Ever pushed the saturation slider in your photo editing software and wondered why it's not revealing the details you need? Well, there's a reason for that.

Most color tools only stretch the contrast that you can already see. But NASA needed more detail, so it developed software that works out which colors in a photo are statistically tangled together – then untangles them. The result often looks like an entirely different image.

The two images at the top of this article, captured on the Martian surface, shows what this looks like in practice. The picture on the left depicts exactly the rust-colored Martian that you see with the naked eye, while the one on the right reveals mineral variation in electric pinks and greens.

Remapping the colors

The technique is called decorrelation stretch, and it was originally invented at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a way to map lava flows in Hawaii and prepare for a satellite instrument called ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer).

JPL scientist Ronald Alley wrote the definitive paper on it in 1996, refining an idea first proposed by his colleague Jim Soha two decades earlier.

Rather than simply boosting contrast, it remaps an image's colors across a wider, decorrelated range, using statistical maths borrowed from a theorem called the Karhunen-Loève Transform.

The person who spotted its wider potential was Jon Harman. He wasn't a photographer or an archaeologist by trade, but a mathematician with a background in medical imaging.

He saw the above before-and-after Mars images at a rock art conference around 2005, and realized the same approach could rescue rock paintings that had faded almost to nothing.

Harman went away and built a plugin called Dstretch for ImageJ, an open-source image processing and analysis program originally developed by the National Institutes of Health.

He then followed it with a smartphone app that mimics the effect. The plugin costs $50 (around £44 / AU$70) and the smartphone app costs $20 (£15 / AU$28).

It's astonishing when you think about it: a serious piece of NASA color science that you might have expected would only ever exist in scientific papers has ended up as an affordable app that anyone can point at pretty much anything and get interesting results.

Dstretch has since uncovered around 200 faded paintings at Angkor Wat, previously unknown figures at a Norwegian rock art site, and pictures of bats and pigs in ancient Egyptian tombs.

And the important thing is, none of that required any new photos to be taken – just smarter processing of images that already existed.

Panasonic just dropped important firmware updates for four Lumix cameras – but the thing I actually want is still missing on my camera, 16 months after it debuted.

I feel bad being ungrateful, because Panasonic is brilliant – the best of all the camera brands, in fact – at listening to the community and delivering updates that meaningfully improve the cameras and the way you can use them.

To that end, some short but sweet fixes and features have been released for the Panasonic Lumix S1II, S1RII, S1IIE and S9 – all of which are incredibly welcome.

However, I've been waiting ever since the Urban Sports AF algorithm was released back in May 2025 for it to make its way to the S9 – but despite my fingers being crossed for this week's firmware drop, it's still missing in action.

Which is doubly gutting, because I was shooting skateboarding a couple of nights ago and that autofocus mode would really have helped the poor little S9 keep a pretty AF box around a skater. (Call me crazy but, if I were Panasonic and I had a killer AF mode that nobody else had, I'd be putting it in every camera I made.)

Anyway, entitled whinging aside, here's what you can expect from the new updates:

Lumix S9 version 2.1

In fairness, the updates are pretty sweet – but mainly for videographers, thanks to the addition of much-needed new modes for the MP4 (Lite) codec that is absolutely adored by content creators (I'm looking at you, Emily at Micro Four Nerds).

The camera also gets support for the brilliant Lumix Flow app (or rather, the Lumix Flow app has been updated to support the S9), along with more assignable functions for the customizable buttons on lenses.

Per the official notes:

• Support for Lumix Flow ver.1.7.0 or above
• Addition of 4K 60p/50p and FHD 120p/100p/60p/50p recording options for MP4 (Lite)
• Expanded assignable functions for Lens Fn Button settings, including:
  • Aspect Ratio
  • E-Stabilization (Video)
  • Boost I.S. (Video)
  • Image Area of Video
  • Focus Ring Control
  • Focus Limiter
  • Hybrid Zoom
  • Crop Zoom (Including related zoom operation functions
  • Focus Peaking
  • Video Record

Lumix S1II / S1RII / S1IIE

If you've ever used the S1II series for flash photography, you may have experienced latency issues when using TTL. Panasonic certainly heard from some working pros who struggled with the issue, which is pretty critical if you're using your equipment for client work like weddings.

Thankfully, the latest firmware will "improve shutter release responsiveness and burst shooting performance when using external flash units" according to the manufacturer.

On top of that, there's also the nebulous old chestnut of "enhancing overall operational stability".

Lumix Lab Version 3.1.1

In addition to gaining support for the S9's new MP4 (Lite) formats, the big Lumix Lab improvement is the ability to find LUTs more easily – and download them in collections.

All of which is incredibly welcome if you've ever tried navigating the user-created LUT libraries, which was often a painful experience. Being able to filter them and download batches is much appreciated!

• Support for newly added MP4 (Lite) recording formats on the Lumix S9
• New LUT category filtering functionality
• Introduction of downloadable LUT Packs, which group curated LUTs by creative theme
• Enhanced user interface and overall usability improvements

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OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, might have picked up most attention this week with a former employee's vague warnings about the chances of AI wiping out humanity.

However, despite the calls to slow down development, it hasn't halted work on its camera tools, acquiring a photo-processing company that might even go toward the company's long-anticipated AI gadget.

Glass Imaging is an AI tool that helps improve the quality of images taken with the small image sensors and lenses on camera phones, and create results more like those on devices with full-frame sensors, like DSLRs or mirrorless cameras.

There is an extensive gallery of examples on the company site, largely shot on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 cameras in imperfect light. I was especially interested to see that the AI wasn't above altering the pose of the subject; look at the boy in the example, whose head has turned to face the camera.

Glass A.I. processing sample

An original image shot on an iPhone and the result of Glass A.I. processing

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Glass A.I. Processed

Glass Imaging was a venture-backed company that claimed it could "Unlock the full potential of imaging systems," and the technology used is called 'Glass AI'. It claims to be a "neural ISP" – which presumably means image signal processing.

Image signal processing is the next step on a digital camera's circuits after capturing the light with the sensor. The signal, perhaps from a CMOS sensor, passes via analog-to-digital conversion to an a ISP chip (or a combined system-on-a-chip).

This is where the color science and processing takes place that results in an image file that can be handed off to the storage (such as a memory card).

I understand that adding better technology (under the umbrella of AI) to the ISP can result in theoretically better images than otherwise expected from the same chip.

Essentially, this is what Apple calls "computational photography" – and all camera companies, to a greater or lesser extent, attempt already. Indeed the Honor 600 phone has already incorporated this very tech. Glass Imaging is just openly promising to use the latest thing in tech – AI – and suggesting it'll do it better.

Where that looks a bit strange is in the examples that change the pose rather than just the texture and quality of the image. Now that is the kind of thing that might result from generative AI, but (at least to my way of thinking) isn't really just improving the lens and sensor to their theoretical maximum!

Eliminating grain and making it look like you used 'better glass'? That's great. But changing the pose? That is a different matter.

Not that OpenAI has specified its plans for the software, but the company has been investing a great deal in bringing its own AI-driven device to market – and many are suggesting there is a connection.

This spend is pocket change compared to the $6.5 billion (around £4.9 billion / AU$9.1 billion) OpenAI spent on Io Products, the company Jony Ive founded. Ive is formerly Apple's chief designer, with the iPhone in his list of credits, and has already been connected to smart devices with cameras.

OpenAI is also still thought to be preparing a stock offering, though that is likely to wait until 2027 because of the AI safety fears (or, more precisely, the fear that the IPO won't work as well as hoped in the present climate).

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Back in July, I reported on Elon Musk’s post on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Grok AI would make a “historically accurate” Odyssey film before the end of 2026. This was accompanied by an AI-generated trailer with a few visible anomalies, to say the least, the most egregious being what appeared to be Odysseus wearing a pair of foam earplugs.

But, credit where credit is due, this was never intended to be the finished film. Cue an article by Futurism, titled “The Winner of Elon Musk’s AI Odyssey Contest Will Make You Laugh Out Loud”.

It turns out that Grok Imagine put together a contest with a $100,000 (approximately £75,000 / AU$140,000) prize for the best depiction of The Odyssey created using the AI platform, stating: “The contest showcased the power of Grok Imagine for creating realistic, captivating scenes that belong on the big screen.”

You can see the winning entry by Nem Perez (above). Perez explained on X how the Phaeacians and Princess Nausicaa were absent from Nolan’s epic, calling the five minutes of Grok Imagine AI footage “My longest, most intricate work to date,” and that the AI platform was pushed “to its absolute limits”.

I'm not a fan of AI-generated content and instead much prefer traditional filmmaking. Heck, last night I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theater. But from the establishing shot of a stormy sea and a title sequence where Odysseus is washed up on the shore (see main image), I don't doubt that Perez's video conveys the power of genAI platforms like Grok Imagine.

But the footage also highlights the hypocrisy of the level of criticism that some have directed at Nolan’s Odyssey.

The Futurism article has already pointed out the many inconsistencies, including that the cyclops clearly has three eyes. I’m not here to do a frame-by-frame analysis of the winning entry, but I didn't agree with Perez's comment: “This is The Odyssey as Homer intended”. Surely the Odyssey that Homer intended is what the Greek poet immortalized in writing.

I think we have to take care that we’re not overly critical of film adaptations. After all, literature and film are two very different forms of media. Blade Runner is a fine example of a film that took huge liberties in the adaptation of its source material, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and I personally think it was all the better for it.

And yet, this competition never intended to turn out a full-length movie – and the year still isn’t out, so there’s still time for Grok AI to produce something special.

That said, I can’t say I’m waiting for a feature-length AI Odyssey with bated breath. If it’s a faithful adaptation that you’re looking for, surely nothing can be better than picking up a respected adaptation of the text. And if you’re looking for a solid movie adaptation with beautiful cinematography and great performances, I highly recommend Nolan’s Odyssey.

We live in a world where Nolan’s brand of filmmaking is getting fewer and farther between. As a self-confessed film buff and supporter of physical moviemaking, I would implore anyone who loves cinema to support and savor these experiences.

In my mind, AI-generated content will never compete with traditional filmmaking, just like AI-generated content will never compete with traditional photography. I will always support retaining the human element.

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When I tried Adobe Photoshop's AI Assistant earlier this year, I couldn’t help but think about how helpful the tool could be for someone learning to edit photos for the first time. Now, Adobe's photo editor built for beginners is gaining that built-in AI assistant.

Announced this week, the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 2027 and Premiere Elements 2027 launch with a list of new AI-powered photo editing tools. The updates bring a handful of key upgrades made to Adobe’s pro photo and video editors down to the software’s little siblings.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2027

Photoshop Elements now has a built-in AI chatbot that Adobe says is designed to help users learn how to make adjustments to photos. While built-in help has long been a part of the Elements family, the chatbot allows users to ask something in plain text and get recommendations on adjustments from the AI as well as step-by-step instructions.

The AI Assistant echoes a similar feature brought to Photoshop earlier this year and, like that original launch, is arriving first in a public beta.

Outside of the AI assistant, Photoshop Elements is also borrowing two key AI-based tools from its big sibling Photoshop: Generative Expand and Generative Upscale.

Generative Expand is a tool for “un-cropping” a photo and adding in more to the edges using generative AI. The tool is particularly useful when trying to crop to a different aspect ratio for prints

Generative Upscale, like the tool by the same name inside Photoshop, uses AI in order to increase the resolution of a photo, helpful for low-quality files and older photos.

Those AI tools will also be located in a new AI tool hub built to make those tools easier to find.

Along with the AI tools, Adobe also added new creative filters to Photoshop Elements, including oil painting and duotone, with sliders to control the intensity of the look.

Adobe Premiere Elements 2027

Like the photo editor, Adobe’s beginner video editor updates are heavy on AI. A new generate image feature allows users to put an AI-created photo into the video using a text description.

Using AI, users can also now create titles and text that are integrated into their surroundings.

Premiere Elements isn’t getting the same AI assistant as the photo editor, but a new Contextual Toolbar allows users to locate the right tool by typing in what they want to do.

Elements Organizer

One of my favorite AI-powered photo tools is the ability to search for a specific photo. That capability is coming to the Elements Organizer. It’s only in English and only in beta, but it's built to help users find a specific photo or video even when that media doesn’t have the right tags attached.

The organizer also has improvements to the ability to find and delete duplicates to free up hard drive space, while a new Share to Phone can transfer photos using a scannable QR code.

Bringing the AI tools designed to make edits easier, like image search and an AI assistant, makes sense for the Elements family, as it's Adobe’s tools that are built for beginners and non-pros.

Adobe offers Elements with a three-year license at $149.99 / £130.49 / AU$241.99 / CA$196.99 for both programs or $99.99 / £86.99 / AU$160 / CA$130.99 for an individual program. Adobe offers a 7-day free trial for new users.

It's worth noting that Adobe's smartphone Photoshop app is also more tailored towards beginners – and is free to use, with more advanced tools requiring a purchase.

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The Nikon Z8 has just received a new firmware update. Something I really appreciate about Nikon is its dedication to supporting cameras long after their release, and over the years the ‘Big N’ has rolled out big updates, including mammoth upgrades for the Z8 itself. But not every firmware update can be ground-shaking. Firmware Version 3.11, as reported on by Nikon Rumors, is a quality-of-life upgrade; it fixes a few problems, but doesn’t introduce anything new.

As always, unless any of the fixes are vital to your workflow, I recommend letting new firmware updates sit for a week or two before installing them yourself, just to ensure no teething problems are reported. If it’s been a while since you last updated your Nikon Z8’s firmware, installing this latest update will automatically install all prior updates, such as the big Firmware Version 3.00.

Nikon Z8 Firmware Version 3.11 fixes:

• Unsupported features would sometimes become selectable when wirelessly connected to NX Tether.
• The [High-frequency flicker reduction] setting would sometimes change when [High-frequency flicker reduction] and another role, such as [Protect], were assigned to the same custom control.
• The camera would sometimes stop responding during shooting if certain operations were performed after settings were made in [Manage Picture Control].

You must also ensure that you know how to update your Nikon camera’s firmware and that you maintain good practice. Nikon makes it clear that you should only update the firmware of your Z Series camera with a Z-mount Nikkor lens or Nikon FTZ adapter attached. Updating firmware with a third-party lens attached has been known to cause a camera malfunction.

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With the exception of Adobe Photoshop, Nik Collection is perhaps the oldest photo-editing tool on the market. And yet, thanks to DxO's constant development, it remains right at the forefront of creative photographic techniques, embracing analog effects, contemporary photographic styles and effects, and some of the best black and white editing tools you can get.

