)
Metering	• TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor • Matrix :3D color matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II  (other CPU lenses) • Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame • Spot: Meters 3.5 mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on active focus area
Metering range	• EV 0 to 20 (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering) • EV 2 to 20 (spot metering)
Meter coupling	CPU coupling
Exposure comp.	• +/- 5.0 EV • 1/3 EV steps
AE Lock	Exposure locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
AE Bracketing	3 frames up to +/–2EV
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200 • ISO 6400 • ISO 12800 (Hi1) • ISO 25600 (Hi2)
Shutter	• Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter • 30 to 1/4000 sec (1/3/ or 1/2 EV steps) • Flash X-Sync: up to 1/200 sec • Bulb
Cont. shooting	• Up to 4fps
White balance	• Auto • Incandescent • Fluorescent Sodium-vapor lamps Warm-white fluorescent White fluorescent Cool-white fluorescent Day white fluorescent Daylight fluorescent Daylight fluorescent Mercury-vapor lamps • Direct sunlight • Flash • Cloudy • Shade • Preset white balance (immediate or from photo)
WB fine tuning	Yes, (except preset manual)
Viewfinder	• Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder • Frame coverage Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical • Magnification Approx. 0.78x (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, –1.0 m-1) • Eyepoint 17.9 mm (–1.0 m-1) • Diopter adjustment –1.7 to+1 m-1
LCD monitor	• 3.0″ Vari-Angle TFT LCD • 921,000 dots • 100% frame coverage • 170° viewing angle • Brightness adjustment
Built-in flash	• Auto, Portrait, Child, Close-up, Night portrait, Party/indoor, • Auto flash with auto pop-up, • Manual pop-up in P, S, A or M modes • Guide number approx. 12/39 at ISO 100 (am/ft) • Guide number approx. 13/43 at ISO 100 (m/ft) in manual mode
Sync contact	X-contact only; flash synchronization at shutter speeds of up to 1/200 sec
Flash control	• TTL flash control by 420-segment RGB sensor. • i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR and standard i-TTL fill-flash for digital SLR available when CPU lens is used with built-in flash, SB-400, SB-800, SB-900 and SB-600 • Auto aperture with SB-800/SB-900 and CPU lenses • Non-TTL auto with SB-900, SB-800, 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27 and 22s • Range-priority manual with SB-900, SB-800 and SB-700
Flash mode	Auto, Fill flash, rear-curtain with slow sync, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction
Flash compensation	• -3 to +1 EV • 1/3 steps
Nikon Creative Lighting system	Advanced Wireless Lighting when using SB-900, SB-800, SB-700 or SU-800 as commander and SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600 or SB-R200 as remotes; Flash Color Information Communication and FV lock supported with all CLS-compatible flash units
Shooting modes	• Single frame shooting (S) mode • Continuous shooting : 4.0 frames per second • Self-timer • Quick-Response Remote • Delayed Remote • Quiet shutter release
Self-timer	• 2, 5, 10 or 20 sec
Playback functions	• Full frame • Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar) • Playback with Playback zoom • Movie Playback • Slide Show • Histogram Display • Highlights • Auto Image Rotation • Image Comment (up to 36 characters)
Orientation sensor	Yes
Storage	• SD / SD HC / SDXC
Video output	NTSC or PAL selectable
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) • A/V out • HDMI out • DC-IN (optional AC adapter and adapter connector)
Languages	Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Power	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL14
Working environment	• 0 to 40°C (32 to 104°F) • Less than 85% humidity
Dimensions	128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.0 x 3.8 x 3.1 in.)
Weight (no batt)	510g (1 lb 2 oz)
Weight (inc. batt)	560g (1 lb 4 oz)

Overall Performance

As we’d expect from Nikon’s recent low-end DSLRs, the D5100 is quick and responsive in general use. Crucially, unlike the last-generation D5000, the D5100 is now to all intents and purposes just as fast whether Active D-Lighting is turned on or off.

At around 4 fps, continuous shooting is superior to the D3100 (which tops out at 3fps) and is respectable without being class-leading. We suspect it will keep the vast majority of users perfectly happy, but if you’re looking for a really fast-shooting sub-$1000 camera there are better options available (like the 6fps Pentax K-r, for example).

As with all Nikon DSLRs that lack an internal AF motor, autofocus speed is very much lens dependent, and the 18-55mm kit zoom isn’t a speed demon, and it’s likely to satisfy most potential buyers. It’s worth bearing in mind that like all DSLRs, the D5100 focuses more slowly in Live View mode, but Nikon deserves credit for improving focus speed in live view significantly over the last-generation. The D5100 just can’t compete with the likes of the GH2 for contrast-detection AF speed, but it is significantly faster than the equivalent system in the Canon EOS 1100D/600D, which are painfully slow by comparison.

On the subject of live view, it is worth mentioning that there is approximately a 0.5 second delay between triggering the shutter in live view mode, and image capture. This is inevitable in DSLRs (and 0.5 seconds is comparable to the lag in the EOS 600D and Pentax K-r, for example) but it can cause problems in certain situations, especially when shooting portraits or moving subjects in the Effects mode (where it makes much more sense to shoot in live view).

Continuous Shooting and Buffering

The D5100 is the second camera we’ve encountered that is supposed to be able to take advantage of the latest SDXC with UHS-I (ultra-high speed) interfaces, the first being the D7000. The D5100′s lower shooting rate of 4fps means that our conventional Class 6 SDHC was able to keep up with much of what the camera was able to throw at it but the faster SDXC card was able to improve the ‘buffer full’ rate by a fraction (around 0.2fps) when shooting Raw files.

The UHS-I standard is designed to allow cards with write speeds of up to 104MB/s, rather than the 45MB/s of the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I we’ve conducted this test with. Based on this comparison between SDHC and UHS-I SDXC cards, we can’t see them offering much benefit to D5100 owners.

Burst of JPEG Large/Fine images

Timing	8 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro
Frame rate	4 fps
Number of frames	n/a
Write complete	0.8 sec

Burst of RAW images

Timing	8 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro
Frame rate	4 fps
Number of frames	16
Buffer full rate	1.8 fps (approx)
Write complete	10 sec

Burst of JPEG Large/Fine images

Timing	8 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro
Frame rate	4 fps
Number of frames	10
Buffer full rate	1.8 fps (2 frames in quick succession every 2 seconds)
Write complete	11 sec

The D5100 consistently maintains a 4 fps shooting rate regardless of file format, and unlike some previous-generation Nikon DSLRs, turning on Active D-Lighting has no impact on the number of frames you can shoot before filling the buffer. The D5100′s JPEG buffer is effectively unlimited (the camera will stop shooting after 100 frames but another burst of 100 taken immediately afterwards), and the RAW buffer is reasonably impressive too, at 15 frames, dropping to 10 frames when shooting JPEGs concurrently. Once the buffer is full the camera will continue to shoot sporadically at an average rate of around 1fps when space becomes available again, in pairs of closely-spaced shots.

Even turning on the D5100′s ‘Auto Distortion Control’ feature (which corrects the JPEGs for the lens’s barrel or pincushion distortion) doesn’t have a disastrous effect on speed. With the feature turned on, the D5100 can shoot large fine JPEGs continuously at 4fps for a perfectly reasonable 13 frames, before dropping to approximately 2fps.

