Panasonic Lumix G85 and Lumix G80 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Panasonic takes its Lumix G7 mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera upstream — literally — with the Lumix G85, an updated and more rugged version of a combination of a slightly redesigned G7 body with the internals of the GX85/GX80, intended to appeal to the outdoor photographer. In addition to incorporating the antialiasing-filter-free sensor and image processor and stabilization system from the GX85, the G85 improves on the G7 body with dust-and-splash resistance and the ability to take a battery grip. Plus it adds some more advanced video capabilities and improved image stabilization.

The camera will ship in October with a body-only price of $900 and a $1,000 kit with the 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 lens announced in February 2016. I don’t have non-US pricing or availability yet, but those directly convert to roughly £690/£770 and AU$1,200/AU$1,335. In the UK the name will be the G80.

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What’s new

• Design. In addition to the weather sealing and support for a battery grip (DMW-BGG1), Panasonic tweaked the design for improved usability. The SD card slot is now on the grip, where it belongs, and it adds electronic first-curtain shutter (EFCS) for decreased shutter vibration. It also has a magnesium front panel for increased rigidity which decreases vibration, as well. And the viewfinder has slightly more magnification.
• Performance. Panasonic incorporated a new gyro in the body to beef up its 5-axis hybrid image-stabilization system, dubbed “Dual IS 2.” While the continuous-shooting frame rate with autofocus remains essentially unchanged, it’s got a deeper buffer for a decent number of raw shots.
• Video. While the camera has the usual Panasonic 4K video-enabled features such as focus stacking and Live Crop, it also gains clean HDMI out (4:2:2), monochrome preview and the ability to fiddle with the luma value. In the US, you can shoot a single 4K video clip for up to 45 minutes rather than being forced to cut off at 29:59 (which is an artifact of European regulations). However, it lacks support for V-Log profiles.

My take

I tend to like Panasonic’s cameras because of the balance of speed, size, features and photo quality, and the G85/G80 combines the best of both worlds from its latest mirrorless models. Olympus’ OM-D models, probably the E-M5 Mark II, are its closest competitors, but the EM5M2 is two years old and needs a general update to bring it into 2016.

Comparative specs

Panasonic Lumix LX10 and Lumix LX15 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Panasonic

Adding to its enthusiast compact line, Panasonic’s Lumix LX10 is a somewhat confusing entry between the more consumer-targeted Lumix ZS100 and the similarly priced Lumix LX100. Panasonic sees the LX10 as the successor to the four-year-old LX7, but when the LX7 shipped there were no competing enthusiast compacts in Panasonic’s line with its fast lens and large (at the time) 1/1.7-inch sensor. (It does enable Panasonic to somewhat disingenuously proclaim “The 1-inch sensor is 3 times larger than the LX7’s 1/1.7-inch sensor” rather than saying it’s the same size as the sensor in almost every enthusiast compact these days.) The LX10 combines the 20.1-megapixel 1-inch sensor of the ZS100 with a fast but short-zoom lens like the LX100, which has a larger but lower-resolution 12-megapixel Four Thirds-size sensor.

Panasonic plans to ship the LX10 in November for $700; I don’t have price or availability for other regions, but it converts to approximately £540 and AU$935.

Relative sensor sizes.

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What’s notable

• Design: Panasonic’s main design goal with this model was pocketability. Though it is smaller than the LX100, it’s not by a lot: The company shaved off 0.5 in/7mm or less in every dimension, putting it at the same size as the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II but still larger than the competing Sony RX100 II — which has a viewfinder and is about the largest size that will fit in a jeans pocket. The LX100 fits in a loose pants pocket. And it’s only fractionally smaller than the ZS100, which has a 10x zoom lens. It looks very much like the ZS100, but swaps the programmable ring on the lens for an aperture ring. And unlike the other two Panasonic models, it has a flip-up display for selfies.
• Lens: The camera’s 3x 24-72mm f1.4-2.8 lens does have the fastest maximum aperture in its class, but only by a bit less than 2/3 of a stop. And unfortunately, it lacks a built-in neutral density filter, which makes it difficult to shoot at slow shutter speeds at wide apertures in sunlight. It does have a 9-blade diaphragm for round out-of-focus highlights. It can focus as close as 1.2 in/3 cm, which is one of the closest in its class. And it incorporates Panasonic’s 5-axis hybrid sensor shift/optical image-stabilization system.
• Performance: It incorporates the company’s DFD (depth from defocus) contrast autofocus system, which is quite fast. That will likely give it an edge over competitors, since AF in these cameras tends to be a bit slow. However, the battery life is rated at only 260 shots thanks to the tiny, low-power battery.
• Features: All the standard Panasonic-specific features come in the LX10. They include 4K video with 4K burst, 4K photo, 4K Live Crop (which produces an HD video from a window panning around a 4K video), Post Focus and Focus Stacking modes. A new capability is Light Composition, a post-capture process which combines frames of a 4K video into the equivalent of a long-exposure still frame.

