Additional information on the new Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III “30th Anniversary” limited edition camera:

Announced: new Canon RF 14mm f/1.4L + 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 lenses + PowerShot G7 X Mark III “30th Anniversary Edition” camera

The post Additional information on the new Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III “30th Anniversary” limited edition camera appeared first on Photo Rumors.

The previously rumored Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 full-frame lens for L-mount is now officially announced and available for pre-orders at:

• B&H Photo, 
• Amazon
• Viltrox store (intro price of $551)

Additional information:

• 15 Elements in 12 Groups (4 ED, 3 ASPH Lenses)
• 0.27m MFD; 0.1× Magnification
• Lens Info Screen with Real-Time Data
• Fn1/Fn2 Customizable Buttons
• AF/MF Switch Lever
• Click/De-Click Aperture Ring
• Quiet STM Autofocus Motor
• Minimal Focus Breathing — Video-Friendly
• Superior Reliability Body Design
• 550g Weight; 77mm Filter Thread
• MSRP: 580 USD / 599 EUR / 530 GBP

Viltrox joined the L-Mount Alliance in September, 2025:

Today Viltrox became the 10th member of the L-Mount Alliance

What’s coming next from Viltrox (updated)

Updated list of latest/upcoming/rumored Chinese lenses

The Panasonic LUMIX S1RII camera is now $300 off: https://t.co/mYJfCMuGfq pic.twitter.com/CpBHF0iuL4

— Photography Deals (@PhotogDeals) February 2, 2026

Via LeicaRumors

The post The rumored Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 full-frame lens for L-mount is now officially announced appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Image: Viltrox

Viltrox has announced its first L-Mount lens after joining the alliance last September. The company will now sell an L-mount version of its AF 16mm F1.8 lens, which has previously been available for E and Z mount cameras.

Optically, the Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 L is the same as the models released in 2024. It's built around 15 elements in 12 groups, an optical design that includes 3 aspherical elements and 4 ED elements to better manage distortion, chromatic aberration and coma. Viltrox promises ultra-high resolution from the ultra-wide and says it is sharp edge-to-edge even when wide open.

The lens offers a wide F1.8 maximum aperture and can focus as close as 0.27m (10.6"), which is twice the distance of Sony's 16mm F1.8, its closest like-for-like rival. It uses Viltrox's stepper motor for autofocus, which it says is fast and accurate. Viltrox also promises minimal focus breathing, making it a suitable option for video applications.

Image: Viltrox

Like the original E and Z-mount versions, the lens offers plenty of on-body controls. It features two function buttons: one is customizable, while the other enables users to quickly switch between two preset focus distances. A focus ring can be clicked or de-clicked, and it features an AF/MF switch. There's also a 0.96" color display at the top of the lens that shows focus distance, depth of field, and aperture settings.

Unlike some ultra-wide lenses, the Viltrox 16mm doesn't feature a bulging front lens element. The flat lens design reduces the risk of damaging the glass when walking around with it and also allows for a 77mm filter thread. It uses metal construction and weighs 550g (1.2 lbs). It also offers some weather sealing to protect against dust.

The Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 L is available for purchase for $580.

Viltrox 16mm F1.8 specifications

The previously rumored Canon RF 14mm f/1.4L VCM, RF 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 lenses, and PowerShot G7 X Mark III “30th Anniversary Edition” camera are now officially announced:

• Pre-orders: B&H Photo | WEX Photo

Additional information:

Canon RF 14mm f/1.4L VCM lens:

• Canon’s brightest ultra-wide-angle (14mm) interchangeable lens for hybrid Photo / Video use.
• Bright f/1.4 aperture with 11-bladed circular iris for background separation and low light.
• Extremely lightweight and compact design, complimenting the comprehensive F1.4 L-Series lens
  line-up.
• A VCM (Voice Coil Motor) powers the primary rear focus unit and is incredibly fast, accurate and
  quiet (great for video).
• Minimal focus breathing – a hallmark of the Canon hybrid lenses.
• SubWavelength Structure Coating Air Sphere Coating (ASC) helps to significantly reduce ghosting
  and flare.
• High image quality as the first ultra-wide-angle lens featuring (1) Fluorite element, along with (1)
  BR (Blue Spectrum Refractive) Optics element, 1 UD (Ultra Low Dispersion) element, and 3 GMO
  (Glass Molded Optics) aspheric lenses to minimize chromatic aberration and for incredible quality
  from edge-to-edge.
• Featuring an Iris ring for manual iris control during video capture, Lens function button, Control
  Ring and support for rear cut filters.
• L-series reliability, with dust- and weather-resistant sealing and fluorine coating

Canon RF 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 fisheye zoom lens:

