Nikon announced the return of the Nikon Tour back in May, complete with stops across ten US cities, and it’s just announced the second leg of the road trip, whereby the distinctive yellow Nikon SUV will be stopping off at the remaining five cities: Dallas, Nashville, Baltimore/Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Nikon Tour 2026 dates (second leg):

• Dallas: Sept 25–27
• Nashville: Oct 2–4
• Baltimore/Washington DC: Oct 23–25
• Philadelphia: Oct 30–Nov 1
• Boston: Nov 6–8

The grand tour

Thus far, the Nikon Tour has attracted 1,300 attendees, providing an opportunity to get hands-on with the latest Nikon kit, partake in photography workshops, and connect with both Nikon Ambassadors and like-minded photographers, filmmakers, and creatives.

The best thing about the Nikon Tour is that all of this is entirely free. For the first time, Nikon has scheduled specific programming days: Intro to Photography, Nikkor Z Lens Day and ZR Day, catering to beginners, enthusiast photographers and video creators, respectively.

According to Kristen Pritchett, Nikon’s marketing events and experiential manager: “The first half of the Nikon Tour was incredibly successful in bringing our community together and providing meaningful ways for creators of all levels to connect, learn and experience Nikon gear firsthand”.

Nikon is also partnering with SanDisk, enabling attendees to use the brand’s CFexpress cards on Nikon ZR Days, with content then being uploaded to the cloud. There will also be the opportunity to partake in SanDisk giveaways at select Nikon Tour events.

The second leg of the Nikon Tour will begin on September 25 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, with Nikon Creator Danny Batista. Future tour dates will also include Nikon Ambassadors Brandon Woelfel and Mike Mezeul, as well as Nikon Creator Rick Southers.

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We have just spotted the best-ever deal on the Nikon Z6 II - which is now just £921.97 from Amazon direct. Sure, the Nikon Z6 III has landed – but let's be honest, we don't always need the newest model to get quality results (and the new camera costs almost twice as much).

The Nikon Z6 II is a fantastic full-frame mirrorless camera that delivers great performance at an unbeatable price (especially with this deal).

The Z6 II features a 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor for sharp, high-quality images with great dynamic range. It is powered by dual Expeed 6 processors, which means faster performance, better autofocus tracking and improved low-light handling. With 273 hybrid autofocus points, the Z6 II tracks fast subjects including humans and animals.

A huge upgrade over the original Nikon Z6 is the two memory card slots, which can be a real game changer and push the camera into professional-grade category. With this, you can shoot client work or important events like weddings with peace of mind in case of card failure.

The Z6 II is getting on for six years old - but its age now mean that this powerful mirrorless camera is now a great deal, thanks to this big price reduction.

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At the beginning of the month, I reported on the Dyson CameraJet, a new toothbrush that puts a 100,000-pixel camera in your mouth so you can effectively jet wash your teeth. And now, a photographer has taken said toothbrush out and about on a photo walk. Talk about filling the frame!

The whole thing has been distilled into a Reel by @allthegearnoskill that highlights the tiny lens that’s just beneath the brush head, stating, “if there’s a camera… there’s a way to take photos, so let’s go!” The video proceeds to show imagery captured by the toothbrush, and it’s rather interesting to see.

Firstly, the images are rather warped, but I’m actually surprised at how clear they are – this is a 100K-MP camera after all. The other thing that’s noticeable is the quirky color science, producing a decidedly filmic look. In fact, the purple-hued imagery reminds me of Lomography’s Lomochrome Purple XR film.

And while $500 might seem like an awful lot of money for a toothbrush, it’s an entry-level price point for a camera nowadays. You’re looking around that price for a Canon EOS R100, and before you point out that the Canon is an interchangeable-lens camera, the brush heads are removable, so technically, it’s an interchangeable-lens camera, too... right?

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Like countless others of my generation, I was glued to the first ever series of Star Trek on TV. An iconic quote that’s stood the test of time (fittingly from an episode called ‘The Naked Time’ comes from Scotty in the engine room of the USS Enterprise… “I can’t change the laws of physics.” Well, it seems Sony has just got one over on Scotty with its new 600mm super-telephoto prime lens.

Compared with Sony’s FE 600mm f/4 lens, the new FE 600mm f/6.3 is only about half as big and less than a third of the weight. That’s a major achievement, considering that the older lens was renowned for being ‘the lightest in its class’. Yet the new one is a whole 2kg lighter, weighing in at just 995g / 2.19lb, making it ‘the lightest of its type in the world’.

Another plus side is that the new lens is certainly no lightweight in terms of its aspirations to top-end performance, aiming to be one of the best Sony telephoto lenses, best lenses for sports, best lenses for bird photography and wildlife, and best lenses for safari. And just wait until you see what they’ve done with the price. It’s only a fraction of the cost of its 600mm f/4 sibling.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Specifications

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Price

What is the price of a top-class 600mm prime lens? We’re talking ‘family car’ money here, with the Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS costing a monstrous $14,099 / £11,999. That puts it well beyond the reach of most of us. It’s remarkable that this new 600mm f/6.3 lens is only 1.33 f/stops slower but massively more affordable, costing a ‘mere’ $3,699 / £3,609 / CA$4999. That’s only about a quarter of the asking price.

But before we get too carried away, consider that the very capable Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS matches the new prime for aperture rating at the long end of its zoom range, while also adding the flexibility and versatility of a zoom lens, for a relatively ‘cheap’ $2,099 / £1,599. That said, the zoom lens lacks G Master credentials. Getting back to prime time, there’s the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports in both Sony E and L-mount options, which also undercuts the FE 600mm at $2,999 / £2,779, while having a faster aperture rating and nearly as much telephoto reach.

Then there’s Sony’s own new Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS, which looks and feels almost identical to the 600mm lens, again has some seriously strong telephoto reach and a faster f/4.5 aperture. This lens is significantly less expensive to buy at $2699 / £2,579 /CA$3579. Overall, you might feel that the FE 600mm f/6.3 is a bargain, or not, depending on which way you look at it. Let’s see what you actually get for your money.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Design & Handling

Life can be a strain with a lens like the overarching (overwhelming?) Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS. It’s big and burdensome, with vital statistics of 164x449mm / 6.5x17.7in. That’s almost half a yard long and it tips the scales at a back-bending 3,040g / 6.7lb. Handheld shooting for any length of time is pretty impractical. With the new lightweight FE 600mm f/6.3 long periods of handheld shooting turn from being a non-starter into a no-brainer.

The new contender is much shorter and slimmer, at just 108x265mm / 4.3x10.4in, and weighs a mere 995g / 2.19lb. That’s less than the weight of some 24-70mm standard zoom lenses that I’ve owned in the past, and more than 2kg / 4.4lb lighter than the FE 600mm f/4. Indeed, the new lens is less than a third of the weight of its chunky sibling. The relatively skinny design also enables the inclusion of a regular 95mm front filter attachment, instead of the need for a rear drop-in filter holder.

As I’d hope for in any lens that’s geared to action, sports and wildlife photography, this one is extensively weather-sealed and has a fluorine coating on its front element. Beneath the skin, there are dual XD (eXtreme Dynamic) linear motors that power the fully internal focusing mechanism, just like in Sony’s top-dollar 600mm prime. Autofocus speed and tracking is designed to keep pace with 120fps shooting and 240p video capture. And if you still feel the need to focus manually, there’s a switchable full-time DMF (Direct Manual Focus) mode.

Just in front of the focus ring there’s another control ring, again also featured in Sony’s recent top-flight telephoto primes. The secondary customizable ‘function ring’ can be assigned to various functions but one of my favorites is ‘Power Focus’. It’s great for ensuring smooth manual focus transitions when shooting video, thanks to its motorized nature.

The middle section along the length of the lens barrel is colored black and plays host to the main shooting controls. As well as the focus ring and function ring, there’s a rank of four function buttons. Maintaining the theme, these buttons are customizable but I’d generally use them for AF/L (Autofocus Lock). I like that there’s a full set of four of them, placed at 90-degree intervals around the barrel, so one of them naturally falls under the thumb in any shooting orientation.

It would be unreasonable to expect every single feature that you get on the top-dollar 600mm lens to be replicated here and sure enough, there are no Preset or Beep on/off switches. Oh well, never mind. There are still plenty of positives though, including a bank of five switches for AF/MF focus modes, full-time DMF on/off, an autofocus range limiter, OSS (Optical SteadyShot) on/off and three selectable OSS modes. The stabilization modes in question include both of the regular static and panning modes, plus a third mode that stabilizes the viewfinder image in a way that it that makes it easier to track erratically moving subjects.

Should you feel the need to photograph something in the next county without driving there, the lens is compatible with Sony’s FE teleconverters. The 2.0x version naturally bumps up the focal length to a mammoth 1200mm, but with the usual catch of a 2 f/stop narrowing of the aperture, which shrinks to a disappointingly small f/13. The 1.4x teleconverter will likely prove more practical, equating to an 840mm focal length with a widest available aperture of f/9.

To gain extra telephoto reach, it’s also perfectly viable to switch to APS-C crop mode, especially with one of Sony’s ultra-high-res full-frame cameras, which would still give you a healthy megapixel count. And given the relative lightweight build of the lens, you could even mount it on an APS-C format Sony camera body. In both of these cases, you’d get an ‘effective’ 900mm focal length without the aperture reduction of using a teleconverter.

Long telephoto lenses can be particularly susceptible to ghosting and flare, which can degrade image quality. This one offers two-fold resistance with Nano AR Coating II, along with a very effective hood. First up, the high-tech, nano-structured coating is designed specifically for lens elements that have a large diameter or are strongly curved. The hood has a circular profile and is sufficiently long to do an efficient job, as well as being well made and featuring a lock/release button.

Building on its lightweight design, the combination of optical and in-camera stabilization makes handheld shooting entirely viable, but a tripod or monopod can still come in handy to keep things steady. True to type, the lens features a tripod mounting ring that ensures an equally good balance for both landscape and portrait orientation shooting. It also enables quick and easy swapping to any desired orientation, having a simple locking knob and smooth action.

As with a fair few other telephoto lenses, the tripod ring isn’t completely removable and only the foot can be detached. The foot itself features both standard sizes of 1/4in and 3/8in mounting threads. With the foot removed, there’s only a very small stub that protrudes from the lens. It doesn’t really add to the size of the lens and doesn’t impair handheld shooting.

The mounting plate of the relatively huge and heavyweight FE 600 f/4 features additional fixing screws to enhance strength and rigidity. That’s unnecessary for this relatively lightweight lens, so it has Sony’s more regular mounting plate which still includes a weather-seal gasket.

Despite its downsized design and build, the lens takes up most of the length (height?) of my camera backpack, leaving relatively limited space for all my other paraphernalia. I’m pleased therefore that Sony includes a nicely tailored and stylish looking bag with the lens.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Performance

Throughout my time testing the FE 600mm, I paired it with a Sony A7R V camera body. This camera places big demands on the resolving power and autofocus speed of lenses, with its 61MP image sensor and tenacious AI-powered autofocus system. The lens definitely proved up to the task. I spent some time shooting lakeside birds that were very skittish and moved very erratically, but the lens took full advantage of the A7R V’s advanced recognition and tracking abilities. Autofocus speed proved a match for birds that were rapidly moving their heads around, or darting along the banks.

As a performance factor, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the lens’s generous super-telephoto reach. It covers a whole lot of distance for action, sports and wildlife photography, especially when you’re limited to a spectator’s area or a birding/wildlife hide. That oversized reach can make all the difference between getting the shot and missing it. As a case in point, I was shooting at a heritage railway site, and was able to get the shot below from a long way down the tracks. It would have taken quite a few minutes to walk up the line for a closer shot with a lens that had less telephoto reach, during which time the photo opportunity would have passed.

In terms of sharpness, the lens is able to do justice to Sony’s highest-resolution cameras like the A7R V, with their abundance of megapixels. It can capture plenty of fine detail and texture, along with superb clarity and contrast, although the simultaneously launched FE 400mm f/4.5 proved a little sharper in our lab tests. True to its claims, resistance to ghosting and flare is very good. And although the aperture rating of f/6.3 certainly isn’t ‘fast’, its combination with a 600mm focal length enables a tight depth of field, along with pleasantly smooth bokeh.

The lens also exhibits very good control over unwanted aberrations, with color fringing and distortion being of a very low order. Again, our lab test results weren’t quite as excellent as from the FE 400mm f/4.5, but were very impressive nonetheless. The image below serves as a graphic demonstration, the regular geometric shapes and high-contrast transitions of the window and door frames revealing minimal distortion and fringing.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Sample Images

When taking the sample shots for the following gallery, I started off at the East Somerset Railway in the South West of England. It’s a delightful historic railway that’s run as a charity by a friendly bunch of volunteers, and is well worth a visit. Next, I moved on to the Chew Valley Lake, also in Somerset, to test the lenses by shooting some lakeside birds. Finally, I took them on a stroll around the picturesque town of Stockbridge in Hampshire. I took all of the sample shots at the widest available aperture of f/6.3, which is the sternest test of the lens but often needed to enable sufficiently fast shutter speeds.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Sharpness is very good even when shooting wide-open at f/6.3, and holds up well right out to the edges and corners. That’s an important point to me, as I often tend to want shutter speeds that are as fast as possible to freeze motion when shooting action, sports and wildlife with this type of lens. However, the sibling FE 400mm f/4.5 proved a little sharper in our lab tests, across the whole image frame.

Fringing:

There’s fairly little in the way of color fringing, which will generally go unnoticed in real-world shots, even with automatic in-camera correction disabled. Optically, fringing isn’t quite as minimal as with the FE 400mm f/4.5 lens but in-camera correction completely eliminates it.

Distortion: 0.96

As with color fringing, there’s only minor pincushion distortion. Again, you’ll rarely notice it even with automatic in-camera correction disabled, and if you enable the auto fix, the Sony effectively becomes a zero-distortion lens.

Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS: Verdict

The Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS has a lot going for it. I love the incredibly compact, lightweight design and build of the lens, making it a painless pleasure even for long periods of handheld shooting. Moreover, the speed and accuracy of the autofocus system coupled with the highly effective optical image stabilization ensure an epic hit rate, where practically every shot is a keeper. Handling is sublime, not only because of the manageable weight but also because of the plethora of buttons and switches for its advanced focusing and stabilization modes. Meanwhile, the weather-sealed build quality is reassuringly robust.

My only caveats are that while the f/6.3 aperture rating certainly isn’t slow for modern super-telephoto lenses, it’s definitely not fast either. It’s merely modest. You can generally enable sufficiently fast shutter speeds for freezing the action in sports and wildlife photography, to which the lens is tailor-made, but often this is at the expense of needing to push your camera’s ISO setting further than you might wish. And while the lens seems epic value for money compared with the top-flight Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS, it looks comparatively expensive up against its sibling Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, both of which are also relatively compact and lightweight for their type.

Alternatives

Rock up to any major sporting event and you’re likely to see massed ranks of pro photographers with their ‘great white’ super-telephoto lenses. The lenses on parade have several things in common, beyond their white paint jobs that are applied to minimize the build-up of heat when you’re shooting for long periods under a glaring sun. Equally common traits are that these lenses are very big, hugely heavy and massively expensive, sometimes costing as much as most of us would expect to pay for a decent family car.

