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Opinion Soup: Dumping DSLRs for NEX, Gear, Imaging Software, Inspiration, Tips, Business, Interviews, Digital Video, etc

A new "Opinion Soup" has arrived. This covers roughly the last two weeks of opinions! You can find the previous editions along with future editions (in the future) at the Opinion Soup archives... Audio opinions can be found in our recent Photography Podcast round-up...

Like the Opinion Soup round-ups? Want them to continue? It takes a lot of time to prepare them and they actually hurt the blog because every time Google sees a new episode with a hundred links, it barfs at this blog. If you would like to see more, you can help fund them by making some of your purchases through our affiliate links at Amazon.com and Adorama and B&H Photo and more at the NoisyMall.

Camera Gear
+ dumping Nikon DSLRs for Sony NEX by Stuck In Customs (via VSL)
+ what will smartphone cameras of the future look like? at dpreview connect (two pages)
+ eight things that can help save compact digital cameras (at least for now) at Pop Photo
+ eight reasons why I am a big believer in 35mm photography at Peta Pixel
+ camera manufacturer fiscal year analysis at Sans Mirror
+ toasters, Olympus E-M5, buying advice and more at The Online Photographer
+ on the mirrorless market share chart presented by Olympus at Sans Mirror
+ opinion on Hogan's mirrorless value opinion at SLR Lounge
+ the "limitations of DOF" at Sound Image Plus
+ how good a lens? at The Online Photographer
+ on inkjet photo papers at Luminous Landscape
+ the story of a disappearing negative review about an online retailer at Photocritic

Imaging Software: Creative Cloud Edition and more
+ top six Linux imaging editors according to Tech Radar
+ why the new Google Server Farm could displace Adobe Lightroom by Stuck in Customs
+ is Lightroom a gateway drug to the Creative Cloud? SLR Lounge (note: "gateway drug" is another horrid gift of the "war on drugs")
+ the Creative Cloud conundrum by Thomas Fitzgerald Photography
+ on the Adobe creative cloud by at Ming Thein (first half of post)
+ are we slaves to technology and software post-Creative-Cloud? at DPhotographer UK
+ Dear Apple, Let's Talk Photos at PetaPixel

Creativity, Inspiration, Essays, Etc
+ Digital Hangover at The Online Darkroom
+ why your pictures suck at ThePhoblographer (endorsed by Kirk Tuck)
+ 38 quotes on abstraction assembled by John Paul Caponigro
+ how one photographer rediscovered his passion after going legally blind via PetaPixel
+ three reasons to donate your time to non-profits at SLR Lounge
+ my experience photographing the Boston Marathon bombing at Petapixel
+ on hobbies and photographers at Ming Thein
+ how I found my niche at Blackstar Rising
+ fearlessly rejecting rejection at PentaXForums
+ help others grow through constructive critiques at SLR Lounge
+ first be a photographer at Lighting Essentials
+ the photographer as a philosopher part #1 at Ming Thein
+ the nice shot comment myth at DIY Photography
+ colorless squares at Robin Wong
+ Fukuoka without people at Ming Thein
+ 80 headshots in a single day at DIY Photography and Peta Pixel

Tips, Tutorials, Learnings
+ tips for wedding photographers from a weddings DJ at PetaPixel
+ going from exclusive RAW to mixing in some JPEGs at PetaPixel
+ 10 things a photographer should never do while shooting a wedding at Peta Pixel
+ introduction to restaurant food photography at F/Stoppers
+ the perverted photographer: things NOT to say at a photoshoot at SLR Lounge

Interviews
+ Thomas Campbell at Peta Pixel
+ Carlos Hernandez at ePhotozine
+ Liu Bolin (video) via F/Stoppers
+ Belt Galton at Imaging Resource
+ Bruce Davidson (video) via ThePhoblographer
+ RED co-founder via Cinescopophilia
+ Platton via Duck Rabbit Info
+ Jamie Rose (audio) at Rosh Sillars
+ Teresa Franco (iPhoneography) at Photojojo
+ Joe McNally at Burn Magazine (via APE)
+ Brooke Shaden at SLR Lounge
+ Jenni Hogan (audio) at Chase Jarvis