	Frame 1
	Frame 2
	Frame 3
	Frame 4
	Frame 5
	Frame 6
	Frame 7

The D5100′s continuous shooting rate of 4fps might not be fast enough to capture the quickest action, but it is perfectly adequate for freezing moderate motion, like this skateboarder.

Autofocus speed / accuracy

As has already been mentioned, like all of Nikon’s other entry-level models, the D5100 doesn’t have an in-body autofocus motor, which makes focusing performance highly lens dependent. This also means the camera won’t focus automatically focus with non-AF-S Nikkor lenses, or third party designs which lack an Inbuilt motor; something you need to bear in mind if you choose to expand your lens collection (and which limits your options on the second-hand market). Many of the most popular lenses bought by beginner photographers are now available either from Nikon or third-party makers, however.

As usual for a DSLR the D5100 uses two distinctly different autofocus methods – ‘phase detect AF’ for normal eye-level shooting, and ‘contrast detect AF’ when in live view. The former is distinctly faster, substantially because it’s what the lenses’ AF motor systems are designed for; we’ve had a lot of experience with it on cameras such as the D3100 and D7000, and have found it to be very capable. Indeed while Nikon advises against it, the 3D-tracking mode is pretty effective at tracking moving subjects (a capability unusual in this class). However the contrast-detect method has the advantage of more flexible focus-point placement, and compact camera-like features such as face detection. 

With the standard AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR kit zoom, the focus speed is perfectly acceptable, but not spectacular (you really need to use a better lens for the true benefits of the D5100′s AF system to become apparent). It’s noticeably faster using ‘normal’ PDAF than live view CDAF, although the latter is relatively fast compared to many other SLRs, and very accurate. For focusing from infinity to about 2m, we measured acquisition times of about 0.6 sec and 1.2 sec respectively. This is exactly the same performance that we recorded with the D3100.

AF-F focus mode for Live View / Movies

Introduced in the entry-level D3100, AF-F is a continuous autofocus mode for live view and movies that attempts to keep a moving subject in focus (i.e. more or less the same thing as AF-C). When combined with the ‘Subject Tracking AF’ mode, it will even do so while following the subject as it moves across the frame.

AF-F isn’t, in truth, terribly well-implemented when shooting stills using Live View, because it still insists on initiating an entire CDAF cycle when you half-press the shutter to take the shot, and this somewhat defeats the purpose of using subject tracking to speed up focusing. Oddly it does this even when the AE-L button is set to ‘AF On’, which we’d expect to disable focusing with the shutter button (as it does in all the D5100′s other focus modes), so that pressing it immediately grabbed a photo. We’d almost put this down as a glitch in the D3100, and it is a shame to see that the D5100 displays the same (very odd) behavior.

AF-F’s main practical benefit comes from following a moving subject when shooting movies. But while it can do this to a degree, its relatively slow speed means it doesn’t work so well compared to mirrorless cameras which have lenses designed specifically for the purpose. This means movies shot using AF-F will visibly drift out of and back into focus for a second or so as the system tries to keep track. Focus can generally be recovered with a half-press of the shutter button, and things are improved by using the AF tracking mode (because the camera has a clearer idea of what it should focus on), but it’s not entirely eliminated.

Another problem is that the internal microphone, positioned in the camera’s shoulder close to the lens, is perfectly-placed to pick up any noise from the autofocus motor and/or lens VR system. Often this will be masked by ambient sounds, but in quieter situations the motor can be quite audible on your soundtrack. Fortunately, unlike the D3100, the D5100 offers the provision for an external microphone.

Conclusion – Pros

• Excellent image quality
• Unintimidating interface, but with plenty of manual control
• Articulated, high-res LCD screen
• Sophisticated AF system for the price
• Easy manual selection of off-center AF points
• Unusually fast Live View AF for a low-end DSLR (but still relatively slow compared to mirrorless competitors)
• Effects modes are fun and beginner-friendly
• Much improved continuous shooting performance with Active D-Lighting turned on
• Lots of in-camera raw conversion and post-processing options

Conclusion – Cons

• Sub-optimal placement of some second-tier controls (like live view switch)
• Movie shooting button ‘orphaned’ from live view switch
• Buggy Live View / Movie Mode (movies aren’t necessarily recorded at set aperture)
• No live histogram in live view
• AF still a little sluggish in live view mode, full-time AF not very effective in live view or movies
• Only direct external ISO control is via slightly inconveniently-placed ‘Fn’ button
• Auto ISO logic is not well-suited for everyday casual shooting (good for action though)
• Effects modes low on manual control (and customization)
• Will not focus all Nikon lenses (though most popular choices are available)

Overall conclusion

Conceptually, the D5100 perfectly fills the gap in Nikon’s line-up between the entry-level D3100 and the much more enthusiast-orientated D7000 – marrying the ease-of-use of the former with the image quality of the latter. It also throws in a video-friendly articulated high-res screen and gains bracketing and a greater degree of customization to sweeten the deal. So although it makes do with no focus motor, a single control dial and a defiantly plastic body shell, it still offers the super-wide ISO span of 100-25,600 (equivalent) and class-leading image quality of the D7000, especially as regards high ISO noise performance.

Sadly, the reality isn’t totally consistent with this concept. The D5100 doesn’t have quite the same novice-friendly handling as the D3100 and it lacks so many of the D7000′s more advanced features that there is a risk that it ends up not quite being the right camera for anyone. The complete beginner may gravitate towards the slightly simpler D3100 and for their part, the enthusiast might hanker after too many of the features that are offered by the D7000 (whether that be in terms of build quality, sophistication of AF, size of viewfinder or the built-in AF motor).

In general though, judged on its own merits the D5100 is a satisfying camera, and as far as image quality is concerned it is most definitely a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Both in still imaging and video, the detail resolution and noise performance are up there with the best of its competition, and the high-resolution, articulated screen makes composition easy in both modes. We’re not wholly convinced by the Effects modes, given the restrictions that are inherent in shooting with them, but they’re fun enough to play with that they could offer creative inspiration for some users.

Image Quality

Image quality is definitely the D5100′s trump card. It offers effectively the same image quality as the higher-end D7000, at a lower cost, and it’s hard to argue that this is not a good thing. Since we’re comparing the D5100 to the D7000, it is also worth noting that of the thousands of frames that we’ve shot with the D5100, we haven’t seen the same overexposure problem that bothered us with the D7000 in some conditions.

At low ISO settings, the D5100 is on a par with the best of the competition, but at the higher ISO settings, it produces some of the best image quality that we’ve ever seen from an APS-C camera. Noise levels are impressively low, and default noise reduction does a good job of controlling chroma noise while still preserving detail. The D5100′s 16MP sensor is one of a new generation with an impressively low noise floor, and as such, a huge amount can be drawn out of both its JPEG and RAW files. JPEG shooters will love the ability to shoot with Active D-Lighting turned on with little penalty in noise levels (or continuous shooting performance) and more advanced users will enjoy the malleability of its NEF files.

Handling

As far as handling is concerned, the D5100 is a curious mixture of the inspired, and the inexplicable. We love the large, high-resolution articulated LCD screen, and the thick rubber that coats the substantial (for its class) hand grip. The D5100′s chassis is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, but while it lacks the heft of its ‘big brother’ the D7000, it feels reassuringly solid in the hand. Nikon’s trademark dedication of the four-way controller to AF point selection makes manual selection of off-center autofocus points very easy and this in turn, makes it easy to get the best out of what is one of the most sophisticated AF systems available in this class.

