DxOMark reviews for digital cameras and lenses

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.

In this review of micro 4/3 wide-angle lenses, we will cover both prime and zoom lenses to give you an good overview of how manufacturers managed to design good-quality lenses in a small form-factor for these focal ranges.

Designed with compactness in mind, micro 4/3 lenses go for the smallest size possible most of the time. But to achieve these dimensions, they sometimes have to compromise on image quality. In this review, we cover a wide range of standard lenses, both prime and zoom, and show that not all lenses are equal in terms of the trade-off between compactness and image quality.

Sony unveiled its 2012 line and introduced the Sony SLT-A57, an updated version of its first digital SLR camera with a video viewfinder and EVF, the SLT-A55.

In the course of the past several weeks, both Canon and Nikon unveiled their professional digital reflex cameras for the next two years to come. With the D4, Nikon has updated a number of points in its pro camera body which cumulatively lead to an entirely new generation of SLR camera.

Here is a new series featuring the results of Pentax prime lenses mounted on the compatible camera with the best resolution thus far, the Pentax K5.  (But as usual, you can consult DxOMark to see the results for these lenses when mounted on other compatible camera bodies, such as the Pentax K7 or Km.)

Three-and-a-half years after the release of the full-frame reflex EOS 5D Mark II, Canon finally unveils its successor, the EOS 5D Mark III, a reflex camera that takes several significant qualitative and functional leaps forward by borrowing the latest must-haves in photo technology from the EOS 7D and the EOS-1D X.

Sigma announced its 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM II lens at the beginning of October 2011. While there’s not much new in terms of its specs compared to the previous version (the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS —see 18-200mm DxOMark reviews), the publication of its measurement results gives us the chance to take stock of all the Sigma offerings for this lens type.

Not too long ago, people assumed that choosing a micro 4/3 camera was the same thing as choosing a more versatile compact camera. Then the happy owners would start thinking about getting a zoom lens for this small camera and discover that… the zooms were nowhere near as compact as their camera. What they ended up with was not as pocketable as they hoped, but unfortunately, there are scientific optical laws that can’t be changed. The lenses tested here are good examples of just how compact lenses with large focal ranges can be.

After its great success over the past several years in refurbishing its PEN line, Olympus is continuing its quest for innovation by updating other legendary cameras of the past.

Despite its success with its latest high-end camera models (the Nikon D3s and D3x), Nikon had yet to respond to the great success of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, whose superior resolution and numerous features (notably with respect to video) simply outclassed the aging Nikon D700.

The Nikon Nikkor AF-D series

“Nikonists” still highly appreciate the AF-D-series lenses, all of which appeared in 1994. (Nikon usually adds the “D” after the aperture, as in “50mm f/1.4D AF,” rather than “50mm f/1.4 AF-D,” but both refer to the same lenses.)

With 15 MPix on a 14.0 mm x 18.7 mm sensor in an $800 bridge camera intended for the general public, the appearance of the Canon PowerShot G1X was one of the big events at CES 2012.

The Nikon D5100 replaces the D5000 in Nikon’s lineup; it finds its place right below the Nikon D7000, according to Nikon’s marketing the D90 is still positioned between the D5100 and the D7000, however the spec sheet and the performances of the D5100 make this hard to believe.

This is because the D5100 shares the same Sony 16 megapixels sensor as the D7000. The major difference between the two bodies being the AF: 11 points with 3D tracking for the D5100 (presumably the “old” MultiCam 1000 already used on the D90) versus the 39 points with 3D tracking now used on the D7000.

High Tech in a Classic Package: The Hybrid Viewfinder

The X100 has been one of the most anticipated compact cameras. Although it looks like an old rangefinder, it is a very modern device. Its most obvious innovation is its hybrid viewfinder that combines both an optical viewfinder and an electronic one, projecting the information from the electronic viewfinder onto the optical one. And this really works!

Carl Zeiss is one of those almost mythical lens makers. Focusing on quality, its lenses almost always rely on complex optical formulas. Their price reflects this involvement in quality, and logically Zeiss lenses are on the same shelves as the very high-end Canon or Nikon models.