You can use the Nik Collection plug-ins from within Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Affinity. However, each plug-in will also work as a standalone application, so you can use them as external editors for programs like Capture One, which don't support Photoshop-style plug-ins.

So just how good is the Nik Collection, how do its plug-ins stack up today, and does it still deserve to be considered among the best photo editing software applications on the market?

DxO Nik Collection 9: System requirements

Compatible host applications for plug-in: DxO PhotoLab 8 and DxO PhotoLab 9, Adobe Photoshop 2025, 2026, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2026, Adobe Lightroom Classic 2025, 2026, Serif Affinity Photo 1 and 2, and Affinity by Canva (NB: Nik HDR Efex merge feature and Nik Collection Switch to mode are not compatible with Affinity).

DxO Nik Collection 9: Price

Nik Collection 9 costs $179.99 / £149.99 (about AU$257) for a new licence, while existing Nik Collection 7/8 owners can upgrade for $99.99 / £79.99 (about AU$143). It’s not especially cheap, especially considering you might not get full use out of all the plug-ins, but the creative tools, controls and presets in Analog Efex, Color Efex and Silver Efex are so good that you could argue they carry the whole suite on their own.

The upgrade price for existing users is fair, too, given that this is a substantial upgrade, but given that the Nik Collection plug-ins are not dependent on updates for new cameras and lenses, say (that’s handled by your host software), even older versions may offer all the creative inspiration you need right now.

DxO Nik Collection 9: Interface and usability

What I would call the ‘core’ plug-ins – Analog Efex, Color Efex and Silver Efex – adopt the same interface setup, so it’s easy to swap between them. You have preset effects and individual filters in the left sidebar and a filter ‘stack’ in the right sidebar. This shows all the filters and settings applied by the current preset – and you can edit these at will – or the settings for any filters you select and apply manually. It’s a straightforward system used almost universally by effects software.

Each of the filters you apply can have its own masks, or local adjustments, and in Nik Collection 9 these include AI masks alongside DxO’s regular non-AI control point, control line and control polygon masks. Wisely, I think, DxO has kept the AI masking options simple, with basic object selection and area selection options, and no attempt at subject recognition. This makes the new AI masking both powerful enough and simple enough to be genuinely useful.

HDR Efex hasn’t seen any major changes for some time, and while the craze for HDR might have faded somewhat (thank goodness), it still does a good job. As usual for HDR applications, it invents some tools and adjustments you won’t see in regular photo editors, but it doesn’t take too long to work out what everything does.

Viveza is a bit of an oddity. It’s set up for detailed global and local color adjustments, but that’s pretty much all it does. It’s the kind of thing you might do in your host software instead, or Color Efex – indeed, three of Viveza’s core adjustments are now included in Color Efex’s list of filters. Viveza is easy enough to use but hardly seems to do enough to justify its inclusion as a separate plug-in.

Dfine is distinctly disappointing too. Superficially, it looks like a powerful little plug-in that can analyze the noise profile of the image you’re working on and apply a tailored noise reduction process both globally and locally. However, it only works on already-processed images, so it’s trying to fix a problem too late. It can’t reconstruct lost detail either, in the way that today’s AI raw denoising tools can, so it does feel like a relic of a different age.

Sharpener is interesting for its ability to tailor the sharpening level for different output devices. You can sharpen for screen output, though with today’s website content management systems and social channels, you don’t have a lot of control over the sizes images are displayed at. This could be useful for prints, though curiously it doesn’t display image size sliders by default.

DxO Nik Collection 9: Performance

There are two aspects to any software application’s performance – its speed and responsiveness and the quality of the results. Speedwise, I found it OK but not instantaneous. Analog Efex presets took a couple of seconds to apply, for example, and this was on a 32GB M2 Max Mac Studio. Some of these processes are complex, though, so you can’t expect too much.

The results, at least from Analog Efex, Color Efex and Silver Efex, are stellar. Analog Efex recreates the look and feel of old analog processes and cameras brilliantly – it’s way better, in my opinion, than DxO’s rather dour FilmPack application. It’s a shame the new Halation filter in Nik Collection 9 didn’t appear here rather than Color Efex, since halation is really an analog effect.

Color Efex offers a huge range of more contemporary photo effects, from film simulations (modern and vintage) through graduated filters, tonal contrast enhancement, and so much more. It’s a shame that the new Glass filter in Analog Efex wasn’t used here because it’s a graphic style that might suit Color Efex’s approach better. There’s also some crossover – Color Efex’s Old Photo filter is really good, and Analog Efex doesn’t have anything quite like it. There are some filters you might never use (Duplex? Color Styliser? Indian Summer?), but overall there’s so much in Color Efex that you might never exhaust its potential.

This has been magnified massively by another new feature in Nik Collection 9 – blend modes. Each filter can be assigned a blend mode (not just ‘Normal’ now), which completely changes the way it interacts with the image. For example, the paper textures in Analog Efex take on a whole new life with different blend modes.

Silver Efex, meanwhile, continues to shine as perhaps the best tool there is for black and white photography fans. It can reveal depth and tonality in black and white images that’s hard to replicate in other software. It also uses sliders and adjustments that seem to speak directly to darkroom photographers and how they think, with dedicated film types and grain patterns. It would be nice if there was some kind of blur/bokeh tool and a wider choice of border styles, though.

DxO Nik Collection 9: Verdict

The Nik Collection does feel like a plug-in suite of two halves. Analog Efex, Color Efex and Silver Efex are the creative center, and offer presets, filters and inspiration that’s hard to find anywhere else. HDR Efex is a good tool for an image style that’s perhaps gone out of fashion, and Viveza, Dfine and Sharpener definitely feel past their sell-by dates. Would I buy the Nik Collection for Analog Efex, Color Efex and Silver Efex alone? Yes, I probably would.

Alternatives

When the Canon EOS R5 Mark II and R1 launched in 2024, they joined the ranks of the manufacturer's most powerful full-frame mirrorless cameras. Now, both models have received a fresh firmware update, bringing a handful of enhancements, bug fixes and improvements to operational stability.

In our R1 review, we wrote, "The sports camera king is back to reclaim its throne," highlighting how its combination of AI features and AF (autofocus) performance makes it a formidable camera for sports photography. The R5 Mark II, on the other hand, was described as "the company's most important – and most powerful – camera."

Despite their different target audiences, the cameras share much of the same advanced technology. So it's perhaps no surprise that the latest firmware update includes several improvements shared by both mirrorless models, including live view, linked shooting fixes and improved stability, while the R5 Mark II also gets a fix for unwanted restarts when shooting with Dual Pixel RAW enabled.

Canon EOS R1

Version 1.3.2
UK download link: macOS + Windows
US download links: macOS, Windows

Enhancements and fixes
1. Improves a delay that may occur in the live view display when shooting with the EOS Multi Remote app
2. Fixes an issue that may cause the receiver camera to fail to capture images during linked shooting with EOS Multi Remote when the sender camera is connected to an FTP server
3. Improves operational stability

Canon EOS R5 Mark II

Version 1.3.2
UK download link: macOS, Windows
US download links macOS, Windows

Enhancements and fixes
1. Improves a delay that may occur in the live view display when shooting with the EOS Multi Remote app
2. Fixes an issue that may cause the receiver camera to fail to capture images during linked shooting with EOS Multi Remote when the sender camera is connected to an FTP server
3. Fixes an issue that may cause the camera to restart during shooting when Dual Pixel RAW is enabled
4. Improves operational stability

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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Adobe is continuing to invest heavily in AI, and the demo I attended to showcase the latest developments in its flagship video editing software, Adobe Premiere, as well as Adobe After Effects, appears admittedly impressive. But in spite of the vocal pushback against AI, Adobe’s 2026 Creators’ Toolkit Report, at least, suggests that the majority of creators aren’t averse to using AI tools, citing that “nearly nine in ten” use AI creative automation to grow their businesses or audiences.

The photo editing software giant’s goal is to streamline video production “pain points” and “automate tedious tasks” in a bid to give more time back to the creative. That’s where Premiere’s Generative Media Tool comes in. This headline new feature is a fast-track to genAI content by allowing the creator to generate clips and sounds without leaving Premiere – and very often the timeline itself.

Generative Media Tool

Obviously, I saw choice examples of this working in Adobe’s demo, but it’s not just the convincing generated content that’s impressive; it’s the fact that you can fill gaps in your timeline seamlessly, right up to the second.

In the demo by Adobe’s Anton Knoblach, a drone shot was generated to fill a gap. This is performed in a generative taskbar that appears at the top of the timeline so you no longer have to leave Premiere in order to implement genAI content. As you’d expect, you can select your preferred model, be it Firefly or one of Adobe’s partner models.

You can further refine your content by selecting options such as the resolution and aspect ratio. What’s most impressive about all of this is that existing clips within your timeline are used for context. You simply select which clips you want to sample and the AI model will do the rest.

In the demo, the filmed footage looked like it was shot in a desert in the American Southwest. By sampling a few clips to provide context, the AI was able to generate a drone shot that looked like it was captured in the same landscape. Not only that, but the footage matched the grade of the contextual footage.

And all of this extends beyond Generate Video, with Generate Sound Effects bringing similar functionality. The update also introduces Generate Soundscape and Generate Music, which are both currently in beta. During the demo, I was shown a video of a rally car thundering through the desert, and all of the audio was AI-generated.

The sounds didn’t always fit with the rally car; there were some odd gearbox changes, and the squealing tyres sound effect was far too overpowering for a sliding car on a dirt track, but this was very impressive nonetheless. And again, this was all done inside Premiere, without leaving the project. Obviously Adobe is going to refine all of this in the future, but I can see it being a very useful conceptual tool straight off the bat for illustrative rough edits or first drafts at the very least.

Another example of generative audio was the implementation of a jacket zipper sound. Again, using the Generate Sound Effects tool within the Premiere timeline, Anton was able to generate a selection of zipper sounds, while also using their own voice to precisely time the length of the sound. By recording a “zzzzzzzzzzzip” sound, the AI was able to replicate the cadence of the voice while replicating an authentic zipper sound.

Refine audio and colors

That’s not all, Adobe Premiere also boasts “smarter audio” by bringing new AI audio tools into public beta, including Enhance Audio, Separate Crosstalk, and Dynamic Auto Ducking. The former allows users to enhance a variety of sounds, including dialogue, music, sound effects, and ambience, by removing elements, adjusting layers and muting dialogue.

Separate Crosstalk is used to identify speakers that overlap, placing their audio onto separate tracks. And the latter is said to automatically balance sounds without the need for manual keyframes.

Adobe Premiere is also getting an updated Color Mode (currently in beta), which is said to deliver “a first-of-its-kind grading experience”. Like the Generative Media Tool, this lives directly within Adobe Premiere edits, enabling users to make use of the new Auto Color tool. In one click, this automatically sets the color temperature and exposure of a video clip, group, or whole sequence. New Style Modules are also present, such as Vignette and Midtones, allowing you to do more without leaving the edit.

After Effects updates

Adobe After Effects is also getting in on the action, with an AI Assistant now in public beta. This is designed to take some of the load, distilling more complex multi-step workflows into automated processes. However, Adobe is quick to point out that the user remains “in complete creative control,” telling the AI Assistant what and what not to handle, while also shaping “every editable outcome”.

The AI Assistant can be implemented into a whole project, enabling editors to create motion effects without having to code, fix technical issues in the background, and organize large multi-layer projects, for example. According to Adobe, it’s often able to turn hours of work into minutes.

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This week, Camera Intelligence revealed the latest generative AI features in its Caira camera: adding Nano Banana video editing to its genAI photography. It was the latest reminder that the imaging industry, like the rest of the world, is doubling down on AI in its products – including the generative kind.

No hate, no shade. But it reminded me of a conversation I had with Canon earlier this year, when I asked the Japanese leadership about the subject of AI – and they were crystal clear about what is and what is not off limits when it comes to artificial intelligence.

"AI is going to keep on playing an important role for any shooting experiences for our products," said Tetsushi Hibi, advisory director of Canon's Img Optical Business Unit 1, behind closed doors at the CP+ 2026 show in Japan.

"So this is Canon’s stance: we are going to use AI not to generate imagery, but to capture scenes as close to the reality of shooting as possible – noise reduction, color correction, distortion correction, aberration – so those are the functions we are aiming to put it onto in our products."

We've already seen this in practice, particularly with the Canon EOS R1 and R5 Mark II – both of which use Canon's neural network image processing (NnIP) for features like 400% in-camera upscaling and 2-stop noise reduction. And of course, the many algorithmic subject detection and tracking options.

It is heartening to know, however, that generative AI imaging is not on the table for Canon – particularly with the company having rolled out its Authenticity Imaging System in May, offering content compliance to help verify the authenticity of images (and, by proxy, policing image manipulation and AI embelishment).

Where Canon definitely is implementing AI, however, is in the design phase.

"We have started our attempt to use AI for design," notes Hibi, which is born out by a recent company report that AI will be used in the early prototyping phase to simulate things like drop tests and assess thermal performance.

"We have no choice but to use AI in the design department," adds Go Tokura, executive vice president and head of Canon's Imaging Group. He's also sure to point out that the fruits of the technology will still be distinctly 'Canon', rather than resulting in homogenized products that are the same as other brands.

"When it comes to design, it is said that the AI can bring up the best possible solution. And you may think, if that’s the case, every single company will come up with the same new products.

"We have our own accumulated technology – not just designing capabilities, but also production technology as well, and materials. So even if we use AI for design, AI will consider all these unique capabilities to come up with the best solution for Canon.

"So even if the solution is generated by AI, that could be a good solution that will be able to differentiate our product from the others."

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Take a look at the best Canon cameras along with the best Canon lenses for DSLRs and the best Canon RF lenses for mirrorless. To see how Canon is employing AI in its top-tier cameras, check out my Canon EOS R1 review and my Canon EOS R5 Mark II review.

The weirdest camera in Nikon’s lineup has just received a small firmware update. If you’re a Nikon Coolpix P1100 owner you can benefit from firmware update version 1.1, which Nikon says fixes the following two issues:

• Camera stops responding when adjusting zoom during burst photography (rare).
• Some timestamps in metadata of video files differ from actual date and time of recording.

As always, it’s worth making sure you know how to update your Nikon camera’s firmware before performing the update. While issues are rare, you may also wish to wait a week or two to ensure that there are no problems with the update before updating your camera.