And now on to the inexplicable. Like the D3100, the D5100 lacks an ISO button. This is a control which we think should be easily changeable with the camera to your eye, and one that is ever-more important now that high ISOs are eminently more usable than they were just a few years ago. On the D5100 the only way to do this is via the customizable ‘Fn’ button, which is slightly awkwardly-placed on the left side of the camera, and easily mixed up with the adjacent flash activation button. Still on the subject of ISO, we’re disappointed that its slightly fussy auto ISO system is unchanged from the D3100/D7000. It isn’t useless, it just isn’t as useful as it could be.

In Live View mode the D5100 is generally a very agreeable companion, but things aren’t completely trouble free. The D5100 inherits the D7000′s (relatively) fast contrast-detection AF, which goes a long way towards making the mode more generally useful for everyday shooting, but it’s still nowhere near as fast and seamless as competitors like the Sony A55 and Panasonic G2 that are designed specifically for compact-camera style live view usage.

There are also a few odd behavioral quirks in live view and movie mode, with aperture control that can only be described as buggy. For example, the camera won’t necessarily shoot videos at the aperture that’s displayed on the screen when you press ‘record’, although it will when shooting stills. The lack of any kind of exposure level indication when using manual mode and live view is also a strange omission. What this means is that two of the D5100′s key new features simply don’t work as well as they should – and crucially not as well as on competing models. We have exactly the same criticisms of the D3100, and it is disappointing to see that they have not been addressed.

Even more disappointing is the fact that two of the best things about the D3100 – the conveniently placed integrated live view and movie control and the physical drive mode switch – are absent in the D5100. The live view switch is now positioned on the camera’s top plate, divorced from the movie button, which sits up by the shutter release (and is completely redundant except when the camera is put into live view mode). Not only is this switch more awkwardly placed on the D5100 than the D3100, it takes the place of the drive mode switch that we like so much on the D3100.

The Final Word

The D5100 is without doubt one of the most compelling products in its class, and offers an excellent mixture of straightforward handling, a well-targeted feature set, and excellent video and still image quality. As we’d expect from a camera with such a solid lineage, the D5100 is responsive and reliable in operation, and produces excellent images with a minimum of fuss. It is only the second Nikon DSLR to feature an articulated LCD screen and we much prefer the more conventional side-hinged design to the D5000′s more awkward bottom-hinged effort. The side-hinged screen is much more versatile, as well as being considerably easier to use with the camera mounted on a tripod.

We do have some concerns though, mostly as regards the arrangement of the D5100′s second-tier controls. Some of the control points appear to have been positioned almost at random and, with the exception of the articulated LCD screen, we’re not convinced that the operational and ergonomic changes that Nikon has made compared to the D3100 add any value to the camera. In fact, the contrary might even be true, especially as regards the redesigned live view switch. Judged on its own merits though, the D5100 does its job very well indeed. A novice-friendly feature set and (relatively) wallet-friendly asking price belie an extremely capable sensor and AF system. We are left with a lingering worry, though, that the D5100′s entry-level ergonomics might not prove quite so adaptable to the evolving needs of a first-time DSLR buyer as a camera like the Canon EOS 600D/Rebel T3.

At first glance, the X20 looks just like its predecessor the X10, although it’s now available in a very pretty silver-and-black finish, alongside the conventional all-black. But inside it offers a couple of very significant differences. The first is a brand-new sensor, a 2/3″ type ‘X-Trans CMOS’ design that uses the same novel colour filter array as in Fujifilm’s recent APS-C cameras. Second is an updated ‘Advanced Optical Viewfinder’ that includes a detailed information overlay, showing key exposure data and compositional gridlines. This isn’t the same as the hybrid viewfinder found in the company’s X100/X100S and X-Pro1 models – there’s no electronic viewfinder – but it’s never been done before on a digital zoom compact.

Aside from this, the X20 retains most of the same features that made the X10 an extremely appealing little camera. It uses the same fast zoom lens, with a 28-112mm equivalent angle of view and F2-2.8 maximum aperture, which is operated by a mechanically-coupled zoom ring that also retracts the lens and turns the camera off. It has plenty of external controls, including an exposure compensation dial and two rear dials, and a hot shoe for external flash. One feature notable by its absence is a direct movie record button – this is a camera primarily designed for stills photography.

Fujifilm X20 key features

• 12MP 2/3″-type X-Trans CMOS sensor
• On-chip phase detection autofocus
• EXR Processor II
• ‘Advanced Optical Viewfinder’ with exposure information overlay
• 28-112mm equivalent, F2.0-2.8 lens with optical image stabilization
• Manual zoom ring and lens retraction mechanism
• Full manual control, RAW format recording
• 3″ 460k dot LCD
• Full HD 1080/60fps movie recording (36Mbps bitrate)
• Built-in stereo microphones, optional MIC-ST1 external microphone
• Film simulation modes for different colour and monochrome ‘looks’
• In-camera RAW conversion with all in-camera processing parameters adjustable
• ‘Advanced Filters’ image-processing controls, previewed live on-screen
• Focus peaking display for manual focus using the rear LCD
• Lens Modulation Optimiser for compensation of aberrations

Here’s the X20 alongside the X100S announced at the same time. The two cameras have a lot in common – both use X-Trans CMOS sensors with on-chip phase-detection AF, offer optical viewfinders with detailed information overlays, and have similar control layouts. But while the X20 uses a 2/3″ sensor and 28-112mm equivalent fast zoom lens, the X100S has a larger APS-C sensor and fixed focal length 35mm equivalent F2 lens.

Fujifilm X-Trans CMOS sensor

The X20 uses an all-new sensor, which like the X10′s is of the 2/3″ type (~8.8 x 6.6mm), and therefore larger than those used in most of its competitors (see diagram below). But instead of its predecessor’s EXR design, it gets Fujifilm’s latest ‘X-Trans’ colour filter array, as used in the company’s X-Pro1 and X-E1 mirrorless models and the X100S fixed-lens APS-C compact. This doesn’t use an optical low-pass filter, and according to Fujifilm should give higher resolution than conventional Bayer-type 12MP sensors. The sensor is also of the ‘backside illuminated’ type, which places the photodetectors on the opposite side of the chip from their associated circuitry. This promises better light-gathering capability, which should mean improved noise performance.

The second addition to the sensor design is an on-chip phase detection system that promises faster autofocus. Indeed Fujifilm is promising AF speeds faster than 0.2 sec under all conditions, a significant improvement over the X10. If this is realised in practice it’ll make the X20 one of the fastest compacts around. The portents are good too, as the F300EXR which previously used this technology was very quick indeed, and the BSI design means the phase detection pixels gather as much light as possible.

The switch to the X-Trans CMOS sensor addresses one of the X10′s most obvious weaknesses – it simply can’t resolve quite as much detail as its competitors with conventional sensors. But it also loses one of its strengths, the excellent 6MP ‘DR’ shooting mode that offers vastly better highlight rendition than other compact cameras in difficult lighting conditions. However the X20 will still offer more-conventional DR expansion settings at 12MP resolution, which should make up for this.

