Breaking: New Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro line-up 'best in industry'
Apple announced a number of new goodies at WWDC, including upgrades to its pro computing line-up.
The specs for the new computers were leaked earlier in the day and seemed to be pretty spot on.
"Today we get to talk to you about the MacBook lineup. We are so proud of this lineup. The best in the industry," explained Tim Cook on stage at WWDC.
First up was information about the new Mac Book Air.
"We're going to update it with some really great features and updates. New CPUs — Ivy Bridge. Up to 2GHz dual core," Cook explained.
Other specs include up to 8GB of RAM and a whopping 512GB of flash storage. There's also USB 3.0 on board.
The 11-inch MacBook Air boasts 1366 x 768 screen res and will be priced from $999. The 13-inch MacBook Air has a 1.8GHz Core i7 processor, 1440 x 900 screen res, Intel HD graphics and will cost from $1199.
Going Pro
Also announced was the next-generation MacBook Pro, which according to Apple is the "most beautiful computer" the company has ever made. Personally we prefer the iMac.The notebook does come with a retina screen, is 0.71-inches thick, is the lightest Pro ever at a little over 2KG.
As it is retina, it is the world's highest resolution display (a phenomenal 2880 x 1800), glare on the screen has been reduced by 75 per cent and there's also a new OS to go with it, which accommodates the new display.
According to Apple, Mail has been updated, Safari, iMovie and iPhoto - so they all take advantage of the extra pixels. It also means that something like Final Cut Pro can use Full 1080p. AutoCad has also been updated for the screen.
The Pro has some whopping specs. Even though it has a Retina display, there's seven hours' battery life, up to 16GB RAM and you can also have up to 768GB of flash storage.
Ports-wise, there's an SD slot, HDMI, two Thunderbolt ports, USB 2 and 3 on both sides, headphone and a MagSafe power connector.
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Apple's App Store passes 30 billion downloads
Apple has thrown out some amazing stats about its app store for its suite of iDevices – taking a swipe at Android in the process.
At WWDC 2012 CEO Tim Cook took to the stage to confirm that over 30 billion downloads have occurred on the service, and announced some other impressive milestones too.
That's doubled in less than a year, with 15 billion downloaded by July 2011.
There are also over 650,000 applications available on the Store too – with 225,000 of these designed specifically for the iPad.
What you got, Google?
"This compares to just a few hundred for our competition," noted Cook, clearly aiming at Android's low levels of choice."We're very pleased to announce a new milestone: users have downloaded an astounding 30 billion apps.
"The number is so mind boggling and unthinkable just a few months ago."
Apple is claiming it has the widest number of subscribed users with 400 million accounts signed up with credit card details.
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News In Brief: One More Thing: Twitter makes a hash of TV
Hash back – Twitter has decided that its new Hashtag Pages feature is so important that it needs its very own advert on that old-school medium known as television. This is all part of Twitter looking to ingest a bit of cash into its business, by pointing the world to its branded pages.
Thankfully the adverts aren't as twee as the ones Google comes up with, which look as if they've been art directed by someone living in the movie Juno. [TheNextWeb]
Station to station – China, probably not inspired by Elon Musk but we like to think he had a little bit of an impression with his little space jaunt, is to send a manned spacecraft into, er, space next month and dock it on its very own space station. Apparently the ISS wasn't international enough for its own astronauts so it is doing the entire thing by itself.
And the Chinese are to conduct experiments of photonic crystals while in space, which is bound to have the US more than a little worried that something altogether more sinister is happening. [Engadget]
Laser quest – NIBs wouldn't be the same without a story about fricking laser beams, so you'll be pleased to read that lasers are now being used to shine in the sky so that astronomers can see celestial objects that little bit better. Rumour has it they came up with the idea when looking in the loft and using a torch. Maybe. [BBC]
Euro and I'll steer – Unfortunately no one told Apple that England are playing in the Euros tonight, which means there's an almighty clash with the company's annual WWDC conference. The TechRadar team isn't bitter whatsoever – we never liked Apple anyway – as we have managed to install a TV in the office. As have many other people according to Asda – with orders up 75 per cent apparently. [Asda]
Easy Stryder – He may be smaller than the average rapper but that hasn't stopped Tinchy Stryder having big ambitions in the headphone market. Like 50 Cent and Dr Dre before him, Tinchy has signed up to create a new pair of cans. The product range is called: Goji Tinchy Stryder: On Cloud 9. Let's hope the earphones sound better than the name. [MarketingMagazine]
French fancy – Google has finally agreed a deal with France to digitise out-of-print books. Will the US follow suit? Probably not, so you better brush up on your French if you want to begin reading some of the le classics. [TheNextWeb]
I heard that – Plants may be able to hear each other, according to new research by New Scientist. So, next time you are near your tulips and slag them off for not blossoming when you wanted them to, just remember they are listening. And they've been listening for a long time. You have been warned. [New Scientist]
Portable porn – The amount of people watching porn on tablets is set to triple by 2015. Not the amount of people watching adult content on one tablet as that would be weird but, according to Cellular News, the number is set for a massive rise. Huge growth. Porn. Etc etc. Well, we chuckled. [Cellular News]
Copy cats – The FBI may have broken the law by copying MegaUpload's files, according to, well, MegaUpload. Considering the whole court case is all about file copying, they may well have a point. [thecmuwebsite]
Glasgow makes sense – Search engines that just use words are soooo last year. The new craze is sensory sense. Which is a bit like scratch and sniff that worked so well all those years ago. [BBC]
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Rumour: Microsoft decided buying Nokia would be a terrible idea
It's been a while since we had a good Microsoft-buying-Nokia rumour to get our teeth into, so thanks be to The Register for bringing us the news that Microsoft once valued the various bits of Nokia's business to see which it would be worth buying, before deciding that the correct answer was: none of them.
The 'truth' has emerged after Nokia's share prices hit an all-time low of really, really low and the buy-out rumours started swirling.
According to The Register's "well-placed sources", Nokia let Microsoft have a look at its books in late 2011 to allow the computing giant to decide which bits of the company it fancied buying.
But after having a good old dig through the books, the story goes, Microsoft was all: "thanks but no thanks!" and went on its merry way.
Merry indeed
The Microsoft buy-out rumour first emerged in December when Danske Bank reckoned that the company would scoop Nokia up in the first half of 2012.That obviously didn't happen and although Nokia was quick to dampen the rumours, they just wouldn't die. Maybe this latest revelation will be the nail in that coffin?
Nah. We'd wager that the rumours will continue to surface until long after ex-Microsoft Henchman Stephen Elop leaves Nokia.
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Are new Olympus PEN cameras coming in September?
Rumours are circulating that a new generation of PEN cameras will be introduced at Photokina.
Suggestions include the PEN line-up being "simplified" to make the differences between each model in the range more obvious. Currently, there are three categories of camera - the E-PM1 (Mini), E-PL3 (Lite) and E-P3.
According to rumours, Olympus was disappointed by the sales of the Mini, but surprised by the larger than anticipated Lite/E-PL3 sales.
The latest iteration of PEN cameras were only introduced in July last year, with all three using the same sensor. It was only the E-P3, at the top-end of the range which included a touch-screen full array of art filters, and integrated flash. A tilting screen was only available on the E-PL3.
Features
The PEN mini arguably directly competes with the Panasonic GF3 or GF5, the company's entry level offering. However, both of these models include some advanced features, including a touchscreen, not offered by the E-PM1.Although Olympus UK was unable to give any official comment on any new launches, we have a strong feeling that a new set of cameras could be on the cards.
It seems likely that some of the features from the new advanced model, the Olympus OM-D, such as the 5-axis image stabilisation system and perhaps even the 16 million pixel sensor would be incorporated.
Stay tuned for more as it happens.
