Nextbit Robin camera Review

Nextbit Robin camera Review

The Nextbit Robin is a brand new smartphone that started its life as a Kickstarter project. The first units are now shipping to project backers, and the device is now available for order to other consumers as well. On the surface the Robin looks like any other Android phone, albeit one with a pretty pleasing design. However, both the Android operating system and the Nextbit hardware have been optimized to make the Robin the first real cloud phone.

When the device is connected to Wi-Fi and plugged into the charger it automatically backs up apps and photos to the cloud. When you start running out of local storage space on the device, files and apps you haven't used in a while are archived. This means they are deleted from the device but grayed out app icons and image thumbnails are still visible. When you tap on an archived app or photo it is downloaded from the cloud, so you can access it again from your device. Depending on file size and internet connection this can take a short while. On my home Wi-Fi an app typically took around 30 seconds to restore. If you prefer you can also 'pin' an app to ensure it is never archived. 

In the few days I've spent testing device, the archiving and restoring process worked without any problems, making the Nextbit Robin and interesting option for those who like installing large numbers of imaging apps and/or like to keep all their images accessible through the device's gallery app. That said, at DPReview we are of course most of all interested in the Nextbit Robin's camera performance. Read on to find out how it performs in the imaging department.

Archived apps are grayed out on the home screen. They can be downloaded and restored via a single tap.	In the settings you'll find information on both local and cloud storage usage.

Key Specifications:

• 13MP camera with phase detection AF
• F2.2 aperture
• Dual-tone LED flash
• 4K video
• 5MP front camera
• 5.2-inch IPS LCD 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 4
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset
• 3GB RAM
• 32GB onboard storage
• 100GB online storage
• Stereo speakers
• Fingerprint reader
• Quick charging
• 2680 mAh battery

Camera app

The camera mode offers a ''Manual' mode' but unfortunately no control over shutter speed.

The Nextbit Robin comes with a basic but intuitive camera app that offers a nicely designed user interface, in line with the Nextbit Android launcher. By default it's on full Auto which gives you very little control. A tap on the '+' symbol at the bottom opens up flash, controls, a timer, grid and HDR switch. A dot grid icon lets you switch between Auto camera, Manual camera and video mode. Having to press two controls before being able to record a video seems a little longwinded though, maybe a better solution can be implemented with a future update.

The Manual mode gives you control over AF, ISO and white balance and an exposure compensation slider but you cannot set shutter speed manually. There is currently no panorama mode but the team is planning to add one at a later stage. Overall the Nextbit camera app works reasonably well but is designed for point-and-shoot operation. Photographers who want more control over the image capture process should not have any trouble finding plenty of third-party camera apps on Google Play, though. 

Image Quality

We took a range of sample shots to have a look at the Nexbit Robin's camera performance in different light conditions. The Robin delivers good exposure across the ISO range, with punchy colors. The auto white balance produces natural results in most situations. The two images below were taken in bright sun light. As you can see in those conditions the camera does a god job at resolving fine detail. Some smearing of low contrast detail is visible but overall textures are very good for a camera in the 13MP class. Sharpness is decent across the frame but softness is noticeable around the edges. Shadow noise is fairly well controlled as well.

ISO 50, 1/720 sec	ISO 50, 1/1114 sec
100% crop	100% crop

Some luminance noise is visible in areas of plain color, such as the sky in the left sample below, even at base ISO. However, it is fairly finely grained, making it a little more pleasant to look at than the smeared noise blobs on some other mid-range smartphone cameras. The lens deals very well with strong light sources in or close to the edge of the frame. We could not provoke any significant lens flare, even when pointing the camera directly at the sun.

ISO 50, 1/1053 sec	ISO 50, 1/856 sec
100% crop	100% crop

For the indoor shots below the camera raises the ISO to 129 and 249 respectively, but maintains shutter speeds that minimize the risk of blur through camera shake and will freeze at least slower motion. Luminance noise is clearly getting stronger in those conditions but the camera still manages to capture a decent amount of detail. In the image on the right chroma noise is making a noticeable appearance.

ISO 129, 1/40 sec	ISO 248, 1/50 sec
100% crop	100% crop

For the night shot below on the left, the camera set a relatively low ISO of 412 which resulted in a slightly underexposed image. It appears exposure is strongly linked to the AF point which on this occasion was pointed at the illuminated doorway. On the upside the Robin captures decent detail while keeping image noise at acceptable levels. The ISO 806 image on the right was captured in a dimly lit interior. The white balance system deals well with the low tungsten lighting. Noise is very noticeable, especially in the shadow areas, but detail is still good and overall the Robin's low light performance is good for this class of camera.