Sensor sizes compared

The diagram below compares the size of the X20′s 2/3″ sensor to those in its nearest competitors – in general larger sensors potentially offer better image quality. The X20′s sensor is half the size of that found in the (more expensive) Sony RX100, but it’s about half as large again as the Canon G15′s.

The X20′s 2/3″ sensor is half the area of the Sony RX100′s 1″ sensor, but about 50% larger than the Canon G15′s 1/1.7″ sensor.

Enthusiast compacts: lenses, sensors and background blur

The table below compares the XF1′s lens specifications and sensor size against its main competitors and the X10. Along with the familiar 35mm-equivalent focal length, we’ve also included a 35mm-equivalent aperture range, which gives some idea of the control over depth of field offered by each camera’s lens.

* Equivalent aperture, in 135 film terms – this gives an idea of the depth of field control offered by the lenses when the sensor size is taken into account.
** Panasonic DMC-LX7 sensor area figures based on 4:3 aspect ratio mode

Photographers tend to be interested in how well a lens can blur backgrounds when shooting portraits at full telephoto, and in this respect the X20 is one of the most capable compacts on the market, alongside the Olympus XZ2 and Canon Powershot G15. Slightly counter-intuitively, it offers greater potential to blur backgrounds than the Sony RX100, despite that camera’s larger sensor.

The equivalent apertures also give a rough idea of how the cameras might compare in low light; to a degree they indicate how far a larger sensor should be offset by a faster lens. Obviously this isn’t the whole story; the characteristics of the individual sensors matters too, as does the quality of in-camera processing for JPEG shooters. But the story is essentially the same – the X20′s fast lens should in principle make it one of the most capable compacts on the market for low-light work.

If you’re new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

Fujifilm X20 specifications

Body type
Body type	Compact
Sensor
Max resolution	4000 x 3000
Other resolutions	4000 x 2664, 4000 x 2248, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1864, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 2048 x 1536, 2048 x 1360, 1920 x 1080, 1536 x 1536
Image ratio w:h	1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Effective pixels	12.0 megapixels
Sensor size	2/3″ (8.8 x 6.6 mm)
Sensor type	CMOS
Processor	EXR Processor II
Image
ISO	Auto (Up to ISO 3200), 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400, 12800
White balance presets	7
Custom white balance	Yes
Image stabilization	Optical
Uncompressed format	RAW
JPEG quality levels	Fine, Normal
File format	JPEG Exif 2.3 RAW (.RAF)
Optics & Focus
Focal length (equiv.)	28 – 112 mm
Optical zoom	4×
Autofocus	Phase Detect Multi-area Center Tracking Single Continuous Live View
Autofocus assist lamp	Yes
Digital zoom	Yes (2x)
Manual focus	Yes
Normal focus range	50 cm (19.69″)
Macro focus range	1 cm (.39″)
Lens mount	None
Focal length multiplier	3.94×
Screen / viewfinder
Articulated LCD	Fixed
Screen size	2.8″
Screen dots	460,000
Touch screen	No
Screen type	TFT color LCD monitor
Live view	Yes
Viewfinder type	Optical (tunnel)
Viewfinder coverage	85 %
Photography features
Maximum aperture	F2.0 – F2.8
Minimum shutter speed	30 sec
Maximum shutter speed	1/4000 sec
Exposure modes	Auto Program Aperture priority Shutter priority Manual
Scene modes	Portrait Portrait Enhancer Landscape Sport Night Night (Tripod) Fireworks Sunset Snow Beach Party Flower Text Underwater
Built-in flash	Yes (Pop-up)
Flash range	7 m
External flash	Yes (hot-shoe)
Flash modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
Continuous drive	Yes (12 fps)
Self-timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Metering modes	Multi Average Spot
Exposure compensation	±2 EV (at 1/3 EV steps)
AE Bracketing	(at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps)
WB Bracketing	No
Videography features
Format	H.264
Microphone	Stereo
Speaker	Mono
Resolutions	1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Videography notes	High Speed Movie (80/150/250 fps.）
Storage
Storage types	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Connectivity
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
HDMI	Yes (Mini connector)
Physical
Environmentally sealed	No
Battery	Battery Pack
Battery description	Lithium-Ion NP-50 rechargeable battery & charger
Battery Life (CIPA)	270
Weight (inc. batteries)	353 g (0.78 lb / 12.45 oz)
Dimensions	117 x 70 x 57 mm (4.61 x 2.76 x 2.24″)
Other features
Orientation sensor	Yes
Timelapse recording	No
GPS	None

Body & Design

The X20 uses exactly the same basic body design as the X10, with all the same buttons and dials in all the same places. Indeed there’s barely a space on the camera aside from the handgrip that doesn’t have a control of some sort. Its standout feature is its mechanically-coupled zoom ring, as opposed to the electrically operated zooms found in all its competitors. This offers a directness of compositional control than many photographers really appreciate (although it’s not quite so great if you like to zoom the lens during movie recording).

Look a little more closely and there are a few detail changes compared to the X10, mainly to take advantage of the optical viewfinder’s increased utility. So there’s an eye sensor beside the finder window for automatic switching with the rear LCD. The drive mode and AF area selection buttons have also swapped places, so that the latter is readily accessible with the camera to your eye. This offers the ability to move the focus area around the frame when shooting with the optical viewfinder, something that’s unique for a zoom compact.

Aside from that, the button on the bottom right of the camera is now labelled ‘Q’ rather than RAW, as its main function is now to bring up the on-screen Q-menu for quick settings changes. The camera’s model badge is also now on the front plate below the popup flash (the X10 wore its name on the top plate. One point worth noting is that the X20′s fast lens and large-diameter front element means there’s no built-in lens cover – instead it requires a push-on cap.

Top of camera

The X20 again looks near-identical to the X10 from the top. It has a centrally-mounted hot shoe for an external flash unit, and a little pop-up flash on the left. On the right of the top plate are the shutter button that’s threaded for a mechanical cable release, exposure compensation dial, exposure mode dial, customisable Fn button. The latter is set by default to give direct access to the ISO setting, which doesn’t have its own dedicated dial or button.

The exposure mode dial offers much the same choice as the X10, from fully automatic operation through to full manual control. Here you also get access to movie mode and the ‘Advanced filter’ image processing options, and (relatively unusually for a compact) two user-customisable settings labelled C1 and C2. The X10′s EXR position has gone, replaced by a new ‘SR+’ scene recognition mode that can choose from no less than 64 different scene modes.

In your hand

With its magnesium alloy top- and base-plates and milled-aluminium dials, the X20 is a beautifully-finished camera that feels reassuringly solid on your hand. The manual zoom ring essentially demands two handed operation, unless you want to treat it as a fixed focal-length camera. This is in no way a bad thing, though; it encourages use of a more-stable shooting position than the infamous compact camera ‘one-handed at arm’s length’ pose.

The X20 has a rather minimal handgrip, but it’s enough to give your fingers a bit of purchase, and the rubber thumb hook helps give a positive hold. Pretty well all of the key controls are well-placed for operation by your right hand, with the left hand supporting the camera and operating the zoom ring.

