[smart_track_player url="http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/p/content.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/AAtG-014-Nikon-Df.mp3" color="6a1915" title="Nikon Df" artist="All About the Gear" ] The Nikon DF (for "Digital fusion") is at first glance the technology of a Nikon D4 sensor (at half the price of a D4) in a D600-class body that touts compatibility with classic Nikkor lenses. But that's just the full half of the glass. Doug spent three weeks with this strange beast and while he loves the image quality and compatibility with old lenses, he calls it an "ergonomic disaster". Frederick probes deeper to discover both the half-full and half-empty attributes of Nikon's play in the retro-camera world.

Here's a link to that awesome Fstoppers review.

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The Best Micro Four-Thirds Camera Yet?

Olympus claim the OM-D E-M1 has the fastest autofocus of any camera, but is that really true? The E-M1 also has a new 16MP sensor, but does it deliver better images than the popular OM-D E-M5, which now sells for almost half the price? Doug says he loves the new E-M1, but when he and Frederick dig deeper, they decide it's far from the perfect camera. Maybe today's best micro-four-thirds camera for still images, but a disappointment for video.

Doug's sample images:

All About the Gear is brought to you buy...

[smart_track_player url="http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/p/content.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/AAtG-012-Sony-a7.mp3" color="6a1915" title="Sony A7" artist="All About the Gear" ]The long-anticipated Sony a7 and a7R have been called the cameras of the year by some. Doug was an early fanboy, but does the a7 live up to the hype and his expectations?  The a7 and a7R are the first full-frame, mirrorless, autofocusing interchangeable-lens cameras. Together, they're strong competitors for the Leica 240 and the Nikon D800E. But the native lens selection is meager. As Doug & Frederick discuss, the sweet spot may be to combine the new Sonys with third-party lenses.

For more info, read Doug's detailed review. http://rds.com/aatg12

Doug's a7 sample images...

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Are the QX "lens cameras" upgrades for mobile shooters? Killers of the point-and-shoot? Darlings of the hacker/maker crowd? Doug and Frederick discuss the $250 QX-10 and its more-serious brother, the $500 QX-100. Could one of these cameras be in your future, or are they an indication of future cameras to come?

For more info, read Doug's detailed review.

A few of Doug's example QX10 shots...

Get it on Amazon!

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Doug loves the new Panasonic Lumix GX7. It's fun and easy to use, has great controls and is highly configurable. It even passed Doug's no-user-manual test, which not many cameras can do.

Could this be the perfect micro-four-thirds (MFT) camera, more than $500 less expensive than the Olympus OM-D E-M1? Or should you spend the extra $$$ and go for the Olympus? For more info on this camera, read Doug's detailed written review.

Get it on Amazon!

[smart_track_player url="http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/p/content.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/AAtG-007-Fujifilm-XE1.mp3" color="6a1915" title="Fuji X-E1" artist="All About the Gear" ] Doug has fallen in love with Fujifilm's little X-E1 and her younger sister, the new X-E2. But Frederick digs deeper and gets Doug to explain the real strengths and weaknesses of this unique camera system.

About the Fuji X-E1

Sporting a 16MP sensor using Fuji's X-Trans technology, the X-E1 continues the company's history of refinements by truly listening to its customers. At only US$800 for the body and US$1,000 with a good kit lens, the camera is a strong competitor in the APS-C mirrorless market.

Doug also tested the X-E1 with five X-mount lenses including the Zeiss Touit 35mm f/1.8 and 12mm f/2.8. Excellent, but are they worth the extra cost as compared to their closest Fujinon equivalents? The answers are in the show!

Doug Kaye's Sample Images

Don't miss Doug's comprehensive written review.

Gear for this episode provided by Borrowlenses.com

[smart_track_player url="http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/p/content.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/AAtG-009-Canon-70D.mp3" color="6a1915" title="Canon 70D" artist="All About the Gear" ] Nikon vs. Canon? Doug discovers what it's like to use one of those "other" cameras, in this case the new Canon 70D. He and Frederick explain the buzz about autofocus technologies: contrast, phase-detection and hybrid.

About the Canon 70D

Canon introduces the EOS 70D - featuring an autofocus technology that unlocks the potential of Live View: Dual Pixel CMOS AF. This technology allows the EOS 70D to capture video in Live View with smooth and precise autofocus similar to that of a camcorder, with EOS image quality.

Additionally, Dual Pixel CMOS AF provides fast and accurate autofocus during Live View still image capture, enabling you to benefit from the freedom of angle allowed by the Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II.

Doug Kaye's Sample Images

Check out Doug's comprehensive written review on the Canon 70D on his blog at Blogarithms.com

[smart_track_player url="http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/p/content.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/AAtG-006-GigaPan-Epic-Pro.mp3" color="6a1915" title="GigaPan Epic Pro" artist="All About the Gear" ]Creating gigantic pixel large format images doesn't necessarily require the use of Hubble sized optics and sensors. Using commercially available hardware, you can use your existing camera, along with software to shoot and stitch together amazing mosaics of comprised of unimaginably large numbers of pixels.

In this episode of All About the Gear Doug Kaye breaks down the good, the bad, and the robotic.

Check out Doug's full and comprehensive text review over on his blog.

Some interesting GigaPixel images to explore:

Shanghai Skyline (12,000 images!) by Alfred Zhao http://gigapan.com/gigapans/66626

Barack Obama's 2009 Innaugural Address (220 images) by David Bergman http://gigapan.com/gigapans/17217

Golden Gate Bridge (32 images) by Doug Kaye http://gigapan.com/gigapans/140616

Berkeley Marina (27 images) by Doug Kaye http://gigapan.com/gigapans/141255

Interactive GigaPixel images:

GigaPixel of the Golden Gate Bridge (Flash):

GigaPixel of the Berkeley Marina (Flash):

Gear for this episode provided by BorrowLenses.com

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In this episode of All About the Gear (AAtG), Frederick and Doug rendezvous at T-Rex in Berkeley, CA to have lunch and discuss Doug's findings after giving the Sony RX1R a try.

This full frame Sony mirrorless camera looks to be positioned as a stiff competition for both the Leica and Fuji mirrorless offerings.

To dive even deeper into this camera, check out Doug's full and detailed review.

Here are a some images Doug created with the Sony RX1R

[smart_track_player url="http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/p/content.blubrry.com/thisweekinphoto/AAtG-003-Fujifilm-X100s.mp3" color="6a1915" title="Fuji X100s" artist="All About the Gear" ]In episode #3 of All About the Gear, Doug Kaye and Frederick dive into the famed Fuji x100s camera. Find out if this little beastie lives up to all the hype, and if it's actually the perfect walk-around camera.

This camera sports a fixed 23mm f/2.0 lens, an APS-C sized sensor, 16 megapixels, and cool retro styling. Could this be the next camera to grace your gear collection? Want to know more? Check out Doug's comprehensive written review over on his blog.

Here are a some images produced by the Fuji x100s, courtesy Doug Kaye.

Gear for this episode provided by Borrowlenses.com.