ISO 412, 1/20 sec	ISO 806, 1/12 sec
100% crop	100% crop

HDR mode

As mentioned above the Robin's current software exposure seems to be strongly linked to the AF-point which, in high-contrast situations like the one in the samples below, can lead to highlight clipping. Thankfully an HDR mode is on board but as you can see its efficiency in terms of highlight recovery is very limited. There is a touch better detail in the statue and the tree on the right edge of the frame but there is still a lot of clipped image area. Shadows have been lifted much more noticeably. On the upside, there is no noticeable loss in detail.

In our prototype version of the device the HDR mode is also quite laggy, with very slow shot-to-shot times. However, the team tells us this is a known issue that will be resolved for the production version of the Robin.

HDR off	HDR on
100% crop	100% crop

Conclusion

The Nextbit Robin's unique selling proposition is its innovative cloud storage concept that worked very well in the few days we have used the device. This makes it an interesting alternative to those who want to access large numbers of photos from their gallery app without shelling out big bucks for a phone with a lot of built-in storage.

The Robin also comes with with an attractive design that makes it stand out from the crowd. However, a 13MP sensor with PDAF, an F2.2 aperture and no OIS makes the camera specification pretty conventional and a step behind current high-end devices. That said, at $399 the Robin is very attractively priced and Nextbit is making the most of the imaging hardware. The Robin performs well in all light conditions, with very good detail for a 13MP device in bright light and a good balance between noise reduction and detail retention in lower light. Colors are usually on the punchy side but pleasant. Exposure is generally good but seems to be very strongly linked to the AF-point which, in some high-contrast situations, can lead to over or underexposure.

The camera app is designed for point-and-shoot operation and is easy to use, though we wish it offered quicker access to the video mode. Those who want more control over the capture process will no doubt be better suited with a third-party app from Google Play. The Robin is also very thin on imaging features. There are no filters or panorama modes, and the HDR mode is not terribly efficient and currently a little laggy. According to the Nextbit team the latter two issues will be resolved with future software updates.

Overall, if camera performance is your number one priority the Nextbit Robin is probably not for you. However, if you can live with solid mid-range camera performance, that hopefully will improve slightly with updated software, and think the cloud features will make your life easier, it is definitely worth a closer look. The Robin can now be ordered on the Nextbit website.

Sony a6300 Review

The Sony a6300 is the company's latest mid-range mirrorless camera. Like the a6000 it still offers 24MP resolution but the autofocus ability, video capability, build quality, viewfinder resolution and price have all been increased.

The most exciting change from our perspective is the a6300's new sensor. Although the pixel count remains the same, the a6300's sensor has a whopping 425 phase-detection AF points ranged across the sensor. The a6000 already offered one of the best AF systems in its class, when it comes to identifying and tracking subjects, so an upgrade in this area sounds extremely promising. The sensor is also built using newer fabrication processes that use copper wiring to help improve the sensor's performance and possibly contributing to the camera's slightly improved battery life.

The a6000 has been a huge success and has dominated its field to the extent that its combination of capability and price still looks impressive even as it enters the twilight of its career (Sony says it will live on, alongside the a6300*). That model represented a dip down-market for the series, with a drop in build quality and spec relative to the NEX-6 that preceded it. The a6300 corrects that course, and sees the model regain the high resolution viewfinder and magnesium-alloy build offered by the older NEX-6 (and the level gauge, which was absent from the a6000).

Key features:

• 24MP Exmor CMOS sensor
• 425 phase detection points to give '4D Focus' Hybrid AF
• 4K (UHD) video - 25/24p from full width, 30p from smaller crop
• 2.36M-dot OLED finder with 120 fps mode
• Dust and moisture resistant magnesium-alloy body
• Built-in Wi-Fi with NFC connection option
• Built-in microphone socket

As with the previous 6-series E-mount cameras, the a6300 features a flip up/down 16:9 ratio screen. The shape of this screen hints at the 6300's intended uses: video shooting, as well as stills. The a6300's movie features have been considerably uprated. It not only shoots 4K (UHD) at 24p or 25p from its full sensor width (or 30p from a tighter crop). It also gains a mic socket, the video-focused Picture Profile system (which includes the flat S-Log2 and S-Log3 gamma curves), and the ability to record time code.