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My take

The LX10 sounds like a nice camera, as long as you’re okay without a hot shoe or a viewfinder, and are willing to trade higher resolution for the photo quality of the LX100 or a fast lens for a long zoom on the less-expensive ZS100. I suspect it will be a confusing decision among those models for a lot of people.

With the exception of the longer lens on the G7 X Mark II, the LX10 seems like it has a lot of advantages in comparison, and it has the potential to give the more expensive Sony RX100 IV some serious competition.

And while it’s certainly an improved option over the LX7 — which you’d expect after so long — you do lose the multi-aspect sensor, which produces images with the same resolution regardless of the aspect ratio you choose.

Comparative specs

Panasonic Lumix GH5 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

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Although Micro Four Thirds video shooters have been eagerly awaiting an update to Panasonic’s flagship mirrorless movie model, the Lumix GH4 — it turned two last February — they’re just going to have to wait a little longer. Rather than announcing the camera at the Photokina 2016 show in Germany as expected by many, Panasonic instead revealed that it’s “in development” and will be available early in 2017. Probably just in time for its third birthday.

There isn’t much detail on it yet, but Panasonic did say it will support 4K/60p, 4K/30p at 4:2:2 (10 bit) and an updated version of its 4K photo (which uses specific settings to grab 8-megapixel stills from 4K video) that will be able to grab 16-megapixel images.

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Sony A99 Mark II Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

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I liked a lot of things about the Sony A99, the company’s fixed-mirror full-frame dSLR-style camera, but it’s sat around for over three years while competitors have introduced improved models. Sony finally succeeds it with the A99 Mark II, bringing all of its A-game technologies with the hopes of attracting professional action photographers.

It incorporates the same 42.4MP Exmor R CMOS that’s in the excellent A7R II mirrorless. There’s also a new hybrid autofocus system with 399 phase-detection AF points (79 cross-type) and sensitivity down to -4 EV. 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization and 4K uncompressed video complete the package. Sony claims it’s about the size of the A7RII, despite retaining the A mount, and is still dust-and-moisture resistant.

Sony plans to ship it in November at $3,200 for the body. I don’t have UK or Australian pricing yet, but that directly converts to about £2,450 and AU$4,240.

Stay tuned for more details.

Nikon KeyMission 360 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Surprise announcements are few and far between at CES, the huge consumer electronics show held every January in Las Vegas. But this year, Nikon dropped one I didn’t see coming: It was entering the action cam category and with a 360-degree model no less.

The Tokyo-based company didn’t provide many details about the camera at the time, save that it would shoot 4K ultra high definition (UHD) video with a 360-degree field of view, have electronic image stabilization and that it would be rugged: Shockproof to 2 meters (6.6 feet) and waterproof to 30 meters (100 feet).

Today, though, it’s offered up all the details including availability and price — October for $500 (roughly £385 and AU$665).

The first of Nikon’s action cam line, the KeyMission 360.

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On each side of the camera is an f2.0 8.7mm lens (35mm equivalent) backed by a 20-megapixel CMOS sensor. The camera can capture 30-megapixel stills and 4K UHD video (3,840×2,160 pixels) or full HD (1,920×1,080 pixels), both at 24 frames per second in MOV format. Stereo mics are built in and the camera has a standard tripod mount in the bottom.

All the stitching is done in camera, so it’s ready to share straight away. But, if you’d rather do a minor edit first, the new KeyMission mobile app for Android and iOS facilitates that as well as letting you change settings and gives you a live preview from the camera. Desktop software for Mac and Windows is also included with more editing options.

Nikon’s new KeyMission 170 (left) and KeyMission 80 (right) action cams.

Nikon

Joining the 360 camera in October are the $400 KeyMission 170 (approximately £300 and AU$530) and $280 KeyMission 80 (about £215 and AU$370). Like the 360, the number in the name refers to angle of view. The 170 has a superwide f2.8 lens similar to what you’d find on other action cams, so you’ll want to mount it to its tripod to capture all of a scene in 4K UHD or full HD video. There’s a small LCD on the back to help frame your shots, change settings and play back clips, and the whole thing is waterproof to 10 meters (33 feet) and shockproof to 2 meters (6.6 feet). It comes with a wireless remote, too.

The KeyMission 80 is more of a rugged life-logging camera. Though it records video in full HD at 30fps, the main attraction is its time-lapse and interval timer options so you can just clip it on and capture hands-free 12-megapixel photos. The camera also has a second 5-megapixel selfie snapper on the back above its 1.75-inch touchscreen.

Nikon plans to have accessories for all its cameras to help you get the most out of them, including a dive housing for the 170, a tripod adapter for the 80 and a variety of mounts for the 360 and 170.