• Introducing the new Canon ultra-wide-angle zoom (7-14mm) lens – the ultimate creative tool for extreme close-up action imagery with unique distortion, and extraordinary perspectives.
• World’s first fisheye zoom lens that covers a 190-degree angle of view.*
• Can achieve both “circular” fisheye imagery (at 7mm Wide position) and “full frame” diagonal fisheye (at 14mm Tele position) imagery.
• Variable aperture lens support f/2.8 at the widest angle and f/3.5 at the telephoto setting.
• Built-in support for use of EF-to-EOS R mount adapter drop-in filters (Clear, CPL, V-ND).
• High image quality featuring 5 UD lens elements, 2 replica aspheric elements.
• Reduced ghosting and anti-reflectivity with Air sphere coating (ASC).
• Leadscrew-type STM focus drive with minimum focusing as close as 5.9-inches.
• Enhanced operability for photo and video with dedicated Lens Function button, Control Ring,
• Zoom limit/Lock switch, Iris ring, and a practical size and weight.
• EOS VR System application support for monoscopic VR shooting.
• L-series reliability, with dust- and weather-resistant sealing and fluorine coating

Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III “30th Anniversary Edition” camera:

To celebrate 30 years of PowerShot cameras, a limited edition version of the PowerShot G7 X Mark III camera is scheduled to be available later this year. The 1.0 inch PowerShot G7 X Mark III is a compact digital camera featuring a stacked CMOS sensor with approximately 20.1 million effective pixels and a large aperture and bright 4.2 x optical zoom lens for versatile video expression. In addition to still image capture, the “Video Blog” mode, which is specialized for Vlog shooting, enables comfortable video capture. This limited edition model uses a unique color “graphite” for the camera body and the front ring has a diamond knurling to create a design that combines luxury and quality. In addition, the 30 year anniversary logo is printed on the body to create a special feeling suitable for limited edition models.

The post Announced: new Canon RF 14mm f/1.4L + 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 lenses + PowerShot G7 X Mark III “30th Anniversary Edition” camera appeared first on Photo Rumors.

The gray colorscheme, 30th Anniversary logo, 'diamond' knurling on the control ring around the lens and the price set the Anniversary edition apart from the standard G7 X III. Image: Canon

Canon is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its PowerShot line of compact cameras with a premium-priced special edition of its hard-to-find G7 X Mark III enthusiast compact.

It features a gray top plate and different knurling on the control ring, along with 30th Anniversary branding on the flash. Other than that, it's identical to the standard G7 X Mark III that's reliably unavailable.

As such it has a 24-100mm equiv. F1.8-2.8 lens in front of a 20MP Type 1 (13.2 x 8.8mm) Stacked CMOS sensor. It also has a clicking control dial around the lens, a dedicated exposure comp dial and a rear screen that flips 90 degrees down and 180 degrees upward, helping it become something of a TikTok favourite, as well as being an excellent enthusiast compact.

Canon North America will also provide a leather PeakDesign wrist strap with the 30th Anniversary logo but this isn't included in all markets.

The Anniversary Edition is described as a limited edition, but the extent of its availability has not been disclosed. Image: Canon

Canon refers to it as a "limited edition" but declined to specify how many units the edition is limited to. Canon North America told us it will run a lottery for people wanting to buy them from its own website but it'll be left up to retailers to decide how to allocate the units they get into stock.

The special edition G7 X Mark III will be available from April 2026 in unspecified numbers at a cost of $1295. This is a $420 premium over the regular version that isn't formally limited. A company spokesperson said that supply constraints on the standard version "should get better, later in the year."

In the UK, the special edition will cost £860, only a £40 increase over the cost over the standard model. Though you don't get the custom wrist strap. It will go on sale on April 23rd.

European outlets are reporting that the Anniversary edition and all G7 X III's will move over from the NB-13L battery to a new unit called the NB-15L. Batteries with the new designation differ only in that they won't attempt to charge if they've been over-discharged, as a safety feature.

Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III Specifications

Image: Canon

Canon has announced the 14mm F1.4 VCM L, the latest in its family of similarly-sized F1.4 lenses designed for shooting both stills and videos. With the exception of the company's "Dual" lenses designed for VR, this becomes Canon's widest-angle prime for RF mount.

The lens is made up of 18 elements in 13 groups, with a litany of special glass and coatings: there's a fluorite lens, a UD lens, a Blue Refractive "BR" optical element for correcting chromatic aberration, and three glass-molded aspheric elements, as well as a fluorine coating for anti-fouling and the company's SWC and ASC coating for reducing flare, ghosting and reflections. It can focus on subjects as close as 0.24m (9.4") away, providing up to 0.11x magnification.

Physically, the lens is a similar weight to the rest of Canon's VCM lenses, coming in at 578g (20.4oz). At 112mm (4.4") long, it'll stick out a touch further from the camera than the others, though that's primarily down to its integrated lens hood. Speaking of, the front element is slightly bulbous, meaning the lens can't be used with filters that screw on to the front. It does, however, have a holder for pre-cut gelatin filters on the back of its mount. A special lens cap that clips on is included.

The 14mm F1.4 VCM accepts gelatin filters at the back of the lens. There doesn't appear to be room behind the optics to use the slot-in filter modules used on the co-announced 7-14mm L fisheye lens. Image: Canon

It has plenty of controls and switches, including a customizable function button, a manual / auto focus switch, Canon's control ring and an (unfortunately clickless) aperture ring, which can be locked into "Auto" mode. As with the rest of the VCM lenses, the latter can be used in video mode across Canon's RF camera lineup, but can only be used in stills mode on the relatively recent EOS R1, R5 II, R6 III and R50V.