All of this makes the new Sony FE 400mm an absolute trend-bucker. Pick one up and it just doesn’t seem to make sense. Sure, it’s physically long and finished in white, but this lens is so relatively lightweight that it almost feels like Sony has built some kind of anti-gravity device into the design, or at least stripped out most of the glass. For comparison, the FE 400mm f/2.8 is considerably longer, has about 50 per cent more girth and is almost 2kg heavier at approximately three times the weight. Bearing in mind that the f/2.8 lens is marketed as ‘the lightest in its class’, it goes to show just how much weight loss we’re talking about in the new lens, which is advertised as being ‘the lightest of its type in the world’.

There’s a similar slashing in terms of purchase price, making the new FE 400mm f/4.5 much more affordable as well as being highly desirable. All in all, it aims to be one of the best Sony telephoto lenses, best lenses for sports, best lenses for bird photography and wildlife, and best lenses for safari, while also being outstanding value for money.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Specifications

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Price

Feel the need for speed? It’s going to cost you, with the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS selling for an eye-watering $12,999 / £10,490. The new FE 400mm f/4.5 is only 1.33 f/stops slower but still looks and feels a properly pro-grade lens with most of the same handling luxuries. And yet this lens is massively more affordable at just $2,699 / £2,579 / CA$3579, little more than the veteran Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS zoom at $2,799 / £2,149. Skip the G Master credentials, and there’s also the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS at a less expensive $2,099 / £1,599.

A tempting alternative prime is the Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports, available in L-mount as well as Sony E-mount options, selling for $2,999 / £2,779. The Sigma is also a relatively compact and lightweight option at a very keen selling price, but it’s still nearly 40 per cent heavier than the Sony lens, trading a longer focal length for a slower f/5.6 aperture.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Design & Handling

You need strong arms and a fat wallet for a top-end lens like the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS, which weighs in at 2,895g / 6.38lb and carries a price tag detailed above. Set your sights a little lower and this new f/4.5 lens still boasts a reasonably fast aperture (at least in super-telephoto terms) but in a much more manageable and affordable package. It sneaks in at just under a kilogram, with an official weight of 995g / 2.19lb, making it suitable for even lengthy periods of handheld shooting, rather than relying on a monopod or tripod to take the strain.

And for when size matters, or rather the lack of it, the lens measures 108x265mm / 4.3x10.4in, compared with the much larger dimensions of the f/2.8 lens at 158x359mm 6.2x14.1in. With a girth of only about two-thirds, the f/4.5 lens has a regular 95mm front filter attachment thread, rather than a 40.5mm drop-in filter arrangement near the rear.

The front element shown in the picture above has a fluorine coating to repel moisture and grease, and to aid easy cleaning. Move further back along the extensively weather-sealed barrel and there’s no shortage of handling exotica, which I’ll come to in a moment. Dip inside and you’ll find not one but two XD (eXtreme Dynamic) linear motors that power the fully internal focusing mechanism. Autofocus speed and tracking is designed to cope with 120fps shooting and 240p video capture. The lens shares its top-ranking autofocus system with the much pricier f/2.8 lens, along with switchable full-time DMF (Direct Manual Focus).

Another feature shared with Sony’s top-dollar telephoto primes is an additional, customizable control ring, or ‘function ring’ positioned just in front of the main focus ring. You can assign the secondary ring to various functions but a favorite is Power Focus, which delivers smooth, motorized manual focus transitions when shooting video. One thing that’s featured in the pricier lenses but is lacking in this one is that you don’t get a Preset focus facility with optional confirmation beep.

Moving to the forward end of the black section in the lens barrel, just in front of the focus ring and function ring, there’s a rank of four function buttons. Again, these are customizable but the most popular assignment is AF/L (Autofocus Lock). You can therefore easily lock the focus position and the fact that there are four buttons at 90-degree intervals around the whole barrel means that one of them will naturally fall under the thumb in any shooting orientation.

The further you get into the design of the lens, the more it looks and feels like Sony’s top-end super-telephoto primes, just with a drop in size and radical weight loss. As I’ve mentioned, Preset and Beep switches are absent but you do get a bank of five switches for AF/MF focus modes, full-time DMF on/off, an autofocus range limiter, OSS (Optical SteadyShot) on/off and three selectable OSS modes. These include regular static and panning modes, while Mode 3 delivers adapted stabilization in the viewfinder that makes it easier to acquire and track erratically moving subjects in shooting scenarios like sports, action and wildlife.

If you happen to need even more powerful telephoto reach, the lens is compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. The 2.0x version might cramp your style with its 2-stop impact on aperture rating, but the 1.4x will extend your focal length to a mighty 560mm while giving you a still entirely workable aperture rating of f/6.3. Intriguingly, that’s the same as the aperture rating of Sony’s simultaneously launched and extremely similar Sony FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS prime, which is physically only marginally longer than this 400mm lens and has a virtually identical weight.

Another viable alternative for gaining extra reach is to switch your Sony full-frame camera body to APS-C crop mode. And with the most high-res ‘R’ models, you’ll still get plenty of megapixels to play with. The lens’s lightweight build also makes it feel relatively at home on one of Sony’s APS-C format camera bodies. Both of these approaches will give you an ‘effective’ 600mm focal length but without the narrowing of aperture from using a teleconverter.

Ghosting and flare can impact the image quality of long telephoto lenses but the Sony has a couple of things in its arsenal to put up a good fight. The first is Nano AR Coating II, which is a high-tech, nano-structured coating designed specifically for lens elements that have a large diameter or are strongly curved. The other is a highly efficient hood, which is very well made and features a release button so that it stays locked in place until you want to remove it.

Even with the combination of optical and in-camera stabilization, a tripod or monopod can help to keep everything steady, as well as bearing the (albeit lightened) load. As I’d expect, the lens comes complete with a tripod mounting ring, that ensures an equally good balance for both landscape and portrait orientation shooting, as well as easy swapping between the two. A simple locking knob enables smooth and easy rotation, and firmly fixes the lens at any position.

Unlike with many lenses that feature tripod mounting rings, the collar is not completely removable. Instead, only the foot detaches, as shown in the image below. The foot itself has both sizes of standard 1/4in and 3/8in mounting threads and once removed, there’s only a small stub that remains. Unlike the stub featured in some other lenses of its type, this one takes up very little additional space and doesn’t impinge on handheld shooting.

The hefty FE 400 f/2.8 has additional attachment screws in its mounting plate, to ensure sufficient strength, rigidity and durability. Those aren’t necessary in this lens, because it’s so much more lightweight. Even so, the metal mounting plate is very durable and features a weather-seal gasket and gold-plated electronic contacts.

The lens is very slim for its type but still necessarily quite long. I’m glad that Sony has seen fit to include a high-quality carrying bag as part of the package. And as a further bonus, the carrying bag has a smart, space-saving design.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Performance

I tested the FE 400mm with a Sony A7R V camera body, which puts great demands on the autofocus speed and resolving power of any lens, with its revamped AI-powered autofocus system and 61MP image sensor. I found that when shooting lakeside birds that were darting around and moving their heads quickly and erratically, the lens was able to take full advantage of the A7R V’s advanced recognition and tracking abilities, with sufficient speed to ensure a really high hit rate of sharply focused images.

The focal length itself is a serious performance factor in that it gives sufficient telephoto reach to cover an awful lot of distance. Naturally, it’s a major bonus when shooting action sports, where you’re confined to a spectator’s area or (if you’re really fortunate) a designated photographer’s spot. It’s equally advantageous for shooting birds and wildlife, where you can’t physically get as close as you might like without invading their personal space, scaring them away, or being attacked by some of the more ferocious examples. As well as shooting birds with the lens, I used it at a heritage railway site, and was pleased that I was able to get the shot below from a long way down the line.

Moving onto resolving power, I was again impressed that the lens is able to capture immensely fine detail and texture. There’s also excellent clarity and contrast, with powerful resistance against ghosting and flare. Color rendition is very natural and the lens is capable of a tight depth of field, along with a smooth and dreamy quality of bokeh. Suffice it to say that all of the essential ‘image quality’ boxes are well and truly ticked.

Unwanted aberrations are kept to negligible levels, with very good control over distortion and color fringing. These attributes are demonstrated in the image below, which shows a lack of distortion and no visible color fringing around the high-contrast transitions of the window and door frames.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Sample Images

When taking the sample shots for the following gallery, I started off at the East Somerset Railway in the South West of England. It’s a delightful historic railway that’s run as a charity by a friendly bunch of volunteers, and is well worth a visit. Next, I moved on to the Chew Valley Lake, also in Somerset, to test the lenses by shooting some lakeside birds. Finally, I took them on a stroll around the picturesque town of Stockbridge in Hampshire. I took all of the sample shots at the widest available aperture of f/6.3, which is the sternest test of the lens but often needed to enable sufficiently fast shutter speeds.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

You’ll often need fast shutter speeds to freeze action in sports and wildlife photography with this type of lens, so I feel that wide-open sharpness is an important performance factor. The Sony really delivers, with stellar sharpness even at its widest aperture, not just at the center of the frame but right out to the edges and corners.

Fringing:

Color fringing is entirely negligible, again not just at the center of the frame but deep into the corners. Performance is excellent in this respect, throughout the entire aperture range.

Distortion: 0.67

Technically, there’s just a hint of pincushion distortion but it’s of a very low order and will generally go unnoticed in ‘real-world’ shooting. And that’s without any input from automatic in-camera correction.

Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS: Verdict

The Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS is a dream come true as far as I’m concerned. Some photographers say that if you can’t shoot at 200mm, you’re just not close enough. I’m not one of them. I love shooting action, sports, wildlife, birds, aircraft and plenty of other subjects where it’s simply not possible to get as close as I might like to. I love that this Sony lens really covers the distance, without weighing me down. It’s very compact for its type and I can comfortably shoot handheld for long periods of time without feeling any strain.

The pricing of the lens also makes it massively more affordable than most top-flight super-telephoto primes. Couple that with epic performance in terms of super-fast and consistently accurate autofocus, along with stellar sharpness, clarity and color rendition, and you have a real winner of a lens. The quality of bokeh is very appealing as well, and the lens keeps all unwanted aberrations to an absolute minimum. I feel that Sony has pulled off something a masterstroke with this lens. It’s absolutely fabulous.

Alternatives

Bright telephoto primes tend to sit at a luxury price point only the most serious wildlife and sports photographers can reach for – but Sony’s new telephoto prime lenses are nearly 4x cheaper than the brand’s brightest. Unveiled on September 15, the Sony FE 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS and FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS bring two popular telephoto focal lengths to a more reasonable price point – and a lighter profile.

Sony already has both a 400mm f/2.8 and a 600mm f/4, but the new primes narrow down the aperture by around 1 and ⅓ stops in order to create a more portable – and less pricey – optic.

The 400mm comes in at 994g / 35oz – and the 600mm is only 1g heavier. That’s a major weight loss over the 2895g / 102.2 oz 400mm f/2.8 and the 3040g / 107.3 oz 600mm f/4. Both lenses are also designed with more glass towards the rear of the lens in order to create better balance on the camera body, with the 400mm using 22 elements in 16 groups and the 600mm using 24 elements in 17 groups.

I’ve worked with 600mm f/4 lenses before – and immediately scheduled a chiropractor adjustment afterwards. The new Sony primes don’t quite have the melt-like-butter background of an f/2.8 and an f/4, but it’s far more feasible to hike with.

In fact, I hiked two miles, and I had both the 400mm and the 600mm on me at the same time. Time constraints – and not exhaustion – only prevented me from going farther. Working with the two new prime lenses felt more like carrying around a 70-200mm f/2.8 than a luxury telephoto prime.

While both lenses are lighter and more affordable than Sony’s brightest telephoto primes, the optics are still stabilized – and still a card-carrying member of the more high-end GM series. I found they were still plenty sharp, and still had room to crop even when mounted on the A7 V and not an R-series model.

That sharpness is going to be a key deciding factor on these lenses. After all, the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS matches the 600mm’s aperture rating and comes in at a lower price than the prime. But, in our lab tests, the 600mm prime won in sharpness, particularly at the corners.

The 400mm is even sharper than the 600mm, even when shooting wide open.

Sony says that both lenses use two linear XD motors and are capable of keeping up with bodies that have 120 fps autofocus calculations. I didn’t find anything to the contrary on my hike – a few birds had too many branches in the way for the autofocus to pick up on, but even birds in flight had relatively few misses.

While the new telephotos are compact, they still carry a set of controls that will feel familiar to photographers who have used other Sony telephotos. There’s a large set of switches including the focus range limiter, four focus hold buttons, and a custom function ring.

As part of the GM series, both lenses are also built with dust and moisture seals, along with a fluorine coating on the front element.

Sony says that both optics are still compatible with Sony’s 2x and 1.4x teleconverters.

The Sony 400mm f/4.5 GM OSS is set to retail for $2,699 / £2,579 / CA$3,579 – while that’s certainly not a cheap lens, that’s nearly a quarter of the cost of Sony’s 400mm f/2.8, which sits at $12,999 / £10,490.

The Sony 600mm f/6.3 comes in slightly higher for that added reach at $3,699 / £3,609 / CA$4,999. Again, that’s not cheap unless it’s being directly compared to the 600mm f/4 GM OSS, which goes for $14,099 / £11,999.

Both lenses are expected to begin shipping in October.

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Leica has released a fresh round of firmware updates for a surprisingly wide selection of its M cameras, covering both the M10 and M11 generations, and while the update itself is fairly small, there is one very specific reason Leica owners may want to install it: support for the new new Leica Summicron-M 66 f/2.

For the current generation, firmware version 2.6.4 is available for the Leica M11, M11-P, M11-D and M11 Monochrom, as well as the Leica M EV1. Leica has also pushed new firmware to several cameras in the older M10 family, including the M10, M10 Monochrom, M10-P, M10-P ASC, M10-R and M10-D. Depending on the camera, the firmware version differs, but the important addition across the updates is the same: a lens profile for the Summicron-M 66 f/2.

Leica's own release notes for firmware 2.6.4 are refreshingly short. Under the rather optimistic heading of "NEW", there is essentially one addition: "Lens Profile: Summicron-M 66 f/2." There is also an advisory recommending the use of UHS-II SD cards with the M11-generation cameras, with Leica noting that UHS-I cards can cause technical issues in rare cases, but as far as actual new functionality goes, this update really is about that new 66mm lens.

And I have to admit, there is something wonderfully ambitious about releasing firmware support across this many cameras for a lens that only 660 people in the world will ever be able to buy new. The Leica Summicron-M 66 f/2 is not exactly destined to become the next 35mm Summicron that appears on the front of every other M camera you see. Leica is producing just 660 examples worldwide, making this one of the most exclusive modern M lenses the company has produced. Still, new firmware is new firmware, and if you happen to be one of those 660 owners, it is certainly nice to know that everything from an M10 to an M11-P is ready for it.

The Summicron-M 66 f/2 itself is one of Leica's more interesting releases of recent years. Announced earlier this month, it forms part of the company's Classic Line and is a modern reinterpretation of the incredibly rare Elcan 66mm f/2 developed by legendary optical designer Dr Walter Mandler at Ernst Leitz Canada during the late 1960s. The original lens was created for the US Navy for covert reconnaissance photography, and Leica says only around 200 examples were produced, making originals exceptionally rare today.

That rather unusual 66mm focal length also sits in an interesting position within the M system. It gives photographers something tighter than the traditional 50mm standard lens without pushing all the way into more conventional short-telephoto territory. Leica describes the new lens as combining soft bokeh with high contrast when used wide open, while stopping down reveals the high resolving power that was fundamental to the design of the original Elcan. There are some wonderfully eccentric historical details too, including an aperture ring that rotates in the opposite direction from standard M lenses.