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Exclusive: Panasonic: Wi-Fi shouldn't be a 'tickbox' feature
Wi-Fi is becoming a more prevalent feature among all kinds of electronics nowadays, but Panasonic believes that it's not necessarily a good move for cameras.
Recently, Samsung introduced a new series of NX cameras, each with integrated Wi-Fi. For Samsung, this is being touted as one of its key selling points.
Speaking to TechRadar, Barney Sykes from Panasonic UK said, "Seeing Samsung introduce [Wi-Fi] to CSCs is very interesting, but we are conscious of using it."
"There's got to be a real end-user benefit, and we don't want Wi-Fi just to be a tickbox feature that you've got to have it but nobody actually knows the benefit, or even uses it. That's one of the key things for us, to really find out from the consumers how they're going to use it."
Panasonic does have Wi-Fi capability in some of its other cameras, such as the compact FX90, but as yet, there's no sign that the G series of Micro Four Thirds cameras will include the functionality in the near future.
Remote
Not only does Wi-Fi allow for emailing and uploading of images to social networking sites, but smartphone apps allow for control of the camera."Remotely controlling the camera would be good," admitted Sykes, "especially with interchangeable lens cameras, that's a really strong value-add, that would be quite cool."
It's clear that Panasonic is monitoring the trend quite closely, so it will be interesting to see what comes with future developments.
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New MacBook Pro and Mac Pro specs leak ahead of WWDC 2012
Apple's WWDC 2012 keynote may be taking place later on today but there's plenty of time for a flurry of last minute rumours to get us all het up.
Aside from the almost-definite iOS 6 unveil, some sources are predicting we'll see a refreshed Mac Pro and some specced-up MacBook Pros to boot.
9to5Mac reports that the Mac Pro it already predicted will come in three configurations – a 3.2GHz quad-core processor model and a 2.4GHz quad-core edition, both with 1TB hard drives, 12GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon 5770 graphics chip.
Chip off the old block
According to the site's 'reliable sources', there will also be a server configuration with a 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and two 1TB hard drives.Retina display toting MacBook Pros seem to be a given according to the rumours, and there's now talk of some improvements to the range's innards too, including a 13-incher with a 2.9GHz dual-core processor and a 15-inch MBP with 2.6GHz quad-core processor with a 750GB hard drive (up from a current maximum of 2.4GHz).
A separate leaked image seems to suggest that Apple's new MacBook Pros will feature an Nvidia GeForce 650M Kepler GPU to boot.
Other rumours point to new MacBook Airs, an updated AirPort Express, USB SuperDrive and a refreshed MagSafe adapter.
As always, we recommend a side serving of salt with these Apple rumours – happily we haven't long to wait before we find out if it's warranted.
Whatever the announcements from WWDC 2012, TechRadar will be covering the event as it happens, so stay tuned to TechRadar.com and join us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates.
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Review: Updated: Nikon D800
Introduction
The excitement surrounding the announcement of the full frame Nikon D800 has been unprecedented.- The performance section has been updated with a comparison to the Nikon D700.
Could such a high pixel count be the D800's undoing though? The D700 below the D800 in the Nikon SLR line-up, has just 12-million effective pixels and until recently Nikon's mantra had been that 12-million pixels is enough if the images are clean. Nikon also has a strong reputation for its cameras' low-light performance and noise control. Could 36-million pixels be a step too far, too soon?
Features
Although it has a more densely populated sensor, the 36.3Mp D800 utilises many of the new features of the previously announced 16.2Mp D4 in a smaller body and at a cheaper price. These include the same EXPEED 3 processor, the same Multi-Cam 3500 FX autofocus system, which offers 51 autofocus points and the same 91k-pixel metering system.It's also capable of focusing right down to -2 EV, which coupled with its ability to shoot at up to ISO 25,600 (at the Hi 2 setting), should make the D800 a promising camera for low-light shooting if image noise is at an acceptable level.
Given its effective pixel count, it's not really a surprise that the D800 has a lower maximum continuous shooting rate than the D700; but at 4fps (the D700 can manage 5fps) at full resolution with the standard battery and 5fps (D700 8fps) with a battery grip it's no slouch. This can be boosted further by dropping the image size to capture DX format images.
As with the D4, the D800's central 11 AF points are capable of functioning at f/8. This means that the AF system will still function when teleconverters are used to extend the reach of telephoto lenses. This is great news for wildlife photographer who want to avoid the expense and burden of carrying a selection long and heavy optics. For instance, a 200-400mm f/4 fitted with a 2x teleconverter effectively becomes a 400-800mm f/8, and unlike with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, the D800's autofocus system will still function.
The Nikon D700 doesn't feature a video mode, but the D800 brings full HD functionality. It can record 1080p video at 30, 25 and 24fps frame rates, along with 60 and 50fps rates at 720p for shooting slow-motion movies. Both FX and DX crops are available in video mode, although the D800 lacks the D4's useful 1920x1080 crop mode.
In another upgrade over the D700, the D800 features dual memory card slots. Unlike the D4, the D800 makes use of existing memory card formats, namely Compact Flash and SD/SDHC/SDXC. The decision to include two formats might prove frustrating for some pros, who will now have to carry two different sets of cards.
The shutter has been tested to around 200,000 cycles, while the battery life has been reduced from the D700 to around 850 shots at CIPA standard. While the D700 was capable of around 1,000 shots, the new battery has been made to comply with a new Japanese electronics law, hence the reduction in shot output. Since the measured battery life (850 shots) includes the use of flash, it's likely that the battery has the potential to last even longer, depending on the situation.
It's worth noting here that the D800, like the D700 has a built-in pop-up flash unit (GN 12m @ ISO 100) which is useful for providing fill-in light and triggering external lights wirelessly. The Canon 5D Mark III doesn't have a flash built-in.
The D800 is available in two versions: a 'standard' body, plus a special edition, called the D800E. The latter has a modified filter over the sensor that has no anti-aliasing qualities and comes with an extra £300 premium as a result.
Removing the anti-aliasing filter allows for a potentially greater amount of detail to be resolved and comes at the price of increasing the chances of false colour or moiré patterning, which may require some extra post-capture processing.
Fortunately, this type of interference is relatively straightforward to remove in photo-editing software packages, such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4. Nikon's own Capture NX2 can also be used to reduce or remove the effect, and will come bundled with the D800E.
Altogether, Nikon claims to have included 36 new features or improvements to this full-frame SLR, when compared to the Nikon D700.
Build quality and handling
In terms of size, shape and weight, the differences between the D800 and D700 are subtle. It's 10% lighter than the D700 and the body has a more 'contoured' look and feel. Like the D4, the shutter release has been slightly repositioned for better ergonomics, while a number of the controls have been tweaked.
There's a new video record button near the shutter release and a new switch to the right of the rear screen that enables you to toggle between stills and video live view. While it is possible to capture a still image when the Stills/Video switch is set to Video, video recording can only be started when the switch is at Video. These controls are mirrored on the D4, which should make switching between the two bodies a relatively straightforward process for pros with both cameras.
Just to the left of the lens mount is a focus mode control switch and button, as on the D7000 in Nikon's DX SLR line-up, this is used in conjunction with the camera's two control dials. Rotating the rear dial enables switching between Single AF (AF-S) and Continuous AF (AF-C), while the front dial can be used to toggle between the AF point selection options available in each mode.
Although it may be surprising to hear that such a video-focused camera doesn't come with an articulating screen, the D800's fixed 921,000-dot 3.2 inch LCD panel is very good. As with the D4, it features automatic monitor brightness control and during our testing, we found it provides a clear view of images. Reflections aren't a major issue, but they are more noticeable with the D800 than on the Canon 5D Mark III's screen.