The RF 14mm F1.4 VCM L fills a hole in Canon's mirrorless lineup, which previously lacked a fast, high-end ultra-wide prime, the kind that's the bread and butter of astro-photographers. Of course, there are plenty of other uses for this focal length, but some of those will have already been covered by lenses like the 10-20mm F4 zoom.

We wouldn't have necessarily guessed that this would be Canon's next choice for a VCM lens, partially because the company has always stressed its focus on making the lenses good for both stills and video. While the company says it has well-controlled breathing, the lens still falls a bit short for the latter use case since its front element makes it difficult to attach filters. Presumably for reasons of space, Canon hasn't used the drop-in filter port included on the fisheye lens launching alongside this one, which would've made at least some affordance for a variable ND. Still, we're glad to see the company finally offering a high-end ultrawide prime for full-frame RF.

The RF 14mm F1.4 VCM L will be available near the end of February and will retail for $2499.

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.

Canon 14mm F1.4 VCM L specifications:

Image: Canon

Canon has announced the RF 7-14mm F2.8-3.5 L Fisheye STM, which it says is the first zoom lens of its kind to provide a 190° field of view at its widest setting. The lens also has a few other tricks up its sleeve, including a way to use filters – even variable ones – despite its hemispherical front element.

The lens is made of 16 elements in 11 groups, with two aspheric elements and 5 UD lenses. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.15m (5.9") across its zoom range, providing up to 0.35x magnification at 14mm. When paired with a full-frame camera, its widest angle offers a circular field of view, which becomes a diagonal fisheye field of view at the 'long' end.

It has a dual-purpose locking / limit switch, which you can use for different purposes, depending on what kind of system you're using it on. If you're shooting on a full-frame camera, you can use it to lock the zoom at 7mm, making sure you maintain the full circular fisheye effect. If you're using it with an APS-C body, however, you can use it to lock the lens in to only use focal lengths that fill the entire frame, starting at around 8.7mm.

To help with this mode, there's a "C" indicator on the zoom ring, which lines up with the limit switch once you've reached that focal length. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from using this limit setting on a full-frame camera, too, but the focal lengths it limits you to won't have any particular significance on a larger sensor.

The lens also has Canon's control ring, a programmable button and an autofocus / manual focus switch.

You can use the slot-in circular polarizer previously offered with Canon's EF/RF adapter, this has a small, geared wheel (shown towards the upper left of this image) to let you rotate the filter inside the lens. Image: Canon

It weighs 476g (16.8oz) and is 109mm (4.3") long. While its front element makes it impossible to use standard screw-on filters, Canon has borrowed a trick from one of its EF to RF adapters, building in a slot for drop-in filters into the lens. It ships with a clear filter, but it can accept any of the ones used by that adapter, meaning there's already a circular polarizer, gelatin filter holder and even a variable ND filter for it. The circular polarizing and vari ND filters come with a geared wheel that lets you rotate the filters while they're mounted in the lens.

The Canon RF 7-14mm F2.8-3.5 L Fisheye STM will be available later this month at an MSRP of $1899. As you'd expect of an L-series lens, it's weather sealed and comes with both a lens hood and lens pouch.

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.

Canon RF 7-14mm F2.8-3.5 L Fisheye STM specifications:

Here is the first set of rumored Sony a7R VI camera specifications I received today:

• Sony’s A7R VI is set to be released before November 2026, right before the Alpha 7S series
• The Alpha 7R VI is currently undergoing testing on a small scale
• BIONZ XR2 processor with 8.5 stops of image stabilisation
• 30fps 14-bit RAW continuous shooting
• RAW pre-capture
• 60fps AE/AF
• 16-frame high-resolution composite shooting
• Up to 32-frame noise-reduced composite shooting
• The grip has been redesigned, adopting the deeper handle found on the A1 II.
• The screen’s maximum brightness is 50% higher than the A1 II.
• The A7R VI uses a full-stacked sensor with 80M effective pixels
• It’s seen as a big step up from the A7 V, and it’s in a similar position to the A7R III and A7 III at the time
• No open gate, no RAW video, no 6K HEVCIt supports full-frame 10.9K oversampled 8K30p, APS-C 7.1K oversampled 4K60p, and full-frame 5.5K (pixel-binning) oversampled 4K120p video
• For stills, it can take 30 fps, but there’s a hard limit on the number of frames.
• The dynamic range is still better than the A7R V in mechanical shutter mode when using electronic shutter, and it has a 16+ stop dynamic range when enabling mechanical shutter.
• The number of pixels on the screen is higher than the A7 V, but the electronic shutter speed is slightly faster. However, the electronic shutter speed is still only a third of the A1 II.

The post Sony a7R VI camera first rumored specifications appeared first on Photo Rumors.

CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association in Japan) published its 2025 camera production data, and the compact camera segment is the biggest winner of the year:

Full Year 2025 CIPA numbers by ZoetMB
(All comparisons to Full Year 2024)

CIPA has predicted 6.66m ILCs, 1.92m compacts and 10.56m lenses for calendar 2025, a modest increase over 2024.
The year actually came in at 7.002m ILCs, 2.44mm compacts and 10.6m lenses. Last month we projected between 6.93m and 6.98m ILC units, so we were close (but that was only a month ago).

