Just Posted: Our Samsung NX210 review. The NX210 is one of the first of Samsung's range of 'smart' Wi-Fi connected models. While plenty of manufacturers are experimenting with cameras that can connect to smartphones, Samsung is the first to offer this capability built-into an interchangeable lens camera. Spec-wise, the NX210 builds on the 20MP NX200, so our review mainly looks at the differences between the two cameras. Does the NX210 succeed in bringing smartphone convenience to large-sensor photography? Read our review to find out.

Popular LA-based street photographer Eric Kim has posted an interesting article on his site, entitled '5 things Stephen Shore can teach you about street photography'. According to Kim, Shore - an American photographer best known for his 1970s color studies of American landscapes - has a lot to teach today's street photographers. Lessons include 'shoot color for visual accuracy and realism' and 'go against the grain' as well as more prosiac advice such as 'date your images'. Click through to read Kim's article in its entirity.

Travel photography isn't just about visiting beautiful places and taking pictures, it's a learning opportunity, too. If you travel without a laptop and don't edit your pictures until you get back from a trip, you might be missing a great opportunity to improve your work. In this short article, award-winning travel photographer Steve Davey explains why you should embrace editing on the road.

Looking for something to photograph this weekend? How about the Perseid meteor showers (which should be visible over the next few evenings and nights)? Perseid meteors are debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, and are particularly visible around August 12th, so it's worth thinking about the shot you want to capture them in. Click here for a couple of links to help you plan the timings and your camera setup, to get the best shots.

Moments after becoming the first man to win back-to-back Olympic 100m and 200m sprints, Jamaican runner Usain Bolt decided he wanted to capture the moment from his own perspective. The ever-ebullient sprinter grabbed a camera from Swedish photographer Jimmy Wixtröm and started snapping away - showing, in wide-angle, what it's like to be center of the press' attention. The BBC has put together a gallery, both of Bolt's images and those of the press corps' shots of one of athletics' great showmen.

Nikon has released the J2, a slightly updated addition to its 1 System of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. The J2 is gently-reworked version of the more basic J1 model, gaining a higher-resolution rear screen. It also inherits a handful of feature modes from Nikon's Coolpix compacts on an additional position on its mode dial, and is now available in orange. Probably the biggest change is the price tag - its suggested selling price of $549 is $100 below the original launch price of the J1. In Europe the J2 will cost around €539 with the 10-30mm VR lens and €519 with the 11-27.5mm zoom.

Alongside the 1 J2, Nikon has announced a waterproof housing and a more compact retractable zoom lens - the 1 Nikkor 11-27.5mm F3.5-5.6. The lens is something of an enigma - it's smaller than the existing 10-30mm kit zoom but, in the US at least, isn't being offered as a kit option. As a result, if you want a less rangy lens, without image stabilization, it'll set you back $189. Nikon US suggests it might appeal to people who bought a kit with just the 10mm prime lens. The WP-N1 underwater housing offers full access to the 1 J1 or 1 J2's buttons and dials, while providing protection to depths of 40m/130ft. It will be available in early September for around $749.

Nikon has announced the Coolpix L610 - a 14x compact superzoom camera that takes AA batteries. The L610 includes a healthy feature set - 16MP back-lit CMOS sensor, 25-350mm equivalent, image-stabilized zoom lens and 1080p30 HD video capability. However, reflecting its position at the top of Nikon's more affordable 'L' series of compacts, it uses the widely available, though relatively inefficient AA battery type. It will sell at around its suggested selling price of $250.

Korean lens maker Samyang has created cinema versions of its well-regarded 14mm F2.8, 24mm F1.4 and 35mm F1.4 manual focus lenses. They're distinguished by racks on their focus and aperture rings for use with cinema rigs, stepless aperture control, calibration in T-stops rather than F-stops, and scales that are marked to be read from the side of the camera. The three lenses are known as the Samyang T1.5 35mm AS UMC, Samyang T1.5 24mm ED AS IF UMC and Samyang T3.1 14mm ED AS IF UMC, and will be made in Canon and Nikon mounts. They'll go on sale towards the end of August at prices to be announced.

A number of factors led to the use of 2MP sensors in the main imaging cameras used on NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, says the project manager responsible for their development. The slow data rates available for broadcasting images back to Earth and the team's familiarity with that family of sensors played a part, says Malin Space Science Systems' Mike Ravine, but the biggest factor was the specifications being fixed as far back as 2004. Multi-shot panoramas will see the cameras deliver high-res images, he explains, but not the 3D movies Hollywood director James Cameron had wanted.

Canon has acknowledged that a glitch in the recently released EF 40mm F2.8 STM pancake prime can cause autofocus to stop working. At present, if pressure is applied to the front of the lens when it's attached to the camera (which can include re-attaching the lens cap), the autofocus may stop working. The glitch can be overcome by dismounting and re-attaching the lens or by removing the camera's battery briefly. In its product advisory notice, the company says a firmware fix will be released in late August.

Nikon has released firmware updates for its 1 System cameras, addressing some of the drawbacks highlighted in our review. The v1.2 firmware updates for the Nikon 1 V1 and 1 J1 correct a series of minor operational issues but also change the program line in most shooting modes so that faster shutter speeds will be chosen. It was these cameras' tendency to use extremely slow shutter speeds that made us conclude they could be disappointing for beginners, despite the very promising underlying engineering. The firmware is available immediately for download.