While the D700's viewfinder offers 95% frame coverage, the D800's gives a 100% view, which is especially useful when there is no time or opportunity to crop images before they are published. A dual-axis electronic virtual horizon is also a useful addition for outdoor photographers. This can be viewed either on the LCD monitor or through the viewfinder, and it continues to be displayed, even when the shutter release is half depressed.
Anyone familiar with Nikon SLRs, especially the D700, or D3 S/X professional series, will be at ease with the menu and operation of the camera. There are no major changes other than the addition of video recording options and the change to the D7000-style focus mode switch and button.
While the AF system is advanced and there are lots of AF-point selection modes available when shooting continuously, the options are made very clear in the viewfinder and in the top-plate LCD, so it's easy to select the one you want. However, it's about time that the AF points were spread a bit further across the frame and not clustered within the DX crop area.
Performance
Our tests reveal that the Nikon D800 is capable of resolving a huge amount of detail, in fact it's not far behind the medium-format Pentax 645D, which has a 40Mp sensor that measures 44x33mm. This is an impressive feat, as although it's full-frame, the D800's sensor is considerably smaller at 35.9x24mm.One risk with packing so many pixels onto a sensor is that the photosites have to be very small, and this can lead to increased image noise levels. The good news is that Nikon has struck a successful balance between resolution and noise.
However, we would recommend sticking within the native sensitivity setting (ISO 100-6400) wherever possible, and the upper expansion sensitivity values (equivalent to ISO 12800 and ISO 25600) are reserved for needs-must situations.
The visibility of coloured speckling (chroma noise) varies somewhat depending upon the lighting conditions. For example, in our shots taken a gym that was dimly lit by sodium lamps, chroma noise is clearly visible from around ISO 2500 when the images are viewed at 100% on the computer screen. In other situations, however, noise is only visible in the shadows from around ISO 3200-6400.
On the whole, though, ISO 3200 and even ISO 6400 images look good when sized to make A2 prints. The shadows of some images taken at ISO 25600, however, have a distinct purple or blue cast that is visible even in thumbnail images.
We might expect dynamic range to suffer as a result of the sensor having such a high pixel count, but the D800 impresses here as well. Images have a good range of tones straight from the camera, but ironically this means that quite a few of them of them benefit from a slight boost to the contrast.
Given that it has the same Multi-Cam 3500 FX autofocus system as the D4, which is a tweaked version of the one in the D3S, it's no surprise that the D800 is capable of focusing quickly and accurately when the need arises, even in low indoor light.
When shooting moving subjects it's worth investing a bit of time thinking about the subject and the shooting conditions as the D800 has a wealth of continuous shooting options. When following a moving subject around an area where objects such as pillars or posts may momentarily obscure it, for example, it may be sensible to set the camera to respond relatively slowly to avoid the lens from focusing on the obstruction and then having to refocus on the subject.
Nikon isn't new to producing digital SLRs, and the D800 uses the company's know-how to ensure that white balance and colour are good straight from the camera in most situations. This is not to say they are infallable, however, and there were quite a few occasions during this test when the exposure compensation facility was required, in a couple of situations the reason wasn't obvious.
One small criticism is that it is strange that such an advanced camera as the D800 should have an HDR (high dynamic range) mode that only operates when shooting JPEG images. Furthermore, the only image that is saved is the merged version. Canon's approach with the EOS 5D Mark III is much more useful to advanced photographers, as the three images that make up the final HDR image are recorded and raw file shooting is possible.
Nikon D800 vs D700 autofocus performance
The Nikon D800's 51-point AF system is updated compared that found in the D700. The centre 11 focusing points function with apertures as slow as f/8 on the D800, whereas the D700 requires a maximum aperture of f/5.6 to function properly. This should help when using a tele-convertor with a lens that has a small maximum aperture, but does it also help with its performance in low light conditions?Using the central bunch of cross-type focusing points, the D800's AF system certainly seems very sure of itself, locking on to subjects very quickly, and for the most part, accurately. Using a screw-driven lens with a fast maximum aperture, such as the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AF-D, the in camera focusing motor drives the lens slightly faster, but in low light conditions it misses critical focus about as much as the D700, which isn't very much at all.
However, when using the linear-type focusing points towards the left and right sides of the frame, it can be very difficult to get the D800 accurately focused with lenses that have a maximum aperture faster than f/2.8.
Compared to the D700, which performs reasonably well with these focusing points, the D800 is a little disappointing in this area. The issue is effectively magnified by the high pixel count, which shows up any focusing errors much more than the relatively low resolution of the D700. When shooting in low light conditions, it is probably best to stick to using the cross-type AF sensors on the D800, locking focus and recomposing for composition.
Nikon D800 vs D700 in low light
Comparing raw and JPEG images from the D700 and D800 (both with the noise reduction set to the default value) reveals they are virtually inseparable until ISO 6400. At this point, in-focus edges are broken down slightly more due to noise with the D800. This is true even after resizing the 36Mp images down to the same dimensions as the 12Mp files from the D700.At ISO 6400, flat areas of colour look slightly less noisy in images produced by the D800, which indicates the in camera noise reduction is more aggressive than with the D700.
At expanded sensitivity settings, differences in images are very much the same, with the D700 producing detail that is slightly more clearly defined, at the expense of the image containing more speckling due to noise. Contrast and colour fidelity remain excellent on both cameras, right up to ISO25600, where noise takes over, fine detail is lost and shadows become quite snowy in appearance.
Any differences in high sensitivity (ISO) performance between the two cameras are minimal, and any performance lost by the extra pixels can be mitigated somewhat be resizing the image down. Edge definition lost to noise starts to improve as images are resized, although at 12Mp, edges do look slightly clearer at sensitivities of ISO6400 and higher with the D700. Only slightly though.
Nikon D800 vs Nikon D700 file handling
Another issue to be faced by having such a high-resolution camera is how dealing with those 36Mp files may clog up your computer and slow workflow. This can be very important, depending on how patient you are, or how time-critical your work is. Various common workflow tasks have been compared for speed against the D700, to asses how the larger files may affect workflow.Time taken to copy 100 raw files - Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CF card
Kingston USB 3.0 card reader: D700= 41.37sec, D800 56.51secs
USB 3.0 to camera: D700=3:09.68, D800=1:14.77
USB 2.0 to camera: D700=3:04.08, D800=2:15.93
It isn't overly surprising that it takes less time to copy over 100 raw files from the Nikon D700 via a USB 3.0 card reader. What is surprising, is how little difference there is in the copy times between the D800 and D700 files. The fact it only takes 15 seconds longer to transfer the files isn't going to cause much distress.
As the D800 sports the latest USB 3.0 interface transferring those files straight from the camera is quicker, despite their size. Surprisingly, this is also the case if using a USB 2.0 connection on the computer.
Time taken for file handling in Capture One 6.4 – 64bit
Capture one 6.4 has been used to asses how much the larger file sizes will affect workflow, when compared the D700. The program was first left to completely generate previews on all of the 100 raw files imported, then processed as a batch and the times taken for each process noted. Two different computers have been used for testing. A high-powered tower PC, sporting a six-core AMD processor and a lower powered laptop.
Tower PC - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T @ 2.80GHz - 6GB RAM - 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F1 HDD – 64bit Windows 7 Professional
Generate Previews: D700=1:17.36, D800=3:33.70
Process to TIFF: D700=5:24.96, D800=17:19.16
Laptop - Lenovo Thinkpad x121e - Intel i3-2367m @ 1.4GHz - 8GB RAM - Crucial M4 256GB SSD - 64bit Windows 7 Home
Generate Previews: D700=02:16.48, D800=06:10.06
Process to TIFF: D700=13:21.89, D800=32:27.43
Looking at the times, it is evident that if the computer used for handling files is powerful enough, then although it does take over double the amount of time to generate previews and process the files, the time taken is still fairly respectable, and shouldn't pose too many issues for most people.