There is also something quite pleasing about Leica extending support for the lens back to the M10 generation rather than restricting it to its newest cameras. The M11 family gets firmware 2.6.4, while the older bodies receive their respective firmware packages, meaning photographers who have held onto an M10, M10-R, or M10 Monochrom are not being left behind simply because they are using an earlier digital M. For a camera system built around lenses that can remain useful for decades, that feels appropriate.

Of course, for the overwhelming majority of Leica M owners, installing this firmware is unlikely to result in any noticeable change whatsoever. The chances of casually stumbling across a Summicron-M 66 f/2 are going to be fairly slim when the entire worldwide production run amounts to just 660 lenses. But that almost makes the update more entertaining.

Leica has gone to the trouble of updating two generations of digital M cameras to accommodate one of the rarest lenses in its current catalog, and there is something very Leica about that. You may never own the lens the firmware was designed for, but at least your camera is ready should one unexpectedly fall into your hands.

DJI has opened pre-orders for its new Osmo 360 II, and while there are several different ways to buy the company’s latest 360-degree camera, there is one bundle that immediately stands out to me.

The DJI Osmo 360 II Adventure Combo is available to pre-order in the UK for £639 at Wex, Clifton Cameras, and Park Cameras. I think this is easily the package to go for.

At the time of writing, those wanting the cheaper Standard Combo will have to head directly to DJI, where it is priced at £509.

That additional £130 for the Adventure Combo might initially sound like quite a jump, but you are getting accessories that I suspect most serious Osmo 360 II users would end up buying anyway. The package includes three Osmo Extreme Battery Plus batteries in total, the Osmo Multifunctional Battery Case 3 and a 1.2m Dual-Direction Quick-Release Invisible Selfie Stick, alongside the protective pouch, lens cap and other essentials.

For action, travel or longer days of filming, having three batteries ready to go is going to be considerably more useful than relying on a single battery, while the Invisible Selfie Stick is almost an essential part of getting the most from a 360 camera. Bought separately, those additions quickly add up, which is why I think the £639 Adventure Combo represents the better overall deal.

The camera itself is also a significant step forward. The Osmo 360 II offers what DJI describes as 1-inch 360-degree imaging and can now record native 8K 360-degree footage at up to 60fps, giving creators considerably more flexibility when reframing footage after it has been captured.

DJI is also quoting up to 14.5 stops of dynamic range, while the camera can capture 120MP HDR 360-degree still images and offers 10-bit recording with D-Log M for anyone who wants greater control over colour grading. There is an f/1.9 aperture alongside the new AI SuperNight 2.0 mode for low-light shooting too, making this a camera designed to work well beyond bright daytime action footage.

One of the biggest practical improvements, however, might have nothing to do with resolution. The Osmo 360 II now uses ultra-hard, scratch-resistant lenses that you can replace if they get damaged, which is a huge improvement for a camera designed to attach to bikes, helmets, cars, selfie sticks, and just about anything else you can think of.

It also offers 105GB of usable built-in storage, NFC Quick Connect, DJI’s Spotlight Follow subject framing, and up to 100 minutes of 8K recording, while weighing just 183g. DJI has also retained compatibility with its wider Osmo ecosystem, including its quick-release accessories and direct connection with OsmoAudio products.

If you simply want the Osmo 360 II itself and already have compatible accessories, the Standard Combo makes sense, and at £509 it saves a decent amount of money. But for anyone buying into DJI’s 360 system for the first time, I would spend the extra and go straight for the Adventure Combo.

At £639 from Wex, Clifton Cameras, Park Cameras and DJI, the additional batteries, charging case and Invisible Selfie Stick turn it into a much more complete package straight out of the box. With native 8K/60fps capture, replaceable lenses and a much stronger set of accessories, the Osmo 360 II Adventure Combo looks like the version that really shows what DJI’s new 360 camera can do.

This versatile RF telephoto lens is an incredibly compact, high-quality all-rounder, and now, thanks to this unbeatable Amazon deal, it’s even harder to resist.

This top-rated Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM is now just £1,499 at London Camera Exchange. With this offer, you save £270 off its regular price of £1,769.

So, if you've been waiting for the perfect moment to get Canon's smallest full-frame telephoto lens, that moment is now.

The Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM is the shortest (FF) 70-200mm ever – and yes, it's as compact as it sounds – it's only barely bigger than a beer can. This lens redefines portability, fitting comfortably in a sling bag, even when mounted on your camera.

Perfect for portraits, sports, wildlife, events, and even landscapes, it's an all-around telephoto that can easily become your go-to workhorse lens.

Whether you're just getting ready or investing in something that will serve you for years, this lens delivers great value thanks to its versatility, sharpness, and built-in image stabilization (up to 7.5 stops!).

The center sharpness remains superb across the entire zoom range, from 70mm to 200mm. The corner sharpness is good, but not as crisp as the EF version.

While this lens doesn't support teleconverters, the reach you get will cover most subjects in a quality way, and with Canon's advanced stabilization, it's equally strong for stills and video.

It comes at a premium price – often around 50% more than its DSLR counterpart. So, if you're looking for a single telephoto lens that does (almost) everything and travels light, this one absolutely earns its spot in your kit.

If you've been considering Canon's smallest full-frame telephoto lens, this is your chance to get it at a solid discount.

If you are a Canon shooter or want to become one, check our guide to the best Canon cameras, along with the best Canon telephoto lenses and best Canon superzoom lenses.

If you love shooting the DSLR way, the Nikon D850 is a full-frame camera that truly delivers – combining high resolution, impressive speed, and incredible value.

And right now, the Nikon D850 is available for just $1,996.95 at B&H. With this, you save a massive $600 off its regular $2,596.95 price.

This full-frame DSLR powerhouse offers 45.7MP resolution and up to 9 fps – ideal if you are a pro or serious amateur. With its versatility and speed, the D850 is perfect for a wide range of photography styles...

Best DSLR for megapixels: Nikon D850

Now, let's talk about why the Nikon D850 is such a big deal. Beyond this great price, it's a versatile powerhouse made for all kinds of photography and videography – nature, landscapes, weddings, fashion, sports – you name it.

The camera's performance is so broad that it can easily handle nearly any shoot you throw at it. The only thing holding it back from being a top-tier 4K filmmaking tool is its contrast-based autofocus in live view mode.

Designed with professionals in mind, the 45.7MP D850 also has a strong following among serious amateurs. With this deal, it's a chance to get a professional-grade Nikon DSLR without breaking the bank.

Speed-wise, it's impressive too. The D850 shoots at up to 6fps (frames per second) at full resolution, buffering up to 51 compressed 14-bit RAW files. To hit that top speed, you'll want the MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack and EN-EL18B battery (the same used in Nikon D5). It's an investment of approx. $446.95, but worth it if you need that extra burst of speed.

Its closest rival from Canon, the EOS 5D Mark IV, is solid – but the D850 beats it in resolution, shooting speed, and full-frame 4K video. And with this deal, you're getting a pro-level camera for a fraction of the list price.

The compact camera is back with a vengeance – but Fujifilm’s new option redefines “compact” entirely. Weighing just 41g – less than 2 oz – the Fujifilm Instax Mini Pal 2 is a tiny retro camera that fits in the palm of my hand yet comes jam-packed with retro viewfinders and controls.

Looking absolutely nothing like the original Instax Pal, about the only thing that the Pal 2 has in common with the original is that it's tiny – and it doesn’t print out Instax without buying a separate printer.

The Instax Pal 2 feels like a cross between the popular Instax Mini Evo and the Kodak Charmera. I tried out the Pal 2 – and I think this tiny cam may be a fit among fans of retro digicams.

Specs

Price

The Instax Pal 2 retails for $169.95 / £144.99 / CA$219.95 / AU$249.

That makes the Pal 2 one of Instax’s more affordable digital options, coming in under the price of options like the Instax LiPlay+ and the Instax Mini Evo.

But, that does put the camera above the price of keychain cameras like the Kodak Charmera – and the Pal 2’s small size is inevitably going to draw a lot of comparisons to the viral keychain camera.

Design

I hate to admit this, but I may have gone into total fangirl mode when I opened a shipping box to find the Instax Mini Pal 2 inside. This camera is tiny; it’s retro and, frankly, it’s adorable.

The second generation of Instax’s Pal series looks nothing like the bubble-shaped original. Instead, the Pal 2 feels like a cross between a retro compact camera and a keychain camera. Weighing just 41 g – that’s less than 1.5 oz – the Pal 2 is small enough to disappear into the palm of my hand.

Despite the tiny size, Fujifilm has managed to cram an abundance of controls and features, including an actual optical viewfinder at the back. As much as I love having a real optical viewfinder, the viewfinder isn’t entirely accurate, catching more on the edges of the frame than what’s shown in the viewfinder.

The top of the camera is oozing with retro goodness. On the right-hand side, there’s a toggle that feels reminiscent of a film wind lever that switches between different Instax framing options, or enters the burst mode to create short photo animations.

On the opposite side, there’s a rotating dial that switches through different film simulations and a button on top of that for accessing the menu options.

Sandwiched between the lever and control wheel is a small LCD screen. By default, this screen displays the film simulation mode, but the screen does have a live view mode in the menu. Placing the screen at the top rather than the back allowed me to shoot with the camera like a waist-level finder when I didn’t want to use the viewfinder. That, to me, is one of the best design features – that the Pal 2 has not one but two shooting styles, and both feel very retro.

At the bottom of the camera, there’s a small toggle, this pops out a USB, so the Pal 2 plugs directly into a smartphone or computer as if it's a thumb drive, no cord needed, and can plug directly into a USB-C block for recharging.

The Pal 2 doesn’t come with a keychain loop like the original, but there’s a small slot for looping in a wrist strap – and one is included in the box.

All of those features are wrapped up in a classic silver-and-black design reminiscent of retro cameras – and other Instax cameras like the Mini Evo.

Naturally, as a tiny camera, the memory card slot is the microSD sort – but there’s enough memory built in for about 100 photos, and considering no cord is needed for a quick smartphone transfer, that’s more than enough for most.

The battery life will last almost until the internal memory fills up. I shot around 70 photos with the red battery life indicator popping up towards the end. That’s not fantastic, but the Pal 2 is a budget cam, and there’s a built-in charger, so it’s easy to charge.

Performance

The Pal 2 is built for style and size rather than high-end specs. The sensor is a small 1/3.06-inch type. But I was surprised to find that the Pal 2 can shoot at 10MP, which gives it an edge over (much, much) cheaper tiny cameras like the Kodak Charmera.

The Pal 2 is a camera that feels purpose-built for the retro camera trend. The camera feels like it would fit right in with the trend of buying up early 2000s compact cameras. The image quality isn’t going to beat out a modern smartphone, not by a long shot, and it’s not going to beat out compacts with larger sensors. I would put the photo quality above the Kodak Charmera, but not as good as the Camp Snap CS-Pro.

While the camera does just hit that two-digit megapixel count, images still feel very much like a low-fi camera. Look too close, and the images feel more like oil paintings than photographs. But, the size is still sufficient for things like sharing on Instagram – where photos get downsized to 1080 pixels anyways.

The resolution is also more than enough for prints from the new Instax Wide 2, announced on the same day – but the small sensor and 10MP resolution isn’t meant to print out oversized wall hangings.

The small sensor suffers in low light conditions, creating noticeable grain and muddled details much faster than cameras with even a 1/2.3-inch sensor.

The lens is a 28mm equivalent that’s not too wide but not too close and should adapt well to basic street and landscape shots to portraits.

The camera shoots in programmed auto, with an exposure compensation option tucked into the menu. I was relieved to see the option to adjust the exposure somewhat, as the camera’s tiny sensor has a limited dynamic range.

The Pal 2 has a tendency to overexpose, particularly outdoors. Frames that include both bright sun and shadowy patches will end up with overexposed highlights without any user intervention, but that exposure control rescued many of my shots.

Naturally, as a camera coming for Fujifilm, there are several built-in film simulations. There are six profiles built in, but the Instax Pal app can swap to another set of six filters. Along with a standard color profile (which Instax dubs “Pure"), there’s a black-and-white mode, one for built-in lens flares, a soft mode with diffusion, a muted tones option, and a cool color profile. That was plenty of options to play with, though I did miss the double exposure mode found on the Instax Mini Evo.

The camera can also shoot with a film frame added, resizing and fitting a classic digital border around for frameless, Mini, Square, and Wide Instax formats. I didn’t use this feature much, as those frames are easy to add in the Instax Pal app later on, so I found myself wishing I could control exposure compensation with the top lever instead.

The Pal 2 also has a “burst mode” but unlike a typical burst setting, this mode creates short animations.

Speed adds to the Pal 2’s retro feel – which is to say that the camera is a bit slow. There’s a noticeable shutter lag between pressing the shutter and when the photo is taken, so there’s an extra challenge for photographing moving subjects like pets and kids.

Like the original, the Instax Pal 2 is one of the few cameras that carry the Instax name – but doesn’t actually have a printer built in. The Instax Pal 2, however, can connect directly to an Instax printer (or hybrid Instax camera) without a smartphone and print directly from the camera.

I tried the Pal 2 with the new Instax Link Wide 2, which is a good fit for the camera’s wide aspect ratio. The resolution is plenty for printing on Instax Wide, and using real film for those prints levels up the retro charm more than the camera’s built-in presets.

Verdict

The Instax Pal 2 is low on tech and high on retro charm. This is hands-down the cutest little retro camera that I’ve ever used.

But beyond the fact that it's tiny enough to nearly disappear in the palm of my hand, I loved the dual viewfinder options with the classic optical viewfinder and the top-placed screen that feels like a waist-level viewfinder. Add in the toggle and dials, and this tiny camera is just oozing with classic vibes.

Built-in film looks add to the charm, and the built-in port means easy smartphone transfers without packing a cord.

The Pal 2, however, is more of a camera for nostalgia than pixel peeping. The small sensor is a challenge in mixed lighting, and details tend to look more like muddled paintings pretty quickly. The camera is definitely one for getting the look of an older digicam rather than the look of a modern camera.

There’s some shutter lag to contend with and a few other minor annoyances, like the optical viewfinder not being quite accurate. I also wish the exposure compensation was built into a physical control rather than the menu. It’s also one of the few Instax cameras that doesn’t actually print on instant film – you need to buy a separate printer for that.

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Compact cameras in retro designs are trending – but Fujifilm’s newest camera takes both trends to the extreme. The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is a camera tiny enough to disappear in my palm, yet is jam-packed with classic controls and not one but two viewfinders.

Fujifilm sent me the Pal 2, and when the package arrived, I had no idea what was inside. When I opened the box, I probably sounded like a fangirl backstage at a concert. Weighing 41g – that’s less than 1.5 ounces – the Pal 2 is absolutely tiny, yet carries an utterly classic look. It may just be the most adorable camera that I’ve ever shot with.

But despite the small size, Fujifilm has managed to fit not one, but two retro-styled viewfinders on this camera. The first is a classic optical viewfinder, no screen, just a classic cutout. But the Pal 2 also has a tiny one-inch screen at the top that doubles as a waist-level finder. Of course, a real retro waist-level finder was optical too, but managing to fit both an optical viewfinder and a waist-level, albeit electronic, viewfinder is engineering genius.

The Pal 2 looks so unlike the original Pal that I’m a bit surprised Fujifilm didn’t give it a different name. The original was a bubbly little thing that had a keychain hook, no screen, and no controls beyond a shutter button.

