Publications

We are already acquainted with the D3200: apart from a few ergonomic details, it’s the same camera as the compact and lightweight D3100 SLR, though missing the secondary display on its bridge for even greater compactness. The D3200 weighs only 454 grams (without battery or card). Unlike the D3100, the D3200’s lens is off-center for better balance and the highly practical LiveView/video mode activation tab of the D3100 and the D5100 has disappeared in favor of a more ergonomically mundane video recording button. The D3200 comes with a second (dorsal) infrared sensor to complement its front sensor for more practical infrared remote control. The motor selection tab (single-frame, burst, timer, remote control) is gone as well, again replaced by a direct-access button.

The Lumix DMC-GF5 is a new light-weight (225g) and very compact amateur hybrid camera. It features a 12-megapixel sensor, Full HD video recording, a better-designed touchscreen, a new graphical user interface, ultra-rapid AF, etc.

Since the launch of the DxOMark website, many debates have arisen about ISO sensitivity: Some manufacturers were accused of cheating, the ISO sensitivity measured by DxOMark was claimed to be meaningless for photographers. The DxOMark team would like to clarify certain points.

For years, lens makers have fought hard to market lenses of wider and wider aperture. Wide apertures (e.g., f /1.4 instead of f /2) but a series of measurement published on dxomark.com cast some doubts on the real benefits, for digitally equipped photographers, of these progresses.

The new "advanced compact" category that adds DSLR features (such as RAW output, manual operation, and interchangeable lenses) to classy, compact-style cameras, continues to be populated with new models—e.g., Canon Powershot G11 and S90, Olympus EP1 and EP2, Panasonic GF1, Leica X1, etc.

The Nikon D5000 and the Canon EOS 500D were two main releases for spring 2009. Launched at the same time, and targeting the same market, these two cameras were the perfect subjects to use for an extensive demonstration of the DxOMark Database.

Shooting pictures in RAW gives DSLR users the opportunity to fine-tune their settings, by potentially controlling every step of the RAW conversion. Users often assume that RAW images are directly output from the sensor without any additional processing, but is this really the case? What kind of processing can be applied and what kind of influence does it have on the final image?