With a vertical sensor and Film Camera mode, the Fujifilm X Half could easily take the title of Fujifilm’s most unusual X-Series compact camera. But unusual cameras tend to come with mixed reactions – and the X Half launch was met with more mixed reactions than a bag of trail mix.

On the one hand, the Fujifilm X Half has a one-inch sensor that bests the typical cheap compact camera. With a secondary screen built just for Film Simulations and an actual “film” advance lever, the X Half is also the embodiment of the retro camera trend.

But photographers have long been asking the company to bring back older compacts like the Fujifilm X70 – a smaller, more affordable alternative to the X100 series from 2016 that, despite a lower price, still boasted an APS-C sensor, RAW and manual modes.

The Fujifilm X Half is no X70 – beyond the smaller sensor, there’s no RAW capture at all, a serious sticking point for many photographers, myself included.

But then, a year after the X Half first arrived, I finally got to try one. And as I spent weeks with the little camera, I began to dread the moment that I would have to pack it back up in a box and send the sample back to Fujifilm.

The X Half has a Film Camera mode that I put to use when I gave up camera screens for nearly two weeks, since the function locks the screens. The X Half's feature list may pale in comparison to the X100VI, but it looks like War and Peace compared to most simple screen-free digital cameras like the Camp Snap CS-Pro and the Flashback One35 V2.

Most basic screen-free cameras have fixed focus. The X Half has an actual autofocus system with eye-detection autofocus and the ability to take close-ups. And it can still shoot video (just not in the screen-free mode).

But perhaps my favorite feature from the X Half is that the camera not only packs in Fujifilm’s famous Film Simulations, but several special effects too. I love the light leak and diffusion modes, which bring two of my favorite film “imperfections” to digital, and there are even double exposures.

In that way, the X Half feels more like a grown-up version of the Instax Mini Evo – a cheap camera that I’ve even seen pro wedding photographers carry because the special effects and built-in instant film printer are so fun – but with a larger sensor and more resolution instead of an Instax printer.

I was disappointed when I read the X Half’s features and read that it couldn’t shoot RAW photos at all, but then I started taking pictures with one and I didn’t really miss the advanced file type. The X Half puts the joy of photography over technical perfection.

Yes, my own Fujifilm X-T4 cameras still bring me joy, but my giant to-be-edited pile does not.

The built-in creative tools and the Film Camera mode on the X Half felt like giving myself permission to take imperfect photographs. The imperfect moments often make the best memories.

I want the Fujifilm X Half not to replace my Fujifilm mirrorless kit, but to grab when I want to capture memories without the pile of edits, without the bulk of a larger system and with more creative tools than my iPhone.

I do still think Fujifilm made a mistake with the X Half: the price. It was about $850 / £650 at launch, which I think is too close to options like the Fujifilm X-M5 given the X Half’s shorter feature list. But the list price has since dropped by $200 / £100 and occasional sales may push it even lower than that.

After I tried the Fujifilm X Half, I ended up adding the little retro camera to my wish list – my biggest hesitation is whether to spend my next gear budget on a fun compact camera or the Fujifilm 23mm f/2.8 R WR to turn the mirrorless that I already have into a “compact camera.”

The X Half isn’t the advanced compact I was expecting, but the retro effects and Film Camera mode are a just-right balance between the joy of photography and photo quality.

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Fujifilm has yet to launch an X-Series camera in 2026 so, in the wait for its next generation, rumors are swirling over what’s next for the camera brand. Fujifilm has, however, debunked one particular rumor making the rounds: the demise of the Fujifilm X-T5.

Two major camera stores in Japan recently listed an X-T5 variant as discontinued, or 'sales ended', according to one report, fueling rumors that Fujifilm has already discontinued the X-T5 ahead of the arrival of a successor.

Digital Camera World reached out to a Fujifilm US representative, however, who confirmed, “the X-T5 has not been discontinued.”

It’s unclear why the Japanese stores had the X-T5 marked that way, but Google Translate suggests that it’s the “X-T5 bilingual model” that has been specifically listed as discontinued at some Japanese retailers.

That may ease worry about the availability of one of Fujifilm’s high-end X-Series bodies, but it’s unlikely to dull the anticipation over what’s next for the brand beloved for its retro designs and Film Simulations.

Fujifilm is in the pause between generations, having updated nearly all its X-Series cameras with the 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR or the 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HS sensor. (The X-Pro3 is a notable exception.)

With nearly all Fujifilm cameras seeing a recent refresh, fans are eagerly awaiting the brand’s next reveal. Fujifilm tends to bring new image sensors to one of its flagship models first, so the X-T and X-H series are often among the first with a new generation of sensor.

As one of the company’s top models in the X series alongside the X-H2 and X-H2S, the Fujifilm X-T5 combines 40MP 20fps still photos with 6.2K 4:2:2 10-bit video recording, along with a 7-stop in-body image stabilization system and weather-resistant construction.

But the X-T5 is also known for its retro-styled body, with its iconic top dials and centered, SLR-style viewfinder. And, according to Fujifilm, it's still very much alive and kicking.

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The DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is now officially available, bringing a dual-camera system to DJI’s pocket gimbal camera range for the first time. Where you can actually buy, however, one depends heavily on where you live, with UK and European shoppers receiving considerably better access than customers in the United States.

In the UK, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is available to buy directly from DJI and selected authorized retail partners. The Standard Combo costs £529, while the more comprehensive Vlog Combo is priced at £605.

Both versions are available in black or pearl white, although stock levels may vary between colors and retailers.

Where to buy the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P?

UK Retailers

The Standard Combo is the most affordable way to get started and includes the Osmo Pocket 4P, a fill light, a carrying pouch and a handle with a quarter-inch tripod thread.

It should provide everything that most casual filmmakers, travellers and content creators need to begin shooting straight away, particularly if they already own a compatible wireless microphone or small tripod.

For anyone planning to use the Pocket 4P regularly for vlogging or professional content, the £605 Vlog Combo is likely to offer better overall value.

Alongside the camera, it includes the FrameTap remote controller, DJI Mic Mini 2 transmitter, compact tripod, larger carrying case and additional accessories. The remote screen is particularly useful when filming alone, as it enables the camera and gimbal to be controlled from a distance.

The situation is very different in the United States. At the time of writing, no authorized US retailer currently has official DJI Osmo Pocket 4P stock – and DJI has not announced a formal US launch. This means you will not find an officially supplied US model at the major camera retailers where DJI products would ordinarily be sold.

Third-party and imported listings may occasionally appear through online marketplaces, but these should not be confused with an official US release. Anyone considering an imported model should check the seller carefully and confirm the warranty, returns policy, regional compatibility and possible import charges before placing an order.

We have seen DJI products that were initially unavailable in the United States appear through US retailers at a later date, so the situation may still change. Should the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P officially reach the US market, or become available through a recognized US retailer, we will update this page with the latest prices and buying options.

The Osmo Pocket 4P is more than a modest update to the standard Pocket 4. Its main camera combines a 20mm equivalent f/2 lens with a 1-inch CMOS sensor, while a second 60mm equivalent f/1.8 camera introduces a genuine 3x telephoto perspective.

This gives filmmakers far greater control over composition and makes the camera particularly attractive for portraits, interviews, product videos and more cinematic-looking footage.

DJI has also introduced 10-bit D-Log 2 recording and claims up to 17 stops of dynamic range from the main camera. Video can be captured at up to 4K 60p during normal recording, while the wide-angle camera offers 4K slow-motion at up to 240fps.

A 3-axis mechanical stabilization system, ActiveTrack 8.0 and the rotating 2-inch screen complete what is easily the most ambitious Osmo Pocket camera DJI has produced so far.

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The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has invalidated the patent at the heart of Nikon’s high-profile legal battle against Viltrox, according to court documents obtained by Nikon Rumors.

The rumor outlet previously reported that Nikon had likely lost its patent infringement lawsuit and now the outcome appears to have been confirmed.

Technically, the suit isn’t over yet. Nikon will be given three months in which to appeal the decision or could focus its efforts elsewhere. But either way, this is a major setback for the Big N and a major hurdle cleared for Viltrox.

What's the lawsuit about?

Talk of a lawsuit began to surface at the beginning of the year, with a variety of reports speculating exactly what Nikon was suing Viltrox over – the most outlandish being a completely unsubstantiated Z-mount camera.

Now that the dust has settled somewhat, it’s clear that Nikon was pursuing Viltrox primarily over its implementation of four bayonet lugs and the placement of electrical terminal groups (contacts) – but it’s still not clear which product(s) the lawsuit actually relates to.

Nikon Rumors posted an English translation via an AI recap of the 25-page document, which helps to shed some light on the Chinese authority’s reasoning, stating that the legal basis for the invalidation was a “lack of inventiveness”.

What does that mean? Well, according to Strachan IP, a patented invention has to “have at least one novel technical feature over what has been done before,” which is called an inventive step. So, you can’t patent a wheel, but you can patent a particularly innovative axle.

In the aforementioned court case, the CNIPA has invalidated Nikon’s patent by arguing that it simply isn’t inventive enough. The story continues…

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The Sony A7 V and A7R VI have been headlining several best-seller lists since launch – and now Sony says the cameras are selling so well that the company has an expanded share in the full-frame market.

In Sony’s first-quarter earnings report shared on July 31, the tech giant called out both the Sony A7 V and A7R VI as the camera market overall remains stable outside of a decline in China.

“Against this backdrop, strong sales of the A7 V, which won the Grand Prize at the Camera Grand Prix 2026, and the A7R VI, launched in June, helped raise average selling prices and expand our market share in the full-frame camera market, enabling the Imaging business as a whole to maintain its sales on par with the same quarter of the previous fiscal year,” Sony told investors.

The success of the A7 V and A7R VI doesn’t come as a surprise, as both models have made regular appearances across best-seller lists. But while Sony is collecting a larger share in the full-frame market and selling cameras at a higher average price, the company’s camera sales are similar to the same time last year.

The segment that had the highest increase in sales, however, is Sony’s image sensor division. Sony’s sensor division had a 104.5 billion yen increase compared to the same time frame last year – that’s about $656 million / £489 million / AU$938 million / $921 million at current exchange rates. While Sony’s gaming and music division still takes a bigger chunk of the Sony pie, the imaging sensor division had the most growth out of all of Sony’s divisions for the first quarter.

Sony says image sensor sales have jumped 26 percent over the same time last year, attributing the success largely to a higher average selling price for smartphone-bound image sensors. That left Sony with a record-high operating income for the sensor division.

While the A7 V, A7R VI and growth for smartphone camera sensors mark a positive shift for Sony, the report wasn’t without its concerns. First, the company’s largest image sensor plant has suspended operations after an earthquake on July 28, and production remains paused.

Another key challenge is one that several camera manufacturers have noted: the increasing cost of memory.

“The continued surge in memory prices remains a key business challenge for this segment this fiscal year,” Sony said, discussing the Entertainment and Tech segment. “However, the business is doing everything it can to implement cost-reduction measures in procurement and design, and to adjust its pricing strategies, including foreign exchange management.”

Sony says it also expects increasing memory costs to impact the number of shipments for high-end phones.

Overall across all segments, Sony shared that sales are up 8 percent and net income is up 32 percent compared to the same quarter in 2025.

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Most macro lenses boast a 1x magnification that enlarges tiny subjects to the size of the camera’s sensor – but macro specialist Laowa has unleashed a lens that not only reaches ten times that, but does so with parafocal zoom and an unusual solution to lighting tricky shots. The Laowa Asken 17.5mm f/1.7 5-10x Ultra Macro APO is the world’s first commercial 5-10x – and it launches alongside the Laowa Asken 45mm f/2.8 1-5x Ultra Macro APO.

Laowa – the macro specialist brand from Venus Optics – had previously showcased prototypes of the new lenses earlier this year (which is how the series has already won a TIPA Award). But the lenses – which arrive in both photo and cinema variants for multiple mounts – were officially unveiled in full detail on July 31, with orders already open for the new optics.

A few things have changed from the original prototype – chiefly, the series is now called Asken, not Axon – but what’s remained unchanged is the headline features. The largest magnification in Laowa’s lineup before was 5x, but the Laowa Asken 17.5mm is capable of capturing extreme closeups from 5x all the way to 10x on a full-frame sensor.

A 17.5mm lens that gets that close is nearly touching the subject itself – the lens is designed to sit as close as 22.48mm / .88 inches from the subject – which leaves no room to add lighting equipment.

But Laowa has built in a solution to the challenging lighting that such a close lens brings. The lens can twist on what’s called a Coaxial Light Block, an accessory with a hole to shine a light through. Coaxial lights are more traditionally used for cameras used for machine vision, but Laowa is calling on the concept to help light a subject that’s just milimetres away from the lens.

The Laowa 17.5mm uses a parafocal design. This means that, if the lens is focused at 5x, the subject will still be in focus when the lens twists to 10x, so photographers and videographers won’t need to adjust the focus after zooming in. That’s particularly helpful considering both lenses are manual focus only.

Keeping the lens barrel the same length also helps aid lighting set-ups – and avoiding accidentally bumping the subject itself with the lens.

Laowa says that chromatic aberration – a type of lens distortion that creates distracting colored fringing – tends to be a major challenge with extreme magnification. To help fight that, the lenses are designed with an apochromatic (APO) design to help reduce that colored fringing while also aiding in sharpness.

The Laowa 45mm f/2.8 1-5x brings the same parafofocal design, but brings a less extreme macro range of 1x to 5x and allows for more distance between the lens and the subject with a 40.35mm minimum working distance.

That much magnification requires a lot of pieces and components, so the lenses aren’t exactly compact. The 1-5x sits at 121mm / 4.76 inches and 599g / 21oz, while the 5-10x is at 127.5mm / 5 inches and 570g / 20 oz.

Both new lenses are launching in several mounts, covering a full-size sensor but also compatible with crop sensors. The still version is available in Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, L-Mount, Nikon F, Canon EF, Fujifilm X, and Micro Four Thirds. A cinema version will also be available in an Arri PL native mount, with interchangeable bayonets to adapt to Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Canon EF, L-Mount, Fujifilm X, and Micro Four Thirds.

Sales for both lenses opened today, July 31. Both photo variants of the lenses retail for $749 (about £556 / $AU1,066 / CA$1,050), with another $100 added to the 5-10x that includes the coaxial Light block. The cinema variants sit at $1,499 each (about £1,076 / AU$2,133 / CA$2,030).

The 17.5mm 5-10x and 45mm 1-5x are available to order from Laowa as well as authorized retailers.

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Camera glasses with AI features have been getting a lot of press lately, and not all of it positive. While these clever devices have exploded in popularity, driven in large part by the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 Smart Glasses, concerns have been raised over privacy issues and the potential for non-consensual recording.

As such, it was with mixed feelings that I unboxed the Rokid AI Glasses Style, the more lightweight and affordable counterpart to the Rokid Glasses, lacking the display technology of their bigger brother. Equipped with a 12MP sensor capable of capturing stills and video, these glasses also benefit from an AI assistant you can talk to in real time via the built-in mics and speakers.

They look the part – but are they capable of capturing decent-enough imagery to be considered among the best camera glasses? I took the Rokid AI Glasses Style out for a test to find out.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Specifications

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Price & availability

The Rokid AI glasses can be bought directly from the manufacturer’s website, at time of writing for a starting price of $349 (roughly £262 / AU$500). That’s a little cheaper than the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2s, which start at $379, but a lot more expensive than the previous gen of Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1s, which are currently sitting at around $225.

So, it’s about the standard market price for a pair of flashy camera glasses with AI features. If you just want the camera bit, don’t care about AI features and aren’t too fussed on image and video quality, then you have many, many cheaper options, such as the Oho Sunshine Camera Glasses, or any number of anonymous products on Amazon.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Design & handling

If you’ve been admiring the style of the Meta Ray Ban glasses, then you might well find the Rokid pair to be hauntingly familiar. They’re sleek, black and fairly anonymous-looking. The right arm features a function button that can be used to quickly capture photos and videos, and a touchpad that can be used to control things like music playback. I found the shutter button to be well-situated and more enjoyable to use than having to talk to the glasses or fiddle with the app – you tap it to take a photo, and long press to start/stop recording video.

Audio playback comes via two small speakers on the arms, and there is a four-mic setup for picking up your own voice as well as video sound. These are what you use to communicate with your AI assistant. I’ll talk more about this process in the next section, but as far as mic-pickup goes, I found them to be consistently pretty reliable, able to consistently pick up me saying ‘Hi Rokid’ in all but the quietest of voices.

The glasses are fairly sizeable, and I found them to be perfectly comfortable to wear for long periods, with no uncomfortable pinching or squeezing. The shaded lenses can be swapped out to clear or prescription lenses if you prefer. Charging is straightforward via the supplied magnetic charger, and the glasses come with a standard protective case – you do have the option to fork out $99 for a charging case.

The camera module is situated beside the left eye. On the other side is the recording light, and I have to say that this is one of my big issues with the Rokid AI Glasses Style. The recording light is a small, dim, white LED, a dot that is hard to see when you’re indoors, and in full daylight is all but invisible (you can see it close-up at the end of the video clip featured below).

Frankly, this is not good enough. If the light is supposed to clearly notify others that they’re being recorded, then there’s no reason for it to be so small and dim, nor for it to be white rather than red, a color that has been near-universally understood to mean ‘recording in progress’ since the days of camcorders.

Rokid’s AI claims the glasses will refuse to record when the light is covered – but in my testing, this didn’t actually appear to be true. The speakers play a warning to uncover the light, but the recording continues. As such, this tokenistic gesture makes me deeply sceptical that Rokid are particularly bothered by issues of privacy or transparency.

The light is on the other side of the glasses, so it isn’t going to interfere with the camera. I think it should be ten times brighter. Red, flashing and unmissable. And frankly, if you care about camera glasses as a technology, you should be calling for this too – because the tech is never going to shake its reputation for irresponsible use when manufacturers make irresponsible use so easy.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Performance

AI features work via the Hi Rokid app, available for iOS and Android. The Android version is a little temperamental and prone to crashing – and it took me several attempts to establish the initial connection. Judging by the ‘made for iPhone’ slogan proudly touted on the box, I suspect the iOS experience might be smoother.

The Rokid Glasses Style’s AI assistant apparently uses a combination of both OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. I’m not entirely sure how this works in practice (though the voice replying to you often changes), but using the assistant is fun, if intermittently janky.

I took the glasses around London’s Kew Gardens, asking them to identify plants, objects, buildings and sculptures. I achieved about a 60% success rate, with the remaining 40% consisting of a range of error messages – ‘server busy’, ‘connection unstable’, ‘service error’. Thinking times also varied wildly. It’s diverting enough, but in my view, a bit too unstable to really slot into one’s life in a useful way.

More interesting is the camera module. It uses a 12MP Sony IMX681 sensor, which is the same resolution as the sensor in Meta’s glasses – in fact, I can’t fully confirm this, but I think it might well be the exact same sensor. As such, images are similarly bright and vibrant, with pleasingly natural-looking colors and a decent level of detail.