However, if images are required as fast as possible, whilst working in the field, the extra time spent dealing with the files may become a problem. The total time to taken to process previews and high resolution TIFF files from the D800 weighs in at over 38 and a half minutes on the laptop used for testing, whereas the same tasks only take 15 minutes and 38 seconds with files from the D700.
Resolution
As part of our image quality testing for the Nikon D800 we've shot our resolution chart.If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 100 the D800 is capable of resolving up to around 36 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files. It produces some of the best results we have ever seen from a full-frame SLR.
See a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them please click here.
Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:
JPEG images
ISO 50, score: 36 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 100, score: 34 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 200, score: 34 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 400, score: 34 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 800, score: 32 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 1600, score: 30 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 3200, score: 28 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 6400, score: 28 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 12800, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 25600, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
Raw images
ISO 50, score: 36 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 100, sore: 34 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 200: score: 34 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 400, score: 34 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 800, score: 32 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 1600, score: 30 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 3200, score: 30 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 6400, score: 30 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 12800, score: 28 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
ISO 25600, score: 26 (Click here to see the full resolution image)
Noise and dynamic range
We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.
For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.
We have compared the Nikon D800 against the Nikon D700, Nikon D4, Canon EOS 5D Mk III, Canon EOS 5D Mk II and Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III.
JPEG Signal to Noise Ratio
JPEG images from the Nikon D800 have a signal to noise ratio that compares well against, but cannot quite match, that from the Nikon D4 and Canon EOS 5D Mk III. At lower sensitivities results compare closely to Nikon D700, however from a sensitivity of ISO 800 there is a definite improvement.
Raw signal to noise ratio
TIFF images (after conversion from raw) show that the D800 handles noise well at lower sensitivities and the results compare well against the Nikon D4. Above ISO 3200 noise becomes more of an issue.
JPEG dynamic range
This chart shows that the Nikon D800's JPEG files have a high dynamic range only just beaten by the Nikon D4. Compared to the Nikon D700, the results show a big improvement across the sensitivity range. At ISO 3200 the Canon EOS 5D Mk III just over takes the dynamic range of the D800.
Raw dynamic range
The D800's TIFF files (after conversion from raw) score some of the highest dynamic range results that we've seen from a DSLR, just beating the Nikon D4 and showing a huge improvement over the Nikon D700. At the lower end of the sensitivity scale, the D800 is the clear leader, but by ISO 800 the Canon EOS 5D Mk III takes the lead.
Sample images
Click here to see the full resolution image
Taken at ISO 200 using an aperture of f/8, this shot has bags of detail, but the exposure had to be reduced by 1EV to get the colour looking right.
Click here to see the full resolution image
The D800's AF system had no trouble keeping up with this cyclist peddling at full-speed.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Nikon's Matrix metering was fooled by the light subject and under-exposed this shot.
Click here to see the full resolution image
A Levels adjustment in Photoshop has brightened the image and retained the atmosphere.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Including so much sky in this image fooled the Matrix metering into under-exposing, but as the image below shows, there plenty of information in the foreground so it can be lightened effectively.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Five minutes work with Photoshop has brightened the foreground while retaining the darkness of the approaching storm in the sky.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Taken at ISO 2500 and in low artificial light, this image has more noticeable noise than some taken at higher sensitivity settings in more natural light.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Taken at ISO 200, f/8 and 1/125, but exposure was compensated by -1EV to retain the tonal gradation in the sky.
Click here to see the full resolution image
There's plenty of detail in the brickwork of these buildings.
Click here to see the full resolution image
The delicate details of the blossom have been captured well in this ISO 200 image.
Click here to see the full resolution image
The dark foreground mean that -1EV exposure compensation was required to get this image just right when Matrxi metering was used. There's plenty of detail in those shadows.
Click here to see the full resolution image
The JPEGs straight from the Nikon D800 display an impressive colour range - this image was shot on Auto White Balance.
Click here to see the full resolution image
We needed to boost the exposure compensation by +0.7 to capture this scene.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
Lots of detail has been resolved in this image, while colours are also naturally represented.
Click here to see the full resolution image
This image displays the very restricted depth of field effects that are possible when using a full-frame camera such as the D800.
Click here to see the full resolution image
This image was shot using the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 G lens.
Click here to see the full resolution image
Click here to see the full resolution image
In this image shot at f/8 you can really see the amount of detail that is able to be captured by the D800.
Sensitivity
Here's the full scene at ISO 100, the sections below shop a crop at 100% or 'Actual Pixels', follow the links to see the full resolution images.
JPEG images
ISO 50 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 100 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 200 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 400 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 800 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 1600 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 3200 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 6400 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 12,800 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 25,600 Click here to see the full resolution image
Raw files
ISO 50 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 100 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 200 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 400 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 800 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 1600 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 3200 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 6400 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 12,800 Click here to see the full resolution image
ISO 25,600 Click here to see the full resolution image
Verdict
It's great to find that the D800 isn't just a triumph of numbers, and that the 35.3Mp sensor actually delivers on its promise – capturing bags of detail. The surprise bonus is that noise is actually pretty well controlled and the dynamic range is very impressive.For those interested in stepping up to a full-frame camera, the D800 represents a good investment. You get pretty much all of the best features of the D4 in a more compact and lighter body, with a much higher pixel count for just shy of half of the price.
We liked
Many images are suitable for making superb A2 prints straight from the camera or with a minimal amount of adjustment.We disliked
Sport and action photographers will find that the large file size limits the continuous shooting rate and burst depth in comparison with the Nikon D700, Canon 5D Mark III and Nikon D4 - although these can be boosted by selecting DX format images and the battery-grip.Understandably, the signal to noise ratio is a little lower than from some competing cameras with lower pixel counts.
Final verdict
Many see the Canon EOS 5D Mark III as the D800's natural competitor. While the average serious enthusiast is likely to think long and hard about switching manufacturer, professional photographers are less loyal and will go with whichever option works best for them.The D800 will be very attractive to photographers who need a comparatively light camera that is capable of capturing a lot of detail and producing large prints. As it is an especially good choice for those who shoot in normal or daylight conditions or at low sensitivities, we think the D800, or perhaps the D800E, will be a big hit with landscape and studio photographers.
Meanwhile the Canon EOS 5D Mark III is perhaps a bit of an all-rounder that will appeal to enthusiast photographers who want to shoot a range of subjects in lots of different conditions.
Given the level of detail that the D800 can capture and its impressive dynamic range there may be a few studio and landscape photographers who will choose it instead of a bulkier, heavier, slower and more expensive medium format camera.
It's clear that the D800 is an excellent and very capable camera. The metering, white balance and autofocus systems all deliver the goods and the image quality is superb at the lower sensitivity settings. While we'd love to see a couple of niceties such as the rating option and more flexible HDR system found on the Canon 5D Mark III, we find Nikon's AF point selection options clearer in continuous AF mode.
Although the D800 can't quite match some of its competitors for signal to noise ratio at the lower sensitivity settings, it comes close and the much larger images have an impressive dynamic range.
Nikon has managed to produce a camera that delivers exactly what many enthusiast and pro photographers want.
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Buying Guide: Best RAM: 9 memory kits reviewed and rated
Best memory: 9 DDR3 RAM kits tested
With memory prices crashing down it can be tempting to buy any old set of 8GB DDR3 DIMMs to power up your desktop system.The truth is that memory DIMMs are not all made equal and if you want the fastest memory in town then just snatching the nearest pack off the shelf isn't going to do you any favours.
The latest Intel X79 chipset did raise the bar on raw memory bandwidth due to the introduction of quad-channel memory. While it did deliver on this promise, no one in the real world could tell the difference.
With both Intel and AMD processors using on-chip memory controllers, the memory latencies of old have been reduced to a minimum.
While DDR3 even in dual-channel can supply enough bandwidth to keep demanding quad-core processors happy, something our columnist Jeremy Laird bemoans.