The Pal 2 has a lever reminiscent of a film wind lever that switches from standard to shots with a digital Instax frame around them. A dial on the opposite side of the top screen switches through the different built-in film simulation presets, which include black-and-white, a soft diffusion look, and even a mode that digitally adds lens flare.

Using the app, those default presets can be swapped out for a different collection, with the camera supporting six different effects at a time.

As one of Instax’s more affordable digital options, the Pal 2 is as tiny on specs as it is on size. The sensor is a 1/3.06 size that shoots up to 10MP. While that’s small, that’s notably better than the specs on the popular Instax Mini Evo.

The resulting photos are more for the trend towards early 2000s digital cameras than for the modern look – it’s not going to shoot better photos than a smartphone. I’d put the image quality above the Kodak Charmera, but behind the Camp Snap CS-Pro.

There’s, disappointingly, some shutter lag to the Pal 2 that can make it challenging to get perfectly timed shots. There’s also a “burst mode,” but this new mode is built to create a flipbook-style animation out of up to 10 frames.

One of the things that the Pal 2 shares in common with the original is that it's one of the few Instax products that doesn’t actually use instant film. The camera is too small to fit in a printer. Instead, there’s built-in Bluetooth that connects directly to Instax printers without needing a smartphone, including the Instax Wide Link 2 that Fujifilm also announced on September 14.

While the Pal 2 doesn’t need a smartphone to print, the tiny cam does connect to the Instax Pal app. Beyond the wireless connection, I didn’t even need a cord, as there’s a pop-out USB-C that plugs into a smartphone just like a thumb drive. There’s even enough built-in memory for up to 100 photos in addition to a microSD card slot.

Of course, the design isn’t the only thing that’s different from the first generation – the price sits a bit higher as well. The Pal 2 is expected to retail for $170 / £144.99 / CA$220 / AU$249. Shipping is estimated to begin in late September.

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Fujifilm is without a doubt the hottest camera brand on social media right now, and with good reason. While Nikon, Canon and Sony have all been busy cramming the very latest specs into an array of boundary-busting modern marvels, Fujifilm has refused to compete. Instead, it’s doubled down on what it does best. Small, attractive retro-themed mirrorless and compact cameras.

No other camera has embodied the brand's cornering of the market quite like the Fujifilm X100VI. This little compact boasts oodles of character and a high-res 40.2-MP APS-C sensor. It’s a joy to use, small enough to carry around everywhere, and just about the most charming-looking device on the market. And it’s so popular that it’s famously difficult to get hold of even two years after its release.

Availability issues and a comparatively high RRP has meant that many photographers have turned to the back catalogue of Fujifilm X Series cameras available on the used market in order to experience that Fuji magic for themselves. Unsurprisingly, this has wildly inflated used prices; even Fujifilm cameras over a decade old have become sought after for their trendy aesthetic and ability to deliver the Fuji look.

What is the Fuji look?

Fujifilm fans will wax lyrical about the brand’s color science. And while I’ll stop short of calling it the best in the business, it’s definitely gorgeous and definitely stands out in comparison to other camera manufacturers.

What makes Fujifilm’s color science so unique is its series of X-Trans sensors. Or more specifically, the proprietary X-Trans color filter array that it uses instead of the more common Bayer filter that’s present on most other cameras.

But here’s the catch: not all Fujifilm X Series cameras have an X-Trans sensor. A good example is the Fujifilm FinePix X100. The first camera in the brand’s hugely successful X100 series of compact cameras, culminating at the aforementioned Fujifilm X100VI, was launched in 2010 with a Bayer filter array. It wouldn’t be until its successor, 2013’s Fujifilm X100S, that the series would get its first X-Trans sensor.

The FinePix X100 isn’t the only Fujifilm X Series camera to feature a Bayer filter. You can also add the entire Fujifilm X-A series, Fujifilm’s short-lived entry-level mirrorless series – this consisted of the Fujifilm X-T100 and Fujifilm X-T200 – the Fujifilm XF10 compact camera, and the Fujifilm X Half.

To confuse matters further, some Fujifilm X Series cameras feature EXR sensors, which differ slightly from standard CMOS sensors with Bayer filters and Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensors. These are the Fujifilm X10, Fujifilm XF1 and Fujifilm X-S1. Some may tell you that the Fujifilm FinePix X100 has an EXR sensor, but this is a confusion due to it having an EXR image processor.

To be clear, I’m not saying you have to avoid Fujifilm X Series cameras without X-Trans sensors. I’m simply making you aware that if you’re besotted by the Fuji look that’s all over Instagram and you want a faithful alternative on a budget, consider the sensor before you buy a Fujifilm X Series camera.

You’ll even find variations within the X-Trans sensor. For example, the 16-MP X-Trans I was only ever present in the Fujifilm X-E1, Fujifilm X-M1 and Fujifilm X-Pro1, but is considered by some Fuji fans to possess the best color science of any X-Trans sensor and a decidedly filmic look.

A word on Film Simulations

Another key ingredient for the Fuji look is Fujifilm’s much-celebrated Film Simulations. While these have become a Fujifilm X Series staple, they actually predate the series, having been introduced in 2003 on the Fujifilm FinePix F700.

However, if you’re in the market for an older Fujifilm X Series camera, make sure you check what Film Simulations it features before you buy, just in case you have a favorite. I say this because the number of Film Simulations tends to grow with each new generation of X Series camera.

For example, the aforementioned Fujifilm X-Pro1 might be revered for having gorgeous color science, but it features comparatively few Film Simulations to the latest crop of Fujifilm X Series cameras. The most egregious omissions arguably being Classic Chrome and Classic Negative.

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For the latest and greatest from the X Series and more, check out the best Fujifilm cameras. If you're sold on the aesthetic but want to know what else is about, here are the best retro cameras. And here's why the Fujifilm X-M5 finally delivers on the compact promise of the mirrorless camera.

If you're looking to upgrade to a camera that is a video monster, but at a flick of a switch turns into a stunning stills camera, then the Canon EOS R5 C is the perfect choice - and it's now cut in price yet again!

Now at its LOWEST-EVER UK price of just £2,399 at Wex Photo Video, following another price drop for Canon Store Week, you can get your hands on this amazing camera to shoot an astonishing 8K video internally, while also being able to take stills at a razor-sharp 45-megapixels.

The Canon EOS R5 C might not be the first mirrorless camera to feature in the list of best Netflix-approved cameras, but it is the very first professional and best mirrorless camera that can shoot native 8K video, and in 12-bit 60p no less! 

While the Canon EOS R5 C is, at its core, very similar to the standard Canon EOS R5, it is specifically a Cinema EOS product. Therefore, you can unleash the camera's full video potential, including the ability to shoot internal full-frame 8K video up to 60p in 12-bit Cinema Raw Light, optimized for HDR footage – though the camera must be connected to an external power source (including new Canon mains adapter, or a power bank) to shoot 8K 60p. Internally, it also shoots Super 35 up to 5.9K 60p and Super 16 up to 2.9K 60p, giving professional and amateur filmmakers alike a lot of production options for any size shoot.

Overall the Canon EOS R5 C is a true professional Cinema EOS product, that also has the benefit of being able to take 45MP stills when you need them, and now that it is officially approved by Netflix, I can see the Canon EOS R5 C being a great B-cam to bigger cinema cameras, or even being the main A-cam recording your next block-busting documentary or indie film for the streaming giant.

Are you a huge Nikon fan like me? Then you absolutely have to watch this retro documentary about the legendary optical manufacturer’s history. I first caught wind of The Eye of Science – Nikon via Japanese news outlet Digital Camera Life, which linked to the YouTube video by @NPO法人科学映像館 (below).

This 30-minute documentary was produced in 1966. For context, that’s the same year that England won the World Cup and Star Trek debuted on TV. But in Nikon terms, it was the year after the Nikon F Photomic T and Nikkormat FT/FS were released.

And indeed, the film showcases the aforementioned then-latest additions to the Nikon line-up being manufactured and carefully assembled by hand. The film also includes Nikon F cameras undergoing shutter durability tests: said to be “approaching 150,000 consecutive cycles”.

Perhaps the most interesting process is the manufacturing of lens elements. They start life as huge, rugged blocks of glass that are chipped down into carefully selected cubes. They’re then heated, pressed and precisely ground into spherical lens elements before being polished and assembled.

The film doesn’t just lift the lid on the company’s manufacturing processes; it also touches upon Nikon’s then-impact on the wider world, including the Nikon F’s Motor Drive, which enabled 4-fps burst shooting. That’s nothing today, but it was revolutionary back then. Even Nikon’s waterproof 35mm film camera, the Nikonos (I), makes an appearance.

And of course, Nikon’s business is much more than just its imaging division. The documentary also touches upon the company’s other optical products, including microscopes, telescopes, medical equipment and more. If you have any interest in Nikon or camera manufacturing in general, and have a spare 30 minutes, this video is definitely worth watching.

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Are you into retro Nikon film cameras? The Nikon FM is an SLR in its purest form. Perhaps you like the retro look but want the many advantages of a modern mirrorless camera. If so, take a look at the Nikon Zf.

These three mirrorless models deliver excellent price-to-performance value – and right now, you can save up to $350 at B&H. Two bundles include accessories at no extra cost, since the price matches the camera body alone, making the extras essentially free.

The Canon EOS R8 is now available for just $1,349 at B&H – a $300 discount from its original $1,649 price tag. Included: Corel Paintshop Pro Ultimate Agnostic for Windows, priced at $69.99.

The Nikon Z6 II is now available in a basic bundle for just $1,396.95 at B&H – a $350 discount from the original $1,746.95 price tag, including a shoulder bag and 128GB memory card.

The Sony A7 III is now available in a basic bundle for just $1,698 at B&H– a $300 discount from the original price of $1,998. This deal includes a shoulder bag and 128GB memory card.

Canon EOS R8

Budget-friendly option for Canon DSLR users and vloggers

The Canon EOS R8 offers an affordable entry into full-frame territory. It keeps the familiar Canon interface, supports your DSLR lenses via an adapter, and packs modern features into a lightweight, compact body.

The only notable limitation is the lack of IBIS, which might be a deal-breaker if you do a lot of handheld shooting with long lenses or video. In that case, the EOS R6 II is worth considering, though it comes with a much higher price tag.

Nikon Z6 II

Best for Nikon DSLR switchers and hybrid shooters

If you're moving from a Nikon DSLR like the D750 or D780, the Nikon Z6 II is hands-down a smooth upgrade. It features a similar body design, intuitive Nikon menus, and excellent ergonomics.

While Nikon's Z-mount lens selection isn't as extensive as Sony's or Canon's, you can make use of your existing DSLR lenses via an adapter.

Sony A7 III

Ideal for system switchers and DSLR upgraders

The Sony A7 III remains one of the most versatile full-frame cameras in its price range and packs pro-level features.

It gives you maximum mirrorless flexibility as the Sony E-mount ecosystem is the most mature on the market, boasting a huge range of native lenses and third-party support from brands like Tamron and Sigma.

Comparison

If I were to pick a mirrorless full-frame camera today, I'd lean toward the Sony A7 III.

Its unmatched lens options and flexibility make it a standout choice, especially if you're open to switching systems entirely.

That said, if you want to stick with your current brand and already own a lot of DSLR lenses, staying within the same ecosystem is a smart and budget-friendly way to jump into mirrorless photography.

Want to browse more mirrorless options? Here are the best mirrorless cameras, along with the best cameras for beginners.

If you're searching for a lightweight, compact travel camera to capture every moment of your adventures, check out these four deals from Wex at Amazon – each features or comes bundled with a versatile lens.

The Sony A6700 with 18-135mm lens is now just £1,699 at Wex – you save £100 from the original price of £1,799.

The OM System Tough TG-7 in black is now just £416.59 at Amazon – you save £83.40 off its £499.99 RRP.

The Pentax WG-8 in green is now just £343.90 at Amazon – you save £136.09 off the original price of £479.99.

Sony A6700

Most versatile

The Sony A6700 compact mirrorless camera packs serious power. It features a 26.1MP APS-C sensor, fast 11fps burst shooting, in-body image stabilization, and 4K60p video.

Whether you're snapping cityscapes or wildlife on safari, it's ready to deliver stunning photos and smooth video.

Sony improved the autofocus and button layout, making it easier to use on the go – even if the body is still pretty compact. You can pair it with a huge range of Sony E-mount lenses – or third-party options – to suit whatever trip you're on.

OM System Tough TG-7

Best waterproof

With the OM System Tough TG-7, you never have to worry about weather or terrain. It's built to be a companion on any adventure: waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof.

Its 12MP sensor can actually capture more light where it's often dim. Plus, it shoots RAW and bursts up to 20fps – perfect for catching fast moments. The TG-7 has a 4x zoom (approx. 25-100mm in 35mm terms) with a standout macro mode that lets you snap amazing close-ups and 4K video.

It's simple, durable, and versatile – the perfect when you need a reliable camera that won't quit.

Pentax WG-8

Most budget-friendly

The Pentax WG-8 is built tough to survive water, dust, drops, freezing temps – you name it. It's perfect if you want a camera that's truly adventure-proof, without spending big.

With a 20MP sensor and 5x optical zoom (approx. 28-140mm in 35mm terms). It shoots decent photos and 4k video at 30fps.

It also shines in ultra-close-up shots, and it performs well underwater and in extreme conditions where other cameras might fail. It's a solid budget-friendly choice for anyone needing a tough, reliable camera for travel.

Discover more and browse the best travel cameras, best compact cameras and best point and shoot cameras

With the launch of the Insta360 Luna Pro – a seemingly high-end product name – the company has actually filled the gap beneath its Luna Ultra, to offer both a single-camera and a dual-camera variant of its new pocket gimbal camera.

This kind of lightweight, wand-held camera – with stabilizing technology reminiscent of a tiny Steadicam – was pioneered by DJI with its Osmo Pocket series, and both companies have recently delivered two models in the category. The difference is that, for Insta360, this is a first. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 and Pocket 4P have generational improvements, while Insta360 has started from scratch.

Given that blank slate, Insta360 has made some different choices when it comes to build, value for money, and the surprising (but welcome) remote control system. Does that make it the best proposition? That's what I'm testing...

Price

The Insta360 Luna Pro is launching at $599.99 / £469 / AU$809 for the Standard Version. This is the model I tested, and is supplied with a goos-quality zip case, a rubber protector for the gimbal, a wrist strap, and a USB-C cable. That puts it at $170 / £180 less than the Insta360 Luna Ultra – putting a very specific price on the additional optics (curiously, a higher one in the UK).

Specs

Build & handling

The Luna Pro feels a lot like the Luna Ultra, but without the extra-wide WALL-E like 'head'. The Ultra hasn't been out long, so there is a decent chance you won't have held one in your hand either, but it's worth knowing that the Pro and Ultra share the same core mechanics.

Both versions share the detachable touchscreen remote control (even though a lot of A.I. summaries inaccurately suggest that this is an optional upgrade).

Personally I feel like the Luna series devices have a pleasing weight to the grip's body, and perhaps it is even better on the Pro because, with a single camera at the top, the balance is closer to perfect.

The 90-degree flick of the 2-inch touchscreen to activate the camera – acting like a power switch – is a brilliantly natural maneuver, albeit first seen on the DJI Osmo Pocket 3.

Where Insta360 have definitely pushed things ahead (in my view) is their arrangement of the other controls. By creating a dedicated zoom switch, separate from the thumbstick, you don't need to switch the main camera controls from one to another using an unnatural touchscreen control, as you do on the DJI alternatives (both Pocket 3 and Pocket 4 series have the same flaw).

