Photo: Mitchell Clark

Disclosure: DPReview attended Adobe Max, with Adobe covering travel and lodging expenses.

The subscription payment model is a tough one; customers have made it clear that they're fatigued by having to pay for everything every month, and companies have to continuously justify why their software shouldn't just be a one-time payment.

It's an argument we've seen time and time again here at DPReview almost any time Adobe's Creative Cloud comes up, with commenters bemoaning the lost days of simply being able to buy Photoshop once (at least, until the next version came out in a few years).

In the age of generative AI, Adobe seems to have found a new answer: being a one-stop shop for AI services that would typically require separate subscriptions. Partner Models in particular have come up again and again at this year's Adobe Max conference, from keynotes to product demos. And while AI will almost certainly have terrifying implications for society at large and the art of photography in particular, I find myself coming away strangely optimistic for the future of the artform, at least as a hobby.

In the age of generative AI, Adobe wants to be a one-stop shop for AI services

Let's lay some groundwork quickly for those who haven't been following along. This week, Adobe announced and released several new features for Photoshop and Lightroom, programs that many photographers consider essential.

As usual, most of it revolved around AI: there's a chatbot coming to Photoshop that you can ask to make certain edits and complete tasks for you, the Generative Remove tool that lets you erase unwanted distractions is now better, and you can "Harmonize" foreground and background layers to turn compositing into a single-click process.

AI from partners, and Adobe

Photo: Mitchell Clark

The biggest change, though, is the introduction of Partner Models. Up until now, features like Generative Fill, which let you add AI-generated elements to your images, and AI Upscale, relied on Adobe's in-house Firefly models. And while you can still use those, Adobe's now letting you use other models too, such as Google's goofily-named Nano Banana image generator and Topaz Labs' increasingly popular upscale, denoise and sharpen models.

Rather than relying on separate paid subscriptions and apps for each of those services, it all happens within Photoshop using AI credits that are included in your Creative Cloud plan (provided you've chosen the right one).

Put another way, Adobe is mediating your relationship with other AI vendors. It doesn't want you to view them as separate services that you have to manage depending on what tasks you have this month, but tools you can access within its apps that – importantly – you don't have to pay for separately.

The company laid the groundwork for this change in advance, changing up its Creative Cloud subscription earlier this year with its plans now centering around how many AI credits are included. In retrospect, it's obvious that this was vital if it wanted to let its users access otherwise expensive AI models without needing a separate subscription.*

What's the impact?

This could be a sign of profound changes to come for photographers. Not because I think the future of Creative Cloud as a subscription hinges on whether this gambit works. Realistically, that battle is over; it seems like most people are willing to pay the rent, and, realistically, there's probably a lot of overlap between the anti-subscription and anti-AI crowds. (I say this with love.) No, it could be something much deeper.

While many of us hobbyists like to imagine that being a professional photographer would let us pursue all our artistic ambitions in interesting locales, the reality is that the largest market for paid photography is less glamorous commercial work; capturing images to be used in advertisements and other collateral by corporations.

Try as they might, companies have never been able to fully extract the photographer from that equation

But try as they might, companies have never been able to fully extract the photographer from that equation; there's still a human who has to hold the camera and make what are ultimately creative decisions. Generative AI may finally be the thing that lets them do that. At the very least, there's a good chance that human photographers will become less and less important in the creative process. The photo doesn't quite match the senior VP of marketing's vision? They can fire up Photoshop and have generative AI "fix" it with a simple prompt.

To be clear, this isn't a hypothetical future; during its keynote, Adobe showed an example of using the Generative Fill tool to change which direction a model was looking. Higher-ups could always mandate changes, but the barriers to them doing so have never been so low; before, they would've had to weigh the costs of dragging everyone back into the studio. Now, all it takes is a couple of clicks and some AI credits. And with tools like Firefly and Express, Adobe's trying to make it so you don't even have to know which model works best for which purposes.

Our AI, your voice

Custom models are Adobe's solution to living in what it calls a "content-first" world. Image: Adobe

It goes even further. Adobe also introduced something called Custom Models, which lets you feed your existing work into its Firefly AI and train it to produce images in a similar style. There's also a super-charged version for corporations that will let them dump their entire intellectual property into it, generating on-brand content (yuck) without the need for any artistic input. The work of all the creatives that have worked with the company becomes grist for the ever-accelerating content mill.

Okay, so what about the part where I said I don't think it's the apocalypse? Well, for those of us who do photography as a hobby, not a job (which I suspect is actually most of us), this approach could be helpful, especially if AI tools are only a very occasional part of how we work with our images.

Take Topaz's Gigapixel upscaler, something that gets recommended relatively frequently in our forums and comments. It's not something I'd personally spend $12 a month on, but it's something I'd sometimes use to touch up older photos if I had access to it. If it's just included in my Creative Cloud subscription, I can do so without really having to think about it.

The drive to add more and more AI features could also result in more features that are genuinely useful to photographers. Work that went into features like the cloud-based remove tool could inform tools like Lightroom's Assisted Culling tool, which has to recognize eyes that are out of focus and missed exposures.

Lightroom has its fair share of AI features, but largely remains a bastion for people who care about photography.

Cloud processing is making it possible to search your Lightroom catalogue using natural language, rather than having to rely on tags that you've manually added. And while Adobe views the AI Photoshop assistant more as a way to automate repetitive tasks, it could be a powerful tool in helping people learn a piece of increasingly complicated software.

There are clearly still lots of people at Adobe who recognize that photography can be a passion, not just a means to an end, and who are finding ways for AI to enhance what humans do, not replace it. And, at least for now, they still seem to have the space and resources to do that work.