This added emphasis on video makes absolute sense, since the camera's stills performance is likely to be competitive with the best on the market but its video capabilities trounce most of its current rivals. The a6300 not only includes focus peaking and zebra stripes but, if its on-sensor phase detection works well, the ability to re-focus as you shoot with minimal risk of focus wobble and hunting, should make it easier to shoot great-looking footage.

All this makes it hard to overstate how promising the a6300 looks. A latest-generation sensor can only mean good things for the camera's image quality and an autofocus system that moves beyond the performance of one of our benchmark cameras is an enticing prospect. Add to that excellent, well-supported video specifications, a better viewfinder and weather-sealed build, and it's tempting to start planning for the camera's coronation as King of the APS-C ILCs. Perhaps with only the price tag floating over proceedings, threatening just a little rain on that particular parade.

Specifications compared:

As well as comparing the a6300 with the a6000 as its predecessor/sister model, we'll also look at what you get if you save up a bit more money and opt for full-frame, rather than APS-C. We think at least some enthusiast users will find themselves making this decision, so are highlighting the differences.

	Sony a6000	Sony a6300	Sony a7 II
MSRP (Body Only)	$650	$1000	$1700
Sensor size	APS-C (23.5 x 15.6mm)	APS-C (23.5 x 15.6mm)	Full Frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm)
Pixel count	24MP	24MP	24MP
AF system	Hybrid AF  (with 179 PDAF points)	Hybrid AF  (with 425 PDAF points)	Hybrid AF  (with 117 PDAF points)
Continuous shooting rate	11 fps	11 fps	5 fps
Screen	3" tilting 921k dot LCD	3" tilting 921k dot LCD	3" tilting 1.23m dot LCD
Viewfinder	OLED 1.44M-dot	OLED 2.36M-dot w/120 fps refresh option	OLED 2.36M-dot
Movie Resolution	1920 x 1080 / 60p	4K 3840 x 2160 / 30p, 1920 x 1080 / 120p, 60p	1920 x 1080 / 60p
Image stabilization	In-lens only	In-lens only	In-body 5-axis
Number of dials	Two	Two	Three (plus Exp Comp.)
Maximum shutter speed	1/4000 sec	1/4000 sec	1/8000 sec
Built-in flash	Yes	Yes	No
Hot shoe	Yes	Yes	Yes
Flash sync speed	1/160 sec	1/160 sec	1/250 sec
Battery life (with EVF)	360 shots  (310 shots)	400 shots (350 shots)	350 shots (270 shots)
Weight (w/battery)	344 g (12.1 oz)	404 g (14.3 oz)	599 g (21.1 oz)
Dimensions	120 x 67 x 45 mm (4.7 x 2.6 x 1.8 in.)	120 x 67 x 49 mm (4.7 x 2.6 x 1.9 in.)	127 x 96 x 60 mm (5 x 3.8 x 2.4 in.)

A hit-for-six, slam-dunk, home-run?

If it's successful in its attempts to step up from the performance of the a6000 then the a6300 could be sensational. However, there are three questions that we'd like to see addressed. The first relates to handling: why does a camera costing this much only have one dial that you can access without changing the position of your grip? The rear dial isn't the worst we've encountered, but at this price point, we'd usually expect to find a dial under the forefinger and another under the thumb while maintaining a shooting grip.

The second relates to lenses. Sony is bundling the a6300 with the 16-50mm power zoom that's far more notable for its convenience than its optical consistency, a move that's likely to raise the question of what other lenses to fit. Sony offers a handful of reasonably priced APS-C-specific prime lenses as well as some more expensive FE-compatible full-frame primes. However, in terms of standard zooms, you're currently limited to the inexpensive 16-50mm, the older 18-55mm at aftermarket prices or considerably more expensive options such as the 18-105mm F4 or the 16-70mm F4 Zeiss that costs around the same amount as the camera again. The success of Sony's full frame a7 cameras is only likely to improve third-party lens availability but there's a risk that Sony's focus will be on those full frame users for the foreseeable future.

Our final concern is the lack of joystick or touchscreen to re-position the AF point. This may be mitigated during stills shooting if the lock-on AF system works well enough (starting AF tracking and then recompose your shot in the knowledge that the AF point will stay where you want it), but it appears to be a real omission for refocusing while shooting video. The a6300 is improved over previous models, in that pressing the center button on the four-way controller toggles into AF point selection mode, a decision that's retained even if you turn the camera off and on again. We'll see how significant all these concerns turn out to be, as the review unfolds.