Like many images taken on these kinds of sensors, they look fantastic on a phone screen, and okay on a monitor. Images are captured in the camera’s native 3:4 aspect ratio – you also have the option of cropped 9:16 portrait or 4:3 landscape, the latter in 3K rather than 4K. Also, I do appreciate the automatic horizon calibration, as someone who naturally tilts their head quite a bit.

Video-wise, it’s a similar story – footage looks decent enough, especially on a small screen, but isn’t about to give proper vlogging cameras any sleepless nights. It shoots by default in 2.5K 30p in a 3:4 aspect ratio, and once again you have a few different aspect ratio options if you wish. It does wobble quite a bit when walking – some stabilisation wouldn’t have gone amiss – and outdoors, the audio is pretty susceptible to wind noise, so bear that in mind if you wish to record speech.

Also, Rokid claims that the 210 mAh battery will give you up to 12 hours ‘typical’ use, but I’m not sure about that – the first couple of hours of messing about in Kew Gardens knocked about 40% off my unit’s battery indicator.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Sample images

This gallery of sample shots was taken around London’s Kew Gardens on an extremely sunny and bright day with minimal cloud cover, including both exteriors and interiors.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Video

Above is a compilation of a few short clips captured with the Rokid AI Glasses Style using the camera's native 2.5K 30fps 3:4 mode.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Verdict

Fundamentally, if you want a decent pair of camera glasses with AI smarts – here it is. In pure imaging terms, the Rokid AI Glasses Style don’t bring anything new to the table, with a 12MP sensor that produces images that look much like everything else. The combination of ChatGPT and Gemini powering the AI smarts certainly creates a different user experience to Meta’s AI, but also one that feels a little byzantine and unstable.

I’d feel a lot more comfortable recommending the Rokid AI Glasses Style if the privacy features weren’t so lacklustre. I’m aware this is pretty much the standard for camera glasses, but I don’t have to like it, and I don’t have to like the implications of it.

My wishlist for a future update to these glasses would be pretty straightforward. In addition to a clearer recording light, I’d love a smoother app experience on Android, and perhaps seeing some of those AI smarts put to work on features like stabilisation or noise reduction. Until then, I can only call these what they are – a perfectly adequate and fairly unexciting pair of camera glasses.

Rokid AI Glasses Style: Alternatives

The third-party lens market is a highly competitive one with an increasing number of names in recent years. But long-standing optics maker Tamron says it now leads the third-party lens market with a share of approximately 60%.

The data comes from Tamron’s integrated report, an annual document that looks at the company’s achievements and future goals.

In the report, Tamron notes that it now holds a “leading market share of approximately 60%” for third-party interchangeable lenses.

That number, however, does include the lenses that Tamron manufactures for first-party brands. Lenses that carry the Tamron name make up 59% of the company’s numbers for 2025, with lenses produced for other brands sitting at 41%.

While the figure includes both Tamron-branded lenses and those that it manufactures but carry another name, the statistic is an unusual glimpse into the standings in the highly competitive third-party lens market.

Both Tamron and Sigma have long been a key part of the segment, but recent years have brought an increasing number of optics from lens makers based in China.

Part of Tamron’s success comes from doubling the number of lenses launched each year. As recently as 2023, Tamron was launching around 5 lenses a year, but Tamron has “more than 10 new products scheduled for 2026.”

The report also says that Tamron’s goal of “establishing a four-mount lineup, including Canon RF Mount” remains. Tamron’s first RF-mount lens arrived in 2024, and the company is now up to three RF-supported lenses – all for APS-C sensors.

Tamron attributes part of its success to what it calls “user-centric designs”.

“We set ourselves apart from manufacturers’ genuine products by combining a design philosophy focused on practicality with product planning that achieves both compactness and lightness alongside high performance,” the report says.

“We have gained support through user-centric designs, such as the standardization of filter diameters.”

Tamron is also attributing its growth to an approach to manufacturing that now stretches across three countries, including a new Vietnam plant opened last year.

With facilities now in Japan, China and Vietnam, Tamron says it has also been able to adjust the volume of each plant to help offset some higher tariff costs.

But Tamron’s growth comes as the company expects a “shrinking digital camera market.” The company’s plan includes retaining and growing its core lens business, but says lenses are also a stable “cash cow” in which to grow its other avenues – which also include surveillance lenses, lenses for car cameras and healthcare devices.

Tamron plans to continue growing its core photography business, but at a slower rate than other segments in order to create more stable revenue where interchangeable lenses make up two-thirds of the company’s profits rather than three-quarters.

The English language report was published on July 27, following a Japanese version published one month prior. The report comes amid the news that Sony has proposed buying all shares in Tamron.

Tamron has confirmed that an offer was made, but has not shared any decision or further insight on the matter. But the potential of Sony having full ownership makes the insight on Tamron’s 60% share in third-party optics – with 41% of that chunk being lenses manufactured for other companies – all the more interesting.

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I am never surprised to see that the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is trending on Google. From the moment this formidable Nikon Z lens was launched back in 2023, it’s been a hugely popular optic for Nikon.

Indeed its spiritual forebear, the Nikon AF‑S 200‑500mm f/5.6E ED VR, is still a fixture in both hides and trackside the world over.

A fantastic performer that stops short of pro-level prices

The Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR sits firmly within the enthusiast bracket, but I’ve known pros to favor its blend of reach, affordability and relatively light weight, too.

Essentially, it’s a middle ground between lenses like the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD ($699 / £699 / AU$1,199) and the Nikon Z 28‑400mm f/4‑8 VR ($1,449 / £1,399 / AU$2,299), and serious pro-grade optics that arguably begin with the Nikon Z 100‑400mm f/4.5‑5.6 VR S ($2,949 / £2,699 / AU$4,799) and ends with the Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S ($16,199 / £15,499 / AU$28,299).

The Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is priced at $2,199 / £1,999 / AU$3,099, placing it firmly in the middle. However, it’s important to remember that this is an extremely long lens.

The Big N doesn’t make many 600mm optics and the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is the cheapest of the bunch. It might not be the fastest lens in the world, but it’s still very workable in a variety of situations – especially given the enhanced low-light capabilities of the best Nikon cameras and the industry-rocking power of AI noise reduction.

I get it, 2,000 bucks is a lot of anyone’s money and it’s beyond the reach of some creatives. But for sports and wildlife photographers, having a long lens like the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR in their arsenal is quite simply more important than the camera.

A lot of enthusiasts have no problem dropping big bucks on a body or two (or three), but shy away from investing in the optics they need to fulfill their creative ambition.

If you can’t afford the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR but have a Z-Series camera, my recommendation would be to pair a secondhand F-mount lens – such as the Nikon AF‑S 200‑500mm f/5.6E ED VR – with the Nikon FTZ adapter.

Right now, MPB is selling said lens from £589 / $849, but there is a wealth of long lenses on the used market that you can find for less.

Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR: How does it fare in 2026?

The Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is a lovely lens to shoot with, delivering gorgeous image quality and a slick, internal zoom design.

But while the internal zoom does provide a more premium feel, it does mean that this lens will take up plenty of space in your kit bag. So much so that even a standard bag may struggle to accommodate this lens while it’s attached to a camera.

You get 5.5 stops of Vibration Reduction (Nikon’s proprietary optical stabilization) and customizable function buttons, as well as some decent weather sealing. It doesn’t boast the greatest tripod collar and foot, though, with the latter being rather small and uncomfortable when used as a handle, but this is easily replaced if it bothers you enough (I’ve kept mine).

And while the f/5.6-6.3 aperture range might seem a bit slow, with some cunning subject positioning it’s not hard to blur the background – especially as you’ll likely spend most of your time at the telephoto end anyway.

Overall, the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR represents just as good value and delivers just as good a performance three years after its release. I’d recommend it to anyone.

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Two years with the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR: Still a wildlife or sports enthusiast’s dream lens. I chose the Nikon Z 180-600mm for its value and reach, but my chiropractor would recommend the Z 100-400mm. And here are the best lenses for bird photography.

From Elon Musk claiming that Grok AI will make a “historically accurate” Odyssey film to academic Emily Wilson saying she “would be ashamed to have written any part of this script,” it seems like Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, currently sitting at a triumphant 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, has divided opinion. But I’ve just caught a video from photographer and YouTuber Anthony Gugliotta, investigating why some viewers are saying The Odyssey looks blurry.

I haven’t seen the film in an IMAX cinema, but I have to say, I didn’t actively notice the presence of any softness. Then again, I’m not a fan of razor sharpness and to me, the ethereal look of the film really complemented the source material. I generally think the cinematography looked great.

But as to why The Odyssey might look a little soft in places, Anthony’s video gives two very plausible answers. Firstly, IMAX 70mm is a massive format, which makes shallow depths of field more obvious. Secondly, the production was using modified Panavision Primo 65 lenses, which contained anamorphic lens elements, further enhancing the shallow depth of field.

So here’s the thing, you’re working with very shallow depths of field to start with. You then have to use longer focal lengths to reach standard cinematic fields of view, because of the huge format. And finally, you might be shooting at wide apertures. All of this results in a sliver of a focal plane. This is a focus puller's nightmare for close-up scenes because very little movement from the actor in question will throw everything out of focus.

Ultimately though, I’ll take a slightly soft cinematic production over AI slop and CGI borefests any day of the week. Then again, what do I know? I watched 1988’s Bloodsport at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it…

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How Christopher Nolan made a 300-pound IMAX camera disappear when making The Odyssey. Has color grading gone too far? This YouTube video hits on a subject I’ve pondered for years. Check out the best cinema cameras.

Recently, there’s been a resurgence in interest in the original Google Pixel smartphone, which was released back in 2016 with a modest single rear 12MP camera, a Sony sensor, and 32GB of base storage. However, it’s not for nostalgia or some kind of retro kick.

In an aggressive marketing bid, the search engine hegemon offered all Pixel 1 customers lifetime unlimited original-resolution, uncompressed photo and video storage. And now, people are buying up Pixel 1 phones – which you can find on eBay for under $100 (approximately £75 / AU$140) – hoping to take advantage of this deal, which Google still honors to this day.

The only caveat was, and still is, that files need to be uploaded via the Google Photos app from the Pixel 1 device, which isn’t ideal. Still, it means users can get around any current storage plan limits by first transferring files from other devices to the Pixel 1 before uploading them to the cloud.

Above: this tutorial shows exactly how people are exploiting the Google Pixel 1 unlimited storage hack

It’s a seemingly fail-safe hack, too. Even though it’s been 10 years since the Pixel 1 was unveiled, if Google decided to revoke the deal, it would likely need to navigate a legal minefield of breach-of-contract clauses.

I really don't think the tech giant is worried about these storage hackers taking up too much real estate on its servers either.

While by 2023 an estimated 40 million Pixel units across all generations had sold, the company revoked the unlimited storage benefit from Generation 6 (2021) onwards. In fact, Google had already downgraded the unlimited storage deal to compressed-quality files by the release of Generation 5 the previous year.

But do I recommend exploiting this hack? Honestly, no. While it can save you money in the long run, transferring all your files to an early-generation Pixel device, either manually or via a syncing app, is a hassle. Plus, the whole scheme relies on an old smartphone that may or may not give out after long.

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If there’s something that Peak Design is known for beyond its line of photography accessories and bags, it’s record-breaking Kickstarter campaigns – and the brand’s latest has already surpassed half a million dollars for a modular L-bracket dubbed the Peak Design Field Bracket.

Peak Design’s crowdfunding approach has been an overwhelmingly successful one. In 2019, the company broke the Kickstarter record at the time for the most money raised with more than $12 million for the Travel Tripod. That record no longer stands, but last year, Peak Design raised even more for the Roller Pro at over $13 million.

The Peak Design Field Bracket’s half million may seem like pocket change compared to the brand’s record-breaking launches, but the campaign has already surpassed more than ten times the original goal on a campaign that only launched last week – and the pledges start at $125 compared to $415 for the Roller Pro.

On the surface, the Peak Design Field Bracket is an L-Mount bracket, a longstanding simple camera accessory that allows creators to quickly switch from horizontal to vertical when using a tripod.

But the Field Bracket uses a modular design that aims to offer more than quick horizontal and vertical shots. The base plate hides a Peak-Design-made Bluetooth tracker, aiming to ward off lost or stolen gear by putting a tracker directly on the camera instead of inside a camera bag.

Peak Design isn’t the first to try to hide a Bluetooth tracker directly on the camera, but Peak Design made its own tracker instead of using an existing tracker like an AirTag or Tile (though it still works with both Apple Find My and Google Find Hub). Beyond tracking, the tag powers left-behind alerts.

The design makes the tracker look like just part of the bracket, Peak Design says, and while the vertical piece of the L-bracket can be removed without tools, the base plate uses a tooled installation in order to prevent thieves from easily removing the tracker.

The L-bracket uses a modular design that also allows users to swap the vertical piece out for a cheese plate, which can be used to add accessories like mics, lights, and external monitors. While cheese plates tend to be more popular for video rigs, I can see photographers using the set-up to attach an action camera for shooting behind-the-scenes footage as well.

The L-bracket also supports a wrist strap and, for the Fujifilm X100Vi and Leica Q3, the L-bracket also gives compact cameras a beefier grip.

Unlike Peak Design’s popular bags and straps, the L-bracket is camera-specific, which means the accessory has to be matched up with a compatible camera – a list that so far includes several Sony, Canon and Nikon models, as well as two Fujifilms and two Leicas.

The Field Bracket is Peak Design’s 17th Kickstarter campaign. The crowdfunding closes August 21. A retail launch is planned for March 2027. The Kickstarter has the bracket for a 17 percent discount from the expected retail price at $125 (about £93 / AU$179 / CA$175.

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You now have just three days left to buy the Camp Snap 2 at its lowest-ever price, with the wonderfully simple screen-free camera currently available for only $69.99 in the US and £54 in the UK.

However, this price is not going to hang around. Camp Snap has confirmed that its introductory launch pricing will end on August 3, after which the price of the camera will increase. The company says rising costs are behind the decision, so this is one of those rare occasions when waiting will almost certainly mean paying more.

The Camp Snap 2 takes everything that made the original such an enjoyable little camera and gives it a welcome refresh. It remains completely screen-free, encouraging you to concentrate on the moment rather than repeatedly checking every image, but the body is now 15% slimmer and the viewfinder has been repositioned to make framing more reliable.

You also get six built-in filters, including three vintage options, an analog look and black-and-white, all of which can be selected directly on the camera. There is no need to connect it to an app or edit every photograph afterwards, making it easy to switch between different looks while you are out shooting.

The Camp Snap 2 uses an 8MP sensor with a fixed f/2 lens, includes a 4GB microSD card and can capture up to 500 photographs from a single charge. It also charges over USB-C, has a standard tripod mount and introduces a faster shutter response, making it a more practical camera for holidays, parties, family days out or simply carrying around every day.

This is never going to replace a serious mirrorless camera, and that is entirely the point. The Camp Snap 2 is designed to be inexpensive, uncomplicated and fun, giving you something closer to the experience of using a disposable camera without continually buying film or paying for development.

At $69.99 / £54, it is already one of the most affordable ways to enjoy distraction-free photography, but you only have until August 3 to secure the introductory price. With the increase now confirmed, I would not leave this one sitting in your basket for too long.

Yesterday, a bombshell report from Diamond Online claimed that Sony had proposed an offer to acquire all the shares in Tamron. And today, Tamron issued an official statement to confirm that it has received a “non-binding proposal” from the consumer tech giant to make the optical manufacturer a “wholly-owned subsidiary of the Sony Group”.

Tamron says that it has put together a “special committee” to weigh up its options, but that currently public disclosure on any matter is not required.

Sony and Tamron’s long-standing relationship

While the news has certainly come out of the blue, it’s not exactly surprising that Sony would express interest in acquiring Tamron. The global consumer electronics conglomerate has been Tamron’s largest shareholder for years, with a percentage that rose to 15.35% in December of last year.

But a couple of weeks ago, Digital Camera Life reported that Sony was facing competition from the second-largest shareholder, Effissimo Capital Management, which increased its stake to 17.38% in April.

Having a business partner like Sony is something of a safety net for Tamron, so Effissimo’s aggressive play isn’t necessarily a welcome one. And given the timing, it’s certainly possible that losing its majority stake was the catalyst for Sony’s proposal.

What could Sony’s proposal mean?

Tamron hasn’t revealed any details beyond confirming Sony’s proposal. However, according to the Diamond Online report, this could mean a ¥200 billion offer, which equates to roughly $1.2 billion / £916.4 million / AU$1.75 billion / CA$1.72 billion.

And there’s another angle to this. If Sony does indeed acquire Tamron, what happens to the various mounts for which the company makes optics – could we see a future where Tamron is exclusive to E-mount?

In my opinion, I don’t think Sony will scupper lens sales for Nikon Z, Canon RF and Fujifilm X by limiting mounts. After all, it wouldn’t be the largest global supplier of image sensors if it only supplied its own cameras.

Digital Camera World will be monitoring the Tamron and Sony situation carefully. The story continues…

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Sony has held a slice of shares in third-party lens maker Tamron for multiple years, but an investigation led by a Japanese business publication hints that the camera giant has explored acquiring all of the shares in Tamron.

According to interviews from the Japanese business publication Diamond, Sony has proposed an offer to acquire all of the shares in Tamron. The report suggests a 200 billion yen proposal, which would be about $1.2 billion / £916.4 million / AU$1.75 billion / CA$1.72 billion at current exchange rates.

Neither Sony nor Tamron has validated the investigative report, and the report only describes a proposal, not an accepted agreement. The Japanese report has sparked an onslaught of rumors and speculation about whether such an acquisition would happen and, if it did, what such a move would mean for Tamron's non-Sony lenses.

Sony already owns a significant portion of Tamron’s shares. But, last month, reports suggested that Singapore-based investment fund Effissimo had surpassed Sony in share percentage, moving from a 10.76 percent stake to 17.38 percent.

Tamron’s most recent official shareholder list was updated in December 2025 and shows Sony as the leading shareholder at 15.35 percent.

Digital Camera World has reached out to both Tamron and Sony for comment.

Historically, Sony’s partial share ownership has been a positive for Sony photographers. Tamron lenses tend to launch to E-Mount first, though the brand hinted earlier this year that more new lenses may take a multi-mount approach at launch, rather than delaying the launch for additional mounts.

The rumors, however, have sparked another key discussion: What would happen to Tamron’s other mount options if Sony owned Tamron? Tamron’s financial reports don’t break down how much of the business’s sales are to other brands, but the multi-mount approach feels key to Tamron’s identity as a third-party lens brand.

The E-Mount by far makes up a majority of Tamron’s lens options. Tamron’s website currently lists 23 E-Mount lenses, 13 Nikon Z lenses, four Canon RF lenses, and four Fujifilm X-Mount lenses.

According to Tamron’s 2025 investor report, Tamron aims to increase the number of lenses launched each year from six to ten.

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Around the corner from the pinball machine at Lucky Slice Pizza in Ogden, Utah, there’s another machine that feels a bit more unexpected: a vending machine that doesn't dispense snacks but instead offers film, disposable cameras, and starter film cameras.