For the 2025 full year:

• DSLR’s were down 31% in units and 36% in shipped value.
• Mirrorless units were up 12% in units and 3% in shipped value.
• Compacts were up 30% in units and 49% in shipped value.
• Lenses for smaller than 35mm sensors were up 8% in units and 19% in shipped value and lenses for 35mm and larger sensors were down 2% in units and down 5% in shipped value.
• The lens to body sales ratio dropped to 1.51 compared to 1.56 a year ago.

Original CIPA data:

A list of participating CIPA companies can be found here.

Via NikonRumors

The post The 2025 CIPA numbers are out: compacts up 30% in units and 49% in shipped value appeared first on Photo Rumors.

The previously reported 7Artisans AF 40mm f/2.5 FF lens for Sony E-mount is already listed for sale on Amazon:

Check the official website for updates (Sony and Viltrox both already have 40mm f/2.5 lenses).

Additional information on the lens:

Updated list of latest/upcoming/rumored Chinese lenses

Here is an updated list of photo gear promo codes you can use during this holiday shopping season

The post The new 7Artisans AF 40mm f/2.5 FF lens for Sony E-mount is now available for pre-order appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Here is what else is new:

Leica Q3 Monochrom camera now in stock

Pink Leica M11 LABUBU limited edition camera?

“Draht” is a new Swiss-made minimalistic grip for Leica M cameras

Deal of the day: 40% off all Vi Vante orders

The new DJ Optical 50mm f/1.0 lens for Leica M-mount is now available for purchase online

Ricoh released new Pentax limited-edition camera straps upcycled from train seats

Sony a7SIII Firmware 5.0 Update Released

Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro and Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.7 Firmware Updates Released

New SmallRig NP-W126S USB-C Battery 1050mAh

Fujinon XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR and Fujinon GF500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR

SmallRig LP-E6P USB-C Battery and Camera Battery with Power Display

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

A muddied construction site in Indonesia during the wet season got revenge on this camera. Photo: I Beam

In last week's Question of the week, the community didn’t just swap specs or talk wishlists; you traded reports from a diverse set of danger zones in photography. We were amazed by how many cameras managed to survive such incredible disasters. Cameras were flung off boats, buried in mud, run over by construction trucks and even pulled from rice paddy firefights. Yet, amazingly, many of them remained functional with just a bit of cleanup needed to get them going again.

Read on for some of those intense stories that pitted cameras against the wrath of nature.

Your camera disasters revealed

Bearly There: A bear tried to eat my GoPro. I had it sitting on a fence post along an animal trail attached to a Gorillapod and set the GoPro to take a photo every five seconds. I left it there for a few hours before going back to retrieve it, only to find it on the ground, covered in slimy slobber.

Hike Pics: Early 90s, on our 1st anniversary, my wife and I were down in Savannah, Georgia. I was stepping out of one of the many shops facing the Savannah River. I missed the first step, causing my 80-200mm to flip out of my front-facing fanny pack (that I forgot to zip) and land on the street. I heard glass break. I tossed it and the fanny pack into the garbage can. I NEVER got another fanny pack!

woxx: I was on a beach in Iceland with my Fujifilm GFX 50S and GF45 on a cold spring day with high wind and rough water. They say never turn your back on the water, but I stupidly did. Right then, a wave pushed about a foot of water up, knocking me down onto my hands and knees. The wave completely submerged my GFX 50S in cold Atlantic saltwater.

Dropped Ricoh Caplio R6 survived in sand, but did not survive a second, more disastrous drop. Photo: ThvdW

RecklessCoding: Over a decade ago, I was doing my mandatory military service. There was this big event, an unveiling of a monument for a dead war hero. The president of my country, ambassadors, generals, etc, were all set to come as they would double the event as a full-on inspection of the guard. I was asked to take photos at the event.

During the president's speech, I thought of getting up on the platform he was standing on to take a nice portrait. I took the first step, and bam, I lost my balance. My camera bag was open, and one of the lenses flew out in front of the president's face and landed somewhere on a bush behind him. Longest second of my life.

The Squirrel Mafia: Back in 2014, I went to Disneyland with the family. I took my 10 MP Sony A200 DSLR. By midday, we got on the Jungle Cruise. I took the camera strap off my neck and took a few photos. Then I put the camera on my lap. When the boat got back to the dock, I thought I had the camera strap on my wrist. As I got up, the camera flew off my lap and fell upside down onto the hard floor of the boat. The camera survived, but the flash mechanism didn't. Had I turned the other way, it would have fallen right into the "river".

Kowa Super 66 was shot dead by a deer rifle due to the owner's frustration at not being able to repair the camera. Photo: KICK14

deep7: I was out on a horse trek with some friends. We weren't far from base when my Olympus Mju film camera fell out of my backpack. I went back for it once the horses were sorted, to find that an eight-ton horse truck had driven right over it! The camera had a massive crack and didn't function, but pressing the film rewind button made it work. I retrieved the film, completely undamaged. Tough little cameras, no wonder they sold millions of them.