What is it? Nikon Coolpix P1100

The Nikon Coolpix P1100 is the only bridge camera in Nikon’s current lineup – and beyond its predecessor, the Nikon Coolpix P1000, there really isn’t anything else quite like it. The camera’s main selling point is its humongous 125x optical zoom, which equates to 24-3000mm in 35mm terms.

It’s built around a 1/2.3-in CMOS sensor and, while it doesn’t deliver the very best image quality in the world, nothing is going to get you closer to faraway subjects, so the trade-off is well worth it if you ask me.

This is the kind of camera that sports, wildlife and lunar hobbyists will have an absolute blast with. You’re unlikely to capture award-winning images with it but, if your goal is simply to record what you see in the distance, you’re unlikely to find a cheaper or more compact option.

Even if it is an absolute monster-sized bridge camera.

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Camera Intelligence is a startup which has decided to change cameras – it might not be for everybody, but the company thinks its Caira camera might sell to ten times as many to creatives than the entire mirrorless market. Until today, I wasn't sure why.

Last year we covered the Kickstarter for the Caira, in which Camera Intelligence CEO Vishal Kumar unveiled a Micro Four Thirds camera system which – he says – attaches to a phone and bridges the gap between the photographic aspirations of people who buy the 'iPhone Pro' series (of whom there are 100 million every year) and the desire for simplicity and easy of use which limits real camera purchase to 10 million a year.

The result is a piece of hardware with a SnapDragon processor and a touchscreen that has similar power to a smartphone, and a MFT 4:3 image sensor.

A subscription will be needed for the use of the Nano Banana feature, but I was able to test it out in person and I can see the appeal.

Some of the most impressive effects demonstrated were video – from a simple instruction and a short clip the camera could create a whole clip with consistent style – for example by telling it: "orbit this statue like a drone."

The device, called an "AI-native Micro Four Thirds" was backed with $459,000 (670 backers) and the devices are now shipping as they are delivered.

As of today's event, new generative features on the device included Nano Banana for video editing, which is part of the Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash "any-to-any" model introduced at Google I/O as well as Runway's Aleph 2.0 which adds "real-world understanding" (helping it create effects and even apparent 3D motion to clips which have already been captured).

The ultimate goal for Camera Intelligence is to eliminate the three stage workflow that photographers presently work through, especially creators in a hurry. By eliminating the memory card and on-computer edit, and instead achieving video and photo editing in device (or, at least apparently), before sharing directly through your phone's usual means.

Now of course we have seen some of these features – tone adjustments and the like – in other cameras, but I was astounded by the demonstration I saw, inspired by the Harry Potter movies, no doubt – in which a photo of St. Pancras Station in London was turned into a drone-style flypast.

This was made possible with the new AI tools that create and extend video from that you shoot in device. The high-speed integration of this feature (it's only been days since it was announced) gives an idea of how this camera works with software agents first and foremost.

The problem that the company has set out to solve is not that there aren't professionals looking for professional workflows, but that there is a camera workflow that hasn't changed in 30 years, which puts creators spending 20% of their time creating on device, and 80% editing.

By attaching a MFT system to a phone, and Google's "Edge" TPU on device, as well as a Wi-Fi connection to the phone, everything is there for computational photography not just in the 'iPhone sense', but LLM instructions. This combines to form what Kumar called a "Vertically integrated platform."

So, can Camera Intelligence find a market for cameras that has eluded the rest of the world? I don't see why not myself. After all, many people are happy to buy phone accessories (especially if they'll last multiple generations), and many find traditional camera system menus somewhat bewildering.

Being able to interface with your serious camera via a phone-like touchscreen app seems to bridge a lot of that gap (and might do so even more for younger users with no prior experience of cameras).

There will be frustrations. The Nano Banana – and any other AI image generator which is integrated onto the device at a later date – will need to be paid for by subscription.

There are also, in the form I tried, limitations which seem a good idea – AI content is generated from material you take, and cannot do things to change people's appearance.

In the world where you need to publish 3-4 times a week to stay relevant, a device with AI on hand could help out. I can only imagine more need for features like this. Of course, if features are added by a simple app update, is there a line that can be drawn? I'm not sure, but I am more than intrigued.

The final hardware and software are expected in Fall 2026, with generative video only available in the USA and UK at first.

All-in-one super zooms, also known as workhorse lenses, give photographers incredible versatility from a single lens. The Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS | C is a prime example. Designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras, it offers an impressive 18.8x zoom range, covering everything from wide-angle to telephoto without changing lenses.

Now, Sigma has released a new firmware update for the superzoom, improving AF (autofocus) operation speed, tweaking peripheral illumination correction, and fixing occasional blackout/freesing issue when used with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III.

The latter hints at why photographers shouldn't get too excited. While the 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS | C is available for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Sony E and L-mount, the firmware update is only for the Canon RF version.

Firmware overview

Ver.1.0.1
Download link Windows
Download link Mac OS

Improvements
• Fixed an isolated issue where the monitor blacks out and the camera freezes during shooting when used with the Canon EOS R6 Mark III
• Improved autofocus (AF) operation speed
• Optimized peripheral illumination correction data to improve correction accuracy

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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In November, a fledgling awards event that celebrates films made with artificial intelligence (AI) comes to London. The second edition of the AI Movie Awards (AIMA), which debuted in March in Spain, will recognize creations across a host of categories including feature films, short films, advertising clips and even music and art.

These awards are another in the growing number of events now recognizing films and photos generated using AI instead of with production crews, sets and actors. And, in one sense, I do believe that AI can be used creatively and that truly great AI creations are the result of a creative mind – not simply prompts and a click of a button.

But then, I remind myself that AI companies scrape copyrighted content – images, text and videos that an artist poured blood, sweat and tears into making – in order to sell subscription-based access to their tools without any sort of financial kickback to the creator whose work they’ve "borrowed".

I’d love to say "stolen", but this is such a legal grey area – with ongoing suits all over the world between AI platforms and publishers – that unfortunately, according to the law, I’m not even sure I can say that they’re stealing, even though it definitely feels this way.

Perhaps I’m succumbing to some sort of “AI overload.” You know, like when any other new, controversial thing is released and your resistance gradually turns to acceptance once you realize it’s here to stay.

And maybe it’s this that’s shifted my perspective on recognizing AI creations – and not that I actually think a movie generated purely with software deserves an award.

Or perhaps it’s that this new event in London is just one of many recent societal shifts toward accepting AI creations, even at the highest levels of cinema.

Take the AIMA 2026 judging panel, for instance. Sitting on this is Tommy Harper, a Hollywood and TV producer known for some pretty big titles, including the Star Trek reboot films.

And with Tribeca becoming the first ever film festival to recognize a fully AI-generated feature film this summer, these are people and institutions whose opinions on filmmaking carry weight – and I certainly think they’re worth considering.

However, I’m still unsure whether these awards should recognize creations brought about by the use of tools that, in part, run on copyrighted content.

I do think truly creative AI films and images can be recognized. But at the same time, I fear that it only helps legitimize the practice of using other people’s work without compensating them.

What are your thoughts?

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The UK’s Royal Navy has released a new short feature film on YouTube, throwing us right into the action with its official photographers.

Life Through The Lens documents what it’s like to be a camera operator in the British Royal Navy, from documenting the split-second chaos of combat to the drawn-out, somber funerals of those lost in the line of duty.

Much like Capa, McCullin and other famed war photographers of the past, the interviewed Navy personnel tell gritty stories of documenting some of the most emotionally and physically challenging moments of their lives.

But unlike the famous photojournalists of conflicts gone by, they face a new challenge – one they say will never be able to create something as “visually strong” yet “authentic to military life” as they can: artificial intelligence (AI).

ABOVE: Watch Life Through The Lens

According to former Royal Navy photographer Sean Clee: “AI can’t replicate what we do. It can’t go out on the ground. It can’t search out human interest stories.” Clee served for a quarter of a century in the Navy, the latter 15 years with a camera in hand.

While on deployment in Afghanistan, he captured the immediate aftermath of a rocket-propelled grenade explosion close to his unit. “There’s gotta be a face out there,” he said, adding that “AI can’t find these things.”

And it would appear that, at least for now, the UK military forces have no plans to replace their photographers with AI in any way. Wording in JSP 936, the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s principal policy framework, states that the UK armed forces reject the use of AI that risks harming institutional credibility.

Credibility is what Chief Petty Officer Hoare – also interviewed in the featurette – says is at the heart of Royal Navy photographers’ work.

“Imagine using an AI image of made-up sailors instead of sailors that are actually doing the job,” he said. “We’re capturing real life […] we don’t lie about what we do.”

Life Through The Lens, the new photography mini-documentary from the Royal Navy, is now available to watch on YouTube (embedded above).

It’s not only a visceral insight into what these photographers endure to capture their images, but also a real-world refute of AI – demonstrating the limits of the technology through a unique line of photography.

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Light is the single most essential part of a great photograph – and now Photoshop is giving photographers a non-destructive layer just for light. On August 27, Adobe announced a long list of refreshes for Photoshop, including a new Light Adjustment Layer, along with new tools and more control over using AI inside the popular photo editor.

Editing light has long been a part of Photoshop’s workflow, but the addition of the Light Adjustment Layer brings several of those tools into a non-destructive layer. The new adjustment layer adds a dedicated space for adjusting exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks, with the ability to go back and tweak those controls later on.

Photoshop already has Exposure Adjustment Layer and Curves Adjustment Layer options, but the addition of the Light Adjustment Layer adds more nuanced control with the ability to also control highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks.

Unlike the curves layer, adjustments to the new Light layer use a simple set of sliders that will look immediately familiar to any photographer who has used Lightroom before.

Adobe says that the new layer delivers “Camera RAW-level results” without having to go back into Adobe’s RAW adjustment tool.

I do most of my editing in Lightroom Classic, pulling up Photoshop when I need to make more specific, fine-tuned adjustments. I’ve long had a photo open in Photoshop only to realize I still need more tweaks using Lightroom’s light-based sliders, and now Photoshop has a non-destructive tool with similar controls.

The August 2026 Photoshop update also adjusts several AI tools

The new adjustment layer launches alongside a handful of refreshes to Photoshop’s AI-based tools and interface, including updates to localized AI edits and a separate interface dedicated to prompt-based editing, a tool that’s still in beta.

First, Adobe says that Firefly Image 5 understands the photograph’s context better. Instruct Edit with Masks allows users to describe precise edits using prompts and leave the unmasked areas untouched.

Creators will also be able to draw over where Firefly should make any changes using a Markup tool. Adobe says users can now sketch arrows or brush in a rough shape for the software to recolor an area or add in new elements.

Photoshop’s prompt-based editing, which is a beta tool that allows users to describe what they want and have the GenAI assist, also now has its own separate user interface. AI-Assisted Editor is a new separate workspace from Photoshop’s usual one that creates a dedicated space for asking the chatbot for help with images.

Inside the new AI-Assisted Editor space, users can use natural language prompts to ask for help, along with using tools like background removal, generative expand, the remote tool, generative fill, and generative upscale, all in a new space built for working with AI edits.

Adobe says the usual interface will still be available using the Contextual Task Bar inside Photoshop’s usual user interface to access AI tools.

The new AI Assisted Workspace looks like it could be a simplified way for creators new to Photoshop who are using the chatbot to learn the ropes without so many daunting controls. But I do wish that Photoshop would also do the opposite and add in a master switch for turning off all Generative AI rather than adjusting each tool one-by-one.

The August 2026 update also includes an update to Dynamic Text that allows text to follow any custom shape or path, along with a new Adobe Stock panel that puts stock images into a dockable panel.

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Canon has announced a raft of firmware updates for its Cinema EOS series of cameras for filmmaking, adding new functionality and compatibility as well as general operability improvements.

The cameras getting the updates are the Canon EOS C80 (1.0.7.1), EOS C400 (1.0.7.1), EOS C50 (1.0.5.1), EOS C70 (1.1.4.1) and the Canon EOS R5 C (1.1.3.1).

The C80 and C400 are getting a new ‘Cinema Exposure’ mode. This is designed to improve highlight performance when shooting above base ISO levels (up to two stops) and streamlines the menus for log shooting. The intention, according to Canon, is to provide users with as much shooting ease and flexibility as possible in challenging shooting environments.

All cameras are gaining compatibility with the CN30x40 IAS J R1/P1 lens, a powerful 30x zoom in RF and PL mounts with a built-in 1.5x teleextender. The mirrorless EOS R5C – a camera that some users wondered if Canon had given up on – is also gaining a few new features, as well as some bug fixes.

There was a little strangeness around the rollout of some of this firmware, with the European versions being released a month in advance, but Canon says this was simply an operational error and not to read anything into it – YouTuber Ordinary Filmmaker has a good rundown if you’re interested.

Let’s take a closer look at what each of these cameras are getting…

EOS C80

Canon EOS C80 – Version 1.0.7.1

UK: More information & download link
US: More information & download link

1. Adds a new [Capture Mode], enabling selection of the new [Cinema Exposure] feature in addition to the existing [Custom Picture].

Enables adjustment of the dynamic range balance (allocation between highlight and shadow ranges) based on ISO sensitivity in [Cinema Exposure].

2. Adds compatibility with the "CINE-SERVO" cinema lenses "CN30×40 IAS J/R1" (RF mount) and "CN30×40 IAS J/P1" (PL mount).

3. Adds [S&F External Audio Output] during Slow & Fast Motion recording. When this audio option is set to On, it allows audio output via external outputs (SDI/HDMI/headphones).

4. Improves operational stability.

EOS C400

Canon EOS C400 – Version 1.0.7.1

UK: More information & download link
US: More information & download link

1. Adds a new [Capture Mode], enabling selection of the new [Cinema Exposure] feature in addition to the existing [Custom Picture].

Enables adjustment of the dynamic range balance (allocation between highlight and shadow ranges) based on ISO sensitivity in [Cinema Exposure].

2. Adds compatibility with the "CINE-SERVO" cinema lenses "CN30×40 IAS J/R1" (RF mount) and "CN30×40 IAS J/P1" (PL mount).

3. Adds [Auto Exp. Ramping Comp.] (Auto Exposure Ramping Compensation) to [Camera Settings].

Applying in-camera gain compensation according to the zoom position, maintains image brightness.

Compatible lenses:

- CN7×17 KAS S/E1

- CN10×25 IAS S/E1

- CN20×50 IAS H/E1

- CN8×15 IAS S/E1

- CN7×17 KAS T/R1

- CN5×11 IAS T/R1

- CN30×40 IAS J/R1

4. Adds [S&F External Audio Output] during Slow & Fast Motion recording. When this audio option is set to On, it allows audio output via external outputs (SDI/HDMI/headphones).