Adobe is building tools for people who don't care to learn the craft they're practicing

However, that work is being showcased alongside the latest innovations in placing business needs over human ones, and tools built for people who don't care to learn the craft they're practicing. See the Firefly video editor, for people who want video edited but don't want to edit it, and Photoshop AI assistant for people who want things photoshopped but don't want to Photoshop it.

At the end of it all, it's hard to say what vision will win out, or what balance will be struck. Certainly, the latter seems to be the one being sold the hardest here at Max, but maybe that's just because it's not as prima facie enticing to an audience that still includes a lot of creative people. I'm not sure who's buying that vision of the future, and I'm honestly a little scared to find out. But I do think that it'll come with a lot of side benefits for photographers, intended and not.

* It also likely represents some big deals between Adobe and other AI companies, which doesn't help assuage my concerns about how bubbly the map of the AI economy looks one bit.

Here are the top 10 most viewed PhotoRumors posts for October 2025:

The first Canon EOS R6 Mark III teaser is already out (November 6th announcement)

Sony a7 V coming with the same 33MP sensor?

Panasonic Lumix announcement on October 17th

Updated list of latest/upcoming/rumored Chinese lenses

The new Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro lens is now in stock

Sony is rumored to announce three new lenses, boring cameras expected in the next 2-3 years

The latest updates on the Sigma Foveon X3 sensor with 1:1:1 technology

Leica M EV1 camera rumors (with EVF)

First leaked picture of the rumored Leica M EV1 camera

The Fujifilm X-T30 III camera and Fujinon XC 13-33mm f/3.5-6.3 lens will be officially announced on October 23rd

The post Top 10 most viewed PhotoRumors posts for October 2025 appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Here are the detailed Canon EOS R6 Mark III camera rumored specifications:

• Sensor: 34.2MP / 32MP full-frame CMOS (same as Cinema EOS C50)
• Autofocus: Dual Pixel CMOS AF II with multiple subject detection (people, animals, vehicles); stores up to 100 faces
• IBIS: 6.5 stops
• EVF: 5.76M-dot OLED (0.76x magnification, unconfirmed)
• Pre-capture: Yes
• Burst Shooting: 40fps electronic shutter
• Log Profiles: Canon Log-2 & Canon Log-3 (unconfirmed)
• Recording Options: LGOP (Long GOP) & All-I recording
• Mode Dial: New “S&F” (Slow & Fast) for quick frame rate multipliers (e.g., 0.5x, 2x from base 24fps)
• Max ISO: 64,000 (native range 100-64,000, unconfirmed)
• Video – Open Gate: 7K RAW / MP4 (3:2), Full HD Proxy MP4; 7K Open Gate (24/25p RAW)
• RAW Video: 7K DCI (17:9), Open Gate 3:2, 12-bit CRM, Linear PCM / AAC audio
• Time-Lapse: 4K / Full HD modes
• MP4 Formats: 4K DCI/UHD, 2K/Full HD (17:9 or 16:9); 4K with full sensor readout (oversampled)
• Codecs: XF-HEVC S / H.265, MPEG-4 AVC / H.264
• Audio: 24-bit
• Memory Slots: Dual – CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II
• Ports: Full-size HDMI
• Battery: LP-E6P
• Price: €2,899 / $2,899 (estimated launch price)
• Announcement Date: November 6, 2025
• Shipping Date: Late November 2025 (tentative, around November 20)
• Other Notes: No active cooling (highly unlikely); magnesium alloy build; no top LCD display

The post Canon EOS R6 Mark III camera rumored specifications appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Earlier this week, we released our review of the OM System OM-5 II. We didn't find any surprises when it comes to image quality (it uses the same sensor and processor as its predecessor, so it would've been a bit odd if we had), but, as always, our review processes included using the camera a lot. That leaves us with a collection of images to share with the audience, both as illustrations and as proof that we've put in the work.

Of course, if you're not familiar with what this camera is capable of, the sample gallery will be a good illustration; it includes high-ISO examples, as well as a few shots taken using some of the camera's computational photography modes. You can also check out our pre-production sample gallery below to see more sample images from the OM-5 II.

See the production sample gallery

Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.

Production sample gallery

Pre-production sample gallery

Here are the 2025 DGP Imaging Gold Award winners:

Grand Gold Award/Special Jury Award

Technology Award

“The DGP Awards are a comprehensive digital imaging awards sponsored by the DGP Executive Committee, targeting all digital imaging solutions, such as “shooting,” “viewing,” “saving,” and “editing.” Since its inception in 2008, professional photographers and critics active in specialized media have participated in the judging process. Furthermore, leading mass retailers from around the country also participate in the judging process for the DGP Imaging Awards. Products that are recognized by photography and camera professionals are selected as outstanding models.”

Via NikonRumors

The post Here are the 2025 DGP Imaging Award winners appeared first on Photo Rumors.

The upcoming Canon EOS R6 Mark III camera leaked online (see teaser):

Canon EOS R6 Mark III – Redefining Performance and Precision

Get ready to experience Canon’s latest leap in imaging innovation. The EOS R6 Mark Ill brings together unmatched speed, advanced autofocus, and stunning image quality in a compact, full-frame mirrorless body. Equipped with a new-generation CMOS sensor and DIGIC X processor, it delivers outstanding low-light performance, crisp 4K video recording, and lightning-fast continuous shooting – perfect for professionals and enthusiasts alike. With Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, real-time subject tracking, and improved image stabilization, the R6 Mark Ill ensures you never miss a moment, whether capturing action, portraits, or cinematic visuals.

The first Canon EOS R6 Mark III teaser is already out (November 6th announcement)

The latest Canon rumors

The post Canon EOS R6 Mark III camera leaked online appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Fujifilm exhibited a “Lensless Camera” prototype designed by Taki Yoshimura at the Industrial Romanticism exhibition in Japan:

The “lensless camera” exhibited by Fujifilm is a tool for reexamining photos taken with a smartphone. By selecting a subject category such as a person’s face or a car, related photos are extracted.