The entire control array is detachable. That is the screen/switch, two buttons at the bottom of the screen, thumbstick, zoom controller and record button. Obviously that has some risk in terms of dirt and dust, but a gimbal camera is far from invulnerable anyway, so it doesn't seem an unacceptable risk (as I discovered, the control section will let you know if it is having trouble communicating with the rest of the camera, and let you know how to clean it!)

Like its sibling, the camera has a detachable base that extends the controller and has a tiny fold-out tripod which, despite being made of paperclip-like materials, is actually very useful a lot of the time. In the middle of that is a standard tripod thread, too, so it's just a handy backup.

Not in the standard bundle, but an option, is an extended battery that can attach here instead (and, thoughtfully, Insta360 put the tripod and thread in that, too).

The device also boasts a microphone in the detachable remote, and 47GB of built-in storage (should you forget your MicroSD card, for which there is also a rubber-sealed slot on the right-hand side as you look from the operator's side.

Performance

While the Luna Pro does indeed lack a second camera, so also drops 12x telephoto (3x and some digital help, since you ask), virtually nothing else is missing.

The closest focusing distance is 9cm (3 inches), meaning that if you have vlogging in mind you won't have to hold the camera too far away from you (that's good as some newer action cameras with larger image sensors do have issues here).

The Luna Pro still boasts the abilities of the Ultra when it comes to video; 8K30 video, or 4K120, and shoots in SDR, Dolby Vision HDR, and its own I-Log for editing. It also panorama photo mode, slow-mo mode and 'PureVideo' – Insta360's night mode.

There is still enough telephoto fun, digitally, for 3x zoom at three different speeds, and 4x coming with a software update I've yet to test. You do need to pop the settings out to change tracking speeds fast, medium and slow are the only choices, it's not touch-sensitive, but you can't have everything.

I did find that, in some situations, the camera overheated when recording extended 8K – a problem it shares with its premium sibling.

Overall Verdict

First impressions of the Luna Pro are very good, and if you have no need for the longer tele camera, then this is a choice that could save you a good deal of money.

Personally I'd do my best to find the extra cash, though, because I always see the advantage in optical zoom. I found (when testing the Luna Ultra) that I had a lot of use for the telephoto camera because it created a natural softening of the background and – since there are several ways to record sound wirelessly – that didn't' come at the expense of audio quality.

More casual users, though, more interested in finding a replacement for a DJI Osmo Pocket or equivalent, could do a lot worse than this.

Alternatives

Japan's camera market is an important one to watch for photography industry trends. Now, major retailer Map Camera has published its latest camera popularity ranking for August 2026, and four compact cameras feature in Japan's Top 10 alongside the latest mirrorless models.

Sony's A7 V takes the No.1 spot, continuing its strong run since launching in December 2025. But just behind is the Ricoh GR IV – a cult compact available in three versions tailored to different photographic styles: the standard GR IV, GR IV HDF and GR IV Monochrome. Another variant, the Ricoh GR IVx, is currently under development.

The Fujifilm X100VI is also near the top despite ongoing supply constraints. Meanwhile, Canon's PowerShot SX749 HS / Lite and PowerShot G7X Mark III make the Top 10 – compacts that have been around for years but are still proving popular with buyers, offering a genuinely straightforward shooting experience. Interestingly, a twin-lens pocket gimbal camera also made the chart.

Map Camera's Top 10 cameras, August 2026

1. Sony A7 V | Mirrorless camera
2. Ricoh GR IV | Compact camera
3. Fujifilm X100VI | Compact camera
4. Canon PowerShot SX740 HS / Lite | Compact camera
5. Sony a6700 | Mirrorless camera
6. Fujifilm X-M5 | Mirrorless camera
7. DJI Osmo Pocket 4P | Pocket gimbal camera
8. Fujifilm X-T30 III | Mirrorless camera
9. Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III | Compact camera
10. Canon EOS R6 Mark II | Mirrorless camera

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When it comes to discovering and utilizing the benefits of new technology, has the stills photography market currently stalled? Recent industry data from Japan-based expert CIPA confirms, in terms of overall shipments, it’s certainly slowed.

September is often the month in which a handful of new cameras get announced – to go on sale during the all-important lead-up to Christmas – but until now we’ve witnessed the fewest new models released in a year for, oh, at least three decades (though there are plentiful rumors).

Rather than panic, however, I’ve decided to focus on the positive.

Covering my ears to news of a paucity of increasingly expensive memory components, reduced demand and changing consumer habits, I believe we should, to re-hash the famous quote from UK PM Harold Macmillan, be grateful we’ve never had it so good.

That may sound like a bonkers assumption when even the once all-conquering mirrorless camera market has matured, and sales have dipped for the first time. We’re not seeing the great strides in adoption we used to, because photographers wanting to switch from DSLR to a smaller format have already done so. Mirrorless cameras have been around for almost two decades, after all.

On top of this, we have the oft-reported news of a younger ‘Gen Z’ crowd wanting retro-styled fixed-lens compacts that give acceptable results, rather than a traditional interchangeable lens camera that gives great ones.

What else? Ah, yes, the high cost of the most fully featured full-frame sensor camera is also off-putting to all but the most dedicated photographer. And many feel that the race to offer the most megapixels possible to prompt a purchase is over too.

Like a police officer sizing up a suburban speed limit, I too have concurred that ‘twenty (megapixels) is plenty.’

But with AI-enhanced subject recognition and autofocus, in-camera data to reassure us that captured images are authentic rather than AI slop, plus stacked sensors eliminating rolling shutter, all being things we have quickly come to take for granted, I reckon the time’s come to finally pose the question: ‘what more do we want/ need?’

If a slowdown in manufacturers’ release schedules gives us time to not only ponder but also answer that question, then it’s no bad thing.

And rather than any longer rushing to look for, or embrace, the latest supposed must-have, I’m just grateful that the time we’re living through now is, via successive iterations of tech, indeed the best photographers have ever had.

There are plenty of cameras designed for street photography, but very few have become quite so intertwined with the genre as the Ricoh GR. Spend enough time around street photographers, and you will eventually spot one: a small, almost anonymous black camera being carried in a jacket pocket, held casually in one hand, and used with remarkably little ceremony.

The latest Ricoh GR IV continues that tradition, and I think that is exactly why this little camera has developed such a cult-like following around the world. It isn't trying to look expensive; it doesn't scream for attention, and there isn't even a viewfinder sticking out of the top. Instead, the GR has become something much more interesting: a camera that photographers buy because they simply want to take photographs.

That philosophy goes back much further than the GR IV. Ricoh introduced the original film GR1 in October 1996, pairing a 28mm f/2.8 lens with an exceptionally slim body that could genuinely disappear into a pocket. The series moved into digital photography with the GR Digital in 2005 before eventually adopting the larger APS-C sensor that helped establish the modern GR formula.

Nearly 30 years later, remarkably little about the fundamental idea has changed. Ricoh itself describes the GR as pursuing the idea of the "ultimate snapshooter," built around image quality, portability, and quick response, and I think that consistency explains a huge part of its appeal. The photography industry has spent decades chasing more lenses, more buttons, more resolution, and increasingly complicated features. Ricoh has largely responded by saying: here is a small camera with a 28mm lens; now go take photographs.

The GR IV is perhaps the purest modern expression of that idea. It uses a 25.74MP APS-C sensor paired with a fixed 18.3mm f/2.8 lens, giving the familiar 28mm full-frame equivalent field of view that has defined most of the GR lineage. It measures just 109.4 x 61.1 x 32.7mm and weighs around 262g with its battery and memory card fitted.

That matters enormously for street photography because the best street camera, at least in my opinion, is often the camera that creates the least friction between seeing something and photographing it. A larger interchangeable-lens camera might technically offer better autofocus, faster burst rates, or more resolution, but none of that means very much if it is sitting at home because you couldn't be bothered to carry it. The GR IV is small enough to become part of your everyday routine, and once a camera reaches that point, it starts capturing pictures that another camera simply wouldn't have been there to take.

Then there is the way the GR encourages you to shoot. The 28mm focal length forces you to get involved with the world rather than observe it from a comfortable distance, while Ricoh's Snap Focus system has become almost tailor-made for spontaneous street photography.

On the GR IV, predetermined focusing distances include 0.3m, 1m, 1.5m, 2m, 2.5m, 3.5m, 5m, and infinity, while Full Press Snap lets the camera jump directly to the selected distance when the shutter is fully pressed. It is an approach that can feel refreshingly different in an era obsessed with subject recognition and increasingly intelligent autofocus.

Instead of waiting for a computer to decide what you wanted to photograph, you can set your distance, understand your depth of field, anticipate where your subject will be, and shoot. There is something wonderfully old-school about that, and it turns the GR from a small point-and-shoot into a genuinely instinctive photographic tool.

That simplicity doesn't mean the GR IV is technologically basic, either. The new camera has five-axis sensor-shift stabilization, hybrid phase-detection and contrast-detection autofocus, ISO sensitivity extending from 100 to 204800, 14-bit DNG RAW capture, a built-in 2EV ND filter, and a surprisingly generous 53GB of internal storage alongside its microSD card slot.

Yet almost none of those features interfere with the reason you bought the camera in the first place. That is important. Some modern cameras can feel like computers that happen to have lenses attached, with endless menus and features constantly reminding you what they are capable of. The GR IV feels more like a photographic notebook.

You pull it out, photograph what caught your attention, put it back in your pocket, and continue walking. It is difficult to quantify that kind of usability on a specification sheet, but for documentary and street photography it can be more valuable than another hundred autofocus modes.

Sample images

And I think that is ultimately how the Ricoh GR became a cult icon. It has never needed to be the prettiest compact camera, the most technologically extravagant, or the one hanging around the neck of every influencer on Instagram. Its appeal is quieter than that.

The GR has spent three decades building a reputation among photographers who value being able to carry a genuinely capable camera everywhere, and the GR IV keeps that philosophy alive rather than attempting to reinvent it. In a world where smartphones have supposedly made compact cameras redundant, the continued fascination with the GR proves there is still enormous value in a camera designed around one very specific purpose.

The Ricoh GR IV isn't really trying to replace your entire camera bag. It wants to live in your pocket and be there for the fraction of a second when something worth photographing happens. For street photographers across the globe, that has been enough to turn a very small black camera into something approaching an icon.

Shop the Ricoh GR IV

Sigma’s long-awaited 85mm f/1.2 DG Art is now available to preorder. For portrait photographers looking for a seriously fast prime, this could be one of the most exciting lenses Sigma has released in years.

In the US, the new 85mm f/1.2 can be preordered from B&H and Adorama for $1,599, while UK photographers can order from Wex Photo Video, London Camera Exchange, and Park Cameras for £1,299.

The lens will be available in both Sony E-mount and L-Mount versions, with Sigma officially listing September 30, 2026 as its launch date.

An 85mm lens has always been something of a sweet spot for portrait photography, but combining that classic focal length with an f/1.2 maximum aperture takes things to another level. That exceptionally wide aperture allows photographers to create an incredibly shallow depth of field and really separate a subject from the background, while also giving the lens serious low-light capabilities.

Sigma has paired this with a 13-blade rounded diaphragm, which is designed to maintain smooth, near-circular bokeh even as the lens is stopped down. For portraits, weddings and fashion photography in particular, that combination has the potential to deliver exactly the kind of three-dimensional rendering photographers want from a premium 85mm prime.

Of course, an f/1.2 aperture means very little if a lens cannot deliver the optical quality to make the most of it, and this is where Sigma’s Art series pedigree becomes important. The 85mm f/1.2 DG Art uses 17 elements arranged in 12 groups, including two SLD elements alongside high anomalous-dispersion glass and aspherical elements.

Sigma says this design has been developed to suppress axial chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, and sagittal coma flare, with the aim of maintaining impressive resolving power even when the lens is being used wide open at f/1.2. That is particularly important with today’s high-resolution full-frame cameras, where any optical weaknesses can quickly become obvious.

Perhaps one of the most impressive things about the new Sigma, however, is that the company has somehow managed to stop an 85mm f/1.2 from becoming an absolute monster. The lens weighs 905g and measures approximately 119.7mm long in its L-Mount version, with Sigma claiming it is the smallest and lightest autofocus 85mm f/1.2 lens in its class for full-frame mirrorless cameras as of September 2026.

It is certainly not what I would call a lightweight everyday prime, but considering the amount of glass and that enormous maximum aperture, Sigma has clearly put some serious work into making this lens practical enough for weddings, portraits and location work rather than restricting it to the studio.

Autofocus should also make the 85mm f/1.2 considerably easier to live with than some ultra-fast portrait lenses. Sigma has equipped it with a dual HLA, or High-response Linear Actuator, focusing system designed to provide fast, quiet, and accurate AF for both stills and video.

That becomes especially important at f/1.2, where depth of field can be razor thin and even a small focusing error can mean the difference between perfectly sharp eyes and a missed shot. Video shooters have not been forgotten either, with Sigma specifically designing the lens to suppress focus breathing, alongside an aperture ring, aperture-ring lock, click/de-click switch, and two customizable AFL buttons.

Sample images

At $1,599 / £1,299, the Sigma 85mm f/1.2 DG Art is unquestionably a premium lens, but it also feels like an impressive amount of glass for the money when you consider exactly what Sigma is offering. You are getting that enormous f/1.2 aperture, a professional Art-series optical design, sophisticated autofocus, weather-resistant construction, and a surprisingly manageable body.

More importantly, this finally completes Sigma’s current f/1.2 Art prime lineup alongside the 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art and 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art. For Sony and L-Mount photographers who want the ultimate combination of subject separation, low-light performance, and classic 85mm portrait rendering, this looks like a lens that could be very difficult to resist.

Atomos has arrived at IBC 2026 with two new monitors, although they sit at rather different ends of the production spectrum. The new Shinobi 7 II is aimed squarely at photographers, filmmakers and content creators who want a bigger screen on their camera, while the enormous Shogun AV-19M is designed more for broadcast studios, production galleries and video villages.

For most of us, the Shinobi 7 II is the more interesting of the pair. Atomos has squeezed a 7-inch HDR touchscreen into what it describes as a lightweight, on-camera design, while boosting brightness to a pretty substantial 2,800 nits. That should make checking focus and exposure considerably easier outdoors.

The Shinobi 7 II also connects to compatible cameras over USB-C, allowing you to adjust aperture, shutter speed or angle, ISO, and white balance directly from the touchscreen. Some cameras will also support touch-to-focus and shutter release, which could make the Shinobi particularly handy for working with cameras positioned in awkward places.

Atomos has included its usual collection of monitoring tools, including EL Zone, false color, waveform, vectorscope, focus peaking, zebras and anamorphic de-squeeze, alongside 3D LUT support and on-device display calibration. HDMI tops out at 4K 30p, while power can come from USB-C PD or the familiar Sony NP-F battery system. The Shinobi 7 II arrives in September for $499 / £510 / €499.

Then there is the Shogun AV-19M. The 19-inch rackmount touchscreen combines 4K HDR DCI-P3 monitoring with NDI HX3, 12G-SDI and HDMI connectivity. It can show one NDI feed full-screen or display four network video sources simultaneously in a quad-view layout.

It also gets Atomos' professional exposure and focus tools, customizable function buttons, and an optional ruggedized flypack for taking the display on location. The Shogun AV-19M will arrive in October priced at $1,899 / €1,899.

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Check out more of the best on-camera monitors in our guide.