The FIND Lab – an abbreviation that comes from Film is Not Dead – has been selling and developing film for more than a decade. After opening a second location last year, the film store decided to take a smaller approach to expansion: a vending machine.

Jon Canlas, owner and creator of The FIND Lab, says the idea for the vending machine came as the brand looked to continue to expand into northern Utah, having opened its second outlet in Salt Lake.

Instead of snacks and drinks, The FIND Lab’s vending machine dispenses a variety of film as well as cameras. The machine dispenses film in multiple sizes, including 35mm film as well as Instax Mini instant film.

Disposable cameras can also be purchased from the vending machine, along with some reloadable, budget starter cameras like the Kodak Snapic.

There’s just one digital product inside the machine: the viral Kodak Charmera keychain camera.

A lockbox at the side of the machine enables photographers to not only buy film from the machine, but also drop rolls off to get developed.

“Film is not dead,” Canlas said. “Not only is it available, but it’s readily available at a price point that meets most places online. We’ve brought the online experience to you in person. Our mission is to help people shoot more film more often, and that’s exactly what this does.”

The biggest challenge to getting the vending machine up and running – a process that took about a month and a half – was finding the right coil for each type of film in order to make sure the film vends properly and doesn’t get stuck.

The team customized the coil arrangement to best fit the variety of film and installed a sensor to ensure the machine continues to vend each purchase.

In just the first month, photographers have dropped off nearly 100 rolls of film at the vending machine, and purchased enough film and disposable cameras to nearly cover the initial cost of the machine.

Pizza and film may seem like an unusual combination, but Canlas describes Lucky Slice as a “hipster” pizza parlor – so the team-up, while unusual, made sense.

The Lucky Slice owners shoot film, too, and FIND Lab and Lucky Slice are planning a photo walk in August, with the resulting images to be displayed inside the restaurant.

While The FIND Lab vending machine is more of a mini location than a full retail store, the move marks the company’s third expansion into a new location.

Film is Not Dead started as an analog workshop in 2008. In 2011, the team started developing film in order to give workshop feedback, but when development opened to the public the business quickly took off.

The company opened up a retail store in Provo, Utah in 2024. Along with selling and developing film and analog camera equipment, the 7,000-square-foot building also houses a gallery, a public darkroom and a studio space.

Last year, the company opened a second location for retail and film developing in Salt Lake City.

The vending machine enables the company to cater to film photographers who are north of Salt Lake – saving about an hour of driving. “There’s nothing like this in the whole state,” Canlas said. “Once you get past Salt Lake, film shops don’t exist.”

The number one seller so far from the vending machine? Kodak Gold film, followed by disposable cameras.

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The GoPro name is almost as synonymous with accessories as it is with action cameras – and the new larger sensor Mission 1 Pro series isn’t any different. On July 29, GoPro rolled out the Mission 1 Series’ Media Mod, along with the updated Volta 2 battery tripod – the latter of which is also compatible with older Hero series cameras as well.

GoPro teased a long list of accessories at the Mission 1 Series launch, but now the Mission Media Mod and Volta 2 are finally rolling out, alongside bundled deals that include the new cinema-action camera with the accessories.

The accessories also come alongside new firmware for the Mission 1 series that includes accessory compatibility but also improves image quality with enhanced contrast and color accuracy.

And, the announcement even comes with insight that GoPro’s mirrorless Mission 1 Pro ILS is still on track to launch later this quarter. GoPro hasn’t shared a specific date yet, but the quarter ends on September 30.

The new accessories and Mission 1 Creator Kit combos will be GoPro.com exclusives at first before launching to retail stores in August.

The GoPro Volta 2

I’ve used GoPro’s original Volta to power all-night time lapses with my Hero12 camera. The Mission 1 Series offers better built-in battery life, but the GoPro Volta 2 expands that life to up to nine hours of 4K30p video, thanks to a higher-capacity 5800mAh battery.

The Volta 2 isn’t just an external battery pack though – it’s also a mini tripod and grip. Because the Volta 2 is specifically built for GoPro, the handle also incorporates camera controls, keeping key options within easy reach when using the Volta 2 as a grip.

The Volta 2 is also one of the new accessories that launched with the Mission 1 series but is still compatible with older Hero series cameras.

The Volta 2 is launching first as a GoPro.com exclusive before arriving on retail shelves in August. The battery tripod accessory retails for about $140 / £125 / AU$225 / CA$190, with discounts for subscribers who have been with GoPro for more than a year.

GoPro Media Mod for Mission 1 Series

GoPro is no stranger to Media Mods designed to give the action camera more ports and accessories, but the company says the Media Mod was redesigned from the ground up for the Mission 1 Series.

The new Media Mod has a built-in multi-pattern mic, but serious audophiles will find three different 3.5mm ports for an external microphone, a line-in for timecode sync, and a headphone port to monitor audio quality while recording. Both the integrated microphone and the mic port support 32-bit float audio.

The Media Mod also has a micro-HDMI port, which allows users to work with external monitors and live broadcasts with support for up to 4K60 video. A hot shoe slot for additional accessories, such as the GoPro LightMod 2, is also part of the setup.

GoPro says that the Mod is designed in a way that still allows for easy access to the battery and memory card slot, while supporting the traditional mounting fingers, magnetic mounts, and ¼-20 tripod mounts. The design is weather-resistant, but not submersible.

The Media Mod, which is compatible with all three Mission 1 models, will be a GoPro.com exclusive for the first few weeks before launching to retail stores in August. The accessory retails for $149 / £129 / AU$229 / CA$199.

GoPro Mission 1 firmware update

A firmware update for the Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 gives the cameras support for those new accessories, but the firmware goes beyond adding in the accessories.

GoPro says the firmware update also comes with enhancements to image quality. In the cameras’ Dive Mode, contrast and tone tuning have improved. Color accuracy and cinematic motion blur tuning have also improved, the company says.

The firmware is available for download directly from GoPro.

The GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS mirrorless camera is still on schedule for a 2026 release

Tucked in with the announcements, GoPro says that the company’s first mirrorless camera, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS, is still on track to launch before the end of the third quarter.

That timeline isn’t any different than what GoPro shared at the initial Mission 1 Series announcement, but it reaffirms that the mirrorless camera hasn’t been pushed back amid the company’s financial struggles and increased scarcity for memory components.

Along with the new firmware, Media Mod, and Volta 2, GoPro also launched new Creator Combo bundles that pair the Mission 1 Pro with several accessories. The Mission 1 Pro Creator Edition includes the camera, Media Mod, Volta 2, and Wireless Mic kit for $1,099 / £950 / AU$1,700 / CA$1,499.

The Mission 1 Pro Ultimate Creator Edition swaps the Volta grip from the Creator Combo for the GoPro Fluid Pro AI gimbal and also includes the Light Mod 2 along with the Media Mod, Wireless Mic, and camera for $1,199 / £1,050 / AU$1,850 / CA$1,650.

The combos are available with the Mission 1 Pro directly from GoPro.com.

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I’m always glad to see that the Fujifilm X-M5 is trending on Google, because it means plenty of people are giving this unassuming little powerhouse the attention it deserves. You see, despite its popularity, I’ve often wondered how many would-be Fujifilm X-M5 creators have simply dismissed Fujifilm’s smallest interchangeable-lens camera as being an entry-level body, maybe even a casual camera akin to the Fujifilm X Half, when in actual fact, it’s anything but.

Last year I claimed “the Fujifilm X-M5 finally delivers on the compact promise of the mirrorless camera,” but it’s not just this camera’s tiny footprint that makes it so appealing; it’s the surprising power that lurks beneath the hood.

Firstly, the Fujifilm X-M5 is built around the company’s last-gen flagship APS-C sensor, the 26.1 MP X-Trans CMOS 4. This imbues it with some serious X-Series credentials right off the bat, complete with that coveted Fujifilm color science.

Then things get really interesting: 20fps burst speeds (30fps with 1.25x crop), along with 6.2K / 30p, 4K / 60p (1.18x crop), full HD / 240p, as well as 4:2:2 10-bit and F-Log for plenty of pliability in post-production. And to top it all off, it supports open-gate video.

Now, the elephant in the room is the lack of a viewfinder, but unusually that really doesn’t bother me here, because it’s clear that the Fujifilm X-M5 is designed to be as small and light as possible, and without compromise. Nobody bemoans a traditional compact camera for not having a viewfinder; it’s either your bag or it isn’t.

But here’s the thing. I reckon the Fujifilm X-M5, like the Ricoh GR IV, is the camera nerd's 'compact camera'. It’s small enough to be a constant companion, but it’s got the image quality, the specs, and the interchangeable-lens system to be an infinitely useful tool. In a world where the Fujifilm X100VI gets the lion’s share of the attention and plaudits, spare a thought for the Fujifilm X-M5. It’s easy to miss, but hard to find fault.

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I thought the Fujifilm X-E5 made the Fujifilm X100VI a lame duck. Here's why I've changed my mind. I spent some time with the Fujifilm GFX100RF; it may just be my ideal travel camera. And finally, check out the best retro cameras.

The Sony FX5 was only available for 24 hours before demand exceeded supply in Japan, as the "handheld Hollywood" cinema camera is already achieving blockbuster success.

Announced last week, the Sony FX5 is due to launch on August 21. Pre-orders opened yesterday in Japan, but such is the appetite for the camera that some deliveries will be delayed until at least September.

This delay could be further impacted by the suspension of sensor production at Sony's Kumamoto factory, though there has been no official communication to this effect.

"We began accepting orders for the professional camcorder 'FX5' on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, and have received significantly more orders than we anticipated," announced Sony.

"As a result, there may be a delay in delivery.

According to the listing on Japan's official Sony Store website, fulfilment of new orders is currently expected to take place in September.

"We are currently working diligently to meet our customers' requests as much as possible, so please bear with us for a little while longer."

While technically a new product, the FX5 is one of Sony's most eagerly anticipated cameras. Customers have been awaiting a replacement for the five-year-old FX3, with camera rumors whipping up excitement for the body ahead of its official reveal.

A 5K 120p open gate camera with modular expansion and features inherited from the Burano and Venice lines, the Sony FX5 is widely expected to be as dominant for the next five years as the FX3 was in the previous.

And, if this early supply shortage in Japan is anything to go by, that dominance has already begun!

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The largest image sensor plant from Sony – the world’s biggest manufacturer of image sensors – has halted production after an earthquake hit Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. As of July 31, production still has not resumed, Sony said during an earnings report.

The Kumamoto Technology Center of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation in Kikuyo Town, Kumamoto Prefecture is Sony's biggest image sensor hub, and the manufacturing facilities are located near the epicenter of the July 28 earthquake.

During an earnings call on July 31, Sony said that production is still suspended. "Restoration efforts to resume production are currently underway," Sony told investors.

Earlier this week, Sony confirmed that the earthquake impacted sensor production. Fujifilm and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc facilities were also evacuated after the earthquake.

Sony said that all employees were safely evacuated, with "a few people who sustained minor injuries."

Sony is the world’s largest manufacturer of image sensors, and the halted plant has been known to produce as many as four million image sensors in a single day.

The company says that the damage to the building and manufacturing lines is still being assessed.

Manufacturing camera sensors is a highly precise process, and even if the building sustained minimal damage, the manufacturing lines will likely need to be assessed to see if recalibration is needed. Damage to the area's roads could also potentially delay shipping.

Sony hasn’t yet shared how the pause could affect product availability, but an earthquake in the same region in 2011 previously caused delays and limited availability in the months following the earthquake for several brands, including Sony, Canon, and Nikon.

As one of the largest sensor manufacturers, the pause could have an impact beyond Sony-branded cameras, as Sony sensors are often found in other cameras as well as smartphones and other smart devices.

Fujifilm and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc. also evacuated following the quakes.

Editor's note: This story was updated with the information on the latest status of the image sensor plant on July 31.

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When I first started making videos for a living back in the late 80s, my video production team used two long, smooth pieces of wood as tracks for the wheeled ‘dolly’ that was attached to the base of our chunky video camera’s tripod. This enabled us to add smooth camera moves to shots, such as dollying forward towards an actor, or tracking (crabbing) left or right to add a bit of motion and life to a static scene. When not in use, we kept the two wooden tracks in a plastic body bag (I’m not sure where my video unit got that from!).

Fast forward to the 21st century, and I’ve just tested a descendant of my primitive 80s camera tracking system - the Andoer L4 Pro. This device is a small, battery-powered camera slider (or as it says in the manual - an ‘autodolly’) that can dolly, track, or pan the attached camera or smartphone - as long as you find a smooth, flat surface for it to drive on. Lots more about that limitation in the Performance section of this review.

Andoer produces a wide range of photographic equipment, from green screen backdrops to LEDs and soft boxes. They also produce a large range of affordable compact digital cameras, as well as larger camera dolly rail-based set-ups. Interestingly, I discovered that the Andoer L4 Pro is identical to a Neewer branded three-wheeled tracker - more on that in the Price section.

The Andoer L4 Pro isn’t the first electronic camera mover that I’ve tested for Digital Camera World. Back in 2022, I tested the Joby Swing - an electronic smartphone slider. The tripod-mounted Swing was very limited in the speed and distance that it could move the camera, whereas thanks to its three rubber-clad wheels, the Andoer L4 Pro can keep on tracking until it runs out of a surface (such as the end of a park bench!).

Some would argue that in the age of the camera gimbal a camera slider is a relatively inferior solution to making smooth moves. A gimbal enables you to pan, track and dolly your camera manually - adding motion to your footage. You can pop a gimbal on its mini tripod and use its AI tracker to tilt and pan the camera to follow your every move, or use its joystick to perform a smooth pan. So, why and when would you use a slider instead of a gimbal? Is a slider worth buying. The short answer is a firm ‘yes’, but I’ll clarify and unpack that answer later in this review.

Check out our guide to the best camera sliders.

Andoer L4 Pro: Specifications

Andoer L4 Pro: Price

The Andoer L4 Pro retails at £75.29 on the UK Amazon Store. You can see the Andoer L4 Pro. In the USA, this model is most easily found being sold under the Neewer brand for $73.89 on the Amazon US Store – but this doesn’t include a ball-head. The Neewer branded version of the tracker is also available on the UK Amazon store for £78.99.

On the UK Andoer store the Andoer L4 Pro is pictured wearing an Andoer branded ball-head camera mount, though the version that I tested didn’t include this rather useful ball-head accessory. I could pick up a compatible 1/4” thread ball head from Andoer for under a tenner. To attach my iPhone 17 Pro to the Andoer L4 Pro I used a Joby-branded smartphone holder that I already owned.

The Andoer L4 Pro won’t blow your budget, and even if you already own a gimbal, it could still come in handy when you want to capture a quick pan, tracking shot or dolly move without the faff of unpacking and setting up a large stabiliser. It could also be a useful tool for stock videographers, enabling them to add movement, life and energy to otherwise static scenes, such as landscapes where there is little action within the frame.

Andoer L4 Pro: Design & Handling

The Andoer L4 Pro autodolly is a compact, three-wheeled device that fits comfortably in the hand when folded. It also takes up very little space in a kit bag, which is a big plus for me as I prefer to travel light.

The specifications state that the autodolly is made from “high-quality plastic”, although it also contains several metal components. Its two folding legs (with wheels attached) are metal and are connected to a metal bracket that secures them to the rectangular plastic body. At the opposite end is a third wheel, which is the only motor-driven wheel. As it rotates, it propels the autodolly along on all three wheels. The metal components make the L4 Pro feel satisfyingly solid and heavy, though it still weighs in under 300g.

By adjusting the angle of the two hinged rear wheel legs, you can make the dolly travel in a straight line for a tracking or “crab” move, or follow a curved path to create a pan. The legs can be adjusted in increments to produce a tighter or wider curve, resulting in a faster or slower pan. Helpfully, each hinge is marked with a small protractor graphic, making it easy to set both legs to the same angle and achieve a smooth tracking move, pan or even a full rotation. Each of the three wheels has a rubber ‘tyre’ that enables them to have traction on a variety of surfaces.

On one side of the rectangular body you’ll find the on/off switch and a USB-C port for charging the internal battery. On the opposite side are two plastic buttons. One, helpfully labelled “Speed”, lets you cycle through three settings. The selected speed is indicated by one green light for 1.4cm/s, two lights for 2.4cm/s and three lights for 3.0cm/s. I’ll discuss speed in more detail in the Performance section, as there are ways to make the attached camera travel faster. There’s also a button that enables you to make the motorized wheel rotate the opposite way, so this lets you change the direction of travel. The motorized wheel does make a little whirr which can be picked up by a smartphone’s mic, but on the whole the whirr is negligible, as you’ll hear from see my supporting video.

Speaking of cameras, the top of the L4 Pro features both 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch mounting threads. The device also comes with a circular mounting attachment, so it was a simple matter to screw a smartphone holder onto it and clip my iPhone 17 Pro into place. You can also attach a compact or mirrorless camera to the Andoer L4 Pro, but as my colleague Chris George says in the best camera sliders buying guide - “While it’s definitely best suited to smaller cameras – it won’t take a C500 cine camera with a 70-200mm lens – you’ll still be able to get a mirrorless camera on it with a 50mm lens onboard if the need arises.”

The Andoer L4 Pro’s orange wheels and mounting attachment are remarkably similar in colour to the iPhone 17 Pro’s Cosmic Orange finish, making it an especially attractive accessory for owners of that model. The complementary colour scheme is entirely coincidental, however, as the L4 Pro has been on the market for several years.

Oh, one last design point to mention is the inclusion of a remote control unit. This small plastic unit is designed to let you toggle between the L4 Pro’s three speeds and change its direction from a distance of up to 6m. I confess that although the light on the remote showed that the battery was active, I couldn’t get it to control the L4, which did make testing it a bit trickier as you’ll see in the Performance section (and in the supporting video).

Andoer L4 Pro: Performance

Above: watch my video showing the Andoer L4 Pro in action in the City of London

To test the Andoer L4 Pro, I popped it and my iPhone 17 Pro into my McKinnon 8L Camera Sling bag and headed into the city to capture some photogenic clips. I occasionally shoot editorial-style footage to sell on stock video sites such as Storyblocks.com, so I was keen to see whether the L4 Pro was fast enough to add sufficient movement to my clips. A slight pan or tracking move is a great way to bring extra life to a shot, especially when there isn’t much movement happening within the frame. I only earn around $50-60 per month from my stock video clips but that’s a regular passive income from clips I’ve uploaded over the years.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting too much from this autodolly, although its maximum speed of 3cm/s is at least a little faster than the snail-like 1cm/s pace of the Joby Swing slider. But the more I used it, the more impressed I became with it.

As you’ll see in this section’s supporting video (above), my first test location was a scenic city park. This immediately presented a challenge: finding a surface that was sufficiently flat and smooth for the L4 Pro’s small, rubber-clad wheels to move freely.

I placed the L4 Pro on a park bench, adjusted the two hinged legs so that their wheels ran parallel with the motorized wheel, and flipped the power switch to On. I couldn’t get the supplied remote control to communicate with the L4 Pro, but it was a simple matter to press the direction button on the L4 Pro itself to set it in motion, having first started recording on the dolly-mounted iPhone 17 Pro.