Taki Yoshimura of the company said, “I feel a sense of romance in things that have abandoned the way things were and created new value,” such as Cup Noodles, a ramen dish that does away with the bowl, and the “Fujifilm QuickSnap,” which combines film and a camera. (Nikkei)

Deals of the day: renewed Fujifilm GFX 50S for $2,684, used Fujifilm GFX 100 for $3,237

Via dclife

The post Fujifilm exhibits “Lensless Camera” prototype at Industrial Romanticism exhibition appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Photo: Porsche

In 2017, a group of apprentices from Porsche Leipzig GmbH undertook a dramatic conversion of a Porsche Boxster, transforming it into a unique camera car. It was kept behind the scenes, but now, the company has made details of the vehicle public, showing off the highly modified vehicle along with information about its conversion.

Porsche says nine apprentices modified the Porsche 718 Boxster S as part of a project for their second year of training. The idea came about because the previous camera car, an older Porsche Boxster, could no longer keep up with current models on the track. The apprentices were then tasked with converting the new vehicle with guidance from training supervisor Carsten Pohle.

Photo: Porsche

To convert the Boxster, the team removed the soft-top roof and installed a robust roll bar, which doubles as an elevated mounting point. They added steel tube mounts on the front, rear and sides to allow for additional camera positions. The crew also painted the vehicle and all of its add-on parts with matte black paint to cut down on reflections when filming.

Of course, with people aboard the vehicle, safety also needed to be a consideration. Porsche says that they padded both the front and rear luggage compartments and added harness systems. There's also a standing platform between the front seats and rear trunk with the necessary safety harness. There is still plenty of risk for the photographer sitting exposed in the front luggage compartment or standing up in the middle of the car. Still, these positions do enable a very clear view for filming and photography.

Photo: Porsche

The company also provided details on how the car was built with photography and videography workflows in mind, too. For example, the team added internal wiring that allows for a direct connection between the camera and laptop, with the latter able to be securely mounted in the passenger area. There's also an inverter to supply power and recharge all of the camera equipment.

Porsche says that the car has been used regularly for filming shoots on the Leipzig track since its completion. External productions have also used the vehicle, including shoots for Motor Presse Stuttgart. Motorsport legend Walter Röhrl has even been filmed with the camera car. Most recently, the car ventured beyond the Leipzig track, serving as the camera car for the Tutto Bene Hillclimb near Lake Maggiore.

Photo: Dan Zafra

Photography has a way of leading us into rare and unrepeatable moments. Such was recently the case for photographer Dan Zafra, the co-founder of Capture the Atlas. While capturing the dark skies of New Zealand, Zafra witnessed red sprites flashing above the Milky Way. Making it even more special, the scene was accompanied by some Aurora Australis glow and a little comet called SWAN.

Zafra says he was photographing at the Clay Cliffs, South Island, New Zealand, on October 11, 2025 under clear skies when he began to notice faint flashes on the horizon from a distant thunderstorm over the Southern Alps in New Zealand. "At first, they looked like normal lightning, but after a few test shots, I realized my camera was capturing red sprites," Zafra explained.

Red sprites are luminous flashes that occur high above thunderstorm clouds, typically at altitudes between 50 and 90 kilometers (unlike traditional lightning, which is within the lower atmosphere). They are almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but in images, they appear as red tendrils and usually only last a few milliseconds. They are a rare phenomenon, especially in New Zealand, where major lightning storms are rare.

Zafra said it was even more magical because of how things aligned. He explained that he could see the Milky Way glowing above the horizon while seeing red tendrils of light above the storm hundreds of kilometers away. "It was one of those moments when you know you’re witnessing something you’ll probably never see again," he said.

To capture this incredible event, Zafra used a Sony a7 III with a Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens. His settings for the sky exposure were F1.4, 10 sec. and ISO 6400, while the foreground exposure was a longer 2 minutes (with the rest of the settings remaining the same). He says he used minimal contrast and noise adjustments during processing. He blended the foreground for clarity, but didn't use any other stacking or star-tracking techniques.

Zafra also created a timelapse video of the event that shows the sprites flashing in real time. It shows just how fleeting those flashes are.

Zafra added that, as far as he's been able to find, there are no previously registered images or timelapses showing red sprites and the Southern Hemisphere Milky Way together. "I’ll never forget the adrenaline rush of seeing those first frames appear on my camera, realizing what I had captured," he explained. "I felt incredibly lucky to be there; in the right place, at the right time, and ready for it." Moments like these remind us how powerful a tool photography can be.

As previously announced in our forums, on our homepage, and via a Halloween‑orange banner on the site, we will be upgrading the software that powers DPReview's discussion forums. During this upgrade, the forums will be in read‑only mode while we migrate all existing forum data to the new system.

The forums will enter read‑only mode on Friday, October 31, at 1:00 pm Pacific (20:00 UTC). During the read-only period, you can continue to browse, read, and search the forums, but you won't be able to create new posts or upload photos. We expect the forums to come back online beginning Wednesday, November 5.

The move to a modern platform will ensure the forums remain healthy, secure, and sustainable for the years ahead. It will allow us to roll out important performance improvements and new features.

When the upgrade is complete, your discussions, posting history, photo albums, private messages, and other data will all be preserved.

Want a preview of the new forums? Our Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, put together a 5‑minute video walkthrough, which you can find at the top of this article.

To learn more about the upgrade and why we're doing it, please see our detailed forum post.

Read our post about the forum upgrade

We've also published a comprehensive FAQ about these changes. If your question isn't covered, add it to the FAQ forum thread and we'll find the answer.

