Weekend Recap for December 8 - 14, 2013

"This is The-Digital-Picture.com's Weekend Recap for the week ending December 14th, 2013.

In the news...

On Tuesday, we learned that Nikon’s newest firmware updates may have contained an undocumented modification. Users report cameras with the new firmwares no longer work with 3rd party batteries. Did Nikon purposefully attempt to kill 3rd party battery compatibility or was this an unanticipated side effect of the updates?

On a related note, we shared our own experience with 3rd party batteries being incompatible with Canon’s newest LC-E6 battery chargers. That got us wondering – did Nikon take a page out of Canon’s playbook?

On Thursday, we learned about Zeiss’s plans produce an 85mm f/1.4 OTUS lens. Zeiss outed the lens’s development via a Facebook comment displayed on their own website.

In site news and reviews...

On Tuesday, we posted a full review of the Pocketwizard PlusX Radio Transceivers. In short, the PlusX transceivers offer a rugged build quality with a limited, yet attractive feature set that will surely grow Pocketwizard’s fan base.

On Wednesday, we posted our standard image quality test results for the Sigma 180mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens. Tests available for viewing include ISO resolution, vignetting and distortion [flare results are also available].

On Thursday, Bryan posted his full review of the Sigma 24-105mm f/4.0 DG OS HSM Art Lens. To sum up the review, Sigma’s new 24-105mm lens follows in step with all their recent Global Vision releases – meaning excellent image quality, sound build quality and a moderate price tag. Check out Bryan’s review for all the details.

And, for our deal of the week…

On Sunday, we posted a deal from BuyDig.com where you could get a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens for $1,679.00 after rebate. That’s a $620.00 savings off the normal MSRP.

This has been the The-Digital-Picture.com’s Weekend Recap. Thanks for listening, and as always, happy shooting!"