When the L4 was travelling in a straight line, I didn’t notice much difference between the first and third speed settings, so I generally left it at its maximum speed of 3cm/s, as indicated by three green lights. I then walked into shot and admired the Art Deco building in the distance while the autodolly carried my iPhone through a tracking move.

Because I was looking towards the building, I was slightly concerned that the autodolly might roll off the end of the bench behind me and fall to the ground, so I kept each take relatively short. One of the L4 Pro’s wheels also had a tendency to drop into the gaps between the bench’s wooden slats, causing a small bump in the footage. This resulted in a few retakes and, as you’ll see in the supporting video, the camera movement in my first test clip was subtle because of the distance between the autodolly and the subject.

As I discovered when using the Joby Swing, camera movement becomes more noticeable when you place an object close to the lens. A nearby foreground object appears to move across the frame more quickly than subjects in the distance, creating a stronger sense of motion.

By positioning a bollard between myself and the iPhone 17 Pro mounted on the Andoer L4 Pro, I was able to capture a much more noticeable tracking effect. I then angled the two hinged legs slightly so that the device travelled in a gentle curve. This enabled me to track past a foreground railing and reveal the Art Deco building in the background with a more cinematic camera move, as you can see in the supporting video.

This is the kind of movement I couldn’t easily capture while filming myself with a gimbal. A gimbal can pan and tilt to follow me as I walk through the frame, but when mounted on mini tripod legs it remains in a fixed position. The Andoer L4 Pro, by contrast, physically travels across the ground, enabling a different and more dynamic type of tracking shot.

My third test location was the Barbican Centre, with its towering Brutalist architecture. Unfortunately, it wasn’t especially friendly terrain for the Andoer L4 Pro’s small rubber wheels, as almost every available surface was heavily textured. The floors were covered in chunky tiles, while the broad tops of the walkway walls were clad in rough, pebble-dashed concrete.

After some wandering, I eventually found a flat metal air-duct cover that was smooth enough for the L4 Pro’s small rubber wheels to traverse. I tilted my Joby smartphone mount upwards, switched the iPhone 17 Pro to its ultra-wide camera and angled the adjustable wheels to create a tight curve. This enabled me to capture a dramatic, low-angle circular move past the Barbican’s tall towers, while long plant stems swept more quickly through the foreground and enhanced the sense of motion.

While wandering through London, I enjoyed being able to quickly pull out the Andoer L4 Pro whenever I spotted an opportunity to add movement to a short stock video clip. I particularly enjoyed using it at the top of the Sky Garden, which offers panoramic views across London. By angling the L4 Pro’s two unmotorized wheels closer together, I made the device travel in a tight, fast circle. With the smartphone mount tilted upwards, this enabled me to capture dramatic and slightly dizzying low-angle footage of the building’s curved glass roof. I must thank fellow photographer Shaughn Malcom for filming me setting up and using the Andoer L4 Pro for this review’s supping video

Finally, I found myself on the banks of the Thames, where I wanted to capture tracking shots that followed the movement of passing boats — an ideal subject for stock video. However, as the Andoer L4 Pro trundled across the rough, gritty surface I had placed it on, I could see in the iPhone’s viewfinder that the footage looked rather bumpy. To my surprise, however, the recorded footage played back remarkably smoothly. This was thanks to the iPhone 17 Pro’s combination of electronic stabilisation and sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, which physically moves the sensor to compensate for camera shake. This gave me the freedom to use the L4 Pro on surfaces that weren’t perfectly smooth, greatly increasing the number of locations in which it could be used. Check out the supporting video to see the results for yourself.

Andoer L4 Pro: Verdict

I initially approached the task of reviewing the Andoer L4 Pro as something of a chore, as I couldn’t see how it would add much to my smartphone footage. However, within half an hour of testing, I began to appreciate its potential for bringing stock-footage subjects to life. It works particularly well when you compose a shot with objects in the foreground, as these move more noticeably across the frame and create a stronger sense of motion.

I can also recommend the Andoer L4 Pro to smartphone filmmakers who want to add a gentle tracking or panning movement to a shot. On the downside, it is dependent on a reasonably smooth surface if you want to produce a smooth track, dolly move or pan. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised by how well I could use it on slightly uneven surfaces, with the iPhone 17 Pro’s stabilisation ironing out the resulting bumps and wobbles during my test.

For smartphone filmmakers, the Andoer L4 Pro could prove to be a handy and affordable accessory - and it looks particularly smart when paired with the similarly coloured Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro. In fact, it is such an eye-catching little device that two people stopped to chat to me while I was testing it, so hello to you chaps if you’re reading this!

Alternatives

You’ll never catch me opting for a fast f/1.8 prime with stellar subject separation if I can get the same focal length in a zoom lens – even if it means sacrificing a stop of aperture, or even two, at the telephoto end.

But guess what? I don’t care. As someone who, more often than not, finds himself taking pictures of rugged landscapes and adventurous outdoor activities, the last thing I want is a backpack full of different lenses that I need to constantly change to get the shot.

For example, as an Alpha shooter, why would I opt for a trio of Sony 35mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, and 135mm f/1.8 G Master (or cheaper alternative) primes when I can get a 24-105mm f/4 G Master zoom lens – or even better in terms of aperture, a Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8?

It just doesn't make sense to me to lug around all this kit when the only real benefit is the wider maximum apertures, especially when you can now easily add in a stop or two of blur in post-production while retaining a natural feel to the image.

The counterargument, of course, is that there are different courses for different horses.

I also know it can be hard to undo the whole idea around “fast primes with creamy bokeh” being the best lenses for portraits, which camera manufacturers have drummed into us over the years – no doubt hoping we’ll part ways with more cash for more gear we probably don’t need.

But I still don’t care. Even if the zoom I opt for costs a few hundred bucks more than a set of individual primes combined, I’ll happily take it – knowing that I only need to use my legs to get a bit of extra wide-angle view or telephoto zoom, not change my lens altogether and risk missing the shot.

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Here’s our pick of the best telephoto lenses and also our selection of the best cheap prime lenses – perhaps you disagree with my take and prefer fixed focal lengths with more generous aperture ranges.

The rise of digital photography and the smartphone nearly decimated the disposable camera, the analog camera loved for its mix of affordability and simplicity. But then sometime around 2019, Fujifilm, the popular camera brand behind the disposable QuickSnap line, noticed something unusual: Disposable camera sales were suddenly skyrocketing.

But, seven years later, the disposable camera trend is proving to be far from a short-lived fad. I connected with Ashley Reeder Morgan, the Vice President of Marketing and Consumer Products for Fujifilm North America to chat film.

As disposable film sales climbed beginning around mid-2019, even celebrities were organically picking up QuickSnap cameras and sharing the images on social media.

“As a result of this growth, we conducted a great deal of consumer research on Gen Z to understand ‘why and what’ is most appealing about analog photography, as well as the QuickSnap line of products in particular,” Morgan, who has been part of Fujifilm for 12 years, said. “Part of this research focused on if this was just a fad, or a trend that might sustain. We were thrilled to discover that it has certainly sustained!”

The disposable film camera originally launched as a way to capture photos without a high cost or learning curve – after all, photographers don’t even need to know how to load a roll of film to use one. The resurgence of a format originally designed for simplicity in the era when snapping a photo is as simple as pulling out a smartphone and opening an app may seem unusual, but Morgan says the disposable film trend is more about taking photos without spending time tracking likes and comments

“We have found that QuickSnap is especially popular with Gen Z,” she added. “They’re the first wholly digital generation who grew up with the ubiquity of smartphone photography and social media. To them, analog photography is novel, and creating a situation where they can create without the encumbrances of fully connected digital devices (and the distractions they bring).”

QuickSnap may be Fujifilm’s most affordable camera, but Morgan says that Fujifilm views disposables as an important part of the imaging landscape overall – and that the trend is still on its upswing.

Fujifilm is largely credited for creating the modern disposable film camera, bringing the first QuickSnap to market in 1986. Forty years later, much of the QuickSnap’s original charm remains.

The first QuickSnap was essentially a box that only had an open hole instead of a viewfinder. QuickSnap transitioned to a more compact format with an actual viewfinder lens in 1997. But today’s QuickSnaps are largely unchanged from the 2002 design that introduced a better grip for getting fewer accidental fingers in the shots. The camera also doesn’t need to block light with the body itself, allowing for some QuickSnaps with a transparent body design.

This year, Fujifilm introduced its first black-and-white disposable, along with a refreshed version of the brand’s waterproof disposable. Both cameras are expected to arrive in September 2026.

“With this resurgence of people interested in analog photography, many of whom are new to photography overall, we wanted to give our users options,” Morgan said. “Both our refreshed Active model and new Black and White one-time use cameras are designed to encourage people to get out and create – and Black and White allows users to give their images that extra artistic flair.”

One of the key concerns with bringing back the disposable camera trend is the environmental impact of one-time-use products. Morgan said that about 60 percent of all QuickSnaps by weight are made from recycled materials. The camera’s flash unit is reused multiple times, and the plastic in the body is crushed and re-pelletized.

Morgan says that the disposable camera trend is still on an upward swing – and that’s a good sign for fans of the format. Fujifilm declined to comment on future products, but Morgan did offer one tidbit: “Based on the continued success of the line, we certainly have plans to continue to expand the overall QuickSnap photography experience in the future.”

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Compact cameras and film photography continue to enjoy a resurgence, particularly among younger photographers drawn to the nostalgic look of analogue images and to cameras small enough to carry everywhere. Few, however, are quite as distinctive as the Lomomatic 110.

Now, Lomography has unveiled the new Lomomatic 110 Camera & Flash Discomatic, a colorful new design edition priced at $119 / £109. Combining retro styling with a sharp glass lens, automatic exposure, and a unique sliding film advance, it delivers a shooting experience unlike almost anything else available today.

"Our mission to keep film alive is thriving, and we are proud to be the only current producer of new 110 film and cameras," says Lomography. It states that the Lomomatic 110 is "the sharpest, most creative pocket-sized camera on Earth", with "pictures are sharper than you’d ever imagine!"

The new Lomomatic 110 Camera & Flash Discomatic

One of the Lomomatic 110's standout features is its sliding film advance. Rather than winding the next frame with a traditional leveler, sliding the camera body advances the film and prepares it for the next shot, creating a tactile shooting experience that's as enjoyable as it is distinctive.

The Discomatic edition pairs funky design with a 23mm Minitar CX multi-coated glass lens, automatic exposure, two aperture settings, zone focusing, and adjustable ISO.

It also includes the detachable Lomomatic flash with colored filters for creative lighting effects, while long-exposure and multi-exposure modes encourage experimentation with every roll of film.

Specifications
• Film Format: 110
• Focal Length: 23 mm
• Available Apertures: f2.8, f5.6
• Shutter Speed: Auto (A) 30s to 1/250, Bulb (B) up to 30s
• Flash: Lomomatic 110 Flash
• Available ISO Settings: 100, 200, 400
• Multiple Exposure: Yes
• Tripod Mount: No
• Cable Release: No
• Battery: 1 x CR2
• SKU: hp110disco

Availability
The Lomomatic 110 Camera & Flash Discomatic is available from Lomography for $119 / £109.

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When people think about professional sports photography, they usually imagine cameras firing at ridiculous speeds, enormous telephoto lenses lining the edge of the field and photographers transmitting images to waiting news desks before the action has even finished.

For a long time I bought into that philosophy as well, because speed was everything – or at least, that was what sports photographers were constantly told.

The more frames your camera could capture, the greater your chances of recording the decisive moment. Miss the shot and somebody sitting three feet away from you would almost certainly have it – which meant fast frame rates, deep buffers and responsive autofocus were considered the defining qualities of any serious professional sports camera.

At the time I was using the Nikon D3, a camera that deserved every bit of praise it received. Its 12MP sensor might sound rather modest by modern standards, but it delivered excellent images, dependable autofocus and the sort of speed that pro sports photographers required.

It was a proper working camera, built to survive difficult conditions, constant travelling and thousands upon thousands of shutter actuations.

Then Nikon announced the Nikon D800, and suddenly my understanding of what a professional sports camera could be changed completely.

I was fortunate enough to see an early preview through Nikon Professional Services and, the moment I learned what the camera could do, I knew it was going to become my game-changer both on and off the sports field.

This was a 36.3MP full-frame DSLR arriving at a time when most sports photographers were still concentrating almost entirely on frame rates, buffer depths and how quickly they could fire another burst.

The Nikon D800 was not designed as an obvious replacement for the D3, and its 4fps continuous shooting speed at full resolution looked positively pedestrian beside Nikon’s flagship sports cameras.

However, I could see something in the D800 that went far beyond the numbers on a specification sheet.

I ordered two bodies almost immediately and was fortunate enough to be among the first group of photographers to receive them, before taking both cameras to one of the most demanding assignments of my professional career.

One of their first major outings was the Badminton Horse Trials, one of the biggest equestrian events in the world, where I was photographing athletes competing at the highest level of the sport for the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale).

Taking a pair of Nikon D800 bodies into that environment might have seemed like a strange decision, because high-resolution cameras were still widely considered tools for studio, landscape and commercial photographers rather than fast-moving sporting events.

My work, however, was already beginning to sit between those different worlds. I was not only photographing riders for editorial coverage; many of my clients were brands that wanted images showing their products being used by leading equestrian and human athletes in the field.

These clients needed photographs for advertising campaigns, promotional displays, websites, brochures and sometimes enormous exhibition stands. That was where the Nikon D800 gave me an advantage, because its 36.3MP files captured a level of detail that was remarkable at the time.

Logos on clothing, saddlecloths, riding boots, protective equipment and horse rugs were clearer and more usable than they had been in my 12MP files. Clients could crop a photograph while still retaining sufficient resolution for professional advertising work, and I could offer them considerably more flexibility with every image I delivered.

That cropping freedom was particularly valuable in equestrian sport, where a horse and rider can change position incredibly quickly.

There are times when the perfect expression, stride or product placement occurs slightly outside your intended composition, and the D800 gave me room to straighten, reframe and crop without immediately degrading the quality of the final photograph.

It did not mean that composition suddenly stopped mattering. In fact, the additional demand for images made me think more carefully than ever about where I positioned myself, which backgrounds I used and how many different angles I could capture during a single competition.

At some events, I had a roster of around 20 clients requiring photographs – and they were not always interested in just one rider. On occasion, I needed to cover more than half of the competitors in the field, all while keeping track of which athlete was using which client’s product.

That meant planning my positions carefully and understanding exactly how the competition was likely to unfold.

I could not simply stand in one place, point a long lens towards the action and hope everything worked itself out; I had to know the course, understand the sport and anticipate where each photograph was most likely to happen.

The Nikon D800’s comparatively modest frame rate also forced me to trust my timing.

I could not rely on holding down the shutter button and returning home with dozens of almost identical frames from every moment, so I had to understand the rhythm of a horse approaching a fence, anticipate the point of take-off and press the shutter when the image was actually there.

Its autofocus was more than capable of keeping pace and, when everything came together, the resulting files were extraordinary. The photographs had the resolution that my commercial clients wanted while retaining the responsiveness, durability and familiar handling I needed from a professional DSLR.

As brands and advertising agencies began asking for increasingly detailed files, my decision to adopt the Nikon D800 put me ahead of the curve.

I could provide editorial photographs when required, but I could also deliver files capable of being cropped, enlarged and adapted across multiple advertising formats without compromising the fine detail that clients expected.

That combination helped me build long-term relationships and eventually maintain a substantial roster of brands at major events. The camera did not do the job for me, because no camera ever will, but it gave me a tool that perfectly matched the direction in which my professional work was moving.

Those two Nikon D800 bodies went on to capture hundreds of thousands of photographs during my ownership. They endured demanding equestrian events, unpredictable weather, long days beside competition arenas and the constant pressure of delivering images to multiple clients, earning their place in my camera bags many times over.

They remained an important part of my working setup until I retired from professional sports photography – and they proved that outright frame rate was not the only specification that mattered at the highest level.

A camera capable of producing detailed, flexible and commercially valuable files could be every bit as useful as one designed simply to fire as many frames as possible.

The funny thing is that high-resolution cameras at major sporting events no longer look unusual. Modern photographers routinely use cameras with 40, 50 or even 60MP sensors, often combined with burst rates that would have seemed unbelievable when the D800 first appeared.

Resolution and speed are no longer treated as opposing choices, but the Nikon D800 helped demonstrate that high-megapixel cameras belonged in professional sport.

It showed that the value of a sports image was not determined solely by how quickly the camera could capture it, but also by how much detail, flexibility and commercial potential that photograph could offer afterwards.

Today, the Nikon D800 has naturally found its way onto the second-hand market, with used examples often available for very reasonable prices through retailers such as MPB and marketplaces like eBay.

It may no longer represent cutting-edge technology, but its 36.3MP files remain extremely capable, particularly for photographers who do not require the fastest burst rates or the latest mirrorless autofocus systems.

For me, though, the Nikon D800 will always represent something far more important than its current used price or its place in camera history.

It was the camera that encouraged me to look beyond the accepted rules of sports photography, recognize what my clients actually needed and build my professional approach around resolution as well as speed.

The Nikon D3 might have been the conventional sports camera, but the D800 became the camera that changed my professional career. It gave me an advantage when other photographers were still concentrating entirely on speed, and it proved that sometimes the best tool for the job is not necessarily the most obvious one.

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Meike may be preparing to expand its autofocus lens lineup for the Fujifilm GFX system after demand for its new AF 85mm f/1.8 reportedly exceeded the company’s expectations.

According to Fujirumors, information shared by a Chinese photography blogger covering the Shanghai Photo and Imaging Expo suggests that Meike has been surprised by the level of interest in its first autofocus G-mount lens – and that it now intends to follow it with more options.

I think this is particularly exciting news because third-party autofocus support has been one of the few areas in which the GFX system has continued to feel relatively restricted. Fujifilm’s own GF lenses are often optically exceptional, but photographers have not enjoyed the same breadth of affordable autofocus alternatives available to users of Sony E, Nikon Z or Canon RF cameras. The apparent success of the Meike 85mm f/1.8 shows that there is a genuine appetite for more accessible GFX glass.

Two possible lenses mentioned during the show were a 65mm f/1.7 and a 110mm f/2, both of which would make a lot of sense for the system. A 65mm f/1.7 could offer GFX photographers a fast standard prime, while a 110mm f/2 would sit firmly in portrait territory and potentially provide an alternative to Fujifilm’s own GF110mmF2 R LM WR.

However, it remains unclear whether these specifications came directly from Meike or were simply suggestions made by the blogger reporting from the event, so I would not treat either lens as confirmed just yet.

There may be even more planned. Fujirumors also recalled an earlier post from another Chinese source that reportedly claimed Meike was working on additional GFX autofocus lenses at 30mm, 40mm, 50mm, 80mm and 110mm. That original post has since been removed, meaning I have been unable to verify the claim or see exactly how the information was presented.

The repeated mention of a 110mm lens is certainly interesting, but until Meike makes an official announcement, the entire list should be treated as an unconfirmed roadmap rather than a firm product schedule.