Read the FAQ

Finally, thank you to everyone who's contributed to the forums over the years – the experts, the beginners, and yes, even the trolls. We can't wait for more discussions, debates, and shared discoveries in the years ahead.

You can now get some Fujifilm GFX medium format cameras dirt cheap on Amazon:

Used Fujifilm GFX 100 medium format camera (100MP) for 3,237.

Renewed Fujifilm GFX 50S medium format camera (51.4MP) for $2,684.

More rebewed Fujifiulm products can be found here.

The post Deals of the day: renewed Fujifilm GFX 50S for $2,684, used Fujifilm GFX 100 for $3,237 appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Here is what else is new:

New Nikon winter promotion started in Europe

New on Kickstarter: Panomicron Bismuth 1.5x anamorphic lens for Leica M-mount

The initial rumors were 100% correct: the Leica M EV1 camera was originally called Leica M11-V

New: SmallRig 28mm external optical viewfinder (15% off all SmallRig products code included)

Ricoh released firmware update version 1.03 for the GR IV camera

Sigma 200mm F2 OS and 300mm F2.8 OS Patents Found

Sony a9III and Sony a1II Firmware 4.00 Updates Release

Fujifilm GFX100II Firmware v2.40 Released

The post What else is new? appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Photo: DJI

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently voted unanimously to give itself sweeping new powers to ban electronic devices retroactively. The vote makes a nationwide DJI ban even more likely after December 23, 2025. This decision builds on years of threats to ban DJI products due to apparent security concerns and legislative action against the most popular drone maker.

The move, first reported by The Verge, means that the FCC can ban devices previously approved for entry into the US if it deems the company behind them a national security risk. It's being framed as a national security measure aimed at protecting US networks from backdoors in Chinese telecom gear. But it's also part of intensifying efforts to restrict technology from foreign companies, especially Chinese firms.

The FCC's decision is just the latest threat to DJI. There have been calls to ban DJI products since 2017, driven by worries that the drones could send sensitive data to China, a risk the company has repeatedly downplayed. At the end of last year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense spending bill, outlined a potential path toward a ban, although it did not specifically name DJI. It requires an "appropriate national security agency" to declare that a company's products don't "pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States." That risk audit must be completed by December 23, 2025.

"It would result in an automatic ban of all new DJI products that use radio transmitters in the US"

If the risk assessment isn't completed by December 23, DJI products (and those by other companies) will be added to the "Covered List" under the Secure and Trusted Communication Networks Act. That move would result in an automatic ban of all new DJI products that use radio transmitters in the US, which would include drones, gimbals and the Osmo line of pocket-sized cameras. At the time of writing, no security agency has taken up the audit, despite more than 10 months having passed and only a few months to go before the deadline.

In a statement to The Verge, DJI's global policy head, Adam Welsh, said the company welcomes an investigation. "As the deadline approaches, we urge the U.S. government to start the mandated review or grant an extension to ensure a fair, evidence-based process that protects American jobs, safety, and innovation," he said.

"[T]he continued use of such equipment that is already in the hands of users would remain authorized"

There are limits to the potential ban, though. A 60-page document outlines how the FCC order will work; importantly, it won’t confiscate or deactivate products that are already in the hands of consumers in its current form. "[T]he continued use of such equipment that is already in the hands of users would remain authorized," it says. Additionally, it says the FCC must provide public notice, conduct a "public interest analysis," and allow the opportunity for public comment for a minimum of 30 days.

With the December deadline approaching, DJI's future in the US market remains tenuous. The company hasn't made any of its releases this year officially available in the US (though some units have snuck through to stores), and that looks likely to continue as DJI’s next steps remain uncertain.

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

While many choose to focus on the fast-moving world of modern photography, Markus Hofstätter, an award-winning photographer, builds his art on patience, tradition and tangible connection. Using large-format analog cameras and labor-intensive wet plate processes, he creates portraits that are as much about human interaction as they are about photographic technique. I had the opportunity to (virtually) sit down with Hofstätter, learning more about his background, technique and mindset.

His passion for photography began around 2008, well past film's heyday, while photographing billiards games, a challenge that soon turned into far more than a casual hobby. After learning the ropes, Hofstätter started capturing weddings, local events and more, to make money from his photography. It was all digital, though. But one day, he picked up a Mamiya 645E. While Hofstätter still photographs digitally, from that point on, analog processes became central to his personal work.

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

With his Mamiya 645E in hand, Hofstätter started taking portraits of people on the streets, which sparked a general love of portrait photography. Another turning point came when he had a friend let him try a 4x5 Linhof Master Technika. The large-format camera sparked a new interest for him.

However, Hofstätter says he got a bit bored with that as well. He then stumbled on a video of photographer Ian Ruhter making massive collodion wet plates and fell in love. "I tried to learn that by myself on 4x5 plates, and I failed so badly for many months. I only made black plates, so that was very frustrating," he said. But he didn't give up. He picked up a book by Quinn Jacobson and started making his own chemicals, eventually figuring out the process. Hofstätter says he hasn't looked back since.

These days, Hofstätter uses a Kodak 2D camera (which he modified, as you can see above) for studio setups and a Century No.2 for outside. He's mostly working with historical processes like wet plates and salt prints.

He explained that he is a very independent person and loves to work with his hands, which is part of why he's so drawn to the old analog processes. It is stressful trying to get everything right for a successful print, but Hofstätter says the demanding process keeps him sharp, a kind of creative tension that helps him focus. "I was always a little stressed or anxious before pool tournaments," he said. "Then I learned that when the stress comes, it means I get extra energy. It means I'm ready now, and I'm going to be extra careful and extra good because the stress is here. It's the same in the darkroom."