There was a time when an action camera really was a press-and-play device. You strapped it to something, pointed it vaguely in the right direction, pressed record and hoped that whatever happened next was worth watching.

I was a very early adopter of the now positively ancient GoPro Hero4 Black, back in 2014, and while it wasn't the first GoPro capable of recording 4K, it was the model that finally made 4K genuinely useful at 30fps.

For most of us, though, the shooting process remained wonderfully uncomplicated: choose your resolution, hit the big red button before the action started and forget about it.

If you were feeling particularly pioneering, you bought the remote control and suddenly felt like Steven Spielberg because you could start recording from several feet away.

I suspect that is still how plenty of photographers and filmmakers think about action cameras today. They are tiny boxes designed to record your mediocre mountain-bike session, capture the awesome surfing line that took you 12 attempts to nail or sit on the dashboard during a road trip.

And having not really owned an action camera since 2014, I was guilty of thinking the same thing. Then I started digging properly into the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 Videography Bundle and realized just how dramatically this category has changed.

From the outside, it might look like another fancy rugged action camera ready to be thrown into the sea, clipped to a bike or attached to something questionable at high speed. And that is absolutely still true. But start exploring its menus and accessories, and it quickly becomes apparent that this is far more than an action camera.

In fact, I think the best way to describe the Ace Pro 2 is as a miniature video production suite. The camera's 8K sensor enables a 2x 4K Clarity Zoom, while the Xplorer Grip Pro adds physical exposure and zoom controls and its own 2010mAh battery.

Attach the dedicated Cinematic Lens and you can shoot in a 2.35:1 widescreen format, with deliberately cinematic flare characteristics, rather than simply cropping conventional action-camera footage afterwards.

The grip and camera together can also provide up to 140 minutes of recording at 4K 60fps with Active HDR enabled, according to Insta360's own testing.

Sample images

4K video sample

Then you get to the color options – and this is where things become slightly ridiculous for something small enough to disappear into a jacket pocket.

There are built-in Leica color profiles, including Leica Eternal, Leica BW HC, Leica Natural and Leica Vivid, giving you distinctly different approaches to contrast, saturation and mood straight out of camera.

There are also film-inspired profiles and filters, while I-Log gives more serious filmmakers additional information and flexibility for grading in post-production, complete with an official LUT preview on the camera.

That is the sort of terminology and workflow I normally expect to encounter when discussing mirrorless cameras and dedicated cinema cameras, not something traditionally associated with being cable-tied to a helmet.

Portrait Mode is another example of how far things have moved beyond simply recording whatever happens to be in front of the lens. The Ace Pro 2 can optimize faces while simultaneously working to prevent the background from becoming overexposed, and you can separately control skin smoothing and brightening.

More importantly for creators, Portrait Mode can still be combined with Leica and film profiles, so this isn't merely a beauty filter bolted onto an action camera; it is part of a much more sophisticated attempt to make the tiny camera capable of producing finished-looking footage without requiring a large production setup.

PureVideo might be the feature that surprised me most. The Ace Pro 2 uses its sensor and dual-chip system with real-time AI noise reduction and enhanced brightness to deal with difficult low-light scenes, and it can now operate at up to 4K 60fps.

PureVideo Plus goes further at 4K 30fps and below, while Insta360 specifically highlights improved highlight compression around bright light sources and better stabilization in dark environments.

Think neon signs against a black night sky, streetlights surrounded by deep shadows or an interior with a bright window in the background – exactly the sort of contrast that used to make tiny action-camera footage scream "action camera".

It isn't magically going to turn every clip into a Hollywood production, but use these tools properly and the resulting footage can look astonishingly controlled for something this small.

And that, ultimately, is what has changed my mind. Modern action cameras can still be the wonderfully simple devices we remember: press record, do something stupid, come back and watch it later.

But dismissing them as nothing more than that now feels hopelessly outdated. Spend some time learning the Ace Pro 2, experiment with I-Log, Leica profiles, PureVideo, Portrait Mode, the Cinematic Lens and the various exposure controls, and you begin treating it less like an accessory and more like a camera.

After more than a decade away from action cameras, I genuinely wasn't prepared for how sophisticated they had become. The 8K Insta360 Ace Pro 2 feels like the pinnacle of that transformation: a tiny powerhouse that can document the action when you want it to but, in the right hands, is also capable of some seriously advanced filmmaking.

As a portrait photographer, I tend to avoid ultra-wide lenses like I avoid crowds in flu season. But when Sony introduced the first native E-mount fisheye, I felt strangely inspired to combine my favorite photography genre – portraits – with the wild world of a lens that can see in 180°.

The Sony FE 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G captures an unusually wide 180° view, creating the classic circular "fisheye lens look" at 8mm but filling the frame and still getting that classic fisheye distortion at 14mm.

Portraits are perhaps an unusual genre – though certainly not unheard of – for a fisheye. But, inspired by the wacky perspective, I wanted to shoot in an equally wild location.

Grabbing the new 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G and the Sony A7 V, I drove to the most colorful location I could think of and headed to a brightly-colored mural painted across a set of silos.

The mural, Shine Bright Saginaw, is actually the second-largest in the US, painted by Okuda San Miguel along with a team of local artists.

I was drawn to the location by both its size and wild colors – after all, why shoot with a 180° lens without an oversized scene?

Fisheye lenses embrace the barrel distortion of an ultra-wide view, rather than trying to correct that “imperfection.” Straight lines warp into a curve and, when angled just right, the lens creates almost what looks like the reverse of a 360 camera’s “tiny planet” effect.

Along with embracing barrel distortion, the 180° view succumbs to a lot of perspective distortion – but when used appropriately, that distortion can create kooky images that feel more fun than warped.

Anything up close to the lens will look far larger than anything even just slightly farther away. The 8-14mm f/3.5 Fisheye G can shoot as close as 150mm / 5.91 inches, so there’s plenty of room for exaggerating that fisheye look by getting in close.

Fitting a 180° view into one frame is a challenge in that there’s very little ability to crop any distractions out of the scene.

I had to be careful posing and angling the camera to embrace the distortion where I wanted but not where I didn’t. I also had to be careful not to get my own feet in the frame, as 8mm is so wide that even the lens hood will show in the shot.

Aside from resisting the itch to clone out background litter, I didn’t even feel like I had to edit the photos – the images here are all JPEGs. (The header image has a black border added, as a 16:9 will crop into the circle – something for videographers to take note of.)

I’m a portrait photographer whose 50mm – which has a 75mm equivalent look on my APS-C camera – rarely ever leaves my mirrorless body. But shooting with Sony’s first E-mount fisheye was a lot more fun than I expected.

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For more distorted ultra-wide inspiration, browse the best fisheye lenses.

There’s a shedload of basic, fixed-lens snapshot cameras from various brand licensees selling remarkably well right now – all instead of traditional, more respected manufacturers issuing their own. And, to quote queen of country pop Shania Twain, that don’t impress me much.

Especially as I’ve tested most of these ‘zombie brands’ and found them lacking a lot of innovation from the past 20 years. It’s as if we’ve rewound the clock to 2006 and removed its battery.

There was, until relatively recently, however, a brand making surprisingly pocketable and successful compacts. One that has, so far, been overlooked in the latest compact camera revival: Casio.

The tech world moves so fast that I’d almost forgotten the digital watch manufacturer also released its own brand of point-and-shoot cameras. They were sold from 2002 until 2018 – and very successfully, too.

Casio’s slender, tiny sensor-incorporating snappers took the adjectives ‘extraordinary’ and ‘slim’ and merged them to fashion the ‘Exilim’ range – which, complete with retractable zoom lenses, was one that could truly claim to be credit card-sized. At least in terms of height and width, if not quite in depth.

But with the widespread decline in compact camera sales towards the end of the decade – and mounting losses prior to the recent revival – Casio shuttered its camera division.

However, given current demand, now feels like the perfect time for Casio to reappraise its fixed lens output. These were marketed as ‘wearable compact cameras’ after all, which I believe would once again appeal perfectly to today’s bling-obsessed youngsters.

Key releases included the likes of the Casio Exilim S100, which introduced the world-first of a ceramic lens, while its EX-F1 model offered a then-lightning-fast 60fps burst capture at full resolution. Prior to that, the QV-10 had been the first digicam with a TFT LCD monitor, while its rotating lens was a much-copied novelty.

So, it’s not like Casio was ever in it purely to make a fast buck with any old tat; it brought real innovation, too. Sadly, though, that wasn’t enough when most casual snappers moved on to just buying the latest camera phone.

The last ever Exilim model was the Japan-only EX-100 in 2014 (the camera at the top of this article), prior to its manufacturer pulling the plug… once and for all? Well, we’ll see.

While Casio cameras never really enticed the photo enthusiast, they did extremely well in sticking to their own small sensor-incorporating, snapshot camera-sized lane.

And, I feel, that’s what positions the brand more perfectly than most to capitalize on the latest revival of that market segment and make a success of it again. Should the infrastructure and desire still exist, of course.

If Casio itself isn’t interested, surely there is a potential licensor out there who might be…

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Looking for something small you can still buy today? Take a look at the best compact cameras along with the best keychain cameras.

By the late Sixties, the West German firm Carl Zeiss had a problem: it had lost its original Contax camera business in the process of Germany (and Zeiss) being split into East and West at the end of World War II.

Zeiss still designed world-class optics, but the high cost of German labor meant that it no longer had a competitive 35mm SLR system. Japanese manufacturers – especially Pentax, Nikon, Canon and Minolta – were dominating the market.

At the time, Asahi Optical was arguably Japan's strongest SLR manufacturer. Its Pentax Spotmatic had become a roaring success, and Asahi had an excellent reputation for mechanical precision and lens coatings. Zeiss saw Pentax as an ideal manufacturing partner.

Their short-lived collaboration did see the development of what became the Pentax K-mount and the exchange of optical design methods.

The exact reasons why the collaboration failed have never been fully documented, but it seems that Pentax was more interested in building its own brand than manufacturing premium cameras for someone else. It also seemed that Zeiss wanted greater influence over the camera system than Pentax was willing to grant.

Thus, around 1972, the collaboration ended amicably and Zeiss began searching for another Japanese partner.

The secret project starts to form

Yashica's situation was very different. Unlike Pentax, it was looking to move upmarket. It had the manufacturing expertise and excellent integration of electronics in its cameras, but had never managed to “crack’ the professional market.

Thus, Yashica was willing to build an entirely new professional camera system around Zeiss's requirements. Which brings us to the “Top Secret Project 130”.

“Top Secret Project 130” was the internal codename for one of the most significant collaborations in camera history: the partnership between Yashica and Carl Zeiss to create the new professional-grade 35mm SLR system that revived the Contax brand.

Zeiss designed the lenses and helped define the optical viewfinder, while Yashica engineered and manufactured the body, incorporating advanced electronic shutter technology.

The camera was styled by Porsche Design in Germany, under Professor Ferdinand Alexander (grandson of the legendary Ferdinand Porsche and designer of the Porsche 911 automobile).

The result was the stunningly beautiful Contax RTS (Real Time System), introduced at Photokina 1974 and commercially released in 1975.

It featured a new Contax / Yashica bayonet lens mount, an electronically controlled focal-plane shutter with speeds up to 1/2000 sec and, of course, the famous Zeiss T* coated lenses. The emphasis was placed on fast operation and reliability, aiming squarely at professionals.

Yashica took the opportunity to upgrade its already very good lenses, with the Yashica FR (1977-1982) and simpler FX (1978-2002) series of SLRs becoming the “poor man’s Contax” – much in the same way that the earlier Nikkormat series (1965-1978) of SLRs had become the “poor man’s Nikon F”.

The common lens mount enabled photographers to “buy into” the Contax system and expand it with lower-cost, but still excellent, Yashica lenses if they could not afford the real McCoy. Or purchase the lower-priced Yashica body but shoot with genuine Zeiss optics – a path taken by many.

The Contax RTS was followed in 1982 by the RTS II, offering a quartz-controlled shutter (for greater accuracy), titanium shutter curtains (for improved durability) and TTL flash metering (a major advance at the time).

In 1990, the RTS III appeared. It was an almost totally new camera with a deeper grip, a 100% viewfinder, a 1/8000 sec shutter, spot metering and more sophisticated electronics. But its real claim to fame was the RTV (Real Time Vacuum) film transport system.

At the instant of exposure, a tiny vacuum pump pulled the film tightly against a precision ceramic pressure plate, producing exceptionally flat film and thus minimizing focus errors caused by slight film curvature.

Concise production numbers are unknown, but it seems that somewhere between 185,000-235,000 RTS series cameras were made.

By comparison, the Yashica FR (aimed at advanced amateurs) and the more affordable, entry-level FX cameras sold approximately 605,000-865,000. This discrepancy is due to the Yashica cameras being both less expensive and in production far longer.

Unsolved mysteries

There remain three curiosities with this story. First, the term “Top Secret Project 130” was never used in marketing – and neither firm ever explained the significance (if any) of the number 130.

The second is that virtually all the Yashica and Contax bodies were made in Yashica’s factories, other than the FX-3. Introduced in 1979. The Yashica FX-3 was to be a lower-cost, mechanically simple camera to attract newcomers to the Contax / Yashica lens ecosystem.

The camera was designed to Yashica's specifications but manufactured by Cosina as an OEM product. It proved extremely successful and remained in production – with updates such as the FX-3 Super and FX-3 Super 2000 – until 2002.

The last curiosity is a rumor that circulated widely in the mid-Seventies. It said that, in order to secure the cooperation of Zeiss, Yashica had offered a room just off the production line where Japanese nationals would not be permitted. Thus, the Germans could conduct quality control checks on Yashica-made products without hindrance.

Your scribe has been unable to confirm this rumor or, even if true, that such a room actually existed. But it’s a fascinating story.

The Zeiss / Yashica collaboration continued for a full 30 years, until 2005 when Kyocera (which had bought Yashica back in 1983) abruptly discontinued all camera and lens production. As it ended, Yashica / Kyocera’s license to use the Contax brand also ended and the trademark was returned to Zeiss AG – where it has sat, unused, ever since.

Read more of David Young's ongoing series on classic cameras, as well as his book A Brief History of Photography.

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There's plenty of Leica glass that could reasonably fight for the title of "best Leica M lens", but after spending serious time with the Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph I think this might just be the one.

Leica has faster lenses, more technically ambitious Apo (apochromatically corrected) glass and, of course, some legendary 50mm options. But very few combine character, practicality, speed and versatility quite like this 35mm Summilux.

This latest version takes a focal length that has always been synonymous with reportage photography and gives it one crucial modern advantage: the ability to focus all the way down to 0.4m.

That is something I probably would not have appreciated as much a few years ago because I was, for the longest time, a dedicated 50mm shooter. I loved the slightly tighter perspective; the way a 50mm forces you to think about framing and the separation it can give a subject without feeling overly compressed.

If I was leaving the house with one lens, chances are it was a 50mm. However, picking up the 35mm Summilux-M f/1.4 Asph changed my thinking surprisingly quickly.

There is something incredibly natural about 35mm. It is wide enough to tell you where somebody is, yet still tight enough to isolate a subject when you need to. For documentary photography, travel, street work and everyday life, I have come to realize just how difficult it is to beat.

The real game changer with this version, however, is close focus. Leica extended the minimum focusing distance from the traditional 0.7m rangefinder limit to 0.4m, with the closest range accessed using Live View, the Visoflex or an electronic finder rather than the optical rangefinder.

That might sound like a relatively small specification change, but in practice it completely changes how versatile this lens feels.