Toddy Cold Brew System review – CNET

The Good The Toddy Cold Brew System is an inexpensive way to make a large volume of cold brew coffee without much hassle. The cold brew the Toddy creates is concentrated, strong, yet smooth, sweet and delicious. The Toddy system has only a few parts and is a snap to assemble.

The Bad Like many manual cold brew coffee products, brewing with the Toddy system takes some practice to perfect. The Toddy Cold Brew System is also tall and eats up some counter space when brewing. The Toddy can’t use paper filters and comes with just one reusable felt filter and rubber stopper.

The Bottom Line The Toddy Cold Brew System is an exceptionally simple, affordable way to create concentrated cold brew coffee and lots of it.

The mechanics of brewing cold brew coffee are simple but in practice the activity is often messy, frustrating, and time consuming. There are products for sale to help make the process go more smoothly though. The $40 Toddy Cold Brew System is one such gadget which certainly succeeds at its task and for not a lot of money.

As kitchen contraptions go the Toddy is very bare bones. The kit consists of a plastic brewing container, essentially a bucket, attached to a handle. At the bottom of the container is a small, recessed hole and reusable felt filter pad that you place above it. Sadly the Toddy can’t use paper filters. Plugging the hole is a tiny rubber stopper. The lidless container then rests on top of a squat glass decanter.

The Toddy cold coffee brewer is a very basic but effective contraption.

Chris Monroe/CNET

To brew, just add 12 ounces (340.2 g) of coarse coffee grounds to the container. You then combine that with 56 ounces (1.7 L) of cool water. Of course you can’t throw everything together all at once. Instead the manual asks that you stagger ingredients, half your grounds then half your water, and repeat in order to ensure an even mixture. It takes a little practice to get the process right.

Espro Press P5 review – CNET

The Good The Espro Press P5 effectively strains unpleasant grit from the coffee it brews. The P5 can also create tasty cold brew coffee and even steep tea if you purchase an optional filter.

The Bad The Espro Press P5 costs twice as much as conventional French Press coffee makers. Despite its steep price, the Espro makes half the amount of coffee as similar appliances.

The Bottom Line French Press coffee fans who sometimes enjoy cold java will love the highly filtered drinks the Espro Press P5 slings but serious cold brew addicts should look elsewhere for their concentrated coffee fix.

Dark, rich, and intense, classic French press coffee is delicious. With more ground particles in solution than regular drip coffee though, this potent yet often gritty beverage isn’t for everyone. Equipped with a unique double filter, the $60 Espro Press P5 solves this problem by sifting out residual coffee grounds with satisfactory results. It’s quite a capable cold brew coffee maker as well, thanks to a dual strainer that’s just as adept at filtering chilled java as it is when handling piping hot joe.

Like any French Press, the Espro Press P5 is a cinch to use and consists of just a few parts. These are a glass pitcher, a metal cradle and attached plastic handle to hold it, plus a steel lid and plunger assembly.

The Espro Press P5 looks like a basic French Press but is more capable.

Chris Monroe/CNET

The P5’s genius though lies in its plunger design. Instead of the usual flat perforated plate that sits at the end of a metal rod, at the foot of the Espro Press’ plunger is a big basket filter.

Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewer review – CNET

The Good The Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewer offers an affordable way to make cold brew coffee at home. The cold brew the Filtron makes is rich and delicious, and you can use either disposable or replaceable filters with it.

The Bad The Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewer is more complicated to use than other cold brewers thanks to its multi-chamber filter.

The Bottom Line If you don’t mind a little extra set-up hassle and you want the flexibility to use different filters, the Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewer will serve as an affordable gadget for making quality cold brew coffee at home.

Able to make large amounts of tasty cold brewed coffee at a time, the $40 Filtron Cold Water Coffee Brewer doesn’t demand much of an up front investment either (the price roughly converts to £30 in the UK and AU$55 in Australia). The manual contraption is a bit tricky to operate though due to its big size and more parts than its competitors.

Similar to other cool water brewers such as the Toddy and Oxo systems, the Filtron is essentially a plastic, cylindrical bucket (called the “coffee bowl”) that holds coffee grounds and water for steeping, which you then place on top of a container for decanting. Like those other products, you also must plug a tiny hole on the bottom of the coffee bowl with a rubber stopper.

The Filtron cold coffee brewer is tall, large and unwieldy.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Where the Filtron differs though is its use of a second “water bowl” designed to trickle brewing liquid over its supply of coffee grounds. The water bowl has no stopper for its small bottom opening so your finger is required. That’s three main sections in all, two of which you perch rather precariously on top of a very slender plastic carafe. Perhaps that’s why the vessel is plastic as opposed to fragile glass which the Oxo and Toddy products use. It feels as if one stray nudge could tip over the entire set up.