Viewfinder

While the vast majority of zoom compact cameras have now lost the optical viewfinder entirely (with the honourable exception of the Canon Powershot G15 and G1 X), Fujifilm has decided it’s still useful. The X10′s was already unusually large, but the X20 adds something many people assumed must be impossible – an information overlay that can include not only key shooting data (shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation, and ISO), but also gridlines and a display of the active focus area.

While this idea has been extremely-received in the X100 and X-Pro1, its important to understand that the X20 isn’t quite the same. There’s no space for a full-electronic eye-level viewfinder, and the shooting information is provided by a ‘Digital Trans Panel’ display that’s placed within the viewfinder’s optical path. The available information is more limited, and most notably there’s no live histogram display. The optical viewfinder only offers 85% coverage of the lens’s field of view, so you’ll get a bit more in the final image than you saw while shooting. As on the X10, the view will also be partially blocked by the lens barrel at wider angles.

The diagrams below, kindly provided by Fujifilm, should give an idea of how the X20′s viewfinder information will look.

Here the viewfinder is showing basic information – the white rectangle indicates the focus area, while along the lower edge of the screen we have (L-R) AF confirmation, exposure compensation reminder, shutter speed, aperture, and shooting mode.	This is a schematic view of the full display. Flash status and self timer are upper left, while warning displays for close-up parallax error, AF error, and camera shake run down the the right side. There are also ‘rule of thirds’ gridlines, and a central 5×5 grid that’s used to display the selected focus point.

According to Fujifilm, the information overlay will change colour depending on the lighting conditions to make it as visible as possible. The information is normally displayed in black in good light, but switches to white in low light. The AF frame lights up green when focus is confirmed, and red when the camera can’t focus properly. All of which sounds perfectly sensible.

All-in-all, the X20 promises to have the most usable optical viewfinder ever seen in a zoom compact camera, making it a far more plausible alternative for regular use than the simple ‘optical tunnel’ finders that have been used until now. It’s impossible not to be impressed by Fujifilm’s commitment to implementing novel photographer-friendly features like this.

Onscreen user interface

The X20 gains Fujifilms latest onscreen user interface enhancements that we’ve previously seen on cameras like the XF1 and X-Pro1. We don’t have screenshots from the X20 itself, so here we’re using versions from those cameras to illustrate what this means.

	The default display for composition using the LCD shows key exposure parameters across the bottom of thr screen, in a less-intrusive fashion compared to the X10.Animated virtual dials appear on the display when you change a setting, for example when zooming or changing the exposure compensation. (Screenshot from XF1)
	The X20 also uses Fujifilm’s latest tabbed menu system, that’s much prettier (and better organised) than before.(Screenshot from XF1)
	Pressing the ‘Q’ button brings up Fujifilm’s notably clear and well-designed Q-menu for changing key settings. This feature wasn’t originally available on the X10, but was added in firmware version 2.0.(Screenshot from X-Pro1)

Body Elements

	The X20′s mechanical zoom ring doubles as the power switch, retracting the lens in the ‘OFF’ position as shown here. But this does mean that the X20 is relatively bulky to carry around compared its rivals which retract the lens right into the body.
	The X10 has built-in stereo microphones hidden behind small holes on the front. Below the right mic (i.e. on the left here) is a bright LED lamp to aid focusing in dark conditions.The AF illuminator can be turned off if you prefer. It can also be disabled, along with the flash and camera sounds, by pressing down the ‘DISP’ button for 2 seconds to enter ‘Silent’ mode.
	A three-position rotary switch on the front of the camera selects the focus mode. There’s a choice of single-shot AF, continuous AF, and manual focus.
	The upper rear dial is perfectly placed for operation by your right thumb. It can be clicked in to change its function in certain modes. Underneath is an autoexposure/autofocus lock button.
	Below this is a second control dial that surrounds the 4-way controller and Menu/OK button. The buttons of the 4-way controller have dedicated functions in shooting mode – on the X20 the ‘up’ key is used to enter AF area selection mode.
	The tiny little flash unit pops-up out of the top plate. It’s not motorized, so won’t activate automatically when the camera is in auto modes. Instead you have to release it using a sliding switch beside the viewfinder eyepiece.
	There’s a hotshoe on the top plate that has contacts for use with Fujifilm’s dedicated external units. These range from the compact EF-20TTL to the large, powerful and fully-featured EF-42TTL.
	The X20′s connectors lie under a small flap on the handgrip side of the camera. There’s an HDMI port for playing back video, and above it a tiny USB/AV out socket.
	The tripod socket is placed off-centre from the lens, as is common with zoom compacts. It’s well-separated from the base compartment, meaning you have a fighting chance of being able to change the battery or card with the camera on a tripod.The camera’s small built-in speaker for movie playback can also be seen here, next to the base compartment door.

First impressions

Fujifilm has been on something of a roll since the announcement of the X100 a couple of years ago, and the X20 shows that it’s not content to rest on its laurels just yet. We rather liked the X10, especially its fast lens with manual zoom ring and extensive external controls, and the X20 builds on this design while adding some compelling-sounding new features. The switch to a 12MP X-Trans CMOS sensor promises more-detailed images, and the addition of on-chip phase detection AF should provide a welcome boost in speed. For photographers who still enjoy using an optical viewfinder, the addition of an information overlay panel may well look like a dream come true.

In the increasingly-competitive enthusiast compact sector, the X20 looks like it could be a standout camera for ‘traditionalist’ photographers who’ll appreciate its manual zoom and optical viewfinder. But it’s up against some extremely good cameras, such as Canon’s Powershot G15 which is distinctly more svelte and offers a longer zoom, or the Olympus XZ-2 with its tilting rear screen and optional electronic viewfinder. But there’s every reason to believe the X20 will be able to hold its own in such exalted company, and we’re very much looking forward to getting our hands on a reviewable camera to find out.

The X100S sees Fujifilm revisiting the concept, but while the external design is essentially unchanged, it’s a very different camera inside. It uses a 16.3MP X-Trans CMOS sensor similar to that seen in the interchangeable lens X-Pro1 and X-E1 models, but now with on-chip phase detection promising much-improved autofocus speed. This is supported by a new processor, the ‘EXR Processor II’, which includes a new ‘Lens Modulation Optimiser’ function. According to Fujifilm this ‘overcomes’ lens aberrations such as diffraction and peripheral aberrations, and should give improved image quality at the largest and smallest apertures. The electronic viewfinder has been upgraded to a higher-resolution 2.35M dot display (from 1.44M dot); however this isn’t the OLED unit used in the X-E1, but an LCD instead.

Two additional manual focus aids are available when using the EVF or LCD – a focus ‘peaking’ display that outlines in-focus elements, and an all-new ‘Digital Split Image focusing’ display that uses phase detection data from the sensor, and is designed to offer a similar experience to manual focus film cameras. In addition, the sensor on the manual focus ring has been upgraded to detect movement with greater precision – which Fujifilm says will make the dial more responsive.

The user interface gains all the improvements Fujifilm has made in its X-series cameras over the past few years, including an onscreen ‘Q’ menu to access major settings, and a much-improved tabbed menu system. We haven’t yet seen a fully working camera, but on paper the X100S certainly has the potential to be very special indeed.