Professional
+ traps that aspiring photographers can get caught in Part #1 and Part #2 at ThePhoblographer
+ saying no to jobs and getting paid at DIY Photography
+ how to sell your food photography at F/Stoppers
+ being busy is not a badge of honor at Tofurious
+ skills needed to thrive as a wedding photographer at Cameradojo
+ to Photoshop or not? the hard part of being a good photographer at PetaPixel

Business and Legal
+ Photo Theft and What You Can Do About It? at Photodoto
+ is Facebook the new breeding ground for infringement? at F/Stoppers
+ on orphan works laws in UK at Ming Thein (second half of post)
+ myth busting UK Orphan Works Law PDF file via ePhotozine
+ PMA explains why it is endorsing the national internet tax ("fair tax" is the euphemism) at PMA News Line
+ on children photo books at British Journal Of Photography
+ impact on new Google Images page on photographers website traffic via ThePhoblographer
+ anti-piracy website caught using photographs without permission via Peta Pixel

Digital Video
+ why you must have 4K RAW and why you absolutely don't need it by Philip Bloom
+ why I don't care about Canon 5D RAW video at Wide Open Camera
+ Philip Bloom at Need Creative podcast (audio)

On The Categories Above
A number of the opinions/posts could easily fit in multiple categories. Since this is not a library cataloging process, we pick one category. It may not always be the perfect category, but we can't create 100 different categories for 100 different posts :)

Camera & Lens Reviews pages updated (10 cameras, 3 lenses)

We almost fell too behind again but we caught up just in the nick of time! We caught up with the latest action. We added 10 new camera reviews at the Camera Reviews stream (including Fuji X100s, X20, Canon SL1, T5i, Nikon D7100, E-Pens, and more). We also added three new lens reviews at the Lens Reviews stream. These are completed camera and lens reviews that pass certain thresholds of review quality. We do not include every fluffing of every camera or lens :)

If you want to quickly get to the reviews streams, we have two easy to type and easy to remember urls, noisyreviews.com (for cameras) and noisylenses.com (for lenses).

Other things equal, a new Opinion Soup will be posted late tonight or early tomorrow. In the meantime, you can check the 69 previous editions. If you wrote or read any interesting camera and photography related opinions, let us know using the online contact form. We are trying to include a variety of wide-ranging opinions of photographers of different styles, philosophies and experience levels - not just the famous-online photographers. But it's harder to find non-famous-photographer opinions, so let us know!

Famous Photographer Gear on eBay: Philip Bloom

If you like to buy or collect equipment used by famous digital-era photographers/hybridographers, Philip Bloom has a eBay sale on some of his camera equipment including the Leica X1, Noktor 50/.95, Nokia Pureview 808, Canon and Nikon DSLRs and lenses, Panasonic AF101/AF100 M43rds camcorder and 14-140 m43rds zoom, Nikon V1, and lots more. These are classic eBay auctions with bids.

Flickr updates will be revealed May 20

Yahoo and new leader Marissa Meyer will be revealing new updates to the Flickr photo sharing services on May 20 at a big Yahoo event in New York City. Yahoo is making a lot of moves in the Mayer era, they are also rumored to be buying Tumblr for $1+ billion among other things. Via Bloomberg and Techmeme.

In related news, Adobe's free Photoshop Express app is now available in the Windows 8 store for 8 and RT devices, joining their iOS and Android apps. Via Engadget and official Windows blog.

(ENDED) Software Deal: Adobe Lightroom 4 full version for $70

This daily special ended... For future specials, check the Camera Deals blog... Expired items after the jump for the deal historians...

Impact review: Nikon D5200 at dpreview

Nikon's 24-megapixel APS-C D5200 digital SLR has now received its 20-page dpreview review. As usual, we won't spill the e-beans here, but if you are in a hurry you can jump to the conclusions before jumping to conclusions. Did it receive an Olympic medal or was it referred to the alchemists?

The review is discussed in the dpreview comments and dpreview Nikon DX forum.

For more opinions on the camera, check the list of completed Nikon D5200 reviews (16 as of the time of writing).