Even so the difference between a top-quality and low-quality set of DIMMs can make a difference. Largely these days it's easier to be left out of pocket than performance, but no one likes to think they're missing out on a few extra frames per second.
Rounding up all of our recent TechRadar reviews reveals that, no matter what system you're putting together, solid DDR3 memory can be picked up from as little as £19, while our top-pick - which is a complete quad-channel 16GB kit - retails for an affordable £90.
1. Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 4 16GB - £90
Cometh the boards, cometh the memory kits. The release of Intel's quad-channel enabling X79 motherboards may have left the simulated ring of cash registers reverberating in the ears of every RAM manufacturer, but it's the ideal time to enable such a high-end feature because DDR3 is so darned affordable right now.
On top of that the sweet spot for quad-channel memory kits is a healthy 16GB. Ker-ching. On paper, the Patriot kit appears to be excellent value. It has opted for a more average 1,600MHz bus speed, helping reduce latencies to the 8-9-8 timings; something it attempts to call 'low latency'. Though we'd prefer to call it 'perfectly normal latency' at this speed.
This quad-channel kit looks suitably impressive, with chunky aluminium heat spreaders that stand 42mm high. These won't interfere with the standard Intel water cooler, but other coolers may struggle - it's worth checking.
Read our Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 4 16GB review
2. Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB DDR3 - £47
Memory modules and CPU coolers don't always get along. Sometimes the cooler hangs over the memory slot on your motherboard so you can't fit the memory in the first and third slots, forcing you into the second and fourth; if your motherboard supports that configuration.
Corsair's Vengeance series is as guilty as any on this charge, so this LP model aims to right a wrong. These low-profile modules will give you no such grief. They are no bigger than the naked green DIMM modules of old, which allows potential for your CPU cooler to run amok in your case, taking up as much space as it damn well wants.
These 1.35V modules run cooler to allow a more conservative heatsink design, but if you're hoping that opens up some headroom to tweak the speed and latency of this kit, you're in for a slight disappointment.
Read our Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB DDR3 review
3. Kingston HyperX Genesis 2,133MHZ 16GB - £167
Money isn't an issue if you're considering throwing together your own Intel X79-based high-end system, so splurging an extra hundred pounds on the highest-rated memory kits, such as the Kingston HyperX Genesis 2133MHZ 16GB shouldn't cause you too many problems.
With its highest XMP profile of 2,133MHz you are guaranteed exceptional memory bandwidth, but does that translate through to exceptional performance? For a high-end component, the HyperX Genesis 2,133MHz certainly comes packed in a demure outfit. Much like Crucial, we expect Kingston is trying to reduce costs wherever it can, hopefully to provide better value.
Read our Kingston HyperX Genesis 2,133MHZ 16GB review
4. G.Skill RipJaws-Z 16GB - £85
How can another 4 Dimm memory kit for Intel's Z79 chipset hope to stand out from the crowd? Well for starters, when it comes to G.Skill RipJaws-Z line each kit is hand tested, which is nice. It's also XMP 1.3 ready, which means it's not just any old quartet of DDR3 1,600MHz DIMMs. It's specially developed for the X79 platform.
If that's so much digital double speak to you, XMP or Extreme Memory profile is a user-friendly way of cranking up various memory settings and timings without the need for hand tuning. The latest 1.3 standard generally tightens things over 1.2, enabling better performance and stability.
As for the specifics, this G.Skill RipJawsZ nominally clocks at 1,600MHz with 9-9-9-24 timings at 1.5V. Oh, and it's 4GB per stick of DIMM memory, making for a mildly monumental 16GB of RAM overall.
Read our G.Skill RipJaws-Z 16GB review
5. Corsair Vengeance Racing Red 16GB - £150
Corsair certainly isn't missing out on the gold-rush of memory sales that new X79 motherboards should be ushering in and has released a new lineup of RAM modules set up for the platform. The latest range of quad-channel Vengeance kits are rated at 1,866MHz out of the box, with full XMP 1.3 compliance built in.
Like the G.Skill RipJawsZ kit, the XMP 1.3 makes for a slightly tighter integration of the use of memory profiling to make setting clockspeeds, latencies and voltages correctly for any supporting motherboard.
This Corsair kit is on the market for around £150, whereas the slightly slower G.Skill kit can be picked up for less than a ton. Is the extra performance really going to be worth the cash you're stumping up for the extra clockspeed?
Read our Corsair Vengeance Racing Red 16GB review
6. Kingston HyperX Plug n Play 4GB DDR3 - £32
The Kingston HyperX Plug and Play High Performance Memory really is the perfect memory match for Sandy Bridge chipsets. Intel's chips and accompanying processors have prompted a raft of goodies – particularly RAM modules – claiming to be the perfect match for Intel's technology.
Now there's something else to add to that pile, except that Kingston's new HyperX Plug and Play (PnP) RAM modules actually have something that needs the Sandy Bridge technology to bring the best out of them. By programming the SPD of its new HyperX Plug and Play High Performance Memory modules with these new official JEDEC-compliant settings, Kingston's memory automatically runs at the higher speeds in Sandy Bridge motherboards.
Read our Kingston HyperX Plug n Play 4GB DDR3 review
7. Patriot Gamer 2 AMD Black Edition 2x2GB - £19
Memory maestro Patriot has launched the Patriot Gamer 2 AMD Black Edition DDR3 4GB RAM kit specifically aimed at the AMD crowd. With the launch of AMD's new Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), Llano, RAM is a vital performance component again.
Well now it's the turn of the thorn in Intel's side, AMD, to get some memory attention. It's been a long time coming. OK, compared to some of the blazingly fast modules that have been launched to support the Sandy Bridge platform, Patriot's Gamer 2 AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC3-12800 kit may seem, well, a bit conservative to say the least. At just 1600MHz, it's a touch slow.
Read our Patriot Gamer 2 AMD Black Edition review
8. A-Data XPG Gaming V2.0 Series DDR3 2000G 2x2GB - £46
Right now is a slightly confusing time to buy RAM. Those upgrading from a dusty old system with DDR2 support to a current platform will need to invest in some DDR3 memory to play nicely with your new chipset.
Sadly for most of us the practical benefits of quad-channel memory are next to none, and the additional financial outlay for quad-module kits makes that sting all the more. Best stick to dual channel, then.
For the gamer, those priorities shift towards low latency and high frequency, at the expense of capacity, if need be. Enter (deep breath) ADATA's XPG Gaming v2.0 Series DDR3 2000G 2x 2GB kit. Aimed squarely at gamers with more sense than money, it hits the ground running at 2,000 MHz, which spells good news for memory throughput and CPU-heavy tasks.
Read our A-Data XPG Gaming V2.0 Series DDR3 2000G review
9. AMD Memory Entertainment Edition 8GB - £42
Yes you've read the title right, AMD has joined the memory bandwagon with its AMD Memory Entertainment Edition 8GB kit. Rather belatedly. Well, actually for the launch of its AMD Memory branded modules it's cosied up to VisionTek and, in the case of the DDR3 DDR3-1600 modules we reviewed, Patriot Memory.
The Entertainment Edition lineup consists of DDR3 at 1,333MHz and 1,600MHz CL9 latencies, in 2GB and 4GB modules. The Performance Edition has the same speeds but rated at CL8, and is available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB kits. The Radeon Edition kits, due soon, are the stuff for enthusiasts and overclockers, with speeds of 1,866 and possibly 2,133MHz.
Read our AMD Memory Entertainment Edition 8GB review
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Asus rep claims Google Nexus tablet will arrive June
Previous rumours suggesting a June unveiling for Google's own brand tablet look to have been reinforced.
We reported last month that sources had suggested that the Google tablet would break cover in June, and now an Asus representative has confirmed this.
