Pentax K 01 : Tests and Reviews

Canon has announced a third-generation model of its mirrorless hybrid M range, cunningly named the EOS M3. Boasting features filtered down from Canon’s new entry-level DLRs, including a 24.2Mp APS-C sensor, together with a redesigned shell for improved handling, has Canon delivered a hybrid camera that will excite enthusiasts?

The Sony NEX-5T is an update of the firm’s NEX-5R model, introduced last year. It retains all of the features of its predecessor including the same 16-Mpix APS-C sized CMOS sensor but adds adding NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled WiFi.  Read on to find out how well the camera performs.

Following on from the distinctive styling of the K-30, the new Pentax K-50 is a mid-range, sensitively priced DSLR featuring a tried-and-tested stabilized 16-MPix CMOS sensor with fine-tuned image processing and sensor sensitivity of up to ISO 51,200. Read on to see how well it performs in our labs.

The Samsung NX20 is a good ‘Hybrid’ APS-C camera, it is a pretty good APS-C camera, and actually it’s not a bad camera by any standards! Unfortunately for the Samsung it is surrounded by other good cameras and needs something special to make it not just a good camera but a successful camera.

Launched in September 2011, the Samsung NX200 marks a significant point in the NX line because it features an all-new APS-C CMOS sensor with 20.3megapixels. Among the hybrid cameras, this is about as big as sensors currently get, so Samsung are aiming at the high ground, a fact confirmed by the premium feel all-metal body – a first in the NX-series.

Launched in January 2013 the Nikon 1 S1 is a new product line in the Nikon 1 Hybrid Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens series. Targeted at advanced through to expert enthusiasts after a lightweight camera for photography daytrips and holidays the Nikon 1 S1 features a clean minimalistic design. Utilizing a smaller sensor and lower resolution than most of the Hybrid competition though how will it fare in the DxOMark Sensor Scores?

Released just a month after being announced at CES 2013 alongside a new lower-end sibling (the Nikon 1 S1), the new Nikon 1 J3 now takes its place as the midrange model in Nikon’s lineup of interchangeable lens compact cameras, with a list price of $599.95 (with a 10-30mm kit lens). The J3 is an update to the Nikon 1 J2, which came out only five months prior to the announcement of the J3 and S1 and had been the camera maker’s lower-end offering.

Hybrid is a word used both positively and negatively, quite appropriate for the photographic industry. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 wears this badge: "Hybrid", a mix of system and compact. It has a range of lenses spanning 7mm to 300mm (equivalent to 14mm up to 600mm in full frame 35mm) and a body that is not much bigger than a compact camera. Should it wear it with pride? Yes, it should…

A noise benchmark of 187 digital cameras by Peter van den Hamer

DxOMark Camera Sensor is a raw benchmark for camera bodies by DxO Labs. The benchmark is “raw” because it measures image quality using Raw output files. It is also raw as DxO’s data can be used to cook up camera reviews that cover more aspects than image quality.

Canon was the last major maker to embrace the hybrid or ‘mirrorless’ camera market. As a somewhat sober debut, designed for those who are new to photography, the EOS M adopts an 18-megapixel APS-C format in a compact body but boasts a number of advanced features including a 31-point hybrid AF system for stills and video and a touch sensitive 3-inch LCD. While it’s clear this camera doesn’t compete directly with the firm’s DSLRs, how does it stack up against the competition that don’t have the same volume of DSLR sales to protect?