The Point and Shoot Pro: During the days when I was shooting 4/3s cameras, I was talking to a nice older gentleman who had an E-1. He was on one of these Nikon "Mentor" trips, shooting by a slow-running river. A few Canikon fans were there, sort of talking crap about his "inferior" Olympus setup. So he walked over to the river, dropped his camera in, looked at the boys, and said, "Go ahead, do that with your gear".

Vetteran: We took a day trip in Iceland (all 4.5 hours of sunlight in January) to the infamous Reynisfjara "Black Sand Beach" known for sneaker waves. Of course, I was about 100 feet from the surf when a sneaker wave came in. The wave hit my camera bag hard. The result: both of my Leicas, D109 and VLUX Type 114, which were in my Domke camera bag, slipped off my shoulder, and the interior of the bag was water-drenched, ruining both cameras.

Sometimes, putting your camera in harms' way to get the shot works out. Other times it doesn't. Photo: Mitchell Clark

These tales feel less like minor mishaps and more like war stories from the front lines, with cameras hurled off boats, buried in mud, drowned in surf and even dragged through firefights. Hard lessons learned: trust your straps, respect the weather, zip the bag, spread the tripod legs, and always have a plan for when gravity or water wins.

So many other great stories we couldn't fit in this article are shared in the forums. Thanks to everyone who took the time to write up a fascinating account of your camera accidents.

Keep watch for the next Question of the week every other Wednesday to participate in this series. New questions are posted here on the homepage and in the forums. We can't wait to read and share your stories!

Had a camera destroyed? Click here to share your story!

The previously reported Godox V1mid on-camera professional round-head flash is now announced (C/N/S/F/O). Compact and well-balanced, with refined optical performance, fast operation, and reliable wireless control, the V1 mid delivers natural, evenly shaped light powered by the Godox Optical System.

Pre-orders: B&H Photo | Amazon

Additional information:

• Compact professional round-head flash
• Natural, uniform light with smooth transitions
• Godox Optical System for refined light shaping
• TTL auto flash & 1/8000s HSS
• Front and rear curtain sync
• Godox 2.4GHz Wireless X System
• High-performance Li-ion battery with USB-C charging
• Compatible with AK-R1 round-head accessories
• Supports Bowens-mount modifiers via optional S3 bracket
• Price: $179.00
• Godox V1 MID vs. Godox V1:

Godox released a new AD800 Pro all-in-one outdoor flash, new V1 Mid flash coming next

Via CanonAddict

The post New Godox V1mid on-camera flash announced (C/N/S/F/O) appeared first on Photo Rumors.

The previously reported Canon EOS R7 Mark II camera is already registered with the FCC. The confidentiality status is currently scheduled to expire on June 16, 2026, indicating that the new Canon EOS R7 Mark II will be released before that date, unless there is a delay and they extend the lock period. Stay tuned for updates.

The post Canon EOS R7 Mark II camera expected to be announced before June 2026 appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Canon is rumored to announce the following new products tomorrow:

• Canon RF 14mm f/1.4L VCM lens
• Canon RF 7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 fisheye zoom lens
• Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III limited edition

Canon is considering outsourcing the production of lower-end (entry-level) products to external partners

The latest Canon camera registrations

Canon is rumored to register a new high-end EOS camera

The post Canon announcement tomorrow? appeared first on Photo Rumors.

It's become increasingly common for cameras to be able to capture Raw video without the need for an external recorder, making it that bit more accessible. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Raw video looks set to become increasingly common on cameras, with cameras from Panasonic, Canon and Nikon all offering internal Raw capture options. We thought it was a good time to take another look at the pros and cons of Raw video, whether it's worth the effort and whether you should consider it an essential feature, next time you buy a camera.

It's not as significant as for stills

The first point worth reiterating is that the benefits of Raw shooting aren't anywhere near as significant as they are for stills shooting. The main reason for this is that the alternative to shooting Raw stills is typically an 8-bit JPEG with a high-contrast S-curve applied to it, ready for viewing which leaves relatively little scope for significant brightness and tonal edits. Whereas the alternative to Raw in video tends to be 10-bit footage encoded with a Log response curve which is specifically designed to maintain tonal flexibility.

"A 10-bit log file can comfortably retain all the meaningful content of a 12-bit linear one"

It also tends to be the case that most video is derived from 12-bit sensor readout, rather than the 14-bit modes used on most large pixel cameras. Reducing the readout bit-depth boosts the readout speed but puts a limit on the amount of DR that can be retained. That said, many modern cameras increasingly oversample for their core video modes, an act that helps reduce noise and boost DR.

Little information is given about most 'Raw' video formats, but if they are encoded in a linear manner, as delivered by cameras' ADCs, it's worth pointing out that a 10-bit logarithmic file can comfortably retain all the meaningful content of a 12-bit linear one.

It's more that there's a well-established alternative to Raw capture, rather than any weakness of the Raw footage, that leads us to stress that the benefits are more modest than you might expect, if you're coming from a stills-shooting background.

So what benefits do you gain?

Control over white balance and ISO

The easiest benefit to spot is that, as in Raw photos, Raw video typically doesn't apply multipliers to its color channels and 'bake' a white balance into the file. This retains maximum flexibility in the edit, as it eliminates the risk that a badly judged white balance has prematurely clipped a channel that you then want to recover.

