About the author: Photo-John

Photo-John, a.k.a. John Shafer, is the managing editor of PhotographyREVIEW.com and has been since the site launched back in 1999. He's an avid outdoor enthusiast and spends as much time as possible on his mountain bike, hiking or skiing in the mountains. He's been taking pictures for ever and ever, and never goes anywhere without a camera.


Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS Rugged Outdoor Camera And Chest Harness For POV Action!

Featured News Pentax Point and Shoot Underwater

 It looks like 2012 is going to be a big year for rugged, waterproof point-and-shoot cameras. In the past few months all of the major camera makers have introduced a new waterproof camera. The most recent announcement is the new Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS camera. I lost count quite a while ago but Pentax says […]

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Fujifilm X10 – Studio Sample Photos

Camera Reviews Featured Fujifilm Point and Shoot Samples

 I’ve been using the Fujifilm X10 compact camera for a couple of weeks now and I’m really impressed. It’s a retro-styled high-end compact camera with a big (for a compact camera) 2/3-inch CMOS sensor. It looks and feels great but it’s the image quality that’s really got my attention. I keep judging my X10 images […]

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Olympus TG-820 iHS Tough Camera – Faster & Better Image Quality

Featured News Olympus Point and Shoot Underwater

 Olympus just introduced a new waterproof, shockproof “Tough” camera, the TG-820 iHS. Those of you who read my articles and reviews are probably aware I’ve been critical of Olympus waterproof point-and-shoot camera image quality for the past couple of years (see my Olympus TG-610 Review). I’ve also seen a lot of user reviews complaining about […]

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Three New Canon Lenses – 24-70mm f/2.8L II, Wide-Angle IS Primes

Canon Lenses News

 Canon announced three new SLR lenses last night, the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM. Designed for, “harsh and rigorous conditions,” the new 24-70mm f/2.8L has improved weather-sealing, durability and optics, including new UD elements, a Super UD element and new lens coatings. The two […]

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Canon PowerShot D20 – Smaller Rugged, Outdoor Camera Adds GPS And HD Video

Canon Featured News Point and Shoot Underwater

It’s been about three years since Canon introduced their first waterproof, shockproof digital camera, the PowerShot D10 (learn more about the Canon PowerShot D10). A lot of new rugged waterproof cameras have become available since then and I’ve been wondering if and when Canon would update the D10. Well, last night Canon announced the PowerShot […]

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Pentax K-01 Mirrorless Camera – 16MP APS-C Sensor And Boutique Design

Featured Lenses Mirrorless News Pentax Videos

 They made it official yesterday – the Pentax K-01 compact mirrorless system camera is for real. It has a brand-new, large 16-megapixel APS-C sensor, a 3-inch 921k-dot LCD display and full HD video with selectable frame rates, including 60 frames per second at 720p. Those features alone make the new The Pentax K-01 (pronounced ‘kay- […]

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Fujifilm X-Pro1 Pricing Announced

Featured Fujifilm Mirrorless News

 Fujifilm has announced pricing on what will probably be one of the most popular cameras of 2012, the X-Pro1. The Fujifilm X-Pro1 was announced a few weeks ago at the annual CES tradeshow in Las Vegas and the photography community is very excited about it. It’s a rangefinder-style digital camera with interchangeable lenses, an innovative […]

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Nikon Announces Coolpix S30 Affordable Waterproof Camera

Featured News Nikon Point and Shoot Underwater

 Nikon introduced their second waterproof digital camera, today. The $120 price makes the new 10-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S30 one of the most affordable rugged digital cameras available. It’s waterproof to about 10 feet and can handle drops of about 2.5 feet, making it a great, inexpensive option for people on a budget or families who […]

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New Nikon Coolpix L810 26x Superzoom and L26 Budget Camera

News Nikon Point and Shoot

 Nikon announced two new L-Series Coolpix cameras this week. The Nikon Coolpix L810 is a 16-megapixel compact superzoom camera with a 26x 22.5-585mm (equivalent) optical zoom lens, a 3-inch high-resolution LCD display and 720p HD video. The Nikon Coolpix L26 is a compact, budget digital camera with a 16-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom and 720p […]

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Panasonic Lumix ZS20 – Pocket Camera With 20x Optical Zoom

Featured News Panasonic Point and Shoot

 Panasonic has updated their venerable ZS line of pocket superzoom cameras with the new Lumix ZS20. Last year, one of my favorite compact cameras was Panasonic’s wonderful ZS10 pocket superzoom. Panasonic packed so much into the ZS10 – it’s the Swiss Army Knife of point-and-shoot cameras. I took it to Europe last summer and it […]

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New Panasonic Lumix TS4 And TS20 Rugged Point-And-Shoot Cameras

News Panasonic Point and Shoot Underwater

 Panasonic announced two new rugged outdoor point-and-shoot cameras, today. The 12-megapixel Panasonic Lumix TS4 is their new top-of-the-line, GPS-equipped waterproof, shockproof compact camera; and the Lumix TS20 is an affordable outdoor camera with a sub- $200 price tag. Both cameras are waterproof, freezeproof, dustproof and shockproof. But as Panasonic’s top dog rugged camera, the TS4 […]

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Featured Member Photos – February 1, 2012

Featured Photographers PhotographyREVIEW.com News

 This week’s Featured Member Photos are by photographers, randimal, Utkarsh, Bob32 and docbaradi. We’ve got basketball, some bird photography, a great black and white street photo by Utkarsh, and an Asian parade dragon. As always, these photos were posted either in the forums or on the gallery in PhotographyREVIEW.com and chosen by the site moderators […]