Asus is thought to be the company behind the Google Nexus tablet, manufacturing the device on behalf of the search giant.
7-inch, quad-core budget tablet
Speaking to Android Authority at Computex the Asus representative confirmed that the tablet would likely make its appearance at the Google I/O event, but definitely before the end of the month.It's been suggested that the Nexus tablet will sport a 7-inch display, quad-core processor and run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – with a price tag set to rival the Amazon Kindle Fire at the budget end of the market.
The Google I/O event kicks off on June 27 and TechRadar will be bringing you all the news from the conference.
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Updated: Apple WWDC 2012: all the latest news
WWDC 2012: all the latest news
It's nearly time for WWDC 2012, Apple's sold-out World Wide Developers Conference, and that means the Apple rumour factory is in full flow.There's a difference between a wish list and rock-solid predictions, however, and the internet has more of the former than the latter. So what can we really expect from this year's WWDC?
OS X Mountain Lion at WWDC
We know about this already: Gatekeeper security, iCloud integration, the new notification and game centres, AirPlay mirroring... OS X Mountain Lion is looking pretty tasty, and it'll be in near-final form at WWDC.A launch date announcement is almost certain and a public beta a distinct possibility, but our favourite rumour is that Mountain Lion will be a free upgrade. That's not as far fetched as it sounds: Apple is giving free copies of Snow Leopard to MobileMe users who haven't switched to iCloud, and of course iOS upgrades are already free.
WWDC unveiling of iOS 6
This one's a given: Apple's on a yearly release schedule for iOS, and the whole thing will be signed off and ready for the expected iPhone 5 launch in October.On June 11, an iOS 6 announcement was confirmed by the sight of iOS 6 branded banners at the Moscone West centre,the location for WWDC 2012.
There are all kinds of tantalising possibilities: more Siri, both in terms of device support and software integration; NFC; some kind of dual-app multitasking for iPads so you can look at two things at once; Apple's long-rumoured mapping API; and perhaps an improved notifications area with support for more widgets and the ability to access commonly-used features such as Airplane Mode. Can we make our annual request for multiple user accounts on the iPad, please? Thanks.
WWDC hardware announcements
WWDC is primarily a software event, but that doesn't mean we won't see new kit: Apple has unveiled important products there in the past such as the iPhone 4 and the 2009 MacBook Pro. There are four key hardware rumours this year: the new iPhone, Retina MacBook Pros, Apple TV and the iPad Mini.On June 11, Just hours before the event kicked, off MacBook Pro and Mac Pro specs may have been leaked, according to a report by 9to5Mac. If accurate, there will be three new Mac Pros - a 3.2GHz quad-core model, a 2.4GHz quad-core edition and a server configuration, while for MacBook Pros, there's talk of a 13-inch model with 2.9GHz dual-core processor and a 15-inch one with a 2.6GHz quad-core processor.
The new iPhone, aka the iPhone 5, at WWDC
It's coming, we know, but the D in WWDC stands for Developers, not "Dude, it's the new iPhone!" Unless the incoming iPhone 5 is significantly different from a developer's perspective - that is, if it has a completely different aspect ratio or other significant hardware change, or if it runs Android - then we don't think the new iPhone's going to make an appearance. Others, however, beg to differ.WWDC unveiling of Retina MacBook Pros
They're coming, we know, but the big question is when: while OS X already contains a HiDPI mode for retina-style displays, they're still very challenging bits of hardware to make. The MacBook Pro is certainly due a refresh, but a retina refresh might be pushing it for 2012.A new Apple TV at WWDC
We're not feeling this one. Apple TV is still officially a hobby, and while it runs a variant of iOS Apple hasn't opened it up to developers yet. That may well change at WWDC, but we a significant Apple TV announcement is a long shot.The iPad Mini at WWDC
It exists, and it's rumoured for a 2012 release, so why not unveil it at WWDC? Assuming that a 7.85-inch iPad Mini has been given the green light, a June unveiling would generate enormous excitement, annoying Amazon, Android manufacturers and Windows 8 OEMs simultaneously without overshadowing the Autumn launch of the iPhone 5. If Apple's going to embrace the entire tablet market as it did the digital music market with its various iPods, then the iPad Mini is inevitable.
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AdWords opens up to 300,000 mobile apps
Google has integrated its AdMob mobile platform with AdWords, allowing businesses to create mobile advertising across more than 300,000 mobile applications, on the familiar AdWords platform.
AdWords advertisers can now manage, measure and adjust search, display and video ads, reaching people on more than 2 million websites, adds about 350 million mobile users, 300,000 mobile apps and 12 countries to AdWords' reach.
The move also helps AdMob developers and publishers increase their revenue by giving them access to a large number of new advertisers.
In addition to the ability to launch a mobile app campaign from within AdWords, advertisers can now reach individuals by targeting specific smartphone or tablet device models (e.g. Samsung Galaxy IIIS) or by targeting a particular manufacturer brand.
Advertisers can also reach their desired audience by selecting from the categories available in the Google Play Store (e.g. 'Games') or App Store and search for individual apps (e.g. 'Flood it').
According to Jonathan Alferness, Director Product Management, Mobile Ads in a Google Mobile Ads blog posting Google also promises to "provide an estimate on the number of devices reached and impressions targeted given your selections," in the next few weeks.
Google bought AdMob for $750m in 2009, and the firm has been working for several years to amalgamate its various ad services, including the display ad platform DoubleClick, which it bought in 2007. DoubleClick has also been enhanced and overhauled in what Google refer to as the "biggest overhaul ever of our DoubleClick ad platform," on the DoubleClick Advertiser Blog
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Opinion: Why now's the time to go SSD
Getting increasingly more for less is the trend that's underpinned pretty much all digital technologies since, well, forever. But, once in a while, something a little special happens to prices.
When it comes to solid state storage, that time is now. Prices in recent weeks have fallen faster than a disgraced politician's employment prospects.
As recently as late April, one of our favourite current drives, the Samsung 830 series in 128GB trim, cost £130. You can now pick one up for just £80. That's some discount.
The same goes for a wide range of drives from a number of the usual online retailers. And before you think it's just retailers offloading surplus stock, the price cuts include outfits who sell their own wares, including Crucial, who'll flog you one of their 128GB M4 drives for just £88.
What's more, with drives getting cheaper, it brings larger 240GB and 256GB drives well under £200, which helps diffuse the last remaining objection to solid state drives – the lack of capacity.
So why is this happening now? Well, supply and demand is obviously part of the explanation. Last autumn, a glut of DDR memory chips lead to tumbling RAM prices. That actually helps lower SSD prices as most drives have a few DDR chips on board.
It's time to get serious
But the bigger issue is falling prices for the flash memory chips that form the main storage of SSDs thanks to new production facilities coming on line and more dense chips lowering the cost-per-gigabyte.But that's not all. Several sources have reported that the big players in the SSD game have decided it's time to get serious. Their aim is allegedly to trigger a price war that will force the small players out of the market.
Whether that's true or not, who can say. You certainly won't get SSD makers going on the record. But there's no doubting SSD prices have plummeted of late and that's great news whatever the true explanation.
Another interesting dimension here is relatively high prices for traditional magnetic hard drives. The explanation here is well known and largely involves natural disasters in Asian countries including Japan and Thailand. Hard drive prices today are probably double what they would be without the recent disruptions in production.
So, with hard drive prices inflated, SSDs look even better value. All of which just leaves on last question, will SSD prices fall even further and if so, should you hold out a little? My gut feeling is that we won't see further dramatic drops for a while yet. Which means now is probably the best time ever to buy an SSD.
If you're looking for simple advice regards which models to go for, my current favourites are the Intel 520 Series SSD, the Crucial M4 and Samsung 830. From that little bunch, a Samsung 830 128GB for £80 from Dabs.com is my pick. It's a fantastic deal.