EOS C50

Canon EOS C50 – Version 1.0.5.1

UK: More information & download link
US: More information & download link

1. Adds compatibility with the "CINE-SERVO" cinema lenses "CN30×40 IAS J/R1" (RF mount) and "CN30×40 IAS J/P1" (PL mount).

2. Improves operational stability.

EOS C70

Canon EOS C70 – Version 1.1.4.1

UK: More information & download link
US: More information & download link

1. Adds compatibility with the "CINE-SERVO" cinema lenses "CN30×40 IAS J/R1" (RF mount) and "CN30×40 IAS J/P1" (PL mount).

When connected to external devices using the XC protocol, if the T value is 10 or greater, only the integer part is displayed on the external devices.

2. Fixes an issue that may interfere with the camera's ability to connect to an FTP server.

3. Improves operational stability.

EOS R5 C

Canon EOS R5 C – Version 1.1.3.1

UK: More information & download link
US: More information & download link

1. Adds compatibility with the "CINE-SERVO" cinema lenses "CN30×40 IAS J/R1" (RF mount) and "CN30×40 IAS J/P1" (PL mount).

2. Changes the color of the level indicator when the orientation of the camera is level.

3. Enables the playback of RAW clips in Media mode with Lens Corrections settings, such as Distortion Aberration Correction.

4. Fixes an issue that may interfere with the camera's ability to connect to an FTP server.

5. Fixes an issue that may cause the camera to not be recognized when connected to a smartphone via USB.

6. Improves operational stability.

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Nikon has released a pair of firmware updates: one for the Nikon Coolpix P1000 bridge camera and another for the Nikon Z5 II entry-level mirrorless camera.

Firmware version 1.9 for the P1000 sorts a rare yet serious issue that would cause the camera to temporarily freeze when adjusting the zoom while in burst mode.

Firmware version 1.20 brings a host of updates to the Z5 II, including more versatile aperture control when recording video and a host of changes to the settings menus.

Nikon Firmware Downloads

Firmware version 1.20 (Nikon Z5II)

Firmware version 1.9 (Nikon Coolpix P1000)

It’s a good idea to hold off downloading the latest firmware for a few weeks. This should give enough time for any new issues to arise in community chatter, and for Nikon to address them. Keep an eye on Digital Camera World and we'll let you know about any problems.

Nikon hasn’t given any technical explanation as to why the Coolpix would freeze while zooming in burst mode. However, it’s thought that processor-heavy burst sequences could overwhelm the camera buffer, causing the device to stop responding.

Arguably, the two most practical updates to the Z5 II are the ability to save focus position to user settings and an extension of the ISO auto shutter-speed threshold.

The former enables your saved custom shooting modes (U1 / U2) to remember your preset focus distance, which is especially useful for tripod or fixed studio setups. The latter offers finer control over when the camera steps up ISO versus dropping the shutter speed, helping avoid unwanted motion blur when shooting handheld.

There’s also a new “auto-switch” option under the Setup menu, giving you more control over toggling between the rear LCD screen and viewfinder. And a new FTP inactivity timeout automatically manages idle connections to preserve battery life.

So, a major update for the Coolpix P1000, which will hopefully solve what was a serious issue for a small number of users. Whereas the Z5II gets a suite of tweaks which, together, could bolster workflows meaningfully.

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The 2026 solar eclipse brought troves of viewers across the path of totality, many equipped with cameras and smartphones – but some viewers walked away with impossible photos that would only happen if the Earth happened to have two moons.

Several failed eclipse photos are making the rounds on the internet, where users snapping photos with a smartphone realized that the phone had "captured" what looks like the moon passing in front of…another moon.

Across Reddit and Twitter, several smartphone photographers have shared photos taken during the eclipse that turn the sun’s orange glow into what looks like the surface of the moon.

The culprit? Several posts – and one comparison between a handful of different smartphones – suggest that the impossible photo of the Moon blocking what looks like another Moon comes from the supermoon mode on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, suggesting the use of AI-enhanced photography in the supermoon mode.

The smartphone’s supermoon mode uses computational photography to enhance photos of the moon. As one user on X described (translated from Spanish), “It detected a bright sphere in the sky, went into 'supermoon' mode, and straight up invented the entire surface.”

While enhancing the surface of the moon may be less obvious under a more typical scenario, photographing the eclipse requires using a protective filter, turning the sun into a dark orange orb. The mishap seems to be one of mistaken identity, misreading the sun as the moon when the moon was a dark shadow. The scenario isn't likely to pop up very often – after all, the 2026 eclipse was the first time mainland Spain has been in the path of totality since 1905.

Thankfully, the mode is something that can be turned off. Another user commented that disabling supermoon mode on the phone fixed the issue and returned the photos to the expected solar eclipse shots.

I find the gaff rather humorous, though admittedly it would have been frustrating to experience. After all, why take the time out of a celestial phenomenon that only lasts for a few minutes to take a photo that AI could generate anyway?

The viral posts over the glitch echo a similar controversy from a few years back when Samsung users found that the camera was enhancing the texture of the moon.

As a photographer, the viral posts over the supermoon mode eclipse mishap illustrate why generative AI doesn’t belong inside cameras.

Standard AI already powers excellent camera features like subject detection and autofocus. But generative AI, where a computer is creating something that’s not there, shouldn’t be trusted inside the devices that capture memories.

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A new study carried out by the folks behind an AI-powered photo editing software has found that the vast majority of its users don’t like the way its AI adjusts photos, often leaving creators with an “unnatural” final result.

The survey was carried out by Skylum, the parent company of Luminar, which found that, of 1,328 survey respondents, 76% who use Luminar on their smartphones dial back the AI suggestions to create a more “authentic” feel.

What’s more, according to the data, 93% of respondents, whom Skylum has defined simply as “photographers,” said they want results that look “natural.”

I don’t think this study reveals anything starkly different to what the photography community already feels towards AI in general: that part of the problem with the technology is that it can create results that just don’t feel right.

But I do think the study highlights that there is an acceptance within the community to use AI in post-production, as long as it doesn’t edit images in a way that you wouldn’t.

After all, 73% of respondents said staying “natural” mattered more to them than looking “flawless,” while only 39% of respondents said they hold back from AI editing altogether, which leads me to believe that photographers want the time-saving benefits of AI without feeling like AI has taken the reins.

Skylum also said that 80% of respondents would rather a photo captures “feeling” than “technical details”, which I guess does allude to a new insight that there may be a general feeling among photographers that AI oversharpens images, for example. However, that’s my take, as the company didn’t clarify what “technical details” meant.

I think the overall takeaway here is that, among Luminar users at least, there’s no issue with using AI, as long as it edits images in a way that reflects what they actually saw when pressing the shutter – and that the final result doesn’t deviate from the creative vision they had.

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Leica has rolled out a slew of firmware updates for a host of its cameras.

Firmware version 4.1.1 for the Leica Q3, Q3 43 and Q3 Monochrom forms the meat of the news, while smaller and seemingly less important updates have been rolled out for the Leica SL2 and SL2-S along with the D-Lux 8.

The company hasn't gone too in-depth with the details but, from what I can gather, the Q3 cameras get important fixes for bugs affecting auto-shutdown and remote app control, while the SL2 models and D-Lux 8 see their operational stability bolstered.

Leica firmware downloads

Here are the firmware downloads, all of which I’ll explain below:

Download firmware 4.1.1 (Leica Q3 / Q3 43 / Q3 Monochrom)

Download Firmware 1.9.0 (Leica D-Lux 8)

Download firmware 6.3.0 (Leica SL2 and Leica SL2-S)

It’s a good idea to hold off downloading the latest firmware for a few weeks. This should give enough time for any new issues to arise in community chatter, and for Leica to address them. Keep an eye on Digital Camera World and we'll let you know about any problems.

Firmware 4.1.1 (Leica Q3 / Q3 43 / Q3 Monochrom)

The Leica Q3 series brings high-end, full-frame compact digital cameras known for their solid build quality, 60MP sensor, and fixed prime lenses. Firmware 4.1.1 brings a trio of main updates for these cameras:

• A fix for a bug preventing the camera from turning off automatically during wireless charging in “certain situations”. Leica hasn’t elaborated on what these are, but has confirmed the Q3 models now turn off automatically as soon as wireless charging is detected.
• A fix for a bug causing the camera to unexpectedly switch to the default user profile in “certain situations”. Again, we don't know what the exact situations were, but if you were facing it, Leica says the issue is now resolved.
• A fix for a bug causing Bluetooth connection failure between the Leica Fotos mobile app and a Q3 camera after a remote wake-up with certain Leica Looks (in-camera profiles) or AF mode settings applied. Leica hasn’t clarified which Looks or AF settings were triggering the error.

Firmware 1.9.0 (Leica D-Lux 8)

The Leica D-Lux 8 is a premium pocket-sized compact camera featuring a 17MP Micro Four Thirds sensor and a fast 24–75mm equivalent f/1.7–2.8 zoom lens.

Leica says that the latest firmware fixes existing “bugs in the firmware” without going into any details whatsoever. This is likely a routine firmware update to maintain stability.

Firmware 6.3.0 (Leica SL2 and Leica SL2-S)

The Leica SL2 and Leica SL2-S are full-frame mirrorless rigs sharing the same weather-sealed metal body and in-body image stabilization, but featuring different sensor resolution, speed, and video capabilities.

Leica hasn’t published release notes for firmware version 6.3.0, so we don’t actually know what the update entails. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for any new information and update this article accordingly.

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ChatGPT can now use more than 70 different tools from Adobe apps like Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere without leaving the chatbot, thanks to a new Adobe plugin in ChatGPT.

Announced on August 06, the Adobe plugin allows ChatGPT users to type prompts across photos, videos, and designs, then allow the AI to run an Adobe-powered workflow without leaving the AI program.

The move builds on previously released tools by bringing more than 70 different tools using a plug-in for the AI. The plug-in is designed for ChatGPT’s more advanced Work and Codex, two components of the ChatGPT desktop app.

Adobe explains that the plugin allows users to upload multiple photos, describe the look they want, then get a consistently styled edit across the entire set of images, with the collection saved to the Creative Cloud.

For videos, the plugin can help build a short highlight video from a longer project, along with resizing videos to fit different social media platforms.

The plugin also works with Adobe apps beyond photo and video, including Acrobat for building PDFs as well as InDesign and Illustrator for graphic design.

“The Adobe plugin in ChatGPT isn’t a replacement for our flagship apps that creative professionals rely on every day,” said Forest Key, vice president of Adobe Firefly & Agentic AI at Adobe. “It brings Adobe’s trusted, pro-grade creative and productivity tools into the flow of conversation, so more people can create high-quality content the moment inspiration strikes. Our flagship apps go deeper when projects call for hands-on precision and creative control. Together, they give more people more ways to create with Adobe.”

Adobe says that the plug-in uses the same trusted tools found inside Adobe apps and, when users need a tool not found inside the plug-in, a partially finished edit can be opened inside Photoshop for further adjustments.

ChatGPT users first need to open the ChatGPT app, navigate to plugins, then find and install the Adobe plugin. After installation, users can use “@Adobe” to tell the chatbot to work within the Adobe ecosystem.

Logged-in Adobe account holders will have access to more generative capabilities as well as Creative Cloud file storage, but Adobe notes that guests can use the tool without signing in as well.

The Adobe ChatGPT plug-in is rolling out globally from August 06.

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Think DSLRs are dead? Not quite, even in 2026. Nikon may have moved firmly into the mirrorless era, but it hasn't forgotten its high-end DSLRs.

Nikon's D780 and flagship D6 are both six-year-old full-frame DSLRs, but both have just received new firmware updates that fix a handful of exposure-related bugs.

There are no flashy new features here, but it's a reassuring sign that Nikon is still ironing out the quirks of these older DSLRs.

Firmware overview

Nikon D780
Ver 1.21 – Download link for Windows and Mac OS

Nikon D6
Ver. 1.71 – Download link for Windows and Mac OS

Improvements

Nikon D780
• Fixed an issue where photos taken would sometimes be underexposed when zoom was adjusted during burst photography in high-speed continuous release mode

Nikon D6
Fixed the following issues:
• Photos taken would sometimes be underexposed with a D-type lens attached
• Recalling shooting functions would sometimes limit the shutter speed to 1/250 s with auto FP high-speed sync

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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Browse the best Nikon cameras, the best Nikon lenses for DSLRs, the best Nikon telephoto lenses, and the best Nikon portrait lenses.

Last week the media was in uproar about a major photography gallery in Belfast, Northern Ireland, displaying AI-generated images in an exhibition.

In fact, the chief executive of the Belfast Exposed gallery, the institution under fire, recently defended the decision in a BBC article, as did the creator of the images, Johnny Sheridan, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate from Ulster University.

I’m sure many of you would scoff at Sheridan's defiantly saying that creating imagery using AI takes “far more than pressing a button,” but I agree with him. Even as a photographer who dislikes generative AI for all sorts of reasons which I won’t get into in this piece, I have to admit that Sheridan is right.

In my view, there’s a huge difference between simply “pressing a button” and articulating a creative prompt that conveys your vision effectively, so much so that an AI is able to bring to life an idea that existed in your mind, just as if you designed it yourself with a tool like Photoshop.

I don’t know about you, but I see using AI and graphic design, or any other type of creative visuals, as different approaches to the same goal. This doesn’t mean I’m OK with generative AI – I still hate the thought of using it to create images to my bones. But, as a creative, I have to acknowledge that going back and forth with an AI until it renders your idea as you envisioned is a form of creativity.

Now I’m not saying that Sheridan’s images are the best example of this. Admittedly, the bizarre creations, which supposedly convey undertones of anti-misogyny, seem more like dystopian takes on the Kill Bill films. You’ll know what I mean when you look at them and see the woman’s yellow outfit.

Perhaps Sheridan’s AI tool even referenced Kill Bill when creating the scenes, which brings up another thought I recently pondered: AI movie awards celebrating creations that might have infringed on copyrighted content.

But my point is that Sheridan is absolutely right when he says that AI imagery can be much more than button pushing. And while his work might not be the best example of this, I have seen plenty of AI-generated videos in particular that are, and it’s mainly because of the human who prompted the AI.

Hopefully this doesn’t read as a defense of generative AI. It’s not, and I want generative AI to disappear just as quickly as it took the world by storm. But right now we’re talking about recognizing the use of AI as a legitimate form of creativity, not simply button pushing, to which I say it can be.

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Here's our rundown of the best AI image generators, or, if you prefer, here’s our pick of the best photo editing software to add the finishing touches to your human-crafted images.