In practice, there isn't going to be a big difference between this and a 10-bit Log workflow, if you get the white balance quite close at the point of capture.

Raw footage should let you adjust the white balance and brightness rendering of the footage, after the fact. In this instance the interface gives you "ISO", "Exposure Offset" and "Color Temperature" tools. There's no setting for adjusting the Magenta/Green 'tint' axis. Screengrab: DPReview from Final Cut Pro 11.1

Another benefit of the better Raw implementations is the ability to change ISO after the fact. Strictly speaking, you can't edit ISO after the fact any more than you can adjust "exposure" in a stills Raw converter, but you can see why they might choose to label the control that way.

Typically what's actually happening is that your camera is shooting at its base amplification setting (or its second gain step) to prevent unnecessary clipping, then brightening the footage in post, based on the "ISO" value to assign in your editor. As with white balance, this lets you second-guess your decisions at the point of shooting, but the end results are unlikely to be radically different to having shot Log in the 'correct' ISO, at the time.

Control over sharpening and noise reduction

What you definitely gain is much greater control over the sharpening and noise reduction being applied to your footage. Even at their minimal settings (and different brands have a very different idea of what minimal processing looks like), most hybrid cameras will apply quite a lot of noise reduction and sharpening to their processed output.

Shooting Raw gives you much more choice about the level and complexity of noise reduction and sharpening being applied. Of course, this also means you need to come up with a sharpening and noise reduction strategy in your workflow.

Support

Support for Raw video has been improving in recent months, with Adobe adding beta support for Nikon's NRaw and related R3D formats. Between plugins from the manufacturers and third-party options such as Color Finale Transcoder 2, you can use most Raw formats in the most popular editing software.

This is particularly useful as, for instance, Nikon cameras derive their native Raw and their ProRes Raw output on different sensor modes, so the quality and available framerates can differ between them.

Lens corrections

Another consideration is that a great many modern lens designs only deliver the combination of angle-of-view, size and price they offer, because they use software corrections as part of their design. Not all Raw video workflows maintain the necessary correction parameters, meaning you'll need to find correction plugins to mimic them, if you want to use many modern hybrid lenses.

The Nikon ZR lets you choose between capturing Nikon's N-Raw or the related R3D NE format. Alternatively you can capture the more widely supported ProRes Raw format, though not at the higher frame rates offered in its native formats. Screengrab: Mitchell Clark

This isn't an issue if you're adapting manual focus lenses, but it's worth testing whether the Raw format you hope to use will maintain the lens correction information if you're planning to use most systems' native AF lenses. For instance, Nikon writes its lens corrections parameters to its NRaw and R3D Raw formats, but doesn't embed them in ProRes Raw mode.

Canon's lens corrections are provided as part of its Raw files. Premiere honors the lens settings, whereas DaVinci Resolve lets you hack around them, if you prefer. And, although correction support has been added to ProRes Raw, Panasonic's cameras don't yet add the metadata to present its lenses correctly.

File sizes

Raw video tends to be larger than processed footage, not just because of increased bit-depth but also because chroma sub-sampling and sophisticated compression tends to be used on processed files. However, another factor is that truely Raw files are typically created from the sensor's native resolution. Sub-sampling the sensor by line-skipping would reduce the quality of the footage and rendering it then downscaling wouldn't be very raw. Some cameras let you crop in to a 4K region of the sensor but this effectively reduces the sensor size of your camera, lowering the quality of the footage.

This means you typically end up with roughly 6K or 7K footage with modern hybrid cameras. Differences in file size then add up very quickly. Here we've put together some typical bitrates and then extrapolated from that to work out roughly how much footage you can fit on a 256Gb memory card.

If you want the additional resolution, many recent cameras can also record processed, compressed 10-bit footage at their native capture resolutions (around 6 to 7K), which is typically captured at similar bit-rates to the 4K footage, though often with 4:2:0 chroma sub-sampling.

But, as the table above should make clear, you can expect to get less than a third as much Raw footage on your memory card. Or, to put it the other way 'round: you'll need to buy at least three times as much media and storage in order to capture a project in Raw.

Is it worth it?

Overall then, is it worth it? Ultimately that's up to you, what you shoot and whether you want to maintain some flexibilty / pass extra work to the editing stage of your workflow.

Increasingly the tools are becoming available to let you work with Raw footage, but it's definitely worth considering whether the additional workflow steps and added storage requirements are worth it for the marginal gains in post-processing flexibility.

As things stand, we don't believe Raw video should be a deciding factor when choosing a camera unless you're absolutely certain that it's essential for the work you plan to do.

 

I already reported that Viltrox will announce its first L-mount lens on February 5th. The possible choices that have been rumored for months now are:

• Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 for L-mount
• Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 for L-mount

Viltrox is now teasing two additional products:

 
 
One of them could be a new flash – what do you think?