Price and kit options

The 16-50mm power zoom is far more notable for its convenience than its optical consistency.

The a6300 body has a suggested retail price of $1000/£1000/€1250, with a 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 power zoom kit commanding an MSRP of $1150/£1100/€1400. This is a significant step up from the a6000's $650/$800 launch price and even an increase compared to the similarly well-built NEX-6's $750/$900 MSRP.

Review History
17 March 2016	Intro, Specs, Body and Handling, Operations and Control and Studio Comparison published
22 March 2016	Updated studio scene images published (inc electronic-shutter and better lens)
31 March 2016	Video and Video Shooting Experience pages added
6 April 2016	Autofocus, Image Quality, Raw Dynamic Range and Conclusion published

Sony Cyber-shot RX10 III review

Introduction

The Sony DSC-RX10 III is an enthusiast-oriented bridge camera with a 24-600mm equivalent F2.4-4 lens and 20MP 1"-type stacked CMOS sensor. That sensor and the BIONZ X image processor are shared with the RX10 II and Sony RX100 IV, and offer great dynamic range and high ISO performance as well as 4K video and a range of high-speed video capture modes.

The RX-series has always been designed as much for video shooting as well as stills shooting in mind, and the RX10 III doesn't change that. The real story of the RX10 III lies within its massive zoom lens. The RX10 III may look similar to the RX10 II when you look at them individually, but once you see them together, it's immediately apparent just how much Sony tweaked the design of the III to accommodate the threefold increase in zoom power. The body and grip are 'chunkier,' and the weight has increased as well. Overall, the two are more siblings than twins.

Key Features

• 20MP 1"-type stacked CMOS sensor
• 24-600mm equivalent F2.4-4 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens
• Bionz X processor
• 4K video capture
• Ultra slow-motion video capture
• Tilting screen and high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder with 2.35m dots

Straight-out-of-camera JPEG, cropped to taste. 124mm equivalent | F4 | 1/3200 sec | ISO 100.Photo by Carey Rose

There will be those people that buy the RX10 III straight away, simply because it zoomsmore than x camera. But it's worth asking yourself if you really need 600mm of reach - because if you aren't really sure you do, then you probably don't. But as you'll see later on, the RX10 III's lens is so good that it might be worth it to you even if you only use the extreme reach occasionally.

Let's also put that 'extreme reach' into some perspective here. The RX10 III's 600mm zoom might seem to pale in comparison to a Nikon Coolpix P900, which packs a 24-2000mmzoom - but puts it in front of a much smaller sensor. The Sony and the Canon PowerShot G3 X attempt to strike a balance between image quality and size with their 1"-type sensors, and the image quality compared to smaller sensor solutions speaks for itself. Larger sensor = more light = better quality.

Straight-out-of-camera JPEG. 41mm equivalent | F5 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 100. Photo by Jeff Keller

Now, whether or not you want to use all this reach will vary greatly depending on the types of photography you enjoy. But it's worth noting that long telephoto focal lengths, just like very short (wide angle) focal lengths, can take some practice to get good photographs with. Just because you can zoom closer in to an object doesn't necessarily coincide with an increase in the quality of your photos or the video clips you capture.

With all that out of the way, let's look a little closer at what this lens can do.

600mm

The RX10 III's lens zooms in so far it's almost amusing. It takes between three and four seconds for the lens to rack through the full zoom range. It also takes noticeably longer for all that glass to extend for power up than either the Panasonic FZ1000, which has less reach, and Canon G3 X, which has a much more compact lens at the expense of a slower maximum aperture.

Shooting at 600mm equivalent can offer up some interesting compositional choices, while the available 20MP make additional cropping a viable option if you could've used even more reach. But check out that heat haze, even early in the day! Processed and cropped to taste from Raw. 600mm equivalent | F4 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 250. Photo by Carey Rose

So while the lens makes the camera a little slow to start up and adds some bulk, in use it is very sharp throughout the zoom range, irrespective of distance to your subject (atmospheric conditions notwithstanding). Before using the RX10 III, I simply wouldn't have thought images from a 1"-sensor superzoom camera could look this detailed. This model commands a $300 MSRP premium over the RX10 II, but in this case, it seems you get what you pay for.