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iOS 6 announcement at WWDC confirmed by photos
It's seems almost certain that Apple will reveal the next version of its mobile platform at its developer conference later today.
Some eager beavers down in San Francisco have managed to snap some banners from outside of the Moscone West centre, Apple's location for its WWDC 2012 event.
The images, first leaked to Macstories, with better resolution images shot by T3, show banners clearly displaying the iOS 6 branding, with the tag line "The world's most advanced mobile operating system."
Go bold or go home
It's an unsurprisingly bold statement from the Cupertino-based outfit, which is certainly not backwards at coming forwards.We're still in the dark over what iOS 6 will bring to iPhones and iPads, but early reports suggest that the first generation iPad will miss out on the upgrade.
The same report does claim that the iPhone 3GS will get iOS 6, even though some people thought that iOS 5 would be the end of the line for the aging handset.
Find out what may be arriving in Apple's latest software upgrade in our iOS 6 release date, news and rumours article.
TechRadar will be reporting on all the goings on at WWDC live as it happens from 10am PST (6pm in the UK), so stay tuned for the full low down.
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Samyang announces fisheye lens for Sony NEX and Samsung NX
Samyang has announced a 8mm f/2.8 fisheye lens for Samsung and Sony compact system cameras.
Already available in other mounts, the new variation of the Samyang 8mm lens is currently the smallest and brightest (widest aperture) fisheye lens available for Sony NEX and Samsung NX cameras.
Its optical construction consists of 10 lenses arranged in 8 groups, including one aspherical (AS) lens and two lenses made of extra low dispersion glass (ED).
Samyang promises that the construction of the lens provides outstanding sharpness for the entire field of view, along with a maximum aperture of f/2.8.
Specs
The lens surfaces have multi-layered UMC anti-reflective coatings, which are designed to enhance light transmission and maximise contrast.Compatible with Sony E (NEX) and Samsung NX mounts, the maximum angle of view in both cases is 180 degrees, while it has a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 metres.
Like other Samyang lenses, the optic is manual focus only. Samyang currently produces a wide range of lenses for different manufacturer mounts, including DSLR and CSC. Optics from the company are usually cheaper than other third party manufacturers, although they don't tend to offer autofocus.
Available from early July, the expected Samyang 8mm fisheye lens price will be around £279.99 / $434.
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LG Optimus 4X HD now on sale, in Germany
The quad-core LG Optimus 4X HD is now available in Germany and it will be coming to the UK very soon.
Arriving slightly late to the party, the Optimus 4X HD comes up against some stiff opposition in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X.
As well as 1.5GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor the Optimus 4X HD also packs a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 8MP camera with full HD video recording.
Game on?
These specs put the Optimus 4X HD on par with the competition, but one area in which LG hopes to gain the upper hand is battery life, with its flagship handset boasting a 2,150mAh battery – a shade bigger than the One X and Galaxy S3.The battery features LG's new SiO+ battery technology - apparently giving you more life, so we look forward to putting the 4X HD to the test during our in-depth review.
The LG Optimus 4X HD can be picked up for around €500 (around £400) in Germany at the moment, and we expect it to carry a similar, if slightly higher, price tag here in the UK.
We've contacted LG to find out when exactly this month we can expect the handset to land, so stay tuned to TechRadar for more details.
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Canon launches ultra-compact scanners
Canon has launched a pair of ultra-compact network scanners the Canon imageFORMULA ScanFront 300e and 300eP. The small format scanners – they're just 310mm (W) x 161mm (D) x 215mm (H) and weigh 3.5Kg - are designed to work as a shared scanning device for office teams, at customer service points or remote branch offices, and both scanners can be managed and administrated centrally on a network, reducing IT costs and time.
The scanners come with Canon's eCopy ShareScan software which enables business users to grab text from any document using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software and to then distribute the data into programmes such as Microsoft Word or Excel, and business information systems including SharePoint, OpenText DM, EMC Documentum, and iManage Worksite.
The ScanFront 300e and 300eP have an ultra-compact sleek design and can be conveniently placed in offices with limited space. The robust feeder mechanism and straight-through paper path enables various document types and thicknesses to be scanned reliably together. With a feeding capacity of up to 50 sheets, they allow fast batch scanning of up to 27 pages per minute (ppm).
The devices also feature large 8.4" colour touch screen enables users to operate the device with ease and navigate through menus quickly. In addition, the ScanFront 300eP model comes with Ultrasonic Double Feed Detection, ensuring all documents are scanned smoothly, and with advanced security measures thanks to a built in fingerprint sensor that enables instantaneous user authentication.
The ScanFront 300e/300eP models can be connected and managed by eCopy Sharescan Manager on the same common network with other eCopy enabled devices, including Canon's standalone USB scanners and multi-functional devices.
The ScanFront 300e/300eP will be available through all Canon sales offices and selected distributor partners across Europe from beginning June, 2012. The eCopy ShareScan Software packages will also be available separately to the ScanFront 300 and 300eP devices.
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Intel thinks dual-cores can be bad for Android
Intel looks like it agrees with Nokia and Microsoft when it comes to dual-core mobile phones, claiming that single cores do the job for now.
Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop has already made his view clear, stating back in April: "The so-called dual-core, quad-core mobile phones can only waste batteries, but not be useful for consumers all the time."
Now Intel has chimed in on the debate. Speaking to members of the press at an event in London, with TechRadar in attendance, Mike Bell, Vice President Intel Architecture Group said: "As we move to multiple cores over time, we're actually putting a lot of investment into the software to fix the scheduler and the threading, so if we do multiple core products [in the future] it actually takes advantage of it.
"In the meantime, we get enough performance out of our single core that we actually don't need to turn on a second core."
Strength in numbers, or maybe not
As well as being happy with the performance of its first mobile chip, found in the Orange San Diego, Intel has also done its own tests which apparently show dual-cores can be bad for handsets.Bell said: "We ran our own numbers and in some of the use cases we've seen, having a second core is actually a detriment."
So according to Intel phones don't need the fancy dual-core and quad-core processors which adorn so many handsets these days, but the likes of Samsung and HTC would probably have something to say about that.
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Android activations now up to 900,000 a day
Head of Android Andy Rubin has used Twitter to quash rumours he is leaving Google and also reveal a new stat about the company's Operating System.
There was speculation that Rubin may leave his post as the boss of Android at Google, after tech writer Robert Scoble posted a rumour on his Google+ account that this was this case.
But Rubin has taken to Twitter to explain that he definitely wasn't leaving Google – it was thought he may go to join start-up CloudCar – and he also revealed the number of handsets are activated on a daily basis.
"No plans to leave Google," explained the tweet. "And for meme completeness – there are over 900,000 Android devices activated each day."
This was Ruben's eleventh tweet since joining Twitter back in 2010 and the reason for the 'meme' mention is that over half of these have been boasting about Android's numbers.
Not going to the Cloud
That number, without the need of a drum roll as we have already revealed it in the headline of this article is 900,000 – a 50,000 device improvement on the number Rubin revealed back in February at Mobile World Congress.According to the Verge, the reason the rumours about Rubin leaving came about was because CloudCar, a startup that offers visual voicemail and voice texts among other things, is part of Rubin's own business 'incubator'.
With the arrival of WWDC 2012 today and the impending launch of iOS 6, it will be interesting to see how Apple's numbers compare to Google's own OS.
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Review: StarTech.com USB 3.0 to SATA IDE HDD Docking Station
Throughout the years you've probably accumulated a number of hard drives. Rather than leaving them to lay about gathering dust - or risk your data security by throwing them away - you can quickly and easily turn them into external hard drives with this top-loading dock, the StarTech.com USB 3.0 to SATA IDE HDD Docking Station.