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Nikon Coolpix P300 – Featured User Review

Camera Reviews Featured Nikon Point and Shoot User Reviews

I was pleased to see Footski’s review for the Nikon Coolpix P300 compact camera show up recently. The Nikon P300’s super-fast f/1.8 aperture lens sets it apart from all but one compact camera (the Olympus XZ-1). It’s a very serious camera in a deceptively small point-and-shoot sized body. I’m glad to give it some extra […]

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Sony Cybershot TX200V – 18MP Waterproof Point-And-Shoot Camera

Featured News Point and Shoot Sony Underwater

 Sony has upped the ante in the outdoor camera game with the announcement of the $500, 18-megapixel Cybershot DSC-TX200V waterproof point-and-shoot. I believe that’s $100 more than any previous waterproof point-and-shoot camera and Sony says the new 18-megapixel CMOS sensor is the “highest-resolution currently offered in the ‘point and shoot’ market.” The TX200V also has […]

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New – Sony Cybershot WX70 & WX50 Compact Cameras

News Point and Shoot Sony

 Sony announced a couple of new 16-megapixel W-Series Cybershot point-and-shoot cameras, the DSC-WX70 and DSC-WX50. Both cameras have full HD video, a 5x 25-125mm optical zoom lens and “Clear Image Zoom” technology that effectively doubles the zoom range. They also both have built-in creative “Picture Effects” and new “Extra High Sensitivity” technology that’s supposed to […]

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Michihiro Yamaki, Founder Of Sigma Corporation, Dead At 78

Lenses News Sigma

 There was some sad news for the photo industry last week. Michihiro Yamaki, the founder and CEO of Sigma Corporation, passed away at the age of 78. If you’re a photographer, Michihiro Yamaki definitely had an influence on your photography. 2011 was the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Sigma, which began with Yamaki’s invention […]

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Grandpaw’s Nikon D7000 Tips

Featured How-To Nikon Photography Tips PhotographyREVIEW.com News

 PhotographyREVIEW.com member and forum moderator, Jeff Impey, better known as Grandpaw, took it upon himself to create a Nikon D7000 Tips thread on the Nikon Forum. Since he began the thread in August of 2011, Grandpaw has added over 25 separate, numbered tips for Nikon D7000 camera owners and the thread has been viewed well […]

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2011 Camera Of The Year – Sony Alpha NEX-7

Camera Reviews Featured Mirrorless News Sony

 Last year’s camera of the year was pretty obvious to me from early on. And it was the same this year. I took my time, let things settle and took a closer look at the other contenders to make sure I wasn’t missing something. There were four cameras in the running for me – the […]

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Weekly Featured Photos – January 23, 2012

Featured Photographers PhotographyREVIEW.com News

 Here are some of the best photos posted in the past week by the PhotographyREVIEW.com community. We’ve got a lot of variety in this week’s Featured Member Photos – both in terms of subject matter and geographical location. There’s a beautiful photo of a fox in the snow from Italy, a couple of black-and-white images […]

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Olympus E-PM1 Pen Camera – Featured User Review

Camera Reviews Featured Mirrorless Olympus User Reviews

The smallest interchangeable lens Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera yet, the Olympus E-PM1 definitely deserves more attention. So I was really happy to see this fine review show up a few days ago. It’s our first user review for the E-PM1 and the author, Anbesol, has supplied a lot of well-informed detail about the E-PM1’s […]

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Kodak Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Featured Film Photography Kodak News

 Kodak, the company that invented the personal camera over 100 years ago and a brand that’s an integral part of our culture, has announced they are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Although Kodak has kept a brave face and struggled to keep up with the new digital world, photography industry and business analysts have […]

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The Samsung WB850F Smart Camera – WiFi, Good Looks & 21x Zoom Lens

2012 PMA Featured News Point and Shoot Samsung Videos

 I had to rewrite this article a few times. My final and most significant rewrite occurred after I took a close look at the photos of the Samsung WB850F camera and found it to be wonderfully handsome. There was a time when “handsome” and Samsung did not often occur in the same sentence. Not if […]

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Sony Alpha NEX-7 – Featured User Review

Camera Reviews Featured Mirrorless Sony User Reviews

The Sony Alpha NEX-7 is Sony’s top-of-the-line interchangeable lens mirrorless camera and this is our first user review for the NEX-7. It was written by community member Greg McCary, one of my favorite photographers on the site and a man who knows his cameras. Greg owns Olympus, Leica and Sony cameras and he’s a very […]

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What’s In My Camera Bag Video – Mountain Biking – Photo-John

Accessory Reviews Bags Canon Featured How-To Lenses Lowepro Photographers Photography Tips Videos

 This is the second video in our new “What’s In Your Camera Bag” series. People are always asking me what camera and backpack I use when I’m mountain biking. In this episode I show the camera equipment I typically carry when I’m out on my mountain bike and how I carry it. Major issues for […]

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Olympus VR-340 Camera Includes A Fashion Stylist

2012 PMA Featured News Olympus Point and Shoot

 With Olympus’s new pocket superzoom camera you can bypass the shower and the mirror in the morning. Well, maybe not the shower. But the new 16-megapixel Olympus VR-340’s new Beauty Mode includes a purse-load of in-camera makeup tricks: “Laid out like a cosmetic toolbox, it lets you apply everything from eyeliner and eye shadow to […]

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