Meike officially launched the AF 85mm f/1.8 for GFX in Asia earlier this month, following its initial appearance at the China P&E imaging show in May. The lens weighs just 406g and contains 11 optical elements arranged in seven groups, with an STM motor handling autofocus. It can focus as close as 0.65m, offers 0.17x maximum magnification and accepts 62mm filters, making it a relatively compact and lightweight portrait option for Fujifilm’s larger-format camera system.

I have always believed that the GFX system would benefit enormously from greater third-party competition, especially from manufacturers willing to experiment with faster apertures and more approachable prices. It is too early to know which of these rumored lenses will become real products, but the reported response to the 85mm f/1.8 sends Meike a very clear message: GFX photographers want more autofocus choices, and they appear ready to buy them.

You can be the biggest company in the world. Make the biggest leaps in technology. And even make the best products. But there’s one thing you can’t buy, innovate or earn, and that’s heritage. Heritage is the driving force behind luxury brands such as Rolex, Ferrari, and Gibson. The photography industry is full of heritage brands, and not only is Nikon one of the biggest, but it’s also one of the oldest, having just celebrated its 109th birthday.

From S-mount to F-mount

The ‘Big N’s’ history can be traced all the way back to the merging of three optical companies in 1917 to form Nippon Kōgaku. However, it would be several decades until it released its first Nikon camera, 1948’s Nikon, which would ultimately become known as the Nikon I. This rangefinder 35mm film camera debuted the company’s S mount, but according to Nikon Museum, its unusual 3:4 (24 x 32mm) format prevented its export to the US, so it wasn’t a big seller.

Still, the S mount would persist over the coming years with various camera releases until it was discontinued in 1964. What hastened its demise was arguably the single most important invention in Nikon’s history, which started with the release of the Nikon F in 1959. That invention was, of course, the F mount. The company’s first SLR mount would remain relatively unchanged for over 60 years, making it far and away the longest-running 35mm SLR lens mount of all time.

Nikon’s digital revolution

During that time, Nikon spawned a huge number of classic cameras such as the Nikon FM2 and Nikon F3, and in 1988 the company name would be officially changed to Nikon. In 1999, just 2.5 years after the release of the company’s flagship Nikon F5 film camera, it would launch an innovation that would kickstart a shift so monumental, it would send reverberations throughout the entire industry.

I am, of course, talking about the release of the Nikon D1. The company had already flirted with digital tech, launching its collaborative E series with Fujifilm in 1995 and releasing the Nikon Coolpix 100 in 1996, but the D1 was the first DSLR camera produced and marketed solely by Nikon. In a world where film was still very much the go-to format, the Nikon D1 was one of the first DSLR cameras to start attracting the attention of professionals as a serious alternative to film.

In the early noughties, the company would launch its first bridge camera, the Nikon Coolpix 5700, and Nikon DSLRs would go from strength to strength. But film wasn’t done yet. In 2004, Nikon would release its last film camera, widely regarded as the greatest film camera of all time, the Nikon F6, which would, rather remarkably, remain in production until 2020.

The ‘Big N’ would finish the 2000s amidst a cacophony of Coolpix and DSLR cameras, before shaking up the industry once again in 2012 with the release of the megapixel monster that was the Nikon D800. But the camera that nobody can forget came in 2017, taking the D800’s visionary DNA and refining it to perfection in the Nikon D850.

The move to mirrorless

Unbeknownst to Nikon faithful at the time, the Nikon D850 was something of a swan song for Nikon DSLRs, because the following year, the Z mount would burst onto the scene and with it Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras. This wasn’t the first time Nikon had made the move to mirrorless, having launched the doomed Nikon 1 System back in 2011. But far from a pocket-sized 1-inch-type oddity, the Nikon Z6 and Nikon Z7 were serious cameras for serious photographers.

Still, there was life in the old DSLR yet, as evidenced by the release of Nikon’s final DSLR camera and lens in 2020, the Nikon D6 and Nikon 120-300mm AF-S f/2.8E FL ED SR VR. But rather than prolong the inevitable, the following year brought the introduction of the Nikon Z9, the company’s first proper mirrorless flagship.

Some incredible launches such as the retro Nikon Zf, Nikon Z8, Nikon Z50 II and more would follow, but 109 years on from Nippon Kōgaku’s inception, the Z9 era is where we find ourselves. But if the best camera rumors are to be believed, we could be getting a follow-up at some point soon, ushering us into the true second generation of Nikon Z mount.

So, there you have it, a very potted history of Nikon. I could have waxed lyrical about the Noct, an eye-wateringly expensive Nikon fisheye, and how the inventor of the DeLorean ended up designing Nikon cameras. But maybe I’ll save that for next year’s 110th.

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As everyone knows, compact cameras are absolutely on fire right now. And this new compact, billed as "the world's cutest collab", is virtually guaranteed to throw gasoline on that fire.

You may well have seen the Lola Camera on your Instagram or Facebook feed. The brand has made an art out of cashing in on the Y2K digicam craze, marketing its aesthetic-focused compact at Gen Zers and style-conscious photographers.

Following a Lola x Betty Boop Digital Camera launched a year ago, the company has kicked kawaii into hyperdrive with its latest collaboration.

The Lola x Miffy Digital Camera follows the same template but replaces Betty Boop (to whom my younger colleagues all replied, "Who?") with everyone's favorite rabbit mascot character (to whom they said, "Of course we know who that is").

On the outside, the latest Lola now boasts a cartoon-blue chassis with an illustration of Miffy on the front accompanied by yellow stars. Attached is a Miffy-themed friendship charm bracelet / camera strap, and the whole thing can be safely stowed in a delightfully matching Miffy pouch.

On the inside, this is the same core tech that has been inside every flavor of Lola Camera: an 8MP CMOS sensor with 20x digital zoom and 2.8-inch screen, offering native HD (720p) video and what I'm pretty certain is interpolated 4K video.

While all Lolas come with twenty creative filters, the Lola x Miffy comes with five exclusive Miffy-themed filters (outdoing the Betty Boop edition, which only came with three).

Ultimately these are expertly-branded but nontheless upcycled 2000-era digicam components, pitched at the younger generation that equates "outdated tech" with "lofi aesthetic", all wrapped up in a $109 / £79 / AU$159 bow.

Even so, I can't argue that this may indeed be "the world's cutest collab" – and I suspect it will be massive. The camera is set to launch on July 31, but it's already available for pre-order at Urban Outfitters in the UK.

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See how the Lola compares to the best compact cameras and the best point and shoot cameras from the bigger brands.

At least three major manufacturing centers for camera sensors were evacuated on Tuesday, July 28, as a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture. Sony, Fujifilm, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. – a major chipmaker for camera sensors – were evacuated in the region.

The earthquake, which hit around 4:27 PM local time on July 28, collapsed a shopping mall, leaving some trapped inside, and has also ruptured roads and left many homes without power.

Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture, located on Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost of its four main islands, is also home to several manufacturing plants for semiconductors and camera sensors.

According to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Sony and Fujifilm evacuated plants in Kikuyo, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. – a major chipmaker that produces image sensors – also evacuated.

Neither camera brand has confirmed if the earthquake has caused damage to the manufacturing facilities. TSMC has so far not reported any significant damage.

Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, located in Kumamoto Japan, is where Sony manufactures its image sensors – as many as four million sensors are built there a day, destined for a range of products from cameras to smartphones.

Fujifilm’s Kyushu location in Kumamoto, Japan manufactures color filter components used in Fujifilm’s X-Trans camera sensors, as well as films that are used in manufacturing LCD screens and slurries or polishing materials used for semiconductor manufacturing.

While it’s unclear at this time whether the sensor manufacturing plants sustained any damage, in the past, earthquakes have caused significant disruptions to some camera manufacturers' supply chains, including an earthquake in the same region a decade ago.

An earthquake in 2016 shut down Sony's image sensor plant in Kumamoto for several months, triggering supply chain delays.

An earthquake in 2011 in the Tōhoku region disrupted Nikon’s DSLR plant, Canon’s lens manufacturing, and four Sony plants, including one for Li-ion batteries and camera components. The earthquake also impacted Tamron and Sigma’s lens production facilities. The impact, along with the damage to roadways and transportation, caused global shortages and delays for impacted brands.

While the 2011 earthquake highlighted the danger of concentrating manufacturing in a specific region, there’s a reason that Kumamoto is home to several sensor manufacturing plants. The region is known for its ultra-clean water, an essential resource for manufacturing image sensors.

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Read about the latest best-selling cameras in Japan.

Looking for that classic DSLR mirror flip?

The Nikon D850 + AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR is now just £2,499 at Park Cameras – you save £600 off its original £3,099 price.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is now just £2,389 at Jessops – you save £400 off its original £2,789 price.

Nikon D850

Best for megapixels

The Nikon D850 was a flagship DSLR for a reason. In 2025, it still impresses with its incredible 45.7MP resolution, weather-sealed durability, and class-leading image quality.

While its live view autofocus is outpaced by newer mirrorless rivals, for traditional stills shooting, it remains one of the finest tools around. Its uncropped 4K video and robust build make it a reliable all-rounder for pros.

Now available at a significantly lower price than at launch (approximately £3,499), the D850 offers elite-level performance without a premium price tag.

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Best all-rounder

With a 30.4MP full-frame CMOS sensor, 61-point AF system, and Dual Pixel CMOS AF for precise live view and video focusing, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV remains a versatile tool for professionals.

Its 7fps burst rate, ISO 100-32,000 range (expandable to 102,400), and weather-sealed magnesium alloy body make it well-suited for demanding shoots.

While the 1.64x 4K crop and UHS-I SD slot feel a bit outdated, the 5D Mark IV delivers excellent dynamic range, color depth, and reliability – especially for stills-focused workflows.

Once a DSLR costing around £3,629, the EOS 5D Mark IV is now a far more affordable way to access full-frame photography.

Browse the best DSLRs, the best full-frame DSLRs, and the best DSLRs for video. You might also be interested in the best Nikon lenses for DSLRs and the best Canon lenses for DSLRs.

The Sony FX5 has officially joined the company’s Cinema Line, and preorders are now open on both sides of the Atlantic. Positioned between the compact Sony FX3 and the more production-focused FX6, the new camera brings some seriously impressive filmmaking features into a comparatively portable body. The body-only model is priced at $4,899.99 in the US and £4,699 in the UK, with the first cameras expected to begin shipping during August 2026.

In the US, B&H Photo currently has the Sony FX5 body available to preorder for $4,898, making it marginally cheaper than Sony’s official list price. B&H lists an estimated shipping date of August 18 and also offers a separate version bundled with the new XLR-H2 handle unit for $5,498. The body-only package is the one to choose if you already have an external audio setup or simply want to keep your FX5 rig as compact as possible.

Where to buy the Sony FX5?

Adorama is matching B&H’s body-only price of $4,898 and is also accepting preorders. There is very little separating the two retailers on price, so your decision will probably come down to delivery estimates, reward points, financing, or whether you already have an account with one of them. Amazon is also taking preorders at $4,899.99, matching Sony’s official US retail price almost exactly.

UK filmmakers can preorder the Sony FX5 from Wex Photo Video for £4,699, with the retailer expecting its first stock in mid-August. Wex does not take payment until the camera is in stock and ready to be dispatched, which could be useful if you want to secure a place in the queue without paying the full price immediately. Its FX5 package with the XLR handle is also available for £5,199.

London Camera Exchange is also accepting preorders for the body-only FX5 at £4,699, while Sony UK is selling the camera directly for the same price. Sony currently states that direct orders will begin shipping from August 28, although delivery dates may change depending on initial demand. Buying directly from Sony also gives customers access to its current bundle offer, which provides £200 off selected G Master lenses when purchased with the FX5 before September 30, 2026.

Whichever retailer you choose, it is important to remember that these prices are for the camera body without a lens or XLR handle. The FX5 uses Sony’s E mount, so it is compatible with a huge selection of native Sony and third-party lenses, but anyone needing professional XLR audio will have to purchase the handle separately or choose one of the more expensive bundles. Sony has also introduced an optional OLED viewfinder, giving filmmakers more freedom to build the camera around their particular style of production.

At the heart of the Sony FX5 is a newly developed 16.6MP full-frame stacked Exmor RS sensor, designed specifically with high-end video production in mind. It supports 5K recording at up to 60p using the full sensor area, while Open Gate capture gives filmmakers much more freedom when reframing footage for traditional widescreen delivery, vertical social media content, or alternative aspect ratios. The stacked design should also help reduce rolling shutter, which is particularly important when filming fast movement, handheld sequences or rapid camera pans.

The FX5 can record 16-bit X-OCN RAW internally, bringing one of Sony’s more advanced cinema formats into a smaller and more accessible camera body. It also supports 4K recording at up to 120p for detailed slow-motion footage, while its three base ISO settings of 800, 4000 and 12800 should make it particularly adaptable when moving between controlled studio lighting, documentary work and demanding low-light environments. Sony has also confirmed that a future firmware update, currently planned for August 2027 or later, will add 5K recording at up to 120p and cropped 4K capture at up to 240p.

What makes the FX5 particularly interesting is how much of Sony’s higher-end Cinema Line technology it places into a body aimed at independent filmmakers, owner-operators and smaller production companies. It offers the flexibility of Sony’s E-mount lens system, professional recording formats and a modular design that can be adapted with an optional XLR handle, OLED viewfinder and external accessories.

At $4,898 in the US or £4,699 in the UK, it is certainly not an impulse purchase, but it could become one of the most appealing cinema cameras for filmmakers who want more than the FX3 offers without committing to the size, complexity or expense of Sony’s larger production cameras.

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Take a look at the best compact cameras across all categories, including the best APS-C compact cameras and the best full-frame compact cameras. For more affordable options, check out the best Kodak cameras and the best point-and-shoot cameras.

The company behind the original action camera is struggling with increased competition, heightened memory costs, and decreased sales – and now GoPro is at risk of being removed from the stock market.

For the second time in 2026, GoPro is at risk of being removed from the stock market as the action camera giant’s shares fall below the minimum requirement. The July 21 notification from Nasdaq is the company’s second this year, following a similar notification in March.

If a company is removed from the stock market, the company’s shares are no longer traded publicly. The warning comes as the struggling action camera giant is looking for a potential buyer or partner and has already filed “serious doubt” statements about potential bankruptcy if current conditions continue.

A delisting amid a potential bankruptcy would remove GoPro’s ability to recover value using publicly traded funding. GoPro now has 180 days – which would be January 17, 2027 – to bring shares back above $1 or more for at least 10 consecutive days.

GoPro received a similar warning in March, but after the company announced the GoPro Mission 1 series in April, shares climbed back above the $1 minimum, reaching a high of $1.73 in May before trending downward. Shares dipped below the $1 minimum again after the action camera giant filed warnings with “substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue” on June 01.

GoPro has already recovered from below the minimum once this year – the question remaining is whether or not the action camera giant can do it again. GoPro has one more Mission announcement up its sleeve. The mirrorless Mission 1 Pro ILS is expected to launch sometime in the third quarter of 2026, which means before September 30.

The Pro ILS carries much of the same specifications as the Mission 1 Pro, but adds a Micro Four Thirds mount for swappable lenses. The ability to switch lenses will drastically increase the camera's versatility over the usual fixed ultra-wide, but the mirrorless isn't submersible and is manual focus only.

GoPro is also actively looking for a potential buyer or merger, a move that founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman says he “fully supports.” Earlier this month, Woodman purchased $20 million in a stock loan to help keep the company afloat as the iconic action camera brand looks for a potential buyer or merger.

GoPro’s financials in recent years reflect increased competition and decreased sales, with the action camera giant’s last three fiscal years coming out as a net loss. But several major camera manufacturers are reporting steep increases in the cost of memory due to higher demand from AI this year. GoPro is no different and noted an 80% to 110% increase in memory hardware costs along with reduced supply last month.

GoPro is credited with launching the action camera category, launching a waterproof film camera in 2004 before introducing its first Hero series camera with video in 2006. The GoPro name quickly became synonymous with “action camera,” but the category has been increasingly competitive in recent years with players from DJI and Insta360, among others.

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Read the GoPro Mission 1 Pro review, or browse the best action cameras.

In 2014, everyone wanted a Canon EOS 7D Mark II. In many people's minds, it was the very best camera for wildlife photography.

While many people are in a tizzy over camera rumors about its great-grandson, the EOS R7 Mark II, I think it's worth bearing in mind that the Canon EOS 7D Mark II is still a ridiculously capable camera – even in 2026.

Admittedly, the 7D Mark II won't be a patch on the R7 Mark II – or even the original EOS R7. But the last time I took this camera out for a spin, I was amazed at how potent it remains.

Yes, I missed the mirrorless bells and whistles, but I can still happily take the Canon EOS 7D Mark II out on a sports or wildlife shoot and get great results. And if you're looking for the best bang for buck, your dollar will go much further – right now you can get one for for $309 at MPB in the US or just £254 in the UK!

Sure, its 20.2MP resolution isn't going to blow anyone away in 2026. But the secret sauce here is the APS-C sensor with its 1.6x crop factor – a secret weapon for sports and wildlife!

Mount a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 and it becomes a 112-320mm equivalent – and you can let rip with its 10fps continuous shooting to capture some incredible images. Canon's sensors age very well, and the shots that come out of this old workhorse still look as good as they ever did.

I love that the Canon EOS 7D Mark II is weather sealed and has twin SD card slots, but my absolute favorite thing is that this is a camera with GPS – giving you geodata for all your images. You don't get that in 2026 unless you buy a flagship, which adds an extra zero to the price tag!

And the truth is, while it's outperformed by the likes of the EOS R7 (and the Canon EOS 90D, its de facto replacement DSLR), the fact that modern cameras can do more doesn't make the Canon 7D Mark II any less. Well, except when it comes to the asking price.

If you're on a budget, or a beginner, or you've never tried sports and wildlife photography and you want to give it a go without breaking the bank, picking up a Canon EOS 7D Mark II is a great value way to get into action shooting.

You might be interested in the best Canon cameras on the market today, or you could double down and check out the best cameras for sports photography and the best cameras for wildlife photography.

A rare Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. prototype created during the development of the one-of-a-kind Leica M for (RED) is heading to auction. According to Leica Rumors, the lens will be offered at the next Wetzlar Camera Auctions sale, which is scheduled to take place in Wetzlar, Germany, on October 10, 2026.

The prototype dates from around 2012 and was designed as part of the celebrated Leica project led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson.

The lens was developed on behalf of the charitable organization (RED), which commissioned Ive and Newson to create a completely reimagined version of the Leica M rangefinder.

Although manufactured by Leica, the camera and its accompanying APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH. lens featured a radically different appearance from the company’s traditional M-system products, with their exterior surfaces produced using a specially formulated metal alloy.

The prototype heading to auction does not carry a serial number and has a different design from the finished lens that was eventually paired with the unique Leica M for (RED).

This makes it more than just an unusual finish applied to a standard APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH.; it represents one of the experimental stages in the creation of a camera that would go on to become one of the most recognizable Leica special editions ever produced.