Hofstätter sees benefits for portraiture from the slow analog process. His sessions result in only a single plate, which is drastically different from a portrait session with digital cameras. Of course, that also introduces challenges. You only have one shot to produce an image, after all. Hofstätter said that means you have to really figure out the individual before starting to take the photograph.

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

Hofstätter also explained that with wet plate processes, the subject is involved in the whole process. They get to see the plate getting prepped, the camera set up, the development and so on. That means he gets a lot more interaction with the people he's photographing, which lends itself to a different type of connection. The longer exposure times also lend themselves to unique results for portraiture. "I get to capture something different with the process because you have to sit still for two to three seconds," he explained. "You cannot fake good energy if you're not in a good mood for three seconds. So you get a different kind of personality, a real personality."

"If you want really great portraits, take at least 30 minutes per person."

Looking at Hofstätter's work reveals truly intimate, powerful portraits. Creating portraits like that involves a deep knowledge of how to work with people. "Portrait photography is mostly not about technique, it's about how you handle people," he said. It also requires a lot of trust and connection with the subject. When asked how he builds that trust, Hofstätter emphasized the importance of time. His main suggestion: take time. "If you want really great portraits, take at least 30 minutes per person," he said. "Chat with them before you even get started. Get to know who they are."

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

Of course, every person is different. Each individual will require a slightly different technique to get them comfortable in front of the lens. One method he likes to use is to have the subject close their eyes and only open them when they are ready. Then, when the eyes open, he takes the photograph. It gives the subject time to collect their thoughts and relax before he creates the image.

When asked whether he plans to explore other historical processes, Hofstätter said it isn’t a priority right now. "I want to create, I don't want to try. I figured it out now, and I just want to create portraits. At some point, when I'm limited, then I'll try something new," he explained. He gave an example of this problem-solving from when he was photographing a couple comprised of a woman with really dark skin and a really light man. The process is only blue-light sensitive, so she nearly completely disappeared. So, Hofstätter had to figure out a different recipe for his chemicals and tweak his lighting, which enabled him to get all of the skin tones to better handle such situations.

That doesn't mean Hofstätter is entirely opposed to trying new things, of course. A few years ago, he came across an antique retouching desk dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century. While many only associate retouching with digital processes and Photoshop, retouching has been around nearly as long as photography itself. After staring at it for those few years, he finally decided to put it to use. In a recent video and blog post, Hofstätter shared the process of learning how to retouch a plate with the antique table, which he said is more comfortable than the LED table he had used in the past.

Hofstätter was retouching his plates prior to buying this table using Photoshop. He explained that his retouching is always to make the digital copy look like the original. Seeing a plate in person is a much different experience, since tilting it or moving around it changes how the shadows and highlights appear. Because of that, he'll dodge and burn in Photoshop to get the digital version closer to the original. These days, he also shares videos of his plates to provide a better view of how they look in real life.

A preview of "The White Rabbit," an image included in his storytelling-based portrait series. Plate: Markus Hofstätter

As his practice continues to evolve, Hofstätter is preparing a book that pays tribute to the individuals who have inspired him. At the same time, he is delving into more story-driven work, weaving narratives into his plates while continuing with these historical processes. You can see more of his work on his website, his Instagram or his YouTube channel, and you can sign up for his newsletter to stay up to date on his Inspired series.

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Disclosure: DPReview is attending Adobe Max, with Adobe covering travel and lodging expenses.

Over the past few days at the Adobe Max conference, I've been able to talk with product managers from the Photoshop and Lightroom teams, and demo some new and in-the-works features that didn't get much time, if any, in the keynote presentation. We'll go over the most interesting ones here, and wrap up with some of the things I'd like to see in future releases.

The Lightroom Demos

Assisted Culling and Auto Stacks

The tool lets you fine-tune most of the parameters.

The headlining Lightroom feature this year is Assisted Culling, which is available as an "early access" feature in Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. We've gone more in-depth on it here, but essentially, it's a way to quickly sort through dozens or hundreds of photos so you only see the ones that are exposed properly and in focus. There are controls to set how picky you want it to be, and you can easily mark photos the system rejected as selects, or vice versa.

The culling tool can be accessed either in your library or in the import window, depending on where you're trying to use it.

Adobe has also updated the Stacks feature in Lightroom. While it has long been able to group photos by capture time, it can now do so based on visual similarity too (and, again, you can choose how similar photos have to be to be stacked together). Combining the two features lets you process a lot of photos very quickly. When you have your selects, you can run a batch process on both them and the rejects, applying colored labels, star ratings and/or flags, or adding them to an album.

The system generally works with both files in the cloud and on local files, though at the moment, you can only do visually similar stacking on local files in Lightroom Classic, not Lightroom.

Adobe says Assisted Culling is currently geared towards portrait photography, but that we can expect to see controls that make sense for other genres of photography in the future.

A better remove tool

Note that this selection doesn't include the player's shadows.

Adobe has also been hard at work on the remove tool, which photographers can use to automatically get rid of distracting elements in their photos. For one, it can now detect and delete dust spots from your sensor or lens, and can do so as a batch process. So, if you've just come back from a shoot and realized your sensor was dirty, you won't have to go through each photo to fix them manually one by one.

The remove model also now supports smarter object detection. Previously, if you selected a person and asked Lightroom to remove them, it'd do it, but might leave their shadow or reflection. Worse, it might look at the image, see that there's a shadow, and try to insert something into the selected area, defeating the point entirely. Now, if you select the Detect Objects box, it will automatically detect and remove shadows and reflections too, even if you've only selected the object.

With the "Detect objects" option selected, Lightroom fully selected the players' bodies and their shadows, even though I didn't completely scribble over them.