A lightweight 130g prime has just received a free firmware update that promises faster autofocus (AF) and fixes an issue that could prevent continuous AF from working correctly during video recording on some camera models.

The SG-Image AF 25mm f/1.8 Micro Four Thirds (MFT) gets firmware Ver. 1.1, with the update specifically targeting AF performance. While the lens is available in several mounts, including Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Nikon Z, this particular update is for the MFT version.

For photographers and videographers using the compact budget prime, the update should make focusing more responsive while addressing a potentially frustrating AF-C issue when shooting video.

New firmware Ver. 1.1

SG-image AF 25mm f/1.8 Micro Four Thirds
Ver. 1.1 – Download link

Improvements
- Improved AF (autofocus) speed
- Fixed an issue where continuous autofocus (AF-C) might not function correctly during video recording on some models

SG-Image on how to update your lens
1) Download it to your computer
2) Link your lens to your computer through the USB-C port on its side, and it should show on your computer as "SG-image"
3) Copy and paste the firmware from your computer to your lens, and that's it

There is a txt file on the lens that shows the firmware version and its release date. It should show the firmware version you upgraded it to.

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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Browse the best Micro Four Thirds cameras, and the best Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Panasonic Lumix has released a free firmware update for four of its S-series lenses, including the lens that launched as the "world’s smallest and lightest full-frame compatible zoom."

The updates bring new focus-ring controls and other improvements to the L-mount zooms, covering everything from ultra-wide shooting to superzoom and telephoto photography.

The lenses include the S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro, S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3, S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 Macro O.I.S., and S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Macro O.I.S., with all four receiving the same improvements in firmware Ver.2.0.

Firmware overview

Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro
Ver. 2.0 for S-R1428 – Download link for Windows and Mac

Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3
Ver. 2.0 for S-R1840 – Download link for Windows and Mac

Panasonic Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 Macro O.I.S.
Ver. 2.0 for R28200– Download link for Windows and Mac

Panasonic Lumix S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Macro O.I.S.
Ver. 2.0 for S-R70300– Download link for Windows and Mac

Improvements

When set to AF mode, preferred functions can now be assigned to the focus ring.
- Compatible models as of Jul. 29, 2026: DC-S1RM2, DC-S1M2, DC-S1M2ES, DC-S5M2, DC-S5M2X, DC-S9

The rotation direction of the focus ring can now be selected according to your preference.
- Compatible models as of Jul. 29, 2026: DC-S1RM2, DC-S1M2, DC-S1M2ES, DC-S5M2, DC-S5M2X, DC-S9

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

You might like...

Browse the best Panasonic Lumix cameras and the best L-mount lenses.

Sometimes it’s blatantly obvious when not to take a picture; other times, the line is blurred. But unfortunately, this girl got it horribly wrong and has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

Her little photo shoot in front of the infamous gates to Auschwitz-Birkenau – the former Nazi death camp where, during World War II, some 1.2 million people are thought to have been murdered – has caused quite a stir, while reminding us of knowing when to put the camera away.

Recorded by a bystander and shared on TikTok, people in the comments have been lambasting her for her “shameless”, “disrespectful” behavior. Although there have been some coming to her defense, claiming that everyone’s “making a fuss over nothing.”

I’m definitely not a fan of this kind of behavior and agree with those giving the girl a reality check. In my eyes, historic sites like Auschwitz are not for self-centered, social-media-driven photography, but rather for reflection and learning.

And believe it or not, when I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2014, I even saw a pair of Orthodox Jews doing the same. Unbelievably, they were posing with their hands on their chins as if philosophers pondering deep thought.

It was an unreal sight: to think that these people may well have lost ancestors in this very place. But like the girl in this viral video, these guys were young – although I’m not sure it excuses such a lack of awareness.

However, I don't want to jump on the bandwagon and tear into this girl. Enough people have already done that, and she’s now probably well aware of the viral backlash her offensive behavior caused.

But it’s a stark lesson that, sometimes, it's best to think twice before pressing the shutter.

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While we’ve all become accustomed to the seemingly never-ending stream of negative AI headlines, once in a while the technology is used for something good – and this is one of those times.

Researchers in the US have implemented camera traps hooked up to an AI photo analysis tool to recognize and document different bee species, validating that these cheap yet effective platforms can replace traditional lethal or time-consuming manual pollinator research methods.

The scientists, based at Oregon State University, built the traps using low-cost, commercially available components ($100-$200 in total each) housing them in weatherproof containers with a solar panel and battery setup.

Then they positioned the cameras at a fixed focal distance, aimed at colored platforms that served as non-rewarding visual lures.

Across 18 days, multiple camera units recorded continuous time-lapse frames during all daylight hours (approximately 06:00-19:00), capturing footage of 6 bumblebee species, closely matching the bee diversity previously documented in the area by traditional methods.

Some 70,000 of these images were then fed into a pair of different AI analysis models. Over 6,000 original-resolution, full-frame images were analyzed by one model and over 66,000 tiles – which came from cropping the full-frame shots – were analyzed by the other.

The AI models then identified and classified the species, flagging and discarding images containing no insects, which reduced raw field data by over 90% without requiring human effort.

Experts then only needed to review a small subset of pre-filtered, cropped insect images to confirm species-level identification, suggesting that continuous multi-day field monitoring can be scaled feasibly.

What a fantastic use of AI to free up the scientists from mundane tasks to focus on the work that truly matters. In my view, this is exactly how AI should be implemented in photography – not to replace the photographer or create slop.

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It’s happened: I’ve been duped by an AI-generated video. I knew this day would come, but I wasn't ready for it to be so soon. I feel afraid, scared, even violated – almost as though, like Morpheus rescuing Neo from The Matrix, I’ve been disconnected from a reality that never truly existed.

Fortunately my machine-generated nightmare only lasted a few moments, not a lifetime. Equally short but frightening is that AI video generation tools have only been around for a few years, yet humans are now capable of producing lifelike videos with them.

I’ve been saying for a while that AI tools are developing faster than most of us want to believe. But, at this rate, it won't be long before the machines completely take over.

As I watched the viral clip showing the behind-the-scenes of a disaster movie being filmed, the thought of it being AI never even entered my mind.

From the way in which the mini tsunami enveloped the model coastal palm trees and later collapsed the buildings further inland, there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt that this was a real video. I even got caught out by the people, something AI typically has trouble rendering accurately in videos.

ABOVE: now I've given it away, the video seem like AI from the start to you, but I was convinced…

But then I headed to the comments to find out more about the film – and here my reality came crashing down. Boom, right there in the second comment: “So, this is an AI video.” In disbelief I scrolled further to see if their claims were unfounded but, to my horror, the two frightful letters 'AI' cropped up again and again.

“This is it,” I told myself, after a moment of being dumbfounded, shocked, and then upset. “You’ve been hoodwinked by an AI-generated video for the first time.” No other AI video has ever seemed real enough to pull the veil over my eyes – something, as a photographer, I’ve prided myself on. But this was different, and I was oblivious.

So I watched again, this time hypervigilant, looking for the telltale signs of AI trickery. And there they were, subtly among the most realistic of frames.

On second watch, the camera dolly riding on rails seemed to move in an ever-so-jerky way. The production support crew running alongside the wave tank, it just didn't look right. Then the dead, but almost invisible, giveaway: a cameraman with two right arms.

But none of this mattered. It was too late; no amount of repenting could undo what had happened. The machine world had hooked me up to its meticulously programmed ruse before sucking me dry of all vitality and tossing me back into the real world (read that in Morpheus’ deep, shuddering voice).

Although, upon rewatching the video, I also read the description properly – and there, tucked away at the end, was an AI disclaimer. So, props to the creator for at least being transparent about their work (unlike the Architect, who purposely programmed the Matrix as an insidious illusion).

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Tamron has launched a firmware update for the Tamron 25-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III VXD G2 that’s quite frankly mind-boggling. Rather than the usual tame improvements and bug fixes, firmware Ver. 3 actually increases the E-mount lens’ magnification ratio. I’m not even sure how that’s possible – but it is!

The magnification ratio at focal lengths of 25-70mm has been increased to 1:2 or greater. This is sometimes referred to as "half macro", given that a 1:1 ratio is known as "true macro". True macro is when a lens is able to focus close enough to a subject that it can be replicated at life size on the sensor.

Not satisfied with that, however, focal lengths of 35-50mm on the Tamron lens enable you to get even closer – now delivering a 1:1.7 reproduction ratio. Again, quite how it's possible to improve a lens' magnification via firmware is a mystery to me, but I'm definitely all for it!

So, while half macro technically isn’t macro, it still enables you to get very close to your subject – and a whole lot of half macro lenses are nonetheless marketed as macro optics, as it's still very capable for close-up images.

The improvement makes Tamron's 25-200mm an even better updgrade on its 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD G1 predecessor, which was limited to a 1:3.13 magnification ratio.

To upgrade the lens, you need to connect it to Tamron’s proprietary Tamron Lens Utility software, available for both Windows and macOS, via the lens’s onboard USB-C port. You can find a comprehensive rundown of how to do that via the Tamron support website.

Tamron is in the spotlight today, having confirmed a report that Sony has bid to buy the lens maker. This macro-firmware wizardry probably isn't the reason that Sony is interested in buying the company, but it's certainly exciting to think what firmware wonders might be added to Sony's first-party lenses…

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The Canon EOS R6 Mark III has received its first major firmware update, bringing one of the EOS R6 V's standout video features to the enthusiast hybrid camera.

While the update doesn't bring every EOS R6 V feature to the EOS R6 Mark III, Canon is extending one notable feature by allowing the AF (autofocus) for Close-up Demos to be used in additional movie shooting modes.

Previously, creators had to use a dedicated shooting mode with fewer manual controls to access this feature. Firmware Version 1.1.0 now enables it across Creative Zone movie modes, making it much more practical for filming product demonstrations and hands-on videos.

Firmware Canon EOS R6 Mark III

Version 1.1.0

Download links
🇺🇸 US: Windows and Mac OS
🇬🇧 UK: Windows and Mac OS

Fixes and enhancements:
1. Adds the ability to set [AF for close-up demos] during movie recording in [Movie manual exp.], [Movie auto exposure], and other Creative Zone modes to allow for its use in combination with exposure and AF area settings.
2. Adds the ability to set [grid display] during movie recording.
3. Adds support for the Wireless Remote Controller BR‑E2.
4. Adds support for the Software Development Assistance Kit (EDSDK/CCAPI).
5. Fixes an issue that may cause image transfers to an FTP server to fail and for Err41 to be displayed.
6. Fixes an issue that may impact the camera's shooting ability if the auto power-off function is activated during interval timer shooting.
7. Fixes an issue that may cause the camera to not be recognized when connected to a smartphone via USB.
8. Fixes an issue that may cause the movie digital IS metadata to be output incorrectly when recording movies at frame rates below 24 fps in [Slow&Fast Motion Movie] mode.
9.Improves operational stability.

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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Browse the best Canon cameras and the best lenses for the Canon EOS R6 Mark III.

Canon has released the first firmware update for the EOS R6 V, delivering one of the camera's most anticipated features: flash support. Firmware Version 1.1.0 fulfils a promise made at launch and also adds support for Canon's BR-E2 Wireless Remote Controller and enables grid display during movie recording.

The biggest addition is support for external flash units, allowing photographers and videographers to use speedlites with the EOS R6 V for the first time.

Because the EOS R6 V has no mechanical shutter, its maximum flash sync speed is limited to 1/60 sec. It also works natively only with flash units designed for Canon's Multi-function Shoe, although older flashes can be used with a compatible adapter.

Firmware Canon EOS R6 V

Version 1.1.0

Download links
🇺🇸 US: Windows and Mac OS
🇬🇧 UK: Windows and Mac OS

Enhancements and fixes:
1. Adds the ability to set [grid display] during movie recording.
2. Adds support for external flash units.
・Flash firing
・E-TTL balance
・E-TTL II meter.
・Slow synchro
・Flash function settings
・Flash C.Fn settings

3. Adds support for the Wireless Remote Controller BR-E2.
4. Adds support for the Software Development Assistance Kit (EDSDK/CCAPI).
5. Fixes an issue that may impact the camera's shooting ability if the auto power-off function is activated during interval timer shooting.
6. Fixes an issue that may cause the camera to not be recognized when connected to a smartphone via USB.
7. Fixes an issue that may cause the movie digital IS metadata to be output incorrectly when recording movies at frame rates below 24 fps in [Slow&Fast Motion Movie] mode.
8. Improves operational stability.

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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Browse the best Canon cameras and the best lenses for the Canon EOS R6 V.

Remote camera apps enable photographers and videographers to use a smartphone as a remote control for a mirrorless camera, along with essentials like wirelessly transferring photos.

But a popular third-party app now supports three camera brands in a single app, along with adding advanced tools like a waveform monitor. Shutter is now Shutter+, an iOS and iPadOS camera app that supports Sony, Canon and Fujifilm cameras.

I tried an earlier version of Shutter last year – I loved that the app didn’t drop connection to the camera, but I also really loved that it had more advanced tools that the native Fujifilm X App didn’t have, including an intervalometer for timelapses and self-portraits.

Shutter has three separate apps for each of its supported camera brands, but Shutter+ now supports all three brands from one app (and one cost). The developer says that photographers working with all three brands see the same features and updates.

But along with supporting all three brands without an app swap, the update for Shutter+ also introduces additional tools. Chief among these is a waveform monitor, a tool for monitoring the brightness of a video.

This joins existing tools like histograms, zebras, false color, focus peaking and LUT previews to give creators more data as they shoot.

The upgrade also updates the windowing for iPadOS, which helps the app to display better across the tablet’s different window sizes and multitasking views.

It adds support for more cameras, too, including the Canon EOS R6 V and Sony A7R VI, and supports new Fujifilm firmware. Canon’s live view using a USB tether has also improved.

Shutter+ continues to offer the features from the older version that made the app popular, including automatically switching from Bluetooth and wireless for the best connection and maintaining it when switching apps or locking the screen.

The app supports tethered and USB connectivity and includes tools like bulb timers, an intervalometer and live view overlays.

While the Shutter+ apps can now support cameras across three brands, the App Store will continue to offer three Shutter+ apps branded for Canon, Sony and Fujifilm.

The developer says this is in order to prevent interruptions for previous subscribers, but all three apps will now support every compatible camera.

The app’s pricing remains the same – after a 7-day free trial, users can continue to use the app with a $65 / £69 / AU$99 lifetime license, or choose a $3.49 / £2.99 / AU$5.99 monthly or $24.99 / £24.99 / AU$39.99 annual subscription.

