THE PHOTO LIFE BUYER S GUIDE / 2018 CHOOSE THE GEAR THAT S RIGHT FOR YOU

Transcription

1 BG THE PHOTO LIFE BUYER S GUIDE / 2018 CHOOSE THE GEAR THAT S RIGHT FOR YOU PRINTED IN CANADA - CAN/US$9.99

2 BG THE PHOTO LIFE BUYER S GUIDE 2018 CONTENTS 06 INTRODUCTION 17 REVIEWS 18 CANON EOS 6D MARK II 20 CANON EOS REBEL SL2 22 FUJIFILM GFX 50S 24 FUJIFILM X-A3 26 FUJIFILM X-T20 28 HASSELBLAD X1D 30 LEICA M10 32 LEICA TL2 34 NIKON D NIKON D NIKON D OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 MARK II 42 PANASONIC LUMIX DC-FZ80 44 PANASONIC LUMIX DC-GH5 46 PENTAX KP 48 SONY A SONY A9 53 PROFILES 54 WHAT KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHER ARE YOU? 58 THE DOCUMENTARIAN 60 THE ADVENTURER 62 THE NONCONFORMIST 64 THE MAGNIFIER 66 THE LANDSCAPE ARTIST 68 THE STUDIO ARTIST 72 THE ADRENALINE JUNKIE 74 THE STROBIST 76 THE IPHONEOGRAPHER 78 THE DABBLER 80 MORE NOTEWORTHY ITEMS 82 EPILOGUE THE TEAM EDITORIAL Contributing Editors Patrick La Roque Guy Langevin Assistant Editors Jenny Montgomery Valérie Racine Graphic Designer Catherine Robitaille ADMINISTRATION Publisher & Marketing Director Valérie Racine Executive Business Consultant Guy Poirier Accounting & Circulation Emmanuelle Champagne Strategic Advisor Jany Turcotte ADVERTISING advertising@photolife.com PHOTO LIFE SUBSCRIPTIONS subscription@photolife.com photolife.com/subscription PHOTO LIFE BUYER S GUIDE , St. Paul Street, Suite 102 Quebec City, QC, Canada G1K 3W buyersguide@photolife.com photolife.com/guide The annual Photo Life Buyer s Guide is published by Apex Publications (2017) Inc., which also publishes Photo Life and Photo Solution magazines six times a year. 2017/2018 APEX PUBLICATIONS (2017) INC. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not, under any circumstances, be reproduced or used, in part or in whole, without the written permission of the publisher. Despite the care taken in reviewing editorial content, Apex Publications (2017) Inc. cannot guarantee that all written information is complete and accurate. Consequently, Apex Publications (2017) Inc. assumes no responsibility concerning any error and/or omission. ISSN Publication Mail Agreement No.: PRINTED IN CANADA COVER PHOTO ISTOCK / MARCO PIUNTI

3 INTRODUCTION CAN WE DEFINE A PHOTOGRAPHER BY THE GEAR HE OR SHE USES? JIAWEI CHEN Welcome to this year s edition of the Photo Life Buyer s Guide. You may notice we ve changed things up a little. Instead of focusing on comparing the specs of new releases by category of product, we decided instead to put items in context with how we actually use them as photo graphers. We hope this more curated approach will help you find the right products for you and the type of photography you enjoy doing. ALESSIO LIN In this digital age of ours, at a time when certain products barely last a year on the shelves, the best way to get specific information is to visit the store or website of one of the many retailers or manufacturers found in this guide to see what they have

4 REVIEWS

5 REVIEWS NIKON D7500 handle. It comes with a bright and large 3.2 tilting touchscreen LCD and a viewfinder with 0.94x magnification, both of which cover 100% of the sensor. And while you won t get as many options as you do on the D500, the camera still provides 8 user-definable function buttons in addition to the customizable My Menu feature found in most Nikon models. The D7500 arrives at an eventful time: where its predecessor held the title as Nikon s flagship APS-C camera, this new model must relinquish the crown to the D500. A good upgrade...but with a few compromises. The Nikon D7500 is a mid-range, compact, twin-dial DSLR that while mostly aimed at serious enthusiasts has a lot to offer. However, when comparing spec sheets to the older D7200, one thing immediately stands out: sensor resolution has gone down instead of up from 24 to 21 megapixels. For most of us, this goes against everything we ve come to expect from technology so it s easy to be taken aback. In reality however, the D7500 is a better camera in almost every way. The new sensor is the same as the one used in the higher-end D500 and like many cameras this year it doesn t use a low-pass filter, resulting in much finer detail reproduction. Those 3 megapixels are unlikely to be missed. The body is slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor but has a more prominent grip a welcome change that makes the D7500 a joy to The company s Expeed 5 processor results in speedy operations across the board, from startup time to shutter delay and autofocus. The D7500 shoots at up to 8 fps in both JPEG and Raw formats, with maximums of 100 frames and 50 frames, respectively. Image quality is excellent. The camera performed very well in noise tests, with great results up to ISO But this is yet another model that boasts higher ISO speeds, in this case up to ISO Let s just say photographers looking for that super grainy, night vision look might be happy anyone else can pass. The body is slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor but has a more prominent grip a welcome change that makes the D7500 a joy to handle.

6 PROFILES

7 PROFILES SAM FERRARA 5 THE LANDSCAPE ARTIST There s a trail out there. A small cabin with a cot, near a stream. This morning you hiked for an hour to that place you found where the sun appears between tired, sloping hills. But you didn t take a picture. Not yet, you thought...not yet. A light tripod, a good backpack; sharp, versatile lenses to capture the far and the wide. Landscape photography remains a classic pursuit for many photographers. Let s all just be thankful for carbon and magnesium alloys and show respect for Ansel Adams, hiking Yosemite with his 4 x 5 view camera. Modern-day technology does have its perks, doesn t it? MADHU SHESHARAM JAKUB KRIZ

8 MORE NOTEWORTHY ITEMS MORE NOTEWORTHY ITEMS USEFUL NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PROFILE Here s a list of new products and other essentials that you won t want to miss, no matter what type of photographer you are. These standout products cover all aspects of a photographer s workflow, from capture to sharing the final product. See which ones are right for you... Sony has introduced the a7r III, an impressive addition to its full-frame mirrorless camera lineup. The company has also expanded its full-frame E-mount lens series with the FE mm f/4 G OSS standard zoom and has announced the development of the FE 400 mm f/2.8 GM OSS super-telephoto lens, expected to be launched in Summer Olympus expanded its M.ZUIKO f/1.2 PRO lens lineup with the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 17 mm f/1.2 PRO and the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 45 mm f/1.2 PRO. These Micro Four Thirds lenses join the M.ZUIKO Digital ED 25 mm f/1.2 PRO in this collection of high-end, large-aperture lenses. Adobe launched a new Photoshop Lightroom CC cloud-based photo graphy service. Built for profes sionals and enthusiasts, this all-new Lightroom CC allows photographers to edit, organize, store and share their photos from wherever they are via cloud-based apps. The previous product called Lightroom will be rebranded as Lightroom Classic CC.