ilc

The most popular reason nonprofessionals buy dSLRs or other types of interchangeable-lens cameras is because they want better photos or faster performance than a point-and-shoot can deliver; the power of manual controls and interchangeable lenses seem to be a secondary concern. Nevertheless, I'm still routinely surprised when someone hands me his dSLR and it's set to auto and equipped with a standard kit lens.

The best (and cheapest) way to advance your photography is to switch out of auto; here's a map for venturing into that new territory. But the next best -- and not-so-cheap -- way … Read more

There are a lot of good reasons to choose a camera over a consumer camcorder for shooting video, including larger sensors, which tend to deliver better tonal range and enhanced depth-of-field flexibility, and better photo quality. And an interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) -- a dSLR, fixed mirror (Sony's SLT series), or mirrorless model -- imparts huge creative and logistical benefits over a typical point-and-shoot design.

Most consumer camcorders have pretty ugly polygonal bokeh until you hit the $1,000 or so price point. With an ILC, even the cheap lenses deliver better handling of out-of-focus areas. … Read more

Samsung gives the NX system a much-needed boost with a couple of key lens announcements: a nice-sounding yet reasonably priced 45mm f1.8 prime and what seems like a kit-quality 12-24mm f4-5.6 wide-angle zoom.

Both incorporate the system's i-Function intelligent operation, but they also both lack optical image stabilization; as more lenses arrive without OIS, I increasingly appreciate the cameras that use sensor-shift IS and are thus not dependent upon the manufacturers' decisions about the feature. It's true that as focal length decreases so do stability issues, but I've never met a focal length that couldn'… Read more

Like the idea of looking like a gunslinger in an old Western?

Online Japanese design shop Roberu has created a leather carrier that looks like a gun holster to carry mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) such as the Sony Alpha NEX-5N, Olympus Pen E-PL3, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, to name a few. … Read more

This picture surfaced on the Web today. Speculation has it that this is the Canon mirrorless camera, which the rumor mill says is going to be announced on July 23.

In the picture, it has a hot shoe, a shutter button (with no mode dial), and uses a new EF-M mount with the STM lenses -- hybrid contrast/phase autofocus -- that debuted with the T4i. But you can see that in the picture, which may or may not be real.

In the absence of any information, I have nothing more to say. But you guys can feel free to … Read more

If you shelled out for the Fujifilm FinePix X-Pro1 ILC and have been waiting patiently for some new lenses to arrive, your wait is almost over. According to the company's official new road map, you can expect a couple of new ones this fall and the rest in 2013. No prices yet, of course.

Actually, the new official road map is much different than the original one available at the time of launch at CES 2012. For instance, the company had initially expected to release a 14mm and 18-72mm f4 IS this year, followed by four more next year: 28mm f2.8 pancake, 23mm f2, 70-200 f4 IS, and 12-24mm f4 IS.

However, the 18-72mm is history, replaced by a more traditional (but faster than usual, as befits its class) 18-55mm f2.8-f4 OIS. The 18-72mm f4 zoom always seemed an odd choice to me; it would probably have been cheap, but not very desirable. This year's 14mm will be f2.8. And next year promises three primes -- a 56mm f1.4 lens, 27mm f2.8 pancake, and 23mm F1.4 -- and two OIS zooms, a 55mm-200mm f3.5-F4.8 and 10mm-24mm f4.

All of the lenses seem to follow the same design and feature conventions as the already-shipping lenses.… Read more

The spring showers of cameras continues with two new entry-level Alpha models from Sony: the compact interchangeable-lens replacement to the E-mount Alpha NEX-C3, dubbed the NEX-F3, and the replacement for the A-mount SLT-A35, the A37. Along with the A37 comes a new A-mount lens that Sony will be offering as a kit, the 18-135mm f3.5-5.6.

Both cameras are based on the same 16-megapixel sensor and use the same generation of image-processing engine. So which one deserves your $600? It depends on what you need. The F3 is compact and relatively lightweight, but the A37 performs better and offers … Read more

With only one current mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (ILC), the NX200, and one relatively old model from 2010 (the NX10), plus a model that the company didn't even release in the U.S., the NX11, it's easy to think that Samsung doesn't consider the US a terribly important market for these cameras -- especially compared to the usual barrage from Sony, Panasonic and Olympus. But it looks like that's changing a bit as Samsung rolls out three models for 2012.

All the models are based around the same excellent 20-megapixel sensor and image processor that debuted in … Read more

Olympus invited a handful of reviewers out to Whistler, Canada, to pick up our evaluation units of the OM-D E-M5 and get some shooting in at the Olympus-sponsored Telus World Ski and Snowboard festival. (CNET paid my way.) I previewed the E-M5 when it was first announced, and for the most part thus far the camera lives up to -- and down to -- my expectations.… Read more