Fujifilm X100S key features

• Fujifilm-designed 16.3MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor
• On-sensor phase detection autofocus
• Novel colour filter array to suppress colour moiré, no optical low-pass filter
• EXR Processor II image processor
• Hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder with 2.35M dot LCD EVF
• Analogue dials for shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation
• Fixed 23mm F2 lens (same as X100)
• Improved manual focus system (more responsive focus ring, focus peaking and split-image displays)
• 2.8″ 460k dot LCD
• On-screen ‘Q’ control panel and tabbed menu system
• Full HD 1080/60fps movie recording, 36Mbps bitrate
• Socket for electronic remote release/stereo microphone

Aside from these headline features, Fujifilm is promising a whole host of smaller tweaks and improvements covering every aspect of the camera’s design and operation – no fewer than 70 in total. Many of these address bugs and quirks highlighted by users and reviewers, demonstrating once again Fujifilm’s laudable desire to listen to feedback and learn from it. Some controls have been subtly tweaked, movie mode is much improved, and small but important operability issues addressed – for example the live histogram now works correctly in manual exposure mode. We’ll cover these in detail on the next page.

Side-by-side with the Fujifilm X20

Here’s the X100S side-by-side with the X20 that Fujifilm has announced at the same time. The two cameras are very different beasts, of course, but share a lot of common features, and the family resemblance is obvious.

Here’s the X100S alongside the co-announced X20 zoom compact. Both cameras feature X-Trans CMOS sensors with on-chip phase detection AF, optical viewfinders with detailed information overlays, and lots of external controls. Their on-screen user interfaces and menu systems are very similar too. The big difference is that the X20′s fast (F2-2.8) 28-112mm equivalent zoom is coupled to a smaller 2/3″ type sensor.

If you’re new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C.

This article is Copyright 2013 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.

What’s New?

Fujifilm says the X100S has fully 70 improvements over the X100, some major (like the sensor), some relatively minor. Here we pick out some of the most important from the list, but in short, it appears that many of the X100′s remaining irritations have been addressed. Note though that we haven’t seen a working model yet, so don’t know how well the camera actually behaves in practice.

Operability improvements

Fujifilm says it has made a whole host of small improvements to the X100S’s controls. Physical designs and layouts have been tweaked, and it appears that lots more button customization will be available (although we’ll need to see a working camera to understand what this really means).

The layout of the focus mode switch has been revised, with the single-shot and continuous positions exchanged. This places the least-used AF-C mode in the centre, and makes the AF-S setting much easier to select quickly.	The shutter speed dial has been subtly revised, with the A position now more distinctly separated from the speed settings. Fujifilm says both the shutter speed and exposure compensation dials have increased resistance to rotation, meaning they should be less prone to accidental settings changes.
Even the shape of the viewfinder selector lever has been redesigned for easier operation.	The responsiveness of the manual focus ring has been improved – it’s now sensitive to smaller rotations.
The metering mode and AF area buttons can be re-assigned to other functions.	The much-criticised Menu/OK button promises ‘improved operability’.

Rear control layout

The early X100S Fujifilm showed us used the same rear control layout as the X100, as pictured above. But Fujifilm’s launch presentation suggests it will have the same changes as as the X20, with the AF area selection and drive mode functions swapped (making it much easier to change the active AF point with the camera to your eye). The RAW button is also likely to be re-labelled Q, to reflect its new primary function of accessing the on-screen quick menu.

Performance improvements

The X100S’s new sensor and processor add up to improved performance specs compared to the X100. Here’s Fujifilm’s own comparison between the two:

• Improved AF speed: 0.07 sec in good light (10EV), compared to 0.22 sec for X100
• Quicker startup (0.9 sec vs 2 sec)
• Faster continuous shooting (6 fps vs 5 fps)
• Substantially larger buffer, 31 frames vs 10 frames (JPEG Large/Fine)
• Improved shot-to-shot time in single shot drive mode (0.5 sec vs 0.9 sec)
• Can immediately switch to playback mode after shooting (no need to wait for file to write to card)
• Buttons that were unresponsive immediately after shooting are now fixed

Image processing options

The X100S gains the ‘Pro Neg’ film simulation options previously seen on the X-Pro1 and X-E1, which are particularly aimed at giving neutral results for portrait photographers. At the other end of the scale, it also gets a range of special effects ‘Advanced filters’.

• ‘Pro Neg Std’ and ‘Pro Neg Hi’ film simulation settings
• Customisable film simulation bracketing
• 8 ‘Advanced Filter’ processing options (Toy Photo, Miniature, Pop Colour, Soft Focus, Dynamic Tone, High Key, Low Key, Partial Colour)

Enhanced movie functionality

The X100′s video mode was basic to say the least, but the X100S boasts much improved specs. Movies are still a bolt-on to what’s fundamentally a stills camera, and accessed as a drive mode (there’s no ‘red button’ in sight here). Note there’s still no image stabilization, optical or electronic, so hand-held movies will be jittery.

• 1080p 60fps Full HD recording, with 36Mbps bitrate (compared to X100′s 720p 24fps)
• Phase-detect AF effective for movie shooting
• X-Trans colour filter reduces moiré and false colour
• AF-S focus mode available (only AF-C and MF on X100)

Miscellaneous changes

• 14bit RAW output
• Max ISO in Auto mode increased to 6400
• Auto ISO moved to shooting menu (from Set-up)
• Protective coating on viewfinder window, to keep OVF clear of fingerprints
• Minimum shooting distance using OVF reduced to 50cm (from 80cm on X100)
• Minimum focus in normal shooting reduced to 21cm (from 40cm)
• Shutter count function (updates every 100 shots, accessed from menu)
• Battery chamber redesigned to prevent wrong-way-round insertion
• 1:1 aspect ratio added (alongside 3:2 and 16:9)
• Camera retains (as opposed to resets) all settings after firmware update
• Eye-Fi card support
• Improved support for SD cards used with Apple computers
• Live histogram adapts to current settings in manual exposure mode
• Strap lugs are double-plated for increased durability

• Fujifilm X100S specifications

  