Olympus dropping basic P&S digital cameras (V series) to focus on Interchangeables

A move that was previously discussed during the Olympus financial crisis has now materialized. Olympus is dropping the basic P&S digital cameras from their line-up, their V-series of entry-level digital cameras. It does not say that Olympus will abandon all fixed-lens cameras, but it does say that it will focus on interchangeable lens cameras. Story at the Wall Street Journal Digits blog. Discussed at and via dpreview.

Per the WSJ article estimate above, Olympus is estimating it will sell about half the number of digital cameras this fiscal year (compared to the previous fiscal year). On the plus side, this may turn them into a Leica-for-the-rest-of-us of sorts :)

New Photography Podcast Episodes talking Adobe Cloud, Photography As Art and More

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner and that may mean more travel with trains, planes and automobiles, so this may be a good time to spend idle travel time "on topic" without working - with some photography podcasts! These are some of the most recent camera and photography podcast episodes:

This is a long post with 16 different podcasts included...

35mm Full Frame DSLRs and Friends Price Charts (visual reference)

Yesterday we brought you Price Chart snapshots of Compacts with RAW and the day before we brought you the Mirrorless Cameras Price Charts. So you know where this is heading, now we have the 35mm full frame DSLRs and beyond price charts!

The prices are a snapshot in time, the snapshot was taken on May-16-2013 in the afternoon. The prices will not be updated in the chart below. It is a snapshot. The prices are the lowest price between Amazon and Adorama and B&H Photo. More details on the data after the chart...

If you wish to repost the chart on your website/blog/forum, be sure to include a proper credit/reference to this post.

Can any of these three (Usain Bolt, Best Buy, Chase Jarvis) help Samsung's NX mirrorless system?

Samsung was one of the first to jump on the mirrorless bandwagon, divorcing their DSLR K-wife in doing so. And they have APS-C size sensors. And the Samsung brand name recognition and popularity is skyrocketing thanks to their Galaxy smartphones. Yet, their NX system continues to be in the shadow of the other mirrorless systems. And that's being polite :)

A trio of new developments may help Samsung's NX system get more exposure, directly or indirectly.

Five Good Deals: Nikon J2, Panasonic GX1 [updated]

We have a new round of "Five Good Deals". The theme in this edition is time was sensitive deals (they expired since the original post). To see all specials as they happen, stay tuned to the Camera Deals blog (shortcut url noisydeals.com).

The Nikon J2 with the 10-30mm kit lens, in new condition, in many different body colors is offered for $360 at Amazon by Amazon. This is a live/ongoing price with no preset expiration, so it may (or may not) change at any time.

If you need an extra M43rds body or if have no use for the 14-42 kit lenses, the Panasonic GX1 body only is offered for $250 in new condition in black by various at Amazon and Adorama and B&H Photo. The silver also goes for $250 at Adorama. The silver is discontinued (no longer available) at B&H Photo. This is a live/on-going price.

You can research the cameras mentioned above at the Camera Reviews stream with the easy to remember url noisyreviews.com

EXPIRED (after the jump)

Compacts with RAW Prices snapshot in a single Giant Chart (visual reference)

Yesterday we brought you the Mirrorless Cameras Price Chart (a snapshot in time), today we have a new Price Chart for you. We take a look at Compacts (Fixed Lens Cameras) with RAW (RAW support out of the box). To keep the chart at a readable size, we only include cameras with a sensor size of 1/1.8" and larger. There is a handful of superzooms at the 1/2.x" level that would have made the chart almost twice as long and ten times more unreadable.

Google I/O: new Highlight feature picks your best pictures

At Google I/O, Google announced a new feature, Highlight, that automatically picks your best pictures using a number of parameters with their algorithms "trained" by human picture raters. Another feature that is moving into Google+ is an "Auto Enhance" feature, including "noise reduction" and "wrinkle softening" and "auto awesome" Tumblr-y effects. Google+ has become the center of picture sharing at Google.

This was one of the announcements at Google I/O. Of gadget-interest, if you love the Samsung Galaxy S4 camera but hate bloatware, Google Play is going to offer an unlocked no-contract S4 for $650.