Shutter+ is available from the App Store.

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The founder of a new photo curation app has said that her creation is the solution to the ever-growing camera-roll clutter crisis: where people are taking more photos than ever, but revisiting fewer and fewer.

Charlotte Riddley, founder and CEO of Yoree, has said that the “memory platform” uses “emotional AI” to intelligently curate personalized image displays from device galleries, enabling us to revisit only the most “meaningful” memories stored on our phones.

“This isn't about taking more photos, or storing them somewhere new,” said Charlotte. “It's about finally getting back to the ones we already have, in a way that feels good, private, and entirely in your control.”

These comments and the release of the Yoree beta app come at a time when people are taking more photos than ever before, but hardly ever revisiting them. In fact, according to research recently published by Popsa, a photobook curation platform, close to 70% of images are never looked at again.

According to Yoree’s creator, the underlying AI functionality, which the company says is based on neuroscience, goes beyond competing apps, enabling us to “drop back into a memory whenever you want to, not just when an anniversary or an algorithm reminds you to.”

What the company hasn’t specified, however, is how Yoree’s AI functions differently from other similar services, such as the AI functionality built into Apple and Android phones. Among other techniques, these use facial recognition and metadata analysis to resurface photos from your galleries.

The Yoree beta app is now available for download on both the App Store and Google Play for Apple and Android devices with a full app rollout expected in February 2027.

At the moment, only one plan is available, which currently costs £3.99/month (approximately $5.50 / AU$7.50), and features the ability to store images—which Yoree calls “memories”—in a private vault and use the AI Story Builder to turn these into stories.

What are your thoughts? Will Yoree truly help us to better manage our backlogs of photos? Or will the camera-roll clutter crisis only be solved by taking fewer images? I think Yoree is a nice idea, but that the latter is the real solution…

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I think it’s fair to say that Elon Musk isn’t a fan of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The world’s richest person has been rather critical of Nolan’s cinematic retelling of Homer’s epic poem since before its release.

The businessman has been particularly active on X where he’s accused Nolan of chasing awards, mocked the casting of Elliot Page and replied “I’m down” to a post suggesting that he should give Mel Gibson $100 million to create another version of the epic.

Which would actually be a bargain, given that The Odyssey’s budget was reportedly $250 million.

But what really piqued my interest was Musk’s claim that his AI platform, Grok Imagine, will make a “historically accurate” feature film of the Greek epic “true to the art of Homer”. This was accompanied by a link to a three-minute showreel of an AI-generated Odysseus, posted by X user Heavy Pulp.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t appear to be the AI film that Elon is talking about and is presumably designed to showcase Grok’s capabilities. After all, we're only halfway through the year.

But I do find it rather amusing, given how hypercritical the Tesla CEO has been about Nolan’s efforts, that he would link to an AI recreation that’s about as accurate as a Star Wars Stormtrooper with vertigo.

I mean, the first time we get a mid-length shot of the perpetually sweaty Charlton-Heston-like lead, he clearly has a medieval-style sword in his scabbard, with a lengthy guard, a long handle and a circular pommel.

I’m no historian, but I’ve also noticed ancient Greek helmets that look more like the early imperial variety worn by Roman Legionnaires. As well as Sirens clad in yellow dresses that wouldn’t look out of place in Abercrombie & Fitch.

Then there's a scene with water travelling over Odysseus’ back in the opposite direction to the lapping sea. A version of Hermes that looks like he’s stolen his wings from a Victoria’s Secret runway.

And perhaps the most egregious gaffe, a close-up of Odysseus wearing modern-looking earplugs.

Firstly, the crew plugs their ears with beeswax in the myth. And secondly, Odysseus doesn't use the beeswax and is instead tied to the mast of his ship so he can be the first person to hear the Siren’s call and live to tell the tale. And I'm not the only one to have spotted such gaffes, with a thread dedicated to various inaccuracies on Bluesky.

I’ll give Elon the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was too busy preparing for SpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 to pour over the footage like me, but still, a glowing example of historical accuracy it is not.

I’m also rather confused as to why he is so critical of Nolan’s epic, but appears to enjoy 2004’s Troy – a film that deviates from the source material by removing the presence of the gods.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Troy, but it’s hardly 12 Years a Slave or Downfall when it comes to historical (and mythological) accuracy.

Confusing historical accuracy with good filmmaking?

I watched The Odyssey in the theater last weekend and I think it’s an immeasurably lovingly crafted movie that’s an absolute treat to experience. More than that, though, it’s a bastion of traditional filmmaking – an art form besieged by changing audience appetites and increasingly cynical studios.

If you’re even a little bit of a movie fan, The Odyssey is a hugely important cinematic event. Sadly, it’s not often that a new release drums up this much interest, so it’s imperative that we support these movies where we can.

I couldn’t agree more with The Rest Is History co-host, Tom Holland (the other Tom Holland), who praised on X those who waited until after seeing the movie before passing judgment.

The way I see it is that good filmmaking and historical accuracy are two different things and one doesn't necessarily constitute the other. Grok Imagine can go and make the most historically accurate movie ever made, but I've yet to witness anything from any GenAI platform to suggest that it won't be a soulless rendition filled with sweaty waxworks come to ‘life’.

I mean, I’m willing to be proven wrong, but GenAI severely limits the human element, and I believe that the human element is without doubt the most important component of any art form.

Nolan's The Odyssey was shot on IMAX 70mm film, with gorgeous Panavision and Hasselblad lenses, featured a real production crew, real actors, real sets and real practical effects.

Could there really be a more egregious affront to Homer’s timeless classic, spawned from generations of oral retellings, than removing the human element?

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German court rules against photographer whose 'original' image was used to create AI slop – give me a break. Tom Cruise really knows cameras: “We want flaws. You want things that have an emotion. It just has a different kind of feeling to it,” he says gushing over his latest movie's use of the Beaumont VistaVision. I grew up idolizing George Lucas, but his passive stance on AI is deeply wrong.

Sigma has released free firmware updates for 13 Sony E-mount lenses, bringing compatibility improvements for photographers using the new Sony A7 V.

The rollout covers a range of Contemporary and Art primes, including six of the company's premium I Series lenses.

While the firmware versions vary between Version 3 and Version 7 depending on the lens, they all deliver the same fix: resolving a rare issue that could cause the camera's monitor to black out and freeze during shooting when paired with the Sony A7 V.

Firmware

Updates: 17mm, 20mm and 24mm

1. Sigma 17mm F4 DG DN | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.03
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

2. Sigma 17mm F4 DG | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.03
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

3. Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

4. Sigma 20mm F2 DG | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

5. Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

6. Sigma 24mm F2 DG | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

Updates: 35mm, 45mm, 65 and 90mm

7. Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art Sony E-mount – Ver.05
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

8. Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.07
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

9. Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.07
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

10. Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

11. Sigma 65mm F2 DG | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

12. Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

13. Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG | Contemporary Sony E-mount – Ver.04
Download link for Windows and Mac OS

Pro Advice

If you caught Episode 4 of Bokeh Face: Digital Camera World podcast, above, we discussed the best time to install firmware updates, why they matter, and what issues they can cause. It's a helpful listen if you're unsure when – or whenever – you should update.

It's smart to wait a week or two after release to see if any users hit snags. In the past, brands have had a few hiccups with major updates – for instance, introducing memory-setting bugs or minor interface glitches before being reissued.

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A new start-up is building a wearable that transforms into a stationary smart device at home as tech for creating a daily journal. The start-up behind iKairos is calling the device a “journal for daily reflection and meaningful memories.” The kicker? Those memories are all AI-generated.

iKairos has an unusual design for a wearable – teaser photos show the device worn as a necklace outside. But once the user returns home, the gadget can be returned to a docking station that looks a bit reminiscent of smart home speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot or Google Home.

The design isn’t the only unusual approach iKairos is making for wearables – the device is meant to follow you around to create a daily journal, but unlike traditional wearables and POV cameras, iKairos makes AI-generated images to remember the day by.

On the one hand, Kairos solves a problem with the wearable camera – the limited fixed perspective from body-worn POV cameras isn’t always the best perspective for capturing memories. After all, sometimes I want to be in photos too. The built-in camera also has a cover for privacy.

But is GenAI capable of creating “meaningful memories?” The sample photos that are on iKairos’ website seem like obvious AI generations. But the sample images are all designed for a certain style – and aren’t necessarily made to look like genuine images but rather sketches, comic book art, cartoons, and even crocheted characters.

iKairos is trying to create an AI-generated journal of the day at a time when consumers are becoming increasingly weary of modern tech. We're getting so weary of modern tech that analog cameras are resurging alongside lo-fi digicams and screen-free digital cameras.

iKairos comes from a start-up called Lingverse – but the company isn’t entirely new to the tech world. Lingverse’s founder Jiawei Gu was a board member and investor for Jibo, a social robot that could also take family photos and was one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2017. But after financial struggles, Jibo shut down, turning off its servers in 2019.

iKairos is only in the early stages, but has already secured $29 million in a pre-A funding round. Details on pricing, specs, and the launch date aren’t yet available this early in the start-up's journey – and with the tech in the early stages, the wearable could look quite different closer to launch.

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Oh boy, I’m going to have some fun with this one. A German court has ruled against a photographer who (rightly, in my opinion) sued when her original photograph was uploaded to a GenAI and used to generate an AI-slop cartoon that looks incredibly similar.

In relation to the case, German outlet MIR (Medien Internet und Recht, or 'Media Internet and Law') has published the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf’s guiding principles, of which the first paragraph states:

“The scope of protection for a photographic work is generally limited to the choice of image composition, perspective, lighting, and the sharpness or blur achieved through the correct combination of aperture and exposure time. The subject matter and motif are generally not eligible for protection.”

Ultimately, I do understand this. After all, artists and illustrators frequently use reference images that they don’t own. But where I personally think the court ruling falls apart is that copyright law predates the genAI boom. And genAI is a completely different ballgame.

We’re not talking about a human interpreting an image; we’re talking about the actual photograph being fed directly into an AI. Regardless of the final outcome or how much human involvement there was regarding prompts, the AI is given free rein to process the original work.

You can’t take a copyrighted image and display it on a website for no reason, so why can you take an original image and ram it through the digital embodiment of a meat mincer to be churned into AI slop? Probably because the AI industry doesn’t want to admit that scraping and processing creative content is completely unethical…

This is a fine example of how content credentials just aren’t enough. I want to see a system implemented where images are granted and / or GenAI platforms feature built-in protections, so that an original work that the user doesn’t own cannot be fed into an AI generator in the first place.

Let’s take Andy Warhol, for example. He did not seek permission to use Gene Kornman’s famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe for his Marilyn Diptych and you can certainly argue that he should have done. But you can also argue that Kornman’s original photograph became much more well known because of Warhol's genius.

The same can be said when a musical artist covers another artist’s song; crucially, the paper trail is there. And that’s one of my biggest gripes with GenAI; there’s no paper trail. It’s a deceitful medium that presents unoriginal work as original. Frankly, I applaud and admire the few creatives who are actually taking a stand.

I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I’m not sure I could be bothered to go through the courts over an issue such as this, especially when the outcome is likely going to be unfavorable. But just going through the process is fighting back; it raises awareness and gets people talking.

I can’t help but wonder what the outcome would have been if the original image was a fictional character like Mickey Mouse… Why should a real-world image created by a talented photographer be any different?

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I grew up idolizing George Lucas, but his passive stance on AI is deeply wrong. “AI dilutes what is impressive” – Robert Irwin hits the nail on the head when it comes to artificial intelligence in wildlife photography. How on earth did this obvious AI image get past the judges and win a photography competition?

The world mostly knows Robert Irwin as a wildlife media personality. But what few realize is that the son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin is also a wildlife photographer, and a pretty good one for that matter.

In fact, Irwin, who first picked up a camera around the age of 13, has won a Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award, and, in a recent interview with Parade, said that photography is “probably the most formative part of his life” so far.

Above: watch Irwin's interview with Parade

Safe to say, when he started to share his opinions on artificial intelligence (AI) in photography during the same interview, my ears perked up. But while most photographers seem to be focusing on Irwin’s point about AI taking away from the “artistry” of the craft, his point that “AI dilutes what is impressive” is what truly hit the nail on the head for me.

In the not-so-distant past before AI, a photographer would have to go and do impressive things to create an immersive image. Take a phenomenal picture of a sunrise over a remote landscape: the photographer would actually have to hike one of the mountains, lugging their gear up with them, to create it.

Or take Irwin’s own specialty, wildlife. A fantastic portrait of a leopard hauling its prey up a tree normally requires locating the animal through the help of a local guide and waiting patiently for the right moment to arrive.

But knowing that someone sitting at a computer using an AI tool can now achieve the same results takes the sheen off the real deal, mostly because it means you really have to dig deep to find out the story behind the image, instead of being able to take that at face value.

I fear that, in the not-so-distant future, the internet will be so awash with AI fakery that most people who see a real image won’t even consider what went into creating it – the backstory – which, in my view, is a huge part of what makes it impressive.

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How on earth did this obvious AI image get past the judges and win a photography competition?

Photography is subjective. At least, that is what we tell ourselves when nobody likes a picture we were particularly proud of. But if you have ever wondered what an entirely impartial, unfeeling robot thinks of your pictures, Adobe’s Project Indigo camera app is ready to offer an opinion.

Adobe has added an experimental AI Playground to Project Indigo, its iPhone camera app designed around manual controls, computational photography, and a more natural, SLR-style image. One of its headline features is Photo Guidance, which analyzes a photo and explains what worked, what did not, and how the image could be improved.

It also features a Pixel-esque mode that can suggest how to reshoot the scene while you are still standing in front of it, potentially recommending a different position, framing, lens, or approach to the light. Adobe says it is refining the system so that it understands the limitations of individual phones and does not suggest impossible changes, such as adjusting the aperture on a fixed-aperture smartphone lens.

In theory, this sounds genuinely useful. Photography books, courses, and camera clubs have been offering constructive criticism for decades, so putting a virtual tutor inside a camera app makes a certain amount of sense. Feedback while you are still at the location could be far more helpful and genuine than an AI editor “fixing” everything later.

However, yes, there is something slightly bleak about taking a photograph and immediately asking an algorithm whether it approves. Photography is not a science, and some of the most memorable images succeed because they ignore conventional rules. An AI trained to spot familiar ideas about composition, lighting, and subject separation could easily reward technically tidy photographs while discouraging anything genuinely original.