The final Leica M for (RED) replaced the familiar leather covering found on most Leica M cameras with a finely textured, laser-machined anodized aluminum exterior. More than 21,000 tiny hemispheres formed the distinctive surface, while both the camera body and lens were created from the custom-engineered alloy. Leica says that 561 models and approximately 1,000 prototype components were produced during the project’s 85-day development period, demonstrating just how much work went into creating the single finished camera.

That finished Leica M for (RED), equipped with a full-frame CMOS sensor and the specially designed APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH., was sold at Sotheby’s in New York in November 2013. The camera achieved a remarkable $1.8 million, far exceeding its original estimate, with proceeds from the wider (RED) auction supporting the Global Fund’s work against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa.

Although this upcoming lot is only the prototype lens rather than the complete $1.8 million camera, its lack of a serial number, alternative design and direct connection to Ive and Newson’s creative process should make it an enticing piece of Leica history.

Wetzlar Camera Auctions has not revealed how much the lens is expected to achieve. Still, its status as a surviving prototype from one of Leica’s most ambitious design collaborations could generate considerable interest when bidding begins on October 10.

The Panasonic Lumix S9 has already established itself as one of the most compact and colorful full-frame cameras on the market, but this latest deal makes it considerably more tempting.

B&H Photo has reduced the Panasonic Lumix S9 with the Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 lens to just $1,397.99, down from its regular price of $1,797.99.

That saves you a sweet $400 and matches the lowest price I have seen for this remarkably portable full-frame kit.

At the heart of the Panasonic Lumix S9 is a 24.2MP full-frame CMOS sensor, giving you the image quality and low-light advantages of a considerably larger camera without forcing you to carry a conventional DSLR-style body. The S9 weighs just 1.1 lb, making it an incredibly appealing option for travel, street photography and everyday content creation, particularly for photographers who want something more capable than a smartphone without filling an entire camera bag.

The included Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3 is also an excellent match for the S9’s compact design. Measuring approximately 1.6 inches long and weighing only 5.5 oz, it provides a genuinely useful range for landscapes, architecture, travel photography, group shots, and casual snapshots. It might not have the brightest maximum aperture, but its tiny dimensions help turn the S9 into a full-frame setup that you could comfortably carry all day.

This is not simply a stylish stills camera, either. The Lumix S9 can record 6K video at up to 30p and C4K or 4K footage at up to 60p, with 10-bit recording available for photographers and filmmakers who want more flexibility when editing their footage. Panasonic’s Real Time LUT system also allows you to apply customized looks inside the camera, making it much easier to produce polished photos and videos that are ready to share without spending hours color grading afterward.

There are compromises to consider, as the Lumix S9 does not have a built-in electronic viewfinder, traditional hotshoe or headphone connection. However, I think those omissions become far easier to accept at this price, especially if you primarily compose using the touchscreen or want a lightweight hybrid camera for vacations, social media and handheld video. You are still getting a stabilized full-frame sensor, strong video specifications and access to the continually expanding L-mount lens system.

At $1,397.99 for both the camera and the 18-40mm lens, the Lumix S9 is now cheaper than several fashionable fixed-lens compact cameras while offering a larger full-frame sensor and interchangeable lenses. B&H currently lists the kit in multiple color combinations at the same reduced price, but deals this good can disappear quickly. If you have been waiting for an affordable route into Panasonic’s full-frame system, this $400 saving makes the Lumix S9 very difficult to ignore.

According to Leica Rumors, a new limited-edition Lailens LTM 50mm f/1.1 KP lens has been released in Japan, offering Leica M photographers an exceptionally fast, rangefinder-coupled optic with some serious vintage inspiration.

The new lens pays homage to the celebrated Kino Plasmat 5cm f/1.5 from pre-war Germany, attempting to recreate its distinctive character for modern photographers. Production will be restricted to just 70 lenses worldwide, making this a particularly rare addition to the growing market for alternative Leica M glass.

The Lailens LTM 50mm f/1.1 KP reportedly began as a passion project after a young developer connected with the enthusiasm of an experienced vintage-lens collector. Lens designer DJ was then commissioned to develop a modern interpretation of the classic design, preserving the spirit of the original Kino Plasmat rather than simply producing another technically perfect contemporary 50mm lens.

The result is intended to combine the atmosphere of an old optical design with the convenience of a lens that can be used on today’s full-frame rangefinder and mirrorless cameras.

Wide open at f/1.1, the lens promises an extremely shallow depth of field, rich bokeh and a soft, almost oil-painting-like quality. Rather than prioritising clinical sharpness and perfectly corrected results, the Lailens is designed to gently blur fine details, highlights and the edges of a subject, producing images with what its manufacturer describes as a fantastical atmosphere.

It is the kind of deliberately characterful rendering that could make the lens particularly appealing for portraits, nighttime photography and more experimental everyday shooting.

Despite that enormous f/1.1 aperture, the lens measures approximately 44.5mm in length and weighs around 308g, so it should remain relatively manageable when attached to a Leica M camera.

It offers a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m, a 52mm filter thread and a manual aperture range running from f/1.1 to f/16. The official specification lists a 13-bladed aperture, while rangefinder coupling is supported, although the closest coupled focusing distance may depend on the camera being used. Black and silver versions will both be available.

The Lailens LTM 50mm f/1.1 KP is priced at ¥138,800 in Japan and is supplied with a lens hood, front and rear caps, a lens case and an L39-to-M adapter ring. With only 70 examples planned for worldwide production, availability outside Japan may prove limited, but its combination of an ultra-fast aperture, compact construction and intentionally nostalgic rendering could make it highly desirable among Leica photographers and collectors searching for something a little less conventional.

See our guide to the best Leica M lenses

The Sony A7 V hit several best-seller charts in the months after the full-frame camera’s initial release. Now, the mirrorless is back on top of Japan’s sales charts – but squabbling with the Sony A7R VI in second place. Japan’s most popular cameras for June were led by Sony’s two most recent Alpha-series mirrorless cameras, while the effervescent viral Fujifilm X100VI sat in the third-place spot.

The data comes from Japanese retailer Map Camera, which recently ranked the sales for new (and used) cameras in June 2026.

June wasn’t the first time that the Sony A7 V has sat at the top of sales charts – the 33MP 30fps mirrorless has been a regular among the top camera sales in Japan since it launched in late 2025. But the launch of the camera’s higher-resolution sibling, the Sony A7R VI had the A7 V see-sawing out of the top spot in some charts.

In the latest data, the lower-cost A7 V – which Map Camera says "redefines the standard" – is winning out in sales. But the 66.8MP A7R VI – which boasts the same 30 fps burst speed despite the higher resolution – sits in the second-place spot.

With both the Sony A7 V and A7R VI regularly topping sales charts, it will be interesting to see how the two models stand at the end of the year as to whether more photographers are swayed by the lower price of the A7 V, or the mix of high resolution and speed wins out for the A7R VI.

While Sony’s two newest full-frame Alpha series are fighting for the top spot, the Sony A7C II slides into the list in fourth place, illustrating that it’s not just Sony’s newest models that tend to top the charts, as the A7C II is a 2023 launch. The A7C II’s more compact design continues to make the camera a repeat attender for monthly sales charts.

The third-place spot speaks to the staying power of the compact camera trend, as the viral Fujifilm X100VI takes the honors. Now more than two years old, the X100VI continues the viral trend of its predecessor and, despite its age, remains difficult to find in stock due to the camera’s popularity.

Map Camera notes that the supply continues to remain unstable for the X100VI and that the retro compact camera tends to sell out immediately whenever stock becomes available.

Like the top three cameras, the full top ten at Map Camera contains several regulars, including Fujifilm’s X-M5 and X-E5, Sony’s smaller crop sensor A6700, and the popular Ricoh GR IV compact camera.

Surprisingly, there are no Canon mirrorless cameras on the list for June, but unsurprisingly, the popular PowerShot makes two appearances, with the Canon PowerShot SX740 HS sitting in sixth place. Canon’s well-loved but difficult to find in stock PowerShot G7 X Mark III is also on the list in eighth place.

According to Map Camera, these are the best-selling new cameras for June 2026:

1. Sony A7 V
2. Sony A7R VI
3. Fujifilm X100VI
4. Sony A7C II (tied)

4. Fujifilm X-M5 (tied)
5. Canon PowerShot SX740
6. Sony A6700
7. Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III
8. Fujifilm X-E5
9. Ricoh GR IV

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Camera sales have led to record-high net sales for Canon’s latest quarterly financial results – but the camera giant’s latest financial report is dotted with both positives and negatives as the AI boom continues to drive volatile memory prices.

In the July 27 report, Canon added another 6 billion yen – about $36.6 million / £27.6 million / AU$52.4 million / CA$51.75 million – on top of the previously estimated impacts of the AI memory crisis. That puts Canon’s memory crisis estimate for 2026 at $69.4 billion yen. That’s about $423.9 million / £318.9 million / AU$606.4 million / CA$598.6 million at current exchange rates.

The storage needs for generative AI have driven up the cost of all types of digital storage and, beyond just the cost of a camera’s memory cards, could impact the price of the cameras themselves.

While the increased estimate seems to suggest the AI crisis is worsening, the report has a bit of good news – the increased memory cost so far has been offset by tariff refunds after the Supreme Court ruled some of the Trump Administration’s tariffs unconstitutional. Canon is estimating a 37.5 billion yen (around $230 million) tariff refund, which offsets the memory increases as well as the predicted decline in sales due to tension in the Middle East.

While Canon has managed to prevent the memory crisis from severely damaging the bottom line so far, a price increase isn’t out of the question if the situation continues to worsen.

“As memory prices are expected to take some time to normalize, we will closely monitor future price trends and seek to mitigate the negative impact as much as possible through price increases and additional cost reductions,” Canon told investors during the report.

In previous reports, Canon had also indicated that the company had been able to stockpile additional memory ahead of some of the price increases.

The July report isn’t the first time Canon has mentioned the possibility of a price increase driven by the memory crisis. In the previous quarterly report, the company estimated a ¥6 to 7 billion (around $40 million) annual impact from the rising costs of memory, with two-thirds of that cost attributed to the imaging division.

The quarterly report is also not the first time that Canon has mentioned the possibility of a price increase. In an interview earlier this year, a Canon representative said that “we cannot rule out the possibility of passing on the cost to prices.”

Canon also isn’t alone in estimating a severe impact of increasing memory costs. In earlier investor reports, Nikon also said that the company would “consider passing on price increases depending on the situation.” Fujifilm similarly told investors that “pricing measures and other initiatives” could be used to lessen the impact of rising costs of memory.

For now, the tariff refund, existing stockpile, and rising camera sales mean that Canon has a solid buffer against the impact of rising memory costs. But the company’s comments to investors also hint that price increases or cost-cutting may be needed if the situation worsens.

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Take a look at the best Canon cameras or the best Canon RF lenses.

According to the rumor mill, the newly-announced Sony FX5 was supposed to launch alongside a purported Sony 100-400mm f/5.6-8 FE, but that hasn’t exactly materialized. I know I’m operating with the benefit of hindsight, but I’m not at all surprised that the two products weren’t launched together. After all, they’re completely unrelated. The much-anticipated Sony FX5 would have completely stolen the Sony 100-400mm f/5.6-8 FE’s thunder. How could it not?

But on a personal level, I’m extremely excited for the proposed release of this lens. Sure, the supposed aperture range of f/5.6 to f/8 might seem slow as molasses, but for the reported asking price of €899 (approx $1,020 / 769) by way of Sony Alpha Rumors, it’s shaping up to be an accessible supertelephoto zoom in a class that’s fraught with expensive glass. My mind immediately goes to the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM, which launched back in 2021 for an extremely good-value price of $649 / £699 and is a lens that’s frequently discounted.

This class of lens isn’t for everyone, but I like to think of it as an alternative option to a bridge camera. Take the recently released Sony RX10 V for example; you get an equivalent 24-600mm f/2.4-4 reach, but the compromise is that 1-inch-type sensor.

If the Sony 100-400mm f/5.6-8 FE launches, you’d have another Sony option. A slightly smaller zoom range and narrower aperture range, but the option to stick that lens on an APS-C or full-frame body that’ll deliver much better image quality. There isn’t a right or wrong answer, but it’s nice to have the choice.

A supertelephoto lens this slow would come with some concessions. Camera shake is the enemy of the supertelephoto lens, and with narrower apertures making it harder to accommodate fast shutter speeds, you would need to make sure you’re shooting in ample light to get the best out of this class of lens.

As such, you’ll want to be operating in bright, daytime conditions. This won't be a lens to accompany you in a dark forest. And while that does limit its uses, it would still be a great option for daytime nature reserve trips and safaris, as well as daytime sporting events. Motorsport is a great shout, given you work at slower shutter speeds when panning.

Another benefit from this class of lens is size. The Canon weighs just 635g, which in comparison to pro-grade 400mm optics is very light indeed. Could Sony beat it? Only time will tell. Other information is thin on the ground, although according to Digital Camera Info, which cited tipster how2fly, the lens could have “a focus limiter that doubles as an AF/MF switch”.

In all honesty, I don’t think Sony has to do very much at all to make this 100-400mm lens a winner. As long as the image quality is decent and the price is right, I can see wildlife and sports enthusiasts on a budget swiping these off online shelves left, right and center. If Sony does indeed announce this lens, Digital Camera World will be right here reporting on it.

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Check out the best Sony cameras and the best Sony lenses. If you're not sold on a system yet, here are the best lenses for bird photography.

While the broader smart-nature market has spent the last few years focusing on chunky bird feeder cameras that record outdoor garden visits, a distinct branch of wildlife tech remains dedicated to the nesting season. When I was starting out in wildlife photography, capturing the moments inside an enclosed habitat like a nest box meant running physical cables to a monitor or recorder. Today, the best bird box cameras include high-definition, wireless nest boxes you can view remotely.

I was keen to review the Green Feathers WiFi Bird Box Camera (3rd Gen), as I've watched the brand from afar for many years as a nature nerd. Green Feathers is UK-based and has spent over a decade creating dedicated habitat surveillance options. This tiny bird box camera is specifically designed to capture bird habitats and looks nothing like the recycled indoor security cams you get in some bird feeders. It’s an upgrade to the 2nd Gen model and now links to the free Green Feathers mobile app.

In the past, I’ve struggled with oversized cameras that crowd out nesting spaces. The camera itself is a 44 x 44 x 33 mm metal cube that mounts to the ceiling of a bird box, leaving plenty of room for the feathered subjects inside. On-paper specs don’t always explain much, but here they include 1080p (Full HD) resolution, a wide-angle 2.8mm lens with a 103-degree field of view, and a built-in microphone. There are also four invisible infrared LEDs for night vision without disrupting the birds' sleep.

As mentioned, the camera is designed to be used in combination with the official Green Feathers app to send you real-time motion detection alerts, taking it a step closer to the AI-powered options from the likes of Birdfy. Are most nature-lovers really better served by an all-in-onesetup like the Birdfy Nest Duo, or does this tiny camera provide greater versatility and value? Sadly, I’ve missed the thick of spring – and UK nesting season – but I'll still be testing the camera thoroughly over several weeks to bring you the verdict.

Green Feathers WiFi bird box camera: Specifications

Green Feathers WiFi bird box camera: Price

The Green Feathers WiFi HD camera comes in at the more premium price point end of the nesting market, at around £149 (approx. $195) on its own and currently £184 (approx. $240) for a starter pack that includes Green Feathers’ well-built nesting box, ten-meter power extension cable, and a daytime LED lamp to boost the light on dark days. This is the bundle I'll be using and reviewing.

Unlike cheap and cheerful generic indoor smart cams that users try to retrofit outdoors, this camera is a specialized option. It’s ultra-compact, and its IP54-rated housing is designed to survive tight, humid nesting environments without overheating. There aren’t any ongoing subscription fees either, which I love, keeping the long-term running costs at zero.

If I compare this WiFi HD camera bundle to its closest competitors – the dual-camera Birdfy Nest Duo springs to mind – this device strikes an interesting balance. It trades off advanced features like AI species recognition for a stripped-back focus on reliability.

What you get is a great 1080p digital stream, and I think it's a very fairly priced intermediate option for wildlife enthusiasts who want modern phone integration but still want a more traditional-looking setup.

Green Feathers WiFi bird box camera: Design & Handling

The foundation of the system is the Green Feathers Wi-Fi camera, a delightfully small (green) 44 x 44 x 33mm cube. While I tested this as part of the Starter Pack, it's worth making clear that the camera is sold as a standalone unit that you can easily retrofit into an existing wooden nest box or a hedgehog house – Green Feathers sell these too – if you already have one set up in your garden or designated wildlife area.

Despite its pinch-sized footprint, the camera’s physical details are cleverly thought through for life inside an animal habitat. Underneath the body is a microSD slot, which Green Feathers helps you to protect with the inclusion of a thick, heavy-duty sticker cover. It’s a simple way to keep bird debris and feathers from mucking up your storage over time.

The centrally-positioned camera lens on the front comes with a protective rubber cap for transit and installation, which easily pops off and stows away once you're ready to set up. Attached to either side of the camera is a robust metal bracket that arches forward and back on a smooth rotating mechanism. This has one central screw hole, so mounting it into any wooden structure requires just one easy fixing point. It looks almost identical to Green Feathers' TV connection bird box camera, but with a green square around the lens instead of blue.

On top of the camera you’ll find a top-mounted Wi-Fi antenna (which to me does feel a little flimsy but is unlikely to be disturbed inside the box) and a thick power cable. Because this is a mains-powered setup, you'll need to route the trailing lead out of your box. Green Feathers includes a 10-meter power extension cable in the starter pack, giving you plenty of slack to reach a shed or even an indoor plug socket, but this is very different to the Nest Duo that runs off a rechargeable battery and can be topped up with solar.

Buying the camera solo is one option, but opting for the WiFi Bird Box HD Camera Starter Pack only adds around 20% to the cost, and I think it’s worth it as you get a purpose-built, complete housing right out of the box. The bundled bird box is a super sturdy piece of woodwork. With a solid timber thickness of over 2cm and a generous height of 47cm, it feels substantial and provides ample head height between the top-mounted lens and the nest floor.

To look at, I actually prefer it to the sleeker, molded look of the bamboo Birdfy Nest Duo. Although heavier, its traditional construction feels more naturalistic when mounted against a tree trunk or garden shed. The only minor trade-off is the entrance hole. It comes as a standard 32mm opening, meaning you don't get the interchangeable size plates that bird boxes like the Nest Duo include to target specific species.

Getting the camera installed inside the Starter Pack box is fairly straightforward, though it requires minor DIY. I started by removing the top two front panels with a standard screwdriver to open up the space. Inside, at the top-back, there’s a pre-drilled central hole; I simply needed to align the camera bracket and push the included screw through the exterior wood to lock the unit in place.

The cavernous interior layout makes it easy to get your hands inside to tilt and fine-tune the downward camera angle toward the nest floor. My advice is to make sure you're totally happy with your framing before reattaching the wooden front panels. You’ll also need to thread the trailing power lead out through the specially designed air ventilation slots positioned just under the roofline, but the fit is neat – something another nestbox might not have.