The study of this group of 14 Zeiss lenses is interesting in many aspects. One of the questions arising after such an analysis is more than obvious: is high-end always the best choice?
Zeiss is an interesting case since the company only produces high-end, expensive lenses. This positioning is completely justified by a superb build quality.

The focusing rings are always impressively sharp and precise, and the optical formulas chosen in most cases are quite complex. Many glasses, strong engineering, superb manufacturing—in short, state-of-the-art quality.

The EOS 600D looks much like the EOS 550D, which, however, it does not replace. Both bodies will remain in Canon’s lineup. The 600D utilizes most of the 550D’s hardware features, including its 18-megapixel sensor; it adds an articulated screen, along with the “beginners” functions and creative filters first seen on the EOS 60D. In a way, the EOS 600D results from the fusion of the EOS 550D and the EOS 60D.

The EOS 1100D (Rebel T3) replaces the EOS 1000 as Canon’s entry-level body. It combines a 12-megapixel sensor, Canon’s 9-point AF engine coupled to the 63-zone metering system introduced by the EOS7D, and of course the now-standard Digic 4 image processor. Taken individually, none of these features is really new, but the combination of all these solid elements should prove interesting. Moreover, the EOS 1100D is now gifted with a video recording function… but only 720p, which could be a limitation compared to what competitors propose for a similar price point.

The recently-launched GF2 succeeds the very popular GF1 launched more than a year ago. From the outside, the GF2 looks like a simplified version of the GF1. In the interim, the GF2 acquired a touch screen, and is now able to record full HD movies instead of the 720p footage of the GF1. As for the sensor, however, there is no change. Like the GF1, the GF2 relies on a 4/3 12 megapixels LiveMOS. But the GF2 claims to be able to reach ISO 6400 instead of 3200 for the GF1.

Sony alpha 580 vs Sony alpha 55 vs Canon EOS 60D vs Pentax K5 vs Nikon D7000: K5, D7000 and A580 come first

(This review has been prepared with Focus Numérique, a French photo news website)

Owning a 50mm lens is probably a must for any photographer. These primes are ideal for many good reasons. Mounted on a full-frame body, they provide a neutral field of view. Not a wide-angle, and not yet a telephoto lens, it is said to be close to human vision. On wide sensors, a 50mm lens can be the perfect companion for many different activities, including reportage, portraits, or even landscapes.

Mounted on an APS-C sensor, they become a short 75mm telephoto that is highly suitable for portraits.

High-end bridge sensors: Questions of size and performance

“Travel light.” This was the motto of pocket-sized cameras whose layout and controls were a perfect match to those of much bulkier DSLRs. Moreover, up to a few months ago, buying a DSLR was quite expensive. All this justifies the existence of a market for compact-sized cameras, based on compact sensors, but using reflex-style commands and interfaces.

As with some other newly-launched Nikkor lenses, this brand-new 24-120mm lens features a constant f/4 aperture. This is a very nice improvement over the 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IF, as the new lens should be able to gather twice as much light at 120mm than the old one.

The Panasonic GH2 features several improvements over the GH1 and the G2, the most important of which is its sensor. On the GH2, Panasonic has chosen an oversized 18.3 million pixel 4/3 sensor, with an actual output of 16 million pixels.

From the outside, the new Pentax K5 looks exactly the same as the K7. The main differences lie inside: the K5 uses the brand-new 16.3 MP sensor (able to operate between ISO 80 and 12800, extended to 51200), an improved SAFOX 9 AF system, a higher burst speed, and a much better video mode that can record 1080p footage at 25 fps.

The new Sony NEX cameras feature one of Sony's latest APS-C sensors. Our DxOMark measurements show that the NEX sensor seems very similar to the one found in the Sony A450.

Test results support Sony's assertion that this new camera category (mirrorless with interchangable lenses, sometimes referred to "EVIL" for "Electronic Viewfinder with Interchangable Lens") provides "DSLR image quality in a compact camera."

On February 12, 2010, we published the DxOMark ranking and test results for a Canon EOS 550D pre-production model. However, as we always want to make sure that our data reflects the performance of cameras that are actually released on the market and available to consumers, we have since measured a commercial model and can now publish its results.