Suddenly you can photograph the wider scene, move closer for a portrait and then get right into the smaller details without changing lenses. Food, hands, objects on a table, textures, signs and all those little moments that help tell a documentary story become much easier to capture.

Optically, it is equally difficult to fault. In my original review, I described it as probably the sharpest 35mm lens Leica has produced, but what I like most is that it does not feel like a lens designed purely around test charts. Wide open at f/1.4 it has atmosphere and depth, with that slightly softer, more characterful rendering that makes Leica glass so appealing.

Stop it down and the personality changes, becoming wonderfully crisp and controlled for documentary work, landscapes, architecture and travel.

Leica has also moved to an 11-blade diaphragm with this generation, helping produce smoother out-of-focus rendering, while the optical construction uses nine elements in five groups and a floating element design to maintain performance at closer distances.

Sample images

Perhaps more importantly, none of that comes at the expense of what makes an M lens appealing in the first place. The Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph remains compact, beautifully balanced and small enough that leaving it permanently attached to an M body feels completely realistic.

At around 46mm long and 338g, it gives you an f/1.4 aperture and that extended close-focusing ability without turning your rangefinder into something that suddenly feels front-heavy or cumbersome.

The integrated hood also reduces viewfinder obstruction compared with some of Leica’s older, larger hood designs, something I found genuinely useful when working quickly through the optical finder.

And that, ultimately, is why I think the Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 Asph might quite possibly be the best Leica lens on the market right now. Not because it wins every specification battle, but because it is one of those rare lenses that removes the need to think about what else might be in your bag.

I spent years believing 50mm was the focal length I would always come back to, yet this 35mm Summilux has made me question that completely.

It gives me enough width for documentary storytelling, enough subject separation at f/1.4 for portraits, enough optical quality for serious professional work and now enough close-focus capability to capture the small details as well. If I had to put one lens on a Leica M and leave it there permanently, this would probably be it.

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For years, medium format cameras have come with a fairly predictable list of compromises. Incredible image quality? Absolutely. Huge files, big bodies, expensive lenses and a camera bag that suddenly feels like it has bricks inside it? Usually that, too.

I have used plenty of these bodies over the years, from Phase One and Hasselblad cameras to even larger Sinar systems, and while each has impressed me in different ways, very few have ever made me think, “I would happily take this on vacation.”

The Fujifilm GFX100RF changes that conversation completely – and right now it is probably the medium format camera that excites me the most.

The reason is remarkably simple: Fujifilm has made medium format genuinely travel-friendly. The GFX100RF packages its enormous 102MP sensor into a fixed-lens body weighing around 735g, making it the smallest and lightest GFX camera Fujifilm has produced.

That distinction matters, because it no longer feels like a camera you reluctantly carry just because you need the resolution. It feels like something you could throw over your shoulder, walk around a city with all day, take through an airport or pack for a weekend away without questioning whether you really need to bring it.

Then there is the lens. Fujifilm has paired the GFX100RF with a fixed 35mm f/4 optic, giving you roughly the same field of view as a 28mm lens on a full-frame camera.

For me, that makes enormous sense. It is wide enough for landscapes, architecture, interiors and documentary photography, while remaining perfectly usable for environmental portraits, editorial assignments and general professional work.

It also makes the GFX100RF feel less like a specialist medium-format camera and more like an everyday photographic tool. This is a focal length that can comfortably document an entire journey without leaving you constantly wishing you had brought another lens.

What really gets me excited, though, is the way Fujifilm has embraced different aspect ratios. The dedicated aspect-ratio dial might sound like a relatively small feature next to a 102MP sensor, but creatively I think it is one of the most important things about this camera.

There are 9 formats available, but naturally it is the panoramic 65:24 option that grabs my attention. It gives you that wonderful XPan-like view of the world, transforming ordinary scenes into long, cinematic compositions and encouraging you to think about photographs completely differently.

Sample images

Better still, Fujifilm doesn't force photographers to commit to that crop permanently when shooting RAW. The selected aspect ratio can be embedded into the RAW file, and recognized by software like Lightroom and Capture One, but the complete sensor data remains there if you decide that you want the original frame back. That is incredibly useful.

I can compose deliberately in 65:24 while shooting, experience the photograph as a panoramic image through the camera, and still know that I have the full image available if an editor needs another crop or I simply change my mind when I get home. For documentary and professional photographers in particular, that flexibility is invaluable.

That is ultimately why I think the Fujifilm GFX100RF has changed the game for medium format. Fujifilm hasn't simply made another smaller GFX camera; it has challenged the idea of where a medium format camera belongs.

This isn't something that has to remain inside a studio, live on a tripod or emerge from a Pelican case when a commercial job demands 100 megapixels. It can be a travel camera, a documentary camera, a street camera and an everyday professional tool.

While I've enjoyed the Phase Ones, Hasselblads, Sinars and other serious medium-format systems over the years, the one I currently want to pick up and actually go somewhere with is the Fujifilm GFX100RF. And that, perhaps more than any specification on the box, is what makes it so exciting.

Shop Fujifilm GFX100RF

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Take a look at the best medium format cameras along with the best full-frame compact cameras.

A YouTuber has bought the film camera that featured prominently in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to see if it can really stand up to the rigors of archeological adventuring.

If you’re wondering where in the famed Lucasfilm saga this particular chapter fits, it’s actually a very well-received videogame developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks – it was released in 2024 and is set between the legendary movies Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade.

Throughout the game, players guide Indy through a series of adventurous locations, including temples with lots of puzzles. And in the game, the camera is used for a variety of purposes – but is mainly used to help when solving puzzles.

But as WatchingtheAerial points out in the video (embedded above) the in-game camera brand, Relic, doesn’t actually exist. However, the camera is all but identical to the real-life Argus Model A, which was produced from 1936 to 1941.

Incidentally, Raiders of the Lost Ark is set in 1936, The Great Circle takes place in 1937 and The Last Crusade in 1938, so the camera is cutting-edge tech when in-game Indy gets it.

The Argus Model A is a 35mm film camera made from Bakelite and aluminum. According to the Film Photography Project, some have called it “the second most important 35mm camera ever made”.

It features a 50mm IRC f/4.5 Anastigmat collapsible lens and was originally priced at just $12.50. You’ll have to watch the video to see this incredible photography relic in action, where WatchingtheAerial goes into great detail about its handling, durability and design.

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This isn't the only time cameras and video games mix. Can you believe all these photographs were taken in video games? If you're more into old cameras, take a look at the Nikon FM2. And if you like old cameras, but don't want old handling, take a look at the best modern retro cameras.

Insta360 has just launched the Luna Pro, a pocket gimbal camera with 'Pro' at the end of the name. I thought that adding 'Pro' to the name and launching after the first version almost always meant upgrades that some – but not all – needed were coming. But that isn't what happened here.

Insta360 launched the Luna Ultra first, a camera which shares the same physical components when it comes to the handle – but that camera boasted a dual-lens system that allows for long telephoto shots, at the expense of, literally, expense.

In a very similar timeline, DJI launched its Osmo Pocket 4 (a single-lens pocket gimbal camera), then eventually a Pocket 4P with a dual-lens system. DJI is worth mentioning since the company essentially created this camera type by attaching a drone-like camera gimbal to a hand grip.

While DJI took the 'mass market first, premium model second' approach, Insta360 delivered the Luna Ultra system before DJI could get the 4P on sale. It also beat DJI's design in a number of ways – a built-in detachable remote control with a preview screen and microphone that works at up to 20m, more tactile controls, and 8K video mode.

DJI's 4P brought some impressive color science but couldn't add a detachable remote.

Now Insta360 has brought out the Luna Pro model and, by so naming it, the company seems to be sticking to its promise of targeting premium customers with its new models. The Ultra is the most powerful in terms of tele, but the new Pro still boasts all the benefits of the detachable controller – including the built-in mic and the ability to use it 20m from the base.

If you do need telephoto, the optics can't change (without an adapter), but there is a 4x digital zoom system built into the camera. For 4K, at least, it'll be lossless at 2x too.

The main camera is also still the 1-inch sensor, and Insta360 says that it can capture 4K vertical video in a cropped mode. The DJI camera switches to 3K when used in vertical video mode, so this puts Insta360 ahead in the crucial social media space.

After 23 years, the Pentax K series of DSLRs has met its end. The camera maker that has stubbornly clung to the DSLR in the mirrorless era says that another “completely new concept digital SLR camera” is coming, but production for all K-series DSLRs has officially ended.

However, Pentax isn’t just unusual in that the brand remains committed to DSLRs – the K-mount was home to some of the most unusual camera features. Pentax wasn’t afraid to break the unwritten rules of cameras, breaking traditions from the color of cameras to unheard-of features.

In honor of the end of the Pentax K series of DSLRs, these are some of the strangest, wackiest and wonderfully rare features over the last 23 years.

A lens mount that hasn’t changed

In the transition from film to digital, many camera makers changed the lens mount. While the Nikon F and Canon’s later film-era EF mount also survived the transition, the Pentax K-mount has persisted for more than 50 years. (That, notably, doesn't beat the Leica M mount launched in 1959, which is still used today).

Any Pentax DSLR can mount nearly any K-Mount film camera lens without the need for an adapter. Even the in-body stabilization works with old film lenses.

While Pentax has discontinued the K series of DSLRs, the company says that the next DSLR will keep that same mount – so its longevity is expected to continue.

Sensor stabilization inside a DSLR

One of the key advantages of switching from a DSLR to mirrorless is in-body image stabilization – except Pentax has had stabilization inside its DSLRs since the K100D and K10D in 2006.

Stabilization inside a DSLR is rare because the camera’s mirror-centered design made building a stabilization system inside the body difficult, leading to many camera makers opting for stabilized lenses instead. Pentax was a notable exception (along with some Sony DSLRs).

A sensor that could move with the stars

Pentax’s stabilized sensor powered another rather unusual feature: the ability to ”follow” the stars. The rotation of the Earth will blur long exposures of the night sky into star trails without complex astro-tracing equipment, which moves the camera in time with the planet's rotation.

But Pentax used GPS (global positioning system) technology in tune with the image stabilization, in order to move the sensor in line with the stars – creating a built-in astrotracer. Some models required an external GPS accessory for this to work, while cameras like the K-3 Mark III didn’t require any external help.

Intentionally shaking the camera sensor

Pentax’s stabilization system may have been built to avoid camera shake, but it could also do the opposite and intentionally add blur. Pentax’s anti-aliasing filter simulator was designed to correct moiré, a distortion of fine patterns created by a digital camera’s grid of colors that enables the camera to see in color.

Unlike the more traditional optical moiré correction, because Pentax’s version was sensor-based, it could be turned on and off when needed.

A camera with a modular grip

Smaller grips make a camera more portable, but larger grips are more comfortable for shooting heavy telephoto lenses. Back in 2017, Pentax created a camera that could adapt the grip to the shooting scenario.

The Pentax KP used a modular grip system. Grips came in three sizes – small, medium and large – and could be swapped out depending on the situation. The swappability also enabled photographers to customize their cameras to better fit their hand size.

A camera with 100 different possible color combinations

Pentax really questioned the notion that most cameras are black with the Pentax K-x. Launched in 2009, the camera was sold in four different colors – but in Japan, photographers could choose from twenty different body colors and five different grip colors, creating a hundred possible color combinations.

Pentax’s colorful camera history also can’t go without a mention of the Pentax K-r Korejanai, a special edition that only offered 100 units in a colorful mix of red, blue, yellow, and gray, with a robot on the hot shoe slot.

A camera with color-coded grip lights

Speaking of colors, one of Pentax’s most unusual features was found on the K-S1: a bank of color-coded LED lights on the grip.

These lights changed color depending on the camera settings. Green was for still photos, red for video. When using face detection in Live View mode, the lights even light up with the number of faces detected in the frame.

A camera that couldn’t shoot color images

Cameras dedicated to black-and-white photography remove the color filter, creating a system that only shoots in monochrome while also decreasing noise.

While Kodak had an earlier, rare option, the Pentax K-3 III Monochrome is considered to be the only widely available dedicated black-and-white DSLR, launched in 2023.

Weather-sealing shouldn’t be exclusive to high-end cameras

One of the features that Pentax’s DSLRs are known for is weather-sealing, but the company also brought the feature down even to entry-level cameras.

Enthusiast-grade bodies like the K-30, K-50, K-3S, and KF were weather-sealed at a time when most camera makers reserved the feature for high-end bodies.

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At times it has felt like the only camera news there has been in 2026 has covered cheap, plastic, fixed-lens point-and-shoot cameras from outfits that have licensed brand names from the originals. Or largely unknown companies putting out similar tat to make a quick buck, in one of the few market segments that’s growing.

So, if you like toys, then this year has been great so far.

However, if you prefer proper photographic tools that advance the hobby and profession, it’s been slim pickings – an upgrade here, a tweak there, but arguably nothing groundbreaking.

This got me considering the flipside of the coin. Rather than being frustrated by a lack of anything revolutionary to review this year in terms of new cameras, should I instead be reflecting on whether – at this stage – we can rightfully expect, or even need, a photographic product that is groundbreaking?

Let's put the year's paucity of new cameras in context. Over the past two decades of my writing about cameras and photography, there’s a been a steady stream of product to keep me reaching for the thesaurus and finding new superlatives.

But it’s fair to say the digital photography boom of that period was a once-in-a-generation occurrence – even if some would alternatively argue that the Eighties were the real boom years for everything camera-related.

Nowadays, photographers and videographers have a ‘good enough’ capture tool already in their pocket in the shape of their camera phone. Plus, with AI-enabled subject recognition and lightning-swift autofocus, the latest dedicated cameras are, for most of us, already more than good enough.

So, market slowdown or not, there’s not the need for new cameras that there once was. Plus, there are still people waiting on outstanding orders for the Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR APS-C compact cameras. When it’s hard to even get hold of the most in-demand models currently available, where is the motivation (or requirement) to come up with new ones?

Longer product lifecycles are no surprise. It’s not pure laziness on the part of the manufacturers, nor a desire to offer something genuinely innovative and useful before releasing it, but also because photographers themselves are already happy with their lot and are not demanding more.

Although the cogs of commercialism and capitalism constantly need oiling, perhaps I should be less focused on whatever gear may or not be coming down the tracks and instead make more effort to master and perfect what I already have.

While I’d suggest we are all in no way limited by what is presently available, sometimes limitation is the master of invention – and that’s no bad thing. For sometimes, by working within certain boundaries, we can discover and ignite our creative spark.

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New or not, the best mirrorless cameras are still plenty good enough for most of us!

What's more fun than visiting a cool city you've never been to before? Visiting a cool city you've never been to before with a brand new camera you've never seen before.

I was lucky enough to attend the launch event for the new OM System PEN in Germany. I booked a seat with extra legroom on the plane, so I could stretch out and rest my limbs before pounding the pavement on Berlin's streets, and loaded my hand luggage with a few lenses I thought would suit the assignment.

I didn't know at the time that the PEN would launch alongside the new OM System M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III – a compact, weather-sealed 28-84mm equivalent – so I packed a versatile walkabout lens: the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro, giving me an effective 24-80mm zoom.

That would cover close range, but I needed a pocketable telephoto – so I paired it with the M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R, an 80-300mm equivalent that's smaller and slimmer than a soda can. And, because it's literally the size of a cookie, I also popped the 9mm f/8 Fisheye Body Cap, just because.

It turns out I barely needed the Pro lens, aside from a couple of times indoors where I needed that extra 4mm on the wide end or the additional stop of light to shoot in the dark. I didn't use the tele that much, either, though it was definitely useful for magnifying a couple of scenes and isolating subjects at distance.