The 72cm focus distance at maximum zoom won't get you true super macro photos, but you'll probably find that it focuses close enough. The lens also renders bokeh very nicely. Processed to taste from Raw. 600mm equivalent | F4 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 320. Photo by Carey Rose

Key features compared

	Sony RX10 II	Sony RX10 III	Panasonic FZ1000
MSRP	$1199	$1499	$899
Sensor	20MP 1"-type stacked CMOS	20MP 1"-type stacked CMOS	20MP 1"-type CMOS
ISO range (native)	100-12800	100-12800	125-12800
Lens (35mm equivalent)	24-200mm F2.8	24-600mm F2.4-4	25-400mm F2.8-4
Built-in ND filter	Yes	No	No
Min. focus distance	3cm	3cm	3cm
AF system	Contrast detect	Contrast detect	Contrast detect
AF points	25-pt	25-pt	49-pt
EVF resolution	2.36m-dot	2.36m-dot	2.36m-dot
LCD	3" 1.23M-dot tilting	3" 1.23M-dot tilting	3" 921k-dot fully articulated
Burst rate	14 fps	14 fps	12 fps
Video	4K/30p	4K/30p	4K/30p
Wi-Fi	Yes, with NFC	Yes, with NFC	Yes
Battery life (CIPA)	400 shots	420 shots	360 shots
Weather sealing	Yes	Yes	No
Dimensions	129 x 88 x 102mm	133 x 94 x 127mm	137 x 99 x 131mm
Weight	813 g	1051 g	831 g

As you can see, besides the lens and a modest increase in both size and battery life, the RX10 III is all but identical on the inside to the RX10 II. The older, less expensive Panasonic FZ1000 loses out in a few areas like battery life and weather sealing, but it is still a competitive machine in many ways (so long as you don't need 600mm, that is).

While Sony touts the RX10 III's lens as having a 9-bladed aperture for better out-of-focus renderings (compared to 7 blades on the Mark II), it lacks the built-in ND filter that was present on the previous model. This was especially helpful for shooting video under bright daylight. Of course, since the front of the lens is threaded, you can always add your own ND, but having the option at the press of a button would be a lot more convenient.

Because of the large-ish AF area the RX10 III defaults to, it will sometimes miss focus very slightly. Here, it backfocused onto the singer's high-contrast hair instead of her face. But I'd have no problem using this for web publishing. Processed and cropped to taste from Raw. 600mm equivalent | F4 | 1/320 sec | ISO 6400. Photo by Carey Rose

Beyond that omission, the RX10 III offers all that made the RX10 II such a compelling camera. The sensor offers great performance, the 4K and high frame rate video is detailed and of good quality, and the body is weather-sealed. But unfortunately, the fact that the RX10 III shares so much with its predecessor also means that you get the standard Sony UI woes as well as a contrast detection-only autofocus system that works fine for static subjects, but struggles with low contrast subjects and at telephoto distances, where phase-detection would help the camera minimize hunting.

If you're not shooting fast action all the time, the RX10 III has a lot of potential as a family vacation camera, an all-in-one photo and video solution for a journalist in a tightly staffed newsroom, or documentary photography where you can't necessarily get close to your subject.

So without repeating everything that we've already covered on the RX10 II, let's look chiefly at how the RX10 III differentiates itself by virtue of its optics.

Processed and cropped to taste from Raw. 375mm equivalent | F5.6 | 1/100 sec | ISO 200. Photo by Carey Rose

Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS Review

Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS Review

Product description

Manufacturer description: The PowerShot ELPH 360HS is slim and stylish, boasting a 12x optical zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilizer that helps capture images with flexibility and ease. A dedicated Wi-Fi button allows for easy sharing and transferring of images over Wi-Fi0 and NFC . The 20.2-Megapixel CMOS sensor combines with the DIGIC 4+ Image Processor to help deliver stunning image quality even in low light. The PowerShot ELPH 360HS digital camera also captures spectacular 1080p Full HD video. Photos can be composed on a 3", 461k-dot LCD.

Product timeline

Jan 5, 2016

Quick specs

Body type	Ultracompact
Max resolution	5184 x 3888
Effective pixels	20 megapixels
Sensor size	1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm)
Sensor type	BSI-CMOS
ISO	Auto, 80-3200
Focal length (equiv.)	25–300 mm
Max aperture	F3.6–7
Articulated LCD	Fixed
Screen size	3″
Screen dots	461,000
Max shutter speed	1/2000 sec
Format	MPEG-4, H.264
Storage types	SD/SDHC/SDXC card
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Weight (inc. batteries)	147 g (0.32 lb / 5.19 oz)
Dimensions	100 x 58 x 23 mm (3.94 x 2.28 x 0.91″)
GPS	None