Before closing everything up, it’s best to pair the camera with your smartphone while you still have clear sight of the printed QR code label on the power cable. This code triggers a step-by-step walkthrough of instructions in the free Green Feathers app to pair the camera to your Wi-Fi network. I’d guess that from unboxing and hunting down screwdrivers to reading the manual (which is laid out brilliantly and simply) and getting the unit fully wired up, the whole assembly process took me around 45 minutes.

When it comes to mounting the completed bird box kit to a wall or tree, Green Feathers has supplied two long metal fixing plates and screws. Compared to the heavy-duty wall plate included with the Birdfy Nest Duo, these brackets feel a little less substantial – especially considering the weight of the thick timber box. But while they lack chunkiness, they seem more versatile, and can be configured in three different orientations, giving you plenty of flexibility to secure the box regardless of your chosen tree or wall layout.

Once you’re mounted, day-to-day operation is handled by the basic (in a good way) Green Feathers app. I found it refreshingly clear and straightforward to navigate, with the device shown on the home screen, and one tap needed to bring up the live feed. This is also clean, with highly responsive ‘buttons’ for instantly grabbing a snapshot, triggering a manual video recording, or changing settings like motion and sound detection. Pushed notifications stack on your phone if allowed, making the live feed feel practical and stress-free to monitor throughout the day.

Green Feathers WiFi bird box camera: Performance

Above: Sample clips from the Green Feathers HD bird box camera
Note: As I'm testing this system outside of the UK's bird nesting window, the clips and images demonstrate the perspective, focal depth, and image clarity inside the timber nest box. Sadly, there were no live subjects.

I’ve had the Green Feathers WiFi Bird Box HD Camera Starter Pack set up in my garden for several weeks now. Sadly, testing this out of nesting season means I’m still waiting for my first feathered residents to move in, but putting the hardware through its paces has still given me a clear picture of how this system would perform in terms of image quality and everyday usability.

One quick win for me is the responsiveness of the Wi-Fi connection and live feed. With some smart wildlife cameras I’ve tested, opening a live view often feels like a test of patience as you stare at a buffering wheel and wait for the screen to load. Here, tapping into the Green Feathers app brought up the stream almost instantly, making it quick and painless to check in on the box throughout the day.

I positioned the box at the end of my garden too, and found little drop in Wi-Fi signal (something you can monitor as a percentage on the feed itself). While you can zoom in considerably to the live feed from the app by pinching the screen, images are only saved at the wide view.

The camera has a 1080p HD resolution; not massive by modern standards. But the image quality inside the box has impressed me more than I was expecting, particularly when it comes to fine detail. The camera’s fixed focus is dialed in well for the tight interior dimensions of the box, and when I look closely at the test footage, I can see the ridges of the wood grain, saw marks, and specks of dust on the nursery floor are resolved crisply.

If I imagine the box filled with baby birds and nest material, I think the feathers would be equally finely resolved. However, it's worth pointing out that the feed quality peaks and drops depending on your WiFi signal, and there's an indication of the KB/s in the corner of the live feed.

The depth of field covers nearly the entire cavity, keeping a sharp focus from the mid-ground floor right up to the back panel, which bodes well for keeping both adult birds and tiny hatchlings sharply in focus wherever they settle. I wasn't able to fully analyse how good the 15fps video rate was for capturing the motion of birds in and out of the nest.

I think that the color rendering is another high point. Unlike the heavily processed, neon-green bias common in outdoor trail cameras or cheap webcams that have been adapted for bird feeders, the white balance here feels neutral and true to life. The natural pine grain presents rich, warm amber tones without looking artificially cooked or oversaturated.

One downside is the dynamic range when bright daylight streams into the box. There’s a strong contrast between the dark interior and the light piercing through the entrance hole, and ventilation seams cause some highlight clipping, blowing out those small entry points into bright white patches. However, I think the camera still balances interior shadows well, preserving detail in the upper corners without letting them collapse into digital noise.

The wide-angle lens does have some visible barrel distortion – giving the square interior a slight tunnel perspective – but for a tight nest-box environment, this wide field of view is a necessary choice to ensure you don't miss action that’s happening near the walls.

When the light levels drop, at night or on dull days, the camera automatically switches to its invisible infrared night vision mode, and I found that the built-in IR LEDs cast a soft, even flood of light. Based on my sample images, if a parent bird or nesting chick were to sit directly beneath the lens, I reckon their feathers would keep their contrast rather than blowing out heavily.

With the monochrome infrared footage, I noticed that the fine wood-grain details on the walls softened slightly into a smooth, speckled grey. But the camera's fixed-focus kept the central floor crisp. As the IR LEDs operate completely invisibly without emitting a red glow, you can keep a close eye on nocturnal birdy activity without startling or disturbing the birds in the dark.

Because this is a mains-powered setup, with a long power extension lead rather than a battery-and-solar hybrid, there’s no anxiety of a camera running out of battery mid-brood. I enjoyed not having to worry about disturbing a nest to retrieve a battery pack or hoping for enough sunny days to keep a solar reservoir topped up. Once the camera is plugged in, power is a non-issue for the season.

Of course, there’s no AI species recognition or nesting-phase categorisation found on high-end competitors like the Birdfy Nest Duo. The Green Feathers system focuses on getting the core essentials right, and will send notifications for movement and noise promptly on your phone.

The notifications came too often when nothing was entering or leaving the box, but as mentioned in the handling section, the stream was always smooth and reliable. The Green Feathers app just works. And if you're happy to forego smart AI fluff in favor of sharp, naturalistic 1080p footage, I’d say it delivers a brilliantly clear view into the hidden world of a nest box.

Green Feathers WiFi bird box camera: Verdict

After testing the Green Feathers WiFi Bird Box HD Camera Starter Pack and mentally comparing it to what I see as its main (AI-heavy) competitor, the Birdfy Nest Duo, I have to say that I personally found it far more fun to use overall.

As a lapsed wildlife photographer by training, I'm used to manually ID-ing birds and constructing funky contraptions to photograph flighty wildlife. By doing without smart species recognition and automated nesting timelines, the Green Feathers system gives you a less cluttered bird box experience, and one that I think traditionalists – folks with a bit more basic bird knowledge – might enjoy more.

There were still a few downsides of the kit, and the one that did annoy me was how often alerts triggered, when the wind rustled the entrance hole or created dappled light inside of it. I couldn't find a way to dial in the sensitivity settings to avoid nuisance triggers, but you can turn them off entirely from the app.

Rather than using battery packs and solar power, the HD camera has a trailing mains power lead that you need to work out what to do with. While routing a cable to an outdoor (or indoor, if your setup allows) socket might annoy some users, I didn't mind it, especially as it means you don't have to check on the battery again.

You can buy optional cloud storage from the Green Feathers app, but I reckon a microSD will suit most users. The company quotes that a 64GB microSD card gives you around 32 hours of local recording, and you can set the card to overwrite once it's full, seeing as it's not easy to get inside the box once birds are nesting.

Ultimately, this Green Feathers setup is going to give you a fuss-free but reliable video stream that you can easily download and then share with others. For me, it strikes a great balance between modern connectivity and common-sense usability. Whether you use Green Feathers' own bird box or your own, the small-sized kit is a superb, stress-free bird box camera.

Alternatives

Check out our guides to the best bird feeder cameras, and to the best bird box cameras

A few days ago 7Artisans teased a new ultra-wide angle lens which will be positioned as the second entry in the company's Max line-up. Aside from a silhouette of the lens itself, we also had a brief caption in Chinese text, which roughly translated to "Automatic ultra wide-angle. A new starting point." Judging by the visible outline of a petal-shaped lens hood, it wasn't too big a stretch to speculate that this could be a fisheye lens.

Well, more details have now emerged, and we can confirm that the lens is indeed a fisheye, with full-frame coverage, called the AF 10mm f/2.5 Max. The official announcement from 7Artisans is expected to take place on July 28th, so we don't have long to wait for full details. Until then, PhotoRumors.com has reported that the lens will have a 185-degree field of view and will sport a metal lens barrel, contributing to the lens’s 504g weight.

The lens will be available in Sony E, Nikon Z and L-mount options. Pricing has yet to be disclosed, but it'll almost certainly be compelling. The first 7Artisan's Max lens - the AF 135mm f/1.8 Max - costs $689/£615, significantly undercutting rival lenses from Sony, Nikon and Sigma. Could this turn out to be one of the best lenses for astrophotography? Hopefully we'll get our hands on one for a full review soon.

When the US government agencies first brought up security concerns over the world’s largest drone maker’s ties to China, the conversation centered on drones. But when the Federal Communications Commission added all foreign-made drones to its Covered List late last year, the group specifically called out DJI, effectively banning not just its future drones but its cameras and accessories as well.

One of the most popular vlogging cameras has gotten caught in the crossfire between DJI and the US government – and now even its lookalikes are getting held back. The new DJI Osmo Pocket 4 and 4P won’t be coming to the US, and now lookalikes Xtra Muse 2 and Muse 2 Pro have pulled pre-orders from the US.

The DJI Osmo Pocket series may look strange, but the camera’s gimbal-camera-in-one combo has proven successful for vloggers and content creators. After the Osmo Pocket 3 launched in 2023, the camera’s unusual design and features quickly went viral on social media, leading to a months-long waiting list to find one in stock.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 has now been replaced by the DJI Osmo Action 4 and the more advanced 4P. But the vlogging camera arrived after the FCC ban, and as such, the update to the popular vlogging camera isn’t coming to the States.

Now, even the popular Pocket camera’s copycats are becoming difficult to find in the US. After the FCC fined Xtra for failing to respond to inquiries, the agency is seeking public comment over potentially adding the company – as well as eight others selling suspected copies of tech from banned companies – to the Covered List.

Unlike DJI’s addition to the list, the FCC is considering a retroactive ban, which would revoke FCC approval for previously announced products, not just prevent future cameras from getting the necessary approval.

In the meantime, it appears that Xtra has started refunding US pre-orders for the new Xtra Muse 2 and Muse 2 Pro, along with removing the products from the website and halting pre-orders.

The Xtra Muse 2 is a key example of the drone ban’s effects beyond the cameras destined for the skies. The decision to add all “foreign-made drones” to the covered List is a move that effectively puts drone tech on pause in the US. While there are a handful of American drone companies, none of them make consumer drones for hobbyists, beginners, or pro photographers and videographers beyond multi-million dollar budget Hollywood films.

But, DJI is explicitly named on the Covered List. The “all foreign-made drones” addition would have effectively kept DJI’s future China-made drones out of the US, but specifically naming the company also prevents DJI’s non-aerial cameras from entering the US. (Previously existing DJI products are still legal to buy and use in the US; the FCC Covered List currently only prevents future products announced after the ban from receiving FCC approval).

As an American drone pilot, the foreign-made drone ban is a frustrating pause that will prevent me from accessing the latest drone technology until either a US company emerges or regulations change.

But perhaps the most frustrating aspect is that the DJI ban came without a security review – and encompasses far more than drones. The National Defense Authorization Act gave DJI a year to pass a security review or face an automatic ban, but the legislation failed to name what government agency would even be responsible – and then the review never actually happened.

DJI has already been placed on the FCC Covered List, but the turmoil over DJI-branded products (and lookalikes) in the US is far from over. The FCC is currently seeking public comments on the proposed ban for the companies selling products with similarities to those on the Covered List, including Xtra.

DJI’s fight isn’t over either – the drone-maker has filed a lawsuit against the FCC over banning the company without a security review. The lawsuit is ongoing.

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The DJI Pocket 3 is still available in the US – and the new Insta360 Luna is also available in the US.

Thanks in part to the compact camera trend and the launch of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, Canon has broken net sales records – and now the imaging giant plans to help cut the long waiting list for popular PowerShot models by ramping up production.

On July 27, Canon shared its second quarter financial results, posting record net sales for the quarter that the brand attributes in large part to compact cameras, network cameras, and semiconductor equipment. The report follows two years of record net sales on Canon's annual reports.

The financial data, however, is packed with insight not just for investors but photographers as well. Canon says that the compact camera trend is a key factor in the record net sales for the quarter.

The trend has also resulted in long wait lists for the most popular models, but Canon says that production will increase in the second half of the year to help shorten those wait times – and hit a projected 50 percent increase in sales growth by the end of the year.

“In the second half of the year, for compact cameras, which continue to perform strongly, we will further expand production capacity to eliminate supply shortages as quickly as possible and drive additional sales growth,” Canon notes in the report.

The report doesn’t specifically say which compact cameras will see an increase in production. However, the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III has been difficult to find in stock for the last two years after the camera went viral on social media.

The July 27 announcement isn't the first time the camera giant has shared plans to increase compact camera production amid the return of the point-and-shoot camera.

The Canon EOS R6 Mark III and R6 V are also leading sales

The PowerShot line, however, isn’t the only camera behind the brand’s latest report. The average sale price for Canon’s cameras has also jumped thanks to a growth in the brand’s full-frame mirrorless sales. Canon attributes that full-frame growth to the success of the Canon EOS R6 Mark III.

The full-frame R6 Mark III, launched in November 2025, brings a hybrid focus delivering both 7K open gate and 32.5MP stills as fast as 40 fps. The Canon EOS R6 V, a video-focused variant for the popular R6 series, is also leading sales, Canon says.

Both the company's mirrorless cameras and compact cameras are expected to continue to grow, with Canon predicting Increased revenue year-on-year for the imaging segment of 11.6 percent.

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For more insight, take a look at the best Canon cameras or the best Canon RF lenses, as tested by pro photographers.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026 is the latest version of Adobe’s novice-friendly photo editor. It comes with Quick, Guided and Advanced modes to help beginners get started easily and learn more about editing at their own pace, together with a low-cost single license fee payment rather than an ongoing subscription.

Note, though, that Adobe has now imposed a 3-year license term – at the end of that period you will have to upgrade to a newer version. However, Photoshop Elements 2026 is available on its own or can be bought with Adobe Premiere Elements where it becomes better value thanks to a cost-saving bundle.

Major new features in Photoshop Elements 2026 include generative AI, both for full image generation and for generating new backgrounds, an AI photo restore feature and an enhanced Remove tool which can now select and remove people in backgrounds.

Photoshop Elements is regularly considered one of the best photo editing software choices, at least for beginners. Otherwise, Photoshop Elements 2026 will be instantly familiar to anyone who has used this software before. The new features are add-ons and the user experience is otherwise much the same. One question will be whether the new features justify upgrading; another will be whether Photoshop Elements 2026 is genuinely keeping up with the modern world or just trying to look like it is.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026: Specifications

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026: Price

Photoshop Elements 2026 costs $99.99 / £86.99 / AU$160, or $79.99 £70.99 / AU$127.99 if you’re upgrading from a previous version. Alternatively, you can buy the Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements 2026 bundle for $149.99 / £130.49 / AU$241.99 (upgrade price $119.99 / £107.78 / AU$193.99) or $119.99 / £94.69 / AUS193.99 if you qualify for a Students & Teachers discount.

It’s certainly a lot cheaper than getting Adobe’s subscription-based Photography Plan, even when you take into account Elements’ 3-year subscription limitation. However, it’s also much older and more basic software that doesn’t really compare with Adobe’s modern subscription software for features, cloud storage and workflow fluency.

What about non-Adobe products? On1 Photo RAW is a much more capable and powerful tool for photographers and is available subscription-free too, though it lacks the projects and assets of Elements 2026. Canva Affinity is rather more technical, but as powerful as Photoshop and currently free. Photoshop Elements 2026 is decent value, but only if you definitely want its project-based approach and ready-made assets, and don’t care too much about its technical limitations.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026: Design & Handling

Both Premiere Elements 2026 and Premiere Elements 2026 share the same Organizer app for managing, tagging and searching your files. You will need to switch to Detail view to see whether images are landscape or portrait format, and while you can double-click a JPEG to see a full-size preview, if you try that with a RAW file you’ll just get a blank screen. It seems the Organizer does not generate previews from RAW files.

When you open a RAW file from the Organizer, Photoshop Elements 2026 launches a (very) cut-down version of Adobe Camera Raw. You can adjust tones and colors but not much more, and it’s far more basic than the regular Adobe Camera Raw. In fact, this ACR implementation is simply to make your RAW files editable in the main editor.

There’s another thing to watch out for here, though. This version of ACR can output 16-bit files but the Elements Editor can’t do much with them. For guided edits, layers in the Advanced mode and other editing operations, you’ll need to switch the files down to 8-bit – which feels like a really old-fashioned limitation.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the editing modes. Quick mode is great for beginners because it comes with a range of Quick Actions for common tasks like dehazing a landscape, colorizing a black-and-white photo or applying a general smart fix. You can also carry out manual adjustments, apply a range of special effects and add textures and frames.

Guided mode is designed to walk you through a range of editing tasks manually. There are lots of these guided edits, all arranged into categories. They cover basic topics like cropping, resizing and object removal, through to more complex tasks like landscape improvement with dehazing and sky replacement. Some of the results from these guided edits can be quite crude, so you may need to touch them up with tools provided in the guided edit panel, or switch to the Advanced mode and do it there.

The blue sky replacement in the Perfect Landscape process is a good example. The sky can merge awkwardly with the foreground – it’s nowhere near as good as Photoshop’s equivalent – in the guided edit, but if you swap to the Advanced mode you’ll see the guided edit has created masked adjustment layers for the sky and the foreground that you may be able to improve on with some manual tweaks.

The advanced mode is like a mini-Photoshop in its layout, but with a really cut-down set of tools. You can only create a handful of different adjustment layer types, and there’s no curves adjustment or B&W conversion adjustment, for example. Incidentally, if the adjustment layer button is unresponsive, it’s because you’ve opened a RAW file as a 16-bit image and you’ll need to convert it to 8-bit.

You can apply a nice range of artistic effects, though, together with Photoshop-style filters and graphics, which include frame styles. These are confusing, though. You might drag one onto your photo thinking it will automatically frame it, but instead it creates a new layer group that’s not even the same size as your current photo and prompts you to choose a photo from your hard drive. There are many instances where Photoshop Elements 2026 feels like it’s been rather thrown together without a lot of thought or explanation, and this is one of them.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026: Performance

The new generative AI features in Elements 2026 work well, using Adobe’s regular Firefly engine, presumably. Other AI features are a little less impressive. The AI photo restore cleans up some dust and scratches but appears to do little else, in stark contrast to ON1’s Restore AI, for example. You can colorize old photos too, but that’s a separate process.

The enhanced remove tool can indeed identify people in the background of your shots, but not necessarily all of them, so you may need to mask out any extras manually. It replaces them with surrounding detail which doesn’t always line up well.

The Depth Blur feature can work very well. It doesn’t have the same speed, fluidity and control of the Lightroom Lens Blur tool, but it’s not bad. The motion effects aren’t so good, though. They’re designed to animate parts of your still photos, but the selection tools are crude and the results variable.