Zeiss Touits: Full Size Samples with 12/2.8 and 32/1.8 in both NEX and Fuji X

More Zeiss action! ePhotozine Japan has published hands-on reports with lots of real-world JPEG samples taken with the Zeiss Touit 12mm f2.8 and the Zeiss Touit 32mm f1.8. Samples are available from both NEX (NEX-7) and Fuji X (X-Pro1, X-E1) cameras. In addition to pictures of the lenses themselves.

The Zeiss Touits are currently available for pre-order at Adorama and B&H Photo.

Mirrorless Cameras Prices snapshot in a single Giant Chart (visual reference)

And now some chart geekery! We have prepared for you a chart showing the prices of most of the current and recent mirrorless camera kits. The prices are a snapshot in time, the snapshot was taken on May-14-2013 in the afternoon. The prices will not be updated in the chart below. It is a snapshot. The prices are the lowest price between Amazon and Adorama and B&H Photo. More details on the data after the chart... If you wish to repost the chart on your website/blog/forum, be sure to include a proper credit/reference to this post.

Google I/O begins Wednesday: may or may not have photography impact

Google I/O, Google's big developers conference will begin on Wednesday May 14. It may or may not have announcements that impact photography. Google is all over the place in terms of technology and moonshot projects, so who knows. The various technology websites and blogs are going to be in a Google I/O frenzy tomorrow. Or if you prefer video coverage, there is going to be live coverage at the Twit Live Stream starting at 12pm New York City time.

Cameraholic Digest: Ricoh GR noise comparison, Nikon A lens test, X100S, E-PL6, GF6, etc

Never a dull moment here, a new edition of the Cameraholic Digest has arrived! We also added ten more new completed lens reviews at the Lens Reviews stream with the easy to remember url noisylenses.com. The completed lens reviews are NOT included in the round-ups below...

Like the Cameraholic Digest round-ups? Want them to continue? It takes a lot of time to prepare them and they actually hurt the blog because every time Google sees a new episode with a hundred links, it barfs at this blog. If you like to see more Cameraholic Digests, you can help fund them by making some of your purchases through our Amazon affiliate link.

Time Sensitive: T-Mobile Mobile Life Albums DEAD on 6/30/13 - Transfer your Photos before it's too late!

T-Mobile is discontinuing its Mobile Life Albums feature. The service will end on June-30-2013. After that, you will NOT be able to access your photos and videos. So be sure to save and back-up everything that needs saving!

If you prefer an easier way to save your soon-to-be-gone pictures, T-Mobile has partnered with Google Drive, so you can transfer your albums to Google Drive. Details at the T-Mobile Get My Photos page and the detailed FAQ. You can create a new Google account for this or use an existing one.

If you are a paying Mobile Life Albums customer, you will get an additional 10GB of storage added to your Google Drive for the next two years. This is 10GB on top of the current quota of your Google Drive (which recently increased to a 15GB shared pool between Google services).

British Journal of Photography launches new Digital Convergence iPad-only magazine

If you needed another excuse to get an iPad, here comes a new excuse. The British Journal of Photography has launched a new iPad-exclusive digital-only magazine "Fade to Black", a digital convergence quarterly digital-magazine that is, according to the app description, "dedicated to a new generation of image-makers who embrace the convergence of photography, video and multimedia, and all the new opportunities offered by digital capture and distribution to shoot and distribute their projects themselves".

The magazine has a 90 second trailer on Vimeo along with a 20 minute Q&A video at Sundance London. Everything has a trailer these days!

Correction: the magazine name is "Fade to Black" not "Face to Black". Either a d/c keyboard typo or a word-similarity typing error. Thanks to @jonNothin for catching it!

First wave of Zeiss Touits (12mm f2.8) expected on June 3 in 2013

The first wave of the new Zeiss Touits is expected to arrive on June 3rd 2013 with the 12mm f2.8 lens at B&H Photo. This for both the Fuji X and the Sony NEX mirrorless camera systems.

Meanwhile, the 32mm f1.8 has a floating "6-8 weeks" estimate, while the 50mm f2.8 macro has an October 1st estimate. The 12/2.8 goes for $1250, the 32/1.8 goes for $900 and the 50/2.8 is not-yet-priced.

As always, please keep in mind estimates are only estimates and they do change over time! For more deals and alerts, stay tuned to the Camera Deals blog with the easy to remember url noisydeals.com