Inserting the drives into the bays much like you would bread into a toaster is quick and trouble-free, and the dock makes use of the high speeds of USB 3.0 to make these drives a viable back-up solution.
What makes the StarTech.com USB 3.0 to SATA IDE HDD Docking Station stand out from other docking stations is that while one dock uses the SATA hard drive interface - which all new hard drives use - the other dock uses the older IDE interface.
This gives the StarTech.com UNIDOCK3UGB a versatility lacking in SATA-only docks, since you're probably more likely to have an old IDE hard drive knocking about - but in the future you'll likely have a spare SATA hard drive as well.
Adding and removing hard drives - especially SATA drives - is very easy, and they show up straight away on your PC.
Verdict
If you have a combination of SATA and IDE drives lying about, then this is a great way to turn them into external hard drives. Another great use for this is copying data from an old IDE drive into a new SATA drive quickly and easily.
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Competition: WIN! London 2012 branded binoculars: Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25
TechRadar has teamed up with Nikon to offer readers the chance to win one of three limited-edition branded Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 binoculars.
As a licensee of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Nikon has produced a range of limited edition London 2012 branded binoculars, telescopes and laser rangefinder products. All products offer 10x magnification, so whether you're watching the sprint finish of the 100 metres final or spotting the winning swimmer in the freestyle event, Nikon's Sport Optics range gets you closer to the action.
Putting spectators in the centre of the action
The Sportstar EX 10x25 limited edition models are not only stylish and lightweight, but also offer 10x magnification. The 25mm objective lens and wide field-of-view provide bright, clear images even in low-light conditions making them essential kit for any Olympics spectator. The Sportstar EX 10x 25 is waterproof and fog-free, and has O-ring seals and nitrogen gas for added resistance to the elements.Learn more about Nikon's range of limited edition London 2012 Sport Optics products here.
For your chance to win, click here.
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Competition: London 2012 branded binoculars: Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25
TechRadar has teamed up with Nikon to offer readers the chance to win one of three limited-edition branded Nikon Sportstar EX 10x25 binoculars.
As a licensee of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Nikon has produced a range of limited edition London 2012 branded binoculars, telescopes and laser rangefinder products. All products offer 10x magnification, so whether you're watching the sprint finish of the 100 metres final or spotting the winning swimmer in the freestyle event, Nikon's Sport Optics range gets you closer to the action.
Putting spectators in the centre of the action
The Sportstar EX 10x25 limited edition models are not only stylish and lightweight, but also offer 10x magnification. The 25mm objective lens and wide field-of-view provide bright, clear images even in low-light conditions making them essential kit for any Olympics spectator. The Sportstar EX 10x 25 is waterproof and fog-free, and has O-ring seals and nitrogen gas for added resistance to the elements.Learn more about Nikon's range of limited edition London 2012 Sport Optics products here.
For your chance to win, click here.
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LinkedIn says no accounts breached following password theft
LinkedIn has blogged to reassure users that no accounts were compromised as a result of last week's mass password theft.
The professional social network says it is working with the FBI to catch the perpetrators that took and then published the passwords of 6.5 million users online.
When the theft came to light on Wednesday, LinkedIn says that it reacted quickly to disable all passwords, instructing users to reset their passwords before accessing their account.
The company reckons this prevented any of the affected accounts being compromised.
Addressing the risk
"Thus far, we have no reports of member accounts being breached as a result of the stolen passwords," wrote LinkedIn director Vincente Silveira."As soon as we learned of the theft, we launched an investigation to confirm that the passwords were LinkedIn member passwords," he continued. "Once confirmed, we immediately began to address the risk to our members."
World class security team?
Since the attack, life hasn't been much fun for the LinkedIn team. The company's security procedures and the speed at which users were notified has come under intense scrutiny.However, despite all the drama, Silveira claimed the network still boasts a 'world class' security team.
He wrote: "We have built a world-class security team here at LinkedIn including experts such as Ganesh Krishnan, formerly vice president and chief information security officer at Yahoo!, who joined us in 2010. This team reports directly to LinkedIn's senior vice president of operations, David Henke.
"Under this team's leadership, one of our major initiatives was the transition from a password database system that hashed passwords, i.e. provided one layer of encoding, to a system that both hashed and salted the passwords, i.e. provided an extra layer of protection that is a widely recognized best practice within the industry."
As yet, there are few clues as to who carried out the attack.
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Rumour: No iOS 6 for first generation iPad
Apple may be about to drop support for the first generation iPad when, as is expected, it announces iOS 6 at WWDC on Monday.
Chinese website WellPhone.com claims to have obtained a list of links to the iOS 6 Beta version that Apple may make available to developers following the keynote address from San Francisco.
While those links include the new iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, the fourth and fifth generation iPod touch and Apple TV, there's no link for the original tablet.
As well as the original iPad, if the list proves correct, the third generation iPod touch will also miss out.
Currently the links direct users to inactive pages.
Flying the flag
MacRumours points out that a similar list emerged shortly before last year's WWDC keynote from the Moscone Center.It is almost guaranteed that Apple will announce the next generation of its mobile operating system on Monday, as the company has taken the somewhat unorthodox move of hanging "iOS 6 banners" throughout the conference hall.
Apple is also expected to show off the full version of Mac OS X Mountain Lion, with rumours also suggesting we may see an Apple TV SDK.
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AT&T and Verizon opt out of Dropbox's 48GB promotion on the Galaxy S3
With anticipation of the US release of the Samsung Galaxy S3 mounting, both Verizon and AT&T preemptively eschew large data transfers by not participating in the free Dropbox promotion offering 48GB of storage.
On a Dropbox support page about the new Samsung mobile tech, the company reveals that the two largest mobile carriers offering plans for the Galaxy S3 won't be taking full advantage of the built-in Dropbox software by way of a 2-year promotion for free cloud storage.
The other carriers supporting the Galaxy S3, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Sprint, will participate in the program. As soon as consumers with these carriers turn on their new Galaxy S3's and register for Dropbox through the device (involves a five-step process) they'll have access to at least one year of free data storage at 48GB.
It's not yet been confirmed which carriers will offer the one-year or two-year deal. Regardless, they'll be making good on the initial promise of the Galaxy S3 to offer an unprecedented amount of free cloud storage space.
A cloudy forecast
Verizon and AT&T, on the other hand, will keep a tighter leash on data transmissions for its customers. This could be a precursor to the announcement of proprietary cloud storage services from the mobile giants, or it could be a response to the announcement (or suspected announcement for AT&T) of shared data plans for 4G users.With 16GB and 32GB versions of the Galaxy S3 already populating the European market, international users are seeing the benefits of this large, online data pool. T-Mobile customers in the UK can make the most of Dropbox's offer with an unlimited 4G data plan, a service that's quickly becoming a relic in the US.
It stands to reason, then, that Sprint and T-Mobile users with unlimited data plans in North America will benefit the most from this hefty promotion.
Thinking inside the box
Customers who do take part in the Dropbox promotion are actually receiving 50GB free, with 48GB from the promotion and the standard 2GB free for signing up. Additional space can be added (up to 18GB more) by netting 500MB for every referral to Dropbox that becomes a Dropbox customer.That means the total free space a Galaxy S3 user might have during this promotional period could add up to 66GB, or one and one-third dual-layer Blu-Ray discs. More practically, that's enough space to store roughly 660,000 word documents.
Without a promotion, this much storage would cost $99 per year for each user directly from Dropbox. In perspective, the opt out by AT&T and Verizon seems a costly cut to the consumer.
Because the Galaxy S3 runs on Android's Ice Cream Sandwich, Google Drive's free 5GB offering is also a viable option with supporting software. In today's media-hungry marketplace, space for 1280 songs just may not be enough.
For US consumers who do get to enjoy the Dropbox promotion outside the influence of AT&T and Verizon, the incoming overcast of cloud storage will continue to change the status quo.
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