  Body type
  Body type	Large sensor compact
  Sensor
  Max resolution	4896 x 3264
  Other resolutions	4896ｘ2760,264 × 3264, 3456ｘ2304, 3456ｘ1944, 2304 × 230, 2496ｘ1664, 2496ｘ1408 , 1664 × 1664
  Image ratio w:h	1:1, 3:2, 16:9
  Effective pixels	16.3 megapixels
  Sensor size	APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm)
  Sensor type	CMOS
  Processor	EXR II
  Image
  ISO	Auto (ISO 200 – 6400), ISO 100, 12800 and 25600 with boost
  White balance presets	7
  Custom white balance	Yes
  Image stabilization	No
  Uncompressed format	RAW
  JPEG quality levels	Fine, Normal
  File format	JPEG (Exif 2.3), RAW (RAF format) RAW+JPEG
  Optics & Focus
  Focal length (equiv.)	35 mm
  Optical zoom	1×
  Autofocus	Multi-area Single Continuous Live View
  Digital zoom	No
  Manual focus	Yes
  Normal focus range	21 cm (8.27″)
  Macro focus range	10 cm (3.94″)
  Number of focus points	49
  Lens mount	None
  Screen / viewfinder
  Articulated LCD	Fixed
  Screen size	2.8″
  Screen dots	460,000
  Touch screen	No
  Screen type	TFT color LCD monitor
  Live view	Yes
  Viewfinder type	Electronic and Optical (tunnel)
  Viewfinder coverage	90 %
  Viewfinder magnification	0.5×
  Viewfinder resolution	2,350,000
  Photography features
  Maximum aperture	F2.0
  Minimum shutter speed	30 sec
  Maximum shutter speed	1/4000 sec
  Exposure modes	Program AE Shutter priority Aperture priority Manual exposure
  Built-in flash	Yes
  Flash range	9 m
  External flash	Yes (hot-shoe)
  Flash modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync
  Continuous drive	Yes (6 fps)
  Self-timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec)
  Metering modes	Multi Average Spot
  Exposure compensation	±2 EV (at 1/3 EV steps)
  AE Bracketing	(at 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps)
  WB Bracketing	No
  Videography features
  Format	H.264
  Microphone	Stereo
  Speaker	Mono
  Resolutions	1920 x 1080 (60, 30fps)
  Storage
  Storage types	SD/SDHC/SDXC
  Connectivity
  USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
  HDMI	Yes (Mini connector)
  Wireless	Eye-Fi Connected
  Remote control	Yes
  Physical
  Environmentally sealed	No
  Battery	Battery Pack
  Battery description	Lithium-Ion NP-95 rechargeable battery & charger
  Battery Life (CIPA)	330
  Weight (inc. batteries)	445 g (0.98 lb / 15.70 oz)
  Dimensions	127 x 74 x 54 mm (5 x 2.91 x 2.13″)
  Other features
  Orientation sensor	Yes
  Timelapse recording	No
  GPS	None

  Fujifilm X-Trans CMOS II sensor

  Fujifilm has along history in designing its own unique sensors which don’t use conventional Bayer-pattern colour filter arrays. The X-Trans CMOS is the latest design to emerge from its out-of-the-box thinking, and while it uses a conventional square-grid pixel layout (unlike the company’s EXR compacts), the colour filter array over the pixels has been completely redesigned. The result, according to Fujifilm, is minimal susceptibility to colour moiré, which in turn allows the company to dispense with the anti-aliasing filter that’s used by almost all other cameras. In principle, this means the X100S should be able to resolve more detail than Bayer-array cameras with a similar pixel count. The ‘II’ version of the sensor adds another trick; on-chip phase detection autofocus.

  The color filter array

  Almost all digital cameras use what it called a Bayer color filter array, named after the Kodak engineer who developed the pattern. Over the years it’s proved to be an excellent way of capturing both color and detail in a scene. Essentially, it consists of a simple repeating pattern of four pixels, two of which are sensitive to green light, one to red and one to blue, in a square RGGB layout.

  However, one problem with the Bayer array is its susceptibility to false colour artefacts when faced with an image that contains finely-repeating patterns (such as textiles), caused by interference between these patterns and the regular grid of photosites. The result is unsightly bands of color, which in most digital cameras is suppressed by the addition of an optical low pass (or ‘anti-aliasing’) filter in front of the sensor that blurs away the finest image detail. This reduces any moiré patterns, but with an inevitable loss of resolution.

  Film never showed an analogous effect due to its random grain structure, and Fujifilm’s engineers reasoned that modifying the sensors’ colour filter array to make it look more irregular would have a similar effect. The result is the X-Trans CMOS’s 6×6 colour filter array, with red, green and blue photosites on each row and column (diagrams courtesy of Fujifilm):

  The common 2×2 ‘Bayer’ pattern used in most digital cameras	The 6×6 color filter array pattern of Fujifilm’s X-Trans CMOS sensor

  Use of an unconventional CFA is not without its complications, though; most obviously, it demands a completely different demosaicing algorithm for RAW conversion. This has proven to be a problem for third-party raw conversion software, as we documented in our review of the X-Pro1. For many users this is offset by Fujifilm’s superb out-of-camera JPEGs and flexible in-camera raw conversion, but committed RAW shooters should bear in mind that mainstream support is still limited.

  On-chip phase detection autofocus

  Almost all compact and mirrorless cameras use contrast-detection autofocus – in its simplest form, this racks the lens through its range of focus distances and picks the one which delivers the highest contrast at the selected AF point as being in-focus. Once upon a time this was painfully slow, but focusing algorithms and lens designs have improved substantially over the past few years, and it can now be extremely fast and accurate. But it struggles in some situations – most notably with moving subjects.

  One solution to this is to use phase-detection autofocus. In short, this is able to tell from a single measurement exactly how to adjust the lens to achieve an in-focus image. All SLRs by necessity use this approach, with a dedicated autofocus sensor. But it’s becoming increasingly common on mirrorless cameras too, using a system that’s integrated onto the main imaging sensor. It’s employed most successfully by Nikon’s 1 System cameras, but other manufacturers such as Sony and Canon use similar technology, with varying degrees of success.

  Fujifilm was in fact the first manufacturer to bring on-chip PDAF to market, with its F300EXR in 2010. But it’s appeared curiously reluctant to exploit the technology in higher-end models until now. Both the X100S and the smaller-sensored X20 use the system, and promise much-improved focus speeds over their predecessors (and rivals). As tends to be the case, it appears that the PDAF sensors are localized towards the centre of the frame, and use pixels that are masked to receive light from the left- and right-sides of the lens’s exit pupil. The phase difference between the paths allows the focus distance to be determined.

  Summary

  

  As we’ve said elsewhere in this preview, we haven’t seen a fully working X100S yet, so can’t draw many practical conclusions right now. But on paper it looks like it should offer a cross between the physical design and basic handling of the X100, and the image quality of the X-E1. But that’s not all; most notably you also get phase detection AF, a higher resolution electronic viewfinder, improved manual focus, and Fujifilm’s latest on-screen interface (including its excellent Q-menu).

  Despite its manifest quirks we like the X100 a lot, especially with the latest firmware that irons out most of the bugs; indeed it’s one of our favourite cameras of the past few years. We’ve also been impressed by the image quality from the X-Pro1 and X-E1, with the superb out-of-camera JPEGs going a long way to offset slightly flakey RAW support. So the X100S looks like a mouth-watering prospect indeed, and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on a working model to see if it lives up to its undoubted promise.

As a high-end model of the NEX system easily from the shape with the NEX-5 Series NEX-6 distinguishable. NEX-6 has a higher body, coupled with a faux leather embossed rubber surface handle, as well as the matte surface of the fuselage, grip handle better than the NEX-5 series. Although only a plastic body, but is also not cheap plastic taste, if not to say some people even thought it was a metal fuselage texture to be considered impressive. With starting a new kit lens E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ the OSS is quite appropriate, short lens barrel camera easier to carry, and the camera hung around the neck will not make the lens fall. But operate electronic bifocal ring, if the steering is too large will withstand the grip fingers, blame fuselage too small, but that is no anti-system benefits.?