Having used OM (and, before it, Olympus) kit for well over a decade, I was immediately at home with the new PEN despite having never seen it.

It looks and feels, unsurprisingly, like a cross between the Olympus PEN-F (a "holy grail" camera that has become a cult classic) and the Olympus PEN E-P7 (my daily driver, which is smaller but lacks a slew of features).

And it performs a whole lot like the OM System OM-5 Mark II – again unsurprising, given that the PEN shares many of the same specs and tech.

While it is, on paper, an entry-level camera – evidenced, if nothing else, by its $999 / £849 / AU$1,499 price tag – it boasts an impressive arsenal of flagship firepower inherited from the OM-1 and OM-3. And, indeed, it packs some computational photography tools that aren't found even in the most expensive cameras from other manufacturers.

This includes functions like High Res Shot, which uses the 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system to power a pixel shift multi-shot mode that enables the 20.4MP sensor to produce 50MP or 80MP images – albeit only on static subjects, as movement invariably creates unpleasant artefacts.

However, the computational feature I used the most – handily accessed, along with the entire suite, via the CP (computational photography) button – was LiveND.

This brilliant bit of innovation gives you a "live" simulation of the blurred motion that you'd normally need a neutral density filter to achieve. However, by turning on this tool (offering up to a virtual four-stop filter), you can achieve creative slow shutter speed effects without needing a physical ND on your lens.

It embodies what the OM System PEN is all about: empowering you to create, and capture those unexpected everyday moments, even when you go out without your full kit. No ND filters? Turn on LiveND. No tripod? Rely on the 5.5-stop in-body stabilization. No medium format camera? Get a 50MP or 80MP image with High Res Shot.

Here's what people don't understand about the PEN: it's not supposed to be the best at shooting everything, but it enables you to shoot anything – even when you didn't anticipate it.

A few days of street shooting proved that perfectly. For candid portraiture, the human subject detection algorithm made sure that faces were in focus – along with the backs of heads and bodies, if they were facing the other way.

For shooting in poor light, even with a tiny-irised f/8 lens, the IBIS made it possible to shoot handheld at slow shutter speeds. For getting crunchy, black-and-white, Leica-like street photos, or color-popping graffiti images, or faded filmic 35mm-style shots, I could dive into the color and mono profiles along with selection of Art Filters.

It's those intangibles that are more important than having the most megapixels, the largest sensor or the latest tech. Because they enable you to create, on the spot, in the moment, without missing a beat – and then beam the shots straight to your phone to share on social or WhatsApp.

You make the magic in-camera – there's no need for post-production if you don't want to. And after a thousand shots in Berlin – and a few thousand more in less exotic locales – I sure do love making magic with this thing.

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I love the constant f/2.8 aperture of so-called trinity wide-angle, standard and telephoto zoom lenses, which typically have ranges of 14-24mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm respectively. I’m less enamoured that they’re typically big and hefty, feeling a bit of a mismatch for svelte mirrorless camera bodies, and that they often cost a small fortune. It seems I’m not the only one and, sure enough, there’s a growing range of ‘alternative trinity’ zoom lenses that wrap the same constant f/2.8 aperture into smaller, more lightweight lenses that are relatively affordable to buy.

One manufacturer that’s signed up on the dotted line is LK Samyang. The company was previously just known as Samyang before adding the LK (Leading Korea) prefix, and its lenses have often been badged as Rokinon in the USA. I’ve already reviewed the LK Samyang AF 24-60mm f/2.8 standard zoom and the LK Samyang AF 14-24mm f/2.8 wide-angle zoom. Like both of those lenses, the third lens in the trilogy that I’m reviewing here has been co-designed with the legendary German lens specialist Schneider-Kreuznach, adding further kudos to the trio.

Perhaps a little curiously, the 24-60mm lens is still only available in Sony E-mount, whereas the 14-24mm and more recent 60-180mm are both available in L-mount as well as E-mount. I can only imagine that an L-mount 24-60mm will be coming along soon. Either way, the standard and telephoto zooms are typical of alternative trinity zooms in having slightly different zoom ranges to more regular examples of the breed.

The 24-60mm zoom maintains a 24mm minimum focal length which is often lacking in alternative trinity standard zooms, and the 60-180mm picks up the baton directly from it, even if it only stretches to the usual ‘alternative’ 180mm rather than a full 200mm. Ultimately, the 60-180mm aims to be one of the best telephoto lenses as well as one of the best lenses for wedding and event photography, especially if you’re keeping an eye on the budget.

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Specifications

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Price

The LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8 sells for around $1,099 / £899 / AU$1,789, which is a whole lot more affordable than own-brand 70-200mm f/2.8 trinity zoom lenses from most camera manufacturers. At the time of its later launch, the L-mount version of the lens was a little pricier at $1,199 in the USA, but the same price as the earlier Sony E-mount version in other world regions.

By way of comparison, the directly competing and thoroughly excellent Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 typically sells for $999 / £999 / AU$2,349, so the Tamron costs less to buy in the USA but is pricier than the LK Samyang in the UK and costs significantly more in Australia. The Tamron is available in Sony E and Nikon Z mount options, but not in L-mount.

For a more conventional telephoto trinity zoom, the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports is particularly good value at $1,649 / £1,499 / AU$3,040 and is again available in Sony E and L-mount options.

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Design & Handling

Top of the design and handling attractions as far as I’m concerned are the lens’s physical size of 87x149mm / 3.4x5.9in and its weight of 730g / 25.8oz. So despite its telephoto powers and relatively fast and constant f/2.8 aperture, the LK Samyang is less than six inches long and only around half the weight of many conventional 70-200mm lenses. Indeed, all three lenses in the LK Samyang trinity only have a combined weight of about 1.7kg / 3.8lb, similar to the weight of some 70-200mm lenses on their own.

Before I get too carried away with the compactness of this lens, I should point out that it has an extending inner barrel. The result is that the lens physically grows in length as you zoom in, extending by about an inch as you stretch from the minimum to the maximum zoom length. Most conventional 70-200mm lenses have an internal zoom mechanism, so the physical length remains the same at all zoom settings, although the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM is a notable exception.

Many photographers don’t like the thought (or the practice) of a zoom lens with an extending inner barrel. For one thing, it’s a weak spot that potentially makes the lens less weather-resistant, and for another the overall balance of lens and camera changes as you zoom. I’m actually not that fussed, especially when it comes to this LK Samyang lens, as the total physical extension is only about an inch and the change in balance is barely perceptible.

It’s only a little thing but one of the design flourishes that I like about all three of the LK Samyang trinity lenses is the textured surfaces of their zoom and focus control rings. They look and feel a little different to standard fare and give you a bit of extra feelgood factor. The zoom ring operates smoothly with good tactile feedback, and is clearly marked at various focal lengths.

Another danger of lenses with an internal barrel that extends during zooming is that they can suffer from zoom creep. In my tests, I found that the LK Samyang was very resistant to this, even when shooting at vertically upward or downward angles, with the camera mounted on a tripod. There’s more of a risk that it can ‘drop out’ from its minimum zoom setting when walking around with the camera and lens hanging off a neck strap. To stop that happening, the lens is fitted with a zoom lock switch.

While the zoom ring is positioned towards the rear of the lens, the manual focus ring is toward the front. It has a different textured surface than the zoom ring but is equally tactile and operates with smooth precision. Following the convention of most modern lenses for mirrorless cameras, autofocus is based on a linear stepping motor, which tends to be quick for stills, as well as enabling smooth and virtually silent transitions when shooting video.

There’s an auto/manual focus mode switch on the side of the lens barrel, which makes it quick and easy to change between modes, instead of having to fumble around in camera menus. The lens also features a customizable function button, the action of which can be changed to various functions depending on the camera body. Most photographers tend to use it for autofocus-hold, myself included.

The optical path is based on 17 elements arranged in 14 groups, so there’s no shortage of glass. In fact, there’s no shortage of high-tech glass, as the lens features two aspherical elements, no less than seven ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, plus an HR (High Refractive index) element. The overall aim is to optimize sharpness, clarity and color rendition while suppressing unwanted aberrations like color fringing. The use of aspherical elements in preference to larger numbers of regular elements also helps to make the lens more compact and lightweight.

The hood supplied with the lens is pretty standard fare. It has an efficient petal-shaped profile for minimizing ghosting and flare, as well as a bayonet-action fitting. Again as usual, you can reverse the hood and fit it back-to-front on the lens, for compact stowage.

Towards the rear of the lens there’s a USB-C port. Given the fast-moving pace of camera technology, there’s a certain peace of mind that comes from lenses with a data port, so you can easily update their firmware to new versions, if and when needed.

Last but not least, the design features a sturdy metal mounting plate and gold-plated electronic contacts, tailored to either Sony E or L-mount, depending on the version of the lens. The build also incorporates multiple weather-seals, starting with a rubber gasket around the mounting plate to guard against the ingress of dust and moisture through the joint between the lens and camera body.

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Performance

Let’s start the performance rundown by looking at the zoom range works out in practice. As I’ve mentioned, ‘alternative trinity’ zoom lenses often have non-standard zoom ranges so, for example, instead of 24-70mm and 70-200mm, you might get 28-75mm and 70-180mm. The LK Samyang standard zoom is actually 24-60mm, so the 60-180mm picks up directly from there. I actually like that the 60mm shortest zoom setting is barely more than an entirely standard perspective, enabling you to squeeze a little extra into the frame.

I’m not really fussed that the lens only stretches to 180mm instead of 200mm at the long end. The difference is often barely noticeable and is nothing that a little creative cropping can’t take care of. For a visual representation of the zoom range, the images above and below were shot at 60mm and 180mm respectively, of the same subject from the same vantage point. You’ll notice that there’s plenty of sharpness on tap at both ends of the zoom range.

70-200mm f/2.8 lenses (or thereabouts) are often favored by wedding and event photographers, as they deliver the versatility and flexibility of a telephoto zoom, along with a constant f/2.8 aperture rating. This makes them ideal for fast-moving portraiture, when you need to react quickly to unfolding events. The LK Samyang delivers good pictorial quality for portraiture, as shown in the image below. There’s good sharpness and clarity and the quality of bokeh is fairly smooth at f/2.8, even towards the short end of the zoom range where depth of field tends to be larger.

While the speed and accuracy of the autofocus system and the sharpness of the optical path are both impressive, I feel that LK Samyang is missing a trick by not including an optical stabilizer in the design. Sure, it’s only the very first range of Sony Alpha full-frame mirrorless cameras that lack IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) but even so, optical stabilization tends to be more effective than IBIS for telephoto lenses. Another factor is that the lens is sufficiently compact and lightweight to be a tempting choice for Sony APS-C format mirrorless cameras, on which it has an ‘effective’ zoom range of 90-270mm. Most of these cameras don’t feature IBIS, so you end up with no stabilization at all.

I often run a bit of a techie test on this kind of lens, shooting a phrenology head in my back garden at various apertures from wide-open to a medium setting. The results give good indications of sharpness and the quality of bokeh for defocused areas. Moreover, fast lenses often suffer from axial/longitudinal chromatic aberration at the widest apertures, also known as bokeh fringing. This displays as color fringing around high-contrast transitions, just in front of and behind the plane of focus. The black lines and writing on the white porcelain of the phrenology head are a good test for this as well.

For points of reference, the head is about 1.5 yards in front of the camera, and the backdrop is about 2.5 yards behind the head. The sequence was captured at a focal length of 87mm, with apertures from f/2.8 to f/8. The LK Samyang does retains good sharpness even wide-open at f/2.8, along with attractive bokeh that remains smooth and appealing when stopping down a little, helped by a well-rounded 9-blade aperture.

I found that the lens performed well in controlling distortions and color fringing, throughout its zoom range. Any aberrations can generally be eliminated by automatic in-camera corrections, or in RAW processing software that has the appropriate lens profile.

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Sample Images

The following gallery of sample shots was taken at the East Somerset Railway in the South West of England. It’s a delightful historic railway that’s run as a charity by a friendly bunch of volunteers, and is well worth a visit. Weather conditions were very pleasant on a sunny, late summer morning. The images were taken at various focal lengths throughout the zoom range, and at a variety of apertures.

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Lab Results

We run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.

We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration).

Sharpness:

Levels of sharpness are very good and pretty consistent throughout the entire zoom range. At mid-to-long focal lengths, it pays to stop down from f/2.8 by an f/stop or so, to get the maximum sharpness. As usual, sharpness drops off a bit towards the extreme edges and corners of the image frame, but it’s still perfectly respectable.

Fringing:

Color fringing is fairly negligible at all zoom and aperture settings, even out at the extreme edges and corners of the image frame. You’ll barely notice any fringing even with automatic in-camera correction disabled.

Distortion:

Barrel distortion can be a bit noticeable at the shortest zoom setting of 60mm, whereas pincushion can be evident in the 135-180mm sector of the zoom range. Even so, there’s very much less reliance on automatic in-camera correction than with many modern lenses designed for mirrorless cameras, especially those made with compactness and a lightweight build in mind.

LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8: Verdict

I feel that the LK Samyang AF 60-180mm f/2.8 has a lot going for it. As an ‘alternative trinity’ zoom, it fits right in with the previously launched 14-24mm and 24-60mm lenses, with the same look, feel and handling characteristics. The 60-180mm an excellent telephoto zoom lens in its own right, particularly well suited to wedding and event photography. But the bigger picture is that all three LK Samyang lenses combine to give you a completely coherent experience when swapping between them.

Typical of alternative trinity zooms, these LK Samyang lenses are relatively compact, lightweight and affordable. That makes them easy to live with and comparatively easy on the wallet. All in all, the 60-180mm is a really good lens at a bargain price, and the whole set of three zoom lenses is an enticing proposition. However, at the time of writing, the 24-60mm standard zoom was only available in Sony E-mount and the other two lenses were only being made in E-mount and L-mount options, leaving owners of other camera systems out in the cold.

Alternatives

The world has waited five years for this retro camera to make a comeback, but customers in Japan will have to wait a little longer – the brand new OM System PEN has received so many orders that it is currently facing delays in Japan.

Parent company OM Digital Solutions has just announced that, due to overwhelming demand for the aggressively priced and excitingly specced camera, some pre-orders "may be delayed until November or later" in the region.

While orders are currently unaffected in other territories, the new PEN has been so well received that it wouldn't surprise me to see similar demand across the globe.

This Micro Four Thirds camera is not only one of the most stunning-looking bodies on the market, it's also comparable in size to the ever-popular (and ever out of stock) Fujifilm X100VI – making this a great option for anyone seeking a compact, capable camera.

Moreover, the PEN represents unbelievable value for money; for just $999 / $849 / AU$1,499 it offers weather sealing, in-body image stabilization and an electronic viewfinder, a combination virtually unheard of at that price.

It also possesses a suite of impressive features. While its native resolution is 20.4MP, it can shoot 50MP and 80MP high-resolution stills, boasts advanced features like 30fps pre-capture (aka Pro Capture), as well as computational photography tools such as software-driven neutral density filters to achieve slow shutter speed effects without the need for a physical ND filter.

I'm a big fan of the camera, calling it "the best bang-for-buck body on the market (not to mention one of, if not the, best-looking) and without a doubt the best everyday carry camera available for photography purists" in my OM System PEN review.

It's available for preorder now, shipping in late September across Europe and late October in the US – and judging by demand in Japan, you should probably get in early if you want one at launch!

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