Launched in September 2009, the Leica M9 is the first full-frame (24x36mm) rangefinder camera provided by the famous German brand. For its top of the line camera, Leica provides a new 18 Mpix CCD sensor. It is important to note that Leica is the only brand that still makes cameras with CCD sensors; all other main full-frame cameras have CMOS sensors.

Nikon and Canon launched their new top-of-the-line cameras for news and sports photography at the end of 2009. The Nikon D3s replaced the NikonD3, and the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV replaces the Canon EOS 1D Mark III.
On the one hand, the Nikon D3s’s sensor specifications remain very close to those of the Nikon D3; on the other hand, Canon replaced the Mark III’s 10 Mpix sensor with a new 15.9 Mpix sensor with the same sensor surface.

The Panasonic DMC GH1 replaces its predecessor, the Panasonic DMC G1. Both are 12 megapixel four-thirds sensors with micro-four-thirds mounts, although the GH1’s is more video-oriented.

At first glance, we would expect both cameras to have similar (if not identical) sensors. Actually, looking at the GH1 manufacturer’s specifications, this is definitely not the case, since the GH1 contains a slightly wider sensor capable of keeping the same diagonal size for different aspect ratios such as 4/3, 3/2, and 16/9. The sensor is natively 14 megapixels, but at most only 12 megapixels can be output in 4/3 aspect ratio (fewer with other aspect ratios), so we chose to evaluate its performance in 4/3 aspect ratio.

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.

Sony was the first brand to deliver a very high resolution full-frame camera with the Sony Alpha 900. They now add the Sony Alpha 850. Although this is a new camera, it has the same resolution, the same body, and the same ISP as the Sony Alpha 900. In short, the announced differences seem very slight between these two twins.

With the launch of the Nikon D5000, Nikon captures the top two places on the DxOMark Sensor scale for APS-C sensor format cameras. The Nikon D5000 sensor behaves globally like the Nikon D90’s sensor, with very similar results for Color Depth and Dynamic Range in particular.

Canon adds a new “high resolution” APS-C sensor camera with its new model EOS 500D. For this entry-level camera (in the most competitive category currently), Canon clearly chose to provide the highest resolution available even as pixel size becomes smaller and smaller.

With a DxOMark Sensor score of 89.1 points, the Phase One P65+ takes the lead in the DxOMark Sensor rankings, beating the Nikon D3x by just 1 point.

Dxomark.com adds the Hasseblad H3DII 50 to its database, and its results coincide with those of the previously-analyzed H3DII 39. With a global DxOMark score of 78.2, the H3DII 50 ranks number 8, very close to the H3DII 39, which achieved a score of 75.3.

The DxOMark Sensor scale is based on RAW data measurements and provides comparable metrics only if no RAW-specific processing has been applied.

The Sony Alpha 700 with its new version 4.0 firmware scored a 66.3 on the DxOMark Sensor scale, putting it in 17th place on the dxomark.com overall ranking, and in 5th place for APS-C cameras. Given its launch date (Sept. 2007), this is a pretty good result.

Dxomark.com RAW sensor data on the Hasselblad H3DII-39 show a performance just slightly above the average results of the medium-format category with an overall score of 75.5

With a DxOMark Sensor score of 77.2 points, the Phase One P45 achieves a remarkable result with respect to its design.

The Leaf Aptus 75s was launched during Photokina 2006. With a DxOMark Sensor score of 77.3, Leaf takes the lead for dxomark.com rankings for medium format cameras (as of February 3, 2009).

As the first commercially-available Micro Four Thirds system camera, the Panasonic DMC G1 was one of the big hits at Photokina 2008.

With a DxOMark Sensor score of 88 points, the Nikon D3X takes the lead for dxomark.com rankings as of January 14, 2009. It shows very good color depth (24.7bits) and max Dynamic Range (13.7bits), with a somewhat lower Low-Light ISO value at about 1990 ISO (all 3 values in “Print” mode).

The dxomark sensor scale is based on RAW data measurements and provides comparable metrics only if no RAW-specific processing has been applied.