The high-end no anti-one attraction of the built-in EVF electronic viewfinder, the NEX-6 a built-in 2.4 million pixel OLED viewfinder, the NEX-7 will be able to automatically switch close to the viewfinder. Although it is not like the external EVF vertical viewfinder, but you can save a sum more than make room to use the flash or Mic. The NEX-5 series was first adopted in connection Flash, Mic external expansion design is dedicated Smart Accessory Terminal, subsequent launch of the NEX-7 Alpha / Minolta SLR system hot shoe. NEX-6 A99, the RX1 like multi-interface hot shoe, you can use the Sony dedicated accessories and colleagues when Zhuo single point triggered flash hot shoe, may correspond to the Manual flash, wireless glazing lights flash cited. Few temporary support multi-interface hot shoe accessories, Shoe adapter ADP-MAA can go back to the old standard Alpha series flash. User NEX-5 series upgrade on accessories can not be used. Nevertheless, users also happy The simple Sony will no anti SLR appreciation Prosumer machine hot shoe standard unified, I believe the future will have more choice in the purchase of accessories.

Rear 3-inch Xtra Fine LCD display can be turned up to 90 degrees and down turned 45 degrees, not like NEX-5R, 180-degree flip.

Interface hot shoe built point may correspond to the special fittings, but also to support the single-point flash.

Speaking of flash, NEX-6 with the flagship NEX-7 built-in pop-up flash, do not like the NEX-5 series you want to plug in a flash before use. Only GN6 output, implying that everyone is best to use a higher ISO sensitivity, or use a larger aperture lenses, or add a larger output of an external flash. Not original flash adapter, but was worried about the full manual output trouble then it does not matter, now there is a lot of flash TTL A mode automatically available output, such as Nikon, Canon, Nissin flash there is such a function. Fixed camera ISO and aperture, the flash on the same set, you can automatically control the flash output. To set flash Compensation? The flash aperture value or ISO value adjustments large or transfer a small, short yourself to give it a try.

Built-in pop-up flash

I believe that a lot of users have tried to jump flash this way, can make the main light is more gentle, but the flash only GN6 output, this method can not be too high ceilings, preferably with a high-sensitivity shooting. But this method has always been to make this little flash load increases, may speed up flash loss, if not necessary, or not recommended for regular use.

Use the built-in flash direct effect.

The flash turned upward (the jump flash) effect.

NEX long-awaited exposure mode dial finally appeared under the dial a function dial, greatly enhance the operability of the camera.

With the NEX-7, EVF has a removable eyecup, at first a little bit worried that it will be easy to loose, but several also not unusual.

Offers a variety of interesting effects filters

Thanks to the large format and low pixel density, NEX-5N introduced late last year to get a good evaluation in terms of picture quality. The launch of the NEX-6 is not in terms of pixels enhanced 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS, but with the new BIONZ image processor and the new E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS lens, in terms of picture quality enhance screen contrast have the ideals appearance. E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS lens performance than the previous generation sets E 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS lens has improved significantly, even though the NEX-6 dispersion control and vignetting control Close also good performance, the contrast is sufficient, but the edge sharpness diminished, but the close-up when the contrast slightly decreased.

Zhezhi PZ of the E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS, electronic zoom (Power Zoom) responsive when turning the electronic zoom, you can say “Zoom to”.

The user can use the the Power Zoom putter zoom lens barrel, but only one speed zoom, like DV-like speed of zoom better.

The lens zoom putter, you can slow down the lens zoom speed, thus reducing the noise of the zoom motor, I believe this is to design the putter reasons.

Turning the electronic zoom ring when you press the shutter, you can also do a “pull explosion” effect.

Vignette Control feature is turned on (16mm wide-angle end, f/3.5 maximum aperture).

Vignette Control function Close (16mm wide-angle end, f/3.5 maximum aperture).

The dispersion control feature is turned on (16mm wide-angle end, f/3.5 maximum aperture). The dispersion control function Close (16mm wide-angle end, f/3.5 maximum aperture).

DRO dynamic range control feature is turned on.

DRO dynamic range control feature off.

Panorama feature

Fun special effects filter effects

HDR painting

Nostalgic photos

Miniature Model

Rich shades of monochrome

High-contrast monochrome

Part of the color

Wi-Fi transmission, expectations have GPS

Took photos, instant photo sharing is a popular trend. To cater to this trend Nikon, Samsung Android system has been implanted in the camera, and even provide 3G Internet access. Sony, although not line move, but also added Wi-Fi capabilities NEX-6 body only mobile phone or tablet computer to install the PlayMemories Mobile app, you can load photos from the camera. In addition, the camera can also connect via Wi-Fi Sony PlayMemories website, download and install a camera applications, including Picture Effect play filter effects, Bracket Pro Multi Frame NR multi-noise reduction technology, Photo Retouch and Smart Remote Control (remote control), etc., so that the camera’s playability greatly improved. Sony said that more applications will be introduced in the future, make camera product life is extended. But the camera registration PlayMemories website, if we are honest to choose Hong Kong as their place of residence, you can not download about APP, but if others no problem, somewhat puzzled. Addition almost all only phone now has been able to shooting photos join Geotag, the future NEX series also supports GPS positioning more perfect.

The past replay photo “icon in the main menu, has been changed to” application “. Users can directly from the camera via Wi-Fi connection and Login to Sony PlayMemories website, and download a variety of applications to the camera.

After download and installation, will be able to use the associated program. The keyboard screen appears, enter your account name and password. No touch screen, enter the text to rely on the direction of the valve and the Enter key, then he deeply appreciate the benefits of the camera with a touch screen.

Paired phone, the user must enter the password as shown in the camera, Jumbo Kai English plus digital touch screen help is really somewhat confused, but fortunately paired once and then do not have to enter.

Smart Remote Control camera Apps phone to see the screen as well as control of the camera shooting.

Comparison with the NEX-5R

NEX-6 has a lot of interesting places in the positioning of images and a lot of hardware and software features, such as 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS, Wi-Fi, a hybrid focusing system, the application is installed, the continuous shooting speed the filming even suit mirror launched with the same period NEX-5R almost can be shot out of the photo quality is not expected to have a big difference. And NEX-5R and some do better place, including a metal body, the touch screen, the screen can be turned up to 180 degrees and the self-timer cheaper pricing, may be more attractive for the average user. NEX-6 more professional handling with the body design and flash to pursue photography enthusiasts pay more money is also good value for money.

The main menu

Quick Navi interface from Sony SLT cameras directly tuning the camera’s many settings. Practical dual-axis electronic level.

Provides + /-3EV exposure compensation range. Sensitivity up to ISO 25600.

The Fn button next to the shutter button is pressed to display the quick function. The function menu can be custom content.

Provides automatic vignetting and chromatic aberration correction. Selectable display screen and EVF content.

White balance test (indoor fluorescent lamps)

Automatic

Default

Manual

GretagMabeth test chart RGB primary color

ISO sensitivity testing

Advantage

A built-in flash

2 hot shoe compatible with standard manual flash

3. Fuselage tiny lightweight

4 dual wheel manipulation

5. Provide Wi-Fi photo upload feature

6 download applications through extensions

Shortcoming

1. Fuselage and non-metallic manufacturing

2.LCD can not self-timer, and there is no touch screen

3. Consider adding GPS positioning

4 selection of accessories such as an external mic and flash temporarily not complete

5 did not come with an external charger, the only reliable body charge

Summary

At present, most high-end no anti-camera priced hundreds of million yuan, with mid-range SLR almost say a little luxury. NEX-6 appear on a limited budget for photography enthusiasts is good news, although the fuselage aspects may be less than the flagship of the magnesium alloy into account, but perfect operation, lightweight body, Wi-Fi function, and their professional The shape is really exciting, and often use high-end users may wish to consider starting.