More Gen AI

Adobe is also adding other AI Playground features to the app, including object removal, simulated shallow depth of field, lighting adjustments, artistic styles, and a Custom Edit box for text prompts. Adobe is initially using Google’s cloud-based Nano Banana model, with generated results limited to roughly 2K pixels per side and an internet connection required.

For now, access is free, requires no Adobe sign-in, and is being offered to only a small percentage of Project Indigo users for a few weeks. The feature appears after updating to version 1.1, but only works with photographs captured inside Indigo.

Adobe says the experiment could be expanded, extended, or eventually turned into a paid feature. Until then, a lucky group of iPhone photographers can discover whether AI thinks their masterpiece is genuinely inspired, or whether they should take two steps left and try again.

Adobe finally put AI into something photographers actually want: help with choosing the best images in the form of early access to AI Assisted Culling. This Lightroom Classic panel sits over everything else on the right panel of the Library module like it’s the most important thing in your photo management world. I’m not saying this placement has rubbed me the wrong way, but.. It has. Why? Well because the idea of AI photo culling software is to save you time. Not waste more time by checking if the rejects were actually good, or that the selects are actually bad.

So, let’s put it to the test on a segment of a shoot and see how it fares, and then look at another tool that claims to do the same thing.

Lightroom’s AI culling is based on a scoring system of subject focus, eye focus and and eyes open, as well as options for exposure issues, misfires, and documents. At the defaults of 50 and 50 for focus, all photos in this set (above) are Selects.

Looking at the selects, there are clearly photos with eyes closed that are not rejected. Older version of Eyes Open had a threshold which was 41 in this photo, but the eyes are clearly at the end of a blink. There are less flattering shots in the set that are mid blink that hit high Eyes Open marks in the older system – they’re just ‘The eyes appear open’ now.

All this leads me to not quite trust this tool yet. I also have exposure issues on and the subject is overexposed in some, but they remain selected. If I have to check the result of AI, then it hasn’t saved me time and is fruitless. If I can trust it to remove blinks and blurs, then it’s time-saving.

So are there other options? Roll in Excire Search 2026. This lifetime license product adds both AI Culling and AI Search to Lightroom Classic. This isn’t a full review by any means, but a comparison (so not including search). This is a well-established product, with a great track record. Once installed, you access it from the Library>Plugin-Xtras menu.

To begin choose ‘Initialize Photos’. A dialog will come up with options. With filmstrip, this is very quick to initialise and get your feet wet. For ‘whole catalog’, this is most likely an overnight affair for those with large catalogs. There is a bit of a learning curve, but some of that is the initialization commands are in Lightroom, not in Excire itself.

You have a lot of control. Once initialized, you can choose Start/Adjust Culling Project from the menu. This is very configurable and will create collections to segregate by visual similarity, group etc as well as choosing how to apply the selection via flag, rating or label. You can even use smiling as a requirement for selection!

The people option is good, for example, on nightclub shots, it still picked out someone whether they had a jacket on or not. I wouldn’t have even known there were 8 shots of that person shot that night.

In terms of using Excire with Lightroom, with two monitors for editing, you could have Lightroom on one, with Excire on the other, but you could also have them side by side on a larger screen. The beauty of Excire’s detection is that it uses colour to indicate sharpness. It shows the detected faces surrounded by a rectangle. The greener it is, the more in focus.

Yellow, like the one above, means that it’s not great. Red means completely out of focus. Faces do need to be towards the camera, with both eyes visible. As you arrow right in Lightroom, Excire also moves to the next image. The colour will change to reflect the focus. Group shots will also show all faces detected with corresponding focus colours. This does speed up choosing compared to Lightroom because the information is on the photos right where you’re looking.

As visual creators, we can decide what level is good enough for our application. You can decide the level of focus you need. For instance, when I did nightclub work, I was working with a fixed aperture of f/4–f/5.6 at most. This was because I used bounced flash and didn’t want to go above ISO1600. This allowed me to maximize my flash recycle time and also save batteries. Large groups could have rows, and sometimes people would start to blur in back or front rows depending of focus. Because these images were being viewed on the web and sharpened for that purpose, almost yellow focus photos were acceptable for this job. In a wedding, this wouldn’t work for formal groups, but it would be acceptable for the dance floor.

So does Excire beat Lightroom’s AI Culling? Well, the detection results are fairly similar. Neither will tell you that you have a masterpiece. Lightroom will detect half faces better than Excire, which needs a full face (it even tells you this if it can’t find one). However, Excire’s use of colour on the image is better than Lightroom’s green tick because you can see the degree of focus immediately, whereas with Lightroom you have to hover to see scores.

With multiple faces, it’s even better seeing it on each face, so you know you can ignore photo bombers or non involved people as they say in the drone world. The option for smiling in social photos is handy, especially if that is what the client asked for. Excire will also sort the images and rate them, something you have to do manually in Lightroom-just a button press though. All in all the process is handled better in Excire Search 2026. And we haven’t touched on the extensive AI search and AI keywording! If you shoot a lot of people photos, especially groups, this will help.

Excire Search 2026 is an additional cost though. It’s $199/£199 or $299£299 in a bundle with Excire Foto 2027. No subscription; this is a lifetime license. Previous version users get a discount code for upgrading, so it’s a very traditional purchase model. Don’t want to upgrade? Just use the version you have forever.

I know that AI tools are becoming better and better at producing lifelike imagery, but how on Earth this image, which was recently disqualified after winning a Chinese photography competition, even made it past the judges has baffled me.

The image depicting three sanitation workers enjoying a laugh together while taking a break recently won first place at the July edition of the Hohhot Mass Photography Bi-monthly Competition, a multi-series event hosted in the city of Hohhot, North China.

However, just days later, on July 14, amid fierce public backlash citing clear AI usage, the event organizers, the Hohhot Federation of Literary and Art Circles, disqualified the image following an investigation confirming it had, in fact, been generated with AI.

The literary and art circles federation announced the disqualification on WeChat (China's social media platform), in the same post stating that the Northern Frontier Light and Shadow of Qingcheng photography competition would be suspended immediately.

“This incident has exposed issues in our work, such as lax vetting during the review process and imprecise definitions of evaluation standards,” the statement read.

From the identical faces of all three subjects in the offending image, along with their exaggerated laughter – not to mention the strange way in which one of them is throwing water overhead from a kettle – to my eye, this image is clearly AI.

I'm sure it won't be too long until we can no longer distinguish between an AI-generated image and one taken by a photographer using a real camera, but this AI fakery isn't convincing at all, at least not to me.

In the WeChat statement, the competition organizers also vowed to “deeply absorb this lesson” and said that review checkpoints would be “strictly” enforced for all future competitions.

What are your thoughts? Is this image convincing in any way, or were the competition judges simply too naive?

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Nikon filmmakers and photographers can now take advantage of a third-party remote-control app designed specifically for Z-Series cameras. Parallax Monitor or ZR Ctl, depending on whether you’re using iOS or Android, respectively, allows users to take full control of a compatible Nikon camera, using both the app and their chosen smart device as a live view monitor and control station.

I first learned about Parallax Monitor / ZR Ctl via Nikon Rumors and immediately likened it to Nikon's existing proprietary app SnapBridge, which allows users to wirelessly connect a smart device to compatible Nikon cameras as well as share images via file transfer. However, Parallax Monitor / ZR Ctl isn’t an alternative to SnapBridge, it’s a completely different piece of software that’s directly aimed at serious videographers.

The app uses a range of live view overlays to help maintain correct and consistent exposure, including ‘traffic lights’ and zebras, as well as waveforms and histograms that are said to be calibrated for R3D, N-Log and SDR. It also claims to allow users to pull focus via a touch-controlled ‘Pull tool’, aided by focus peaking while also providing a ‘Cinematic AF’ trigger.

A simple function that I’m sure many videographers will make use of is the ability to switch between multiple aspect ratios via the live view screen, so if you’re trying to shoot a scene for multiple aspect ratios, you can ensure your subject is adequately framed for each. If you use anamorphic lenses, the anamorphic desqueeze function will allow you to ‘desqueeze’ at 1.33x, 1.5x, 1.8x, 2x, or any custom ratio in real time, so you can preview what the end product will look like.

Users can also access a variety of Playback features. You can preview LUTs during Playback, check audio, stream clips, and more. And finally, Parallax Monitor / ZR Ctl might be marketed towards videographers, but it also boasts a remote stills photography featureset, allowing you to review photographs over Wi-Fi, fire the shutter remotely, refine settings and more. Parallax Monitor is available via Apple’s App Store for $19.99 / £19.99 or ZR Ctl via Google Play for $19.99 / £17.99.

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Forget "Hand of God" is this football's "Camera of God"? Why a cable-suspended camera is being blamed by Norway for its World Cup defeat. Nikon launches ingenious Nikon Zf bottle holder among other camera-related swag – but they're only available in Japan. Arri just gave live broadcasts the Hollywood slow-motion treatment with its latest Xtreme camera.

More than 15 years after medium format powerhouse Hasselblad first launched an iOS app, the Phocus Mobile app is finally arriving on Android devices. Hasselblad, the medium format camera powerhouse, has officially brought its Phocus Mobile app to Android devices beginning.

Phocus Mobile now enables photographers working with the Hasselblad X2D II 100C, X2D 100C, 907X and CFV 100C to review, edit and organize images from an Android smartphone.

The app, importantly, supports Hasselblad’s heralded color science (Hasselblad Natural Color Solution or HNCS), enabling mobile photo editors to preserve the medium format colors and gradations from camera to edit to export.

On the X2D II 100C and supported HDR Android devices, that also includes full-spectrum HNCS HDR – which Hasselblad says more closely matches what the eye sees.

Another key feature is that the Hasselblad-built AI noise reduction algorithm is also coming to the mobile app. The AI was built entirely on images from Hasselblad’s medium format sensors and comes in two different modes, one for the cleanest result and one for preserving the most detail.

Beyond editing, the Android app can also be used to review photos, rate the best shots and even batch edit multiple images at once. Files can be transferred from the camera to the smartphone using Wi-Fi or, for the X2D II 100C with updated firmware only, USB-C wired connection.

Phocus Mobile first arrived on iOS in April 2012, with an overhaul big enough to be dubbed Phocus Mobile 2 arriving in 2019 – but again as an iOS exclusive.

The update is the second time that Hasselblad has launched a feature to play nice with more brands in nearly as many weeks. Earlier this month, Hasselblad also announced support for Capture One.

The Phocus Mobile app requires at least 12GB of RAM and is compatible with Android 12 and newer devices, though the company recommends Android 16 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or newer for the best performance.

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There are few creatives I admire more than George Lucas. He’s heard it all before, but I’m not sure I could put into words just how much Star Wars and Indiana Jones have meant to me over the years. Heck, I even crack out American Graffiti every now and then and have always been a strong proponent of the Prequel Trilogy (I just don't get the Jar Jar hate...). That said, I will always stand up for what I believe in, and I’m not keen on the legendary filmmaker’s latest take on AI.

In a very interesting long-form interview with film, art and culture magazine A Rabbit’s Foot, Lucas discusses the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which he co-founded with his wife Mellody Hobson and is set to open in September, why he thinks so many older Star Wars fans didn’t resonate with the Prequel Trilogy, and his stance on artificial intelligence.

It’s the latter that really piqued my interest, given that I’ve written an awful lot about AI and its impact on both film and photography. His first point is that AI makes filmmaking easier, and I can’t argue with that. He then likens opposing AI to opposing the invention of the car “they break down, they need gas (...) pretty soon they’ll be making them into tanks,” going on to say “There’s nothing you can do about it (...) That’s progress, it’s the future.”

For me, that’s the kicker. This notion that you can’t do anything about AI, or on the other side of the coin, that AI is inherently bad and it shouldn’t exist at all. Both arguments are extremes, but what about the middle ground? What about a world where AI exists, but we do indeed do something about it?

I don’t have a hatred of AI. I have a hatred of unethical, generative AI. The kind of artificial intelligence that scrapes existing works, regardless of copyright and MacGyvers them into AI slop. My problem with generative AI is that it removes the human element and to me, it’s the human element that makes art, art.

I'd go so far as to suggest that George skewers his own argument, because he mentions several times during the interview that movies are about emotion. “You go to the movies because the stories move you emotionally,” he says. The article finishes with him stating: “Steven and I always agreed on that: what you’re selling, in the end, is emotion.” I couldn’t agree more!

But the whole problem with generative AI, in my mind, is that it strips out the emotion and leaves behind little more than a creative husk. I get that Lucas’ whole deal when it comes to moviemaking is pushing the envelope. The Original Trilogy wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for the filmmaker’s faith in both technology and indeed his own ability.

Lucas famously founded Industrial Light & Magic during the production of Star Wars: A New Hope, going so far as to actually build custom tech to deliver the film’s ground-breaking special effects. Love it or loathe it, the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition was a bold, groundbreaking move. And Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was famously the first Hollywood blockbuster to be shot digitally in its entirety, with the film also landing an Academy Award nomination for its visual effects.

It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that George is a proponent of AI when it comes to filmmaking. I just wish the medium’s supporters would take a more proactive approach to AI’s involvement in a bid to preserve the emotion that George Lucas himself covets so much. It’s worth noting that I’m adding my two cents to a few words provided in an interview. I’m sure Lucas would have much more to say on the matter in an open discussion. Maybe our views are more aligned than I think… If you’d like to weigh in yourself, leave a comment below.

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I can’t count the times that I’ve heard the phrase “AI is inevitable,” but a recent reversal by Instagram’s parent company proves there’s still power in the voices decrying AI. Meta has pulled the controversial tool that enables the new Meta Muse Image generative AI to tag public profiles to use their likeness and style in fake images.

Last week, Meta unveiled its first in-house built image generator called Meta Muse. Among the different features, however, was a tool that enabled users to use an “@” tag on any public account to generate images that looked like that person as well as images that could copy the user’s style.

The tag feature wasn’t live for a week before Meta pulled the plug following backlash over the tool. Critics cited privacy concerns, as the AI could generate fakes that resembled real people using a basic “@” tag.

Much of the public outcry came from the fact that the tool was on by default, and users had to adjust their privacy settings to prevent others from creating images based on their Instagram profile.

As a photographer, I opened Meta Muse last week to see just how dangerous the AI really was – and found that using an “@” tag didn’t just copy someone’s face, but could also copy a specific photographer’s style, all based on their Instagram profile.

Meta’s quick reversal of the tagging feature inside Muse Image hints at the power of the public voice in the AI era. While many have said that AI is inevitable, the outcry following the controversial feature hints that the resistance to AI isn’t just limited to artists who make a living creating what a computer is now trying to imitate.