Adobe also says it's updated the model used in its reflection removal tool, allowing it to handle more complex situations.

While all the features we've talked about so far have been available on the desktop versions of Lightroom, there's a new one coming exclusively to the Mobile and Web versions (for now): automatic blemish removal. It's available as a Quick Action in the retouch menu, and, as with most Quick Actions, there's a slider to control how strong you want the effect to be. Adobe says it's one of the most requested features, but that it's rolling it out in Early Access to get feedback before making it more widely available (it is messing with people's faces, after all).

Smarter searching

It worked in this example, but didn't do so well in others. When I tried "black and white portraits" and "people with cats," it included images that didn't match those descriptions, and didn't find all the ones that did. Clearly still a work in progress!

Another feature that's in beta is an improved search tool that's much better at the semantic-type searching you may be familiar with using in cloud-based photo management tools from the likes of Apple and Google. While you've been able to search for things like "dog" or "person" for a while now, the improved search is much more granular. In the demo I saw, the presenter searched for "man standing at the end of a pier," and it was able to find the photo he was looking for.

It's currently only on Lightroom for the Web (which means it only works on photos you've uploaded to your account), and it has to do a scan of your library after you turn it on. While Adobe says it plans on bringing it to the desktop in the near-to-mid-future, you'll currently have to go to your profile, then enable the Improved Search feature in the Technology Previews section to use it.

What the heck is color variance?

The color variance slider, with no changes applied. Photo: Richard Butler

If I'm being honest, when I originally wrote about Adobe adding a "variance" slider to the point color panel, I wasn't completely sure what it did. After seeing it in action, though, I get it: it essentially lets you select a hue in your image, and then move similar hues either closer to it or further apart, removing or adding color contrast.

Turning the slider up can (in this case, over-)emphasise the difference between similar hues in your image.

The original use for it was for evening out skin tones, which helps demphasize blemishes without entirely smoothing someone's face. However, it can also be used to emphasize subjects in your scene without having to resort to globally increasing contrast, saturation or clarity. I saw demos of it being used to make foliage, which had looked relatively monochromatic in the original picture, really pop, or to make the Taj Mahal stand out despite being behind a thick layer of smog.

Agentic Editing

Suggestions are like presets, but instead of preset changes, they analyze the actual image you're applying them to.

The Lightroom team also showed me a beta feature called Edit Suggestions, which they described as their first toe into the waters of "agentic style" editing. It's a bit of a mix of the current Quick Actions found in Lightroom Mobile and Web and the Adaptive Profiles that analyze your photos to give you a better baseline for your edits (though the team tells me it doesn't rely on the tech from the latter).

Essentially, it's a tab that says "make my photo look" and then gives you several pre-made options, such as "vintage" or "cinematic." It will then change a bunch of parameters, such as color mixing, grain settings, curves and, of course, the standard exposure sliders.

Lightroom explains what changes it made, and of course lets you refine the tweaks it made.

The team made it clear that these aren't just presets, though; it won't make the same exact changes each time. Instead, the adjustments it makes, and how far it takes them, will be based on the specific photo. Ask for the same thing on a different photo, and you'll get different settings.

It's easy to imagine a more open-ended version of this in the future, similar to the AI assistant that's coming to Photoshop, though the team isn't making any announcements in that direction yet.

The Photoshop demos

With Photoshop, I didn't get to see many features that I hadn't already written about, but I was able to get some insight into how they worked under the hood and how the folks at Adobe were thinking about them.

Same remove tool improvements

To start, the Remove tool received the same updates as the one in Lightroom, and should now be better at removing both an object and any reflections and shadows it may cast. And while the process still uses cloud-based generative AI, Adobe says that they were able to make the model so efficient that the feature doesn't cost any of the generative credits that come with its plans (which is good news for those using the standard Creative Cloud plan or the inexpensive Photography plans, which only come with a few).

I also got a pro tip from Stephen Nielson, Sr. Director of Product Management of Photoshop, who said that people often try to use the Generative Fill feature to remove unwanted elements from an image, rather than the Remove tool. He doesn't recommend that. For one, it costs credits, and two, it's actually not as good at erasing something from an image; you might end up with the problem that most of us are likely familiar with, where you try to get rid of something, only to have it replaced by something else.

Generative Fill and Partner Models

You can now use Topaz's Gigapixel upscaling model from right within Photoshop, though doing so will require premium credits.

With that said, Generative Fill has gotten a big upgrade with the introduction of Partner Models, which let you do image generation not just using Adobe's own Firefly AI, but also with services like Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (AKA Nano Banana) model. Nielson says the new models available, including Adobe's latest-gen one, will now be much better at following prompts, when they couldn't before (though that didn't stop users from trying). For example, if you wanted it to change the color of someone's sweater, or even add a whole new overcoat, Generative Fill is now much better equipped to do so.

While a lot of photographers would rather not use generative AI to alter their images, Partner Models touches on other features as well. For example, if you frequent DPReview's forums and comments, you'll likely have seen recommendations for several of Topaz Labs' AI tools, such as the Gigapixel upscaler and its denoise software. The AI models underpinning those are now available to use in Photoshop, alongside Adobe's own models, without you having to have a separate subscription for them.

The local selection

The select tool did a pretty decent job with this very complex object (even if it did miss a few very low-contrast spokes and treat the two bikes as one).

Speaking of AI models, the subject select tool, which lets you cut out an object from an image, has been improved, too. Nielson said this actually came in April, when Adobe added the ability to run the subject recognition process in the cloud, using a more complex model that could do a better job with fine details. Now, though, that model no longer requires the cloud; it can run right on your computer.

I asked Nielson if that was something the Photoshop team was interested in bringing to more AI features, and while he cautioned that not every model could even be run on today's desktops and laptops, it was definitely something the team considered. "If we can bring a model to run locally, yeah, we'll do it," he says.

Jarvis, label my layers

The splashiest feature was likely the Photoshop AI assistant, which I actually didn't get to see a demo of; it's currently only available in closed beta and in Photoshop for the Web. The idea is that you'll have a chat box that you can type commands into that an AI will try to execute within Photoshop. The crowd-pleasing demo shown during the keynote asked it to name all the layers, but Adobe says it'll be able to make adjustments to how your image looks and even give you feedback on your current edits.

The latter part was, to me, a surprisingly big focus for Adobe. Nielson says the AI isn't analyzing whether the image or design is good or bad, per se, but rather just looking for ways that it could be better (though it wasn't exactly clear where the definition of "better" comes from). While he conceded that it could be used as a tool to learn how to do more complex edits or to remind you how to do a specific operation, he says they don't want it to just be a super-powered help tool. They view the AI more as an automation tool, something that'll do repetitive tasks that you can't be bothered with, but with a contextual understanding of your image that you wouldn't be able to get with, say, Actions or macros. Speaking of, though...

Action-packed

Adobe is carefully reworking the Actions panel. Image: Adobe

I also got a sneak peek at some of the progress being made to the updated Actions panel, which can also suggest edits to you based on the image you're working on. According to Pete Green, another Photoshop product manager, it pulls suggestions from a bank of over 500 pre-made actions. The team is also working on revamping the workflow for creating and recording custom actions, letting you add icons and labels to them to make them easier to pick out from the list.

According to Green, there's been a lot of effort to make sure the actions made by the new system are backwards-compatible, and that all your existing actions should still work. He says the team is being meticulous about the updates it makes, with the knowledge that actions are a long-standing and vital part of many people's workflows.

What's next?

Looking at the demos I saw this week, the thing that stood out to me most is that the gap between Lightroom and Photoshop's purposes has never been wider. Photoshop has become Adobe's main tool for dealing with imagery, and several of its features may seem like utter anathema to those who care about capturing moments and whatever truths may lie within them. Lightroom, meanwhile, is laser-focused on the needs of photographers, gaining features that I suspect will be quite popular, especially with our audience.

I do think there's room for a bit more of Photoshop to bleed into Lightroom, though. I was honestly surprised that Lightroom isn't getting the Topaz partner models, as I can imagine a lot of photographers wanting to use those, especially on older photos. The Lightroom team told me that they haven't ruled out the possibility of adding them and that customer feedback would be an important part of their considerations.

That raises the question: what would you like to see in Photoshop or Lightroom? Leave a comment down below or in our forums.

Sony launched the first video-compatible camera authenticity solution that currently supports five cameras with expansion to four more models by 2026:

• Industry First: Verification technology now supports video content captured by Sony cameras, fully compliant with C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standards.
• BBC Collaboration: Developed and validated in partnership with the BBC’s Research & Development Department to address growing concerns over synthetic and AI-generated media.
• Advanced Verification Capabilities: Includes 3D depth detection for video, a trim function for large files, and new digital signature licenses enabling rapid authenticity verification.
• Ci Media Cloud Integration: News organizations can now view C2PA-compliant signature information directly within Sony’s Ci Media Cloud environment for seamless newsroom workflows.
• Supported Cameras: Alpha 1 II, Alpha 9 III, FX3, FX30, and the new PXW-Z300iv, with additional Alpha models–including the Alpha 7R V, Alpha 7 IV, Alpha 1, and Alpha 7S III–planned by 2026.

Additional information:

SAN DIEGO. Oct. 30, 2025 – Sony Electronics is furthering its commitment to authenticity in video content by extending its verification technology to a broader lineup of cameras. This initiative marks the next significant step in providing news organizations with the industry’s first camera authenticity solution compatible with video (C2PAii standard-compliant), starting October 30.

As generative AI continues to evolve, concerns are growing about the impact of tampered and fake images spreading widely. For news organizations and broadcasters in particular, the importance of providing accurate and reliable information has increased. To address this challenge, Sony has been providing camera authenticity solutions.

In response to growing demand for authenticity support, Sony has advanced its technology development to enable news organizations and broadcasters to verify the authenticity of video and image content, supporting the work of photojournalists, video journalists and photographers. Through initiatives and verification experimentsiii, Sony has validated the authenticity of video content in collaboration with the Research & Development Department of the UK’s public broadcaster BBC. In addition, the company works closely with the C2PA (The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity), a standards organization that develops open standards and technical specifications for the provenance and authenticity of digital content, serving as a Steering Committee Member since March 2022.

Sony’s camera authenticity solution verification site enables authenticity verification for both still images and videos, confirming that content was captured by a Sony camera rather than AI-generated. The system can also detect 3D depth information in video content, enabling highly accurate verification that videos were captured of actual, existing subjectsiv. Additionally, a trim function that allows extraction and verification of only necessary portions while maintaining signatures enables rapid authenticity verification even for large-capacity video files. As use of the verification site requires a digital signature license and installation of the digital signature license on Sony-compatible cameras, Sony will also begin providing digital signature licenses for videov.

In Sony’s cloud-based collaboration solution for video production, Ci Media Cloud, the display of C2PA standard-compliant digital signature information that certifies content authenticity will become available for news organizations and broadcasters.

Sony Cameras Supporting Recording of Authenticity Information for Video

• Interchangeable-Lens Cameras: Alpha 1 II, Alpha 9 III
• Cinema Line Cameras: FX3, FX30
• (NEWLY Launched) XDCAM Memory Camcorder: PXW-Z300iv

* Interchangeable-Lens Cameras Alpha 7R V, Alpha 7 IV, Alpha 1: scheduled to be supported from after November 2025 or later* Interchangeable-Lens Cameras Alpha7S III: Support planned from 2026 onwards

The post Sony is the first camera company to introduce video content authenticity solution appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Field Made, known for its lens indicators, announced today new customizable labels for Sony, Canon, and Nikon batteries (use the discount code rumors for 10% off):

• Customizable labels for Nikon EN-EL15 batteries
• Customizable labels for Sony NP-FZ100 batteries
• Customizable labels for Canon LP-E6NH batteries
• Customizable labels for Canon LP-E6N/LP-E6 batteries

Field Made informed me that orders to the US are duty-free and tariff-free. That means the price you see at checkout is the final price you pay. All Field Made indicator labels are made in Canada and fall under the USMCA trade agreement, allowing them to cross the border seamlessly.

New Fieldmade cinema indicator labels

New: FieldMade indicator labels for Leica cameras and lenses (coupon included)

FieldMade is launching the next-generation camera indicator labels for Tamron, Sony, Nikon, Fuji, and Canon

The post Field Made released new customizable labels for Sony, Canon, and Nikon batteries appeared first on Photo Rumors.

As previously announced in our forums, on our homepage, and via a Halloween‑orange banner on the site, we will be upgrading the software that powers DPReview's discussion forums. During this upgrade, the forums will be in read‑only mode while we migrate all existing forum data to the new system.

The forums will enter read‑only mode on Friday, October 31, at 1:00 pm Pacific (20:00 UTC). During the read-only period, you can continue to browse, read, and search the forums, but you won't be able to create new posts or upload photos. We expect the forums to come back online beginning Wednesday, November 5.

The move to a modern platform will ensure the forums remain healthy, secure, and sustainable for the years ahead. It will allow us to roll out important performance improvements and new features.

When the upgrade is complete, your discussions, posting history, photo albums, private messages, and other data will all be preserved.

Want a preview of the new forums? Our Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, put together a 5‑minute video walkthrough, which you can find at the top of this article.

To learn more about the upgrade and why we're doing it, please see our detailed forum post.

Read our post about the forum upgrade

We've also published a comprehensive FAQ about these changes. If your question isn't covered, add it to the FAQ forum thread and we'll find the answer.

Read the FAQ

Finally, thank you to everyone who's contributed to the forums over the years – the experts, the beginners, and yes, even the trolls. We can't wait for more discussions, debates, and shared discoveries in the years ahead.

Here is some additional informtion on the new AstrHori 9mm f/2.8 APS-C lens for E/X/Z/RF/MFT mount (previously reported here):

• APS-C | f/2.8 to f/16
• 13.5mm (Full-Frame Equivalent)
• One Aspherical Lens Element
• Two Extra-Low Dispersion Lens Elements
• 7.8″ Minimum Focusing Distance
• 7-Blade Diaphragm
• 11 Elements in 8 Groups
• 62mm Filter Thread
• Manual Focus Design
• Built-In Petal-Shape Lens Hood

Check the official website for more information (lens not listed at the time of this post).

Via NikonRumors

The post Additional information on the new AstrHori 9mm f/2.8 lens (E/X/Z/RF/MFT) appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Image: Sony

Sony has released firmware updates for the a9 III, a1 II, FX30, FX3 and PXW-Z300 camcorder, bringing C2PA content credentials to video for the first time. Additionally, Ver. 4.00 for Sony's two flagship mirrorless models promises to improve autofocus capabilities and add other upgrades.

Sony first teased Content Credentials for video at the launch of its PXW-Z300 camcorder this summer, saying the feature would be available via a future firmware update. Now, that time is here, with it and the a9 III, a1 II, FX30 and FX3 getting support for the "Write Digital Signature" function for movies.

The embedded digital signature confirms that the content was captured by a specific Sony camera and not generated by AI. Going even further, Sony says that the system can "detect 3D depth information in video content, enabling highly accurate verification that videos were captured of actual, existing subjects" to offer two levels of authentication.

As with the stills Digital Signature tool, this is a paid license. And, as of now, that license is only available for certain media outlets, not for general use. The firmware update page reveals that Sony still hasn't specified when its Camera Authenticity Solution, and therefore Content Credentials, may be expanded to general users.

It plans to add support for C2PA standards for video on the a7R V, a7 IV and a1 in November

Still, it's good to see Sony expanding its content authenticity efforts, and the feature showing up for video on Alpha cameras alongside the cinema cameras is a good step, especially as more and more news agencies adopt them into their workflows. Sony added that it plans to add support for C2PA standards for video on the a7R V, a7 IV and a1 in November 2025, and the a7S III sometime in 2026.

Beyond content authenticity, the firmware updates for the a1 II and a9 III also bring about some autofocus upgrades. Both now support improved subject detection and tracking capabilities. According to the company, the updated system will provide "stable recognition of people even in complex situations such as crowds or team sports." Ver. 4.00 also promises more precise and consistent tracking, even when the subject is small or if they are temporarily obstructed.

Additionally, the a9 III is being updated to let you to set the subject recognition to Auto, instead of manually selecting your subject type. That feature was available on the a1 II when it launched, but it is new on the a9 III. Like the a1 II, you'll be able to exclude certain types of subjects from the auto mode for faster processing.

There are smaller updates for the cameras, too. Both now offer Sony's FL2 (Film 2) and FL3 (Film 3) to the Creative Look options, promise improved metering when using bounce flash and add support for the Preset Focus function with non-power zoom lenses. The a9 III also enables the ability to customize whether you change the Shooting Mode, Drive Mode or Focus Mode using the dial or the menu.

You can see all of the changes available in Ver. 4.00 for the a9 III and a1 II, and download the new firmware on the respective support pages.

Sony a9 III Ver. 4.00

Sony a1 II Ver. 4.00