Review

The folks at Photodex keep finding new ways to improve on ProShow, which for a long time has been the best slideshow package on the market. For anyone who wants to do pro-quality presentations or videos starting with images and other media, ProShow is the best tool you can buy. The desktop version is Windows-only, but there is a Web version with less features that can be used from any machine. Now, Photodex has released ProShow 8, with a number of new features and other improvements. I’ve been using it since its release, including to create our traditional participant slideshows during our Alaska Bear & Puffin safaris, and the new version has made it easier than ever…

It's one thing to have a great, dedicated, camera backpack. There are many of those on the market. Some of my personal favorites are the StreetWalker HardDrive and my Think Tank Airport Takeoff for when I need a roller. I'm also looking forward to trying out the new MindShift MP-3, based on Moose Peterson's design. However, sometimes you need to bring along a variety of other goodies, like jackets and gloves for the changing weather, or food for a long day out, and you don’t need a huge supply of photo gear. That means you need a flexible pack that can store a wide variety of contents. If you add to that the requirement to get at your photo gear without taking your pack off -- a must when working in mud, deep sand, or powdery snow – you need a different kind of backpack.

Few cameras have had a more loyal following than the Nikon D300 (and predecessor Nikon D200). For those who wanted a pro-quality Nikon without moving to the size and expense of full-frame, they represented an excellent combination of features at a reasonable price. However, as the years have gone by, the tech in those cameras has been left in the dust. Many owners have been forced to move either “down” to a more consumer-oriented, but newer, model like the Nikon D7200, or up to a larger, more-expensive, model like the Nikon D750. No longer. I shot almost exclusively in Alaska for two weeks with a Nikon D500, and loved it. It is easy to hold, fun to use, and took photos that are as high quality as I’ve ever seen from a 21MP sensor.

The appeal of a camera you can always have with you is obvious. For an increasing number of people that’s their smartphone. But if you want to have something with a bigger sensor and a zoom lens, a compact point-and-shoot is the way to go. That creates something of a Goldilocks problem – the cheap, small ones aren’t much better than a phone, and the high-end ones don’t fit in a pocket. Canon has done a good job over the years with its S series in finding a middle ground – reasonable sensor, good features, and Raw capability. I’ve been shooting with the newest version, rebranded as the Canon G9 X, and have been impressed by the upgrade in image quality, while learning to like, or at least live with, the new Touchscreen-centric interface…

I’ve been using the new June update for Creative Cloud for about a week, and am enjoying both the new Content-aware Crop feature in Photoshop, and the native 360-degree video support in Premiere (anyone who has tried to edit 360-degree video in a traditional video editor knows how painful it can be). There is also much improved integration with Adobe Stock for those of you who buy images, rather than sell them. On the sell side, Adobe has also promised a spiffy contributor portal for Adobe Stock, but no details yet on when it will be available. You can read my full hands-on with sample images on Extremetech.

No one like carrying a lot of camera gear, or changing lenses. But for many of us it is a necessary evil to get the shots we want. But the question I get asked most is "I want a camera that does it all, but I don't want to carry several lenses or a big backpack or tripod, what should I buy?" The new Sony RX10 III is an excellent answer. With a 1-inch-format 20MP sensor, and a 24-600mm super-zoom lens from Zeiss, it takes remarkably good images for an all-in-one camera, and it does it across a massive focal length range. The big upgrade from the Mark II is an increase in zoom range from 200mm to 600mm at the long end (resulting in a slightly larger, and more-expensive, camera).

Along with Virtual Reality, no trend is hotter this year than 360-degree photos and videos. For a few years now, you've been able to cobble together a 360 photo using an app on your phone to stitch together the many required images -- with predictably-mediocre results.

I've spent a lot more time shooting with the new Sony a6300 since my first look article, and the experience has reinforced my impressions -- both pro and con. On the pro side, the speed and image quality is really amazing. I covered multiple events at Nvidia's tech conference, in a variety of awful lighting conditions, and the camera performed flawlessly at ISOs up to 3200 (where I had Auto ISO set to top out). However, even after some customization of the interface, I found the controls inefficient, especially in dark rooms.

Almost every photographer I know wishes their camera was smaller and lighter. But of course they don’t want to give up speed or features. This is particularly true with those of us clinging to our DSLRs, but constantly eyeing the mirrorless category for new models, as they creep up on our larger cameras in capability. With the launch of its Sony a6300, yet another set of barriers to moving to mirrorless have come down. I’ve been shooting with one since its launch and while I’ll be doing a more-detailed review, I wanted to get my preliminary thoughts out.

Every serious nature photographer spends at least some time "off the beaten path." In particular, back roads, dirt roads and trails are often the only way to get where you need to go. Unfortunately, the otherwise-amazing navigation tools like Google Maps that we rely on for street driving are nearly useless once we venture beyond the main road grid. Magellan aims to take up the slack with a purpose-built off-road navigation system, the Magellan eXplorist TRX7. I’ve been fortunate enough to give one of the first units a full field test…

If you asked me to write down by dream specs for a mirrorless camera, they’d look a lot like those of the newly announced Sony a6300. It surpasses not just all similar Sony models, but all other compact-size mirrorless cameras on the market – in many cases by leaps and bounds. Let’s go over its breakthroughs…

Up until now, the choice for best point and shoot was tricky – none of the three leading cameras had everything. The Canon G7 X got top marks for image quality and has a good zoom range, but no viewfinder. The Sony RX100 IV sort-of-has a viewfinder (it is a small pop-up), but has a limited zoom range and is a little lower-scoring on image quality. The somewhat older Lumix LX100 is also a worthy competitor, but its larger size isn’t justified by image quality or features. Canon has finally broken the logjam with its new Canon G5 X. This new model adds an excellent Electronic ViewFinder (EVF) and a hot shoe for an add-on flash. There are also some other, smaller, updates to video recording formats and other features, but the EVF and hot shoe are clearly the headline here.

Part of the fun of CES is getting to use some of the newest technology.

I got to shoot with both the new Nikon D5 and Nikon D500 at CES, and they are each amazing in their own way. For no-holds-barred shooting performance the Nikon D5’s 14fps (12fps for up to 200 frames of RAW) and borderline-insane 3,000,000 ISO capability can’t be beat. But at over $6K and 3 pounds, with “only” 21MP of resolution, it certainly won’t be for everyone. It’s certainly the camera of choice for big-budget (and big backpack) wildlife and sports photographers, along with photojournalists who can deal with the size in exchange for unheard of low-light performance.

One of the challenges of travel photography, and photo journalism, is carrying all the equipment you need without being too conspicuous or too uncomfortable. Fortunately, unlike most wildlife photography, you don’t need super-huge telephoto lenses, so a shoulder bag becomes an option. I’ve used many of them over the years, but recently have really enjoyed working with Think Tank’s Retrospective series. It combines a well-thought-out design with enough style that I don’t feel like I’m lugging a classic black photo bag. So when it was time for my annual photo tour to Southeast Asia I started out by thinking I’d once again take my Think Tank Retrospective 7 with me (you can read our complete field test review of it). However, I had more gear to lug around this time (a Nikon D810, Nikon IR-Converted DSLR, Tokina 24-70 f/2.8 lens, Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lens, Nikon SB-900 flash, Sigma 12-24mm lens, Microsoft Surface Pro 3, filters, FLIR ONE, DxO ONE, and lots of “little stuff.” So I needed something a little larger.