Update – the latest rumors from China indicate the following breakdown of the new products:

After the official announcement, Viltrox is planning to hold an interactive event together with Panasonic:

Viltrox joined the L-Mount Alliance in September, 2025:

Today Viltrox became the 10th member of the L-Mount Alliance

What’s coming next from Viltrox (updated)

Updated list of latest/upcoming/rumored Chinese lenses

The Panasonic LUMIX S1RII camera is now $300 off: https://t.co/mYJfCMuGfq pic.twitter.com/CpBHF0iuL4

— Photography Deals (@PhotogDeals) February 2, 2026

The post Viltrox to announce four new products on February 5th appeared first on Photo Rumors.

CIPA's latest data, expertly visualized by one of our forum members, doesn't shine any light onto how any particular camera model is doing, but it does show that cameras with built-in lenses are on the rise. Image: Richard Butler

The Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) has released its annual figures on camera and lens shipments for 2025, and the statistics paint an interesting picture about the state of the camera industry. As a whole, it's back to growth, but one category of cameras is making far larger strides than the others. DPReview forum user Funtaril has put together a collection of visualizations based the data, which help illustrate those changes.

Before we take a look, there are some important things to note about where the CIPA data comes from. It's an industry group that gets statistics from member companies, including all of the major camera companies currently producing cameras for the market, and most of the major lens manufacturers. However, according to the most recent data available on CIPA's site, companies such as JK Imaging (which sells the Kodak-branded Easyshare cameras that frequently top Amazon's sales charts), Viltrox, 7artisans, Laowa and a host of other popular Chinese lens producers don't participate. That means the statistics offer a useful, but not comprehensive view of the market as a whole.

Image: funtaril

With that said, perhaps the most interesting datapoint is that 2025 saw a 11% growth in digital camera shipment volumes compared to 2024, which itself was the first year to see the market expand, rather than contract, since 2020. While sales of mirrorless cameras showed moderate growth, shipments of cameras with built-in lenses grew by 30%, making them 25.8% of the total volume of shipments for 2025. Clearly, manufacturers have taken notice of compacts' increased popularity.

It's also worth reiterating that these percentages represent how many units were shipped, rather than their value. That means that, if there was a rush to buy expensive fixed-lens cameras like the Sony RX1RIII or the Fujifilm GFX100RF, that's not skewing this particular data. And as noted before, that figure likely undersells how popular compacts have been, since it doesn't account for many of the models being sold at Costco, Amazon, or via TikTok Shop.

This is made all the more interesting by the scarce availability of the few compacts still on available on the market. It's hard not to wonder if the growth could have been even greater if cameras such as the Canon G7X Mark III were being produced in sufficient numbers to satisfy demand.

The Canon EOS Rebel T7, the last of the entry-level DSLRs, is almost unbelievably cheap at American retail giant Costco, going for $639 in a kit with two lenses, a backpack, and an SD card. Photo: Jeff Keller

While it's exciting to see growth in the camera market, it's also clear that DSLRs are playing a smaller and smaller role in it. Funtaril's chart shows that shipments of them dropped 31% year over year in 2025, making it their sixth year in decline. As it stands, they only made up 7.3% of overall camera shipments last year.

According to CIPA's data, the 690,911 DSLRs shipped in 2025 were worth around ¥30.4 billion (∼$195 million). That means that each one was valued around $282, compared to the average value of a mirrorless camera at approximately $711. To be clear, these numbers represent the revenue manufacturers earn when selling the cameras to wholesalers, not the retail price the consumer ends up paying, but the difference is stark, suggesting that a lot of the remaining sales are the $639 Rebels being sold at Costco, rather than the latest $2000+ mirrorless cameras.

Image: funtaril

It's interesting to drill down to where exactly those DSLRs were going to. The CIPA numbers show that the vast majority are going to the Americas and Europe, where they accounted for 14.9% and 11.7% of the cameras shipped to those regions, respectively. By contrast, they made up only 1.2% and 1.5% of shipments for China and Japan, respectively (though the later is hardly representative of the market as a whole; 52.7% of its shipments were cameras with built-in lenses).

Shipments of full-frame and medium format cameras only increased by about 2%

Despite 2025 seeing the release of the excellent Nikon Z5 II (and its existing low-cost rivals hitting ever lower prices on sale), shipments of full-frame and medium format cameras only increased by less than 2%, and made up a slightly smaller percentage of overall cameras shipped in 2025 than the year before. While 36.3% of the market is nothing to sneeze at, cameras with smaller sensors still made up the bulk of shipments at 63.7%.

Image: funtaril

The story is a little different when it comes to lenses. In 2025, Funtaril shows lenses for crop sensors making up 54.9% of shipments, with full-frame and larger lenses making up 45.1%. While crop lenses still make up the majority, the delta is much smaller. Again, this number is based on the absolute number of units, not the value, so the full-frame lenses' higher per-unit value doesn't affect this data.

One last interesting, but somewhat thorny, trend revealed by the data is regarding overall lens shipments from manufacturers that are part of CIPA. Funtaril calculated the attachment rate (how many lenses were being shipped for each interchangeable lens camera being shipped), and the number of full-frame and larger lenses shipped per camera has been dropping precipitously since the early 2020s (when CIPA started breaking out that data by sensor size).