The main performance limitation for photographers is the weak RAW support and 8-bit editing environment. If you shoot RAW, this is not the program for you. If you only shoot JPEGs, Photoshop Elements 2026 is a stronger proposition.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026: Verdict

Adobe Photoshop Elements feels like an old photo-editing platform being kept alive by some headline-grabbing new features every time the annual upgrade comes around. It’s perhaps fine for ‘memory keepers’, school projects or anyone who just wants to mess about with photos, but it’s not a good tool for photographers.

Its basic RAW conversions and lack of support for 16-bit editing severely limit the results you can achieve, and are not helped by pretty basic tools even in Advanced mode. Really, this is not a program designed for photographers where the image is the end result, but for people who want to do things with their photos and aren’t really that bothered about finessing their quality.

Alternatives

Designed as a true hybrid all-rounder, the Sony A7 V delivers flagship-inspired speed and autofocus (AF) in a more affordable body – and these deals at B&H let you save $184.75 on camera only and lens bundles!

The Sony A7 V + Essentials+ Kit is now $3,198.99 – Save $184.75 off the original $3,383.74 price.

The Sony A7 V + 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II and Essentials+ Kit is now $3,398.99 – save $184.75 off the original $3,583.74 price.

The Sony A7 V + 50mm f/2.5 G and Essentials+ Kit is now $3,896.99 – save $184.75 off the original $4,081.74 price.

The Sony A7 V + 24-105mm f/4 G OSS and Essentials+ Kit is now $4,596.99 – save $184.75 off the original $4,781.74 price.

Deals

Top choice: Sony A7 V

The Sony A7 V is Sony's latest full-frame all-rounder, combining fast performance with some of the smartest AF technology the brand has produced to date.

It features a new sensor and AI-powered subject detection system, delivering faster burst shooting and more reliable tracking for everything from portraits to wildlife.

In our review, we praised its major AF upgrades, blackout-free 30fps shooting, and refined handling.

While rival cameras offer stronger video specs, the A7 V remains one of the most capable hybrid cameras for photographers who want a single body that can do almost everything.

Browse the best lenses for the Sony A7 V

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 Dual Battery Bundle has dropped to just £289 at Park Cameras, down from £345 and saving you a cool £56 on a powerful 8K action-camera double-power package.

For anyone looking to capture high-quality footage while travelling, cycling, skiing, hiking, or simply recording everyday adventures, this is a deal that deserves attention. The Ace Pro 2 combines a compact and rugged design with detailed 8K video, strong image stabilisation, and the flexibility required for fast-moving action.

Low-light performance is another major strength. Action cameras have traditionally struggled once the light begins to fade, but the Ace Pro 2 is designed to produce cleaner, more detailed footage across a broader range of conditions, making it a versatile option for both daytime adventures and evening shoots.

Its flip-up screen also makes framing considerably easier, particularly when filming yourself or creating content for social media. Combined with intelligent shooting modes and straightforward controls, it offers a polished experience without forcing you to spend hours working through complicated settings.

This particular bundle includes a second battery, giving you more time to keep recording before needing to recharge. That is particularly useful for longer days outdoors, holidays, events, and any occasion where access to a power socket may be limited.

At just £289, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 Dual Battery Bundle offers a great deal of action-camera performance for the money. You can get the camera with one battery for £279, but we strongly advise you to get the bundle for another tenner – as it is by far the best deal.

Designed as a true hybrid all-rounder, the Sony A7 V delivers flagship-inspired speed and autofocus (AF) in a more affordable body – and these deals at Park Cameras let you save up to £1,448.90 on camera only and lens bundles!

The Sony A7 V body is now £2,519.10 – save £279.90 off the original £2,799 price.

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The Sony A7 V + 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II is now £3,419.10 – save £1,278.81 off the original £4,698 price.

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To claim 10% off, apply the voucher code SONY-10. More promotions and offers are available too, like a £200 bonus when trading in your 'old' gear.

Deals

Promotions & Offers

• Voucher code: Get 10% off with voucher code SONY-10
• Sony lens offer: Save 5% on Sony FE lenses when bought with selected cameras. Add lens to the basket for discount
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Top choice: Sony A7 V

The Sony A7 V is Sony's latest full-frame all-rounder, combining fast performance with some of the smartest AF technology the brand has produced to date.

It features a new sensor and AI-powered subject detection system, delivering faster burst shooting and more reliable tracking for everything from portraits to wildlife.

In our review, we praised its major AF upgrades, blackout-free 30fps shooting, and refined handling.

While rival cameras offer stronger video specs, the A7 V remains one of the most capable hybrid cameras for photographers who want a single body that can do almost everything.

Browse the best lenses for the Sony A7 V

Riding on the coattails of its successful miniature TLR-style digital camera, Chinese camera brand Chuzhao is back with the Chuzhao M3, a fixed-lens compact camera that would appear to take a few design cues from the, you guessed it, Leica M3. News of this rather striking little camera came by way of Photorumors.

Under the hood there isn’t much to shout about, what with a 1/4-inch 12-MP CMOS sensor and full HD video, and fully automatic controls. But like the Chuzhao Digital Camera, the Chuzhao M3 isn’t designed to rub shoulders with the premium compact cameras of this world. I’ve yet to see the camera myself, but it’s evidently intended to be a fun and affordable departure from a camera phone, while delivering a trendy lo-fi digital camera aesthetic.

A vision in pastel

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this cheap camera is its design and color schemes. As mentioned, the name and style appear to take a leaf out of Leica’s book, with a boxy rangefinder-shaped body and small lens. On Amazon, you can opt for Gray or Pastel Purple & Mint Blue color schemes. The former is a two-toned gray with blue accents, while the latter features striking purple accents against pastel pink and mint green.

The camera comes with a detachable fill light that looks a bit like an old Graflex flash. However, it appears to be a mini LED light panel with three brightness settings. The camera also comes with a USB-A to USB-C lead, what looks like a wrist strap and an unbranded 16GB SD card, although it can take up to a 64GB. As always, it’s my recommendation to immediately replace any unbranded memory card that comes with a cheap camera.

Lens details are thin on the ground. It’s fixed, the camera is capable of AF and it’s wide, with an aperture of around f/2.8. There’s no viewfinder, which is a shame given the retro aesthetic, but there is a 1.54-inch rear LCD. The camera is said to weigh just 115g, measures roughly 89.5 x 52 x 42.5mm, and features a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery.

The Chuzhao M3 is priced at $69.99 / £69.97 and available at Amazon.

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“Best-looking Instax camera” gets retro silver glow-up; instant cameras have never looked so cool! I REALLY want one of these hand-painted film cameras inspired by the Gundam anime; they’re affordable, too! Got a modern mirrorless camera? You’re probably thinking about ISO all wrong.

Often referred to as ‘trinity’ lenses, wide-angle, standard and telephoto zooms with a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the range typically include 14-24mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm focal lengths respectively. They’re relatively ‘fast’ in terms of aperture rating, compared with f/4 zooms and those with a narrower and variable aperture rating that shrinks as you extend through the zoom range.

There’s a catch, however, in that trinity zooms tend to be big, heavy and expensive to buy. But that’s no longer the whole story. So-called ‘alternative trinity’ lenses have become popular, which generally have a slightly different zoom range but retain an f/2.8 constant aperture. Tamron was an earlier pioneer of these trend-setting lenses, including the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD wide-angle zoom, Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD G2 standard zoom and Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 telephoto zoom, the last couple now being in their G2 (Generation 2) editions.

And there’s more! Although they don’t have a constant f/2.8 aperture, Tamron set about creating lenses with a more generous 35-150mm zoom range. These are ideal for wedding and event photography, as well as for general shooting. First up was the Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, followed by the properly fast but still variable-aperture Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, available for Nikon and Sony mirrorless cameras.

The newer Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD that I’m reviewing here comes in the same Nikon Z and Sony E mount options as the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 lens. It doesn’t stretch so far into telephoto territory, but builds a constant-aperture design into a much more compact, lightweight and affordable package, aiming to be one of the best wedding and event photography lenses. It’s potentially also one of the best alternative trinity zooms for people who prefer extra telephoto reach to greater wide-angle coverage.

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: Specifications

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: Price

What price a trinity standard zoom lens? The latest own-brand examples from the likes of Canon, Nikon and Sony cost around $2,500, so they certainly don’t come cheap. Now in its second generation, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD G2 was something of a game-changer for Sony mirrorless cameras, the G2 also being available in Nikon Z mount. It has a slightly different zoom range but is much more lightweight and affordable, at around $849 / £649 / AU$1,599. Indeed, Nikon liked the original version of the lens so much that it remade it and badged it as its own, the Nikon Z 28-75mm f/2.8 costing around $1,049 / £889 / AU$1,599. By the way, I prefer the Tamon G2 lens out of the two.

Naturally, the Tamron 35-100mm shifts the zoom range compared with all of the above, but retains a similar pricing to its sibling 28-75mm lens, at $899 / £799 / AU$1,499. That’s not much more than half the price of the bigger and heavier Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, which sells for around $1,699 / £1,499 / AU$2,799 (look out for generous discounts in Australia). Whichever way you look at it, the new 35-100mm looks like it could be a proper bargain, if its performance is up to scratch.

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: Design & Handling

I’ve done a fair bit of wedding photography and covered events from corporate gatherings to equestrian shows and competitions. One thing they all bring to the party, so to speak, is the risk of missing important, unrepeatable shots because you happen to be swapping between different lenses on your camera when a crucial moment pops up. The more I think about it, this is actually a potential problem that applies to many shooting scenarios and different types of photography. My usual solution is to use two camera bodies with a different type of lens on each, but that’s an expensive and cumbersome way of doing things.

The biggest attraction of this Tamron lens, as far as I’m concerned, is its combination of 35-100mm zoom range with a relatively fast and constant f/2.8 aperture rating. The zoom range works really well for weddings and events, from scene-setting and group shots to individual portraits. Some might feel that the wide-angle coverage at 35mm is a bit limiting for group shots but I wouldn’t go any wider, otherwise people towards the edges of the image frame are in danger of getting their heads stretched.

The Tamron has a fully internal focusing mechanism, but it does physical stretch in length as you sweep from the shortest to the longest focal length. Frankly, I’d expect nothing less in a lens with a 35-100mm zoom range. In fact, I’m surprised that the physical extension is as small as is it, equating to about three-quarters of an inch. You can see how that looks in practice by checking out the images above and below.

The advantage of shooting a lengthy wedding or other event with a single camera body and lens (for at least most of it) is somewhat negated if the lens in question is big and heavy. The Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD that I mentioned earlier isn’t massive but it’s quite weighty at 1,165g or about 41oz, and can feel a bit of a lump after a couple of hours of shooting. The 35-100mm that I’m reviewing here is a relative lightweight, at just under half the weight of its sibling, tipping the scales at 1,165g / 20oz.

Diving deeper into the autofocus system, it’s of Tamron’s VXD variety, powered by Voice-Coil Extreme-Torque Drive. As such, it’s very rapid yet virtually silent in operation. There’s a big range on offer as well, as the focusing distance comes down from infinity to just 0.22m (8.7 inches) at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, and 0.65m (25.6 inches) at the telephoto end. This gives you a maximum magnification ratio of 0.3x (wide) and 0.17x (tele), so the lens is capable of pretty extreme close-ups.

The lens is based on 15 optical elements arranged in 13 groups, including three glass molded aspherical elements, two LD (Low Dispersion) elements and one XLD (eXtreme LD) element, aiming for optimum resolution and clarity with minimal aberrations. Tamron’s proprietary BBAR G2 (Broad Band Anti-Reflection) and nano-structure eBAND (Extended Bandwidth and Angular Dependency) coatings are added to minimize ghosting and flare.

There’s no dedicated aperture control ring but the lens does feature a customizable function button and 3-way custom settings switch. I tend to use the function button for AF-hold but plenty of other options are generally available from the host camera’s menu system. Using the Tamron Lens Utility and optional Tamron-Link Bluetooth adapter (see below) you can assign aperture control to the lens’s focus ring, as well as setting up focus points for automatically transitioning between them.

Various custom settings are available thanks to compatibility with the Tamron Lens Utility, which you can download onto your computer and then connect the lens using a USB-C cable. Alternatively, you can buy the tiny Tamron-Link Bluetooth adapter for around $50 / £59 / AU$80, which plugs into the lens’s USB-C port and enables wireless connectivity with a smartphone app, giving the option of custom settings and remote control of the lens.

The lens comes complete with a petal-shaped, reversible hood that has the usual bayonet-fit arrangement. You also get front and rear lens caps, the front one having a pinch-style mechanism that can be operated even with the hood is attached in its forward-facing orientation.

There are multiple weather-seals incorporated in the design, including a rubber gasket on the metal mounting plate. Overall, build quality feels solid and robust, despite the lightweight construction of the lens.

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: Performance

Performance of the autofocus system in the Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD lives up to its billing, with very fast and virtually silent operation of the Voice-Coil Extreme-Torque Drive system. I also found that autofocus was consistently accurate during my tests, and well able to keep up with moving subjects in conjunction with face/eye-detection AF modes.

The 35-100mm zoom range is very useful in practice, and the lens maintains excellent sharpness and clarity throughout. There’s no optical image stabilization, or ‘Vibration Compensation’ as Tamron calls it. That’s not really an issue with Nikon and Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras, which all feature IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) apart from the original first-generation Sony Alpha 7 series cameras. However, the omission of VC is a disappointment if you want to use the lens on an APS-C format Nikon or Sony camera, which mostly lack IBIS. It’s still a tempting option, as the lens has an ‘effective’ zoom range of 52.5-150mm on an APS-C body, neatly covering standard to medium telephoto focal lengths. The shots above and below show both extremities of the zoom range on a full-frame camera.

Naturally, image quality is never just about sharpness. The opposite comes into play, especially with relatively ‘fast’ lenses that can deliver a tight depth of field for isolating subjects against a blurred background. I’ve always thought that fast Tamron lenses tend to deliver very pleasant bokeh, and this one reinforces my opinion. The lens can’t compete with really fast primes with aperture ratings of f/1.2 to f/1.8, but it’s still capable of a pretty tight depth of field at f/2.8, especially towards the long end of the zoom range and when shooting close-ups.

Another performance bonus as far as I’m concerned is that the compact, lightweight build for an f/2.8 zoom adds versatility in practical terms. It puts travel, street and walkabout photography on the agenda, where the fast autofocus system enables you to react quickly to spontaneous moments.

The application of Tamron’s BBAR G2 and nano-structure eBAND optical coatings enhance the inherent design of the lens in terms of minimizing ghosting and flare. The example shot below was taken ‘against the light’ on a sun-soaked beach, just to prove the point.

Distortions and color fringing are technically present but of a low order and well within the remit of automatic in-camera corrections. Unlike many modern lenses designed for mirrorless cameras, especially those that aim to be compact and lightweight, the Tamron doesn’t rely on automatic correction for distortion being ‘forced on’ and you can disable it in camera settings if you wish.

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: Sample Images

The example shots in the following gallery were taken at the English seaside (or at least Severn Estuary) town of Weston-Super-Mare in the county of Somerset. Some of the photos are in pairs, taken of the same scene from the same vantage point at the shortest and longest zoom setting, and there’s also a triplet that includes an interim focal length, to give an idea of the overall zoom range. I also used a variety of medium and wide aperture settings, the latter to show the lens’s ability to deliver a fairly tight depth of field.

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: 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 in the central region of the image frame is exemplary throughout most of the zoom range, even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. Towards the long end, it pays to stop down to apertures of between f/4 and f/8 for premium sharpness, which also maximizes sharpness towards the edges and corners of the frame. Overall though, sharpness is very impressive.

Fringing:

Color fringing is very minimal across the entire image frame, at all apertures and focal lengths. You’d be hard pressed to see any lateral chromatic aberration even at the extreme edges and corners of the frame, with automatic in-camera correction disabled.

Distortion:

There’s a little barrel distortion at the most wide-angle zoom setting of 35mm, whereas pincushion distortion can be quite noticeable in the 50-100mm sector of the zoom range. Even so, the Tamron relies less on automatic in-camera correction for distortions than many modern lenses designed for mirrorless cameras.

Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD: Verdict

I’m often a big fan of an ultra-wide-angle perspective, which is off-limits with this lens. But the sacrifice is one that’s well worth making if I can get a 35-100mm zoom range from a single lens, complete with a constant f/2.8 aperture rating. For weddings and event photography, it could well be the only lens you really need, especially as it can take pretty extreme close-ups as well (I’m thinking wedding rings and the like).

What’s more remarkable is that the desirable zoom range and fairly fast aperture are shoehorned into such a compact, lightweight and easily manageable build, complete with weather-seals. I found that I can shoot for hours on end without the Tamron literally becoming a pain in the neck. It also works a treat for street, travel and walkabout photography, the long end of the zoom range covering more distance than a typical standard lens.

Although small and light, there’s no skimping on performance. The lens has excellent sharpness and clarity and very good control over distortion, color fringing, ghosting and flare. The VXD autofocus system is another big plus point, being really rapid and virtually silent in operation. Okay, so the Tamron doesn’t have a dedicated aperture control ring or optical stabilization, but it does have a customizable function button and 3-way custom settings switch. And most Sony and all Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras have IBIS anyway. All in all, the Tamron 35-100mm is a fabulous lens at a bargain price, and gets top marks from me.

Alternatives

New marketplace data reveals just how affordable the used camera market has become, with enthusiasts and full-frame bodies now sitting in the same price bracket as many entry-level models.

According to Japanese used-camera marketplace Minna Camera, more than half of all camera-body models traded during the first half of 2026 averaged under ¥100,000 (approx. $610 / £458). The ranking, based on transactions completed between January 1 and June 30, 3036, includes 153 camera models that fell below this price threshold.

The most-traded camera body under ¥100,000 was the Canon EOS R10 with an average transaction price of ¥95,983 (approx. $585 / £439). The ranking also reveals how affordable full-frame cameras have become: the Canon EOS RP (mirrorless) and the Nikon D750 (DSLR) both appear in the Top 10, with average prices of around ¥70,000 (approx. $427 / £321).

Top 10 most-traded cameras under 100,000 Yen at Minna Camera (H1 2026)*

*Approx. used prices in USD and GBP added by Digital Camera World.

Mirrorless dominates – but DSLRs refuse to disappear

The ranking reflects the industry's shift towards mirrorless cameras, with seven mirrorless models appearing in the Top 10.

However, three DSLRs also made the list – all from Nikon: the D500, D7500 and D750.

Interestingly, compact cameras did not make the Top 10, despite renewed interest in small cameras. Three compact models appeared just outside the ranking, placing between 11th and 20th.

By manufacturer, Nikon had the strongest showing with five models in the Top 10, followed by Sony with three and Canon with two.

Sony's entries highlight the popularity of compact ASP-C cameras designed for creators and vloggers, including the ZV-E10 series and A6400.

And for photographers who once considered full-frame cameras too expensive, the used market is showing what is possible. Cameras such as the Canon RP and Nikon D750 now offer a route into full-frame photography for around ¥70,000 (approx $427 /£321).

Beyond the Top 10, other full-frame cameras have also fallen below the ¥100,000 mark (approx. $610 / £458), including the Sony A7 II at ¥66,245 (approx. $404 / £304), and the Nikon D810 at ¥91,267 (approx. $557 / £419).

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