NASA's Curiosity rover vehicle, that landed on Mars on August 6th, has sent back its first color images of the planet's dusty yellow/orange landscape. The image was taken with the camera on the rover's still retracted robotic arm, from behind the dust shield designed to protect the camera. The dust shield will be removed, promising better images, once the dust kicked-up by its landing has settled. This camera, known as MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager), is primarily intended for examining close-up items. Still better images should come once the two Mastcams start sending back images.

Released worldwide today, Honor The Treaties is a short documentary by Director Eric Becker about American photographer Aaron Huey's work documenting the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The film deals with Huey’s personal growth as a photographer, storyteller, and advocate. It was recently selected as a featured short documentary at The Seattle International Film Festival, and is now available publicly for first time on Vimeo. Click through for more information, and to view the film.  

Canon has released firmware version 2.0.0 for the EOS 7D. The update, originally announced in June, is the most comprehensive we can think of - significantly expanding the capabilities of the 7D. Changes include improved continuous-shooting buffer depth (to 25 Raws, up from the original 15), customizable Auto ISO, control of audio recording level for video and the ability to re-process Raws and rate images in-camera. The update also enables the use of the GP-E2 GPS module.

What’s so great about Instagram anyway? The answer to that question is part of what a group of Instagram users, calling themselves the Pilgramers, set out to find over the course of five weeks this summer. The series features the group meeting up with Instagram users in various cities across the United States through a series of 'Instameets,' real life gatherings the Pilgramers advertised through the app to bring users together to discuss the Instagram phenomenon.

The multi-exposure functions of the latest Canon cameras have been showcased in a series of images shot at the London Olympics. Reuters photographer Mike Blake has written about the possibilities of being able to capture and combine sequences of images conveying the action and movement of disciplines such as gymnastics. Specifically, this has been made possible by the EOS-1D X's ability to produce composite images that combine multiple shots in different ways. All the original shots can also be saved, so taking these images didn't come at the expense of capturing the traditional 'front page' shot. (via MyModernMet)

British press photographer and dpreview contibutor Leon Neal is at the London Olympics, and has published a short blog post about his experiences using the forthcoming AF-S Nikkor 800mm F5.6. No details of price or availability for the monstrous optic have yet been released, but Neal had the chance to use the as-yet-unavailable lens for two sessions at the Aquatics Center this week. Click through for Neal's first impressions, and sample images including 100% crops. 

A mixture of personal anecdote and practical advice, 'Envisioning Family: A Photographer's Guide to Making Meaningful Portraits of the Modern Family' by Tamara Lackey should be of interest to anyone who wants to add a little something extra to their family portraits. Adam Kaplan takes a look.

Casio Europe has launched the Exilim EX-ZR300 Mini DV - its name for the EX-ZR300, released in Japan in May 2012. It features a 12.5x, 24-300mm zoom lens and dual processors to help it offer focus times as short as 0.12s. It is also designed to offer control over both Flash Air and Eye-Fi wireless SD cards, for simple connection to smartphones. In common with other recent Casio flagship models, it also offers a series of high-speed features and is rated at an impressive 500 shots per charge, using CIPA testing methodology. It will be available for August at a cost of around €279.

Japan Hobby Tool has announced a set of 'urban camouflage' covers for the Nikon 1 system cameras. In stark contrast to the nostalgia-tinged Gariz leather cases we've seen for various cameras, the Japan Hobby Tool coverings are distinctly modern, featuring a stylized pixelated monochrome design. The adhesive covers, created for the Nikon 1 J1, V1 and Coolpix P310, are available for around ¥1890 (roughly $25), plus shipping. (from DC Watch)

Following our review of the Nokia 808 PureView, Damian Dinning - Lead program manager of Imaging Experience at Nokia - wrote to us responding to some of the issues that we raised and explaining why those decisions were made in the phone's development. In addition to featuring the largest, highest-pixel-count sensor of any smartphone, the 808 also offers the most advanced camera features - including manually selectable ISO sensitivity from 50-1600, exposure bracketing and five white balance presets. Click through to read Dinning's thoughts on our review conclusions. 

Following on from the discussions about Dean Mouhtaropoulos' decision to use a Panasonic to capture the Olympics, here's further support for the 'it's the photographer, not the gear' argument. Photojournalist, videographer and dpreview contributor Dan Chung has been capturing the Olympic experience with his iPhone. In conjunction with some binoculars, a clip-on Schneider lens and the Snapseed processing app, he's been live-blogging from the games. The images are understandably small but present a fascinating, near-live insight into what's happening in London. (From The Guardian)

Lensrentals' Roger Cicala has published the third part of his investigation into Canon's autofocus systems, looking at what's changed behind the marketing claims. It's not unusual for manufacturers to promise that their products are 'new and improved,' but explanations about what's been changed or how much of an improvement it offers are harder to come by. Cicala has delved into Canon's patents (and taken some lenses apart), to see exactly why the EOS 5D Mark III's focus so consistently out-performs its predecessors'.