Image: funtaril

It's hard to pin down exactly what that tells us for a variety of reasons; the lack of historical data means that it's always possible the numbers from 2020 and 2021 were artificially high due to people buying new lenses as they switched to mirrorless. It's also worth noting that owners of crop sensor cameras also purchase full-frame lenses, though the data doesn't tell us anything about the quantities in which they do so. These factors make it hard to tell how much of the drop in shipments is due to lack of interest, or the growing might of Chinese lens makers.

It's worth taking a look at Funtaril's full post on our forum, as there are over 30 charts and graphs to dig into, showing things like how regions' buying habits have been changing over time, and breakdowns of prime lens sales versus zoom lens sales. Funtaril also posted another thread late last year that looked at cameras' lifecycles, in an attempt to predict which cameras might get an update this year.

Check out the full thread

Here is an updated list of upcoming/rumored DJI product announcements:

DJI Avata 360 drone: expected to feature dual 1-inch sensors for 360° capture, supporting up to 8K 60fps HDR video in 360 mode, with options for 4K 60fps in single-lens mode.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4: 1-inch CMOS sensor, 4K/120fps video recording in 10-bit D-Log M, a 3-axis gimbal, full-pixel fast focus, a 2-inch rotatable OLED touchscreen, enhanced battery life up to around 200 minutes, and new dedicated zoom and customizable buttons. A Pro variant is expected later in May or June 2026, potentially featuring dual 1/1.1-inch sensors (wide-angle and 2-4x telephoto), Hasselblad color science, optical zoom, variable aperture (f/1.7-f/2.8), improved low-light performance, and possibly 8K shooting capabilities

DJI Osmo 360 II: FCC registration for the DJI Osmo 360 II was completed on December 9, 2025, with ID 2ANDR-OQ0022512, confirming it’s not on the prohibited equipment list and eligible for sale in the US. The new model features a 2,150 mAh battery at 3.86V (8.3 Wh), representing about a 10% capacity increase over the original Osmo 360’s 1,950 mAh (7.5 Wh) for longer runtime. Wireless capabilities include Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with dual-band dual-antenna MIMO (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands) and Bluetooth supporting multiple modulations (GFSK, π/4-DQPSK, 8DPSK).

DJI Lito X1 and Liro 1 drones: The DJI Lito X1 and Lito 1 have received FCC approval in the US in late 2025, allowing them to be sold despite the DJI ban that started on December 23, 2025. The Lito 1 is rumored to replace or target the same entry-level market as the DJI Mini 4K, aimed at beginners, while the Lito X1 may succeed the Mini 5 Pro or serve as a more advanced, creator-focused option in the sub-250g category (both models are expected to be foldable, lightweight drones weighing under 250 grams). Some of the rumored specs are: Wi-Fi 6 support, multi-band connectivity, SDR radios, and an RF exposure class of 200 mm. The Lito X1 may feature internal storage of around 22GB or 42GB with microSD expansion, plus advanced sensing like O5 and 5G for potentially unlimited range.

DJI Osmo Action 7: Expected in late 2026, with rumored pricing for the standard combo starting around $349–$429, with higher-end bundles or a potential Pro model reaching up to $579. Potential upgrade to 8K video recording, possibly at 60fps. A larger senor is a possibility.

The new Antigravity A1 drone with 8K 360 video is already on sale

DJI drone ban now in effect in the US: here is the list of DJI drones that can still be legally purchased in the US

The post The latest DJI rumors appeared first on Photo Rumors.

Image: Godox

Godox has announced the V1mid, a round-head on-camera flash unit. The company's latest flash sits in the V1 lineup and aims to provide a relatively affordable option for photographers who need more than a strictly budget-level flash but in a compact package.

Godox hasn't published any information on the V1mid's guide number or power, so those specs are unclear at this point. The company does specify a 1.7-second recycle time, which is just slightly lower than the V1's 1.5-second recycle time. It also promises up to 650 full-power flashes on a single charge, which is more than both of the other V1 flash units.

The V1mid mostly relies on a touchscreen for control. Image: Godox

The Godox V1mid is smaller than the V1 and V1Pro, making it a more compact and lighter option for photographers on the go. It weighs 413g (14.6oz), compared to the V1's 530g (18.7oz) weight. To accommodate the smaller size, Godox did away with most of the buttons and dials found on the V1 and V1Pro, with the V1mid instead relying on a two-inch touchscreen and dial.

The V1mid supports TTL, manual and multi-modes. It is also compatible with high-speed sync up to 1/8000 sec, or 1/80000 sec with Sony cameras with global shutters. The flash also supports first- and rear-curtain sync. Flash power is adjustable from 1/256 to full power. It can function as both a sender and receiver using Godox's 2.4 GHz 'X' wireless radio system, making it possible to use in multi-flash setups. It also supports wired sync via a 2.5mm sync port.

Image: Godox

Like the existing V1 models, some features of the V1mid are camera-dependent. For example, only certain versions offer a 2W LED modeling lamp. Additionally, the Canon version supports camera menu control. All versions are compatible with the Godox AK-R1 round-head magnetic accessory system, making it easier to modify the light.

The Godox V1mid is available for purchase today for $179 in versions for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus/Panasonic and Sony.

Buy now: