Three years (and versions of OS X) later, is FCP X worth using? Final Cut Pro X was poorly received upon release in 2011 (many essential features from Final Cut 7 were missing). Since then, a string of updates has reinstated features such as multicam editing, project export as XML, and previewing on broadcast monitors. 10.1 can exploit the Mac Pro’s dual-GPU configuration, preview on an external 4K monitor, and titles and effects are … [Read more...]

Big-hitting optics poured into a properly compact camera Not only does the RX100 II have the highest megapixel count on test – 20.2, pixel fans – and a bigger-than-usual one-inch, back illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, it also packs a bright, f/1.8 aperture Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, with a 3.7x optical zoom. It’s the cat’s pyjamas and it all comes artfully stuffed into a sturdy but slimline case. ISO sensitivity that stretches to 12,800 … [Read more...]

Looks just like a miniature DSLR and shoots like one, too The Stylus 1 has a serious, angular design that echoes Olympus’s flagship OM-D cameras. The look is “DSLR that’s had a mishap with a shrink ray” and the handling is similarly pro, with a decent grip and a viewfinder as well as the three-inch, tilting touchscreen. A bright aperture lens is bolted on to the front like the others in this test, but in the case of the Stylus 1 it provides … [Read more...]