Meta isn’t pulling the entire Muse Image platform, but it has removed the tagging tool. While the tool’s willingness to take anyone’s likeness was a concern among a wide variety of Instagram users, its willingness to steal a particular style is disconcerting for artists.

While many AI platforms have no issues with generating an image based on an artist’s style, Instagram has long been a social network that artists have used to reach new audiences. Deleting social media accounts to protest the feature would have meant losing a valuable tool for reaching and cultivating new fans.

Meta’s reversal of the tagging feature is only one small win in the age of AI, but the reversal proves that people’s voices still have power – and sharing ethical concerns in the AI era isn’t shouting into an empty void.

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Movavi Video Editor 2026 is a non-linear video editor [NLE] that enables you to quickly trim and reorder a sequence of video clips to tell a more succinct and entertaining story on your YouTube channel or social media feed. I started editing video back in the late 80s. Before the invention of NLE apps such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro, I had to play unedited RAW footage from a videotape player and record the good bits onto a videotape recorder.

If I needed to swap the order of any clips, then I had to tape over edited footage with the new clips (which could mean starting the whole edit from scratch if the change occurred near the beginning of the programme). This meant that it took me far longer to edit a programme using a tape-to-tape linear edit suite than it does using today’s drag-and-drop digital non-linear apps. And if I needed to create a transition, such as a dissolve or wipe between two clips, then I needed to hire in an extra video player and a vision mixer.

If the younger 1980s version of me could have glimpsed an NLE such as Movavi Video Editor 2026, it would have blown my mind, especially as it enables one to swap the running order of clips in seconds and drag and drop in titles and transitions instantly. And as for the ability to use AI to make a title or graphic track the movement of a subject! Brain-melting stuff.

Movavi Video Editor 2026: System requirements

Movavi Video Editor 2026: Price

I found the pricing models for Movavi Video Editor 2026 to be a little confusing at first, but here are your options. For starters, you can subscribe to Movavi Video Editor 2026 on a monthly basis at $23.95 / £17.95 per month. A much cheaper option is to pay $69.95 / £53.95 per annum for the Movavi Video Editor Plus plan. With the subscription options, you’ll get any updates to the software.

If you’re not a fan of subscribing, then you can purchase Movavi Video Editor for a one-off payment of $99.95 / £89.95. However, this lifetime purchase version won’t receive any updated tools or effects. Oh, and if you want to access all the available effects packs, it’ll cost you an additional $139.95 / £80.95 per year (or $49.95 / £28.95 per month).

Given that you can subscribe to Adobe Premiere Pro for $22.99 / £21.98 per month, Movavi’s monthly subscription is a little cheaper, but the annual subscription is much better value for money, and you’ll get to enjoy any upgraded tools and effects. It’s worth noting that Movavi Video Editor 2026 is available for a free 7-day trial, so I’d certainly recommend taking it for a test drive (if you don’t mind being bombarded with emails offering tutorials!).

Movavi Video Editor 2026: Interface and usability

If you’ve used any non-linear video editing apps before, then you should be able to jump right in and start using Movavi Video Editor, as it hasn’t reinvented the wheel when it comes to interface design. The general interface is black and grey, with icons and text labels rendered in easy-to-read white. This makes the app resemble most other NLE apps such as Final Cut Pro.

The clean and neutrally coloured interface design enables you to focus on the art of editing your raw clips into a slick show. Along the bottom is the obligatory timeline, where you can drag and drop clips from the bin and then drag the cursor to trim their duration and rearrange their running order. Above the timeline is a collection of icons that enable you to summon tools such as the Blade, which cuts a clip into two with a click in the timeline.

You can view your programme as it takes shape in the main viewer, which can be expanded so that your programme fills the entire frame. On the far left is a toolbar that gives you access to a suite of extra post-production assets such as Audio (which includes music tracks), Text (animated banners and graphics), and Elements (which contains eye-catching stickers that are helpfully grouped into themes such as Gaming and tech or Family and kids).

Movavi Video Editor is packed full of assets, but many of these belong to effects packs that you need to subscribe to (see 'Price' section). Usefully, you can set the All items drop-down to Free, so only free effects are displayed. You can use paid effects for free in your project, but there’s little point in doing this as a Movavi watermark pops up in the middle of the screen in your exported edited footage. Fortunately, there are plenty of animated effects and assets for you to enjoy using without paying extra for an effects pack, as you’ll see from my supporting video tour of Movavi Video Editor.

Movavi’s most powerful and useful post-production tools can be found by clicking on the Tools icon. Here you’ll find tools such as Chroma Key and Stabilisation, plus a time-saving Scene Detection tool that takes a long, rambling clip and automatically cuts it into separate clips when it notices a change in the scene. We’ll look at some of the key tools in the Performance section (below).

Movavi Video Editor 2026: Performance

To test Movavi Video Editor 2026, I decided to create a ‘day in the life’ video of model Maryna Sedin. I had shot some raw footage of Maryna dragging her suitcase full of clothes to London's Barbican Centre for a photo shoot, where I also interviewed her about her modelling career.

It was a simple matter to swipe the cursor over clips in the bin to preview their content, drag in the thumbnails to trim a clip’s start and end point, and then drag it into the timeline. I was then able to drag clips around in the timeline to swap their running order until I was happy with the unfolding story. I added parallel clips on multiple video layers, which enabled me to add cutaways that illustrate what the subject is talking about (as well as hiding cuts to the interview footage on the main video layer).

Editing clips on the Movavi timeline was very intuitive, especially as I’ve been using apps such as Final Cut Pro for years. However, one small behavioural detail did bug me. In Final Cut Pro, you can click anywhere in the timeline, and the playhead will jump instantly to this point. You can then tap the space bar and play the footage from that selected point in the timeline. With Movavi, you need to click on the duration bar above the timeline to manually reposition the playhead. This slowed me down quite a lot as I was used to the click-anywhere-in-the-timeline option from Final Cut Pro.

That small shortcoming aside, I was very impressed with Movavi’s AI-powered features as they saved the day in relation to my edit’s audio quality. When I’d interviewed Maryna, I’d forgotten to turn on my wireless mic’s noise cancellation feature. As a result, we could hear unwanted background sounds such as a cleaner hoovering in the distance. Maryna’s voice also sounded echoey thanks to reverberation from the location’s concrete walls.

Fortunately, the Sound autocorrect tools panel had an AI-powered Recording Studio tool. One click on this tool’s icon, and the background noise disappeared from Maryna’s audio track, and her voice sounded much clearer too! This tool did a much better job than Final Cut Pro’s Voice Isolation tool when applied to the same footage.

Another even more impressive AI-powered Movavi tool is the Auto subtitles feature. A few years back, it would take me many hours to listen to footage and then manually type up the subject’s speech into text. It only took a few seconds for Movavi’s AI-powered Auto subtitles tool to generate accurate subtitles from Maryna’s interview and place them above the appropriate footage in the timeline. I could then fine-tune any mistakes (of which there were few) and change the look of the captions in the Subtitles settings panel.

You can even choose an option that highlights each word as it is spoken by the subject - karaoke style. Final Cut Pro can also transcribe speech to captions, but I found that it was not as accurate as Movavi Video Editor. A few years ago I charged hundreds as a freelance video editor to create subtitles for a programme. Thanks to AI, this task takes minutes, so those lucrative subtitling gigs are well and truly over!

Another very useful AI-powered tool comes in the shape of motion tracking. You can drop a graphic onto the timeline and then use AI to make it track the movement of a subject on the main video layer. If the video clip isn’t on the main video layer, then the AI motion tracking feature isn’t available. This took me a while to work out, as you can place clips on multiple video layers above the main track, but AI will only motion track objects on main layer clips.

Movavi Video Editor 2026: Verdict

Today’s generation of video editors is well-used to the convenience of editing video on a computer, and free apps such as iMovie make it an inexpensive task. However, in the crowded field of non-linear video editing apps, Movavi Video Editor 2026 stands out thanks to a combination of powerful post-production tools and an intuitively designed and easy-to-master interface.

You then have the option to pay an additional subscription to gain access to Movavi Effects if you want to expand your choice of graphics, transitions, and music tracks, but as you’ll see from my supporting video, the basic version of Movavi is generously packed full of sophisticated post-production tools that will enable you to create eye-catching videos. And while there are free feature-packed video editing apps available, such as the extremely impressive DaVinci Resolve 21, Movavi Video Editor is much easier to master.

Alternatives

Meta has announced its first in-house created AI image generator. But, Muse Image comes with the ability for anyone to go into the AI, use an “@” tag with an Instagram username, and generate realistic images of that person for anyone with a public account and loose privacy settings. But, when I tried the AI generator, Muse Image was also able to copy a photographer's style by tagging a specific profile.

The Muse Image tagging feature was met with immediate backlash and privacy concerns, with one user calling the feature a “privacy landmine waiting to detonate.” But the tool may be particularly problematic for artists because the same tool can also be used to copy a photographer’s style using a simple @ tag if privacy settings aren’t in place.

Much of that Meta AI backlash comes, in particular, from the fact that it seems to be on by default for public profiles of users over age 18.

Both intrigued and worried, I opened Meta AI to see if the feature is really as terrifying as it sounded. To my relief, the limited privacy and reuse settings I already had in place prevented the AI from generating photos of myself – and even after downloading the necessary Instagram update, that “reuse” toggle was still turned off.

Public profiles can turn off Meta Muse’s ability to generate photos that look like them or use their grid to copy a certain style by going into the Instagram settings, navigating to the “share and reuse” section, then turning off the toggle that says “Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features.”

When I opened Meta Muse and tagged myself, the AI refused to generate a photo of me, even though logging into my own account was required to use the AI.

I tried three user names (including my own) before I found a public profile with loose enough settings. The AI then generated a fake image of someone who looked a lot like the real person. The AI does this without notifying the user, and the resulting image does look quite a bit like the person whose username I had tagged.

But Muse Image can also use tags to copy a certain style. The AI copied my own style when I was logged in, but thankfully, when I logged into a different account, the AI said it couldn’t use my public photography account as inspiration. Instead, the AI advised me to describe in words the style that I wanted, telling me, “I can match that look without needing the specific account.”

While I was relieved to see that the privacy settings seem to work to prevent using my Instagram grid as an AI’s inspiration, it’s disappointing that the ability to copy a user's style even exists in the first place.

Muse Image is rolling out to Meta AI first, but has also popped up in AI Instagram Story tools and chats with Meta AI in WhatsApp in some regions. The company says that Muse will be coming to Facebook and Messenger, as well as additional Instagram tools, "in the coming weeks."

How to prevent Meta Muse from using your face and photos for AI

1. Open Instagram and log in.
2. Navigate to your profile and select the settings menu (the three horizontal line icon).
3. Scroll down underneath “How others can interact with you” and tap “Sharing and reuse.”
4. Toggle off the option that says “Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features.”
5. Don’t see that option? Try updating your app. If the option still doesn’t show, turn off the option that says “Allow people to create with and reuse your original audio on Meta AI” instead.

How to disable Meta Muse AI on individual posts

Instagram also allows users to turn off AI re-use on individual posts, which is also a good tool to see if the overall privacy settings have taken effect.

1. Navigate to your profile and tap on one of your posts.
2. Tap the “...” menu.
3. You’ll see “allow reuse” if your general settings don’t allow reuse, or “turn off reuse” if your general reuse settings are on. Tap to adjust.

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Tamron has released the latest firmware for its 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Sony E-mount lens, one month after the rollout was initially set to happen.

The company had originally promised firmware version 6 for Sony shooters by mid-June, but cited autofocus tracking and connectivity bugs on certain Sony camera bodies, such as the A9 III and A7 V, for the delays.

Firmware version 6 for the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD brings support for Tamron Lens Utility version 5.0 for both computer and smartphone devices.

Tamron Lens Utility is the accompanying app enabling you to control your lens settings and functionality from an external device. With the app, it's possible to program custom physical buttons on your lens, set A-B focus points, and adjust aperture using your smartphone or computer.

Released in February of this year, version 5.0 of the app enables you to do this wirelessly, as long as you have the Tamron Link Bluetooth adapter connected to the lens, while previous versions required a wired USB connection.

Tamron Firmware Version Download

Firmware updates for Tamron lenses are carried out through the Tamron Lens Utility app, which you can download here.

It’s a good idea to hold off downloading the latest firmware for a few weeks. This should give enough time for any new issues to arise in community chatter, and for Tamron to address them. Keep an eye on Digital Camera World, and we'll let you know about any problems.

Note: you cannot downgrade a Tamron lens to a previous firmware

Nikon shooters need not worry about this firmware update. The Z-mount version of the 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD was already compatible with Tamron Lens Utility version 5.0, having gained support with firmware version 3 earlier this year.

That’s it for this Tamron firmware update. Although it brings just the one change for Sony users, it’s a seemingly impactful one, enabling easier control of your 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD lens, especially for videographers.

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Here’s our pick of the best Sony lenses including our view on the best Tamron lens for your Alpha camera.

Nikon has released the latest firmware for the Z50II – an affordable APS-C shooter geared towards beginners and vloggers – with the update expanding shutter priority (S Mode) controls when recording video along with several label and location changes to settings menu items.

While the name and location changes of settings menu items alone might not justify updating to firmware version 1.10 for stills photographers, videographers will want to consider the added creative controls over exposure and depth of field.

The most impactful new feature of the firmware update is the ability to manually adjust aperture when recording video in S Mode, enabling filmmakers to dial in depth of field and adjust exposure by eye. Prior to firmware version 1.10, the Z50II would make all the ISO and aperture decisions for you when recording in S Mode.

It’s a seemingly minor update that moves S Mode towards more of a hybrid auto-come-manual mode, but one that puts an end to any unwanted sudden and drastic exposure changes.

Nikon Firmware Download

Download firmware version 1.10 (Nikon Z50II)

It’s a good idea to hold off downloading the latest firmware for a few weeks. This should give enough time for any new issues to arise in community chatter, and for Nikon to address them. Keep an eye on Digital Camera World and we'll let you know about any problems.

Nikon has also rejigged the settings menus in the Z50II. In Picture Controls, “Cloud Picture Control” is now called “Imaging Recipe” and “Add Cloud Picture Control files” under the Set Picture Control setting has changed to “Download Imaging Recipes”.

You’ll also notice changes to the Setup Menu, including an added option to save your current focus settings to the U1, U2, or U3 positions on the top mode dial.

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Take a look at our expert pick of the best Nikon cameras from basic beginner models to advanced pro rigs.